Hong Kong: HK East Job Centre to move

The Labour Department today announced it will relocate the Hong Kong East Job Centre on May 22 and rename it the Admiralty Job Centre.

The Admiralty Job Centre will be located at 9/F, High Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway. It will start operations on May 24, and open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm and on Saturday from 9am to noon. Call 2591 1318 for enquiries.

The existing Hong Kong East Job Centre at 34/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai will close on May 22. Job seekers may use the North Point Job Centre at 12/F, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, the Hong Kong West Job Centre at 4/F, Western Magistracy Building, 2A Pok Fu Lam Road, Sai Ying Pun or other job centres.

They can also browse job vacancies on the department's Interactive Employment Service website.

This story has been published on: 2021-05-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
American democracy is dominated by money

09:03, May 17, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily Online

Does the U.S. want democracy or money-dominated democracy? The U.S. society should really think hard about the questionalthough some politicians in the country already have an answer that they dare not to expose: American democracy is merely a disguise as it is actually dominated by money.

"There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money and I can't remember what the second one is." The quote from the late Mark Hanna, American industrialist and prototype of the political kingmaker, revealed the truth about American politics more than a hundred years ago, and is repeatedly proven true by facts today.

The 2020 U.S. presidential election is a recent example of what Hanna said in the late 19th century. While the chaotic phenomena during the election made it seem like a political mystery, the eye-catching money-squandering plots were not surprising at all.

U.S. presidential and congressional candidates spent a total of $14 billion in the 2020 election campaigns, which was more than twice that for the 2016 election, and even surpassed the gross domestic product (GDP) of dozens of economies in 2020.

According to U.S. media, the top ten donors in the 2020 U.S. election contributed more than $640 million, and funds collected from small donors accounted for less than half of the total amount of money raised by both democratic and republican presidential candidates.

Data have shown that the American-style democracy is like a monodrama of the wealthy. On the "political fundraising market", the ability to raise funds has become a rigid standard, sometimes the primary standard, for measuring the career prospects of American politicians. People even dubbed U.S. president's term in office the single highest priced commodity in Washington, D.C.

According to media reports, some members of the U.S. Congress spend as long as five hours per day on raising money for re-election, almost the same amount of time as on legislative work.

Money is a plague in American politics, said James Moran, former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives who served in the Capitol Hill for more than 20 years, noting that money distorts political process and gives the rich disproportionate political influence.

The U.S. used to be a democracy, which is a government of the 100 percent, by the 100 percent, for the 100 percent, and sadly today's U.S. has become a plutocracy; a plutocracy is the government of the 1 percent, by the 1 percent, for the 1 percent, Singaporean scholar Kishore Mahbubani pointed out.

It's ironic that power-for-money deals are made totally legitimate in the U.S. What the widely-denounced super Political Action Committees (super PACs) has been doing is a typical example.

In 2010, a judgment from the Supreme Court of the U.S. gave the green light to companies and groups providing unlimited amount of political contributions through the super PACs. The judgment was followed by a ruling made by the Supreme Court in 2014 that struck down certain limits on individual campaign contributions.

While the Supreme Court tried to wrap the decision in nice-sounding phrases and said that campaign donations are a constitutionally protected form of free speech, it ignored the fact that in reality it's not uncommon for a company to provide political campaign donations for both parties, which is obviously not for the purpose of freely expressing a self-contradictory standpoint, but to hedge "risks" and avoid the loss of political channels.

On the surface, the super PACs need to follow relevant legal provisions, which require them not to donate money directly to political campaign teams or have cooperative relationship with candidates or their campaign committees. However, such interest-driven "peripheral" campaign operations as advertising and article posting can certainly make the political beneficiaries know who they should "thank".

The apparent "legal corruption" has long been controversial in the U.S., and the relevant laws, which are occasionally tinkered with, are more like decorations designed to deceive the public, as they are fundamentally against democracy, freedom, equality, and justice.

How can the country with a democracy dominated by money guarantee the democratic rights of the common people?

In the early days of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, worried that the financial aristocracy would erode the country's democracy if they have disproportionate influence in the government. The concern still couldn't be eliminated today.

An editorial by the New York Times pointed out that in recent decades, "the rich keep getting richer, and the Supreme Court has made it much easier for politicians to tap that wealth. The result is an arms race that leaves politicians ever more beholden to funders."

Political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page have proven in the book Democracy in America?: What Has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It that the rich in the U.S. can even successfully block a popular policy as long as they don't like it.

In the final analysis, the present American-style democracy is a game in which the stink of money contaminates the real democracy. It's astonishing and ridiculous that certain U.S. politicians are still shamelessly peddling the trick that perfectly explains how "money talks" and even use it as a criterion for judging the political systems of other countries.

It must be understood that there is never real democracy if the democracy is dominated by money. The root cause of various deep-seated problems in the American-style democracy is that the country replaced the say of "people" in decision-making with "money".

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
The country's largest bank, the State Bank of India's super app 'YONO', is gearing up to offer fast track two-wheeler loans and also express credit, a high-value personal loan.

Currently, the YONO offers small ticket size loans with an average size of Rs 2.5 lakh, cardless cash withdrawals at ATMs, opening of savings banks, and also generates leads in the car and home loans.

The pre-approved personal loans are very popular with disbursements of Rs 21,000 crore plus in 2020-21. These loans are given to existing customer based on past credit history, spending behavior, and repayment track record.

In fact, a personal loan was the first credit product offered through YONO.

The plans are now to expand the YONO product basket to other retail loans. The bank is currently testing digital document execution (DDE), which includes a digital signature and other digital infrastructure. The high-end express credit will be a personal loan in the larger ticket size category. The amount could be anywhere between Rs 5-10 lakh per borrower.

Similarly, the bank is working on a two-wheeler loan via the app. But this facility will be offered in states where digital stamp duty infrastructure is available.

Going forward, the bank plans to extend the loan products to new customers. The account aggregator system is also coming up which will offer faster access to customer credit history with other banks.

Currently, the YONO APP is already generating leads for car loans and home loans. The app has sourced leads for Rs 6,000 crore home loans and Rs 4,000 crore leads for car loans in 2020-21. The bank claims that they have also sanctioned a total of Rs 10,000 crore such loans through the bank's physical channel.

YONO APP offers a huge opportunity for banks to shift from the high-cost branch model to a cost-effective app for selling retail loan products. Currently, the bank has disbursed Rs 8.31 lakh crore of retail personal loans at its branches by December 2020. Out of that, the home loan had the biggest share of Rs 4.84 lakh followed by Rs 1.77 lakh of express credit and Rs 75,937 crore of auto loans.

Also Read: SBI Cards raised Rs 455 cr via issue of bonds
The Denver chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and 9to5 Colorado hold a Cancel the Rent car protest in Denver

on

Jan. 30

. The protest was a national day of action with 30 planned for this weekend by PSL chapters in cities around the U.S to ask for government intervention to head off a worsening housing crisis.
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Nominations now open for the 2021 Government Innovation Awards

We have the government to thank for the internet, GPS and unmanned aerial systems. Much of the machine learning and advanced analytics powering the data-driven economy are made possible by government-funded research. And agencies themselves are being transformed by new technologies and innovative ways of weaving IT into critical missions.

Public-sector tech, in other words, is far cooler than the government often gets credit for. The 2021 Government Innovation Awards aim to give these innovators the credit they deserve.

At the core of these awards are Public Sector Innovations -- transformative tech that is truly reinventing government at the federal, state or local level. That potentially mission-critical impact can stem from a new technology itself or from the innovative ways established tech is being leveraged to make government function better.

(Individual Rising Stars and corporate Industry Innovators are also recognized, as we want to showcase the full spectrum of partners that are working to transform government IT.)

Nominations for the 2021 awards are now being accepted, with a submission deadline of July 2. As you begin thinking about the transformative work you'd like to see recognized, please keep the following questions in mind:

What type of innovation is it?

Any tech-driven innovation in government is eligible, but the 2021 Government Innovation Awards focus on six distinct areas of IT:

AI/Analytics/Automation

Cybersecurity

Cloud/Infrastructure

Digital Transformation

IoT & Smart Cities

Unmanned Systems

Nominations can be submitted in multiple categories, as appropriate, as convergence is often critical to the mission. And submissions stamped "other" are encouraged -- we recognize that some disruptive technologies are emerging so quickly they don't fit into existing categories!

Who is the government lead?

The private sector plays a critical role in many if not most government IT efforts, and truly transformative initiatives are almost always collaborations. However, all Government Innovation Award nominations must specify the government agency where the work is taking place and include a government employee as the project lead. These are not individual awards, but we do need a clear point of contact.

Is this innovation having an impact?

Research projects and early-stage pilots are fully eligible for these awards; the technology or project need not be fully deployed. But whatever the stage of development, it's critical that the nomination explain the mission impact, whether proven or projected.

Nominations are centered on two "essay questions" about the innovation in question:

Describe the technology -- what is the IT involved and how it is being used or tested? Describe the impact -- how is this technology transforming government missions? And why is it particularly worthy of recognition in 2021?

Each response can be up to 500 words, but longer is not necessarily better. Focus on telling the story of your project's innovations and impact, and be sure to stress why the effort is award-worthy this year.

Who is vouching for this project?

Nominators matter. Our judges want to see persuasive specifics in the write-ups, of course, but they also pay close attention to the slate of supporting nominators. Has the innovation in question impressed key stakeholders in the agency or observers elsewhere in government? Nominations that come solely from team members and their industry partners almost never carry the weight of those that include some additional outside validation.

What projects have been picked in the past?

To get a better sense of what our judges have considered true examples of innovation in government IT, check out the 2020 winners.

So please be thinking about efforts throughout government that you believe are worthy of a Government Innovation Award and be sure to submit your nominations. And don't forget about the Rising Stars and Industry Innovators -- you can find more details about the full awards program at GovernmentInnovationAwards.com
North Iowa Area Community College is joining with Iowas Community Colleges and the Iowa State Universitys Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) to create a new consortium to support the manufacturing sector. The training and awareness initiative includes partners from across the state.

A January report from the Iowa Economic Development Authority Seizing the Manufacturing 4.0 Opportunity: A Strategic Plan for Iowas Manufacturing Industry called for advancing the knowledge base, expertise, and collaboration among businesses in the state. This partnership will respond to workforce, training/education and integration needs to help manufacturers strategically address technology investments, workforce pipeline, and workforce talent challenges. The consortium will support Iowas manufacturers efforts to seize opportunities and remain competitive by providing consultation, education, implementation, and access to resources.

NIACC is excited to work with the consortium partners as we expand our recruiting and training in the field of advanced manufacturing," said NIACC President, Dr. Steve Schulz. "This work is critical to expanding the workforce pipeline to advanced manufacturing careers and attracting new companies to Iowa.
"Economics is all about incentives. To keep the country prosperous, our public policies should reward productive behavior rather than punish it," wrote Stephen Moore and Phil Kerpen of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. The $300 federal unemployment benefit is an example of a policy that disincentivizes people from working, and this was proved with the recent lackluster jobs report. Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes, noted that one of the biggest reasons for the poor jobs report is "Uncle Sam's paying bonus unemployment benefits."

"Millions of people are making more by not working than by returning to the labor force," argued Forbes.

In addition to withdrawing from the federal unemployment benefits program, Governor Reynolds announced Iowa would return $95 million in federal dollars designated for COVID-19 testing in schools because Iowa schools have been open since August. Federal stimulus dollars continue to flow into the state. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) +allocated over $4 billion for state and local governments, with Iowa schools receiving $770 million from the ARP. Policymakers in Iowa are wise not to rush to spend ARP dollars. Federal money often has strings attached, leading to unintended consequences and creating future financial obligations on the state budget.
Because the board is not responsible for overseeing the Iowa Legislature, any inquiries there would fall to the Legislatures ethics committees, which are chaired by majority Republicans.

Spokespeople for legislative leaders did not immediately respond to a question of whether Republicans plan to look into Heritages claims.

Iowa is the first state that we got to work in, and we did it quickly and we did it quietly, Heritage Action executive director Jessica Anderson said in the video, as reported by The Associated Press. The video was first published by the progressive investigative news website Mother Jones. We helped draft the bills. ... Honestly, nobody even noticed. My team looked at each other, and were like, it cant be that easy.

Kaufmann and Smith disputed the claims, with Kaufmann saying Heritage had nothing to do with the elections bill. Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley suggested Anderson may have made the claim to boost fundraising.

Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls, leader of the Senate Democrats from Coralville, called the state board's inquiry good news, and called on Smith to cooperate.
Danville Regional Airport will receive $172,222 from the federal government to go toward a rehabilitation project on the south ramp.

We appreciate the good news, said Danville Transportation Director Marc Adelman. This is a unique project.

The money from the U.S. Department of Transportation will pay for design of south ramp project, Adelman said.

Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced the funding Friday. The money for the Danville airport is part of $10.5 million from the federal government to help pay for projects at seven airports in the commonwealth.

The south ramp, which has 13 inches of concrete that needs rehabilitation, is 510 feet by 425 feet. Officials plan to rubbilize the concrete  or break it up  and overlay it with asphalt, Adelman said.

Officials plan to use the south ramp for business aviation development, aircraft maintenance facilities and for surplus aircraft parking from casino activity, Adelman said, referring to the Caesars Virginia casino project planned at the former Dan River Inc. site in Schoolfield.

An engineering firm is expected to begin design services by July 1 and an estimate of construction costs will be provided to the state by the end of the year, Adelman said.
Gill Powell submitted her resignation in early April to become special assistant to Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginias Community Colleges, a news release from the community college system said. She leaves after serving less than two years in the position.

At the time, Gill Powell would not talk to the Register & Bee, declining to comment further on her resignation.

Muriel B. Mickles begins today as the interim president for the college. She previously served as the vice president of academic, students and workforce development at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg.

I have been closely associated with Danville Community College for many years, Mickles said in a news release. I have known and interacted with many DCC employees at conferences, workshops, in numerous meetings, et cetera. As I prepare to begin my new position at DCC, I believe that I will feel right at home.

Mickles earned an associate degree in education from CVCC; a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters degree in agency counseling from Lynchburg College; and a doctorate of education in administration and supervision from the University of Virginia.
Highlights Airtel has alerted users in Mumbai that cyclone Tauktae could affect their network.

The telco has urged users to charge their phones.

Earlier this week, DoT held a meeting with additional infrastructure bodies to work on restored teams which are kept on standby mode for all major districts.

Airtel has alerted its users that cyclone Tauktae, which is a little over 160 km south-southwest of Mumbai, could impact its services and has urged users to charge phones. The cyclone intensified into a "very severe cyclonic storm" and is likely to reach the Gujarat coast between 8 PM to 11 PM. The airports in Mumbai have been shut between 11 AM to 2 PM.

"Important Update! Due to cyclone Tauktae, your Airtel services might get impacted in Mumbai.

Rest assured, we are on the job to minimize the disruption. Keep phones charged.

Stay Safe, Stay Alert - Team Airtel," the telecom company alerted users.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had held a meeting with the telecom infrastructure providers and their representative body Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA), according to ET Telecom. To ensure uninterrupted telecom connectivity in the affected states in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the infrastructure companies have further deployed additional restored teams which are kept on standby mode for all major districts and areas likely to see storm impact.

Earlier on Monday, Mumbai experienced light rainfall and gusty winds. Five temporary shelters have been set up in each of the city's 24 wards and three NDRF teams are on alert. Moderate to intense spells of rain, with winds reaching 75 to 85 km per over the city, as well as Thane, Raigad, Palghar and Ratnagiri districts, are likely in the next few hours. The Bandra-Worli sealink was closed for traffic and people were asked to take alternative routes. Local trains of the Central Railways were disrupted between Vikhroli and Ghatkopar after a tree fell on a train going towards Thane.

In related news, Airtel as a one-time gesture is giving the Rs 49 prepaid plan free of cost to over 55 million low-income customers. The Rs 49 pack offers users 100 MB of data and Rs 38 worth of talk time with a validity of 28 days.

Through this gesture, Airtel aims to empower its over 5.5 crore customers, most of them in rural areas, to stay connected and have access to critical information when needed.





(with inputs from agencies)
Palmer, who was also involved with the volunteer-run Friends of East End, said he feels state officials have carelessly entrusted with Enrichmond a project it is unqualified to handle, and that its stewardship thus far has been disappointing.

The relationship between Friends of East End and Enrichmond became worse last year after Enrichmond asked volunteer groups to sign special agreements to continue their cleanup efforts and research on the burials there. Palmer said the Friends of East End was reluctant to sign the agreement as it included clauses that would waive their rights to photos and other records they create from the site.

Deeply disturbed

In addition to the condition of the cemeteries and Enrichmonds management of them, Palmer and others said they were deeply disturbed when Sydnor and state officials last fall revealed in a virtual public meeting that exposed human remains discovered near East End cemetery in the summer showed evidence of postmortem cutting.

The descendants who attended the meeting said they felt that they mishandled the disclosure in the online forum and disrespectfully enforced a three-minute time limit on people who signed up to speak.
The more bellicose among us would already be demanding congressional hearings into that radicalization. And calling upon leaders of his community to disavow him. And pushing for surveillance of places where people who think like him congregate.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but there will be no congressional investigation into the impact of Fox News or any of its fellow travelers. No one will demand the city council of Naperville, Illinois, repudiate this particular citizen. Nor will the FBI send agents to chat up the locals over breakfast in farm-country diners.

Because Antonio wasnt really radicalized, right? He only had Foxitis, which sounds like something you clear up with a shot of penicillin. The fact that Hurley frames his clients actions in such relatively benign language suggests he is depending on us to regard Antonio with the same myopia that allowed the Capitol to be breached in the first place.
Mayor Jack Young told them to kiss off and then ate a $10 million fee to overhaul the citys networks and $8 million to write off unpaid taxes and other fees while computers were down.

Were not going to pay criminals for bad deeds, Young told The Baltimore Sun. Thats not going to happen.

Theres a lot to be said for Youngs perspective. A vulnerable network is going to need upgrades regardless of how ransom negotiations proceed, and theres no telling if paying a bribe will forestall all of the problems that come with a significant intrusion  so why not eat the costs upfront and move on?

Companies and other public and private institutions have many factors to juggle when hackers shake them down for money, of course.

The Institute for Security and Technology, a private cybersecurity consortium, said in a recent report on ransomware that chief concerns include whether companies have cyber insurance policies and high-quality data backups. They also worry about the anticipated expense of paying for a prolonged system shutdown.

One obvious conclusion from that observation: All institutions in the digital era should have appropriate backups in place.
RALEIGH  Although more than half of North Carolinas gas stations remain out of fuel, an industry analyst reported Sunday that the state appears to be at the epicenter of restoration efforts following a ransomware attack that crippled a major southeastern U.S. pipeline.

According to GasBuddy, a website that tracks fuel prices and petroleum industry trends, the percentage of stations in North Carolina without gas dropped below 60% for the first time since Wednesday, when outages peaked at 74%. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis with GasBuddy, tweeted that as of Sunday morning about 59% of the states gas stations are out of fuel. Thats a 5-percentage-point drop from Saturday night, when the states outage rate stood at 64%.

Based on GasBuddy data, the epicenter of restoration efforts appears to be North Carolina at present time, De Haan tweeted Sunday.

North Carolina gas stations are still seeing one of the highest outage rates in the Southeast as the region struggles to keep up with demand following a cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline Co. earlier this month. Bloomberg reported that the company paid almost $5 million to an Eastern European hacker group that carried out the attack.

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Auschwitz was a complex of concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered six million Jews across German-occupied Europe.

At UNCG, he taught courses on German history and on the Holocaust.

My wrestling with the Holocaust has taken me through more than 20 years of teaching a course on the subject and many more as a scholar attempting to understand how it could have happened, Schleunes wrote in an essay abstract that appears on the Springer.com publishing company website.

He went on to publish two more books.

At Greensboro College, an annual lecture  which bears his name  focuses on the Holocaust and genocide.

Rabbi Fred Guttman of Temple Emanuel expressed the sorrow of the temple and the Jewish community and condolences to Brenda Schleunes on her Facebook page.
GREENSBORO  The dean of the Elon University School of Law will step down from that post in December after more than seven years.

Elon announced Monday that Luke Bierman will remain at the law school after resigning as dean.

Bierman said in a statement Elon Law has successfully shown that legal education is not static and can be redesigned and modernized for the good of our students.

We are pioneers who have changed legal education during the most challenging period for higher education for the better part of a century. We have contributed to strengthening the rule of law in a rapidly changing nation and a world that grows in complexity by the day. We did this together. And of that I am most proud.

Bierman led the law school through a major overhaul. Starting in fall 2015, Elon Law converted its three-year program  standard at most U.S. schools  to seven trimesters over two-and-a-half years. Elon Law also cut its price and put major emphasis on teaching its students through real-life legal experiences.
WINSTON-SALEM  Growing up in a military family, it was logical that Tasha Logan Ford would pursue a career in public service.

Working to make ones community a better place was something that was impressed upon her during her fathers time in the U.S. Air Force, she recalled.

This is one of the principles Logan Ford has taken to heart as shes risen through the ranks of her profession to her new role as incoming High Point city manager.

He always instilled that sense of service, and I think its important in your role as a manager to remember the responsibility we have to always leave our communities better than we found them, Logan Ford said. What I would want people in the community to know about me is, my focus is to learn both the organization itself and the community and figure out how we align those services to meet the needs.

The City Council on May 3 unanimously selected Logan Ford, currently an assistant manager for Winston-Salem, as High Points next top administrator. She expects to begin work July 19.
WASHINGTON  The political defenestration of Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., is not just the act of a party that has given up truth for Donald Trump, though it is surely that. The journey toward Wednesdays voice vote to remove her from the House Republican leadership began decades ago in the GOPs embrace of charges of rampant voter fraud to rationalize its efforts to impede Black and younger voters from casting ballots.

Like so much about what Trump has done, his big lie about having won the 2020 election builds on the only somewhat smaller lies Republicans routinely told in the normal course of business.

The voter-fraud lie goes back at least two decades. The attack on voting rights was codified in the 2013 Shelby v. Holder decision. Five conservative Supreme Court justices knifed the heart of the Voting Rights Act, as Wade Henderson, interim president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, noted in an interview.

And many Republicans who know Trumps claim to have won the election is a confection of nonsense also know it helps rationalize state laws that will make voting harder in 2022 and beyond. GOP state legislators are taking aim at constituencies likely to vote against them.
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" " This cartoon "Cow-Pock, or, The Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation" by James Gillray depicts some of the fears people had about the smallpox vaccine causing them to grow cow-like parts. Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Nobody likes to be sick, but it seems there are plenty of people who are willing to take a chance on a disease like COVID-19, instead of getting a vaccine. Why is that? And is this a new phenomenon? First, we have to understand the difference between vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine activism (or vaccine resistance).

"Vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine activism are distinct and largely unrelated," explains Noel Brewer, Ph.D., professor of health behavior at the University of North Carolina in an email. "Only around 2 percent of Americans will never get a vaccine, and among these hard refusers only a handful attempt to recruit others to their views."

By comparison, he says, most people have at least some questions about vaccines, which is not a bad thing. "Vaccine hesitancy is normal and healthy and should be encouraged. It's good to have questions, ask them and get high-quality, trustworthy answers," he says.

The vocal anti-vaccination movement is fairly recent and was really kicked into gear in 1998 by a now-discredited paper that appeared in the medical journal Lancet linking vaccines and autism, says Brewer. However, vaccine hesitancy is as old as vaccines themselves.

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Vaccine Hesitation Through History

"This has been going on for centuries," says Dr. Kathryn Edwards, author of an American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report "Countering Vaccine Hesitancy." She points out that there was a cartoon published back in 1802 that depicts people growing cow-like parts. This was because Edward Jenner pioneered the smallpox vaccine first using material from cowpox.

The first smallpox vaccine "was met with enthusiasm but also dread," wrote medical historian Elena Conis in a 2015 article. "While many patients and physicians were eager to fend off one of that era's most feared diseases, many others balked at the prospect of contaminating their healthy bodies with disease matter from an animal." And when European countries began making smallpox vaccines mandatory in the early 1800s, "societies of anti-vaccinationists formed to protest what they saw as unequal treatment and undue infringement of individual liberty."

But they didn't get much traction. There was also little protest against the polio vaccine, released in 1954 to "wild enthusiasm" in America, according to Conis. "Parents so dreaded polio that they were quick to seek the vaccine for their children, and coercive policies never became necessary," she wrote.

" " A nurse prepares children for a polio vaccine shot as part of a city-wide testing of the vaccine on elementary school students in 1954. Bettmann/Getty Images

But as the decades went on, American parents were not so excited about vaccinations for measles, mumps and other diseases, she noted. "Families long accustomed to living with measles, for example, shrugged off the new vaccine against the disease." Health officials often had to make vaccinations mandatory for school registration to get compliance.

In 1982, a TV documentary called "DPT: Vaccine Roulette" aired, featuring profiles of children whose mothers believed they were harmed by the vaccine for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, one of the first media coverages critical of vaccines. Then, the 1998 Lancet article linking the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism sparked the "anti-vaxxer" movement.

Fast forward to 2021 and the new vaccination against COVID-19. A whopping one-third of American adults are skeptical of getting it, according to the Associated Press, a pretty big problem for those trying to slow or stop the pandemic.

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Why Vaccine Hesitation?

We've already established that vaccine hesitancy is normal, even healthy. But why does it happen? The reasons are threefold, according to Edwards.

1. People don't think the disease is that bad, therefore it doesn't need to be prevented. "One of the issues that make vaccine hesitancy more common prior to COVID is that many of the infectious diseases that parents dreaded for their children have been eliminated," Edwards explains, noting that severe chickenpox, mumps and other once-devastating illnesses are far rarer than they used to be, thanks to vaccines. In terms of COVID, fear levels tend to run a wide range of normal, with some people petrified of the virus and others totally unconcerned. "Many people who don't want to get the vaccine are less afraid of getting COVID than those who get [the vaccine]," she explains.

Of particular influence to this aspect of vaccine hesitancy is the media, says Edwards. "Some is very science-based, others are not," she notes. "An internet site doesn't come with a rating of whether it's based on fact or not."

2. They're worried about the safety of the vaccine. This is a big one for the COVID-19 vaccine; since it was developed so quickly, a lot of people think that it can't possibly be safe enough to use. (In reality, scientists had been dealing with other coronaviruses like SARS and MERS for decades which gave them a head start in vaccine development.) Although vaccine hesitancy is common among people of all demographics, minority populations are especially skeptical because many distrust the medical system. Think of the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

3. Individualism is important. Most people don't like to be told what to do, even if it's in their best interests. They want to "decide for myself if I get vaccinated, whether I wear masks, if I go out or quarantine," Dr. Edwards says. "It's the sense of wanting to be an individual and having individual rights."

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How to Handle Vaccine Hesitancy

For what it's worth, vaccination rates are still high in the U.S., with 91.5 percent of children aged 19-35 months fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella as of 2017. This is an all-time high, with the lowest rate since 1994, occurring not-so-coincidentally in 1998 (86 percent) when the fraudulent MMR vaccine/autism study was released.

Still, there's not likely to be a magic cure to eliminate vaccine hesitancy anytime soon. "We don't have much evidence that interventions to decrease hesitancy can increase vaccine uptake. Such interventions have been unreliably effective," Brewer says. "That said, the best way to address hesitancy is to have a person talk with their healthcare provider. A provider recommendation is the single biggest motivator of vaccination."

" " Joseph Galdamez, 14, receives a first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a Los Angeles County mobile vaccination clinic on May 14, 2021. Polls have shown just 30 percent of parents plan to vaccinate their kids right away, now that the vaccine has been approved for children 12 and over. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

So, let's say a friend mentions that they're scared to get a certain vaccine, whether for themself or a child. The worst thing you can do is tell them they're stupid or unilaterally discredit their concerns. Instead, find out why they're concerned. Is it due to side effects? Fears about big pharma? Potential long-term problems?

Validate their feelings by listening and taking them seriously. Then suggest that they visit some reputable sites (with you or on their own) to get credible answers to their questions. A few that Edwards suggests are the CDC, AAP and the National Institutes of Health vaccine information portals. "There's a wealth of information to look at that can answer questions, as long as it's a source that is linked to science," she says. (The American Academy of Family Physicians website also has an extensive explanation of COVID-19 vaccine myths and facts.)

Finally, as Brewer says, suggest a frank conversation with their doctor to find out why the vaccine is recommended, if there are any risks and what the side effects might be. Most of the time, a simple conversation with a knowledgeable person will allay fears. "Certainly, I want my patients to understand what they're receiving and how it works. I also want them to know that they may experience side effects that I can tell them about," Edwards says.

Now That's Important Wondering how vaccines get the job done? Check out this video on the science of stimulating an immune response.
Highlights LG is giving its South Korea employees a chance to buy two phones.

The LG Rollable and Velvet 2 Pro are up for sale in South Korea for employees.

LG earlier this year announced that it will exit the phone business.

LG has officially quit the smartphone business. While the winding-up is supposed to take some months, the fate of the unreleased phones may now be clear. The LG Rollable, which the company showed off at this year's CES, and the Velvet 2 Pro, which has been in the works as the successor to the LG Velvet, are still there in the company's inventory, but only its employees in South Korea can buy them.

According to the tipster FrontTron, LG is giving its employees working in South Korea an opportunity to buy either the LG Rollable or the LG Velvet 2 Pro. While the price at which the LG Rollable will be sold to employees is not clear, the tipster has suggested LG is selling the Velvet 2 Pro at $170 apiece, which is far lower than what the company would have sold the device for on the market. There are around 3000 units of Velvet 2 Pro, which is why employees are not allowed to buy more than two units. LG is also restricting the resale of these phones, over and above hardware support for six months or until parts last and no software updates.

Source: FrontTron/ Twitter

LG Velvet 2 Pro never came out on the market as the successor to the Velvet. The tipster has shared leaked images of the Velvet 2 Pro and it looks more or less like the original Velvet. It has the same raindrop-style cameras on the back with three sensors. However, all of the circular camera modules now stick out, as opposed to the one for the main camera previously. The LG Velvet 2 Pro seems to have a glass back while the side rims look gold-plated. The tipster has suggested this variant is called Beige. However, there may be a Black and a Bimetallic Bronze variant, as well.

The biggest change in the Velvet 2 Pro is perhaps the removal of physical buttons. According to the tipster, this unannounced phone has pressure-sensitive areas, much like what Google Pixel 3 had, and it could trigger the Google Assistant. The display has the same notch that the first-generation Velvet does, along with curved edges on both sides of the display. Had LG planned to launch the Velvet 2 Pro, it would have certainly found some takers other than those among the company's loyalists.

LG showcased the Rollable phone back in January. To many, it seemed like a prototype until the company decided to actually make it a reality. A day after the demo, LG told the media that the Rollable phone would arrive later this year. A date for that was not available though. However, all of that was for nothing. LG last month announced it is exiting the phone business entirely.
New laws. New governor. New administration.

November 2020 had major implications for Montana. Voters put Republicans into every statewide office, the governors chair and in expanded margins in the Legislature.

For the last four months, the Montana State News Bureau documented the bills lawmakers passed that will mean dramatic changes for Montana. Now, were reporting on the execution of those new laws.

On this season of Big Sky Lede, well dive into the new landscape.

The list of changes Montanas about to go through is long:

Theres the framework lawmakers set up to spend billions in federal coronavirus aid that will unfurl over the summer.

We have more restrictive voting laws, passed with support of the new Republican Secretary of State.

The bill to pass a recreational marijuana program seemed like a herculean lift, but now the real work starts with putting the provisions in place.

Theres still debate over changes to hunting laws affecting outfitters' businesses.

And thats just the start of a slew of new laws thats facing the state.

Our team will explain all the changes Montanas going through as a result of the legislative session.
These are recent reports of missing children made to local law enforcement. If you think you have seen a missing child, contact the National C
CHICAGO  Two Chicago police officers responding to a shots fired alert from ShotSpotter, the citys gunshot detection system, were shot and wounded early Sunday on the West Side, authorities confirmed.

One officer was in critical but stable condition and the other was in good condition, officials said. He was expected to be released around 10:15 a.m., police said. The man who allegedly shot the two male officers also was shot, police said, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital.

Thankfully, none of the injuries are life-threatening to either the officers or the offender. But it just underscores the danger that our men and women in the Police Department face every single day. They run to danger to protect us. And we cant ever forget that, said Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

The officers were working in Lawndale when they were dispatched to the ShotSpotter alert near the 1500 block of South Lawndale Avenue about 7:11 a.m., said Superintendent David Brown. When they saw a man in a vacant lot near the location the ShotSpotter alert indicated, they approached him and were immediately fired upon, Brown said.

They were in uniform, clearly Chicago police officers, and this offender had no regard for their position as police officers  no regard  and began trying to kill them. Lets be clear: This offender turned and immediately tried to kill these officers by firing a gun at them and hitting both of them. But for the good Lords grace that were not here talking about planning a funeral for our officers, Brown said.

Police spokesman Tom Ahern said the gunman also was shot in a lower extremity, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital.

Lightfoot reiterated many of the same points as Brown during a 9:15 a.m. joint news conference outside Mount Sinai Hospital, stressing that the officers were readily identifiable as police officers when they were fired upon. Brown also said there was no foot pursuit prior to the gunfire.

One officer was shot in the hand and was in good condition. Police outside Mount Sinai said they expected he would be released sometime after 10:15 a.m.

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The other officer was shot in the leg and in the shoulder above his vest and had been in critical but stable condition, Brown said.

Brown said there have been 16 Chicago police officers shot in the past 15 months. In the same time frame, 108 officers have been fired upon, he said.

Repeating a common refrain, Lightfoot again called for an end to violence in the city.

Lets say a prayer for all involved. Lets pray for peace in our city, Lightfoot said. Weve got to put these guns down. Weve got to stop the flow of illegal guns into our city.

These are at least the fifth and sixth Chicago police officers to be shot in the past two months, according to Tribune records.

On March 25, a Deering District officer was shot in the South Sides Brighton Park neighborhood while he and other officers went after a gunman who shot a security worker at a Home Depot. The gunman was shot and killed by another officer, and the wounded cop and the security worker survived their injuries.

That shooting came five days after an Austin District officer was shot in the hand on the West Side by a gunman who, authorities say, fired at several cops and three other people near Maypole and LaCrosse avenues in the Austin community. A 29-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

On March 15, an off-duty officer was shot while sitting in his vehicle at a traffic light in the 8900 block of South Stony Island Avenue in the Calumet Heights neighborhood on the South Side. That officer was shot in the abdomen and needed surgery. A $1,000 reward has been offered for the capture of at least two suspects wanted in that case.

The day before that shooting, on March 14, an on-duty sergeant was shot outside the Gresham District Police Station, 7808 S. Halsted St., on the South Side. That sergeant suffered a graze wound to his chin, and theres been no word of any arrests in that case.

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CHICAGO  A couple of thousand people gathered Sunday afternoon in the Loop, waving Palestinian flags and donning kaffiyehs  Palestinian head scarves  calling for an end to bloodshed and ethnic cleansing in the Middle East.

Chicago justice activists  Palestinian, Puerto Rican, Black and others  called for an end of Jewish occupation of Palestinian land.

The violence and aggression over the past week display desperation and need for a just, two-state system, said U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia, D-Chicago.

One poster read: We havent been able to breathe since 1948, referencing the year when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were evicted from their homes during the Palestinian War, as well as the common protest refrain I cant breathe, the last words of George Floyd, Eric Garner and others who died at the hands of police.

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This is not a war between two armies, one of the organizers said, but an ethnic cleansing campaign that began in 1948 and continues today.

The crowd of attendees flooded Michigan Avenue at Van Buren Street as they began a slow march, chanting, Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go.

Sam Bakkak, of southwest suburban Plainfield, said his dad was Palestinian, born in Jerusalem. He and his family have been watching the news, but marching and showing support for Palestinians is the minimum we can do right now.

Palestine is under siege in Gaza, said Bakkak, 43. Support right now is the only thing we can do.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A jury in a North Carolina federal civil rights case has awarded $75 million to two Black, intellectually disabled half brothers who spent decades behind bars after being wrongfully convicted in the 1983 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl.

The eight-person jury on Friday decided Henry McCollum and Leon Brown should received $31 million each in compensatory damages, $1 million for every year spent in prison, The News & Observer reported. The jury also awarded them $13 million in punitive damages.

The first jury to hear all of the evidence  including the wrongly suppressed evidence  found Henry and Leon to be innocent, found them to have been demonstrably and excruciatingly wronged, and has done what the law can do to make it right at this late date, Raleigh attorney Elliot Abrams said after the trial.

Abrams was part of the brothers legal team, which issued a statement saying the decades-long wait for recognition of the grave injustice" inflicted on the two by law enforcement was over. It added that a jury ... has finally given Henry and Leon the ability to close this horrific chapter of their lives. They look forward to a brighter future surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones.
I didnt have any witnesses, and after the experience I had  with Shannon, and nothing happened with her, I just (thought), Well, whats the point of me going through all of this for nothing? said the 26-year-old New Yorker. So I just didnt really tell anyone.

For Keeler, the suspects withdrawal from school ended the campus Title IX investigation. Two years later, just after the window to file a civil suit closed, then-District Attorney Scott Wagner said he wouldnt be filing charges.

Keeler recalls him saying it was difficult to bring cases when alcohol is involved.

Wagner, now a county judge, declined to speak with The Associated Press. His successor, District Attorney Brian Sinnett, would not discuss the specifics of Keelers case, but said he cant file charges unless a case meets the high bar needed for conviction.

You have to look at what evidence do you have: can it be corroborated, whether it fits in with the statute of limitations, what is the likelihood of success at trial? All of those types of things, he said

Authorities in Adams County are looking anew at Keelers case since she retained a lawyer and showed them the Facebook messages last June. The 12-year statute of limitations has not run.
When we bought the farm, there were a lot of expenses getting our farm up and running. It needed all new fencing and a water system. All of the house projects got put on the back burner.

I didnt have the budget for a full kitchen renovation at that time, so I painted everything from the cabinets to the walls, she said.

The decorator had her eye set on a marble countertop, but it was out of reach for their budget. Instead, she learned how to paint the countertops, giving them an appearance of marble.

Since then, our kitchen has been fully renovated, and new counters installed, but our painted countertops are still one of my favorite do-it-yourself projects to date.

But, not all projects come out as planned. Ive learned lessons the hard way, she said with laughter. Thats part of the fun of sharing videos with other people. I get to make the mistakes and then share with others what not to do.

Keeping it authentic

The couple is tackling the farmhouse renovations little by little.

Weve been here for seven years, and were still working on the house, she said.
The Israeli military said it struck 35 terror targets Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the Metro, used by fighters to take cover from airstrikes. They included a strike against a building that housed the Qatari Red Crescent, Qatar said. That attack killed a man and a 12-year-old girl.

The tunnels extend for hundreds of kilometers (miles), with some more than 20 meters (yards) deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just chokepoints and major junctions.

The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to high-ranking commanders in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant groups commander for the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were eliminated. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many casualties were militants or civilians.


Catawba County Manager Mick Berry said its hard to predict. I think it is really too early to tell if or how the pandemic may impact national or state funding priorities for public health in the future, Berry said.

In general, public health funding has decreased over the past decade on national and local levels, Bergman said. With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing millions in new funding streams, there may be an increase for a few years, but ultimately it will likely decrease again, he said.

Weve seen this cycle before, Bergman said. It (funding) declines because everything is going really well so its not needed and then all the sudden something happens and you need it and theres an increase.

Health funding tends to fall when a crisis subsides, but steady, higher funding for public health to provide consistent services could diminish the impact of future widespread health epidemics, Bergman said.

If people have more equitable access to health care, like some services public health departments can provide, their base health is better, so theyre less likely to be severely impacted by disease, like COVID-19.

Thats what public health is there for, prevention, to prevent things  and they need funding to do that, Bergman said.
An administration official familiar with the call said the decision to express support and not explicitly demand a cease-fire was intentional. While Biden and top aides are concerned about the mounting bloodshed and loss of innocent life, the decision not to demand an immediate halt to hostilities reflects White House determination to support Israels right to defend itself from Hamas, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations.

Netanyahu told Israeli security officials late Monday that Israel would continue to strike terror targets in Gaza as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.

As the worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2014 raged, the Biden administration has limited its public criticisms to Hamas and has declined to send a top-level envoy to the region. It also had declined to press Israel publicly and directly to wind down its latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, a six-mile by 25-mile territory that is home to more than 2 million people. Cease-fire mediation by Egypt and others has shown no sign of progress.
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Three weeks ago, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) announced it will seek an emergency USDA hearing on reform to the Class I price mover. What many people have since been wondering is how an emergency hearing differs from standard federal order rulemaking procedures.

Since the last time I joined you, we have gotten a lot of questions on what that means, shared Erin Taylor of USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service on the May 5 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream. On the April 7 DairyLivestream, she had outlined the steps involved in the standard hearing process. You can read about that process here.

Emergency conditions

In the emergency proposal package, Taylor described that proponents must address what conditions exist that merit bypassing normal procedures. Under normal circumstances, we like to give about 30 days notice to the industry that were going to hold a hearing. The statute says that we have to provide 15 days notice, or if its an emergency, at least three days notice, she said in reference to the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act that provides for federal orders.

If USDA decides to hold an emergency hearing, it largely follows the same process as in normal circumstances, plus witnesses may also testify about the conditions that warrant emergency action. And if the department agrees that emergency conditions exist, a tentative final decision will be issued instead of a recommended decision, as would be in normal times.

The difference here is that when we issue a recommended decision, we take public comment, the USDA secretary considers those comments, and then issues the final decision which producers vote upon, Taylor said. If we go to a tentative final decision, it allows us to conduct a vote immediately without taking public comment and considering those comments first. We do still take public comment, but that happens concurrently.

So, if producers approve the proposed amendments in the tentative final decision, we issue them on an interim basis, she explained. Then well come back and consider the comments received and issue a final decision. Then there is a second vote. So, at that time, producers end up voting on the same amendments if there are no changes, or if USDA finds cause to make changes based on comments received, they would vote on those new changes.

Taylor estimated that, in general, using a tentative final decision cuts out four to five months in the process of an amendment going from being proposed to implemented.

Precedent

As Ive explained before, the formal rulemaking process is designed to maximize transparency and participation. Any steps taken to alter that public participation process are not considered lightly, Taylor cautioned. Just coming to USDA and asking the secretary to issue a rule on an expedited basis is not adequate. They have to put evidence on the record to support that position.

However, proponents have successfully argued for emergency conditions in the past. Taylor noted that was the case in multiple situations on a national series of hearings on pooling in the 2000s. Most recently, emergency action was granted when Hurricane Irma decimated dairy farms and life all across Florida in September 2017. The final amendment adopted a temporary assessment on Class I milk to be disbursed to handlers and producers.

On that topic, the USDA secretary actually moved straight to a final decision and there was just one vote, Taylor said. But in this proceeding, it was less than a day, there was no opposition, and the industry was in consensus on the changes they were seeking approval of from the department, so moving to a final decision was found warranted, she explained. From receiving the proposal to implementation took about seven months in that issue.

As of the DairyLivestream on May 5, USDA had not yet received the Class I mover proposal from NMPF, though they are expecting to at some point, Taylor said. And as for proving emergency conditions, there is no question that a pandemic certainly helps make the case.

An ongoing series of events

The next broadcast of DairyLivestream will be on Wednesday, May 19 at 11 a.m. CDT. Each episode is designed for panelists to answer over 30 minutes of audience questions. If you havent joined a DairyLivestream broadcast yet, register here. Registering once registers you for all future events.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

May 13, 2021
Hope College Theatre has received two national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) for its production of Larissa FastHorses The Thanksgiving Play.

The Department of Theatre received a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Award, and junior Lisbeth Franzon of Whitehall was honored for Special Achievement in Stage Management for her work on the play. The two awards will be presented during a virtual ceremony on Saturday, May 22.

As described by the KCACTF, The Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Awards recognize programs in higher education using theatrical production to promote long-term societal impact through an artistic lens, to encourage empathetic exploration of the complex cultural and physical world, and to advocate for justice on campus and throughout the world.

The plays chosen for recognition were selected from among 90 productions viewed during the KCACTFs eight regional festivals. The Thanksgiving Play was previously one of only five productions that were selected for presentation during this years Region 3 festival, which was held on Wednesday-Saturday, Jan. 6-9. This years regional festivals were also held virtually because of the pandemic, and Hope presented a recorded version of its production of the play, which normally would have been staged live at the regional event.

Productions and individuals are receiving national awards in about 20 categories, including not only stage management but areas ranging from costume design, to performance, to directing, to choreography, to original music composition.

We are so proud of our student Lisbeth and the entire cast, crew, and creative team of The Thanksgiving Play, said Michelle Bombe, who is a professor of theatre and department chair at Hope. The Citizen Artist Award is very special to us as we are keenly aware of the theatres role to help us learn empathy, to ask big questions, and to tell all the stories and not just those of the white majority. Theatre can uniquely offer an experience that can speak to cultural issues that our students need to navigate.

The Thanksgiving Play is a comedy about four white Americans trying to be as respectful and woke as possible on the matter of Native American history. Preparing a Thanksgiving play for elementary school children, with a grant specifically intended to highlight the American Indian experience, the characters demonstrate how inadequate their own education in and knowledge of the historical truth of the holiday and Native American culture actually are. The Department of Theatre had presented production at Hope on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31, and Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 5-7, via livestream due to the pandemic.

The colleges production was directed by Richard Perez, assistant professor of theatre. In addition to Perez, the production team included Michelle Bombe as costume designer, and assistant professor Eric Van Tassell as scenery and lighting designer. Staff members Ken Chamberlain and Stephen Krebs served as sound designer and technical director, respectively. Several students also served on the production team: stage manager, junior Lisbeth Franzon of Whitehall; assistant stage managers, freshmen Lydia Konings of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Rachel Scott of Clarkston; properties director, freshman Erin Bodenbender of Holland; assistant sound designer, senior Madison Meeron of Oxford; assistant costume designer, freshman Cherokee Bauer of Tucson, Arizona; dramaturgical boards, junior Emma Clark of Dewitt and sophomore Annika Dekker of Grand Rapids; property technicians, freshman Carole Chee of Grand Rapids and senior Tim Embertson of Lake City; and sound board operators, senior Emily King of South Bend, Indiana, and junior Emma Walilko of Wake Forest, North Carolina. The cast included freshman Cecilia Casper of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; sophomore Adam Chamness of Holland; freshman Grant McKenzie of Western Springs, Illinois; and sophomore Katy Smith of Plymouth, Indiana.

The KCACTF is a national program designed to encourage excellence in college and university theatre in the United States. Started in 1969, the program involves 18,000 students from more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country.

In addition to having been selected for presentation during Januarys Region 3 festival, the colleges presentation of The Thanksgiving Play co-received the regional festivals Golden Keyboard Award given for outstanding safety and ingenuity of production during the pandemic, sharing the honor with the invited production from the University of Toledo. Also during the regional festival, senior Madison Meeron of Oxford was selected as a finalist for the Musical Theatre Intensive Program and presented When I look at You from The Scarlet Pimpernel in a virtual performance that was livestreamed for all of the conference attendees; and 2020 graduate Kathryn Joachim of Dearborn was selected as an Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition semi-finalist for her role in February 2020 as Sister Aloysius in the colleges production of Doubt.
Smiths ability to mix with most sorts made him the centre of attention in any gathering (Liberal Democrats/House of Lords)

As chairman of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, Trevor Smith did as much as anyone to place constitutional reform at the centre of the British political agenda in the 1990s. Having failed the 11-plus he ended his career as a university vice-chancellor, chairman of the trust and an active member of the House of Lords.

Smith once half-jokingly said that he was too much the professor to succeed in party politics, and too much the politico to succeed as an academic. True. But it was equally valid to claim that the ability to transfer his skills as a politician and scholar was the secret of his effectiveness in both spheres.

Smith did not shine at secondary school, which he left at 16. His father had been an award-winning hairstylist before the war and, after 1945, a shopkeeper in east London. The young Smith worked as a clerk in an insurance company, studied at night school and managed to gain a place at UCL. He finally graduated with an economics degree from the LSE in 1958. There followed short spells as a teacher, temporary lecturer at Exeter University, and as a researcher with the Acton Society Trust. He co-authored (with Tony Rees) a pioneering study of local councillors and chief executives in Barking, Essex. The study of the subjects recruitment, motives and roles was published in 1964, and much praised.

In 1962 Smith was appointed to an assistant lectureship in politics at Hull. Newly married, he flourished in a lively if small department. His wit, irreverence and charm, all expressed in his teaching and writing, made him immensely popular with students arid colleagues. It was at this time that he came to love the north and Yorkshire in particular.

In 1967 he joined as a politics lecturer at Queen Mary College (QMC), in east London. After the interview, he returned to Hull and complained to all and sundry about the brevity of the reference from his head of department. Seven bloody lines for seven bloody years. On one such occasion, he sensed embarrassment among his listeners and turned round to find himself face to face with the same head of department. Five years later he became head of the newly created politics department at QMC. He also served as dean of social studies between 1979 and 1982.

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He was also active as a director of the Rowntree Reform Trust and sympathised with its support for radical causes. One of his first tasks in the early 1970s was to act as an assessor for the first Rowntree Fellows to provide research support to opposition frontbenchers. Roy Jenkins appointed a Wykehamist as his assistant. Smith whispered to James Callaghan that, given his patrician style, Jenkins had made a bad choice. Callaghan was about to prefer an Oxford candidate over one from UMIST. Smith dissuaded Callaghan, but not before an impressed Callaghan tried to recruit him. Wrong party, not enough money, was the reply. The fellowship scheme was so successful that it was eventually replaced by the so-called short money, named after the then Leader of the House, Edward Short.

All these activities had a cost in time for Smiths research. He continued to write on the role of business in politics and published a book, Anti-Politics, which explored the relations between ideas and practice in British politics. But it was not enough to gain him a personal chair. This failure to be recognised for his commitment and contributions to QMC bothered him greatly. Finally, however, in 1983, he became the first professor of politics at QMC.

Smith then served as pro-principal and then senior vice-principal at QMC. He played an active role in bringing about QMCs merger with Westfield College, as well as the Barts Royal London QMC pre-medical school merger. At this time he was also a director of New Society magazine and promoted its merger with The New Statesman. He was chairman of the New Statesman and Nation board in 1990. Friends regarded him as a merger maniac.

Smith was a lifelong Liberal. He fought Lewisham West in the 1959 general election and was chair of the (national) Union of Liberal Students. But his main contribution to the party and its causes was through his role at the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, particularly when he was its inventive and influential chairman between 1987 and 1999. The trust was the main source of funds for the advocates of constitutional reform, such as the Scottish Constitutional Convention, Charter 88, and the Yes campaigns in the Welsh and Northern Ireland referendums.

In Northern Ireland, the trust financially backed the centre parties in the first Assembly elections in 1999. It also provided substantial backing to the Liberal Democrats, at well as to pro-EU Tories. In the 1990s the Rowntree contributions to the political parties were as large as the combined political donations of the 10 largest companies to the Conservative Party. The Centre for Democratic Audit at Essex University and the regular MORI State of the Nation polls were also his brainchildren.

In politics Smith supported the side of dissent, usually but was not always centre-left. As a young man he was anti-establishment and he used his wit and gift for mimicry to undermine authority figures. It was therefore ironic that he enjoyed the House of Lords so much and that he enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle in later life. Dress right, think left was his rejoinder to those who thought that he had abandoned his earlier principles. It was fitting that at the Rowntree Trust he regularly backed lone mavericks; he was one himself.

Smiths ability to mix with most sorts, his gregariousness, and the repartee made him the centre of attention in any gathering. But behind his personal kindness and wit (including a never-ending supply of blue jokes) there was a toughness. He was exasperated when things were not done as he wanted and on time. He was also quick to decide which staff could be relied upon and those who were bloody useless.

In 1991 Smith became vice-chancellor of The University of Ulster. With some 20,000 students spread over four campuses, this was the largest university in Ireland. It needed and received strong leadership. His directness could confound come senior colleagues. He modernised the degree structure and remodelled departments into schools. Perhaps most significant was his personal promotion of the Peaceline Campus in Belfast, between the Falls and the Shankill, the site of which was opened by prime minister Tony Blair and President Clinton. A further coup was President Clintons acceptance of an honorary degree from the university. Smith was a persuasive public voice for the province and served as president of Belfast Civic Trust.

In spite of diabetes and a stroke, he was still enthusiastic about his many interests. But, aged 62, he decided that he had had enough of the pressures on universities. The House of Lords and the attractions of resettling in York became increasingly appealing.

Awarded a life peerage in 1999, Smith was very active in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Northern Ireland. He strongly supported Chris Pattens report on reorganising the Royal Ulster Constabulary and served on a number of committees, notably the EU Law and Institutions Scrutiny Committee, and an enquiry into complementary medicine. In 2001 he chaired the high-profile enquiry into animal rights. For this, he received police protection.

Smith was, above all, good fun. A friend congratulated him the day he was elevated to the Lords and asked how he intended to celebrate. Lay siege to Lady Smith, was the instant response.

He retired from the Lords in 2019. He is survived by his second wife Julia and their daughter Naomi and two sons, Adam and Gideon, from his first marriage to Brenda Eustace.

Trevor Smith, politician, academic and lord, was born on 14 June 1937 and died on 24 April 2021

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Endocrinology testing specialist expands PerkinElmers immunodiagnostics segment

PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI) ("PerkinElmer") and Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings PLC (LSE: IHS) ("IDS") are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended all cash offer whereby PerkinElmer will acquire IDS for approximately $155 million (110 Million). The transaction has a total enterprise value of approximately $124 million (88 Million) and is expected to close early in the third quarter of 2021, subject to approvals from the shareholders of IDS, sanction by the High Court of Justice in England and Wales and other customary closing conditions for a public takeover in the United Kingdom.

Through this acquisition, PerkinElmer will be able to grow its overall Diagnostics business and specifically its immunodiagnostics segment. Moreover, the deal will enable PerkinElmer to combine its channel expertise and testing capabilities with IDSs best-in-class chemiluminescence products in endocrinology, autoimmunity and infectious diseases to better serve customers around the world.

IDSs portfolio and expertise will seamlessly integrate within EUROIMMUN, a PerkinElmer company since 2017. EUROIMMUN is a global leader in autoimmune testing and an emerging force in infectious disease, allergy and molecular genetic testing.

Wolfgang Schlumberger, CEO of EUROIMMUN, remarked, "This proposed transaction is highly valuable for both parties as the respective product lines are to a large extent complementary. The cooperation of our global distribution channels, the expansion of the immunoassay portfolio in closely related indication fields and IDS's fully automated random access chemiluminescence platform strengthens our presence in immunodiagnostics. Our customers will benefit from a broader range of assays and laboratory diagnostic workflows. We are excited about these new opportunities and we look forward to welcoming Immunodiagnostic Systems into the PerkinElmer family following the completion of the transaction."

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Headquartered in Boldon, the United Kingdom, IDS is a leading in-vitro diagnostic solution provider to the clinical laboratory market. IDS develops, manufactures, and markets innovative immunoassays and automated immunoanalyzer technologies to provide improved diagnostic outcomes for patients. IDSs immunoassay portfolio is a combination of an endocrinology specialty testing menu and assay panels in complementary fields. IDS has approximately 300 global employees.

PerkinElmer's comprehensive global diagnostics portfolio includes solutions focused on: reproductive health; autoimmune, infectious disease and allergy testing; gene analyses; and genomics offerings for oncology and other molecular tests through its wide range of instruments, reagents, assay platforms and software offerings.

In terms of financial impact, PerkinElmer expects the acquisition to be modestly accretive to non-GAAP earnings in year-one following the close, and PerkinElmer forecasts IDSs business to be attractively positioned in markets that are projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of high-single digits over the next few years.

About PerkinElmer

PerkinElmer enables scientists, researchers, and clinicians to address their most critical challenges across science and healthcare. With a mission focused on innovating for a healthier world, we deliver unique solutions to serve the diagnostics, life sciences, food, and applied markets. We strategically partner with customers to enable earlier and more accurate insights supported by deep market knowledge and technical expertise. Our dedicated team of about 14,000 employees worldwide is passionate about helping customers work to create healthier families, improve the quality of life, and sustain the wellbeing and longevity of people globally. The Company reported revenue of approximately $3.8 billion in 2020, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com.

About Immunodiagnostic Systems

IDS engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of in-vitro diagnostic tests (IVD) to the clinical laboratory market. It operates through the following business units: Automated IVD Business, Manual IVD Business, and Licensing and Technology. The Automated IVD Business unit offers an analyzer which automates nearly all steps required for performing a test using their kits. The Manual IVD Business unit sells assay kits whereby the testing is performed by laboratory technicians. The Licensing and Technology unit monetizes the technology and know-how that the company owns through original equipment manufacturer partners. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Boldon, the United Kingdom.

Factors Affecting Future Performance

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements relating to estimates and projections of future earnings per share, cash flow and revenue growth and other financial results, developments relating to our customers and end-markets, and plans concerning business development opportunities, acquisitions and divestitures. Words such as "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "projects," "forecasts," "will" and similar expressions, and references to guidance, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current assumptions and expectations and no assurances can be given that our assumptions or expectations will prove to be correct. A number of important risk factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, without limitation: (1) markets into which we sell our products declining or not growing as anticipated; (2) the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our sales and operations; (3) fluctuations in the global economic and political environments; (4) our failure to introduce new products in a timely manner; (5) our ability to execute acquisitions and license technologies, or to successfully integrate acquired businesses and licensed technologies into our existing business or to make them profitable, or successfully divest businesses; (6) our ability to compete effectively; (7) fluctuation in our quarterly operating results and our ability to adjust our operations to address unexpected changes; (8) significant disruption in third-party package delivery and import/export services or significant increases in prices for those services; (9) disruptions in the supply of raw materials and supplies; (10) our ability to retain key personnel; (11) significant disruption in our information technology systems, or cybercrime; (12) our ability to realize the full value of our intangible assets; (13) our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property; (14) the loss of any of our licenses or licensed rights; (15) the manufacture and sale of products exposing us to product liability claims; (16) our failure to maintain compliance with applicable government regulations; (17) regulatory changes; (18) our failure to comply with healthcare industry regulations; (19) economic, political and other risks associated with foreign operations; (20) the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union; (21) our ability to obtain future financing; (22) restrictions in our credit agreements; (23) discontinuation or replacement of LIBOR; (24) significant fluctuations in our stock price; (25) reduction or elimination of dividends on our common stock; and (26) other factors which we describe under the caption "Risk Factors" in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We report our financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, management believe that, in order to more fully understand our short-term and long-term financial and operating trends, investors may wish to consider the impact of certain non-cash, non-recurring or other items, which result from facts and circumstances that vary in frequency and impact on continuing operations. Accordingly, we present non-GAAP financial measures as a supplement to the financial measures we present in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures provide management with additional means to understand and evaluate the operating results and trends in our ongoing business by adjusting for certain non-cash expenses and other items that management believes might otherwise make comparisons of our ongoing business with prior periods more difficult, obscure trends in ongoing operations, or reduce management's ability to make useful forecasts. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide additional means of evaluating period-over-period operating performance. In addition, management understands that some investors and financial analysts find this information helpful in analyzing our financial and operational performance and comparing this performance to our peers and competitors.

We use the term "adjusted earnings per share," or "adjusted EPS," to refer to GAAP earnings per share, including revenue from contracts acquired in acquisitions that will not be fully recognized due to accounting rules, and excluding discontinued operations, amortization of intangible assets, debt extinguishment costs, other purchase accounting adjustments, acquisition and divestiture-related expenses, acceleration of executive compensation, significant litigation matters and settlements, significant environmental charges, changes in the value of financial securities, disposition of businesses and assets, net, asset impairments and restructuring and other charges. We also exclude adjustments for mark-to-market accounting on post-retirement benefits, therefore only our projected costs have been used to calculate this non-GAAP measure. We also adjust for any tax impact related to the above items and exclude the impact of significant tax events.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210516005059/en/

Contacts

Media Relations:

Chet Murray

(781) 663-5728

chet.murray@perkinelmer.com

Investor Relations:

Steve Willoughby

(781) 663-5677

steve.willoughby@perkinelmer.com
New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) The Delhi Police on Monday claimed to have arrested a man who was allegedly contracted for killing Dasna Devi temple's head priest Swami Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati.

Senior police officials said John Mohammad Dar, a resident of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, was apprehended from a hotel in Paharganj here along with a pistol and two magazines as well as with saffron clothes, allegedly for using it as a cover to gain entry into the temple situated in Ghaziabad neighbouring Delhi.

The Delhi Police had registered an FIR in April against the religious leader for allegedly hurting the sentiments of a community on a complaint from AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan.

The police recovered a .30 bore pistol, two magazines, 15 live rounds, one saffron kurta, one white 'pajama', a 'kalawa' and wooden beads from his possession.

During interrogation, Dar told the police that he is a carpenter by profession and was booked by the Sangam police station in Anantnag for pelting stones in 2016 during the time of terrorist Burhan Wani's death, police said.

He had come across a man named Abid while roaming in his fields in December last year who had informed him that he was from Pakistan and associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), police said.

They became good friend and met twice after that -- first in December 2020 and then in April 2021. They also were constantly in touch with each other on WhatsApp, police said.

In February, he, along with his sister and her father-in-law, came to Delhi for treatment of his nephew who has some heart ailment. They stayed at a guest house near Jama Masjid, police said.

When he returned to Kashmir after the treatment of his nephew, Abid assigned him with the task to assassinate Swami Narsinghanand, saying the head priest of the temple had committed 'Gustakh-e-Rasool', officials said.

Abid taught him weapons handling and gave Rs 6,500 cash. Abid also transferred Rs 35,000 in Dar's account. Thereafter, Abid asked Dar to go to Delhi and procure weapon from one of his sources, police said.

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Abid promised Dar that he would be paid a substantial amount for carrying out the assassination. Abid informed that a person named Umar will take care of him in Delhi, police said.

On April 23, the accused left for Delhi. Dar and Umar kept in touch with each other through an app named Telegram. Umar was supposed to arrange his recce and stay in Delhi and also to provide access to Yati Narsinghanand to carry out his killing, officials said.

Dar met Umar in Jama Masjid area who shifted him to a hotel in Paharganj. Umar also brought the puja items and saffron dress as a cover to gain entry in the temple, police said.

Later, he, along with Umar, received the arms from another person on a flyover near his hotel, police said. PTI NIT TDS HMB
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Lahore [Pakistan] May 17, (ANI): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said it will not file an appeal with the interior ministry for a review of the decision to include Shehbaz Shairf's name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The Pakistani Interior Ministry has been directed to add opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif to the country's Exit Control List (ECL) after the approval from the Federal Cabinet on Thursday.

Talking to a media persons in Lahore, party's spokesperson Marriyum Aurganzeb said that an appeal is made when there is no existing court order [pertaining to a case].

"We won't appeal for a review [of the inclusion] with the interior ministry; the government has to review it instead," she said adding, "now the LHC and Supreme Court have to take notice [of the situation]," as reported by Tribune.

Two days ago, on Wednesday, a subcommittee of the federal cabinet recommended placing Shehbaz' name on the ECL to stop him from leaving the country while cases against him were underway.

Informing the media about the development, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that the cabinet would accept the recommendation soon, as reported by the Tribune.

The minister maintained that the PML-N president was trying to escape from the country because of the reopening of the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case. "He [Shehbaz] chose the time of Sehri to run away knowing that the [Hudaibiya Paper Mills] case was about to be reopened," he said.

Earlier on May 8, the PML-N leader was barred from flying from the Lahore airport to the UK via Qatar in the early hours of the day by the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), hours after the LHC granted him permission to travel abroad once for medical treatment.

On April 22, a referee bench of the LHC ruled in favour of granting bail to the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly in an assets beyond means and money laundering case, disagreeing with Justice Asjad Javed Ghural's dissenting note to the decision of Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar. (ANI)
When it comes to fighting climate change, few Americans surveyed say they trust China, the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, to do its part.

Just 15 percent of U.S. adults in a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll said they believed "China can be trusted to help fight climate change." Fifty-seven percent said China could not be trusted, and 28 percent said they were not sure.

The poll also found deeper mistrust of China among Republicans, with 79 percent saying it could not be trusted, compared with 47 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of independents.

The findings come weeks after a report by the Rhodium Group found that China's greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 exceeded those of every other nation in the developed world combined. Despite its growing emissions for the gases that scientists say are responsible for global warming, China has pledged this year to become carbon-neutral by 2060. Beijing's government has made no similar pledges on methane gas, which is 28 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide in the short term.

While a clear majority of Americans expressed distrust toward China when it comes to addressing climate change, the U.S. continues to lead the world in per capita greenhouse gas emissions. But thanks in part to a total population that dwarfs that of the U.S., China accounted for 27 percent of global emissions in 2019, while the U.S. contributed 11 percent.

Despite the lack of faith that China will take adequate measures against climate change, a majority of Americans surveyed said the U.S. should pursue an aggressive strategy to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

When asked, "Should the U.S. set ambitious climate change goals regardless of what China does?," 51 percent of American adults surveyed said yes, 29 percent said no and 20 percent responded that they were not sure.

Reluctance to commit the U.S. to strong climate change goals regardless of what China does was highest among Republicans, 56 percent of whom said the U.S. should not, compared with just 9 percent of Democrats and 32 percent of independents.

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Beijing's central business district during a sandstorm on April 15. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

At an April climate summit of world leaders, President Biden announced a new U.S. target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent over 2005 levels by the year 2030.

This is the decade that we must make decisions to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis, Biden said at the summit, which he convened.

More than any U.S. president before him, Biden has made fighting climate change a top priority of his administration. So far, that emphasis has been marginally well received. Asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Biden is handling climate change?," 24 percent of American adults over the age of 18 said they "strongly approve." Twenty-one percent said they "somewhat approve." Eleven percent said they "somewhat disapprove," and 26 percent said they "strongly disapprove."

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London, May 17 (PTI) A majority of the New Zealand Test players arrived here for the two-match series against England and the World Test Championship final against India.

The players arrived here on Sunday afternoon after flying from Auckland via Singapore and were transferred to the Ageas Bowl in Southampton where they will be based for the first two weeks of the tour.

The series-opening match will begin on June 2 in London, while the second match is scheduled to commence from June 10 in Birmingham.

The World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand will begin at Southampton from June 18.

'The BLACKCAPS are adhering to strict health protocols including pre-departure vaccinations and covid tests, along with receiving medical bags equipped with masks and hand sanitizer,' a New Zealand Cricket press release said.

The first three days will be spent in hotel room isolation, before mini training groups of six can be established from days 4-6, pending negative COVID results.

A three-day team intra-squad game is scheduled from May 26 to May 28 at the Ageas Bowl, where six local bowlers who have isolated in advance will help make up the sides.

Tim Southee, BJ Watling, Ross Taylor and Neil Wagner will depart Auckland on Monday afternoon to join the squad in Southampton.

The Maldives-based IPL contingent of captain Kane Williamson, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Santner, team physio Tommy Simsek and trainer Chris Donaldson will arrive on Monday.

After a successful County Championship stint with Durham, batsman Will Young will also link up with the team on Monday and undergo isolation at the Ageas Bowl before joining his teammates for training.

Trent Boult will finish his managed isolation on Sunday and return to Mount Maunganui to see his family before a plan is made around his departure to the UK, according to NZC release. PTI AT AT ATK ATK
The action that we have taken is acting in accordance with the laws to tackle crimes that are endangering national security. Its not directly related to journalism, he said to reporters Monday.

It is illegal activities that we are dealing with. It is not press work. In regard to timing for my issuing of notices, I will issue it when I have reasonable suspicion that the power should be exercised, Lee said.

Last week, the Taiwan Apple Daily newspaper said it would stop publishing a print edition. The paper said it had been losing money, and Next Digital could no longer support it because pro-China forces had blocked access to advertising for its flagship Apple Daily newspaper and other publications in Hong Kong.

Lai and the nine others who pleaded guilty over an October 2019 demonstration can make mitigation pleas on May 24 and the sentences are to be handed down on May 28. They face up to five years' imprisonment.
A CIA-backed threat intelligence firm claims the operator of the DarkSide ransomware gang has lost control of its infrastructure after the malware was used to attack the Colonial Pipeline Company in the US which runs the country's biggest petrol pipeline.

The claims were published by The Record, a website launched by the firm, Recorded Future recently. It cited a post spotted by one of its analysts, Dmitry Smilyanets, from the alleged operator of the malware.

Darkside is "shutting down and getting out of ransomware" the same way that Capitol rioters truly believe the election wasn't stolen...  Jake Williams (@MalwareJake) May 14, 2021

A few hours ago, we lost access to the public part of our infrastructure, namely: Blog. Payment server. CDN servers, Smilyanets said in a tweet attributed to one Darksupp who is claimed to be the person behind the malware operation.

Now these servers are unavailable via SSH, and the hosting panels are blocked."

Meanwhile, a blockchain analytic firm known as Ellipticthat it had discovered a payment of 75 bitcoin made to the DarkSide account on 8 May. Bloomberg had made

It said the wallet in question had been active since 4 March and had received 57 different payments.

President Biden promised a US response to DarkSide yesterday and right now something very bad appears to be happening to DarkSide, which hacked the Colonial Pipeline.  Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) May 14, 2021

Bloomberg had claimed a ransom of US$5 million was paid by Colonial while other news services like Reuters had said the company was refusing to pay up.

The US had vowed to exact revenge on the DarkSide operators as the Colonial incident affected petrol supply within the country and led to a rise in prices.

FLASH



Exploit just baned #RaaS



"We are glad to see penetrate testers, specialists, coders, but we are not happy with lockers"



All topics related to lockers will be deleted. pic.twitter.com/iHtdhwVeP1  Yelisey Boguslavskiy (@y_advintel) May 14, 2021

In a related development, the operators of the biggest dark web cyber crime forum have decided to ban ransomware advertisements.

In a statement issued in Russian and translated by security writer Yelisey Boguslavskiy, the XSS forum said: ""We are glad to see penetrate testers, specialists, coders, but we are not happy with lockers.

"All topics related to lockers will be deleted."

In a blog post, the security firm Intel471 said the DarkSide operators had decided to shut down their ransomware-as-a-service on 13 May.

"Operators said they would issue decryptors to all their affiliates for the targets they attacked, and promised to compensate all outstanding financial obligations by May 23, 2021," the post said.

"The group... also passed an announcement to its affiliates claiming a public portion of the group's infrastructure was disrupted by an unspecified law enforcement agency.

"The groups name-and-shame blog, ransom collection website, and breach data content delivery network were all allegedly seized, while funds from their cryptocurrency wallets allegedly were exfiltrated."

Contacted for comment, Brett Callow, a seasoned ransomware researcher with the New Zealand-headquartered infosec firm Emsisoft, said: "All of DarkSide's sites are down expect for their payment portal. The question is whether the sites were seized by law enforcement or whether DarkSide has simply done a runner, taking their partners in crimes' cash with them. I suspect they've legged it.

"This isn't a particularly sophisticated group and their post-attack comments clearly indicated they were uncomfortable with what had happened - or, more accurately, the potential consequences.

"Sadly, though, while this may mark the end of the DarkSide operation, the individuals behind it will likely not cease to be a pain in our collective arses. They'll most likely just rebrand or go back to being affiliates for other gangs."
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control released new recommendations for mask-wearing and the COVID-19 pandemic. They stated that if you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did before the pandemic. "Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidelines," the CDC stated.

The CDC considers individuals fully vaccinated if it has been two weeks since their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. They also state that if you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may not be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated and must continue taking precautions.

The CDC further cautions that if you travel, you will still need to take steps to protect yourself and others. You will be required to wear masks on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation. You will be required to wear masks in transportation hubs such as airports and bus/train stations.

Illinois entered the "bridge phase" of Restore Illinois on Friday. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois will follow the CDC's guidelines on mask-wearing and allow going maskless in the situations they recommend.

Nationally, the number of people vaccinated is approaching 50%. On May 12, the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children from 12 to 15 years old, which is expected to create a new bump in vaccinations.

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This is great news for our community, as restrictions are being eased continually as more and more people are getting vaccinated. In Coles County, the vaccination rate is lower than the national average. Hopefully, with these new guidelines allowing maskless indoor activities for vaccinated individuals, many more people will decide to get vaccinated.

Locally, many businesses will still require mask-wearing to enter their facilities due to corporate decisions or to protect themselves and their workers since they cannot ensure all their customers are fully vaccinated. Please be understanding and comply with businesses that still require mask-wearing. The associates who work in these organizations are doing their very best while being shorthanded in most circumstances. Please be kind, patient, compassionate and understanding when interacting with these employees.

As more and more people receive the vaccine, we should all be able to get back to fully normal activities with even less restrictions. Many businesses who still require masks might even allow entry without them once we receive the recommended vaccine thresholds. It all depends on everyone who is medically able getting vaccinated.

Ed Dowd is the executive director of the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce.

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Bill Gates's 2020 resignation from Microsoft's board of directors came after the board hired a law firm to investigate a romantic relationship he had with a Microsoft employee, according to new reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal reported Sunday that a Microsoft engineer had "alleged in a letter that she had a sexual relationship over years with Mr. Gates."

"During the probe, some board members decided it was no longer suitable for Mr. Gates to sit as a director at the software company he started and led for decades," the Journal reported. "Mr. Gates resigned before the board's investigation was completed."

Keep scrolling for a gallery of photo from the marriage of Bill and Melinda Gates

The employee was not named in the Journal's article. CNN has not confirmed the allegations cited by the Journal.

"Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000," a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to CNN Business late Sunday. "A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern."

In a statement to the Journal, a spokesperson for Gates said, "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

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The spokesperson also pointed to a March 2020 statement regarding his decision to resign from the board.

The WSJ's story was published soon after a separate New York Times article that reported Gates had "developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings."

The Times reported, citing "people with direct knowledge with overtures," that "on at least a few occasions, Mr. Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

The Times did not cite the names of the people involved.

Gates' spokesperson told the Times that, "It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates' divorce."

The spokesperson said that the "claim of mistreatment of employees is also false," and that "the rumors and speculation surrounding Gates' divorce are becoming increasingly absurd and it's unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as 'sources.'"

CNN has not confirmed the allegations cited by the Times. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night.

Earlier this month, Melinda Gates  Bill Gates' wife and co-founder of their foundation  filed for divorce. In a statement announcing their split, the couple said, "after a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage."

Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world. His net worth was $144 billion as of today, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranking.

Clare Duffy contributed to this report

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While people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 won't be required to wear masks in many settings, updated federal guidance recommends that masks and social distancing still be required in schools for the rest of the school year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Saturday that clarified schools should continue to use the current COVID-19 prevention strategies, including universal masking and social distancing. Originally, the CDC announced Thursday that fully vaccinated people wouldn't need to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances or when state, local, or company policy requires masks.

The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was approved for children as young as 12 last week, but with the end of the school year fast approaching, those students are unlikely to be fully inoculated with the two-dose shot before summer break starts. Younger children won't even have their first shot until the vaccine is approved.

More than 96% of Illinois students are in a school district with an either fully in-person or blended learning program, according to the latest data from the Illinois State Board of Education.

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On Wednesday, ISBE will vote on a resolution that would require all schools in Illinois to offer fully in-person learning in the fall. Remote learning opportunities would be required for students who are both unable to receive the vaccine and under order to quarantine.

The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is the only one authorized for anyone under the age of 18. The clinical trials for both the Moderna-NIAID and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been expanded to include children.

More than 500 children between the ages of 12 and 15 received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the mass vaccination site in Belleville, St. Clair County officials said during a briefing on Sunday.

Before the CDC updated its guidance, a spokesperson for the Illinois Federation of Teachers said it would follow CDC and Illinois guidance while working with school districts to ensure safety.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted Thursday that he would revise his executive orders to align with the new CDC guidance, but no changes have been made yet.

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If I learned one thing from The Great Gas Panic of 2021, its that fear and greed can push product demand over the top, as well as cloud good judgment and common sense.

To be honest, I also learned not to let the gas gauge get below a quarter of a tank.

On Black Monday, I woke up early, worked ahead and climbed into the truck for a trip to Charlotte to see the kid and take her to lunch for her 25th birthday. For those who have followed along over the years and wonder how shes doing, shes doing great, working at an aquarium, diving in tanks with sharks and failing to keep her car registration up to date.

Nobodys perfect.

I changed out the wiper blades that were slapping loose rubber all over the windshield and headed toward the interstate. I pulled into a truck stop to top off and grab a cup a-Joe, as the old truck driving songs go.

An announcement inside said some lucky long-haulers shower was ready. Having had mine before leaving the house, I paid up and took off.

Business at the pumps was normal as I drove away.
Donald Trump will be back in North Carolina this summer.

The 45th president will speak at the N.C. Republican Partys 2021 state convention in Greenville. His remarks are scheduled for the Convention Dinner on Saturday, June 5.

Trump was a frequent visitor to North Carolina during his presidency and in the months leading up to the 2020 election, with rallies in Winston-Salem, Hickory and Gastonia.

The Republican candidate in 2020 carried North Carolina in 2016 and 2020.

President Trump won North Carolina in 2016 by promising to put America First, and he won North Carolina in 2020 by keeping that promise, N.C. GOP Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement about Trumps scheduled appearance.

The N.C. GOP state convention is June 3 through June 6.
A jury Friday found a 33-year-old Lincoln man guilty of burglaries where women woke up to find him in their homes, watching one as she slept in her bed.

Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong set Adris Khalaf's sentencing next month for one count of burglary with intent to commit a sexual assault and one count of burglary with intent to steal.

They happened on back-to-back days last summer, the first early July 14 at an apartment near Wyuka Cemetery.

At about 6:50 a.m. that day, a 24-year-old woman told police she woke to a stranger at the foot of her bed who started making sexual comments to her and rubbing her shoulders, saying he was looking for a girlfriend.

When she told him to leave he did.

Police said at about 5:50 that night, they went to an apartment building in the 300 block of South 90th Street on a trespassing report and found Khalaf hiding in a trash room and arrested him on the misdemeanor.

But the next morning, he was out of jail.

Just before 7 a.m. July 15, a 31-year-old woman woke up after someone flipped on her bedroom light in a townhouse near 84th and Holdrege streets.
Hyler already faced misdemeanor charges after an incident at about 12:30 p.m. May 1.

Lincoln police say they were called to the Walmart near 27th and Superior streets about a man threatening to kill employees with a machine gun after being denied the sale of alcohol. They said they found him in the parking lot reaching into a car.

At the jail, his blood-alcohol content tested 0.092%, above the 0.08% legal limit to drive. He was released from jail the same day on a promise to appear in court on charges of disturbing the peace and entering a car without permission.

By the time the warrant went out for his arrest for the break-in, Hyler already was back in jail in Papillion facing a felony theft charge.

In court records, Papillion Police said a construction site manager at Amazon called 911 after a Chevy Express van turned off Nebraska 370 and around construction barricades up a newly poured concrete driveway to Amazon.

When the driver tried to turn around, the van got high-centered on the curb.
Police are investigating the possibility that a small cut on a woman's hand was the result of being grazed by a gunshot Friday night.

It happened at a barbecue near 43rd Street and Baldwin Avenue.

Officer Luke Bonkiewicz said police were called there just before 9:40 p.m. and a 23-year-old woman told them she was there with friends and neighbors when she heard pops that she believed were gunshots.

Then she felt something graze her right hand and discovered a small cut about an eighth of an inch long on her index finger.

Officers canvassed the area and interviewed witnesses who also thought they heard possible gunshots. Officers located a single shell casing in the area.

The investigation is ongoing.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Former President Donald Trump will speak at North Carolinas annual state Republican Party convention next month, party officials announced Monday.

The former president will speak in person at the June 5 convention dinner in Greenville. Trump narrowly carried North Carolina in 2020 and held numerous events in the state toward the end of his campaign.

Trump's speech will be closed to the media, and journalists won't be able to view it via livestream or alternate forms, said Livy Polen, a spokeswoman for the NC GOP.

Trump has kept a relatively low public profile since leaving office. His last significant public speech was in February at the CPAC convention. He's still banned from Twitter and Facebook, and his public comments have largely come in the form of written statements and calling into right-leaning news outlets.

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump has not yet publicly ruled out a 2022 U.S. Senate run in North Carolina and has expressed interest in the contest. Trump has not endorsed any of the three Republicans already running for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  A young child who was injured at a Sioux Falls daycare center earlier this week has died, according to police.

The 3-year-old girl was using playground equipment on Monday afternoon at the daycare facility when a rope became tangled around her neck, according to police spokesman Sam Clemens.

A CaringBridge site identifies the child as Sophia Biver. A post says a CT scan on Wednesday showed there was no recovery possible from her brain injury. She died later that day.

Clemens said police are still investigating.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Investigators seek to prolong detention of ex-Governor of Penza Region charged with graft

 Moscow's Basmanny District Court, Moskva city news agency

10:53 17/05/2021

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI)  Investigators seek to extend detention of former Governor of the Penza Region Ivan Belozertsev charged with bribery until August 20, the Moscow Basmanny District Court's press service has told RAPSI.

The motion will be heard on May 18.

Belozertsev was placed in detention on March 22. Following that, President Vladimir Putin relieved him of the post of Governor due to the loss of trust.

Other defendants in the case are head of BIOTEC Group of Companies Boris Spiegel, his wife Eugenia Spiegel, Director of Pharmacia Company Anton Koloskov and two other men Gennady Markov and Fedor Fedotov. Depending on their alleged role in the crime they have been charged with mediation in bribery, bribegiving and acceptance of a bribe. They are also in detention.

According to the investigation, between January and September 2020, Belozertsev accepted through intermedia money and other values worth over 31 million rubles (over $400,000) in bribes from Spiegel, his spouse and Koloskov. In turn, the official allegedly promised to give BIOTEC Group of Companies the competitive gain in execution of state contracts for acceptance, quality and validity period tracking, storing and supplies of medical drugs and goods for the needs of health care institutions of the Penza Region.




At this point, we dont know exactly what happened, he said. Its suspicious; we have two children who were located in a home with nobody around.

Nielsen said she last talked with her children on Thursday evening via FaceTime, which is a type of video phone call.

They seemed happy; everything seemed OK, she said.

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Nielsen said she became concerned when she wasnt able to reach the kids on Friday and Saturday. Their dad is under court order to provide daily communication during visits, she said.

She called Bellevue police and asked them to check on their well-being.

Officers went to the home twice, Jashinske said. The first time was 9:50 p.m. Saturday, and the second time was 8:59 a.m. Sunday.

Following that unsuccessful effort, Nielsen said she called a friend and asked them to go to the home. The friend found the door unlocked, walked inside and found the children dead, she said.

The friend called police at 11:03 a.m., Jashinske said.

Jashinske said police didnt have sufficient reason to force an entry into the home Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Its kind of the equivalent of being diagnosed with cancer and beating it.  And yet here we are today.

Where Friday ended: After finding Inda to be a habitual criminal, Wheelock sentenced the Omaha man, now 30, to 10 to 25 years in prison. With credit for almost three years served, Inda must serve another seven years before he is eligible for parole; absent parole, he will serve another 14 years.

Prosecutor Nissa Jones, a deputy Douglas County attorney, called Inda dangerous  noting that he had been convicted in a gang-related drive-by shooting in which he was the driver. After getting out of prison for that crime, he participated in a brutal stabbing, beating and kidnapping, which ended in his false imprisonment conviction.
OMAHA  Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday predicted a return to normal in Nebraska's K-12 schools by this fall after a year of coronavirus restrictions that included mask-wearing in classrooms and remote learning.

Ricketts said the state appears to be in good shape with its vaccination efforts and virus-related hospitalizations, which have now fallen below 100 statewide.

Given where we are right now, it's my expectation that we will not need these pandemic restrictions this fall, Ricketts said.

Ricketts, a Republican, made the comments as he encouraged Nebraska's new high school graduates to get vaccinated if they haven't already. He said he also supports younger children getting vaccinated, as long as a vaccine has been federally approved for a child's age group and the parents give consent.

We really want our high school graduates to get that vaccine, he said.

Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Logan said the district has worked with Douglas County public health officials to provide vaccination sites and share information about vaccines with students and families.

We must not let up on our health and safety focus, she said.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  The Israeli military unleashed another heavy wave of airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. International diplomacy to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds appeared to make little headway.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A league of Muslim nations on Sunday demanded that Israel halt attacks killing Palestinian civilians amid heavy fighting between it and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, even as fissures between countries over their recognition of Israel emerged.
The size and scope of Gateway Technical Colleges nursing-focused Lincoln Building overhaul is set to expand as officials announced plans for a new training facility.

Gateways District Board on Thursday gave its approval to remodel the third floor of the Lincoln Building on the Racine campus. The project, which requires final authority from the Wisconsin Technical College System, carries an estimated $1.5 million price tag.

Remodeling the 4,433 square feet of space on the third floor is a reflection of the colleges partnership with Advocate Aurora Health. Plans call for repurposing the area for skills labs and additional classrooms.

Best practices

Were really trying to leverage the look of their new Mount Pleasant facility with what our classrooms look like, Tom Cousino, associate vice president of facilities and security at Gateway, said. Were trying to take the best practices from all over so students have a great experience.

The new training facility is the latest in a series of updates for the Lincoln Building, which was constructed in 1963.
The Tyler-Domer Community Center, located next to Park High School at 2301 12th St., will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22 to administer first doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Residents must come back to the Tyler-Domer Community Center for the second dose on Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12 between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. both days.

No appointments are necessary  everything is walk-up; residents can just show up between 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on May 21 and May 22.

Vaccinations are free and you do not need to show an ID.

Rides on Racines RYDE bus system also are free, so long as you tell the driver you are going to get vaccinated. Bus route 2 stops at Park High School.

Anyone above the age of 12 is eligible to get vaccinated, so long as they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

We are happy to be able to bring the vaccine to more neighborhoods throughout the city, Mason said in the release. With new guidelines from the CDC now saying fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or outdoors, I hope more and more members of our community will get vaccinated so that they can take off their mask and still feel safe.
In a statement to the Journal, a spokesperson for Gates said, "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

The spokesperson also pointed to a March 2020 statement regarding his decision to resign from the board.

The WSJ's story was published soon after a separate New York Times article that reported Gates had "developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings."

The Times reported, citing "people with direct knowledge with overtures," that "on at least a few occasions, Mr. Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

The Times did not cite the names of the people involved.

Gates' spokesperson told the Times that, "It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates' divorce."
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Investigation into Prime Finance bank embezzlement case completed

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

13:58 17/05/2021

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI)  Investigators have completed the embezzlement probe into Prime Finance bank president Mikhail Tabunov and bank teller Maya Alekseyeva, the Investigative Committees press service reports.

Tabunov is also charged with financial document falsification.

According to investigators, from 2015 and to 2019, Tabunov along with Alekseyeva and other unidentified accomplices took money from a bank office cash department without completing any documents. An unscheduled inspection has revealed cash shortage in the amount of 106 million rubles, one million dollars and 1.3 million Euros.

A court earlier seized the defendants assets worth 685 million rubles (over $3 million).
1. Yes. Its important to keep my child as safe as possible. We plan to take advantage.

2. Yes. With the school district dropping its mask mandate, its a necessary step.

3. No. Local COVID cases are dropping. There is no good reason to vaccinate my child.

4. No. There hasnt been enough data on vaccinated children. I think Ill hold off.

5. Unsure. I havent decided yet whether to take part in the vaccine clinics.

Vote

View Results
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That commitment can be found in the 240 hours of educational programming Nebraska Public Media offers each week.

The switch to Nebraska Public Media is coming as the nonprofit organization emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw it face some financial challenges but increase its local programming.

Our underwriting was off, which was true for all public media, Leonard said. The good news is our members came through, and we had our best year ever. Were now at an all-time high in the number of members.

We never cut back on services, never did any staff reductions he said. We pushed through and did more programming than we had planned in the past year, responding to the pandemic, covering the election.

In fact, NET was one of the first, if not the first, media organization in the country to present a live sporting event outside of a protective bubble during the pandemic when it broadcast the high school football Shrine Bowl from Kearney last June.
You form a bond, she continued. They have trust and know I have their backs.

Shes still in a clinic setting at the hospital. Berry said todays clinic nurses do more blood draws and administer more IVs.

One of the biggest changes during her career has been going from paper charts to reviewing patients information on computers. Berry said computer records make it easier to order medications and to access medical histories more quickly.

COVID and beyond

When asked about being a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said wearing masks has been difficult, especially when goggles and a face shield also were required.

Berry has worked at Good Samaritan vaccination days and at some other events at Good Sam that were hosted by the Two Rivers Public Health Department for higher risk people.

Her greatest concern has been for isolated nursing home patients.

We did Zoom calls, but that was like half a loaf, Berry said, and made it difficult to confirm that her information was fully understood. Our older patients are hard of hearing and often read lips. But they cant do that with a mask on.
Omaha police officers killed a man who had been firing a gun during a standoff, police said.

Information wasnt available Sunday night on whether the man had fired at officers.

Deputy Police Chief Ken Kanger said officers were called to the home near 41st Avenue and F Street about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

The man was in his 30s. A handgun was found at the scene.

Arriving officers could hear gunfire in the house and were able to get a female out of the house, Kanger said.

A negotiator came to the scene and talked with the man for about 20 minutes. The man fired his gun during that time, Kanger said.

The man went to the front and back of the house multiple times and eventually came out the front door, he said.

When the man came outside, police gave him commands, Kanger said, and then gunfire began.

Multiple officers fired, he said.

Kanger said it would take time to know whether the man fired at officers.

Ballistics tests will be conducted, and the officers body and cruiser camera video will be analyzed.
"This one year has created so much emotional behavior ... this is probably going to be the hardest change management that we're going to have to do. The change to bring people back into the office is going to be a big effort."

He added that some of the company's working parents have enjoyed the added time they get with their kids from working from home, and might not be eager to return to the office.

"We appreciate all that ... but that's the change management that we are going to have to deal with  getting the working parents back into the office  that is going to be the biggest change."

Bisceglia recognized that the company risks losing employees over the decision.

"We are in a very specialized field, we don't want to lose employees over this ... but I think it's worth the effort and the risk to bring back the culture and creativity and spontaneity."

Workers who had pre-existing accommodations to work from home a few days a week before the pandemic will be able to continue to do so. But everyone else will need to return. "For those that were hired full-time to be in the office, that is our expectation come October, safely, of course," he said.
As part of the annual Arbor Day observance, Fort McCoy community members planted 400 red pines April 30 near Pine View Campground at the installation.

Child Development Center students and parents joined in on the event, learning how to properly plant trees and about the importance of planting trees.

The Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch coordinated the event. Forester Charles Mentzel said the new trees, along with another 4,600 planted earlier by Wisconsin Challenge Academy cadets, will be a nice addition to the campground.

These trees will aid the campground with a visual screen, blocking wind and reducing noise for many years to come, Mentzel said.

According to history.com, the origins of Arbor Day dates back to the early 1870s in Nebraska City, Neb. A journalist by the name of Julius Sterling Morton moved to the state with his wife, Caroline, in 1854. The couple purchased 160 acres in Nebraska City and planted a wide variety of trees and shrubs in what was a primarily a flat stretch of desolate plain.

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Morton later became editor of the states first newspaper, Nebraska City News, which became a platform for Morton to spread his knowledge of trees and to stress their ecological importance within Nebraska.
On May 3, Van Orden met with a large group of La Crosse area parents at the home of former Holmen School Board candidate Jennifer Westlie, where she said 60 to 70 parents from Holmen, West Salem, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau and several more schools spanning as far as Cadot gathered to get his advice.

She said that parents from many different districts were requesting Van Ordens help on how to overturn their mask mandates, and they decided to hold a joint meeting to expedite the process.

[Another parent] was very, very excited about how influential he was with another school district, school board, and she said, I really want you to come talk to ours, Westlie said.

It was pretty much a regurgitation of the things he had talked to with Elk Mound, Westlie said. Talking about our constitutional rights as it pertains to being forced to wear a mask.

Van Orden shared a photo of a group on his Twitter on May 3, saying, Wow! We had over 50 people on site and another 50+ for our Make Masks Optional meeting tonight.
Russian government approves anti-terrorism requirements for children's camps

 RAPSI

20:21 17/05/2021

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI)  All Russian children's camps will have system for transmitting alarm messages to emergency services; buildings and territories will be inspected at least four times a day, according to new anti-terrorist requirements for places for organizing recreation and recuperation of children.

On Thursday, at a meeting with the president, the events that took place in Kazan last week were discussed in detail. Children and adults were killed, many were injured. It is now important to provide them with the necessary treatment and to take measures to prevent such cases in the future, hence new requirements for the anti-terrorist security of children's camps and recreation centers, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting with Deputy Prime Ministers.

According to the new requirements, all camps will be divided into four categories depending on the number of campers per shift, as well as on the level of security in the region. A set of measures has been developed for each of these categories; the respective classification is to be defined by commissions composed of representatives of a wide range of authorities, security and emergency bodies.

The Cabinet of Ministers explained that the new requirements do not apply to the camps that are already guarded by the troops of the National Guard (for example, "Artek"), as well as to the camps organized by schools during the holidays. In addition, tourist rallies, sporting events and camps operating up to seven days do not fall under these requirements. The safety of children in such cases will be regulated by other rules.

Mishustin also said that, as instructed by the head of state, the government will develop requirements for ensuring safety in all schools in the country, regardless of their locations.
One shuttered prison in Connecticut has been repurposed for document storage. Another is used to process and train newly hired correction officers. A third that was emptied of prisoners within the last decade remains unused.

With the state's inmate population down by more than half from its peak of almost 20,000 in 2008, decisions will need to be made about what to do with three more prisons slated for closure, including the Northern Correctional Institution that once housed death row, which is scheduled to be shuttered next month.

Its a predicament and opportunity facing many states around the country as declining crime rates, and an emphasis on alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenses, especially drug crimes, allow them to explore new uses for prisons.


WHAT HAPPENS IF MISSISSIPPI WINS?

If Mississippi wins, it gets to enforce its 15-week ban, which lower courts have so far prohibited. In addition, other conservative states would certainly look to copy Mississippi's law. A decision that states can limit previability abortions would also embolden states to pass more restrictions, which some states have already done and which are already wrapped up in legal challenges. Challenges to those limits would continue.

That said, the immediate practical impact of a win for Mississippi could be muted. That's because more than 90% of abortions take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



THE COURT IS CONSERVATIVE. IS THERE A LIKELY OUTCOME?

Mississippi would seem to have the upper hand, both because the justices agreed to hear the case in the first place and because of the makeup of the court. After the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September and her replacement by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, conservatives hold six of the court's nine seats.
President Joe Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but stopped short of demanding an immediate stop to the eight days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket barrages that have killed more than 200 people, most of them Palestinian.
The shooting happened amid the trial for Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murder for pressing his knee against George Floyds neck as the Black man said he couldnt breathe.

Police have said Wright was pulled over for expired tags, but they sought to arrest him after discovering an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and had a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Police body camera video shows Potter approaching Wright as he stands outside of his car as another officer is arresting him. As Wright struggles with police, Potter shouts, Ill Tase you! Ill Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser! before firing a single shot from a handgun in her right hand.

The criminal complaint noted that Potter holstered her handgun on the right side and her Taser on the left, both with their grips facing rearward. To remove the Taser  which is yellow and has a black grip  Potter would have to use her left hand, the complaint said.
WASHINGTON  The White House says President Joe Biden has expressed support for a cease-fire during a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A statement says the leaders spoke Monday, which was the eighth day of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

Bidens move signals U.S. concern for an end to Israels part of hostilities with Hamas, although it falls short of joining growing Democratic Party demands for an immediate cease-fire.

The White House says the president reiterated his firm support for Israels right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks.



JERSUALEM  Israels military says it identified six rockets launched from Lebanon that apparently fell inside Lebanese territory.

The army said Monday that Israeli artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon. Air raid sirens sounded in a kibbutz near the border, and residents were instructed to prepare bomb shelters.

The incident took place near the site of protests staged along the Lebanese border Friday. In one incident, protesters breached the border fence and entered Israeli territory. Israeli troops fatally shot man who was later identified by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah as one of its fighters.



JERUSALEM  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will continue to strike terror targets in the Gaza Strip after a week of fighting with Palestinian militants.

In an address after meeting with top defense officials, Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.

The fighting broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police.

The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.



DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Qatar has condemned the Israeli bombing of the Qatari Red Crescent building in the Gaza Strip, which it said resulted in deaths and injuries.

Qatar said Monday the operation also damaged parts of The Hamad Bin Khalifa Hospital for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation, as did the previous aerial bombing Saturday of the tower that housed the offices of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel. The mixed-use office and residential high-rise was also home to The Associated Press' offices in Gaza.

Qatar said the targeting of humanitarian and media institutions is a flagrant violation of international law. The Foreign Ministry said Qatar affirms it will spare no effort in supporting the just Palestinian cause and its brothers in Palestine.

The energy-rich Gulf country has been providing $20 million to Gaza monthly since 2018.



AMMAN, Jordan  Jordans interior minister says Israel has handed over two Jordanian citizens who infiltrated its border over the past days.

Mazen Farayah didn't elaborate while speaking to parliament Monday.

The foreign ministry said authorities are looking into reports that other Jordanian citizens have crossed into Israel in Monday without confirming whether it indeed happened.

Jordan has been witnessing protests against Israel over fighting that broke out last week between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

On Monday, all parliament members in Jordan called on the government to evict Israels ambassador to Jordan and recall Jordans ambassador to Israel. The legislators also called for abolishing the peace accord that Jordan and Israel signed in 1994.

The calls by the legislators aren't binding.



UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations says over 38,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes and more than 2,500 people have been made homeless because their houses were destroyed.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday those displaced have sought protection in 48 schools run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian Refugees.

Dujarric said 41 education facilities have been damaged according to U.N. staff on the ground.

The power supply across Gaza has been reduced to six to eight hours per day, on average, with a number of feeder lines not functioning, he said. That, in turn, disrupts the provision of health care and other basic services, including water, hygiene and sanitation.

He said the World Food Program has started providing emergency assistance for more than 51,000 people in north Gaza.



CAIRO  An Egyptian health official says three Palestinian wounded arrived Monday at a hospital in Egypts Sinai Peninsula for treatment.

The official says ambulances have transferred the three, including a child, from the Raffah crossing point to the al-Arish public hospital.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief media.

They were the first wounded to cross into Egypt from Gaza since the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the territory started May 10 following weeks of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police in Jerusalem.

Egypt, which is mediating a cease-fire, has also sent trucks carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Gaza.

 By Samy Magdy



PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron says he will have talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming days about the airstrike that destroyed a Gaza building that housed The Associated Press and other media outlets.

Macron said at a news conference in Paris that the safety of journalists ... and their protection in times of conflict is a crucial responsibility.

He said France has requested that Israel clarify the circumstances and objectives of the airstrike.

Macron called for a cease-fire as soon as possible, and said France is supporting Egypts mediation in the conflict as key to avoiding more violence.

He said he will discuss with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, whom he already met on Monday in Paris, and Jordanian King Abdullah II in the coming days to make concrete proposals.



ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed U.S President Joe Biden, accusing him of writing history with his bloody hands following reports of a multi-million dollar weapons sale to Israel by his administration.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan also said Jerusalem should be administered by an international commission made up of Jewish, Christian and Muslim representatives. Erdogan, who has been conducting telephone diplomacy to try and end the violence, said he had raised the issue during a call with Pope Francis.

In todays circumstances, the administration of Jerusalem by a commission made up of representatives of the three religions will be the most accurate and consistent way, he said.

Erdogan also took aim at Austria for flying the Israeli flag from a government building, suggesting that Vienna was trying to make Muslims pay the price of their own genocide against the Jews.

Now, unfortunately, you (Biden) are writing history with your bloody hands with this event (in which) Gaza is being attacked with seriously disproportionate force causing the martyrdom of thousands of people, Erdogan said. You have forced us to say this.

Erdogan was referring to reports that the Biden administration had approved a $735 million weapons sale to Israel.



UNITED NATIONS  The United States has again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to the crisis related to Gaza and the protection of civilians, especially children.

Council diplomats said there was a 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) deadline Monday for countries to comment on the statement and Washignton objected to it.

At a high-level emergency council meeting on Sunday, there were near unanimous calls for an end to the week-long conflict.

The proposed council press statement by China, Norway and Tunisia, obtained by The Associated Press, didn't name Israel or Gazas Hamas rulers, instead expressing grave concern at the Gaza crisis and the loss of civilian lives and casualties.

The U.S. says it's "engaging in intense diplomatic efforts at the highest levels to try to bring an end to this conflict.



BEIRUT  The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group's leader has made a rare public appearance in Beirut where he vowed that his group will keep fighting Israel, which he described as weaker than a spiders web.

Ziad Nakhaleh told hundreds of supporters during a rally organized by Lebanons militant Hezbollah group Monday evening that Israel is targeting civilians and avoiding direct confrontation with holy warriors.

The groups military wing, the Quds Brigades, along with the military wing of Hamas have fired hundreds of rockets and missiles toward Israeli towns and cities since the latest round of fighting began last Monday.

Nakhaleh, who thanked Iran for its help, said the latest round of fighting is a new page in defending Jerusalem and al-Aqsa mosque.



SANAA, Yemen  Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa on Monday to denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners calling for the boycott of Israeli and American goods. They also chanted: Death to America! and Death to Israel! Many protesters were seen carrying AK-47 assault rifles.

The protests are called by Houthi rebels, who are allied with Hamas. Both groups have close ties with Iran, the archenemy of Israel.



GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Palestinian witnesses say at least two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike at the upper floor of an apartment building in Gaza City.

The witnesses say the bodies of man and a girl were brought to the Shifa hospital in the city. There was no immediate comment from the Health Ministry.

The latest airstrike occurred Monday in the same neighborhood at Wahda street where a series of conservative air raids had flattened three buildings and killed as many as 42 Palestinians early Sunday.

Meanwhile, a fresh airstrike has flattened a five-story commercial building housing the headquarters of the Hamas-run religious affairs ministry.

The armed wing of Hamas said Israel has resumed hitting houses Monday afternoon and said it would fire rockets toward Israels heartland in retaliation.



GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Hamas Interior Ministry has ordered journalists and media production companies in Gaza to refrain from offering their services to two Saudi-owned satellite channels.

In a message sent to journalists mobiles, a ministry official stressed offering any service to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV and its news branch Al-Hadath are prohibited by liability.

Hamas has closed the Gaza offices of the channel during the 2014 war after accusing it of broadcasting false news meant to distort the Islamic militant group.



ATHENS, Greece  Greece says its foreign minister will head to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday for talks with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.

Nikos Dendias is to meet with Gabi Ashkenazi and Riad al-Maliki before heading later the same day to Jordan for talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the foreign ministry announced Monday.

The minister will travel to Egypt on Thursday for a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukri.

In the past Greece, which has long had good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, has attempted to play a mediating role in their conflicts.



BERLIN  German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the current escalation in the Mideast conflict and emphasized Germanys solidarity with Israel and the countrys right to self-defense.

She condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli and voiced her hope for a swift end to the fighting in light of the loss of civilian life on both sides.

Merkels office said she also stressed that the government will continue to act decisively against protests in Germany at which hatred and antisemitism is spread.

One of the leading contenders to succeed Merkel in Germanys national election this fall, Annalena Baerbock of the center-left Greens, likewise condemned the Hamas rocket attacks and backed Israels right to self-defense.

She called for Germany and the European Union to support efforts by U.S. President Joe Biden to mediate between the warring parties.

Asked about Israels destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza used by international media, including AP, Baerbock said the principles of international humanitarian law, which bans attacks on civilians  apply in the conflict. Israel said the airstrike targeted Hamas, which it claimed was present in the building, but didnt offer proof.



JERUSALEM  An Israeli man hurt in violent unrest by Arab citizens in central Israel last week has died of his injuries, his family says.

Police confirmed that Yigal Yehoshua, 56, was attacked and seriously injured by rioters in Lod on Monday, has died. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Lod saw some of the worst Jewish and Arab violent unrest that wracked Israeli cities last week. Police said that a total of 190 people were injured in the violence, 10 of them seriously. Yehoshua was the second confirmed death. Musa Hassuna was shot and killed May 11 during the first night of unrest in Lod.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said operations are continuing across the county to prevent and respond to incidents with additional reinforcements in Lod.

 This item has been corrected to show that Yigal Yehoshua was the second confirmed death in the violence, not the first.



PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi stressed the absolute need to cease hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians, the French presidency said.

During a working meeting in Paris on Monday, both leaders shared strong concerns about the escalation of violence in the Middle East and deplored the numerous civilian victims, the statement said.

Macron reaffirmed Frances support to Egypts mediation in the conflict.

Both leaders agreed to continue to coordinate their actions in favor of a rapid cease-fire and prevent a spreading of the conflict in the region, according to the French presidency.



BRUSSELS  The European Union will redouble its efforts to end the upsurge in violence between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants, and seek progress during a special meeting of its foreign ministers Tuesday, the bloc said.

The EU also called the weekend destruction of a building housing major international media extremely worrying and said safe working conditions for journalists were essential.

The EU has never had the impact Washington can wield in the region and no immediate breakthrough was expected from Tuesdays meeting. Ever since the outbreak of violence last week, the EU has been calling for restraint and condemned attacks that hit civilian populations.



LONDON  The British government says Israel must ensure that its military activities against Hamas are proportionate, and it is deeply concerned by the destruction of media offices and other civilian targets in Gaza.

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said Britain is in contact with our U.S and U.N. counterparts and urgently seeking more information from the Israeli government on Saturdays attack, which destroyed a high-rise building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media organizations.

We are deeply concerned by U.N. reports that 23 schools and 500 homes, as well as medical facilities and media offices, have been destroyed or damaged in Gaza, Blain said. He added that Israel must make every effort to avoid civilian casualties and military activity must be proportionate.

Blain also said the U.K. was concerned about Hamas using civilian areas as cover. Israel says the media building was also being used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.



CAIRO  Egypts chief diplomat has warned against expanding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, urging all parties to strike a cease-fire.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said in televised comments that Egypt is working with international partners to reach a truce and embark on political negations aiming at achieving a permanent, comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian cause.

He said Egypt hopes the U.S. administration will engage in such an effort to relaunch the political process in order to avert war and destruction in the region.

He called for Israels government to reduce tensions in Jerusalem and stop efforts by extremist settlers to change the nature of the city.



BERLIN  German officials have condemned the ongoing rocket fire by Hamas on Israel and demanded that the militant group immediately end those attacks.

This is terror, which is intended to kill people indiscriminately, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reportes in Berlin. The German government stands by Israel and its right to protect its population and defend itself.

Seibert added that it was tragic that so many human lives need to be lamented on both sides but accused Hamas of holding the Palestinian population in Gaza hostage by launching its rockets from densely populated civilian areas.

Asked about the destruction of a Gaza building housing several media outlets, including AP, by Israel over the weekend, Seibert said it was important that journalists should be able to report from war zones, but again cited Israels right to self-defense. Israel has claimed the building was also used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.



DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The ambassador of the Czech Republic to Kuwait is apologizing over an image posted online of him draped in the Israeli flag, amid anger in the small, oil-rich nation over the death of Palestinians.

Martin Dvorak wrote an open letter posted on the embassys Twitter account on Monday after Kuwaitis posted angry messages to his Instagram account.

Dvorak wrote that his post inspired understandable outrage and indignation among many people with regards to the current, deeply dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip.

He added: It was absolutely not my intention to express any manner of disrespect towards the innocent Palestinian victims and casualties whose loss we are currently witnessing.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry summoned Dvorak on Monday over the post to express its categorical rejection and strong disapproval.

While some Gulf Arab nations now recognize Israel, Kuwait has not done so in a decades-long support of the Palestinians efforts to have an independent state.



MOSCOW  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia is extremely concerned about Israel's destruction of a building in Gaza City that housed the APs longtime Gaza bureau and offices of other media organizations.

We are extremely concerned about the growing number of human casualties, Peskov added during a conference call with reporters.

Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasnt had any contacts with neither the Israeli, nor the Palestinian side in recent days, but such contacts can be organized, if necessary.

The Kremlin spokesman added that very energetic efforts are now being made both through the Quartet (of Middle East mediators, which comprises the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia), and various countries are now in constant contact through bilateral channels with both the Israelis and the Palestinians in order to stop the exchange of strikes.



ROME  The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis met with the Iranian foreign minister and spoke by telephone with the Turkish president amid the spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Vatican said Francis spoke by phone around 9 a.m. Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later, he met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Rome on a previously announced visit. The Vatican provided no comment on the content of the talks.

On Sunday, Francis appealed for calm and international help to open a path of dialogue. Speaking during his Sunday blessing, Francis said the deaths of children in the latest surge of violence was a sign that they dont want to build the future but want to destroy it.



ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Pope Francis to support sanctions against Israel, saying Palestinians will continue to be massacred as long as the international community does not punish Israel.

During a telephone telephone call Monday with the pope, Erdogan also said that continued messages and reactions from Francis in support of Palestinians would be of great importance for the mobilization of the Christian world and of the international community, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications directorate.

During their conversation, Erdogan also renewed a call for the international community to take concrete steps to show Israel the dissuasive reaction and lesson it deserves, according to the statement. The Turkish leader has been engaged in a telephone diplomacy bid to end Israels use of force.



GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Gazas mayor says Israeli airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip have caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure, while the Israeli military says they destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse, mayor Yahya Sarraj told Al-Jazeera TV.

The U.N. has warned that the territorys sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territorys electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days. Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the companys staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.

The war broke out last Monday, when the Hamas militant group fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

Since then, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,100 rockets into Israel.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes and 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks from Gaza.



JERUSALEM  The Israeli military says its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

Residents of Gaza awakened early Monday by the overnight barrage described it as the heaviest since the war began a week ago, and even more powerful than a wave of airstrikes in Gaza City the day before that left 42 dead and flattened three buildings.

There was no immediate word Monday on the casualties from the latest strikes. A three-story building in Gaza City was heavily damaged, but residents said the military warned them 10 minutes before the strike and everyone cleared out. They said many of the airstrikes hit nearby farmland.
Richard Humphreys  a type 1 diabetic  is departing on a six-week, 380-mile walk across the state to a diabetic camp in Ohio to raise money for Camp Ho Mita Koda as well as his Gnome Countryside trail and to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of insulin.

Close
A York County man was killed after he struck a vehicle along Route 30 in East Hempfield Township on Sunday night, causing the vehicle to catch fire, according to East Hempfield Township police.

Albert Meier Acosta, 31, of Windsor was traveling westbound along Route 30 near Rohrerstown Road at around 9:26 p.m. when he struck a disabled Chrysler 300 that was parked along the shoulder of the road, police said in a news release. The crash caused the Chrysler to catch fire.

Meier Acosta was transported to Lancaster General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

An investigation into the crash led by the Lancaster County Crash Investigation Team is ongoing, according to the news release. Westbound lanes of Route 30 were closed during the initial investigation, reopening at around 2:45 a.m. Monday.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to contact East Hempfield Township police at 717-898-3103.
When: Brecknock supervisors meeting, May 11.

What happened: Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution opposing Manheim Township commissioners request for Lancaster County to form a public health department.

Background: In April, Brecknock supervisors voted to take no action on Manheim Townships request for support for the formation of a county public health department. Based on a recommendation from the Lancaster County Association of Township Supervisors, which opposes forming a public health department, supervisors passed a resolution disapproving the request to form a public health department in order to ensure their objection is on record.

Concerns: Supervisor Andy Baum, who attended the supervisors associations recent meeting regarding a public health department, said officials at the meeting were concerned about a public health department overseeing issues now handled by townships. Baum said a public health department would oversee sewage disposal, which would end townships ability to appoint a sewage enforcement officer. The supervisors association, Baum added, is also concerned that the department would have little oversight and would cost the county millions of dollars.

Quotable: I hate to sit here and be quiet and for some reason it goes through and they dont realize how many people oppose it, Baum said, explaining his reasoning for supporting the resolution.

Other business: The board approved the townships updated Act 537 plan, which includes a potential expansion of public sewer services in some areas of the township that are zoned as light industrial or may be rezoned as residential in the future. The plan now goes to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for review.
The first mistake was in not locating Lancaster directly along the Conestoga River.

When James Hamilton sold his first Lancaster lots in 1730, wrote the late historian John W.W. Loose, he did something thought foolish: he laid out his town a mile away from the Conestoga River, with no good waterway within its limits. 

The second mistake was in abusing the Conestoga as a dump, pouring in the citys sewage, as well as the countrysides manure runoff, polluting the waterway for decades.

The third mistake was, in effect, creating an institutional district on bluffs high above the river on the eastern edge of town. That area might have been a lovely residential area or park. Instead, Lancaster County government constructed a hospital and an extensive complex to care for the poor.

The fourth mistake was in bulldozing an expansive space in the woods below those bluffs and on the other side of the river to accommodate an oversized county jail for juvenile offenders.

The fifth mistake may well be the countys recently announced plan to construct a massive new prison for adults inside another of the Conestogas horseshoe loops a little more than a mile directly south of Penn Square.

That new construction may undercut any expansion of efforts to develop the river as a recreational resource in metropolitan Lancaster.

This newspaper described the proposed prison site as a 75-acre farm surrounded on three sides by a horseshoe bend in the Conestoga and on the fourth side by Greenwood Cemetery.

This is an accurate but incomplete description. The farm is virtually surrounded by woodland on both banks of the recessed river.

On the north, Greenwoods property extends down to the Conestoga, which divides the cemetery from Lancaster County Central Park. On the south, the river divides the farm from Meadia Heights Country Club. To the west, homes along and near Route 222 consume a narrow swath between the river and Buchmiller County Park.

So the proposed prison would be constructed on a farm inside an almost fully wooded area  a place where a riverside path might one day add another, more rugged section to the Conestoga Greenway Trail and other trails in Central and Buchmiller parks.

Whether such a trail would be feasible, the Scribbler has a modest proposal to ameliorate the damage that constructing a new prison, complete with dozens of parking spaces, would inflict on that area.

Why not landscape the place?

A precedent exists. The current prison grounds were beautifully landscaped for decades. This project began with the erection of the building in the early 1850s and continued until the 1960s when most of the trees and all walkways were cleared to make way for a parking lot.

The trees and shrubs and winding paths helped shield nearby residents from the imposing prison and almost seemed like an extension of adjoining Reservoir Park.

The Scribbler sees little prospect that contemporary prison builders would do much more than create another alien mass of concrete and asphalt inside a river loop. Its cheaper and easier that way.

But ignoring the environment also has a cost.

Jack Brubaker, retired from the LNP | LancasterOnline staff, writes The Scribbler column every Sunday. He welcomes comments and contributions at scribblerlnp@gmail.com.
Frontier Ventures Strengthens Global Focus with Landmark Decision

'Difficult decision' to sell historic headquarters accelerates shift to multi-hub global ministry model





STRATEGIC SHIFT: Frontier Ventures, a Christian missions organization based in Pasadena, Calif., for more than four decades, is selling its historic Hudson Taylor Hall headquarters -- former home of the U.S. Center for World Mission, founded by Ralph Winter. The decision accelerates the agency's transition to a multi-hub global ministry.



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Frontier Ventures

May 17, 2021



PASADENA, Calif., May 17, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- Frontier Ventures, a missions organization based in Pasadena for more than four decades, is selling its historic Hudson Taylor Hall headquarters -- accelerating its transition to a multi-hub global ministry.



The missions agency will have several offices located in strategic locations around the world where its efforts focus on taking the gospel to people who've never heard about Jesus Christ.



One option is to sell the Pasadena property -- a facility well known to many as the former U.S. Center for World Mission founded by Ralph Winter -- for affordable housing, a priority for the City of Pasadena, said Frontier Ventures director Dr. Kevin Higgins.



'Difficult Decision'

"This was a very difficult decision," Higgins said. "Hudson Taylor Hall represents so much to Frontier Ventures in so many ways, but the ministry's vision has never been about a place. We've always been about taking the gospel to many places.



"Our intention is to have ministry hubs in various locations around the world, which will allow us to be closer to the people were coming alongside and trying to reach."



A zoning issue led to the decision to sell Hudson Taylor Hall, Higgins said.



The building is zoned for residential use. When Frontier Ventures purchased the property decades ago, it was being used as office space -- but the City of Pasadena says that can't continue.



Frontier Ventures' board of directors decided it was unlikely to win a legal challenge, and other options for keeping the property would not be cost effective, Higgins said.



Despite the planned sale, Higgins said Frontier Ventures plans to maintain a "strategic presence" in Southern California.



Historic Legacy Continues

Proceeds from the sale will be directly reinvested into "nurturing new ways for men, women and children to experience the fullness of life in Jesus," he said, continuing the legacy of Frontier Ventures and the ministry carried out from Hudson Taylor Hall.



"We deeply honor our past and tremendous heritage," said Higgins. "But we also want to be good and faithful stewards of all the Lord has entrusted to us, most especially the advancement of the gospel.



"Our founding mission continues to shape our future  to nurture new ways for all peoples to experience the fullness of life in Jesus, specifically among the least-reached," he said. "We remain laser-focused on working alongside others to see Gods purposes advance."



The vision of Frontier Ventures (frontierventures.org) is to see the fullness of God's blessing for all peoples and the reconciliation of all things in Christ. For over 40 years  originally as the U.S. Center for World Mission  the ministry has sought to work alongside others to see God's purposes fulfilled on earth.



SOURCE Frontier Ventures



CONTACT: Palmer Holt, 704-662-2569, pholt@inchrstcommunications.com



Related Links



frontierventures.org


THE ISSUE: Its Monday, the day we take a few moments to highlight the good news in Lancaster County. Some of these items are welcome developments on the economic front or for neighborhoods across the county. Others are local stories of achievement, perseverance, compassion and creativity that represent welcome points of light in a still-difficult time. All of this news deserves a brighter spotlight.

We start this weeks Good Things with a trio of items related to mothers and Mothers Day.

One of Lancaster Countys favorite annual events, the Make-A-Wish Mothers Day truck convoy, took place May 9. It was smaller than in previous years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the event featured a convoy of about 100 rigs (that) made their way from the Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction in Manheim to Routes 283 and 772 outside Mount Joy, LNP | LancasterOnlines Erik Yabor reported.

The event raised more than $296,000  99% of its goal  for Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley.

The community just came out to support them, Terry Finch, the convoys co-chair, said. There were people up and down the road. It kind of felt like our old convoy days with everyone out on the route.

Anything that reminds us of our pre-pandemic joys is a great thing in our book. That it raised money for a great cause is icing on the cake.

Yabor covered another Mothers Day weekend event that brought plenty of smiles.

Music for Moms on May 8 involved a series of truncated, socially distant front porch concerts with the help of Music for Everyone.

It struck just the right note.

Yabor described how 78-year-old Judy Coble left her Manheim Township home that afternoon for a walk with her daughter and instead was surprised with a 15-minute concert that included Amazing Grace.

The musical duo of Lisa Fairman and Dave Lefever delivered the performance outside Cobles home. Other musical groups appeared at homes across the county.

We had a couple of people kind of tear up, they were so moved by it, Fairman told Yabor. With the last couple we went to see, both of them sang a little bit with us. The mother that we were singing to was clapping along. We felt like it really engaged people, to have a mini concert just for them.

Nicole Leahy, who received a personal concert outside her Lititz home, called it really, really fun and kind of cool.

It also exemplifies the ways in which the arts have adapted to pandemic times.

I think Music for Everyone has done a great job adapting with COVID to find new and creative ways to reach people through music, Fairman said. I think they deserve a lot of credit for what they do in the community.

Mothers who were serenaded also received a tote bag containing a T-shirt, soap, a wax candle, notecards, chocolate and other gifts.

Were betting, though, that it was the music they loved best.

Meanwhile, our hats are off to the Mitzvah Moms, who were profiled recently for LNP | LancasterOnline by correspondent Gayle Johnson.

Inspired by a neighborhood Facebook group that offered small kindnesses during the darkest days of the pandemic last winter, a group of women launched Mitzvah Moms to help those who were struggling mentally and physically, said Gina Krouse, one of the founders.

A mitzvah means a good deed in Hebrew. The group is led by women of Jewish and Christian faiths.

As Johnson explained, the groups aim was to expand on the idea of small kindnesses with larger efforts such as gift baskets for those suffering from COVID-19, hosting blood drives and cleaning up trash along the Susquehanna River. They also teach children about kindness and charity.

They certainly picked up on a great project, said Rabbi Jack Paskoff, whose synagogue, Congregation Shaarai Shomayim, partners with Mitzvah Moms. We want mitzvahs to be a part of our everyday routine.

The group now has more than 160 members. Some of them gathered recently on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Columbia, Johnson wrote. Moms, dad and kids moved purposely around the area as a gentle breeze blew across the calm blue water. Armed with large white bags, volunteers searched for debris as part of a clean-up effort celebrating Earth Day.

Lancaster County is better for the generosity of the Mitzvah Moms. We hope this fledgling organization can, in turn, inspire other efforts to do good within communities.

Finally, we were moved by LNP | LancasterOnline correspondent Rebecca Logans article about how some local senior communities have responded to the calls for greater racial justice  calls that have grown louder and more urgent in the U.S. over the past year.

At Landis Homes, Logan writes, an anti-racism group formed and meets monthly (usually by Zoom) to discuss issues.

We decided to begin with education and examining our own racism that we maybe dont recognize, Landis resident Marilyn Langeman said.

To that end, members have added a related bookshelf to the library and have amassed a virtual mailing list of residents who are given updates with suggestions for books and online courses, Logan wrote.

At Moravian Manor Communities last June, some residents organized an eight-minute, 46-second moment of silence in response to the police murder of George Floyd.

The residents didnt stop there. To bolster their own awareness of racial issues, they sought speakers from the community. The first was Kevin Ressler, president and CEO of the United Way of Lancaster County.

These residents of Lancaster County understand that learning and personal growth are a lifelong process. May we all remain as eager to educate ourselves, reevaluate our own experiences and grow as human beings as we move through life.
I voted for former President Donald Trump twice. I have no regrets, because I believe his policies were  and still are  better for America than anything we see coming from the Oval Office today.

However, Trumps conduct in office between Election Day and Inauguration Day should disqualify him from holding public office again and from a leadership role in our Republican Party.

I blame him for the loss of the Senate. Two seats were lost in Georgia because he spent too much time complaining about a lost election, and not enough time campaigning for Republican candidates there.

Im convinced that Trump won in 2016 because many people voted not totally for him, but against Hillary Clinton. Trump lost for the same reason in 2020. His negatives were higher than President Joe Bidens.

If we Republicans continue to allow Trump a leadership role in the party, we risk losses in the 2022 midterm elections. And if Trump runs in 2024, whether as a Republican or a third-party candidate, I believe it will guarantee the election of a Democratic president.

Galen Kauffman

East Lampeter Township
The price of crude oil stayed about the same. The cost of refining gasoline did not change. The tanks at most filling stations were full, and the cost of refilling them remained constant.

On May 7, a group of entrepreneurial hackers, likely from Russia, discovered a way to extort a pipeline company that established its business with the financial support of the American people.

Rather than continue to sell their product at the asking price, some companies within the oil industry  realizing there would be a temporary shortage  jacked their prices as high as possible. The resultant panic buying allowed them to pocket a huge windfall.

I am willing to bet my next tank of gas that when the pipeline is fully flowing and the prices come down, those prices will remain higher than they had been before this incident. The oil companies will profit both ways, and there is not a thing we can do about it. Aint capitalism wonderful?

J. Phillip Eisemann

Ephrata
Bolivian President Arce Insists, Only a Global Solution Can Defeat COVID Pandemic

May 16, 2021 (EIRNS)Speaking May 13 at an international forum organized by his Foreign Ministry, Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora emphasized to his audience that the only way to defeat the coronavirus pandemic is through a global program, which, as his government has been emphasizing, must address the issue of vaccine inequity. For example, he said, Bolivia has purchased vaccines, but isnt getting enough doses delivered because production is circumscribed to specific countries, or because some countries have restricted exports of vaccines for different reasons. Were not criticizing this, he said,

but lets be clear that were headed straight for disaster, because this is happening even to countries that have the ability to pay for vaccines.... Since the pandemic is a global evil, the solution must be global, and to get out of this, we all have to act; otherwise, no one will be safe.... Its as if there were an apartheid in which the weakest [countries] are being condemned and killed,

EFE news service reported him as saying May 13.

The Foreign Ministry forum on Waiving Patents and Considerations on Intellectual Property in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, was focused, as the title indicates, on calling for suspending vaccine patents and intellectual property to ensure transfer of technology so that developing nations can produce vaccines. Officials from the UN Development Program, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and diplomats from South America and India, among others, attended. Bolivia began its campaign two months ago and has vowed to take to every international forum and multilateral organization for debate. It should be seen as a useful adjunct to the urgent proposal of the Schiller Institute and the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites to build a global healthcare system and new economic order to competently address the pandemic. A Foreign Ministry press release estimates that the majority of vaccines produced in 2021 will be insufficient to vaccinate 70% of the worlds population, due to vaccine hoarding by the industrialized nations, and thus vaccinations of poorer nations populations arent likely to be completed before 2023.

Domestically, Arce has launched a campaign to inoculate all eligible Bolivians as soon as possible and is working closely with Russia and China to obtain vaccines. By the end of next week, Bolivia will have received 500,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine and 1 million doses of Chinas Sinopharm and is making arrangements to obtain Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines as well. On the occasion of the most recent Sputnik V arrival on May 15, in the company of Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ledenev, he remarked that we have to step on the accelerator ... these vaccines are the doses of hope for many people ... thanks to the diplomacy among nations, above all with Russia and China, Bolivians will continue with the vaccination campaign, the Bolivian Information Agency reported him saying. Pointing to the difficult situation the world is facing because of new waves of COVID, he warned, if our nations dont take action and ensure an equitable distribution of doses, well see many more waves, placing humanity at ever greater risk.
DarkSide Hacking of Colonial Pipeline Is Dark Indeed

May 16, 2021 (EIRNS)President Joe Biden took two, characteristic actions on May 15. As the un-President, he made a tepid phone call to Israeli strongman Benjamin Netanyahuhis first engagement after a week of deadly war provoked by Netanyahu supportersafter which the latter immediately announced his attacks on Palestinians would continue unabated. But as the would-be nemesis of Russia, Biden jumped on the mysterious shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline oil pipeline to announce he was forming a task force to target the hackers and demanding that Russia act against cybercriminals, whose actual whereabouts and lineage are unknown. The White House quoted Biden on May 13: We have been in direct communication with Moscow about the imperative for responsible countries to take decisive action against these ransomware networks. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and former Homeland Security cybersecurity chief Christopher Krebs used todays Face the Nation program to pile on, Schiff saying We should put the pressure on the responsible countries, Russia, China and others; and Krebs, Sovereign nations dont allow cyberattacks to take place from their territory with impunity (unless, presumably, the CIA carries them out, against Iran, North Korea, Russia, Libya, etc. etc.).

Now that the operation of the Colonial Pipeline Companys system is being restored to normal, questions should be asked about some aspects of the reported ransomware hacking of the company one week ago. They include the report which emerged in the Wall Street Journal on Friday, May 14, that the DarkSide hacking group, or network of groups, had announced it was disbanding; and that the alleged reason for this retreat was that its hacking software system was effectively retaliated against by U.S. law enforcement and the State Department, shutting down DarkSides server and preventing it from collecting the bitcoin ransom equivalent to $5 million which Colonial may or may not have tried to pay.

Many things are murky about this episode, although some, besides Bidens targeting of Russia over it, are clear: It caused Americans across a broad swath of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states to panic and hoard gasoline, creating shortages, shutdowns of up to half of gas stations in some states, and social conflicts among people trying to get gas; this in turn caused an increase of 10 cents/gallon in the gas price; and Bidens Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was enabled to claim that the United States urgently needed to build a new grid, even though the electricity grid was in no way involved.

The Wall Street Journals report immediately raises the suspicion that the DarkSide hackers group either doesnt actually exist, or was an operation by some state intelligence actor which needed to be quickly shut down by its sponsor after one caper. DarkSide is only claimed in major media reports to have existed since August 2020. The Journals source was FireEye, the same clearly U.S. intelligence-connected company which attributed the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack to DarkSide, and the SolarWinds hack of U.S. government computer systems last year, to Russias GRU. FireEye itself admitted on Twitter May 14 that there is speculation from some ... that this could be an exit scam.

RT reported on May 15 that former Kaspersky Lab CEO Natalya Kaspersky told RIA Novosti in an interview that DarkSide was a CIA operation, specifically of the Remote Development Branch of the CIAs Center for Cyber Intelligence.

There were also conflicting reports in various media as to whether Colonial Pipeline Co. even attempted to pay a ransom. And of course, there has been a big, unanswered question from the start on May 10: Why did Colonial shut the pipeline down, triggering a panic among the public, when the hack was to its business software and the pipeline system can be operated outside the Internet?

This was, after all, the third major North American oil pipeline to be hit by attempted sabotage in four months: The first, Keystone XL, by President Biden; the second, Enbridge Line 5, by Michigan Governor Whitmer and Energy Secretary Granholm; and now Colonial Pipeline, by itself?
Over 50 More Palestinians Killed Sunday by Israeli Bombing and Police

May 16, 2021 (EIRNS)Going into a UN Security Council meeting on the Israel-Palestine situation on May 16, over 50 more Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including 13 children, met their deaths from Israels bombing of buildings, streets and now homes in Gaza, and at the hands of Israeli police suppressing Palestinian demonstrations in West Bank cities. Associated Press, whose press headquarters in Gaza was destroyed along with the 13-story building it was in, protested the Israeli claim as to why the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombed the building: We have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building, AP said in a statement.

Israels IDF complicated attempts at negotiations by attempting to kill top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother, bombing their home and others in Gaza; this raised the temperature considerably, according to an Egyptian diplomat quoted by the Financial Times.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the UNSC meeting by saying, predictably, Fighting must stop. It must stop. Rockets and mortars on one side, aerial bombardment on the other, must stop. He did not transgress by saying anything about how the fighting began, clearly provoked by right-wing Israeli groups and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalemalthough this was described in full by the Arab League representative. After the UNSC session, which was in debate format chaired by Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China, the three countries whose foreign ministers took partChina, Norway, and Tunisiaheld a press conference. There they added to the violence must stop demand, that evictions must stop, as well as disturbances at holy sites including the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Thus some focus was put on the Israeli provocations which began this war.

Underneath the IDFs bombings and Hamas rocket fire, gangs of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians increasingly attacked each other in streets and fields, with a new phenomenon being the random burning of Palestinians fields and fruit trees by roving groups of right-wing Israeli settlers and others. (There are now 650,000 Israeli settlers in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.) Irrationality and immorality spreads.

President Donald Trumps much-touted Abraham Accords may be a casualty. The big prize was to be Saudi recognition of Israel (after those of Bahrain, Kuwait and the U.A.E.); but attacks on Israels conduct in the Saudi media are extremely harsh. On May 11, Riyadhs Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli occupations blatant assaults on the sanctity of the holy Aqsa Mosque, and on the safety and security of worshippers. The Washington Post reported that on May 13 the leading hashtag in Saudi Arabia now was #IsraelTerrorist; and that the popular daily Okaz published an article calling Israel a racist, hateful entity that survives through aggression, racism and raping of land.


Eighty-eight-year-old Robert Seaman has been drawing since he was a boy. At age 60, he left his job selling houses and other properties to take up his hobby professionally. But it took the coronavirus pandemic to fully return him to what he loved to do.

Seaman said, as a child, he sometimes liked to keep to himself and sometimes was an extrovert.

He added, But in my introvert phase, I would love to go up to my room where I had a drawing table kind of desk and Id spend hours up there drawing pictures. Thats what Im doing now.

Seaman recently marked one year since he started drawing what he calls his daily doodles. He lives at the Maplewood Assisted Living center in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. He spends about six hours a day working on his doodles. He starts his drawings in pencil. He then finishes them with ink, colored pencil and watercolor.

After a long life, Im back doing what I did when I was 11 years old, he said. And its great, I love it. Im so lucky that I can do this.

Seaman moved into Maplewood just two weeks before pandemic restrictions cut residents off from the outside world. For many months, they could not leave their rooms. It was only recently that they were permitted to interact in common areas without masks.

The first thought I had was to just do some kind of dark stuff that reflected the nature of the confinement that we were experiencing and the difficulties that were created by this pandemic, he said. Then it just started to grow, and I thought it would be interesting to do one a day.

He started sending the doodles to his daughter, Robin Hayes, and other friends and family. Hayes then shared them on Facebook. As interest grew, she began offering the drawings and prints for sale online. Half of the money earned was donated to causes, including a COVID-19 aid program, a homeless shelter and an organization that helps refugees.

As the days passed, Seamans art got brighter in both subject matter and appearance.

Some pieces show his interest in science fiction. Other drawings have playful images of animals or show his sense of humor. One drawing, Portraits of a Shy Family, shows framed paintings of the backs of peoples heads. A much-loved cat, Piper, shows up in many other drawings.

Seaman says he will probably kick the bucket before he runs out of ideas. To kick the bucket is an expression that means to die.

Seaman added, I might be watching something on television, and someone will have a picture on the wall that will give me an idea. When I go to sleep at night, for a few minutes I try to think of some new ideas.

Doodle #365, called Potpourri shows the Earth behind other objects. They include his cat Piper, a mechanical bird Seaman keeps on his desk, a horse and a man wearing a hat and eyewear. It is framed by a series of shapes that look like calligraphy but are not actual letters. Seaman said he has no plans to stop drawing.

It keeps me occupied, and I love doing it, but it also does help some other people, which is kind of nice, he said.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Holly Ramer reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

hobby n. an activity that people do for pleasure when they are not working

extrovert n. a friendly, outgoing person who likes being with and talking to other people

introvert n. a shy person; a person who does not find it easy to talk to other people

doodle n. a drawing of done without too much thought or preparation

reflect v. to show; to make something known

confinement n. the act or state of being kept in a small space away from other people

framed adj. describing something that has an outer structure containing or surrounding it

calligraphy n. the art of making beautiful handwriting
Chinas ruling Communist Party has found a new way to shape public opinion around the world: Western social media.

Not long after taking power in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping called it the main battlefield for public opinion. He added that winning the battle was related to the countrys ideological and political security.

Websites like Twitter and Facebook are banned in China. However, they have become a path for the Chinese government to share its messages with the world. And many of the accounts have been found to be set up under false names.

Liu Xiaoming is a former ambassador from China to Britain. He joined Twitter in October 2019 along with many other Chinese diplomats.

Liu has gained 119,000 followers since October. He is an example of Chinas wolf warrior diplomats who aggressively fight anti-Chinese critics. His posts were retweeted more than 43,000 times from June through February alone.

But much of the popular support Liu and many other Chinese officials seem to enjoy on Twitter has been manufactured.

AP and Oxford University findings

The Associated Press and Britains Oxford University performed a seven-month investigation on Chinese social media accounts.

They found that Chinas rise on Twitter was due to the tens of thousands of retweets from fake accounts. In other words, the accounts were not set up by real users.

Around 150,000 users shared messages from Chinese diplomats between June and January. But nearly half of all shares come from just one percent of accounts. Together these accounts shared the messages 360,000 times, often within seconds.

These retweets share Chinese propaganda to hundreds of millions of people. They often do not say that the content is government-backed.

In the same period, more than half of Lius retweets came from accounts that Twitter has suspended. Twitter will suspend accounts if they find they unfairly influence the site. But it usually come after weeks or months of activity.

The AP investigation found that 26,879 accounts retweeted nearly 200,000 times before they were suspended. Twitter told the AP that it is investigating whether the accounts were part of a state-sponsored information operation. The company said it will release what they find and remove the accounts if it is true.

However, China simply creates more fake accounts once they are suspended. Many of the accounts use stolen British citizens identities.

The number of fake followers and shares can increase the status of Chinas messengers. They make it seem like there is large support for their message. Twitter will also share popular posts with more individuals. This increases the chances someone will be exposed to Chinese government propaganda.

In an effort to provide users with more information, Twitter last year began labelling accounts belonging to key government officials and state-affiliated media. However, only 14 percent of Chinese diplomatic accounts had been labeled by March 1. Twitter has also failed to label Chinese officials accounts as verified.



Does it make a difference?

The China Media Project is a Hong Kong research group. It found that Twitter users liked and shared fewer messages from Chinese news organizations after they had been labeled as state-affiliated media. And Twitter also stopped suggesting the messages and the accounts to users.

The editor of Chinas Global Times said the China state-affiliated media label on his account had an immediate effect. He tweeted, It seems Twitter will eventually choke my account.

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country uses social media the same way other nations do. It said its use of social media is for deepening friendly ties and making fact-based communication.

Jacob Wallis is a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institutes International Cyber Policy Center. He said Chinas use of social media is creating problems for Western democracies.

He explained that Western democracies do not have the same ability to influence opinion in China since the country has walled off its internet.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Erika Kinetz and Chen Si reported on this story for the Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sponsor  n. a person or an organization that pays for or plans and carries out a project or activity

identity  n. who someone is: the name of a person

label  v. to name or describe (someone or something) in a specified way: to give a label to (someone or something)

affiliate  v. to closely connect (something or yourself) with or to something (such as a program or organization) as a member or partner

verify  v. to prove, show, find out, or state that (something) is true or correct

choke  v. to stop (something) from growing or developing


Israel launched heavy airstrikes Monday aimed at Hamas targets, ignoring international efforts to end the violence that has killed hundreds of civilians.

Israeli military said it destroyed 15 kilometers of tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. The attacks on Monday also killed a top leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza whom the military blamed for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel in recent days.

The war started last Monday, when Hamas militants fired rockets at Jerusalem after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli troops during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At the same time, Israel was planning to remove Palestinian families from an east Jerusalem neighborhood that it captured after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

The Israeli military said Hamas and other armed groups had fired more than 3,000 rockets from Gaza over the past week. Israel's missile defense system intercepted most of them, it said.



In return, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes against targets in Gaza. The latest strikes came a day after Israels weekend attack, which killed 42 people and destroyed three buildings.

The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 200 Palestinians have been killed in the airstrikes so far, including 58 children and 34 women. Another 1,300 are reportedly wounded.

In Israel, ten people have been killed, including two children. Police said an Israeli man also died in hospital on Monday after being attacked and injured in Lod last week after clashes broke out in mixed Jewish-Arab communities in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israels attacks were at full-force and would take time. Israel, he said, wants to levy a heavy price on the Hamas militant group.

A former Israeli air division commander said on Monday, "the IDF (Israeli military) can go with this forever. And they (Hamas) can go on with their rockets, sadly, also for a very long time. But the price they are paying is rising higher and higher.

Hamas top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts. He blamed the war on Israels actions in Jerusalem. He said the group will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.



International efforts to end the war

In his first comments since the start of the war, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said his government is working to urgently end the violence. Egypt, which borders Gaza and Israel, has played a central role in negotiating cease-fires after earlier rounds of fighting.

Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said the country is working with international partners to reach a truce. He said he hopes the United States will be part of such an effort to avoid war and destruction in the area. He also called for Israels government to reduce tensions in Jerusalem and stop efforts to remove Palestinians from east Jerusalem.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Denmark, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. would support any initiative to stop the fighting. He added, It is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire.

The Biden administration has refused so far to criticize Israels part in the fighting or send a top-level diplomat to the region. But some members of Bidens Democratic Party have asked the U.S. to do more to stop the conflicts.



Rep. Adam Schiff is the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee. He told CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday, I think the administration needs to push harder on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence, bring about a cease-fire, end these hostilities, and get back to a process of trying to resolve this long-standing conflict.

And a group of 29 Democratic senators also called for an immediate ceasefire agreement in Israel and the Palestinian territories to prevent further loss of life and further escalation of violence.

From Moscow, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Russia is extremely concerned about the destruction in Gaza. He added Russia is working with Middle East countries, the European Union and the U.S. to stop the exchange of strikes.

Im Jill Robbins.

Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on reporting from the Associated Press and Reuters. Susan Shand was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

intercept  v. to stop and catch something before it gets there

levy  v. to demand and collect

pursue  v. to try to get or do something

resolve  v. to find an answer or solution

escalation  n. becoming or making something worse or severe
Myanmars Miss Universe contestant used the pageant to criticize the military government that seized power in February.

The contestant, Thuzar Wint Lwin, spoke out in a video message created for the pageant, which took place Sunday in Hollywood, Florida. "Our people are dying and being shot by the military every day," she said in the video.

Myanmars military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. The government has used deadly force against individuals protesting the overthrow. Activist groups say nearly 800 people have been killed by security forces in demonstrations across the country. More than 5,000 people have been arrested in connection with protests.

"I would like to urge everyone to speak about Myanmar, Thuzar Wint Lwin said. As Miss Universe Myanmar since the coup, I have been speaking out as much as I can," she added.

The Miss Universe contestant is among numerous well-known individuals in Myanmar to voice opposition to the military takeover.

Thuzar Wint Lwin did not make it to the final round of the pageant. She did, however, win the award for Best National Costume. It was based on the ethnic clothing of her Chin people from northwestern Myanmar.

During the costume competition, she raised a sign over her head that read: Pray for Myanmar.

Mexicos Andrea Meza won the Miss Universe competition.

In another message to Myanmar, Pope Francis urged people there to stay strong and not permit small conflicts to turn into big divisions. The pope spoke during a special religious service Sunday in Rome. Some members of Italys Myanmar community, many of them students, attended the service.

"Your beloved country of Myanmar is experiencing violence, conflict and repression," the pope told attendees.

He urged people to draw strength from teachings in the Bible, Christianitys holy book, which describes the final hours of Jesus Christ. He does not resign himself to evil, he does not let himself be overwhelmed by grief, the pope said.

Francis, who visited Myanmar in 2017, has repeatedly denounced the military overthrow. Most of Myanmars population is Buddhist, but the country is also home to about 800,000 Roman Catholics.

Francis said people should aim to keep their faith and hope "even in the dark night of grief, even when evil seems to have the upper hand." He also urged the people of Myanmar not to give up their values and to try to remain unified.

Since seizing power, the military has struggled to govern. Protests, strikes and a civil disobedience campaign have hurt businesses and government services. An armed resistance has also gotten stronger in the countrys northwest.

The military has said it seized power because of wrongdoing in elections held in November. The countrys electoral commission has rejected the claims of wrongdoing.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

contestant  n. one who participates in a competition

pageant  n. a beauty contest

coup  n. sudden attempt by a small group of people, often military members, to seize and take over the government of a country

overwhelm  v. give too much of a thing to someone

grief  n. a cause of deep sadness

faith  n. the belief that something is good, right and able to be trusted

have the upper hand  phr. to get into a stronger position than someone else so that you are controlling a situation
Leading Bahrain bank Al Salam has signed an agreement with Eskan Bank to offer competitive property financing facilities to clients for the purchase of their dream homes within the Danaat Al Baraka development under the Mazaya social housing scheme.

A major residential project located in Jannusan area, Danaat Al Baraka boasts 211 villas with a total built-up area of 234 sq m. All villas encompass comprehensive features designed to meet the needs of a modern family, distinguished by four contemporary designs each comes with four bedrooms, two living areas and equipped with the latest facilities.

As per the MoU signed with Eskan and the Ministry of Housing, Al Salam bank will help facilitate the process of purchasing a villa in Danaat Al Baraka for eligible Bahraini citizens under Mazaya scheme.

On the strategic deal, Al Salam Bank Bahrain CEO Rafik Nayed said: The Mazaya scheme is a significant initiative that elegantly offers housing solutions to eligible applicants, and Al Salam Bank facilitates highly efficient and flexible financing processes, thus streamlining the delivery and handover of homes."

"We look forward to continuing our joint initiatives and active collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Eskan Bank," he stated.

Tariq Kazim, Chairman of Danaat Al Baraka Board, said its partnership with Al Salam Bank Bahrain, will enable a wide range of customers the opportunity to purchase one of the most prestigious residential villas in the Danaat Al Baraka project.

"In an effort to create a successful project, we strive to provide a wide range of ready-made housing solutions equipped with all the basic facilities that meet the different needs of the Bahraini family. Through Danaat Al Baraka, we seek to contribute to enhancing the pace of the urban movement within the Kingdom of Bahrain, he added.

On the partnership, Eskan General Manager Dr Khalid Abdulla said: Through this partnership, we aim to support both Al Salam Banks customers and beneficiaries of Mazaya and the financing services provided by the Ministry of Housing, to obtain easy financing for purchasing one of the leading housing solutions located in Jannusan."

Nayed said Salam Bank was committed to providing real estate financing services to this project, which comes as part of its continuous efforts to meet the growing demand for social housing opportunities in Bahrain, as well as enhancing the sustainability of housing services.

We commend the vital role played by both the banking and real estate sectors in achieving the kingdoms goals of providing facilitated housing financing solutions. The joint efforts have enabled several Bahraini families to purchase and move into their homes, as a result of the easy access to financing facilities, remarked Nayed.

"Despite the challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening our fruitful partnerships with institutions from both sectors, and together we look forward to many more achievements in the coming future, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Every 17 years, billions of insects, known as the cicadas of Brood X, rise from the earth. This year, perhaps, there will be trillions!

Different broods, or groups, of cicadas come out on different years. The last time Brood X appeared was in 2004. The brood is one of the largest and will appear sometime in May in 15 states, from Georgia in the south to New York in the northeast.

Many scientists and insect lovers say they are looking forward to the red-eyed insects after a 17-year wait. One of them is Mike Raupp, an insect expert at the University of Maryland.

What theyre waiting for is the soil temperatures to reach about 18 degrees Celsius, I believe thats about 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Then theyre going to be up and out of the ground.

Raupp called the event a party on the treetops. When the insects come out of the ground, they will drop their skin, get their wings, and will try to go up on the treetops to escape from the predators.

Raupp told VOA every creature will want to eat a cicada, and they will!

On that night of emergence when the cicadas come up from the earth, everything on the planet is going to want to eat a cicada.

Once on the treetops, the male cicadas will sing their mating songs to draw the females. And it is loud!

If she likes the singing, they will have sex and reproduce. About six weeks later, the nymphs will fall off the treetops and go into the ground. Underfoot, the insects will quietly feed off tree roots and wait for another 17 years to start the party on the treetops all over again.

I think the periodical cicadas give tens of millions of people an opportunity to simply go out in their backyard and witness and enjoy a natural event that happens nowhere else on the planet, only a handful of times in a lifetime.

Strange survival strategy

Raup explained that some cicadas appear every year. But they have a much shorter life cycle and stay alive in two ways. They are green and can hide in nature. Also, they can fly very fast. So, they avoid being captured by predators.

Periodical cicadas like Brood X do not have either of those lifesaving methods. To continue the species, he said billions of periodical cicadas will appear all at the same time. So, their predators cannot eat all of them. Also, by coming out every 17 years, they are not a dependable food source for predators and simply outlive them.

Some people might be afraid of Brood X or concerned about the noise. Raupp advised it may help to think of the similarities between Brood X and people.

You know, this past year for humans has been a year of many challenges, right? Weve had COVID. Weve had social unrest. But now with the vaccines, with restrictions being lifted, people are getting outside again. Theres no longer social distancing. Theyre having fun with their friends. Now, think about the cicadas. Theyve been underground for 17 years social distancing. Theyre not hanging out together. And just like us, this spring in May, they're coming up and out of the ground. Theyre going to go to the treetops. Theyre going to have fun.

Eating cicadas

For those feeling even braver, a student at the University of Maryland, Jenna Jadin, wrote a book in 2004 to give cooking directions for eating cicadas.

In Cicada-Licious: Cooking and Enjoying Periodical Cicadas, she suggests eating only newly-emerged cicadas whose outer bodies have not hardened. Boil them for about four to five minutes. Remove the hard parts -- the wings and the legs. They will not hurt you, she writes. But they are not that tasty. Then you can fry them in seasonings.

Raupp and other experts warn that people should talk to their doctor before eating any insect. He also suggests that those people who are afraid of cicadas think of them this way.

Yes. I think everybody feels that its a new day. Its a new day for us. Its certainly going to be a new and wonderful day for cicadas. So, I think we have a lot to look forward to.

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

Quiz - Trillions of Cicadas Are Coming! Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz



____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

opportunity  n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

backyard  n. an area at the rear of a house

predator  n. an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals : an animal that preys on other animals

emergence  n. the act of becoming known or coming into view emerge  v. to come out or into view :

nymph  n. technical : a young insect that has almost the same form as the adult

life cycle  n. the series of stages in form and functional activity through which an organism passes between successive recurrences of a specified primary stage

species  n. a particular group of things or people that belong together or have some shared quality

challenge  n. a difficult task or problem : something that is hard to do

seasoning  n. a substance (such as salt, pepper, a spice, or an herb) that is used to add flavor to food
 ROSES to an abrupt and welcome shift regarding masks from the CDC and the state of Oregon on Thursday. Those who have been fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks except in certain situations, such as among large crowds, in hospitals, or on public transportation.

An easing of mask rules seems like a great incentive to convince more people to get a jab or two in the arm so we can beat this pandemic. Plus, being vaccinated means that youre protecting your family, friends and community members.

 ROSES to setbacks that turned out to be blessings for the operators of two local food carts. Terra Brown always wanted to create her own food cart, but never had the courage until being laid off last year. Her Corvallis business, Terras Tastee Treats, lives up to its moniker, and specializes in barbecue and desserts. Bill and Sandi Pollnow lost their commercial floor cleaning business after the March 2020 shutdown, and they launched a new food truck called 3 Potato More that serves loaded baked potatoes and more to customers in both Lebanon and Albany.
The Lebanon Fire District responded to two structure fires simultaneously on Sunday afternoon, one of which was started by a resident using a weed burner to eliminate weeds, according to a news release from the agency.

The fires split LFDs resources and stretched the agency thin, according to a news release. Other mid-Willamette Valley agencies helped out at the scene and by taking further calls for service in the Lebanon area. Medical calls, including a cardiac arrest, kept coming in during the fire responses.

No one was hurt in the fires.

The first fire was reported at 1:54 p.m. on Sodaville Cutoff Road. Flames from a vegetation control fire started by a weed burner got out of control, climbed up the home and found a way into the substructure of the roof, working its way to the peak of the house.

Due to the construction and design of the house, there were multiple void spaces, making it difficult for firefighters to find the seat of the fire, the LFD news release stated.

The second fire, on Burdell Boulevard, came in at 2:10 p.m. That blaze was extinguished without incident. According to the news release, there is a large transient population in the area that has caused issues with that building and surrounding structures in the past.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.
BGCC has been providing child care, outreach, meals and educational services 10 and a half hours a day, five days a week, to working parents in Benton County since April of last year.

With a previous membership of nearly 3,000 kids and youth  almost half of the 6,500 school-aged children in Corvallis  the BGCC has kept its doors open for about 100 participants over the past year.

In April 2020, BGCC gave employees the option to continue working. Fifty of them, about half, chose to stay and adapt to new safety protocols and programming. BGCC pays a hazard rate to program staff who are still working, giving them a bump in pay for their service and risk.

After a brief closure at the start of the pandemic, BGCC opened its doors for emergency child care  a notable shift from its after-school activities and services.

Albany student performs in concert

Danae Greig of Albany performed in Dutch Boom, a percussion group, during Percussion Extravaganza, held April 24 at Douwstra Auditorium at Central College in Pella, Iowa.

Central is a private, four-year liberal arts college.

Online school announces honor roll
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's environmentalist Greens party wants to boost rail travel at the expense of domestic flights to help the country achieve its goal of sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Greens' candidate for chancellorship in this year's national election, Annalena Baerbock, said Monday that her party would reduce government subsidies for air travel, specifically tax exemptions on kerosene fuel, to create a level playing field for rail companies.

The plans drew criticism from her conservative rival, Armin Laschet, who accused her of populist demands," and from tabloid newspapers, which suggested that Germans won't be able to fly to Mallorca on holiday anymore if the Greens get their way.

Baerbock, whose party is leading in recent polls ahead of the country's Sept. 26 election, said she isn't seeking an outright ban and that everyone will continue to be able to fly on holiday. Still, she said public money should no longer support rock-bottom airline ticket prices.

Train travel could be encouraged by increasing the frequency of long-distance rail connections and expanding night train services, she said.
This is a community calendar. To accommodate demand for the print edition, we ask that items be brief and include time, date, place, address, 
Lewiston, ID (83501)

Today

Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 49F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 49F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2016, file photo, Joe Allbaugh, then Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, speaks during an interview in his office in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners announced Monday, May 17, 2021, that Allbaugh would fill a vacancy on the nine-member panel, which was created last year to oversee a jail long plagued with overcrowding, inmate deaths, escapes and crumbling infrastructure.
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Robert Nichols is the state senator for Senate District 3. First elected in 2006, Nichols represents 19 counties, including much of East Texas and part of Montgomery County. He can be reached at 699-4988 or toll-free at (800) 959-8633. His email address is robert.nichols@senate.texas.gov.
Xi convenes symposium on follow-up development of China's mega water diversion project

Xinhua) 09:04, May 17, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping stops by wheat fields to check crop growth and learns about progress in summer grain production while inspecting the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in Xichuan County, Nanyang, central China's Henan Province, May 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

NANYANG, Henan, May 14 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Friday convened a symposium on advancing the high-quality follow-up development of China's mega water diversion project.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed the need to analyze the new situation and tasks facing the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and push for the scientific planning and construction of the project to promote the effective and economical use of water resources.

The symposium was held in the city of Nanyang, central China's Henan Province.

Speaking at the symposium, Xi said strong support of water resources is needed in the country's efforts to shape a nationwide unified market, boost smooth domestic circulation, and promote the coordinated development of the southern and northern regions.

Noting the extremely unbalanced distribution of water resources in China, Xi said the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is a backbone project for the allocation of the resources across different river basins and regions.

The project has transferred over 40 billion cubic meters of water, directly benefiting about 120 million people and playing important roles in economic and social development and environmental protection.

Xi highlighted the valuable experience drawn for constructing major water diversion projects: coordinating resources across the nation, concentrating all efforts to get big things done, respecting objective laws, as well as good planning, water conservation, pollution control, and precision in diverting water.

Xi said water diversion must continue in a scientific manner and attention must be given to strengthening water conservation to better manage supply and demand.

He stressed the importance of strengthening eco-environment protection, particularly pollution prevention and control in areas along the water transmission routes and in water-receiving regions.

He also stressed accelerating the construction of a national water network, urging efforts to enhance connectivity, thus speeding up the building of the network's main structure.

Xi called for attention to the water problems such as the sharp decrease of sediment inflows in northern China's main rivers, especially the Yellow River, and the over-extraction of groundwater.

He called for planning and design programs that can stand the test of time.

Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the symposium and called for implementing Xi's speech and instructions.

Before the symposium, Xi visited the county of Xichuan on Thursday afternoon to inspect the construction, management and operation of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, as well as the resettlement of people relocated because of the project.

At the Taocha Canal Head, he stressed the ecological conservation of the water-source region, while at the village of Zouzhuang, he pledged to continue to support the relocated people.

Noting that the Party's 100-year history is one of dedication to people's well-being, Xi asked local Party organizations and members to unite and lead the people in striving towards common prosperity.

During the inspection, Xi stopped by a wheat field to check on crop growth and called for efforts to achieve breakthroughs in cultivating high-quality seeds.

"We should rely on Chinese seeds to ensure China's food security," Xi said.

On Wednesday, Xi visited a memorial facility dedicated to Zhang Zhongjing, a famous Chinese pharmacologist and physician of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).

Noting that traditional Chinese medicine is a great creation of the Chinese nation, Xi urged efforts to ensure its preservation and development.

Xi then went to a park exhibiting the Rosa Chinensis -- or the Chinese rose -- and a local company producing mugwort products.

Stressing that local specialty industries have vast potential, Xi called for creating more jobs for the farmers and sharing with them the benefits.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Emirates Central Cooling Systems (Empower), a leading district cooling services provider, said that the length of its pipeline network for district cooling energy transmission to Dubai has reached 350.4 km by 2020, marking a 10% growth over 2019.



The new length of Empowers district cooling services network is now 423 times the length of Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest tower ever.

Empower stated that new pipeline technologies that developed by the company contribute to reducing carbon emissions and reducing water and energy consumption by providing efficient and environmentally-friendly district cooling services that allow them to maintain their cooling, without being affected by external factors and high temperatures, especially in summer.



Empower has awarded AED255 million ($69.4 million) worth contracts in 2020 to expand the district cooling network for various developments includes, Dubai Production City, Business Bay, Barsha Heights, Dubai Land Residence Complex, Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), and DIAC projects.



It has started operation of two new cooling plants in Mirdif and Jumeirah Village Circle, also interconnected two areas, the Jumeirah Village Circle and Jumeirah Village Triangle, with a capacity of 260,000 RT.



Empower CEO Ahmad bin Shafar said that the companys expansions of its district cooling energy transmission network is yet to meet the growing demand for the environmentally-friendly district cooling services. It is indeed a translation of Empowers efforts to develop an infrastructure that contributes to achieving the objectives of Dubais sustainable development plans.



Bin Shafar pointed out that Empower is reaping the fruits of its investment in developing a reliable infrastructure for the provision of district cooling services to various regions of Dubai, and is striving to accelerate the completion of construction works in multiple development projects to ensure the readiness of its network to provide new destinations with high quality district cooling services.



Ranked as the world's largest district cooling services provider, Empower has sought to expand the geographical presence of its network in order to meet the increasing demand for its services in both residential and commercial areas, as well as some of the new tourist destinations in Dubai.



The companys expansion covered new areas, with the Business Bays network covering projects located in Sheikh Zayed Road and all the projects, towers and skyscrapers on both sides of street, most notably the Dubai Coca-Cola Arena, the Wasl Tower, which is set to feature one of the world's tallest ceramic facades.



The expansion in Dubai International Financial Center helped supply services to One Zaabeel and Wasl1 developments. Empower has also connected the iconic projects to its district cooling network such as Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites, Ain Dubai, the Worlds Tallest Ferris Wheel and others and started providing district cooling services at a capacity of 2,100 refrigeration ton (RT), to three stations in the Route 2020 of Dubai Metro last year.  TradeArabia News Service
What do Wisconsin gerrymandering, the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, the migratory patterns of mosquitoes and the debate over whether a straw has two holes or one have in common?

They have all occupied Jordan Ellenbergs brain at some time, and they all make appearances in his new book, "Shape, which comes out May 25 and is available for pre-order. Ellenberg, a mathematics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, even drew a convoluted flow chart that appears at the front of the book connecting all of the books disparate topics. It was his homage to the intricate maps that often appear at the front of epic fantasy novels.

But Shape has reality on its mind, not fantasy. Subtitled The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy and Everything Else, Ellenbergs book uses geometry (literally defined as measuring the world) to illustrate and explain the hidden mathematical foundations of the world around us.

What I like about books is that you can just kind of stretch and go where the subject takes you, Ellenberg said in a phone interview while walking around Lake Wingra. Maybe other people are more organized and they write the book they set out to write. For me, I make a plan, and then I start researching and writing. And then I just find some crazy thread and pull it out and go to a completely different place I didn't know I was going to go.

Luckily for Ellenberg, geometry gives him a lot of places to go. He admits that the subject is an acquired taste (in the book, he calls it the cilantro of math") that he didnt acquire when he was first studying it in school.

I was one of the ones who didnt respond that well to Euclid proved this thing about isosceles triangles geometry, he said. On the other hand, what were Euclid and every other classical geometer trying to do? They were studying the actual shapes and orientation and motions and locations of things in the world.

That made it easy to make it the spine of this book. Theres not much that you want to think about in a rigorous and quantitative way that is not in some way geometric.

Do the math (or don't)

So Shape is full of stories about the geometry behind all sorts of things, told in Ellenbergs engaging and often funny voice, like a lecture from your favorite professor. A reader can breeze through it and enjoy the stories, or slow down as he dives into some of the more complex mathematics behind the anecdotes, often illustrated with hand-drawn equations and graphs.

I try to write in a way that you can read the whole thing, just like you're reading a story, because it is a story, he said. Its a narrative. When youre teaching, youre telling a story. I also wanted to reward reading it while having a pencil in your hand and some scrap paper. I wanted to have something to offer for people who want to go at it with that level of granularity.

One of the chapters of particular interest to Wisconsinites is the last one, How Math Broke Democracy (And Still Might Save It), which takes an in-depth look at how Republicans gerrymandered Wisconsin in 2011 to give them a virtually unbreakable hold on the Wisconsin Legislature. Ellenberg said he wrote the chapter intending to educate the reader than to advocate a position  although very few people who learn about gerrymandering end up supporting it.

Im not taking a bold contrarian stand by saying actually its kind of bad and heres why, he said. Only in the last five to 10 years have people really been sensitized to how pervasive and how powerful a practice it is. Pretty uniformly, when people learn more about it, despite their political sympathies, they dont like it! They think its dirty.

Ellenberg, who also wrote the 2014 best-selling book How Not To Be Wrong, said he had some trepidation about whether higher-ups at the UW would like for him to be writing books that appeal to a wide audience. In fact, he said, theyre very supportive, and see it as an extension of the Wisconsin Idea.

Our mission is not just to educate and offer something to people 18 through 22 who happen to be enrolled at any given moment at UW-Madison. Thats already a lot of people. Theres a lot more people who want to learn about math. The UW is extremely enthusiastic about having this incredible population of expertise thats built up at the university be available, especially to the state of Wisconsin but also the country and the world.

'A triangle is as real as freedom'

Ellenberg recently finished recording the audiobook for Shape, a challenge for a book with so many diagrams. While the visuals (including that ball-of-yarn opening flowchart) will be included with the audiobook as a PDF, he tries to keep things understandable even for those driving in their cars and unable to check the diagrams.

Its a challenge, he said. One reason I read it myself is that it would be hard for someone who isnt me to figure out what to say about the pictures. I can sort of work around it and change the wording a little bit. But since I know what Im trying to convey, I can do it in a way that would be hard for someone who hadnt written the book to do.

Ellenberg amiably pushed back when asked whether his books use math to explain the real world, or use the real world to explain math.

I think math is the real world, he said. People like to divide it into There are abstract concepts and The real world. But abstract concepts are quite real, actually. People dont say freedom isnt real. A triangle is as real as freedom.

To celebrate the books publication, Ellenberg will take part in a virtual Crowdcast event with data journalist Meredith Broussard through Mystery to Me on Tuesday, May 25, at 7 p.m.
You make it easy, he tells her. To make a man forget about it all.

Camae sees what hes doing, and shes not immune to a charm offensive. She has heard of Dr. King  saw him on the TV down at Woolworths  but has her own ideas about how to effect change.

Walkin will only get you so far, Preacher Kang, she says, before pulling on his coat and shoes to give her own rousing sermon.

Lawrence and Thompson find the soft places in Halls script, the knowing looks and teasing that make a historic icon into a human man. Lawrence, always a thoughtful performer, is as expressive and vulnerable as ever here. His King looks exhausted by everything, frustrated at the white people who wont listen and worry for the Black people who do. Still, when he comes to realize the end is near, its too soon. He has more sermons, more plans.

Thompson, whose character has more up her pressed yellow sleeves than she first reveals, is a treat. Camae has been through it, but has held tight to her generous (and fighting) spirit. She has heart.
The demonstrations ignited by former Gov. Scott Walker's Act 10 were a perfect example. While a crowd of 100,000 protesters jammed onto Capitol Square was a perfect recipe for disaster, as a key law enforcement leader, Mahoney helped keep the situation calm.

He was the first to stand up to the ex-governor himself and other of Walker's acolytes when they likened the U.S. Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6 to Wisconsin's Act 10 protests of 10 years before. The Madison "insurrection" was a peaceful, if forceful, protest, not the tyrannical mob that destroyed property and killed people on Jan. 6.

What always impressed me about Mahoney was his openness, his making himself available to people in all walks of life, his demonstrable friendliness. He did believe that law enforcement was to protect and serve, not act as a cudgel whenever the situation grew tense. He believed in forging relationships that could enhance his law enforcement objectives.

It was fitting that his final act as sheriff was to get the Dane County Board to forgive nearly $150,000 in debt from current and former inmates in the Dane County Jail.
Organizations like the AACU and dozens of others in the higher education arena are interest groups, and they dont represent the interests of students or educators. These groups take austerity budgeting and the mythical skills gap as givens, and generally echo the Stockholm Syndrome that dominates thinking within higher education today.

The folks promoting educational products and services know that if we put higher education online, students will have to take it. The population has no choice because the economy is dominated by low-wage, low-education jobs, so students require higher education if they expect to even have a shot at economic stability, let alone mobility.

Its especially rich that increasing online education is being pushed by many of the same people who express deep concern for students mental health. But isnt the social isolation of the last year a fundamental cause of the deterioration of students mental health?

Unless, of course, the plan is for all of us to stay inside our domiciles for the duration. Is that what you mean by We cant go back? We cant go back to human interaction? To life? If so, why dont you just say so? Lets have that debate, provided, of course, that we all first disclose whos paying for our talking points.
Our signature event, of course, remains Cap Times Idea Fest, which is in its fifth year. Last fall the theme was 2020 changes everything, and the ideas festival was exclusively virtual because of the pandemic. This year we hope to be back at the Memorial Union at UW-Madison on Sept. 17-18, a Friday and Saturday, but it is too early to know specifics. A hybrid of in-person and virtual is likely.

Last year, we focused intensively on Madison in the pandemic, including the local economic fallout, as well as many facets of the Black Lives Matter movement. We are striving to be just as timely in planning this years festival, themed around reckoning with change.

Finally, I want thank all of you who are Cap Times members. Our recently completed spring campaign was a big success under the guidance of managing editor Chris Murphy. Our membership has grown by 80% in the past year and 540% compared with two years ago. Your support for an independent, locally owned journalism organization like the Cap Times is a reason we can make progress on so many fronts.

Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.
If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse, mayor Yahya Sarraj told Al-Jazeera TV.

The U.N. has warned that the territorys sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territorys electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days. Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the companys staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.

The war broke out last Monday, when the Hamas militant group fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

Since then, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,100 rockets into Israel.
Israeli airstrikes have been pounding Gaza City for days as heavy fighting has broken out between Israel and the territorys militant Hamas rulers. The Gaza Health Ministry said 10 women and eight children were among the 26 people killed in Sundays airstrikes, with another 50 people wounded in the attack.



JERUSALEM  Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 23 people on Sunday, medics said, making it the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Israel and the territorys militant Hamas rulers nearly a week ago.

The Gaza Health Ministry said another 50 people were wounded in the attack. Rescuers were racing to pull survivors and bodies from the rubble.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it destroyed the home of Gazas top Hamas leader in a separate strike. It was the third such attack in the last two days.

Israel appears to have stepped up strikes in recent days to inflict as much damage as possible on Hamas as efforts to broker a cease-fire accelerate. A U.S. diplomat is in the region to try to de-escalate tensions, and the U.N. Security Council is set to meet Sunday.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The leaders of the Minnesota Legislature and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced a $52 billion deal for the state's next two-year budget on Monday, but lawmakers will have to finish the work next month and difficult negotiations still lie ahead on police accountability and other policy issues.

The agreement calls for a balanced two-year budget without raising taxes, while fully exempting from state taxes federal Paycheck Protection Program loans to businesses and unemployment insurance benefits that were raised during the pandemic. It also includes extra money for summer school to help students catch up after a year of distance learning.

Minnesota did it again. We found commonality amongst ourselves, Walz said at a news conference called to announce the deal, which was reached at about 12:15 a.m.

Walz, Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman agreed it was impossible to nail down the language of all the major budget bills and get them passed before Monday night's constitutional deadline for the regular session to adjourn, so lawmakers will have to go into overtime.

But you have three people who basically respect each other and are able to work well together despite huge ideological rifts between them, said Hortman, of Brooklyn Park.
"This will allow the court to tell us whether the county can actually decline to enforce certain state laws, and it will tell us how to abide by the will of the voters to the extent that we can," said Sarah Hanson, who serves as counsel in the conservative-leaning county in deep-blue Oregon.

Supporters of the ordinance include the Oregon Firearms Federation, which said in a November statement that "extremists" and "big city radicals" were trying to curtail gun rights.

The group referenced Portland protests opposing police brutality that occasionally turned violent last summer and called the ordinance a "common sense" step that would "ensure your right and ability to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones."

The ordinance would ban the enforcement of laws like background check requirements and restrictions on carrying a gun, though it would have exceptions for others, including keeping firearms from convicted felons.

The Oregon Firearms Federation didn't respond to a request for comment on the court case.

Sheriff Brian Pixley has expressed support, saying in a March statement that one of his responsibilities is to uphold people's Second Amendment rights and that he's eager to "move forward with the will of the voters."
A Republican candidate for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District has been whipping up discourse in area school board meetings over mask mandates in recent weeks, some of which have grown into heated and unruly debates in board rooms.

Derrick Van Orden, formerly of Hager City and now of Prairie du Chien, has met with and advised several groups of parents from different school districts up and down the district on petitioning their school's mask mandates.

Van Orden is making a second attempt at unseating longtime Democratic Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse, who has held the seat representing much of western Wisconsin since 1996.

"Parents are coming to me asking for advice and representation because they know that they aren't being represented or heard by Ron Kind. When elected officials continuously ignore their constituents, that is a failure in leadership, and I am committed to working with everyone in the 3rd District to defend our constitutional freedoms," Van Orden said in a statement.

This "coalition"  as one person described it  of parents protesting school boards about mask mandates has been growing in recent weeks, including at many districts in the Coulee Region and beyond.
Healthcare solutions provider Global Response Aid (GRA) announced that a Phase 3 US-Canada clinical trial of anti-viral Avigan (Reeqonus) will continue amid signs the drug could be effective in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate cases of Covid-19.

An independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) recognised by the US Food and Drug Administration has recommended continuation without modification of an ongoing Phase 3 PRESECO (PREventing SEvere COvid-19) trial that is evaluating Avigan as a potential outpatient oral therapy for patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19.

Interim results indicate that Avigan, the brand name for generic Favipiravir, could shorten recovery times and prevent progression in Covid-19 patients in the early stage of infection. The conclusion of the midterm analysis is that, if current trends continue, the required statistically measured threshold for efficacy can be met at the completion of the study.

GRA and study co-sponsors Appili Therapeutics will continue the current PRESECO trial, which is expected to enroll its last patient on June 30.

The US-Canada PRESECO trial is investigating whether Avigan can safely and effectively shorten recovery times in early-onset Covid-19 cases and shorten the duration of patient viral loads, lowering the propensity of the virus to spread.

Together with Indian life sciences leader Dr Reddys, Dubai-based GRA owns the rights to manufacture, market and distribute Avigan outside of Japan ,China and Russia. GRA sponsored the trial in collaboration with Appili Therapeutics, a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialising in development of drugs for infectious diseases.

Dr Richard Kaszynski, one of the leading experts on Favipiravir, said: The efficacy signals and safety profile observed thus far appear encouraging. The implications of this study are global, and it would be prudent to steadfastly maintain the current momentum through full enrollment in order to rapidly determine whether statistically significant endpoints can be achieved. The establishment of an early outpatient treatment that could concomitantly serve as a novel strategy to prevent onward viral transmission is an exciting and noteworthy endeavour.

Mitch Wilson, CEO of GRA, said: We are confident we are on track for delivering a home treatment for Covid-19 by summer this year, subject to regulatory approvals. The global rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, while welcome, wont eliminate the need for effective treatment of infected patients. We know that we will need more in our Covid-fighting arsenal. We know we will need the ability to treat people who get the virus because they havent been vaccinated or who become infected despite having received vaccines. Avigan could be a powerful tool because it is a relatively inexpensive, oral medication that comes in tablet form and can be prescribed early to prevent hospitalisation.

Favipiravir was developed by FujiFilm Toyama Chemical as an anti-viral for novel or re-emerging influenzas. In 2020, GRA and Dr Reddys signed an agreement with FujiFilm Toyama Chemical for global commercialisation of the drug outside Japan, China and Russia.

In its branded and generic forms, it has been used to treat more than 400,000 patients. The drug is available in tablet form for outpatient and inpatient use, and is stable and easy to transport without need for refrigeration. It has a shelf life of ten years. -- TradeArabia News Service
Every scenario in which it could go wrong  those opportunities did present themselves and it was just pure luck that one of those tracks didnt take off and go into the community, he said.

Whats next

National interest in genetic sequencing is growing because the technology is a key tool in keeping tabs on more contagious and deadly variants of the virus.

The OConnor and Friedrich labs received another semester of funding through the CDC. Plans for what to study are still taking shape, though one area of interest is comparing the spring semesters at UW-Madison and the University of Michigan.

Michigan was hit with the British variant known as the B117 strain much earlier than in Wisconsin, disrupting part of the spring semester in Ann Arbor.

Once again, we got lucky in that we did not have B117 arrive in Dane County until late February, OConnor said.
With the U.S. Supreme Court announcing it will revisit the issue of abortion bans, the implications could be profound for Wisconsin, which still has an anti-abortion law on the books.

The nations high court announced Monday it will hear a case about whether states can ban abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb. Abortion rights advocates say banning such pre-viability abortions would be in direct contradiction to one of the key holdings in the courts landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and subsequent cases that states cannot ban abortion before a fetus can survive outside of the womb, generally viewed as between 24 and 28 weeks.

The case the court will hear involves a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks.

If the 6-3 majority conservative court were to issue a broad ruling that fully overturns the Roe v. Wade decision, that could lead to abortions in Wisconsin being banned.

Wisconsin is one of several states with an existing pre-Roe anti-abortion law on the books. The 1849 law criminalizes doctors who perform abortions. Under the law, performing an abortion is a felony punishable by up to six years of combined prison and extended supervision.
On April 27, after developing a fever, she was taken to the emergency room at UW Health at The American Center, where she tested positive for COVID-19, her sons said. She was transferred to UnityPoint Health-Meriter, where she was treated for COVID-19 and remained until being taken Saturday to Agrace hospice, where she died, her sons said.

They said doctors told them the cause of death was COVID-19 and the death certificate, which wasnt ready Monday, would reflect that. Seth Kingree said that if he was signing his mothers death certificate, he would attribute her death to the coronavirus.

No pinpoint

Luke and Seth Kingree said they believe their mother was exposed to the coronavirus April 20 during a visit to UW Hospitals emergency room, though they dont know for certain. One of her caregivers at Oak Park Place told them their mother refused to wear a face mask that day because of confusion from her dementia. She wasnt opposed to masks and other coronavirus precautions in general, they said.

Its possible she was exposed at Oak Park Place, but the sons said they believed the facility was taking steps to greatly minimize the risk. It sounded like Oak Park was doing very well with all their protocols, Luke Kingree said.
And remember: The J&J shot isnt the one health professionals just authorized for young people. So theyre being especially careful with kids.

Getting a vaccine for every eligible member of your family is the best way to ensure that our children get back to school  five days a week, all day, without masks  no later than next fall.

Young people are the least likely demographic to develop serious illness if they contract COVID-19, which is reassuring. But they also are the largest group in Wisconsin catching and spreading it now. Thats because nearly half of Wisconsin residents, mostly adults, have had at least one shot of a vaccine. And more than a third are fully vaccinated. The shots are working for grown-ups.

Now younger people need to be vaccinated to finally put the pandemic to rest, and to avoid further hospitalizations and death. Were not past this yet. More than 600,000 people in Wisconsin have tested positive, nearly 30,000 have been hospitalized and close to 7,000 have died. Those numbers are still increasing.

But the end is in sight  if we are responsible and get protected.
BUHL  Cindy Renfros husband received a call Sunday night telling them that their Buhl apartment had been destroyed by a fire.

Thankfully, someone was able to rescue her two dogs, Yatzy and Luna. Returning to see her apartment was hard.

The whole roof is demolished, Renfro said.

Six apartments were destroyed in the fire and two have smoke damage, she said.

Pablo Rojas and two of his friends, Jesus Reyes and Misael Mendoza, were building a fence in the area when they heard an explosion. After seeing black smoke they ran over to the apartment complex and started going door-to-door to warn residents. Rojas broke down the front door of the apartment where the men saw smoke first and helped rescue pets.

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The first thought that ran through my head was there could be kids inside, Rojas said. I have kids of my own and I would expect someone to do the same for me.

Fire officials responded to the fire at the Meadowbrook apartment complex on Clear Lakes Road at 6:26 p.m. Sunday.

Diana Ochsner with the American Red Cross said 18 people were in need of immediate services. The Red Cross provided housing at a Twin Falls hotel for victims of the fire.
President Joe Biden announced May 3 he was increasing the annual refugee admissions cap for the current federal fiscal year, which runs through September, to 62,500. In the statement, he also said he intends to increase this cap to 125,000 for the next fiscal year.

These may be ambitious targets but Rwasama believes they send an important message.

I would say its ambitious, but also, what is important to note is the willingness to bring in these refugees as a humanitarian effort, Rwasama said. America is taking the lead again in this matter of humanitarian (actions.)

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Which is very important for this country because it has always been a country of immigrants, and that was viewed differently in the past four years.

The center has helped refugees from countries around the world resettle in the Magic Valley since 1980. The resettlement process is intended to help people integrate into the community and become financially self-sufficient as the government assistance they receive only lasts for 8 months.
The grant was placed before the Legislature in good faith with the expectation that it would pass as others have across the country, Oppenheimer said. Its also unclear whether rejecting the grant would jeopardize the next two years of funding.

If an opportunity presents itself, pressure to OK the grant could again mount, this time from the school boards association.

If we get word that theyre going to reconvene for the purpose of taking up the grant, I would absolutely convene my government affairs committee to take a position, Perry said.

She noted that although ISBA never formally took a position on the grant, that was the result of a capacity issue. While many ISBA members individually advocated for the grant, Perry said, and her lobbying organization is a member of Ready Idaho, a preschool advocacy group.

If the grant is never approved, the State Board of Education is under the impression the money will be returned to the U.S. Treasury, spokesman Mike Keckler told EdNews Thursday. The moneys destination isnt totally clear, Oppenheimer said.

In the meantime, the AEYC is seeking other funding sources to supplement Idaho preschool funding.

Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert contributed to this report.

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Work is already well underway in preparation for one of the most popular and keenly anticipated events on the shipping industry calendar, The Maritime Standard Awards 2021.

The Awards will take place on Monday November 22 in Dubai, UAE.

This will be the eighth staging of the Awards. Last year they were the only maritime event to be held in person, despite all the challenges, in line with UAE governmental health and safety guidelines and this will again be the case in 2021.

It is hoped that restrictions will be less onerous, given the roll out of vaccinations against Covid. But the TMS Awards will adapt to whatever the prevailing circumstances are.

This year the Awards will again be held at Dubai World Trade Centre, which is certified with the prestigious Bureau Veritas SafeGuard Label, which attests to its compliance with the highest hygiene standards. Together with this, DWTCs own Venue Safe standards ensure strict adherence to all safety and hygiene measures for the safe return of organised events. The confidence in the venue and TMS as the organiser was reflected in an attendance of almost 500 people last year, an exceptional figure in the circumstances, which shows how much belief the industry has in TMS.

Trevor Pereira, Managing Director of The Maritime Standard, says: Last years event showed that Dubai led the world in holding events safely in these Covid times and we will build on that valuable experience gained with our partners to stage an even more successful Awards in 2021. The support we received from the industry, including all the major players, was tremendous and showed how keen people are to meet in person if they can trust the organisation.

Since the very beginning The Maritime Standard Awards have been held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman Emirates Airline and Group. They are always attended by over hundreds of dignitaries and high-level executives from across the maritime industry.

The calibre and status of those attending is unrivalled, and the occasion offers extensive networking opportunities, as well as the chance for industry recognition.

The Maritime Standard Awards are today justifiably recognised as the leading event of this type in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. An experienced, expert and independent judging panel ensures that only the best of the best are shortlisted and that the eventual winners are fully deserving of the accolade. As a result, the Awards are uniquely placed to recognise excellence and consistently high levels of performance in the ports, shipping, and related sectors.

The Awards are always hosted by well-known personalities, with past MCs including Ruud Gullit, Alistair Campbell, Lara Dutta, Tim Wilcox and Jon Culshaw. The host for 2021 will be someone of a similar stature.

The evening will witness the presentation of around 30 different awards, covering different aspects of the maritime industry, as well as special awards for individual achievement. Sponsorship opportunities exist for each of these Awards, as well as the event overall, and present a fantastic opportunity for companies to raise their market profile.

A high profile group of companies have agreed to sponsor this years awards, demonstrating their high profile and value. These include Abu Dhabi Ports, Adnoc Logistics & Services, ASYAD Shipping & Drydock Services, Bahri, CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal, DP World, DNV, Islamic P&I Club, Lukoil Marine Lubricants, Safeen, Sharjah Port Authority, Tomini Shipping, Essar Ports, International Registries and Mariapps Marine Solutions. -- TradeArabia News Service
By contrast, the website Vox recently published an insightful article headlined: What should coal communities do when power plants shut down? Ask Germany. Germany has been moving far more aggressively than the United States to phase out coal. Its also had something we dont have  a plan. Germany is in the process of providing $47 billion between now and 2038 to help its coal-mining regions build a new economy. The Euractiv Media Network reports that this includes the establishment of new research institutions, such as an institute for research into low-emission aircraft engines in Cottbus, where Germanys government plans to create 500 new jobs, or the financing of four real-life laboratories.

Will this work? Check back in 2038. All we know now is that Germany is acting very different from how we are. Vox quotes a West Virginia-born energy analyst: In the United States, the transition is ... happening, its just that it is happening with no planning and no foresight. Thats what has caused all the economic upheaval.
3. Why is Youngkin such a potentially difficult opponent for Democrats? You mean, other than he has no record and lots of money? Here are but two examples of what a dexterous candidate he will be. First, heres a Republican candidate who managed to get the nomination without filling out the obligatory National Rifle Association questionnaire  and thus did not earn the NRAs A-rating. That means he gets to have it both ways: He can go into rural Virginia and claim to be a diehard defender of the Second Amendment, but he can go into suburban Virginia and not look like a gun fetishist. This week provided another example. Through the nominating contest, Youngkin refused to say whether he thought Joe Biden was properly elected. But with the nomination now in hand, he promptly declared of course and circulated that declaration. McAuliffe, for better or worse, is a known quantity for Virginians. Youngkin, for the time being at least, gets to be whoever he wants to be. Were not saying such chameleon-like qualities are necessarily a good thing, but they are politically useful, especially for a Republican trying to win a state that lately has voted consistently Democratic.
On Monday, days after mask rules were listed in many circumstances, the McDowell County Health Department reported nine additional McDowell County residents have tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The latest report means McDowell now had a total number of 5,129 positive cases since the pandemic began. There have been 44,826 tests conducted, 39,684 negative results and 13 tests are pending results. At the time of Mondays report, there were 37 individuals in quarantine, 5,015 out of quarantine and 77 deaths. McDowell Countys 14-day positivity rate is 8.5%, according to a news release.

Citizens in need of a COVID-19 test are encouraged to call their primary care physician or CVS pharmacy for testing. If you are uninsured or cannot afford a COVID-19 test, you can call the McDowell County Health Department at 828-652-6811 to schedule a test.

Appointments are available for the upcoming Public Health COVID-19 vaccination clinic to be held this Wednesday, May 19 at the McDowell County Health Department. This clinic will be by appointment only.
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Peripheral artery disease (PAD), or blockages in the arteries outside of the heart, affects more than 200 million people worldwide and 12.5 million people in the United States. Patients with this circulatory disorder may develop severe leg pain or unhealing wounds that require a minimally invasive revascularization procedure to open the blood vessels to improve blood flow.

For nearly a decade, proceduralists and surgeons have depended on devices coated with a drug called paclitaxelwhich reduces the need for another procedure by up to 50 percentduring procedures to open the arteries of the leg. However, in the wake of a 2018 study that found a potential link between these drug-coated peripheral devices and death after two years post procedure, the FDA restricted the use of these devices for the treatment of PAD out of an abundance of caution.

At the behest of the FDA, cardiologists Eric Secemsky, MD, and Robert Yeh, MD, both of the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), designed the Safety Assessment of Femoropopliteal Endovascular Treatment With Paclitaxel-coated Devices (SAFE-PAD) study to provide the information necessary to make scientifically-sound regulatory decisions about the safety of these devices. Using claims data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the researchers evaluated survival following treatment with these drug-coated devices in more than 160,000 leg artery revascularization procedures conducted between 2015 and 2018.

The team found no statistically significant difference in mortality between patients treated with drug-coated devices and non-drug-coated devices. The report was presented as a late-breaking study at the American College of Cardiology's Scientific Sessions May 16 and published simultaneously in JAMA Internal Medicine.

"Our study of Medicare beneficiaries includes more than 160,000 patients, including more than 30,000 patients with survival data extending past four years, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive evaluations of the safety of drug-coated devices to be published since the initial analysis," said Secemsky, Director of Vascular Intervention at BIDMC and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Although the 2018 findings raised concerns about the safety of these drug-coated devices, there were many issues with that analysisincluding the study's small size and a lack of complete patient follow-up."

Secemsky and colleagues' study included Medicare patients treated with either a drug-coated or non-drug coated peripheral device between 2015-2018 at nearly 3000 hospitals across the United States. Deaths were evaluated through May 2020, and after accounting for any differences in demographics and co-morbidities between the two groups, the investigators found no evidence that drug-coated devices were associated with higher mortality rates through an average 2.7 years of follow-up, with some patients having follow-up through 5 years.

"We used a number of novel statistical methods to assure these results were accurate, and found consistent results across a number of different patient groupsincluding among those of lower overall risk, those with more severe disease, and those treated in outpatient centers," Secemsky said. "We've provided these results to the FDA to make decisions on whether to continue to restrict these drug-coated devices to only those at high risk of needing another leg procedure, or to return to the previous indications where these were used without restriction."

The current publication is the first report of seven planned biannual reports as part of the SAFE-PAD study, which was designed to continue until all patients in the study had follow-up exceeding 5 years. As such, Secemsky and colleagues will continue to analyze these Medicare beneficiaries and update their findings until this study completes in late 2023.

Explore further FDA issues update on mortality risk with paclitaxel-coated products

More information: Eric A. Secemsky et al. Longitudinal Assessment of Safety of Femoropopliteal Endovascular Treatment With Paclitaxel-Coated Devices Among Medicare Beneficiaries, JAMA Internal Medicine (2021). Journal information: JAMA Internal Medicine Eric A. Secemsky et al. Longitudinal Assessment of Safety of Femoropopliteal Endovascular Treatment With Paclitaxel-Coated Devices Among Medicare Beneficiaries,(2021). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.2738
When Carol Coulther's husband, Rich, had a stroke, her teacher instincts kicked in immediately. She began writing down everything his doctors said to make sense of what happened and what he would need in his recovery.

Coulther's instinct to document everything was spot on, according to advice from Dr. Amytis Towfighi, director of neurological services and innovation for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Towfighi, who has written a book about how to recover from and prevent strokes, suggested asking questions about the type and cause of your loved one's stroke, as well as their risk factors and special equipment needs when they return home.

"The stroke survivor should feel empowered to manage his or her conditionlearn how it happened, what to do to prevent it from recurring, and how to set realistic short-term goals," Towfighi said.

Feeling encouraged is crucial. In addition to keeping track of doctor conversations, Coulther took photos and videos of Rich's progress and kept notes their daughter left in his hospital room.

Having those records allowed her to show him how far he had come when he felt frustrated.

"My husband's physical disabilities were huge. It legit was three weeks before he could move one finger, so you lose track and you think, "My gosh, I can't do anything,'" Coulther said. "If he was discouraged, I could say, 'No, look, this is what you did. Now you can actually stand, and now you can do this.'"

Documenting everything gave her something to focus on, too.

"It helps you feel like you have some control over something you don't have any control over," Coulther said.

The stressful aftermath of a stroke can cause connections to fray. A review of 78 studies published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke in 2009 found up to 54% of families said stroke had a negative impact on their relationship.

The risk of depression also is high. Stroke survivors are 50% more likely to develop depression during their recovery than heart attack survivors, according to research published earlier this year in Stroke. Not only is depression correlated with other health troublesincluding anxiety, insomnia and fatigueit is associated with worse outcomes and increased risk of death among stroke survivors. It also adds more strain to families.

Towfighi, who led a 2016 AHA scientific statement on post-stroke depression, advises caregivers to look out for signs of depression in their loved one and notify the patient's doctor if they believe their loved one is at risk. Therapy and medication can help stroke survivors overcome depression and alleviate the pressure it puts on relationships.

Taking the process one step at a time helps manage stress levels as well.

"It's got to be one day at a time, one week at a time, and not, 'How will he be a year from now?'" Coulther said.

One of the biggest mistakes Towfighi sees caregivers make is "trying to do everything for their loved one and letting their loved one assume the sick role and stay in bed."

While rest and patience are important, exercise repetition and setting short-term goals are also important to regaining strength and independence.

Families who have local support systemsas the Coulthers did in their Rockaway, New Jersey, communityshould be honest about what they need, Coulther advised.

When she explained what she and her daughter really needed while her husband was in the hospital, whether that was potato chips and wine or someone to help out with yard work, people were happy to pitch in.

"People were like, 'Oh gosh, there's something I can do,'" Coulther said.

She also recommended looking for support groups through local hospitals and social media groups. These provide a place to get advice and connect with families who are going through similar experiences.

Self-care and boundaries also are critical.

"I think a really important thing for caregivers, especially in the beginning, is you have to not listen to people that say, 'You have to take care of yourself, go get a pedicure, go do this.' Maybe you're not ready," Coulther said. "Maybe it is taking care of myself to read a book on the couch, as opposed to me stressing about leaving. People have to do what's right for them."

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
People pose in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue that is lit up with a message that reads in Portuguese; "Vaccination saves, united by the vaccine", urging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging vaccination in Brazil and throughout the world, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, May 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

As some Brazilian states strain to get coronavirus vaccines to complete immunizing their seniors, a city in the interior of Sao Paulo state devoted all its doses Sunday to a mass immunization for all residents 18 to 60 years old as part of a medical research project for the pandemic.

The task forces set up 45 vaccination points at voting sites in Botucatu and people were directed to get their shots at their normal election center. Those showing up for shots also were separated by age groups.

The first doses of the day was administered by Brazil's health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, who highlighted the importance of maintaining care to avoid the transmission of the coronavirus.

"In addition to vaccination, encourage non-pharmacological measures such as wearing masks and social distancing," he said.

Peter Wilson, the British ambassador to Brazil, attended the event.

"It's absolutely vital for all of us across the world that we have as much data as possible, and the research that is being done in Botucatu for the next months is going to be really vital for that scientific sharing and the increase of knowledge in the world about how the AstraZeneca vaccine operates," Wilson told The Associated Press.

At 36, commercial representative Ana Lobardela and her husband, restorer Bernardo Piragda, 37, were emotional about being immunized now. She made sure to record the moment she received the first dose.

"Knowing that for my age group it was going to take a long time to take it and having elderly people in my family, I have no words to describe it," Lobardela told AP.

The research project hopes to vaccinate 80,000 of Botucatu's 149,000 residents to test the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as well as study people's behavior related to the pandemic. The study is expected to last about eight months, including the application of the second AstraZeneca dose and monitoring of the vaccinated population.

Similar research is being done by the Butantan Institute, which vaccinated more than 40,000 people in Serrana, also in the countryside of Sao Paulo, with the Coronavac vaccine.

Nisia Trindade, a researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, one of Brazil's leading medical research institutions and a producer of the AstraZeneca vaccine, said scientists hope to more than evaluate the effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"With this research we will see the issue of behavior in the face of the variants, the transmission, and the effectiveness in the health system," she said.

According to data from the Sao Paulo state Health Department, Botucatu has registered 211 deaths from COVID-19 among 12,602 cases of coronavirus infections. The city also has a depleted public health system, with the Hospital das Clinicas using three more beds than its usual 40.

Brazil as a whole has recorded more than 434,000 deaths related to the pandemic.

Explore further Brazil states suspend AstraZeneca vaccine for pregnant women

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

If you're fully vaccinated, federal health officials now say that you can take your mask off in most placeseven indoors.

But the question remains whether the new guidelines will inspire more people to get fully vaccinated or instead send an unintended message that the war against the COVID-19 virus is won.

"The updated guidelines from the CDC is really positive news. It should offer us a lot of hope," says Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice at Northeastern. "It should be an added incentive to make sure that folks get vaccinated."

The updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are just guidelines. State and local rules still apply. And the new guidelines are only for people who are fully vaccinated, which means two weeks have passed since your second shot of the two-dose vaccines or since you received a single-dose vaccine. The changed guidelines aren't for everywhere, either. The CDC still says that everyone should continue to wear masks on public transportation, including planes, trains, and buses.

"It is about dangling the carrot, it's about providing that incentive," Maniar says of the CDC's announcement, which was emphasized by a mask-less President Biden in an address to the nation Thursday. "We know that these vaccines are effective. We know that they're safe. And that's a really, really important thing. I think that should be a real incentive for folks to get their vaccination because that will get us to that point that we all want to be at where we can say this pandemic is now behind us. We're not at that point yet, but we have the potential to get there."

But whether or not that is the message that comes through to all Americans is an open question.

"The devil is always in how things play out. How does it actually play out in the real world where things are messy, where people are complicated, where different communities have different norms and cultures and hear messages differently?" says Wendy Parmet, Matthews Distinguished Professor of Law at Northeastern. "Is the message [people will hear] going to be 'get vaccinated," or is the message going to be, 'see, now I can just live my life as if there was no pandemic and no one's going to know." We are not a society that hears one message."

It's possible to consider people who are medically able to get vaccinated but have not yet gotten any shots in three groups, says Parmet, who also leads the Center for Health Policy and Law. There's a group of people who want to get vaccinated but haven't been able to take time off work because they can't afford to or for other financial reasons, or who just don't have all the information about how to get vaccinated. Then there's a group that's hesitant but not outright against getting vaccinated. The third group is completely against getting vaccinated and there will likely be no convincing them, she says.

It's the middle groupthe hesitant groupthat the CDC might be able to entice by removing mask guidelines for vaccinated people, Parmet says. "Certainly there are people who have thought, 'why bother getting a vaccine if I'm still going to need to wear a mask,'" she says.

But, Parmet says, there also might be some "free-riders." She says, "As deaths and hospitalizations decline, there's a tendency to think, 'it's no big deal and I'm safe because everyone else is getting the vaccine.'"

The CDC's new guidelines for vaccinated individuals are backed by tentatively hopeful numbers, says Maniar, who is also associate chair of the department of health sciences and director of the master of public health program at Northeastern. According to the CDC, 35.8 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and 46.6 percent has gotten at least one dose. In some states, those numbers are even higher. In Massachusetts, for example, 44.8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, and nearly 60 percent has gotten at least one shot.

"The hope is that we'll continue to see those [vaccination] numbers go up," Maniar says. "Over the past month, we had a big expansion in terms of individuals who are now eligible to get the vaccine," he says, between all adults in the U.S. becoming eligible on April 19 and the CDC approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in adolescents ages 12 to 15 on Wednesday. "We're putting the pieces of this puzzle together."

Reaching the herd immunity thresholds targeted by many public health officials of 70 or 80 percentor moreof a population having immunity against the virus might be too lofty of a goal, Maniar says, "given what we know about vaccine hesitancy. But I think we are getting to a point where we're on a trajectory in certain areas  that we are likely going to hit it, maybe that minimum threshold. If we can get to 70 percent of individuals who are fully vaccinated here in Massachusetts, that is an incredible barrier against the virus."

Furthermore, cases across the U.S. have been decreasing notably and are projected to continue to decline further as summer dawns. On top of that, says Brandon Dionne, assistant clinical professor of pharmacy and health systems sciences at Northeastern, the vaccines seem to be even more effective at preventing infection in the real world than they were determined to be during clinical trials. The CDC has received reports of fewer than 10,000 breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated individuals and more than 118 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated so far.

Despite the decrease in cases and increase in vaccination rates, Maniar says, "we can't let our guard down" and it will be important to monitor case numbers following the change in the CDC guidelines. "The one thing that we have absolutely learned over the past 15 months, if not longer, is that the moment we let our guard completely down, we've opened the door to complications."

One concern about how the new mask and physical distancing guidelines will play out comes from the lack of a system in the U.S. to keep track of who is vaccinated and who is not when entering a public space.

"The guidance is for people who are vaccinated," Parmet says. "But the problem is that, you know, is the grocery store going to figure out who is vaccinated or who's unvaccinated? Is the restaurant going to figure it out?"

It's not that coming up with a government system to track the movement of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in public spaces is technologically impossible, she adds. Rather, it would likely be seen as too much of an invasion of privacy in American culture. So instead, she says, the onus on figuring out how to implement these new guidelines gets passed down to states, local authorities, and even business owners themselves.

Those lingering questions are likely one reason why state governorsincluding Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakerhave not all adjusted their mask mandates in accordance with the CDC's new guidelines yet. Another reason is likely that some communities are still seeing higher numbers of positive cases of COVID-19.

"The new CDC guidelines open the door for states and communities to relax existing COVID restrictions," Maniar says. "However, they do not require them to do so. Therefore, the implementation of the guidelines may take a bit longer for some communities compared to others based on the level of readiness to relax existing regulations."
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For the past year, 13-year-old twins Ariel Jr. and Abraham Osorio have logged on to their online classes from their parents' flower shop. Ariel nestles in a corner among flowers, bows and stuffed animals. Abraham sets up on a small table in the back, where his dad used to work trimming flowers and keeping the books.

It's not ideal for learning: It's loud. It's cramped. It's bustling with people. Still, when the twins' mother, Graciela Osorio, recently had the chance to send her kids back to Brightwood Elementary in Monterey Park, California, she decided against it.

"After what we went through with their father, I'd rather keep them at home where I know they are safe," said Graciela, 51. "There's only a month left. It doesn't make sense that they return for such a short time."

The boys' father, Ariel Osorio Sr., 51, died of COVID-19 in January, four weeks after a trip to Mexico to visit his mother. He fell ill quickly and wasn't able to say goodbye to his children.

"I miss his presence," Abraham said. "I'm used to seeing him sit in his chair working, but not anymore."

Latinos have been hit disproportionately hard by COVID, and many families are opting out of in-person learning.

In California, Latinos make up 39% of the state's population but account for 47% of COVID deaths, according to the state Department of Public Health. Nationally, their risk of death from COVID is 2.3 times higher than that of whites.

Latinos are vulnerable to the highly transmissible coronavirus because they are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to work essential jobs that expose them to the public, said David Hayes-Bautista, a professor of public health and medicine at UCLA and co-author of a January study on this topic. They are more likely to lack health insurance, which may make them less likely to seek medical care, he said. And they are more likely to live in multigenerational households, which means the virus can spread quickly and easily within families.

"Many of them are essential workers and the breadwinners for their families and don't have the luxury of telework, of physical distancing and self-isolation," said Alberto Gonzalez, a senior health strategist at UnidosUS, a Latino advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

The Osorio family has lived in a multigenerational household since Ariel died, and Graciela had to keep other family members in mind when deciding whether to send her boys back into the classroom.

In February, Graciela and the twins moved in with her 74-year-old mother, Cleotilde Servin, in East Los Angeles. Ten people now share the roughly 1,000-square-foot home, squeezing by one another in the kitchen every morning.

Graciela's mother and the other adults in the home have been vaccinated, but the children haven't. Even though she instructs her sons to wear their masks and doesn't allow them to visit friends, she's terrified of what could happen if her kids caught the virus at school and brought it home.

"My mother is active and takes vitamins, but it still worries me," Graciela said. She got COVID from her husband and gave it to her sister and niece. "I don't want anyone else to get sick," she said.

State and local education officials don't have recent data on in-person attendance by race, but an EdSource analysis of California Public Health Department data from February shows that white students were more likely to attend school in person than other students. The analysis showed that 12% of Latinos were attending in-person classes at least some of the time, compared with 32% of whites and 18% of all students.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest in the country, serves more than 600,000 students and reopened for in-person learning in mid-April. Only some campuses are open, mostly elementary schools, and are running on hybrid schedules, combining on-campus classes with distance learning.

"We've upgraded the air filtration systems in every classroom, reconfigured school facilities to keep all at a school appropriately distanced, doubled the custodial staff, and we'll provide weekly COVID testing at school for every student and staff member," district superintendent Austin Beutner said in his weekly recorded video update on March 22.

In a statement released May 4, Beutner said 40% to 50% of elementary school students are now back in schools in "more affluent" communities compared with roughly 20% in low-income communities.

"We see the greatest reluctance for children to be back in schools from families who live in some of the highest-needs communities we serve," he said.

Brightwood Elementary is a K-8 school with 870 students, about half of whom are Asian American and 40% Latino, said principal Robby Jung. Just 15% of students are back on campus, he said, and, of those, about one-third are Latino.

For the Osorio family, the overriding reason the eighth grade twins are not back at Brightwood is fear.

Like so many other Latino familiesroughly 28,000 Latinos have died of COVID in Californiathey are reeling from the grief and trauma that the disease has already wrought, and the fear of what it could do if it struck again.

"The boys are seeing a therapist to deal with their dad's death," Graciela said. "I know I should probably talk to someone, too."

With the memory of her husband's death still so fresh that she can't speak of him without crying, Graciela is still adjusting to the emotional toll, and to the day-to-day realities of running a flower shop by herself.

Originally from Guerrero, Mexico, she started Gracy's Flower Shop with her husband in 1997. Ariel took care of the finances at home and at the shop and was the better English speaker of the two.

"Now being alone with the boys, it's more difficult to keep up," she said.

During the COVID lockdowns, the boys joined the couple at the shop. Her husband sat next to their children while they attended school online, helping with their homework and acting as the main contact for the school.

"They were always with us," Graciela said. "They grew up in the flower shop, so they didn't have a problem setting up their school stations there."

Brightwood reopened its doors April 12, offering in-person learning two days a week for a few hours a day, with the rest of the sessions online. Graciela said the limited schedule doesn't work with her role as the family breadwinner.

"I would have to take them to school, pick them up for lunch and then bring them back," she said. "I can't do that. I have to work."

But mostly she's keeping them off campus because she doesn't want to lose another family member. She said she knows online classes aren't the same as in-person instruction "but they have been keeping their grades up," she said. "I thank God I have good boys. They listen. They understand why I kept them home."

The last day of school is May 28. Ariel and Abraham said they're looking forward to high school in the fall. Still dealing with their father's death, the boys, who are shy and reserved by nature, are torn between returning to school in person or continuing their classes online.

"We might go back," Abraham said. "For now, we keep each other company."

2021 Kaiser Health News.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

University researchers have carried out the largest systematic review and meta-analysis to date of how people's perceptions of their screen time compare with what they do in practice, finding estimates of usage were only accurate in about five per cent of studies.

The international team say this casts doubt on the validity of research on the impact of screen time on mental health, and its influences on government policy, as the vast majority rely on participants to estimate (self-report) how long they spend on digital devices, rather than logs of actual usage, or tracked time.

"For decades, researchers have relied on estimates of how we use various technologies to study how people use digital media and the potential outcomes this behavior can lead to. Our findings suggest that much of this work may be on unstable footing," said lead researcher Dr. Doug Parry at Stellenbosch University.

"The screen time discrepancies highlight that we simply do not know enough yet about the actual effects (both positive and negative) of our media use. Researchers, journalists, members of the public, and crucially policy makers need to question the quality of evidence when they consider research on media uses and effects. We can no longer simply take claims of harmful effects at face value."

The researchers also investigated whether questionnaires and scales addressing 'problematic' media use, such as excessive or so-called 'addictive' media use, were suitable substitutes for logged usage. They found an even smaller association with usage logs for these measures.

Published in Nature Human Behavior, the research identified every existing study that compares logged or tracked media use measures with equivalent self-reports. They screened over 12,000 articles for inclusion and found 47 studies that included both types of measures. From here they were able to identify and extract 106 comparisons, based on 50,000 individuals, to address the question of how closely self-report estimates relate to logs of actual usage.

"These highly flawed studies are over-inflating the relationships between digital media use and typically negative outcomes, such as mental health symptoms and cognitive impairments, which of course explains the pervading view that smartphones among other technologies are bad for us," said Dr. Brit Davidson from the University of Bath's School of Management.

"Media and technology use takes the blame for everything from increases in teenage depression and suicide to higher incidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and violence. If we want to properly investigate harms, we must first tackle assumptions about screen time and disentangle how people are actually using their phones or other technologies of interest.

"Importantly, these questionable studies are also being used to influence policy. The UK and Canada both have forms of screen time guidelines based on poorly conducted research, which is clearly worrying and hard to reverse."

The research team also included Dr. Craig Sewall at The University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Jacob Fisher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Hannah Mieczkowski at Stanford University; and Dr. Daniel Quintana at the University of Oslo.

The researchers hope that their study will lead to a shift in measurement practices regarding technology, alongside starting to correct the narrative regarding technology and society. They say that only by better understanding what people actually do with their technologies, can we start to genuinely understand the impact of them on people and society.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of discrepancies between logged and self-reported digital media use is published by Nature Human Behavior:

More information: Parry, D.A., Davidson, B.I., Sewall, C.J.R. et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of discrepancies between logged and self-reported digital media use. Nat Hum Behav (2021). Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour Parry, D.A., Davidson, B.I., Sewall, C.J.R. et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of discrepancies between logged and self-reported digital media use.(2021). doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01117-5
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

People with type 2 diabetes are at significantly elevated risk of needing intensive care if they get COVID-19. This is shown by a study comprising data on 2.6 million Swedes, of whom half a million are on the diabetes register. The study also indicates increased mortality from COVID-19 among type 2 diabetics.

In Sweden, about half a million people have diabetes, and 90 percent of them have type 2. The Swedish study has examined the number of new cases and the likelihood of hospitalization, intensive care and mortality due to COVID-19 in people with diabetes.

This study, published in The Lancet Regional HealthEurope, compared diabetics with controls without diabetes, matched in terms of age, gender, and region, who were randomly selected from the population. Altogether, the study comprised 2.6 million individuals in Sweden, 500,000 of whom were registered as diabetic.

"The study shows that type 2 diabetics' risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19 was 1.4 times that of non-diabetics. So that's a 40 percent higher risk," says Aidin Rawshani, researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.

Even with extensive adjustment for disturbance factors, a significantly increased risk of intensive care for patients with COVID-19 (1.4 times higher) and of mortality due to COVID-19 (1.5 times higher) was noted in people with type 2 diabetes, compared with matched controls.

For type 1 diabetics, a significantly higher risk was noted for all outcomes. On the other hand, no significant excess risk was noted for outcomes in statistical models with full adjustment for risk factors.

The study, which ran from 1 January to 15 August 2020, was funded by the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation. Kristina Sparreljung is its Secretary General.

"Research in the area of diabetes has been highly successful, with new treatment methods and drugs. But the number of people with diabetes is rising in Sweden. Now we hope these new research findings will be able to help save more lives," Sparreljung writes in a press release from the Heart Lung Foundation.

Explore further Health disparities in type 1 diabetes and COVID-19 infection

More information: Aidin Rawshani et al. Severe COVID-19 in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Sweden: A nationwide retrospective cohort study, The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (2021). Aidin Rawshani et al. Severe COVID-19 in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Sweden: A nationwide retrospective cohort study,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100105
The Dubai chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) has announced that it will host the largest ever TiE Global Summit (TGS2021) for the first time in Dubai, UAE in December 2021.



A total of over 2000 entrepreneurs, investors, world leaders, successful celebrities are expected to attend the summit, along with TiE chapters from the US, Europe, Africa, India, APAC.



The proceedings of TGS2021 started with the ceremonial lighting of the Flame of Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, the birthplace of TiE, and will go on a worldwide journey through more than 40 TiE Chapters marking major milestones and initiatives across the globe.



The Flame will reach the UAE in October where it will be hosted by various TiE partner organizations, key UAE entrepreneurship ecosystem stakeholders and at major events happening throughout the last quarter of the year. The Flame of Entrepreneurship will subsequently make its way to TiE Global Summit 2021 before continuing its legacy journey.



TGS2021 will be held as a Celebration of the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, under the theme Spark, Sustain and Shine - taking inspiration from the main characteristics of the Flame. The summit provides global entrepreneurs with a platform for funding, insights into strategies to grow and scale businesses with a focus on new start-up ideas and investments.



The event will also provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to network, share ideas and interact with investors, business leaders, and policymakers across the globe, besides allowing investors access to the worlds brightest minds to fulfil their investment objectives.



Praveen Tailam, Chair TiE Global commented, TiE Global Summit is the coming together of the best in the entrepreneurial ecosystem that TiE is proud to be part of. TGS2021 will be a celebration of the spirit of entrepreneurship.



A report by the MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) highlighted the rise of Mena entrepreneurship as the start-up scene matures. The regions large and young population with a relatively high level of digital connectivity has contributed to the emergence of a vibrant start-up ecosystem in the Mena region. According to the 2021 Mena Venture Investment report, the Mena region in 2020 saw a record of $1 billion dollars of investment in start-ups, highlighting the fast-paced growth of potential start-ups in the region.



Mahesh Jaishankar Co-Chair TiE Global Summit 2021explainedthat the TiE Global Summit will be two days of inspiring keynotes, fireside chats and interactive experiences with the worlds best  each one brimming with lessons of success and glimpses of tomorrow. This is the time for innovators and investors to rise and thrive in times of crises.



The UAE has been ranked first in the Middle East and fourth globally in the Global Entrepreneurship Index (GEI) 2020. The progress made by UAE entrepreneurs reflects their unparalleled efforts despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic, added Jaishankar.



Through TiEs vast network of entrepreneurs across the globe and with 61 chapters in 18 countries, the TiE Global Summit has become the flagship conference for world leaders globally, creating a platform for entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors to learn, network and share ideas with other like-minded people.  TradeArabia News Service
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The COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with continuing emotional and behavioral difficulties in children after the age of two, a new study out today [17 May] from researchers at the University of Bristol has found.

Whilst the rise in emotional problems in teenagers and young adults since the pandemic has become clearer, little is known about the emotional response of pre-school and primary school aged children. Using data tracking children's emotional development at multiple ages before and during the pandemic, the research team were able to explore differences in trajectories of emotional difficulties in children before and during the pandemic. The study is published on the pre-print server medRxiv.org.

The researchers looked at data from 708 children who are part of the third generation of the health study Children of the 90s, based at the University of Bristol (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children). Due to the unique nature of the study, which first recruited pregnant women in the Avon area between 199192, researchers were able to compare data collected pre-pandemic with the data collected through a questionnaire conducted from 26 May and 5 July 2020, which focussed on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions were eased.

Dr. Rebecca Pearson, Senior Lecturer in Psychiatric Epidemiology at the University of Bristol and senior author, explained: "Emotional problems usually peak around age two and then decline over childhood, but the peak of emotional problems at age two was lower during the pandemic than before the pandemic. However, emotional problems usually reduce after the 'terrible twos,' but during the pandemic we didn't see the reduction we would expect. So older children in the pandemic had much higher levels of emotional difficulties than would be expected at their age. At the age of eight, their scores on the emotional difficulties measures are ten points higher in the pandemic sample than what we would expect based on pre-pandemic data.

"Our findings suggest that primary school children may have emotional difficulties at the level expected during the terrible twos. This could reflect a delay in emotional development that, if not supported, may far outlive the pandemic and have long-term consequences for this generation of children. This age group should not be forgotten for health and educational resources and funding. The emotional consequences need to be understood and supported, in order to prevent a generation of children at greater risk of mental health problems."

Dr. Helen Bould, consultant and senior lecturer in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Bristol, and a co-author on the study, added: "This work highlights the negative impact that COVID-19 and the lockdowns are having on the mental health of younger children. This is likely to have knock-on effects on their future mental health, so it is vital for the future of the country that we respond to this evidence with additional support for children and families. We need to invest more in high quality childcare, schools and social care, as well as increasing funding for our overstretched child and adolescent mental health services."

Dr. Elise Paul, senior research fellow in epidemiology at University College London and first author, said: "Our findings are in line with studies of older children and adults conducted during the pandemic and highlight the need for increased resources and attention to be paid to mental health, not only as the pandemic wears on, but also in its aftermath."

The team are now investigating factors that may be protective against or increase the risk of emotional difficulties in children during the pandemic and beyond, such as keeping to a routine, and the impact of parental anxiety.

Explore further Study shows how some severely obese children were negatively affected by the COVID-19 lockdown

More information: Elise Paul et al. Trajectories of child emotional and behavioural difficulties before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a longitudinal UK cohort, medRxiv (2021). Elise Paul et al. Trajectories of child emotional and behavioural difficulties before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a longitudinal UK cohort,(2021). DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.11.21257040
With coronavirus vaccinations accelerating and infections down, the French are looking forward to the loosening of many coronavirus restrictions Wednesday, although outdoor lunches at restaurants risk being rained off.

Groups of up to six will be able to eat together as restaurant terraces open at 50-percent capacity, joining museums, theatres and cinemas, while the curfew will be pushed back from 7 to 9:00 pm.

It is the latest step in a gradual reopening plan that began with allowing inter-regional travel from the start of May.

"Resuming social contact is one of the factors in public wellbeing," public health chief Jerome Salomon told the JDD Sunday newspaper.

Some restaurant owners were already complaining about the limits on hospitality, especially given the risk of rain in what has so far been a wet May.

"Imagine you get the whole machine started again, create a new menu, get all your staff back, but then you have to cancel everything and throw your merchandise away because it's raining," star chef Philippe Etchebest told the JDD.

What's more, less than half of restaurants across France even have space for outdoor dining, he said.

"Impossible," Etchebest concluded, adding that he would wait until the next turn of the ratchet on June 9, when some indoor dining and drinking will be allowed.

'Emergency brakes' still possible

Cinemas can open at up to 35-percent capacity from Wednesday, with new films jostling for space on the big screen alongside autumn releases that had their run cut short.

Museums, theatres, zoos, libraries and all shops will be allowed to reopen at partial capacity.

Like other nations, France's reopening is possible thanks to ebbing infection numbers and an accelerating vaccination scheme, with 20.3 million people having received a first jab so far and 8.8 million with both doses.

The government aims to reach 30 million first doses by mid-June and is now offering next-day appointments not claimed by over-50s to anyone over 18.

Health ministry officials have not ruled out bringing forward the June 15 date, when all adults will be able to book a vaccine appointment without restrictions.

President Emmanuel Macron has nevertheless warned that if infections again pick up dangerously, the government could hit the "emergency brakes" on the reopening.

"We won't reach collective immunity until we've succeeded with vaccinations and reduced circulation of the virus to a minimum," public health chief Salomon said.

A "health pass" and checks on incoming travellers, especially from hotspots such as India, would remain crucial, he added.

Explore further France closing in on 20 million target in Covid vaccination drive

 2021 AFP
In this May 11, 2021 file photo, a health worker takes a nasal swab sample of a Kashmiri man to test for COVID-19 in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. A dip in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai is offering a glimmer of hope for India, which is suffering through a surge of infections. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin, File)

For the first time in months, Izhaar Hussain Shaikh is feeling somewhat optimistic.

The 30-year-old ambulance driver in India's metropolis of Mumbai has been working tirelessly ever since the city became the epicenter of another catastrophic COVID-19 surge slashing through the country. Last month, he drove about 70 patients to the hospital, his cellphone constantly vibrating with calls.

But two weeks into May, he's only carried 10 patients. Cases are falling and so are the phone calls.

"We used to be so busy before, we didn't even have time to eat," he said.

In the last week, the number of new cases plunged by nearly 70% in India's financial capital, home to 22 million people. After a peak of 11,000 daily cases, the city is now seeing fewer than 2,000 a day.

The turnaround represents a glimmer of hope for India, still in the clutches of a devastating coronavirus surge that has raised public anger at the government.

A well-enforced lockdown and vigilant authorities are being credited for Mumbai's burgeoning success. Even the capital of New Delhi is seeing whispers of improvement as infections slacken after weeks of tragedy and desperation playing out in overcrowded hospitals and crematoriums and on the streets.

In this May 10, 2021, file photo, people waiting to get vaccinated against the coronavirus stand outside the closed gates of a hospital in Ghaziabad, outskirts of New Delhi, India. The capital of New Delhi is seeing some improvement in the fight against the coronavirus, but experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people. Hospitals are still overwhelmed and officials are struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Amit Sharma, File)

With over 24 million confirmed cases and 270,000 deaths, India's caseload is the second highest after the U.S. But experts believe that the country's steeply rising curve may finally be flatteningeven if the plateau is a high one, with an average of 340,000 confirmed daily cases last week. On Monday, infections continued to decline as cases dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks.

It is still too early to say things are improving, with Mumbai and New Delhi representing only a sliver of the overall situation.

For one, drops in the national caseload, however marginal, largely reflect falling infections in a handful of states with big populations and/or high rates of testing. So the nationwide trends represent an incomplete and misleading picture of how things are faring across India as a whole, experts say.

In this May 13, 2021 file photo, people sit at a vegetables market in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. A dip in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai is offering a glimmer of hope for India, which is suffering through a surge of infections. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)

"There will always be smaller states or cities where things are getting worse, but this won't be as clear in the national caseload numbers," said Murad Banaji, a mathematician modeling India's cases.

Given India's size and population of nearly 1.4 billion, what's more important to track is a cascade of peaks at different times instead of a single national one, experts said.

"It seems like we are getting desensitized by the numbers, having gotten used to such high ones," said Bhramar Mukherjee, a University of Michigan biostatistician tracking the virus in India. "But a relative change or drop in overall cases does not diminish the magnitude of the crisis by any means."

With active cases over 3.6 million, hospitals are still swamped by patients.

Experts also warn that another reason for an apparent peak or plateau in cases could be that the virus has outrun India's testing capabilities. As the virus jumps from cities to towns to villages, testing has struggled to keep pace, stirring fears that a rural surge is unfurling even as data lags far behind.

In this April 29, 2021, file photo, people wait to receive COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India. A dip in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai is offering a glimmer of hope for India, which is suffering through a surge of infections. But experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people, with hospitals still overwhelmed and officials struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)

Combating the spread in the countryside, where health infrastructure is scarce and where most Indians live, will be the biggest challenge. "The transmission will be slower and lower, but it can still exact a big toll," said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Even in big cities, testing has become increasingly harder to access. Labs are inundated and results are taking days, leading many to start treating symptoms before confirming a coronavirus infection. In the last month, cases have more than tripled and reported deaths have gone up six timesbut testing has only increased by 1.6 times, said Mukherjee. Meanwhile, vaccinations have plummeted by 40%.

One of the biggest concerns for experts is that India may never know the full death toll from the virus, with fatalities undercounted on such a scale that reporters are finding more answers at crematoriums than official state tallies.

In this May 8, 2021, file photo, Indians wait to refill oxygen cylinders for COVID-19 patients at a gas supplier facility in New Delhi, India. The capital of New Delhi is seeing some improvement in the fight against the coronavirus, but experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people. Hospitals are still overwhelmed and officials are struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Ishant Chauhan, File)

But while authorities previously appeared to struggle to even acknowledge the scale, they're now taking action. "Before, there just wasn't a focused attention. But now everyone is focused on containing it as much as possible," Reddy said.

Hit by a staggering shortage of beds, oxygen and other medical supplies, many states are now adding thousands of beds a week, converting stadiums into COVID-19 hospitals, and procuring as much equipment as possible. States across India are preparing to be hit by another torrent of infections and even courts have intervened to help untangle oxygen supplies.

Aid from overseas, while still facing bureaucratic hurdles, is starting to trickle in. More than 11,000 oxygen concentrators, nearly 13,000 oxygen cylinders and 34 million vials of antivirals have been sent to different states.

In this May 11, 2021, file photo, family members and volunteers carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in New Delhi, India. The capital of New Delhi is seeing some improvement in the fight against the coronavirus, but experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people. Hospitals are still overwhelmed and officials are struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Amit Sharma)

In this May 6, 2021, file photo, health worker tries to adjust the oxygen mask of a patient at the BKC jumbo field hospital, one of the largest COVID-19 facilities in Mumbai, India. A dip in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai is offering a glimmer of hope for India, which is suffering through a surge of infections. But experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people, with hospitals still overwhelmed and officials struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

In this May 10, 2021, file photo, health workers and volunteers in personal protective suits wait to receive patients outside a COVID-19 hospital that was set up at a Sikh Gurdwara in New Delhi, India. The capital of New Delhi is seeing some improvement in the fight against the coronavirus, but experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people. Hospitals are still overwhelmed and officials are struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Ishant Chauhan, File )

In this May 13, 2021, file photo, Indian Muslims shop during a relaxation of lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus on the eve of Eid-al-Fitr in Hyderabad, India. A dip in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai is offering a glimmer of hope for India, which is suffering through a surge of infections. But experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people, with hospitals still overwhelmed and officials struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A, File)

In this May 12, 2021, file photo, a tree stands at a facility for COVID-19 patients with 500 ICU beds that is being set up at Ramlila ground, a usual venue of major political rallies in New Delhi, India. The capital of New Delhi is seeing some improvement in the fight against the coronavirus, but experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people. Hospitals are still overwhelmed and officials are struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Amit Sharma, File)

In this May 10, 2021, file photo, Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) cryogenic containers are unloaded from Indian naval vessel INS Trikand that arrived from Hamad Port, Qatar at Naval Dockyard In Mumbai, India. A dip in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai is offering a glimmer of hope for India, which is suffering through a surge of infections. But experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people, with hospitals still overwhelmed and officials struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)

In this May 13, 2021 file photo, a road leading to landmark Charminar monument is closed during a lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Hyderabad, India. A dip in the number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai is offering a glimmer of hope for India, which is suffering through a surge of infections. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A, File)

Still, help is arriving too slowly in many districts as new infections surface in every single region, even the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean.

Even though Mumbai looks as if it might have turned a corner, surrounding Maharashtra state is still seeing around 40,000 daily cases. "You have a really, really complicated and mixed picture," said Banaji, the mathematician.

But in at least one Mumbai hospital, "the burden is 30% to 40% less than before," said Dr. Om Shrivastav, a doctor and member of Maharashtra's COVID-19 task force.

Already, the city and state are bracing for more infections. A court told Maharashtra this week to continue updating and ramping up measures as authorities look into getting vaccines from abroad to fill a domestic shortage.

"We are making sure we're not caught napping. In the event this happens again, we're going to do better," Shrivastav said.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A volunteer testing mosquito a repellant. Credit: Antonio Benjamim Mapossa

Malaria is one of the leading causes of illness and death around the world. The disease is primarily caused by the bite of mosquitoes carrying a parasite. In 2019, around 229 million malaria cases were reported with an estimated number of 409,000 deaths. Most of the reported cases occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Children younger than five years and pregnant women are most prone to malaria.

To prevent malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends spraying insecticides indoors and using bed nets treated with long-lasting insecticide.

These interventions have one big flaw, however. They focus on minimizing malaria infections indoors. Infections can still occur outdoors. And in some African countries resistance to insecticidesespecially pyrethroidsis emerging. So new methods to control mosquitoes are needed urgently.

Numerous repellent-based products, such as creams, roll-ons and sprays, are available on the market for outdoor protection. Most of these have a very short period of protectiona few hours. People need to be protected from mosquito bites for longer.

To address this problem our research project aims to develop a new, cost-effective product such as an anklet or bracelet to repel mosquitoes for an extended period.

A possible method of achieving this is to use polyolefin strands filled with mosquito repellents (DEET and icaridin). Polyolefins are the most extensively used group of thermoplastics polymers because of their strength, light weight, low cost, easy processability and good water barrier properties. This would make the total cost of the repellent-based product affordable.

Our research

Our project is a collaboration between the Institute of Applied Materials and the Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control at the University of Pretoria in South Africa alongside Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany and Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique.

In essence, we apply our skills in chemical and polymer technology to design and develop products that may help to reduce the malaria burden.

We're trying a technology that releases chemicals from the plastic in a controlled way. We want the active ingredients of the mosquito repellent to emerge gradually and at the same concentration over a prolonged period of time.

The polymer product acts as a reservoir for suitable repellents by trapping the active ingredients inside a polymer matrix. The release rate is controlled by a membrane-like structure at the surface of the system.

We tested the polymer strands filled with repellentsDEET and icaridinover a period of 12 weeks. This means each repellent-polymer strand lasts 12 weeks. DEET is the key active ingredient in many commercial mosquito-repellent formulations. It is also an environment-friendly compound. Icaridin is also a safe and effective repellent that has been available for many years for mosquito application. We tested the strands under controlled conditions in an insectary to determine their activity against mosquitoes. Caged mosquitoes were offered the opportunity to feed on both treated and untreated body parts of human volunteers. Three hundred mosquitoes were placed in a large netting cage. The volunteers could put their legs into the cage through portals.

The test strand, 3 meters long, was wound around one leg of a volunteer, leaving the other leg fully exposed. Both legs were then inserted into the cage, one leg per entry hole, and the person stood still for five minutes. After five minutes two other people used flashlights to count the number of mosquitoes on the lower leg of the test person. The numbers of mosquitoes on the treated and untreated legs were recorded separately.

The result showed that most of the mosquitoes chose to feed on untreated legs. The novel repellent-based polymer product has a longer lifespan12 weeks more than commercially available repellents. It has the added benefit of not only repelling mosquitoes, but killing them too if they make contact with it. And the polyolefins are widely available and cost effective. This would make the final product affordablean important consideration.

More extensive and rigorous entomological and epidemiological testing would have to be done on products like this before they could become commercially acceptable.

Looking ahead

Malaria cannot be eliminated by just one vector control method. An integrated multidisciplinary approach is needed.

New, safe and sustainable methods need to be researched and developed to overcome current resistance trends and prevent transmission of malaria from all angles.

Our research opens the door to a new mosquito repellent formulation that improves the armory against malaria.

Explore further Scientists design a novel formula that repels and kills mosquitoes

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
An analysis of adverse health effects in people who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in India found that the number of blood clot cases was "minuscule", the health ministry said Monday.

Some countries have restricted or dropped AstraZeneca shots from national vaccine campaigns over very rare blood clots, though experts have said the benefits outweigh the risks.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca jabone of three shots granted emergency approval in Indiais the most widely used in the country and is manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine maker.

The nation of 1.3 billion people has administered nearly 183 million doses of all vaccines so far.

"AEFI (Adverse Event Following Immunisation) data in India showed that there is a very miniscule but definitive risk of thromboembolic events," the health ministry said in a statement, citing a report by the National AEFI Committee.

The vaccine "continues to have a definite positive benefit risk profile with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths due to Covid-19 across the world and in India", it added.

The committee looked at reports of health effects in jabs administered up to April 3, which included 68.6 million of the AstraZeneca shot and 6.7 million of Covaxin, which was developed by Indian firm Bharat Biotech.

In its review of 498 "serious and severe events", 26 cases were reported to be "potential thromboembolic" following the administration of the AstraZeneca shot.

The ministry stressed that the rate of such events were 0.61 per million doses and that it was "much lower" than those reported in the UK.

It did not provide further details about the nature of the adverse events.

No clotting cases were reported after the Covaxin jab, the ministry added.

Indiawhich has reported nearly 25 million coronavirus cases so farhas been grappling with a huge new wave of infections that has overwhelmed the healthcare system and led to severe shortages of hospital beds, oxygen and critical medicines.

The country has halted exports of vaccines to meet local demand.

Explore further India reviews AstraZeneca side effects after concerns in Europe

 2021 AFP
Early screening for autism can speed up diagnosis and treatment, and now new research shows that pediatricians are more likely to act when parents express concerns.

According to pediatricians surveyed in the study, only 39% of toddlers who had failed a screening looking for autism signs were then referred to additional expert evaluation.

"The lack of referral follow-through was because pediatricians thought that the results of the screen were wrong," said lead researcher Karen Pierce, a professor in the department of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego.

However, "if a parent noted that they were concerned, the referral rate increased to 70%," Pierce said in a university news release.

"If you are a parent and have even minor concerns about how your child is developing, you must speak up. Don't wait. Your voice carries weight," she advised.

For the study, her team used a network of 203 pediatricians who screened more than 59,400 infants or toddlers at their 12-, 18- and 24-month check-ups.

Parents also completed a questionnaire about their child's use of eye contact, words, gestures and other forms of communication.

Pediatricians were asked to indicate if they were referring toddlers for further evaluation and, if not, why not.

In all, nearly 900 children failed the screening and received further evaluation. Among these kids, more than 400 were diagnosed with autism, the study authors said.

About 60% of those children were assessed at their 12-month well-baby visits and received a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment referral by 15 months.

"There is extensive evidence that early therapy can have a positive impact on the developing brain," Pierce said. "The opportunity to diagnose and thus begin treatment for autism around a child's first birthday has enormous potential to change outcomes for children affected with the disorder. These toddlers... began treatment roughly three years earlier than the national average of 52 months."

The report was published recently in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Explore further Early screening tool leads to earlier diagnosis and treatment for autism spectrum disorder

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Devices that deliver nicotine without smoke inhalation have potential to help smokers who cannot or do not want to stop using nicotine to reduce dramatically the risk of smoking-related disease and death.

However, for smokers to switch to these alternatives, the products need to provide what smokers expect from cigarettes.

The newest study from Queen Mary University of London evaluates safety and effects of these products and has focused on the most popular 'heat not burn' product, IQOS.

The researchers compared nicotine delivery and user ratings of IQOS with those of cigarettes, Juul (the US version of a 'pod' based e-cigarette with high nicotine content), and refillable e-cigarettes.

IQOS delivered less nicotine than cigarettes. It had also lower nicotine delivery than Juul, and was less effective in reducing urges to smoke. Compared to traditional refillable e-cigarettes, IQOS provided nicotine faster, but received less favorable ratings.

The study concludes that, for quitting smoking, IQOS may be less effective than the US version of Juul (the version sold in the UK has very low nicotine delivery because of EU regulations and so it is less likely to be useful). IQOS could be as effective as refillable e-cigarettes, although study participants preferred refillable e-cigarettes.

Author Professor Peter Hajek from Queen Mary University of London said: "IQOS is likely to be useful to help smokers quit, particularly in countries like Japan, where e-cigarettes are banned; but in countries where e-cigarettes are available, they are likely to remain the more popular choice."

More information: Nicotine delivery and user ratings of IQOS heated tobacco system compared to cigarettes, Juul and refillable e-cigarettes. Nicotine & Tobacco Research (2021). Journal information: Nicotine & Tobacco Research Nicotine delivery and user ratings of IQOS heated tobacco system compared to cigarettes, Juul and refillable e-cigarettes.(2021). DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntab094/6275288
People walk on the street, Monday, April 26, 2021 in New York. The once-a-decade head count of the United States shows where the population grew during the past 10 years and where it shrank. New York will lose one seat in Congress as a result of national population shifts, according to census data released Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In Alaska, West Virginia and other mostly rural states, census takers relied more on the word of neighbors, landlords and others for information about a home's residents. In New Jersey, New York and other more densely populated states in the Mid-Atlantic region, they were more likely to come away from a household lacking basic information on race, sex and ethnic background.

An Associated Press review of the first data-quality measurements released by the U.S. Census Bureau last month shows some early patterns that may point to red flags in the data that could emerge when more detailed numbers from the 2020 census are released in August.

While it's too early to reach any conclusions about the accuracy of the data gathered during the once-a-decade head count, these types of responsesa reliance on proxies for answers and just a head count with no basic demographic informationresult in poorer quality data compared to other methods.

Poor quality data can diminish the political power and resources available to communities across the U.S.: Children who are missed in the census deprive communities of money for building schools, and undercounting racial or ethnic minorities prevents them from forming minority-majority political districts.

The bureau released data quality measurements last month as part of an effort to engender confidence in the numbers following a head count challenged by the spread of the new coronavirus, concerns about politicization by the Trump administration and natural disasters. The bureau also is allowing a team of outside statisticians to perform quality checks.

In this Jan. 20, 2020, file photo, census workers verify that their maps match up to the right amount of houses in Toksook Bay, Alaska, a mostly Yup'ik village on the edge of the Bering Sea. Alaska's population grew by 23,160 people, or 3.3%, in the last decade, according to the first numbers released Monday for the 2020 Census. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

The measurements include state-by-state breakdowns of rates of households that answered the census questionnaire on their own, the percentage of households where a member answered a census taker's questions and the rate of households where information was gathered from administrative records from agencies like the IRS or Social Security Administration. Answers gathered from these methods are considered higher quality than proxies and population-only counts.

"We will learn more when smaller geography data is released," said Jan Vink, a demographer at Cornell University.

Besides Alaska and West Virginia, other rural states that had the highest rates of household answers coming from proxies such as neighbors and landlords included Maine, Montana, Vermont and New Mexico. In these states, census takers relied on information from proxies for between almost a quarter and a third of households. Puerto Rico's rate was 37.3%.

Nationally, the rate was 18.2%, a little less than the 2010 rate of 19.5%, but the bureau for the first time used administrative records in 2020, which helped fill in some of those information gaps.

States that will gain or lose congressional seats in the wake of the 2020 census.

These same states and Puerto Rico are also places where large numbers of households got counted from a bureau operation geared towards rural and remote communities that often lack mail delivery at their homes. Known as "Update/Leave," it involved census takers dropping off paper questionnaires at homes. The operation's launch coincided with the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. in March 2020, and was suspended for two months as the pandemic spread.

While it's too early to reach any conclusions about the fairness or accuracy of the 2020 count, the correlation between the high use of proxies and the fact these states had large numbers of households covered by this operation "raises an important red flag that needs to be examined further," said Steven Romalewski, director of the CUNY Mapping Service.

When it came to households where census takers only got a head count without demographic information, the national rate was a 5.9%. But it was higher for states in the Mid-Atlantic region, some with the nation's highest population densities, as well as the District of Columbia. It ranged between almost 8% and 12% for the District of Columbia, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

In a statement, the Census Bureau confirmed the findings of the AP review. In 2010, those mostly rural states also had higher rates of proxy responses compared to other states. Residents in these states tend to self-respond at lower rates, requiring census takers to visit their homes, said Mike Bentley, the bureau's assistant division chief for Census Statistical Support.

People walk on the street, Monday, April 26, 2021 in New York. The once-a-decade head count of the United States shows where the population grew during the past 10 years and where it shrank. New York will lose one seat in Congress as a result of national population shifts, according to census data released Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Regarding the higher head count-only responses in the Mid-Atlantic states, Bentley said, "It is something that we are exploring further."

One of the questions the bureau needs to ask is if the failed effort by the Trump administration to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census had a residual effect on residents refusing to provide personal information, said Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Saenz also serves on a bureau advisory committee.

At the same time, because of the Trump administration's attempts to politicize the 2020 census, the bureau needs to determine if people were more willing to provide false information about their neighbors or tenants when proxies were used, Saenz said.

"If you are a Latino family, and a census taker is asking about you, and your proxy is a Trump lover, is this the first census where we have to worry about whether a proxy lied?" Saenz said.

Explore further The census goes digital: 3 things to know

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline announced Monday that their coronavirus vaccine candidate produced powerful responses in a preliminary trial that followed an earlier setback in the vaccine's development.

In selected data that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, the vaccine "triggered strong immune response amongst adults of all age groups with 95% to 100% seroconversion [antibodies in blood] rates," the companies said in a statement. More details on the Phase 2 study will be published soon, they added.

Trial volunteers showed neutralizing antibodies that closely matched those found in people who had recovered from the disease, the companies noted. The drugmakers added that they plan to begin a Phase 3 trial soon and hope to win U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the vaccine before the end of 2021.

The data suggests the vaccine has "potential ... in the broader context of the pandemic, including the need to address variants and to provide for booster doses," GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Vaccines President Roger Connor said in a statement. "We believe that this vaccine candidate can make a significant contribution to the ongoing fight against COVID-19 and will move to Phase 3 [trials] as soon as possible to meet our goal of making it available before the end of the year."

The FDA has already authorized three COVID-19 vaccines, though experts say more are needed as public health officials around the world race to vaccinate their residents.

The Sanofi-GSK vaccine was an important part of the European Union's original vaccination strategy, but researchers had to go back to the drawing board after early testing produced only a weak immune response in older people, the Associated Press reported.

It now joins about a dozen vaccines in late-stage trials. Sanofi/GSK plan to produce up to 1 billion doses annually, and they have signed agreements to supply the United States, Canada and developing countries once the vaccine is approved, the AP said.

"We know multiple vaccines will be needed, especially as variants continue to emerge and the need for effective and booster vaccines which can be stored at normal temperatures increases," Thomas Triomphe, head of Sanofi's vaccines unit, said in a statement.

In the Phase 2 trial, 722 volunteers aged 18 to 95 were recruited in the United States and Honduras.

The vaccine showed even stronger antibody results in people who had already recovered from the virus. Sanofi said that makes it a potentially strong candidate as a booster shot in the future for those who have already been vaccinated with rival products.

The Phase 3 trial will involve about 37,000 participants from countries around the world, the companies said. They plan to study its efficacy against the virus variant first identified in South Africa, and potentially others as well.

Loosened mask guidance raises questions of enforcement

While millions of Americans rejoiced in the news last week that the fully vaccinated can now skip masks in most indoor and outdoor settings, some worried that it will be nearly impossible to distinguish those who have gotten their shots from those who have not.

"I think the challenge is that it's impossible to determine who is vaccinated and who is not vaccinated," said Gov. David Ige of Hawaii, where a mask mandate will stay in place for the moment, The New York Times reported.

During a media briefing on the new mask guidance, President Joe Biden made it clear that the federal government was not going to take on that role.

"We're not going to go out and arrest people," added Biden. "If you haven't been vaccinated, wear your mask for your own protection and the protection of the people who also have not been vaccinated yet."

The new guidance caught state officials by surprise and raised questions about how the guidelines would be carried out. Some states lifted mask mandates immediately, while others took a more cautious approach, the Times reported.

More than 123.3 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, 44% of the population, CDC data shows. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their last dose of vaccine.

Despite concerns about how to enforce the new mask guidance, the move was welcomed by infectious disease experts.

"Ample evidence indicates that vaccinated people contribute little to the spread of the virus," said Luis Schang, a professor of molecular virology at Cornell University's School of Veterinary Medicine, in Ithaca, N.Y. "With the continuous increases in the number of vaccinated peoplereaching now about half of the eligible population, in addition to those who have been naturally infectedthe proportion of people who may be asymptomatically infected and shedding virus continues to decrease."

The nation's top infectious diseases expert agreed a turning point has been reached.

"We've got to liberalize the restrictions so people can feel like they're getting back to some normalcy," Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview, the Times reported. "Pulling back restrictions on indoor masks is an important step in the right direction."

Pfizer vaccine given OK for use in adolescents

In a decision that clears the way for schools to reopen safely next fall, U.S. health officials last week gave their final stamp of approval for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine to be offered to children aged 12 to 15.

The anouncement came as COVID-19 cases and deaths in this country have plummeted to their lowest levels in months.

COVID-19 deaths are now averaging around 600 per day, the lowest tally since early July, with the number of lives lost dropping to single digits in well over half of states, the AP reported. Meanwhile, confirmed infections have fallen to about 38,000 per day, their lowest level since mid-September. Reported cases have declined 85% from a daily peak of more than a quarter-million in early January.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, told the AP that vaccinations have played a pivotal role in the lower case numbers.

"The primary objective is to deny this virus the ability to kill at the rate that it could, and that has been achieved," he said. "We have in effect tamed the virus."

Federal health officials plan to keep those case numbers down with increased vaccination efforts.

An advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted last Wednesday to recommend the vaccine for use in adolescents. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky adopted the recommendation shortly thereafter.

"This official CDC action opens vaccination to approximately 17 million adolescents in the United States and strengthens our nation's efforts to protect even more people from the effects of COVID-19," Walensky said during a media briefing.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also issued a new policy statement that recommends the coronavirus vaccine for all eligible children ages 12 and older.

"This is truly an exciting development that allows us to protect a large population of children and help them regain their lives after a really rough year," said AAP President Dr. Lee Savio Beers. "As a pediatrician and a parent, I have looked forward to getting my own children and patients vaccinated, and I am thrilled that those ages 12 and older can now be protected. The data continue to show that this vaccine is safe and effective. I urge all parents to call their pediatrician to learn more about how to get their children and teens vaccinated."

Though children are less likely to suffer severe COVID, the coronavirus has infected more than 1.5 million children and sent more than 13,000 to hospitals, more than are hospitalized for flu in an average year, according to CDC data, the Times said.

As of Monday, the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 32.9 million, while the death toll neared 586,000, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, over 163.1 million cases had been reported by Monday, with nearly 3.4 million people dead from COVID-19.

Explore further With new mask guidance comes the challenge of following it

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus

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Credit: American Heart Association

Major announcements this week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are moving the U.S. closer to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in this country. The FDA issued a decision to authorize emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in 12 through 15-year-old adolescents, a move the CDC quickly endorsed. Additionally, CDC officials announced that people who are fully vaccinated can resume most normal activities without wearing a mask or social distancing, except in cases governed by certain laws and regulations.

The American Heart Association, the world's leading voluntary organization dedicated to a world of longer, healthier lives, supports these new recommendations and continues to urge everyone who is eligible, now including adolescents, to get the COVID-19 vaccine available to them.

"We support this new guidance from the CDC loosening restrictions on wearing masks and social distancing because of the growing evidence that vaccines are nearly 100% effective against deaths and hospitalization from COVID," said American Heart Association President Mitchell Elkind, M.D., M.S., FAHA, FAAN, a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and attending neurologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. "These recommendations are safe for the majority of our heart disease and stroke survivors because they have the same benefits from vaccines as people who don't have cardiovascular disease."

Additionally, Elkind noted that vaccination is especially important for people of all ages with cardiovascular disease or other chronic conditions like high blood pressure, obesity or diabetes, because these individuals are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.

Credit: American Heart Association

"The risk of COVID-19 causing death and disability is vastly higher than the risk of vaccine adverse effects," he said. "We are also concerned about the long-term effects of COVID-19. Even if you don't get severely ill right now, or even have serious symptoms, you still could have long-term damage that causes health problems down the road."

Most children with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or exhibit only mild symptoms. But some children have developed a more serious inflammatory syndrome, often leading to hospitalization and occasionally requiring intensive care. And as more adults are getting vaccinated, children are among the fastest growing group to contract the virus.

"We are pleased that vaccination is now approved for our younger population. Even our most vulnerable children and teens with congenital heart disease can be safely vaccinated," said Shelley Miyamoto, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association's Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young (Young Hearts) and director of the cardiomyopathy program at Children's Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs. "We are hearing of more cases of young people suffering long-term health effects associated with COVID-19, which could drastically impact a bright future ahead of them. But it's even more likely they could spread the virus to other people who are at greater risk such as a parent, grandparent, a teacher at school or anyone in the community."

Miyamoto noted that, as with the vaccine for adults, the vaccine for younger children has been through rigorous testing and thorough review by the FDA and CDC. Over 2,000 adolescents between 12-15 were in the clinical trials, and among those who received it, the vaccine was 100% effective at preventing COVID. The side effects for children between 12-15 are largely the same as those for adults. Except in rare cases, they may have a sore arm or feel more tired or get a headache or chills.

"The Association is confident the benefits of vaccination for all far exceed the very small, rare risks. The benefits also far outweigh the risks of COVID-19 and its potentially fatal consequences," Elkind said. "Among those benefits is getting to be with people we love and to take part in the activities we've been missing. It's been a long year, and all of that is closer to becoming reality."
Abu Dhabi Exports Office (Adex), the export-financing arm of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), has signed a $30 million line-of-credit agreement with the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) to bolster trade between the UAE and the banks member states.



The partnership is the first of its kind to be signed by Adex with a foreign financial institution.



The trade finance facility agreement was signed during a virtual ceremony by Saeed Al Dhaheri, Acting Director General of Adex, and Admassu Tadesse, TDB Group Managing Director and CEO.



Through the facility, Adex will provide the line of credit to TDB for the purpose of extending loans to buyers and importers from the Banks Member States to purchase goods and services from UAE sources.



The agreement reflects the proactive role Adex plays to support the UAE to diversify its economy, while offering many benefits to its partners. It is also aligned with TDBs role in intermediating global and regional capital to drive impact in the Member States it serves. In that spirit, the partnership will give much-needed support to both exporters and importers at a time when the global economy is facing challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.



Fulfilling mutual interest through strategic partnerships is key to Adexs effort to turn into reality its vision to drive sustainable economic growth at home and abroad, said Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD and Chairman of the Export Executive Committee of Adex. The agreement constitutes an ideal partnership that benefits everyone.



The agreement is in line with the UAE Governments policy to support and promote trade relationships that equally benefit partner organisations and Emirati exporters, enabling them to expand their businesses, as well as their contribution to economic diversification and sustainable development in the UAE and abroad. It is also consistent with TDBs mandate to finance and foster trade, regional economic integration and sustainable development in its Member States.



Saeed Al Dhaheri, Acting Director General of Adex, described the agreement as an integral part of Adexs core strategy to help national companies expand their footprint and support the UAEs economic diversification effort. He called it an ideal partnership that helps the export-financing entity to directly drive growth for the national export economy, while enabling a broader range of importers to obtain credit on more competitive terms.



This is not only a difficult time for UAE exporters, but it is also a challenging time for their overseas buyers, particularly smaller importers who cannot access any direct credit facilities from export-financing institutions.



Both are dealing with liquidity and cash flow issues, delayed supplier payments and limited access to financing. Through our partnership with TDB, we intend to provide a solution to these challenges that enables both the exporter and importer to fund mutually beneficial transactions quickly and easily. Thus, the agreement is a win-win for both parties, Al Dhaheri said.



Admassu Tadesse, TDB Group Managing Director and CEO, pointed out that that trade between the UAE and Africa has doubled over the past five years, while it has grown about eight-fold in the past 15 years.The statistics signal a growing interest of businesses in the UAE and our region to build stronger trade relations. We are pleased to support their ambitions through this agreement with Adex, he said.



He expressed hope that the agreement will help the beneficiaries unlock their potential by creating more opportunities for them, and that in turn, they will contribute more substantially to the common endeavour of Adex and TDB towards sustainable development.



Michael Awori, TDB Deputy CEO and COO said: through its trade finance operations, among other impacts, TDB plays a key role in the importation of strategic commodities that are essential to energy and food security, and to support industrialization and higher productivity via the imports of equipment.



Alongside the facility, a cooperation agreement was also signed between both institutions to lay further foundations upon which business and trade between the UAE and Africa can be promoted. In that context, TDB and Adex will explore possibilities to co-finance qualifying transactions and establish additional lines of credit, and encourage the exchange of information regarding relevant parties and possible transactions which can support the underlying objectives of the agreement.  TradeArabia News Service
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A virtual brain bank could maximize the potential of brain donation by extending the core physical bank to include existing repositories of clinical tissues and data, according to the authors of a Perspective published today by the Medical Journal of Australia.

Dr. Amanda Rush, from the NSW Health Statewide Biobank, and Associate Professor Greg Sutherland, from the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney, wrote that in Australia "that post-mortem brain tissue is a key component of neuroscience research." However, "autopsies in general are now uncommon" and "brain removal is not routinely included as part of an autopsy or post mortem examination."

"For brain donor programs, brain removal logistics are often complex and costly, with reliance on in-kind support from funeral directors, clinicians and mortuary staff," Rush and Sutherland wrote.

"After tissue harvesting, brains require specialist processing expertise and large storage areas, resulting in increased labor and space costs.

"The timing and finality of brain removal can also have an impact on the collection of longitudinal clinical data, which may require medical records departmental input and/or facilitation by family members."

With the predicted rise in the morbidity and mortality of dementia, and "reported increases in the prevalence of mental health in Australia" there is a growing need for "research into risk factors and therapies for neurological diseases."

"In the future, even larger cohorts will be required to examine the probable gene environment interactions that confer risk for many sporadic brain diseases," they wrote.

"We propose a novel brain banking strategy that maximizes the potential of brain donation by extending the core physical bank to include existing repositories of clinical tissues and data, creating a virtual brain bank."

Rush and Sutherland proposed a next-generation brain bank which incorporates alternative technologies into a "suite of products offered to researchers."

"An integrated brain bank could extend their involvement to more comprehensive clinical data collection, generation and analysis," Rush and Sutherland wrote.

"This would make samples and derivatives such as serum, DNA, images and genetic/-omic data available for researchers, allowing brain banks to contribute to research on brain diseases for living patients.

"We suggest extending this approach beyond just a brain focus by "integrating into multi-purpose biobanking initiatives.

"In this scenario, the brain bank could remain responsible for the characterisation and provision of brain-related tissue and data but be just one component in an integrated resource that characterizes the lifespan of an individual donor."

The authors concluded that:

"To be most effective, biobanking needs to change its modus operandi from a static operation that banks tissue indefinitely to one that is actively involved in the research processa so-called biolibrary.

"By integrating with wider biobanking initiatives, next-generation brain banks can contribute to the clinical, pathological and clinicopathological characterisation of a range of tissues and data for researchers of all disease interests.

"Importantly, a virtual brain bank or brain and body biolibrary will create future research synergies that otherwise would not be achieved."

More information: Amanda Rush et al. The future of brain banking in Australia: an integrated brain and body biolibrary, Medical Journal of Australia (2021). Journal information: Medical Journal of Australia Amanda Rush et al. The future of brain banking in Australia: an integrated brain and body biolibrary,(2021). DOI: 10.5694/mja2.51049

Provided by Medical Journal of Australia (MJA)
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Glaucoma involves a high risk of losing sight. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and St. Erik Eye Hospital, among others, have now studied the effects of nicotinamide, the amide of vitamin B, on animal and cell models for glaucoma. The study, published in Redox Biology, may be a future neuroprotective therapy in glaucoma in humans. A clinical trial will start in the autumn.

Glaucoma affects 80 million patients globally and approximately 100,000-200,000 in Sweden.

In glaucoma, the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, is progressively damaged, often in association with elevated pressure inside the eye.

The only treatment strategies currently available target the pressure in the eye using eye drops or surgery.

Despite the availability of these treatments, the risk of blindness in at least one eye is still high.

Most people with glaucoma are over 50 years old and there is an inherited increased risk.

Focus on new treatments

What causes optic nerve degeneration in glaucoma is not entirely known, but there is currently a large focus on identifying new treatments that prevent retinal ganglion cells (the output nerves of the retina) from dying, as well as trying to repair vision loss through the regeneration of diseased nerve fibers in the optic nerve.

Previously, scientists have identified that the molecule NAD declines in the retina in an age-dependent manner and renders retinal ganglion cells susceptible to neurodegeneration.

Preventing NAD depletion via administration of nicotinamide (the amide of vitamin B3, a NAD precursor) robustly prevents glaucoma in chronic animal models.

They also demonstrated that elevating NAD levels through nicotinamide administration can improve visual function in existing glaucoma patients.

Numerous neuroprotective effects

In a large international study, researchers at among others Karolinska Institutet, St. Erik Eye Hospital, Singapore National Eye Center, Singapore, and Cardiff University in the UK have now examined several effects of nicotinamide on the visual system under both normal conditions and in glaucoma.

In the current study, the scientists investigated many of the effects that nicotinamide has on the visual system (in normal conditions and during glaucoma). This is an important step for moving treatments from the lab to the clinic.

"We have confirmed nicotinamide's neuroprotection in additional cell and animal models that recapitulate isolated features of glaucoma but are also common neurodegenerative features. We also have developed sensitive tools to investigate NAD metabolism, and the metabolism of other essential metabolites, in the visual system," says the study's first author James Tribble, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet, and in the Williams laboratory at St. Erik Eye Hospital. "We demonstrated that systemic nicotinamide administration has limited molecular side-effects, but provides a robust reversal of the disease metabolic profile of glaucoma prone animals."

The researchers' work has, among other things, resulted in several tools for investigating the protective effect of nicotinamide.

"Using these varied platforms, we determined that nicotinamide provides numerous neuroprotective effects. These include buffering and preventing metabolic stress, and increasing mitochondrial size and mobility to provide an environment where retinal ganglion cells are less susceptible to glaucoma related stresses," says corresponding author Pete Williams, Assistant Professor and Research Group Leader for glaucoma at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet, and St. Erik Eye Hospital. "These data support the continued determination of the utility of long-term nicotinamide treatment as a neuroprotective therapy for human glaucoma."

In autumn 2021, the long-term clinical Swedish Glaucoma Nicotinamide Trial, led by Umea University, Karolinska Institutet and St. Erik Eye Hospital will begin.

"What we have demonstrated in cell and animal models is directly making its way to patients in the Swedish health care system," says Pete Williams. "This exemplifies our commitment to generating translatable treatments for glaucoma."

Explore further Hopes of new treatment strategies for glaucoma

More information: James R. Tribble et al. Nicotinamide provides neuroprotection in glaucoma by protecting against mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction, Redox Biology (2021). James R. Tribble et al. Nicotinamide provides neuroprotection in glaucoma by protecting against mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2021.101988
'Captured alive on May 8, killed on May 17 in alleged clash with Sabah police' FIVE ABU Sayyaf terrorists were killed following an a...
Missoula mayoral candidate Jacob Elder said Monday he is the subject of an ongoing University of Montana Title IX investigation opened into his personal conduct last year.

The investigation alleges he sexually assaulted a woman he was on a date with in January 2020, he said.

He and a woman were at a movie together when he asked her for a kiss that she was not comfortable with, he said. He had had a beer at the movie, he added.

In the days following the date, Elder was alerted to a complaint that had been made to UM's Title IX office by the woman regarding concern about him driving following alcohol consumption at the movie, he said.

The university is involved because both Elder and the woman are students at the law school, he said.

The UM Title IX Office is responsible for handling the universitys response to reported sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual assault. Investigations are conducted when a victim files a report. Victims are allowed to report without participating in the investigation, according to the UM Title IX website.
While running errands downtown Monday morning, Chad Christiansen saw the vandalism out of the corner of his eye. He stopped, took a picture and posted a photo of the vandalism on Facebook, where it has been re-shared across Helena classified groups.

It doesnt matter what your religious beliefs are, you dont disrespect a sacred place like this, Christiansen said.

According to the archdiocese of Helena communications director Dan Bartleson, the graffiti was not present on the Cathedral of St. Helena during church services on Sunday. Bartleson said the church, at 530 N. Ewing St., will carefully remove the graffiti and it could take some time. The stone and wood that was vandalized are carefully preserved and original to the church, thus the paint has to be removed carefully as to not damage these surfaces, he explained.

The archdiocese is not able to make an official statement at this time. Bartleson said Bishop Austin Vetter was out on Monday. However, Bartleson said they are working with police.

Anyone with information on possible suspects or damage to their property is asked to contact the Helena Police Department at 406-457-8865.
Montana reported another 39 COVID-19 cases on Monday in an update to the state case mapping and information website.

As of Monday, there were 1,055 active cases in the state. The states official death toll from the disease remained at 1,598.

Total cases in Montana have reached 110,723.

The number of vaccine doses administered had reached 771,705 by Monday. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services reports that 369,505 Montanans, or roughly 34% of the states residents, are considered fully vaccinated.

Active hospitalizations for COVID-19 were reported to be at 63 statewide. Total hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Montana have reached 5,157.

Of the COVID-19 cases in Montana, 108,070 are considered recovered, meaning the people infected meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for a person to be released from isolation.

By Monday 701 more tests had been completed. Since the start of the pandemic, Montana health care workers have taken more than 1.3 million COVID-19 tests.

Counties added the following number of cases in the Monday update:

 Flathead County with 16 (118 active)
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

A plane from Manchester, England, disembarked the first of more than 5,000 tourists expected to arrive on 17 U.K. flights in Portugals southern Algarve region on the first day nonessential travel was allowed.

As local temperatures climbed toward a forecast high of 32 C (90 F), the tourists were met at Faro airport by workers handing out COVID-19 welcome kits containing masks and disinfectant, and by the head of the Algarve tourist authority.

The arrivals brightened the outlook for Portugals crucial tourism sector, especially the sun and surf resorts along the Algarve coast which relies heavily on the U.K. market and where hotels shut down for most of the past year.

Arriving tourists needed to show a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken within the previous 72 hours.

Both Portugal and the United Kingdom have reduced their seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people to between three and four. Authorities said that rate was low enough to relax restrictions.
When we put those numbers together with guns and alcohol, it puts many more of our young people at risk at this susceptible time of their lives. Twenty-nine percent of suicide victims in America were found with alcohol in their system and alcohol use is a risk factor consistently implicated in college student suicidality. College students have high rates of past-year drinking (75.5%), heavy episodic drinking (18.7%) and alcohol use disorders (38.1%).

Adding easy access to firearms gives a college student a deadly means to kill themselves. Between 60 and 65% of all Montana suicides are by firearms and eighty five percent of gun suicide attempts are fatal. And yet almost half of all people who have survived a suicide attempt report that they spent less than 10 minutes deliberating between the emergence of suicidal thoughts and the actual attempt. Therefore, delaying access is important so that someone has time to consider their actions. Especially delaying access to lethal firearms.

The fact that HB 201 focuses on the campus community having firearms available for defense is irrelevant to the issue of college-age students killing themselves. Between 2001 and 2016, 167 students were killed by guns on college campuses. Although this is a tragedy resulting in too many young lives lost, the number pales beside the number of college aged adults who killed themselves with firearms.
Jawhara Jewellery, an award winning jewellery retailer in the GCC, became one of the earliest companies to be honoured by the Department of Economic Development (DED) with the Consumer Friendly Company certificate.

The recent win reflects on the brand goodwill and Jawharas dedication to the consumer-friendly environment in Dubai.

Upon receiving the award, Tamjid Abdullah Deputy CEO of Jawhara Jewellery, said: "Consumer Friendly Company award is a great government initiative to improve customer satisfaction levels and raise consumer confidence in Dubai's retail offerings. It is an honor to receive the award and we strongly believe that our customers are the core of our business, and therefore delivering great customer service is part of our corporate value. We will continuously strive towards improving our processes and services to ensure the best experience for our customers."

Launched by the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP sector in Dubai Economy), the Consumer Friendly Company Award honours private sector businesses for their efforts in raising the bar on customer service standards.

The assessment was the first-of-its-kind consumer-friendly standards conducted in the region. There are four evaluation criteria grouped under two themes  sustainability and competitiveness. The sustainability theme includes the strategy and communication criteria, while competitiveness covers customer care and development. Businesses are evaluated periodically for consumer-friendliness will support them in evolving strategic plans and channels for communicating with consumers. The results of the first evaluation provide an opportunity for businesses to elevate their consumer-friendliness across both themes.

Recently, Jawhara Jewellery was also recognised at the Retail Jewellers Award 2021 for the Best Mothers Day Jewellery collection of the year.

Abdullah, further added: The team at Jawhara is excited, as we are receiving awards for our products and the services. This only helps in consumer confidence and instill their trust in our brand and our staff. -- TradeArabia News Service
ASHEBORO  A mother and her 8-month-old child have been reunited after a man stole a vehicle with the child inside and led authorities on a lengthy chase Monday morning, Asheboro police said in a news release.

James Allen Harris, 32, has been charged with kidnapping and larceny of a vehicle.

Officers responded to a Harbor Freight Tools in Asheboro and spoke to a mother who told police she left her vehicle parked in front of the store to pick up an item she ordered. The mother left the vehicle running and unlocked, with her child inside, according to police.

While the mother was inside the store, a man got into the vehicle and drove away, police said.

With help from a cellphone provider, authorities accessed location information from a phone left inside the vehicle. The vehicle left Asheboro city limits, leading Randolph County Sheriff's Office deputies to respond to the last location the cellphone was known to be.

Deputies found the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the driver refused, leading to a pursuit through areas south and west of Asheboro, police said.

It is unclear how the pursuit ended, but authorities said Harris was apprehended and the child was found unharmed inside the vehicle, police said.
There are still many rural, religious, conservative white voters. In both 2016 and 2020, the Trump turnout surprised Democratic pollsters.

James Carville, the sharp-tongued Democratic warhorse, thinks the problem is language. In a scathing interview with Vox, he said, Wokeness is a problem, and we all know it. Democrats are guilty of faculty lounge language.

You ever get the sense that people in faculty lounges in fancy colleges use a different language than ordinary people? he said. They come up with a word like Latinx that no one else uses. Or they use a phrase like communities of color. I dont know anyone who speaks like that. I dont know anyone who lives in a community of color. I know lots of white and Black and brown people and they all live in ... neighborhoods.

Theres nothing inherently wrong with these phrases. But this is not how people talk. This is not how voters talk. And doing it anyway is a signal that youre talking one language and the people you want to vote for you are speaking another language.

He added, And maybe tweeting that we should abolish the police isnt the smartest thing to do.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  The murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst resumed Monday without the defendant present and with arguments about whether the case should continue after a rare 14-month recess.

Judge Mark Windham questioned jurors in Los Angeles County Superior Court to see if they can complete their assignment that was interrupted in March 2020 during the pandemic. If so, it could be a first for the U.S. legal system.

So, where did we leave off? Windham said as jurors laughed.

The length of the stoppage is unprecedented and its the highest-profile U.S. case postponed because of the pandemic, Dursts lawyers say. They have repeatedly  and unsuccessfully  sought a mistrial because they argued the delay harmed his chance of a fair trial.

Durst, 78, an heir to a New York commercial real estate empire, has pleaded not guilty in the killing of his best friend, Susan Berman, at her Los Angeles home in 2000.

Windham, wearing a black mask, approached the 22 jurors  one fewer than before the recess  and addressed the many losses of the pandemic.

Youve likely had losses or like me know people that have lost loved ones, he said.
"I hope that we get these two fundamental rights restored to not only Native Americans here in Montana, but for everyone, as they are vital to the success of our elections," Western Native Voice Political Director Keaton Sunchild said Monday.

In the lawsuit, which names Republican Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen as a defendant, the groups argue that the two laws are part of a broader scheme by the Montana Legislature to disenfranchise Native American voters." Jacobsen is the state's top elections official.

In a statement provided by her office Monday, Jacobsen said, "The voters of Montana spoke when they elected a Secretary of State that promised improved election integrity with voter ID and voter registration deadlines, and we will work hard to defend those measures."

Ballot collection, sometimes referred to as ballot harvesting, is a practice commonly used by get-out-the-vote groups, in which organizations submit completed mail-in ballots collected from voters. Sunchild said his organization collected and turned in more than 500 ballots from reservation residents during the 2020 general election. There are no known instances of those practices being tied to voter fraud or ballot tampering in the state.
A woman who escaped from the Montana Women's Prison on Friday was arrested Saturday and booked into the Yellowstone County Detention Facility that evening.

Lisa Anne Nester, 50, was discovered to be missing at roughly 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to a press release from the Montana Department of Corrections.

Nester was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service Montana Violent Offender Task Force. Task force members found her at about 8:30 p.m. on North 24th Street and Second Avenue North in Billings near the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office.

As of Sunday the YCDF online jail roster showed her being held on suspicion of felony escape.

In its Friday announcement that Nester had escaped, the state department of corrections had said they did not believe she posed any specific threat to public safety. She was reported to have connections in Carter, Montana and Grenora, North Dakota.

Nester's legal record on the Montana Department of Corrections online Correctional Offender Network Search lists her with three different convictions, including one for escape in Yellowstone County on June 6, 2015.
The more bellicose among us would already be demanding congressional hearings into that radicalization. and calling upon leaders of his community to disavow him. and pushing for surveillance of places where people who think like him congregate.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but there will be no congressional investigation into the impact of Fox News or any of its fellow travelers. No one will demand the City Council of Naperville, Illinois, repudiate this particular citizen. Nor will the FBI send agents to chat up the locals over breakfast in farm-country diners.

Because Antonio wasnt really radicalized, right? He only had Foxitis, which sounds like something you clear up with a shot of penicillin. The fact that Hurley frames his clients actions in such relatively benign language suggests he is depending on us to regard Antonio with the same myopia that allowed the Capitol to be breached in the first place.
At the same time, all elementary schools and high schools will fully reopen. Schoolchildren and students will be tested once a week.

The same applies for universities where, however, the spring term in many cases ends next week.

It will be also possible for up to 1,000 people to attend outdoor cultural events, while up to 500 are allowed at such events indoor.

Mondays announcement comes on the day when Czech bars and restaurants are reopening for outdoor dining.

The number of people infected per 100,000 inhabitants in last seven days has dropped to 71 in the Czech Republic.



BERLIN  Germanys health minister says the country will open up coronavirus vaccinations to everyone starting on June 7. Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters on Monday that the current system of prioritization in which the most vulnerable groups are to be vaccinated first will no longer be valid then.

The minister said, this does not mean that everyone will get an appointment within days, but ... everyone who wants to get vaccinated will get an offer.
Hamas also pressed on, launching rockets from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel. One slammed into a synagogue in the southern city of Ashkelon hours before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli emergency services said. No injuries were reported.

In the Israeli air assault early Sunday, families were buried under piles of cement rubble and twisted rebar. A yellow canary lay crushed on the ground. Shards of glass and debris covered streets blocks away from the major downtown thoroughfare where the three buildings were hit over the course of five minutes around 1 a.m.

The hostilities have repeatedly escalated over the past week, marking the worst fighting in the territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians since Israel and Hamas' devastating 2014 war.

I have not seen this level of destruction through my 14 years of work, said Samir al-Khatib, an emergency rescue official in Gaza. Not even in the 2014 war."

Rescuers furiously dug through the rubble using excavators and bulldozers amid clouds of heavy dust. One shouted, Can you hear me? into a hole. Minutes later, first responders pulled a survivor out. The Gaza Health Ministry said 16 women and 10 children were among those killed, with more than 50 people wounded.
Turespana has launched a new tool within its Travel Safe microsite, available on the official tourism portal (www.spain.info), for international tourists wishing to travel to Spain.

The new tool allows holidaymakers to consult Covid-19 travel restrictions to Spain as well as entry and exit requirements from their respective countries.

Travel Safe features a continually updated information system on Covid-19 travel restrictions, meaning all the necessary information for planning a trip from 50 countries is readily available.

The objective of this initiative is to help travellers organise their trip to Spain in a safe manner with all the information available in relation to Covid-19 restrictions, such as PCR tests and quarantines, as well as other prevention measures and regulations before, during and after the trip. The system is available in Spanish, English, French and German.

Tourists planning a trip to Spain will be able to find out the exit requirements from their country of origin, the entry requirements to Spain, the general measures that exist in Spain, and the requirements to return to their country of origin. Detailed information on the specific measures in force in each region is also available.

The information is available to travellers from 50 countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Communication Strategy Travel Safe. Travel Again

The Travel Safe microsite is the cornerstone of Turespanas Travel Safe. Travel Again. communication strategy. The strategy has been designed to reinforce the perception of Spain as a safe destination, highlighting Turespana as a leader in safe travel and restoring confidence in travelling to Spain. This strategy began in December 2020 and will remain in place until the international travel situation returns to normality.

The Travel Safe microsite is integrated into the official tourism portal of Spain (www.spain.info) and is available in nine languages (English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Japanese and Spanish). Since its launch, the microsite has had more than 2,000,000 visits. In addition to the new interactive map system, visitors can also find extensive information on how to travel and how to minismise the risk of contagion. Information is available in a variety of formats including downloadable check lists, articles, downloadable infographics, videos and guides. - TradeArabia News Service
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)  The candidate of a leftist-green group has taken a strong lead in voting for the mayor of Croatias capital, Zagreb, dealing a blow to the ruling conservatives, preliminary official results on Monday showed.
Inarajan Middle School eighth grader Joel Shaw smiles after troubleshooting a leaking sink he assembled during the 2019 GCA Construction Warriors training. A similar program for high school students is offered by the GCA Trades Academy during the summer and also will incorporate math and English classes for credit recovery.

The Guam Daily Post photo
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is interviewed during an "America First" rally in The Villages, Florida on May 7, 2021.

REUTERS
Millions of rand was siphoned from power utility Eskom through irregular contracts, excessive furniture spending, and a donation to a suspect foundation chaired by former president Jacob Zuma.

This is according to The Sunday Times, which was reporting on a series of investigative reports into Eskom contracts by law firm Bowmans.

The reports  which were obtained by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime  were initially commissioned by former Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe in 2018.

The latest findings revealed by The Sunday Times centre around suspicious contracts and spending which formed part of Eskoms construction of Kusile  a 4,800MW coal power plant being built in Mpumalanga.

Construction of Kusile has been hampered by corrupt contracts and design defects, which delayed its completion date by several years and increased its construction cost by more than R160-billion.

The project first started in 2008 and all six units were originally planned to be completed by 2014. However, by 2019 only Unit 1 was in commercial operation.

Various technical modifications have had to be made to the station to address the design problems.

Eskom in March announced that a third unit at the station had achieved commercial operational status, bringing the completion of the power plant to its halfway mark. It is now expected to be completed by 2023.

Deputy President David Mabuza recently commended the leadership of Eskom on progress made in the construction and correction of the design defects after a visit to the power station.

Power and mining expert Ted Blom previously blamed the cause for Kusiles performance issues on the corrupt switching of tenders to the benefit of Hitachi.

The tender contracts for Medupi and Kusile were corrupt from day one, Blom said.

Hitachi tendered for the turbines and are well-known worldwide for turbine execution, while Alstom tendered for the boilers.

The powers that be at Eskom swapped the tender offers and Hitachi ended up with what they didnt tender for  the boilers  and Alstom ended up with the turbines, Blom said.

This resulted in big performance issues at the power station  particularly with the boilers  which only had 20% availability at Kusile.

Blom claimed Hitachi got the boiler contract because it was the larger tender.

Notably, the ANCs investment company, Chancellor House, owned shares in Hitachi Power Africa (HPA), having bought them for R1.25 million in 2005.

The Bowmans reports claim the corruption at Kusile went even further.

Among the most notable revelations reported by the Sunday Times were:

Contractor Stefanutti Stocks and Basil Read (SSBR) had its initial R1.79-billion Kusile construction contract hiked by a further R903 million through irregular additions to the required work.

Former Eskom senior manager for Capital Contracts France Hlakudi helped secure a R100,000 donation paid by SSBR to a foundation linked to Jacob Zumas family. Beyond a launch event, there is no proof that the foundation had any further activities.

Eskom bosses and contractor representatives colluded to initiate a R15-million productivity study on the Kusile project. There is no evidence that this study was conducted.

Former Eskom group executive for group capital Abram Masango had a personal interest in inflated furniture purchases worth R22 million.

The latter finding came after a whistleblower working at Eskoms group capital department witnessed a minibus taxi deliver some of the ordered furniture.

These were planned to be used in the R840 million Wilge Residential Development, a housing complex intended for workers at Kusile.

Work on the 336-unit housing complex  which was intended to house workers at Kusile  was halted due to steep cost overruns in its six years of construction.

The furniture purchased at inflated prices for the complex included:

R18,000 for a pool table typically priced at R3,500, a 425% mark-up.

typically priced at R3,500, a 425% mark-up. R2,900 for desks currently priced at R499, a 481% mark-up.

currently priced at R499, a 481% mark-up. R4,400 for two-seater couches worth R500, a mark-up of 780%.

A further R4 million was spent on kitchen equipment, R440,000 on crockery, and R47,100 on cutlery.

The latest details on more suspected corruption at Kusile come after the National Prosecuting Authority was granted a restraint order to seize assets to the value of R1.4 billion against former Eskom executives and contractors, some of whom were involved in the latest revelations.

These include Hlakudi and Masango, who are now facing charges of fraud and corruption.

While this appears to be a major step in clamping down on corruption at Eskom, the Bowmans reports have red flagged contracts and tenders to the value of R178 billion.

Director and head of business crimes and investigations practice at Werksmans Attorneys Bernard Hotz has labelled corruption at the utility as nothing short of commercial terrorism.

Hotz said there had to be consequences for the perpetrators, and called on the NPA to seek assistance from private entities which could help.

It is high time that public-private partnerships are put in place. You have to fight nuclear battles with nuclear weapons, he said.

You need to throw money and proper resources at investigating these matters to put the criminals behind bars.
The St. Helena Boys & Girls Club has honored Justin Sanchez as Youth of the Month at the Teen Center and Dakota Dwyer as Member of the Month at the St. Helena Clubhouse.

Justin Sanchez

Sanchez is an eighth-grader at RLS Middle School.

"Justin has been part of the Boys and Girls Club since he was a little kid," said Julian Frayre, teen programs director. "He is now in 8th grade and we couldn't be more proud of the young man he is growing up to be. Throughout the years he has maintained the same witty-kind hearted personality.

"When Justin comes to the teen center, the first thing you will notice is how quick he is to get right to work on homework. This is one of his key characteristics to always work hard and stay focused on his goals.

"He is also very talented when it comes to art! This month he was able to put his artistic mind and creativity to work! When he saw we had clay he was determined to create a sculpture, when he felt like it wasn't turning out the way he wanted he didn't give up and found a way to fix it.
Local

Napa school district expanding summer programs after year of pandemic, remote learning

Register file photo The Napa Valley Unified School District administration building.

Napas public school system is expanding its summer school offerings this year in a wide-ranging program officials hope will create a smoother on-ramp back to in-person education  and help some students catch up academically after more than a year away from campus during the coronavirus pandemic.

Summertime offerings in the Napa Valley Unified School District are expected to serve some 3,800 students and will range from credit recovery to computer coding, music ensembles, and high school resort internships, directors recently announced.

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The wider menu of academics, activities, and career training  largely created through partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley and the county Office of Education  will precede NVUSDs planned return to a normal program of full-time instruction for most students at its 28 campuses in 2021-22, after the spread of COVID-19 prompted the complete shutdown of classrooms in March 2020. The district has introduced a blend of in-person and remote learning in stages since October, but about 60% of the student body has continued to study exclusively online during the current school year, which will end next month.

Elementary school students will enter a variety of two-week programs starting June 21, covering math and reading as well as science, technology, and engineering, according to Matt Manning, director of elementary curriculum. Programs will be offered at the McPherson, Phillips, Shearer, and Snow campuses, he told NVUSDs board during a May 6 report on the districts summer offerings.

Up to 1,300 elementary students will be enrolled in classes of about 16 children each, with a focus on pupils entering second and third grade, said Manning. Programs will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.

A pact with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley will provide on-site learning to 550 pupils at the Pueblo Vista and Canyon Oaks schools, as well as the clubs Napa and American Canyon branches. Meanwhile, classes organized by the nonprofit EDMO will cover animation, engineering, and expressive arts.

Napa school district announces in-person high school graduations for June NVUSD announces commencements for June 14-16, after the COVID-19 emergency forced socially distanced alternatives for the Class of 2020.

For students in the secondary grades, NVUSDs summer program will include the credit recovery courses it has offered in years past, as well as a new scholar series for about 40 incoming high school juniors and seniors that will combine credit recovery with academic and leadership training. But the curriculum also will be fortified with a range of activities aiming at students enrichment rather than direct academic intervention, said Pat Andry-Jennings, the districts assistant superintendent for instructional services.

Student musicians from Napa County school districts  whose ensembles, like other group activities, were shelved for months due to the campus shutdown and social distancing rules  will be able to take part in a Valley Honor Band, middle-school Honor Strings and high-school Honor Symphony. Free virtual classes offered by iD Tech will teach computer coding for game and app creation in four programming languages.

Catering to teenagers seeking a jump on future studies and work will be a dual-enrollment program allowing high schoolers to take Napa Valley College courses, as well as a pair of paid summer internship programs in the restaurant and hospitality businesses.

Some 178 special-education students  who last October re-entered campuses three weeks ahead of those in regular classes  will enter an extended school year that will provide an additional four weeks of teaching, through July 16.

Napa school district aims to return to full in-classroom schedule in 2021-22 NVUSD intends to restore full-day classroom learning, with a continuing virtual-only option to depend on the level of interest from families.

School districts in Napa and elsewhere are largely relying on special federal funding approved in response to the pandemic, including the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes funding for summer and after-school programs. NVUSD Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti called the wider menu available this year a sign of the good that more robust school funding can accomplish  if it can be sustained beyond the current crisis.

Were going to have a strike a balance in the future, because were setting a pretty high standard in the summer of 2021, she told board members. California schools continue to be underfunded, and this is what funding for summer school should look like annually. I would love to see the state and federal dollars to see this level of summer programming on a regular basis, not just post-pandemic.

Photos: A twist on teacher appreciation day at Pueblo Vista Magnet School.
ATECA Hotels, a subsidiary of ATECA Holding, unveiled its aggressive expansion plans at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai with a target of reaching five properties in Uzbekistan  Central Asia by Q4 2022.

The group already has its first upscale four-star hotel ATECA Hotel Suites under development in Tashkent which is slated to open in July 2021.

Making the announcement, Michel Noblet, the Executive Chairman of ATECA Holding, said: Uzbekistan holds strong growth potential for the hospitality industry with unprecedented opportunities. At ATECA Hotels we are thrilled to unlock this lucrative market and delighted to expand our footprint across the country with five unique and powerful brands catering to diverse needs of local and international travellers.

Noblet further emphasised: We have identified some amazing conversion as well as new build projects that will give an incredible impetus to our expansion in Uzbekistan. We are seeing strong interest and confidence from owners in our brands which will provide our partners access to world-class reservation systems (Sabre Hospitality Solutions GmbH, the worlds leading travel technology provider, powering our global distribution with SynXis Central Reservations) and management solutions."

Karimov Kamoladdin, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for ATECA Holding, said: Tourism is emerging as a key pillar of Uzbekistans economy with the republic dedicated to the development and diversification of its hotel industry. Our compelling portfolio of brands provides developers the flexibility and choice to identify the right brand for the right location.

ATECA Hotels rapid expansion is fueled by Uzbekistans strong demand for quality hotels. The travel and tourism industry in the country, with its rich cultural and historical heritage, friendly people, and natural beauty, holds high growth potential. The government has recently initiated a number of reforms to facilitate tourism development. A key initiative is visa-free travel for citizens of 86 countries and e-visas for citizens of 77 countries, including the US. The goal is to grow tourisms contribution from $1 billion in 2018 to $2.2 billion in 2025. In addition to other requirements, this also means increasing the total number of rooms from 20,200 (2018) to 64,000 (2025) as the country is still under capacity as far as hotel supply is concerned.

Noblet said, With a solid national collaboration, Uzbekistan can no doubt double tourisms contribution in the near future from both domestic and international markets. The dynamic leadership of Aziz A. Abdukhakimov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Development, serves as a great inspiration for all of us to generate fresh ideas and solutions. To overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic, Dubai is a great learning example. The emirate has done a fantastic job of developing domestic tourism that jumped nearly 107 per cent in 2020 and continues to grow while maintaining stringent health and safety protocols. - TradeArabia News Service
"It's not like bottled cocktails are new  companies like Bottle Service and other RTDs [ready-to-drink cocktails] have been around for a while," said Tom Sopit, managing partner of West Hollywood bar and restaurant Employees Only. "It's just getting more popular because there was never a reason to have to buy them in bottled form and drink it at home, until the pandemic.

"I think it's great news," Sopit added. "I think all the bars are going to love it because it's another addition they can add to their streams of revenue."

Employees Only was one of the first Los Angeles bars to offer to-go cocktails during the pandemic. Once managers heard about New York's temporary legalization, they prepared for what they hoped would be a similar provision. The Employees Only just-add-alcohol cocktail kits evolved into prepared cocktails in glass bottles with labels, and the bar  which normally offers food but did not reopen its kitchen  teamed up with pop-up Elio's Wood Fire Pizza to legally sell them after temporary sales became legal in California.
Student musicians from Napa County school districts  whose ensembles, like other group activities, were shelved for months due to the campus shutdown and social distancing rules  will be able to take part in a Valley Honor Band, middle-school Honor Strings and high-school Honor Symphony. Free virtual classes offered by iD Tech will teach computer coding for game and app creation in four programming languages.

Catering to teenagers seeking a jump on future studies and work will be a dual-enrollment program allowing high schoolers to take Napa Valley College courses, as well as a pair of paid summer internship programs in the restaurant and hospitality businesses.

Some 178 special-education students  who last October re-entered campuses three weeks ahead of those in regular classes  will enter an extended school year that will provide an additional four weeks of teaching, through July 16.

+2 Napa school district aims to return to full in-classroom schedule in 2021-22 NVUSD intends to restore full-day classroom learning, with a continuing virtual-only option to depend on the level of interest from families.

School districts in Napa and elsewhere are largely relying on special federal funding approved in response to the pandemic, including the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes funding for summer and after-school programs. NVUSD Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti called the wider menu available this year a sign of the good that more robust school funding can accomplish  if it can be sustained beyond the current crisis.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  It took nearly 15 years for police to arrest New York real estate heir Robert Durst in the killing of his best friend and another five to bring him to trial. After just two days of testimony, jurors were sent home when the coronavirus closed courthouses.

On Monday, more than 14 months later, the jury is returning to Los Angeles County Superior Court to see if they can complete their assignment. If so, it could be a first for the U.S. legal system.

The length of the stoppage is unprecedented and it's the highest-profile U.S. case postponed because of the pandemic, Dursts lawyers say. They have repeatedly  and unsuccessfully  sought a mistrial because they argued the delay harmed his chance of a fair trial.

Durst, 78, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his friend Susan Berman, who was shot in the back of the head in her LA home in December 2000. Prosecutors say he silenced Berman before she could tell police she helped him cover up the killing of his wife, Kathie, in New York in 1982.

Judge Mark Windham has called back the panel of 23 jurors, including 11 alternates, and plans to question them Monday to see if they can go forward with the case.
As a Masters of Social Work student at San Jose State University, we are concerned about the welfare of children in the United States, especially those who are commercially sexually exploited. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is a silent epidemic in the United States. Not only is there a lack of education surrounding this topic, but also due to the difficulty of bringing perpetrators to justice.

In Napa County, I have found it challenging to find CSEC statistics. On the other hand, the U.S. reports that 300,000 youth under the age of 18 are at risk of becoming victims of CSEC every year. Of those youths, those who are more at risk are runaway, foster, and LGBTQ youth. Recruiters gravitate towards vulnerable youth, as they are easily manipulated or coerced into being sexually exploited. Furthermore, known peers make up 60 percent of recruiters. In addition, it is known for runaway youth to be recruited within the first 48 hours of running away. These are just some statistics that are constantly ignored and overlooked by mainstream and local media.
Armenia Prosecutor General receives OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission's delegation

France's Macron intends to discuss situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with Turkish counterpart

Armenia 3rd President on Nikol Pashinyan: People look at him and say 'greetings, son of a b**ch'

US Department of Commerce intends to impose sanctions against Armenia's Armenal aluminum foil producer/exporter

Armenia 1st President recalls his "remedial secession" formula for Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement

"I Have the Honor" bloc to Armenian authorities: Let them try to use force or threaten anyone

Armenia 2nd President: Everything that makes us Armenian has been destroyed over past three years

Azerbaijan continues obscene farce, "investigation" into case of another 26 Armenian POWs is over

Ex-governor presents situation in Armenia's Syunik Province

Armenia 3rd President doesn't know why Nikol Pashinyan hasn't signed the pro-Armenian document he's talking about

Armenia's Pashinyan: If I'm guilty, execute me, and I'll submit

Armenia acting PM holds march with twice as many security and police officers in Vanadzor (PHOTO)

Armenia acting MOD attaches importance to transparency of procurement and supplies in Armed Forces

Remains of 4 more Armenian servicemen found and removed from Artsakh's Jrakan region

Enigmatic incident takes places in Yerevan, semi-decayed body of man found under bridge

Philip Reeker: Azerbaijani Armed Forces need to return to positions of May 11

Armenia opposition party leader says he's ready to form coalition with all forces, except for ruling party

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani side opens fire at military posts in border section of Gegharkunik Province

Head of Armenia's Mission to OSCE: Goals of OSCE and CSTO serve as ground for their cooperation

Azerbaijan shares documents on 8 Armenian POWs, COVID-19 in Armenia, Jun 19 digest

Azerbaijanis open gunfire at military posts in Armenia's Gegharkunik Province for nearly 30 minutes

Armenia acting justice minister expresses gratitude to US for supporting government's reforms agenda

Philip Reeker: US will continue to press for the return of Armenian POWs and detainees

Armenia 1st President: Russian peacekeepers won't leave Nagorno-Karabakh after 5 years

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Kazakhstan

Armenia Parliament Speaker also attending ruling party's campaign meeting in Odzun (PHOTO)

Zakharova: Russia makes essential contributions to post-war demining in Nagorno-Karabakh

160,000,000 children are involved in child labor around the world

Dollar loses value in Armenia

Biden, Johnson underscore close ties between US and UK

Armenia attorney general forwards video recording of ex-FM's sensational statement to National Security Service

Ex-President Kocharyan: Armenia must stand on its feet to conduct effective negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia 2nd President: Border with Azerbaijan needs to be constructed as soon as possible

Armenia 1st President proposes to acting PM to publicize recording of their conversation about Karabakh

Armenia President congratulates Portuguese counterpart on National Day of Portugal

Iranian Ambassador to Armenia acting minister: Iran has already developed roadmap and timetable for joint programs

People are brought in vans to Lori Province village for meeting with Armenia acting premier

Karabakh rescue squad searching for remains of deceased servicemen in Fizuli and Jabrayil

Karabakh President appoints new chief of staff

Armenia 1st President doesn't rule out formation of coalition with Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan after elections

Armenia former President Kocharyan: Only way to work with external partners is being straightforward, honest

Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs visits Armenian Genocide Memorial

Armenia 1st President: If we Armenians miss this moment as well, very bad things will happen

"I have the honor" bloc is in Armenias Syunik (PHOTOS)

Horsemen lead Armenia acting PM Pashinyan motorcade in Lori Province village

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: I have reasonable doubts that Shushi was deliberately handed over

Azerbaijan provides documents on 6 captured Armenia soldiers health condition

Police apprehend 16 ARF youths near Armenia government building

Ex-President Kocharyan on acting PM idea to exchange son for Armenian captives in Azerbaijan: Primitive stupidity

Armenia acting premier receives acting US assistant secretary of state

ARF youth close off downtown Yerevan street

Yerevan police forcibly apprehend protesting ARF members

Armenia acting PM in Lori Province, he is accompanied by State Protection Service head (PHOTOS)

ARF of Armenia presents facts about high treason

Permit documents can now be submitted online at Armenia border checkpoints

76 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices dropping

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Daily Express: Brussels angry over upcoming Biden-Putin meeting

Newspaper: Bright Armenia Party leader gives acting US deputy secretary of state sanctions list on Azeri authorities

American billionaires pay little income tax

Most livable city for 2021 is announced

Newspaper: Artsakh President makes controversial decision

WTO countries agree to intensify negotiations on easing access to coronavirus vaccines

Armenia Ombudsman: Trials against Armenian POWs continue in Azerbaijan with gross violations of international law

Ankara hopes Erdogan and Biden find common ground

Acting US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker arrives in Yerevan

Candidate for Armenia PM: Heads of headquarters of Democratic Party are apprehended

More on COVID-19 and tense election campaign in Armenia, June 9 digest

Members of European Parliament call on Yerevan and Baku to start exchanging information for demining

Members of Armenian opposition Adekvad Union post posters reading "Antinikol" near government building

France says it will do everything it can to ensure Amazon is subject to minimum global tax

UN warns of likelihood of mass deaths from hunger and disease in Myanmar

Beijing accuses Washington of paranoid mania

Stanislav Zas: There are still risks of escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Trump supports Nigerian government decision to block Twitter access

Erdogan announces visit to Shushi with his family

Armenia ruling party MP Hamazasp Danielyan drops mandate

Armenia ex-president shares promised record about acting PM

Armenia acting PM ends campaign meeting in Gyumri with march, accompanied by many security officers

"Armenia" bloc holding rally in Yerevan

Opposition Bright Armenia Party leader inviting Nikol Pashinyan to a debate

Nagorno-Karabakh issue discussed within the scope of Russian-Turkish consultations in Moscow

168.am: Armenia acting PM in Gyumri, snipers on roof of city council

Armenian authorities forcing employees of educational institutions and nuclear power plant to attend campaign meetings

Putin-Biden meeting in Geneva to take place in 18th-century villa

Armenia opposition party leader: There are 1,837 Armenians who lost their extremities after war in Artsakh

Bright Armenia Party leader slams discourse over transferring acting PM's son in exchange of POWs

Leader of opposition Liberty Party says Armenia acting PM steals over $2,500 from budget every month

Headquarters of political party running in elections applies to Prosecutor General's Office and Police of Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman's Office, Central Electoral Commission hold discussion to guarantee citizens' suffrage

Armenia acting premier, "support group" employees visit Shirak Province

Tech Week Artsakh 2021 to be held in Stepanakert

Armenia Elections Oversight Committee: Such development of events might lead to clashes

2 citizens apprehended for electoral bribery in Armenia's Gavar

Republican Party of Armenia vice-president: Serzh Sargsyan disclosed an audio recording a little while ago

Dollar continues dropping in Armenia

Armenia High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Ukraine deputy FM express willingness for cooperation

Turkeys Erdogan to visit Artsakhs Shushi

Armenia health ministry: 5 of 11 children with acute gastroenteritis are discharged from hospital
The situation in the border community of Kut, in Armenias Gegharkunik Province, remains the same. Kut village head Sima Chitchyan on Sunday told Armenian News-NEWS.am about this.

"It remains as it is; they [the Azerbaijani soldiers in the area] are sitting at the top, ours are at the bottom, and there is no news yet," the village prefect said.

Chitchyan said that not only the school, but also the houses in the village were under Azerbaijani target. "We have given the building and the school of the village administration to the military, there may not be classes either, but the children are in the village," added the village head.

Sima Chitchyan said that the pastures of the village are close to where the adversary is now located, and therefore it is not safe to take the animals to pastures.

According to the mayor of Kut, they have never been in such a situation, and that is why they are so worried about it. "It had not happened that the enemy came near the village and we saw [it] too. We have seen two wars, but we had not seen anything like that," said the village head.

Chitchyan said that the governor of Gegharkunik as well as the ombudsman and several MPs had visited the village, but these visits were ineffective, and the village mayor believes that it should be seen to it at the border that such problems would not arise again.

To note, the Azerbaijani military advanced in the border areas of Armenias Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces a few days ago, and they have not retreated yet.
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is participating at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this week, to raise awareness of what Germany, and in particular Berlin, has to offer to GCC visitors.

The German capital Berlin is also looking forward to welcoming visitors from across the GCC to discover a reinvented city that has something new to discover on every corner, space for free spirits and a fascinating mix of heritage and innovation.

Despite a difficult 12-months, this year has realised many landmark projects in the city, such as the opening of the reconstructed city palace, the prestigious Humboldt Forum, and the reopening of Berlins leading art addresses, the Neue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum, underlining the intriguing nature of this ever-changing city.

The U5 metro line also has a new section connecting Berlin's many cultural attractions, and the new international Berlin airport (BER) is also now open, a positive signal for improved global connections at a difficult time for the tourism and congress industry.

Under the Berlin Health Excellence Initiative, launched by visitBerlin in early 2020, the city will also open its doors to medical tourists from the Middle East who visit Berlin in search of Made in Berlin medical expertise and cutting-edge medical services that the city is renowned for.

With a recent YouGov survey revealing that nearly half of UAE and Saudi Arabia residents are planning to make an international trip in 2021, the GNTB is eager to increase the GCCs share of the 89.9 million overnight stays by foreign visitors it welcomed in 2019.

Speaking at the press conference at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Yamina Sofo, Director Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office Gulf Countries (GNTO), said: With the success of the national vaccination programmes in the GCC countries, particularly in the UAE where more than 11.5 million doses have been administered so far (over 70 per cent of the UAE population have received vaccines and 40% are fully vaccinated), we remain optimistic that the pre-crisis level of incoming travel from the UAE to Germany can be regained by end of 2022."

It gives us immense pleasure to be here, at ATM, to showcase our unique German culture to not only GCC travellers but outbound tourists across the Middle East. We hope to encourage demand for city and nature holidays coupled with sustainable tourism, which draws attention to the many different ways of discovering Destination Germany with its wide range of traditions and attractions, Sofo added.

Germany is extremely popular with GCC visitors, it recorded 1.6 million overnight stays from the Gulf region in 2019 and has a goal of reaching 3.6 million overnight stays by 2030. Germany has a diverse tourism offering, which is centred around its unique culture, craftmanship, nature and culinary experiences. German character is encapsulated in many cities, depicting half-timbered architecture one moment to contemporary street art the next, which complements its rich and varied traditions and customs, which in many cases were introduced centuries ago.

There is nothing that speaks louder about its culture than Germanys exceptional food and drink that is regional yet still cosmopolitan. Sustainability is often admired by Gulf visitors to Germany as well as the natural beauty of the countryside can be found on the doorstep of many German cities, offering fresh air, open spaces and spectacular views.

Commenting on Berlins readiness for the return of inbound tourism, Burkhard Kieker, CEO, visitBerlin, said: Like no other city, Berlin is poised for yet another new start in 2021  off into the future  when we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. Whatever the changes to our city, Berlin always retains an irresistible fascination and a multitude of possibilities  from big-city thrills to unwinding, from adventures to relaxation, and from inspiring culinary adventures to traditional food and drink."

As a vibrant cosmopolitan city, you can explore living history, internationally renowned museums, unique galleries, UNESCO sites and major historical buildings. Still, there is also space for waterside activities and beautiful countryside to discover around the city, added Ralf Ostendorf, Director Market Management and Market & Media Relations Manager Asia, Australia, Middle East, visitBerlin.

ATM 2021 in-person event continues on May 18 and 19 at DWTC. It plays an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, which features exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events. A virtual version of ATM will run a week later to complement and reach a wider audience than ever before.

To visit Germany at ATM 2021, go to stand EU2350. - TradeArabia News Service
YEREVAN.  Azerbaijani servicemen must leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in his remarks at the meeting of the Security Council of Armenia, the Prime Minister's Office informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

At the meeting, Pashinyan first referred to the current situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the steps being taken to resolve it.

Addressing the meeting, the Acting Prime Minister stated, in part: Dear colleagues, as it was the case in recent days, today as well we will discuss the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. After May 12, when Azerbaijani armed forces crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the situation underwent the following change, or rather had the following dynamics. Starting the 14th of this month, some groups left the territory of the Republic of Armenia just as it happened yesterday evening; there are indications that it can happen today, but in general, I consider the military-political situation unchanged after the 12th of the month. In other words, there have been no major changes in military-political terms, some groups have left, but the situation has not changed.

What does this mean? This means that we must continue to operate the mechanisms of the Collective Security Treaty Organization; we must continue to set in action the Armenian-Russian mechanisms of allied partnership. Our position is clear, namely that Azeri troops must leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

I would also like to emphasize that despite my calls not to make the current situation a subject of internal political speculations, there are still such forces in our country that abide by a pro-Azerbaijani stance. In general, you know that any military-political standoff is usually combined with information warfare; now it is obvious to me that there are Azerbaijani information agents operating in the Republic of Armenia, their names can even be mentioned. Those people invited the President of Azerbaijan to attack the Republic of Armenia in 2020. Prior to these events, they suggested where the Republic of Armenia could best be attacked in order to promote their political ambitions. It is clear to me that all this is not at all accidental, and we need to investigate these cases in order to understand what is going on.

I wish to remind you once again that the thesis of the so-called Zangezur Corridor as voiced by the President of Azerbaijan has been under construction or developed in Armenia for quite a long time. And I think it is very important to emphasize that here, too, the well-known political circles are acting as Azerbaijani agents. I want to emphasize that the Republic of Armenia has never discussed and will not consider the issue of establishing such a corridor. The discussions we have had are public; they are reflected in the official information related to the activities of the tripartite working group on the January 11 joint statement.

I wish to stress that the opening of regional communications is on our political agenda, but it can in no way have anything to do with the corridor propaganda, which is being propagated by specific political circles in Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The next issue I want to refer to is the process of border adjustment: Azerbaijan needs border adjustment and open communications just as much as the Republic of Armenia does.

There is such a nuance in terms of border adjustment. Azeri propaganda has recently been trying to promote the idea that border adjustment should take place in a bilateral format. It is impossible for the simple reason: Armenia and Azerbaijan, in fact, have no relations with each other.

Whereas the opening of communications and border adjustment should take place in a tripartite format, on which several agreements have been reached so far, I reckon that the breach or disruption of those agreements is just the reason behind the provocative actions undertaken by the military-political leadership and the armed forces of Azerbaijan.

Now, I would like to refer to further actions. The negotiations continued late into the might yesterday and will be resumed on Wednesday. The talks have one topic on the agenda: Azerbaijani troops must leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Until this happens, we consider the current situation as a crisis that poses a threat to the sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, a situation stipulated in the CSTO Charter, in the Collective Security Treaty and in the Crisis Response Regulations. All the aforementioned mechanisms, as well as the relevant Armenian-Russian allied mechanisms shall be activated until our legitimate claim is complied with.

We must act to reach a solution through political means. In case we fail to achieve such a result, the military-political mechanisms will have to be launched under the same logic. I mean that the Collective Security Treaty and the Armenian-Russian agreements envisage such functions as should be implemented in similar cases, and using our legitimate right, we have activated those functions.

To note, tensions rose in some sections of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border following this Security Council meeting.
Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africas first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC), has announced the introduction of a new service to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, with direct flights from Sharjah starting on June 29.

Air Arabia will fly four times a week from Sharjah (on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday), departing at 21:35 and arriving at Sharm El Sheikh at 23.05. The return flight (operating on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) will depart at 00:35 and arrive in Sharjah at 05:50. All times are local.

Customers can now book their direct flights between Sharjah and Sharm El Sheikh by visiting Air Arabias website, by calling the call centre or through travel agencies.

Ensuring the highest standards of safety at every step of the journey by following all health and safety protocols, Air Arabia has also added to the convenience and confidence of passengers by introducing free Covid-19 insurance coverage. The insurance is automatically included as part of the booking and no additional documents are required from passengers. - TradeArabia News Service
The Microsoft board of directors in 2020 decided that Bill Gates should leave the board because of a relationship with an employee of the corporation, which it considered inappropriate, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Gates stepped down from the Microsoft board in March 2020, three months after being re-elected as CEO.

The corporation turned to a law firm in 2019 to investigate Gates' relationship after receiving a letter from an employee in which she claimed she had had sexual relations with Gates for several years, sources said.

Microsoft in the second half of 2019 received information that Bill Gates tried to start an intimate relationship with an employee of the company in 2000. The board committee reviewed the information, with a third-party law firm helping to conduct a thorough investigation, a Microsoft spokesman said.

During the investigation, some board members decided that Gates should no longer be head of the company he founded. Board members were worried that Gates' relationship with the woman was inappropriate, and they did not want the director to be a person involved in such a situation, amid the loud 'MeToo' movement, according to the publication.

Gates resigned before the board of directors completed their investigation, the source said.

In turn, a spokesman for Gates said that his decision to leave the board had nothing to do with these events, as he announced several years earlier that he would like to be more involved in his charitable projects.

Earlier, the New York Times, citing sources, reported that while he was married, Gates tried several times to win the favor of women working for him at Microsoft and a charitable foundation.

Earlier, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their decision to dissolve the marriage. They stated that in 27 years they raised three wonderful children and created a charitable foundation that operates around the world. The couple met in 1987 when Melinda joined Microsoft. They got married in 1994 in Hawaii. Gates is one of the five richest businessmen, his family's fortune is estimated at $ 130 billion.
Acting Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Vahram Dumanyan today received newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Armenia Fukusima Masanori.

As reported the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the acting minister congratulated the Ambassador on assuming office and stated that Armenia attaches importance to the deepening of ties with Japan, adding that the ministrys spheres of coordination provide the opportunity to expand the bilateral agenda.

Currently, the sector-specific reforms and implementation of strategic programs in the spheres of coordination are a priority, and I believe the close cooperation and exchange of experience with Japan will help increase effectiveness of those programs, Dumanyan said.

The acting minister also underscored Japans vast experience in science and IT and recommended considering the possibility of cooperation in this direction. Talking about the importance of strengthening of relations between the young people of both countries, the acting minister stated that the joint programs in the areas of higher education, sport and culture can also contribute to that.

Ambassador Masanori expressed gratitude for the reception and expressed certainty that, in spite of the hardships caused by the war and the coronavirus, Armenia will develop, and Japan is ready to assist the friendly country.
Its clear that the enemy is preparing to attack and to eliminate Armenia, for that matter. This is what leader of the opposition Yerkir Tsirani, advocate Zaruhi Postanjyan told reporters today.

This will happen through genocide. The enemy has finished preparing for an attack from Nakhchivan. There are military posts in front of Khachik village, but there were no posts two years before, that is, before Nikol [acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan] came to power. Nikol did everything possible to make sure Armenians are deprived of their homeland through genocide, and he continues to do so. The enemy can destroy a few cities with Bayraktars in a matter of hours, Postanjyan said.

According to her, the Armenian army could have destroyed or captured the enemy's soldiers and then exchanged them for Armenian captives.

However, there was no permission to fire even one gunshot. Even as we speak, those standing near the enemy can mobilize and capture, but this isnt being done deliberately since its part of the agreements, Postanjyan said, adding that, in her opinion, two regions and certain parts of other regions were surrendered during the 44-day war and Nikol Pashinyan transferred the rest through a signature.
A martyr who never abandons faith | Stories shared by Xi Jinping

Xinhua) 09:08, May 17, 2021

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- "Let them cut off my head, I will not abandon my faith." This was the last poem written by China's revolutionary martyr Xia Minghan. Why did Chinese President Xi Jinping cite this poem at a gathering in Beijing? Find out the answer in this video.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
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Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 17.05.21:

The negotiations over the Armenian-Azerbaijani border issues, which lasted for several days through the mediation of Russian General Rustam Muradov, have reportedly yielded results.

The talks were held as, since the morning of May 12, Azerbaijani troops have been invading Armenian state borders near Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces.

Now the Azerbaijanis agreed to withdraw from the Armenian territory of Syunik Province.

Moreover, different scenarios for the conclusion of the negotiations were circulating in the media.

Spartak Minasyan, the mayor of Verin Akner village, said that according to preliminary information, the Azerbaijanis should withdraw. However, he did not say anything about how far the Azerbaijani troops would go or under which conditions they agreed to go back.

Meanwhile, some opposition representatives assured that concessions had been made to the Azerbaijanis. In particular, former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan wrote that they had agreed to set up joint posts before there would be a demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

No information was provided from official sources.

Last night, Pashinyan convened a meeting of the Security Council, which could have brought some clarity in this situation, but the government did not spread any information about the content of this meeting.

Already this morning Pashinyan convened another session of the Security Council, during which he informed that the Azerbaijani troops have been leaving Armenia in groups for the last few days.

Armenian arms dealer Davit Galstyan has been released.

Galstyan was detained on February 1 and arrestedthe next day.

The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia had informed that David Galstyan, chairman of the board of a company registered abroad, had reached an arrangement with the director of this company, and provided low-quality artillery shells of 1983-1986 production to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia in 2018, with which, according to the NSS, it was not possible to carry the military tasks, whereas Galstyan had received US$1,083,000 in exchange.

Davit Galstyan, in his turn, had issued a statement noting that, in fact, the models of ammunition produced under and dates stipulated by the contract had been delivered, and he had promised to present the respective evidence in the future.

As of Monday morning, 67 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 220,927 in the country.

Also, ten more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 4,333 cases.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 445, the total respective number so far is 208,899.

Meanwhile, what comes to the vaccination process in Armenia, the second batchcomprising 50,000 dosesof the AstraZeneca vaccine has been imported as part of the fight against coronavirus.

The AstraZeneca vaccinations are given to people in Armenia who are 18 and olderand on a voluntary basis.
Human Rights Defender of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Gegham Stepanyan has sent a letter to Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic. The letter particularly states the following:

As Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, I officially express my willingness to cooperate for human rights protection, which is even more important for our country today, taking into consideration the volume and complexity of the humanitarian issues facing the Republic of Artsakh and its people as a result of the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression.

During the war that Azerbaijan unleashed in the fall of 2020, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces committed gross violations of international humanitarian law, and this caused a difficult humanitarian situation in Artsakh. The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan deliberately and indiscriminately targeted civilians, children, the elderly, journalists and Armenian cultural heritage. They killed captured Armenian servicemen and civilians, as well as distorted and tortured their bodies. Today, as a result of the war, despite the calls of several international human rights organizations, more than 200 prisoners of war are detained in unknown conditions in Azerbaijan, nearly 40,000 people have been displaced, and several Armenian cultural monuments are being vandalized and destroyed to this day.

From the very first day of the war, the Ombudsman launched a fact-finding mission to explore and record the violations and war crimes that Azerbaijan committed during and after the war. The findings of the fact-finding mission have been presented (according to topics) in more than a dozen special reports prepared by the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh.

I would like to state that the fact-finding efforts for assessment of the post-war humanitarian situation continue, and it is very important to assess the presence of international partners, parliamentary bodies and human rights organizations on the spot.

On my behalf, once again, I would like to express my willingness and call for reciprocal efforts to protect the rights of the people of Artsakh since protection of human rights in all corners of the globe is part of the commitments of the international community, regardless of international status of the territory, and this includes Artsakh.
The situation is the same as yesterday; after negotiations, the Azerbaijani troops had to stay in the territory of Sev Lake either way and simply had to move a little back, but they didnt. This is what Deputy Mayor of Goris Menua Hovsepyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Yesterday there were reports that the Armenian side and Commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops in Artsakh Rustam Muradov had ended negotiations and that, according to preliminary information, the Azerbaijanis had to retreat.

Today former Deputy Director of the State Service for Emergency Situations of Artsakh Boris Avagyan said, according to the agreement reached, the Azerbaijani forces will have four military posts in the territory of Sev Lake, with 15 soldiers at each military post, under the condition that the Armenian side can have the same number (not more) of military posts/soldiers.

Menua Hovsepyan neither refuted nor confirmed the news and added that he wont provide his information since negotiations are still in progress.

During todays session of the Security Council, acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan declared that, starting from May 14, some groups of Azerbaijani servicemen have left the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

During a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am, the heads of Kut village of Gegharkunik Province and Khoznavar village of Syunik Province said the Azerbaijani troops havent retreated and the border situation remains the same.
As part of its efforts to strengthen resilience and peace building in the South Caucasus, the Commission is today delivering on its pledge to contribute an additional 10 million in humanitarian aid, including some very early recovery to help civilians affected by the recent conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh. As reported the EU Delegation to Armenia, this brings EU assistance to people in need, since the start of the hostilities in September 2020, to over 17 million.

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, said: "The humanitarian situation in the region continues to require our attention, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating the impact of the conflict. The EU is substantially increasing its support to help people affected by the conflict to meet their basic needs and to rebuild their lives."

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said: "As pledged at the end of last year, we are today delivering additional assistance to the people most affected by the conflict. Our support will not stop there: the EU continues to work towards a more comprehensive conflict transformation and long-term socio-economic recovery and resilience of the region."

The funding made available today will help to provide emergency assistance including food, hygiene and household items, multi-purpose cash and healthcare. It will also cover protection assistance, including psychosocial support, education in emergency and ensure early recovery assistance through livelihood support. The assistance will benefit the most vulnerable conflict-affected people, including displaced persons, returnees and host communities.

This additional funding will also ensure humanitarian demining in populated areas and provide mine risk education to affected people. All EU humanitarian funding is provided based on needs and in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, as enshrined in EU and international law. It is delivered in partnership with UN agencies, international organisations and NGOs.

Background

The recent military confrontation including Armenia and Azerbaijan, which raged unabated for six weeks, has caused casualties, damages and displacement of the local population. The fighting pushed hundreds of thousands to flee their homes for safety, of which some remain displaced and will not be able to return to their homes in the long-term. The hostilities have brought damage to livelihoods, houses and public infrastructure. Moreover, many areas have been left with mines and other unexploded ordnances, bringing significant risks for the civilian population.

Despite the ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 9 November 2020, the humanitarian situation, further worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, remains of concern. The EU is in close contact with humanitarian partners and other stakeholders on the ground to support the coordination of the humanitarian response and early recovery efforts.
The Azerbaijanis arent going to let us Armenians freely use Sev Lake. This is what ex-Prime Minister of Armenia Hrant Bagratyan told reporters at Freedom Square today.

Youll see that they will build a water pipeline so that they can build a settlement later, he added.

Touching upon the process of forming a militia, Bagratyan said the following: Well come here every day to enlist people, and I will submit the list to the government. I was a member of a movement in the early 1990s, after which I became Prime Minister and went to war. The other army generals are nothing today. I am certain that the Azerbaijanis had advanced deeper into Gegharkunik Province because they heard that there will be negotiations in two days and want to go deeper now so that they can cede half later.

Bagratyan also said he and other citizens will address the government with the request for weapons. Touching upon the question about weapons being collected from the residents of borderline villages, Bagratyan said the chief of the armys General Staff is in favor of that.
Memorial Day Weekend, at the end of May, is when we honor our fallen Veterans, the sacrifices made by active duty military and those retired from service. In observance of Memorial Day, the American Airpower Museum (AAM) in Farmingdale, New York, will continue their historic participation in the Bethpage Air Show, flying their magnificent aircraft over Jones Beach on Saturday, May 29th and Sunday, May 30th. The museums press release notes

AAMs fleet of iconic, meticulously restored military aircraft currently scheduled to take part will include a B-25 Mitchell, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Grumman TBM Avenger, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, P-51D Mustang, AT-6 Texan and AT-28-D5 Nomad.

On May 29th and May 30th, Hangar 3 opens at 10:00 a.m. Arrive there early, park your car, sign in and enjoy the exhibits. During the morning, youll be called outside to watch our pilots start their engines, taxi and lift off, performing exciting flybys with Republic Air Traffic Control permission, before leaving to join the air show over Jones Beach. Have lunch and, later on, watch as our aircraft return from Jones Beach in the afternoon, touch down and taxi back to Hangar 3. Flight experiences are also available each day with AAMs AT-6 Texan and Waco biplane!

AAM also welcomes three visiting U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from May 27th through May 30th. These Hornets are exclusive to AAM, as they will not be participating in the air show over Jones Beach. They will reside on AAMs ramp all four days. Be there early in the morning to watch the Hornets touch down at Republic Field, our home base, on Thursday, May 27th. They are scheduled to depart on May 31st or June 1st. Furthermore, AAMs WWII aircraft will also take part in practice flying (morning and afternoon) on the Thursday and Friday before the weekend air show

According to AAMs founder, Jeff Clyman, the goal for this four-day salute is two-fold: To honor the men and women of the Greatest Generation who built, maintained and piloted the iconic warbirds of yesteryear in a bold defense of freedom during World War II, as well as active duty military, national guard and reservists who continue this mission and command the skies in advanced supersonic jet aircraft to our present day.

Since not everyone can be at Jones Beach on the Saturday and Sunday of the show, Jeff Clyman decided to stage this four-day salute so folks on the beach, as well as those closer to home, can enjoy AAMs warbirds. So, if you want to avoid the Wantagh Parkway crawl to Jones Beach, you can park instead for FREE in AAMs lot and along New Highway! Bring the family, hang out with us all day, and watch exciting warbirds in action each day!

One other note, the Air Show will feature a U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II flying over Jones Beach. AAM has its very own A-10 on display outside Hangar 3; staff are ready to answer your questions about its special features and armament!

Admission for Adults is $15, Seniors & Veterans $10 and Children 5-12 $8. Tickets and pre-registration are not required; admission is on a first-come-first-serve basis. The Museum can now operate at 100% capacity, in accordance with New Yorks May 19th lifting of pandemic capacity limits, however, there is still a need for social distancing and guests must wear face masks plus have temperatures taken at the door. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on all four days, plus AAM is open Monday, May 31st, Memorial Day. Dont miss this one!

About the American Airpower Museum

The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the landmarked former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY. The Museum maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of aircraft spanning the many years of the aircraft factorys history. The Museum is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Educational Foundation Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. For more information, please visit www.americanairpowermuseum.com

Below is the beautiful Warbird Digest cover for issue #87. The uniquely historic B-25 Mitchell Miss HAP, operated by the American Airpower Museum captured for Warbird Digest through the lens of Greg Morehead. You can buy this issue at https://warbirddigest.com
Expert urges tighter Covid rules for Taiwan returnees

Leung Chi-chiu says everyone returning from Taiwan should be quarantined for 21 days. File photos: RTHK

Maggie Ho reports

Infectious disease expert Leung Chi-chiu said on Monday that all Hongkongers returning from Taiwan should be quarantined for 21 days, even those who are fully vaccinated.



His suggestion is contrary to the governments latest rules which require people who have been inoculated to be quarantined for 14 days  to be followed by a week of self-monitoring  upon returning from Taiwan where theres been a surge in Covid-19 cases.



Those who have not been inoculated have to be quarantined for 21 days.



Leung said vaccines do not provide full protection against Covid variants and they do not shorten the incubation period either, so there should be no differential treatment between people who have had the jab and those who havent.



The expert said Hong Kong should learn a lesson from Taiwan's resurgence of cases and be extra careful.



He noted that the number of infections had stayed low in Taiwan, the inoculation rate there was low, and life had largely returned to normal  and said all this made internal safeguards against the virus very weak.



Leung said Hong Kong is not much better than Taiwan in terms of herd immunity, so if any travellers bring the virus into the community, it could lead to problems that will "take a long time to solve".
Consumer watchdog warns of toxic crayons and paints

Consumer watchdog warns of toxic crayons and paints

The Consumer Council warned on Monday that more than half of the childrens art supplies it tested leach toxic metal substances  which, when taken in excessive quantities, can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, or even chronic disease.



The watchdog tested 19 crayon and fingerpaint products, and found 10 released toxic metal substances while three either exceeded EU safety limits for levels of aluminium or will exceed soon-to-be updated limits.



It said one crayon leached aluminium at levels exceeding the current EU limits by almost five times, while two more products will exceed the limits once the standards are updated on May 20.



The release of zinc, which has a stronger toxicity, was also found for two crayons, though levels fell within EU safety standards.



Levels of harmful PAH chemicals in seven types of crayons also exceeded limits set by Germany, but they do not contain PAHs restricted by EU regulations.



The watchdog said the PAH substances found in the products may cause cancer, allergies, or are harzardous to the ecosystem or the aquatic environment.



Council chief executive Gilly Wong urged parents to carefully select safe art supplies for their children, and pay attention to how they are used.



"Many kids tend to taste this kind of crayon just for fun, or they just eat it, she said.



Sometimes they use their fingers and put it around their faces  be mindful about this, Wong said, adding that parents should make their children wash after using art supplies.



She suggested that children be supervised when using art supplies, and for the products to be used in a well-ventilated area. And Wong suggested the use of some sort of protective barrel around the crayon, so children wouldnt touch the crayon directly.



The watchdog also noted that over half of the fingerpaint products it tested failed to fulfil EU standards and did not contain an embittering agent, which gives the paint an unpleasant bitter taste, to discourage children from eating them.



Four fingerpaint sets also lacked required product information or warnings, prompting the watchdog to ask suppliers to include the information on the products labels.
The state of Oklahoma will pay people $1,200 to get off unemployment benefits and start working.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order creating the Return to Work Incentive, which incentivizes finding a job instead of continuing to claim unemployment benefits.

The first 20,000 people who qualify and apply for the program will receive $1,200 after completing six weeks of a new job.

'It's really frustrating': Worker shortages are putting more money in employees' pockets but could slow the economy

"Our challenge is not to get businesses back open; we've done that. It's been getting employees back to work," Stitt said Monday. "Without a doubt, one of the factors causing this has been the continued extension of extra federal benefits."

Gov. Kevin Stitt looks on as Employment Security Commission Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt speaks during a press conference to announce at $1200 return to work incentive for unemployed Oklahomans at Freymiller Trucking in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Monday, May 17, 2021.

Oklahoma also will shut down all extra federal benefits created last year when the pandemic triggered record levels of unemployment. That includes:

 The $300-per-week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) tacked onto other unemployment benefits.

 Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which extends unemployment benefits beyond the traditional 26-week cutoff.

 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides benefits to workers who don't otherwise qualify, like self-employed and gig workers.

 Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC), which provided an additional $100 per week in benefits to individuals who received at least $5,000 of self-employment income in the most recent taxable year and were not receiving PUA benefits.

Some 90,000 people in the state are currently receiving FPUC, said Shelley Zumwalt, executive director of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. In all, she said 200,000 Oklahomans are eligible for work but don't have a job.

"I hear from employers every single day about their struggles to find staff for their businesses," said Zumwalt.

By announcing the end of pandemic-related benefits now, Oklahoma is giving people six weeks to find a job before they expire. The federal government told states to notify residents at least 30 days before ending those payouts. After June 27, the only state-run financial benefits available to out-of-work Oklahomans will be traditional unemployment payments that existed long before the pandemic began.

Story continues

The signup page for the Return to Work Incentive will go live June 28 at OESC's website.

More: At least 7 million Americans in line for unemployment tax refunds

The $1,200 incentive is available for claimants who received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation or traditional unemployment between May 2 and May 15. They must also complete six consecutive weeks of employment at 32 hours a week or more with the same employer.

Payments will begin dispersing the second week in July. The funds come from President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.

Democrats in the state Legislature criticized the decision to end federal unemployment benefits before they officially expire in September.

"The reality is that the pandemic is not yet over," said state Sen. Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City. "For Oklahomans to get back to work, they need the assurance employers will make accommodations to keep them safe at work, their children have safe and quality childcare and their families have accessible healthcare in the event they contract COVID-19."

To help connect employers with future employees, OESC is hosting two job fairs this week in Oklahoma City. On Wednesday, The Oklahoman is hosting its own job fair at the State Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. That event features 45 companies from a diverse array of industries that are looking for workers.

Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks during a press conference to announce at $1200 return to work incentive for unemployed Oklahomans at Freymiller Trucking in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Monday, May 17, 2021.

Erica Hering, owner of Ralphs Packing in Perkins, has experienced the workforce shortage first hand. To run the 35,000-square-foot meat processing facility, she needs 45 employees.

"For the last three and a half months, I've been running it with 35 employees," she said. "I have an additional 12,000 square feet coming online in a month and a half; it's going to take eight more employees to run that part of the business."

Another business struggling to find employees is Acme Engineering and Manufacturing in Muskogee. Brian Lanham, executive vice president of manufacturing and operations, said he needs to hire 30 people.

More: Major business group calls for ending $300 federal bonus in unemployment checks, blaming it for weak April job gains

"We've been to job fairs. We hire staffing agencies. The real issue is just there's no candidates, and it's real. There's no candidates," Lanham said. "Thirty-five years I've been in the factory  never in my life have I seen it like this today."

The service industry is also facing its own challenge finding a workforce that's ready and able to earn a paycheck. An April U.S. Census survey reported more than a third of small businesses in hospitality and food services were struggling to fully staff up.

Staff writer Dale Denwalt covers technology, aerospace and Oklahoma business news for The Oklahoman. He can be reached at ddenwalt@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @denwalt.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Unemployed workers in Oklahoma who return to work eligible for $1,200
LOS ANGELES (AP)  An arson suspect was arrested in connection with a Los Angeles wildfire that forced evacuations in canyons where thick vegetation hasn't burned in more than 60 years, authorities said Monday.

The man detained Sunday near the fire zone was being treated for smoke inhalation, said Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas. He did not identify the suspect or offer details about the investigation.

We feel we have the right person, Terrazas said at a news conference.

The wildfire near Topanga State Park was 23% contained by Monday evening. Despite burning in trees and heavy brush, its growth was slowed with the aid of cool, moist weather and its size remained at about 2 square miles (5.4 square kilometers), authorities said.

Air tankers battled the blaze after being unable to fly in the morning because of cloud cover.

No buildings were damaged and no injuries reported in the blaze that broke out late Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains. It grew rapidly Saturday  forcing about 1,000 Topanga Canyon area residents to flee their homes.

Evacuation orders were lifted Monday evening.

An explosive wildfire so early in the year, especially in cool conditions with almost no wind, portends a difficult fire season ahead in a state that has seen very little rainfall, officials said.

We really have to think about brush fires as a year-long challenge, Terrazas said.

The cause of the fire in steep, inaccessible terrain had been deemed suspicious after officials noticed two ignition points about an hour apart, the Fire Department said.

Arson investigators detained and released one person on Saturday and another person was questioned and then arrested on Sunday, the department said.

Topanga Canyon is a remote, wooded community with some ranch homes bordering Malibu, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles.

__

AP journalist Emily Wilder contributed to this report from Phoenix.
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and 28 Senate Democrats on Sunday called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as fighting continued into the night.

Driving the news: Young, a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, joined panel Chair Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in a bipartisan statement saying: "Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas' rocket attacks, in a manner proportionate with the threat its citizens are facing.

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"As a result of Hamas' rocket attacks and Israel's response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further," Young and Murphy added.

"We are encouraged by reports that the parties are exploring a ceasefire. We hope that this ceasefire can be reached quickly and that additional steps can be taken to preserve a two-state future."

Of note: Murphy also added his name to a separate statement with 27 other Democrats, led by Sen. Jon Ossoff (Ga.), saying: "To prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories, we urge an immediate ceasefire."

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The big picture: The lawmakers' calls came after the United Nations Security Council held a meeting to discuss the violence that has killed over 180 Palestinians and 10 Israelis since fighting began last Monday.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, told the virtual meeting that the Biden administration had "made clear" to both sides that it would provide assistance "should the parties seek a ceasefire," per Reuters.

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MOHAMMAD JAVAD SHOAEE

Archaeologists in Kenya have discovered the oldest human burial in Africa. The almost 80,000-year-old grave was discovered by researchers in the opening to a cave on the coast of Kenyas tropical uplands. Scientists believe that they belonged to a child aged between 2 and 3 years old. The fragile remainswhich have been named Mtoto after the Swahili word for childpromise to tell us more about human social behavior, organization, and cognition in the Middle Stone Age.

The discovery of the partial skeleton in the Panga ya Saidi cave north of Mombasa was made in 2013 by a team drawn from the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. The collaborative project involved further study at the Conservation and Restoration laboratories at the National Research Center on Human Evolution in Spain. The excavation itself proved to be a challenge as the bones were so degraded that they could easily have turned to dust during removal. The solution was to excavate a pit around the bones, fill it with plaster, and then transport the encased remains to the National Museums of Kenya for analysis. The remains were later carried on flights first to Jena, Germany, and later to Burgos in Spain. The results of this lengthy study were published this week in the prestigious journal Nature.

Watch: World's oldest burial reveals emotions of early man

What the analysis revealed was that the remains came from a young Homo sapiens roughly the age of a toddler. While older H. sapiens burials have been identified in the Levant and Europe, this is the first known example of a deliberate burial. The child had been buried in a kind of foetal position with their knees tucked under their chin. The tilt of their head suggested that it had once been supported by some kind of pillow. Though the material that encased the child has long since disintegrated, experts think that they were originally wrapped in a material (likely animal skins or some kind of plant fibers).

Story continues

The most striking discovery is the positioning of the body; it is suggestive of a deliberate and careful burial rather than just disposal. Bodies that were exposed often reveal signs of damage and interference: cracks, signs of animal disturbance, or weather-related smoothing. But Mtotos remains had only minimally been displaced and their anatomy was remarkably intact. Technical analysis of the soil that surrounded the Kenyan childs remains supports the idea that the child was purposefully buried. All in all, the scientists conclude, This evidence supports the idea that there was more elaborated involvement of the community in the funerary rite, rather than structured abandonment of a corpse or a happenstance burial. Nicole Boivin, a professor of archeology at the Max Planck Institute told the Guardian that Its incredibly rare that we gain access to such a snapshot of a moment in time, especially one so very ancient.

SCIENCE-BURIAL/ The remains of a child roughly age 3 who lived about 78,000 years ago and was found in a burial pit at a cave site in Kenya called Panga ya Saidi, the oldest-known human burial in Africa, are seen in an undated virtual reconstruction. JORGE GONZALEZ/ELENA SANTOS

The rarity of the find may be connected to the youth of the subject; while paleolithic hunter-gatherers were accustomed to death as a natural part of life, the deaths of infants and children may have been distinctive and particularly tragic. Boivin said: The burial takes us back to a very sad momentone that despite the vast time separating us, we can understand as humans. Even though infant mortality rates in the paleolithic and ancient world were high, the death of this 3-year-old may have had a distinctive quality to it.

The experience of grief and the practice of deliberately burying ones dead speaks not just to pervasive and cross-cultural human experiences, but also to the cognitive capacity of early humans in the Middle Stone Age. Though it takes many forms, burial is one of the most ubiquitous practices of ancient and modern societies. As the anthropologist W. H. R. Rivers remarked over a century ago, Few customs of mankind take so firm a hold of his imagination as his modes of disposing of the bodies of the dead. From the presence of flint tools and animal bones in Neanderthal burials, to the discovery that a 60,000 burial at the Shanidar Cave in Iraq included large numbers of flowers, there is evidence that early humans had ritualized forms of burial (though there are plenty of alternative readings of this evidence). The combination of these elements led anthropologist B. G. Campbell to suggest in his book Humankind Emerging that perhaps paleolithic Iraqis believed that deceased person would be reborn.

Watch: Egypt unveils treasures found at ancient site

For the first generations of anthropologists and sociologists, death and burial were one of the clearest signs that early humans had religious beliefs and, thus, also social values. Burying the bodies of loved ones, Mary Stiner has written, is a uniquely human habit[that] is tied to human capabilities for symbolic expression. Elephants, chimpanzees, and dolphins all grieve over loved ones and display empathy, says Stiner, but they do not mourn over the length of their lives in the way that Neanderthals do. The similarity of Middle Stone age mourning practices to those of modern humans is taken as a sign that hominins are not so different from us after all. Whether or not the concrete connection between social order, religion, and burial is accurate, the interest in mortuary practices reveals a widely dispersed interest in the meaning and significance of death.

The problem with this kind of speculation when it comes to H. sapiens, however, is that we have so little evidence to go on. In comparison to Neanderthals the evidence for mortuary practices among H. sapiens in Africa is sparse, perhaps because anthropological studies of Africa are relatively recent. As the authors of the study write, Africa demonstrates a scarcity of mortuary practices over most of the MSA that provides little current support for modern-like conceptions of the afterlife and/or treatment of the dead.

This is one of the things that makes the discovery of Mtoto so important. We might have assumed that burial was important, but this example of burial shows that inhumation of the dead is a practice shared by populations living in and out of Africa during the last interglacial period. The evolution of mortuary practices may not necessarily point to the early development of afterlife beliefs or what we call religion, but they do show our ancestors in a softer light. Despite the representation of early hominins as brutish, their mortuary practices speak to the care they lavished on the bodies of their deceased and an interest in maintain a connection with loved ones. Love expressed through grief, it turns out, is the oldest identifiable human feeling.

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The Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Mississippi's 15-week ban on abortion in a major case that will be closely watched across the US.

The verdict could upend the legal right to abortion laid out in the court's 1973 landmark Roe v Wade ruling.

It will be the first abortion case heard by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic conservative who then-President Trump nominated in 2020.

The court is ideologically split, with conservatives holding a 6-3 majority.

The case, Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization, challenges the constitutionality of abortions performed after week 15 of pregnancy.

At issue in the trial, which is expected to take place in the coming months, is whether a foetus is viable outside the womb after 15 weeks.

In announcing the decision to hear the case, the Supreme Court said they would review whether "all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional."

If Mississippi's ban is upheld by the Supreme Court, it could pave the way for further abortion restrictions that have been pushed for by conservatives.

"Alarm bells are ringing loudly about the threat to reproductive rights," said Nancy Northup from the Center for Reproductive Rights after the trial was announced.

'It could be the case that kills Roe'

Analysis box by Anthony Zurcher, North America reporter

Anti-abortion activists have been waiting, sometimes impatiently, for the increasingly conservative-dominated Supreme Court to take up a case that could allow it to drive a stake through the heart of Roe v Wade. On Monday morning, the court obliged.

Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban was written as direct challenge to existing Supreme Court guidelines governing the legality of abortion. If a majority of the nine-member court decides to uphold the law, it will pave the way for other states to impose their own stringent limitations on the procedure.

That the court decided to hear the case after lower courts struck down the law suggests that at least four justices are open to doing just that.

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Abortion has been one of the most highly charged judicial topics in the last half-century. The 1973 Roe case legalising first-trimester abortion nationwide was sweeping in its scope and gave rise to the modern religious conservative movement. A slim majority of justices turned back a serious challenge to the precedent in 1992's Planned Parenthood v Casey.

This Mississippi challenge has the potential to rank alongside those landmark cases. It could be the case that kills Roe and hands the issue of abortion legality back to the states to decide.

What is Roe v Wade?

The 1973 Supreme Court ruling legalised abortion in the US.

By a vote of seven to two, the court justices ruled that governments lacked the power to prohibit abortions.

The court's judgement was based on the decision that a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy came under the freedom of personal choice in family matters as protected by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

The case created the "trimester" system that:

gives American women an absolute right to an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy

allows some government regulation in the second trimester of pregnancy

declares that states may restrict or ban abortions in the last trimester as the foetus nears the point where it could live outside the womb

Roe v Wade also established that in the final trimester a woman can obtain an abortion despite any legal ban only if doctors certify it is necessary to save her life or health.

Overturning Roe v Wade would not make abortion illegal, it would just allow each state to determine its own rules.

What power do states have?

Since Roe v Wade, conservative states have pushed to bypass the ruling and make their own rules governing abortion.

Though the Roe v Wade judgement was upheld, states won the right to restrict abortion even in the first trimester for non-medical reasons after the 1992 Planned Parenthood v Casey Supreme Court case.

State laws must not place an "undue burden" on women seeking abortion services, the court said. However, it is the woman and not the authorities who have to prove that the regulations are damaging.

As a result many states now have restrictions in place such as requirements that young pregnant women involve their parents or a judge in their abortion decision. Others have introduced waiting periods between the time a woman first visits an abortion clinic and the actual procedure.

The result of these restrictions is that many women have to travel further to get an abortion, often across state borders, and pay more for them.

Last year, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.

Critics said the controversial law would limit the number of providers in the state, violating a woman's right to an abortion.

Last week, Texas joined at least a dozen states that have passed bills that ban abortion after a foetal heartbeat can be detected - which often happens before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, state lawmakers have introduced more than 500 restrictions on abortion this year.

"The year 2021 is well on its way to being a defining one in abortion rights history," said the authors of the report.

Many of the cases have been challenged in the courts, setting up possible future legal showdowns in the Supreme Court such as the current one prompted by the Mississippi law.

What will the court decide?

The court has become increasingly more conservative since 2016 after Mr Trump replaced three judges during his four-year term. During his campaign, Mr Trump vowed to appoint judges who would overturn Roe v Wade and hand the issue of abortion back to state governments to decide.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, who joined the court in 2017, voted in favour of Louisiana's abortion restriction in 2020.

Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate in 2018. He also supported the Louisiana law that was ultimately struck down by the court.

Justice Coney Barrett joined the court in October 2020. She has yet to rule on abortion at the Supreme Court level, but reviewed two cases while serving as a judge on the appeals court.

She voted in favour of a law that would have mandated doctors to inform the parents of a minor seeking an abortion, with no exceptions. She also called for a state law that sought to ban abortions related to sex, race, disability or life-threatening health conditions to be reheard.

Speaking as a law school professor in 2016, she said she did not think "abortion or the right to abortion would change" under a future court.

"I think some of the restrictions would change," she said. "The question is how much freedom the court is willing to let states have in regulating abortion."

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The Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego held a rally over the weekend to pressure the San Diego County District Attorney to prosecute police abuse or resign.

Video Transcript

- If we don't stand out to it, it means complacent, and we are not complacent.

- The Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego is calling for San Diego County DA Summer Stefan to resign or prosecute police abuse.

- This is not that easy. We have a long way to go.

- During Saturday's rally Anthony Carolino spoke about his brother Dennis Carolino who was shot and killed by San Diego Police in 2019.

- My brother is my number one protector in my life. Now, I'm going to protect the people.

- The district attorney's office later reported the shooting was justified because Carolina was wielding a shovel. Anthony says, the investigation wasn't fair and says, there needs to be more training on how to handle mental health crises.

- When my brother was killed by San Diego Police, I learned a lot about San Diego. I learned about how dirty the system is.

- A report by state prosecutor shows more than 450 people were shot by law enforcement officers in San Diego County over the span of 25 years from 1993 to 2017. Activists say Stefan has neglected to punish police abuse and that none of the officers were prosecuted over that 25 year span.

- We continue to have issues in the County that keep coming up. Homeless people ended beat up in La Jolla.

- Among many cases the racial Justice Coalition points to the Angel Hernandez case where MTS officers held Hernandez down with their knees on his neck resulting in his death. Activist Buki Domingo says Angel's death is almost the exact way George Floyd died.

- It's amazing to know that we also have our Floyd here. So why is Nobody's saying anything about it, and why is it OK that those officers are still not being prosecuted.

- Now we reach out to DA Summer Stefan for a response. I have not yet heard back, but during the same campaign about the same time last year in 2020 her office did issue this statement in part says, our office takes great care to make sure our analysis follows the law is independent, objective, and, thorough.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama judge who handles domestic relations cases used fake social media accounts to harass people with cases before her, verbally abused office workers and lawyers and showed signs of drug use and mental instability, state judicial investigators alleged.

A complaint against Jefferson County Circuit Judge Nakita Blocton by the Judicial Inquiry Commission, which charged her with violating multiple rules of judicial ethics, also claimed she took an inordinate amount of time to dispose of cases.

Blocton has been temporarily removed from duty and denied allegations that include multiple improper communications through Facebook detailed in the complaint, which was filed Friday, al.com reported.

If the complaint wasnt a legal document, it would be a libel lawsuit, said Emory Anthony, an attorney representing Blocton. Usually, I wouldnt make a statement when dealing the Judicial Inquiry Commission, but these allegations are so embarrassing. We hope at the proper time well have the right to defend these allegations and show that theyre not true. This is just out of left field.

Beginning last August, either Blocton or someone working on her behalf used fake Facebook accounts to harass a litigant who complained about her behavior, according to the charges. One of the messages said: Because you have prophesied when I did not send you, and because you caused my people to believe in a lie, you and your descendants will be punished, the complaint said.

Blocton, a judge since 2017, delayed ruling on cases involving disfavored lawyers and told staffers to put their cases on the bottom of the stack. The complaint alleged Blocton has been under the influence of medication in her chambers that caused erratic behavior and that she made staffers take diet pills to pep them up after long nights at work.

Anthony denied that Blocton abused drugs or forced anyone to take medication. She had a delay on her docket because of COVID-19 and is dealing with the deaths of her father and grandfather, her lawyer said.

We do need to address the issue concerning orders, and we will do that, Anthony said.

Judicial complaints are heard by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, which has not set a date to consider the case.
Get AfricaFocus Bulletin by e-mail! Format for print or mobile Africa/Global: Decolonizing Medical Technology AfricaFocus Bulletin

May 17, 2021 (2021-05-17)

(Reposted from sources cited below) Editor's Note A continent of 1.2 billion people should not have to import 99% of its vaccines. But that is the tragic reality for Africa. Fixing the lack of home-grown manufacturing capacity has become a top priority for Africas policymakers. Last week, 40,000 people, including researchers, business leaders and members of civil-society groups, joined heads of state for a two-day online summit designed to share the latest developments and kick-start fresh thinking on how to bring vaccine manufacturing to Africa. - Nature magazine editorial, April 21, 2021 Covid-19 has revealed the urgency of reducing the inequality in global access to vaccines, prompting a wide-ranging and ongoing debate about what must be done about what many are calling vaccine apartheid. But, as stressed in this summit convened by the Africa CDC and the African Union, the issue goes beyond any single disease, to the need to plan for future pandemics and address the inequities in capacity in both research and manufacture of vaccines. This is already the case for malaria. A new vaccine with over 70% of efficacy was first reported earlier this month. African and world leaders and health officials are increasingly focused on the possibility of accelerating the fight against this deadly disease, which in 2019 caused over 84,440 deaths world-wide. Ninety-seven percent of those deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa. So while global campaigns under the slogan of Malaria Must Die continue, it is clear that the initiative for action must come from Africa. Even once vaccines are available, there will remain formidable problems of manufacturing and distribution. On April 13, African leaders pledged to increase the share of vaccines manufactured in Africa from 1% to 60% by 2040. It will not be easy. This AfricaFocus Bulletin includes (1) key links on the current status of the fight against malaria, (2) an open letter to international funders from African researchers, reposted here in full with permission from Nature magazine; and (3) excerpts from a news story and an editorial in Nature magazine on the urgency of development of vaccine capacity in Africa. For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on health, visit http://www.africafocus.org/intro-health.php ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Two additional notes about this Bulletin 1. Unlike many if not most readers of AfricaFocus, including my wife, I have never had malaria, despite a total of more than five years spent in areas of the continent where the disease is endemic. But my awareness of the disease began long before I first traveled to Africa. My father, Dr. David Minter, served as a malaria control officer in the South Pacific during World War II, where in the early years the disease caused more casualties among U.S. troops than the Japanese military. Atabrine, DDT, and education of the troops brought the toll down significantly. Unlike many wartime assignments, his posting to this position made good sense, as he had several years of experience in treating malaria in the 1930s in Mississippi, where malaria was endemic before the war. His colleague in the South Pacific in this effort, Filipino physician Dr. Francisco Dy, who later served as the World Health Organization regional coordinator for the Western Pacific, became a life-long friend of my parents. 2. With this Bulletin, I am including a short embedded video featuring the Kanneh-Mason family cover of Bob Marley's Redemption Song. I may make this a regular feature of the Bulletin, featuring short music videos that do not take up extra bandwidth in the email. The idea came from the editors of Quartz Africa, who often end their weekly email with a note saying written while listening to. I am not good enough at multi-tasking to listen while I write. But I do find it necessary to take short breaks from writing to listen and watch short music videos. That is essential for the spirit, particularly when one is writing about subjects which more often feature grim realities than hope for change. The videos I will choose for inclusion are not linked to the specific theme of the Bulletin. But they definitely illustrate the visions of the resilience and hope needed both by Africa and the world. I hope some of you enjoy them. If you don't, it's easy not to watch. They aren't set to auto-play. ++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++ Recent news and background on malaria https://theconversation.com/new-malaria-vaccine-proves-highly-effective-and-covid-shows-how-quickly-it-could-be-deployed-159585 https://qz.com/africa/2005934/africa-can-avoid-covid-19-vaccine-missteps-with-malaria-vaccine/ https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/distribution.html https://allafrica.com/malaria/ https://allafrica.com/stories/202105040682.html Meeting of African Leaders Malaria Alliance https://malariamustdie.com/ World campaign against malaria, headlined by David Beckham ******************************************************* Open letter to international funders of science and development in Africa April 15, 2021 Nature Medicine, April 15, 2021 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01307-8 From Ngozi A. Erondu? ?1,2;, Ifeyinwa Aniebo 1,3,4; Catherine Kyobutungi 5; Janet Midega1, 6; Emelda Okiro 7; and Fredros Okumu 1,8. 1 Aspen Institute, Washington, DC, USA; 2 ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, USA; 3 Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria; 4 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; 5 African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya; 6 Wellcome Trust, London, UK; 7 KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya; 8 Ifakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Contact email for authors: ngozierondu@gmail.com To the EditorRecently there was an announcement1 of a US$30 million grant awarded to the nonprofit health organization PATH by the US governments Presidents Malaria Initiative (PMI). The grant funded a consortium of seven institutions in the USA, the UK and Australia to support African countries in the improved use of data for decision-making in malaria control and elimination. Not one African institution was named in the press release. The past year has been full of calls from staff and collaborators of various public-health entities for equality and inclusion, so one might imagine that such a partnership to support Africa should be led from Africa by African scientists, partnering with Western institutions where appropriate, especially where capacity has been demonstrated. We write this letter to the major international funders of science and development in Africa as African scientists, policy analysts, public-health practitioners and academics with a shared mission of improving the health and wellbeing of communities in our continent and beyond. We represent a diverse group of institutions and communities dedicated to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to establishing a more equitable world. Our work is informed by lived experiences and accumulated local knowledge of diseases such as malaria, AIDS, diarrhea, meningitis and polio, which have plagued millions of our families and friends for ages. We are therefore grateful that organizations that fund international health research have long been part of the international efforts to rid the world of these illnesses and their associated inequities. We believe the reason these organizations are financing global health and development is that they share in our dreams and aspirations. We also believe, just like you, the decision-makers at these major funding organizations, that all humans, regardless of where they are located, are equal, even if opportunities are not. We recognize multiple injustices that have been perpetuated through historical practices, often without due consideration of their negative consequences. The current political climate has amplified the global call to decolonize global health, a more overt stance against what public-health practitioners in both high-income countries and low-income countries have known all along: that the predominant global health architecture and its business model enable western institutions to gain more than, and sometimes at the expense of, the people and institutions in the countries where the actual problems are. As the decolonize global health movement has demonstrated, dismantling structures that perpetuate unequal power over knowledge and influence must support the quest for justice and equality. Global health institutions, especially funding organizations, must therefore examine their own internal policies and practices that impede progress toward justice and equality for populations that they intend to help. We write this letter as a collective, hoping to accelerate, and in some cases initiate, a process toward real fairness. We believe that there are many issues with this specific consortium focused on malaria, including the fact that there are strong African institutions with excellent capabilities this area, including some already actively engaged on the ground, such as the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Information for Malaria (INFORM) initiative that began in 2014 (http://inform-malaria.org/). International funding, such as that from the Presidents Malaria Initiative, has substantially advanced the goal of improving peoples health and wellbeing in Africa and beyond. However, funding models such as that of the PATH-led initiative are among the reasons that after several decades and billions of dollars spent, the control of diseases such as malaria is still heavily donor dependent, This type of funding has also contributed a model of implementation that puts the delivery of several health interventions directly in the hands of Western non-governmental organizations, which further diminishes the capacities and ownership of national programs to deliver to their populations and ultimately leads to weak health systems and a lack of sufficient local capacity. Decisions about such major funding initiatives should be made in consultation with in-country scientists and researchers involved in this work, alongside ministries of health and national malaria-control programs, to augment national priority research efforts. Such efforts have the best chance of success if they are run by local research agencies and institutions that can work closely with governments and are well positioned to support decision-makers in integrating data into local policies and strategies. The new high burden to high impact initiative from the World health Organization rightly recognizes the need for such vital work to be country-owned and country-led to reignite the pace of progress in the global fight against malaria and to increase the likelihood of success in eliminating malaria. Omitting African institutions from leadership roles and relegating them to recipients of capacity strengthening ignores the agency these institutions have, their existing capacity, the value of their lived experience and their permanence and close proximity to policy-makers. In 2017, the USA, UK and Canada collectively spent US$ 1.1 billion on malaria development aid, which includes research funding. When the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation data-visualization tool is used (https://vizhub.healthdata.org/fgh/), it appears that once global fund contributions are removed, 81% of funding was used to support institutions in the funding country and 18% went to non-governmental organizations (probably based in high-income countries)that leaves just 1% of malaria funding available to local in-country research institutions. We recognize that the current funding structures create an imbalance of power and a monopoly that favors Western institutions and is derived in part from the perpetuation of inequities in access to funding with policies that lock out African institutions. These structural inequities must be examined, and they must end. We know that several decision-makers of these organizations recognize the limitations of the model that you have woefully applied to the issue of which we speak. The New Partnerships Initiative from the US Agency for International Development (https://www.usaid.gov/npi) and the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (https://www.aasciences.africa/aesa) are good examples of funding local institutions for impact. The latter is shifting its center of gravity by ensuring its funding is provided directly to African scientists and institutions, which in turn empowers and enables them to shape their research agenda and to conduct research relevant to the continent. But we argue that these are the exceptions. For long-term progress, true partnerships and stronger collaborations, you, the funders, are responsible for totally transforming this model. We believe that in the same way we have to apply innovation in our work to fight diseases, innovation can be applied to the design of sustainable funding models with local researchers and organizations at their center. We are asking that all major international funders of science and development in Africa commit to finding and implementing short-term and long-term changes to these models with consideration of the points we have listed above and with further consultation with reputable Africa-based institutions and scientists. There is a way to create equitable and dignified partnerships and to defeat the diseases that threaten everyone. We who authored this Correspondence are few, but we are committed to assisting any organization that is willing to make a substantial change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01307-8 References 1. PATH. https://www.path.org/media-center/path-announces-pmi-inform-malaria-operational-research-project/ (10 February 2021). 2. World Health Organization & RBM Partnership to End Malaria. High burden to high impact: a targeted malaria response (WHO, 2019). Author contributions All authors were involved in the original drafting, reviewing, and editing of this letter and gave final approval of the version to be published. This letter is signed in an individual capacity. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of any organization they (the authors) are associated with or employed by. ************************************************************ How COVID spurred Africa to plot a vaccines revolution For decades, Africa has imported 99% of its vaccines. Now the continents leaders want to bring manufacturing home. Nature magazine, April 21, 2021 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01048-1 [excerpt from full news story available at link above] Prompted by the pandemic, Africas leaders are on a path to ramp up capacity in vaccine manufacturing and boost the continents regulatory bodies for medicines. On 13 April, they pledged to increase the share of vaccines manufactured in Africa from 1% to 60% by 2040. This includes building factories and bolstering capacity in research and development. The COVID-19 pandemic has left Africa woefully short of vaccines, according to John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), based in Addis Ababa. The ambitious move represents an important step in boosting Africas capacity in public health, he added. Nkengasong was speaking at a 2-day vaccines summit on 12 and 13 April, co-organized by Africa CDC and the African Union, and attended by 40,000 delegates. Also taking part were heads of state and leaders from research, business, civil society and finance. We have been humbled, all of us, by this pandemic, said Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, Senegals minister of health and welfare. The 1% figure boggles the mind, added virologist Salim Abdool Karim, formerly a science adviser to South Africas government. . . . In the next pandemic, will Africa make its own vaccines? The AU meeting ended on an upbeat note, with delegates talking of tipping points, now-or-never moments and global goodwill to enable Africa to finally create its own vaccines industry. Progress will need political commitment, long-term finance and regional cooperation, said Patrick Tippoo, executive director of the African Vaccine Manufacturers Initiative, a group of vaccine manufacturers and research institutes. The foundational problem, Tippoo added, is that the continents leaders have lacked the vision to recognize the centrality of local vaccine manufacturing in health-care policy. The lack of manufacturing and weak regulation will require long-term governmental support if they are to be overcome, said Solomon Quaynor, a vice-president at the African Development Bank Group. Without such support, he warned the meetings delegates, there will be no vaccine manufacturing in Africa. But momentum is on the side of new beginnings. In the final analysis, the onus is on us as Africa. I do know we can do the job, said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's former finance minister and now director-general of the World Trade Organization. ************************************************************* Africas vaccines revolution must have research at its core Its an injustice that Africa has to import 99% of its vaccines. COVID has sparked a push for change  and researchers have a crucial role. Nature magazine, April 21, 2021 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01038-3 [excerpt from full editorial available at link above] A continent of 1.2 billion people should not have to import 99% of its vaccines. But that is the tragic reality for Africa. Fixing the lack of home-grown manufacturing capacity has become a top priority for Africas policymakers. Last week, 40,000 people, including researchers, business leaders and members of civil-society groups, joined heads of state for a two-day online summit designed to share the latest developments and kick-start fresh thinking on how to bring vaccine manufacturing to Africa. For more than a century, vaccine research and development (R&D) and manufacturing have been concentrated in Europe, India and the United States. Amid a raging pandemic, one result of this is that people in low- and middle-income countries might have to wait until the end of 2023 before they can be vaccinated against COVID-19. This is simply unacceptable. Delegates at last weeks summit vowed to accelerate plans to boost the continents vaccine manufacturing, research and regulatory capacity. They endorsed a proposal for 60% of Africas routinely used vaccines to be made in Africa within 20 years, and agreements were signed with international organizations representing companies and donor agencies. But achieving this goal will need some hard conversations in the weeks and months ahead. One such conversation must be on the need for sustained and long-term investment, especially in domestic R&D, as a vaccines industry cannot be created without this. In spite of the best efforts of researchers such as the late Calestous Juma, who founded the African Centre for Technology Studies in Nairobi, most governments, for a variety of reasons, pushed back against the idea that domestic R&D is of long- term value. It needed a pandemic to persuade Africas leaders to be convinced of the case for bigger investments. That is to be welcomed  but it will need more than warm words at a conference to provide assurance that the plans being hatched will come to fruition. There will also need to be hard conversations with donor countries, their pharmaceutical companies, and funders and researchers  essentially, all those currently involved in supplying Africa with vaccines. If the goal is now African self-sufficiency in what some call the vaccine value chain, then international partnerships with the continents institutions will require a different approach. A partnership in which the objective is to empower the continents own researchers and businesses will need to be different from existing partnerships, in which the objective is to supply Africa with vaccines. Some international companies might regard African self- sufficiency as a long-term risk to their business; some might fear a loss of influence. Firms and researchers from outside Africa shouldnt take this view if they agree that a genuine partnership of equals is in everyones interests. Vaccines are essential to public health. And public health is essential to strong economies. . . . The worlds researchers have created, and continue to create, innovative vaccines. But it is now time to grow and share this knowledge with colleagues in under-served regions, especially in Africa. Their intervention in Africas vaccine-manufacturing ambitions might well be too late to make a difference during the present pandemic, but it will almost certainly help to ensure that the continents people are much better protected during the next. Redemption Song (Arr. Kanneh-Mason) There are many other versions of this song available on-line. Three that I particularly like are https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhtZ5SyGHFU  with Bob Marley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZncWCgN-zms  with Angelique Kidjo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55s3T7VRQSc  Playing for Change with Stephen Marley AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. For an archive of previous Bulletins, see http://www.africafocus.org, Current links to books on AfricaFocus go to the non-profit bookshop.org, which supports independent bookshores and also provides commissions to affiliates such as AfricaFocus. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. To subscribe to receive future bulletins by email, click here.
May 17Albright College senior Evan Cardinal soon will get a chance to practice some of the concepts he learned about while majoring in political science and international relations.

Cardinal, 23, a son of Adrienne and Jeffrey Cardinal of Lower Alsace Township, will graduate from Albright this month with honors and a bachelor of arts degree.

But before he begins graduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, he plans to spend more than a year in community service with AmeriCorps.

The adult volunteer program, supported by the federal government and donors, helps meet critical needs in the community.

"It is a chance to put a personal touch on some of the topics I have read about," he said.

Over the summer months, Cardinal will work with KEYS Service Corps and Grow Pittsburgh to help train middle and high school students in urban farming techniques. In the fall, he will volunteer with Compass AmeriCorps and Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh as a refugee caseworker.

"I will be working with incoming refugees and helping them navigate the medical system," he said.

Coupling rich educational experiences with community service is nothing new to Cardinal. He packed a lot into his four years at Albright.

"If co-majoring in political science and international relations while minoring in theater already sounds like a full slate, you'll be impressed by Evan Cardinal's full dossier," said Carey Manzolillo, Albright's director of communications.
A Colorado man who allegedly participated in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol is now accused of shooting a mountain lion  after a judge warned him he is not allowed to possess illegal firearms.

Patrick Montgomery was charged in January with illegally entering the Capitol and disorderly conduct during the riots, among other things, according to court documents.

Since his arrest, Montgomery has been on pre-trial release, but according to court documents, he has violated his release conditions, and prosecutors are seeking to revoke it.

In February, he was was ordered, among other things, "not [to] violate federal, state, or local law while on release," "do not commit any Federal or State crimes," and "do not possess illegal firearms," according to the documents.

Earlier this month, FBI Task Force Officer Michael Timmerman learned that Montgomery used a handgun to shoot a mountain lion at a Colorado Parks and Wildlife park in March.

"Montgomery is a convicted felon and is prohibited by law to carry a firearm, including a handgun," the documents state.

An alleged Capitol rioter, Patrick Montgomery, who was banned from having firearms, shot a mountain lion. He now faces house arrest for violating pre-release conditions. / Credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)

Montgomery had told an officer at the park that he killed a mountain lion with .357 magnum handgun. The officer ran a mandatory background check on Montgomery, and saw that he is a convicted felon. Montgomery pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery, each a third-degree felony, in 1996.

When he was contacted about this after the background check, Montgomery admitted he was convicted of felonies, but said he was granted a plea agreement that allowed him possession of firearms for the purposes of hunting and guiding.

However, he did not have copies of those forms, and could not prove that he is allowed possession of firearms, according to court documents.

This is not the first time Montgomery is accused of violating local laws while on pre-trial release. Earlier this year, he admitted to the parks officer that he and his dogs followed a bobcat for approximately 11 miles before his dogs killed the bobcat, which violates local hunting rules.

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"Montgomery has no respect for the Court's orders, just like he had no respect for law enforcement at the Capitol on January 6," Acting United States Attorney Channing Phillips writes in the court documents.

"Instead of peacefully protesting, he tried to grab a Metropolitan Police Department officer's baton, wrestled him to the ground for it, and then kicked the officer in the chest while wearing a boot," Phillips said of Montgomery's alleged involvement in the riots. "After the officer regained control of his baton, Montgomery stood up, and held up his two middle fingers at the officer. "

Last week, the government and defense agreed on new on pre-trial release conditions for Montgomery. If approved by the court, he now faces home incarceration, which requires him to be restricted to 24-hour-a-day lock-down at his residence. He would also receive GPS monitoring and cannot possess firearms or participate in hunting.

Montgomery, who owns a hunting guide business called Pmonte Outdoors, shot the mountain lion on the last day of the 2020-21 mountain lion hunting season, CBS Denver reported.

He could face state charges of Illegal possession of wildlife and possession of a weapon by a previous offender, according to the affiliate. He also faces 15 counts in the Capitol riot case.

In April, a grand jury in Washington D.C. indicted Montgomery in a 10-count indictment for assaulting a Metropolitan Police Department officer, engaging in physical violence, illegally entering the Capitol and Senate Gallery, obstructing an official proceeding, and disorderly and disruptive conduct that occurred at the Capitol.

He was arraigned on those charges and has a status hearing set for July 28. He has a hearing set in the hunting case on May 19.

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Argentina is ready to host the Copa America, President Alberto Fernandez confirmed Sunday, despite the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed more than 70,000 people in his country.

The tournament is due to kick off on June 13 even as the coronavirus is ravaging the continent and despite the delicate political situation in co-host Colombia, which is convulsed by anti-government protests.

"We were consulted and said yes. With all due care. This would be a Copa America for television, that must be said. Under those terms we would be willing to honor our commitment," Fernandez said in a statement to television channel C5N Argentina.

"The rest depends on how everything evolves and what Colombia is also going to do."

Argentina is going through its worst phase since the pandemic began, passing 3.3 million infections this weekend with a total of 70,552 deaths.

"We agreed with CONMEBOL to hold the Copa America and we are going to do it with the applicable restrictions," Fernandez said, referring to the South American football governing body.

Fifteen River Plate players had to be dropped at the last minute for the superclasico against Boca Juniors for the Argentine League Cup on Sunday after they tested positive for the coronavirus.

CONMEBOL has started vaccinating footballers for the Copa America thanks to 50,000 doses donated by Chinese state pharmaceutical company Sinovac.

At the moment, matches will be played in the Argentine cities of Cordoba, Santiago del Estero, Mendoza and Buenos Aires, and in Colombia's Barranquilla, Medellin, Cali and Bogota.

The opening Copa America match will be played at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires between Argentina and Chile on June 13.

The final is scheduled for July 10 at the Barranquilla Metropolitan Stadium in Colombia.

sa/ma/mtp/qan
By Paulina Duran

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's troubled casino operator Crown Resorts on Monday rejected an all-cash $6.5 billion buyout proposal from Blackstone Group as too low, but said it was seeking more information from rival suitor Star Entertainment Group.

The rebuff comes as Crown, which has prized tourism and real estate assets in major Australian cities, faces intense regulatory scrutiny and is grappling with a slump in profits due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Crown said while it had considered a range of scenarios given regulatory enquiries, the U.S. private equity giant's offer of A$12.35 per share or A$8.4 billion did not take into account the full value of its assets, a potential jump in earnings once the pandemic eases and plans to pay down a significant amount of debt.

Blackstone, which owns 10% of Crown, declined to comment. It has not had access to Crown's books, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorised to comment publicly and declined to be identified.

In contrast to Blackstone, Star has made an all-stock offer that it argues values Crown in excess of A$14 per Crown share or A$9 billion.

Crown said in a separate statement it had not yet formed a view on the merits of the Star merger proposal but had asked for certain information to better understand preliminary matters.

Its shares were up 0.8% on Monday at A$$13.15. Star's shares also gained, climbing 1%.

Star's proposal is expected to attract antitrust scrutiny since it would create a single gambling behemoth in Australia without a competitor.

Crown has also received a proposal by Oaktree Capital Group to bankroll a A$3 billion purchase of founder James Packer's 37% stake to remove regulatory concerns.

Crown executives on Monday were facing their first day of six-week hearings at a government-mandated inquiry in Victoria to assess whether Crown is fit to keep its operating licence in the country's second most populous state and the home of its largest operating casino.

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That enquiry was called after Crown was found by a separate probe in Sydney to have enabled money laundering on its premises and knowingly dealt with tour operators linked to organised crime. That probe cited the influence of Packer over the Crown board as a governance problem.

Crown, which lost its CEO in the inquiry fallout, said this month it had appointed Steve McCann, the head of property developer Lendlease Group to the role.

($1 = 1.2853 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Paulina Duran in Sydney; Additional reporting by Anushka Trivedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission has asked Poland not to question the primacy of European Union law over national legislation, as this is the fundamental principle of the 27-nation bloc, a Commission spokesman said on Thursday. The Commission, which is the guardian of EU treaties, wrote to the Polish government on Wednesday asking Warsaw to withdraw a motion the Polish prime minister filed with Poland's constitutional court seeking a ruling on whether the country's constitution or EU treaties are more important.
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc has sold nearly all of its holdings in Wells Fargo & Co, as Warren Buffett abandoned a more than 31-year-old investment that had been among his most successful before the bank was felled by scandals for mistreating customers. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Berkshire said it owned just $26.4 million of shares in the fourth-largest U.S. bank as of March 31, down from around $32 billion in January 2018.Berkshire began investing in San Francisco-based Wells Fargo in 1989, and spent at least $12.7 billion on its shares, building a 10% stake.The bank's reputation was shattered by revelations that employees facing aggressive sales goals opened millions of unwanted accounts, charged unnecessary mortgage fees and forced drivers to buy car insurance they did not need. The conduct grew out of Wells Fargo's longstanding strategy of selling more products per customer, or cross-selling. Buffett, who is Berkshire's chief executive, told CNBC in February 2020 that Wells Fargo had a "dumb" incentive system and was slow to make things right. "The big thing is they ignored it when they found out about it," he said. "You absolutely have to attack a problem as soon as it occurs, and you know about it. And if that had happened, Wells Fargo shareholders would be a lot better off."

Berkshire, based in Omaha, Nebraska, still owns shares of other banks, including Bank of America Corp, its largest common stock holding other than Apple Inc.Wells Fargo paid $3 billion in February 2020 to settle criminal and civil probes.

Last November, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged two former top Wells Fargo executives with misleading investors about its financial results. Wells Fargo remains under a February 2018 Federal Reserve directive barring asset growth until it makes sufficient improvements.

Shares of Wells Fargo closed Monday up 94 cents at $47.90. Although the price has more than doubled since October, it is 28% below its January 2018 peak.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Israeli air strikes hammered the Gaza Strip (Getty Images/MOHAMMED ABED)

The Biden administration has approved the sale of $735m of precision-guided weapons to Israel, raising the ire of some Democrats who question support for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Washington Post reports that Congress was officially notified of the proposed sale on 5 May, citing three people familiar with the notification  a week before the current conflict with Hamas began.

Rockets fired from Gaza into Israel have led to the deaths of 10 Israelis. Airstrikes on Gaza have left almost 200 Palestinians dead.

The Biden administration has called for a ceasefire but also maintains that Israel has the right to defend itself.

While a large majority of Congress backs this position, a growing minority of Democrats, particularly in the House of Representatives, have raised concerns about supporting Mr Netanyahu and question the timing of the sale.

Some suggest using the sale as leverage to push for a ceasefire.

In the past week, the Israeli military's strikes have killed many civilians and destroyed the building that housed the Associated Press, an American company reporting on the facts in Gaza, a Democratic lawmaker on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told the Post.

Allowing this proposed sale of smart bombs to go through without putting pressure on Israel to agree to a cease-fire will only enable further carnage.

More follows...

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OPINION: How can America overcome its problems of systemic racism and police violence at home as it gives billions of dollars to Israel to maintain an oppressive apartheid system?

Now is the time for President Joe Biden to speak out against apartheid in Israel, and for the U.S. to no longer support state-sanctioned violence and repression against Palestinians.

Violence and civil unrest have broken out in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) waging airstrikes with U.S.-supplied bombs and flattening Palestinian high rise apartment buildings in Gaza, and the Palestinian militant group Hamas launching rocket attacks.

Dozens have been killed, mostly Palestinians, including children. This, as violence escalates in the streets, with Jewish supremacist lynchmobs in Proud Boys gear calling for death to Arabs, attacking Palestinians and their businesses with material support and incitement from the Israeli government.

Two flashpoints ignited the most recent violence. One was the forced mass eviction of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, and handing over the property to Jewish settlers. Such a forced removal of people because they are Palestinian amounts to ethnic cleansing, and part of a greater effort to socially engineer the city of Jerusalem to make it more Jewish and displace and overpower the Palestinian population.

Secondly, Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa mosqueone of the holiest sites in Islamwith teargas and stun grenades during the holy month of Ramadan.

Read More: U.S. Rep. Bowman disputes fellow Dem Torres over Israel-Palestine conflict

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy in the East Room of the White House on May 10, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden addressed criticism from Republicans after a weaker than expected April jobs report. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Responding in the typical white American narrative of the Mideast conflict, President Biden said Israel has a right to defend itself from Hamas rockets while speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not mentioning the many Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks this past week.

Biden also said he did not think the Israeli military airstrikes in Gaza were a significant overreaction. While the President would later say upon the upcoming White House Eid celebration that Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in dignity, safety and security, we do not see a U.S. foreign policy reflecting this empty sentiment.

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Bidens statement wont cut it, considering he is the leader of the country that gives Israel $4 billion in aid annually, and is in a position to make the Mideast nation do better, be better and stop colonizing another people.

In response to Biden stating Israel has a right to defend itself, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked a question: But do Palestinians have a right to survive? Do we believe that? And if so, we have a responsibility to that. The squad member added the United States must acknowledge its role in the injustice and human rights violations of Palestinians. This is not about both sides. This is about an imbalance of power.

Other members of Congress are speaking up for Palestinian rights and questioning Americas funding of the Israeli occupation. For decades, we have paid lip service to a Palestinian state, while land seizures, settlement expansion, and forced displacement continue, making a future home for Palestinians more and more out of reach, said Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said in a statement.

We are anti-war, we are anti-occupation, and we are anti-apartheid, said Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), noting Palestinians face state violence, militarized policing and occupation of their communities, as they are forced to walk through checkpoints and try to live their lives.

Calling a budget a reflection of our values, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said We cannot remain silent when our government sends $3.8 billion of military aid to Israel that is used to demolish Palestinian homes, imprison Palestinian children, and displace Palestinian families.

The violence in Israel-Palestine has escalated of late, but the violence was always there. That violence stems from Israels military occupation of Palestinian land since 1967, with no end in sight, no chance for Palestinians to get free with equal rights, self-determination or statehood.

Palestinians mourn their relatives who were killed during an Israeli raid on Gaza City on May 16, 2021 in Gaza City, Gaza. (Photo by Fatima Shbair/Getty Images)

Two leading human rights organizations, BTselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories) and Human Rights Watch agree that Israel is an apartheid state committing crimes against humanity.

According to the Human Rights Watch report, Israeli policy is to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians across Israel and the occupied territory. It is coupled in the occupied territory with systematic oppression and inhumane acts against Palestinians living there.

Meanwhile, BTselem, based in Israel, referred to the nation as a regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. The organization says it rejects the claim that Israel is a democracy behind Green Line (its pre-1967 borders), with a temporary military occupation.

Instead, the organization argues that the government has entrenched its control over the Palestinians through land allocation to benefit the Jewish population; denial of citizenship rights for Palestinians; no freedom of movement, and second- class political participation for Palestinian citizens of Israel, and no political rights for Palestinians living in the territories.

Why should Black people care? Theres such a thing as solidarity. Because oppressed people must stick together as a unified front. Nobody is free if somebody isnt free, and we must live in a world free from war and police violence.

Know there are George Floyd murals in the Palestinian territories. During the uprising in Ferguson, Palestinian activists instructed Black Livers Matter protesters on how to deal with police tear gaswhich was manufactured in Pennsylvania and used on BLM and Palestinian protesters.

As much as they love him today, Martin Luther King Jr. lost support from liberal allies and the civil rights establishment when he spoke out against the war in Vietnam. Dr. King connected the dots and viewed war as an enemy of the poor. He understood the connection between American support for war and colonization abroad, and continued poverty and denial of civil rights at home.

Palestinian mourners cry during the funeral of Husam Asayra, 20 in the West Bank village of Asira al-Qibliya, near Nablus, Saturday, May 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Read More: Israel strike in Gaza destroys building with AP, other media

We stand with the Palestinian people, and support their right as an oppressed, colonized people to resist how they see necessary, the Walter Rodney Foundation said. As Kwame Nkrumah, Kwame Ture, Malcolm X, and many more often reminded us: the Palestinian struggle is a Pan-African struggle.

Halsey tweeted to her 14.1 million followers: It is not too complicated to understand that brown children are being murdered + people are being displaced under the occupation of one of the most powerful armies in the world. It is willful ignorance to conflate these simple horrors with religion + geopolitics. #FreePalestine.

Displaying a photo of an Israeli solider pointing a rifle at a rock-throwing Palestinian child as an example of the both sides argument, Anthony V. Clark said what is happening is Palestine is not complicated: oppression is oppression/ colonization is colonization /open air prisons are open air prisons/ & those oppressed & colonized living in open air prisons fighting back is self defense!

Further, just as Palestinians have created murals for George Floyd, Palestiniansincluding Black Palestiniansare losing their lives to state-sponsored violence. Black-Jewish filmmaker and writer Rebecca Pierce tweeted about Mohammad, an Afro-Palestinian man in Jericho known for his kebab sandwich cart, who was just killed by the IDF. This is the human cost Palestinians bear daily, she said of the occupation.

Meanwhile, U.S. policy in Israel and Palestine is steeped in white supremacy. When New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang supported the Israeli bombing of Gaza, he received kudos from Trump advisor and white supremacist Stephen Miller.

Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said Israel should focus its attention on courting white evangelical Christians rather than American Jews because they provide the backbone of Israels support in the states, and their support is passionate and unequivocal.

What youre seeing in Israel is Trumpism on steroids. What youre seeing in the streets of Israel is when you, like the PM Netanyahu, weaponize ethno-nationalism and belligerent racism and unleash it in the street, said Palestinian author and journalist Rula Jebreal on MSNBC.

In the midst of this despair, Israel, which has universal health system, is touted for its successful COVID-19 vaccination program. However, Israel has left Palestinians out of the vaccinations. Now thats apartheid.

Biden can stop this and become a part of the solution. But the people, those who love freedom and justice, and dont want to see more babies die must demand change. As America confronts its own reckoning, how can it overcome its problems of systemic racism and police violence at home as it gives billions of dollars to Israel to maintain an oppressive apartheid system and brutal occupation?

Follow David A. Love on Twitter at @davidalove.

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The post Biden must speak out against apartheid in Israel appeared first on TheGrio.
Melinda French Gates started talking with divorce lawyers in late 2019, not long after The New York Times reported that Bill Gates had more interactions with pedophile and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that she had known about, the Times and The Wall Street Journal report. But it was also in late 2019 that Microsoft's board became aware of a letter from a Microsoft engineer who said she had been in a sexual relationship with Bill Gates years earlier, the Journal reported Sunday evening.

The couple announced their divorce May 3, after 27 years of marriage.

Microsoft board members hired a law firm to investigate the woman's allegations and deemed the relationship inappropriate, and by early 2020 "some board members decided it was no longer suitable for Mr. Gates to sit as a director at the software company he started and led for decades," the Journal reports. "Mr. Gates resigned before the board's investigation was completed and before the full board could make a formal decision on the matter." He had just been re-elected to the board in December 2019, three months before his March 13, 2020, resignation.

"There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," Bridgitt Arnold, a spokeswoman for Bill Gates, said in a statement. "Gates' decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

Melinda Gates had been upset with her future ex-husband on and off for years, including over a sexual harassment settlement Bill Gates had facilitated for the couple's longtime financial adviser, the Times reports. "In some circles, Bill Gates had also developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings," and on at least a few occasions he had "pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

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"It is not clear how much Ms. French Gates knew about her husband's behavior or to what degree it contributed to their split," the Times reports.

Arnold, the spokeswoman, told the Times "it is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates' divorce." She added, "The rumors and speculation surrounding Gates' divorce are becoming increasingly absurd, and it's unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as 'sources.'"

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CAIRO (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in phone calls with the Qatari, Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers, the State Department said on Sunday.

Blinken and Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani discussed "efforts to restore calm in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza in light of the tragic loss of civilian life", the State Department said.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two officials discussed "the recent Israeli attacks on worshippers at the Al Aqsa Compound and the attack on the besieged Gaza Strip."

Al-Thani stressed the "need for urgent action by the international community to stop the repeated brutal Israeli attacks against civilians in Gaza and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque," it added.

Meanwhile, a growing group of U.S. senators on Sunday called for a ceasefire. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Todd Young, the senior members of a Foreign Relations panel, said in a statement: "As a result of Hamas rocket attacks and Israels response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further."

Twenty-five other Democratic U.S. senators and two independents issued a separate, similar statement urging an immediate ceasefire.

In his call with Egypt's Sameh Shoukry, Blinken "reiterated his call on all parties to de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence, which has claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children", the State Department said in another statement.

Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Sunday that Blinken also had a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss the latest developments "in Palestine and in the region."

The State Department said the two discussed "the ongoing efforts to calm tensions in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza and bring the current violence to an end."

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Qatar's Al-Thani also held a phone call on Sunday with Shoukry, in which they reviewed "bilateral cooperation relations and developments in Palestine," the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two ministers agreed on "the importance of working to reach an immediate ceasefire between the two sides, and they also agreed to continue coordination in the bilateral framework, as well as in regional and international ones, regarding what is in the interest of the Palestinian people and reaching a ceasefire,"

The truce efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations have so far offered no sign of progress.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Peter Cooney and Stephen Coates)
by Wang Zhicheng

The proposal comes from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Since May, China has headed the UN Security Council. An attempt to undermine the privileged relationship of the USA with Israel and Palestine. In recent years, Beijing has bought suicide drones from Israel and sold Weishi-2 rockets to Palestinians.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has invited Israeli and Palestinian representatives to China to resume "direct dialogue" facilitated by negotiators, putting an end to the escalation of violence in recent days.

Wang Yi also called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the blockade and siege of Gaza. Wang re-proposed UN directives to reach a two-state solution, with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Wang Yi's proposal came yesterday, during a virtual emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (see photo). It is motivated above all by the fact that since the beginning of May - by rotation - China is at the head of the Security Council. Yet it is also seen as an attempt to undermine the United States as a privileged interlocutor in the Israel-Palestine relationship.

Wang criticized the US for "obstructing" the decisions of the Council to condemn Israel's recent violence and raids, along with rockets fired from Gaza.

It is not the first time that China has offered itself as a mediator. Last March Wang visited Israelis and Palestinians, proposing the resumption of dialogue. Also in 2014, during the so-called "Gaza war", which the Israelis called "Operation Protective Edge", Beijing pushed for a ceasefire and for the resumption of dialogue, but did not offer itself as a mediator.

In all these years, Beijing has built relationships with the Arab countries of the region and with Iran and has also become a customer of Israel, having bought an unknown number of suicide drones for millions of dollars, which are used to gather information and as a weapon of attack.

In the past, China has also sold weapons to Palestinians and trained its militants. An AsiaNews source states: "At least part of the missiles launched from Gaza, of the Weishi-2 type, are of ancient Chinese manufacture".

Photo credit: Xinhua
France, Germany and Spain said Monday that they had reached agreement on the next phase of their plans to build a joint European fighter jet, capping months of negotiations over how to share the work and the intellectual property.

Defence ministers of the three countries said they had reached a "balanced" deal on carrying out the research necessary to select the technology that will underpin the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

French Defence Minister Florence Parly's office said the "Phase 1B" contracts would be worth 3.5 billion euros ($4.3 billion) between now and 2024 and would be funded and shared equally between France, Germany and Spain.

Phase 2 will involve building a demonstrator, an early prototype aimed at testing the reliability of the jet's cutting-edge technology.

The agreement announced Monday was crucial for moving ahead on Europe's biggest defence programme, which aims to prove the continent's ability to integrate its disparate defence forces and increase its military sovereignty.

Time had been running out for the German government to secure parliamentary approval for the research phase before a general election looming in the autumn.

Parly and her German and Spanish counterparts, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Margarita Robles, said the three countries were ready to give the deal "formal validation".

France and Germany announced plans to build a common fighter in 2017, with Spain joining later.

France's Dassault Aviation and European planemaker Airbus, which are teaming up to build the jet, had expected to complete a demonstrator by 2026 but are now only expected to do so by 2027.

The plane is slated to replace the French-made Rafale jets and German and Spanish Eurofighter planes by 2040.

Beyond a next-generation fighter jet, the FCAS programme includes drones and an ultrafast communications network dubbed the "combat cloud" that will use artificial intelligence capabilities.

The total cost of the programme is expected to reach nearly 100 billion euros, up from previous estimates of 50 to 80 billion euros.

mra/cb/js/tgb
As we commemorate the 67th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, Americans have much to learn about the legacy and unrealized promise that Brown represents.

As a student of American history, a civil rights lawyer and an education equity expert, I thought I was well-versed in the landmark decision. A recent discovery about Brown humbled me and reveals something essential about why Americans are still so riven by issues of race and racism.

I grew up with reverence for Browns striking down legal segregation in public schools. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Justice Thurgood Marshall and advance Americas quest for racial justice.

Starting my career litigating education civil rights cases at the Justice Department brought new lessons about Browns legacy. In the late 1990s, there were still hundreds of active desegregation cases all over the South.

I saw shocking, squalid conditions in public schools, with the worst facilities serving mostly Black students. I learned about the fear and intimidation parents experienced advocating for their childrens rights. And I learned about the uneven burdens borne by Black families in the remedy  how historically African American schools were closed, decimating the ranks of Black educators and leaving abandoned buildings in their communities.

I held on, however, to the righteousness of the unanimous opinion in Brown. And it is still true that no other court opinion has invalidated such widespread rules on which society operated.

Reading Brown, its clear the justices wanted to be accessible and compelling to a lay person. Supreme Court opinions are often long and usually boring. But Brown is brief and appeals directly to the conscience of the nation, speaking in moral and practical terms about the role of schools in society.

The opinion famously relies on social science evidence submitted by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark and other eminent scholars establishing that segregation harms the psychological development of Black children, and that official segregation generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.

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Even as I revered Brown and its cause of vindicating the rights of Black Americans, it always struck me as necessary but not sufficient. The ruling talks about the harm of segregation to African American children, but I also wondered: Why werent we also addressing the toll racism takes on the psychological and moral development of white Americans?

Segregation also hurt white children

Only recently, reading Heather McGhees "The Sum of Us," I learned that this argument was presented directly to the Supreme Court. The pivotal social science brief in that case explicitly speaks to the damage to the moral character development of those who are ostensibly privileged by segregation.

As white children were taught to gain personal status in an unrealistic and non-adaptive way, the social scientists warned, they often develop patterns of guilt feelings, rationalizations, and other mechanisms, which they must use in an attempt to protect themselves from recognizing the essential injustice and feeling moral cynicism at the contrast between what they are taught about America and what they observe.

The justices ignored this rationale, leading desegregation remedies to be conceptualized exclusively as doing something for Black children.

There can be no doubt that segregated schools and the whole edifice of Jim Crow hurt African Americans most. However, the legal, social and psychological structures that sustain systemic racism stunt the moral development of white Americans, imbuing this country with a racial hierarchy at odds with our professed ideals.

Ross Wiener is executive director of the Aspen Institutes Education & Society Program and a former trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Where would we be today if the justices had been willing to name the harm segregation does to the psychological and moral development of white children, too?

States restrict teaching about racism

We are now at another crossroads in Americas journey toward redemption. Students are living through a profound teachable moment regarding race. And yet state legislatures around the country are trying to silence efforts to address and educate students about systemic racism, even threatening to fine teachers for engaging students with controversial topics.

How will these decisions impact future generations? While McGhee speaks in terms of the economic costs, we must also acknowledge the moral and psychic costs.

White Americans must own up to the ongoing injury racism creates and the broken society it bequeaths to our children; we cannot frame the work only by what is owed to African Americans.

In this next year, I hope white Americans engage in learning and self-reflection to approach reconciliation with an open heart. Soon, it will be a year since George Floyds murder, a century since the Tulsa race massacre, 156 years since Juneteenth  all within a month of Brown v. Boards anniversary.

Grappling with racisms enduring harm on our moral and ethical development can move us toward the just and equitable society to which we aspire, but which has painfully eluded us.

Ross Wiener is executive director of the Aspen Institutes Education & Society Program and a former trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What Brown v. Board can teach white Americans about racism
The organization says more than 200,000 families are desperately struggling to survive without food, hygiene, or medical aid. Read more: https://cbsloc.al/3tT1fTt

Video Transcript

- New at 6:00, the US Minority Chamber of Commerce is calling on the community to send aid to Cali, Colombia amid weeks of violent outbreaks there. The Chamber hopes to collect enough aid to help families impacted by the violence.

IGNACIO PENA: We are indeed asking for assistance. Canned goods, personal hygiene products, and perhaps even some hospitals or health institutions that may have left over COVID-19 materials that they're not using. They're usable.

DOUG MAYORGA: We need in America, some to support Colombia in this very dangerous time right now.

- The organization aims to fill 10,000 boxes of donations to send to Colombia by May 30th. If you're interested in being part of this humanitarian aid project, go to our website CBSMiami.com, where we have a link to more information.
Saturday's lone goal in Minnesota United's 1-0 victory over FC Dallas came in the 94th minute, from Robin Lod's right foot in the goal line's shadow.

The momentum for it might have come from much farther away on the outside, from the energy fullbacks Romain Metanire and Chase Gasper expended up and down each sideline.

The Loons outshot FC Dallas 27-6, but just seven of those were on target for a team that nonetheless persevered until Lod finished off teammate Emanuel Reynoso's curling corner kick after defender Brent Kallman got his head on the set piece's initial touch from 9 yards out.

Afterward, Heath praised both Gasper on the left side and Metanire on the right for their ability and willingness to push the Loons' attack forward from the wings late in the game while they also ran back to defend.

The Loons' second consecutive 1-0 victory also was new starting goalkeeper Tyler Miller's second consecutive clean sheet.

"When I look at the last 20 minutes, it was the endeavor, the determination, the desire to make something happen, especially from our two fullbacks," Heath said after Saturday's game. "The way we play, they have to put in an incredible amount of energy. Romain and Chase really gave us something later on in the game."

FC Dallas goalkeeper Phelipe Megioloro blocked Metanire's powerful drive on a right-side run in the 82nd minute. As stoppage time ticked away, Gasper's effort pushing deep into Dallas territory created the decisive corner kick.

"We were in the ascendancy for probably most of the second half," Heath said. "But a team like them, you're always worried that you're going to get done with the old sucker punch on the counter. Tonight, we didn't."

Heath deemed Metanire's play on Saturday his best this season.

"I thought he was outstanding and his willingness to keep going, he started to combine really well again," Heath said. "Robin gives us a lot of calmness on the ball and makes a lot of really good decisions. Then Rey started to come on that side as well."

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Gasper had some misplays that contributed to the Loons' 0-4 start. But Heath called him "outstanding" on Saturday and he said he told Gasper so after the game.

"For him to come through what he has been through the last few weeks," Heath said. "He has made a few errors and they've been costly. But it's all about personality and all about actually fighting through it  I know what it's like when you're playing with not a lot of confidence. Sometimes you just have to play through it, keep working and hope it starts to turn for you. I thought we saw a lot of that with Chase tonight."

Up for interpretationThe Loons pleaded for a hand ball in the penalty area in the 75th minute, but even a video review denied them. Wil Trapp's pass at close range hit FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges' right arm extended from his body.

The referee determined it wasn't in an unnatural position and Hedges couldn't get it out of the way in time.

"I had a perfect view," Trapp said. "In live time, it seemed like a penalty to me. But those things are tough. It's definitely a law that can be difficult to interpret at times."

Take a breakThe Loons play just once before their next home game on June 23 after a FIFA schedule break.

They have a bye this week, while they expect newly signed striker Adrien Hunou and left-side attacker Franco Fragapane to arrive.

"To have gotten the six points, with an opportunity to bring two more quality players in, I'm quite pleased about that," said Heath, referring to consecutive home victories over Vancouver and FC Dallas.
A student club poster at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Ill., that took a jab at China has reportedly sparked outrage among parents and state lawmakers.



A call for conservatives: The poster recruits students to join the schools chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a nonprofit that aims to identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets and limited government.



The poster shows a character from Among Us, a multiplayer, social deduction game whose goals include the identification of an impostor.

The character was overlaid with the symbol of a hammer and sickle representing the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

Below the character are the words China Kinda Sus, the last word being a colloquial short for suspicious.

A stamp on a circulating image of the poster says it was Approved by the Assistant Principal (for) Student Activities.





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Accused of racism: An unidentified Facebook user who shared the image of the poster called it blatantly racist and wrote that students and parents had expressed concerns to the school administration, according to the Daily Herald.



The poster prompted a response from Democratic state legislators, Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and Sen. Laura Fine, who met with Glenbrook High Schools District 225 Superintendent Dr. Charles Johns to discuss the anti-Asian material.

The clear intent was to stoke xenophobic anti-Asian (sentiment), said Gong-Gershowitz, who is Chinese American and has a child attending the school, according to Journal & Topics.

Johns reportedly agreed to apologize to students and families harmed by the poster and vowed to update school policies on posting content within its premises.

A group called Stop Asian Hate GBS launched a change.org petition demanding a public apology from the school administration, as well as TPUSA, for the communities affected by the poster.



In the 2019-2020 school year, white (1,936) and Asian (557) students were the majority at Glenbrook South, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.



Featured Image via Daily Herald (left) and FOX 32 Chicago (right)

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BEIJING (AP)  China on Monday renewed calls for the U.S. to play a constructive role in ending the conflict in Gaza and stop blocking efforts at the United Nations to demand an end to the bloodshed.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China, as rotating head of the Security Council, has urged a cease-fire and the provision of humanitarian assistance, among other proposals, but that obstruction by one country has prevented the council from speaking with one voice.

We call on the United States to assume its due responsibility and take an impartial position to support the council and play its due role in cooling down the situation and rebuilding trust for a political solution, Zhao said at a daily briefing.

At an emergency high-level meeting of the Security Council on Sunday, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the U.S. to join the 14 other council members and support a statement urging a halt to the violence and reaffirming support for a two-state solution to the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wang, who chaired the virtual meeting, said the dangerous and urgent situation calls for an immediate cease-fire.

The international community must take action right now and make further efforts to avert a deterioration of the situation, prevent the region from backsliding to turbulence, and protect peoples lives, he said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao said Monday that China strongly condemns violence against civilians and calls for an end to air strikes, ground attacks, rocket fire and other actions that aggravate the situation..

Israel should exercise restraint, effectively comply with the relevant United Nations resolutions, stop demolishing Palestinian peoples houses, stop expelling Palestinian people and stop expanding its settlement program, stop threats of violence and provocations against Muslims, and maintain and respect the historical status quo of Jerusalem as a religious holy site, Zhao said.

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Calls have grown for the Biden administration to take a more active stance on the Israeli-Palestinian violence. Thus far, the United States, Israels closest ally, has blocked efforts by China, Norway and Tunisia to get the Security Council to issue a statement, including a call for a cessation of hostilities.

China has long portrayed itself as a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, while building closer political, economic and military links with Israel.

Wang told the council that China will scale-up efforts to promote peace talks and he reaffirmed Beijings invitation to Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates to continue their dialogue in China.

He welcomed representatives of the two sides to come to China for direct negotiations.
A file photo shows a Palestinian fighter in an underground tunnel in Gaza in 2014 - Reuters

The Israeli military said air strikes destroyed nine miles of militant tunnels under Gaza early on Monday, claiming that it has taken out 60 miles of the underground network in the past week.

Israel said 54 aircraft took part in an operation targeting an elaborate tunnel system it describes at the Metro used by militants to move safely and avoid surveillance.

War planes struck 35 other targets, it said, including nine homes belonging to high-level commanders in Hamas, the militant group that has run the besieged enclave since seizing power in 2007.

Israel describes the tunnel network as an underground city that is enabling Hamas to fight a war of attrition.

"You're talking about hundreds of kilometres of tunnels used for various operations, they are used to move commanders and troops underground, they used to move munitions, rocket, fuel, food, everything, an Israeli military official said.

"This is a war of attrition, the IDF can go with this forever, and they [Hamas] can go on sadly also for a very long time," the official said, using the acronym for the Israel Defence Forces.

In seven days, the Israeli military says it has destroyed over 60 miles of tunnels in Gaza, a strip of territory 25 miles long and up to 7.5 miles wide.

It was not clear how the military determined the length of destroyed tunnels and its claims could not be independently verified. Hamas tightly controls reporting on its military installations and Israel is currently restricting journalists from entering the enclave.

Early on Friday, the Israeli military incorrectly alerted the media that a ground invasion of Gaza had begun. While officials later said the erroneous notification was an accident due to the fog of war, Israeli media reported that it was a planned ploy aimed at luring Hamas fighters into tunnels and frontline positions, where they could be more effectively targeted in Israeli air strikes.

Afterwards the military said 160 aircraft, alongside tanks, artillery and infantry units stationed on the border had struck 150 targets and damaged many kilometres of the Hamas Metro network.

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Palestinian security forces search for missing or dead militants after Israeli blew up a cross-border tunnel in Khan Younis - REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Hamas has previously offered journalists tours of parts of its tunnel network, which was constructed in the years since the last Gaza war in 2014. An Al-Jazeera Arabic documentary broadcast in 2015 showed the tunnels under construction, with militants digging new sections by hand and with electric tools, while leaders extolled the networks strategic value.

The miles of tunnels enable Hamas fighters to move undetected by Israeli surveillance, while bunkers with electric lighting and plumbing allow them to remain underground for extended periods. The tunnel network is reinforced with precast concrete sections.

Israel has regularly blocked cement imports into Gaza  hampering reconstruction  arguing that Hamas uses it to build and fortify tunnels.

For years, Israel has warned of the risk posed to it from cross-border raids via tunnels and identified tunnels as a primary conduit for smuggling into Gaza.

In March, Israel finally completed a 40-mile underground wall along the Gaza border to prevent cross border incursions.

Announced in 2018, the barrier was built to prevent incidents such as the 2006 raid in which Hamas fighters used a cross-border tunnel to ambush Israeli troops, killing two and capturing Gilad Shalit, a 19-year-old soldier who was held for over five years before being released in a prisoner swap.

Hamas says the tunnels are essentially defensive in purpose and has not used them to attack Israeli civilians.

If what Israeli leaders are claiming is correct  that Hamas dug those tunnels to attack the Israeli towns and kill civilians  how come Hamas hasnt done that during the war? asked former Hamas leader Khalid Mishal in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2014.

During the 2008-2009 Gaza war, the Israeli military cited destroying smuggling tunnels from Sinai into the Hamas-run strip as one of the main objectives of its Operation Cast Lead. At the time, Israel claimed that its bombing campaign had destroyed up to 70 percent of those tunnels.

But last week though, an Israeli military spokesman said there is still a highway of tunnels from Sinai into Gaza, suggesting that for Israel, bombing Hamas tunnels was at best a temporary solution.
Photograph: Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock

A police investigation into an alleged underground casino operating out of a mansion north of Toronto has fallen apart after officers were accused of stealing two luxury watches and planting evidence.

Police in Ontario said in September they had seized more than $10m in assets, firearms, cash and liquor as part of a months-long investigation into illegal gambling.

Twenty-nine people were arrested, including the owner of the mansion, Wei Wei, who faced nine charges related to selling liquor without a permit, illegally possessing a firearm and operating a gambling establishment.

But last week prosecutors quietly withdrew the charges against Wei, the Toronto Star reported.

Related: Canada cops crash covert Covid casino

Police said the basement of the mansion  now on sale for C$9.9m (US$8.2m)  had been transformed into a clandestine casino and spa, where patrons did not observe coronavirus protocols.

But after reviewing police photos and video, Weis defence team said they found instances of theft and evidence tampering by officers.

According to Weis lawyer Danielle Robitaille, two luxury watches were seen in photographs and video recorded by York regional police officers in one of the mansions bedrooms. But in footage from the following days, the watches were no longer visible. Weis defence team says the police never logged the watches as evidence and have demanded their return.

Over the weekend, Robitaille filed a formal complaint with the civilian police oversight body over the serious misconduct and abuse of authority by York regional police.

During the raid, police seized a number of firearms, including an AR-15 rifle and a handgun. Robitaille alleges that police planted a gun holster in Weis bedroom in an apparent attempt to link the homeowner to 11 weapons found on the premises.

Mr Wei is very relieved this ordeal is over and now that the charges have been withdrawn, Robitaille told the Toronto Star.

Wei has agreed to a peace bond and is unable to enter any gaming establishments in the province.

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Prosecutors also dropped charges against Weis ex-wife and the co-owner of the mansion, Xiang Yue Chen, 48. Prosecutors also stayed charges against Weis daughter.

Wei Dong, believed to be the casinos manager, still faces criminal charges relating to the illegal casino and the guns found in the mansion.

York region police said they were carrying out a thorough investigation of the allegations.
A deadly cyclone blasted ashore in western India late Monday with fierce winds and drenching rains that turned streets into rivers, disrupting the country's response to its devastating Covid-19 outbreak.

Cyclone Tauktae, which local press reports called the biggest to hit the area in 30 years, has unleashed heavy weather since the weekend that killed at least 20 people in its approach to land.

It made landfall in Gujarat state just after 8:30 pm local time (1500 GMT) as an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm packing winds of 155-165 kilometres (95-100 miles) per hour, gusting up to 185 kph, the Indian Meteorological Department said.

One woman died after high winds knocked over an electricity poll in the city of Patan in northern Gujarat, officials said.

Sea levels swelled as high as three metres (10 feet) along the coast, said local weather officials in the coastal town of Diu, which reported wind speeds of 133 kph.

The colossal swirling system visible from space has exacerbated India's embattled response to a coronavirus surge that is killing at least 4,000 people daily and pushing hospitals to their breaking point.

In waterlogged and windswept Mumbai, where authorities on Monday closed the airport and urged people to stay indoors, authorities shifted 580 Covid patients "to safer locations" from three field hospitals.

Six people died and nine were injured as the storm lashed Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, the chief minister's office said.

Two navy ships were deployed to assist in search and rescue operations for a barge carrying 273 people "adrift" off Mumbai's coast, with 28 picked up so far, the defence ministry said late Monday.

Seven people died and nearly 1,500 houses were damaged in Kerala state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted late Monday.

- Covid patients evacuated -

Around 200,000 people were evacuated in Gujarat, where all Covid-19 patients in hospitals within five kilometres of the coast were also moved.

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Authorities there scrambled to ensure there would be no power cuts in the nearly 400 designated Covid hospitals and 41 oxygen plants in 12 coastal districts.

Chief minister Vijay Rupani told reporters that over 1,000 Covid hospitals in coastal towns have been provided with generators and power backups, with 744 health teams deployed along with 174 ICUs on wheels and 600 ambulances.

"Besides the daily requirement of 1,000 tonnes of oxygen in Gujarat per day, an additional stock of 1,700 tonnes has been secured and could be used in case of emergency," Rupani said.

Virus safety protocols such as wearing masks, social distancing and the use of sanitisers would be observed in the shelters for evacuees, officials added.

The state also suspended vaccinations for two days. Mumbai did the same for one day.

Thousands of disaster response personnel have been deployed, while units from the coast guard, navy, army and air force have been placed on standby.

Maharashtra evacuated around 12,500 people from coastal areas.

Four people died on Saturday as rain and winds battered Karnataka state, while two died in Goa as winds hit power supplies and uprooted trees.

- 'Terrible double blow' -

The vast nation of 1.3 billion people on Monday reported 4,100 deaths and 280,000 fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total close to 25 million -- a doubling since April 1.

"This cyclone is a terrible double blow for millions of people in India whose families have been struck down by record Covid infections and deaths," said Udaya Regmi from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The organisation said it was helping authorities to evacuate people most at risk in coastal areas, providing first aid, masks "and encouraging other critical COVID-19 prevention measures".

Last May, more than 110 people died after "super cyclone" Amphan ravaged eastern India and Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal.

The Arabian Sea previously experienced fewer severe cyclones than the Bay of Bengal but rising water temperatures because of global warming was changing that, Roxy Mathew Koll from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology told AFP.

"(The) Arabian Sea is one of the fastest-warming basins across the global oceans," he said.

strs-ash-grk-stu/jm
Great universities have to go a step beyond ordinary, said Dr. Devona Williams

Delaware State University announced that its forgiving more than $700,000 in student loans for their recent graduates who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, the historically Black university announced that up to $730,655 in student loan debt will be forgiven for more than 220 students  with each receiving over $3,000.

Read More: LaKeith Stanfield addresses old video Swastikas and Bones, takes social media break

Antonio Boyle, vice president for strategic enrollment management at Delaware State, noted that 87 percent of their graduates are entering the workforce or graduate school within six months of their commencement ceremony. Boyle said this effort is to help lighten their burdens.

Too many graduates across the country will leave their schools burdened by debt, making it difficult for them to rent an apartment, cover moving costs, or otherwise prepare for their new careers or graduate school. While we know our efforts wont help with all of their obligations, we all felt it was essential to do our part, Boyle said.

Delaware State University via Google Maps Street View

The university credited the federal American Rescue Plan Act provided by the Biden-Harris administration for giving them the means to make this happen, PEOPLE reported.

Delaware State University President Tony Allen said that helping relieve students from debt will make a meaningful impact.

Our students dont just come here for a quality college experience. Most are trying to change the economic trajectory of their lives for themselves, their families, and their communities, Allen said. Our responsibility is to do everything we can to put them on the path.

Read More: 6 county executives ask Cuomo to follow CDC rules on masks

According to Forbes, an updated policy guidance was issued by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in March after the passing of the American Rescue Plan. In the updated policy, colleges and universities are allowed to use their stimulus funds to cancel student loan debt.

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Dr. Devona Williams, the chair of the universitys board of trustees said: Great universities have to go a step beyond ordinary. This is that kind of moment for us.

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Student loan debt has been a topic of conversation with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) pushing President Joe Biden and his administration to consider canceling up to $50,000 in federal student loan debt.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

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The post Delaware State cancels $700k in student loans for graduates appeared first on TheGrio.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Many families try to place their children in orphanages, to guarantee them food. But there is also corruption in children's homes. No queues at shops; the shopping must be delivered to homes. Reduced salaries; doctors and nurses look for a second job or emigrate.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The children of Turkmenistan are affected by a profound lack of food and a "high level of poverty" according to the World Health Organization report released on May 13, highlighting the "low level of obesity among Turkmen children compared to their peers in neighbouring Central Asian states.

The economic crisis in Turkmenistan, which began as early as Soviet times, shows no signs of abating, with the very high unemployment rate and poor average salaries, which are unable to cover even the minimum needs of families.

On May 15 the correspondents of Radio Azatlik published a report on poor Turkmen families, who are unable to feed their children and try to place them in orphanages.

The report shows the situation in various regions of the country, especially in the most populous one of Velayat Marijsk, where the authorities struggle with beggars, especially children. "In recent times - it is stated - the number of parents unable to feed their children has increased, who therefore try to enrol them in auxiliary schools and boarding schools for orphans".

In internship no. 3, located on Parakhatchylyk street in the city of Mari, in recent months there has been a continuous flow of children "handed over" by families. The orphanage is on the verge of collapse, "children sleep two per bed", as one of the attendants tells us. The building itself is dilapidated, built over 60 years ago, with half-crumbling foundations and rotted window frames.

Children's meals are also far below the norm. There is a lack of vitamins and other foods, soups "are so liquid that they are indistinguishable from dirty water". Meat is served once a month, in extremely small portions, and even simpler products such as potatoes, turnips, onions and cabbage appear on the table very rarely. The vegetables that arrive are often inedible.

The corruption that pervades the structures of Turkmenistan also peeps out in children's boarding schools: there is no lack of those who steal food products for children, to resell them in the markets, without even hiding. "They not only steal official supplies, but also the food offered by benefactors", say the people interviewed.

The children sent to these facilities for lack of food at home remain undernourished, and despite attempts to organize games and activities, they always show sad and resigned faces.

In the capital Ashgabad, local authorities organized the distribution of humanitarian food parcels in May, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of independence and the 140th anniversary of the founding of the city. On 12 May a distribution was carried out in the homes of the poorest citizens of the suburbs. The donated packages contained two kilos of chicken wings, a bottle of seed oil, a kilo of sugar and 2 kilos of rice, for a value of 100 manat (about 30 euros).

The distribution is expected to be repeated within a couple of weeks, but there are no guarantees for this.

Many of the parcels distributed immediately reappeared on the markets, or on the streets, sold from the trunks of cars, despite all the checks. This is making the distribution plan for the next few weeks problematic, which however appears to be linked only to the May-June holiday period.

The Ministry of Commerce has issued a directive requiring food shops to deliver products to homes, to avoid long queues on the street, which form in any case from early morning.

A further concern comes from the reduction in average salaries. Despite the Covid-19 emergency, the salaries of medical personnel also went from 1800 to 1400 manat. Many doctors and nurses have to look for a second job in the fields or in the markets, or even emigrate to neighbouring countries.

The only doctors to maintain the previous salary level are stomatologists, which happens to be the profession of the Turkmen president Gurbangul Berdymukhamedov.
The corruption trial of South Africa's scandal-tainted Jacob Zuma was postponed once again on Monday, this time to May 26, as backers of the former president staged a boisterous show of support.

Zuma faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military gear from five European arms firms for 30 billion rand, then the equivalent of nearly $5 billion.

The 79-year-old Zuma, who was president Thabo Mbeki's deputy at the time, is accused of accepting bribes totalling four million rand from one of the firms, French defence giant Thales.

The case has been postponed numerous times as Zuma, who has described the trial as a "political witch hunt", lodged a string of motions to have the charges dropped.

In the latest snag last month, all of Zuma's lawyers quit without explanation.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) forced Zuma to resign in 2018 after a mounting series of scandals.

Zuma struck a defiant note after Monday's postponement, telling supporters outside the courthouse: "If I were to reveal the things I know about other people, it would be a disaster."

Zuma was the feared intelligence chief of Nelson Mandela's ANC during the party's years in exile under apartheid, hunting down traitors and informers.

Zuma also spent 10 years on Robben Island as a political prisoner. He has constantly played cat-and-mouse with the anti-corruption commission that he himself set up in early 2018 in an abortive bid to convince the country that he had nothing to hide.

At Monday's brief hearing, nearly everyone rose as Zuma, dressed in a dark blue suit, entered the wood-panelled courtroom at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

In response, he clasped his hands in front of his chest.

A man sitting in the public gallery chanted "Long live Jacob Zuma, long live!"

Outside, dozens of supporters wearing military fatigues, some dancing, formed an honour guard as Zuma left the court building.

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Zuma said he was "ready for trial and waiting for the law to take its course", while warning he would "fight if the laws are bent".

- 'Boxes of evidence' -

The state has lined up around 200 witnesses in the case, in which Thales is also in the dock.

Patricia De Lille, who blew the whistle on the arms deal and is now public works minister, had been due to be the first witness on Monday.

She spoke of "boxes and boxes of evidence," telling journalists: "Finally this evidence will be disclosed by the state".

The opposition politician said she blew the whistle to help "root out the bad apples within the ANC, (but) the response... was vicious".

"We were vilified, ridiculed," she said.

Carl Niehaus, a fervent Zuma supporter and former spokesman for Mandela, said he was anxious for the trial to end because "our leader cannot be persecuted any further".

For his part, ANC lawmaker Supra Mahumapelo said Zuma, "at his advanced age... should be allowed to go into obscurity and we to move forward as a society."

Zuma's successor Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to root out corruption.

ger-bur-sn/gd/dl
Two downstate Illinois men charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 said they were there to tour the historic site and went out of their way to avoid the violence, even stopping to ask a cop for directions to the nearest bathroom.

Douglas Wangler, 53, and Bruce Harrison, 58, both of the Danville area, were charged in a criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Urbana on Friday with entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

A judge released both men on their own recognizance with orders to appear on the charges in Washington, court records show.

At least eight Illinoisans have now been federally charged as part of the ongoing investigation into the Capitol attack, which prosecutors have described as one of the largest criminal investigations in American history.

According to the complaint filed last week, Wangler and Harrison decided at the last minute to drive to Washington to attend President Donald Trumps rally decrying the legislatures vote to certify the Electoral College results from the 2020 presidential election.

Wangler told the FBI in an interview last month that as they walked to the Capitol building after Trumps speech, he heard several loud bangs that sounded to him like a civil war re-enactment and saw protesters fighting with police and trying to breach barricades surrounding the building.

The friends avoided the violence by walking around to the other side of the building, according to Wanglers interview. He told the FBI that as they were walking, he saw a man pounding on one of the buildings windows and he told the man to knock that (expletive) off, the complaint stated.

Eventually they entered the Capitol through an open door that had broken-out windows on either side, according to the complaint. Multiple images from the scene showed Harrison and Wangler roaming around the Capitol Crypt, taking photos and video by a white marble sculpture of John Stark and a bust of Abraham Lincoln, the complaint stated.

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At one point, Wangler said he asked a police officer if they were going to get in trouble for being inside the building. According to Wangler, the officer shrugged and said something to the effect of, It doesnt matter now, the complaint stated.

Harrison, meanwhile, told the FBI that while they were in the Capitol he asked another officer where the nearest restrooms were located. The officer pointed in a certain direction but the friends were not able to reach the bathroom because that area of the building had been blocked off, according to the complaint.

Harrison told the FBI they decided to leave after about 15 minutes because they had gotten caught up in the moment and realized they should probably not be inside, the complaint stated. They took a taxi back to their hotel and drove back to Illinois the next day.

The FBI later identified Wangler and Harrison from tipsters and the distinctive clothing they were seen wearing in surveillance images, including Harrisons red, white and blue New England Patriots jacket, which he said hed chosen because of its patriotic colors, the complaint stated.

A friend of the men interviewed by the FBI said Wangler had confided that he and Harrison had walked around for a little while inside the U.S. Capitol building to take a tour of some of the sights and then left, according to the complaint.

The friend told the FBI that Wangler also said, If walking around and singing some patriotic songs is a crime then I guess I am guilty.

An attorney for the men did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Monday.

Both Wangler and Harrison are scheduled to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington on May 28.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
Is more privacy coming at the expense of our children's safety?

For nine years, Chris Hughes has fought a battle very few people ever see.

He oversees a team of 21 analysts in Cambridge who locate, identify and remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the internet.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is funded by the global tech industry.

It manually reviews online reports of suspected criminal content sent in by the public. Mr Hughes sees upsetting material every day.

When content is verified, analysts create unique "digital fingerprints" of each photo or video, then send it to law enforcement and tech firms. They also search for material online.

Occasionally, there are harrowing situations racing to track down victims from live streaming video.

Reports jumped during the pandemic, he says: "Over the recent May bank holiday weekend, we had more than 2,000 reports."

IWFs Chris Hughes works to remove child sexual abuse material from the internet every day

In 2020, IWF received 300,000 reports and 153,000 were verified to be new CSAM content.

Police say more child predators can now be found on messaging apps, rather than on the dark web. Many don't even encrypt their web traffic.

Many authorities are concerned that Facebook wants to introduce end-to-end encryption on messages sent over Messenger and Instagram Direct.

End-to-end encryption is a privacy feature that makes it impossible for anyone except the sender and recipient to read messages sent online.

Authorities are concerned by Facebook's plan, saying it will make it much harder to apprehend suspects and detect child predators.

Facebook says using such technology will protect users' privacy.

But the US, UK and Australia have repeatedly objected to the idea since 2019, saying it will jeopardise work to combat child abuse.

Australia has also demanded the tech industry hand over private encryption keys - backdoors to their networks - to authorities. Firms, both abroad and in Australia, refused.

Enabling backdoors would be bad, says Jenny Afia, head of Schillings' legal team: "Any legally-enforced weakening of the encryption algorithm, or vulnerability placed within the software...would potentially allow criminals to exploit [it].

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"It is worth bearing in mind that having end-to-end encryption in place has already prevented a lot of crime."

Lawyer Jenny Afia thinks regulation is unlikely to solve the child protection problem

Supporters of encryption also point out that it provides a secure means of communication for dissidents and whistleblowers and making keys available could put them in jeopardy.

Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower who first highlighted mass surveillance to the public, has warned that consumers could "lose all privacy" if governments prevent end-to-end encryption or insist on backdoors.

Netsweeper in Canada catalogues the internet to help schools and internet service providers block harmful content.

It sees a quarter of the world's internet traffic and is in 37% of British schools, scanning 100 million new URLs daily. Up to 300 URLs are reported to IWF daily.

"To date, governments have left the large tech companies alone - probably because they didn't understand them as much as they do now," says Netsweeper's chief executive Perry Roach.

"But if we don't enable law enforcement with sophisticated tools, it will allow criminals, scammers, paedophiles and terrorists to move across the internet undetected."

Software engineer Brian Bason founded US firm Bark after giving his sons their first mobile phones.

Bark uses AI neural networks to analyse text messages and social media in milliseconds for bullying, online predation, child abuse, signs of depression and suicidal ideas.

Brian Bason felt the existing tools to manage children's devices were too "heavy-handed"

Children have to agree to hand over their login credentials, but only relevant sections of messages are sent in alerts to parents and schools.

Bark has informed the FBI of nearly a thousand child predators over the last five years.

"The reality is end-to-end encryption will drastically reduce the amount of CSAM material reported to authorities," Mr Bason tells the BBC. "To me, the trade-off is not worth it."

Perhaps these firms disagree because their business models rely on having unfettered access to data pipelines.

However, former UK and US intelligence agency staff tell the BBC there are other successful methods investigators can use if end-to-end encryption is introduced, like phishing, where users are tricked into visiting fake websites and handing over login credentials.

Internet giants should use machine learning to detect child predator behaviour on the device or server, they add, which wouldn't break encryption, as it occurs only after the message has been decrypted.

Thorn, a US foundation that develops software to combat child exploitation, identifies eight child victims and 215 pieces of child abuse material per day.

Sarah Gardner, VP of external affairs at Thorn, suggests using "homomorphic encryption" - a form of encryption that lets users perform computations on encrypted data, without first decrypting it.

Another option would be to invest in better solutions, she adds.

Police need to extract evidence from devices quickly says former police officer Alan McConnell

Edinburgh-based Cyan Forensics, which uses statistical sampling to scan suspects' devices for CSAM content in just 10 minutes, agrees.

"End-to-end encryption is here already and it's neither good nor bad," says Cyan Forensics' co-founder and chief executive Ian Stevenson.

"However, there is a dire need for broader protocols to ensure the safety of children online."

Former detective constable Alan McConnell, who worked on more than a hundred child sex abuse cases, left Police Scotland to teach Cyan about the problems the police face.

As a result of his work, a major UK police force used Cyan's software to detect CSAM material on an ex-offender's computer in March. The individual was found to have surreptitiously installed cameras at a club used by children.

However, a senior German prosecutor says his biggest problem is getting tech firms to play ball.

Prosecutor Markus Hartmann wants a "targeted" way to break end-to-end encryption

"We're addressing all the big tech firms - please help us," says Markus Hartmann, director of North Rhine-Westphalia's central cybercrime department.

"You hear they have these big teams fighting digital crimes, and I wonder, why don't they file any complaints with law enforcement?"

His unit recently busted a child pornography ring, charging 65 suspects and rescuing a 13-year-old child.

They were aided by Microsoft, which scanned its database of Skype users to locate the suspects' IP addresses.

Mr Hartmann is surprisingly in favour of encryption.

"If you break encryption, put in backdoors or ban it, then you're doing more harm than good... and I doubt the guys we are really going after, will not be able to get around it," he says.

"Even as a prosecutor, I could set up my own end-to-end encrypted network in two days, routed through public libraries."
Associated Press

The outgoing chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence service has offered the closest acknowledgment yet his country was behind recent attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program and a military scientist. The comments by Yossi Cohen, speaking to Israel's Channel 12 investigative program Uvda in a segment aired Thursday night, offered an extraordinary debriefing by the head of the typically secretive agency in what appears to be the final days of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rule. It also gave a clear warning to other scientists in Iran's nuclear program that they too could become targets for assassination even as diplomats in Vienna try to negotiate terms to try to salvage its atomic accord with world powers.
By Jan Strupczewski

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission wants to propose in 2023 a more unified way of taxing companies in the European Union, hoping that such rules, which have failed to win support in the past, will stand a better chance if they follow global OECD solutions expected this year.

The Commission will present a plan on Tuesday including this proposal and other measures for adjusting the EU's business taxation to make it more up to date with the modern world, where cross-border business, often carried out via the Internet, is commonplace.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is to agree in June on global rules on where to tax large multinational corporations like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple or Microsoft and at what effective minimum rate.

The deal is aimed at stopping governments competing with each other through lowering tax rates to attract investment and at creating a way to tax profits in countries where the customers are rather than where a company sets up its office for tax purposes.

The Commission wants to use the OECD deal to propose more unified rules for business taxation for the 27 EU countries, which currently have 27 different tax systems.

"The forthcoming global agreement will mark a decisive step ... in the reform of the international corporate tax system," read a draft statement prepared by the Commission for Tuesday and seen by Reuters.

"At EU level, we must build on this progress and take forward a similarly ambitious business taxation agenda that ensures fair and effective taxation," it said.

The Commission will propose "Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation" or BEFIT: a set of corporate tax rules for the whole of the EU which would allow taxing the same things across the bloc and the allocation of profits for taxation at national rates between EU countries according to a formula.

Key considerations for the formula would include how to give appropriate weight to sales by destination and how to reflect the importance of the market where a multinational group does business. Also important will be how assets, including intangible ones, and labour should be reflected to ensure a balanced distribution of corporate tax revenue across countries with different economic profiles, the draft said.

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In a box on the draft statement spelling out a commitment on when the Commission aims to put forward its corporate tax proposal it put a date of 2023.

UNIFIED BUSINESS TAX RULES TO HELP ECONOMY

The Commission believes BEFIT would reduce barriers to cross-border investment, cut red tape and compliance costs in the EU's single market of 450 million people, combat tax avoidance and support jobs, growth and investment.

It would also provide a simpler and fairer way to allocate taxation rights between EU countries and ensure reliable and predictable corporate tax revenues for governments.

But the Commission's ideas for EU corporate taxation rules have failed before.

Since setting tax rates is a jealously guarded prerogative of parliaments, the Commission proposed in 2011 the EU should at least unify what they tax, rather than how much, in a proposal called the Common Corporate Consolidated Tax Base (CCCTB).

But the proposal went nowhere because many EU governments saw it as a foot in the door for the EU to have a say on national tax policies and potentially on actual tax rates later.

"While the principles of a common tax base and of formulary apportionment already featured in the previous CCCTB proposal, the new proposal will reflect the significant changes in the economy and in the international framework," the draft said.

"Most notably, it will seek to build on the approach taken in the forthcoming global agreement in its proposals for the definition of the tax base," it said.

"It will also feature a different apportionment formula, which will better reflect the realities of todays economy and global developments, in particular by taking better account of digitalisation," the draft said.

The Commission also plans to propose next year an EU law forcing large multinationals to publish the effective tax rate they pay in the EU and, by the end of this year, it plans to present a law against the abusive use of shell companies set up just to minimise the tax bill.

By the first quarter of next year the Commission wants to propose a law that would make it less attractive for companies to finance themselves through debt from a tax point of view, and more attractive to use equity.

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
The To The Stars... Academy of Arts & Science collects documents and physical materials from public and private sources ((US Navy))

With a declassified report due to be handed over to the Senate Intelligence Committee in June concerning what the Pentagon knows about unidentified aerial phenomena  more commonly known as unidentified flying objects  it might surprise some to know that one of the key players in the journey to the US military acknowledging that something is out there was once the guitarist and vocalist for pop-punk band Blink 182.

Tom DeLonge, known to most through his multiplatinum 1999 album Enema of the State, is the co-founder and chairman of the board of To The Stars... Academy of Arts & Science.

The group collects documents and physical materials from public and private sources relating to unidentified aerial phenomena and consists of former officials from the Pentagon and CIA as well as specialists in fields of science from physics to biomedical research.

At its 2017 launch event, the group announced it would provide never-before-released footage of the phenomena from real US government sources.

These were passed to The New York Times which published a story accompanied by two videos in December of that year.

Mr DeLonges release of the videos, which show encounters with UFOs by US Navy pilots in 2004 and 2015, caused a sensation.

In September of 2020, the US Navy acknowledged that the footage was real and the phenomena seen were indeed unidentified.

EPA

The existence of a Pentagon programme investigating such phenomena and briefing about it quickly surfaced and a Senate committee report revealed spending for the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio requested a detailed analysis of any findings from the task force, and a stipulation was added to a passage in the $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief package signed into law by Donald Trump.

This set in motion a countdown for the release of the information with a deadline of June 2021.

The Committee further directs that, within 180 days of enactment of this Act, such individual shall develop a strategy for security and counterintelligence collection that defines the capability requirements, responsibilities, and processes for security and counterintelligence for domestic military installations and other domestic military facilities, the legislation states.

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The Select Committee on Intelligence said that the report must include a detailed analysis of unidentified aerial phenomena data and intelligence reporting, a detailed analysis of unidentified phenomena data, and a detailed analysis of data of the FBI, which was derived from investigations of intrusions of unidentified aerial phenomena data over restricted United States airspace.

Mr DeLonge has been an enthusiast about unexplained aerial phenomena for many years and has channeled his passion into research, books, and film  To The Stars also has a media division.

This passion has now found its way into the corridors of power in both the Pentagon and US Capitol.

Speaking on 60 Minutes on Sunday night, Senator Rubio called for the US to take the sighting of unidentified aircraft seriously and remove the stigma from looking into what they may actually be.

Read More

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New York ditches face masks for vaccinated people
By Jonathan Allen

(Reuters) - The white Minnesota police officer charged with manslaughter after fatally shooting 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright during a traffic stop near Minneapolis last month will go on trial beginning on Dec. 6, a state judge ruled on Monday.

Kimberly Potter, 48, was captured on her colleagues' body-worn camera attempting to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant in the suburban city of Brooklyn Center on April 11 after pulling him over because he had an air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror.

The video shows Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force, shouting "Taser!" while pointing her handgun at Wright, who was attempting to get back behind the steering wheel. She then shoots Wright in the chest, in what many view as yet another graphic example of police brutality against Black Americans, which over the last year has fueled the largest protest movement in the United States in decades.

Before he resigned soon after, the city's police chief, Tim Gannon, said Potter mistakenly used her gun instead of her Taser.

Potter, who also resigned, did not enter a plea during her initial court appearance last month, and her lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.

The Dec. 6 trial date was set during a brief videoconference hearing on Monday, known as an omnibus hearing under Minnesota law, before Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu.

Potter, dressed in black, appeared alongside her lawyer Earl Gray in his office. She spoke only to say she understood and did not object to the proceeding being held virtually.

The killing of Wright happened only a few miles away from the then-ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in a deadly arrest in May 2020.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)
A French bulldog sits at North Sierra Bonita Avenue in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

It took a car chase and the help of drones, but a French bulldog puppy has been reunited with its owner after Culver City police apprehended the man suspected of stealing the animal, authorities said Sunday.

Officials say the suspect responded to an online advertisement listing the 10-month-old gray dog for sale. When the man met with the puppy's owner on Wednesday evening in Culver City, he pulled a semiautomatic handgun from his waistband, grabbed the dog and ran away, officials say.

Over the next few days, Culver City police detectives were able to narrow down a suspect, they said. No further details were provided about how they identified the man.

On Saturday morning, officers watched the suspect leave a home in Culver City, holding a gray French bulldog, and drive away.

Police tried to stop the car, "and a short vehicle pursuit ensued," officials said in a statement.

The chase ended when the suspect crashed into another car near Bristol Parkway and Slauson Avenue. No one was injured.

The suspect ran away and police employed drones and other surveillance techniques to find him. Around 2:45 p.m., officers found the man and arrested him.

The puppy was unharmed.

The incident comes three months after Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot in the chest and two of her three French bulldogs were stolen. The dogs were eventually returned to the musician.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
PARIS (Reuters) - The pressure on French hospitals from the coronavirus epidemic has eased further but two days before France reopens restaurants' outdoor terraces again, the slowdown in the number of new cases seen in the past two weeks came to a halt.

The health ministry reported 3,350 new cases on Monday - when the case count usually drops due to the weekend - an increase of 1.74% compared to last Monday and the same week-on-week as on Sunday, when nearly 14,000 new cases were reported.

In the past five weeks, week-on-week percentage increases have dropped from over six percent mid-April to under two percent last week and an 11-month low of 1.66% on Saturday.

The French government closely monitors week-on-week changes in the case tally, which feeds through to hospital and death tallies a few weeks later.

The seven-day moving average of new cases increased slightly to 14,394 on Monday, after falling virtualy without interruption from a 2021 high of over 42,000 per day mid-April.

France also reported there were 4,186 people in intensive care units with COVID-19 on Monday, a fall of 69 and the 14th consecutive decline.

Health ministry data also showed that the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 fell again, by 214 to 22,749, after rising on Sunday for the first time in nearly two weeks.

The daily COVID-19 death tally increased by 196 to nearly 108,000, compared to an increase of 292 last Monday. The seven-day moving average of deaths fell to 161 from 222 a week ago and around 300 mid-April.

(Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Alistair Bell)
by Nirmala Carvalho

The pandemic is spreading in the Taloja penitentiary, where the 84-year-old Jesuit has been incarcerated for seven months. Inmates would not be provided with adequate assistance. His confrere Fr. Shantanam: "He has fever and a cold, they denied him the vaccination. The hope that prison does not become like Auschwitz".

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  Fr. Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old Jesuit in prison for seven months because he was accused of "terrorism" for his commitment to the poor, may have contracted Covid-19. His brother priests and his family fear for him.

In the last telephone conversation, the cleric complained of symptoms of fever and a cold just as the pandemic is reportedly spreading in the Taloja prison, on the far outskirts of Mumbai, where he has been detained since October.

In a press conference held on May 15, relatives and friends of all 15 arrested on terrorism charges for the 2018 Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad demonstrations, the case in which Fr. Swamy, denounced the serious conditions in the facility, recalling that most of these arrested are over 60 years old.

On behalf of Fr. Swamy spoke his Jesuit brother Fr. Joseph Xavier. In seven months - he explained he - he had never complained about his health conditions. But on May 14 he said he was worried about what he sees around him. He himself suffers from fever, cold and stomach pain and they only give him Ayurvedic medicines. Fr. Stan urgently needs medical assistance ".

On behalf of the family, added Fr Xavier," we ask the state and the prison authorities three things. First of all, that a clear picture of the health situation in the Taloja prison is provided; that the interview with prisoners is facilitated also through video calls; finally, that, in light of the pandemic emergency, the release on bail of all 15 arrested, some of them in prison for three years awaiting trial, be reconsidered.

According to the news released from prison, the majority of the staff of the detention facility have already tested positive for Covid-19. The internal hospital would have between 60 and 65 cases of coronavirus patients; the few tests available, however, would be used only on those who have no symptoms, so as to show that the cases are few.

A 22-year-old inmate awaiting trial died after reporting pain from a sore throat for days, without receiving any medical assistance. Inmates are being asked to care for fellow prisoners hospitalized in the internal hospital, without any isolation. And they would also be denied the vaccine by claiming that they do not have their identity card with them, required by the procedures for the vaccination campaign.

The Jesuit Fr. Arockiasamy Santhanam, who is a lawyer and is following the case of Fr. Swamy on behalf of his congregation, comments to AsiaNews: "The prison authorities must respect a fundamental right of prisoners such as that to health. We hope that Taloja will not become like Auschwitz. We ask that Fr Stan Swamy and the other prisoners in serious conditions are promptly provided the care that can save their lives. If the government is unable to do so, release Fr Stan on bail to allow adequate medical treatment. Otherwise it will be responsible for any consequences "
Shynell "Nelly" Moore, a junior at Colorado Mesa University, who contracted COVID-19 last fall and had to quarantine in the covid dorm, in Grand Junction, Colo. on March 26, 2021. (Eliza Earle/The New York Times)

One weekend last August, Shynell Moore woke up with a headache and a sore throat. Moore, then just a few weeks into her junior year at Colorado Mesa University, pulled out her phone and fired up a symptom-tracking app called Scout.

Within seconds of reporting her symptoms, the screen turned red: She might have COVID-19, the app said. She promptly got a call from a school administrator, and before the day was out, she had packed some clothes and her elephant ear fish, Dumbo, and moved into quarantine housing. Her COVID-19 test soon came back positive.

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Several days into her quarantine period, Moore took a whiff of Dumbos typically malodorous food. I couldnt smell it, she said. And then I drank some cough syrup, and I couldnt taste it. She opened Scout and clicked an option: Lost taste or smell.

Each time she reported a symptom, the information was transmitted to Lookout, the universitys digital COVID-19 dashboard. Over the months that followed, Lookout evolved into a sophisticated system for tracking COVID-19 symptoms and cases across campus, recording students contacts, mapping case clusters, untangling chains of viral transmission and monitoring the spread of new variants.

Colorado Mesa has the most sophisticated system in the country to track outbreaks, said Dr. Pardis Sabeti, a geneticist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard who has helped health officials around the world respond to Ebola, Lassa fever and other infectious diseases. Its definitely the kind of analytics that people talk about having but nobody actually has access to in this way.

Lookout is the product of a partnership between CMU  a medium-sized school that sits in the high desert of western Colorado and prides itself on serving disadvantaged students  and the Broad Institute, a cutting-edge genomic research center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Together, they have turned CMUs campus of 10,000-plus students into a real-world, real-time epidemiological laboratory, experimenting with creative approaches to pandemic management.

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In 2016 and 2017, mumps outbreaks blossomed across Massachusetts, hopping from one college campus to another. Sabeti worked closely with state public health researchers, watching them map case clusters by hand and log data in increasingly unwieldy Excel spreadsheets. It was painstaking, time-consuming work, and the insights were really hard-earned, she said.

In the years that followed, Sabeti and her postdoctoral fellow Andres Colubri worked with a local firm, Fathom Information Design, to develop a symptom-tracking and contact-tracing app that could be used in future outbreaks. They imagined a scenario in which a college student could report a fever and then be informed that two students down the hall had recently developed the same symptom. We called it the Facebook app for outbreaks, Sabeti said.

They were still developing the app, which became Scout, when COVID-19 hit. Five-year plans turned into six-month plans, Sabeti said. Fathom raced to finish the app, while Sabeti looked for a place to pilot it.

She had begun advising colleges across the country on their coronavirus responses, but CMU, based in Grand Junction, Colorado, immediately stood out to her. We were looking for somebody who was scrappy, hungry, ready to go, Sabeti said. And we felt there was a need there.

Like many schools, CMU had suddenly suspended its in-person classes in mid-March 2020. College students everywhere were facing the same educational disruption. But CMU administrators worried that their students  two-thirds of whom were students of color, low-income or the first in their families to go to college  might be permanently derailed by a semester, or longer, spent entirely online.

And so the administration made a decision: In the fall, it would bring students back to campus. All of them. It became really obvious very quickly, this was a moral imperative, said John Marshall, the schools vice president. We had to find a way to get back. (Marshall, himself a CMU alumnus, was recently named the universitys new president, starting on July 1.)

Marshall and Amy Bronson, who directs CMUs physician assistant program, became co-chairs of the campus coronavirus response. When they first connected with Sabeti in the summer of 2020, they told her about CMUs can-do, community spirit and their determination not to make it a less than year for students.

As the teams began to talk, it soon became clear that their work together would go far beyond piloting an app. They strategized about testing, planned for worst-case scenarios and devised new learning experiences, including a for-credit seminar, Leaning In: Leadership in the Time of a Pandemic.

CMU had this really bold desire to be back and to revive in-person education, said Kian Sani, special projects adviser to Sabeti. So we really put our entire team and effort into supporting that mission. The teams just clicked, he said. It was basically like, Lets all hold hands  without actually all holding hands, because its a pandemic.

When students returned in August, Scout became their campus wellness passport. Every day, they used Scout to report whether they had any COVID-19 symptoms or had recently traveled outside the area. If they had no symptoms and no recent travel, the screen turned green. This green screen was their ticket to enter the classroom, the cafeteria and other campus buildings. It quickly became a new daily habit for students.

The data was fed into Lookout, the dashboard that Fathom had developed to give administrators a holistic view of what was happening on campus: Across this 10,000-student population, how are we actually doing day to day? said Fathoms founder, Ben Fry, who built Scout and Lookout with his colleague Olivia Glennon.

In addition to aggregating symptom data, Lookout also pulls in hourly results from the universitys coronavirus testing site. The university created a tiered testing strategy. Taking inspiration from the school mascot, the Maverick, CMU asked students to sort themselves into family units, or mavilies, that encompassed their regular close contacts.

Lookout also displays a geographic heat map of cases, a dorm view with room-by-room maps of positive and negative test results, and data from a new wastewater surveillance system, which tracks the coronavirus levels in the sewage flowing from various dorms. (People with COVID-19 shed the virus in their stool.) As Lookout came together, it took this really complicated web of data and helped us start to both visually see it and to start making sense of it, Marshall said.

The wastewater data has proved critical. In late September, for instance, the team noticed a sudden spike in the viral levels in wastewater from Grand Mesa, a suite-style residence hall. They responded by strategically testing a subset of residents, making sure to get at least one from each suite or mavily. They found two positives, traced their contacts and sent the infected students into quarantine.

Over the longer term, Sabeti and her colleagues hope to build versions of Scout and Lookout that can be used by schools, companies, local governments and other organizations around the world to respond to outbreaks of infectious disease.

CMU is also looking ahead, brainstorming about how they could adapt Scout for the fall, when many students will be vaccinated, and whether they can use their new tools to slow the spread of other infectious diseases, like flu.

With graduation set for this weekend, Marshall, CMUs soon-to-be president, is pleased with how the past year has gone. I view it as a success and not a small one, he said. I think we will look back on this year as being one of those defining moments for our university. Yes, they had COVID-19 cases, he said, but they also had 881 freshmen who were the first in their families to go to college  who were able to actually go to college.

It was never about how do you stop a virus? Marshall said. Instead, he said, the challenge was: How do you manage life while dealing with a pandemic? And in that regard, I would say weve done as strong of a job as anybody.

Lucas Torres, a biology major graduating on Saturday, had initially been nervous about returning to CMU during a deadly pandemic. And it had turned out to be an enormously difficult year for him: During winter break, he and several of his family members all got COVID-19. His mother developed pneumonia and his grandmother died from the disease.

School had turned out to be a bright spot. Torres was inspired by CMUs response, he said: It allowed for students to have a purpose. There was a responsibility, shared responsibility coming back to campus.

Shortly after recovering from COVID-19, he proposed to his girlfriend. (She said yes.) He is about to take his EMT certification exam and hopes to go to medical school.

I was able to make the most of my time at CMU, and Im glad that they allowed for that, Torres said. Even if it wasnt the same as it would be if not for COVID, it was better than sitting at home in front of a screen.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

 2021 The New York Times Company
ORLANDO, Fla.  A former friend and ally of Rep. Matt Gaetz formally pleaded guilty Monday to multiple federal charges, including sex trafficking a minor, ID theft, stalking and fraud, bringing his broad crime spree to an end and officially marking a new chapter in the investigation of the embattled congressman.

Joel Greenberg, who had served as a locally elected tax collector in Central Floridas Seminole County, had to resign his post last year after he was hit with the first of three indictments that eventually totaled 33 federal charges, but prosecutors agreed to pare those back in order to secure his cooperation.

Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing ever since word leaked in March that federal investigators were looking into whether the Florida congressman had sex with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has not been charged with any crime.

Joel Greenberg has now confessed to falsely accusing an innocent man of having sex with a minor, said Harlan Hill, a Gaetz spokesperson.

The Republican lawmaker previously had said that its Greenberg who has admitted to the crime, is trying to escape a lengthy prison sentence and has also pleaded guilty to falsely accusing a political rival of being a pedophile.

The 84-page plea agreement Greenberg formally signed off on in U.S. District Court does not mention Gaetz or any one else by name. But it states that the victim of the sex trafficking had sex with other men while she was 17. Aside from Gaetz, sources close to the investigation say prosecutors are also examining a former employee of Greenbergs in Seminole County office, a co-conspirator of Greenbergs who allegedly was involved in defrauding a coronavirus relief fund and at least one associate of Gaetzs. The unindicted co-conspirator is mentioned but not named in one of the federal charging documents against Greenberg.

But its Gaetz who prosecutors with the Justice Departments Public Integrity Section are looking into. The division of the Justice Department is dedicated to prosecuting corrupt public officials.

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David Oscar Markus, a veteran federal defense attorney not connected to Greenbergs case, said that while its clear from news reports that authorities are investigating whether Gaetz is involved in sex trafficking of a minor, the plea agreement has very few details about it, which he suspects is due to a lack of clear and irrefutable evidence from Greenberg directly implicating Gaetz in the crime. Gaetz, for example, is not mentioned by name in Greenbergs plea agreement.

Also, while Greenberg appeared to get a break from prosecutors by only pleading to six of 33 charges, hes still facing the mandatory minimum prison sentence of 12 years.

Hes looking at so much time that the only reason you would plead guilty to something like this because A, you have absolutely no defense or B, youre looking for the reduction in sentence of the century, Marcus said.

In a sign that Greenbergs cooperation is likely not enough to make a case against Gaetz, federal prosecutors are in talks for an immunity deal with his former girlfriend that seeks her cooperation. She has not spoken personally to investigators and her lawyer, Tim Jansen, has refused comment about what she would have to say, if anything, about any alleged crimes of the congressman.

The victims testimony would also be crucial and one source familiar with the investigation previously said that shes 100 percent talking to prosecutors, but the nature of that testimony is unclear.

What makes Greenbergs case so unusual is the scope of crimes he committed and pleaded guilty to, making him one of the most corrupt Florida politicians of all time. In all, there are five different categories of crimes Greenberg pleaded guilty to that are found in different sections of federal law: sex-trafficking a minor, stalking, identity theft, fraud of federal taxpayers and ripping off local taxpayers in a cryptocurrency scheme.

The plea agreement was so long that the federal magistrate judge on Monday had to pause at times to flip through the pages repeatedly to find the right section of the agreement, with the sound of shuffling papers filling amplified in the microphones in the hushed courtroom, which had a socially distanced crowd due to coronavirus social-distancing rules.

Greenberg, a blue surgical mask on his face, answered in clipped responses to the questions in admitting his guilt: yes, no, I do. The hearing took about 45 minutes.

Greenberg first met the sex-trafficking victim on a website for sugar babies seeking sugar daddies, according to the plea agreement, confirming an earlier POLITICO report concerning the website, SeekingArrangement. According to the plea, Greenberg paid her explicitly for sex at least seven times after meeting her on April 24, 2017.

On Sept. 4 of that year, Greenberg illegally accessed her driver license records after she told him she was underage. Three sources tell POLITICO that the victim had falsely advertised herself as 19 years old on the SeekingArrangement website. Under the federal statute, a person who pays for sex with anyone under 18 cannot raise the defense that he believed she was of age, even if she produced a fake ID, according to attorneys familiar with the law.

Greenberg, who paid a total of $70,000 for sex with different women he met through the website, insisted they take the drug MDMA with him and would pay them extra for it, the plea agreement says.

Greenberg told others that the victim was underage and said no one had sexual relations with her after the date he accessed her ID. But during that four month and 11-day period, others are suspected of having sex with her when she was a minor  a small window of time for prosecutors to find illegal activity from Gaetz or others.

After his arrest, Greenberg tried to get the victim to lie, the plea says.

Greenberg contacted the Minor, directly and through one of the Minor's friends, for the purpose of asking the Minor to lie and say that the reason why Greenberg looked the Minor up in the [driver license] system was because the Minor had asked him to do that, which, as Greenberg knew, was not true, the plea said. Greenberg also asked the Minor for help in making sure that their stories would line up, because he knew that his commercial sex acts with her were illegal.

The political rival whom Greenberg falsely accused of being a pedophile, a teacher named Brian Beute, held a press conference before the plea hearing on the Orlando federal courthouse steps where he thanked the federal government and an investigator with the local sheriffs department. But he faulted local prosecutors and state officials for not acting sooner to investigate and charge Greenberg for a host of other improprieties and crimes that became clear almost as soon as he assumed office in early 2017.

The state of Floridas oversight system was either complicit with or failed to monitor the Seminole County tax collectors office. Why? Who is responsible for this failure, said Beute, who Greenberg falsely accused immediately after Beute announced his bid in 2019 to take out his fellow Republican.



Under the terms of his plea, Greenberg will be required to register as a sex offender  a remarkable turn of events just two years after he accused Beute of having sex with girls.

Asked if he thought Greenberg was a liar, Beute demurred, saying he doesnt know the man. Asked again about Greenbergs trustworthiness, he didnt budge much.

Were here today, he said. Why are we here today?
Bill Gates left the Microsoft board in 2020 as the board pursued an investigation into the billionaire's romantic relationship with a female employee, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

The founder and former head of the US technology giant stepped down as board chair in March 2020.

"Microsoft Corp. board members decided that Bill Gates needed to step down from its board in 2020 as they pursued an investigation into the billionaire's prior romantic relationship with a female Microsoft employee that was deemed inappropriate," the Journal reported, citing people close to the matter.

This was "an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," a spokeswoman for Gates told the Journal.

According to the spokeswoman, Gates left Microsoft to focus more on his philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates and his wife Melinda, who co-founded their charity two decades ago to battle global poverty and disease, announced their divorce on May 3 after 27 years of marriage.

A spokesperson for Microsoft told AFP that the company was alerted in the second half of 2019 that "Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000. A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation."

The employee, an engineer, claimed in a letter to have had a sexual relationship with Gates "over years," the Journal reported.

According to the Journal, some board members also asked about links between Gates and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking minors.

Gates's team assured the board the Microsoft founder had met Epstein for "philanthropic reasons" and "regretted doing so," the Journal said.

Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975, stepped down as the company's CEO in 2000, saying he wanted to focus on his foundation.

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He left his full-time role at Microsoft in 2008.

His seat as board director, which he left in March 2020, was the last position that officially linked him to the company.

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The battle for the Republican Party's future is ongoing, and Georgia's Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) aims to be a part of it, albeit in a different role.

Duncan, who clashed with former President Donald Trump over the latter's false claims of widespread voter fraud in Georgia's presidential election, announced Monday that he won't seek re-election next year and will instead focus his energy on building a national organization he is calling "GOP 2.0." "The national events of the last six months have deeply affected my family in ways I would have never imagined when I first asked for their support to run for lieutenant governor in 2017," Duncan said in a statement.

Duncan's explanation of the GOP 2.0 suggests he's not looking to start a new, breakaway party. His goal, he said, is rather to heal and rebuild the current Republican Party by "reminding Americans [of] the value of conservative policies through genuine empathy and a respectful tone."

CNN's Jake Tapper praised Duncan as one of the GOP's "stalwarts standing for facts and truth against the maelstrom of election lies."

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Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) -President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France's operation battling Islamist militants in the Sahel region of West Africa would come to an end with troops now operating as part of broader international efforts in the region. France, the former colonial power, has hailed some success against Sahel militants in recent months but the situation is extremely fragile and Paris has grown frustrated with no apparent end in sight to its operations and political turmoil especially in Mali. "The time has come to begin a deep transformation of our military presence in the Sahel," Macron told a news conference, referring to the Barkhane operation, which has some 5,100 soldiers across the region.
Police in Texas are searching for a man they say shot at a woman as she was walking into a reproductive health clinic on Saturday.

The man hid in the womans trunk as she drove to Alamo Womens Reproductive Center, police said, WOAI reported.

When she arrived around 8:30 a.m., the man jumped out of the trunk and started firing shots, missing the woman but hitting several of the clinics windows, police said, according to KSAT. Officials referred to the facility as an abortion clinic.

A person who was protesting outside the building pulled out a gun and fired at the shooter in an attempt to protect the woman, police said, KENS reported.

The shooter then ran off. Police arent sure whether the man was struck by the bullet, according to the outlet.

The woman was taken to police headquarters and was said to be shaken up but uninjured, per KENS. The protester has a license to carry a firearm, police said.

Officials dont believe the the clinic was the target, and no one inside was injured, KSAT reported.

The shooters gun was found at the scene along with a piece of clothing, according to WOAI.

Police used a helicopter and K-9 units to try to find the suspect, but hes still on the loose, the outlet reported.

Officials said the shooter knew the woman and police are investigating the incident as a case of domestic violence, according to KSAT.

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Hunter shoots hiker on popular trail after mistaking him for turkey, Missouri cops say
May 17The Honolulu Fire Department aided a hiker in distress on the Maili Pillbox Trail this afternoon.

Honolulu Fire Captain Malcolm Medrano said the fire department was dispatched by 911 after a 22-year-old woman experienced numbness in her hands and mouth while hiking.

Medrano said five resource units with 13 personnel responded to the call, which was made around 11 :16 a.m. today, and required that emergency personnel hike into the trail.

The first emergency responders arrived at the Kaukama Street trail head at 11 :23 a.m. and made patient contact at 11 :37 a.m., he said.

"Fortunately, an off-duty nurse, also hiking on the trail, was able to offer assistance to her prior to HFD contact, " Medrano said. "After determining there were no life-threatening injuries, the extraction by air was cancelled and the hiker descended the trail on foot with the assistance of the HFD."

He said patient care was transferred to Emergency Medical Services at 12 :02 p.m.

Three others, who were hiking with the woman, were able to exit the trail on foot without assistance, Medrano said.
Congressman Jimmy Gomez, shown at a Jan. 15 news conference in L.A., is working to expel Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House. Greene reportedly has aggressively confronted another Democratic lawmaker. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Amid increasing tension between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over the January insurrection, the House is expected to vote this week on whether to establish a commission to investigate what led to the violence and whether to spend nearly $2 billion on police backpay and the security reinforcement needed to respond to the incident.

More than four months after the events of Jan. 6, the hostility surrounding the day  and the role Democrats believe some Republicans played in fueling the event  is deeply felt on Capitol Hill.

It came to the fore last week. Rep. Andrew S. Clyde (R-Ga.) said the events of the day looked like a normal visit from tourists. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouted down Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in the hallway, and one of Greenes staffers got into a verbal altercation with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) over wearing a mask.

Democrats are beginning to take action: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) refused to allow Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) to lead a bill with her because he voted against certifying the election results. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) is trying to censure Clyde and two other Republicans who he said recklessly disregarded the future harm they could cause by legitimizing a violent attack on our democratic institutions. And Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) is trying to expel Greene from the House completely.

Gomez, who voted on the House floor last week wearing a mask that said Expel MTG, said the tension was palpable.

Its going to stick around for a while, he said, condemning Republicans for trying to turn the page.

It was a big deal, and people have to remember; we have to be consistent about it and hold them accountable," he said. "I think she was one of the biggest instigators of it.

Longtime lawmakers and staffers say they havent before seen the amount of open hostility between members, underscoring a deep level of distrust between Democrats and those Republicans who challenged the electoral college vote.

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The political and policy differences that are the norm in Congress are typically underlain with a level of respect, and sometimes friendship, across party lines. But Democrats privately say they dont know how to work with those who supported former President Trumps quest to overturn the election results.

It raises questions about whether Congress can adequately respond to Jan. 6 if there are two versions of what happened or denial of what took place as hundreds of Trumps supporters swarmed the Capitol.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to establish a 10-person investigative commission, similar to one set up after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The top Democrat and Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.), hammered out the agreement after months of partisan squabbling over its scope.

Democrats wanted to keep the investigation narrowly focused on Jan. 6 and wanted to have a membership advantage as well as rights to issue subpoenas without Republican support. They gave in on the latter two measures but kept the scope limited. Republicans wanted it to include investigations into damage and violence from last summer's Black Lives Matter protests, a proposal Democrats refused to take up.

A separate vote will be held Thursday to fund $1.9 billion in payments to respond to the day. About one-third of the funding will provide back payments to the Capitol Police, metropolitan D.C. police and the National Guard for the costs they incurred in responding to the riot.

About $500 million will go toward security measures to harden the Capitol and its office buildings with movable fences and reinforcements, as well as to add security cameras. Additional funding will go toward preparing Capitol Police to respond to riot situations and providing security for members of Congress who are facing threats at home or in Washington.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), whose Committee on House Administration has held hearings on the insurrection, said the funding is badly needed but likely only the start of Congress response.

There may be other things well need to do down the road," she said, "but there are some things that we know need to happen: Overtime occurred and [needs to be paid], and there [are] some physical things that need to be accommodated in the building itself.

Republican leadership is not whipping the vote on the commission, meaning they wont encourage members to vote one way or another, according to a spokeswoman for Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). There are no current plans to whip the supplemental funding bill, either, she said.

There is an expectation that some Republicans may oppose the commission because of its narrow scope and its potential focus on GOP lawmakers in the run-up to January. Former House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has publicly said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) should "absolutely" testify on his discussions with Trump during the attack. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) said McCarthy recounted Trump telling him that the rioters were "more upset about the election than you are."

The simmering tension was brought back to the surface last week by the House Republican conferences removal of Cheney from her leadership position over her repeated statements that Trump was responsible for the violence and should be expelled from the party, as well as comments from Clyde, who downplayed the violence.

If you didnt know the TV footage was from January the 6th, youd actually think it was a normal tourist visit, Clyde said in a committee hearing.

He had an up-close view of the violence: He was one of the lawmakers who helped barricade the door to the House floor as a rioter smashed the glass.

And Democrats are particularly concerned about the actions of Greene. She was seen by Washington Post reporters aggressively confronting Ocasio-Cortez in the Capitol. CNN later uncovered 2-year-old video of Greene yelling at Ocasio-Cortezs office doorway.

Shes going to continue. Shes going to go after Ocasio-Cortez more, Gomez said. I think thats her way. It can spill into a kind of dangerous territory if her own followers follow her example."

Greene defended her actions to reporters, saying she wants to debate Ocasio-Cortez on policy issues, and Democrats should treat fellow lawmakers "civilly."

"But ever since Jan. 6, they can't even treat us with respect," she said. "And we were just as much victims of the riot here, too. We didn't cause it."

Gomez has 73 co-sponsors on the resolution to expel Greene and will have an opportunity to force a vote, though the timing is uncertain. The effort is unlikely to succeed, as two-thirds of the House would have to support it.

Swalwell said Greenes staffer shouted at him to take off his mask, and Swalwell told him not to tell him what to do, with some expletives, he said Saturday, recounting the interaction on CNN.

This is a place that needs to start functioning again; it needs to recognize the truth of what happened on Jan. 6, he said. This is just more distraction.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WASHINGTON  A House Democrat is circulating a proposal to censure three Republican colleagues who sought to downplay the severity of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., set a Monday deadline for colleagues to join the resolution that aims to censure Reps. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga.; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; and Jody Hice, R-Ga.

These members cannot be allowed to rewrite history at their convenience by disrespecting the sacrifices made by Capitol police officers and downplaying the violent, destructive intent that rioters carried into this sacred building, Cicilline wrote in a letter explaining the effort. The January 6th insurrection was an attack on our democracy that we must continue to defend against today.

Cicilline said the language of the resolution was still being drafted.

A censure, a form of discipline short of expulsion, requires a House majority vote on a resolution disapproving of a lawmaker's conduct. The lawmaker typically stands at the front of the House chamber to receive a verbal rebuke, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. The House has censured 22 representatives and one delegate in history, according to CRS.

U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, is circulating a proposal to censure three Republican colleagues who sought to downplay the severity of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The riot interrupted the counting of Electoral College votes that confirmed President Joe Bidens victory over former President Donald Trump. Five people died and 140 police officers were injured as rioters overran police barricades and stormed through the Capitol and vandalized offices.

At an Oversight and Reform Committee hearing Wednesday, several Republicans questioned the severity of the attack that had led to their evacuation from the building.

"Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall, showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures," Clyde said. "You know, if you didn't know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit."

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After Clyde's comments, a photographer for the Capitol Hill publication Roll Call shared a picture he had taken of Clyde helping barricade a House door against rioters on Jan. 6.

"The Rep. Clyde news reminded me of this," the photographer, Tom Williams, said in a tweet.

Gosar accused the FBI of using the event as an excuse to investigate law-abiding Americans.

Angry supporters of President Donald Trump scale the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

The FBI is fishing through homes of veterans and citizens with no criminal records and restricting the liberties of individuals that had never been accused of a crime, Gosar said.

He also asked the former acting attorney general: Who executed Ashli Babbitt? She was shot to death by police while climbing through a door just outside the House chamber.

Hice argued that people began attacking the building too soon after Trumps speech on the Ellipse to have been incited by him. But the House impeached Trump for inciting the insurrection. Other members of the committee questioned Hices timeline.

Hice also noted that several of the deaths were from natural causes. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who confronted rioters, died the day after the attack from strokes.

At her weekly news conference Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the comments comparing the insurrection to a regular tourist day were quite appalling. Pelosi said it wasnt just the normal orderly visit of people to the Capitol because rioters set up a gallows and chanted that they would hang Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding in the Senate.

Yet, in a hearing held yesterday, some House Republicans defended those actions, saying the rioters were orderly and acting similar to a normal tourist visit, Pelosi said. You have to see it, because it was beyond denial. It fell into the range of sick.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House Dem wants to censure 3 Republicans for downplaying Jan. 6 riot
Wolves Protections (National Park Service)

In an ongoing conflict between conservationists, hunters, and the agricultural sector, scientists are urging the Biden administration to restore legal protections for grey wolves, arguing that their removal earlier this year was premature.

They also argue that states are allowing too many animals to be killed, as Idaho approves legislation that would see 90 per cent of the 1,500 wolves in the state exterminated by private contractors.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service removed wolves from the endangered species list for most of the country in January in the final days of the Trump administration, in a move that Joe Biden ordered reviewed when he took office.

Idaho, Montana and Wyoming had federal protections lifted some years earlier and hunting is allowed in those states.

The removal of restrictions from the rest of the contiguous mainland US is causing great concern, with 115 scientists arguing in a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and principal deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service Martha Williams that the species population has not fully recovered to a desirable level.

Livestock farmers counter the claim and argue that there are too many wolves already, and they constitute a threat to their animals and businesses.

A government-sponsored campaign of poisoning and trapping saw that the predators were all but wiped out in the US by the 1930s.

Only a small population remained in the north towards the border with Canada. This has since grown to approximately 4,400 wolves across Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Another 2,000 live across six states in the northern Rockies and Pacific northwest after wolves from Canada were reintroduced in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s.

The Fish and Wildlife Service says that it is not necessary for wolves to be in every place they once inhabited for the species to be considered recovered.

In addition to Idahos plans to slaughter the wolf population in the state  using methods including night-vision equipment, and hunting via snowmobiles, ATVs, and helicopters  Montana and Wisconsin have also moved to cull the predators.

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Montana has proposed similar legislation to Idaho, and Wisconsin held a hunt in February that saw 216 wolves killed, even though a quota of 119 had been set. Another hunt is planned for later in the year.

Legal challenges to get protections restored will soon move forward so that a resolution can be reached before any further hunts in the autumn.

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by Melani Manel Perera

Workers rights groups want, among other things, vaccinations, testing, and sanitised machinery. Their demands include full compensation and full attendance bonus and other related incentives for workers forced into quarantine centres or self-isolation as a result of exposure to the coronavirus in the workplace, on their way to work, or in boarding houses.

Colombo (Asia News)  Several organisations working closely with Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and manpower workers have been monitoring the effects of the pandemic in the countrys investment zones.

As part of their action, they have recently written to the government and to factory owners and employers, presenting key demands to address the dangerous epidemic in a proper way.

The organisations  the Dabindu Collective-Katunayake, the Revolutionary Existence for Human Development (RED)-Katunayake, the Sramabimani Kendraya-Seeduwa, and StandUp Movement Lanka-Karunayake  wrote to Labour Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva.

Copies of their letter were also sent to the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi; to State Minister for Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control Dr Sudarshini Fernandopulle; to the Chairperson of the Presidential Task Force for National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for COVID-19 Lalith Weeratunga Chair; to the head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) General Shavendra Silva; to the Additional Secretary of National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) B. Vasanthan; to the Director of the Industrial Relations (Legal) of the Board of Investments (BOI) Himali Urugodawatte; to the Joint Apparel Association Forum Sri Lanka (JAAFSL) Chairman A. Sukumaran; and to Labour Department Commissioner General B.K. Prabath Chandrakeerthi.

The aforementioned organisations note that all workers in the FTZs and the apparel supply chain  be they regular or manpower workers  need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, both in the western province and the rest of the country.

To this end, they want vaccination centres to be set up at health facilities near the different FTZs and at their points of entry in order to vaccinate all workers within a period of two weeks.

They also demand that a systematic testing programme be implemented in every factory to test workers so that those who are positive and their first contacts can be moved and isolated in quarantine centres. Workers should be informed daily of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in their respective factories.

Quarters must be provided in each factory or Zone exclusively for FTZ workers (including manpower workers), so that there are no delays in moving them from dormitories to quarantine centres because of any lack of space.

Factory owners need to take on greater responsibility in protecting their workers. Practical safety measures in boarding houses must be provided to those workers to whom factories are unable to provide dedicated living quarters. The places where workers from different factories co-habit must be provided with adequate facilities to maintain COVID-19 safety precautions.

Workers forced into quarantine centres or self-isolation due to exposure to COVID-19 at work, on their way to work or in their boarding houses must be given full pay for quarantine days and no reduction in attendance bonus and other related incentives. What is more, factory owners must reimburse workers of any quarantine-related expenses.

Workers in a factory or part of a factory that is closed because of high COVID-19 exposure must be paid for the full month; manpower workers who have been employed for a month must also be compensated adequately. Quarantined workers must not be subject to 'No Pay Leave'.

Workers who are considered at risk due to their conditions should not be forced to come to work during this period. This may include, for example, pregnant women, workers with diabetes and another non-communicable disease that can increase the risk of comorbidities and other serious illnesses. They should be paid in full during this period.

Workers should receive monthly relief packages worth 5,000 Sri Lankan rupees (US$ 25), starting with the unemployed and non-permanent manpower workers.

Village headmen (grama sevakas) must be given clear instructions not to limit assistance to people on voters lists, as workers are not included in these lists.

The authorities must ensure that all factories strictly adhere to health and safety guidelines, by regularly checking workers' temperatures, monitoring social distances between workers in workplaces and machinery layout, regularly sanitising machinery, surfaces and raw materials, as well as providing personal protective equipment to all workers and allow them to wash their hands regularly, etc.

Public Health Inspectors (PHIs), labour officials and Board of Investments (BOI) officers must regularly monitor the enforcement of systematic PCR testing, safety measures and the aforementioned remuneration plans.

Health committees should be set up in each factory with adequate employee representation. A COVID-19 Management Forum should be equally established in each area, consisting of a representative for manufacturers, workers, public health authorities, the Department of Labour (DoL), and the BOI. The forum would meet online on a daily basis to discuss and address any issue related to workers' health.

The DoL, the BOI, the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), workers' representatives, and organisations representing women's working in the FTZs would also meet on a weekly basis to discuss and address any problems workers raise of face during this period.

A special health hotline should also be put in place enabling workers to call for information and counselling regarding COVID-19 response measures.

Finally, the pro-workers organisations also note that brand name buyers should pay a production premium directly to workers during the lockdown and the period during which restrictions are in place.

Without further ado, it is the responsibility of the authorities to provide the maximum possible assistance to FTZ workers, as FTZ employees are a large part of the workforce that contributes immensely to the economic strengthening of this country, said Chamila Thushari, Chandra Devanarayana and Ashila Dandeniya, respectively the conveners of the Dabindu Collective, the Revolutionary Existence for Human Development (RED), and the StandUp Movement Lanka, speaking to AsiaNews.

In their view, Contributing to their welfare and security is not in vain at all.
A group of editorial employees at gaming outlet IGN is calling for corporate management to restore a deleted article that had urged support for the Palestinians.

Why it matters: The controversy over an unexpected public plea for Palestinian relief from the world's biggest video game media outlet has now become a dispute over the limits of editorial freedom.

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The letter, signed by more than 60 current IGN staffers, was sent to upper management at IGN and parent companies J2 Global and Ziff Davis on Monday afternoon. It called for accountability regarding the post's deletion, which angered staff.

What they're saying: "[T]his was a clear instance of corporate overreach and demonstrated blatant disregard for the most basic standards of journalistic integrity and editorial independence," the letter states.

The letter also states that the article's removal on Saturday without public explanation was "against our usual policy."

The deletion of articles for any news organization is a fraught process, often testing the expected wall between editorial and business interests.

Representatives from IGN parent company Ziff Davis have not responded to Axios' requests for comment about this situation.

Between the lines: On Friday, IGN published an article headlined "How To Help Palestinian Civilians," which described suffering by Palestinians "due to Israeli forces" before listing charities to provide relief aid to Palestinians.

Initial response from readers on social media appeared to be positive, but, in a now-deleted post, licensed affiliate IGN Israel called the post "misleading."

The IGN article was first altered on Saturday to remove the image of a Palestinian flag, and it was deleted without comment early on Sunday.

At 2:21 am ET on Monday morning, IGN's twitter feed posted an unsigned statement that noted, in part, that "[b]y highlighting only one population, the post mistakenly left the impression that we were politically aligned with one side."

The staff letter calls for the deleted article to be restored, potentially incorporating feedback from management.

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It also says the people who deleted the post should "accept that responsibility publicly."

The letter says the article had been pulled by "upper management," not by editorial staff.

Go deeper:

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DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he did not get an immediate sense from his meeting with British counterpart Boris Johnson that London wants to rewrite Northern Ireland's post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Irish national broadcaster RTE reported on Monday that the Irish government is increasingly concerned that London wants to completely rewrite the Northern Ireland section of its deal to leave the European Union.

"We were very clear and are very clear that this is an international agreement, commitments have been made and it needs to be worked and the processes that are in it need to be worked also," Martin told an online event when asked about the report.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez understands the power of his stardom and vibrant personality.

So Baez knows people will follow his lead, especially in his native Puerto Rico and Jacksonville, Fla., where he moved with his family as a young teen. Thats why Baez has teamed up with Walgreens This is Our Shot campaign to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and try to reach hard-hit communities.

Walgreens will be releasing the content featuring Baez in English and Spanish in the coming weeks. A commercial aired with musician John Legend last month to promote the benefits of being vaccinated.

The people that maybe didnt believe in it, I think they will, Baez told the Tribune Monday. And thats what its all about. Were trying to get more people into it and to get the vaccine to at least feel safe.

We want to be safe out there. We obviously want to end this pandemic. The smart thing to do right now is to get vaccinated.

Para leer en espanol, haga clic aqui. 

Baez is one of only a few Cubs players to publicly share he has received the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as Kris Bryant and Adbert Alzolay.

It wasnt a hard decision to take the vaccine, Baez said, because he has two young sons, Adrian, who turns three next month, and six-month-old Aiden. Baez inherently spends time around a lot of people because of what his job entails. Deciding to be vaccinated was a collective decision with his wife, Irmarie, who shared in an Instagram story this past week that she got her second shot.

Its been hard not being able to leave his house much, Baez said, but now that he is fully vaccinated, his close friends and nephews will be able to visit. Those factors all played a role in his vaccine decision.

It was the smartest thing and the safest thing that we could do for our family and closest friends, Baez said.

Even though he is vaccinated, Baez still wears his mask and maintains distance from certain people because he knows everyone hasnt been vaccinated or they might be skeptical about getting it.

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[Most read in Sports] Saturday Night Live parodies Michael Jordans cutthroat competitiveness from that Last Dance quarters game with his bodyguard 

As Baez takes a public role in advocating for people to take the vaccine, the Cubs are seemingly stuck in limbo, unable to reach the 85% vaccination threshold among Tier 1 personnel to loosen the leagues protocols. Cubs manager David Ross and Bryant both sounded pessimistic Friday that the team will hit that mark. Baez said the goal is still for the Cubs to get to the rate while acknowledging its a personal choice.

Its optional, whoever thinks that they should get it, its not obligatory, but I believe in it, Baez said. I feel safe, I still wear my mask, but I think thats smart. The smart thing to do is to take it.

Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney lauded Baez for stepping forward and being willing to participate in the PSA.

Its really just a continuation of the same effort, which is throw every bit of our organizations resources toward beating the virus and supporting our community and itll help the outcome, Kenney told the Tribune Friday. Javy getting involved is just awesome and we are massively appreciative of him.
WASHINGTON  If a tree falls in a Canadian forest and a logger has to drive 16 hours to haul it out, does it crush the U.S. president's economic agenda?

That improbable question may be on the minds of some in Washington as skyrocketing prices of lumber to used cars to corn seed have emerged as troubling signs for the post-pandemic economic boom President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are counting on to keep them in power.

Consumer demand is shooting up as some Covid-19 restrictions fall. But the supply chain has had trouble keeping up, pushing prices higher and leading to shortages.

Government data from April showed disappointing job growth and an unexpected jump in consumer prices. Basic commodities like copper and iron ore are at all-time highs; gas prices are over $3 a gallon, and analysts were warning of gas shortages even before the recent dayslong shutdown of a key pipeline; and a scarcity of computer chips has forced manufacturers to halt the production of cars, home appliances and more.

Add it all up and some economists, like Clinton administration Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, worry that the country is about to experience its first real bout of rapid inflation since the 1970s, when swelling costs undercut the value of peoples' wages and savings  and helped bring down President Jimmy Carter.

"Inflation is the kryptonite of American politics," Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis said. "It doesn't matter which party you are. It destroys you."

So far, the price hikes are isolated mostly to specific industries. Lumber this month hit an all-time high of $1,686 per thousand board feet, having surged by 406 percent from the $333 per thousand board feet it was trading at the same time a year ago and by 438 percent from its price five years ago.

Just as the country is coming out of the woods of the pandemic, it is running out of wood. Prices have tripled, and some builders are having trouble finding any at all. Lowly plywood is so valuable that workers keep it under lock and key after a raft of thefts.

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In the forests of British Columbia, which supplies much of America's two-by-fours, logger Chace Barber has been feeding the seemingly insatiable demand by driving up to 16 hours to fetch logs he wouldn't have even bothered with when prices were lower.

"I can't find a log trailer for sale anywhere. I've got two trucks I want to get hauling, and I can't find a trailer anywhere. You talk to the manufacturer and they say there's a year-and-a-half wait," he said. "And you can't find log truck drivers. Everyone who can and wants to drive a log truck is already driving a log truck."

Image: A customer loads lumber at Home Depot (David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images file)

Barber, who has become something of a timber influencer with over 300,000 followers on TikTok, has seen a surge of interest in the industry, with a growing number of people asking him how to break in, even though he cautions that the lumber windfall isn't really trickling down to workers.

At the other end of the supply chain, builders have had to deal with surging costs and unreliable supplies that they say now add as much as $36,000 to the price of a new home.

Home prices were already on the rise because of a longstanding housing shortage  there are fewer homes for sale now than there have been in decades  and on top of lumber, things like garage doors, insulation and windows have also risen in price or are on weekslong back order as manufacturers catch up with booming demand.

"The fact is if this continues, you will see the homebuilding sector slow down and grind to a halt," said Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Homebuilders, who said housing is often a leading indicator of economic health. "This problem with lumber and other building material costs is sort of setting another potential perfect storm for housing to lead us into a recession."

Lumber's unprecedented price surge can be chalked up to a number of issues specific to the industry.

Construction never really recovered after the Great Recession over a decade ago, so the supply chain shrunk its capacity. Add a beetle infestation in British Columbia, European producers' selling to China and tariffs that former President Donald Trump implemented on some Canadian wood.

Then, early in the pandemic, lumber producers cut production on what turned out to be an erroneous assumption that building would halt with the rest of the economy. Instead, consumers stuck at home went on home improvement binges, while others decided to move to new homes, because they were free to work remotely.

Image: Lumber is transported in Colorado (Hyoung Chang / Denver Post via Getty Images file)

"Covid added additional fuel to an already existing inferno," said Thom Rafferty, a commodity trader at Millbrook Lumber Inc. outside Boston. "It has nothing to do with inflation."

At a congressional hearing this month, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said she would make lumber prices a top priority.

Builders and others want Biden to eliminate Trump's tariff on Canadian wood, which was reduced from 20 percent to 9 percent in the final months of his presidency.

"The reality is that record high lumber prices are putting the American dream of homeownership out of reach for hundreds of thousands of potential homebuyers," Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said on the Senate floor last week. "American homebuyers, not Canadian lumber producers, are the ones who end up paying the cost."

For now, most economists, including those at the Federal Reserve, think the price hikes are just temporary quirks of the economy's getting its idled engines back into gear.

Like the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020, they hope it will come and go without really signifying anything greater. But no one knows for sure, and so many of the economic impacts of Covid-19 have been unpredictable.

"We've had a very unusual hit to our economy," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters at the White House this month. "Starting up an economy again, trying to get it back on track after a pandemic in which there are a lot of supply bottlenecks, is going to be, I think, a bumpy process."

Biden is counting on a robust economic recovery to keep his popularity and his agenda alive as he tries to push through his massive infrastructure package, which would partly be paid for with tax increases. And Democrats in both houses of Congress hope a strong economy will help them hang onto their narrow majorities in next year's elections by overcoming the historical trend in which a president's party typically loses seats in the first midterms.

But Republicans have already sought to make hay of the rising costs to argue against Biden's infrastructure plan.

"You're watching food costs go up. You're watching housing costs, lumber costs. There is inflation everywhere," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said after a meeting with Biden at the White House on Wednesday. "So raising taxes would be the biggest mistake you could make."

Meanwhile, some, like Melissa Miller, 38, of Saginaw, Michigan, already feel a pinch at the grocery store.

"The food prices are going to kill us," she said. "It's do or die."
Johns Hopkins University is launching a "pandemic data initiative" to highlight COVID-19 data-collecting and reporting inconsistencies that led to confusion for policymakers and the public, the institution announced Monday.

Why it matters: Lack of granular data on cases, deaths  and now vaccination rates  has been a nationwide hindrance in targeting communities who needed more outreach or resources this past year.

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Context: Johns Hopkins became a key resource for data during the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the few institutions that tracked global cases, deaths and recoveries.

"The opportunity to do it better is abundant," Beth Blauer, associate vice provost for public sector innovation at JHU, tells Axios.

"We didn't have specific enough data. We didn't know how to guide some of those decisions because we werent looking to the data in the right ways," she said.

The state of play: At the beginning of the pandemic, states and local governments were left to their own devices to determine how they would report COVID-19 data.

Some states grouped together PCR and rapid testing data with antibodies testing to "bolster and show the impacts" of how much they were doing, Blauer said.

In another example, Ohio and Mississippi counted Johnson & Johnson shots under two categories despite being a single shot, which poses problems for calculating vaccination rates.

How it works: The Pandemic Data Initiative will feature ongoing analysis spotlighting data challenges and irregularities.

The initiative will be a part of its Coronavirus Resource Center, where the team will also link up with leaders in the public health field to highlight solutions for the COVID pandemic and future crises.

The big picture: On top of the coronavirus pandemic, there are smaller outbreaks of other diseases around the globe, some with pandemic potential.

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More permanent pandemic preparedness, including better data collection practices, is needed, JHU officials said.

Go deeper: COVID-19 lessons for trapping the next pandemic

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A man and juvenile woman were shot at a Fort Worth club just after midnight Sunday, police said.

Police said a man and woman were in an altercation at the Kings and Queens club about 12:30 a.m. Sunday when the man pulled a gun and shot the juvenile sister of the woman involved in the altercation in the hip. He also shot an employee in the leg.

Both were transported to an area hospital where they were treated for non life-threatening injuries. Police did not specify whether the shooting happened inside or outside the club.

The shooter is unknown and at large.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A Kansas House member was charged Monday with three counts of misdemeanor battery, accused of having made rude, insulting or angry contact with two teenage students in a classroom while working as a substitute teacher.

The charges against Republican state Rep. Mark Samsel arose from a student reporting an April 28 incident involving Samsel in what videos showed to be a noisy classroom in his hometown of Wellsville, a town of about 1,700 people roughly 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City. The brief videos, provided by a parent who said they were shot by students, also showed Samsel talking about suicide, God and sex.

In one video, Samsel can be heard saying, Who likes making babies? That feels good, doesn't it? followed by, You haven't masturbated? Don't answer that question.

When a student says he won't answer, Samsel is heard saying, Thank you. I told you not to. God already knows.

Another video showed Samsel grabbing a boy, pushing him against a wall and telling him, I could put the wrath of God on you right now, before the boy breaks free and runs away, yelling.

Samsel was arrested the day after and released on $1,000 bond. His first appearance in Franklin County District Court by video conference is scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday.

A criminal complaint filed by Franklin County Attorney Brandon Jones accuses Samsel of having made physical contact with two 15- or 16-year-old students in a rude, insulting or angry manner. The complaint identifies the students only by their initials.

The third charge alleges that Samsel caused bodily harm to one of the students. The complaint lists 40 potential witnesses, including at least 15 minors identified only by their initials.

Jones declined to comment about the case. In a Facebook message to The Associated Press, Samsel referred questions to his attorney, who declined to comment about the case.

Samsel, who is himself an attorney, was first elected to the House in 2018 and reelected last year. He also has been a referee for the association that oversees middle and high school sports in Kansas.

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There's no indication yet that he might face disciplinary action from the House, which can censure or expel members over their behavior. Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area Republican, said in a statement that the judicial process must be allowed to work to determine exactly what happened and what penalties should be imposed.

We are concerned by these new charges, Ryckman said. The safety of our schoolchildren is one of our highest priorities.

Samsel's local superintendent notified him by letter last week that he was banned for a year from Wellsville public school property and events. The letter said he would face a criminal trespass complaint if he violated the ban.

Samsel posted a photo of the letter Saturday on his Facebook page, saying, This looks like discrimination to me. Fortunately, I know a good lawyer.

In a Snapchat post from Samsel after his arrest, he said what happened in the classroom was all planned to SEND A MESSAGE about art, mental health, teenage suicide, how we treat our educators and one another. He said students were in on it.

Samsel is the third Kansas lawmaker to face legal problems this year.

Fellow Republicans ousted Sen. Gene Suellentrop, of Wichita, as Senate majority leader in April after he was charged with drunken driving and a felony charge of attempting to elude law enforcement for driving the wrong way on a highway in Topeka. He is scheduled to have a June 3 court appearance.

Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman, of Kansas City, was warned by a House committee in writing in February about abusive behavior toward girls and young women before his election last year. He reached a legal agreement in January with the woman who managed his primary opponents campaign to end an anti-stalking court order against him.

___

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Experts say most people with cancer or undergoing active treatment for the disease should get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity, but its still not known how well protected they are from the virus after getting inoculated, or precisely when during the course of their treatment regimen they should get immunized.
REYNOSA, Mexico  Thousands of migrants who have been returned by the United States to Reynosa, one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico, spend hours in tents and benches  their money gone and easy prey for human traffickers.

The thousands of dollars they paid to travel to the U.S. border vanished upon arrival, several Central American women say, as they tell their stories amid the dust and heat in this Mexican town.

The women share something in common. After crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, the Biden administration returned them to Mexico in a matter of hours under Title 42, a measure implemented under former President Donald Trump, citing the need to block the spread of Covid-19.

Those returns continue to apply to single adults and most migrant families. In April alone, the U.S. carried out almost 112,000 expulsions, according to official data.

Thousands of migrants have been returned to Reynosa, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, just a few feet from the border.

Maribel, 47, among what local authorities estimate to be more than 400 migrants here, has already been a victim.

Image: A makeshift camp in a central plaza in Reynosa, Mexico. (Damia Bonmati)

"They threw us into the river with a ransom of $3,000"

Identified by only her first name to protect her identity, Maribel shares a tent in Reynosa's main square with her teenage son and 10 other people.

She left El Salvador to prevent her son from being recruited by criminal gangs. But her nightmare caught up with her at a hotel in Reynosa a few weeks ago. "We were kidnapped for five days. They took our phones and the money we had," she said.

They were locked up in a house in one of the city's more humble neighborhoods along with about 90 other migrants, all Central Americans.

Through the coyote who had helped them make the journey north, the kidnappers contacted her family in El Salvador and asked for a ransom of $3,000 in order to release them directly into the river that separates Mexico from the U.S.

"They just threw us into the river for nothing, because there, boom, the (U.S.) immigration authorities sent us back. And here we stay," she said. She opens her arms to show that she is there, out in the open, in a crowded square, with what she carries with her, clothes donated by charitable organizations and little else.

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"The money is already lost"

It's been over a week since the Border Patrol left Jennifer Castro and her 11-year-old daughter, who migrated from Honduras, on the international bridge to return to Mexico.

Despite the $8,000 she paid a smuggler to bring them to the U.S., she says she was told he can't help her cross again.

"I spoke to the man who was taking us and he said, 'No, I can't, I have to talk to your family first. I can't pick you up.' And I felt like I didn't know anyone here," Castro said.

She found some fellow Central Americans who told her they could share some of their tent space. Now four women live there with their four children. They get up at dawn to pray, get food from religious organizations, charge their cellphones for five Mexican pesos (25 cents) in a makeshift store, and pay $10 more to shower in a makeshift shower in the back of a taqueria.

On the roof of the tent, "Jesus Christ, the king of glory" is written in a marker.

Yulissa Esquivel, 31, who also left Honduras to try to reach the U.S., is one of the women who took Castro in. Yulissa paid $7,000 for her way north, but the money is like meaningless paper.

"The money is already lost. The 'pollero' (smuggler) who threw us into the river no longer answers. I spoke with him, my family spoke with him, but I had to pay $1,600 more for him to get me out of here. It's time to wait," she said, with an air of resignation.

Florida Alma, a 26-year-old Guatemalan, says her smuggler is no longer answering her calls. She paid $8,000 to get to the U.S. with her 8-year-old daughter. During her last conversation with her smuggler, who is in southern Mexico, he told her she had to wait.

"He says it will happen when they open the border, but who knows," she said.

In the camp, there are rumors about new policies and dates, mostly hopeful expectations. But all speculation falls short of the main message from the U.S. government: For most asylum-seekers, the border is and will remain closed.

The women repeat it to each other: They have to be patient, pray to their God and wait.

Journalists Jairo Gallego and Juan Anzaldua, from Telemundo 40, collaborated in the reporting of this article.

An earlier version of this article was originally published in Noticias Telemundo.

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(Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

UK reopens for business

Friends will hug, pints will be pulled and swathes of the British economy will reopen on Monday giving 65 million people a measure of freedom after a four-month lockdown.

During England's lockdowns police broke up parties and protests alike, shut down religious services and handed out fines of up to 10,000 pounds ($14,000) to youngsters for partying.

A four-month long ban on travel between Britain and Portugal ended on Monday, allowing visitors to soak up the sun on Portuguese beaches once again in a much-needed boost for the struggling tourism sector.

India's virus cases decline

India reported a further decline in new coronavirus cases though daily deaths remained above 4,000 and experts warned that the count was unreliable due to a lack of testing in rural areas, where the virus is spreading fast.

For months now, nowhere in the world has been hit harder than India by the pandemic, as a new strain of the virus first found there fuelled a surge in infections that has risen to more than 400,000 daily.

Even with a downturn over the past few days, experts said there was no certainty that infections had peaked, with alarm growing both at home and abroad over the new more contagious B.1.617 variant taking hold.

Singapore shuts schools

Singapore warned on Sunday that the new coronavirus variants, such as the one first detected in India, were affecting more children, as the city-state prepares to shut most schools from this week and draws up plans to vaccinate youngsters.

All primary, secondary and junior colleges will shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28.

A travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore due to open on May 26 has been postponed for a second time, officials said on Monday.

Thailand reports another COVID-19 record

Thailand reported a daily record of 9,635 new cases, nearly three-quarters of which were prisoners infected in jail clusters, as the Southeast Asian country struggles with a third wave of infections.

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The combined cases bring its total infections to 111,082. Thailand also announced 25 new deaths on Monday, bringing its overall coronavirus fatalities to 614.

The COVID-19 taskforce said 10,748 inmates had been infected with the virus this month according to tests on 24,357 prisoners in eight jails.

Sanofi/GSK report positive vaccine results

An experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline showed a robust immune response in early-stage clinical trial results, enabling them to move to a late-stage study, the French drugmaker said.

Sanofi and Britain's GSK said a global Phase III trial would start in the coming weeks and involve more than 35,000 adults, with the hope of seeing the vaccine approved by the fourth quarter after having initially targeted the first half of this year before a setback.

"The Phase 2 interim results showed 95% to 100% seroconversion following a second injection in all age groups (18 to 95 years old) and across all doses, with acceptable tolerability and no safety concerns," Sanofi said.

(Reporting by Linda Noakes; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed into law a bill that forces death row inmates for now to choose between the electric chair or a newly formed firing squad in hopes the state can restart executions after an involuntary 10-year pause.

Two inmates who have exhausted their appeals immediately sued, saying they can't be electrocuted or shot since they were sentenced under a prior law that made lethal injection the default execution method.

South Carolina had been one of the most prolific states of its size in putting inmates to death. But a lack of lethal injection drugs brought executions to a halt.

McMaster signed the bill Friday with no ceremony or fanfare, according to the state Legislature's website. It's the first bill the governor decided to deal with after nearly 50 hit his desk Thursday.

The families and loved ones of victims are owed closure and justice by law. Now, we can provide it," McMaster said on Twitter on Monday.

Last week state lawmakers gave their final sign offs to the bill, which retains lethal injection as the primary method of execution if the state has the drugs, but requires prison officials to use the electric chair or firing squad if it doesnt.

Prosecutors said three inmates have exhausted all their normal appeals, but can't be killed because under the previous law, inmates who don't choose the state's 109-year-old electric chair automatically are scheduled to die by lethal injection. They have all chosen the method that can't be carried out.

How soon executions can begin is up in the air. The electric chair is ready to use. Prison officials have been doing preliminary research into how firing squads carry out executions in other states, but are not sure how long it will take to have one in place in South Carolina. The other three states that allow a firing squad are Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

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Three inmates, all in Utah, have been killed by firing squad since the U.S. reinstated the death penalty in 1977. Nineteen inmates have died in the electric chair this century, and South Carolina is one of eight states that can still electrocute inmates, according to the center.

These are execution methods that previously were replaced by lethal injection, which is considered more humane, and it makes South Carolina the only state going back to the less humane execution methods," said Lindsey Vann of Justice 360, a nonprofit that represents many of the men on South Carolinas death row.

Two of the three inmates with no more traditional appeals sued Monday to stop any attempts to make them face the electric chair or a firing squad.

Lawyers for Freddie Owens said he chose lethal injection under the old law and he can't be resentenced to a different execution method without violating his constitutional rights.

Lawyers for Brad Sigmon made similar arguments. He did not choose between lethal injection and the electric chair and under the old law would have been given lethal injection by default.

Legal arguments by both inmates in state court said the new execution law is so vague that the process and consequences of the election decision are unclear to a person of ordinary intelligence."

From 1996 to 2009, South Carolina executed about three inmates a year on average. But a lull in death row inmates reaching the end of their appeals coincided a few years later with pharmaceutical companies refusing to sell states the drugs needed to sedate inmates, relax their muscles and stop their hearts.

South Carolina's last execution took place in May 2011, and its batch of lethal injection drugs expired in 2013.

Supporters of the bill said the death penalty remains legal in South Carolina, and the state owes it to the family of the victims to find a way to carry out the punishment.

Opponents brought up the case of 14-year-old George Stinney, who South Carolina sent to the electric chair in 1944 after a one-day trial in the deaths of two white girls. He was the youngest person executed in the U.S. in the 20th century. A judge threw out the Black teens conviction in 2014.

Stinney's case is a reminder the death penalty in South Carolina has always been racist, arbitrary, and error-prone" and continues to be, said Frank Knaack, executive director of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

In the midst of a national reckoning around systemic racism, our Governor ensured that South Carolinas death penalty  a system rooted in racial terror and lynchings  is maintained," Knaack said in a statement.

Nineteen of the 37 inmates currently on the state's death row are Black.

___

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

___

Michelle Liu contributed to this report.

___

An earlier version of this report incorrectly said South Carolinas last execution took place in May 2010, instead of May 2011.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Native American Rights Fund filed a lawsuit Monday alleging that two new voting laws in Montana are unconstitutional infringements on Native Americans' rights.

Why it matters: Since President Biden's win, Republican state legislatures across the U.S. have sought to pass new voting restrictions, which opponents say will disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color.

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The state of play: The lawsuit argues that the laws, which eliminate same-day voter registration and limit ballot restriction, are part of a targeted campaign to disenfranchise Native Americans.

Native Americans make up roughly 6.5% of the population in Montana.

Native voters who live on reservations often face barriers due to long distances to election offices or polling sites. Many don't own cars and rely on same-day registration so they don't have to make the trip  which can take several hours  more than once.

High poverty rates mean voters cannot always afford gas, per the lawsuit.

Since many reservations lack reliable mail service, get-out-the-vote groups often collect and deposit absentee ballots, a process that could become curtailed under the new laws.

The legislature knows all this, Jacqueline De Leon, a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, told the New York Times. "[A]nd so they are again, I think, taking advantage of those barriers and amplifying them."

Christi Jacobsen, Montana's secretary of state, is the named defendant in the lawsuit.

The voters of Montana spoke when they elected a secretary of state that promised improved election integrity with voter ID and voter registration deadlines, and we will work hard to defend those measures," Jacobsen said in a statement to the New York Times.

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People queue up outside a vaccination centre at the Essa Academy in Bolton on Sunday. (SWNS)

The government has insisted local areas should stick to vaccine priority guidelines rather than offering a jab to "anyone who wants it", despite the spread of the Indian COVID variant.

The prime ministers official spokesman said on Monday the governments Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) maintained the best way to protect against the new variant was to ensure vulnerable groups got their second dose of the vaccine.

He said: This is a decision made by the JCVI about how best to deploy the vaccines we have, but we have deployed thousands more additional doses in Bolton so they can do this work of getting vaccinations to people.

Asked whether the government would stop local officials giving vaccines to younger people, he said: We want every part of the country to abide by the advice set out by the JCVI, its this unified approach that has allowed us to proceed so quickly with our vaccine rollout.

It comes after long queues over the weekend at vaccination centres in Bolton, where the Indian strain is spreading, and reports that people as young as 17 have been called upon to have a jab there.

COVID-19 vaccines are currently only available in England to people aged 38 and over, although the over-35s will be invited in the coming days to take their first jab.

Earlier, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said he did not approve of moves to break from age range rules about who should receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

He told Sky News: The government has very clear guidelines in terms of the ordered way in which we roll out the vaccine.

That has been working and has been a very effective rollout, and we would suggest that people should do it in the correct order, in the right way.

I dont know the actual details of what is going on in Bolton but weve got very firm guidelines and we want people to follow those.

There is a really good way that weve managed to roll out the vaccine and we would urge people to follow the guidelines that weve set out and the method that weve used.

Story continues

Watch: Bolton residents queue for vaccines as Indian variant spreads

But London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines should be given to younger people in parts of the country where the Indian variant is causing concern.

He called on the government for the flexibility to give younger people the vaccine in those parts of London concerned about this strain.

He told Sky News: What we are saying is be nimble in those pockets where we know there is an issue, lets use the vaccine sensibly.

Khan said there should be a hyper-local approach in affected boroughs which should include those who are younger, who would have to wait a few weeks, to have this vaccine now to avoid the strain spreading.

Pubs and restaurants can serve customers inside as England returned to indoor socialising on Monday, as six people or two households can meet inside and overnight stays are allowed.

The ban on foreign holidays has also lifted, cinemas, hotels and B&Bs can reopen and hugs between friends and family are permitted.

However, the spread of the Indian COVID-19 variant has led prime minister Boris Johnson to call for a heavy dose of caution, while the British Medical Association (BMA) said it was a real worry that indoor socialising was returning.

The Indian strain is feared to be as much as 50% more transmissible than the Kent variant.

On Sunday, health secretary Matt Hancock did not rule out the possibility of imposing local lockdowns in areas such as Bolton to tackle the Indian variant, which he warned could spread like wildfire.

Daily confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK.

He said there are more than 1,300 cases of the Indian variant of concern, which is relatively widespread in small numbers and is becoming the dominant strain in Bolton and Blackburn.

Hancock said new very early data from Oxford University showed that existing vaccines work against the Indian variant.

Dr Helen Wall, who is leading the vaccination effort in Bolton, said more than 6,200 vaccines were administered in the area over the weekend.

Were seeing people coming forward that clearly had the option to have the jab for some time  older people, disabled people  and theyve chosen to come forward now, she told BBC Breakfast.

People queuing outside a vaccination centre in Bolton on Sunday. (SWNS)

She said before the weekend there were around 10,000 people in the area in the highest priority groups  those deemed to be clinically vulnerable and the over-50s  who were yet to be vaccinated, but added: Im hoping that weve made a big dent into that now.

Kwarteng said on Monday there was nothing in the evidence to suggest the Indian variant could evade the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out in the UK.

He said: Matt Hancock said yesterday very clearly that he had a lot of confidence that the vaccination does work against the Indian variant.

But of course we cant definitely prove anything until weve eased up and we see what the actual data shows, and thats why weve got a degree of flexibility.

But there is nothing in the evidence now that weve seen that suggests that the vaccine isnt very effective against the Indian variant.

Hancock said there had been no known deaths from the Indian variant in Bolton of somebody who has received both jabs.

Five people have been in hospital with it after receiving their first vaccine dose, while one person who had received both doses had been admitted but that person was frail, Hancock told BBCs The Andrew Marr Show.

Watch: 'Increasing confidence' vaccine works against Indian variant, says Hancock
Watch: Long working hours a death risk, says WHO

Regularly working overtime to impress the boss or keep on top of your to-do list may not be a harmless habit.

Many UK employees have put in extra hours amid the pandemic, with overtime often an inevitable consequence of working from home.

A survey by LinkedIn and the Mental Health Foundation suggests the average Briton worked an additional 28 hours a month during the UK's first lockdown, with more than one in ten (12%) logging on before 7am and nearly one in five (18%) working into the evening.

A World Health Organization (WHO) study has now revealed people who work 55 hours a week or more are more likely to die of heart disease or a stroke than those who graft for 35 to 40 hours every seven days.

Read more: Shift workers more likely to catch coronavirus

In 2016 alone, more than 745,000 deaths worldwide were "attributable to this exposure"  a 29% increase since 2000.

Working long hours may trigger internal "stress" or prompt an employee to lead a less healthy lifestyle, by smoking, drinking excessively and being sedentary.

Working overtime, common amid the pandemic, may not be a harmless habit. (Posed by a model, Getty Images)

"The COVID-19 [the disease caused by the coronavirus] pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director-general.

"Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work.

"In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours.

"No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease.

"Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers."

Read more: Healthy heart helps people solve problems

The LinkedIn-Mental Health Foundation survey found that a quarter (25%) of its two thousand respondents felt under pressure to "stay online" beyond the end of their shift.

Story continues

At-home workers may be worst affected, with Office for National Statistics data revealing people who set up a remote office for any length of time in 2020 did six hours of unpaid overtime a week.

This is nearly double the 3.6 additional hours put in by those who never worked from home.

The Hours of Work (Industry) Convention states an employee's working hours should not exceed eight hours a day and 48 hours across the week, "with some exceptions".

The definition of long working hours varies according to each country, however, most consider 35 to 40 hours a week to be "standard", and anything that exceeds that "overtime".

Read more: Sleep for six to seven hours a night to maximise heart health

To learn more, scientists from the WHO and International Labour Organization estimated the "exposure" of long working hours in 194 countries.

The "attributable burdens" of heart disease and strokes was calculated for 183 of the countries in 2000, 2010 and 2016.

People who work long hours may have a less healthy lifestyle, with an excessive alcohol intake. (Stock, Getty Images)

Results reveal that in 2016, 488 million people  8.9% of the global population  worked for at least 55 hours a week. This equates to 11 hours a day across a five-day working week.

Around 398,000 stroke and 347,000 heart disease-related deaths, respectively, "were attributable to this exposure".

Overall, working long hours was found to have caused 3.7% and 6.9% of all heart disease and stroke-related deaths, respectively.

The risk was most pronounced in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the deceased were men.

"People of middle to older working age" were also more at risk, with most dying between 60 and 79 years old after working for 55 hours or more a week between the ages of 45 and 74.

Watch: Heart disease higher among women with brittle bones

Between 2000 and 2016, the number of people "exposed" to longer working hours increased by 9.3%.

Over these 16 years, heart disease and stroke fatalities due to working long hours also rose by 41.5% and 19%, respectively.

Overall, the scientists have concluded working 55 or more hours a week raises a person's risk of dying from a stroke or heart disease by 35% and 17% respectively, compared to putting in just 35 to 40 hours.

"If this trend continues, it is likely the population exposed to this occupational risk factor will expand further," the scientists wrote in the journal Environment International.

The team has partially blamed this trend on the rise of "gig economies", when a temporary employee is hired for a short-term project.

"Past experience has shown working hours increased after previous economic recessions," wrote the scientists.

Therefore, "such increases may also be associated with the COVID-19 pandemic".

Working hours aside, heart disease and strokes are also said to be on the rise worldwide. In the UK alone, more than one in four deaths are cardiovascular-related.

"Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard," said Dr Maria Neira, director of the department of environment, climate change and health, at the WHO.

"It's time we all  governments, employers and employees  wake up to the fact long working hours can lead to premature death".
- By GF Value





The stock of Magellan Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:MMP, 30-year Financials) is believed to be fairly valued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $49.08 per share and the market cap of $11 billion, Magellan Midstream Partners LP stock is estimated to be fairly valued. GF Value for Magellan Midstream Partners LP is shown in the chart below.





Magellan Midstream Partners LP Stock Shows Every Sign Of Being Fairly Valued

Because Magellan Midstream Partners LP is fairly valued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth.

Link: These companies may deliever higher future returns at reduced risk.

Companies with poor financial strength offer investors a high risk of permanent capital loss. To avoid permanent capital loss, an investor must do their research and review a company's financial strength before deciding to purchase shares. Both the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage of a company are a great way to to understand its financial strength. Magellan Midstream Partners LP has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.00, which which ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in Oil & Gas industry. The overall financial strength of Magellan Midstream Partners LP is 3 out of 10, which indicates that the financial strength of Magellan Midstream Partners LP is poor. This is the debt and cash of Magellan Midstream Partners LP over the past years:

Story continues

Magellan Midstream Partners LP Stock Shows Every Sign Of Being Fairly Valued

Investing in profitable companies carries less risk, especially in companies that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. Typically, a company with high profit margins offers better performance potential than a company with low profit margins. Magellan Midstream Partners LP has been profitable 10 years over the past 10 years. During the past 12 months, the company had revenues of $2.3 billion and earnings of $3.34 a share. Its operating margin of 36.34% better than 91% of the companies in Oil & Gas industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks Magellan Midstream Partners LP's profitability as strong. This is the revenue and net income of Magellan Midstream Partners LP over the past years:

Magellan Midstream Partners LP Stock Shows Every Sign Of Being Fairly Valued

Growth is probably the most important factor in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long term performance of a company's stock. The faster a company is growing, the more likely it is to be creating value for shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. The 3-year average annual revenue growth rate of Magellan Midstream Partners LP is -0.7%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Oil & Gas industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 1.4%, which ranks in the middle range of the companies in Oil & Gas industry.

Another method of determining the profitability of a company is to compare its return on invested capital to the weighted average cost of capital. Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. When the ROIC is higher than the WACC, it implies the company is creating value for shareholders. For the past 12 months, Magellan Midstream Partners LP's return on invested capital is 10.31, and its cost of capital is 7.20. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Magellan Midstream Partners LP is shown below:

Magellan Midstream Partners LP Stock Shows Every Sign Of Being Fairly Valued

In summary, The stock of Magellan Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:MMP, 30-year Financials) appears to be fairly valued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is strong. Its growth ranks in the middle range of the companies in Oil & Gas industry. To learn more about Magellan Midstream Partners LP stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

To find out the high quality companies that may deliever above average returns, please check out GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


By Joseph Sipalan

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's health ministry on Monday said it may push for a total lockdown of the country's most industrialised state if current coronavirus curbs are unable to rein in a spike in new cases.

The government banned social activities and travel between districts and states two weeks ago, as part of a Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed before the Eid al-Fitr holidays, as it grapples with a surge in COVID-19 infections that experts have said may involve highly contagious variants.

Business activity can still operate, but the government may need to shut that down in the state of Selangor if the situation worsens, Health Minister Adham Baba said.

Selangor is a key contributor to gross domestic product and employment as the country's shipping hub and industrial capital.

It is also where the world's top rubber glove manufacturers such as Top Glove have set up operations.

"If the MCO is unable to contain the spread, then a full MCO would be something that can be considered," Adham told a virtual news conference.

Selangor, the country's richest and most populous state, has reported well over a thousand new COVID-19 cases daily since May 5, making up at least a quarter of the daily cases nationally.

Malaysia has recorded over 470,000 cases with 1,902 deaths as of Sunday, the third highest infection rate in the region behind Indonesia and the Philippines.

Critics have said the government has been slow in rolling out its national vaccination programme.

Its aim is to inoculate 80% of Malaysia's 32 million population by December.

Around 1.19 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to health ministry data.

(Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Martin Petty)
Landmark buildings at Nanyang Technological University. (Yahoo News Singapore file photo)

[UPDATE: This story was edited at 8.30pm on 17 May to include the response from Nanyang Technological University.]

SINGAPORE  A 40-year-old man was charged on Monday (17 May) with lying to a Nanyang Technological University (NTU) researcher that he was unable to attend a session as he had been quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19.

Paul Chan Kin Nang, a Singaporean, was handed a charge under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act for communicating a false message, as he had not tested positive for the virus, according to his charge sheet.

The document did not state Chan's position in the university, however an NTU spokesperson said that Chan was a member of the public who had volunteered to participate in a social science study conducted at the university, and had been due for a research session.

Chan allegedly sent the false message on 6 September last year at about 12.47pm to researcher Lau Zen Juen, by sending an email to the latter. He is said to have stated in the email, "Hi, I am unable to attend the session tomorrow as I am tested positive for Covid19 and is now quarantine in hospital."

According to the her laboratory's website, Lau is "currently working on projects investigating the cognitive neuroscience of deception and is also an avid contributor of several open-source softwares".

Responding to Yahoo News Singapore queries, an NTU spokesperson said that after Chan had sent the message, the university had checked with the authorities to verify his claim due to the need for contact tracing.

"When his claim was found to be false, a police report was made. He is no longer participating in the study," said the spokesperson.

The section of communicating a false message under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act is a new one, added under amendments to the act in January last year. The offence carries a maximum jail term of three years, and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Story continues

Chan will return to court on 14 June for a further mention of his case.

More Singapore news:

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Other Singapore stories:

'Questions' must be answered before any decision on circuit breaker: Ong Ye Kung

New COVID-19 vaccine strategy could see longer wait between doses: Ong Ye Kung

COVID-19 restrictions: No dining-in allowed amid spike in community cases

COVID-19: Social gathering size to be cut to 2 per group, work from home default
China puts forward four-point proposal regarding Palestine-Israel conflict

Xinhua) 09:33, May 17, 2021

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China puts forward a four-point proposal regarding escalating Palestine-Israel conflict, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

Wang made the remarks when chairing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on "The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question" via video link.

Wang said that the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine had resulted in a large number of casualties, including women and children. The situation is extremely critical and severe, and a ceasefire and cessation of violence is urgently needed.

The international community must move forward with urgency to prevent the situation from further deteriorating, to prevent the region from falling again into turmoil, and to protect the lives of local people, Wang said.

He said that the Palestinian question has always been the core of the Middle East issue. Only when the Palestinian question is resolved comprehensively, fairly and permanently, can the Middle East truly achieve lasting peace and universal security.

In response to the current tense situation, Wang put forward a four-point proposition:

First, ceasefire and cessation of violence is the top priority. China strongly condemns violent acts against civilians, and once again urges the two sides to immediately stop military and hostile actions, and stop actions that deteriorate the situation, including airstrikes, ground offensives, and rocket launches. Israel must exercise restraint in particular.

Second, humanitarian assistance is an urgent need. China urges Israel to earnestly fulfill its obligations under international treaties, lift all the blockade and siege of Gaza as soon as possible, guarantee the safety and rights of civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory, and provide access for humanitarian assistance. The international community must provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine, and the UN must play a coordinating role to avoid serious humanitarian disasters.

Third, international support is an obligation. The UNSC must take vigorous action on the Palestine-Israel conflict, reiterate its firm support for a "two-state solution," and push the situation to cool down at an early date.

The UNSC has failed to make a unanimous voice due to the obstruction of one certain country. China calls on the United States to shoulder its due responsibilities, adopt a fair stand, and support the UNSC in playing its due role in easing the situation, rebuilding trust, and political settlement.

China also supports the UN, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other countries that have an important influence on the region to play a more active role.

Fourth, a "two-state solution" is the fundamental way out. China supports the two sides resuming peace talks based on a "two-state solution" as soon as possible, to establish an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967 border, and fundamentally realize the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel, realize the harmonious coexistence of the Arab and Jewish nations, and realize lasting peace in the Middle East.

Wang said that, since China assumed the rotating presidency of the UNSC, it has made responding to the current tensions in the Middle East a top priority and pushed the UNSC to deliberate on the Palestinian question many times.

"China will continue to intensify efforts to promote peace talks, and fulfill its duties as the rotating presidency of the UNSC," said Wang, adding that China reiterates its invitation to peacemakers from Palestine and Israel to hold dialogue in China, and welcomes negotiators from the two countries to hold direct talks in China.

Wang urged unity; siding with peace, justice and fairness; standing by the right side of history; and practicing the real multilateralism, to push for the comprehensive, fair and permanent settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date.

For the part of the attendees, they thanked China for chairing the event, and called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of violence between Israel and Palestine, as well as cooling down of the situation while abiding by relevant UNSC resolutions and international laws.

They also believed the UNSC members and the international community should speak with one voice to fairly promote the Palestine-Israel peace talks and the realization of peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
The state also is looking at ways to identify people who are not vaccinated and do direct outreach to educate them about the benefits of the shots and help them find an appointment. For example, Schrader said, state officials can take a database of people who are part of the Medicaid system and compare that to state immunization data. That will give them a list of people not yet vaccinated who can be contacted.
May 17Manchester's three traditional high schools  Central, West, and Memorial  would be consolidated into one newly constructed building under a plan city officials will discuss this week.

The recommendations, put together by Superintendent of Schools John Goldhardt, also call for expanding Manchester School of Technology by repurposing Memorial High School into a new Manchester Career and Technology School, and renovating most elementary schools over the next decade.

"These recommendations are not intended to be an all-or-nothing plan, nor are they intended to be the final word on the subject," Goldhardt wrote in a memo to school board members. "This is intended to be a starting point."

The Manchester Board of School Committee is scheduled to hear the recommendations during a special remote meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Goldhardt is asking school board members to receive his report and schedule public feedback sessions before ultimately making a decision whether to pursue any of the options.

"There is a lot to absorb in these recommendations, and some will undoubtedly be considered controversial," Goldhardt wrote. "As a community, we've long put off making the difficult decisions on our school facilities, putting short-term savings before the long-term good.

"What we're left with are aging buildings that are costly to operate and are not suitable as a modern educational facility. This hurts not just our students and staff, but our community at large, because our public schools are not the draw that they could be, and should be."

Once community input sessions are held, a summary of suggestions and concerns will be submitted to the school board ahead of any vote.

If the Board of School Committee accepts the recommendations, or accepts the recommendations with alterations, the accepted plan will have budget numbers and be presented to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

If aldermen support paying for the plan, phase 1 would include purchasing property for the new high school by 2023.

Story continues

Goldhardt was asked in January to put together a list of facilities recommendations, after several board members raised concerns with a study prepared by MGT Consulting Group. That study recommended closing four elementary schools and one high school, while merging two other high schools to address declining enrollment and more than $150 million in deferred maintenance and other costs.

The average age of school buildings in the Manchester School District is approximately 70 years old, Goldhardt reports, and "only so much can be done to retrofit older buildings to accommodate technology needs for today's learners."

According to Goldhardt, demographic data shows enrollment trends in the district will decrease at least 12% over the next 10 years, with the number of families with school-age children in Manchester and statewide decreasing.

Goldhardt writes the purpose behind his recommendations includes making Manchester schools places where students are prepared for the future and where "excellence and equity are fully in place in every classroom, every day for every student."

According to Goldhardt, the high school graduation rate in Manchester has steadily decreased and is presently the lowest in the state.

He called the current high school graduation requirement of the minimal 20 credits "not acceptable."

"In fact, after the district lowered the standards for graduation credits, the graduation rate has gone down and not up," reports Goldhardt.

Among Goldhardt's recommendations:

The single high school should be built on a property large enough to accommodate a 3- to 4-four story building, ample parking, football stadium, softball and baseball fields, soccer/lacrosse/field hockey field, practice/physical education field, and possible indoor swimming pool.

The school must also be large enough to accommodate at least 3,500 students. The historical Abe Lincoln statue at Central would be incorporated into the design and be a prominent part of the campus.

The new high school would be headed up by one principal and six assistant principals; each would have the same students for four years:

Repurpose the current Manchester School of Technology building to be a centralized Manchester Pre-School;

Repurpose and restore the Central High Practical Arts Building to be a Manchester School of the Arts with an emphasis in theater, musical theater, technical theater, music, dance, and visual arts;

Repurpose the Central High Classical Building to be used as the district offices, additional learning space for Manchester School of the Arts, and space for Bridge Academy and Manchester Online School;

West High School would no longer be used for school district purposes;

All middle schools would operate as magnet schools, which allow kids to hone in on a specific subject, such as the performing arts or engineering. Parkside and Southside would continue as 5-8 middle schools, while Hillside and McLaughlin middle schools would be remodeled and prepared for the 5-8 grade configuration. Fifth-grade students would start attending Hillside and McLaughlin by September 2022.

pfeely@unionleader.com
WASHINGTON  Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, wrote a letter Monday calling on Congress to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, seeking to jump-start a debate on a bipartisan path to bolstering voting access.

"Protecting Americans access to democracy has not been a partisan issue for the past 56 years, and we must not allow it to become one now," they wrote to the top four congressional leaders.

While the letter didn't name the bill, a Manchin aide said the senators are referring to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which aims to require states with a recent record of discrimination in voting rights to get federal pre-approval before changing their election laws.

The Supreme Court in 2013 gutted the formula established by Congress to determine which states are subject to the rule, calling it outdated. The issue has since languished on Capitol Hill, with Republicans uninterested in re-establishing a "preclearance" requirement, and GOP-led states around the country moving to pass restrictive voting laws.

The Manchin-Murkowski letter is designed to show that there is some bipartisan support for the cause of protecting voting rights.

It comes as Manchin faces progressive criticism for being the lone Democratic holdout on the "For The People Act," a sweeping bill that aims to allow more ballot access and that all states must follow. The Democratic-controlled House approved that bill but it hasn't taken up the bill named for John Lewis.

Manchin has insisted that any attempt to overhaul federal voting laws have support from both parties.

But it's far from clear there would be the minimum 10 Republican senators required to defeat a filibuster of the voting rights reauthorization in the Senate, which is split evenly between the two parties.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was introduced last year by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Murkowski was the only Republican co-sponsor.

Manchin wants to see some changes to the 2020 version of the bill, including by applying its regulations to all 50 states, an aide said. In the letter, he called for advancing it through the regular process, in which amendments are permitted in committee and in the full Senate.

"Inaction is not an option. Congress must come together  just as we have done time and again  to reaffirm our longstanding bipartisan commitment to free, accessible, and secure elections for all," Manchin and Murkowski wrote. "We urge you to join us in calling for the bipartisan reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act through regular order. We can do this. We must do this."
May 11So much for fairytales.

When Medina Spirit won the 147th Kentucky Derby on May 1, it sounded exactly like the kind of feel-good, underdog story that thoroughbred racing so desperately needs to woo back the casual fan for so long lost to the sport.

Yes, his trainer was Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who became the winningest trainer in Derby history when Medina Spirit edged out fellow longshot Mandaloun to give him his record seventh Derby victory.

From that standpoint, calling Medina Spirit's Derby victory a Cinderella story  which Baffert actually did  was kind of like labeling an Alabama football national championship under coach Nick Saban a Cinderella triumph.

But this was also a smallish colt that had originally sold for but $1,000 as a yearling, then resold for all of $37,000 as a two-year-old. In the Sport of Kings he was a pauper, which might be why he went off at 12-1 that day at Churchill Downs despite being ridden by three-time Derby winning jockey John Velazquez and trained by Baffert.

So when the horse won, Baffert talked endlessly about the colt's big heart, how much he'd always fought to hold a lead, how he reminded him of his first Derby winner Silver Charm, which barely missed winning the Triple Crown in 1997.

It all sounded just like the kind of story certain to charm and interest those who'd never previously paid much attention to the sport, along with those soured by its recent troubles  everything from 30 horses dying in a brief span of time at California's Santa Anita track without a consistent explanation, to the doping scandals that have plagued the sport for years, if not decades.

Then came Sunday and news that not only had Medina Spirit tested positive for the anti-inflammatory steroid betamethasone, but that Baffert was banned from Churchill Downs until the issue is resolved.

Last August, Kentucky passed a rule that any detectable amount of betamethasone in race testing is a violation. As a treatment, the drug is legal under the state's racing rules, though it must be cleared 14 days before a horse races. For now, as Baffert appeals the positive test, part of the original sample will be tested again. If it is again positive, Medina Spirit could be disqualified and Mandaloun declared the winner.

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A friend of mine who's been a horse trainer for close to 40 years is no fan of Baffert's. That said, he admitted on Monday that Baffert may be a victim of the horse's body simply retaining a very small amount of the steroid longer than most horses would.

"When you're talking about 21 picograms (the amount that the test showed, which is roughly twice the legal limit on a race day), you're talking about an infinitesimal trace amount of the drug," my friend said. "If it was just a little slower than normal to leave the horse's system, he could easily test positive for that much. That doesn't mean they were trying to do anything wrong. If they'd been trying to get an edge, there should have been much more than that in his system."

The problem for Baffert is at least two-fold, if not more.

For starters, he's had five horses fail drug tests in a little over a year. Second, he's already on record over the past two days as saying the horse has never taken betamethasone, even though that's the same drug that got his fleet filly Gamine disqualified from last September's Kentucky Oaks and earned the trainer a $1,500 fine.

More troublesome is Baffert's overall past, which includes his horses testing positive more than 30 times over the last three decades.

So when he whined to Fox News on Monday morning, "We live in a different world now ... This America is different and it was like a 'cancel culture' kind of thing," it tended to sound more like a non-denial denial than a real denial.

But the most disturbing evidence against Baffert may have taken place in April of 2018, when his eventual Triple Crown-winning horse, Justify, tested positive for scopolamine  a banned substance that veterinarians say can enhance performance, especially in the amount that was found in the horse  following his Santa Anita Derby win, which he needed to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.

Had that positive test been made public, he would have been disqualified from the Kentucky Derby. Instead, the California Horse Racing Board sat on the tests results until after Justify had won the Triple Crown and those who owned him had sold him for $60 million. Then the board declined to discipline him for reasons that remain vague and questionable.

As reported later by the New York Times, the chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, Chuck Winner, owns an interest in horses trained by Baffert. The horse was also partially owned by an equine investment fund with ties to the billionaire investor George Soros.

Anybody smell a cover-up?

As he's tried to spin all of this in his favor the past 48 hours as it pertains to Medina Spirit  who was shipped to Pimlico on Monday without knowing if the horse will be allowed to race in this weekend's Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown  the 68-year-old Baffert has said, "I'm worried about our sport. Our sport, we've taken a lot of hits as a sport. These are pretty serious accusations here."

Serious enough, if proven true, that Baffert should worry about his spot in his sport's Hall of Fame being canceled, and possibly his career in general.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.
The last time Megan Walker was at Mohegan Sun Arena, she helped lead UConn to the 2020 AAC Tournament title, winning the tournaments Most Outstanding Player award in the process.

That was 14 months ago. A lot has happened in those 14 months for Walker.

Shortly after the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walker, then a junior for the Huskies, declared for the WNBA Draft. She was drafted ninth overall by the New York Liberty and played in the WNBA bubble before being traded to the Phoenix Mercury in February. Walker also spent her offseason playing in Hungary for Sopron Basket, where the team made the EuroLeague Final Four and won the Hungarian League title.

Its understandable that after such a whirlwind stretch, which included arriving late to Mercury training camp since Soprons season went late, Walker feels particularly at home this weekend, returning to Connecticut and Mohegan Sun Arena for the first time since she left UConn.

I dont think is weird. Its just a familiar place for me, Walker said prior to the Mercurys game against the Connecticut Sun Sunday night. A lot of things took place over my career here, so its just a constant reminder of how much success I can have. Just being at Mohegan in this gym and looking up and just seeing a familiar place is a great feeling for me.

The Mercury are coming off a 77-75 season-opening win over the Minnesota Lynx in which Diana Taurasi hit the game-winning 3.

Walker, who was an All-American and conference player of the year her junior season at UConn, is one of four former Huskies on the Mercury along with Taurasi, Bria Hartley and Kia Nurse, the latter of whom also joined Walker in Phoenix this offseason from New York. Hartley has yet to suit up this season, still recovering from last seasons ACL tear.

The former Huskies got to see Geno Auriemma briefly at Mohegan Sun Saturday, Taurasi said.

That was fun for him to be able to see all of us, Taurasi said. We kind of each represent a different era of Huskies basketball but it all ties us together. We kind of all share stories about nights at [on-campus bar] Teds, which is probably the most important thing when you become a UConn Husky.

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After dipping her feet into the pro world last summer, where she averaged 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.4 minutes for the 2-20 Liberty, Walker enters the 2021 campaign with renewed confidence after a strong overseas season, particularly on the defensive end after getting regular reps guarding strong EuroLeague players. She averaged 6.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 20.9 minutes in EuroLeague matches and put up even better numbers in Hungarian League play.

My last couple of months have been great, just getting a full overseas experience after the WNBA season in the bubble, Walker said. Playing with [former Husky teammate] Gabby Williams was great for me, having a familiar face overseas. We had a great season. And then it was straight here. I came right from Hungary, straight to Phoenix, did all my COVID protocols, and jumped right in. Im excited Im here.

In the meantime, Walker said shes been working toward finishing her UConn degree by taking online classes. She is nine credits away from doing so, and is typically taking two classes at a time.

In her short time with the Mercury so far, Walker likes what shes seen. Personnel-wise, its a pretty different environment than what she had with New York last season, where the roster was loaded with rookies. In Phoenix, shes getting to learn from some of the best vets in the game in Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

Sandy [Brondello] is a great coach, Walker said. Right away, I felt a connection. I felt a sense of urgency here and its just a different vibe than anywhere else. Just learning from all the vets, you look around you see BG, DT, and Sky, its just a constant reminder of what you can be.

Every single one is great, Walker said. They separate themselves by the little things, so just seeing how they pay attention to detail, seeing how they stretch, how they warm up, how vocal they are, every single one has all those qualities.

Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
(Reuters) - Microsoft conducted a probe into co-founder Bill Gates' involvement with an employee almost 20 years ago after it was told in 2019 that he had tried to start a romantic relationship with the person, the company said on Monday.

Microsoft said it had received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Gates "had sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000," a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement.

"A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern," the statement said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Microsoft's board had decided that Gates' involvement with the female employee was inappropriate and he needed to step down in 2020, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on whether the board had decided Gates should go.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, a spokesman for Gates said his decision to leave the board of Microsoft had nothing to do with his involvement with an employee.

"There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter," the statement said.

"In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

A spokesman for the Gates Foundation told Reuters it stood by the statement to the paper.

The billionaire, who co-founded Microsoft in 1975 and served as its CEO until 2000, said in March 2020 that he was stepping down from the board to focus more on philanthropy.

Gates and his wife Melinda filed for divorce earlier this month after 27 years of marriage.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee; writing by Carmel Crimmins; editing by Nick Tattersall)
Miss Myanmar Thuzar Wint Lwin won the national costume competition at Miss Universe on Sunday. Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe

Miss Myanmar Thuzar Wint Lwin won the national costume contest at Miss Universe on Sunday.

Lwin held up a "Pray for Myanmar" sign, addressing her country's current political crisis.

Myanmar's military overthrew the country's democracy in February, killing hundreds of protesters.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Miss Myanmar Thuzar Wint Lwin won the national costume competition at Miss Universe on Sunday night with a powerful political statement.

Lwin held up a "Pray for Myanmar" sign as she walked the stage, addressing her country's current political crisis.

The pageant queen has made it her mission to shine a spotlight on what is currently happening in Myanmar while she represents her country at Miss Universe, which is being held this year in Hollywood, Florida.

"They are killing our people like animals," she told The New York Times. "Where is the humanity? We are helpless here."

Lwin made a powerful political statement with her costume. Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe

Myanmar's military overthrew the country's democracy in February and detained its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 780 people have since been killed in protests across the region.

Lwin, 22, has joined in the protests and also donated her savings to people whose family members have been killed.

"The soldiers patrol the city every day and sometimes they set up roadblocks to harass the people coming through," she said. "In some cases, they fire without hesitation. We are scared of our own soldiers. Whenever we see one, all we feel is anger and fear."

Lwin does not believe she will be able to safely return to Myanmar after speaking out against the military during the competition. She does not know where she will go next.

The pageant queen has made it her mission to shine a spotlight on what is currently happening in Myanmar. Miss Universr/Benjamin Askinas

The pageant queen has had a whirlwind of a week at Miss Universe. The suitcase that had all of Lwin's outfits - including her original national costume - for the competition was lost by the airline. She had to borrow outfits from some contestants while the organizers helped her secure an evening gown.

People from Myanmar who lived in the US were also able to send Lwin a traditional dress to walk the stage for the national costume contest.

Read the original article on Insider
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial for an undocumented immigrant charged with murdering 20-year-old Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts in 2018.

Fairness issues are expected to be a concern in the trial for Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a Mexican national who had been working as a farmhand in the rural Poweshiek County area for several years when he allegedly stabbed Tibbetts to death while she was out jogging in July, 2018 and hid her body.

Hundreds of law enforcement officials were called in to scour the area over the course of five weeks before Rivera allegedly led investigators to her remains found buried beneath leaves in a cornfield on Aug. 21, 2018. Speaking ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, then-President Trump noted the arrest in the case that had made national news and called for immigration reform.

MOLLIE TIBBETTS' ACCUSED KILLER TO STAND TRIAL SOON IN IOWA

"You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman," Trump said at a rally in Charleston, West Virginia. "Shouldve never happened. Illegally in our country. Weve had a huge impact, but the laws are so bad. The immigration laws are such a disgrace, were getting them changed, but we have to get more Republicans. We have to get em."

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, also promised to bring justice to Tibbetts' killer, citing the "broken immigration system allowed a predator like this to live in our community."

Nearly three years later, the now 26-year-old Rivera will participate in the trial through a Spanish-speaking interpreter as he faces a jury in a state that Trump carried in the 2020 election. Jury selection will begin at 10 a.m. at an events center in Davenport, Iowa, where lawyers for both sides will work to whittle a 175-person jury pool to 12 jurors and three alternates. The trial is scheduled to last two weeks. Jury selection is expected to take two days.

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The trial, which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, has been moved to Scott County  about 100 miles east of Brooklyn  after defense lawyers noted local residents had "very strong opinions" about Rivera's guilt and his Mexican nationality and were nearly all White. Scott County's population is diverse by Iowa standards, but still roughly 80% White and 7% Hispanic or Latino.

Tibbetts went for her routine run in July 2018 through Brooklyn, population 1,700, where she ran cross country and excelled in speech during high school. She never made it back to the home where she was dog-sitting for her boyfriend and his brother, who were out of town. Her boyfriend, Dalton Jack, told investigators he last heard from Tibbetts around 10 p.m. on July 18, 2018. Co-workers called Jack the next morning when Tibbetts never showed up for her shift at a daycare in Grinnell, Iowa, KCCI reported.

Detectives zeroed in on Rivera a month later, after obtaining surveillance video showing a dark Chevy Malibu appearing to circle Tibbetts as she ran, and a deputy later spotted him in town driving that vehicle. A group of investigators that included U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents showed up at the dairy farm where Rivera worked to interview him and search his vehicles.

Rivera cooperated, initially denying involvement in Tibbetts' disappearance. Federal agents put an immigration detainer on him during a lengthy interrogation. Hours later, investigators said he confessed to approaching Tibbetts as she ran, killing her in a panic after she threatened to call police.

An autopsy found that she died of sharp force injuries after she was stabbed to death, although investigators have not recovered a murder weapon. They said that DNA testing on blood found in the trunk of the vehicle showed it was a match for Tibbetts.

The case has also deepened anxieties about random violence against women, since Tibbetts was brutally attacked while going for a run.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Backlash from national coverage of the case ensued. A prominent Republican fundraiser and campaign contractor for GOP politicians began receiving death threats after it became known she was also the partial owner of the farmland where Rivera was employed under an alias and lived rent-free.

Robocalls allegedly linked to a White supremacist group blanketed Iowa calling for mass deportation. Tibbetts father, Rob Tibbetts, later wrote an opinion piece published online by The Des Moines Register arguing that while he supports debate on immigration, some politicians and pundits went too far in using his daughters death as a "pawn" to promote political agendas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Taiwan United Nations Alliance Chairman Michael Tsai during a conference in May 2020 about Taiwan's efforts to get into the World Health Assembly organized by the World Health Organization. Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The Chinese Communist Party appears to exert some level of authority over the World Health Organization.

Since 2016, Taiwan has been excluded from the World Health Assembly, which sets policy for the WHO.

The WHO should invite Taiwan to this year's assembly, especially since the country handled the pandemic well.

Jason Reed is a policy analyst and political commentator.

This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Starting May 24 in Geneva, Switzerland, representatives from the World Health Organization's (WHO) 194 member states will meet for the 74th World Health Assembly (WHA). The annual WHA gatherings grant those countries their chance to have a say in the WHO's policy direction, how its budget is spent, and who its next leaders will be. In the midst of a global health crisis, these decisions are even more important.

But since 2016, one nation has been conspicuously absent from these critical proceedings. Taiwan was invited to the WHA as an 'observer' in 2008, but after a period of intense lobbying from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Taiwan's observer status was rescinded eight years later.

Last year, a group of countries skeptical of the undue influence wielded by Beijing banded together to call for change. They formed a US-led coalition to call for Taiwan's reinstatement to the WHA. Yet their complaints amounted to nothing after they agreed that it was best to set aside such an inconvenient, divisive issue and focus instead on the more urgent matter of coordinating efforts to prevent deaths from coronavirus.

Despite their efforts, since the 73rd WHA concluded on May 19, 2020, COVID-19 has infected a further 153 million people and claimed almost three million more lives.

Besides its apparent pandemic failures, the WHO has consistently come under intense scrutiny in the past year for its links to the dictatorial, genocidal Chinese government. Questions will be asked for years to come about the decisions made in the first weeks and months of the pandemic and how many lives might have been saved if the WHO had acted more quickly or decisively, especially when doing so might have been against Beijing's wishes.

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If the WHO wants to begin to scrape back its legitimacy and convince the world it isn't beholden to China, it should begin by inviting Taiwan to the WHA.

The WHO's discrimination against Taiwan is not a new problem

In the context of the WHO's close relationship with the CCP, its exclusion of Taiwan, otherwise known as the Republic of China, is hardly surprising. Much like in Hong Kong, the CCP has a habit of laying claim to nearby dissident populations, attempting to bring them under its control and declare them part of Chinese territory.

In reality, Taiwan has a strong claim that it ought to be considered free from President Xi's government. You might even argue that Taipei is in fact home to the only legitimate Chinese government. In December 1949, following a brutal civil war in China in which millions died, the government of the Republic of China fled to the island of Taiwan. With Joseph Stalin's support, Mao Zedong's Communist Party formed the People's Republic of China while the original Republic of China stayed in Taiwan, where it remains to this day.

It took several decades, but with the gradual acquiescence of international governance bodies like the United Nations and the WHO, the CCP has won near-total recognition from other countries, even in the wake of appalling atrocities like sweeping authoritarianism in Hong Kong and the ongoing Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang.

The result is that Taiwan and its 24 million inhabitants go without representation in important international matters like the World Health Assembly. In addition to everything else, Taiwan would probably have a great deal of useful insight to contribute to that summit if it were allowed to participate. As of April 2021, it had suffered a grand total of just 12 coronavirus-related deaths.

China's immense influence

Much like last year, a few countries have once again coalesced to call for Taiwan's readmission to the WHA, seemingly to Beijing's fury. But even when the WHO and its members have been making all the right noises in public in the past, as soon as standing up to China becomes too costly or inconvenient, the rights of smaller countries like Taiwan have been quickly forgotten. This year must be different.

But given the WHO's history on this issue, it may continue on the path of least resistance and keep its paymasters and political betters in Beijing happy, daring them to do more and go further to test the limits of the level of evil the rest of the world is willing to turn a blind eye to. After all, if a genocide isn't enough to trigger a reckoning in how we treat China, perhaps nothing is.

On the off chance that the WHO was, in fact, troubled by the now widespread perception that it is in thrall to the whims of the CCP, a good first step towards winning back the trust of its member states (and preventing repeats of Donald Trump's withdrawal of funding last year) would be the recognition of Taiwan as more than just a part of China, which is clearly borne out in reality.

Read the original article on Business Insider
May 17LIMA  When the Ford Motor Company rolled out the Mustang in 1964, it introduced people to an affordable two-door sports car that anyone could buy.

The Mustang has endured throughout the years, and car enthusiasts share a love for the pony car.

On Sundays between May and October, you might find a wide variety of Mustangs and their owners hanging out in the Clock Tower Plaza parking lot, right behind McDonald's on North Cable Road.

The Mustang Maniacs of Northwest Ohio Car Club hosts "The Gathering of the Mustangs" every Sunday, beginning at 6 p.m.

John Flanagan has a red 2008 Mustang GT that he brought out Sunday. Flanagan says he loves the look of this era of Mustangs.

"My wife passed away 10 years ago, and I was always a car guy," Flanagan said. "So when she passed away, I thought, 'Well, I need to get me another car.' So I went out looking, and old cars were just extremely expensive to try to fix them up.

"So I found these retro cars, the Mustangs, and I really liked the body shapes, and you can change them in so many different ways and customize them. And so I bought two of them, I got an '05 and an '08 plus I got an '88 Fox."

Flanagan appreciates meeting with other like-minded people at these Sunday get-togethers.

"They're a good group of guys. We're all basically car guys, and we all like Mustangs," Flanagan said.

The Mustang made its debut on April 17, 1964, with a list price of $2,368.

More than 303,000 Mustangs were built that first year. Through 1966, Ford sold more than 1.4 million Mustangs.

Clinton Sybert showed up Sunday with his red 1967 Mustang Fastback. He bought it in 1976 for $350.

"It was torn apart. The guy was going to race it, and he had the fenders off and everything, and I put it back together," Sybert said.

It's powered by a 390 cubic inch engine, and he recently changed the transmission to a five-speed.

He says he enjoys coming out to these events.

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"I enjoy just driving up here to visit a little bit and look at the cars," Sybert said.

Sybert was asked if he thought he would have held on to his Mustang for so long.

"I have people ask me that  why I still got it. But it does just about anything that I want it to do so I still got it, I guess," Sybert said.

Reach Sam Shriver at 567-242-0409.
They were looking for an innovative way to reach more students, he said. We know by having access to a community of support like ours  students feel less isolated, they feel better to cope with their day-to-day situation, they feel better to cope with the stressors dealing with COVID, and overall the students well-being is improved by knowing theyre not going through this alone.
Flames shoot up from the Palisades wildfire near homes above Topanga Canyon Boulevard on Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

The temperatures were cool, the skies overcast with some drizzle.

But that didn't stop the Palisades fire from continuing to threaten communities in Topanga Canyon on Sunday.

This is fire country. And residents know the dangers. But for many, they consider the summer and fall the dangerous times  when Santa Ana winds combine with hot temperatures.

But this weekend was classic May gray.

If you look out any window or if you step outside, all you see is just billowing smoke everywhere, said Jessica Rogers, president of the Pacific Palisades Residents Assn. As she spoke with a reporter, she received a notice that a portion of the Palisades Highlands was being placed under an evacuation warning due to shifting winds.

RELATED: Palisades fire: What you need to know

My daughter said, Mommy Im very scared, Rogers said, adding that the noise of the helicopters was unnerving. A couple of hours later, her children and their father evacuated, opting to stay with family in Santa Monica, she said.

The Palisades fire had grown to 1,325 acres and was 0% contained. With an evacuation order in place for homes near Topanga Canyon Road, about 1,000 people had been displaced, authorities said Sunday.

The fire was burning through dense, old-growth chaparral that hadn't burned in more than 50 years, authorities said. The vegetation was very dry due to a lack of recent rainfall, as well as longer-term drought.

The cool weather and damp conditions were helping firefighters, but it was still a tough fight.

This is not normal, to have a big fire like this in May, said Scott Ferguson, board chair of the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness. This is the type of thing wed usually be doing in November.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
When he was a kid growing up in Venezuela, Gabriele Campana spent many weekends with his family in the coastal town of Morrocoy. Thats where Campanas father, who was an inventor, had built an off-grid, wooden home on stilts complete with plumbing.

Now, Campana is carrying on his fathers legacy with NU-Habitat, a maker of prefabricated homes that gives buyers almost everything they need to assemble their own one or two-bedroom house (land not included). The concept earned an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Miami Herald Startup Pitch Competition.

The kits, which are expected to be priced at $120,000 for a 1,000-square-foot unit and $170,000 for a two-story, 2,000-square-foot unit, include everything conceivable, from precut galvanized steel structures to use as the spine of the house to bathroom and kitchen tiles and floors.

What we have done is to simplify construction, said Campana, 60, the CEO of NU-Habitat, who has 35 years of experience sourcing and selling home-building materials to big-box dealers such as Home Depot and multinationals such as the Kohler bath and kitchen arm of Sterling. We have digested all of the suffering that goes into construction for you. You only need a battery-operated screwdriver to put the framework again.

Like the Sears kit homes of yore, the companys initial products will be sold as additional dwelling units  small houses that can be added to the garage or roof of your current home. A prototype is scheduled to be unveiled in February 2022 as an addition to an existing home in South Miami.

Even though assembling an IKEA cabinet presents a daunting challenge for most people, Campana said that his companys products  which were designed with input from Florida International University and the University of Miami, and are fully compliant with Miami-Dades strict building codes  can be completed in 90 days and save the user at least 50% in construction costs.

You will need a subcontractor for things such as electrical wiring and plumbing, he said. But these units could make a big dent in the affordable and workforce housing segments, and theyve already proven to be effective. In Los Angeles alone, 10,000 of this type of dwelling were built last year.
Ontario is lowering the vaccine eligibility age to 18 or older on Tuesday but questions are still outstanding about what will happen to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses in the province.

At a press conference on Monday Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, stressed that it is very rare that someone who did not have an adverse reaction to their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine would have one after their second shot. But he indicated that some may prefer to have the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine as their second dose.

"Right now we dont know the actual vaccine effectiveness level or the immunological level of the two mixed," Dr. Williams said. "Were hoping to have an answer to that soon with some studies early in June."

Ontario's chief medical officer of health added that individuals get a "prime effect" from the vaccine when the doses are administered 12 weeks apart, so the province is trying to get individuals who received their first AstraZeneca shot to get their second dose 12 weeks later, or beyond.

"At the same time, Im not willing to wait and give expired vaccine at all, under any means, to anyone in Ontario. That would be totally wrong," Dr. Williams said.

He added that if the timeline between the two doses is too short the overall immune response "may be less than maximum," recognizing that some individual may be alright with that risk and would want their second dose sooner.

Another factor Dr. Williams said is being considered is where these doses are located and if they can be administered without moving them around too much.

Could more outdoor activities be coming?

As the weather gets warmer, Dr. Williams said that as Ontario continues to administer COVID-19 vaccines, hopefully outdoor restrictions can be loosened "fairly soon," getting "more optimistic" about outdoor activities.

"Its a matter of can some of them be done and still maintain the adequate public health measures to avoid congregate or close activity," he said. "I think some of them have a could do that."

Dr. Williams added that there are specific concerns around individual actions before and after activities like golf, rather than the actual sport itself.
Former BBC producer Peter Croasdale, 58, was convicted of assault by penetration of a girl under 13 at Leeds Crown Court in 2009. (Reach)

A convicted paedophile living a "double life" under a new identity was asked by a teacher to film a Christmas play at a girls school.

Former BBC producer Peter Croasdale, 58, was jailed for 4.5 years at Leeds Crown Court in 2009 for assault by penetration of a girl under 13.

But since his release, he had begun to live under the name of 'Peter Allen' with a new partner in Monmouth, Wales.

Croasdale agreed to help an unsuspecting teacher, who knew him from the Monmouth Male Voice Choir and was unaware of his prior convictions, to film a Christmas play at Haberdashers' Monmouth School.

Read: More than 2,300 cases of India COVID variant detected in UK as outbreak almost doubles in four days

But before the filming took place, he was arrested for breach of a sexual harm prevention order over failing to tell police he had moved from his address in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

He was then given a suspended sentence of 18 months at Cardiff Crown Court in March.

However, the fact he was living under a false identity came to light by coincidence after an acquaintance of the teacher recognised the defendant's name from working at the BBC with him.

Croasdale was back in court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, possession of indecent images of children, and possession of extreme pornographic images.

Police discovered the indecent images of children and extreme pornographic material on computers seized during his January arrest, it was revealed.

Found on the seized devices were 15 category A images, 28 category B images and 63 category C images of children between eight and 12 years old, the court heard.

Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls (Media Wales)

Regarding the fraud offence, prosecutor Claire Pickthall said: "This defendant offered to film a Christmas performance for a girls school and agreed to do so for a fee of 450, but no money exchanged hands.

"The defendant presented himself as Peter Allen, the name he had been using, and did not disclose to anyone involved he was a convicted sex offender.

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"A teacher knew the defendant and described him as being taken in by him as a genuine, talented man and had no idea of his true past.

He was recommended to the school as someone who could record the Christmas concert for parents of the school."

Defence barrister Tom Roberts said the proceedings had a "catastrophic impact" on his client's life resulting in the end of his new relationship.

He said the defendant believed he was "living a rehabilitated life", had been approached by someone to film the concert and he "should have said no".

Read more: Worlds oldest cave paintings are being destroyed by climate change Entire town gets post 13 years late after it's found at dead Royal Mail worker's home

Roberts said Croasdale had been given "false hope" having been given a suspended sentence in March and was hoping to rebuild his life until these contemporary offences came to light.

Sentencing, judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke asked for the Crown Prosecution Service to provide an explanation as to why the offences had not been brought to the attention of the court and advocates at the defendant's first sentencing in March.

She said: "The judge was not aware of these outstanding matters, if he had I have no doubt you would have been sentenced to a custodial sentence. I am satisfied the charges are so serious only an immediate custodial sentence will be appropriate.

"You simply do not face up to the risk you pose."

Croasdale, of Woodgate Street, Bolton, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, with a further two years on licence as part of an extended sentence.

He will serve two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole.

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Parler, the social media platform popular with conservatives before being banned over its association with the January 6 US Capitol violence, made a return to Apple's online marketplace on Monday.

The move comes a month after the iPhone maker said it would allow the application with updates aimed at curbing incitements to violence.

Parler said in a statement that it provided "incontrovertible evidence to Congress and the public that... (its) scapegoating and deplatforming was profoundly unjust."

The company claimed to have more than 20 million users before being pulled from the Apple and Google online marketplaces and effectively shut down when Amazon Web Services cut ties over allegations the platform failed to stop incitement of violence by Donald Trump's supporters ahead of the January 6 siege of the US Capitol.

Separately, Parler announced that it was promoting George Farmer to chief executive from chief operating officer, as part of a shakeup of its leadership.

"Parler began as a small, start-up company that differed from its Big Tech competitors in its commitment to the free market of ideas in the full spirit of the First Amendment," Farmer said.

"For the past two months I have worked with an incredible team of people, under the leadership of (interim CEO) Mark Meckler, to bring Parler back online and return to Apple's App Store after we had been unfairly maligned by the media and its allies in Big Tech and Congress."

According to the Washington Post, the version of Parler on Apple devices will be moderated with artificial intelligence to filter out hateful content, but that these comments could still be viewed on the web or other devices.

Parler, which calls itself "the free speech social network," did not confirm the report by the Post, which said that posts labeled as hate speech or with racial slurs could be viewed by clicking though on non-Apple devices.

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A version of social network Parler updated to curb incitements to violence has been cleared to return to Apple's App Store. A team at Apple devoted to reviewing whether apps submitted to its App Store conform to its policies has approved a modified version of Parler, which had become popular with conservatives before it was booted off online marketplaces.

Parler, the social media app removed from iPhones and Android devices in the wake of the attack Jan. 6 on the Capitol, is back on Apple's App Store.

In a statement Monday, Parler announced its app has relaunched on Apple devices after "months of productive dialogue" with the tech giant.

A separate search of Apple's App Store conducted by USA TODAY confirmed the Parler app is available to download.

As part of the deal to return to the App Store, Parler's iOS app will exclude some content normally allowed on the social media company's platform. The content will remain visible through Android and web-based versions of the site.

In its statement, Parler said it "plans to continue its discussions with Apple as to the optimal way to handle this content."

"Parler has and will always be a place where people can engage in the free exchange of ideas in the full spirit of the First Amendment," Parler interim CEO Mark Meckler said in a statement. "The entire Parler team has worked hard to address Apple's concerns without compromising our core mission."

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Parler said it added algorithms that will automatically detect violent or inciting content.

Parler was yanked from the App Store and Google Play, for Android users, in January, days after the attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump upset by his election loss. Amazon then shut down Parler's web hosting service.

"We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity," Apple said in a statement in January.

Last month, Apple confirmed in a letter sent to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., the app had been reinstated after Parler pledged to make significant changes to how it moderates content.

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Parler is available on Android but not distributed by Google Play. The Android app is also available on Parlers website.

Contributing: Jessica Guynn

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Parler returns to iPhones, Apple's App Store after removal in January
British holidaymakers returned to the sun-soaked beaches of Portugal on Monday, as the country seeks to revive its battered tourism industry after lifting travel restrictions that had been imposed to curb Covid-19.

Britons are the biggest contingent of tourists in Portugal, a country whose economy relies heavily on foreign visitors.

Portugal imposed a strict two-month lockdown earlier this year to control a new wave of coronavirus infections. It lifted restrictions on visitors from Britain and most European Union countries from Monday.

Bea Wilkinson, a waitress from the northern English city of Manchester, spoke of her delight to have arrived on the first flight to Faro, on Portugal's southern Algarve coast.

"I've been at home for five months. The restrictions were really hard, and there's the constant rain," said Wilkinson, as she sat at a cafe in the village of Alvor.

"With the pictures I posted, everybody at home will be coming here," Wilkinson joked as a radiant sun shone and temperatures hit 30 degrees Celsius.

Barry Thompson, a 63-year-old retired policeman from Manchester who landed in Faro with his wife and 11-year-old son, recalled good times in the region before the pandemic.

"It's nice to get away and be back here," Thompson said, 11 years after his first visit to the Algarve. "We're very excited."

Some 30 flights from the UK were expected in Portugal on Monday, including 17 taking around 5,500 passengers to Faro.

- 'Over the moon' -

"We were desperate to come back. It's fantastic," said Diane Healy, who owns a property in Lagos, a coastal town west of Faro.

"I'm over the moon. It's wonderful to be back."

The lifting of restrictions came after London placed Portugal on its "green list" of countries to visit without having to self-isolate on returning home.

Thousands of English football fans are also expected later this month for the May 29 Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea in Porto.

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Britons can now visit Portugal as long as they show a negative PCR test result for Covid-19 at most 72 hours before boarding the plane.

Portugal and Britain currently have two of the lowest virus rates in Europe.

"Today is a special day because we are restarting the engine of our economy," the head of tourism for the region, Joao Fernandes, told AFP.

But near Albufeira, which is popular among many young Britons for its beaches and night life, Jorge Brito was more cautious.

"There is a little hope, but I'm really afraid that everything will stop again," said Brito, who owns a restaurant on Oura beach, along with an ice cream shop and a grocery store.

On the seafront, only about 20 people could be seen taking advantage of the balmy weather and the turquoise sea.

Tourism plunged in Portugal last year.

The country saw 16.4 million tourists in 2019 before the pandemic struck, and only a quarter of that in 2020.

The Algarve region, home to 500,000 people, greeted some 3.6 million foreign tourists in 2019 alone, a third of them from Britain.

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At least two town residents have publicly declared their write-in candidacies. Chris Cuneo did so in a letter to the editor that was published in the Times and Lorraine Thomas reached out to VOCAL Carroll County, a grassroots group advocating for ethical and just principles, policies, and officials in local government. But voters are free to write in any person of their choosing or no one.
Deadly anti-government protests are intensifying in Colombia as they enter a third week. CBSN's Tanya Rivero spoke with Reuters' Colombia correspondent Oliver Griffin about demonstrators' demands and how government leaders are responding.

Video Transcript

TANYA RIVERO: Deadly anti-government and pro-human-rights protests across Colombia are intensifying. Several demonstrators have been killed and thousands more injured during clashes with police. Protests began more than two weeks ago. While the number of deaths is disputed, activist groups say at least 41 people have died. The government claims that number is much lower.

Regardless of those figures, Colombia's National Police director pledged to punish any member of the National Police force who is responsible for any violence or abuse against protesters. Joining us now to talk about what's happening in Colombia is Reuters Colombia Correspondent Oliver Griffin.

Hi, Oliver. Thanks for joining us. So, can you bring us up to date on the sorts of abuses police are being accused of? And have there already been charges brought against any officers since the announcement that violence and abuse will not be tolerated?

OLIVER GRIFFIN: Hi. So, police here stand accused of killing a number of civilians during protests and committing certain human rights violations during the course of the protests that we've seen, which started on April 28. The attorney general's office has so far confirmed 14. As you mentioned, those numbers are sort of-- that's 14 deaths-- those numbers are disputed.

Local rights groups say that's much higher, as do international rights groups. The Human Rights Watch said it has received credible reports of 49 deaths during the course of these protests-- of which one is a police officer-- and it has sort of confirmed 16. So far, the police say they have launched 122 disciplinary proceedings against police officers since the protests began, and three have been charged on murder charges tied to civilian deaths.

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TANYA RIVERO: These protests were apparently sparked by pandemic-related tax reform, correct? But have since morphed into something else. Can you explain the demands and grievances that are coming into play here?

OLIVER GRIFFIN: Yeah, so, it did definitely start in response to a proposed tax reform, which had a number of very, very unpopular items in it. You know, poverty increased quite dramatically over the course of the pandemic and the lockdowns that we saw last year. But talking to people in the streets as they marched since that sort of reform was withdrawn and the former finance minister resigned, what you get a sense of now is just a huge sort of theme of wider frustrations.

There's frustrations with police brutality, with a lack of opportunity, a lack of employment, problems with education, general corruption, killing of social leaders and community leaders across parts of the country. And it seems that talking to people, there's just a very deep level of frustration in response to all sorts of grievances that have been building slowly over the course of years. We saw protests in 2019, and we saw them again in 2020. And they start from different things. But then they always come back to these themes of-- that we've just discussed.

TANYA RIVERO: So, how have government leaders been responding to the ongoing protests? And what kind of economic impact are these protests having on both the national and local levels?

OLIVER GRIFFIN: So, the government has once again promised a dialogue, which is something we saw after previous protests. You know, civil society groups are particularly skeptical of what those might achieve, given-- following previous protests. Maybe not a lot has really happened.

On an economic level, the new finance minister had sort of warned that the roadblocks and what the government says are acts of vandalism have cost the economy maybe $1.6 billion since the protests began. And the agriculture minister has reported more around 700,000 tons of food have been halted due to these kind of blockages that we've seen in parts across the country.

You know, Colombia's economy shrank 6.8% in 2020 following the five-month lockdown that started at the end of March, and that sort of effect that we saw there. And although it kind of rebounded, grew 1.1% in the first quarter of this year, we've seen analysts warning that if the protests continue for much longer, they could eventually have an impact on the wider economy and the economic recovery that they're hoping for this year.

TANYA RIVERO: Right. Definitely economic pressures at play there. Well, Oliver Griffin in Bogota, Colombia, thank you so much for joining us.

OLIVER GRIFFIN: Thank you.
(Bloomberg) -- A proposal to tax Chilean copper sales at rates of as high as 75% is reverberating all the way to Peru, where the leading presidential candidate wants to impose a similar measure.

Pedro Castillo, who has vowed to nationalize a major gas field and capture more mineral profits to fund social spending, just added a tax on copper sales to his platform in a document he shared on Twitter late Sunday.

The left-wing candidate, who retains a slim lead over his rival ahead of a runoff election, joins a list of politicians from copper-mining nations looking to gain a bigger share of record-high prices to fight poverty. In top producer Chile, the lower house of congress earlier this month passed a system of progressive taxes on copper sales in what could become one of the heaviest levies in global mining.

Let us note that the Chilean Chamber of Deputies has already approved a new royalty whose rate reaches 75% if it exceeds $4 a pound, as is the case today, Castillos Free Peru party said in the document.

Among proposed measures are a new tax on profits, royalties based on sales as do neighboring countries such as Chile and Colombia and the renegotiation of tax stability contracts with large companies, according to the document.

Just like Chile did last year, Castillo is proposing a referendum to determine if Peruvians want a new constitution. Hes also proposing a national gas pipeline network, reducing food imports and setting aside land for small farms. On the Covid front, the candidate said his government would vaccinate all Peruvians older than 18 and ensure the country has access to 60 million shots.

Investment Risk

In Chile, the mining industry and the government say the copper sales royalty -- which would come on top of corporate taxes and a separate tax on mining earnings -- would erode Chiles competitiveness and stall investments.

Peru, host to companies including Freeport-McMoRan Inc. and BHP Group, is the largest producer of copper after Chile and a major zinc, silver and gold supplier.

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While mining companies in Peru wont be cheering additional taxes, that prospect would be preferable to the government expropriating assets, which was the initial fear when Castillo defied polls to win the first round vote. In addition, hes likely to face stiff opposition from a divided legislature.

The tax proposals are rather less radical than his first-round rhetoric, said Eileen Gavin, global markets and Americas principal analyst at Verisk Maplecroft. Our view is that the local private sector in Peru, including the mining industry, should not panic. But should he be elected, big mining should be prepared to come to the table.

(Adds other elements of Castillos proposal)

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A smaller group of L.A. Phil musicians distance themselves under the glow of the Hollywood Bowl shell during the reopening concert Saturday. (Dustin Downing/L.A. Phil)

Unpracticed in saying goodbye, the Los Angeles Philharmonic went silent uneasily 14 months ago. The COVID-19 pandemic hit a uniquely imaginative, welcoming and wealthy orchestra especially hard. Cancellations initially thought to be brief became unthinkably lengthy. Coming back with customary innovation added to the challenge.

But after a season of short, experimental streamed concerts by Gustavo Dudamel and a masked and distanced orchestra in an otherwise empty Hollywood Bowl  awkward in the first round, engaging in the second  the L.A. Phil finally employed its traditional skill set Saturday night, saying hello in a special concert for the pandemics first responders.

Welcome back resonated throughout the Bowl, from parking attendants to ticket takers, food servers to ushers. Those were also Dudamels first words when he took the stage. For us, its like a resurrection, he told his audience. Thanking health workers again and again, he added, Health is everything.

Did it feel good to be back in the Bowl? Of course, what with live musicians, a live audience and all that. It felt fabulous to be in the company of some 4,000 first responders and guests. Resurrection is not too strong a word.

But, as Im sure every one of the healthcare workers could have told us, first comes recovery, one step at a time. Saturday was a first step.

It was the Bowl, but not yet the full Bowl. It was the L.A. Phil, not yet the full L.A. Phil. Los Angeles County is not rushing to loosen mask and distancing restrictions before were ready. Unlike some orchestral concerts elsewhere, players continue to maintain distance. For obvious reasons, winds and brass are kept farther away. Those who can be masked are.

Gustavo Dudamel conducts the L.A. Phil through the reopening concert Saturday for a scattered audience in the Bowl's boxes. (Dustin Downing/L.A. Phil)

The Bowl itself looked like a piece of Swiss cheese, full of empty spaces in the audience. We were mostly seated farther than 6 feet apart. The evening did not begin with the customary national anthem. Were not there yet when it comes to crowd singing.

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Nor is the orchestra yet ready to don summer white jackets; the players instead stuck to their more formal concert hall black dress, adding to a more sober atmosphere than normal at the Bowl. But a delightful surprise appearance by Billie Eilish, welcoming the audience, did liven up the mood.

The program was laced with meaning. Jessie Montgomerys 2012 Starburst served as a new Star-Spangled Banner. A lively, lyrical, three-minute soundscape of stars marvelously making a galaxy stood in nicely for our own communal hopes. Montgomery, moreover, was one of the featured composers in the L.A. Phils Power to the People! festival, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 shutdown last year.

Singer Billie Eilish introduces Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Phil for the reopening concert. (Dustin Downing/L.A. Phil)

Dudamel used Samuel Barbers Adagio for Strings as a tribute, he said, to all the beautiful souls lost in the pandemic. As he was about to begin, a helicopter slowly crossed the Bowl. Dudamel stood motionless at the podium, waiting for it to exit, as though it were ferrying those souls to other worlds. The sight of empty seats and empty spaces onstage became wrenching, all the more so as I took in the scene through mask-induced fogged glasses on a cold night. Dudamel conducted without a baton, with his hands spread widely open, holding on as long as possible to a bodily vibrating string sound.

No, this was not a normal Bowl concert. It should be no surprise that the main work, Beethovens Symphony No. 3, was a normal Eroica, its purpose here to signify, Dudamel announced, the heroism of all of you."

Nine years ago, Dudamel recorded the work with his oversize Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra. Its probably the most robust Eroica on record, arresting in its magnificence, startling in the massive unity of so many players, cinematic in its depiction of the heroic by a then-31-year-old conductor leading his army of young musicians overcoming all obstacles.

Saturdays Eroica couldnt have been more different. The reduced L.A. Phil was maybe a quarter the size of those Bolivars. Orchestra players seated apart have said that their concentration can become newly focused, so hard must they listen. But the reality is that lockstep coordination is inevitably compromised. The other reality is that the overall sound of the symphony will be thinner. No matter how often chamber orchestras program it and illuminate its revolutionary details, "Eroica" wants a big sound.

The Bowls admirable amplification helped to create a unified soundstage, but the larger sensation was more of striving than achievement. The second movement, one of the most monumental funeral marches in all music, had a full degree of emotion, but it was muted emotion, reminding us of the hundreds of thousands mourned this last year without proper funerals.

The Scherzo was like a reset. Nothing could be harder than trying to maintain its rhythmic intricacies at the exciting tempos Dudamel excels at. We could watch him on the video screen carefully beating out the measures, slower than he would surely have otherwise. The L.A. Phil pulled it off, but not effortlessly, as it always has.

The outer movements are a psychologically complex picture of heroism. Entranced by the French Revolution, Beethoven had thought of moving from Vienna to Paris around the time of the Eroica premiere in 1804. Though initially inspired by Napoleon, a disillusioned Beethoven famously scratched out his dedication of the Eroica to the emperor.

Dudamel conducts the L.A. Phil for the somber first show in the COVID-19 era. (Dustin Downing/L.A. Phil)

But this Eroica  in its shockingly-for-the-time dramatic first movement and lively set of variations growing in triumph at the end  had a sense of striving that became ineffably stirring. Read into it what you will, but perhaps this also signifies Dudamels own nuanced attitude toward his upcoming musical move to Paris, where he will soon share an operatic music directorship with his symphonic one in L.A.

However stirring, this was an unsettling Eroica of unfinished business that Dudamel clearly did not want to be a celebratory evening's final word. His encore was an authentically effortless waltz from Leonard Bernsteins Divertimento. Leaving the Bowl was also new. No rushing, just a distanced waltzing.

We kid ourselves if we think we have returned to normalcy. If the L.A. Phil has any power in this crazy world, we could be in two months, when the orchestra opens its summer Bowl season for real. In the meantime, you can hear Saturday's concert in a repeat broadcast Monday on KUSC-FM (91.5). Keep a hanky handy.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday warned Western countries against staking claims in the Arctic, as global warming makes the region more accessible and a site of global competition.

Lavrov's comments came ahead of a ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council that comprises Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland on Wednesday and Thursday in Reykjavik.

"It has been absolutely clear for everyone for a long time that this is our territory, this is our land," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow.

"We are responsible for ensuring our Arctic coast is safe," he said.

As climate change makes the Arctic more accessible, global interest in the region's natural resources, its navigation routes and its strategic position has grown among members of the Arctic Council as well as China.

In a speech last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Russia "is exploiting this change to try to exert control over new space," including through modernising bases, and also pointed to a growing presence of China.

On Monday, he welcomed Denmark's plans to boost its military presence in Greenland and the North Atlantic with $245 million worth of investments into surveillance drones and a radar station on the Faroe Islands.

President Vladimir Putin in recent years has made Russia's Arctic region a strategic priority and ordered investment in military infrastructure and mineral extraction, exacerbating tensions with Arctic Council members.

The United States, for its part, has pushed back against what it considers Russian and Chinese "aggressivity" in the region.

In 2018, the US Navy deployed an aircraft carrier in the Norwegian Sea for the first time since the 1980s.

And in February, Washington sent strategic bombers to train in Norway as part of Western efforts to bolster its military presence in the region.

Lavrov on Monday said he was emphasising "once again -- this is our land and our waters".

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- Growing military presence -

"When NATO tries to justify its advance into the Arctic, this is probably a slightly different situation and here we have questions for our neighbours like Norway who are trying to justify the need for NATO to come into the Arctic," he said.

The Russian foreign minister said "we will talk about this frankly" at the eight-country ministerial meeting, and suggested resuming a regular dialogue between military chiefs of member countries.

"It would be perfectly logical to re-establish these relations between military officials who understand each other better than politicians," said Russian political analyst Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of the journal Russia in Global Affairs.

"Even if this measure would confirm a return to the Cold War, it would still be a step forward in this situation," he told AFP.

The Council is expected to issue a final communique and a common strategic plan for the next decade at the end of the meeting.

As ice cover in the Arctic decreases, Russia is hoping to make use of the Northern Sea Route shipping channel to export oil and gas to overseas markets.

Russia has invested heavily to develop the route, which allows ships to cut the journey to Asian ports by 15 days compared with using the traditional Suez Canal route.

In August 2017, the first vessel travelled along the Northern Sea Route without the use of ice breakers.

Moscow has also beefed up its military presence in the region, reopening and modernising several bases and airfields abandoned since the end of the Soviet era and deploying its state-of-the-art S-400 air defence systems.

On Monday, Igor Churkin, chief of staff of the Russian Northern Fleet's air forces, told journalists that Russia's remote Arctic military base on the Franz Josef Land archipelago could now host Tu-95 strategic bombers after renovations.

In March, Russia launched massive Arctic manoeuvres near the archipelago, with Putin praising the exercises and a retired admiral saying they were to send a "signal to our foreign friends -- the Americans".

In Reykjavik this week, Lavrov will also meet with his US counterpart Blinken in a test of Moscow's strained relationship with Washington.

Despite mounting tensions, Russia and the United States during climate negotiations earlier this year noted the Arctic as an area of cooperation.

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Ryanair plane (PA Wire)

Ryanair plunged to the worst loss in its 35-year history, but struck an optimistic note today insisting that bookings are up and that summer can be saved.

The budget airline credited with reinventing air travel says a recovery has begun, with bookings up since April.

For the year to March, Ryanair clocked up a loss of e815 million (702 million), with passenger numbers down 80% to 27.5 million.

While those figures are not a surprise, they do show the strife facing the aviation sector as it tries to fight back from Covid.

Chief executive Michael OLeary said: "The rate of bookings suggests there is a huge amount of confidence. We are very optimistic for the next couple of months."

That optimism is shown in the increase in orders for new B7373-8200 Gamechanger planes to 210, from 135. The planes have more seats and use less fuel.

Ryanair thinks it should break even, or close to it, this year, but that depends on vaccine rollout across Europe  and consumer confidence.

Bookings are up threefold to 1.5 million a week compared to early April.

OLeary added:

"For vaccinated Britons going to the beaches of Portugal, Spain and Greece, I think there is very little risk. Everybody is right to be cautious, but I think everybody can take their holiday in Europe with a high degree of confidence."

Daniel Roeska at Bernstein said: Much rests on the relaxation of travel restrictions by peak summer to revive earnings.

Travellers can now visit 12 countries on the governments green list, including Portugal and Israel, without isolating on their return.

But the vast majority of tourist destinations remain on the amber and red lists, meaning travellers must quarantine when they get back.

Read More

Ryanair boss Michael OLeary warns air fares will be higher in 2022

Ryanair speaks of most challenging year as it records 815 million euro loss

Portugal holiday bookings through the roof as gov reveals green list
SEOUL (Reuters) - SK Hynix Inc, the world's second-largest memory chip maker, has requestd talks to acquire South Korea-based Key Foundry, a chip contract manufacturer, a South Korean newspaper reported on Monday.

SK Hynix has expressed intention to negotiate for the full acquisition of the 8-inch wafer foundry, Korea Economic Daily reported on Monday citing unnamed sources in the tech and investment banking industries.

SK Hynix said that it is considering various measures to expand its foundry business, but nothing has been finalised. A spokesperson for Key Foundry could not be immediately reached.

SK Hynix is already a minority investor in Key Foundry, having infused about 207 billion won ($181.93 million) into a private equity fund last year that owns the chip contract manufacturing firm, and now is interested in buying out the rest, Korea Economic Daily said.

Key Foundry has a chip manufacturing capacity of 82,000 8-inch wafers per month, and is the only pure-play foundry in Korea, with the ability to make chips for applications in the consumer, communications, computing, automotive and industrial industries, according to its website.

SK Hynix said last week that it is considering doubling its chip contract manufacturing capacity from a low base in ways that could include M&A.

Currently, memory chips make up almost all of SK Hynix's business, with logic chips including chip contract manufacturing only taking up 2% of revenue.

($1 = 1,137.8300 won)

(Reporting by Joyce Lee, editing by Louise Heavens)
This is a different year for us, Siddiqui said. Typically, we wouldve known the [maintenance of effort] and how much in state aid wed be getting back in September, and that wouldve informed our budget planning. With the enrollment decline, we appreciate that the governor and the legislature has done everything possible to hold districts harmless. But what thats led to is still unanswered questions that were waiting for official confirmation on so we can figure out what the rest of the budget looks like.
By Sheila Dang

(Reuters) -Snap Inc on Monday announced a climate strategy to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, purchase 100% renewable energy and remain carbon neutral after offsetting emissions dating back to its launch.

The plan, which the owner of photo messaging app Snapchat detailed in its annual "CitizenSnap https://citizen.snap.com/planet" report on social and environmental initiatives, comes as climate change debates are increasingly including tech companies and the energy-intensive process of running powerful computer data servers.

By making the company more energy efficient, Snap could not only reduce costs in the long run, but also appeal to its mostly young user base, who are passionate about addressing climate change, said Dom Perella, Snap's deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer.

"They're going to be living with the brunt of these impacts for many generations," he said. "Because it impacts our stakeholders... we want to make a difference."

By 2025, Snap plans to reduce emissions generated from its business operations by 25%, in part by making its buildings more energy efficient and purchasing renewable energy, Perella said.

The company also aims to reduce emissions from business travel and from purchased goods and services by 35% "per unit of value" by shifting to climate-friendly travel options and pushing vendors to reduce their emissions.

Snap said it determined the reduction levels by working with the Science Based Targets initiative, a coalition that advises companies on reducing emissions to meet goals outlined by the Paris Agreement international treaty on climate change.

The Santa Monica, California-based company said it is now carbon neutral, helped by investing in forestry projects across the world to offset its emissions.

It also calculated its emissions dating back to Snapchat's launch in 2011 and offset its emissions to become retroactively carbon neutral.

Other tech companies have also moved to offset emissions retroactively. Alphabet Inc's Google said last year it had eliminated its carbon emissions history before 2007, when the company said it became carbon neutral.

(Reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Get essential education news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for The 74s daily newsletter.

As more schools reopen, educators across the United States are having long-awaited in-person reunions with their students. They do so after supporting their students through more than a year of concurrent traumas, from the physical and mental health effects of the pandemic to the continued impact of racism and racial violence, a weight borne disproportionately by Black and brown students. As always, teachers have heroically worked to help students cope with the disruptions of daily life, often putting their own personal and professional concerns aside to care for others.

After helping their students navigate the ups-and-downs of this past year, teachers are at a very real risk of burnout  a risk that not only threatens the well-being of our students, but of the entire education system. They deserve the same level of support that they have provided to their students, and its up to all of us to prioritize their well-being.

We all know the impact that a good teacher can have on a students life, and on a familys trajectory for generations. Ive seen this in my own life: Because a local teacher in Taiwan decided to adopt my father, he was able to set off on a course to college. The consequences of that decision continue to reverberate, decades later, in the life that I and my three young children have the privilege to live.

But increasingly, teachers who could make a difference in students lives are being pushed out of the profession. According to a recent RAND report, nearly half of the public school teachers who voluntarily stopped teaching after March 2020 did so because of the pressures of COVID-19, from the unfamiliar remote environment to the longer hours that remote learning demands. Stress was the most commonly cited reason for their departure. However, there is one hopeful sign: we know that many of those teachers hope to return to their students  if we are able to better support them.

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District and school leaders have an important opportunity to start making that happen right now. They can recognize that when teachers succeed, their students do, too  and help teachers by devoting resources to create an environment of safety and connection, and by investing in support systems that are based on the science behind relationships, resilience and readiness for learning. By doing so, school and district leaders can help teachers reengage with what they loved about the profession in the first place, and revitalize their relationships with their students.

Failing to do that, and focusing only on issues of unfinished learning, risks making the problem worse for teachers and students alike. With that mindset, teachers will enter the classroom already feeling behind and burdened by the full weight of delivering instruction theyre not supported to deliver. If teachers start the year feeling overwhelmed, that feeling will quickly spread to their students.

How leaders choose to respond will have repercussions that will be felt far beyond this academic year. It will affect whether a generation of teachers and students, fresh off one of the most traumatic years of their lives, will feel supported, or stymied, by our educational system.

To start, school and district leaders can:

Offer teachers professional development to help them connect with their students : Fannie C. Williams Charter School in New Orleans is an example of a school that actively prioritizes professional development for its instructors, with the help of the social entrepreneurship venture Black Teacher Collaborative. By providing spaces for Black teachers to reflect on their racial identity, the collaborative empowers these educators with new knowledge and skills so they can better support Black students.

Use advances in the science behind relationships as the foundation of a healthy and rigorous learning environment: An example of this in practice is in Van Ness Elementary in Washington, D.C., where teachers prioritize building deep relationships with one another, their students and the wider community. They aim to meet their communities where they are  and use everything from storytelling to home visits to do so.

Create intentional settings for staff and educators to reconnect and heal: Valor Collegiate Academies in Nashville understands that trust and vulnerability are key to anchoring strong relationships between staff and educators. That is why they use lessons from the science behind relationships to organize a weekly social-emotional exercise known as Adult Circle, where teachers share the victories and challenges happening in their classrooms, and support one another.

Next, education leaders can invest in innovative ways to help teachers build relationships with their students. Technology isnt a magic wand that can make our problems disappear, but if this past year has shown us anything, it is that technology can be an important tool for connecting teachers and students. Along, a digital reflection tool that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and its partners at Gradient Learning, is a good example. Based on the science of relationships, Along allows teachers to get to know their students while helping students build lifelong skills in areas like organization, motivation and stress management. And because it provides a dedicated space for teachers to communicate individually with each student, it has made it easier for them to tailor their teaching to each childs holistic needs.

Finally, by listening to the needs of their community, leaders can prioritize and adapt strategies to improve teacher and student well-being with insights from those who know it best  teachers and students themselves. They can do this by conducting more robust school climate surveys that look at how well a school is supporting teachers and students sense of belonging and connection. Here, too, educators and students outcomes are inherently tied: If adults lack belonging and connection, their students will feel the same way, which will impact their readiness for learning and development. After this traumatic pandemic year, school leaders have an opportunity to start measuring success through the health of the learning environments they create for both teachers and students.

Every May, during Teacher Appreciation Week, the country recognizes how important teachers are. This year, the most challenging academic year in modern history, we must go beyond appreciating teachers in words and commit to supporting their well-being with actions and resources. Nothing less than the health of a whole generation of teachers  and generations of students  is at stake.

Sandra Liu Huang is the head of education and vice president of product for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where she leads product and design across all initiatives. Before joining CZI, she was the head of product at Quora, a platform for gaining and sharing knowledge.

Disclosure: The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative provides financial support to The 74.

Related: Sign up for The 74s newsletter
Abortion-rights demonstrators outside the Supreme Court in Washington on March 4. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin File

The Supreme Court says it'll take a case that could erode Roe v. Wade and affect reproductive rights.

The court previously allowed abortion-pill access to be limited during the coronavirus pandemic.

An expert told Insider arrests for seeking abortions could increase if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The US Supreme Court on Monday announced plans to take up a major abortion case that could allow it to severely limit or overturn landmark court rulings on abortion, including Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, concerns a law in Mississippi that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, SCOTUSblog first noted.

The Supreme Court will consider "whether all previability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional," according to the court's announcement.

The Center for Reproductive Rights estimates that 34 states could cease to protect abortion rights if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned and local governments took no action.

According to Mississippi Today, the law had been previously overturned twice in federal court.

Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only abortion provider in the state, had asked the Supreme Court not to take up the case, the report said.

The SCOTUS challenged abortion access during the pandemic

This wouldn't be the first time the majority-conservative court had challenged reproductive rights.

In January, the Supreme Court voted to ban the abortion pill from mail delivery, making it the only prescription medication to have such restrictions, until the Biden administration reversed the ruling on April 13.

In July 2020, for the first time, the Food and Drug Administration allowed mail order of the abortion pill on a federal level. The goal was to ensure safe abortion care during the pandemic, when Americans were being urged not to travel and to avoid in-person treatments when possible.

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Kate Kelly, a human-rights lawyer who is cohost of abortion-rights podcast "Ordinary Equality," previously told Insider the SCOTUS ruling was ominous for the future of Roe v. Wade, a 1973 ruling that says pregnant women have the right to abortions without excessive government intervention.

"They intervened in something that would have naturally expired, because it was an order for during the pandemic," Kelly said.

What would happen if Roe v. Wade were overturned

If SCOTUS rules in favor of abortion restriction in the Dobbs v. Jackson case, it would effectively overturn Roe v. Wade.

In doing so, the US would be ushered back into a context more akin to the 1950s and 1960s, when underground abortions were common, Carole Joffe, a sociologist who cowrote "Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America," previously told Insider.

At the time, however, there wasn't a widespread movement seeking to penalize people who got abortions - it was done under the radar, Joffe said. Of the estimated 200,000 to 1.2 million illegal abortions each year in the two decades before Roe v. Wade, only a small proportion resulted in charges or sentencing, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Joffe expects that would change: She has argued that legal penalties post-Roe would be more common.

"Prosecution before Roe was very idiosyncratic, dependent on local factors. But if Roe falls, criminal justice officials, from the virulently anti-choice Attorney General Jeff Sessions on down to local police and district attorneys in many jurisdictions, can be expected to avidly pursue those who break the law," Joffe wrote in a 2017 article for Rewire News Group.

In 2016, The Self-induced Abortion Legal Team, a group of lawyers who advocate abortion rights, reported that at least 17 people who sought self-medicated abortions since 2005 had faced arrests or jail time.

There are still many unknowns about cost and access if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Joffe said, since different states can make their own laws about the procedure. One thing seems certain: Abortions will continue, no matter Roe v. Wade's future.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a challenge to Mississippi's ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, giving the court's new conservative majority the chance to consider a direct test of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

By taking the case the court is wading into one of the nation's most polarizing issues after a term in which the justices appeared to shy from such controversies. A decision is not expected until next year, potentially landing months ahead of the 2022 midterm election.

The court's 1973 decision in Roe found that women have a constitutional right to abortion and a subsequent decision from the high court in 1992 reaffirmed that right up to the point that a fetus is viable outside the womb, often set at around 24 weeks. But several conservative states, including Mississippi, have approved bans on abortion before that stage of pregnancy.

Now the court will decide whether those bans are constitutional  an unexpected move that drew sharp reactions from both sides of the abortion debate.

"Alarm bells are ringing loudly about the threat to reproductive rights," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing the abortion clinic in the case. "The Supreme Court just agreed to review an abortion ban that unquestionably violates nearly 50 years of Supreme Court precedent and is a test case to overturn Roe v. Wade."

Despite the addition in October of Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, which gives conservatives a 6-3 edge on the court, the justices took months to decide whether to take the case, potentially suggesting deep divisions on the nine-member bench. In its order Monday, the court limited the case to a single question: Whether pre-viability bans on abortion such as Mississippi's are constitutional.

"This is a landmark opportunity for the Supreme Court to recognize the right of states to protect unborn children," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony List. "It is time for the Supreme Court to catch up to scientific reality and the resulting consensus of the American people as expressed in elections and policy."

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Both sides noted the case will be heard at a time when states are ramping up the number and scope of abortion restrictions. Fifteen other states besides Mississippi have tried to ban abortions before viability but have been blocked in court, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which conducts research on abortion and reproductive health.

"I can say that over the last four years critical rights like the right to health care, the right to choose, have been under withering and extreme attack, including through draconian state laws," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday in a response to a question about the court's decision to hear the case. "The president is committed to codifying Roe, regardless of the outcome of this case."

Mississippi, one of a handful ofstates with only one abortion clinic left operating, argued that its ban  with exceptions for medical emergencies or fetal abnormalities  would not violate the broader right to abortion protected by Roe. Rather, the state justified its ban by asserting a fetus can feel pain after 15 weeks and that an abortion at that stage carries increased medical risks.

"The Mississippi Legislature enacted this law consistent with the will of its constituents to promote women's health and preserve the dignity and sanctity of life," Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, said in a statement. "I remain committed to advocating for women and defending Mississippis legal right to protect the unborn."

Opponents said that pregnancies at 15 weeks are not viable, so abortions at that stage are permitted by court precedent.

"This is the moment anti-abortion politicians have been waiting for since Roe v. Wade was decided," said Jennifer Dalven, director of the reproductive freedom project at the American Civil Liberties Union. "If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Mississippi, it will take the decision about whether to have an abortion away from individuals and hand it over to politicians."

A federal district court in Mississippi struck down the state ban in 2018 and the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld that decision in 2019, finding that the law was "facially unconstitutional because it directly conflicts with" prior Supreme Court precedent.

Both sides had been closely watching whether the court would take the case, attempting to parse meaning from the longer-than-usual delay. Some had speculated the court was eager to avoid taking up such a controversial case so soon after former President Donald Trump named three new justices to the bench.

Activists rally outside the Supreme Court on March 4, 2020, during oral arguments for an abortion-related case, June Medical Services v. Russo.

Despite optimism from anti-abortion groups about the court's more conservative posture, the justices have stymied abortion opponents twice in the past five years. In June, it struck down a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Chief Justice John Roberts cast the deciding vote.

More: Supreme Court's split decision for abortion rights gives opponents an unlikely boost

In 2016, the court reached a similar conclusion in a Texas case, with Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy joining the court's four liberal justices. Kennedy later retired and was succeeded by Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Now Barrett has succeeded the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, leader of the liberal bloc.

More: Barrett steers the Supreme Court to the right, but not toward President Trump

In the past several months the court has sought to disentangle itself from controversial issues left over from the Trump administration, including on questions about the 2020 election, immigration and other abortion issues. President Joe Biden's administration earlier this year requested the court dismiss a series of cases involving Trump's effort to cut federal funding for medical centers that refer patients for abortions.

A majority of the court on Monday agreed to dismiss the cases.

Contributing: Matthew Brown

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion: Supreme Court takes case on Mississippi 15-week ban
Matthew McConaughey

While Matthew McConaughey explores the idea of running for governor of Texas next year, the leader of the state's Democratic Party said they would embrace the celebrity candidate with open arms.

Gilberto Hinojosa, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party, told Politico on Monday that their party would "welcome him" if he ultimately decided to run.

"He's young, good-looking, smart and has a little wildness  but this is Texas," Hinojosa said. "We like that stuff."

McConaughey, 51, has repeatedly teased the idea that he'll run for governor in 2022, against incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.

Politico reported that the Dallas Buyers Club star has also been privately making calls to influential political figures in the state to test the waters.

"He has not reached out to the party that I know of," Hinojosa told the outlet. "It's absolutely up in the air."

Hinojosa told TMZ last month that he believes the Academy Award-winning actor could beat Abbott, who was first elected in 2014.

Cindy Ord/Getty Matthew McConaughey

McConaughey has spoken out more and more about politics in recent months surrounding the 2020 election, but has remained remarkably neutral and provided voters with a flavorless political profile.

"I don't get politics," McConaughey told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show last November. "Politics seems to be a broken business. Politics needs to redefine its purpose."

Nonetheless, the Oscar winner said in March that running for governor is "a true consideration."

RELATED: George H. W. Bush's Grandson 'Seriously Considering' Running for Texas Attorney General

"I'm looking into now again, 'what is my leadership role?' " McConaughey told The Balanced Voice podcast. "Because I do think I have some things to teach and share. What is my role, what is my category in my next chapter of life that I'm going into now?"

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Despite the actor's shrugging interest in holding office, his open consideration for a run has gained national headlines and attention from the biggest name in Texas politics.

Former President George W. Bush told the Today show in late April that he has "no idea" if McConaughey would run for office, but warned: "It's a tough business."

Noam Galai/Getty Matthew McConaughey

McConaughey hasn't signaled yet whether he'd run as a Republican, Democrat or as an independent  if he decided to throw his hat in the ring.

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey Teases That He May Run for Governor of Texas: It's 'a True Consideration'

In December, McConaughey sounded off on both "the extreme left and the extreme right" during an appearance on Fox News radio, while previously telling the network that he'd describe himself as "aggressively centric."

In November, the actor would not tell Fox News who he was voting for in the 2020 election, saying: "I've thought about it and I'm keeping that to myself."

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey Says Wife Camila Alves Played Major Role in Decision to Co-Own Soccer Team

McConaughey has become a popular figure in Texas.

The actor's alma mater, the University of Texas, named him the school's "Minister of Culture" and brought him on as a professor in the college of communications.

He and wife Camila Alves still live in Austin, Texas, and have taken on a number of humanitarian projects  including their "just keep livin" foundation, which helped aid local residents impacted by February's deadly winter storm.
(Reuters) - AT&T Inc spent billions of dollars over the last few years buying media assets, including Time Warner and DirecTV as it looked for growth beyond an increasingly competitive cellular market.

With a spin off of its media assets to Discovery Inc on Monday and the sale of it stake in DirecTV to buyout firm TPG Capital earlier this year, AT&T is now working on streamlining its business, paying down its debt and focusing on expanding its 5G network.

Discovery acquired Scripps Networks Interactive Inc for $11.9 billion in 2017 and the Oprah Winfrey Network last year for about $36 million.

Here is a timeline of AT&T's largest deals over the last ten years:

2012 - Acquired the equity of NextWave Wireless Inc for up to $50 million and took on $550 million of the company's debt (https://reut.rs/3owxBmc)

2013 - Bought prepaid wireless provider Leap Wireless International Inc in a deal valued at about $4 billion. The deal included a large debt component (https://reut.rs/3bxueGq)

2014 - Bought satellite TV provider DirecTV for $48.5 billion (https://reut.rs/3ftepkY)

2016 - Agreed to buy media firm Time Warner Inc for $85 billion, in the boldest move by a telecoms company to buy content to stream over its network (https://reut.rs/2S4UdOc)

2020 - Agreed to sell its Crunchyroll anime business to Sony's Fumination Global Group LLC in $1.18 billion deal. The deal gave Sony access to Crunchyroll's 3 million paying subscribers (https://reut.rs/3tXLk6q)

2021 - Agreed to sell one-third of its stake in DirecTV to buyout firm TPG Capital in a deal valuing the business at about $16 billion, well below what it paid for the asset less than six years earlier (https://reut.rs/3yf10pk)

(Reporting by Eva Mathews and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
The hospital providing life-sustaining treatment for a 2-year-old girl continued to ask a Fort Worth court to schedule a swift trial date in order to determine whether or not physicians can end the toddlers care.

Tinslee Lewis family has been fighting to keep her alive at Cook Childrens Medical Center while the hospital says her condition will never improve and treatment should end. Tinslee Lewis mother, Trinity Lewis, said Cook Childrens Medical Center has grossly mischaracterized Tinslees condition.

Cook Childrens asked the 48th District Court of Fort Worth to quickly schedule a trial date to decide whether Tinslees life support care should be removed. Lewis and her legal team argue that they need more time to find another hospital to transfer Tinslee to and prepare their case for a hearing. The hospital has asked for a July 26 trial date. Attorneys for Tinslee and her mother filed paperwork asking for a January 2022 date.

On May 11, Cook Childrens filed a response to Lewis motion in which she and her legal team said the expedited court proceedings the hospital asked for would create an unreasonable timeline for everyone, including this Court.

In her motion filed May 6, Lewis said Tinslee, who was born with a rare heart condition, continues to improve. She is undergoing occupational therapy and has been weaned off pain medication, the motion says. Lewis and her attorneys need more time to develop their case for the trial due to Tinslees lengthy medical records. They also continue to search for hospitals to try and transfer Tinslee to, and hope her improving condition will lead to a transfer.

Tinslees life is a miracle and she proves that every day! said Kim Schwartz, a spokeswoman with Texas Right to Life, in a Friday news release. Look at this evidence and see for yourself how she is improving.

Schwartz was referring to a recent video and photos of Tinslee showing the toddler awake.

Tinslee has been kept alive with medical care and extreme efforts, according to hospital officials, and the hospital disputes Lewis description of her daughters condition. Through court motions, Cook Childrens continues to say that Tinslee is not improving and is suffering due to her medical treatment. None of her treatments have improved her underlying illness, which Cook Childrens says is terminal.

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She is being kept alive only by extraordinary and aggressive measures, and she continues to suffer, the hospitals motion said.

The hospital said no other facilities will take over Tinslees care despite Lewis and Cook Childrens reaching out to other hospitals and physicians.

Cost of Tinslees care

Debate over the cost of Tinslees care also intensified when the hospital said in its appeal that Texas had spent $24 million in Medicaid funds to help keep Tinslee alive. The state of Texas, Cook Childrens said, is threatening to interject in the case due to the cost.

Lewis and her attorneys said they had heard nothing about a potential intervention into the case and could not confirm Cook Childrens claims. A Texas Health & Human Services Commission spokeswoman told the Star-Telegram the agency has not tried to intervene in the case.

However, in its most recent motion, Cook Childrens said a review of Tinslees case was initiated by third-party administrator Aetnas Special Investigative Unit, which has requested all of Tinslees records. The Special Investigative Units mandate under Medicaid regulations is to investigatewaste, abuse, and fraud, the motion says.

In Cook Childrens experience, such reviews are often precursors to efforts to deny payment or even claw back funds previously paid, the motion said.

Tinslee has spent most of her life at Cook Childrens. The legal battle surrounding the toddler has made its way through every level of the court system, and now is working its way through the appeals process.

In October 2019, Cook Childrens Ethics Committee voted unanimously to end Tinslees treatment. Under the Texas Advance Directives Act, the hospital can end treatment for a patient if the care is deemed futile. The Act also protects a hospital from being sued in such a case.

However, Lewis fought back for her daughters life. She and her attorney filed an injunction against the hospital in November 2019.

Since then, the case went up through the courts, with each side appealing if the ruling was not in their favor. In January 2020, a judge ruled that Tinslee could be taken off life support after an emotional hearing in the 48th District Court in Fort Worth. In July 2020, the Second Appellate District of Texas in Fort Worth reversed that decision.

In October 2020, the Texas Supreme Court denied the hospitals petition to take Tinslee off life support and in January, the federal Supreme Court rejected the hospitals plea, as well.

The case now returns to the lower court for a final ruling. If the 48th District Court rules in favor of Tinslees mother, the hospital cannot end her treatment.
Aboard the Coastal Explorer  a research boat owned and operated by Coastal Carolina University  researchers launched a torpedo-shaped sonar device into the Intracoastal Waterway Monday. That device, tied to the Coastal Explorer, cruised near the bottom of the channel, mapping out the riverbed and collecting volumes of data that researchers can use to determine how fast water can move through the channel, and what might get in its way.

Another boat, working alongside the Coastal Explorer, ferried another research device along its port side, this one able to calculate and monitor how fast fresh water moves South towards the Winyah Bay and how fast salt water moves North.

Across from the Osprey Marina in Socastee, a team of three state National Guardsmen dove into the Waterway to attach water-quality monitoring devices to a buoy floating near the waters edge. And atop a post at the end of the dock, researchers installed several weather and atmosphere-monitoring devices that will fill out the data puzzle now deployed in Horry County waters.

Taken together, those new devices and research efforts by Coastal Carolina researchers could piece together data thats not been available previously that could help determine which parts of Horry and Georgetown counties are most likely to flood and when. The hope, shared researchers and lawmakers alike, is that the data be used to better predict which specific properties could experience severe flooding. That could allow residents to know if their home is at risk of flooding during a particular storm and could allow local lawmakers to make better-informed decisions about zoning and building.

If the data is able to do that, it could prove to be a better risk-assessment tool than those currently available, including the maps the federal government produces to predict which properties are likely to flood.

By combining information about the atmosphere, water quality, water speed, the riverbed and more, researchers said Monday that they could model and predict which tracts of land are flood-prone, when unexpected areas might flood, and more. Because the Grand Strand is so flat, flooding is not caused just by over-filled rivers moving stormwater from North to South  its caused by ocean waters moving into the rivers and preventing that drainage, too. Those areas where fresh and salt water collide have been difficult to measure in the past, researchers said, and the new monitoring tools could help solve that problem.

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When you have intense rainfall, you have pressure coming from the Waccamaw River and then after the rain moves by, you have wind blowing on shore so you have water from the ocean coming up the Winyah Bay, explained Trevor Carver, one of the CCU researchers collecting data. Its Socastee, its Conway, thats where they meeting.

CCU researchers hadnt previously been able to access specific data on those phenomena, Carver and other researchers said.

If we can know how fast the water is coming down the Waccamaw River, how fast that tide is coming up Winyah Bay, we can probably get a better idea of where theyre going to meet and where the giant pressure is going to be, Carver said.

State officials and local policymakers said Monday that they hope the new data about how water moves through the Grand Strand can better inform state laws, flood mitigation programs, local development and more.

Horry County is currently working to launch a home buyout program for several dozen homeowners in the Socastee area who have flooded multiple times in recent years. While programs like that can help move people out of harms way, theyre not a perfect solution to the areas flooding problems, said state Rep. Heather Ammons-Crawford, who represents the area.

We cant relocate the entire Pee Dee and all of Socastee, so this research is so important for us, she said at a press conference aboard the Coastal Explorer before the new devices were launched. We know that one of the issues weve had in the Socastee area is the lack of a warning system, an effective warning system, to notify residents when the water will rise. This today...will help with that notification.

By combining weather data with flood-monitoring data, the CCU researchers said that information could help residents at risk of flooding know when to leave home, developers know where to build and policymakers know how to craft better regulations.

Were projecting into the future, said Paul Gayes, the director of CCUs Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, and the lead researcher on the project. This is how the flooding is going to change, this is what the landscape is projected to change into, whats going to flood and what are those costs. When we start linking all of that together, the actual science, the economics, whats at risk, and what risk really is, I think we can have better management.

The new research program is called the Smart River Research Program, and is one of the implementations of the South Carolina Floodwater Commissions major 2019 report. That report said, in part, that one of the ways South Carolina can reduce its risk from flooding is to better monitor water and weather along its rivers, inlets and bays. Retired Maj. Gen. Tom Mullikin, who leads the Floodwater Commission, said the monitoring devices deployed Monday were a manifestation of the research and academic work thats been done in the past, and one that can now apply that work to better residents lives.

Were not talking about academic issues anymore, were talking about issues that impact peoples lives, Mullikin said. Were no longer modeling, were measuring. When you have people being flooded out of their house 15 times in three years, we have a dire issue.

The Duke Energy Foundation, which partnered with CCU on the initiative, is pumping $100,000 into the effort to help fund some of the monitors, which will fill in data gaps that the federal government doesnt collect. State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch said he hopes the foundations investment is an initial one and could lead to larger projects in the near future.

The new data initiative also comes at an opportune time for Horry County. A special commission of local lawmakers, county officials and environmental advocates has been meeting since December last year to study flooding in Horry County and recommend policy changes the county can adopt to mitigate the effects of flooding. The commission is currently work-shopping new building regulations that could affect how high above flood levels builders will have to construct new housing and businesses.

Gayes said his team hasnt worked directly with the county flooding commission but said the data theyre collecting could aid future policy discussions. Dan Ennis, CCUs provost, said he hopes thats one of the outcomes of the project.

The work done through these experiments, through this data collection, through this analysis gives everyone an objective understanding of the challenges our community faces, he said. And, (it) therefore provides information to the community to make intelligent policy choices.

Editors note: This story has been updated.
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Police arrested Ebrahimnejad and Benjamin Wagner on the same day as the sting when they returned to the hotel where the woman was kept. Ebrahimnejad had five vials of crack cocaine on him during the arrest. Wagner was arrested with three vials of crack cocaine on him. The woman told police Wagners role was to prevent her from leaving and protect her from aggressive Johns. She said he watched but didnt help when Ebrahimnejad abused her.
STUTTGART, Germany  Nearly four years after the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program was first brought to light, the three partner nations have reached a deal to develop a demonstrator fighter aircraft by 2027.

French Minister of Defense Florence Parly formally announced Monday that France, Germany, and Spain had finalized an agreement that will allow industry partners to start developing a flying prototype aircraft, after months of uncertainty surrounding the negotiations.

The agreement is a shot in the arm for the multinational program, as stakeholders are racing to reach a financing deal before the German Bundestag leaves town for their summer recess in late June. Disputes among the nations industry partners over elements such as intellectual property rights and work share slowed progress. In April, however, Frances Dassault Aviation and Germanys Airbus reached their own deal to move on to the demonstrator phase. The two companies, along with Spains Indra, lead each countrys industrial participation.

If the program remains on schedule, the first FCAS demonstrator will launch one decade after the French and German government leaders first agreed to jointly build a new sixth-generation fighter aircraft. Spain was brought on as a full nation partner in 2020.

The quality of the demonstrator phase of FCAS  also known as SCAF, for the French name systeme de combat aerien du futur  will be key to the success of the overall program, observers have previously noted. The goal is to reduce the risk of technological hurdles early on, in order to avoid delays and additional cost hurdles further down the line, analysts previously told Defense News.

Parly confirmed in Mondays statement that the FCAS program is still expected to reach full operational capacity by 2040. The system of systems' will include not only the new fighter aircraft, but also an upgraded weapon system, new remote carrier drones, an advanced combat cloud, a new jet engine, and advanced sensors and stealth technologies.

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There were mixed signals from Paris and Berlin late Monday about the costs involved. A French defense spokesman confirmed that the demonstrator phase was expected to cost 3,5 billion euros (U.S. $4.25 billion), split equally among the three participating nations. Defense officials in Berlin said the Implementing Agreement 3, which is the document governing the upcoming program stages 1B and 2, comes with a price tag of more than 4 billion euros ($4.9 billion) for Germany alone.

Either way, the figures are up significantly from a previous cost estimate of 2,5 billion euros that the governments prescribed to companies as a ceiling last year.

The figures now circulated essentially reflect that industry offers came in 25 percent higher than that, as Defense News reported last week . Additionally, national government contributions that industry previously took for granted  engines and airfield time, for example  are now formally priced in, a German defense source explained.

Officials in Berlin were optimistic on Monday that the sticking point of so-called specific foreground information (SFI) also would be resolved soon. While the agreement announced by the three governments refers only to a general compromise on intellectual property rights handling, the status of national industrial contributions brought into the FCAS program at the outset, dubbed SFI, had remained unresolved for months.

As of March, French demands on SFI exceptions, formalized in a list circulated in the three capitals, had caused a stir in Germany and Spain. Officials in those countries believed the overarching legal framework on intellectual property rights was sufficient to account for claims on pre-developed components, German defense officials wrote in a report to parliament.

German and Spanish companies later included their own carve-outs on the SFI list, a German defense source said.

A defense ministry spokeswoman in Berlin told Defense News the final list would be included in the approval package forwarded to lawmakers in late June.

The new agreement includes only one demonstrator, to be built by Dassault, the spokeswoman said. Additional demonstrators, as some German lawmakers have called for, would have to be purchased extra, and the stipulation is that they must be identical to the first one.

Sebastian Sprenger contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Monday they are near an agreement to resolve disputes concerning congressional subpoenas of his financial records from Deutsche Bank AG.

In a filing in federal court in Manhattan, lawyers for Trump and the Democrats said they believed they were "close to an agreement" in talks concerning the scope of the subpoenas and a process for resolving privacy concerns. They asked a judge for another 30 days to continue talks.

Deutsche Bank, Trump's main bank, said in the same filing that both sides would invite it to raise any concerns "at an appropriate time." Deutsche Bank has maintained it took no position on the subpoenas and would comply with the law.

The House Financial Services Committee and House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Deutsche Bank in 2019, seeking years of banking records concerning Trump, his adult children and his businesses.

Last July, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump's claim that as president he possessed an absolute right to block the release of its records. But the justices said that while Congress had the power to seek evidence from the president, a lower appeals court failed to adequately consider whether the demands by lawmakers were overbroad or too intrusive.

In a separate decision, the Supreme Court also said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance could obtain eight years of Trump's tax returns for a criminal probe into the former president and his businesses. Vance now has those returns.

With the original House subpoenas having expired, an agreement regarding the Deutsche Bank records would eliminate a need to reissue them.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
(Getty Images)

Then-president Donald Trump sent a secret memo to the Pentagon after he lost the election pushing them to withdraw US troops stationed around the world, according to a new report.

One of Mr Trump's closest aides, John McEntee, handed a handwritten note to retired Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor on 9 November 2020, saying: This is what the president wants you to do.

The note said to get us out of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. It instructed the Colonel to complete the withdrawal from Germany, and to get us out of Africa, according to new reporting by Axios.

Col Macgregor, who had just been offered the post of senior adviser to acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller, with only ten weeks left of Mr Trumps term in office, told Mr McEntee he didnt think such a drastic move would be possible before the presidents term was up.

Then do as much as you can, Mr McEntee said, according to Axios.

A short memo was delivered by a courier to the office of Mr Miller two days later with instructions from Mr Trump to withdraw all US forces from Somalia by 31 December 2020 and all troops from Afghanistan by 15 January 2021. It was Mr Millers third day as Defence secretary after the firing of Mark Esper.

The top military leaders were horrified by the orders, Axios reported. Neither White House counsel Pat Cipollone nor national security advisor Robert O'Brien appeared to know where the orders had come from.

The memo had Mr Trumps signature, but not even the staffers whose job it was to vet all the paper that got to the desk of the president knew where it had come from.

National security leaders came to understand that Mr Trump himself was trying to conduct military policy under the radar, according to Axios.

Mr Trumps previous attempts to put a stop to Americas endless wars were slow-walked by military leaders once he came into office. The generals around the president didnt see eye to eye with the presidents view of the world.

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Mr McEntee pushed harder to appoint people loyal to Mr Trumps agenda to top Pentagon positions once it became clear that Joe Bidens election victory would not be overturned.

The goal was to go against the advice of the generals and remove the US from its positions around the world in a way that couldnt easily be undone by the next administration.

Mr McEntee was discovered as the man behind the order at the White House but claimed he was simply doing what Col Macgregor had instructed him to do.

Mr Cipollone and Mr OBrien stopped the order, talking Mr Trump into waiting until they had had a meeting with national security officials.

In this meeting, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Mr Miller and Mr OBrien argued against the withdrawal from Afghanistan. They had previously used examples from Vietnam to discourage Mr Trump from rushing to leave.

Despite signing the order, Mr Trump told Axios he was concerned about leaving behind gear during a rushed exit. Referring to the Vietnam War, he said: You remember those scenes with the helicopters, right, with people grabbing onto the gear? You dont want that. And I wouldnt have that.

Mr Biden announced on 14 April that he would withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by 11 September.

Despite Mr Bidens long-held scepticism concerning remaining in Afghanistan, Mr Trump sought credit for his successors ability to take such action, telling Axios he built a train that couldnt be stopped.

Mr Trump said his phone conversation in March 2020 with Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was the reason that no US troops in Afghanistan were killed in combat for more than a year.

He also claimed that he told Mr Baradar that the US would return if the Taliban tried to assert control, saying that they would be hit you harder than youve ever been hit before. The Taliban reject this version of events.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told Axios that Mr Trump did not exert pressure nor issue any threats and warnings, adding that the conversation was cordial and normal.

The spokesperson also said that the Taliban has not spoken to Mr Biden or Secretary of State Antony Blinken, instead communicating with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.

The situation in Afghanistan remains dangerous with dozens dying every week. A recent bomb attack targeted school girls in the capital of Kabul, killing at least 85 people.

Following the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban could retake control and impose a totalitarian reign once again.

Read More

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Biden plan would pick winners, losers in move to green jobs

Andrew Cuomo made more than $5m from his book, tax documents reveal
Two police officers shot in Maryland in ongoing situation (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Two police officers were shot multiple times by a suspect after entering a home in Maryland.

A pair of deputies with the Charles County Sheriffs Office were seriously injured during the incident, the department has confirmed.

Officials say that a family member of the suspect called the Charles County Sheriffs Office and told dispatch the person was going through mental health episodes.

CCSOs police chief said the officers were shot after being let into the home in Waldorf, Maryland, by the family member and when they went upstairs to a room where the suspect was inside.

It is not known if the deputies returned fire and no details have been given about their condition.

We are on the scene of an officer involved shooting in the 6300 block of Josephine Road in Waldorf in which two officers were injured. Situation is ongoing and we will provide updates as we can, tweeted the department.

Officials said this may be a possible barricade situation and drivers are being asked to avoid the area.
By Arshad Mohammed and Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the United States searches for a path back to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, it is tiptoeing through a minefield laid by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The mines are Iran-related sanctions Trump imposed on more than 700 entities and people, according to a Reuters tally of U.S. Treasury actions, after he abandoned the nuclear deal and restored all the sanctions it had removed.

Among these, Trump blacklisted about two dozen institutions vital to Iran's economy, including its central bank and national oil company, using U.S. laws designed to punish foreign actors for supporting terrorism or weapons proliferation.

Removing many of those sanctions is inevitable if Iran is to export its oil, the biggest benefit it would receive for complying with the nuclear agreement and reining in its atomic program.

But dropping them leaves Democratic President Joe Biden open to accusations that he is soft on terrorism, a political punch that may be unavoidable if the deal is to be revived.

The possibility has already drawn fierce Republican criticism.

"It is immoral," Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month as he promoted legislation to make it harder for Biden to lift the sanctions on Iran.

John Smith, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) from 2015 to 2018, described Trump's wave of Iran sanctions as "unprecedented in scope in modern American history."

Targeting Iranian institutions for supporting terrorism or for links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has made reviving the deal much harder, said Smith, now a partner at law firm Morrison & Foerster.

"By adding global terrorism, IRGC or human rights abuses to any listing you make it incredibly difficult politically ... to remove those names from the list," he said. "You can do it, but you face much more potential blowback if you do."

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A U.S. official said Reuters' tally of sanctions imposed by Trump was close to the Biden administration's count, though judgment calls about what to include can yield slightly different totals.

LEGITIMATE OR CONTRIVED?

The restoration of U.S. sanctions has blighted the Iranian economy, which shrank by 6% in 2018 and by 6.8% in 2019, according to International Monetary Fund data.

Trump, a Republican, withdrew from the deal in 2018, arguing it gave Iran excessive sanctions relief for inadequate nuclear curbs, and he imposed a "maximum pressure" campaign in a failed attempt to force Tehran to accept more stringent nuclear limits.

He also said the agreement had failed to curtail Iran's support for terrorism, backing for regional proxies in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, and pursuit of ballistic missiles.

Biden wants to restore the pact's nuclear limits and, if possible, extend them while pushing back against what he has called Iran's other destabilizing activities.

U.S. and Iranian officials have begun indirect talks in Vienna seeking a way to resume compliance with the agreement, which Iran, after waiting about a year following Trump's withdrawal, in 2019 began violating in retaliation.

Under the accord, Tehran limited its nuclear program to make it less capable of developing an atomic bomb - an ambition Iran denies - in return for relief from economic sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and United Nations.

European diplomats are shuttling between the U.S. and Iranian delegations because Tehran rejects direct talks. Officials are trying to strike a deal by May 21 but major obstacles remain.

Among these is what to do about sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), which was sanctioned in 2012 to block its assets under U.S. jurisdiction. Those sanctions were removed under the nuclear deal and resumed when Trump withdrew.

In September 2019, Trump went further by blacklisting the CBI, accusing it of giving financial support to terrorist groups, effectively barring foreigners from dealing with it.

He also targeted other parts of Iran's oil infrastructure for alleged support for terrorism, including the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the National Iranian Tanker Company, and the National Petrochemical Company.

If Iran is to sell its oil abroad, sanctions lawyers say these companies must get sanctions relief, otherwise they will remain radioactive to foreign firms. U.S. firms are already barred from dealing with them under different sanctions.

Presaging a likely Republican line of attack, Elliott Abrams, the Trump administration's last special envoy for Iran, argued that the sanctions were imposed on legitimate grounds.

"Those were legally and morally sufficient and justifiable designations," he said. "They were not pulled out of thin air."

FOCUS ON CENTRAL BANK

A senior U.S. State Department official said the Biden administration does not plan to challenge the "evidentiary basis" on which the Trump administration imposed the sanctions.

In effect, that means it will not argue that these entities did not provide support for terrorism.

Rather, he said, the Biden administration has concluded it is in the U.S. national security interest to return to the nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), justifying the sanctions' removal.

Trump's April 2019 decision to blacklist the IRGC, and its Quds Force foreign paramilitary and espionage arm, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) has also complicated matters.

The action marked the first time the United States had formally labeled another nation's military a terrorist group.

In September 2019, OFAC used counterterrorism authorities to target Iran's central bank, which it accused of having provided billions of dollars to the IRGC, the Quds Force and Lebanon's Hezbollah, which Washington has long deemed a terrorist group.

"What I would find particularly objectionable is any move that would change the sanctioning of the IRGC for terrorist activities because the IRGC engages in terrorist activities. It is a clear case," said Abrams.

The Biden administration, however, does not need to strip the FTO designation from the IRGC in order to remove the related sanctions on the central bank.

The Treasury secretary can reverse any sanctions placed on the central bank under U.S. executive orders, which give the president the ability to impose, or rescind, them at will, former U.S. officials said.

The State Department has said only that if Tehran were to resume compliance with the deal it would remove those sanctions "inconsistent with the JCPOA" without giving details.

"The political heat is going to be, frankly, quite intense," said Iran analyst Henry Rome of Eurasia Group. "Anything involving the 'T' word in this case is going to be a ready-made talking point to those who oppose a return" to the nuclear deal, he said, referring to 'terrorism'.

"The political challenge here is to say, 'The designations may have been legitimate, but we have other foreign policy interests that dictate nevertheless removing them.' That's a tough needle to thread but it's one that they'll have to."

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Daphne Psaledakis; Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Mary Milliken and Daniel Wallis)
(Reuters) -British ministers are considering contingency plans for local lockdowns or a delay to reopening after June 21 in response to concern about the spread of the coronavirus variant first detected in India, The Times newspaper reported on Monday.

Officials have drawn up plans modelled on the Tier 4 restrictions introduced last year, the paper said. People would be advised to stay at home and non-essential shops and hospitality would be closed if the variant was not brought under control, it added.

The newspaper said businesses in areas subject to the restrictions would receive grants of up to 18,000 pounds ($25,440) and the scheme would be administered by local authorities, with payments adjusted according to the length of restrictions.

Grants would be made available for the worst-affected sectors, such as nightclubs, and for "mass events" including festivals in another scenario being considered with a delay to reopening after June 21, the report said.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said the government cannot yet make a judgment on whether to go ahead with a further easing of lockdown restrictions in England on June 21 and wants to see as much data as possible before deciding.

Britain reported 1,979 new cases of coronavirus on Monday and five deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test, while the data showed 36.7 million people had been given their first vaccine dose.

($1 = 0.7076 pounds)

(Reporting by Nandakumar D in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Karishma Singh)
U.N. Security Council diplomats convened an emergency meeting to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed in the Mideast as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest attacks yet during nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes. (May 16)

Video Transcript

ANTONIO GUTERRES: We meet today and meet the most serious escalation in Gaza and Israel in years. The current hostilities are utterly appalling. This latest round of violence only perpetuates the cycle of death, destruction, and despair, and pushes farther to the eyes any hopes of coexistence and peace.

GILAD ERDAN: This is not the first time that Hamas has indiscriminately fired deadly missiles at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians. But this time, it's different. It was completely premeditated by Hamas in order to gain political power.

RIAD AL-MALKI: How many Palestinian civilians killed is enough for a condemnation? We know a single Israeli is. But how many Palestinians? 200 Palestinians have been killed. A third of them, children and [INAUDIBLE]. What is the threshold for outrage?

T.S. TIRUMURTI: These incidents have once again underscored the need for immediate resumption of dialogue between Israel and Palestinian authorities. The absence of direct and meaningful negotiations between the parties is widening the trust deficit between the parties. [? Does ?] it only increase the chances for similar escalation in the future.
By Ardee Napolitano

WAHAGNIES, France (Reuters) - Foamy slime bubbles onto Damien Desrochers hand as he lightly rubs one of the thousands of snails he keeps in an enclosure in his backyard.

The 28-year-old French artisan began using the gastropod fluid to make soap bars, which he sells in local markets, in December.

"It's all in the dexterity of how you tickle, Desrocher said as he extracted the slime, noting that the process does not kill the animals. I only touch it with my finger, you see it's not violent, it's simple."

A former air force computer technician, Desrocher decided to start farming snails in the northern French town of Wahagnies as a form of "returning to nature".

"Once you observe and see how snails behave, they're actually very endearing," he said. "It's really an animal that I love."

He has raised a total of 60,000 snails. As they enter their reproductive season, most are transferred to a larger site, while around 4,000 are kept in an enclosure at his home to harvest the slime.

A single snail will yield about 2 grams of slime, meaning he needs around 40 snails to produce 80 grams - enough to manufacture 15 100-gram soap bars.

We need quite a lot of snails," he said.

Although quite uncommon in Western cosmetics, snail mucus has become a more common ingredient elsewhere, including in Korean beauty products, noted for its anti-aging properties.

Desrocher said slime contained molecules of collagen and elastin, which have anti-aging and skin-healing properties. Snails also naturally use their slime to repair their shells if damaged, he said.

Desrocher said he aims to produce 3,000 snail slime soap bars in his first year of production.

(Reporting by Ardee Napolitano; Editing by Richard Lough and Alison Williams)
By Matt Scuffham

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Wells Fargo has launched a 10-year commitment to help unbanked individuals in the United States gain access to affordable, mainstream bank accounts, the company said on Monday.

The initiative aims to help Black and African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, who account for more than half of the country's 7 million unbanked households, have easier access to low-cost banking, Wells Fargo said.

As part of the plan, the bank has committed to redesigning 100 branches in low-to-middle income neighborhoods to enable one-to-one consultations, offer digital banking access and conduct financial health seminars.

Banks are under pressure from lawmakers and advocates to increase financial inclusion and access to banking services for underserved communities.

The need to address the issue had been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has said the number of unbanked households will likely increase in the aftermath of the pandemic.

According to FDIC data, 12.2% of Hispanic households, 13.8% of Black households, and 16.3% of American Indian/Alaska Native households in the U.S. dont have access to a mainstream checking account  compared with 2.5% of White and 1.7% of Asian households.

"We recognize the high number of unbanked households is a complex and long-standing issue that will require gathering the best minds, ideas, products and educational resources from across our communities to bring about change," Wells Fargo Chief Executive Charlie Scharf said in a statement.

Wells Fargo is focusing on three areas with the initiative - expanding access to financial education and advice, increasing access to affordable products and launching a National Unbanked Advisory Taskforce.

The taskforce will include representatives from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

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Through the initiative, the bank said it would deepen its existing relationships with Black-owned Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), which are more likely to lend in underserved minority communities. That will include allowing customers of those institutions to withdraw cash from Wells Fargo's ATMs and incur no Wells Fargo fees.

It will also increase funding and support to expand the Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) low-cost, credit-building consumer loan program. That will enable more low-to-moderate income individuals to meet short term cash needs and establish or improve their credit scores, it said.

Wells Fargo declined to say how much it is investing in the initiative.

(Reporting by Matt ScuffhamEditing by Bill Berkrot and David Gregorio)
Williams told police that he gave Zorii her bottle while the mother was in the shower and he burped her and placed her in a bassinet. Zorii was placed on her back on the pillow. He told police that he was the last to hold Zorii and the other children were upstairs in their rooms, according to the documents.
President Joe Biden on May 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

President Joe Bidens first months in office have been disappointingly familiar. While his predecessors combative tone is a thing of the past, when looking at actions (not words), it seems the presidents commitment to collaboration has disappeared.

During negotiations on the American Rescue Plan, Biden essentially said that bipartisan support would be nice, but that hed be willing to pass the bill without it. The bill was promptly rammed through Congress on a party line vote.

He did not strike many notes of collaboration during his first address to Congress, at one point saying on immigration: If you actually want to solve a problem, Ive sent a bill to take a close look at it. What happened to the promise to listen to one another again?

This is disappointing, but there is reason for hope. One of the few moments of promise in his speech was the acknowledgement of a Republican counterproposal to his infrastructure plan. We also were encouraged that he recently held talks with congressional Republicans.

Biden says he welcomes ideas. Now he must fully commit to this line of thought. Bipartisanship can no longer be thought of as a nice to have commodity. It must be considered necessary for future legislative progress, because healing our great divides is paramount to the health and strength of the nation.

We know how easy it is to pay lip service to common ground. As heads of an organization, Common Ground Committee, dedicated to healing the existential threat of toxic polarization, we see it all too often from both ends of the political spectrum.

While Republicans are now sounding the call for bipartisanship, it wasnt long ago that their leadership passed President Donald Trumps tax cuts without any Democratic support.

Biden has an opportunity to break this winner takes all culture in Congress, but he must first adjust his definition of what true unity means.

The Biden administration has made clear that it views unity through the lens of bringing the American people together. To be sure, that is a worthy goal, and polling does show that parts of the presidents agenda have support from both Democratic and Republican citizens.

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But so does bipartisanship. A new survey from Public Agenda and USA TODAY found that the majority of Americans on both sides of the aisle want compromise, and that they blame our leaders for the polarization.

Theres a lot of talk about good faith negotiations. Its up for debate whether Republicans initial $600 billion counterproposal to the American Rescue Plan was a serious offer. But even if it wasnt, the president could have called their bluff and made a counteroffer. Would Republicans really have been willing to be seen as the ones scuttling bipartisanship?

Vote on hate crimes bill is encouraging

The recent 94-1 passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was an embodiment of what can happen when Democrats and Republicans put serious effort into cooperation. This type of progress should be commonplace, not a rare occurrence.

Biden should seize the momentum that Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, brought forth and use it to rebuild trust between the two parties heading into the next few months of negotiations on infrastructure.

The type of collaboration we saw on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act is not just a bonus, feel-good story  its a necessity for our country to function. If no progress is made on infrastructure via collaboration, we fear a chilling effect that could prevent progress on some of the most important issues facing the country, from guns to climate change.

At such a critical point in the nations road back to normalcy, now is exactly the time that Biden should hammer home the importance of collaboration.

Its encouraging that the administration has called the Republicans' $568 billion infrastructure counterproposal a good faith effort. Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, at a recent event we hosted with former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, said he believed there are aspects of the infrastructure bill Republicans could get behind.

Yet, even as talks show signs of promise, Democrats are setting an arbitrary deadline before they go it alone.

Take Republican proposal seriously

We are not saying that the Republican plan is the way to go to solve infrastructure. But at the very least, the president and congressional Democrats ought to seriously consider it as a first step in crafting a bill suitable for both sides  without putting up roadblocks.

Biden wisely said in his inaugural address that every disagreement doesnt have to be a cause for total war. We couldnt agree more.

Republicans are not going to be on board with every idea the Democrats propose and vice versa  and thats perfectly fine. But we shouldnt let those disagreements be a barrier to any progress.

The president has an opportunity to fundamentally change the narrative of how business is done in Congress and give Americans an example to aspire to. He should not let that moment pass him by because in these times of great division, the way business gets done is just as important as the business to be done.

Bruce Bond and Erik Olsen are co-founders of Common Ground Committee, a citizen-led initiative focused on demonstrating productive public discourse.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: If President Biden abandons bipartisanship, America will suffer
AT&T is unwinding a huge part of its $84 billion acquisition of Time Warner, less than three years after it closed.

Driving the news: AT&T this morning announced that it will merge its WarnerMedia properties with Discovery Inc.'s media assets.

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AT&T's contributions will include cable networks CNN, TNN, TNT, Cartoon Network and HBO, plus streaming service HBO Max. Discovery's will include its Discovery-branded content, TLC, Food Network, Eurosport and its Discovery+ streaming service.

The deal is expected to close in the middle of next year, via a joint venture that would have projected 2023 revenue of $52 billion and adjusted EBITDA of around $14 billion.

The big winner is Elliott Management, the activist investor that in 2019 took a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T and publicly argued that the Time Warner acquisition didn't make strategic sense.

Elliott later signed a ceasefire with new AT&T CEO John Stankey, who agreed to spin off DirecTV via a deal with TPG Capital.

There were reports in November that Elliott divested its AT&T stake, but my understanding is that it just sold off its small amount of common stock, but maintains most of its swaps. It subsequently purchased new common stock, to be reflected in a 13F being filed today.

It does not appear that AT&T reached out to private equity firms to help buttress the deal.

The big loser is former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. Not only were Time Warner and DirecTV his two biggest acquisitions, but his failed pursuit of T-Mobile triggered a massive termination fee that financially strengthened a smaller rival and arguably caused AT&T to sell off its wireless spectrum.

The big comp is Verizon, which also has a (relatively) new CEO who views networking as the crown jewel and content as a pricey distraction.

The big note is how rushed this morning's announcement felt, despite some background insistence that it wasn't, per Axios media reporter Sara Fischer.

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They didn't announce the new company's name, instead saying they'll drop it "later this week."

No disclosed decisions yet on if the two streaming services will be merged.

Reporters had 30 minutes' notice this morning of the Zoom call.

No clarity on the future of WarnerMedia boss Jason Kilar, who was notably absent from the press release. Stankey simply said that Discovery CEO David Zaslav  who will run the new business  has lots of discussions ahead of him.

The bottom line: Two things you can always count on after acquiring Time Warner are big controversy and big regrets.

Editor's note: This post was corrected to reflect that Elliott Management took a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T in 2019 (not in 2020).

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Bob Baffert was suspended Monday from entering horses at New York racetracks, pending an investigation into Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit's failed postrace drug test.

Baffert will temporarily not be allowed to stable any horses at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course or run any of his horses at the New York Racing Associations tracks. That ban includes races at Belmont Park, with the Belmont Stakes coming up June 5.

In order to maintain a successful thoroughbred racing industry in New York, NYRA must protect the integrity of the sport for our fans, the betting public and racing participants, NYRA President and CEO Dave ORourke said. That responsibility demands the action taken today in the best interests of thoroughbred racing.

Baffert had not committed to entering any horses in the third leg of the Triple Crown but had many in consideration for other races on Belmont Stakes day.

NYRA officials say they took into account Baffert's previous penalties in Kentucky, California and Arkansas, along with the current situation with Medina Spirit, and expects to make a final determination about the length and terms of the suspension based in information revealed by Kentucky's ongoing investigation.

Baffert's attorney, Craig Robertson, said in an email to The Associated Press that he is reviewing NYRA's decision and will discuss the situation and legal options with his client before their camp makes any formal statement.

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone in postrace testing and faces disqualification unless a second test comes back negative. Baffert on May 9 said 21 picograms of the corticosteroid, which can be used to help a horse's joints, showed up in the blood sample.

Baffert a day later said an ointment used to treat Medina Spirit for a skin condition daily up until the Derby included the substance. Even a trace amount of betamethasone in a horse's system is not allowed on race day in Kentucky, Maryland and New York.

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Maryland officials required Medina Spirit and Baffert-trained Preakness runner Concert Tour and Black-Eyed Susan entrant Beautiful Gift undergo three rounds of prerace testing before they'd be allowed to run last weekend at Pimlico. All three passed and were cleared to race.

Medina Spirit finished third and Concert Tour ninth in the Preakness on Saturday. Beautiful Gift was seventh in the Black-Eyed Susan on Friday.

Baffert has had five violations involving impermissible levels of medication in his horses over the past 13 months. He was fined in Kentucky and Arkansas and avoided a suspension in Arkansas following appeal.

Activist Marty Irby of the Animal Wellness Action applauded NYRA's decision, saying the organization is elated to see the State of New York continues to make the welfare of the horse, and eradicating cheaters from the industry, a top priority.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Yoder said last May there was more uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic and the farm had to implement new safety measures, but now he describes it as the new normal.

The farm divided its fields into zones to distance pickers and space people out and added hand-washing stations. He said he saw more people last year just because they were looking for something to do outside.

Our policies are arent quite as strict as they were last year and everyone is used to spacing out from others and I think last year was a but crazier as far as people werent working and school wasnt in session, so I think our crowd sizes were larger last year than they are now, but were still getting very good crowds, he said. Nothing to complain about.

Central Virginia doesnt have many strawberry growers; Yoder said thats because of the challenging climate and the berries like to grow in mild temperatures with a flat terrain.

He recommends using the strawberries to make shortcake, pie or just to eat them.

We love strawberry season, so we get excited about it too. Its one of those treats thats only in for a certain amount of time and were happy that we have a lot of strawberry fans that come out to see us, he said.
Among other pioneers of the CRT movement, legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw has called it an evolving practice that questions how race, as a social construct, perpetuates a caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers.

The argument has some merit, but, optimist that I am, I also agree with critics who say that CRT too often elevates storytelling over evidence and reason and devalues the racial progress that Americans have made, despite the challenges that remain.

Unfortunately, that robust academic debate is widely confused and easily exploited in the political world.

The conservative critique was captured well by Kathy Valente, director of operations for the Illinois Family Institute, who wrote in a letter to the Naperville Sun (one of the Chicago Tribunes suburban publications) after some state lawmakers proposed including critical race theory and The New York Times 1619 Project into the states teacher training and public school classrooms.

Critical Race Theory implies that all people who were born with white skin are racist, she wrote. And all whites have power because of their skin color and have used that power to hold back people of color. This is patently false. Tax dollars should not be used to foster lies, division and hatred.
We saw no follow-up on that proposal until his recent ill-fated attempt to tie the retirement of the coal tax credit to future appropriations to the school  but neither did we see any grass-roots community effort in Wise endorsing the plan.

(We bet if he had proposed that for the Roanoke Valley a committee of community leaders would have sprung the next day to advocate for it.)

Next door in West Virginia, the state legislature has been grappling with how to prop up the coal industry. It recently passed a bill requiring utilities to keep at least 30 days worth of coal on hand (something they already do, so its a meaningless requirement).

However, the legislature rejected an amendment that would have commissioned an economic plan for communities that have lost coal-related jobs. This seems a willful refusal to acknowledge the obvious.
WASHINGTON -- Stimulus checks of up to $1,400, the centerpiece of President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief package approved in March, are reaching unintended recipients -- noncitizens who are no longer living in the U.S.

Japanese citizens who have left America a long time ago appear to be among them. Some people posted on the internet that they were surprised to receive stimulus checks from the U.S. Treasury.

The checks were sent out based on incomes claimed on tax returns to U.S. citizens and residents. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service says noncitizens who are living outside the U.S. in 2021 do not qualify.

In the case of Japanese citizens, those who lived in the U.S. before the two nations' social security agreement took effect in October 2005 appear to be the recipients. Before the bilateral deal, Japanese expats working in the U.S. were required to pay into America's social security program, thus the IRS still has their records.

The agreement made it easier for Japanese citizens to receive social security after returning to Japan.

While the IRS claims that it checks the latest tax-filing information, those who have not filed tax returns for years might have received payments based on the recipient lists compiled by the Social Security Administration.

The Social Security Administration told Nikkei that it compiled separate lists for recipients at home and abroad.

Biden's American Rescue Plan has earmarked more than $410 billion for stimulus payments to individuals. Roughly $388 billion has been distributed through early May, meaning that in just two months more than 90% of scheduled payments have been given out via check or direct deposit.
Japan is a beautiful place, with a vibrant and rich culture. This country is known for its very low crime rates.

In the past, the Japanese job market was not known as being welcoming to foreigners.

Nowadays, due to a declining population and a rise in international companies, expats are finding more opportunities to work in the island nation with less stringent requirements.

Expats can feel overwhelmed with the list of dos and donts. Luckily, Japanese society is very welcoming of foreigners.

The Japanese are very polite, sometimes leading to indirect and convoluted ways of dealing with issues due to fears of offending people.

Overall, it just takes an open mind and patience to learn about Japanese culture.

There are many customs and traditions to be aware of when living in Japan. Japanese culture dictates waiting in line, and expats will rarely hear a car honk, even in the middle of Tokyo.

Japans healthcare system is universal and one of the best in the world. Hospitals are equipped with advanced, modern technology, and doctors and nurses are highly trained.

While its quite difficult to find legal paths to moving and settling in Japan permanently, there are many ways and schemes that enable you to experience life in Japan for a shorter period of time.

The most famous is the JET program and if you are planning to teach in Japan or will be based there for any other reason.

Whether youre looking to move or already live here, these are the ten best places in Japan to work, visit and live in.

1. Tokyo. (safe, many jobs)

2. Kyoto. (cheap, safe)

3. Hiroshima. (overall)

4. Okinawa. (overall)

5. Osaka. (cheap, jobs)

6. Yokohama. (overall)

7. Sendai. (jobs)

8. Fukuoka. (overall)

9. Kobe. (jobs)

10. Sapporo. (cheap, jobs)
The family of a Sri Lankan woman who died after being detained for overstaying her student visa visited an immigration facility in Aichi Prefecture on Monday to hear from officials about the circumstances leading up to her death.

Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali, 33, who was being held at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau in the prefecture, died on March 6 after having complained of stomach pain and other symptoms from mid-January.

Her death, which activists blame on a failure to provide appropriate medical attention, has been cited as evidence of problems riddling Japans immigration and asylum system, particularly with regard to the indefinite detention of foreign nationals facing deportation.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with the facilitys head, the family said they felt as if the immigration agency was running away from the truth.

The officials offered condolences and said they viewed Wishmas death as a serious issue but did not give convincing answers, the familys lawyer, who accompanied them, said.

The family also visited the single-person cell where Wishma was held, describing it as small and as if for an animal.

Wishma was detained in August last year at the Nagoya facility for overstaying her visa. The Justice Ministry did not determine the cause of her death in an interim report on the incident released April 9.
According to the app, more than 2,400 were reportedly seen over the weekend in the Towson and Columbia area, 3,400 near Gaithersburg and 4,100 in Crofton. But for every one that gets counted there are many, many thousands more.
Today, the Paradigm for Parity coalition announced that Sandra Quince has been appointed the coalitions first-ever CEO. Sandra is currently a Senior Vice President in the Global Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) organization at Bank of America. The bank is a long-time member of the coalition, and as an extension of its commitment, is sponsoring Sandra to join the coalition as part of Bank of Americas Leader on Loan Program.

We are very excited to welcome Sandra Quince to the Paradigm for Parity coalition and look forward to her leadership and vision as we continue to work with companies around the world to implement our action plan and toolkit, and close the gender gap for women of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds, said Ellen Kullman, Co-Chair of the Paradigm for Parity coalition and the CEO of Carbon. Working for one of the worlds largest companies, Sandra has a keen understanding of the intersectionality between race and gender equality, and firsthand experience tackling some of the barriers that impact womens advancement. We are grateful to Bank of America for its long-time support and partnership as we work to get more women into leadership positions in the corporate world.



Im honored to join the Paradigm for Parity coalition and work with the 129 member companies to make real and lasting change in the corporate workforce, said Sandra Quince, new Paradigm for Parity CEO. Diversity, equity and inclusion have long been top priorities for me and I am excited about the opportunity to use my experience at Bank of America to help companies around the world level the playing field for women of all races, backgrounds and ethnicities. I look forward to building upon the coalitions strong foundation to expand its reach and further drive impact.



As a member of the Paradigm for Parity coalition, I am excited about the appointment of Sandra Quince as their new CEO as a part of our Leader on Loan Program, said Sheri Bronstein, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bank of America. Sandras human resources expertise, coupled with her commitment to D&I, will further drive the organizations pursuit of gender equity for all.

Our Leader on Loan Program began a few years ago when we helped launch a community center in Charlotte, said Charles Bowman, Bank of Americas President of North Carolina, who leads the program. Loaning one of our leaders is a great way to inject human capital and share their knowledge, skills and best practices with our partner organizations.

As CEO, Sandra will work with the coalition's co-chairs, Ellen Kullman, Jewelle Bickford and Sandra Beach Lin, as well as its Board of Directors to oversee the strategic vision of the coalition. Working alongside staff and Executive Director, Beth Kent, Sandra will execute the organizations strategic growth plan. Under her leadership, the coalition will expand its tools and programming to focus on women of color in particular, in addition to its collaboration opportunities for companies to share best practices as they implement the Paradigm for Parity Coalitions 5-Point Action Plan.



Sandra brings over 15 years of experience in D&I and human resources that will be an asset as the Paradigm for Parity coalition continues to grow its ranks and reach its goal of gender parity in corporate leadership. At Bank of America, Sandra led the company in executive D&I strategies including the planning and operations for the companys Global D&I Council. Prior to joining the global D&I organization, Sandra was part of the companys leadership development team, supporting Consumer and Small Business Banking.

Bank of America has a long-standing commitment to equality and knows that companies that focus on creating a strong culture of D&I reap several benefits, including greater innovation, stronger employee engagement and productivity and a positive impact on their bottom line. The banks Global D&I Council, led by CEO Brian Moynihan, promotes diversity goal setting, which is embedded in Bank of Americas performance management process and occurs at all levels of the company. The Council has been in place for over 20 years and consists of senior executives from every group. To provide additional transparency into Bank of Americas people practices and diversity efforts, in 2020, the company issued its second Human Capital Management Report.



###



About the Paradigm for Parity Movement

The Paradigm for Parity coalition is comprised of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members and business academics who are committed to achieving a new norm in corporate leadership: one in which women and men have equal power, status, and opportunity.
At a joint news conference with Blinken, Kofod rattled off a litany issues on which the Biden administration has reversed course from the Trump era to Denmarks delight. Those included rejoining the Paris climate accord and World Health Organization and re-engaging with the UN Human Rights Council and the World Trade Organization.

Kofod had met less than a year ago with Blinkens predecessor, Mike Pompeo, amid lingering mistrust created by Trumps desire to buy the Danish territory of Greenland and his cancellation of a state visit to Denmark in 2019 after his suggestions were flatly rejected.

I am resolutely focused on today and tomorrow, not yesterday," Blinken said, adding that the United States would pursue new partnerships with Denmark and other countries on climate change and work more closely with like-minded nations to confront threats posed by an increasingly assertive Russia and China.

But, he said that: "Across the board, I think you've seen a few short months a determination by the United States to reinvigorate its alliances and partnerships and also our engagement with international institutions. And, he appealed for Europeans to embrace the Biden administration's policy shifts. Judge us not by what we say, but by what we do, Blinken said.
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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  The Keystone XL is dead after a 12-year attempt to build the oil pipeline. But the fight over Canadian crude rages on as emboldened environmentalists target other projects and pressure President Joe Biden to intervene.
Ben Nelson plays a key role in the highly informative and readable account of the battle to enact the Affordable Care Act contained in a new book called "The Ten Year War."

Jonathan Cohn, a senior national correspondent at the Huffington Post, takes us inside the tense struggle in Congress and provides historical perspective in exploring "the unfinished crusade for universal (health care) coverage."

Nelson occupies only a few pages, but Nebraska's former Democratic senator emerges as the guy who opened the door when the health care reform bill appeared to be trapped by a Senate filibuster.

He was "the last holdout in the Democratic caucus," Cohn writes, a senator who wanted no public option provision in the bill, carefully-tailored abortion language and Medicaid expansion only as optional for the states.

It was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, not Nelson, who ultimately suggested that the federal government pick up the entire cost of Medicaid expansion in Nebraska, Cohn writes.

The deal was struck and Nelson provided the critical 60th vote to break the Senate filibuster on Christmas Eve morning.

And a new term, "the Cornhusker Kickback," was born.
As the worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2014 raged, the Biden administration has limited its public criticisms to Hamas and has declined to send a top-level envoy to the region. It also had declined to press Israel publicly and directly to wind down its latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, a six-mile by 25-mile territory that is home to more than 2 million people. Cease-fire mediation by Egypt and others has shown no sign of progress.
Photo: Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images

The skies above Kabul have been abuzz over the past week with massive cargo planes flying out equipment amid the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Some are flying out of Bagram Air Base, a monster American stronghold once home to 40,000 military personnel and civilian contractors at the peak of the war here. Today, there are 3,300 U.S. troops in the entire country, who, like their NATO colleagues, are all scheduled to leave by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Yet contractors who make up Americas largest force in Afghanistan are beefing up their presence just in time to plug the vacuum that will be left behind.

So far, nothing is changing, said a contractor working for a U.S. company based in Bagram. News from the Pentagon has yet to trickle down. I am not aware of any changes to my job or of any contracts being passed to the Afghan government. These are American companies and these contracts will remain under private payroll.

I dont have much to share because no one has told us shit, says another. If there is an endgame, no one has told it to us. Its like the Pentagon is scrambling to build some sort of get out plan as we are walking it.

Contractors are a force both the U.S. and Afghan governments have become reliant on, and contracts in the country are big business for the U.S. Since 2002, the Pentagon has spent $107.9 billion on contracted services in Afghanistan, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis. The Department of Defense currently employs more than 16,000 contractors in Afghanistan, of whom 6,147 are U.S. citizens  more than double the remaining U.S. troops.

General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, has said contractors will come out as the U.S. military does, but many do not work for the military to begin with  rather, for other departments and a string of private entities. For instance, both the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department are retaining contractors for ongoing programs outside Kabul, despite the withdrawal. McKenzie was talking about U.S. contractors on DoD contracts but not necessarily the other agencies or other nationalities, says another contractor at Bagram. There are a lot of ifs and potential exceptions in that line from him.

But as some Americans leave, others are also arriving at Bagram, which senior Afghan military officials have confirmed will be the remaining hub for contractors. In April, 70 American security and defense firms started advertising more than 100 new security and intelligence positions, some with year contracts that go beyond September 11, 2021.

One such company is Triple Canopy, which is owned by Constellis, a company that also owns Academi, the most recent iteration of Erik Princes notorious Blackwater private-military contractors. Triple Canopy is hiring armed guards at Bagram to provide security for remaining U.S. personnel at four sites across the country. Raytheon Technologies is posting for logistics and intelligence analyst positions in Bagram. CACI and BAE Systems both posted jobs for signals intelligence specialists for an estimated term of 12 months. SOSi posted openings for intelligence analysts for yearlong deployments, where the work environment could require 100 percent of time spent outdoors. PAE, Inc., who scored nearly a billion dollars worth of contracts with the Pentagon over four years, is hiring for a contract for the State Department. Fluor Corporation is hiring for technicians, working for both the U.S. and the private sector. Louis Berger, who built and maintains the countrys largest power plant, inside Bagram, is posting more than 20 new positions at the base.

U.S. technical teams will continue to help Afghan forces in some sections beyond September 11, some from Bagram, said a contractor with knowledge of the new jobs. The contractor has worked for a private agency at Bagram for 15 years and renewed his contract for three years in mid-April. Other contractors, he said, will be based outside the country but visit from time to time, in line with the Pentagons plans for over-the-horizon counterterrorism missions. Either way, he said, the U.S. business portfolio in Afghanistan will continue.

Post-withdrawal, the biggest issue will be force protection. The U.S. Embassy is most likely to house remaining CIA personnel and contractors, who could face security risks such as kidnapping. The Embassy will retain a modest military presence, as is standard, but contractors would probably rely on U.S. contractors for security. Many international firms are likely to be leery of entrusting Afghan security forces without supplementary measures of their own, said Andrew Watkins, senior analyst on Afghanistan for the International Crisis Group.

Like CIA personnel, contractors can be untraceable, and by design, they exist uncounted while they support the military with logistical roles such as transportation. Some have murkier roles in the shadowy world of proxy dark ops and mercenaries. Others help operate the billion-dollars worth of U.S. equipment and heavy weaponry within the Afghan military: Contractors provide all of the maintenance for the Afghan Air Forces U.S.made Black Hawk helicopters and C-130 cargo planes. The air traffic controllers at the countrys airports are international contractors, said Watkins, with no organic local labor pool of Afghans trained up for the job to draw from.

So many contracts extend beyond the withdrawal deadline and between what U.S. officials say and what the immense needs are on the ground, something doesnt add up and somethings got to give, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate at The Wilson Center. Hence the likelihood that the contractor footprint will remain entrenched, to some degree.

That demand could be filled by the billion-dollar industry of private military contractors, since they dont count as boots on the ground but offer the same level and range of skills  all at a much lower political cost and with a dose of secrecy. The lines that differentiate such contractors from mercenaries are blurry: While private military contractors are considered legal, mercenaries are banned by international and U.S. laws, something which caused trouble for Prince when he was found to be training and constituting private armies in Iraq and Libya, and who had plans to privatize the war in Afghanistan.

This is really sensitive territory, and these folks will need to carry out a very delicate dance with their activities to avoid running afoul of the law, said Kugelman. The administration wants to draw down and move on to other things, with any remaining security presence largely kept out of the public eye. The last thing it wants is another contractor controversy and will need to be very careful in all decisions about how to handle remaining contractors post-September. Its possible that some contracts could face early termination, but that could entail large penalties or legal hurdles for amending or breaking them.

Beyond maintaining the airports and bases, equipment and planes, both the military and contractors rely on a force of Afghan contractors and locals for labor, such as cooks, laundry staff, drivers, and translators  staff who will face the largest financial hit from the withdrawal. At the wars height, it was estimated that more than 12,000 Afghans worked at Bagram. Today, about 1,700 remain. After four years as a translator, I am worried I will be let go. All of us are worried. We saw this happen before and in what felt like a day, hundreds of us walked out of the bases for the last time, says an Afghan contractor working at Bagram. I was lucky, but I am not betting on keeping my job this time. I might have already seen my last paycheck. We are all preparing for the worst.

Many U.S. contractors who have dedicated years of their lives on the ground in a war that has cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars are ready to get out. If they offered me an early termination on my contract, Id take it, said a contractor at Bagram. Fuck this place, I mean, good luck to the Afghan guys left here with the Talibs, to be honest, they deserve more, but all I can say is, they are fucked. For those still at Bagram, the U.S. war isnt ending with a U.S. military exit just yet, and for the newcomers about to step foot in Bagram, a new, important, and perhaps more covert mission is about to begin.

Correction, 5/13/21: A previous version of this article said Fluor Corporation is hiring armed guards and intelligence analysts for Afghanistan.
Product innovation recognized by esteemed awards program

Wolters Kluwers Lien Solutions business has won three American Business Awards for product innovation in the below categories:

iLien for Lien Management, Financial Services

iLien Motor Vehicle, Best Cloud Application/Service

Lien Insights Report, Financial Services

In their remarks, award judges consistently cited the superior operational and strategic benefits these offerings deliver to lenders. One noted that Lien Insights Report "is geared for providing lenders a comprehensive, real-time view of lien positions across their entire loan portfolio... A perfect solution to give comprehensive reporting." Another reviewer recognized how iLien Motor Vehicle "effectively interconnects traditionally disparate processes and workflows in the vehicle titling and management arenas into one system" providing "huge benefits for lenders." And commenting on iLien for Lien Management, another judge deemed it "a great, unified solution to manage a loans full lifecycle."

Now in its 19th year, the American Business Awards are part of the Stevie Awards program, recognizing the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide.

"These prestigious awards reflect our longstanding commitment to product innovation and leadership in Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) lien management and vehicle titling solutions for the lending industry," said Suzanne Konstance, Vice President, Product Management and Marketing for Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions. "We are pleased to receive independent market recognition of these industry-leading solutions, which reinforce the value they provide our clients as they strive to manage portfolio risk."

iLien for Lien Management is a portfolio of web-based solutions that enable lenders to manage and address risks in their entire UCC lien portfolio with analytics, visibility and automation.

Story continues

Lien Insights Report provides detailed reporting on a lenders estimated UCC lien position and insights into lien activity for each of its debtors, providing a comprehensive, real-time view of lien positions across ones entire loan portfolio.

As a cloud-based SaaS, iLien Motor Vehicle delivers a single solution for processing and managing motor vehicle titles. The offering helps solve the most unique and complicated challenges in title perfection.

Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions, part of the Wolters Kluwers Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) division, provides comprehensive lien management, debtor due diligence, monitoring, and risk management solutions to financial professionalsincluding a comprehensive set of APIs that lenders can use to automate their workflows. Its iLien suite of products provides solutions for asset-backed loan, real-estate and vehicle title processing and management to help reduce complexity in lien lifecycle management and promote more confident lending decisions.

Wolters Kluwers GRC division provides an array of expert solutions to help U.S financial institutions manage regulatory and risk obligations. Lien Solutions iLien for Main Street helps lenders optimize their due diligence and lien management efforts when securing loans for small and medium-sized businesses under the Main Street Lending Program. Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions eOriginal suite of purpose-built, digital lending solutions, meanwhile, helps lenders digitize their transactions and features electronic signatures, collateral authentication and an electronic vault.

About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk & Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to help ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance.

Wolters Kluwer (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. Wolters Kluwer reported 2020 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,200 people worldwide.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005049/en/

Contacts

Paul Lyon

Director of Global Corporate Communications, Banking & Regulatory Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance

Wolters Kluwer

Office +44 20 3197 6586

Paul.Lyon@wolterskluwer.com

David Feider

Corporate Communications Manager, Banking & Regulatory Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance Division

Wolters Kluwer

Tel: +1 612-852-7966

David.feider@wolterskluwer.com

On Twitter: @davidafeider
Revell was referring to ADEMs public hearing Thursday in Opelikas Municipal Court. The department will take public comments on the air and water permits sought by CreekWood to operate a quarry at the site off U.S. 29 near Beans Mill.

Highway 29 LLCs primary complaints in the lawsuit are that the petition was not signed by fifteen (15%) of the electors who reside with the beat and who own real estate located in the beat, and neither the Petition, nor the Ballot contain the statutorily required language that only those qualified electors residing of the municipal limits and in the unzoned portion of Beat 13 may vote or sign the Petition. 

Tuesday voteVoters in Beat 13, the precinct that includes the proposed quarry, are supposed to decide Tuesday whether or not they want to be subject to the countys Master Plan and zoning  the ballot does not pertain to the quarry bid or any specific zoning actions.

The sole question on the ballot is, Shall the authority of the Lee County Planning Commission, its master plan, and zoning regulations apply to Beat 13?

Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at Pine Grove Church, 7235 U.S. 29 North.

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A Birmingham man is facing murder charges after an April 26 vehicle collision in Homewood, Ala., left a nurse and Auburn native dead.

Jordan Marktice Ricks, 28, is facing charges for murder and leaving the scene of an accident, the Homewood Police Department said.

After being at large for a couple of days after the accident in Homewood, authorities with the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Ricks at a residence in the 1100 block of Hargrove Road in Tuscaloosa before transferring him to the custody of the Homewood Police Department on April 29, police said.

Ricks was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the wreck and will be held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $265,000 bond after his release from the hospital, according to police.

A preliminary hearing for Ricks case is scheduled to be held June 16, according to court documents.

Robyn Herring, who died in the traffic accident April 26, was a Homewood resident and Auburn native who graduated from Auburn High School in 1997 and earned her bachelors degree from Auburn University in 2001, according to her obituary in the Opelika-Auburn News.
The shooting, which ignited days of unrest, happened amid the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murder for pressing his knee against George Floyds neck as the Black man said he couldnt breathe.

Police have said Wright was pulled over for expired tags, but they sought to arrest him after discovering an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and had a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Intent isnt a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge  which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison  can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by culpable negligence that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause a death.

As Monday's hearing began, Chu acknowledged that Wright's family and friends were listening and extended her condolences to them. After finding there was probable cause for the case to continue, she set deadlines for court filings, saying it would benefit everyone to expedite the case.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  An Israeli airstrike on Saturday targeted and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets. Hours later, Israel bombed the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a top leader of Gaza's ruling militant Hamas group.

The Israeli military said Al-Hayeh's home served as part of what it said was the militant group's "terrorist infrastructure." Al-Hayeh is a senior figure in the Hamas political leadership in Gaza, and the attack marked a further escalation, signaling that Israel is going after Hamas' top leadership, and not just military commanders. His fate after the strike was not immediately known.

Earlier, AP staffers and other tenants safely evacuated the building after the military telephoned a warning that the strike was imminent within an hour. Three heavy missiles struck the 12-story building, collapsing it in a giant cloud of dust.

For 15 years, the AP's top-floor office and roof terrace were a prime location for covering Israel's conflicts with Gaza's Hamas rulers, including wars in 2009 and 2014. The news agency's camera offered 24-hour live shots as militants' rockets arched toward Israel and Israeli airstrikes hammered the city and its surrounding area this week.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 67F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 67F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
But I dont think restaurant workers are primarily worried about new lockdowns. They know that we are slowly getting out of the weeds of this pandemic. For many of them, its the fact that employers have, once and for all, shown that they dont care about their workers. Yes, some small restaurateurs cried as they laid off their staff, but many, especially large chains just treat you as collateral damage. This has always been apparent, in some ways. Foodservice work is rife with injuries both accidental and repetitive, and when they mount and become unbearable, seasoned workers are often discarded without a second thought. But the pandemic has brought a mass realization that no one cares about you as a human being. Restaurant owners public comments like, now we just take what we can get wont help the new hires feel appreciated, either.
Feel the Thunder Did you know that NOAA manages a National Marine Sanctuary in the Great Lakes region? The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is headquartered in Alpena, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Huron.

Co-managed by NOAAs Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Michigan, the sanctuary was designated in 2000 to protect and conserve the recreational, historical, and archaeological value of the regions natural resources and maritime heritage.

Lake Hurons cold, fresh water ensures that the nearly 100 historic shipwrecks that have been discovered in Thunder Bay are among the best preserved in the world. While research in the sanctuary focuses on understanding the regions maritime cultural landscape, the sanctuary also participates in scientific research, from real-time weather observations to artificial reefs and the complex micro-environment of submerged sinkholes.

Visiting Your Sanctuary

Since its inception, Thunder Bay NMS has played a significant role in the regions economy by promoting tourism and recreation in northeast Michigan. To visit the historic town of Alpena, take Route 23 (the Huron Shores Heritage Route, also called the Sunrise Coast). On your way, you can stop to visit one or more of Lake Hurons historic lighthouses.

When you reach Alpena, you can:
This is sick. RIP Alireza 

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That's horrid :(

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I read this a few days ago, so so sad. His life senselessly cut short

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I heard about this several days ago. Absolutely horrific. Rest in peace </3

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there just isnt anything that can be said that would be adequate. i hope he is at peace and that his partner and mother are supported and comforted during this time.

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That is absolutely evil. No other way about it.



RIP Alireza <3

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This is fucking tragic, I hadnt heard about this :(

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How can someone just do that...

This is just horrible.



I'm so sorry Alizera. Rest in Peace.

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rest in peace angel. I'm so so sorry this happened to you.. you deserved so much more.

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RIP This is truly awful.

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I heard about this. It's absolutely tragic and horrifying. Rest in peace 

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That poor kid. :( RIP 

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and for his mother to have to be the one who finds him. just sickening.

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I hope he's resting and his bf is getting loved on rn



20 is a bb to me. So young

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He was just about to leave too.

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Literally the second sentence lol

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Fuel demand in India continues to slump this month amid the COVID crisis in the worlds third-largest oil importer, with gasoline sales down to a one-year low and diesel consumption dropping to the lowest in seven months in the first two weeks of May.

Sales of gasoline and diesel plunged by 20 percent in the period May 1-15 compared to April, when demand was already deteriorating, sources with knowledge of data from the three biggest fuel retailers told Bloomberg.

Compared to the same weeks in 2020, road fuel sales plummeted by 28 percent, according to the sources familiar with preliminary data of the sales of Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, which, combined, account for 90 percent of Indias sales of fuels.

Most of India has been under local lockdowns since April when the resurgence of COVID started to overwhelm the healthcare system. The central government, however, is resisting calls for a nationwide lockdown, fearing a backlash on economic growth.

As India continues to fight the COVID resurgence, the infections are now spreading to rural areas. Daily new cases are now below the peak of over 400,000 from early May, but on Friday, the country reported a third consecutive day of more than 4,000 deaths.

Due to the COVID crisis, Indian fuel demand plunged by 9.4 percent in April compared to March, according to official data cited by Press Trust of India last week.

Oil demand in India is the main drag on the expected lower-than-previously-thought global oil demand this quarter, OPEC warned in its monthly report last week. The cartel, however, is optimistic that accelerating vaccination programs and rising fuel demand will raise global oil demand by 5.95 million barrels per day (bpd) this year despite the current COVID crisis in India, and kept its 2021 demand outlook unchanged from last month.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Iran is preparing to boost production and exports of crude oil as talks on the nuclear deal with the United States continue to progress, government officials said, as quoted by Bloomberg.

According to the report, Iran could return to a production level of 4 million bpd in as little as three months. Whats more, it could add to that figure millions of barrels of crude currently in storage, the report said.

At the moment, the National Iranian Oil Company is preparing fields for greater production, even though a deal is not certain at all. Even if signed, it will take a while for all hurdles the Trump administration placed on the way to Iranian oil to international markets to be removed.

Our return may be a gradual process rather than swift and sudden -- it cant happen overnight, former NIOC official and Iran OPEC envoy Mohammad Ali Khatibi told Bloomberg in an interview. Thats not only because of U.S. sanctions but because of the damage to crude oil demand resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

Even when the sanctions are lifted, some buyers may be reluctant to do business with Tehran, Khatibi also said, as quoted by Bloomberg. However, oil production will almost certainly grow, according to analysts.

No matter how the negotiations end, and no matter what happens to the Iranian oil industry after the end of the talks, Irans oil minister wont be there to see it as he said he will be retiring later this year after the term of President Hassan Rouhani ends.

If they offer me the presidency I wont accept it, let alone the ministry, Bijan Zanganeh told media, as quoted by Bloomberg. I will retire, I wont take another official post. But politics is life, you cant separate yourself from it entirely.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Several of the worlds largest oil-producing nations have recently made public plans to boost their production capacity. The reason: peak oil demand is looming and countries are determined to make the most of their oil resources while they can.

Everything that can be produced should be produced while there is still demand to sell it, the head of the energy committee at the Duma, the Russian parliament, said last month at the presentation of a draft document aiming to do just that.

The main thesis in this strategy is the monetization of current reserves and resources  that is, the maximum monetization of exports, Pavel Zavalny also said at the event.

Russia is one of the three biggest oil exporters in the world, alongside Saudi Arabia and the United States. It has enough oil to keep producing at current rates at least until 2080, with enough gas reserves to last for another 103 years. And the state is pouring billions$110 billion to be preciseinto the development of new oil reserves in eastern Siberia to tap 100 million tons of new crude annually. Thats about a fifth of the countrys annual output in 2019.

Much of this oil will replace depleting fields in western Siberia. According to the Energy Ministry of the country, Russia does not seem to have plans to considerably boost current production rates. In the last pre-pandemic year, the daily production rate was 11.3 million bpd, a record high. Now, the Energy Ministry sees the current - constrained - production rate rising from 10.3 million bpd to 11.1 million bpd by 2029 before beginning to decline. In other words, Russia has eight years to take advantage of growing global oil demand as per its own scenario.

Yet, there are various scenarios for the peak of oil demand. BP, for instance, predicted that in the worst-case scenario peak oil demand has already arrived, and in the best-case scenario, it will come in 2030. Norways Equinor expects peak oil demand sometime in 2027 or 2028. Rystad Energy sees demand peaking in five years, and the International Energy Agency expects peak demand over the next decade. All in all, forecasts are within the range of 2030.

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This means producers such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the Gulf nations have very little time to make the most of their oil reserves before demand begins declining steadily. And with all of these countries boosting their production capacity and making plans for higher production, competition in the oil market is bound to become even more severe than it is now.

When it comes to competition, Russia is better positioned than its Middle Eastern partners. It has always been less dependent on oil export revenues than Middle Eastern producers. Recently, it has been deliberately reducing this dependence. Oil and gas revenues still account for a solid 30 percent of gross domestic product, but with things like hydrogen catching the eye of the Kremlin, diversification is slowly but surely underway. Still, there are all those billions of barrels of oil sitting in the ground, and it would be a pity to keep them there, hence the plans to boost production. But who will be buying?

In terms of export destinations, Russia has mixed luck. Its biggest client by far is China, which is good for future oil asset monetization plans. Its second-biggest client is Europe, and that continent will be reducing its oil intake fast if everything in the EUs energy transition scheme goes as planned. That means Russia will need to find new buyers for all the new oil it will be pumping from eastern Siberia.

India is an obvious candidate. The country imports 80 percent of the oil it burns, and it likes it cheap because of that. In India, Russia will be competing with its OPEC partners and the United States, for whom India is also a top oil export destination. The rest of emerging Asia will also be a key market for oil exporters as peak demand draws nearer and nearer.

Oil producers are then in a rush to sell as much oil as they can while there are still buyers, it seems, based on demand forecasts. But the truth is that peak oil demand may indeed come in ten years or fewer, but it does not mean demand will then fall off a cliffunless another pandemic hits the planet, that is. In the absence of such an unforeseen event, oil demand is likely to decline pretty gradually, giving forward-looking producers plenty of time to adjust by boosting their non-oil sectors. From this perspective, Russia has enough time to reduce oil and gas revenues as a portion of GDP. Whether it will use this time wisely to achieve those aims remains to be seen.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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U.S. coal-fired power generation is set for a short-term recovery this summer as higher prices of coals main fossil fuel competitor, natural gas, will discourage parts of gas-fired electricity generation.

Natural gas prices are rising this year, and traded above $3 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) early on Monday, compared to less than $2 / MMBtu at this time last year. Reduced natural gas production and record-high American exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) have fueled a rally in natural gas prices since the start of the year. The winter storms in February, which triggered the largest monthly drop in U.S. natural gas production on record, primarily due to freeze-offs in Texas, also played a part in rising natural gas prices as inventories drew down quick amid record residential consumption demand.

As a result, going into the summer months, the cost of natural gas delivered to electric generators will be nearly 50 percent higher compared to last year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. That cost is expected to average $3.13 MMBtu this summer, up by 46 percent compared to the summer of 2020 and close to the price during the summer of 2018.

Soaring costs of natural gas use are set to discourage gas-fired power generation at the expense of coal and renewables, with the coal increase more noticeable, according to the EIA.

Higher fuel costs for natural gas-fired power plants this year means that those plants will be dispatched for electricity generation less often, while coal-fired power plants will likely be dispatched more often, the EIA said in the Summer Electricity Outlook supplement to its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) in May.

U.S. electric power sector generation from natural gas during the summer of 2021 is set to account for 37 percent of total generation, down from 42 percent last summer. On the other hand, U.S. coal-fired generation will rise and hold a 26-percent share of total generation in the summer of 2021, up from 22 percent last summer. Related: Gulf Countries Are Rushing To Unload Non-Essential Oil Assets

Renewable sources are also expected to generate more electricity this summer than last summer, primarily because of the newly installed wind and solar generating capacity, the EIA said.

Despite the rise in coal-fired power generation this summer, this would not be a long-term trend, it is a short-term blip driven by the economics of natural gas.

Although coal-fired power generation this summer is set to rise, due to the fact that coal plants are now more economical to run than in previous years, coal electricity generation will still be 12 percent lower than in 2018, the EIA said.

This is due to the long-term trend of natural gas and renewable power sources replacing coal-fired share of electricity in recent yearsa trend that is only expected to become stronger in coming years.

Meanwhile, natural gas prices are set to average $3.05/MMBtu for all of 2021, up from the 2020 average of $2.03/MMBtu, as per EIAs latest estimates. Two key factors are driving this rise in priceslower American natural gas production than in the past two record years and record-high U.S. LNG exports.

LNG exports set an all-time record in March 2021 at 10.5 Bcf/d and averaged 9.2 Bcf/d in Aprilthe most exported LNG for those months since the United States began exporting it in 2016, according to EIA data. High prices of LNG in Asia and Europe incentivized increased American LNG exports as prices outside the U.S. remained high enough to make shipping U.S. LNG economical.

The current state of the U.S. natural gas futures also suggests tighter domestic supply, which could put further upward pressure on prices. The price spread between the first and 13th month averaged 19 cents per MMBtu in Aprilthe highest backwardation since December 2018. Backwardation is the state of the market signaling tighter supplies with prompt prices higher than those further out in time.

Hedge funds are also bullish on U.S. natural gas prices, and they hold a large net long positionthe difference between bullish and bearish betson gas futures and options contracts, according to exchange data compiled by Reuters columnist John Kemp.

Sustained high natural gas prices are set to incentivize higher U.S. gas production late this year and next year, but in the meantime, increased cost of natural gas generation will benefit coal use this summer.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Second year into the pandemic-triggered limbo, many statements that would have seemed quite uncontroversial before COVID pummeled Europes energy markets today might seem questionable. Before 2020, Russia was the leading gas exporter to Turkey with a market share around 33%. Few were those who predicted any sudden alterations to this order of things. Even though Azerbaijan ramping up exports to Turkey with TANAPs commissioning had been long time on the agenda and given the political proximity between the two its utility was never really debated, the annual aggregates would still keep Gazprom comfortably in pole position, having both BlueStream and TurkStream to avail itself with. Yet, tanking oil and gas prices have pushed Russia aside last year. Having shrugged off last years travails, Gazprom is now intent on retaking the No. 1 spot in Turkey.

Russian pipeline gas exports to Turkey plummeted in the first half of 2020, reaching only 4.7 BCm (having garnered half of it January 2020 alone). Not without soul-searching, Gazprom stated that the massive demand drop was due to COVID-19 curbing Turkeys gas needs and spot LNG imports becoming more profitable than piped gas. The thing is that the Russian firms pricing formula is based on a European products basket, priced in with a 6-9 month lag so that in times of sudden price drops front-month Russian terms might very well become less attractive than spot LNG deliveries. This year, however, has brought about a complete reversal of Gazproms Turkish fortunes - in January-April 2021, Gazproms export tally to Turkey totalled 10.34 BCm, i.e. more than in the first nine months of 2020.

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Source: Reuters.

In the same manner that the multi-month pricing lag has made Gazprom piped deliveries sub-commercial in 2020, buying Russian gas now makes perfectly good commercial sense. The lagged pricing peg is calculating Gazproms monthly gas prices using the product prices of late summer/early autumn 2020 - when almost all the Northern Hemisphere struggled with the shattering impact of COVIDs second wave  as their basis. Turkish gas importers understand this and have been expectedly front-loading their H1 2021 supplies, wary that the gradual increase of oil-indexed prices might coincide with expensive LNG quotes.

The Russian pipeline vs LNG competition might have been much more edgy than it actually is right now. LNG flows, however, were first disrupted by the January cold snap in Asia and later with export issues in several countries  the lack of volumes from Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Nigeria was partially mended by US LNG (though this has shrunk whatever was available for European buyers). Thus, after prices for LNG landed in Turkey fell to 5.5 USD/MMbtu in March 2021, the normal assumption would be that they stay more or less flat throughout the spring/summer season. The exact opposite happened, landed prices started their incessant increase and by mid-May have surpassed 9 USD/MMbtu. This is the highest Turkish LNG import prices have been since November 2018 and, in all likelihood, they are still some way off from being capped. Related: Gulf Countries Are Rushing To Unload Non-Essential Oil Assets

Gazprom was partially aided by the expiry of the 2001 Azeri-Turkish supply deal. The contract, up until its lapse Turkeys longest standing, stipulated deliveries of 6.6 BCm per year sourced from the Shah Deniz field. Whilst the intergovernmental contract was signed very early on, the actual movements of gas molecules only started in 2007 and for more than 10 years supplies via the South Caucasus Pipeline boiled down to these volumes. This was then boosted in 2018 when the commissioning of Shah Denizs 2nd phase and the subsequent launch of TANAP allowed for another 6 BCm per year to be contracted. Turkeys national gas company BOTAS and the Azerbaijan Gas Supply Co., the institutional avatar of Shah Deniz stakeholders, have been holding negotiations for quite some time, however, could not find common ground on pricing issues despite the overall brotherly relations between Ankara and Baku.

It needs to be pointed out that not only the Shah Deniz contract is to run out this year, Gazproms agreements for the purchase of 8 BCm are to expire this December, too. Of this exactly half, i.e. 4 BCm per year, falls on the state-owned BOTAS whilst the other half has private gas buyers (such as Kalyon, Enerco, AKSA or Gama) participating. In total the Russian piped gas exporter has contracts to the amount of 16 BCm/year with Turkish partners, i.e. the aggregate take-or-pay commitments are the same as the throughput capacity of BlueStream. According to media reports, Gazprom has been renegotiating the terms and conditions of its long-term supply contracts. Whilst details on the progress made by the sides remains scarce, it might very well happen that the future contracts will be shorter as Turkey would prefer to maintain as much flexibility as it could get.

As promising as Gazproms export numbers into Turkey look right now, the big challenge will be to maintain these volumes in the second half of 2021. First of all, technical issues might hinder Russias export drive into Turkey. Tthe BlueStream pipeline will be undergoing maintenance for 15 days up until May 27, 2021 and if last years story is to repeat itself, it might happen that the maintenance will be used to cover up for the non-utilization of the pipeline. Almost right after BlueStream comes back onstream, the 15.75 BCm per year TurkStream pipeline will be down for another session of pipeline maintenance in June-July 2021. Beyond technicalities, gas prices will be a key determining factor  the farther out the pricing, the higher the prices as the relative market normalization of 2021 translates into costlier product basket formulae.

By Gerald Jansen for Oilprice.com

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The U.S. and Iran have been engaged in on-off talks about the resuscitation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  the nuclear deal  for some months now following the U.S.s unilateral withdrawal from the treaty in May 2018. So far, little progress has been made on any of the key issues involved on either side, although recent economic and financial data from Iran has kept the Islamic Republic at the negotiating table.

There are hopes in some quarters of the U.S. State Department that this data, in conjunction with the election in Iran on 18 June of a new president, will result in a softening of Tehrans stance towards accepting the tougher clauses that Washington wants to include in any new nuclear deal. These hopes, though, are likely to come to nothing, as the Iranian Presidential Election has been multiply rigged to ensure that no such president will emerge.

Firstly, in broad terms, there is no such thing as a moderate in top-level Iranian politics, which means that whoever becomes the next president will be of a carefully pre-determined type. It is not possible to be a serious politician in Iran unless you absolutely believe in the core principles of those who founded the Islamic Republic, a senior source close to Irans current administration exclusively told OilPrice.com last week.

At the centre of these guiding principles is the concept of Velayat-e-Faqih, which means that all serious political and religious authority is entrusted to the Shia clergy, which makes all key decisions for Iran, provided that they have been approved by the foremost religious leader - the Supreme Leader himself [currently Ali Khamenei]  and this is then enforced by the guardians of the [1979] Revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps [IRGC], he said.

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In practical terms, these decisions will cover everything of significance for Iran, from foreign policy, through defence policy, economic policy, and intelligence policy, to any domestic policy over and above how many aerials a specific apartment complex in Tehran can have on its roof, he added. In short, there is no such thing as a moderate or hardline Iranian politician  they are all what would be termed in the West hardline  but this differentiation that began in the West has been used as a negotiating ploy in Iran ever since to get what Tehran wants simply by saying: If you dont agree with this we will not be able to control our hardliners, he underlined.

There are those politicians that believe that more engagement with the West will get Iran more of what it wants than more engagement with Russia and China, certainly, and there are questions of Iranian sovereignty attached to that but that is not an ideological difference, just an economic one, he told OilPrice.com. Indeed, it should be remembered that outgoing President, Hassan Rouhani  often cited as a moderate in this sense  began his adult life as a cleric, becoming an ardent follower of the leader of the 1979 Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei.

This structure is reinforced with the second element in Irans power structures that pre-determine the type of president it will have after the 18 June election. Although Irans 290-member parliament (the Majlis) is an elected house its power is confined to determining non-essential matters but its decisions even on these can be overturned as all of the legislation passed by it then needs to be approved by the Guardian Council of the Constitution (the Guardian Council). This 12-member body acts in the manner of a general constitutional overseer, with half of its membership always being Shia theologians directly chosen by the Supreme Leader himself. The other six members are lawyers selected by the head of the judiciary, who is, in turn, also directly appointed by the Supreme Leader. In practical terms, then, Irans parliament has tended to deal with very small-scale domestic issues only and even these, if they relate in any way to economic or state security matters, are taken out of its hands. Related: Iran Is Planning An Oil Export Boost

The final element of pre-determination in the 18 June Presidential Elections is that the pre-selection process for suitable candidates for the position began some time ago by a body over which no one, except the Supreme Leader, has any authority at all  the Expediency Discernment Council of the System (Expediency Council). With the current President  Hassan Rouhani  constitutionally barred from running for a third term, the Expediency Council has been busy vetting potential candidates that it, in turn, will give to the Guardian Council, which will then publish the official shortlist of six candidates by 26 May.

The Expediency Council was originally created by the Supreme Leader to resolve any differences that arose between the Guardian Council and the Majlis (Irans 290-member parliament) but it also now functions in turn as a key advisory body to the Supreme Leader. According to the Iran source, last week saw Irans Supreme National Security Council send an eight page foundation document on candidates to the Expediency Council that stresses: Any candidates of the Presidency will have to meet the qualifying conditions that Moscow and Beijing have presented to Iran as preconditions for the continuation of their support. The document goes on: The level of the [Iranian] peoples participation in this [18 June 2021] election is less important than ensuring that the candidates ideas are congruent with those of our Russian and Chinese partners.

This view appears to echo that of Supreme Leader Khamenei who has also repeatedly stated that the U.S. should remove the sanctions on Iran immediately and without any preconditions before Iran returns in full to its obligations under the JCPOA. In the meantime, Khamenei is fully in favour of the wide-ranging 25-year deal signed between Iran and China (and a corollary expansion of cooperation with Russia) first struck and exclusively reported in 2019, and its later developments exclusively covered at OilPrice.com.

This is the reason why the potential candidate for the presidency who most seeks to re-engage with the West  [Foreign Minister] Mohammad Javad Zarif  has already been critically undermined by the anonymous release of tapes in which he is heard criticising the extent of the IRGCs influence in his Ministrys affairs and personally criticises the IRGCs former commander, the assassinated Major General Qassem Soleimani as prioritising military objectives over diplomatic ones, said the Iran source. It is also the reason why so many potential candidates have emerged in the last month who are so closely linked to the IRGC or other military institutions, including Saeed Mohammad [an adviser to new IRGC commander Major General Hossein Salami], former oil minister Rostam Ghasemi [an economic affairs aide to the head of the IRGCs elite Quds force], and former IRGC officer and Chief of Police, the current Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, he concluded.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Australias government will provide US$1.5 billion (AUS$2 billion) in payments to its last two refiners to ensure that they stay open until 2030 and supply the country with domestically-produced fuels, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday.

Australia will soon find itself with just two operating refineries, compared to eight operational sites 20 years ago. Due to its geographical position, Australia has lost the competition in the refining business as small and old refineries cannot rival the booming oil processing capacity in Asia, particularly China and India.

The pandemic has accelerated refinery closures globally as refiners and oil majors acknowledge that some sites have become permanently uneconomical amid depressed refining margins, fierce regional competition, and expectations of declining road fuel demand in the long term.

ExxonMobil announced earlier this year it would convert its Altona refinery into an import terminal, in the second such announcement from a supermajor in just a few months, following BPs decision to cease production at the Kwinana refinery in Western Australia and convert it to a fuel import terminal.

Faced with increased dependence on fuel imports, including from China, the Australian government is now taking strong action to further boost Australias long-term fuel security by locking in the future of our refining sector, it said today.

With the support to the two refineries  Ampols refinery in Lytton and the Viva Energy refinery in Geelong  the government looks to maintain a self-sufficient refining capability in Australia.



Related: OPECs Oil Exports Are Surging By 1 Million Bpd In May

Ampol, which had placed its Lytton refinery under review for potential closure, now intends to continue refining operations, thanks to the support, the refiner said following the government announcement.

We are pleased that the governments have recognised the challenges faced by the local refining industry which includes competition from large-scale international refineries and the impacts of COVID-19, said Matt Halliday, Managing Director and CEO.

Viva Energy also welcomed the government support, noting that it would help it to invest in the necessary upgrades to produce ultra-low sulfur gasoline, among others.

The government package support to refineries has to be approved by Parliament.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The alarming situation with the spread of the coronavirus in India has started to affect operations at some of Indias ports, which could lead to delays in oil offloading and discharge of vessels and disrupt other trade operations.

The Karaikal port declared force majeure between May 10 and 24, saying its operations are being severely affected due to the full curfew in the state of Tamil Nadu. Karaikal operations, including but not limited to unloading, loading, receipt, and dispatches, are being affected, the port operator said in a notice this week.

Disruption to port operations could affect oil and other trade if the situation persists.

The port of Visakhapatnam is also seeing the disruption of cargo operations, with a force majeure until May 19, G. Veeramohan, president of the Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Bloomberg.

Indian state-run refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation uses Visakhapatnam for crude oil imports. The companys import operations are not affected because it uses an offshore facility for tanker unloading, Hindustan Petroleums chairman Mukesh Kumar Surana told Bloomberg.

India continues to fight the COVID resurgence, with the infections now spreading to rural areas. Daily new cases are now below last weeks peak of over 400,000, but on Friday the country reported a third consecutive day of more than 4,000 deaths.

Due to the COVID crisis, Indian fuel demand plunged by 9.4 percent in April compared to March, according to official data cited by Press Trust of India on Wednesday.

The slump in oil demand amid local lockdowns and curfews has been a concern to the market in recent weeks. Gasoline and diesel prices in India hit record highs this week, adding another concern about demand in the worlds third-largest oil importer.

Oil demand in India is the main drag on the expected lower-than-previously-thought global oil demand this quarter, OPEC warned in its monthly report this week. The cartel, however, is optimistic that accelerating vaccination programs and rising fuel demand will raise global oil demand by 5.95 million barrels per day (bpd) this year despite the current COVID crisis in India, and kept its 2021 demand outlook unchanged from last month.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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I was initially excited to see these efforts happening because Ive been working for over a decade to reform local, state and national drug and criminal justice policies that have disproportionately harmed people of color in our state and beyond. I got into this work because of my own experience being incarcerated in Maryland and on probation in Baltimore City. As a white man navigating these systems, I benefited in so many ways from the privilege that comes with the color of my skin. I saw firsthand how economic and racial disparities permeate all areas of our society including law enforcement, health care, schools and housing.
Chinas Ganfeng Lithium, one of the worlds top producers of the commodity used in electric vehicle batteries, has inked an initial deal to explore setting up a batteries plant in Argentina.

The Chinese company, which counts automakers Tesla and BMW among its customers, is developing the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium brine project in Argentinas northwestern Jujuy province.

The project, in which Ganfeng has a 51% stake, is slated to produce of 40,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent per year and is scheduled to start production in the first half of 2022.

The non-binding agreement to explore building a plant was signed with Argentinas Ministry of Productive Development and the Jujuy provincial government.

The parties also agreed to look at the viability of joint development of projects as well as investment opportunities in lithium exploration and extraction, a statement from the Argentinian ministry said.

We want to support the industrial development of Argentina to make it one of the most important lithium-producing countries in the world, Ganfeng Chairman Li Liangbin said in that statement.

The firm is also pursuing a lithium brine project in Argentinas Salta province, near Jujuy, and expects to this year receive the environmental assessment permit needed to start construction.

Eyes in South America
This article provides information and education for investors. NerdWallet does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks or securities.

Investing in a greener planet and more equitable society sounds good on paper, but what does it mean in practice?

Historically, adding sustainable investments to your portfolio was no easy task: Fees were high, funds were few and far between, and 401(k)s didnt offer them. Now, fees have dropped, there are more sustainable funds than ever, and the Biden administration has announced that it wont enforce a previous ruling that largely excluded environmental, social and governance, or ESG, funds from 401(k)s.

Aron Szapiro, head of policy research for investment advice company Morningstar, thinks access to ESG funds in employer plans is a good step. I dont think theres much of an argument to be made for restricting these funds, Szapiro says. Plan participants seem to agree: According to a 2021 survey by investment management firm Schroders, when participants know their defined contribution plan offers ESG options, 9 out of 10 say they invest in them.
State-and-regional

alert

Are federal unemployment benefits keeping people out of the workforce?

Z LONG photos, THE WORLD-HERALD Many businesses are struggling to find enough employees amid a national labor shortage. Some restaurants, in anticipation of a busy June with the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials and College World Series coming to Omaha, are offering hiring bonuses to lure workers. Z LONG, THE WORLD-HERALD Help wanted signs are a common sight in the metro area. Nebraska has almost 40,000 open jobs across all industries, said Grace Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Labor. Z LONG, THE WORLD-HERALD Hiring issues are acute in Nebraska and elsewhere. Labor experts have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic created problems that keep people out of the workforce.

Rick Ledwich is getting worried.

The Zios Pizzeria owner is preparing for what could be his busiest month of the year. With the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials and College World Series coming to Omaha in June, hes expecting lots of extra customers at his Old Market restaurant.

But for months, he has been scrambling to find enough employees. Lately, he started offering $100 bonuses to any successful and reliable applicants.

Ive been in the restaurant business for 45 years. Ive seen some other short periods of time where weve had issues of finding quality people, Ledwich said. This is by far the worst Ive ever seen.

Ledwichs experience is one shared by many business owners who say they cannot fully staff their businesses amid a national shortage of employees.

The reasons are varied. But for some people trying to hire workers, the prime suspect is $300 per week in federal unemployment supplemental benefits. Combined with regular unemployment benefits, critics say, the extra federal money offered through the pandemic recovery law makes it more lucrative for some to collect benefits instead of taking a job.

Its creating kind of a havoc situation, Ledwich said.

At least 16 states led by Republican governors  including Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri  announced plans last week to no longer dole out the federal benefits beginning next month. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has not made a decision yet.

Nebraska 'continues to evaluate' enhanced unemployment as Iowa moves to end benefits early Citing strong labor market and recovering economy, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she would end federal pandemic unemployment benefits effective June 12.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has proposed a bill to phase out the extra federal benefits. And Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., wants to convert the benefits to hiring bonuses for people who take a job by July 4.

Not everyone agrees that the problem centers on the $300 a week benefits. Zoe Olson, executive director of the Nebraska Restaurant Association, says it comes down to Nebraska not having enough people.

And labor experts also have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic created problems that keep people out of the workforce. For example, some women are not searching for jobs because they havent found child care or have children taking classes at home. In addition, some workers remain reluctant to take service industry jobs that require contact with the public.

Theres no question that hiring issues are acute in Nebraska, where the 2.9% unemployment rate is tied for lowest in the nation.

Grace Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Labor, said Nebraska has almost 40,000 open jobs across all industries. She said just over 15,000 Nebraskans claimed unemployment benefits as of last week, not including those on short-term compensation. All are eligible for the $300 weekly supplement program.

That supplement, along with two other federal pandemic relief programs, will expire in September. But some states are dropping out of the program early, with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds charging that such benefits discourage people from returning to the workforce.

Ledwich agreed. I think once this finally runs out, thats where were going to start seeing more of an inflow of people coming to apply, he said.

A town renewed: Factory in tiny DeWitt, Nebraska, putting tools on the market again The factory that once produced Vise-Grip locking pliers is under new ownership, and its new Eagle Grip line of tools has given the southeast Nebraska town of DeWitt a renewed sense of pride.

Not everyone in the business world sees the extra federal benefits as a problem.

Jason Buss, a human resource manager for Camaco, which produces seats for pickup trucks and SUVs in Columbus, worries that scrapping the $300 benefit could cost him some workers.

Buss said the $300 weekly supplement is helping Camaco and its approximately 550 employees survive the global semiconductor chip shortage. The company had to furlough roughly half its workforce on a weekly basis since April, but employees are eligible for both state benefits and the federal supplement via the states short-term compensation program. Because of those payments, employees remain on board and are poised to return when the chip shortage abates.

If those extra benefits get cut off before were back to full work, Im going to start losing my workers to other places, he said.

Buss said the company projects that it will continue to furlough employees at least until mid-June.

(Our employees) really need those benefits until were back to full production, he said. Theres no doubt that were going to be working Saturdays and Sundays come July or whenever there are chips available. We just need time and the ability to hold onto these people and keep them comfortable  while they wait to work full time.

Meanwhile, restaurant owners say they are perplexed by the lack of interest in jobs. They say they are offering competitive wages.

Ledwich said base pay for non-servers at Zios starts at $11 to $12 per hour. While the base hourly pay for wait staff starts at $2.15, he said servers can expect tips during busy periods that bump that pay up to $15 to $20 per hour.

Labor shortage pinches, vexes restaurateurs across Nebraska, country Local restaurant owners are trying signing bonuses, incentives for existing employees and internet blitzes to find and keep staff.

Ron Popp, co-owner of two WheatFields restaurants and Andres Tortillery in Omaha, said hes not getting any applications despite offering full-time wait staff positions that could pay up to $30 per hour with tips accounting for 60% to 70% of that income.

Weve been searching and searching for more servers. Theres not a single one applying, he said. Its not at all a thing where we have 10 people apply and we sort through them. We have no one applying.

And the shortage of workers is producing stress and burnout among those who remain, some restaurant employees say. As time goes on, that risks making the employment situation worse.

Nebraska is not unique in experiencing labor shortages. According to the Associated Press, some national chains are increasing starting wages. Among others, McDonalds, Sheetz and Chipotle plan to increase thousands of employees hourly wages to as much as $15 per hour or higher.

There is no perfect solution to ending the labor shortage in Nebraska outside of attracting more people to live and work in the state, said Olson of the restaurant association.

As she did in an April 26 World-Herald story, Olson reiterated her call for comprehensive immigration reform as a way to boost the working population.

Theres no easy fix for this, she said. Nebraska just needs more people in the workforce now, and the state wont get that growth anytime soon even if current residents start having more children. People arent born at the age of 21.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.
At this point, we dont know exactly what happened, he said. Its suspicious; we have two children who were located in a home with nobody around.

Nielsen said she last talked with her children on Thursday evening via FaceTime, which is a type of video phone call.

They seemed happy; everything seemed OK, she said.

Nielsen said she became concerned when she wasnt able to reach the kids on Friday and Saturday. Their dad is under court order to provide daily communication during visits, she said.

She called Bellevue police and asked them to check on their well-being.

Officers went to the home twice, Jashinske said. The first time was 9:50 p.m. Saturday, and the second time was 8:59 a.m. Sunday.

Following that unsuccessful effort, Nielsen said she called a friend and asked them to go to the home. The friend found the door unlocked, walked inside and found the children dead, she said.

The friend called police at 11:03 a.m., Jashinske said.

Jashinske said police didnt have sufficient reason to force an entry into the home Saturday night and Sunday morning.
A 24-year-old Omaha man accused of fatally shooting two men near 24th and Emmet Streets in March was ordered Monday to stand trial.

Mabior M. Mabior is being held without bail on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony. Nyamal Both, 24, has been charged with being an accessory to a felony. She also was ordered to stand trial.

Mabior is accused of fatally shooting Loklok W. Thok, 27, and Duop Tang Deng, 24, just before 3 a.m. March 27. Thok was pronounced dead at the scene. Deng was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

When police arrived at the shooting scene, witnesses told them that Mabior may have been involved. Omaha Police Detective Mike Young said Monday that video surveillance from nearby Lothrop Elementary showed the shooting from a couple of different angles. The footage showed three people walking down the street, including a man wearing red clothing who police said was Mabior. The man in red shot the two others, Young said, before kneeling next to their bodies and checking their pockets.

The video, Young said, then showed the man police suspect was Mabior and two other men running to a nearby vehicle and getting inside.
Jury selection will continue Tuesday before a two-week trial at the Scott County Courthouse.

Rivera, 26, has been jailed since his August 2018 arrest. He wore a dress shirt and slacks Monday and listened through headphones as an interpreter translated the proceedings into Spanish. Hes likely to face a predominantly white jury in a state that Trump carried in 2020.

Defense lawyer Chad Frese told prospective jurors that his client's immigration status had become an unfortunate flashpoint but said it had nothing to do with the trial. He said Rivera enjoys the same constitutional rights as a U.S. citizen, and that jurors cannot hold his lack of English language skills against him.

The vast majority of about 30 potential jurors questioned Monday said they had heard about the case, and a dozen said they'd formed opinions about it. At least six were excused after being questioned in private about their views.

One prospective female juror said she felt sympathy for Rivera because he's accused of a horrible crime, and for the family of Tibbetts, who she said was so viciously murdered.

I think whoever did this should definitely pay, the woman said, adding that her view would not at all prevent her from serving.
His campaign, dubbed the Roemer Revolution, was perhaps best remembered for his vows to scrub the budget and brick up the top three floors of the Department of Education building.

He defeated Edwards, whose third term was marred by a sinking economy and federal trials in which he was acquitted but politically damaged.

Once elected, Roemer found the political going rough, perhaps in part due to his reputed abrasiveness.

I did step on a lot of toes but frankly all the toes were hanging out there naked. They needed it, he said in a 1992 interview with The Associated Press.

There were some successes, including passage of campaign contribution limits. He also signed into law a bill bringing riverboat casino gambling to the tourism-dependent state.

But, in the spring of 1989, voters defeated what would have been his hallmark initiative: a proposed constitutional amendment that would have overhauled the state tax structure, shifting the tax burden from business to individuals. The plan also included a $1.4 billion program to improve highways, airports and shipping ports that would have been funded by a gasoline tax increase of 4 cents a gallon.
Blended family embraces new life through hard work

People's Daily Online) 10:11, May 17, 2021

Lin Xingcong checks his ginkgo trees, May 4. (Photo/Xinhua)

Lin Xingcong and Li Yunxiang, who lost their respective spouses in the major Wenchuan earthquake that struck on May 12, 2008, have now embraced a new life through hard work after they built a new family together in 2009.

After Lin and Li tied the knot, they combined their efforts to take care of five seniors and three children in Maoxiang village, Gaochuan township, Anzhou district of Mianyang city in southwest Chinas Sichuan province.

The couple built a new house and has been planting commercial trees to support their blended family. In 2019, the couple also started cultivating traditional Chinese herbs.

More than 10 years on from the earthquake, Lins adult children have started their own families. Lin is proud of his children. My eldest daughter Lin Ling runs her own business with her friends in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan, while the middle child Lin Shunping is a manager of an agricultural company in another city within the province. My youngest son, Qiu Chao, is a hairdresser in Xiushui town in Anzhou district, the man said excitedly.

During this years May Day holiday, Lins children traveled back to their hometown in Maoxiang village for a family reunion. The man also worked with his children in the forest.

I want to tell them that happiness cannot be achieved without hard work, Lin said, hoping that they will go on to make outstanding achievements in their respective posts.

In recent years, Maoxiang village, which was once poverty-stricken, has taken on a new look, thanks to the development of tree cultivation and poultry raising businesses in the forests nearby, as well as with the continued support of government policies.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
It just doesnt make any sense to me. But you know I think the mayor may have the authority to do that, Hogan said. I know I saw him at the Preakness and at an event Thursday night both indoors, neither time with a mask. So if hes not going to do it, then he probably shouldnt tell others what to do.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world in the coming six weeks as domestic demand for shots drops and global disparities in distribution have grown more evident.

The doses will come from existing production of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine stocks, marking the first time that U.S.-controlled doses of vaccines authorized for use in the country will be shared overseas. It will boost the global vaccine sharing commitment from the U.S. to 80 million.

We know America will never be fully safe until the pandemic thats raging globally is under control," Biden said at the White House.

The announcement comes on top of the Biden's administrations prior commitment to share about 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet authorized for use in the U.S., by the end of June. The AstraZeneca doses will be available to ship once they clear a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.

Biden also tapped COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients to lead the administration's efforts to share doses with the world.
Ledwich agreed. I think once this finally runs out, thats where were going to start seeing more of an inflow of people coming to apply, he said.

Not everyone in the business world sees the extra federal benefits as a problem.

Jason Buss, a human resource manager for Camaco, which produces seats for pickup trucks and SUVs in Columbus, worries that scrapping the $300 benefit could cost him some workers.

Buss said the $300 weekly supplement is helping Camaco and its approximately 550 employees survive the global semiconductor chip shortage. The company had to furlough roughly half its workforce on a weekly basis since April, but employees are eligible for both state benefits and the federal supplement via the states short-term compensation program. Because of those payments, employees remain on board and are poised to return when the chip shortage abates.

If those extra benefits get cut off before were back to full work, Im going to start losing my workers to other places, he said.

Buss said the company projects that it will continue to furlough employees at least until mid-June.
Abortion rights advocates sounded the alarm Monday after the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to review Mississippis strict abortion law, setting the stage for the possible end or restriction of abortion rights granted under Roe v. Wade.

Anti-abortion organizations, however, hailed the courts action.

The most vulnerable among us, babies in the womb, deserve equal protection of the law, said Marian Miner, associate director for pro-life and family policy at the Nebraska Catholic Conference.

While it is not clear how far the court is willing to go in this case, we are hopeful for a decision that will affirm that right, embolden states to protect it and finally correct the grave injustice of Roe.

Planned Parenthood voiced the opposite reaction.

The protections guaranteed under Roe v. Wade are in jeopardy like never before, Planned Parenthood said in a written statement.

With three Trump nominees on the court, anti-abortion legislatures and governors have become even bolder in their attacks on essential health care, it said.
He said other counties should have been allowed to decide for themselves if they wanted to allow permitless concealed carry for self-defense purposes. The $100 state permit and the cost of gun safety training, Brewer added, are barriers for some people.

Nebraska lawmakers move to ban betting in casinos on Husker home games Patrons of racetrack casinos could not bet on Husker home games or other instate college teams under a compromise advanced by Nebraska lawmakers.

Opposition to eliminating the states current concealed handgun permit law is anticipated next year from urban areas. The Omaha Police Officers Association, the Omaha police union, has historically testified in favor of laws that require safety training and background checks before someone can carry a concealed weapon.

And there are different laws concerning firearms in both Omaha and Lincoln. While openly carrying a firearm is permitted statewide, a concealed carry permit is required in Omaha to openly carry a handgun. In Lincoln, people convicted of certain misdemeanor crimes, like sexual assault or stalking, are banned from possessing a firearm for 10 years.

Allowing someone to carry a concealed gun without training or a background check is unnecessary and dangerous, according to Melody Vaccaro of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence.
The families have spent years seeking answers to no avail. Freedom of Information Act requests by Ellis and others yielded redacted documents with little useful information about the clandestine mission.

It turns into a rat maze, Ellis said.

Because their deaths were not in the combat zone, their names were not allowed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, took up the cause and introduced legislation in 2019 to allow the names to be etched on the memorial, but it never made it to the Senate floor.

It is past time that we properly honor those lost. Thats why I will continue to work with my colleagues and the families of those lives lost on ways we can honor the service members, Peters said.

In Maine, the founder of Wreaths Across America, which places wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and at veteran gravesites around the world, was moved by the story and decided to create a monument. The granite stone has a marble marker with the names on it.

The unveiling Saturday featured a reading of the names, a rifle salute, the playing of taps and the laying of a wreath.
Right now I just havent seen anything to demonstrate that its definitely having a negative impact on safety, Clarke said.

However, the union coalition Transportation Trades Department notes the amount of time carmen have to inspect each car in a train has been reduced by more than half  from three minutes to just 60 seconds. Also, staffing cuts mean less-trained train crews are often handling those inspections, the group says.

From the conductor side, were basically finding things that are just obvious, said Greg Hynes, national legislative director with SMART-TD union that represents conductors.

The unions also say that most signalmen who maintain railroad crossing guards and safety signals along the rails have seen their territories grow by 150%, leaving little time for maintenance work once required tests are completed.

As maintenance gets neglected. then obviously the failures go up, said Tim Tarrant, a vice president with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen.

Overtime is also up, which the unions say increases fatigue and the chance that a safety defect could be missed.
New mayor takes reigns as residents say farewell to Merle Aaron

After 16 years of public service to the citizens of Humble, Merle Aaron has retired. Aaron was feted by the citys numerous employees, as well as family and friends, at a luncheon Friday, May 7 at the Humble Civic Center.

Amid flowers, balloons, fajitas and cupcakes, City Manager Jason Steube, Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey and new Mayor Norman Funderburk reminisced and shared fond memories.

Aaron began his public duty as a council member; the last six years he served as mayor.

Steube joked that he has known four Humble mayors and I can say, you are definitely among the top four. Steube and Aaron led the city through several hurricanes, the pandemic and other difficulties but Stuebe had nothing but praise for Aaron.

Weve been through so much in the last few years, Steube said, but you were the right person at the right time. Your steady hand guided us at all times. He also praised First Lady Linda Aaron for being a true and steadfast rock for the mayor.

Ramsey, a personal friend, commented that the two had been at war for years  at war with other county and state leaders over water issues, Metro and various legislation.

There are 33 cities in Harris County that are not Houston. We have done our best to serve and protect those, Ramsey said.

Funderburk, elected just days before to the mayoral spot after Aaron chose not to run for a fourth term, shared comments from residents who nominated Aaron for the McKay Citizen of the Year award, which he won in 2017.

Nominations praised Aaron for his selflessness, his servant heart, his honesty and integrity with a deep faith in Jesus Christ.

Aaron gently thanked his wife, fellow council members and friends but saved his highest accolades for the city employees.

We have the best team possible. I thank each and every one of you for what you do for Humble, Aaron said.

Funderburk ended with a smile.

He leaves a deep legacy. Whoever follows behind him has big shoes to fill.
The Baltimore branch of the NAACP was one of dozens of groups that lobbied Scott to veto the bill. The Rev. Kobi Little, the groups president, said he hopes to collaborate on new legislation that would lower the cost of renting without people having to give up their rights to access the courts to dispute landlord claims.
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has granted a 50 million US dollar facility to the Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited (CBG) to support Ghanas road infrastructure development. The President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EBID, Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, and the Managing Director of CBG, Mr. Daniel Wilson Addo, signed this historic deal at the Head Office of CBG in Accra, Ghana.



The granting of this line of credit embodies EBIDs development commitments in the ECOWAS member states to address the huge infrastructure deficit within the sub-region. This is in alignment with Ghanas developmental agenda to boost socio-economic growth with the improvement of road infrastructure as a key driver. Consequently, this line of credit to CBG will provide an impetus to bolster the governments development initiatives.



As of date, EBID has invested over two billion, eight hundred thousand united stated dollars (USD 2.8 billion) to promote the development of various sectors in the ECOWAS community in the areas of health, agriculture, energy, hospitality, trade, telecommunications, manufacturing, infrastructure among others.



CBG, with a balance sheet size of GHC10billion and 114 branches across the 13 regions of Ghana, is one of the largest banks in Ghana. The bank has rapidly established a reputation for excellence in banking and particularly in providing lending and digital solutions to SMEs. CBG is also actively leveraging its balance sheet and reach to facilitate governments post COVID recovery agenda.



The facility from EBID will be used to augment its financing scheme to private construction companies in the execution of key road projects within the country. Throughout the six-year tenor of the facility, EBID and CBG will undertake to ensure that the road infrastructure projects to be financed comply with the provisions of the national and international institutional framework on sustainable development and environmental protection.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Two persons, who attempted to rob a shop owner at the Kaneshie Social Welfare area, have been sentenced to a total jail term of 26 years imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court.



Chardi Nkrumah, a 28-year-old cleaner, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in absentia whiles his accomplice, Emmanuel Yartey, was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment.



The two were sentenced after the court presided over by Mrs Priscilla Dapaah Mireku, found them guilty of the charge of conspiracy to rob, but Nkrumah was additionally charged with attempt to commit crime.



Chief Inspector John Gohoho told the court that the complainant, Vida Ayimey, a shop owner at the Social Welfare Department office area, at Kaneshie, resides at Awudome Estates, Accra.



Prosecution said Nkrumah and Yartey live at James Town and Chorkor respectively.



Chief Insp Gohoho said, on November 9, 2019, convicts, who were riding a motorbike, attacked the complainant, who had closed from work and was heading towards home with her handbag, containing her daily sales.



According to prosecution, the convicts riding a Royal motor bike with registration number M-19-GR 6687, attempted to snatch the complainants bag.



Chief Insp Gohoho said the complainant struggled with Nkrumah the pillion rider., and in the process the complainant fell down and the two convicts also fell from the motorbike.



Prosecution said the complainant suffered injuries on her left cheek and neck as a result of the fall.



Chief Insp Gohoho said Amaliba, a witness in the case, called the police patrol team and went to the crime scene and apprehended the convicts.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Six Chinese, including a female, have been remanded by the Kaneshie District Court for allegedly engaging in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, at Asankragua, in the Western Region.



The pleas of Chen Guibin, Yao Zencan, Lu Xiaobin, Cheng Chunroung and Xue Lianhua were not taken.



They are also being held over six counts of possession of firearms without lawful excuse and are expected to reappear on June 1.



The police during the arrest found six pump action guns, GH1,292,180.00, substances suspected to be gold dust,suspected gold bar, liquid suspected to be mercury and substance believed to be narcotics.



The court, presided over by Ms Rosemond D. Agyiri, turned down a bail application by defence counsel, Mr Baba Jamal, saying the court did not have jurisdiction to grant bail.



Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sylvester Asare, who led prosecution, opposed the bail application, saying the suspects may tamper with investigations if granted bail.



The court heard that the police arrested the suspects at Resort Holyday Hotel, and Xin Di Hotel, following a tip-off that the Chinese,armed with weapons, were illegally mining at Asankragua.



ASP Asare said preliminary investigations had established that the suspects were into buying, selling and refinery of gold without authority.



Prosecution said the Chinese also purchased and armed their employees with guns, to protect their unlawful activities.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Minister of Education, Yaw Osei Adutwum, has expressed his commitment and that of the President's to providing quality education in Ghana.



He referred to President Akufo-Addo's free Senior High School policy and pledged that the government will stop at nothing to improve the education sector.



One other major project he believes would help the sector is the introduction of the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) aimed at giving students practical vocational skills.



He revealed that Ghana's gross Tertiary enrolment ratio is eighteen (18) percent as compared to other countries which have achieved forty (40) to over ninety (90) percent meaning less number of Ghanaian students get to the Tertiary institutions.



In view of this, Hon. Yaw Osei Adutwum emphasized that, under his leadership at the Education Ministry, will come various transformative programmes and projects to increase the Tertiary enrolment ratio as well as achieving quality education.



The Minister touched on some important interventions by the government in the education sector.



"There is no country that can develop without reaching 40 percent. Your development gallops without drawing back when you get 40 percent. When you take countries like South Korea, theirs is 93.6 percent. So, the President says he won't sit idle when he knows this (quality education) lifts a country's development and so, during his recent State of the Nation Address, he pledged that by the year 2030, Ghana's gross Tertiary enrolment ratio should rise to 40 oercent. This is the task he has given me at the Ministry of Education to do all I can for it to materialize. This was ratified in a document in 2018 called the Education Sector Strategic Plan. The previous NDC had commenced this plan and we're continuing it."



"We have something we call the Open University. It's a University that we shall open across the country so as to provide give the opportunity to learn using their computer. The President also says vocational skills is pertinent to the country's development, that is why we have introduced TVET," he said.



He spoke in an interview on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' Monday morning.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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After re-evaluated quality checks on COVID-19 testing at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), government is satisfied with the sensitivity and specificity of the testing regime there, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said.



He noted that all arriving passengers who tested positive (for COVID-19) would follow the laid down procedure and that those who tested negative from designated COVID-19 hotspots, and testing negative at the KIA, might be subjected to a repeat test on the third day of arrival.



The President stated this on Sunday, in his 25th broadcast to the nation on measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus in the country.



He said to prevent fake COVID-19 PCR certificates being used to enter the country, the Government, through the Ministry of Health, had begun the process of digitizing PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test results to ensure ease of verification.



He said the technology platform being used at the KIA was based on the standards set by the Africa Trust Travel and ECOWAS Biomars.



President Akufo-Addo said all travellers arriving in Ghana must have test results or certificates bearing the trusted travel or biomars codes to be acceptable at KIA.



The President reiterated that as captured in the travel directive jointly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Ghana Health Service, that all non-essential trips to countries with high COVID-19 infection rates should either be cancelled or postponed.



There will be plenty of time, God-willing, for such trips in the future. We will continue to review our travel restriction measures.



He said: Our fight against the virus, my fellow Ghanaians, is no means over. The continuous havoc being experienced by some countries, as a result of the virus, is a testament to the fact that, until all countries have rid themselves of the virus, and have achieved herd immunity, none is safe.



So, let us all continue to adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols that are now part of our day-to-day activities. We see the rewards for our compliance with the protocols, whenever we witness favourable scenarios in our fight against the virus, evidence in easing of some of the restrictions.



He said beginning from May 19th to 26tt, the deployment of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines would take place across the designated vaccination centres in 43 districts.



This, he said was approximately 12 weeks after the first jab, as the science prescribes; adding that more details of the deployment would be communicated by the Ghana Health Service in the coming weeks.



He said in the past few days, the Government had, through COVAX, received an additional 350,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines.



The President said these would be added to existing stock to provide the second jab for the 300,000 persons, in the 43 districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central Regions, who received their first jabs from 1st to 9th March.



He noted that efforts were being made to ensure that those who received their first jabs after the 9th of March would, in due course, receive the second.



We are expecting an additional 300,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines, which have already been approved by the Food and Drugs Authority, to arrive in the country. As and when we make further progress in the acquisition of vaccines, the Ministries of Health and Information will make this known to you. We are making all efforts to achieve our overall vaccination target. President Akufo-Addo said.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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More than 360,000 recipients of first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in 43 Districts in the Greater Accra, Central and Ashanti Regions will receive their second jabs, beginning Wednesday May 19, 2021.



This was announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a televised national address on Sunday to apprise the country on steps being taken to curb the spread of the pandemic.



The second batch of the WHO COVAX-sourced AstraZeneca vaccines received on May 7, would be deployed to the designated vaccination centers across the 43 districts to ensure that those who were vaccinated in the first exercise meet the prescribed period of getting their second shots approximately 12 weeks after the first jab.



About 600,000 Oxford/Astrazeneca doses were given to frontline health workers, security personnel, people aged over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions, as well as selected members of the three arms of government in the first exercise.



The President said efforts were being made to ensure that those who received their first jabs after March 9, this year, receive their second shots in due course.



He said government was expecting an additional 300,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccines, which the Food and Drugs Authority had already approved.



President Akufo-Addo pointed out that due to international vaccine politics, and the unpredictability of the supply chain, as well as the third wave of infections in some European and Asian countries, had contributed to Governments in ability to secure as many vaccines to inoculate as many Ghanaians as possible.



However, Government is working to ensure that it meets it target to have as the 20 million adult population of the country vaccinated by the end of the year to achieve herd immunity, which would help return the country to normalcy.



He stressed that until the requisite number of Ghanaians are vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, which will help return the country to normalcy, the imposition of Restriction Act, 2020 (Act 1012) remain in force, and urged Ghanaians to adhere to all the set preventative protocols to sustain the gains made in the fight against the disease.



President Akufo-Addo further urged that all non-essential travel to countries with high COVID-19 infection rates should be cancelled or postponed.



There will be plenty time, God-willing, for such trips in the future. We will continue to review our travel restriction measures, he said.



The President said government had begun a process of digitizing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results to ensure the ease of verification and to prevent fake COVID-19 certificates being used to enter the country at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).



He said all travelers arriving in Ghana must have test results or certificates bearing the trusted travel codes acceptable at KIA.



The President was optimistic that Ghanas economic and social life could return to normalcy if the people cooperated and worked together.



Let the reduced rate of infections not lull us into a false sense of security; let us continue to adhere to the safety protocols, he said, urging everyone to go out and get vaccinated.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President Akufo-Addo has addressed the nation on measures his administration has put in place so far to fight Covid-19.



It may be recalled that in his 24th address he announced the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility into the country.



In his 25th address today, President Akufo-Addo said the second vaccine rollout will commence on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.



Read the full text below



I am embarking on a nine-day official working visit to France, Belgium and South Africa, as part of efforts being made to ensure our nations rapid and sustained post-Covid economic recovery, and have pre-recorded this update, prior to leaving the country.



I must, at the outset, express the gratitude of the nation to the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, and all Muslims across the country, for adhering to the request to have a subdued Eid ul-Fitr celebration, devoid of large public gatherings.



By and large, it is gratifying to note that many Ghanaians are adhering to the protocols, and it is heartening to see law enforcement agencies acting against persons and institutions flouting the regulations.



Until we vaccinate the requisite numbers of Ghanaians and achieve herd immunity, which will help return our lives to normalcy, the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), will remain in force, and the security agencies will not relent in their efforts to enforce it.



We have seen a marked reduction in active cases, i.e., persons who currently have the virus, from five thousand, four hundred and forty-four (5,444) persons as at 26th February, to one thousand, three hundred and fourteen (1,314), as at 11th May.



Our rate of infection has dropped significantly from four hundred (400) a day when I last spoke to you to less than one hundred (100) now, and the number of persons who have recovered from the virus has also increased from seventy-seven thousand, nine hundred and seventy-two (77,972) to ninety-one thousand, one hundred and forty-six (91,146) within the same period.



One hundred and seventy-six (176) more persons, in that time, have also, unfortunately, lost their lives to COVID-19. Cumulatively, we have conducted one million, one hundred and twenty-one thousand, one hundred and sixty-eight (1,121,168) COVID tests.



Since I announced the arrival of the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility, together with the procurement and receipt of others, we have rolled out two phases of our vaccination plan.



The first phase involved vaccinating a segment of the population in forty-three (43) districts, i.e., health workers, persons with co-morbidities, persons above the age of sixty (60), physically challenged persons, journalists, frontline security personnel, and a cross section of persons in the three arms of government.



The second phase involved vaccinating all other health workers across the country. Nearly a million people have now received the first dose of the vaccine.



International vaccine politics and the unpredictability of the supply chain, as well as a third wave of infections in some countries in Europe and Asia, have meant that we have not been able to secure as many vaccines and vaccinated as many Ghanaians as we would have wanted at this stage. In spite of these obstacles, the target is to vaccinate some twenty million Ghanaians, i.e., the entire adult population of Ghana, by the end of the year.



In the past few days, Government has, through COVAX, received an additional three hundred and fifty-thousand (350,000) doses of AstraZeneca vaccines. These will be added to existing stock to provide the second jab for the three hundred and sixty-thousand (360,000) persons, in the forty-three districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Central Regions, who received their first jabs from 1st to 9th March.



I am happy to announce that, beginning Wednesday, 19th May, to Wednesday, 26th May, the deployment of the second dose of vaccines will take place across the designated vaccination centres in the forty-three (43) districts, approximately twelve (12) weeks after the first jab, as the science prescribes. More details of the deployment will be communicated by the Ghana Health Service in the coming week.



Efforts are being made to ensure that those who received their first jabs after the 9th of March will, in due course, receive their second.



We are expecting an additional three hundred thousand (300,000) doses of Sputnik V vaccines, which have already been approved by the Food & Drugs Authority, to arrive in the country. As and when we make further progress in the acquisition of vaccines, the Ministries of Health and Information will make this known to you. We are making all efforts to achieve our overall vaccination target.



I want to reiterate, as captured in the travel directive jointly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Ghana Health Service, that all non-essential trips to countries with high COVID-19 infection rates should either be cancelled or postponed. There will be plenty of time, God-willing, for such trips in the future. We will continue to review our travel restriction measures.



To prevent fake COVID-19 PCR certificates being used to enter our country, Government, through the Ministry of Health, has begun the process of digitising PCR test results to ensure ease of verification. The technology platform being used at KIA is based on standards set by the Africa Trust Travel and ECOWAS Biomars. All travellers arriving in Ghana must have test results or certificates bearing the trusted travel or biomars codes to be acceptable at KIA.



We have re-evaluated quality checks on testing at KIA, and we are satisfied with the sensitivity and specificity of the testing regime there. All arriving passengers who test positive will follow the laid down procedure. Those who test negative from designated COVID-19 hotspots, and testing negative at KIA, may be subjected to a repeat test on the third day of arrival.



Our fight against the virus, my fellow Ghanaians, is by no means over. The continuous havoc being experienced by some countries, as a result of the virus, is a testament to the fact that, until all countries have rid themselves of the virus, and have achieved herd immunity, none is safe.



So, let us all continue to adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols that are now part of our day-to-day activities. We see the rewards for our compliance with the protocols, whenever we witness favourable scenarios in our fight against the virus, evidenced in the easing of some of the restrictions.



I am particularly happy that the significant investments we have made in ensuring compliance with the safety protocols have enabled us to open, in safety, all schools, private and public, at all levels, and I want to thank parents, teachers and students for making them work.



We have also put in place the necessary protocols that have allowed us to return to churches, mosques, workplaces, markets, stadia, and to travel. Our ability, however, to congregate in closed spaces, like cinemas, theatres and nightclubs, remains restricted.



In a move towards the reopening of cinemas and theatres, Government has engaged cinema owners and operators on a set of protocols and guidelines that need to be put in place and implemented by all operators before eventual re-opening. In the coming weeks, the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Tourism Authority will be announcing these protocols and mandatory modalities, and work with the operators on a set of directives that will ensure the health and safety of all patrons and staff in all the facilities involved.



I remain optimistic that we can return our lives to normal if we co-operate and work together. Let the reduced rate of infections not lull us into a false sense of security; let us continue to adhere to the safety protocols, i.e., the enhanced hygiene and mask wearing protocols; let us take the vaccine when it gets to our turn; and let us continue to put our faith in Almighty God.



There is light at the end of the tunnel, our goal of zero active cases is in sight if we remain vigilant and steadfast.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Monday urged business leaders to enhance their operations by integrating digital technology to drive business evolution and resilience.



He said innovative digital technology was critical in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and, therefore, imperative for businesses and decision-makers to employ it in their operations and in governance to revitalise the economy.



Vice President Bawumia gave the advice in his keynote address at the Fifth Ghana CEO Summit in Accra.



The two-day event is on the theme: "Digital Transformation: Powering Business and Government Reset for a Post-Pandemic Economic Resilience; a Public-Private Sector Dialogue.



It afforded policy-makers and business leaders the opportunity to have healthy conversations on ways to revitalise the economy.



It was organised by the Ghana CEO Network Limited, in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, State Interest and Governance Authority and the University of Ghana.



Vice President Bawumia said government's digitisation policies were yielding fruits as mobile money transactions hit GHc569 billion last year after investing US$4.5 million in rolling out the mobile money interoperability payment system.



The number of holders of Tax Identification Number (TIN) had increased from 750,000 to 15.5 million as at the end of 2020 while more than 15 million Ghanaians had been issued with Ghana Cards.



"Our government remains focused on building an economy that is underpinned by digitisation, he said.



"We have made progress on our enablers. We are beginning to see the dividends in passport services, driving Licence, the integration of the National ID with Health Insurance, with the implementation of initiatives like mobile money interoperability, the paperless port systems, digital property addressing system and many others.



"We have also interfaced the Ghana-Card with the Ghana Revenue Authority and so the Ghana-Card number becomes the Tax identification number of everyone resident in Ghana."



Dr Bawumia said the integration of the National Identification Authority (NIA) to the CID database was currently ongoing, which would help employers to easily check the criminal records of people they intended to employ.



"I will like to use this opportunity to charge all key decision makers of businesses gathered here today, to take advantage of this summit to forge key partnerships that will constitute a formidable force in our bid to reset business and the economy, he said.



"The fight is against the common enemy and not against each other. The exchange of ideas and resources is cardinal if we are to emerge victorious from the negative conditions created by the Covid-19 pandemic."



Some chief executives in public and private organisations were presented with awards for their meritorious contributions to the economy.

Source: GNA









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#FixTheCountryNow activists have relaunched another campaign to hit the streets of Accra on May 22, 2021 in protest against what it calls the State-sanctioned violence and attack on Journalists and other citizens.



Organizers say the Police would be notified accordingly, insisting this will be the first of sustained crusade to get the country back on track.



We refuse to engage in flaccid paper-pushing etiquettes or defer to rehearsed practices of faux outrage, or the setting up of endless committees of doom, just for show.



The call to FixTheCountryNow cannot be allowed to die on the altar of Press Releases. Now means Now!! Not in the Shortest Possible Time.



In light of this, we have decided to have the Conversation differently, by taking our case to the Streets. We are inviting all well-meaning Ghanaians to join us on May 22nd for a

Massive Protest in Accra to reclaim our rights as citizens. Details of the Route will be released soon, a statement by the activists said.



Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin has asked the law-enforcing agencies not to curtail the rights of the youth to embark on protest in the country.



He warned, Our country is failing and we must work together in a peaceful approach to avoid a recourse to violence.



He lauded the efforts of the activists demanding better leadership from the government saying the current protests do not make the youth law breakers.



It is with that in mind that I wish to commend the youth, both Moslems and Christians, who are demanding a lot more pragmatic measures from the leadership of our country to fix the numerous challenges that confront us at the moment.



A peaceful approach includes acknowledging the rights of individuals to assemble and to demonstrate without any subterfuge calculated at denying the youth of that right. The youth seeking to protest are not misguided law-breakers, he stated in his Eid-Ul-Fitr message to the nation on Thursday.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









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U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin stood in a parking lot overlooking a weed-filled field, the site of a project the lawmakers called a monstrosity that uprooted surrounding communities. The original plan was to connect Interstate 70 coming from the west with Interstate 95, but the project was halted in the early 1970s amid opposition from threatened neighborhoods along the proposed route and environmentalists.
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There have been mixed reactions to the burning of excavators in the country. Some have raised concerns insisting that the act is unlawful.



Others are all for it saying confiscating the machines has not helped in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.



The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Jinapor, justifying the burning of the excavators by security personnel at illegal mining sites said: extraordinary problem which requires extraordinary measures to deal with.



Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul also says the burning will not stop and that all machines found on the illegal mining sites will be destroyed.



This comment however surprised the managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper; describing it as frightening.



He agrees with a section of the public raising concerns over the act emphasizing that if state actors believe confiscating the machines is not helping in the fight against galamsey, "they should change the law"



"This is frightening...if state actors in the name of the state ignore an existing law and preach lawlessness; I'm disappointed" he added during a panel discussion on Peace FM morning show 'Kokrokoo'.



Listen to him in the video below







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has left Accra for the first leg of his three-country working visit. The President is expected to be away for nine days. He will be in France, Belgium and South Africa.



In France, President Akufo-Addo will attend the Summit on Financing African Economies to be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, May 18. The Summit, which will bring together several African and European leaders, and heads of international financial institutions, will devise strategies that will boost strong, inclusive recovery in Africa, grounded in a dynamic private sector, help foster sustainable progress and prosperity, and accelerate the green and digital transition in line with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.



Whilst in Paris, President Akufo-Addo is scheduled to have bilateral discussions with the President of the World Bank, and the Managing Director of the IMF, who will both be attending the Summit.



The President will on Wednesday be in Belgium before travelling to South Africa on Monday, May 24 to address the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).



These working visits, according to the Presidency, are part of the efforts Mr Akufo-Addo is making to re-engage with the rest of the world, following the onset of the pandemic, and highlight Ghana, once again, as a country with an impressive business-friendly atmosphere, with bright economic prospects for the future.















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Parliament is to reconvene on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 to commence the second meeting of the first session of the eighth Parliament.

The Parliamentary Service has, therefore, informed all members and staff of Parliament to take due notice of the commencement of the meeting which will begin at 10 a.m.



This was contained in a statement issued on May 10, 2021, and signed by the Clerk-to-Parliament, Mr Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah.



The Parliamentary Service wishes to inform all honourable members and staff that the Rt Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, in pursuance of Standing Order 37 has directed Parliament to commence sitting of the second meeting of the first session of the eighth Parliament on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 10 a.m. in the forenoon at Parliament House, Accra, the statement said.



Agenda



The House, which started sitting on January 7, 2021, went on recess on March 10, 2021.



While the statement did not spell out some of the agenda the House may consider during the next sitting, one of the major issues the House may pay attention to will be the commencement of the vetting and approval of the Presidents deputy ministerial nominees by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.



The committee will also undertake the vetting and approval of the Special Prosecutor nominee, Mr Kissi Agyebeng, as well as the report by the nine-member committee the Speaker set up to probe the petition by the founders of the defunct UT Bank and uniBank Ghana Limited over the collapse of their banks.



The committee, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, was tasked to commence its probe into the petition while Parliament was on recess.



The committee is expected to submit its report to the House at the commencement of Parliament.



Members of committee



The members of the committee include the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin; the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Essikado, Mr Joe Ghartey; the NPP MP for Okaikwei Central, Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, and the NPP MP for Abuakwa South, Mr Samuel Atta-Akyea.



The rest are the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr James Klutse Avedzi; the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; the NDC MP for Bolgatanga Central, Mr Isaac Adongo, and the NDC MP for Techiman North, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare.



What are the two seeking?



Per the petition, the two founders  Dr Kwabena Duffour and Mr Prince Kofi Amoabeng  are appealing to Parliament to investigate the conduct of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) in the revocation of the licences of the banks in 2018.



They claim that the central bank revoked the licences of the two banks without due regard to the rules of due process as guaranteed under Article 23 of the Constitution.



They, therefore, want Parliament to direct the restoration of the banking licences and the remedying of the harm done the property rights of the shareholders as a result of the conduct of the central bank, as well as give any other directive the House may deem appropriate.



Other matters



The House will also consider loan agreements, bills as well as the report by the Local Government Committee on the effective utilisation of various projects funded by the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for the six new regions in the country.





Source: graphiconline.com









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Some youth and elderly women of Old Tafo Municipality in the Ashanti Region are pleading with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo not to re-appoint their Municipal Chief Executive Officer (MCE), Fred Obeng Owusu.



They are not happy with him and the Chief of Tafo, Nana Agyen Frimpong for their bad working relationship with the MP of the area, Vincent Ekow Assafuah.



According to the group, the chief wrongfully accused the Member of Parliaments failure to honour an invitation to the commissioning of an Astroturf.



Nana Agyen Frimpong Ababio says the absence of the MP doesnt speak well for the development of the area.



But the group in their statement said the chief and the MCE and conniving to make the MP unpopular.



We are disappointed by the chiefs comment and the MCE who is always against the MP. They said



The group, however, appealed to President Nana Addo to consider another person for the MCE position.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The German government will support Ghana with an amount of five million Euros for the establishment of a new Center of Excellence for Technical and Vocational Training in Kumasi soon.



Over the past 60 years, the German government has supported the government of Ghana close to 1.5 billion euros under the Ghana-Germany Development Cooperation.



The German Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Mr Christoph Retziaff made these known in an interview with Emmanuel Akorli of Peace FM News today when the Majority Chief Whip and MP for Nsawam/Adoagyiri, Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Christoph Retziaff t at the German Embassy in Accra.



They discussed a wide range of issues such as Cooperation between Ghana and Germany in the field of technical and vocational training, waste to clean energy, green energy production as well as cooperation in the areas of Scholarship and University exchange programs and Circular migration.



His Excellency Mr Christoph Retziaff said the German government is taking steps to bring more German private investment to Ghana to help create jobs especially for the youth.



"Germany is looking forward for a renewed friendship between the Parliaments of Germany and Ghana when the German Parliament is reconstituted after federal election in Germany in September 2021," Ambassador Christoph stated.



"The financial volume of development cooperation between Germany and Ghana has been tripled to 130 million Euros yearly," the German Ambassador to Ghana told Peace FM News .



He praised Ghana for the great strides it has made in democratic governance and also commended Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh for his hard work as a legislator.



Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh said relations between Ghana and Germany over the past years is very satisfactory and added that the two countries can improve upon the cooperation between them for their mutual benefits.



The Majority Chief Whip hoped Ghana will tap the experience of Germany in the areas of technical and vocational education and training (T-VET) and waste to clean energy production for the development of the country .









Source: Emmanuel Akorli/Parliamentary Correspondent/Peace FM









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The Member of Parliament for the Ningo-Prampram, Sam George has urged Ghanaian musicians to add marketing value to their craft to enable them to be recognized on global platforms.



According to him, Ghanaian songs are too local to breakthrough global award systems like the Grammys and the rest.



Our music is too local and should be fused with a bit of English to capture international interests like the Burnaboys and Wizkids. For music to win a Grammys, it does not only need to be danceable or with good lyrics but rather with proper music marketing structure. Our artists are comfortable cooking wicked beats, and put on dope lyrics but do not focus on marketing the music, the Ningo-Prampram lawmaker said in an interaction with host Nana Aba Anamoah on Starr Chat Wednesday.



Sam George reiterated that African songs winning international awards are local with a lot of English lyrics that resonate with the larger continent.



He further indicated that all the French musicians who sing in their local dialect have gained acceptability on the international scene because they have built a certain class and leverage for themselves.

Meanwhile, he said dancehall artiste Shatta Wale should be credited for resurrecting dancehall in the Ghana music industry.



He described the Ayoo hitmaker as the Faiza in Ghana music and said he [Shatta Wale] has added something to his brand which has appealed to a certain base of music lovers in the country.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Fast-rising Ghanaian female songstress, Hajia 4real widely known with her music brand name Mona 4 Real, has finally released her third straight mind-blowing song titled God's Child to her loving fans.



Mona 4 Real made her debut into the music industry with her hit song dubbed Badder than, which was released in January, 2021 and later released Fine Girl which received massive airplay.



Despite been trolled by social media for not having the right voice to sing in some pitches, Mona has defied the odds by releasing God's Child to win the fans heart.



The song talks more about why she is the rightful God-sent child and was produced by award winning producer MOG Beats.



The music video was shot by Rex.



Mona was born Mona Faiz Montage in the Northern Region of Ghana.



Her mother is a Ghanaian and her father a Lebanese; she had her elementary education in Tamale and relocated to Accra for her high school education.



She attended Labone Senior Secondary School where she studied General Arts.



After Labone, Mona enrolled in the Art Institute of New York in the United States of America for her college education where she studied fashion and design.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Is this our answered prayer?

The Philippine Red Cross will sell Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for PHP3,500 (US$74) for two shots sometime next month, its chairman Senator Richard Gordon said today.

Gordon said that his organization bought 200,000 doses of the vaccine through billionaire Enrique Razon, and added that amount is enough to cover the Red Crosss team and several members of the general public.

If we are going to wait for the [governments] vaccines to come, were going to be late, the senator said in an interview on the news program Headstart.

Read: Times Running Out: Metro Manila to ramp up vaccination due to looming AstraZeneca expiration

So those of you who cannot wait, you pay P3,500 and thats two doses already, he said.

The Philippines has been struggling to procure COVID vaccines because most Western nations have purchased millions of doses to innoculate their own citizens. The government also dilly-dallied in buying the drugs, with President Rodrigo Duterte saying last year that he would not make advance payments to pharmaceutical companies and that the mere idea of doing so is crazy.

Gordon said today that the Red Cross had also purchased AstraZeneca vaccines. However, he said they would only arrive next year because India, where most of the worlds jabs are made, has ceased exporting them. Thousands of people have died of COVID-19 in the subcontinent, and the country is facing a serious vaccine shortage.

The senator also said that he is against the idea of mass vaccinations, a plan that the government wants to implement in Nayon Pilipino, in cooperation with Razon.

Read: Boat carrying COVID vaccines sinks off Quezon province after hitting concrete post

Im afraid of mass vaccinations people will line up and they will just get sick, the lawmaker said.

What you need are more vaccination centers that are supervised You cannot have 30,000 people being vaccinated in one area only. I think it is gonna cause a lot of problems, Gordon added.

This article, PH Red Cross to sell Moderna COVID-19 vax for PHP3,500, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Scientists studying the impact of record heat and drought on intact African tropical rainforests were surprised by how resilient they were to the extreme conditions during the last major El Nino event.

The international study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today, found that intact rainforests across tropical Africa continued to remove carbon from the atmosphere before and during the 2015-2016 El Nino, despite the extreme heat and drought.

Tracking trees in 100 different tropical rainforests across six African countries, the researchers found that intact forests across the continent still removed 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere during the El Nino monitoring period. This rate is equivalent to three times the carbon dioxide emissions of the UK in 2019.

During 2015-2016 African rainforests experienced warming of 0.92 degrees Celsius above the 1980-2010 average, and the strongest drought on record, both driven by the El Nino conditions on top of ongoing climate change. This event gave the scientists a unique opportunity to investigate how Africa's vast tropical rainforests could react to heat and drought.

Lead author Dr. Amy Bennett, in Leeds' School of Geography, said: "We saw no sharp slowdown of tree growth, nor a big rise in tree deaths, as a result of the extreme climatic conditions. Overall, the uptake of carbon dioxide by these intact rainforests reduced by 36%, but they continued to function as a carbon sink, slowing the rate of climate change."

Tree measurements in long-term inventory plots in intact forestunaffected by logging or firewere completed just before the 2015-2016 El Nino struck. Emergency re-measurements of 46,000 trees across 100 of the plots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and the Republic of the Congo then allowed the researchers the first ever opportunity to directly investigate how African tropical forests would react to the hotter, drier conditions.

Senior author Professor Simon Lewis, in Leeds' School of Geography, who led the development of the Africa-wide network of forest observations, said: "Scrambling field-teams to get to our remote rainforest sites was worth all the difficulties we faced. This is the first on-the-ground evidence of what happens when you heat and drought an intact African rainforest. What we found surprised me.

"African rainforests appear more resistant to some additional warming and drought compared to rainforests in Amazonia and Borneo."

African rainforests exist in relatively dry conditions compared to those across much of Amazonia and Southeast Asia. The researchers wanted to establish whether this made them particularly vulnerable to extreme climatic conditions, or if the abundance of drought-adapted tree species occurring in African forests meant that they were less vulnerable to additional warmth and drought.

The results showed that the biggest trees in the forest were largely unaffected, whereas the smaller trees grew less and died more during El Nino, potentially due to having less access to water than the larger trees.

Yet these negative effects had only modest impacts. African rainforests continued to function as a carbon sink, as the changes in the smaller trees were too small to stop the long-term increase in overall tree biomass seen in these forests over the last three decades.

Professor Lewis said: "These findings show the value of careful long-term monitoring of tropical forests. The baseline data running back to the 1980s allowed us to evaluate how well these rainforests coped with record heat and drought."

Past evidence from similar inventory networks in Amazonia studying major droughts in 2005 and 2010, and in Asia studying the large 1997-1998 El Nino event, show either substantially slower tree growth or much greater tree mortality in response to extreme drought and heat. In all these cases, the conditions led to a temporary halting or reversal of the tropical forest carbon sink in these regions.

Co-author Professor Bonaventure Sonke, from University of Yaounde I (CORRECT) in Cameroon said, "Our results highlight just how important it is to protect African rainforeststhey are providing valuable services to us all. The resistance of intact African tropical forests to a bit more heat and drought than they have experienced in the past is welcome news. But we still need to cut carbon dioxide emissions fast, as our forests will probably only resist limited further rises in air temperature."

Dr. Bennett added: "African tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, absorbing 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year in the 2000s. To discover that they will be able to tolerate the predicted conditions of the near future is an unusual source of optimism in climate change science.

"Our results provide a further incentive to keep global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, as these forests look to be able to withstand limited increases in temperature and drought."

Explore further Inventory pinpoints the most climate-vulnerable African forests

More information: Amy C. Bennett el al., "Resistance of African tropical forests to an extreme climate anomaly," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Amy C. Bennett el al., "Resistance of African tropical forests to an extreme climate anomaly,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2003169118
For most folks, its a positive, uplifting thing, said Mack, in business for 23 years. Theres a different breath in the air, now that the vaccine is out and Biden is in [as president]. Im seeing people in my store who havent been to Rehoboth in more than a year.
A flock of Cockatiels. Credit: Corey T. Callaghan

There are roughly 50 billion individual birds in the world, a new big data study by UNSW Sydney suggestsabout six birds for every human on the planet.

The studywhich bases its findings on citizen science observations and detailed algorithmsestimates how many birds belong to 9700 different bird species, including flightless birds like emus and penguins.

It found many iconic Australian birds are numbered in the millions, like the Rainbow Lorikeet (19 million), Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (10 million) and Laughing Kookaburra (3.4 million). But other natives, like the rare Black-breasted Buttonquail, only have around 100 members left.

The findings are being published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Humans have spent a great deal of effort counting the members of our own speciesall 7.8 billion of us," says Associate Professor Will Cornwell, an ecologist at UNSW Science and co-senior author of the study.

"This is the first comprehensive effort to count a suite of other species."

The research team reached their figures by pooling together almost a billion bird sightings logged on eBird, an online database of bird observations from citizen scientists. Using this dataand detailed case studies where availablethey then developed an algorithm to estimate the actual global population of each bird species.

This calculation took into account each species' 'detectability' - that is, how likely it is that a person will have spotted this bird and submitted the sighting to eBird. Detectability can include factors like their size, colour, whether they fly in flocks, and if they live close to cities.

"While this study focuses on birds, our large-scale data integration approach could act as a blueprint for calculating species-specific abundances for other groups of animals," says study lead author Dr. Corey Callaghan, who completed the research while he was a postdoctoral researcher at UNSW Science.

"Quantifying the abundance of a species is a crucial first step in conservation. By properly counting what's out there, we learn what species might be vulnerable and can track how these patterns change over timein other words, we can better understand our baselines."

The study dataset includes records for almost all (92 percent) bird species currently alive. However, the researchers say it's unlikely the remaining 8 percentwhich were excluded for being so rare that we lacked available datawould have much impact on the overall estimate.

Only four bird species belonged to what the researchers call 'the billion club': species with an estimated global population of over a billion. The House Sparrow (1.6 billion) heads this exclusive group, which also includes the European Starling (1.3 billion), Ring-billed Gull (1.2 billion) and Barn Swallow (1.1 billion).

There are roughly 19 million of Australia's iconic native Rainbow Lorikeet. Credit: Corey T. Callaghan

"It was surprising that only a few species dominate the total number of individual birds in the world," says Dr. Callaghan, who is now based at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig.

"What is it about those species, evolutionarily, that has made them so hyper-successful?"

But while some bird populations are thriving, many others look a lot slimmer: around 12 percent of bird species included in the study have an estimated global population of less than 5000. These include species such as the Chinese Crested Tern, Noisy Scrub-bird, and Invisible Rail.

"We'll be able to tell how these species are faring by repeating the study in five or 10 years," says A/Prof. Cornwell.

"If their population numbers are going down, it could be a real alarm bell for the health of our ecosystem."

A global effort

The study was made possible with the help of more than 600,000 citizen scientists who contributed their sightings to the eBird dataset between 2010 and 2019.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who run the eBird site, have made the data freely available.

"Large global citizen science databases such as eBird are revolutionising our ability to study macroecology," says A/Prof. Cornwell.

"This type of data simply wasn't available a decade ago."

While the research team are confident in their estimates, they acknowledge a degree of uncertainty is inevitable when working with large datasets like this.

For example, people who document the sightings may be more likely to seek out rare species, or a species may be so rare that there simply isn't enough data.

House Sparrows might be small, but with 1.6 billion of them, they're the most populous bird in the world. Credit: Corey T. Callaghan

"A range of uncertainty is necessary when making global-level estimates," says Professor Shinichi Nakagawa, an ecologist and statistician at UNSW Science and co-senior author of the paper.

"Our findings, while rough in some areas, represent the best-available data we currently have for many species."

New data is continuously added to eBird from both past records and present-day sightings. The research team plan to repeat their analysis as more data becomes available.

"We will need to repeat and refine this effort to really keep tabs on biodiversityespecially as human-caused changes to the world continue and intensify," says Dr. Callaghan.

A timeless hobby

Birdwatchingor 'birding' for more serious enthusiastsis a popular hobby that dates back to the late 18th century. The growing popularity of citizen scientist apps and websites have made birdwatching an accessible way to engage with science.

"Birding is a hobby that just keeps on giving," says Dr. Callaghan.

"You can usually find a bird or two to identify and watch anywhere you go, anytime of the day, anywhere in the world."

People interested in being involved with the project can create a birdwatching account on eBirdand A/Prof. Cornwell says that you don't need to be a bird expert to get started.

"A great starting point is to learn a handful of birds that come to your local area, like Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, and Australian White Ibis," he says.

"It can be as simple as seeing if you can spot any out the window while you're drinking your coffee in the morning."

Explore further Regional variation in the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection
A small section of the DESI focal plane, showing the one-of-a-kind robotic positioners. The optical fibers, which are installed in the robotic positioners, are backlit with blue light in this image. Credit: DESI collaboration

A five-year quest to map the universe and unravel the mysteries of "dark energy" is beginning officially today, May 17, at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. To complete its quest, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will capture and study the light from tens of millions of galaxies and other distant objects in the universe.

DESI is an international science collaboration managed by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, or Berkeley Lab, with primary funding from DOE's Office of Science.

By gathering light from some 30-million galaxies, project scientists say DESI will help them construct a 3D map of the universe with unprecedented detail. The data will help them better understand the repulsive force associated with "dark energy" that drives the acceleration of the expansion of the universe across vast cosmic distances.

Jim Siegrist, associate director for High Energy Physics at DOE, says "We are excited to see the start of DESI, the first next-generation dark energy project to begin its science survey. Along with its primary mission of dark energy studies, the data set will be of use by the wider scientific community for a multitude of astrophysics studies."

What sets DESI apart from previous sky surveys? The project director, Berkeley Lab's Michael Levi, said, "We will measure 10 times more galaxy spectra than ever obtained. These spectra get us a third dimension." Instead of two-dimensional images of galaxies, quasars and other distant objects, he explained, the instrument collects light, or spectra, from the cosmos such that it "becomes a time machine where we place those objects on a timeline that reaches as far back as 11-billion years ago."

"DESI is the most ambitious of a new generation of instruments aimed at better understanding the cosmosin particular, its dark energy component," said project co-spokesperson Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, a cosmologist at France's Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, or CEA. She said the scientific program including her own interest in quasarswill allow researchers to address with precision two primary questions: what is dark energy; and the degree to which gravity follows the laws of general relativity, which form the basis of our understanding of the cosmos.

"It's been a long journey from the first steps that we took almost a decade ago to design the survey, then to decide which targets to observe, and now to have the instruments so that we can achieve those science goals," Palanque-Delabrouille, said. "It's very exciting to see where we stand today."

The formal start of DESI's five-year survey follows a four-month trial run of its custom instrumentation that captured 4-million spectra of galaxiesmore than the combined output of all previous spectroscopic surveys.

The disk of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, which spans more than 3 degrees, is targeted by a single DESI pointing, represented by the large, pale green, circular overlay. The smaller circles within this overlay represent the regions accessible to each of the 5,000 DESI robotic fiber positioners. In this sample, the 5,000 spectra that were simultaneously collected by DESI include not only stars within the Andromeda Galaxy, but also distant galaxies and quasars. The example DESI spectrum that overlays this image is of a distant quasar, QSO, 11-billion years old. Credit: DESI collaboration and DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys

The DESI instrument resides at the retrofitted Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. The instrument includes new optics that increase the field of view of the telescope and includes 5,000 robotically controlled optical fibers to gather spectroscopic data from an equal number of objects in the telescope's field of view.

"We're not using the biggest telescopes," said Berkeley Lab's David Schlegel, who is DESI project scientist. "It's that the instruments are better and very highly multiplexed, meaning that we can capture the light from many different objects at once."

In fact, the telescope "is literally pointing at 5,000 different galaxies simultaneously," Schlegel said. On any given night, he explains, as the telescope is moved into a target position, the optical fibers align to collect light from galaxies as it is reflected off the telescope mirror. From there, the light is fed into a bank of spectrographs and CCD cameras for further processing and study.

"It's really a factory that we havea spectra factory," said survey validation lead, Christophe Yeche, also a cosmologist at CEA. "We can collect 5,000 spectra every 20 minutes. In a good night, we collect spectra from some 150,000 objects."

"But it's not just the instrument hardware that got us to this pointit's also the instrument software, DESI's central nervous system," said Klaus Honscheid, a professor of physics at Ohio State University who directed the design of the DESI instrument control and monitoring systems. He credits scores of people in his group and around the world who have built and tested thousands of DESI's component parts, most of which are unique to the instrument.

Spectra collected by DESI are the components of light corresponding to the colors of the rainbow. Their characteristics, including wavelength, reveal information such as the chemical composition of objects being observed as well as information about their relative distance and velocity.

As the universe expands, galaxies move away from each other, and their light is shifted to longer, redder wavelengths. The more distant the galaxy, the greater its "redshift." By measuring galaxy redshifts, DESI researchers will create a 3D map of the universe. The detailed distribution of galaxies in the map is expected to yield new insights on the influence and nature of dark energy.

"Dark energy is one of the key science drivers for DESI," said project co-spokesperson Kyle Dawson, a professor of physics and astronomy at University of Utah. "The goal is not so much to find out how much there iswe know that about 70% of the energy in the universe today is dark energybut to study its properties."

The universe is expanding at a rate determined by its total energy contents, Dawson explains. As the DESI instrument looks out in space and time, he says, "we can literally take snapshots today, yesterday, 1-billion years ago, 2-billion years agoas far back in time as possible. We can then figure out the energy content in these snapshots and see how it is evolving."
The microdiamonds used as biological tracers are about 200 microns across, less than one-hundredth of an inch. They fluoresce red but can also be hyperpolarized, allowing them to be detected both opticallyby fluorescence microscopyand by radio-frequency NMR imaging, boosting the power of both techniques. Credit: Ashok Ajoy, UC Berkeley

When doctors or scientists want to peer into living tissue, there's always a trade-off between how deep they can probe and how clear a picture they can get.

With light microscopes, researchers can see submicron-resolution structures inside cells or tissue, but only as deep as the millimeter or so that light can penetrate without scattering. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio frequencies that can reach everywhere in the body, but the technique provides low resolutionabout a millimeter, or 1,000 times worse than light.

A University of California-Berkeley researcher has now shown that microscopic diamond tracers can provide information via MRI and optical fluorescence simultaneously, potentially allowing scientists to get high-quality images up to a centimeter below the surface of tissue, 10 times deeper than light alone.

By using two modes of observation, the technique also could allow faster imaging.

The technique would be useful primarily for studying cells and tissue outside the body, probing blood or other fluids for chemical markers of disease, or for physiological studies in animals.

"This is perhaps the first demonstration that the same object can be imaged in optics and hyperpolarized MRI simultaneously," said Ashok Ajoy, UC Berkeley assistant professor of chemistry. "There is a lot of information you can get in combination, because the two modes are better than the sum of their parts. This opens up many possibilities, where you can accelerate the imaging of these diamond tracers in a medium by several orders of magnitude."

The technique, which Ajoy and his colleagues report this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, utilizes a relatively new type of biological tracer: Microdiamonds that have had some of their carbon atoms kicked out and replaced by nitrogen, leaving behind empty spots in the crystalnitrogen vacanciesthat fluoresce when hit by laser light.

Ajoy exploits an isotope of carboncarbon-13 (C-13)that occurs naturally in the diamond particles at about 1% concentration, but also could be enriched further by replacing many of the dominant carbon atoms, carbon-12. Carbon-13 nuclei are more readily aligned, or polarized, by nearby spin-polarized vacancy centers, which become polarized at the same time they fluoresce after being illuminated with a laser. The polarized C-13 nuclei yield a stronger signal for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)the technique at the heart of MRI.

As a result, these hyperpolarized diamonds can be detected both opticallybecause of the fluorescent nitrogen vacancy centersand at radio frequencies, because of the spin-polarized carbon-13. This allows simultaneous imaging by two of the best techniques available, with particular benefit when looking deep inside tissues that scatter visible light.

"Optical imaging suffers greatly when you go in deep tissue. Even beyond 1 millimeter, you get a lot of optical scattering. This is a major problem," Ajoy said. "The advantage here is that the imaging can be done in radio frequencies and optical light using the same diamond tracer. The same version of MRI that you use for imaging inside people can be used for imaging these diamond particles, even when the optical fluorescence signature is completely scattered out."

Detecting nuclear spin

Ajoy focuses on improving NMRa very precise way of identifying moleculesand its medical imaging counterpart, MRI, in hopes of lowering the cost and reducing the size of the machines. One limitation of NMR and MRI is that large, powerful and costly magnets are needed to align or polarize the nuclear spins of molecules inside samples or the body so that they can be detected by pulses of radio waves. But humans can't withstand the very high magnetic fields needed to get lots of spins polarized at once, which would provide better images.

One way to overcome this is to tweak the nuclear spins of the atoms you want to detect so that more of them are aligned in the same direction, instead of randomly. With more spins aligned, called hyperpolarization, the signal detected by radio is stronger, and less powerful magnets can be used.

In his latest experiments, Ajoy employed a magnetic field equivalent to that of a cheap refrigerator magnet and an inexpensive green laser to hyperpolarize the carbon-13 atoms in the crystal lattice of the microdiamonds.

"It turns out that if you shine light on these particles, you can align their spins to a very, very high degreeabout three to four orders of magnitude higher than the alignment of spins in an MRI machine," Ajoy said. "Compared to conventional hospital MRIs, which use a magnetic field of 1.5 teslas, the carbons are polarized effectively like they were in a 1,000-tesla magnetic field."

When the diamonds are targeted to specific sites in cells or tissueby antibodies, for example, which are often used with fluorescent tracersthey can be detected both by NMR imaging of the hyperpolarized C-13 and the fluorescence of the nitrogen vacancy centers in the diamond. The nitrogen vacancy-center diamonds are already becoming more widely used as tracers for their fluorescence alone.

"We show one important cool feature of these diamond particles, the fact that they spin polarizetherefore they can glow very bright in an MRI machinebut they also fluoresce optically," he said. "The same thing that endows them with the spin polarization also allows them to fluoresce optically."

The diamond tracers also are inexpensive and relatively easy to work with, Ajoy said. Together, these new developments could, in the future, allow for an inexpensive NMR imaging machine on every chemist's benchtop. Today, only large hospitals can afford the million-dollar price tag for MRIs. He currently is working on other techniques to improve NMR and MRI, including using hyperpolarized diamond particles to hyperpolarize other molecules.

More information: Xudong Lv el al., "Background-free dual-mode optical and 13C magnetic resonance imaging in diamond particles," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Xudong Lv el al., "Background-free dual-mode optical and 13C magnetic resonance imaging in diamond particles,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023579118
A sign for "Open Hack Farm" near Taipei, Taiwan. The farm, which was created by a software engineer from the city, is a subject of the Bardzells' ethnography research. Credit: Jeffrey Bardzell

Cutting-edge agricultural technology has advanced in recent years, introducing innovations from self-driving tractors and laser scarecrows to robotic bees that aid in pollination.

But are these innovations useful to and embraced by farmers around the world? And, perhaps more importantly, does their impact on the global climate make communities and the world a better place? What could technologists learn from alternative agricultural movements, such as permaculture and eco farming, which seek to reimagine the relationships between humans, non-humans and land?

Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology researchers Shaowen Bardzell and Jeffrey Bardzell set out to answer these questions, doing ethnographic fieldwork in Shengou Village (), an experimental ecological farming village in the rural Yuanshan township of Taiwan's breadbasket, Yilan County. There, they observed the community's counter response to industrial innovation and resulting climate crisis. What the researchers found was a sophisticated alternative approach to farming where exchanges of goods, money, and labor were not oriented toward wealth creation, but rather at sustaining a desirable way of life.

"There are a number of practices, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, that have led to unsustainable ways of being that are now creating environmental crisis and existential threat to humanity," said Jeffrey, professor and associate dean of undergraduate and graduate studies at the College of IST. "What our research is trying to do is cross disciplines of computing and agriculture in different places where people are surfacing strategies to reduce some of the unsustainable practices that we've come to depend on."

Ethnographers and experts in human-computer interaction (HCI) and design, Jeffrey and Shaowen aimed to discover and identify concrete methods employed by these farmers as alternatives to industrial agriculture, in hopes of potentially transferring those practices into their field.

"Typically in HCI, you would identify a domain and say, "How can we leverages technology to support people in that domain?'" Shaowen, professor at the College of IST, said. "But in this project, it's the other way around. It's finding what technologists can learn from eco farmers that might inform us in our project of redesigning design."

Shaowen Bardzell observes an agricultural technologist deliver a solar sensor demonstration in Taiwan. Credit: Jeffrey Bardzell

The concept of redesigning design is the researchers' attempt to make design more compatible with humans' longest-term needs on the planetnamely, survival.

"We [as humans] seem to be so endeavored about building systems without really thinking about the implications," said Jeffrey. "And that raises a sort of dilemma, which is, we want to be designers to redesign design, but the thing that's busted is design."

Shaowen referenced a hypothetical situation where the world is populated by robotic bees, replacing actual bees that had been killed off by pesticides, which, in turn, impacted flowers and other pollinators.

"It's like you're solving one problem with pesticides, but that creates another problem which you can solve with another artificial solution," said Shaowen. "So part of what these Taiwanese eco farmers are trying to do is stop this sort of cascading issue of having a problem that creates a new solution which creates a new problem with a new solution, and so on."

In their field research on over a dozen farms in Shengou Village, they observed the practices of a new generation of farmersmany of whom left city-based professional careers (in architecture, engineering, chemical informatics, political science and cultural anthropology, among others) in a number of industries to try their hand at smallholder farming to experiment with alternative techniques and principles to address ever-increasing harmful environmental impacts. Each with their own unique approach to their craft, the farmers contributed to a more symbiotic community and a more resilient agricultural ecosystem.

"A lot of times these questions, especially involving environmental justice or environmental concerns, are actually wicked problems that technologists cannot work alone," Shaowen said. "And so we are using ethnography as material to think with. Through the understanding of farmers' concrete practices, we want to make visible the potentials for alternative solution."

A scene from a Taiwanese orchard, part of Bardzell's ethnographic fieldwork. Credit: Jeffrey Bardzell

One farmer experimented with the concept of an abandoned farm, which was planted in a way so the farm would self-regulate and ultimately produce crops without further human intervention. Another developed a system to attract and trap invasive snails to replace the laborious, previously-used alternative of removing them by hand, in an effort to avoid pesticides which would kill not only the snails but also the shrimp, frogs, clams and other organisms that live in the environment.

"The farmers seem to be prototyping an alternative way of doing food production. They have created an alternative economic system and an alternative set of values, alternative community relations, and an alternative practice for actual food growth and food distribution," Jeffrey said.

Additionally, the researchers found that many of the farmers they observed were not open to new technology.

"There is so much innovation happening in the ag tech space," said Shaowen. "And if people who are on these farms opt out of engaging in that innovation, in the long term you're going to see a digital divide and people who are structurally disadvantaged."

From their observations, the researchers make three notable contributions to future research. First, they suggest that technologists should more intentionally design resources that are sharable by allincluding humans and non-humansin a given space. Second, they recommend that HCI as a field should fully leverage its own resources to support flourishing biosystems, rather than view information as disembodied and place-less. Finally, the researchers note that HCI researchers and designers should factor land usage and interspecies relations into any consideration of IT development and deployment.

"Our work is really trying to leverage different disciplinary perspectives to help us address some of the underlying causes of climate crisis and change them from within with minimal disruption," concluded Shaowen.

Jeffrey and Shaowen collaborated with Ann Light, professor at the University of Sussex and Malmo University. They presented their work at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI2021, the international flagship conference on human-computer interaction, held virtually in May 8-13. The work is supported by the National Science Foundation.

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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Alisa Yu first became intrigued with emotional acknowledgment while interviewing nurses working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. The nurses told her that verbally acknowledging their young patients' fears and stress created trust, which enabled them to do their jobs more effectively. "From then on, I began to see emotional acknowledgment everywhere," recalls Yu, a Ph.D. candidate in organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

This realization prompted Yu to team up with Justin Berg, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Stanford GSB, and Julian Zlatev, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, to conduct a series of studies exploring the effects of emotional acknowledgment in the workplace. Their findings, published in May in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, illuminate a straightforward yet powerful technique leaders can use to build trust with their employees.

Emotional acknowledgment is the simple act of noticing a nonverbal emotional cuelike a frown or grinand mentioning it. This mention can be a question or a statement such as "You look upset," or "You seem excited."

The authors borrow from costly signaling theory, a concept proposed by evolutionary biologist Amotz Zahavi in the 1970s, to suggest that this small act can have a powerful effect because it is read as a sign of genuine intentions. As an example, Zahavi argued that when peacocks fan out their tails to attract mates, it is an "honest signal" of their reproductive fitness. That's because the colorful display also attracts predators, a potentially fatal risk for weaker peacocks.

Similarly, Yu and her coauthors argue that in a work environment, a supervisor who shows concern for others' emotional state is signaling a willingness to get involved in a potentially messy situation. "A leader could very easily see someone in distress and choose to ignore it," Yu says. "But only a leader who truly is benevolent and cares about employees would risk getting involved by voluntarily acknowledging the distressed employee. Thus, employees might take this as a signal that this leader is someone who can be trusted with their well-being."

More Than a Feeling

This is exactly what Yu, Berg, and Zlatev discovered in their research across six studies, which included a field study with hospital employees and experiments in which participants were shown videos of two actors demonstrating emotional acknowledgment in a workplace break room. Throughout the studies, participants reported higher levels of trust in people who engaged in emotional acknowledgment than those who did not.

"Our effect sizes are pretty robust," says Yu. "There was a big trust gap between no acknowledgment and acknowledgment when expressers displayed positive emotions, but this gap was even more pronounced when expressers displayed negative emotions." The latter finding isn't surprising when viewed through the lens of costly signaling theory: Asking someone who seems unhappy about their emotional state engenders higher levels of trust because it is riskier and involves a greater investment of attention, time, and effort than asking someone who seems happy.

One of the studies' unexpected findings is that acknowledging an employee's emotional state is more powerful than only acknowledging the situation that produced the emotions. "It turns out that saying something like, "You looked upset after that meeting. How are you feeling about it?" lands better than saying something like, "It looked like the meeting went poorly. How are you thinking about it?" Yu explains. "People trust the person who acknowledges the emotion directly more than the person who acknowledges the situation. There's just something special and unique about emotionsthey are really core to a person's inner experience and sense of self. So when we acknowledge emotions, we humanize and validate the person being acknowledged."

Better to Be Wrong Than Silent

In another unanticipated finding, the research team shows that the trust-building effect of emotional acknowledgment is not always dependent on correctly interpreting emotions, particularly when positive feelings are misread. "I think there is a lay theory that inaccurate interpretation is punished," Yu explains. "We found that if you are feeling negatively and I say, "Hey, you seem happy," there is a trust penalty. But if you are feeling positively and I say, "Hey, you seem upset," there was virtually no penalty. And that's because even though you didn't need my support, my willingness to call out a negative emotion signals a readiness for me to provide support to you."

The benefits of emotional acknowledgment at work may stem in part from the fact that it isn't a common practice among leaders. "Leaders experience a tension between being task oriented and people oriented. They need to get things done. There's also some research that shows they see emotional support as falling outside of their formal job expectations," Yu says. "So, there is evidence to suggest that leaders are not acknowledging emotions as much as they could. And even when they are doing it, I suspect that they are celebrating wins and acknowledging and amplifying positive emotions more than they are acknowledging pain or distress because it's easier."

Yu thinks this is a particularly good time for leaders to adopt emotional acknowledgment as a regular practice. Employees' emotions may be especially significant right now: Many people are still struggling to manage their work/life balance after more than a year of pandemic-related disruptions. Those who have been working remotely may be uneasily anticipating the call to return to their workplaces and an uncertain future.

"The worst thing leaders can do when employees are feeling badly is to do nothing. If leaders want to signal care and build trust, they need to meet people where they are," Yu says. "Our research suggests one way to do that is by proactively engaging in emotional acknowledgment because it grants employees the space and license to share their emotions."

Explore further New research has potential for 'unpacking' complex simultaneous emotions in adolescence
Paivi Kujala Credit: Riikka Kalmi, University of Vaasa

How to support entrepreneurship in rural areas? The over-regulation and bureaucratic administration of the European Union's rural policy are seen as burdening rather than supporting the promotion of entrepreneurship. At the same time, enabling public administration has been called for in the Finnish state administration. Paivi Kujala's doctoral dissertation (University of Vaasa, Finland) deals with the tension between these two issues.

According to Kujala, the promotion of rural entrepreneurship should be enabling: more confidence, more discretion, creativity and learning from experience are needed for the work of authorities.

"I want to return a positive reputation to administrative bureaucracy," says Kujala, who will be defending her doctoral dissertation at the University of Vaasa on 21 May.

In her dissertation on regional studies, Paivi Kujala has examined the practices of rural administration in the preparation and implementation of enterprise support under Pillar II of the European Union's common agricultural policy (CAP).

"Promoting entrepreneurship and rural development are matters of the heart for me, and I have also had a long career with them."

Throughout Finland's EU membership, enterprise support in rural development programs has produced well-being and vitality in rural areas, but many entrepreneurs and government actors are exhausted by the increasing regulation of enterprise support and administrative bureaucracy. We need the laws, decrees and regulations that we operate under, but regulation has become far too excessive at the national and EU level.

"I was interested in what bureaucracy really means when it is talked about only negatively in the rhetoric of entrepreneurs and administration," says Kujala.

Frustration with too much regulation and bureaucracy a few years ago even manifested itself in protests. An anti-bureaucratic march was marched to Helsinki's Senate Square and support forms were hung on bureaucratic clotheslines in the European Parliament.

Extensive interview material highlighted the disadvantages of bureaucracy

Kujala collected the empirical material of her study by interviewing rural administration authorities, researchers, Members of Parliament and entrepreneurs who received enterprise support nationwide and in the area of four ELY Centres, i.e. in South Ostrobothnia, Hame, Lapland and North Karelia. The interviews were analyzed by means of discourse and content analysis as well as using the case study method.

According to Kujala, the interview material showed that when we talk negatively about bureaucracy, we are actually talking about its dysfunctions. The disadvantages of bureaucracy are, for example, when the means of development work have become more important than the goals, and formality and acting correctly according to the rules are emphasized more than the result of the activity itself.

"An illustrative example of the experience of a farm tourism entrepreneur was the rejection of a fridge-freezer in an enterprise support payment application because the support application stated a fridge. This is an example of an authority that interprets matters as right or wrong when making a decision and does not know how to exercise discretion related to development support," Kujala says.

On the way to enabling rural administration

In her dissertation, Kujala created the model of an enabling rural authority, which is an ideal model of smooth administration. This type of administration is, among other things, predictable, reliable, fast, and cost-effective.

"The model of an enabling rural authority cannot be achieved by any authority alone but requires a cultural change in the whole administration. The internalization of the goals of operations and development work as well as a voluntary culture of discipline are emphasized," Kujala characterizes.

Enabling administration focuses on achieving strategic goals by increasing trust between entrepreneurs and the authorities, using discretion and creativity in the preparation and implementation of enterprise support measures. Authorities also learn from the mistakes made and the feedback received. Management emphasizes enabling rather than restriction and detailed regulation.

"As a Member State of the European Union, Finland must strive to ensure that such cultural change takes place at the entire EU level," reminds Kujala.

Rhetoric on centralisation can be questioned

Enterprise support has been a tool for rural development throughout Finland's EU membership, but little research has been done on the implementation of enterprise support related to the practices of rural administration.

In addition to enabling, Kujala's dissertation also discusses the importance of the location of business and suggests that the rhetoric of centralisation can be questioned in the digital society. The countryside offers vibrant locations for business. Increasing place-based development in administration promotes the location of business in rural areas.

The study also concludes that statutory evaluations of rural development programs must be used more effectively in the implementation of the programs. For example, changes in EU programming periods may be smoother when learning from the implementation of previous changes takes place.

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More information: Kujala, Paivi (2021). Towards enabling rural administration. Promoting entrepreneurship in the European Union's rural policy. Acta Wasaensia 460. Doctoral dissertation. University of Vaasa. Publication pdf: Kujala, Paivi (2021). Towards enabling rural administration. Promoting entrepreneurship in the European Union's rural policy.460. Doctoral dissertation. University of Vaasa. Publication pdf: urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-476-954-9
Europe's effort to make energy from American wood pellets is drawing complaints from Black community leaders in South Carolina, where manufacturers are expanding to produce more of the tiny wood chips.

In Greenwood County, one large wood pellet factory is increasing the size of its operation and another mill is on the drawing board. A third pellet mill, backed by local and state politicians, plans to open next summer in Florence County.

South Carolina has at least six wood pellet plants that have either been established or proposed in recent years, according to environmental groups and state regulators.

The Rev. Leo Woodberry and some other African American leaders say Europe's desire for wood pellets is coming at the expense of South Carolina's natural resources and disadvantaged communities.

Pellet mills grind up limbs, stumps and, in some cases, whole trees to make small chips that fuel wood-burning power plants overseas. In the process, they release air pollution, often after locating near African American communities that are particularly vulnerable to contaminants from the plants, some researchers have found.

"The markets for wood pellets are in Europe and in Asia, and here we have our forests, our natural surroundings being exploited," Woodberry said, noting during an online community forum earlier this month that natural resources are "just being eliminated and increasing risk for people."

Woodberry, who works on environmental justice issues for the non-profit New Alpha Community Development Corp., said Black populations often are disproportionately affected by air pollution from wood pellet plants.

African Americans, for instance, suffer more respiratory problems than others, making the rise of pellet plants an issue that should not be ignored, said Florence Anoruo, an environmental scientist at S.C. State University.

She and Woodberry spoke during an online community meeting earlier this month about a proposed wood pellet plant in the Effingham community of rural Florence County.

Announced last summer, the $5.4 million plant would be built in a county with a higher percentage of African Americans than most South Carolina counties. A construction permit application is under review by state regulators.

This comes as President Joe Biden's administration is placing increasing emphasis on environmental justice issues across the country.

Industries that release air and water pollution often are accused of locating in poor, disadvantaged communities that have trouble stopping them. In recent years, critics have taken aim at wood pellet mills in the Carolinas and other southern states.

Across the Southeast, nearly two dozen wood pellet plants have popped up in the past decade, The New York Times reported recently. The industry has increasingly moved into the South because state and local leaders are accommodating and the region has a thriving forest products industry.

Contaminants released from wood pellet plants include hazardous air pollutants, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and fine grained soot, all with health implications. Tiny soot particles, for instance, can lodge in people's lungs and make breathing difficult.

The Southern Environmental Law Center lists a half-dozen wood pellet plants that have either opened or are proposed for South Carolina. But there may be more.

Those include an operating plant just inland from Hilton Head Island that, according to the Island Packet, agreed earlier this year to pay $15,000 in fines for breaking air pollution laws.

Another plant is proposed for the community of Ninety Six, in the same county as the expanding Greenwood pellet plant in northwest South Carolina.

A DHEC official acknowledged recently that the Ninety Six proposal will be soon put on public notice. The request from U.S. Biomass now is under review, DHEC spokesman Derrek Asberry said. The mill needs DHEC pollution permits to open.

An official with the proposed mill could not be reached this week, but he told Greenwood County officials last year that the facility would not have emissions or make much noise. A permit application to state regulators indicates the facility would be a moderate-sized pellet mill, which would produce material for "pellet-fired wood stoves and similar equipment."

Carolina pellets

Some studies show that, while not all wood pellet plants are in communities of color, many of them are.

Of 32 Southeastern pellet production facilities, 18 were located in environmental justice communities., generally described as areas with high poverty and high non-white populations, a 2018 study concluded.

In North Carolina and South Carolina, every wood pellet mill is located in a disadvantaged community, many of them non-white, according to the study from the Dogwood Alliance, a regional organization that promotes forest protection, and a Tufts University researcher.

The pellet plant that is expanding in Greenwood, operated by Enviva, lies in a community of color, the alliance said.

More than half of the people who live within a mile of the plant are non-white and about 75 percent are low-income, according to data the group pulled from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's environmental justice screening tool.

Enviva did not open the Greenwood pellet mill, acquiring it from Columbo Energy in February 2018.

The company questioned the Dogwood Alliance report, saying the environmental group has been a leading critic of the pellet industry. Enviva said it makes decisions on where to site pellet mills based on a variety of factors, including access to wood fiber, the availability of local labor, a state's regulatory structure and access to ports.

"Enviva is committed to sustainability and environmental compliance throughout our operations, and minimizing the impact of our business on the local communities where we operate is essential to that commitment," the company said in an email.

Boosters of the wood pellet industry say the plants help the economy.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and officials in Florence County have praised the proposal to open a pellet plant in Effingham. The $5.4 million plant would be a division of the Charles Ingram Lumber Co., an established Florence County business.

"We are proud to celebrate Effingham Pellets LLC's investment in South Carolina and our people," the governor said. "Anytime a company is able to set up shop here, it proves what we already knowthat we have one of the most competitive business environments in the world and a workforce that can get the job done."

A company official could not be reached this week. But in announcing the expansion last year, Effingham Pellets LLC said it is anxious to crank up the plant.

"We are excited to begin operations in Florence County, where we will be able to produce power solutions that promote sustainability on an international scale," the company said in a news release from the S.C. Department of Commerce. "Effingham Pellets, LLC looks forward to being an important partner to Charles Ingram Lumber Company and the community as a whole."

Opening the Effingham facility would add to an industry that is having a multi-billion dollar impact on the southeastern economy, supporters say.

A recent study by a consultant Enviva retained said the company's total economic impact in the Southeast will be at least $2.7 billion annually after current expansion and construction projects are completed. The company says it supports 4,200 jobs and pays above average wages.

The pellet plant expansion in Greenwood will provide an economic impact of about $210 million, a company spokesman said. As of 2022, Enviva will have pumped more than $157 million into the Greenwood plant, company spokesman Jacob Westfall said. Enviva says each direct job supports 3.36 jobs in other businesses.

U.S. Biomass Magazine reports the Greenwood plant is one of the largest in the Southeast.

Despite support in South Carolina, wood pellet plants sometimes produce few jobs.

The proposed Effingham facility McMaster praised is expected to create 10 jobs, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce. Production is anticipated to start in June 2021.

"Ten jobs for our local economy," said Pee Dee area minority health activist Buquilla Ervin-Cannon during the online forum. "What is at risk for 10 jobs?'"

The proposed Ninety Six facility would create about 30 jobs in its first year of operation, Greenwood County officials were told last year.

European demand

Environmental justice issues over pellet mills are emerging in the South as Europe seeks wood to burn in biomass energy plants. Countries there have sought to switch from coal, a major source of greenhouse gas pollution, to alternate forms of energy as a way to meet climate goals.

Countries like Germany and Sweden produce wood pellets for biomass plants. But Europe also needs American wood to feed biomass plants.

A report last year in Biomass Magazine said the U.S. was the top supplier of wood pellets to the European Union in 2019, providing nearly 6.8 million metric tons. In 2016, virtually all of the wood pellets exported to the European Union came from southern U.S. ports, according to the 2018 Dogwood Alliance study.

Critics say that unlike solar or wind energy, burning wood won't slow global warming because biomass plants still release carbon dioxide that contributes to climate changewhile taking away trees that help soak up carbon dioxide.

Wood pellets "are being burned in power stations in Europe under the guise of renewable energy," Dogwood Alliance director Danna Smith said. "This is a classic example of where people didn't really think about what the impact of decision-making was going to be on the ground."

Not only does the European demand put American communities at increasing health risk, critics say, but wood pellet production could deplete southern forests and cause more flooding by taking away trees that soak up floodwater as storms increasingly pound the South.

Pellet mill and forest products officials say they primarily seek to burn waste wood, not healthy trees, to make wood pellets. But environmental groups say they have found evidence whole trees also are burned. The New York Times reported similar findings in a story earlier this year.

Enviva's Greenwood plant is a prime example of the debate over pellet mills. Hundreds of people weighed in on the expansion plan last year, including boosters and opponents, the Greenwood Index Journal reported.

The expansion was expected to upgrade pollution controls that were lacking until Eviva acquired the facility from its previous owner in 2018. So far, air tests show pollution levels are within legal limits, according to Enviva.

Even so, Woodberry and others say increased production means more threats from polluted air. He called for an environmental justice study before a permit decision was made.

Woodberry, who led a caravan of cars through Columbia last year to protest the plant expansion, said in a letter that the community faces danger from a bigger Enviva plant.

"Breathing is something that is not optional, so communities should not have to suffer sleeplessness, nausea, anxiety or depression, vomiting, confusion, impaired vision or disorientation just to name a few of the side effects that they may suffer," Woodberry wrote last year.

In late 2020, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control approved an air pollution permit allowing the plant to expand., a decision that means a 25 percent increase in production, the agency said. Construction started earlier this year, the agency said.

Last year's dustup, and complaints this year about the proposed Effingham plant, are not the first in South Carolina.

In 2016, an international energy corporation backed away from plans to build a big pellet mill in Fairfield County north of Columbia. A local business group acquired the land where Abengoa Inc., a Spanish company, had planned to put the wood plant. Neighbors said a wood pellet plant was not suited for their community.

Juliana Smith, a South Carolina Coastal Conservation League organizer who was critical of the Jasper pellet mill, said the state needs to remain vigilant.

"Often these types of factories are in rural areas, where they draw less attention and try to pollute with impunity, with disproportionate impacts on Black and Brown communities," she said in an email. "That isn't right."

2021 The State. Visit at thestate.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An artist's impression of a diamond building block in a future photonic circuit. The red color emphasises the germanium vacancy centres emitting at the red spectral range and the ring illustrates the cavity. Image: ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optics at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Marilyn Monroe famously sang that diamonds are a girl's best friend, but they are also very popular with quantum scientistswith two new research breakthroughs poised to accelerate the development of synthetic diamond-based quantum technology, improve scalability, and dramatically reduce manufacturing costs.

While silicon is traditionally used for computer and mobile phone hardware, diamond has unique properties that make it particularly useful as a base for emerging quantum technologies such as quantum supercomputers, secure communications and sensors.

However there are two key problems; cost, and difficulty in fabricating the single crystal diamond layer, which is smaller than one millionth of a meter.

A research team from the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optics at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), led by Professor Igor Aharonovich, has just published two research papers, in Nanoscale and Advanced Quantum Technologies, that address these challenges.

"For diamond to be used in quantum applications, we need to precisely engineer 'optical defects' in the diamond devicescavities and waveguidesto control, manipulate and readout information in the form of qubitsthe quantum version of classical computer bits," said Professor Aharonovich.

"It's akin to cutting holes or carving gullies in a super thin sheet of diamond, to ensure light travels and bounces in the desired direction," he said.

To overcome the "etching" challenge, the researchers developed a new hard masking method, which uses a thin metallic tungsten layer to pattern the diamond nanostructure, enabling the creation of one-dimensional photonic crystal cavities.

"The use of tungsten as a hard mask addresses several drawbacks of diamond fabrication. It acts as a uniform restraining conductive layer to improve the viability of electron beam lithography at nanoscale resolution," said lead author of paper in Nanoscale, UTS Ph.D. candidate Blake Regan.

To the best of our knowledge, we offer the first evidence of the growth of a single crystal diamond structure from a polycrystalline material using a bottom up approachlike growing flowers from seed.

"It also allows the post-fabrication transfer of diamond devices onto the substrate of choice under ambient conditions. And the process can be further automated, to create modular components for diamond-based quantum photonic circuitry," he said.

The tungsten layer is 30nm widearound 10,000 times thinner than a human hairhowever it enabled a diamond etch of over 300nm, a record selectivity for diamond processing.

A further advantage is that removal of the tungsten mask does not require the use of hydrofluoric acidone of the most dangerous acids currently in useso this also significantly improves the safety and accessibility of the diamond nanofabrication process.

To address the issue of cost, and improve scalability, the team further developed an innovative step to grow single crystal diamond photonic structures with embedded quantum defects from a polycrystalline substrate.

"Our process relies on lower cost large polycrystalline diamond, which is available as large wafers, unlike the traditionally used high quality single crystal diamond, which is limited to a few mm2" said UTS Ph.D. candidate Milad Nonahal, lead author of the study in Advanced Quantum Technologies.

"To the best of our knowledge, we offer the first evidence of the growth of a single crystal diamond structure from a polycrystalline material using a bottom up approachlike growing flowers from seed," he added.

"Our method eliminates the need for expensive diamond materials and the use of ion implantation, which is key to accelerating the commercialisation of diamond quantum hardware" said UTS Dr. Mehran Kianinia, a senior author on the second study.

"Nanofabrication of high Q, transferable diamond resonators" is published in Nanoscale.

"Bottom-Up Synthesis of Single Crystal Diamond Pyramids Containing Germanium Vacancy Centers" is published in Advanced Quantum Technologies.

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More information: Blake Regan et al. Nanofabrication of high Q, transferable diamond resonators, Nanoscale (2021). Blake Regan et al. Nanofabrication of high Q, transferable diamond resonators,(2021). DOI: 10.1039/D1NR00749A Milad Nonahal et al. BottomUp Synthesis of Single Crystal Diamond Pyramids Containing Germanium Vacancy Centers, Advanced Quantum Technologies (2021). DOI: 10.1002/qute.202100037 Journal information: Nanoscale
Gabriel Lewis, Guarini '20, measures reflectivity on Greenlands ice sheet during a 2016 research expedition. According to a Dartmouth research paper, a reduction in fresh snowfall has caused parts of Greenland to become darker and may lead to additional surface melt. Credit: Forrest McCarthy

A weather pattern that pushes snowfall away from parts of Greenland's ice sheet is causing the continent to become darker and warmer, according to Dartmouth research published in Geophysical Research Letters.

The reduction in the amount of fresh, light-colored snow exposes older, darker snow on the surface of the ice sheet. The resulting decrease in reflectivity, known as albedo, causes the ice to absorb more heat, also likely contributing to faster melting.

"As snow ages, even over hours to a few days, you get this reduction in reflectivity, and that's why the fresh snow is so important," said Erich Osterberg, associate professor of earth sciences at Dartmouth and the principal investigator of the study.

According to the research, the decrease in snowfall is the result of "atmospheric blocking" in which persistent high-pressure systems hover over the ice sheet for up to weeks at a time. The systems, which have increased over Greenland since the mid-1990s, push snowstorms to the north, hold warmer air over Western Greenland, and reduce light-blocking cloud cover.

"It's like a triple whammy effect," Osterberg said. "This all contributes to Greenland melting faster and faster."

According to the research, the result isn't only less snowfall, it's a different type of snow on the surface.

Change in surface albedo (reflectivity) across Greenland's ice sheet. A greater decline in albedo is indicated in dark red. The research team's route is noted by the black line. Credit: Geophysical Research Letters/AGU.

As snowflakes melt or evaporate, they become rounded and less reflective than newer, crystal-shaped snow. This causes the snow surface to become darker. According to the research team, a 1% change in reflectivity across Greenland's ice sheet could cause an additional 25 gigatons of ice to be lost over three years.

"Fresh snow looks like what you would draw in a kindergarten class or cut from a piece of paperit's got all these really sharp points, and that's because it's extremely cold in the atmosphere when the snow falls," said Gabriel Lewis, the first author of the study, who conducted the research as a Ph.D. candidate at Dartmouth. "Once it falls and sits on the surface of the ice sheet in the sun, it changes shape and the snow grains become larger over time."

The team gathered data for the study during a two-summer 2,700-mile snowmobile trek across a region of Greenland's ice sheet known as the western percolation zone.

The researchers found only about 1 part per billion of impurities in the snow. This helped them determine that the changing shape of snowflakes, forced by the persistent high-pressure systems, was the likely cause of the darkening, rather than soot, dust, or microorganisms.

"It's some of the cleanest snow in the world," said Lewis, "In our research area, the impurities do not appear to be enough to account for the change in albedo other research teams have reported."

According to research cited in the study, the Greenland ice sheet has warmed about 2.7 degrees Celsius (4.85 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1982. The continent is experiencing the greatest melt and runoff rates in the last 450 years, at a minimum, and likely the greatest rates in the last 7,000 years.

More information: Gabriel Lewis et al, Atmospheric Blocking Drives Recent Albedo Change Across the Western Greenland Ice Sheet Percolation Zone, Geophysical Research Letters (2021). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters Gabriel Lewis et al, Atmospheric Blocking Drives Recent Albedo Change Across the Western Greenland Ice Sheet Percolation Zone,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL092814
In this undated file photo a jaguar is shown. Environmental groups and scientists with two universities are suggesting that U.S. wildlife managers consider reintroducing jaguars to the American Southwest. In a recently published paper, they say habitat destruction, highways and existing segments of the border wall mean that natural reestablishment of the large cats north of the U.S.-Mexico boundary would be unlikely over the next century without human intervention. (The Arizona Republic via AP, File)

Environmental groups and scientists with two universities want U.S. wildlife managers to consider reintroducing jaguars to the American Southwest.

In a recently published paper, they say habitat destruction, highways and existing segments of the border wall mean that natural reestablishment of the large cats north of the U.S.-Mexico boundary would be unlikely over the next century without human intervention.

Jaguars are currently found in 19 countries, but biologists have said the animals have lost more than half of their historic range from South and Central America into the southwestern United States largely due to hunting and habitat loss.

Several individual male jaguars have been spotted in Arizona and New Mexico over the last two decades but there's no evidence of breeding pairs establishing territories beyond northern Mexico. Most recently, a male jaguar was spotted just south of the border and another was seen in Arizona in January.

Scientists and experts with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Center for Landscape Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and other organizations are pointing to more than 31,800 square miles (82,400 square kilometers) of suitable habitat in the mountains of central Arizona and New Mexico that could potentially support anywhere from 90 to 150 jaguars.

They contend that reintroducing the cats is essential to species conservation and restoration of the region's ecosystem.

"We are attempting to start a new conversation around jaguar recovery, and this would be a project that would be decades in the making," Sharon Wilcox of Defenders of Wildlife, one of the study's authors, said in an interview. "There are ecological dimensions, human dimensions that would need to be addressed in a truly collaborative manner. There would need to be a number of stakeholders who would want to be at the table in order to see this project move forward."

Under a recovery plan finalized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mexico as well as countries in Central and South America are primarily responsible for monitoring jaguar movements within their territory. The agency has noted that the Southwestern U.S. represents just one-tenth of 1% of the jaguar's historic range.

This Dec. 1, 2016 file image from video provided by Fort Huachuca shows a wild jaguar in southern Arizona. Environmental groups and scientists with two universities are suggesting that U.S. wildlife managers consider reintroducing jaguars to the American Southwest. In a recently published paper, they say habitat destruction, highways and existing segments of the border wall mean that natural reestablishment of the large cats north of the U.S.-Mexico boundary would be unlikely over the next century without human intervention. (Fort Huachuca via AP, File)

Environmentalists have criticized the plan, saying the U.S. government overlooked opportunities for recovery north of the international border.

While the recovery plan doesn't call for reintroductions in the U.S., federal officials have said efforts will continue to focus on sustaining habitat, eliminating poaching and improving social acceptance to accommodate those cats that find their way across the border.

The habitat highlighted by the conservation groups is rugged and made up mostly of federally managed land. They say it includes water sources, suitable cover and prey.

Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have yet to review the latest study, but such a proposal would likely face fierce opposition from ranchers and some rural residents who have been at odds with environmentalists and the Fish and Wildlife Service over the reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves. That program has faced numerous challenges over the past two decades and while wolf numbers are trending upward, ranchers say so are livestock deaths.

Jaguar advocates said losses could be mitigated through compensation programs like those established as a result of the wolf program.

Then there's the question of where the jaguars would come from. Advocates say a captive breeding program could be developed over time and jaguars from existing wild populations could be relocated.

Wilcox said there are many factorssome understood and others still being studiedthat influence the movement of jaguars.

"But this is a vast area with suitable vegetation," she said. "It's populated with the right kind of prey for these cats and given its elevation and its latitude, it might provide an important climate refugium for the species in the future."

Explore further Now is the time to think about reintroducing jaguars into the US

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
News Around the Republic of Mexico



New Species of Crested Dinosaur Identified in Mexico



Illustrationn of 'Tlatolophus galorum' courtesy of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) Mexico City - A team of paleontologists in Mexico have identified a new species of dinosaur after finding its 72 million-year-old fossilized remains almost a decade ago, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported.



The new species, named Tlatolophus galorum, was identified as a crested dinosaur after 80% of its skull was recovered, allowing experts to compare it to other dinosaurs of that type, INAH said.



The investigation, which also included specialists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, began in 2013 with the discovery of an articulated tail in the north-central Mexican state of Coahuila, where other discoveries have been made.



"Once we recovered the tail, we continued digging below where it was located. The surprise was that we began to find bones such as the femur, the scapula and other elements," said Alejandro Ramirez, a scientist involved in the discovery.



Later, the scientists were able to collect, clean and analyze other bone fragments from the front part of the dinosaur's body.



The palaeontologists had in their possession the crest of the dinosaur, which was 1.32 meters long, as well as other parts of the skull: lower and upper jaws, palate and even a part known as the neurocranium, where the brain was housed, INAH said.



The Mexican anthropology body also explained the meaning of the name - Tlatolophus galorum - for the new species of dinosaur.



Tlatolophus is a mixture of two words, putting together a term from the indigenous Mexican language of Nahuatl that means "word" with the Greek term meaning "crest". Galorum refers to the people linked to the research, INAH said.



Reporting by Abraham Gonzalez; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa.



Original article - A team of paleontologists in Mexico have identified a new species of dinosaur after finding its 72 million-year-old fossilized remains almost a decade ago, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported.The new species, namedwas identified as a crested dinosaur after 80% of its skull was recovered, allowing experts to compare it to other dinosaurs of that type, INAH said.The investigation, which also included specialists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, began in 2013 with the discovery of an articulated tail in the north-central Mexican state of Coahuila, where other discoveries have been made."Once we recovered the tail, we continued digging below where it was located. The surprise was that we began to find bones such as the femur, the scapula and other elements," said Alejandro Ramirez, a scientist involved in the discovery.Later, the scientists were able to collect, clean and analyze other bone fragments from the front part of the dinosaur's body.The palaeontologists had in their possession the crest of the dinosaur, which was 1.32 meters long, as well as other parts of the skull: lower and upper jaws, palate and even a part known as the neurocranium, where the brain was housed, INAH said.The Mexican anthropology body also explained the meaning of the name -- for the new species of dinosaur.Tlatolophus is a mixture of two words, putting together a term from the indigenous Mexican language of Nahuatl that means "word" with the Greek term meaning "crest". Galorum refers to the people linked to the research, INAH said.



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Griffon Vultures in Eastern Balkan Mountains. Credit: Hristo Peshev, fwff.org

Fifty years after presumably becoming extinct as a breeding species in Bulgaria, the Griffon vulture, one of the largest birds of prey in Europe, is back in the Eastern Balkan Mountains. Since 2009, three local conservation NGOsGreen BalkansStara Zagora, the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna and the Birds of Prey Protection Society, have been working on a long-term restoration program to bring vultures back to their former breeding range in Bulgaria. The program is supported by the vulture Conservation Foundation, the Government of Extremadura, Spain, and EuroNatur. Its results have been described in the open-access, peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.

Two large-scale projects funded by the EU's LIFE tool, one of them ongoing, facilitate the import of captive-bred or recovered vultures from Spain, France and zoos and rehabilitation centers across Europe. Birds are then accommodated in special acclimatization aviaries, individually tagged and released into the wild from five release sites in Bulgaria. Using this method, a total of 153 Griffon vultures were released between 2009 and 2020 from two adaptation aviaries in the Kotlenska Planina Special Protection Area and the Sinite Kamani Nature Park in the Eastern Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria.

After some 50 years of absence, the very first successful reproduction in the area was reported as early as 2016. Now, as of December 2020, the local population consists of more than 80 permanently present individuals, among them about 25 breeding pairs, and has already produced a total of 3133 chicks successfully fledged into the wild.

"Why vultures, of all creatures? Because they were exterminated, yet provide an amazing service for people and healthy ecosystems," Elena Kmetova-Biro, initial project manager for the Green Balkans NGO explains.

Vulture adaptation aviary. Credit: Green Balkans, www.greenbalkans.org

Vulture tagging. Credit: Hristo Peshev, fwff.org

"We have lost about a third of the vultures set free in that site, mostly due to electrocution shortly after release. The birds predominantly forage on feeding sites, where the team provides dead domestic animals collected from local owners and slaughterhouses," the researchers say.

"We, however, consider the establishment phase of the reintroduction of Griffon vulture in this particular site as successfully completed. The population is still dependent on conservation measures (supplementary feeding, isolation of dangerous power lines and accidental poisoning prevention), but the area of the Eastern Balkan Mountains can currently be regarded as a one of the only seven existing general areas for the species in the mainland Balkan Peninsula and one of the five which serve as population source sites."

More information: Elena KmetovaBiro et al, Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in the Eastern Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria  completion of the establishment phase 2010-2020, Biodiversity Data Journal (2021). Journal information: Biodiversity Data Journal Elena KmetovaBiro et al, Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in the Eastern Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria  completion of the establishment phase 2010-2020,(2021). DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e66363
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Mitochondriathe 'batteries' that power our cellsplay an unexpected role in common diseases such as type 2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, concludes a study of over 350,000 people conducted by the University of Cambridge.

The study, published today in Nature Genetics, found that genetic variants in the DNA of mitochondria could increase the risk of developing these conditions, as well influencing characteristics such as height and lifespan.

There was also evidence that some changes in mitochondrial DNA were more common in people with Scottish, Welsh or Northumbrian genetic ancestry, implying that mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA (which accounts for 99.9% of our genetic make-up) interact with each other.

Almost all of the DNA that makes up the human genomethe body's 'blueprint' - is contained within the nuclei of our cells. Among other functions, nuclear DNA codes for the characteristics that make us individual as well as for the proteins that do most of the work in our bodies.

Our cells also contain mitochondria, often referred to as 'batteries', which provide the energy for our cells to function. They do this by converting the food that we eat into ATP, a molecule capable of releasing energy very quickly. Each of these mitochondria is coded for by a tiny amount of 'mitochondrial DNA'. Mitochondrial DNA makes up only 0.1% of the overall human genome and is passed down exclusively from mother to child.

While errors in mitochondrial DNA can lead to so-called mitochondrial diseases, which can be severely disabling, until now there had been little evidence that these variants can influence more common diseases. Several small-scale studies have hinted at this possibility, but scientists have been unable to replicate their findings.

Now, a team at the University of Cambridge has developed a new technique to study mitochondrial DNA and its relation to human diseases and characteristics in samples taken from 358,000 volunteers as part of UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database and research resource.

Dr. Joanna Howson, who carried out the work while at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, said: "Using this new method, we've been able to look for associations between the numerous features that have been recorded for participants of UK Biobank and see whether any correlate with mitochondrial DNA.

"Aside from mitochondrial diseases, we don't generally associate mitochondrial DNA variants with common diseases. But what we've shown is that mitochondrial DNAwhich we inherit from our motherinfluences the risk of some diseases such as type 2 diabetes and MS as well as a number of common characteristics."

Among those factors found to be influenced by mitochondrial DNA are: type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, liver and kidney function, blood count parameters, life span and height. While some of the effects are seen more extremely in patients with rare inherited mitochondrial diseasesfor example, patients with severe disease are often shorter than averagethe effect in healthy individuals tends to be much subtler, likely accounting for just a few millimetres' height difference, for example.

There are several possible explanations for how mitochondrial DNA exerts its influence. One is that changes to mitochondrial DNA lead to subtle differences in our ability to produce energy. However, it is likely to be more complicated, affecting complex biological pathways inside our bodiesthe signals that allow our cells to operate in a coordinated fashion.

Professor Patrick Chinnery from the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit at Cambridge said: "If you want a complete picture of common diseases, then clearly you're going to need to factor in the influence of mitochondrial DNA. The ultimate aim of studies of our DNA is to understand the mechanisms that underlie these diseases and find new ways to treat them. Our work could help identify potential new drug targets."

Unlike nuclear DNA, which is passed down from both the mother and the father, mitochondria DNA is inherited exclusively from the mother. This suggests that the two systems are inherited independently and hence there should be no association between an individual's nuclear and mitochondrial DNAhowever, this was not what the team found.

The researchers showed that certain nuclear genetic backgrounds are associated preferentially with certain mitochondrial genetic backgrounds, particularly in Scotland, Wales and Northumbria. This suggests that our nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have evolvedand continue to evolveside-by-side and interact with each other.

One reason that may explain this is the need for compatibility. ATP is produced by a group of proteins inside the mitochondria, called the respiratory chain. There are over 100 components of the respiratory chain, 13 of which are coded for by mitochondrial DNA; the remainder are coded for by nuclear DNA. Even though proteins in the respiratory chain are being produced by two different genomes, the proteins need to physically interlock like pieces of a jigsaw.

If the mitochondrial DNA inherited by a child was not compatible with the nuclear DNA inherited from the father, the jigsaw would not fit together properly, thereby affecting the respiratory chain and, consequently, energy production. This might subtly influence an individual's health or physiology, which over time could be disadvantageous from an evolutionary perspective. Conversely, matches would be encouraged by evolution and therefore become more common.

This could have implications for the success of mitochondrial transfer therapya new technique that enables scientists to replace a mother's defective mitochondria with those from a donor, thereby preventing her child from having a potentially life-threatening mitochondrial disease.

"It looks like our mitochondrial DNA is matched to our nuclear DNA to some extentin other words, you can't just swap the mitochondria with any donor, just as you can't take a blood transfusion from anyone," explained Professor Chinnery. "Fortunately, this possibility has already been factored into the approach taken by the team at Newcastle who have pioneered this therapy."

Explore further New research on why mutations in a gene leads to mitochondrial disease

More information: Yonova-Doing, E et al. An atlas of mitochondrial DNA genotype-phenotype associations in the UK Biobank. Nature Genetics (2021). Journal information: Nature Genetics Yonova-Doing, E et al. An atlas of mitochondrial DNA genotype-phenotype associations in the UK Biobank.(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-021-00868-1
Still image of Anak Krakatau flank collapse, 3D rendering. Credit: Stephan Grilli

An article recently published in the journal Nature Communications, written by University of Rhode Island College of Engineering Professor Stephan Grilli and his colleagues, reveals new data on the Anak Krakatau volcano flank collapse, which was triggered by an eruption on December 22, 2018.

The tsunami created by the flank collapse hit the coast of Indonesia with waves as tall as 5 meters, leaving 420 people dead and 40,000 people displaced from their homes.

New data used for modeling

Ever since the eruption occurred, scientists have been collecting evidence to determine exactly how it happened, just as crime scene investigators attempt to recreate a crime scene.

"Up until now, a lot of the information we had was based on satellite images and conjecture," said University of Rhode Island Distinguished Engineering Professor Stephan Grilli. "Until there was real data, nobody could do any better."

By combining new synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, field observations from a marine geology underwater survey, and aerial photographs taken by drones, a more accurate model can now be created of the volcano before and after it collapsed.

New high-resolution seafloor and sub-seafloor hydroacoustic surveys have provided a comprehensive view of what the landslide deposits look like underwater.

"The renderings show how deep the sediment slid underwater and how large the pieces were that collapsed," said Grilli.

Published findings

The article in Nature Communications, which is considered one of the world's leading multidisciplinary science journals, was published on May 14, 2021.

"For many researchers working in the natural sciences, publishing a paper in one of Nature's journals is really an honor and a sign that one's work is being recognized by the scientific community," said Grilli. "This also brings great visibility to the work, which is important because as we improve our understanding and modeling of how tsunamis are generated by natural hazards, we can improve our mitigation of their effects in coastal areas and hopefully save lives."

Grilli's research was funded by the National Science Foundation. Other co-project investigators at URI were Annette Grilli, associate professor of ocean engineering and Steve Carey, professor of oceanography.

Most of Stephan Grilli's peers who are co-authors on the Nature article are from the United Kingdom and were funded by its Natural Environment Research Council.

3D rendering of pre- and post-collapse (likeliest scenario) of Anak Krakatau and the surrounding islands based on available pre-event data outside of the Krakatau Islands and field survey data from August 2019. Credit: Stephan Grilli.

Closer to home

As devastating as the tsunami caused by Anak Krakatau was, a potentially much greater threat exists closer to the United States.

According to Grilli, if one of the volcanoes in the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Northwest Africa were to erupt and suffer a large flank collapse, the results would be catastrophic.

"Our sights are on the Canary Islands because that volcano shows signs of becoming unstable and an eruption could cause a major landslide on one of its flanks, which studies have shown could be up to 2,000 times larger than what we saw in Indonesia," said Grilli. "That could create a mega-tsunami, with the potential to cause inundations along the East Coast of the United State, in some areas twice as large as a category five hurricane. It could mean major destruction along the East Coast."

On a smaller scale, but within the United States, Hawaii's volcanoes pose a constant threat of eruption and flank collapses.

"If a piece of one of Hawaii's volcanoes was to break off, it could create a significant tsunami," said Grilli.

Not much warning

Despite advances in technology, there is still very little warning when a volcano is on the verge of eruption or a tsunami is forming as a result of it.

"We have high-frequency radar and systems that can monitor surface currents, including those caused by tsunamis, but we're still a long way from being able to predict when an earthquake, volcano eruption or tsunami may occur," said Grilli.

After Japan was struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 in 2011, resulting in a tsunami and a nuclear power-plant accident, which left close to 18,000 people dead, the country spent $12 billion to build 42-foot-high concrete seawalls.

The walls block the view of the ocean, but experts say the barriers are worth it, as they should minimize damage and buy time for evacuation. In some areas of the United States, such as along the Cascadia subduction zone off of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, there would be very little time to retreat to safe ground should a large earthquake and tsunami occur.

"In Oregon, people are worried about evacuation if we had "The Big One,'" said Grilli. "Even though people have built artificial hills for a vertical evacuation, at most there would be a 15-minute tsunami warning. There just wouldn't be enough time to get everyone to safety."

Explore further New data provides clearer picture of historic volcano collapse

More information: J. E. Hunt et al, Submarine landslide megablocks show half of Anak Krakatau island failed on December 22nd, 2018, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications J. E. Hunt et al, Submarine landslide megablocks show half of Anak Krakatau island failed on December 22nd, 2018,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22610-5
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The study presents a new line of research, since so far there have been very few studies that have focused on loud and intermittent noises of a recreational nature, as is the case of traditional festivals, and the effects they cause on urban fauna.

The Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Valencia, in collaboration with the University of Alicante, has studied how noise pollution from the Moors and Christians festivities affects the reproduction of the house sparrow. The study presents a new line of research, since so far there have been very few studies that have focused on loud and intermittent noises of a recreational nature, as is the case of traditional festivals, and the effects they cause on urban fauna.

The authors of the article, Edgar Bernat and Jose Antonio Gil, from the Cavanilles Institute, and German Lopez, a researcher at the University of Alicante, have found that the population of juvenile sparrows decreases in those towns that celebrate the Moors and Christians festival during the breeding season. This is due to the noise pollution caused by the firecrackers, musket shots and fireworks from the festivity.

"Recreational and intermittent noise has been studied very little in terms of the effects it has on urban fauna. In this case, we studied the house sparrow, since it is an urban bioindicator and we wanted to know to what extent the festivals that coincided with the breeding season had an influence on their reproduction, which is another aspect that had not been analyzed until now in any species," explains Edgar Bernat.

To achieve this, the study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, analyzed five pairs of towns depending on whether they have the holidays between April and May and therefore coincide with the breeding season; or if they are held outside the spring. According to Bernat, "we not only wanted to make the comparison based on when the festivities are, but also that they were more or less similar municipalities and that they are relatively close." Thus, Banyeres de Mariola was compared to Bocairent, Onil to Castalla, Muro de Alcoi to Cocentaina, Petrer to Villena and Alcoi to Ibi.

To carry out the sampling, the researchers have counted the juvenile individualsborn in the year of studythat were in an area of one hundred meters around the Moors and Christians route fifteen and thirty days after the end of the festivities. Thus, they have been able to obtain the ratio of juvenile and adult individuals that has served as an indicator of youth productivity.

This analysis, which was carried out in 2019, showed that there were more juvenile sparrows in localities where the festivals are outside the breeding season. "When we were going to publish these results, the pandemic arrived, everything was canceled and we saw an opportunity to make a comparison in those municipalities where the breeding season did coincide with the Moors and Christians," says the expert.

Thus, the article points out that the youth ratios in 2020 were in both types of localities, with parties in spring, canceled, and with parties at another time. Likewise, the authors have seen that the confinement has not had a notable effect on the normal reproductive success of the species, although it did improve in the localities where the spring festivals were canceled.

Bernat believes that this is due to the fact that the sparrow's reproduction not only depends on acoustic factors, but also others such as the food that people provide and that disappeared in the confinement. Therefore, this study also leaves possible future lines of research regarding other elements that affect the reproduction of fauna. In addition, another of the possible avenues for further study is to know how air pollution created by the parties themselves, and not just noise pollution, affects sparrows.

As the researcher mentions, "we do not say that traditional festivals should be canceled or that they be transformed because it affects the reproduction of the sparrow. However, we believe that compensatory measures must be carried out to help them in another way, because one of the decisions that harms birds the most is the absence of green policies in cities. For example, placing natural grass instead of artificial grass, avoid paving parks and adapting house tiles so that they can nest. In other words, provide them with facilities despite the fact that you harm them during those festivities."

Explore further Sharp decrease in sparrows caused by use of artificial grass in city parks

More information: Edgar Bernat-Ponce et al. Recreational noise pollution of traditional festivals reduces the juvenile productivity of an avian urban bioindicator, Environmental Pollution (2021). Journal information: Evolutionary Biology , Environmental Pollution Edgar Bernat-Ponce et al. Recreational noise pollution of traditional festivals reduces the juvenile productivity of an avian urban bioindicator,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117247
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A research group led by Prof. Luo Tianzhi from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Prof. Wang Zhengzhi's team from Wuhan University, explored the natural defenses in the tail spike of mantis shrimps and left chela of hermit crabs.

They revealed the chemical gradients from nanometer to centimeter and the correlation between micro-structure and mechanical properties. Also, they confirmed toughening mechanism and optimized structure principles through a 3D printing technique and finite-element analysis. The results were published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces and Acta Biomaterialia, respectively.

Nature endows many animals with hierarchical structural "tools" for defense and attack, which also inspires the researchers and engineers to design and fabricate bio-mimetic materials and structures with superior properties.

In these studies, the researchers found that the exoskeleton of mantis shrimps embraces four different layers, in which there are distinctive micro-structure and chemical characteristics.

The local mechanical properties of these layers correlate well with the micro-structures and chemical compositions, a combination of which effectively restricts the crack propagation while maximizing the release of strain energy during deformation. As a result, the whole toughness and strength is improved.

Additionally, the researchers fabricated many bio-mimetic structures of the tail spike by 3D printing, and verified that the combination of Bounligand structure with radially oriented parallel sheets greatly improves the toughness and strength during compression tests. This case guides high-performance composites fabrication towards a new path.

In the similar way, the left chela of hermit crabs is also naturally endowed with the optimized mechanical properties in against the compression and attack, which provides new ideas to sharpen the design in anti-attack structures.

Explore further Bio-inspired spiral hydrogel fiber qualified to be surgical suture

More information: Shan Li et al. Optimized Hierarchical Structure and Chemical Gradients Promote the Biomechanical Functions of the Spike of Mantis Shrimps, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2021). Shan Li et al. Optimized Hierarchical Structure and Chemical Gradients Promote the Biomechanical Functions of the Spike of Mantis Shrimps,(2021). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c02867 Weiqin Lin et al. Multi-scale design of the chela of the hermit crab Coenobita brevimanus, Acta Biomaterialia (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.04.012 Journal information: Acta Biomaterialia , ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Since it was first signed more than five years ago, the Paris Agreement has set the bar for the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with more than 70 countries taking on ambitious nationally determined contributions that exceed initial commitments laid out in the agreement. However, a new paper released today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argues that the carbon budget these commitments are based on does not take into account the latest science on Arctic feedback loops, and calls for global leaders to rethink emissions goals.

"Arctic warming poses one of the greatests risks to our climate, yet it has not been adequately incorporated into existing climate projections and policies," said Dr. Sue Natali, lead author and director of Woodwell Climate's Arctic Program. "To build effective policy to address the climate crisis, it is essential that we recognize the full scope of the problem."

Over the past decade, rapid Arctic warming has resulted in record-breaking Siberian heatwaves, extreme northern wildfires that release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, the loss of Arctic sea ice, and an acceleration of permafrost thaw. Arctic permafrost, which has been accumulating and storing carbon for thousands of years, contains approximately twice the amount of carbon that is currently in the Earth's atmosphere, and is releasing that carbon into the atmosphere as it thaws. Those emissions exacerbate warming, which triggers more thaw, potentially leading to an exponential increase in emissions and warming in the coming years. This new paper shows current carbon budgets fail to account for these carbon emissions from permafrost and the dangerous climate feedback loops they will set off.

"Based on what we already know about abrupt thaw and wildfire, these feedback loops are likely to substantially exacerbate the permafrost thaw feedback and resulting carbon emissions," said Woodwell researcher and paper co-author Dr. Rachael Treharne. "Unless our models account for these anticipated effects, we'll be missing a major piece of the carbon puzzle."

In order to keep the Earth's temperature below 1.5 or 2C, the paper recommends decision-makers incorporate the latest science on Arctic carbon emissions into climate models and carbon budgets used to inform policy, and update risk assessments to determine how quickly we need to reduce emissions to meet climate goals.

"The science alone is not enough," said Dr. Philip Duffy, president and executive director of the Woodwell Climate Research Center and commentary co-author. "We urgently need communication between scientific and policy communities to make sure our climate policies are effective in addressing the scale and scope of the climate crisis."

Explore further Arctic permafrost thaw plays greater role in climate change than previously estimated

Provided by Woodwell Climate Research Center
Southern lesser galago, or bushbaby. Credit: CC photo via Wikimedia Commons

Southern lesser galagos (Galago moholi), a species of primate that lives in southern Africa, boast big, round eyes and are so small they can fit in your hand.

A new study from an international team of scientists, however, suggests that there may be a downside to their cuteness: The trade in lesser galagos, also known as bushbabies, which some people keep as pets, may have shifted the genetics within their wild populations over the span of decades, according to the research. Those changes could undercut the ability of the critters to adapt as human farms and cities grow throughout the region.

The study was published recently in the journal Primates and was led by researchers from the United States and South Africa, including primatologist Michelle Sauther at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Lesser galagos, she said, are hard to spot: They're nocturnal and live high in the branches of acacia trees. But you may still hear their eerie calls at night in the savannas and forests of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and other neighboring nations.

"They're called bushbabies because they sound like a baby crying," said Sauther, professor in the Department of Anthropology. "It's kind of spooky."

In their new study, Sauther and her colleagues analyzed the DNA of bushbabies living in the regions around Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, and more remote areas to the north. The team found that populations located far away from each other may share more genes in common than scientists would normally expectsuggesting that something, and probably people, is secretly shuttling the primates around the country.

"You've got populations that are genetically different mixing with each other," said Metlholo Andries Phukuntsi, lead author of the new study and a graduate student at the South African National Biodiversity Institute and the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria. "When that happens, you can dilute the local gene pool, and these animals lose their ability to adapt to their habitats."

Bounding bushbabies

Study coauthor Frank Cuozzo said that the findings are significant because scientists today don't know much about these primates, which are cousins to lemurs. But they're worth keeping an eye on, including for their feats of acrobatics.

"From a simple sitting position, they can jump a meter (three feet) into the air, grab a moth and bring it back down," said Cuozzo, a CU Boulder alumnus and primatologist at the Lajuma Research Centre in South Africa.

Those majestic leaps, however, may be growing rarer in parts of South Africa. The country's Limpopo and Gauteng provinces have experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades. In 1980, for example, the Pretoria metropolitan area had an estimated population of about 700,000 people. Today, more than 2.5 million people call the city home.

Sauther suspects that this expansion could be pushing bushbabies out of many areasand all without anyone knowing.

"What's is worrying is that we talk to farmers, and they're saying, 'We used to see bushbabies back in that orchard, but we don't anymore,'" Sauther said. "That's true even in places like national parks. Some bad things may be happening to them, and it's flying under the radar."

She and her colleagues wanted to find out if southern lesser galagos really are in trouble. To do that, the researchers worked closely with veterinarians to safely collect blood samples from primates living in several different habitats in Limpopo and Gauteng provinces. They then analyzed those samples, plus others kept in biological archives, to take a close look at their mitochondrial DNAsmall clusters of genes that mothers pass to their offspring.

Bushbabies on the move

And, as Sauther put it, "something weird is going on."

Phukuntsi explained that, normally, scientists expect that animals that live closer to each other should have more in common genetically than those that live far apartwhen wild populations are separated by large distances or barriers like mountains, fewer individuals can travel between them to breed. But what the team discovered in its samples from roughly 40 bushbabies was almost the opposite: Individuals from areas separated by dozens or even more than 200 miles shared a lot of gene mutations. Individuals dwelling within the same populations, in contrast, displayed a surprising amount of genetic divergence.

Something, in other words, seems to be putting the species through the genetic equivalent of a cocktail shaker. And all signs point to the trade in wild animals.

"We think that maybe people are catching them and bringing them to a different area," Phukuntsi said. "But then they become difficult to maintain as pets, so people release them back into the wild."

He added that wild animals have spent thousands of years adapting to the challenges of their particular habitats. If you mix genes up too much, you risk washing away all of those helpful adaptations.

"You can really tell whether a population is healthy or not by looking at its genetic diversity," Phukuntsi said.

For now, the findings suggest that researchers may want to take a closer look at the conservation of these miniature primates. And if you're thinking about keeping a bushbaby in your home: don't, Phukuntsi said. They may be cute, but like all wild primates, they're not well-behaved and don't make good pets.

Explore further Studying an elusive South African primate

More information: Metlholo A. Phukuntsi et al, Population and genetic structure of a male-dispersing strepsirrhine, Galago moholi (Primates, Galagidae), from northern South Africa, inferred from mitochondrial DNA, Primates (2021). Journal information: Primates Metlholo A. Phukuntsi et al, Population and genetic structure of a male-dispersing strepsirrhine, Galago moholi (Primates, Galagidae), from northern South Africa, inferred from mitochondrial DNA,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00912-y
Anthropomorph figure from Hermoso Tuliao Cave. Credit: Mark D. Willis.

A Griffith University-led research team has carbon-dated cave art resembling a human-like figure in the Philippines for the first time, potentially clarifying the timeline of early human activity in the area.

Discovered in one of the Penablanca caves, a region where the oldest human remains in the Philippines were found, the figure has been directly dated as about 3500 years old.

Lead author Dr. Andrea Jalandoni from Griffith University's Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit says the date offers a more holistic view of the people inhabiting the caves at that time.

"The date corresponds with archaeological activity found at other sites such as foraging activities in Eme and Arku Caves and pottery in Callao Cave.

"We now have an expansive picture of the people that inhabited the Penablanca Caves over 3,500 years ago, they foraged for food, used pottery and created rock art."

Dr. Jalandoni said there was untapped potential for dating similar charcoal rock art figures in the Penablanca region which may help resolve lingering questions of human migration.

"It was created by either early Austronesians, who arrived around 4000 years ago and are the dominant current population in the Philippines or the Agta Negritos who migrated during the Ice Age. Both groups still live in the area, so more rock art needs to be dated to determine its origin."

The team also reviewed black pigment cave art across Southeast Asia and found similar motifs in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Griffith University Chair in Rock Art Research Professor Paul Tacon said the results were exciting because it proves that some charcoal-based human figure rock art was made thousands of years ago during socio-cultural change across the region.

"It will now be important to date similar figures elsewhere to see if they are of the same age or if these types of human figures were made over a long period of time."

Dr. Jalandoni said the new date also challenges the preconceived notion that all black pigment rock art is recent.

"Our research shows the significance of these rock art sites and why a conservation plan is desperately needed.

"These rock art sites are fast disappearing. Our team was only able to find 94 out of 250 of the figures traced back in 1976-1977. One rock art site at Hunong Spring has been lost completely and it is concerning as a researcher."

National Museum of the Philippines Cultural Deputy for Cagayan Valley Mylene Lising said the study contributes to the developing awareness about early human groups in the Philippine Islands.

"It is a glimpse into how they interacted with their environment and what their behaviours were like 3500 years ago. It is relevant in the bigger context because it promotes a better understanding of ourselves as humans."

Explore further Climate change may be accelerating ancient rock art degradation

More information: Andrea Jalandoni et al. First Directly Dated Rock Art in Southeast Asia and the Archaeological Implications, Radiocarbon (2021). Andrea Jalandoni et al. First Directly Dated Rock Art in Southeast Asia and the Archaeological Implications,(2021). DOI: 10.1017/RDC.2021.29
A zooplankton (Daphnia dentifera) infected by the fungal parasite Metschnikowia bicuspidate. The microscopic fungal spores filling the body as visible as black fuzzy spots. Credit: Tara Stewart Merrill

Whether it's plankton exposed to parasites or people exposed to pathogens, a host's initial immune response plays an integral role in determining whether infection occurs and to what degree it spreads within a population, new University of Colorado Boulder research suggests.

The findings, published May 13 in The American Naturalist, provide valuable insight for understanding and preventing the transmission of disease within and between animal species. From parasitic flatworms transmitted by snails into humans in developing nations, to zoonotic spillover events from mammals and insects to humanswhich have caused global pandemics like COVID-19 and West Nile virusan infected creature's immune response is a vital variable to consider in calculating what happens next.

"One of the biggest patterns that we're seeing in disease ecology and epidemiology is the fact that not all hosts are equal," said Tara Stewart Merrill, lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow in ecology. "In infectious disease research, we want to build host immunity into our understanding of how disease spreads."

Invertebrates are common vectors for disease, which means they can transmit infectious pathogens between humans or from animals to humans. Vector-borne diseases, like malaria, account for almost 20% of all infectious diseases worldwide and are responsible for more than 700,000 deaths each year.

Yet epidemiological studies have rarely considered invertebrate immunity and recovery in creatures that are vectors for human disease. They assume that once exposed to a pathogen, the invertebrate host will become infected.

But what if it was possible for invertebrates to fight off these diseases, and break the link in the chain that passes them on to humans?

While observing a tiny species of zooplankton (Daphnia dentifera) throughout its lifecycle and exposure to a fungal parasite (Metschnikowia bicuspidata), the researchers saw this potential in action. Some of the plankton were good at stopping fungal spores from entering their bodies, and others cleared the infection within a limited window of time after ingesting the spores.

"Our results show that there are several defenses that invertebrates can use to reduce the likelihood of infection, and that we really need to understand those immune defenses to understand infection patterns," said Stewart Merrill.

Unexpected recovery

Stewart Merrill started this work in her first year as a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, studying this little plankton and its collection of defenses. It's a gruesome process if the plankton fails to ward off the parasite: Its fungal spores attack the plankton's gut, fill its body and grow until they are released when the host finally dies.

But she noticed something that had not been recorded before: Some of the doomed plankton recovered. Several years later, she has found that when faced with identical levels of exposure, the success or failure of these infections depends on the strength of the host's internal defenses during this early limited window of opportunity.

A zooplankton (Daphnia dentifera) not infected by fungal parasite Metschnikowia bicuspidate. Credit: Tara Stewart Merrill

Based on their observations of these individual outcomes, the researchers developed a simple probabilistic model for measuring host immunity that can be applied across wildlife systems, with important applications for diseases transmitted to humans by invertebrates.

"When immune responses are good, they act as a filter that reduces transmission," said Stewart Merrill. "But any environmental change that degrades immunity can actually amplify transmission, because it will let all of that exposure go through and ultimately become infectious."

It's a model that can also apply to COVID-19, as research from CU Boulder has shown that not all hosts are the same in transmitting the coronavirus, and exposure does not directly determine infection.

COVID-19 is also believed to be the result of a zoonotic spillover, an infection that moved from animals into people, and similar probabilistic models could be advantageous in predicting the occurrence and spread of future spillover events, said Stewart Merrill.

Understanding prevention of infection

Stewart Merrill hopes that a better understanding of infections in a simple animal like plankton can be applied more broadly to invertebrates that matter for human health.

In Africa, Southeast Asia, as well as South and Central America, 200 million people suffer from infections caused by schistosomesinvertebrates more commonly known as parasitic flatworms. They cause illness and death, and significant economic and public health consequences, so much so that the World Health Organization considers them the second-most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria.

They're just one of many neglected tropical diseases transmitted to people by invertebrate hosts such as snails, mosquitoes and biting flies. These diseases infect a large portion of a population but occur in areas with low levels of sanitation that don't have the economic resources to address those diseases, said Stewart Merrill.

Schistosomes live in freshwater environments that people use for their drinking water, laundry and bathing. So even though there are treatments, the next day a person can easily get reinfected just by accessing the water they need. By better understanding how the flatworms themselves succumb to or fight off infection, scientists like Stewart Merrill help us get closer to stopping the chain of transmission into humans.

"We really need to work on understanding prevention of infection, and what that risk is in those aquatic systems, rather than just cures for infection," she said.

The good news is we can learn from the same invertebrates which infect us. In invertebrate hosts that suffer or die from their infections, there is a good incentive to learn how to build an immune response and fight it off. Some snails have even shown the ability to retain an immunological memory: If they get infected once and survive, then they might never get infected again.

"If we can better understand how the environment shapes those defenses, we could predict into the future how environmental changes might amplify or suppress risk of transmission to people," said Stewart Merrill.

Explore further A diversity of wildlife is good for our health

More information: Tara Stewart Merrill et al, Host controls of within-host disease dynamics: insight from an invertebrate system, The American Naturalist (2021). Journal information: American Naturalist Tara Stewart Merrill et al, Host controls of within-host disease dynamics: insight from an invertebrate system,(2021). DOI: 10.1086/715355
Credit: Shutterstock/Sheila Fitzgerald

Corruption is a crime which slows economic growth, undermines development, and causes inequality. With a cost to the global economy estimated at around US$2.6 trillion (1.8 trillion) a year, it is often linked to politics and profiteering by large corporations. The Panama Papers, for example, exposed the vast and powerful reach of the financial secrecy industry.

But a large volume of the corruption in developing countries operates through "grease money"informal cash payments to local government officials. This involves people regularly handing over payments for access to everyday public goods and services such as electricity, driving licenses and medical care.

Aside from the financial implications, the often hidden cost of this kind of corruption is its damaging psychological impact. Our research aims to shine a light on how everyday corruption harms mental health in developing countries.

The damage can come in several forms. For example, the size and frequency of bribes imposes financial costs and creates anxiety, especially for poorer households, who are disproportionately affected and more vulnerable.

Corruption also leads to the distorted allocation of key public services, such as health care and education infrastructure. These are vital for physical and mental health, but are often only easily available to those willing and able to pay. Furthermore, paying bribes for essential goods and services (to which one is legally entitled) results in feelings of helplessness and disenfranchisement.

It is estimated that around 10% of the world's population suffers from mental health disorderswith the poorest particularly exposed. Studies also show that those with lower incomes are at greater risk of suffering from depression and anxiety than those in the higher income brackets.

A state of depression

Vietnam, the focus of our research, is ranked a lowly 104 out of 180 countries for public sector transparency. Surveys confirm that corruption remains an all too common cost of doing business in Vietnam.

For our research, we conducted two large surveys in rural Vietnam, in which mental health was assessed using the Center for the Epidemiological Studies of Depression scale. This widely recognized screening tool to measure depressive symptoms asks respondents how often they experience sadness, hopelessness, a lack of concentration and poor sleep. We then compared these results to measures of corruption.

In the first survey, measures of corruption were based on people's exposure to day to day corruption in the public sector (bribery to acquire construction permits, get a government job, or even to receive medical treatment). In the second, households were asked how large an effect corruption had on their domestic enterprises.

We found clear and convincing evidence that exposure to day to day petty corruption has a significant negative effect on mental health. As women tend to be the primary caregivers, they are often the ones seeking essential services for their families. Our findings suggest that women's dependence on public services in areas where corruption is rife had a greater impact on their mental health compared to that of men.

We also found that that exposure to corruption reduces trust in local communities and institutions, and leads to a reduction in incomes, which in turn affects mental health.

Corruption clampdown

In 2016, Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, launched a major anti-corruption campaign. Between January 2016 and August 2018, around 56 government officials were reportedly disciplined over corruption, and several others prosecuted.

Some observers have since suggested that the campaign has reduced corruption levels. Our research also found the anti-corruption drive improved levels of mental health in the areas where it was successfully tackled.

More recently though, the pandemic has no doubt provided ample conditions for corruption to flourish, with demand for essential services and goods likely far exceeding supply. There are already reports of COVID-19 related corruption related to health care and humanitarian aid. The disease has already affected long term equality and social mobility, further disempowering poor and marginalized groups.

For any post-pandemic recovery process to be inclusive, there needs to be a commitment to combating corruption and enhancing transparency in governance structures. To the world's poorest, each day is an urgent crisis of securing money, food and safety. It is an all-consuming and continuing struggle affecting both their physical and mental healthand made worse by long standing corruption.

Explore further Experiencing corruption makes you more likely to protest against it up to a point

More information: Benjamin A. Olken et al. Corruption in Developing Countries, Annual Review of Economics (2012). Benjamin A. Olken et al. Corruption in Developing Countries,(2012). DOI: 10.1146/annurev-economics-080511-110917

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Mistakes People Make When Moving To Mexico



Learn which city in Mexico is ideal for you to live in based on lifestyle preferences, how to buy real estate in Mexico and what healthcare is really like here, join Taniel LIVE! on June 8, 9 or 16 for a FREE webinar. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Over the last few decades, Mexico has become one of the top relocation and retirement markets amongst US and Canadian citizens, with Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Cancun, San Miguel de Allende and other popular resort regions grabbing most of the attention and real estate investment dollars.



Moving to a foreign country is exciting and life changing, and can come with a few challenges, especially in the beginning. To make it a little easier, Timothy Real Estate Group's Taniel Chemsian and Modern Aging's Risa Morimoto put together a list of the Top 9 Mistakes People Make When Moving To Mexico. The list includes:



Expecting Everything To Be Cheaper In Mexico

Assuming Credit Cards Are Accepted Everywhere

Expecting Things To Happen On Your Time

...and much more.



Check out the list on the



For more information, don't miss the



If you are thinking about moving and purchasing property in Mexico, you won't want to miss this great opportunity to learn from The Pros.



Taniel Chemsian is one of the top real estate sales associates for Timothy Real Estate Group in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He moved to Puerto Vallarta from Los Angeles in 2003, became a real estate agent in 2006 and has never looked back. He has sold hundreds of homes in the region over the last 13 years, and is often seen on House Hunters International (HGTV).



The number one selling and listing agency in the greater Bay of Banderas region since 2011, Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the city's Romantic Zone. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate and, with 5 sales offices around the bay, we know our communities well. If you are looking to sell or purchase a property in the Banderas Bay area, download their



Click HERE to learn more about Timothy Real Estate Group - Over the last few decades, Mexico has become one of the top relocation and retirement markets amongst US and Canadian citizens, with Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Cancun, San Miguel de Allende and other popular resort regions grabbing most of the attention and real estate investment dollars.Moving to a foreign country is exciting and life changing, and can come with a few challenges, especially in the beginning. To make it a little easier, Timothy Real Estate Group's Taniel Chemsian and Modern Aging's Risa Morimoto put together a list of the Top 9 Mistakes People Make When Moving To Mexico. The list includes:Expecting Everything To Be Cheaper In MexicoAssuming Credit Cards Are Accepted EverywhereExpecting Things To Happen On Your Time...and much more.Check out the list on the This Is Modern Aging website by clicking HERE. For more information, don't miss the FREE 'Dream Retirement in Mexico' webinar on June 8, 9 and 16. Taniel & Risa will discuss the most popular expat destinations in Mexico, basics on how to purchase property and the ins and outs of the Mexican healthcare system.If you are thinking about moving and purchasing property in Mexico, you won't want to miss this great opportunity to learn from The Pros. Click HERE to register TODAY! The number one selling and listing agency in the greater Bay of Banderas region since 2011, Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the city's Romantic Zone. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate and, with 5 sales offices around the bay, we know our communities well. If you are looking to sell or purchase a property in the Banderas Bay area, download their Free Real Estate Buyer and Seller's Guides to learn more, then contact one of the Timothy Real Estate Group agents for the best experience in Puerto Vallarta real estate. For more information, visit TimothyRealEstateGroup.com.
A variety of molecules protrude from the cell surface, including glycoproteins, glycolipids, and the newly discovered glycoRNAs. This illustration depicts RNA as a double-stranded stem and a loop, and the glycan as a Tinkertoy-like structure branching off it. Credit: Emily M. Eng/R. Flynn et al./Cell 2021

In a surprise find, scientists have discovered sugar-coated RNA molecules decorating the surface of cells.

These so-called 'glycoRNAs' poke out from mammalian cells' outer membrane, where they can interact with other molecules. This discovery, reported May 17, 2021, in the journal Cell, upends the current understanding of how the cell handles RNAs and glycans.

"This was probably the biggest scientific shock of my life," says study author Carolyn Bertozzi, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at Stanford University. "Based on the framework by which we understand cell biology, there's no place where glycan sugars and RNA would physically touch each other."

Normally, RNA is made in the nucleus and transported to the cytoplasm, where it serves as a template for making proteins. Until now, scientists thought glycans were kept separate. But the new work suggests that the two molecules actually meet up, and the sugar-coated RNAs take a trip to the cell surface.

Bertozzi's team's initial findings drew considerable attention when she posted them on the preprint server bioRxiv.org in 2019. Now, the scientists report a new physical position for the glycoRNAs, opening a possible role for the sugar-coated RNAs in immune disease.

A molecule that shouldn't exist

Researchers have been studying "glycobiology" for decades. Sugars serve a key role in cellular communication, among other functions. Previously, scientists had found glycans attached to proteins and fats. Glycomolecules even stud the cell walls of bacteria and fungi, helping cells communicate and infect their hosts.

Until now, glycobiology and RNA biology did not overlap. Scientists in the two fields use different chemistry and techniques to study their molecules. Study coauthor Ryan Flynn, who spent his graduate school years working on RNA, hadn't encountered glycobiology until a chance meeting with a student in Bertozzi's lab. "Glycans are critical in biology, and I somehow didn't know anything about them," he says. Flynn was intrigued.

Bertozzi brought Flynn on as a postdoc in 2017. The more he learned, the more he wondered whether glycans might link up with RNAs. The team knew, for instance, of a glycan enzyme that could bind RNAs. That made Flynn wonder if RNA itself could connect with the sugars. And although most glycans reside in a cellular compartment called the Golgi, one type of glycan does mingle in the cytoplasm, where RNA typically dwells.

So Flynn went hunting for glycoRNAs. He chemically tagged glycans within the cell and then looked for RNAs among the tagged molecules. A hit would mean he found a molecule that contained both RNA and a sugar. He ran experiments for months. In all that time, "I didn't find anything," he says. But that wasn't quite true.

Three types of molecules on the cell surface, glycoproteins, glycolipids, and glycoRNAs (left to right), help cells communicate with one another. Credit: R. Flynn et al./Cell 2021

Flynn had also been looking for glycoRNAs in the Golgi. Because RNA was not expected to be there, the test served as a negative controla way to confirm that his experiment was not detecting RNAs everywhere he looked.

But the negative control kept coming back positive. Somehow, RNAs were hooking up with sugars in the Golgi. The team thought the experiment must have been contaminated, Bertozzi says. "We were trying to come up with a million answers as to how this sugar would be physically associated with RNA."

Flynn did every experiment he could think of to rule out the possibility that the signal was coming from something besides RNA. The answer never changed. He found the glycoRNAs in every type of cell he could grow in the lab. He even found them in tissues from mice, and, more recently, discovered glycoRNAs on the cell surface.

"They applied every possible way one can imagine to confirm the presence of glycan-modified RNA," says chemical biologist Chuan He, an HHMI Investigator at the University of Chicago who was not involved with the new work.

Bertozzi and Flynn credit the discovery to their unusual intersection of skills. Combining tools and expertise from both RNA biology and glycobiology let them discover a phenomenon that was seemingly in plain viewif you knew how to look for it.

An unexpected connection

Meanwhile, researchers in Bertozzi's lab had also been studying a type of cell surface protein called "Siglecs." These molecules bind to glycans and play a role in the immune system. Flynn wondered if Siglecs could also bind to the newly discovered glycoRNAs.

"This was one of those, 'let's just give it a try, who knows' experiments," Bertozzi says. Flynn tested 12 different Siglec molecules and found that two of them stuck to glycoRNAs.

A literature search revealed that one of the Siglec molecules had been previously linked to the autoimmune disease lupus. Finding connections between these different kinds of molecules starts to fill in a new and emerging picture of biology, Bertozzi says. That picture may look something like this: RNA hangs out on the cell surface, decorated with sugars. These sugars stick to Siglec proteins that help the immune system distinguish friend from foe.

Scientists have much more to learn before understanding howor ifglycoRNAs are involved in immune signaling, Flynn says. He is now running his own lab at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard University's stem cell and regenerative biology department and plans to investigate these questions.

Bertozzi says the freedom to pursue an unlikely observation made the glycoRNA discovery possible. "That's what HHMI provided," she says. "If I were a junior scientist who stumbled into this and put out an NIH grant, we'd get laughed out of the study section."

Explore further Bacteria and viruses infect our cells through sugars: Now researchers want to know how they do it

More information: Ryan A. Flynn et al, Small RNAs are modified with N-glycans and displayed on the surface of living cells, Cell (2021). Journal information: Cell Ryan A. Flynn et al, Small RNAs are modified with N-glycans and displayed on the surface of living cells,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.04.023
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new study led by Dr. Wei and Dr. Qiao from the First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources provides an evaluation of the performance of the newly released CMIP6 models in simulating the global warming slowdown observed in the early 2000s. This study reveals that the key in simulating and predicting near-term temperate change is to correctly separate and simulate the two distinct signals, i.e., the human-induced long-term warming trend and natural variabilities, especially those at interannual, interdecadal and multidecadal scales. This work was published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences on April 15th, 2021.

After the unprecedented warming over the last quarter of the 20th century, global surface temperature growth slowed unexpectedly during 1998-2013 despite the sharp increase in greenhouse gas emissions; this phenomenon is termed the global warming hiatus, or slowdown, to be more precise. The global warming slowdown challenges the existing scientific understanding of global temperature change mechanisms, and thus has been one of the most concerning issues in recent climate research and public debate.

However, the sophisticated and advanced climate models in CMIP5 could not simulate this warming slowdown. During 1998-2013, the models mostly present a rapidly warming surge which greatly deviates from the observed flat temperature time series. The models considerably overestimate the observed warming rate of the recent period. IPCC AR5 stated: "Almost all CMIP5 historical simulations do not reproduce the observed recent warming hiatus." Therefore, the simulation and prediction ability of sophisticated climate models have been questioned.

Now the CMIP6 model data are gradually released since 2020. The newly developed models include better understanding of the global temperature change mechanisms, especially more reasonable physical processes of natural variabilities. Successful simulations of the global warming slowdown are expected in the new-generation models. As the data of 28 new models become available, it is necessary to examine the ability of the CMIP6 models in addressing the recent warming slowdown.

By comparing six widely used global surface temperature datasets, a research team from First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources evaluated the performance of the 28 newly released CMIP6 models in simulating the recent warming slowdown, and finds that most CMIP6 models still fail to reproduce the warming slowdown, although they present some encouraging improvements when compared with CMIP5 models.

Further, they explored the possible reasons for the difficulty of CMIP6 models in simulating the recent warming slowdown. They reveal that it is associated with the models' deficiencies in simulating the distinct temperature change signals from the human-induced long-term warming trend and/or the three crucial natural variabilities at interannual, interdecadal, and multidecadal scales.

This study reveals that the key in simulating and predicting near-term temperate change is to correctly separate and simulate the two distinct signals, i.e., the human-induced long-term warming trend and natural variabilities, especially those at interannual, interdecadal and multidecadal scales. This suggests that the key-scale variabilities require more attention in the models, considering their vital roles in modulating the warming rate change at decadal to multidecadal scales. This result can provide important insight for the simulation and prediction of near-term climate changes.

Explore further Model comparison adds more value in simulating extreme temperatures in China

More information: Meng Wei et al, Could CMIP6 climate models reproduce the early-2000s global warming slowdown?, Science China Earth Sciences (2021). Journal information: Science China Earth Sciences Meng Wei et al, Could CMIP6 climate models reproduce the early-2000s global warming slowdown?,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s11430-020-9740-3
Artistic impression of lensed gravitational waves, Riccardo Buscicchio (University of Birmingham)

Scientists searching for evidence of lensed gravitational waves have published new research outlining the most recent findings on their quest for the first detection of these elusive signals.

Gravitational lensing has been predicted by Einstein himself, and observed by scientists for decades: light emitted by distant objects in the Universe is bent by the gravitational pull of very massive galaxies, as they cross the line-of-sight of the light source. Sometimes the pull is so strong that two copies of the same source can appear in the sky.

It has been known since the late 1970s the same would happen for gravitational waves. If a lensed gravitational wave were to be detected it would open up avenues for exploring new physics, by unlocking precision cosmology and offering new ways of testing Einstein's general relativity.

However, these effects are extremely hard to detect: if gravitationally lensed light is a 4-leaf clover, a lensed gravitational wave is a needle in a thousand haystacks. Last year, the team in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy had predicted that these elusive signals were unlikely to be observed by instruments currently operated by the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations. A paper was published in Physical Review Letters , soon followed by a follow-up study in Physical Reviews D.

The methodology developed at the University of Birmingham for quantifying how frequently gravitational wave lensing occurs has now been extensively vetted by the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA collaboration, and included in a flagship study using most recent detections, published this week on arXiv.

"Here we are, on the second episode of the hunt for lensed gravitational waves, and we are hooked for the finale." says Riccardo Buscicchio, Ph.D. student at the University of Birmingham and a member of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration. "The new collaboration results are in agreement with our previous expectations. The more sensitive the instruments become, the deeper we can look in the distant Universe, the sooner we will find the needle. The constant humming background of faint distant sources already give us some hints of when it could happen."

The study, looking for additional signatures of lensing, includes detailed analyses of other possible effects like microlensing or double images. Riccardo adds: "While no compelling evidence has been found so far, with multiple detectors coming up online in the next decade or so, the prospects are exciting."

Explore further Detection of gravitational wave 'lensing' could be some way off

More information: Search for lensing signatures in the gravitational-wave observations from the first half of LIGO-Virgo's third observing run. Search for lensing signatures in the gravitational-wave observations from the first half of LIGO-Virgo's third observing run. arxiv.org/abs/2105.06384 arXiv:2105.06384v1 [gr-qc] Riccardo Buscicchio et al. Constraining the Lensing of Binary Black Holes from Their Stochastic Background, Physical Review Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.141102 Riccardo Buscicchio et al. Constraining the lensing of binary neutron stars from their stochastic background, Physical Review D (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.102.081501 Journal information: Physical Review Letters , Physical Review D
Formation of pairs of entwined helical strands through an array of hydrogen-bonding interactions along the a axis. The closest interstrand distance within one pair was measured from ArH to HAr (6.5 A). Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder

Double helical covalent polymerswhich are spiraling collections of nature's building blocksare fundamental to life itself, and yet, despite decades of research, scientists have never been able to synthesize them in their entirety like their non-helical brethrenuntil now.

Scientists, led by a team at the University of Colorado Boulder, have cracked the code, creating synthetic versions of these large DNA-like molecules for the first time. Using dynamic covalent chemistry, which is a chemistry tool pioneered by these researchers that focuses on reversible bonding interactions with self-correction capabilities, they were able to not only construct a helical covalent polymer that rivals the sophistication of those found in nature but confirm its existence with absolute certainty using single crystal X-ray diffraction (a powerful, non-destructive way to characterize single crystals using light).

Previously, scientists have only been able to solve individual parts of the puzzle. This new discovery out last week in Nature Chemistry, though, completes it, potentially opening this critical and understudied field to new research that could have implications on everything from artificial enzyme creation, which has already found success in various medical applications, to the creation of biomimetic materials (materials that mimic processes found in nature).

"People very rarely can see what's really going on in synthetic polymers in terms of atom spatial locations, inter-chain interactions, how they're bonding, how they twine and wind at the atomic level," said Wei Zhang, an author on the study and a professor of chemistry at CU Boulder. "With single crystals, though, we can really experimentally visualize the atom, the bonds, how long it is, how they interact. That's why getting the single crystal structure of a polymer is a very, very big deal."

Polymers are substances or materials formed by the buildup of lots of smaller, similar units (like glucose and amino acids) bonding together either naturally or synthetically. Naturally occurring polymers can include silk, wool, DNA, proteins, enzymes and cellulose, whereas synthetic polymers are manufactured by either scientists or engineers and include materials like plastics.

Synthetic polymers come in many forms depending on their constructionwhether they are linear or helical, the number of strands, and the length of the strands. Of those, helical polymers have been the most challenging for scientists to synthetically replicate, with the double stranded being the most difficult of all, thus far limited to only short helical oligomers (a polymer with very few repeating units).

That is, until this new research.

Optical images of the large single crystals of 1. 1 grew in elongated square bipyramid shapes. Inset: dark-field optical microscope image with high contrast at the edges. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder

Zhang and colleagues were able to use a chemical tool they've pioneered, dynamic covalent chemistry, to construct a DNA-like covalent helical polymer. When they did that, the large molecule wasn't the only thing they discovered.

They also found single crystals.

"That came as a nice surprise," commented Zhang. "At the end of the reaction when we noticed there were some shining single crystals lying at the bottom of the reaction vessel, we were thrilled. We said, "Wow! Okay, let's give it (X-ray diffraction) a shot." Getting a single crystal of a polymer is extremely rare."

Using single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction, the researchers were able to confirm, without a doubt, that they had created what had previously been impossible.

This discovery, though, is only the beginning both for them and this critical field of study.

After they dive a little deeper into the structure itself, the researchers plan to play with and explore the structure itself, seeing if they can make the crystals themselves bigger (right now they are fairly small), and if they can control the chirality, or spiral nature, of the polymer, which could have broad implications for catalysis (chemical reaction process utilizing catalysts), signal transduction (how signals are sent throughout the cell) and sensing applications.

"There is a lot of rational design, synthesis, structure-property relationship work that we need to do," Zhang said. "Ultimately we want to demonstrate this is a very powerful platform for smart biomimetic materials design."

Explore further When chemistry with green light mimics what happens in life

More information: Yiming Hu et al. Single crystals of mechanically entwined helical covalent polymers, Nature Chemistry (2021). Journal information: Nature Chemistry Yiming Hu et al. Single crystals of mechanically entwined helical covalent polymers,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00686-2
To protect food crops like corn, a global effort to find, track and model plant diseases is imperative, according to researchers. Credit: NC State University

Plant diseases don't stop at a nation's borders and miles of oceans don't prevent their spread, either. That's why plant disease surveillance, improved plant disease detection systems and predictive plant disease modelingintegrated at the global scaleare necessary to mitigate future plant disease outbreaks and protect the global food supply, according to a team of researchers in a new commentary published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The idea is to "detect these plant disease outbreak sources early and stop the spread before it becomes a pandemic," says Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University and the paper's corresponding author. Once an epidemic occurs it is difficult to control, Ristaino said, likening the effort to the one undertaken to stop the spread of COVID-19.

While some diseases are already under some sort of global surveillanceRistaino mentioned wheat rust and late blight, an important pathogen that affects potatoes and caused the Irish famineother crop diseases are not routinely monitored.

"There are a few existing surveillance networks, but they need to be connected and funded by intergovernmental agencies and expanded to global surveillance systems," Ristaino said. "We can improve disease monitoring using electronic sensors that can help rapidly detect and then track emerging plant pathogens."

Ristaino said that the efforts from a wide range of scholarsso-called convergence scienceare needed to prevent plant disease pandemics. That means economists, engineers, crop scientists, crop disease specialists, geneticists, geographers, data analysts, statisticians and others working together to protect crops, the farmers growing crops and the people fed by those crops. The GRIP4PSI Plant Science Initiative is helping to fund such a team at NC State.

Research is underway to model the risk of plant pathogen spread and help predict and then prevent outbreaks, the researchers report in the paper. Modeling and forecasting disease spread can help mobilize mitigation strategies more precisely to stop pandemics.

Global plant disease outbreaks are increasing in frequency and threaten the global food supply, the researchers say. Mean losses to major food crops such as wheat, rice and maize ranged from 21% to 30% due to plant pests and diseases, according to a paper published in 2019. Or take the case of bananas, specifically the Cavendish variety, which has no resistance to a specific pathogen called Fusarium odoratissimum Tropical race 4, which causes Panama disease of banana. That pathogen spread rapidly from Asia to Africa, the Middle East and recently into South America, where it affects Cavendish bananasthe main type of banana grown in the Americas for export.

Climate change will likely exacerbate these outbreaks, Ristaino said. In Africa, for example, climate change and drought in Saharan Africa affects the population and range of locusts, which devastate crops further south in sub-Saharan Africa. Climate data can help drive disease forecasting and spread models.

"More frequent rainfall can allow airborne plant pathogens to spread and fungal spores can move with hurricanes, which is how soybean rust came to North America from South Americavia storms," Ristaino, who also directs NC State's faculty cluster on emerging plant disease and global food security, said. "There are also cases of early emergence, when pathogens emerge earlier in the growing season than usual due to warmer springs."

Further, the global nature of the food trade is driving some plant disease pandemics. The emergence of new harmful plant pathogens adds other risks to the food supply, which is already strained by growing world populations.

"There is a need to link human global health and plant global health researchers to work together," Ristaino said. "Food security and livelihoods are linked to agriculture and human health is linked to the food we consume."

Explore further Research underscores importance of global surveillance of plant pathogens

More information: Jean B. Ristaino el al., "The persistent threat of emerging plant disease pandemics to global food security," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jean B. Ristaino el al., "The persistent threat of emerging plant disease pandemics to global food security,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2022239118
Cyclone Tauktae is the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic and East Pacific Ocean basins

A powerful cyclonic system, Tauktae, is expected to make landfall in the Indian state of Gujarat late Monday after barrelling up the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean.

It is the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic and East Pacific Ocean basins and reports say it could be the biggest to hit western India in three decades.

Here are several facts on why stronger cyclones are developing in the region.

What is a tropical cyclone?

Cyclones are low-pressure systems that form over warm tropical waters, with gale-force winds near the centre. The winds can extend hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the eye of the storm.

Sucking up vast quantities of water, they often produce torrential rains and flooding resulting in major loss of life and property damage.

They are also known as hurricanes or typhoons, depending on where they originate in the world, when they reach sustained winds of at least 119 kilometres per hour (74 miles per hour).

Tropical cyclones (hurricanes) are the most powerful weather events on Earth, according to NASA.

Why is climate change fuelling them?

Oceans soak up more than 90 percent of the heat generated by greenhouse gases, leading to rising water temperatures.

A powerful cyclonic system, Tauktae, is expected to make landfall in the Indian state of Gujarat late Monday

As cyclones draw their energy from warm waters, the rising temperatures are causing intense storms to become more common, experts say.

"Now what is happeningthe Arabian Sea temperatures, the ocean's surface temperaturesare warming rapidly," climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology told AFP.

Rising sea levels could also boost storm surges from cyclones, making them even more deadly and destructive.

Why are there more in the Arabian Sea?

Scientists say historically, the Arabian Sea averaged two or three cyclones, that were typically weak, in a year.

The Arabian Sea also previously experienced fewer severe cyclones than the Bay of Bengal off India's eastern coast.

But rising water temperatures because of global warming is changing that, they said.

This is the first time since the start of satellite records in 1980 in India that there have been four consecutive years of pre-monsoon cyclones in the Arabian Sea.

Scientists say historically, the Arabian Sea averaged two or three cyclones, that were typically weak, in a year

"One of the reasons that we are seeing more and more storms and cyclones in the tropical regions, especially regions like Arabian Sea and all, is because of ocean warming, rapid ocean warming," Koll said.

"The Arabian Sea is one of the fastest warming basins across the global oceans."

Cyclones have been relatively rare in Gujarat, but they can be destructive and dangerous. The worst was in 1998 when more than 4,000 people died.

What else is making them more deadly?

Cyclones can unleash catastrophic storm surgestsunami-like floodingwhen they make landfall. They can be the deadliest part of a cyclone and are only partially affected by wind speeds.

The term "storm surge" refers to rising seas whipped up by a storm, creating a wall of water several metres higher than the normal tide level.

The large swells move faster than the cyclone and are sometimes spotted up to 1,000 kilometres ahead of a major storm.

The surge can extend for dozens of kilometres inland, overwhelming homes and making roads impassable.

Map showing the track of Cyclone Tauktae which was around 100 km west of Mumbai Monday morning.

A storm surge is shaped by a number of different factors, including storm intensity, forward speed, the size of a storm and the angle of approach to the coast.

The underlying features of the land at the coast, including bays and estuaries, are also at play.

In previous storms, people failed to flee because they did not grasp the surge's deadly threat.

That was the case for 2013's Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,350 dead or missing in the central Philippines, primarily due to the surge.

A storm surge of up to four metres (13 feet) is likely to inundate some coastal districts of Gujarat during Tauktae's landfall, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

Explore further India braces for powerful cyclone amid deadly virus surge

 2021 AFP
A group of scientists and urban-policy specialists have laid out seven key service sectors that city leaders can evaluate to gauge  and reduce  their carbon emissions. They emphasize focusing on the sectors of energy, transportation-communications, food, construction materials, water, green infrastructure, and waste-management systems as part of a transboundary approach that involves tracking carbon emissions along the supply chains that connect community-wide demand for these services to their sources. They report that transitioning these sectors to net-zero carbon can be coupled with improvements that would enhance equal access to food, sanitation, clean air and water, transportation and essential city services. Credit: Anu Ramaswami, Princeton University

As more people call for action against climate change, more than 500 cities worldwide have established low-carbon and net-zero carbon goals intended to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades.

But a major challenge to these decarbonization plans is the lack of a consensus on how to measure urban carbon emissions in the first place.

Now, a group of scientists and urban-policy specialists attempt to cut through the confusion about urban carbon accounting approaches by laying out seven key service sectors that city leaders can evaluate to gaugeand reducetheir carbon emissions.

The authors report in a peer-reviewed commentary in the journal Nature Sustainability that transitioning these sectors to net-zero carbon can be coupled with improvements that would enhance equal access to food, sanitation, clean air and water, transportation and essential city services.

The authors emphasize focusing on the seven sectors of energy, transportation-communications, food, construction materials, water, green infrastructure, and waste-management systems as part of a "transboundary" approach. The transboundary approach involves tracking carbon emissions along the supply chains that connect community-wide demand for these services to the power plants, factories and farms that produce electricity, fuels, construction materials, water, and food essential for cities to function.

"We make the case for researchers and practitioners to consider defining a net-zero carbon city as one that has net-zero carbon infrastructure and food provisioning systems," said lead author Anu Ramaswami, Princeton's Sanjay Swani Professor of India Studies and professor of civil and environmental engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute.

Cities present a unique challenge for carbon accounting, said Ramaswami, who wrote a blog post for Nature on the background of the paper. Cities are small-scale open systems embedded within large-scale infrastructure and trade networks, and rely heavily on imports and exports. This means that a lot of materials, energy, water and other goods and services move in and out of cities, which makes accounting for carbon emissions especially difficult, she said.

"Getting clarity on what sectors to focus on to measure transboundary carbon emissions in a way that supports a net-zero transition is a big deal for cities," said Daniel Hoornweg, professor at Ontario Tech University and the former lead urban specialist at the World Bank who was not involved with the current paper.

Cities have been grappling with many alternate greenhouse gas accounting approaches, the authors write. Their paper argues that in a future reliant on net-zero electricity, food and mobility systems, one needs to worry less about the carbon embodied in all trade, which will automatically become near zero. Rather, leading cities can help in the net-zero transition by strategically focusing their carbon accounting on these critical sectors that are pillars of a net-zero carbon future.

A focus on these seven key provisioning systems allows city-level efforts on buildings, energy, mobility, food and waste systems to connect consistently and systematically with larger-scale efforts around net-zero power grids, circular economy and sustainable agriculture. Most importantly, focusing on these seven sectors also enables linking carbon mitigation with other sustainability priorities, particularly inequality in infrastructure access and consumption, health co-benefits, and resource sustainability addressing carbon linkages with water, land and bioresources.

"Many cities and counties are leading the way in their commitments to reduce emissions," said Angie Fyfe, executive director of ICLEILocal Governments for Sustainability U.S. (ICLEI U.S.), the largest global network of local governments working toward sustainability. Eli Yewdall, senior program officer at ICLEI U.S., is a co-author of the paper.

"As cities invest in a net-zero emissions transition, they need clarity on which emissions measurements will best inform their analyses and planning," Fyfe said. "This paper affirms that a focus on net-zero electricity and mobility systems are essential, and provides a framework to discuss which additional sectors, such as food, green infrastructure, and waste systems, can be valuable as both a carbon-mitigation strategy and a means to improve community health and vibrancy."

Organizations such as ICLEI U.S., the World Resources Institute and C40 have been collaborating to develop protocols to support carbon measurements associated with cities worldwide. Indeed, the advanced option in the Global Protocol for Cities already covers a majority of these sectors, with more data needed to address food and construction materials supply chains in cities. The paper notes that new data science and carbon analytics will be critical to provide data on the demand and supply of all seven sectors.

"We want carbon emissions footprinting across all seven sectors to be broadly available to all urban areas across the world, which will require robust partnerships between researchers and city-networks. said co-author Josep "Pep" Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project.

The framework presented in the Nature Sustainability commentary stems from a workshop jointly hosted by the Global Carbon Project and the NSF Sustainable Healthy Cities Network led by Ramaswami. It represents a dialog between researchers and practitioners across the world on defining what a net-zero carbon city is and how to advance carbon analytics toward a sustainable future.

The commentary, "Carbon analytics for net-zero emissions sustainable cities," was published May 13 by Nature Sustainability.

Explore further Changing cities' food systems to help reduce carbon emissions

More information: Anu Ramaswami et al. Carbon analytics for net-zero emissions sustainable cities, Nature Sustainability (2021). Journal information: Nature Sustainability , Nature Anu Ramaswami et al. Carbon analytics for net-zero emissions sustainable cities,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-021-00715-5
Frank Drake writing his famous equation on a white board. Credit: SETI.org

On November 1, 1961, a number of prominent scientists converged on the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, for a three-day conference. A year earlier, this facility had been the site of the first modern SETI experiment (Project Ozma), where famed astronomers Frank Drake and Carl Sagan used the Green Bank telescope (aka "Big Ear") to monitor two nearby sun-like starsEpsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti.

While unsuccessful, Ozma became a focal point for scientists who were interested in this burgeoning field known as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). As a result, Drake and Sagan were motivated to hold the very first SETI conference, wherein the subject of looking for possible extraterrestrial radio signals would be discussed. In preparation for the meeting, Drake prepared the following heuristic equation:

N = R *  f p  n e  f l  f i  f c  L

This would come to be known as the "Drake equation," which is considered by many to be one of the most renowned equations in the history of science. On the 60th anniversary of its creation, John Gertza film producer, amateur astronomer, board member with BreakThrough Listen, and the three-term former chairman of the board for the SETI Instituteargues in a recent paper that a factor-by-factor reconsideration is in order.

In this paper, which was recently accepted for publication by the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society (JBIS), Gertz makes the case for a revised equation and a lot more searching. To break it down, the Drake equation consists of the following parameters:

N is the number of civilizations in our galaxy we could communicate with

R * is the average rate of star formation in our galaxy

is the average rate of star formation in our galaxy f p is the fraction of stars with planetary systems

is the fraction of stars with planetary systems n e is the number of planets that can support life

is the number of planets that can support life f l is the number of those planets that will develop life

is the number of those planets that will develop life f i is the number of those planets that will develop intelligent life

is the number of those planets that will develop intelligent life f c is the number of civilizations that might develop transmission technologies

is the number of civilizations that might develop transmission technologies L is the amount of time that these civilizations would have to transmit their signals into space.

Rather than being an actual means for quantifying the number of intelligent species in our galaxy, the purpose of the equation was meant to frame the discussion on SETI. In addition to encapsulating the challenges facing scientists, it was intended to stimulate scientific dialog among those attending the meeting. As Drake would later remark:

"As I planned the meeting, I realized a few day[s] ahead of time we needed an agenda. And so I wrote down all the things you needed to know to predict how hard it's going to be to detect extraterrestrial life. And looking at them, it became pretty evident that if you multiplied all these together, you got a number, N, which is the number of detectable civilizations in our galaxy. This was aimed at the radio search, and not to search for primordial or primitive life forms."

The Drake equation has since gone on to achieve great fame and great notoriety. Whereas some scientists will laud it as one of the most important contributions to scientific inquiry, others have criticized it for its obvious uncertainties and conjectural nature. Such criticisms emphasize that by multiplying uncertain variables, the level of uncertainty grows exponentially, to the point where no firm conclusions are possible.

As John Gertz explained to the Universe Today via email, the problems associated with the Drake equation have not diminished over time. For many scientists, the profound discoveries that have taken place in the past few decades (which have reduced the level of uncertainty with some of the equation's variables) have called into question the very utility of the equation itself.

"The Drake equation was an extraordinarily useful heuristic at the outset of the modern search for extraterrestrial intelligence in the early 1960s," he said. "It guided our first-draft thoughts on the subject. Sixty years on, however, it is a creaky and aging edifice that should be swept away in favor of fresh new thinking."

For the sake of his study, Gertz reconsidered each of the variables of the Drake equation to determine if they were still useful for placing constraints on the possibility of intelligent life. For starters, there was the parameter R * , which Gertz described as "useless" for a number of reasons. These include the fact that the rate of new star formation changes over time and that Drake confined himself to sun-like stars (which have a low birthrate compared to several other types).

Also, there is the possibility that ET signals could be extragalactic in origin, and that the number of civilizations is unrelated to the birth of new stars. For these reasons, he suggests that R * should be replaced with n s , which denotes the number of candidate stars in the Milky Way that fall within our field of view. This would be considerable, since stars that are thought to be good candidates for habitability include G-type, K-type and M-type (collectively comprising over 80% of stars).

Next up, there's the number of stars that have a planet or system orbiting them (the f p parameter), which was largely unknown in Drake's time. However, in the past two decades, the number of confirmed exoplanets has grown exponentially (4,383 and counting), thanks in large part to the Kepler Space Telescope. These discoveries suggest that planets are ubiquitous to stars, which makes the parameters largely irrelevant.

Next up is another important consideration that has emerged from recent exoplanet discoveries. This is the number of Earth-like planets (aka "terrestrial" or rocky) that orbit within their parent star's habitable zone (HZ)  n e . But as multiple lines of research have shown, simply orbiting within a star's HZ is hardly the only consideration. There's also a planet's size, atmosphere, and the presence of water and tectonic activity.

The definition of HZ is also limited to planets, whereas the nature of moons like Ganymede, Europa, Enceladus, Titan and others suggest that life could exist in "ocean moon" environments. There's also the case of Mars and Venus, both of which had flowing water and relatively stable temperatures at one time. Ergo, Gertz recommends that n e should be replaced by n tb , which denotes the total number of bodies (planets, moons, planetoids, etc.) that could support life either on their surfaces or beneath them.

The parameter f l (planets that will develop life) is also hopelessly uncertain, mainly because scientists are not certain of how life began here on Earth. Current theories range from primordial pools and hydrothermal vents to seeding from space (lithopanspermia) and between star systems and galaxies (panspermia). There is also no consensus on whether or not life is ubiquitous or rare, owing to the fact that the search for extraterrestrial life (basic or otherwise) is so data-poor.

Next up, the fraction of life-bearing planets that will give rise to a technologically competent species (f i ) is especially problematic. In this case, the issue comes down to evolutionary pathways and whether or not the factors leading to the emergence of homo sapiens are at all common. In short, we have no idea if evolution is convergent (favors intelligence) or non-convergent.

The penultimate parameter, the fraction of intelligent species that could be attempting to communicate with us right now (f c ), is similarly riddled with problems. On the one hand, it recognizes that not all technologically competent species will be able to communicate with us, or willing (a la the "dark forest" hypothesis). On the other, it doesn't take into account two very important considerations.

For one, it doesn't consider the amount of time it takes for a transmitter or receiver to make a single circuit through a number of objects in our galaxy. Unless signals are being broadcast constantly and at very high energy levels, the chances of any being received are quite unfavorable. In addition, it doesn't take into account the possibility that technosignatures (such as radio transmissions) will be detected unintentionally.

Hence, Getz recommends that f c be replaced by the parameter f d , which is more broad in nature. In addition to considering an extraterrestrial civilization's attempts to communicate with us, it also factors in our capability of detecting a civilization's technosignatures. After all, what good are signaling efforts if the intended recipients are not even capable of receiving the message?

Artists impression of the Breakthrough Listen Network. Credit: Breakthrough Listen/Univ. of Machester/Danielle Futselaar

Last, but certainly not least, there's the tricky parameter of L, the amount of time a technologically dependent civilization will spend attempting to communicate with Earth. Over time, this parameter has come to be identified as the lifespan of civilizations, or how long they can be in an advanced state before succumbing to self-destruction or environmental collapse.

Carl Sagan himself admitted that of all the parameters in the Drake equation, this was by far the most uncertain. Put simply, we have no way of knowing how long a civilization can persist before it is no longer able to communicate with the cosmos. We could no more predict how and when an extraterrestrial civilization might end than we could our own (though some people doubt we'll make it out of this century).

Another common consideration is the likelihood that by the time an extraterrestrial signal or messenger probe is found by another species, the civilization responsible for sending it will have long since died. This argument is part of the "brief window" hypothesis, which conjectures that advanced civilizations will invariably succumb to existential threats before another civilization can receive and respond to their transmissions. Getz explained: "[T]he Drake equation was predicated upon the notion that there is a finite number of currently existing alien civilizations ensconced among the stars, some of whom will be signaling their presence to us using radio or optical lasers. However, this ignores another school of thought which holds that ET's far better strategy would be to send physical probes to our solar system to surveil and ultimately make contact with us.

"Such probes could represent information from innumerable civilizations, many of whom may have long ago perished. If this is the case, Drake's L is irrelevant, since the probe might far outlive its progenitor, and his N reduces to one, the single probe that makes its presence known to us through which alone we might communicate with the rest of the galaxy."

Ultimately, an updated version of the Drake Equation (based on Getz's analysis) would look like this:

N = ns  fp  ntb  fl  fi  fd  L

n s is the number of spots on the sky within our FOVs

is the number of spots on the sky within our FOVs f p is the fraction of stars with planets

is the fraction of stars with planets n tb is the average number of bodies within each that could engender life

is the average number of bodies within each that could engender life f l is the fraction of those that actually do give birth to life.

is the fraction of those that actually do give birth to life. f i is the fraction of systems with life that evolves technological intelligence

is the fraction of systems with life that evolves technological intelligence f d is the fraction of technological life that is detectable by any means

is the fraction of technological life that is detectable by any means L is the duration of detectability

Credit: Universe Today

Alas, when all the parameters (and their respective levels of uncertainty) are considered, we are left with some uncomfortable implications. On the one hand, it would be empirically simpler to conclude that humanity is currently the only technologically advanced civilization in the observable universe. Or, as Getz concludes, it could serve as a call to action to reduce or eliminate these levels of uncertainty.

"The Drake equation sets out to determine N, the number of extant communicating civilizations," he said. "There is simply no way to determine this by any known means other than by making contact with our first ET and asking it what it might know of the matter. The failure of the Drake equation paradoxically makes a robust SETI program all the more important, since no amount of armchair speculation can determine N."

As to what a robust SETI program would look like, he acknowledges that current effortsepitomized by Breakthrough Listenare a good start. As part of Breakthrough Initiatives (a non-profit organization founded by Yuri and Julia Milner in 2015) this 10-year, $100 million program is the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken in the search for technosignatures in the universe.

The project relies on radio wave observations made by the Green Bank Observatory and the Parkes Observatory in Southeastern Australia, as well as visible-light observations from the Automated Planet Finder at the Lick Observatory in San Jose, California. Combined with the latest in innovative software and data analysis techniques, the project will survey one million nearby stars, the entire galactic plane, and 100 nearby galaxies.

However, in order for SETI research to truly advance to the point where the Drake equation can be used, two things are necessary: secure funding and dedicated observatories.

"Breakthrough Listen is a game-changer. Because of it, more SETI is accomplished in a single day than was ever before accomplished in a full year. However, over the long term, much more needs to be done. Foremost is perpetual funding that can only be assured through an endowment.

"Also, there is a need to build more telescopes dedicated to 24/7 [observation], particularly wide-field-of-view telescopes, because we can only guess from where ET's signal might arrive, and to train additional scientists who in turn might know that they can plan a career around SETI assured by a funded endowment."

Aside from the rigorous nature of looking for the proverbial needle in the cosmic haystack, one of the greatest challenges of SETI research is ensuring that funding will remain available. This is not unique to the field of SETI, but compared to space exploration and related endeavors; there is the constant battle to justify its existence. But considering that the payoff will be the single greatest discovery in the history of humanity, it is definitely worth the cost.

Explore further An updated way to calculate the likelihood of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations

More information: The Drake Equation at 60: Reconsidered and Abandoned. The Drake Equation at 60: Reconsidered and Abandoned. arxiv.org/abs/2105.03984
Education

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The show must go on: South Jersey high schools adapt theater productions for COVID-19

Matthew Strabuk / For The Press Mainland Regional High School students rehearse for the show Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat on Wednesday in Linwood. The show, with COVID-19 protocols, will be performed this weekend. Matthew Strabuk / For The Press On May 12 2021, in Linwood at Mainland Regional High School, rehearsals under the direction of Becky Sannino are underway for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Last years production was cancelled due to Covid-19. Matthew Strabuk / For The Press Carly Schenck, 18, from Northfield, and Matthew Whitcomb, 17, rehearse for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Matthew Strabuk / For The Press On May 12 2021, in Linwood at Mainland Regional High School, rehearsals under the direction of Becky Sannino are underway for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Last year's production was cancelled due to Covid-19. Matthew Strabuk / For The Press On May 12 2021, in Linwood at Mainland Regional High School, rehearsals under the direction of Becky Sannino are underway for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Last year's production was cancelled due to Covid-19. Matthew Strabuk / For The Press On May 12 2021, in Linwood at Mainland Regional High School, rehearsals under the direction of Becky Sannino are underway for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Last year's production was cancelled due to Covid-19. Matthew Whitcomb, 17, from Linwood, dances out of a scene. Matthew Strabuk / For The Press On May 12 2021, in Linwood at Mainland Regional High School, rehearsals under the direction of Becky Sannino are underway for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Last year's production was cancelled due to Covid-19.

LINWOOD  The set is smaller, the costume changes reduced, and masks will cover the otherwise expressive faces of the actors in this years production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but the cast and crew at Mainland Regional High School said they are happy that the show will go on this week.

Im still appreciative and glad that this was able to happen, and Im having a blast, said 17-year-old Matthew Whitcomb, of Linwood, who plays one of Josephs 11 brothers, Simeon, in the upcoming musical.

Like many high schools across New Jersey last March, Mainlands 2020 musical cast was in the depths of rehearsals when schools were ordered to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The timing of that was right at the closing of the schools. So with the set built, and everything, Mama Mia did not happen, said Becky Sannino, long-time performing arts instructor at Mainland and director of this years show.

All across New Jersey this spring, young actors are returning to the stage.

Thats the good news, said Bob Morrison, director of the statewide nonprofit Arts Ed NJ. Its really been heartening to see the creativity of our school administrations, our theater directors and administrators, how they made something positive for their students to come out of a very difficult situation.

Morrison said the traditional school theater calendar has spring productions in March and April, but Arts Ed NJ suggested to schools to see if they could hold out a little longer, until later in the spring due to the regulations associated with the pandemic. In March, more than 100 districts in New Jersey were still all-virtual.

Getting into the spring  May, June  really allowed us to get some distance from where we were in the winter and hoping that things would be improving, and, knock on wood, they have been, Morrison said.

Many districts that already held their shows have purchased streaming rights to be able to reach a wider audience. Obtaining those rights was particularly important because of the uncertainty that surrounded in-person events during the pandemic.

Morrison said many of the national organizations that manage the rights for musical performances have provided streaming rights to schools at low or no cost this year. In years past, streaming the show wasnt even an option.

At Atlantic County Institute of Technology, students performed Tuck Everlasting to a mostly virtual audience in March, as New Jersey was still operating under severely restricted capacity for indoor performances. Only parents could attend live, and even that was a last-minute decision after the governor allowed for indoor sporting events at that time.

Elizabeth Volpe, ACITs artistic director, said everything about the production was different this year, from the rehearsals to the licenses to the performance.

We started off in November with auditions, and at the time, the students were hybrid. We accommodated all of that, holding auditions on different days for different students, Volpe said.

The cast shrunk nearly in half from 40 in a typical year to 20 this year as some students and parents had fears about participating. When the school went all virtual in December, so did rehearsals, Volpe explained.

We used Google Meets and the students would join every day, she said, learning choreography in their bedrooms instead of on stage. One of the hardest things was the singing, because we didnt see them together as a group. They really had to do it independently.

Volpe said she learned to have more faith in the young thespians, who showed her they could be responsible and rehearse on their own.

Were just really proud of what the kids were able to do with such a challenging situation, Volpe said.

Back at Mainland, the cast is getting ready for their opening date, May 20. This years show will be both virtual and live, with indoor capacities expanding to 250 people on May 19.

This is senior Samantha Richards last show for Mainland. The 18-year-old Linwood resident has been in three previous performances and said the most challenging part this year is performing while wearing masks.

Because we have the masks, not only do we have to make sure were acting with our eyes and our body languages, but when were singing, we have to make sure were putting out a very clear and audible sound, said Richards, who plays Josephs brother, Levi.

Sannino said she often has to fight the urge to direct students, Wheres that smirk, or Smile bigger.

So the notes have all been about their bodies because their bodies have to smile when their faces cant, she said. So its been an interesting challenge in that way. Faces tell a lot.

Carly Schenk, 18, of Northfield, plays brother Asher. This is her first production at Mainland, but not her first time on stage. She said working within a tight timeframe has been difficult, as well.

Despite the challenges, Morrison said the return to live performances is a sign of good things to come.

Its like spring. The flowers are blooming, the arts are blooming, and we couldnt be more excited about it and what it means for what the future of our schools will look and what the future of arts in our schools will look like as we rebound from this pandemic, Morrison said.

Mainland Regional High School will present Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at 7 p.m. May 20 and 21, and 2 p.m. May 22. Admission is $15 per person. Livestream is available for $25 per device. Call 609-927-4151, visit mainlandregional.net or email dramaclub@ mainlandregional.net.

Other upcoming South Jersey high school productions The Egg Harbor Township High School musical students production of "Les Miserables" will be streaming for free on Friday and Saturday. Reserve your a virtual ticket at http://mvnt.us/m1213879. Chartertech High School for the Performing Arts will present Working on June 10, 11, 12. Admission is $10. Livestream information for the June 10 performance will be available at www.chartertech.org. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.chartertech.org. Millville High School presents "Disneys Newsies The Broadway Musical" 7:30 p.m. May 27-28 and 2 and 7:30 p.m. May 29 at the Lakeside Middle School Performing Arts Center. To order tickets for in-person or streaming, visit mhs.millville.org. For more information call Margaret Keefer, director, 856-327-6040, ext. 2902. Lower Cape May Regional High School will perform "Working the Musical" at 7pm May 20, May 21, and May 22. Admission is $12 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at lcmrhs.booktix.com. For additional information, email sessaj@lcmrschools.com, or visit lcmrschooldistrict.com. Atlantic City High School will present "Virtually Interrupted: A compilation of theater, music and dance" 6:30 p.m. May 20 at the high school auditorium. Enter through J Wing door. Masks are required. Seating is limited. Admission is free.

GALLERY: Mainland Regional High School spring musical rehearsal

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2021 Vallarta Pride Festival Offers a Week Full of Fun



The Organizing Committee of the 'Vallarta Pride 2021' celebration has been busy adding events to the week-long Gay Pride festival, which will be held from May 24th through 31st in the Puerto Vallarta Romantic Zone. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The 8th edition of Vallarta Pride, Puerto Vallarta's annual gay pride festival, is set to take place in La Zona Romantica from May 24 to 31, 2021 with a variety of events designed to honor the vibrant LGBT community that live in and visit this popular tourist destination.



Non-profit associations, local businesses and the entire LGBT community have joined together to organize this event that celebrates the lifestyle diversity of our city through a variety of fantastic events. However, the famous parade starting the festivities will not happen this year, nor will other events that could draw a large crowd.



After last year's event was held virtually due to the pandemic, this year, Puerto Vallarta will welcome some of the hottest international performers and DJs from round the globe. Bianca Del Rio, Crystal Waters, Shangela, Effie Passero, Cecille, Tony Moran, Ben Bakson, Enrico Meloni, Isis Muretech, Brian Kent, Oscar Velazquez, Alberto Sago, Alex Acosta, Jesus Montanez, Liza Rodriguez and Erik Vilar are among the well-known personalities that will be part of this year's Vallarta Pride celebration.



Pride celebrations include arts and cultural events, concerts, movies, beach parties, and a variety of fun outdoor performances. They are integral in showing the world Puerto Vallarta's fabulous diversity. For a full list of events and updates, visit the



According to Javier Jimenez, vice president of the organizing committee, they will be very respectful and responsible in strictly following all Covid-19 health guidelines in the restaurants, bars, and clubs where the parties for this iconic event will be held.



Puerto Vallarta is renowned as a premier LGBT vacation destination in Mexico. The country's first IGLTA member, PV was also honored as the first city in Mexico to be granted Gay Travel Approved status by GayTravel.com. Vallarta Pride has become a staple on the international Pride calendar, and now brings a considerable influx of visitors to the city during what used to be the end of "high season" for tourism.



For more information, and to get your tickets for all of the exciting events set to take place during the 2021 Vallarta Pride celebration, visit - The 8th edition of Vallarta Pride, Puerto Vallarta's annual gay pride festival, is set to take place in La Zona Romantica from May 24 to 31, 2021 with a variety of events designed to honor the vibrant LGBT community that live in and visit this popular tourist destination.Non-profit associations, local businesses and the entire LGBT community have joined together to organize this event that celebrates the lifestyle diversity of our city through a variety of fantastic events. However, the famous parade starting the festivities will not happen this year, nor will other events that could draw a large crowd.After last year's event was held virtually due to the pandemic, this year, Puerto Vallarta will welcome some of the hottest international performers and DJs from round the globe. Bianca Del Rio, Crystal Waters, Shangela, Effie Passero, Cecille, Tony Moran, Ben Bakson, Enrico Meloni, Isis Muretech, Brian Kent, Oscar Velazquez, Alberto Sago, Alex Acosta, Jesus Montanez, Liza Rodriguez and Erik Vilar are among the well-known personalities that will be part of this year's Vallarta Pride celebration.Pride celebrations include arts and cultural events, concerts, movies, beach parties, and a variety of fun outdoor performances. They are integral in showing the world Puerto Vallarta's fabulous diversity. For a full list of events and updates, visit the Vallarta Pride website or Facebook page. According to Javier Jimenez, vice president of the organizing committee, they will be very respectful and responsible in strictly following all Covid-19 health guidelines in the restaurants, bars, and clubs where the parties for this iconic event will be held.Puerto Vallarta is renowned as a premier LGBT vacation destination in Mexico. The country's first IGLTA member, PV was also honored as the first city in Mexico to be granted Gay Travel Approved status by GayTravel.com. Vallarta Pride has become a staple on the international Pride calendar, and now brings a considerable influx of visitors to the city during what used to be the end of "high season" for tourism.For more information, and to get your tickets for all of the exciting events set to take place during the 2021 Vallarta Pride celebration, visit vallartapride.org.



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Mary Jo Schroeder, manager of the nearby Forest Edge Farm located to the north of the fire, said she was hoping not to have to evacuate.

From all of the reports were receiving, were still good, Schroeder said Monday before noon.

On the aptly named Ash Road just over in Bass River Township, Dan and Jennifer Columbo sat on their front porch and watched the mountains of smoke billow nearby. Jennifers daughter went to a local school to shelter with a small child Sunday night, but the Columbos remained at their home, uneasily watching the blaze.

I got concerned because we have a lot of pine needles in the yard, Dan Columbo said. There was this big orange glow up above the treetops and a lot of smoke, and it was concerning. The wind is picking up now and thats something to watch, too.

The agency said crews worked through Sunday night to set containment barriers, using bulldozers and lighting backfires in strategic locations, including the edge of roadways.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Smoke is expected to be visible for some time, officials said.
I extended the public health emergency for what should be the final time, Murphy said. Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and I along with our teams are working toward a legislative solution that will allow the public health emergency to expire next month while at the same time providing a path forward.

Murphy affirmed that even fully vaccinated residents must wear masks in public indoor settings.

There remains a simple reason why the indoor mask requirement will remain in effect, Murphy said. We are not out of the woods yet. The majority of New Jerseyans are still unvaccinated and were not checking anyones vaccine status at the door when you go to the supermarket or the hardware store. I dont know how we can expect workers to be able to tell who is vaccinated and who isnt, and it is unfair to put the burden on business owners and frontline employees to police every patron.

Murphys decision to uphold the mask mandate is under scrutiny by some elected officials.
Inoue left went to a Tempe police station Saturday morning and told officers that she was hearing voices telling her to kill her children, according to charging documents.

Police called Inoue's husband. He said the couple, who filed for divorce in April, had fought the night before over money she wanted to move to Japan. He said she threatened to stab him so he left around 12:30 a.m.

Police said they had been called to the woman's apartment earlier Saturday morning because of a domestic dispute involving a husband and wife.

Her husband told investigators he slept in his car in a parking lot. He told authorities he did not think she would harm their children.

Police also said there was no apparent reason at the time to call child welfare authorities.

Later that morning, different officers went to the apartment and discovered the bodies of both children under a blanket and boxes, as well as a large amount of blood.

The children, who had numerous wounds, were immediately pronounced dead. Their names have not been released.
Black communities protest all killings of blacks

Regarding the recent letter, Killings not protested:

The letter is wrong in so many ways. It implies that the Black Lives Matter movement members are involved with looting and rioting. BLM is emphatically against any sort of stealing and violence. They make that clear in their mission and at the start of rallies.

Black Lives Matter protests, which consist of all races, attract not only BLM members and supporters but also opponents. Some of those committing the crimes are actually white instigators in an attempt to besmirch BLM. Many others are criminal infiltrators taking advantage of the crowds, and not actually a part of the protest.

Peaceful racial justice protests took place in more than 2,440 locations across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Violent demonstrations occurred in fewer than 220 locations, about 7% of the number of locations, according to the US Crisis Project report. The detractors seem oblivious to the 93% of locations where protests were peaceful.
"There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bold-faced lie. Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall, showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures. You know, if you didnt know the TV footage was a video from January 6th, youd actually think it was a normal tourist visit."

One of Clydes Republican House colleagues, who also won hugely in a district that voted for Trump, puts into perspective the problem Republican voters now confront. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who says he can no longer support Trump  puts his partys dilemma into its sadly proper perspective:

"If youre a base Republican voter and every one of the people you trust is saying January 6th didnt happen and the election was stolen, we cant really blame them for believing that.  When all their leaders are lying to them, of course theyre going to believe it."

Theres no stereotyping todays "Please lie to me!" Republican voters. They are in our cities, our farmlands and all over our suburbs. They are rich, poor or comfortably middle class. You know them when you see them  maybe in the bathroom mirror every morning.
In Israel, Hady Amr, a deputy assistant dispatched by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to try to de-escalate the crisis, met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who thanked the U.S. for its support.

Blinken himself headed out on an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, with no announced plans to stop in the Middle East in response to the crisis. He made calls from the plane to Egypt and other nations working to broker a cease-fire, telling Egypt that all parties should de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence.

Rep. Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, urged Biden on Sunday to step up pressure on both sides to end current fighting and revive talks to resolve Israel's conflicts and flashpoints with the Palestinians.

I think the administration needs to push harder on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence, bring about a cease-fire, end these hostilities, and get back to a process of trying to resolve this long-standing conflict, Schiff, a California Democrat, told CBS's Face the Nation.
"Riley had the joy of telling me she won, and she did so in such a way that it was hardly believable," Jerry said. "But once it sunk in  pure elation. I'm just so proud of her and so impressed."

Riley also won two airplane tickets to Washington to see her artwork on display. Jerry said they would buy two more tickets so that both parents and Riley's older brother, Peyton, 18, could go as well.

Riley said her artwork, "Black Pride" was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I wanted to do my part for the movement because I couldn't get out there physically because of the pandemic," she said. "I used what I know and drew something to put my voice out there and how I felt about it."

Bustos said in a statement that she was impressed by the "incredible talent on display" during the competition each year.
This week started the same way the previous ended, with multiple COVID-19-related deaths in the Quad-Cities.

Health officials in Rock Island County and Scott County each reported a death Monday. The Quad-Cities death toll is 563.

Rock Island County Health Department reported the COVID-19 death of a man in his 50s who died at home. The total number of deaths from the virus is now 321 in the county.

Scott County's death was 242nd tied to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

Positivity rates fall, vaccination rates rise

While local COVID-19 deaths have been reported on an almost daily basis since the start of last week, positivity rates have fallen in Scott County and throughout both local hospitals systems.

The Iowa Department of Public Health reported a seven-day positivity of 4.4% and 108 new cases over the same seven days. Scott County has maintained a positivity rate below 5% for over a week  a marked drop of of the over-9% rate sustained during the month of April.
They were declared innocent five years later after DNA testing helped clear them.

The district attorneys office under former DA Craig Watkins had reopened the file and found evidence that defense lawyers said theyd never received, such as accounts from witnesses who saw two men argued with Borns outside the store the evening he was killed. Witnesses said one man was distinctly taller than the other and one had a noticeable scar across the side of his neck. Allen and Mozee are about the same height, around 6 feet. Neither had a scar.

The file also included previously undisclosed letters from people in jail who agreed to testify against Allen in exchange for favors in their cases.

Jackson was among prosecutors who were not invited to remain in the Dallas County district attorneys office after Watkins won the 2006 election. Jackson, who had spent 17 years as a Dallas County prosecutor, sued Watkins in federal court, claiming that his termination was race based. Jackson is white and Watkins is Black. A judge tossed the suit.

The Innocence Project in New York and the Innocence Project of Texas filed a 196-page grievance with the State Bar in 2018 against Jackson.
After all, the Catholic Church has always taught that life begins at conception, he said.

One of the reasons Roe v. Wade needs reviewed, is even proponents of abortion recognize it's not a well-written decision, Paprocki said. The court said (at the time) that we need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins, but that is the question. They sidestepped the question and said they're just not going to answer it.

Because of that, he said, it leaves the possibility of regulation open, such as when a fetus is viable. That is widely accepted as during the third trimester, though in practice it has usually been interpreted to allow abortion at any point in the pregnancy.

Where do you draw the line? Paprocki said. The Catholic Church would argue conception (is where to draw it), but even 15 weeks would be an improvement on what we currently have.

In 1992, the case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey was decided by the Supreme Court in favor of fewer regulations, not more, Paprocki said, and that was disappointing, but with the current makeup of the court, the possibility exists that some regulation will be instituted.

I am hopeful the court will take a good look at this, he said, but it's a bit of a roll of the dice. You don't know how the justices are going to rule.
It was chaos," said Austin Even, who has been hauling away trees nearly every day since the storm.

It's more manageable now, but in the days after the derecho, just getting around town was a nightmare, given 10-foot-high (3-meter-high) walls of debris, broken power poles and no cell service, Even said.

No one can really understand it, Mayor Brad Hart said. The crews who came from other parts of the country to help clean up said they had never seen anything like this.

Even now, piles of branches line streets and the whine of chainsaws is part of city life.

City officials have begun the long recovery process by committing at least $1 million annually for 10 years toward planting trees and $24,000 to watering new trees for the next two years. The city is working with Trees Forever on a releaf initiative'' that is expected to stretch for 15 years or more.

As part of the effort, organizers are tallying up the remaining trees and specifying where new ones are needed on city property. Organizers also hope to raise up to $25 million from private sources.
Aaronson was driving a silver Dodge Ram and had his three co-defendants in the pickup. He let Sisul and Owens off in the alley behind the QC Mart and instructed Sisul and Owens to rob the man. Owens was armed with a black handgun.

The victim was standing next to the Dodge Ram talking to Aaronson and Crabb when Sisul and Owens approached.

Owens reportedly struck a man in the back of the head with the butt of a handgun and Owens and Sisul struck the man while he was on the ground. They demanded the mans truck keys and robbed him of $160.

Sisul got in the drivers seat of the victims red truck while Owens is said to have stayed with the victim allegedly telling the man Stay down! Dont move! I swear Ill do it! according to Scott County police affidavits.

The keys were in the vehicle, and the two men fled the area. Officers tried to stop it on Grant Street as it traveled to the Interstate 74 Bridge, but the pursuit continued into Moline, where the truck crashed near Teske's on 16th Street, and the men were caught after a foot chase, police said.
The federal dollars may not be deposited into any pension fund or to "directly or indirectly offset a reduction in the net tax revenue" of the state "resulting from a change in law, regulation, or administrative interpretation," according to the Iowa State Auditor's Office.

Davenport city officials are asking residents, businesses and nonprofits to complete a short survey on how they would like to see the federals funds used in Davenport. The survey may be found at www.davenportiowa.com/covid.

City officials will use results of the survey to help guide drafting a spending plan that will be presented to the Davenport City Council.

The survey closes on June 4, and Davenport City Council will meet for a special work session on June 8 to discuss options for spending the federal money.

Davenport previously received roughly $3.5 million in COVID-relief-related funding, including $2.4 million from the State of Iowas Government Relief Fund. Those funds have been used to support city transit operations, public safety salaries, airport operations, purchase personal protective equipment, and to make necessary security upgrades to city facilities.
"I believe this demonstrates how there needs to be a broader public discussion of how the city is spending its CDBG funds, especially funding for affordable housing," she said. "That said, I cannot justify to the residents who voted for me to spend $230,000 on one house and then selling it for maybe $50,000.

"I have not made this decision lightly."

According to a memo provided to council members by Small-Vollman and Miles Brainard, planning and redevelopment administrator, Pillar Construction was the only contractor to submit a bid during the three-month request for proposal process.

Small-Vollman and Brainard said the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the cost of materials to skyrocket, leading to the high cost of renovation for the home. Although the house is "structurally sound," it requires lead and asbestos abatement, all new electrical and plumbing, installation of an HVAC system, a new water heater, new windows, siding, and the front and back porches will be rebuilt. The estimated cost of the renovation is $209,105.

Pillar Construction will have six months to complete the work. "Once completed, the house will be sold to an income qualifying family at an affordable price," the memo states.
Meanwhile, the IRS will also launch a separate portal to allow parents to update their address, bank account information and family size, as well as opt out of the monthly payments in favor of receiving the tax credit as a lump sum next year when they file their return.

More details about the portals will be announced in coming weeks, a senior administration official said. The administration also plans to launch an outreach campaign to inform families about the enhanced payments and the portals.

A bigger boost for one year

Under the American Rescue Plan, families can receive a credit totaling $3,600 for each child under 6 and $3,000 for each one under age 18 for 2021. This is up from the current credit of up to $2,000 per child under age 17. The enhanced portion of the credit will be available for single parents with annual incomes up to $75,000, heads of households earning $112,500 and joint filers making up to $150,000 a year.

The package also makes the tax credit fully refundable so that more low-income parents can take advantage of it. Until now, it has only been partially refundable -- leaving more than 20 million children unable to get the full credit because their families' incomes are too low.
CHICAGO  Forget the played-out trope about firefighters rescuing kittens from trees. In the Loop on Sunday, Chicago Fire Department personnel instead rescued a pet bird from a window ledge.

Video of the avian rescue near Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard was posted to Twitter about 5 p.m. Sunday by a man who asked reporters to refer to him by his social media handle, ChiTownCheese. The video shows the bird on a ledge on the second floor of the Motorola Building, formerly the Railway Exchange Building, 224 S. Michigan Ave.

Many commenters online said the animal in question appeared to be a macaw, which some speculated had clipped wings, necessitating its rescue.

Fire Department officials later said a fire truck had been returning to a station after a paramedic response when a person flagged down the crew to assist with getting a pet bird down from a window ledge.

The citizen asked for a ladder and a crew member instead used a pole, to retrieve the brightly-colored bird, officials said.
One officer was shot in the hand, and the other officer was shot in the hip and in the shoulder above his vest, Brown said.

Brown said there have been 16 Chicago police officers shot in the past 15 months. In the same time frame, 108 officers have been fired upon, he said.

Its just too early now to go into the details of this investigation, Brown said. He expects investigators will pull video from the area as well as body camera footage from the injured officers.

I would just ask that we also put the same attention on this video with ... these two officers being shot, that we put on others. To just see how quickly these split-second incidents happen, Brown said. Officers oftentimes have no time to react, so lets make sure we put the same pressures on looking at this video to get a totality of the circumstances, a sense of how quickly our officers are put in danger on these calls that involve gunplay.

Repeating a common refrain, Lightfoot again called for an end to violence in the city.

Lets say a prayer for all involved. Lets pray for peace in our city, she said. Weve got to put these guns down. Weve got to stop the flow of illegal guns into our city.
Wangler told the FBI in an interview last month that as they walked to the Capitol building after Trumps speech, he heard several loud bangs that sounded to him like a civil war re-enactment and saw protesters fighting with police and trying to breach barricades surrounding the building.

The friends avoided the violence by walking around to the other side of the building, according to Wanglers interview. He told the FBI that as they were walking, he saw a man pounding on one of the buildings windows and he told the man to knock that (expletive) off, the complaint stated.

Eventually they entered the Capitol through an open door that had broken-out windows on either side, according to the complaint. Multiple images from the scene showed Harrison and Wangler roaming around the Capitol Crypt, taking photos and video by a white marble sculpture of John Stark and a bust of Abraham Lincoln, the complaint stated.

At one point, Wangler said he asked a police officer if they were going to get in trouble for being inside the building. According to Wangler, the officer shrugged and said something to the effect of, It doesnt matter now, the complaint stated.
 In the last 30 days, Scott County has had 1,035 individuals test positive for COVID-19. For the entirety of the pandemic, 16% of the cases have been in those ages 0-18. During the last month, the percent in that age group has been 29%.

 Children transmit to both family members and others with whom they make contact, including those at high risk for serious outcomes, even when the infected child has no symptoms and is unrecognized as a source.

 While "only" 127 of the almost 600,000 deaths reported to CDC have been kids, these data do not accurately depict the toll COVID-19 has had on children. As of Monday this week, CDC reports 3,742 cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome-children (MIS-C); 1,009 required ICU care with the worst outcomes in school aged children. Thirty-seven percent had no preceding illness recognized as COVID-19 before the onset of MIS-C.

 Early studies of "long COVID" in children suggest that 12.9-42.6% who contract the virus have at least one long-lasting symptom impairing their daily activities.

 Vaccination is newly available for adolescents 12-15 and older, but few have started, and far fewer are fully vaccinated. We do not anticipate that children under age 12 will be eligible for vaccine until late summer or fall.

This has been a challenging year, and we all look forward to putting COVID-19 behind us. We are not there yet, particularly in Scott County where our epidemic curve is disturbing. Continued mask and distancing requirements will allow this school year to end safely  good medicine and good public health.

Dr. Louis Katz is medical director of the Scott County Health Department. These opinions are his and don't necessarily reflect those of the department.

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Members of Congress and the administration have work to do as well. Reshaping education and skills training is just the beginning. Leaders can also expand export opportunities, maintain access to reliable sources of American energy, fix our broken immigration system and finally offer a secure future to Dreamers, many of whom contributed above and beyond on the health care front lines and in manufacturing operations during the pandemic. Well also need tax incentives for research and development, too, to replicate the kind of success story that we saw with vaccine development. Imagine what is possible  and what jobs we will create  if we do more to facilitate advancement across all economic sectors.
Good for them! But the pandemic also created lots of financial losers, and these are the folks we ought to be worried about.

In fact, the three relief bills had lots of provisions aimed directly at the people who were most in danger of financial ruin. Pandemic unemployment benefits went to people who lost jobs or income. The Paycheck Protection Program gave a lifeline to businesses that were hurt by the pandemic, and provided an incentive to retain workers. Eviction moratoria prevented landlords from punishing tenants who couldnt make rent, and so on. These bills weren't designed as fiscal stimulus, but as disaster relief  a form of retroactive social insurance aimed at making Americans whole.

The problem is, all that social insurance wasnt perfect, and lots of Americans are in danger of falling through the cracks. The most obvious endangered group are those who failed to get the pandemic unemployment insurance benefits despite losing jobs or income. Pandemic UI was implemented by state agencies, which had limited capacity and little preparation. As a result, significant numbers of people who deserved to get the benefits were denied.

The U.S. government should try to patch this hole. People who deserved the special benefits but didnt receive them should be able to petition the government for back payments (a new law could specify how much).
Columnist Marc Thiessen and Senator Chuck Grassley object to workers receiving enough benefits that they can stay home, making it difficult for businesses. Both used the lowest-paid employees as their examples. Thiessen said the CEO of a restaurant chain wanted employees to come back to work at a salary of less than $15 per hour. A rough translation of that is, "My business model depends on low-paid employees to make a profit."

Thiessen and Grassley praise Gov. Kim Reynolds for cutting off additional benefits for workers and mandating that schools offer full-time, in-person learning, both for the benefit of the children, but as Thiessen says, to allow single parents to work. With one-third of Iowans refusing vaccination, current variants of the disease targeting younger folks, even the pre-teens, some people are afraid to return to work, and day care cost and availability remains an issue for many who would.
Politicians in Springfield are considering a bill that would address some of my frustrations and make our democracy stronger. The bill introduces Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to Illinois. RCV is like the Iowa caucuses, except it's private. You number your candidates in order of preference on the ballot. If no one gets more than 50% of the vote, the candidate in last place is removed and their supporters' 2nd choices are distributed to the remaining candidates. The process continues until one candidate exceeds 50%. Maine and Alaska use RCV for state and federal races, several state parties use it for primaries, and many U.S. cities use it for local elections. Ireland and Australia have used RCV for decades.
Students enrolled in Rapid City Area Schools will have the opportunity to continue their education online in the fall.

The school district is launching an online school pilot program for all grades during the 2021-22 school year. The pilot program is in response to increased interest in online learning, which began before the pandemic. The online pilot is not an extension of distance learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the virtual learning environment versus teaching through a pandemic, theres different pedagogy and the expectations are different. Theres a little more flexibility for moving forward with virtual learning versus trying to recreate a traditional learning environment in a remote setting, David Swank, principal at Canyon Lake Elementary School, told the Journal. Swank has been helping to start the pilot program.

There will be limited space for students  50 spots for elementary, 30 for middle and 50 for high school  and they will be selected through an application due May 21. Applications will be considered based on previous success with distance learning, attendance, and overall fit for the program. In the event there are more applicants than spots, students will be selected via lottery.
Gen. Museveni. Photo: Facebook.

GULU, UgandaThe Gospel of Saint Luke 5:36-39 tells us that we should not patch old clothes with new ones or that we should not put old wine in new skin because the chemical reaction will be disastrous and it will never be beneficial to the owner of the new clothes or new wine.

What came to my mind as I followed the event of Wednesday, May 12, 2021, when Ugandas autocrat of 35-year uninterrupted leadership, Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was swearing as a freshly re-elected Head of State of this great Pearl of Africa, are some facts: His added new name Tibuhaburwa; why The Archbishop of The Province of The Church of Uganda, Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu never gave a New Bible to Gen. Museveni or why The Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoi Owiny-Dollo, never gave Gen. Museveni a new copy of Ugandas Supreme law-the Constitution?

Other thoughts: The number of young Turks elected to the highest organ of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, the Central Executive Committee; the number of youths elected in the eleventh parliament; and, the list of the 11 Heads of State who attended.

I recorded his swearing-in: I, Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni swear in the name of the Almighty God that I shall faithfully exercise the functions of The President of Uganda and I shall uphold, preserve, protect and defend The Constitution and observe the laws of Uganda and that I shall promote the welfare of the people of Uganda. So help me God.

According to one Mrs. Grace Ojwiya, who speaks Runyangkole, Gen. Musevenis native language, Tibuhaburwa means something which is lost. Remember Musevenis arch enemy, founding father the late Dr. Apollo Milton Obote, never recognized General Museveni as a Ugandan citizen and regarded him as a Rwandese immigrant.

Another foe, a former personal doctor to him in the bush, Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye, who became a major opposition leader, called him a foreigner and he said in 2011 that the NRM is a Museveni enterprise.

Biblically, someone who is lost can be a sinner or someone who is not following the Word of God. Socially, does it mean he is in the wrong place? According a Banyankole friend of mine, the name Museveni is derived from an ethnic group called Baseveni who were foreigners in Ankole in Western Uganda and that Museveni was born at that time. He did not know whether Museveni is one of the Baseveni or a Bahima.

Only people from Western Uganda know the truth of their history, not a person from the north of the country like me or Mrs. Ojwiya.

The second issue is the missing new copy of the Bible. Gen. Museveni held a copy of a Bible on his left handnot his right hand. People who swear in courts of law always hold the copy of the Bible on the right hand.

According to my primary school days in 1966, the English language textbook, Brighter English Grammar, he should have used the phrase I will not I shall as he will not be obliged nor bound by the phrase I shall since it is not a promise that he will follow through.

The history of abuses of our 1995 constitution is still fresh in our minds. The archbishop should have given a new copy of the Bible to Gen. Museveni so he could re-trace his journey of faith as someone who could be lost and is looking for a way out of it.

I expected that the Chief Justice, Alfonse Chigamoi Owiny-Dollo, would give a copy of the 1995 Constitution to Gen. Museveni. That never happened and I have since then believed that he will not have any reason to observe the rule of law as usual.

That means business as usual until eternity. Why should a shield and a sword be more important instruments of power than a Constitution?

There are more youths who are now in the new NRMs Central Executive Committee (CEC); which observers say is the kitchen where the national cake is shared.

Since Museveni came to power the Western region has been benefiting the most compared to other parts of the countrytaking the lions share of the national cake.

We were informed by Ugandas Minister of Presidency, Ms. Esther Mbayo, that 42 Heads of State from across the globe were invited to grace the swearing-in ceremony. Only 11 Heads of State from the African continent actually attended. No shows were leaders of the West including the U.S., U.K., and EU countries.

Russia and China sent delegations as did the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Siri-Lanka. Gen. Museveni, said; In this generation of African leaders, we have to have a United States of Africa just like the United States of America was born. If we compare Latin America and the USA, after 246 years, what is the result of their independence? There is prosperity in the USA but misery in Latin America. This is real brotherhood you are showing. The situation in Africa does not give credit to Africa. It must be addressed and can be addressed. I hear people talk of accountability but who will account for this hemorrhages in some African countries like Libya?

He told his guests this parable, No one tears a piece of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will not match the old one. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants new ones, for they say The old is better.

Read this in the Gospel of St. Luke 5:36-39.(NIV). Already, some youths in the next Parliament being sworn in are expecting theirs will be a transitional Parliament.

Will Museveni survive beyond 2026? Get it from the teaching of Jesus Christ as mentioned in St. Luke and quoted above.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders while others were warned they should get ready to leave, authorities said.

The cause of the fire near Topanga State Park has been deemed suspicious and is under investigation, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Arson investigators with the fire department and the Los Angeles Police Department identified one individual who was detained and released. Investigators then detained a second suspect and were questioning them Sunday evening, according to a statement from fire department spokesperson Margaret Stewart.

Cool, moist weather early in the day gave firefighters a break, but by afternoon flames starting moving again in steep terrain where tinder-dry vegetation hasn't burned in a half-century, the fire department said.

We're definitely seeing increased fire activity, said Stewart.

No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported in the wildfire that broke out late Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains. It smoldered for much of Saturday before erupting in the afternoon.
Among the things they learned was that there are a lot of good people in the world  customers would pitch in and help with things such as the shops leaky roof  and that maybe they were there not just to sell sandwiches.

We had customers that needed somewhere to go and sit and talk, Scott said. If we had been busy, they wouldnt have had as much time to sit and talk and be comforted. We believe the Lord gave us that time so they could come in and enjoy being around Mom and feel like they were at home. We had a lot of those people come in. That went on for years. That was before we were in Southern Living.

Scott laughed. A brief but powerful mention of Woodruffs in the magazine in 2013 about the best apple pie ever was a turning point in the fortune of the shop. Thats what prompted us to go there and discover that even more than the pie, the place specializes in hospitality and kindness.

Over the course of our visits, we learned that in addition to her five children, Mrs. Woodruff raised several foster children. Among them were two 4-year-old boys she took in on an emergency basis when they showed up on a winters afternoon not even wearing shoes and had nowhere to stay. They stayed until they were 18. Decades later, she proudly told us, They call me Mama.
This is such an obvious need that youd think it would have been taken care of by now.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires applicants to submit personal documents when seeking benefits.

Now, that makes sense: The Social Security Administration must make sure the applicants are who they say they are and are not attempting to defraud the government, the taxpayers and the rightful recipients of benefits.

The problem arrived with COVID-19.

The Social Security Administration shut down many of its offices  but still required applicants to submit original identity documents, generally by mailing them.

We all know how unreliable the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has become.

But even if the USPS managed not to lose these important documents in transit, the Social Security Administrations policy forces applicants to go without them for long stretches of time while applications are processed.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, headed a group of lawmakers that has petitioned the Social Security Administration to alter its submission policy.
NEW YORK (AP)  The merger of Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia operations, marrying the likes of HBO and CNN with HGTV and Oprah Winfrey, is another illustration of the head-spinning speed in which streaming has transformed the media world.

The companies are essentially placing a $43 billion bet that they'll still be in the mix when consumers decide how to spend their monthly entertainment budgets.

The agreement was announced Monday after AT&T CEO John Stankey and his Discovery counterpart, David Zaslav, worked out the details in Zaslav's Manhattan brownstone over the past two months.

I think, together, the combination makes us the best media company in the world, said Zaslav, who will run the new company if approvals are granted, probably sometime next year.

The deal also represents a strategic retreat for AT&T.

The hope for the newly merged company is that, with a wider array of material than either can offer on its own, it can join Netflix, Amazon and Disney in the widely acknowledged top tier of streamers.

Analysts say it also makes it imperative that services below that tier  think Paramount+ or Peacock  find some way to ramp up or risk being left behind.
A central question in the case is about viability  whether a fetus can survive on its own at 15 weeks. The clinic presented evidence that viability is impossible at 15 weeks, and the appeals court said that the state conceded that it had identified no medical evidence that a fetus would be viable at 15 weeks. Viability occurs roughly at 24 weeks, the point at which babies are more likely to survive.

But the state argues that viability is an arbitrary standard that doesn't take sufficient account of the state's interest in regulating abortion.

The Mississippi law would allow exceptions to the 15-week ban in cases of medical emergency or severe fetal abnormality. Doctors found in violation of the ban would face mandatory suspension or revocation of their medical license.

Also on Monday the Supreme Court:

 Split 6-3 along conservative-liberal lines to rule that prisoners who were convicted by non-unanimous juries before the high court barred the practice a year ago dont need to be retried. The decision affects prisoners who were convicted in Louisiana and Oregon as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the few places that had allowed criminal convictions based on divided jury votes.
China's HK, Macao affairs office commends HKSAR civil servants for taking oaths

Xinhua) 10:24, May 17, 2021

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Sunday commended civil servants in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) who have taken oath or signed declaration, pledging to uphold the HKSAR Basic Law and bear allegiance to the HKSAR.

The HKSAR government has, in accordance with relevant laws, completed the arrangement for civil servants to take oath or sign declaration, while the HKSAR Legislative Council (LegCo) has adopted the Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices)(Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021, said a spokesperson for the office.

This marks the establishment and implementation of a systematic oath-taking system in the HKSAR that covers civil servants at all levels and departments, including the chief executive, LegCo members, judges and District Council members.

Hong Kong's civil servants not only serve Hong Kong residents, but also shoulder the responsibilities of safeguarding the national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, the spokesperson said.

Improving the oath-taking system of civil servants strengthened the political principle that Hong Kong must be governed by patriots, the spokesperson said.

So far, a total of 170,000 civil servants in the HKSAR have signed declaration or taken oaths, said the spokesperson.

This fully shows that the majority of Hong Kong's civil servants support the policy of "one country, two systems," abide by the constitutional order of the HKSAR, safeguard the authority of the Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law, and are willing to serve Hong Kong residents and work hard for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, the spokesperson noted.

It is hoped that Hong Kong's civil servants will keep their promises, carry out their duties, and work for a brighter future of Hong Kong.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Campus News

UB celebrates 175th anniversary of its origins in medicine

The UB medical school faculty of 1861.

By ELLEN GOLDBAUM

We are champions of public health and as a school we have done, and will continue to do, everything we can to educate the public in a timely way about best practices in health and well-being.  Michael E. Cain, vice president for health sciences and dean Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

They developed a sickle cell anemia test for newborn babies, found a way to make blood transfusions safer, and discovered that the body can, indeed, attack itself. They brought new scientific understanding to Buffalo, even when their ideas were initially ridiculed and later accepted as essential to human health. They fought and curbed devastating outbreaks in the city from typhoid, cholera and the 1918 influenza pandemic; today, they are fighting COVID-19. They are the faculty, students and alumni of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, which this month begins its 175th anniversary year. Founded on May 11, 1846, as the University of Buffalo, the institution existed originally as a private medical school. As UB celebrates our 175th anniversary, we want to recognize the universitys origins as a medical school, share its compelling history and highlight the integral role that it has played, and continues to play, in the health and well-being of the Western New York community, says President Satish K. Tripathi. Now, on the occasion of UBs 175th anniversary, the UB community is marking the anniversary by focusing on the universitys roots in medicine with a special commemorative issue of the Jacobs Schools alumni magazine, UB Medicine. It will be available online later this month.

Teaching physicians who take care of Buffalo

Michael E. Cain, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, says the magazine will help reveal to the wider community the critical role the medical school has played in the health and well-being of Western New Yorkers for 175 years. Over the last 175 years, many physicians who have practiced in Western New York  particularly in Buffalo and Erie County  earned their medical degree at the University at Buffalo. For almost two centuries, we have consistently provided the physicians who take care of those of us who live in this community, Cain says. One way to train future physicians to deliver the best clinical care is to have them be part of an institution that asks questions, challenges traditional paradigms, creates new knowledge and uses that new knowledge to advance the standard of care. The Jacobs School has consistently delivered this benefit throughout its 175 years of existence.

History of UB and medicine in WNY

The magazine opens with a fascinating 14-page timeline that is as much a history of medicine in Buffalo as it is a history of UB. The timeline begins at 1801, the date when Cyrenius Chapin, Buffalos first physician, settles in Western New York. It describes the burning of Buffalo by the British in 1813 and the rebuilding of what was then the village of Buffalo. In 1846, the University of Buffalo was founded, consisting of the Medical Department, which remained the universitys sole unit throughout its first 40 years. The timeline includes the establishment of some of Buffalos first hospitals, from the 1848 founding of Sisters of Charity Hospital, the regions first teaching hospital, and its role in caring for patients during the 1848 cholera outbreak, to the establishment in 1918 of a hospital  now Erie County Medical Center  for patients with tuberculosis on Grider Street. In 1858, Buffalo General Hospital was established, and in 1892, Childrens Hospital, now the John R. Oishei Childrens Hospital, was founded, becoming one of the nations first pediatric hospitals. The Veterans Administration hospital was founded in 1950. The magazine also traces the critical fundraising that enabled the schools growth, starting with the first efforts by Charles Cary of the Class of 1875, whose work resulted in the schools new building at 24 High St. in 1893. In 1920, the school raised $5 million in 10 days from 24,000 donors. In 1929, UBs second $5 million Endowment Fund Campaign closed on the same day as the stock market crash; thus, many pledges were never recovered due to financial hardship. Subsequent gifts are also noted, including those that led to additional buildings and expansion to what is today the South Campus. In 2011, nearly $50 million was left to the school by George M. Ellis Jr. of the Class of 1945, a family doctor in the rural Midwest who had saved for nearly 70 years. The gift came just as UB was making the decision to move the medical school downtown, which Cain said at the time made all the difference in our having the confidence to plan and move forward. In 2015, Jeremy M. Jacobs, his wife, Margaret, and their family gave $30 million to the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, a historic gift. In recognition of Jacobs tremendous service and philanthropy to the university, the UB medical school was named the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The gift made the Jacobs family one of the universitys top benefactors, with gifts exceeding $50 million. The timeline highlights the rich, intertwining medical histories of UB and the city of Buffalo including: Introduction of the clinical teaching of obstetrics in the U.S. by James Platt White, who in 1850 had medical students learn by watching a live birth, now a standard medical education practice.

The 1901 assassination of President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo and the controversy that continues over whether he would have survived had the renowned surgeon Roswell Park been available.

A description of the citys response to the 1918 influenza pandemic led by Franklin C. Gram, acting health commissioner and a graduate of the Class of 1891, whose draconian measures helped curb morbidity in Buffalo. Other intriguing stories include that of Devillo W. Harrington, a Civil War soldier from the New England regiment, who was among members of his regiment transported to Buffalo General for care. Harrington was badly wounded and was left on the battlefield for three days before being evacuated. When he arrived in Buffalo, his case was considered hopeless until the UB interns who treated him decided to try a new type of surgical dressing on him, permanganate of potash. It was one of the first antiseptic surgical dressings. Not only did he recover, but he then attended UBs medical school, graduating in 1871 and becoming UBs first professor of genitourinary and venereal diseases. He later established the Harrington Lectureship, which has brought many outstanding physicians to UB throughout the schools history.

Historic firsts

Mary Blair Moody, UB's first female graduate, received her medical degree in 1876.

Historic firsts among the schools graduates are also highlighted. In 1876, Mary Blair Moody was the first woman to graduate from the UB medical school. She was 40 and a mother of six when she graduated and went on to be named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She founded the Womens Educational and Industrial Union and supervised its Hygiene and Physical Education program. Joseph Robert Love was the first Black graduate of the school in 1880. Born in the Bahamas, Love came to Buffalo, where he was ordained and did his medical training in preparation for medical missionary work in Haiti. He later moved to Jamaica, where he became involved in political work and in advocating for Black civil rights. The timeline includes the recruiting of renowned surgeon Roswell Park to Buffalo from Chicago in 1883 and the eventual establishment in 1898 of the state-funded New York State Pathological Laboratory in Buffalo, housed at the UB medical school. It was the worlds first laboratory dedicated to the study of cancer, and Park was its first director. It changed names in 1911, and in 1946 was renamed for Park, becoming what is now Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Next quarter century

In August 2020, medical students participated in a socially distanced white coat ceremony during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Sandra Kicman

As important as an understanding of UBs history in medicine is, Cain also wanted the magazine to focus on what the Jacobs School will do in the future. To that end, the issue includes one-page essays from many of the schools foremost faculty covering a wide range of topics, from health policy and health disparities and stem cells, to biomedical ethics, big data, team science and gender equity. The issue also spotlights two current, historic moments that the world is experiencing: the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial reckoning that resulted from the murder of George Floyd last May. Articles delve into how the pandemic swiftly moved all medical teaching and research into an online endeavor and how that has impacted faculty, administrators and students. Graduating medical students suddenly found they werent traveling to residency interviews  these, too, would be conducted online  and UBs program directors had to quickly pivot as well.

UB medical residents, students and faculty joined with other health care workers for the White Coats for Black Lives protest in June 2020. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

And while the world was responding to the devastation of COVID-19, the racial disparities the disease uncovered became all that much more apparent with Floyds murder. UBs medical students of color recount their experiences and reactions, starting with last years White Coats 4 Black Lives march, and how they are working with the medical school to foster change in the foundations of medical education.

Powerful patient stories
Due to the pandemic, we expect these numbers to rise, ultimately putting a greater strain on a system that is already at a breaking point in many places.

The numbers are staggering but they are not unchangeable. At DePaul Community Resources, we are reaching out to our local communities in hopes more people will consider becoming foster parents and supporting youth, so they do not age out of the system without lifelong connection to a loving family, often referred to as permanency.

Children and teens need safe, loving homes to heal and grow. They need parents who reflect and understand their racial and ethnic diversity.

They need someone who will step in and provide support as they begin navigating the next stage of their lives.

The numbers above demonstrate what happens when our youth dont have that support, especially as they enter their teenage years. You can help change that.

DePaul knows the life-changing effects of people opening their hearts and homes to children in need. We believe every child deserves to have a safe, loving home and a family, and every teen deserves a chance to prosper. Our hope is that you will read this and find it in your heart to get involved in some way. The need is growing, and the time is now.
Thats not an even trade but its better than nothing. Gov. Ralph Northam tried to get the legislature to pass some language declaring its intent to direct future savings from the coal tax credit retirement to expanding tech-oriented classes at the University of Virginias College at Wise.

The legislature reacted poorly to that suggestion. Republicans didnt like it because they considered it too weak; one legislature cant bind a future one.

Some Democrats didnt like it because they considered it too strong; they worried they might create some expectations. (Horrors!)

Still, we have to wonder: If Virginia is going to follow Colorados lead in legalizing marijuana, why cant it follow Colorados lead in making a formal commitment to its coal counties?

For now, all we have out of Colorado is rhetoric, but at least its the right rhetoric. Consider this statement from K.C. Becker, who as Colorados Speaker of the House introduced the bill creating that Office of Just Transition: The time to take action on climate is now, but we cannot work toward a clean-energy economy without also working on solutions to support workers who are affected by this transition. Workers and communities whose livelihoods are threatened by shifting economic tides and advancements in technology need support.
However, looking back at the development process in the last three decades, it is necessary to study many aspects to see and understand whether Ho Chi Minh City can still be the driving force for economic growth of the whole country, or whether we need to restructure and redesign the economic polices and its institutions.

Challenging role

The position and role of Ho Chi Minh City for the Southern region as well as the country was determined in early 1980s under Resolution 01/BCT of the Politburo. The process of opening up and integrating raised the level of the City as an economic center and a modern city comparable to other major cities in the ASEAN region, but now it seems that Ho Chi Minh City is beginning to lose that position, and its role as a growth engine for the Southern Economic Zone and the whole country, is now falling in very many aspects.

Although Ho Chi Minh City still contributes more than one-fifth of GDP and nearly 30% towards the national budget, the proportion in some industries and essential fields, such as import-export, industrial production, banking services, and investments, is gradually declining. Although, the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) has improved, this mainly depends on capital investment, productivity, and labor.

During the 20-year period from 1991 until 2010, the GDP growth rate in Ho Chi Minh City averaged 10.5% per year, about 1.5 times higher than the national GDP growth rate. But in the ten year period from 2011until 2020, the above figures declined to only 7.2% per year and 1.2 times higher than the national GDP growth rate. For the first time since 1975, in 2020, the economic growth rate of Ho Chi Minh City was only 45% of the national growth rate. Of course, the sudden occurrence of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a drastic blow, but it also shows that the resilience of the City to face abnormal fluctuations is very weak, revealing inadequacies and the poor adaptive capacity of the economic structure of the City in general.

Looking back at the development process in Ho Chi Minh City in the last 20 years, we see many problems of sustainable development. Firstly, the economic structure has no geo-economic strengths or sufficient human resources, nor is there a potential science and technology system in place. Secondly, since the mid-1990s, under urban spatial planning in the transportation system linking Ho Chi Minh City with the key economic region in the South, it seems that the urban construction is still not completely in place. Consequently, the target to increase the proportion of public passenger transport according to the 2010 and 2020 timeline has been missed many times. Besides this, the implementation of anti-flooding and anti-traffic jam programs have become more difficult and are an obstacle in exploiting the strengths of seaports in the area.

The many inadequacies in management for a future hi-tech Ho Chi Minh City was raised in early 2000s, with suggestions for an easy and understandable approach. Since then, the building of an urban government model was set up and the project is being built accordingly, but until now, it has been implemented only in small part, and only a silhouette of this dream is being deployed in the form of Thu Duc City.

Thus, challenges towards the development of Ho Chi Minh City in the next ten years must overcome psychological and institutional barriers, for breakthrough thinking in economic structuring and upgrade of institutions, and for Ho Chi Minh City to become a global business attraction. This effort must be prioritized for the sake of major investors, if they are to continue to see opportunities in Ho Chi Minh City.

Future digital economy

The period of 2021 until 2030 will have decisive significance for turning our country into an industrial country, and must be the stage that shows the highest aspiration of the nation to rise. The consensus and determination of the whole political system to achieve high and sustainable economic growth will be vital for this to happen. Therefore, the development of Ho Chi Minh City from the point of a regional economy, including development and forming the economic structure of the Southern economic zone is crucial.

The main link between the economy of Ho Chi Minh City and the national economy is the urban economy, as urban development and economic development are closely connected. Solving urban development problems will create a driving force for economic development. In the next few decades, the Ho Chi Minh City region will grow into a megacity. Therefore, the most important and urgent issue is to effectively implement the planning of the urban area of Ho Chi Minh City.

On 22 December 2017, the Prime Minister issued Decision 2076/QD-TTG adjusting the Regional Plan of Ho Chi Minh City to 2030 with a vision until 2050, which included urban centers of eight provinces and cities of the Southern economic zone, within a radius of about 100km to150km. The area will have an expected population of about 25 million people by 2030, and will link with 20 cities with a connected transportation system. The goal is to develop the Ho Chi Minh City Region into a large urban area through dynamic and sustainable development, while also playing an important role in Southeast Asia and in the world.

This central urban area will include Ho Chi Minh City-Duc Hoa-Can Giuoc-Ben Luc in Long An province-Thu Dau Mot-Di An-Ben Cat-Tan Uyen in Binh Duong Province-Bien Hoa-Nhon Trach-Trang Bom-Long Thanh-Vinh Cuu a part of Dong Nai province. The Northern urban area will include Cu Chi-Hau Nghia-Duc Hoa. The Eastern suburban area will include Ba Ria-Vung Tau and the rest of Dong Nai province, while the North and Northwest will have Binh Phuoc-Tay Ninh.

The strength of nine groups of service industries and four main groups of industries and products must be developed on a digital platform, when considering the economic development of Ho Chi Minh City in the next ten years. Since early 2000s, especially since the 8th Party Congress of Ho Chi Minh City in December 2005, the City has identified nine groups of service industries and four key industrial groups. That was the right direction for the period until 2020 in accordance with Resolutions 20 and 16 of the Politburo, but if in the next ten years Ho Chi Minh City continues development plans under the old pattern of thinking, it certainly will not be appropriate. The City's economy in the next ten years will become fully digital and the area will be a global innovation hub.

It is also necessary to adapt to an unexpected post Covid-19 scenario. In coming years or decades, unpredictability will be a factor in many fields of geopolitics, geo-economics, international trade, globalization, production chain, circulation chain, commodity products, several essential services and technology, with visible changes everywhere. The perennial traditional problems in developing countries like Vietnam will completely change in the future.

Therefore, the biggest challenge for Vietnam in general, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, is how to design the economic policies that can adapt to the oncoming changes across the world. Ho Chi Minh City needs to put a digital transformation program as the main focus for the economy to move forward towards sustainability in the period of 2021 to 2025. The City must take the lead in the successful implementation of the National Digital Transformation Program issued by the Government in mid-2020.

Breakthrough policies needed

For identifying the various problems facing Ho Chi Minh City now and in the coming years, it is necessary to give priority to policies and breakthrough solutions that will be relevant to future needs. One important one will be a breakthrough in transport infrastructure connecting the entire region, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Plan approved by the Prime Minister under Decision 568/QD-TTG dated 8 April 2013, with plan until 2020 and thereafter. However, so far, the implementation of this vital project has just been dragging.

Therefore, it is necessary to move fast and follow up on such breakthrough projects and complete implementation in the next five years. These include the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway over a 55km stretch with six to eight lanes; the Ho Chi Minh City-Thu Dau Mot-Chon Thanh Expressway over 69km and with six to eight lanes; the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai Expressway over 55km and with four to six lanes; the Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway over 58km with six to eight lanes; the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway over 76km with six to eight lanes; the widening of eight lanes of the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway over 40km; and the Ring Roads connecting areas 2, 3 and 4 must be closed ring roads 2 and 3 in the next five years. For example, the Cau Cat driver connecting District 2 in Ho Chi Minh City with Nhon Trach City will provide a breakthrough to develop Nhon Trach City and expand the regional space, creating better conditions for Thu Duc City to develop.

The urban management model is suitable for maximizing the strength of Ho Chi Minh City, to an elevated position and role in the country. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has more than 300,000 businesses and more than 350,000 individual business and production establishments, in a nearly 10 million populous, which is still a modest number. However, the weaknesses in infrastructure and some policies, have not attracted multinational corporations and companies of regional and international scale such as in Singapore, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. So far, there is still no gigantic pull, or greater incentive to attract and draw vital small, medium and large enterprises.

Dr. Tran Du Lich, Economist
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" " A bitcoin sculpture made from scrap metal is installed outside the BitCluster cryptocurrency mining farm in Norilsk, Russia, on Dec. 20, 2020. Norilsk now hosts the arctic's first crypto farm for producing new bitcoins. Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg/Getty Images

There's a lot of buzz these days about cryptocurrencies, a sort of private-sector digital version of money that's protected from theft by cryptography and counted through blockchain technology, which creates a multitude of digital ledgers on computers scattered far and wide.

In addition to being used to buy things, cryptocurrencies can be bought or sold by investors. In April, 2021, according to CNBC, the global market for cryptocurrencies grew to over $2 trillion for the first time ever, with bitcoin, the biggest digital asset, accounting for more than 50 percent of that value.

But scientists and others worry that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies might pose a danger to the planet. That's because their blockchains require computers all over the planet to solve complex equations in order to verify transactions. That practice, called mining, can be lucrative, because the people who do it earn bitcoins as a reward, as The Balance explains.

The problem, critics say, is that all those calculations needed to solve the equations for mining cumulatively consume large amounts of electricity. Bitcoin already uses 149.63 terawatt hours annually, more than entire countries such as Malaysia and Sweden, according to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index. Microsoft co-founder and global philanthropist Bill Gates recently told journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin that bitcoin "uses more energy per transaction than any other method known to mankind."

" " OregonMines is a hardware hosting service for cryptocurrency miners located in The Dalles, Oregon. The business, which continually powers nearly 3,000 computers, benefits from cheap hydropower in the Columbia Gorge. Natalie Behring/Getty Images

It's difficult to determine exactly how much of that electricity is generated by burning coal and gas, whose emissions contribute to climate change. But since nearly two-thirds of the world's total electricity is produced by plants that use fossil fuels, it's not hard to imagine how some cryptocurrencies increasingly could contribute to climate change. A study published in the journal Nature Climate in 2018 concluded that the growth of bitcoin could produce enough emissions by itself to raise global temperatures by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) as soon as 2033. (Other researchers have argued that this projection overestimates the problem.)

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Cryptocurrency Is Here to Stay

While that might sound scary, even the study's lead author, Camilo Mora, seems hopeful that the problem of cryptocurrencies' energy consumption can be remedied before things get to that point.

"Cryptocurrencies are here to stay," Mora notes in an email. He's an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "This is a technology that provides several benefits and there is clearly a huge public appetite for it. As a scientist studying this, one obviously gets very concerned over the environmental impact of technologies that are not ready for show time. However, I am positive that just as other technologies, there is room for positive change."

Mora thinks that like other technologies, cryptocurrencies will evolve. It wasn't that long ago that cellphones, for example, were bulky, expensive bricks, instead of the affordable gadgets that we slip into our pockets. Mora cites several emerging cryptocurrencies  Cardano, XRP, Stellar and Tron  that he says have less environmental impact than bitcoin.

"I believe cryptocurrencies will evolve to have a much smaller ecological footprint," Mora says.

Some new cryptocurrencies strive to consume less energy by employing alternative methods such as proof of stake, in which allows a miner to validate transactions on the blockchain based upon the number of coins that the miner holds, instead of by solving an equation.

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Cryptocurrency and Alternative Energy

Another potential solution is to transition cryptocurrency networks away from energy sources that contribute to climate change. As the Cambridge Index website notes, alternative energy sources such as solar and wind already produce enough energy to power the entire bitcoin network nine times over.

To that end, 35 companies and individuals involved in cryptocurrency, finance, energy and prominent non-governmental organizations have formed the Crypto Climate Accord (CCA), which aims to make the cryptocurrency industry's energy consumption 100 percent renewable by 2025.

"We are tackling this by developing various open-source solutions that make it easier for crypto mining facilities, exchanges and investors/holders to procure renewables based on the measured or estimated energy use associated with their crypto related activities," explains Doug Miller via email. He's the global markets lead for accord participant Energy Web, a global nonprofit that develops and distributes open-source software for energy companies that supports use of clean energy, the tracing of carbon emissions and integration of distributed energy resources such as home rooftop solar panels.

There's variation in the energy consumption of different cryptocurrency blockchain systems, and not all of them are as energy intensive as bitcoin. "Nevertheless, the CCA isn't entering conversations around promoting one consensus protocol over another since we're focused on decarbonizing the entire sector as fast as possible," Miller says. "The central aim of the CCA is to turn all crypto-related energy use into a source of new renewable energy demand so we can accelerate investments in additional renewable energy facilities. In other words, we see the crypto sector as an important and emerging renewable energy buyer class.

"We and others are developing new technology tools in line with best industry practices for renewable energy procurement so that crypto market participants can make verifiable claims about 100 percent renewables sourcing associated with the electricity consumption from crypto activities," Miller says.

"We also plan to gather input from various stakeholders and researchers to provide guidance around whether and how additional measures should be implemented so that the sector can fully decarbonize  and provide an example for other industries to follow."

And on a side note, Elon Musk announced on May 12, 2021, that Tesla is no longer accepting bitcoin until he's sure it can be produced sustainably.

Now That's Interesting To keep cryptocurrency networks' energy use in perspective, it's important to realize that those always-on electronic gadgets in Americans' homes are an even more voracious user of electicity. The Cambridge index's website estimates that the annual electricity consumption of such vampire devices is enough to power the global Bitcoin network for 1.5 years.
NEW YORK (AP)  A long-awaited book about Philip Roth that was pulled last month amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment against biographer Blake Bailey has a new publisher.

Skyhorse Publishing told The Associated Press on Monday that it will have Philip Roth: The Biography available in paperback June 15, and hopes to have the e-book and audio editions ready by Wednesday.

Bailey's 900-page biography was begun in 2012 and written with the participation of Roth, who died in 2018. Released in early April by W.W. Norton & Company, Philip Roth received mostly positive reviews, although critics for The New York Times and The New Republic found Bailey too indulgent of Roth's behavior towards women. The book reached the Times bestseller list among others.

But two weeks after publication, reports from the Los Angeles Times, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and The AP among others featured extensive, on-the-record quotes from former students of Bailey while he was a middle-grade teacher in New Orleans in the 1990s. The students alleged a pattern of inappropriate behavior while he was a teacher, and that he later pursued sexual relationships. Two former students and book publishing executive Valentina Rice have alleged he assaulted them. Rice's account first appeared in The New York Times and was confirmed by Rice to the AP.
 SCOTUS rules unanimously that "community caretaking" does not create special exception to Fourth Amendment for warrantless home entry | Main | Uninspired comments and plans emerging from Biden White House concerning clemency vision 

May 17, 2021

After embracing new firing squad option, will South Carolina seek to move quickly forward with "old school" executions?

As reported in this new AP piece, "South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed into law a bill that forces death row inmates for now to choose between the electric chair or a newly formed firing squad in hopes the state can restart executions after an involuntary 10-year pause." Here are more details that prompt the question in the title of this post:

South Carolina had been one of the most prolific states of its size in putting inmates to death. But a lack of lethal injection drugs brought executions to a halt. McMaster signed the bill Friday with no ceremony or fanfare, according to the state Legislatures website. Its the first bill the governor decided to deal with after nearly 50 hit his desk Thursday. The families and loved ones of victims are owed closure and justice by law. Now, we can provide it, McMaster said on Twitter on Monday. Last week state lawmakers gave their final sign offs to the bill, which retains lethal injection as the primary method of execution if the state has the drugs, but requires prison officials to use the electric chair or firing squad if it doesnt. Prosecutors said three inmates have exhausted all their normal appeals, but cant be killed because under the previous law, inmates who dont choose the states 109-year-old electric chair automatically are scheduled to die by lethal injection. They have all chosen the method that cant be carried out. How soon executions can begin is up in the air. The electric chair is ready to use. Prison officials have been doing preliminary research into how firing squads carry out executions in other states, but are not sure how long it will take to have one in place in South Carolina. The other three states that allow a firing squad are Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Three inmates, all in Utah, have been killed by firing squad since the U.S. reinstated the death penalty in 1977. Nineteen inmates have died in the electric chair this century, and South Carolina is one of eight states that can still electrocute inmates, according to the center. Lawyers for the men with potentially imminent death dates are considering suing over the new law, saying the state is going backward. These are execution methods that previously were replaced by lethal injection, which is considered more humane, and it makes South Carolina the only state going back to the less humane execution methods, said Lindsey Vann of Justice 360, a nonprofit that represents many of the men on South Carolinas death row. From 1996 to 2009, South Carolina executed close to average of three inmates a year. But a lull in death row inmates reaching the end of their appeals coincided a few years later with pharmaceutical companies refusing to sell states the drugs needed to sedate inmates, relax their muscles and stop their hearts. South Carolinas last execution took place in May 2011, and its batch of lethal injection drugs expired in 2013.

I am struck by the report here that South Carolina has a "109-year-old electric chair." It makes me wonder, only half-jokingly, if they might try to find some really old guns for use in a firing squad. Gallows humor aside, I sincerely wonder how quickly South Carolina will seek to set execution dates for condemned prisoners who has exhausted all their appeals and how quickly the inevitable litigation over this new law will make its way through the court system.

May 17, 2021 at 02:42 PM | Permalink

Comments

The rifles used by the firing squads should be black powder muskets, firing a .50 round ball. They may sound primitive, but they will get the job done.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | May 17, 2021 4:14:58 PM

Will the defendants have a constitutional right to have a blindfold and a cigarette before being shot?

I see post-Furman, there were three executions by firing squad, the last one in 2010. All in Utah.

There is some expert argument that the firing squad might be more humane than lethal injection. Justice Sotomayor suggested some defendants might prefer it.

I think the main concern is visceral -- it just seems somewhat barbaric to shoot people, even to execute them. Also, it seems a bit too direct (then Judge Kozinski suggested that this just made it more honest).

I question if South Carolina wants to use the firing squad. It hasn't executed anyone in a decade, so it doesn't seem to be that gung ho about executing anyone. The supply issue only came up later on.

And, yes, a new method is likely to lead to new claims. On that front, I'm curious about the likelihood of final examinations or actual executions involving nitrogen gas.

Posted by: Joe | May 17, 2021 4:28:18 PM

Michael Che had a nice line about the firing squads on Weekend Update.

Posted by: hardreaders | May 17, 2021 4:52:59 PM

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May 16, 2021

"Bars Behind Bars: Digital Technology in the Prison System"

The title of this post is the title of this notable new paper now available vis SSRN authored by Paolo Arguelles and Isabelle Ortiz-Luis. Here is its abstract:

With little opportunity to engage with technology while behind bars, returning citizens are finding themselves on the far side of the digital divide and increasingly vulnerable to recidivism. Investing in a well-run digital literacy program for our prison system is an innovative solution to a persistent problem and a rare win-win situation for inmates, prison officials, and American taxpayers. We begin by discussing how inmate tablet distribution programs mutually benefit both inmates and prison officials. We then explore prison profiteering by technology companies as a potential obstacle to the successful administration of technology programs, discussing the emergence of virtual monopolies in the prison technology space, their history of controversial pricing practices, and how these practices are perpetuated through prison tablet programs. We then present novel insights into how competitive bidding can be used as a public policy instrument to regulate competition, specifically in the context of prison technology. We argue that a traditional bidding framework is insufficient to act as a policy instrument and propose an alternative incentive-based framework toward this end. We conclude by outlining several practical recommendations that prison officials should consider when administering digital literacy programs in their facilities.

May 16, 2021 at 06:22 PM | Permalink

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Posted by: ionaemrys15 | May 17, 2021 1:03:39 AM

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May 17, 2021

By 6-3 vote, SCOTUS in Edwards v. Vannoy rewrites Teague to say all new procedural rules not retroactive in federal habeas

The Supreme Court this morning handed down an opinion in Edwards v. Vannoy, No. 195807 (S. Ct. May 17, 2021) (available here), which holds that the "Ramos jury-unanimity rule ... does not apply retroactively on federal collateral review." Justice Kavanaugh wrote the opinion for the Court, and it starts this way:

Last Term in Ramos v. Louisiana, 590 U.S. ___ (2020), this Court held that a state jury must be unanimous to convict a criminal defendant of a serious offense. Ramos repudiated this Courts 1972 decision in Apodaca v. Oregon, 406 U.S. 404, which had allowed non-unanimous juries in state criminal trials. The question in this case is whether the new rule of criminal procedure announced in Ramos applies retroactively to overturn final convictions on federal collateral review. Under this Courts retroactivity precedents, the answer is no. This Court has repeatedly stated that a decision announcing a new rule of criminal procedure ordinarily does not apply retroactively on federal collateral review. See Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288, 310 (1989) (plurality opinion); see also Linkletter v. Walker, 381 U.S. 618, 639640, and n. 20 (1965). Indeed, in the 32 years since Teague underscored that principle, this Court has announced many important new rules of criminal procedure. But the Court has not applied any of those new rules retroactively on federal collateral review. See, e.g., Whorton v. Bockting, 549 U.S. 406, 421 (2007) (Confrontation Clause rule recognized in Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36 (2004), does not apply retroactively). And for decades before Teague, the Court also regularly declined to apply new rules retroactively, including on federal collateral review. See, e.g., DeStefano v. Woods, 392 U.S. 631, 635 (1968) (per curiam) (jury-trial rule recognized in Duncan v. Louisiana, 391 U.S. 145 (1968), does not apply retroactively). In light of the Courts well-settled retroactivity doctrine, we conclude that the Ramos jury-unanimity rule likewise does not apply retroactively on federal collateral review. We therefore affirm the judgment of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Notably, the Edwards Court here goes beyond saying that it refuses yet again to find a procedure to meet the "watershed" exception to the retroactivity limits in Teague, it says there is no longer to be such an (hypothetical) exception:

At this point, some 32 years after Teague, we think the only candid answer is that none canthat is, no new rules of criminal procedure can satisfy the watershed exception. We cannot responsibly continue to suggest otherwise to litigants and courts.... It is time  probably long past time  to make explicit what has become increasingly apparent to bench and bar over the last 32 years: New procedural rules do not apply retroactively on federal collateral review. The watershed exception is moribund. It must be regarded as retaining no vitality. Herrera v. Wyoming, 587 U.S. ___, ___ (2019) (slip op., at 11)(internal quotation marks omitted).

Justice Kagan authors the dissent (joined by Justices Breyer and Sotomayor), and its starting passage concludes this way:

The majority cannot (and indeed does not) deny, given all Ramos said, that the jury unanimity requirement fits to a tee Teagues description of a watershed procedural rule. Nor can the majority explain its result by relying on precedent. Although flaunting decisions since Teague that held rules non-retroactive, the majority comes up with none comparable to this case. Search high and low the settled law of retroactivity, and the majority still has no reason to deny Ramos watershed status. So everything rests on the majoritys last move  the overturning of Teagues watershed exception. If there can never be any watershed rules  as the majority here asserts out of the blue  then, yes, jury unanimity cannot be one. The result follows trippingly from the premise. But adopting the premise requires departing from judicial practice and principle. In overruling a critical aspect of Teague, the majority follows none of the usual rules of stare decisis. It discards precedent without a party requesting that action. And it does so with barely a reason given, much less the special justification our law demands. Halliburton Co. v. Erica P. John Fund, Inc., 573 U.S. 258, 266 (2014). The majority in that way compounds its initial error: Not content to misapply Teagues watershed provision here, see ante, at 1014, the majority forecloses any future application, see ante, at 1415. It prevents any procedural rule ever  no matter how integral to adjudicative fairness  from benefiting a defendant on habeas review. Thus does a settled principle of retroactivity law die, in an effort to support an insupportable ruling.

May 17, 2021 at 10:22 AM | Permalink

Comments

The idea that Ramos is not to be given retroactive effect is a huge travesty of justice. Oregon is going to keep hundreds of people convicted by 10-2 jury votes in prison. Makes my stomach turn.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | May 17, 2021 11:46:08 AM

Interesting how the Kagan (who dissented silently in Ramos) wrote the dissent here -- she explains she dissented there to protect stare decisis.

She adds that Ramos was in part framed as a racial justice case [given the facts, I think she could have concurred in judgment on that grounds given the special circumstances of the two states leaving open non-unanimous juries though that would leave the matter of Puerto Rico]. This might be a bit of a dig at Kavanaugh, who has repeatedly expressed a concern about racial justice issues in criminal justice cases.

Posted by: Joe | May 17, 2021 11:58:16 AM

Is that right? Searching turned up a news article (linked below) saying that Oregon is going to revisit 100s or maybe 1000s of such cases. Would that still leave anything unaddressed?

https://katu.com/news/local/oregons-top-courts-begin-reversing-nonunanimous-convictions

Obviously that does absolutely nothing for folks in La., but it's still significant at least.

Also, since "Edwards" in "Edwards Court" wasn't italicized, for a second I thought we had an abrupt, unannounced change in Chief Justices.

Posted by: hardreaders | May 17, 2021 12:07:40 PM



Easter egg -- the opinion attaches the confession (not totally sure why). You can view it -- the video is over an hour long -- here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/media/media.aspx

Posted by: Joe | May 17, 2021 4:17:11 PM

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 By 6-3 vote, SCOTUS in Edwards v. Vannoy rewrites Teague to say all new procedural rules not retroactive in federal habeas | Main | After embracing new firing squad option, will South Carolina seek to move quickly forward with "old school" executions? 

May 17, 2021

SCOTUS rules unanimously that "community caretaking" does not create special exception to Fourth Amendment for warrantless home entry

Though I will be thinking a lot about what a split Supreme Court did to Teague doctrine today with its ruling in Edwards v. Vannoy (discussed here), the Court also was notably unanimous this morning in another criminal case, Caniglia v. Strom, No. 20157 (S. Ct. May 17, 2021) (available here). The start and close of the short opinion for the Court by Justice Thomas serves as a useful summary:

Decades ago, this Court held that a warrantless search of an impounded vehicle for an unsecured firearm did not violate the Fourth Amendment. Cady v. Dombrowski, 413 U.S. 433 (1973). In reaching this conclusion, the Court observed that police officers who patrol the public highways are often called to discharge noncriminal community caretaking functions, such as responding to disabled vehicles or investigating accidents. Id., at 441. The question today is whether Cadys acknowledgment of these caretaking duties creates a standalone doctrine that justifies warrantless searches and seizures in the home. It does not.... What is reasonable for vehicles is different from what is reasonable for homes. Cady acknowledged as much, and this Court has repeatedly declined to expand the scope of . . . exceptions to the warrant requirement to permit warrantless entry into the home. Collins, 584 U.S., at ___ (slip op., at 8). We thus vacate the judgment below and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Intriguingly, Justices Alito and Kavanaugh write distinct concurring opinions, both longer than the opinion of the Court, in order to set out questions unresolved and examples of what Justice Kavanaugh views as "warrantless entries that are perfectly constitutional under the exigent circumstances doctrine." Here is a notable passage from Justice Alito's concurrence that brings to mind a famous commercial (footnotes removed):

Today, more than ever, many people, including many elderly persons, live alone. Many elderly men and women fall in their homes, or become incapacitated for other reasons, and unfortunately, there are many cases in which such persons cannot call for assistance. In those cases, the chances for a good recovery may fade with each passing hour. So in THE CHIEF JUSTICEs imaginary case, if the elderly woman was seriously hurt or sick and the police heeded petitioners suggestion about what the Fourth Amendment demands, there is a fair chance she would not be found alive. This imaginary woman may have regarded her house as her castle, but it is doubtful that she would have wanted it to be the place where she died alone and in agony.

May 17, 2021 at 10:53 AM | Permalink

Comments

The police frequently try to find a way around the 4th Amendment warrant requirement when trying to access a residence and its occupants, for a variety of reasons. Here in Kentucky, the Supreme Court found that when police officers are going to a home to attempt a "knock and talk" with the residents, they may not enter the back yard of any other place that members of the general public could not go or enter. See, "Quintanta v. Commonwealth of Kentucky", 276 S.W.3d 753 (Ky. 2008). In Quintana, no one responded when the officers knocked on the front door, so they decided to walk thru the side and back yards, to knock on the back door of the home. Along the way, they passed a window air conditioning unit, from which they said in a search warrant application they smelled marijuana smoke coming out. A judge singed a search warrant, which was later found to be unConstitutional, because the officers had violated the protected curtilage of the home to get to the air conditioning unit. They trespassed where the Constitution says they cannot go without a warrant or exigent circumstances (which don't exist for a 'knock and talk' visit). Despite the Quintanta decision, local police officers continue to go to people's back doors to do "wellness checks", when people don't respond at the front doors of their homes. The U.S. Supreme Court has now made clear that such practices are not acceptable under the "community caretaking doctrine" either.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | May 17, 2021 12:01:32 PM

The almost per curiam treatment (less than four pages) stands out, especially when Thomas (not exactly a 4A hero in many cases) makes it as if the case is so simple.

It suggests some members were concerned about the case being more complicated, including Roberts/Breyer (who concurred briefly) and Kavanaugh (who said largely the same thing with a lot more words and citations) and Alito (not surprisingly given his more pro-police mindset in general), dividing the Court.

Posted by: Joe | May 17, 2021 12:01:46 PM

Well, it's not that surprising that Thomas rises to the occasion when guns are involved.

Alito's concurrence also basically invites a 4A challenge to the red flag laws that some blue states are passing. That invitation seems weird to me. I grant that you could at least *make* a 2A challenge, and maybe a 5A one for takings too, but 4A doesn't quite seem to fit when you're talking about a general law, as opposed to a one off police action. Moreover, the confiscation in the red flag law case isn't for evidence gathering-purposes, it's an end in itself.

The Alito hypo, excerpted here, is of interest too. While the OP recalls a humorous bit of pop culture, something more disturbing came to my mind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Kenneth_Chamberlain_Sr.

I wonder if Alito is aware of that case, which also involved someone dying "alone and in agony" at home, just in a different way from that described in his hypo.





Posted by: hardreaders | May 17, 2021 2:18:09 PM

While the concurrences only combined for four votes, it looked like the concurrences may be the more significant opinions in this case. Because, probably due to the factual situation, the officers did not assert exigent circumstances as the basis for the entry, the three concurrences basically lay out the minefield of scenarios that might (or might not) qualify as exigent circumstances.

Posted by: tmm | May 20, 2021 10:37:48 AM

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Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (TSX: USA) (NYSE American: USAS) ("Americas" or the "Company"), a growing North American precious metals producer, reports consolidated financial and operational results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 along with the progress to reopen the Cosala Operations, continued exploration success at the Galena Complex and an update for Relief Canyon.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005486/en/

Figure 1: Long Section (Looking North) depicting some significant intercepts from 5500 Level drilling (Graphic: Americas Gold and Silver Corporation)

This earnings release should be read in conjunction with the Companys Managements Discussion and Analysis, Financial Statements and Notes to Financial Statements for the corresponding period, which have been posted on the Americas Gold and Silver Corporation SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and on its EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov, and which are also available on the Companys website at www.americas-gold.com. All figures are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.

Highlights

 Revenue of $10.2 million and a net loss of $91.8 million for Q1-2021 or a loss of ($0.72) per share, which includes an impairment charge of $55.6 million and an inventory write-down of $23.0 million related to Relief Canyon. Adjusted net loss1 was $13.2 million prior to these one-time adjustments or ($0.10) per share.

 Following an extensive review and a challenging ramp-up at Relief Canyon, the operation is proceeding with run-of-mine heap leaching. The Company expects this change will improve overall project economics going forward.

 The Company is confident that a resolution will be reached to reopen the Cosala Operations with all employees returning to work in the near term with a ramp-up to full production in Q3-2021. Full Mexican government support will ensure the long-term stability of the operation.

Story continues

 At the Galena Complex, geologists have located and drilled the downdip extension of the prolific Silver Vein. All of the first 8 holes hit high-grade mineralization highlighted by the following:

Hole 55-175A: 7,370 g/t silver and 6.3% copper (8,020 g/t silver equivalent [2]) over 2.7 m [3]

including: 30,200 g/t silver and 26.1% copper (32,900 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.3 m

including: 23,000 g/t silver and 17.0% copper (24,800 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

including: 11,500 g/t silver and 10.0% copper (12,500 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

Hole 55-148: 5,320 g/t silver and 4.1% copper (5,730 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.8 m

including: 10,200 g/t silver and 7.9% copper (11,000 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.4 m

Hole 55-176: 3,110 g/t silver and 2.4% copper (3,350 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.8 m

including: 23,900 g/t silver and 17.5% copper (25,700 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

and: 1690 g/t silver and 1.1% copper (1,810 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.4 m

"Based on our latest discussions with both the state and federal Mexican government, we are on the cusp of a resolution to the illegal blockade at our Cosala Operations and anticipate our employees will be back to work this quarter," stated Americas Gold and Silver President & CEO Darren Blasutti. "The restart of the Cosala Operations and the recent high-grade Silver Vein discovery at the Galena Complex, near existing infrastructure, will increase exposure to silver and cash flow to the Company and our shareholders. At Relief Canyon, following months of study, we have decided to transition to run-of-mine heap leaching to simplify the flowsheet and improve performance. While the ramp-up has been more difficult than the Company envisioned, I believe this change will lead to better economics and enhanced profitability for the operation."

Relief Canyon

The ramp-up at Relief Canyon has been a challenge and continues to be challenging as documented since the Company first poured gold in February 2020. During this period, the Company and its consultants have performed extensive analyses and implemented a number of procedural changes to address the start-up challenges. As part of this analysis, the Company identified naturally occurring carbonaceous material within the Relief Canyon pit. The identification of this material was not recognized in the feasibility study.

During the first phase of mining (Phase 1 of 5), several adverse impacts affected the operation including the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the failure of the Companys radial stacker. Offsetting these challenges was that the definition of the gold mineralized zones through blasthole sampling reconciled reasonably to the block model. However, during Phase 1, an unknown quantity of carbonaceous material was crushed, stacked and disseminated onto the leach pad resulting in lower-than-expected recovery of the placed gold ore. Following realization of this adverse material, the Company implemented additional measures to the ore control procedure to minimize the impact the carbonaceous material could have on leach pad performance. Additional efforts focussed on improving mining selectivity including the use of a hydraulic excavator operating on split (10 foot) benches when required.

Phase 2 mining, which commenced in late Q4-2020/early Q1-2021, has demonstrated a more structurally complex area than initially interpreted, caused by additional faults and folds. Gold mineralization is strongly influenced by structural controls. The impact of the structural complexity, combined with the increased mining selectivity to reject carbonaceous material, has decreased ore availability in Q1-2021 and into Q2-2021.

As a result of these challenges, the Company began two small run-of-mine test pads in Q1-2021 to evaluate the possibility of simplifying the flowsheet by by-passing the crushing and conveying circuits. Results have been encouraging and the operation has transitioned to this method of ore placement to further demonstrate its applicability with haul trucks now delivering the ore directly from the pit to the leach pad. The Company continues to evaluate options to improve the short-term operational and financial performance of the asset.

Additional improvements in the predictability of the resource model are progressing with incorporation of the latest geological detail from recent pit mapping as well as new data from an extensive re-assaying program of over 10,000 historic exploration pulp samples. Completion of this data compilation and analysis is targeted for late Q3-2021 as part of the Companys mid-year update of its reserve and resource estimates.

As a result of the differences observed between the modelled (planned) and mined (actual) ore tonnage and the carbonaceous material identified in the early phases of the mine plan, an impairment charge of $55.6 million has been taken in Q1-2021, reducing the carrying value of the Relief Canyon mineral interest, and property, plant and equipment. An additional reduction of $23.0 million was taken to inventory as a result of the decreased recovery expected from crushed gold ounces already placed on the leach pad. As further test work is ongoing, future results may cause a reassessment of the remaining carrying value and cause a subsequent recovery or an increase to the impairment.

Cosala Operations

The illegal blockade at the Cosala Operations, which has been in place since February 2020, is nearing a resolution and the Company is confident that the operations will restart this quarter. The expected resolution follows tireless efforts by the Companys representatives in Mexico in cooperation with various members of as the Mexican federal government, who have sought to properly characterize the nature of the conflict with decision makers (including President Manuel Lopez Obrador) and to establish a framework that will allow for the safe return of the Companys employees and allow for continuous operation in the long term. The Company understands that a recent positive development in the conflict is the engagement for the first time of state government with its federal counterparts to support a resolution that benefits the people of Cosala with the peaceful removal of the illegal blockade. Assuming the delivery of agreed conditions and the enforcement of applicable law, the Company eagerly anticipates getting the operation restarted and is targeting full mining operations in Q3-2021.

Upon resolution of the illegal blockade and a re-start of operations, higher silver prices will allow the Company to target the higher-grade silver ores in the Upper Zone of San Rafael and develop the silver-copper EC120 project. Mining these silver-rich areas of the Cosala Operations is expected to significantly increase silver production to over 2.5 million ounces of silver per annum in the years following the removal of the blockade.

Galena Complex

Initial drilling from the new drill station on the 5500 Level has yielded several high-grade intercepts at depth. Galena geologists discovered a new silver-copper trend south of the prolific Silver Vein. The strike and dip of this new trend matches very well with the strike and dip of the majority of the Silver Vein mined from the 3200 Level to the 4300 Level. Initial interpretations are that this trend is either a southern splay of the Silver Vein or that it is the true Silver Vein at depth.

Initial intercepts from the 5500-level drilling includes:

Hole 55-175A: 7,370 g/t silver and 6.3% copper (8,020 g/t silver equivalent) over 2.7 m

including: 30,200 g/t silver and 26.1% copper (32,900 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.3 m

including: 23,000 g/t silver and 17.0% copper (24,800 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

including: 11,500 g/t silver and 10.0% copper (12,500 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

Hole 55-148: 5,320 g/t silver and 4.1% copper (5,730 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.8 m

including: 10,200 g/t silver and 7.9% copper (11,000 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.4 m

Hole 55-178: 4,290 g/t silver and 3.1% copper (4,610 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.9 m

Hole 55-146: 3,430 g/t silver and 3.1% copper (3,740 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.1 m

including: 21,800 g/t silver and 18.9% copper (23,700 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.1 m

and: 844 g/t silver and 7.9% lead (1,180 g/t silver equivalent) over 2.0 m

Hole 55-147: 3,290 g/t silver and 3.7% copper (3,680 g/t silver equivalent) over 2.5 m

including: 5,250 g/t silver and 5.7% copper (5,840 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.2 m

and: 1,110 g/t silver and 6.8% lead (1,430 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.6 m

Hole 55-174: 1,750 g/t silver and 2.0% copper (1,960 g/t silver equivalent) over 2.2 m

including: 2,770 g/t silver and 2.5% copper (3,040 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.7 m

Hole 55-176: 3,110 g/t silver and 2.4% copper (3,350 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.8 m

including: 23,900 g/t silver and 17.5% copper (25,700 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

and: 1,690 g/t silver and 1.1% copper (1,810 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.4 m

and: 758 g/t silver and 0.6% copper (820 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.7 m

Hole 55-144: 749 g/t silver and 0.7% copper (818 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.9 m

East Coeur drilling, which commenced in January 2021, targeting the area between Galenas historically prolific West Argentine mining front and the Coeur mine continues to provide solid results. Key results from the East Coeur drilling includes:

Hole 34-122: 1,170 g/t silver and 1.3% copper (1,310 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.8 m

Hole 34-125: 1,900 g/t silver and 2.4% copper (2,150 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.4 m

Hole 34-124: 2,590 g/t silver and 2.7% copper (2,870 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

Hole 34-132: 2,360 g/t silver and 3.6% copper (2,730 g/t silver equivalent) over 0.2 m

Geologists drilled an additional hole further east of the current East Coeur drilling which intercepted a new, un-named vein. Additional drilling is planed to further test this area but initial results are encouraging.

Hole 34-133: 713 g/t silver and 2.0% copper (914 g/t silver equivalent) over 1.4 m

A full table of drill results can be found at:

https://americas-gold.com/site/assets/files/4297/dr20210516.pdf

The Company expects 2021 to be a transitional year at the Galena Complex for future production with continued exploration drilling supporting production growth toward a 2 million silver ounce per year plan. Longer term and assuming continued exploration success, with the results from the 5500 Level and East Coeur drilling providing a solid initial indication, the Company is confident that the operation will again reach peak historical annual production levels of approximately 5 million ounces per year.

The Company is targeting further mineral resource additions at the Galena Complex from the remainder of Phase 1 drilling through June 2021 with the potential increase exceeding the originally targeted addition of 50 million ounces of silver.

At-The-Market Offering

Americas has entered into an at-the-market offering agreement dated May 17, 2021 (the "ATM Agreement") with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (the "Lead Agent") and ROTH Capital Partners, LLC as agents, pursuant to which the Company established an at-the-market equity program (the "ATM Program"). Pursuant to the ATM Program and ATM Agreement, the Company may, at its discretion and from time-to-time during the term of the ATM Agreement, sell, through the Lead Agent, such number of common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") as would result in aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of up to US$50.0 million. Sales of Common Shares, if any, through the Lead Agent, acting as agent, will be made through "at the market" issuances, including without limitation, sales made directly on the NYSE American LLC or other existing trading market for the shares in the United States at the market price prevailing at the time of each sale, and, as a result, sale prices may vary. No Common Shares will be offered or sold on the Toronto Stock Exchange or any other trading markets in Canada. The ATM Program will be effective until March 1, 2023 unless terminated prior to such date. Americas intends to use the net proceeds from the ATM Program, if any, primarily to support the growth and development of the Companys existing mine operations as well as working capital and general corporate purposes.

The ATM Program will be made by way of a prospectus supplement dated May 17, 2021 (the "Prospectus Supplement") to the Company's existing Canadian short form base shelf prospectus dated January 29, 2021 (the "Base Shelf Prospectus") and U.S. registration statement on Form F-10, as amended (File No. 333-240504) (the "Registration Statement"), dated January 29, 2021. The Registration Statement was declared effective by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 1, 2021. The Prospectus Supplement has been filed with the applicable provincial regulatory authorities in Canada and the SEC. The Canadian Prospectus Supplement (together with the related Canadian Base Shelf Prospectus) is available on the SEDAR website maintained by the Canadian Securities Administrators at www.sedar.com. The U.S. Prospectus Supplement (together with the related U.S. Base Shelf Prospectus) is available on the SEC's EDGAR website at www.sec.gov.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these Common Shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About Americas Gold and Silver Corporation

Americas Gold and Silver Corporation is a high-growth precious metals mining company with multiple assets in North America. The Company owns and operates the Relief Canyon mine in Nevada, USA, the Cosala Operations in Sinaloa, Mexico and manages the 60%-owned Galena Complex in Idaho, USA. The Company also owns the San Felipe development project in Sonora, Mexico. For further information, please see SEDAR or www.americas-gold.com.

Technical Information and Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information relating to the operation of the Companys material operating mining properties contained herein has been reviewed and approved by Daren Dell, P.Eng., Chief Operating Officer of the Company. The scientific and technical information relating to mineral reserves contained herein has been reviewed and approved by Shawn Wilson, Vice-President, Technical Services of the Company. The scientific and technical information relating to mineral resources and exploration contained herein has been reviewed and approved by Niel de Bruin, Director of Geology of the Company. Each of Messrs. Dell, Wilson, and de Bruin are "qualified persons" for the purposes of NI 43-101.

The Companys current Annual Information Form and the NI 43-101 Technical Reports for its other material mineral properties, all of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and EDGAR at www.sec.gov contain further details regarding mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, classification and reporting parameters, key assumptions and associated risks for each of the Companys material mineral properties, including a breakdown by category.

The diamond drilling program used NQ-size core. Americas Gold and Silvers standard QA/QC practices were utilized to ensure the integrity of the core and sample preparation at the Galena Complex through delivery of the samples to the assay lab. The drill core was stored in a secure facility, photographed, logged and sampled based on lithologic and mineralogical interpretations. Standards of certified reference materials, field duplicates and blanks were inserted as samples shipped with the core samples to the lab.

Analytical work was carried out by American Analytical Services Inc. ("AAS") located in Osburn, Idaho. AAS is an independent, ISO-17025 accredited laboratory. Sample preparation includes a 30-gram pulp sample analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry ("AA") techniques to determine silver, copper, and lead, using aqua regia for pulp digestion. Samples returning values over 514g/t Ag are re-assayed using fire-assay techniques for silver. Additionally, samples returning values over 23% Pb are re-assayed using titration techniques.

Duplicate pulp samples were sent out quarterly to ALS Global, an independent, ISO-17025 accredited laboratory based in Reno, Nevada to perform an independent check analysis. A conventional AA technique was used for the analysis of silver, copper and lead at ALS Global with the same industry standard procedures as those used by AAS. The assay results listed in this report did not show any significant contamination during sample preparation or sample bias of analysis.

All mining terms used herein have the meanings set forth in National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities. These standards differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC that are applicable to domestic United States reporting companies. Any mineral reserves and mineral resources reported by the Company in accordance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as such under SEC standards. Accordingly, information contained in this news release may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies subject to the SECs reporting and disclosure requirements

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, Americas Gold and Silvers expectations, intentions, plans, assumptions and beliefs with respect to, among other things, estimated and targeted production rates and results for gold, silver and other precious metals, the expected prices of gold, silver and other precious metals, as well as the related costs, expenses and capital expenditures; the recapitalization plan at the Galena Complex, including the expected production levels and potential additional mineral resources thereat; the expected resolution of the illegal blockade at the Companys Cosala Operations and the restart of mining operations, including the expected timing thereof; the Companys production, development plans and performance expectations at the Relief Canyon Mine and its ability to finance, develop and operate Relief Canyon, including the Companys determination to proceeding with run-of-mine heap leaching operations and the expected improvement of operations and overall project economics in connection therewith, the timing and conclusions of the data compilation and analysis occurring at Relief Canyon and the potential for reassessment of the remaining carrying value of the Relief Canyon asset; and anticipated offering of Common Shares under the ATM Program and the anticipated use of proceeds from the ATM Program, if any. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "goal", "plan", "intend", "potential, "estimate", "may", "assume" and "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions, or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of Americas Gold and Silver as of the date such information is provided and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Americas Gold and Silver to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. With respect to the business of Americas Gold and Silver, these risks and uncertainties include 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, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and impacts on employee productivity, the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information; unfavorable exploration results; inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production; general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices; the ability to obtain necessary future financing on acceptable terms or at all; the ability to operate the Relief Canyon Project; and risks associated with the mining industry such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, currency fluctuations and energy prices), ground conditions and other factors limiting mine access, failure of plant, equipment, processes and transportation services to operate as anticipated, environmental risks, government regulation, actual results of current exploration and production activities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, permitting timelines, capital and construction expenditures, reclamation activities, labor relations or disruptions, social and political developments and other risks of the mining industry. The potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations are unknown at this time, including the Companys ability to manage challenges and restrictions arising from COVID-19 in the communities in which the Company operates and our ability to continue to safely operate and to safely return our business to normal operations. The impact of COVID-19 on the Company is dependent on a number of factors outside of its control and knowledge, including the effectiveness of the measures taken by public health and governmental authorities to combat the spread of the disease, global economic uncertainties and outlook due to the disease, and the evolving restrictions relating to mining activities and to travel in certain jurisdictions in which it operates. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from this forwardlooking information is available in Americas Gold and Silvers filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators on SEDAR and with the SEC. Americas Gold and Silver does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law. Americas Gold and Silver does not give any assurance (1) that Americas Gold and Silver will achieve its expectations, or (2) concerning the result or timing thereof. All subsequent written and oral forwardlooking information concerning Americas Gold and Silver are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above.

1 The Companys profitability was impacted by non-reoccurring and non-cash charges, specifically $55.6 million in impairment of Relief Canyons net assets carrying amount and $23.0 million in inventory write-downs from lowered leach pad gold recoveries.

2 Silver equivalent was calculated using metal prices of $20.00/oz silver, $3.00/lb copper and $1.05/lb lead.

3 Meters represent "True Width" which is calculated for significant intercepts only and is based on orientation axis of core across the estimated dip of the vein.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005486/en/

Contacts

Stefan Axell

VP, Corporate Development & Communications

Americas Gold and Silver Corporation

416-874-1708

Darren Blasutti

President and CEO

Americas Gold and Silver Corporation

4168489503
A restaurant was given a warning by the authorities for allowing its staff to dine in at the outlet.

Owner of the MyBurgerLab restaurant in Sunway City, Petaling Jaya revealed the incident yesterday, saying that it was unclear that the ongoing ban on dining in at eateries, which carries a RM25,000 (US$6,000) fine, would also apply to restaurant employees. But that did not stop MyBurgerlab owner Renyi Chin from standing up to officers who had stormed his premises after they saw his employee eating there minutes before clocking in for his 5:30pm shift.

Are staff suppose to hide in the corner to eat?  Why must the enforcement officers be so unsympathetic? Chin, 28, wrote online yesterday.

[Half-baked] SOPs and MCOs are dished out as you please, we have no choice but to just abide and follow, he added.

Malaysia is in the middle of its third nationwide lockdown, which bans dining out, interstate travel, and visiting homes.

After confronting the three officers, including showing them his employees proof of employment and work schedule, Chin was given a warning, he said. The officers also told him that employees should hide when eating at their workplace.

Still no solid answer of whether staff can eat in-store during breaks No one who is legally working has to cower in a corner to eat his/her meal. We all have our dignity, Chin added.

Others have also criticized the officers.

No sympathy or empathy at all for business owners. Why must we hide and eat, when were working there? Facebook user Kristine Tang Yin Hui commented.

Let off with a warning? Any warning is unjustifiable if there is no wrongdoing, Kian Tong Lim said. This is clearly a blunder created by none other than the enforcement officers themselves. Rather than trying to hide their incompetence by way of a warning (which is so typical of them), they should instead apologise.

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Other stories to check out:

Popular foodie Khairul Aming discovers gross, fake versions of his Sambal Nyet

This article, MyBurgerLab restaurant given a warning for letting an employee dine-in before shift, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company.
Singapore authorities warned new coronavirus strains were affecting more children in the city-state

Singapore will close schools from Wednesday as authorities warned new coronavirus strains such as the one first detected in India were affecting more children.

Taiwan also shut schools in the capital Taipei to control an outbreak, and the island banned all foreigners from entry or transit for a month unless they had a residency card.

Both governments have been tightening restrictions to fight a recent rise in cases, after remaining relatively unscathed during the pandemic compared with the rest of the world.

Authorities in Singapore said Sunday that primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges would shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28.

The announcement came after Singapore confirmed 38 locally transmitted coronavirus cases, the highest daily count in eight months. Some of the cases involved children linked to a cluster at a tuition centre.

An additional 21 local transmissions were reported Monday.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, citing a conversation he had with the ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak, said Sunday that the B.1.617 strain, first detected in India, "appears to affect children more".

"Some of these mutations are much more virulent and they seem to attack the younger children," Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said.

"This is an area of concern for all of us," he said, adding that none of the infected children was seriously ill.

The government is "working out the plans" to vaccinate students under the age of 16, Chan said in a Facebook post.

Taiwan's capital Taipei and adjacent New Taipei City announced Monday that schools would suspend classes from Tuesday until May 28.

The island emerged relatively unharmed by Covid-19 last year, but it announced a further 333 local cases Monday, bringing the total to just over 2,000.

Authorities on Monday also said all foreigners would be barred from entering or transiting Taiwan for the next month unless they had a residency card.

Story continues

- Hong Kong travel bubble delayed -

In the latest round of restrictions, Singapore has limited public gatherings to two, banned restaurant dine-ins and closed gyms.

Last year, the coronavirus surged through crowded dormitories housing low-paid foreign workers, infecting tens of thousands.

But by global standards, Singapore's overall outbreak has been mild -- officials in the city of 5.7 million have reported more than 61,000 cases so far and 31 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

But the latest spike has hit a quarantine-free travel bubble with Hong Kong, which was due to begin May 26 after an earlier failed attempt.

A Hong Kong government spokesman said that "in view of the recent COVID-19 epidemic situation in Singapore", the two governments had decided to delay the bubble.

bur-mba-jta/qan
County Council member Stan Tzouvelekas called for the artwork to be taken down.

I dont think its family friendly. Its demonic, he told the Greenville News. I dont want my kids to see it.

The citys Arts in Public Places Commission recommended the exhibit to the city. Corporate sponsors are paying for much of the cost.

This actually adds to the beauty and the prosperity of our community. Hispanic Alliance Executive Director Adela Mendoza told WYFF-TV. The money that we would receive through the accommodation tax dollars will allow us to bring tourism to Greenville. Those monies are to be used to promote the exhibit outside of Greenville.

The traveling exhibit has been displayed in cities in the United States and Mexico since 2013 and is supposed to remain on display in Greenville until October. Created by Mexican artist Jorge Marin, the sculptures were offered to Greenville by the Mexican government.
Most bars or home mixologists can easily whip up this quick summer cocktail. Ben Heller, operations manager at 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro, Illinois, suggests pairing a quality beer with freshly squeezed lemonade. Though a traditional shandy is typically half beer and half lemonade, Heller prefers the added complexity of grapefruit. A lager will suffice in this recipe, but Heller recommends a pale ale.

A little bit of hops goes well with citrus, Heller says. Just make sure the beer and lemonade are cold before you pour them into a frosted mug.

Myriad versions have been invented since this drink first appeared in the 1850s, so there are plenty of options, but this recipe couldnt be simpler.

Grapefruit Shandy

5 oz cold lemonade

1 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

6 oz cold pale ale or lager beer

lemon twist, for garnish

In chilled pint glass, stir together lemonade and grapefruit juice; pour beer on top. Serve cold with a lemon twist for garnish.

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SIOUX CITY -- A man sentenced to prison on a state charge for shooting another man in Sioux City now faces a federal charge for illegally possessing the handgun allegedly used in the incident.

Alejandro LaPointe, 21, of Sioux City, was indicted in April and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City on one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. His indictment was unsealed Wednesday.

According to court documents, LaPointe had two previous felony convictions when he shot another man in the leg on Feb. 10 and was prohibited from possession firearms and ammunition.

Sioux City Police officers responding to a call of shots fired in the 1400 block of Myrtle Street in the early morning hours of Feb. 10 found Tyrin Sheridan had been shot in the leg.

According to court documents, LaPointe had arrived at the house, saw Sheridan there, pointed a revolver at him and told him to leave.

Sheridan told police he left the house and then was approached outside by LaPointe, who fired a warning shot, then shot Sheridan in the right calf.
HARTINGTON, Neb. -- A South Sioux City man faces 15-40 years in prison after pleading no contest to a charge of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Guillermo Coronado Ortiz, 60, entered his plea May 10 in Cedar County District Court to one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child. He had been scheduled to go to trial this week.

As part of a plea agreement, a second count of sexual assault of a child, plus charges of child abuse, public indecency and procuring alcohol for a minor will be dismissed. A Dakota County case in which Coronado Ortiz is charged with sexually abusing the same girl in South Sioux City also will be dismissed.

District Judge Bryan Meismer scheduled sentencing for July 26. According to terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors and the defense will recommend the 15-40-year sentencing range during the sentencing hearing and will be free to speak on their belief of an appropriate sentence. Coronado Ortiz faced the possibility of three life sentences had he been found guilty as charged in both cases.
Several evacuees, and many pets, were gathered at a gas station on the eastern end of Sibley Sunday afternoon after the evacuation. There was a sense of uncertainty and bewilderment at what had occurred.

Glenda DeBoer sat in the car Sunday at the gas station and watched the smoke billow from the train wreck. A firefighter had come to their home, about a mile and a half west of Sibley, at about 2:45 p.m. and told DeBoer and her husband that they needed to leave. She didn't know where they would be sleeping that night.

"It just kind of left you in shock -- like, where are we going, and what are we going to do?" she said.

The American Red Cross and Osceola County Emergency Management opened a shelter for Sibley evacuees at the Ashton Legion Hall, 323 Third Street in Ashton.

DeBoer said the only other time she can remember being evacuated was "during a tornado years ago."

"It's pretty quiet around here, and things like this don't usually happen," she said.

Phyllis Jenkins was at home in Sibley at around 2 or 3 p.m. when she heard a commotion outside. She went out to investigate, saw the thick, black smoke and assumed a building had caught fire.
Our duty is clear. Every one of us who has sworn the oath must act to prevent the unraveling of our democracy. This is not about policy. This is not about partisanship. This is about our duty as Americans. Remaining silent, and ignoring the lie, emboldens the liar.

I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former presidents crusade to undermine our democracy.

As the party of Reagan, Republicans championed democracy, won the Cold War, and defeated the Soviet Communists. As we speak, America is on the cusp of another Cold War  this time with communist China. Attacks against our democratic process and the rule of law empower our adversaries and feed Communist propaganda that American democracy is a failure. We must speak the truth. Our election was not stolen, and America has not failed.

I received a message last week from a Gold Star father who said, Standing up for the truth honors all who gave all. We must all strive to be worthy of the sacrifice of those who have died for our freedom. They are the patriots Katherine Lee Bates described in the words of America the Beautiful: Oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life.
Blinken said he personally has not seen any Israeli evidence of Hamas operating in the building and has asked Israel for justification for the strike.

Shortly after the strike we did request additional details regarding the justification for it, Blinken said from Copenhagen, Denmark. He declined to discuss specific intelligence, saying he will leave it to others to characterize if any information has been shared and our assessment that information.

But he said, I have not seen any information provided.

On Sunday, Conricus, the Israeli military spokesman said, "Were in the middle of fighting. Thats in process and Im sure in due time that information will be presented.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would share any evidence of Hamas presence in the targeted building through intelligence channels. But neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any American official had seen it.

Buzbee said the AP has had offices in al-Jalaa tower for 15 years and never was informed or had any indication that Hamas might be in the building. She said the facts must be laid out.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Florida politician who emerged as a central figure in the federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators and admits paying an underage girl to have sex with him and other men, according to court documents filed Friday.
Last year, two judges in Billings struck down the voter-passed Ballot Interference Protection Act, which limited individuals to delivering only six ballots to an elections office and required that person to fill out a form saying whose ballot they had dropped off.

Attorneys argued the law harmed Native Americans who lack adequate mail, transportation and voting services on reservations, all of which make it difficult for them to mail or deliver their own ballots or to vote in person.

This case and the facts presented at trial turn a spotlight to our fellow citizens that still live below the poverty line with limits to health care, government services, mail services and election offices  those citizens are the Native Americans that reside on reservations within Montanas borders, District Judge Jessica Fehr wrote in September.

Despite that ruling, the Legislature passed a similar bill this year, the lawsuit states, calling it nothing short of discriminatory.

Supporters argued that eliminating Election Day registration will allow election clerks to focus on voting on Election Day and noted that people can register and vote on the same day in the 30 days prior to an election.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israel slammed the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, in a dramatic escalation that included bombing the home of a senior Hamas leader, killing a family of 10 in a refugee camp  most of them children  and pulverizing a high-rise that housed The Associated Press and other media.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP)  An Idaho refugee center plans to begin helping three times as many people resettle in the U.S. under new refugee policies recently announced by the Biden administration that increase the annual admissions cap.

The College of Southern Idaho Refugee Center in Twin Falls intends to resettle up to 300 people a year, center director Zeze Rwasama told the Times-News.

President Joe Biden announced plans on May 3 to increase the annual refugee admissions cap to 62,500 this fiscal year, with a goal of increasing to 125,000 for next year. The fiscal year runs through September.

These caps are major hikes from former President Donald Trump's policies, which slashed the national refugee cap to 15,000.

Under the Trump administration, Rwasama said that the number of people the center helped dropped from 300 per year to about 100. The center's budget was also reduced from about $1.1 million to $500,000, since its funding is proportional to the number of refugees it resettles.
Suppose you were Mark Zuckerberg, recently ordered by an advisory board to decide how long former President Donald Trump should stay banned from Facebook. How do you make that decision without alienating key constituencies  advertisers, shareholders, users, lawmakers and others  while staying true to your own sense of what Facebook should be?
FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP)  An Arkansas man who authorities say fatally shot an 87-year-old neighbor was trying to lure residents of his apartment complex outside before someone shot and killed him, according to witnesses.

He was yelling and screaming: You guys get out here, come out here, everyone get out of this building right now," Janey Peugh, who lives at the complex, told KFSM television station.

Police in Fort Smith, Arkansas, located on the border with Oklahoma, say that after Zachary Arnold, 26, fatally shot Lois Hicks on Saturday morning, he continued to shoot at neighboring apartments with a semi-automatic rifle. Another resident, who has not been named, retrieved a hunting rifle and shot and killed Arnold, police said.

Resident Amber Lane told the television station that Hicks and Arnold lived in the same building. She said Hicks and another neighbor had gone outside before running back into their apartments.
Bellevue police spokesman Capt. Andy Jashinske said that he could not provide details but that police were investigating the deaths as suspicious.

At this point, we dont know exactly what happened, he said. Its suspicious; we have two children who were located in a home with nobody around.

Nielsen said she last talked with her children on Thursday evening via FaceTime, which is a type of video phone call.

They seemed happy; everything seemed OK, she said.

Nielsen said she became concerned when she wasnt able to reach the kids on Friday and Saturday. Their dad is under court order to provide daily communication during visits, she said.

She called Bellevue police and asked them to check on their well-being.

Officers went to the home twice, Jashinske said. The first time was 9:50 p.m. Saturday, and the second time was 8:59 a.m. Sunday.
Abortion-rights advocates sounded the alarm Monday in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review Mississippi's strict abortion law, setting the stage for the possible end or restriction of abortion rights granted under Roe v. Wade.

Anti-abortion organizations, however, hailed the court's action.

"The most vulnerable among us, babies in the womb, deserve equal protection of the law," Marian Miner, associate director for pro-life and family policy at the Nebraska Catholic Conference, said.

"While it is not clear how far the court is willing to go in this case, we are hopeful for a decision that will affirm that right, embolden states to protect it and finally correct the grave injustice of Roe."

Planned Parenthood voiced the opposite reaction.

"The protections guaranteed under Roe v. Wade are in jeopardy like never before," Planned Parenthood said in a written statement.

"With three Trump nominees on the court, anti-abortion legislatures and governors have become even bolder in their attacks on essential health care," it said.
The mass vaccination site at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis is accepting appointments. A limited number of walk-ups will be accepted from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. People are encouraged to get an appointment to ensure a vaccine will be available. To schedule an appointment, go to onestop.md.gov/preregistration.
DES MOINES  A health and human services budget that Democrats called the best they could recall in several years, was approved largely without their support, 54-35, by the Iowa House on Monday.

There were parts of the massive budget Democrats liked  and some had voted for preciously.

As with all bills, there are things that are good, and there are things you may not think are good or you could do a better job on, Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, said about House File 891.

My caucus has tried to take a bill and make it better. A lot of amendments we asked for do cost money, and we think we have the ability to fund these priorities if we wanted. Unfortunately, the majority party did not agree.

Health and Human Services Chairman Joel Fry, R-Osceola, liked many of the Democrats proposals but said they should be rejected either because of the cost or because the cost was unknown.

His rough math showed the Democratic amendments would have added at least $76 million to the $2 billion-plus budget that funds the Departments of Aging, Human Services, Public Health and Veterans Affairs.
2) The next component, Understanding the True Cost of College Act, would require schools to use uniform terminology and a standard format when presenting students with financial aid offers. Its not uncommon for current offers to come through with little delineation between what part is a loan and what part is a grant. Throw in work-study and scholarships, and it can be difficult to see the true cost and whether all the listed funding mechanisms are applicable for four years of school. This act would fix those issues.

3) The other piece is related to an area in which all young people can afford to increase their knowledge  financial literacy. The Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act would spell out not just the loan totals anticipated, but what repayment of those loans would look like. Under this measure, a borrower would be shown how payments will stack up against projected income and other expenses such as housing and health care. This process will give students a better grasp on the debt to which they are committing.

These changes come on the heels of Congress dismantling the parental nightmare that is the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. What was once a daunting 108 questions has been cut down to one-third the size.
I think whoever did this should definitely pay, the woman said, adding that her view would not at all prevent her from serving.

Dan Vondra, an Iowa defense lawyer who routinely represents Spanish-speaking clients and isn't involved in the case, said the two-day jury selection seemed too short given the issues the case raises. He said jurors who posted opinions about the highly publicized case on social media should be screened out to avoid problems later.

Judge Yoel Yates has barred the public from the trial, citing COVID-19 restrictions, but it will be livestreamed by media outlets.

Tibbetts went for a run in July 2018 through Brooklyn, population 1,700, where she ran cross-country in high school. She never made it back to the home where she was dog-sitting for her boyfriend and his brother, who were out of town.

Her disappearance triggered a massive search that featured hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers and drew extensive media coverage. Detectives say they zeroed in on Rivera a month later after obtaining surveillance video showing a Chevy Malibu appearing to circle Tibbetts as she ran, and a deputy later spotted him in town driving that vehicle.
Lang is then accused of leading the deputy on a brief pursuit, assaulting him after stopping, fleeing to his home and barricading himself inside. Smith, 51, went in with a group of officers and a police dog an hour later, and police say he was shot by Lang as the lawman entered the home's main floor. That led to an hourslong standoff that culminated in the shootout with troopers.
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP)  A Montana man who was charged in a cattle rustling scheme has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and to selling cattle that were collateral for loans, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana said.

Joshua James Chappa of Bozeman was sentenced last Friday by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula. Christensen ordered Chappa to pay nearly $451,000 in restitution at a rate of $2,000 per month. It would take nearly 19 years to make full restitution.

Chappa, 45, was a ranch manager at the Hayes Ranch in Wilsall from 2008 to 2017 and also started his own cattle company in 2015, court records said.

When the owners of the Hayes Ranch were out of the U.S., Chappa began dealing in cattle, including stealing cattle from his employer and selling them as if they were his own, prosecutors said. He was ordered to pay the ranch $241,000 in restitution.

Chappa also borrowed money from Northwest Farm Credit Services, pledging his cattle as collateral. However, he sold the cattle without repaying the loans. He was ordered to pay Northwest nearly $205,000.
We are not aware, Arancha Gonzalez Laya said before concluding brief media remarks. The ministry later declined to further elaborate.

In a statement, the interior minister said that Spain has been working tirelessly on a migration policy that concerns the whole of the European Union and Morocco, the country of origin of the people who have arrived swimming today.

A spokesman with the Spanish governments delegation in Ceuta said that the crossings began at 2 a.m. in the border area of Ceuta known as Benzu and were then followed by a few dozen people near the eastern beach of Tarajal.

The daylight didn't stop the crossings from the nearby Moroccan town of Fnideq, as entire families with children swam or boarded inflatable boats, said the spokesman, who wasn't authorized to be identified by name in media reports.

A 10-meter-high (32-foot-high) double fence surrounds the eight kilometers (five miles) of Ceutas southwestern border with Morocco, with the rest of the tiny territory facing the Strait of Gibraltar and the European mainland across the sea.
MADRID (AP)  Around 3,000 Moroccans, a third of whom were presumed to be minors according to Spanish authorities, swam and used inflatable boats Monday to cross into Ceuta, the largest number of migrant arrivals in a single day into Spain's enclave in northern Africa.
HARTFORD, Conn.  As some states set plans to a pandemic $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit as a way to encourage people to find work, Connecticut is offering a much different incentive  a $1,000 signing bonus for taking a job.
Henry Golding already feels a sense of overprotectiveness toward his daughter.

The Snake Eyes actor and his wife Liv Lo welcomed a baby girl into the world on March 31, and Henry has now said hes already willing to do anything to protect his family, less than two months after the tots arrival.

He said: Every morning it's like she comes up with something new, something exciting. She makes this look at you or she smiles. Every day is a joy. It's crazy. You do feel the sense of overprotectiveness already. I'm sure it gets worse!"

The 34-year-old star also praised his wife for bouncing back after enduring a challenging few weeks as a new mother.

He told People magazine: "It is a challenge. I think with every woman, they go through so much, not only physically, but mentally. Things just change. And so the first two weeks were definitely a challenge, but she bounced back."

Meanwhile, Liv recently shared a blog post on Mothers Day (09.05.21) in which she detailed her experience with breastfeeding and her life after welcoming her daughter.
"There's still a lot of things with this virus that we're still kind of trying to figure out -- you know, what does the end of this virus look like?" he said. "That's just something we just don't know yet."

In the immediate term, there are fewer and fewer people in Woodbury County who lack immunity to the virus. 31,011 people in the county have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine series, and another 3,901 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Thousands of others have what's called "natural immunity" due to a previous COVID infection.

Other counties in the region have had similarly low rates of infection in the past week.

Sioux County, for instance, recorded only 10 new positive test results in the last seven days, according to Iowa Department of Public Heath data. Buena Vista County recorded 12. Cherokee County had seven positives, and so did Dickinson County. Sac County had six. Plymouth County recorded five, as did Lyon, O'Brien and Crawford counties. Osceola County had four tests come back positive, and so did Ida County. Monona County had two positive tests.
The link between racist housing policies of the past and the climate risks of today

Posted on 17 May 2021 by Guest Author

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Kennedy

For decades beginning in the 1930s, the federal government encouraged mortgage lenders to deny housing loans to people living in predominantly Black neighborhoods. These practices and policies, collectively known as redlining, reinforced segregation and worsened inequality.

Groundwork USA, a network of environmental justice organizations, is exploring the connection between formerly redlined neighborhoods and the climate crisis today. As part of its Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative, Groundwork overlaid historic redlining maps from nine U.S. cities with data about tree cover, heat, and impervious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete.

Fewer trees and more paved surfaces put communities at higher risk from heat waves and extreme storms, which are growing more frequent with climate change. Neighborhoods with few trees and vast stretches of pavement are hotter, research shows. And with less vegetation to soak up water and more paved surfaces, these neighborhoods are more likely to flood.

Yale Climate Connections spoke with Cate Mingoya, director of capacity building at Groundwork USA, about what the mapping data reveals and how the group is helping local residents respond.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Yale Climate Connections: How have redlining and other racist housing policies affected climate risk?

Cate Mingoya: Redlining, while it did not create segregation, codified practices of segregation and created economic disincentives for people to invest in those neighborhoods that were formerly redlined.

That means that a city, which relies heavily on property taxes, is not going to be funneling resources  things like parks, things like trees, things like improved sewer infrastructure  into those neighborhoods that are considered declined or declining, which was the designation of those redlined neighborhoods. And so now, 90-plus years later, were still seeing that those areas that were formerly redlined are hotter, are wetter, and have poorer air quality.

Research by Jeremy Hoffman and Vivek Shandas shows the degree to which thats the case  that on average, its about 4.7 degrees Fahrenheit hotter in the same city, on the same day, between neighborhoods that are redlined and [non-redlined areas]. But that can be as an extreme as [almost] 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Thats the difference between turning on your air conditioner and not. Thats the difference between a $150 bill and a $250 bill at the end of July for your electricity. And thats the difference between spending some time hanging out on the front porch with your family in the summer and ending up in the hospital for heat stroke, or for an exacerbated condition, like asthma, for example.

Maps of Denver show neighborhoods, outlined in red, that were once redlined. Today, such neighborhoods often have fewer trees and experience hotter temperatures in summer than other neighborhoods nearby. (Images credit: Groundwork Milwaukee)

YCC: Whats it like for residents to see this on the mapping tool? What are the responses?

Cate Mingoya: One of the things that has been really surprising to me is how much these maps can be used as a neutral platform for conversations about equity. For example, in Richmond, Virginia, well chat with residents and they say, Yeah, we knew this neighborhood was redlined. We know from our lived experience that this neighborhood is a lot hotter. But they appreciate getting to have these concrete tools to sit down with their local government, with elected officials, with leaders in their community and say, You need to explain why this is still the case. And you need to explain what youre going to do to make things look a little bit different.

And we also find that it is a really great platform for conversations with people who are skeptical about the climate crisis, who say, Well, I dont know if thats a concern in our community. But when they sit down and see a 15-degree disparity between one neighborhood and another, it helps them to think Gosh, my lived experience in my neighborhood  it might be a lot different from someone who was formerly redlined.

Once you see these maps, you cant unsee them. Once you see the historical damage, you cant unsee it. So these maps serve as a great platform for conversations about equity in a way that I did not expect.

YCC: With this knowledge and information, how are you working to reduce these disparities?

Cate Mingoya: In all of the nine cities that are part of our Climate Safe Neighborhoods partnership, we are looking at short-term mitigation measures  so things like getting trees installed and getting air conditioning to residents who maybe dont have it and are suffering from the urban heat island effect.

But really importantly, were also working on building resident capacity so that they can self-advocate. Thats doing things like figuring out, How does our governance structure work? What is the master planning process, and whats the opportunity for me as a resident to intervene with my needs? How is the money that the city collects and redistributes for things like parks and trees and green spaces  how does that get distributed?

One of the things that you cant do to reduce these disparities is think you can plop a bunch of trees in, or plop some green infrastructure in, and call it a day. Our neighborhoods dont look like this by accident, so theyre not going to change by accident. And one of the most important things that we can do is not just make interventions to cool and dry our neighborhoods, but also make sure that residents have a built capacity to intervene in the way that these resources are distributed so that they can be more equitably distributed.

Weve worked really closely with the residents to identify the exact street corners and what type of green infrastructure theyd like to see in those places. So sometimes its trees, sometimes its the installation of rain barrels. In some cases, its asking for small parklets. In some cases, its asking to rip up pavement on underutilized properties and have the ability of that water to sink into the ground instead of just pooling and flooding out into the street. In some cases, its downspout planters. But its really specific to what the community members and what the neighborhood wants to see. And thats really important in creating long-term stewardship. And then again in righting that long-term harm, having residents be in the drivers seat around decision-making in their community when so often residents are completely left out of the car.

One of my favorite examples comes from the Globeville neighborhood in Denver, which is a Superfund site and used to be the home of a lead-smelting plant. The residents from the Globeville neighborhood were sitting with a mapping portal and were looking at tree canopy cover. And one of the residents noticed that the tree canopy cover in their neighborhood was 1%. But if you were to take a bus ride [to another area just across the river], the tree canopy cover there was over 23%. Thats a huge difference  1% tree canopy cover to 23%. Imagine what the air quality difference is like, what the shade is like, or even just what the beauty is like of having a really nice dense tree canopy. So that allowed residents to come together with a really concrete ask. They wanted the city to use [tax revenue set aside for climate mitigation measures or creation of green space] to plant trees in the public right of way.

YCC: How can your work be used as a model for other communities?

Cate Mingoya: One of the things that I think works so well about this partnership is that I believe it can be done in almost every city, because the data and the information and the maps are relatively easy to put together with open-source data and serve as a really great platform for conversations about the future. And I think that theres sort of a three-part structure that communities can take.

One is using the maps to understand a communitys history, because without a really clear understanding of the harms that have happened in the past, you cant have a vision for the future and for how youre going to repair that harm.

The next piece is working with residents to understand their priorities and what they would like to see change in their community, because the things that are pointed out on the map might not necessarily be the things that residents prioritize the most and want to see change. So its very important to put residents in the drivers seat, have them lead the conversation, and then act as an organizing force to get their ideas and their priorities into one place.

And then the final piece is to build resident capacity by educating them on how these political processes work. It can be really confusing. Why do you have a mayor and a city council? Whose job is what? When does the budget get decided? And who writes the first draft? What are the opportunities for intervention in the systems and where should residents have a seat at the table where they dont? And in working to build that resident capacity, residents are not only able to advocate for the implementation of mitigation measures in their community, but theyre able to start applying the same framework to whatever the other challenges are facing their community.

YCC: Looking forward, what do you see looking into the future and the trajectory as this work progresses?

Cate Mingoya: In these neighborhoods that are most vulnerable, we want to see not just a change in the built environment, not just the installation of green infrastructure, but also a real systemic change in how residents are included in decision-making around the issues that matter to them most. Where are there places where there should be seats at the table for residents where there arent, and how can we bring a chair to that table and make sure that residents stay? So were going to continue to do that work in all of our cities. And then our hope is to create a framework so that other cities that do not have a Groundwork trust, who are interested in this type of capacity building, interested in this type of systems change, can apply the framework and the methods that weve put together into their spaces. This is a model thats worked really well in our communities, and we believe it can work across the country even without the Groundwork presence. So over the next couple years, were going to be refining tools and resources so that we can get that into the hands of other community members that want to see change happen where they live.
In 1972, Los Angeles City Planning Director Calvin Hamilton released a 75-page report that explained how to implement a population ceiling in Los Angeles. The secret, Hamilton said, was downzoningin particular, placing strict limits on the small apartment buildings, such as fourplexes, bungalow courts, and dingbats, that had long defined the citys many low-rise neighborhoods. Take away apartments, and the citys population growth would slow.

The effort was remarkably successful. If it had been built to the absolute limits of the zoning code in 1970, Los Angeles could have held apartments for 10 million people. By 2010, the citys zoning envelope had been tightened to limit its hypothetical capacity to 4.3 million peoplemeaning that if every single residential lot were instantly transformed into its highest-intensity use, L.A. could barely house more people than it already contained.

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It is no longer kosher for city officials to talk about population control; on the contrary, as a recent tourism campaign attests, the zeitgeist in Los Angeles is very much that everyone is welcome. The region has poured billions of dollars into a subway network to try to decouple population growth from traffic congestion; the state has forced the city to allow accessory dwelling units (also known as garage apartments or granny flats) in neighborhoods once limited to single-family homes.

Still, housing growth in Los Angeles has been anemic. The city builds fewer new homes per capita than almost any American city; that is the chief reason it has become, by some measures, the countrys least affordable place to live.

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Whats missing? The low-rise, multifamily housing that the city banned in the 1970s and 80s. Which is why Christopher Hawthorne, the citys chief design officer, held a competition, Low-Rise: Housing Ideas for Los Angeles to solicit new blueprints for so-called missing middle housing. Theres a narrative in L.A., as in many cities, that neighborhoods are changing too fast; but in reality, L.A. is changing less rapidly than at any point in its history, Hawthorne told me. A former architecture critic at the Los Angeles Times (and for this magazine), he plans to use these designs to win hearts and minds in the community forums where upzoning goes to die.

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The winning entrants, announced on Monday, are a reminder that multifamily housing does not need to look much different than single-family housing. Instead, these models weave apartments right into the neighborhood, with understated architecture and clever use of space. In theory, these modest plans ought to take the neighborhood character argument against housing growth off the table.

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Then again, the whole dialectic of NIMBY vs. YIMBY, Hawthorne contends, doesnt accurately describe the situation on the ground. When we actually talk to communities and neighborhoods, we find most people are in the middle. A lot of recent scholarship has clarified historic issuessuch as single-family zonings legacy of racial exclusionpandemic and wildfire have clarified others. Most people are ready to say our approach of land use and zoning in low-rise neighborhoods is not a sustainable pattern for the 21st century. They just need help visualizing what change looks like.

There are four categories in the competition. The Redistribution design, by a team from the United Kingdom, explores carving up the landmark Schindler House. The winning Subdivision submission, by a group of L.A.-based architects, rethinks the citys back alleys as the type of narrow, quiet residential streets you might see in Japan or the Netherlands (or Boston or Philadelphia).

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My favorites are the designs for the Fourplex and Corners categories, each of which pushes beyond whats currently permitted in most of Los Angeles, answering the low-rise challenge with clusters of little buildings on each lot. The Fourplex design, by the L.A.-based Omgivning and Studio-MLA, flips traditional domestic architecture on its head, putting bedrooms on the ground floor and public space on the second floor, ensuring light-filled living spaces on a crowded parcel.

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The Corners winner, by Brooklyn-based architect Vonn Weisenberger, proposes adaptable units in a flexible pattern that preserves existing trees. Those buildings enclose a central courtyard for residents in the style of an old bungalow court; they also contain street-facing, ground-floor commercial or community space, which has long been banned from most residential blocks in Los Angeles.

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Its a funny twist on a contest for speculative architecture, a forum usually characterized by bombastic designs that are gunning more for social-media shares than for a building permit. These renderings are muted, almost to a fault. (Bright colors never hurt anyone.)

Then again, consider the brief: Entrants were asked to watch hours of video in which L.A. residents talked about what they wanted and did not want to see in their neighborhoods. If the result is something you might walk by without a second thought, thats the point. The client is worlds most exacting: the American homeowner next door.

Low-Rise L.A. is Hawthornes second city-sponsored design competition. The first, which selected a number of preapproved designs for ADUs, had a more explicit connection to streamlining growth. Most of the Low-Rise winners would require various changes to city law to be allowed in most places, such as relaxed parking requirements, smaller lot sizes, and mixed-use zoning. In short, theyre illegal.

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So far, Los Angeles politicians have not shown much interest in the missing-middle program. Maybe these designs can build support for local policy changes. But the more likely venue for housing reform is in Sacramento, which has abolished some of California cities rules that limit housing choice (like those banning accessory dwelling units) and is taking aim at others, including parking requirements and apartment bans. When the Los Angeles City Council took a ceremonial vote on State Sen. Scott Wieners proposal to permit small multifamily buildings near transit statewide, overriding local zoning, members were unanimously opposed. They would never say they want population control, but they support the policies that were created to achieve it.

Hawthorne thinks great design is the spoonful of sugar that helps the infill density medicine go down. He believes that architecture reached through careful community outreach and founded on consensus will be able to break through the single-family zoning paradigm. From this perspective, the constant kvetching over how new buildings look is not pure NIMBYism but a cry for something better. Now, something better is hereand that theory will be put to the test.
Republican governors have collectively decided its time for their residents to return to workwhether theyre ready or not. So far, 19 states, all with GOP leaders, have said they plan to opt out of the federal unemployment programs created in response to the coronavirus crisis some time this summer, well before their scheduled expiration in early September. Echoing the complaints of business owners, they argue that the aid, which provides an extra $300 a week on top of what states typically offer and is available to the long-term unemployed whove exhausted their normal benefits, is creating severe labor shortages in their states, because people are choosing to collect a government check instead of finding a job.

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Employers are telling me one of the big reasons they cannot recruit and retain some workers is because those employees are receiving more on unemployment than they would while working, Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in a typical statement last week. We want people working. A strong economy cannot exist without workers returning to a job.

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These officials may not be entirely wrong when they say unemployment insurance is making life harder for employers. There are now more job openings than before the pandemic, yet hiring slowed down significantly last month, and workers in some industries, like hospitality, are clearly being choosy about when and where they return to work, in part because federal support allows them to be.

At the same time, there are other obvious reasons it might be taking a while for the labor market to rev back up to full strength. The pandemic, after all, isnt actually over: Cases are declining, but the totals are still nearly as high as they were last summer. Given that many people have yet to be vaccinated, health concerns may be keeping some people like the immunocompromised on the sidelines of the labor market. Also, schools are only partially reopened in much of the country, meaning parents still have significant child care responsibilities that may keep them from working. According to the the Return to Learn Tracker, a project by the American Enterprise Institute and Davidson College that monitors school reopenings, as of May 3 just 50 percent of the nations school districts were offering fully in-person instruction, meaning that all grade levels can attend school in buildings five days per week, though families can opt for fully remote instruction or a hybrid model.

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Notably, most of the states that have chosen to opt out of federal unemployment programs have done a lackluster job with their vaccine rollouts and are still leaning on some amount of remote learning. As of this weekend, all but two of themIowa and New Hampshirehad vaccinated less of their residents than the national average of 47 percent, according to the New York Times tracker. (New Hampshires impressive 85 percent figure may require an asterisk: The state reported a large bump in the number of fully vaccinated residents on May 16 that the Times says might be an error; before then, about 60 percent of the population had reportedly received one shot.)

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Perhaps unsurprisingly, given their aggressive reopening plans, these GOP-led states are further along in the process of reopening schools. In several of them, however, at least a third of districts have yet to return to full in-person learning, and in Tennessee not even one third have made it to that point.

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In other words, Republican states are blaming unemployment benefits for labor shortages at a moment when they have yet to fully address the public health or child care challenges that are almost certainly keeping some residents from working. And while cutting off government aid would successfully force some parents with kids at home or people with serious health concerns like the immunocompromised back into the workforce just as a matter of necessity, its not necessarily a humane way of going about things.

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It might help to think about these issues in terms of a matrix. The more that people are vaccinated in a state, and the more schools that are open, the more it makes sense to nudge people back to work. If a state was firmly in the upper right-hand corner of this graph and was still experiencing severe labor shortages that were hindering the economy, it would have a stronger case for weaning people off UI. But as of now, almost none are really there. Maybe red states will be closer in a month or two when theyre set to cancel benefits, though by then schools will be out for the summer anyway.

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Its worth remembering that Republicans spent much of last summer complaining that unemployment benefits were holding back the countrys economic recovery, even though wed yet to even get a vaccine and were in the thick of the viruss early waves. Nudging Americans back to work at this moment isnt as egregious now that shots are widely available. But theyre still putting a burden on workers in the interest of business.

Update, May 17, 2021, at 1:48 p.m.: This post has been updated to reflect that on Monday morning Indiana also announced that it would opt out of federal unemployment programs early.
As a girl in Jacksonville, Florida, Deesha Philyaw imagined the sex lives of the grown Black women around her.

The churches Philyaw grew up attendingAfrican Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Pentecostal, Church of God in Christall forbid sex before marriage. But what did the unmarried church ladies do? Did they masturbate? If they had secret sex, would they go to hell? And the married women: Did they enjoy sex? Were they as dull as they seemed, or did they live double lives? These questions, Philyaw knows now, were really about herselfabout what possibilities were open to her, and what kind of woman she should be. Even then, she was keenly aware of the tensions between being human and being holy, between what women wanted and needed and what was expected of them.

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Years later, alone all day in the suburbs of Pittsburgh with a baby who wouldnt nap, Philyaw found herself reckoning with the same tensions that had so occupied her in childhood. It was 2007. Shed made choices about what kind of woman to bechoices that many people, inside and outside the church, would deem both sensible and good. But those choices did not bring her joy, or even satisfaction. I thought I knew what I wanted, she told me, and then I got it and I was like, wait a minute.

She needed something that was just hers. In stolen moments, she began to write fiction. I was writing about these women who were dissatisfied because I was dissatisfied, she recalled. I gave my discontent to my characters. One character, Olivia, had a particularly strong hold on her. As a child, Olivia believed that the pastor of her church was God. God stopped by to visit her mother on Mondays. From her mothers bedroom, Olivia heard moaning and pounding. Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! her mother cried. And God answered, Yes, yes, yes!

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Olivias mother had little time or patience for her, but every week, for her lover, she baked an entire pan of peach cobbler. Once, Olivia snuck into the kitchen and stuffed her face with handfuls of the cobbler, pulled from the garbage. Her mother caught her and called it stealing. Olivias desire for love and care, even from her own mother, was made shameful. The pastor, she learned, was not God. But as a man with money and power afforded by the religious patriarchy, his needs would always be prioritized.

Many women who grew up in church were taught to tamp down what felt good, Philyaw told me. So you have secrets, shame, fear. I escaped mostly unscathed, but I was interested in the women who didnt. How did they get free?

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We dont have to erase Blackness to recognize the universality of Black stories.  Deesha Philyaw

In 2020, Philyaw told Olivias story, along with eight others, in The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, her debut collection. The book, published by tiny West Virginia University Press, has taken fictions awards season by storm: Philyaw won the PEN/Faulkner Award, the $20,000 Story Prize, and the L.A. Times Award for First Fiction. Secret Lives was also a finalist for the National Book Award. Tessa Thompsons production company acquired the collection for an HBO Max series; Philyaw will both executive produce and write. In the New York Times, Parul Sehgal wrote, I keep loaning out copies  and having to order replacements. This is the kind of acclaim that most booksmuch less a short-story collection, much less a debut, much less a debut collection published by a university pressnever receive.

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Philyaw, for her part, worried that a book as unapologetically Black as hers might have difficulty even finding a publisher. Her stories are populated by Black people, are set within and adjacent to varied Southern Black church communities, and center the intellectual and emotional lives of Black women. In Philyaws buoyant diction, the rhythm of her language, her references, the details of her characters lives, is an unselfconscious Blackness, free of the need to contend with or accommodate a white omnipresence. Indeed, the shadow in these stories, the omnipresence Philyaws characters both love and struggle against, is Black. The powers that be are, for example, that philandering pastor, a fat-shaming mother, and a diary-snooping great-grandmother. In the story Snowfall, two women, exiled from their communities because theyre gay, nevertheless miss their mothers, grandmothers, and aunties desperately: We miss how they made our Easter dresses and pound cakes and a way out of no way.

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By plumbing Black desires and intimacies, Philyaw conjures a depth of relationship and emotion that can be universally understood and felt. Indeed, while Tessa Thompson told me that she is adapting Secret Lives for television because getting to see Black tenderness is still such a rarefied thing, it also seemed to her that the themes in Philyaws stories are so incredibly universal.

It matters that these women are Black, Philyaw said, but there are also connection points for people who are not Black. We dont have to erase Blackness to recognize the universality of Black stories.

Philyaw went to Yale. For a first-generation college student from a working-class family, raised by her grandmother and single mother, college was not about exploration or self-discovery. It certainly was not about the arts. She didnt want to be a lawyer or doctor, but business seemed like a career that would lead to financial stability, though she wasnt sure what business meant in terms of an actual job. Since there wasnt an undergraduate business degree at Yale, Philyaw majored in economics. She disliked it, so she fulfilled the minimum requirements and filled the rest of her course load with subjects that interested herAfrican studies and history.

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After graduation, she landed what seemed like a dream job, at a management consultancy. She made good money but cried every day on her way to work. Nine months in, without another job lined up, she quit. She got a masters in teaching, and loved being in the classroom, but when she got married, she decided to stay at home to raise her children. Thats when she started writing fiction.

Years later, the end of her marriage brought with it an unexpected opportunity. Friends told her that she and her ex were such good co-parents that they should write a book about it. Through that book, Co-parenting 101, Philyaw gained an agent and a platform. She had allayed some of her own dissatisfaction, but she hadnt given up on her dissatisfied women. Her agent saw promise in her short stories, and she was the person who first called them church ladies.

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But despite her agents encouragement, Philyaw braced herself: for outright rejection, perhaps, or for editors asking her to make her book less Black. I was the one who would have to live with it, she said. I needed it to be a book I loved.

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In advocating for Deesha, Philyaws agent, Danielle Chiotti, told me, it was crucial to make sure that the truth of her stories was allowed to shine.

Chiotti targeted a wide range of editors, from the big five New York trade publishers to smaller presses. For the first month, rejections rolled in. Many employed that time-honored publishing boilerplate: Philyaws collection, editors said, just wasnt a good fit for their houses. Its hard, said Chiotti, not to wonder what is really behind the phrase not a good fit.

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A month after Secret Lives went out on submission, Chiotti received an offer from Derek Krissoff, the director of West Virginia University Press. I loved [Secret Lives] right away, Krissoff told me. He is committed to publishing diverse writers, he said, particularly those with connections to West Virginia and Appalachia. Pittsburgh, where Philyaw still lives, is 60 miles from the West Virginia University campus in Morgantown. Sara Georgi edited Secret Lives and said that, as an ex-evangelical, she was immediately drawn to the collection, which speaks to my experience, and the experiences of many people I know.

Its important for me to talk about how my book got rejected.  Deesha Philyaw

The conversation Philyaw had dreaded about making her book less Black never came. Georgi said that as a white woman editing a Black authors work, she was aware of the possibility of causing harm, so she was determined to approach the process with humility: I relied on and deferred to [Philyaws] expertise. She noted that one advantage of working at a press that only publishes two or three fiction titles a year amid the more typical university-press collection of academic books is that the publisher is less driven by conventional notions of marketability, which often privilege white authors and stories.

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Secret Lives is the most commercially successful book WVU Press has ever published, having sold around 30,000 copies in a little over six months. For a press with only five employees, thats a challenge. The initial excitement when [Secret Lives] was named to the longlist for the National Book Awards definitely included an element of terror, Krissoff said. But the presss team used several printers to speed along reprints, and Krissoff says hes proud that a flyspeck university press in West Virginia can publish at the highest level.

Jennifer Baker, a senior editor at Amistad and an advocate for diversity in publishing, noted that enthusiasm for Philyaws work was strong among Black writers even before her book was published. Everyone was talking about her when the stories first appeared in literary journals, Baker said. That support cannot be discounted. Awards attention has absolutely driven sales, Krissoff said, but I think the positive word-of-mouth, embrace of the title on social media, and virtual events with bookstores and festivals have done at least as much.

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Both Krissoff and Baker emphasized that, while Philyaws prize sweep is unusual, shes not the first literary writer to make a splash with a university press book. Rion Amilcar Scott won the PEN/Bingham Prize for his collection Insurrections, published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2016. In 2019, Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraqib, published by the University of Texas Press, was a New York Times bestseller and longlisted for the National Book Award. How to Make a Slave and Other Essays by Jerald Walker, published by Ohio State University Press, was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for nonfiction. All of these titles, its worth noting, are by Black authors. Baker observed that while efforts to champion diverse books exist at all levels of publishing, the industry remains white-dominant. Black writers, she said, have to go with our guts.

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For Philyaw, the groundswell of love Secret Lives has received from readers, critics, and prize judges came as a joyful and validating surprise. She hopes that her story can both encourage other Black writers who are struggling with rejection and push the publishing world to invest in Black stories: Its important for me to talk about how my book got rejected, she told me.

The acclaim for this story collection gives Deesha freedom, Chiotti said. She gets to decide where she most wants to direct her creative energy. Philyaw is currently working on a novel and the pilot for the HBO adaptation. She is also searching for a new city to call home, recently writing in Bloomberg CityLab, Im ready for a place where Black thriving is by design.

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Philyaws stories are very much about freedomits costs, its shifting boundaries and definitions, the ways in which our conceptions of freedom are reduced and distorted in a world where power is often defined as the ability to control and subjugate others. Olivia, that first dissatisfied woman, resurfaces in a second story in Secret Lives, as the author of an instructional guide for the married Christian husbands over whom she wields power. My reasons for wanting you are predicated on your hunger, Olivia writes in that guide. Dont ruin this for me by acting like a lovelorn teenager. Philyaw loves the question that story begs about Olivia: Did she get free? There is no easy answer.

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Philyaw is reflective about achieving so many professional dreams during what has beenfrom the pandemic to the ongoing police violence against Black peoplean agonizing year: Im really happy for all the success, but I still have to take care of myself and my kids and be a citizen of the world. While there are freedomsurgent, necessary freedomsthat can be achieved by striving toward fulfilling private, sometimes secret, desires, there are also freedoms that can only be won through collective struggle. That truth too is at the heart of the conflicts in Secret Lives. How free can any of us be, Philyaws stories ask, when the people we loveeven the ones who break our heartsare not free?
This article contains spoilers for Mare of Easttown.

Mare of Easttown trundled onto TV looking like a familiar type: a grim crime show with an anthropological eye, one of those murder mysteries where the journey is supposed to matter more than the destination. Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) stars as a detective in a down-at-the-heels Pennsylvania town with a personal connection to just about everyone in her jurisdiction.* At the end of the first episode, a young woman was found dead (and naked), and Mare took the case. But the show seemed to be using the murder as a hook, a whodunit meant to reel viewers, only to whap them over the head with a series about hardscrabble Delco life. As I said, this is a type. Think of both the Scandinavian and American versions of The Killing and the British series Broadchurch or Happy Valley, in which a gruesome murder is our entree into harrowing, behind-closed-doors goings-on. In Mare of Easttown this includes suicide, drug addiction, domestic abuse, prostitution, adultery, poverty, and violence, which all weigh so heavily that, in the early episodes, Winslets Mare physically limped along.

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But five episodes into Mare of Easttown, its become clear the series is not quite what it first appeared to be. You can see this most clearly in Mare herself, a character who is supposed to be a piece of work on a good day, and an asshole on any other. Good at her job, difficult at home, prickly and impulsive in both places, shes one of those characters actresses get credit for playing without vanity or who kick-start conversations about likability. But in playing her, Kate Winslet has not fully dimmed her own star. Mare is supposed to be haggard, but her skin is luminous. Her roots are showing, but in a way some women would pay for. Every man she meetsthe erstwhile novelist Richard (Guy Pearce), her eager beaver young partner Detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters)would like to take her to dinner and then to bed. Her family, who find her exhausting, dont really hate her, and her beef with her mother is played for laughs. Mare, in other words, is not some grim, exhausted, depleted heroineshes Kate Winslet turned down to a 4, maybe a 3.

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This is not an insult. Its why Mare of Easttown is kicky in ways it doesnt seem like a dour, gray series should bethe TV equivalent of a person who says they hate gossip, but then goes and does it for an hour. (I would also point out here that, but for their different settings, Mare of Easttown, Big Little Lies, and Sharp Objects all have a similar description: a female movie starled murder mystery airing weekly on HBO.) And Mare is not the only way in which the series has been unpredictable. Theres also the plot, which has not been quite the grim plod it first seemed to be. After a few episodes of slowly setting up and smacking down red herringsa solid strategy for maintaining tension without building up so much the show buckles underneath itin Episode 4, the series took a hard swerve out of anthropological observation to give us a villain straight out of a serial killer show.

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All season, a cold case had been hanging over Mares head: the disappearance and presumed death of the daughter of one of her high school friends. Mare, on leave from the police for planting drugs in her dead sons drug addict ex-girlfriends carin order to prevent her from getting custody of Mares grandson, natchsees a news story about another missing woman and has her eureka moment: Shes dealing with a serial killer.* Mare may have ethical lapses, but shes a great cop, and she and Zabel get to work, cracking a case thats been hanging over her for a year, in days.

As all of this is unfolding, Colin is getting increasingly gaga over Mare. Evan Peters, who was born to star in a David Lynch movie, has assembled a robust career doing riffs on slightly weird prom king. Colin is no different, his hair slicked down in a way that suggests hes in daily battle with a cowlick. Hes supposed to be a hotshot detective, but as he reveals to Mare, his big case was solved by someone else, and he took credit for their work. Colin is totally enamored of her cranky gravitas, and his adoration has a swag of its own. In a heavy bit of foreshadowing, he brushes off his mothers concern about Mare, saying doing the right thing hasnt gotten very far. Then, after he lays an unexpected smooch on Mare, she cant help but look at him a little differently. (Winslet gets up to a 6 just then.) The show has seemingly moved out of methodical realist drama into high-octane catch-a-bad-guy mode with rom-com detailing. Chaos.

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And then, at the end of the most recent episode, the wildest swerve of all. Mare and Zabel unknowingly close in on the killer, whos still holding young women captive in his attic. It all goes bad very fast and the top of Zabels head is blown off. Its a shocking and horrible turn of events, and yet the speed at which it all plays makes it almost like melodrama, a wait what?? moment. I was watching this one slightly unhinged yet decorous show, and now Im watching Criminal Minds? I found myself wondering if Zabel could really be dead; feeling bummed not to see Peters wet-behind-the-ears look anymore; dreading how these events would be turned into a maudlin character beat for Mare, who will likely be in more trouble, with the law and with herself than ever before; and curious if this was an over-the-top way to get Mare back onto its initial track. Having skidded all over the road, the show seems poised to be as grim as it was only pretending to be.
Harris will be in Annapolis next week to address graduating midshipman at Naval Academy commissioning. She is likely the first woman to give the commencement address, as speakers usually rotate through the president, vice president and secretary of defense, and a woman has never previously held any of those positions.
The nearly two decades since 9/11 have confirmed a simple truth: The greatest weapon against terrorism is freedom, which strikes at the root of terrorist violence by making it more difficult for extremists to win the battle for hearts and minds. Moreover, free countries enjoy a robust counterterrorism advantage over authoritarian states. The record of post-9/11 terrorist activity attacks suggests that states have a national-security stake in guaranteeing basic rights at home and promoting freedom abroad.

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Since 2001, the world has experienced a sharp increase in Jihadi terrorism. My analysis reveals that in 2000, the world witnessed 255 identifiable Jihadi terrorist attacks; as of 2018, that number had risen to 3,243, a more than twelvefold increase. Meanwhile, the world has witnessed a striking recession in global levels of freedom: Democracy-watchdog Freedom House has documented fifteen consecutive years of decline in political freedom and civil liberties, across authoritarian and democratic regimes alike.

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According to Freedom House data, countries that respect political rights and civil liberties experience very little terrorism in general when compared to those that do not. States with high political rights scores (1 or 2 on Freedom Houses seven-point scale, where 7 denotes the heaviest repression) witnessed on average only 7 percent of Jihadi terrorist attacks (0.06 attacks per year per million people). Countries with high levels of civil liberties witnessed a mere 2 percent (0.04 attacks per year per million people). States with intermediate (a score of 3 to 5) and low (6 or 7) levels of political rights, by contrast, experienced a yearly average of 0.35 and 0.72 terrorist attacks per million people, respectively. Similarly, countries with intermediate and low levels of civil liberties experienced a yearly average of 0.13 and 1.63 terrorist attacks per million people, respectively. Regardless of region, history, or development, there is a powerful relationship between levels of freedom and terrorist violence.

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Strikingly, we observe the same pattern even within the subset of states in which Muslims are a majority or plurality of the populationwhich are themselves the worst victims of this type of terrorism. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia are some of the most democratic countries in the Muslim world. No jihadist civil war has taken place in the region since 1975. The two freest countries in Africa, Senegal and Sierra Leone (which together have an average combined political-rights score of 2.7 and civil-liberties score of 2.9 from 200118), have not suffered any identifiable Jihadi terrorist attacks, largely a result of the religious harmony in those countries. The countries most ravaged by terrorismAfghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemenhave average political-rights and civil-liberties scores of 5.65 and 5.72, respectively, making them among the most repressive in the Islamic world.

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Restricting freedom in the Muslim world and beyond has fueled terrorism in two ways: by embittering minorities and by radicalizing majorities. First, repression breeds anti-state resentment among minority groups by generating religion-based grievances, exacerbating existing sectarian tensions. Second, when a state selectively restricts the activities of certain minorities within its borders, other groups may arrive at the reasonable conclusion that the authorities have given their tacit approval to discrimination, harassment, and even violence against those targeted.

Freedom, by contrast, levels the playing field among different religious groups in society. The freedom of thought and exchange of ideas intrinsic to democracy serve to empower liberal and moderate voices that challenge the claims made by religious extremists. Liberty removes one of the chief grievances that people of faith have against the state. When state policies respect rights, it is harder for religious militants to credibly claim that their faith is under attack by secular authorities and that violence is necessary.

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Of course, free countries are not immune to terrorism. Over the past decade terrorists have attacked many Western, democratic cities, such as Berlin, Paris, and New York. Yet evidence indicates that when terrorism does occur in democracies, illiberal counterterrorism responses are least effective in preventing future attacks. When states treat all members of a religious group as terrorists, authorities waste effort monitoring whole communities instead of focusing on the small percentage who support violence. Such actions also inevitably undermine these groups support for the government, increase their sympathy for terrorism, lead them to turn to terrorist groups for protection against an oppressive status quo, and so end up creating more terrorists. Finally, illiberal policies against entire religious communities decrease the chance members will cooperate with police counterterrorism efforts. For instance, harsh tactics in France following the 2015 Paris attacks have further embittered a long-marginalized Muslim minority, making it prime recruiting ground for the Islamic State. And yet, the French government has only further embraced its counterproductive targeting of Islam in the wake of recent attacks.

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By contrast, Japan responded to the 1995 Tokyo attacks conducted by the Aum Shinrikyo religious-extremist cult by aggressively pursuing those responsible within the boundaries of the law. The government did not target religious groups or ban Aum Shinrikyo, and the cult ultimately disintegrated on its own. Tokyos example shows that successful counterterrorism efforts separate terrorists from the wider populations they claim to represent. Terrorist organizations die when governments refuse to play into their hands by overreacting, when they are no longer able to appeal to new recruits, and when sympathizers in the wider population turn against them.

This reality calls for a gestalt shift in how policymakers think about freedom and terrorism. Unfortunately, the shapers of American foreign policy have by and large implicitly accepted the argument that stability and U.S. interests are best achieved by backing strongmen or illiberal policies. This wisdom is incorrect. Not only does it undermine the principles of popular consent and human dignity that the United States claim to champion, it also ensures the exact opposite outcome of that which is intended: diminished stability, extremism, terrorism and a tarnished reputation for those who support local repression.

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American foreign policy has been particularly egregious in the Middle East and North Africa, where the same cycle of repression and violent resistance has been repeating itself for decades. Regimes repressive of liberty like those in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, backed by the United States, generate discontent among populations who view them as corrupt and illegitimate. In an effort to cling to power, these regimes become even more repressive over time and the opposition becomes more extreme as well. The polarized environment leaves little room for compromise, tolerance, and liberty. Often the resistance turns violent. Although terrorists and those on whose behalf they claim to speak have mostly local grievances, Washingtons support for the dictators of these countries puts the United States at risk as well.

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The reality of anti-American transnational terrorism, especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, confronted the United States with an opportunity to contemplate the structural causes behind such a breathtakingly audacious act of violence. Unfortunately, instead of critically examining how the United States own policies may have contributed to the most devastating terrorist attack in history, American leaders doubled down on their default strategy of giving foreign assistance to leaders of the very states from where this anti-American belligerence emanated.

The history of post-9/11 terrorism shows that countries which sacrifice liberty on the altar of national security gain neither. In the long run, the path to defeating terrorism runs through rejecting the stigmatization of Muslims and reaffirming a robust commitment to freedom for all. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, its a lesson worth finally learning.

A full version of this essay appears in the April issue of the Journal of Democracy.
Last year, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Ramos v. Louisiana, prohibiting nonunanimous convictions of criminal defendants. Under the Constitution, the court declared, a split jury verdict is no verdict at all. On Monday, however, the court walked back this declaration. In Edwards v. Vannoy, the conservative majority held that Ramos does not apply retroactivelythat is, to defendants who have already been convicted by split juries. The court then took the extraordinary step of overturning precedent that had allowed retroactive application of new decisions. No party asked the Supreme Court to reverse this precedent; the question was not briefed or argued. But Justice Brett Kavanaughs majority opinion reached out and grabbed it anyway, slamming the courthouse door on convicted defendants seeking the benefit of a new Supreme Court decision.

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Kavanaughs overreach drew a sharp dissent from Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer. But there is more to Kagans dissent than her usual rejoinders and witticisms. The justice also responded to Kavanaughs charge that she is a hypocrite, criticizing his cynical view of judging as scorekeeping. It appears that Kagan is losing patience with Kavanaughs efforts to insulate himself from criticism with rhetoric that obfuscates the cruel consequences of his decisions.

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Edwards dashes the hopes of criminal defendants who thought they received a lifeline in Ramos. By any standard, Ramos was a momentous decision: In his opinion for the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch declared that a jury verdict does not qualify as a conviction under the Sixth Amendment unless it is unanimous. At that time, only Louisiana and Oregon still allowed split verdicts, and the Ramos decision applied to defendants in both states who had not yet received a final criminal judgment. This group included defendants who had not yet received a trial as well as defendants contesting nonunanimous convictions on direct appeal, meaning they had not finished their first round of appeals. Those folks can get a new trial.

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But what about the many more defendants who had previously appealed their nonunanimous convictions and failed to win relief? These individuals can only launch a collateral appeal, or an attack on the legality of a final conviction, to demand a new trial. Both Congress and the Supreme Court have strictly limited collateral appeals, because they prefer that final judgments remain final. (They are also afraid that these appeals will expose egregious injustices that undermine the integrity of countless convictions, but thats a conversation for another day.) In 1989s Teague v. Lane, the Supreme Court identified two types of decisions that apply retroactively on collateral review: new substantive rules (like those protecting some individual liberty) and new watershed rules of criminal procedure. (A quintessential example of such a watershed rule is the right to court-appointed counsel established in 1963s Gideon v. Wainwright.) The question in Edwards was whether Ramos announced such a rule.

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It did not, Kavanaugh held in his opinion for the court. But he went much further than that, writing that Ramos did not announce a watershed rule because there are no watershed rules. The Supreme Courts decision in Teague was wrong, according to Kavanaugh; it is moribund and must be overturned. SCOTUS has not identified a watershed rule since Teague, he reasoned, so they must not exist.

Thus, in a single page, Kavanaugh wiped out decades of precedent allowing new rules of criminal procedure to apply retroactively. And he did not offer the usual justifications that the court provides when reversing its past decisions. Instead, he asserted that he was actually helping criminal defendants: Overturning a theoretical exception that never actually applies, Kavanaugh wrote, would dispel the false hope provided to defendants by Teague. No one can reasonably rely on an exception that is non-existent in practice, he insisted, so no reliance interests can be affected by forthrightly acknowledging reality.

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Edwards put Kagan in a tough position. The justice is committed to stare decisis, or respect for precedent, and dissented from Ramos because it overturned precedent going back to 1972. On Monday, though, Kagan embraced the decision she once opposed: Now that Ramos is the law, stare decisis is on its side, she explained. I take the decision on its own terms, and give it all the consequence it deserves. She then listed the flaws in Kavanaughs analysischiefly by quoting Kavanaugh (who joined Ramos and wrote separately defending it) and Gorsuch (who authored the majority opinion in Ramos). The two justices called Ramos vital, essential, indispensable, fundamental, momentous, and more.

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If you were scanning a thesaurus for a single word to describe the decision, Kagan noted, you would stop when you came to watershed.  She continued:

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The majority doesnt contest anything Ive said about the foundations and functions of the unanimity requirement. Nor could the majority reasonably do so. For everything Ive said about the unanimity rule comes straight out of Ramoss majority and concurring opinions. Just check the citations: Ive added barely a word to what those opinions (often with soaring rhetoric) proclaim.

The justice went on to explain why Ramos fits perfectly within Teague, and why that precedent is worth preserving. The majority gives only the sketchiest of reasons for reversing Teagues watershed exception, Kagan wrote. Seldom has this court so casually, so off-handedly, tossed aside precedent. And it did so even though no one here asked us to. The result is fundamentally unfair: Thousands of people will remain behind bars, some for life, because they happened to exhaust their direct appeals before Ramos came down.

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Kavanaugh, stung by the criticism, responded by accusing Kagan of posturing. It is of course fair for a dissent to vigorously critique the courts analysis, he scolded. But it is another thing altogether to dissent in Ramos and then to turn around and impugn todays majority for supposedly shortchanging criminal defendants. Kavanaugh wrote that criminal defendants as a group are better off under Ramos and todays decision, taken together, than they would have been if Justice Kagans dissenting view had prevailed in Ramos.

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In her final footnote, Kagan responded to this charge. Kavanaughs claim that he is properly immune from criticism because of Kagans position in Ramos is surprising, she wrote. She went on:

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It treats judging as scorekeepingand more, as scorekeeping about how much our decisions, or the aggregate of them, benefit a particular kind of party. I see the matter differently. Judges should take cases one at a time, and do their best in each to apply the relevant legal rules. And when judges err, others should point out where they went astray. No one gets to bank capital for future cases; no ones past decisions insulate them from criticism. The focus always is, or should be, getting the case before us right.

Its worth parsing Kagans words here, because they are chosen carefully, and they hit their mark. Since joining the bench, Kavanaugh has sought to frame himself as an honest broker who empathizes with the parties he rules against. In Bostock v. Clayton County, he spent 27 pages explaining why the Civil Rights Act does not protect LGBTQ employees but closed by praising the exhibited extraordinary vision, tenacity, and grit of gay Americans. In the peace cross case, Kavanaugh voted to uphold a huge cross on public land while expressing his deep respect for the plaintiffs sincere objections, as well as their distress and alienation. In the DACA case, Kavanaugh empathized with Dreamers who live, go to school, and work here with uncertainty about their futures, then voted to let them be deported. And last month, in Jones v. Mississippi, he restored juvenile life without parole while highlighting moral and policy arguments for the early release of juvenile defendants that can be presented to the state officials authorized to act on them.

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The conservative Josh Blackman has condemned Kavanaughs habit as virtue signaling. While she comes at it from a very different perspective than Blackman, Kagans dissent in Edwards echoes this allegation. It seems that, in her view, Kavanaugh is trying to bank capital by flaunting his empathy, as if he can mitigate the unjust effects of his most conservative opinions. His deep concern for the losing party should offset the actual ramifications of his actions. When he supports a liberal outcome, even better: He can defend himself against future charges of callousness by pointing to his past votes. In doing so, Kavanaugh seeks to insulate himself from criticism when he writes a decision like Edwards, which will keep people locked up on the basis of no verdict at all.

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In his superb profile of Kavanaugh, the Atlantics McKay Coppins reported that Kagan launched a quiet charm offensive to win over the justice after his confirmation. And indeed, until recently, Kagan rarely aimed her sharpest arrows at him. Her tone changed during the election, after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, when she ruthlessly undermined his error-ridden opinion defending voter suppression. (He later issued a correction.) Kagans dissent in Edwards confirms that the justice is done trying to nab Kavanaughs vote by pulling punches. Indefinitely confined to a three-justice minority, Kagan knows her influence is largely limited to dissents. If she cannot bring Kavanaugh around to her side, she might as well show the rest of us the cynicism at the heart of his jurisprudence.
Israeli airstrikes on several homes in Gaza City killed at least 42 people, including 10 children, early Sunday in what amounted to the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence that began last week. Theres no end in sight to the violence as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the airstrikes would continue amid international calls for a ceasefire.

The Israeli military said the civilian casualties on Sunday were not intentional, claiming its airstrikes were targeting a tunnel system used by militants. But the homes came down when the tunnels collapsed. Hamas, which continued firing rockets into Israel, called it pre-meditated killing. At least 192 people, including 58 children, have been killed in Gaza since Monday, according to the Palestinian authorities. In Israel, 10 people have been killed, including two children.

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United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned of the effects of the continuing violence. The fighting risks dragging Israelis and Palestinians into a spiral of violence with devastating consequences for both communities and for the entire region, Guterres told the UN Security Council. It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole. The Security Council had its first public meeting about the conflict on Sunday but took no action amid warnings of an impending humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel seems to be in no rush to end the airstrikes for now. Well do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet, Netanyahu said on CBS Face the Nation. Were trying to degrade Hamas terrorist abilities and to degrade their will to do this again. So itll take some time. I hope it wont take long, but its not immediate. In a televised address, Sunday evening, Netanyahu said the country had international support. We will continue to act, as much as is required, to restore peace and security to you, the citizens of Israel. It will take time, Netanyahu said. There is always pressure on us, but we are receiving support from the United States and from many other nations.

Meanwhile, Sally Buzbee, the executive editor of the Associated Press, is calling for an independent investigation into the airstrike that destroyed the building in Gaza that housed the AP, Al-Jazeera and other media. Buzbee said Israel has not yet presented evidence to justify the attack that destroyed the 12-story building. The Israeli military said Hamas used the building and defended the airstrikes saying that it gave everyone a one-hour warning to evacuate. Israel has vowed to compile the evidence and present it to the United States.
This article is part of the Policing and Technology Project, a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the relationship between law enforcement, police reform, and technology.

Theres a man pacing back and forth in the grocery store parking lot, evidently agitated, shouting at the sky. Concerned, you ring 911. On the phone, a police dispatcher reassures you that someone is coming over to helpand so is a drone. Soon, you hear the telltale buzz of a drone overhead. Through its camera, someone is watching the agitated man in the parking lot, feeding information back to emergency services. They are also, intentionally or not, watching you, and everyone else who happens to wander into the drone cameras expansive field of view.

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In the Southern California town of Chula Vista, drone flights like this fictional example happen dozens of times a day, launched to the scene almost every time someone calls 911. The Chula Vista Police Departments is the first of its kind, enabled by a special, sweeping 2018 regulatory waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Drones were sent out more than once to situations described as fake COVID testing.

Most everywhere else in the U.S., drone pilots must secure hard-to-get waivers to fly beyond visual line of sight or over people. But in 2018, the Chula Vista Police Department procured a special waiver connected to the Trump-era UAS, or Unmanned Aerial Systems, Integration Pilot Program run by the FAA, which aimed to evaluate how drones can become more involved in American life. That waiver permitted the department to create its Drone as First Responder program, which allows police to fly over the entire city using small multirotor drones that are launched and piloted largely from central headquarters. By August 2019, the CVPD was permitted to use drones over 33 percent of the citys area, and in March 2021, the FAA approved an expansion of the CVPDs range to cover the entirety of the city. Now, when a call comes in to 911, the dispatcher decides whether to send a drone. The answer is usually yes, in which case the drone launches from the department HQ and flies to the scene of the incident at an altitude of about 300 to 400 feet. All along the way, it records video through a zoom camera lens, streaming footage back to HQ and to responding officers mobile devices. The footage is stored in Chula Vistas evidence.com data repository, where detectives and police can access it, as well as the district attorneys office. (The department has denied public access to the footage, claiming an exception under the California Public Records Act, but an April lawsuit filed by a San Diego newspaper is challenging this claim). According to the police force, as of March, the drones have flown more than 5,400 missions and played a role in more than 650 arrests.

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But what, exactly, are those drones looking at during all these flights? In a laudable act of transparency, the Chula Vista Police Department posts detailed records online of where their drones flyand why. The data offers a poignant snapshot of the human experience, captured through the filters of 911 calls and the blinking red lens of a police drones camera. Many of the flights involve clearly dangerous scenarios: weapon threats, assaults, fires. Others are less so: a person sleeping on the sidewalk, a water leak, a report of someone drunk in public. Some are downright weird: Drones were sent out more than once to situations described as fake COVID testing.

Then, there are tragedies. Chula Vistas drones fly regularly when police conduct welfare checks and respond to reports of domestic violence. Drones fly to the scenes of child endangerment incidents and attempted suicides, and overdoses, and to scenarios described as person down or subject lying on the sidewalk, unknown if breathing/conscious. In February, the drone flew to investigate reports of a body near a taco shop. Some calls are ambiguous, leaving open room to speculate about what they might mean: suspicious circumstances, suspicious person, unknown problem, and subjects causing disturbance Finally, theres a constant drumbeat of mental subject flights and related terms: a woman walking down the freeway, a crazed person dancing in traffic, a naked transient.

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Do all these very human scenarios really warrant surveillance from the sky? Im skeptical.

Chula Vistas willingness to use drones for anything and everything is a major departure from the way police have been talking about, and using, drones in the past few years. For a while, police have largely justified drones by pointing to efficiency and officer safety. These arguments and the media coverage that accompanies them tend to imply drones will be used mostly for extreme and dangerous scenarios.

In the wake of intense new scrutiny around police violence, policeChula Vista foremost among themare shifting to a new rationale for using drones: deescalation. They argue that sending a drone to the scene of an incident instead of an armed human being is a way for police to get a sense of whats going on from a detached and (if I may) Gods-eye-view perspective, reducing risk to both police and the public. Per a Chula Vista police spokesperson, 25 percent of the time the drone shows up before (human) police do, allowing them to use the drone imagery to assess whether a scenario is truly serious enough to warrant in-person response, giving everyone a moment to breath and take stock of the situation before armed officers appear on the scene. Its a compelling argument. But it fails to fully consider the downsides of a world where someone in crisis may see a drone coming to the scene before they see a person.

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According to a Chula Vista spokesperson, the department works with the County of San Diego to send specially trained Psychiatric Emergency Response Team members to the scene when theyre called out to a mental health crisis, a system that can work in conjunction with the drones. The spokesperson also told me that to the best of their knowledge, the police havent encountered scenarios where the drone appeared to agitate or frighten someone. But the PERT team cant respond to every crisis.

You cant build a relationship through a buzzing blinking robot on your doorstep like you could with a person, says Eric Tars, the legal director of the National Homelessness Law Center. Then youve got the subset of the population with mental health crises that involve feelings of distrust for authority and paranoia. If youve got drones constantly buzzing overhead  you dont have to be a conspiracy theorist to feel like the government is constantly watching you. Because they are.

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While Chula Vistas police department says that it has done extensive community outreach around the drone program, Pedro Rios, a local resident and the director of the American Friends Service Committee U.S./Mexico Border Program, isnt convinced. From my experience, there doesnt seem to be enough public awareness and outreach to ensure that the public knows to what extent the drones are being used and for what purpose, and that they understand the safeguards that are in place so that the drone technology is actually used for proper law enforcement purposes and isnt susceptible to being abused or misused by anyone involved in the program, says Rios.

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Rios has also written about how the Chula Vista police have a worrisome track record when it comes to securing the data they collect with other technologies. In early 2021, protesters demanded answers after it came to light that the departments automatic license-plate readers were sharing data with ICE and other federal agencies via the Vigilant Solutions network. While Chula Vistas police chief claimed that the data sharing was an accident, it doesnt inspire confidence in the departments ability to understand whats going on with its data.

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In this, Chula Vista police have plenty of company, considering the sheer volume of reports of police across the country mishandling and misinterpretingintentionally or unintentionallythe sensitive data that they collect, often in close collaboration with private vendors. Adding huge quantities of drone data to the mix, collected multiple times a day, raises worrisome questions about U.S. police departments ability to truly understand who can access their data and for what purposes.

Perhaps the most big-picture frightening aspect of the Chula Vista drone program is that while its not quite an all-seeing system of persistent surveillance, its certainly getting there, as its always-recording drones crisscross the citys skies dozens of times a day, collecting data that police can then review at a later date. Its easy to imagine how the mere visual presence of the drone could create a major chilling effect on people in the community below, a psychological burden that will likely fall heaviest on more vulnerable people, like the unhoused, people with mental illnesses, and the considerable Southern California population of people who are undocumented or who have undocumented family.

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For generations, the Fourth Amendment was not the biggest limit on surveillance, it was economics. Police had to be somewhat conservative with invasive surveillance tools because they were so expensive, says Albert Fox Cahn, founder of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P) But as these tools get cheaper and cheaper, Fourth Amendment jurisprudence fails to keep up, and you end up with a cheap and affordable surveillance state where the tools that are being used are massively disproportionate to the harms theyre combating.

This cheapness has led the police down a very familiar 21st-century path of data overcollection, in which people and organizations reason that using surveillance tech to squirrel away vast quantities of dataeven if they dont need it right nowbeats not collecting it at all. According to police technology expert Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor at American Universitys law school, its a case where police are of the mindset that more info is better, and that information will outweigh any sort of concerns the community might have.  Theyre only looking at it from the frame of police and police need, and not from the larger frame of What are the impacts of having drones fly out for every 911 or 311 call? 

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In essence, Chula Vista is running a yearslong technological and social experiment, empowered by the federal government, on how drones intersect with policing and with people. From the point of view of the police, the program has been an enormous success, one that theyre eager to export to others across the country and across the world (so eager that the department has been accused of conflict-of-interest issues after former officers jumped ship to private drone companies). Sometimes it feels more than a little like police drone advocates are asking us to make a decidedly forced choice: a sky full of surveillance drones or more police shootings. You pick.

If we want to avoid living in a world of just-in-case police drone surveillance, then well have to make it less cheap and less easy for police to use them.

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Some people, like Hamid Khan of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, believe that a complete ban on police drones is the best way forward: We dont really believe in regulating or creating policies because that continues to expand their use, he says, pointing out that at the time of their introduction, police helicopters and SWAT teams were also supposed to be rarely used measures reserved exclusively for extreme situationsa distinction that swiftly broke down.

Cahn also prefers an outright ban to half measures, but he suggests one alternate strategy might be mandating that drones can be used only if someone at the very top of the police organization signs off on the matter, along the lines of how wire taps are authorized. If its something where you have to bother the chief of police, then thats something thats more a check.  Anything that increases the cost in dollar and cents or time is going to be helpful in limiting these abuses, he says.

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Others suggest more reform-based measures, along the lines of the ACLUs Community Control Over Police Surveillance effort, which supports the creation of community-based review boards that give people a say in how police use technology. This might take the form, as Ferguson suggests, of giving members of the community the authority to review the data to decide if a situation merits a police response or not, giving them more control over who holds the information itself.

Drones may have legitimate uses in policing. But we shouldnt accept that the constant presence of surveillance technology, from drones to facial-recognition cameras to license plate readers, is the price that our communities must pay to avoid police violence. If police want to use drones more widely than they already are, then we should demand that they truly understand the risks that fly alongside them first.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
New and reconstructed castles Sasov and Reviste draws in new visitors

An 18th-century 3D version of Sasov Castle will show what it originally looked like.

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The castle ruins of Sasov and Reviste have kick-started the new tourist season with several updates in order to attract more visitors.

Sasov Castle, located near Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica Region) will introduce a 3D model of the castle, showing its appearance in the 18th century. The model was supposed to be presented in the second half of 2020, but due to the pandemic, it had to be postponed.

It was eventually made accessible on May 7 at an exhibition organised by the Association for the Preservation of Sasov Castle. Its chair Rastislav Uhrovic was there to present the history and unique experiences that occurred during the renovation processes, the TASR newswire reported.

"Once the first pandemic wave calmed down, people became more interested in getting to know Slovakia as they feared traveling outside the country," Uhrovic said, as quoted by TASR. "We had a record number of visitors last year."

Renovations underway

The reconstruction works on Sasov Castle focused last year primarily on the cannon tower and eastern palace. The southern wall of the southern tract located in the eastern palace was also renovated, consolidating the Richard Kafka Reading Room.

The 3D model of Sasov Castle. (Source: Facebook/Zdruzenie na zachranu hradu Sasov)

Reviste Castle was also renovated in 2020. Floors were built in, as well as the staircases and the fourth-floor cannon bastion, where visitors can enjoy a nice view. Currently, visitors have two locations offering a view of the castle's surroundings which should be open from May until October on the weekends, TASR reported.

Slovakia travel guide: A helping hand in the heart of Europe. Read more

Ratibor Mazur, chair of the Association of the Preservation and Reconstruction of Reviste Castle, mentioned that there are many other changes and additions to the castle planned for 2021.

Some include the completion of the wooden staircase in the cannon bastion, complete reconstruction and extension of the parkan tower, and the construction of an arched ceiling in the centre room of the southern palace, he added.

His association put together an architectural study for the renovation of Reviste Castle last year.

"The works included in the study will be completed in the following two years," Mazur added, as quoted by TASR.

As for other attractions awaiting tourists, Sasov Castle will offer night sky observations, while Reviste Castle will present pottery production from different Slovak regions. The association is also preparing two theatre productions and a cultural event known as the Night of Castles and Ruins.

Spectacular Slovakia travel guides

17. May 2021 at 11:39 | Compiled by Spectator staff
National emergency ends after more than half a year. Crucial vaccination programme witnesses yet more changes.

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Last Week in Slovakia is a commentary and overview of news in Slovakia that The Slovak Spectator subscribers receive in their inboxes every week as part of The Slovak Spectator online subscription. Subscribers also receive a pdf with an overview of news and have access to all of our online content. By subscribing you are helping us provide news about Slovakia you can trust. Thank you.

Referendum on early election goes to court.

MPs pay little heed to the ombudswoman.

Its lack of a unified vaccination document has left Slovakia out of a travel deal with its neighbours.

National state of emergency is over but vaccination still has a long way to go

Not a minute longer than necessary was the promise about the national state of emergency that the government gave when it first imposed it on the country and then continued to prolong it for more than six long months. Not everyone agreed with PM Eduard Heger when he said that the government had adhered to that promise when he announced that the national emergency in Slovakia was effectively over as of May 15.

His claim about the lifting of the national emergency being a victory for all is understandable in light of his governments attempt to motivate people not to drop their guard and to stick with the collective effort to combat the pandemic  which will now come down mainly to their willingness to get the jab. It is less understandable in the context of the more than 12,000 coronavirus victims in Slovakia, which has placed the country in the group of EU states which have suffered the highest incidence of Covid deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

17. May 2021 at 15:01 | Michaela Terenzani
The Culpeper County Democratic Committee joined with neighboring committees to host three Zoom Central Virginia Candidates Town Halls, one for each position. Those sessions were recorded and are available on the Culpeper Democrats website (culpeperdemocrats.org), where you can also find links to the individual candidates websites.

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For comparison, the Republican Party selected its candidates for these three state-wide offices in an unusual, unassembled convention. Those who got to vote last Saturday had to be approved first by each county Republican committee. According to a report from the Virginia Public Access Project, Culpeper Republicans were allocated 98 votes to cast for each of the three offices.

The Democratic Partys reliance on a public primary, on the other hand, is meant to be as inclusive as possible so that all voices call be heard.

The publics participation in the June 8 Democratic primary is vital to protecting our democracy. Because the Democratic Party has always seen itself as a Big Tent party, accepting a diversity of class, race and religion, a weak turnout will further embolden anti-democratic forces that are afraid of elections
Attorneys for the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the action on the white farmers behalf in federal court in Green Bay.

The filing seeks a court order prohibiting the USDA from applying racial classifications when determining eligibility for loan modifications and payments under the stimulus plan. It also seeks unspecified damages.

Minority farmers have maintained for decades that they have been unfairly denied farm loans and other government assistance.

The USDA in 1999 and 2010 settled lawsuits from Black farmers accusing the agency of discriminating against them.

Still, less than 2% of direct loans from the Trump administration in 2020 went to Black farmers. And some Black farmers have criticized Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for failing to address a backlog of discrimination complaints and failing to hire minorities for high-level positions.

Vilsack, who served under President Barack Obama and returned to the role after President Joe Biden took office, said in a statement last month that generations of socially disadvantaged farmers have suffered due to systemic discrimination and a cycle of debt. He has been trying to assure minority farming groups that he will work to stem racism within the USDA.
The current COVID-19 fuss has caused adverse effects on the business industry. However, as businesses transform seamlessly to accommodate changes caused by the pandemic, the e-commerce industry has experienced a boom for a niche of products. Even in a marketplace platform such as Amazon, sellers have noticed at least 8 products that customers frequently add to their carts.

Buying Trends in 2021

Industry influencers often determine buying trends, and the current customer behavior is fast shifting towards trending products. Thankfully, social media has a hand in promoting buying trends for most products in 2020 and 2021.

8 Amazon Items That Are Flying Off The Shelves

With thousands of products today, some people rely on social media recommendations and reviews that back bestsellers in the online market. In this regard, let us explore 8 Amazon Items you can feel confident purchasing this spring.

1. Little Green Machine
Its every high schoolers dream to don a cap and gown and walk across a stage to receive their hard-earned diploma. Not many would even fathom receiving two diplomas within a year, let alone within a week.

That was the reality for two Morrill seniors who graduated with their associates degree from Western Nebraska Community College last week, before graduating with their high school diploma Saturday.

Dylan Cecil received his Associate of Science degree in pre-professional nursing, while Madyson Lees received her Associate of Arts degree in psychology.

When they first began taking dual credit classes through WNCCs CollegeNOW! program in their second semester of sophomore year, neither of them even considered actually finishing their degrees in high school.

We had a really good relationship with the counselor who used to work here at Morrill High School, Lees said. And  I dont really know how we got on the topic, but hes like, Well, you know, you could get your associates degree in two years right now? And were kind of like, Oh, no, we cant do that. And we ended up doing it. So, it kind of was just one of those things that we talked about and didnt actually think we would do until we got further along.
Last week, Brewer had to abandon his proposal because of an adverse legal opinion from the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office. The AGs office said allowing Nebraska counties to opt out of the requirement of obtaining a state concealed handgun permit, as Brewers Legislative Bill 236 would have done, was an unconstitutional delegation of power over the issue from the state to local governments.

Such proposals are called "constitutional carry" laws because some gun rights advocates believe that the U.S. Constitution already permits someone to carry a concealed firearm, and that local or state laws should not restrict those rights.

The AGs legal opinion prompted Brewer to gut LB 236 and replace it with three non-controversial measures dealing with firearms. The amended bill passed 47-0 on its second of three required votes.

Prior to the recent amendment, LB 236 would have applied to 90 of the states 93 counties. The states three largest counties  Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy Counties  were exempted from the bill because of opposition to constitutional carry in their counties, Brewer said.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  A woman who escaped from the Montana Womens Prison in Billings has been captured.

Members of a U.S. Marshals Service violent offender task force arrested Lisa Anne Nester, 50, after she was found near the Yellowstone County sheriff's office in Billings on Saturday. She was taken into custody without incident and had not been considered a threat to public safety, the Montana Department of Corrections said.

Nester had been discovered missing from the prison at about 3:30 p.m. Friday. Department of Corrections spokesperson Alexandria Klapmeier declined to release details on how she escaped.

It was the first escape from the prison since 2016, when a woman escaped by scaling a fence and was caught eight months later in Oregon, according according to The Billings Gazette.

Nesters criminal record includes a June 2015 escape from a pre-release program in Cascade County, Montana Womens Prison Warden Jennie Hansen said.
As maintenance gets neglected. then obviously the failures go up, said Tim Tarrant, a vice president with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen.

Overtime is also up, which the unions say increases fatigue and the chance that a safety defect could be missed.

Unions acknowledge it's part of their mission to maintain or increase staffing levels, but members said they're more motivated by the potential for disasters, such as a 2013 derailment in Canada that killed 47 people in the town of Lac Megantic and caused millions of dollars in damage or a 2005 derailment in Graniteville, South Carolina, where nine people were killed and more than 250 treated for exposure to toxic chlorine gases.

Former CSX employee Kasondra Bird said safety concerns led her to resign in December after 24 years with the railroad, even though she didn't have another job lined up. As a conductor operating trains by remote control in a Grand Rapids, Michigan, railyard, she went from switching 150 cars a day to 300 to 350 each shift.

Bird said some workers skipped meal and bathroom breaks to keep up.

I was hoping to stay a lot longer, but if it means my safety, its not going to do me any good staying another day if that means Im not going to come home, said Bird, who is a 45-year-old single mother. Safety and the well being of employees have definitely taken a backseat to production.

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Mr. E.F. Cass, of New Hope township, was in Statesville Tuesday and reported that hail was noticed in his pasture Monday a foot deep. This is the remains of the hail that fell April 27. (5/19)

Mr. Earl Moser is conducting something new for Statesville. On the second floor of the Morrison building, he has a gymnasium, where he gives exercises to suit the need of the patient. Another room has a table on which the patient is given a massage. Everything is sanitary and private and all treatment is given in co-operation with your doctor. (5/23)

Prohibition Officer R.P. Allison, of Statesville, has been laid off for forty days along with other such officers. The reason is a temporary lack of funds to carry on the work. (5/23)

Eufola. I suppose the airplanes have started again as one passed over this community Saturday morning going Southwest. It has been quite a while since one passed over. (5/23)

One hundred twenty-five years ago:

Landmark, May 19 and 22, 1896.
The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in the state means we have entered the phase where we must navigate risks solely as individuals and families. As I recently told The New York Times, people will make risk decisions differently. For my family, the costs of staying home for more than a year have taken their toll on our children. They have missed seeing their friends and relatives. My son has suffered from a year of virtual instruction that is not matched to the way he needs to learn. Now that the adults in their lives have the ability to get vaccinated, we are looking forward to doing more outside the house.
Bay of Plenty

Our client has plenty of work in the pipeline and as such they are in need of qualified or experienced carpenters for an...



View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz
Starbucks

The coffee chain will make facial coverings optional for vaccinated customers starting on Monday, the company announced on its website.

"Facial coverings will be optional for vaccinated customers beginning Monday, May 17, unless local regulations require them by law," it said.

However, its restrooms will continue to remain closed to customers in locations where cafe seating is unavailable.

Walt Disney World

The Florida theme park announced that masks and face coverings for guests will be "optional in outdoor common areas" at Disney World starting on Saturday. The exception being that guests "must wear face coverings from the entrances at all attractions, theaters or transportation and throughout those experiences," the company said.

So that means if you're walking down Main Street, U.S.A., you don't have to wear a mask, but if you're riding Space Mountain, you'll still have to.

Universal Studios
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP)  The student reporter who gained national acclaim when he interviewed President Barack Obama at the White House in 2009 has died of natural causes, his family says.

Damon Weaver was 23 when he died May 1, his sister, Candace Hardy, told the Palm Beach Post. Further details were not released. He had been studying communications at Albany State University in Georgia.

Weaver was 11 when he interviewed Obama for 10 minutes in the Diplomatic Room on Aug. 13, 2009, asking questions that focused primarily on education. He covered school lunches, bullying, conflict resolution and how to succeed.

Weaver then asked Obama to be his "homeboy," saying then-Vice President Joe Biden had already accepted.

"Absolutely," a smiling Obama said, shaking the boy's hand.

He used that meeting to later interview Oprah Winfrey and athletes like Dwyane Wade.

"He was just a nice person, genuine, very intelligent," Hardy said. "Very outspoken, outgoing. He never said no to anybody."
Kelso plans to start five-day-a-week, in-person instruction this fall, DeWeert said, and is bringing Kinderpalooza back to get the word out.

DeWeert said there will be three buses at the event, so parents can board the bus with their students and go for a loop around the high school parking lot to help calm kindergarteners first day busing fears.

At least one of the buses will be American Disabilities Act accessible, so we can accommodate anyone who shows up to ride, she said.

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Early kindergarten enrollment numbers lower than in past years Kindergarten enrollment is lower than usual for local school districts, and school officials are urging parents to remember to sign their chil

Class of 2034

Even if students already are registered, families can benefit from kindergarten readiness activities teachers will hand out, DeWeert said. They also can take photos of their students in Class of 2034 picture frames, the year this cohort of kinders will graduate high school.

The picture frame was a big hit last time, DeWeert said.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News.

All elementary schools will be represented so parents can ask specific questions of principals, teachers, nurses and nutritionists. Youth and Family Link, the Cowlitz Tribe and Happy Kids Dentistry also will be at the event, she said.
Samsung will soon launch a new smartphone under the popular Galaxy A-series. Dubbed Galaxy A22, the handset has already leaked online multiple times. Now, Samsung Galaxy A22 5G has been spotted on the Bluetooth SIG website. The listing hints at the imminent launch of the phone. Reports suggest the phone could launch in June.

Samsung Galaxy A22 is rumoured to come with a 6.4-inch display. The phone will run on a MediaTek Helio G80 processor. The 4G version will reportedly have a camera setup of a 48-megapixel primary sensor coupled with 5-megapixel, 2-megapixel, and 2-megapixel sensors. On the front, it will have a 13-megapixel front-facing sensor.

The 5G version is likely to run on a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor. The triple-camera setup will have a 48-megapixel primary sensor coupled with 5-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors. The smartphone is also expected to come with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging. On the software front, it will most have Android 11 out-of-the-box.

Separately, Samsung is rumoured to be working on an S-variant of the upcoming Galaxy A22. Rumours suggest the handset will come with the Dimensity 700 processor. The Galaxy A22s will also have Mali G57 GPU and 4GB of RAM. Galaxy A22s will run on Android 11 out-of-the-box. The leaks also reveal that the phone will feature a full HD+ display.
Clubhouse on Sunday said that it would roll out its Android application globally this week. The company also said it was working to ensure feature parity with its iOS equivalent. The announcement follows the rollout of a beta version of the Android app in select markets.

According to a TechCrunch report, Clubhouse will release the Android app in Japan, Russia, and Brazil on Tuesday. Other markets like India and Nigeria will get the Android three days later, followed by a global rollout.

The expansion to the Android platform is likely to help Clubhouse instantly gain more users. Clubhouse had launched last year on iOS. The audio-focused platform saw big traction with several celebrities, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, making appearances. The popularity has continued to soar, despite the platform remained exclusive to iOS.

 Town hall highlights 



iOS upcoming:

 List of all the people who've paid you



 Find everyone you've heard in a room for the past 10 days



 Tag people in your profile



Android upcoming:

 Working on feature parity with iOS



 Rolling out everywhere this week!  Clubhouse (@Clubhouse) May 16, 2021

Clubhouse, earlier this year, admitted an Android version was one of the most sought-after features. Clubhouse for Android will start rolling out in beta immediately. We will begin gradually, with the US today, followed by other English-speaking countries and then the rest of the world. Our plan over the next few weeks is to collect feedback from the community, fix any issues we see and work to add a few final features like payments and club creation before rolling it out more broadly," the company said in an official statement.

Clubhouses popularity has also prompted technology firms including Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Reddit to launch or announce their own spin-offs.

Facebook last week said it had begun testing a Live Audio Rooms product with public figures and creators in Taiwan. The ambit of testing is likely to be expanded in the coming weeks and may eventually be accessible through the Facebook and Messenger apps.

Twitter has also stepped up efforts to promote Clubhouse-rival Spaces service. Twitter Spaces has also rolled out to Android users. Twitter is allowing users with 600 or more followers to host a Space. In India, however, the company has granted access to host and join Space conversation on Android and iOS.
Multiple ransomware groups claimed they were shutting down or scaling back operations on Friday as the U.S. government ramped up pressure while tech companies, cryptocurrency exchanges and others worried about getting caught in the crossfire.

DarkSide, the Russian-speaking gang blamed by the FBI for a hacking attack that led to a six-day fuel pipeline shutdown, said it was going out of business after losing access to some of its servers.

Another major criminal gang said it would forbid encryption attacks on critical infrastructure, and forums where such gangs recruit partners said they were banning ads related to ransomware, analysts said.

U.S. President Joe Biden repeatedly warned the gangs and major host country Russia about consequences for a ransomware attack that prompted Colonial Pipeline to shut down the main supply line to the East Coast. That line was resuming full operation, but many pumps remain empty at stations in some states after days of panic buying.

Investigators said DarkSide provided the encryption software that a criminal affiliate used to render Colonials internal files inaccessible. It planned to split any ransom to recover that data with the affiliate, who the investigators have identified as another Russian criminal.

DarkSide claimed that some of its money had been transferred to new electronic wallets, though rivals and some U.S. experts warned the group could be using the uproar as an excuse to cash out. Ransomware gangs commonly change names and membership.

ALSO READ: Irish health service shut down after being hit by 'very sophisticated' ransomware attack

The FBI, Justice Department and White House National Security Council all declined to comment.

"Ransomware criminals are clearly getting nervous with all the heat coming down from U.S. government and industry," said Dmitri Alperovitch, who co-founded security provider CrowdStrike before starting thinktank Silverado Policy Accelerator.

If it continues, the moves would reverse a trend in the past two years of the gangs targeting more vital companies that are likely to pay to resume operations, or to have insurance coverage that will pay for them.

"Many will likely try to lie low for a few months in hopes that it will pass," Alperovitch said. "The key will be to keep up the pressure on both the criminal gangs themselves as well as the states like Russia that offer them safe haven from prosecution."

Earlier this year, U.S. authorities cited the ransomware surge as a national security threat and noted some overlaps with foreign government interests.

The Justice Department established a ransomware task force, and a public-private study panel issued recommendations including greater regulation of cryptocurrency.
Today, not only OnePlus Malaysia announced the official OnePlus 9 series launch in Malaysia but the OnePlus Watch as well. Arriving on 18 May (12 AM, sharp) in Midnight Black, it will be exclusively on Shopee for RM699.

From the livestream, there seems to be no bundle gift to be seen so it will be a pretty straightforward online sale. There won't be any Moonlight Silver variant as well but nonetheless, the Midnight Black also features a special Cobalt Alloy variant that looks premium and twice as durable. The sapphire glass display measures 1.39-inches and up to 326ppi. Straps are also detachable and yes, it has a built-in GPS.

The OnePlus Watch features most of the common functions like most smartwatches, such as 5ATM + IP68 water and dust resistance, Blood Oxygen and Stress Level monitoring, Breathing Exercise, over 110 workout modes as well as receiving incoming calls and messages. It's said to have an average battery life of up to 2 weeks and you can pair it with a OnePlus TV.

What do you think of the local price? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more local trending tech gadget deals at TechNave.com.
A Skyborg conceptual design for a low cost Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Credit: AFRL

Last month, the United States Air Force successfully test flew an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called Skyborg, operating on an autonomous hardware/software suite, for the very first time.

The military aims for this UAV to fuel collaboration among manned and unmanned aircraft. For its first test run, the Skyborg suite flew aboard a Kratos UTAP-22 Mako air vehicle in the first step of what's known as the Autonomous Attritable Aircraft Experimentation Campaign.

By and large, the US Air Force Research Laboratory seeks a UAV solution that can carry out all of the functions of a manned aerial vehicle but also with the option of manned operation.

During its 130-minute test flight at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, the new aircraft exhibited fundamental behaviors needed to classify its system operation as safe. Indeed, Skyborg proved capable of staying within set "geo-fences," responding to navigational commands and performing coordinated maneuvers.

Overall, the Fighters and Advanced Aircraft program expects this Skyborg aircraft to represent the "brain" of all future Skyborg technology. Ultimately, the organization hopes for this initial UAV to help build general confidence in unmanned aircraft, also known as the autonomy core system (ACS).

Going forward, the USAF Research Laboratory plans an upcoming series of tests involving multiple ACS-controlled unmanned aircraft. In fact, the Skyborg team intends full-mission autonomy with affordable and attritable UAVs, so that systems lost or damaged in combat can be feasibly replaced and reused.

The overarching mission of the Skyborg drone remains to develop an unmanned aircraft capable of making quick battle decisions at the rate of a computer while also ideally conserving the lives of human soldiers during combat.

Explore further DARPA announces progress in Air Combat Evolution program

More information: Singh B., I. "USAF Skyborg Autonomous Drone Completes Maiden Flight ." Global Defense News, Analysis and Opinion, The Defense Post, 6 May 2021, Singh B., I. "USAF Skyborg Autonomous Drone Completes Maiden Flight ." Global Defense News, Analysis and Opinion, The Defense Post, 6 May 2021, www.thedefensepost.com/2021/05  yborg-maiden-flight/

 2021 Science X Network
This project was subjected to unprecedented scrutiny due to the pressure exerted on the county by neighbors who just didnt want us there. The countys Planning and Zoning Department performed a thorough and complete review to say the least. The absurdity of Steuart Pittmans comments in which he tries to fabricate a story that current County Executive Steve Schuh gave my company special consideration, calling it pay for play, is wholly without merit.
Activists, influencers raise alarm after MMIWG content disappears from Instagram on Red Dress Day. Credit: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash

Following Red Dress Day on May 5, a day aimed to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), Indigenous activists and supporters of the campaign found posts about MMIWG had disappeared from their Instagram accounts. In response, Instagram released a tweet saying that this was "a widespread global technical issue not related to any particular topic," followed by an apology explaining that the platform "experienced a technical bug, which impacted millions of people's stories, highlights and archives around the world."

Creators, however, said that not all stories were affected.

And this is not the first time social media platforms have been under scrutiny because of their erroneous censoring of grassroots activists and racial minorities.

Many Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists were similarly frustrated when Facebook flagged their accounts, but didn't do enough to stop racism and hate speech against Black people on their platform.

So were these really about technical glitches? Or did they result from the platforms' discriminatory and biased policies and practices? The answer lies somewhere in between.

Anyone know why @instagram removed/censored all #MMIWG stories yesterday? Families, loved ones, advocates are deeply upset. Why would this be happening? pic.twitter.com/44pmSdZvfh  Brandi Morin (@Songstress28) May 6, 2021

Toward automated content moderation

Every time an activist's post is wrongly removed, there are at least three possible scenarios.

First, sometimes the platform deliberately takes down activists' posts and accounts, usually at request of and/or in co-ordination with the government. This happened when Facebook and Instagram removed posts and accounts of Iranians who expressed support for the Iranian general Qassem Soleiman.

In some countries and disputed territories, such as Kashmir, Crimea, Western Sahara and Palestinian territories, platforms censored activists and journalists to allegedly maintain their market access or to protect themselves from legal liabilities.

Second, a post can be removed through a user-reporting mechanism. To handle unlawful or prohibited communication, social media platforms have indeed primarily relied on users reporting.

Applying community standards developed by the platform, content moderators would then review reported content and determine whether a violation had occurred. If it had, the content would be removed, and, in the case of serious or repeat infringements, the user may be temporarily suspended or permanently banned.

This mechanism is problematic. Due to the sheer volume of reports received on a daily basis, there are simply not enough moderators to review each report adequately. Also, complexities and subtleties of language pose real challenges. Meanwhile, marginalized groups reclaiming abusive terms for public awareness, such as BLM and MMIWG, can be misinterpreted as being abusive.

Further, in flagging content, users tend to rely on partisanship and ideology. User reporting approach is driven by popular opinion of a platform's users while potentially repressing the right to unpopular speech.

Such approach also emboldens freedom to hate, where users exercise their right to voice their opinions while actively silencing others. A notable example is the removal by Facebook of "Freedom for Palestine," a multi-artist collaboration posted by Coldplay, after a number of users reported the song as "abusive."

Continuing questions for @instagram (@Facebook ) & Twitter @Policy on removed posts & accounts with content relevant to Sheik Jarrah and Al Aqsa mosque. Technical "glitch" & other admitted errors necessitate greater transparency as to what has happened & why. @accessnow @7amleh https://t.co/x1al5qmIIk  Peggy Hicks (@hickspeggy) May 12, 2021

Third, platforms are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify and remove prohibited content. The idea is that complex algorithms that use natural language processing can flag racist or violent content faster and better than humans possibly can. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media companies are relying more on AI to cover for tens of thousands of human moderators who were sent home. Now, more than ever, algorithms decide what users can and cannot post online.

Algorithmic biases

There's an inherent belief that AI systems are less biased and can scale better than human beings. In practice, however, they're easily disposed to error and can impose bias on a colossal systemic scale.

In two 2019 computational linguistic studies, researchers discovered that AI intended to identify hate speech may actually end up amplifying racial bias.

In one study, researchers found that tweets written in African American English commonly spoken by Black Americans are up to twice more likely to be flagged as offensive compared to others. Using a dataset of 155,800 tweets, another study found a similar widespread racial bias against Black speeches.

What's considered offensive is bound to social context; terms that are slurs when used in some settings may not be in others. Algorithmic systems lack an ability to capture nuances and contextual particularities, which may not be understood by human moderators who test data used to train these algorithms either. This means natural language processing which is often perceived as an objective tool to identify offensive content can amplify the same biases that human beings have.

Algorithmic bias may jeopardize some people who are already at risk by wrongly categorizing them as offensive, criminals or even terrorists. In mid 2020, Facebook deleted at least 35 accounts of Syrian journalists and activists on the pretext of terrorism while in reality, they were campaigning against violence and terrorism.

MMIWG, BLM and the Syrian cases exemplify the dynamic of "algorithms of opression" where algorithms reinforce older oppressive social relations and re-install new modes of racism and discrimination.

While AI is celebrated as autonomous technology that can develop away from human intervention, it is inherently biased. The inequalities that underpin bias already exist in society and influence who gets the opportunity to build algorithms and their databases, and for what purpose. As such, algorithms do not intrinsically provide ways for marginalized people to escape discrimination, but they also reproduce new forms of inequality along social, racial and political lines.

Despite the apparent problems, algorithms are here to stay. There is no silver bullet, but one can take steps to minimize bias. First is to recognize that there's a problem. Then, making a strong commitment to root out algorithmic biases.

Bias can infiltrate the process anywhere in designing algorithms.

The inclusion of more people from diverse backgrounds within this processIndigenous, racial minorities, women and other historically marginalized groupsis one of important steps to help mitigate the bias. In the meantime, it is important to push platforms to allow for as much transparency and public oversight as possible.

Explore further Facebook labeled 167 million user posts for COVID-19 misinformation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A newly graduated San Diego State University alum has raised $1.6 millionlargely through her Twitter followingto invest in startups founded by diverse people rarely seen in the entrepreneurial world.

Paige Finn Doherty, a 22-year-old computer science major, collected the money from angel investors who follow her investing advice on social media. She founded Behind Genius Ventures, what she calls a "Gen Z fund," with partner Josh Schlisserman and invested in four startups.

But how does a software student end up knowledgeable enough to hand out investing advice?

Unlike many students who never work real jobs until graduating, Doherty began working at the aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman at only 17 years old, first as an intern and later as a full-time employee. She worked in various roles from project management to technical writing to training groups of interns.

But after feeling a growing apathy toward the minutia of mechanical engineering, she decided to switch gears from the highly technical to the entrepreneurial. She joined SDSU's Venture Capital Investment Competition with a team of her peers.

Before the big night on stage, her adviser sent an email about what to wear: a blue shirt, khaki pants and a Patagonia vest. "Sorry Paige," he wrote. "I couldn't find much about what women venture capitalists wear."

"It sounds like a little thing, but it was representative of a disparity in the industry," Doherty said. "I learned that only 11 percent of venture capital decision-makers are women, and I think that corresponds to an equal disparity to the companies that get funded."

That experience vaulted Doherty into studying venture investing. Her team won the competition, and she got scooped up by one of San Diego's biggest tech VC funds, TVC Capital, to work as an intern.

"Paige was eager to learn all aspects of being an institutional investor," said Mykel Sprinkles, a partner at TVC Capital. "She had great soft and people skills to pair with her technical background. Paige established several relationships with prospect investment companies and helped further some of our data analytics throughout our diligence processes."

Doherty said she learned that her technical experienceespecially in software engineeringwas valuable at investment firms that focus on tech startups.

"Talking to other venture funds, for the most part, traditional investors come from investment banking then moved to growth equity and venture," Doherty said. "So they're career venture capitalists. Some of the founders I talked to were excited that I could go more into the weeds on their product."

Throughout this experience, Doherty was building a following on Twitter. She asked her audience what they wanted to learn about certain topics in investing. Then she interviewed experts and put together educational content. She now has over 14,000 followers.

It was from this pool of people that Doherty got connected with angel investors who wrote checks for her first fund through Behind Genius Ventures. Although Doherty can't speak about open rounds of fundraising publicly, a public document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed her first closed round was $1.6 million.

Doherty and her 18-year-old brother, Owen Doherty, are self-publishing a 40-page educational picture book for adults about venture capital investing. It's called Seed to Harvest. Its text is written by Paige, while the anime-style illustrations are done by Owen, a Rancho Bernardo High School student.

The duo chose to illustrate the book with diverse characters.

"Although venture doesn't look like that right now, it's what I'd like it to look like in the future," Doherty said.

Doherty said Behind Genius Ventures defines underrepresented founders as women, people of color, immigrants, LGTBQ+, and founders in secondary markets such as non-coastal cities.

"These founders have been undervalued and under-invested in the past, even though they have shown to be more capital efficient," Doherty said. "It's just good business."

The fund has invested in four startups in wellness tech and software development tools, among other areas. Doherty declined to disclose the company names.

Behind Genius Ventures plans to continue investing in early stage software product companies.

Explore further Majority Black venture capital firm announces $103 million fund to invest in entrepreneurs of color

2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Orpheus submersible robot is being developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and JPL to explore the deep ocean autonomously. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

On May 14, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Okeanos Explorer will depart from Port Canaveral in Florida on a two-week expedition led by NOAA Ocean Exploration, featuring the technology demonstration of an autonomous underwater vehicle. Called Orpheus, this new class of submersible robot will showcase a system that will help it find its way and identify interesting scientific features on the seafloor.

Terrain-relative navigation was instrumental in helping NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Mars rover make its precision touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18. The system allowed the descending robot to visually map the Martian landscape, identify hazards, and then choose a safe place to land without human assistance. In a similar way, the agency's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter uses a vision-based navigation system to track surface features on the ground during flight in order to estimate its movements across the Martian surface.

Developed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, an evolution of the vision-based navigation that has been used on Mars will now undergo a trial run a little closer to home: off the U.S. East Coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

Large, high-power location-finding equipment like sonar would normally be required to navigate the dark and often murky waters near the seabed. By utilizing a low-power system of cameras and lights, along with advanced software, Orpheus is an order of magnitude lighter than most deep-sea submersibles. Smaller than a quad bike and weighing about 550 pounds (250 kilograms), Orpheus is designed to be nimble, easy to operate, and rugged while exploring depths inaccessible to most vehicles.

Designed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in collaboration with JPL, Orpheus can work untethered almost anywhere in the ocean, including the most extreme depths. Ultimately, the project team hopes to see a swarm of these underwater robots work as a team to build 3D maps of the vast regions of unexplored ocean floor in the hadal zoneregions deeper than 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). But before the robot can explore these depths, it must first be put through its paces in shallower waters.

Diving Into the Future

"This tech demo will be used to gather data to demonstrate the viability of terrain-relative navigation in the ocean while also showing how multiple robots will operate together in extreme environments," said Russell Smith, robotics mechanical engineer at JPL. "These tests will put us on track to start future dives into the hadal zone and intelligently seek out exciting regions of high biological activity."

Orpheus' version of vision-based navigation is called visual-inertial odometry, or xVIO, and it works by using a system of advanced cameras and pattern-matching software along with instruments that can precisely measure its orientation and motion. As Orpheus travels over the seafloor, xVIO identifies featuressuch as rocks, shells, and coralbelow the vehicle. Like remembering landmarks during a road trip, xVIO will construct 3D maps using these features as waypoints to help it navigate. But this system is more than simply a means to prevent the submersible robot from getting lost.

The high-resolution maps xVIO creates are stored to memory so that when Orpheus returns to the area, it will recognize the unique distribution of the features and use them as a starting point to expand its exploration. And when working with robot buddies, maps can be shared, cross-referenced, and developed to quickly identify areas of scientific interest.

"In the future, some of the most extreme ocean environments will be within our reach. From deep ocean trenches to hydrothermal vents, there are many new destinations we will explore," said Andy Klesh, a systems engineer also at JPL. "By staying small, we've created a new, simplified tool for ocean scientistsone that directly benefits NASA as an analog system for autonomous space exploration."

But Klesh noted another virtue of the collaboration between NASA and organizations like WHOI and NOAA, with their extensive oceanographic expertise: The technologies being developed to explore Earth's oceans with smart, small, and rugged autonomous underwater vehicles could ultimately be harnessed to explore the oceans on other worlds.

Earth analogs are often used as environmental stand-ins for other locations in the solar system. For example, Jupiter's moon Europa possesses a subsurface ocean that could host conditions favorable to life.

"At hadal depths on Earth, the pressures are roughly equivalent to the bottom of Europa's subsurface ocean, thought to be maybe 80 kilometers [50 miles] deep," said Tim Shank, the biologist leading WHOI's HADEX (Hadal Exploration) program. "It is a profound thing to think that this expedition could be the stepping stone to new discoveries about our own planet, including answering that most fundamental question: Is life unique to Earth, or are there other places beyond this pale blue dot where life could have arisen? But before we can explore Europa or any other ocean world, we have to better understand our own home first."

Explore further Researcher dives to Challenger Deep

More information: For more information, see For more information, see oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos  /ex2102/welcome.html


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The latest Justice Lab lawsuit was filed May 4 in federal court in New Orleans and accuses two St. Tammany Parish deputies of using excessive force and making a false arrest in what started out as a May 5, 2020, traffic investigation. Reid Collins attorneys are among those representing Teliah Perkins in the suit. It references a video recorded by her 14-year-old son and posted on YouTube that shows police forcing her to the ground, her face to the pavement in front of her Slidell home. The suit says the incident began when officers stopped to question her about complaints of someone in the area riding a motorcycle without a helmet.
Bush has insisted there is no separation between him and Paxton when it comes to supporting Trump. But even some of Bushs supporters concede that, fair or not, Bush would have to contend with running with a last name that still evokes strong emotions among Trump backers.

Its very unfortunate to him because George P. Bush is his own man, said Eric Mahroum, Trumps deputy state director during the 2016 campaign in Texas  and an early supporter of Bush challenging Paxton. I try to educate the base  that no, he was so supportive and helped us. He was willing to do whatever to get us across the finish line in 2016.

Mahroum said his respect for Bush just went to another level when he came out in support of Trump in the summer of 2016 and urged Texas Republicans to unify behind the nominee. Mahroum suggested it took Paxton longer to "come out vocally" for Trump back then.

Paxtons campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this story. But it has not entirely ignored Bush, dinging him last month as a potential opponent more interested with the narrative being set by the liberal media than on the real and important issues facing Texas families and small businesses.
In today's digital world, password security is more important than ever. While biometrics, one-time passwords (OTP), and other emerging forms of authentication are often touted as replacements to the traditional password, today, this concept is more marketing hype than anything else.

But just because passwords aren't going anywhere anytime soon doesn't mean that organizations don't need to modernize their approach to password hygiene right now.

The Compromised Credential Crisis

As Microsoft's security team put it, "All it takes is one compromised credentialto cause a data breach." Coupled with the rampant problem of password reuse, compromised passwords can have a significant and long-lasting impact on enterprise security.

In fact, researchers from Virginia Tech University found that over 70% of users employed a compromised password for other accounts up to a year after it was initially leaked, with 40% reusing passwords that were leaked over three years ago.

While the challenge of compromised credentials isn't exactly new for most IT leaders, they may be surprised to learn that their attempts to address the problem often create more security vulnerabilities.

Following are just a few examples of traditional approaches that can weaken password security:

Mandated password complexity

Periodic password resets

Limitations on password length and character usage

Special character requirements

A Modern Approach to Password Security

Given the vulnerabilities associated with these legacy approaches, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has revised its recommendations to encourage more modern password security best practices. At the root of NIST's most recent recommendations is the recognition that human factors often lead to security vulnerabilities when users are forced to create a password that aligns with specific complexity requirements or forced to reset it periodically.

For example, when asked to use special characters and numbers, users might select something basic like "P@ssword1;" a credential that is clearly common and easily exploited by hackers. Another legacy approach that can have an adverse effect on security is policies that prohibit the use of spaces or various special characters in passwords. After all, if you want your users to create a strong, unique password that they can easily remember, why would you impose limitations around what this could be?

In addition, NIST is now recommending against periodic password resets and suggesting that companies only require passwords to be changed if there is evidence of compromise.

The Role of Credential Screening Solutions

So, how can companies monitor for signs of compromise? By adopting another NIST recommendation; namely, that organizations screen passwords against blacklists containing commonly used and compromised credentials on an ongoing basis.

This may sound simple enough, but it's important to select the right compromised credential screening solution for today's heightened threat landscape.

No Substitute for Dynamic

There are numerous static blacklists available online and some companies even curate their own. But with multiple data breaches occurring on a real-time basis, newly compromised credentials are continuously posted on the Dark Web and available for hackers to leverage in their ongoing attacks. Existing blacklists or ones that are only updated periodically throughout the year are simply no match for this high-stakes environment.

Enzoic's dynamic solution screens credentials against a proprietary database containing multiple billions of passwords exposed in data breaches and found in cracking dictionaries. Because the database is automatically updated multiple times per day, companies have peace of mind that their password security is evolving to address the latest breach intelligence without necessitating additional work from an IT perspective.

Screening credentials both at their creation and continuously monitoring their integrity thereafter is also an important component of a modern approach to password security. Should a previously safe password become compromised down the road, organizations can automate the appropriate actionfor example, forcing a password reset at the next log-in or shutting down access entirely until IT investigates the problem.

The Path Forward

While NIST guidelines often inform best practice recommendations across the security industry, it's ultimately up to security leaders to determine what works best for their unique needs and tailor their strategies accordingly.

Depending upon your industry, company size, and other factors, perhaps some of the recommendations aren't appropriate for your business.

But with the daily barrage of cyberattacks showing no sign of abating and frequently being linked back to password vulnerabilities, it isn't easy to imagine an organization that wouldn't benefit from the additional security layer afforded by credential screening.

Find out more about Enzoic's dynamic password threat intelligence and how it can help reboot your approach to password hygiene here.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday will discuss Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif's name for Exit Control List (ECL) with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and government members.

During the meeting today, the matter of placing Shahbaz Sharif's name on the ECL will come under discussion. Apart from this, the premier will also issue guidelines related to the government's strategy to deal with the opposition, reported The News International.

Moreover, the ongoing Israeli atrocities in Palestine and Pakistan's role in voicing its support and concerns for Gazans on an international level will also be discussed, Geo News reported.

Commenting on the matter, Minister for Interior Shaikh Rashid said that Shahbaz Sharif's name has been placed on the Provisional National Identification List and he is not on a blacklist, as is the common misconception. He said Shahbaz's name has not been placed on the ECL yet.

"The cabinet has approved the inclusion of Shahbaz Sharif on the ECL as he's trying to flee the country," Shaikh Rashid said.

He said that the government will challenge the Lahore High Court (LHC) decision to allow Shahbaz to go abroad for treatment, in the Supreme Court, today.

Earlier on May 8, the PML-N leader was barred from flying from the Lahore airport to the UK via Qatar in the early hours of the day by the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), hours after the LHC granted him permission to travel abroad once for medical treatment.

On April 22, a referee bench of the LHC ruled in favour of granting bail to the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly in an asset beyond means and money laundering case, disagreeing with Justice Asjad Javed Ghural's dissenting note to the decision of Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar.

(ANI)

Also Read: Israel launches heavy air strikes on Gaza Death toll nears 200
Hilal, who translated from Dari and Pashto to English for the U.S. Army from June 2009 to December 2012, was rejected by the U.S. Embassy, which said he did not meet the requirement for faithful and valuable service, because he was fired by the contracting firm that hired him after 3 1/2 years of service.

If I havent done faithful and good service for the U.S. Army, why have they given me this medal? he said, holding the commendation, in an interview at an office in Kabul used by the former interpreters to meet with journalists.

Why he was fired by the U.S.-based contractor, Mission Essential, is unclear. Hilal said he had a conflict with supervisors that started with a dispute over a work assignment. The company says it does not discuss current or former employees and declined to comment.

But whatever happened, a November 2019 letter of support from his platoon commander was highly complimentary of stellar service that rivals that of most deployed service members.

Hilal was by the commanders side on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights, monitoring enemy radio traffic and interpreting during encounters with locals, U.S. Army Maj. Thomas Goodman said in the letter.
YORK -- Becky Stahr, York High School Language Arts teacher, was honored at the Nebraska State Capitol in the Rotunda with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Secondary Language Arts Teacher of Excellence Award and the Nebraska Language Arts Council (NELAC) English Teacher of the Year for 2021.

She was presented a framed, signed certificate and an engraved award in the shape of the state of Nebraska.

The award was presented by Ann Quinlan of Lincoln, a national, official NCTE representative and announced by Clark Kolterman, awards chair for NELAC.

Following the presentation, Stahr was given the opportunity to address the audience, offering a reflection of her teaching philosophy and experiences to date, thanking the many mentors who have guided her along this educational path.

Also honored at the event were NCTE /NELAC Leadership Development Awardee for 2021-Kelcey Schmitz of Benson High School in Omaha, who was also presented a framed, signed certificate and engraved plaque. She also addressed the audience with her reflections and feelings of gratitude. She was presented her awards by Quinlan.
Lets not kid ourselves. Former  yes, former  President Donald Trump wants to run for president in 2024, and so he shall.

The story some Republicans like to tell themselves  that Trump will not run again for the White House because he knows he cant win and hes smart enough to see the glory in being a GOP kingmaker  is wishful thinking.

Trump is enjoying leaving his plans unclear so he can lure various GOP hopefuls to Mar-a-Lago to kiss his ring. Later, Trump can use their courtship against them.

Hell run because he only gets the ego-slathering adulation he craves at a campaign rally. If he dooms the GOP to failure and sows more discord among voters, hes OK with that.

He doesnt mind losing, because he can pretend he didnt lose, blame election fraud and let his base shred any elected Republican who dares call out the emperors new clothes.

The base thinks that Trumps critics lack courage when its really the likes of House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy who folded to save his sorry skin.
But good grief, politics is defined by loss. Think of the Democrats in 2016. Though crushed, they began working to cut their losses, lick their wounds, reflect and correct course.

But Republicans seem to have lost that kind of resiliency. They will not step away from the Trump blackjack table, breathe some fresh air and devise a new strategy.

Instead, they are throwing good resources after bad, manically gunning for Trumps enemies as if he were something more than a has-been living in Florida who is the target of one investigation after another.

In short, the hivemind of House Republicans has been seized by the delusion that if it keeps placing more and even bigger bets on one-term, twice-impeached Donald Trump  the most disgraced and disliked president in American history  this time the party will get its power back.

And more! Their dignity will come back. The private planes, the poll numbers outside their most rabid base, the righteousness, the adulation of the American people. Gaetz can go back to flaunting videos of semi-naked ladies on his phone (sources say), and Falwell can post more pix of his unzipped pants. Giuliani will be restored as Americas Mayor. And of course Trump will be back in office, the forever president.
The Texas Legislature wrapped up this years lawmaking session on Sunday. Although members of the House and Senate touted wins for both Republicans and Democrats, tensions are rising between the legislative bodies amid criticism from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. What would you grade this years legislative session?

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WATCH NOW: Building renaming honors Odom's 'lasting, positive impact'

LARRY HARDY, T&D Bamberg County Administrator Joey Preston, far right, reads a proclamation from the South Carolina General Assembly at the Bamberg County Courthouse Annex  Isaiah Odom Building dedication ceremony. From left are Bamberg County Council members Dr. Johnathan Goodman, Sharon Hammond, Isaiah Odom, the Rev. Evert Comer Jr., Spencer Donaldson and council Chairman Larry Haynes. LARRY HARDY, T&D The Rev. Isaiah speaks at Wednesday's dedication ceremony

BAMBERG -- Mentor. Civic servant. Calming force. All of these were among the ways the longest-serving councilperson in Bamberg Countys history was described during the dedication ceremony for the courthouse annex, which has been renamed in his honor.

The Rev. Isaiah Odom was surrounded by family, friends and former colleagues during a dedication ceremony held Wednesday at 1234 North St. in Bamberg.

Council passed a resolution during a December meeting agreeing to rename the building the Bamberg County Courthouse Annex -- Isaiah Odom Building.

A plaque bearing Odoms picture was unveiled, along with a marquee sign that sits at the annexs entrance and now bears his name.

It was an honor that the 88-year-old was thankful for.

Thank you for planning this occasion and making it a reality, Odom said.

Odom, who served council from Feb. 6, 1978, to Dec. 31, 2020, and five of them as chairman, was also recently awarded the 2021 Order of the Silver Crescent, the states highest honor for leadership, volunteerism and lifelong influence.

His time on council included helping to craft revenue-sharing agreements to bolster economic development and working to usher in a new era of health care with the new Bamberg-Barnwell Emergency Medical Center.

His recipe for success was simple and succinct.

Through it all, I was able to remain calm. Biblical scripture encourages us to treat others with empathy, dignity and respect, Odom said.

We must treat those God put in our path with the dignity and respect that we all deserve. ... It was an honor and a privilege to serve Gods people, he said, noting he hoped the county would continue to work with the administrator and its municipalities to improve the quality of life.

In Photos: Bamberg County Courthouse Annex Isaiah Odom Building Dedication Ceremony

His daughter, Dionne Whitfield of Maryland, was on hand to witness the ceremony. She said her dads work, including his countless meetings, paid off.

He stuck with it and the hard work paid off. This is just proof, Whitfield said.

The lifelong Bamberg County resident is a mentor, military veteran, author, businessman and retired pastor, most recently having served at Second Baptist Church in Barnwell for 38 years.

County Administrator Joey Preston said, "I can't think of anyone more deserving than Rev. Odom to have the cornerstone building of Bamberg County government named after him. Rev. Odoms life has been one of service to the community, building up Bamberg and a life thats worthy of esteem and recognition.

Preston also read a Senate resolution that was drafted in recognition of Odoms lasting and positive impact on the region on behalf of Sen. Brad Hutto in his absence.

Dr. Gerald Wright and Bamberg Mayor Nancy Foster were among those on hand Wednesday.

It is most appropriate that recognition and honor are given to a person of integrity, dedication, dependability, reliability, trustworthiness. ... I can add some other adjectives, but I think those cover most of what I want to say, Wright said.

Bamberg County Council meetings to reopen to public; LSCOG: 51,401 meals delivered to county seniors last year Bamberg County Council meetings will be re-opened to the public beginning in August, council members decided Monday.

"Youve been a significant force in the religious character of this county, you have demonstrated civic responsibility in the community in which you live, youve been a benefit to the area from an economic perspective, and obviously you have achieved politically to the benefit of others through your service, Wright said.

Foster said she has known Odom for a long time and that he is special.

Obviously your constituents think so because they keep putting you back on. ... This is quite a compliment. Its a beautiful building, and Im just so happy for you. Thank you for everything. God bless you. Thank you for serving our country and Bamberg County, she said.

Bakari Sellers, a former state representative and Denmark native, said, Im a product of the proverb it takes a village to raise a child. The reason that Im here today is because Isaiah Odom has always been a part of my village. I was actually raised at 633 Frederick St. right down from Rev. Odom.

Sellers added, Before I ran for the state House ... he was always somebody who took care of us, who looked out for us, who prayed for us, prayed with us. ... Rev. Odom was always there. He also taught us from the Book of James that faith without works is dead. So hes one of the reasons I got into public service.

Former County Councilman Chris Wilson said Odoms honor is well deserved.

When I think about Rev. Odom, I think about service, said Wilson, noting that Odoms propensity for being swift to hear and slow to speak and get angry served him well.

I wasnt always slow to speak. Id kind of speak my mind and try to take things over, but Rev. Odom always said, Slow down. He approached things from a much different angle, Wilson said.

He continued, Rev. Odom always approached things with a soft approach, trying to find common ground, trying to treat people with respect and served council that way. He served the citizens of this county that way and deserves the recognition that hes being given today.

Former County Councilman Joe Guess Jr. said he is glad to have served with Odom.

Ive always known him as a man of honor and integrity and character. He has gained the respect of everyone in the community that he comes in contact with, Guess said.

He approached everything that we dealt with on county council from the standpoint of serving the whole community, everybody. He didnt have any constituents that he favored over others. Im so gratified to see that the council has taken the steps to dedicate this building in his name, he said.

County Council Chairman Larry Haynes said he also learned a few lessons from Odoms demeanor.

You were always calm. I learned a lot from you, and I really appreciate you. Im glad that we decided to dedicate this building to you. Ill always be beholden to you for all that you did and all that you said, Haynes said.

Danny Black is president of SouthernCarolina Alliance, an economic development group on whose board Odom served 24 years.

Thats forever really. ... It is $2 billion worth of investment, thats 9,000 jobs that he has helped bring into this area, Black said.

You have been there since day one and we see you as a mentor, we see you as a leader, we see you as a wise man and certainly a calming force. ... Youve been my mentor for 24 years now. You just dont realize what effect youve had on this community and on this region and on this state. We certainly appreciate it, he said.

County Councilwoman Sharon Hammond was also among those touting how much Odom meant to the community.

I hope the foundation of this building is as strong as the commitment and persistence that you have, she said.
When Wayne remembered he had AAA, he called The Auto Club Group for help. AAA operator Kelvin Rivers, stationed in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina; also had difficulty finding someone who could brave the elements, but he didnt give up.

Without Kelvin, none of this would be possible, Wayne said.

After several hours of searching, Rivers found Jason Miller - the only service technician in town who was able to help.

The roads were pretty treacherous, but I didnt want to leave anyone stranded. So I was going to try to make it happen, said Jason Miller, an AAA service provider with Hamptons Body Shop in Boone, North Carolina.

When we saw those headlights, that was honestly the first time I was able to take a deep breath, Shirley Ann said.

The Mays were delighted to see Jason, but there was still a long road to safety. Miller was able to free the RV. But because the road was too narrow to turn around, Wayne May had to slowly and carefully back the large vehicle downhill - for more than a mile - in reverse.

The road was like a snake, Wayne said. As we were going back down, we were sliding again. I was scared! I wasnt going to let her know I was scared as bad as I was.
Anti-hate rally held in Chinatown in U.S. Oakland

Xinhua) 10:41, May 17, 2021

People holding a bilingual banner take part in a Stop Asian Hate rally in Oakland, San Francisco Bay Area, the United States, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Dong Xudong/Xinhua)

"This is our moment to say no longer," says Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and other organizations jointly organized a rally on Saturday in Chinatown in Oakland, the U.S. state of California, against racial discrimination and hate crimes.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, attended the event.

Schaaf greeted the demonstrators in Chinese, saying that she was glad to see individuals and communities have stepped forward to wrap arms around Chinatown to support those who had been subjected to hate and discrimination.

"This is our moment to say no longer," Schaaf said.

According to Rob Bonta, the California attorney general's office and the California Department Of Justice were taking action against hate crimes. "We fight side by side. That does not just be an issue for the API community, because so many communities have faced and suffered the sting of hate in California and throughout this nation's history," he noted.

"Too many times in too many places, people have been hurt and targeted and attacked because of who they are, where they're from, or who they love. And we know that is wrong," Bonta added.

Daniel Wu, an actor growing up in Oakland, participated in the rally and delivered a speech.

"We are clearly seeing a result of the hatred that was spread over the last eight years has disseminated down to the street level and we're seeing it now. And so we need to fight against that," Wu said.

He argued that the solutions would not be short-term. "This is a great moment, but we need to keep pushing and get that door open and keep pushing through against hate against racism and unite together."

During a press conference for the Asian community and media on Thursday in the city, Craig Fair, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of San Francisco field office, said that over the past year, the FBI had seen an increase in the number of reported hate incidents and hate crimes across the United States in California, and in the San Francisco bay area, particularly in Oakland.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
If you are old enough to remember the hit comedy movie of 1980, Caddy Shack, then you will recall that a gopher infestation was threatening a golf course in Nebraska. The somewhat deranged groundskeeper was tasked with getting rid of the pest. His efforts at eradication include shooting, f
As an aircraft mechanic, U.S. Air Force veteran Carroll Joye didnt see combat in Vietnam, but he did have some harrowing experiences.
Will people want more telehealth in the future? We can look at information technology (IT) trends for hints. Apple CEO Tim Cook said, Our whole role in life is to give you something you didnt know you wanted. And then once you get it, you cant imagine your life without it.

In 1940, many Americans didnt like the idea of dialing their own phone calls. Many were fearful that rotary dial technology would be too complex and confusing. For this reason, the Bell Telephone System produced a 20-minute video infomercial to calm skeptics nerves. Of course, as soon as rotary dial phones were installed, virtually nobody wanted to go back to an operator asking, Number, please?

A Canadian business leader (and visionary) once told me that in the late 1990s, two entrepreneurs showed him a product they were developing. They said it would combine a cellphone with an internet browser, a notepad, and a calendar. The business leaders reaction was bemusementand maybe a touch of pity. Why, he thought, would anyone ever wish to cram all those things into one device when they work so well separately?
Job Title: WPE Senior Officer

Organisation: International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Duty Station: Uganda

Reports to: WPE Manager

About US:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the worlds worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998. The current program portfolio in Uganda includes health, protection & rule of law, gender-based violence and womens protection and empowerment, economic recovery and development.

Job Summary: The WPE Senior Officer will provide technical support in the implementation of GBV Prevention and Response activities in Imvepi settlement under the ECHO APPEAL III Project. The staff will provide mentorship and on ground capacity building to WPE team, support reporting and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, enhance GBV collaboration and relationships among partners and lead in key response and prevention interventions to ensure the goals and objectives of the program are met. The WPE Senior Officer will report to the WPE Manager.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Support for capacity development of the WPE team, conduct regular field visit to provide support and ensure a sustainable transfer of skills in which response and prevention staff are critical needed/practices adhere to GBV and protection principles when working with survivors.

Closely work with the Manager to ensure that the project undertakes continuous monitoring of response interventions so that activities are appropriate and based on a clear understanding of the problems, causes, contributing factors and issues in the different zones.

Work in close collaboration with the Prevention officers and Response Officers, lead/conduct periodic GBV safety audit assessments in Imvepi zone 4 in Imvepi settlement and lead in the regular follow up on the recommendations and action plan, and in promoting of community resources and solution.

Lead case review meetings and case conferencing where needed.

Support, supervise and or facilitate trainings on Clinical Care for Sexual Assault Survivors (CCSAS), case management training, GBV basics and key GBV core concepts, guiding principles for partners, community members, and service providers.

Collaborate with the health team managers to ensure survivors of GBV receive quality and timely clinical management services.

Ensure functionality of all women and girl centers in the zone including fostering active participation of women and girls in life skills activities and other programs.

Support WPE Program Manager to identify capacity gaps of the response team, training need assessment, formal and informal capacity building plan and delivery.

Actively participate in joint APEAL III interventions.

Participate actively in the GBV Working Group Meetings, APEAL consortium meetings at field level.

Other responsibilities

Lead the development of the APEAL III interventions work plan, spending plan, procurement plan, attend grant opening meeting, BvA meeting and other meeting as needed.

Lead in the development and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders, including community leaders and other implementing partners/or operational partners.

Monitor monthly expenditures and track budgets to ensure that all spending is in line with approved budgets and timelines, including developing and utilization of procurement plans, monthly program spending plan, and cash forecasts.

Actively participate in monthly BVA meetings and share key sector actions.

Direct support to data collection, quality on reporting, program documentation and timely submission from of the response report to the manager, including assisting in donor/grant report, proposal writing with high quality as needed.

Support safe and ethical data collection, documentation and storage of all survivor information in collaboration with the GBVIMS custodian to ensure data protection and privacy.

Work with other sectors to recognize the risks that exist for women and girls as well as enhance their protection and empowerment through multi-sectoral approaches.

Carry out performance management evaluation (PME) and ensure PME documentation for direct reports is in place and followed up regularly.

Ensure WPE staff understand and follow IRC and donor Policies and Procedures.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) WPE Senior Officer job must hold a University Degree in Social Sciences, Social Work, Gender/Women Studies, Public Health, or other appropriate fields.

At least 3-4 years experience in the field of Gender-based violence prevention and response in an emergency setting.

Excellent communication and analytical skills and ability to present ideas effectively in both oral and written form.

Emotional maturity and stability to resolve conflicts in non-violent way and maintain appropriate boundaries.

Good interpersonal skills including ability to gain trust and build relationships.

Ability to handle multiple tasks; proven self-initiative and problem solving abilities.

High standard of spoken and written English.

Good computer skills including Microsoft Excel, Access, Word, Outlook, and Power Point.

How to Apply:

All candidates should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 24th May 2021

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
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Fort Payne, AL (35967)

Today

Overcast with showers at times. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Overcast with showers at times. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Philanthropist and retired banker John Jorgensen will receive the 2020 Carol Mead Leaders in Literacy Award on Tuesday afternoon at the Nicolaysen Art Museum at the conclusion of the Wyoming Reads literacy celebration for first graders. A reception sponsored by the Natrona County Library Foundation will follow the awards presentation.

The award is sponsored by the University of Wyoming College of Education Literacy Center and Clinic Board.

Jorgensen first began the Casper Reads program more than 20 years ago in honor of his late wife, Sue, who specialized in literacy before her death in a car accident in 1996.

In 2018, he told the Star-Tribune how the program, now expanded to every county in Wyoming and several other states, began.

When Sue passed away, we had some memorial money left. Our five children went to Woods Learning Center and they had a really substandard library. I think there were about 150 students there then. So we thought it would be nice to give them some books to honor Sues work with and love of literacy. Judy Neal from the Woods staff helped provide some titles for us, and we gave a hardback book to each student there. Then we thought, well, could we do it for the county? And we thought we might have to raise $10,000 to do it in Natrona County one time, he recalled then.

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Like other energy-dependent states, Wyoming experienced some of the slowest GDP growth rates in the nation over the last decade, Colsch said, evidence that low taxes dont necessarily equate to economic growth.

In our view, there is capacity for Wyoming citizens to bear a higher tax burden, Colsch said.

The states earning potential is significant, Colsch continued. By adopting South Dakotas tax structure, Wyoming could generate approximately $1.1 billion in additional revenues per year. If it went full socialist and adopted the maximum tax rate for property tax, sales tax, fuel tax and others, Colsch said, the state could generate even higher revenues.

Some committee members expressed skepticism that raising taxes is the correct route forward. Sen. Tom James, R-Rock Springs, noted the states high level of public sector employment.

If we really wanted to look at raising revenue, would we not want to look to encourage private-sector businesses to come to Wyoming instead of raising taxes, since thats where the revenue comes from? James asked.
That had been heartbreaking because I had already worked myself up to it, Overman said.

The cancellations and rescheduling continued with the rise and fall of COVID-19 cases, but by Jan. 29, Overman finally completed his last surgery. Doctors implanted a battery-operated neurotransmitter that sends electrical stimulation to the directional lead, which delivers the pulses to the area of the brain responsible for movement.

What is unique about this surgery is that the doctors woke Overman up in the middle of drilling and asked him to move certain muscles to test if they had accessed the correct location on the brain. Overman said it was not much different than having a dentist drilling on a tooth  he was aware of what they were doing, but he didnt notice or feel much. The painful part was the brace holding his head steady.

Because Overman didnt know anyone who had gone through the same process that he could question, he did a lot of research on the internet before his surgery. He also had a doctor who was both personable and professional.

The doctor in Denver was super, super good, Overman said.
Tobagonians are being urged not to show up at the health centres to request Covid-19 vaccines as vaccinations are being done by appointment only on the island.

Speaking at yesterdays Covid-19 news conference in Tobago, general manager of primary care at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) Dr Roxanne Mitchell said some people descended on health centres on Wednesday, demanding to be vaccinated on a walk-in basis.
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Two weeks ago, Belize police Senior Supt Henry Jemmott was shot through the head with his service weapon in San Pedro, an offshore tourist paradise.

Held for the killing was 32-year-old Jasmine Hartin, a glamorous Canadian.
My son, in his ever-increasing efforts to make sure Im relatively safe during this pandemic, sent me two packets of masks from the USA. His concern is especially so since I am over 80 and live alone.
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--University of Phoenixs educational equity and inclusion webinar series continues on Thursday, May 20 2021, at 11 a.m. PDT with the second of a two-part series on understanding racism and its impact on all aspects of society.

Recent events in our country brought about a renewed commitment to healing racism. But many people struggle to define racism or understand what they can do to help heal it. The webinar will focus on strategies for healing at a personal, group, institutional and systemic level.
Tucson arts organizations are turning the lights on and wiping a year of dust off their stages as they prepare to get back to the business of entertaining.

Broadway shows are returning to Centennial Hall and orchestras are tuning up their instruments as they anxiously await fall, when most will once again perform before live audiences  something they have, in most cases, not done since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Tucson in March 2020.

Im over the moon with the possibility that this next season might just look a little more like normal, said True Concord Voices & Orchestra music director Eric Holtan, whose choir performed a series of outdoor concerts before limited audiences last fall and this spring. It was a great privilege and pleasure to be able to make music in the pandemic and provide those kinds of experiences for our artists and audiences. But we were doing it outside and that presents a whole host of challenges for our musicians and audiences. We really look forward to being back inside and serve more people.

Holtan has dubbed the upcoming season, the choirs 18th, New Day, a reflection of the optimism of coming through the pandemic and getting back to life.
Applications for next years award will open in January at cfsaz.org/what/scholarships.

Engineering class for teens

Arizona high school juniors and seniors can create transportation systems projects and attend virtual field trips in an online summer course by the U.S. Department of Transportation, offered through Arizona State University.

Students will participate in projects and virtual field trips that demonstrate how engineers plan and maintain systems of transportation around the state. Students will have an opportunity to interact with Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering faculty members and students to complete several hands-on projects.

Students will also be provided with a TI-Nspire graphing calculator and learn to use the software through an online workshop offered by Texas Instruments. They also will receive materials to build and test an Arduino-based autonomous robot  at no cost to the students.

Workforce development training, such as the OSHA 10 safety course, is part of the program, which could help students qualify for future jobs and internships.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama judge who handles domestic relations cases used fake social media accounts to harass people with cases before her, verbally abused office workers and lawyers and showed signs of drug use and mental instability, state judicial investigators alleged.

A complaint against Jefferson County Circuit Judge Nakita Blocton by the Judicial Inquiry Commission, which charged her with violating multiple rules of judicial ethics, also claimed she took an inordinate amount of time to dispose of cases.

Blocton has been temporarily removed from duty and denied allegations that include multiple improper communications through Facebook detailed in the complaint, which was filed Friday, al.com reported.

If the complaint wasnt a legal document, it would be a libel lawsuit, said Emory Anthony, an attorney representing Blocton. Usually, I wouldnt make a statement when dealing the Judicial Inquiry Commission, but these allegations are so embarrassing. We hope at the proper time well have the right to defend these allegations and show that theyre not true. This is just out of left field.
A criminal complaint filed by Franklin County Attorney Brandon Jones accuses Samsel of having made physical contact with two 15- or 16-year-old students in a rude, insulting or angry manner. The complaint identifies the students only by their initials.

The third charge alleges that Samsel caused bodily harm to one of the students. The complaint lists 40 potential witnesses, including at least 15 minors identified only by their initials.

Jones declined to comment about the case. In a Facebook message to The Associated Press, Samsel referred questions to his attorney, who declined to comment about the case.

Samsel, who is himself an attorney, was first elected to the House in 2018 and reelected last year. He also has been a referee for the association that oversees middle and high school sports in Kansas.

There's no indication yet that he might face disciplinary action from the House, which can censure or expel members over their behavior. Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area Republican, said in a statement that the judicial process must be allowed to work to determine exactly what happened and what penalties should be imposed.
The proposal says schools must try to offer a bathroom or changing facility that is single-occupancy or that is for employees if a student or employee desires greater privacy when using a multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility designated for their sex at birth.

Lee, who is up for reelection next year, has said the bill promotes "equality in bathrooms," despite the prohibition against transgender people using multi-person facilities that don't align with their sex at birth. The legislation takes effect July 1.

That bill provides equal access to every student. Its a reasonable accommodation, Lee told reporters last week. It allows for accommodation for every student regardless of their gender. I think thats a smart approach to the challenge.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has said the requirement would violate equal protection rights under the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act. The ACLU expects the law will be challenged in court.
PHOENIX  State Treasurer Kimberly Yee is hoping to ride the same political path as the current governor.

In a video Monday, Yee announced she wants to be the Republican nominee for the states top executive post in 2022.

Yee, the first Asian-American elected to Arizona statewide office, provided little in the way of details of what she intends to do. Instead, her video twice mentioned her loyalty to former President Donald Trump and his border and economic policies, and lashed out at, among others, the corrupt press she said is attacking our way of life.

She did not return a call seeking an interview with her on specifics of her platform or whether she supports current moves at the Legislature that would have an effect on whoever becomes governor, including efforts to enact a flat state income tax rate that could end up being one of the states largest tax cuts ever.

Yee, first elected to the Legislature in 2010, became the first Asian-American woman to be the Senate majority leader.
PHOENIX  Maricopa County supervisors blasted Senate President Karen Fann on Monday, accusing her of allowing a mockery to be made of the election process with her audit.

On one hand, the board and County Recorder Stephen Richer prepared a 14-page letter responding to Fanns specific questions  they called them accusations  about everything from handling of the ballots to whether a database had been deleted after the election but before files were delivered to Senate-hired auditors. In each case, they said either that the information is false or that they cannot or will not provide what she wants.

But each official also lashed out at Fann, R-Prescott, and the Senate for perpetuating what several said amounts to a hoax on the public. They said she has effectively given over the Senates powers to Cyber Ninjas, an outside firm that not only has no election audit experience but is now using the audit to raise money.

As chairman of this board, I want to make it clear: I will not be responding to any more requests from this sham process, said board Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican.

Finish what youre calling an audit,  Sellers continued. Be ready to defend your report in a court of law.
BRDO, Slovenia (AP)  Serbia and Kosovo clashed Monday at a summit of Western Balkan nations over state border changes, a thorny issue in a region that is still recuperating from bloody civil wars in the 1990s.

The largely ceremonial annual gathering in Slovenia of the presidents of two EU-member states, Slovenia and Croatia, with leaders of six Balkan nations that formally seek membership in the bloc was to adopt a resolution that calls for unchangeability of the existing borders in the region.

However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rejected such a wording in the resolution because it would indirectly mean that Serbia recognizes the borders of its former breakaway province of Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence in 2008.

He has proposed that only the borders recognized by the United Nations be declared as fixed. Kosovo, which is not an UN member, has been recognized by the United States and most of the West, while Serbia and its allies Russia and China refuse to do that.

Kosovo would like to interpret the borders as it wishes, or like a part of the world has already done, Vucic told reporters after the meeting in the Slovenian resort of Brdo.
OPINION: The Maricopa County audit is still leading the discussion in letters to the editor. Read todays letters to see what Tucsonans are saying and weigh in on the discussion.
OPINION: "This doesnt impact people who can go to their vet and pay to have their dog vaccinated, but it does impact those in our community who are least able to afford the protections for their pets," writes Tucsonan Stephen Kimble.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel on Thursday said it was massing troops along the Gaza frontier and calling up 9,000 reservists ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory, as the two bitter enemies plunged closer to all-out war. Egyptian mediators rushed to Israel for cease-fire efforts but showed no signs of progress.

The stepped-up fighting came as communal violence in Israel erupted for a fourth night, with Jewish and Arab mobs clashing in the flashpoint town of Lod. The fighting took place despite a bolstered police presence ordered by the nations leaders.

The four-day burst of violence has pushed Israel into uncharted territory  dealing with the most intense fighting it has ever had with Hamas while simultaneously coping with the worst Jewish-Arab violence inside Israel in decades. A late-night barrage of rocket fire from Lebanon that landed in the sea threatened to open a new front along Israels northern border.

Saleh Aruri, an exiled senior Hamas leader, told London-based satellite channel Al Araby early Friday that his group has turned down a proposal for a three-hour lull to allow for more negotiations toward a full cease-fire. He said Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations were leading the truce efforts.
After the CDC released its guidance, The Book Cellar posted signs and messages on social media saying masks would be required until further notice. The store wanted to make sure everyone is able to browse, including kids who arent yet eligible for the vaccine and those with health conditions who cant get vaccinated, Steiner said.
Brewster said part of the problem is that testing procedures for racehorses have become so sophisticated that miniscule amounts of a substance can show up in test results, leading to the false conclusion that someone has tried to cheat the system.

A picogram is one-trillionth, Brewster said. And the best way to describe it, as one of the leading equine pharmacological experts in the country describes it as, if you live to be 32,000 years old, it would be one second of your life.

So they are able to test at picogram level, so in some instances we think, Well, thats good. Then we can really find out who might be involved in something illegal. The problem is, we have a growing realization that we have contaminants in our system.

In Medina Spirits case, 21 picograms of betamethasone were found in the horses system, but no more than 10 picograms are allowed on race day, Brewster said. He and Baffert argue that the horse was exposed to it at a racetrack in California.

He had a skin rash on his hip and had dispensed to the groom a balm or salve to put on the skin rash. This is all true, Brewster said. And in that medication there is a small amount of betamethasone. It is not something that is the same betamethasone that is in the hock or anything like that, it is just for the skin.
Every case is a mystery. Its like reading a novel. I just dont get tired of that. None of our cases are really mundane.

At Brewster and DeAngelis, his law office home since 1982, most of what walks through the door is complex civil litigation, particularly as it relates to wrongful death or the catastrophically injured. He estimates less than 10% of the workload involves criminal defense, but thats where his marquee burns brightest.

Because of that niche, many people in big trouble seek him.

If somebody needs representation and I really feel like it wouldnt make a difference if it was me or somebody else, I will talk them out of retaining us, Brewster said. But if I say, if I dont take this case, this guy is going to have a really bad ending or if I dont take this case, Ill be upset with myself in some way and I can make a difference, I will do that.

He said hes most proud of the cases that nobody knows about.

In most of my higher-profile cases, money is not an issue, he said.  In a criminal case, I tell them I have two fees, and the two fees are free or a whole lot. Ill say, in your instance, its a whole lot.
The agency asked that the cap be either removed or increased, Kemp said.

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services saw a nearly 20% hike in its budget. The agency provides financial, property, purchasing, human resources and technology services to state agencies.

Caden Cleveland, OMES director of legislative and public affairs, said the agency was repaid for costs it covered prior to the federal stimulus dollars for the pandemic, including call centers and cyber security.

Many state agencies required employees to work from home during the pandemic, which required additional resources, Cleveland said.

School choice advocates also were winners. The budget calls for a significant increase in the cap on the Equal Opportunity Scholarship Fund. The cap for private schools would rise to $25 million from $3.5 million while the cap for public schools would rise to $25 million from $1.5 million.

The program provides tax credits for contributions for certain scholarships, including tuition for private schools.

Now more than ever lawmakers and parents are becoming aware we have to give parents back control over the decision about where their kids go to school, said Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.
I opened Apothecary Farms in Colorado in 2015, a licensed medical marijuana business and Colorados first extract-focused dispensary. And when Oklahoman voters approved SQ 788, we were thrilled to expand to the Sooner State, opening our doors in Beggs, Oklahoma, in 2018.

Were proud to be one of largest employers in Beggs with over 80 team members, and our Oklahoma businesses will soon outgrow our entire Colorado operation. However, for Oklahomas legal marijuana program to realize its full potential, we need commonsense rules that protect patients, increase transparency, drive product quality and create a level playing field for all businesses.

To make that happen, regulators need to be able to track all legal marijuana from seed to final sale to a patient. Thats why we fully support the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authoritys use of a seed-to-sale system that tracks information on every legal marijuana plant and product in the state. Using seed-to-sale solves some of our biggest challenges here: supply chain transparency, ensuring products are safe and stopping the illicit market.
I voted for every Republican candidate for president from 1964 to 1996. But, I couldnt vote for George W. Bush in 2000 because he announced that he was determined to attack Iraq.

He was told that Iraq was making a nuclear bomb, which they werent. And there was plenty of evidence to support that conclusion.

Nonetheless, Bush launched an unjustified, unilateral and unnecessary attack on Iraq in March 2003. It was based on a big lie.

The result of that lie was 4,424 U.S. military personnel killed, and 31,952 wounded at a cost of over $2 trillion. That doesnt include the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi soldiers and civilians killed and wounded.

The consequences of todays big lie  that President Donald Trump had actually won the election  is yet to be determined. But the cost estimate through March was $521 million.

Of course, there is the undetermined cost of the diminished credibility of our elections along with the barriers to voting being put in place by Republican lawmakers to consider.

There also is a cost to splitting a major political party where members disrespect each other and spread absurd conspiracy theories.
A decade ago, I moved to Tulsa to teach. Not long after, I learned about the Tulsa Race Massacre, arguably the most violent act of white supremacist domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

With the event's centennial in a few weeks, the question remains: How best can Oklahoma move toward race reconciliation?

One response comes in the form of House Bill 1775.

With it, Gov. Kevin Stitt, the bills underwhelming sponsors and the vast majority of our Legislature have voted, maddeningly, to obscure race in the pursuit of publicly addressing racial injustices.

How can justice be equal under the law if its inequalities cannot be taught?

The bill discourages teaching hard topics, such as these:

KKK membership grew in Green Country after June 1, 1921.

Tulsa bulldozed a resilient Greenwood District a second time in the 1960s.

Our jails are filled disproportionately with poor Black Tulsan men today.

Color blind to the hard hues of our state, these leaders clamor to become the proverbial first Lord Norths of Oklahoma race relations, the British leader who lost the American colonies.
Students of a law university in southern Vietnam will receive monetary aid totaling over US$100,000 for their switch to online learning due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Law on Monday announced its plan to support their students who have shifted from in-person classes to remote learning because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, the school will grant VND200,000 (US$9) to each student.

That means it will spend a total of about VND2.4 billion ($104,000) on this plan, as it now has some 12,000 students.

Learners will receive this support directly through their class president when they go back to school, the university said.

All of our students have switched to online learning," said Tran Hoang Hai, the schools acting rector.

"We will notify them at least three days in advance before they are required to go to school for normal classes again."

The cash support is aimed at helping them pay for Internet use charges during their online classes, Hai explained.

The university has conducted its online learning programs for all students since May 10, using its online training portal and Zoom software.

The higher education institution will provide students with papers they need from now until they return to normal studies, and those who have such needs are required to make online contact with the schools academic affairs office for instructions.

We have assigned the schools center for business relations and student support to proceed with a plan to help students in difficult circumstances get loans to buy laptops at affordable prices for use in their online learning, the acting rector said.

The university will try to obtain loans with deferred repayment terms and to find suppliers of computers or smartphones at the cheapest possible prices for such students, he added.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,205 domestic coronavirus infections in 26 provinces and cities since April 27, when a fourth wave broke out after the country had spent roughly a month detecting no community transmission, according to the health ministrys data.

Ho Chi Minh City has reported only one case in this wave so far but schools and non-essential businesses have been shuttered as a safety precaution.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Some Indian states said on Sunday they would extend COVID-19 lockdowns to help contain the pandemic, which has killed more than 270,000 people in the country, as the federal government pledged to bolster vaccine supplies.

The number of deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours in India has risen more than 4,000 for the fourth time in a week, with Sunday's 311,170 new infections representing the lowest single-day rise in more than three weeks.

Federal health officials warned against any complacency over a "plateauing" in the rise of infections, however, and urged states to add intensive care units and strengthen their medical workforces.

The northern states of Delhi and Haryana extended lockdowns, slated to end on Monday, by a week.

Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the rate of positive cases compared with overall tests carried out had come down to 10% from as high as 30% earlier this month.

"The gains we have made over the past week, we don't want to lose them. So we are going to extend the lockdown for another week," Kejriwal told reporters.

The southern state of Kerala, which has previously announced a lockdown extension, also introduced stricter restrictions in some districts on Saturday. It warned that people not wearing masks where required or violating quarantine protocols faced being arrested, with drones used to help identify violators.

The government said it would send an additional 5.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to states over the next three days.

Even though India is the world's largest vaccine-producing nation, only 141.6 million people have received at least one vaccine dose, or roughly 10% of its population of 1.35 billion, according to health ministry data.

The country has fully vaccinated just over 40.4 million people, or 2.9% of its population.

A volunteer cremates people who died due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a crematorium ground in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, May 13, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Criticism over vaccine exports

India's supply of vaccine doses should rise to 516 million by July, and more than 2 billion between August to December, boosted by domestic production and imports, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said. The country received 60,000 more doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia on Sunday.

The country's average vaccination rate over seven days fell to 1.7 million on Sunday, from 1.8 million a week ago, after Maharashtra, the richest state, and Karnataka in the south put the rollout of shots on hold for adults younger than 45.

Main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted a poster questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to exporting and donating vaccines abroad earlier this year instead of meeting the country's requirements.

This was in response to media reports that police in the capital New Delhi had arrested dozens of individuals for putting up similar posters in parts of Delhi.

Gandhi tweeted the poster with the caption "Arrest Me Too", which became one of the top trending items on Twitter across the country on Sunday following an outcry about the arrests.

Modi opened up vaccinations for all adults from May 1, doubling the number of those eligible to an estimated 800 million, though domestic production will stay largely flat until July, at about 80 million doses a month.

Authorities in Modis western home state of Gujarat said they would halt vaccinations on Monday and Tuesday to take protective measures against a cyclone expected to hit next week.

In the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, the government has moved COVID-19 patients at makeshift medical centres in Mumbai, on the western coast, to other hospitals as the cyclone advances towards Gujarat, the chief minister's office said. read more

Vaccinations were also likely to remain suspended in India's financial hub Mumbai on Monday, Reuters partner ANI reported, citing the city's mayor.

Spread in rural areas

While lockdowns have helped limit cases in parts of the country that had been hit by an initial surge of infections in February and April, such as Maharashtra and Delhi, rural areas and some states are dealing with fresh surges.

The government issued detailed guidelines on Sunday for monitoring COVID-19 cases that were spreading in India's vast countryside.

The health ministry asked villages to look out for cases of flu-like illness and get such patients tested for COVID-19.

India's total infections have risen by more than 2 million this week, and deaths by nearly 28,000. Deaths rose by 4,077 on Sunday.

Bodies of COVID-19 victims were found to have been dumped in some rivers, the government of the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh said in a letter seen by Reuters, in the first official acknowledgement of the alarming practice.
Read what is in the news today:

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Ministry of Health confirmed 37 domestic cases of COVID-19 on Monday morning, taking the national tally to 4,212 patients, including 2,746 locally-transmitted infections.

-- Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Vietnamese Minister of National Defense, ordered military-run medical units to send more forces to northern Bac Ninh and Bac Giang Provinces to aid the battle against COVID-19 on Sunday.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said on Sunday evening that all medical staff at more than 100 hospitals in the city had been sampled for COVID-19 testing.

-- The Ministry of Health said the second batch of almost 1.7 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses provided by the COVAX Facility arrived in Vietnam on Sunday afternoon.

Society

-- The labor departments of the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and Dak Nong reported on Sunday afternoon that about 200 Chinese workers and professionals were working without work permits at wind power projects there.

-- Da Nang has suspended the operations of taxis, contract vehicles with fewer than nine seats, ride-hailing cars and motorbikes, and two-wheeler delivery services from 6:00 am Monday after a rideshare driver was infected with COVID-19.

-- Authorities in northern Quang Ninh Province have suspended the operations of all private medical facilities, except for Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital and Vietnam - Russia International Eye Hospital in Ha Long City, from 0:00 on Sunday and forbidden gatherings of more than ten people in public places from 12:00 pm the same day to prevent coronavirus transmission.

-- A patrol team of the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security said on Sunday that they had imposed fines totaling VND29.5 million (US$1,283) on the driver and the owner of a car after the former had been caught driving in the wrong direction on the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen Expressway without a drivers license.

Lifestyle

-- The Ao Dai Museum in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City is running an exhibition of ao dai (Vietnam's traditional long gown) on the occasion of the International Museum Day (May 18).

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On weekdays, theyre finding open seats on trains and buses that once would have been standing room only and CTA trains that are noticeably cleaner. Mask-wearing, still required on CTA and Metra, is mixed: During recent trips by a Tribune reporter, on some train cars and buses every rider was masked, while on others and some L platforms handfuls of unmasked customers could be found.
The driver and the owner of a car have been slapped with fines totaling VND29.5 million (US$1,282) as the former had been caught driving in the wrong direction without a drivers license on an expressway in northern Vietnam.

A patrol team of the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security said on Sunday the driver of the car running against traffic on the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen Expressway in a video circulated on social media was Nguyen Van C., 26, from northern Bac Ninh Province.

The owner of the car is Truong Van D., 45, from the same province.

This supplied collage shows a car running against the traffic direction on the Hanoi - Thai Nguyen Expressway.

At the time of the functional forces inspection, driver C. failed to present his drivers license, the cars registration, and a certificate of technical safety and environmental protection.

They also determined that D. handed over the car to C., who was not qualified to drive it.

The patrol team thus imposed a total fine of VND24.5 million ($1,065) on C. and sanctioned D. with a VND5 million ($217) penalty.

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Authorities in Da Nang have suspended the operations of taxis, contract vehicles with fewer than nine seats, ride-hailing cars and motorbikes, and two-wheeler delivery services from 6:00 am on Monday after a rideshare driver was infected with COVID-19.

Drivers of the aforementioned vehicles should go to medical facilities to be tested for the coronavirus, the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control requested during a meeting on Sunday evening.

Those who test negative for the novel coronavirus can return to their work after the ban is over.

On Saturday afternoon, Da Nang documented a local COVID-19 case, 26-year-old H.L.C.L., who works as a rideshare driver in Son Tra District.

At Sunday evenings meeting, Da Nang Party Committee secretary Nguyen Van Quang suggested local authorities consider handling the violations of regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control at Truong Minh Commercial Service Joint Stock Company and SAFI Company at An Don Industrial Park in Son Tra District.

The heaviest available punishment for the two companies is suspension.

On the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh awarded certificates of merit to the Center for Disease Control of Da Nang and the municipal Department of Health for their achievements in the prevention and control of COVID-19.

From May 3 to date, the medical authorities have tested more than 134,000 cases across the city.

From Thursday to Sunday, nearly 20,000 people were tested every day, which marked a record for sampled and tested cases in a single day in the central city.

Da Nang has recorded 135 local COVID-19 cases from April 29 to 6:00 am on Monday.

The Ministry of Health confirmed 37 domestic cases of COVID-19 on Monday morning, taking the national tally to 4,212 patients, including 2,746 locally-transmitted infections.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,177 domestic coronavirus infections in 26 provinces and cities since April 27, when the country was first hit by a fourth wave after having spent roughly a month detecting no community transmission.

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A man fatally crashed his motorbike into another while fleeing after snatching a smartphone from a woman in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday night.

The incident took place on Dien Bien Phu Street in Ward 15, Binh Thanh District at around 10:30 pm, according to preliminary information.

Nguyen Thi Kim O., 24, was carrying Kieu Thi My H., 24, on a motorbike when they were approached by a man on a motorbike.

The man snatched H.s smartphone, which she kept in the outer pocket of her backpack.

Both O. and H. fell on the ground, but the latter quickly stood up and held the handlebar of the robbers vehicle.

The suspect made a U-turn and sped away, dragging H. for about 100 meters.

After H. let go of the motorbike handlebar, the robber continued riding his vehicle against the direction of traffic.

Police officers examine the crash site on Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, May 16, 2021. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

He crashed into another motorbike and was killed on the spot.

A man and woman on the motorbike were injured, while H. suffered a broken thigh bone and was admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Police officers arrived shortly after to examine the scene.

O. said H. and her both hail from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

H. studied at a university in Ho Chi Minh City and has had a job for about two years, while O. just moved to the southern metropolis two months ago.

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Health authorities in Vietnam have detected more than 1,200 domestic coronavirus cases in the past three weeks, with medical experts, police officers, and soldiers having been sent to help with containment efforts in northern epicenters.

The Ministry of Health confirmed a combined 65 local COVID-19 cases on Monday afternoon, most in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh Provinces, located in the northern of the country.

All of the new infections were detected in quarantined or sealed-off areas, the ministry said.

Vietnam has logged 1,205 domestic coronavirus infections in 26 provinces and cities since April 27, when a fourth wave broke out after the country had spent roughly a month detecting no community transmission, according to the health ministrys data.

Three hundred and fifty of the cases were recorded in Bac Giang, 252 in Bac Ninh, 221 in Hanoi, and 135 in Da Nang.

Health experts have said this round is far more serious than previous waves because patients have been discovered contracting the highly contagious double-mutant Indian variant, which has dealt a blow to India in the past few weeks.

By comparison, Vietnam detected 910 domestic cases in the third wave from January 28 to March 25.

The Southeast Asian country had confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020 and 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020.

A dozen hospitals have been isolated over their links to many cases in this fourth wave.

About 300 police officers were seconded on Monday from Hanoi to Bac Giang for help with COVID-19 prevention and control.

On Sunday, Hanoi chairman Chu Ngoc Anh said a team of 20 medical experts had left for Van Trung Industrial Park in Bac Giang for virus containment missions.

Statistics showed that 152 patients had been found among almost 100,000 workers at the industrial park.

Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang directed the same day that the militarys medical units deploy forces to Bac Giang and Bac Ninh to fight the virus.

Vietnam has reported 4,242 local and imported cases since the pathogen first emerged in the nation on January 23, 2020, including 2,668 recoveries and 37 virus-related deaths, according to the health ministrys data.

Most of the fatalities had suffered serious pre-existing medical conditions.

The government had administered above 979,000 vaccine shots, mostly to medical personnel and other frontline workers, by Sunday, the health ministry said in a post on its verified Facebook page on Monday morning.

More than 22,500 have been given two vaccine shots.

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Police and border guards of the northern province of Lang Son have nabbed several members of a smuggling ring who sneaked Chinese nationals into Vietnam.

The smugglers were intercepted on Saturday by a cohort involving border guards of Lang Son Province and Chi Ma Border Gate and provincial police forces.

The arrests stemmed from the detection of six Chinese border jumpers at around 00:45 on Saturday.

After entering Vietnam illegally through a route monitored by the border guards of Chi Ma Border Gate, they boarded a seven-seater car driven by Le Van Luu, 38, from northern Quang Ninh Province to travel further into the country.

However, the group was stopped and detained by police shortly after.

During inspection, Luu claimed that a woman named Kieu from Bac Tu Liem District of Hanoi promised him VND10 million (US$434) if he managed to fetch the Chinese nationals to northern Bac Ninh Province.

Luu then asked three of his friends, including Nguyen Thiet Nang, 42, from Hanoi, Dao Van Hai, 44, from Quang Ninh, and Pham Van Dung, 39, from Quang Ninh, to follow him to Lang Son for the job.

The three accomplices were subsequently arrested by police while they were heading to Lang Son City, the capital of the namesake province.

Border guards in Lang Son are cooperating with functional forces to clear the case.

Vietnam has sealed its borders since last March but still grants entry to diplomats, foreign experts, skilled workers, and Vietnamese repatriates.

The country requires all arrivals from outside the country to undergo different forms of quarantine to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Many border jumpers have been found trying to enter the country illegally in order to duck the mandatory quarantine.

Vietnam has logged 1,205 domestic coronavirus infections in 26 provinces and cities since April 27, when a fourth wave broke out after the country had spent roughly a month detecting no community transmission, according to the health ministrys data.

The country has documented 4,242 local and imported COVID-19 infections as of Monday afternoon, with 2,668 recoveries and 37 deaths.

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Vietnam received a batch of 1,682,400 COVID-19 vaccine doses from the COVAX Facility on Sunday, the second shipment since April.

This delivery came in addition to 811,200 doses arriving on April 1 and is part of the 4.1 million vaccine doses committed to Vietnam free of charge by the COVAX Facility, UNICEF said in a press release the same day.

COVAX is an international partnership created to ensure global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVAX Facility is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI), GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF as a key delivery partner.

Since the arrival of the first shipment, more than 876,346 jabs have been administered in Vietnam, mainly to health workers and other frontline workers.

The additional shots will help Vietnams Ministry of Health to expand coverage and reach more people from priority groups, while also providing a second dose to those who have already received the first jab.

The latest shipment of Vaxzevria doses, previously called COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, was jointly developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

This batch was shipped from Catalent Biologics manufacturing facility in Anagni, Italy.

The Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine has received the Emergency Use Authorization from WHO and has been used successfully in Vietnam since the Southeast Asian nation rolled out its mass vaccination on March 8.

For several months, COVAX partners, including CEPI, GAVI, WHO, and UNICEF, have been supporting the Vietnamese government in readiness efforts and the national roll-out of coronavirus vaccines.

They have been especially active in developing a National Vaccination Plan, as Vietnam is benefiting from the Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which is an innovative financial mechanism to help secure global and equitable access to COVID-19 jabs.

Partners and producers have pledged to supply 110 million doses of various COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam in 2021, the Ministry of Health said in a post on its verified Facebook account on May 14.

Thirty-one million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been committed to Vietnam, the ministry announced in the post.

The remainder will come from the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme and AstraZeneca.

The Ministry of Health confirmed 37 domestic cases of COVID-19 on Monday morning, taking the national tally to 4,212 patients, including 2,746 locally-transmitted infections.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,177 domestic coronavirus infections in 26 provinces and cities since April 27, when the country was first hit by a fourth wave after having spent roughly a month detecting no community transmission.

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The Ministry of Health announced 181 local coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing Vietnams caseload to over 4,300 patients.

This is the second-biggest daily increase of domestic cases so far, according to the health ministrys data.

Vietnam recorded the sharpest daily spike of 187 local infections on Sunday.

Mondays new cases were detected in areas that have been quarantined or locked down, the health ministry noted.

Ninety-seven patients were recorded in Bac Giang Province alone while Bac Ninh Province logged 49 cases. Both provinces are located in the northern part of the country.

The nation has confirmed 1,321 domestic coronavirus infections in 26 provinces and cities since April 27, when it began to deal with a fourth wave after roughly a month of no known community transmission, according to the health ministrys data.

Bac Giang registered 411 of the patients, Bac Ninh 290, Hanoi 226, and Da Nang 142.

Ho Chi Minh City has detected merely one local case in this fourth wave.

Health experts have said this bout is far more serious than previous waves as patients have been discovered contracting the highly contagious double-mutant Indian variant, which has taken a toll on India in the past few weeks.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at a meeting on Monday that the fourth waves source of infection came from outside of Vietnam, via immigration.

PM Chinh pointed out that there has been oversight in the countrys control over immigration and residency.

Border jumpers have been found sneaking into Vietnam from China, Laos, and Cambodia over the past months.

They made illegal entry to flee virus outbreaks in those countries and dodge compulsory quarantine in Vietnam, which requires all international arrivals to undergo different forms of isolation to prevent COVID-19 spread.

Vietnam received almost 1.7 million free doses of vaccine produced by AstrZeneca via the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme on Sunday.

The government had administered above 979,000 vaccine shots, mostly to medical personnel and other frontline workers, by Sunday, the health ministry said in a post on its verified Facebook page on Monday morning.

More than 22,500 have been given two vaccine shots.

Vietnam has reported 4,359 local and imported infections since the coronavirus emerged in the Southeast Asian nation on January 23, 2020, including 2,668 recoveries and 37 virus-related deaths, according to the health ministrys data.

Most of the fatalities had suffered serious pre-existing medical conditions.

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Stan comedy Bump has received funding from Screen Australia.

The series was announced as having a second season earlier this year.

Claudia Karvan, star, co-creator and producer, said previously: Bump is the show we needed now  a show that is authentic, full of heart and humour and is testament to our resilience.

We all are champing at the bit to get back into the story room and bring these characters to life again. Stan have been the ultimate collaborators and were looking forward to working together again.

Stan Original Series Bump is a 10-part drama series that centres around Oly, an ambitious and high-achieving teenage girl who has a surprise baby; and the complications that ensue for two families. Set in and around a high school in contemporary inner Sydney and following the main characters home, Bump explores unexpected motherhood, unwelcome new relatives, and unintended consequences with humour and emotional honesty.

The Stan Original Series is produced by Roadshow Rough Diamond (Stans Romper Stomper, Australian Gangster) and reunites Claudia Karvan with her fellow Love My Way producer John Edwards (Stans Romper Stomper, The Secret Life of Us). The series is also produced by Dan Edwards (Stans Romper Stomper).

Bump Series 2

10 x 30 mins

Roadshow Productions

Genre Drama

Writers Kelsey Munro, Jessica Tuckwell, Tim Lee, Mithila Gupta, Steven Arriagada

Producers Claudia Karvan, John Edwards, Dan Edwards

Broadcaster Stan

International Sales ITV

Synopsis Life. Not what you planned.

Related
Hit psychological thriller The Secrets She Keep will have a second season on 10, with production to commence in Sydney later this year.

Reprising their roles in the Lingo Productions series are Jessica De Gouw (Operation Buffalo, The Crown) and Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey, The Spanish Princess).

Season two kicks off from last years finale; after kidnapping baby Ben and passing him off as her own, Agatha was arrested after Meghan bravely confronted her to retrieve her newborn. But what about Meghans own secret? Who is Bens father? And what of Jacks infidelity?

10s Head of Drama and Executive Production, Rick Maier, said: Some stories leave you with more questions than answers: What happened to Agatha after the arrest; and what happened to Meghan, baby Ben and their big secret? TSSK2 sets off at a frenetic pace and just doesnt let up. Sarah Walker, the writing team, including author Michael Robotham, and our friends at Lingo have outdone themselves with this brilliant new thriller.

Screen Australias CEO, Graeme Mason, said: Series one was a huge success which had viewers both in Australia and around the world gripped following its many twists and turns. Were proud to support the experienced cast and crew to bring a fresh new chapter of this thrilling Australian psychological drama to our screens.

Major production investment is from Screen Australia in association with Screen NSW.

The Secrets She Keeps Series 2

6 x 60 mins

Lingo Pictures Pty Ltd

Genre Drama, Thriller, Mystery

Director Jennifer Leacey

Writers Sarah Walker, Michael Robotham, Sarah Bassiuoni

Producer Helen Bowden

Executive Producers Jason Stephens, Sarah Walker

Broadcaster Network 10

Synopsis The mystery at the core of the second season of The Secrets She Keeps will see the lives of Meghan Shaughnessy and Agatha Fyfle colliding again  with a dramatic twist that will unleash new secrets and spark shockwaves for their families in a thrilling study of intergenerational trauma.

Related
Cast members from RuPauls Drag Race Down Under will be touring live in September.

All ten queens will be performing live as follows, with tix on sale from May 24.

Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Saturday, September 18

QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane Tuesday, September 21

Crown Theatre, Perth Thursday, September 23

The Palais, Melbourne Saturday, September 25

Canberra Theatre, Canberra Tuesday, September 28

The series is currently streaming on Stan.

Anita Wiglit: Anita is the owner and resident queen of Aucklands famous Caluzzi Cabaret and the host of the TVNZ show House of Drag as well as the monthly comedy show Drag Wars. Over the last decade she has wiggled her way into the hearts of many, winning both Vancouvers next top Drag Superstar and Drag Entertainer of the year in 2013, before returning to Auckland. Her favourite performances to date include Mardi Gras (Sydney 2016 and 2019) as well as Adeles world tour after party in 2017.

Art Simone: Art Simone is the current reigning Queen of Australia and has played roles in Australian feature films, theatrical shows, television programmes, and commercials; as well as being awarded Drag Performer of the Year for the last two years running. Last year, Art travelled to Los Angeles and New York, representing Australia in the worlds largest drag convention, RuPauls DragCon.

Coco Jumbo: Coco has performed on the Mardi Gras party mainstage many times and is a multi DIVA (Drag Industry Variety Awards) award winner most prestigious Entertainer of the Year in 2017, Sydneys Favourite Showgirl in 2016-2019 and Rising Star in 2015. Coco has worked with Absolutely Fabulous Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, 2014 Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst, with Australias very own Sandra Sully.

Elektra Shock: Elektra Shock is the Dancing Queen of Tamaki Makaurau! Runner up on Season 2 of TVNZ House of Drag and; Star of Pleasuredome The Musical, the NZ Herald describes her as utterly charismatic. Starting Drag in 2012, she is now a resident performer at a number of venues on Karangahape Rd. Her amazing dance ability, shocking high kicks and live vocals, puts her in high demand for corporate events and theatre performances around Aotearoa.

Etcetera Etcetera: Etcetera is a striking non-binary drag artist, who at only twenty-two years of age has already made a splash within the Australian drag community for her aesthetic and activism. Known as the glamour bug, she runs the shows at one of Sydneys iconic establishments: The Imperial Erskineville!

Jojo Zaho: In 2015 Jojo started her drag career as a political response to a council member stating that homosexuality is not part of the indigenous culture. So for Dubbos first annual Central West Pride March she walked the parade in a costumes she made with both the indigenous and gay pride flag and she hasnt looked back since. Since then, she has made her first television cameo on Get Krackin, competing in the inaugural Miss First Nation Indigenous drag queen pageant, the documentary Black Divaz, and hosting the VIP party for the Newcastle leg of Chers Australian tour.

Karen from Finance: One of the most renowned drag artists in Australia; Karen was one of the original members of the award winning, cult queer cabaret Yummy and has built an international fan-base, touring the world with her singular brand of office-themed character drag. At the beginning of this year, Karen was appointed as an Ambassador for DragExpo in Melbourne. She has appeared at RuPauls DragCon in LA in 2017, 2018 and 2019 in headlining performances, as well as headlining shows all over the US, including the Austin International Festival in Texas.

Kita Mean: Kita started drag when she dressed up for a New Years Eve party and wowed all her friends. Before long she found herself in the thick of the nightlife, firmly making her mark on the Auckland scene. A few years down the line she joined Anita Wiglit as a drag duo where the two started a monthly event which gave local kiwi drag artists a platform to perform on called Drag Wars. Kita now co-owns the iconic Caluzzi Cabaret and Phoenix Venue in Auckland and has since hosted two series of TVNZs House of Drag as well as maintaining her position as resident Drag Queen at Family Bar and Club.

Maxi Shield: Maxi has been a drag artist for twenty- three years, and is noted for her work within the community, including Drag Storytime where drag artists read stories to children, engaging them in fun and creative ways and conveying the overall message of inclusion. Maxi won Entertainer of the year at the Drag Industry Variety Awards in 2015, has been names Madonnas national Hostess for her Australian Rebel Heart Tour and has closed both a straight Olympics (Sydney 2000) and opened a gay one (Gay Games 2022).

Scarlet Adams: Scarlet is a burlesque performer, pole dancer, costume designer and self-proclaimed party girl. Since she turned eighteen, Scarlet has worked tirelessly to build her reputation and brand as a drag artist. After only a year of doing drag, Scarlet won the prestigious title of Queen of the Court and Entertainer of the Year 2016 at the annual Proud Awards.

Related
One of the reasons that the CDC issued the rules as they did was the recognition that studies have now been done showing that if youre vaccinated, youre protected, Pritzker said at an unrelated event Monday before the new rules were announced. If youre unvaccinated, you are not protected. So I encourage people who are unvaccinated still to wear their masks but to go get vaccinated because I think we all want to get past this we all would like to take off our masks.
By Julie Grenness

Mia scrolled down the page, www.tips for an awesome day today.com. All this hyperactivity of self-help.

Write in your journal. This was after Mia was supposed to be exercising, eating plant-based meals with fresh-cooked vegetables, drinking vegetable juices, enjoying fresh air and sunshine, meditating, doing yoga and practicing deep breathing "while seeking the silver lining and smiling.

Right, thought Mia, one step at a time. Mia opened her journal and started to write in it. Wait a minute, Dear Holiday Journal, wrote Mia. "This is my childrens holiday, day one. Maybe I should title this, My Torture Journal. It is only 5:30 a.m. Already the fruit of my loins, Bradley and Katia, are awake and squabbling over blaring TV cartoons and threatening to do vile things to each other. Hmmm, Dear Journal, sending them outside for fresh air is out, as it is pouring rain. My dearly beloved are going to be indoors for the next 17 hours until I can get them to into bed, hopefully with minimum tantrums.

Breathing deeply, focusing on her inner calm, Mia meditated on the ruins of her childrens breakfast and decided not to bother dressing them for the weary day ahead. It was an indoorsie, pajamas kind of day. Day one of Mias holiday fun.

The hours rolled by. The television and DVDs alternated; the rain poured. Many snacks were consumed as Mias offspring raided the pantry endlessly. All the wrong carbs, naturally. Mia could see constant trips to the supermarket in her immediate future, just for more supplies of unhealthy calories.

Mia confessed to her journal that she had tried to hide in the toilet for five minutes of solitude, but Katia followed her there, while Bradley karate chopped the couch. Mia tried not to shed tears and resolved to stay firm with her smiles.

Dear Holiday Journal, it is now time to prepare their dinner, Mia wrote. "I am wondering now why I ever wanted to become a mother. My children are quite intelligent and quite correct. Kale and fresh vegetables are really disgusting as a food group. I felt exactly the same at their age.

Dear Journal, this is a dreadful thought. I am breathing really deeply, but I realize I have turned into my own mother. She cooked healthy vegetables and tried to force us to eat them. She told her children to behave themselves, or else. I just told Bradley and Katia to behave themselves.

I am only 31 years old. I do not wish to become my mother. This is scary, Mia paused, but bravely kept on journaling her emotions. She noted snippets of her conversations.

Yes, kale is disgusting. No, it is not my fault it is raining. Leave the cat alone! Yes, all right. You can both have chips for dinner and chocolate bars. I have stopped caring what you eat. You two have turned me into my mother. Why I am fat? Because I am your mother. Yes, of course I love you; I am your mother. Just stop crying and yelling. Who am I phoning? I am ringing Jeremys mother, so you can both have sleepovers there during the holidays." "That is a great idea, Bradley. Who am I ringing now? I am phoning the Board of Education and requesting that school holidays be banned forever. I am going to litigate if they dont. Stop asking me dumb questions.

Dear Holiday Journal, Mia wrote, breathing deeply, this was not an awesome day.

 Julie Grenness

Julie Grenness is a poet and writer in Australia. Shes a former teacher who now tutors and mentors young people.
Passengers at Heathrow Terminal 5 on Monday (Jeremy Selwyn)

The first Britons jetted off on holiday today since the ban on foreign travel was lifted but a cabinet minister advised people not to travel to amber zones.

Thousands of people were flying out of Heathrow and Gatwick, with airports expecting their busiest day of the year.

However, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng urged people not to travel to countries on the amber list which includes Spain, France, Italy and Greece. It comes as industry bosses warned that the industry will not survive unless more destinations are added to the green list in June.

Mr Kwarteng told Sky News: People are allowed to do things but it doesnt mean that everybody should be going away at the same time.

I think what Matt [Hancock] is saying is that yes, you can go to an amber country, but it would probably be advisable at this stage not to.

Travellers are now able to visit 12 countries on the Governments green list, including Portugal, without isolating on their return.

Those who do travel to an amber country are required to quarantine at home for 10 days on their return.

The traffic light system is due to be reviewed in early June, when industry bosses hope more countries will be put on the green list.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme they could not continue a season with only a handful of destinations on there.

She said if the green list is not expanded in early June: It will be catastrophic. It really will. The industry thats been shut down for almost 14 months cannot survive on a handful of destinations.

Meanwhile, Ryanair chief executive Michael OLeary warned that while fares will remain low this summer, they could soar in 2022 as the number of seats will be 25 per cent lower than before the pandemic due to airlines collapsing or reducing their operations.

He told BBC Breakfast: Theres no doubt in my mind that prices will rise, but that wont affect bookings for summer 2021.

Story continues

Kevin and Pauline Nash from Essex were among the first to board a green-list flight to Portugal from Gatwick Airport this morning.

In the queue for the plane to Faro, Mr Nash, a company chairman, 66, said: Were very excited to go on holiday, we havent been since last September.

Asked what they planned to do in Faro, he said: Open the doors of our villa and look out to sea and just go, Ahhh.

Ms Nash, a housewife, 54, added: And then get a cocktail. Its just the freedom again to be able to do this  and it feels safe.

Portugal is due to welcome 16 flights from England at Faro Airport in the Algarve today.

Read More

Tory MPs blast strange travel advice as Hancock issues amber warning

In Pictures: Travellers take to skies as roadmap restores old freedoms

Portugal travel: Check rules at home and abroad minister says
By Marco Trujillo and Catarina Demony

FARO/LISBON, Portugal (Reuters) -Sun-hungry Britons landing in Portugal on Monday after a four-month coronavirus travel ban between the two countries was lifted at midnight were elated to be back on holiday.

"It's fantastic. The feeling is unbelievable. We got the sun, the people, the beaches, the bars. Can't wait," said British tourist Matthew Bolden, giving the thumbs up at the arrivals gate at Lisbon airport.

Twenty-two flights from Britain were due to land in Portugal on Monday, with most heading to the southern Algarve region, famous for its beaches and golf courses but nearly deserted over the past months as the pandemic kept tourists away.

"It feels amazing. Happy, everyone's happy. We were on the first flight out of the UK," said Kim, 27, who arrived from Manchester at Faro airport, where Algarve tourism office workers handed out packs of hand sanitiser and face masks.

Tourism businesses hope the return of Britons, who pumped around 3.2 billion euros ($3.9 billion) into Portugal's economy in 2019, will provide a much-needed boost to the sector, accounting in normal times for 15% of the country's GDP.

"We were massively affected by the pandemic. It was so sad to see the arrivals gate empty. But today it's better. It's a breath of fresh air," said Maria Joao, 55, whose tiny shop in Lisbon airport sells drinks and snacks.

'TAKE IT EASY'

Visitors from Britain must present evidence of a negative coronavirus test taken 72 hours before boarding their flights to Portugal and there is no need to quarantine for COVID-19 when returning home.

Portuguese doctor Rute Castelhano, who has been battling the pandemic in Britain, was exhausted but over-the-moon to see her parents at Lisbon airport after months apart.

"I'm so happy to see my family again," she said through hugs and tears. "It's great to be back home."

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Tourists from European countries with fewer than 500 infections per 100,000 people were also allowed in for the first time on Monday.

Portugal, which imposed a strict four-month lockdown to tackle a devastating COVID-19 surge in January, has reopened restaurants and shops but some capacity limitations remain in place and restaurants must close at 10:30 p.m.

Masks must be worn while walking on the beach. Nightclubs and indoor bars selling only alcohol remain closed.

"We are still living in a pandemic," cautioned Marisa Semedo, manager of a riverside cafe kiosk in Lisbon. "They must take it easy, don't drink too much, don't get out of control because the British really like to drink."

($1 = 0.8223 euros)

(Additional reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Andrei Khalip, Alison Williams and Ed Osmond)
Credit: In The Know

In our Chosen Family series, in partnership with Kalo, In The Know spotlights small but strong communities that are united by a shared passion.

When Sarah Richard first started scuba diving, she didnt know just how many women were interested in the underwater sport.

I just thought that scuba diving was for men, the divemaster and self-described digital nomad shares. But then I kind of thought to myself, it would be so cool to have more girls to dive with.

Scouring the internet for a group to join, Richard came up empty.

So I just thought, well, if theres nothing here, then Ill just start it myself, she says.

That was in 2016, when she founded Girls That Scuba in the United Kingdom. Five years and more than 23,000 Facebook followers later, Richards community of female scuba divers, who connect about anything from dive sites to dive gear, has gone global. In fact, according to the website, Girls That Scuba is the largest online community of scuba dive women in the world.

At Girls That Scuba, were all about connecting and empowering women, but were also about breaking down stereotypes and breaking down any kind of perceived ideas about scuba diving, of the ocean, and things that are in the ocean, Richard says.

The Dorset, England-based diver acknowledges that scuba diving can seem scary to some people  what with all the sharks and lack of air below the surface. But the Girls That Scuba founder is all about making the sport accessible.

After all, the point is to be inviting, and to educate. And while she started this global sisterhood of divers, as Richard says, Its so much bigger than me.

Just how big? Richards inclusive message has traveled all the way around the world to countries including Kuwait, Malaysia, Denmark, Armenia and the Solomon Islands.

Its calming

Scuba diving also offers an escape from an increasingly wired and frenetic world above the surface.

You get under the water, the only thing you can hear is bubbles, Cailla Strobel, a shark fisheries biologist and member of Girls That Scuba, tells In The Know. You are forced to listen to your breath.

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Its calming, Carmen Hoyt, a scuba instructor and Girls That Scuba member, adds. Theres something about being under the water and away from everything that puts you in a different mindset. And it really just makes your day so much better.

With so much ocean life beneath the surface, some members feel as if they even have a lens into the past.

While diving, Ph.D student and biogeochemist Colleen Brown says she likes exploring the sand and finding fossils. Like this megalodon tooth, she says while holding up the heavy tooth. Im holding something that could be 100 million years old.

Having those experiences also helps with wanting to preserve the different species and plant life that exist in places on Earth that we rarely see.

If youre diving, you kind of just become a conservationist because you see it more often and youre aware of it, Strobel says.

At the end of the day, the more people we can get involved in scuba diving  the more women we can have involved in scuba diving  the more people we have to protect our ocean, Richards says. Were in it together.

In The Know is now available on Apple News  follow us here!

If you enjoyed reading this article, check out this article on The Litas  a global collective of all-female motorcycle riders.

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The post Girls That Scuba builds community underwater: Were in it together appeared first on In The Know.
My parents were immigrants from Greece, so I was bilingual growing up, and I think it helped me have a better understanding of where people from the rest of the world were coming from, Elena Galinski said, adding: When you learn another language, you also can talk to and interact with people for whom English is not their first language, which shows respect.
Today, a new exhibition Magnificence of Fall: Iran under the Qajar dynasty has opened in the State Museum of Oriental Arts. The major exhibition project presents the Iranian history and art from the late 18th to the early 20th century to visitors. More than 300 items from the richest Iranian collection of the Oriental Museum are exhibited in one space for the first time ever in Russia: pictures and miniatures, majolica and glassworks, woodworks and metal artworks, carpets and painted fabric, manuscripts and weapons. The majority of the items are presented for the first time ever.

Iranian painting of the Qajar epoch is unique. Our museum is lucky: there are more than thousand artworks of the Qajar Iranian epoch. Qualitatively and quantitively, it is one of the best collections not only in Russia but also in Europe, Alexander Sedov, Director of the State Museum of Oriental Arts, said.

Im happy to see treasures of the museum today, as they reflect the great culture and civilization of our country. They are from the museums vaults but today visitors have an opportunity to see them, Kazem Jalali, Ambassador of Iran to Russia, said.

Opening of the exhibition was timed to coincide with the Night of Museums, an annual all-Russian event.

Those who will come to our museum will be able to see a very specific exhibition  so interesting, colorful, and inspiring it is. The exhibition is worth to visit all halls and look closely at the magnificent art of Iran under the Qajar dynasty, the Epoch of Fall, Tatyana Metaxa, the Aide of the Director General of the Oriental Museum.

Today its a very popular topic. Many museums of the world began to organize such exhibitions. Qajar Iran is an epoch which had been undeservedly forgotten for many years. The epoch lasted from the 18th century to 1925. Until recently, things that were made in the time were considered second-rate to the Iranian arts under the Safavid dynasty, for example, as they were too colorful, on the edge of kitsch. They havent been valued for a long time. However, now the time has come and we are proud to present our collection, a curator of the exhibition Polina Korotchikova stated.

The exhibition is divided into a few thematic sections and studies various sides of lifestyle of the Iranian society in the period: domestic culture, religion, an attitude to foreigners, military traditions, as well as ideology of sovereign power.

A curator of the exhibition Maria Kullanda told about exhibition items: The Qajar dynasty intentionally created a myth about itself. The presented items show how the Iranian shah and his inner circle wanted to look like; how they wanted foreigners and their own citizens see the Qajar dynasty. There are ceremonial portraits of shahs and their heirs in all their glory, in the main symbol of power  a crown, in magnificent gowns. Thats how they wanted to be seen by foreigners and their own citizens.

The exhibition is on till July 25th.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to urge calm as violence in the region escalates.

Netanyahu's office said he told Biden that Israel was doing everything to avoid harming non-combatants, including warnings to civilians to leave buildings that it was about to destroy because they contained militant targets.

The White House said Biden updated Netanyahu on "high-level" contacts with regional partners to restore calm, and raised concerns about the safety of journalists after Israel destroyed a tower block that housed news media organizations in Gaza, Reuters reported.

Biden also spoke with Abbas for the first time since taking office. According to a White House summary, Biden "stressed the need for Hamas to cease firing rockets into Israel," and the two men "expressed their shared concern that innocent civilians, including children, have tragically lost their lives amidst the ongoing violence."

Both sides said Biden reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution to the conflict, and the White House said Biden was committed to "strengthening the U.S.-Palestinian partnership," which reached a low point under the Trump administration.
The Georgian government has decided to shorten the curfew from between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. to between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Starting today curfew will begin at 11 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.

Restaurants and cafes will be able to receive consumers in their open spaces round the week starting this week.

Earlier they were unable to receive consumers on the weekend, Agenda.ge reported.

Georgia first imposed curfew in March 2020. The country has reported 504 new cases of coronavirus, 2,038 recoveries and 27 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Hamas is looking for any pretext to renew their aggression against Israel, since it is attacks on the Israeli state and its citizens that make up the raison d'etre of this group, Deputy Mayor of Ashdod Eli Nacht told Vestnik Kavkaza.

First of all, the official noted that 65 missiles were launched on Ashdod from Gaza Strip in a week. "This is a very high launch frequency and, of course, the attacks interfere with the normal life in Ashdod. This time it is noteworthy that they use medium-range missiles: first they fired at cities close to the Gaza Strip, then at Ashkelon, then Ashdod, Tel Aviv and the center of the country," he said.



Eli Nacht drew attention to the fact that a significant portion of the financial aid received by the Gaza Strip finances Hamas. "When the next military operation ends, Hamas spends no less than 75% of the received money on weapons. Hamas's policy is very simple, it is on their website, the flag and the anthem - they strive for complete destruction of Israel, " the Deputy Mayor of Ashdod stressed.

"And therefore Hamas is looking for any reason to renew attacks against Israel, as soon as its leadership decides that they have enough weapons. They cling to any reason, to any excuse to attack, but their real goal is to destroy Israel. They are using the conflict to distract the attention of the Gaza Strip population from their own dire humanitarian situation: forget you have nothing to eat, that you have electricity only five hours a day and water - every four days, don't think about it, think about the enemy we have, let's unite against him. These are the reasons for Hamas's aggression," Eli Nacht said.



At the same time, Israel will try to do everything possible to stop the Hamas aggression with few losses. "Israel understands that a ground operation will be much more costly in terms of losses. If the lives of their soldiers and civilians are not important to them, then it is important for us. Therefore, Israel is doing everything possible to save our soldiers and achieve tactical goals with no troops entering the Gaza Strip," the Deputy Mayor of Ashdod concluded.
Israel has faced the highest ever rate of rocket attacks on its territory during its latest confrontation with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas that controls Gaza, the army said Sunday.

Since Monday, armed groups in Gaza have fired about 3,000 rockets towards Israel, surpassing the pace during an escalation in 2019 and during the 2006 war with Lebanon's Hezbollah, said Major General Ori Gordin.

Gordin, commander of Israel's home front, presented a graphic to reporters with data of rockets fired toward Israel in past years and now, NDTV reported.

During an escalation in November 2019 between the army and the Islamic Jihad group, 570 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel over three days.

And in the 2006 war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a total of 4,500 rockets were fired at Israel over 19 days, according to the data Gordin shared with reporters.

Asked if the pace since Monday was the highest ever rate of rocket attacks on Israeli territory, Mr. Gordin said: "Not only do I agree, this is what I present."
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called his Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday.

"President Ilham Aliyev has said that Armenia shows inadequate response to the ongoing border delimitation process with Azerbaijan. He noted that there was no border clash with Armenia and that the situation was stable," the Azerbaijani president's press service reports.

Ilham Aliyev described as baseless Armenias address to the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), describing it as Armenias attempt to internationalize the issue.
Iran is preparing to ramp up global oil sales as talks to lift U.S. sanctions show signs of progress. But even if a deal is struck, the flow of additional crude into the market may be gradual.

State-controlled National Iranian Oil Co. has been priming oil fields so it can increase exports if an accord is clinched, officials said. Under the most optimistic estimates, the country could return to pre-sanctions production of almost 4 million barrels a day in as little as three months. It could also tap a flotillas worth of oil thats hoarded away in storage, Bloomberg reported.

But there are many hurdles to overcome. Any agreement must fully dismantle the gamut of U.S. barriers on trade, shipping and insurance involving Iranian entities. Even then buyers may still be reluctant, according to Mohammad Ali Khatibi, a former official at NIOC.

"Our return may be a gradual process rather than swift and sudden - it cant happen overnight," Khatibi, also Irans former OPEC envoy, said in an interview. Thats partly due to the coronavirus pandemic having "significantly hurt demand," he said.
Israel will continue to act against radicals in the Gaza Strip who shell its territory, it will "take some time," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address on Sunday.

He reiterated the militarys justification for the Saturday attack on media offices, claiming that the high-rise building that housed the Associated Press and other outlets also housed Hamas.

It hosted an "intelligence office for the Palestinian terrorist organization" which "plots and organizes the terror attacks against Israeli civilians," he said. "So its a perfectly legitimate target. And I can tell you that we took every precaution to make sure there were no civilian injuries  in fact, no deaths, no injuries whatsoever".

Netanyahu said on CBS Face The Nation that it shared intelligence with the U.S. that showed Hamas was using the building.

"We are targeting a terrorist organization that is targeting our civilians and hiding behind them, using them as human shields," Netanyahu said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is convinced of the absence of any alternative to the implementation of the trilateral statement on Karabakh, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists today.



The president is a staunch supporter of the lack of alternatives to the implementation of the clauses of the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, and now active efforts are being made to relieve tension and resolve the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Peskov said.



The spokesperson added that Russia is in constant contact with Azerbaijan and Armenia on the issue of resolving the situation in Karabakh.

Today, statements by both the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders were published, which allow one to judge who was in the first place addressed by Peskov's statement stressing Vladimir Putin's demand to unconditionally fulfill the trilateral agreements.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking with his Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said that there was no border clash with Armenia and that the situation was stable. He described as baseless Armenias address to the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), describing it as Armenias attempt to internationalize the issue.

Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting of the Armenian Security Council that there is a trend towards the escalation of tensions and aggression of Azerbaijani forces on certain swathes of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border - although all these days the military of both negotiated peacefully, not a single shot was fired. He also rejected the very possibility of negotiations with Azerbaijan on the opening of the Zangezur corridor, and said that Armenia will initiate procedures in accordance with the Collective Security Treaty and the Armenian-Russian strategic system.



Thus, Azerbaijan reported that the situation is developing, it is stable and controlled, while Armenia speaks of tension, calls for Russia's help and refuses to fulfill the agreements on opening transport communications in the region.



That's what Moscow is worried about - Armenia is not only reluctant to recognize the legitimacy of Azerbaijan's control over Garagel and the territories around it, but also demands Russia's help in maintaining the occupation of this territory, while trying to delete the clause on opening of direct communication between Nakhchivan and Zangilan from the November and January agreements. In such conditions, the Kremlin's negative reaction to Yerevan's behavior is quite expected, and one can only welcome that Russia is consistently pursuing a policy of observing its own national interests in the South Caucasus.



As Peskov said, Russia "is making vigorous efforts to defuse tensions" in the region created by Armenia. Both the Armenian authorities and the opposition seek to use the Garagel incident for political purposes, however, because of the republic's internal affairs, the entire post-war settlement process is threatened. It is not yet clear whether such provocations will come to naught after the elections: both Pashinyan and his opponents continue to use a conflict rhetoric, which means that it is too early for everyone, including Russian peacekeepers, to relax in the South Caucasus: the CSTO ally is able to get Moscow in a lot of trouble on the way to the implementation of the November 9 and January 11 statements.
We put growth plans on hold as the pandemic became clear, but opportunities come up, and this one did  its a beautiful space and a great location, he said. For us to open a place at this point in time, it had to check a lot of boxes: location, physical space, demographics of the area, and our ability as artists to feel like we could bring something different to the party.
UN Security Council's open debate on the tensions between Israel and Palestine amid the former's attacks in Gaza ended with no concrete outcome on Sunday.

Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin took the floor, highlighting the necessity of immediately ending the confrontation. "A top priority task now is to cease fire and stop hostilities. We call on the parties to respect the norms of international humanitarian law, to avoid damages to civilian population and infrastructure used by journalists and mass media," he said at an extraordinary online meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.

"We strongly condemn the use of violence against civilians both in Israel and in Palestine. "Armed confrontation, which has already led to the deaths and wounds of dozens of people, including women and children, must be immediately stopped," he stressed," Vershinin said.

In her speech, U.S. Ambassador to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield reiterated the call for all parties to ensure the protection of civilians, and to respect international humanitarian law. "The United States has made clear that we are prepared to lend our support and good offices should the parties seek a ceasefire, because we believe Israelis and Palestinians equally have a right to live in safety and security," she said.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the U.S. to "adjust" its position on Israel-Palestine tensions. "China strongly condemns violent acts against civilians, and once again urges the two sides to immediately stop military and hostile actions," said the Chinese top diplomat. "Only when the Palestinian question is resolved comprehensively, fairly and permanently, can the Middle East truly achieve lasting peace and universal security," he added.

During his address, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Palestine to end the "senseless cycle of bloodshed, terror, and destruction" and return to negotiations for a two-state solution to the conflict.

"The only way forward is to return to negotiations with the goal of a two-state solution, with two states living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, based on relevant UN resolutions, international law and prior agreements," said Guterres.
The Turkish delegation led by Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy may visit Russia on Monday, the Turizm Guncel newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, members of the delegation plan to discuss with their Russian counterparts restrictions on flights to and from Turkey imposed by Moscow.

Russia earlier restricted passenger air service with Turkey from April 15 to June 1, with only two flights per week allowed on a reciprocal basis. Earlier reports said that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy were ready to visit Moscow in May for talks on the epidemiological situation in order to address Russias concerns and provide all the necessary information.

Turkish Ambassador to Russia Mehmet Samsar earlier said that Turkey had plans to vaccinate all those who work in its tourism sector by the end of May, TASS reporetd.
Azerbaijan will continue improving its armed forces so that its sovereignty and territorial integrity have been unconditionally protected in the post-war period,Milli Majlis MPs Arzu Nagiyev and Asim Mollazade told the correspondents of Vestnik Kavkaza commenting on the large-scale military exercises of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

The Azerbaijani troops have begun exercises involving troops since May 16. Up to 15,000 military personnel, 300 tanks, and other armored vehicles, 400 missile and artillery installations of various calibers, multiple launch rocket systems, mortars, and anti-tank weapons, up to 50 units of military aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes are being used for the exercises held under the leadership of the minister of defense.



Arzu Nagiyev drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijan is carrying out planned work to increase the combat capability of its army. "These exercises are part of a summer program planned in accordance with the order of the Supreme Commander. The is always obliged to strengthen its defense capability, whether there is a war or not," he stressed.



"In addition, it should be noted that the military equipment is being modernized, Azerbaijan buys new types of weapons, and introduces modern military technologies. Military exercises allow practicing the use of new products to improve the personnel potential of the army," Arzu Nagiyev said.





The Milli Mejlis MP also noted that Armenia's attempts to link these exercises with the situation around Lake Gara-gel, where the Armenian authorities are trying to keep the occupied part of the Azerbaijani land, are not justified.



Asim Mollazade also said that Azerbaijan seeks to maintain all types of troops in good combat-ready form with regular large-scale exercises. "As before, the main goal of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan is to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. This is very important, given the fact that Azerbaijan is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and is not a member of any military blocs. Azerbaijan needs its armed forces to be capable of protecting our country from foreign aggression," the MP said, drawing attention to the difference between Azerbaijan and Armenia.



Unfortunately, our people are well aware that threats to the territorial integrity of the country are a reality, and therefore it is obvious to us that we must have combat-ready armed forces capable of defending our independence. Therefore, such exercises are necessary, Asim Mollazade summed up.
Zugdidi Mayor Giorgi Shengelia has announced his resignation earlier today on his Facebook page ahead of this years municipal elections.

He wrote that he left the post because of the current political situation.

Shengelia said that it was a big honor to him to take the mayoral post for two years and that relations based on right values and honesty in politics and public sector have always been my priorities.

Earlier his deputy, Giga Parulava left post, Agenda.ge reported.

According to media reports Shengelia and Parulava may join a political party the former PM of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia will create.
Singapores journey into becoming a dragon took place within only 30 years, offering valuable lessons for countries in the region, including Vietnam.

Besides dealing with corruption, developing education, promoting English training, and developing highly skilled human resources, Singapore applied other outstanding measures in trade promotion and administration.





Comparison of labor productivity between Vietnam and other countries, including Singapore. Photo: Customs Newspaper



Employing talent

According to Dr. Pham Manh Hung of the Institute of World Economy and Politics, the meritocracy regime was trusted by the People's Action Party (PAP) as the theory for national development. It was extended to the selection of political leaders, becoming the operating principle of the civil service and of the Singaporean political and social system. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said there must be a culture of meritocracy to build an effective civil service, promoting economic growth and social development.

The government wants to achieve excellence to cover all strata, and wants people to see that equal opportunities are available to everyone regardless of background, race, religion or gender. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew has said: "I do not allow any non-talented family member to hold important positions, because it will be a disaster for Singapore and my legacy."

In 2010, during an interview in the US, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was asked if he became Singapores leader because of his father's influence. He said: "In Singapore, we pay high salaries to attract the most talented people to work for the government and I have to prove it myself."

Singapore's ratio of trade to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is much higher than the world average. Source: WB

Dr. Hung said that the demonstration of the appreciation of talent is easily seen in both world and Vietnamese history. The engraved epitaph in Quoc Tu Giam says: Talented and righteous persons are the precious resources of the country.

Social and economic strategy

In the Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep (Business Forum) newspaper, Dr. Bui Ngoc Son of the Institute of World Economy and Politics said that Singapore has a very smart export strategy with a clear roadmap.

Research works show that in the mid-1970s Singapore focused on encouraging investment in the industrial sector, electronic medical equipment, and automobile components. The next period - 1980-1990  it focused on developing electronics and sea shipping. In the 2000s, it switched to new technologies such as biotechnology and financial technology.

Dr. Son said that Vietnam has been exporting raw materials and is trying to increase the export of goods with a large labor workforce, such as in textiles, agricultural and aquatic products. However, Vietnam needs to change the garment export structure, reducing the processing rate. In addition, it is necessary to mention a new direction: software outsourcing.

Singapore ranks second globally in its business environment quality. Photo: WB

Regarding the exchange rate, Dr. Son said with the domestic tightening monetary policy, Vietnam has avoided undue tension with other countries and improved its position in the international arena. As for the need to boost exports to have capital for economic growth in the short term, Vietnam can use a number of export subsidy policies to create favorable conditions for the development of domestic enterprises. This is also a policy that Singapore applied very successfully and achieved outstanding growth.

In an analysis, Tai Chinh (Finance) Magazine wrote that Singapore is striving to become the largest commercial and service center in the world. They are building themselves into a hub for capital management and personal banking services. Based on the advantage of an open, transparent and regulatory regime and the use of English as the main language in international transactions, Singapore has created a great playing field to attract international finance forces, generating a huge amount of profit.

Another experience that Vietnam can learn from Singapore, according to Dr. Son, is that Singapore has been very interested and focused on trade promotion to diversify markets and expand to unexplored markets. Dr. Son said that Vietnam should firstly focus on strengthening trade relations with major markets such as the US, Japan, Europe and China. These are large importers of Vietnams export items and the major providers of basic benefits such as ODA, FDI and technology transfer. However, finding other potential markets also needs attention.





Singapore is clean and beautiful, characteristics that people remark on when visiting the country. Photo: Agoda

In another angle, according to the Financial Magazine, the world describes Singapore a park in a city. Interestingly, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, after visiting Vietnam in the early 20th century, saw Co Ngu Street (Hanois Thanh Nien Street now) lined with lush green trees, and wanted to apply this in his country. Singapore deeply understands that trees are a vital environment, so now their country is green, clean and beautiful.

Dr. Pham Manh Hung said Vietnam now has many more favorable conditions compared to those of Singapore at the time it performed its 'dragon' transformation. Vietnam's population is larger, and is in the golden age with 70% of the population under 35 years old. Vietnam's area is larger, while natural resources are more plentiful. The intellect and bravery of the Vietnamese people are also very good...

"Therefore, it is clear that if we do not transform into a dragon, it is because we do not want to do it, not because we are unable to do it," Dr. Hung said.

Le Minh

'Taking people as the roots' and the desire for development The report of the 12th Party Central Committee on documents submitted to the 13th Party Congress presented by Party Secretary General and State President Nguyen Phu Trong outlined strategic development issues of the country over the coming years.
Technology and innovation are the answers to the question about how Vietnam can to escape from doing only outsourcing for foreign partners.

If we dare not make investment in science and technology and innovation, we will get stuck in the low-productivity, low-added value and middle-income trap, former Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi.

Investing in technology and innovation will bring Vietnamese products to a new height, helping the country escape the status of doing primarily outsourcing, which it has done for decades now. This is not only true for technology firms, but for all enterprises.

Using new technologies or inventing new technologies will help enterprises increase turnover and improve their business positions. Electric cars and smartphones bearing Vietnamese brands are products that show the strong capability of Vietnamese enterprises in the 4.0 era.

TP Bank, established in 2008, is one of the youngest banks in Vietnam. In the first four years of operation, it ranked at the bottom of commercial banks. However, the bank has applied digital transformation and technology application in recent years.

Going digitized to become a technology-based digital bank is a must for us, because we cannot compete with powerful traditional banks which have existed for many years, a representative of the bank said at the Vietnam digital technology firm development forum in 2020.

The military telecom carrier Viettel is also building a digital culture with flexibility, creativity, customer orientation, and open culture. It is stepping up digital transformation in internal governance, applying modern technology with international standards.

All of its documents have been digitized, while 50 percent of manual work has been liberalized, and 30-40 percent of task operations have been automated.

Its digital ecosystem provides B2C and B2B services, spanning a wide range of fields, from finance (Viettelpay), digital banking, and OTT (Mocha, Keng), to customer care (MyViettel, Viettel++), e-government, Smartcity, medicine and vaccination.

The "Make in Vietnam"message put forward by the Ministry of Information and Communication has created vitality and excitement among the startup community. The fact that Vietnam has become the fifth country in the world mastering 5G technology, producing 5G infrastructure equipment and manufacturing 5G smartphones was inspired by Make in Vietnam.

More than 13,000 technology firms were set up after only one year, raising the number of technology firms to 58,000, which is a new record and proof showing that Make in Vietnam has been brought to life.

Wage earners or owners?

Nguyen Minh Quy, CEO of Novaon, commented that if Vietnams enterprises continue doing outsourcing for foreign companies, they will earn little in the value chain.

One iPhone can sell for $1,000 and the biggest value of the smartphone production chain belongs to the first phase -- learning about customers needs, researching and designing products to satisfy customers needs, and the last phase  distribution and marketing. Those who make the phones pocket a very small value.

We need to think carefully to answer the questions: What will happen if we dont innovate, and where will we go if we innovate, he said.

Closing the national forum on digital technology firm development in Vietnam, Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung mentioned some statistics worth thinking about.

In every revolution, only five or six developing countries can become developed countries. And so too in the 4.0 industrial revolution. The opportunities will be grabbed by several countries and they will be reserved only for the pioneers. In the 4.0 era, Vietnam and developed countries are at the same starting line.

If Vietnam pioneers in the revolution, other countries will come to Vietnam, and Vietnams products will reach out all over the globe, Hung said.

Becoming a pioneer is the aspiration of the entire nation and every Vietnamese. It is difficult but not impossible.

Vietnam has lagged behind many countries and has missed a lot of opportunities in the development process, but this does not mean that it should accept a low position.

In fact, Vietnam is among the top countries in the region and the world in many fields, including telecommunication and electricity. In the last 20 years, Vietnam has been one of the countries with the highest economic growth rates.

Nowadays, empowered by the 4.0 era, digital transformation, and Make in Vietnam, Vietnams growth will have an important boost, with the aim of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

Le Xuan Sang, deputy head of the Vietnam Economics Institute, thinks that Vietnam has a "golden opportunity" to make a breakthrough and speed up thanks to the development of science and technology.

In order to reach these goals, space for creativity needs to be expanded and managerial thinking must also be enhanced so that creativity is not hindered by rigid documents and the bureaucracy of many state officials.

Ha Duy

Outsourcing no more When we only dominate the processes of assembly, we are lost at the most important stages of the value chain, from invention to design to distribution...
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the National Assembly to allow HCM City to retain 23 per cent of its budget revenues, up from the previous 18 per cent, to create conditions for sustainable development.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at a recent meeting with HCM City leaders. The PM has asked the National Assembly to approve a proposal to allow HCM City to retain 23 per cent of its budget revenues. Photo vneconomy.vn

HCM City is the countrys economic powerhouse with a significant GDP contribution to the national budget, the PM said.

Professor Tran Hoang Ngan, director of the HCM City Development Research Institute, said the decision would help resolve a number of challenges related to road infrastructure, social security, healthcare, and other issues.

If the city received a 1 per cent increase in retained revenue, it would then have an additional VND2 trillion (US$86.748 million), and an increase of 5 per cent would yield an additional VND10 trillion.

Dr. Huynh The Du, public policy lecturer at Fulbright University, said the city needs to be highly competitive to attract large businesses, a highly skilled workforce, and well-off people compared to other cities in the region and in the world.

China, for example, has spent a lot of resources on big cities, he added.

At a recent meeting with the PM, Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the city Peoples Committee, proposed that the government approve the budget retention rate of 23 per cent instead of the current 18 per cent over the next five years.

HCM City has one of the lowest budget retention rate of all cities in the world, and this should change, Phong said. The city contributes 27 per cent to the national budget, and has the lowest retention rate in the country.

In the first four months, the city posted a budget collection of VND140 trillion ($6 billion), up 15.7 per cent year-on-year, Phong said.

The low budget retention rate has prevented the financial hub of HCM City from addressing traffic jams and school shortages.

With only 9 per cent of Vietnams total population, the city contributes 24 per cent of the countrys GDP.

Experts said the city does not have enough money to build more roads as the percentage of retained budget revenue is too low.

The city also needs 10,000 additional classrooms every half decade to keep pace with the population increase, with each classroom hosting a standard 30 students. It currently has to pack 40-60 students into a single room, they said.

Budget retention ratios for Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Can Tho for the 2016-2020 period are 35, 78, 68, and 91 per cent, respectively, far above HCM City.

With a 30 per cent retention rate, Tokyo ranks just above HCM City, with Oslo the highest at 60 per cent.

According to the Department of Planning and Investment, the citys total retail sales of goods and revenue from consumer services in the first four months was up 7.9 per cent year-on-year.

The citys Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) reached VND329.6 trillion in the first quarter, up 4.58 per cent year-on-year.

VNS

HCM City asks for gov't approval to seek private funding for vaccinations Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged HCM City's leaders and agencies to continue the dual goals for the rest of the year at an online meeting yesterday.
A total of 69,198,594 voters are eligible to go to the polls on May 23 to elect deputies to the 15th National Assembly and Peoples Councils of all levels for the 2021-26 tenure.

Graphics and panels for the national election day on display at Nguyen Tat Thanh Square, the northern city of Tuyen Quang.  VNA/VNS Photo Nam Suong

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still a problem in localities nationwide, the National Election Council, Election Committees and election units at all localities have been rushing to finish preparations for election day.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee has worked with Peoples Committees and Election Committees to hold meetings between candidates and voters.

Together with the establishment of election committees at all levels, 184 constituencies have been set up with 84,767 voting stations across the country.

Localities have made and published lists of candidates at polling stations for voters to learn about the candidates profiles.

They have also developed scenarios for voting to take place safely in far-flung areas and detention camps, and in the event of COVID-19 spreading far and wide.

Local administrations have been told to work closely with their Election Committees to ensure security, social order and safety as well as COVID-19 prevention and control for the election.

Some localities have made response plans to certain situations, for example, if a voter with a fever is reported at a voting station, households under health quarantine will cast their ballots at home, while those in locked-down areas and COVID-19 infectees will cast their ballots in treatment areas.

In some localities, staff working at polling stations will be tested for SARS-CoV-2.

Early voting has been allowed in certain polling stations of 14 cities and provinces including Hai Phong, Can Tho, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Dinh, Ca Mau, Dak Nong, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Quang Binh, Nghe An, Kon Tum and Dak Lak.

Voters in the south-central province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau were the first to go to the polls as early voting was held in five constituencies on May 4.

The voters were officers and soldiers serving on marine platforms and offshore fishermen.

Voters in island and border areas in Khanh Hoa and Quang Nam provinces will go to the polls on May 16.

Eight constituencies for army forces in the districts of Ninh Kieu, Cai Rang, Binh Thuy and O Mon in Can Tho City will vote on May 20.

Ca Mau, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Nghe An and Quang Binh provinces will also hold early voting on May 21.

Voters at polling stations in seven communes in Dak Glei District, and the border guard station in Dak Xu Commune in Ngoc Hoi District, Kon Tum Province and those in polling stations of armed forces in Ea Sup and Buon Don districts, and Buon Ma Thuot City of Dak Lak Province, will cast their ballots on May 22, a day ahead of schedule.

During early voting, voters can cast their ballots from 7am to 7pm. Local election committees can decide to extend voting hours from 5am to 9pm depending on specific situations of the localities.

The 15th National Assembly is set to hold its first session on July 20 after 500 deputies are elected from 868 candidates.

Most importantly, the new deputies will elect the NA Chairman, Vice-Chairmen, NA Standing Committee members, NA General Secretary, and heads of NA Committees.

They will also elect the State President, Vice State President, Prime Minister, Chief Judge of the Supreme Peoples Court and Head of the Supreme Peoples Procuracy.

VNS
Personal information such as identity cards, selfie images and others of 9,667 people are being posted and offered for sale on the Internet for $9,000.

An account named Ox1337xO, created on RaidForums in May 2021, announced a sale of a 17GB data package on May 13. This package is supposed to include details of citizen ID cards of many Vietnamese people. The post was then deleted, but was still stored in the cache of Google search engine, and has raised serious concern over information safety.

In his article, the hacker advertised that the data includes name, date of birth, avatar, address, email, phone number, identity card number, and photos of the identity cards of the back and front side.

The hacker offered the data for $9,000, paid by cryptocurrencies as Bitcoin or Litecoin, or by Vietnamese dong through an intermediary who is also a member of the forum. In a recent move, the hacker said he was willing to sell the data for only $4,300.

Mr. Ngo Tuan Anh, Bkav's Vice President in charge of cybersecurity, said that the 17G data included video clips, and the number of exposed user accounts was not high.

Besides, as this is merely the data of Pi Network cryptocurrency, the true volume of ID card information leak is only a little. Adding to this is the fact that Ox1337xO is an anonymous name which has just been created and requires cryptocurrency as the payment method.

Therefore, it can be said that this data transaction is most likely a scam.

BKAVs Tuan Anh confirmed that there is no evidence to show an information leak from the national population database of Vietnam.

However, he also commented that this is a serious issue since the information of nearly 10,000 people, including sensitive ones such as eKYC clips and the front and back pictures of citizen ID card, is illegally sold publicly.

Trong Dat/Van Anh
Technological solutions recommended by the Ministry of Information and Communications have contributed to helping many provinces in Vietnam detect, localize, and prevent the spread of Covid-19 while maintaining a "new normal" life.

Technological solutions recommended by the Ministry of Information and Communications have contributed to helping many provinces in Vietnam detect, localize, and prevent the spread of Covid-19 while maintaining a "new normal" life.

According to the Department of Informatics (Ministry of Information and Communications), an additional 1.65 million people have downloaded and installed the Covid-19 tracking application Bluezone since April 28.

As of 5:00 p.m. on May 14, the country had 32.19 million downloads and installs of the Bluezone application. On average, since April 28, the system recorded about 92,000 new downloads of the Bluezone application every day.

Hanoi Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh has requested to strictly implement medical declarations by QR code, which is one of the measures using IT to prevent and control the spread of the disease.

Da Nang, Hai Duong, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City currently have the highest percentage of population installing Bluezone. These are also localities where the number of Bluezone users exceeds 30% of the total population.

In the opposite direction, there are eight provinces and cities where the number of Bluezone users is less than 15% of the population. They are Hoa Binh (14.99%), Thai Binh (14.79%), Quang Ngai (14.5%), Yen Bai (14.41%), Thanh Hoa (13.72%), Nam Dinh (13.43%), Dak Lak (12.75%), Nghe An (11.82%), and Dien Bien (11.17%). The number of people using Bluezone only accounts for 17-26% of smartphone users in the above provinces.

On April 23, the Ministry of Information and Communications issued the Document guiding the use of a set of solutions to support the prevention, control and tracing of Covid-19 in the community.

Many provinces and cities have helped local people to apply technological solutions such as NCOVI, Bluezone and QR code to support epidemic prevention.

In Hanoi, the local government has requested all agencies to strictly organize medical declarations by QR code and apply IT in epidemic prevention. In particular, all people returning to Hanoi after the holidays of April 30 and May 1 had to make a medical declaration on the website tokhaiyte.vn or by scanning a QR code, using applications such as NCOVI, Bluezone or website tokhaiyte.vn.

Hanoi also required people going to public places such as markets, supermarkets, restaurants, parks, bus stations, and hospitals to scan QR codes. This saves people's "epidemiological landmarks" that serves tracing of people who may be infected with Covid-19. The app is used along with the Bluezone application.

Other provinces such as Bac Ninh, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, Kon Tum, Lam Dong have also mobilized local residents to use IT solutions like NCOVI, Bluezone in the fight against Covid-19.

Technological solutions recommended by the Ministry of Information and Communications have contributed to helping many localities across the country to detect early, localize effectively, and stop the spread of the disease while maintaining normal life.

Make in Vietnam applications for Covid-19 prevention: - NCOV: For people to declare personal information and health status. This is the official channel for authorities to send recommendations to people about the epidemic situation.

- Vietnam Health Declaration: For people entering Vietnam to make medical declarations. Based on the data collected from this application, the health system will provide medical assistance as quickly as possible.

- Bluezone: A Bluetooth-based app that helps determine if a person has come in contact with a COVID-19 patient. The contract tracing app uses Bluetooth Low Energy, a wireless personal area network technology, to link with smartphones within a two-meter distance. If a user is positive for SARS-CoV-2 (known as person F0), health authorities can identify those who had close contact with that person (known as F1), and the system will alert them about the risk of infection. They will be also provided with instructions on contacting health authorities for assistance. So far, around 32 million downloads of Bluezone have been recorded. - Hanoi Smartcity: This application makes it possible for people to monitor people under quarantine and Covid-19 patients. The monitoring is conducted by the GPS system on the phone. The Hanoi SmartCity app displays the location of people who are quarantined or under medical supervision due to suspected Covid-19 infection (F1 to F3).

Trong Dat
Before the ubiquity of television, short stories were once the shared narrative lingua franca of the country as well as significant sources of income for writers who published in such magazines (known as slicks at the time) as The Saturday Evening Post and Vanity Fair. I have a great uncle named Allan Seager who was a writer of some prominence from the 30s through the 60s. In his papers, which I have copies of, there is a note about having to write something for the slicks to pay for a new garage that had been caved-in by a fallen tree.
As planned, 1,682,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine provided by the Covax Facility arrived in Vietnam on May 16.

The vaccines will be transferred to the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for preservation and testing before being distributed to provinces for use in the third phase of vaccination.

This is the second batch of AstraZeneca vaccine distributed by Covax Facility to Vietnam. The first batch with 811,200 doses delivered to Vietnam on April 1 has been used.

Earlier, Covax Facility committed to provide Vietnam with nearly 39 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, enough for 19.4 million people in the nine priority groups. The vaccines will be delivered from now to early 2022.

The first shipment of vaccines provided by Covax Facility to Vietnam.

After two phases of vaccination since March 8, Vietnam has given than 977,000 doses in 62 provinces and cities. There was one fatal case  a nurse in the southern province of An Giang who died after an anaphylaxis reaction

At a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on May 15, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that Vietnam has registered to buy 170 million doses of vaccine from many sources, of which about 110 million doses have been committed, including 38.9 million doses from Covax Facility, 30 million doses from AstraZeneca imported by VNVC, and 31 million doses from Pfizer/BioNTech.

The Ministry of Health has registered with Covax Facility to buy about 10 million more doses of vaccines under the cost-sharing mechanism at a preferential price.

However, according to Minister Long, the supply progress is uncertain because it depends on the manufacturer, especially in the context of the current shortage of vaccines throughout the world.

AstraZeneca vaccine storage warehouse at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

The ministry will try its best to negotiate with manufacturers, suppliers and organizations to have more vaccines for Vietnam.

Domestically, Vietnam has four vaccine research and production units. So far, the Nanocovax vaccine has completed trial of phase 2, while IVAC vaccine is now in trial of phase 1. It is expected that Vietnam can produce a vaccine in 2022.

The Ministry of Health has proposed that the World Health Organization (WHO) receive technology transfer for vaccine production.

Vietnam begun its inoculation campaign on March 8. As of May 15, as many as 977,032 frontline medical workers and members of the community-based anti-COVID-19 groups received COVID-19 vaccine shots.

COVAX, the overarching effort to accelerate development and access to COVID vaccines, is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO) working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, manufacturers and civil society organizations, and others.

Thuy Hanh

Covid-19 vaccine and the gap between countries The US announcement to support the waiver of IP protection on Covid-19 vaccine has not been the good news that was previously expected.
Vietnam recorded 37 new cases of COVID-19 community transmission, all in quarantine sites or sealed-off areas, in the 12 hours as of 6am on May 17, raising the national count to 4,212, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said.

Medical workers handle samples taken for COVID-19 testing in Bac Giang province (Photo: VNA)

Twenty-two of the new cases were reported in Bac Giang province, 11 in nearby Bac Ninh province, three in Vinh Phuc province, and one in Tuyen Quang province. There are no new hotbeds.

So far, Vietnam has seen 2,746 domestic infections and 1,466 imported ones. The number of COVID-19 cases since April 27, when the new outbreak began, now stands at 1,176.

Among those still under treatment, 46 have tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 26 others twice, and 28 thrice.

Thirty-six patients have succumbed to the disease while 2,668 others have recovered.

There are 108,288 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from foreign pandemic-hit regions under quarantine at present.

Meanwhile, 979,238 people had been inoculated against COVID-19 as of 4pm on May 16, with 22,561 getting two shots, according to the MoH./.VNA
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on May 16 held the third emergency meeting in a week to discuss the escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine.

Israeli troops fire towards the Gaza Strip from their post in Sderot city of Israel (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Participants in the open videoconference included UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland, and representatives of Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, and the Arab League.

In his opening remarks, Guterres urged the relevant sides to immediately put an end to violence and noted that the UN is actively discussing with all the parties concerned to achieve a ceasefire.

He voiced his concern about the civilian casualties caused by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, appealing to leaders of the parties to steer clear of inflammatory statements.

Wennesland reported that since May 10, Israel had conducted 950 attacks on Gaza, killing 181 Palestinians, including at least 52 children, and injuring 1,000 others. Forty schools and at least four hospitals had been completely or partly destroyed, 18 buildings devastated and over 350 others damaged, while more than 34,000 people made homeless.

The Israeli side had also seen nine killed by rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

Expressing their concerns over the recent tensions and risks of spiraling violence, UNSC member states called on the parties to exercise maximum self-restraint, avoid causing losses for civilians, and respect international law.

Most of the states condemned the uncontrolled violence against civilians and civilian infrastructure. They were also concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, given the rising casualties and limited healthcare conditions.

Participants lauded efforts by the UN, countries, and international organisations to persuade the related parties to reach a ceasefire and resume negotiations. They reiterated the stance of supporting the two-state solution and appealed for an end to the conflict.

Many states called for the conflicts root causes to be addressed while highlighting the role of the UN, including the Special Coordinator, the Quartet on the Middle East, as well as the states in and outside the region that are influential in the relevant parties in settling the current conflict.

For his part, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, expressed his deep concern over the escalating tensions between Israelis and Palestinians with growing casualties.

Vietnam condemns the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, he affirmed.

He stressed that while seeking solutions to the conflicts root causes, acts of violence must be ended immediately and all the relevant parties must exercise self-restraint and not complicate the situation.

Vietnam asked the parties, particularly Israel, to respect the international humanitarian law and exercise maximum self-restraint to minimise damage, including to essential infrastructure, and avoid civilian casualties as in line with the UNSCs Resolution 2573.

Quy also underlined Vietnams appeal to Israel to immediately stop the excessive use of force and any unilateral act complicating the situation.

The diplomat pointed out the quickly worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, voicing his serious concern about the exhaustion of fuel for power plants that may lead to a severe crisis for the healthcare and water supply sectors.

Regarding solutions and efforts by the international community, he called on all members of the international and regional communities that have influence on the parties to augment efforts to avoid risks of a war like in 2014.

The Vietnamese ambassador underscored the need to resolve the conflict by peaceful measures and that in the long run, the only sustainable path for the Middle East peace issue is to carry out the two-state solution.

He also stressed the necessity for the UNSC to have a strong and unanimous voice in this regard.

This emergency meeting was held at the request of 10 UNSC member states, namely China, Estonia, France, Ireland, Norway, Niger, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, Tunisia, the UK, and Vietnam./.VNA
Despite that, Petro has managed to maintain a lock on the left and distance himself from the rest of Colombia's discredited political establishment. And now, members of the country's business elite in recent weeks have been requesting meetings with Petro to learn more about his policies, said Rojas. A trip to Washington is planned this year, he added.

I still believe that Petro is perhaps the only politician who has a coherent program to offer a country submerged in a deep social crisis, said Maria Mercedes Maldonado, who distanced herself from Petro after serving as his top policy adviser in the 2018 campaign, complaining that he doesn't listen to grassroots activists.

As mayor of Colombias capital, he racked up enemies by banning bullfights, cutting bus fares and transferring control of private garbage collection to a city agency  a move for which he was briefly ousted by the nations inspector general in 2014.

U.S. officials at times have viewed Petro as a radical populist in the mold of Chavez, according to a 2006 secret U.S. Embassy cable published by pro-transparency group Wikileaks. But two years later, Ambassador William Brownfield in another cable described him as pragmatic.
INDEPENDENCE  The Tyson pet treat production plant in Independence is expected to be sold to General Mills by early October, the company recently announced in a news release.

The $1.2 billion deal includes the brands Nudges, True Chews and Top Chews, according to the release. Tyson said it will keep providing meat ingredients after General Mills takes over the plant. The sale is still undergoing regulatory approval and other closing conditions, but that is expected to be done by the end of Tyson's fiscal year.

The company said nearly 300 workers for its pet treat business will become General Mills employees once the sale is final. The Independence plant employs 265 people, Tyson said previously.

The Tyson pet treat business made more than $240 million in sales in the year that ended April 3, the company said. The release said the $35 billion pet food industry remains a "strong" market since pet ownership increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tyson began its pet treat business in 2010 when it launched True Chews, the release said. That was followed by Nudges in 2011 and Top Chews in 2012, along with other natural treats.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israeli warplanes unleashed a new series of heavy airstrikes at several locations in Gaza City early Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gaza's Hamas rulers would rage on.
About this blog

In the interests of doing something different to every other wine blogger, this blog delves into the world of wine data, instead of wine itself. The intention is to ferret out some of the interesting stuff, and to bring it out into the light, for everyone to see. In particular, I draw pictures of the data  as William Playfair said (in 1805): "whatever can be expressed in numbers may be represented by lines". So, I'd rather show you a graph than a paragraph. Hopefully, this will be both interesting and informative.
Who is responsible for American democracy disorder?

10:46, May 17, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

A countrys democratic institutions are supposed to be established for social stability, and the effect of governance is the criterion for assessing the practice of democracy. In the U.S., obviously, the American-style democracy has been proven rather incapable of delivering stability to the society.

People rally to protest against anti-Asian hate crimes on Foley Square in New York, the United States, April 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The American society has long been haunted by polarization and division, and frequently witnessed rampant chaos. The countrys governance system hasnt delivered much good performance even when its people were confronted with major risks and challenges.

For decades, scenes of the dysfunctional state of the American governance have never ceased to shock the world.

The U.S. government has been shut down again and again. From the end of 2018 to January 2019, it even underwent a 35-day shutdown, the longest one in U.S. history. When the raging COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across the world, U.S. politicians were arguing about whether people should wear face masks in public, and the U.S. federal government was wresting medical supplies from state governments of the country and implementing anti-epidemic policies completely opposite to those of state governments.

While protests like Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate have swept the country, racial equality is still unreachable in reality for the American society. Although shooting incidents frequently happen in the U.S., the countrys gun control legislation is still trapped in the political maelstrom in Washington, D.C.

Such endless governance failures have reflected structural problems in the American-style democracy.

The disorder in the U.S. has driven many Americans to despair. On Jan. 6, more than ten thousand demonstrators violently stormed the U.S. Capitol complex. The riot triggered by the disputed U.S. presidential election astonished the world.

American media called it the first time in modern American history that the power transfer has turned into a real combat in the Washington corridor of power. They blamed that violence, chaos and vandalism had shaken the American democracy to the core, dealing a heavy blow to Americas image as a democratic beacon.

The nature of the U.S. political crisis has been greatly underestimated, its causes very profound. The country is divided down the middle, hopelessly polarized and its system of government paralysed, British academic Martin Jacques wrote on Twitter.

Some politicians in the U.S. often brag about the ingenious design of American democracy. However, the fact is the ingenious design has incubated the freak of vetocracy for the country. The ferocious battles between the Republican Party and Democratic Party escalate constantly, leading to government shutdown, paralysis of the Congress, and deadlocked decision-making.

It is well known that there has been an increasingly stark disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on economy, racial justice, climate change, law enforcement, international engagement and a long list of other issues. Members of the U.S. Congress vote more along party lines on many important and major public matters, while disagreement between Democrats and Republicans has gradually changed from policy differences to identity battles. Ceaseless battles between the two parties have plunged the governance of the country into a mire of inefficiency and incompetency.

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that majorities of Americans describe both parties as too extreme.

Voters supporting different parties are at loggerheads under the instigation of extreme politicians. Political hatred sparked by political fanaticism has raged through the country like a plague and become the root cause of constant social unrest and division in the U.S.

Who on earth is responsible for state governance failure? Surprisingly, the answer to the question is not easy to find in the U.S.

As the COVID-19 ravaged the country, U.S. officials criticized others harshly to shift blame, with the president blaming state governor and the latter blaming the federal government. While politicians were busy finding scapegoats for consequences of their own mistakes, the U.S. people couldnt find timely and adequate guarantee of their safety.

Clearly the evil consequences of the disorder in American democracy are eventually suffered by the American people.

Faced with various chaotic phenomena cause by disorder in the American democratic institutions, the U.S. society has already been filled with voices expressing disappointment and calling for self-examination.

The U.S. government is still captured by powerful elite groups that distort policy to their own benefit and undermine the legitimacy of the regime as a whole. And the system is still too rigid to reform itself, pointed out U.S. political scientist Francis Fukuyama in his article Rotten to the Core? published on the website of American magazine Foreign Affairs on Jan. 18.

Forty-five percent of the respondents believe democracy is not working well in the U.S., 29 percent more than the surveyed Americans who believe democracy is working well or extremely well, according to an opinion poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center, a public affairs research center co-founded by the Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago, from late January to early February.

Americans are losing faith in their democracy, as most believe its survival is dependent on fully overhauling the process, said a recent article published on U.S. newspaper The Hill.

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 65 percent of Americans believe the political system of democracy in this country needs to go through major changes or be totally overhauled to endure, according to the article.

Our current system offers no stable solutions and no consensus of ideas, the article continued.

A society where effective governance can be realized must be one that has the ability to purify, improve, and reform itself. Apparently, the vicious cycle of the American politics is not able to cultivate such ability.

Contradictions accumulate in prolonged polarization and division in the U.S. society and evolve into confrontations as they intensify. Its only a matter of time before the disorder in the American democratic institutions go from bad to worse for different reasons. By then, it will be a rather tough time for the American-style democracy.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
For entry this year, festivalgoers 12 years old and up will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within the past 24 hours for each day they attend. Masks must be worn in the Near West Side park, but they may be removed when eating and drinking. Organizers said they are working closely with local health officials and will continue to update this policy as government guidelines evolve with an increase in vaccinations and decrease in cases.
Lubbock man indicted, charged in 2006 murder after turning himself in to police
Weeks later, school officials were able to dig out his class records, even making note of his impressive grades. Kroener was originally approved to attend a graduation ceremony in 2020 but was forced by the pandemic to delay until this year.

Back to school

The road to Southern California started north of the border. Then a captain in the Air Force after receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Detroit, Kroener was stationed at a military base in Canada when he learned that he secured one of 26 government-funded spots offered to Air Force officers for graduate school. From a snow-covered mountaintop in Newfoundland he was informed of the schools he could apply to.

"I heard the University of Southern California and I said, I'll take it. I'm going back to sit on the beach after being in 110 inches of snow for a year. It wasn't too hard of a decision to make, said Kroener.

However, it wasn't just the weather that Kroener appreciated about going to school in Los Angeles. He was able to take advantage of the wide variety of corporations that would open doors to students like himself.

"I went to [oil company] Atlantic Richfield to do a paper, I went to Mattel toy company to do a paper, I went to Continental Airlines to basically write a master's thesis, myself and another captain, he said. All you had to do was say you're a student doing graduate work at USC. And I mean, they just opened the doors."

Kroener earned his MBA in 1971, but before the graduation ceremony took place he was deployed to Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. As part of his duties, he managed combat engineering teams by setting up their directives and getting them all the equipment needed to prepare for combat in Vietnam. He eventually retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1993.

Graduation Day arrives at last

Like most commencement ceremonies this year, graduates are given a limited number of tickets, but that hasn't made Kroener any less excited.

He drove from his home in Arizona to California for the May 17 outdoor commencement ceremony at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The sash he ordered from the USC bookstore was custom-made with 1971 and the Air Force crest emblazoned on it.

Meanwhile, many of his family members who weren't able to attend the festivities in person watched it via livestream.

In addition to his three children, it's particularly special to Kroener that his three grandchildren witnessed the occasion. His oldest grandson, who has one more semester of college to go, watched his grandfather's ceremony in advance of his own.

"He'll be able to watch it on TV and see what other students are like. He's in finance himself and will see all the business school graduates. So I think he'll be a little excited to see what Grandpa does, Kroener said.

Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency's Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English.
iStock / Getty Images

En espanol | Unless it's a birthday or anniversary, you probably don't circle May 17 on the calendar. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, May 17 is the deadline for filing federal income tax returns for 2020 and paying your tax bill. If you haven't filed your tax return by then, you can file for an automatic extension  but you still have to pay the taxes you owe by midnight on May 17.

Getting an extension to file your return

What if you're still sorting through receipts for tax deductions, or the dog ate your W-2 form? Don't worry. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will automatically grant you an extension to file your tax return by Oct. 15. All you need to do is submit Form 4868.

You can file electronically via IRS e-file from your home computer or have your tax preparer do it for you. Want to file by paper form? Go right ahead. Just make sure it's postmarked by May 17.

If you live outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico, you're allowed two extra months to file your return and pay any amount due without requesting an extension. The same is true for those in military or naval service outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico. However, you'll still owe interest on payments made after the regular due date.

If you're on active military inside a combat zone, taxes are one thing you don't have to worry about  yet. You have 180 days after you left the combat zone, plus as many days you're in the combat zone. If you leave the combat zone on May 30, for example, you have 180 days to file and pay your taxes, plus the 13 days you're in a combat zone after May 17.
While his scenes for the film can be pushed back further to accommodate his recovery, he may not have the same luxury when the Tribeca Film Festival kicks off on June 9. De Niro co-founded the event with producer Jane Rosenthal.
Defense lawyer Chad Frese told prospective jurors that his clients immigration status had become an unfortunate flashpoint but said it had nothing to do with the trial. He said Rivera enjoys the same constitutional rights as a U.S. citizen, and that jurors cannot hold his lack of English language skills against him.
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Ayesha Curry insists she's not a 'moron' after landing in hot water for reposting Israeli military's message that seemingly defends the attacks on Palestine.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - Ayesha Curry came under fire over her posts about Middle East conflict between Israeli and Palestinian. Stephen Curry's wife was blasted for reposting Israeli military's message. Stamped with an Israel Defense Forces symbol, it explained the war as "terrorist organizations in Gaza have been attacking Israel with thousands of rockets."

Ayesha Curry resposted Israeli military's message

The cookbook author and TV personality also shared her own message on Instagram Story, "Praying for everyone's safety in both GAZA and Israel. Praying for peace."

People were quick to call her out with one writing, "Educate yourself before you speak. Israel is the TERRORIST. Saying pray for Israel is like saying 'all lives matter' FREE FREE PALESTINE." Ayesha responded, "It's the fact that me praying for innocent peoples safety on both sides offend you for me humanity is in shambles."

Ayesha Curry responded to criticisms

However, she was apologetic later. As she's called moron on Twitter, she admitted she was misinformed, and subsequently deleted her Instagram Story that seemed to defend Israel's attacks on Palestine.

"I'm not a moron," she tweeted in response to her critic. "Don't do that. I was misinformed by someone close to me which is why the post was removed as soon as I realized. It's unfortunate someone screenshot it and is circulating. I am now getting properly informed on the situation. Hopefully you have grace."

Now on her Instagram Story, there was a post pleading for donation as "urgent medicines needed in GAZA."
Instagram Celebrity

The catwalk beauty has joined thousands of protesters in a rally to support her father's native country amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - Supermodel Bella Hadid joined thousands of protesters who took to the streets of Brooklyn, New York on Saturday (15May21) for a rally in support of Palestine.

The catwalk favourite, whose father Mohamed Hadid is from Palestine, wore a traditional Keffiyeh dress and a face mask as she waved a large Palestinian flag during the demonstration.

"The way my heart feels... To be around this many beautiful, smart, respectful, loving , kind and generous Palestinians all in one place... it feels whole!" she wrote on social media. "We are a rare breed...!!"

"I have a lot to say about this but for now, please read and educate yourself. This is not about religion. This is not about spewing hate on one or the other. This is about Israeli colonization, ethnic cleansing, military occupation and apartheid over the Palestinian people that has been going on for YEARS!"

"I stand with my Palestinian brothers and sisters, I will protect and support you as best as I can. I LOVE YOU. I feel for you. And I cry for you. I wish I could take away your pain. The pain of a father not being able to hug his wife or babies again. Of a mother who has to bury her child before she has the chance to watch them grow. Of children that are future artists, doctors, that will never be able to get the education or attention they deserve."

"To the Tetas and jidos that have built homes for their families, that they will never be able to live in again. I see you. I hear you. I cry for you. And I am in pain for you. I have been told my entire life that who I am: a Palestinian woman - is not real. I've been told my father does not have a birth place if he is from Palestine. And I am here to say Palestine is very much real and the Palestinian people are here to stay and coexist. As they always have. And we will always come together as a family. Always."

Hours earlier, Bella posted a photo from her grandparents' wedding day, along with an image of her dad next to his seven siblings and their mother, to her Instagram, revealing the violence in the Middle East forced them out of Palestine in 1948.

"I love my family, I love my Heritage, I love Palestine," she wrote. "I will stand strong to keep their hope for a better land in my heart. A better world for our people and the people around them. They can never erase our history. History is history!"

She shared another emotional post in support of her father's homeland, writing, "You cannot allow yourself to be desensitized to watching human life being taken. You just can't. Palestinian lives are the lives that will help change the world. And they are being taken from us by the second. #FreePalestine."

The demonstration comes a week after decades-old tensions in Gaza between Israeli and Palestinian forces flared up again amid missile attacks in the West Bank. Things escalated at the start of the holy Muslim period of Ramadan last month (Apr21).
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One day earlier, the former 'Silver Spoons' star uploaded a video of him giving a supervisor by the name of Jason a hard time for blocking him from entering the store without a mask.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - Ricky Schroder has nothing personal against the Costco employee who blocked him from entering the store without a mask. One day after uploading a video of him harassing the retail store's supervisor by the name of Jason over its mask policy, the former "Silver Spoons" star made a return to Instagram to offer his apology.

In a lengthy video he posted on Sunday night, May 16, the 51-year-old actor first stated, "Jason, nothing personal. I'm not upset with you or anybody in position like you haveworks for a living." He went on to acknowledge Jason's position by saying, "I understand you were following their laws and rules."

On why he did what he did, Ricky explained, "I was trying to make a point to the corporate overlords and sorry that I had to use you to do it." He further pointed out, "I want us all to be free. I want us all to go back to the way it was. I don't want this COVID reality they all want." In the caption of the video, he wrote, "America Backs The Blue. The Line just got a whole bunch Thicker."

Ricky made media headlines after putting out a clip of his clash with Jason on Saturday, May 15. He kicked off the footage by asking Jason, "What's your name, and what do you do here? And why aren't you letting me in?" The supervisor in return explained, "Because in the state of California and the county of Los Angeles, and Costco, there has been no change to our mask policy."

Jason's statement prompted Ricky to hit back by stating, "Yes there has been. You didn't see the news? Nationwide Costco has said you don't need to wear masks." That got Jason to clarify, "Actually, that's not accurate. What is accurate is that Costco always goes above and beyond when following the law, and the mandate in California has not changed."

Riled up Ricky then argued, "The people in power. You're going to listen to these people? They destroyed our economy. They're destroying our culture. They're destroying our state. And you're just going to listen to their rules?" He went on to state, "I'm getting my refund from Costco. I suggest everybody in California get their refund from Costco. Give up your membership from Costco until they remove this."

On Friday, Costco issued a statement regarding its mask policy. "In Costco locations where the state or local jurisdiction does not have a mask mandate, we will allow members and guests who are fully vaccinated to enter Costco without a face mask or face shield," it said. "We will not require proof of vaccination, but we ask for members' responsible and respectful cooperation with this revised policy."

The company continued, "Face coverings will still be required in healthcare settings, including Pharmacy, Optical, Hearing Aid. Costco continues to recommend that all members and guests, especially those who are at higher risk, wear a mask or shield." The California state government stated in its website, "Face coverings are required, regardless of vaccination status, in indoor settings outside of one's home."
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Reigniting his beef with the Chicago rapper, the 'TROLLZ' hitmaker claims '6ix9ine curse is real' and launches a GoFundMe page raising money to 'Help Reese [Buy] a Car.'

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - 6ix9ine couldn't help breaking his social media silence following Lil Reese shooting. Learning of the tragedy that struck one of his nemeses, the notorious celebrity troll commented on multiple social media blog posts reporting the incident that left his rival injured.

"Lil Tim out here wildin," 6ix9ine wrote in the comment section of one post, referencing to Quando Rondo's associate who is charged with killing King Von. He added in another comment, "How [Reese] get shot before quando."

Mocking Reese over a car which he allegedly stole, the Brooklyn native came with a message to Lil Durk, who is known as Reese's frequent collaborator. "@lildurk buy ya man a car. U got him looking crazy in that video."

6ix9ine trolled Lil Reese after a Chicago shooting.

6ix9ine posted on his Instagram Story, "He stole the wrong person car today." He went as far as setting up a GoFundMe page to "Help Reese By (sic) a Car." He wrote in the caption of his now-deleted Instagram post, "What happen today it's not funny let's all chip in and help him buy his own car." The GoFundMe page has now been removed as well.

The Brooklyn rapper mocked his nemesis over an alleged stolen car.

His trolling didn't stop there as he also bragged on his other Story post, "6ix9ine curse is real. Rest in peace to all the rappers who are in heaven." He later posted a screenshot of an IG Live exchange he had with Reese earlier this year, where Reese appeared to flash a gun. "You mean to tell me you have it on Instagram but not in real life[?]," the 25-year-old questioned.

6ix9ine's posts clowning Reese arrive after photos surfaced of a damaged car that was riddled with bullets and smeared with blood after Reese was involved in a shoot-out in his hometown of Chicago on Saturday morning, May 15. He and one of the other victims were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, while the third man was transported to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. Chicago Police Department officials claim the rapper sustained an eye wound after he was grazed in the eye by bullet.

The incident allegedly stemmed from a car jacking, but Reese reportedly told police that he wasn't involved with that. According to TMZ, the rapper claimed he was only directing the men in the car when they pulled up to the garage.
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Beating out 73 other contestants, the 26-year-old software engineer and model delivers a strong statement on changing beauty standards during the live broadcast.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - The new Miss Universe has finally been crowned after a long wait. Postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 69th Miss Universe was held on Sunday, May 16 and aired live from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Contestants from 74 countries and territories were competing for the Miss Universe 2020 title. This year's show marked the Miss Universe debut of Cameroon, who was represented by Kossinda Angele, as well as the returns of Ghana and Russia, represented by Chelsea Tayui and Alina Sanko respectively, which hadn't competed since 2018.

Throughout the three-hour event, the contestants were narrowed down from 74 to 21 and later to 10 before the judges unveiled the top 5. They were Miss Dominican Republic Kimberly Jimenez, Miss India Adline Castelino, Miss Peru Janick Maceta, Miss Brazil Julia Gama and Miss Mexico Andrea Meza.

The top 5 made their final statements, before Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi handed over the crown to her successor. Due to the safety protocols, the final two contestants, Andrea and Julia, stood apart while pretending to be holding each other's hands as they held out their breaths to hear the winner.

Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was eventually named the Miss Universe 2020. During her final statement, she was given the topic of changing beauty standards, to which she answered, "We live in a society that more and more is more than advanced, and as we advance as a society, we've also advanced with stereotypes." She added, "Nowadays beauty isn't only the way we look. For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirit, but in our hearts and the way that we conduct ourselves. Never permit someone to tell you that you're not valuable."

Miss Brazil Julia Gama is the first runner-up, Peru came in the third place, India was fourth, while Dominican Republic was in the fifth place. Miss Dominican Republic Kimberly also won the Carnival Spirit Award. Miss Myanmar Thuzar Wint Lwin won Best National Costume, while Miss Bolivia Lenka Nemer was honored with the Impact Award.

This year's Miss Universe pageants was hosted by Mario Lopez and Olivia Culpo, marking the first time Steve Harvey didn't host the show since 2015. In the 69th edition, 19 countries and territories were also forced to withdraw from the competition due to the pandemic.
Marvel Studios/Netflix TV

Additionally, late actor Chadwick Boseman is posthumously honored with the Best Performance in a Movie thanks to his portrayal of Levee Green in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - The Golden Popcorn is ready! Taking place at the Palladium in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 16, the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards had announced its full winners from both Movie and TV categories. This year, "WandaVision" led TV nominations alongside "Emily in Paris" and "RuPaul's Drag Race". As for the film nominations, "Judas and the Black Messiah" and "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" were among the frontrunners.

As "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" was one of the highly-anticipated TV series, it was no surprise that Anthony Mackie, who plays the Falcon on the series, was named as the winner of Best Hero this year. The Marvel actor edged out Gal Gadot ("Wonder Woman 1984)", Jack Quaid ("The Boys"), Pedro Pascal ("The Mandalorian") and Teyonah Parris ("WandaVision").

Fellow Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen was also honored with a trophy. The Wanda Maximoff depicter won the Best Performance in a Show. She successfully won over fellow nominees including Anya Taylor-Joy ("The Queen's Gambit"), Elliot Page ("The Umbrella Academy", Emma Corrin ("The Crown") and Michael Coel ("I May Destroy You").

The Best Kiss award, meanwhile, went to "Outer Banks" stars Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline. As for the Best Comedic Performance, it was given to host Leslie Jones for her performance in "Coming 2 America".

Elizabeth Olsen wasn't the only "WandaVision" star who came home with trophies. Kathryn Hahn was chosen as the winner of Best Villain for her portrayal of Agatha Harkness. The fight between Wanda and Agatha was also named as the Best Fight. The Disney+ series was also the winner of this year's Best Show. Meanwhile, Rege-Jean Page took home the award for the Breakthrough Performance thanks to his role of Simon Bassett on Netflix's "Bridgerton".

In the movie department, Chadwick Boseman was honored with the Best Performance in a Movie thanks to his portrayal of Levee Green in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom". "To All the Boys: Always and Forever", meanwhile, was named as the Best Movie, edging out "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm", "Judas and the Black Messiah", "Promising Young Woman" and "Soul".
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There's allegedly an increasing sense of 'bewilderment and betrayal' inside the palace after Harry accused his dad of making him through a 'cycle' of 'pain and suffering' in a podcast.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle apparently angered senior palace aides following the Duke of Sussex's appearance in an episode of "Armchair Expert" podcast. It has been reported that the palace aides wanted the Sussexes to give up their royal titles after Harry slammed his father Prince Charles in the episode.

According to the new report, there's an increasing sense of "bewilderment and betrayal" inside the palace after Harry accused his dad of making him through a "cycle" of "pain and suffering." He also said that Charles' parenting skills reflected his own upbringing by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

In response to the comments, one aide told the Daily Mail, "People are appalled that he could do this to the Queen when the Duke of Edinburgh is barely in his grave. To drag his grandfather into this is so shocking and disrespectful." Prince Philip passed away in April 9.

"The Duke of Sussex has now spent a significant amount of time emphasizing that he's no different to anyone else and attacking the institution which he says has caused him so much pain. There is a growing feeling that if you dislike the institution that much, you shouldn't have the titles," the aide said.

Another source added, "They should put the titles into abeyance, so they still exist, but are not used, like they agreed to do with their HRHs. They should just become Harry and Meghan. And if they refuse to do that, they have to explain why not."

During his appearance in the Thursday, May 13 episode, Harry told host Dax Shepard, "When it comes to parenting, if I've experienced some form of pain and suffering because of the pain and suffering that perhaps my father or parents suffered."

He added, "I'm gonna make sure I break that cycle so that I don't pass it on. It's a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway... So we as parents should be doing the most we can to try and say, 'You know what? That happened to me, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen to you.' "

"I know this bit about his life, I also know that's connected to his parents, so that means that he is treating me the way that he was treated. Which means, 'How can I change that for my own kids'? And well, here I am, I have now moved my whole family to the U.S.," Harry further explained. "That wasn't the plan, do you know what I mean? But sometimes you have got to make decisions and put your family first and your mental health first."

Prior to this, Harry and Meghan gave up their "HRH" titles following their exit from the British royal family.
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While acknowledging his sexual relationship with a Microsoft engineer that lasted for years before his split from Melinda, the business magnate denies that it had anything to do with his decision to resign from the board of his company.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - Bill Gates cheated on his wife Melinda Gates prior to their split announcement. The Microsoft co-founder has admitted to having an affair with an employee years before he and his now-estranged wife called it quits.

Bill acknowledged his extramarital affair after the company's probe into matter was uncovered by the Wall Street Journal. According to the news outlet, a Microsoft engineer penned a letter to the company's board in 2019, claiming that she and Bill had a sexual relationship over the years.

In the letter, the woman demanded changes to her Microsoft job and also asked that Melinda read her letter. It's unclear though if she had her wishes fulfilled.

Board members hired a law firm to conduct an investigation into the allegations. During the probe, some board members decided it was no longer suitable for Bill to sit as a director at the software company he started and led for decades, but the tech genius decided to step down from the board before the investigation was completed and before the full board could make a formal decision on the matter.

"Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000," a Microsoft spokesman said in regards to the report. "A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern."

A spokeswoman for Bill also confirmed that the affair did happen. "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," she stated, but denied that his decision to resign had anything to do with the affair. She said his "decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

In other report, the New York Times claimed that Bill "pursued" several women in his office long after he wed Melinda in 1994. The 65-year-old allegedly asked out women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on two different occasions.

Bill and Melinda announced their decision to divorce on May 3 after 27 years of marriage. Words are Melinda hired divorce attorneys in 2019 after his ties to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein were made public.
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The model daughter of Palestinian real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid is accused of 'advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State' by administrator of Israel's official Twitter account.

May 17, 2021

AceShowbiz - Bella Hadid has been slammed by Israel after she took action to show her stance in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The model was ripped by officials of the country in Western Asia following her participation in a march to support the other country.

In a tweet posted on the state's official Twitter account, the 24-year-old model was accused of "advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State" by joining the protest. "When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State," read the post shared on Sunday, May 16.

"This shouldn't be an Israeli-Palestinian issue. This should be a human issue," the country further remarked, before blasting Bella, "Shame on you." It added the hashtag #IsraelUnderAttack.

Bella Hadid was slammed by Israel for taking part in pro-Palestine protest.

The tweet arrives after Bella took part in a rally in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday in support of Palestine, the homeland of her father Mohamed Hadid. In videos and photos posted on Instagram, she was seen wearing a traditional Keffiyeh dress and a face mask as she waved a large Palestinian flag during the demonstration.

"The way my heart feels.. To be around this many beautiful, smart, respectful, loving , kind and generous Palestinians all in one place... it feels whole ! We are a rare breed!!" she captioned the post. "It's free Palestine til Palestine is free!!! P.s. The Palestinian drip is real."

One day prior, the supermodel posted a throwback photo of her marching in a Free Palestine protest four years ago. "it has always been #freepalestine . ALWAYS," she wrote in a lengthy note accompanying the snap. "This is not about religion. This is not about spewing hate on one or the other. This is about Israeli colonization , ethnic cleansing , military occupation and apartheid over the Palestinian people that has been going on for YEARS!"

"I stand with my Palestinian brothers and sisters , I will protect and support you as best as I can," she continued. "I LOVE YOU. I feel for you. And I cry for you. I wish I could take away your pain. The pain of a father not being able to hug his wife or babies again. Of a mother who has to bury her child before she has the chance to watch them grow. Of children that are future artists , doctors , that will never be able to get the education or attention they deserve. To the Tetas and jidos that have built homes for their families , that they will never be able to live in again. I see you. I hear you. I cry for you. And I am in pain for you."

She further declared, "I have been told my entire life that who I am : a Palestinian woman - is not real. I've been told my father does not have a birth place if he is from Palestine. And I am here to say . Palestine is very much real and the Palestinian people are here to stay and coexist. As they always have. And we will always come together as a family. Always."
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Rumor has it, the 'Positions' hitmaker has officially been taken off the market as she reportedly tied the knot with her fiance in a low-key ceremony over the weekend.

May 18, 2021

AceShowbiz - Ariana Grande is a married woman after reportedly tying the knot with fiance Dalton Gomez in a low-key weekend (15-16May21) wedding.

Sources tell TMZ the "Positions" hitmaker exchanged vows with Gomez at her home in Montecito, California, where they apparently had an informal gathering with very few guests.

It's unclear if the nuptials were impulsive or legally binding.

Representatives for the bride have yet to comment on the news.

Grande announced her engagement to luxury real estate agent Gomez in December (20), when she showed off her unique diamond and pearl engagement ring in a series of photos on social media.

"Forever n then some (sic)," she captioned the pictures.

The couple began dating in early 2020.

The pop superstar was previously engaged to comedian Pete Davidson after another whirlwind romance, but they called it quits in late 2018. Her exes also include late rapper Mac Miller, Big Sean, and dancer Ricky Alvarez.

After proposing to Ariana Grande, Dalton Gomez was quickly welcomed by her family. Her mother Joan Grande expressed her excitement on Twitter. "I am so excited to welcome Dalton Gomez into our family! Ariana, I love you and Dalton so much!!!! Here's to happily ever after! YAY! xoxoxo," she tweeted back then.

Her brother Frankie Grande also turned to his own Twitter page to congratulate the couple. He gushed, "I am so happy for my sister and so excited to (officially) welcome Dalton into the family! YAY! This is just the beginning of a long-lasting life filled with laughter & love. Ugh. I love you Ariana & Dalton! HAPPY ENGAGEMENT!"
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Congratulations are in order for the mixed martial arts champion and his wife-to-be as she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, her third child with the star.

May 18, 2021

AceShowbiz - Irish mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor is celebrating the birth of his third child.

The UFC fighter and his fiancee, Dee Devlin, have welcomed a baby boy named Rian, a little brother for their son, Conor Jr., four, and daughter Croia, two.

Sharing a photo of himself with his newborn on Instagram on Monday (17May21), McGregor wrote, "The McGregor Clan is now a family of 5..."

"Healthy baby boy delivered! Baby and Mammy Wonder Woman are doing great!"

"God I thank you for everything you give to me and my family in this world," he added. "My new born son, Rian McGregor (sic)."

The couple, which became engaged last summer (20) after 12 years of dating, announced the pregnancy news at Christmas.

McGregor has plenty to celebrate - he also recently topped Forbes magazine's annual list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes, raking in a reported $180 million (130 million) over the past year to claim the title for the first time.

Devlin congratulated her husband-to-be on Instagram. "Success is no accident, it's hard work. We are so proud of you!!!" so she gushed along with pictures of celebration they threw at home for his latest feat. He responded in kind, "Love you baby."

The arrival of the couple's latest baby also drew a lot of congratulation messages on social media. "So happy and proud of u both. Welcome to our family baby," McGregor's sister Erin commented. His other sister Aoife sent love as well.

Meanwhile, fashion mogul Donatella Versace exclaimed, "Huge congratulations, Conor!!"
HAPPY VALLEY, Calif.  Thirteen people were detained by SWAT team members at a Happy Valley home after two people were shot Sunday morning, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.

The incident came to the attention of the Shasta County Sheriff's Office at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Sheriffs deputies were notified that two people had been shot and were at a local hospital with non-life-threatening wounds. The deputies then started to investigate.

Deputies learned there may have been a related confrontation early in the morning in downtown Redding.

Deputies said the victims then went to a home at 6513 Lu Lu Lane in Happy Valley. They said the confrontation escalated there and that it is suspected to be the place where the shooting occurred.

Deputies went to the Happy Valley residence and said they located evidence to corroborate the victims statements. Later the deputies said they were able to find the victims car which was discovered to have several bullet holes in it.

The officers said the occupants at the Happy Valley home were uncooperative and belligerent towards them. They were able to secure a search warrant for the residence and the property.

Thirteen people at the residence were questioned and the home was searched for evidence by investigators.

The Shasta County Sheriff's SWAT team was called in to serve the warrant because of the crime, the hostile demeanor of the occupants, and the possibility of an armed confrontation.

If you have any information that could help Shasta County Sheriffs Department investigators with this case you are asked to call (530) 245-6025 or Shasta County Secret Witness at (530) 243-2319.
OROVILLE, Calif. - In 2020, there were 14 California peace officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

On Saturday in Butte County, those officers were honored, along with the lives of 295 officers across the nation who died in the line of duty. The ceremony was held in Butte County for Peace Officers Memorial Day.

"Our brothers and sisters in law enforcement who have lost their lives in the line of duty will never be forgotten and we will continue to honor the service of those who made the ultimate sacrifice," the Butte County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Many members of the Butte County Sheriff's Office participated in a 5k run/walk-in support of National Police Week, which benefits the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) and Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.). These two charities honor fallen law enforcement and provide support to their families.

The popular Run sith the Law event is back. The run will be held in Lower Bidwell Park on Saturday, June 26, 2021. The run will begin at 8:00 a.m., according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office. Correctional deputies will be working the Captain Bob Pancake Wagon to serve breakfast for runners and walkers after they cross the finish line.

CLICK HERE to sign up for the 5k/1-mile run/walk.
CHICO, Calif. - Police officers arrested a man after they said he assaulted someone in a Chico neighborhood and then ran away from officers.

Officers responded to a felony assault near Huntington Drive at around 8:30 p.m., Sunday.

Police said the suspect then got into a car and sped off, only for officers to receive a tip that the suspect was in the area of Roberto Court.

Officers surrounded a residence on Roberto Court, where he was seen in the backyard of a home.

The man later identified as Brian Lawson then started jumping backyard fences of several homes, according to police.

As officers were searching for Lawson, he ran towards an open grass field. He eventually got tired and was detained. Lawson became compliant and was taken into custody without further incident.

Lawson is currently booked in Butte County Jail.
INBISCO India, a subsidiary of global food and beverage giant Mayora has roped in Indian Film Industrys legend and icon Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador for its flagship brand Malkist. Headquartered in Hyderabad, INBISCO India is one of the rapidly growing food FMCG companies in the country. The company offers unique and highly differentiated brands like KOPIKO - candy made with real coffee extracts, Choki Choki, Go Choco Rollz and Wheelz, in the confectionery category, Malkist, Coffee Joy and AttaBix in the Biscuits category. INBISCO Indias constant innovation has helped them bring Cafe Blend  a cappuccino premix with choco granules and CHAiKO  candy made with real tea extracts into the market.

The latest ad campaign showcases Indias most iconic personality Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in a series of TV commercials endorsing the brands new positioning Malkist Cant Resist. It cuts across all age groups and regions. The campaign also features Anikha Surendran who rightly represents the target audience making it a winning combination. The campaign highlights the uniqueness of the cracker which is made with delicious 14 crunchy layers and innovative toppings like Cheese, Cappuccino, and Chocolate that makes it completely irresistible. Its fun, playful, and innocent narrative gives a refreshing new take on biscuit indulgence.

On his association with the brand Mr. Amitabh Bachchan said, I found the whole concept of Malkists crunchy layered crackers and cheesy cream topping so unique, that I had to taste it! And since then I really havent been able to resist it!

Achyut Kasireddy, MD, INBISCO India commented, Malkist is a much differentiated cracker with each biscuit made out of 7 layers, which makes it very crunchy. Innovative toppings like Cheese, Cappuccino, Chocolate etc. make it delicious. We have seen brilliant acceptance for Malkists unique offering from Indian consumers. The new TVC highlights Malkists proposition as crunchy crackers with cool toppings, which even Mr. Amitabh Bachchan cant resist!

The new campaign is all set to create a powerful launch through television, digital, and on ground activation ensuring the brand excels and builds consumer connect across India.
With India battling the second wave of COVID-19, people of all ages are experiencing miasma, hopelessness and are unable to process the whirlpool of negative news surrounding them. Seniors in particular are feeling increasingly anxious and overwhelmed by the situation, and often tend to shy away from opening up about their mental health for the fear of being judged.

While the pandemic has largely focused on physical health (the importance of hygiene and sanitisation, building ones immunity), there has not been much focus on the mental distress caused by the pandemic.

To help senior citizens address their mental health issues, Columbia Pacific Communities, Indias largest senior living community operator has partnered with Fortis Healthcare, one of Indias most reputed healthcare service providers to launch a mental wellness initiative titled #ReachOut. The objective of the 10-day social media led initiative is to provide senior citizens with free and easy access to experts who can provide them with counselling, therapy and no-judgement, confidential conversations.

Mohit Nirula, CEO, Columbia Pacific Communities, said, Even after a year of the pandemic, mental health is a topic that is not discussed much. We believe that mental wellness is an integral part of overall wellness, a primary driver of positive ageing, and have always created space and opportunities for our residents to retain charge of their lives. In these difficult times, when seniors staying on their own are feeling lonely, isolated, overwhelmed and hopeless, this initiative in association with Fortis Healthcare, one of Indias most reputed healthcare service providers, will encourage them to open up and reach out for help.

The objective of this initiative by Columbia Pacific Communities is to stand with Indias senior citizens during this difficult time and provide them a safe space encouraging them to ask for help.

Fortis Stress Helpline by Fortis National Mental Health Program, is a free 24x7 helpline providing support, crisis intervention and guidance by psychologists.

Helpline Number : 8376804102

Commenting on the initiative, Dr Samir Parikh, Director, Fortis National Mental health Program said, Its important that we understand the need to make mental health a priority for everyone. Acceptance of mental health concerns is the first step in that direction and seeking help is most important to help individuals cope with difficulties. Mental health of the elderly needs special attention and we at Fortis National Mental Health Program at Fortis Healthcare welcome the initiative by Columbia Pacific Communities to bring mental health of the elderly into focus.

To bring mental wellness to the forefront and encourage more open-hearted conversations, CPC has launched a short awareness film showcasing the kind of response seniors receive when they try to speak about their mental health. The video highlights the importance of reaching out for help at a time like this and shares with them a helpline number which gives them access to counsellors who would give them a patient hearing and share coping mechanisms in as many as 15 different Indian languages.
As we have said, we have no indication of a Hamas presence in the building, nor were we warned of any such possible presence before the airstrike, he said in a statement. This is something we check as best we can. We do not know what the Israeli evidence shows, and we want to know.
Dentsu Group reported its first quarter results for 2021 (ended March 31, 2021  reported on an IFRS basis). In Q1 of 2021, Dentsu Japan Network organic revenue declined -0.9%, while Dentsu International organic revenue declined -3.5%. The Groups underlying operating profit increased by 20.8% (22.4% on a constant currency basis) yoy to JPY 44.9 billion.

At Dentsu International, underlying operating profit was JPY 12.2 billion (YoY +41.8%, +49.7% on a constant currency basis) reflecting the robust cost measures that were implemented last year to protect profitability. In APAC (excluding Japan) Q1 2021 organic revenue registered a decline of -3.1%.

The APAC region also saw continued improvement throughout the quarter, reporting positive organic growth for March. Client confidence is improving across the region with positive growth for the quarter recorded in India, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan. China saw a number of new business wins across all three service lines. The Creative in APAC was flat for the quarter as client spend returned, while Media saw improvement throughout the quarter. Pitch activity across the region is increasing across all three service lines.

Commenting on the quarterly results, Toshihiro Yamamoto, President and CEO, Dentsu Group Inc., said, Our first quarter results showed a continued progressive improvement in our organic performance despite the pre-COVID-19 comparators facing the Group for most of the quarter. Consumer and client confidence is returning, and this is reflected in the positive momentum in our revenue growth. Profit has been particularly strong, demonstrating our relentless focus on costs and commitment to growing our margins.

He added that while uncertainties remain about the progress of the pandemic, and, in particular, with new waves affecting several countries, we believe that our momentum will continue to build, underpinning the medium-term commitments we gave in February.

Our people across the Group have continued to show dedication and diligence with many still working from home. I would like to offer them all my full thanks and appreciation. Strong progress has been made against each of the four objectives of our comprehensive review to accelerate the transformation of our business. We are tracking ahead of many of our internal targets and demonstrating that we are prepared to take unprecedented action to transform our service to clients and give returns to shareholders. This includes radical rationalisation of brands and divestment of assets, Yamamoto added.

He further said, As we look forward to the remainder of 2021 and beyond, Dentsu Group remains well positioned to benefit from the cyclical recovery in digital solutions and media spend, combined with our leading position in the structural growth area of Customer Transformation & Technology. Client demand for CX Transformation services, commerce and loyalty and B2B services remains strong as our clients adapt to meeting their consumers wherever and however they choose to engage with brands. Our unique opportunity is in the seamless integration of our services to provide bigger, more comprehensive answers for our clients. We are combining our strengths in consumer intelligence, modern creative, data and technology to deliver top line growth for our clients through Integrated Growth Solutions.
Global technology leader Lenovo has appointed Dinesh Nair as Director, Consumer Business for India region. Dinesh succeeds Mr. Shailendra Katyal, who has recently been appointed Site Leader for Lenovo India and Managing Director of Lenovos PC and smart device business in India.

Dinesh Nair has been an integral part of the Lenovo India consumer business for more than 11 years and has worked successfully across several roles. His most recent role was as the sales & channel management lead for Lenovos consumer segment in India. He has handled leadership responsibilities across offline general trade retail, distribution management, field sales, eCommerce, large format retail and category management, and has been a key contributor to the companys growth journey in India.

During this difficult time in India, we are working hard to ensure the safety of our employees, partners and customers and I am grateful that we have excellent leaders in place to bring our team together and offer this support. I am proud to hand over the reins of the consumer business to Dinesh. At the same time, this is a demonstration of our commitment to developing talent internally. I am sure he, along with the consumer leadership team, will propel the business to new heights, said Shailendra Katyal, Managing Director, Lenovo India.
Ogilvy today announced that Liz Taylor has been named Global Chief Creative Officer. For over two decades, Liz has been recognized as one of the industrys most progressive creative leaders and was recently recognized as the top ranked woman on The Drums global ranking of the most-awarded Chief Creative Officers. She will be responsible for overseeing Ogilvys creative product across 132 offices in 83 countries and spanning its five business units: Advertising, PR, Experience, Health, and Growth & Innovation. This appointment comes as Piyush Pandey takes on a new role as Chairman of Global Creative at Ogilvy and continues to serve as Chairman of Ogilvy India. Joe Sciarrotta will partner with Liz in his role as Deputy Global CCO.

Andy Main, Global Chief Executive Officer, said: We could not be more thrilled to be welcoming Liz back home to Ogilvy. Liz is a modern creative leader who leads from the front and understands that magic happens when we create and innovate at the intersection of our world-class capabilities and talent. I know her experience creating big, multifaceted ideas will only further strengthen Ogilvys ability to drive world-changing, life-changing, business-changing impact for our clients.

Devika Bulchandani, Global Chairwoman of Advertising, said: There are always those people who you yearn to work with some dayand Liz is one of those people. She is creatively ambidextrous and a sharp problem solver who shares our ambition to make Ogilvy the most creative company in the world, but most importantly Liz embodies both the goodness and greatness of Ogilvy.

Liz Taylor said: There is something special about being able to come back to Ogilvy and join a team that is taking this iconic company into the future. Creativity has the power to change everything and Im looking forward to working with Ogilvys incredibly strong global network of creative talent to inspire people and brands to have an impact on the world.

Liz is returning to Ogilvy at a time where the company has won several new global accountsincluding Abolsut, Enterprise Holdings, Zippo, among othersand accolades for its creativity. Last month, the Clio Awards named Ogilvy its 2021 Agency Network of the Year and DAVID Miami was named Agency of the Year. Both Ogilvy and DAVID were also awarded these respective honors at the 2020 One Show and D&AD Awards.

Most recently, Liz served as Global Chief Creative Officer for Leo Burnett and Chief Creative Officer for Publicis Communications North America. There she was a founding Partner at Le Truc, a new business model threaded across the Publicis Groupe. She previously held several roles at Ogilvy including Global Executive Creative Director before departing in 2016 to become Chief Creative Officer at FCB Chicago. Shes been named an Ad Age Woman to Watch and a member of the Adweek Creative 100, her work has been featured in the Museum of Modern Art and multiple Super Bowls, seen across the pages of Harpers Bazaar, Fast Company and Rolling Stone, and even topped Billboard charts. Throughout her career Liz has driven transformative creative solutions and culture-shaping work for a range of clients that have included: Aldi, Bank of America, Boeing, Budweiser, Cadillac, Campbell's, Facebook, Gatorade, GE, Kellogg's, Kimberly-Clark, McDonald's, Morton Salt, Nintendo, P&G, Walmart, Wrigley, among many others. One of the most awarded creatives in the industry, she has numerous honors to her name, including Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, ANDYs and Effies among others. An industry leader in addressing workplace inequality, Liz also served as an inaugural jury chair of the Athena Advertising Awards, held in conjunction with the 3% Movement.
Shrugging off the disruptions of last year, businesses and agencies are looking for a strong revival in 2021. Adgully  as part of our annual TRENDING NOW endeavour  has been presenting the strategies and views of a cross-section of industry leaders as they go about reclaiming lost time and market opportunities and build for a stronger future, armed with the lessons of 2020.

Also read: Roca Parryware is eyeing 20-25% revenue growth this year: K.E. Ranganathan

While the global pandemic has bought economies to a halt and massively disrupted businesses, it has also fuelled start-up dreams and we even saw several Indian start-ups achieve Unicorn status during the pandemic period. The times have never been better for the budding entrepreneurs to give wings to their start-up dreams.

Co-founded by Anjali Kalachand and Sachin Shetty, A Petter Life is an e-commerce platform catering to pet care, offering pet food, accessories, treats & toys, grooming & hygiene and more. The platform also offers advice on calorie counting for pets, pet parenting, etc.

In conversation with Adgully, Anjali Kalachand, Co-Founder, A Petter Life, speaks about her journey of becoming an entrepreneur, how digital was a blessing for their business and much more.

Please take us through your journey as an entrepreneur. What motivated you to establish your start-up? What were you doing prior to turning an entrepreneur?

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, I was a salaried employee working in the banking and finance space for a little over a decade. I founded Nutriwoof Natural Pet Solutions in January 2020 with the aim of educating pet parents about holistic natural solutions and a range of products to help facilitate their purchasing decision in choosing products that are chemical and preservative free, and non-toxic for their pets. I am also the co-founder of an online platform called A Petter Life, which went live in January 021. A Petter Life attempts to simplify pet-parenting. Both my ventures go hand in hand. Whilst I, amongst other things, create and manufacture natural and holistic products in Nutriwoof, on A Petter Life, we list a multitude of brands that share our philosophy. We also encourage homegrown businesses to list on our platform with a view to be all-inclusive.

What gap did you want to fulfil with your start-up? What is the core business proposition?

When my business partner Sachin and his wife, Mahek, adopted their puppy Flash during the lockdown, we noticed that there wasnt a trusted site you could go to which helped you make guided purchases and promoted holistic solutions. We realised how frustrating it could be for a first time pet-parent to get products that would be best suited for their pup. We also observed that homegrown brands were conducting business on a very small scale and wanted to make their wonderful products known and available pan India. As an attempt to fill the gap that we believe we identified, A Petter Life was born. Our core business proposition is to simplify pet-parenting. From providing nutritional advice to your dog to providing holistic solutions to ailments, we aim to help the consumer make informed decisions with respect to products best suited for their pet. We are also extremely accessible, where we act like personal shopping assistants and can assist you in making the right choice for your dog.

How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business?

Having run Nutriwoof Natural Pet Solutions, a start-up in the pet space for a year, I quickly came to realise that the target group was a diverse one and one growing at a rapid pace. In India, especially in cities, the growth in pets per household and the way we care for our pets, mimics the West. We did not carry out a feasibility study as such, however, we expect the pet market to be a fast growing one based on the following trends:

Pets are being kept as companion animals as opposed to reasons like guarding and pest control.

The humanisation of pets, where pet-parents are now more discerning about the quality of life they give their pets and the decisions they make for them. This involves everything  from what they are fed, to the grooming products used, to toys that help stimulate activity, to mental stimulation toys pets are being looked at more and more like kids nowadays and have as a result become an extension to the family.

More and more households are getting pets nowadays, and we expect this number to keep growing exponentially.

What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them?

Being a start-up, the challenges were manifold and ranged from:

Prioritising tasks and getting involved in all aspects of the business  sometimes things you dont have experience in

Being an unknown/ new player with limited purchasing power gives you less bargaining power

Getting brands to come on board a new portal without a track record proved to be a bit of a challenge, in some cases

Thorough and time consuming research was done to put up the information on the site  in order to benefit pet parents  this piece was very time consuming

What were the clearances that you required for your venture from various authorities?

There were no clearances required besides the usual ones of setting up a company, such as acquiring a GST certificate, intellectual property rights registration, obtaining a PAN Card, etc.

Funds/ finance is the prime issue of almost all start-ups. What can the industry and the Government do to address this issue and ease the capital requirements of start-ups?

Do away with GST registration and filing for all e-commerce companies and make it mandatory only once revenue crosses a certain threshold.

Give subsidised loans to start-ups to help them meet their working capital/ capex requirements

Prime Minister Modi has announced a Startup India Seed Fund. How do you see start-ups benefiting from it?

Start-ups have been targeted in certain sectors that have not received much funding. This provides an opportunity for start-ups with potential to receive funding and help them along their growth journey.

How is digital helping you further your business?

Digital has been a blessing in these COVID-19 times. With restricted movement, people are spending more time on social media. Social media also allows us to target a wider audience and provides a platform, which allows safe engagement with our audience.

What were your key learnings from 2020? How do you see the start-up ecosystem progressing in 2021?

Key learnings from 2020: Despite the pandemic, many start-ups have flourished. In uncertain times like these, where people have taken pay cuts or even lost their jobs  the whole world is undergoing a recession. However, the market for pet products, very much like the market for childrens products, is recession-proof. Human beings being an adaptable species will adapt to the new normal during and after the pandemic, which will lead to many opportunities for start-ups.

What would be your message for the budding entrepreneurs?

Every entrepreneur must have passion and patience. For any business to flourish, it will take time. Patiently wait while it grows organically, and keep working frugally while assessing the market.

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India is healing and we are all healing together from the pandemic. Actor, Varun Dhawan Good Vibes Officer at Fast&Up, Indias leading active nutrition brand along with the fitness icon of the country, Shilpa Shetty Kundra. Both the actors have started the movement with Fast&Ups Lad Lenge song by Divya Kumar, a way of thanking and saluting first-line heroes.

Every reel made using the song Lad Lenge with #HealWithReels will contribute to Fast&Ups Heal-Pray-Love initiative since each reel will be equal to a dose of electrolytes that will be sent to hydrate frontline workers pan India. Make a reel of yourself on the song 'Lad Lenge' by Divya Kumar sweating it out - dancing, working out, yoga, etc that gets you sweating tagging @fastandup_india and #HealWithReels - For every 1 reel, a dose of electrolytes will be donated to our frontline healthcare workers!

We sweat by choice, our frontline heroes sweat, they do not have a choice, inside PPE they sweat for hours and lose lots of body salts along with sweat. Normally, after sweating they just drink water but at that level of dehydration, just water isnt enough. Fast&Up Reload restores their electrolyte imbalance. Last few months have shown the power of healing, prayer and gratitude. More than 85,000 doses of the brands flagship product Fast&Up Reload electrolytes have been distributed to produce instant hydration to our heroes till date. Fast&up has set a target of up to 1 million litres of electrolyte solution to hydrate frontline heroes over the next few months across the country in clinics, hospitals, Covid centres, totally free of cost.
Companies are stepping up in many ways to help their employees tackle this difficult period. The Advertising and Media industry, which is highly oriented around a talented and skilled workforce, is also easing pressures and allowing the workforce a moment of respite in these difficult times.

Adgully has curated a thought leadership seminar as part of our Adgully4um Knowledge Series to highlight initiatives taken up by companies working in advertising and media to protect its biggest resources  its people.

The webinar held on Friday was on the topic Manpower Resources: How the A&M industry needs to show its humane face. Joining in the discussions were:

Kavita Dasan, Vice President - HR, ABP Network

Neha Kulwal, Country Manager Admitad India

Pritha Mitra Dasgupta, Senior Director, Marketing & Communications, Mediabrands India

Rita Verma, EVP & Head  HR, DDB Mudra Group

Roopa Badrinath, Chief Talent Officer, Wunderman Thompson, South Asia

S Srivathsan, EVP & Head  Human Resources, Times Network

Sunil Seth, Human Resources Director- South Asia, Dentsu International

Enumerating the benefits that have been extended to the employees during this second wave of Covid-19 to lessen their burden and bring in optimism, ABP Networks Kavita Dasan said, 70% of ABP is operating from ground zero. Whether we like it or not, being a news channel, we have to be in the ground. Something different that we did this time was that the teams which had to be mandatorily at office and teams which can be working from home. So, all the corporate functions are mandatorily working from home strictly. Even for the anchors, reporters and editorial team we have ensured leveraged technology for them to work from home. We were prepared keeping in mind the last pandemic. Apart from that we have also added more freelancers, interns and trainees and working hours have been shortened. We also have a lot of one-on-one employee connect programme being launched. There is a covid war room that has been established. There is a bunch of people who are tracking every employee and the family member whos been diagnosed of any kind of symptoms and employees first has been an attitude for which the leadership has come together. At the helm of heir, right from the CEO and MC we have decided that we will work without hierarchy and boundaries, with that being dissolved, employees first attitude has gone out. We have done special tie-ups with 20,000 doctors across globe and its taken care entirely by our company. Employee and their familys vaccination are borne by the company. The employees were given certain guidelines, for example, reporters were not allowed to cover the rallies. Family outreach programmes were done. Once the employee sees that he and his family both are taken care by the organisation, I have seen them going out of their way to do work for their company.

Times Group, too, has extended similar benefits to their employees. Speaking about benefits provided by Times Network, S Srivathsan said, Even during the first pandemic we had reduced our employees attendance to twenty percent in offices, with of course field staff working all the time that we further brought down to 15-16% this time because of the severity becoming very clear from friends and interior Maharashtra that this is going to be a very tough and we have to pull together ourselves as a team. We used our connect right up to the highest level, our reporters luckily have connects, our anchors and editors have very good connect. So we had a round the clock service from the HR, where we used to take employees request and we lay it across the Times Group, we had the benefit of a large Times Group Network. The other thing was reinforcing the communication, which was very vital for us. This was for some of the basics which people had forgotten, be it around the communication for double masking, or how to use an oximeter, how to set up an oxygen cylinder  all these were made into videos and were sent out and communication was enhanced so that people had all the information. The other important service that we had was strengthening our Doctor on Call service, we already tied up with a large hospital for this, but that was very generic set-up, so we enhanced the service and got a three-panel doctor installed. We have given dedicated covid related serviced to not only our employees but also our valuable partners. The second important service that we has added was again tying up with a large subsidiary hospital clearing oxygenated beds, creating nursing facilities and a doctor service in a third party location. The other important thing that we did was to review our entire insurance and other allowances and policies we introduced last time, we enhanced and improved it for wider variety of people. The other aspect we introduced was that of describing the statistics that is available and the important aspect of clinical management is we convert what the doctor say into various steps of home care. For our field staff we gave extra information in terms of safety, PPE Kit and others. These were done to prevent the Physical impact, on the mental side, we strengthened our one to one help, a counselling helpline which we already had in terms of employee assistance program that we are planning. We instituted initial focus on grief and anxiety as the two important aspects of employee wellbeing. So we asked our service provider to look for grief consultant as that was becoming very important and also in household and families it happened that there was a lot of anxiety so we were getting requests from these services again and again, so we empanelled both these services in the EAP and that was getting the most traction.

In the last one and a half months, people have gone through a whole range of emotions, starting from the anxiety of will I be get infected, then if I get infected, will my family be infected as well, after which what will happen to work, deliverables, will I be able to complete work on deadlines, how will my client react and much more. Informing about what Wunderman Thompson, South Asia did as an organisation for their employees, Roopa Badrinath said, As an organisation, we needed to reassure people that you come first at this point of time, safety is important, familys safety is important and everything else will follow after that. Therefore, we organised townhalls and sent out communication to employees, where it was categorically stated that their safety, their families safety is first priority and then everything else will follow. The second thing was about co-opting the clients. Our people are the brand custodians, so they are working so closely with the brand managers of the company. These relationships are not transactional, but are deep, where they have worked together. Our people make sure that the clients dont stay awake at night because of the challenges that their brands are facing. These people work closely with us, so we are being extremely honest and transparent about the status of work; thus, if there were any slip-ups they knew what was going on and they would understand that. The third thing we did was putting a response system in place. This was for responding instantly to our employees. The fourth thing was that we emphasised on empathy; if you dont have that in your style of leadership, please do calibrate it.

Watch the entire conversation here:
Spring seeding is rapidly progressing across the state, but plant establishment continues to be slow and soils continue to stay dry, even after receiving a little bit of moisture in early May.

A snow/rain mix fell throughout the state following the first week of May, with some areas receiving a good shot of precipitation during Mothers Day weekend on March 8-9.

Some parts of our county received some snow, while others received some rain on Saturday (May 8), said Renae Gress, NDSU Extension agent in Morton County. It is still dry and we are going to need a lot more moisture to catch up to where we normally should be.

Moisture was variable around the state. While some areas received more than an inch of rain, other areas received anywhere from .10 to .25 of an inch, and still others saw no precipitation.

For example, the Jamestown area in the south central region, the Fargo area in the southeastern, and the Crosby area in the northwestern region received no rain.

Yet, the Dickinson area saw 1.09 inches of rain, while the Beach area received nearly 1 inch, and the Mandan area had less than a half-inch.

Everyone is busy seeding, and most people are seeding corn and soybeans. Small grains are mostly done because due to the warm weather we had back in April, some producers started planting three weeks ago. However, some small grains are still getting put into the ground, Gress said.

In Cass County, Extension agent Kyle Aasand said producers are seeding quickly.

Things are in good condition generally, but it is a little dry. Wheat is going in and sugarbeets are finished. Producers are chipping along with corn, he said.
Cattle finishing returns should strengthen this summer as the industry works through higher feed costs and smaller calf crops.

We are near the peak of numbers that started in 2014, says Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing economist with Oklahoma State University. We had our peak calf crop in 2018, so we are looking at a tighter supply of feeder cattle.

He says normally, most of what is occurring in 2021 should have occurred in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the historical pattern of the cattle cycle, Peel says.

We carried more cattle into 2021 than we should have, he says. Im looking for feedlot numbers to come down.

The pandemic makes it difficult to compare year-to-year numbers. USDAs most recent Cattle on Feed report showed placements were 28% higher than a year ago, but Peel says its more accurate to compare numbers to 2019.

If we do that, placements were just up 3.4%, he says. Thats a much less scary number.

The cattle inventory report in early February indicated numbers were the largest since February 2006.

We started rebuilding feedlot supplies late last year, and its continuing, Peel says.

There is quite a bit of optimism for fed cattle prices heading into the last half of the year, he says. This comes as feed costs have soared along with the rising prices of corn and ethanol co-products.

That really doesnt impact the fed cattle prices like it does feeder cattle prices, Peel says. Feeders are getting squeezed at the moment.
CATO, Wis.  Cows, crops and community  without them we wouldnt be successful, says Amanda Vogel of Vogel Family Farms. All three elements come together at the Cato-area farm, which will host June 13 the 2021 Manitowoc County Breakfast on the Farm.

First there are the cows; the Vogels currently milk 600 of them. The family also raises 100 head of heifers on the home farm and another 400 head on a farm it owns about 5 miles away.

Then there are the crops. Visitors to the breakfast on the farm will see new crops emerging. The Vogels farm 1,800 acres growing corn, alfalfa, winter wheat, peas, oats and sorghum-sudangrass. Most of what they grow is fed to the animals, but the family also sells wheat and some corn.

And then theres the community. With help from the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau and numerous area agribusinesses, Vogel Family Farms will welcome the community to enjoy a hearty breakfast as well as to learn and have fun. Donations by agribusinesses enable the breakfast coordinators to keep food costs manageable and the meal affordable for families. The county Farm Bureau also receives funding from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin through the Manitowoc County Dairy Promotion Committee, said Becky Salm, coordinator of the event and a member of the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau. The annual breakfast generally attracts about 4,500 visitors.

Manitowoc County has so many fabulous farms to showcase, Salm said. The annual breakfast gives people an opportunity to meet farmers, develop a personal connection and feel comfortable about where their food comes from.
When the presidency changes from the opposite party of the president who appointed the judge to the same party, judges are substantially more likely to retire just after the election than just before the election, said Ross Stolzenberg, a demographer at the University of Chicago, who conducted the study with James Lindgren, a law professor at Northwestern. (The effect was somewhat stronger for judges appointed by Republican presidents.)
AMES, Iowa  For years people have talked about baby boomers or millennials, but Lydia Johnson is part of a different group  COVID-19 graduates.

Johnson, 19, is one of the many students around the country who graduated from high school in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hers is the class that suddenly saw school shut down a couple of months before high school graduation, and who then saw their freshman year of college become an exercise in mask wearing and online academics.

Everything just stopped, Johnson says now as she takes a break from studying for finals during her second semester of college.

The hardest pill to swallow wasnt the loss of a senior prom or the delay of a graduation ceremony or even the loss of a true college freshman experience. It was the cancellation of a summer internship through the World Food Prize to spend the summer of 2020 working with researchers in Kenya.

That was pretty hard, Johnson says. But nobody knew what the world looked like at the time.

Even now, after a year of shutdowns and vaccinations, a major COVID-19 breakout is killing huge numbers of people in India. Overall, more than 500,000 U.S. citizens have died of COVID-19 in the past year. Johnson has no objections over the moves made in an attempt to stem the pandemic and save lives.

But, like many other people, the last year has been quite a bit different than she expected.

When the pandemic started, Johnson, the daughter of Craig and Katie Johnson of Bondurant, was living at home with her parents and her two little sisters, Grace and Bridget. She was a senior at Bondurant-Farrar High School and she was active in numerous school activities. The family lives on an acreage near Bondurant, and Johnson had been active in both 4-H and FFA. She was used to showing sheep at the fair and participating in school events. She had been a part of the World Food Prize Youth Institute and was one of the lucky few to be selected for the prestigious overseas summer internship program.
Although the state of Montana remains dry with the latest U.S. Drought Monitor classifying 34 percent of the state in severe or exceptional drought, moisture was experienced across much of the state the end of the first week of May.

The rain we got is going to help green the grass up, but when you look over the past couple of months and our winter, we could sure use a couple more inches of moisture to be really safe, said Jaycee Shearer, Dawson County Extension agent.

Shearer said producers across her county are relatively used to turbulent weather and dry conditions, so they have grown accustom to rolling with the punches. There was some unease about the lack of moisture, but the small blast received in the county on May 8 did much for bolstering spirits.

In addition to being dry, Montana has been slow to warm up. The lack of heat has slowed the growth and greening of forage and crops. Kim Woodring, Extension agent in Toole County, reported things are starting to turn around in her neck of the woods.

We are pretty dry, but stuff is starting to green up, she said.

Woodring went on to say planting has pretty well wrapped up in the county. The open winter was conducive to getting seed in early in the hopes of taking advantage of early spring rains.

By and large, planting had been trickling along, but producers across the state made a dedicated push to get seed in before the anticipated moisture front moved across the state the second weekend in May.

Small grain seeding took a big jump the week ending May 7, according to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Barley planting is estimated at 58 percent compete, up from 38 percent the previous week. Durum acres planted nearly doubled from 16 percent compete to 30 percent complete. Spring wheat planting has also increased significantly and is now estimated at 53 percent complete, which is ahead of last years report of 48 percent and just ahead of the five-year average of 52 percent planted by this time.
Laura Lopez was grateful to be able to find this space on Chandler Boulevard in Ahwatukee for By the Bucket Hot Spaghetti to Go.
The Rev. Rob Lee, who spoke out against Birminghams Confederate monument in 2018 while claiming to be a relative of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, is not related to the general, The Washington Post has reported.

Lee, pastor of Unifour Church in Newton, N.C., is related to a Confederate soldier named Robert S. Lee, who was from Alabama, but has no ancestral ties to the Confederate general, The Post reported.

Also known as the Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV, who claimed he is a great-great-great-great nephew of General Lee, Rob Lee caused a national controversy when he appeared on the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards to denounce the statue to General Lee in Charlottesville, Va. He spoke 15 days after Heather Heyer was killed by a car as she protested against white supremacy in Charlottesville.

Lees praise for Black Lives Matter in the MTV speech caused controversy at the church where he was pastor, Bethany United Church of Christ in Winston-Salem, N.C., and he resigned shortly afterwards.

On Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, Rob Lee spoke in the pulpit of First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, during a controversy over a Linn Park Confederate war dead memorial monument, which has since been removed.

You can be proud of your ancestors, but also point out what they did wrong, Lee told AL.com in an interview at the time.

Theres always a certain amount of pride in your ancestors, Lee said. The actions of the ancestors were problematic.

Lee claimed in the interview he is a direct descendant of General Lees brother, Charles Carter Lee. General Lees family traces its ancestry back to the founding fathers of the United States. Richard Henry Lee and his brother, Francis Lightfoot Lee, were signers of the Declaration of Independence. Their ancestor, Richard Lee I, arrived in Virginia in 1639, made a fortune in tobacco and started the politically influential Lee family in Virginia.

In his sermon at First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Lee recalled that as a youth, he had a Confederate flag hanging in his bedroom at his home in Statesville, N.C.

The gospel is inherently political, said Lee, preaching at First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham. Jesus was inherently political. And Jesus is deeply concerned with what Birmingham is doing. Jesus is deeply concerned with how we react to the world, with how we react to horrific events like Parkland in Florida, with the Pulse nightclub shooting, with Las Vegas, with the Confederate statues, with tax reform. Jesus is concerned because what we do matters.

In a column published in the Washington Post on June 7, 2020, Rob Lee wrote, As a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lees family, I have borne the weight and responsibility of that lineage.

General Lees family tree is one of the best documented in America. The Post noted that Robert E. Lee V, great-great-grandson of the general, currently works at the Potomoc School in McLean, Va., and rarely speaks about historical monuments.

Meanwhile, Rob Lee has appeared on The View, and spoke in a House committee hearing where he was introduced as the generals descendant.

The Washington Post began researching Rob Lees ancestry after he was listed as a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in Iredell County, N.C., on May 5, seeking the removal of a Confederate monument in Statesville, N.C.

Plaintiff Reverend Robert Wright Lee IV (Lee) is a white resident of Iredell County, the lawsuit states. Lee is the fourth great-nephew of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

The Post reviewed historical and genealogical records, assisted by retired Los Angeles trial lawyer and Civil War chronicler Joseph Ryan, and an official at Stratford Hall, the ancestral home of the Lee family of Virginia.

In his 2019 book, A Sin by Another Name, Rob Lee says the family referred to General Lee as Uncle Bob.

The Post tracked the Lee family of Virginia and found no connection.

Instead, when we worked backward from Rob Lees family  the various Robert W. Lees  we ended up in Alabama, not Virginia, the Post wrote.

The ancestry trail led to William Lee of Alabama. The Washington Post article elaborated:

In 1817, he purchased land in Butler County, Ala., shortly after Alabama Territory was created when the western part of the Mississippi Territory was granted statehood. His story and those of his children are recorded in a fascinating 2020 account for the Butler County Historical & Genealogical Society Quarterly, written by Judy Atkins Taylor.

After moving to Butler County, William Lee became a judge and played a role in early Alabama politics, helping craft the state constitution. He died sometime around 1823  the exact date is unknown  not long after a son, named Robert Scothrup Lee, was born in 1822.

This Robert S. Lee, a farmer and a carpenter, fought for the Confederacy late in the Civil War and earned a Civil War pension. He lived a long life, until 1916, when he was regarded as the oldest native Alabamian. When he died, the Greenville Advocate reported that nearly all his friends throughout the county called him Uncle Bob.

He also appears to be Rob Lees great-great-great grandfather.

Uncle Bob and his wife had nine children, one of whom was John Osborne Lee, born in 1865. The records show this is Rob Lees great-great grandfather.

John married Nettie Eleanor Wright around 1896, Taylor writes. John Osborne was a traveling salesman for a while before moving to Montgomery, where he was a salesman for a lumber company. By 1930, he and his family had moved to Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, where he worked for years as a salesman for a veneer plant.

John and Nettie bestowed one of their sons with her maiden name: Robert Wright Lee, born in 1902.

John and Nettles son, who died in 1998, became known as Robert Wright Lee Sr. He is Robs great-grandfather. The trail continues to Robert W. Lee Jr., Robert W. Lee III and finally Robert W. Lee IV, all born in Iredell County.

As we noted, Rob Lee did not acknowledge our many queries for evidence of his connection to Robert E. Lee. His father also did not return a phone call. Chris Hollinger, an attorney at OMelveny & Myers LLP, which filed the Iredell lawsuit, said he would not discuss whether he tried to verify Lees claim.

We are able to note that Reverend Lee has been identified as a descendant of Robert E. Lee by the Washington Post itself and the Post has published at least two essays by Rev. Lee wherein he discusses his lineage, Hollinger said in an email. Accordingly, we have no reason at this time to doubt the accuracy of the allegation in the Iredell County Complaint regarding Reverend Lees heritage or to doubt the sincerity of Reverend Lees public representations regarding his lineage.

After the article appeared, Rob Lee withdrew his name as a plaintiff on the lawsuit.
Veteran Birmingham chef Beverly Russell is set to open a new restaurant this month.

The proprietor of Olivias Transit Cafe, the homestyle cafe at Birminghams intermodal facility, will open The Six Sixteen Restaurant & Bar in downtown Birmingham at the historic Tutwiler Hotel.

The Six Sixteen, which opens on May 20, will mark a return to full service dining for the longtime chef and restaurant owner.

After years of catering special events, Russell started her first culinary business in 1995, two years after the birth of her daughter, Olivia. The catering and event center, called Memorable Occasions, was located on Valley Avenue.

Shed go on to open the fine dining restaurant Beverlys in Brookwood Village, which would eventually move to Morris Avenue in downtown Birmingham. Russell later changed the name of the culinary project to Olivias Bar & Lounge (a tribute to her daughter) and relocated the restaurant to Highway 280. Shed move the restaurant one more time, back to downtown Birmingham on 2nd Ave N. That location is now home to Helen, which opened in 2020.

Years later, Russell would make a return to Morris Avenue. After winning a competitive bid process to secure a culinary spot in the Birmingham Intermodal Facility, she opened Olivias Transit Cafe in 2017 next to MAX Central Station as part of the three-block bus and train station between 17th and 19th street.

Designed to service the downtown area ridership, Olivias offers quick plates and to-go items-- soups, salads, and other easy dishes for traveling patrons waiting for the Greyhound, Megabus, and Amtrak trains.

6 hidden gems to check out for lunch

Russell says The Six Sixteen Restaurant and Bar will give her the freedom to create a more expansive gourmet menu, similar to the fare at Beverlys.

Ive been doing this forever. Its just an extension of Beverlys, really, said Russell.

The restaurants opening menu, which Russell describes as casual fine dining, will feature small plates such as oysters on a half shell, a charcuterie board, and mushrooms stuffed with cheese or Italian sausage. Fans of Beverlys will be pleased to know Russell has included her famous grilled pork chop and seared salmon.

The Six Sixteen is named in honor of Russells birthday on June 16. Located on the 1st floor in the historic Tutwiler Hotel lobby, Russell and her team designed an art-deco style interior complete with a bar and lounge area that transitions into a dining room. The restaurant also has room to host private events.

The Lounge at The Six Sixteen (Credit: Sam Jasper)

The lounge at The Six Sixteen (Credit: Sam Jasper)

The dining room at The Six Sixteen (Credit: Sam Jasper )

Russell looked at the Tutwiler restaurant space years ago, but instead decided to pursue opening Olivas Transit Cafe. However, she kept in contact with Tutwiler management. During a conversation last year, the general manager asked her to come by the hotel.

We talked about it. And over the course of several months, we came up with an agreement and here I am, said Russell.

When asked how she would define this step of her decades-long culinary journey, Russell responded with a joke.

Well. Im hoping well be calling it, the end, she said, laughing. I dont know what I would call it. Because Ive had fine dining before.

But jokes aside, Russell does consider the opening of The Six Sixteen to be a career highlight.

This is a different opportunity. Im inside of a historic hotel. And Ive never done that before. And my clientele here is different. So, Ill be able to do some things that I havent been able to do, said Russell. I can put anything on my menu here. I can get as fine dining as I want, or I can get as casual as I want.

Another notable accomplishment: Russell will be the first black female owner to anchor the restaurant at the Tutwiler hotel. In her role, she will also serve as the hotels culinary director.

Here, Ill get the room service. All of the catering has to go through me, said Russell. Anything food or alcohol will have to come through me.

Stuffed Mushrooms at The Six Sixteen (Credit: Sam Jasper)

The grilled pork chop at The Six Sixteen (Credit: Sam Jasper)

Russells daughter Olivia Barnes calls the opening of The Six Sixteen the final stretch of her mothers career.

As long as I can remember, she has wanted a restaurant in a hotel. And with Birmingham changing and hotels becoming places where people are going to drink now, (because) theyre not just going to regular bars. Theres the Elyton and the Redmont, said Barnes. So, I think that I would call this the final stretch. Because now she has accomplished everything that was on her checklist.

This is a very big deal, said Russells husband, Leonard Russell. For her to be the first woman to anchor this hotel, this is monumental. Again, the deal was in the works for eight or nine months. Its also breathtaking that this is where we are right now.

Like Russells other restaurants, The Six Sixteen will be a family affair. Leonard Russell will run the front of house as the general manager. Oliva, who also runs a boutique bartending business called Barnestending, will oversee the majority of the restaurants beverage program.

Russell and Barnes worked together to develop the cocktail menu based on their travels to a number of destinations, from Puerto Rico to Paris. Barnes describes the starting cocktail menu as a unique spin on the basics. So far, shes named the Blueberry Lemon Droptini-- her variation of the Lemon Drop Martini-- as The Six Sixteens signature cocktail. For the drink, Barnes has added fresh muddled blueberries for a fruity and fresh twist to cut through the tangy bite of the lemon.

The bar at The Six Sixteen (Credit: Sam Jasper)

For Barnes, the opportunity to run the bar at The Six Sixteen is exciting, especially as her family embarks on the crown jewel of Russells career.

Shes given me the most wonderful life and Im happy that Im able to support her better now that Im older. Shes really trusted me a lot and I like that, said Barnes. Its family-oriented, like all the other restaurants have been. Nothing will change much. This time, were just in a hotel.

Details:

The Six Sixteen will open on May 20 at the historic Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham-Downtown-Tutwiler.

The Six Sixteen| 2021 Park Pl, Birmingham, AL 35203|205-322-2100
Eva Wilson is a Black woman stalked by a racist who creeps into her Huntsville yard at night in a mask and a hoodie. Madelyne McNab is the white neighbor next door trying to help her.

The two have become friends over their long, shared fight against what they say has been a sluggish police response to a stalker who leaves things on Wilsons car like toy monkeys wearing nooses. The police are doing better now, they say.

Wilson and McNab live in Merrimack Village, a neighborhood built in the early 1900s for workers of the Merrimack cotton mill. Streets there are named in alphabetical order starting with Alpine, and the big house for the mill boss still sits at the center of the neighborhood.

Today, Merrimacks two-story duplexes on tree-lined streets are prized by young people who convert them into single homes as investments or to live in. There are plenty of longtime residents, too, but change is coming fast to Merrimack as this Alabama tech city grows more every year.

Wilson bought in years ago when the elderly owner chose to sell the house where she rented one half and the man she would eventually marry rented the other.

Her kids were like, Youve got to get rid of it, youre too old, and we dont want your property, Wilson said of the owner. So, she came to me and said, You know, I want you to have my house. But if youre not going to buy, youre going to have to find another place.

Wilson had some money saved and her father, who owns a construction company, agreed to help. So, we wrote a check and we got it, she said.

Wilson married the man who is now her ex-husband, and they opened the wall between the two sides. The marriage eventually ended, and Wilson and her children now occupy both halves.

Some years in the neighborhood were good years, she said. Some were not as good. Youve got the shootouts some years and then, some years its beautiful, you know, she said.

Wilsons new friend, Madelyne McNab, moved next door with her family in 2017. Shes a really quiet lady, McNab said of Wilson. Shes a single mom, and she literally, completely stays to herself.

McNab works from home and began seeing police parked outside Wilsons place. After a few times, she told her husband, I want to go over there and give her our numbers. That way, she feels like she has someone if somethings happening.

As the women talked, Wilson told McNab about the racist, sexually threatening notes being left on her porch and car. And the Trump sign in the yard. And the toy monkey dangling from a noose. And the spray paint. And the eggs thrown at her car. And the watermelons left for her to find. And the bag hanging from the front of her car that said, welfare donations.

McNab asked Wilson to text her the next time it happened, and Wilson did. McNab went over to offer support.

So, Im with her when she calls the police, McNab said recently. The police come and they take a report, and this was the first time that I realized how different the police handled crimes over here versus across the Parkway.

The Parkway is Memorial Parkway, a long north-south highway dividing Huntsville into east and west sides. Merrimack Village is about a mile from the Parkway on the west side.

They basically put it on her to take care of the situation, McNab said. They told her she should get more security cameras. They asked her questions like does she have a violent past? Does she have an ex-boyfriend?

It sounded to McNab like the police focused on what she could have done to cause this. She just kept telling them, I have no idea who did this. You can ask my neighbor. I never go outside. I dont have boyfriends. I take care of my kids.

There have been 10 incidents so far. After one of those, she said a police officer suggested Wilson should stay up and confront the person, ask him what hes doing.

The first letter came Nov. 11, 2020. I was horrified, Wilson said. I suffer from anxiety, so I thought I was going to die. I hadnt really any idea where it came from or why anybody would be (mad). Ive literally been in the house all year (self-quarantining from COVID). So, who was upset? What happened?

The letters are addressed to The Wilson, she said, and basically they refer to me as an animal, a prostitute and on welfare.

Wilson can joke that the stalker must think her calendar is a lot more full than it is, but its defensive laughter. You have to (laugh), she said, because there have been a lot of days Ive cried about it, too. This is happening in front of my children. And you have to cry behind the curtain, so they dont think its as bad as it really is.

The police say they have linked the cases in a file and an investigator is working them. They did respond and look into things, HPD Public Information Officer Lt. Jesse Sumlin said of officers.

Wilson says that her dealings with authorities have improved. After one attack, police responded in force and knocked on doors along her street. An FBI agent has come to talk to her, and shes seeing more police drive-bys at night, something she asked for in the early months.

But the man in the hoodie and mask is still out there and kept coming until very recently, typically at the same hour, according to the doorbell camera. And Wilson now has another worry.

Hes missed my son by minutes a couple of times, she said. (He) is 21 and spends time with his girlfriend that brings him home late. Not making things easier is knowing her son, like many in Alabama Black and white, has bought a gun for protection. My worry is that he actually catches him doing something and feels like he needs to protect his mother, Wilson said.

Update: Since reporting began on this story, police have stepped up patrols in Wilsons neighborhood, and McNab says she has seen them parked in front of her neighbors house.
Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law a bill that will allow Alabamians to use medical marijuana products for more than a dozen conditions and symptoms such as chronic pain, depression, seizures, muscle spasticity, and terminal illnesses.

The bill, Senate Bill 46, sets up a system to regulate medical marijuana from the cultivation of the plants, to processing and testing the products, to selling them in dispensaries.

Doctors will be able to recommend medical cannabis for patients who will receive medical cannabis cards to buy tablets, capsules, gel cubes and other forms of medical cannabis products. .

Raw plant material, products that could be smoked or vaped, or food products such as cookies or candies will not be allowed.

Alabama becomes the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ivey thanked the bills sponsors, Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, and Mike Ball, R-Madison, and called the bill an important first step.

This is certainly a sensitive and emotional issue and something that is continually being studied, Ivey said. On the state level, we have had a study group that has looked closely at this issue, and I am interested in the potential good medical cannabis can have for those with chronic illnesses or what it can do to improve the quality of life of those in their final days.

As research evolves, Sen. Melson and I discussed how critical it is to continue finding ways to work on this to ensure we have a productive, safe and responsible operation in Alabama.

Melson, an anesthesiologist and medical researcher, first offered the bill in 2019. That led to establishment of a Medical Cannabis Study Commission that held public hearings and recommended the legislation.

Support for the bill grew this year and it passed with bipartisan support by roughly a two-to-one margin.

Melson said Alabamians should be able to try medical marijuana for conditions and symptoms not helped by conventional medications. He said the research overall and and experiences in other states makes the case for that.

Officials have said it will be more than a year before medical marijuana products are available in Alabama. It will be a fully intrastate system. The new law creates the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, which will issue licenses to cultivators, processors, transporters, testing laboratories, and dispensaries.

The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries will regulate the cultivators.

The bill says the commission must set up the rules to implement the program and allow people to begin applying for licenses by Sept. 1, 2022.

The Medical Cannabis Commission would set up a database to keep track of doctor certifications, patient registrations, medical cannabis cards, daily dosages and types of medical cannabis recommended by doctors, the dates and amounts of products sold to patients at dispensaries. Access to the information in the database would be limited to doctors, dispensaries, and pharmacists, as well as to law enforcement for investigations.

Whats in Alabamas medical marijuana bill?

Heres the full list of conditions that would qualify for a medical marijuana regulation from a doctor:

Autism; cancer-related weight loss, or chronic pain; Crohns; depression; epilepsy or condition causing seizures; HIV/AIDS-related nausea or weight loss; panic disorder; Parkinsons; persistent nausea not related to pregnancy; PTSD; sickle cell; spasticity associated with diseases including ALS and multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injuries; terminal illnesses; Tourettes; chronic pain for which conventional therapies and opiates should not be used or are ineffective.
Last week would be described as a good week for Torch Technologies.

The Huntsville-based company announced it had received two Army contracts valued together at almost $2 billion.

On Thursday, Torch announced a $722 million task order. On Friday, Torch announced a $1.065 billion task order.

Related: How Torch Technologies helps define Huntsville as a federal city

The first contract was with U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) Systems Simulation Software and Integration Directorate (S3I) for Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Aviation and Missile Systems.

The announcement said the task order has a five-year period of performance and will be executed primarily in Huntsville.

According to the announcement, the Torch team will develop and apply models and simulations to aviation and missile system analysis ensuring warfighter readiness and future capabilities are realized. Team Torch will supply cost-effective solutions that facilitate readiness and technological dominance of the U.S. Armys current and future force.

Torch is pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with the DEVCOM AvMC S3I M&S customers, Torch President and CEO John Watson said in the announcement. We are proud to be a part of their important mission to provide weapons development and modernization support to our warfighters.

The second contract, valued at more than $1 billion, is with U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) Systems Simulation Software and Integration Directorate (S3I) for Hardware in the Loop (HWIL) Systems of Systems Development, Integration and Testing (HWIL SoS).

The task order has a seven-year period of performance and will be executed primarily in Huntsville.

The Friday announcement said the Torch team will provide expertise to develop, enhance, evaluate and maintain the current suite of distributed digital simulation, and system of systems unique development facilities for the DEVCOM AvMC S3I Directorate, HWIL/Virtual Simulators Mission Area.

Torch has supported the DEVCOM AvMC S3I HWIL customers since the early years of the companys founding, Watson said in the announcement. This win enables us to continue that support and to help advance technology in weapon systems for the U.S. Army, Missile Defense Agency, and other agencies.
Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin today dismissed a lawsuit filed by State Auditor Jim Zeigler and others challenging Gov. Kay Iveys plan to lease and operate privately owned prisons.

Griffin granted the request of the Alabama Department of Corrections to dismiss the case, rejecting the claims by Zeigler and the other plaintiffs that the prison leases would violate restrictions in the state Constitution on putting the state of Alabama in debt. Griffin also rejected plaintiffs claim that the leases violate a state law that prohibits the ADOC from leasing facilities without consent of the Legislature, as well as other claims.

For more than two years, Ivey and the ADOC have pursued a plan to lease and operate three mens prisons that private developers would finance, build, and maintain.

In February, Ivey signed 30-year leases on prisons that a development team led by CoreCivic would build in Elmore and Escambia counties and lease to the state. A third prison is planned for Bibb County that another developer team would build.

Zeigler has been among critics of the plan, partly because of the cost, more than $3 billion over 30 years.

Plaintiffs in the case are Zeigler, state Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, Kenny Glasgow, a pastor and prisoner rights advocate from Houston County, and Leslie Ogburn, whose property adjoins the site of a proposed prison near Tallassee in Elmore County, were plaintiffs in the case.

Defendants were Ivey, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn, the ADOC, Government Real Estate Solutions of Central Alabama LLC, and Government Real Estate Solutions of South Alabama LLC. The two real estate entities were formed last year and are owned by CoreCivic, the lawsuit says.

Even with the lawsuit dismissed, Iveys prison lease plan faces difficulties. Three companies have withdrawn their financial backing for the two CoreCivic prisons, raising doubts about whether the leases can go forward.

The lease agreements gave CoreCivic until June 1 to obtain financing.

Related: Whats happened, whats next in Alabamas plan for new prisons?

Legislators have raised concerns about Iveys plan, saying a bond issue approved by the Legislature would be a better approach. They have said they wanted to wait until after the June 1 financing deadline to initiate any alternative.

Ivey said the financing problems have not changed her administrations commitment to building prisons. The three new facilities would replace as many as 11 of the 13 mens prisons in operation now.

The Department of Justice sued Alabama in federal court last year, alleging that conditions in Alabamas mens prisons violate the Constitution because of the levels of violence, sexual abuse, weapons, drugs and other problems.

Ivey and the ADOC say the new facilities are essential to transforming the prison system from one that warehouses inmates to one that can provide education and rehabilitation programs. They say its not feasible to repair and upgrade many of the existing prisons.

Critics of the plan say poor management and a lack of commitment to inmate safety is the main problem, not the condition of the buildings.

The ADOC released a statement about the judges decision to dismiss the case:

We intend to put this politically motivated distraction behind us and move forward with the comprehensive efforts underway to re-envision the future of corrections in Alabama, a key component of which is addressing critical infrastructure needs.

Our vision  which is to create a system that better prepares people who are incarcerated to successfully reenter society upon release  begins with replacing failing infrastructure that has far outlived its useful life. We remain fully committed to building a better system that improves living and working conditions, provides increased space for educational opportunities, enhances the provision of health and mental health services, and expands vocational training opportunities.

Zeigler also issued a statement about the dismissal:

We are studying the Judges order, Zeigler said. We will make a decision this week on whether to appeal. We will continue our fight to block the prison plan by raising issues that would cause potential investors to withdraw. We believe that investors see the fatal flaws in this plan and will not touch it with a 10-foot pole.
A former Alabama prosecutor set for trial on ethics charges next month repeatedly failed to handle office finances properly and should have to repay money, a state audit found.

Suspended Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes did not have procedures for handling cash or credit card transactions and failed to ensure money was being spent only for proper, law enforcement-related needs, according to a report by the Examiners of Public Accounts that cited failures in seven areas.

While an office manager was able to avoid paying $3,406 in questioned charges following a hearing, Hughes failed to appear for a hearing and is still liable for an unspecified amount of money related to a unit that collects money from worthless checks, the report said.

The state attorney generals office, which already is prosecuting Hughes on the other charges, will be asked to collect the money, auditors said in the report, which was released Friday.

Hughes successor as Lee County district attorney, Jessica Ventiere, requested the audit after taking over the job in November, the Opelika-Auburn News reported.

Obviously, the results of this audit have added to an already difficult situation within the district attorneys office, Ventiere said in a statement.

Hughes, 46, was charged in November with illegally hiring his three children to work for his office and paying private lawyers with public funds to settle a matter that helped him and his wife, authorities said. He also was charged with issuing a subpoena to a company to gather evidence for his own potential defense and perjury.

A defense lawyer has said Hughes, who was elected in 2016, maintains his innocence. With Hughess trial set for June 21, Judge Pamela Baschab agreed earlier this month to bar the defense from telling jurors Hughes did not know his actions were illegal.

Hughess lawyers also cant claim his prosecution was politically motivated, the judge ruled.
The bird apparently was with someone who had taken it with them while attending a rally downtown and that person was in the crowd watching the bird on the windowsill, Merritt said. The bird was returned to its owner after being rescued, Merritt said.
As the civil trial began Sunday in federal court over the sale of Alabamas Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, indications are that no verdict will be coming soon.

U.S. District Judge Liles Burke is presiding over the case and, as a bench trial, he will render the verdict. There is no jury.

Discussions Sunday between the judge and attorneys from Nuclear Development, which brought the suit against TVA for breach of contract when the federal utility opted not to complete the sale as planned in November 2018, discussed submitting briefs several weeks after testimony concludes.

The discussion also suggested that closing arguments before the judge would take place after those briefs had been filed.

No final decisions on the briefs or closing arguments were made Sunday, though momentum appeared to be moving in that direction. Attorneys from both sides planned to confer with each other and then discuss it further with Burke.

Related: Trial set to begin in lawsuit over sale of Alabama nuclear plant

Testimony is expected to continue for most of the week.

In short opening statements Sunday, attorneys for both sides again staked out their opposing positions: TVA said it could not complete the sale of the unfinished plant near Scottsboro because Nuclear Development had not secured construction permits from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

They filed (the applications) late and what was filed was insufficient, TVA lead attorney Matthew Lembke said.

Nuclear Development said TVA did nothing to facilitate that process, as it should have in accordance with the sales agreement, and the dispute over the permits should not have blocked the sale.

Nuclear Development was ready, willing and able to close, said its lead attorney, Caine ORear III. The funds were ready to wire.

ND also raised the issue that TVA did not file a consent letter with the NRC to enable Nuclear Development to receive the permits. Lembke responded that a consent letter from TVA would not automatically result in the permits being transferred to Nuclear Development.

The judge heard testimony from three witnesses Sunday  both via video from depositions taken in 2019. The first was Franklin Haney Sr., the Tennessee developer who put together Nuclear Development LLC for the sole purpose of purchasing Bellefonte. He was followed by Bill Johnson, who was CEO of TVA when the deal collapsed. The third was Sherry Quirk, former general counsel at TVA.

There was lengthy testimony concerning Nuclear Developments efforts to attract Memphis Gas, Light & Water as a Bellefonte customer once the plant became operational. The Memphis utility is TVAs largest customer in its seven-state footprint.

I think the real problem here is Memphis, Haney said of the lawsuit in his deposition.

The public courting of Memphis by Nuclear Development emerged in the weeks before the deal was scheduled to close with TVA in November 2018 to buy the unfinished plant. The sales agreement did not prohibit Nuclear Development from soliciting TVA customers.

In his deposition, Johnson said his issue was with Nuclear Development CEO Bill McCollum, the former chief operating officer at TVA who Johnson said told Memphis officials that even if they did not become a Nuclear Development customer, any energy company would be better than TVA.

Giving his testimony about a year after the McCollum comments, Johnson said, Im still ticked off at Bill McCollum.

Johnson said the issue was not that Nuclear Development was going after TVAs largest customer. Instead, Johnson said, it was that McCollums comments were to the detriment of TVA without benefit to Nuclear Development. Johnson also said McCollums comments were quite misleading.

Johnson said he considered competition from Nuclear Development to be a risk but that that he was concerned over that competition is too strong of a word. He said he had doubts Nuclear Development could ever get the plant completed.

Haney said he left the details of the negotiations to others, including his son Franklin Haney Jr. Haney Sr. said of himself, Im not a detail person.

Haney discussed meeting with politicians to generate support for Nuclear Developments purchase of Bellefonte. Among Alabama officials he mentioned were U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, whose north Alabama district includes the plant. Haney said both were supportive because of the boost it would give to the economy in rural Jackson County.

Haney said he also met with Tennessees former U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Robert Corker.

Haney said he was shocked when Johnson called him on the night of Nov. 29, 2018, to say that TVA would not go through with the closing the next day.

TVA declared Bellefonte surplus property in 2016 and sold it to Nuclear Development at auction for $111 million in November 2016. The plant was valued at $36.4 million, according to an appraisal.

Following the auction, the closing window was two years and TVA later extended that window by two weeks. Johnson refused to grant Nuclear Development a requested six-month extension that would have pushed the closing date to May 2019.

Granting that extension, Nuclear Development argued, would have facilitated completing the deal TVA said it wanted and given ND more time to secure the construction permits from the NRC.

Johnson said based on his experience, the six-month extension would not have been enough time to get the permits. Johnson said he was concerned that granting the extension would have started open-ended commitments that could drag on without the deal being completed.
Watch out Georgia and Alabama, a pharmaceutical executive wrote at the height of the prescription opioid crisis. There will be a mass exodus of Pillbillies heading north.

In other emails cited by prosecutors, as reported by The Mountain State Spotlight, employees at pharmaceutical distributor AmerisourceBergen repeatedly mocked addicts as pillbillies and hillbillies; referred to Kentucky as OxyContinville, a twist on the Jimmy Buffett song Margaritaville; and even lampooned the Beverly Hillbillies theme song with a version in which Jed travels in search of pills.

The mass exodus of Pillbillies comment came in an email by AmerisourceBergen executive Chris Zimmerman in 2011. The Mountain State Spotlight, a nonprofit news organization covering West Virginia, described Zimmerman as an executive whose responsibilities included overseeing compliance with laws governing distribution and helping identify suspicious orders.

Instead, emails that have emerged in a West Virginia court case show that Zimmerman and other AmerisourceBergen executives mocked both addicts and communities blighted by the operation of pill mills run by corrupt doctors. Zimmermans exodus comment came after Florida cracked down on pill mills in 2011; the point was that addicts would flock to other states where regulations hadnt been tightened up yet.

Major drug companies settled a wave of litigation in Ohio two years ago, largely avoiding such revelations. But in West Virginia, the city of Huntingdon and Cabell County have sued AmerisourceBergen as well as distributors McKesson and Cardinal Health and the case has gone to trial.

In his testimony last week, according to the Spotlight, Zimmerman repeated the industry stance that it was the federal Drug Enforcement Administrations responsibility to identify bad actors such as pill mill doctors, not the industrys.

According to the Spotlight, Zimmerman apologized in court for the tone and content of some of the emails but defended AmerisourceBergens corporate culture as being of the highest caliber.

Attorney Paul Farrell Jr., representing Cabell County, argued the emails were part of a pattern of conduct showing a lack of concern for communities impacted by opioid abuse.

Related: Mobile doctors found guilty in pill mill trial
Afternoon gunfire in a South East Lake neighborhood left one person dead.

The shooting happened at 12:27 p.m. in the 7800 block of Sixth Avenue South. Officers arrived to find the victim critically injured and asked for a rush on the medics. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Police said officers found multiple weapons in the street.

Sgt. Rod Mauldin said the preliminary investigation suggests that the victim, whose name has not been released, was seen leaving a bag on the porch of a residence when he was approached by the occupants of the home. It is reported both men approached the subject and gunfire was exchanged fatally wounding the subject, Mauldin said. Both suspects were detained and questioned by detectives.

The killing is Birminghams 46th homicide so far this year. Of those, three have been ruled justifiable and therefore arent deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County there have been 89 homicides including the 46 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Authorities have released the name of a murder suspect killed during an exchange of gunfire with Birmingham police.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Monday identified the slain man as Brian Timothy Dunne. He was 39 and lived in the apartment complex where he was killed.

The four Birmingham police officers wounded in the shooting are at home recovering.

Birmingham police said Dunne was suspected in the Sunday-morning slaying of a man and woman near the Brother Bryan Park in Five Points South. Sgt. Rod Mauldin said Dunne was reportedly in a dating relationship with the female homicide victim.

The names of the two victims have not yet been released pending notification of their family.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said the female was 35 years old. Authorities are working with friends to notify her family in the Mobile area.

The male victim was 34. Authorities are working to notify his family in Chicago.

Court records do not show any prior criminal arrests for Dunne in Alabama.

He is the third person killed this year in officer-involved shootings in Birmingham. The others are Eusie Kater on Jan 20 and Desmon Ray on April 4. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys SBI is investigating all three incidents.

The ordeal began at 6:30 a.m. Sunday when South Precinct officers responded to Brother Bryan Park at 10th Avenue South and Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard. Mauldin said investigators received information that an argument took place moments before the shooting.

Mauldin said investigators received information that an argument took place moments before the shooting. The victims were approached by a male and a verbal altercation occurred. According to witness accounts, a dog was mentioned during the argument. The victims were walking a dog at the time of the incident.

Investigators have established the suspect and the female victim were in a dating relationship. The suspect fled the scene prior to officers arrival.

The male victim was pronounced dead on the sidewalk. Observers said he was a transient that frequented the area.

The female was found in the middle of the street with a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead before noon.

Onlookers said the male and female usually had a dog with them. Mauldin said he didnt know if the dog had been found.

Police fanned out in search of the suspected shooter  described as wearing a red shirt and overalls - as well as additional evidence, including video surveillance from nearby businesses.

Mauldin said witnesses to the double killing, as well as other investigative work, led them to Stratford Apartments at 1010 18th Street South. One resident said they were evacuated, but it wasnt immediately clear whether the evacuation took place before or after the gunfire erupted.

The SWAT team - shortly after 1 p.m. - was brought to the scene to carry out the search warrant on the suspects third-floor apartment. Upon making entry, they were immediately met by gunfire,' Mauldin said. They returned fire, striking the suspect about 1:20 p.m.

The officers were transported to UAB hospital by co-workers, according to Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service. The shooting site was just blocks away from UABs emergency room.

Two of the officers, Mauldin said, were shot in lower extremities. By Sunday night, both had been treated and released.

The two officers who were grazed by the gunfire were treated on the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service.

The investigation has been turned over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys SBI, which is standard practice for officer-involved shootings.

Dunne is Birminghams is Birminghams 45th homicide so far this year. Of those, three have been ruled justifiable and therefore arent deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County there have been 87 homicides including the 45 in Birmingham.
Authorities have released the names of two of five people killed in weekend shootings in Birmingham.

Birmingham police Sunday identified two men killed in separate incidents in the city on Saturday as Albert Griffin, 21, and Jaishuntae Browning, 20.

At approximately 11:15 a.m. Saturday, officers from the West Precinct responded to 2326 Avenue S Ensley on a call of a person shot. When officers got to the scene, they found Griffin had been taken to a hospital by private vehicle.

Police were notified a short time later that Griffin had been pronounced dead, said Sgt. Rod Mauldin.

Griffin was inside his apartment when, according to the preliminary investigation, an unidentified suspect entered the bedroom and fatally shot Griffin. It appears, Mauldin said, that the two were acquaintances.

The suspect left the residence before police arrived. No arrests have been made.

Birmingham's West Precinct officers responded shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, May 15, 2021, to a fatal shooting in the 2900 block of Avenue Z in Ensley.

Browning was found wounded inside a vehicle at 8:51 p.m. Saturday when West Precinct officers responded to a ShotSpotter call in the 2500 block of 29th Place West. They also received 911 call reporting someone had been injured. Officers sent to investigate were flagged down by someone who led them to Browning in a small, red vehicle.

Browning was taken to Baptist Medical Center Princeton where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Mauldin said some kind of altercation took place prior to Browning being shot. No other details were released, and no suspects are in custody.

Browning and Griffin were two of five people killed in Birmingham since Saturday morning. A man and a woman were fatally shot near Southsides Brother Bryan Park at 6:30 a.m. Sunday during a dispute that involved a dog, police said.

The suspect in the double killing was later killed by Birmingham police after, authorities say, he wounded four tactical officers trying to serve a search warrant at his Southside apartment. Police said the slain suspect was in a dating relationship with the woman killed in the double homicide.

So far this year, there have been 45 homicides in the city, three of which have been ruled justifiable and therefore arent deemed criminal. Another three of the Birmingham homicides have been officer-involved  Eusie Kater on Jan 20, and Desmon Ray on April 4. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys SBI is still investigating those incidents.

In all of Jefferson County there have been 87 homicides including the 45 in Birmingham. Anyone with information about any of the cases is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Two Birmingham police officers shot Sunday while trying to carry out a search warrant at the home of a double murder suspect have been identified.

Birmingham police officials identified the wounded officers as Officer Jacob Rouse, 28, and Officer Jeremy Dorr, 40. Two other officers were grazed in the gunfire.

Rouse joined the department five years ago. Dorr is a 16-year veteran. Both are members of the Tactical Operations Unit.

Rouse and Door were treated and released Sunday from UAB Hospital. They were shot in the lower extremities, said Sgt. Mauldin.

Chief Patrick Smith said he and the department are thankful the officers are OK and will make a full recovery.

This incident shows the dangers officers face and their selfless service to the community. Our officers and detectives worked relentlessly pursuing the suspect of this violent act that took the lives of two people.,' Smith said. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to the families of the victims. I would also like to express my gratitude to the community for the support and prayers for the officers wounded and the Birmingham Police Department.

Four Birmingham police officers were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a double murder suspect who was killed. The shooting happened at 1:20 p.m. Sunday, May 16, 2021 following a double homicide earlier in the day.

The shooting happened about 1:20 p.m. Sunday when police were trying to carry out a search warrant at the Southside home of double murder suspect 39-year-old Brian Timothy Dunne. Authorities said as soon as tactical officers entered the third-floor unit at Stratford Apartments, they were met with gunfire.

Officers returned fire, killing Dunne. Dunne was suspected in the Sunday-morning slaying of a man and woman near the Brother Bryan Park in Five Points South. Sgt. Rod Mauldin said Dunne was reportedly in a dating relationship with the female homicide victim.
Authorities say a pedestrian was killed Saturday night in Blount County in a two-vehicle crash.

ALEA Senior Trooper Brandon Bailey said the incident happened at about 9:48 p.m. Saturday on Blount County 39 near Hood Cross Road, approximately two miles east of Oneonta.

Edwin Ramos Sanchez, 20, of Oneonta, a pedestrian, was fatally injured when he was struck by a 2016 Jeep Cherokee and a 2019 Mazda 3.

He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate.
An Alabama man wanted on attempted murder charges was arrested late Friday in Panama City, Fla.

WDHN reported that the Bay County Sheriffs Office arrested Dekeivon Okeith Lawton.

Lawton currently has a warrant from the Houston County Sheriffs Office in Dothan.

He was booked into the Bay County Jail, where he is being held without bond until he is extradited back to Alabama.
One person was wounded this afternoon in Tallapoosa County in what the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is calling an officer-involved shooting.

Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said dispatchers received a 911 call at 12:47 p.m. from an unidentified female to a location near Fellowship Baptist Church in the Buttston Community, northeast of Dadeville.

Abbett said upon arriving at the call, shots were fired at the deputy. ALEAs State Bureau Investigation (SBI) said the incident happened at 1:01 p.m.

Deputies with the Tallapoosa County Sheriffs Office and Troopers within ALEAs Highway Patrol Division were involved.

ALEA said a suspect was injured and transported to a nearby hospital and on to Baptist South in Montgomery. No officers were injured.

Special agents with SBI are investigating, and will turn their findings over to the Tallapoosa County District Attorneys office.
An Atlanta murder suspect has been taken into custody in Alabama.

Andre Thomas, 40, was sought in connection with shooting earlier this year that led to the death of Cornelius Morgan.

Central Alabama Crime Stoppers on Thursday said authorities expanded their search into Alabamas Covington County because Thomas has relatives and associates in the area and may have reached out to them in his effort to escape the law.

On Friday, Thomas was taken into custody by the 22nd District Covington County Drug Task Force, the Andalusia Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Thomas was captured in Covington County Friday night. No other details were released.

The suspect is charged with murder in the Feb. 17 death of Morgan. According to Atlanta police, officers responded at 6:01 p.m. that Wednesday to a call of a person shot at 3263 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. The victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta was offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Thomas.
Fire and police personnel responded to the scene, where they found the 29-year-old and the 33-year-old male passenger outside the vehicle, police said. The driver was taken to Lutheran General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, and the passenger was taken to Northwest Community Hospital and later released.
This is an opinion column

Over several years of writing about issues related to faith and culture, Ive begun to follow--and be followed by--a considerable number of pastors and Christian leaders on Twitter and other platforms. Like me, many of these are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, which is the countrys largest protestant denomination.

Sadly, the men and women of the SBC are no strangers to conflict and disagreement. You would think that Matthew 18 would have us talking to one another - rather than about one another - when concerns arise and that the very last place we would turn to air grievances would be a public forum on the internet.

But no. It turns out that we are just like the world, and we do conflict just like the world.

The SBC is in a moment of heightened debate over key issues in the run-up to our annual meeting in June. Some are churchified versions of the complex socio-political debates of our time, like what, if any, place a secular theory like critical race theory has in our discussions about racial reconciliation.

Others are more distinctly evangelical, like what roles are permissible for women in the church. (No one in the wider world is wrestling, in 2021, with whether its sinful for women to speak to groups of mixed gender.) Currently, SBC doctrine limits the role of pastor to qualified men. Even among some who think this rule is biblically correct, there is a desire to discuss how women can use the gifts and talents they possess in the myriad of ministry roles other than the pastor.

Scripture speaks to all of these issues in some way. Sometimes the Bible addresses a question directly. Other times it doesnt, but it provides us with overarching truths that we can use to discern what the most God-honoring approach would be.

Church members who love God and love one another should be able to discuss these matters with humility and in good faith. But that is not what is happening on SBC Twitter.

Unfortunately, what we see on Twitter are many individuals who have learned how to discuss difficult things from political talking heads more than from the example of Christ and the precise instructions in the New Testament related to conflict resolution and our manner of speech.

It is a terrible showcase of what a life transformed by Christ should look like. Rather than using a soft word to turn away wrath and cultivate mutual understanding, some of the key players in the SBC make it their stock and trade to use a harsh word to stir up anger. (Proverbs 15:1-2)

This un-Christian way of communicating extends beyond style, sadly. Perceiving the stakes to be sky-high, some will mischaracterize the words and records of others in an attempt to rob them of influence or votes for positions of leadership within the convention.

Lets just call it what it is: lying.

When you need to lie to ensure that denominational power goes into the hands you perceive to be most worthy, youve lost the narrative. Youre no longer working for the Kingdom of God. You are working for yourself, and in your own power, and under your own rules. God doesnt do sin--not even to win an election for SBC President.

The collateral damage doesnt end with the offenses and hurt feelings of Southern Baptist Insiders. Sadly, it goes far beyond these yahoos who are so invested in winning that theyll burn the house down to save it.

No, the real damage is done to the casual observers of these blood feuds who are not Christians. Our public dialogue is so deplorable, it would turn any thinking person off of not just us, but the God we claim to serve.

The God on whose behalf we claim to argue bitterly. On whose behalf we feel the need to backbite and devour others. Who in the world would want to follow a Jesus that makes people as hateful as many of our Twitter warriors obviously are?

In June, thousands of messengers representing thousands of SBC churches will convene in Nashville for our annual meeting. We will commission missionaries to take the good news of the Gospel to every corner of the world. We will commission pastors to plant new churches far and wide. We will hear encouraging reports from entities that support the overall mission of Southern Baptists about the work they are doing in our seminaries and the broader culture.

But they will know we are Christians by our love. How we deal with one another when we dont see eye to eye is a sensitive barometer of our love.

The wiser, cooler heads in SBC life have a job to do in Nashville: to make sure that the way we do business is as Christlike as the substance of that business. If that were too much to ask, the scriptures wouldnt be so clear about its necessity.

And theres no reason to wait for June to get this right. Lets start right now in the digital realm.
Stacker chose 15 major festivals with announced 2021 dates to curate a slideshow for music lovers who have been missing the sounds of live music. Click for more.
The Southern Way (lots of sugar)

The Yankee Way (no sugar or sweetener)

The Arnold Palmer (lemonade added)

Plantation Iced Tea (with fruit)

Half sweet and half unsweet mixed together.

Unsweet with a no calorie sweetener.

With fruit garnishment such as a lemon or lime.

I drink my iced tea in different way than listed here.

I don't drink iced tea.

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Now that the world is starting to open back up, CNN Travel is helping you make plans for 2021 and beyond through these weekly round-ups of tra
The driver of a speeding car died when the car went out of control, hit a tree and was split in half on Lake Shore Drive south of 31st Street in a crash that also critically injured the passenger in the car, Chicago police said.
Stacker chose 15 major festivals with announced 2021 dates to curate a slideshow for music lovers who have been missing the sounds of live music. Click for more.

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Rebecca Grapevine is a freelance journalist who was born and raised in Georgia. She has written about public health in both India and the United States, and she holds a doctorate in history from the University of Michigan.
'There's no way I can pay for this:' One of America's largest hospital chains has been suing thousands of patients during the pandemic
UK private equity house Exponent has sealed the buyout of premium dessert brand Gu in a deal believed to value the business at about 150m.

Seller Noble Foods saw the brands retail sales value rise 25% YoY last year to more than 69m  the second consecutive year Gu achieved double digit growth.

Never miss a story  click to sign up to AltAssets free daily PE newsletter

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but an AltAssets understands the 150m figure previously reported by Sky News is broadly correct.

Exponents previous experience in the food sector includes its ownership of Quorn between 2011 and 2016, during which time it returned the meat-free food business to growth and expanded it internationally.

It has also previously backed Loch Lomond Whisky, Vibrant Foods and Eat Real and Proper.

Exponent senior partner Simon Davidson said, We have followed the business for over a decade, having recognised its exceptional brand, great products and strong growth potential.

building on its success in the UK, we believe Gu has enormous international potential with the opportunity to create a truly global, premium indulgence brand.

The sale is expected to conclude in June.

Copyright  2021 AltAssets
ST. IVES, England (AP)  The Group of Seven nations are set to commit to sharing at least 1 billion coronavirus shots with the world, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Thursday, with half coming from the U.S. and 100 million from the U.K. as President Joe Biden urged allies to j
Anna Istre, a second grade teacher at Lake Charles Charter Academy, had two very unusual starts to her career. She graduated McNeese State University and began teaching right before the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdowns and then began again with the difficulties of the storm ridden 2020-2021 sch
In court, authorities said they used video surveillance to create a public bulletin that was used to locate Clark, who lives a short distance from the train station in the 1100 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue, where emergency responders from numerous agencies converged for the suspicious package call on May 8.
HOUMA, La. (AP)  A guard at a Louisiana jail has been fired and arrested after authorities said she conspired with inmates to bring drugs and other contraband into the facility.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has been the leader of the federal governments politically based responses to Covid-19 since day one of the pandemic. The director since 1984 of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he now serves as President Bidens leading advisor on the issue. Last year, Fauci repeatedly undercut President Trump when he was working for the 45th president. And now hes all in for Joe Biden.

In recent years, people on the left who lie and break the law  from the streets to the suites  have rarely been held accountable. One of them, in the opinion of many, is Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci is more responsible than anyone else for promoting lockdowns, mask mandates, and experimental vaccines rather than inexpensive, effective treatments for Covid-19. While most conservatives have lost faith in Dr. Doom, it has seemed like he would never be held to account for what he has done or that he would ever be compelled to relinquish his lifelong, incredibly influential, and highly remunerative bureaucratic perch.

But  keep your fingers crossed  that may be about to change. The serious unraveling of Faucis undeserved reputation as an American hero and the most trusted voice on Covid-19 has finally begun.

In the past several weeks, a number of things happened to alter the status quo Fauci-is-god spin. For months now, outlying reporting, from reputable sources  including whistleblowers like virologist Dr. Li-Meng Yan who escaped from Red China  has maintained that the origin of Covid-19 was the Wuhan Institute of Virology. According to these sources, the virus was either a bioweapon or a horrific experiment that got loose by accident from the Wuhan lab. After being dismissed as a conspiracy theory, these possibilities to explain the coronavirus have now gained significant ground and gone mainstream.

On May 2, Nicholas Wade, a 30 year veteran of the New York Times as a science writer and editor, published a lengthy article, Origin of Covid  Following the clues, that examined and pretty much confirmed the hypothesis of the viruss creation in the Wuhan lab. Tucker Carlson at Fox News, who has the number one show on all of cable news, building on the work of his colleague Steve Hilton who first reported on this subject last January, highlighted Wades article on the origins of Covid-19 on Monday, May 10. Carlson added an emphasis on Faucis role, noting Faucis pushing masks and lockdowns. He wondered if this behavior was a cover for something else. Could it be that Tony Fauci is trying to divert attention from himself and his own role in the COVID-19 pandemic?

Screenshot Tucker Carlson Tonight, Fox News Channel May 10, 2021

That high profile line of inquiry let the cat out of the bag.

The following day, Fauci was grilled by Republican Senators when he appeared at a U.S. Senate hearing.

Gain of function research in China and a possible U.S. role

Even before Fox Newss reporting one week ago, momentum for taking a serious look into Covid-19s origins was starting to build. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post on May 6, Congress is finally investigating the lab accident covid-19 origin theory, for example, Josh Rogin took note of the developments and confirmed that It is clear that the NIH and other U.S. agencies dont want to have their activities investigated  most likely because of what might be revealed.

The Wuhan lab conducted experiments involving gain of function research on viruses like the coronavirus basically to enhance them so they would be more deadly to humans. Gain of function is a controversial form of study that involves boosting the infectivity and lethality of a pathogen. It is the weaponization of the coronavirus. This is the kind of research that you would expect would come out of a place like Germany during World War Two.

And Fauci, it appears, was allegedly a major supporter of this line of research. Documents, including published scientific studies, and the accounts of those involved attest to the fact that  in Carlsons words  those experiments [in China] were funded by American tax dollars. . . approved and directed by Tony Fauci in Washington.

Previously, these reports were to be found in the alternative media or on less prominent programs like Steve Hiltons The Next Revolution (Sunday nights on Fox News) or Stephen K. Bannons War Room: Pandemic. Now, on May 10, they were trumpeted on the number one program on all of American cable news. And not only on Carlsons conservative opinion program: later that week, Fox Newss daily signature news department program Special Report began airing a series of probing segments (including here and here) on the origins of Covid-19.

The allegations aimed at Fauci, based on a variety of records, are that his NIH Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provided millions of dollars of U.S. government funding to a third party that used the money to help fund the deadly research at the Wuhan China lab. This action allegedly circumvented a prohibition of funding further gain of function research that was ordered by the Obama administration in 2014. Ultimately, it was this research  engineered as a bioweapon or resulting in an accidental release of the enhanced virus  that likely led to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.

Carlson said on May 10, More than any other single American, Tony Fauci is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

When an article about his Monday broadcast was published at Fox News dot com, it was titled Anthony Fauci let the coronavirus pandemic happen. Why isn't there a criminal investigation?

Carlson further asserted  in a summary of his programs reporting:

For five years  from 2014 to 2019  the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Fauci runs, and has for decades, pumped money to a group called the EcoHealth Alliance. The gain of function research had been banned by the U.S. during that period, at the behest of the Obama Administration! The allegation now is that Tony Fauci. . .invoked that special exception in order to keep funding the Wuhan lab, and the deadly experiments that were going on there. The experiments that clearly went so wrong.

Fauci grilled on Capitol Hill

On Tuesday, May 11, Fauci was one of the witnesses at a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on the governments Covid-19 response. Several of the committees Republican members, notably Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), grilled Fauci on the subject of gain of function research and the NIHs possible role in funding it in China. It was video clips of Pauls challenges to Fauci, and Faucis replies, that went viral and further established the subject as an important one.

Fox Newss reporting and the questioning of Fauci at the May 11 hearing could not be ignored by the MSM. As the Washington Post reported (and tried to spin) the story on May 12 in an article titled Rand Paul and the GOP effort to blame Fauci for the coronavirus:

For much of the past year, Republicans have decried lead government coronavirus expert Anthony S. Faucis prescriptions for mitigating the pandemic  including masks, social distancing and keeping society shut down. But increasingly in the past week, the effort has taken on a new flavor  with suggestions that Fauci might be personally to blame for the advent of the virus itself. There remain major questions about just how the virus emerged, including the idea that it somehow escaped a lab in the city of Wuhan, China, where the virus originated. The theory, which was once highly speculative and which was downplayed by top medical experts such as Fauci, is suddenly being treated more seriously, though there is no conclusive evidence either way. But while some Republicans have criticized the initial dismissal of that theory as evidence of a lack of curiosity from the media and health officials about the origins of the virus  or even some kind of pro-China or anti-Trump bias  the theories about Faucis complicity take things to another level. [emphasis added.]

Dr. Anthony Fauci takes questions from Sen. Paul during Senate committee hearing May 11, 2021

Source: Video at Senate Committee Website

At the May 11 hearing, Sen. Paul questioned Dr. Fauci during his allotted seven minutes:

Sen. Rand Paul: Dr. Fauci, do you still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan? Dr. Anthony Fauci: Senator Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect that the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. . . [note: it is likely that Fauci misspoke in this reply.] Paul: Do you support sending money to the Wuhan Virology Institute? Fauci: We do not send money now to the Wuhan Virology Institute. Paul: Do you support sending money? We did under your tutelage. We were sending it through EcoHealth. It was a sub-agency and a sub-grant. Do you support that the money from NIH that was going to the Wuhan Institute? Fauci: Let me explain to you why that was done. The SARS-CoV-1 originated in bats in China. It would have been irresponsible of us if we did not investigate the bat viruses and the serology to see who might have been infected in China. Paul: Or perhaps it would be irresponsible to send it to the Chinese government that we may not be able to trust with this knowledge and with this incredibly dangerous viruses. Fauci: I do not have any accounting of what the Chinese may have done, and Im fully in favor of any further investigation of what went on in China. However, I will repeat again, the NIH and NIAID categorically has not funded gain-of-function research to be conducted in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. [emphasis added.]

The full hearing transcript can be read here. Sen. Pauls questioning of Fauci on gain of function begins 59 minutes and 43 seconds into the transcript.

On May 12, Sen. Paul called Fauci a liar for his testimony the day before.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., claimed on Wednesday that Dr. Anthony Fauci lied to Congress when he denied that the National Institute of Health was funding research at the controversial Wuhan lab. I would say what Dr. Fauci said yesterday was verifiably false, alleged Paul during an appearance on Americas Newsroom.

The plot thickens: Chinas plan to employ the coronavirus as a weapon was revealed in a 2015 publication

A little over a week ago, the largest mainstream newspaper in Australia and the countrys only national paper, The Australian, published an eye-opening article that has gained virtually no notice here. The papers investigative reporter Sharri Markson reported that according to documents that she had obtained, leading Chinese Communist Party scientists floated the idea of a virus-based bio-weapon to take down the West  in 2015!

The Australian article, published on May 7 , was headlined Virus warfare in China military documents.

Chinese military scientists discussed the weaponisation of SARS coronaviruses five years before the COVID-19 pandemic, outlining their ideas in a document that predicted a third world war would be fought with biological weapons.

The Australian article is behind a paywall but an editorial about it, Covid as biological war? China paper needs answers, can be read here. In its article about the story, New Era May Be Upon Us, the Daily Telegraph, another leading Australian newspaper, reported:

Forget the prospect of war with China. We may already be at war  but simply failed to recognise the weaponry.

Sharri Markson on SkyNews May 9, 2021

Australian television picked up the story. On May 9, SkyNews Australia reported Chinese document discussing weaponising coronaviruses provides chilling information. In the article about the television report:

Sky News host Sharri Markson has assessed chilling details from a document produced by Chinese military scientists, in which they discussed weaponising SARS coronaviruses five years before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Ms Markson said the book was written by Peoples Liberation Army scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015. The documents describe SARS coronaviruses as heralding a new era of genetic weapons and said they can be artificially manipulated into an emerging human  disease virus, then weaponised and unleashed in a way never seen before. The Chinese-language paper is called The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons. The document also talks about the psychological terror that bioweapons can cause. Its chilling, Ms Markson said. . . The significance of this paper is that it offers a rare insight into how senior scientists at one of the PLAs [Peoples Liberation Army] most prominent military universities, where high levels of defence research were conducted, were thinking about biological research.

This development was reported in India, at dnaindia dot com.

The executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Peter Jennings, said the document is as close to a smoking gun as weve got. I think this is significant because it clearly shows that Chinese scientists were thinking about military application for different strains of the coronavirus and thinking about how it could be deployed.

The Epoch Times, which excels in covering otherwise underreported news from Asia, reported the story on May 9.

The newly discovered Chinese military paper is titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons. Eighteen authors at the highest levels of Chinas military and academic hierarchy wrote the 263-page paper. It was obtained by DoS in May 2020 and independently authenticated by digital forensics specialist Robert Potter. Additional details of the paper will be published in Sharri Marksons September book on the origins of COVID-19, What Really Happened in Wuhan (HarperCollins).

As time goes on, inevitably the truth will out  in this case, thanks to Fox News, Nicholas Wade, Stephen K. Bannon, Sharri Markson, the Australian media, and many other uncorrupted truth-seeking sources. As Brian Kilmeade noted on Fox News Primetime on May 13, Covid-19 is The biggest liability case in the history of man.

The battle for the real truth about Covid-19 has just begun  but fourteen months into the pandemic, there are finally some encouraging signs.

Addenda: In response to the recent reporting from Australia, the usual left wing and mainstream media outlets, including The Guardian, dissed the story. Predictably, as well, official sources in China responded. As The Australian noted, Beijing denies producing bio-weapons after The Australians revelation over weaponising SARS coronavirus.

Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who writes about politics, media, popular culture, and health care for American Thinker and other publications. He also appears in the media, including recently as a contributor to OANN, BBC World News, The Glazov Gang, and Fox News. Peter's website is https://peter.media His YouTube channel is here. For updates on his work, follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka.

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Since last spring, many people, including dear friends, have been insisting that masks had suddenly become vital talismans that stop respiratory viral spread.

Ive consistently argued the opposite throughout. (Here, here, here.) And though I would constantly ask for evidence from anyone suggesting that masks work, rarely was it ever forthcoming. Most often, I was told that there isnt a lot of evidence suggesting that masks dont work and that wearing a mask was better than nothing at all, so we should all just do it.

Early in the pandemic, mask mavens suggested that the lack of real-world evidence showing masks efficacy was due to not enough people wearing them. In the rare event that real-world evidence was offered, it usually took the form of suggestions that places like Japan escaped the ravages of the pandemic because of their stalwart adherence to masking in public.

Well, as Ian Miller points out on his extremely illuminating Twitter feed, even the few real-world examples that once suggested the effectiveness of masking have fallen apart. Using Japan as an example:

He also presents similar charts which point to the fact that America, while maybe a bit slow to adopt masks last spring, fell in line like good little drones pretty quickly, and by the summer, roughly 9-in-10 Americans were consistently wearing masks. All that masking did little to prevent surges in cases, hospitalizations, or deaths.

Theres still remarkably little or no real-world evidence that masks work, though such evidence has now had ample time to present itself. As such, there are some impulses urging me to immediately go to all of those people who insisted that masks must repel coronaviruses like crosses repel vampires, and tell them I told you so.

But that would be an unjust act of vanity on my part. I wasnt right. Science had been right, for a hundred-plus years. I was simply able to recognize that the 100 years of scientific consensus (which accounts for much of the lifespan for modern germ theory, it should be noted) was very unlikely to have magically inverted in the months between Dr. Fauci telling us that masks do little or nothing to stop or slow the spread of a virus like COVID-19 and his later telling us that we should probably wear two masks as a matter of common sense, even if youre vaccinated.

Long before Faucis ridiculous reversal from consensus toward the limits of absurdity, uncountable numbers of American scientists correctly concluded, having the benefit of decades of data mounting for over a century, that wearing a mask for the benefit of feeling safe from viral spread was useless.

As John M. Barry writes in The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, there were attempts to normalize mask wearing back in 1918, with masks positioned at stores alongside everyday things like tobacco and mustache grooming supplies. But the grim truth persisted, he concludes, which is that the masks worn by millions were useless as designed and could not prevent influenza, because only preventing exposure to the virus could do that.

While we might be seeing new developments today that didnt exist during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, such as a corporate, technocratic oligarchy working hand-in-hand with politburos to suppress any information contrary to what are deemed the politically acceptable scientific conclusions, much of what were witnessing is just a bit of history repeating.

Consider, for example, a comparison between the death rates in Stockton, California, and Boston, Massachusetts, during the Spanish flu epidemic. For one month, Stockton made masking compulsory. When set alongside Boston, which did not make masking compulsory, it becomes clear that Boston not only showed a similar trend in that month for deaths, but actually fared better than Stockton:

As Ian Millers graphs handily show, what was true then is true now. Consider this comparison of Texas and California:

If anything, the fact that the same outcomes are observed with nearly universal masking today only strengthens sciences 100-year-old contention. There is no shortage of such evidence, only a shortage of voices expressing it on platforms loud enough for people to see or hear it over the fear-mongering, unscientific cacophony to be found on mainstream media.

And yet, our devotion to the idea of masks saving lives has turned our reality into absurdist satire. Someone wearing a mask while jogging or driving alone in a car is not only useless, but it is unimaginably stupid. Seeing someone wearing multiple masks with a face shield, or pulling down ones mask to insert a peanut and replace the mask as one chews are visuals that seem better suited to a vintage Monty Python sketch than real life. But in the real life of 2021 not only has the leading health expert in the country suggested that wearing multiple masks just makes common sense, but airlines are kicking people off of airplanes for not quickly replacing their mask after inserting a Twizzler into their mouths.

To believe that any of this nonsense is justifiable requires a total disavowal of the principles of even rudimentary thought. It is a devotion to a ridiculous fantasy where that dirty piece of cloth that you grabbed out of your glove compartment and havent washed for a week will act as some sort of magical trinket to keep you safe from harm.

Ill concede that there are many fine and smart people who bought into the masking craze that took hold in 2020. This would not have been much of a problem, perhaps, if it werent for the most crazed among that ilk also being the most culturally and politically powerful, demanding that masking edicts be followed without question, and that the extent of those edicts be taken beyond the point of absurdity.

In time, the truth will emerge, and, as the data and evidence have shown for the past century, I am quite confident that the data and evidence around masking in 2020 and 2021 will again show that the dirty cloth rags that hundreds of millions of Americans wore over their faces were useless as designed and could not stop respiratory viral spread. It will take time, though, because those currently in power are those who advocated this reversal of scientific consensus. Telling the truth today would be a direct admission of erroneous policy, and such an admission would further dismantle Americans already diminished faith in our politicians and government health officials.

But this dishonest bunch wont be in power forever, and the truth is relentless. With any luck, Americas masking madness will not become a seasonal feature of life, as Dr. Fauci suggests, but it will soon be relegated to the ash heap of bad ideas, and wont emerge again for at least another 100 years.

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If these were any other vaccines, they would already be off the market.

In fact, they would have been pulled a long time ago. Usually, a new drug is withdrawn after 50 deaths, which isn't typical because the FDA has a strict approval process. The COVID-19 vaccines have been exempted from it, instead being temporarily "authorized" for emergency use.

These vaccines have coincided with 3,544 American deaths and 12,619 serious injuries as of April 23, according to the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reports System database (VAERS, republished "as is" in user-friendly format here). The flu vaccines by comparison are linked to 2030 death reports a year, according to Dr. Peter McCullough, and those 2030 death reports come with considerably more vaccines administered.

This is precisely the kind of thing FDA approval is supposed to prevent.

This ugly graph has generated quite a discussion. It is contended that 2021 is up because we vaccinated a lot more people in 2021. How could this contention be proven or disproven? https://t.co/Bn2ylJfHES  Jean Marc Benoit MD (@JeanmarcBenoit) April 1, 2021

Dr. McCullough estimated the flu shot at 195 million people annually, while 153 million have currently received COVID vaccinations. The disparity between these two vaccine groups is staggering.

Instead of treating this data seriously, institutions like the NIH are pushing to fast-track FDA approval and give the vaccines to younger and younger children. Regulators lowered the minimum age for the Pfizer vaccine from 16 to 12 on Monday, and shots for that age group could begin as soon as Thursday. Pfizer is currently experimenting on 144 young children in three age brackets: 5 to 11 years, 2 to 4 years, and six months to 2 years. The results will be available in September. The vaccine is already mandatory at many colleges (and only for students), and you can bet they'll make it a precondition for your little ones to continue attending school.

How long until it isn't optional, for you or your children?

Thirty-five hundred reports is 70 times the normal threshold for pulling a drug from the market. Although this is raw data, previous VAERS studies have shown that only 110% of vaccine-related deaths are reported to VAERS  or less. This would put the likely real death count in the U.S. at tens to hundreds of thousands.

Inexplicably, Dr. Fauci was able to look at those data and say, "obviously the safety looks really, really good in well over 140 million people having been vaccinated." How can he look at the VAERS data in good faith and say the safety looks good?

The updated number of published death reports as of April 30 is 3,837. That's 300 reports in a week, and those are just the reports: per the studies that show that VAERS underreports deaths, we're on pace for an estimated half a million COVID vaccine deaths by the end of the month. It's remarkable that the press isn't covering this.

They are indeed doing the opposite, insisting that VAERS data are meaningless. They say VAERS reports are unverified, which is always true with raw data, and anyone can make them, so we don't know that 3,544 deaths have happened.

What they leave out is the correlation between death reports and deaths has already been studied, and one report on VAERS correlates with 10100 deaths. They also leave out the sheer volume of reports. What they don't leave out is their customary appeal to authority: listen to the doctors.

Dr. McCullough is vice chief of medicine at Baylor University Medical Center and the most cited American medical doctor on COVID-19 at the National Library of Medicine. He dedicated his career to COVID when the pandemic began, focusing on outpatient treatment, on which he testified to Congress early in the pandemic. He says the death reports come from medical professionals, and the CDC's investigation into them could only have been falsified.

Having "chaired and participated in dozens of safety monitoring boards and sat on those committees," Dr. McCullough refutes the CDC's March announcement that there were no vaccine-related deaths: "It is impossible for unnamed regulatory doctors without any experience with COVID-19 to opine that none of the deaths were related to the vaccine" in so short a period of time. It would take "many months" to complete an investigation.

Meanwhile, more people would die. This may be why a drug is taken off the market after excessive death reports, before investigating or proving causation.

The CDC has collected VAERS data for 31 years, and while anyone can make a VAERS report, the database is intended to compile data from health care workers, who in turn are required by law to file reports for a long list of vaccines  COVID vaccines not included.

There's absolutely no history of massive VAERS fraud, and if the media want to suggest that, they should say it directly and provide evidence. Anyone filing a false VAERS report is committing a federal crime.

Their point that VAERS reports are meant to generate further studies to contextualize them is true. In the CDC's words, "VAERS is designed to rapidly detect unusual or unexpected patterns of adverse events[.] ... If a safety signal is found, further studies can be done."

The COVID vaccines are adding a year's worth of VAERS reports every week. In four months, they've had more adverse reports than any single vaccine has had cumulatively over the past 31 years. This is clearly a safety signal, further studies are not being done, and it appears they're being forged.

Tucker Carlson covered some of Dr. McCullough's findings recently, and, not surprisingly, he was ridiculed for it. He responded:

That very same [VAERS] system has been used for a long time. What was interesting is what the numbers showed consistently across decades, as a relative measure, one vaccine comparing to another. More deaths have been connected to the new COVID vaccines over the past four months than to all previous vaccines combined over a period of more than 15 years.

Mystifyingly, the Washington Post accused Carlson of "using reports submitted to VAERS to suggest that something worrisome is happening," as if large death and serious illness counts are not worrisome.

Dr. McCullough notes that the Post is part of the "Trusted News Initiative," an agreement between Silicon Valley and news outlets to censor any news or data critical of COVID vaccines since that could make people hesitate to get vaccinated. Early on, they set the public curriculum to isolate, mask, and wait for the vaccine, and treatment meanwhile has been discouraged and stigmatized. Stigmatizing treatment and burying safety data are so counter-intuitive and pervasive at this point that the motives must be questioned. Are they getting us sick on purpose to sell vaccines?

It appears either that the bureaucracy is trying to hammer through FDA approval or that the arrangements have been made and they're conditioning the public to accept it. There's a reason that it normally takes ten years for a vaccine to hit the market: long-term testing.

Skipping the Phase III trials, getting these results and not just ignoring them, but testing the product on children and infants, in my view, shows criminal intent.

These reports must be studied and the vaccines taken off the market until completion. Instead, we are seeing the product of a system that, as Dr. McCullough says, has gone off the rails.

Hat tip: Leo Hohmann.

Image: torstensimon via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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Over the years, Adeel Raja has had his byline on 54 stories published at CNN and has been working with CNN as a freelance contributor for almost eight years. Raja also has a longstanding record of publishing Hitler-worshiping tweets. He's not shy about his love for the Holocaust, yet CNN keeps going back to him  maybe because a lot of people at CNN agree with him.

The Islamabad-based Raja started working for CNN in 2014, covering Pakistan. Between January 2, 2014 and September 16, 2020 Raja had his byline on 54 articles published at the CNN website. During those same years, Raja was open about his admiration for Adolf Hitler:

For Raja, that desire for Hitler to return has been peaking as Israel defends herself against Hamas's murderous onslaught. On Sunday, Raja tweeted out that "The world today needs a Hitler."

The worst thing about Rajas tweets is that they fit in so well at CNN. While nobody based in America would ever be as blatant as Raja in his hatred for Jews specifically, CNN makes no secret about its dislike for Israel, which, by sheer coincidence, is the only Jewish nation in the world. Many of its employees are also open in their support for the Arabs living in Gaza,* even though these same Gaza residents have voted for Hamas, which is dedicated to the eradication of Israel and her residents.

Last week, CNN host Fareed Zakaria pretty much said Hamas's raining thousands of rockets on Israeli civilians was a necessity because Israel does not give them "political rights." Zakaria seems unaware of the fact that Israel has no political control over Gaza, from which Israel withdrew in 2005. The Gazans look to Hamas, not Israel, for their governance.

Also last week, Ben Wedeman, who is CNN's international correspondent, insisted that the only solution is a one-state solution, which means that Israel ceases to exist as she is demographically overrun and controlled by Arabs. Also, like all anti-Israel correspondents, his report has faceless, robot-like Israelis facing off against sweet, ordinary Arabs in Gaza. Through subtle spin, Israel is the jackboot, and, in an evil inversion of history, the Arabs have become the Jews.

And also within the last week, CNN's Becky Anderson, an international anchor, while interviewing former Israeli defense minister Naftali Bennett, accused Israel of firing indiscriminately into Gaza and of violating international law. She said this with a straight face even though Hamas has launched 3,000 rockets at Israel's major coastal population centers, while Israel has responded with meticulously targeted strikes against Hamas military leaders and sites, and always first gives a warning so civilians can avoid the line of fire.

I find it hard to imagine CNN taking any steps to discipline Raja or cease working with him. He's the perfect freelance reporter for CNN because his anti-Semitic ideology fits right in.

_____________________________

*As a reminder, I will no longer refer to the Arabs living in Gaza and the West Bank as Palestinians because that gives them a legitimacy that history proves they lack. They are the squatters and colonialists. Israelis are the true indigenous people.

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Mark Twain wrote Pudd'nhead Wilson to show how stupid racism is. Because he wrote in an era when the word now called the "N-word" was normative, that word showed up in his book. When a college professor at St. John's, a Catholic college in Queens, New York, read from the book in class, a single student's complaint led to the professor being fired. The college is no doubt congratulating itself on its sensitivity. It should be flagellating itself for its cruelty to the students in its charge.

The world is not a safe place. We Americans are blessed to live in one of the safest countries in the world at the safest time in history. Nevertheless, cruelty is a human constant and no matter how physically safe we make our world we will invariably run into people who are not very nice.

Because my parents had experienced horrific childhoods dominated by broken homes, a worldwide Depression, and World War II, they sought to insulate me from the world's cruelty. If someone was mean to me  as was often the case because I was a nerd among nerds  my parents rushed in to defend me. The consequence was that I did not learn how to roll with the punches, to laugh things off, or to defend myself, whether physically or verbally. I spent decades learning skills that I ought to have learned as a child.

My parents, at least, acted with love. The same cannot be said of modern academia, which acts with smug, self-satisfied condescension when it bows down before the irrational demands of a generation of people raised to be so sensitive that the slightest ruffling of their emotional feathers is seen as a devastating act of violence.

The latest example of this madness comes from St. John's University. St. John's is not some small, womb-like Midwestern liberal arts college. It is a large institution with over 21,000 students, located in Queens. That's a more rugged, demanding environment than, say, Oberlin, Ohio.

Hannah Berliner Fischthal, the daughter of Holocaust-survivors, has taught at St. John's as an adjunct professor of English for 20 years, although her specialty is Yiddish, which is a totally awesome language. In February, during a remote class, Fischthal was discussing Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson with her students. As noted, above, Twain used the N-word as part of an extended satire poking fun at the ugliness and stupidity of racism. The New York Post explains what happened:

"Mark Twain was one of the first American writers to use actual dialect," Fischthal said. "His use of the 'N-word' is used only in dialogues as it could have actually been spoken in the south before the Civil War, when the story takes place." The day after the class, however, she got an email from a student who said she had to "abruptly" leave the call because of Fischthal's use of an "inappropriate slur."

Faced with a student suffering from a learned mental illness, Fischthal promptly did the usual academic thing of convening a discussion during which she made the usual ritual obeisance before the perpetually offended. Being an academic, she could not have known that apologizing to the woke mob never fixes things; it just makes you feel cheap. Again, the New York Post explains what happened next:

On March 3 she was called into a meeting with HR about her use of the N-word in class, the subsequent discussion of it and a comment she allegedly made about a Black student's hair. Fischthal said she only made a remark about a student's head being wrapped up during class and it had nothing to do with her hair. She said she was also criticized for mentioning her family's experience in the Holocaust during class. On March 5 she was suspended pending an investigation she had violated the university's policy against bias. On April 29 she was fired.

St. John's University needs to be sued, and it needs to lose a lot of money. That is the only way it (and perhaps other colleges and universities) will learn not to do this kind of thing.

I do not know what will get the administration to understand that when you try to insulate young people from anything that might hurt them, you are doing them a profound disservice and leaving them exposed to the world like a giant open wound. This smug self-satisfaction that these institutions derive from pandering to the lowest common denominator of emotional fragility will go down as a shameful episode in American culture.

Image: Cover of a Classics Illustrated Puddnhead Wilson edition.

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For the first month after leftists conceded that COVID in America was a problem, they responded with some scientific rationality (although tempered by mindless panic). However, leftists quickly weaponized the virus to achieve two goals: ousting Donald Trump and achieving unlimited control over Americans. That's when their minds broke because some of them started believing their own hype. No one demonstrates that better than AOC, who can't quit the mask.

Democrats claim to be the party that "believes" in science. This belief went stratospheric the day Trump was elected. Not only was he the bogeyman who sexually assaulted women (something he never said he did, for he noted only that, if you're a billionaire, women let you do anything), he was also the man who denied that anthropogenic climate change meant that the world would end in some indeterminate number of years, but soon.

Leftist women head to protests in electric cars requiring fossil fuels to recharge and using batteries made with rare earths that slaves mined in China. They donned their foolish "pussy" hats and went around with signs either giving voice to their vaginas or castigating Trump for not "believing in science."

This "believe in science" trope continued throughout the Trump presidency. These "believers" were fanatics who had no room for the actual scientific process, which requires rigorous objectivity and a willingness to follow the data and challenge mindless conventional wisdom. To them, climate change was responsible for anything and everything. The fact that there are no stable measurements for the climate and that the Earth is entering a grand solar minimum wasn't the type of science that could challenge the faith of the same women who insist that a fetus is a non-human disposable object, while a mass murderer is a human being deserving of respect.

Once COVID hit, the faithful "believed the science" emanating from the newly canonized St. Fauci, with his ever-changing narratives about lockdowns, masks, vaccinations, and herd immunity. Those lockdowns and masks became their talismans in this new faith  so much so that, when Trump (the faith's Satan) was able to shepherd into production a vaccination in a remarkable amount of time, they resisted it. It was Satanic.

Only when Biden, the North Star of the Church of Science, took Trump's vaccine program as his own, did they rush to get vaccines. This included young, physically healthy women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the voice of a new generation of neurotic women with "generalized anxiety disorder," anger management issues, and a deep and abiding faith in the Church of Science.

Even when vaccinated, these women clung to those masks, which showed that they were good people who cared. They ignored mounting evidence (science!) showing that masks don't protect against infinitesimally small viral particles and may make people sick when the same mask is continuously reused. Like medieval peasants clutching a religious icon, or superstitious people carrying a rabbit's foot, these woke women knew that these masks were "science," and if they wore them, they would be saved.

This leads us to a peculiar pronouncement from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the youngest female bishops in the Church of Science. Even though her beloved government, in the form of CDC director Rochelle Walensky says science means it's time for vaccinated people no to abandon masks, AOC can't give it up (emphasis added):

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she will continue to wear a face mask despite being fully vaccinated because 'NYC got hit so hard that I think some of us are going to take time adjusting as we feel comfortable.' Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, told her followers on Instagram that 'if you want to keep wearing your mask then do it.' 'Personally I'm going to keep wearing my mask in shared indoor public spaces like elevators, subway, grocery store, etc.,' she said.

In other words, personally, AOC's not taking that mask off. I know I ought to pity her  she's obviously suffering from some form of PTSD or self-inflicted Stockholm Syndrome  but I'd be lying if I said I did. AOC is part of a cadre of leftists who used masks and lockdowns to destroy 2020's election integrity and install a pretender in the White House (and who knows how many in Congress). I'd like to imagine her living for a long time in her mental hell, one that's a direct byproduct of her irrational Church of Science.

Image: AOC. YouTube screen grab.

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Whether you believe in QAnon or not, one of the points that Q made was the claim that pedophilia tied together many of the world's power brokers. That's would make it unsurprising that Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile who continued his wicked ways even after his conviction, had such a big network of rich and powerful people who knew about his vicious propensities and seemingly didn't care. Even knowing that, it's still big news to learn that Bill Gates, one of the world's richest and most powerful men, allegedly had a deep friendship with Epstein.

The Daily Beast has the story, which saw Gates hang out with Epstein, confiding in him about Gates's "toxic" marriage and seeking advice from the sex offender:

Gates used the gatherings at Epstein's $77 million New York townhouse as an escape from what he told Epstein was a "toxic" marriage, a topic both men found humorous, a person who attended the meetings told The Daily Beast. The billionaire met Epstein dozens of times starting in 2011 and continuing through to 2014 mostly at the financier's Manhattan home  a substantially higher number than has been previously reported. Their conversations took place years before Bill and Melinda Gates announced this month that they were splitting up. Gates, in turn, encouraged Epstein to rehabilitate his image in the media following his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and discussed Epstein becoming involved with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Let's really think about this alleged friendship. Jeffrey Epstein was convicted in 2008, when it emerged that he'd sexually abused at least 36 girls, some as young as 14. (Technically, Epstein's predilection for young teens makes him a cross between a hebephile (likes kids aged 1114) and an ephebophile (1516), but it's still morally and legally wrong.)

While there's some mercy that Epstein wasn't assaulting babies and toddlers, the fact is that he wanted to have sex with children, that he did have sex with children, that he went to prison for doing so and that, after emerging from prison, he often retreated to a private island outside American jurisdiction so he could abuse teenage girls to his heart's content. Not only that, but famous people liked to fly on his plane and stay on his island.

And then there's Bill Gates, whose vast fortune made him one of the richest men in the world, whose foundation and connections made him one of the most powerful men in the world, and whose interest in population growth (he's against it) makes him one of the scarier men in the world. This is not a man who should be having a bromance with a convicted sex offender  yet there the two men allegedly were hanging in Epstein's mansion, yukking it up about poor Melinda.

The story  for now  is that Gates reveled in the men's club atmosphere at Epstein's home:

The people familiar with the matter said Gates found freedom in Epstein's lair, where he met a rotating cast of bold-faced names and discussed worldly issues in between rounds of jokes and gossip  a "men's club" atmosphere that irritated Melinda. "[It's] not an overstatement. Going to Jeffrey's was a respite from his marriage. It was a way of getting away from Melinda," one of the people who was at several of the meetings said, adding that Epstein and Gates "were very close."

Naturally, a spokesman for Gates denies the story, saying everything about it is untrue:

A representative for Bill Gates told The Daily Beast: "Your characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated. Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false." The spokesperson disputed the number of times Epstein and Gates met and said the two men never discussed Epstein getting involved with the foundation.

Perhaps because I dislike Bill Gates and his politics, and I've never liked his products although I'm pretty much stuck with them, I prefer to believe the salacious version, not the spokesperson's denials.

The article does quote a friend who claims that Bill loved the intellectual atmosphere and freedom at Epstein's house. I don't know, but that reminds me of all those men back in the 1960s who claimed they bought Playboy to read the articles. For jaded rich people, Epstein's cachet was the hint of prison and perversion, not his witty conversation and insights into marital bliss.

One of the reasons I always hated MS-Word was because it was easy to get started, but if you wanted to refine your work product, the deeper you got into the program, the uglier, more complicated, and more difficult it got. It's beginning to look as if MS-Word has a lot in common with Bill Gates, a man who initially seemed like a dorky nerd who had to be reminded to brush his teeth and is turning out to be a workplace sexual harasser, lousy husband, and way-too-close-a-friend to Jeffrey Epstein.

Image: Bill Gates, YouTube screengrab. Jeffrey Epstein, mug shot.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin warning of an increased risk of attacks by violent extremists taking advantage of the easing of pandemic restrictions. Seriously.

The alert does not cite any specific threats but warns of potential danger from an "increasingly complex and volatile" mix of groups that includes domestic terrorists inspired by various grievances and racial or ethnic hatred. The bulletin cautioned, "Violent extremists may seek to exploit the easing of COVID-19-related restrictions across the United States to conduct attacks against a broader range of targets after previous public capacity limits reduced opportunities for lethal attacks." The alert noted that extremists motivated by racial and ethnic hatred have historically targeted crowded businesses or gatherings and is an extension of a previous alert issued in the wake of the January 6 "attack" on the U.S. Capitol.

The original bulletin warned of the continuing potential for violence from those evil anti-government types  i.e., Trump supporters who were upset by their completely unfounded belief that the Orange Man had an election stolen from him. That bulletin suggested that the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol could embolden deranged extremists and set the stage for additional attacks around the country. That warning proved unfounded, and those "attacks" never happened. But being a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democratic Party means never having to say you're sorry. Or wrong.

And, honestly, what leftist worth his/her/they salt could resist using the lessening of unconstitutional mask and gathering restrictions to warn against a coming wave of bloody attacks by crazed Trump-supporters against the benevolent  indeed beatific  governmental institutions we all know and love?

Mark my words: the progressives who believe in the Holy Trinity of facial diapers, social distancing, and vaccine mandates will soon be screaming that further easing or eliminating any of these will promptly lead to greatly exacerbated global warming/climate change, rising discrimination against the LGBT community and peoples of color, endangered species loss, and rampant Dutch elm disease.

Sadly, many of the same people who believe that MSNBC, CNN, and the New York Times are real news outlets will believe this, too.

Image: DHS.

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China honors military strategic planning units, individuals

Xinhua) 10:52, May 17, 2021

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Ten Chinese military units and 18 individuals were honored for their outstanding performance in military strategic planning.

Over the past years, the Chinese armed forces have endeavored to pursue reform and innovation. The armed forces also made every effort to advance the strategic planning for building a strong military in the new era, said a circular issued by the Central Military Commission.

It also stressed the importance of innovation in the design, implementation, and assessment of strategies. It called for continued improvement of strategic planning and macro-management, as well as promoting the high-quality development of the military.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Harrison, meanwhile, told the FBI that while they were in the Capitol he asked another officer where the nearest restrooms were located. The officer pointed in a certain direction but the friends were not able to reach the bathroom because that area of the building had been blocked off, according to the complaint.
Bill Gates has been prominent during the COVID panic. He has all sorts of ideas about controlling people's lives and "solving" climate change. However, now that his wife is leaving him, the floodgates are opening. The Bill Gates we're seeing isn't the amiable, slightly weird genius. Instead, he's "sexual predator adjacent"  a man who befriended Jeffrey Epstein and had a questionable relationship with the Clinton Foundation.

For many people, Bill Gates was the genius behind the Microsoft empire. For others, he was a mediocre programmer who had a nose for spotting other people's talent and, like a mob boss, pressuring them into handing their valuable products over to him.

Bill Gates was also the billionaire reportedly with disgusting personal habits. I'm old enough to remember the stories about how filthy he was, complete with the slimy green teeth of a man who'd never met a toothbrush.

What saved Gates's reputation as a decent human being (with good personal hygiene) was his decision to marry Melinda French Gates, who used to be a general manager at Microsoft. Thanks to no special skill of her own other than cleaning up and marrying Bill, she is one of the most powerful people in the world. Through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she dispenses the type of money that makes everyone want to do as she asks.

I've already covered the fact that it appears that news about Bill's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a pedophile on a grand scale, might have been what led Melinda to file for divorce. Another straw might have been Bill's endless escapades with women throughout their marriage. Like many rich and powerful men, Bill apparently wanted into women's underpants, and most women were happy to oblige. (One must wonder if Epstein also offered him access to undies...)

The New York Times, after mostly ignoring Bill's peccadilloes for decades, now concedes that he didn't take his marriage vows seriously:

By the time Melinda French Gates decided to end her 27-year marriage, her husband was known globally as a software pioneer, a billionaire and a leading philanthropist. But in some circles, Bill Gates had also developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings. That is attracting new scrutiny amid the breakup of one of the world's richest, most powerful couples. [snip] On at least a few occasions, Mr. Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to people with direct knowledge of his overtures. In 2019, Microsoft's board of directors, on which Mr. Gates sat, opened an investigation into one of those cases after being notified that he had "sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000," Frank X. Shaw, a Microsoft spokesman, said on Sunday. The board hired a law firm to investigate. The following year, Mr. Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board.

Then there's Bill's longstanding relationship with the Clinton Foundation. This is disturbing news if you believe, as I do, that the Clinton Foundation is a fraudulent, pay-for-play enterprise. It's a shame that Trump's DOJ didn't investigate it, but there's enough evidence to show that the Clintons skimmed money from the Foundation. They certainly didn't pass much of it on to the Haitians. But you already knew all that.

What you may not have know is that, whether through direct contributions or indirect contributions via other charities, Bill Gates was the single largest contributor to the Clinton Foundation. Maybe it was completely innocent. But still, we're left with a nexus of sleazy, awful people: Bill (Clinton) and Hillary and Bill (Gates) and Jeffrey, all of them revolving around grift, graft, and sleazy sex.

There's no getting away from a point I've often made to my children: when people have too much money and power, and these attributes are not offset by a God-centered morality, they're likely to feel that the ordinary rules that constrain our worst instincts no longer apply to them. Bill was smart to have entered into a generous settlement with Melinda because I bet she has tales to tell.

Image: Bill and Melinda Gates (and is it me, or is that a deeply unhappy-looking woman  not situationally sad, but unhappy?). YouTube screen grab.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
In 1993, an Amtrak passenger train derailed near Mobile, Alabama and plunged into the Mobile River. Would-be rescuers later found a dead young mother still gripping her small daughter (also dead) by the ankles. Apparently, she had tried to hold the child above the rising water line for as long as possible, even while she herself drowned.

In many parts of the country, including where I live in Gwinnett County, Georgia, the adults running our public schools  board members, administrators, and even many teachers  are doing exactly the opposite. They are standing on our children's shoulders to save themselves, literally if slowly suffocating the children with their anti-scientific mask mandates solely to allay their own fears.

What are they afraid of? They're afraid of getting COVID and dying, even though most of them are at very low risk and have been vaccinated anyway. They're afraid of "liability," a catch-all legal phrase that has long provided cover for feckless bureaucrats. They're afraid of powerful teachers' unions, even in right-to-work states like Georgia. And they're afraid of the disproportionally loud and strident voices of a relatively small number of mask cultists in our midst.

But...but...but they're just following CDC guidelines, right? Perhaps. Yet the CDC is not a governing body. It does not make laws. Specifically, no one in Gwinnett County or anyplace else voted for the CDC to write policy for our schools. That is the job of the elected school board members  one they are currently shirking as they fail to address the new realities of a swiftly receding pandemic.

Furthermore, the CDC's recommendations run counter to the science  even, in some cases, the agency's own science. Normally, I wouldn't include numerous citations in a column, which is meant to be interesting as well as informative. Citing sources is dull and boring. But since this issue is such an emotional one, with people shrieking about "the science!" who clearly have no clue what the science actually says, I thought it might be prudent  as well as helpful to those wishing to join Team Reality  to go ahead and lay some science on you.

Speaking of Team Reality, I have borrowed heavily here from the Twitter feed of Omnipotent Moral Busybody (@OBusybody), who describes himself as "one of the few remaining politically neutral social scientists." If you want to know the truth, I highly recommend OMB's feed, along with those of Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield), Jennifer Cabrera (@jhaskinscabrera), Dr. Andrew Bostom (@andrewbostom), among others. (Also El Gato Malo on Substack.com, who was kicked off Twitter for consistently and fearlessly telling the truth.)

Without further delay, here are the salient points along with hyperlinked citations:

A few points about the above sources before I conclude. First, nearly all of them are from medical or scientific journals or from left-leaning news sites. Only one comes from an outlet anyone might describe as "right-wing." Second, you may have noticed that all of them are from last spring and summer. Sure, I could have used more up-to-date sources  of which there are many  but my point is that all of this has been known for almost a year. A year!

And third, this is just the tip of the iceberg, source-wise. I could cite dozens more studies and reviews if I had the space. Luckily, as a concerned parent or community member, you can do your own research and arm yourself with the facts.

The real question is, why haven't school board members and administrators done that research  especially when, as I just pointed out, it's been available since last spring? Besides irrational fear, I can think of only two other possibilities: either they're incompetent or they have a hidden agenda. I hope to be proved wrong at Gwinnett County's next school board meeting, when members vote unanimously to lift the mask mandate, effectively immediately. But I won't hold my breath  even though that would undoubtedly prevent me from getting COVID-19.

Photo credit: WWW.VPEREMEN.COM, CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

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Sen. Bernard Sanders had a guest essay in the May 15 New York Times rushing to blame Israel's "legal system" for "facilita[ting] ... forced displacement" of Palestinians in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. He added that "those evictions are just one part of a broader system of political and economic oppression" of Palestinians by Israel.

Too bad Sanders did not wait until he had a chance to read the op-ed in The Wall Street Journal the same day, by Avi Bell and Eugene Kontorovich, "Almost Nothing You've Heard about Evictions in Jerusalem Is True." (Likely, Sanders would not have been impressed with their factual recitation of the Jerusalem property dispute.)

Bell and Kontorovich point out that the litigation about property in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood "is a dispute between private properties." In the instant case, write the authors, "the owner is an Israeli corporation with Jewish owners whose chain of title is documented back to an original purchase in 1875." Consequent to the original Arab aggression against Israel, May 15, 1948, including Jordan's invasion of Jerusalem, Jordan "occupied half of Jerusalem expelling every one of its Jewish inhabitants and seizing their property."

Bell and Kontorovich point out that after Israel removed Jordan from Jerusalem in the 1967 fighting, Israel still recognized the titles of property that Jordan had transferred to Palestinians. They add, "Where title had never been transferred, however, Israel returned the land to their owners." They continue:

Title to the properties in dispute in Sheikh Jarrah was never given by Jordan to Palestinians, so Israeli law respects the unbroken title of the plaintiffs. ... The plaintiffs and its predecessors in title, the authors report, have spent four decades in court seeking to recover possession of the properties.

Still, Israeli courts have regarded "the Palestinian squatters and leaseholders alike as 'protected tenants' and would shield them from eviction indefinitely if they paid rent," Bell and Kontorovich write, adding, "They have refused to do so."

Perhaps this point noted by the authors would not impress the socialist Sanders: "The laws involved are the same as any landlord would invoke." Perhaps for the socialist Sanders, a squatter is absolved from paying rent, particularly if he declares a cause that moves Sanders's ideological heart.

Certainly, Sanders, cool to the Jewish state, would not be impressed by this observation from Bell and Kontorovich:

There is only one objection in this case: the owners are Jews. Western progressive have elevated the desire of some Arabs not to have Jewish neighbors into a human right and a legal entitlement that even the Jewish state must protect. (snip) The manufactured controversy this time is an attempt to pressure Israel effectively to perpetuate Jordan's ethnic cleansing in the name of human rights.

Bell and Kontorovich end their op-ed with this observation:

The real story behind Sheikh Jarrah is a microcosm of the conflict: Israel is condemned for policies that are entirely unremarkable, while discrimination against Jews is proclaimed to be a rule of international law.

That Hamas seized on the property dispute in Jerusalem between private parties to commit aggression against Israel suggests that for Hamas, the property at issue is not only a particular neighborhood in Israel's capital but all of Israel.

The anti-Israel bias of Sen. Sanders is obvious from this expression of malice in his guest essay: the United States "can no longer be apologists for the right-wing [government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu "and its undemocratic and racist behavior." The title of the Sanders column is "We Need a New Mideast Approach." The meaning? We ought to take an adversarial posture vis-a-vis the Jewish state. After all, his invidious essay ended with these exclusionary three words: "Palestinian lives matter."

Caricature by Donkey Hotey, CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
The Lincoln Project, the vile, big-dollar organization of #neverTrump Republicans financed by leftist billionaires solely to Get Trump, is far from closing up shop in the wake of a big sexual predator scandal.

It's now spewing claptrap about 'civility' and has plans to come for your kids.

Here's their forked-tongue buildup for The Franklin Project, its new offshoot, in a Lincoln Project video called 'civility.'

Notice the prominence of Liz Cheney in it, and assorted members of the Bush crew. Ugh. You can see the outlines of who seems to be backing this and what it's really about. Ol' Liz is serious about taking over the Republican Party, a party with Trump and his supporters completely shut out. As for the civility theme, does "kinder, gentler, nation" spring to mind with this phony 'civility' dreck? Does "compassionate conservatism"? We all know where that namby-pamby talk from the Bush crew actually led us -- to being rolled by the far left and eventually cast from power. It makes one wonder if former President Bush, who says he's painting dogs, might just be plotting and maneuvering politically, same as President Obama, neither of them telling us.

The fanatic Trump-haters of the Lincoln Project launching this also have big plans, according to Axios, to teach "civics" in schools. Here's how bad it is:

The Franklin Project, while a nonprofit and legally distinct from its predecessor, will target "the exact same problem ... but from different angles and with different methods," says co-executive director Greg Jenkins, a George W. Bush administration alumnus. Lincoln will keep airing its brash, anti-Trump ads while Franklin will focus on nonpartisan education and collaboration tailored to build consensus.

"We're not the megaphone; we're the convener," Jenkins said.

Axios reports that this is what they are up to:

Franklin organizers believe civics discussions have devolved from an exchange of ideas to "an unhealthy game of winners and losers," as their prospectus states. That's triggered extreme partisanship, fueling the rise of authoritarian figures. The Franklin Project plans to develop and provide a K-12 civics education program it will offer free to local school districts.

It also will establish the "Democracy Corps," a hyper-local movement spread across the nation "that will advocate for and amplify the values upon which America was founded," the prospectus says.

The project does not plan to align with or endorse candidates, offering a true big tent to anyone feeling misrepresented by either major party, or left out of the current political system, said Jenkins, who is leading the group with co-executive director Erin Dobson, a veteran communications strategist.

Axios notes that Lincoln and Franklin will be separate entities with actual differences in tax classification group structure. The Lincoln Project doesn't even hide it that it's a SuperPAC that can raise unlimited money and engage in partisan political activity. The Franklin Project, on the other hand, is a 501(c)4, a supposedly non-partisan project, which won't put out any ads but can legally conceal its "dark money" donors. Hence, the "teaching" mission.

That doesn't sound good.

This is pretty much the same as putting the fox in charge of the henhouse chicken coop.

The Lincoln Project, recall, is the king and pioneer of sleazy dirty tricks. As the Franklin Project clucks about 'civility,' its sponsor, the Lincoln Project is the nasty group that built the vindictive, McCarthyite, Vishinsky-style database to blacklist all former Trump officials and ruin their careers.

According to a Wall Street Journal editorial headlined "The Lincoln Blacklist":

Stuart Stevens, a senior advisor to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, tweeted Saturday that we are constructing a database of Trump officials & staff that will detail their roles in the Trump administration & track where they are now. He added: No personal info, only professional. But they will be held accountable & not allowed to pretend they were not involved.

Sound civil? Sound like politics as usual? Not even Democrats in the past did repulsive things like that, except perhaps Media Matters. And now they're lecturing us on civility and vowing to come for your kids. What irony.

As Rebecca Downs at Townhall observes:

The Lincoln Project is going to define "civility" for us? They're good at getting under people's skin, calling out their enemies, and making ads good enough to earn them almost 3 million followers, but how does that make them the kind of people worthy of lecturing anyone on what civility means, least of all children?

They also put out sneakily targeted big-data ads targeted at weak Trump voters, hoping to put them into the Joe Biden column. They're quite the underhanded manipulators, which makes vulnerable kids with no formed views perfect targets.

The New York Times exposed them as brimming with financial scandal, paying themselves big salaries from their $87 million in donations and engaging in other financial irregularities. They roll in dough, and that extends their reach and raises the odds that despite their loserly values, they could succeed if schools cater to them.

Meanwhile, just the idea of them dealing with kids is pretty hideous. The Lincoln Project was the home to the sex scandal of John Weaver, Project Lincoln co-founder, who was accused of sending creepy, pervy, totally gross texts to and allegedly sexually harassing many young men, at least one who said he was a 14-year-old boy when it happened. Weaver's out now, but other Lincoln Project members, according to this Breitbart report, apparently knew about it before the scandal rolled out and continue to go strong. Even George Conway, Kellyanne Conway's obnoxious Trump-hating husband, who was involved with the group at the start, but not for money, thinks this group should be shut down.

Anyone who thinks this group cares about 'civility' has another thing coming. It's obvious we are seeing the language of the Bush crew here, along with the prominent featuring of Liz Cheney in the Franklin Project propaganda video, so odds are, they are involved somehow, too. The Bushes, as an old municipal bond (extreme) expert once told me back in 2001, "have a rough machine that plays dirty." He was eerily prescient, as he was with everything else I talked to him about -- no one was talking about that sort of thing way back then, but obviously some insiders knew.

The broader picture, though, is that these people are clearly Democrats, often, but not always, disguised in Republican clothing. And now they're coming for the kids, likely seeking to make kids learn to defy the evidence of their own eyes, hate Trump and all he accomplished, and spring Liz Cheney to power.

They know the public is fed up with wokester "education" from leftist maniacs, and are seeking a window to come into it from the void. Trump is on the outs, so with their two-faced style, pretending to be Republicans, taking cash from Democrats, and praising Joe Biden for his "civility" is a bid to swoop in and control all that kids can hear.

It's an awful scheme, and any school district worth its salt should shun it as big-dollar corporate swamp political propaganda, no better than the current rabidly leftwing stuff.

The Lincoln Project, and any of its offshoots, is committed to forcing the Bushes, at best, back on us, and probably even worse. Their record tells the story: They cannot be trusted.

Image: Screenshot from The Lincoln Project video, on shareable YouTube

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
The small rocky reef at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula in northwestern Ontario, Canada, is rich in silver, but mining this precious metal is a nightmare. Much of the silver is located below the surface of Lake Superior, and anybody who has ever lived on the shores of this great lake knows that it is incredibly unpredictable and extremely dangerous. Extracting silver from beneath the lake would require building a wall to keep water away and pumps would have to be kept running continuously to clear water that would constantly collect at the bottom of the mine shaft.

Silver Islet in 1911. Photo: James Fraser Paige/Wikimedia Commons

Faced with this ominous prospect, the Montreal Mining Company, who originally owned the land, sold it to Alexander H. Sibleys Silver Islet Mining Company in 1870. Alexander H. Sibley was fully aware of the difficulties that lay ahead, but he had faith in his partner William. B. Frue, who was also the lead engineer.

William Frue and his men worked 18 hours a day building timber breakwaters, foundations, and a cofferdam around the vein of silver. It cost Sibley only fifty thousand dollars and with only 34 workers they had a mine set up and operational. The mining company then used crushed rock to expand the Silver Islet to over ten times its original size and built a small mining town on the nearby shore. At its peak the town had hundreds of houses, two churches, a saloon, and a jailhouse.

Perched on a 90 square meter islet, the men of Silver Islet Mining Company waged an unrelenting battle against Lake Superior that threatened to wipe away at any moment everything they had built. In October 1870, Lake Superior waves shredded half the original breakwater and the miners rebuilt it to twice its original width. By Christmas 1870, more than 3,000 tons of rock were washed away.

Silver Islet in 1902. Photo: Thunder Bay Public Library

Working in the mines was extremely dangerous. The entire mine was located under the level of Lake Superior, with only a flimsy stone and wood wall separating the miners from certain death. Water began to enter the mines once the shaft had sunk below 300 feet. From then on, pumps worked all round the clock to remove water from the shafts.

In 1873, the mine was 1,300 feet deep with scattered levels leading away from the main shaft. But production had fallen by then as the richer deposits had already been hacked away. The final blow came when a shipment of coal did not arrive before the winter set in. The pumps holding back the waters of the lake stopped and in early 1884 the islet's mine shafts fell back beneath the waves.

The Silver Islet mine had been one of the richest silver mines in the world. Many chunks of silver nuggets that had come from Silver Islet mine, were so pure they didnt need smelting and in over thirteen years of operation, it had yielded approximately 3.25 million dollars worth of silver, $1,300,000 in its first three years alone.

People believe that Silver Islet still holds unlimited riches, but nobody has dared to fight Lake Superior again.

Photo: Jonathan Wilson/Thunder Bay Memories

Photo: Jeff Robinson/Ontario Parks

Photo: Reddit.com

Photo: Viv Lynch/Flickr

Photo: P199/Wikimedia Commons

References:

# Silver Islet - Mining Silver Under Lake Superior, Magic Masts And Sturdy Ships

# The surprising, shocking, startling, astonishing story of Silver Islet, Ontario Parks




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Google may be teasing a new look for Wear OS, which it could be showing off at tomorrows annual Google I/O developer conference. The company isnt giving much away, but it has recently tweeted out that it has something to showcase to users at tomorrows event.

The tweet states that the time has come, and that users should join Google for whats new with Wear OS tomorrow. It then suggests users tune in to tomorrows keynote. And thats about where things end with Googles cryptic tweet.

Thankfully Droid Life spotted something else that points to a big Wear OS change on the horizon. How big isnt entirely clear yet. But it seems possible that Google could end up showing off a new version of Wear OS tomorrow.

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A Brand New Wear OS with a new look

First and foremost, Google has not confirmed that there is a new look for Wear OS yet. But there have been hints. A little bit earlier this year Googles fabled Pixel Smartwatch leaked. Or rather, recreated renders of the leaked images were presented. And in those renders, Wear OS had a still recognizable but quite obviously different design.

Wear OS has been relatively the same for more than a few years now. While it has gotten a new feature or two, Google hasnt added or changed much. And the look itself has been the pretty much the same since Wear OS became the branding. So, a new look is probably about due at this point.

In addition to that, an interesting detail was discovered on the program page for the Google I/O 2021 schedule website. Stating that virtual attendees can take part in a virtual adventure to explore the latest with Android. This included bits about Android 12, as well as a few other more developer-related things. The last part though mentions a brand new Wear version.

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Its clear that whatever the changes are, theyre important enough for Google to tweet about them. And on top of that, dedicate a chunk of time from the keynote to those changes. The keynote is always when Googles biggest announcements happen.

So whatever Google has in store for Wear OS, its big enough to warrant some attention. Its also likely big enough that Samsung is now rumored to be launching a smartwatch that runs on Wear OS instead of Tizen. Samsungs very first smartwatch ran on Android Wear. And its been Tizen ever since.

Perhaps Googles brand new Wear version was exciting enough to capture Samsungs attention.

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Every person in the United States has a right to know about what chemicals are released into their communities, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said last month in a statement announcing several improvements to the pollution inventory, including reporting requirements for natural gas processors and companies that make or use chemicals targeted by the agency for more stringent regulation.
Xiaomi has patented a modular smartphone featuring a zoom camera module. The device houses a periscopic zoom camera and adopts a full-screen design.

The Dutch social enterprise company Fairphone uses replaceable modules as well. However, it uses replaceable modules for different purposes.

Making smartphones modular enables manufacturers to effortlessly replace just one part. Youd need to replace the entire phone if it is not modular. This also helps to minimize electronic waste.

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A recently surfaced patent shows that Xiaomi is planning to jump on the modular smartphone bandwagon. Last week, the Chinese handset maker was awarded a patent for a rotating pop-up camera and a dual slider smartphone.

Xiaomi modular smartphone to have several modules

In February 2020, Xiaomi had a patent pending with the USPTO (the United States Patent and Trademark Office) for an electronic device. on April 29, the documentation was revealed.

Moreover, the documentation is also included in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) database. This ensures worldwide protection of the patented technology.

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The recently unveiled documentation divulges details about a Xiaomi smartphone. The device features three modules. The function may vary per module

Dutch graphic designer Jermaine Smit (Concept Creator) made some product renders for LetsGoDigital based on the Xiaomi patent. Aside from the two patented designs, Smit made a third variant.

Xiaomi modular smartphone has several modules. The first module (upper part) houses the motherboard and the camera system.

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The second module (middle part) includes the battery. The third module forms the underside of the telephone. The easy-to-interchange modules can provide additional functions such as a zoom camera module.

Xiaomis dual side slider smartphone

Xiaomis unique and futuristic phone adopts a sliding mechanism that operates in two directions. A portion of the device can slide from the left as well as the right side of the phone. This explains the dual side sliding moniker.

A camera module appears when you slide the device to the right. When you move the left portion of the slider mechanism, you can see a smaller secondary display.

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Although the secondary display is narrow, it is as tall as the primary display. The Xiaomi modular smartphone looks similar to other devices in the market, but it has a display that covers the entire front area, GizmoChina reported.

There is no front camera or any other seams, although the camera is located on the sliding mechanism.

The back panel does not feature a rear camera module. However, the image sensors are located on the slider mechanism.

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Upfront, there are three cutouts, and the rear features four cutouts. This gives the Xiaomi modular smartphone a distinctly minimalistic outward appearance.

Xiaomi has still neither confirmed nor denied that it is working on such a device. However, the company has a reputation for making innovative smartphone designs so we are likely to see a concept shortly.
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The question arises of how governments push populations if  or probably when  hints, cash, free burgers and even the prospect of international travel prove insufficient to reach herd immunity, the vaccination rate of roughly 70% or more thats necessary to protect everyone. Its uncomfortable to argue for obligatory jabs, even in a pandemic that has devastated families globally. Yet if we dont get to better levels once vaccines are fully and freely available, some degree of compulsion may well be necessary. The benefit is too great, and the risk and sacrifice asked of citizens too small, to ignore. Authorities in England estimate that by the end of April, vaccines had averted at least 11,700 deaths among those aged 60 or over. Globally, of course, its many times that.


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A counter-terror police officer has agreed his team should have raised a concern about homegrown jihadi Usman Khans visit to a prisoner education event, at which he killed two Cambridge University graduates.

Detective Sergeant Jon Stephenson, from Staffordshire Police Special Branch, said he agreed in hindsight that the decision to allow 28-year-old Khan to travel without escort to central London was a risk.

Khan stabbed to death Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a celebration from Cambridge University-affiliated Learning Together, at Fishmongers Hall, on November 29 2019, 11 months after his release from prison for plotting a terrorist training camp in his parents homeland of Pakistan.

Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones were killed by Usman Khan at Fishmongers Hall in 2019 (Metropolitan Police/PA)

However, evidence presented at inquests into the deaths at City of Londons Guildhall has repeatedly suggested the decision to allow Khan to attend was made with little scrutiny, despite concerns of Khans increasing isolation, his frustration at being unable to find a job, and warnings during his eight years in prison that he may comply with conditions upon release to slip under the radar of authorities.

Giving evidence on Monday, Mr Stephenson said there had been nothing presented at multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa) meetings, in the months leading up to the atrocity, that Khans visit was a risk.

Although Mr Stephenson had raised concerns with police colleagues three weeks before Khan struck that he did not appear to be on an upwards trajectory.

Mr Stephenson told inquest jurors: There had been no recent adverse intelligence since his release, he continued to engage with authorities, all the reports appeared to be positive from Prevent (the Governments terrorist-diversion strategy) and probation, and Learning Together was deemed by us to be a positive factor in his rehabilitation.

I am not aware of any objections raised by anybody about what he shouldnt attend.

Usman Khan recording a thank-you message for a Learning Together event (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Jonathan Hough QC, counsel to the inquests, said: I have to put this to you  this was a terrorist with a terrible record in prison  about to be sent on his first unaccompanied trip, and he was going to be sent into London.

Looking back, do you think you and your colleagues ought to have raised a concern and given some advice on this?

Mr Stephenson replied: Yes.

Mr Hough suggested that it ought to have occurred to Mr Stephenson, an experienced counter-terrorist officer, that allowing Khan to attend the Learning Together event without a police chaperone presented a serious risk.

Mr Stephenson replied: Yes it would, in hindsight, given the awful events.

The inquests heard Khan spent the week before the event buying equipment needed to stab conference delegates, as well as manufacturing a fake suicide belt, which he was wearing when he was shot dead by police on London Bridge, pursued by three members of the public.

He is believed to have fixed the fake explosive device around his waist on his train journey from Stafford to Euston, and kept it hidden underneath a large coat that he wore throughout the day until he struck.

The inquests continue.
Matt Hancock has voiced his frustration that some people are still not getting the coronavirus vaccine, amid fears of the spread of the new Indian variant.

The Health Secretary said the majority of people admitted to hospital in Bolton, which has seen the biggest outbreak of B1.617.2 variant, had been eligible for the jab but had not taken it up.

In a Commons statement, he said vaccinations and testing had been surged across the town as he announced the jab would be offered to 36 and 37-year-olds from this week.

Mr Hancock said there were now 2,323 confirmed cases of the Indian variant in the UK, of which 483 were in Bolton and in Blackburn with Darwen.

Cases there had doubled in the past week, with 19 people in Bolton in hospital with the variant and eight in Blackburn, and that it was now the dominant strain in the area.

The majority have not been vaccinated and, of them, most of them could have been vaccinated, which is frustrating to see, but is also a message to everyone, Mr Hancock told MPs.

It just reinforces the message that people should come forward and get vaccinated because that is the best way to protect everybody.

(PA Graphics)

In response, Mr Hancock said a rapid response team had been surged into the area to try to halt the spread of the variant, amid concerns it is more transmissible than the current dominant Kent strain.

It included the deployment of more than 50 additional vaccinators and the opening of two new vaccination centres and six testing centres.

Over the weekend, the rate of vaccination in Bolton quadrupled, with 6,200 people getting the jab.

This is the biggest surge of resources into any specific local area we have seen in the pandemic so far, Mr Hancock said.

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He said that the figures for those in hospital suggested that the new variant had not so far penetrated the older, vaccinated population.

He stressed, however, that the variant was not confined to Bolton and Blackburn, with 86 local authorities now reporting five or more confirmed cases.

The next biggest area of concern was Bedford, where testing was also now being surged, he said.

People queue for the vaccination centre at the Essa Academy in Bolton (PA)

His warning came after Boris Johnson cautioned last week that the spread of the Indian variant could jeopardise plans for the final lifting of lockdown in England.

Downing Street said updates on plans for domestic coronavirus passports, announcements on easing social distancing requirements and further guidance on weddings, due later this month, could now be delayed.

We need time to assess the latest data on this variant first identified in India so Im not going to give a set time for doing that, the Prime Ministers official spokesman told reporters on Monday.

It came as restrictions were eased across much of the UK with the return of indoor socialising and the reopening of pubs and restaurants for indoor dining and drinking.

Ministers have however urged people to exercise caution in enjoying their new freedoms amid fears among some scientists about a possible resurgence of the disease.

Mr Hancock said the easing had been possible as there were now fewer than 1,000 people in hospital in the UK with coronavirus, while the average number of daily deaths had fallen to just nine.

He added: While we can take this step today we must be humble in the face of this virus.

(PA Graphics)

In a pandemic we must look not just where we are today but where the evidence shows where we may be weeks and months down the track.

For Labour, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said they were now paying the price for the Governments delay in adding India to the red list countries from which returning travellers have to quarantine in a government-supervised hotel.

Does he Mr Hancock) accept we could have avoided this? he asked.

Our borders have been about as secure as a sieve. The delay in adding India to the red list surely now stands as a catastrophic mis-step.

Meanwhile, an analysis by the PA news agency found the Covid-19 rates in the worst hotspots were being driven by a sharp rise in cases among younger age groups.

Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, and Bedford all have case rates among younger people that are running at a much higher level than those for older age groups.

Mr Hancock however rejected calls for the vaccine to be given to younger age groups in areas where the Indian variant was causing concern.

Our vaccination strategy for all parts of the UK, including the areas of surge vaccination, will stick by the clinical advice set out by the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation), he said.

This clinically approved approach is the best way to save the most lives rather than jumping ahead with first doses for younger people.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have appeared as part of an emotionally-charged trailer for Harrys mental health documentary series with Oprah Winfrey.

Harry says in conversation with Winfrey: To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness. In todays world, more than ever, it is a sign of strength.

Footage of a young Harry during his late mother Diana, Princess of Waless funeral procession features in the 2.28-minute trailer, which was released on the Archewell website.

The archive film shows Harry standing with his head bowed as his mothers coffin passes by, and alongside the Prince of Wales as Charles turns to speak to his 12-year-old son.

The trailer for The Me You Cant See was released just days after Harry appeared to suggest that his father and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had failed as parents, while the family is still mourning Philip.

Speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast, the duke said he wanted to break the cycle of genetic pain and suffering for the sake of his own children.

He said of Charles: Hes treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids?

The Apple TV+ series will begin on Friday May 21 and singer Lady Gaga, actress Glenn Close, Syrian refugee Fawzi, and DeMar DeRozan of the NBAs San Antonio Spurs, all appear in the trailer.

Lady Gaga and Glenn Close, along with Winfrey, appear close to tears as they discuss their experiences.

At one point, Harry is seen taking a deep breath as he prepares to speak.

After a sequence where other contributors appear tearful, Harry is seen looking serious and thoughtful as he holds his hand to his mouth.

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Winfrey says: Its just something I accepted.

Meghan makes a brief appearance, coming into shot at Harrys side.

The duchess is smiling and wearing a T-shirt printed with the slogan Raising the Future, and belted black trousers with no sign then of a baby bump.

The duchess is now heavily pregnant with the couples second child  a daughter.

The Sussexes son Archie is also shown sitting on his mothers lap later on  in footage filmed around the time of his first birthday.

The duke and Winfrey have joined forces to guide honest discussions about mental health and emotional wellbeing while opening up about their personal journeys and struggles, the Archewell website said.

They are seen discussing the language used around mental health.

Winfrey says: All over the world people are in some kind of mental, psychological, emotional pain.

Harry asks: What words have you heard around mental health? Crazy?

Winfrey replies: Lost it. Cant keep it together  Its that stigma of being labelled the other.

Harry also says: The results of this year will be felt for decades. The kids, families, husbands, wives, everybody.

A young Archie also features briefly in the trailer (Toby Melville/PA)

Harry and Winfrey are co-creators and executive producers of the project.

The Sussexes made a series of damaging allegations about the royal family when they were interviewed by Winfrey earlier his year.

The couple accused an unnamed royal, not the Queen or Philip, of raising concerns about how dark their son Archies skin tone would be, before he was born.

Meghan also said she asked for help when she was suicidal, but said the monarchy gave her no support.

Harry has spoken of the emotional turmoil he faced after his mother was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, saying he spent nearly two decades not thinking about her death before eventually getting help after a period of total chaos.

The series has been directed by acclaimed filmmakers Dawn Porter and Asif Kapadia.
Australias oldest-ever man has said eating chicken brains has helped him live more than 111 years.

Retired cattle rancher Dexter Kruger has marked 124 days since he turned 111  a day older than First World War veteran Jack Lockett was when he died in 2002.

Mr Kruger told the Australian Broadcasting Corp in an interview at his nursing home in the rural Queensland state town of Roma that a weekly poultry delicacy had contributed to his longevity.

Mr Kruger describes savouring the delicacy  just one bite (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

Chicken brains. You know, chickens have a head. And in there, theres a brain. And they are delicious little things, Mr Kruger said. Theres only one little bite.

Mr Krugers 74-year-old son Greg credits his fathers simple Outback lifestyle for his long life.

Nursing home manger Melanie Calvert said Mr Kruger, who is writing his autobiography, is probably one of the sharpest residents here.

His memory is amazing for a 111-year-old, Ms Calvert said.

John Taylor, a founder of The Australian Book of Records, confirmed that Mr Kruger had become the oldest-ever Australian man.

The oldest-ever verified Australian was Christina Cook, who died in 2002 aged 114 years and 148 days.
Holidaymakers are jetting out of the country as a ban on overseas leisure travel is lifted.

Thousands of people are expected to take to the skies as travel restrictions are eased in England and Wales on Monday.

The relaxation of the rules was described as a symbolic moment after the most difficult year in our history, by one airports chief.

Travel firms have reported a surge in demand for trips to Portugal, after the Government put the country on its green list for travel meaning travellers will not need to self-isolate on their return, and are only required to take one post-arrival test.

EasyJet has added 105,000 extra seats to its flights serving green-tier destinations, while Tui will use aircraft which normally operate long-haul routes to accommodate the surge of people booked to fly to Portugal.

EasyJet has reported a surge in demand for flights to Portugal (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Manchester Airports Group chief executive Charlie Cornish said: Welcoming passengers back to our airports today is a symbolic moment after the most difficult year in our history.

The group owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports.

While Mr Cornish hailed the resumption of international travel as an important milestone, he said the limited green list is not the broader restart our sector or our passengers were hoping for.

Only a dozen countries and territories are on the green list but most are either remote islands or do not currently allow UK tourists to enter.

Mr Cornish called for a smarter approach to protecting the UK from variants of concern which would remove the need for costly PCR testing.

He added: This big step forward would recognise the scientific evidence which shows that vaccinations, and the effective use of testing, can support safe travel to a much larger group of low-risk countries.

The Government is advising people not to make non-essential trips to locations on its amber list, which covers popular destinations such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

But this guidance is expected to be ignored by some holidaymakers.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people should not travel to amber or red list countries unless its absolutely necessary, and certainly not for holiday purposes.

He told Times Radio on Sunday: The red and amber list countries are places that you shouldnt go to unless you have an absolutely compelling reason.

Those who do travel will be required to self-isolate at home for 10 days on their return, and take two post-arrival tests.

They can end their quarantine early if they receive a negative result from an additional test taken after five days.

Travel firms such as airlines and tour operators have called for quarantine and testing requirements to be relaxed, and for more destinations to be added to the green list.

But Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, cautioned that there are broad swathes of Europe that are largely unvaccinated and are therefore pretty vulnerable to new variants, be it Indian or otherwise, sweeping across the continent.

He advised that travel abroad is therefore not a good idea at the minute.

He told Times Radio: We arent at the peak of this thing globally at all yet, were still going up the mountain. So having people flying around and coming back with whatever local variant they run into, that is not a good idea in my view.

I think people just have to get used to the fact that Cornwall or Bournemouth or wherever is not so bad. And they should just enjoy the summer and then we can get back to this properly when things settle down.

Chair of the Commons Home Affairs Committee Yvette Cooper said there must be a better approach to borders amid the threat from new variants.

The Labour MP called for weekly assessments by the Joint Biosecurity Centre of case rates and the risks of new variants from different countries to be published, saying this would mean ministers could act fast on a precautionary basis.

Urging improvements to border testing and quarantine, she wrote in The Independent: Time and again we have seen similar mistakes and delays in

acting on Covid at the border.

Lessons must be learned or it will happen all over again.

The Government has pledged to update its lists on June 7, and will review its overall policy in relation to arriving travellers on June 28.

Scotland will permit foreign holidays from May 24.

Non-essential travel from Northern Ireland to the Common Travel Area  which consists of the UK, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, will be allowed from the same date.
Netanyahus government still must fully explain the Saturdays attack on a 12-story building in Gaza City that housed offices for The Associated Press, Al-Jazeera and other media outlets. Netanyahu told CBS Face the Nation on Sunday that the presence of Hamas military intelligence inside the building made it a perfectly legitimate target. Media organizations and other tenants were given an hour to evacuate. But AP executive editor Sally Buzbee says Israel has yet to disclose clear evidence that justified the airstrike and has called for an independent probe into the attack.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent after a rabbi was attacked near his synagogue, police have said.

Essex Police said that two men, aged 18 and 25, from Ilford, north-east London, had been arrested on Monday after Rabbi Rafi Goodwin was attacked in Chigwell, north London, on Sunday.

Police said that the men were currently in custody.

Police said officers were speaking to community members and religious leaders, who are celebrating Shavuot, in Chigwell and Southend, Essex.

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Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper said: We know this is a very important time  a time for communities to come together, to be around each other and celebrate.

We do not want anyone to feel that they cannot do that safely.

Officers have spent the day speaking with the Jewish community to provide reassurance.

Essex Police said that the incident was not believed to be linked to wider pro-Palestine protests that took place over the weekend.

Officers were called to Limes Avenue in Chigwell shortly after 1.15pm on Sunday following reports a man had been attacked with an unknown item following a verbal altercation.

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Community leaders have offered their support to Rabbi Goodwin, who required hospital treatment and also had his phone stolen.

The leader of Redbridge Council, Jas Athwal, said on Sunday: Essex Police have confirmed that they are treating todays attack on Rabbi Rafi as an a anti-Semitic hate crime, however police are not linking the motives of this crime to heightened tensions in the Middle East and the current hostilities in Israel and Palestine.

Anti-Semitism has no place in our society and if you have any information about this unprovoked and cowardly attack, please contact the police.

We are proud of our community and all parts of the community in Redbridge, we unequivocally condemn this attack and will continue to work together to support each other.

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Moshe Freedman, rabbi of New West End Synagogue in central London, asked people to pray for his dear friend and colleague following the attack.

And Rabbi Herschel Gluck told the PA news agency: Whenever a person is attacked like this, it touches me deeply.

The person themselves, their families, their congregation and their friends are all affected by this.

Even though it is an individual, it has much broader and wider ramifications.

Police are urging witnesses, especially people with relevant CCTV, dashcam or door bell footage, particularly in the areas of Limes Avenue, Tudor Crescent, and Fencepiece Road, to come forward.

Anyone with information should call Loughton CID on 101 quoting the crime reference number 42/92174/21.
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'WandaVision' scooped four prizes at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday (05.16.21).

The Disney+ series - which stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany - won all but one of the prizes it was nominated for in the TV categories, winning Best Show, Best Performance In A Show (Olsen as Wanda Maximoff), Best Villain and Best Fight.

Kathryn Hahn was named Best Villain for her role as "nosy neighbor" Agatha in the Marvel spinoff and her showdown with the titular character.

The late Chadwick Boseman was posthumously honored with the Best Performance in a Movie prize for his role as Levee Green in Netflix hit 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'.

Yara Shahidi accepted the award on the 'Black Panther' star's behalf.

She said on stage at the Palladium in Los Angeles: "I'm so honored to accept this award on behalf of Chadwick Boseman.

"I know I speak for myself, his legion of fans, and the communities he so beautifully represented when I say we are honored to celebrate his art today and every day."

A number of special awards were handed out, including the Generation Award, which Scarlett Johansson received in honor of her almost three-decade spanning Hollywood career.

She said in her acceptance speech: "I realize what an absolute gift it is to be able to have the opportunity to do what I love."

And Sacha Baron Cohen was presented with the Comedic Genius by Seth Rogen who hailed him as "fearless".

Elsewhere, Anthony Mackie scooped two prizes for Best Hero (Sam Wilson/Falcon) and Best Duo with Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier) in Disney+'s 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'.

'To All the Boys: Always and Forever' was crowned Best Movie, Rege-Jean Page won Breakthrough Performance for his role as The Duke in 'Bridgerton'.

The evening's host Leslie Jones was also recognized with the Best Comedic Performance trophy for her portrayal of Mary Junson in 'Coming 2 America'.

The MTV Movie & TV Awards continue tonight (05.17.21), with the inaugural Movie & TV Awards: Unscripted, which is billed as a celebration of all things reality TV.

Best Movie

'To All the Boys: Always and Forever'

Best Show

'WandaVision'

Best Performance in a Movie

Chadwick Boseman, 'Ma Raineys Black Bottom'

Best Performance in a Show

Elizabeth Olsen, 'WandaVision'

Best Hero

Anthony Mackie, 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'

Best Kiss

Chase Stokes & Madelyn Cline, 'Outer Banks'

Best Comedic Performance

Leslie Jones, 'Coming 2 America'

Best Villain

Kathryn Hahn, 'WandaVision'

Breakthrough Performance

Rege-Jean Page, 'Bridgerton'

Best Fight

Elizabeth Olsen vs. Kathryn Hahn, 'WandaVision'

Most Frightened Performance

Victoria Pedretti, 'The Haunting of Bly Manor'

Best Duo

Anthony Mackie & Sebastian Stan, 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'
A wildlife vet from Maharashtra designs chain and pain free restraints for elephants

Hyderabad: A simple device, designed using high-strength woven belts as restraints to limit the movement of captive elephants used in wildlife rescue operations in Maharashtra, has resulted in elimination of painful injuries on the legs of pachyderms caused by traditional steel chains used as restraints.

Industrial strength belts, capable of handling loads of more than 5 tonnes, are being used on the legs of elephants. These belts, connected to a shackle, are linked to steel chains that afford the animals some space to move. Though the elephants we use are trained, as with all captive elephants, these ones which we use in operations to tranquilise wild animals including tigers, are tied to chains. But in the past, the chains were wrapped around the legs directly. It was quite common for the elephants to develop wounds because the chains would begin biting into their skins, Dr Ravikant Khobragade, a wildlife veterinarian working in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, told this newspaper.

There was once an incident of an elephant in musth, a state when it is high on testosterone and began pulling the chain on its leg leading to a deep cut and nasty injury and the elephant also killed a mahout, he said. Captive elephants that are chained and frequently suffer from wounds from steel chains that bite into their legs, and the device Khobragade designed has made it safer for elephants. Khobragade, incidentally, is the wildlife vet on call for any possible capture of tiger A2, a wandering big cat from Maharashtra that in November and December last killed two tribals, a young man and a girl, in Asifabad district of Telangana.

The animals are no longer irritated by the steel chains on their legs. The mahouts too are happy, he said, about the new belt restraints being used for five elephants in Tadoba tiger reserve, and a few more in other tiger reserves in Maharashtra. Several states have captive elephants to help in rescue, or tranquilising of wild animals that might stray into human habitations, or need to be captured for other reasons.
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Zabrockis blueprint for a south suburban revival? It starts with incentivizing economic growth. If used correctly and not abused, more tax increment financing, or an economic engine like it, could help towns mount a comeback. After a TIF is established, tax revenue collected within its boundaries is frozen for up to 23 years. The incremental increases in tax revenue that are produced by rising property values within the TIF are supposed to get reinvested into improvements inside the district.
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The first generation of the Jeep Compass series was something like a subcompact crossover of the early 2000s with an improvised traditional Jeep face added. It was using the Dodge Caliber technical platform as many other subcompact and compact family cars and SUVs of the American branch of the DaimlerChrysler group (1995-2007). Yes, that was an uninspiring start.In 2011, the front end of the Compass was radically redesigned to resemble the Grand Cherokee model series, and that was lready much better. The second generation launched in 2018 as a product of the FCA group (formed in 2014).The vision behind it was far more coherent than in the case of the previous generation. The second generation of the Jeep Compass had it all from the beginning: the modern technology of the SCCS (Small Common Components and Systems) platform, efficient engines, a 9-speed automatic transmission, and a nicely integrated design. More than ever, it was clear that Compass aspired to the role of a "mini-me" of the contemporary Grand Cherokee. A mini-me with a length of 173 inches (4,395 m), however. Thats a quite serious car. Worthy of mention is that this was the first Jeep specially designed to hit global roads.Moving on to the present, the 2022 Jeep Compass brings together the genuine Americanstyle with the high European finish quality and a commendable efficiency of the general technical concept. Even if its inner dimensions have clear limits (albeit without giving claustrophobic sensations), the finish, the style, and the available equipment are definitely compatible with premium criteria. Unlike the pre-facelift model, the 2022 Jeep Compass has a full-HD 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.Actually, the dashboard was completely redesigned with the addition of a large multimedia screen on top of the central console. As a result, the Compass is now fitted with the Uconnect 5 system, offering an up to 10.1-inch Ultra HD touchscreen (the standard one has a diagonal of 8.4 inches).The design of the seats also contributes to the premium imprint of the cabin. All the modifications carried out inside the automobile had one important purpose: making better use of the not really vast available space. Implicitly, ergonomics have been improved as a result of this process.A couple of nice practical surprises can be found in the front seats area: an almost 5-liter storage compartment under the central armrest and an additional 2.4-liter compartment next to the new transmission lever. Two passengers may be seated in quite pleasant conditions on the rear bench, and there is a couple of dedicated air vents between the front seats they can easily access and control. The roofline passes a little low above the head, but only rather tall people will notice this.Since it was designed to be a globally competitive product, the second-generation Jeep Compass can be fitted with a large range of engines, plug-in hybrid versions included. In Europe, the offer consists of gasoline, diesel, and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Because of the good torque characteristic and low consumption specific to the diesel engines, the updated version of the 1.6-litre Multijet II, capable of delivering 130 PS (128 hp) at 3,750 rpm, and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque at 1,500 rpm is particularly interesting there.Europeans who are looking for a downsized gasoline-fed alternative might be attracted by the 4-cylinder 1.3-liter turbo engine available with two output levels: 130 PS (128 hp) and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of peak torque or 150 PS (148 hp) developing the same peak torque (the latter is mated to a Dual Dry Clutch Transmission - DDCT).The same 1.3-liter mill is part of the hybrid propulsion systems providing 190 PS (187 hp) or 240 PS (237 hp), which are employed in the Compass 4xe versions. In terms of torque, the contribution of the electric motor located on the rear axle rises to 250 Nm (184 lb-ft). According to thecycle, the Compass 4xe can cover electrically some 47 km (29 miles) thanks to its 11.4battery.Referring to the American market, the 2022 Compass keeps its gasoline-fed 2.4-liter Tigershark 4-cylinder engine with variable valve timing. If nothing will change regarding it, we are talking about 180 hp at 6,400 rpm and 175 lb-ft (237 Nm) at 3,900 rpmnot bad, but not remarkable. As far as is known, a 9-speed automatic transmission comes with all-wheel-drive only, while a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual can be fitted to the front-wheel-drive versions.As its off-road orientation suggests, the Jeep Compass Trailhawk gets an extra inch of ride height, for a total of 8.4 inches (213 mm), while its 9-speed automatic has a low first gear that simulates a 20:1 crawl ratio. It also has a Rock traction mode that allows the Trailhawk to advance on difficult trails. Certainly, the Trailhawk is not something comparable to a typical off-road automobile, but its by far the best in class for going beyond the tarmacs limits.No details have been communicated so far regarding the prices, yet the extensive upgrading of the interior and the exterior modifications are more than enough to justify a noticeable increase. The base price for an American 2021 Jeep Compass Sport is $24,095. For $1,500 more, the all-wheel-drive model can be yours. Spending around $30,000 will probably be enough to acquire a nice looking and well-equipped 2022 Jeep Compass , yet we strongly believe the premium Limited versions will not be anyhow available under this threshold (at the moment, their base price is $29,840 without).In Europe, the base price for the 2022 Jeep Compass (1.3 turbo, 130 hp) is at least 30,500 ($36,600), while the plug-in hybrid Compass 4xe (190 PS/187 hp) starts from 41,600 ($49,920). However, for the European public, the Compass 1.6 Multijet turbodiesel (130 PS/128 hp, 320 Nm/236 lb.-ft) might be also very interesting at 33,000 ($39,600). For those living in metropolitan areas, a gasoline-fed car like a Compass Limited 1.3 turbo (150 PS/148 hp) with DCCT transmission (36,500/$43,800) would be recommended.There is a long list of subcompact SUVs to mention, but none of those is as convincing off-road as a Jeep Compass Trailhawk. On the other hand, there is no match for the Compasss design anywhere in the class, at least to these eyes.
There are many young, independent bike companies out there, competing with established brands who are just now turning toward the electric mobility trend. And each of them tries to bring something new and unexpected. French-based Angell focuses on a sleek design and lightweight silhouette. Its first electric bike was introduced as a super light model, and its latest addition comes with the added benefit of a more versatile frame designed to fit all.For more petite e-bike riders, its most likely a struggle to find a model with the right height and frame design so that they feel comfortable during long rides. And trying to carry a big, heavy bike is no fun either. Finding an electric bike that allows you to be comfortable and thats practical enough for daily use can be a game-changer.At 35.1 lbs. (15.9 kg), the Angell S comes as close to an ethereal metal creature as a bike could. Although lightweight, the frame is made of high-strength aluminum for durability. Together with the inclined crossbar, its adapted to enable a comfortable posture for people ranging from 5 feet to 6 feet (1.55-1.85 m) tall. Also, the wide, padded saddle and ergonomic leather handles make the riding experience even more comfortable.But, dont think that just because its lighter, Angell S cant compete with tougher bikes. Its compact, removable battery gives it a 43 miles (70 km) range, and it comes with three pedal-assistance modes. You can choose to fly dry and enjoy the maximum range, fly Eco when youre trying to save your battery, or fly fast at up to 15 mph (25 kph).And, of course, theres always the option of riding with no assistance. Plus, the Angell features multiple sensors that can choose the best type of assistance based on the type of terrain. That way, you can avoid extra effort when climbing.The small frame Angell S bike will be delivered just in time for summer, for the price of $3,267 (2,690).
According to a report from Bloomberg , Foxconns parent company Hon Hai Precision Industry, has joined forces with Stellantis for a partnership whose full details would be disclosed later this week.At first glance, its likely that Foxconn would be in charge of the tech revolution planned by Stellantis, with the company expected to use its know-how for the manufacturing of new digital solutions that would end up used in cars sold under Stellantis umbrella.It isnt the first time Foxconn tries to work with the brands now operating under the Stellantis group.A year ago, the number one iPhone maker joined forces with Fiat-Chrysler for a partnership whose goal was to allow Foxconn to expand in the car industry by taking care of component and supply chain management, as per the cited source. But now Foxconn has bigger ambitions, and the company could end up even building a smart cockpit that would eventually make its way to Stellantis brands.Joining forces with Stellantis means Foxconn is unlikely to work together with Apple for the manufacturing of the Apple Car The Cupertino-based tech giant is currently in a phase where its searching for a company to manufacture its upcoming Apple Car. According to people familiar with the matter, Foxconn was at one point in pole-position to be in charge of the whole thing.But more recently, tipsters indicated Apple could end up working with a new joint venture formed by Magna and LG Electronics, with a final decision in this regard to be made by the summer. So given these rumors, corroborated with Foxconns new announcement, it looks like the collaboration between Apple and Hon Hai would stick to the production of electronics for the time being.
In theory, the purpose of adding work profiles to the Android Auto feature arsenal is to allow users here to separate their work apps from personal ones, therefore getting a better-optimized experience behind the wheel.But as it turns out, the latest version of Android Auto also comes with some bad news. Several of our readers told us the app fails to launch after this update, and one pointed us to a discussing thread on Googles forums where others are reporting the same behavior.Everything was working behind the update, these people say, and the only thing that changed is the Android Auto version running on their devices. So, in theory, Android Auto 6.4 is likely to be the culprit, though, for the time being, Google is yet to acknowledge any such problem with the app.In most cases, Android Auto fails to detect the connected phone and then launch. This once again shows that the connectivity troubleshooter Google has been working on lately needs to be released as soon as possible.Because yes, Google is indeed working on a connectivity troubleshooter that should help users figure out whats happening when Android Auto fails to launch and eventually even warn if a bad cable is used. As we learned the hard way, cables are very often the ones to blame for Android Auto issues, so such a troubleshooter would definitely come in handy.But at this point, theres no ETA as to when this feature could go live, as Google has been quietly working on it without publicly acknowledging the update. For now, the troubleshooter appears to be just a work in progress without a specific release date.
Giannoulias is among five Democrats seeking to replace White, 86, who is the states longest serving secretary of state and has been in the post since 1999. White has said he will not seek reelection.
If you follow the European aftermarket scene on a regular basis, theres a good chance you have already heard about Manhart Performance. Being a top dog in a market where theres no shortage of bright minds and ambitious enterprises is no walk in the park. Nonetheless, the Manhart crew earned its rightful place near the pinnacle of Germanys tuning hierarchy, thanks to its sheer dedication and painstaking attention to detail.The results of Manhart's hard work speak for themselves. Take, for instance, their all-terrain BMW X7 M50i , or the 887-hp Audi RS Q8 weve featured a few months back. Browsing through the companys range, youll quickly discover that tuning Bavarias four-wheeled entities is the teams main area of expertise.That said, lets dive in for a thorough analysis of Manharts BMW M2 Competition-based undertaking (dubbed MH2 500). In stock form, the Beemers 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six powerplant produces as much as 405 hp at about 5,250 spins per minute and a torque output figure of 406 pound-feet (550 Nm) between 2,350 and 5,200 rpm.For the standard trim, this force is routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, while a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional. When equipped with the latter, the German wonder is fully capable of accelerating from zero to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in just 4.2 seconds. Additionally, the M2 Competition prides itself on a top speed of no less than 174 mph (280 kph).Wuppertals auto experts will only be honoring 10 such units with the MH2 500 treatment, consisting of powertrain enhancements, a snazzy body kit and new footwear, among other features. First things first, the team went about installing a state-of-the-art MHtronik control unit, as well as a premium exhaust muffler with four 100-millimeter (3.94 inches) carbon-clad tailpipes.Ultimately, this whole ordeal translates to a serious dose of extra oomph518 wild ponies and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) of brutal twist at optimal revs. In the suspension department, the Bavarian coupe received a set of top-shelf H&R lowering springs that reduce the ground clearance to achieve a sportier aesthetic.Speaking of visual appeal, the additional power is appropriately complemented by an assortment of handsome carbon fiber garments, including a fresh splitter lip up front and a classy diffuser on the opposite end. The trunk lid is adorned with a tiny spoiler that further enhances the sporty vibes.As you enter the cabin, youll run into an additional display developed by AK Motion, which enables the driver to monitor the engines behavior at all times. Last but not least, the entire thing rolls on Manharts very own Concave One alloy wheels, with six pairs of twin spokes and a diameter of 20 inches on both axles. Details on pricing and availability can be obtained upon request, so wed encourage you to visit the tuners website if youre thinking about injecting your undistinguished M2 Competition with the MH2 500 aftermarket serum.
The Tianwen-1 probe was launched in July 2020 and, after a seven-month journey, arrived in orbit. The probe carried an orbiter, a lander, and rover, and spent another two months in orbit, searching for a place to land. That was achieved on May 15, with the lander reporting back home 17 minutes after it had touched down in the Northern hemisphere.China is officially the second country after the United States to make a soft landing and report back on Earth. The rover is currently assessing the environment in view of setting out to explore it.The news is a historical one, and its not without consequence to the United States, SpaceNews reports. Independent Maine Senator Angus King, who also serves as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committees subcommittee on strategic forces, which oversees the Pentagons space, nuclear and strategic deterrence programs, believes it heralds a new era in space exploration. Specifically, one in which the U.S. no longer has the lead.This landing reinforces the point that we dont own space any more, King told reporters. He said that the U.S. had been in the lead in space exploration for years, but that is changing. And that is, according to him, exactly why the U.S. has the Space Force [China has shown] tremendous level of technological sophistication and ability, the Senator explained. If they can land a rover on Mars , theres a lot of other things they can do that might not be so benevolent.That said, King believes in nations working together, abiding by a very strict set of rules. Space exploration doesnt have internationally recognized rules yet, but it should, and soon. Once theyre established, nations should work together, King said, adding that he didnt believe in a us vs. them-type of approach.
When Ford decided to build the Mustang , it knew it would be successful, but nobody envisioned just how popular it would become. By mid-1966, over 1.2 million of them roamed the streets, and the company continued to listen to what customers demanded. So, they decided to make the car better in every way conceivable for the upcoming model years.The design team began by drawing up a larger version, mainly because they planned to fit a big block under the hood. The 108 in (2,743 mm) wheelbase remained unchanged, but the pony car became longer, wider, and heavier. Consequently, interior and cargo space also saw a welcomed increase in dimensions.Once the newest Mustang rolled out the factory gates, it brought exterior changes such as larger front grille opening, concave taillight panels, and new scoops mounted on the rear quarters. Additionally, the fastbacks C-pillars now reached all the way to the rear.An optional exterior decor package added a hood fitted with a pair of recessed louvers that contained turn signal indicators visible to the driver, wheel well moldings, and a pop-open gas cap.The interior was also redesigned and now featured a new dashboard with integrated gauges and optional air conditioning. The seats were much thicker to increase comfort, and customers could now add a fold-down rear seat on the fastback model. Other optional features included a tilt-away steering wheel, cruise control, and a folding glass rear window for the convertible.The standard powertrain offering continued to consist of a 120-hp 200-cu in (3.3-liter) T-code six-cylinder linked to a three-speed Synchro Smooth manual.However, the highlight of this model was the addition of an optional big-block called Thunderbird Special. It was a 390-cu in (6.4-liter) FE unit that pushed out 320 hp and 427 lb-ft (579 Nm) of torque, turning the pony car into a tire-shredding monster. It was fitted with cast iron intake and exhaust manifolds, a dual exhaust system, and a four-barrel carb.To accommodate the heavier engine and improve ride quality, the front suspension was revamped. The braking performance was improved thanks to a new dual hydraulic system; furthermore, the optional disc brakes now came with a power assist.The popular GT package introduced in 1965 returned and could be fitted to any V8 offering. It added many GT-branded visual upgrades and a pair of grille-mounted fog lights. It also included all the mechanical improvements available with the optional Handling package, such as sturdier springs and shocks or a limited-slip differential. As you would expect, many of them were sold with the new 390 V8.Unlike the previous year, there were minor visual changes for 1968. These included slightly redesigned side scoops or removing the horizontal bars from the front grille and the Ford lettering from the hood.The cabin was largely the same, with several improvements made to comply with stricter safety requirements introduced that year. All models received a revamped two-spoke energy-absorbing steering wheel and shoulder seatbelts.Most of the major changes were purely mechanical. Arguably the biggest was the introduction of a new 302-cu in (4.9-liter) unit that was developed with federal emissions regulations in mind. It was available with two- and four-barrel carburetors, with 210 and 230 hp, respectively.The 390 Thunderbird Special was slightly upgraded to produce five additional ponies and was joined in the V8 lineup by an economical two-barrel version that made 280 hp. It was simply called Thunderbird since there was nothing special about it.Among many special editions released that year, Ford launched a lightweight drag race-oriented model called the Cobra Jet or 135 Series. It was powered by a humongous 428-cu in (7.0-liter) Cobra Jet V8 rated at 335 hp, but the engine was actually capable of producing well over 400 hp.In 1967, the GT350 became wider and looked distinctly more aggressive than the cars manufactured in prior years. For the first time, it was available with air conditioning and an AM/FM radio. In 1968, it was marketed as the Shelby Cobra GT350, and a convertible version was added to the lineup.All models came with the Mustangs Deluxe interior package, available in black and saddle beige. Early 1967 models had a 4-point roll bar, but a 2-point version was deemed more practical, so it became standard and carried over to the 1968 cars.The 1967 GT350 retained the 306-hp K-Code 289-cu in (4.7 liter) V8 from the previous series and a year later, a 302-cu in (4.9-liter) unit took its place. It had an all-aluminum Cobra intake manifold, topped by a Holley 600 CFM carb and a Cobra oval air cleaner but only made 250 hp. Optionally, both engine versions could be fitted with a Paxton supercharger.After a dominating 1-2 win at the 24h of Le Mans race in 1966, both Ford and Caroll Shelby wanted to capitalize on the success, so they developed the GT500 The iconic car was equipped with a 360-hp 428-cu in (7.0-liter) based on a Police Interceptor V8. The engine was fitted with two 600 CFM Holley four-barrel carburetors that sat atop a mid-rise aluminum intake manifold. Customers could choose between a standard four-speed, RUGS-1 manual, or a 3-speed automatic.To cope with the immense power, front disc brakes came standard. Additionally, the chassis was upgraded with stiffer front springs, Gabriel shock absorbers, and an uprated anti-roll bar.One of these 1967 cars got a slightly modified version of the GT40 Mk IIs 428 engine and produced 520 hp. It was called the Super Snake and became the most emblematic of all GT500s.By 1968, Carrol Shelbys role in the assembly process of the two high-performance pony cars had diminished greatly. Despite his contribution to the two legendary Le Mans wins, the relationship with Ford began to deteriorate.Production of the GT350 and GT500 was moved from the Shelby American facility in Los Angeles to Fords Ionia plant in Michigan, and the A.O. Smith Company was contracted to convert standard Mustangs into high-performance Shelbys.Like its sibling, the GT500 was also available as a convertible and gained the Cobra moniker in 1968. In April, the Blue Oval unveiled the 335-hp 428-cu in (7.0-liter) Cobra Jet and decided to equip the GT500 with it, albeit without any modifications made by Shelby American. All models sold with this powerplant were rebranded to GT500KR King of the Road.With big blocks under their hoods, both the high-performance and the regular Mustangs built in 1967 and 1968 are among the most highly appreciated models in the history of the nameplate. They paved the way for even more powerful engines, as were about to see in the next part of this series.The nearly 800,000 units sold in just two years (including Shelbys), along with the introduction of the Mercury Cougar in 1967, strengthened Fords position in the expanding pony car market.Inspired by the Mustangs success, the segment now included future classics like the Chevrolet Camaro, AMC Javelin, or the second-generation Plymouth Barracuda. The Golden Age of muscle cars was in full swing.
AP's top editor on Sunday called for an independent investigation into an airstrike by Israeli forces that destroyed the 12-story building housing its local media office in Gaza.

Driving the news: Israel's government has said the building housed Hamas. But AP executive editor Sally Buzbee said the government has "yet to provide clear evidence" of this. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said Sunday it asked the International Criminal Court to investigate whether the bombing "constitutes a war crime."

The State Department did not immediately return Axios' request for comment on the investigation calls. But Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered support for independent journalists and media organizations to AP CEO Gary Pruitt Saturday, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

The other side: Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the Israeli government was "compiling evidence for the U.S." over the bombing of the building, which also housed Al Jazeera's local offices, but "declined to commit to providing it within the next two days," AP reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, "We share with our American friends all that intelligence and here's the intelligence we had.

"It's ... an intelligence office for the Palestinian terrorist organization housed in that building that plots and organizes the terror attacks against Israeli civilians. So it's a perfectly legitimate target."

 Netanyahu
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday ordered the controversial Limetree Bay oil refinery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to cease all operations for at least 60 days.

Why it matters: The EPA said the pause to the massive, complex facility was "due to multiple improperly conducted operations that present an imminent risk to public health" and has alleged that the refinery violated the Clean Air Act by failing to adequately monitor sulfur dioxide levels.

The EPA said it had the authority to halt operations under the Clean Air Act if the refinery is "substantially endangering public health, welfare, or the environment."

Context: The 1,500 acre facility sat idle for four years until 2016 when Boston-based private equity firm Arclight Capital Partners acquired the plant and recruited other investors to attempt to resume operations, according to Reuters.

Since the attempted restart, the facility has suffered several financial and operational setbacks.

On Wednesday, Limetree Bay voluntarily ceased operations after a flaring event showered homes in nearby communities with oil droplets.

The company said the flaring event was the result of a malfunctioning coker unit and warned residents to avoid drinking from rainwater cisterns on Thursday.

What they're saying: "Today, I ordered Limetree Bay in the U.S. Virgin Islands to immediately pause all operations until the facility can operate safely & legally. [EPA] will not hesitate to step in to protect communities disproportionately burdened by pollution," EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.

"This already overburdened community has suffered through at least four recent incidents that have occurred at the facility, and each had an immediate and significant health impact on people and their property. Unacceptable," Regan added.

The other side: "Limetree sincerely apologizes for the impact this has caused the community and will continue to assess the impact and advise if additional neighborhoods are affected," the company said Thursday.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the EPA ordered the refinery cease operation for 60 days.
Tor Wennesland, U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has been holding extensive talks with both Israel and Hamas over the past 24 hours in an effort to restore peace, a diplomatic source tells Axios.

Driving the news: The source said Wennesland spoke on Sunday to Israels National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and other senior Israeli security officials as well as Hamas officials and Egyptian intelligence officials.

What they are saying: The talks the U.N. envoy is having with all parties are in an attempt to restore calm in Gaza and Israel, and avoid another devastating full-scale war," the diplomatic source said.

An Israeli official didn't deny the call between the U.N. envoy and Israel national security adviser took place but claimed: "There are no cease fire talks. The operation in Gaza continues."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter what seems to be a toughening of the U.S. position: "All parties need to deescalate tensions  the violence must end immediately"

Blinken spoke both the with Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry and Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani about the violence.

Between the lines: Both countries have pushed for calm in the region.

Blinken also spoke to the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and discussed the ongoing efforts to bring the current violence to an end.

Go deeper: Israel to continue Gaza operation, officials rule out cease-fire for now
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian did not comment on their results in his opening remarks at a meeting of Armenias Security Council held on Monday morning.

The negotiations will continue on Wednesday, he said. The negotiations have one theme: Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenian territory.

The weekend talks took place in Armenias southeastern Syunik province where Azerbaijani troops reportedly advanced several kilometers into Armenian territory early on May 12. The Armenian military alleged similar Azerbaijani advances at two other sections of the long border.

Armen Khachatrian, an Armenian pro-government lawmaker representing a Syunik constituency, described the talks as quite productive but refused to go into details.

The negotiations will continue. There are still issues, he told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Khachatrian confirmed reports that General Rustam Muradov, the commander of Russian peacekeeping troops deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh after last years Armenian-Azerbaijani war, personally participated in the negotiations.

According to Pashinian, the situation on the border remains largely unchanged even though some Azerbaijani soldiers have withdrawn from Armenian territory since May 14.

This means that we must continue to activate mechanisms of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and continue to work on activating Russian-Armenian allied mechanisms, he said.

Shortly after the Security Council meeting Pashinian wrote on his Facebook page that tensions at some portions of the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontier have risen in the last few hours due to increased aggressiveness of Azerbaijani forces. He did not elaborate.

Late last week Armenia formally asked both the CSTO and Russia to help it deal with the Azerbaijani incursions and restore its territorial integrity. It wants the Russian-led military alliance to invoke Article 2 of its founding treaty which requires the CSTO to discuss a collective response to grave security threats facing member states.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow remains in constant touch with Yerevan and Baku and is making energetic efforts to defuse the tensions and correct the situation.

Azerbaijan has denied sending troops across the border and said its forces only took up new positions on the Azerbaijani side of the frontier.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described the Armenian appeal to the CSTO as completely baseless.

There have been no armed clashes on the border, the situation is stable and negotiations are going on, Aliyev was reported to say in a phone call with President Kasim-Zhomart Tokayev of CSTO member Kazakhstan.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, for its part, that Baku and Yerevan should resolve the border crisis through bilateral contacts.

Pashinian countered, however, that the two South Caucasus states have no diplomatic relations and that they had agreed to demarcate and delimit their border in a trilateral format involving Russia.

The Armenian premier claimed late last week that Baku may be trying to provoke a large-scale military clash six months after a Russian-brokered ceasefire stopped the war in Karabakh. He pointed to large-scale Azerbaijani military exercises that began on Sunday.

The border standoff has also prompted serious concern from the United States and France, which co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group together with Russia. Both countries have urged Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from Armenias border areas.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian appeared to have discussed the border crisis in a phone call on Sunday. According to the U.S. State Department, they spoke about their cooperation as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries and emphasized the need for a long-term political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The two men spoke by phone for the second time in five days amid a continuing standoff between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces deployed on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, Harutiunian told Shoigu that most of the Azerbaijani troops that crossed into Armenias border areas last week have still not pulled back in breach of an agreement brokered by the Russian military.

Vagharshak Harutiunian found the infringements of Armenias internationally recognized territory inadmissible, emphasizing that further developments of the situation could lead to unpredictable consequences, the ministry said in a statement.

Shoigu assured Harutiunian that Moscow will make all necessary efforts to resolve the existing situation peacefully, added the statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported no details of the phone call.

Russian military officials have been involved in Armenian-Azerbaijani talks held on the border in recent days. No agreements have been officially announced as a result of those talks so far.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seemed to downplay the gravity of the border standoff which Yerevan says could reignite the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

There have been no gunshots, no clashes there, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. They sat down and started calmly talking about how to de-escalation that situation. They asked us for assistance and our military officials provided such assistance. An agreement was reached.

I see no reason to whip up emotions on this issue which is not ordinary but can be settled easily, he said, adding that Moscow is ready to help Armenia and Azerbaijan demarcate their border.

Late last week Armenia formally asked the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to help it deal with the Azerbaijani incursions and restore its territorial integrity. It also requested separate military aid from Russia, citing bilateral defense agreements.
TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - As conflict rages in the Middle East, the Palestinian American Community Center in Arizona is rallying support for the people of Palestine.

Several hundred people showed up on Mill Avenue in Tempe Sunday evening to show their support for the cause, holding signs saying "Free Palestine" and "End the ethnic cleansing of Palestine." The crowd then marched down Mill Avenue before dispersing.

"We are here because Israel is occupying Palestine, and is refusing to give Palestinian people their legal, natural and political rights," said demonstrator Michel Shehazeh.

A similar demonstration Saturday drew dozens of protesters to the Arizona Capitol.

Hours earlier, Israeli warplanes unleashed a series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City, just after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gaza's Hamas rulers would rage on.

Explosions rocked the city from north to south for 10 minutes in an attack that was heavier, on a wider area and lasted longer than a series of air raids 24 hours earlier in which 42 Palestinians were killed  the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence between Israel and the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza. The earlier Israeli airstrikes flattened three buildings.
Weve gotta make sure that people are continuing to follow the public health guidance that has gotten us this far and masks I think are a big and important part of that, the mayor said on cable news. To say, well, if youre vaccinated, you dont have to wear a mask, thats great, but what about all the other people that are out there that arent vaccinated and theres no way to know that? So I think for the time being, most people are gonna continue to wear a mask outside, outside their homes, and I think thats smart.
Giuliani being treated like 'a terrorist' by prosecutors, his attorney says
Its really nice to see in the newspaper that J.B. Pritzker is taking tips from Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago by bullying and threatening his constituents into doing exactly what he says otherwise hes going to veto and kill their bills. What is wrong with these politicians? They seem to need to bully and threaten people just to get their way. Their way is not the wright way. They need to learn to negotiate and work together with Congress and lawmakers to make Illinois a better place. If Pritzker cant do that than we need to get him out of office.
BookBites: A Potpourri of Help and Support, Fiction and Lessons for Children
Bluefield, WV (24701)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
It never hurts to have multiple income streams, especially when youre building a business. Having a side hustle (or two) can be an excellent way to keep money coming in, easing your anxiety and lessening some of the financial burdens that come from entrepreneurship.

More than one-third of Americans have a side hustle, according to a recent study by Zapier. Get on board with one of these 10 high-earning side hustle ideas that can help you earn money fast without ever leaving home.

1. Start a Youtube channel

Theres a lot of ad money to be made on YouTube. For example, my wife is a Registered Nurse here in Los Angeles. During her days off, she has been sharing her healthcare and personal experiences of pregnancy and parenting an infant on her YouTube channel. Its a creative outlet for her that helps others broaden their knowledge while also earning some ad revenue.

2. Run Instagram or Tiktok ads for other businesses

If youre a world-class marketer, you can make a lot of extra money by marketing for other brands that arent so savvy in reaching the Gen-Z audience. Work your network to uncover business owners you know who need this service. You can make $1,000 a month or more without taking up too much of your time.

3. Domain flipping

The right domain names can be incredibly lucrative, and brands will pay big money for them. By the age of 20, I had sold 25 premium domains to Fortune 500 companies. Youll need to be on the lookout for domain names that could be lucrative. Once you have bought and registered them, you can place them on auction websites like Godaddy and Flippa then sell them to the highest bidder.

Related: How to Negotiate the Price of a Pricey Premium Domain

4. Sell your creative skills

Do you love to paint, draw, write or do something else creative? Theres a market for it on marketplace websites like Fiverr and Upwork. Make some extra cash doing what you enjoy.

5. Sell an online course

Teach others how to become a master of your craft with online courses. Once the initial setup is complete, this is an excellent way to earn passive income. There are plenty of platforms out there to try, like Thinkific, Teachable and Kajabi.

6. Build an ecommerce store

Shopify makes it a breeze to build an ecommerce store from scratch. I have helped several artists and influencers launch lucrative Shopify stores from home that earns them passive income every month.

7. Get paid for your advice

Consultants are in high demand. Even better, being a consultant is entirely flexible. You can consult for as many or as few hours as you want in a given month. Register as an expert on Clarity and charge $10 a minute or more for your time. People can schedule calls with you to hear your advice and discuss their ideas, and you get paid for talking about your experiences. Its a win-win situation.

Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Your One Page Business Plan

8. Invest in rental properties

Buying properties that you can rent out is a good investment strategy. It requires some upfront costs, but you will recoup those costs once you get a renter in the unit. Plus, your unit will become more valuable over time. Use a site like Bigger Pockets to learn more about becoming a real-estate investor and to discover good deals in your area.

9. Become an indie hacker or solopreneur

One of the best ways to make money is by starting your own business. If you want to work for yourself and control what kind of job you take on, becoming an indie hacker or solopreneur may be the right option. Join a community like Indiehackers and connect with others who are also starting or growing their businesses.

10. Write a book

You have a unique story. Write it down, then sell it on Amazon. Use Amazons self-publishing service to have your book distributed on Kindle or paperback. Be sure to work with an editor before publishing to ensure that your book is polished and professional. Once its online, youll get paid as people buy it. In addition to earning some extra income, youll build your reputation and increase your digital profile. This can be very helpful as you launch your new business.

11. Become an affiliate marketer

Build a website that markets to a specific niche. Then, add affiliate links that are relevant to that niche. Youll make a small amount of money every time someone clicks on the affiliate link and buys something. This requires some upfront work, but can be an excellent way to earn passive income while honing your business skills.

12. Selling NFTs

Non-fungible tokens are a hot topic these days. They represent an emerging class of crypto assets, and they offer the possibility to transact unique digital goods such as collectibles, in-game items and other memorabilia. NFTs can be sold on platforms like OpenSea, Rarible and Foundation, and they're a great way to earn money on the side if you are an artist.

The decision to start a side hustle should not be taken lightly. You'll need the right skills, knowledge and training to succeed in this endeavor. Fortunately, there are many resources available for those who want to take on their own side hustle from home with little or no experience.

Related: What Is an NFT? Inside The Next Billion-Dollar Crypto Sensation.

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SAN ANTONIO - The Alamo needs a makeover; on that, at least, everyone agrees. Plaster is flaking off the walls of the nearly 300-year-old former Spanish mission, the most revered battle site in Texas history. Its one-room exhibit space can hold only a fraction of key artifacts. And the surrounding plaza is a tourist circus, packed with novelty shops and a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.

But Texans are deeply divided over how, exactly, to remember the Alamo. A $450 million plan to renovate the site has devolved into a five-year brawl over whether to focus narrowly on the 1836 battle or present a fuller view that delves into the site's indigenous history and the role of slavery in the Texas Revolution.

Generations of Texas schoolchildren have been taught to admire the Alamo defenders as revolutionaries slaughtered by the Mexican army in the fight for Texas independence. But several were enslavers, including William B. Travis and Davy Crockett - an inconvenient fact in a state where textbooks have only acknowledged since 2018 that slavery was at issue in the Civil War.

Indeed, an enslaved man named Joe, who was owned by Travis, survived the battle of the Alamo and became one of the primary sources of information about the 13-day siege, inspiring dozens of books and movies, including the John Wayne classic.

Key members of the state's GOP leadership and some conservative groups are insisting that the renovation stay focused on the battle. A bill introduced by 10 Republican state lawmakers would bar the overhaul from citing any reasons for the Texas Revolution beyond those mentioned in the Texas Declaration of Independence - which does not include slavery.

"If they want to bring up that it was about slavery, or say that the Alamo defenders were racist, or anything like that, they need to take their rear ends over the state border and get the hell out of Texas," said Brandon Burkhart, president of the This is Freedom Texas Force, a conservative group that held an armed protest last year in Alamo Plaza.

Democratic elected officials in San Antonio want the Alamo story to be told from other perspectives. Indigenous leaders, for example, want the site to show respect for its ancient role as a burial ground. Meanwhile, historians argue that support for slavery was indeed a motivating factor for the Texas Revolution, a fact that should be acknowledged at the site, even if it tarnishes some giants of Texas history.

"Sometimes we try so hard to create perfect heroes, and in trying so hard to create perfection, we force ourselves into a corner where it's difficult to accept the reality that people are not perfect," said Carey Latimore, a history professor at Trinity University.

"As we become more diverse as a nation and a people, we've got to learn how to talk about these difficult conversations, but we've got to talk about it with nuance. And that's what's missing right now in our society, is the nuance."

Elected leaders have talked for decades about redeveloping the Alamo complex, which lies in the heart of San Antonio, not far from the famous River Walk. But those plans have always presented logistical challenges - the Alamo is owned by the state, while the adjoining plaza is owned by the city - as well as ideological ones.

The original plan, announced in 2017, called for repairing the Alamo, fixing up the plaza and building a world-class museum for artifacts, including a collection donated by rock musician Phil Collins, an Alamo enthusiast. It represented a rare alliance between the state's Republican leadership and one of its more liberal cities, with San Antonio committing $38 million to the budget and the state of Texas pitching in $106 million. That left at least $200 million to be raised through donations.

But aspects of the plan quickly met with outrage, especially its treatment of the Cenotaph, a 56-foot monument to Alamo defenders erected in the plaza in 1940.

Under the plan, the Cenotaph would be moved 500 feet south and deposited in front of the historic Menger Hotel. The idea was to make the plaza "period neutral" and help visitors imagine how the Alamo looked as a mission and fort. But conservative groups rallied in armed protest and turned up at public meetings chanting "Not one inch!"

State leaders took up the cause, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, who has closely aligned himself with former president Donald Trump. Last year, Patrick threatened to wrest control of the Alamo away from the General Land Office, which is led by George P. Bush, a potential political rival and son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Patrick took to Twitter to criticize Bush's "lousy management."

Meanwhile, Alamo Plaza became a focus of San Antonio's Black Lives Matter protests. Last summer, the Cenotaph was spray-painted with graffiti decrying white supremacy.

The struggle over the Cenotaph ended in September when the Texas Historical Commission, a state board whose members are appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, voted to deny a permit to move it. Nearly half of the board members of the nonprofit raising funds for the Alamo renovation resigned in protest - raising doubts about where the rest of money would come from.

The board's decision necessitated a new vote by the San Antonio City Council to authorize the project. Bush and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg threw their political muscle behind reviving the project. In early March, Nirenberg took the unusual step of replacing a city council member, Roberto Trevino, who had been leading two committees coordinating the project and had been staunchly in favor of moving the Cenotaph.

On April 15, the city council voted to go forward with a new plan that leases much of the plaza to the state for at least 50 years - and leaves the Cenotaph in place.

"The plan itself is much more than a single monument," Nirenberg said in an interview. "My view, which is shared by the vast majority of San Antonians and Texans, is that regardless of your feelings on the Cenotaph moving, it's not moving. This is the most significant piece of land in the entire state of Texas, and it deserves the reverence and dignity of a preservation project that has been a generation in the making."

The day after the council vote, Nirenberg appeared with Bush and Patrick in Alamo Plaza to unveil a new exhibit with a replica of a cannon that fired upon the Mexican army. Bush and Patrick traded compliments, with Bush declaring that "there's nobody in the state Capitol who cares more about Texas history" than Patrick.

Meanwhile, issues of race and slavery at the Alamo remain unresolved.

The Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, an Indigenous group, is still fighting to have the complex treated as a cemetery and to tell the story of the Indigenous people buried there, said Ramon Vasquez, one of its leaders.

"The site is much bigger than just the 1836 battle," he said.

Trevino, who represents much of central San Antonio, said his push to move the Cenotaph had been aimed at telling a more "inclusive story." He also supported carving into the monument the names of enslaved people and Tejanos - native Texans of Mexican descent - who were present at the 1836 battle.

These days, Trevino wonders whether the city would have been better off redoing Alamo Plaza on its own.

"The issue for the project has been that there's a lot of moving parts, and a lot of people who have tried to insert their version of history," he said. "You have to remember that this city is predominantly Hispanic. And for many years, it has not felt like it's seen itself in that story."
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A distinct racial tension is threading through many Louisiana House debates this legislative session, becoming a more prominent undercurrent in the chamber on issues ranging from education and voting to crime and policing.

Emotional, angry and awkward debates between Black lawmakers and conservative white lawmakers in the House have emerged repeatedly, seeming only to intensify as the nine-week session continues.

Race isn't always openly discussed, but is clearly the point of divide in several disputes.

I feel like this is a special session on race relations, said Houma Rep. Tanner Magee, the House's second-ranking Republican.

Baton Rouge Rep. Ted James, the Democrat who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, said of the strains in the chamber: I don't know where its coming from, but its obviously an undercurrent.

Measures that sailed through the Senate with ease have gotten bogged down in race-related House disagreements. Conservative House Republicans have introduced proposals that Black lawmakers call discriminatory. Several bills ratcheting up tensions stem from national debates.

The sharpest racial disagreement emerged in late April over a bill proposed by House Education Chairman Ray Garofalo aimed at blocking the teaching of critical race theory, which examines the ways in which race and racism have influenced politics, culture, government systems and laws.

The bill would prohibit teaching in public schools or colleges that the United States or Louisiana is systematically racist or sexist, and bar giving students or employees information that promotes divisive concepts.

Garofalo, a St. Bernard Parish Republican, hasn't tried to move his proposal out of committee, but he held a contentious, hourslong hearing on it, in which he said critical race theory fuels hate. The Black Caucus called for Garofalo's ouster as chairman, and Garofalo doubled down on his position.

Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder has held private meetings with James, Garofalo and other Black lawmakers  but he's kept Garofalo in his chairmanship and has largely dodged public discussions of the feud.

Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Valarie Hodges of Denham Springs retriggered tensions when she tried to amend a bill to prohibit Louisiana's education board from approving content standards or recommending instructional materials that provide that a particular sex, race, ethnicity or national origin is inherently superior or inferior to another.

The amendment failed, but Black lawmakers on the education committee bristled at the return to another debate over teaching race in classrooms.

In a House labor committee hearing, Shreveport Democratic Rep. Tammy Phelps, who is Black, found herself trying to explain to white female colleagues the different reactions that hair styling chemicals produce for Black and white women. She was trying to persuade them to back a bill banning workplace discrimination against Black people who choose to wear their hair naturally.

Several conservative House Republicans said they didn't understand the need for the proposal, questioned if the discrimination was real and suggested it was a burdensome regulation for business. The measure emerged from the committee with some GOP support, but only after a lengthy hearing for a bill that breezed through the Senate with little discussion.

Conservative white Republicans and Black Democrats again were on opposite sides of House debate over a measure to limit police officers' wide immunity from civil lawsuits, which narrowly won House passage.

Some white Republicans argued the proposal would discourage police recruitment and paint all police officers as committing misconduct. Black lawmakers said they felt colleagues either didn't understand the problem of racial bias in policing  or were ignoring it.

We live in two different Americas. We live in two different Louisianas," Rep. Edmond Jordan, a Black lawmaker from the Baton Rouge area, said during the debate.

Racial divides have appeared in disputes over river pilot regulations, proposals to change voting rules and an effort to abolish involuntary servitude as criminal punishment in Louisiana.

James said some of his white colleagues don't seem to understand how Louisiana's history of racism continues to permeate policy and others really just don't even care.

The more uncomfortable conversations we have, I think people will learn from this, he said.

Magee's hopeful, too, that continued conversations  and friendships in the chamber  can help defuse the tension.

There are so many people on both sides of this issue who are really good and want to make things better," he said. I think if you have enough of those people, you can make things right.

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EDITORS NOTE: Melinda Deslatte has covered Louisiana politics for The Associated Press since 2000. Follow her at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte.
GAZA CITY  Israeli warplanes have unleashed a series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City.

Explosions rocked the city from north to south for 10 minutes early Monday.

The airstrikes were heavier, on a wider area and lasted longer than a series of air raids 24 hours earlier in which 42 Palestinians were killed. That attack was the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence between Israel ad the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza.

In a brief statement, the Israel Defense Forces says only that IDF fighter jets are striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip.

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TOP NEWS IN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT:

 Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flatten three buildings and kill at least 42 people on Sunday

 An AP reporter documents the terrifying final minutes of leaving the Gaza office before it is blown up by the Israelis

 An Israeli airstrike destroys a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press office in the Gaza Strip despite urgent demands by the news agency to halt. AP's top editor called for an independent investigation into the airstrike.

 Protesters in major US cities urge Israelis to halt attacks on the Gaza Strip

 French police use tear gas to quell pro-Palestinian march that was banned in Paris

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RABAT, Morocco  Moroccans have taken to the streets in the capital and other cities to protest Israeli air raids on Gaza during clashes with the Hamas extremist group that rules the Palestinian territory.

Sizeable demonstrations were held Sunday across the North African kingdom, including in Casablanca, the countrys largest city, where thousands waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans denouncing Israels military actions. Protesters also gathered outside the Parliament building in Rabat.

In December, Morocco announced it had resumed relations with Israel as part of a U.S. brokered deal. As part of the agreement, the United States agreed to recognize Moroccos claim over the disputed Western Sahara region.

On Friday, Moroccan King Mohammed VI ordered forty tons of aid to be be shipped to the West Bank and Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians in the wake of recent clashes.

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UNITED NATIONS  The three U.N. Security Council nations trying to get the U.N.s most powerful body to take action on the escalating violence between Israel and Gazas Hamas rulers say they are still trying to get the U.S. to support a statement including a call to end the fighting.

China, Norway and Tunisia tried unsuccessfully at closed meetings Monday and Wednesday to get agreement on a council statement. Diplomats say the U.S. argued such a statement could interfere with diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation.

There also was no agreement at Sundays first open meeting on the violence.

The ambassadors of China, Norway and Tunisia issued a joint statement on the Gaza conflict demanding an immediate end of all acts of violence, provocation and destruction.

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PARIS  A media watchdog group is asking the International Criminal Court to investigate Israels bombing of buildings housing The Associated Press and other media organizations in Gaza as a possible war crime.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders says in a letter to the courts chief prosecutor that the offices of 23 international and local media organizations have been destroyed over the past six days.

The group says the Israeli militarys intentional targeting of media organizations and intentional destruction of their equipment could violate one of the courts statues. It says the attacks serve to reduce, if not neutralize, the medias capacity to inform the public.

Israels military says Hamas was operating inside the building where AP had offices and accused the militant group of using journalists as human shields.

AP journalists and other tenants were safely evacuated after the Israeli military warned of an imminent strike Saturday.

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UNITED NATIONS -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is urging the United States to join the 14 other members of the U.N. Security Council and support a statement urging a halt to violence between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.

He also wants the U.S. to support calling for a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wang chaired a high-level emergency meeting of the Security Council on Sunday and said the dangerous and urgent situation calls for an immediate cease-fire.

He urges Israel to exercise restraint, stop evictions and settlement expansion, put an end to the violence, threats and provocations against Muslims and respect the status quo of holy sites in Jerusalem. He says Palestinians must avoid steps that would escalate the situation, avoid civilian casualties and work for an immediate de-escalation.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the United States has been working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to try to end the conflict between Palestinians in Gaza and Israel, and is warning that the current cycle of violence will only put a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict further out of reach.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a high-level emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with senior Israeli, Palestinian and regional leaders.

At the same meeting, Israels U.N. ambassador called the rocket attacks launched by Gazas Hamas rulers against Israel completely premeditated to gain political power and replace the Palestinian Authority as the leader of the Palestinians.

He said the rocketing of Israel was part of a vicious plan by Hamas, which not only seeks the destruction of Israel but is vying to take power in the West Bank and was frustrated when Abbas postponed elections last month that would have been the first in 15 years.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, urging them to end violence and expressing support for mediation by Egypt and the United States.

Rutte said in a statement Sunday that the Netherlands stands ready to help using its good relations with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and the U.S.

He says that a further escalation and yet more Palestinian and Israeli civilian casualties must be avoided.

Rutte says Israel has the right to defend itself against rocket attacks but says the country must act proportionally within the borders of international law.

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UNITED NATIONS  Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Malki is accusing Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and carrying out a policy of apartheid in Jerusalem.

Al-Malki told a high-level emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Sunday that there are no words that can describe the horrors that our people are enduring, listing families and children and infants killed by Israeli airstrikes.

Israel is killing Palestinians in Gaza, one family at a time, he said. Israel is trying to uproot Palestinians from Jerusalem. Its expelling families, one home, neighborhood at a time. Israel is executing our people, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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ISRAEL  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday renewed his claim that a Gaza building leveled by an Israeli airstrike housed a Hamas office as well as American and Middle East news organizations, but gave no evidence.

Netanyahu spoke to CBSs Face the Nation about ongoing violence between Israeli forces and the armed Palestinian group Hamas, and about Saturdays airstrike that leveled the building housing Gaza offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera news organizations. Its a perfectly legitimate target, he said.

Asked if he had provided any evidence of Hamas presence in the building in a call later Saturday with President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said, We pass it through our intelligence people.

Netanyahu gave no time frame for when Israel would be ready to halt its side of the fighting after nearly a week of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket barrages. We hope that it doesnt continue very long, but we were attacked by Hamas, he said.

Asked about reports that Hamas had agreed to an Egypt-brokered cease-fire but Israel had not, he said, Thats not what I know.

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UNITED NATIONS -- A U.N. Mideast envoy says the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has displaced some 34,000 Palestinians from their homes.

Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Sunday that over 40 U.N. schools in Gaza have been turned into shelters. He says the schools have limited water and no access to food or health care, and serve for protection purposes only.

After nearly a week of fighting, Wennesland called for calm and said further escalation would have devastating consequences for both Palestinians and Israelis.

He called Hamas rocket fire from civilian neighborhoods in Gaza into Israeli population centers a violation of international law. He also urged Israel to show maximum restraint to spare civilians and civilian objects in its operations in Gaza.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people Sunday, medics said. It is the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Israel and the territorys militant Hamas rulers nearly a week ago.

The violence, which came as international mediators worked to broker a cease-fire and stave off an Israeli ground invasion of the territory, marked the worst fighting here since the devastating 2014 war in Gaza.

The airstrikes Sunday hit a busy downtown street of residential buildings and storefronts over the course of five minutes just after midnight, destroying two adjacent buildings and one about 50 yards (meters) down the road.

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UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations chief is appealing to Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza to immediately stop the utterly appalling escalation in fighting and senseless cycle of bloodshed, terror and destruction at the start of a high-level emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the virtual meeting on Sunday that the United Nations is actively engaging all sides towards an immediate cease-fire.

He warned that the most serious escalation in violence in Gaza in years only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair, and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace.

The open meeting is scheduled to be addressed by the Palestinian foreign minister and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, China, Tunisia, Norway, Ireland, Algeria and the deputy foreign minister of Russia along with ambassadors from other nations on the 15-member council, an Israeli representative and the head of the Arab League.

Guterres said he is appalled by the increasingly large numbers of Palestinian civilian casualties from Israeli airstrikes, and deplores Israeli casualties from rockets launched from Gaza. He called the destruction of media offices in Gaza extremely concerning, stressing that journalists must be allowed to work free of fear and harassment.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The Gaza Health Ministry says the death toll from Israeli strikes on a main thoroughfare in Gaza City has climbed to 33, including 12 women and eight children.

It was the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting between Israel and Gazas Hamas rulers erupted nearly a week ago. The airstrikes hit Wahda Street, a major thoroughfare.

The ministry says another 50 people were wounded in the strikes early Sunday, mostly women and children.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

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ISTANBUL  Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency has offered to share its Gaza offices with The Associated Press and Al Jazeera after Israel bombed the building that housed the media offices.

Anadolu said its Director-General Serdar Karagoz made the offer in letters to AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt and Al-Jazeeras chairman.

Karagoz said the Turkish wire service was appalled by the Israeli militarys targeting of media offices.

Since this recent conflict has escalated over the past week, there is an apparent pattern of targeting journalists who are carrying out their professional duties so as to block coverage of the situation on the ground, Karagoz said.

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BRUSSELS  The European Unions foreign policy chief says the 27-nation blocs foreign ministers will talk Tuesday about what the EU can do to help end the current round of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Josep Borrell tweeted Sunday that he convened the special videoconference in view of the ongoing escalation between Israel and Palestine and the unacceptable number of civilian casualties.

He added that we will coordinate and discuss how the EU can best contribute to end the current violence.

The latest outbreak of violence began in east Jerusalem earlier this month, when Palestinians protested attempts by settlers to forcibly evict a number of Palestinian families from their homes and Israeli police measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Gazas militant Hamas rulers fired rockets toward Jerusalem late Monday, triggering an Israeli assault on Gaza.

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VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis has denounced the unacceptable spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, saying the deaths in particular of children was a sign that they dont want to build the future but want to destroy it.

Francis prayed for peace, calm and international help to open a path of dialogue during his Sunday blessing, delivered from his studio window overlooking St. Peters Square.

The pope said: I ask myself: this hatred and vendetta, what will it bring? Do we truly think that we can build peace by destroying the other?

In unusually pointed comments, Francis added: In the name of God, who created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity and are called to live as brothers, I appeal for calm and an end to the violence.

Israeli airstrikes have been pounding Gaza City for days as heavy fighting has broken out between Israel and the territorys militant Hamas rulers. The Gaza Health Ministry said 10 women and eight children were among the 26 people killed in Sundays airstrikes, with another 50 people wounded in the attack.

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JERUSALEM  Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 23 people on Sunday, medics said, making it the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Israel and the territorys militant Hamas rulers nearly a week ago.

The Gaza Health Ministry said another 50 people were wounded in the attack. Rescuers were racing to pull survivors and bodies from the rubble.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it destroyed the home of Gazas top Hamas leader in a separate strike. It was the third such attack in the last two days.

Israel appears to have stepped up strikes in recent days to inflict as much damage as possible on Hamas as efforts to broker a cease-fire accelerate. A U.S. diplomat is in the region to try to de-escalate tensions, and the U.N. Security Council is set to meet Sunday.

The military said it struck the homes of Yehiyeh Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader inside the territory, and his brother Muhammad, another senior Hamas member. On Saturday it destroyed the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a senior figure in Hamas political branch.

Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman confirmed the strike on Sinwars house in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis to army radio.

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JERUSALEM  The Israeli military said Sunday it destroyed the home of Gazas top Hamas leader, the third such attack in as many days, after nearly a week of heavy Israeli airstrikes on the territory. The Palestinian militant group ruling Gaza has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel.

Israel appears to have stepped up strikes in recent days to inflict as much damage as possible on Hamas as efforts to broker a cease-fire accelerate. A U.S. diplomat is in the region to try to de-escalate tensions, and the U.N. Security Council is set to meet Sunday.

The military said it struck the homes of Yehiyeh Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader inside the territory, and his brother Muhammad, another senior Hamas member. On Saturday it destroyed the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a senior figure in Hamas political branch.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Israeli warplanes have struck several buildings and roads in a vital part of Gaza City early Sunday.

According to photos circulated by residents and journalists, the airstrikes created a crater that blocked one of the main roads leading to Shifa, the largest hospital in the strip.

The Health Ministry said the latest airstrikes left at least two dead and 25 wounded, including children and women. It said rescuers are still digging through the rubble and had so far pulled up five more wounded.

Two hours into the heavy bombardment, there has been no comment from the Israeli military.
During the 87th Texas Legislature, representatives from Jolt Action dropped 275,000 multi-colored rose petals onto the rotunda floor at the Texas State Capitol.

The drop on April 8 was meant to represent the thousands of Texans of color that turn 18 years old every year, and thus are eligible to vote. The symbolic form of protest was in direct response to the states ongoing attempts to, in Jolts opinion, suppress Texans right to vote.

We will not allow these blatant attempts to suppress our vote...If theyre gonna attempt to suppress our vote, were going to be a thorn in their side, Jolt wrote on Instagram.

VOTER SUPPRESSION: A ton of celebrities are up in arms over Texas voting bill

Jolt is a nonprofit organization with an aim toward building a movement of young Latinx Texans to transform the state through the power of their vote. In March 2021, the organization named Dr. Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia as its executive director. Hitting the ground running, she and her team are building on the hard work the organization put in during the previous election season, making sure Texas has the representation that looks like and advocates on behalf of every member of the state, particularly Texans of color.

Its been absolutely wonderful. Its challenging, empowering, and its been really exciting. I think right now in Texas, were in a very critical time of doing the work were doing, Gonzales-Dholakia said of her new role. Were at this point where the rest of the state, and really the country, realizes the value and impact that Latinos in Texas have in our elections and civic engagement across our state. Im coming in at this critical time in our history where we have the opportunity and the ability to turn things around so that our democracy represents the people of Texas.

As the daughter of Mexican-American migrant parents, Gonzales-Dholakia grew up with a work ethic that most Latinos can relate to. She helped build the family's janitorial business, which became their bread and butter, and a source of pride.

Courtesy of Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia

The disarmingly charismatic leader spoke to the importance of the work Jolt does, particularly why it's imperative for Texans of color to enter the political arena.

I think for a long time Latinos havent been engaged. We havent been empowered. No one has asked Latinos what is important to us, what bills we should be proposing, she said with gusto. People go into Black and Brown communities right before elections to ask for their votes and then [those representatives are] gone. What Jolt does is build political power for Latinos across the state of Texas. We are not just doing this in voter mobilization and engagements, but we take it a step further by uplifting their stories, empowering their voice and cultivating them into the next generation of leaders in our state.

Gonzales-Dholakia broke down the numbers when speaking to the importance of having seats at the table at the Legislative level.

About half of all the people in the state of Texas under the age of 18 are Latino. Every year, 2,000 Latinos turn 18. Thats huge voting power! she explained. Its a critical time to empower Latinos and help them realize the power of their story and their vote.

Currently in the throes of a whirlwind legislative session, the team at Jolt are working tirelessly to combat bills and legislation they say go against the fundamentals of democracy.

The most pressing issue [in this current session] is voter suppression. Black and Brown voters came out in historic numbers in 2018 and 2020. Our legislators saw what that meant, so rather than doing everything they can to make sure everyone in our state can vote, we have legislators working to make it harder for certain communities to vote.

The San Antonio native doesnt hesitate to say that these communities are generally those of color, working class Texans and students of voting age, to name a few.

Gonzalez-Dholakia and her team are already looking toward the battles ahead.

We are working toward next steps with redistricting and making sure we have fair maps that represent Latino populations, she said. When we enter the special session, we will be present, empowering and giving information to Latinx youth.

Acknowledging that redistricting isnt typically top of mind for most voters, she said its Jolts job to make it easy to understand for folks when they enter the voting booth.

 We must explain what redistricting is and how it affects them and communities. Its purposeful in its confusing nature. We will be there to educate our community about what redistricting means and how it impacts us. Its going to be very important to us to see fair maps.

Reflecting on the rose petal drop, Gonzalez-Dholakia said, Our goal was to show our representatives that these are the numbers, this is the beauty and power of the Black and Brown people who turn 18 every year. Later that afternoon, sitting on the lawn of the Capitol, we listened to these young people who are so empowered and hopeful at a time when they could feel so hopeless  thats such an important thing Jolt focuses on. These young people talked about not wanting the bills to pass, but if they do, theyre still going to be there and we are going to keep going. We didnt just survive these last four years, we flourished. We got stronger and we got wiser.

The married mother of three has a lot to look forward to in regards to her role at Jolt, the political landscape of Texas today and what she envisions for Texass future.

What were trying to do right now is empower Latinos across the state of Texas in a way that honors and celebrates our culture and the power of our story. All of the voter mobilization and civic leadership we focus on comes back to this overarching vision and goal of increasing the political power of Latinos across Texas so that we can live in a state where the representation of the state represents the people [who live there].
ADDISON, Texas - Key elements of the baseless assertion that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump took shape in an airplane hangar here two years earlier, promoted by a Republican businessman who has sold many things, from Tex-Mex food in London to a wellness technology that beams light into the human bloodstream.

At meetings beginning late in 2018, as Republicans were smarting from midterm losses in Texas and across the country, Russell Ramsland and his associates delivered alarming presentations on electronic voting to a procession of conservative lawmakers, activists and donors.

Briefings in the hangar had a clandestine air. Guests were asked to leave their cellphones outside before assembling in a windowless room. A member of Ramsland's team purporting to be a "white-hat hacker" identified himself only by a code name.

Ramsland, a former congressional candidate with a Harvard University MBA, pitched a claim that seemed rooted in evidence: Voting-machine audit logs - lines of codes and time stamps that document the machines' activities - contained indications of vote manipulation. In the retrofitted hangar that served as his company's offices at the edge of a municipal airstrip outside Dallas, Ramsland attempted to persuade Republican candidates to challenge their election results and force the release of additional data that might prove manipulation.

"We had to find the right candidate," said Laura Pressley, a former Ramsland ally whose own claim that audit logs showed fraud had been rejected in court two years earlier. "We had to find one who knew they won."

He made the pitch to Don Huffines, a state senator in Texas. Huffines declined.

He tried to persuade Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. Sessions declined.

3 1 of 3 Washington Post photo by Aaron C. Davis Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Photo for The Washington Post by Sarah Silbiger Show More Show Less 3 of 3





No candidate agreed to bring a challenge, and the idea of widespread vote manipulation remained on the political fringe - until 2020, when Ramsland's assertions were seized upon by influential allies of Trump. The president himself accelerated the spread of those claims into the GOP mainstream as he latched onto an array of baseless ideas to explain his loss in November.

The enduring myth that the 2020 election was rigged was not one claim by one person. It was many claims stacked one atop the other, repeated by a phalanx of Trump allies. This is the previously unreported origin story of a core set of those claims, ideas that were advanced not by renowned experts or by insiders who had knowledge of flawed voting systems but by Ramsland and fellow conservative activists as they pushed a fledgling company, Allied Security Operations Group (ASOG), into a quixotic attempt to find evidence of widespread fraud where none existed.

To assemble a picture of the company's role, The Washington Post obtained emails and company documents and interviewed 12 people with direct knowledge of ASOG's efforts, as well as former federal officials and aides from the Trump White House. Many spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private matters or out of fear of retribution. Three individuals who were present in the hangar for those 2018 meetings spoke about the gatherings publicly for the first time.

By late 2019, ASOG's examination had moved beyond audit logs. Among other claims, Ramsland was repeating the ominous idea that election software used in the United States originated in Venezuela and saying nefarious actors could surreptitiously manipulate votes on a massive scale. As the 2020 election approached, he privately briefed GOP lawmakers in Washington and met with officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), documents and interviews show.

ASOG's examination by last summer had cost more than $1 million, according to a document the company gave government officials that was obtained by The Post. Ramsland had sought funding from Republican donors whose fortunes were made in the oil, gas and fracking industries, Pressley said.

After the Nov. 3 election, to an extent not widely recognized, Ramsland and others associated with ASOG played key roles in spreading the claims of fraud, The Post found. They were circulated by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, a staunch Trump ally who had been briefed by ASOG. And Ramsland's assertions were incorporated in the "kraken" lawsuits filed by conservative lawyer Sidney Powell - who The Post learned had also been briefed two years earlier by ASOG - and aired publicly by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney at the time, as they tried to overturn Joe Biden's victories in key states.

During that period, Trump was hyper-focused on making the case that the election had been rigged, former White House aides said. He would listen to "literally anyone" who had a theory about it, in the words of one former senior administration official.

Among those voices were the people in Ramsland's network.

In the aftermath of the election, Trump was surrounded by those repeating claims Ramsland had made, and in seeking to overturn the election, Trump embraced some of those ideas.

The idea that the election was stolen took root and remains persuasive to millions of Americans. Although the DHS during the Trump administration called the election the "most secure in American history," polls have consistently shown that about one-third of Americans - including a majority of Republicans - believe that Trump lost because of fraud. An internal poll by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in March found that among Republicans who believed the election was stolen, nearly half said hacked machines were partly to blame and an additional 8% said they were the main source of fraud.

The fraud claims have undermined faith in the electoral process, have been cited as a motivation for legislation to curtail access to polls in dozens of states and have spurred the companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic to file billion-dollar lawsuits. Ultimately, the conspiracy-mongering helped inspire the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

In an email exchange with The Post, Ramsland, 68, confirmed that ASOG provided research for Powell and Giuliani but said that he had never spoken to Trump himself and that the company was "one of many voices" that expressed concerns about election-system vulnerabilities. He noted that election security has been a long-standing concern across the political spectrum and said many others had "reached similar conclusions regarding irregularities in the election system."

Through an attorney, Powell confirmed that she had met Pressley, but she did not respond to questions about where or about her work with Ramsland. Giuliani and his attorney did not respond to messages seeking comment. Gohmert declined to comment on his interactions with Ramsland.

Through a spokesman, Trump declined to be interviewed.

Pressley, 58, said she and Ramsland had a falling out in part over his use of her analysis of election data and her suspicions that his motives were financial or partisan. She said he has not provided evidence for his claims about the 2020 election and fears those claims could undercut legitimate questions about the integrity of U.S. voting. "I'm heartbroken by it," Pressley said recently, speaking in detail about ASOG for the first time, during a three-hour interview near Austin.

In emails to The Post, Ramsland called Pressley "unreliable" and said ASOG ceased doing business with her "because of her lack of technical experience and complete inability to understand electronic investigative work." He said Pressley had a limited view of the work performed by ASOG, adding that "our cyber team had already gone far beyond the simple audit log data and analysis she had initially brought to ASOG."

Many people and organizations claimed after the election to have evidence casting doubt on Biden's victory. But Ramsland and ASOG's role was unique, said Matt Masterson, a former senior U.S. cybersecurity official who led a team tracking the integrity of the 2020 election for the DHS.

Repeatedly and at key moments, Masterson said, ASOG was the source of morsels of inaccurate information that shaped public perception. Some of the ideas it pushed had circulated previously, he said, but they were supercharged by the influence and connections of Ramsland and the people around him - and by the air of authority the company provided.

"It wasn't just that the president would tweet about their stuff. It was all these little nuggets and grist that they provided or that were cited to them in testimony or in the 'kraken' cases. It provided the appearance of substance and fact to something that had no substance or fact," said Masterson, who has not previously discussed ASOG publicly. "It was like: 'Look, these are professionals. . . . They have former military experience. And look at what they found.' They gave those who wanted to push and believe in the lie something to hold on to."

- - -

The nation's embrace of electronic voting grew out of the debacle of 2000, when hanging chads and other hard-to-interpret paper ballots muddled the outcome of the presidential race, souring many Americans on the analog technology the country had used for decades.

Two years later, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act, dedicating billions of dollars to modernize U.S. elections. It encouraged jurisdictions across the country to replace their old voting machines with new digital systems.

The result was a massive investment in paperless touch-screen voting machines, also known as direct-recording electronic voting machines, or DREs, which states came to view as simpler, cheaper and more accessible to people with disabilities.

"There were some electronic voting machines before that, but this was the thing that opened the floodgates to them," said Matt Blaze, a professor of law and computer science at Georgetown University who researches election technology and security.

Blaze and other experts warned that DREs introduced new security risks: Without a reliable paper trail, there was no way to check whether the machines had accurately recorded voters' intentions.

As concern about this vulnerability mounted, a growing number of states and localities began requiring voting machines to leave a paper trail. Today, most voters mark paper ballots by hand, and they are then scanned and tabulated by a machine. Some use touch-screen machines that produce a printed copy of the voter's selections. A few still vote on paperless machines.

There has never been a documented case of a U.S. election being stolen through hacking, according to Blaze and other experts.

Still, concerns about the security of electronic voting continue to simmer, including among experts. It does not help, they say, that some machines contain modems to simplify the reporting of results and that those machines have sometimes been left connected to the Internet for extended periods.

It was DREs, and the built-in inability to verify their results, that helped persuade Pressley that her race for a seat on Austin's nonpartisan City Council in 2014 had been stolen.

As a candidate, Pressley told voters that she had grown up outside Dallas, the daughter of a cattle auctioneer. She said she arrived in Austin two decades earlier as a poor single mother and succeeded against the odds. She earned a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin, worked for 17 years in the semiconductor industry and owned a company that sold bottled rainwater.

The campaign foundered amid revelations she had previously appeared on Infowars, the right-wing website operated by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and on another occasion had said data showed that military-grade explosives were planted inside the twin towers on 9/11. That comment prompted the Austin American-Statesman to retract its endorsement of her. (Pressley told The Post that she had "no opinion" on whether planes brought down the World Trade Center.)

The race was not close: Her opponent, a community organizer, defeated her by a margin of almost 30 points.

Pressley could not believe it.

"I knew in my heart that I had won," she recently told a gathering of law enforcement officers outside Houston, one of hundreds of speeches she has given about the case, "and I became convinced there was fraud."

A recount confirmed her loss. But nearly all the ballots had been cast on DREs, and Pressley remained skeptical.

She took the case to court.

Among other evidence, Pressley cited an audit log that contained nine instances in which a machine made by the company Hart InterCivic recorded an event as "Invalid/Corrupt." She argued that those and other alleged irregularities meant the true outcome of the election was impossible to determine.

A state judge threw out the case before trial and fined her and her attorney for bringing a frivolous lawsuit. Pressley appealed, and in 2016 a three-judge panel upheld the lower-court ruling.

"Pressley produced no evidence that the 'Invalid/Corrupt' error messages resulted in any legal votes not being counted, resulted in any illegal votes being counted, or otherwise materially affected the outcome of the election," the Texas Court of Appeals panel found, adding that Pressley's own expert witness testified that it was "not known" what the nine error messages meant.

"This type of expert testimony is based on uncertainty and mere speculation and is therefore unreliable and irrelevant," the panel said.

Pressley would go on to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, which said it was too late to take up her underlying fraud allegations but found that they were not frivolous and dropped the fines. Her expert witness had testified that corrupted memory sticks that contain ballot data "could" damage the credibility of vote counting, the court wrote. To avoid fines, it wrote, "Pressley needs only to have some factual basis for her claim . . . not evidence that is ultimately admissible."

Hart InterCivic told The Post that the error messages did not affect the tally and that "the election results were accurately recorded and reported." The company said the error messages indicate a failed connection between memory sticks and the devices that read them - a hiccup resolved by simply reconnecting and trying again.

By 2018, Pressley had become an outspoken critic of electronic voting systems that lack a paper trail. She founded True Texas Elections and recruited poll-watchers in more than a dozen counties to look for evidence of fraud in the state's March primary that year. Afterward, she filed a complaint with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, saying Democratic votes might have been undercounted.

On election night in November 2018, the volunteer poll-watchers obtained audit logs generated by the central tabulation machines in Dallas County as they tallied votes, some of which had been cast on DREs manufactured by the largest voting-machine company in the nation, Election Systems and Software, or ES&S. Such logs record an array of activity and can be difficult to interpret for anyone unfamiliar with the software involved.

In a statement, ES&S said that its voting equipment has been through thousands of hours of independent testing and that its accuracy has been verified through audits and other examinations.

But as Pressley pored over the logs, she fixated on specific words. "Downloaded," "cleared," "replaced," the audit logs said, over and over.

Soon, she came to suspect that those audit logs, too, were a window into surreptitious vote-switching.

- - -

Allied Special Operations Group, as the firm was first named, was initially envisioned as a one-stop shop for government and corporate clients seeking cybersecurity, physical protection and sophisticated open-source intelligence services, Ramsland and former employees told The Post.

The company was formed in June 2017 by Adam Kraft, a former senior official at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Kraft was the company's chief executive, and it was based at his house in a subdivision north of Fort Worth. Kraft declined to comment for this report.

An early promotional video described ASOG as "a group of highly trained professionals who have seen it all," and it emphasized the intelligence backgrounds of some team members. "When someone says, 'I know a guy,' he's talking about ASOG," said the narrator, who said ASOG personnel had taken part in the types of missions "that many of us only see in the movies."

Months after Kraft filed papers to establish the company, he was joined by a trio of other men, state records show.

Alvan "Locke" Neely, a retired Secret Service agent who first served in the Ford administration, became ASOG's chief operations officer.

Keet Lewis was named ASOG's vice president of strategy. Lewis served on the executive committee of the Council for National Policy (CNP), a Washington-based organization that for decades has been a networking hub for powerful conservative activists and donors.

According to his biography in Securities and Exchange Commission filings, Lewis consulted on international energy projects and had helped develop the Skimmer Basket Buddy, a patented maintenance tool for swimming pools. He did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Ramsland, who was also then a member of the CNP, joined as ASOG's chief financial officer. The son and grandson of West Texas oilmen lived with his wife in the Preston Hollow section of Dallas, home to former president George W. Bush and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Ramsland had charted an unusual career path, including investment banking, consulting on a proposed cattle ranch in the South Pacific and working with NASA on a venture aimed at growing crystals in space. He also owned oil and gas interests in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, records show.

According to business filings in Florida, Lewis and Ramsland later served together on the board of Photonx, a company that according to its website uses variable wavelengths of light "to treat specific pathogenic and chronic diseases." (Ramsland told The Post that in its current form Photonx's device "expressly doesn't purport to treat disease.")

Photonx now has office space inside the Addison hangar, according to a mailbox outside and a sign visible to visitors at the front door.

Ramsland was a "numbers and models" man, said Gene Street, who partnered with him in the 1990s on the London restaurant that Ramsland's resume, obtained by The Post, says was "Europe's highest-grossing Tex-Mex restaurant."

"If you ever needed to know where a single penny went, he was the guy that could tell you," Street said.

Ramsland had donated to the campaigns of numerous Republicans, including Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, campaign finance filings show. He had also run for office himself, challenging Rep. Pete Sessions in the 2016 Republican primary as a part of the tea party, the fiscally conservative movement that had formed in opposition to President Barack Obama's agenda. A campaign ad showed Ramsland wearing a cowboy hat and shooting a rifle at cardboard boxes labeled "open borders" and "Obamacare." Ramsland lost by nearly 38 points.

Weeks before he joined ASOG, Ramsland spoke to a conservative association, delivering remarks rife with outlandish claims, according to video reviewed by The Post. Ramsland called the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, a "deep-state operation," and he traced the origin of the "deep state" to a World War II-era collaboration involving Prescott Bush, the father of former president George H.W. Bush; the Muslim Brotherhood; and liberal financier George Soros - who was born in 1930 and was not yet an adult.

ASOG's early work included hunting for intelligence about a group of Chinese nationals for an exiled Chinese billionaire, an associate of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and providing VIP protection details in the United States and abroad, a specialty Neely brought from the Secret Service.

In the fall of 2018, influential Texas Republican fundraiser JoAnn Fleming urged Ramsland and Pressley to join forces, Pressley told The Post. Ramsland soon shifted ASOG's attention to election security. Fleming did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Neely said he left his position with the company when resources moved toward election security.

"My focus was and has always been protection and investigations," he said in a brief interview outside his home in suburban Dallas. "They were going a totally different direction, and it was just not - they were pouring all their resources into that, and it was just not my gig."

The relationship between Ramsland and Kraft also grew strained, according to three people who worked for or with the company at the time. Kraft eventually departed under pressure, the people said.

- - -

In November 2018, Texas Republicans were reeling from a battering at the polls. Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke had lost narrowly to Cruz, and strong Democratic turnout had cost Sessions his longtime seat representing a swath of Dallas and its fast-growing suburbs as the party picked up seats in both chambers of the state legislature. Some Republicans were looking for explanations beyond the apparent purpling of Dallas.

Soon, Pressley was in the hangar, briefing Ramsland on her election-fraud theories. "Russ got really excited. They all did," Pressley said. "I think they saw this as their next big thing."

ASOG and Pressley began looking for a losing candidate who would challenge the election outcome and force Dallas County and ES&S to lift the hood on their technology to show whether votes had been manipulated, according to Pressley and to emails and other documents provided by her attorney.

They alighted on state Sen. Don Huffines, a wealthy Republican real estate developer whose bid for a second term in the Texas legislature had just ended in defeat, handing his district to a Democrat for the first time in almost four decades.

Within weeks of the election, Pressley said, Huffines was in the hangar with James "Trey" Trainor, who had been nominated by Trump to serve on the Federal Election Commission but was not yet Senate-confirmed. Trainor was advising Huffines at the time.

Pressley presented her analysis of the audit logs and their mysterious "replaced" and "cleared" messages, she said. Ramsland told Huffines that he was "horrified" by signs of fraud, she said. Challenging the result and forcing officials to turn over voting-machine data could prove that the vote was manipulated, they said.

Pressley said she and Ramsland waited impatiently for Huffines to decide. In early December, he told them that he would not challenge his loss.

"We were all ready to go. We had someone who was going to fund the challenge and everything," she said. "It was devastating."

Huffines did not respond to requests seeking comment.

In an interview, Trainor confirmed the hangar meeting with Ramsland and said he advised Huffines not to bring a challenge. Under Texas law, contested state Senate races are decided by a Senate vote rather than by a judge.

"We were never going to convince senators that something nefarious had gone on, whether it did or didn't," Trainor said, noting that some Republicans might not have backed a challenge that risked embarrassing the GOP secretary of state.

ASOG briefed a number of people during this period, including Powell and Gohmert, according to Pressley and a former ASOG employee named Joshua Merritt. Pressley said Powell approached her after one briefing in the hangar, gave her a business card and called the audit-log analysis proof of fraud.

Ramsland and Lewis were also working to coax another losing candidate to bring a challenge: Sessions, the ousted congressman.

Lewis called a Sessions donor and left a voice message suggesting that the congressman's race had been stolen. The donor forwarded the message to Carolyn Malenick, a volunteer for Sessions. Within days, Sessions was on a plane from Washington to Texas for a trip to the hangar, according to Malenick, who joined him there.

A calendar invitation for the Dec. 14, 2018, meeting shows that Ramsland, Lewis and Pressley were among those expected, as was Fleming, the conservative fundraiser who Pressley said had connected her and Ramsland.

Also in attendance, Malenick said, was conservative talk-show host Kevin Freeman.

Pressley said she gave a PowerPoint presentation that began with a picture of Joseph Stalin and a quote attributed to the Russian dictator: "I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this - who will count the votes and how."

Ramsland followed, accompanied by the purported white-hat hacker, who would not provide his name to the audience, Malenick said. The two presented a $4 million plan that included ASOG standing up an "operations" center to search for voting irregularities, Malenick and Pressley said.

Malenick, a longtime Republican fundraiser, told The Post that she eventually came to believe Ramsland was misleading donors.

Ramsland told The Post that the center was Kraft's idea and that election investigations are costly. He said Malenick had "problems with truthfulness," citing an FEC case from the 1990s that ended with her paying a $5,000 fine.

With a certification deadline fast approaching, Sessions, too, decided against formally challenging his election result, according to his brother and attorney, Lewis Sessions.

Privately, Pete Sessions did not drop the matter. He filed a confidential complaint with Paxton, the Texas attorney general, alleging "a variety of legally questionable conduct" in Dallas County voting. The complaint, provided to The Post by Lewis Sessions, included an affidavit from Pressley in which she said her poll-watchers reported that they had been treated with hostility and had seen an elections worker using an Internet-connected laptop. She also enumerated audit-log messages - including "replaced" and "time stamp mismatch" - she considered suspicious.

On Jan. 31, 2019, Pressley presented her findings to Paxton in a meeting in an Austin office used by Ramsland, she said. Emails between her and Ramsland show preparations for the meeting.

But again, nothing came of the effort.

Ramsland has said in media appearances that ASOG brought information to Paxton's office and urged further examination. It is unclear whether he was referring to the Pete Sessions complaint and Pressley's briefing or to a separate complaint, and Ramsland did not respond to messages seeking clarification. He told The Post that he now believes Paxton's office lacks the financial resources and the "level of technical expertise and sophistication" necessary for a meaningful investigation.

In a statement, Paxton's office said: "We take every credible allegation of fraud seriously. In this case, after a thorough investigation by our office with the assistance of election systems experts, cybersecurity experts, and the FBI, we found the claims in this case were unverifiable, and an audit of the voting records confirmed the outcome of the election."

Legally, the allegations of fraud in Dallas in 2018 had all but reached a dead end, Pressley said.

With Pressley in tow, Ramsland launched a fundraising blitz, traveling to the ranches and mansions of some of Texas's wealthiest conservative funders. Ramsland told potential funders that their money would support legal challenges to ensure election integrity before the 2020 election, Pressley said. "The hook was always Trump - that their guy could lose," Pressley said.

Pressley said that early in February 2019, she accompanied Ramsland to present her audit-log analysis in Midland to Charles Richard "Dick" Saulsbury, who had made a fortune in engineering work in oil and gas. In Cisco, they met with Farris and Jo Ann Wilks, whose wealth stemmed from the sale of a family fracking business.

Pressley said pledges as high as $700,000 were discussed. The Post obtained correspondence in which Ramsland named Saulsbury as a potential funder and in which Pressley referred to a "Wilks investor meeting."

Saulsbury, through a spokeswoman, did not respond to questions. Reached briefly by phone, Farris Wilks said he had no memory of providing money to Ramsland, then hung up.

Ramsland said neither the Wilkses nor the Saulsburys were donors. Malenick and a former ASOG employee said the company had sought to raise capital at the time by selling ownership shares. Ramsland did not respond to a follow-up question about whether the Wilkses or the Saulsburys were investors.

Pressley, a Republican who has donated to candidates from both major political parties, said she began to grow suspicious that Ramsland's motives were political or financial, or both, particularly in February 2019 when he took her research to the District of Columbia to meet with Washington insiders but excluded her.

"I don't think he wanted me there and hearing what he was saying," Pressley said. "Everything he was doing . . . became about getting to Trump. He had this idea it had to get to Trump."

Pressley's company, True Texas Elections, sought a consulting contract from ASOG in February 2019, but it never materialized. As their relationship deteriorated, Pressley sent a cease-and-desist letter to ASOG late that month, demanding that Ramsland stop presenting her research without authorization, according to their correspondence.

Ramsland denied to Pressley that he had tried to exclude her from the meetings in Washington and challenged her allegation that he had co-opted her audit-log analysis. She had shown her presentation to dozens of people without any confidentiality agreement or copyright markings, he wrote. "We frankly do not understand how a project to save Texas and our country has turned into this," he wrote in a letter reviewed by The Post. "This isn't just your project. This has been a team effort from the beginning."

- - -

As 2019 progressed, Ramsland decided to take his case to the public through "Economic War Room," the online television show hosted by Freeman.

Like Ramsland and Keet Lewis, Freeman was a member of the Council for National Policy, according to membership directories posted online by the watchdog group Documented.

"We finally decided that if we couldn't get the government to pay attention without public opinion and public pressure, the best guy to go to would be Kevin," Ramsland later recalled in a panel discussion, a recording of which is posted online.

Asked whether CNP had supported Ramsland's efforts, the group's executive director, former congressman Bob McEwen, R-Ohio, said: "CNP is a convening organization of several organizations and individual members. And that's what it does. It doesn't sponsor legislation or oppose legislation. It is an opportunity for people, patriotic citizens, to gather together to share their concerns and interests in our nation's security."

In emails exchanged over the course of a week, Freeman said he was unavailable to answer questions about his presence at the meeting and his involvement with Ramsland.

Ramsland appeared on the show multiple times in 2019 and 2020, at least once with another ASOG employee who appeared with his face in shadow and voice disguised. The employee's identity was kept secret on the show, with Freeman referring to him as Jekyll, a "white-hat hacker." It was the same purported hacker who had accompanied Ramsland during meetings in the hangar with Sessions and others, according to Pressley and Malenick.

The Post has reported that Jekyll is Merritt, a former Army mechanic who studied network security administration after leaving the military. In December, The Post reported that affidavits in Powell's lawsuits from a purported "military intelligence expert" using the pseudonym "Spider" were actually written by Merritt.

Merritt, who told The Post in December that he had briefed Powell and Gohmert, declined to comment for this report.

Together, Ramsland and Merritt painted a picture of an entirely porous voting system, wide open and hackable. Ramsland made a range of specific claims, including that hackers or rogue operators could direct vote data to a remote location, change it and then "re-inject" it, or they could unleash "some sort of a bot" to change the results without anyone noticing. He said there were indications that vote manipulation was already happening and said all major U.S. voting-machine companies were vulnerable.

Among his claims was that source code initially written by the company Smartmatic formed the basis of much of the election software used in the United States. Ramsland often pointed out, as other critics had, that Smartmatic's founders were Venezuelan.

Representatives of ES&S, Dominion and Hart InterCivic, the nation's three largest voting-machine companies, told The Post that they do not use or license Smartmatic software. They all said their companies' software code is not in any way based on Smartmatic code, and Smartmatic said its code is not incorporated into other companies' software.

Ramsland told The Post that "many cyber groups" have reported that different companies share software code similarities. He did not respond to questions asking that he name any cyber groups that support his claims about Smartmatic code.

In his media appearances, Ramsland also resurfaced an old claim about Scytl, a Spain-based election technology firm that he described as a "somewhat disturbing company" in one appearance on Freeman's show. "They're housing all of our votes, and they're doing it in an insecure fashion," he said in a September appearance.

The following month, Ramsland added a twist, claiming on an online talk show hosted by conservative Debbie Georgatos that American votes were "being held on a server in Frankfurt, Germany."

Scytl has said that it has no servers in Frankfurt and that its systems are not used to count or "house" votes in U.S. elections. Ramsland told The Post in an email that "any 8th grader with a reasonable background in white hat cyber investigation tools" could trace votes to a Scytl server in Frankfurt.

One of Scytl's products is a platform used by some counties to publicly display unofficial vote tallies online on election night, according to the company. After polls close, as results begin trickling in, they are published online by media outlets and state and local governments. Those unofficial election-night reports depend on tallies that are transmitted by local officials to a publishing system. In some counties, that publishing system is made by Scytl.

Ramsland claimed to The Post that Dallas County's use of such a Scytl platform showed that votes were sent overseas.

Harri Hursti, a data-security expert who has spent years highlighting vulnerabilities in electronic voting technology, said Ramsland's claims about vote-fixing overseas were nonsensical. Even if a hacker could manipulate the numbers that are posted online, the underlying votes would not be affected, Hursti said. Those are kept separately, sequestered from the Internet, and they are - once tallied and checked for discrepancies - the official results of any election.

ASOG paid Hursti's company, Nordic Innovation Labs, $2,500 in November for an 18-page memo explaining the history of Dominion, its business acquisitions and the many systems and machines Dominion now supports, according to Nordic's managing partner, Dan Webber.

Hursti said ASOG ignored information he provided, in an effort to shape a sensational narrative about election fraud. Such baseless claims are now distracting time and attention from actual election-security problems, he said.

"This is counterproductive," he said. "There is so much that needs to be fixed."

Over this same period, in 2019 and 2020, Ramsland was attempting to win the attention of Washington insiders, an effort Gohmert was also engaged in.

Gohmert has said that a year before the election he gave Trump information from a group of "former intelligence people that were monitoring the election in Dallas County" - a description that closely resembles the way ASOG portrays itself - and that the president considered it "a real problem." Speaking on a podcast in November, Gohmert said his own reaction to the information was, "Holy cow."

In July 2020, ASOG gave a two-hour briefing to seven members of the House Freedom Caucus, Ramsland told MyPillow founder Mike Lindell for his movie about alleged election fraud. Ramsland said members were "horrified" at what ASOG presented.

ASOG also reached out that summer to the Senate Homeland Security Committee and was referred to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the DHS. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reviewed a packet of information from ASOG that included the document saying the cost of the company's investigation had surpassed $1 million. Also included was an affidavit from Pressley and over 40 pages dedicated to her and her poll-watchers' observations of the vote in Dallas County in 2018. The Post obtained the documents.

Ramsland said that DHS officials in Texas found ASOG's information compelling but that Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency officials in Washington were "too busy to take a briefing" and agreed to only a short call.

In a statement, the DHS confirmed that its officials had spoken with Ramsland and his associates, "reviewed the information provided and determined that it was speculative and not actionable."

- - -

Hours after the final votes were cast on Nov. 3, Trump doubled down on the claims that he had been making for months. "This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country," Trump said. "We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election."

Over the next several weeks, Ramsland and others tied to ASOG played key roles in the full-court press to persuade Americans that the 2020 election had been rigged.

Ramsland and Lewis appeared on Lou Dobbs's show on Fox Business Network, claiming there was evidence of widespread fraud. The claim that all U.S. voting machines secretly harbored Venezuelan software was repeated by Giuliani and Powell in numerous media appearances. The claim that Scytl servers in Frankfurt could be used to flip votes went viral on the right after it was repeated by Gohmert.

On Nov. 12, Gohmert said he had told Trump that data on these servers was critical to getting to the bottom of the fraud.

"I had suggested that the president might get information from Scytl," Gohmert said on Newsmax, "and I sent him specifics that he needed to get that would show a lot of fraud."

The next day, Gohmert told a virtual prayer group that the Scytl data would show "how many votes were switched from Republican to Democrat," claiming that he had learned all this from "some of our former intel people."

Scytl denied the allegations. In a statement, the company said that its products were not used to tally votes in U.S. elections and that it "does not even have offices in Frankfurt and does not have servers or computers in the German city."

But Trump fanned the theory, according to archives of his deleted tweets. Late on Nov. 15, he retweeted to his millions of online followers a video clip of Ramsland saying in a pre-election interview that votes from 29 states were routed through "a server in Frankfurt, Germany" and that Scytl "controls and reports your vote."

Ramsland also contributed material to Powell's lawsuits and to one brought by Lin Wood, another pro-Trump lawyer, seeking to overturn Biden's victory. On Nov. 18, a nine-page affidavit from Ramsland filed to a federal court in Wood's Georgia case made an explosive allegation: Multiple precincts in Michigan had recorded more votes for president than what he said was the estimated number of voters.

Ramsland's claim was amplified the following day by Giuliani and Powell at a news conference at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee. Like Ramsland, Powell said excess votes in some jurisdictions were as high as 350%.

The claim in Ramsland's affidavit soon collapsed under scrutiny. The precincts he cited were actually in Minnesota, a mistake Ramsland blamed on "my guys" in his exchanges with The Post. Ramsland said the Minnesota numbers also showed excess votes, a claim contradicted by official results.

In an interview, Wood said he did not know Ramsland and referred The Post to the lawyer who represented him in the case, Ray Smith, who noted that a corrected affidavit had been filed to the court. He declined to comment further.

Another of Ramsland's affidavits claimed a 139% voter turnout in Detroit - meaning the number of votes cast exceeded the number of voters. Detroit's official election results show that about 258,000 of its 506,000 registered voters cast ballots - a turnout of just under 51%. Ramsland later filed an affidavit saying his original figures were based on data that was online but that "no longer exists [f]or some unexplained reason."

Two Ramsland affidavits filed in Arizona purported to expose more than 100,000 illegal votes in the state, again based on high turnout rates, and suggested forensic testing to determine whether batches of fake ballots had been cast for Biden. Ramsland attached the resumes of six "key team members" he said had been involved in the preparation of his material. The only one identified by name was a former ASOG computer scientist who had died a year earlier.

Ramsland and one of his associates also played starring roles in the election-integrity "hearings" that Giuliani and GOP state legislators held in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The events were intended to persuade legislators to wrest control of the election certification process and demand further investigation.

Phil Waldron, a retired Army colonel who specialized in psychological operations and is now chief executive of a cybersecurity firm, appeared as a witness at each of those hearings. He said he was working with ASOG to examine the 2020 election.

"Your vote is not as secure as your Venmo account," Waldron concluded in a hotel ballroom in Phoenix on Nov. 30, provoking murmurs from the audience.

"Pardon me? Say that one more time," Giuliani said.

Waldron obliged. A video clip of the exchange was posted to Trump's official YouTube page.

Waldron declined to comment for this report.

By December, Ramsland was opening doors for people seeking to challenge the election results. He connected Patrick Byrne, the billionaire former chief executive of the online retailer Overstock, with Powell, and Powell connected Byrne with Giuliani, Byrne told The Post.

Byrne was bankrolling a group of what he described as cyber experts - his "bad news bears" - to investigate election fraud. "They were the ones really getting their fingernails dirty, so to speak, hacking and cracking," Byrne said in an email exchange with The Post. He said Ramsland, who had come to Washington for the effort, "acted as the conduit and synthesizer for a lot of research that was being done by other parties and technologists in our network."

On Dec. 18, Trump hosted a now-infamous hours-long meeting at the White House during which Byrne, Powell and her client Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, sought to persuade the president to appoint Powell special counsel to investigate the election, including by examining voting machines in key swing-state counties.

Trump ultimately did not appoint a special counsel.

During this period, some White House lawyers heard Trump make claims that made no sense or seemed "bat---- insane," one former senior administration official said, later learning that they came from a network that The Post found included Byrne, Powell and Ramsland.

According to a document obtained by The Post, skeptical Trump advisers developed a list of questions aimed at determining whether there was evidence for the claims, many of which by then revolved around Dominion. The evidence never surfaced, the people close to the former president said.

Byrne told The Post that White House officials "refused to look" seriously at the claims and that he and his allies will ultimately be vindicated.

- - -

Of all the ways in which Ramsland pushed the stolen-election narrative, arguably the most damaging was an ASOG report on Dominion machines in Michigan's rural Antrim County, said Masterson, the senior cybersecurity adviser who was then focusing on elections at the DHS.

Antrim County became ground zero for baseless claims about Dominion voting machines when, early on Nov. 4, county officials posted unofficial results showing Biden winning by about 3,000 votes - a seeming impossibility in a reliably conservative region. Election officials quickly acknowledged the mistake and called it human error, saying a clerk's failure to correctly update software had led to inaccurate vote totals. Final results showed that Trump had won by more than 3,000 votes.

Trump allies seized on the mistake as evidence of rigged or at least faulty voting machines. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel claimed at a news conference that a "major software issue in Antrim County" could mean results were wrong in other counties using similar technology. Trump tweeted a Breitbart article that sought to tie Dominion software to the error that made Antrim "flip blue in favor of Joe Biden" and to Election Day "glitches" that delayed voting in two Georgia counties.

The following day on Fox News, Powell said computer glitches were "where the fraud took place, where they were flipping votes in the computer system or adding votes that did not exist." She called for an audit "of all of the computer systems that . . . played any role in this fraud whatsoever."

Powell's wish for an examination of voting machines was granted after local real estate agent William Bailey filed a lawsuit in Antrim County on Nov. 23, alleging that the election had been marred by "material fraud or error." Four days later, an ASOG team working for Bailey showed up at the offices of three Antrim townships and requested Dominion voting-machine records.

On Dec. 4, Judge Kevin Elsenheimer, a former Republican leader in the Michigan legislature, ordered that the ASOG team be given further access to the county's voting equipment for a forensic examination. The decision, which offered a rare opportunity for election skeptics to examine Dominion machines, was celebrated by Trump's campaign.

"BIG WIN FOR HONEST ELECTIONS," Giuliani said on Twitter.

Jenna Ellis, a senior legal adviser to Trump, referred to the ASOG examiners as "our team" on Fox News. Ellis did not respond to requests to clarify the Trump campaign's relationship with ASOG.

The ASOG team returned to Antrim on Dec. 6 to examine county election equipment. ASOG's Dec. 13 report, signed by Ramsland, made sweeping allegations about a conspiracy to fix the election. It claimed that Dominion's systems were "intentionally and purposefully designed" to generate ballot errors and to shunt those ballots to electronic adjudication, where administrators could change votes at will, with no oversight.

The judge allowed the release of a redacted version on Dec. 14, the day members of the electoral college met to make Biden's win official. Trump tweeted about ASOG's report several times, claiming it exposed a "massive fraud" that cost him the election and saying Elsenheimer "should get a medal" for releasing it.

ASOG's report claimed that audit logs for Dominion machines showed an alarming 68% "error rate."

That alleged error rate - which ASOG calculated by dividing the number of perceived error messages by the total numbers of lines in the audit log - was "meaningless," according to an analysis by Alex Halderman, a University of Michigan professor of computer science and engineering. Halderman, who as part of the lawsuit examined the Antrim results and the ASOG report at the request of the Michigan secretary of state and attorney general, wrote that audit logs record multiple lines for each ballot scanned and that many of those lines are "benign warnings or errors" that have no bearing on the accuracy of the machines' count.

For example, he said, ASOG appeared to count the "ballot has been reversed" warning as an error that showed that votes had been tampered with. But that entry means that a voter attempted to feed his ballot into the machine and the machine balked and spit it out - just as a vending machine often balks at a wrinkled dollar bill. That happens all the time, Halderman wrote.

Of ASOG's claim that many ballots were sent to electronic "adjudication," where they were manipulated, Halderman said his examination showed that Antrim County did not perform electronic adjudication of ballots at all. Halderman said ASOG had correctly identified some security weaknesses in the county's election system, but there was no evidence that anyone had exploited those weaknesses.

"The report contains an extraordinary number of false, inaccurate, or unsubstantiated statements and conclusions," he wrote.

County and state officials, as well as Dominion, also said key claims in ASOG's report were baseless.

Ramsland told The Post that ASOG had six days to do its report and that Halderman's analysis contradicted 12 of ASOG's 29 "core observations."

Three days after the court released the report, a hand recount of the county's ballots showed that the presidential election results were correct, off from the previously reported results by 12 votes out of about 16,000 cast. Dominion's machines had counted accurately.

"The tabulators did what they were supposed to do, and they did it very accurately, and there's absolutely no evidence that there was some reverse cyberattack that manipulated them," said Michigan state Sen. Ed McBroom, a Republican who led a Senate investigation of fraud claims. The ASOG report, he said, was "probably more harmful to the discussion" than anything else happening in Michigan at the time.

"I don't see how anybody can take Mr. Ramsland and his group seriously as genuine purveyors of fact," he said. "It's very clear they're beyond mistaken and misrepresenting what actually happened, either out of carelessness or with some sort of purpose."

At his "Save America" rally in Washington on Jan. 6, Trump made reference to Antrim County and "the troubling matter of Dominion Voting Systems" as an example of how he had been wronged.

"In one Michigan county alone, 6,000 votes were switched from Trump to Biden," he said. He also repeated Ramsland's claim that there were more votes than voters in Detroit. "In Detroit, turnout was 139% of registered voters," he said. "Think of that."

He called the Nov. 3 vote "the most corrupt election in the history, maybe, of the world," then urged his supporters to march to the Capitol. By the thousands, they complied.

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites, Kayla Ruble and Scott Clement contributed to this report.
A NIPAS supervisor told Morton Grove police that Maguire pointed a shotgun at NIPAS officers at various times through a broken front window of the house while he was barricaded inside. The supervisor reported that Maguire could also be heard yelling that he would shoot anyone who tried to take him into custody because he wasnt going back to jail, the Morton Grove police report said.
Bedford, PA (15522)

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Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

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Rain showers early with overcast skies late. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
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Rock County ends mask mandate for COVID-19

JANESVILLE  Rock County health officials said Friday that a mask mandate was being ended effective immediately, a day after federal officials released updated COVID-19 guidance.

Rock County Health Officer Katrina Harwood said the local announcement follows the most recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which on Thursday said vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most situationsboth indoors and outside.

Studies have shown that fully vaccinated people are protected and can safely resume regular activities, Harwood said in a statement. They are also less likely to spread the virus to others.

In some cases, fully vaccinated people will still be required to wear a mask, including on planes, buses, trains or other means of public transportation.

Mask requirements might also remain in place depending on local orders. Individual businesses might also choose to keep their mask requirements in place instead of asking each customer about their vaccination status.

People who have received their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two weeks ago are considered fully vaccinated.

Harwood said people who have not yet received the vaccine should still continue to follow CDC guidelines such as masking indoors, avoiding crowded spaces and maintaining social distance.

Now that more of our residents have been vaccinated, we are removing the mask order so that those people can take advantage of the benefits of being vaccinated, Harwood said.

Harwood said the health department is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they are able.

We understand that many people still have questions and concerns, and that is normal. If you are unsure about whether the vaccine is right for you, please talk to your doctor, Harwood said.

Vaccines are free and available to anyone age 12 and older.

Other areas where masks might still be required could include schools, jails, prisons, homeless shelters or healthcare facilities, regardless of vaccination status. Harwood said those setting present a higher risk of virus transmission and additional health restrictions might remain in place.

The Janesville School District has announce it will continue to require that masks be worn inside school buildings. A news release from the district noted only 9.3% of children age 1617 have completed their vaccination schedule and while children age 1215 were made eligible for the Pfizer vaccine last wee, it will take five weeks before they are fully vaccinated. Children under the age of 12 are not eligible for any vaccine.

Harwood added that some fully vaccinated people who are at higher risk or who are immunocompromised may want to continue wearing a mask and should consider speaking with their doctor.

Rock County will remain in Phase Two of its reopening plan.

We are very optimistic but want to evaluate the data following the changes to masking before moving to the next phase of our Reopening Guidance. It is important for people to follow quarantine and isolation requirements to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and keep our numbers moving in the right direction, Harwood said.

Harwood added that anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should seek out a test and avoid social interactions while awaiting results. A fully vaccinated person who has come into contact with someone experiencing symptoms will not be required to quarantine.

We are still all in this together and together, as more people become vaccinated, we can get back to regular activities, Harwood said.
An Indonesian woman wears a face mask, designed in the likeness of the Palestinian flag, to curb the spread of COVID-19, while praying on Eid al-Fitr at the Great Mosque of Al Azhar, Jakarta, May 13, 2021.

Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia are clamoring for the international community to intervene to help end violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, as the death toll mounts from Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket attacks after more than a week of fighting.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei attended a crisis meeting convened by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday and, separately, released a joint statement urging the United Nations Security Council to act urgently and take all possible measures to guarantee the safety of Palestinian civilians.

The three neighboring countries also called for the U.N. General Assembly to hold an emergency session on the Mid-East crisis, which has seen at least 201 Palestinians and 10 Israelis killed since hostilities flared on May 10, according to Reuters.

The 193-member body is set to do so on Thursday, officials said Monday.

We unreservedly condemn the flagrant violations of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, perpetrated by Israel, the Occupying Power, through its inhumane, colonial and apartheid policies toward the Palestinians  and therefore call for an urgent and responsible collective action, said Sundays statement, signed by Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Meanwhile, in Bangladesh  a Muslim-majority South Asian country where hundreds of people demonstrated in support of Palestinians after Friday prayers in Dhaka  State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam brought up their plight in talks with U.S. Ambassador Earl Miller on Monday.

Alam reiterated Bangladeshs position that the U.N. Security Council needs to take up the issue, a Bangladesh Foreign Ministry statement said. He urged the U.S. to take a proactive role for stopping the bloodshed immediately.

US diplomacy

The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, so far has blocked any statement by the U.N. Security Council on the Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.

American government officials say they are working feverishly to negotiate an end to the violence, by placing multiple calls to leaders of neighboring countries and dispatching a special envoy who has already met with both Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Violence continued to rage Monday, with the Israeli military bombing what it said were underground tunnels used by Hamas and nine residences of the Palestinian groups high-ranking commanders. Hamas and a related group, Islamic Jihad, fired rockets into the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod, according to media reports.

Indonesia and Malaysia  which are among countries that do not recognize the Jewish State  did not mention Palestinian rocket attacks in their statements.

And while the United States lists Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization, Malaysias Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah last week reprimanded journalists at state-run broadcaster RTM who had described the Palestinian fighters as militants, according to The Malay Mail, a local media outlet.

On Saturday, Malaysian Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said police and other agencies had boosted security to maintain public peace and safety of the Malaysian people, including Palestinian nationals that are in the country.

And CyberSecurity Malaysia, an agency under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, admonished netizens on Monday to practice positive, ethical, and responsible behavior  after what one analyst described as troll attacks on Israeli accounts, including those of the Israel Defense Forces.

Malaysian tempers flared due to a viral video from a YouTube conspiracy channel stating that Israel would attack countries friendly to Hamas, including Malaysia, said Hoo Chiew-Ping, a senior lecturer in international relations at the National University of Malaysia (UKM).

Because of that, everyone from the highest office  Prime Ministers Office  to the Armed Forces, academic institutions, and laypeople in Malaysia  has to up their cyber defense and cyber security precautions, she said.

My response to this is that Malaysia should do better to read news more carefully and use credible sources, Hoo told BenarNews.

General Assembly vote cannot be vetoed

In January 2020, Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysias prime minister at the time, hosted Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh  considered a terrorist by the United States and Israel  at Putrajaya, the seat of the Malaysian government.



In April 2018, a Palestinian engineer named Fadi Mohamad Al Batsh, who was allegedly linked to Hamas, was gunned down in Kuala Lumpur. According to reports in the Israeli press, he was killed by the Mossad, Israels national intelligence service.

There is a real risk for the Palestinians in Malaysia and elsewhere, but not in the fashion as highlighted in the viral video, Hoo said.

Kamal Affendy, a criminologist at the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation, concurred.

[W]e are talking about a specific and targeted repercussion, not for the 33 million Malaysians in general, he said. Any countries can employ the use of sleeper agents, who are plenty in any nation. It is not necessary for them to bring in their own operatives to get a job done.

In Indonesia, a Middle East expert played down domestic repercussions from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The only impact is likely to be demonstrations in front of the embassies of countries that support Israel, cyber-attacks, heated exchanges on social media and a boycott of [Israeli] products, Reza Widyarsa of the Raja Ali Haji Maritime University in Riau Islands province, told BenarNews.

He urged Indonesia  the worlds most populous Muslim-majority nation  to put pressure on Israel at the U.N. General Assembly.

In the Security Council, there will be a veto by the countries that support Israel. The issue must be brought to the General Assembly because the vote cannot be vetoed, he said.

Pulack Ghatack in Dhaka contributed to this report.
Five suspected members of Filipino militant groups with links to Islamic State extremists were killed in separate clashes with government forces in the southern Philippines over the weekend, the military said Monday.

Government troops on patrol in the town of Sumisip on Basilan Island engaged Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants in a 30-minute, starting around 7:40 a.m. Sunday, said Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, chief of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom).

Two on the enemys side were killed while a third was killed in a follow-up operation, Vinluan told BenarNews. Our offensives will continue.

Meanwhile earlier on Sunday, soldiers killed two suspected militants linked to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Datu Paglas, a town on Mindanao Island, in the militarys latest clash with members of the group since late April.

The bodies of the dead Abu Sayyaf gunmen in Basilan were recovered and turned over to local officials, WestMinCom said.

The clashes occurred after President Rodrigo Duterte visited the south last week to rally officials of a Muslim autonomous region to increase efforts to rein in the militants. The president warned local officials that he would be forced to launch an all-out offensive against the BIFF militants if they failed to persuade them to end the attacks.

Army Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the 6th Division, said government troops suffered no casualties during Sundays gunfight in Datu Paglas, and recovered the BIFF militants bodies.

I directed more troops to reinforce the engaged units and establish a blockade on the enemy withdrawal routes to ensure that no terrorist will escape from the pursuing forces, Uy said, noting that soldiers seized weapons and ammunition. Two militants were slain.

Previously, the military had said that two women linked to BIFF members died when a bomb prematurely exploded on April 28. The women were traveling with BIFF spokesman Abu Jihad, who was able to escape, officials said. On May 12, troops conducting a dawn patrol near Datu Paglas killed four BIFF members, according to an army spokesman.

Since January, the military has killed 41 BIFF suspects while 48 of the militants have surrendered, according to WestMinCom.

BIFF is an offshoot of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which ended a decades-long separatist insurgency when it signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014. The MILF controls the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The BIFF is divided into several factions, one of which has pledged allegiance to IS while the others are focused on their separatist ideology, officials said.

Basilan is a small island and the birthplace of the Abu Sayyaf, which means bearers of the sword.

One faction of ASG, led by Isnilon Hapilon, had pledged allegiance to IS. In 2017, it laid siege to Marawi, a city in the southern Philippines, with an aim of establishing a caliphate. Hapilon, along with other commanders, died during the five-month siege.

Since then, authorities have blamed the Abu Sayyaf for planning a suicide bombing in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, which killed 14 people in August 2020. A year before that attack, in January 2019, an Indonesian couple killed themselves and 21 others in a suicide bombing at Jolos Catholic cathedral.

Since the start of 2021, WestMinCom says it has killed four ASG suspects and captured one of them, while 13 others have surrendered.

A BenarNews correspondent in Zamboanga, Philippines, contributed to this report.
Thai inmates are treated for COVID-19 infections in a field hospital set up at the Medical Correctional Institution in Bangkok, May 8, 2021.

Thailand recorded 9,635 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, with close to 75 percent of them detected in prisons, as the justice minister ordered the kingdoms entire inmate population to be tested for the virus.

Mondays figure, which included 6,853 cases reported in prisons, nearly doubled a daily high of 4,887 cases recorded last week.

[We] are going to proactively test inmates in all prisons, as well as 55,000 jail officials and other officials at the Department of Corrections, Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsuthin said, adding that test results would be made public.

The corrections department reported that 311,540 people were being held in 143 prisons nationwide. Authorities did not say how many of the prisons had tested all staff and inmates, but 15 prisons that had tested all reported 10,384 inmates were infected with the coronavirus.

Somsak said his ministry, which oversees the corrections department, was investigating to determine how COVID-19 is spreading in prisons, as well as developing plans to inoculate prisoners and officials who have not been infected.

As to where the virus came from and how they infected inmates, we are investigating that, Somsak said.

The mass testing in prisons came after pro-democracy activist Panusaya Rung Sithijirawattanakul disclosed on May 12 that she had tested positive.

She had been jailed since March 8 on a charge of violating the strict royal defamation law, Lese-Majeste, but released on bail from the Central Womens Correctional Institution in Bangkok on May 6.

In a separate press briefing on Monday, Corrections Director-General Aryut Sinthoppan said prisons across the nation had taken steps to identify prisoners who could be infected and test them.

Ive already ordered all prison commanders nationwide to find inmates with respiratory system and difficult breathing and take them out for testing, first thing, and to deal with provincial health authorities to come test all of the rest of them, Aryut said.

Of Thailands total 111,000 COVID-19 infections, more than 82,000 have been reported since a third spike began at the start of April. By the end of March, the countrys death toll from the pandemic had reached 94. Since then, it has multiplied by more than six times, to 614 deaths recorded through Monday.

Criticism

Thailand has ordered a total of 61 million doses of vaccines from Anglo-Swedish AstraZeneca along with 5.5 million doses from Chinas Sinovac Biotech to go along with a 500,000-dose gift from Sinovac.

The nation had received about 3.5 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine as of early May.

Meanwhile, nearly 1.5 million of Thailands 70 million people have received their first vaccine doses and more than half of those  781,606  have received the second, according to government statistics.

Despite this, Thai citizens and observers are raising concerns that authorities have been slow to acquire vaccines and make them available to the public.

The government failed to create confidence among people and disseminated information with discrepancies. It also had to fix the problems in a hurry because of such approaches, said Thouchanok Sattayavinit, a health analyst and lecturer of Faculty of Political Science and Law, Burapha University.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said the government planned to have enough vaccines in a matter of weeks.

We have 6 million bookings now which are in line with the number of vaccines to be acquired in June. I believe there will be more people sign up the next month, Anucha told BenarNews.

The spokesman said a low rate of sign-ups for vaccine shots could have been caused by a lack of familiarity with online appointment apps.

The number of vaccine sign-ups is low in upcountry probably because they are not familiar with the applications and there has been fake news to confuse them, Anucha said. The government has tried to solve the problems. Doctors came out to give information to create public confidence.

The village public health volunteers educated people how to sign up, while those who had jabs disclosed that there were no side effects.

Last week, the Bangkok Post reported that authorities had announced a delay in opening promised walk-in vaccination sites in all provinces until next month.
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Those folks who were coming to us at that time, they were very sick, Cersley said. We were more accustomed to having a variety of patients [in the emergency department]. These were all generally more high acuity, more heavy patient care workloads, I would say. We really didnt know what to expect or what was coming or how to handle everything. We were as prepared as we could each day.
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Michael Metz is a retired materials scientist, entrepreneur, and business owner. He has a history of board leadership with profit and nonprofit organizations and currently serves in that role for the Maker Space Generator and The Vermont Community Foundation. This commentary is from a 10-part series in which the authors respond to the pressing topics identified in a draft Proposition for the Future of Vermont developed by the non-partisan Vermont Council on Rural Development. Learn more about its May 26-27 virtual Summit at futureofvermont.org.
FILE - This file booking photo provided by the Hennepin County, Minn., Sheriff shows Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer. Potter faces a pretrial hearing Monday, May 17, 2021, for charges of manslaughter in Daunte Wright's death during a traffic stop April 11 in Brooklyn Center.
Francesca Paris is The Eagle's data and public records reporter. She was previously the North Adams reporter. A California native and Williams College alumna, she has worked at NPR in Washington, D.C. and WBUR in Boston. Find her on Twitter at @fparises.
Mass. wildfire: Crews continue work to contain forest fire that has tripled in size over weekend
This story has been updated to correct the wording of comments attributed to a Select Board member.

OTIS  In two public meetings this spring, the head of the Otis Select Board made plain he dislikes working with the towns Historical Commission.

Its affecting my health, William Hiller said. Its the major reason I would not run again.

Hiller isnt, in fact, on the towns May 25 election ballot. But a week before his term ends, he has teed up a debate for Tuesdays town meeting that members of the commission believe could set back the towns historic preservation efforts.

Four articles on the warrant concern the future of old buildings. While Hiller helped to shape three of them in his role on the Select Board, he joined with friends and family for another that caught preservationists by surprise.

Hiller and 12 others are petitioning for residents to transfer ownership of the former St. Pauls Episcopal Church, at 13 Monterey Road, to the Otis Preservation Trust. They did so without consulting the group.

If the measure passes and the trust declines to accept ownership, the town would be free to sell the building to other entities.

Diane Provenz, a member of the Historical Commission, says the trust was stunned to learn of the petition. She argues that the group, on whose board she serves, doesnt have the means to take full responsibility for the church.

They know we wont accept it, she said. It took us by surprise. Its an end run. Were working our backsides off for the benefit of St. Pauls. There are so many roadblocks being thrown up.

The church, erected by its parishioners in 1827, is considered a sister church to Old North Church in Boston and held its first service on Aug. 22, 1830. The structure includes 1,100 panes of hand-made glass and other unique features.

When the town accepted the donation of the church by the Episcopal diocese in October 2019, it did not say how the building would be used. One warrant article Tuesday asks residents to confirm that the church is to become a community center. Another seeks support to use $70,000 in an account earmarked for a community center to aid in the restoration and repair of St. Pauls.

A third would help advance a separate effort by the Historical Commission to restore the one-room East Otis Schoolhouse, built around 1850, to the way it would have looked when it closed in 1949.

St. Paul's Church illustration Otis A citizens' petition on the Otis annual town meeting warrant Tuesday asks residents to approve transferring the former St. John's Episcopal Ch

During a recent Select Board meeting on Zoom, Hiller abruptly muted a presentation by Provenz, then went on to accuse the Historical Commission of mistreating town employees. He polled the boards other two members about whether they agreed with him.

Member Larry Southard noted the friction in past discussions. "There's an enormous amount of time spent on these issues," he said.

At this time I have no comment, said member Gary Thomas.

Provenz had just challenged Hiller about his role in creating the citizens petition. No one had the courtesy to contact us, she said. And she read aloud a statement from Lauretta Harris, president of the Otis Preservation Trust board.

Please embrace your responsibility to preserve this historic building, Harris said.

Hiller shut the conversation down. Its on the warrant and were not going to resolve any issues here, he said.

Provenz worries that if the article passes and the trust says no to taking ownership, the propertys historic value could be in jeopardy. If the town decided to transfer ownership to another party it would conduct an appraisal and seek bids.

According to Town Administrator Brandi Page, town counsel has determined that any earlier votes as to the use of the church would not be binding.

Town meeting starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Otis Town Hall at 1 North Main Road.
Chinese state councilor urges better life-quality for the disabled

Xinhua) 11:05, May 17, 2021

Liu Daming, an osteogenesis imperfecta patient and book author, visits Shanyuan Book Chamber in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2021.(Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong on Sunday called for improving the quality of life of the disabled and enhancing the protection of their livelihood.

Wang, director of State Council Working Committee on Disability, made the remarks when attending a series of activities marking China's 31st National Day for Helping the Disabled in Beijing.

Wang talked with disabled entrepreneurs, visited a rehabilitation center, and learned about its work.

Noting that some disabled people are facing difficulties due to low income, Wang called for improving the employment situation and earnings of the disabled by providing better skills training and aid in job-seeking.

Wang also emphasized improving relevant public services such as rehabilitation and further developing disabled-friendly infrastructure.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
A fire ripped through the third floor of the home at 4840 Grasselli St. and took out at least 90% of the building, Home Administrator Sister Maria Giuseppe said Sunday. A small convent where the younger sisters live appeared to spared, she said, but the rest of the building was either wrecked by fire or water damage.
A Great Barrington man claims a national addiction treatment program with offices in Pittsfield and Cummington failed to take steps to safeguard him and fellow staff members, as well as residential clients, from COVID-19 infection.

Stephen Seward and four co-workers filed suit April 28 in Hampshire Superior Court against Vertava Health LLC.

They allege that Vertava, which runs an in-patient center at the former Swift River Inn in Cummington, did not have COVID-19 safety rules in place for much of the past year. Prior to February 2021, Vertava had not established clear protocols with regard to how to prevent or manage a COVID-19 outbreak, the lawsuit states.

In a statement to the media, a Vertava executive declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said this of the companys operations: We are committed to the safety and well-being of our staff and maintaining the highest level of quality and care for our patients.

Michael Aleo, the Northampton attorney representing Seward and other current or former Vertava employees, told The Eagle that when the plaintiffs brought concerns to the company about how it was handling a COVID-19 outbreak, they were either ignored or, worse, fired.

Given this last year that we have collectively struggled through, such conduct by the facility, as the plaintiffs have alleged, is simply unconscionable, Aleo said by email, in response to questions.

The other plaintiffs are Ada Langford of Greenfield, Christopher Maschino of Springfield, Alyssa Phillips of West Springfield and Mark Schwaber of Greenfield. The suit says all four of them suffered wrongful termination in violation of the states medical whistleblower statute.

All five plaintiffs seek a jury trial.

Apart from the COVID-19 issues, the lawsuit includes a wage theft claim. It says Vertava withheld an hours pay from employees during each shift to compensate for time spent on breaks, though the complaint says staffers didnt always stop working.

Aleo said Seward, the Great Barrington man, worked as a lead counselor at the companys outpatient center at 2 South St. in Pittsfield and was there at a point in 2020 when a number of patients tested positive for COVID-19. The lawsuit says some Vertava staff members in Pittsfield believed Vertava did not have rules in place on how to handle an outbreak. When an outbreak occurred, it did not lead to training on how to avoid having it happen again, according to the complaint.

Over the last year, the lawsuit claims, Vertava took action against employees who urged the company to improve its COVID-19 response.

One such person was Dr. Alan Weiner, the suit says, the medical director at the Cummington site. As of the end of January, Weiner had alerted an operations executive several times about what he felt were shortcomings in coronavirus precautions. Vertava fired him in February.

Vertavas termination of Dr. Weiners employment was motivated, at least in part, by Dr. Weiners communications  regarding his concerns about Vertavas COVID-19 protocols, the suit says.

Vertava Cummington 2.jpg A view of the Vertava Health LLC campus in Cummington and Plainfield. The company provides substance abuse treatment programs. It is being sue

The company did not follow federal and state guidelines to prevent the spread of the disease, the suit says. It did not, for example, require patients to wear masks  and most of them did not.

The month Weiner was fired, a second patient tested positive for the disease. In his complaint, Aleo states that in at least two instances Vertava did not require patients to show a negative COVID-19 test result before admission, which he said put staff and other patients at risk.

By the time the patient received the positive COVID-19 test results on February 8, 2021, the patient had been living at the Cummington campus for almost two weeks, during which time the patient had been in close proximity to staff and other patients while not wearing a mask. Vertava did not communicate news of this patients positive COVID-19 test to the general staff or other patients until the following day, the suit says.

Though the companys website said that patients who tested positive would be discharged to other care locations, that rule was not followed, the plaintiffs allege. In early February, seven patients reportedly tested positive in the course of four days.

One of the plaintiffs, Schwaber, left the company voluntarily, saying in a email to Vertava that he was quitting due to what he termed substantial work-induced stresses that have appeared now both physically and psychologically in light of a hazardous and unsafe work environment both regarding COVID protocol and other systemic abuses and failures of action.

Langford was fired, the suit states, in a meeting in which a Vertava human resources manager reportedly confirmed that she was let go because she took time off from work while waiting for test results  and because she had brought concerns to health officials in Plainfield and Cummington.
Lenox has hired a traffic engineer to analyze the intersection of East and Housatonic streets, where a bicyclist received fatal injuries recently after being struck by a deliver truck.
Wedding planner Jessy Turner and her husband, Bryant, the caretakers of Ice House Hill Farm in Richmond, have received final approval to host weddings at the sprawling farm on East Road.
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., was ousted from her leadership post as chair of the House Republican Conference because of her repeated criticism of former President Donald Trump for his false claims of election fraud and his role in instigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack.
After more than 15 years of litigation, Marylands four Historically Black Colleges will receive a $577 million settlement as the result of a lawsuit over underfunding.



The deal approved last week will provide $10 million in additional funding toward Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University, and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, starting in 2023, according to the Associated Press. The settlement will be used for scholarships and financial aid support, faculty recruitment and more.

The lawsuit had accused Maryland of underfunding the HBCUs while developing programs at predominantly white institutions that competed with them, the AP reported. In 2013, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake ruled that Maryland upheld a dual and segregated education system that violated the Constitution. On May 12, Blake issued an order stating the settlement should rectify the situation.

In March, the Maryland State Senate approved a bill 47-0 that would finalize the settlement, despite Republican Gov. Larry Hogan vetoing a similar bill last year, saying that he would approve no more than $200 million, The Baltimore Sun reports.

RELATED: Morgan State Cancels Classes For The Week In Coronavirus Response

When the State Senate approved the measure in March, Michael Jones, the lead counsel for The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education, who worked on the measure for a dozen years applauded the move.

"It's one of the largest pro bono civil rights settlements in history, and it is the only case of its kind that had a settlement that went around the governor and directly to the legislators, Jones told the AP.
Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries.

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Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Partly cloudy skies with gusty winds. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds W at 25 to 35 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies with gusty winds. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds W at 25 to 35 mph.
Bidens order added more slots for refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Central America and ended Trumps restrictions on resettlements from Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Some 35,000 refugees have been cleared to go to the U.S., and 100,000 remain in the pipeline.
Something strange happened over the weekend. President Biden issued a statement saying everybody should stop the horrendous violence in the Middle East. His words were inconsequential but standing next to him was Jill Biden.

Why? Why was she there?

Ive never seen that before, a president making remarks on violence while the First Lady stares into the camera. What on earth?

Tonight on the No Spin News well get into this and tell you exactly why Iran ramped up Hamas to attack Israel. Yes, Iran is behind this. Right, Jill?

See you beginning at six eastern.
The winners will get to attend any one of four major AMR international Conferences/Programmes in France, Germany, and the US, with all expenses covered

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms  C-CAMP has announced winners of AMR Quest 2021, a one-of-its-kind nation-wide platform dedicated to identifying and nurturing innovations in Antimicrobial Resistance. Four start-ups/innovators were adjudged winners of this 2-month long competition.

The winners will get to attend any one of four major AMR international Conferences/Programmes in France, Germany, and the US, with all expenses covered. Also on the cards for winners and Jury recommended innovators, is fast-track entry to a three-month C-CAMP AMR Accelerator, a flagship C-CAMP programme aimed at handholding early-stage AMR innovations from India and opening up opportunities for funding and product development.

This second edition of AMR Quest that was launched on March 16, 2021 focused specifically on ESKAPE pathogens given. ESKAPE includes six highly infectious and multi-drug resistance MDR-bacteria all of which figure in the critical priority list of the DBT-WHO joint India Priority Pathogen List released in February this year. These are Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiellapneumoniae, Acinetobacterbaumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Enterobacter. The Quest received 220+ innovations across India.

The winners of AMR Quest 2021 are

Adiuvo Diagnostics led by CEO, Dr Bala Pesala which is developing a rapid phenotypic Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing device that provides both drug resistance profile and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by detecting biomarker concentration and autofluorescence intensity changes in pathogens under antibiotic stress.

Geetika Dhanda, researcher at JNCASR, who is working on Membrane perturbing adjuvants to increase the antibacterial potential of available antibiotics against gram negative bacteria

RapidDx led by Dr Satish Kalme which- has patented a novel microfluidics-based r-PASA (Rapid Personalised Antibiotic Susceptibility Assay) test enabling same day results in a self-contained test device directly from clinical sample.

Pepthera led by Co-Founder Dr Gaurav Jerath is developing small programmable peptides with broad spectrum activity that target bacterial membranes.

Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO & Director, C-CAMP, said We need to identify indigenous solutions to tackle this problem and AMR Quest is one such effort in that direction.

Dr Rich Lawson, Director, Project Management, CARB-X said AMR Quest is one of the many programmes we partner C-CAMP for and as a funding organisation it is exciting to see the high quality and novelty of innovations it attracts every year.
MALARIA DENGUE TB PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO COVID-19

Although India has worked relentlessly towards developing innovative testing solutions for COVID-19 throughout last year, the timely detection of a number of other infectious diseases has been sidelined. In India, the range and burden of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, filariasis, leprosy, HIV infection, typhoid, hepatitis etc., are enormous. In fact, inadequate containment of the vector has resulted in recurrent outbreaks of dengue fever and re-emergence of chikungunya virus disease and typhus fever. If India can develop more than 20 different diagnostic tests or devices in a single year to fight COVID-19, many more such innovations can be brought to effectively detect other infections looming in our country.
The Cytecare step-down hospital will treat moderately ill Covid patients requiring oxygen support, given that they form a substantial percentage of all hospital admissions

Cytecare Hospitals in collaboration with Cloudphysician  a health-tech company, has announced the opening of a first-of-its-kind step-down hospital in Bengaluru.

The 120-bed Covid treatment centre has been developed by converting the school hostel into a healthcare facility. While Canadian International School offered its hostel facilities for setting up the centre, city-based NGO - Humanist Centre for Medicine and the Bangalore chapter of Entrepreneurs Organisation helped with the fund raising for the initiative.

The Cytecare step-down hospital will treat moderately ill Covid patients requiring oxygen support, given that they form a substantial percentage of all hospital admissions. Each bed has a dedicated oxygen concentrator, in addition to other healthcare facilities and nursing care. There are doctors and nurses who will monitor patients every 4 hours/ 6 times a day. Through this initiative, hospital beds will be provided free to those who cannot afford it while government rates will apply to others. The centre is also equipped with a centralised clinical command room to manage its operations as well as ensure an organised channel for the allocation of oxygen beds and other accessories.

Suresh Ramu - Co-founder, CEO, Cytecare Cancer Hospitals who led this initiative, said, With adoption of advanced process and technology, we have been able to scale this initiative in record time. All the clinical and non-clinical information will flow into a system to allow the Clinical command room - monitored round-the-clock by senior intensivists and senior nurses - to look at the data real-time and help the clinical team address treatment protocols for patients, accordingly.

Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, noted, Canadian International School is happy to be of service and have our hostel function as an oxygen treatment centre in these tough times. Together, we can overcome this adversity.
The first phase of the programme will kick-off with vaccinations in Hyderabad on May 17 and in Visakhapatnam on May 18 at separate facilities at Apollo Hospitals in those cities

Apollo Hospitals and Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL) announced the launch of a limited pilot programme for the Sputnik V vaccine as part of the soft launch by Dr Reddys in India. The first phase of the programme will kick-off with vaccinations in Hyderabad on May 17 and in Visakhapatnam on May 18 at separate facilities at Apollo Hospitals in those cities. The vaccinations would follow the SOPs as recommended by the government including registration on CoWIN.

Dr K Hari Prasad, President  Hospitals Division, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited said, This pilot phase will allow Dr Reddys and Apollo to test the arrangements and cold chain logistics and prepare for the launch. We are confident that with the Sputnik V vaccine, we will be able to make a significant contribution to ease availability and access to COVID vaccines to the community at large.

MV Ramana, CEO  Branded Markets (India & Emerging Markets), Dr Reddys Laboratories said, We are pleased to collaborate with Apollo Hospitals as part of our soft pilot launch of the Sputnik V vaccine in India. We are working to scale up the pilot and take the vaccine to other cities, and in the upcoming months we hope to inoculate as many Indians as possible.

The Sputnik V vaccines for the pilot programme would be supplied by Dr Reddys from the first batch of 1,50,000 vaccine doses imported by them for the soft launch. After Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, the pilot programme will be extended to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, and Pune.
The agency celebrated 25 years since its establishment, on the 7 May, with continual reinvention, change, transformation in its DNA and a lot of firsts.

Left to right: Filipa Vilhena, business director; Joao dos Santos, CEO; Mitchell Collinson, creative director; Catia de Sousa, managing director; Melchior Ferreira, creative director

Create is the most awarded advertising agency in Mozambique After a tough year, Create Mozambique was the most awarded advertising agency in Mozambique...

Create Mozambique was born in Maputo in 1996 as Pangolim Publicidade, pioneering the re-establishment of the advertising industry, in 1997 it became the first local agency to be affiliated to an international network with Ogilvy and was renamed Ogilvy Mozambique.In 2018, a joint venture was established with the Dentsu Group, in the first substantial investment by a communications multinational in Mozambique, bringing new technologies, tools and digital expertise to the market.During these past 25 years, the agency has evolved as the market opened up to the importance that advertising and marketing has on the impact of businesses, brands and institutions.Talking about the firsts steps of the agency is synonymous with talking about the energy of the 90s of rebuilding a new Mozambique. Joao dos Santos, the founder, was a pioneer in establishing the agency:Creates operating model is built on people and systems focused on client needs, to deliver class-leading communications solutions for brands through a single integrated team that operates seamlessly across the various platforms. With operations in advertising, public relations, brand activation, content marketing and media management, the agency bets on digital as its area of fastest growth.The Create team is a mix of experience and youth representing multidisciplinary skill sets of the best in Mozambique, ready to tackle challenges regardless of the area of communication, with a strong focus on creativity, innovation and digital technology.The agency is managed in a collaborative way by an executive leadership team, with Catia de Sousa as MD, focused on integration, speed, cost efficiencies and world class solutions delivery with strong local relevance.In 2020, after a very challenging year for all sectors, Create Mozambique was the most awarded advertising agency in the country: In the Loeries, the International Festival of Africa and the Middle East, the agency brought a prize to Mozambique - a Bronze, in the category Shared Value - which awarded a very special project, Cerveja Impala, an initiative that involves impacting small farmers in their local communities. And because advertising has a universal language, also at the Lusophone Creativity Awards in Lisbon, the Mozambican agency left its mark by winning 11 awards, including a Grand Prix.Create Mozambique's 25 years are thus celebrated, with energy, with versatility and with the ambition to grow.Create Mozambique is an award-winning advertising agency with a long history in Mozambique. It was founded in 1996 as Pangolim Publicidade, became an Ogilvy affiliate in 1997 trading as Ogilvy Mozambique and was relaunched in 2018 as Create to deliver class-leading communications solutions with strong local relevance for brands through an integrated approach.Create Mozambique is a Dentsu partner.
Since the start of the pandemic in South Africa, many have been feeling isolated and stressed about the uncertainty of the times we live in. Kirsty Niehaus, the internal brand experience manager for Nando's South Africa, noticed that their employees were feeling the same way.

Photo by Emily Stander

As a result, the This is Us campaign was born, and served as a platform for Nandos employees to let their creativity thrive and have their voices heard. Affectionately called Nandocas by the company, Nandos employees were asked to submit entries to take part in the campaign. The entry from the Brackenhurst Nandos branch stood out in particular, and from there, the hard work began.Their prize was to make a music video and record a song in partnership with Flame Studios. The Nandocas each wrote their own part of the song, and Grammy award-winning producer JB Arthur helped them put it all together to ensure they had a final product everybody could be proud of.Being an experiential brand, we wanted to give them the full rockstar life experience, said Niehaus. As such, the Nandocas who participated were treated to five-star hotel living, dining and professional styling services.Palesa Tshabalala, the general manager for brand experience within the Nandos SA organisation, was primarily responsible for keeping everybody motivated and inspired. We really gave them a blank canvas. There was a theme to which we were all working towards, but they crafted and presented the words themselves, she said. I think it was a phenomenal achievement for each of those individuals.The lyrics are uplifting altogether, but here and there is a call for unity, said Tshabalala. The pandemic has been a very humbling moment for all of us, and these Nandocas remind us of that in their lyrics.Nandos hosted a launch to premiere the music video on Thursday, 13 May at Flame Studios at Constitution Hill.
SVAI (Shared Value Africa Initiative) is excited to invite all CEOs and executives to the 2021 CEO Connect Roundtable on 4 June! Themed 'Competitive Collaboration in Africa - One Africa, One Voice', this high-level leadership engagement platform aims to bring business leaders together for vital discussions reflecting the current regional, continental and global context and the drive for economic recovery and growth.

Lessons from 2020 - What have we learned from Covid-19, and what are we doing differently as businesses and as business leaders?

AfCFTA  What will it take to build a one-market system for Africa?

How are we leveraging Shared Value to deliver on Agenda 2030 goals?

This year, the Shared Value leadership community is set to discuss the importance of purpose-driven leadership and the role and responsibilities of business in creating sustainability, contributing to economic recovery and assisting to secure a future for all, with a focus on action points from our leaders to grow Africas economy in line with the goals and objectives of Agenda 2030.The event will be in the form of a roundtable discussion with Professor Mark Kramer delivering a keynote touching on 10 years of Shared Value and what is next for business and the Shared Value community. In addition, since 2021 commemorates the 10-year anniversary of the development of the Shared Value Business Management concept, the CEO Connect also forms part of a global celebratory programme in recognition of this milestone.Friday, 4 June 20218am-10am SAST / 9am-11am EAT / 7am-9am WATZoom WebinarProf. Kramer will be joined by Dr. George Njenga, Executive Dean of Strathmore University Business School, who will lead the discussion with the CEOs from across the African continent. The focus areas for discussion to determine outcomes and actions will be:The full speaker line-up includes leaders of Shared Value and purpose-driven organisations from throughout Africa, and global member network. The following leaders are confirmed:We look forward to engaging virtually with you at our upcoming CEO Connect webinar and explore what is possible through the successful implementation of Shared Value.
Police said Jessica Allison, 22, and her daughter, Aislin Grace Allison, 4, of the first bock of Colonial Avenue, were last heard from on a video call with Jessica Allisons husband around 7 p.m. Friday, according to a release from Cpl. Ben McFalls, the sheriff departments public information officer.
As South Africa officially enters the colder months of the year with temperatures dropping, naturally everyone is mindful and takes more vitamins in the hope of avoiding the dreaded winter flu.

We now know that this is the same for animals and it is important to understand how to contain and avoid Bird Flu - formally known as Avian Influenza (AI). Some types of bird flu - such as the H5N1 type that has been found in South Africa - are deadly to chickens and are known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

422737 via Pixabay

Avian Influenza outbreak confirmed on Ekurhuleni farm "The samples from this farm that were sent to the laboratory tested positive for the H5 strain of avian influenza. It must be said that this farm was also part of the H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in 2017."

Avian influenza mainly spreads between birds but can also occasionally infect other species including humans and pigs. Pigs are hosts to both human and bird flu viruses not to mention hosting their own strains. The prevention of infectious diseases in pigs and birds is important for both animal welfare and economic productivity. Moreover, prevention is also important for food safety and public health when zoonotic pathogens are concerned.Currently, there are six reported cases in South Africa of HPAI on commercial poultry farms, which have resulted in very high mortality in a short amount of time. The only way to eradicate AI on an infected farm is to cull all the birds on the farm and possibly adjacent areas too. This is devastating to South Africas economy and has an impact on exporting our products because imports of live birds, eggs and bird products are then not permitted by other countries except under strict conditions.Dr Bisschop from Avimune commented on the latest news on avian influenza. "The disease is brought into South Africa by waterbirds when they migrate from other regions of the world, including other parts of Africa and even as far as Europe and Asia. These water birds do not become sick or die from the disease and are known as disease carriers."They are found on dams and pans near to poultry farms where they excrete the virus which can then easily spread onto poultry farms in small particles of their manure."Once the chickens have contracted the virus  be it through the wind carrying dust particles or fomites (little bits of biological/organic material that can attach to shoes, clothing, vehicles, and anything that moves in and around sites/farms) - the next step would obviously be to immediately limit movement between different sheds on the farm. In cases of HPAI the mortality rate will increase very quickly in only a few days. Other signs that may be seen, include poor appetite with birds standing quietly in the shed and waiting to die."Once any chickens on the farm become infected, the entire farm is at serious risk from the spread of the virus. "If biosecurity protocols are not implemented and followed by the manager and every single worker, the disease will inevitably spread even further. People underestimate the severity of the virus and its ability to spread," says Dr Bisschop."Biosecurity will only work if always observed. Biosecurity should not only be implemented most of the time, but ALL of the time, by everyone who enters and exits the farm."Much like Covid-19 was not taken seriously in the beginning stages, the spread of avian influenza and the effectiveness of biosecurity is not taken seriously until it hits a farm, and the birds all need to be killed to stop the spread of the virus.If management can set the example of always implementing strict biosecurity protocols, the staff, family of the farm and even visitors will find it easy to implement and should feel encouraged as a community, ultimately, decreasing the spread of AI. People should ensure that they cook their meat properly to kill any disease/germs in the meat.Taking all the above into consideration, Biosecurity lies at the forefront of alleviating the spread of viruses, and as humans, we could take a page out of this book and possibly be more attentive to protecting ourselves in the coming winter months. As a trusted animal healthcare company in the industry, Afrivet calls on commercial and small-scale farmers and consumers to think ahead, be proactive and stick to the rules. We are already applying this in our everyday lives during the Covid Pandemic and this is equally important for animal health.Implement biosecurity measures and stick to the rules. Set the example for those around you, so that together we can make a difference," says Dr Peter Oberem from Afrivet.The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) launched its Sapa Biosecurity Audit Initiative in mid-December of last year. There are four Sapa auditors on the ground; Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape. The expectation is to audit 950 farms and currently, 69 farms countrywide have been audited.
Larry Madowo has left the BBC to take up a new position with CNN as the network's Nairobi-based correspondent. Madowo officially started on Monday, 17 May 2021.

Congrats on your appointment. How do you feel about it?

How and when did this come about?

What excites you most about taking on this new role?

You're returning to Africa after all these years. How are you feeling?

How did you end up working in the broadcasting industry?

Robyn Peterson, CTO at CNN talks future of journalism in a tech-driven world Robyn Peterson, chief technology officer at CNN chats about the evolution of the media landscape; the impact of technology on the consumption of news and the future of news journalism in a tech-driven world...

What do you love most about your career, the industry and what you do?

What are your most memorable story that you've covered?

What has been your biggest career highlight?

What is your biggest motivation in life?

What career advice would you give to anyone entering the broadcasting industry?

Larry Madowo most recently served as the BBCs North America correspondent in Washington DC, covering major US news stories including the Covid-19 outbreak, the 2020 presidential election and the protests following the death of George Floyd and the trial of Derek Chauvin. He also was a fill-in anchor for the networks flagship BBC World News America show that airs globally and on PBS stations across the United States.Thank you. Im thrilled to be heading back home (to Nairobi) and starting a new assignment with CNN covering a patch thats close to my heart. Whether Im working in Johannesburg, London or Washington, Nairobi has always been special to me. This is an amazing platform to showcase the full breadth of African life with a massive audience and I cant wait to get started.Weve discussed my role with the leadership at CNN International since last year and this was the perfect time. Ive always been critical of some of the foreign medias coverage of Africa, so I felt challenged when the CNN opportunity came up. Its easy to criticise other journalists African reporting from the comforts of America, but I chose to come back, so the audience can hold me accountable to the same standards I preached.Im an African and covering this continents history being written in real time is a huge privilege. There are so many important developments across the continent right now, and Im lucky to have CNN committing resources and airtime to them. Ive watched and admired incredible reporting from colleagues like Nima Elbagir and David McKenzie, and Im looking forward to complementing their work.Its lovely to be coming back full time. There are still too many countries I havent been to that I want to report from. Im also looking forward to reconnecting with lots of friends and colleagues as their cities reopen. Its also a little bitter sweet because Im leaving behind kind and thoughtful people in North America. I guess I had to choose and the motherland won.I ended up working in broadcast by accident. I thought I would be a lawyer or a Catholic priest, but I was clearly not cut out for either. Then I imagined I would be a writer but instead, I got a traineeship position on TV at KTN Kenya when I was just 20. It started my love for television, travel and Twitter. Now I cant imagine doing anything else.After a few months at CNBC Africa, people would often say hello when I went to Sandton City mall and ask me questions about stocks and the markets. This job allows you to really develop a connection with people, many of whom youll never meet. I also love how far it has taken me, to every corner of the world and introduced me to lots of people who are nothing like me. But most of all, journalism means that people trust you with their stories and hope that you do them justice.I just covered the entire trial of Derek Chauvin, the White policeman who was convicted for the murder of George Floyd. It was an important court case that was watched around the world, and it tested me personally and professionally. I was a Black man in America reporting on a case with deep racial implications and I had to be both objective and insightful. It is one of the most important stories Ive ever been on in my whole career.I feel that everything Ive done has been a highlight  getting started on TV at 20, a career with the BBC over three continents and working across multiple platforms. But 2020 was probably the 'newsiest' year of my career, and I was a part of it all from the coronavirus outbreak, to the summer of protests following the death of George Floyd and ending in the 2020 US presidential election. For a kid who grew up in a small village in western Kenya without a TV, I pinched myself a lot that I was here.I just want to make my people proud. Madowo is my grandfathers name, and I dont want to bring shame to the whole family. Ive come too far to disgrace them now, so I have to keep going.Never stop learning, develop your own style, and enjoy the journey. The simplest, dumbest questions sometimes have the most powerful answers. Viewers, or listeners, can tell when youre having fun and when youre faking it. It may take a while to get that dream job but if you keep working at it and making progress, it pays off eventually.
Audience delivery is critical for the development and trading of all media. Credible, transparent, and accountable measurement is needed by advertisers, buyers, and sellers alike.

In line with this, the World Out of Home Organisation is planning to launch the Creating Global Guidelines for Out of Home Audience Measurement initiative at its European Forum on 18 May 2021.The project will be chaired by Neil Eddleston of Runor Data Consulting. Eddleston chaired the original ESOMAR Technical Committee that created the Global OOH guidelines in 2009. The updated guidelines will be developed on behalf of WOO by industry specialist Gideon Adey of the GUROOH consultancy.WOO has formed a technical committee, which includes leading independent OOH audience measurement bodies from 13 countries, six continents, and alongside four leading international OOH businesses.The new guidelines cover a wide span of concepts; updating the OOH audience measurement for the current and future OOH marketplace, providing a framework for the measurement of digital OOH, addressing the creation of audience data for automated trading, and development of cross-media measurement techniques.Eddleston said, Its vital that the OOH industry continues the development of world-class audience measurement to compete with other data-heavy media for local and global ad spending. Out of Home has an amazing record of delivering excellent results for advertisers, but we need the up-to-date ammunition to make our case most effectively.The European Forum will be free to all WOO members, and non-members will also be able to register for 150.For further information on the Congress and to register go to the website, found here
Digital/ATL Account Director

Remuneration: MarketRelated Location: Cape Town Job level: Senior Job policy: Employment Equity position Type: Permanent Reference: #AccDir606021VEE Company: Ninety9cents

Job description

Develop and maintain strong relationships with the client through excellent work quality and professional conduct

Manage a portfolio of numerous e-commerce digital campaigns from concept through to final roll-out

Work alongside our ATL client service team to ensure all campaigns are fully integrated from ATL onto all digital platforms

Compile detailed/informative briefs for creative and strategic departments

Schedule and arrange client meetings with all relevant parties, including the management of related logistics

Ensure that you and the team are well prepared for client meetings

Ensure that you and the team are well prepared for client meetings

Produce accurate and timely contact reports after each client meeting

Liaise with colleagues in Traffic, Creative team, DTP and other departments to ensure a job is actioned

Act as supporting point of contact for clients in the absence of other team members

Brief-in, check and ensure understanding of cost estimates before presenting to client

Monitor and follow up on all outstanding cost estimates with clients

Ensure that cost estimates are approved upfront and billed timeously

Manage and compile accurate and detailed weekly status reports for internal and external status meetings

Diploma/degree in marketing/advertising and/or communications

Three+ years relevant experience in a similiar position as a digital account director

Prior experience with e-commerce and apps strongly preferred and advantageous

Strong client service and admin skills

Enthusiastic/confident/professional/diplomatic

Team player with initiative and excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines and handle diverse activities

Reliable, organised with strong attention to detail

Have a solutions-driven attitude

Passion for client delivery and service

Accountable with good follow-through

Hard-working and proactive

Exceptional time management skills

Valid driver's license and own transport

Prior experience on Workbook advantageous but not essential

Our Cape Town office is looking for ato join our Client Service Team on one of the largest national retailers in South Africa, working on one of the most exciting; forward-thinking consumer apps in Southern Africa.We are looking for a professional and passionate Account Director with both Digital and ATL experience to manage one of our top retail accounts in the e-commerce sector. In addition, we want someone who takes the initiative and enjoys a challenge.Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us within three weeks of submitting your application, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.We remain committed to the principles of Employment Equity. Posted on 17 May 08:44
Search match: All words Any word Exact phrase Date posted: All Last day Last 3 days Last 7 days Last 14 days Last 30 days Last 60 days Highest qualification: All NotApplicable Matric Diploma Degree Honours Masters Doctorate Experience level: All Student Junior JuniorMid Mid Senior Management MidSenior Executive Remuneration: All salaries GreaterThan5000 GreaterThan10000 GreaterThan15000 GreaterThan20000 GreaterThan30000 GreaterThan40000 GreaterThan50000 Position type: All Permanent Contract Temp BEE policy: N/A BEE Salary specified jobs only:
SEO Content Writing Internship

Remuneration: Rand2000 - Rand6000 per month BasicSalary Benefits: Flexi-hours, birthday leave (you get the whole day off!) Location: Cape Town Education level: Degree Job level: Junior Type: Permanent Reference: #SEOWriting Company: Travel Tractions Pty Ltd

Job description

Research

Fact-checking

Data capturing

Content creation

Copywriting

Design

Editing

Proofreading

Link building

Emailing

Meeting deadlines

Administrative and other editorial tasks

Good communicator and works well in a team

Writing, editing, SEO, design, or social media experience

Attention to detail

Not afraid to ask questions

Quick-learner who is curious about the bigger picture

A fast-thinker who can work well under pressure

A go-getter who understands that deadlines need to be met

Problem-solving skills. Someone not afraid of researching solutions and troubleshooting issues

Company Description

Travel Tractions is looking for a talented, content-focused individual to join our fast-growing team. We offer internship positions teaching various areas of online marketing, with the possibility of freelancing and further employment. Depending on experience, skills, time availability, ability to provide value, and quick learning, financial incentives will start at R2,000  R6,000 monthly.If you think you are the correct person for the position, please use the link on our website, traveltractions.com, to apply for the position. No applications will be accepted via email.If you have not received a reply from us in two weeks, please be advised that your application was unfortunately unsuccessful. Should you not hear back from us in 14 working days, your application was unfortunately unsuccessful.Travel Tractions was born from a necessity to offer a better SEO and digital marketing service, and actually help businesses. Having been a travel SEO marketer and consultant for 10 years, Matt found there was no specific travel SEO service that explained exactly what they offered and delivered. Fiverr, Freelancer, and Upwork became tiresome to manage, with flakey freelancers and expensive mistakes. Fed up with paying other peoples school fees, Travel Tractions was created. Posted on 17 May 11:49
They disappeared into a doorway, though their movements were broadcast on two video screens. They told a suspect to show them his hands before an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and police, then told him that if he could move, he should step back out with his hands out.
The Bulgarian national qualification contest of the 20th "Chinese Bridge", a major international Chinese proficiency competition for foreign university students, was held on Sunday.

The event, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and the Confucius Institute in Sofia, was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with seven students from three universities participating.

Radina Yanuzova, a 23-year-old student from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", won the competition with 95.71 points out of 100. She will represent Bulgaria at the finals in China.

"I think that the 'Chinese Bridge' Competition not only provides a platform for learners of Chinese language in Bulgaria to show their Chinese proficiency, but also creates opportunities for the Chinese people to learn about Bulgaria," Prof. Liu Xiuming, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said in his closing remarks.

The Chinese language learning program in Bulgaria was launched in 1953. Last year, the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria officially introduced curricula for teaching the Chinese language in schools. Many universities, including Sofia University, also have specialties related to the Chinese language and China.

The "Chinese Bridge" competition is organized annually to inspire foreign students to learn Chinese and enhance their understanding of the Chinese culture.
China has released the Analects of Confucius -- a collection of ideas and sayings from the ancient Chinese philosopher -- in five languages for Belt and Road countries.

The Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province, on Saturday unveiled the collection in the Arabic, Mongolian, Czech, Portuguese and Spanish languages to serve the building of the Belt and Road.

Born near the present-day town of Qufu, Confucius (551-479 BC) founded a school of thought that influenced later generations and became known as Confucianism. He is believed to be the first person to set up private schools in China and enroll students from all walks of life.

The Analects of Confucius is a collection of his famous sayings reflecting his political views, moral principles and educational ideas. "How happy we are to have friends from afar" and "Do not do to others what you don't want to be done to you" are among his classic sayings.

The collection has already been translated into English, Japanese, Russian, Korean, French and German.

Guo Chengyan, deputy director of the center, said the center will continue to be engaged in the translation and promotion project of the Analects of Confucius for the Belt and Road countries and play a positive role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among world civilizations and building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, aiming to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient Silk Road trade routes.
Lohmeier, who spent more than a decade with the Air Force before joining the militarys newest branch in 2020, was fired Friday for his comments, a move first reported by Military.com a day later and confirmed by The Washington Post on Sunday. Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of Space Operations Command, relieved Lohmeier of his command of a Colorado-based squadron that detects ballistic missile launches due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead, a Space Force spokesperson said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced the formation and rebranding of new and existing DHS components into what it is now calling the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (C3P in milspeak).

C3P is explicitly intended to be a precrime crime prevention agency, and to teach and promote precrime techniques for predicting future crimes and identifying future criminals to other Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. According to the DHS press release announcing the formation of C3P, DHSs efforts are grounded in an approach to violence prevention that leverages behavioral threat assessment and management tools, and addresses early-risk factors that can lead to radicalization to violence.

C3Ps attempts to predict future crimes are to be based on behavioral patterns, i.e profiling, and on encouraging members of the public to inform on their families, friends, and classmates. According to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, future criminals typically exhibit behaviors that are recognizable to many but are best understood by those closest to them, such as friends, family, and classmates.

The problem, of course is that the law does not permit prosecution based solely on patterns of lawful behavior. With good reason: precrime prediction is a figment of the imagination of the creators of a dystopian fantasy movie, Minority Report.

Neither the DHS nor anyone else actually has any precogs (human, robotic, or cybernetic) like those in the movie who can predict future crimes, or any profile or algorithm that actually enables it to predict who will commit future crimes.

Precrime policing should be left in Hollywood where it belongs, not allowed to infect the thinking of those who wield real-world police powers.
Newly released video shows Capitol police allowed Jan 6 protesters to enter the Capitol building after acknowledging their right to "peacefully assemble."



WATCH:







From American Greatness, "Video Shows U.S. Capitol Police Gave Protesters OK to Enter":

A newly-obtained video shows United States Capitol Police officers speaking with several January 6 protestorsincluding Jacob Chansley, the so-called "Q shaman"inside the Capitol that afternoon.



One officer, identified in the video and confirmed by charging documents as Officer Keith Robishaw, appears to tell Chansely's group they won't stop them from entering the building. "We're not against . . . you need to show us . . . no attacking, no assault, remain calm," Robishaw warns. Chansley and another protestor instruct the crowd to act peacefully. "This has to be peaceful," Chansley yelled. "We have the right to peacefully assemble."



The video directly contradicts what government prosecutors allege in a complaint filed January 8 against Chansley: "Robishaw and other officers calmed the protestors somewhat and directed them to leave the area from the same way they had entered. Chansley approached Officer Robishaw and screamed, among other things, that this was their house, and that they were there to take the Capitol, and to get Congressional leaders."



Chansley later is seen entering the Senate chambers with a police officer behind him; he led several protesters in prayer and sat in Vice President Mike Pence's chair. (The man in the yellow sweatshirt is William Watson, a drug dealer out on bond. He was arrested in January.)



Chansley is not charged with assaulting an officer; he faces several counts for trespassing and disorderly conduct. He has been incarcerated since January, denied bail awaiting trial. He has no criminal record.

Most of the Capitol protesters were let into "The People's House" because cops recognized they had the right to peacefully assemble.



Other cops were also filmed telling protesters they "disagree" with their protest but "respect" their right to do so.





Capitol police open doors for the protestors. They stand aside and invite them inside. pic.twitter.com/OnSd3KGzz5  Christina Bobb (@christina_bobb) January 8, 2021

they didnt breach or storm the capitol building THEY WERE LET IN pic.twitter.com/SVeo6BcFV0  arin  (@moonddng) January 6, 2021

Who the hell was this cop?? Why encouraging people through? pic.twitter.com/OcXWCh33P9  Greg Kelly (@gregkellyusa) May 16, 2021

Just saw this @NewYorker video for the first time of the moment Q-Shaman temporarily ascended to the presidency of the Senate. pic.twitter.com/ka916CyWNt  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 19, 2021



Democrats have "stormed" Capitol buildings in the past without any issue.





Were any of the Women's Marchers shot dead when they broke past the police barricades and "took the capitol"? https://t.co/MT4WUzOlru  Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) January 7, 2021

JUST IN: Anti-Kavanaugh protesters take over the Hart Senate Office Bldg. atrium on Capitol Hill. https://t.co/jCIbxhTKeu pic.twitter.com/DkOgzngMh4  MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 4, 2018

Remember when Democrat activists stormed, then occupied, the Wisconsin capitol building for a month and the media adored them?... pic.twitter.com/dzcBUeAeMD  TheLastRefuge (@TheLastRefuge2) January 6, 2021



What was out of place was when a Capitol police officer chose to execute unarmed 14-year Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt despite her posing no threat.





"Who executed Ashli Babbitt?"@RepGosar pushes former acting AG Jeffrey Rosen for answers on the death of Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6. pic.twitter.com/PWw0locNqo  Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 12, 2021



Babbitt's killer was never charged nor even publicly identified.



The Biden regime is now hiding some 14,000 hours of footage in a bid to protect the fledgling "insurrection" narrative which Biden's handlers are using as an excuse to take away all of our rights.



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CNN host Brian Stelter, whose entire shtick is crying incessantly that mild criticism of journalists is a form of violence, is defending the Israeli Defense Forces' blowing up a civilian tower housing journalists from the AP and a bunch of other media outlets in Gaza.



"What were the Israelis supposed to do?!" the Jeff Zucker mouthpiece squealed on Saturday.



WATCH:





Unfucking real.



Israel blows up the office of several news organizations.



CNN's Chief Media Correspondent:



"What were the Israeli's supposed to do!" pic.twitter.com/CejF5CZKoV  Dakota Johnson & Johnson (@Jamie_Maz) May 15, 2021



This is the same guy who whined about Trump rally-goers chanting "CNN Sucks!" for supposedly putting reporters' lives in danger!



AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said the AP has been in the same tower for 15 years and "we have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building."





WATCH: The owner of al-Jalaa tower pleads with an Israeli officer on live TV to let journalists collect their gear before he bombs it.



Moments later, Israeli air strikes demolish the #Gaza building that housed several international media offices, including #AlJazeera and MEE pic.twitter.com/Sf5PM3UN7P  Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 15, 2021



Israel has yet to provide any evidence Hamas was operating out of the building.





Dear Israel: Please bomb around the journalists. Signed, the U.S. government https://t.co/GqOb6miXGP  Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) May 15, 2021



Israeli journalist Ohad Hemo speculated that the real reason the IDF is destroying so many towers in Gaza is because "the people who live in them are middle-upper class" and "they are the segment of society that pressured Hamas to cease-fire in 2014."





Israeli journalist Ohad Hemo explaining why the IDF is destroying the towers in Gaza:



"The people who live in them are middle-upper class. They are the segment of society that pressured Hamas to cease fire in 2014." pic.twitter.com/6XnkBwgMdK  Lebanese News and Updates (@LebUpdate) May 15, 2021



In the world of Zucker puppet Brian Stelter, Americans making fun of journalists is an international war crime but Israel bombing a civilian tower housing international journalists is an absolutely necessary act of self-defense!



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The first Bashu Chorus Festival, or a nationwide singing event "Sing A Folk Song to Our Party", kicked off in a launch ceremony on the evening of May 16 in Nanchong, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

As one of the events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the festival will run three days, joined by 27 choirs consisting of more than 2,000 people from Sichuan province, Chongqing municipal city and 10 other provinces and autonomous regions in western China.

Apart from a chorus competition, there will also be performances open to the public and chorus art summits.
17. 5. 2021

The letter, dated 11th May, 2021, says that they know Jan Culik is an "an EU citizen" and so he "needs to register for the EU settlement scheme by 30th June, 2021".The letter is signed "Office manager". There is no return address.

This passport is proof that the holder has the right of abode in the UK if the holder's nationality is shown as British citizen or the passport has an observation that the holder has the right of abode in the UK.

The problem is that while Jan Culik is indeed a holder of an EU (Czech) passport, he is ALSO a British citizen and has been a British passport holder for 36 years. He received his UK Certificate of Naturalisation in 1985. His UK passport says:

UK government is warning British citizens of dual nationality, who have the right of abode in the UK, that they must register for the EU settlement scheme to be allowed to stay in Britain





Jan Culik has just learned from the Brexit correspondent of a leading UK daily newspaper that a number of EU citizens resident in the UK have received such letters.





The letter does say on page 2 that "if you are a British national, you do not need to apply for a status and can ignore this letter". Well, the correct designation is "British citizen", and - if Jan Culik does not need to apply, why send him the letter at all?







this seems to be a worrying development.



Jan Culik has been trying to contact whoever has sent him this letter. The letter lists a helpline, which, however, is inaccessible - when you phone the number, you get an automated message saying that the number is so overwhelmed with queries that they can no longer put you into a queue. Then the line cuts off.He has also tried to contact whoever sent him this letter by accessing the website www.gov.uk/eusettlementscheme . It is also impossible to contact them there because they only allow the user to ask about a set of pre-determined questions which are irrelevant to this case. There is no way of contacting them to alert them to errors.Jan Culik has written to his MP in the House of Commons to ask the UK authorities to confirm that this is an error. The MPs office has confirmed that they have requested this and will let him know what happens.Considering what incredible mess the UK government has made of the Windrush scandal (when people from the West Indies were invited by the UK government in the 1950s to come to the UK, and then recently some of them were, after many decades of life in the UK deported) and considering the fact that UK immigration are now detaining and deporting EU citizens arriving in the UK, only because they come for a job interview, which they are fully entitled legally to do,


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Construction of a highway passing through the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, known as the world's deepest canyon with a maximum depth of 6,009 meters, was completed on Saturday in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.



The project took almost seven years to complete.

A 2,114-meter tunnel was dug through on Saturday morning, marking the completion of the major construction of the 67.22-km road connecting Pad Township in the city of Nyingchi and Medog County.

The project was built by the China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. and started in 2014, with an estimated investment of over 2 billion yuan (about 310 million U.S. dollars).

The company stressed green development during the construction and poured 110 million yuan into ecological and water environment protection. It was much more than the planned 75.39 million yuan, said Du Canxun, a manager with the company.

The road was built on the former hiking route between Nyingchi's Pad Township and Baibung Township, Medog County, with an altitude difference of up to 2,892 meters between the highest and lowest spots of the road.

It is the second significant passageway to Medog, following the first one connecting the county and Zhamog Township, Bomi County. After the new highway opens to traffic, the road length connecting the city proper of Nyingchi and Medog County will be shortened to 180 km from 346 km, cutting travel time by eight hours.
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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Lou Barletta, the Republican Party's Donald Trump-endorsed nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018, is running for governor of Pennsylvania.

Barletta, 65, becomes the most prominent figure to enter a 2022 governor's race that Republicans have won every time in the past half-century when there is an outgoing Democratic governor and a first-term Democratic president.

Barletta, a former Hazleton mayor and four-term member of Congress, has far more electoral experience than any other potential challenger for the GOP nomination. That includes having introduced himself to voters in a statewide campaign in his 2018 loss to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.

So people know me, Barletta said in an interview. "Im starting out with that advantage as well as I had 2.1 million votes in 2018. And thats a good start as well.

Barletta said that, if elected, he would focus on boosting the state's economy, while also aiming to overhaul Pennsylvania's election law and fight illegal immigration, a long-time pet issue for Barletta that helped build his political reputation.

Barlettas only declared primary opponent is Joe Gale, a Montgomery County commissioner. After that, several others are seriously considering it. That includes U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser  who succeeded Barletta in Congress  and William McSwain, the top federal prosecutor in Philadelphia under Trump.

Barring something unforeseen, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro will seek the Democratic nomination. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is constitutionally term-limited.

Besides being at ease in front of a microphone, Barletta has another strength in a Republican primary: a relationship with Trump.

Barletta was one of the first members of Congress to endorse Trump in 2016's Republican presidential primary.

He went on to serve as Trump's campaign co-chair in Pennsylvania that year and on Trump's transition team before becoming one of the former president's biggest allies on Capitol Hill.

Barletta ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 at Trumps urging, and drew two Trump visits to Pennsylvania to help rally support for his candidacy, including one where Trump called Barletta a star" and a legend.

Still, Barletta struggled to gain traction with voters, raise money or attract outside help, and got beaten by 13 percentage points in an otherwise difficult electoral year for Republicans. It was personally difficult for Barletta: his brother died and his 18-month-old grandson was diagnosed with cancer in the final weeks of the campaign.

Trump has made no endorsement in the governor's race, a year out from the primary.

I would love his endorsement and Im going to try to earn it, Barletta said.

Barletta will likely be considered the front-runner in a GOP primary.

As mayor of Hazleton for more than a decade, Barletta gained national prominence for injecting immigration hawk politics into local government.

Barletta was mayor at a time when Hazleton's Hispanic population was surging. He argued that many of the recent arrivals were in the country illegally, bringing drugs, crime and gangs to his city of 25,000 and overwhelming police, schools and hospitals.

Accusing the federal government of failing to enforce immigration laws, Barletta got City Council to approve a pair of measures that would have denied permits to businesses that hired people in the country illegally and fined landlords who rented to them.

His strategy was copied by dozens of other cities across the country, but the laws were never enforced before the U.S. Supreme Court struck them down in 2014.

Barlettas visibility on the immigration issue helped him politically, and he defeated 26-year incumbent Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski  on his third try  during the Republican midterm wave of 2010.

Following Trump's loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Barletta  like most in the GOP  has not disputed Trump's baseless claims that the election was stolen from him, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.

As one of Trumps 20 hand-picked electors in Pennsylvania last year, Barletta told the Associated Press in December that theres no question there was fraud."

Barletta still maintains that he doesn't know for sure if the election was stolen from Trump: No one knows that," he said. "Who can say for certain how much the election was changed to the difference that would have made? Nobody.

Trump's baseless claims mail-in ballots are rife with fraud have also stoked opposition among Republicans to Pennsylvania's 2019 mail-in voting law.

Barletta said that, as governor, he would consider signing legislation to repeal universal mail-in voting, leaving only the constitutionally authorized absentee ballot for voters who meet a narrow set of excuses.

I would consider signing it because I believe its ripe for fraud, Barletta said. I think it encourages the chances.

Prosecutors have turned up a handful of cases in Pennsylvania of people trying to vote by mail for a dead mother or wife, but nothing even remotely approaching Trump's false claims that have been thrown out of court for lack of evidence.

Barletta would also bring the governors office into the fight against illegal immigration, he said, pitching it as a way to protect American workers' jobs and wages.

As the mayor (of Hazleton), I was sued for wanting to enforce federal laws, and now we have mayors who literally are thumbing their nose and have created sanctuary cities, inviting literally people who were in the country illegally to those towns, Barletta said. That would not happen if Im governor.



Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam contributed to this report. Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter
The commanding officer of Canadian Forces Base Shilo died May 13 after recently being diagnosed with cancer.

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The commanding officer of Canadian Forces Base Shilo died May 13 after recently being diagnosed with cancer.

Lt.-Col. Jeff Lyttle, 46, is survived by his wife, Janet, and their four daughters.

The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery announced Lyttles death on social media late last week, ushering in a wave of condolences.

This support continued through emailed correspondence with a few people who worked with Lyttle during some of the 26 years he served Canada.

"As the base commander, he truly had everyones best interests at heart, even if that meant more work for him," chief warrant officer (retired) Jim Doppler said. "He did a lot for this base and our people, but due to COVID much of this was not visible, yet still the community is in shock and know that his passing is a great loss."

Lyttle was "a great soldier, a greater leader and a great friend," Doppler said.

Born and raised in North Bay, Ont., Lyttle joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994.

He graduated with a bachelors of engineering in 1998 and has served on numerous overseas deployments, including humanitarian relief in Turkey and operations in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Within this career have been a handful of postings to Shilo, including his most recent stint upon assuming command in July 2019.

"He and his family saw Brandon as a second home and were rooted in the community," Doppler said. "Because of this, I know his loss is felt not only in Shilo, but in Brandon as well."

Maj. Howie Nelson served as command team partner with Lyttle, and describes him as "a true professional and well-respected leader with the ability to work through problems for the greater good of all."

His time as commanding officer is perhaps best highlighted by his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, regimental Sgt.-Maj. Jeremy Abrahamse said, crediting Lyttle with setting them up for success early on.

"Not only did the success of his early planning and guidance mean that little needed to be done every time new restrictions were issued, but the base was in a great position to support the base units as they deployed on multiple domestic operations to northern communities as part of Op LASER and Op VECTOR."

A "kind and approachable" leader, Nelson said Lyttle "was able to see situations for their bigger picture and was able to bring those around him into that frame of mind. When things seemed difficult, he was able to get people to focus on what was truly important. He made leadership seem easy, even when it wasnt."

"Grave sorrow" is being felt throughout CFB Shilo and the surrounding community as a result of Lyttles death.

"Lt.-Col. Lyttles expectations would be to keep carrying on and continue to work together for the benefit of the greater (Canadian Armed Forces)," Nelson said. "I believe I can speak for all when I say he will be sorely missed and his legacy will never be forgotten."

At top of mind right now is Lyttles wife and their four girls, who range in age from four to 17.

"Jeffs family meant everything to him, as he always talked about how each of them was doing and what was next for them," Doppler said. "When we were dealing with personnel matters, we often reflected about how we would react if that particular situation was our own family."

The Lyttle family is being given the utmost support by the military, Abrahamse said, adding the local community has rallied around them as well.

"Military friends and family from across Canada are also reaching out to assist as they can in their time of need."

Planning for Lyttles funeral is underway, with the military lining up a tribute in conjunction with his family.

Their goal, Nelson said, is to ensure the respected leader receives "the most professional attributes in accordance with Canadian Forces policy, wishes of the family, and provincial health regulations."

In a release by National Defence, its noted that Lyttles family has requested privacy to mourn.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
The provinces first Maverick Party electoral district association has been established in the Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa federal riding.

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The provinces first Maverick Party electoral district association has been established in the Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa federal riding.

Don Armitage was established as president, and the associations board of six people met visually for the first time last week.

Don Armitage

A semi-retired farmer from Miniota, Armitage said he was a longtime Conservative Party of Canada member before shifting to Maverick.

"Things were going well when Stephen Harper was the leader, but things started going downhill when Andrew Scheer took over, and theyve gone well downhill when Erin OToole took over," he said.

"The last straw" was when OToole went back on his word and introduced a carbon tax to their platform, which Armitage said the Maverick Party will not do.

What little climate change is human-caused is not worth upending the economy over, he said.

Already a believer Western Canada would be far better off as its own country, Armitage said the western focus of the Maverick Party appealed to him.

"Ultimately, I think you could think of the Maverick Party as being the western equivalent of Bloc Quebecois," he said.

"Western separation isnt the first thing were going to go for, but ultimately we need it as a hammer if we cant get a better deal."

Chief complaints regarding the federal government include the equalization program that draws wealth from the west to serve the east and an electoral system stacked more heavily out east.

"I see the east becoming more socialist all the time and more dependent on big government," Armitage said.

"Especially with Justin Trudeau. Hes pushing for big government and authoritarian-type government."

The goal moving forward is to grow membership throughout the Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa riding and establish a candidate in time for the next federal election.

The hope, too, is that more electoral district associations will be set up in Manitobas rural areas.

Although they remain ambitious, Armitage said he recognizes the party will be a tougher sell in Manitoba, which benefits from the federal equalization program, than it is in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan.

"We dont have as many grievances as Alberta by a long shot," he said.

Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa is currently served by Conservative MP Dan Mazier.

The 44th federal election is scheduled to take place on or before Oct. 16, 2023.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Blue-chip stocks did the heavy lifting on Tuesday as the Australian sharemarket rose for a third straight session, clawing back more of last weeks inflation-fuelled losses.

A risk-on session for Asian markets pushed the ASX 200 up by as much as 0.9 per cent, before investors cooled their jets into the close.

The market finished 0.6 per cent higher at 7066 to register its strongest session in more than a week. The top end of the market was strong, narrow losses for Commonwealth Bank and Wesfarmers aside, as the big miners soared on improved iron ore and gold prices.

The Australian sharemarket added 0.6 per cent on Tuesday. Credit:Tamara Voninski

BHP climbed 1.9 per cent to $50.52, Rio Tinto finished 2.1 per cent higher at $128.71, and Fortescue Metals gained 2 per cent to $23.57 to lift the materials sector.

Newcrest jumped 1.1 per cent to $28.66 and Northern Star was 2.1 per cent higher at $11.45 as the precious metal climbed to near five-month highs of $US1870.

Burman chief investment officer Julia Lee said the outperformance by the markets top 20 companies, and an improving US futures trade, supported the theory that it was offshore buyers driving the ASX higher.

When I see the larger companies underperforming or outperforming like we are today, the first thing that comes to my mind is that it is overseas buying or selling, Ms Lee said.

Overseas buyers usually only deal in the top 20 companies, and a lot of our top ten companies are also traded offshore, through an American depository receipt or dual-listing.

This also corresponds with what the (US) futures are saying. If investors are trying to get ahead of that US session, theyll be doing it through markets around the region.

Asian markets defied a weak Wall Street lead to push higher on Tuesday, with snapping up stocks that had been bruised by inflation jitters last week.

Ms Lee said concerns over central bank intervention would continue to play a role in global markets over the coming weeks and months, but for now appeared to be quelled.

It does look like risk is back in the region, she said.

Commonwealth Bank touched a new record high of $98.84 before handing back its lead, finishing 3 cents below Mondays close at $97.76. Big Four rival ANZ added 1.4 per cent to $27.70, NAB was up 1.2 per cent to $26.37, and Westpac climbed 0.5 per cent to $25.46. Macquarie Group rose 2.4 per cent to $154.13.

Telstra and Aristocrat Leisure were also strong, as were energy stocks, which rose 1.6 per cent on improved oil prices.
In the longer term scrap metal might have a more material role in Chinas steel industry  China wants to double production from its electric arc furnaces over the next four or five years  but its ambitions will have only modest impacts on its demand for iron ore and iron ore prices in the medium term. Along with a crackdown on iron ore futures trading last week  the authorities vowed to punish market manipulation  the actions helped slightly lower the iron ore price, from more than $US230 a tonne to around $US210 a tonne. Iron ore started this year priced at less than $US160 a tonne, having traded down to around $US60 a tonne just over a year ago. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Chinas reliance on Australian iron ore for almost two-thirds of its steel industrys requirements and Vales continuing struggles to restore production after its tailing dam disasters and pandemic-related disruptions in Brazil means there is little it can do to curtail purchases of Australian iron ore without hurting its steel industry and economy. Even if it can develop new sources of supply, with the giant Simandou resource in Guinea the most obvious, they would be higher-cost (development of the infrastructure for Simandou could cost the best part of $US20 billion), are nearly a decade away and would in any event probably represent only about 10 per cent of Chinas existing demand.

The big Australian producers  Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue  are the low-cost producers and have a significant cost advantage over Brazil because of their proximity to China and therefore their lower shipping costs. Recognition of that freight advantage and the move to index-related  market, rather than contract -- pricing of iron ore in the last decade transformed the market for iron ore, undermining the leverage buyers had when determining the volumes and prices of contracts in the past. LNG has different issues. Australia is almost neck and neck with Qatar as the worlds leading producer as China looks to LNG to reduce its usage of coal for energy production. Despite the damage it has done to some export categories with its tariffs and other sanctions, China hasnt been able to hurt the Australian producers of the two big commodities that really matter. China could buy more LNG from Qatar and the US (it has a commitment under the Trump era trade truce to buy more LNG from the US, is in talks with Qatar about taking equity in the worlds biggest new project and has been expanding its relationship with Turkmenistan) but LNG is an internationally-traded commodity and demand within the Asia Pacific is strong enough for Australian cargoes to be redeployed elsewhere, as has happened in coal.

A subsidiary complicating factor is that Chinas state-owned energy companies have big, multi-billion-dollar equity stakes and long term contracts with the major Australian LNG exporters, so damaging the Australian industry would damage Chinas own SOEs. Loading Two of the three big export projects on Curtis Island in Queensland, for instance, have Chinese SOEs as foundation shareholders and customers. Sinopec has a 25 per cent interest and was the foundation customer in the Origin Energy-led GLNG consortium while CNOOC has a 50 per cent interest in the first train of Shells QGC project. PetroChina is a partner with Shell in the Arrow Energy joint venture. Woodside has long term contracts with Chinese companies. China has been trying to withdraw the pandemic-related stimulus it injected into its economy last year as part of a wider effort to deleverage and decarbonise and improve the productivity of its industrial base.

That includes efforts to limit steel production. It has targeted a reduction in steel output from the record 1.2 billion tonnes it produced last year and has threatened mills that dont conform to its directives. That hasnt, however, stopped production from setting monthly records this year, probably because the mills are experiencing strong margins. China has been trying to withdraw the pandemic-related stimulus it injected into its economy last year as part of a wider effort to deleverage and decarbonise and improve the productivity of its industrial base. Credit:Bloomberg Theres also a suspicion that China is building up its stocks of vital commodities amid rising geopolitical tensions which, if true, might mean the spikes in commodity prices have a transitory element to them. It is not in the long term interests of either Australia or China for the diplomatic and trade relationships to continue to deteriorate but in the meantime, despite the damage it has done to some export categories with its tariffs and other sanctions, China hasnt been able to hurt the Australian producers of the two big commodities that really matter.
Photo taken on Oct. 12, 2020 shows a communication tower along the China-Laos railway in the north of Vientiane, Laos. [China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd./Handout via Xinhua]

The construction of all 67 communication towers along the China-Laos railway has been completed, marking a major progress in the project.

Half of the railway's communication towers are located in tropical uninhabited mountainous areas, with complex geographical conditions and poor traffic conditions, which has brought difficulties to the construction, Xiao Qianwen, the general manager of the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd., told Xinhua on Sunday.

The company is a joint venture based in Lao capital Vientiane undertaking the construction and operation of the railway.

During the rainy season, large amounts of the needed materials and equipment can only be carried piggyback to the construction sites by pack animals, Xiao said.

Li Chunsheng, who heads the team from China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC-EBG, simplified as EBG) to carry out the railway's communication project, said the construction of all the communication towers was done on Saturday and that in order to complete the tower installation on schedule with high quality, his team made detailed arrangements when confronting the difficult construction conditions, including the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

The China-Laos Railway is a project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

The over-400-km railway will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos bordering China, to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of the Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December 2021.
Thanks for reading our live coverage. Im Broede Carmody and Im signing-off for the day.

If youre just joining us for the evening commute, here are todays top stories:

The Australian man who died in India from COVID-19 was trying to get home in the weeks leading up to his death, according to his family. The 47-year-old flew to India last month to attend his mothers funeral but contracted the virus while he was in the country;

Israels prime minister does not anticipate an imminent end to the violence that flared up between his country and Hamas militants last week. It comes as US President Joe Biden says he supports a ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza Strip, a significant shift from his previously stated position that Israel had a right to defend itself;

Controversial national rules that mean healthcare and quarantine hotel workers are allowed to wear a simple surgical mask when treating COVID-positive patients are set to be overturned;

A surfer has died after a fatal shark attack on the NSW Mid North Coast;

And the US Supreme Court will consider gutting the countrys landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion across America.

Thats all for our live coverage today. My colleague Michaela Whitbourn will kickstart the blog bright and early tomorrow morning.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says NSW will need to administer another 9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to consider reopening international borders, as the states mass vaccination centre starts inoculating people in their 40s.

Ms Berejiklian announced on Monday that NSW would be moving faster than the federal governments planned vaccine rollout after Treasurer Dominic Perrottet called on the federal government to link the border reopening to vaccine targets.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard during a tour of the NSW Vaccination Centre at Sydney Olympic Park as people in their 40s get their Pfizer shots. Credit:Sam Mooy

In NSW, we know that we need to do at least around 10 million jabs to get the majority of our population vaccinated, Ms Berejiklian said.

So far, 926,242 vaccine doses have been administered by NSW Health, the GP network and Commonwealth clinics.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian wants this winter to be the last spent in isolation, saying more than 5 million NSW residents need to be fully vaccinated before the state government will consider reopening international borders and warning people aged over 50 that delaying immunisation is not a safe strategy.

We have no assurance of future supply chain to the vaccine, Ms Berejiklian said. If you have a vaccine that is safe and available to you, you should get the jab as soon as you can.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW is moving faster than the federal governments projected vaccine rollout. Credit:Sam Mooy

Ms Berejiklian flagged the new vaccine target as Virgin Australias chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka called for international borders to reopen long before mid-2022, even if some people may die.

The airline boss joins an increasing number of business leaders and politicians calling for Australia to risk allowing the virus back into the community once a significant proportion of the population is vaccinated by allowing international travel.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ignored a key plank of the Queensland governments proposal for a dedicated quarantine facility near Toowoomba, suggesting once again it was not viable.

The Palaszczuk government has put forward a proposal for a dedicated facility to be built on the grounds of Wellcamp Airport on the outskirts of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

Scott Morrison speaking in Brisbane on Monday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Wellcamp is a privately run airport, owned by the prominent local Wagner family. The state government insists it has capacity to take international flights.

However, Mr Morrison seemed to reject that when asked about the proposal during a media call in Brisbane on Monday.
A woman remains in hospital in a critical condition after a fatal school bus crash west of Brisbane, as the state recorded an unusually high number of road fatalities by this time of year.

Queensland has recorded 21 more deaths on roads compared with the same time last year, following a spate of fatalities in the last week, pushing the states total to 100.

The school bus amid multiple ambulances at Roma Hospital. Credit:Queensland Ambulance Service

Four people died in crashes across the state at the weekend.

On Friday a woman was killed and another was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after a head-on crash between a school bus and a car in regional Queensland.
An elderly woman who came to Australia from Hungary as a young girl has been remembered as caring, opinionated and open-minded by her friends after she was found dead in her home in Melbournes south-east.

Judy Bednar, 78, was discovered by police conducting a welfare check at her property on Drinan Road, Chelsea about 10.30am on Saturday.

Her 53-year-old son, Thomas Bednar, also known as Tommy, was arrested near his home in relation to the death on Monday morning and was charged with murder on Monday evening.

Dennis Parsons said he met Ms Bednar through the Melbourne PC user group, which she had been a member of for almost 25 years.
Washington: Over the weekend, I witnessed something Ive barely seen on the streets of Washington, DC, in a year: the smiles of strangers.

Since last July, residents of the US capital have been required to wear a mask whenever theyre outside their homes. Exceptions were allowed only for those working alone in an office, eating and drinking or exercising vigorously.

Unless theyre travelling on public transport, the fully vaccinated in the US are now free to go back to their pre-pandemic lives. Credit:Getty

Thats now rapidly changing thanks to new federal government guidelines. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans are not required to wear masks either indoors or outdoors if they are fully vaccinated  except for rare circumstances such as being on a bus or a plane.

Other than that, vaccinated people have basically been given the all-clear to return to their pre-pandemic lives.
And then there was Jeffrey Epstein, whom Gates got to know beginning in 2011, three years after Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls, pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. French Gates had expressed discomfort with her husband spending time with the sex offender, but Gates continued doing so, according to people who were at, or briefed on, gatherings with the two men. In more unified times: Bill and Melinda Gates. Credit:New York Times So, in October 2019, when the relationship between Gates and Epstein burst into public view, French Gates was unhappy. She hired divorce lawyers, setting in motion a process that culminated this month with the announcement that their marriage was ending. It is not clear how much French Gates knew about her husbands behaviour or to what degree it contributed to their split. The announcement of their divorce has brought attention to a marriage whose dissolution has large social and financial implications. Multiple people said that during their marriage, Gates engaged in work-related behaviour that they said was inappropriate for a person at the helm of a major publicly traded company and one of the worlds most influential philanthropies.

Bridgitt Arnold, a spokeswoman for Gates, disputed the characterisation of his conduct and the couples divorce. It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates divorce, Arnold said. Your characterisation of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated, she continued. Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false. The claim of mistreatment of employees is also false. The rumours and speculation surrounding Gates divorce are becoming increasingly absurd, and its unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterised as sources. In 1994, as newlyweds, Bill Gates and Melinda French greet guests in a reception line at a private estate in Seattle. Credit:AP Gates and French Gates met at work. He was technically her boss. He ran Microsoft, and she began working there in 1987 as a product manager the year after she graduated from college.

Throughout their relationship, the two have played up the cute aspects of their office romance. He flirted with her when they sat together at a conference, then asked her out when they ran into each other in a company parking lot, according to French Gates, who described their relationships beginnings during a public appearance in 2016. Loading Long after they married in 1994, Gates would on occasion pursue women in the office. In 2006, for example, he attended a presentation by a female Microsoft employee. Gates, who at the time was the companys chairman, left the meeting and immediately emailed the woman to ask her out to dinner, according to two people familiar with the exchange. If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened, Gates wrote in an email, according to a person who read it to The New York Times.

The woman was indeed uncomfortable, the two people said. She decided to pretend it had never happened. A year or two later, Gates was on a trip to New York on behalf of the Gates Foundation. He was travelling with a woman who worked for the foundation. Standing with her at a cocktail party, Gates lowered his voice and said: I want to see you. Will you have dinner with me? according to the woman. Melinda French Gates only learnt of details of her husbands relationship with Jeffrey Epstein through news reports. Credit:AP The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she did not want the public attention associated with describing an unwanted advance, said she felt uncomfortable but laughed to avoid responding. Six current and former employees of Microsoft, the foundation and the firm that manages the Gates fortune said those incidents, and others more recently, at times created an uncomfortable workplace environment. Gates was known for making clumsy approaches to women in and out of the office. His behaviour fuelled widespread chatter among employees about his personal life.

Some of the employees said that, while they disapproved of Gates behaviour, they did not perceive it to be predatory. They said he did not pressure the women to submit to his advances for the sake of their careers, and he seemed to feel that he was giving the women the space to refuse his advances. Gates actions ran counter to the agenda of female empowerment that French Gates was promoting on a global stage. On October 2, 2019, for example, she said she would spend $US1 billion ($1.29 billion) promoting womens power and influence in the United States. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Even though most women now work full time (or more), we still shoulder the majority of care-giving responsibilities; we face pervasive sexual harassment and discrimination; we are surrounded by biased and stereotypical representations that perpetuate harmful gender norms, she wrote in a column in Time magazine, announcing the pledge. At the foundation, Gates made sure his voice was dominant and he could be dismissive towards French Gates, causing some foundation employees to cringe, people who attended foundation meetings with the couple said.

In 2017, the couple confronted a sexual harassment allegation against a close associate. For nearly 30 years, Larson had served as Gates money manager, earning solid returns on the Gateses and the foundations combined $US174 billion investment portfolio through a secretive operation called Cascade Investment. Bill Gates looks on as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at an event organised by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in New York. Credit:Getty Cascade owned assets such as stocks, bonds, hotels and vast tracts of farmland, and it also put the Gateses money in other investment vehicles. One was a venture capital firm called Rally Capital, which is in the same building that Cascade occupies in Kirkland, Washington. Rally Capital had an ownership stake in a nearby bicycle shop. In 2017, the woman who managed the bike shop hired a lawyer, who wrote a letter to Gates and French Gates.

The letter said that Larson had been sexually harassing the manager of the bike shop, three people familiar with the claim maintained. The letter said the woman had tried to handle the situation on her own, without success, and she asked the Gateses for help. If they did not resolve the situation, the letter said, she might pursue legal action. The woman reached a settlement in 2018 in which she signed a nondisclosure agreement in exchange for a payment, the three people said. While Gates thought that brought the matter to an end, French Gates was not satisfied with the outcome, two of the people said. She called for a law firm to conduct an independent review of the womans allegations, and of Cascades culture. Larson was put on leave while the investigation was under way, but he was eventually reinstated. (It is unclear whether the investigation exonerated Larson.) He remains in charge of Cascade. A spokesman for Larson had no comment. About a year after the settlement  and less than two weeks after French Gates column in Time  The New York Times published an article detailing Gates relationship with Epstein. The article reported that the two men had spent time together on multiple occasions, flying on Epsteins private jet and attending a late-night gathering at his New York City town house. His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me, Gates emailed colleagues in 2011, after he first met Epstein.

Loading (Arnold, the spokeswoman for Gates, said at the time that he regretted the relationship with Epstein. She said that Gates had been unaware that the plane belonged to Epstein and that Gates had been referring to the unique decor of Epsteins home.) The Times article included details about Gates interactions with Epstein that French Gates had not previously known, according to people familiar with the matter. Soon after its publication she began consulting with divorce lawyers and other advisers who would help the couple divide their assets, one of the people said. The Wall Street Journal previously reported the timing of her lawyers hiring. The revelations in the Times were especially upsetting to French Gates because she had previously voiced her discomfort with her husband associating with Epstein, who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019, shortly after being charged with sex trafficking of girls. French Gates expressed her unease in the autumn of 2013 after she and Gates had dinner with Epstein at his town house, according to people briefed on the dinner and its aftermath. (The incident was reported earlier by The Daily Beast.) For years, Gates continued to go to dinners and meetings at Epsteins home, where Epstein usually surrounded himself with young and attractive women, said two people who were there and two others who were told about the gatherings.

Loading Arnold said Gates never socialised or attended parties with Epstein, and she denied that young and attractive women participated at their meetings. Bill only met with Epstein to discuss philanthropy, Arnold said. On at least one occasion, Gates remarked in Epsteins presence that he was unhappy in his marriage, according to people who heard the comments. Epstein pitched his tax-advisory and fundraising services to Gates, although there is no indication that Gates did business with him, according to people familiar with Epsteins pitch and finances. Sometime after 2013, Epstein brought Gates to meet Leon Black, the head of Apollo Investments who had a multifaceted business and personal relationship with Epstein, according to two people familiar with the meeting. The meeting was held at Apollos New York offices.
Washington: US President Joe Biden says he supports a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a major shift from his previous position that Israel has a right to defend itself from rocket attacks coming from Gaza.

Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his views in a phone call on Tuesday (AEST).

At odds over ceasefire: Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu. Credit:AP

The President expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed US engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end, a White House summary of the leaders phone call said.

Biden also encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, according to the summary.
The promising performance of China's trade in services in the first quarter demonstrated the strong growth momentum of the country's economy in terms of high-quality development, officials and analysts said.



Growth in China's services trade is predicted to continue, helping stabilize international supply chains and sustain the world economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country's trade in services was about 1.16 trillion yuan ($180.2 billion) in the first quarter, up 0.5 percent year-on-year, while the sector's deficit declined to 66.69 billion yuan, down 74.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Trade in services accounted for 12.05 percent of China's total foreign trade in the first quarter. The proportion was about 12.4 percent last year.

March alone saw services trade rise by 7.9 percent year-on-year, becoming the first month with an increase since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Excluding the tourism sector, China's services trade in the first three months expanded by 21.1 percent on a yearly basis. Without tourism, exports and imports of services during the period surged by 28.2 percent and 13.6 percent respectively year-on-year.

"As various policies to stabilize services trade take effect, and the business environment continues to improve, China's services trade is expected to be on the upswing throughout the whole year," said Gao Feng, a spokesman for the ministry, at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Gao said the ongoing technological revolution led by digital technology has been injecting new impetus into China's trade in services.

Zhang Yansheng, chief researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, forecast that China will witness increasing competitiveness in international services trade within the next five to 10 years, due to the country's pursuit of high-quality development.

"The core of high-quality development lies in promoting innovation, boosting producer services, and the thriving of smart cities, which means the upgrading of the Chinese economy and the transformation and optimizing of the services trade sector," he said.

Wang Tuo, an associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation's Institute of International Trade in Services, said the decline in overall services trade deficits and growth in the knowledge-intensive services sector indicated an improvement in the structure of China's services trade.

The country's trade of knowledge-intensive services saw robust growth in the first quarter, surging by 15.5 percent year-on-year to 539.5 billion yuan. That accounted for 46.6 percent of the total volume of trade in services, or 6.1 percentage points higher than that of a year ago.

Among them, knowledge-intensive service exports hit 301.03 billion yuan, up 14.7 percent year-on-year and accounting for 55.2 percent of the total service exports.

Oscar Wang, head of the Shanghai office of Teneo, a global advisory company, has observed robust demand growth from multinational companies seeking advice to further cement their presence in the Chinese market.

Wang Tuo, the researcher, said COVID-19 has accelerated the digitalization in China's services trade, leading to the thriving of various new business forms such as telemedicine and online education to shore up the knowledge-intensive services trade.

In addition, digital transformation in other economies has expanded demand for related knowledge-intensive services from China, leading to fast growth in the sector, Wang said.

"While international trade has declined sharply due to the pandemic, China has become an important driving force for global economic growth, thanks to demand recovery in its huge market. It also provides high-quality services to other economies," he said.

According to Zhang, China's services trade is providing important support to global development, especially its high-quality but inexpensive services in the logistics and smartphone sectors for economies involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Governors vaccine lottery rankles state lawmakers

Ohio lawmakers from both parties have rebuked Republican Gov. Mike DeWines plan to incentivize vaccination against COVID-19 via five $1 million lottery drawings from the pool of vaccinated Ohioans.

Republicans, who have repeatedly clashed with DeWine on pandemic policy culminating in their override of his veto of an overhaul of public health laws, bristled at the concept of any state-funded incentive for vaccination.

Democrats, who have offered more tepid support of the governor on COVID-19, criticized the idea as unscientific and a poor allocation of federal funds.

DeWine announced the proposal Wednesday in conjunction with plans to remove nearly all remaining health orders June 2. He also announced a separate lottery for vaccinated 12- to 18-year-olds, entering them into a drawing for full-ride college scholarships.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a personal choice, said Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, R-Perrysburg, in a statement.

Let me be clear; I do not support Gov. Mike DeWines decision to offer taxpayer funded incentives in an effort to get more Ohioans vaccinated before he lifts his health orders.

The lottery news comes amid an epidemiological and political fever pitch.

On the pandemic: Ohios infection rates have decreased, but so has its vaccine uptake. As of Thursday, about 43% of Ohioans have been vaccinated against COVID-19, but the pace of new vaccinations on a state and national level has nosedived.

On politics: Come June 23, lawmakers will have new authority to squash public health orders, thanks to their override of DeWines veto on Senate Bill 22 in March. Lawmakers have made clear their intent to scrap the orders.

State Rep. Jon Cross, R-Kenton, called the lottery a gameshow gimmick; Rep. Mike Loychik, R-Bazetta, mused, Think of how many homeless veterans could have been helped with the more than $5 million being used as a vaccine lottery.

Many Ohio Republicans have taken an adversarial position to vaccination writ large. Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to prohibit employers or colleges from requiring vaccination. Several lawmakers have publicly declared their refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Democrats, for their part, scoffed at the idea as well, but generally with different reasoning.

Using millions of dollars in relief funds in a drawing is a grave misuse of money that could be going to responding to this ongoing crisis, said House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes, the ranking Democrat.

Rep. Allison Russo, an Upper Arlington Democrat and congressional candidate, questioned deploying an unproven and untested lottery program in lieu of trusted messengers and a boots-on-the-ground rollout strategy. Rep. Jessica Miranda, D-Forest Park, called the lottery a stunt.

Over the past year, Ohio has been overtaken and riddled with extremist, anti-science ideologies that dominate the state legislature. It is no coincidence that we are now facing significant vaccine hesitancy in our communities, she said. While Im supportive of educational scholarships, this is not a solution to our public health or educational shortfalls in Ohio.

State Sen. Tina Maharath, D-Columbus, voiced her disapproval with verve.

I had no idea I was a contestant on Who Wants to Waste $1M of federal COVID-19 relief dollars, she said.

It remains to be seen whether lawmakers will mount any sort of legislative or legal challenge to the proposal.

DeWine said at a press briefing Thursday he told House Speaker Bob Cupp and Senate President Matt Huffman, both Republicans from Lima, about the plan. DeWine said no lawmakers have contacted him with specific criticism.

I didnt go into this and make this decision thinking that everyone was going to say it was a wonderful idea, he said. This is one tool we have not used.

Spokespeople for both Cupp and Huffman did not respond to inquiries.

Related
HARRISBURG >> The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on June 9 passed legislation authored by State Rep. Wendi Thomas (R-Bucks) to increase the amount of the burial benefit provided to those who perform burials with military honors for deceased veterans at any one of the Commonwealt
Telecom major on Monday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 759 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 (Q4FY21). The company posted a loss of Rs 5,237 crore during the same period, a year ago.

Sequentially, the consolidated net profit declined 11 per cent. It was Rs 853 crore in the December quarter (Q3FY21).

Its revenue from operations rose 12 per cent to Rs 25,747 crore for the March quarter. It was Rs 23,018 crore in the year-ago period. On a sequential basis, revenues dipped 3 per cent from Rs 26,517 crore.

Mobile average revenue per user (ARPU) saw a dip on quarter-on-quarter basis during the March quarter to Rs 145. It was Rs 166 in Q3FY21.

At the operating level, the company's consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) stood at Rs 12,583 crore for the quarter under review, while EBITDA margin came in at 48.9 per cent, an improvement of 647 bps year-on-year.

"Relentless focus on customer obsession that has allowed us to deliver another consistent quarter in terms of performance. Our mobile revenues grew at 19.1 per cent YoY backed by 13.7 million 4G customer additions. We are seeing strong momentum in our homes business with 274,000 net adds. The Enterprise segment delivered double digit growth. Our digital assets continue to scale and we are beginning to see strong traction in monetisation of these assets," said Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO of

Commenting on the challenges posed by the second wave of coronavirus, Vittal said: "We recognize the criticality of our role as a telecom operator in keeping our customers and nation connected in such times. Our focus continues to be on delivering uninterrupted services and great end user experience while ensuring safety of our employees and partners."

The revenues from India business were up 9.6 per cent year-on-year at Rs 18,338 crore. Meanwhile, revenues from mobile services rose 19.1 per cent YoY, on a comparable basis, led by strong customer additions.

Ahead of the results, Airtel's scrip traded lower by 2.25 per cent to close at Rs 547.80 apiece on NSE.
Tzar Labs, a molecular diagnostic company, and Mumbai-based Epigeneres Biotechnology, have claimed a breakthrough with their RNA-marker based technology for early detection of rooted in stem cell biology. The blood tests, which can help determine whether is absent, imminent, or present and also detect the different stages of the disease; will be launched by the end of this year.

Ashish Tripathi, founder and CEO of Tzar Labs, said that they are awaiting the regulatory approvals, and are building the first laboratory in Mumbai now. We want to have labs in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad to begin with. To scale this, we need to add more labs and collection centres. We plan to launch the test in the market by the last quarter of 2020 calendar year. Tripathi added that they would keep prices low, but did not divulge how much it could cost the end-user.

The blood test gives results in 72 hours now and can tell if one has or has a chance of getting it. It is also able to say where the cancer is growing. They do an RNA mutation analysis for any organ in the body from a blood test. The company has recently conducted 1000 person clinical study, which has been peer reviewed by Stem Cell Reviews and Reports (SCRR), one of the leading global science journals in Stem Cell technology, published by Springer Science.

Tripathi says, At a later stage of cancer, one does not need a blood test to detect cancer; there are several tests for that. But, detecting it early not only improves the survival rates and also reduces the financial burden. Our accuracy rates are very high for screening tests of cancer with over 99 percent specificity. We have managed to show results for all types of cancers  all solid cancers, blood cancers and sarcomas.

Explaining how their test is different from the other tests available in the market, Tripathi claims that they are looking at a causal marker, an RNA marker  without these mutations, the tumour cannot form.

Even a smallest tumour would have millions of cancer cells, and if one can pick up these cell mutations, one can detect cancer. He claims that most other tests try to pick up traces of the tumour in the blood samples (liquid biopsies). In stage 1 and stage 2 there will be less tumour samples in the blood, and hence chances of detection will be lower in early stages.

Deepa Bhartiya, scientist with National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health under the ICMR, and an expert in stem cell research says, More studies would be necessary, but the technology is promising. It is a non-invasive method. No biopsy required. To detect early onset of cancer and where the cancer cells are growing without an invasive method is promising.

She felt that this test can be done as a part of a preventive healthcare check-up. When people go for annual health check-ups if they do this test, then it can help detect early cancer. More large scale research should be done, but initial results are very promising.

Epiegeneres is planning to do more large-scale research to take the tests to the western countries. We would need funds to the tune of $200-300 million to do additional clinical trials and roll it out in the Western markets. We need to do at least 10,000-20,000 samples for these studies over the next one to one and a half years. We have reached out to global clinical research organisations (CROs) and also to global investment funds, Tripathi says.

Stephen Abbs, Scientific Advisor at Department of Health & Social Care and was previously the Director of Genomics Laboratory with Cambridge Hospitals Foundation at NHS Foundation Trust too said more studies are required.

My opinion from a scientific perspective is that further large-scale studies have to be done to confirm the extremely high and impressive accuracy of this test. A test working on so many types of cancers is an extremely promising breakthrough but it will serve the company well to do western trials at the earliest.
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Digital Editor
Budget carrier India on Monday announced free cancellation and rescheduling for flights to and from in the wake of a 15-day in the state.

A 15-day came into force in Bengal on Sunday, with the government putting in place a host of stringent measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Further, the Bangalore-based private carrier said it was extending the similar facility, announced earlier for flights to and from Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as well for the current duration of the respective state lockdowns.

While the lockdowns in Karnataka, Delhi and Tamil Nadu are in force till May 24, will continue to be under till May 30, while in Maharashtra, it will last till June 1.

All India guests who booked their flights before the announcement of the lockdown can opt to cancel or change to another flight without incurring any change fees or cancellation charges, the airline said in a release.

Flights can be changed or cancelled seamlessly in less than a minute by India's new chatbot, Tia, available on airasia.co.in or on WhatsApp Chat at +91 63600 12345 as well as by entering flight details on Manage' on airasia.co.in, it said.

(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.)
Leading medical refrigerator makers such as Godrej Appliances, Voltas and Blue Star are gearing up to cater to needs of Covid vaccine manufacturers by enhancing their cooling technologies in view of the requirement to store vaccines at ultra-low temperatures.

Such refrigerator are also looking to ramp up their production capacity in anticipation of growing demand of new-age medical refrigerators that can preserve vaccines at a temperature of as low as minus 80 degrees celsius.

Medical refrigerator manufacturers, which have witnessed a substantial jump in their business after India started the vaccination programme with Covishield and Covaxin, are now open to form tie-ups with the pharma that are importing vaccines.

Godrej & Boyce, part of over USD 4.1 billion Godrej Group and a leading maker of medical refrigerators in India, said it is quite open to collaborate with vaccine makers such as Pfizer, whose Covid vaccine is required to be kept at minus 80 degrees celsius.

When asked about a possibility of forming any partnership with Pfizer or Moderna, Godrej & Boyce Executive Director Nyrika Holkar told PTI: "As an organisation, we believe in strong partnerships and collaborations."



"Now as procurement of vaccinations has been opened up for private-sector corporations and hospitals, we are also looking at partnerships and collaborations in this regard," she added.

Godrej & Boyce, in partnership with the UK-based The Sure Chill Company, sells medical refrigerators that use the properties of water to keep vaccines in the desired temperature range.

Its step-down unit Godrej Appliances, which manufactures medical refrigerators, has Increased capacity from 10,000 units to 35,000 units and has witnessed a multi-fold growth in sales.

"For Moderna, we have already got 10,000 units on order. A part of that has already been supplied. For Pfizer which requires -86 degrees storage temperature, we are ready with our product range to need the meets of the market," said a Godrej Appliances official.

While Tata Group firm Voltas is importing specialised deep freezers that run on ultra-low temperatures and has also tied up with international partners.

"We are already in the process of importing ultra-low temperature deep freezers (-40 to -86 deg C) to meet the requirements of other vaccines like Pfizer. We are importing these specialised deep freezer models in 300 litre capacity and above, and have tied up with our international partners," said Voltas MD and CEO Pradeep Bakshi.

Voltas will be ready to cater to this requirement by the time these vaccines arrive in India by August 2021, he said. "We are also simultaneously developing specialised ice-lined refrigerator and deep freezer models for standard +ve and ve temp range."



According to Bakshi, the industry is broadly divided into three segments - below 20 degree celsius, -20 to -40 deg cel and above -40 deg cel.

The third segment is a niche, and as of now, the industry is importing this segment, he added.

For the current vaccination drive of the government, related to Covaxin, Covishield and Sputnik, Voltas has a range of solutions to serve different requirements.

Blue Star Managing Director B Thiagarajan said the segment is very small and the demand is only for a very brief period.

There are three elements in this business primary cold storage at the main distribution centres, freezers at the intermediate centres and vaccine transporters.

The volume is so small that a 400 litres freezer can have a storage of 76,000 doses of vaccines and simple one thousand sq feet cold room could store over 1.45 lakh doses.

"Required volume is not that much. The demand would come and soon go away. The incremental market size of vaccination storage is also not very big, its juts around Rs 250 crore," he said adding that most of the order from the government and some from private hospitals has been finalised.

Now Pfizer and Moderna are coming, which require storage at minus 80-degree temperature but he is not sure about the volume of purchase.

"We are selling refrigerators with up to -80 degree celsius, we have some orders. Around 600 freezers would be sold, Thiagarajan said adding that "people think it is a big opportunity. It is just Rs 250 crore market.

(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.)
Technology services firm said it has hired 1,000 technology professionals in the United Kingdom in the fields of digital transformation, cloud, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity for its London, Greater London and Manchester offices.

These employees will serve the UK market as well as the rest of the world.

The company also said in a statement that its CEO C Vijayakumar met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson virtually in light of the current Covid-19 crisis. The meeting was part of PM Johnsons virtual tour to create stronger business ties between the UK and India.

During the meeting, Vijayakumar reaffirmed the companys commitment to the UK, highlighting HCLs successful partnerships with many of the UKs largest corporations to assist them on their growth and transformation journeys.

HCL has been present in the UK since 1997 employs over 3,500 people across various locations, supporting over 50 clients.

We welcomed the opportunity to speak to the Honorable Prime Minister of UK, Mr Boris Johnson regarding HCLs vision for the UK market and thanked him for his countrys continued support as India navigates the COVID-19 crisis, said Vijayakumar. By creating new local jobs in the region (UK), we want to reaffirm our commitment to catalyzing innovation and building competitive digital talent pools in the region.

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said, India and the UK are two countries on the forefront of IT innovation. Thanks to like HCL Technologies, we can continue to lead the way together  creating good, skilled jobs and helping both countries to build back better.
India Inc's in the first month of this current fiscal jumped by more than two-times year-on-year to USD 2.51 billion, data from the Reserve Bank showed on Monday.

Indian investors had committed USD 1.21 billion worth of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) in April 2020.

Of the total commitment of USD 2.51 billion in April this year by the Indian company owners, USD 1.75 billion was in the form of loan, USD 421.42 million as equity capital and USD 333.11 million was chipped in through issuance of guarantee, showed the RBI data on OFDI for the month of April 2021.

In March 2021, Indian firms made investment of over 1.99 billion in their overseas ventures.

Among the major investors, Tata Steel invested USD 1 billion in its wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore, Interglobe Enterprises Pvt Ltd invested USD 145.61 million in a joint venture based in the UK and Reliance Industrial Investments & Holdings Ltd committed USD 78.52 million in a fully owned unit in the UK.

Reliance Industries alongside Reliance Brands invested a sum of USD 91.56 million in various wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures based in the UK, Singapore, the UAE and the USA.

Varroc Engineering put in USD 65.5 million in a wholly owned unit in the Netherlands and Motherson Sumi Systems invested USD 41.70 million in a fully owned firm in the UAE, showed the data.

The RBI said the data is provisional and is subject to change based on the online reporting by the authorised dealer (AD) banks.

(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.)
Homegrown automobile giant Tata



Motors will undertake a block closure at its Jamshedpur facility from May 18 to May 22, as per an internal communication sent to its employees on Monday.

The employees have been asked to report for duty on May 24.

The announcement comes ahead of the company's board meeting scheduled on May 18 to consider and approve the audited financial results for the quarter and financial year ended March 31.

"It has been decided to effect Block Closure in Jamshedpur plant from Tuesday May 18, 2021 to Saturday, May 22, 2021," the internal communication said.

A spokesperson confirmed the block closure saying that it is a routine closure for "maintenance".

" Jamshedpur plant will observe block closure from May 18 to May 22. This is to conduct our annual maintenance activities and also support the ongoing statewide lockdown being observed to break the chain of the prevailing pandemic," the spokesperson said.

Workers' Union, Jamshedpur general secretary RK Singh said the production of commercial vehicles has come down at the facility due to COVID-19 pandemic as around 50 per cent of the about 9,000 workers come in buses but bus operations are suspended in the state till May 27 in view of the lockdown.

The internal communication said the workmen affected by block closure shall avail their privilege and or casual leave for 50 per cent of the day and for the remaining half of the period they shall be paid their normal wages/salary by the company while for all other purposes the block closure "shall be deemed the day attended by the workmen."



It said a separate notice would be issued for the employees who would be required to work during the block closure by the concerned division or department head.

"These employees shall report for duty as if, this day is a normal working day for them," it read.

The company's board in its meeting on Tuesday will consider financial results and a proposal for raising funds by way of issue of one or more instruments, including convertible securities through preferential issue, private placements, rights issue or any other methods in the domestic or international markets.

However, Tata Motors did not give an indication on the quantum of the amount that the company intends to raise.

Last month, Tata Motors had said it has set in motion a business plan to protect and serve the interests of its customers, dealers and suppliers as the lockdowns enforced in various parts of the country are expected to impact vehicle demand temporarily.

Tata Motors Group is a USD 35 billion organisation and a leading global automobile manufacturing company.

Its Jamshedpur plant manufactures heavy commercial vehicles.

(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.)
RTHK: Children susceptible to Covid strain, Singapore warns

Singapore will close schools from Wednesday as authorities warned new coronavirus strains like the one first detected in India were affecting more children in the city-state.

The government has been tightening restrictions following a recent rise in local transmissions after months of near-zero cases.

At a virtual news conference late on Sunday, authorities announced that primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges would shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28.

Hours before Sunday's news conference, Singapore confirmed 38 locally transmitted coronavirus cases, the highest daily count in eight months. Some of the cases involved children linked to a cluster at a tuition centre.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, citing a conversation he had with the ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak, told a news conference Sunday that the B.1.617 strain "appears to affect children more".

The strain was first detected in India.

"Some of these mutations are much more virulent and they seem to attack the younger children," Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said at the news conference.

"This is an area of concern for all of us," he said, adding however that none of the children who had been infected were seriously ill.

The government is "working out the plans" to vaccinate students under the age of 16, Chan said in a Facebook post.

The financial hub joins Taiwan in shutting down schools to stem the surge in infections.

Taiwan's capital Taipei and adjacent New Taipei City announced Monday that schools would suspend classes from Tuesday until May 28.

Taiwan, which emerged relatively unscathed last year, announced a further 333 local cases on Monday, bringing the total to just over 2,000. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-05-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Nepal gets more China-donated oxygen cylinders amid oxygen crisis over COVID-19

Xinhua) 11:27, May 17, 2021

Patients infected with COVID-19 are seen outside the corridor of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 11, 2021. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

China-donated oxygen cylinders would be distributed to large government-run hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley, and a few would be sent to the crisis-hit provinces in southwestern and far-western Nepal.

KATHMANDU, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Nepal received a second shipment of China-donated oxygen cylinders on Sunday as the Himalayan country is facing a short supply of medical oxygen for a growing number of COVID-19 patients.

A Nepal Airlines plane landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 2:30 p.m. local time with oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators from China, Dim Prasad Poudel, managing director of the airline, told Xinhua.

On Tuesday, Nepal received the first batch of oxygen cylinders from China.

According to Nepal's Ministry of Finance, there is an agreement with China for the delivery of oxygen cylinders on a grant basis, and some of them will be brought by air while the rest will be sent through the land route with Tibet of China.

Poudel said the Nepal Airlines will send planes to get back the remaining oxygen cylinders from China.

"We are trying to communicate with the Chinese side to know when the cylinders would arrive at the border point," said Narad Gautam, chief customs officer at the bordering Tatopani Customs Office in the Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal.

A patient infected with COVID-19 is seen outside the corridor of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 11, 2021. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

Nepali officials said cylinders donated by China would be helpful to ease the situation amid an acute oxygen crisis.

Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Nepali Health Ministry, told Xinhua last week that China-donated oxygen cylinders would be distributed to large government-run hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley, and a few would be sent to the crisis-hit provinces in southwestern and far-western Nepal.

A deadly new wave of the coronavirus has forced the Kathmandu Valley authorities to extend the restrictive measures in place for two more weeks till May 27.

On Sunday, Nepal recorded 7,316 new infections through the polymerase chain reaction test while 52 were tested positive for coronavirus through the antigen test. Meanwhile, the country logged a total of 145 deaths in the past 24 hours.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
You are here: Business

A worker operates on a production line at a garment factory in Jingxing County, Shijiazhuang City of north China's Hebei Province, Feb. 5, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 9.8 percent year on year in April as factory activities continued to pick up, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday.

The figure was up 14.1 percent from the level seen in 2019, bringing the average growth for the past two years to 6.8 percent, NBS data shows.

In the first four months, industrial output rose 20.3 percent year on year, resulting in an average two-year growth of 7 percent.

Industrial output is used to measure the activity of designated large enterprises with annual business turnovers of at least 20 million yuan (about 3.11 million U.S. dollars).

The private sector's output increased 11.2 percent year on year in April, and the output of state-controlled enterprises rose 8.6 percent.

The manufacturing sector's output jumped 10.3 percent year on year in April while the mining sector saw output increase 3.2 percent.

Last month, the equipment manufacturing output and the high-tech manufacturing output respectively expanded 13.1 percent and 12.7 percent.

China's economic operations further stabilized in April, said the NBS, calling for more efforts to consolidate the growth amid a complicated epidemic situation and uneven global economic recovery.
Bharti posts Rs 759 cr profit



Telecom operator Bharti on Monday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 759 crore for the January-March quarter of 2020-21 financial year.



The company had posted a loss of Rs 5,237 crore in the same period a year ago. Read more



India loses ONGC-discovered Farzad-B gas field in Iran



India on Monday lost the ONGC Videsh Ltd-discovered Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf after Iran awarded a contract for developing the giant gas field to a local company.



"The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has signed a contract worth USD 1.78 billion with Petropars Group for the development of Farzad B Gas Field in the Persian Gulf," the Iranian oil ministry's official service Shana reported. "The deal was signed on Monday, May 17, in a ceremony held in the presence of Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh in Tehran." Read more



resurgence in India will delay earnings recovery: Moody's



Moody's Investors Service on Monday said if the second wave of the pandemic does not decline to more manageable levels and results in a prolonged and wider lockdowns, it will have a more severe effect on companies' earnings recovery.



It said the resurgence of infections in India that has led to regional lockdowns will put the brakes on rated companies' earnings recovery seen in recent months. Read more



Under 5,000 COVID cases in Delhi after 42 days



The national capital reported 4,524 new COVID-19 cases, lowest since April 5, and 340 fatalities on Monday while the positivity rate dipped to 8.42 per cent, according to the latest health bulletin released by the city government.



The COVID-19 situation has been improving in Delhi with the number of cases and positivity rate going down steadily in the past few days. Read more
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that nine medical plants have been approved for Ghaziabad and three for adjoining Gautam Buddh Nagar district.

The chief minister said this while on a one-day tour of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad and Meerut to review the pandemic situation in these three districts of western UP.

Amid the second wave of the coronavirus, several COVID-19 patients and their kin in the region had been grappling with shortage of medical facilities like hospital beds, and medicines.

During his visit to Noida in the morning, Adityanath announced approval for three medical plants for Gautam Buddh Nagar, while in Ghaziabad he said the district would be getting nine such plants.

"At present, work is underway for 300 oxygen plants in the state, the chief minister was quoted as saying in a tweet by his office.

In Noida, the chief minister also said that as part of the National Capital Region (NCR), the hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar adjoining Delhi will have to treat patients from neighbouring cities as well.

He added that some hospitals and private laboratories are indulging in loot taking advantage of the pandemic and asked the district administration to deal with such facilities more strictly.

In Noida, the chief minister visited a vaccination centre at the Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra in Sector 6 and a Covid care centre in Sector 45, while making similar tours in Ghaziabad too to assess the ground situation.

In Meerut, Adityanath held a review meeting with top officials of the district and the zone during which he stressed the need for more COVID tests among people in the region.

Testing will have to be increased. There are double challenges in the present situation, but the authorities will have to work consciously. The number of RTPCR and antigen tests have to be doubled. In the last one week, the number of active cases in the state has reduced by more than 20,000 while the number of beds has increased, he was quoted as saying in a statement.

The chief minister also asked the zonal officials in Meerut to ensure that the last rites of the people who died due to COVID-19 are performed following rituals.

(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.)
Within the worlds worst outbreak, few treasures are more coveted than an empty canister. Indias hospitals desperately need the metal cylinders to store and transport the lifesaving gas as patients across the country gasp for breath.

So a local charity reacted with outrage when one supplier more than doubled the price, to nearly $200 each. The charity called the police, who discovered what could be one of the most brazen, dangerous scams in a country awash with coronavirus-related fraud and black-market profiteering.

The police say the supplier  a business called Varsha Engineering, essentially a scrapyard  had been repainting fire extinguishers and selling them as canisters. The consequences could be deadly: The less-sturdy fire extinguishers might explode if filled with high-pressure

This guy should be charged with homicide, said Mukesh Khanna, a volunteer at the charity. He was playing with lives. (The owner, now in jail, couldnt be reached for comment.)

A second wave has devastated Indias medical system and undermined confidence in the ability of Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to treat its people and quell the disease. There are widely believed to be far more deaths than the thousands reported each day. Hospitals are full. Drugs, vaccines, oxygen and other supplies are running out.

Pandemic profiteers are filling the gap. Medicine, oxygen and other supplies are brokered online or in hushed phone calls. In many cases, the sellers prey on the desperation and grief of families.





ALSO READ: PM-Cares Fund allocates over Rs 201 cr to boost medical oxygen supply

These people, the cyber criminals, were already out there, said Muktesh Chander, a special commissioner for the Delhi Police. The moment they got this opportunity they switched on to this modus operandi.

Sometimes the goods are fraudulent, and some are potentially harmful. Last week, police officers in the state of Uttar Pradesh accused one group of stealing used funeral shrouds from bodies and selling them as new. The day before, officers in the same state discovered more than 100 vials of fake remdesivir, an antiviral drug that many doctors in India are prescribing despite questions about its effectiveness.

Citing the predatory sales, a top court in New Delhi said this month that the moral fabric of the society is dismembered.

Over the past month, the New Delhi police have arrested more than 210 people on allegations of cheating, hoarding, criminal conspiracy or fraud in connection with Covid-related scams. Similarly, the police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested 160 people.



I have seen all kinds of predators and all forms of depravity, said Vikram Singh, a former police chief in Uttar Pradesh, but this level of predation and depravity I have not seen in the 36 years of my career or in my life.

ALSO READ: Police arrests Navneet Kalra in oxygen concentrator black marketing case

The scams and profiteering represent the flip side of the huge online help system that has emerged to fill the void left by the government. Do-gooders across the country have swooped in to connect those in need with lifesaving resources.

The ad hoc system has limits. Vital supplies like oxygen are still stuck in bottlenecks, and people keep dying after hospitals run out. Vaccine and pharmaceutical makers cant keep up. Politicians in some places are threatening people who publicly plead for supplies.

That empowers the black market, with its exorbitant prices and dicey goods. Many people feel they have no choice.

Rohit Shukla, a graduate student in New Delhi, said that after his grandmother died in late April in a neighboring state, an ambulance driver demanded $70 for the three-mile ride from the hospital to the cremation ground, over 10 times the normal price. When the family arrived, workers demanded $70 for firewood that should have cost $7.

Supply and demand might account for some price increases, Mr. Shukla said, but he suspects more than that.

Everyone is trying to profit from this pandemic, he said. I dont know what has happened to people.

Some of the more egregious examples can be found in the countrys struggling hospital system. Infections and deaths are widely believed to be many times more numerous than the official figures indicate, and in hospitals across India, all the beds have been filled and people are dying for lack of oxygen or medicine.





A relative of a Covid-19 patient rests in Ajmer as he waits to refill a cylinder with medical oxygen

Accusations by one doctor in Madhya Pradesh have gone viral. The doctor, Sanjeev Kumrawat, said he tried to stop a local activist for Indias governing party from selling access to beds in a government hospital where he works. We all know that to get a bed is a big struggle all around, Dr. Kumrawat said in an interview. Government resources are to be distributed equitably and cant become the property of one person.

The activist, named Abhay Vishwakarma, disputed the accusations but said he had asked the local authorities to investigate. I dont know why the doctor has accused me, he said in an interview.

A brisk market has developed for contraband plasma, which many doctors in India have used to treat Covid-19 patients. Police officers in the city of Noida, in Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday arrested two men they accused of selling plasma for up to $1,000 per unit. According to the police, one of the men begged for plasma donors for his own needs on social media, then sold the plasma through a middleman.

Young cybersleuths are trying to help by cruising social media sites to find scammers.

Helly Malviya, a university student, flagged a Twitter post advertising a drug, tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug sometimes used to treat Covid-19 patients with pneumonia that is hard to find in India. The seller wanted $2,000 in advance. Ms. Malviya flagged the post as a possible scam and received a flurry of messages, but they were from people desperate for the drug.

This is the kind of helplessness people are facing these days, she said.

Remdesivir, the antiviral drug, has been the focus of a number of scams. The police in New Delhi recently said they had arrested four people working at medical facilities who swiped unused vials of remdesivir from dead patients and sold them for about $400 each. Before the drug became so scarce in India, hospitals were charging about $65 for it.

The Surin family, from the city of Lucknow, recently paid more than $1,400 to a middleman for six doses of remdesivir. Lucky Surin, an event manager, said the family had little choice. Her mother and sister-in-law were seriously sick. Her mother has since died.

What do we do? asked Ms. Surin. If the doctor has prescribed it, then you have to buy it.

Dr. Jawed Khan, owner of the hospital that prescribed the drug for the Surins but couldnt provide it, said families could procure their own and physicians would check vials and labels for authenticity.

Some scammers try to get around such safeguards. The police in the western state of Gujarat this month discovered thousands of vials of fake remdesivir during a bust. A tipster led them to a factory where they recovered 3,371 vials that were filled with glucose, water and salt.





ALSO READ: Delhi Police arrests 5 from Uttarakhand for manufacturing fake Remdesivir

Many other doses had already been sold and maybe even put into patients bodies, the Gujarat police said, posing a public health risk of unknown scale.

Those who turn to the black market often know they are taking a gamble.

Anirudh Singh Rathore, a 59-year-old cloth trader in New Delhi, was desperately seeking remdesivir for his ill wife, Sadhna. He acquired two vials at the government-mandated price of about $70 each. He needed four more.

Through social media, he found a seller willing to part with four more vials for about five times that price. First, two arrived. When the second two were delivered, he noticed the packaging was different from the first batch. They had been made by different companies, the seller explained.

The Rathores had their doubts, but Sadhnas oxygen levels were dropping and they were desperate. Mr. Rathore said they gave the doses to the doctors, who injected them without being able to determine whether they were real or fake. On May 3, Ms. Rathore died.

Mr. Rathore filed a police report and one of the sellers was arrested, he said, but he has been racked with guilt.

I have the regret that probably my wife would have been saved if those injections were original, he said, adding that the police had sent the vials to be tested.

People are using the crisis period for their own benefit, Mr. Rathore said. This is a moral crisis.
is vaccinating almost 14 million people a day, the fastest pace in the world, as the country races to protect its Covid-19 advantage in the face of major Western nations reopening their economies.

The ramp up in shots is being helped by a flareup of cases in the eastern province of Anhui and northeastern region of Liaoning. Videos on social media showed citizens rushing to get their vaccines, with long queues at inoculation sites despite heavy rain. Hefei, Anhuis capital city, administered 360,000 doses on Friday, the most in a single day for the hub of 10 million people, Xinhua News agency reported.

Many nations in Asia, included, are struggling to combat vaccine hesitation. Some people have been wooed into a sense of complacency due to the regions early success in containing the virus while others simply dont trust the safety or efficacy of the vaccines available. However, recent outbreaks in countries like Singapore and Taiwan are testing that reluctance as harsher lockdown measures are imposed, bringing into clearer focus the understanding that being vaccinated can help stop serious illness.





ALSO READ: World accepts much-maligned China's Covid-19 vaccine but doubts remain

Beijing is loathe to lose the advantage its built up over the U.S and other major Western economies with its successful containment of the pathogen, and has added pressure through things like calling for mandatory vaccination among state-owned enterprise employees and communist party members.



ALSO READ: The world turns to China for vaccines as Covid-19 crisis deepens in India

The escalation of shots in -- figures from the National Health Commission show 13.7 million vaccines were administered on Friday -- means the country is now closer to its target of vaccinating 40% of its population, or at least delivering 560 million doses, by the end of June. As of Sunday, some 393 million doses had been given, with 210 million of those occurring over the past month, a sign of the accelerating roll out, official data show. According to the World Health Organization, China can now administer 20 million doses a day.

Dont hesitate, get vaccinated, Xinhua News agency says on its offical WeChat account. The fact that new infected people are not vaccinated is undoubtedly a wake-up call to all -- to build an immunization barrier, vaccination is not an option but a must.

Its estimated China will have 900 million to 1 billion people vaccinated by next year, when herd immunity is expected to be reached, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, George Fu Gao, said in a recent interview.

China has enforced some of the harshest approaches in the world in terms of putting whole regions into lockdown and people into quarantine, even when only cases in the single digits are detected. Because of the latest outbreak, schools have been halted in the northern coastal city Yingkou in Liaoning while people are banned from leaving their residential compound in certain regions of Anhui.

Shares in CanSino Biologics Inc. jumped as much as 10.2% in Hong Kong on Monday while Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co. rose 7% in Shenzhen.
Andhra Pradesh has decided to extend the partial curfew, currently in place across the state, till the month end. The state government took the decision on Monday, following a review meeting that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy held with ministers and senior officials.

At Monday's review meet, the chief minister opined that while the partial curfew is in effect since ten days, tangible results can be expected only if it is imposed for four weeks.

The government had imposed a 14-day partial curfew from May 5, aiming to control the pandemic spread in the state. While the current curfew period was due to end on May 18, spiralling covid cases have forced the government to rethink the matter.

For the past several days, on average, the state has been reporting around 20,000 covid cases everyday, with the all-time daily high of 24,171 cases on Sunday.

Under the partial curfew, shops and other commercial establishments such as restaurants are allowed to function between 6 am and 12 noon, during which section 144 is imposed. Curfew will be in place from 12 noon to 6 am, during which only emergency services will be allowed to function.

Service establishments hospitals, covid testing labs, and pharmacies have been exempted from the partial curfew. Agricultural activities are allowed to continue in adhered to the guidelines issued by the agriculture department. The manufacturing sector has also been granted exemption by the government. --IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The said on Monday it has put 180 teams and nine engineer task forces on standby to face any contingency as Tauktae is likely to hit the Gujarat coast on Monday evening.

"Sector commanders and Divisional HQ (headquarter) are in touch with District Collectors and the Revenue Commissioner who is the nodal agency for relief activities in Gujarat," the Army said in a statement.

The Army said it has identified likely areas -- talukas as well as districts -- where the impact could be higher and it has geared up its columns to react immediately.

"Focus is to save lives, speedy clearance of routes to ensure movement of oxygen and standby arrangements at COVID hospitals," it mentioned.

Gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and high tidal waves swept the coastal belts of Maharashtra and Goa as Tauktae hurtled northwards towards Gujarat.

The cyclonic storm will intensify further and reach the Gujarat coast by Monday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The Army said it is continuously monitoring the situation for likely intensity, maximum impact areas and anticipated relief effort in coordination with civil administration, IMD, Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and other agencies.

The cyclone's maximum impact is likely to be in Saurashtra region, including Diu.

Ten integrated teams are poised to be employed for aid to the civil administration of Diu, the Army said.

It said 10 teams have already been positioned in the Junagadh area while others are ready to move on short notice of the state administration after analysis of situation as it builds up.

"GOC (General Officer Commanding) of the Army Division located at Ahmedabad attended a coordination meeting chaired by the Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat and has assured all support," the Army noted.

At this meeting, it was discussed that all efforts should be made to open the roads at the earliest as Gujarat is a critical supplier of oxygen from its ports to outside state destinations.

The Army said it is providing assistance in creating power back up and making preparations for other contingencies at COVID Hospitals in the affected region including Dhanvantri COVID Hospital in Ahmedabad.

"180 teams (three teams in each column) and 09 engineer task forces (ETFs) spread over the geographical area are on standby at short notice factoring in all possible contingencies and COVID situation," it noted.

The said on Monday that over one lakh people have been shifted from low-lying coastal areas in Gujarat, while 54 teams of the NDRF and SDRF remained deployed after IMD's warning that Tauktae will reach the state coast by Monday evening and cross it between 8 pm and 11 pm.

(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.)
India on Monday reported a net reduction of 101,461 in active cases to take its count to 3,516,997. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 20.68 per cent (one in 5). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Monday, it added 281,386 cases to take its total caseload to 24,965,463. And, with 4,106 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 274,390, or 1.10 per cent of total confirmed infections.

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The will shut down its T2 terminal from Monday midnight as the number of flights have reduced significantly due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said.

From Monday midnight, all flights will be handled at the T3 terminal only, they stated.

Currently, the is handling around 325 flights per day, they mentioned. Before the pandemic, it used to handle around 1,500 flights per day.

The sources said average passenger traffic at the was around 1.15 lakh per day in February, which has reduced to around 30,000 per day right now due to the second wave.

The Delhi airport's decision has come at a time when India and its aviation sector has been badly hit by the second wave. During the last few weeks, the number of daily domestic air passengers in India have come down from more than 2.2 lakh to around 75,000 right now, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry's data.

Similarly, international air traffic has also been affected by the second wave of the pandemic.

India's COVID-19 tally mounted to 2,49,65,463 on Monday with 2,81,386 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in 27 days, while the death toll climbed to 2,74,390 with 4,106 fatalities, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The number of active cases stands at 35,16,997, accounting for 14.09 per cent of the total infections. The national recovery rate has improved to 84.81 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Monday permitted various private hospitals, which had sought immediate relief of supply to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, to withdraw their pleas as the supplies have now been stabilised.

The hospitals informed the court that now they are getting medical supplies and if they have any issues, they will give representation to the Delhi government.

The court said in case a representation is made by any hospital, it should be duly considered by the authorities, action be taken and reply be given within one week.

In view of the fact that the medical supply in Delhi has been stabilised, the petition is disposed of, a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said, while similar orders in various other pleas by the hospitals.

The list of hospitals which have withdrawn their petitions include Maharaja Agrasen Hospital Trust, Bhagat Chandra Hospital, Jaipur Golden Hospital, Shanti Mukund Hospital, Venkateshwar Hospital, Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Ganesh Das Chawla Charitable Trust and Bram Health Care Pvt Ltd.

The high court has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation, especially the acute crisis of medical oxygen supply, and passing urgent orders to be implemented by the Centre and the state government. The other issues being considered include RT-PCR testing, hospital beds of COVID-19 patients, food and medical assistance to migrant workers and vaccines.

The oxygen supply issue is now pending before the Supreme Court.

(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.)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday released the first batch of a keenly awaited anti-Covid-19 drug called 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG). It has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in partnership with Hyderabad-based private firm Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL).

The new drug is not a vaccination, or a preventive measure against being infected by Rather, the 2-DG molecule hastens the recovery of patients who are already suffering from the disease and are, in most cases, facing severe oxygen dependency. The drug is dispensed in powder form in a sachet, and taken orally after being dissolved in water.

Rajnath Singh handed over the first batch of the drug in Delhi to the Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan.

DRL Chairman Kallam Satish Reddy said his company would increase the production capacity of the drug, which is expected to be made available to all hospitals by the first week of June, stated a Ministry of Defence (MoD) release on Monday. Randeep Guleria, director at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and Lt Gen Sunil Kant of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) were also handed over a box of the drug each.

More will be handed over to different hospitals across the country for emergency use, the MoD said. The so-called anti-Covid-19 therapeutic application, which would help patients to reduce oxygen dependency and spend less time in hospital, has been developed by the laboratory, the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS).

Speaking at the release, the defence minister congratulated and Dr Reddys Laboratory for manufacturing the drug. 2-DG drug is a new ray of hope in these challenging times, he said.

Harsh Vardhan, speaking on the occasion, termed 2-DG an important development that would reduce the recovery time and oxygen dependency in Covid-19 patients. He hoped that the drug would defeat the virus, not just in India but across the globe. The Drugs Controller General of India had granted permission on May 1 for emergency use of this drug as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid-19 patients.

Rajnath Singh said the development and production of the drug is a shining example of public-private sector partnership in these challenging times.

The defence minister further said that, when the situation improves, he would personally like to honour the scientists who played a major role in the development of the drug.

Rajnath Singh, who has overseen the militarys vigorous response to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, said the government had taken effective steps to provide oxygen, medicines and intensive care unit (ICU) beds in hospitals across the country.

He said country-wide oxygen supply had been substantially increased to more than 9,500 metric tonnes (mt) per day, from around 4,700 mt at the beginning of May.

The defence minister commended the for setting up medical oxygen plants in hospitals across the country under the PM-CARES Fund. He also praised the DRDO for setting up Covid-19 hospitals, equipped with oxygen, ventilators and ICUs, in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Varanasi and Gandhinagar. Similar hospitals are being set up in Haldwani, Rishikesh, Jammu and Srinagar.

Rajnath Singh also appreciated the passion of retired armed forces doctors who responded to the MoDs call and re-joined service to provide medical care.

He praised the air force and the navy for working tirelessly to transport oxygen tankers, containers, concentrators and other critical medical equipment from abroad and within the country. He highlighted the expansion of Covid-19 treatment facilities at military hospitals which are now being availed by civilians as well.

The defence minister praised the operational orientation of the armed forces, which he said remained alert on the borders even while supporting the civil administration in fighting the second wave.
The Wushan plum brand is finding its way into more Chinese households while also boosting Wushan county's local rural economy, officials told the press on Sunday in Chongqing.

"The Wushan plum is the best plum in China and also quite an ecological fruit treasure, thanks to the unique geographical location, environment and climate from which it comes from," said Xu Haibo, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Wushan County Committee under Chongqing municipality.



For more than 1,000 years since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), farmers in Wushan have been planting plums and constantly renewing their planting techniques.

Huang Ming, a local official in charge of the fruit industry, remembered how in 2011 the region trialed on a new improved breed and gained more and more attention and praise nationwide a few years later.

Xu Haibo revealed that the county government recognizes plum as a local pillar industry and that the county's finance department will soon inject more than 100 million yuan each year to support the development of the local plum industry. Meanwhile, the local government insists on a progressive increase of funding by more than 10% each year to create the country's biggest plum farm.

"At present, plum is planted across 220 villages in 22 townships in Wushan county, benefiting more than 150,000 farmers from 50,000 households and leading 34,300 poor people from 10,130 households out of poverty and toward affluence," Xu stated at the press conference. "In 2020, the brand value of the Wushan plum reached 1.918 billion yuan, ranking first nationally for three consecutive years.



"Industrial vitalization is the material basis for rural vitalization," Xu added, "and it has everything to do with increased employment and income among farmers. In recent years, Wushan county has taken the agricultural supply-side structural reforms as its main focus, taken poverty alleviation as its lead, and made up for shortcomings and bolstered weaknesses so that the plum industry can develop rapidly."

According to Liu Haiyan, vice head of Wushan county, the area's seasonal plums will be available on the market for 60 days, starting June 26 this year. The local government has projected a production volume of 110,000 tons with an output value of 1.6 billion yuan. In July, they will hold events to promote the plum in various cities, including Chongqing, Yantai, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Beijing. To help the plums reach more customers, 20 direct-sale stores will be established in Chongqing while other online channels will be set up in collaboration with major express couriers.

The plums now have more than 49,000 acres of plantation in Wushan, the largest area among any county in China. The local government expects to expand the plantation to 140,000 acres, which will be able to produce a volume of 1 million tons of plums. According to their plan, a research institute on plums will be established to resolve technological difficulties and additional supporting policies will be issued. Finally, the industrial chain, processed products such as jam and fruit wine, and the brand will be further built up and extended.


minister Subhash



Desai on Monday said 185 ventilators supplied under the to Aurangabad district were faulty and need to be replaced.

Speaking to reporters after a COVID-19 review meet here, the state industries minister said technicians from the manufacturing firm had come for repairs but they have demanded spare parts.

The ventilators procured by the state government were working well, he added.

"There are 546 functional ventilators in the district. The issue is with the 185 ventilators supplied under the It seems there is a manufacturing defect. If the ventilators are not repaired, we have to return them," he said.

The minister, however, added that the state had got the highest number of ventilators and thanked the Union government for it.

AIMIM Aurangabad Lok Sabha MP Imtiaz Jaleel also demanded that the faulty ventilators be replaced, and an FIR be lodged against the agency through which these machines were procured.

Desai informed that the global procurement of COVID-19 vaccines by a civic body was an experiment being done for the first time in Mumbai, and if it is successful, other civic bodies would be allowed to go for the same procedure.

(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.)
Medicines and medical equipment worth Rs 20-25 lakhs used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients were destroyed in a that broke out at a pharmaceutical godown in on Sunday.

brigade official, Santosh Dubey said, " broke out at Bharat Serum Company's warehouse in in which medicines and medical equipments used in the treatment for COVID-19 patients were kept."

"It is estimated that medicines and medicinal equipments worth Rs 20-25 lakhs is destroyed. However, the exact amount on money is yet to be ascertained," he added.

"Medicines for treating black fungus infection was also kept," he said.

"The fire brigade arrived at the spot of fire within minutes. The fire is under control now. Many medicinal products were safe as they were kept in cold storage", he said.

Drug Inspector at the venue said, "The medicines used for treating black fungus that were meant to be distributed today are said to be safe."

Officials have reached the spot and further probe is underway.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal, along with the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday interacted with the industry leaders about the likely impact of Tauktae and preparedness for facing the same.

"The meeting was called on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting was also attended by senior officers of the Indian Meteorological Department, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Railways ministry, NDMA, and states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, and UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu", informed an official release by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Director General, IMD informed that the 'Tauktae' is very likely to move north-north-westwards and reach Gujarat coast in the evening hours of May 17 and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) around May 18 early morning, which will lead to winds with the speed of over 150 km/h, heavy rainfall and high Tidal waves.

NDMA informed about their preparedness for the relief and rescue actions to be taken in the affected areas and deployment of various NDRF teams in the region. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways informed about their assessment of the situation and steps being taken and envisaged to deal with it in an effective and timely manner.

The states' officials informed that the situation is being closely monitored by them, and the administration is geared up to meet the exigencies. The Industry leaders gave certain suggestions, and also informed about the actions taken by them for mitigation and reducing the impact of the

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue of continuous availability of Oxygen, maintaining buffer stocks of medicines and essential items and the well-being of patients in the areas likely to be affected was stressed in the meeting. The smooth functioning of communication facilities and other utilities also came up in the meeting.

Goyal said that the views expressed by the industry participants and the State officials show their confidence and readiness in handling such a natural calamity in an effective manner. He said that power will be the major focus area, as the same has to be switched off due to safety reasons for sometime, but should be restored quickly as per the conditions.

The Minister said that there is a merit in making available satellite phones at strategic places, for better communication, He expressed satisfaction at the fact that the industry has stored emergency spares and fuel for the duration. Goyal urged all of them to keep their eyes and ears to the ground, and work in the spirit of cooperation. He said that there could be a surge effect post-cyclone, and hence requested all to keep their eyes & ears to the ground, monitor the situation & support the health care personnel.

He also stressed that all the people who are involved in the production of liquid medical Oxygen, Pharma industry, and all those who make cylinders or products in the supply chain of the Pharma industry will be given priority to come back into operationThe helplines of various authorities should be up all the time, and respond in a empathetic manner.He directed the Railway authorities to closely monitor the situation, and be ready to rush the essential items to the affected areas in the shortest possible time, and provide help in any manner.

The Minister said that 24X7 control room to monitor progress is already functioning while Intensive patrolling of assets (OHE and track) has begun. Railways has also taken several measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of Oxygen. The Minister said that relief material should be properly channelized so that the Common man gets the relief and the unscrupulous elements are not able to take advantage. He urged all the big industries to look after their local area to support small industries, suppliers and neighbourhood industry associations.

Mandaviya said that Coastal areas in western India are having a lot of industries. He said that the state Governments are equipped for undertaking the relief and rescue operations, and have the experience in doing so. He, however, emphasized on pre-planning and pre-positioning so as to minimize the damage to essential equipment, cargo or people.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after a violent clash between protesting farmers and the police in Hisar, Chief Minister met Union Home Minister and BJP president JP Nadda on Monday and apprised them of the incident.

Khattar said the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agreed that the protesting farmers should not have opposed the inauguration of a COVID hospital.

Talking to reporters after meeting the leaders at Shah's official residence here, he said the main agenda of the meeting was to discuss the second wave of the coronavirus and the ongoing farmers' agitation against three agriculture laws of the Centre.

"The meeting was broadly about two issues -- Haryana's preparedness to handle the second wave of the coronavirus in the coming days and the ongoing farmers' agitation. I have apprised the central leadership of the incident and they have also agreed that the protesters should not have opposed such work," Khattar said.

A violent crash broke out between the farmers and the police on Sunday after a group of farmers tried to march towards the venue of a programme in Hisar, where Khattar had gone to inaugurate a COVID hospital.

Many, including several police personnel, got injured in the incident.

Khattar said he held discussions with Shah and Nadda about the ongoing farmers' protest at Delhi's borders, adding that the government will move patiently on the issue and it will get resolved.

The central leadership of the saffron party was also informed about the arrangements made by the government for the vaccination of the protesting farmers against COVID-19, he said.

Khattar said he was informed at the meeting that the Centre is importing medicines for the "black fungus" or mucormycosis cases reported in COVID-19 patients, which will be distributed among the states.

(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.)
HCL, the IT services company, said Monday it will help Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other states in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic by providing medical oxygen and equipment.

The company will help set up a hundred-bed treatment facility that included 50 oxygen beds at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida.

In Lucknow, has provided six ICU ventilators, 20 oxygen beds and a mini oxygen generator plant (capacity of 45 litres per minute) to the Fatima Hospital.

In addition to these, is supporting with essential equipment and consumables at an L-1 COVID Care Facility, as well as the District Hospital in Hardoi. A 24x7 Integrated Control Centre, which was set up and supported by at Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) during the first wave, continues to respond to citizen queries during the second wave of the pandemic.

In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, HCL has provided 30 ICU beds at St Johns Hospital in Bengaluru, safety gear and personal protective equipment for frontline workers in Madurai and Chennai, as well as essential medical and non-medical equipment for Covid treating institutions in Chennai.

HCL has also collaborated with local municipal bodies to spearhead vaccination centres in cities and towns including Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Madurai, Lucknow, and Jammu and Kashmir.

As the number of infections continue to rise across the country, this support is aimed at complementing state and local efforts to help those most affected by the novel coronavirus.
When Covid-19 first began spreading, public health and medical experts began talking about the need for the US to reach to stop the from spreading.

Experts have estimated that between 60 per cent and 90 per cent of people in the US would need to be vaccinated for that to happen.

Only about 35 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated, and yet the CDC said on May 14, 2021 that fully vaccinated people can lose their masks in most indoor and outdoor settings.

An important question now arises: What happens if we don't reach Dr. William Petri is a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Virginia who helps lead the global program to achieve for polio as the chair of the World Health Organization's Polio Research Committee. He answers questions here about herd immunity and Covid-19.

What is herd immunity?

Herd immunity occurs when there are enough immune people in a population that new infections stop. It means that enough people have achieved immunity to disrupt person-to-person transmission in the community, thereby protecting nonimmune people.

Immunity can result from either or prior infection. Herd immunity may exist globally, as it does with smallpox, or in a country or region.

For example, the US and many other countries have achieved herd immunity for polio and measles, even though global herd immunity does not yet exist.

Has herd immunity been achieved globally for other infections? This has happened only once on a global scale, with the eradication of smallpox in 1980. This was after a decade-long worldwide intensive campaign.

We also are also approaching global herd immunity for polio. When the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was formed in 1988 there were 125 countries with endemic polio and over 300,000 children paralysed annually.

Today, after 33 years of immunisation campaigns, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries with wild polio virus, with only two cases of paralysis due to wild poliovirus this year. So herd immunity can be achieved worldwide, but only through extraordinary efforts with global collaboration.

It seems as though the goal posts for herd immunity keep changing. Why? Experts estimate that between 60 per cent and 90 per cent of the US population would need to be immune for there to be herd immunity. This wide range is because there are many moving parts that determine what is needed to achieve herd immunity.

Factors influencing whether the target is 60 per cent or 90 per cent include how well and prior infection prevent not only illness due to Covid-19, but also infection and transmission to others. Additional considerations include the heightened transmissibility of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the use of measures to interrupt transmission, including face masks and social distancing.

Other important factors include the duration of immunity after vaccination or infection, and environmental factors such as seasonality, population sizes and density and heterogeneity within populations in immunity.

What is the biggest barrier to herd immunity in the US? Two factors could lead to failure to achieve high enough levels of immunity: not every adult receiving the vaccine because of vaccine hesitancy and the likely need to vaccinate adolescents and children.

The FDA cleared the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for adolescents 12 to 15 years of age on May 10, 2021, so that could help. But an added barrier is the constant pressure of reintroduction of infection from other countries where vaccination is not as readily available as in the US.

Achieving herd immunity to the extent of totally blocking new infections is therefore, while a laudable goal, not easily achievable. I think that for Covid-19 at this time, it will be possible only with the concerted global effort over years, similar to what led to smallpox eradication.

Why are there vaccine hesitant' individuals? People may be vaccine hesitant for several reasons, including lack of confidence in the vaccine, the inconvenience of receiving the vaccine, or complacency  that is, thinking that if they get Covid-19 it will not be severe.

Lack of confidence includes concerns for vaccine safety or skepticism about the health care providers and public health officials administering them.

Complacency reflects a personal decision that vaccination is not a priority for that individual because she or he perceives that the infection is not serious or because of competing priorities for time. Convenience issues include the availability and complexity, such as having to get two doses.

Since herd immunity will not be reached, what will our lives look like? At least into 2022 and likely for much longer, I do not expect there will be herd immunity for Covid-19. What there will be, probably by the end of this summer in the US, is a new normalcy.

There will be far fewer cases and deaths due to Covid-19, and there will be a removal of social distancing and year-round masking, as evidenced by the CDC's new guidelines issued May 13, 2021, that vaccinated people do not have to wear masks in most places.

But there will be a seasonality to infections.

That means there will be less in the summer and more in the winter. We'll also see outbreaks in regions and population subgroups that lack adequate immunity, short-lived lockdowns of cities or regions, new and more transmissible variants and a likely requirement for vaccine booster shots. We cannot let down on the research and development of treatments and new vaccines, as studies show that Covid-19 is here to stay.

(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.)
India reported a further decline in new cases on Monday but daily deaths remained above 4,000 and experts said the data was unreliable due to a lack of testing in rural areas where the virus is spreading fast.



For months now, nowhere in the world has been hit harder than India by the pandemic, as a new strain of the virus fuelled a surge in infections that has risen to more than 400,000 daily.



Even with a downturn over the past few days, experts said there was no certainty that infections had peaked, with alarm growing both at home and abroad over the highly contagious B.1.617 variant first found in India.



"There are still many parts of the country which have not yet experienced the peak, they are still going up," World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan was quoted as saying in the Hindu newspaper.



Swaminathan pointed to the "very high" national positivity rate, at about 20% of tests conducted, as a sign that there could be worse to come.



"Testing is still inadequate in a large number of states. And when you see high test positivity rates, clearly we are not testing enough."

"And so the absolute numbers actually don't mean anything when they are taken just by themselves; they have to be taken in the context of how much testing is done, and test positivity rate."



Having begun to decline last week, new infections over the past 24 hours were put at 281,386 by the health ministry on Monday, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21. The daily death count stood at 4,106.



At the current rate, India's total caseload since the epidemic began a year ago should pass the 25 million mark in the next couple of days. Total deaths were put at 274,390.



Hospitals have had to turn patients away while mortuaries and crematoriums have been unable to cope with bodies piling up.

Photographs and television images of funeral pyres burning in parking lots and corpses washing up on the banks of the Ganges river have fuelled impatience with the government's handling of the crisis.



It is widely accepted that the official figures grossly underestimate the real impact of the epidemic, with some experts saying actual infections and deaths could be five to 10 times higher.



'ILLUSION'



Whereas the first wave of the epidemic in India, which peaked in September, was concentrated in urban areas, where testing was introduced faster, the second wave that erupted in February is rampaging through rural towns and villages, where about two-thirds of the country's 1.35 billion people live, and testing in those places is very patchy.



"This drop in confirmed COVID cases in India is an illusion," S. Vincent Rajkumar, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, said on Twitter.



"First, due to limited testing, the total number of cases is a huge underestimate. Second, confirmed cases can only occur where you can confirm: the urban areas. Rural areas are not getting counted."



A cyclone on course to hit the west coast on Monday is expected to disrupt both testing and vaccination efforts in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, where infections have risen 30% since May 2. Nearly 150,000 people were moved from their homes in Gujarat to safety as the most intense cyclone in more than two decades roared up the coast.



While lockdowns have helped limit cases in parts of the country hit during an initial surge of infections in February and April, such as Maharashtra and Delhi, rural areas and some states are dealing with fresh surges.



The government issued detailed guidelines on Sunday for monitoring COVID-19 cases, with the health ministry asking villages to look out for people with flu-like illness and get them tested for the



Modi has come under fire for his messaging to the public, a decision to leave key decisions on lockdowns to states, and the slow rollout of an immunisation campaign in the world's biggest vaccine producer.



India has fully vaccinated just over 40.4 million people, or 2.9% of its population.



On Monday, the health ministry said a government panel had found 26 suspected cases of bleeding and clotting among recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine, describing the risk as "minuscule" out of 164 million doses administered.



A top virologist told Reuters on Sunday that he had resigned from a forum of scientific advisers set up by the government to detect variants of the



Shahid Jameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of the forum known as INSACOG, declined to say why he had resigned but said he was concerned that authorities were not paying enough attention to the evidence as they set policy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sparking huge concerns, at least 273 persons have been stranded on a drifting barge near the Heera Oilfields at Bombay High Field, around 175 kms from Mumbai, an official said here on Monday.

Following an SOS from the Barge P305 which is adrift near the oilfields with the crew and passengers on board, the has despatched two ships INS Kochi and INS Talwar to render assistance.The ships are expected to reach the venue by late afternoon, and other ships and aircraft also being prepared to go there for a search and rescue operation in the region clobbered by the passing Tauktae.

The critical assets of Oil & Natural Gas Corporation's Bombay High Fields are falling in the direct path of the raging Tauktae, now swirling towards the south Gujarat coast, after wreaking huge havoc in Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra.





04 crew members winched by helo & rescued safely.

Rough seas #TauktaeCyclone, had resulted in flooding of the vessels machinery compartments rendering it without propulsion & power supply & the left over crew without any support & rescue options by sea (2/2)@DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/Vr2F4VEB7f  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 17, 2021

(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.)
Bharat Biotech's Covaxin



manufacturing facility that is under construction in Kolar district in would have a manufacturing capacity of four to five crore doses a month by August-end, state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Monday.

Talking to reporters here ahead of his meeting with the experts on mucormycosis, known as as black fungus, which is emerging as a new threat to those who recover from COVID- 19, Sudhakar said he had a video conference with founder Dr Krishna Ella, his daughter Dr Jala Ella and rest of the team.

"Dr Ella has assured me that their facility at Malur in Kolar will be able to produce one crore vaccines by June- end. By July-end it will be by two to three crores, and their target by August-end is four crore to five crore vaccine doses," Sudhakar said.

According to him, Krishna Ella and all the directors assured him that they will give vaccines to at the earliest.

The minister said he asked them to provide a roll-out schedule as well, which they will do soon.

officials will be in touch with them on how to roll out the vaccine in the state in the coming days.

"Our priority is to get the vaccines to the people of our state at the earliest," Sudhakar said.

He also said that Bharat Biotech's facility in Hyderabad can produce one crore doses of COVID vaccine a month whereas the Karnataka unit will roll out four to five crore doses a month from August onwards.

To a question, Sudhakar said Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa would be holding a meeting in the evening where a detailed discussion will take place on the extension of lockdown following which a decision will be taken.

Replying to a query on the Congress questioning the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for allegedly selling the vaccines, Sudhakar said it was donated by the Centre to the COVID affected nations on humanitarian grounds as no one foresaw the severity of the second wave.

He said it was highly regrettable that the Congress was indulging in politics despite assuring the government that it will cooperate with it in the fight against COVID.

Karnataka has so far conducted 1.12 crore inoculations of coronavirus vaccines in the state comprising first and second doses whereas it has suspended the vaccination of people between the age group of 18 and 44, who are about 3.5 crore, due to shortage of vaccines.

The state is battered by the second wave of COVID infections and reported 31,531 infections and 403 deaths on Sunday.

There are over six lakh active cases in the state, a majority of whom are in Bengaluru.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The (CBI) on Monday arrested Trinamool Congress ministers, Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, sitting MLA Madan Mitra and former mayor Sovan Chatterjee, in connection with the Narada sting operation of 2016, but were granted bail by the CBI special court.

Early in the day, the ministers and leaders were picked up from their homes and taken to the CBI office at Nizam Palace in Kolkata.

Opposing the arrest, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at the scene and reportedly said MLAs cannot be arrested without the permission of the Speaker and the state government, and that the central agency would have to arrest her as well. Banerjee was there for about six hours.

Trinamool workers took to the streets to protest against the arrest; outside the CBI office, there were repeated clashes with central forces who were guarding it.

Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee urged everyone to abide by the law and tweeted: I urge everyone to abide by the law and refrain from any activity that violates lockdown norms for the sake of the larger interest of Bengal and its people. We have utmost faith in the judiciary & the battle will be fought legally.

The arrest comes days after Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar sanctioned the prosecution on the grounds that the four were holding the position of ministers in the West Bengal government at the time of the alleged incident.

A statement dated May 9, said that the Honble Governor is the competent authority to accord sanction in terms of law as he happens to be the appointing authority for such ministers in terms of Article 164 of the Constitution.

The sanction was accorded on request by the CBI, which had made the entire documentation available to the Governor.

Reacting to the arrests, Mathew Samuel, the man behind the Narada tapes, said this was a fight against corruption, but wondered why Suvendu Adhikari was spared.

Trinamool Congress too raised this issue and dubbed the arrests as political vendetta after the party's resounding victory in the recent assembly elections in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress had bagged 213 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was looking to dethrone the incumbent, bagged 77.

West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra tweeted: Utter violation of Democratic Norms & Federalist Polity by Modi-Shah controlled CBI, arresting 2 Bengal Ministers WITHOUT Assembly Speakers permission as per protocol. Political Vendetta after outright REJECTION by people of Bengal. Reveals Neo-Fascist mindset of BJP-SanghParivar

The Narada tapes had incidentally surfaced in 2016 just ahead of the assembly elections. The video footage showed several MPs and MLAs of the Trinamool Congress allegedly taking cash of Rs 4-5 lakh. However, it had no impact on poll results as the Trinamool Congress bagged 211 seats in the 294-West Bengal assembly. In 2017, the Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation.
Ten Chinese military units and 18 individuals were honored for their outstanding performance in military strategic planning.

Over the past years, the Chinese armed forces have endeavored to pursue reform and innovation. The armed forces also made every effort to advance the strategic planning for building a strong military in the new era, said a circular issued by the Central Military Commission.

It also stressed the importance of innovation in the design, implementation, and assessment of strategies. It called for continued improvement of strategic planning and macro-management, as well as promoting the high-quality development of the military.
The new mask guidance for vaccinated individuals does not grant permission for widespread removal of masks, the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said.

"If they're vaccinated, they are safe. If they are not vaccinated, they are not safe. They should still be wearing a mask or better yet, get vaccinated," Xinhua news agency quoted Walensky as saying on ABC News on Sunday.

The CDC Director and other health officials have stressed that their guidance is up to individuals to follow and if vaccinated people wish to continue wearing their masks they can.

"We wanted to deliver the science of the individual level, but we also understand that these decisions have to be made at the community's level," she said.

Since the new mask guidance was announced on May 13, many states, local governments and businesses have updated their ordinances based on the CDC's recommendation that vaccinated individuals can be without face coverings indoors, outdoors or in large crowds.

The guidelines still call for masks to be worn on public transportation and in homeless shelters, hospitals and prisons.

Some states, including California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York, are keeping their universal mask mandates intact.

Meanwhile, schools should continue to require face masks "at all times, by all people in school facilities" for the rest of the academic year, according to updated CDC guidance issued on Saturday.

Strict rules requiring mask use and physical distancing should remain in schools nationwide "regardless of the level of community transmission" of coronavirus, the CDC insisted.

That's because "students will not be fully vaccinated by the end of the 2020-2021 school year", and school systems will need time to make "systems and policy adjustments" relating to their mask rules, t added.

"The challenge here is that not everybody is eligible for vaccination," Walensky told ABC on Sunday.

"We still have children under the age of 11 and they should obviously still be wearing masks. So, if you're unvaccinated, we are saying, wear a mask, contine to distance if you're unvaccinated and practice all of those mitigation strategies."

"We are asking people to take their health into their own hands to get vaccinated, and if they don't, then they continue to be at risk," she added.

No vaccine has yet been authorised for children under age 12, and the Pfizer two-dose jab won approval for 12-to-15-year-olds just days ago, but not enough time before the school year ends for full immunity to kick in.

The changes come as more than one-third of Americans are fully vaccinated, and also as the average number of new cases slipped below 35,000, the lowest since September 2020.

--IANS

ksk/

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Prime Minister will interact on Tuesday with field officials from states and districts, many of which have seen a huge surge in COVID-19 cases and widespread infection, his office said.

In their interaction with the prime minister, officials will share some best practices, suggestions and recommendations for continuing the ongoing battle against COVID-19, especially in semi-urban and rural areas, it said.

Officials from these districts in their relentless efforts to manage the situation also have success stories that could be replicated across the country, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

Karnataka, Bihar, Assam, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi will take part in meeting.

Official sources had earlier said that in the meeting district magistrates from 46 districts across nine states will participate.

The prime minister will have a similar meeting on May 20 in which top officials of 54 districts from 10 states are scheduled to attend, they had said.

The PMO statement said on Monday that the battle against COVID-19 across various districts and states is being led at the cutting edge by field-level officials.

"Many of them have shown great initiative and come out with imaginative solutions. A better appreciation of such initiatives will help towards developing effective response plan, targeted strategy implementation and support necessary policy interventions," it said.

Many effective measures have been taken, from ensuring strict containment measures are undertaken to control the infection's spread, to preparing healthcare facilities for handling the raging second wave, to ensuring availability of healthcare workforce and a seamless supply chain for logistics, the statement said.

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The Delhi Police arrested businessman Navneet Kalra Sunday night for alleged black marketing and hoarding of concentrators amid the pandemic, officials said.

The businessman had been on the run for over a week since the seizure of more than 500 concentrators from three restaurants owned by him in the national capital.

The concentrators are a crucial medical equipment used for COVID-19 patients and are on high demand amid the second wave of the pandemic.

On Friday, the Delhi High Court had declined to grant Kalra interim protection from arrest in the case. Kalra had moved the high court for anticipatory bail on May 13 late evening after a sessions court denied him the relief.

During a recent raid, 524 concentrators were recovered from three restaurants owned by Kalra -- Khan Chacha, Nega Ju and Town Hall. The case was subsequently transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch.

The police claimed that the concentrators were imported from China and were being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to 70,000 a piece as against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released on Monday the first batch of a keenly awaited, anti-Covid-19 drug called 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG). It has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in partnership with a Hyderabad based private firm, Dr Reddys Laboratories.

The new drug is not a vaccination, or a preventive measure against being infected by the Covid-19 virus. Rather, the 2-DG molecule hastens the recovery of patients who are already suffering from the disease and are, in most cases, facing severe oxygen dependency. The drug is dispensed in powder form in a sachet, and taken orally after being dissolved in water.

Rajnath Singh handed over the first batch of the new 2-DG drug in Delhi to the Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan.

Dr Reddys Laboratories chairman, Kallam Satish Reddy, said that his company would increase the production capacity of the drug which is expected to be made available to all hospitals by the first week of June, stated a Ministry of Defence (MoD) release on Monday.

One box each of the drug were also handed over to Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr Randeep Guleria; and Lt Gen Sunil Kant of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). More will be handed over to different hospitals across the country for emergency use, the MoD said.

The so-called anti-Covid-19 therapeutic application, which would help Covid-19 patients to reduce oxygen dependency and spend less time in hospital, has been developed by the DRDO laboratory, the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS).

Speaking at the release, the defence minister congratulated DRDO and Dr Reddys Laboratory for manufacturing the drug. 2-DG drug is a new ray of hope in these challenging times, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Vardhan termed 2-DG an important development that would reduce the recovery time and oxygen dependency in Covid-19 patients. He hoped that the drug would defeat the virus, not just in India but across the globe.

The Drugs Controller General of India had granted permission on May 1 for emergency use of this drug as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid-19 patients, the MoD had announced last Saturday.

Rajnath Singh said the development and production of the drug is a shining example of public-private sector partnership in these challenging times.

The defence minister further said that, when the situation improves, he would personally like to honour the scientists who played a major role in the development of the drug.

Rajnath Singh, who has overseen the militarys vigorous response to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic said the government had taken effective steps to provide oxygen, medicines and intensive care unit (ICU) beds in hospitals across the country.

He said country-wide oxygen supply had been substantially increased to more than 9,500 metric tonnes (MT) per day, from around 4,700 MT at the beginning of May.

The defence minister commended the DRDO for setting up medical oxygen plants in hospitals across the country under the PM CARES Fund. He also praised the DRDO for setting up Covid-19 hospitals, equipped with oxygen, ventilators and ICUs, in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Varanasi and Gandhinagar. Similar hospitals are being set up in Haldwani, Rishikesh, Jammu and Srinagar.

Rajnath Singh also appreciated the passion of retired armed forces doctors who responded to the MoDs call and re-joined service to providing medical care to the needy.

He praised the air force and navy for working tirelessly to transport oxygen tankers, containers, concentrators and other critical medical equipment from abroad and within the country. He highlighted the expansion of Covid-19 treatment facilities at military hospitals which are now being availed by civilians as well.

The defence minister praised the operational orientation of the armed forces, which he said remained alert on the borders even while supporting the civil administration in fighting the second Covid-19 wave.
The on



Monday said there appears to be "lack of coordination" between the Centre and the state government in the allocation of the required amount of injections.

The HC noted that the Union government continued to supply vials to the state in the range of 16,000 per day for the last one month while the demand was around 25,000 vials per day.

A division bench of Justices Bela Trivedi and Justice Bhargav D Trivediasked Assistant Solicitor General Devang Vyas, representing the Centre, why Gujarat's demand was not being met.

"What will happen to the patients who require this (injection)? Should the government allow the patients to die for want of " the court asked.

The HC further directed the Centre to put on record the policy in place for the allocation of Remdesivir, an injection used to treat critical COVID-19 patients, to the states.

It observed that, despite an increase in production to 1 crore vials per month from 30,00,000 earlier, the Centre's allocation to Gujarat had remained at around 16,000 per day since April 21.

The HC is hearing a suo motu PIL on issues concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

Representing the state government, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi told the court that between April 21 and May 16, Gujarat received 4,19,000 vials of remdesivir, at the rate of 16,115 vials per day, despite the state making demand for more than 25,000 vials "during the course of a video conference".

He later clarified that the state was conveying the demand of 25,000 vials "on the higher side".

"As of now, your (state's) GMSCL (Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Limited) is distributing it (to the hospitals) in Gujarat, as per the requirements. Then, in those circumstances, demand comes from the hospitals to the GMSCL, and you (government) send it to the Centre.

Now, there is a total lack of coordination, it appears, between the Centre and the state for the procurement of the balance amount of about 10,000 vials for the last one month," the court observed.

The HC said the Centre must give enough quota from Monday itself.

Vyas told court Remdesivir was being allocated as per demand from 36 states and Union Territories and availability of vials, and it was not that the Centre had an unlimited supply and was withholding the same from the states and UTs.

Vyas said, between April 21 and May 23, the supply to Gujarat had increased to 5,10,000 vials, making it the second highest among 36 states and UTs in the country.

The HC bench then asked the Centre to justify the mismatch between demand and allocation, and also put on record the policy being adopted for allocation.

The matter will next come up for hearing on May 26.

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on Sunday announced that it will lift the mandatory quarantine requirement for foreign visitors who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

In a statement announcing the new measures, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of said that the exempted groups who received full doses of one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Health will be allowed to enter the Kingdom without the need for a quarantine period, provided they present an official vaccination certificate before and upon their arrival.

"The GACA stressed on the air carriers the need to carry all travellers who are not Saudi citizens and the exempted travellers, immunized and unvaccinated groups the health certificates approved in the Kingdom ( examination certificates PCR) not exceeding 72 hours from the flight time for those over 8 years or older, while non-citizen immunized persons are allowed entry...," said the authority.

The new procedure will take effect from May 20.

The GACA also obligated air carriers to contract with shelters and accommodation facilities approved by the Ministry of Tourism to accommodate travellers who are not Saudi citizens and excluded groups who meet the conditions of institutional quarantine for a period of seven days, provided that a swab is done on the sixth day and the result is negative.

According to the latest figures by Johns Hopkins University, the Kingdom of has recorded 433,094 COVID-19 cases and 7,162 related deaths.

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Senior virologist Shahid Jameel on Sunday resigned as the chairman of scientific advisory group of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), a forum set up by union government in December last year for laboratory and epidemiological surveillance of circulating strains of COVID-19 in India.

Jameel is currently the Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University.

The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) is a network of ten laboratories established in December 2020 for continuously monitoring the genomic changes of SARS-CoV-2 in India, through Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS).

With six variants of concern (VOC) of that is dominating global topography currently, India is grappling with three particular variants, i.e. the UK, Brazil, and South Africa, since the second COVID-19 wave struck the country.

The lineages B.1.1.7 (called UK variant), B.1.351 (South Africa variant), and P.1 (Brazil variant) have been detected in India.

Last year Maharashtra was hit badly with most reported cases of which almost close to 20 per cent cases were showing the trace of 'double mutant' - an Indian variant called B.1.617 lineage.

Leading Virologist Dr. Shahid Jameel had said, "At last report, of about 15,000 virus sequences, 11 per cent comprised of these VOCs. Among these B.1.1.7 dominates in India with B.1.351 found mainly in West Bengal. Only 2 or 3 P.1 VOCs are detected so far."

An Indian variant lineage B.1.617 (also called double mutant and first seen in Maharastra) has now spread to many other States.

COVID-19 virus has been mutating and various mutations have been found in many countries as well as in India, these include UK (17 mutations), Brazil (17 mutations), and South Africa (12 mutations) variants. These variants have higher transmissibility. The UK Variant has been found extensively in UK, all across Europe and has spread to Asia and America.

The Double mutation (2 mutations) is another variant and has been found in several countries like Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom, USA.

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A very severe cyclonic storm with winds gusting up to 185 km per hour began making landfall on Gujarat's Saurashtra coast near Diu on Monday night, after dumping heavy rains on Mumbai, forcing the evacuation of over 2 lakh people in and leaving two barges with 410 people on board adrift in the Arabian Sea.

Six persons were killed in Maharashtra's Konkan region in separate incidents related to the severe cyclonic storm and three sailors remained missing after two boats sank in the sea earlier in the day, officials said.

"The landfall process of extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae has started as forward sector of eye of the storm is entering the Saurashtra coast to the east of Diu," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in Ahmedabad.

The tropical storm 'Tauktae' (pronounced as Tau'Te), which had intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, lies close to the coast, the IMD said.

The wind speed at the Union Territory of Diu was 133 kmph when the started making its landfall at around 9.30 pm, the Met office said.

The ESCS (extremely severe cyclonic storm) TAUKTAE lies close to coast. The landfall process started and will continue during next 02 hours, IMD said in a Twitter post.

The forward sector of eye is entering into the land. The centre of the will cross Saurashtra coast to the east of Diu within next 03 hours. Outer cloud band lies over Saurashtra, the IMD said in another tweet.

An IMD official said the eye of the storm is likely to cross the Gujarat coast in about two hours.

We expect that the eye of the storm will cross the coast in about two hours," said Assistant Director of the Gujarat Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty.

She said Tauktae, potentially the most devastating to hit Gujarat in almost 23 years, would make a landfall anywhere between the Union Territory of Diu and Mahuva town of Bhavnagar district just near Diu.

Gujarat Chief Minister also confirmed that the process of landfall has started.

He said coastal districts of Amreli, Junagadh, Gir- Somnath and Bhavnagar will face the maximum brunt as the wind speed would go up to 150 kmph when the eye of the storm would make a landfall.

"It is predicted that the landfall would happen after around 2 hours. The effect continues even after the eye of the storm would pass. Thus, the effect of the cyclone will remain till 1 am," Rupani told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Mohanty said the place above which the eye of a cyclone crosses is designated as the "place of landfall".

The Gujarat government has shifted over 2 lakh people from low-lying areas in coastal towns to safer places and mobilised disaster response teams 44 from the NDRF and 10 from the SDRF - officials said.

Major airports in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad and Surat, have shut down operations as a precautionary measure.

Barring the Rajkot airport, which will remain shut for flights till 11:15 am on May 19, other three major airports - Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara -will remain closed for both domestic and international flights till Tuesday.

The Ahmedabad Airport, which suspended its operations on Monday evening, will resume its operations after 5 am on Tuesday, the airport said.

The Centre has offered all help to Gujarat to deal with the cyclone and asked the Army, Navy and the Air Force to remain on standby to assist the administration if need arises, the state government said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are in touch with the state government and have extended all possible help, said Rupani after holding a meeting with collectors of coastal districts which are likely to face the maximum brunt of the cyclone.

The PM called up Rupani and enquired about the state government's preparedness to deal with the cyclone, the CM office said here.

Modi, during the telephone conversation, assured the state government of all possible help, it said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening called up Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and sought details of preparation by the state government to deal with cyclone Tauktae," a release from the Chief Minister's Office said.

The CM informed Modi about the precautionary steps taken by the Gujarat government to deal with the cyclone, it said.

Meanwhile, six persons were killed in Maharashtra's Konkan region in separate incidents related to the severe cyclonic storm and three sailors remained missing after two boats sank in the sea, officials said.

Three persons died in Raigad district, a sailor in Sindhudurg district and two persons were killed in Navi Mumbai and Ulhasnagar in Thane district after trees fell on them.

Two boats with seven sailors on board, anchored in the Anandwadi harbour in Sindhudurg district capsized, an official statement said.

As the cyclone moved past the Maharashtra coast in the morning, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport initially announced the suspension of operations from 11 am to 2 pm and later decided to keep all operations shut till 10 pm.

Flight operations at the Mumbai airport eventually resumed on Monday night after being suspended for 11 hours due to the cyclone Tauktae.

At least 17 COVID-19 patients on ventilator support in the Porbandar Civil Hospital's ICU were shifted to other facilities on Monday as a precautionary measure because of the cyclone, an official said.

The Centre has offered all help to Gujarat to deal with the cyclone and asked the Army, Navy and the Air Force to remain on standby to assist the administration if the need arises, the Gujarat government said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are in touch with the state government and have extended all possible help, said Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani after holding a meeting with collectors of coastal districts which are likely to face the maximum brunt of the cyclone.

The PM called up Rupani and enquired about the state government's preparedness to deal with the cyclone, the CMO said.

A major cyclone in Gujarat on June 9, 1998 had brought widespread death and destruction in its wake, particularly in the port town of Kandla.

While official figures had then put the death toll at 1,173, adding 1,774 went missing, media reports, eyewitness and volunteer accounts suggested that this was grossly an understatement.

A leading news magazine had then claimed that at least 4,000 people had died and countless went missing as bodies were washed to the sea.

The Indian Navy on Monday deployed three of its frontline warships after receiving messages to rescue 410 people on board two barges off the Mumbai coast.

The ships deployed to extend assistance to the two barges were INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Talwar.

"On receipt of a request for assistance for a barge 'P305' adrift off Heera oil fields in Bombay high area with 273 personnel onboard, INS Kochi was swiftly sailed with a despatch for search and rescue assistance," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

The oil fields are around 70 km southwest of Mumbai.

"In response to another SOS received from barge 'GAL Constructor' with 137 people onboard about 8NM from Mumbai, INS Kolkata has been sailed to render assistance," the Navy officer said.

A Navy spokesperson in Mumbai said in the night that the rescue operations on Barge 305 were being undertaken amid extreme weather conditions.

The Indian Coast Guard said it rescued 12 fishermen stranded around 35 nautical miles off the Kochi coast amid rough seas due to the cyclone on the night of May 16.

Gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and high tidal waves swept the coastal belts of Maharashtra and Goa as Tauktae hurtled northwards towards Gujarat.

Winds blew at 114 kmph in Mumbai on Monday afternoon as the cyclonic storm passed close to the Mumbai coast, civic officials said.

The highest wind speed of 108 km per hour was recorded at the Colaba observatory in the afternoon, said Shubhangi Bhute, senior director, IMD Mumbai.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took stock of the situation in Mumbai, Thane and other coastal districts and assessed the damage caused by the cyclonic storm.

As Mumbai and other coastal areas continued to be battered with heavy rains, over 12,000 people were relocated to safer places from the coastal areas. These include 8,380 people in Raigad, 3,896 in Ratnagiri and 144 in Sindhudurg districts.

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The CoWIN portal will be made available in Hindi and 14 regional languages by next week, while 17 more laboratories will be added to the INSACOG network to monitor the variants of COVID-19, the health ministry said on Monday.

According to a statement by the ministry, these decisions were announced at the 26th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19, chaired by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, on Monday.

Vardhan informed his colleagues that 17 new laboratories are going to be added to the INSACOG network to increase the number of samples screened and allow for more spatial analysis, the ministry said.

The network is presently served by 10 laboratories located at different corners of the country.

Speaking on their contribution to the country's achievements today, Vardhan said, "India's new COVID-19 cases have dropped to less than three lakh for the first time after 26 days. Also, a net decline of 1,01,461 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in the last 24 hours."



He lauded the efforts of defence scientists and the leadership of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the country's first indigenous anti-COVID drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG (developed by the DRDO in collaboration with the INMAS and the Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories), the ministry said.

The research efforts for the drug started in April last year and ended recently, when the DCGI gave it the emergency-use approval (EUA). The minister informed the members that the drug can become a gamechanger in the country's response to the pandemic as it reduces the dependence of patients on oxygen administration and has the potential of getting absorbed differentially and in a selected manner. In the COVID-infected cells, it inhibits virus synthesis and energy production for the process.

He noted that the Centre continues to help the states under a "whole of government" approach to tide over the pandemic. Over 4.22 crore N95 masks, 1.76 crore PPE kits, 52.64 lakh Remdesivir injections and 45,066 ventilators were distributed among the states and Union territories, according to the statement.

The Union health secretary apprised the meeting that the CoWIN platform is being made available in Hindi and 14 regional languages by next week.

Dr Sujeet K Singh, Director, NCDC, presented a detailed report on the mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and the Variants of Concern (VoCs) being reported in India. He showed figures related to the state-wise prevalence of VoCs like the B.1.1.7 and B.1.617. The B.1.1.7 lineage (UK variant) was found predominant in the samples collected in Punjab and Chandigarh between February and March, the statement said.

Dr Balaram Bhargava, Secretary, Health Research and DG, ICMR, made a presentation on the innovative changes in testing policy that would widen its scope of application and help in mass screening for COVID, particularly in peri-urban and rural settings, where the health infrastructure is relatively weak.

Deployment of mobile RT-PCR testing vans and amplification of RAT tests were presented as the way forward. While the present capacity is around 25 lakh (RTPCR 13 lakh, RAT 12 lakh), this is projected to exponentially increase to 45 lakh (RTPCR 18 lakh, RAT 27 lakh) under the new testing regimen.

The DG, ICMR also informed regarding the home-isolation guidelines, which have been converted into Hindi and other regional languages for a wider reach. Warning signs for hospitalisation, admission to ICU and for potential administration of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab were also highlighted.

S Aparna, Secretary (Pharma) informed that a dedicated cell has been created to coordinate production and allocation of the drugs in demand to treat COVID-19.

Stress was laid on the procurement and allocation of Remdesivir, Tocilizumab and Amphotericin-B. She notified that the demand for Favipiravir too has increased, although the drug is not recommended in COVID medical guidelines. She suggested IEC campaigns for a judicious use of these drugs.

The secretary (pharma) also highlighted that Remdesivir production has more than tripled in the country with government intervention from around 39 lakh to 1.18 crore vials per month.

The demand for Amphotericin-B, which is used in the treatment of mucormycosis, has also increased. Five suppliers have been identified and efforts are being made for an optimal allocation of the drug. The states were given one lakh vials from May 1-14, while avenues for import are being actively explored, the statement said.

The secretary (pharma) further emphasised that the states must make an equitable distribution among the government and the private hospitals and keep the public informed on availability and shop details, help prevent unnecessary stockpiling and ensure timely payments to the manufacturers.

Vardhan expressed his appreciation to all COVID warriors who have remained steadfast in their duty during the pandemic, "without showing any signs of deprivation and fatigue".

He was joined by Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep S Puri, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (I/C) and Chemical and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health, joined the meet digitally.

Dr Vinod K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog was also present virtually.

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A quiet revolution has permeated global health circles. Authorities have come to accept what many researchers have argued for over a year: The can spread through the air.

That new acceptance, by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes with concrete implications: Scientists are calling for ventilation systems to be overhauled like public water supplies were in the 1800s after fetid pipes were found to harbor cholera.

Cleaner indoor air wont just fight the pandemic, it will minimize the risk of catching flu and other respiratory infections that cost the U.S. more than $50 billion a year, researchers said in a study in the journal 'Science' on Friday. Avoiding these germs and their associated sickness and productivity losses would, therefore, offset the cost of upgrading ventilation and filtration in buildings.

We are used to the fact that we have clean water coming from our taps, said Lidia Morawska, a distinguished professor in the school of earth and atmospheric sciences at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, who led the study. Likewise, we should expect clean, pollutant- and pathogen-free air from indoor spaces, she said over Zoom.





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The studys authors, comprising 39 scientists from 14 countries, are demanding universal recognition that infections can be prevented by improving indoor ventilation systems. They want the WHO to extend its indoor air quality guidelines to cover airborne pathogens, and for building ventilation standards to include higher airflow, filtration and disinfection rates, and monitors that enable the public to gauge the quality of the air theyre breathing.

A paradigm shift is needed on the scale that occurred when Chadwicks Sanitary Report in 1842 led the British government to encourage cities to organize clean water supplies and centralized sewage systems, they wrote.

No one takes responsibility for the air, Morawska said. Its kind of accepted that the air could be of whatever quality -- containing viruses and pathogens.

Speaking, singing

SARS-CoV-2 multiplies in the respiratory tract, enabling it to spread in particles of varying sizes emitted from an infected persons nose and throat during breathing, speaking, singing, coughing and sneezing.

The biggest particles, including visible spatters of spittle, fall fast, settling on the ground or nearby surfaces, whereas the tiniest -- aerosols invisible to the naked eye -- can be carried farther and stay aloft longer, depending on humidity, temperature and airflow.

Its these aerosol particles, which can linger for hours and travel indoors, that have have stoked controversy.

This cloud which stays around in the air, it may contain the virus.

Although airborne infections, like tuberculosis, measles and chickenpox are harder to trace than pathogens transmitted in tainted food and water, research over the past 16 months supports the role aerosols play in spreading the pandemic virus.

Thats led to official recommendations for public mask-wearing and other infection-control strategies. But, even those came after aerosol scientists lobbied for more-stringent measures to minimize risk.





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Morawska and a colleague published an open letter backed by 239 scientists last July requesting authorities endorse additional precautions, such as increasing ventilation and avoiding recirculating potentially virus-laden air in buildings.

WHO guidance has been amended at least twice since, though the Geneva-based organization maintains that the spreads mainly between people who are in close contact with each other, typically within 1 meter, or about 3 feet.

Nothing magic

Morawska, who heads a WHO collaborating center on air quality and health, says thats an oversimplification.

Theres nothing magic about this 1 meter, Morawska said. The closer to an infected person, the higher the concentration of infectious particles and the shorter the exposure time needed for infection to occur. As you are moving away, the concentration decreases, she said.

Infectious aerosols remain concentrated in the air longer in poorly ventilated, confined indoor spaces, according to Morawska.

Although a high density of people in such settings increases the number of people potentially exposed to an airborne infection, enclosed indoor areas that arent crowded may also be hazardous -- a distinction Morawska says the WHO should make clearer.

The WHO, step by step, is modifying the language, she said.

Morawska, a Polish-born physicist who was previously a fellow of the International Atomic Energy Agency, can take credit for the WHOs changing stance, said Raina MacIntyre, professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

Professor Morawskas contribution, on the background of world-leading expertise in aerosol science, made a real impact by forcing WHOs hand, MacIntyre said in an email.

Hygiene theater

The role of airborne transmission has been denied for so long, partly because expert groups that advise government have not included engineers, aerosol scientists, occupational hygienists and multidisciplinary environmental health experts, MacIntyre wrote in 'The Conversation' last week.

A false narrative dominated public discussion for over a year, she said. This resulted in hygiene theater -- scrubbing of hands and surfaces for little gain -- while the pandemic wreaked mass destruction on the world.

Some people working in infection prevention and control and related fields have stuck rigidly to beliefs that minimized aerosol transmission, despite evidence challenging their views because they do not want to lose face, said Julian Tang, a clinical virologist and honorary associate professor in the department of respiratory sciences at Englands University of Leicester.





ALSO READ: Covid-19 vaccine: Second batch of Russia's Sputnik V reaches Hyderabad

We all have to adapt and progress as new data become available, Tang said. Thats especially true in public health, where official policies and guidance based on outdated and unsupported thinking and attitudes can cost lives, he said.

Morawska said she hopes the attention that the pandemic has drawn to face masks and the risks associated with inhaling someone elses exhaled breath will be a catalyst for cleaner indoor air.

If we dont do the things we are saying now, next time a pandemic comes, especially one caused by a respiratory pathogen, it will be the same, she said.
UN Security Council diplomats and Muslim foreign ministers convened emergency meetings Sunday to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest single attacks in nearly a week of rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes.

President Joe Biden gave no signs of stepping up public pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate cease-fire despite calls from some Democrats for the Biden administration to get more involved.

His ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told an emergency high-level meeting of the Security Council that the United States was working tirelessly through diplomatic channels" to stop the fighting.

But as battles between Israel and Gaza's militant rulers surged to their worst levels since 2014 and the outcry grew, the Biden administration determined to wrench US foreign policy focus away from the Middle East and Afghanistan has declined so far to criticize Israel's part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region.

Appeals by other countries showed no sign of progress.

Thomas-Greenfield warned that the return to armed conflict would only put a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict even further out of reach.

However, the United States, Israel's closest ally, has so far blocked days of efforts by China, Norway and Tunisia to get the Security Council to issue a statement, including a call for the cessation of hostilities.

In Israel, Hady Amr, a deputy assistant dispatched by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to try to de-escalate the crisis, met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who thanked the US for its support.

Blinken himself headed out on an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, with no announced plans to stop in the Middle East in response to the crisis. He made calls from the plane to Egypt and other nations working to broker a cease-fire, telling Egypt that all parties should de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence.

Rep. Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, urged Biden on Sunday to step up pressure on both sides to end current fighting and revive talks to resolve Israel's conflicts and flashpoints with the Palestinians.

I think the administration needs to push harder on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence, bring about a cease-fire, end these hostilities, and get back to a process of trying to resolve this long-standing conflict, Schiff, a California Democrat, told CBS's Face the Nation.

And Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, the senior Republican on the foreign relations subcommittee for the region, joined Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the subcommittee chairman, in asking both sides to cease fire. As a result of Hamas' rocket attacks and Israel's response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further, the two said.

Biden focused on civilian deaths from rockets in a call with Netanyahu on Saturday, and a White House readout of the call made no mention of the US urging Israel to join in a cease-fire that regional countries were pushing.

Thomas-Greenfield said US diplomats were engaging with Israel, Egypt and Qatar, along with the UN.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people Sunday, medics said, bringing the toll since Hamas and Israel opened their air and artillery battles to at least 188 killed in Gaza and eight in Israel. Some 55 children in Gaza and a 5-year-old boy in Israel were among the dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis in a televised address Sunday that Israel wants to levy a heavy price on Hamas. That will take time, Netanyahu said, signaling the war would rage on for now.

Representatives of Muslim nations met to demand Israel halt attacks that are killing Palestinian civilians in the crowded Gaza strip.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called on the community to take urgent action to immediately stop military operations.

The meeting of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also saw Turkey and some others criticize a US-backed push under which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other Islamic nations signed bilateral deals with Israel to normalize their relations, stepping over the wreckage of collapsed efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians long-term.

The massacre of Palestinian children today follows the purported normalization, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.

At the virtual meeting of the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN was actively engaging all parties for an immediate cease-fire.

Returning to the scenes of Palestinian militant rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes in the fourth such war between Israel and Hamas, only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair, and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace, Guterres said.

Eight foreign ministers spoke at the Security Council session, reflecting the seriousness of the conflict, with almost all urging an end to the fighting.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, had thrown US support solidly behind Israel, embracing Netanyahu as an ally in Trump's focus on confronting Iran.

Trump gave little time to efforts by past US administrations to push peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians, instead encouraging and rewarding Arab nations that signed two-country normalization deals with Israel.

Biden, instead, calls Middle East and Central Asia conflicts a distraction from US foreign policy priorities, including competition with China.

He's sought to calm some conflicts and extricate the US from others, including ending US military support for a Saudi-led war in Yemen, planning to pull US troops from Afghanistan, and trying to return to a nuclear deal with Iran that Israel opposes.
on Monday renewed calls for the US to play a constructive role in ending the conflict in Gaza and stop blocking efforts at the to demand an end to the bloodshed.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China, as rotating head of the Security Council, has urged a cease-fire and the provision of humanitarian assistance, among other proposals, but that obstruction by one country has prevented the council from speaking with one voice.

We call on the United States to assume its due responsibility and take an impartial position to support the council and play its due role in cooling down the situation and rebuilding trust for a political solution," Zhao said at a daily briefing.

strongly condemns" violence against civilians and calls for an end to air strikes, ground attacks, rocket fire and other actions that aggravate the situation," Zhao said.

Israel should exercise restraint, effectively comply with the relevant resolutions, stop demolishing Palestinian people's houses, stop expelling Palestinian people and stop expanding its settlement programme, stop threats of violence and provocations against Muslims, and maintain and respect the historical status quo of Jerusalem as a religious holy site," Zhao said.

Calls have grown for the Biden administration to take a more active stance on the Israeli-Palestinian violence. Thus far, the United States, Israel's closest ally, has blocked efforts by China, Norway and Tunisia to get the Security Council to issue a statement, including a call for a cessation of hostilities.

has long portrayed itself as a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, while building closer political, economic and military links with Israel.

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China has provided an impressive demonstration of its deep space capabilities by landing a rover on Mars in its first attempt. It is only the second nation after the US to have pulled off a successful Mars landing. The six-wheeled, solar-powered Zhurong rover weighs about 240 kg and its stated technological mission is to collect and analyse rock samples and look for water.

Zhurong was launched from the Tianwen-1 orbiter after three months of preparation. Tianwen reached Mars in February after being launched in July 2020. It went into orbit around the red planet after the ...
Some of France's most sensitive state and corporate data can be safely stored using the cloud computing technology developed by Alphabet's Google and Microsoft, if it is licensed to French companies, the government said on Monday.

The comment, part of strategic plan laid out by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and two other ministers, acknowledges US technological superiority in the field and contrasts with previous calls from European politicians for fully homegrown alternatives.

Google and Microsoft, along with market leader Amazon, dominate the realm of data storage worldwide, fuelling concerns in Europe over the risk of surveillance by the United States in the wake of the adoption of the US CLOUD Act of 2018.

Yet a "trustworthy" cloud computing alternative can be developed within Europe, Le Maire said, by guaranteeing the location of servers on French soil as well as European ownership of the that store and process the data.

"We therefore decided that the best - I'm thinking in particular of or Google - could license all or part of their technology to French companies," Le Maire said at a news conference. He did not mention Amazon.

Google said it welcomed the "clarification" provided by the French government, adding that it supported "the need for the greatest security levels".

said this was good news for France's digital transformation "in complete independence".

Amazon's cloud unit has been collaborating via partnerships with several major French companies, including state-controlled telecoms firm Orange, its general manager in Julien Groues told Reuters.

"This is something that we've been doing for many years," he said.

Le Maire compared the licences he mentioned with the ones seen in the 1960s in the field of the civil nuclear energy between and the United States.

A so-called "trustworthy cloud" label would be delivered to the that offer cloud computing services that respect the principles spoken of by Le Maire, and other conditions set by France's cybersecurity agency ANSSI.

OVHcloud and Dassault Systemes' Outscale are two French companies that already fulfil these criteria. OVHcloud said late last year it had partnered with Google to build its cloud computing capacities.

"We... hope that other Franco-American alliances will emerge in this area, which will allow us to have the best technology while guaranteeing the independence of French data," said Minister for Digital Affairs Cedric O.

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India on Monday lost the Videsh Ltd-discovered Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf after awarded a contract for developing the giant gas field to a local company.

"The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has signed a contract worth USD 1.78 billion with Petropars Group for the development of Farzad B Gas Field in the Persian Gulf," the Iranian oil ministry's official news service Shana reported. "The deal was signed on Monday, May 17, in a ceremony held in the presence of Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh in Tehran."



The field holds 23 trillion cubic feet of in-place gas reserves, of which about 60 per cent is recoverable. It also holds gas condensates of about 5,000 barrels per billion cubic feet of gas.

The buyback contract signed on Monday envisages daily production of 28 million cubic meters of sour gas over five years, Shana said.

Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had in 2008 discovered a giant gas field in the Farsi offshore exploration block.

OVL and its partners had offered to invest up to USD 11 billion for the development of the discovery, which was later named Farzad-B.



PTI had on October 18, 2020, reported that NIOC had informed OVL of its intention to conclude the contract for Farzad-B development with an Iranian company, in an apparent rejection of the Indian firm's bid.

After this, it kept sitting on OVL's investment proposal for years.

The 3,500 square kilometer Farsi block sits in a water depth of 20-90 metres on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf.

OVL, with 40 per cent operatorship interest, signed the Exploration Service Contract (ESC) for the block on December 25, 2002. Other partners included Indian Oil Corp (IOC) with 40 per cent stake and Oil India holding the remaining 20 per cent stake.

OVL discovered gas in the block, which was declared commercially viable by NIOC, on August 18, 2008. The exploration phase of the ESC expired on June 24, 2009.

The firm submitted a Master Development Plan (MDP) of Farzad-B gas field in April 2011 to Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), the then designated authority by NIOC for the development of Farzad-B gas field.

A Development Service Contract (DSC) of the Farzad-B gas field was negotiated till November 2012, but could not be finalized due to difficult terms and sanctions on

In April 2015, negotiations restarted with Iranian authorities to develop the Farzad-B gas field under a new Petroleum Contract (IPC). This time, NIOC introduced Pars Company (POGC) as its representative for negotiations.

From April 2016, both sides negotiated to develop the Farzad-B gas field under an integrated contract covering upstream and downstream, including monetization/marketing of the processed gas. However, negotiations remained inconclusive.

Meanwhile, on the basis of new studies, a revised Provisional Master Development Plan (PMDP) was submitted to POGC in March 2017, sources said, adding that in April 2019, NIOC proposed development of the gas field under the DSC and offtake of raw gas by NIOC at landfall point.

However, due to the imposition of US sanctions on Iran in November 2018, technical studies could not be concluded which is a precursor for commercial negotiations.

The Indian consortium has so far invested around USD 400 million in the block.

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Israeli warplanes unleashed a fierce air bombardment on City before dawn on Monday as Hamas militants in the coastal enclave continued to target towns in southern Israel with barrages of rockets, bringing the conflict into a second, grinding week of bloodshed and destruction.

Stepped-up diplomatic efforts led by the United States and a meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the weekend showed little sign of progress. Prime Minister of Israel, speaking on Sunday, said the operation would take time.

Well do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet, Netanyahu said during a television appearance. The overnight bombardment came after the deadliest day of the conflict, which included a strike in City that left three buildings flattened and killed at least 42 people.

The Israeli military said it had been targeting the warren of tunnels used by militants that runs beneath the city and that when the tunnels collapsed, the buildings came tumbling down as well. Among the dead, yet again, were children.

At least 10 in this location. In the past week, of the nearly 200 Palestinians who have died, nearly half have been women and children, sparking condemnation across the world and helping to fan protests, which have taken place in recent days from London to Baghdad to Berlin.

Regional conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians have periodically become conflated with tensions among Europes sometimes polarised communities, particularly in countries like France with large Muslim and Jewish communities. Concerns were growing that anger against Israel was boiling over into anti-Semitic violence.

But even under sustained military bombardment, Hamas militants based in continued to unleash a barrage of missiles into southern Israel  more than 3,100 since the start of the conflict a week ago, according to the Israeli military.

Many of the rockets were intercepted yet again by the Israeli defence system known as the Iron Dome.
Shares of Cheviot Company were locked in the upper circuit of 20 per cent at Rs 960.60 on the BSE in Monday's session after its board recommended a special of Rs 175 per equity share for the year ended March 31, 2021 (FY21), subject to the approval of the members at the ensuing annual general meeting (AGM) of the company. The company has fixed July 16, 2021, as the record date for the purpose of

The stock of the jute and jute products company was trading at its highest level since August 2018. Till 01:33 pm, around 9,283 equity shares had changed hands on the BSE and there were pending buy orders for 119,055 shares, the exchange data shows.

Cheviot Company reported an over seven-fold jumped in its net profit at Rs 25.68 crore for the quarter ended March 2021 (Q4FY21) as against Rs 3.50 crore in Q4FY20. Revenue from operations grew 37 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 156.88 crore from Rs 114.76 crore in the year-ago quarter.

Meanwhile, the rating agency Crisil, as part of its annual rating surveillance exercise, reaffirmed the long-term rating at A+/Stable and short term rating as A1+ on various borrowings of the company from banks and financial institutions.

The ratings continue to reflect strong business and financial risk profiles. These strengths are partially offset by exposure to risks related to the regulated nature of the and the easy availability of cheaper substitutes, said in rating rationale.

"There has been a disruption in the supply chain in India, and sales volume may be affected adversely due to the global decline in demand if the pandemic prolongs further. As these measures are imposed at a broader level and across sectors, they are expected to impact the business risk profile of the company. The ability to revert back to operational stability and any relief measures given by the government will be key monitorables. Any further disruption in operations, however, will be supported by the healthy financial risk profile, particularly liquidity," the rating agency said.
Shares of were down 4 per cent at Rs 870 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Monday after the company reported lower than expected March quarter earnings (Q4FY21), with total revenue from operations growing 5 per cent to Rs 4,606 crore as against Rs 4,376 crore in the year-ago quarter. The companys performance in Q4FY21 was weighed down by moderate year-on-year (YoY) growth in India Domestic Formulation (DF)/South Africa and a decline in API sales for the quarter.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 22 per cent YoY to Rs 796 crore from Rs 652 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. EBITDA margin improved 239 basis points to 17.3 per cent from 14.9 per cent. Profit after tax (PAT) jumped 68 per cent to Rs 413 crore from Rs 246 crore in the previous year quarter.

Ciplas were below our estimates on all fronts amid lower-than-expected formulations sales across geographies (ex-South Africa) and operational performance. We continue to focus on the managements long-drawn strategy of targeting four verticals -- India, South Africa & Emerging (Ems), US generics & speciality and lung leadership," ICICI Securities said in a note.

The timely launch of Albuterol sulphate (Proventil HFA) in the US amid rising demand for Albuterol products in the pandemic vindicates the company's lung leadership quest, the brokerage said while adding that in the US, the focus will be on speciality including hospitals and value accretive generics and in India, the focus will be on branded (Rx) and trade generics (TGx).

On the African front, continues to rebase its business model towards private business in the backdrop of shrinking tender opportunities.

"Another key aspect to watch would be the R&D recalibration. Across the board transformation from tenderised model to private model in exports market and more focus towards consumerisation of important TGx, Rx products in Indian branded formulations bode well for the company," the brokerage firm said in result update.

Ciplas FY22 goals include ramping up the Covid portfolio, outperforming the generics franchise in India/South Africa, prioritising potential complex generics launches in the US, scaling up the business in Europe/other emerging markets, and accelerating digital transformation across

Brokerage Motilal Oswal Securities cut its EPS estimate for by 12 per cent/11 per cent for FY22/FY23E, factoring in lower operating leverage, increased price erosion in the US base business, and inferior execution in the API segment.

At 10:19 am, Cipla was trading 3 per cent lower at Rs 877 on the BSE, as compared to a 1 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. A combined 8.8 million equity shares had changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE.
The Australian share market finished session higher on Monday, 17 May 2021, on tracking a sharp rebound on Wall Street last Friday, with heavyweight gold stocks led rally on the strength of bullion prices, while Viva Energy and Ampol boosted the energy index after both fuel suppliers received a massive government funding to keep their refineries open.

At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 advanced 9.32 points, or 0.13%, to 7,023.56. The broader All Ordinaries added 16.46 points, or 0.23%, to 7,255.83.

Gold stocks climbed as bullion prices hit over three-month high on worries over surging Covid-19 cases in some Asian countries boosted its demand. Sector-heavyweight Newcrest Mining gained 2.9% to A$28.4.

Australian energy stocks jumped, with Ampol and Viva Energy led gains after the government decided to pay its last two oil refineries up to $1.8 billion to stay open.

Casino giant Crown Resorts rose 0.9% after its board officially rejected the improved $8.3 billion takeover offer from U.

S. private equity group Blackstone.

CURRENCY NEWS: The U. S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 90.272 after a recent decline from above 90.8. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7763, following last week's decline from levels above $0.78.

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 Flash

Tension between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip continued on Sunday for the seventh day in a row as death toll in the coastal enclave climbed to 181 and 1,225 others were injured, officials said.

The health ministry in Gaza said in a press statement that since Monday, 181 Palestinians have been killed, including 52 children and 31 women, and 1,225 others had different injuries.

Militant groups, led by the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), fired barrages of rockets from the Gaza Strip at cities and towns in central and southern Israel.

Israeli fighter jets intensified its airstrikes on buildings, military posts and facilities affiliated with the militants all over the strip, according to security sources.

The sources said that the houses of Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip Yehya Sinwar and his brother were destroyed in the intensive Israeli airstrikes waged on the southern city of Khan Younis, adding that no injuries were reported as the two houses had been evacuated.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, said in a text message sent to reporters that during overnight and on Sunday morning, 23 Palestinians were killed and over 50 wounded in the airstrikes on Gaza.

An Israeli army spokesman said that in the last 24 hours, Israeli fighter jets struck 90 targets that belong to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, including the houses of Sinwar and his brother Mohammed.

The spokesman said that Gaza militants fired more than 120 rockets towards Israel, adding that the Iron Dome Air Defense System has intercepted most of them.

Palestinian sources said there are regional and international efforts to reach a humanitarian cease-fire between the two sides.

The sources told Xinhua that Egypt has been trying to pressure the two sides to declare a temporary humanitarian cease-fire to alleviate the suffering in Gaza until a permanent truce is reached.

The sources added that the Egyptian proposal "is under discussion by the Palestinian factions and will be on the table of Israeli cabinet for discussion on Sunday."
Under development management model

Kolte Patil Developers announced the signing of two new projects in Pune under the Development Management (DM) model.

As the development manager, Kolte-Patil will lend its brand to these projects and jointly collaborate with the land owners to oversee product design, sales and marketing, project quality and cash flow management leading to time-bound handover to buyers. The project costs would continue to be borne by the respective projects. Both locations of the new projects are established micro-markets within Pune and are strategically located with multiple schools, hospitals, retail and residential spaces in close proximity.

Project details -

Hinjewadi - plot area 8.4 acres; saleable area 0.75 million sq. ft; Residential use; DM structure

Tathawade - plot area 5.4 acres; saleable area 0.55 million sq. ft; Mixed use; DM structure

In February 2021, Kolte-Patil had signed three new projects with a combined saleable area of ~2.2 msf in Pune under capital light models. These new DM projects will further strengthen the Company's market position in Pune.

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Larsen & Toubro (L&T) reported 3% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 3,293 crore on 9% increase in revenues to Rs 48,088 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20.

The company's revenues registered a sequential growth of 35%, as execution activities normalized on easing of COVID-19 restrictions, prior to onset of the 2nd wave of the pandemic.

The order inflow for the quarter January-March 2021 at Rs 50,651 crore, lower by 12% over corresponding period of the previous year with deferment of awards. International orders at Rs 18,439 crore during the quarter is at 36% of the total order inflow, with receipt of biggest Solar PV plant order and transmission line orders.

Cipla reported 68% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 413 crore on 5% increase in total revenue from operations to Rs 4606 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20.

Hero MotoCorp is gearing up towards a gradual resumption of operations by starting single shift production at three of its plants - Gurugram and Dharuhera in Haryana and at Haridwar in the northern hill state of Uttarakhand - from Monday, May 17. In addition to producing for the domestic market in India, these plants will also have enhanced focus on catering to the Global Business (GB) markets across the world.

Zensar Technologies Inc, USA, wholly owned subsidiary of Zensar Technologies, has entered into definitive agreement(s)/document(s) for acquisition of 100% of the membership interests in M3bi, LLC, USA.

Shalby announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets from Consensus Orthopedics, a company headquartered in El Dorado Hills, Sacramento, California for a cash consideration of USD 11.45 million.

Kirloskar Industries said that considering the gravity of the threat posed by COVID 19 and in compliance with the directives issued by the State Government, the company's offices will remain closed from 16 May 2021 till 1 June 2021 and all employees of the company will manage work from home.

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The drug maker signed a royalty-free, non-exclusive, voluntary licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company, for the manufacture and commercialization of the drug Baricitinib for COVID-19 indication in India.

In line with the licensing agreement, Natco Pharma has withdrawn its application filed with the Indian Patent Office, seeking Compulsory License against Lilly for Baricitinib for COVID-19 in India.

Natco Pharma had earlier received an emergency use authorization for Baricitinib tablets, from Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (COSCO), for use in combination with remdesivir, for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized adults requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

The drug maker's consolidated net profit dropped 39.3% to Rs 63.40 crore on 26.3% fall in net sales at Rs 355.20 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

Natco Pharma manufactures a comprehensive range of branded and generic dosage forms, bulk actives and intermediates for both Indian as well as International markets.

Shares of Natco Pharma lost 0.94% to Rs 919.60 on BSE. The scrip hovered in the range of Rs 918 to Rs 945 so far.

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West Bengal Chief Minister on Monday arrived at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office here on Monday, soon after Trinamool Congress (TMC) ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra were brought to the in connection with the

MP Kalyan Banerjee, Former Mayor Sovhan Chatterjee's wife Ratna, and MP Santanu Sen also arrived at the office.

Earlier today, Trinamool Congress (TMC) ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra were brought to the in connection with the

Along with the leaders, former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee was also brought to the CBI office.

Earlier on May 10, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has sanctioned the prosecution of Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee in the being investigated by the CBI.

"After taking note of media reports that Governor of the State of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar has accorded sanction for prosecution in respect of persons who happened to be members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, it is made categorically apparent that Governor of the State of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar accorded sanction for prosecution in respect of Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee, for the reason that all of them at the relevant time of commission of crime were holding the position of Ministers in the Government of West Bengal," the Raj Bhavan said in a release.

According to Raj Bhavan, the CBI had made a request to the West Bengal Governor and provided all the documentation pertinent to the case.

The Narada scam made national headlines in 2014 when Journalist Matthew Samuel conducted a sting operation in Kolkata. In the purported sting operation video, leaders were seen taking money. A police officer was also seen in the video.

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The BJP on Monday lashed out at



TMC workers over their agitations across the state, following the arrest of party leaders in the Narada sting case, and said Chief Minister and her supporters, instead of coming in the way of probe, should opt for a legal remedy.

Banerjee had rushed to the office, shortly after state ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and TMC MLA Madan Mitra were arrested by the central agency.

Former TMC leader and minister Sovan Chatterjee has also been apprehended in the case.

The CM apparently asked the probe agency to arrest her, too, when asked to leave the office.

Taking to Twitter, BJP general secretary claimed that Banerjee was creating hurdles for the

"CM of West Bengal @MamataOfficial who is under oath to maintain law and order in the state is sadly indulging in threatening law enforcing agencies and creating hurdles for the CBI," the BJP's Bengal minder tweeted.

"This is very unfortunate for the people of Bengal," Vijayvargiya added.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, too, condemned the protest by TMC activists, and said the agitation, amid the COVID-19 lockdown, only goes on to show that they have no respect for the law of the land.

"Instead of demonstrating on the streets, the party should seek a legal remedy," Ghosh stated.

Slamming TMC activists who sought to know why BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikary were spared, as their names, too, had cropped up in the case, Ghosh asserted that they had "co-operated with the agency, unlike others who have been taken into custody".

The sting operation was purportedly conducted by Mathew Samuel of Narada TV news channel in 2014 wherein people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were allegedly seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.

The tapes were made public just before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.

Both Roy and Adhikary were TMC members when the purported tapes had surfaced.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March 2017.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The portals of opened on Monday after a six-month winter break with the first puja being held by priests on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said.

Only a select few people attended the temple's opening ceremony in view of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. It is for the second consecutive year that COVID has cast a shadow on the pilgrimage to the temple which has been kept out of bounds for pilgrims in view of rising coronavirus cases.

A Chardham Devasthanam Board official said the first puja was held by priests on behalf of the prime minister as the gates of the famous Himalayan temple were opened at 5 am.

A limited number of temple priests, including Rawal Bhim Shankar Ling and Chief Priest Bagesh Ling, and officials of the administration and Devasthanam Board attended the ceremony.

Expressing happiness at the opening of the temple, Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat prayed for the welfare and good health of the people.

The yatra to the temple is temporarily suspended for the sake of people's safety, Rawat said, asking people to have virtual "darshan" of Baba Kedar and perform puja at home.

Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said Chardham Yatra will be started soon after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

The temple was decorated with eleven quintals of flowers on the occasion, the Devasthan Board officials said.

COVID norms like wearing of masks and social distancing were strictly followed by those attending the event, he said.

While Yamunotri and Gangotri temples were opened on May 14 and May 15 respectively, Badrinath will open on Tuesday for the priests to perform regular prayers.

However, no pilgrims will be allowed to visit any of these temples till further orders in view of the COVID surge.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The severe cyclonic storm



'Tauktae' over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and is expected to reach the coast Monday evening, the India Meteorological Department said.

Around 1.5 lakh people are being shifted from low- lying coastal areas in while 54 teams of the NDRF and SDRF remained deployed after IMD's warning that Tauktae will reach the state coast on Monday evening and cross it Tuesday morning.

"The cyclonic storm "Tauktae" has further intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) at 000 UTC and lay centred at 18.5N/71.5E, with a ragged eye," the tweeted Monday morning.

"Very Severe Cyclonic Storm "Tauktae" over the East- central Arabian Sea intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm: Warning & post-landfall outlook for & Diu coasts (Red message)," the tweeted.

Skymet, a private company that provides weather forecast and solutions said landfall is likely between Gujarat's Mahuva and Porbandar areas and close to Diu.

"A swathe of 100 km on either side of the anticipated strike always remains vulnerable," it said.

Gujarat additional chief secretary Pankaj Kumar said 25,000 people have already been moved to safer places.

In Mumbai, five temporary shelters each have been put up in 24 civic wards of the metropolis so that citizens can be shifted there if necessary.

The has issued an orange alert for Mumbai warning of very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds on Monday as Tauktae is likely to pass close to the Mumbai coast.

Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stationed in the western suburbs of Mumbai have been put on alert. Teams of the Indian Navy are also kept on standby, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, two persons died and another was injured after a tree fells on a hut, an official said. It wasn't clear if the incident was directly related to the severity of the cyclonic storm.

(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.)
As students keep their fingers crossed over the cancellation of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 exam, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokriyal will attend a virtual meeting with the State Education Secretaries on May 17 (Monday) at 11:00 am.

The Union Minister is also likely to take a decision on the Class 12 board exam during this meeting, as per an India Today report. In this meeting, Nishank will discuss the COVID-19 situation and its effect on education and the National Education Policy (NEP).





I will be virtually attending the meeting with State Education Secretaries on 17th May, 2021 at 11 AM. The objective of the meeting is to review the #COVID situation, online education, and work around NEP. pic.twitter.com/6VMXkBldLU a Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) May 16, 2021

Meanwhile, an advocate Mamta Sharma has filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre to cancel Class 12 CBSE board exams 2021 in view of surging COVID-19 cases. This petition contended the Class 12 results should be declared on the basis of an 'objective methodology' within a specified time frame.

The plea read, "Conducting class 12 board examination is not possible because of surging COVID-19 cases. Even online or offline examinations not feasible because of an unprecedented pandemic. Delay in the declaration of Class 12 results will hamper students taking admission in foreign universities."

A Class 12 student told India Today, "In view of the present situation, there is a sharp possiblity of scrapping the exams altogether. CBSE should keep a plan B ready because cancellation of the CBSE board exams may leave a wide gap and confusion among millions of students regarding university admissions and future career."

The central board had announced the cancellation of Class 10 exams and postponed Class 12 exams on April 14 due to the rise in COVID-19 cases after a high-level meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal

Also read: Daily Covid-19 cases fall below 3 lakh in weeks, death count stands at 4,106
Amidst the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Monday said it has been asked by the Centre to procure 1 lakh oxygen concentrators.

In a series of tweets, ONGC said it has been asked to procure the concentrators based on its understanding of global supply chain and logistics, and the Centre will bear the cost for the concentrators.

To help India tide over Oxygen shortage during the 2nd wave of #COVID-19, on behalf of Govt. of India, #ONGC has been given the responsibility to procure 1 lakh oxygen concentrators based on its understanding of global supply chain & logistics. - ONGC (@ONGC_) May 17, 2021

The public sector undertaking said it has placed orders for 34,673 oxygen concentrators with overseas vendors for immediate supply. Of these, 2,900 concentrators are expected to be delivered by May 21, while the rest will be delivered in a staggered manner between May and June.

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Russian vaccine Sputnik V now on CoWIN portal

ONGC said it has also placed orders for 40,000 units of concentrators with domestic manufacturers to promote domestic capacity.

& rest in staggered delivery from May to end June 2021. Further, to promote domestic capacity, order has been placed for 40,000 units of Oxygen Concentrators on domestic Manufacturers.#ProudONGCian@narendramodi@dpradhanbjp@PetroleumMin@MoHFW_INDIA - ONGC (@ONGC_) May 17, 2021

The rise in COVID-19 cases because of the second wave of pandemic had led to high demand and scarcity of medical oxygen. Centre and states have been making efforts to augment the supply of oxygen, with private sector companies also pitching in.

India reported 2,81,386 new COVID-19 cases, 3,78,741 recoveries and 4,106 deaths in the preceding 24 hours as of Monday morning.

Also read: Finalise FDI policy on e-commerce! Traders' body say they have had enough
 Flash

China puts forward a four-point proposal regarding escalating Palestine-Israel conflict, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

Wang made the remarks when chairing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on "The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question" via video link.

Wang said that the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine had resulted in a large number of casualties, including women and children. The situation is extremely critical and severe, and a ceasefire and cessation of violence is urgently needed.

The international community must move forward with urgency to prevent the situation from further deteriorating, to prevent the region from falling again into turmoil, and to protect the lives of local people, Wang said.

He said that the Palestinian question has always been the core of the Middle East issue. Only when the Palestinian question is resolved comprehensively, fairly and permanently, can the Middle East truly achieve lasting peace and universal security.

In response to the current tense situation, Wang put forward a four-point proposition:

First, ceasefire and cessation of violence is the top priority. China strongly condemns violent acts against civilians, and once again urges the two sides to immediately stop military and hostile actions, and stop actions that deteriorate the situation, including airstrikes, ground offensives, and rocket launches. Israel must exercise restraint in particular.

Second, humanitarian assistance is an urgent need. China urges Israel to earnestly fulfill its obligations under international treaties, lift all the blockade and siege of Gaza as soon as possible, guarantee the safety and rights of civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory, and provide access for humanitarian assistance. The international community must provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine, and the UN must play a coordinating role to avoid serious humanitarian disasters.

Third, international support is an obligation. The UNSC must take vigorous action on the Palestine-Israel conflict, reiterate its firm support for a "two-state solution," and push the situation to cool down at an early date.

The UNSC has failed to make a unanimous voice due to the obstruction of one certain country. China calls on the United States to shoulder its due responsibilities, adopt a fair stand, and support the UNSC in playing its due role in easing the situation, rebuilding trust, and political settlement.

China also supports the UN, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other countries that have an important influence on the region to play a more active role.

Fourth, a "two-state solution" is the fundamental way out. China supports the two sides resuming peace talks based on a "two-state solution" as soon as possible, to establish an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967 border, and fundamentally realize the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel, realize the harmonious coexistence of the Arab and Jewish nations, and realize lasting peace in the Middle East.

Wang said that, since China assumed the rotating presidency of the UNSC, it has made responding to the current tensions in the Middle East a top priority and pushed the UNSC to deliberate on the Palestinian question many times.

"China will continue to intensify efforts to promote peace talks, and fulfill its duties as the rotating presidency of the UNSC," said Wang, adding that China reiterates its invitation to peacemakers from Palestine and Israel to hold dialogue in China, and welcomes negotiators from the two countries to hold direct talks in China.

Wang urged unity; siding with peace, justice and fairness; standing by the right side of history; and practicing the real multilateralism, to push for the comprehensive, fair and permanent settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date.

For the part of the attendees, they thanked China for chairing the event, and called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of violence between Israel and Palestine, as well as cooling down of the situation while abiding by relevant UNSC resolutions and international laws.

They also believed the UNSC members and the international community should speak with one voice to fairly promote the Palestine-Israel peace talks and the realization of peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with doctors from across the country about their learnings and suggestions on COVID-19, government sources said. They said Modi spoke to groups of doctors involved in COVID care through vide-conferencing.

The doctors were from various regions, including the northeast, and Jammu and Kashmir.

They shared their experiences in dealing with the highly infectious disease and offered suggestions.

Modi has often spoken to experts connected to the medical needs during the pandemic.

Also read: Risk of blood clot due to Covishield vaccine 'minuscule' in India; govt to issue advisory

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Russian vaccine Sputnik V now on CoWIN portal
Amid shortage of vaccine to fight COVID-19, the Kerala government on Monday announced a global tender for procuring three crore vaccine doses. Chief Minister Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state has initiated steps to call for a global tender for sourcing the vaccine doses.

"The tender notification will be issued today," he told reporters here.

Vijayan said the vaccination of those in the 18-44 age group has started in the state.

As announced earlier, vaccinations for those in the 18 to 44 age group will be first given to people who have a serious illness," he said.

After registering on the Central Government''s Cowin website, they should log on to HYPERLINK "http://www. covid19.kerala.gov.in/vaccine/"www.covid19.kerala.gov.in/vacc ine/ using the same phone number and submit the required information, he said.

"In addition, they have to upload the Co-morbidity Form after getting it filled by a registered medical practitioner.Please note that applications without Comorbidity Form will be rejected," he said.

So far, 50,178 applications have been submitted and of these, 45,525 applications have been verified, Vijayan added.

Also read: Risk of blood clot due to Covishield vaccine 'minuscule' in India; govt to issue advisory

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Russian vaccine Sputnik V now on CoWIN portal
An 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' Cyclone Tauktae is 'very likely' to hit Gujarat this evening. The cyclonic storm is currently 160 km southwest of Mumbai. The weather department is predicting winds of up to 200 km per hour.

In anticipation of Cyclone Tauktae, thousands have been evacuated from low-lying areas between Porbandar and Mahuva in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district. Warnings have been issued in Junagarh, Gir Somnath and Amreli. More than 1.5 lakh people have been moved so far. Very heavy rainfall and maximum sustained surface wind speed of up to 190 km per hour is being expected.

In Bharuch and South Ahmedabad, wind speed warnings of 120-140 km per hour with gusts up to 165 km per hour have been issued, while wind speed warnings of 90-100 km per hour with gusts up to 120 km per hour have been issued in Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Morbi and Kheda for early Tuesday.

Officials are expecting damages from Cyclone Tauktae. Kutch, Jamnagar, Valsad, Surat and Vadodara, and interior parts of Ahmedabad district are expected to suffer major damages to thatched and mud houses, embankments, salt pans, coastal crops and trees. Power and communication lines are also likely to be damaged.

As many as 7,000 fishing boats -- 2,200 from Gujarat and 4,500 from Maharashtra -- have safely returned to their harbours. Over 300 merchant ships have been alerted or re-routed.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani urged people to stay indoors and also to ensure electricity supply COVID-19 hospitals and other medical facilities.

According to the National Disaster Response Force head SN Pradhan, 65 NDRF teams have been pre-deployed across coastal areas that are expected to be hit. Ten quick response medical teams and five public health response teams, with stocks of emergency medicines, have also been deployed.

The weather department expects moderate to intense spells of rain with winds in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Palghar and Ratnagiri. Rainfall alerts have also been issued in the Konkan regions, Goa, as well as parts of Rajasthan.

Also read: Cyclone Tauktae to intensify further; here's the list of Do's and Dont's

Also read: Cyclone Tauktae: Maharashtra prepared to ensure oxygen, power supply to COVID-19 hospitals
No flights will depart from or land at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai till 4pm as visibility has dropped below 700 metres in various parts of the city. Earlier, the airport was supposed to remain shut for 3 hours-- from 11 am to 2 pm on May 17 (Monday) due to the cyclone alert.

"Due to cyclone alert, Mumbai Airport operations need to be closed from 1100 hours to 1400 hours of 17th May," an official notification read.

Airlines like IndiGo and Vistara have already issued travel advisories to their customers. Both these airlines have stated that the cyclonic storm Tauktae is likely to affect some of their flights.

The Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines-backed airline Vistara said in its advisory, "Due to the adverse weather conditions expected over the Arabian Sea, flights to and from Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, and Ahmedabad are likely to be impacted till May 17, 2021."

Budget carrier IndiGo also mentioned in its advisory that flights to and from Kannur and Kerala will be impacted due to the cyclone. The airline further noted that customers could visit an option called Plan B to get alternate options or a refund.

Meanwhile, several instances of house collapse, roof collapse, and pole uprooting have been reported from areas like Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, and Thane, according to an ANI report.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued an orange alert for Mumbai, which warned of very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds as the cyclone is likely to pass close to the Mumbai coast on Monday. Civic authorities in Mumbai have set up 5 temporary shelters each in 24 civic wards so that citizens can be shifted there if required.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation also said that the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai will also remain closed for the general public till further notice. The BMC suggested people opt for alternate routes.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal; with agency inputs

Also read: Cyclone Tauktae: Extremely severe cyclonic storm likely to hit Gujarat by evening

Also read: Cyclone Tauktae to intensify further; here's the list of Do's and Dont's

Also read: Cyclone Tauktae: IndiGo, Vistara say flights to be impacted
Shilpa Medicare has entered into a deal with Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) for the production-supply of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. The vaccine will be produced at the company's integrated biologics R&D cum manufacturing center at Dharwad in Karnataka. The three-year definitive agreement with Dr Reddy's will ensure that Shilpa Medicare is responsible for the manufacturing of the vaccine, while Dr Reddy's is responsible for distribution and marketing of the vaccine.

"DRL has partnered with HV/RDIF for clinical development of the vaccine and has distribution rights in geographies including India. DRL will facilitate the transfer of the Sputnik technology to SBPL. Under the agreement, SBPL will be responsible for manufacture of the vaccine, while DRL is responsible for distribution/marketing of the vaccine in its marketing territories," stated the company.Shilpa Medicare is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Karnataka-based Shilpa Biologicals Private Limited (SBPL).

The company aims to produce 50 million doses of the vaccine for the first 12 months from the date of start of commercial production.

The companies are also looking to manufacture the single-dose version Sputnik V Light. "The companies are also exploring the option to manufacture Sputnik Light, a single dose version of the vaccine in the near future. The company views biologics as a strategic growth area and has made signifIcant investments in setting up a high end, flexible biologics facility in Dharwad to cater to the requirements of the fast growing biologics field, that include the adenoviral, subunit & DNA vaccines, monoclonal antibodies & fusion proteins," it said.

Dr Reddy's soft-launched the double-dosed Sputnik V on Friday. Deepak Sapra, senior executive of DRL took the first dose in Hyderabad. The Russian vaccine is priced at Rs 948 + 5 per cent GST, amounting to Rs 995. The first consignment of the vaccine had landed in India on May 1.

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Russian vaccine Sputnik V now on CoWIN portal

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Second batch of Sputnik V lands in India
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza destroyed several homes on Sunday, killing 42 Palestinians, including 10 children, health officials said, as militants fired rockets at Israel with no end in sight to seven days of fighting.

The Israeli military said the civilian casualties were unintentional. It said its jets attacked a tunnel system used by militants, which collapsed, bringing the homes down.

Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, called it "premeditated killing".

As the U.N. Security Council convened to discuss the worst Israeli-Palestinian violence in years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's campaign in Gaza was continuing at "full force".

Netanyahu also defended an Israeli airstrike on Saturday that destroyed a 12-storey building where the Associated Press and the Al Jazeera TV network had offices. He said the structure also housed a militant group's intelligence office and was thus a legitimate target.

"We are acting now, (and) for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israel's citizens. It will take time," Netanyahu said in a televised address after meeting with his security cabinet.

The death toll in Gaza jumped to 192, including 58 children, its health ministry said, amid an intensive Israeli air and artillery barrage since the fighting erupted last Monday.

Ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, Israeli authorities say.

Also read: Death toll jumps as violence rocks Gaza, Israel and West Bank

RESCUE EFFORTS

At the homes destroyed during the Israeli attack in a Gaza neighbourhood early on Sunday, Palestinians worked to clear rubble from one of the wrecked buildings, recovering the bodies of a woman and man.

"These are moments of horror that no one can describe. Like an earthquake hit the area," said Mahmoud Hmaid, a father of seven who was helping with the rescue efforts.

The Israeli military said its aircraft had targeted at a Hamas tunnel system that ran beneath a road in Gaza City.

"The underground military facility collapsed, causing the foundation of the civilian houses above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties," it said in a statement.

The military said it tried to avoid civilian casualties, but said Hamas bore responsibility "for intentionally locating its military infrastructure under civilian houses, thus exposing civilians to danger".

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said: "As usual, Israel is trying to mislead the public opinion through these lies in an attempt to justify the crime and escape responsibility."

Another Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters: "What happened this morning was a pre-meditated killing."

Speaking by phone from Istanbul he said: "The images of what happened and from the scene prove that the buildings were targeted directly, which caused them to collapse."

Also read: 30-year-old Indian woman killed in rocket attack by Palestinian militants in Israel

'UTTERLY APPALLING'

In New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that hostilities in Israel and Gaza were "utterly appalling" and called for an immediate end to fighting.

He said the United Nations was "actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire" and urged them "to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed."

The United States told the Security Council it has made clear to Israel, the Palestinians and others that it is ready to offer support "should the parties seek a ceasefire".

In his address in Israel, Netanyahu said he wanted to "exact a price from the aggressor" and restore deterrence to prevent future conflict.

Hamas began its rocket assault on Monday after weeks of tensions over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near the city's Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Israeli military said that Hamas, an Islamist group regarded by Israel, the United States and the European Union as a terrorist movement, and other armed factions have fired more than 2,800 rockets from Gaza over the past week.

This was more than half the number fired during 51 days in a 2014 war between Hamas and Israel, the military said, and more intensive even than Hezbollah's bombardment from Lebanon during the 2006 war between Israel and the Iran-backed Shi'ite group.

Many of the rockets have been intercepted by an Israeli anti-missile system while some have fallen short of the border.

Also read: Palestinian militants, Israel forces exchange fire for second day; 28 dead

NETANYAHU DEFENDS TOWER STRIKE

On US network CBS's "Face the Nation" programme, Netanyahu said Israel had passed information to US authorities about Saturday's attack on the al-Jala building. Israel had given advance warning to occupants of the building to leave.

The Associated Press has condemned the strike and asked Israel to put forward its evidence that Hamas was in the building.

There was "an intelligence office for the Palestinian terrorist organization housed in that building that plots and organizes terror attacks against Israeli civilians, so it's a perfectly legitimate target," Netanyahu said.

US President Joe Biden's envoy, Hady Amr, arrived in Israel on Friday for talks.

An official with first-hand knowledge of Amr's meetings in Israel said: "He voiced what the administration has been saying openly about Israel having full U.S. support for defending itself.

"He made clear that no one expects Israel to do otherwise, and that this is clearly not something that can be wrapped up in 24 hours," said the official, who asked not to be identified.

Any mediation is complicated by the fact that the United States and most Western powers do not talk to Hamas as a matter of policy.
Sensex and Nifty were likely to open lower today as Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange fell 107 points, or 0.73 per cent, lower at 14,817. On Friday, benchmark indices closed flat today amid concerns over the economic impact of the second wave of COVID-19. While Sensex ended 41 points higher at 48,732, Nifty fell 18 points to 14,677.

Here's a look at stocks which are likely to remain in news today.

Adani Green Energy: The Gautam Adani-led company is planning to buy Japan's SoftBank Group Corp's controlling stake in solar power producer SB Energy, after SoftBank's earlier proposed deal with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board was called off.

Cipla: The pharma major posted a 73% rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 412 crore in Q4 on the back of robust sales across markets. The company is looking to expand its wide portfolio of covid-19 drugs over the next two months with the expected launch of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s antibody cocktail and the generic of baricitinib through voluntary licenses from Merck and Eli Lilly.

Bharti Airtel: The telco will report its March quarter earnings on Monday.

Hero MotoCorp: Two wheeler maker is looking to launch an electric model next year and mark its entry into the segment, a senior company official told PTI. Bullish on the electric vehicle vertical, the company is utilising its Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Stephanskirchen (Germany) based R&D set-ups to develop its own products.

Punjab National Bank: The lender has raised Rs 1,800 crore by selling 53 crore shares on a private placement basis to investors like LIC and Societe Generale.

Larsen & Toubro: Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) reported a 11.3% rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 3,820 crore for March quarter 2020-21. Income during the quarter under review increased to Rs 49,116.16 crore, over Rs 44,905.76 crore in the year-ago period.

Mphasis Ltd: The IT services firm reported a 10.2% year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 316.9 crore in Q4. For FY21, Mphasis' net profit rose 2.7% to Rs 1,216.8 crore. Its revenue from operations grew 7.5% to ?2,524.2 crore in the March quarter from Rs 2,346.1 crore in the year-ago period driven by broad-based growth aided by Europe and Hi Tech vertical in addition to banking and capital markets.

IDBI Bank : The lender's board approved the appointment of Sunit Sarkar, ED (In-Situ) as internal auditor of IDBI Bank with effect from June 01, 2021 in place of M. V. Phadke, ED & Internal Auditor.

Kirloskar Industries: The firm said its offices will remain closed from May 16 till June 1 and all employees of the Company will manage work from home considering the threat posed by Covid-19.

Ramco Cements: The firm has commissioned a much needed oxygen plant at its factory in Ramasamy Raja Nagar in Virudhunagar district of South Tamil Nadu, for the welfare of common people.

Quick Heal Technologies: The firm reported a consolidated profit at Rs 39.73 crore in Q4 against Rs 7.99cr in Q4FY20. Revenue rose to Rs 105.3 cr from Rs 64.25 cr yoy.
Highlights WhatsApp has confirmed no one would lose any functionality of the app.

Some reports previously said features such as calling and posting Status will be stripped off.

WhatsApp's deadline for accepting the new privacy policy was May 15.

In what may be a big relief, WhatsApp has said users who have not accepted the new privacy policy will not lose functionality after the deadline. The Facebook-owned chat app has been prompting millions of its users to accept the privacy policy since January earlier this year. The final deadline for that was May 15.

WhatsApp now requires all its users in India to accept the new privacy policy, a move that has been at the centre of controversies ever since Facebook announced back in January that its users will have to give up a little more data about themselves to help businesses communicate better. And there were many users reluctant to accept the privacy policy that was thrown in their faces through frequent pop-ups in the app. Initially, there was confusion that their WhatsApp accounts would be deleted over -- something that led to the exodus of many users to rival platforms such as Signal and Telegram. Later, however, WhatsApp said it is not going to remove the accounts of these users. Then came another round of rumours that made the privacy policy a nightmare for many users.

These users have feared that WhatsApp will take away features from the app if they do not accept the privacy policy. In fact, this resistance turned into a litmus test for several WhatsApp users. But now, WhatsApp has backtracked, again, on its plans to get users to accept the privacy policy. The Facebook-owned app will not terminate certain functionalities for these users.

"While the majority of users have already approved our update, no one will lose functionality on May 15 if they haven't yet and we'll be sure to provide reminders at a later time," a WhatsApp spokesperson told Mint.

While WhatsApp is no longer going to limit the functionality of its app for both Android and iOS platforms, it is still going to pester users who have not accepted the privacy policy changes. If you are one of these users, you will keep seeing random pop-ups whenever you open WhatsApp on your phone. The pop-up reminds you to accept the privacy policy and that it is important for the company to serve you better. Ever since Facebook sparked off the debate over user privacy with the new changes that will collect more data about you than before, privacy advocates have lambasted Facebook. Not just them, various governments, including that of India, have asked WhatsApp to reconsider its new privacy policy. But both Facebook and WhatsApp have maintained their stance.

"We want everyone to know that this update does not impact the privacy of personal messages. We're providing information about new options we are building to communicate with businesses that people may choose to use in the future," the spokesperson added.

Except for those who live in Europe, the entire user base of WhatsApp will eventually need to accept the privacy policy. And even if WhatsApp has receded in terms of compelling its users into a do-or-die-like situation, it will not stop asking them from agreeing to the new privacy policy. It is possible that you may start seeing these prompts about accepting the privacy policy on Instagram and Facebook, although the company has not said anything about this. But you never know what Facebook can do, especially with the heap of data it already has on you.
Highlights WazirX to compensate investors who bought SHIB at higher price.

Trading platform announces WRX Airdrop program for compensation.

Investors to get compensated over next four months.

WazirX has announced that it will compensate investors who bought Shiba Inu coins on its platforms at the higher price. The trading platform has announced an Airdrop program for the same which will be executed over the next four months. WazirX founder Nischal Shetty tweeted that the WRX Airdrop program will cover investors who bought SHIB token at a very high price and are yet to sell it.

"Announcing WRX Airdrop program for users who bought SHIB at exceptionally high price & did not sell. WazirX is about trust & we have decided to help our users. We will AIRDROP WRX equivalent to your loss!" Shetty tweeted.

The meme cryptocurrency was listed on the platform last week after its sudden popularity. At the time of listing, the SHIB token was valued at around $0.00002 which converts to around 0.0016 INR. The price listed on WazirX was 3 INR. As there was a lot of hype around the Shiba Inu coin, many investors bought it for the listed price, without checking it, largely because of the urgency.

The price returned to the actual cost within hours. Several investors took to social media platforms to share their holdings and claiming how they were robbed. India Today Tech had highlighted the issue last week. However, WazirX has maintained that it had no role to play in it and will ensure that this doesn't happen again.

The platform in a blog post said that for tokens listed under Rapid Listing Initiative, it relies on liquidity provider to provide initial liquidity.

"Today, when SHIB market went live, its deposits and withdrawals took longer to go live due to a misconfiguration. There was also a delay in our liquidity provider bringing in liquidity, and that led to a liquidity crunch in SHIB market. With more people trading, SHIB prices climbed up due to the lack of liquidity," the statement from WazirX added.

Who will be compensated and how?

According to the details shared by WazirX, two categories of investors will be eligible for investing in cryptocurrencies -

-- Who bought SHIB at exceptionally high price and have not sold them.

-- Who bought SHIB at exceptionally high price and sold them after prices normalised.

The platforms said that it will conduct a WRX airdrop program over the next 4 months. As part of the program, investors will be paid WRX equivalent to 25% of their loss every month for the next 4 months.
 Flash

Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and other organizations jointly organized a rally on Saturday in Chinatown in Oakland, the U.S. state of California, against racial discrimination and hate crimes.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, attended the event.

Schaaf greeted the demonstrators in Chinese, saying that she was glad to see individuals and communities have stepped forward to wrap arms around Chinatown to support those who had been subjected to hate and discrimination.

"This is our moment to say no longer," Schaaf said.

According to Rob Bonta, the California attorney general's office and the California Department Of Justice were taking action against hate crimes. "We fight side by side. That does not just be an issue for the API community, because so many communities have faced and suffered the sting of hate in California and throughout this nation's history," he noted.

"Too many times in too many places, people have been hurt and targeted and attacked because of who they are, where they're from, or who they love. And we know that is wrong," Bonta added.

Daniel Wu, an actor growing up in Oakland, participated in the rally and delivered a speech.

"We are clearly seeing a result of the hatred that was spread over the last eight years has disseminated down to the street level and we're seeing it now. And so we need to fight against that," Wu said.

He argued that the solutions would not be short-term. "This is a great moment, but we need to keep pushing and get that door open and keep pushing through against hate against racism and unite together."

During a press conference for the Asian community and media on Thursday in the city, Craig Fair, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of San Francisco field office, said that over the past year, the FBI had seen an increase in the number of reported hate incidents and hate crimes across the United States in California, and in the San Francisco bay area, particularly in Oakland.
Merck Foundation in partnership with African First Ladies and Ministries of Health continues to provide their scholarship of one-year Post-Graduate Diploma and two-year Master degree in both Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes for 628 doctors from more than 42 African, Asian and Latin American countries.



Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany marks World Hypertension Day 2021 in partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Medical Societies and Academia, through their long-term commitment towards building Cardiovascular, Diabetes, and Endocrinology care capacity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.



Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation emphasized, At Merck Foundation, we mark World Hypertension Day every day by providing Cardiovascular, Diabetes and endocrinology care specialty training to African doctors, in partnership with African First Ladies and Ministries of Health, and to doctors from Asian and Latin American countries as well. I am very proud to say that we have so far provided these scholarships to over 628 Medical postgraduates from 42 countries. Additionally, doctors are also enrolled for a three-month Diabetes Master course in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, so as to advance their clinical knowledge in tackling these non-communicable conditions.



Dr. Florence Akumiah, Merck Foundation alumnus from Ghana says, I feel very privileged and happy to be part of this program. I have successfully completed the two-year Master course in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, and the course has enabled me to broaden my understanding of cardiovascular and related diseases and eventually help me in treating the patients better. I am now able to come up with a proper management plan for Hypertension and Diabetes patients. I thank Merck Foundation for their efforts, they are doing a commendable job by providing training for doctors like me who are eager to learn and serve their communities.



As a response to COVID 19, we adopted an online medical education strategy to scale up our efforts to improve access to quality healthcare solutions widely and effectively. We are committed to enrolling more doctors to scholarships in more specialties such as respiratory, acute, Paediatric, oncology, reproductive, urinary to be able to build a platform of healthcare experts and transform the healthcare sector in underserved communities, explained Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.



Merck Foundation has so far enrolled and trained 628 doctors for these scholarships from 42 countries including Bangladesh, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinee Conakry, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Raysut Cement Company

News Summary

Omans largest cement manufacturer, Raysut Cement Company (RCC), which has plans to invest about US$700 million in India, has received CE and NF certifications, two stringent global quality norms validating RCCs adherence to EU standards in cement production.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has asked Israel for any evidence of Hamas operating in a Gaza building housing news bureaus that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike over the weekend
Northwest Michigan needs more housing; the demand is highes for rentals.
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Pictured in this Cadillac News file photo is the land across the street from the gas station, which is visible in the background. In exchange for this land, True North will donate $200,000 toward construction of the new Manton library, which will be built at the current site of the gas station once that structure is demolished.
Chinas latest census shows a drop in the number of overseas residents living in megacities Beijing and Shanghai, and an increase in southern Guangdong province, which has hosted the most overseas residents in China since the 2010 census and is a hub of high technology, manufacturing and foreign trade.

China started its first national population census in 1953 and conducts the population count every 10 years. In 2010, the census started to cover residents from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and foreigners living in the mainland.

According to newly published figures from the seventh national census, there are some 840,000 foreigners living in China. The number shows an increase well above 200,000 foreign residents since the 2010 census, which recorded around 600,000 such people.

The number of overseas residents in Beijing dropped from more than 107,000 in 2010 to around 62,000, while those in Shanghai fell from 208,000 to about 164,000. Guangdong, which hosted more than 316,000 overseas residents in 2010, is now home to more than 418,000 such people.

Guangdong, Chinas most populous province, is known for its economic prosperity and has attracted foreigners working and studying in the region. The regions job opportunities, its proximity to financial hub Hong Kong, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area are further draws. Last year, it had the largest economic output among Chinese provinces.

The southwestern Yunnan province, now hosts the second greatest population of overseas residents after Guangdong, counting more than 379,000 people. Over the past decade, more than 300,000 overseas residents moved to the province, which borders three neighbouring countries, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

The provinces county-level city, Ruili, which saw a surge in local Covid-19 cases in March, borders Myanmar, where residents speak the same language and frequently transit between the two countries.

The latest census has yet to reveal the composition of nationalities recorded in the survey. In 2010, most foreign residents living in China came from South Korea, the United States, and Japan, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Contact editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)

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In todays Caixin energy news wrap: Authorities found 26 individuals accountable for a deadly coal mine fire in Chongqing; Tesla responded to an allegation braking system failure in a Hangzhou crash; China mulls carbon trading for construction materials while Baogang sets a target for peak carbon emissions.

Chemical maker Zangge faces ownership change as court orders stake sale

A court ordered Zangge Holdings Co. Ltd. (000408.SZ) to auction off its largest shareholders stake, resulting in a change of control, the Qinghai-based chemical and fertilizer producer said. The sale will involve a combined 36.76% of the company held by top shareholder Zangge Venture Capital Group and affiliated party Sichuan Yonghong Industrial Co. Ltd. Zangge Holdings has been embroiled in a financial reporting fraud scandal since last year.

China studies carbon trading market for building materials

China may include the building materials industry in the national carbon market, according to China Building Materials News. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment told the China Building Materials Federation to study key issues including quota allocation and measurement standards for building material sectors. The federation will also organize a test run of the carbon market for the industry and assess the operation of the market.

Probe of deadly Chongqing coal mine fire finds 26 officials accountable

The work safety authority in Chongqing found 26 officials accountable in a deadly fire at a coal mine operated by Chongqing Yongchuan Diaoshuidong Coal Industry Co. Ltd. The Dec. 4 incident killed 23 people and injured one, and it caused the economic loss of 26.32 million yuan ($4.1 million), the Chongqing Coal Mine Safety Administration said. Diaoshuidong Coal Industry illegally outsourced equipment removal work to an unqualified company, investigators found.

Ganfeng Lithium considers battery assembly plant in Argentina

Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. (002460.SZ) is assessing the feasibility of setting up a battery assembly plant in Argentina, the company said. Ganfeng Lithium signed a memorandum of understanding last week with the government of Jujuy province in Argentina and the Ministry of Productive Development of Argentina to invest in the Cauchari-Olaroz Project, one of the largest battery-grade brine lithium carbonate production projects in the world.

Zhejiang offshore wind farm starts operation

The Daishan No. 4 Offshore Wind Farm Grid Connection Project, located in the northern waters of Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, was successfully completed and put into operation May 16. The project supplies Yushan Island with green energy. The Daishan No. 4 project is part of Zhejiangs largest offshore wind farm cluster. The project has 54 turbines with an installation capacity of 234 megawatts.

State asset regulator vows to promote SOE restructuring

Hao Peng, director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, pledged to push forward a three-year plan for restructuring state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and to ensure that more than 70% of the tasks are completed by the end of this year. Hao called for the acceleration of an overhaul of the shareholding structure and a business shakeup of SOEs, especially in Northeast China.

Tesla finds braking system operated normally in Hangzhou crash

A Tesla inspection found that the braking system functioned normally in a crash Friday in an underground garage in Hangzhou, the electric car giant said Sunday on social media. A Tesla model 3 hit a wall in the garage, and the owner of the vehicle blamed brake malfunction. Tesla said its investigation found no abnormality in the braking system and said the garage floor was covered in water during a rainy day.

Baogang Group sets peak carbon emissions goal of 2023

Baotou Iron and Steel Group Co. Ltd. (Baogang Group) set goals of reaching peak carbon dioxide emissions in 2023 and carbon neutrality in 2050. Baogang Group said it committed to the process of corporate transformation and upgrading with green development as the ultimate objective.

Eve Energy denies Tesla tie-up talks

Battery maker Eve Energy Co. Ltd. (300014.SZ) denied a media report that it was in talks to become a supplier for global electric vehicle superstar Tesla Inc. Spurred by the report, the Shenzhen-listed stock rose 5.5% Monday, bring total gains to 18% gain since the close last Wednesday.

Transportation services index rose 31.1% in April

A transportation industry index issued by the China Academy of Transportation Sciences indicated strong recovery of freight and passenger transport in China. The April index reached 172.4 in April, up 31.1% year-on-year. The freight component at 196.3 was up 16% while the passenger index gained 101.3% from the same period a year ago.

(weihan@caixin.com)(bobsimison@caixin.com)

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Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database.
Zhengzhou Zoo in Henan province fed animals specially made zongzi on Wednesday, ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival on June 14. Zongzi, also known as sticky rice dumplings, is a traditional food for the festival made of different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Each year, zoos and safari parks across the nation prepare zongzi stuffed with special ingredients suitable for different animals to celebrate the festival

Jun 10, 2021 05:44 PM
 Flash

A Chinese envoy on Sunday vowed to push for UN Security Council action to defuse Israeli-Palestinian tension.

As the Security Council president for the month of May, China will continue to push the council to take prompt action and to speak in one voice, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We must take action in ending the current crisis, especially through political dialogue," he told reporters after a Security Council open debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was requested by China, Norway and Tunisia.

China will continue to work closely with Norway, Tunisia and other members of the Security Council to seek the adoption of a statement by the council, he said. "We sincerely hope that all members will join our efforts for that."

China is very much concerned about the alarming, worrisome situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired Sunday's open debate and comprehensively elaborated on China's position at the meeting, said Zhang.

The most urgent and pressing task at this moment is to cease fire and stop violence. What is equally important is to advance a just settlement of the Palestinian question on the basis of the two-state solution, he said.

"For all of that, the Security Council shoulders heavy responsibilities. We must act to seek immediate de-escalation of the tension, halt hostilities, protect civilians and provide humanitarian assistance to those in desperate need. We must act to bring the Middle East peace process back to the right track, implement relevant United Nations resolutions and reconfirm our support to the two-state solution," said Zhang.

It's obvious that without a just settlement of the Palestinian question, there will be no true peace in Palestine, Israel or the wider Middle East region, he added.

After the Security Council open debate, China, Norway and Tunisia issued a joint statement to demand an immediate cessation of hostilities.

The three countries expressed deep concern about the situation in Gaza and the rising number of civilian casualties, and called for an immediate end to hostilities, full respect for international law, including international humanitarian law, and the protection of civilians, especially children, says the joint statement.

"We demanded an immediate cessation of all acts of violence, provocation, incitement, destruction, and eviction plans. Furthermore, we expressed concern about the tensions and violence in East Jerusalem, especially in and around the holy sites, including at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and urged the exercise of maximum restraint and (called) for the respect of the historic status quo at the holy sites," says the statement.

The three countries reiterated their support for a negotiated two-state solution and called for the intensification and acceleration of diplomatic efforts and support toward that goal.

Sunday's open debate was the first Security Council public event to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the escalation. Previously, the three countries managed to push for two rounds of closed-door consultations of the Security Council.
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After reappearing in Montana range, grizzly killed over cows

Wildlife officials in central Montana have killed the first confirmed grizzly bear in modern times in the Big Snowy Mountains south of Lewistown
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
This car needs little introduction. You, your relative, your friend, or at least someone you know own one. Its a vehicle that transcends so...
Re: Poll: Open the border?

I cannot stress how much I am against opening the Canada USA border!

Until we get the majority of our citizens fully vaccinated the government would be making a grave error if they allowed that border to open.

Canadians are not even allowed outside their health boundaries. Letting Americans once again cross an open border would be a disaster.

If the government and our health authority would allow this, there would be a total revolt. After all, there would no longer be any point in trying to protect ourselves by following the health guidelines.

Our Canadian Government owes it to the citizens of this country to protect our health and our health system.

Please do not let the Americans make decisions for us and endanger our health, the health of our loved ones and the security of our health system!

Marcy Peel
Is Trudeau changing the face of Canada?

From this in 2015 To this in 2021

Photo: Contributed

A picture is worth a thousand words!

The Trudeau of 2015 represented a clean, wholesome, young nation and was given the biggest numerical increase for a Canadian party since Confederation, from 36 seats to 184 seats.

Before the 2019 election, Liberals had lost 7 seats and lost 20 more seats in the election, a decrease from 184 to 157 seats, and only 33.1% of the Canadian vote, less than the Conservatives 34.3%.

With shameful NDP support Liberals have the lowest percentage of the national popular vote of a governing party in Canadian history.

The Trudeau of today, a man who thrives on power and recognition, one who praised Castro often and admires the Chinese Communist Party, claims he will Reset Canada as a pure socialist country.

Heaven help us! He is well on the way to controlling us and has changed his image to support his true charade. An image that most Canadians do not like.

How did Canadians lose their way and choose such an outright Marxist mind to lead this great and glorious free land?

This new image leader of Canada  unshaven, ungroomed, unkempt and unfit to represent our great nation on the world stage  will not lead us to victory.

He has proven that he seeks control by passing unjust laws to take control, laws that are dangerous for democracy.

The truth is that he does not represent most Canadians. He has not earned our trust because of his failure to govern honestly and justly.

What mockery to present himself as the Commander-in-Chief of a great free people while at the same time stifling free speech by controlling the media, corrupting our laws, proroguing parliament and putting us into massive debt to enslave us.

God forbid! Some will think my words pathetic and disgraceful. Are they more pathetic and disgraceful than a PM who shames Canadas greatness and would betray our great democracy to the elite, the Chinese and to UN Communist ideology?

He now presents a visual darkness to Canadians and to the world that reveals his character.

Dont believe his deceit, Canada! He does not know what is best for us.

Ours is a rightfully proud nation whose fathers helped save this world from the tyranny he would cast upon us. We are better than what this face change depicts!

Garry Rayner, Vernon
Photo: DriveBC Box Canyon - S Hwy 5, near Box Canyon Chain-up Area, looking south.

UPDATE 8:36 a.m.

Much of B.C.'s southern interior will also see temperatures plunge from highs of around 30 C reached over the weekend.

A cold front is due to arrive late Monday blanketing the highway summits with as much as 10 centimetres of snow by Tuesday night.

The weather office says unsettled conditions will push temperatures down to the mid-teens in parts of the Interior and especially at higher elevations like the mountain passes, possibly including the Okanagan Connector as well.

The long-range forecast shows sunshine returns across most of B.C. to start the Victoria Day long weekend.

ORIGINAL 6:23 a.m.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for:

Coquihalla Highway - Hope to Merritt

Highway 3 - Hope to Princeton via Allison Pass

Environment Canda is forecasting a cold front to move across southern British Columbia tonight through Tuesday bringing precipitation. As snow levels drop to around 1000 metres overnight, higher elevations of Coquihalla Highway - Hope to Merritt and Highway 3 - Hope to Princeton will receive snow.

As much as 5 to 10 centimetres of total snow accumulation are expected by Tuesday evening.

Weather in the mountains can change suddenly resulting in hazardous driving conditions, check Castanet traffic cameras and DriveBC for latest driving conditions.
Photo: The Canadian Press President Joe Biden arrives at the White House after spending the weekend at his Delaware home, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden will announce Monday that the U.S. will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world in the coming six weeks, the White House said.

The doses would come from existing U.S. production of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine stocks, according White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said more details would be released in the coming days.

It comes on top of the Biden's administrations prior commitment to share about 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet authorized for use in the U.S., by the end of June. The AstraZeneca doses will be available to ship once they clear a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.

Biden is also tapping COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients to lead the administration's efforts to share doses with the world. The Biden administration has yet to announce how they will be shared or which countries will receive them.

To date, the U.S. has shared about 4.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine with Canada and Mexico.
Chinese language competition held in Bulgaria for university students

Xinhua) 13:48, May 17, 2021

SOFIA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Bulgarian national qualification contest of the 20th "Chinese Bridge", a major international Chinese proficiency competition for foreign university students, was held here on Sunday.

The event, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and the Confucius Institute in Sofia, was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with seven students from three universities participating.

Radina Yanuzova, a 23-year-old student from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", won the competition with 95.71 points out of 100. She will represent Bulgaria at the finals in China.

"I think that the 'Chinese Bridge' Competition not only provides a platform for learners of Chinese language in Bulgaria to show their Chinese proficiency, but also creates opportunities for the Chinese people to learn about Bulgaria," Prof. Liu Xiuming, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said in his closing remarks.

The Chinese language learning program in Bulgaria was launched in 1953. Last year, the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria officially introduced curricula for teaching the Chinese language in schools. Many universities, including Sofia University, also have specialties related to the Chinese language and China.

The "Chinese Bridge" competition is organized annually to inspire foreign students to learn Chinese and enhance their understanding of the Chinese culture.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Photo: Matthew Rigby

We made our maiden voyage last Sunday.

It was a perfect day for kayaking. Slightly overcast, not nearly as showy as the clear, blue skies and radiant sun of the days preceding.

It was noticeably cooler, with endless ribbons of pale clouds weaving across the sky. Through the clouds we could still see the sun and feel its warmth upon us, but it was muted.

My partner and I loaded the kayaks onto the roof racks, our old car creaking under the weight as we stood on the wheels and blindly passed the ratcheting straps back and forth.

Once loaded, we headed to Wood Lake, to a quiet pebble beach and our favourite kayak launching point.

Along the way, we passed an elderly lady, partially hunched over, carrying plastic plates to a backyard table covered by a bright-yellow plastic tablecloth. Table settings were spread around the makeshift dining table, and bright-pink-and-purple tulips sat in a tall vase in the middle.

Noticing our curious stares, she smiled and waved.

Farther down the road, we passed an old, steepled Catholic church with a line of cars curled around the building. At the front of the line stood a priest and nun, dressed in their full robes, with blue, disposable gloves on their hands, and their faces covered by a plastic face shield.

The priest was blessing and handing out the communion to participants in their cars, extending the bread and wine (or grape juice and wafers for all I know...) on a round silver tray that had been attached to a long, flat stick.

It might have looked ridiculous to some. It certainly would have in any year before 2020. I didnt find it ridiculous at all. Only strange, and brave, and beautiful.

My eyes began to water, and I looked away, embarrassed at being so unexpectedly overcome. Then, turning toward the passenger seat, I watched my love wipe a finger along her own eye. We drove forward in silence.

We arrived at the beach and unloaded our kayaks. Wood and Kalamalka lakes are connected by a narrow channel,, the small stones clearly visible beneath our boats.

The channel is far too shallow for any, but the simplest fishing boats and kayaks. The spring run off will surely raise it i, and soon enough there will be a cue of boats waiting for their turn through the channel, which is only wide enough for one-way traffic at the slowest of speeds.

However, on this most precious of days, there are no boats upon the water.

We navigate through tall reeds, giving way easily as we glide among them. In time, these shallow coastal waters will be filled with lilies. We travel to the spot where we usually turn around, and I look up to find my partner moving away from the reeds and shore, a good 50 feet in front of me. Heading for who knows where.

I catch up and we continue along the shore. There is no development here, only nature and endless No Trespassing signs. It makes us want to trespass. Makes us wish we had a blanket and some food for an impromptu, illegal picnic. We continue on, just a little further.

We come across an eagle, perched at the top of a solitary pine, higher than all others. We take out our cell phones to attempt to capture her and fail miserably.

Our eyes, though not nearly as powerful or clear as hers, do a much better job of focusing on her, obscuring all other objects in our field of view that are not her, then our cameras do.

This is a wonder, even as we disappointingly return our phones to our pockets.

We come across a small cave covered in sprayed graffiti. Painted across the rocks are names of couples paired together or encased in hearts, graduation classes of numerous years, illegible words partially covered over, and a beautiful rendition of a raven and bear face to face, and a large smiley face painted over the front of them.

With each new sight and landmark, we discuss turning back. Ive known for a while now where my wife is leading me. Its long been her goal to kayak to Z-cliffs, and they have never been closer.

In the silent rhythm of watching the coastline and endlessly cutting through the water, Ive been thinking about David Whytes poem,Just beyond yourself. On the surface, its a simple poem, about living beyond your comforts and familiarities, about extending your boundaries.

"Just beyond yourself.

Its where you need to be.

Half a step into self-forgetting

and the rest restored by what youll meet.



On that day, and most days since, Ive been thinking about the word just, how crucial it is. Just beyond yourself. I think of how my sly wife knew where we were going all along, but kept heading to the next landmark. How she invites me to expand myself by degrees. That the only decision before us is the next, right movement beyond.

Now, the next landmark is Z-cliffs. It is hidden from sight as we approach it, guarded by Canadian geese camouflaged among the grey rock face, hidden and spread among the crevices.

It is a strange sight and one Ive never encountered before, these iconic guardians, stationed and keeping watch. As we round the bend in the rock, the cliffs extend as high as we can crane our necks, the slightest rays of sun peaking through the openings at the very top.

The cameras come out again, and again fail to capture the immensity of it all. How small we feel in the face of it. But they are still glorious pictures.

At Z-cliffs, we finally turn around. We might have stretched the use of the word, just. We were on the water for 3 1/2 hours, and paddled more than 15 kilometres. Later, my sore right wrist would turn out to be tendonitis that would require a few weeks of anti-inflammatories, compression wraps and rest before returning to normal.

Its a price I gladly pay for a day like that.



It occurs to me that this is what all of us are doing right now, or invited into. Going just beyond ourselves.

Thats what elderly woman was doing, setting tulips on a rickety backyard table.

Thats what the priest and nun were doing, extending sacraments on makeshift trays.

What each participant was doing, lining up and taking communion in their car.

Its what we have been doing, with varying degrees of success or acknowledgement, for just over a year now.

We are beckoned further than ever before. The just is strained and difficult so often. We have been flexible, adaptable, exhausted, stretched and strained. All of it. But we are also expanded.

We are all going just beyond ourselves, and we will have to continue to do so. To go beyond where we have been before.

It is the only way forward for each and every one of us, and we will all be the greater for it.
Photo: Flickr: Province of B.C.

Avalanche Canada is receiving a $10-million contribution from the B.C. government to support the delivery of avalanche safety and awareness in mountainous regions.

"Avalanche Canada has been advocating for funding certainty for a number of years, and this grant responds to that need," said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. "The work Avalanche Canada does is vital to our public safety, particularly as interest in winter recreation grows and as the frequency of extreme weather increases due to climate change. I'm pleased we are able to work with this organization to support its important work."

About 75 per cent of all Canadian avalanche fatalities occur in B.C., and about 90 per cent of Avalanche Canada's services are delivered in B.C.

The money will be used to expand Avalanche Canada's regional forecasts to underserved regions in the province, increase its delivery of avalanche safety training for youth and provide more programs for winter recreationists of all types.

"We are very grateful to the Government of B.C. for this funding," said Gilles Valade, executive director, Avalanche Canada. "This ensures long-term sustainability for all our programs and allows us to expand our services to underserved regions of the province."

This investment will also allow Avalanche Canada to leverage the federal funding provided in 2019 to implement the National Avalanche Strategy.

Avalanche Canada is a non-government, not-for-profit organization dedicated to public avalanche safety.
Cement imports to the Philippines are increasing by 6-7% YoY

17 May 2021

CEMAP data showed imports were growing by an average of 6-7 per cent annually. In 2020 approximately 500t of cement arrived from Vietnam, which emerged as the biggest cement exporter in southeast Asia. Vietnam cement accounted for nearly 90 per cent of total imports, CEMAP said.

Meanwhile, many cement manufacturers in the Philippines are pushing for an end to cement imports, citing increased capacities to serve local demand and the industrys depressed profits more than a year into the pandemic.

The Chamber of Cement Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc called on consumers, developers and the construction sector to support locally-produced cement.

"We have enough capacity, and we do not need to import. We're hurting from the shrink on demand for cement. Some of our members, many are publicly-listed, announced declining profitability last year, given the pandemic," CEMAP president Reinier Dixon said.

Cemex Philippines, Holcim Philippines Inc and Republic Cement Builders and Building Materials Inc have submitted a petition for anti-dumping investigation for cement products from Vietnam.

Published under
Chatham, VA (24531)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms in the evening, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Mike Carter and I became close friends over the years after serving with him as members of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Affairs.

I always called him Judge Carter because he was a former General Sessions judge. He and I didn't always agree on some issues, but we never lost our respect and friendship for one another.

Chairman Carter and I talked many times about government issues and he always stayed on top as a champion for the people he represented.

I will miss our visits at our favorite barbecue place. I will miss his wise counsel on numerous issues and the friendships that came with those many conversations.

I remember the last communication I had with him and he said, "Mayor, please pray for me," and I did.

Mike always attended our Cleveland 100 annual meetings honoring our first responders.

I will miss him. No man ever stood taller defending citizen rights than Mike Carter.

Mayor Emeritus Tom Rowland

Mayor of Cleveland 1991-2018

* * *

I was sorry to learn of the loss of my friend Mike Carter. Mike and I both had our office chambers on the 2nd floor in the courthouse just doors apart.

Mike was a wonderful man and a great judge. He was a person of good character and principle. He could be stern or compassionate with people but he was always fair.

While in the legislature he did much for this community. He increased teacher pay, passed legislation to stop emission testing and prevented over aggressive annexation by cities.

He touched many lives.

It is my hope that this community or in particular State District 29 will name something in Mikes honor and carry on his legacy.

Russell Bean

* * *

When you mention Mike Carter in Hamilton County most anyone that has been around these neck of the woods could tell you they have heard of him.

If you were lucky enough to spend some time with him then you know what at great story teller he was and if you listened real close you most likely could learn something from those stories.

He loved to talk about his wife and boys. He would say how lucky he was to have them and how proud he was of them.

One thing is for sure, the citizens of Hamilton County and the great State of Tennessee have lost a man that was looking out for us all.

God bless Mike and his family.

Ben Wilson

* * *

Mike Carter was a kind and good man. In past years Mike found time to stop by for a visit after conducting business in the Courthouse. It was a joy to hear him express his love for Jesus Christ.

When he began serving in the legislature it was an honor to receive a call from him with legislative news of interest, or an email updating me on repeal of the emissions law that he and Senator Bo Watson championed.

More recently, it was my honor to assist him and Joan with business in the Clerks office as he prepared for the future transition.

His outstanding service, friendly smile and the Mr. Clerk he referred to me as will always be remembered and appreciated.

Bill Knowles

Hamilton County Clerk
About five years ago a goofy bunch of Nashville bureaucrats were threatening Orange Grove, Chattanoogas gem for the intellectually and physically challenged adults. In my columns I blistered the bums, letting them know in no uncertain terms the real leaders of our community werent about to let that happen. Yet I was so worried about it I went undercover, privately talking to people who had a vote as a concerned citizen, and Mike Carter, our state representative from Ooltewah, was a quiet yet spectacular giant in the matter.

Mike, just 67, died late Saturday night and here is one where we must bang the funeral drum slowly; as the Indian Proverb reads, Good men must die, but death cannot bury their names. Everybody pulled mightily for him when he was infected with COVID last summer and, then - as he went for the post coronavirus checkup - it was discovered the former Sessions Court judge had pancreatic cancer.

Such a twist of the dagger is notoriously unfair for anyone.

But for Mike Carter it seemed extra cruel because his lifes service to the people was exemplary. He was a very successful lawyer but shelved his practice to serve over eight years as a trial judge in General Sessions Court. That served as a springboard into five terms in the legislature where his legal presence was a clear asset to the Hamilton County delegation. When I heard of his death early Sunday I immediately called my representative, Patsy Hazlewood, who usually is quick to reply but it took two or three hours. And mercy me, did she evermore have a great excuse.

I got married yesterday! she bubbled as suddenly the gloom of her colleagues death turned not quite as bitter. Mike was a great friend and a real asset to the Hamilton County delegation, but also to the entire state. His legal mind, and his grasp of the law, will be sorely missed on the legislature. He was wise and wonderful, she said.

But not quite as wonderful as Crossville doctor, David Litchford, M.D., who married Patsy in a quiet ceremony at Signal Presbyterian Church conducted by Rev. Bill Dudley on Saturday. Davids sons  Will and Mark  both graduated from McCallie, as did Ben, Patsys son.

Patsy said after Mikes diagnosis he returned to the legislature, albeit briefly. Rep. Carter was very fair, very thoughtful, and quite effective. A man like Mike will be missed.

Procedurally, when a legislator leaves an open seat in mid-term, the county commissioners will appoint an interim legislator until a special election can be held. But because 2020 is an election year, the interim choice could be asked to serve until next year, when an August primary and a general election in November will create a fulltime representative for the states District 29. The district includes East Hamilton, Collegedale, some Soddy-Daisy addresses, Bakewell, and Sale Creek.

The County Commission is already faced with finding a replacement for the ever-wise Chester Bankston, who has decided to move to Florida and will resign from the commission effective on the last day of this month. Two days later the remaining eight seated commissioners will choose a successor from eight candidates who have qualified: Shannon Stephenson, Jeff Eversole, Steve Highlander, Dean Moorhouse, Tunyekia Adamson, Andrew Mullins, Rob Healy and Charles Lowery Jr.

I hope these and every elected official will remember what Mike told me during the Orange Grove crisis: When Government cannot help its weakest, it cannot help anyone.

We are finding out our state officials are blaming the federal government and thats not always true. Orange Grove is far too precious and serves so many to be mistreated so  no, that wont happen! I remember I bought the 5 Guys burgers we had shared and my reward? I had Mike Carters word. I never fretted over Orange Grove again.

* * *

I am hardly so presumptuous to project what I do not know but, because of my faith, I believe that Saturday night, a very sick Rep. Mike Carter drifted away, and, in the twinkling of an eye, he stood before our Lord Jesus, and  what this?  The Big Book remained closed! Please, all of Mikes short comings and misdeeds forgiven long ago. As he stood before the Master, the judge was rendered his eternitys sentence: Well done my good and faithful servant.

Well done, indeed, Mike Carter.

Glory.
Isiah Ike Hester helped operate a commercial cleaning business for a number of years before entering politics, and he has also served as a church pastor.

Now that he has also begun serving as the new District 5 representative on the Chattanooga City Council, he hopes to use these tidying up and community restoration skills to build upon the citys accomplishments and focus on needed improvements.

As the 54-year-old amicably chatted over the phone last week as he was leaving a restaurant  where he could be overheard saying hello to several people  he mentioned a long list of ideas he hopes to see implemented.

They include ensuring that more kids are involved with early childhood education, increasing the wages for city workers, making sure young people have opportunities to become entrepreneurs, and helping people feel safe in their homes and their communities.

Smart and equally distributed residential development and older generational mentoring are two other issues important to him.

One reason I got into running for the City Council is I thought there was a void in District 5, where some of the needs werent being met, he said.

Weve been hurt when it comes to economic development and having a voice and all types of opportunities.

His road to being successfully elected in his district and trying to implement some of these ideas was one that was heavily traveled and featured an additional obstacle or two.

After an unsuccessful run for Hamilton County Commission in 2014, he was one of five candidates this year trying to replace Russell Gilbert, who decided to vacate his Council seat to make an unsuccessful bid for mayor. Then, after Mr. Hester finished second to Hamilton County Democratic Party vice chairman Dennis Clark in the regular election, former Councilman Gilbert endorsed Mr. Clark.

But Mr. Hester focused on determination instead of being deterred, and he was elected over Mr. Clark by a vote of 1,598 to 1,332 in the runoff on April 13.

And now that he has been elected, he is enjoying trying to serve and make a difference in the life-changing position where he gets to be the lead voice of this district located east of the Tennessee River.

Its really exciting, he said of getting to represent such Brainerd areas as Brainerd Hills, Dalewood and Woodmore, such Highway 58 neighborhoods as Lake Hills and Murray Hills, his home neighborhood of Washington Hills near Jersey Pike, and Kings Point near Amnicola Highway, among other communities. Its definitely an adjustment, but rewarding, too.

But it became obvious during the conversation that he does not consider it too big a challenge, as he was raised with high expectations.

He spent his early years on Walker Road in Orchard Knob, but the family of Albert and Mildred Hester moved around to such places as South Carolina, Macon, Ga., Jacksonville, Fla., and Memphis as his father became a construction company owner while also serving as a pastor.

We came from humble beginnings, Mr. Hester said. It was rough at first.

His full family history could actually make for an additional story or two.

His fathers relatives had been among those involved in the famous Tent City incident of the civil rights movement, where black sharecropping families who had tried to register black voters in the early 1960s in Fayette County, Tn., were kicked out of their homes or blacklisted. They were able to camp on the land of a sympathetic black owner, and the national attention eventually brought improvements to voting registration there.

Mr. Hester was also one of 10 children, and each one went to college, with some eventually adding Ivy League colleges and advanced degrees to their resumes.

My father stressed faith and education, said Mr. Hester.

The younger Hester is continuing his education to this day by being an avid reader, he said, adding that he was currently reading two books, including the Chattanooga historical book, Old Money, New South, by Dean Arnold.

After attending Northside and Central high schools in Memphis, he enrolled at UTC, where he was in the Student Senate and also was president of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

After college, a fraternity brother approached him with the idea of the two starting a commercial cleaning service, and he has done that for a number of years.

He and his wife, Patrice, a Brainerd High graduate whom he met at UTC, have two children and have lived in Washington Hills for 27 years. He has been active with his neighborhood association as vice president, and that set that the stage for an interest in serving in local government.

As he expounded on some of his social goals, they included maybe having grandparents even more involved in mentoring kids, saying young boys and others might listen to them better than even to their own parents. He also sees a need for some police reform with a more personal touch.

I wish for the day when police officers know the names of kids at the recreation center or the older people at the grocery store, he said.

And, of course, zoning issues regarding future development are always important for the City Council. In that area, he thinks not enough affordable housing can be found, and he feels some areas are overbuilt.

On the other hand, some places like in his Highway 58 area still have some secluded areas that might be good for residential developments without encroaching on properties around them or causing too much traffic and stormwater runoff issues.

Whatever the zoning issue, he plans to take a common sense approach, he added. Ill never vote for any zoning that doesnt make practical sense, he said.

He also wants to take a sensical approach to his overall role, saying he simply wants all residents to enjoy all that Chattanooga has to offer.

Mr. Hester said he also wants to offer all his own gifts, adding that he has also spent time over the years - before the pandemic affected churches - serving as an assistant pastor.

In all that he does, this fourth-generation minister tries to let his Christian faith guide him, he said.

To me there is no reality without God, he said. I put God first. As I ran for the City Council, I asked God to help give me wisdom and understanding to give to the people.

And so far, it has all worked out well on the City Council, he added.

I love people and enjoy working with people and serving people, he concluded.

* * * * *

Editors Note: This is the third and concluding story on the three new Chattanooga City Council members elected in 2021.

To see the story on new District 7 Council member Raquetta Dotley, read here.

https://www.chattanoogan.com/ 2021/5/3/427631/How-Raquetta- Dotley-Went-From.aspx

To see the story on new District 2 Council member Jenny Hill, read here.

https://www.chattanoogan.com/ 2021/5/10/428024/How-Jenny- Hill-Became-Chattanooga-s.aspx

* * * * *

Jcshearer2@comcast.net
A male inmate at the Bradley County Jail, brought in for a traffic incident, collapsed in the booking area following his initial intake. He was identified as Matthew Crisp. He was transported to Tennova Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at approximately 5 a.m.

At approximately 2 a.m., a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on I-75 in Bradley County. An attempt was made to stop the vehicle, followed by a pursuit after the vehicle refused to stop. The vehicle traveled into McMinn County and wrecked. Upon EMS arrival to the traffic incident at approximately 2:19 a.m., both suspects refused medical attention. Both suspects were taken into custody and transported to the Bradley County Jail without incident.

Sheriff Steve Lawson contacted District Attorney General Steve Crumps office, requesting an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, who arrived shortly after and began their work.

Crisp was to be transported to the Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy to determine cause of death.


David Leroy Buckner of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, died comfortably at the Tennessee Veterans Home on April 28, 2021.

He was born on July 18, 1929. Mr. Buckner attained the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army, and the Army was the best part of his life.

After entering the military as an enlisted man and serving in Korea, he worked his way up through the ranks to retire as a general. He began his commissioned service in the United States Army upon successful completion of Officer Candidate School Class number 11, 10 April 1952. In February 1953, he was sent to Korea, where he was a Second Lieutenant and performed the duties of Platoon Leader and then Battalion Adjutant before his return stateside. Buckner served as Executive Officer in A Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 325th Inf., Fort Bragg, North Carolina. At Fort Benning, Georgia, he attended the Officer Advanced Course and Ranger School. After completion of several Special Forces Schools, Buckner became a Detachment Commander, A Company, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Badtoltz, Germany, where he remained until February 1964. He also served as Battalion Commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, 1968-69. Returning to Germany, he served in the Berlin Brigade as a Battalion Commander. He was selected to attend the prestigious National War College in Washington, D. C. Additionally, he served in two positions at the Pentagon. Later he returned to Fort Bragg as a Colonel for the 1st Brigade from 1974  1976 and then returned to Fort Benning as head of the Airborne Department, where he was promoted to Brigade General. He returned to South Korea as Assistant Division Commander of the 2nd Division and later completed his 32-year career at McDill Joint Command in Tampa, FL.

General Buckner had more than 500 parachute jumps with specialties of Ranger, Master Parachutist, Pathfinder, Marine Wings, and Aviator. His awards and decorations include: Distinguished Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, 2d award; Legion of Merit w/One Oak Leaf Cluster; Bronze Star Medal; Air Medal w/l Oak Leaf Cluster; Purple Heart; and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross w/Gold Star.

General Buckner spent his entire military career with former wife Ellen Buckner, who supported him along the way. They both loved military life.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Sharon Buckner, parents, Hiram and Eugenia Buckner, and his brother, Carl Buckner. He is survived by sister, Esther Gray (Orval) of Woodbury, nephew, Steve Buckner (Laura), and many other nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at the Tennessee State Veterans Home for the excellent and loving care he received while staying there and to the staff at Adams Place for their care during his stay in assisted living.

After a private family service in Murfreesboro, he will be buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

All The Way, Sir.
Tennessee Valley Authority is investing $7.3 million in a new School Uplift program over the next three years. School Uplift trains school personnel to reduce their schools energy use and save money. The state of Tennessees Energy Efficient Schools Initiative is partnering with TVA and has provided an initial $600,000 in matching funds.

"Tight budgets and aging buildings have left many schools facing the difficult choice to fund learning programs or facility upgrades. A new program by the TVA will help 160 public schools in seven states solve that problem," officials said.



Every dollar invested in our schools helps districts allocate resources to where it matters most  educating our children  and were excited to bring School Uplift to our schools, said Cindy Herron, vice president of TVAs EnergyRight program. EnergyRights mission is to partner with local power companies to transform lives and communities with industry-leading energy services and programs. Helping schools save money on their energy costs and improve learning environments is an important investment in the Valleys future.



Eleven schools completed the School Uplift pilot, learning to save energy and competing to earn grants for building upgrades and solar pavilions.



The first schools to earn energy upgrade grants worth $400,000 each include:

 Bledsoe County High School, Pikeville.

 Van Buren High School, Spencer.

 Pickett County K-8, Byrdstown.



"On average, pilot schools have already saved nearly 20 percent on their annual energy bills from behavior changes alone. The energy upgrade grants will provide much needed facility upgrades with a focus on further reducing energy consumption and costs," officials said.

Schools awarded TVA-funded grants for solar pavilions include:

 Pine Haven Elementary, Jamestown.

 Pickett County High School, Byrdstown.

 South Fentress Elementary, Grimsley.

 Pikeville Elementary, Pikeville.

 Spencer Elementary School, Spencer.



"TVA is a leader in renewable energy, and the solar pavilions will function as outdoor classrooms while demonstrating solar power to a new generation of students," officials said.



Tennessee has the best teachers in the nation, and we need our classrooms to match that standard to give students the best learning opportunity, said Scott Slusher, EESI deputy director. Making our schools more energy efficient will pay dividends for years to come.



In 2008, the Tennessee General Assembly started EESI with $90 million. To date, over $102.5 million has been approved for projects that improve the energy efficiency in Tennessees public K-12 schools  saving schools more than $43 million in energy costs. TVA is now looking for additional state agency partners for matching funds.



TVA EnergyRight will be recruiting schools interested in participating in the 2022-2023 program. Visit https://energyright.com/business-industry/school-uplift/ for more information.
Among the most important pieces of legislation this year was the Tennessee Opportunity Act, which establishes a long overdue, responsible and responsive approach to administering Tennessees annual federal block grant of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families dollars. Key provisions of the bill which we championed will establish a reasonable TANF reserve, deploy the funds to where the need is, and through rigorous evaluation will ensure we ultimately scale up what works to promote family self-sufficiency and depart from low-performing options.

In late 2019, when a Beacon Center report revealed that Tennessees regular underutilization of the annual TANF block grant had led to a $732 million unspent balance, Speaker Sexton and Lt. Governor McNally had the wisdom to establish a legislative working group. The charge was to assess the program and identify ways to make it more effective and accountable.

As two of the legislators serving on the TANF working group, we became clear that improving the TANF program would include maintaining a reasonable unspent balance for rainy days, but that deploying the federal TANF block grant more fully going forward would also be important. As we peeled back the layers and focused on program potential, it was also quite clear that how well Tennessee utilizes funds will prove more important than how much is spent.

In working with the Lee Administration, members of the TANF working group Chaired by Rep. Bryan Terry, and the nonprofit community, especially Tennesseans for Quality Early Education, we are pleased to have supported sweeping strategic changes to our states TANF program.

Thanks to legislation, there is established an ongoing TANF reserve balance of $191 million  a years worth of block grant dollars. This approach is consistent with Tennessees fiscal conservatism and will position us in the top tier of states TANF reserves. Being nimble to economic conditions is important and this change enables Governor Lee and his successors to have flexibility to draw down on the reserve in the case of state-declared emergencies or if the unemployment rate becomes a concern. Following any such use, replenishing the fund balance will be required.

A likewise significant part of the legislation will strategically deploy $182 million of Tennessees $700+ million unspent balance for the Tennessee Opportunity Pilot initiative. Through the pilot six communities will be awarded up to $25 million each over three years to implement locally driven, evidence-informed initiatives to strengthen families and promote economic self-sufficiency. Key to the pilot program is that it will include a rigorous evaluation by a third party, as well as oversight by an advisory board working with Tennessee Department of Human Services to review and approve applications, track performance and make recommendations for future TANF spending. It is our intention that Tennessee more rigorously measures TANF investments, scales up what works, and departs from low-performing options.

As for the annual block grant, this legislation ensures future funds other than the rainy day balance they are fully allocated, and that those funds are deployed in counties throughout the state proportionally to their share of children in poverty. This approach will ensure that that money regularly gets to where the need is  equitably across urban, rural, and suburban communities.

Our work with the Lee Administration and the nonprofit community to develop these changes was a true collaborative effort and exemplifies how the legislative, executive and nonprofit communities, working together, can responsively and responsibly invest to improve the quality of life for Tennesseans.

Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson)

Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville)
Bradley, Hamilton and Sequatchie are among 21 school districts that have been awarded grants for the Innovative High School Models program, as announced today by the The Tennessee Department of Education. The grants are intended to foster local community partnerships that boost student readiness and prepare high schoolers for jobs and careers in their local communities.



The goal of the Innovative High School Models program is to encourage strong, strategic and innovative partnerships between Tennessee public school districts, postsecondary education institutions and local employers to reimagine how to prepare students for success after high school, officials said.



Tennessee is investing $30 million to encourage school districts to reimagine the possible and create innovative, high-impact high school experiences for all students by developing strategic partnerships with business and industry in their local community, said Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

Building upon our state's history of strong public-private partnerships, the Innovative High Schools Models program will provide more opportunities for students to explore and succeed in high-demand careers, for industry to develop local talent, and for schools to creatively meet the needs of their community.Officials said, "In total, $30 million in grant funding was awarded through a competitive application process, with individual grant awards from $750,000 to $2 million, to establish strategic partnerships that accelerate and increase student attainment of high-quality, in-demand postsecondary credentials."The grant awardees were selected based off their commitment to rethink and revision high school educational models  from the use of time and space, entrance requirements, instructional practices and modes of learning, scheduling and mentorship and training opportunities available to students  to provide new and additional pathways for students to be prepared for postsecondary success."These Innovative High School Models are another important step in connecting education to work, said Commissioner Jeff McCord, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Its initiatives like these that help increase the prosperity of young people and the communities in which they live.The 21 Tennessee school districts receiving grants, including a brief summary of their strategic partnership(s), are as follows:

 Hamblen County Schools: Turning Pathways into Highways is a Workforce Ready Partnership with Cocke County Schools to move students through career awareness, exploration and immersion via high quality CTE programs of study.

 Gibson County Special School District: Pathways to Success Project allows students to attend high school through a modified school day at a partnering employers facility instead of the traditional classroom setting on a high school campus while also participating in a Career Advisement Program.

 Rutherford County Schools: Empower Today's Students to Grasp Tomorrow's Opportunities will offer industry certification training classes after school hours and allow students to participate in employer led boot camps on jobs to learn soft and entry-level skills.

 Macon County Schools: TAPping Beyond Boundaries will support a state-of-art TAP Program of Study for students from Macon and Jackson Counties by accelerating and developing the next generation of teachers by reimagining modes of learning, time and partnerships.

 Clarksville-Montgomery County School System: The vision of CMCSS and this partnership is to be the leaders in innovative workforce development by meeting the vital needs of business and industry through the reimagining of the high school model with meaningful and seamless transitions from secondary to post-secondary to careers.

 Bradley County Schools: PIE Innovation Center will create an innovative student experience through collaboration with business, industry, and nonprofit organizations changing learning pathways, providing experiential learning in STEM, embedded work-based learning experiences, and the promotion of design thinking.

 Shelby County Schools: Shelby County Schools will transform Bolton High School into a nationally prominent AgriSTEM high school where time, space, partnerships, and modes of learning have been reimagined throughout the school.

 Oak Ridge City Schools: Oak Ridge will be creating i-School, an integrative ecosystem learning model, that includes a school-based enterprise, solving real-world problems with iterative models, and design thinking and will collaborate with Roane State Community College, The University of Tennessee, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (ORNL MDF).

 Wilson County Schools: Wilson County Early College will grow their own workforce in high-demand, high-wage careers by aligning middle school and high school CTE programs to early college programs that allow students to earn industry certifications and associate degrees while in high school.

 Cheatham County Schools: Cheatham County Schools, in partnership with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville, Cheatham County Economic and Community Development Board and Cheatham County industries, A.O. Smith and Nashville Fabrication, will create a welding and automotive pipeline program in order to ensure a strong future workforce in both Cheatham County and Middle Tennessee.

 Hardeman County Schools: Hosted primarily at Lone Oaks Farm, an outdoor, STEM education center of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, a new high school program will give students an opportunity to gain postsecondary credit and obtain industry approved credentialing and professional certifications.

 Alcoa City Schools: TCAT Knoxville and the Alcoa Tornadoes- Funneling Students Into Successful Health Care Careers- will allow students to become part of the nursing pipeline for the area healthcare industry by reducing barriers to early postsecondary opportunities and providing supports and experiences so that all students can achieve success.

 Collierville Schools: Collierville High School will collaborate with Helena Chemical, Rantizo Drones and with local global transportation and logistics company, FedEx, to provide a pathway to career opportunity in the agricultural industry as well as in the transportation/logistics pathway.

 Hamilton County Schools: Hamilton County Schools and Chattanooga State Community College will create a MicroCollege program to provide a core set of introductory college courses during high school and offer a supportive environment in which students can earn dual credit toward their high school diploma and introductory college courses.

 Bristol Tennessee City Schools: The new Tennessee High School Viking Career Center, an off-site innovative alternate learning program, will provide personalized educational and work-based learning options for students who choose an alternative pathway.

 Carter County Schools: Carter County Schools will partner with Northeast State Community College and TCAT in Elizabethton to better prepare students for career readiness.

 Cumberland County Schools: Cumberland County Schools will partner with Azure Flight Support to assist with the development of a training curriculum and provide expertise to train simulator instructors in flight.

 Wayne County Schools: Collinwood High School will transform the Bevis Educational Center into a forestry training center for students to take traditional and postsecondary coursework and access work-based learning opportunities.

 Jackson-Madison County Schools: Innovation Impact Institutes will be created through a partnership between JMCSS and community organizations and postsecondary institutions to provide educational experiences for students through nontraditional schedules, learner-paced curriculum, and work-based learning opportunities.

 Tullahoma City Schools: Tullahoma Virtual Academy (TVA) will provide students three possible pathways for accessing TVA courses: full-time virtual, FLEX, and part-time virtual. Students will have the ability to customize their high school experience and support their individual needs.

 Sequatchie County Schools: Reimagine Sequatchie County High School by Building UP STEAM will provide students with work-based learning opportunities, internships, apprentice opportunities, practicum experiences, and dual enrollment opportunities with partners in the community.



"This program will also help reinforce the work of the Tennessee Pathways model, which supports alignment among K-12, postsecondary, and industry partners to provide students with relevant education and training to jumpstart their postsecondary degrees and credentials," officials said.



The Innovative High School Models Grant initiative provides school systems with the opportunity to rethink their traditional approaches to education and provide students with increased opportunities to achieve postsecondary credentials and workplace skills, said Brandon Hudson, senior director of Workforce and Economic Development for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. It is exciting to know that school districts now have the opportunity to meet students needs through innovative and non-traditional means. No longer will time and space be a barrier for students in reaching all their postsecondary and career-ready goals. Through increased partnerships and innovative modes of learning, these districts can now put all students, especially those often underserved in the traditional approach to education, on a pathway to success.



This grant program is funded with federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funding.
Aside from their fame and lavish lifestyles, celebrities arent too different from the average person. The famous faces and names of Hollywood have been known to rock sweatpants, run errands, and, of course, indulge in a guilty pleasure or two. Speaking of, some celebrities have been in the spotlight for their unique and slightly weird eating habits.

Andrew Zimmern is one of the many celebs who have been put on blast for his unusual food-based obsession. See which other celebrities have revealed their abnormal food preferences, and what the deal is with Zimmern and his condiment collection.

Andrew Zimmern | Noam Galai/Getty Images

Andrew Zimmern and other celebs with strange food interests

I love pasta with LOTS of greens. Its quick, easy and economical. I always have greens in my house and make this dish all the time. This is a delicious way to cook a healthy and nutritious weeknight dinner. Watch now: https://t.co/0EL54TSHSy pic.twitter.com/envQkT0VW5  Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) February 12, 2021

RELATED: Donald Trumps Eating Habits and What He Gets Ridiculed For the Most

Delishs food-inspired feature shared some of the most popular celebrities bizarre eating habits. Quite frankly, many fans and followers were probably shocked at what they discovered. Channing Tatum once admitted that Cheetos are his secret ingredient when making the classical peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Back in 2016, Dale Earnhardt Jr. put social media in an uproar when he revealed white bread, mayo, and bananas were the ingredients behind his go-to sandwich.

Speaking of sandwiches, Jennifer Lawrence is another celebrity known for having a unique take on the popular food item. The talented actor shared the details behind The Chili Pizza Sandwich, Lawrences trademark creation. The title says it all. As Justin Bieber once said, never say never. Zimmern was another celeb listed amongst the peculiar confessions. Take a look back at Zimmerns career and the details behind his abnormal food obsession.

Andrew Zimmerns journey to fame and success

Everyone needs a laugh during Election Day so go watch Part 3 of World's Best Ballpark Foods I made this 16 years ago. Laugh guaranteed. https://t.co/BsDGl5Ms7C pic.twitter.com/O8GeGZ9R0p  Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) November 3, 2020

RELATED: Food Network Viewers Want More Replays of Classic Shows, Less Guy Fieri

Zimmerns story of success is a triumphant one. Born in 1961, Zimmern was interested in cooking and the culinary industry from a very young age. After attending The Dalton School and Vassar College he jumped into the restaurant business, and despite being incredibly skilled, Zimmern was struggling with addiction. Zimmerns battle with addiction led him to living on the streets for a year. Thanks to the help of his friends, he was able to get sober and turn his life around.

Andrew Zimmerns impressive career

Join me LIVE at 5PM CT on my IG account (chefaz). I will be making the worlds most popular noodle dish! Join me for 30 minutes of cooking, some laughs and, of course, all your questions pic.twitter.com/qsuuQKJfNl  Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) October 8, 2020

In 1992 Zimmern became an executive chef. Just a few years later Zimmern was filming what would be the pilot of his show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. The television series premiered on Food Network in 2006 and aired for twelve seasons. The famous chef explored some of the most unique and unusual ingredients and recipes across a variety of cultures.

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern was such a hit that Zimmern went on to create quite a few spinoffs. The Best Thing I Ever Ate and Whats Eating America are just a few of the many productions the famous chef has appeared in over the years.

Andrew Zimmern has a condiment collection in his fridge

RELATED: Andrew Zimmern Will Eat Everything But These 3 Foods

Zimmern was one of the 40 celebrities Delish highlighted for their unusual eating habits. Considering that Zimmerns specialty is all things bizarre, it does only seem fitting for the talented chef to have some peculiar habits of his own. The Delish feature discussed his inclinations for collecting mustard. Zimmerns fridge has mustards from Poland, Japan, China, and the Czech Republic. Some people collect stamps, whereas others collect condiments. Though it may come across as strange to others, it definitely seems to be the norm for Zimmern.
Vinny Guadagnino and DJ Pauly D are working on a new season of Double Shot at Love. Despite dating a whole new group of women, some fans have noticed Guadagnino flirting with an ex-girlfriend from seasons 1 and 2. Heres what Double Shot at Love fans think this could mean for Double Shot at Love Season 3.

Vinny Guadagnino | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Double Shot at Love cast is currently filming season 3

Double Shot at Love will return later this year with all-new episodes. This time, the Keto Guido is once again looking for love. He and his off-the-market best friend, Pauly DelVecchio, are currently filming in Arizona Adero Resort.

With the help of DelVecchios Double Shot at Love girlfriend Nikki Hall, Guadagninos future relationship is in the best hands. Together, the MTV power couple will help Guadagnino find the woman thats right for him.

While Guadagnino is actively searching for love in Arizona, he has also been busy on social media. Some fans noticed a recent comment on his ex-girlfriends Instagram that feels extra flirty.

Guadagnino and Elizondo formed a connection in season 1 of Double Shot at Love. Although she wasnt his final girl, Elizondo returned in season 2, and the two gave their relationship another shot. Despite going on a legitimate date and hooking up during the second season, Guadagnino and Elizondo left Las Vegas single.

RELATED: Double Shot at Love Fans Are Expecting This Jersey Shore Roommate to Appear in Season 3

In the past, Guadagnino has addressed fans who question why hes not with Elizondo. Because we dont want to be [together]? Guadagnino said on his Instagram Stories. Still, despite not wanting to be in a relationship with Elizondo, many fans are confused by Guadagninos flirtatious actions.

Vinny Guadagninos flirting with ex-girlfriend Maria Elizondo from Double Shot at Love

Elizondo posted a 70s-inspired look on Instagram recently. Guadagnino, who is fearless on social media, wrote: Vinny should marry Maria. Many fans were happy to see this, showing their support of a Guadagnino/Elizondo relationship in the comments.

Meanwhile, some fans on Reddit were perplexed by Guadagninos flirty comment. Why does Vinny continue to comment like this on Marias IG? a fan asked. The general consensus is that Guadagnino makes these comments for attention.

Vinny and Maria are so in love lol #DoubleShotAtLove  Val Santos (@ValSantosOnAir) August 28, 2020

If he wanted to be with her they would be together, one Double Shot at Love fan replied. I wonder if he is difficult to be in a relationship with  TV makes it seem that way.

Other fans took notice of Elizondos lack of response. Shes clearly over it, and I would be too, says another fan. Its a tired and lame joke at this point.

Still, some think history could be repeating itself. I guess this means whoever he chose as the winner of DSAL3, hes doing to the winner what he did to Alysse [Joyner], another fan pointed out.

Alysse Joyner and Vinny Guadagnino didnt work out after Double Shot at Love Season 1

At the end of Double Shot at Love Season 1, Guadagnino asked Joyner to give a relationship with him a shot. Since the first minute we chilled with each other, I [have] always drawn to you, he told her in the finale. Its effortless when I hang out with you. I know youre shy and introverted, and I am, too. But if youre ready for a shot at love, so am I.

Unfortunately, their relationship was over by the time the reunion special took place. According to Joyner, Guadagnino didnt text her when they couldnt see each other immediately after filming the show. She also made other accusations about Guadagninos desire to be with her.

Will the third time be the charm for Guadagnino? Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for updates on when Double Shot at Love Season 3 will air.
Kate Winslets all for Mare Sheehans look on HBOs Mare of Easttown. The Oscar winner had the best response when executives at HBO questioned her characters look (read: a wardrobe of mostly flannel shirts, hair almost always in a ponytail, and practically nonexistent makeup).

Kate Winslets Mare of Easttown character doesnt give a sh*t what she looks like

Kate Winslet on Mare of Easttown | Michele K. Short/HBO

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The limited series isnt based on a book and Winslet doesnt consider it a thriller. She stars on the show as a small-town detective. While trying to solve a local murder her character deals with family drama and trouble at work. The last thing shes concerned with is her appearance.

Sheehans hair is almost always in a haphazard ponytail. As for makeup, she only wears what little she owns on the occasional date. According to Winslet, its all part of her character. In a May 2021 IndieWire interview, she described Sheehan as a hot mess.

Mare Sheehan is  shes kind of disgusting, Winslet said. Shes a hot mess most of the time, she doesnt give a sh*t what she looks like, shes kind of stopped caring what people even think about her.

When Sheehans not responding to calls from people in her tight-knit community or trying to solve crimes she can usually be found drinking beers and poring over case files in sweatpants.

Kate Winslet told HBO executives she had to look like sh*t on Mare of Easttown

RELATED: Mare of Easttown: How Many Episodes Is the HBO Series?

Winslet told The Times of London before Mare of Easttowns April 2021 premiere what happened when HBO executives saw her in early footage from the show, which was filmed in Pennsylvania. She shared how network execs went to the Mare of Easttown creative team with questions about her look.

HBO said, Does Kate have to look so  And I said, What, like sh*t? Yes. Kate does have to look like sh*t, Winslet recalled.

The actor, who is also an executive producer on Mare of Easttown, told IndieWire the looks part of the character.

We made decisions creatively that this was a woman who looked at herself in the mirror when she brushed her teeth in the morning and would not look in the mirror again [all day], Winslet said. Thats just who she is. Thats like most busy mothers I know  thats like me. It really is.

Its also a little bit more than that. Its part of an effort by Winslet to take on roles that dont encourage unattainable ideals.

Yeah, I am older, the 45-year-old actor told The Times of London. I look like crap sometimes. Because what I observe are people spending a huge amount of time worrying about how they look, with filters. Looking at pictures of impossibly glamorous places to have holidays.

I worry about that, for younger generations, she explained. These unattainable ideals. And I do not want to play roles that feed into anything unattainable anymore. Im done with that.

Kate Winslets Mare of Easttown character isnt the only one with bed hair

David Denman on Mare of Easttown | Photograph by Sarah Shatz/HBO

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Winslets Sheehan character isnt the only person in Easttown, Pennsylvania, with less than perfectly coiffed hair. And theres a reason for it. The dramas lead hairstylist, Lawrence Davis, was asked to give every Mare of Easttown character disheveled bed hair.

When I came on board, I was told bed hair for everyone, Lawrence told Insider in May 2021. I was basically told that everybody has bed hair. Everybody was basically, you know, get up and go, and that was the whole feel of it. But I was basically told from day one: Bed hair, and I had to ride with that.

Mare of Easttown airs Sunday nights on HBO and HBO Max.
The Handmaids Tale Season 4 shows June Osborne attempting to lead the handmaids to safety as they escape the Republic of Gileads clutches. But it hasnt been easy. So far, its just June and Janine whove been able to make their way past New England and down to Chicago, but their arrival in Chicago proved chaotic. So, what happened to the city in the show, and why has it become the epicenter of war?

[Spoiler alert: Spoilers ahead for The Handmaids Tale Season 4 Episode 5.]

June and Janine traveled to Chicago in The Handmaids Tale Season 4

June and Janine running in The Handmaids Tale Season 4 | Sophiie Giraud/Hulu

RELATED: The Handmaids Tale: Actor Madeline Brewer Says Janine Could Never Sacrifice Others Like June

Escaping Gilead certainly isnt easy  particularly because the totalitarian state took over much of the U.S. At the beginning of The Handmaids Tale Season 4, the handmaids, led by June, made their way across the northeast in search of Mayday, the resistance designed to help them. They found a farm with the resistance in the first episode of the new season. But after Junes capture, the illusion of safety was smashed.

Now, in episode 5, its just June and Janine running from the Gilead Eyes in hopes of making it to safer haven. They boarded a train carrying milk to Chicago, and June mentions thats where the center of the war is. While both women are nervous to head so close to the chaos, they dont have much choice.

The trip to Chicago proves to be as frightening as they feared. As June and Janine are walking through the city, bombs drop, landing June in rubble. Janine goes missing in the episode as well, though June does see one familiar face  and thats Moira.

What happened to Chicago in The Handmaids Tale?

June Osborne in The Handmaids Tale Season 4 | Sophie Giraud/Hulu

So, how did Chicago become the center trouble in The Handmaids Tale Season 4? For context, the answers lie much earlier in the series. The Handmaids Tale Fandom page reminds us the Sons of Jacob were the first to abolish the U.S. and start the creation of the Republic of Gilead. But certain parts of the U.S. refused Gilead at first  and Chicago was one of them. Because of this, it seems Chicago and northern Illinois in general have become particularly volatile parts of the country, as resistance fighting continues.

Throughout the series, the state of Chicago is mentioned a few times. In season 1, episode 2, June notes guards from Gilead still fight with U.S. soldiers in the remains of Chicago. Then, in season 3, Gilead sends a surge of troops to the city. Mass executions of prisoners and bombings are also discussed as possibilities for the area.

How large is Gilead?

Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne in The Handmaids Tale Season 4 | Jasper Savage/Hulu

So, how large is the Republic of Gilead? Showrunner Bruce Miller notes the totalitarian nation has taken over most of the U.S., with only Hawaii and Alaska remaining free.

I think it was in Episode 11, where we saw the map, Miller told The Wrap. Yes, Gilead has taken over the continental U.S., so all 48 states of the continental U.S.  So, Alaska and Hawaii are the United States, the two states that are united still. And the rest of it has turned into Gilead with lots of pockets of resistance and unease and the places where the grip of Gilead is not nearly as firm.

Were not sure what else will happen in Chicago just yet, but were hoping June and Janine can get themselves safely to Canada and away from the bombings.

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Tom Cruise is one of the few celebrities that enjoy performing their own stunts. The hardworking Mission Impossible movie star takes his action roles to a whole new level with death-defying moves that arent for the faint of heart.

Since his early days of sliding across the living room floor in his underwear in Risky Business, Cruise has been entertaining audiences with his good looks, signature smile, and intense personality.

With a strong passion for the movie industry, the 58-year-old actor likes to make sure everyone works together when creating a film. He took that commitment seriously when he had to rescue a co-star from being injured by a helicopter blade that was spinning way too close to her head.

The A-list Hollywood actor

Tom Cruise | Kevin Winter/Getty Images

RELATED: Tom Cruise Has To Be Told To Stop Smiling When He Does His Stunts

Cruise hit the ground running, making a name for himself in Hollywood right out of the gate. The first film he appeared in was Endless Love in 1981 with accomplished actor Brooke Shields.

He went on to work on movies such as Taps and The Outsiders until landing the leading role in Risky Business in 1983, sealing his fate in Tinsel Town. In 1986, after Cruise took the world by storm as a Navy fighter jet pilot in the blockbuster film Top Gun, there was no looking back for the A-list actor.

The Rain Manlegend has experienced one hit after another working with some of Hollywoods greatest talented actors. His resume reads like a blockbuster movie reel, with films such as Jerry Maguire, Born on the Fourth of July, and A Few Good Men.

Married and divorced three times, the faithful Scientologist is the father to three children. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has an estimated net worth of $600 million, with an annual salary of $50 million per year.

What co-star did Tom Cruise rescue?

RELATED: Mission Impossible Star Tom Cruise Has Actually Saved Lives More Than Once

Jump into the time machine and head back to 1988 when Cruise was known for making drinks poolside instead of flying fighter jets. Cocktail was one of Cruises earliest movies. Co-star Elisabeth Shue played the romantic love interest he meets while working as a bartender in Jamaica.

Insider recalled a story told by Bill Bennett, who was a camera operator on the film. He said a helicopter was used to shoot aerial scenes. After each take, Cruise and Shue would walk over to the landed chopper to get notes from the director.

Bennett said, the pilot would keep the tail rotor at the back of the helicopter running, but it was a no-go area because the blades appear invisible as they spin but if you walk into it, it will kill you instantly.

The camera operator distinctly remembered an incident when Shue took off suddenly, running towards the back of the helicopter. He said Cruise instinctively saw the imminent danger and lunged after her, but only was able to grab her legs, tackling her to the ground.

Shue, unaware of how close she came to death, was screaming at Cruise, Why did you do that? When she realized what happened, she reportedly turned white.

Bennett admits the entire crew was shaken up, saying, Tom had, in that instant, truly saved her life.

Maverick will be hitting the skies again soon

RELATED: How Much Was Tom Cruise Paid for Top Gun: Maverick?

More than three decades later, Cruise is hitting the skies again with the highly-anticipated release of Top Gun: Maverick set to hit theaters in November 2021. He will reprise his role as top Navy aviator Pete Maverick Mitchell starring alongside Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, and Val Kilmer.

Cruise is also currently working on Mission: Impossible 7,due out in 2022, and Mission: Impossible 8, with an expected release date of 2023.

Live Die Repeat and Repeat is a sci-film that will star Cruise and Emily Blunt and is currently in pre-production. IMDb reports the busy actor also has a new project called Luna Park, along with an untitled SpaceX Project that is currently in the works.
Who Killed Sara? (Quien Mato a Sara?) Season 2 arrives on Netflix on May 19, reactivating fans detective chops and maybe resolving Saras murder.

The Spanish-language series has been a hit on the streamer, and everyone wants to know who killed this young lady. Was it Mariana Lazcano? Marifer? Chema? Sergio? Or Sara herself? Its a complicated tale and this next batch of episodes promises more twists.

Who Killed Sara? star Alejandro Nones recently spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role as Rodolfo Lazcano, fan reactions to the series, and what viewers can expect in season 2 of the mystery.

Alejandro Nones of Who Killled Sara? attends Vive Netflix 2017 at Museo Casa de la Bola on August 2, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico | Victor Chavez/Getty Images

Alejandro Nones is overwhelmed by peoples response to Who Killed Sara?

After the initial statistics rolled in for Who Killed Sara?, Netflix revealed that its the most popular non-English series ever. More than 55 million households streamed it during its first month, and the cast and crew of the show are humbled by the reaction. Nones explained that he didnt anticipate this level of popularity.

I was not expecting anything like this. Of course, during shooting, I thought, Im doing something special. Im doing something very important for my career. Yeah, were doing something amazing. But not to the world, he said.

Nones shared that typically, Spanish-language projects catch on with Spanish speakers, but the international reception in countries like the U.S., Germany, India, and Greece floors him.

Actually, Im still overwhelmed by all this as I was not expecting it, and Im very happy about it, he said.

He acknowledges Netflix had the vision for the series, which is why they dubbed it in other languages, but Nones also credits viewers. At the end of the day, the people are the ones that talk. Thank God it was well-received.

RELATED: Who Killed Sara?: 3 Details That Left Some Viewers Confused

Nones was intrigued by the script and Rodolfo Lazcanos character

Who Killed Sara? screenwriter Jose Ignacio Chascas Valenzuela centers much of the story on Alex Guzmans quest for vindication and vengeance. But each member of the Lazcano clan has their own secrets, motives, and sense of morality  or amorality. Something about this script and Rodolfos experience spoke to Nones.

I love the story. I love the way Chascas Valenzuela keeps you thinking the whole time. Is it this guy? No. Of course, its her! The whole time youre guessing who the person is who killed Sara, he said.

Nones shared that when he assumed the role onscreen, he knew Rodolfo carried a lot of turmoil from a young age. He explained that when we first meet Rodolfo, hes strong and sort of a nerd, but underneath, hes dead and suffering inside.

As an actor, he was excited to play him. As a viewer, something else clicked about his character.

I loved Rodolfo because I found hes a very tense character. And hes very sad. It makes me feel like, Oh my God. Poor guy. I want to hug this guy, said Nones.

He also found a tender side in Rodolfo too, which is something he discovered when he watched the show as a viewer. While shooting, I was just living with what happened to Rodolfo, and when I watched the show, I had that feeling.

Who Killed Sara? Season 2 will see a different Rodolfo

According to Nones, the series second season will birth a new version of Rodolfo after all the drama with his wife, father, and the casino. Hes going to be 100% a different guy. I dont know if its going to be in a good way or a bad way, but what I can tell you is Rodolfo is going to change a lot, he said.

Nones added that he believes at some point, Rodolfo will take ownership of his life. Hes been operating by the familys rules for way too long. Fans will have to wait and see how that affects Alexs mission.

Who Killed Sara? returns May 19  get your first look at Season 2 pic.twitter.com/NC0J1AcHRJ  Netflix (@netflix) April 23, 2021

And Nones believes that season 2 is better than season 1. Youre going to love the second season, he said, and described it as amazing.

What he wouldnt tell us is whether everyone will finally find out who killed Sara. Even Nones family and friends have to tune in on May 19 to learn the truth.
A team of physicists from Germany, the US and the UK managed to observe the motion of electrons from one atomically thin layer into an adjacent one with nanoscale spatial resolution. The new contact-free nanoscopy concept, which shows great potential for investigations into conducting, nonconducting and superconducting materials, will be introduced in the new volume of the science journal Nature Photonics.

Nanotechnology sometimes still sounds like science fiction, but is already an integral part of modern electronics in our computers, smart phones or cars. The size of electronic components, like transistors or diodes has reached the nanoscale, corresponding to only one millionth of a millimeter. This makes conventional optical microscopes no longer sufficient for inspecting these nanostructures. To develop innovative future nanotechnology, scientists have replaced the optical microscope with much more sophisticated concepts, such as electron or scanning tunneling microscopy. However, these techniques use electrons instead of light, which can influence the properties of the nanoscale devices. Furthermore, these important measurement techniques are limited to electrically conducting samples.

A team of physicists around Rupert Huber and Jaroslav Fabian at the Regensburg Center for Ultrafast Nanoscopy (RUN) at Universitat Regensburg together with colleagues Tyler Cocker from Michigan State University, USA, and Jessica Boland from the University of Manchester, UK, have introduced a new technique, which can resolve electron motion on the nanoscale without needing to be electrically contacted. Better still, the new method also reaches unbelievable time resolution as good as one quadrillionth of a second (the femtosecond timescale). Combining these extreme spatial and temporal resolutions makes the recording of slow-motion movies of ultrafast electron dynamics on the nanoscale possible.

The concept behind the technique works similar to contactless payment (Chipcard, Phone, Scanner), which has become an increasingly common component in our lives since the start of the pandemic. These payment methods are based on established frequencies and protocols on the macroscale such as Near Field Communication (NFC). Here, the scientists transferred this idea down to the nanoscale by using a sharp metallic tip as a nano-antenna, which is brought close to the investigated sample. In contrast to the aforementioned established techniques, where tips are used to drive a current through the sample, the new concept uses a weak alternating electric field to scan the sample contactlessly. The frequency used in the experiments is boosted to the terahertz spectral range, approximately 100,000 times higher than the one used in NFC scanners. Minute changes in these weak electric fields allow for precise conclusions about the local electron motion within the material. Combining the measurements with a realistic quantum theory shows that the concept even allows for quantitative results. In order to achieve high temporal resolution additionally, the physicists used extremely short light pulses to record crisp snapshots of the movement of electrons over nanometer distances.

The team chose a sample of a new material class called transition metal dichalcogenides, which can be produced in atomically thin layers, as their first test sample. When these sheets are stacked under freely chosen angles, new artificial solids emerge with novel material properties, which are prominently investigated in the Collaborative Research Center 1277 in Regensburg. The sample under study was made from two different atomically thin dichalcogenides to test the centerpiece of a futuristic solar cell. When shining green light onto the structure, charge carriers emerge that will move in one or the other direction depending on their polarity  the basic principle of a solar cell, which converts light into electricity. The ultrafast charge separation was observed by the scientists in time as well as in space with nanometer precision. To their surprise, the charge separation even works reliably when the dichalcogenide layers lay over tiny impurities like a mini carpet  important insights to optimize these new materials for the future use in solar cells or computer chips.

The researchers are exhilarated by their insightful results. We cant wait to videotape further fascinating charge transfer processes in insulating, conducting and superconducting materials., explains Markus Plankl, first author of the publication. Postdoctoral colleague and co-author Thomas Siday adds: Insights on the ultrafast transport on the relevant length and timescales will help us to understand how tunneling shapes the functionalities in a wide range of condensed matter systems. Besides nanostructures in physics, previously elusive quantum processes in biological systems can now be accessed. These results reflect the increasing focus of researchers from biology, chemistry and physics at the University of Regensburg towards ultrafast nanoscopy, which led to the approval of the new Regensburg Center for Ultrafast Nanoscopy (RUN). The RUN building, which is currently under construction on the University campus, should provide the optimal environment for such an interdisciplinary exploration of the nanocosm.
Memorial Service for Carol "Sue" Woods will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at Hawkins Baptist Church in Alex, OK. Carol "Sue" Woods, of Alex, OK passed away on Saturday May 29, 2021 at the age of 76 in her home surrounded by her family. Sue was born June 15, 1944 in Scipio, 
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Gary W. Burnett, Paul Distilled.Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2021. Xiii + 142 pp. ISBN 978-1-7252-8982-6.

by Michael B. Thompson, Former Vice-Principal and Lecturer in New Testament, Ridley Hall, Cambridge UK

Many have been put off of the apostle Paul, either through the mistaken use of some of his teachings by others or by directly misunderstanding bits of his letters; 2 Peter 3:16 shows us that this is nothing new! However, this little jewel by a fine, informed Pauline scholar with a heart for people, does a superb job of quickly taking us to the essence of Pauls beliefs. It draws together major themes in the apostles teaching in such a way that gives us a fair, balanced and attractive picture of the thinking of the man whose life was turned around forever by the love of Jesus.

Gary Burnett begins his book in the right placethe love of Godbecause Paul was a man gripped by the stunning love revealed in Jesus. That love was not an add-on for Paul, but gave direction to every part of his thinking. In the following short, accessible chapters Gary moves on to summarize the gist of what Paul said in his letters about the gospel, the cross, the resurrection, the Spirit, the lordship of Christ, the justice/righteousness of God, peace, concern for the poor, worry/anxiety, the role of women, community and change. Each chapter ends with relevant questions for thought and brief but helpful, up-to-date bibliographies for those who want to learn more.

Gary has spent his life directly relating his Christian faith to our modern context, particularly through his concerns for contemporary music and for people who suffer in crippling poverty. He writes in a clear and winsome way that reflects positive modern scholarship while holding the readers attention through to the end. Inevitably in a book of this length there are a few subjects about which one could wish for a bit more, but he has chosen his topics well, grounding them in the appropriate texts for the reader to consider.

This is an affordable book that will help people of all ages and stages of faith to hear and be refreshed by the message of the man who gave us the words read so often at weddings and funeralsand so much more. It will be helpful to individuals and study groups who want learn more about what the Christian faith meant to Paul and what difference it can make in our lives today. I highly commend it!
Atlanta megachurch pastor Olu Brown announces retirement at 43

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More than 14 years after launching Impact Church in Atlanta, Georgia, with just 25 volunteers, Olu Brown announced Sunday that he plans to retire as lead pastor of one of the United Methodist Churchs fastest-growing congregations in June 2022.

The progressive, church which boasts a weekly attendance of 2,400 in-person and 1,600 online, was ranked among the top-five quickest-growing large United Methodist churches in 2019.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who spent her inauguration day with an interfaith worship service there in 2018, is a member.

With any call that God gives us for our lives, there will always be a vision. And as we move toward realizing that vision, it becomes clear that the call is much greater than we can ever think or imagine, Brown, 43, said in his announcement. Impact is part of my call, and when God gave me the opportunity to partner with 25 launch team volunteers to start this ministry, I knew there would come a time where God would call me beyond Impact Church.

Once he steps down as pastor of Impact Church, Brown is expected to pursue entrepreneurial and consulting endeavors full time. He aims to start a Normalizing Next movement to celebrate and promote succession planning, retirement and pastoral transition.

I count it an honor to have been the founding and lead pastor of Impact Church and I will always be grateful for my time as a pastor and servant leader in the local church, Brown said.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to serve in ministry with phenomenal people and travel the world. I will always cherish my wonderful ministry experiences and the people I have been honored to know and serve. Life and living is a continuous journey and a series of next and I hope to help people Normalize Next and embrace tomorrow with hope and expectation. When I think about one of the most important themes of my ministry, it has been about helping people change, transition and embrace their next.

Before he takes off from the church he founded, Brown will help the churchs new lead pastor settle in once an appointment is made by the Bishop of the North Georgia Conference, Sue Haupert-Johnson.

It goes without saying that a change like this can be difficult to understand, but change does, in fact, happen, and when it does, we embrace it and move in the direction where that change is taking us, Sheldon Snipe, Impact Churchs Staff Parish Relations Committee chairperson, said in a statement.

This is a very exciting time for Olu, and for Impact, and we are confident that our plan to transition the leadership of our outgoing and incoming pastors will ensure undisrupted continuity to our ministry.

Robert M. Franklin Jr., the Laney chair in moral leadership at Emory Universitys Candler School of Theology and former president of the Interdenominational Theological Center, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Brown is a pioneer in establishing inspiring innovations in 21st-century urban ministry that has been copied by others.
Evangelical ministry donates bomb shelters to Israeli communities near Gaza border

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As hostilities between Israel and armed groups in the Gaza Strip continue, the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem has donated nine portable bomb shelters to protect communities near the Gaza border.

Christians around the world want to do something positive to help Israel now, ICEJ Vice President David Parsons told The Jerusalem Post. They are praying and standing up for Israel in their own countries, but feel this is something that they can do to really make a contribution to security and peace in Israel.

The shelters seek to ensure fewer casualties, said Parsons, whose ministry was founded in 1980 to represent churches, denominations and Christians worldwide who share a love and concern for Israel and who seek to repair the historic breach between the Church and the Jewish people.

The shelters will likely be delivered in the next few days, according to the Sunday report. Another six shelters had been ordered and would soon be sent to communities located near the Lebanon border.

Hamas militants started launching rocket attacks on Israel last Monday as tensions brewed over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem.

Israeli police clashed with Palestinians near the citys Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islams third holiest site.

Gazas health ministry reported that since last Monday, at least 200 have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Meanwhile, over 1,200 have been injured.

According to Israeli officials, Hamas and other militant groups have launched over 2,900 rockets into Israel, which resulted in 10 people dying and hundreds injured. Rockets have reached as far as the outskirts of Jerusalem, Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv and its suburbs, according to the United Nations.

Despite Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, 450 rockets reportedly fell in built-up areas and many others landed short inside Gaza, which led to Palestinian casualties.

At least 42 Palestinians, including a 1-year-old baby and a 3-year-old toddler, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City early Sunday, according to a report by The Times of Israel.

Dozens remained trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Gaza Citys upscale al-Rimal neighborhood, the Palestinian Civil Defense organization was quoted as saying.

Were hearing screams under the rubble, a member of the Civil Defense told Al-Jazeera.

Many homes, community buildings and other public places do not have bomb shelters nearby, and area residents only have 10-20 seconds to find shelter when the red alert sounds of incoming rockets, ICEJ President Dr. Jurgen Buhler wrote in a blog post on his ministrys website.

My family and I found ourselves in our own shelter this week. From the shelter, we could hear the explosions of the four Hamas rockets falling close by our community just outside Jerusalem. So we know the frightful sounds of rocket explosions, and we also know these shelters literally save lives! he added.

The Israel Defense Forces have indicated Jerusalem may soon accept a ceasefire offer since it has achieved its goals in this round of fighting against the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups, The Times of Israel reported.

ICEJ says it has been donating portable shelters to communities at risk since 2008. With the support of Christians worldwide, 118 shelters have been donated to southern Israeli communities.

ICEJ partners with Operation Lifeshield to ensure the shelters are built to Israel Defense Forces standards.

Operation Lifeshield is an emergency campaign to save innocent lives by providing Israel's threatened communities with the protected air raid shelters.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden spoke with Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to urge de-escalation.

Biden also reaffirmed his support for Israels right to defend itself while expressing concern about the deaths of civilians and the safety of journalists.

Last Wednesday, 40 U.S. senators, led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., signed a letter calling on Biden to support Israels right to retaliate and end sanction relief with Iran, which backs Hamas. Hamas is designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.
Turkish church attacked, desecrated in village where priests parents were kidnapped

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A Turkish church in the same village where the parents of a Catholic Chaldean priest were abducted last year has been attacked and desecrated, according to a report.

Unidentified people destroyed crosses, pictures of Jesus and rosaries at Marta Shimoni Church, a cave church in the mountainous village of Mehre in Turkeys southeastern Srnak province, last Tuesday, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern reported.

Video footage ICC obtained shows that the destruction was primarily against the Christian items and relics inside the church, ICC said.

The group explained that the church is built into the mountains, and thus cannot be destroyed in the same way as other churches.

Last January, suspected Kurdish militants kidnapped elderly Turkish Christians Hurmuz Diril and his wife, Simuni Diril, from the same village. On March 20, Simunis son found her dead and dismembered in a river. Hurmuzs fate remains unknown, and the government has not found the killers.

The pairs son, Fr. Adday Ramzi Diril, serves as a Catholic priest, ministering to thousands of Iraqi refugees who live in Turkey.

A close relative of the Diril couple told ICC, It is obvious that the people who did this are very uncomfortable with our presence on our lands and with our beliefs. This assault of our presence in the village is an indication that somebody is disturbed, and they do not want us here.

The relative said the family suspects that the attack was linked to the murder and disappearance of my parents.

The lawyer for the Diril family, Orhan Kemal Cengiz, also spoke to ICC about the attack on the church, saying the unsolved case of the Dirils might have emboldened the attackers.

My main concern, for the time being, is to get the prosecutor to open a case against the perpetrators in the abduction of the Diril couple, which ended with the murder of Mrs. Diril, the attorney was quoted as saying.

I have delivered more than a dozen petitions to the prosecutor so far, to urge him to look at the matter from different angles, as well as calling him to deliver his indictment as soon as possible, he continued.

Unfortunately, I could not have any positive result yet. I believe there is a strong correlation between the lack of indictment in this case and the recent attack against the chapel in the village in which the Diril couple went missing. The prosecutors refusal to introduce an indictment against the perpetrators emboldens the perpetrators and the people behind them, he added.

The lawyer believes there could be links between this attack and the kidnapping of the Diril couple. He warned that if the impunity in the case of the abduction and killing of the Diril couple continues, more attacks would follow.

The Srnak province borders both Iraq and Syria and Mehre is a historically Assyrian Christian village that has often been victimized by ongoing conflicts.

ICC had earlier said that the couples abduction was carried out by PKK members, also known as the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Turkey considers the PKK to be a terrorist group.

The village was evacuated in 1989 and 1992 because of conflict between the PKK and the Turkish Army.

Turkey has a long history of Christian persecution, and its government still refuses to admit that the Ottoman Turks committed genocide of Christian Armenians in 1915.

Turkey is 99% Muslim, according to its own statistics. Although its constitution provides for freedom of religion, the government uses regulations that demand the registration of religious groups to make it more difficult to practice non-Islamic faiths. Hatred toward Christians and Jews in the country often leads to discrimination, stigmatization and attacks.

Last July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned the Hagia Sophia, an ancient Christian cathedral, from a museum into a mosque, undoing its transformation in 1934 from a mosque to a cathedral.
PBS documentary highlights Billy Graham's impact on US politics, evangelical movement

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"American Experience," the Emmy Award-winning history series from PBS, will feature the world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham in its new documentary that delves into his struggles with humility and pride as he single-handedly influenced American politics while leading millions to Jesus.

"American Experience" has highlighted people in history for more than 30 years, and the new documentary on Graham premieres Monday at 9 p.m. ET on all PBS stations.

The film opens by telling the evangelists story, from his modest beginnings on a North Carolina farm to how he became the dynamic preacher that impacted Christianity and America today.

As journalist Nancy Gibbs notes in the film, Billy Graham became, at some point in the 1950s, the most famous man in the world, director of Billy Graham, Sarah Colt, told The Christian Post of why PBS chose to highlight the late minister. That is remarkable. Given this and his role in initiating a new relationship between Christianity and politics in our countrys history, as we argue in the film, his story is a must for 'American Experience.'

The film argues that Graham and his early fundamentalist sermons harnessed the apocalyptic anxieties of a post-atomic world, exhorting audiences to adopt the only possible solution: devoting ones life to Christ, the synopsis notes. "American Experience" also ventures into how Graham parted ways with his initial preaching style and became an international celebrity who built a media empire, preached to millions worldwide, and had the ear of tycoons, royalty and presidents.

Grahams relationship to [President Dwight] Eisenhower is critical to understanding his role in initiating a new relationship between Christianity and politics in our nations history ... Graham is an important player in understanding this shift that happens under Eisenhower toward a Christian nationalism, Colt asserted when speaking of Graham's influence in politics.

By the time of his death at age 99, it's estimated that Graham preached in-person to 210 million people. The film, directed by Colt, produced by Helen Dobrowski and executive produced by Cameo George, showcases how Graham was the catalyst for the current evangelical movement in America, but also how he used his gifts as a speaker to share the Gospel of Christ worldwide.

The following is an edited transcript of Colts interview with CP where she shares why "American Experience" chose to highlight Grahams life and explore some unexplored areas  such as politics, the pastor's struggle with pride and social issues.

The Christian Post: Why was it important to highlight Billy Graham for "American Experience" on PBS?

Colt: Billy Graham is such an iconic figure, but many Americans, especially younger people, if they have heard of him, dont necessarily understand who he was or know anything about his life and legacy. As journalist Nancy Gibbs notes in the film, "Billy Graham became, at some point in the 1950s, the most famous man in the world." That is remarkable, given this and his role in initiating a new relationship between Christianity and politics in our countrys history. As we argue in the film, his story is a must for "American Experience."

CP: This documentary showcases Graham in a new light, stating that he struggled with the line between "humility and pride." What inspired that narrative of the iconic evangelist?

Colt: We were inspired by his own words and acknowledgment of this struggle, which is documented by his official biographer, William Martin, who interviewed Billy Graham many times in person and wrote Grahams official biography, A Prophet with Honor. As Martin explains in the film, There was a war between ambition and humility. He wrestled with that throughout his life. I was intrigued by this tension in Graham, and, given that we were making a biography, it seemed an important thread to pursue.

CP: His political impact was also heavily featured in the film, saying he "used Christianity to polarize." We see President Truman peg him as a "showman," Eisenhower embrace him, and Grahams devastation following the Nixon scandal. What were you hoping viewers took away from his involvement in politics?

Colt: Billy Grahams life is fascinating for lots of reasons, but his role in relation to politics and the presidency seems particularly relevant, especially in light of the 2016 presidential election where many people credit the evangelical vote for [former President] Trumps victory.

Grahams relationship with Eisenhower is critical to understanding his role in initiating a new relationship between Christianity and politics in our nations history. There is a false narrative that has been put forth in popular culture that the country was founded as a Christian nation. History shows that the founders very consciously made sure that religion and government had their own domains, which they believed would allow each to flourish. It was in the 1950s, for example, when God gets added to the Pledge of Allegiance, paper currency, and to the official motto of the nation. Graham is an important player in understanding this shift that happens under Eisenhower toward Christian nationalism.

After Nixon and Watergate, Graham pulls back from his very public political partisanship, but at that point, he had opened a door that only opens wider in subsequent decades.

CP: How did you get Graham's sister, Jean Ford, to share about her brother's life?

Colt: I am grateful to Graham biographer Grant Wacker, who served as an adviser on the project, for introducing me to Jean and Leighton Ford. Jean Ford is Billy Grahams younger sister, and she and her husband were incredibly gracious and generous in sharing their insights, knowledge and stories. It was such a pleasure to meet them. Then, when we were working with the archival material, we were thrilled to find footage of young Jean working the switchboard at the Billy Graham Crusade offices in New York City in 1957. Look out for her in the film!

CP: His moral integrity was something praised by many. He always received an ordinary preacher's salary and made sure to safeguard himself around other women. What can preachers learn from that today?

Colt: In these aspects, Graham practiced what he preached, and his lack of hypocrisy bolsters his image in the public eye. Many evangelists before him became embroiled in various "scandals" that undermined their message. Billy Graham was determined not to fall into those traps, and he and his colleagues pledged to each other early on that they would be transparent in their financial and personal dealings. To their credit, as far as anyone knows, they lived up to their expectations.

CP: Graham used media to advance the Gospel. Can you share the power of media in helping to share his message?

Colt: Billy Graham is incredibly savvy in his use of media. In many ways, his story is one of the right person at the right time, and clearly, the advent of mass media was hugely important to his success. When we first started digging into the archival material, I was really taken aback by Grahams earliest television appearances. At a time when people were just figuring out what television was, Billy Graham was instantly a master of it.

Hes completely comfortable addressing the camera; he really gets the intimacy of the medium. It is extraordinary. He also produces a weekly radio show, writes a newspaper column, and opens a Hollywood studio. All of these outlets expanded the scope and reach of his messaging.

CP: The documentary also said that Graham stood up for racial equality yet still had friendships with segregationists. How do you think that fares in this day and age?

Colt: In the film, we explore Grahams progressive ideas about racial equality compared to his white Southern colleagues, which comes into tension with his desire to retain and reach the largest possible audience. As his power and fame increase at the same time that the civil rights movement heats up in the early 1960s, Graham chooses not to take part. As journalist Nancy Gibbs explains, He believed in order. Graham's really is a gospel of obedience. The whole fundamental principle of civil disobedience  is a hard one for him to really understand.

I encourage people to visit the "American Experience" website where there is an excellent essay detailing Grahams relationship with Martin Luther King.

CP: Some people featured in the documentary called Graham an "advocate of power for himself." Would you say that was the truth after showcasing his entire life's work?

Colt: Graham's advocacy of power for himself enabled him to have a broader reach. His relationships with presidents, the highest political office in the United States, allowed him to try to affect policy in a way that aligned with his religious and moral beliefs.

CP: What are you hoping people take away from the documentary?

Colt: His success as an evangelist was in no way inevitable. It was a result of his tenaciousness in adhering to what he felt was his calling  being innovative and thorough with disseminating that message during a time in American and world history that his message resonated and was easily transmitted. Right man, right place, right time.

Hopefully, people will take away not only a deeper understanding of him, but also an understanding of his complicated legacy when it comes to religion and its role in politics. It is Billy Graham, as we argue in the film, who is responsible for creating a relationship between conservative Christianity and the presidency.

To watch Billy Graham American Experience on PBS, check local listings or visit PBS.org or the PBS Video App.
Supreme Court to determine if states can ban abortions before viability; pro-lifers hail landmark opportunity

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The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in the case of a Mississippi law banning abortion in most circumstances before an unborn baby is viable. One pro-life group has hailed the court's decision to hear the case as a "landmark opportunity."

In an order released Monday morning, the Supreme Court granted certiorari, or agreed to review a lower court decision, in the case of Thomas Dobbs, et. al. v. Jackson Womens Health Organization.

The case centers on a Mississippi law passed in 2018 that banned most abortions after 15 weeks gestation or several weeks before a baby can survive outside the womb.

The Supreme Court explained in their brief order that the arguments will focus on the question of the litigation of whether bans on pre-viability abortions are constitutional.

In March 2018, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1510 into law, which changed state law from banning most abortions after 20 weeks' gestation to 15 weeks' gestation.

Any doctor who performed an abortion after 15 weeks for reasons other than severe fetal deformity or to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency could face up to 10 years in prison.

"These human beings in the womb deserve the right to life, which is supported by this law," the Jackson-based organization Pro-Life Mississippi said back in 2018. "We appreciate Governor Bryant and our legislators who have supported bills like this one that are grounded in science and protect human life."

Soon after HB 1510 was signed, Mississippis lone abortion clinic, the Jackson Women's Health Organization, filed a lawsuit against the state over the new law.

Nancy Northup, head of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a pro-abortion group that represented the clinic, expressed confidence that the legislation would be declared unconstitutional.

"Mississippi politicians have shown once again that they will stop at nothing to deny women this fundamental right, targeting the state's last remaining clinic in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court and decades of settled precedent," Northup said at the time.

"Politicians are not above the rule of law, and we are confident this dangerous bill will be struck down like every similar attempt before it."

In December 2019, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled against the law, unanimously upholding a lower court decision.

Circuit Judge Patrick Higginbotham, author of the panel's opinion, argued that the abortion law ran contrary to a womans right to choose an abortion before viability.

States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the womans right, but they may not ban abortions, wrote Higginbotham. The law at issue is a ban. Thus, we affirm the district courts invalidation of the law, as well as its discovery rulings and its award of permanent injunctive relief.

The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List hailed the Supreme Court's decision to review the case as a "landmark opportunity."

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the SBA List, said in a statement to The Christian Post: This is a landmark opportunity for the Supreme Court to recognize the right of states to protect unborn children from the horrors of painful late-term abortions.Across the nation, state lawmakers acting on the will of the people have introduced 536 pro-life bills aimed at humanizing our laws and challenging the radical status quo imposed by Roe. It is time for the Supreme Court to catch up to scientific reality and the resulting consensus of the American people as expressed in elections and policy.

Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, noted in a statement shared with CP: "March for Life works for the day when abortion is unthinkable, but currently the United States is one of only seven countries  including China and North Korea  that allows abortions through all nine months of pregnancy. An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that this goes way too far, in fact 70% think abortion should be limited to  at most  the first three months of pregnancy.

"States should be allowed to craft laws that are in line with both public opinion on this issue as well as basic human compassion, instead of the extreme policy that Roe imposed," Mancini added.
Warnock supports Israels right to defend its innocent citizens as Gaza casualties mount

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Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who also pastors the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, said Israel has a right to defend its innocent citizens amid escalating violence with Hamas in the Gaza Strip that has already left scores of victims, including women and children, dead.

The tragic escalation of violence this week in Israel and the Palestinian territories is heartbreaking. I condemn the rocket attacks from Hamas and other groups against Israeli civilians and support Israels right to defend its innocent citizens, Warnock said in a statement Friday, acknowledging the deep, legitimate pain and suffering of the Palestinian community.

Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorism, but it also has an increased duty to prevent the death of Palestinian civilians.

He also raised deep concern about actions of politicians and leaders that undermine the potential for a return to final status negotiations and long-term peace.

Most Israelis and Palestinians want to live side-by-side in harmony. However, building peace is deeply challenging work, and any steps toward justice can be destroyed overnight, Warnock warned.

I encourage the Administration to engage quickly and deliberately to act as a convener to reach an immediate cease-fire, protect the lives of civilians who are living in fear, and begin the vital work of building a just and better society for all those in the region. And in the long-term, we must all recommit to working toward a two-state solution that will preserve life and maintain peace.

On Monday, the Israeli military continued air raids in the Gaza Strip days after U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed his strong support for Israels right to defend itself against rocket attacks during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The escalating violence in Israel has seemingly exposed a split in Democratic unity. Some Democrat members of Congress, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, have voiced their opposition to Isreal's response. Ocasio-Cortez and others criticized Biden's response on the House floor. She accused the president of taking the side of the occupation.

"By only stepping in to name Hamas actions  which are condemnable  & refusing to acknowledge the rights of Palestinians, Biden reinforces the false idea that Palestinians instigated this cycle of violence," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "This is not neutral language. It takes a side  the side of occupation."

Hamas began firing rockets into Israel last week after Israeli raids on the historic Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem before Jerusalem Day, which celebrates the unification of Israel in 1967. Clashes with security forces left hundreds injured.

Last week marked the first time rocket attacks were fired at Jerusalem since 2014.

According to the White House, Biden expressed concern about the violence in the West Bank during his call with Netanyahu.

He expressed his support for steps to enable the Palestinian people to enjoy the dignity, security, freedom, and economic opportunity that they deserve and affirmed his support for a two-state solution, a Saturday statement from the White House states.

The leaders agreed to continue the close consultation between their teams and to remain in touch in the days ahead."

Biden also spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and stressed the need for Hamas to cease firing rockets into Israel.

They expressed their shared concern that innocent civilians, including children, have tragically lost their lives amidst the ongoing violence. The President expressed his support for steps to enable the Palestinian people to enjoy the dignity, security, freedom, and economic opportunity that they deserve, the White House statement added.

Tor Wennesland, the United Nations special coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, said the past week had been the deadliest escalation of conflict in seven years between Israeli military forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.

Dramatic scenes of violence have also unfolded across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, about 200 people, including 59 children, have been killed since the Israeli air raids began. About 10 people have been killed in Israel, including two children.

Israeli official sources say that Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militant organizations have launched more than 2,900 indiscriminate rockets from Gaza towards Israel, the United Nations reported.

Nine Israelis, including five women and two children, and one Indian national, were killed and over 250 injured by the rockets.

In Gaza, Wennesland said humanitarian and security conditions are increasingly dire by the day.

UN notes that Israel Defense Forces have carried out some 950 strikes against what they said were militant targets, including weapons factories and depots, tunnel networks, Hamas training facilities, intelligence and security headquarters and offices and the homes of senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives.

Israeli officials say those strikes have killed more than 100 operatives, including senior commanders. Gaza health authorities say at least 1,200 have been injured and over 34,000 people displaced from their homes as of Sunday morning.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday that while Israel has a right to defend itself, it must do all it can to ensure the safety of civilians.

"Israeli authorities must continue taking the conscientious practice of giving advance warning of its attacks to reduce the risk of harm to the innocent," he said in a statement.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called the hostilities utterly appalling, has called for a ceasefire.

I am appalled by the attack on a refugee camp in Gaza, in which 10 members of one family were killed, he said in remarks Sunday in which he also called for the protection of journalists. This senseless cycle of bloodshed, terror and destruction must stop immediately.
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I talk to youth leaders all the time. From Pentecostal to Presbyterian, from coast to coast, from urban to suburban, God has blessed me to be in front of all kinds of youth leaders from all kinds of backgrounds on a pretty consistent basis.

Some of the time Im counseling them. Other times Im consoling them. But most of the time Im encouraging them to fight through until break through with their teenagers.

Ive seen a pattern. Many youth leaders are underpaid and overworked. Most are volunteer or work a full-time job on top of youth ministry. The amount of emotional, physical and spiritual energy it takes to keep up with teenagers, let alone disciple them, would leave most lead pastors breathless and frustrated. And, because youth leaders often dont see an immediate payoff for all their hard work, the temptation is to move on to another more glorious position in the church (or out of it).

Perhaps youre one of those youth leaders who is rethinking your role as a youth leader. Youre considering planting a church or leading a church yourself. After all, if youre going to do all this work, why not get a little more limelight (and a little more pay wouldnt hurt either, right?) Youre even willing to become an associate pastor in the meantime and take all the counseling, marrying and burying your lead pastor doesnt want to do anymore. In your moments of quiet frustration, you ask yourself why should you stay in a position that many church leaders consider to be the lowest rung on the ministry ladder?

Or maybe youre thinking about an all out change out of the church world into the real world. Maybe youll just quit youth ministry altogether and start fresh doing a job that can actually pay, not just the bills, but give you some extra fun/investment/etc money.

Before you send that email or set up that meeting, here are 10 rock-solid reasons you shouldnt quit youth ministry:

77% of those who trust in Jesus do so by the age of 18. You are dealing in the demographic that is most open to the Gospel, those under the age of 18. Jesus was a youth leader and lead a revolution that changed the world. You have the same Holy Spirit as he did! Every major spiritual awakening in the history of the United States has had teenagers on the leading edge. And its time for another spiritual awakening! According to the United Nations, this is the largest generation of youth in the history of the world. There are 1,000,000,000 teenagers worldwide! Some of them live in your city and need to hear the Gospel from your teenagers. Teenagers are looking for unconditional love and can only find it in our unimaginable God! You have a HUGE part in making that happen! Teenagers are looking for a cause and making disciples here, there and everywhere is the ultimate cause (Matthew 28:19, 20)! The average teenager has 425 online and face-to-face friends that they can reach out to with the Gospel. And they need you to equip them to do that! If you equip a teenager now they can serve Christ and advance his Kingdom for the rest of their lives. Adults are already old and closer to the finish line (No offense adults!) Set a teen on fire and they can set a youth group on fire. Set a youth group on fire and they can set a church on fire. Set a church on fire and they can set a city on fire. The Holy Spirit holds the matches and is ready to hand them to you! God loves to use the foolish things of the world to advance his kingdom. And theres nothing more foolish than the typical teenager (No offense teenagers!)

Obviously, Gods will in our lives trumps all of these reasons to stay in youth ministry. So, if God is genuinely moving you on, you must follow his will. But, no matter where God leads you, never stop influencing teenagers to live and lead the cause of Christ!

But if you are just tired or discouraged then its time to double down, not just on youth ministry, but on the right brand of youth ministry. This ministry model will be a game changer for you and your teens. It will breathe life into your soul and give you tackling fuel to stay the course. Click here to discover more.

Originally published at the Greg Stier
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Christianity is under siege in Nigeria. So many Christian Nigerians have been kidnapped and some of them will never return home alive. The unfortunate aspect of what is happening is that the government has decided to do nothing about it. The security situation in Nigeria has degenerated to the extent that countries that are at war are far better than our country. Every morning we wake up with news of kidnapping and killing. Who will come to our rescue?



Nigeria was designated a Country of Particular Concern in December 2020 by the U.S. Secretary of State for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom by the U.S State Department reported about Nigeria:



General insecurity throughout the countrys regions increased during the year: a terrorist insurgency in the North East; brazen kidnapping and armed robbery rings in the North West and southern regions; militant groups and criminal gangs in the South South region; and conflict between farmers and herders over access to land in the North Central region.



The report also recognizes that religion appears to play a role in some conflicts:

Some domestic and international Christian groups stated that Muslim Fulani herdsman were targeting Christian farmers because of their religion. Local Muslim and herder organizations said unaffiliated Fulani were the targets of Christian revenge killings. Local and international NGOs and religious organizations criticized what they said was the governments inability or unwillingness to prevent or mitigate violence between Christian and Muslim communities. Christian organizations reported several cases during the year of Muslim men kidnapping young Christian girls and forcing them into marriage and conversion to Islam.



In response to the U.S. State Departments designation of Nigeria as a CPC, the Nigerian government denied it and asserted there is no religious violation in the country. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria, "Religious liberty in Nigeria has never been in question, therefore any claim contrary to that is completely false and untrue". It is obvious that Nigerian government officials are pretending that they do not know about the attacks on Christians in Nigeria.

The government in their reports have attributed the killings to farmer-herder conflicts, bandit activities and communal crises. A close look at what is happening in Nigeria shows that there is Jihad going on in Nigeria and Christian government officials are complicit to this war against Christianity. Otherwise how do we explain the fact that Christian government officials are always at the forefront of defending the attackers on Christians in the nation.

If it is farmer-herder crises, what of the attacks on worshipers during church service? When has the church become a farmland? On April 25, worshipers in Haske Baptist Church, Kaduna state, were attacked and a medical doctor was killed and others kidnapped. Is this a farmer-herder crises or a communal clash?

Even as Christians are being murdered on a daily basis, churches in Nigeria that are not affected move about their activities unperturbed, with no empathy for those who have fallen victim. People still go to church for miracles, signs, wonders and prosperity, and pastors still climb pulpits to talk about how to live comfortably and make money.

The Church is supposed to be the strongest tool to fight against violation of religious freedom and religious persecution, but unfortunately the Nigerian Church is asleep. Who shall pray to God to wake us up from this slumber and revive the Nigerian Church? We have so many megachurches and "powerful men of God" in our country but it seems like there is no balm in Gilead and no prophet in Israel.

Is it that the hand of God is too short to deliver us? I presume that it is our iniquity that has separated us from the protection of God. Our negligence and disobedience to the mandate of the Great Commission is to a large extent responsible for our problems. If we had already taken the Gospel to those who are killing us now, the current situation would be very different.

The spirit of "let us build and make names for ourselves" as instituted by Nimrod in Genesis chapter 11 has bedeviled the Nigerian denominations, and empire-building has taken over the mandate of the Great Commission that is the purpose of the Church. We are now competing among ourselves in which church can build the tallest tower that will touch heaven even when we are not sure that we will be alive to worship in such cathedrals.

When God wants to heal a land, He doesn't require the cooperation of the government but the Church: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). The Nigerian Church is capable of bringing the needed changes in Nigeria if we are willing and obedient. The spirit of Nimrod must be prayed out of the Nigerian church if we must come out from this mess and enter into the realm of restoration.
JD Greear, Paul Tripp identify No. 1 issue facing the Church and how pastors should address it

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Paul Tripp and J.D. Greear said that identity is the number one issue facing the Church today and challenged pastors to have joyful courage while speaking biblical truth to a generation that has abandoned these fundamental categories.

I think that the number one issue [facing the church] is identity, said Tripp, pastor, author and head of Paul Tripp Ministries, to Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, during a recent episode of the Gospel Coalition podcast.

I think the further we get away from a biblical worldview, the further we get away from these wonderful categories that God has given us that help us make sense of who we are and who we are in relation to one another, who we are, gender, sex ... you have this horrible loss of those categories and then people grabbing for categories.

I think its one of the reasons why we have all the tribalism that we have now because being part of a tribe gives me identity. This is who I am. This is what Im about. This is the meaning of my life. ... I just think we have to do better at talking about that issue in the way that really speaks to the lostness of people, he added.

Tripp called the loss of identity terrifying, adding: I think were going to see that in families, younger children. I think we just exploded things that are fundamental for understanding life, and the church better be ready to deal with that.

When it comes to dealing with the issue of identity, Tripp advised pastors to quit assuming that people come into our churches with that in place.

I think you go back 50 years, you could make that assumption: People sort of knew who they were. They knew where they fit in Gods economy, he added. People just dont anymore. And theres a way in which, say youre preaching through a passage of scripture, you have to have that in your background. That passage may assume things that you cant assume of your congregation. You have to fill things in, in order to make this particular moment in preaching make sense because of what the people youre preaching to have brought into the room.

Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, noted that many large churches and seeker-friendly ministries have a tendency to dumb down Christianity to practical life lessons. But it behooves pastors, he said, to preach the whole counsel of God while also equipping and empowering people to go out and become disciple-making disciples.

I think that dichotomy between deep preaching and relevant preaching is youre going to see that go away, not just in the minds of theologians but in the minds of the seekers themselves, he said.

Tripp urged pastors to have joyful courage as they address a generation that has abandoned these fundamental categories.

Whatever that person is experiencing, its addressed by this incredible Gospel story, he said.

Greear added that the Church is going to be challenged to decide who they really are in terms of identity themselves.

Christians are Gospel people, and that means that theres a lot of important things that have to give way to the most essential thing, he said. And I think, ... youre just going to find churches that are going to group together around certain political advocacy, certain political things that, again, are good, but theyre just not the most essential Gospel thing.

A recent study from Barna found that two-thirds of teens and young adults (65%) agree that many religions can lead to eternal life, compared to 58% of teens and young adults surveyed in 2018. Additionally, 31% of teens and young adults strongly agree that what is morally right and wrong changes over time, based on society, compared to just 25% in 2018.



In an interview with The Christian Post, Mark Clark, founding pastor of Village Church in Vancouver, Canada, said that in light of these statistics, the onus is on Christian parents and teachers to have a clear, full picture of Jesus, as the next generation is going to reject Christianity based on how Christians live their lives and the hypocrisy and divisions they see in the church.

Depending on our ideological bent, we'll home in on different aspects of Jesus and then ignore other aspects, he said. Yes, Jesus was all about the Golden Rule, but He was also about the scandalous idea that you have to give up your family life if its an idol in order to follow Him. We focus on Jesus saying, I'm the truth and forget that He loved, served, and gave His life for the people and loved the poor and the marginalized and that Christianity actually flourishes among the margins.

We need to see Jesus clearly and fill in the pieces weve gotten wrong."
Pro-abortion group sues Mississippi over heartbeat abortion ban

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An abortion advocacy group is attempting to prevent a Mississippi law from taking effect that bans abortions when a baby's heartbeat can first be detected.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed Senate Bill 2116 into law on March 21. The law includes an exemption for abortions if it's deemed that a mother's facing a life threatening medical emergency in which the baby cannot be saved.

The Center for Reproductive Rights has expanded a preexisting lawsuit they had against Mississippi regarding earlier pro-life legislation to include the heartbeat abortion ban.

Nancy Northup, president of the abortion advocacy group, said in a statement released Thursday that she believes the heartbeat abortion ban is a near total ban on abortion.

Many women dont even know theyre pregnant at six weeks, and this law would force them to carry their pregnancies to term, Northup lamented.

Just four months ago, a federal judge told Mississippi they cannot ban abortion after 15 weeks, and now theyve banned it even earlier. We will keep taking them to court until they get the message.

In February, Mississippis legislature passed a pair of bills that would ban most abortions as soon as a heartbeat is detected. The Mississippi-based Clarion Ledger labeled it one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S.

Bryant applauded the passage of the bills in a statement posted to his Twitter account last month, noting that he planned to sign the legislation into law when it was given to him.

Ive often said I want Mississippi to be the safest place for an unborn child in America. I appreciate the leadership of the MS House and Senate, along with members of the legislature, for passing the fetal heartbeat bills today. I look forward to signing this act upon passage, tweeted Bryant tweeted at the time.

Earlier this year, Polk County District Judge Michael Huppert ruled that an Iowa law banning abortion when a baby's heartbeat can first be detected was unconstitutional.

The Iowa Supreme Court held that a womans right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy is a fundamental right under the Iowa constitution, and that any governmental limits on that right are to be analyzed using strict scrutiny, wrote Huppert in January.

In an interview with EWTN last week regarding the possibility of a lawsuit over the heartbeat law, Bryant welcomed the legal battle.

We feel very certain there will be a lawsuit filed. Thats fine. If weve got to fight over something, an unborn child is worth the struggle and the battle and we intend to wage it, Bryant told EWTN.

If you cannot invest money to protect an innocent life, what can we invest money for?"
Appeals court rules against Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks

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A three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled against a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks into a pregnancy with some exceptions.

In the case of Jackson Womens Health Organization v. Thomas E. Dobbs, the panel issued a unanimous ruling last Friday upholding a lower court decision against the law.

Circuit Judge Patrick Higginbotham, author of the panel opinion, wrote that the law, known as the Gestational Age Act, went against a womans right to choose an abortion before viability.

States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the womans right, but they may not ban abortions, wrote Higginbotham.

The law at issue is a ban. Thus, we affirm the district courts invalidation of the law, as well as its discovery rulings and its award of permanent injunctive relief.

Hillary Schneller, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is helping to represent Jackson Womens Health, celebrated the Fifth Circuit panel ruling.

With this ruling, Mississippiand other states trying to put abortion out of reachshould finally get the message, said Schneller in a statement.

Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars to defend multiple abortion bans that wont stand up in court, they should be working on other issueslike addressing the states alarming maternal mortality rates.

In response to the decision, Governor Phil Bryant took to social media to vow that he was planning to continue defending the law in court.

We will sustain our efforts to fight for Americas unborn children, he stated, as reported by the Associated Press. Mississippi will continue this mission to the United States Supreme Court.

In March 2018, Bryant signed House Bill 1510. The new law pushed back the state ban on abortions from 20 weeks into a pregnancy to 15 weeks.

The new law allowed for exemptions of medical emergency and severe fetal abnormality that would prevent the child from surviving outside the womb.

Groups like Pro-Life Mississippi supported the new law, saying in a statement posted to Facebook that the law "recognizes the biological reality that babies in the womb at 16 weeks have a heartbeat and DNA unique from the parents."

"These human beings in the womb deserve the right to life, which is supported by this law," stated Pro-Life Mississippi at the time.

"We appreciate Governor Bryant and our legislators who have supported bills like this one that are grounded in science and protect human life."

Jackson Women's Health, the only licensed abortion clinic in the state, filed a lawsuit immediately after the law was signed and was able to get a restraining order.
Christian student fights back against universitys vaccine mandate, cites religious exemption

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A Christian student at the University of Alabama-Birmingham has challenged the university's mandatory vaccine policy after being blocked from registering for classes this semester despite having been allowed to register past semesters with no vaccinations.

Jackie Gale has never had a single vaccination because she believes that the Bible commands Christians to honor God regarding how the care for their bodies and not inject extra chemicals into one's body, according to a letter to UAB President Ray L. Watts and the university's lawyer John Daniel from First Liberty Institute attorney Christine Pratt.

Gale, who's a sophomore at the university, had no trouble registering for classes when she was admitted as an entering freshman. But as her second semester was about to start and she attempted to add another class to her schedule she found that the school had put an administrative hold on her record, the letter explained.

The university told her that she had to submit proof of her immunizations in order to register for classes. In response, Gale uploaded a state-issued religious exemption certificate that she had used previously. She was then told that the certificate was not valid at institutions of higher learning, but the university relented and removed the administrative hold and she was able to enroll and classed and finish the semester in-person with no issues.

Yet when she tried to register for fall classes for her sophomore year she encountered the same hurdle, only this time the university refused to allow her to proceed. A UAB official reportedly told her that the university wouldn't recognize her religious exemption. When she attempted to speak with someone else in administration she was told that she should expect to receive a call, but only received a one-line message that said: "Please refer to our website for more information."

UAB's website states that exceptions to the university's immunization policy "may be made in limited circumstances for students who can document medical and/or other contraindications to the vaccine."

Only those students enrolled in online classes are exempt from those requirements, it reads.

First Liberty Institute contends in its letter to UAB that "Jackie Gale is entitled to continue receiving a religious exemption to UABs mandatory vaccine policy so that she can register for and attend in-person classes."

"UABs refusal to recognize Ms. Gales religious exemption violates both federal and state law, and UAB should revise its policies to provide religious exemptions to students who hold such religious convictions," First Liberty Institute adds.

The institute further argues that UAB's policy  which requires proof of immunity to measles, mumps and rubella, requiring two MMR shots; tetanus; diphtheria; acellular

pertussis; chickenpox/shingles, requiring two VZVIgG shots; meningitis; in addition to proof she had been screened for tuberculosis  violate both the free exercise clause of U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Amendment in the Alabama Constitution, which prohibits any state-imposed burden on the free exercise of religion.

The university has been asked to respond to the letter by May 27.

The letter comes amid documented hesitancy among some Christians and others in the general population about the newly-developed COVID-19 vaccines and increased scrutiny over what are known as vaccine "passports," documented proof that a person has either tested negative for the novel coronavirus or been vaccinated.

Some doctors have warned that people who've been infected with COVID-19 and still have antibodies might be harmed by the vaccine.

Retired surgeon Dr. Hooman Noorchashm told Fox News Tucker Carlson on both his evening show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" and his daytime show on Fox Nation: "its not a one-size-fits-all."

"I am very strong supporter of this vaccine," Noorchashm said. "I believe that Operation Warp Speed delivered to America in under a year the equivalent of putting a man on Mars, frankly. And this vaccine is probably going to be the most powerful and effective vaccines we have ever made."

"Just like any other medical therapy and treatment, its not a one-size-fits-all. And if we attempt to make one size fit all, we will almost certainly cause harm," he added.

Last week, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law a measure that both banned the use of such passports in the southern state and prohibited public schools and local governments from issuing mask mandates.
Louisiana's Democrat governor signs 'heartbeat' abortion ban into law

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Louisiana's Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards signed a bill into law on Thursday that bans most abortions after an unborn babys heartbeat is detected.

Edwards broke with leaders of the national Democrat Party when he signed Senate Bill 184 into law. Louisiana now joins Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio which have also passed heartbeat abortion bans. An unborn baby's heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks.

In 2015, I ran for governor as a pro-life candidate after serving as a pro-life legislator for eight years, said Edwards in a statement released before he signed the bill, according to CBS News. As governor, I have been true to my word and my beliefs on this issue.

The ACLU of Louisiana denounced Edwards signing of the heartbeat abortion ban, vowing in a statement posted to Twitter that they will fight it.

Governor Edwards just signed an extreme and unconstitutional abortion ban, but it's important to know that abortion is still legal. We'll keep fighting to #StoptheBans and make sure this cruel assault on the constitutional right to abortion access never takes effect, tweeted ACLU of Louisiana.

Pro-life activists including Lila Rose of Live Action celebrated the news, referring to Edwards signing of the bill into law as an amazing step forward for human rights.

SB 184 passed the Louisiana House of Representatives on Wednesday by a vote of 79 to 23. Earlier in May, the bill passed the state Senate by a vote of 31 to 5.

Introduced by Democrat Senator John Milkovich of Shreveport, SB 184 prohibits abortion in most circumstances for unborn babies with a detectable heartbeat.

 it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly perform an abortion with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of an unborn human being when a fetal heartbeat has been detected, stated the legislation.

SB 184 included an exemption for abortions meant to prevent the death of a pregnant woman or prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.

We believe children are a gift from God, said Sen. Milkovich in comments reported by The Associated Press on May 15, adding once a heartbeat is detected, the baby cant be killed.
Army chaplain punished after Facebook post on transgender military ban appeals reprimand

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A decorated U.S. Army chaplain is appealing actions taken against him that could end his career after he voiced support on his personal social media page for a military policy preventing trans-identified individuals from serving in the military.

Chaplain Maj. Andrew Calvert is contesting the reprimand from the U.S. Army after he commented on a Jan. 25 news article about the Biden administrations intentions of dropping President Donald Trumps ban on trans-identified men and women serving in the military.

Calvert was issued a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand (GOMOR) on April 22 after anonymous screenshots were sent to the 3rd Forces Assistance Brigades Facebook account of his Jan. 25 comments. An investigating officer from the brigade determined that he had violated a Defense Department directive and suspended him from his duties.

The legal nonprofit First Liberty Institute is representing the chaplain and insisted in a Wednesday letter to commanding officer Lt. Gen. Robert P. White that the chaplain did nothing wrong, particularly because his post included a disclaimer indicating that these were his personal opinions and not to be taken as representative of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense.

But Calverts attorney argues that the adverse actions taken against Calvert violated Defense Department regulations and the U.S. Constitution as it was a retaliation for expressing a religious viewpoint on a matter of public concern.

It is wildly inappropriate and offensive for Colonel Trotter, Headquarters Commander for 3d SFAB, to state his personal opinion that this has nothing to do with violating or infringing on [Chaplain Calverts] religious beliefs as the basis for issuing a GOMOR, First Liberty Institute General Counsel Mike Berry wrote in the May 12 letter.

Although Chaplain Calverts sincerely held religious beliefs might overlap with what some view as political issues, service members are permitted to express their opinions on such matters. As a reminder, Chaplain Calvert merely expressed his sincerely held religious belief that was, at the time he expressed it, wholly consistent with DoD policy.

The letter argued that the action is duplicitous given how active duty service members marched in uniform, carrying gay pride and transgender flags in a 2019 parade to oppose the Trump-era prohibition.

Clearly, if uniformed, active duty service members are permitted to express political opposition to their commander-in-chiefs policy, an active duty chaplain may express support for that same policy, Berry asserted.

First Liberty requested that the reprimand be withdrawn and vowed to take the legal steps to defend Calverts rights if the reprimand is not lifted.

Calvert is a recipient of the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

In the Facebook post in question, Calvert asked: How is rejecting reality [biology] not evidence that a person is mentally unfit [ill], and thus making that person unqualified to serve."

There is little difference in this than over those who believe and argue for a flat earth, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary," Calvert wrote in a Jan. 28 comment, according to Army Times.

The motivation is different but the argument is the same. This person is a MedBoard for Mental Wellness waiting to happen. What a waste of military resources and funding!

According to First Liberty Institute, the investigation into Calvert's online activities concluded that Calvert violated Army policy banning "online misconduct" for making disparaging terms to discriminate against transgender persons. In addition, the investigation found that he violated a Defense Department directive limiting political activity by active-duty troops.

The Army Times, which obtained a copy of the reprimand, reports that the investigating officer pointed to other Facebook comments posted by Calvert. However, it is not clear what he wrote in those posts.
Trump religious freedom ambassador 'encouraged' as Biden State Dept. releases annual report Secretary Blinken calls religious freedom a 'co-equal' right

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Former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback is encouraged by the Biden State Department's statements on international religious freedom thus far as Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called religious freedom a "co-equal" right.

Brownback, who served for three years as the head of the State Department's International Religious Freedom Office during the Trump administration, praised the release of the State Department's annual report on international religious freedom and expressed some optimism about how the Biden administration will promote the topic.

When [President Joe Biden] was Senator Biden and I was working with him in the Senate, Joe was good on religious freedom issues and worked and supported them, Brownback, who left his job as governor of Kansas to become the ambassador at-large, told The Christian Post in a Wednesday interview.

So, I know personally thats his viewpoint. My hope is the administration aggressively steps up. I thought the report Secretary [Antony] Blinken put out today was strong. I thought his statements were strong in support of religious freedom. So, Im hopeful myself. Im hopeful.

The State Departments 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom is the 23rd annual report to Congress released in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Over 2,300 pages long, the report documents the status of religious freedom in every country.

While the Trump administration touted its accomplishments in the international religious freedom space, there was some concern that international religious freedom would receive less priority under the new administration.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has argued that the Biden administration has seemingly de-prioritized the promotion of religious liberty. The U.S.-based Christian persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern questioned earlier this year if the administration is committed to putting religious freedom as a central principle in foreign policy priorities.

But Brownback said he is encouraged by statements from the Biden administration that claim it is strongly supportive of religious freedom.

Brownback pointed out how the Biden administration has continued the sanctions against China that President Donald Trump implemented. On Wednesday, the U.S. sanctioned a Chinese Communist Party official for the mistreatment of religious minorities, and a leading state department official called out China for its blatant disregard for religious freedom.

During a Wednesday press conference to announce the reports release, Blinken and State Department International Religious Freedom Office Director Daniel Nadel highlighted the importance of religious freedom as a universal human right.

They criticized countries such as Iran, Burma, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, countries that are either suffering from religious freedom abuses or where religious freedom is often out of reach.

Religious freedom is a human right, Blinken said.

In fact, it goes to the heart of what it means to be human, to think freely, to follow our conscience, to change our beliefs as our hearts and minds lead us to do so, to express those beliefs in public and in private.

The secretary pointed out how religious freedom is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

He assured that the U.S. is committed to defending religious freedom, a right entitled to all people, regardless of what they do believe or do not believe.

Religious freedom is co-equal with other human rights because human rights are indivisible, Blinken said. Religious freedom is not more or less important than the freedom to speak, assemble, participate in the political life in ones country, to live free of torture or slavery or any other human right. Indeed, theyre all interdependent. Religious freedom cant be fully realized unless other human rights are respected.

Nadel pointed out how anti-Semitism, a dangerous ideology often linked with violence, is on the rise worldwide and must be vigorously opposed.

Nadel also emphasized the genocide in China of the Uyghur Muslims, as well as Chinas oppression of Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and other minority faiths.

He said, we cant turn a blind eye to Beijings human rights record. He vowed the administration is consulting Congress, allies and other stakeholders as they proceed with the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.

Many have called for the U.S. to boycott the Winter Olympics in Beijing due to Chinas human rights abuses and oppression of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province.

Nadel, who has worked for three presidential administrations, said the annual report changes very little under new administrations.

When it comes to the conceptual framework for religious freedom, [Secretary Blinked] has made clear that religious freedom is a nested human right. Its a human right that exists in co-dependence with other human rights. , Nadel explained. Its not a departure certainly from any prior concept, but its a clarification because Secretary Pompeo did express his view that there was perhaps a hierarchy of rights concept. And thats a view that this administration does depart from, but that in no way is to indicate that religious freedom is any less important.

Religious freedom is in our first amendment, he continued. Its been a part of our country  from the very beginning. It was, in fact, the reason many came to our country because they were fleeing forms of religious persecution or discrimination overseas. That was true in the 18th century. It continues to be true in the 21st century. So as a general matter, religious freedom is a fundamental freedom. It is a co-equal right and its one that we will continue to stand up for."

Brownback was confirmed by the Senate in February 2018 to lead the State Departments International Religious Freedom Office. As a former U.S. senator and sitting governor, he helped elevate the ambassadorship's prestige. A new ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom has not yet been nominated.

Brownback hopes his successor for this position is appointed soon to be a spokesperson for religious freedom.

I do think it would be benefitted to get somebody into the ambassador position on religious freedom, Brownback shared. That can be that central point of push.

He encouraged Biden administration officials to participate in the International Religious Freedom Summit 2021, a grassroots gathering of civil society and religious groups worldwide that will take place in Washington, D.C., from July 13 to July 15. The event will be hosted by a partnership of several religious freedom advocacy organizations, and Brownback will be the summits co-chair.

The scheduled summit in the nations capital comes as the State Department held annual ministerials to advance religious freedom beginning in 2018 and again in 2019. A ministerial was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christians beheaded in Indonesia terror attack

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Four Christian men were beheaded in a horrific terror attack in Indonesia on Tuesday, Open Doors reports.

The attack occurred in Kalimago Village, Poso Regency in Central Sulawesi, and has been blamed on Islamist extremists belonging to the terrorist group, East Indonesia Mujahidin.

Two victims were members of the Mamasa Toraja Church. Another came from Toraja Church and one from a Catholic Church in the area.

They were aged between 42 and 61.

Their murders come just half a year after four other Christians were killed at a Salvation Army outpost in Sigi, Central Sulawesi.

Open Doors' local partner in Indonesia Ari Hartono  whose name has been changed for security reasons  said, "Central Sulawesi locals are still traumatized from the terrorist attack in Sigi last November and have not recovered yet. We're not sure if the attack is religiously motivated even though the victims are Christians."

"It could be an act of survival. After the Sigi incident, the terrorists in Central Sulawesi have been increasingly pressed by the police and the Army," he added. "Their logistics is exhausted. The only way to survive is to rob people of food. In this area, there are many farmers who live in the forest far from the village and they were the ones targeted by the terrorists."

Indonesia is ranked No. 47 on Open Doors' World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.

Ari is asking Christians to pray for the peace of God in the area.

"Fear and intimidation are trying to take over people's hearts, but God's power is more powerful," he said.

"Pray for protection over God's people in Poso and Central Sulawesi. As long as these terrorists are not caught, the threat lingers.

"People are afraid to go to their field, therefore they cannot work and produce crops. This will affect their economic situation. The Madago Raya Task Force are hunting this terrorist group. We pray for their protection, strength and wisdom to do their job, and pray that they will catch these perpetrators."

Christians have been targeted in parts of Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, in recent years.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, 20 worshipers were injured in a suicide bomb attack as they left a Palm Sunday church service marking the start of Holy Week.

Dozens were killed in a church suicide attack in Surabaya, East Java, in 2018.

Originally published at Christian Today
Israeli forces mulling ground invasion as Hamas fires over 1,500 rockets

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Israels military is considering the possibility of launching a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip as the Israel Defense Forces claim Iran-backed Hamas has fired over 1,500 rockets into Israel since Monday.

An IDF spokesperson said that plans for a potential ground operation in Gaza would be presented to the IDF General Staff for approval on Thursday as Hamas continues targeting two major cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with rockets, according to Times of Isreal. Before Monday, missiles had not been fired into Jerusalem since 2014.

Hamas launched another round of around 100 rockets on Thursday as the violence and attacks continue to escalate.

IDF has launched airstrikes into the Gaza Strip to retaliate against the attacks and confirmed it has killed as many as 16 Hamas figures. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported that 87 people have been killed since the fighting began, including 18 children. Over 530 are said to have been injured as of Thursday.

Israels Iron Dome has intercepted many of the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Still, Hamas attacks into central and southern Israel have reportedly led to the death of at least seven Israelis.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted on Thursday that the IDF has attacked hundreds of targets and will soon surpass 1,000 targets.

"We are continuing to strike Hamas while defending our citizens, Netanyahu tweeted. It will take time, but with great decisiveness, both defensively and offensively, we will achieve our goal  to restore quiet to the State of Israel."

Daniel and Amber Pierce, founders of the Glory of Zion Jerusalem and co-authors of a new book, Joy in the War, moved to Israel in 2011 to serve in ministry. The couple shared with The Christian Post how Israelis have learned to adapt to the constant threat of danger and frequent rocket attacks.

When these things go on in Israel, its something the society and community are trained for, Daniel Pierce said. They grow up with this, and its something that is an unfortunate reality of life there. But there are certain precautions the community takes.

The Pierces, who now live in Texas and have not been able to return to Israel due to COVID-19 restrictions, remain in close contact with friends and ministry partners in Israel and understand how the situation is often misconstrued.

We wish so much that Israel would be represented properly, Amber Pierce said. I know the devil twists things, but we just want Israel to be represented properly. Israel just has to defend itself and has to make a decision to do what is best for the nation and for the people. If you had over a thousand rockets landing in New York City, we would definitely be doing everything to fight back wherever those rockets were coming from. So, I just think that we want people to pray  and for people to have awareness for whats really going on and to talk about it.

Daniel Pierce shared how the conflict is the result of mounting tensions between Arabs and Jews.

Though tensions between the groups are high, Pierce traced this round of violence back to April 24, when a TikTok video went viral showing an Arab hit a Jewish man on a city bus. He also shared how tensions are higher during Ramadan, a month of fasting and prayer observed by Muslims, which ended on May 12.

That began to really stir up the tensions between the Arabs and the Jewish community in Jerusalem, he said. Of course, Jerusalem is split almost evenly between Arabs and Jewish.  That also coincided with some decisions made in the court system over a housing district in a neighborhood.

The conflict was also stirred by a delayed court ruling involving homes occupied by Palestinians in an Old City neighborhood.

The court is deciding whether authorities will evict dozens of Palestinians living rent-free in the homes owned by Jews.

A series of events led to violent clashes on the Muslim-occupied Temple Mount that led to Israeli police intervention this week, where hundreds of rioters and some officers were injured.

Hamas began its attacks on Israel on Monday. A Hamas spokesperson said the attack was in response to Israeli crimes and aggression in Jerusalem.

Many have condemned Hamas attacks and supported Israels right to defend itself.

Forty U.S. senators led by Republican Marco Rubio of Florida signed a letter Wednesday calling on President Joe Biden to support Israels right to retaliate and end sanction relief with Iran, which backs Hamas.

[Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, who are funded by Iran]  are targeting Israeli civilians and cities, including Israels capital Jerusalem, the letter read. This is troubling as members of your administration are currently in Vienna negotiating with Iran, the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. In light of these recent attacks by Hamas against Israel, the United States should take all steps necessary to hold Tehran accountable and under no circumstances, provide sanctions relief to Iran. This is especially important as Iran is supporting terrorist activity against the United States closest ally in the region, Israel.

The letter pointed out how Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted that Palestinians should unite to use the tools of their disposal to attack Israel, which he recently called a terrorist garrison.

The U.S. designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997, so it is prohibited from providing funds to Hamas. Iran, however, is a financial supporter of Hamas and the U.S. engages in negotiations with Iran and potentially provides billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

We call on you to immediately end negotiations with Iran, and make clear that sanctions relief will not be provided, the senators wrote. Doing so would demonstrate a firm commitment to our closest ally in the region and to our own security interests.

The United States must not do anything to enrich Israels enemies, such as by offering sanctions relief to a regime that seeks to destroy Israel, the letter continued. As a longtime friend of the Jewish state, we also urge you to unequivocally support Israels right to defend itself against any and all terrorist attacks.

Biden spoke to Netanyahu Wednesday and condemned Hamas rocket attacks into Israel. He expressed support for Israels security and its right to defend itself.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also condemned the Hamas attacks during a press conference Wednesday. He said the administration is trying to achieve de-escalation.

There is first a very clear and absolute distinction between a terrorist organization Hamas  that is indiscriminately raining down rockets, in fact, targeting civilians  and Israels response defending itself, Blinken said.

 I think Israel has an extra burden in trying to do everything it possibly can to avoid civilian casualties even as it is rightfully responding in defense of its people, Blinken continued. And as I said, the Palestinians have a right to safety and security and we have to all work in that direction. So the single most important thing right now is de-escalation.

Conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro has criticized the Biden administration for not taking a more heavy-handed response to the violence against Israel.

Blinken tweeted Wednesday that Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, dignity, security, and prosperity.

Shapiro retweeted and rebutted with a response.

Then Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PA should be removed, he argued. Hamas and PIJ are terror groups, the [Palestinian Authority]'s Fatah is a terror group, and Mahmoud Abbas is in the 17th year of a four-year term.
East River is a place where culture and business collide  and it's going up right in Houston.

The 150-acre development going up along Buffalo Bayou in Fifth Ward will include a mix of retail, living spaces and offices.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: Forthcoming Houston Heights cocktail bar will mix 1920s charm with out-of-this-world glamor

The first of four phases planned for the East River, which will provide breathtaking views of the city, is expected to begin construction this summer, per KTRK-13's Jeff Ehling.

Rendering courtesy of Midway

According to Chris Baldwin of Paper City Magazine, it's the largest site still available within the 610 Loop, allowing for the creation of a new mini city within the city.

"We are really focused on creating a very walkable, inviting, outdoor environment in all our project. There will also be 360 multi-family units," said Anna Deans with Houston-based developers Midway, as reported by Ehling. "We are very fortunate. While it seems counterintuitive being located on the bayou, it is actually high and dry."

Rendering courtesy of Midway

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A visit to the site right now will reveal a massive mural where people are already taking selfies and a makeshift drive-in theater for your enjoyment, per Ehling.

Rendering courtesy of Midway

It will take several years to finish the entire project.
The Texas Association of Business and more than three dozen other business groups are pushing Gov. Greg Abbott to cut the additional $300 in federal benefits currently going to unemployed Texans.

Nearly 1 million Texans remained unemployed and dependent upon benefit payments for income in March.

READ MORE: George P. Bush wants to challenge beleaguered Texas AG Ken Paxton. But can he keep Trump out of it?

In GOP-led states, rescinding the extra pay is considered a way to force workers back into the job market to address labor shortages as the economy recovers from the COIVD-19 pandemic.

GOP governors in at least 16 states have announced plans to cut benefits: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming.

Employers believe that supplemental [unemployment] benefit payments from Washington is disincentivizing work and resulting in many good Texas jobs going unfilled, the Texas business association and 38 chambers of commerce and business associations wrote in a letter to the governor and the Texas Workforce Commission, the agency that oversees jobless benefits.

With COVID-19 on the decline and job openings on the rise, we believe it is time for Texas leaders and the Texas Workforce Commission to re-examine unemployment benefits, unemployment insurance work-search requirements and Texass role in federal supplemental unemployment benefits, the letter said.

The movement to end the extra unemployment pay started with Montana on May 4. Gov. Greg Gianforte set a June 27 cutoff, with $1,200 back-to-work bonus to soften the blow.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn hasnt discussed the issue with Abbott but suspects hes seriously considering following other states that have opted to end the federal supplement.

Right now theres such a shortage of people in the workforce that its a sellers market from the standpoint of the wages of people willing to go back to work. Theres quite a deficit of willing workers, Cornyn said.

In many places, including Texas, the combination of the state unemployment insurance benefit plus the federal supplement pays people more than they would receive if they actually were working, and I never want to be in a position of paying people more not to work than to work, the Republican told Texas reporters on a weekly call.

At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki criticized any move to cut off the $300 weekly federal benefit, calling it off track and asserting its based on a misconception that people arent going back to work because of the weekly checks.

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Governors, are going to make their own decisions, but  when you look at the facts, we have not seen that as a widespread driving factor in people not going back to work, she said.

Critics of the decision to cut the additional unemployment pay argue it would hurt people who cant work because theyre sick, caring for a person with COVID-19 or cant find adequate childcare.

In response to Montanas decision to rescind the benefit, worker advocacy group National Employment Law Projects executive director Rebecca Dixon said return-to-work bonuses can become a tool to coerce workers to accept substandard jobs, rather than enabling workers to pursue quality jobs that provide financial security.

Many Republicans in Congress warned at the outset of the pandemic that beefing up unemployment benefits would give low-income workers incentive to stay out of the workforce longer. But Congress and then-President Donald Trump pressed ahead with a $600 a week federal supplement in March 2020 as the pandemic was throwing tens of millions out of work.

By May, Cornyn was calling the $600 payments a mistake. Congress cut it to $300 starting in late July, extending the benefit at that level in December and again in March as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

In recent weeks, GOP governors have faced mounting pressure from business interests to cut off the $300 weekly supplement well before the Sept. 6 expiration, as employers  especially restaurants  scramble to fill vacancies.

In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey announced Thursday that the benefit would end July 10. To entice unemployed Arizonans back into the workforce, the state is offering a $2,000 bonus for anyone who returns to full-time work and keeps collecting a paycheck for 10 weeks.

Arizonas own unemployment payments are among the nations lowest at $240 a week.

Without supplemental pandemic payments, Texas average unemployment benefit is only slightly bigger: around $246 a week with a maximum payout of $521, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The unemployment rate in Texas held steady from the month prior in March at 6.9% and the state economy added nearly 100,000 jobs. The state is expected to release April employment data at the end of next week.
The Internet , born 30 years ago, is an indispensable tool for the entire planet. At this time it not only makes our work easier, it also connects us socially and even encourages us to seek changes in the world. Whether it is to check an email, greet a friend on Facebook or receive news, the so-called network of networks is a companion of the society of the 21st century. On the anniversary of the network, it is worth remembering how it was that our country got online for the first time.

The World Wide Web (WWW) has been in Mexico for less than 30 years, and its birth was purely for academic purposes. The first "Mexican" connection occurred in 1989 between the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
IYO Art House creative director Isaac "Chill" Yowman was honored with "IYO Day" Friday in celebration of the art house and his contributions to the Houston community.

The day was not only a celebration of Yowman's latest feat with IYO Art House but doubled as the 10-year anniversary of IYO Visuals in the Houston community. The creative team at IYO Visuals has brought multiple cultural projects to the city of Houston, including "Closet Chats," liquor brands Martell and Ciroc, and Houston basketball legend Tracy McGrady.

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Courtesy IYO Art House

If you're unfamiliar, Yowman is also the creative mind behind DJ Screw's visual tribute, "All Screwed Up" and the forthcoming documentary on the Houston legend.

The flagship creative space is located in the historic Cultural Arts District of Fifth Ward, and the goal for the multi-level art house is to continue the rich legacy of arts through film and photography.

Yowman spoke adamantly about why he chose Fifth Ward to be the official home of the creative house, mentioning its rich history and Black culture.

"A lot of people looked at me crazy when I said 'we're going to build this in Fifth Ward.' Nothing looks like it. I've got a lot of deep roots in Fifth Ward, my grandmother and grandfather grew up in Fifth Ward. My grandmother and grandfather grew up right off Stables and Nobles," Yowman said. " I was baptized at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, and I got a lot of deep-rooted history in Fifth Ward."

Courtesy IYO Art House

Yowman's latest venture is an attempt to provide creatives with a home in which to create.

"If you're ever driving down 59, and you see the big five-story space, that's us. IYO Art House," Yowman said. "It's a space for creatives to come in and create, photographers, filmmakers, podcasters. Whatever you want to do, that's what this place is for."

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The art house is complete with multiple stages, dressing rooms, a creators lounge and a green room.

The creative director was venerated with a commendation from Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and a proclamation from Mayor Sylvester Turner, making May 14 officially IYO Day.

On a day dedicated to the creative, Yowman decided to celebrate the best way he knew how by giving back to his community through service. The art director provided groceries to senior citizens at Pleasant Hill Village and gave 60 students at Mickey Leeland art supplies. Yowman also spoke to students about achieving their goals.

Courtesy Keiser

"I appreciate everybody for coming out. Obviously, this is a celebration of ten years, serving the creative community, and we're minority-owned and operated, and that's a big thing," Yowman said.

The IYO Art House is currently open in the Historic Cultural Arts District of Fifth Ward. For more information, visit the IYO Art House website.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he hasn't yet seen any evidence supporting Israel's claim that Hamas operated in a Gaza building housing The Associated Press and other media outlets that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. Blinken said he has pressed Israel for justification.

Blinken spoke at a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, a day after The Associated Press top editor called for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike over the weekend that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts.

Israel destroyed a building housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera and claimed that Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office.

Separately, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Israels bombing of a building housing the media organizations as a possible war crime.

Sally Buzbee, APs executive editor, said that the Israeli government has yet to provide clear evidence supporting its attack, which leveled the 12-story al-Jalaa tower.

The Israeli military, which gave AP journalists and other tenants about an hour to evacuate, claimed Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office and weapons development. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israel was compiling evidence for the U.S. but declined to commit to providing it within the next two days.

Blinken said he personally has not seen any Israeli evidence of Hamas operating in the building and has asked Israel for justification for the strike.

Shortly after the strike we did request additional details regarding the justification for it, Blinken said from Copenhagen, Denmark. He declined to discuss specific intelligence, saying he will leave it to others to characterize if any information has been shared and our assessment that information.

But he said, I have not seen any information provided.

On Sunday, Conricus, the Israeli military spokesman said, "Were in the middle of fighting. Thats in process and Im sure in due time that information will be presented.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would share any evidence of Hamas presence in the targeted building through intelligence channels. But neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any American official had seen it.

Buzbee said the AP has had offices in al-Jalaa tower for 15 years and never was informed or had any indication that Hamas might be in the building. She said the facts must be laid out.

We are in a conflict situation, Buzbee said. We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we dont know what that evidence is.

We think its appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday  an independent investigation," she added.

In remarks Sunday, Netanyahu repeated Israels claim that the building housed an intelligence office of Hamas. Asked if he had relayed supporting evidence of that in a call with President Joe Biden on Saturday, Netanyahu said that we pass it through our intelligence people.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, said in a letter to the courts chief prosecutor that the offices of 23 international and local media organizations have been destroyed over the past six days.

RSF said it had strong reason to believe that the Israeli militarys intentional targeting of media organizations and intentional destruction of their equipment could violate one of the courts statutes. It said the attacks serve to reduce, if not neutralize, the medias capacity to inform the public.

RSF asked the international court, based in the Dutch city of The Hague, to include the recent attacks in a war crimes probe opened in March into Israels practices in Palestinian territories.

Buzbee said the AP journalists were rattled after the airstrike but are doing fine and reporting the news. She expressed concern about the impact on news coverage.

This does impact the worlds right to know what is happening on both sides of the conflict in real time, she said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone Saturday with APs president and CEO, Gary Pruitt. The State Department said Blinken offered his unwavering support for independent journalists and media organizations around the world and noted the indispensability of their reporting in conflict zones."

Buzbee and Conricus spoke on CNNs Reliable Sources and Netanyahu was on CBS Face the Nation.
TripAdvisor would like everyone to know they had nothing to do with that whole barbecue map incident, thank you very much.

On Thursday, May 13, an obscure chef blog published America's Best & Worst Cities for BBQ, which immediately went viral for placing San Antonio and every other major city in Texas among the worst places for barbecue. In explaining just how it determined the lists, the blog said it used TripAdvisor data, causing some outlets to incorrectly identify the online travel company and review site as the source of the study.

"This has done significant brand damage to us," Brian Hoyt, head of global communications and industry affairs, tells MySA. Hoyt, who has lived in Texas and waxes poetic about Franklin Barbecue's brisket, quickly added that TripAdvisor "categorically denies" the findings.

RELATED: Texas barbecue is worst in country, says obscure website. No one agrees.

"As far as we know, these are two guys in a garage in Australia," Hoyt says of the blog. "They're using our data, but misappropriating it."

According to Hoyt, TripAdvisor, who has their own in-house team of data scientists, isn't even sure what the bloggers did to come up with conclusions, which took the internet by storm on Thursday. (For the record, TripAdvisor has their own Best BBQ list, which includes places in Kansas City, Texas, Tennesee, and the Carolinas.)

"We think [the blog] owes the state of Texas a big apology," Hoyt adds.

Over the past 24 hours, the travel company has continued to navigate the fallout as more media outlets continue to misidentify TripAdvisor as the source of the map, an exercise Hoyt describes as a game of "Whack-A-Mole."

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"We're a victim here in this story," Hoyt says.

But what about the reputation of Texas barbecue restaurants? Have they suffered as a result of these egregious claims? Nah, says one expert.

"When you know you're number one, you don't care about things like this," says Anna Tauzin, chief revenue and innovation officer for the Texas Restaurant Association. "Texas, Missouri, the Carolinas are varsity, everyone else is JV."

Jokes aside, with an industry still reeling from the fallout of the global pandemic, Tauzin says she hopes the list inspires readers to get out and support local restaurants, regardless of where they live.

"However you get your barbecue," Tauzin says, "spend that money with local restaurants."
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israeli warplanes unleashed a new series of heavy airstrikes at several locations in Gaza City early Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gaza's Hamas rulers would rage on.

Explosions rocked the city from north to south for 10 minutes in an attack that was heavier, on a wider area and lasted longer than a series of air raids 24 hours earlier in which 42 Palestinians were killed  the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence between Israel and the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza. The earlier Israeli airstrikes flattened three buildings.

The Israeli military said it attacked the homes of nine Hamas commanders across Gaza. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and in the predawn darkness there was little information on the extent of damage inflicted early Monday.

Local media reports said the main coastal road west of the city, security compounds and open spaces were hit in the latest raids. The power distribution company said airstrikes damaged a line feeding electricity from the only power plant to large parts of southern Gaza City.

In a televised address on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel's attacks were continuing at full-force and would take time. Israel wants to levy a heavy price on the Hamas militant group, he said, flanked by his defense minister and political rival, Benny Gantz, in a show of unity.

Hamas also pressed on, launching rockets from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel. One slammed into a synagogue in the southern city of Ashkelon hours before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli emergency services said. No injuries were reported.

In the Israeli air assault early Sunday, families were buried under piles of cement rubble and twisted rebar. A yellow canary lay crushed on the ground. Shards of glass and debris covered streets blocks away from the major downtown thoroughfare where the three buildings were hit over the course of five minutes around 1 a.m.

The hostilities have repeatedly escalated over the past week, marking the worst fighting in the territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians since Israel and Hamas' devastating 2014 war.

I have not seen this level of destruction through my 14 years of work, said Samir al-Khatib, an emergency rescue official in Gaza. Not even in the 2014 war."

Rescuers furiously dug through the rubble using excavators and bulldozers amid clouds of heavy dust. One shouted, Can you hear me? into a hole. Minutes later, first responders pulled a survivor out. The Gaza Health Ministry said 16 women and 10 children were among those killed, with more than 50 people wounded.

Haya Abdelal, 21, who lives in a building next to one that was destroyed, said she was sleeping when the airstrikes sent her fleeing into the street. She accused Israel of not giving its usual warning to residents to leave before launching such an attack.

We are tired, she said, We need a truce. We cant bear it anymore.

The Israeli army spokespersons office said the strike targeted Hamas underground military infrastructure."

As a result of the strike, the underground facility collapsed, causing the civilian houses' foundations above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties, it said.

Among those reported killed was Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Ouf, the head of the internal medicine department at Shifa Hospital and a senior member of the hospital's coronavirus management committee. Two of Abu Al-Oufs teenage children and two other family members were also buried under the rubble.

The death of the 51-year-old physician was a huge loss at a very sensitive time, said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa.

Gazas health care system, already gutted by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed in 2007 after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces, had been struggling with a surge in coronavirus infections even before the latest conflict.

Israel's airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Sally Buzbee, the AP's executive editor, called for an independent investigation into the airstrike that destroyed the AP office on Saturday.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said Sunday any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any had been seen.

Its a perfectly legitimate target, Netanyahu told CBSs Face the Nation."

Asked if he had provided any evidence of Hamas presence in the building in a call Saturday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said: We pass it through our intelligence people.

Buzbee called for any such evidence to be laid out. We are in a conflict situation, Buzbee said. We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we dont know what that evidence is.

Meanwhile, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court on Sunday to investigate Israels bombing of the AP building and others housing media organizations as a possible war crime.

The Paris-based group said in a letter to the courts chief prosecutor that the offices of 23 international and local media organizations have been destroyed over the past six days. It said the attacks serve to reduce, if not neutralize, the medias capacity to inform the public.

The AP had operated from the building for 15 years, including through three previous wars between Israel and Hamas. The news agencys cameras, operating from its top floor office and roof terrace, offered 24-hour live shots as militant rockets arched toward Israel and Israeli airstrikes hammered the city and its surroundings.

We think its appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday  an independent investigation, Buzbee said.

The latest outbreak of violence began in east Jerusalem last month, when Palestinians clashed with police in response to Israeli police tactics during Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers. A focus of the clashes was the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a hilltop compound revered by both Muslims and Jews.

Hamas began firing rockets toward Jerusalem on Monday, triggering the Israeli assault on Gaza.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, including 55 children and 33 women, with 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in some of the 3,100 rocket attacks launched from Gaza, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group have acknowledged 20 fighters killed in the fighting. Israel says the real number is far higher and has released the names and photos of two dozen alleged operatives it says were eliminated.

The assault has displaced some 34,000 Palestinians from their homes, U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, where eight foreign ministers spoke about the conflict.

Efforts by China, Norway and Tunisia to get the U.N. body to issue a statement, including a call for the cessation of hostilities, have been blocked by the United States, which, according to diplomats, is concerned it could interfere with diplomatic efforts to stop the violence.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Malki urged the Security Council to take action to end Israeli attacks. Israels U.N. ambassador, Gilad Erdan, urged the council to condemn Hamas' indiscriminate and unprovoked attacks.

The turmoil has also fueled protests in the occupied West Bank and stoked violence within Israel between its Jewish and Arab citizens, with clashes and vigilante attacks on people and property.

On Sunday, a driver rammed into an Israeli checkpoint in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where Palestinian families have been threatened with eviction , injuring six officers before police shot and killed the attacker, Israeli police said.

The violence also sparked pro-Palestinian protests in cities across Europe and the United States.

Israel appears to have stepped up strikes in recent days to inflict as much damage as possible on Hamas as international mediators work to end the fighting and stave off an Israeli ground invasion in Gaza.

The Israeli military said it destroyed the home Sunday of Gazas top Hamas leader, Yahiyeh Sinwar, in the southern town of Khan Younis. It was the third such attack in the last two days on the homes of senior Hamas leaders, who have gone underground.

___

Nessman reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Joseph Krauss and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem, Edie Lederer at the United Nations and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed.
Rice hires Jose Cruz Jr. as new baseball coach Jose Cruz Jr., currently works under A.J. Hinch as the Detroit Tigers assistant hitting coach.

Texans cancel minicamp, save Deshaun Watson $93,000 in fines The Texans wont meet together as a team again until training camp begins July 27.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Lou Barletta, the Republican Party's Donald Trump-endorsed nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018, is running for governor of Pennsylvania.

Barletta, 65, becomes the most prominent figure to enter a 2022 governor's race that Republicans have won every time in the past half-century when there is an outgoing Democratic governor and a first-term Democratic president.

Barletta, a former Hazleton mayor and four-term member of Congress, has far more electoral experience than any other potential challenger for the GOP nomination. That includes having introduced himself to voters in a statewide campaign in his 2018 loss to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.

So people know me, Barletta said in an interview. "Im starting out with that advantage as well as I had 2.1 million votes in 2018. And thats a good start as well.

Barletta said that, if elected, he would focus on boosting the state's economy, while also aiming to overhaul Pennsylvania's election law and fight illegal immigration, a long-time pet issue for Barletta that helped build his political reputation.

Barlettas only declared primary opponent is Joe Gale, a Montgomery County commissioner. After that, several others are seriously considering it. That includes U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser  who succeeded Barletta in Congress  and William McSwain, the top federal prosecutor in Philadelphia under Trump.

Barring something unforeseen, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro will seek the Democratic nomination. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is constitutionally term-limited.

Besides being at ease in front of a microphone, Barletta has another strength in a Republican primary: a relationship with Trump.

Barletta was one of the first members of Congress to endorse Trump in 2016's Republican presidential primary.

He went on to serve as Trump's campaign co-chair in Pennsylvania that year and on Trump's transition team before becoming one of the former president's biggest allies on Capitol Hill.

Barletta ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 at Trumps urging, and drew two Trump visits to Pennsylvania to help rally support for his candidacy, including one where Trump called Barletta a star" and a legend.

Still, Barletta struggled to gain traction with voters, raise money or attract outside help, and got beaten by 13 percentage points in an otherwise difficult electoral year for Republicans. It was personally difficult for Barletta: his brother died and his 18-month-old grandson was diagnosed with cancer in the final weeks of the campaign.

Trump has made no endorsement in the governor's race, a year out from the primary.

I would love his endorsement and Im going to try to earn it, Barletta said.

Barletta will likely be considered the front-runner in a GOP primary.

As mayor of Hazleton for more than a decade, Barletta gained national prominence for injecting immigration hawk politics into local government.

Barletta was mayor at a time when Hazleton's Hispanic population was surging. He argued that many of the recent arrivals were in the country illegally, bringing drugs, crime and gangs to his city of 25,000 and overwhelming police, schools and hospitals.

Accusing the federal government of failing to enforce immigration laws, Barletta got City Council to approve a pair of measures that would have denied permits to businesses that hired people in the country illegally and fined landlords who rented to them.

His strategy was copied by dozens of other cities across the country, but the laws were never enforced before the U.S. Supreme Court struck them down in 2014.

Barlettas visibility on the immigration issue helped him politically, and he defeated 26-year incumbent Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski  on his third try  during the Republican midterm wave of 2010.

Following Trump's loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Barletta  like most in the GOP  has not disputed Trump's baseless claims that the election was stolen from him, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.

As one of Trumps 20 hand-picked electors in Pennsylvania last year, Barletta told the Associated Press in December that theres no question there was fraud."

Barletta still maintains that he doesn't know for sure if the election was stolen from Trump: No one knows that," he said. "Who can say for certain how much the election was changed to the difference that would have made? Nobody.

Trump's baseless claims mail-in ballots are rife with fraud have also stoked opposition among Republicans to Pennsylvania's 2019 mail-in voting law.

Barletta said that, as governor, he would consider signing legislation to repeal universal mail-in voting, leaving only the constitutionally authorized absentee ballot for voters who meet a narrow set of excuses.

I would consider signing it because I believe its ripe for fraud, Barletta said. I think it encourages the chances.

Prosecutors have turned up a handful of cases in Pennsylvania of people trying to vote by mail for a dead mother or wife, but nothing even remotely approaching Trump's false claims that have been thrown out of court for lack of evidence.

Barletta would also bring the governors office into the fight against illegal immigration, he said, pitching it as a way to protect American workers' jobs and wages.

As the mayor (of Hazleton), I was sued for wanting to enforce federal laws, and now we have mayors who literally are thumbing their nose and have created sanctuary cities, inviting literally people who were in the country illegally to those towns, Barletta said. That would not happen if Im governor.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam contributed to this report. Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Cutting off the extra federal payments going to unemployed Kentuckians would hurt the state's economy as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.

The Democratic governor said he's willing to consider ending the weekly $300 federal unemployment payment eventually but quickly added: That doesn't mean we will. The extra money is set to expire in September.

The Bluegrass State's most powerful Republican, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, criticized the extra federal benefits Monday. He said governors are having to clean up this mess as many businesses struggle to find workers. Meanwhile, two GOP state lawmakers urged Beshear to terminate the supplemental payments, saying the benefit is contributing to a labor shortage.

Beshear said he's trying to thread the needle of maintaining the extra federal payments that pump tens of millions of dollars into the state's economy each week while encouraging people to go back to work as the economy fully reopens.

Much of the extra money is spent at grocery stores and other retail businesses, the governor said.

An immediate termination of those extra benefits would hurt our economy and hurt a lot of groups  restaurants and others -- that have suffered during this pandemic," Beshear said. "It would put a shock through our system and it could threaten the way that our recovery is going.

Governors are being pressed about the extra benefits as businesses report they can't find people to fill the openings they have to keep up with the rapidly strengthening economic rebound. Some states will stop providing the additional federal enhancement.

Many people blame the pandemic-related benefits, including the supplemental federal payment on top of state benefits, for the struggles of businesses to fill jobs. They argue that people make more money staying home than going back to work. The challenge was highlighted recently when employers nationwide added far fewer jobs than expected at a time when job openings soared.

In a Senate speech Monday, McConnell lamented that a record number of small businesses say they have open jobs they cannot fill. He said governors across the country are having to take matters into their own hands and turn off these extra-generous benefits.

The Kentucky Republican blamed congressional Democrats who insisted on continuing to pay people more not to work.

The policies that we needed in March 2020 are not the policies we need in May 2021," McConnell said. That has been obvious to Republicans, economists and the American people.

Critics of ending the federal benefit say workers have multiple reasons why they might not be returning to the workforce, such as women who left jobs during the pandemic to care for children.

Kentucky reported a 5% preliminary unemployment rate for March of this year, down slightly from the previous month and better than the national jobless rate of 6% in March.

Beshear predicted Monday that some of the workforce shortages will work out on its own. Many Kentuckians are just now getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and will be returning to work, the governor said. Overall, 54% of adult Kentuckians have received at least one dose of vaccine, though the percentages are lower among younger adults, he said.

Two Republican members of the Kentucky House  Reps. Russell Webber and Phillip Pratt  said the federal enhancement is causing new hardships for businesses. Pratt said the extra benefit "leaves unemployed Kentuckians uninspired to head back to work. The two lawmakers said the supplemental payment should be terminated.

The governor said the extra jobless aid shouldn't be turned into a partisan issue.

It seems like everything now falls into red or blue or the politics of it," he said. "The same way we tried to use science to battle this pandemic, we want to be smart about threading the needle the right way on the economy.
MADRID (AP)  Around 3,000 Moroccans, a third of whom were presumed to be minors according to Spanish authorities, swam and used inflatable boats Monday to cross into Ceuta, the largest number of migrant arrivals in a single day into Spain's enclave in northern Africa.

A young male drowned attempting the crossing and various others, including toddlers, were rescued suffering from hypothermia, health authorities said.

The influx followed the souring of Spain's relations with Morocco, its southern partner and key ally on controlling migration flows, over Madrid's decision to allow the leader of a militant group fighting for independence from Morocco to receive hospital treatment.

Ceuta and nearby Melilla are regarded as a stepping stone into Europe for African migrants. Hundreds of them risk injuries or death every year while trying to jump over fences, hide inside vehicles or by swimming around breakwaters that extend several meters into the Mediterranean Sea.

But the figure of 3,000 people making the crossing in just one day strained police and emergency workers in the city of 84,000. The figure is nearly three times the total arrivals so far this year in the two Spanish territories and more than in 2020, when 2,228 people arrived by both land and sea.

Footage published by El Faro de Ceuta, a local newspaper, showed people climbing the rocky wall of the breakwaters and running across the Tarajal beach, in the southeastern end of the city.

Other videos verified by The Associated Press showed long rows of young men lining up at the gates of a warehouse managed by the local Red Cross, waiting to get registered by Spanish Civil Guard officers.

Spain was deploying 200 more law enforcement officers to Ceuta, including anti-riot police and officers specialized in border control to speed up the return of those who arrived, the Interior Ministry said in a statement late Monday. Spain doesnt grant Moroccans asylum status. It only allows unaccompanied migrant children to legally remain in the country under the governments supervision.

The influx of Moroccans came at the end of the Muslim celebrations of Ramadan, when many residents in Europe return home after visiting relatives in the northern African country. It also followed Madrid's decision to host Brahim Ghali, the head of the Polisario Front that disputes Rabat's claim on Western Sahara, who is recovering from COVID-19 in a hospital in northern Spain.

The Spanish government, which allowed Ghali to enter the country under a disguised identity, has justified its decision to give him shelter on humanitarian grounds.

The Moroccan foreign ministry said last month that Madrid's move was inconsistent with the spirit of partnership and good neighborliness. In May, the ministry also said that Spain's move would have consequences.

Mohammed Ben Aisa, head of the Northern Observatory for Human Rights, a nonprofit group that works with migrants in northern Morocco, said that the influx was a mix of the seasonal attempts to reach Europe, the arrival of good weather and the recent tensions between Rabat and Madrid.

The information that we have is that the Moroccan authorities reduced the usually heavy militarization of the coasts, which come after Moroccos foreign ministry statement about Spains hosting of Brahim Ghali," Ben Aisa told The Associated Press.

The area is heavily monitored by security forces and attempts there, whether to climb the fence or swim, are usually stopped," he added.

Spain has strong but complicated diplomatic ties with its southern neighbor. The two countries often cite their decades-old cooperation on controlling migration flows, which includes recurring payments to Rabat from Spain and the European Union as well as training to Morocco's police and army, as the blueprint for the EU's migration policies in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean.

Cooperation with Moroccan intelligence on fighting extremism is also key for Europe.

Asked by reporters whether the government of Rabat was deliberately relaxing controls on departing migrants, Spain's foreign minister simply said she had no information.

We are not aware, Arancha Gonzalez Laya said before concluding brief media remarks. The ministry later declined to further elaborate.

In a statement, the interior minister said that Spain has been working tirelessly on a migration policy that concerns the whole of the European Union and Morocco, the country of origin of the people who have arrived swimming today.

A spokesman with the Spanish governments delegation in Ceuta said that the crossings began at 2 a.m. in the border area of Ceuta known as Benzu and were then followed by a few dozen people near the eastern beach of Tarajal.

The daylight didn't stop the crossings from the nearby Moroccan town of Fnideq, as entire families with children swam or boarded inflatable boats, said the spokesman, who wasn't authorized to be identified by name in media reports.

A 10-meter-high (32-foot-high) double fence surrounds the eight kilometers (five miles) of Ceutas southwestern border with Morocco, with the rest of the tiny territory facing the Strait of Gibraltar and the European mainland across the sea.

Several gates along the perimeter have been closed for over a year as Morocco has banned all travel by land in an attempt to avoid coronavirus infections. The decision has left jobless many locals who rely on work in Ceuta and Melilla or cross-border trade for a living.

More than 100 young Moroccans also swam into the Spanish territory at the end of April. Authorities said most of them were returned to their country in less than 48 hours after being confirmed as adults.

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AP journalist Mosa'ab Elshamy contributed to this report from Rabat, Morocco.

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Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
HONOLULU (AP)  Authorities in Hawaii have reported about 200 drug-related deaths last year in Honolulu, a five-year high fueled by methamphetamine overdoses.

The Honolulu medical examiner's office said there were 197 deaths in 2020 compared to 191 in 2019 and 157 in 2018, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Saturday. Methamphetamine was the cause of 148 of the deaths last year.

The average age of people who died from drug overdoses was 51, officials said. The youngest person who died was 15  the only teen death  and the oldest was 98.

A lot of methamphetamine comes from Mexico and that slowed down for some time, said Honolulu Police Department Maj. Phillip Johnson, head of the department's narcotics division. Those who did have drugs on the ground, the price was quite high and we were not seeing a lot coming in like we normally did. After we started seeing toilet paper returning to the shelves, we saw the drugs come back to the streets.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Honolulu police officers are also finding fentanyl in counterfeit oxycodone pills manufactured in Mexico and transported to Hawaii from California.

Fentanyl is a potent drug that can become fatal with as little as 2 milligrams, health officials said. Anyone who is exposed to the drug can experience breathing effects at a much lower dosage than a usual medical dose.

Leslie Tomaich, a 23-year veteran agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, said agents have noted an increase in fentanyl seizures and have already seized more of the drug this year than the entire amount confiscated in 2020.

Officials said agents have recovered 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of fentanyl powder and 1,233 tablets so far this year compared to the 275 grams (9.7 ounces) of powder and about 1,700 tablets in 2020.

Despite the rise, methamphetamine remains the largest drug threat in Hawaii, authorities said.

Meth has always been our main threat out here, Tomaich said. The prices increased (during the lockdown). The demand was still there and people were willing to pay the higher prices for it. We were still making significant seizures.

Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Director Gary Yabuta said methamphetamine has been the state's main drug threat for 30 years.

It comes in from the Mexican cartels through the West Coast to Hawaii. Its no longer manufactured in Hawaii, he said.

The medical examiner's office said there were 47 drug-related deaths in the state involving illicit opioids in 2020, including 21 involving heroin and 26 involving fentanyl. During the previous year, there were 38 drug-related deaths involving opioids, including 19 involving heroin and 19 involving fentanyl.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 87,200 people died of drug overdoses across the country from Sept. 2019 to Sept. 2020, a 29% increase and the largest number of drug-related deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. On average, 238 people die daily of a drug overdose in the U.S.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  Gov. Kristi Noems successful $900,000 push for educators to create more South Dakota-specific civics and history curriculum is underway now  new materials Noem has said should help explain why the U.S. is the most special nation in the history of the world.

But educators and Indigenous people say they want to ensure the curriculum covers the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires, which refers collectively to the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people.

Concrete examples of the curriculum have yet to be seen after Noem pushed for the expenditure in her budget address. And while Noem has pushed for increased civics education, shes also expressed opinions about the nations alleged failure to educate generations of our children about what makes America unique, and the lefts indoctrination of students.

Most recently, Noem said she was concerned about teaching our children and grandchildren to hate their own country, and signed on to a 1776 Pledge to Save Our Schools, which commits to honest, patriotic education that cultivates in our children a profound love for our country.

Those in charge of the civics initiative have said it will take two years to create instructional materials and classroom resources specific to the states history, civics, government, geography and economics, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.

The initiative is part of an expansive budget that passed the Legislature in March.

Still, the question remains: What will it take for South Dakota to have a culturally responsive civics and history curriculum?

Initially, reading about the civics initiative posed some red flags for Dyanis Conrad-Popova, she said.

Conrad-Popova, an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of South Dakota, said that in her experience with research on educational equity and culturally responsive education, she knows a strong K-12 civics and history curriculum is needed in the state. But the approach should be centered in best practice, not opinion, she said.

A culturally responsive curriculum helps bridge gaps that are fairly evident within our societies, she explained. Culturally responsive curriculum should also validate the values, prior experiences and cultural knowledge of students, Conrad-Popova said.

The effort is not about patriotism, indoctrination, radicalized leftist views, or pitting students against each other based on race or sex, Conrad-Popova said.

Its about really being honest with ourselves, and being open and honest with the fact that as a country, our history, policies, programs and practices have been rooted in issues of race-based and culture-based oppression and marginalization, Conrad-Popova said.

For example, textbooks in the past have referred to slavery as the Atlantic triangular trade, or refers to Indigenous removal as Native Americans moved West voluntarily to make room for the new settlers, Conrad-Popova said.

Teaching such lies, she said, breeds ignorance and hate.

A culturally responsive curriculum in South Dakota, Conrad-Popova says, is one that includes Lakota perspectives and those whose voices have historically been ignored.

As part of the Sioux Falls School Districts incorporation of South Dakotas Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings, students at Cleveland Elementary created a collaborative art project celebrating the different groups that collectively make up the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires, which is the Lakota term for the Sioux Nation. The Oceti Sakowin Essential understandings are a set of educational standards that require students to learn about Lakota perspectives on history, language and culture. The artwork was displayed prominently at the district administration building.

While South Dakota does have curriculum standards on whats called Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings (OSEUs), which teaches about the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people, officials with the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) are not sure how broadly these teachings are used in schools.

However, the DOE is trying to get a better understanding of which schools have implemented OSEUs, DOE secretary Tiffany Sanderson said. The major partner in that work is the Office of Indian Education, which Noem moved to the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations in 2019.

Certainly we need to strengthen training for teachers so everybody has confidence in using (OSEUs) in the classroom, Sanderson said, adding she guesses OSEUs will be tucked into the South Dakota instructional materials the state develops.

Jace DeCory, a Lakota educator, elder and professor emeritus at Black Hills State University, said she believes a state mandate would assist with the goal of including Native American curriculum in the states school system. North Dakota recently mandated education on Native American history for K-12 students.

Inclusion of Lakota language, history and culture will better serve all students in the state, and could provide relevance and a positive class environment to Native students, DeCory said. A culturally relevant curriculum could also help improve attendance and graduation rates among Native students, she said.

But at the K-12 level, schools will not be required to use the curriculum the education department will develop. However, state officials are confident (schools) will find the resources very useful, said Ruth Raveling, an information specialist at the education department.

And students already learn a variety of history, civics, geography and economics as early as kindergarten in the Sioux Falls School District.

In the Lennox School District, high schoolers have two elective course offerings: South Dakota history, or civics, which Madeline Voegeli teaches.

Voegeli said she covers diversity, what it means to be an American, the history of immigration, citizenship, the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, volunteerism, the organization of political parties, ideology, the voting process and more in her class.

But Voegeli said shes asked all the time about how she balances teaching about ideological topics in todays political climate. To avoid bumps in the road or conflict, Voegeli said she creates a culture of understanding and empathy in her classroom.

A student takes notes during a history class on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, at Augustana University in Sioux Falls.

While it can be challenging, I feel like its my role to tell them how to think, and not what to think, she said. Thats always been a really strong component of my belief as a teacher, so my students dont know where I stand politically.

Lennox superintendent Chad Conaway said as long as districts are following state standards, theyre avoiding a political agenda, unless that agenda was embedded in the standards.

Stephanie Hageman, vice president of the South Dakota Education Association (SDEA) and a high school teacher in Watertown, said theres not a lot of balancing between Noems goals and teaching the nuts and bolts of civics and history.

As educators in South Dakota, we are required to teach the standards the DOE gives to us, she said. Our district might get to select what curriculum were going to use to implement those standards, but its already laid out. Theres not a political agenda there that were teaching to hate America. Were following the standards laid out to us and given to us by the (DOE).

It doesnt help that the amount of time students learn about social studies at the elementary level has also decreased in the last few decades, Sanderson said.

There is no one-stop shop for teachers in South Dakota to find a host of resources specific to teaching the states history, geography or government, Sanderson said. Over time, teachers have put together these resources on their own, she said.

No textbook publisher is going to invest in South Dakota-specific text materials, instructional resources or lesson plans, Sanderson said. If we want those available to our teachers, we need to take that on ourselves.

The state education department aims to fill that gap with input from K-12 educators, higher education faculty, tribal representatives, experts like historians and museum directors, and educational programming from South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Final decisions on curriculum and standards wont be made for at least another two years, but the state is already laying out how it wants to spend the $900,000:

$550,000 is set aside for the development of state-specific instructional materials and classroom resources. Work will begin for this by early 2022.

$200,000 will go toward pilot programs focused on strengthening civics, government and history education for school districts.

Two expenditures of $75,000 will also provide for professional development and an instructional materials review. Planning for this professional development will begin this summer, and the instructional materials review will start by early 2022.

The new materials also wont be the subject of a statewide test, said Raveling. Theres currently no statewide assessment in social studies.

By late summer, a call for committee members will go out to experts who wish to give input on the curriculum creation, Sanderson said.

The department will also review South Dakotas content standards for social studies this summer. Standards reviews are done on a regular basis and separate from the civics initiative, Raveling said.

Yet, lawmakers and Indigenous educators say that isnt enough, especially in a state that has a history of shooting down proposals to further Indigenous-led education initiatives.

Rep. Shawn Bordeaux, a Democrat from Mission, tried to require OSEUs be taught this spring by way of House Bill 1187, an effort which failed in the Legislature.

Bordeaux said he believed by 2020, teaching of OSEUs would be fully implemented in all schools, but teachers in schools said its not being done and its an option. He thinks the complication lies in the fact that the Office of Indian Education is no longer under the state education department.

There was an effort by lawmakers to move it back by way of House Bill 1044, but that also died in committee this spring.

Sen. Troy Heinert, a fellow Mission Democrat, also tried to pass Senate Bill 68 that would have provided state funding and organization for the founding of four OSEU community-based schools across the state.

That failed this spring, too.

That forced Indigenous educators and families to take the lead without the help of state funding and develop plans to open an Oceti Sakowin community-based school by fall 2022 in Rapid City.

Mary Bowman, a member of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition, is helping lead the effort for the new school.

Its just trying to provide a solution for the historical and decades-long problems that Indigenous students have faced in the public school system, Bowman said.

Still, concerns exist that South Dakotas Indigenous history wont be seen in its full context, and wont include more than settler perspectives.

One of the OSEUs set in statewide standards reads verbatim, history told from the Oceti Sakowin perspective, through oral tradition and written accounts, frequently conflicts with the stories told by mainstream historians.

Elise Boxer, an assistant professor and coordinator of Native American Studies at USD, adopted this standard in her classes at the college level as well and tells students its not about saying that theres only one history, its saying what happens to history when we include different perspectives.

Boxer said some texts refer to the Wounded Knee Massacre as a war or Sioux uprising, which incorrectly implies that all of a sudden, Dakota people decided to go out and fight settlers.

Whats missing from that interpretation is that there had been violations of treaties, encroachment onto Dakota lands, theft of Dakota sources like water and more, Boxer said. She teaches students to review newspaper accounts, oral histories and traditional narratives of the event.

In the context of history, when we include different voices, it changes, she said.

Other experts say its important for South Dakotas students to realize Lakota people have a presence and legal history with the federal government prior to statehood, and that the issue of culturally responsive education has been a political whipping post for decades.

I dont see how you can use South Dakota history without teaching about both Wounded Knees, or the destruction of the Great Sioux reservation, said Michael Mullin, chair and professor of history at Augustana University.

Mullin and his coworkers have started acknowledging in email signatures and in lectures that the university is located on the ancestral territory of the Oceti Sakowin.

Sanderson said while America and South Dakota both have really rich stories, they are certainly not without blemish.

Weve got plenty of times in our history that havent gone well, but weve been able to learn from that, she said. The anecdote that history repeats itself if we dont understand our past is certainly applicable here.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish security forces have killed an alleged high-ranking Kurdish militant in an operation in northern Iraq, Turkeys president said Monday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting that the slain militant was allegedly responsible for the Syria operations of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. He identified him by his codename, Sofi Nurettin, and said he was a Syrian national.

The PKKs (official) responsible for Syria ... was rendered ineffective in an operation in Iraq that was conducted as a result of the long-term work of our National Intelligence Directorate, Erdogan said. This terrorist led the armed wing of this organization for a long time before becoming the head of its activities in Syria.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Kurdish rebel group.

Erdogan said Nurettin was responsible for numerous bloody acts against Turkey, as well as attacks against Turkish troops during cross-border offensives in northern Syria.

The Turkish president also said militant was also among the commanders that had ordered the killing of 13 Turkish hostages, including military and police, who were executed by militants in northern Iraq, during a failed operation to free them earlier this year. The hostages had been kidnapped inside Turkey in 2015 and 2016.

Turkey has carried out numerous cross border incursions into Iraq over the years to fight the PKK, which maintains bases in the region.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK began an insurgency in Turkeys majority Kurdish southeast region in 1984.

The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide a major abortion case that could dramatically alter decades of rulings on abortion rights and eventually lead to dramatic restrictions on abortion access.

It's been nearly 50 years since the court announced in its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that women have a constitutional right to abortion.

Here are some questions and answers about the case:

COULD THIS BE THE CASE THAT OVERTURNS ROE V. WADE?

The case is an appeal from Mississippi in which the state is asking to be allowed to ban most abortions at the 15th week of pregnancy. The state is not asking the court to overrule Roe v. Wade, or later cases that reaffirmed it.

But many supporters of abortion rights are alarmed and many opponents of abortion are elated that the justices could undermine their earlier abortion rulings. If the court upholds Mississippi's law, it would be its first ratification of an abortion ban before the point of viability, when a fetus can survive outside the womb. Such a ruling could lay the groundwork for allowing even more restrictions on abortion. That includes state bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks.

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WHAT HAPPENS IF MISSISSIPPI WINS?

If Mississippi wins, it gets to enforce its 15-week ban, which lower courts have so far prohibited. In addition, other conservative states would certainly look to copy Mississippi's law. A decision that states can limit previability abortions would also embolden states to pass more restrictions, which some states have already done and which are already wrapped up in legal challenges. Challenges to those limits would continue.

That said, the immediate practical impact of a win for Mississippi could be muted. That's because more than 90% of abortions take place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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THE COURT IS CONSERVATIVE. IS THERE A LIKELY OUTCOME?

Mississippi would seem to have the upper hand, both because the justices agreed to hear the case in the first place and because of the makeup of the court. After the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September and her replacement by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, conservatives hold six of the court's nine seats.

Barrett, one of former President Donald Trump's three appointees to the court, is the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades. Trump's other two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, voted in dissent last year to allow Louisiana to enforce restrictions on doctors that could have closed two of the states three abortion clinics.

Justice Samuel Alito would also be expected to be a vote for Mississippi, while Justice Clarence Thomas is on record in support of overturning Roe v. Wade.

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WHEN WILL THE PUBLIC KNOW WHAT THE COURT DOES?

The court has finished its calendar of scheduled oral arguments for now and is issuing decisions before taking a break for the summer. The court will resume hearing arguments in October, and this case will probably be argued in the fall. A decision would likely come in the spring of 2022 during the campaign for congressional midterm elections.

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WHERE ARE AMERICANS ON THE ISSUE OF ABORTION?

An April poll from the Pew Research Center found that 59% of Americans think abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 39% think it should be illegal in most or all cases. Eighty percent of Democrats said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with just 35% of Republicans.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  An Idaho couple has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of a young child.

Erik and Monique Osuna of Meridian each denied the charges during a Monday morning hearing, Boise television station KTVB reported. Prosecutors say the couple starved and abused 9-year-old Emrik Osuna  Monique's stepson and Erik's son  until he died on Sept. 1, 2020.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Buddy Roemer, a Harvard-educated reform-minded politician whose one tumultuous term as Louisianas governor was marked by bruising political battles over taxes, budgets and abortion, died Monday at age 77.

His son, Chas Roemer, said the former governor died peacefully at his home in Baton Rouge after a long battle with diabetes. He was surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren, Chas Roemer said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered flags at the Capitol and state office buildings lowered to half staff and said Roemer proudly represented the state he so dearly loved.

Roemer, a congressman before he was elected governor in 1987, never held office again after he finished third in the 1991 race, having switched from the Democratic to the Republican party that year. He came in behind populist Democrat Edwin Edwards, who was making a comeback bid after losing the governorship to Roemer four years earlier, and Republican David Duke, the ex-Ku Klux Klan leader. Edwards trounced Duke in the ensuing runoff, winning a fourth term.

Roemer, who became a banker in private life, ran unsuccessfully for governor again in 1995. He also briefly ran a campaign for the presidency in 2012, railing against special interest politics. Though the effort drew little notice, it kept alive Roemer's reputation as a reform-minded maverick.

Buddys election as governor signaled a turning point in Louisianas history," Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, said in a news release. "He loved Louisiana, contributing to it through the public and private sector. He leaves a great legacy. My condolences to his family.

He was immeasurably talented, said U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, another Democrat-turned-Republican, who got his political start as Roemer's executive counsel. All he ever wanted to do was make Louisiana better, and he did. That meant making the right people mad, but he understood that. When I count my blessings, I count Buddy twice.

Married three times (his second marriage ended while he was governor) Roemer kept a lower public profile after suffering a stroke in 2014.

He was born Charles Elson Roemer III, and grew up on his familys cotton plantation, Scopena, in north Louisianas Bossier Parish. He learned politics from his father, Charles E. Roemer II, who served as Edwards chief budget officer in the 1970s.

Elected to the U.S. House in 1980, Roemer forged a reputation as one of the Boll Weevils -- conservative Southern Democrats who helped President Ronald Reagan pass legislation.

But no political label quite fit Roemer, whose north-Louisiana drawl belied his Ivy league education. Although he was reared in a politically active family and elected to four congressional terms, he ran for governor in 1987 as an outsider, crusading against special interests and bureaucracy.

His campaign, dubbed the Roemer Revolution, was perhaps best remembered for his vows to scrub the budget and brick up the top three floors of the Department of Education building.

He defeated Edwards, whose third term was marred by a sinking economy and federal trials in which he was acquitted but politically damaged.

Once elected, Roemer found the political going rough, perhaps in part due to his reputed abrasiveness.

I did step on a lot of toes but frankly all the toes were hanging out there naked. They needed it, he said in a 1992 interview with The Associated Press.

There were some successes, including passage of campaign contribution limits. He also signed into law a bill bringing riverboat casino gambling to the tourism-dependent state.

But, in the spring of 1989, voters defeated what would have been his hallmark initiative: a proposed constitutional amendment that would have overhauled the state tax structure, shifting the tax burden from business to individuals. The plan also included a $1.4 billion program to improve highways, airports and shipping ports that would have been funded by a gasoline tax increase of 4 cents a gallon.

Opponents called it a needless tax hike. Duke, the former Klansman who had won a state legislative seat in suburban New Orleans, rode opposition to the plan to statewide popularity that would help him gain a foothold in the governors race two years later.

Then, there were the state Legislatures often highly emotional debates over abortion, which took place as socially conservative Southern politicians hoped changes at the Supreme Court might result in the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision.

Roemer declared himself an opponent of legal abortion, but his vetoes of tough anti-abortion bills drew anger from social conservatives. Roemer insisted on stronger exceptions for rape and incest victims and he wanted abortions allowed in cases of severe fetal deformities. Lawmakers overrode his 1991 veto -- the first time a Louisiana governor suffered such a fate in the 20th century. The law was later ruled unconstitutional.

Duke, running as a Republican, and Edwards, a lifelong Democrat, each had strong, committed bases when they ran in the 1991 governors race. Roemer switched parties that year and had support from Republican President George H.W. Bush, but finished third in the states non-partisan primary. In the runoff, Edwards, despite a political lifetime of scandal, easily defeated the ex-Klansman. One Edwards bumper sticker read: Vote for the crook. Its important.

Roemer would run again in 1994 but that race ultimately was won by businessman and state Sen. Mike Foster -- another Democrat-turned Republican.

He ran for president in 2012, first as a Republican, then as a third-party candidate. He dropped out after 17 months, never polling above single digits, left out of major TV debates and unable to get on the ballot in all states.

At a December 2012 event with other former Louisiana governors, Roemer described inheriting a state teetering near bankruptcy in 1988, with high unemployment and the nation's lowest bond rating.

I would go home at night  and Ive never said this publicly  and I would sit on the edge of my bed crying, after another 17-hour day, he said.

Then, he joked that when he lost his re-election bid to Edwards, I got back in that same bed and smiled.

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Associated Press reporter Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge contributed to this story.

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This story has been corrected to show that Roemers third run for governor was in 1995, not 1994.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court ruled Monday that prisoners who were convicted by non-unanimous juries before the high court barred the practice a year ago don't need to be retried.

The justices ruled 6-3 along conservative-liberal lines that prisoners whose cases had concluded before the justices' 2020 ruling shouldn't benefit from it. The decision affects prisoners who were convicted in Louisiana and Oregon as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the few places that had allowed criminal convictions based on divided jury votes.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the conservative majority that the court's well-settled retroactivity doctrine led to the conclusion that the decision doesn't apply retroactively. The decision tracks the Courts many longstanding precedents on retroactivity, he wrote.

In a dissent joined by her two liberal colleagues, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that as a result of the ruling, For the first time in many decades ... those convicted under rules found not to produce fair and reliable verdicts will be left without recourse in federal courts.

During arguments in the case in December, which were held by phone because of the coronavirus pandemic, the justices were told that ruling in favor of the prisoners could mean retrials for 1,000 to 1,600 people in Louisiana alone. States and the Trump administration had urged the court not to give more prisoners the benefit of the ruling, saying doing so would be massively disruptive in both Louisiana and Oregon and might mean the release of violent offenders who cannot practically be retried.

As a result of the high court's 2020 ruling, juries everywhere must vote unanimously to convict. But that decision affected only future cases and cases in which the defendants were still appealing their convictions when the high court ruled. The question the high court was answering in the current case was whether the decision should be made retroactive to cases that were final before the ruling.

During arguments, several justices noted the very high bar past cases have set to making similar new rules retroactive.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican, praised the ruling.

Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed long-final convictions involving rape, murder, child molestation, and other violent crimes," he said in a statement. At a time when crime rates are through the sky and attempts to erode law and order are incessant, it is assuring that the Supreme Court upheld the rule of law.

The case the justices ruled in involves Louisiana prisoner Thedrick Edwards. A jury convicted Edwards of rape and multiple counts of armed robbery and kidnapping. The jury divided 10-2 on most of the robbery charges and 11-1 on the remaining charges. Edwards, who had confessed to police, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Edwards, who is Black, has argued among other things that prosecutors intentionally kept Black jurors off the case; the lone Black juror on the case voted to acquit him.

In a statement, Edwards attorney Andre Belanger said he was disappointed in the Courts ruling. But he said the "fight is not over," explaining that rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are just a minimum standard and Louisiana is free to apply the Supreme Court's 2020 ruling retroactively as a matter of state law. This is obviously something that will be litigated moving forward," he said.

Advocates for people in Oregon convicted by non-unanimous juries also said they would pursue possible relief through state courts.

My office remains committed to reviewing every case presented to us that involves a request for a new trial," Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, said in a statement, adding that her office is reviewing Monday's decision and will be working expeditiously on a plan for addressing these cases going forward.

The case is Edwards v. Vannoy, 19-5807.

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Associated Press writer Andrew Selsky contributed to this report from Salem, Oregon.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  A woman who escaped from the Montana Womens Prison in Billings has been captured.

Members of a U.S. Marshals Service violent offender task force arrested Lisa Anne Nester, 50, after she was found near the Yellowstone County sheriff's office in Billings on Saturday. She was taken into custody without incident and had not been considered a threat to public safety, the Montana Department of Corrections said.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A Kansas House member was charged Monday with three counts of misdemeanor battery, accused of having made rude, insulting or angry contact with two teenage students in a classroom while working as a substitute teacher.

The charges against Republican state Rep. Mark Samsel arose from a student reporting an April 28 incident involving Samsel in what videos showed to be a noisy classroom in his hometown of Wellsville, a town of about 1,700 people roughly 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City. The brief videos, provided by a parent who said they were shot by students, also showed Samsel talking about suicide, God and sex.

In one video, Samsel can be heard saying, Who likes making babies? That feels good, doesn't it? followed by, You haven't masturbated? Don't answer that question.

When a student says he won't answer, Samsel is heard saying, Thank you. I told you not to. God already knows.

Another video showed Samsel grabbing a boy, pushing him against a wall and telling him, I could put the wrath of God on you right now, before the boy breaks free and runs away, yelling.

Samsel was arrested the day after and released on $1,000 bond. His first appearance in Franklin County District Court by video conference is scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday.

A criminal complaint filed by Franklin County Attorney Brandon Jones accuses Samsel of having made physical contact with two 15- or 16-year-old students in a rude, insulting or angry manner. The complaint identifies the students only by their initials.

The third charge alleges that Samsel caused bodily harm to one of the students. The complaint lists 40 potential witnesses, including at least 15 minors identified only by their initials.

Jones declined to comment about the case. In a Facebook message to The Associated Press, Samsel referred questions to his attorney, who declined to comment about the case.

Samsel, who is himself an attorney, was first elected to the House in 2018 and reelected last year. He also has been a referee for the association that oversees middle and high school sports in Kansas.

There's no indication yet that he might face disciplinary action from the House, which can censure or expel members over their behavior. Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area Republican, said in a statement that the judicial process must be allowed to work to determine exactly what happened and what penalties should be imposed.

We are concerned by these new charges, Ryckman said. The safety of our schoolchildren is one of our highest priorities.

Samsel's local superintendent notified him by letter last week that he was banned for a year from Wellsville public school property and events. The letter said he would face a criminal trespass complaint if he violated the ban.

Samsel posted a photo of the letter Saturday on his Facebook page, saying, This looks like discrimination to me. Fortunately, I know a good lawyer.

In a Snapchat post from Samsel after his arrest, he said what happened in the classroom was all planned to SEND A MESSAGE about art, mental health, teenage suicide, how we treat our educators and one another. He said students were in on it.

Samsel is the third Kansas lawmaker to face legal problems this year.

Fellow Republicans ousted Sen. Gene Suellentrop, of Wichita, as Senate majority leader in April after he was charged with drunken driving and a felony charge of attempting to elude law enforcement for driving the wrong way on a highway in Topeka. He is scheduled to have a June 3 court appearance.

Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman, of Kansas City, was warned by a House committee in writing in February about abusive behavior toward girls and young women before his election last year. He reached a legal agreement in January with the woman who managed his primary opponents campaign to end an anti-stalking court order against him.

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
KENT, Wash. (AP)  Kent police are investigating a fatal shooting at a hookah lounge that occurred early Sunday.

Police arrived at North Washington Ave. following a 911 call of a shooting inside the Lux Hookah Lounge. The initial caller provided little information and hung up without answering questions, according to a news release Sunday evening from Kent police.

When police arrived they saw many people inside and outside the business, the Seattle Times reported. They found a 28-year-old man from Auburn, inside with multiple gunshot wounds. They tried to revive him until medics arrived, but the victim did not survive.

A second man, a 23-year-old Kent man, was shot in the hand and is in stable condition, Kent police said.

Kent detectives are working to determine the identity of the suspect but people who were there, including the second shooting victim, so far have declined to say what happened, according to police.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Some Mississippi lawmakers say they want Gov. Tate Reeves to call them back to the Capitol for a special session to revive the state's initiative process. Others want a chance to quickly revive discussion of a medical marijuana program.

The state Supreme Court ruled Friday that the medical marijuana initiative is void because Mississippis initiative process is outdated. That effectively killed other initiatives for which people are already petitioning.

We 100% believe in the right of the people to use the initiative process to express their views on public policy, Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn said Monday in a statement that did not mention medical marijuana. If the Legislature does not act on an issue that the people of Mississippi want, then the people need a mechanism to change the law."

The Mississippi Legislature usually meets from January to April. Lawmakers can reconvene only if the governor calls them back to the Capitol.

A spokeswoman for Reeves said Monday that the Republican governor is still reviewing the case and has not decided about a special session.

At the heart of the ruling is the fact that initiatives need signatures from five congressional districts to get on the ballot, but because of Mississippis stagnant population, the state has only four districts.

The initiative process was added to the Mississippi Constitution in the 1990s as Section 273. It requires petitioners trying to get any initiative on the ballot to gather one-fifth of signatures from each congressional district. Mississippi had five congressional districts at the time that was written. But the state dropped to four after the 2000 census, and language dealing with the initiative process was never updated.

Republican Sen. Jeremy England of Vancleave said Monday that there seems to be a sense of urgency among lawmakers on both passing a medical marijuana program and restoring the ballot initiative process.

However, he said the ballot initiative issue could be a lengthy process. Because it would require a constitutional amendment, it would need two-thirds of support from lawmakers, England said. Then, the issue would need to be put on the ballot in the next statewide election, which is in November 2022.

A priority for a special session should be making sure some form of medical marijuana program is approved before the end of the year, England said.

About 1.3 million people voted in Mississippi in November, and more than 766,000 of them voted in favor of Initiative 65. That's about 10,000 more residents than voted for Donald Trump, who won handily the presidential race in the state.

England said a huge amount of money and time has been spent by business owners and the Mississippi Department of Health to implement a medical marijuana program. The department was instructed in Initiative 65 with starting the program by the middle of this year.

England said he believes the language of Initiative 65 should be our base starting point" for the legislation. However, he said he expects debate and negotiation, especially on issues like taxation.

Republican Sen. Scott DeLano of Biloxi said lawmakers should be prepared and willing to move forward with establishing a medical marijuana program this year that is consistent with the spirit of Initiative 65.

The only way for us to be able to do that before January of 2022 is if the governor calls for a special session, DeLano said Monday. Its what the public wanted; it's what our constituents wanted and what they expected. I believe its my duty to do my part in making sure that the will of the voter is heard.

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Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
MIAMI (AP)  Police are saying the death of a teenage Miami girl who disappeared while on a morning jog was caused by a hit-and-run driver.

The remains of Diana Gomez were found Sunday night by a relative off the 79th Street causeway near Pelican Harbor Marina, Miami police said. Her family and law enforcement had been searching for her since she disappeared Saturday morning.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday predicted a return to normal in Nebraska's K-12 schools by this fall after a year of coronavirus restrictions that included mask-wearing in classrooms and remote learning.

Ricketts said the state appears to be in good shape with its vaccination efforts and virus-related hospitalizations, which have now fallen below 100 statewide.

Given where we are right now, it's my expectation that we will not need these pandemic restrictions this fall, Ricketts said at a press event in Omaha.

Ricketts, a Republican, made the comments as he encouraged Nebraska's new high school graduates to get vaccinated if they haven't already. He said he also supports younger children getting vaccinated, as long as a vaccine has been federally approved for a child's age group and the parents give consent.

We really want our high school graduates to get that vaccine, he said.

Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Logan said the district has worked with Douglas County public health officials to provide vaccination sites and share information about vaccines with students and families.

We must not let up on our health and safety focus, she said.

Dannette Smith, the CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said state officials are still working to encourage younger residents to get vaccinated, including those ages 12 to 15 who are now eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

We want you to be able to do it and we want to make it as painless and easy for you as possible, she said.

Nebraska has fully vaccinated 52% of residents who are at least 16 years old, according to the state's online tracking portal. The number of new daily vaccinations has trended downward since hitting a high of 23,910 on April 12. On Sunday, the number of doses given to achieve full vaccination was 2,240. The state's numbers, however, don't include doses administered under the federal government's vaccine program.

Nebraska reported a new low of 97 virus-related hospitalizations on Sunday, a number that has fallen sharply since the peak of 987 hospitalizations in November. The state has confirmed 222,512 coronavirus cases and 2,266 deaths since the pandemic began.

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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP)  Vaccinated Saudis will be allowed to leave the kingdom for the first time in more than a year on Monday as the country eases a ban on international travel aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus and its new variants.

For the past 14 months, Saudi citizens have mostly been banned from traveling abroad out of concerns that international travel could fuel the outbreak of the virus within the country of more than 30 million people. The ban, in place since March 2020, has impacted Saudi students who were studying abroad, among others.

In recent months, however, the kingdom has vaccinated close to 11.5 million residents with at least one jab of the COVID-19 vaccine, making them eligible to depart the country Monday under the new guidelines. Authorities will also allow people who have recently recovered from the virus and minors under 18 years of age with travel insurance to travel abroad.

Saudi travelers are required to show their health statuses to airport officials through the government's health app, Tawakkalna. Travelers returning from abroad will be required to quarantine at home and be tested for the virus.

The kingdom, which has covered coronavirus-related hospitalizations for citizens and residents, imposed some of the most sweeping measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus early on in the pandemic. They include shuttering mosques and businesses for several weeks at a time, dramatically scaling down the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and sealing its borders to travelers.

A recent list of countries for which direct or indirect travel remains restricted, however, includes a number of high-risk nations, including Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey and India.

Saudis will, however, be able to once again cross into neighboring Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway starting Monday as restrictions are eased, according to local media reports. The tiny island nation where the sale of alcohol is legal under specific rules is a popular destination for Saudi residents and others seeking a short holiday.

The kingdom's flagship carrier Saudia will operate flights to 71 destinations, including 43 international destinations, starting Monday. Among them are Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Athens, Frankfurt, Washington and New York.

With limited exception, foreigners from 20 countries, including the U.S., U.K, UAE and France, remain banned from directly entering the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 430,000 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic, including more than 7,160 deaths. Close to 1,400 people remain in critical condition with the virus.

Although tourist visa holders to Saudi Arabia remain barred from entry, the kingdom is aggressively marketing its sites to would-be visitors.

At Dubais in-person Arabian Travel Market show this week, Saudi Arabia is heavily marketing its Red Sea coastline and heritage sites such as the desert Al-Ula ruins and the fort of Diriyah outside Riyadh.

The kingdom had opened up to international tourism in September 2019, just months before the coronavirus outbreak.

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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A lawmaker in South Carolina has asked the states attorney general to block a proposed city ordinance in Columbia that aims to prohibit professional therapists from attempting to change the sexual orientation of minors.

Republican state Sen. Josh Kimbrell wrote in a May 13 letter to Attorney General Alan Wilson that he believes the proposal presents a real danger to religious liberty in our capital city. If the Columbia City Council passes the ban, Kimbrell said, Wilson should take legal action to overturn it.

The ordinance would prevent licensed therapists and counselors from providing whats known as conversion therapy to individuals under the age of 18 within city limits, news outlets reported. Violations would constitute a civil penalty and carry a $500 fine.

Council members are expected to receive legal advice on the proposal during an executive session Tuesday and could take a final vote on it after. The ban unanimously passed the city council on a first vote May 4. Columbias ordinance would be the first of its kind in South Carolina, according to The Post and Courier.

I think this is a violation of the concept of the First Amendment, Kimbrell told The State. You cant tell somebody, as a private practitioner, what they can and cannot say to a client, particularly a child who is under the direction of that childs parents. What the city of Columbia is proposing is unconstitutional on its face.

Robert Kittle, a spokesperson for Wilson, told The Post and Courier that the attorney generals office is reviewing Kimbrells request.

Twenty states and Washington, D.C., have prohibited conversion therapy for minors to date, according to news outlets. Dozens of cities and counties across the U.S. have also opposed it. The second-largest county in Kentucky banned it earlier this month.

In 2019, a federal judge tossed a lawsuit that challenged Marylands ban on conversion therapy for minors. But a federal appeals court in November blocked the enforcement of local bans in Florida, siding with two therapists who said their free speech rights were violated.

Kimbrell introduced a bill before the General Assembly adjourned that he said would override the Columbia ordinance. It cant be considered until the 2022 session starts in January, however. The state senator said he hopes the courts will invalidate the rule if it passes.

The legislation would shield psychologists and counselors from punishment for objecting to a medical practice based on ethical or religious beliefs by adding them to the states right of conscience laws.

Council member Tameika Isaac Devine, a candidate for Columbia mayor this year who proposed the ordinance, said shes confident the rule is constitutional. She told The State that council members have received messages supporting and opposing the ban. Much of the opposition has come from outside the city, she told the newspaper.

It is sad that the legislature has spent the entire session trying to enact laws that actually hurt South Carolinians instead of paying attention to things that really make a difference in the lives of the people we serve, Devine said.
BREMERTON, Wash. (AP)  Central Kitsap School Board President Bruce Richards typically opens meetings in the same manner: following a call to order, he explains the rules for public comment before reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

In the future, Richards could be lending his voice for another type of pledge, one designed as a gesture of gratitude and respect for the indigenous people who first called Kitsap County home.

Last week, Richards and other members expressed the desire to include land acknowledgments that honor Kitsaps two federally recognized tribes: the Suquamish and Port Gamble SKlallam, the Kitsap Sun reported.

It just gives us the opportunity to be respectful to the people who came before us, Richards said. We are not the first people whove been living in Silverdale or in Kitsap County. Its pretentious to believe we are.

Sonia Barry, assistant director of students services for CKSD, defines a land acknowledgment as a formal statement that recognizes and respects indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.

Barry, whose ancestry is Aleut from the Pribilof Islands and Alutiiq from Ouzinkie, Alaska, said land acknowledgments point back to a time when early Pacific Northwest people would embark on canoe journeys and navigate coastal waterways for the purpose of visiting other tribes. Guests would offer thanks to their hosts in a sign of respect for their land and ancestors.

Its an extension of that, said Barry, who compared current land acknowledgments to the common practice of shaking hands with someone during a greeting.

Its a small gesture, Barry said, with a large impact.

Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson opened this weeks City Council meeting with a land acknowledgment: Poulsbo is located on the ancestral lands of the indigenous Suquamish People for whom this place is known as Tcu Tcu Lats, or the Land of the Vine Maples.

Erickson began reciting the land acknowledgment several months ago as the city and Suquamish Tribe aimed to relieve tensions that followed after the police shooting of Stonechild Chiefstick in July 2019.

This is one of the things we started doing as a gesture toward healing, healing both communities, Erickson said.

Other local government organizations and community groups have prioritized land acknowledgments over the past year, including the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights, the City of Bainbridge Island Race Equity Task Force, the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission, the Interfaith Council of Bainbridge Island-North Kitsap and the Suquamish Citizen Advisory Committee.

Richards said land acknowledgements became part of Washington State School Directors Association meetings before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and is eager to see the practice added to Central Kitsap School Board meetings, where roughly 475 students with Native American heritage are enrolled. The district is in the process of working with both the Suquamish and Port Gamble SKlallam tribes in order to craft acknowledgments.

I really believe this is a great opportunity for us to reach out to a different group of people who send children to our schools, board member Jeanne Schulze said. It reaches deep back into our history and is part of our identity as a community.

I love that we are doing it, finally, added member Drayton Jackson. I hope it would spread throughout Kitsap and that we would do it more, in different places.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South Africa's anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 89, came out of retirement Monday to help the country launch its drive to inoculate older citizens against the coronavirus.

All my life I have tried to do the right thing and, today, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is definitely the right thing to do, said Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town who won the Nobel Prize Prize in 1984 for his peaceful work to end apartheid, South Africa's previous regime of racist rule by the country's white minority.

Tutu was rolled in a wheelchair into a vaccination center in Cape Town where he and his wife, Leah, were among those getting shots.

It was wonderful to get out of the house and meet these dedicated healthcare workers who gave us our vaccines," said Tutu in a statement. To all of you on the frontlines who have been working to keep us safe for more than a year now, I salute you.

South Africa has said it intends to inoculate nearly 5 million citizens aged 60 and above by the end of June.

Shots of the Pfizer vaccine were given to South Africans in a few nursing homes and to a few thousand people aged 60 and older on Monday to start the campaign.

The health department said it plans to give shots to more than 7,700 senior citizens at 102 nursing homes by the end of the week, with a total 50,000 in those facilities to get their first jabs by the end of May.

So far the country has inoculated just over 478,000 of its health care workers with Johnson & Johnson vaccines and it plans to give the shots to the remainder of its 1.2 million health workers by the end of this week.

According to the latest online registrations, more than 1.2 million citizens 60 and older and 945,000 health workers have completed online registrations to get vaccinated.

South Africa now has nearly 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, after receiving a delivery of 325,260 doses of the vaccine on Sunday night.

The Pfizer vaccines are safe and work well, even against the variant that is dominant in this country, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said Sunday night in a speech that was broadcast nationally.

By the end of June, the country expects to have received 4.5 million Pfizer doses and 2 million of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Mkhize said.

South Africa's vaccination drive comes as the country is seeing a rise in cases of COVID-19 and experts warn of a resurgence as the country approaches the colder months of the Southern Hemispheres winter.

South Africas 7-day rolling average of daily new cases has nearly doubled over the past two weeks from 2.07 new cases per 100,000 people on May 2 to 4.13 new cases per 100,000 people on May 16. The countrys death rate has also nearly doubled over the past two weeks from 0.06 deaths per 100,000 people on May 2 to 0.11 deaths per 100,000 people on May 16.

South Africa has been the country hardest hit by the pandemic in Africa with more than 1.6 million confirmed infections and more than 55,000 reported deaths.

South Africas rollout of the vaccine has faced serious delays, including the return of 1 million AstraZeneca doses that were found to provide only minimal protection against the COVID-19 variant dominant in the country.

It also temporarily halted giving the Johnson & Johnson vaccines to health care workers after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration flagged rare blood clots in some patients who had received the vaccine.

Mkhize has warned that those who have been vaccinated should continue to practice standard prevention measures like wearing masks and social distancing.

The vaccine will protect you from getting severe COVID disease or dying from COVID. However, no vaccine works 100% and we also still do not know whether vaccination prevents transmission of the virus," Mkhize said. It is therefore still important to follow the standard COVID-19 safety precautions to protect yourself and those around you.
DERRY, N.H. (AP)  The operator of an all-terrain vehicle was hurt when a rear tire fell off, causing the vehicle to tip over on a recreation trail in Derry, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department conservation officers said.

Michael O'Leary, 46, of Dracut, Massachusetts, was traveling west on the Rockingham Recreation Trail on Saturday and tried to navigate around a fire gate when the tire detached from the machine, officers said.
As I was raised in Northern California in the 1980s, seaweed has been a part of my diet since childhood. At a time when my rural Mendocino County hometown didnt yet have a sushi restaurant, my mom would stock up on crispy, nearly translucent sheets of paper-like nori for us to roll our own maki sushi at home. And my favorite part of the miso soup wed get on our trips to San Franciscos Japantown was the chewy, slippery pieces of wakame that Id slurp down with rich, salty umami broth and tiny cubes of tofu.

As a white kid growing up in a largely white community three hours from the nearest airport, mine was not a sophisticated understanding of seaweed as a culinary ingredient. But I also have no memory of thinking of it as significantly different from, say, spinach or broccoli. At the time, it never occurred to me that these ingredients, so familiar to me, were wild foods that, very possibly, could be found in the same tide pools my brother and I scoured for mussels to pry off the rocks and eat or abalone shells to add to our seashell collection. While I had long since understood that to be true, I knew very little about the wide world of culinary seaweed. So when I saw a sea foraging trip listed on Airbnbs Experiences platform, I signed up.

Part class, part farm dinner, the trip was hosted by Spencer Marley, a former journalist turned merchant marine turned seaweed entrepreneur, who has the kind of easy warmth that makes it hard to imagine him without a smile or some enthusiastic seaweed-related trivia springing from his lips.

I arrived at our 2 p.m. class a bit harried after being led astray by a particularly odd Google Maps glitch, but Marley immediately set me at ease, cracking a self-deprecating joke and assuring me my timing was just fine.

He was in no rush, he said. The seaweed wasnt going anywhere.

The address of our meetup at Estero Bluffs State Park, north of Cayucos, had somehow been swapped with another, more famous park just up the coast: San Simeon, where Hearst Castle sits high on the hill and elephant seals make a scene down by the shoreline. By the time I realized the inexplicable mislabeling, Id overshot the roadside parking lot where Marley had, accurately, directed us to look for his gold Dodge pickup and had to backtrack by 20 minutes. While Im generally loathe to be late, I was particularly frantic because Id paid $125 to spend two hours on a beach with a stranger. This was a date I didnt want to miss.

When I pulled up, jumping out of my car and awkwardly speed-walking to meet my group, I found Marley huddled with just two other would-be foragers, Emma and Henry, a couple from the Bay Area. They were making small talk about shoes  nobody seemed quite certain what to wear  and casually discussing their respective interests in harvesting wild seaweed. Marley's, like mine, went back to a childhood in Northern California (hes from the South Bay). Henry and Emma, meanwhile, were transitioning to vegetarianism and trying to incorporate more environmental sustainability into their meals. (Though Henry, who worked for Apple, confessed, with dry humor, to being more or less content to live on packaged ramen when Emma isnt cooking.)

Marley grabbed some plastic buckets from the back of his truck, along with a large blue backpack he hoisted onto his shoulders while cracking a joke about how he had almost certainly forgotten something. Im the most forgetful person on the planet, he said, before handing out the mesh seaweed collection baskets and red-handled pruning shears  Swiss-made, rust-proof and popular, Marley said, among the vineyard workers just over the hill in inland San Luis Obispo Countys wine country. Hed tried other tools but nothing has compared.

As we set off behind him, down the dusty dirt path through coastal shrubs to the nearby bluffs, he told us about the history of the property that was now a state park. It was once owned by a prominent local ranching and wine-making family who, a century before, had leased the tide pools to Cantonese seaweed harvesters.

When we got to the beach, I stashed my things on a large rock far enough from the waters edge to hopefully keep them dry, rolled up the legs of my pants, and changed into the water shoes Id bought that morning before wading from the gray sand into the tide pools with the others.

Marley started out with Phycology 101, explaining the intriguing biology of kelp, which is not a plant and not quite a fungus. Instead, its an oversized algae that reproduces by dropping spores, like mushrooms, and grows on every continent. For novice sea foragers, Marleys point was to reassure: Unlike mushrooms, where one bad call could zap your liver, he said, there are no toxic seaweeds in the world. The biggest danger from harvesting seaweed isnt the kelp itself, but the water  the runoff and the potential pollutants  its in. Freshwater algae, Marley explains, are another story: Almost all, he said, are deadly toxic.

Until recently, Marley had been operating a family-run seaweed business, harvesting prized kelp like kombu from the local shoreline with his three kids (twin 13-year-old boys and a daughter, 10) and selling it at weekend farmers markets for $10 per ounce. Marley now has a day job at Cal Poly and offers his foraging tours on the weekends.

This particular Saturday started out gray and chilly, as it often does along the Central Coast, where the marine layer can mean a 30-degree difference between the ocean and the inland area along Highway 101. But by the time of our excursion, the sun was out, which not only made for a more comfortable afternoon of trudging through the chilly Pacific, but had the practical advantage of helping to see the various seaweeds Marley was instructing us to spot.

He picks up a large piece of pyropia, a particular species of red algae that, Marley explains, is what nori is made from. Its a slow-growing seaweed thats found in the upper tidal areas of the rocky shoreline. Most of what we eat, however, is farmed and heavily processed. After its harvested, its pulverized in a large vat, pressed and rolled into the paper-like sheets that are then dried or baked. Because it grows so slowly, and is constantly being bombarded by the decidedly nonpeaceful waves of the Pacific, most of the pyropia we found was short, shaggy leaf-like pieces of translucent brownish-green algae that coated the rocks like a head of hair.

Marley showed us another seaweed, ulva, which he said was his second favorite to eat after kombu. Historically, it was a delicacy in what was then Canton (now Guangzhou), he says, in part because of its color, which resembles jade. He points to the hold fast, which is what connects the algae to the rock and the lamina, the leafy part of the organism, and talks about how even when the tide is high or the surf is big, its possible to forage along the beach without any equipment at all.

The ocean, he says, is constantly gleaning  ripping pieces of kelp from the rock  and tossing it ashore. It is, he said, as if a tornado went through a cornfield and you went and picked up the corn after. Kombu, the Japanese word for kelp (though it also refers to a particular variety of seaweed with the unwieldy name laminariaceae), which grows in deeper water, is most easily harvested this way. Its also, he says, often mistaken for a lookalike species, ilaria. It wont hurt you to eat it, said Marley, but it tastes like nothing. But once you learn to spot the difference between the square edge of true kombu and the sharp, wavy blade of ilaria, you can easily find $100 of kombu in just an hour of foraging along the shore, said Marley.

As we hunted and learned, Marley had us taste the various seaweeds raw. The fan-shaped rock weed, or fucus, has a distinctive olivey, briny flavor, he noted, that is particularly satisfying raw but doesnt hold up well to cooking. Other marine algae, he explained, is traditionally used in bathing and health treatments  as scrubs for exfoliating or seaweed wraps for hydrating the skin, for example  in places like Greece and Ireland.

Marleys main reason for loving seaweed, though, is that its a sustainable source of nutrition and, from a foodie perspective, theres so much we havent done with it. He eats miso soup many mornings for breakfast, but he also has seen his seaweed used in high-end restaurants in much less traditional preparations, tossed with vegetables in a salad, for example, or in an oyster Rockefeller-like dish in place of spinach, or cut into noodle-like strands and stir-fried.

By this point, each of our baskets were increasingly full, and it was time to rinse the seaweed, which was sandy from churning in the beachfront tide pools, and for Marley to make us lunch. He searched out a relatively level rock on which to set up his camp stove, pulled a large metal pot, a knife, an onion, and a couple of large cooking chopsticks from his bag along with a package of dried ramen noodles and a mild-flavored soy sauce. Those last two ingredients, he said, are the result of years of experimentation. Hes tried many dried noodles and varieties of soy sauce and these, he said, best highlight the sometimes subtle flavors of the fresh seaweeds.

Its a simple soup, but thats the point. He wants us to taste the flavor of the seaweed itself, which can easily be overpowered by too many other ingredients. And the soup, which Marley is happy to admit is exceedingly easy to prepare  a quick harvest meal, he calls it  was refreshing but satisfying, with layers of flavor that taste of the sea but are also surprisingly earthy. It had a depth of flavor, often called umami, that I dont know if Ive ever experienced in such a pure form. Sitting on the beach, sipping the broth from the small soup bowls Marley handed out, I thought about those little rectangular boxes of crispy, salty nori that are now ubiquitous playground snacks and how much bigger and richer the world of seaweed is than I had known.
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Parliamentary committee publishes study on COVID impact on Canadian immigration The study offers 38 recommendations on how to improve Canada's immigration system.

Parliamentary committee publishes study on COVID impact on Canadian immigration The study offers 38 recommendations on how to improve Canada's immigration system.

Parliamentary committee publishes study on COVID impact on Canadian immigration The study offers 38 recommendations on how to improve Canada's immigration system. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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The parliamentary committee on immigration has released the results of its study on how the pandemic has affected Canadian immigration.



Salma Zahid, the Chair of the committee, presented the report in the House of Commons on May 13. It touches on issues pertaining to the three classes of Canadian immigration: economic, family, and refugee.

The report is a result of the findings of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, after hearing testimonies from immigrants, interest groups, lawyers, and other stakeholders. The committee is comprised of Canadian members of parliament, who are elected officials. There is at least one member from every major political party sitting on the committee. Their mandate is to monitor federal policy relating to immigration and multiculturalism, as well as oversee the immigration department and refugee board.

This morning I tabled in the House of Commons a report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration entitled: Immigration in the Time of Covid-19: Issues and Challenges. You can read the report here: https://t.co/uY77PQdVGG #CIMM pic.twitter.com/vqx60A0SMI  Salma Zahid (@SalmaZahid15) May 13, 2021

Find Out if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Some of the topics covered include application backlogs, barriers preventing family reunification, travel restrictions affecting COPR holders, among others. The government, which is currently led by a Liberal minority, has 120 days to table a response. Although the government is not obliged to change policy, some of the 38 recommendations have already been implemented to a degree, or are in the works.

Here is an overview of the recommendations, which CIC News has categorized by topic:

Modernizing the immigration system



Six of the recommendations touch on digitizing the immigration system.

Firstly, the committee recommends fully digitizing the immigration and asylum systems, while keeping an option for paper applications. Applicants should be able to submit documents and signatures online, and immigration officers should be able to conduct interviews virtually and issue visas electronically. Permanent residency (PR) visas should be issued with a scannable barcode instead of being affixed to physical passports.

This idea has been in the works, especially after Canada went into lockdown in 2020. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has said his vision is to digitize the immigration system across the board. Also, Canada had previously announced $430 million to modernize the immigration system.

In addition, the committee recommends that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) increase funding to settlement services to promote digital literacy, and the availability of digital tools.



Transparency, communication, accountability

There are six recommendations calling for more transparency, and accountability.

The committee recommends IRCC publish anonymous processing and application data for all immigration streams, disaggregated by applicants race, religion, gender, age, source-country, and parental status.

They also call for an international student helpline, equipped with appropriately trained officers. Applications should be tracked in real time and provide realistic processing times for individual applicants, the report says. Communication protocols should be strengthened, and officers should release to applicants the full records of all reasons for any application refusal.

Finally, the committee recommends creating an immigration ombudsperson to oversee IRCC and receive complaints.



International students

IRCC opened the door to international students in the fall of 2020, after temporarily suspending their entry when the pandemic first hit. The committee recommends continuing to allow international students to enter Canada to study in-person.

In addition, the committee wants to see IRCC facilitate the process for international students who want to work full time for an internship or co-op placement that is part of an educational program. Instead of international students having to apply for a work permit, the ability to do an internship would already be built in to the conditions of the study permit.

The committee also calls for IRCC to work with provinces and territories to look into expanding eligibility for federal settlement support to include temporary residents on study or work permits. Finally, they ask for IRCC to examine acceptance rates for international students whose applications are processed in African countries.



PR pathway for essential workers

IRCC has already implemented one of the committee recommendations to create a pathway to permanent residence for essential workers. While the International Graduate stream of these new programs is full, Mendicino told the Globe and Mail he is open to raising caps.



Areas in need of more priority

The committee is calling for more funding for Visa Application Centre (VAC) staff in francophone countries in Africa. This would help accelerate the processing of student biometrics and permits.

Also, that IRCC should prioritize family reunification for protected persons. Some families have been separated from their children for many years due to delayed processing.

The report also recommends that IRCC speed up the processing of extension applications for temporary residents, and prioritize issuing the usual Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) for permanent residency applicants.



Temporary measures for immigration documents

Three recommendations reflect the need for exceptional measures during the pandemic. For instance, many people who had been approved for PR abroad were unable to come to Canada before their documents expired. The committee recommends IRCC allow people with expired permanent resident cards to travel to Canada, while the pandemic is still ongoing. Also, that medical exams should be extended beyond a year, and be processed concurrently with biometrics and criminality checks.

IRCC has issued authorization to travel letters to many of the affected expired visa holders who were approved before March 18, 2020. However, Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders who got their documents after travel restrictions first went into place are not allowed to come to Canada. These people have been starting to see their documents expire, since the COPRs validity is tied to that of the medical exam and the holders passport.

To address the need for COPR holders to land in Canada and complete their permanent residency landing, the committee wants IRCC to issue authorization letters automatically. Furthermore, they want IRCC to waive the need for expired documents to be renewed while the pandemic endures.

Also, the committee recommends IRCC allow sponsored spouses with no access to a medical exam in their own country to do the process in Canada on a visitor visa during the pandemic.



Family sponsorship

A large section of the recommendations deal with family sponsorship. Although Mendicino and IRCC officials have said that family reunification is a priority, many fell through the cracks. Some of the issues were present well before the pandemic, although travel restrictions initially prevented many from reuniting with loved ones in Canada.

The committee calls for IRCC to issue temporary resident visas to spousal sponsorship applicants. Currently the clause known as 179(b) in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations prevents many from being with their spouse while PR applications are in processing. Despite the concept of dual intent, which means foreign nationals can apply for both a temporary residence and permanent residence visa, immigration officers have been known to refuse applicants because they are not satisfied that the applicant will leave at the end of their authorized stay. The result is many are separated from their spouses for the entire duration of the PR process.

The committee recommends creating a Super Visa for spousal sponsorship applicants, similar to the one that is already available for Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) applicants.

One of the recommendations, Building compassion into the system and communicating mistakes, calls for IRCC to contact applicants to correct mistakes and provide sufficient time to respond before returning their entire file. Furthermore, these files should regain their place in the queue if re-submitted to the same stream.

There are also a number of recommendations on how to handle childrens files, such as locking in the age of all dependent children as of March 1, 2020, until PR applications are processed so that they do not age out of the system due to the backlog. The committee also recommended international adoptions be prioritized, and that clear guidelines should be developed in cases where children have urgent medical needs.



Parents and Grandparents Program

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) was done on a lottery system in 2020, after a first-come-first-served intake model failed for many applicants in 2019. This program was known for having an application back well before the pandemic.

The committee recommends creating weighted system that would give priority to older applications. Also, that IRCC adjust the financial requirements to be the minimum necessary income for the years impacted by the economic consequences of the pandemic.



Work permits

The committee recommends the government grant Bridging Open Work Permits to temporary residents who are waiting for permanent residency through Quebecs Skilled Worker Program.

Also, that work permits for caregivers be waived from needing an Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) during the pandemic, if they do not already have an occupation specific work permit. They also recommend that hours interrupted due to the pandemic be counted toward their qualifying work experience under the pilot programs.



Permitting the Entry of Asylum Seekers

Using the Guardian Angel Program as a model, the committee says IRCC should permit refugees and asylum seekers to enter Canada. They advise the immigration department to work with resettlement partners such as the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Also, that IRCC should develop a program, similar to the Guardian Angel program, to foreign workers who contributed during the pandemic, regardless of their status.



Hong Kong residents

IRCC has already implemented an open work permit available to Hongkongers, which is one of the committees recommendations. However, the current work permit is available for a period of three years. The committee recommends creating a five-year Post-Graduate Work Permit for graduates of Canadian institutions from Hong Kong.

The committee also wants to see two new streams for Honkongers under family class and refugee class immigration. They want a stream for extended family members of Canadian citizens, and pro-democracy activists living in Canada. Plus, a temporary public policy to address Hong Kong refugee claims. The committee calls for IRCC to grant asylum to pro-democracy activists within Hong Kong using initiatives such as Rainbow Railroad as a model in order to identify and support asylum seekers discreetly.

Find Out if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
In the modern enterprise, any downtime directly translates to lost revenue. Period. Every second your apps are offline, top line revenue is impacted. And revenue isnt the only consideration. Disruptions can also cause frustration across the organization, escalating into CIO-level crises in a matter of minutes.

While such crises often lead to fire fights and finger-pointing, the fault in modern enterprises usually lies in overly complex infrastructure. Storage, networking, server systems, virtualization environments, and a myriad of microservices-based applications occupy nearly every IT infrastructure, with a seemingly infinite number of interactions between these layers.

Crises of complexity

When issues occur in any of these layers, spread across hybrid environments on-premises and in the cloud, hundreds of variables are in play. Infrastructure admins are tasked with sifting through massive amounts of logged data and manually troubleshooting problems using trial-and-error techniques. Its nearly impossible to identify root-causes, resolve issues, and bring systems back online in the timeframe the business requires using such manual techniques.

As insurance against primary system downtime, many IT organizations invest in hardware redundancies, fallback mechanisms, and fail-over techniques. Large enterprises have even become accustomed to site replication methods, but small and medium enterprises might find these cost prohibitive.

There is a better way, and its available today: AI-driven infrastructure.

What is AI-driven infrastructure

With the advancements in machine learning (ML), advent of the cloud, and the availability of massive amounts of data, AI-driven outcomes are a reality in every industry. Businesses are becoming operationally more efficient; they are more agile than ever before; and they are providing differentiated customer experiences. Your infrastructure should be no different.

AI-driven infrastructure can be defined as connected systems that learn from experiences of other connected systems, constantly adapting to changing application patterns, and avoiding pitfalls that could lead to downtime or disruptionall with minimal to no human intervention.

The most resilient AI-driven infrastructure incorporates each of the following:

Built-in sensors: AI feeds on data. To train accurate ML models, AI-driven infrastructure is instrumented with sensors that gather data in near-real-time, providing information about workload patterns, I/O activities and latencies across the stack, configuration parameters, overall capacity and resource consumption, and much more. Such instrumentation, if implemented as an after-thought, can significantly impact performance. But when it is built into the product design, instrumentation can help maintain system performance. Data gathered from the sensors provides more than just diagnostics; it can help you observe your infrastructure and alert you of any impending issues.

Smart data correlations: As the IT stack becomes increasingly complex, so do infrastructure problems. Software and hardware incompatibilities, unintended interactions within the stack, or any number of difficult-to-find issues can make after-the-fact troubleshooting like finding a needle in a haystack. Resolving such issues without AI requires going through application and system performance logs, and manually correlating events that led up to the failurea wasteful and sometimes ineffectual use of time and resources. The power of AI truly shines when it prevents failures from occurring in the first place. AI-driven infrastructure can build sophisticated correlations continuously as it collects data from across the stack. Such correlations can be used to recommend adjustments to the underlying resources before the alarm bells start to ring!

Edge-to-cloud AI: As enterprise edge devices collect increasingly large amounts of data, having the right architecture to process this data, derive insights, and instantly act on them is crucial. The architecture should span edge-to-cloud and offer the computational power, storage capacity, and executional capabilities required of an AI pipeline. AI-driven infrastructure perfects the process of collecting data from infrastructure devices at the edge, bringing just the right amount of data to the cloud, training ML models in the cloud, and deploying the final ML model back at the edge. This truly enables enterprise edge devices to take actions locally based on local workload patterns and the context of your specific IT environment, resulting in instant recovery from any infrastructure issues.

See once, prevent for allalways: Most system failures tend to follow similar patterns and have the potential to re-surface in other enterprise IT environments. With global learning, AI-driven infrastructure predicts potential issues based on other enterprise IT teams who recently faced the same issue. These predictions are contextual to your environment, taking AI to a whole new level in preventing downtime. For instance, because its aware of your specific circumstances, the AI-driven system might recommend not upgrading to a specific OS version. By accurately recording the environment when the failure first occurred and the pattern of events leading to the failure, AI-driven infrastructure allows complex problems to occur only once in the entire install base because it anticipates and prevents those problems from happening to every other environment.

AI-driven infrastructure is a powerful weapon in an IT organizations fight against downtime. With a clear indication of which infrastructure layer caused the issue and recommended measures you can take to avoid issues all together, AI circumvents any potential finger-pointing. This is a big leap forward for IT admins.

By offering pre-emptive recommendations and preventing issues, AI-driven infrastructure brings you closer to 100% uptime than you ever imagined.

Truly AI-driven infrastructure is already a reality

If you thought none of these capabilities existed in infrastructure products today, you are in for a surprise! Check out HPE InfoSight, a leading AIOps platform that has been integrated into HPE primary storage systems, servers, and integrated hyperconverged offerings.

HPE InfoSight observes our connected infrastructure by collecting sensor data from HPE products; thats thousands of data points collected every second. It then makes intelligent correlations using machine learning in the cloud; correlations based on global understanding of application patterns, interactions among the different layers of infrastructure, and more. With an architecture that spans the connected infrastructure at the edge and the cloud, it offers the ideal edge-to-cloud AI pipeline with prescriptive actions specific to your IT environment.

Based on our approach of continuously observing your infrastructure and learning from it, HPE InfoSight only needs to see a failure once to be able to prevent it for our entire install base. Its how HPE has automatically predicted and prevented 86% of issues. Built on the power of HPE InfoSight, HPE Alletra and HPE Primera, workload optimized systems for mission-critical workloads, come with 100% availability guaranteed.

Data-driven companies face a constant battle against downtime, but you can be prepared. AI-driven infrastructure lets your IT organization rise above the traditional monitoring tools that only help troubleshoot problems, often after the failures occur. Invest in the right AIOps platform and you will be prepared to deliver the agility and uptime that your business expects.

To get a more detailed description of how AI-driven infrastructure works, read the Gorilla Guide to AI-driven Operations with HPE InfoSight.

____________________________________

About Sandeep Singh


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New Yorks real estate and construction sectors have traditionally been dominated by a small group of influential industry titans, many of them old, white and male. But while these high-profile executives may get all the glory, theres a younger generation of professionals rising through the ranks who are making their mark  and they reflect a growing diversity in these industries as more women and people of color gain positions of power. City & States first 40 Under 40 list focusing on the real estate and construction industries features up-and-coming leaders who are driving the industries response to the COVID-19 pandemic, carrying out innovative new development strategies, and finding ways to give back to the community. Were pleased to introduce the Real Estate/Construction 40 Under 40 Rising Stars.

Trevor Adler

Partner, Stroock

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With three generations of his family in the industry, Trevor Adler was always interested in real estate.

I knew it was fascinating, but I didnt know what real estate law was about, he says. When I was in law school, I tried to absorb as much information as I could and looked at law firms that had great real estate practices. This is how I found Stroock, where I landed an internship as a summer associate.

Adler made partner at Stroock  the same firm where he cut his chops  11 years later. Fast forward three years, and hes currently involved in some of Manhattans most influential deals concerning nine-figure leasing and condominiums.

He spends most of his days working on real estate transaction documents, negotiating the details with landlords, tenants, buyers and sellers. This past year he sealed the deal on a New York City leasehold condominium transaction valued at over $1 billion.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Adler has committed himself to helping landlords and tenants maintain healthy relationships. He also serves as the lead pro bono counsel to IMPACCT Brooklyn, an affordable housing nonprofit, and has done other pro bono work for small businesses struggling to stay afloat in this time.

Adler says its his coworkers at Stroock who have especially inspired his current endeavors. Theyve come through like champs, he says, ready to bring workers back into their buildings safely and comfortably and to adapt to the post-COVID world.

John Atwell

Assistant Superintendent, Skanska USA Civil Northeast

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When it comes to major construction projects in the New York metropolitan area, at just 27 years old, John Atwell has amassed an impressive resume, having been a part of large-scale projects like the Beyhome Bridge Project, the Kosciuszko Bridge construction and the $4.2 billion LaGuardia Airport renovation.

By interning for Padilla Construction Services and working as a carpenter for a summer, Atwell gained experience on both the industrys labor and management sides. I know now when Im running crews of guys what its like to be working on your hands and knees, he says.

As assistant superintendent at Skanska, Atwell is responsible for overseeing project plans and drawings, as well as managing four to five crews of union workers including carpenters, laborers and iron workers, to ensure they meet or beat the projects schedules and budgets safely.

Hes currently working the overnight shift on the Hunts Point Interstate Access Improvement Project  a high-risk job with the New York State Department of Transportation to create access for commercial vehicles traveling to and from the Hunts Point Peninsula in the Bronx.

Atwell says hes grateful to have earned the respect of his older colleagues in the industry, especially during a difficult year that required changing protocols. Its a unique feeling when youre younger than most of the people that youre working with, he says. You leave the job and theres a major new structure or roadway that youre leaving for other people to see and experience  its rewarding.

Polina Bakhteiarov

Vice President, Omni New York

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When Polina Bakhteiarov volunteered for a Hurricane Katrina recovery relief program in college, she had no idea it would lead to a career in urban development.

I applied to college thinking that I wanted to study biomedical engineering, she says, laughing. I discovered this field of city planning that I didnt know existed and I immediately knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life.

Bakhteiarov now manages an 800-unit, $350 million portfolio of new construction and acquisition-rehab projects for Omni New York. Her work on deals in the predevelopment phase involves conducting analysis, collaborating with third parties and having conversations with elected officials.

Among the many positions she has held, Bakhteiarov brings valuable experience from her tenure as a project manager in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development in Washington, D.C., and as director of real estate development for the New York City Housing Authority, an agency she hopes to be the head of one day. Thats my biggest professional goal, she says, describing her passion for equitable housing.

Bakhteiarov was only at Omni for a couple of months before the coronavirus pandemic hit, presenting an unforeseen challenge. Youre trying to build relationships and trust but youre talking through a Zoom screen, so you lose that personal touch, she says.

Yet these challenges are just part of whats keeping her motivated. Virtual community is hard, she says, but I believe that housing is a human right and Im here to help make that a reality.

Elana Bodow

Vice President, Barbara Wagner Communications

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Through coordinating stories for clients across real estate, including lifestyle and public affairs, Elana Bodow is working to humanize the industry. Its all about searching for the stories beyond the buildings, she says.

Bodows love of New York Citys buildings began while working in luxury residential public relations for Hundred Stories PR and blossomed at Rubenstein, where she served as senior account executive and associate vice president of the firm.

At BerlinRosen, Bodow engaged with a range of clients at companies such as Brookfield Properties and Brookfield Place, Mack-Cali Realty and TSX Broadway. She rotated between writing, talking to clients and partners, and communicating with reporters in a day-to-day basis.

Bodow says shes focusing this year, more than ever, on keeping people engaged. One way is through virtual events with her firm. We did a cookbook with Brookfield Place that supported a relief fund for restaurant employees and gathered signature dishes for publishing, she says. The pandemic has really pushed all of us to expand our thinking.

Most recently, Bodow has assumed her role as vice president of Barbara Wagner Communications, which specializes in real estate and economic development as well as the arts.

Ive been able to work on a lot of stuff thats meaningful and I know that wherever I am, I want to continue helping to tell these stories, she says. Helping to amplify the good news when I can is nice, especially after a year of hard stories.

Michael Bosso

Attorney, Colleran, OHara & Mills

As an attorney who works on significant labor litigation cases, Michael Bosso has a passionate admiration for the clients he represents. Bosso has worked on collective bargaining, labor agreements and contract disputes on behalf of rank-and-file workers. These cases often mean that Bosso is advocating for workers to get fair pay or safe working conditions. Although Bosso has worked on many cases that he is proud of, hes modest about his impact, saying that he cant take credit for the outcome of any of them.

When Bosso began diving into his work at Colleran, OHara & Mills, a firm he has been with for 15 years, he discovered that the more exposure he got to his clients, the more he saw that the people that he represented were just like the construction workers he grew up around. Bosso says that theyre down-to-earth people who are striving to support their families. That really felt important to me to commit to doing this for pretty much my career, Bosso says.

Bosso believes that the type of work that laborers do is difficult and that they deserve to be adequately compensated for it, inspiring him to push for their rights. Ive got a deep respect for everybody who does this work, Bosso says. Its not easy, and its important. Its important for the city, its important for the families that are supported by this type of work, and its something that I really feel privileged to be able to do every day.

Alexandra Budd

Vice President, Leasing, RXR Realty

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Alexandra Budd considered pursuing a career in commercial real estate after taking an urbanism course in college. But she says she couldnt have imagined the impact of real estate development on a major metropolitan center like New York City until working in its industry.

Before joining RXR, Budd worked as an associate doing tenant representation brokerage at Studley, where she became acquainted with the fast-paced pressure of the industry. I did lots of cold-calling with no experience whatsoever, she says, describing her journey toward representing clients and helping them relocate their office spaces.

After touring a building that RXR owned and working on a deal with the companys head of leasing, Budd came on as an associate and has risen through the companys ranks over the almost seven years she has been there. She currently manages lease transactions across seven assets in RXRs 6 million square feet portfolio.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Budd has advised on an internal COVID-19 task force and has worked directly with tenants to address the challenges theyre facing and to establish protocols for their returns to work.

It sort of feels like Im an important part of the fabric of the city, she says of her work. We own some of the largest buildings in New York City and were working directly with the tenants who live here to improve their spaces, to keep them in our buildings or to bring new people in in this difficult time  its a really validating role.

Editors Note: City & State is a tenant in an RXR Realty building in lower Manhattan.

Matthew Burger

Project Executive, Consigli Construction Co.

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When Matthew Burger graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with two construction internships under his belt, he signed on to work as a project engineer with Consigli Construction Co. in Massachusetts. He soon found himself working in Puerto Rico, advancing from quality manager to project manager before making his way to New York City, where he has resided since 2013.

It was the right time for me to come to New York, Burger says. I was 24 years old when I moved out of Puerto Rico, and when the opportunity came up to work in a city setting, it was exciting, especially in a transitional time for Consigli.

Burger values the collaborative aspect of construction and says that the collective effort toward a common goal has kept him in the industry. He has had a range of clients, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to educational institutions to residential developers.

As an increasingly prominent leader at Consigli since he became project executive in 2020, Burger is responsible for working with clients, overseeing various projects, ensuring proper resources are allocated, managing expectations and helping with new pursuits from a business development standpoint.

While the coronavirus pandemic halted several projects, Burger says a newfound flexibility has been a welcome change for the industry.

Its been quite the learning experience, he says. Remote work in construction is almost frowned upon, but the focus on COVID has brought a heightened sense of safety in general to the projects and the ability to have a bit more flexibility, which is nice.

Lauren Calandriello

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, JRT Realty Group

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For most, a study abroad trip offers the possibility of new experiences, sightseeing and the opportunity to meet lifelong friends. For Lauren Calandriello, it was the beginning of her career.

When I studied abroad in Rome, I met a friend and was introduced to his parents  one would be Jodi of JRT Realty, she says. Here I was in this foreign country, getting acquainted with a woman who would later take a chance on me in an industry that I really grew to fall in love with.

At JRT Realty Group, Calandriello has represented major clients such as the Department of Citywide Agency Services, Kaufman Astoria Studios and AIG. Her day-to-day job consists of representing tenants and landlords, often giving prospective tenants building tours, conducting market research, negotiating and having conversations with building owners and brokers, and overseeing transactions.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, JRT has moved to optimize viewing conditions for buildings by switching to virtual tours. While the transition was successful, Calandriello says theres nothing like being in office and collaborating one-on-one.

Since the #MeToo movement and this past years call for racial justice, Calandriello says big name companies have reached out to work with JRT. I really like the people aspect. Were the largest minority and woman-owned real estate firm in the country and it makes me proud seeing how many companies want to speak to us because they want to diversify, she says. Its really been inspiring and I feel proud to be here.

Ali Chaudhry

Senior Vice President and Chief of Development and Government Relations, AECOM

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When Ali Chaudhry landed at JFK Airport for the first time, he recalled the initial shock he felt seeing New York Citys transit infrastructure and architecture. Chaudhry, who emigrated from Pakistan over two decades ago, entered the construction industry as a lawyer with a thirst for connecting communities.

What we do derives from a personal philosophy perspective  its about connections and empowerment and giving people the freedom to move, he says. Whether its for travel, pleasure, commerce or work, its about giving people unrestricted access so they have the ability to grow and thrive.

As a self-proclaimed infrastructure nerd, Chaudhry worked on several milestone transit projects, including the Second Avenue Subway, the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and the LaGuardia AirTrain.

After working as assistant counsel in the Office of the Majority Counsel for the state Senate, he held three position  including deputy secretary for transportation  in the Cuomo administration and worked on eight state budgets during his tenure.

Now at the construction management firm AECOM, Chaudhry is the lead on two major projects and is in charge of communicating with architects, engineers and policymakers while also conducting extensive policy research.

While the coronavirus pandemic is certainly changing the industry, Chaudhry says construction is always working to bridge to the future. The way we live, eat, travel, work, commute to work and socialize all changed, he says. I see this as an unprecedented opportunity to bring the city back and make it better than it was before.

Minelly De Coo

Director, Capital Project Management, Office of the New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations

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Born in the Dominican Republic, Minelly De Coo grew up with a passion for construction. I was born in the middle of nowhere in the DR and I remember seeing homes being built and seeing construction, she says. It fascinated me to watch how people would build something from nothing  its what really fueled my passion.

After moving to the U.S., De Coo learned English and became a translator for her parents, which she says made her become a problem solver from a young age.

A civil engineer by training, she spent about eight years in engineering consulting, working on several different construction and design projects, before joining the New York City Mayors Office of Resiliency as senior policy adviser.

As director of capital project management at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations, De Coo is now in charge of over 30 critical projects, many of which are slated for ribbon cuttings next year.

She considers herself fortunate to have witnessed most of the citys pre-pandemic projects begin to restart after a tough year. There are community members that have been pushing for this work for decades, so were driving as best as we can to the finish line to make sure were able to deliver the work, she says. When we build something, its not just impacting those communities today  were really thinking about what these neighborhoods look like and what theyre going to need in the future.

Daniel Egers

Of Counsel, Greenberg Traurig

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Shortly after graduating Columbia Law School, Daniel Egers hit the ground running with his first large project with Greenberg Traurig: working with a school to secure approval for a proposed expansion project. Im very proud that it got approved, and its something that benefits hundreds of students a year, Egers says.

Egers represents clients as a land use and zoning attorney before such bodies as the New York City Planning Commission, the City Council and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Egers says he interacts with a range of stakeholders on each project to find solutions beneficial to both residents and his clients.

In addition to his legal work, Egers is an active member of the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House in Manhattan, which he sees as a way to give back to his fellow New Yorkers. "I feel fortunate to have grown up and now live in the city and take advantage of what the city has to offer," Egers says. I feel that its important to give back. Egers also sits on the board of directors as vice president for the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association. As a father of a 3-year-old, Egers says he is constantly thinking about how education will shape the future.

Egers gives credit to his own education for getting him to where he is today, and to his parents for encouraging him. I work hard and try my best and dont sell myself short, he says. Its something I've carried with me throughout my life and still try to do today.

Crystal Fisher

Co-Founder of Ease Hospitality, Fisher Brothers

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I think the dinner table is the best place to learn, says Crystal Fisher, a managing director and a fourth-generation family member at real estate development and construction management firm Fisher Brothers.

After forging a successful career in broadcast journalism, the Emmy award-winning reporter knew her passion was elsewhere. I kept asking the question, What is it I love? The only thing I could always come back to was that I loved home, she says.

After nearly eight years, Fisher is a mover and shaker in her familys business, managing everything from infrastructure and leasing, to technology and marketing, to capital improvements.

Fisher, who says the best part of her day is always interacting with tenants, has led the firms operational team through the coronavirus pandemic, developing best practices and recovery protocols.

Weve been really focused on changing the way we read about and study the air flow of our buildings, she says. We know were coming back to healthy spaces and were programming in a way that will bring tenants back to a workplace that enhances productivity.

This past February, she also spearheaded the launch of Ease Hospitality, a technology-driven workspace for hosting meetings and events that aims to reimagine work culture coming out of the pandemic.

Weve learned a lot about how to be better landlords, operators, managers, how to be safer, smarter, stronger, more resilient, she says. Were all ready to come back together and to see the other side of this moment in time.

Wendy Gallegos

Community Development Manager. Maddd Equities

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Wendy Gallegos began working for Maddd Equities in February 2020, just weeks before the coronavirus pandemic hit New York. Gallegos helped the real estate development company to continue operating and keep its sites open, in part by applying for required permits and studying and learning how to implement and follow new safety protocols. Her efforts allowed company employees to continue to work and be paid during a time when unemployment soared across the country.

Gallegos played a key role in distributing personal protective equipment supplies across New York City neighborhoods and also helped Maddd Equities assist nonprofits in providing local fresh produce to families battling food insecurity, particularly in the Bronx.

And when Gallegos noticed that many of Maddd Equities past partners, particularly schools, lacked the tools necessary for virtual learning, she began hosting community check-ins to assess what people needed and how they were coping with the pandemic. Among the issues she identified was that parents couldnt afford the technology their children needed to study remotely. We started donating those iPads and computers to students and just really trying to ease that burden for families that are still our neighbors at the end of the day, Gallegos says.

At Maddd Equities, Gallegos also coodinates Occupational Safety and Health Administration job trainings by collaborating with other local nonprofits and organizations so people can gain marketable skills. Service has to be attached to any work that I do because thats whats truly meaningful to me, Gallegos says.

Robert Gibbon

Special Counselor to the Executive Director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

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Rob Gibbon enjoys seeing peoples reactions to the projects he has contributed to, like the 9/11 Memorial Glade, which is dedicated to first responders.

Theres an extreme kind of warmth that I think you get in your soul from being able to work on and provide things like that to people, says Gibbon, the special counselor to Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.

After graduating from Albany Law School, Gibbon began his career as an assistant counsel with the New York State Association of Counties, before transitioning to the state Senate where he eventually held a senior counsel role.

At the end of 2016, Gibbon started as an assistant counsel with the Cuomo administration, focusing on transportation. In that role, Gibbon was the main attorney working on legislation to authorize ridesharing companies in upstate New York and another measure to authorize the LaGuardia AirTrain. Gibbon also served as the governors main attorney for the six-way negotiation that established the Gateway Program Development Corporation.

Youre working on infrastructure thats going to last 100 years, something that people look at and becomes iconic, Gibbon says.

Now with the Port Authority, where hes been for the past year and a half, Gibbon has worked to get the Toll Payer Advocacy Program off the ground and to draft legislation to combat illegal cab activities at the states airports.

Despite being heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Gibbon says Port Authority has made sure its essential workers feel safe through increased cleaning and mask enforcement.

Shira Gidding

Principal, True Development

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After spending a decade working in affordable housing and public finance, Shira Gidding wanted to take a leap, she says. Gidding in 2018 launched True Development, a consulting service for real estate companies that partner with public agencies to provide privately owned affordable housing. Gidding, who previously worked at the New York City Housing Development Corporation, now deals with for-profit and nonprofit organizations looking to work together and supports them with financing to begin construction.

Most recently, Gidding worked on a housing project aiming to provide women who have been through the criminal justice system with support and services. The project involves a nonprofit with a history of helping disadvantaged women and private funding. The building will also be environmentally sustainable. Im happy that I found a professional path that marries these different sides  between urban development helping communities, and at the same time working with the private side, Gidding says. I just think that the private, affordable housing industry is sort of this balanced win-win for so many different sides of the spectrum.

True Development recently was certified as a woman-owned business by the state of New York. In the traditionally male-dominated real estate field, Gidding says affordable housing provides a pathway for underrepresented groups to gain a foothold. At least here in New York, the extent to which women-owned companies and minority-owned companies are being recognized, and are really being pushed to participate in a meaningful way within the industry, is incredibly gratifying, Gidding says.

Brittany Henry

Vice President of Operations, Urban Strategies of New York Inc.

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Brittany Henry has been in the construction industry for nearly six years, starting as a flagger. Early on, she began to see the lack of women and minorities within the construction field  and she teamed up with her mother to change that. In 2018, they created Urban Strategies of New York, a minority- and women-owned business that provides consulting services to organizations looking to diversify their workforce. I just want to make sure that everybody has that equal playing field at the end of the day, Henry says.

As part of her work, Henry is committed to ensuring that when a company looks to move into a low-income area, the local community can benefit from any new development by earning a fair wage on construction work. Henry provides training for a variety of labor sectors so that workers can gain new skills. She also works with contractors, the organizations partners and members of the neighborhoods to get local people hired.

Henry is also launching her own general construction company. Shes currently in the process of getting her general contractors license but is excited about whats to come. My main focus with this is to rebuild in neighborhoods that nobody wants to go into anymore, neighborhoods that have old artifacts, Henry says. When big construction companies and big contractors come into those neighborhoods, they want to tear them down. Henry simply wants to keep New York New York, but just make it prettier.

Sarah Hill

Vice President of Transportation Services, Associated General Contractors of New York State

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Sarah Hill and her team had never used virtual services for their meetings, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, that had to change. We have one of the oldest workforces, so it needs to be tech-friendly for everybody, so I am super proud of the fact that we launched our first virtual industry conference, Hill says. She had never had any event planning or virtual experience but was able to pull it off. The meeting was a success, with over 600 people attending, as members and partners from around New York could remotely chime in.

At Associated General Contractors of New York State, Hill acts as a liaison for the associations heavy-highway construction industry to interact with contracting entities, municipal authorities and agencies. If a contractor has a specific issue, Hill makes sure that the appropriate organization hears the concern. She also reviews the development of new industry standards, such as the process for inspecting a bridge. Hill communicates with construction industry stakeholders and gathers feedback. Additionally, she manages the associations annual educational industry conference that brings up to 1,000 professional engineers together while offering training and continuing education credits.

I did kind of fall in love with construction at an early age, Hill says. Since she first stepped foot in the construction world, working as a project manager for a highway contractor, Hill hasnt turned back. I like a challenge, she says. I havent been in a challenge that I didnt at least try to say, Yeah, we'll figure it out.

Eric Hirani

President, Infinite Consulting Corp.

In 2009 as an undergraduate at Columbia University, where he studied civil engineering, Eric Hirani founded Infinite Consulting Corp, a general contracting firm that now works on a range of projects throughout New York. The entrepreneurial Hirani is also the co-founder of Brik + Click, a startup designed to offer customers looking to buy materials from online brands the opportunity to walk into a physical store to touch the product they may end up purchasing. Brik + Click opened its first store in California during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hirani has long been passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation within construction and real estate. He formed a networking group for entrepreneurs to bring people together to meet and discuss various topics related to real estate. The COVID-19 pandemic halted the groups gatherings, but Hirani is looking forward to restarting it once in-person meetings are possible. Hirani is also an advocate for education and wants to help those who seek it. I believe if that opportunity is desired and I can help them achieve it, then we should do that, Hirani says.

Additionally, Hirani is devoted to philanthropy. As founder and former president of the Long Island branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, he led many volunteer housing projects for Habitat for Humanity. Each year, Hirani donates toys to the Ronald McDonald House in Queens. I enjoy donating my time, Hirani says. Most of the volunteer efforts, you go out with a team, its not you by yourself. You know youre helping people and doing good.

Jay Kwon

Senior Project Manager, Suffolk Construction Company

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Jay Kwon has always been devoted to the members of his work team, and when the coronavirus pandemic hit New York, he became even closer to his colleagues. Kwon sought to be even more caring in his professional approach, especially in his interactions with colleagues with children, those with family members suffering from the virus or those that at a higher risk of contracting the deadly disease. It just created more of a human family caring atmosphere, Kwon says. It was kind of one level deeper than what we thought already existed.

At the New York operations of Suffolk Construction Company, one of the leading construction firms in the region, Kwon works on project finances, contacts trade partners, assesses building risk and manages teams that work on specific buildings. Kwon deals with a diverse set of individuals, from laborers to bankers. He says that project management suited his personality in terms of leadership, multitasking and analyzing situations. Most of all, its being out in the field and being able to see little pieces being built every day and to see your blood, sweat and tears along with your coworkers, chipping in to build this amazing asset, Kwon says.

Kwon is a child of immigrants, and seeing his parents tirelessly work to succeed in the United States instilled in him a remarkable work ethic. Kwon also encourages students in STEM, particularly people of color, to consider careers in the construction industry, a field that he says often gets overlooked in engineering programs.

Alex Leopold

Managing Director, Newmark

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Every workday is different for Alex Leopold. One day he could be working with tenants to renegotiate their leases, and the next day he could be helping a landlord with renovations. Engaging with both tenants and owners, Leopold often has to find commonality between people on different sides of a real estate project and find solutions for complex problems that account for both. Theres no better feeling than accomplishing the objectives of your clients and having, obviously, a high level of integrity and having them feel as if youve done the right thing, Leopold says.

Real estate is in Leopolds blood. His grandfather was a developer in Montreal, Canada, and his father also worked in the industry. Leopold felt that brokerage fit him well and the career has been exciting and dynamic since he started with Newmark in 2013. Leopold says that many of the landlords and tenants he represents have become friends and that he finds satisfaction in contributing to and building meaningful relationships.

Leopolds career is not only about building relationships but also involves the space people inhabit. The coronavirus pandemic has changed how many workforces are reimagining the office space, with many switching to remote-only work. However, Leopold believes that physical office space is essential for building relationships in a company, recruiting younger talent and creating a collaborative environment. The companies are going to look to the office as a place to build their culture, Leopold says.

Eric Liang

Vice President, Columbia Property Trust

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Eric Liang was only four years old when his parents moved their family from northern China to the United States. While both parents worked in academia, focusing on the hard sciences, Liang was encouraged to explore a different path  and he chose real estate.

Liang is now the vice president of real estate at Columbia Property Trust, an office-focused real estate investment trust primarily working in New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, Liang studied finance and quickly became enthralled by the world of investment, especially the aspect of creating wealth through real estate. After spending a few years in real estate finance, he returned to school and obtain a masters degree in real estate from Columbia Business School. Liang has since gained invaluable experience in real estate investment and asset management. In 2017, he joined Normandy Real Estate Partners, which was recently acquired by Columbia Property Trust. Liang describes it more as a merger and his bigger team as a family. At Columbia Property Trust, he oversees the asset management of 740,000 square feet of property and blends innovative design with flexible lease terms to compete with larger companies.

Were always looking for ways to respond to our tenant demands better, he says. Ive been working on this new flex platform where we offer short-term leases for our corporate clients. Hopefully, well be launching that platform later this year.

Michael Long

Project Manager, McKissack & McKissack

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The Newton Creek Nature Walk is a newly finished waterfront park between Brooklyn and Queens. A federal Superfund site plagued by years of pollution and degradation has been turned into an award-winning landscape  and Michael Long was a key contributor to the project.

Long says hes proud to have been able to work on that transformative project with McKissack & McKissack. Im really looking forward to being able to bring my family there, and its great for the neighborhood, Long says. Its beautiful. As project manager, Long makes a construction project run smoothly by prioritizing on-time delivery of materials, collaborating closely with contractors and monitoring the construction to ensure processes are properly followed.

Long says that hes always been a leader and was fascinated by construction from an early age. He attended Penn State and received a bachelors in management. After a few years in the defense industry, Long switched to construction. The industry is always fast-paced, exciting, things are always happening, new buildings always are going up, Long says.

Apart from his work as a project manager, Long is a volunteer firefighter. He says he finds construction and firefighting to be rewarding and complimentary. Knowing about how construction works and how buildings are designed helps firefighting, and vice versa.

It has also allowed him to serve his neighbors another way. Whether it be construction or a volunteer firefighter, it benefits the community, he says. Youre either building something or protecting something.

Ryan Monell

Director of City Legislative Affairs, Real Estate Board of New York

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Ryan Monell has spent his career working between the public and private spheres, guided by a deep-rooted value in public service. It comes as no surprise that he now liaises between the government and the real estate industry as the director of city legislative affairs at the Real Estate Board of New York.

Part of the reason I gravitated towards real estate is because infrastructure is so important, he says. It's a great equalizer.

Monell got his start in politics working on campaigns in his native Ohio before moving to New York City to pursue a graduate degree in strategic communication at Columbia University in 2015. He worked throughout his time at school, which, while demanding, provided him with a chance to quickly learn the ins and outs of New York politics. He went on to work with New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. and Gilbane Building Company. Monell joined REBNY in early 2020, just a few weeks before the coronavirus pandemic descended on the city, ravaging its real estate industry and its communities. While the public health threat has been challenging, Monell also describes this past years work as fulfilling.

We always try to focus on what we can do to make sure that were expanding upon and creating opportunities for people who live in the city, he says. How do you build a city thats more sustainable? How do you create more affordable housing? How do you bring small businesses back and make sure our streetscapes are strong?

Rei Moya

Chief Operating Officer, Beam Living

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Rei Moya has worn many hats throughout his career. With his experience in accounting, sales, hospitality and management, Moya brings a unique perspective to his work at Beam Living  a real estate management company that includes more than 14,000 apartments across Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Kips Bay Court and Parker Towers  where he is now the chief operating officer.

Originally from Florida, Moya entered the workforce right out of high school as a way to take care of his family. Before moving to New York City in 2016, he gained experience working at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 and the Signature Grand. Moya was brought onto the Beam Living team (while it was still known as StuyTown) to add what he calls a hospitality touch to property management. Since then, he has worked his way up from the position of director of environmental services to one of the top positions in the company. Moya has helped drive Beam Livings growth and shaped its response to the COVID-19 pandemic by spearheading projects like the Resident Financial Hardship Assistance Program and prioritizing the health and well-being of residents and employees.

A lot of my time now is spent looking forward, he says. But that doesnt prevent me from getting involved in the nitty gritty. Because of where I came from, serving many roles at the line level, Ive made a point to not lose touch with that. Theres really nothing too small for me to get involved in.

Amalia Nicholas

Development Manager, Midtown Equities

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Amalia Nicholas always thought that she was going to be an architect, but after her first semester as an undergraduate student at Trinity College, she decided to pursue a career in urban planning. She loved how multifaceted it could be.

Now, as the development manager at Midtown Equities  a real estate investment and development company in New York City  she gets to do something different each day, just like she had envisioned almost a decade earlier.

I get to do marketing, acquisition, asset management, project management, construction management, she says. My day is never boring. I knew I could never just be at a cubicle, doing the same thing every day.

While she was still a student, the Brooklynite interned at a number of organizations where she was able to explore the many aspects of urban planning and real estate development  zoning, land use, communications, legal, government affairs. An internship with the New York City Department of Planning gave her insights that provided a solid foundation for her work today at Midtown Equities. Although the coronavirus pandemic has posed significant hurdles to the companys workflow, Nicholas says that experiences early in life prepared her to overcome challenges.

I have a really strong work ethic, she says. My family was in the restaurant business and I was helping ever since I could work a register. I think that experience instilled in me the value of a dollar and having to work even when you dont want to.

Ayanna Oliver-Taylor

Senior Director, L+M Development Partners

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Ayanna Oliver-Taylor had long been interested in creating projects that have a lasting impact on the built environment. As the senior director at L+M Development Partners  a real estate development firm dedicated to creating quality affordable housing while improving the neighborhoods  she gets to do exactly that.

I always really wanted to work in a segment of the real estate industry that addressed the needs of everyday people, the fabric of the actual city, she says.

In pursuit of this goal, the native New Yorker obtained a masters degree in real estate development from Columbia University that then led her to work on various aspects of affordable housing at Carver Federal Savings Bank and the New York City Housing Development Corporation. In 2016, Oliver-Taylor joined L+M Development Partners, where she oversees the affordable preservation portfolio that includes large-scale public housing renovations in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority and private partners. Currently, Oliver-Taylor is managing a program to rehabilitate the 1,922-unit Linden Houses and Penn-Wortman developments in Brooklyn, and the 693-unit Harlem River Houses, as well as the $243 million construction of the National Urban League empowerment center. While the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a sense of uncertainty, Oliver-Taylor says that it has also put her work into perspective.

There are people who are directly impacted by my work, she says. Im in a unique position to have a direct impact on the lives of 5,000 people. I feel a real responsibility to see the mission through.

Michael Papagianakis

Chief of Staff, New York Building Congress

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After spending a few years as a reporter covering New York Citys five boroughs, Michael Papagianakis pivoted to political communications, lending his savvy and skills to the likes of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and then-New York City Council Members James Vacca and Peter Vallone Jr. In 2017, Papagianakis took a key role with the New York Building Congress, an association that supports the construction industry and infrastructure projects and real estate developments that stimulate the economy and benefit New Yorkers.

The building industry has an incredible reach, he says. And we deal with government and elected officials at the city, state and federal levels, advocating for more affordable housing, greater infrastructure funding, improvements to our rail and subway network, schools, hospitals and the general betterment of our cities.

As chief of staff, the Queens native oversees the New York Building Congress public affairs department  managing all communications, marketing and policy. Papagianakis spends his day writing reports and memos that keep the public informed on all things infrastructure, which has been incredibly important during the coronavirus pandemic and the economic recession. While many projects were deemed essential, the construction industry wasnt immune from harm. For Papagianakis, it all highlighted the continued need for sustained funding and development  for everyone.

Its so important that we invest in our built environment, he says. We also have to do a better job of hiring, promoting, progressing the careers of women and minorities to ensure that we have diversity at all levels of the workforce.

Peter Rescigno

Director of Operations and Assistant Executive Secretary, New York Electrical Contractors Association

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At the New York Electrical Contractors Association, the largest arm of the National Electrical Contractors Association representing 150 members, no two days are the same. And Peter Rescigno likes it that way.

I could be dealing with one contractor on some labor issues, later that afternoon I could be dealing with a state senator on a public contracting reform, and maybe have an education seminar in between, he says. Its a job that really encompasses labor relations, government affairs, collective bargaining, education and safety.

Before joining NYECA, where hes now the director of operations and assistant executive secretary, the native New Yorker spent a few years working on Capitol Hill. During his time as a staffer at the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and for the U.S. House of Representatives, he learned how to quickly adapt to an ever-changing political landscape and how to effectively distill and communicate complex information. These skills have been particularly useful during the coronavirus pandemic as Rescignos team created the COVID-19 Rapid Response Center, a toolkit designed to keep contractors informed about all federal, state and city guidelines.

COVID-19 took everything by storm, he says. (But), we worked with the union to make sure that we were all on the same page. We made sure that open job sites were safe, that employers were protecting workers, and that workers were coming to work doing what they needed to do with the confidence that their job site was secure.

John Rooney

Economic Inclusion Director, New York City Business Unit, Gilbane Building Company

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Growing up in Rockaway Beach, John Rooney saw firsthand how economic inequality and racism affected the daily lives of the people around him. These early experiences have served as a driving force throughout his professional trajectory, but especially his current position as economic inclusion director at Gilbane Building Company, a national construction and facility management firm dedicated to delivering creative solutions to New Yorks built environment.

I often think about why this work matters so much to me, he says. Economic inequality persists and the idea of building really strong Black, Hispanic and minority-owned businesses is something Im very invested in.

After graduating from SUNY Binghamton with a degree in financial economics, Rooney joined the Bank of New York Mellon. However, he quickly realized that he wasnt excited by a career in banking, and he went on to attend Yale School of Management, where he pivoted towards community and economic development. Since graduating, Rooney has focused on bettering the lives of low- and moderate-income communities and accelerating the development of minority- and women-owned businesses across the city.

At Gilbane Building Company, he creates and implements programming that maximizes opportunities for historically underserved residents, many of whom were disproportionately harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. Gilbanes decision to increase its inclusionary programming efforts throughout the past year has made Rooney even more committed to the company.

Construction offers so much opportunity to move the needle on economic inclusion, he says. Its on us to make sure the industry lives up to that potential.

Daphany Rose Sanchez

Executive Director, Kinetic Communities Consulting

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Daphany Rose Sanchezs interest in affordable housing and sustainable real estate comes from personal experience. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she saw firsthand the stigma that came with living in public housing. Curious to explore the relationship between culture and the built environment, she studied sustainable urban environments at New York University. However, when Hurricane Sandy destroyed her familys newly purchased home, Sanchezs professional trajectory took a turn.

Policy and learning are great, but what kind of action do I need to (take) to make sure that other communities of color and other immigrant populations dont have to go through what we went through? she asks.

Sanchez has since amassed a wealth of knowledge on climate change and affordable housing centered around sustainable energy and a just transition, thanks to her work at the United Nations, Make the Road New York and the consulting firm ICF. In 2017, she launched Kinetic Communities Consulting, a benefit corporation working at the intersection of energy and housing ensuring that clean energy transition doesnt leave people of color behind or expose them to predatory financing practices. While the COVID-19 pandemic has been arduous, forcing Sanchez to shut the company down for a few months, she used her time to work with real estate partners on outreach.

It was such a hard moment as a small business advocating for equity and market transformation, but also having to close down, she says. But, I decided to use my energy in educating and advocating (for) why we do need an equitable, clean energy transition. There are direct steps (we) can take.

Varun Sanyal

Vice President, Real Estate, Kasirer

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Varun Sanyal has been interested in urban landscapes ever since he was a child growing up on Staten Island. While his family has no connection to the real estate world, Sanyal says that his upbringing was a civic-minded one. Describing it as a full-circle moment, Sanyal is now the vice president of Kasirers real estate efforts.

Since graduating from Temple University with a bachelors degree in geography and urban studies and New York University with a masters degree in urban planning, Sanyal has accumulated a decade of government experience. Before joining Kasirer, he was at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, where he oversaw all economic development initiatives, and at the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, where he managed real estate planning across the borough.

Relying on this breadth of experience, Sanyal now works with Kasirers real estate clients on public approval processes, land use strategies and economic development all across the citys five boroughs. The most rewarding aspect of his job, he says, is guiding clients to forge successful partnerships with local stakeholders, especially during such a challenging time as the coronavirus pandemic.

It was very encouraging to see our clients volunteer not only their resources but their space and services at a time of crisis, he says. I think now developers understand that they need to be even more in tune with the concerns of neighborhood residents, learning what is critically important for them, whether that is a new retail space or a community facility space.

John Silviano

Principal, Barone Management

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At just 16 years old, John Silviano was introduced to New York Citys real estate sector while working at a jewelry store. Scott Barone, founder of Barone Management, was the store owners son, and, after taking a liking to each other, they started working together to grow the property management firm, Silviano says.

The first large venture the pair took on involved a 99-year ground lease they acquired in 2011. After selling the property to a private equity firm in 2012, Silviano and Barone signed a development contract to eventually construct a hotel.

Since their first major project, the two have gone on to develop over 1 million square feet of property, including hotels, charter schools, and retail and office space.

I definitely like having the variety, says Silviano, who is now a principal with the firm.

In the industry, Silviano says Barone Management is unique in its practice of underwriting its own development projects and facilitating the construction management of those projects.

Were very hands on. Were willing to take calculated risks that maybe some of our competitors arent, and we try to do many different facets, Silviano says.

Despite challenges facing the real estate and construction sector as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Silviano says the firm has continued to undergo tremendous growth, citing its new leap into crowdfunding, through which it raised $7 million in an hour.

Recently, Barone Management has launched its first capital fund with the goal of raising $40 million to complete 10 projects in the next 12 to 24 months.

Christopher Strebel

Senior Project Manager, LeChase Construction Services

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As a senior project manager at LeChase Construction Services, Christopher Strebel says his most meaningful work has been overseeing the development of projects for the health care and pharmaceutical industries.

Im proud to say I played a small role in helping to build and upgrade our health care infrastructure and create some high quality spaces for our health care workers and scientists that are on the front lines doing the real important stuff, Strebel says.

Currently working on a project at White Plains Hospital, Strebel has previously worked with Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to improve their health care infrastructures.

First exposed to the construction industry through his father, Strebel started his career on the subcontractor side, working for several different electrical contractors as a project engineer. Transitioning to an assistant project manager role, Strebel joined C.W. Brown, which later merged with LeChase Construction Services.

Under the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, Strebel says his efforts to ensure safety on the construction projects he manages has become even more critical. In addition to working to obtain personal protective equipment and meet strict safety protocols, Strebel says another challenge has been a lower supply of raw materials and increased costs.

In the future, Strebel says his aim is to grow within the industry, build on existing relationships and teach what he has learned to others. My dad has always been there for me as a mentor, he says, so I hope to be there for others in that same capacity.

Samantha Sweeney-Annarumma

Communications Director, Subcontractors Trade Association

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After moving to New York City to pursue a career in journalism in 2013, Samantha Sweeney-Annarumma instead landed at the Subcontractors Trade Association, where she has been ever since.

Although Sweeney-Annarumma did not have a background in construction, the association was looking for someone to help manage its website, write newsletters and handle administrative and operational responsibilities. Now as its communications and events director, Sweeney-Annarumma says she has enjoyed the privilege of learning a lot by working with the associations industry-leading members.

Construction in New York is unlike construction anywhere else in the world, says Sweeney-Annarumma.

Since she came on at the association, which caters to 350 union subcontractor members, Sweeney-Annarummas role has expanded to include carrying out the associations events and leading its membership campaign by speaking to prospective members and helping existing members meet and partner with city agencies.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Sweeney-Annarumma says the association began holding Zoom webinars, updating members on the citys evolving regulations and hosting virtual networking events. With the new virtual format, Sweeney-Annarumma says membership participation has actually increased.

While at the association, Sweeney-Annarumma started the young professionals group, which now has around 100 active members, and created an emerging leaders award to highlight their successes. In the future, she hopes to see more women enter the construction industry.

Construction is extremely male-dominated, Sweeney-Annarumma says. But there are some incredible women, and there are a lot of women especially coming up through the ranks, starting their careers ... its been great to see that representation.

Jason Tavarez

Project Manager, Turner Construction Company

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With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Jason Tavarez says he noticed a difference: a strengthened sense of responsibility to his family and a similar dynamic among the people working together on the construction site.

I noticed a renewed commitment of the people who are on the job site through the pandemic, working the entire time, a renewed commitment to each other, says Tavarez, who works as a project manager at Turner Construction Company.

After interning with Turner Construction while in college, Tavarezs first full-time role with the firm was as an assistant superintendent for the Queens Vocational High School project. Later, Tavarez became a purchasing agent, including acquiring the scoreboard and sound system for Yankee Stadium, before returning to a superintendent role overseeing the construction of a Columbia University laboratory building.

Tavarez has also served as a project manager for a Madison Square Garden transformation project and as the lead engineer overseeing the David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care project at Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital.

Tavarez also worked on the business development team, assessing the market to determine future projects, before switching to a project manager role overseeing the development of a Columbia Business School building.

Passionate about data science, Tavarez won an innovation award while with Turner Construction and says he has helped others win the award as well.

That drive for doing things better helps me, it excites me, Tavarez says.

Outside of work, Tavarez is involved with The Eagle Academy Foundations mentorship program.

Natisha Thomas

Residential Operations Manager, Rudin Management Company

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Before becoming the first woman and person of color to hold an operations management role at Rudin Management Company, Natisha Thomas proved her skills as an administrative assistant by successfully completing an elevator cab remodel project. Although Thomas says the project put her under a lot of pressure, she was able to get it done start to finish.

Thomas was hired as an executive assistant to a senior vice president at Rudin Management property, 41 Madison, through a direct hire agency after graduating from SUNY Purchase with a bachelors degree in communications and media. Later, Thomas joined the firms operations team as an administrative assistant under four operations managers. Working in operations for the first time, Thomas says she enjoyed being able to take care of residents while working behind the scenes. In her current role, Thomas oversees nine residential buildings.

With many residents working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, Thomas says she has spent more time fixing broken appliances due to increased use, improving lobby air filtration systems and focusing on keeping buildings clean. We want everyone to feel comfortable and so were doing things to just maintain the cleaning protocol, she says.

Thomas has also trained resident managers to help the firm launch a new software program to allow for paperless billing.

In addition to her work at Rudin Management, Thomas serves on the Real Estate Board of New Yorks residential management council, has been a mentor with REBNYs Project Destined and in 2021 completed REBNY and Coro New York Leadership Centers inaugural Leadership Fellowship Program.

Niki Tsismenakis

Partner, Goldstein Hall

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As a partner with the real estate law firm Goldstein Hall, Niki Tsismenakis says shes passionate about senior housing and affordable housing development. Through the various internships that I took as a law student, I got to experience and see different facets of affordable housing development and came to realize just how critical it is, says Tsismenakis, who graduated from Brooklyn Law School and interned with Goldstein Hall.

Tsismenakis, who has been with the firm for over a decade, became the youngest and the first woman to be named partner.

Tsismenakis emphasizes the challenges associated with working on senior housing and affordable housing development due to layers of regulatory approvals. Despite those challenges, Tsismenakis says what makes her job satisfying is being able to negotiate regulatory agreements and loan documents, which allow her to think outside of the box regarding general issues that clients face in development.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City, Tsismenakis says the citys priorities shifted to no longer prioritizing closing on affordable housing transactions. The citys purse strings got even tighter, even though the mayor had these significant affordable housing goals, Tsismenakis says.

But through developers like the New York City Housing Development Corporation working together with their financing partners, they were able to be creative about making deals work without additional city subsidies, Tsismenakis says.

In the future, Tsismenakis says she wants to use her experience in the industry to continue to help others, especially through her work as a board member of Women in Housing and Finance.

Jennifer Warheit

Associate, Sidley Austin

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When deciding what to do after graduating from Fordham University School of Law, Jennifer Warheit says she always knew she wanted to pursue corporate law  and found herself drawn to the real estate sector specifically due to its tangible nature.

I liked being able to walk through the streets of New York City and feel like I contributed in some way, Warheit says.

An associate with Sidley Austin since 2013, Warheit now specializes in the financing, development, construction, acquisition and disposition of various commercial real estate properties. A major project Warheit is working on at the moment is closing a large construction loan for properties in the Pacific Park area of Brooklyn.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Warheit says her attention switched gears from loan origination to focusing more on loan workouts. It was really the first time in my career that such a large portion of my time has gone through trying to work with lenders and borrowers to figure out solutions to loans, given the economic and real estate climate, specifically in New York City, Warheit says.

Recently, Warheit says loan originations have picked up again and development is returning to the city. Theres a lot of development going on in New York City again, which has been great, she says.

In addition to her role as an associate, Warheit also serves as associate deputy co-chair of the firms Committee for the Retention and Promotion of Women.

Aaron Weaver

Real Estate Associate, Columbia University

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Once an NFL player with the Kansas City Chiefs, Aaron Weaver is now competing on a different field  as a real estate associate with Columbia University, where he oversees acquisition and leasing opportunities.

Being a former football player, where theres so many stereotypes about athletes ... being able to break down some of those barriers is really important for me, Weaver says.

Weaver says he took a liking to real estate at a young age after visiting his grandmother in Dayton, Ohio, where he would go with her to collect rent from residential housing tenants.

After being waived from the Chiefs in 2012, Weaver began working with an investment sales brokerage firm out of Long Island, which eventually became Knight Properties. Through that experience, Weaver says he realized he wanted to shift his focus either to the buyer or development side of the deals he was working on. With a former Syracuse University teammate, he started his own firm called Level Investments.

Now with Columbia University, Weaver says that during the coronavirus pandemic, his focus has been on supporting the various small businesses that occupy the universitys properties.

From a management perspective, youre just trying to make sure that you can do your best to help your tenants, while also balancing the fact that you need to generate some type of revenue, he says.

In the future, Weaver says he would like to work to expand Columbia Universitys footprint throughout Harlem by acquiring more sites and expanding the universitys mission.

Alyssa Zahler

Director of Commercial Leasing, Two Trees Management

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After six years as a journalist with CNN and Bloomberg, Alyssa Zahler switched careers. I got more interested in what if I actually was a businesswoman, what if I was like the type of person I was reporting on, Zahler says.

After speaking with a family member in commercial real estate, Zahler left Bloomberg in 2015 and joined Newmark as a commercial real estate adviser. During her five years with the firm, Zahler assembled a team of 10 women across the country to acquire the firms Girl Scout USA account.

Now as director of commercial leasing at Two Trees Management, Zahler said what drew her to the company was its development of the Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg. I think that the key here is that we care about the neighborhoods that were in. Were neighborhood builders, we want to add to the neighborhoods where we are, Zahler says.

Zahler oversees 3 million square feet of commercial and industrial real estate property and has been involved with signing 40 leases over the past year.

With the impact of the coronavirus pandemic reverberating throughout the industry, Zahler says her approach was to increase flexibility for tenants by offering shorter leases with lower base rents.

How flexible can we be as an owner, right? What can we do to bring new people, make them feel safe and also make them feel excited to be in their work environment? Zahler says. Its like the old adage of location, location, location. Its now all about flexibility, flexibility, flexibility."

Corrections: An earlier version of this post incorrectly described John Rooney's early career as investment banking. He worked in banking. This post also had incorrectly stated that Daniel Egers had worked for a school district, when he actually worked for a school.
In Fridays newsletter, we reported on the crisis unfolding in Israel and Palestine, how its been covered in the US, and how it has affected reporters on the ground; last week, Israeli forces bombed two buildings housing media groups in Gaza City, and targeted a number of journalists covering unrest in Jerusalem. Over the weekend, the media continued to be a big part of the story. On Friday, an Israeli military spokesperson told reporters for international outlets that ground forces had entered Gaza, but they hadnt; the spokesperson said he made a mistake, but Israeli media reported that officials intentionally deceived journalists as part of a ploy to lure Hamas fighters into exposed positions. Then, on Saturday, Israel bombed another building in Gaza City, this one housing the local offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. (As with the other buildings it destroyed, Israel said that Hamas was operating out of the building, though it has not publicly offered any evidence for this.) Those inside were given an hour to evacuate. I looked back at this place that had been my second home for years. I realized this was the last time I might ever see it, Fares Akram, of the AP, wrote. I put on my helmet. And I ran.

Late last week, Kyle Pope, CJRs editor and publisher, spoke with Ruth Margalit, a journalist who writes for the New Yorker, the New York Review of Books, and CJR, and is based in Tel Aviv. They discussed the situation there, and the local and international medias role in it. In this edition of The Media Today, were bringing you their conversation. Its been edited for length and clarity; you can hear the whole thing as a podcast here. (Jon Allsop is off sick but will be back later in the week.)

KP: Were speaking on Thursday night, your time. Earlier this week, on Twitter, you were writing about what it felt like to be living in a place where you were hearing air raid sirens, and where you were huddled for safety. What is the situation right now for you?

RM: I think its sort of similar. Its quiet right now. My kids are asleep, both of them. But we are expecting that there may be nighttime sirens coming sometime soon, or at least thats what the rumors say. Thats whats been happening in the past two nightsweve had these nighttime air raid sirens and had to sort of dash outside and kind of huddle in the stairwell with the children and just wait for the Iron Dome missile defense system to start working. And we would hear these intersections and booms. For the kids, it was very scary, and for us, its just an ordeal. But you also think about other parts of the country that are closer to where the rockets are being fired, and also, of course, Gaza, where they have no interceptors and often no places to seek cover. So it just kind of throws everything into proportion.

Youve grown up with this conflict in the background of your life, or in the foreground of your life. How does this rank for you in terms of the feeling of it, living through it in the moment?

I was talking to my sister and we were saying how, when we were children in Jerusalem, there was the first Gulf War in 1991. And there was this idea that, oh, were sort of safe in Jerusalem; that rockets would never strike Jerusalem because its so holy, the holiest place for all three religions. We sort of felt safe even as we were seeking cover and gas masks. And then this round of escalation really started in Jerusalem. There were different, kind of diffuse reasons for why it started, and its kind of hard to pinpoint just one. But it suddenly it felt very different: there was this sense that the rationale has changed.

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Ironically, even though everything started in Jerusalemthere were these protests in East Jerusalem and the threat of imminent expulsion of these six Arab families living in Sheikh Jarrah, and then there were these protests and these marches in the Old City, and police rounds of live ammunition going into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and things started flaring up, and then the rockets, of coursenow, strangely enough, Jerusalem is sort of quiet and things are shifting locations. And so Tel Aviv is now under attack, but all these disparate cities as well. I think the saddest thing to come out of this recent round is just to see the state of the mixed cities here in Israelthe Jewish and Arab cities kind of unraveling, really, and deteriorating to a state of anarchy.

How do you consume news at a time like this? Do you find yourself glued to the television and social media, or do you find yourself trying to kind of put some distance around it?

Totally glued, Im afraid. Television here, it didnt used to be a twenty-four-hour news cycle, the way it is in the States. But it is now, especially when something like this is going on. Its constant. Not a lot of it is useful for thinking about, but its hard to turn away. There are these actual sort of lynchings that weve seen occur in mixed cities. I was watching TV and suddenly we saw this really shocking footage just being screened live on TV. And the reporters didnt really know what was happening or where this was coming from.

All of this is rather new. In 2014during whats known in Israel as the last Gaza offensivethis was the first time you really saw social media rearing its head. And what happened then was the real fraying of the omnipresent military censor in Israel. Up until that point, all the news trickling out within Israel, but also from foreign news outlets, they all had to pass through the military censor. And suddenly, because of social media, and because of internet journalism and all of that, the military censor has kind of lost its place. The Israeli army, the Israeli government, theyre still grappling with that. How do you control the narrative and also keep certain stories from being aired? The truth is now they really cant. Things have changed.

A couple of years ago, you wrote a piece for CJR called A Ruinous Obsession, which was about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus obsession with the press. [He is facing a trial on charges linked to his dealings with media companies.] I know theres been a lot of commentary there, as well as here, about what the political effects of this may be for him. How much of the coverage of whats going on is centered around him?

It very much is. I think Israelis are the first to start with the analysis. So even as this escalation is taking place, there are just constant takes on: Is Netanyahu up or down? What does it do to his chances of survival? I think, for him, it is a story of personal survival. Which brings us back to the media, because, ironically enough, the chances for his downfall could very well have been, and could very well still be, related to his obsession with the media. The most damning of his cases in these prosecution trials has to do with him allegedly seeking favorable coverage from a leading news website, called Walla, in exchange for giving the Walla owners favorable regulatory benefits. So it all kind of ties back.

Have you had much chance to read the US press and its coverage of whats going on?

I have, yeah.

Theres been a lot of debate and commentary here about the language, and the objectivity question, for lack of a better term: what do you focus on, and how do you make sure that you dont legitimize one side versus the other? What do you make of that debate here?

Its something I think about constantly. Because Im able to write for more magazine-y publications, I think theres an assumption that. as a writer, youre bringing more of your own biography and who you are into them. And for me, thats a really good thing. Obviously, Im Israeli. Im Jewish. I served in the army. Im also, if you read my pieces, liberal, Im left-leaningI have a whole worldview that I sort of bring with me, and that I always try to also put aside, and not have these biases. But of course, it affects who I am and how I approach pieces. And I dont try to pretend otherwise. I think for some of these newspaper reporters, thats a much trickier thing, because I think readers expect a real neutrality or objectivity, and of course, thats really just an impossible standard. And I think a much better one is always to strive for accuracy and to strive to be correct rather than to be objective.

Some of this has to do with vocabulary, and thats something I kind of catch myself as well. I dont think Ive written this, but I could see how a reporter writes about East Jerusalem, calling them evictions of these Palestinian families. People rightly said that maybe eviction is not the right word, because it implies a landlord-tenant relationship, and that maybe expulsion is the better word. Im learning this as well, and I think these are important conversations to have. But I also think, with newspaper reporters, the fact that theyre on the ground covering this is so important. And sometimes we get bogged down in the language or a sentence that sounds kind of tricky, or not a hundred percent fair to all sides, where what gets lost is the fact that the reporter is there reporting on this story. Change happens slowly, and thats how we all learn.

From the Existential Issue: The aesthetics of conspiracy

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  River traffic has reopened on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, three days after it was closed when a crack was discovered in the Interstate 40 bridge that connects Tennessee and Arkansas, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation, meanwhile, said a video taken by an inspector two years ago found significant rust and the beginning of a crack in the same area as the fracture that prompted the bridges shutdown this week.

More than 60 tugboats hauling more than 1,000 barges were in line Friday to cross under the Hernando De Soto Bridge, the Coast Guard said.

Economic development officials had been concerned that an extended closure of river traffic could hurt the regions economy and have ripple effects on the nations supply chain.

The bridge itself will remain closed to vehicles indefinitely, with road traffic rerouted to Interstate 55 and the 71-year-old Memphis & Arkansas Bridge, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south.

River traffic under the six-lane bridge was shut down Tuesday after inspectors found a significant fracture in one of two 900-foot (274-meter) horizontal steel beams that are crucial for the bridges integrity, said Lorie Tudor, director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

Engineers wanted to ensure the bridge could stand on its own before reopening river traffic.

Based on information provided to us by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Coast Guard has determined that transit under the I-40 bridge is safe for maritime traffic, Coast Guard Capt. Ryan Rhodes, captain of the Port of Memphis, said in a statement.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation on Friday said an image captured by an inspectors drone video in May 2019 showed evidence of damage on the lower side of the bridge, the same area as the crack that was discovered this week.

DOT spokesman Dave Parker said the damage was found by a consulting firm that was inspecting the bridges cables that year.

ARDOT is now investigating to see if that damage was noted in a September 2019 inspection report and, if so, what actions were taken, the agency said in a statement.

The bridge remained closed as negotiations intensified between the White House and a group of Republican senators over a potential infrastructure package. Democrats have said the shutdown highlights the urgent need for more infrastructure funding.

Republicans have called for a infrastructure plan with a smaller price tag than President Joe Bidens and with a narrower definition of public works.

The Arkansas Trucking Association on Friday estimated the closure would cost the trucking industry at least $2.4 million a day because of the longer routes to cross the river. The group used data provided by the American Transportation Research Institute.

Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton said the trip on the I-40 bridge between the two states averaged eight minutes. Since the I-40 bridge closure, trips on the I-55 bridge being used as the closest alternate route have averaged 84 minutes.

Even if youre looking at 6-8 weeks, thats an incredible expenditure that the industry cant simply absorb, Newton said.

Tennessees transportation department said theres no indication the bridge is continuing to deteriorate and said designers were working on an interim repair plan that would rely on steel rods that would be attached to the bridge and span over the fractured section. Designers were also looking at the possibility of installing a steel plate to beef up the fractured section.

The interim plan would allow time for a new bridge component to be fabricated to replace the damaged section, the agency said.

In an inspection for the 2020 National Bridge Inventory report, the Federal Highway Administration said the I-40 bridge checked out in fair condition overall, with all primary structure elements sound and only some minor cracks and chips in the overall structure. Its structural evaluation checked out somewhat better than minimum adequacy to tolerate being left in place as is.

However, height and width clearances for oversize vehicles were basically intolerable requiring high priority of corrective action, the inspectors found. Tennessee recommended bridge deck replacement with only incidental widening.

Arkansas transportation officials said the crack did not appear in the last inspection of the bridge, which occurred in September 2020. The bridge opened in 1973 and carries an average of about 50,000 vehicles a day, with about a quarter being trucks, Tennessee transportation officials said.

Tugboats pushing barges could be seen passing under the bridge shortly after the Coast Guards announcement Friday. Some onlookers came to a riverside park to get a glimpse of the vessels.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BUTTE, Mont. (AP)  Theres nothing left but piles of bricks and charred rubble where the M&M Cigar Store served as an anchor icon to Uptown Butte for 130 years.

Nothing but its historic neon sign survived a fire that gutted the building May 7, leaving nothing but saw-toothed sections of bricks on the east and west sides. For safety reasons, the entire east wall and facade were brought down with a backhoe.

The long, wooden bar on one side, the long lunch counter on the other, the tin roof and the swinging steel doors, the gambling room in the back _ things that made the place the M&M for decades _ are all gone.

Its hard to imagine now, and it will take all kinds of money, and some things will never be the same, and there will be naysayers no matter what. But there can be a new M&M.

I absolutely intend to put a new M&M right back where it was, Selina Pankovich, who has owned and operated the famous bar and eatery since December 2017, told The Montana Standard .

There are so many unknowns right now about how Im going to make it happen, she said. Its going to take a series of small miracles is the way I envision it. Its going to take the community, its going to take the grants, its going to take the insurance money and its going to take my own personal investment to do it, but Im committed to doing all of that.

Even when flames were still flaring and the giant neon M&M sign had yet to be lifted to safety on Friday, Butte-Silver Bows top official was predicting an outcry of support for bringing the M&M back.

This building has meant so much to everyones childhood and memories of Butte, said Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher. I cant imagine that we cant raise some money to try to help her (Pankovich) get back on her feet. I think its critical that we get this building rebuilt.

Look no further than Anaconda, Deer Lodge and Bozeman to find iconic places nearly or completely destroyed in recent years that were rebuilt.

Fire gutted the Rialto Theater in Deer Lodge in 2006. A gas explosion took out an entire city block in downtown Bozeman, including the famed Rocking R Bar, in 2009. The Club Moderne in Anaconda was heavily damaged by fire in 2016.

There were differences in recovery plans and the money that paid their way, but all were rebuilt.

Its still a private building but we would help in any efforts that we could, Gallagher said Monday. I dont know what that is yet, but my thoughts, in speaking with Selina, is this building needs to be rebuilt. The M&M needs to come back to life.

Firefighters were called to the M&M at 3 a.m. Friday, about two-and-a-half hours after employees had locked up for the night, and found flames coming from the hood system above the grill.

Zach Osborne, Butte-Silver Bows fire marshal, said Monday there was fire there and in the duct system but what sparked it will likely never be known because the destruction was so immense.

There had been a malfunctioning compressor in the basement that could have overheated, but fire was not detected in the basement. An investigation will continue, Osborne said, but there is little hope of pinning down a cause.

Osborne said fire crews stayed on the scene all night Friday, all day Saturday and into Sunday morning before the rubble finally stopped smoldering. What remained was turned over to Pankovich and her insurance carrier around 4 p.m. Sunday.

Pankovich said she had insurance on the building and its contents, as well as business-interruption insurance, so there will be a payout. But she noted the times we are in right now, meaning the price of lumber and other building materials.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, those costs have nearly tripled from a year ago. Thats due in large part to supply-chain issues caused by the pandemic.

Anything you build is going to cost three to four times what it would have cost a year ago, Pankovich said.

She said she felt a lot of pressure to make the M&M successful after she bought it in late 2017, given its history and importance to Butte and its people.

I knew it was going to be a big job and it wasnt easy getting there, and I knew that when I got there, that wasnt it either _ I had to maintain it and keep it going, Pankovich said. And man, we were on our way to the best year ever, Im sure in the history of the M&M.

Its so frustrating and heartbreaking to know where we were headed, and at the same time, I know we can do it again. I feel like its something we need to move on quickly, because I dont want anyone to forget.

Gallagher said it was too early to say how local government could help in the rebuilding effort, but he would explore all avenues. One could involve assistance from the Urban Renewal Agency and its tax-increment district covering much of Uptown Butte.

URA Director Karen Byrnes agreed.

We need to work with Selina to see what she is interested in doing and theres a lot to go through at this point in time, but we would be, as an agency, 100% behind new construction of the M&M, she said.

Pankovich said there would be an account set up to accept donations, with legal assurances that all contributions go to a rebuilding effort and refunds are made if its not successful.

She also said theres been great interest from people wanting bricks from the old M&M, and some people have suggested she sell them, but its premature and too dangerous to remove any bricks from the site right now.

When it is safe, she said, she wants to give them away with suggestions they instead contribute to the rebuilding campaign.

I want everyone to have a piece of the M&M, she said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio  A Cleveland man faces murder charges in the weekend shooting death of his girlfriend.

Dominique Perry, 34, shot Alicia Coleman, 32, about 8:15 p.m. Saturday near East 127th Place and Locke Avenue in the citys Forest Hills neighborhood, Cleveland Police said.

Officers with the departments Gang Impact Unit took Perry into custody on Saturday in Maple Heights, and he remains at the Cuyahoga County Jail as of Monday on a charge of aggravated murder. Court records do not say when hes expected to appear in court, and there is no bond listed for him.

Paramedics took Coleman to University Hospitals where she was pronounced dead. Police have not discussed a motive in the shooting.
Xi's speech marking poverty relief published in English

Xinhua) 13:48, May 17, 2021

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at a grand gathering marking the country's accomplishments in poverty alleviation and honoring its model poverty fighters has been published in English by the Central Compilation and Translation Press.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered the speech in February, announcing that China had secured a complete victory against poverty.

In his speech, Xi urged efforts to comprehensively advance rural vitalization and consolidate and escalate the gains in poverty alleviation.

The English version was translated by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, was arrested on Sunday afternoon for breaching public health regulations after holding another church service without required mask usage, capacity limitations, or physical distancing.

According to, the Calgary Herald, the pastor was arrested during a service at the church, located at 230 78th Avenue S.E., that allegedly breached "public health measures and a pre-emptive injunction." Stephens received a copy of the Court of Queen's Bench order last weekend, which was acquired by Alberta Health Services in order to target organizers of meetings that challenged health laws.

"The pastor acknowledged the injunction but chose to move forward with today's service, ignoring requirements for social distancing, mask-wearing and reduced capacity limits for attendees," Calgary police said in a joint statement with AHS on Sunday.

This isn't the first time Fairview Baptist Church has disobeyed health department orders. Several penalties have been levied against the church for breaking rules in recent months, and services were relocated to an unknown site for a month in January and February before reverting to their property in southeast Calgary.

According to the press release, "officers did not enter the church during Sunday's service." Health authorities, on the other hand, have been working with religious leaders for weeks to resolve the lingering issues.

According to their statement, "CPS has received repeated calls from concerned citizens regarding church services held at Fairview Baptist Church over the past several weeks."

On May 5, Stephens published a note on Fairview Baptist Church's website, claiming that limiting church capacity would make no difference.

Stephens remarked, "Our actions are borne out of theological commitments to the Lordship of Christ and his instruction to the church as revealed in Scripture."

He went on to say that, despite the potentially disastrous consequences, they would stick to their convictions rather than succumb to the consequences of breaking state laws.

Meanwhile, organizers of a central Alberta rodeo were given an exemption from continuing public health restrictions by Alberta Health on Saturday

The Alberta High School Rodeo Association organized the event, which included junior and senior high school students and began Saturday afternoon in Ponoka, roughly 60 kilometers north of Red Deer.

AHS claim that rodeos are permitted to take place in Alberta provided they are given an exception from the existing COVID-19 rules, which prohibit any indoor recreational events in the province. Those who have been given an exemption must adhere to "strict health precautions" in order to avoid the spread of the virus.

Only rodeo competitors, venue employees, rodeo employees, and judges who are important to the rodeo are permitted at the arena, according to the regulations. Audiences in person are not allowed.

When contacted by Postmedia on Saturday, an Alberta High School Rodeo Association official said the organization would issue a press release announcing their exemption in two weeks but would not comment until then.

Pastor Tim Stephens now joins the ranks of GraceLife Church's Pastor James Coates and Cave of Adullam Church's Pastor Artur Pawlowski. Both preachers and their congregations are continuing to fight for their constitutional rights in the face of an increasing focus on churches that defy COVID restrictions.

Watch Pastor Tim Stephens explain to his congregation why they must gather in worship despite the government's rules.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If parents dont want to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, will the possibility of a college scholarship change their mind?

Starting May 26, every Wednesday, the state will randomly draw a 12-17-year-old to win a scholarship for five weeks. The award will include tuition, room and board, and books to any state school in Ohio. An electronic portal will open to register on May 18.

Following federal approval, children ages 12 to 15 began receiving their first dose of Pfizer vaccinations in Ohio on Thursday.

Parents are vaccine-hesitant for many reasons -- there is no simple answer, said Gretchen Chapman, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University who studies judgment and decisions in health.

Chapman said along with the safety worries of their children, parents can also face barriers to vaccination such as easy access, transportation, taking days off from work to care for a child sick with side effects, and more.

There are randomized experiments in the literature showing that monetary incentives do increase vaccination rates, said Chapman. So Id predict it will have a small effect (although well never know for sure because there no control group in Ohio)..

Certainly money talks, said Eileen Anderson-Fye, director of Education, Bioethics and Medical Humanities, at Case Western Reserve Universitys School of Medicine. As a medical and psychological anthropologist, she studies how adolescents and young adults adapt to changes in their environments in ways that both advance and harm their well-being.

As a parent of three daughters herself, Anderson-Fye said while she can understand some parents hesitancy, it was a no-brainer for her.

I do a lot of international travel for my work in global health, in addition, to being very active in the community, Anderson-Fye said. So for me, I wanted to be vaccinated as soon as I could be.

She noted while financial incentives for education could absolutely have an impact, adolescents themselves may still be ambivalent.

One of the complications, when youre dealing with adolescents who are going through so much developmental change and coming into their own, is much different than taking your baby to be vaccinated, who has no choice, said Anderson-Fye.

Anderson-Fye said the micro-culture in a students particular school or environment could profoundly affect adolescents thinking.

At the end of the day, one of the things that Im seeing for adolescents that is so important, as with anything else, what their peers think matters a lot, said Anderson-Fye.

Dr. Shelly Senders of Senders Pediatrics supports any initiative to get teens and preteens vaccinated so that they can go to school safely.

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of children and adolescents, and the governors scholarship offer is a great carrot to encourage fence-sitters to get vaccinated, Snyder said.

But he said factual information from trusted sources is more important in encouraging families to get vaccinated.

We have found, however, that most politics are local, he said. Glitzy initiatives are fine but in most situations are not necessary. We have found that by providing thoughtful and evidence-based guidance in the context of a patient-provider relationship, most families are willing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will spend $5 billion in American Rescue Plan money to provide 70,000 vouchers to public housing authorities around the country that will allow them to provide housing for Americans who are homeless or in danger of losing their housing, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced Monday.

Fudge, a former Warrensville Heights mayor and member of Congress, said the vouchers will help house 130,000 people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The vouchers will cover rent for apartments and houses until the end of 2022, and will be renewed for families participating in the program.

Ohio public housing authorities received an initial allocation of 1,522 vouchers worth roughly $10.6 million, HUD said. Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority will get 339 of the vouchers, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority will get 99, Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority will get 45 and Portage Metropolitan Housing Authority will get 24.

Moving forward, HUD will continue to do everything we can to provide every American with a chance to live with stability, with dignity and with hope, said Fudge, who urged Congress to pass the jobs plan that President Biden has proposed, which she said would bring the United States closer to ending homelessness and housing instability.

The reality is that a good life starts with the home, Fudge continued. No person should ever have to lay their head on a park bench or street corner.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who participated in a media call with Fudge, said the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated already existing housing insecurity issues and put too many families at risk of experiencing homelessness, including people fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

Oakland, California Mayor Libby Schaaf said that on any given night there are roughly 4,000 people in her city without a home. She said the vouchers her city gets will allow it to find permanent housing for 750 formerly homeless people who are staying in temporary hotel rooms and trailers made possible by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This truly is a turning point in us as Americans recognizing that everyone deserves to go to bed at night, knowing that there will be a roof over their heads and the heads of their family who they love and that we as Americans can no longer tolerate anyone calling our sidewalks home, Schaaf added.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Lt. Gov. Jon Husted on Monday announced new forms that he says will be easier for employers to report workers who dont return and continue to collect unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic.

Husted said the forms can be found on ohiomeansjobs.com and unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov, or by calling 1-877-644-6562. People who continue to receive unemployment compensation after their company reopens could lose benefits under state law, he said.

We received some calls from employers who want to know how they do that, how do they report somebody who wont return to work, he said during Gov. Mike DeWines coronavirus briefing.

A year ago, the state wanted employers to report their employees who didnt return. But that was when many Ohio workers were trying to report their companies to local health departments for not maintaining social distancing or following other virus-prevention guidelines. And many local health departments were too overwhelmed to investigate each complaint. Then hackers released code to purposely overwhelm the states system for reporting non-returning workers.

This resulted in the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services putting a pause on kicking people off unemployment.

Ohio is now preparing to decline federal pandemic unemployment aid, which provides workers an extra $300 a week, beginning on June 26.

And beginning Sunday, jobless Ohioans will have to search for work if they want to get unemployment compensation, Husted said. Some workers have had to search for jobs since December to receive unemployment benefits.

Meantime, DeWine said that the state had no data to break down the reasons why people were not returning to work and still filing for unemployment. He couldnt say, for instance, how many jobless workers were parents who had to be on standby to pick up kids from school when they fell ill, due to heightened precautions for children to prevent COVID-19 spread.

Weve been in this pandemic for 14 months, DeWine said. Our unemployment is now down to where we started before the pandemic. We are moving forward as a state. We still have unemployment. Were still paying unemployment, but in another 30 or so days we will no longer pay the extra federal ($300 dollars) that is coming into the state.

Many progressive groups say that with increased worker productivity and increased corporate profits, people, especially at the lower end of the wage scale, are overdue for raises -- an issue that has been highlighted by the widespread unemployment during the pandemic.

DeWine and Husted pointed out that the state supports training programs, such as TechCred and the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program, that help workers gain new skills.

More coverage:

Ohio reconsiders policy of kicking workers off unemployment, after hackers release code to overwhelm state system

Since $1 million vaccine lottery announced, Ohios seen uptick in shots for ages 30 to 74

Ohio reports 729 new coronavirus cases: Monday update

Gov. Mike DeWine to give a coronavirus update: Watch live

Ohio officials announce a new website for vaccinated people to register to win $1 million Vax-a-Million prize

Gov. Mike DeWines Vax-a-Million idea will likely increase vaccine demand. But is it the best use of public dollars?

Gov. Mike DeWine is rejecting federal unemployment aid, cutting off extra $300 weekly to jobless workers, starting June 26

Gov. Mike DeWine says hell lift Ohio public health orders on June 2

Ohio Supreme Court to decide whether Cleveland Botanical Gardens hours, parking and admission fees violate the terms of 1882 land donation

Due to slow coronavirus vaccine demand, Ohio is declining and delaying 80% of doses from this weeks allotment
CLEVELAND, Ohio  For the first time since his arrest, Matt Borges  one of the central figures in the federal investigation into House Bill 6  detailed his side of the story, denying key portions of the U.S. Justice Departments case against him.

Borges, former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, along with Republican then-House Speaker Larry Householder, top aide Jeff Longstreth and political consultants Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes, were arrested in July 2020 in what federal prosecutors described as a $60 million bribery scheme to pass HB6  a ratepayer funded bailout of two nuclear plants formerly owned by FirstEnergy.

Borges and Householder deny any wrongdoing. Cespedes and Longstreth pleaded guilty. Clark also maintained his innocence, though died by an apparent suicide earlier this year.

As the case moves toward trial, Borges has been limited in what he can share, bound by a protective order on evidence in the federal case.

However, in a May 13 affidavit filed with the Ohio Elections Commission following Secretary of State Frank LaRoses decision to refer aspects of the case for prosecution, Borges  who called LaRoses filing absurd and a frivolous complaint  gave specific details of his recollection about the events that transpired between him and Tyler Fehrman, a consultant who became a major informant for the FBI case.

When the Chief Elections Officer decides to make accusations that have serious consequences, you would hope that there would be some investigation rather than just tag-teaming with others, said Karl Schneider, Borges attorney, in a statement. Apparently no investigation or fact checking was done by the Secretary of State. Matts affidavit presents the truth, which will prevail.

A spokesman for LaRose declined to comment.

In their case against him, the feds allege Borges was instrumental in trying to recruit Fehrman to act as a double agent and help kill a referendum to overturn HB6. That included bribes and threats against Fehrman, according to the indictment against Borges.

Fehrman, both to the FBI and in an interview with cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer, described Borges as a close friend and mentor and has worked both for and with him in the past.

Fehrman has said in 2019 he joined an anti-HB6 referendum campaign and even discussed the matter with Borges, who told him to take the job despite them being on opposite sides of the issue.

Shortly after, however, Fehrman said Borges wanted to meet for coffee and bragged about how much he was being paid by the pro-HB6 side, offering to pay Fehrman under the table for information into the campaign.

Fehrman said he declined but eventually contacted the FBI, who asked him to wear a wire and collect evidence. He said he met with Borges and accepted, with Borges offering a $15,000 check, ostensibly to use to organize a reunion for ex-Gov. John Kasich staffers, though quickly began asking Fehrman for information on the anti-HB6 referendum.

Fehrman also detailed some of what he described as threats against him by Borges, who questioned if he was recording their conversations for the Columbus Dispatch and threatened to blow up his house.

In his filing, Borges disputes much of what Fehrman says happened as well as the context for things that did. Fehrman said he stood by both what hes told federal investigators and whats been released publicly.

Everything regarding Matt Borges and Is relationship that has been shared with the public is the product of recordings that were taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fehrman said. Anything and everything that has been put out there is the result of those direct quotes from him in the recordings.

According to Borges, Fehrman first reached out in June 2019 to ask for help after being forced to sign a letter of resignation from his job running Motorcycle Ohio, a safety program through the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Fehrman was upset at his dismissal and asked Borges to intervene, either through convincing Gov. Mike DeWines staff to rescind the resignation or smooth things over with a lobbyist who was instrumental in Fehrmans removal.

Borges said he called the governors office to try and intervene on Fehrmans behalf to no avail.

After that, Fehrman initiated more contact with Borges, asking for a meeting in his office, Borges said. When they met, Fehrman said he was having financial problems and asked for work. He shared that he had an offer from Americans for Prosperity, a Republican-backed political organization, which Borges said he should take.

The two met again a few weeks later, according to Borges, who said it was at this meeting that he informed Borges that he owed $13,000 in child support and was at risk of losing visitation rights with his daughter. Fehrman also informed him for the first time he was working on the referendum to repeal HB6, Borges said.

I empathized with Fehrmans financial predicament and his difficult child custody issues, and repeatedly told him that the only thing that mattered was making sure he did not lose touch with his daughter, Borges said. We talked about him coming to work for a project I was working on, and I told him I needed to make sure we could figure out a way to get him on board and do it legally, but that working with me would definitely be more lucrative than what he was currently doing, and offered possible future prospects that I thought should interest him.

The two departed without an agreement, but Fehrman later texted Borges saying he had second thoughts about their discussion and wanted to remain loyal to his employer, Borges said.

I suspected he had talked to others about it, and wondered if they were pressuring him (to) mischaracterize our discussion, Borges said. I did not trust the people he was working with and knew Fehrman had a big mouth, so I simply responded by encouraging him to not speak with anyone about our discussion. As far as I was concerned, the matter was over, and at that point I had no intention of any further discussions with Fehrman.

Fehrman called a couple of days later, Borges said, and asked to reconsider working for Borges. Fehrman notified Borges he had an interview with the Ohio Environmental Council  which was opposing HB6  and would be making enough to live on but needed more money to take care of his child support and legal bills.

I wanted to help him and assured him that he could trust me, Borges said in the affidavit. I also recall telling him specifically that, Im not asking you to sabotage their effort, Im not asking you to be a spy, Im not asking you any of that kind of stuff.

On that call, Borges and Fehrman further discussed Fehrmans child support and legal woes, Borges said. Borges also said he sought legal advice and would need to buy out Fehrmans contract and that Fehrman had a non-disclosure agreement that he could not violate. Fehrman told Borges he would think about it.

The two met again and Fehrman informed Borges he was going to take a job with the Ohio Environmental Council, but OEC wanted him to stay on with the referendum effort. Borges said the best way to handle the situation was if he left on his own, took a different job where there would be no appearance of a conflict, and I hired him on a separate project as an independent contractor after that.

Fehrman said he wanted to stay with the referendum and Borges said he remembered Fehrman asking him if Borges wanted to know how to find signature gatherers for the anti-HB6 referendum. Borges said the pro-HB6 side did not want to know, but did want to know how many signatures their side had, adding Fehrman shouldnt give him any other information.

Given his unwillingness to leave his employer, I knew we had a conundrum about how to handle getting him the help he needed with his child support, so I again asked for some time to think it over, and told him Id get back in touch with him, Borges said. I had no idea at the time the actual reason he was refusing to leave his employer.

Borges said he texted Fehrman a couple of days later to ask him if he was staying on the referendum and make it clear that nothing we were doing was in any way related to the project he had pledged to finish, or the information he had access to.

The two agreed and they met again, where Borges said he gave Fehrman $15,000 to pay off his delinquent child support and made clear that the financial assistance he was providing was not related to eithers HB6 efforts, but for future, unrelated work. They spoke briefly about some future projects and, given Fehrmans need for cash to pay child support, Borges would pay him in advance, Borges said, and that organizing the future projects could wait until the referendum signature-gathering process was over.

At that point I joked with him, If I get a call from (then-Columbus Dispatch reporter) Randy Ludlow about this, Ill blow up your house, and he replied something like; Yeah Ive got a spare nuclear reactor I can put in your basement, and we both laughed, Borges said.

Borges said the statement was an obvious joke and not a threat, likening it to the sometimes blue humor that politicos use.

Borges said he thought Fehrman was acting strangely and asked if Fehrman was recording the conversation for the Dispatch, which Fehrman denied. Fehrman then brought up the signature count and asked Borges if he needed any information on it, Borges said.

I replied, Well if you do find out, tell me just as a friend, and told him I did not want to know anything more, Borges said. He said that was fine with him.

Borges said he texted Fehrman once or twice to get a signature count for the proposed referendum that hed heard from other sources, though Fehrman did not confirm the number either time.

On Oct. 21, Borges said he reached out to Fehrman again to discuss the future projects when Fehrman informed him that he planned to be in federal court that day with the anti-HB6 referendum campaign, which was asking for more time to collect signatures after alleged malfeasance by the pro-HB6 side.

Fehrman told me that if called to testify, he would tell the court that I had tried to get him to undermine the campaign, Borges said. I was incredulous, and told him not to perjure himself, because the story he was prepared to tell was not true. I reminded him that before we did anything I made sure to make it clear that the two projects had to remain separate. Nonetheless, I could not believe what he was planning and was so disappointed in him that I decided I would never speak with him again, and never did, as I subsequently told others.

Borges said he continued with the projects he offered to Fehrman and paid others $15,000 each for their services.

In his affidavit, Borges also disputed several comments Fehrman made to cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer in an August 2020 interview after the arrests. He said he never would have told Fehrman that he was so taken care of and didnt have a mortgage or offered to do the same for Fehrman.

I do have a mortgage, and I knew Fehrman didnt, so there was no chance I would offer to pay his mortgage off, Borges said in the affidavit. I also have never told anyone, Im totally taken care of. Ever.

He added that Fehrman acknowledged the line about blowing up his house was a joke and that the money Borges gave him was for organizing a reunion of Kasich staffers, along with other projects. Borges said Fehrman then changed the story and claimed hed been bribed.

Fehrman said he did not dispute that he and Borges talked multiple times about both work-related and personal issues.

The only response I have to any of that is just there are recordings and screenshots that are his words and my words and those provide all the evidence that anybody needs to really see what took place, he said. The truth in all of that is I contacted Matt about work and job opportunities because wed worked together in the past and, I cant stress this enough, but I considered him a friend and a mentor.

Borges also took issue with the federal criminal complaint, saying investigators selectively edited his recorded conversations with Fehrman to make their case and that they never reached out to him for clarification on any of the matters, Borges said.

The complaint was also riddled with inaccuracies, Borges said. He pointed to the claim that Borges never discussed the proposed future projects with Fehrman again, which Borges said he did in a pair of calls on Sept. 17, 2019 and Oct. 11, 2019.

The federal charging document also took situations and quotes wildly out of context, Borges said. He pointed to his use of the term unholy alliance to describe the pro-HB6 team. That, he said, has been used as evidence that he and others sold out for big payouts. However, Borges said that term was referencing the politically disparate team pushing for HB6s implementation.

Simply put, I did not infiltrate the referendum campaign, Borges said. I took great pains to make sure things I was involved in were being handled correctly, including seeking legal counsel, reviewing Fehrmans employment contract, suggesting alternative paths to Fehrman, and clarifying with him that any financial assistance I gave him had nothing to do with his employment arrangement.

Read the affidavit:
COLUMBUS, OhioThe state of Ohio will offer $20 million in grants to expand high-speed broadband internet service around the state, under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Mike DeWine.

DeWine later signed two other bills Monday offering more than $680 million in federal coronavirus aid to a variety of businesses and services.

House Bill 2, which passed the legislative by overwhelming, bipartisan margins, also creates a system to help distribute far greater sums of money in the future toward helping parts of the state where its currently cost-prohibitive for telecommunications companies to extend high-speed (or, in many cases, any) internet service.

The new law will mostly help rural areas, proponents say, though they add that the grants will help Ohioans in every legislative district in the state.

The law provides $20 million this fiscal year for broadband grants. At one point, the bill contained an additional $190 million in grant funding for the next two years, but lawmakers removed that language and said they will instead work out details about that additional money in ongoing state budget negotiations. Thats in part so lawmakers can wait to see how much Ohio will get in federal broadband grants.

Right now, nearly 1 million Ohioans living in 300,000 households currently have no high-speed internet options at all, according to DeWines administration, making it difficult to watch streaming video, work or learn remotely, or hold telehealth appointments. DeWines latest two-year budget plan would provide $250 million for broadband expansion.

The grants provided by HB2 will be awarded by a five-member authority consisting of the director of the Ohio Development Services Agency, a member of the DeWine administrations InnovateOhio initiative, and one appointee each from the governor, Ohio House and Ohio Senate.

DeWine, speaking at a bill-signing ceremony at a Middletown elementary school, said HB2 is really the first major big step toward ensuring that every Ohioan has access to high-speed Internet.

Not only does the bill provide an initial round of grant money, the governor said, but it creates a framework to offer more money in the future not only to expand broadband infrastructure, but make internet access more affordable for state residents.

As the coronavirus crisis has kept both schoolchildren and adults at home, DeWine said, its highlighted the divide between parts of the state with and without affordable, high-speed internet  not just in rural areas, but urban and suburban parts of the state as well.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the grants will help build, patch by patch, a quilt of broadband internet service areas to solve the problem.

State Rep. Rick Carfagna, a Delaware County Republican, added that while HB2 not going to solve the problem (of internet access) overnight, it will help Ohio to maximize the use of federal funds and free up millions of dollars worth of private investments.

The private investment will allow us to move on to other policy discussions about other barriers to access, such as affordability, such as digital literacy, Carfagna said. Access to broadband  Im not exaggerating when I say this  it is life-changing.

On Monday afternoon, DeWine signed two bills to provide federal coronavirus relief aid to help businesses and others. Under Senate Bill 108, the state will offer $125 million in grants to bars, restaurants, and hotels. Senate Bill 109 appropriates a total of $557 million to help businesses, child-care providers, local fairs, food assistance and other assistance programs, and Ohio veterans homes.

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -After three consecutive Fridays of week-over-week declines in the number of people ages 30-74 starting vaccines, there was an increase on Friday of 6%, Gov. Mike DeWine said.

This occurred just two days after DeWine announced the Vax-a-Million lottery in which five vaccinated Ohio adults will each win $1 million.

We think this is good news, DeWine said.

By Monday, 202,409 people age 0 to 19 had been vaccinated, almost all of them age 12 and above, because theyre eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. This represent 7.01% of children in this age group, although many of them are not eligible for shots yet.

Well stay tuned, but this is the way we get out of this pandemic, DeWine said. More and more Ohioans becoming vaccinated. Our cases are going down. And that is the inverse relationship.

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Despite having to abandon their place of worship after their property war forcibly closed due mainly to Alberta's heightened emphasis on public health enforcement of COVID restrictions, GraceLife church in Edmonton continues to hold their regularly scheduled services.

Nonetheless, the church continues to post video recordings of Pastor James Coates giving sermons in unidentified places each week for the last month.

According to the Edmonton Journal, a video of last Sunday's service shows Coates delivering a nearly hour-long sermon, almost all of which was spent with him preaching in front of a grey backdrop. Participants were not seen on screen, yet audible voices could be heard on several occasions. In previous videos, some members of the congregation could be seen listening to the sermons.

GraceLife representatives did not respond to the Journal's calls for comment. Coates starts his sermon in the first video after Alberta Health Services shuts their building, stating, "They can take our facility, but we'll just find another one."

Kerry Williamson, a spokeswoman for Alberta Health Services, said they were informed of the recordings being shared online, but they are unable to enforce health restrictions for such meetings.

"AHS Environmental Public Health can only investigate if we have an address or location. We currently do not have that," she said.

GraceLife has been an outspoken critic of public health campaigns geared at preventing the spread of COVID-19, questioning their efficacy. Despite earlier limitations restricting worship sessions to 15% of the building's fire code, the church continued to welcome large audiences for Sunday services throughout the beginning of 2021. Such meetings are now limited to no more than 15 individuals due to current constraints.

Coates was jailed for almost a month following the Parkland County church's defiance to COVID restrictions. This was followed by Alberta Health Services closing GraceLife's facility, shackling the doors and erecting fences around it.

Coates recently went to court to contest a December 2020 ticket. Interestingly, the Court did not require the AHS to provide proof that the COVID restrictions they placed against GraceLife were actually based on scientific evidence. This puts the government's actions against the Christian church into question, as to whether it were just an attempt to shut down church worship.

The tapes of the most recent sermons are being uploaded while provincial authorities declare that present limits must be enforced. Premier Jason Kenney said earlier this month that violators of health codes will be penalized $2,000, up from the previous $1,000.

On the same day, Justice Minister Kaycee Madu said that the government will work with law enforcement, Alberta Health Services, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, Occupational Health and Safety, and provincial prosecutors to seek out habitual offenders.

"Representatives from these agencies will co-ordinate plans in order to review and address the particular circumstances of each case of non-compliance," Madu warned. "Some cases may require further investigation, and some may trigger enforcement powers such as fines or revoking of licenses."

He said that each agency would continue to work under its own authority but would be allowed to exchange information with one another. Repeat offenders who do not pay their penalties may encounter problems with provincial registration services, such as attempting to renew their license until they have paid their penalties.

According to the Alberta RCMP, three tickets for COVID-19 violations were issued between May 3 and May 9. This weekend, two tickets were issued during an anti-lockdown rally at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Central Alberta, one on a highway near the venue, one at a party in Grande Prairie, and one to a non-compliant business in Parkland County. The RCMP issued seven similar tickets between April 26 and May 2.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  Overseas Filipinos sent home more money for the second month in a row in March, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported Monday.

Remittances rose to $2.8 billion in March, 5.6% higher than the $2.65 billion tallied the same month in 2020. The recent figure lifted total remittances during the first quarter of 2021 to $8.45 billion, a 2.9% increase from the $8.218 billion logged in the same period last year.

Land-based workers with contracts of one year or more transferred more funds to their kin at $2.115 billion, growing by 5% from the $2.014 billion they sent home in March 2020. Seafarers and short-term workers also remitted more money, posting a $617 million total or a 4.5% jump from the $591 million recorded a year prior.

The central bank says this reflects mainly the easing of travel restrictions, re-opening of borders to foreign workers, and progress in COVID-19 vaccine roll out in many advanced countries.

The BSP said the United States has the highest share in total remittances for the first three months of 2021 at 40.8%. The rest came from Filipinos in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Qatar, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Remittances are among the main sources of Filipino families disposable income. Dollars sent home pay for daily expenses like food, utilities, school fees, and even luxuries of the recipient relatives, in turn boosting household spending and supporting economic activity which had been hampered by local quarantine restrictions.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 14) Families of peace consultants identified as terrorists by a government body were not affected by the possibility of having their assets frozen as their lawyers vowed to wage a legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court.

"We do not own assets or private property," Sharon Cabusao-Silva, wife of consultant Adelberto Silva, told the media in a virtual briefing on Friday.

The Anti-Terrorism Council formally declared 19 personalities, suspected to be communist guerillas but mostly are consultants in the peace talks, as terrorists based on an April 21 resolution but was made public only on Thursday.

"(Adelberto) has spent decades with the trade union movement and with his expertise in industrial relations, has used it as a peace consultant," Silva said. We have not amassed wealth from our decades of working for the poor and marginalized sectors of our society."

The family of peace consultant Rey Casambre was also unfazed.

"My parents have been living a simple life," said Casambre's daughter, Xandra, adding that they earned meager incomes with his father received "honorariums of gratitude" while working as a scientist and teacher.

Both Silva and Casambre are detained and facing trial over what their lawyers insist were trumped-up charges to pin them to the armed struggle of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The wife of another jailed peace consultant, Vicente Ladlad, issued an appeal to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno, who chairs the Anti-Money Laundering Council. The AMLC is authorized to freeze bank accounts belonging to people marked as terrorists.

Pointing out that her husband is a "poor man," Fides Lim said that the money in Ladlad's bank account came from compensation as a victim of human rights abuses under the Marcos regime.

"To BSP (Governor) Benjamin Diokno, this is blood money," Lim said.

Lawyers of Silva, Casambre, Ladlad, and another consultant, Raphael Baylosis, are "exploring all possible legal remedies" to fight the ATC resolution. Baylosis, however, was freed in 2019 after a local court dismissed charges of illegal firearms and explosives against him.

While their clients can request to be removed as among those designated to be terrorists within 15 days since the ATC list was published, Carlos Montemayor of the Public Interest Law Center said it will be an unlikely option.

"Kasi 'yung nature mismo ng ATC kung paano sila nag arrive don sa desisyon tapos sa kanila mo rin ipa-file yung motion for delisting," Montemayor explained. Hindi ako nagtitiwala na makakakuha kami ng any fair proceedings sa ATC."

[Translation: Given the nature on how the ATC arrived at its decision, then the motion for delisting will also be filed with them... I doubt we will obtain fair proceedings at the ATC.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  The Department of Interior and Local Government said on Monday that 91% of the governments total cash assistance has been given to beneficiaries in the National Capital Region Plus as of May 15, the deadline set by the national government.

The 91 percent or 21.06 billion ayuda [cash aid] distributed to qualified beneficiaries is a victory for the LGUs (local government units) and the national government, said DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano, noting this shows the commitment of local governments in assisting their constituents.

About 23 billion has been allocated for the financial aid to households affected by the two-week enhanced community quarantine in NCR Plus  composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal  beginning March 29.

The agency reported 37 local governments in the area achieved a 100% completion rate in distributing financial assistance to low-income households affected by stricter lockdown measures earlier.

Bulacan logged the highest completion rate among all provinces within NCR Plus at 96.85%. Twelve LGUs in the province have finished handing out financial assistance to qualified residents.

Meanwhile, Laguna has the highest number of LGUs (17) that have fully given out cash aid, with the entire province registering a 96.5% completion rate.

Rizal and Metro Manila had completion rates of 93.34% and 90.88% respectively, while Cavite had the lowest figure among the five areas at 86.04%.

Ano noted that the remaining 9% in the NCR Pluss overall financial assistance represents the unclaimed ayuda [cash aid].

Despite diligent efforts by the LGUs, some of the beneficiaries did not claim their Ayuda because they have moved to the provinces or are no longer residing in their LGUs, said the Cabinet official, who also explained many were delisted as they were found to be duplicates in the governments list for its cash assistance program.

LGUs have been granted the authority to distribute the unclaimed funds to other affected individuals in their localities within 10 days under a new payroll, added Ano.

The Palace announced in late April the extension of the deadline for cash aid distribution in the region to mid-May as mayors struggled to comply with the original 15-day period initially given to them by the government.
Alex Newman, a respected journalist and the executive director of Public School Exit, brings up the topic of why Christian parents must seek to get their children out of the government-controlled education system.

"There has never been a better time for parents-and especially Christian parents-to get their children out of government schools," wrote Newman for Covenant Spotlight, and re-published by Charisma Magazine.

"That is the message pastors and families all over America need to hear right now," he goes on. "From the indoctrination and sexualization of children to the unprecedented dumbing down and now the outrageous "coronavirus" measures, the time has come."

Newman stated that when they originally started their campaign, the notion of urging all parents to leave was considered absurd. However, things have changed today. He then claims that Rush Limbaugh, evangelical leader Franklin Graham, former President Donald Trump, and even globally recognized ministry leader and talk show presenter James Dobson have all issued warnings about the situation.

"With coronavirus keeping children home from public schools around the world, our growing coalition of Christian ministry leaders, lawyers, educators and journalists are working to make sure that once the crisis is over, millions never go back," he continued. "Instead, what America and the church need is a massive-and permanent-exodus into the safe sanctuary of homeschooling and high-quality private schools."

Newman believed parents should quit using government schools for their children during the coronavirus outbreak and instead use private or homeschool alternatives for their kids. Simultaneously, he advised parents to critically analyze the materials used in public schools. He said that most people would surely be shocked by them.

He also encouraged pastors in the United States to help take up this work.

"They will be key," said Newman. "For one, they should preach on what the Bible says about education."

"It will not take long for Bible-believing pastors to recognize that God never intended His people to hand their children over to anti-Christian government schools for education. Rather, parents are told to disciple and educate their children," he explained.

Newman noted that pastors and church elders should ensure that their congregations know that they can assist families make the exodus happen, too. Churches and congregations organize themselves differently, so each will have its own set up. Some may choose to establish a Christian school. By contrast, others may only opt for homeschool. People in smaller churches may prefer to use online programs instead of physical buildings.

The Public School Exit director also pledged their assistance, regardless of the method chosen by each church.

"Now is the time to strike," he proclaimed. "If you think children deserve better than the godless pseudo-education offered by government schools, help spread the word."

Newman feels that now is the time for parents and pastors to take steps to safeguard their children from the government schools. He asked them to consider the wide-spread legislation regarding the use of LGBT lessons to educate youngsters, as well as the radical sex education rooted in evil which has already begun to be taught in pre-school.

On the theological front, things are also looking dismal with the newly approved "ethnic studies" curriculum. Kids in California will be required to sing and pray to the gods of human sacrifice and cannibalism in their classes.

Even the government agrees that its schools fail their students. Many high school grads are poorly educated. Over two-thirds of children in government schools are "not achieving proficient" in any subject according to the latest NAEP data.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  The COVID-19 cases in Tuguegarao City may be increasing because of the B.1.17 variant first reported in the United Kingdom, the Department of Health said on Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Philippine Genome Center found nine people from Tuguegarao City with the B.1.17 variant in the latest genome sequencing.

"Nakakuha tayo ng nine individuals na may UK variant and this might explain why cases are increasing in Tuguegarao, she said in a media briefing.

[Translation: We found nine individuals with the UK variant. This might explain why cases are increasing in Tuguegarao.]

As of May 16, the city had 732 active cases. Based on DOH data, the city has seen an increase in infections, which started at the end of March.

Tuguegarao City health officer Dr. James Guzman said the variant could have driven the surge back in April. However, he said the rise in cases in the city is slowly going down.

The average daily attack rate or the number of individuals per 100,000 population getting infected is down to 35 for May 3 to 16, from 61 in April 19 to May 2.

It could have been the driver for the past three or four weeks, kasi talagang grabe kami nung previous one and a half months na talagang mataas ang (cases) naminThere was even a time pinakamataas namin is 138 cases. Ngayon 22, 34 naglalaro, Dr. Guzman said.

[Translation: Over the past one and a half months, our cases was really high. There was a time we reached an all-time high of 138 cases. Now it's hovering at 22 to 34 new infections daily.

Guzman said intensified contact tracing and targeted testing helped them contain the infection.

The city is opening three isolation facilities with 300 beds this week. However, like in most cities and municipalities, Guzman said they are still facing a shortage of health workers, so the PNP and BFP are also sending them nurses.

If we can address the issue on manpower, then we can operate those facilities. Ang kulang ho [What we lack] is manpower, he said.

The DOH has advised regional surveillance officers to collect and send more samples for analysis, especially from the areas with high percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 infection. This includes Palawan, Nueva Vizcaya, South Cotabato and Misamis Oriental.

Vergeire said this could determine whether or not a new variant is driving the surge in these provinces.
The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas.
Columbia, SC (29201)

Today

Partly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 91F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening, then skies turning partly cloudy overnight. Low 73F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
In a wonderful cybersecurity move that should be replicated by all vendors, Google is slowly moving to make multi-factor authentication (MFA) default. To confuse matters, Google isn't calling MFA "MFA;' instead it calls it "two-step verification (2SV)."

The more interesting part is that Google is also pushing the use of FIDO-compliant software that is embedded within the phone. It even has an iOS version, so it can be in all Android as well as Apple phones.

To be clear, this internal key is not designed to authenticate the user, according to Jonathan Skelker, product manager with Google Account Security. Android and iOS phones are using biometrics for that (mostly facial recognition with a few fingerprint authentications)  and biometrics, in theory, provides sufficient authentication. The FIDO-compliant software is designed to authenticate the device for non-phone access, such as for Gmail or Google Drive.

In short, biometrics authenticates the user and then the internal key authenticates the phone.

The next question that arises is whether other companies beyond Google will be able to leverage this app. I'm guessing that, given Google went out of its way to include arch-rival Apple, the answer is likely yes.

This all started May 6, when Google announced the default change in a blog post, heralding this as a key step in killing the ineffective password.

On the one hand, having an almost-always-nearby phone serve as a hardware key replacement is smart security. It adds a touch of convenience to the process, which users should appreciate. And making its use a default setting is also clever, as the laziness of users is well known.

Instead of making users dig through the settings to activate Google's flavor of MFA, it's there by default. Let the few who don't like it  from a security, pricing, and convenience perspective, there's really not that much to dislike spend their time pouring through settings.

But in an enterprise environment, there is still a big reason to stick with the external keys: consistency. First, these external keys have already been purchased in volume, so why not use them? Also, users have many different kinds of phones and standardization for employees and contractors just makes external keys easier.

In the interview, Skelker said there is no security advantage to Google's internal keys when compared with external keys, given that both comply with FIDO. Then again, that's as of today. There is a very strong probability that Google will soon  likely within a couple of years  sharply boost the security of its internal software keys. When and if that happens, the CIO/CISO decision will look very different.

Suddenly, you have a free key that is better than existing hardware keys. And it will be already be in the possession of almost all employees and contractors.

As much as I applaud Google's effort to kill the password, there is an industry-wide issue across all verticals. As long as the overwhelming majority of vendors and enterprises require passwords, having a few places that dont won't help much. In a perfect world, users would refuse to access environments that still require passwords. Revenue has a way of getting executives' attention.

But, sadly, most users dont care enough to do that, nor do many understand the security risks posed by passwords and PINs, especially when used on their own.
05/17/2021

Photo (c) borchee - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 32,945,821 (32,919,878)

Total U.S. deaths: 586,001 (584,779)

Total global cases: 163,174,951 (162,566,700)

Total global deaths: 3,381,317 (3,354,194)

Authorities now agree that virus spreads through the air

From the very beginning of the pandemic, scientists argued that COVID-19 easily spread through the air. Now the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree.

The two health organizations have joined scientists in arguing that many ventilation systems need updates. Not only will it reduce the spread of COVID-19 they say, but it will also minimize other health risks.

We are used to the fact that we have clean water coming from our taps, Lidia Morawska, a distinguished professor in the school of earth and atmospheric sciences at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, told Bloomberg. We should expect clean, pollutant- and pathogen-free air.

Shoppers need to hold onto their masks

Even though the CDC has said fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks in most public places, corporate America isnt so sure. While Walmart and Costco are among the chains that have embraced the new guidance, Target, Home Depot, and many other chains still require everyone to continue masking up.

Besides some confusion on the part of consumers, some health experts say the guidance came too quickly and was too sweeping. They also point out that not everyone has been fully vaccinated.

"I think the CDC meant to say something really good, which is these vaccines are really protective," emergency physician and CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen told CNN. "The thing is though, there were unintended consequences of their actions."

Gottlieb: No one will be wearing masks by June

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is one health expert who isnt that concerned about the CDC mask guidance. On CNBC this morning, he predicted that no one would be wearing a mask by June -- essentially two weeks from now.

The exception might be young children, Gottlieb said. Noting there is no protocol yet for vaccinating children under 12, he recommended that mask rules for kids should probably remain in effect.

Gottlieb also repeated his belief that the CDCs guidance may serve to encourage many adults who have not yet been vaccinated to get the shots.

Clinical trials for five-and-under vaccine

The FDA has approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for adolescents. Now, the vaccine is being tested on the nations youngest children. Clinical trials for children five and under have begun in the U.S.

Pfizer said it plans to ask the FDA in September for emergency authorization (EUA) for the vaccine for children aged two to 11. Moderna is also conducting clinical trials in small kids for its vaccine. Children 12 and older are already approved for the vaccine.

Will alcohol sales fall as the pandemic winds down?

Surveys show that alcohol consumption rose sharply last year as millions of people tried to cope with pandemic-related stress. A study published in JAMA Network Open estimated that drinking increased by 14% over 2019.

Now that the pandemic appears to be winding down, will that behavior change? It might, says Chris Marshall, who operates an alcohol-free bar in Austin. He says there has been an increase lately in people reaching out to manage their alcohol consumption.

Everyones feeling this stress, everyones looking for that tool to help them navigate that stress, and a lot of people are using alcohol, Marshall told MarketWatch. But theyre also finding that tool can really become a vice and something that hinders them from achieving the things that they want.

Around the nation
Texas is well known for its commitment to conservative views, but much to the surprise of many, a new bill that would protect kids from sex-change procedures was not scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives.

The reason, according to insiders, were stall tactics carried out by Republicans. This resulted in the Calendar Committee failing to place the new bill on the docket to be discussed and later voted on in the lower chamber.

According to the Christian Post, HB 1399 is a proposed bill that would ban medicalized gender-transitioning of children, including the prescription of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and performing cosmetic surgeries such as mastectomies and genital mutilation. It was passed in the Texas Senate in April but encountered delays when it moved to the House, where the Calendars Committee failed to place it in the docket for discussion in the lower chamber.

HB 1399 prohibits the experimental practices on children who are suffering from gender dysphoria "for the purpose of transitioning a child's biological sex as determined by the sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous profiles of the child or affirming the child's perception of the child's sex if that perception is inconsistent with the child's biological sex."

However, the bill that would protect kids from sex-change procedures granted an exception for kids who have rare sexual development disorders or intersex conditions. HB 1399 also forbids medical insurance policies from insuring doctors against any damage caused by experimental gender-transitioning drugs and elective cosmetic surgeries.

In Austin, Texas, child advocacy groups who were campaigning for lawmakers to pass the bill accused Republicans in the committee for using stall tactics to avoid voting on the measure that LGBT activists and major corporations are opposing.

"We asked what the process was that the bill was going through while HB1399 languished in Calendars [Committee] which is headed by [Republican state Rep.] Dustin Burrows of Lubbock and has a majority of Republicans on the committee," Tracy Shannon, a blogger and activist who supports HB 1399, told CP.

"When we inquired why not one member motioned to schedule the bill, we were verbally attacked, mocked and called liars. We spend a lot of time, money and energy lobbying our representatives [only] to be treated with disdain. It is shameful."

Shannon accused the Republican House leaders of taking credit for the bill which they did not support to push out of the House committee. Political consultant Luke Macias took to Twitter to share his sentiment over HB 1399's failure to be voted on, saying, "Republican legislators in the Texas House kill a bill that would ban sex-change surgeries on children. 93% of voters supported a ballot measure to ban it but evidently GOP leadership represent the other 7%."

Non-profit lobbying and advocacy organization Texas Values director of policy Jonathan Covey, who testifies at the Texas legislature to support measures such as HB 1399, told FOX4 that measures like these need to be addressed in a timely manner, saying, "This is important because children need to be protected."
05/17/2021

Photo (c) Anna Blazhuk - Getty Images The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) gave Americans an extra month to file their federal income taxes, and that deadline has finally arrived. Returns must be postmarked with todays date in order to be filed on time.

The extra time was granted because of the pandemic, and many people needed it. If even more time is needed, taxpayers can file Form 4868 for an automatic extension. The extension gives you until October 15 to file your federal return. However, it does not give you more time to pay any taxes you owe.

When you file Form 4868 for an extension, you are required to send the IRS an estimated amount of the taxes you owe by using the information available to you. Failure to send the required money will result in penalties and interest charges.

There are some exceptions to todays deadline. The IRS announced last week that victims of spring storms in Tennessee will have until August 2 to file their returns. Residents of Lousiana, Texas, and Oklahoma will also have until June 15 to file their taxes because of winter storms these states suffered earlier this year.

Taxes paid on unemployment benefits are being refunded

Meanwhile, the IRS this week could be sending you some money. The agency said it will begin sending out refunds on unemployment insurance taxes that millions of Americans paid last year.

Under current tax law, you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits. Normally, people estimate and pay those taxes on a quarterly basis. But the latest stimulus law, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) that was enacted in March, did more than just send most Americans $1,400. It excluded the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits received in 2020 from federal taxes. About 10 million taxpayers fall into that category.

Starting this week, the IRS will begin sending out the refunds. The agency says single taxpayers will probably be the first to receive a refund, while married couples filing jointly will get their money later. The agency says it expects to complete the process by the end of the summer.

---

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include information on tax filing extensions for consumers in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
On today's installment of Keeping Up with The Korporate Konglomerates, it may have taken more than four years, $84.5 billion dollars, and some serious beef with director Christopher Nolan over HBO Max's 2021 release plan, but phone company AT&T is apparently finally asking themselves the question we've all been wondering since 2016  why the hell did they buy Warner Media?

In an act proving that buyers remorse isn't exclusive to accidentally snagging four large chocolate muffins only to realize upon first bite that the dark nibs you assumed were crafted from sugary cocoa were really just some sneaky f$@&%*! blueberries in disguise, AT&T announced on Monday that they would be combining WarnerMedia with Discovery to create a brand new media power player in the hopes of competing with streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, The Verge reported. Already approved by AT&T and Discovery's respective boards, regulators, who were notably conflicted on the initial merger, still have to sign off on the deal, which would combine the WarnerMedia catalog, which includes HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, as well as the Harry Potter and Batman film franchises with Discovery's, which features HGTV, TLC, and Food Network. An all-stock transaction, according to the tech publication, if approved, the phone company will acquire $43 billion in a combination of cash, debt securities, and debt retention on the part of WarnerMedia. Meanwhile, those who own shares of AT&T will receive stock worth 71 percent of the new company, while Discoverys shareholders will own the remaining 29 percent.
Israel reported on Sunday that they found "smoking gun" evidence of the Palestinian Hamas militant group using the toppled Jala Tower in Gaza, where several international media companies are housed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said through Twitter that they have proof the building contained "Hamas military intelligence assets" and that the group was using the media as "human shields."

The attack on the building that housed Hamas, the Associated Press, and other international media was seen as a victory by Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighting the destruction on his official Instagram account. Breitbart reported that on Sunday, Israel shared evidence that the building was indeed used by the Iran-backed Palestiniant terror group through a report on the Jerusalem Post.

The report revealed how Israel had in fact shared intelligence with the U.S. showing how the Hamas operatives had infiltrated the building where offices of the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera were located. The report said that Israeli officials of more than one government office confirmed that the Prime Minister's recent phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden was to discuss the bombing of the building.

"We showed them the smoking gun proving Hamas worked out of that building," a source close to Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told JP. "I understand they found the explanation satisfactory."

After providing advance warning to civilians & time to evacuate, IDF fighter jets struck a multi-story building containing Hamas military intelligence assets.



The building contained civilian media offices, which Hamas hides behind and deliberately uses as human shields. pic.twitter.com/zeDjEquePD  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 15, 2021

The Associated Press, however, may not find any explanation "satisfactory" as President and CEO Gary Pruitt expressed dismay over the "incredibly disturbing development." Pruitt pointed out how AP's bureau had used the building for 15 years and "had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building."

"This is something we actively check to the best of our ability. We would never knowingly put our journalists at risk," Pruitt argued. Israel's Prime Minister told CBS' "Face the Nation" however, that it was a "perfectly legitimate target."

AP alleged that the attacks' purpose was to "to reduce, if not neutralize, the media's capacity to inform the public." Now, AP's executive editor Sally Buzbee is calling on an independent investigation into the bombing following Israel's claims of "smoking gun" evidence.

She said, "We think it's appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday-an independent investigation."

The IDF indicated that it forewarned civilians and gave them time to evacuate prior to the attack on the said building.

As of Sunday, Hamas was still firing rockets at Israel even though their officials claimed they wanted a ceasefire, Breitbart noted.

What's happened so far

As of early Monday, at least 188 Palestinians have reportedly died as a result of the conflict, including 55 children and 33 women and 1,230 people wounded. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been displaced.

About 70% of all Israeli civilians, on the other hand, had to run and hide in bomb shelters so as to protect themselves from Hamas' attacks.

The IDF indicated that to date, Hamas already shot more than 3,150 rockets at Israel, and had 460 rocket misfires. About 90% of all rockets have been intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system, more than 130 terrorists have been neutralized, and more than 820 terror targets have been struck. At least 10 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.

In response to non-stop rocket fire on Israeli civilians, the IDF launched Operation Guardian of the Walls one week ago. Here's what's happened so far: pic.twitter.com/sBcXSKxiMz  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 17, 2021

Many Christian leaders, as well as United Nations officials are now calling for peace in the Israel-Palestine region. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the "utterly appalling" conflicts in the Middle East, warning of an "uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis" if the fighting does not stop.

Guterres said, "This senseless cycle of bloodshed, terror and destruction must stop immediately."
President Joe Biden on Monday touted his administrations commitment to advance LGBT rights at home and across the globe to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

My Administration will always stand with the LGBTQI+ community, Biden said in a statement, promising to continue to engage with allies and partners globally to advance the human rights of LGBT individuals.

Already, we have rolled back discriminatory polices [sic] targeting LGBTQI+ Americans, and we have made historic appointments of LGBTQI+ individuals to the highest levels of our government.

Monday marks the anniversary of when the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1990.

Source:The Christian Post
A Christian student at the University of Alabama-Birmingham has challenged the university's mandatory vaccine policy after being blocked from registering for classes this semester despite having been allowed to register past semesters with no vaccinations.

Jackie Gale has never had a single vaccination because she believes that the Bible commands Christians to honor God regarding how the care for their bodies and not inject extra chemicals into one's body, according to a letter to UAB President Ray L. Watts and the university's lawyer John Daniel from First Liberty Institute attorney Christine Pratt.

Gale, who's a sophomore at the university, had no trouble registering for classes when she was admitted as an entering freshman. But as her second semester was about to start and she attempted to add another class to her schedule she found that the school had put an administrative hold on her record, the letter explained.

The university told her that she had to submit proof of her immunizations in order to register for classes. In response, Gale uploaded a state-issued religious exemption certificate that she had used previously. She was then told that the certificate was not valid at institutions of higher learning, but the university relented and removed the administrative hold and she was able to enroll and classed and finish the semester in-person with no issues.

Source:The Christian Post
As hostilities between Israel and armed groups in the Gaza Strip continue, the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem has donated nine portable bomb shelters to protect communities near the Gaza border.

Christians around the world want to do something positive to help Israel now, ICEJ Vice President David Parsons told The Jerusalem Post. They are praying and standing up for Israel in their own countries, but feel this is something that they can do to really make a contribution to security and peace in Israel.

The shelters seek to ensure fewer casualties, said Parsons, whose ministry was founded in 1980 to represent churches, denominations and Christians worldwide who share a love and concern for Israel and who seek to repair the historic breach between the Church and the Jewish people.

The shelters will likely be delivered in the next few days, according to the Sunday report. Another six shelters had been ordered and would soon be sent to communities located near the Lebanon border.

Source:The Christian Post
"American Experience," the Emmy Award-winning history series from PBS, will feature the world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham in its new documentary that delves into his struggles with humility and pride as he single-handedly influenced American politics while leading millions to Jesus.

"American Experience" has highlighted people in history for more than 30 years, and the new documentary on Graham premieres Monday at 9 p.m. ET on all PBS stations.

The film opens by telling the evangelists story, from his modest beginnings on a North Carolina farm to how he became the dynamic preacher that impacted Christianity and America today.

As journalist Nancy Gibbs notes in the film, Billy Graham became, at some point in the 1950s, the most famous man in the world, director of Billy Graham, Sarah Colt, told The Christian Post of why PBS chose to highlight the late minister. That is remarkable. Given this and his role in initiating a new relationship between Christianity and politics in our countrys history, as we argue in the film, his story is a must for 'American Experience.'

Source:The Christian Post
Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance.

Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between.

Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown to most people.

The following pages highlight events that happened this week  May 16-22  in Christian history. They include the arrival of a missionary to Persia, the opening of the Council of Nicaea, and Geneva accepting the Protestant Reformation.

Source:The Christian Post
A Turkish church in the same village where the parents of a Catholic Chaldean priest were abducted last year has been attacked and desecrated, according to a report.

Unidentified people destroyed crosses, pictures of Jesus and rosaries at Marta Shimoni Church, a cave church in the mountainous village of Mehre in Turkeys southeastern Srnak province, last Tuesday, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern reported.

Video footage ICC obtained shows that the destruction was primarily against the Christian items and relics inside the church, ICC said.

The group explained that the church is built into the mountains, and thus cannot be destroyed in the same way as other churches.

Source:The Christian Post
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who also pastors the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, said Israel has a right to defend its innocent citizens amid escalating violence with Hamas in the Gaza Strip that has already left scores of victims, including women and children, dead.

The tragic escalation of violence this week in Israel and the Palestinian territories is heartbreaking. I condemn the rocket attacks from Hamas and other groups against Israeli civilians and support Israels right to defend its innocent citizens, Warnock said in a statement Friday, acknowledging the deep, legitimate pain and suffering of the Palestinian community.

Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorism, but it also has an increased duty to prevent the death of Palestinian civilians.

He also raised deep concern about actions of politicians and leaders that undermine the potential for a return to final status negotiations and long-term peace.

Source:The Christian Post
A Christian student who has never been vaccinated for any illnesses in her entire life is questioning a university's refusal to let her register for classes.

A Christian student named Jackie Gale is embroiled in a battle with the University of Alabama-Birmingham for their mandatory COVID vaccination policy, for which she is against.

Gale, who is a sophomore, reported that she was blocked from registering for classes during the new semester despite having been allowed to register for the school's past semesters without any vaccinations. The Christian student believes that refusing to get any type of vaccination is a way of honoring God and his intention of how humans should be: free of extra chemicals in the body.

According to the Christian Post, Gale has never had a single vaccination in her entire life. This was allowed by the university when she entered as a freshman, but when her second semester was about to start as a sophomore, she attempted to add another class to her schedule when she found that the university placed an administrative hold on her record.

The University of Alabama-Birmingham then required the Christian student to provide proof of her immunizations so she can continue to register for classes. Gale then presented a state-issued religious exemption certificate, which she previously used and that the universe had rejected as invalid at institutions of higher learning. The university then allowed her to enroll with no issues.

However, the same cannot be said for her Fall classes. An official at the university told her that UAB is no longer recognizing her religious exemption. When asked why, the school's administration said she would be given a call. However, Gale only received a one-line message saying "Please refer to our website for more information."

According to the university's official website, exceptions to their immunization policy "may be made in limited circumstances for students who can document medical and/or other contraindications to the vaccine." It added that students enrolled in online classes are exempted from the ruling.

Gale is being represented by Christine Pratt of First Liberty Institute, who argued through a letter to the university that the Christian student is "entitled to continue receiving a religious exemption to UAB's mandatory vaccine policy so that she can register for and attend in-person classes."

FLI further said, "UAB's refusal to recognize Ms. Gale's religious exemption violates both federal and state law, and UAB should revise its policies to provide religious exemptions to students who hold such religious convictions."

The university, which implements a mandatory COVID vaccination policy, must respond to FLI's letter by May 27. Gale, who is 19 years old, was never vaccinated as a child and has attended public schools in Alabama when she moved in the second grade.

She is now battling the university for its mandatory COVID vaccination, which is preventing her from pursuing her studies.

"Alabama's constitution ensures that Jackie's sincerely held religious beliefs cannot be dismissed by UAB," Pratt said in a press release. "It is appalling that UAB is demanding that Jackie violate the deeply held religious beliefs she has honored her entire life."
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MIDDLETOWN  A city woman who says she was born addicted to drugs before being sent to foster care has finally discovered a large family of blood relatives she never knew existed.

After a difficult young life, Sana Cotten has found peace thanks to genealogy records and DNA testing.

Not only did she hunt down her immediate kin  two brothers  but she recently connected with uncles, aunts, cousins and a huge extended family last month in North Carolina after searching for most of her life, Cotten said.

In honor of May being Foster Care Awareness Month, Cotten, 38, has set her sights on encouraging people to consider caring for a nonbiological child through foster care, and perhaps, eventually, adoption.

When she was 4 years old, Cotten, who was born addicted to drugs, and her twin brother, Tyson Mayfield, arrived at their new foster home. Even though she was very young, Cotten recalls being scared when the car pulled up.

I knew I had been in a bad situation, but I wanted my mom. I wanted to be in a place that was familiar to me. Yet, here I was, I was officially a ward of the state of Connecticut, she said.

As of April, there were 4,047 children in placement in Connecticut. Of that number, 43 percent are in foster care, according to Casey Family Programs.

Cotten credits her faith with giving her the strength to carry out her mission.

I have come out on the other side, not bitter, but better, but that is only because the right people stepped up to fill in the gaps in my life, said Cotten, whose husband is the Rev. Joshua Cotten, of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Middletown.

Her foster parents, a pastor and first lady, were just launching a church when she joined their family, she said. While the home was safe and we were well-taken-care-of, with tons of structure, the one thing it lacked was nurturing and an abundance of love.

Her social worker filled in the gaps, Cotten said. Love is the secret ingredient that most foster families lack, and the youth in their care desperately need.

Still, without the guidance she needed, Cotten spent the next years of her life searching for love in all the wrong places, she said, and eventually became a teen mother. While pregnant, she struggled with maternity, and yet being a mother and fatherless child myself.

Two months before giving birth, her biological mother was released from prison and died due to complications from AIDS. I never had a chance to speak with her about who I was and where I came from, Cotten said.

Sana Cotten / Contributed photo

Thats when she decided to find her father, despite having no leads whatsoever. Fortunately, a friend bought her a DNA testing kit, and six weeks later, she got some mail.

When I opened the results, I had a long list of matches  a ton of cousins, but no father or even sibling matches, Cotten said. I had no clue what to do with the information I now had.

Last September, amid the pandemic, she was contacted by Kenneth Cunningham, who owns Uniting Families Genealogy. He had heard about Cottens predicament. Cunningham told her it could take a long time to find a match, if ever.

I waited this long, so what was two more years, Cotton told herself.

Three months later, I received a text with a picture that read this is your grandmother, Cotten said. The next day, she learned a male relative wanted to speak with her. I was so afraid to make that call. I wasnt sure if I could handle one more bout of rejection that year, she said.

Her hands were shaking. As the phone rang, I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest, Cotten said.

On New Years Eve, her newfound uncle, Alton Joyner, who lives in Atlanta, was contacted by a representative at Ancestry.com.

At first, I had some apprehension, but he had the facts, so I knew it added up to something legitimate. My first reaction was, Is it me? ... But then I realized it was probably my brother.

Sana Cotten / Contributed photo

Turns out, Joyner is her fathers older brother. Thats when she learned her dad died in 1993. He had left behind two sons, Cottens older brothers and several siblings.

Joyner then recalled a brief encounter he had with his sister years ago, before Cotten was born. His sister said their brother told her he had twins, but they had not survived. I tied two and two together about his whereabouts in Connecticut during that time frame.

Knowing his niece had been searching for so long, he was eager to meet her and called that same day. Why delay? Joyner said.

They talked, and it was almost like she was never gone. I connected with her immediately, Joyner said. We were delighted, he said of the family. There hasnt been one awkward moment.

The reunion, made possible because Cotten was going to be in South Carolina on a book-signing tour, has had a rejuvenating effect on the family, her uncle said. The most amazing part to me was not that she found us, but that she found us accepting of her past and her future.

Cotten works with the state Department of Children and Families through her nonprofit organization, Unashamed Inc., to bring awareness for the need of faith-based foster families: families that will instill faith, and love into the lives of some of our communities most vulnerable population, she said.

When families answer the call and are in alignment, it can literally alter the trajectory of our youth.

To learn about foster care in Connecticut, visit portal.ct.gov/dcf.
BRIDGEPORT  A long-time advocate of civil justice has received this years Liberty Bell Award from the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association.

Preston C. Tisdale of Trumbull, a partner in the prominent city law firm Koskoff and Bieder, has represented minorities in the community for more than 40 years.

Preston serves as a great example of someone who uses his skills and gifts to connect with and serve his local community. He is an inspiration to so many around him and leads the way, said GBBA President Frank Bailey.

The award recognizes a person or organization that has encouraged a greater respect for the rule of law and promoted a sense of civic responsibility within the community. Tisdales uncle, Charles Tisdale, was awarded the same honor in 2006.

Prestons presence in the greater Bridgeport area is legendary, said Bailey.

Tisdale serves on the boards of the Bridgeport Public Education Fund Inc., the Advisory Board for the Center for Childrens Advocacy and the Fairfield County Community Foundation, through which the GBBA sponsors a scholarship for local law students. Tisdale also chairs the Regional Youth/Adult Social Action Partnership. He serves on the Connecticut Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparity in the Criminal Justice System and is treasurer of the Public Justice Foundation.

Tisdale previously said he was influenced by his mother, Loyse Gilliam Tisdale, Bridgeports first black legal secretary and co-creator of Action for Bridgeport Community Development.

James Horwitz, managing partner of Koskoff and Bieder, said Tisdale has many of the same qualities as their founder, Theodore Koskoff, who represented members of the Black Panther organization in a celebrated trial in New Haven in the 1970s.

Preston cares deeply about serving those whose voices are typically ignored, said Horwitz. He has been an invaluable resource to the firm with his legal acumen, his reassuring patience, his sense of justice, his wisdom and his strong sense of civic responsibility.

Tisdale began his legal career at Koskoff but left the firm for a number of years to work in multiple positions as a public defender. He rejoined the Koskoff firm in 2010.

Before rejoining the Koskoff firm, Tisdale was the Director of Special Public Defenders for the state Office of the Chief Public Defender. He also served as the head of the Bridgeport public defender's office.

He is a past recipient of the NAACPs Distinguished Service Award.

He serves as a member of the Connecticut Supreme Court Jury Task Force and the Connecticut Bar Association Task Force on Policing.
BRIDGEPORT  The grandson of a New York mobster was arrested after police said they found numerous guns with silencers hidden in his former Fairfield home.

Michael Mallay, 43, was charged with numerous counts of criminal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of an assault weapon and possession of a silencer.

During his arraignment Monday, Mallays lawyer, John R. Gulash, urged Superior Court Judge Kevin Doyle to set a low bond.

Gulash said his client, who now lives in Duchess County, N.Y., has no criminal convictions and he told the judge that the guns found in the home actually belong to a family member. He did not elaborate.

There is nothing to suggest he is a flight risk, Gulash argued.

Senior Assistant States Attorney Nicholas Bove asked the judge for a high bond for Mallay based on the serious charges.

This is a significant amount of firearms, many of which had been reported stolen, the judge said. He ordered Mallay held in lieu of $250,000 bond and continued the case to June 4.

Mallays grandfather, Ronald Mallay, was convicted in federal court of operating a murder-for-hire operation in New York and sentenced to life in prison. Fairfield police said Mallays father, Donald Mallay has numerous arrests and convictions for operating a criminal enterprise in New York.

Michael Mallay was renting a house in Fairfield with his wife until October 2020 when Mallay was arrested on domestic violence charges, according to court records. The wife subsequently got a protective order barring Mallay from the home.

On Jan. 19, Mallay was charged with violating the protective order.

Fairfield police said the wife was recently cleaning out the home when she found a large plastic bin in the shed marked with the name Peachy, a nickname for Mallays late mother.

Inside the bin, police said they found seven guns, six that had a threaded barrel for a silencer and 11 silencers. Three of the guns had previously been reported stolen in New York City, police said.
NEW HAVEN  Police Monday identified a Bridgeport woman who was killed in a shooting Saturday in the city.

Her death was the citys tenth homicide so far this year.

Mariyah Inthirath, 20, died after suffering a single gunshot wound, according to New Haven Police Department spokesman Officer Scott Shumway.

Through this past weekend in Connecticut, authorities also responded to a rash of gun violence that left at least six people dead and four others wounded in cities including Bridgeport, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven and Norwalk.

In New Haven, following a Saturday evening report of a shooting on Sheffield Avenue, a private car dropped off Inthirath at Yale New Haven Hospital, where she later was pronounced dead, according to Shumway.

A fundraiser has been set up to help pay for Inthiraths funeral expenses, according to the GoFundMe page. It says Inthirath had an infectious smile and loved hanging out with friends.

Members of Inthiraths family could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

She was a beautiful person who's life was cut too short. She was the only sister to 3 boys, the GoFundMe page says of Inthirath.

Others affected by violence in New Haven this year include Alfreda Youmans and Jeffrey Dotson, who died in an apparent double homicide on Jan. 10.

A week later, 32-year-old Fair Haven Resident Jorge Osorio-Caballoro reportedly was shot and killed while sitting in his car on Jan. 16. Within days, Marquis Winfrey, a 31-year-old father of six from Hamden, also died from a gunshot wound.

Another father with a young child, Joseph Mattei, became the victim of New Havens fifth homicide on Jan. 25.

Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang, newly engaged, was killed Feb. 6. Quinxuan Pan, the man allegedly responsible for the killing, was arrested Friday in Alabama after a monthslong manhunt.

On Feb, 15, the death of aspiring entrepreneur Angel Rodriguez, 21, became the citys seventh homicide in 2021. He left behind a young son.

Dwaneia Turner, a 28-year-old mother of two whose friends described her as joyous and caring, was shot and killed March 16. Police charged West Haven resident Brianna Triplett with murder in connection with the shooting

Another mother of two, Alessia Mesquita, 28, described as goofy, friendly and loving, also was shot and killed in March. Rashod Akeem Newton, the father of Mesquitas youngest child, is facing a murder charge for the alleged crime.

Two months after Mesquita became the citys ninth homicide victim, Inthirath became the tenth.

Authorities are asking anyone with information on the Inthirath case to contact the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6304. Callers can remain anonymous or provide information via the anonymous tip line, 866-888-8477.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
BRIDGEPORT  The community is grappling with weekend shootings that left two men dead downtown, cast a cloud of fear over an East End baseball field, and drew an impromptu visit from the governor to condemn the violence.

On Monday Mayor Joe Ganim and downtown business leaders tried to reassure the public that the homicides at a party there early Sunday morning were an aberration.

This type of violence is not typical of the downtown landscape or community, the mayor said in a statement.

Meanwhile East End leaders said their children should not be faced with hearing shots while playing outdoors, as witnesses told police happened earlier Saturday during a Little League game at Newfield Park.

We cant have that. I grew up on that park, said Councilman Ernie Newton. And, he added, referring to the coronavirus pandemic that forced the public inside and canceled events for much of the past year, We want to open it up for our kids. Our kids been locked down the whole year.

Both Newton and Ganim also emphasized the shootings are not solely a Bridgeport problem. Over the weekend authorities responded to a rash of gun violence that left at least six people dead and four others wounded in Bridgeport, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven and Norwalk.

Early Sunday morning two men  Charles Barnes, 38, of Bloomfield and Norman Charles Peter, 40, of Stamford  were killed at what police alleged was an illegal downtown party at 1023 Main St.

As officers continued to investigate the double homicide Monday, Hearst Connecticut Media spoke with the events organizer.

What was a good night ended up being a nightmare for me, host Chris Mojica told Hearst. I havent had no sleep. I keep thinking about it.

Mojica works with Josiah Israel, whose Temple of the Way Church rents space in the basement of 1023 Main St. The churchs location also includes what Israel called a banquet hall.

Mojica helps Israel sub-lease the hall for wedding receptions, baby showers, yoga classes and other events. But this past weekend, according to Mojica, he wanted to throw his own bash and raise money for Temple of the Way.

So he partnered with a local restaurant/lounge that promoted it as a late-night after party and also provided food and liquor. Mojica said almost 100 people attended, including Barnes and Peter.

Both Israel and Mojica said they were close with the victims and present to hear the shots, but did not witness the shootings.

Those were my friends that got killed. So I want answers, said Israel, who ran unsuccessfully last year for state Senate.

On Monday the Downtown Special Services District, which promotes the neighborhood, issued a statement extending its condolences to the victims families. But DSSD President Lauren Coakley also wrote, This incident was a startling outlier in our otherwise consistently safe downtown neighborhood. ... This deeply unfortunate incident was caused by an illegal gathering that could have been prevented.

DSSD and the Ganim administration have been very sensitive to anything that could damage the areas reputation. Downtown Bridgeports fragile economy was made more so after COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020.

Ganim said, Operators of illegal clubs and establishments will be put on notice that this type of activity is illegal and wont be tolerated.

But the city has not detailed exactly what about Mojicas event broke the law. He on Monday denied it was illegal.

The party was not my party, said Israel, who added, My focus is grieving with my family and friends on our terrible loss. We lost two great guys and at this moment I just want to focus on grieving. I cant entertain all that other stuff.

But Israel said he is facing eviction as a result of the violence. His landlord could not be reached Monday for comment.

Raul Rivera owns Evolution Tattoo, a business next door to where the party was held. He learned of the homicides Sunday morning from the news.

Friends of mine were texting asking What happened? he said. Im like, I dont know! It wasnt here.

Rivera has been in business since 2015 and said crime has not been an issue in the neighborhood.

Summer Bellinger has lived a few blocks from the shooting for about a year and a half.

I overall feel safe here, she said Monday. Theres obviously bad parts and theres good parts, but there hasnt really been a shooting (close by) since Ive lived here.

The last high-profile homicide downtown occurred in April 2017 when a 33-year-old Stamford man was murdered around the corner at McLevy Green.

Unlike downtown, there was no official crime scene on the East End over the weekend  just fear sparked by what several witnesses claimed were the sounds of gunfire around Newfield Park.

But that was enough to draw Ganim and Gov. Ned Lamont to the neighborhood Sunday in response to demands from leaders like Newton and others for a strong display of unity to show such gunplay will not be tolerated in the residential area.

When Ernie calls, I pay attention, Lamont said at Sundays gathering. The governor spoke of the cloud that even the possibility of deadly violence cast over just kids playing ball, having fund, getting back to normal, living life like kids deserve to.

Both he and Ganim had strong words about their commitment to make the area and all of Bridgeport safe, but offered few if any details at the time about what could be done.

Ganim in a statement Monday said his administration will be particularly focused on providing services and activities for youth and to address youth violence in the East End and across the city.

He also pledged additional police coverage at Newfield Park should the Little League continue to play there.

Newton said with all of the federal dollars Connecticut and Bridgeport are receiving from COVID-related stimulus packages, there should be something left over to help hire more police officers and also for youth summer programs.

Keith Williams is head of the East End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, a community organization. He also attended Lamonts appearance Sunday.

We need more visibility of the police, Williams said. Its getting hot, people aint been out, now theyre ready to get out. ... And theyve (officers) got to get out of those cars and walk a little bit instead of just riding.
One week ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released employment data for April that placed job growth at about 75 percent lower than the 1 million jobs economists had been anticipating.

The right flank pounced on the measly 266,000 new job, pointing to a growing shortage of available workers, a situation they blamed on enhanced unemployment benefits, which they characterized as a perverse incentive not to look for work.

The left flank pounced back, using the rights argument as a lever to talk about how wages are too low, employers arent willing to pay a living wage and workers are finally reassessing their worth.

As is so often the case, part of me  the grownup analytical trained journalist part  watched it all unfold and thought things like theyre both a little right and a lot wrong and but the numbers are telling a very different story.

Meanwhile, the working-class girl who grew up Appalachia-adjacent and resides deep in my heart had another thought: None of these people has ever had a low-wage job, or possibly even met a real-life, honest-to-goodness working-class person.

Ive worked as a waitress, a file clerk at a trucking company and a wood stacker at a lumber treatment plant. I was paid next to nothing, sexually harassed and exposed to toxic chemicals, and I still wanted to work. There were years when my mom supported our whole family on her practical nurses salary, years when we were eligible for government aid we didnt apply for. This was not unusual among the working-class families I knew growing up.

Shame on the right for failing, yet again, to stand up for the salt of the earth people they like to claim they represent. They gave their adversaries a lovely gift with paper and bows and Hallmark cards attached last week when they tipped their hand and made clear how little concern they have for workers.

Shame on the lefts pundit class, too. Instead of unwrapping the gift the right had presented them with, their absurd statements made it clear how little they understand the kinds of calculations the working-poor have to make every day to survive. Some said they hoped workers were using the extra cash for vacations and self-care, as if low-wage workers were using the extra $300 a week to gift themselves a spa day rather than use it to keep up with their rapidly increasing grocery, housing and fuel costs.

As often happens when the never-been-poor talk about the actual poor, the poor girl inside me couldnt help but murmur, They have no idea. Raising the minimum wage is a human rights issue, and makes good economic sense besides. But wages arent the primary cause of the worker shortage.

So why are we seeing unfilled openings? The answer is right there in the numbers: child care. In March, when a healthy 900,000 jobs were added to the economy, 280,000 came from the hospitality sector. Are we to believe that the same workers who accepted mostly low-wage jobs at restaurants and hotels in March were suddenly too flush with government cash to be enticed by the same offers in April?

Consider that women make up 64 percent of the workforce in the 40 lowest paying industries, including restaurants, and then consider that the loudest whining about lack of workers is coming from low-wage employers. Id love to say it was because they are paying their workers unconscionably low wages (they are). But the real reason their workers arent returning to their posts is because they cant.

Between February 2020 and February 2021, 2.3 million women left the workforce, and millions more downshifted into part-time work, a mass exit attributable to the disappearance of day-care centers, remote schooling and suspended after-school programs  not low wages.

Whats more, according to a new study form McKinsey, COVIDs gender effect could erase the last six years of progress made by women in their long battle toward equity in pay and representation in corporate leadership roles.

Finally, consider that I had planned to finish this column last night and have it in my editors inbox early this morning. Instead, I fell asleep next to my son after a difficult day of remote schooling due to yet another 14-day quarantine triggered by his proximity to someone with a positive COVID test. Like many women in the McKinsey report, I too feel exhausted and like I am always on, and I wonder when I will ever be able to say with confidence that I can reliably show up for a full-time job again.

How can any parent seek employment in good faith under these conditions? When an employer asks about your availability, they arent necessarily expecting an answer like, Well, I can probably work during school hours for an indeterminable number of days in a row, interrupted by very probable 14-day durations of no work due to quarantine. Will that work for you?

Companies with women in senior leadership roles are 50 percent more profitable than business who lack women at the highest levels. Its estimated that labor lost from the millions of women who have left or ratcheted back their contributions to the labor market since February 2020 has already cost $1 trillion in global GDP.

Building a sustainable childcare infrastructure, as outlined in President Bidens American Families Plan, could add $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030.

Invest in child care or leave $13 trillion on the table? Seems like pretty simple math to me.

Lisa Pierce Flores is a writer who lives in Newtown. Her column appears monthly in Hearst Connecticut daily newspapers.
A church locked over COVID restrictions in Ontario, Canada has decided to hold service outdoors instead.

The Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario, Canada, which was recently ordered to shut down by the Ontario Superior Court Justice, has moved their Sunday in-person service outdoors in defiance of the Reopening Ontario Act. The controversial church was found to be in contempt of court after they insisted on holding church gatherings despite provincial orders on COVID-19 restrictions.

According to CBC, the Church of God took to the open spaces of the church grounds on Sunday for an in-person service. A YouTube live video stream showed dozens of churchgoers standing side-by-side with no face masks on. Aylmer Police Chief Zvonko Horvat believed there had been 200 to 250 attendants at the church service.

Current COVID-19 restrictions only allow up to 10 people gathering, with physical distancing guidelines required to be practiced during the event. Horvat said that there will be more charges under the Reopening Ontario Act and that authorities are insistent on "shutting down" the church. He said that they are working with the Attorney General's office to follow court processes and are committed to pursuing the case.

Global News reported that on April 30, Justice Bruce Thomas found the Church of God to be in contempt of his order prohibiting the church from holding religious gatherings that violate current COVID-19 restrictions. The controversial church is known to repeatedly violate the COVID-19 guidelines set by the Reopening Ontario Act. The court then decided to shut down the church but not without giving them time to "explore the issue of the harm posed."

However, Lisa Bildy, a lawyer from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, is challenging the court's decision, saying she wants to "explore the question of the harm that they allege is prompting the decision to want to lock the doors."

"I'm hoping that the court will recognize that locking churches in this country is a pretty significant message to send and that there is still a real question as to whether all of this lockdown stuff is going to be, at the end of the day, justified," Bildy argued.

Church of God Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, who was also fined by the government $10,000 on top of the church's $35,000 fine, remains unmoved. CTV News reported that Bildy called him a "voice for constitutional freedom."

The pastor said that they are counting on the Charter, Bill of Rights, and the Criminal Code to protect him, the church, and its congregation. The judge is set to see them in court in October, during which the pastor will "see if our charter holds or not."

"Church is fundamental to these people, taking away their church is a severe penalty," Bildy argued.

Similarly, a church in Woolwich in southeast London, England was fined about $38,000 when they were found to be in contempt of court in February. The church elders were also slapped with court fees of up to $45,000.
Funeral service for Helen Francis Turner, 76, of Cullman will be Saturday, June 12, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. James Watts and Rev. Keith Whitley officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing with burial in Bell Springs Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday, June 11, 2
A close-up of the Manhattan neighborhoods where incidents of anti-Asian bias have been reported since February 2020. Graphic: Marcus Peabody/Data from NYC Human Rights Commission, NYC Open Data, Microsoft

At the corner of Spring Street and Elizabeth Street. In the subway station under the Oculus. In a nail salon in Chinatown. Even before the city shut down in March 2020, the New York City Commission on Human Rights began fielding an influx of reports about anti-Asian attacks happening across the city. According to Carmelyn Malalis, chair and commissioner of the agency, as early as January 2020, We began hearing from community members that the rhetoric that was coming from the White House at that time was really having an impact on their businesses and their communities. At its first town hall about the issue in April, more than 1,200 people logged in  the maximum capacity.

In 2020, the agency received more than 200 reports of anti-Asian discrimination at workplaces and in housing searches, in restaurants and stores, along with street incidents. Thats a sevenfold increase from the 30 reports logged in 2019. This spike is undoubtedly tied to an increase in incidents, but also reflects more multilingual outreach by the agency to urge community members to report. That work is ongoing  many people are still unaware that they can report incidents by phone or online to the citys Commission on Human Rights, especially if they are uncomfortable going to the police.

The Commissions total figures on anti-Asian violence are larger than the NYPDs (which only logged 29 anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020) because they not only include hate crimes covered under criminal law (for example, a hate symbol graffitied onto a house), but also discrimination covered under civil law. This can include an employer moving an Asian employee out of a public-facing role to one that has no public contact, even though he or she is exceptional at their role, or a landlord refusing to rent to Asian tenants, telling them that they dont want COVID in the building. The agency also collects incidents through social media, community partners, elected officials, and media reports.

From the more than 200 reports, Curbed mapped nearly 140 incidents for which locations were known, collected since February 2020 through April of this year, mostly from data provided by the Commission on Human Rights. The map reveals that most of the reports are concentrated in Manhattan, with a cluster of incidents happening in Flushing, as well as in Chinatown and the Lower East Side, where many Asian Americans work and live.

A map of anti-Asian incidents reported to the New York City Commission on Human Rights along with other data points for February 2020April 2021. Graphic: Marcus Peabody/Data from NYC Human Rights Commission, NYC Open Data, Microsoft

Normally, the Commission on Human Rights deals with instances of discrimination between an employer and employee, a housing provider and tenant, or similar covered relationships where its frankly much easier for our agency to intervene, because of our jurisdiction in those spaces, says Malalis. In such cases, the agency might initiate an investigation, make a determination of harassment, or award monetary damages, to be paid by the entity that violated the law. However, many anti-Asian incidents over this past year have happened in subway stations and train cars, on the sidewalk, and other public spaces not necessarily covered under civil-enforcement law. The challenging thing there is its not about changing a policy or practices. Its about addressing the underlying hate, says Malalis.

For the agency, that has meant providing more multilingual bystander-intervention trainings in communities around the city that teach people what they can do when they witness such incidents. The Commission has also launched a public-art campaign featuring subway and bus-shelter posters by artist-in-residence Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, with statements like I am not your scapegoat and This is our home too in multiple languages. And, in more recent weeks, the agency has increasingly sought to adopt more restorative-justice approaches, talking with business improvement districts in Manhattan Chinatown, Sunset Park, and Flushing about how they would like to approach these attacks beyond the involvement of law enforcement. In cases involving other protected groups, restorative-justice approaches have resulted in companies participating in educational programs that teach them the history of discrimination against the group in question and in executives taking part in anti-racism trainings or creating an internship program that offers opportunity to disadvantaged groups. What restorative justice might mean for communities experiencing acts of random violence in public, rather than discrimination from a specific entity, is still being hashed out.

This framework, says Malalis, recognizes that beyond the orbit of a single incident, the impact of discrimination and hate on a group is much more long-term and systemic, especially the general feeling of fear and uncertainty it spreads throughout the community at large. People want to know not just that the individual who harmed them is not going to harm them again, but, even greater than that, they want to know that they are safe in community, says Malalis. Whether they are Asian American, or Black, or transgender  you name the community  they want to know that there are other people around them who will keep them safe from being attacked.
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Pound Canadian Dollar Exchange Rate Forecast: Could Rising Oil Prices Continue to Boost the Loonie?

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The Pound Canadian Dollar exchange rate dipped today as the Loonie has continued to benefit from upbeat Canadian economic data. A mixture of rising oil prices and rising Canadian wholesale sales for March has provided a boost for the Canadian Dollar. The pairing is currently trading around CA$1.70.The Canadian Dollar has remained strong this week after Canadas wholesale transactions beat forecasts and rose by 2.8% in March.CIBCs senior analyst, Royce Mendes, commented on Canadas rising petroleum and coal products industry sales:The good news is that the increase in March factory sales was relatively broad based, with 17 of 21 industries gaining ground, so not overly reliant on the pickup in motor vehicle production.The oil-sensitive Loonie has also benefited from an uptick in oil prices as demand continues to rise as hopes grow for the global economy.PVM Oil analyst Tamas Varga explains:The fact that prices remained relatively stable during this rather turbulent five-day period indicates that the confidence in a healthy oil market remains intact and unless something unpredictably negative occurs, any downside potential will be limited.The Pound (GBP) fell against the stronger Canadian Dollar today despite the UK further easing lockdown restrictions.However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the India variant of Covid-19 could disrupt the Governments lockdown easing roadmap in the months ahead.As a result, this has left some Pound investors cautious, as a delay in any further easing of lockdown measures would impede the nations economic recovery.Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Welcome Trust and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), commented:I think we will see an increase of cases and infections over the coming weeks, as some of the restrictions are lifted. The key question is whether we have decoupled increased transmission  from the number of people that get ill and need to go to hospital. If weve decoupled them, then the country can cope with a marginal degree of increase in transmission.In absence of notable economic data and growing concerns over the India variant, however, the Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate has begun to shed some of its gains.Pound (GBP) traders will be looking ahead to tomorrows release of the latest ILO unemployment rate for March.Any signs of falling jobless rates in the UK would boost the GBP/CAD exchange rate.Meanwhile, the Canadian Dollar exchange rate could continue to head higher if oil prices rise any higher on renewed demand.Canadian markets will however be looking ahead to Wednesdays release of the latest Bank of Canada (BoC) consumer price index for April.The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate could continue to fall this week, however, if the outlook for the Canadian economy improves.

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Dalton, GA (30720)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

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Thunderstorms likely, especially in the evening. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
A New York Catholic Church reportedly received massive support following the hate crimes it experienced last week that included a toppled statue of Jesus and a burned American flag.

The Christian Post (CP) said hundreds attended the vigil held by the St. Athanasius Church in New York City in "support and solidarity" against the hate crimes experienced by the parish.

The vandalism, as per CP, was announced by the church on Friday morning through its Facebook Page and actually occured on Thursday night by an unidentified individual who pushed the statue of the crucified Christ and broke it into pieces after jumping over the parish's fence. The unidentified individual then sent the American flag hanging outside the church in flames before leaving.

"We are deeply saddened to inform you that the Cross on our Church property was vandalized last night. This exhibition of violence and religious hatred is very disturbing. This is definitely an offensive act not only to our Parish but to the Catholic Church!" The St. Athanasius said in its Facebook post.

The church invited parishioners to attend the vigil after announcing the vandalism stating that there would be media coverage for the event, which is meant to convey that "hatred can never win". The vigil was held in at 730pm on the corner of 61st Street and Bay Parkway.

The Diocese of Brooklyn also released a statement on the vandalism from the church's Parish Priest Monsignor David Cassato who condemned it as "an act of hatred," CP noted.

"Today is the saddest day of my 20 years here at this parish. I went over and spoke to the students in the school about what happened, telling them that hate never wins. We are, and must be, a community that continues to share the message of Easter, that which is of love, hope, and forgiveness," Cassato said.

In the statement, Cassato said the crucifix was installed in memory of his mother last 2010 and that the matter was already under investigation by local police "as a hate crime." Cassato, who discovered the vandalism, invited anyone who has information regarding the crime to get in touch with Crime Stoppers.

After the vigil, the church announced its gratitude for those who came and thanked them along with the local police who maintained order during the vigil. The church was actually surprised at the outcome of the vigil due to its short notice, stating that it confirms the unity of its parishioners and community.

"Hundreds of people came in person and hundreds joined us on Facebook Live for tonight's Prayer Vigil! On such a short notice we all came together to show how strong our Faith is!

What an amazing crowd! We are one community! We are one family! We love each other! (heart emoji) (praying hands emoji)

Huge Thank You to NYPD, especially NYPD 62nd Precinct for coming tonight! (heart emoji)
KINGSTON, N.Y.  A murder suspect who was freed from jail in early May because prosecutors m
Ashland, KY (41101)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 78F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms in the evening with some fog possible overnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
A Nigerian Pastor was reported to be abducted by militants while preaching a sermon last May 10 in their church located at Akure, Nigeria.

The International Christian Concern reported that Pastor Otamayomi Ogedengbe was holding worship services at the Deeper Life Bible Church in Akura, Ondo State when Fulani militants came in and abducted him.

The abductors were armed and took Ogedengbe at gunpoint while the Bible study was ongoing in the church. The gunmen ordered the rest of those in attendance to "lie down" so they could take the pastor away.

The pastor's wife and a church member, Victor Charles, who were present at the scene when the abduction took place narrated what happened to the Morning Star News in a phone interview.

"The armed men shot their way into the church's building where the program was being held and took him away with a gun pointed at his head," she said.

"The herdsmen entered into the church's auditorium and went straight to Pastor Ogendengbe, who was preaching from the altar. They ordered us to lie down on the floor while taking away the pastor." Charles narrated.

Morning Star News said the abductors contacted the pastor's family only Thursday, May 13, for a "non-negotiable" ransom of 30 million naira (USD$73,600). Local police are working "towards securing the release of the pastor." Ondo State Command Police Spokesman Tee Leo Ikora said they are "optimistic that pastor Ogendengbe will be rescued by" their "security agents."

Deeper Life Bible Church is a denomination of the Deeper Life Christian Ministry, which has its international headquarters in Lagos. Established in 1973, Deeper Life Christian Ministry currently has 1 million members globally and is rated as the third among the fastest growing churches in the world.

Nigeria ranks second to Pakistan and trails after China, for countries where Christian Churches are attacked or closed. There are 270 closed churches in Nigeria, which also leads in the number of kidnappings done to Christians. According to the Open Doors 2021 World Watch List, there were 990 kidnapping cases of Christians in Nigeria last 2020 that pushed its ranking from 12th in 2019 to 9th in 2020.

Yawps Arena reported that the pastor's wife, Otamayomi, said "some boys" took his husband away after initially mistaking another him for another person.

She said that one of their members, after their Bible study, "collected the car key to park [the car] properly." Some "boys" immediately pushed him down from the car, but stopped short of taking him away after realizing he was not the one they were looking for.

Otamayomi said the kidnappers looked for her husband, and then took him away forcefully when they found him.

"They saw my husband and said he was the person. When we got outside, they started shooting and they pushed my husband into their car," she said. "We drove after them towards Irese road but they were shooting at us. It was dark; so, we stopped. Since then we have not heard anything from them (kidnappers)."

The pastor's wife appealed last Thursday to the local police to ensure the safe release of her husband. She also prayed that her husband would be brought back to their family, especially since "he is the only son of his parents." She also appealed to Nigerians to "help secure the release of her husband."

The Vanguard reported on Sunday that Ogedengbe was released by his abductors after his family paid the required ransom. Ogedengbe has already rejoined his family but declined to comment on the ransom.

The Vanguard added that Ikoro has not confirmed the information of Ogedengbe's release. He is currently confined in an "undisclosed hospital" following his release from the abductors.
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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.
You would not expect the most socially conservative politician in the UK and the most 'woke' on the Left to be of the same mindset. Yet it is so: though both sides would react to such an observation with horror.

On the one extreme we have Edwin Poots, last week elected leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, replacing Arlene Foster.

Poots had led a coup against the current First Minister at Stormont, in part because her relatively liberal social attitudes (liberal in DUP terms, that is) had offended him and others within the party who adhere to the Biblical literalism of their founding father, the late Rev Ian Paisley.

Edwin Poots, who replaced Arlene Foster last week when he was elected leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, is a 'Young Earth creationist'

Labour's former Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Dawn Butler, asserted last year that 'a child is born without sex'

That literalism does not just mean that they believe 'sodomy' is, no less than murder, one of the sins 'that cry out to Heaven for vengeance'. Poots is also a 'Young Earth creationist'.

Or, as he told a startled Matthew Parris in a BBC interview some years ago, he doesn't believe in evolution, adding: 'My view on the Earth is that it's a young Earth. My view is 4000 BC.'

This precise dating comes from the 17th- century Irish Protestant Archbishop James Ussher and is still endorsed by the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, of which Edwin Poots is a member.

Hounded

It is also a handy refutation  as they would see it  of the principles of evolution, or 'natural selection', as set out by Charles Darwin in his On The Origin Of Species in 1859: because it denies the existence of the many millions of years required for us to have evolved from our origins as limbless creatures in the primordial swamp (rather than created, in a single day, by God, in His own image).

Darwin himself originally aspired to be a clergyman, and confided to a friend the devastating consequences that his scientific discoveries (covering geology as well as zoology) had for his Christian faith: 'As soon as you realise that one species could evolve into another, the whole structure wobbles and collapses.'

For example, if we are just an evolved creature, when did we acquire a soul; and how? After all, Christian doctrine still insists that creatures don't have souls  that only mankind has an essence within us that transcends and defies our biological selves.

Which is where the world according to Poots and that of the most 'woke' of the political Left bizarrely overlap.

Specifically, the latter take the view that 'sex', in the biological sense, is neither binary nor innate. They see it as a purely social construct.

This enables them to assert that people who believe they are a woman 'trapped in a man's body' are as much women, in every respect, as those born with all the chromosomes that define and produce the female anatomy (including, among other observable phenomena, the cervix).

Thus, last year, Labour's then Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Dawn Butler, asserted, amazingly, that 'a child is born without sex'.

This goes well beyond matters of 'gender identification'. I have no difficulty in addressing those chromosomally male but identifying as female by their 'preferred pronoun'. I have happily done so in meetings with that brilliant American economist Deirdre McCloskey, who was, originally, Donald McCloskey.

But I can't accept that Deirdre is a woman in the same way as, for example, my mother was  in part because it would be biologically impossible for Deirdre to have become a mother.

Across much of the Left now, such an observation is completely unacceptable.

Thus, last year, the Labour MP Rosie Duffield was hounded on Twitter and denounced as 'transphobic' when, after the NHS announced that 'individuals with a cervix are now recommended to start cervical screening at 25', she 'liked' the comment 'Do you mean women?'

Similarly, the novelist J. K. Rowling has been all but excommunicated by much of the Left after she supported Maya Forstater, a woman sacked by her employer in the UK after she had tweeted such observations as 'women and children in particular should not be forced to lie or obfuscate about someone's sex'.

Rowling declared: 'Call yourself whatever you like, live your best life in peace and security, but force women out of their jobs for stating sex is real? #StandWithMaya.'

The novelist J. K. Rowling has been all but excommunicated by much of the Left after she supported Maya Forstater, above

Expulsion

Yet an employment tribunal judge, James Tayler, upheld Forstater's bosses' right to fire her (even after she had told him she 'would treat people politely by referring to them by the pronouns they prefer') on the grounds that her beliefs failed the test of being 'worthy of respect in a democratic society'.

It is almost as if we have created a secular form of the blasphemy laws, which, in much earlier centuries, would have similarly punished those who stated that God didn't exist, or that there is no such thing as 'the soul'.

Many people, then, would indeed have been hugely offended by such assertions, just as Maya Forstater's senior colleagues at the Centre for Global Development were offended by her remarks (or, perhaps, just worried that they would cause trouble for the organisation).

This tendency is especially strong within the academic world. Last week, it was reported that Lisa Keogh, a law student at Abertay University in Dundee, faced expulsion because she had said that women were born with 'female genitals' and had 'raised concerns about a trans woman taking part in mixed martial arts bouts'.

Apparently, her tutor muted her in a virtual seminar when she expressed concern about the unfairness of male- bodied athletes competing against 'natal' females  which, by the way, is a view also expressed by Caitlyn Jenner, formerly the Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner.

Lisa Keogh, a law student at Abertay University in Dundee, faced expulsion because she had said that women were born with 'female genitals' and had 'raised concerns about a trans woman taking part in mixed martial arts bouts'

To face expulsion from a seat of learning for stating biological facts is, as the SNP MP Joanna Cherry pointed out, an extraordinary development.

It recalls how those with positions in Church-backed academic institutions in the 19th century faced loss of tenure when they supported Darwin.

That this now seems to make the socially most reactionary and the most radical behave in the same way was first pointed out by the American evolutionary biologist Colin Wright, in an article for Quillette magazine entitled The New Evolution Deniers.

Attack

Defending the inconvenient truth that there are evolutionary sex-based explanations for human behaviour, he wrote: 'When evolution was under attack from proponents of Biblical Creation, academic scientists were under no pressure to hold back criticism. This was because these anti-evolution movements were almost exclusively a product of Right-wing evangelicals who held no power in academia.

'Now we have a much bigger problem because evolution denialism is back, but it's coming from Left-wing activists who do hold power in academia.'

One academic who has also come under attack for insisting on what we might describe as 'biological reality before ideology' is Professor Kathleen Stock, an analytic philosopher at Sussex University. She has just published a book called Material Girls: Why Reality Matters For Feminism.

In it, she writes of 'unusually virulent and personalised attempts to smother my public writing on sex and gender'.

One academic who has also come under attack for insisting on what we might describe as 'biological reality before ideology' is Professor Kathleen Stock

In the wake of Edwin Poots' ascendancy to the leadership of the DUP, I called Professor Stock to ask her if she shared my view of the peculiar similarity between the Creationists and those who claim that biological sex is a mere social construct.

She enthusiastically agreed: 'Yes, the idea of a non-biological reality  who I really am  it's like the soul: the essence of you, in opposition to the animal reality of human existence.

'There is something of the religious impulse in this, and something pulses through it which appears to be an absolutist morality that cannot be questioned. And if you do, you are damned.'

As Professor Stock has been.

The new DUP leader's creationism will be of no great significance, in the sense that it won't determine policies. The flight from biological reality on the part of the Left, however, is a genuine problem for the Labour Party.

As Tony Blair observed in the wake of its defeat in the Hartlepool by-election: 'A new-fashioned social/cultural message around extreme identity politics . . . for large swathes of people, is voter-repellent. A progressive party which looks askance at . . . J.K. Rowling is not going to win.'

Maybe not. But in the meantime, the war on biological reality continues.
The Chinese Communist Party seemed to be desperate to remove faith in China after ordering a well-known church to sell Mao Zedong's "Little Red Book" and Xi Jinpings The Governance of China instead of the Bible, according to reports.

According to the International Christian Concern, the Sha Mian Tang Church in Guangzhou, China displayed Mao's book along with President Xi Jinping's book in their church library. ICC said the Sha Mian Tang Church is a famous church after being host to the second Canton Union Theological College in 1994-2001.

CCP through its Administration for Religious Affairs have previously ordered Christians to study Xi's book so they could memorize his speeches, ICC noted

The ICC also cited a Catholic Church in Jiangxi that displays CCP literature and banners instead of Bibles. This is the result of China's attempt "to control and influence the thoughts of Christian citizens through the means noted, and to bring the Christian church as a subordinate group" based on an article by ChinaAid.

"The bookstore of Sha Mian Tang Church, a well-known Christian church in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, displayed a large number of the book, The Governance of China, written by Xi Jinping, as well as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s 'Little Red Book.' Sha Mian Tang's gospel bookstore, however, did not display any collections of gospel books," ChinaAid said in its report.

ChinaAid explained that Chinese American Author Ju Yie exposed the matter through a post made on Facebook last April 11 after being "shocked" on seeing the books.

"The gospel bookstore of Guangzhou Christian Church-Shamian Church, displayed a large number of Xi Jinping's books. Seeing this kind of photo on Sunday morning really shocked me," Jie said in the post that included the photo of the church's bookstore and interiors.

The photo of the bookstore showed red books dominating the shelves. Red is a symbolic color of CCP that marks its "revolution, the left, Socialism, and Communism," ChinaAid noted. The photo also showed books of Xi whose cover contained his photos.

Xi's book features a collection of his "reports, speeches, conversations, instructions, and congratulatory letters, collected from the beginning of his regime," ChinaAid noted. Although named after him, the book was written by CCP professionals that organized the collection and annotated it based on "his tenure as China's ruler."

In addition to instructions given by CCP through its Administration for Religious Affairs, ChinaAid disclosed that the Zhongshan Ethnic and Religious Bureau of Guangdong Province also instructed Christians and the religious sector to host seminars or workshops on Xi's book and on the "Sinicization of religion in China."

Last March, the CCP set out its plans to enforce more control on Catholics through its 100th Anniversary celebration, which is set on July 23, 2021. Part of the plan was a symposium to be attended by Catholics in China on "formation courses with the Central Institute of Socialism".

Early May, the CCP has already shut down Bible Apps and set out a new crackdown on WeChat Christian accounts while demanding schools to teach the Chinese Communist Propaganda and Party line. Previous reports also stated that, despite its multiple efforts, the Chinese Communist Party's Plan of Sinicization on Christians in China won't stop Christianity there.
Under intense pressure to get a grip after his party's abysmal performance in the Hartlepool by-election and local elections, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is seeking tried-and-tested talent.

A new key appointee is Deborah Mattinson as director of strategy. Supporters point to her work as pollster and strategist for former Labour leaders including Neil Kinnock, John Smith, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Few, however, know that Mattinson honed her political expertise in subsequent years in a very different environment  at the feet of Tim Bell, the ad man and PR guru who masterminded Margaret Thatcher's three election victories. Bell, who died in 2019, was one of Lady T's closest advisers and confidantes.

Under intense pressure to get a grip after his party's abysmal performance in the Hartlepool by-election and local elections, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is seeking tried-and-tested talent

His company, Chime Communications, bought Mattinson's firm, Opinion Leader Research, in 1998 and she stayed on to run Chime Research for 12 years. Her specialism? Focus groups.

Few, however, know that Mattinson honed her political expertise in subsequent years in a very different environment  at the feet of Tim Bell, the ad man and PR guru who masterminded Margaret Thatcher's three election victories

One former Chime executive told me: 'If Deborah ever thought there was an issue for one of our clients, she always had an answer: 'Let's focus group it.' If it was a bigger problem, she had a more novel approach. 'Let's do a bigger focus group.' '

Perhaps Ms Mattinson's first focus group might tackle the big question currently preoccupying Labour MPs and party members: how long before deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, whom Starmer sacked as party chairman last week in a botched reshuffle, makes a bid to replace her boss?

Izzard is aiming for a safe seat

And as if Starmer hasn't got enough on his plate, the actor Eddie Izzard (who has asked to be referred to as she or her) is putting her career on hold to devote her energies to becoming an MP in a safe Labour seat.

The comedian spent 36,000  including 22,000 on transport and food  in her doomed nationwide campaign to stop Brexit.

An avowed republican, Izzard also campaigned unsuccessfully to change the 'first past the post' voting system to the Alternative Vote (AV) in the 2011 referendum.

Ruth insures a Royal future

Only days after bowing out of Scottish politics, Ruth Davidson, who is taking a seat in the House of Lords, has landed a plum post as non-executive director with insurance company Royal London.

Let's hope the appointment is more successful than the 50,000-per-year job she took with London-based PR firm Tulchan, run by former Tory chairman Lord Feldman.

Davidson withdrew after only three days last October because of the uproar caused by a serving member of the Scottish Parliament becoming a paid lobbyist.

ITV political editor Robert Peston mourns the final closure of Debenhams' stores at the weekend.

'I am sure Madam would like the matching handbag and hat and don't forget the all-important shoe trees.'

It was my sales patter in Debenhams shoe department every university vacation. It didn't work very often. And today the very last stores close.'

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden enjoyed last week's Brit Awards. A win for Little Mix in the Best Group category  the first for an all-female band  prompted the tweet: 'It's about time,' with a clap emoji.

Mysteriously his tweeting ceased when the night's big winner, Dua Lipa, who won Best British Album and British Female Solo Artist, called on the Government to give nurses a big pay rise.

Former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage joins the growing chorus of criticism of the Duke of Sussex.

In his latest podcast outpouring in which he whinged about his 'genetic pain' over poor royal parenting, Harry also appeared to lay into the protections that exist under the U.S. Constitution for freedom of the Press (while admitting he didn't really understand them).

'For Prince Harry to condemn the USA's First Amendment shows he has lost the plot,' says Farage. 'Soon he will not be wanted on either side of the pond.'
One of the good things about the BBC is that it is prepared publicly to investigate its own mistakes, though admittedly it usually does so late in the day, and rather grudgingly.

So a development last November was heartening. The Corporation's Director-General, Tim Davie, asked the distinguished retired senior judge Lord Dyson to lead an independent inquiry into Martin Bashir's famous Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, which took place in November 1995.

This followed excoriating allegations  as revealed in the Mail  by the Princess's brother, Earl Spencer, that Mr Bashir had told 32 lies in persuading Diana to give an interview. These included the fiction that her phone was being tapped, that Prince Charles was in love with her sons' nanny, and that Prince Edward was receiving treatment for Aids.

One of the good things about the BBC is that it is prepared publicly to investigate its own mistakes, though admittedly it usually does so late in the day, and rather grudgingly. Martin Bashir is pictured above

Critical

It was also cheering when it was announced at the end of the year that Panorama would carry out its own investigation into the affair, overseen by the fearless and respected journalist John Ware.

His programme  which sources say is highly critical of Mr Bashir  should have appeared on our screens last night. It didn't, to the dismay of many BBC journalists. The reason is that it was pulled at the last minute by Mr Davie owing to a 'significant duty of care issue'.

This presumably refers to Mr Bashir's poor health. He is said to have had 'long Covid'. He also underwent a quadruple heart bypass operation last year, and a further heart procedure in recent weeks.

That Mr Bashir, who has just stepped down from his job as the BBC's Religion Editor, is unwell can hardly be disputed. He has clearly had a terrible time, and everyone will hope he gets better soon.

The question must nonetheless be asked as to whether he is so ill that an edition of Panorama which is critical of him would have a serious effect on his health. I confess that I have my doubts.

And these doubts are increased by plausible rumours that the withheld programme will be shown after all, very possibly as soon as this week. If this happens, it seems likely that it will be aired after Lord Dyson's report (already in Mr Davie's hands, and also believed to criticise Mr Bashir) has been released.

For if Mr Bashir's health might have been jeopardised by showing the programme yesterday evening, why would it not be equally undermined by broadcasting it later in the week? It is very hard not to conclude that the BBC is playing games in which the calculations of management are being put in front of the Corporation's reputation for editorial integrity and independence.

Whether or not the edition of Panorama is broadcast in the next few days, one must ask why it has taken so long. Originally, it was due to be shown on April 12, but was reasonably postponed because of the Duke of Edinburgh's death.

However, the official period of mourning ended a month ago. That the programme was not scheduled to go out until yesterday suggests indecision and foot-dragging on the part of BBC management.

Possibly the delay was the result of wrangling between Mr Bashir, or his legal representatives, and the Corporation. Whatever the reason, a programme that looks into an apparently disgraceful episode in the BBC's recent history has still not been broadcast.

The indulgence shown towards Mr Bashir is pretty breathtaking, notwithstanding his poor health. It is virtually unprecedented for the Beeb to postpone an investigation out of consideration for one of its subjects. Normally, it sails on regardless  even when allegations are baseless.

Diana, Princess of Wales, during her interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC in 1995

One notorious example concerns the late Lord McAlpine, a leading Tory. In November 2012 he was falsely accused by BBC2's Newsnight of being a paedophile. The Corporation agreed damages of 185,000 plus costs 13 days after the broadcast.

Lord McAlpine, who also had severe heart problems, died 14 months later. He had said that it had been 'terrifying' to find himself 'a figure of public hatred'. Some of his friends believe that the egregious programme contributed to his death.

Whereas Lord McAlpine was the victim of a lazy fabrication, the allegations against Mr Bashir are, by contrast, formidable. And yet the former BBC reporter is being afforded kid-glove treatment.

Even more striking is the gulf between the 'significant duty of care' extended to Mr Bashir and the normal human decency that was denied Diana. So desperate was Auntie to obtain an interview which would rock the monarchy and cause embarrassment to Prince Charles that huge liberties were apparently taken.

Misled

Here was a vulnerable woman with possible paranoid tendencies. If it is true that a string of lies was told to induce her to unburden herself in front of 23 million viewers, that was a wicked thing to have done.

Her remarks during that interview astonished the country. They must have devastated her family, and in particular William and Harry. Diana memorably said that 'there were three of us in this marriage', referring to Prince Charles's relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, and spoke frankly about her difficulties with post-natal depression and bulimia.

She was, of course, speaking the truth. If she had agreed to give the interview without being misled or manipulated, there would be no question of blaming the BBC. But this seems very far from being the case.

All one can hope is that Lord Dyson's report, and the Panorama programme that may be shown after it, do not spare BBC journalists who are found to be culpable. Martin Bashir is certainly not the only suspect.

Lord Hall  BBC Director-General from 2013 until 2020, and Managing Director of News at the time of the interview  also has serious questions to answer. He was in charge of a 1996 internal investigation into the interview that was patently inadequate.

Rocked

In particular, the graphic designer Matt Wiessler was apparently scapegoated by the BBC. On Martin Bashir's instructions, he mocked up fake bank statements, believing they were faithful reproductions of genuine documents. These helped trick Diana into agreeing to the interview.

But whereas Mr Bashir was exonerated by Lord Hall's inquiry as 'an honest man', poor Mr Wiessler was told he would never work for the BBC again. Some justice!

The BBC is on the receiving end of very grave allegations. When Mr Davie announced Lord Dyson's inquiry, I inwardly cheered (especially as it was reported that he wished to clean out the Augean Stables) and I cheered even more loudly when John Ware's Panorama investigation was commissioned.

But my faith in Mr Davie has been rocked by the postponement of the airing of the programme, supposedly out of deference to Mr Bashir, followed by strong rumours that it will soon be shown after all.

Whose interests are being defended here? Not the public's, nor Diana's. Martin Bashir is still being indulged  and a nervous management is watching its back at the expense of the Beeb's journalistic reputation.

This is a frivolous way of treating a very serious matter. Auntie seems still not to have fully grasped the severity of the accusations against her. If she did, she would stop playing silly games.
The disappearances of eight women whose bodies have never been found may never be solved after police missed crucial opportunities to investigate their murders, a new audiobook has claimed.

Having grown up in in rural Northern Ireland in the 1990s, crime writer Claire McGowan was shocked to discover that during her teen years, eight women had vanished without a trace - just hours away from her small town in County Down.

The string of disappearances in the eastern part of Ireland would later be dubbed the 'Vanishing Triangle' and in her latest audio book, the author explores why these cases remain unsolved and highlights a series of other murders she believes could be linked to the eight missing people.

She believes a culture of secrecy and victim blaming all had a role to play during the initial investigations - with retired officers admitting to her there was a 'certain amount of judgment' about the sexual behaviour of the women who disappeared.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Claire speculated that while it's likely a serial killer was responsible in these cases, prime suspects within the women's own lives could also have been involved in some cases.

Annie McCarrick, 26, (left) from New York disappeared in 1993, followed by Jo Jo Dullard (centre), from Callan, in 1995 and Fiona Pender (right), from Tullamore, in 1996

She said: 'In some cases there is an obvious suspect. Three of the cases there was a man in their life who became a suspect, nothing was ever proved.

'What I've tried to do in the book is say - when you look into it, probably not all of those women were killed by the same person.

'But that's also an interesting story. Why if there is an obvious suspect and a history of domestic violence, why was that person never charged?

'Why would the police then be like, "Oh she's just disappeared" rather than 'Her violent ex partner possibly killed her?'

Two years later Fiona Sinnott (left) vanished in Rosslare while Ciara Breen (centre) disappeared later that year in Dundalk and Deidre Jacob (right) vanished in 1998 in Kildare

Eva Brennan vanished in July 1993 shortly after a family lunch in Terenure, Dublin while Imelda Keenan vanished from Waterford city, where she had been studying in 1994

The first of the disappearances was Annie McCarrick, 26, from New York, who was last seen taking a bus to Enniskerry on March 26, 1993 after telling a friend she planned to go to the Wicklow Mountains for the day.

The same year Eva Brennan vanished shortly after a family lunch in Terenure, Dublin followed by student Imelda Keenan, who was last seen in Waterford city in 1994.

In November 1995, 21-year-old Jo Jo Dullard disappeared while hitching home at night in Co Kildare while Fiona Pender was last seen leaving home by her boyfriend in 1996 while seven months pregnant.

What is Ireland's 'Vanishing Triangle' and who were the eight women who disappeared? In 1993, America-born Annie McCarrick disappeared while living in Dublin. Her case was the first of several that would become known as the Vanishing Triangle disappearances. In each case, a young or middle-aged woman vanished suddenly from the eastern part of Ireland and no trace of them was ever found. Police officially linked six of the disappearances and launched a joint investigation called Operation Trace in 1998, before the crimes stopped. Annie McCarrick. Born in New York in 1966, she lived there until relocating to Ireland in 1987. At the time she vanished she was living in the Dublin area. The last confirmed sighting of her was in Enniskerry in 1993. McCarrick was later reported drinking at a pub in Glencullen with a man who has never been identified. She has not been heard from since. Jo Jo Dullard. Born in 1974 in Callan, Jo Jo was also living in Dublin around the time of her disappearance. She was travelling from Dublin to Callan in July 1995 when she vanished. Jo Jo made a phone call from a payphone in Moone and witnesses said she was later seen leaning on the back of a dark coloured Toyota, talking to someone inside. The car and driver were never traced. She remains missing. Fiona Pender. A life-long resident of Tullamore, where she was born in 1971, Fiona went missing in August 1996 while seven months pregnant. She was last seen leaving home by her boyfriend. In 2008 a small cross bearing her name was found along the The Slieve Bloom Way, but her body has never been recovered. Fiona Sinnott. Born in Rosslare, Fiona was living in nearby Broadway when she vanished in 1998 at the age of 19. She was the mother of an 11-month-old. The last confirmed sighting of her was at a pub with friends, which she left around midnight accompanied by ex-partner Sean Carroll, the father of her daughter. He says he slept on her sofa, and when he left the next morning she was in bed planning a trip to the doctor. Ciara Breen. She was living with her mother in Dundalk when she vanished in 1998, aged 17. Her mother recalls the pair going to bed around midnight before she got up to use the bathroom around 2am and found Ciara gone. Ciara's window was open and left on the latch, suggesting she planned to return, but she never did. Deidre Jacob. The Newbridge native was studying in Twickenham, London, but had returned home for the summer before vanishing in 1998. She was spotted within just yards of her parents' house by multiple witnesses, but never made it home. A seventh case, not included in Operation Trace but often referenced alongside the disappearances, is that of Eva Brennan. Eva vanished in July 1993 shortly after a family lunch in Terenure, Dublin. She was depressed prior to her disappearance. She was known to visit her parents every day but failed to show on the next two occasions, so her father went to her home and found her gone. She has not been seen since. Similarly, Imelda Keenan vanished from Waterford city, where she had been studying. She was reported missing on the morning of January 3, 1994 last seen in a pair of leopard-skin trousers and a denim jacket. She told her fiancee that she was going out to the post office and was last seen walking past a bridge walked past the William Street Bridge in Waterford city. SUSPECTS None of the Vanishing Triangle women have ever been found so investigators have very little evidence to link the crimes, save geographical area and the suddenness of their disappearance. One potential suspect touted in the past was Larry Murphy, who was jailed for the rape and attempted murder of a young woman in Carlow in 2001. Murphy had kidnapped the woman, put her in the boot of his car and taken her to the Wicklow Mountains where she was repeatedly raped. He then tried to strangle the victim to death but two hunters happened upon the scene, saved the woman, and helped identify Murphy as the attacker, leading to his arrest. Murphy has been questioned over the Vanishing Triangle cases but has always denied being connected with any of them. Advertisement

Two years later Fiona Sinnott vanished in Rosslare after leaving a pub with accompanied by ex-partner Sean Carroll, the father of her daughter while Ciara Breen disappeared later that year in Dundalk.

Deidre Jacob vanished in 1998 and was spotted by multiple witnesses within just yards of her parents house before disappearing in Kildare.

The crime writer stressed that it's impossible to know for sure whether these women have been murdered because none of their bodies have ever been found.

Despite all disappearing in such a short space of time, Claire only discovered the cases while researching for a new crime fiction book ten years ago.

'I think partly the news was really dominated by the Troubles', she said. 'Growing up in the 90s, I think a lot of what you might call ordinary murders, non-political murders, we didn't hear about them.

'I think that kind of fed into a perception that they didn't really happen in Ireland, it was a safe place to be as a woman, if you were lucky enough not to get caught in the Troubles.

'I don't think that was true based on what I've learned from my research.'

She said that one of the women, 17-year-old Ciara Breen, would cross the Irish border and go to the same discos as she did as a teen, but that she never heard of the case despite it taking place 20 miles from her own home.

'Because it was across the border I don't think I ever heard about it,' said Claire. 'But she went to the same discos as I went to, because it's really easy to cross the border, there was no border at that point. I found that quite shocking that nobody ever said, "This is happening".'

Claire explained she felt safe growing up in Northern Ireland, but admitted that there was still 'a lot of oppression and shame' about sex, with harassment such as groping not taken seriously 'at all'.

She said: 'It was a dangerous place to live because you could get shot at any moment and we definitely felt that as kids, there were always soldiers around with guns. We just didn't feel anything sexual could happen to us, as such.'

Claire McGowan penned audiobook The Vanishing Triangle looking into the disappearances

She went on: 'We did live with a lot of things that seemed normal at the time that don't now.

'Groping was incredibly common, I think if I used to go to teenage discos and you would get groped at least ten times in one night, that was seen as quite normal.

'Most people just put up with it, it was seen as so completely normal. There was definitely very little discussion around sex or consent or anything like that, there was still a lot of oppression, a lot of shame.'

She said that while writing the book 'the first question people asked' was whether the women involved were sex workers, assuming that 'might have been an explanation for why it went under the radar'.

'I think partly we've grown to assume there's a level of risk in doing that kind of work', said Claire. 'Maybe it's out of fear, a certain type of woman puts herself in danger. Maybe we don't like to think this could happen to anyone.

'You could be taken off the street in the middle of the day. The thing we tell ourselves, "Oh that could never happen to me because of x,y,z".

'And it is sadly true, a lot of sex workers are killed and there is little done about those cases, that is also true in itself.'

Claire said that officers made 'assumptions about the women's sexual behaviour' in their initial inquiries, often guessing the women had 'gone off with boyfriends' after they were reported missing.

'There was definitely judgment and a few of the retired officers I spoke to did explicitly say that to me, there was a certain amount of judgment made about, "She's that kind of girl, she's that kind of woman".'

Could these cases be linked to the Vanishing Triangle? 1979 - Phyllis Murphy, 23, from Newbridge, went missing while out shopping in December. Her possessions were found scattered around nearby area and her clothes had been set on fire by the side of the road. Her body was found almost month later in a forest in Wicklow, she had been raped and strangled. Former Army sergeant John Crerar was convicted of her murder in 2002. 1982 - Patricia Furlong, 20, was strangled at music festival near Dublin. Her body was found near Johnny Fox's pub, in Glencullen. Chief suspect was Vincent Connell - he was convicted of Patricia's murder in 1991 but the verdict was quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 1995. 1987 - Mother-of-two Antoinette Smith, 27, went missing after a night out to David Bowie concert. Her body was found almost a year later in the Wicklow mountains. There are no suspects in her murder but a Dublin taxi driver told police he picked up woman with two men and took them out of town. 1988 - Inga Maria Hauser, 18, was a German backpacker in Northern Ireland, Her Body found in Ballypatrick Forest, Ballycastle two weeks later. She had been raped, hit over the head, and her neck broken. In 2018 an unnamed man arrested but no one has ever been convicted of her killing. 1991 - Patricia Doherty, 30, was last seen waiting at a bus stop having gone for Christmas presents. Her body was found six months later in the bog less from a mile from where Antoinette Smith's body was found. Nobody has ever Been convicted of the murder. Pathologists thought she had been strangled, but didn't know for sure. Advertisement

Along with assumptions about sexual behaviour, Claire said a 'culture of secrecy and silence' was commonplace in Ireland in the 1990s.

She explained that 'fostering an atmosphere where people felt they could say things to the police' would have helped massively in the cases.

She continued: 'I think this was another huge problem in Ireland, people just didn't trust the police and didn't want to tell them things and in some of the cases there were witnesses, not who had seen anything happening, who had heard things that could be connected and they didn't come forward for sometimes years.'

She also believes separate police forces may also have had an impact on the original investigation.

'They had two different police forces in the same country and they sort of behave a bit as if the border is this uncrossable frontier, which it absolutely is not', she said.

'It wasn't even then, you could drive across the border without anyone stopping you at all.'

Elsewhere in the book, the author explores a series of murders and disappearances of women in Ireland in the years leading up to 1993.

She said: 'Eight women went missing in the area around Dublin within about five years, none of them have ever been found.

'Even before that, there were quite a few murders of women in the same area where they did find the bodies, but they haven't always been able to solve the cases, it's possible some of those are connected.

'Because the areas sometimes, are so, so close to each other, we're talking about the same little towns and villages and because they were buried in the mountains, it's probably that's the same thing that happened to some of these women.

'Because they were unsolved it seems implausible there were so many different murderers operating in this area.'

She says there were 'a lot of parallels' between the cases, admitting it's difficult to know why police never connected the disappearances.

'You'd think it would be obvious to think, maybe some of these are connected when there are so many disappearances. We're talking about Dublin which is a biggish city, but in the 90s the whole population of Ireland was only three and a half million. It's a small country so those are a lot of disappearances.

'I think one big reason was the Irish police just weren't used to working with this kind of crime, sexually motivated, so just really didn't think to consider that might have happened.

'So it took a very long time to get to that point to think they were connected, even when some of the families were saying they could be.'

She said family members had questioned police about links between Annie McCarrick and Eva Brennan, who disappeared nearby each other in the same year, they were told 'don't be ridiculous'.

'They weren't willing to consider it', said Claire, 'They were looking for other reasons like, maybe a woman had gone off with a boyfriend, maybe she killed herself.

'I think once people got to the point of thinking "Oh she probably was abducted", They were looking for reasons like, did she talk to someone in a pub? Did she go off with someone willingly? Did she she get into a car? Why was she walking home?'

The author believes that there's still a chance of finding out what happened to the women, but that there are several ways to improve the way in which missing cases are investigated.

'Listening to the families and not making an assumption about what might have happened,' she said. 'Not victim blaming, listening to what people's family and friends have to say about them.'

Speaking of the unsolved cases she added: 'I think the only thing that could happen would be either some bodies could be found, and they have to be somewhere so that can always happen, or somebody would come forward and talk.

'The conclusion I come to is there probably was an unidentified serial murderer, but in some cases the story is much closer to home and just really sad everyday kind of story.'

The Vanishing Triangle by Claire McGowan is available exclusively on Audible now.
Mother-in-laws can be difficult at the best of times but many women find the relationship is put under extra strain during pregnancy, as these social media posts show.

Pregnant women from around the world took to anonymous secret sharing app Whisper to share horror stories of the way they've been treated by their mother-in-law during pregnancy.

One mother-to-be revealed her mother-in-law is still trying to get her son to end the relationship, while another said she is constantly teased for eating pizza and putting on weight.

Others feel unwanted tension on their part, with one woman admitting she is desperate to get her mother-in-law to stop smoking but doesn't know how to broach the subject.

Here, FEMAIL shares some of the best posts...

Terrifying: This woman had no choice but to climb through a window when she was locked out

That's awkward: Fortunately this woman from Fort Worth, Texas, can see the funny side

Thanks for nothing! This mother-to-be is subjected to cruel comments from her mother-in-law

Won't take 'no' for an answer: This mother-in-law is desperate for the relationship to end

Time for change: This woman from Georgia is getting ready for a big conversation

Hear me roar! Things are at breaking point for this family in Long Grove, Illinois

Taking the easy route: This mother-to-be from Dunbar, West Virginia, avoids conflict

Past the point of caring: This woman from Lake Station, Indiana, vented about the situation

Just listen! This woman from Los Chaves, New Mexico, is tired of hearing the same advice

Still frosty: A mother-in-law from Abbotsford, British Columbia, finds it difficult to let go

No sympathy here: A woman is disappointed that she doesn't get the same support

Take the hint! This mother-to-be is frustrated that her mother-in-law won't buy a gift

Stuck on twins! This mother-in-law from Mcdonald, Ohio, won't accept there's just one baby
Relative of Meghan Markle says she 'won't ever talk to her family again' because she acts like she is 'in a different social class' and like she 'is above them and where she came from'
Museums and galleries reopen today after having been closed to visitors for roughly 12 of the past 14 months. Would-be blockbuster exhibitions, years in the planning, have only seen a fraction of their hoped-for audience. No surprise then that major institutions are facing financial shortfalls.

I love going to exhibitions and last autumn felt safe doing so. I saw the Royal Academys delayed Summer Show and the revelatory Artemisia at the National Gallery.

Over the October half-term, I took one son to Among The Trees at the Hayward Gallery and his brother to Year 3 at Tate Britain, artist Steve McQueens epic project to photograph every year 3 class in London. My son was one of that hopeful group portraits 76,000 unidentified children.

Patricia Nicol picked out a selection of the best books featuring museums - including Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce (pictured left) and All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (pictured right)

Museums often have pivotal parts to play in fictional plots. Rachel Joyces recent bestseller, Miss Bensons Beetle, follows a middle-aged womans last-ditch attempt to fulfil a childhood dream.

In drab post-war London, Margery Benson quits her job as a school teacher after being cruelly mocked by pupils. Weeks later, she is on a dangerous mission to track down the mythical golden beetle of New Caledonia and deliver specimens of it to the Natural History Museum.

Pariss National Museum of Natural History is paid tribute to in Anthony Doerrs All The Light We Cannot See. The widowed father of its heroine Marie-Laure is the museums chief locksmith. When they flee the Nazi occupation of Paris, they take one of the museums most precious artefacts  a diamond with a dangerous reputation  with them to St-Malo.

The title of Kate Atkinsons Behind The Scenes At The Museum alludes to a display of historic city-centre streets at York Castle Museum. The novels narrator Ruby lives above a shop in the Shambles. Through the experiences of Rubys working-class family, Atkinson examines the social upheavals of 20th-century Britain.

I cannot wait to get back to galleries and museums. But if you dont feel ready to visit in person yet, then go behind the scenes with one of these.
A beauty queen with antisocial personality disorder has revealed how her condition affects her romantic relationships - and why it has made cheating 'easy' in the past.

Miss World Australia finalist Kanika Batra, 26, discussed her mental health in a recent YouTube video titled 'Interview with a sociopath'.

The Sydney model said she has been assessed by 'a dozen' psychiatrists who all concluded that she has an 'anti-social and narcissistic personality', characterised by a lack of empathy, disregard for others, and a tendency to lie and manipulate.

Like all who live with antisocial personality disorder, Ms Batra said she struggles with impulsive urges, feelings of emptiness and unstable moods.

Her condition means she never feels guilt, remorse or shame, which she said makes it 'hard to be a morally good' person and easier to be unfaithful.

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Model and Miss World Australia finalist Kanika Batra (pictured) has antisocial and narcissistic personality disorder

Ms Batra, who is currently engaged to her boyfriend, Sam, said she cheated in three of her past five relationships because she didn't feel the guilt that typically comes with betrayal.

'I just didn't have that sort of regard for that person because it didn't make me feel bad to see somebody else,' she said.

'It didn't make me feel guilty. I didn't get home and then like, not sleep at night because I had betrayed somebody. It's easy for us to switch that part off [and] compartmentalise.'

But after seeing a psychiatrist, Ms Batra said she managed to unlearn this behaviour and become more self-aware, which has changed how she sees both herself and her fiance.

'The main difference is that now I do respect my partner,' she said.

'I do understand that his needs need to be met as well as my own.'

Ms Batra (picturedd), who is currently engaged to her boyfriend, Sam, said she has cheated in three of her past five relationships

The Sydney model (pictured) said she has been assessed by 'a dozen' psychiatrists who all concluded that she has an 'anti-social and narcissistic personality'

Ms Batra (pictured) said she can be 'quite vengeful' and is likely to show her 'mean streak' to anyone who hurts her

However Ms Batra said she still can be 'quite vengeful' and show her 'mean streak' to anyone who hurts her.

Although she feels no remorse for her past wrongdoings, Ms Batra said she tries to learn from them to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

And when it comes to positive emotions, Ms Batra said it's rare that she feels truly happy.

'I feel satisfied with life, I feel that I'm doing adequately well, but I don't think I experience happiness in the same way a neurotypical would,' she said.

While she likes to be 'open and upfront' with people she dates, Ms Batra said she doesn't reveal her personality disorder until she gets to know a potential partner.

Seven signs that someone is a sociopath A sociopath is someone with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Someone with this disorder will manipulate, antagonise and treat others with indifference. They show no remorse or guilt for the actions and behaviour. Sociopaths are prone to recklessness and risky behaviour because of what's known as their 'compromised moral compass', and are often perceived as irresponsible. 1. Lack of empathy - they feel no remorse of guilt because they don't feel the emotions of those around them 2. Manipulative - they are opportunists and highly ambitious individuals who rely on lying and manipulation to get where they want 3. Dangerously charming - they use charisma and charm to attract others, particularly those more vulnerable than themselves 4. Ill tempered and impulsive - prone to engaging in risky and illegal behaviours 5. Strained relationships - they are likely to be controlling and possessive 6. Narcissistic - not all narcissists are sociopaths, but most sociopaths are narcissists 7. Find enjoyment in the suffering of others - sadistic anti-socials use empathy to derive pleasure from the pain of other people Source: Psych2Go YouTube Advertisement

'With all of the stigma and all of the hatred that's shoved down your throat, I like to give myself a chance,' she said.

In the early stages of a relationship, Ms Batra said she and others with ASPD are prone to 'love bombing', an attempt to influence a person by overt gestures of attention and affection that stems from manipulative behaviour.

'This is just us getting to know you,' she said.

'We don't really know how to control ourselves in that sort of way so all we do is we message you to find out everything about you, and we want to see you all the time - that's just how we kind of get to feel what this relationship will be.'

Ms Batra said she had to 'physically teach' herself to blink because her tendency to lock eye contact unnerved those around her.

She said she learned charm and charisma by mirroring actions and emotional responses and has built her persona around the identities of others.

'I feel like if you strip all of that away, at the core, there would be nothing...it's quite sad,' Ms Batra said.

Like all who live with antisocial personality disorder, Ms Batra (pictured) said she struggles with impulsive urges, addiction, feelings of emptiness and unstable moods

Ms Batra (pictured) said she had to 'physically teach' herself to blink because her tendency to lock eye contact unnerved those around her

Because of her condition, Ms Batra said she doesn't plan to have children until she has had 'complete therapy' to ensure she can provide for them 'physically, emotionally and financially'.

The clip, which has been viewed almost 77,000 times since it was uploaded on April 26, has drawn widespread praise.

'As a therapist, you've given me a different understanding and perspective about antisocial personality disorder. Thank you for speaking about this topic and sharing your experience and insight!' one woman wrote.

A man added: 'I feel like I am watching the most honest woman in the world.'

'You have no idea how much you're helping people understand this disorder, we appreciate your authenticity and how real and honest you are about all of this,' said another.

For more information about personality disorders, please visit Way Ahead Australia here.
Parenting experts have issued a health warning against following advice from a TikTok user on how to clean oven racks and dirty laundry using frozen dishwashing liquid.

In the video the London-based NHS health worker poured Fairy antibacterial dishwashing liquid into ice cube trays and left the detergent to freeze before using.

The tough food stains can be seen sliding off the oven racks with ease by using the frozen cubes.

But Australian Facebook group CPR Kids, which is run by registered nurses, say the cubes are a choking hazard for children as they look like a lolly or ice block.

Chemicals also should not be stored in anything but their own packaging and kept away from children.

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CPR Kids has issued a warning to parents after a TikTok user went viral for freezing dishwashing liquid to use for cleaning surfaces. The parenting experts say the frozen cubes are a choking hazard (pictured right)

The warning swiftly received responses from horrified parents who were outraged by the 'hack'.

'Why would you bother doing this with dish liquid anyway? Pretty easy squeezing it in the sink,' one woman wrote.

'I don't know what the point would be for this,' another said.

Nurse and director of CPR Kids Sarah Hunstead previously told Daily Mail Australia it's vital to 'actively supervise' kids and learn CPR.

Ms Hunstead urged adults to enroll in courses, insisting: 'Every parent should know CPR.'

A choking hazard is any object that has potential to be caught in a childs throat, blocking the airways and making it difficult or impossible to breathe.

These include small toys, popcorn, whole grapes, chewing gum, nuts and raw chunks of food.

CPR Kids is headquartered in Sydney but runs training courses across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.

Online courses are also available in WA, Tasmania, SA and the Northern Territory.
Beauty and cosmetic retailer Mecca Australia has revealed how different candle scents can help elevate your mood and assist with relaxation, energy or a sense of nostalgia.

Research shows the sweet scent of mandarin improves concentration and can also relax the body, while vanilla is the most common mood-boosting fragrance.

The smell of roses generates a calm aroma and pine is known to reduce nervousness or anxiety.

The smell of roses generates a calm aroma and pine is known to reduce nervousness or anxiety

Vanilla - the 'joy-inducing' scent

According to the beauty experts, a standard vanilla candle is 'one of the most joy-inducing scents' that has been used since the 17th century.

The sweet notes smell flavoursome, much like cakes and cookies, which has a tendency to effectively uplift and de-stress a person's mood.

Vanillin, the key component in vanilla, has a tendency to be used in soaps and hand creams for this same reason.

Research shows the sweet scent of mandarin improves concentration and can also relax the body, while vanilla is the most common mood-boosting fragrance

Rose - creates calmness

Those who have difficulty unwinding after a long day may wish to consider using a rose-scented candle to create a sense of calmness.

Lighting a rose-scented candle before bed or while having a bath has been shown to improve mental strength and reduce stress or sadness.

This particular floral aroma is also known for its 'sense of romance and femininity'.

Popular options from Mecca include The Byredo Burning Rose Candle or the Diptyque Roses Candle.

Mandarin - improves concentration

The sweet zest of mandarin is known to be a mood-boosting scent that also improves concentration.

Certified aromatherapist Caroline Schroeder told Well and Good this effect comes from the main chemical component, d-limonene.

'Extracted from the fresh fruit rind and usually pressed, citrus essential oils contain up to 97 per cent of d-limonene, and studies suggest this component supports the part of the nervous system that's responsible for relaxation. In other words, it can decrease stress,' she said.

Mandarin essential oil is also often used in Chinese Medicine to create a sense of calmness for a peaceful sleep.

Pine - helps reduce nervousness and anxiety

Reminiscent of winter and the festive Christmas season, pine is another popular option customers turn to that helps reduce stress, nervousness and anxiety.

This mood-balancing fragrance often allows people to imagine walking through the woods to calm the nervous system.

The Le Labo Pin 12 candle is a recommended buy to add the smell of delicate pinewood to your home.

Fresh cut grass - improves long-term memory

The final candle scent recommended by Mecca is the smell of fresh cut grass to improve long-term memory and relaxation.

While this fragrance might not be as popular compared to others available, it's a suitable option for those who wish to create a fresh scent of the outdoors in their home.
People have been sharing photos and videos of the moment they were finally allowed to officially embrace again today, after the Government lifted social distancing rules that have effectively outlawed hugging for the last 14 months.

Sweet reunions captured and shared across social media included tearful grandparents finally getting a squeeze from much-missed grandchildren and friends back in each others' arms for the first time since March 2020.

May 17th has been dubbed Happy Hug Day in England after social distancing measures that have banned physical contact between family and friends - outside of bubbles - were relaxed in the the latest phase of Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown.

Some scientists have urged caution though, suggesting that embracing loved ones again is still a 'high risk activity'.

Early morning swimmers in Sunderland were among the first to take advantage of the easing, greeting each other on sun-lit Seaburn beach with a dawn embrace.

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A grandfather hugs his granddaughter after almost 14 months of not being able to due to lockdown restrictions. @SeanC_Mayo, who posted the image on social media, said the moment was a sign that 'normality' was finally returning to life

Katie Taylor said she was sobbing uncontrollably as she hugged her mother for the first time in 14 months as she shared this image on Twitter. Taylor said she'd never 'take hugging for granted again'

Friends in separate household bubbles, Dawn and Sarah, from York, share a friendly embrace after the latest lockdown easing became official today

Happy hug day! Early morning swimmers in Sunderland were among the first to take advantage of the easing, greeting each other on Seaburn beach with a dawn embrace

A friend looks on as the swimmers enjoy a big hug in the surf after the new rules came in at midnight on Sunday

A word of caution though: some of Boris Johnson's scientists have warned that hugging is still considered a 'high risk activity'

Elsewhere, among the images being posted under the hashtag #firsthug and #happyhugday was a touching photo of a young girl offering a hug to her grandfather.

Posting the family snap, @SeanC_Mayo said the moment was a sign that 'normality' was finally returning to life as the pandemic's grip loosens in the UK.

Two youngsters from Hamilton, Scotland enjoyed a cuddle at the door of their nursery as Nicola Sturgeon also relaxed restrictions north of the border. @jojofalconer shared the adorable image, captioning it: 'The day where hugs are a thing'.

At the Sunrise of Bagshot care home in Surrey, great-grandmother Pat Tinner, 79, was pictured enjoying chats with granddaughter Kimberley Skelton and her great-granddaughter Mya for the first time in over a year.

Pat Tinner last saw 18-month-old Mya shortly before moving into the home in March 2020, just weeks before a national lockdown was imposed.

Today, Mrs Tinner, who has Parkinson's disease, met the toddler again at the Surrey-based home.

Introducing herself as 'great nanny Pat', Mrs Tinner quickly bonded with Mya, who was just a baby when they last met around Christmas time 2019.

Back together: Pat Tinner, 79, chats with granddaughter Kimberley Skelton, far left, and great granddaughter Mya for the first time since Christmas 2019 at the Sunrise of Bagshot care home in Surrey

Eighteen-month-old Mya shows her 'great nanny Pat' her toy horse as the pair are allowed in close contact once again. Mya's mother, Kimberley Skelton, 29, said: 'It's lovely to see her again. It's really nice.'

Anna Chioariu, general manager at the Sunrise of Bagshot, said: 'This is the first time residents have been able to hold and play with their great-grandchildren.

'Knowing that for almost a year they have been isolating in the care home with very limited visits from relatives and friends, this is major for them in terms of their mental wellbeing.

'We have seen how isolation affects their wellbeing during the pandemic.'

The family haven't seen each other for a year and a half. Kimberley said: 'I can't believe it's been that long. In normal time she would have built up more of a relationship with her and she would have seen lots more of Pat'

Mrs Tinner said the latest lockdown had been a 'bit traumatic', but added she had been 'looking forward' to seeing Mya.

Mrs Tinner's granddaughter and Mya's mother, Kimberley Skelton, 29, said: 'It's lovely to see her again. It's really nice.

'I can't believe it's been that long. In normal time she would have built up more of a relationship with her and she would have seen lots more of Pat.'

TV presenter Jeremy Vine celebrated his 56th birthday by getting his first hug from mum Diana Tillett for 'over a year' during his Channel 5 show

The presenter's mum, who was sat in the studio audience for this morning's show, walked on to the studio floor carrying a birthday gift for her son before the pair hugged

The BBC Radio 2 presenter told her: 'I resisted giving you a hug when I saw you arrive during the adverts' so he could share the moment with viewers

Vine was heard saying: 'I'm going to cry now', to which his mum replied 'I love you Jeremy'

Two youngsters from Hamilton, Scotland enjoyed a cuddle at the door of their nursery as Scotland also relaxed restrictions. The image was shared by @jojofalconer on Twitter

Television presenter Jeremy Vine celebrated turning 56 on his Channel 5 news show today by receiving a long-awaited embrace from his mother, Diana Tillett.

The presenter's mum, who was sat in the studio audience for this morning's show, walked on to the studio floor carrying a birthday gift for her son.

The BBC Radio 2 presenter told her: 'I resisted giving you a hug when I saw you arrive during the adverts.'

The tearful pair then enjoyed a lengthy embrace, with Vine saying: 'I'm going to cry now', to which his mum replied 'I love you Jeremy'.

Presenter Lorraine Kelly, pictured, was also moved to tears as she watched the family hug for the first time in 17 months

Grandmother-of-11 Jennie, pictured, worked as a carer and followed government guidelines very strictly to protect the vulnerable people she worked with

Viewers were left 'bawling' after a family who were kept apart for 17 months due to covid-19 restrictions reunited live on air on Lorraine today and hugged for the first time in almost a year and a half (pictured)

Viewers were deeply moved by the heartwarming family moment caught on camera, with some saying they wanted to see their own grandmothers

Two weeks ago, the Government said advice 'on social distancing between friends and family' would be updated on May 17, and despite fears that the Indian variant would scupper people being allowed to embrace, the hug ban has been lifted as planned.

Another Twitter user posted a photo of herself hugging her mother this morning. Katie Taylor, who runs the The Latte Lounge, captioned the image: '14 long months later & we can #hug our friends & family. I think this picture says it all.'

She added: 'I was sobbing uncontrollably as Ithrew my arms around my mum (we have both been doubly vaccinated) - I can't tell you how good it felt - i will never, ever take #hugging for granted again.

On ITV's Lorraine this morning, viewers were reduced to tears after a grandmother got to hug her family for the first time in 17 months.

Jennie Grimes, a grandmother-of-11 from Cambridgeshire, was surprised by her daughter Kerry, who drove 200 miles so that Jennie could hug her granddaughters.

The family was kept apart for 17 months due to covid-19 restrictions, with carer Jennie unable to meet her granddaughter Savannah, who was born during lockdown last year or to see Kerry's other daughters Sophie and Sienna.

There were memes galore being shared on social media too, with one Tweeter asking people to 'form an orderly queue for hugs'.

@MaichCaroline added: 'Right, who wants one?'

Hello again! Grandparents Sue and Alan Rickett pictured hugging their grandchildren Ben (left) and Isaac (right) for the first time in over a year yesterday

Huddersfield: Many bars opened at midnight to welcome customers inside for the first time in months as these revellers said cheers at 12.01am

Despite the jubliation of hugs being given the green light, there was also caution today as some of Boris Johnson's top scientists today warned against socialising indoors and said hugging friends was still a 'high risk activity', with the Indian variant of the virus on the rise.

Last night thousands of people queued across the UK to enjoy a drink with friends inside pubs and bars after midnight, while this morning around 20 flights took off for Portugal as holidays became legal again and people enjoyed a pint and a meal inside for the first time in almost six months. Theatres, cinemas and museums can also open their doors again this morning.
More young Chinese want to be civil servants thanks to anti-corruption drive: The Economist

Xinhua) 13:50, May 17, 2021

Candidates walk to exam venues to take the national civil servant exam in a university in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 29, 2020. (Photo by Liu Jianhua/Xinhua)

A young Chinese, who joined an elite government ministry, "credits an anti-corruption drive that began in 2012 with changing their views of officialdom."

LONDON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- More young Chinese want to be civil servants with strengthened faith in the public sector due to the anti-corruption drive, the London-based Economist reported recently.

Almost 1 million people took China's national civil-service exams in 2020 to secure a job in the public sector, much more than the previous year, said the report released on Saturday.

A candidate reviews study materials as she waits to take the national civil servant exam in a university in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 29, 2020. (Photo by Liu Jianhua/Xinhua)

Still more took tests to become provincial and local officials, it added.

The report cited Zhu Ling, who graduated last year from a highly competitive master's programme at one of China's best universities, as saying that trust on the Chinese officials has been on the rise.

Candidates review study materials as they wait to take the national civil servant exam at a school in Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 29, 2020. (Photo by Xuan Yueliang/Xinhua)

Zhu, who joined an elite government ministry, "credits an anti-corruption drive that began in 2012 with changing their views of officialdom," said the report.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
David Lane, founder of the American Renewal Project, says that secularism's century-old strategy of de-Christianizing and secularizing America introduced another heinous perversion when President Joe Biden became the first president in modern history to exclude God from the National Day of Prayer Proclamation, both in word and practice. That is akin to America formally and practically announcing that it "no longer wants or needs God."

"President Biden's deliberate omission presents a striking example of the advancing deterioration of the American culture," Lane wrote on Charisma Magazine.

He says that the degree of this degradation may be seen in the sharp contrast between the present president's meek and mundane profession and Democrat President Harry Truman's brilliant proclamation in 1952:

"Whereas from the earliest days of our history our people have been accustomed to turn to Almighty God for help and guidance; and "Whereas in times of national crisis when we are striving to strengthen the foundations of peace and security we stand in special need of divine support; and "Whereas the Congress, by a joint resolution approved on April 17, 1952 [66 Stat. 64], has provided that the President 'shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation.'"

Using Charles H. Spurgeon's (1834-1892) statements regarding "hewers of wood and drawers of water in the tents of Jehovah" as "more to be envied than the princes who riot in the pavilions of kings," Lane contends that this was no mystery to the America's Founding Fathers, who emphasized that a culture's religion and moral fiber were the key to sustainable freedom.

He also referenced Horace Greeley (1811-1872), editor and publisher of The New-York Tribune, America's most prominent 19th-century newspaper, on the advantages of America's Judeo-Christian basis, which was thought to be the most powerful in the world.

"It impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom," said Greeley at that time.

"Alas, cultural Marxism has deeply taken root in present-day America and its branches-political correctness, multiculturalism and secularism-are bearing bad fruit," Lane lamented.

"Consequently, one would be hard pressed to find over the last 75 years a publicly educated student who can list the seven activities that God detests," he added.

The seven Lane mentioned were from Prov. 6:17-19 which listed "haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers," as abominations to God.

Agreeing with Dr. Bruce K. Waltke, who claims that Solomon began his list of abominations with "haughty eyes" because "no vice stands in sharper opposition to wisdom and fear of God than pride," Lane said that as proud as Americans are, they have moved farther and farther away from the biblically based structure and framework established by the Founding Fathers during the 17th century.

As a consequence, not only is today's American society "biblically ignorant," but it is also foolishly pursuing evil, he claims.

Aside from laws restricting religious liberty, Lane cited contradicting ideas and the "blending of beliefs" with many schools of thought on religion, a process known as syncretism.

"One might as well deny the existence of evil in the world, or the absolute fact that God does have enemies," he commented.

"Heretical syncretism is nothing else than the corollary of a biblically illiterate nation and dismally ignorant and unsound leaders making headway," he added.

According to Lane, Marxism is now wrecking America.

"Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis ..." Marx stated in The Communist Manifesto (1848).

Lane again quoted Spurgeon for his statement that socialism is more than an economic or political issue. He also associated Critical Race Theory with state-sanctioned racism.
A woman has revealed she faked her own wedding in a bid to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend.

Business management student Sarah Vilard, 24, from Frankfurt, Germany, split from her ex-boyfriend in 2019, but rather than wallowing in post-break-up blues, she decided to fake a wedding shoot - in order to make her ex jealous.

Just three months after their split, Sarah pulled out all the stops for an elaborate wedding day, even hiring an actor to pretend to be her groom.

Business management student Sarah Vilard, 24, from Frankfurt, Germany, split from her ex-boyfriend in 2019, but rather than wallowing in post-break-up blues, she decided to fake a wedding shoot - in order to make her ex jealous. Just three months after their split, Sarah pulled out all the stops for an elaborate wedding day, even hiring an actor to pretend to be her groom (pictured)

Sarah later shared a video of the big day on TikTok, leaving users impressed at the lengths she went to in a bid to show her ex what he's missing.

The 'couple' were photographed celebrating their 'wedding' at the lavish Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt and Sarah even got her friends involved.

Sarah later shared a pictures of the big day on TikTok, leaving users impressed at the lengths she went to in a bid to show her ex what he's missing.

In the video, the 'bride' can be seen wearing a stunning white wedding dress as she poses with her 'groom' and a friend.

Sarah's ex discovered the news of her so-called wedding on Instagram after she posted photos of her big day, and unsurprisingly, he was more than a little bit shocked.

The 'couple' were photographed celebrating their 'wedding' at the lavish Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt and Sarah even got her friends involved. Pictured with a pal playing a bridesmaid

Sarah's ex discovered the news of her so-called wedding on Instagram after she posted photos of her big day, and unsurprisingly, he was more than a little bit shocked. Sarah is pictured

When Sarah's ex discovered the pictures he was shocked and sent her messages accusing her of cheating

'He found out through Instagram and texted me the next day and freaked out because he thought I was cheating on him while we were together,' Sarah said.

'That, of course, wasn't the case. But he came to my house and wanted to talk to me afterward. I wasn't interested.'

Sarah was left feeling 'satisfied' that her elaborate plan had worked and promptly blocked and deleted him from her social media and her life.

She said: 'I blocked him everywhere and set my profile to private and removed the pictures.

'Yes, I am single now and super happy about it. I'm happy to be able to focus on myself.'

Many people were shocked to discover that Sarah had spent so much money on the fake wedding, although she doesn't want to reveal the actual amount

Sarah (pictured) was left feeling 'satisfied' that her elaborate plan had worked and promptly blocked and deleted him from her social media and her life

Many people were shocked to discover that Sarah had spent so much money on the fake wedding, although she doesn't want to reveal the actual amount

Sarah doesn't mind that people think she's crazy and said that she 'had fun' planning the fake big day

She added: 'I think people think I'm crazy.

'But overall, I've had mostly good reactions and over 5,000 people following me.

'I had fun planning this little project with my friends.'

The video has been viewed more than 400,000 times and received nearly 4,000 comments so far.

'This level of dedication is either completely psychotic or absolutely genius,' one TikTok user wrote.

Another person encouraged: 'Girl... what about the honeymoon? You have to go all the way.'

The video has been viewed more than 400,000 times and received nearly 4,000 comments so far

'I personally see nothing wrong with this,' one person commented.

Although not everyone was impressed, as one TikTok user added, 'Lol, you've unlocked a new level of petty, congrats.'

Another person revealed that they themselves had tied the knot soon after splitting with their ex.

'I actually got married like five months after I left my toxic ex and it was honestly one of the best decisions I've made,' they wrote.
A solicitor has revealed how her dog transformed her life after she 'lost her entire career' when she suffered a mental breakdown and took an 'enormous' drug overdose.

Pamela Leadbetter, from Bradford, appeared on This Morning today when she told the show's resident vet Dr Scott that she had spent time in a psychiatric ward after leaving her career behind.

She said she suffered years of anxiety and struggled to leave the house before adopting Faith, a rescue dog from Bosnia, whom she credited with helping her through tough time.

Viewers were left in tears after Pamela said she needed Faith more than the dog needed her, with one saying: 'I'm not crying you are.'

Pamela Leadbetter, from Bradford, has revealed how her adopted dog Faith transformed her life after she 'lost her entire career' when she suffered a breakdown and took an 'enormous' drug overdose

Pamela said: 'Overnight, I lost my entire career because of a mental breakdown.

'It was very serious, I took an enormous overdose and ended up being in the psychiatric unit.'

She explained: 'After I was allowed home, I didn't get out of the house for years, literally years. I just felt so anxious about social contact.

Pamela received the help she needed and her youngest son Oliver, who was about to leave for university, suggested his mother should get a dog to provide support.

Pamela, who spent time in a psychiatric unit after having a breakdown, said she 'needed Faith more than the dog needs me'

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Petting the dog produces an automatic relaxation response: promotes the release of natural upper hormonesserotonin, prolactin, oxytocin, and phenylethylamine (which has the same effect as chocolate)

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When she began searching for a pet with the charity Wolfie's Legacy, she was drawn to animals who had also suffered hardships in their life.

She said: 'When I saw the pictures of the dog that had special needs, I knew instantly one of those dogs was going to be right for us.

'I just thought perhaps me and the one of the dogs would make a great package together, I could help the dog with her needs and she could help me with mine.'

She ended up settling on Faith, who came from Bosnia, who had an injury of unknown origin on one of her hind legs ankles.

She agreed with Dr Scott when he suggested she felt a kinship with Faith because she was mentally 'broken', and the dog was physically 'broken.'

Pamela said: 'I mean look at her, she has us in absolute stitches, I get so much out of having her, I need her more than she needs me, I absolutely adore her.'

Dr Scott met with Gill Daghistani, the founder of Wolfie's Legacy, who named the charity after her dog, who sadly passed away.

She explained she adopted Wolfie, before learning he suffered from degenerative myopathy, a condition that couldn't be cured.

She decided to care for Wolfie regardless, to give him 'the best life' she could.

Gill revealed she had been inspired to set up the organisation after thinking there must be other dogs like Wolfie out there, adding: '[I thought there must be] more dogs that need help that are being cast aside.'

The organisation has now helped to re-home an estimated 500 dogs.

Explaining there is a 'dog for everyone', Gill explained: 'These dogs have had such a bad start.

'They've suffered so much pain and cruelty, to see that the British people want to adopt these dogs, it's inspiring.'

Viewers were touched by tr segment on disabled rescued dogs, trying to find homes for dogs with missing legs or other special needs

Viewers were blown away by Gill's passion and Pamela's love for her dog, with one commenting: 'What truly incredibly beautiful ladies and dogs.'

Another added: 'What an amazing lady.'

'This woman is a hero for what she is doing.'

When Pamela began searching for a pet with the charity Wolfie's Legacy, she was drawn to animals who had also suffered hardships in their life including Faith, who had an injury on her hind leg
A father who murdered his wife and daughters subconsciously gave away his guilt while appealing for their safe return on TV, fresh body language analysis reveals.

Chris Watts, of Frederick, Colorado, killed his pregnant wife Shanann and their daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three, in the early hours of August 13, 2018 but spent days masquerading as a concerned father and husband who believed they were missing.

The shocking case, which was brought to the attention of UK viewers in Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door, culminated in Watts being sentenced to five life sentences after pleading guilty to the murders.

In new true-crime documentary Chris Watts: A Faking It Special, available to stream on discovery+, British body language expert Dr Cliff Lansley analyses footage of Watts taken in the days after the murders and reveals there were early signs of his guilt.

Murdered: Chris Watts, of Frederick, Colorado, killed his pregnant wife Shanann and daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three, pictured, in the early hours of 13 August 2018 but spent days masquerading as a concerned father and husband who believed they were missing

Look of pleasure: In one TV appeal, Watts performed a 'cluster' of four gestures which indicate he was lying, according to body language expert Dr Cliff Lansley. The first clue is Watts' expression of pleasure when saying he 'wants his family back'. Dr Lansley's analysis (above) shows: A) The eyes tighten, B) The cheeks raise and C) The Lip corners raise

Three gestures at once: Dr Lansley explained Watts shook his head, shrugged his arm and closed his eyes (pictured) while appealing for his family's safe return, indicating he knew he wasn't speaking the truth

In one TV appeal, Watts performed a 'cluster' of four gestures which indicate he was lying, according to Dr Lansley.

The first clue is Watts' expression of pleasure when saying he 'wants his family back'.

'If you look at Watts' face in more detail with a close-up, on the left-hand side youll see baseline. This is Watts normal face during the non-emotional parts of the interview,' Dr Lansley says, comparing two images of Watts' face.

'But on the right, when he says, "I just want them back," and hes talking about his children here, you see the lip corners raised; you see the eyes tighten.

'His cheeks are raised. This combination of these two muscles is an indicator of genuine pleasure.'

As the interview came to an end, Watts looked down the camera to make a direct appeal to Shanann, Bella and Celeste to come home. As Watts did this, his body continued to leak clues pointing towards his guilt.

On edge: Viewers are also shown the police bodycam footage taken of Watts in the hours after he reported his family missing. Even then, his unease at potentially being caught was starting to show, according to Dr Lansley

Anxious: Finally, experts tell how Watts was 'fidgety' and on edge while joining police to view footage captured by a neighbour's CCTV camera showing his truck's movements on the night he killed his family

'While hes saying that, he slings out a left hand  a hand shrug  which rotates anticlockwise,' Cliff notes, examining the footage.

'Now, a single hand shrug is not enough for a behavioural analyst to rely on, but when he closes his eyes for a full second, and you see a slight head shake no when hes making the claim he wants them back, weve got a cluster of four behaviours which say theres nothing in this statement that you have confidence in, because its not true.'

Dawn Archer, a professor of linguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, says the insincerity is also reflected in his speech.

'Its about him. And theres a lot of if "I" statements in there,' she says. 'He then focuses on his apparent despair, but theres no matching affect in the voice; we dont hear that despair. More red flags.'

Viewers are also shown the police bodycam footage taken of Watts in the hours after he reported his family missing. Even then, his unease at potentially being caught was starting to show, according to Dr Lansley.

'Weve got the swaying, we have the double-handed hand shrug, and we have a volume drop,' Cliff explains. 'The swaying shows anxiety, so theres anxiety going on.

Horrific: Watts strangled Shanann and then put her body and their two daughters in his truck and drove to isolated oil storage tanks owned by Anadarko. He buried Shanann in a shallow grave and then smothered his two daughters and placed their bodies inside the storage tanks

Jailed for life: The shocking case, which was brought to the attention of UK viewers in Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door, culminated in Watts being sentenced to five life sentences after pleading guilty to the murders

'Hes making an affirmative claim that she was still here when I was here at 5:15am, but his hands are doing a partial gesture  its leakage, you can just see it on the bottom of the screen  so that small movement of the hands, the rotation, is what we call a double-handed shrug, which is part of the full gesture "I have no confidence in what Ive just said".'

Finally, experts tell how Watts was 'fidgety' and on edge while joining police to view footage captured by a neighbour's CCTV camera showing his truck's movements on the night he killed his family.

Watts killed Shanann after she came home from a business trip to Arizona.

He strangled her and then put her body and their two daughters in his truck and drove to isolated oil storage tanks owned by Anadarko.

He buried Shanann in a shallow grave and then smothered his two daughters and placed their bodies inside the storage tanks.

For two days Watts claimed that he had nothing to do with his family's disappearance and went on television to plead for them to come home.

After his arrest he initially claimed that Shanann had killed the girls after he had told her he wanted a separation, and then he had strangled her in anger.

At his trial, he pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty, which has since been abolished in Colorado.
The Norwegian King and his family donned traditional dress as they proudly waved flags from Oslo's Palace balcony in Oslo today.

King Harald V, 84, was joined by his wife Queen Sonja, his son Crown Prince Haakon, his daughter in law Crown Princess Mette-Marit and their children Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus as they celebrated the Constitution Day.

While the men in the family marked the occasion by donning black top hats and suits, the women opted for traditional Scandinavian dress.

At first glance the joyous snaps may appear to show the festivities in full swing, but they were scaled back compared to previous years due to social distancing measures which remain in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Norwegian King and his family donned traditional dress as they waved flags from Oslo's Palace balcony in Oslo today. Pictured, King Harald, right, Queen Sonja, second right Crown Prince Haakon, third left, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their children Princess Ingrid Alexandra, left and Prince Sverre Magnus

The snaps appear to show the festivities in full swing, but they were scaled back compared to previous years due to social distancing measures which remain in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured, celebrations at the front of the palace

In previous years, both Sverre and his father have worn traditional Norwegian costume known as bunads, which is comprised of white shirts, knee socks and splashes of red.

But last year and today, the Prince and King opted for smart suits and showed their national pride by standing proud on a balcony adored with their country's flags.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who wore her blonde hair loose, is known for her typically classic style, so her long white skirt and apron was quite the departure from her customary look.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja both revealed they were inoculated with the Covid-19 jab back in January, with a brief statement from the Royal Court reading: 'His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen have today been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

'The royal couple will receive the next vaccine in three weeks.'

Overall, Norway has seen 58,651 cases and reported 517 deaths from Covid-19 since the pandemic began.

While the men in the family marked the occasion by donning dapper black top hats and suits, the women opted for traditional Scandinavian dress (pictured)

The annual holiday is always celebrated on May 17 where Norwegians celebrate the signing of the constitution declaring Norway an independent kingdom in 1814.

The national celebrations see parades across the country and stop at the palace for the royals to greet the crowds.

The constitution declared Norway to be an independent kingdom in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after DenmarkNorway's devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars.

For a number of years during the 1820s, King Karl Johan banned the celebration of the event, believing it to be a kind of protest and disregard  even revolt  against the union between Norway and Sweden.

His attitude changed following the Battle of the Square in 1829, which resulted in such a commotion that the king had to allow commemorations on the day.

Four years later in 1833, an official celebration took place for the first time near the monument of former government minister Christian Krohg, who had spent much of his political life curbing the personal power of the monarch.

After 1864 the day became more established when the first children's parade was launched in Christiania, at first consisting only of boys. In 1899, girls were allowed to join in and have done ever since.

In 1905, the union with Sweden was dissolved and Prince Carl of Denmark was chosen to be King of an independent Norway, under the name Haakon VII.
A new mum who used sunbeds to get a pre-holiday glow has been diagnosed with melanoma - the same skin cancer that killed her mum.

Jetsetter Nicola Rudge, 34, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, enjoyed going on two or three holidays a year and regularly forked out for a 60-minute tanning package in pursuit of a golden glow ahead of her trips.

'Naturally pale' Nicola would hop on the sunbeds five or six times before jetting off in a bid to feel more confident rocking a bikini and shorts on the beach.

While abroad aesthetic clinic owner Nicola, who is mum to seven-month-old Finlay Rudge, would enjoy days around the pool sipping cocktails or on the beach, admitting she didn't always slather on even low-factor sunscreen.

Last Christmas the mum-of-one discovered a dark raised freckle on her right thigh that appeared to have a 'tail' and, mindful of her mum's melanoma diagnosis, she went to the GP.

Jetsetter Nicola Rudge (left), 34, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, enjoyed going on two or three holidays a year and regularly forked out for a 60-minute tanning package in pursuit of a golden glow ahead of her trips

'Naturally pale' Nicola would hop on the sunbeds five or six times before jetting off in a bid to feel more confident rocking a bikini and shorts on the beach - but now has melanoma

Nicola's mum Elizabeth Rudge, who had been a GP practice manager, died 11 years ago aged 53 from a brain tumour.

This was a secondary cancer caused by melanoma that is believed to have started in a large dark mole on her arm she'd had since a teenager that she never got checked out.

Last year her dad William Rudge died last year of advanced bladder cancer.

The doctor referred pharmacist Nicola to hospital where skin specialists assessed and then whipped off the mole before sending it off for a biopsy.

Three weeks later Nicola was given the devastating news that the mole was cancerous and she had stage 1B melanoma.

Last Christmas the mum-of-one discovered a dark raised freckle on her right thigh that appeared to have a 'tail' and, mindful of her mum's melanoma diagnosis, she went to the GP

What is Melanoma? Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other organs in the body. The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole. This can happen anywhere on the body, but the most commonly affected areas are the back in men and the legs in women. In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and are more than one colour. The mole may also be larger than normal and can sometimes be itchy or bleed. Look out for a mole that gradually changes shape, size or colour. In most cases, once the melanoma has been removed theres little possibility of it returning and no further treatment should be needed. Most people (80 to 90%) are monitored for one to five years and are then discharged with no further problems. Advertisement

Nicola underwent a second surgery where she had a further excision around the original mole, a lymph node biopsy and another freckle on her arm removed as a precaution.

Now waiting to hear back on her results, Nicola is sharing her experience to urge people to be careful in the sun, be vigilant of any changes in moles and freckles and get them checked out.

Nicola said: 'I started going on sunbeds in my early 20s.

'I wasn't a regular sunbed user, I would just go at least five or six times before going on holiday and would get a package of 60 minutes.

'I do quite like my holidays. I tend to go on holiday two or three times a year, but that may change now because I've got my son.

'I'm quite pale naturally, I think having that base tan makes you feel a bit more confident.

'It makes you feel a bit better when you're putting on your bikini or swimsuit and you're wearing shorts.

'I still wear fake tan as well. I just felt when I was going on holiday I liked to have a natural tan.

'Sunbathing was part of my enjoyment while I was on holiday too. Particularly when you're away with the girls it's part and parcel of these types of holidays - chilling by the pool with a cocktail or going down to the beach.

'I would wear sunscreen, it was usually quite a low factor, sometimes if we were a bit hungover we maybe wouldn't bother putting any on, which is obviously terrible.'

While abroad aesthetic clinic owner Nicola, who is mum to seven-month-old Finlay Rudge, (pictured) would enjoy days around the pool sipping cocktails or on the beach, admitting she didn't always slather on even low-factor sunscreen.

Nicola underwent a second surgery where she had a further excision around the original mole, a lymph node biopsy and another freckle on her arm removed as a precaution. She is pictured on holiday

Nicola's mum Elizabeth Rudge, who had been a GP practice manager, died 11 years ago aged 53 from a brain tumour. She is pictured with her Dad, who died last year, and brother in the early 90s

Now waiting to hear back on her results, Nicola, pictured with her step- mum, is sharing her experience to urge people to be careful in the sun, be vigilant of any changes in moles and freckles and get them checked out.

Last year her dad William Rudge died last year of advanced bladder cancer. She is pictured with her dad and step-mum

Nicola (right) is pictured on holiday with friends in Croatia. She went on holiday two or three times a year

After more than a decade symptom-free, in December 2020 Nicola felt a freckle on her leg through her tights as she changed outfits.

Nicola said: 'At Christmas time I felt a freckle on my right thigh. I was just getting changed, I had tights on and I could feel it through them.

'I remember thinking 'that feels a bit strange' it felt raised where it had never been before. I've probably had this freckle for a long, long time but it hadn't done anything to alarm me.

'Over Christmas I was wearing a lot of leggings because I was running about after the baby and we weren't going anywhere and I could always feel it through my leggings.

'When I examined it it was really dark and it had a wee tail on it, it was weird. I just knew it wasn't right and it had definitely changed.'

After more than a decade symptom-free, in December 2020 Nicola felt a freckle on her leg through her tights as she changed outfits. She was injected with blue dye that travels up the leg to highlight lymphnodes

Nicole's stitches are pictured after her mole was removed. Nicola contacted her GP on 4th February and although the doctor wasn't overly concerned, due to her family history she was referred to Inverclyde Royal Hospital for an appointment on 9th February .

Nicola contacted her GP on 4th February and although the doctor wasn't overly concerned, due to her family history she was referred to Inverclyde Royal Hospital for an appointment on 9th February .

There, specialists assessed the mole, and on February 24th it was removed and sent it off for a biopsy.

On 19th March later Nicola was told she had melanoma and that she needed another surgical excision op on April 22nd at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and biopsies on lymph nodes nearest to the mole to check the melanoma hadn't spread further.

Nicola said: 'My heart sank when I got a phone call three weeks later asking me to go in and see the doctor the next day, I just knew.

'At that point I just thought, "let's think the worst here".

On 19th March later Nicola was told she had melanoma and that she needed another surgical excision op on April 22nd at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and biopsies on lymph nodes nearest to the mole to check the melanoma hadn't spread further. She is pictured in hospital

Nicola is pictured with her Dad, William Rudge, who died of cancer last year

'Prior to seeing her I'd done the things that you shouldn't do like Google things about melanoma.

'Even though my mum had had it I'd never fully gone into what it was, such as the different stages.

'Because I went in half expecting her to tell me this news I just took it on board.

'When she told me it was stage 1B melanoma obviously I was gutted but I remember thinking "this isn't the end of the world", I was trying to stay as positive as I could.

'[After my diagnosis] I had a second operation at Glasgow Royal Infirmary where they did a wider excision round the biopsy area, they removed a wee mole on my arm and they did a lymph node biopsy.

'My wounds were checked last week and are all looking fine, and get my results back in two weeks' time. The hope is that everything comes back all-clear.

'Getting it done was a no-brainer, especially because of Finlay. I want to know, I want to secure his future and I want to see him grow up.'

Nicola, pictured sunbathing before her diagnosis, shared her experience in a Facebook post urging friends to be vigilant of any changes in freckles and moles and to get them checked out

Nicola shared her experience in a Facebook post urging friends to be vigilant of any changes in freckles and moles and to get them checked out.

The post reads: 'My melanoma journey so far... This is a cancer which I have been all too familiar with for some time in my life. Not because of myself but this was what my mum was diagnosed with.

'It was a brain tumour which killed her 11 years ago but the primary cancer was melanoma. So you think I'd be astute to the dangers, that I would be more careful...wrong!

'I still continued to have the occasional sunbed before a holiday or sit in the sun without sun factor on aiming for a lovely brown colour which I never did quite get!

Nicola said she was sharing her experience so no-one else has to go through what she has

'If only I could have a really stern word with my twenty-something self! Aileen and my dad would gently remind me of my family history but as always I never did listen. [...]

'This is the point I'm at now... waiting for my results. Something which will determine how my path will lead this year.

'Having a baby does take my mind off this for a while but it's always there eating away. Playing out scenarios in my head if it's bad news, or even if it's good news and where I go from here.

'It all comes down to percentages, the lucky 90 per cent whose lymph nodes are clear or the unlucky 10 my surgeon called it. I try to be optimistic but I also need to be realistic too.

'Melanoma is dangerous, it's scary and it's real. It can affect any age, any gender at any time. It doesn't discriminate.

'I'm definitely not here to preach, everyone is in control of their own actions and I absolutely don't judge.

'I just know how vigilant I will be from now on, how careful I'm gonna be in the sun and mindful of my own body, freckles, moles and all.

'This was not hereditary for me either, I'm told it was just a very awful coincidence that both myself and my mum had this.

'I am also not trying to evoke sympathy but I think it's really important to spread awareness.

'The dermatologist told me more and more young people are coming through her doors with this awful silent disease. Silent because you can have it and there can be no symptoms at all.

'I wouldn't want anyone to go through this especially when it's so preventable in the first place.

Nicola's mum, Elizabeth Rudge and her dad, William Rudge, who have both passed away, are pictured

Thanks for reading this if you managed to get to the end! And if you find me I'll be in Boots checking out the fake tan from now on.'

Nicola said she was sharing her experience so no-one else has to go through what she has.

Nicola said: 'Despite me knowing the risks and losing my mum to this I still was pretty complacent.

'Through doing aesthetics, a lot of my clients have been posting stuff about going back on the sunbeds.

'It's so dangerous, I wish I could turn back time but I can't. I just want to make people aware that it's dangerous and it can happen to anybody.

'Everybody's in control of their own bodies, I don't want to preach to people, but I just want to make people aware.

'Since sharing this I've had one or two people say they've spotted a mole and are going to get them checked out.

'It's good to spread the word, and if that means someone going getting checked out then that's great.

'The sooner the better with this as well because it can spread quite quickly so you need to be really vigilant.'

A British Skin Foundation spokesman said: '77% of dermatologists agreed that sunbeds should be banned in the UK in 2019.

'The dermatologists' opinions appear to support research stating the potential to get skin cancer, including melanoma is increased in those who have also used sunbeds.

'We know there is no such thing as a safe tan from UV rays, therefore, the British Skin Foundation, in line with other health organisations does not recommend sunbed use.'
Queen Letizia of Spain looked elegant in a floral shirt dress as she joined husband King Felipe for an awards ceremony today.

The Spanish monarch, 48, recycled the stylish pink gown - by one of her favourite labels Hugo Boss - as she hosted the 2020 Spanish Research Prizes ceremony, at El Pardo Palace, in Madrid.

Created in 1982, the awards honour Spanish researchers who are carrying out outstanding work in scientific fields internationally.

Letizia, 48, debuted the outfit in November 2019 for the 200th anniversary of the Prado Museum and most recently wore the garment in February last year at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.

Queen Letizia of Spain looked elegant in a floral shirt dress as she joined husband King Felipe for an awards ceremony today

The Spanish monarch, 48, recycled a stylish pink gown - by one of her favourite labels Hugo Boss as she attended the award ceremony in Madrid

She teamed the pastel pink gown with a pair of berry heels, matching the dark red and orange florals on her long-sleeved dress.

Mother-of-two Letzia wore her brown tresses loose around her shoulders and opted for a soft smokey eye.

Staying safe amid the Covid pandemic, both Letizia and Philipe wore plain white face coverings as they met dignitaries from the Spanish government.

The royal couple attended the annual ceremony celebrating innovators in the fields of medicine, biology, engineering, social sciences and humanities and posed for photos with winners of the accolade.

The pair are pictured arriving at the opening of the 2020 Spanish Research Prizes awarding ceremony, at El Pardo Palace

Staying safe amid the Covid pandemic, both Letizia and Philipe wore plain white face coverings and Letizia teamed the pastel pink gown with a pair of berry heels

The Spanish royals are pictured with the Spanish Science and Innovation Minister, Pedro Duque posing for a photo with the winners of the 2020 Spanish Research Prizes

The award ceremony, known in Spain as the Premios Nacionales De Investigacion was created in 1982 and the couple met with Spanish Science and Innovation Minister, Pedro Duque.

King Philipe cut a sharp figure in a black suit paired teamed with blue and white polkadot tie and pastel blue shirt.

Letizia is renowned for her love of Hugo Boss and she recently wore the brand as she attended a presentation at Viana Palace in Madrid with King Felipe in February.

King Philipe cut a sharp figure in a black suit paired teamed with blue and white polkadot tie and pastel blue shirt

The award ceremony, known in Spain as the Premios Nacionales De Investigacion was created in 1982 and celebrates innovators in the fields of medicine, biology, engineering, social sciences and humanities

Showcasing her sensational sense of style, the royal donned a pastel blue pencil skirt paired with a floating navy top for the visit teamed with a pair of elegant black heels and a clutch purse.

Last week, Letizia was seen wearing high street two piece from Zara as she and travelled to Oliva, near Valencia, to present Spanish poet Francisco Brines, 89, with his Cervantes Prize 2020.

Letizia commanded attention for the occasion in the orange tunic with an asymmetric hem, teamed with matching trousers - a look recycled from her 2019 visit to Argentina.
The Moulin Rouge in Paris will be high-kicking its way back on stage in September, it announced with a flourish on Monday, after the longest shut down in more than a century.

The first cancan of the post-pandemic era is due to take place on September 10 under the iconic windmill in Montmartre.

Twelve dancers, in matching masks and feathers, braved the morning chill outside the Moulin Rouge on Monday to reveal the opening date stitched into their dresses, much to the surprise of passing motorists on the Boulevard de Clichy.

It comes as France, which recorded 15,685 new daily Covid-19 cases on Saturday, prepares to reopen its hospitality sector in two days time.

Paris' Moulin Rouge has announced it will reopen its doors on September 10 2021. The burlesque establishment has been closed since March 12 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dancers in costumes announced the reopening date today, pictured

'I'm extremely happy,' said 32-year-old dancer Mathilde Tutiaux.

'It feels so good to finally have a date. We are desperate to see our audiences again.

'The first cancan of the restart will be something else. It's a very technical number and after a break of more than a year, we will have to rehearse very hard this summer.'

Like the other 60 members of the cast, Tutiaux was forced to train alone at home during the shutdown, using her kitchen work surface to stretch.

The dancers, pictured, were delighted to announced they'll finally be back to work in September. The pandemic saw the famous windmill close its doors for the longest period since it was destroyed by a fire in 1915

The Moulin Rouge has been shut since March 12, 2020 - the longest closure since the theatre was destroyed by fire in 1915.

'Today, the planets are aligning. We are pleased to be working on this restart,' said Jean-Victor Clerico, director general of the Moulin Rouge.

'If everything goes well, there won't be any distancing even inside. There are still some unknown factors. If one-metre (three feet) distancing is still needed, we will have to reduce capacity to 50 percent.'

The other renowned centres of Parisian 'nude chic' will reopen around the same time: Crazy Horse on September 9 and Le Lido on September 16.

With infection rates falling and vaccine rates rising, France is set to reopen many cultural sites on Wednesday after a six-month shutdown that began during the second wave of the pandemic in late October only to be extended through the spring as a third wave hit the country.

Emmanuel Macron, pictured at the International Conference for Sudan in Paris today, announced a four-stage roadmap out of the pandemic for France, with the hospitality secto reopening outdoors on Wednesday

Dancers of the Moulin Rouge revealing the reopening with letters embroidered on their blue, white and red costumes today

With 15,685 active daily cases recorded on Saturday, Macron's government is doubling-down on its determination to go back to normal before the summer.

A 'test-concert' has been planned in Paris on May 29, which will see 5,000 masked attendees selected at random rock it out without social distancing at a concert by French band Indochine at the Accor Arena.

Attendees will have to take a test before and after joining the concert, and the results will be carefully monitored with results published at the end of June.

The organisers, in partnership with the Hospitals of Paris association,. have stressed that the event is no normal concert, but a clinical test.

A similar event due to take place in the southern city of Marseilles was cancelled.

Cancan you believe it? France's nightclubs won't reopen until later, with the current curfew being lifted completed on June 30 (pictured: The Moulin Rouge dancers)

Yes we cancan! The dancers, pictured, had to train alone at home during the pandemic and are looking forward to getting back to work

French President Emmanuel MAcron announced that a total of 20.117.206 people - equating to 30 per cent of the country's population - have received at least one vaccine jab in France since December 2020.

9.464.274 people have received their second jabs after the country accelerated its vaccination campaign, administering 480 000 injections a day.

The French governments hopes the number of people to have received at least one injection will increase to 30 million by June.

Emmanuel Macron has announced a four-stage roadmap out of lockdown for France, with restriction set to ease from Wednesday 19 May with bars, cafes and restaurants serving outside and a 7pm curfew being relaxed and pushed back to 9pm (8pm GMT).

Non-essential shops, cinemas, museums and theatres will be able to open to a restricted number of visitor.

A health pass will be introduced, allowing vaccinated people to attend sporting and large events. Foreign tourists will be able to travel to France with a 'health pass' from June 9.

Details on how the health pass will be implemented are yet to be released.

'The health pass should not be mandatory for access to everyday things such as restaurants, theatres and cinemas or to go see friends,' Macron said.

'But for places with big crowds, such as stadiums, festivals, trade fairs or exhibitions, it would be absurd not to use it.'

That same day, the curfew will be pushed back to 11pm, before being scrapped completely on June 30 - but nightclubs won't be allowed to reopen then.

France entered a third lockdown on April 3 after it recorded a surge in cases. It is estimated the number of cases per week fell from 40,000 to 27,000 in recent days.

French lab Sanofi, working hand-in-hand with British partner GSK, has announced today that the second phase of its covid vaccine had been a success following setbacks in late 2020.

It revealed it would be starting the third phase of the vaccine's development in the upcoming weeks.
A photograph showing Meghan Markle posing with a magazine that featured Kate Middleton on the cover in 2014 has resurfaced for the first time since The Duchess of Sussex quit the royal family.

In the snap, which was taken two years before Meghan met Prince Harry, the former actress is seen beaming as she holds a copy of Irish U Magazine and stands next to its deputy editor Denise Cash, with the publication emblazoned with a headline which incorrectly states that Kate Middleton was pregnant with twins.

The Duchess of Sussex was working as an actress on Suits at the time, and had contributed to the magazine she was holding, reportedly writing about sunglasses.

It came four years before the sister-in-laws would go on to 'fall out' with Meghan explosively claiming that Kate 'made her cry' over a fallout about bridesmaids dresses in her bombshell Oprah interview in March.

A 2014 photograph of Meghan Markle posing with a magazine which has Kate Middelton on the cover has resurfaced online for the first time since The Duchess of Sussex quit the royal family

It was also five years before Meghan would go-on to be the first guest-editor of the September issue of Vogue.

It's not the first time the image been unearthed, with royal fans previously spotting the image in 2019, after Denise first uploaded the snap in November 2017.

While there now seems to be a rift between the sisters-in-law, they appeared to get on when they first met, with Meghan clearly a fan of Kate before she joined the royal family.

During Harry and Meghan's engagement interview, Meghan described Kate as 'wonderful' and 'amazing', saying she'd been a 'great support'.

While their seems to be a rift between the sisters-in-law, they appeared to get on when they first met, with Meghan clearly a fan of Kate before she joined the royal family. They are pictured together in 2019 at Wimbledon

However, thinks drastically changed by the time Meghan gave an interview to her friend Oprah this year, with Meghan telling the chat show host Kate 'made her cry' as well as dozens of other attacks on The Firm.

The infamous row with Prince William's wife made headlines around the world after a supposed falling out over dresses for the flower girls.

Reports of the clash between the duchesses first emerged in November 2018, when sources claimed Meghan had been left displeased with the 'stressful' fitting.

Accounts differ as to whether the cause of the row was a disagreement on whether the bridesmaids should wear tights - Meghan reportedly believed they should not - or whether it stemmed from Princess Charlotte's dress not fitting.

A source said at the time: 'Kate had only just given birth to her third child, Prince Louis, and was feeling quite emotional.'

The Duchess of Cambridge with Princess Charlotte and other bridesmaids arriving at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan in May 2018

During the interview, Oprah asked Meghan: 'Was there a situation where she (Kate) might have cried? Or she could have cried?'

But the Duchess of Sussex replied: 'No, no. The reverse happened. And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding.

'And she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised.

'And she brought me flowers and a note, apologising. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.'

Meghan added that it was 'shocking' that the 'reverse of that would be out in the world'.

She continued: 'A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining - yes, the issue was correct - about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings.

(From left) The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of Sussex arriving to attend the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, in December 2018

'And I thought, in the context of everything else that was going on in those days leading to the wedding, that it didn't make sense to not be just doing whatever everyone else was doing, which was trying to be supportive, knowing what was going on with my dad and whatnot.'

Meghan also said: 'It wasn't a confrontation, and I actually think it's I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that, because she apologised.

'What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn't do but that happened to me.

'And the people who were part of our wedding were going to our comms team and saying: 'I know this didn't happen. I don't have to tell them what actually happened'.'

During the same interview, Meghan said she didn't grow up 'knowing much about the royal family' and was unprepared for her role - despite a childhood best friend claiming she was 'fascinated' with them.

Meghan also said reports she had reduced the Duchess of Cambridge to tears were a 'turning point.

The Duchess said 'everyone in the institution knew that wasn't true' and she hoped Kate 'would have wanted that to be corrected', adding 'she is a good person'.

During the same interview, Meghan said she didn't grow up 'knowing much about the royal family' and was unprepared for her role - despite a childhood best friend claiming she was 'fascinated' with them.

Meghan added that she 'never looked up her husband online' when she first started dating Harry, and had to Google the British national anthem.

Shortly before Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding in 2018, Ninaki Priddy, the duchess' childhood best friend and maid of honour at her first wedding to Trevor Engelson, told the Daily Mail: '[Meghan] was always fascinated by the royal family. She wants to be Princess Diana 2.0.'

A picture of a 15-year-old Meghan posing in front of Buckingham Palace, with friend Ninaki, during a European trip in 1996, previously emerged before the duchess' big day.
Meghan Markle sported a casual 27 black and white T-shirt by British designer Mere Soeur during an appearance on the trailer for Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's new Apple TV mental health series.

The Duchess of Sussex, 39, appeared behind her husband in their $14m Santa Barbara mansion dressed in the 27 top which bears the slogan 'raising the future'.

The hipster brand specialises in clothing for mothers - aka 'mama merch' - and is 'dedicated to celebrating sisterhood and empowering mums'.

The T-shirt's description on its website reads: 'However you choose to do it, whatever your parenting choices, we're all doing it. The greatest and hardest job you'll ever have.'

The Duchess of Sussex, 39, appeared behind her husband dressed in a 27 top by British designer Mere Soeur which bears the slogan 'raising the future'

Meghan teamed the white tee with black high-waisted trousers and a belt and kept her make-up natural - though she did accessorise with her emerald cut diamond earrings by Lorraine Schwartz, the jewellery designer that Harry collaborated with to create her eternity ring.

The Duchess wore the same earrings to Trooping the Colour in 2019 and to the Lion King premiere in July 2019 - for which she customised the studs by adding black onyx jackets.

She looked like she'd been in a hurry to get dressed, as much of her long dark locks were tucked inside her T-shirt, as if she'd just popped it over her head.

Meghan was previously gifted a Mere Soeur baby grow with the slogan 'the future' while on tour in South Africa in September 2019, during a sit down with mothers and mentors working with the Mothers2Mothers charity in Cape Town.

The T-shirt's description on its website reads: 'However you choose to do it, whatever your parenting choices, we're all doing it. The greatest and hardest job you'll ever have'

Today Mere Soeur founder Carrie-Anne shared a photo of Meghan wearing the tee on Instagram, captioning the post: 'Excuse me but [shocked emojis] if you know how my brand started and why then youll understand why I shed a small happy tear just now. Endlessly grateful to be here always #raisingthefutute PS. THEY'RE ONLINE NOW!'

Having previously worked at Lush, Carrie-Anne was inspired to start Mere Soeur by the supportive community she found online while feeling lonely after giving birth to her son at a young age and separating from his father.

She moved back in with her mother and admitted she knew 'nothing about business' when she launched the brand, putting the first batch of tote bags on her credit card.

Writing on the Mere Soeur blog in August 2016, she explained: 'Luckily, they sold out pretty quickly (massive thank you to those who bought the first ever Mere Soeur totes, you made this happen!). At this point I had the funds to start making and printing my own bags, every penny from these went straight back into buying more stock and it all snowballed from there.

Meghan was previously gifted a Mere Soeur baby grow with the slogan 'the future' while on tour in South Africa in September 2019

Mere Soeur founder Carrie-Anne (pictured) was inspired to start her brand by the supportive community she found online while feeling lonely after giving birth to her son at a young age and separating from his father

'I didnt borrow a penny. I dont even know anyone who has any pennies to offer so I knew it was down to me to make sure this worked. What Im trying to say is that if I can do it then you can too. I had no actual funds, a tiny social media following and no clue about business or what I was and was not allowed to do when "trading".

'What I did have was a fiercely stubborn streak and the motivation to use every spare second to get things done and push everything along day by day. The support of other mamas on Instagram and their willingness to help was utterly invaluable. Never underestimate the power of a girl gang.'

The Duchess also appeared in the trailer today cuddling her and Harry's son Archie, now two, whom the Sussexes claimed was subject to racism from the Royal Family during their explosive interview with Oprah in March.

Harry urges viewers to speak out in the clip that also shows his wife and son together at home in Los Angeles

The trailer's release comes amid a backlash in the US after Harry's attack on the 'bonkers' First Amendment that protects free speech and days after he launched another broadside at the Royal Family in which he appeared to suggest both his father and the Queen failed as parents.

The Duke of Sussex told Dax Shepard, host of the 'Armchair Expert' podcast: 'He (Charles) treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids?' Harry then described his life as a cross between the film The Truman Show  in which a man discovers he is living in a reality TV programme  and a zoo.

Other guests on the show include Lady Gaga and actress and producer Glenn Close.
The Duchess of Cambridge has praised an 'amazing' image of an elderly couple holding hands as they battled Covid-19, before dying just five days apart, which was chosen for her landmark photographic project.

Kate Middleton, 39, spoke to Hayley Evans, West Sussex, who submitted the picture of her grandparents, Pat and Ron Wood as they held hands while in hospital last year, to the National Portrait Gallery's Hold Still exhibition.

The striking image, entitled Forever Holding Hands, was among 100 photographs chosen for the duchess' Hold Still exhibition and book, which encouraged the public to document life during the pandemic.

Kate phoned Hayley last autumn and the conversation was released today on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's new YouTube channel, alongside heart-warming photographs of Hayley and her family.

Speaking with Hayley, Kate said she had been 'so moved' by the image and the title of the picture, saying: 'I loved your sentence about saying how they appreciate the tiny things and took nothing for granted.

'The ability to touch each other and hold each other in those last few days...I think things like that shouldn't be taken for granted, particularly, you know, in the last few days of life.'

In the picture only the hands of the couple, who were married for 71 years, can be seen, with Ron, who died aged 94 five days after his wife, clutching the fingers of his partner, who died in May last year aged 91.

The Duchess of Cambridge has praised an 'amazing' an image of an elderly couple Ron and Pat Wood who battled Covid-19 together

Kate Middleton, 39, spoke to Hayley Evans, from West Sussex, who submitted the picture of her grandparents to the National Portrait Gallery's Hold Still exhibition

The royal, who is a keen amateur photographer, launched the Hold Still initiative during lockdown and asked the public to submit their images which captured the period for a digital exhibition.

She was then joined by a panel of five judges to select the best photos from more than 31,000 submitted for the nation-wide contest and said she was 'overwhelmed' by the response and that it was 'so hard' to whittle the images down to a top 100.

During the call, which was released today, Hayley said of the photo: 'Although it's a sad photo, it's also so happy as well and when I look at it, I think "Oh it's really sad", but I also feel really joyful that they could do that.

'Its exactly how they've lived their life and that's exactly how they were going to end their life.'

In the picture only the hands of the couple, who were married for 71 years, can be seen, with Ron, who died aged 94 five days after his wife, clutching the fingers of his partner, who died in May last year aged 91

The striking image, entitled Forever Holding Hands, was among 100 photographs chosen for the duchess' Hold Still exhibition and book. Pictured, Hayley with her grandparents

Hayley revealed to the Duchess that her grandparents had been isolating by themselves for the majority of the pandemic before falling ill

Kate could be heard gasping as Hayley recalled her family battling the disease, saying: 'And that they had in that moment in time that sort of comfort in each other.'

In the five-minute long video today, Hayley revealed to the duchess that her grandparents had been isolating by themselves for the majority of the pandemic before falling ill.

'They were quite independent', she said. 'They were isolating for five weeks and we would go and leave food on their back door. One day my granddad fell over and had to go to hospital because he fractured his hip.'

Hayley's mother moved in with the couple to care for them, but sadly, both Ron and Pat both contracted Covid-19.

Hayley described her parents as 'quite independent' but said the 'best thing' that could have happened for them in hospital was being together

Sadly Ron had a fall and injured his hip and later contracted Covid during a visit to the hospital. He is pictured with wife Pat

Hayley's mother, pictured with Ron and Pat, moved in with the couple to care for them, but sadly, both Ron and Pat both contracted Covid-19

The couple were cared for in their hometown of Worthing after being admitted in May 2020.

They were originally being cared for separately but kind staff later pushed their beds together so they could be in the same room.

'My nan, it made her absolute life being able to be next to him', said Hayley. 'She could just sit there holding his hand (and say) "I love you Ron, love you Ron! Come on Ron", and he was like, 'Stop talking woman!'.

'It was the best thing they could have done for them.'

'My nan, it made her absolute life being able to be next to him', said Hayley. She is pictured with her grandmother Pat

Hayley, pictured with granddad Ron, made the Duchess laugh with tales of the couple's lighthearted bickering

Hayley told Kate that the evening before her grandmother went into hospital they had been watching VE day celebrations together and 'speaking about how much she loves the Queen'.

She said: 'We saw some videos of you and your outfit, so her photo being selected would have meant so much to her because of you and the fact that they're still having an impact because they impact so many people's lives.

'The fact they're still having an impact and their ripples and their message. That was their message throughout their lives together, the love and the little things. And it's just reaching so many people'.

The new YouTube video after Kate's new book, Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, which features 100 final 'poignant and personal' portraits selected from 31,000 entrants, topped the bestseller list on its first day of release.

Hayley told Kate that the evening before her grandmother went into hospital they had been watching VE day celebrations together and 'speaking about how much she loves the Queen'. Ron and Pat are pictured together

Ron and Pat Wood are pictured together on their wedding day in their hometown of Worthing, West Sussex

Hayley's grandparents Ron and Pat are pictured together at the store they owned in Worthing

The new book includes an introduction from Kate, in which she explains why launching Hold Still was so important to her.

She writes: 'When we look back at the COVID-19 pandemic in decades to come, we will think of the challenges we all faced  the loved ones we lost, the extended isolation from our families and friends and the strain placed on our key workers.

'But we will also remember the positives: the incredible acts of kindness, the helpers and heroes who emerged from all walks of life, and how together we adapted to a new normal.

'Through Hold Still, I wanted to use the power of photography to create a lasting record of what we were all experiencing  to capture individuals' stories and document significant moments for families and communities as we lived through the pandemic.'

The mother-of-three launched a royal treasure hunt last as she joined her fellow Hold Still judges in leaving copies of her photography book hidden around the UK with a letter tucked inside

She goes on: 'For me, the power of the images is in the poignant and personal stories that sit behind them. I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak to some of the photographers and sitters, to hear their stories first-hand - from moments of joy, love and community spirit, to deep sadness, pain, isolation and loss.

'A common theme of those conversations was how lockdown reminded us about the importance of human connection and the huge value we place on the relationships we have with the people around us.

'Although we were physically apart, these images remind us that, as families, communities and as a nation, we need each other more than we had ever realised.'

She concludes by thanking everyone who took the time to submit an image, adding: 'Your stories are the most crucial part of this project.

'I hope that the final 100 photographs showcase the experiences and emotions borne during this time in history, pay tribute to the awe-inspiring efforts of all who have worked to protect those around them, and provide a space for us to pause and reflect upon this unparalleled period.'
Stanton Public Policy Center Applauds the Supreme Court for Agreeing to Hear Mississippi Case Regarding a State Ban on Abortions After 15 Weeks NEWS PROVIDED BY

Stanton Public Policy Center

May 17, 2021



WASHINGTON, May 17, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, is a challenge to a Mississippi law that prohibits nearly all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.



Stanton Public Policy Center believes this is the most critical abortion case since Roe v. Wade.



Stanton Public Policy Center is a women's advocacy and educational group that works on issues of human rights and justice which empower and inspire women. It is affiliated with Stanton Healthcare which has life-affirming women's health clinics in America and internationally.



Stanton Founder and CEO, Brandi Swindell, and Stanton's Chief Strategy Officer, Rev. Patrick Mahoney, will be holding a news conference on Tuesday, May 18, at 1:00 P.M.



The news conference will be on the public sidewalk in front of the United States Supreme Court.



Stanton Healthcare was instrumental in helping pass "heartbeat" legislation in Idaho just last month. See link below to news article:

https://www.lifenews.com/2021/04/27/idaho-gov-brad-little-signs-bill-banning-abortions-when-unborn-babys-heart-starts-beating/



Brandi Swindell, CEO and Founder of Stanton Healthcare, states: "We applaud the United States Supreme Court for agreeing to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. It is our hope this will be a major step in dismantling Roe v. Wade and help bring an end to abortion violence in America.



"At Stanton, we acknowledge the fact that when an abortion happens, a beating heart is stopped and a life is forever ended. Abortion is not women's health care. Medical professionals take an oath to 'do no harm.' If ending the heartbeat of a tiny baby is not the epitome of 'harm,' then I don't know what is." Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Chief Strategy Officer for Stanton Public Policy Center, adds: "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is the most important abortion case since Roe v. Wade. One of the main reasons: it focuses on the humanity of the child and reminds all of us abortion is an act of violence against innocent children.



"Stanton Public Policy Center and Purple Sash Revolution will be giving a national call for all who embrace human rights and ending abortion violence to join us for a massive prayer vigil and rally in front of the Supreme Court on Sunday, October 3. This is the day before the new fall term of the court begins." For more information or interviews call:

Rev. Patrick Mahoney at 540.538.4741



SOURCE Stanton Public Policy Center



CONTACT: Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741



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A BBC reporter has left social media users in hysterics after she revealed her reporting had been crashed by her young daughter.

Anna Holligan, who is the foreign correspondent in The Hague, shared outtakes from her attempts to film a piece to camera on Twitter last night, writing: 'Oh the joys of breaking news on a non school day.'

During the short video, Anna could be seen encouraging Zena to lean back into her pram, meaning she would not be visible to the camera, saying: 'Baby, go back and chat to Elsa, behind the scarf, just for a minute.'

But the playful four-year-old appeared determined to capture her mother's attention, leaning out of the pram, chattering away, and shouting: 'Mummy!'

Anna Holligan, who is the foreign correspondent in The Hague, left viewers in hysterics after she revealed her reporting has been interrupted crashed by her young daughter

During the clip, Anna could be seen trying to deliver a piece to camera for the 10 o'clock news about changes to the Eurovision song contest.

Zena could be seen leaning out of the pram holding a phone, chatting away to her mother, apparently oblivious to the fact Anna was trying to work.

As Anna tried to deliver her script to camera, Zena gabbled away, interrupting her at one point to say loudly: 'Can you hear Mummy talking?'

The reporter closed her eyes to compose herself before her daughter could be seen leaning fully out of the pram and into the full view of the camera, saying: 'Mummy!'

During the short video, Anna could be seen encouraging Zena to lean back into her pram, meaning she would not be visible to the camera

Zena could be seen leaning out of the pram holding a phone, chatting away to her mother, apparently oblivious to the fact Anna was trying to work

As she finished reading her script, she laughed and turned to Zena saying: 'Come on!'

Anna went on to post the full package on her Twitter account, writing: 'And here's the take that made the cut.

'If you didn't know she was in the bike, would you even notice? Four and a half years of juggling work and child, still trying to nail it, does anyone, ever?'

Other Twitter users were blown away by the clip, with one writing: 'You are my hero! Love you both.'

The reporter closed her eyes to compose herself before her daughter could be seen leaning fully out of the pram and into the full view of the camera

Another commented: ' Who cares about Eurovision. Give the girl a full programme!'

'Your child is very clever! He or she was helping you transmitting the news,' another said.

A fourth wrote: 'A budding journalist you have there.'

It's far from the first time journalists have been interrupted by their children while trying to work during the pandemic.

Other Twitter users were blown away by the clip, with some saying Zena should have her own programme

Last year, Dr Clare Wenham, from South London, appeared on BBC News to discuss the coronavirus crisis when her daughter Scarlett began rearranging a unicorn picture behind her, and even struck up a conversation with the newsreader.

After Dr Wenham apologised, Scarlett remained in the room and began rearranging a shelf behind her, trying to figure out where to put a picture she had painted of a unicorn.

'Mummy, where do you want this picture, she asked, before repeating, 'Mummy, where do you want it?'

After attempting to continue the interview, Christian gave in and addressed the little girl saying: 'Scarlett, I think it looks better on the lower shelf. It's a lovely unicorn.'

Upon hearing her name mentioned, Scarlett asked her mother: 'Mummy, what's his name?'

Dr Clare Wenham (pictured), from South London, appeared on BBC News last year to discuss the coronavirus crisis

'My name is Christian,' replied the newsreader.

Scarlett went on: 'Christian, I'm just deciding where it can go and where mummy wants it to go.'

'I think just on that shelf is great, thank you,' said Dr Wenham, 'I'm so sorry'.

The presenter remained in good spirits about the interview, joking that it was 'the most informative interview I've done all day'.

Scarlett began rearranging a shelf behind her, trying to figure out where to put a picture she had painted of a unicorn

After attempting to continue the interview, host Christian Fraser gave in and addressed the little girl and she asked him his name

Viewers were left in hysterics, with one writing: 'I love kids. They don't care if mum has an important BBC interview. They must attend to the much more important matter of WHICH SHELF TO PUT THE UNICORN PICTURE.'

Meanwhile Sky New's Foreign Affairs editor Deborah, faced a similar situation from her home in Kent, when her son entered the room in search of biscuits while she was being interviewed by presenter Mark Austin.

Deborah was seen stopping mid-sentence as her son opened the door and came in, saying: 'Hold on that's my son arriving, really embarrassing.'

'Can I have two biscuits', he asks, to which the journalist replied: 'Yes, you can have two biscuits, really sorry about that.'

Sky New's Foreign Affairs editor Deborah apologised after her son entered the room in search of biscuits while she was being interviewed by presenter Mark Austin

Mark, 61, London, then cuts the interview short saying: 'We'll leave Deborah Haynes there, in full family swing'.

Viewers found the incident hilarious, with several teasing that the toddler had chosen the perfect time to 'gain leverage in the snack negotiations'.

'Send the kid to Brussels to lead the Biscuit negotiations. Let's get biscuits done', wrote one.

While lockdown may exacerbated the volume of children dropping in on their parent's interview, it was a peril of those working from home long before the pandemic.

Mark, 61, London, then cuts the interview short saying: 'We'll leave Deborah Haynes there, in full family swing'

In 2017, Robert Kelly, an associate professor of Political Science at Pusan National University in Busan won the hearts of the nation when his two children interrupted in on air.

Hilarious footage showed expert Robert, 47, handling serious questions on the country's president, Park Geun-hye, being ousted from power.

But suddenly, a toddler bursts into the room in a bright yellow top and performs a comical dance behind the Cleveland, Ohio, native.

The interviewees toddler bursts into the room in a bright yellow top and performs a hilarious dance behind him

Kelly focuses entirely on the camera as he attempts to blindly hand off his daughter, who is clearly curious as to who he is talking to.

And his parental problems soon double as a baby also excitedly makes his way into the room under his own power in a walker.

To complete the farce, his wife Jung-a Kim then comes skidding through the threshold.

Both parties try to keep their cool despite the hilarious interruption from his young child

She grabs the two youngsters and attempts to drag them out of the door, but one of them can be heard wailing and the baby's walker suddenly won't fit back through the door.

Eventually, she manages to get them both out, and the interview continues.

When the interview finishes, broadcaster James Mernendez says: 'There's a first time for everything. I think you've got some children who need you!'
When Labour MP Stephen McCabe was told he had a heart murmur that needed attention very urgently, his initial response was to dismiss the advice.

It had been spotted during a routine medical at Westminster, and Stephen, then 56, admits his first thought was: Dont be silly. Everything else came back perfect: theres nothing wrong with me.

Mulling over the advice that evening, however, he realised his stupidity and decided to seek help. Within a month, hed been diagnosed with heart valve disease.

By then, Id realised this was pretty serious, as the cardiologist said I was at risk of a heart attack or worse, he says.

When Labour MP Stephen McCabe was told he had a heart murmur that needed attention very urgently, his initial response was to dismiss the advice

The problem was his mitral valve, which lies between the hearts upper left chamber (left atrium) and the lower left chamber (left ventricle).

The flaps that make up the valve were not closing properly, so blood was leaking back to the left atrium  a condition known as mitral valve regurgitation.

Left untreated, this can cause heart rhythm problems, high blood pressure, fluid in the lungs and heart failure, where the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body. Around one in five such patients will die within five years.

It is a slow but progressive decline, with increasing hospitalisation, usually due to heart failure, explains Professor Richard Anderson, a consultant interventional cardiologist at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Heart valve disease can be diagnosed with a stethoscope by the GP  yet, astonishingly, these checks are not routinely performed, according to the charity Heart Valve Voice

Thankfully, Stephen was diagnosed early enough to have an operation to repair his defective valve. In fact, that medical probably saved his life because, like many people with heart valve disease, he didnt have any obvious symptoms (common ones include fatigue, breathlessness, chest pains and abnormal heart beats).

Some are not so lucky.

Stephen recognises, with hindsight, that hed had episodes of tiredness and shortness of breath, but hed put these down to a heavy work schedule or getting older.

Around 1.5 million Britons over 65 have some form of heart valve disease. Most deaths occur either because patients dont have symptoms or because they attribute them to getting older.

There are four valves in the heart, but its the two on the left side  the mitral and aortic valves  that are most commonly damaged or affected by disease. This is thought to be because theres much more pressure on the left side, as it pumps blood around the body.

Damage can occur for a number of reasons, including following another illness, for instance rheumatic fever or infective endocarditis. Very rarely, its passed on genetically. But the number one risk factor is age.

The most common type of heart valve disease is aortic stenosis, when the aortic valve separating the lower heart chamber (ventricle) from the aorta (the bodys main artery that delivers blood to the body) becomes calcified or hardened with age. This narrows the opening through which blood can flow through the valve.

This narrowing means increased pressure is needed within the heart to pump blood out. Eventually, it reduces the hearts ability to pump blood, leading to heart failure. Untreated, half of patients will die within two years.

Breathlessness gets worse, fluid collects on the lungs and death follows with the patient almost drowning in this fluid, explains Professor Anderson.

Or they die suddenly at home when the heart slows down and fails within a couple of hours. Its more deadly than most cancers in that respect. Many patients die while waiting for surgery.

Around 1.5 million Britons over 65 have some form of heart valve disease. Most deaths occur either because patients dont have symptoms or because they attribute them to getting older

Heart valve disease can be diagnosed with a stethoscope by the GP  yet, astonishingly, these checks are not routinely performed, according to the charity Heart Valve Voice, which, backed by Stephen McCabe, is now calling for annual stethoscope tests for all over-65s.

During this test, doctors listen to the sound of the blood flow at various points around the chest, looking out for abnormal sounds or murmurs which may indicate blood is flowing at abnormally high pressure or speed.

Once detected, treatment may involve blood pressure drugs to open the arteries, blood thinners to reduce the chance of blood clots and beta blockers to slow the heart down.

But the only way to treat the underlying disease is surgery: either valve repair or valve replacement. There are different types of repair operations, such as tightening the flaps to reduce leakage, replacing the cords that support the valve, or removing excess tissue so that the valve can close tightly.

Valve replacement involves replacing the diseased valve with an artificial one or one made from animal tissue. This often involves open heart surgery, which is too gruelling for older patients.

Less invasive procedures are also becoming more available. For example, the Mitraclip, which was approved by NICE in 2019, repairs the valve using a tube threaded through the groin. The paperclip-like device holds the defective valve flaps together, helping to restore normal blood flow through the heart.

Stephen, who represents Selly Oak in Birmingham, believes his lifestyle may have contributed to his heart valve condition. Being an MP, I cannot claim to have the healthiest lifestyle in the world, he says. He had smoked until 2009 and was overweight.

Following his diagnosis in October 2011, Stephen, who is divorced with two grown-up children and lives with his partner, Fiona, realised he couldnt take his health for granted any longer.

Further tests at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, including an ultrasound of the heart, revealed his heart was working harder than it should.

With medication alone, the risk was that my heart would deteriorate and Id have a heart attack. The alternative was surgery to repair the defective valve.

He underwent open heart surgery in May 2012. Normally this procedure takes two to four hours, but Stephens was more complicated  he doesnt know why  and took seven.

He says that when he came round: I couldnt work out if I was dreaming or had died. I felt like Id been kicked by a horse.

But he made progress in the days that followed and was allowed home a week later. Even so, he found his recovery to be slow and, at times, demoralising.

Psychologically, I felt much worse after the surgery than before  very down in the dumps, he says. I convinced myself Id never get back to normal and would have to give up my job.

It would be two months before he felt up to taking short walks  and a turning point came six weeks later when he started going to exercise classes at a rehabilitation centre.

Four months after the operation, he was well enough to do some work from home, and he returned to Westminster early in 2013.

I felt a million times better, and every week I felt stronger, he says.

These days he only takes low doses of a blood pressure drug. Regular check-ups have shown the surgery to be a success.

He says: I know first-hand the importance of receiving timely treatment. With early diagnosis and proper treatment, these conditions arent debilitating.

heartvalvevoice.com

Storing up trouble

Whats the healthiest way to store your food? This week: Filtered or bottled water.

Some people use water filtering jugs to remove the taste of chlorine, but in doing this you also remove the bacteria-killing abilities of that chlorine.

For this reason, you should refrigerate it and drink it within 24 hours, according to experts at Water UK, an industry group representing the UKs water suppliers.

Dr Edward Fox, an expert in food safety at Northumbria University, suggests doing the same with bottled water.

Once you open a water bottle, there is a risk for contamination with microbes. So, in general for waters, once opened they should be refrigerated to help keep them safe.

Jargon Buster

Medical terms decoded. This week: Metastatic

Metastatic refers to a disease spreading from its origin in the body. It is generally used to describe cancer that has spread to another part of the body.

But it is also used for infections, including those caused by bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus, that have travelled from the area where the infection first started.

Metastatic infections can result in serious conditions such as infective endocarditis  which affects the lining of the chambers of the heart and is usually caused by bacteria that travels from the mouth.

In metastatic cancer, the cancer cells break away from where they formed and travel elsewhere in the body, usually via the blood or lymph system.

A metastatic cancer is the same type as the original. So, if breast cancer cells spread to the lung, they are still breast cancer cells not lung cancer.
Housebuilder Vistry has said profits will come in well above expectations this year as it continues to see strong demand for homes and to benefit from rising house prices.

The group, formerly known as Bovis Homes, has seen house sales surpass pre-pandemic levels, with the average weekly private sales rate up 21 per cent so far this year compared to the same period in 2019.

And given the continued strong demand, it expects to complete the sale of 6,500 homes in 2021, more than it previously expected and up from 4,652 last year.

Housing boom: Vistry expects profits to smash expectations as demand remains strong

Like its peers, Vistry has benefited from the extension of the stamp duty holiday, a new mortgage guarantee scheme and the resulting increase in house prices, which have been rising steadily despite the Covid economic crisis.

House prices surged 20,000, or 8.6 per cent, on average over the past year, according to the latest available official figures.

Larger homes have become particularly in demand as Britons look for more space and options to work from home, with family homes having become like 'gold dust', according to Rightmove.

Vistry has also been a beneficiary of the Help to Buy scheme over the past years, and said it has seen 'good demand' so far for the revamped scheme, which is now available only to first-time buyers.

In light of the strong performance to date and with a forward book of 2.7billion, Vistry now expects pre-tax profit for 2021 to be around 325million, up from previous guidance of at least 310million.

Chief executive Greg Fitzgerald said: 'It has been a very positive start to the year with strong demand across all areas of our business and our private sales rate increasing to 0.75.

'As we approach the end of our first half, we anticipate results for the six months will be well ahead of our previous expectations.

'Vistry housebuilding is firmly on track to deliver a significant step up in completions in FY21 and remains firmly focused on driving profitability to deliver the expected improvement in gross margin.'

The group, which has restarted dividend payments, expects to pay 20p per share with the half-year results and to adopt a progressive dividend policy that allowed it to move towards a 1.75 times dividend cover 'over time'.

Shares in FTSE 250 listed Vistry rose 1.7 per cent to 13.18 in morning trading on Monday. They have bounced back to their pre-pandemic levels.

On the rise: Vistry shares have bounced back to their pre-pandemic levels

'As we start to emerge out of lockdown Vistry Group has got a real spring in its step and is the first housebuilder to comment on expectations for FY2022 as well as FY 2021, suggesting that the vaccine rollout is boosting sales for the longer term and not just giving short term sales a shot in the arm,' said Anthony Codling of property platform Twindig.

Like some of its peers, Vistry noted that the cost of building materials and labour are rising.

But the group also said that there were many opportunities to buy land at a decent price, especially larger sites, where there is lower competition.

So far, it has acquired over 1,350 plots across three developments and has a 'strong pipeline', it added.

Vistry was formed in January last year, after Bovis Homes merged with Linden Homes, which it had bought from Galliford Try alongside its Partnerships and Regeneration units for 1.1billion.
Homebuyers hoping to benefit from the stamp duty holiday are facing a race against the clock.

With less than seven weeks left until the stamp duty threshold is lowered at the end of June, some councils are taking months to return local searches, with potentially thousands of pounds at stake for prospective homeowners.

Under the current rules, no stamp duty will be paid on the first 500,000 of a property purchase until 30 June - saving buyers up to 15,000 compared to normal tax rates.

The conveyancing process takes around 12-16 weeks, according to the Homeowners Alliance

After that, there will also be no stamp duty charged on the first 250,000 of a property purchase until the end of September - saving buyers a maximum of 5,000.

The nil rate band for stamp duty will then revert to its pre-holiday level of 125,000.

Whether or not a buyer completes on time will largely be in the hands of their conveyancing solicitor, as the legal process is usually the most time-consuming aspects of buying a home.

In turn, conveyancing timelines are often heavily influenced by the time it takes for local authority searches to be returned.

These vary dramatically across the UK, according to research by the online mortgage broker, Mojo.

What's included in a local authority search? There are two parts to a local authority search according to the HomeOwners Alliance: The Local Land Charge Register search and the CON29 The Local Land Charge Register search checks whether the property is a listed building, located in a conservation area, subject to a tree protection order, in need of an improvement or renovation grant, or situated in a smoke control zone. The CON29 supplies information relating to public highways; new roads proposals; rail schemes; planning decisions that might impact the property; outstanding statutory notices; breaches of planning or building regulations or the existence of a compulsory purchase order. There are also a host of optional extra searches, which you might need to get depending on your property's circumstances. These include environmental searches, water authority searches and chancel repair reports - in case you find yourself buying a property that is liable for church repair contributions.

A local authority search looks into whether the property is listed or located in a conservation area, as well as presenting information relating to new road proposals, rail schemes and planning decisions that might impact the property.

Ashfield District Council in Nottinghamshire has the quickest turnaround time, providing searches in five working days on average, whilst buyers in Hackney will typically be waiting 180 working days to get these returned.

A number of other local councils including Uttlesford District Council in Essex, East Devon District Council and Crawley Borough Council also report speedy searches taking six days.

The councils with the slowest local authority searches Local Authority Working days to return a search How many weeks? Hackney Council 180 36 London Borough of Havering 90 16 Dorset Council 70 14 Durham County Council 65 13 Newcastle City Council 50 10 Lewisham Council 45 9 Lichfield District Council 40 8 Plymouth City Council 40 8 Salisbury City Council 35 7 South Staffordshire District Council 35 7 Source: Mojo

Buyers in these areas still stand a chance of saving on stamp duty.

For example, based on the average 412,000 semi-detached house in Saffron Walden - which comes under Uttlesford District Council - a homebuyer could save 8,100 in stamp duty if they complete before 30 June.

At the other end of the spectrum, those in Hackney could face local authority search delays of more than six months, meaning buyers are almost certain to miss out.

The average price paid for a property in Hackney over the past 12 months, according to Zoopla is 700,656.

For a Hackney buyer paying the equivalent sum, completing before the 30 June deadline will mean paying 10,032 in stamp duty, whilst those failing to make it in time will see their tax bill rise to 22,532. From October it will rise to 25,032.

Stamp Duty Calculator How much tax would you have to pay on a home or buy-to-let? Purchase price 

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*Transactions under 40,000 do not require a tax return to be filed with HMRC and are not subject to the higher rates Stamp duty charge Find the best mortgage for you Check the rates you could apply for

Havering in East London and Dorset Council are also reporting some of the slowest responses in the country  90 and 70 working days respectively for local searches to be returned.

'With less than seven weeks to go until the deadline there will be many wondering if they are going to complete on time, with conveyancers doing all they can to keep clients happy,' said Richard Hayes, chief executive at Mojo Mortgages.

'Although these times are average and theoretical, they do help people realise how long things can take, and how tight it could be.

'If they do think they are at risk, it's really important they speak to their conveyancer about no-search indemnity insurance.'

This covers buyers financially if they decide to proceed without local authority searches being returns.

What to do if your searches are being delayed

Delayed searches are one aspect of a house purchase that a buyer and their conveyancer have little control over.

Instructing the conveyancer to begin local searches as soon as the offer is accepted is one obvious way a buyer can speed up the process.

An alternative option is to contact the local council to try and chase things up - although there is no guarantee this will speed up the process, which many local councils working through a considerable backlog thanks to the extremely busy housing market.

Searches uncover information relating to public highways, proposals for new roads, rail schemes or planning decisions that could affect the property

If you are willing to pay an extra fee, you could also contact a personal search company, who will conduct their own investigations to speed the process up.

'The best way to speed up a search, is to contact a personal search organisation who will be able to run a search alongside the council and often produce searches quicker than local authorities can,' explains Mark Hayward, chief policy adviser at Propertymark.

'You can do this quickly and easily via the Council Of Property Search Organisations website, which lists a range of companies that can help.'

The nuclear option for buyers who are unable to get their searches completed in time is to go ahead with the sale anyway and take out search indemnity insurance to cover any costs that might come up as a direct result.

The caveat here is that this be subject to your mortgage lender's approval  and many banks and building societies won't accept it.

If you can get approval, the insurance can cost as little as 20, according to the HomeOwners Alliance.

It will typically cover some, but not all, of the issues that would have otherwise been revealed had a search been carried out before completion.

It enables buyers to proceed with their house purchase in the absence of local search results with a little more reassurance - at least monetarily speaking.

However, even if you are covered financially, finding out that there is something seriously wrong with a home you have already bought can be a huge headache.

'Search indemnity insurance protects the buyer from some of the financial risks which could be revealed on searches,' says Rob McKellar, head of residential conveyancing at Slater and Gordon.

'But it would not protect against the inconvenience and distress of dealing with the problem once you move in, whilst also not covering wider incidental costs.'

Tips for Buyers and Sellers Advice by Rob McKellar, head of residential conveyancing at Slater and Gordon Be organised: Make sure you have all your paperwork ready and available. Every ten minutes you spend rifling through your stack of documents to find that one elusive bit of information or file adds up over time. Get Finances in Order: Being a cash buyer puts you in a strong position to move forward with a purchase. But its also important to make sure mortgages are ready and your bank has all the information needed to proceed with a purchase. Be responsive: Its not always possible to respond immediately  sometimes a reply will depend on getting information from somewhere else in the chain or system, such as a survey result. But if youre able to respond, the sooner you do, the quicker the process is likely to be. Keep in touch: A good relationship with your or your sellers estate agent is always a good idea. Clear and open dialogue usually pays dividends. A quick chat on the phone can solve an issue far faster than corresponding in writing. Understand the chain: Foreseeing problems and working to avoid them is the golden rule of smooth house sales. Chains are inherently problematic. If youre aware of a potential pinch point somewhere along the chain where a delay might occur, you can work that into your plan and it wont come as such a surprise. It will also mean you can flag it to your solicitor, agent or their agent. Be flexible: Dates and times can slip so try not to be too rigid with your schedule. If theres any way you can add flexibility  giving yourself a broader window to complete, being open to renting for a time if youve not found your dream home yet or your next purchase is delayed, are all things that can give you flexibility.

What other delays can a buyer expect?

On top of delayed searches, there are other issues that can delay the conveyancing process.

Many property transactions are dependant on a chain of buyers and sellers, all relying on each other to ensure they can complete on their own purchase.

If any transaction in the chain is delayed or collapses, everyone in the chain is impacted.

Often the buyer, seller, or their legal teams take too long responding to emails, returning documents and completing forms.

It is, therefore, vital to be proactive and ensure any delays are being chased up.

'Regularly engaging with the conveyancer and being prompt and co-operative with their requests for documents can prevent last minute hold- ups,' says McKellar.

'It is also useful to ask your conveyancer to blind copy you into any enquiries raised with the seller's solicitors, and to ask the estate agent to help chasing replies to those enquiries.'

Inconsistencies with the title deeds, issues with planning consents such as loft or garage conversions that have not been properly approved as well as problems relating to the buyer's mortgage application or survey can all slow down the legal process.

'Getting mortgage applications in at the earliest opportunity is helpful,' says McKellar

'It is also useful to have a full paper trail available of how you have accumulated your deposit, going all the way back to the original source.

'Conveyancers are very strictly regulated around anti-money laundering safeguards, and therefore need to perform detailed checks on source and proof of funds.'

Another factor that many buyers are not aware of is that buying a leasehold property typically takes a lot longer than buying a freehold.

'You have to get information packs from the freeholder or managing agent and they typically take six to eight weeks to come through,' says Sarah Dwight, a member of the Law Societys conveyancing and land law committee.

'You have to pay for those packs upfront for about 400-500, so it's crucial that sellers do this in advance to avoid delay.'

Often the initial management pack alone is not the only interaction needed with the freeholder or management company.

'Usually there will be enquiries raised on the information in the pack, and there can be some time spent going back and forth with the management company,' warns McKellar.

'Often they can be quite slow to respond, and many management companies still insist on receiving a cheque in the post in order to release information.'

Can I really meet the 30 June deadline?

Ultimately, with some conveyancers claiming it is taking 20 weeks on average for purchases to complete, the 30 June deadline may come too soon for those yet to have an offer accepted.

But for those determined to try their luck, or at least make the 30 September deadline, there are still some things you can do to improve your chances.

First, discuss likely timescales with a conveyancer or solicitor before instructing them.

'As a professional buyer my advice is tough - if your conveyancer doesn't think they can exchange and complete by the end of June then find another one,' says Henry Pryor, a property expert and professional buying agent.

Second, if you need to sell your own property and are yet to find a buyer, plan ahead.

'The best way to speed up the process is for the seller to prepare ahead by having a draft contract, property information form and ideally local searches already to hand before they go to market,' says Pryor.

Third, have a solicitor or conveyancer organised so that you can begin the legal process as soon as your offer is accepted.

'It's important that they start the conveyancing process immediately as there is lots of pressure on the searches, and the conveyancing system as a whole at the moment,' says David Darlington, partner at Fieldings Porter Solicitors.

'Even those who start now do not have a guarantee that they will complete in time for the end of June, but there is still a chance.'

Finally, arrange your mortgage and survey at the earliest opportunity.

'Get your mortgage offer in place as soon as you can, and ideally have an agreement in principle arranged before you find a property,' says Dwight.

'Mortgage offers, surveys and searches all come from different places and as the conveyancer we have to put it all together like a jigsaw puzzle.

'Making sure you organise these as quickly as possible will give us the best chance of getting contracts exchanged and the purchase completed in time for the deadline.'
New York Times journalists launched a crusade against Donald Trump during his presidency because he didn't give them the respect and regard they were used to, a former Washington correspondent for the paper claims in a new memoir.

Robert M. Smith says Times reporters engaged in 'spasms of adolescent pouting' with their 'biased' coverage of the Trump administration because they couldn't stand being challenged by the former president.

Smith takes a 'critical look' at his former employer and how he believes it 'lost its impartiality' when reporting on Trump, in his new memoir, Suppressed: Confessions of a Former New York Times Washington Correspondent, published May 14.

'The suppression of news is alive and well even at the New York Times,' Smith writes.

The media's reaction to Trump's contempt, he says, was like the 'impotent anger of the little boy or girl whose weekly hot fudge sundae is denied, or whose cherished doll has been taken away.'

He also accuses Times reporters of being out of touch with working class people and blind to the appeal of the Republican president.

Ironically one of the reasons Trump won in 2016 was that his supporters loved him bashing the media - meaning the Times was being used without realizing it.

A former Washington correspondent for the New York Times says the newspaper's 'biased' coverage of President Donald Trump was a display of its 'arrogance and self absorption'

In his new memoir, 'Suppressed', Robert M. Smith (left) who left the paper in 1972, said Times journalists hated that the former president didn't give them the respect they were used to

Smith, now a commercial mediator, left the New York Times in 1972 after it failed to follow up on his tip about the Watergate scandal which the Washington Post ended up breaking two months later.

According to Smith, the way the paper dropped the ball was typical of its arrogant attitude and cozy relationship with the establishment.

That also appeared to be evident in its 'biased' coverage of Trump which Smith says played 'no helpful role in the crucial effort to bridge the divide.'

'This is a persistent, obdurate part of Trump and Times...it makes both of the fighters right,' he writes.

'They are both profiting from pugilism - Trump politically, the Times economically.the liberal bias of the Times reached an all time high in its coverage of Donald Trump.'

Smith also highlights that Trump won the election and that win 'may have resulted in part from his conflict with the press.'

Although Trump was not without his flaws, Smith says the president still deserved accuracy and fairness from journalists covering him'

Unlike his predecessors, Trump openly expressed contempt for the media and launched attacks against journalists and news organizations, particularly the NYT, over their negative coverage of him

'The press, perhaps particularly the Times, seemed not to know it was being used...Trump was elected in part because of his statements about the media,' he argues.

'The nerve of the public! It believed Donald Trump instead of the Washington Bureau - or any bureau - of the New York Times.

'This gave rise to a wailing and gnashing of teeth in the press gang of group therapy sessions never before seen.

'When you have some power and are treated as if you do - the way Washington correspondents of the Times are for example - a sudden, enforced diminution in your power does more than sting.

'It instigates a cry for revenge.'

The paper's 'rage' against Trump became 'more than obvious' as the 2016 election campaign progressed.

Smith says that Times reporters were not unfamiliar with lies, given they are journalists, but they exhibited 'pretend horror' at catching those told by Trump.

Smith writes that he is 'ashamed' to read the Times nowadays because it is supposed to be a 'mature, adult institution.'

Smith said the Times' response to Trump's attacks against the paper revealed a 'sensitivity' to their 'loss of power.' Pictured: NY Times reporter Clifford Levy reacts to Trump's tweet slamming the paper in 2018

The Times has a 'duty to rise above criticism and not engage in spasms of adolescent pouting and lashing out,' Smith writes.

Such a reaction 'reveals a sensitivity to the loss of power - an arrogance and self absorption.'

Smith highlights one report from February 2017 calling Trump's Presidency 'unconstrained.'

In fact at the time Trump's ban on Muslim visitors had been struck down by a federal court, he had failed to repeal Obamacare and the funding to build the border wall was not assigned.

'Does this seem "unconstrained?"' Smith writes.

Another problem story was the Times' handling of the memos written by former FBI director James Comey about his interactions with Trump.

Smith says that it was wrong to report Comey's memos as fact as the paper had done.

'It doesn't matter who is right or wrong. It may be true that Trump is a crazy, lying fascist who has lost touching with reality, but even a crazy, lying fascist out of touch with reality deserves accuracy and fairness from journalists covering him,' the book states.

Smith compares a headline about the investigation into Trump's links to Russia, which talked about the 'legal risk rising for the President,' to the 'risk' of a river bursting its banks.

He writes: 'Maybe. But maybe not. You may see the Potomac flooding its banks and roaring to the White House. But you can also see a dry bed.'

The Associated Press report on Trump's views on Nato in April 2017 said his changing views were a sign he 'prides himself on his flexibility'.

The Times called it one of a series of 'flip flops.'

Smith also writes how he believed it was wrong to report former FBI director James Comey's memos as fact as the paper had done in 2017

As Smith sees it, the Times has gone backwards to the 1970s when it was a mixture of news and opinion, a paper that he fled for that very reason.

Its 'disdain' for the poor is another area that Smith takes exception to and says it was a reason why the media in general did not predict Trump's 2016 election victory.

'The election showed the American people sided more with Trump than it did with the Times,' he writes.

Smith calls the industry-wide reaction to Trump the 'impotent anger of the little boy or girl whose weekly hot fudge sundae is denied, or whose cherished doll has been taken away.'

The only answer for the Times was to stay impartial but it continued to get into the ring.

In Smith's view the explanation was simple: during the Trump presidency the Times paid circulation rose from 2.5million in 2016 to 4million in 2018.

Smith implores the editors to 'retrieve its sense of humor' and to 'dial down the self importance.'

The newspaper has become 'mighty sensitive and 'mighty resentful' but it should be more calm and balanced.

Smith grew up in the Boston suburbs in the 1940s and was the son of a letter carrier before he earned a place at Harvard and started his journalism career at the Boston Globe where he worked in the summers.

Ironically one of the reasons Trump won in 2016 was that his supporters loved him bashing the media - meaning the Times was being used without realizing it, Smith says

His journalism training proper began at the Columbia Graduate school of journalism in the 1960s

Smith recalls being taught 'Metropolitan Reporting' by the Metro desk assistant editor George W. Barrett, who had a trim moustache and drove a 1929 Rolls-Royce roadster.

His first full time job was with TIME magazine in 1965 where budgets were so big that during a transit strike a long black limousine sent by the office arrived at his apartment to take him to work.

Three years later he was hired by the Times as a rewrite man, who reworks the copy of others to make it fit the house style.

He began writing live stories in 1969 and was soon sent to the Washington bureau of the New York Times

Smith calls his colleagues 'prisoners of a system of hypocrisy' because powerful people would call their bosses and have embarrassing things taken out of a story.

While covering the Vietnam War Smith interviewed an Army warrant officer who used the phrase 'sons of a b****' which at the time was risque for the Times.

Executive editor Abe Rosenthal called Smith and accused him of trying to use improper language and hung up when he protested.

Smith writes that Rosenthal saw his refusal to bow down as an 'unblinking challenge to his owner power, authority and control over every word written in his domain.'

'Insecurity had driven him to the top. Insecurity fueled paranoia,' he writes.

Such an attitude explains why the Times did not report on the fact that the Soviets knew about the Bay of Pigs invasion ahead of time, and the CIA knew that they knew but let it happen anyway.

Another miss by the Times was its failure to report on Stellar Wind, an NSA program that allowed for mass wiretapping.

The Times refused to run the story because the government assured the paper the program was legal and President George W. Bush made a personal appeal to the paper's publisher.

The Times' failure to report on Watergate came out in 2009 when Smith's editor at the time, Bob Phelps, published a memoir which addressed it.

'We never developed Gray's tips into publishable stories. Why we failed is a mystery to me,' Phelps wrote.

Smith is not the only former senior figure at the Times to criticize its coverage of Trump.

Jill Abramson, who edited the newspaper from 2011 to 2014, says the Times made money by ridiculing the former President, even at the cost of its impartiality.

She accused the paper of being 'unmistakably anti-Trump' and said that the more 'woke' members of staff were taking the paper in that direction.

In her book, Merchants of Truth, Abramson wrote: 'Given its mostly liberal audience, there was an implicit financial reward for the Times in running lots of Trump stories, almost all of them negative: they drove big traffic numbers and, despite the blip of cancellations after the election, inflated subscription orders to levels no one anticipated.'
A four-year-old boy was found stabbed to death on a Dallas street after he was allegedly abducted from his bed by a teen now facing charges for kidnapping.

A jogger came across the body of Cash Gernon in the city's Mountain Creek neighborhood at around 7am Saturday, Assistant Police Chief Albert Martinez said, adding that it appeared the child suffered a violent death from an 'edged weapon'.

Darriynn Brown, 18, was arrested in the case hours later and was charged with kidnapping and theft. Police said they also anticipate additional charges pending the results of a forensic analysis.

Cash was identified by a woman claiming to be his mother, who told WFAA that Brown had broken into her home through a back door early Saturday morning and snatched the 'happy-go-lucky' child while he was sleeping.

The woman, who was not named and spoke to the outlet off-camera, claimed the boy was unknown to Brown and said she had no idea what led the man to target him.

Dallas police issued an update on Monday afternoon which claimed that a woman named Monica Sherrod had been misidentified by the media as Cash's mom. It's unclear whether Sherrod is the woman who spoke to WFAA.

'Cash was left in the care of Ms. Sherrod by his father unbeknownst to his biological mother, Ms. Melinda Seagroves,' the release said.

'According to Ms. Sherrod, she has not been able to contact the father since his departure from her residence in March 2021.'

Four-year-old Cash Gernon (pictured) was found stabbed to death on a street in southwest Dallas on Saturday morning

Darriynn Brown, 18, (pictured) was arrested and charged with kidnapping and theft

The release further explained that Seagroves - the biological mother of Cash and his twin brother - 'has been conducting an extensive search for her sons for an extended amount of time'.

Police said Cash's twin has since been reunited with Seagroves.

The woman who identified herself as Cash's mother had told WFAA that the twin was in state custody.

She said the kidnapping was captured on surveillance video and investigators reportedly asked neighbors for any additional footage that could help shed light on what happened.

Antwainese Square, 39, told The Dallas Morning News she called police after seeing Cash's body on the 7500 block of Saddleridge Road just before 7am while she was out for a run.

She said the boy's face and upper half of his body were covered in blood and that he didn't have shoes or a shirt.

'It breaks my heart,' Square told the newspaper. 'And now I'm afraid. Now I'm paranoid. Because I don't know what happened, I don't know what's going on.

'I mean just knowing that someone out there is capable of killing a child, that alone is just unsettling.'

Martinez, the assistant police chief, said it's believed Cash was killed at about 5am and that he lived in the neighborhood where his body was found.

The boy appeared to have suffered multiple stab wounds.

'We are shocked, we are very angry about what has happened to this small child,' Martinez said.

Cops are seen on the 7500 block of Saddleridge Road where Cash's body was found

Cash (pictured) was identified by his mother, who told WFAA that Brown had broken into her home through a back door early Saturday morning and snatched the 'happy-go-lucky' child while he was sleeping

Investigators roped off the crime scene on Saturday morning before Brown's arrest

Some residents told WFAA that Brown was regularly seen in the Mountain Creek area where Cash was killed. Court records showed he lived with his parents about a half-mile from the crime scene.

Neighbor Jose Ramirez called the slaying 'hard to believe' and said: 'I don't think [Brown] was in his right mind.'

By midafternoon Saturday, FBI agents were focusing on a wooded trail not far from where the body was found and police were on horseback in the area.

The trail, which neighbors said is popular for biking, was sealed off with crime-scene tape.

'They were back in the alley, looking through trash containers to see if they could find any type of evidence,' Ramirez said. 'They went down the street, and they spent a good time down there.'

Another neighbor, Katie Guillen, spoke to the outlet when she stopped by a makeshift memorial at the site where Cash's body was found to drop off flowers.

'It's just so sad that someone woke up this morning and lost their child without a warning,' Guillen said.

'How do you throw away someone's body like he's nothing? He's someone's kid.'

Brown was being held Monday in Dallas County jail on $750,000 bond. It's unclear whether he has an attorney.

At the time of his arrest late Sunday night Brown was wearing an ankle monitor stemming from a prior charge for evading arrest in late April, according to the Dallas Morning News.
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Los Angeles police have identified two suspects in connection with a raging wildfire that forced about 1,000 people to evacuate their homes on Sunday.

Fire department arson investigators and the LAPD identified one individual who was detained and released.

Investigators then detained a second suspect and were questioning them on Sunday evening, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

The fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades and Topanga Canyon neighborhoods on Friday, has burned 1,325 acres of land and had a 'suspicious' start, Stewart said.

Los Angeles police have identified two suspects in connection with a raging wildfire that forced about 1,000 people to evacuate their homes on Sunday

Fire department arson investigators and the LAPD identified one individual who was detained and released. Pictured: Residents watch as a plan drops water on the wildfire on Sunday

The LAPD said a police helicopter crew had spotted what appeared to be a person setting fires in the area on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Fire Department is due to give an update on the blaze at 10.00am local time on Monday.

NBC reported that an image of an unidentified man had been shared on Citizen, a personal safety app, described as 'the arson suspect'.

The image accompanied a message offering a $30,000 reward for information leading to the man's arrest.

Investigators detained a second suspect and were questioning them on Sunday evening, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. Pictured: Firefighters on Sunday

The fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades and Topanga Canyon neighborhoods on Friday, has burned 1,325 acres of land and had a 'suspicious' start. Pictured: Firefighters on Sunday

The LAPD said a police helicopter crew had spotted what appeared to be a person setting fires in the area on Friday night. Pictured: Firefighters on Sunday

Los Angeles County sheriff's Lieutenant Jim Braden said the Citizen post was potentially 'disastrous' and could lead to someone getting hurt.

He told a Spectrum News reporter that investigators did not have enough evidence to charge the man.

Citizen apologized for the post, calling it a 'mistake' in a statement to NBC.

The Los Angeles Fire Department is due to give an update on the blaze at 10.00am local time on Monday. As of Sunday evening, there was no containment

What started as a 15-acre brush fire around 10pm Friday had turned into an inferno by Saturday afternoon and was still raging on Sunday evening, prompting authorities to warn more residents that they should prepare to leave the area.

Cool, moist weather early in the day gave firefighters a break, but by afternoon flames starting moving again in steep terrain where tinder-dry vegetation hasn't burned in a half-century, the fire department said.

'We're definitely seeing increased fire activity,' said Stewart.

Residents watch a plume of smoke rise from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Sunday

What started as a 15-acre brush fire around 10pm Friday had turned into an inferno by Saturday afternoon and was still raging on Sunday evening, prompting authorities to warn more residents that they should prepare to leave the area. Pictured: Firefighters on Sunday

Cool, moist weather early in the day gave firefighters a break, but by afternoon flames starting moving again in steep terrain where tinder-dry vegetation hasn't burned in a half-century, the fire department said

A firefighter keeps watch as a firefighting helicopter drops water on a brush fire scorching at least 100 acres in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Saturday

As of early Monday, no structures were damaged and no injuries reported from the fire, which started in the Santa Monica Mountains. It smoldered for much of Saturday before erupting in the afternoon.

A thousand or so residents of the Topanga Canyon area were ordered to evacuate their homes as flames raced along ridges, sending a huge plume of smoke and raining ash across surrounding neighborhoods and the U.S. 101 freeway to the north.

Some of the homes included ranches with livestock that was being moved to an emergency animal shelter established at Pierce College about eight miles away, ABC reported.

As of early Monday, no structures were damaged and no injuries reported from the fire, which started in the Santa Monica Mountains. It smoldered for much of Saturday before erupting in the afternoon. Residents walk their dog as the fire burns in the background on Saturday

A firefighter keeps watch as smoke rises from a brush fire scorching at least 100 acres in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Saturday

A thousand or so residents of the Topanga Canyon area were ordered to evacuate their homes as flames raced along ridges, sending a huge plume of smoke and raining ash across surrounding neighborhoods and the U.S. 101 freeway to the north

Air quality officials have extended a smoke advisory through at least Monday due to large amounts of smoke billowing near homes in the Palisades area. Pictured: The fire on Saturday

The evacuation order remained in place throughout Sunday night.

Air quality officials have extended a smoke advisory through at least Monday due to large amounts of smoke billowing near homes in the Palisades area.

Residents who can smell smoke or see ash have been advised to stay indoors with windows and doors closed.

By Sunday evening there was no containment of the enormous fire. Videos taken showed helicopters dropping water on the flames as smoke billowed skywards.

Residents who can smell smoke or see ash have been advised to stay indoors with windows and doors closed. Pictured: A helicopter drops water on the fire on Saturday

A helicopter drops water as smoke rises from a brush fire scorching at least 100 acres in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Saturday

Firefighters keep watch as smoke rises from a brush fire scorching at least 100 acres in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Saturday

Los Angeles has seen very little rain in recent months, making for extremely parched conditions and high fire risk

Los Angeles has seen very little rain in recent months, making for extremely parched conditions and high fire risk.

Crews relied on aircraft making drops of water and retardant because 'the terrain is very steep and extremely difficult to navigate which hinders ground based firefighting operations,' a fire department statement said.

Topanga Canyon is a remote, wooded community with some ranch homes about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles, on the border with Malibu.
A killer dad ordered a private investigator to spy on his estranged wife 1.5 years before he gunned down their teenage children.

John Edwards shot dead his daughter Jennifer, 13, and son Jack, 15, in West Pennant Hills in Sydney's north-west on July 5, 2018.

The 67-year-old killed himself at his rented home near Normanhurst on the night of the murders. Five months later, the mother of the children, Olga, took her own life.

Edwards, who had a history of domestic violence, sought the assistance of private investigators to stalk Olga and an adult daughter in the years before his crimes shocked the nation, according to court documents obtained by NCA NewsWire.

John Edwards (right) shot dead his daughter Jennifer, 13, and son Jack, 15, in West Pennant Hills in Sydney's north-west on July 5, 2018. He earlier ordered a private investigator to spy on his estranged wife Olga (left)

The retired financial emailed SpouseBusters in December 2016 with orders to spy on his estranged wife and find out details on her personal life.

'At this state I am thinking Friday 16/12/16 after work  to see if she meets up with a boyfriend  but at this time of year she may just go to a work related Xmas party,' Edwards wrote to a man named Shane Johnson.

'Surveillance again on Sunday evening 17/12/16  based on the assumption that if she is in a serious relationship she will spend Saturday night with him  either by going out, or at his place, or him coming to her place.'

Edwards paid SpouseBusters $2823.64 to snoop on Olga over three Friday and Saturday nights in December 2016.

SpouseBusters was not the only instance where Edwards sought the assistance of a private investigator to track down his family's whereabouts.

After losing Jack and Jennifer, Olga showed police an email chain Edwards forwarded to her in 2016 after the couple had separated.

Edwards killed himself at his rented home near Normanhurst on the night of the murders. Pictured: His daughter Jennifer Edwards

The chain showed Edwards' communication with agency Sydney Private Investigations, who he hired in July 2010 to track his adult daughter, who cannot be named.

Edwards' daughter sought an AVO against her father six months later, claiming she was being stalked.

On the day of the murders, Edwards stalked his daughter on her way home from school in order to learn their new address before he followed or chased his daughter inside.

The children were later found 'crumpled together' under Jack's bedroom desk with multiple gunshot wounds.

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Senator Josh Hawley's book on the power and influence of Big Tech companies has become a best-seller, despite publishing giant Simon & Schuster announcing in January that it would no longer print the book amid Hawley's claims of voter fraud prior to the Capitol riots.

Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, had conservative publishing company Regnery Publishing print his book, 'The Tyranny of Big Tech,' instead, on May 4.

It is now ranked number six in Publishers Weeklys latest list of hardcover nonfiction titles, and was number 15 on Amazon's Top 20 Most Sold and Most Read Books of the Week.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, wrote a book on the 'tyranny' of big technology companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple. He is pictured here at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in April

The book was published by Regnery Publishing on May, after Simon & Schuster announced it would no longer publish it, and it has since become a best-seller

In the book, Hawley compares technology giants - like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon - to the robber barons of the mid-19th century, like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt, who used exploitative practices to increase their wealth.

These practices included exerting control over the country's natural resources, influencing politicians, squashing competition and selling stock at inflated prices to unsuspecting investors.

Hawley claims that the technology companies are engaging in similar practices, with the federal government making it increasingly more difficult to sue them as they engage in spying practices and providing them with subsidies.

'The free market hasn't really worked when it coms to big tech because the federal government has put a big thumb on the scale of these platforms,' Hawley told FOX News host Mark Levin. 'It's government interference that has made big tech big.'

He said it is now 'time to break them up' and 'give power back to the people,' arguing in his book that the government needs to 'build an economy that makes the working class strong, independent and beholden to no one,' according to the Amazon summary.

'The time is ripe to overcome the tyranny of Big Tech by reshaping the business and legal landscape of the digital world,' it reads.

In his book, Hawley (right), compares the big technology companies to the robber barons of the 19th century, claiming they are engaging in similar practices, he told FOX News host Mark Levin recently

The book was originally supposed to be published by Simon & Schuster in June, but in January, the company announced that it had reneged on its contract with the senator, for his alleged role in promoting the January 6 Capitol riots.

'As a publisher, it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints,' Simon & Schuster said in a statement to The New York Times. 'At the same time, we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens and cannot support Sen. Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat.'

Hawley had objected to the Electoral College certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, claiming a 2019 Pennsylvania law expanding mail-in voting there violated the state constitution.

He was also photographed before the Capitol invasion raising his fist, seemingly in support of the thousands of people who marched on Washington on January 6 to protest the election results.

He later condemned the violence, NBC reports, and said he was simply representing his constituents in Missouri, a state that Donald Trump won in the 2020 presidential election.

Hawley was pictured raising his fist at a far-right group that had gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to protest the 2020 election results. Just hours later, many of those in the group would storm the Capitol

Simon & Schuster dropped Hawley as a client following the violence, which Hawley claimed was 'Orwellian' and 'a direct assault on the First Amendment'

In a statement on Twitter following Simon & Schuster's announcement that it would no longer publish his book, Hawley said the company was 'canceling my contract because I was representing my constituents, leading a debate on the Senate floor on voter integrity, which they have now decided to redefine as sedition.'

'It's a direct assault on the First Amendment,' he continued. 'Only approved speech can now be published. This is the Left looking to cancel everyone they don't approve of.'

'I will fight this cancel culture with everything I have,' he said. 'We'll see you in court.'

A little over one week later, conservative publishing company Regnery Publishing said they would publish the book, one month earlier than Simon & Schuster was scheduled to publish it.

'It's discouraging to see [Simon & Schuster] cower before the 'woke mob,' as Senator Hawley correctly calls it,' president and publisher Thomas Spence said in a statement at the time.

'Regnery is proud to stand in the breach with him. And the warning in his book about censorship obviously couldn't be more urgent.'

Regnery has previously published books from authors like Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich and Ted Cruz.
A single mother of five young children has been killed in a tragic head-on collision between a school bus and car.

Car passenger Melissa Richardson, 30, died at the scene on the Warrego Highway near Wallumbilla, five hours east of Brisbane, at around 3pm on Friday.

The 37-year-old driver of the car was taken to hospital in a critical condition, and 16 children riding the school bus were injured.

One student on the school bus suffered multiple leg fractures, while 15 students and the 58-year-old bus driver are believed to be in a stable condition with minor injuries.

Queensland single mother of five Melissa Richardson (pictured) has been killed in a tragic head-on collision between a school bus and car

The 30-year-old died at the scene on the Warrego Highway near Wallumbilla, five hours east of Brisbane

A Go Fund Me page set up to pay for Ms Richardson's funeral said she left behind five very young children and her Facebook profile states she was a single stay-at-home mum.

'Yesterday afternoon was supposed to be when Melissa arrived home to her 5 beautiful children but unfortunately her young life was cut way too short,' her cousin Kerry Hobbs wrote.

'Her beautiful young children now have no Mother. An absolute tragedy.'

Ms Hobbs told Daily Mail Australia Ms Richardson was 'devoted' to her kids.

'Melissa was a absolute fantastic Mum to her five children and pretty much devoted her life to them,' she said.

The fundraiser has raised $3,650 of a $10,000 goal. You can donate here.

Police said investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Pictured: Jasmyn Willcox, who died from SIDS at five months

A heartbroken mother who found her 'extremely healthy baby' lying dead in her cot one morning has revealed her two surviving children, age eight and six, still say goodnight to their little sister.

Liz Willcox put five-month-old Jasmyn down to sleep 7pm at her home in Kilcoy, north-west of Brisbane, on a winter's night in 2017.

She was woken 12 hours later by her eldest child Natasha, who was five at the time, and realised the infant hadn't woken up like she normally did at 4am for a feed.

The now 32-year-old opened up to Daily Mail Australia on Monday about the moment she looked at the baby monitor and realised 'something wasn't quite right', before racing into the infant's room and grasping at her cold and lifeless body.

'My husband Ben came ran into the room and started doing CPR, and then the ambulance came and took her to hospital, but it was too late,' she said.

'Jasmyn had already passed.'

When the couple were told Jasmyn had died from sudden infant death syndrome, they felt as though they had failed as parents.

Pictured: Ben Willcox, 36, Owen, six, Natasha, eight, and Liz Willcox, 32, while holding baby Jasmyn

Pictured: Liz and Ben Willcox's children Natasha, Owen and their little sister Jasmyn before she suddenly died in her sleep

SIDS is when a baby under the age of one dies suddenly, usually in its sleep. The cause is unknown.

'Your one job is to protect your children, and even though there is nothing we could do, we felt like we failed because we couldn't protect her,' the devastated mum said.

An investigation revealed that nothing was out of the ordinary and that Jasmyn was otherwise in excellent health.

She was not in a high-risk category, meaning there was no cigarette smoke in the house and she was asleep on her back when she died rather than on her stomach, which can cause suffocation.

Ben and Liz (pictured) feel as though they let Jasmyn down after she died suddenly in her sleep

Jasmyn's older siblings did not understand why she suddenly died. Owen believes a bad man called SIDS killed his sister. SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Pictured: Owen with baby Jasmyn when she was still alive. The youngster died in 2017

The devastated parents spent the first two years after their daughter's death frantically researching the condition and looking for answers, but had to stop when they realised they were going in circles.

Doctors still don't know why Jasmyn died.

SIDS is unexplained and under-researched, with the vast majority of funding coming from families who have experienced the condition.

Almost four years on from the tragedy, Ms Willcox - who works as a nurse - said she is not the same person she once was.

She tucks Natasha and Owen into bed every night and checks on them an hour later to make sure they're still breathing.

'If I wake up in the night, I'll check on them. If they sleep in, I get anxiety and I'll sneak into their rooms to make sure they're still okay - part of me died when Jasmyn died,' she said.

The devastated parents spent the first two years after their daughter's death frantically researching the condition and looking for answers

'I can't promise my children nothing bad will happen to them because they have seen what can happen,' Mrs Willcox said. Pictured: Natasha and Jasmyn

Pictured: A memorial to Jasmyn who died in 2017. The family are raising money for SIDS

'I can't promise my children nothing bad will happen to them because they have seen what can happen.'

Owen, who was only two when Jasmyn died, doesn't understand how his little sister was there one day and gone the next, and now believes a 'bad man called SIDS' came and killed her.

The family now funnel their time into fundraising for more research into SIDS with the help of a charity group called River's Gift - set up by Alex Hamilton and Karl Waddell in 2011 after their infant son River died in his sleep.

With a series of fundraiser galas under the name Uniting for Jasmyn, they have raised $8,000 so far but are hoping to make it to $10,000 in the next event on July 10.
He encouraged people in hotspots like Bolton and Blackburn to take up jab offer

The coronavirus vaccines are 97 per cent effective against infection from the Indian variant, a scientist has claimed.

The lead researcher behind a study on healthcare workers in India said those given one dose of AstraZeneca's jab enjoyed 97.38 per cent protection from infection.

Their risk of being hospitalised with the strain was just 0.06 per cent, according to the research at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.

Public Health England estimates the vaccines can prevent about 70 per cent of transmission against the Kent variant, based on real-world data from Britain's vaccine rollout.

Less is known about how well the jabs will work on the Indian variant because the UK has only recorded 1,313 cases. But the Government has said it is not aware of anyone who has died from the strain after being given both jabs.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed over the weekend that, of the 18 people hospitalised with the variant in hotspot Bolton, just one person was fully vaccinated, although most were eligible.

Mr Hancock said the fully-vaccinated patient had been 'very frail' and therefore vulnerable to infection. Another five of the patients had only received their first jab.

Meanwhile, a SAGE member today said that data from lab studies into the effectiveness of vaccines on the new strain were 'rather promising'.

Sir John Bell, from the University of Oxford which is conducting the research, said the new variant appeared to slightly reduce the ability to neutralise the virus, but added that it was 'not very great'.

The coronavirus vaccines appear to be 97 per cent effective against infection from the new Indian variant that has hit areas of England such as Bolton. Pictured: Thousands queue at the Essa Academy for a jab

On Saturday, thousands of residents queued outside a mobile jabs centre to get a jab after it emerged there were 4,000 available that had to be used on the day

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today said out of the 18 cases in Bolton hospitals  Britain's worst hotspot  just one person was fully vaccinated, although most were eligible

The Indian study of 3,235 healthcare workers given at least one dose of AstraZeneca found 85 symptomatic cases of Covid, with just two of those being hospitalised.

The study at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi had not recorded any deaths or ICU admissions among vaccinated patients. Researchers said the study highlighted the power of vaccination.

Dr Anupam Sibal, group medical director, told the Telegraph: 'Our study demonstrated that 97.38 per cent of those vaccinated were protected from an infection and hospitalisation rate was only 0.06 per cent.'

Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford, said his team's research into the variant suggested it was no more vaccine-resistant than other strains already in circulation.

SAGE scientists urge caution as Freedom Day dawns A slew of Boris Johnson's top scientists today warned against socialising indoors as England eased lockdown today. The Prime Minister has also urged families to adopt a 'heavy dose of caution' and a minister encouraged revellers to avoid 'excessive drinking' amid an eight per cent rise in infections in a week and concerns the total scrapping of restrictions on June 21 is under threat. Last night thousands of people queued across the UK to enjoy a drink with friends inside pubs and bars after midnight, while this morning around 20 flights took off for Portugal as holidays became legal again and people enjoyed a pint and a meal inside for the first time in almost six months. Theatres, cinemas and museums can also open their doors again this morning. But Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a senior member of the SAGE committee, said today that he would not meet indoors 'at the moment', despite millions of people now having the opportunity to do so. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is reasonable to just be sensible about knowing where transmission is occurring, mostly indoors, mostly in larger gatherings indoors with lots of different people, different families, different communities, and I would just restrict that at the moment personally.' But he added: 'I don't think it's unreasonable to lift the restrictions - we do need to lift the restrictions at some point, we've been in restrictions now for a very long time.' Hugging is a 'high-risk procedure', Professor Peter Openshaw said. The professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, who is a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told BBC Breakfast: 'Some of us are quite happy not to be hugging and kissing many times on the cheek. This is a high-risk procedure, I would say in medical terms and I would certainly not be embracing people closely. I think you can greet people perfectly well at a distance with a smile and a kind word.' Referring to today's new freedoms, Professor Sir Mark Walport, England's former chief scientific adviser who also sits on SAGE, claimed that just because people are legally allowed to do something doesn't mean they should. He told the Guardian: 'My personal judgement is that I will do things outside as far as possible. My advice is that just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should.' SAGE adviser Graham Medley, professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, suggested people should avoid going to pubs or restaurants in areas with low vaccine uptake or high Indian variant case numbers. He told LBC Radio he would only dine indoors if the establishment 'was suitably organised and it looked okay and was in an area of low prevalence and the clientele was very old [and therefore mostly vaccinated].' He added: 'I'll certainly hug my children and grandchildren and others very close to me. But will I be hugging strangers? No'. Sir John Bell, emeritus professor of medicine at Oxford University and prominent SAGE member, urged people to use their newfound freedoms 'cautiously'. He told The Times: 'I don't want to be a party pooper but the most important thing is not to prolong this any longer than we absolutely have to, so going about this cautiously could be quite helpful to everybody.' Advertisement

'It looks like the Indian variant will be susceptible to the vaccine in the way that others are,' he told Times Radio.

'The data looks rather promising. I think the vaccinated population are going to be fine. And we just need to pump our way through this.'

Mr Hancock on Sunday hailed the findings, and said he hoped they would encourage people to take up the offer of the vaccine as a result.

Appearing on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday he said: 'There's new very early data out from Oxford University, and I would stress that this is from the labs, it's not clinical data, and it's very early.

'But it does give us a degree of confidence that the vaccines work against this Indian variant, but it is clearly more transmissible and has been spreading fast in the groups where there's a cluster.

'That means that we can stay on course with our strategy of using the vaccine to deal with the pandemic and opening up carefully and cautiously but we do need to be really very vigilant to the spread of the disease. We have a high degree of confidence that the vaccine will overcome.'

Mr Hancock did however admit the Indian variant will likely become the dominant variant across the UK, having already hit areas such as Bolton and Blackburn in the north west.

Thousands of residents in Bolton have queued outside a mobile jab centre to get their vaccine after a local councillor said 4,000 doses were available and that volunteers would 'find a reason to vaccinate you'.

Tory councillor Andy Morgan made the comments in a now-deleted tweet, and later revealed more than 5,000 people were vaccinated at the mobile site in Bolton over the weekend.

Figures shows that uptake of either the Pfizer or Astrazeneca vaccines in Bolton and Blackburn are lagging slightly behind the national average, but more worryingly the highest rates of infections are also in wards with the lowest take-up.

Local public health officials in Indian variant hotspot areas appear to be taking vaccination guidelines into their own hands.

The Government has so far ruled out prioritising younger people in places with surging cases of the strain.

It comes as England enjoys its significant easing of restrictions today, with pubs, restaurants and cafe allowing customers to sit inside, while museums, theatres and cinemas can welcome visitors back.

Experts however have said allowing the May 17 changes could 'lead to a substantial resurgence of hospitalisations' that is 'similar to, or larger than, previous peaks'.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a senior member of the SAGE committee, said today that he would not meet indoors 'at the moment', despite millions of people now having the opportunity to do so.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is reasonable to just be sensible about knowing where transmission is occurring, mostly indoors, mostly in larger gatherings indoors with lots of different people, different families, different communities, and I would just restrict that at the moment personally.' But he added: 'I don't think it's unreasonable to lift the restrictions - we do need to lift the restrictions at some point, we've been in restrictions now for a very long time.'

Hugging is a 'high-risk procedure', Professor Peter Openshaw said. The professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, who is a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told BBC Breakfast: 'Some of us are quite happy not to be hugging and kissing many times on the cheek. This is a high-risk procedure, I would say in medical terms and I would certainly not be embracing people closely. I think you can greet people perfectly well at a distance with a smile and a kind word.'

Referring to today's new freedoms, Professor Sir Mark Walport, England's former chief scientific adviser who also sits on SAGE, claimed that just because people are legally allowed to do something doesn't mean they should. He told the Guardian: 'My personal judgement is that I will do things outside as far as possible. My advice is that just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should.'

SAGE adviser Graham Medley, professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, suggested people should avoid going to pubs or restaurants in areas with low vaccine uptake or high Indian variant case numbers.

He told LBC Radio he would only dine indoors if the establishment 'was suitably organised and it looked okay and was in an area of low prevalence and the clientele was very old [and therefore mostly vaccinated].' He added: 'I'll certainly hug my children and grandchildren and others very close to me. But will I be hugging strangers? No'.

Sir John Bell, emeritus professor of medicine at Oxford University and prominent SAGE member, urged people to use their newfound freedoms 'cautiously'. He told The Times: 'I don't want to be a party pooper but the most important thing is not to prolong this any longer than we absolutely have to, so going about this cautiously could be quite helpful to everybody.'

How concerned should we be about the Indian variant? Rapid spread could put the end of Covid curbs in jeopardy - but experts say there is no need to panic

It was a distinctly gloomy end to a week that had, at its start, seemed filled with promise.

On Friday, the Prime Minister warned his plans to end all Covid curbs were in jeopardy due to the rapid spread of the Indian variant of Covid-19.

The Government was 'taking nothing off the table' in the fight against it.

Scientists speaking to The Mail on Sunday say the Prime Minister is right to be cautious.

Last week, the UK saw its biggest rise in Covid cases since early January  helped by the rise of this new mutation.

As one expert warned: 'A third wave of infections is already upon us.'

Crucially, Government scientists have said the Indian variant was 'up to 50 per cent more infectious than the Kent variant'  the latter being the most prevalent version of the virus in the UK at present.

A Warwick University model of a more infectious variant after lockdown is completely lifted on June 21 suggests that any more than a 30 per cent increase in transmissibility compared to the Kent variant could lead to an August peak of daily hospital admissions that is higher than either the first or second wave. In a worst-case scenario with a variant 50 per cent more transmissible, hospital admissions could surge to 10,000 per day or even double that (Thick lines indicate the central estimate while the thin lines are possible upper limits known as confidence intervals)

Experts say the elderly and clinically vulnerable are now well protected through vaccination, but argue that a rise in cases could make the rare occasion where vaccines don't work more common.

Experts also argue that a rise in infections could lead to the virus reaching pockets of vulnerable, unvaccinated people across the country  those who opted not to have the jab, for instance.

All this could lead to a new wave of infections  which the Government advisory body SAGE warned could be as large as the first wave.

But last night, an intriguing theory began to circulate: could the reason the new variant is spreading so rapidly in certain hot-spots be simply due to behavioural factors?

The mutation arrived via travellers returning from India, into multi-generational homes in locations like Bolton, Greater Manchester, Blackburn in Lancashire, and Sefton in Merseyside.

These regions have seen a rapid spread through these households, and among those employed in industries where social distancing may be harder, and home working not an option.

However data suggests that, once it gets outside of these communities, the Indian variant does not spread quite as rapidly. University of Leicester virologist Prof Julian Tang said: 'When you look at transmissibility, you have to be very careful.

Modellers often say they have taken behavioural factors into account, but it's often not that simple.

Similar but less grim modelling by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine suggested that a 50 per cent increase in transmissibility could trigger a peak of 4,000 admissions per day in July or August, possibly extending to 6,000 per day

The LSHTM model suggested hospitals could have another 30,000 inpatients by the end of July - up to around 45,000 - compared to the current 845

The LSHTM team suggested that there will be 1,000 deaths per day in August if the variant is 50 per cent more transmissible - which would be less than the 1,900 seen at the peak this January

'We saw this with the Kent variant last winter  the most rapid spread was seen in areas that were released into Tier Two after the November lockdown.

'Places like London had the least restrictions, and the most mixing, so we saw the highest transmission of that variant.

'This would indicate it wasn't to do with any inherent genetic quality of the virus, but more due to the environment it was placed in. The same could be true of the Indian variant.

'It could have genetic changes that make it a bit more transmissible, but without properly looking at the virus in a lab setting, it's impossible to say.'

Crucially, at present, there is no evidence to suggest Covid vaccines are ineffective against the Indian variant.

On Friday, Public Health England confirmed that between May 5 and May 12, out of a total of 97 Covid deaths during that period, four deaths were linked to the mutation.

However, fully vaccinated Britons still have a very low risk of becoming seriously ill if they catch it, experts believe. This has, so far, been reflected in the data.

While 12 per cent more Covid cases were reported last week than the week before  just over 2,200  hospitalisations have continued to fall.

Now, a little more than 1,000 people are in hospital with the virus in the UK. Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said: 'This variant is going to spread widely. But the most important question is whether more people are going to end up in hospital as a result.

'Right now, there's nothing to suggest that is happening.'

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, said the rise of the variant was reason to be cautious but maintained there was no need to panic.

He said: 'All indications are that the vaccines are going to continue to do their job.'

On Friday, the Government announced it would be stepping up vaccination efforts in hotspots. People over 50 living in areas of high infection will be offered their second dose of the vaccine early.

A study published last week by Cambridge University scientists, found that 33 staff members of a care home in New Delhi, who were all fully vaccinated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, tested positive for the Indian variant  though none of the staff members was seriously ill as a result of infection.

Scientists involved in the study still say the findings were 'worrying'. Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at Cambridge University, said: 'We thought everyone would be protected [but] the virus was able to get around the vaccine.'

But others have stressed the need for calm. Prof Hunter said: 'There is reasonable evidence to suggest it can lead to infections in vaccinated people, but that doesn't really matter unless you get seriously ill.'

What's more, there is nothing to suggest fully vaccinated people in the UK are being infected with the Indian variant. In Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen, cases have risen sharply in younger groups.

But, in the over-60s, the majority of whom should have had both jabs, infections are holding steady. Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said it was possible vaccines were working as a 'firebreak', protecting over-45s from infection.

With much still unknown about the variant, scientists say the next step out of lockdown needs to be taken with caution.

Government scientists say a 'significant resurgence of hospitalisations' is possible as a result of easing restrictions.

From tomorrow, indoor social mixing will be allowed for the first time in more than five months.

Prof Hunter said: 'Monday's relaxations are a biggie. Even without this new variant, meeting indoors was always going to be a nervous point in the plan because the majority of infections take place indoors.

'We are going to find out very soon if it leads to a rise in hospitalisations.'

Prof Young says a slow and steady approach in the next few weeks will be important. 'I don't think there's any reason to say tomorrow's easing shouldn't take place, but it needs to be done cautiously.'

Some have suggested the rise of the Indian variant calls into question the fourth and final step out of lockdown, on June 21.

If there were a wave, as some have suggested, as big at the first, then the Government would presumably have no other option.

Prof Young, though, doesn't see this happening, saying. 'Any rise in hospitalisations and deaths we see won't be anywhere near previous waves because we have the vaccines now.

'While it is still spreading we have to be cautious, but I don't think variants should stop us getting back to some sort of normality.'
Witnesses to a violent carjacking were forced to think on their feet when a Sydney man allegedly assaulted a woman before trying to escape in her car.

In a video captured by another bystander, a man is seen allegedly assaulting a woman outside the Bankstown Arts Centre on Saturday morning.

Three brave civilians are seen rushing to the woman's aid as the alleged carjacker climbs into her white Toyota and tries to drive away.

One of the heroic bystanders is seen throwing a large silver ladder onto the car's windscreen in an effort to stop the alleged carjacker from escaping

As one man helps the woman to her feet, another civilian holds the driver's side door open and calls for back-up.

A third man is then seen hurling a large silver ladder into the windshield of the Honda, before placing it on the ground in front of the vehicle.

The alleged carjacker is forced to exit the Toyota, fleeing the scene on foot after exchanging words with the shaken bystanders.

However, his alleged crime spree didn't stop there.

Police allege the man committed a violent home invasion less than an hour later and was involved in a police pursuit.

Officers from the Bankstown Police Command and Traffic and Highway Patrol were called to a residence on Marion Street in Bankstown around 7am.

Police allege a man armed with a knife entered the home and forced entry to two rooms, where he demanded cash and keys to a car from the occupants.

'Showed me the big knife and he was, 'kill you, kill you',' a resident told 7News.

'Give me the money, give me the money, where is the car?'

The man allegedly stole a Mazda sedan, with Traffic and Highway Patrol giving chase after spotting the vehicle on Edgar Street in Condell Park.

Police allege the man initiated a pursuit after failing to pull over, leading officers through Condell Park, Bankstown and Georges Hall.

The man finally drove the Mazda into parkland off Birdwood road and fled on foot.

The alleged assault and carjacking incident took place in the carpark of the Bankstown Arts Centre in Sydney's west (pictured) on Saturday morning

The alleged carjacker was forced to flee on foot, with police alleging the man was involved in a violent home invasion and police pursuit less than an hour later

Officers were able to arrest the man after a short pursuit and transferred him to Bankstown Police Station.

He was charged with ten offences including carjacking, police pursuit, aggravated break and enter and robbery armed with an offensive weapon.

The 39-year-old was also charged for driving unaccompanied as a learner driver.

The Merrylands resident was refused bail and appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Sunday.

Police are calling for the carjacking victim to identify herself to authorities.
Five Extinction Rebellion protesters who blockaded printing presses and stopped millions of newspapers being delivered have been convicted of obstruction, it emerged yesterday.

The three men and two women are the first to be punished following the demonstrations outside the Newsprinters plant in Knowsley, Merseyside, in September.

It comes after several other of the activists walked free from court on a technicality earlier this month.

Extinction Rebellion protesters on top of the blockade last September and their sign

A police van is parked nearby as Extinction Rebellion block the road in Knowsley, Liverpool to prevent papers going to print

The protest  and another on the same night at a printing plant in Hertfordshire  prevented 1,100 retailers from receiving newspapers including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Daily Telegraph, and cost publishers 1.2million.

The blockades were criticised as an affront to free speech, with the Prime Minister saying that it was completely unacceptable to seek to limit the publics access to news in this way.

The failure of the earlier trial had led to fears that none of the demonstrators who parked a yellow boat and a blue van at the entrance to the Knowsley plant would face punishment.

But last week three men and two women charged with the alternative offence of wilfully obstructing the highway were convicted at Sefton Magistrates Court. They included 30-year-old Joel Instone, whose sister Mirian, 22, was among those acquitted, and Adam Haigh, 21.

Vincent Yip, prosecuting, said Instone and Haigh, both of Manchester, had deliberately set out to disrupt and obstruct the lawful business by blocking the entrance and exit gate by parking a van horizontally across the road and locking themselves to the underside of the vehicle.

The protests last year prevented the distribution of half a million newspapers, including the Daily Mail, The Sun, The Times and The Daily Telegraph

Both men were given a conditional discharge for 18 months and ordered to pay 500 compensation to Newsprinters, which is owned by News International.

A third defendant, Deborah Ehrenberg, 60, of Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay 500 compensation.

Earlier in the week, Lucy Walsh, 24, and Green Party candidate Patrick Thelwell, 21, were also convicted of the same charge. Thelwell, of York, who has a similar previous conviction, was handed a conditional discharge for two years and ordered to pay 500 damages. Walsh, of York, was given a 12-month conditional discharge and told to pay 320.
It was a tragedy that shocked the nation even at the height of the Covid pandemic  a 28-year-old nurse who died just days after giving birth to her baby girl.

Now, 13 months on, the heartbroken widower of Mary Agyapong is embracing the opportunity to honour the NHS worker with the Remember Me memorial at St Pauls Cathedral.

Miss Agyapong died from the virus on Easter Sunday last year at the height of the first wave, leaving behind her two young children  days-old baby Mary and toddler son AJ.

Her widower, Ernest Boateng, says the plans for the lasting tribute to coronavirus victims will bring his children much comfort and solace as they are forced to grow up without their mother.

It was a tragedy that shocked the nation even at the height of the Covid pandemic  a 28-year-old nurse who died just days after giving birth to her baby girl

Wholeheartedly backing the Daily Mails drive to raise funds for the project, the trainee barrister said: I highly commend St Pauls for coming forward with this idea and the Daily Mail for supporting it. It is simply indispensable.

The 31-year-old added: We are one people, irrespective of race, gender or religion... so it is essential to do this together.

These days, weeks, months and past year have been the most difficult part of my life  as well as the lives of so many others.

We are fighting a common enemy  Covid-19  which has taken away our loved ones and the people we so cherished.

It is very essential that we come together as a United Kingdom to celebrate those on the frontlines who have paid the ultimate price and to remember all loved ones who have died.

The heartbroken widower of Mary Agyapong is embracing the opportunity to honour the NHS worker with the Remember Me memorial at St Pauls Cathedral

Miss Agyapong was 35 weeks pregnant when she fell ill with the virus. She died on April 12 at Luton and Dunstable Hospital just five days after giving birth by emergency Caesarean section.

She had worked at the same hospital near her family home in Luton until mid-March, well into her third trimester, as coronavirus cases were rising across the country.

In a cruel twist her father Stephen, 56, an NHS healthcare assistant, also died from Covid-19 just days before her, but she never came to know of his death. They were buried side by side in a cemetery in Northampton.

Mr Boateng said: This permanent memorial will be a significant and physical tribute to honour people lost like Mary and her father.

And it will be a place for my children to remember their mother and their grandfather.

He said the strong, capable, vibrant nurse had been so excited to have a girl but never got to meet or hold the baby he named Mary in her memory.

Mr Boateng plans to add an entry for Miss Agyapong to the virtual book of remembrance which will be displayed on special video screens within a chapel at the cathedral. A depiction of the memorial is seen above

Mr Boateng  who like his wife is originally from Ghana  said even though the two never met, baby Mary already had her mothers bubbly and playful personality.

He is juggling his legal training with being a single father to the children.

He said they had recently celebrated Marys first birthday  a bittersweet milestone for the family. And he described how three-year-old son AJ asks for his mother daily.

He said: My little girl never got to meet her mother, but my son still has memories of her. He asks after her every day. He is almost four and he is feeling that hole that she has left in our lives.

Mr Boateng plans to add an entry for Miss Agyapong to the virtual book of remembrance which will be displayed on special video screens within a chapel at the cathedral.

The memorial will also feature a grand portico which will have the words Remember Me engraved in several languages. Mr Boateng added that he would love to join thousands of Mail readers by donating and hopes to treasure the special Remember Me candle sent by the paper as a thank you.

Fewer than 2,000 of the limited edition keepsakes  which can be claimed by those donating 25 or more  are still available. The widowers support comes as donations continue flooding in for the drive, taking the total raised for the 2.3million project to more than 1.6million.
An Outback pub's guide to Australian slang has sparked a heated debate online.

A photo of the guide, titled 'How to talk Straylian' and stuck on the wall of The Grand Hotel in Cairns in Far North Queensland, was shared to Reddit on Sunday.

The local who posted the photo was flooded with comments from Aussies debating the slang words included on the list.

The guide featured a string of well-known Australian slang terms including bloke (man), bottle-o (bottleshop), grog (alcohol) , sheila (woman), slab (case of beer) and pokies (poker machines).

But some of the inclusions on the guide sparked debate, with some social media users questioning whether anyone used slang words such as tucker (food), togs (swimmers) and spewin (angry) Down Under.

The Aussie slang list (pictured) at The Grand Hotel in Cairns, in Far North Queensland

'I've lived in Australia for four years and have never heard anyone say tucker,' one person wrote.

'Never heard of togs. Maybe it's not a WA thing,' added a second.

'I have never heard of spewin,' a third questioned.

Others were quick to point out some of the Australian slang terms that didn't make the list.

'What about all other "ie"s? truckies, forkies, tradies, vackies?,' one wrote.

'Fair Dinkum... should be on the list,' added another.

'I'm disappointed that grouse isn't in there,' a third commented.

'A few more: Boardies, eskie, occy strap, schooner, tinny,' a fourth person wrote.

The comment section was full of people debating over what made the list and what didn't

A majority of the Reddit users thanked the man for sharing the original guide, saying it was a perfect reflection of Australian culture.

'Slang words for slang words and multiple variations of beer. Love it,' one commented.

'This is one of the more accurate Aussie slang guides Ive seen,' another wrote.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates had an 'inappropriate' sexual relationship with a female staff member in 2000, and resigned while an investigation into the relationship was being investigated by the company board.

The affair came to light after the Microsoft employee wrote to the board in 2019 detailing it - and allegedly asked that Gates' estranged wife Melinda Gates, 56, read the letter.

Gates, 65, quit the board suddenly in March 2020 while the investigation was still underway.

His spokeswoman confirmed there had been an affair almost 20 years ago but said his decision to leave Microsoft's board was not linked to it.

The revelation comes alongside two bombshell reports on the unraveling of the couple's marriage.

The Daily Beast revealed Bill Gates sought marriage advice from convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein during dozens of meetings at his $77 million Manhattan townhouse between 2011 and 2014, far more than had previously been reported.

Bill and Melinda Gates in 2000, the year the tech mogul and billionaire began an affair with a female Microsoft engineer. The affair came to light in 2019 when the employee wrote to the Microsoft board

The couple are pictured with their three kids Jennifer (center), Rory (right) and Phoebe (left) in 2019. The kids were said to be 'very angry' with their father, according to the sources

Melinda Gates warned her husband against any further contact with Jeffrey Epstein after the couple had an uncomfortable meeting with the convicted sex offender, according to a new report . Bill Gates is pictured at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011, from left: James E. Staley, at the time a senior JPMorgan executive; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Gates and Boris Nikolic, the then-Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's science adviser

And on Sunday, The New York Times reported that Gates asked two women who worked at Microsoft and his philanthropic foundation out on dates while still married to Melinda.

Melinda, who now goes by Melinda French Gates, was also upset at the way allegations of sexual harassment against Michael Larson, one of Gates' key lieutenants and the manager of his personal fortune, were handled.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Microsoft board decided that Gates should step down after the relationship almost two decades earlier was deemed to be 'inappropriate'.

The same day Gates quit Microsoft he also announced he was stepping down from his position with the board of Berkshire Hathaway, run by his friend Warren Buffet.

In a press release the tech mogul said he would continue to serve as a technical adviser to Microsoft's Chief Executive Satya Nadella.

A Microsoft spokesman told the Wall Street Journal: 'Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000.

'A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern.'

A spokeswoman for Gates said his decision to leave the board had nothing to do with the affair, saying 'There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.'

The spokeswoman told the Journal his 'decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier.'

Meanwhile, The Daily Beast reported that Gates told Epstein his marriage to Melinda was 'toxic', which both men found funny.

Gates suggested Epstein become involved with the couple's philanthropic organization and 'rehabilitate his image' after his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, according to a person who attended the meetings.

Gates' visits to Epstein's 'lair' was an escape from the marriage, according to the source, who said the pair 'were very close'.

Bill and Melinda Gates, one of the world's richest couples with a fortune of $130billion, announced this month they were getting divorced, with Melinda saying the marriage is 'irretrievably broken' in divorce filings.

Bill Gates, pictured in 1985, had an affair with a Microsoft engineer in 2000 which came to light when the woman wrote to the company board in 2019

Bill and Melinda Gates, seen at their marriage in 1987. The Microsoft board decided the relationship between Gates and the female staff member was inappropriate, and he quit while it was being probed

The Times reported that Gates asked out a Microsoft employee in 2006 after watching her make a presentation.

'If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened,' Gates emailed the employee, according to the Times.

The woman took his advice and Gates' advance didn't materialize into anything physical.

A couple of years later, Gates asked out an employee with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The pair were in New York for a work trip, when he told her: 'I want to see you. Will you have dinner with me?'

Melinda was also unhappy about the way sexual harassment allegations against Gates' key moneyman Michael Larson, above, were handled

The woman told the Times the approach made her feel uncomfortable, but she laughed it off.

The report said there was no expectation that the women would suffer professional repercussions for spurning Gates' advances.

It's not clear whether Melinda Gates, who met Bill at Microsoft in the late 1980s, was aware of her husband's advances.

Melinda also stepped in after Michael Larsen, the man who has overseen the enormous expansion of Gates' personal fortune through an investment vehicle Cascade Investment, was accused of sexual harassment.

In 2017, a person wrote to Bill and Melinda to complain that Larson was harassing a female staff member at a bicycle shop part-owned by a venture capital firm Rally Capital, owned by the former married couple.

The woman reached a settlement in 2018, signing a non-disclosure agreement and receiving a payout.

However, Melinda was not happy with the outcome and ordered an independent investigation.

According to the New York Times, Larson was placed on leave during the investigation but was reinstated and still leads Cascade Investments.

The tipping point though appears to have been revelations about Gates' close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, which caught Melinda by surprise when they were first reported in October 2019.

Gates said in a statement to the New York Times at the time: 'I didn't go to New Mexico or Florida or Palm Beach or any of that. There were people around [Epstein] who were saying, 'Hey, if you want to raise money for global health and get more philanthropy, he knows a lot of rich people.'

'Every meeting where I was with him were meetings with men. I was never at any parties or anything like that. He never donated any money to anything that I know about.'

Their friendship began in 2011, three years after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor.

The Daily Beast reported on Sunday that the pair had met 'dozens of times' at Epstein's palatial $77m townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side between 2011 and 2014 - far more than had previously been known.

The pair would chat about science and philanthropy, as well as joking and gossiping in a 'men's club' atmosphere, the Daily Beast claimed.

Melinda Gates warned her husband Bill against any further contact with Jeffrey Epstein after the couple had an uncomfortable meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2013.

Melinda was 'furious' at Bill's relationship with Epstein after the couple visited the predator's Upper East Side townhouse in September 2013.

The meeting proved a turning point in Bill's relationship with Epstein, after Melinda expressed how uncomfortable she was with the sex offender and said she wanted nothing to do with him, the sources said.

Gates and Epstein became friendly in 2011 when Epstein pitched a fund to the Gates Foundation and JP Morgan.

When they met, Epstein had already spent a year in prison for soliciting child prostitution, but he was welcomed back into the upper echelons of New York society.

After their first meeting, Gates sent an email to colleagues saying of Epstein: 'His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me.'

A spokesperson for Gates said the 'characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate'.

'Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false.'

The same month the New York Times published details of Gates' friendship with Epstein in 2019, Melinda began consulting with divorce lawyers, which culminated in the announcement this month that their 27 year marriage was over.

Melinda Gates warned her husband Bill (with her left) against any further contact with Jeffrey Epstein (right) after the couple had an uncomfortable meeting with the convicted sex offender

Bill was already a billionaire he married Melinda in the early 1990s. He founded Microsoft in 1975 and became the world's youngest billionaire in 1987 at the age of 31. He also met Melinda that year when she was working at the company where he served as CEO.

Gates' spokeswoman Bridgitt Arnold denied Gates had mistreated employees.

'It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates's divorce,' Arnold said.

'Your characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated,' she told The Times.

There have been a steady stream of revelations about the inner workings of the Gateses' 27 year marriage since their surprise announcement they were getting a divorce on May 3.

In an interview with the DailyMail.com, Gates biographer James Wallace revealed how Gates held naked parties with strippers in his bachelor days.

Wallace wrote two books on the Microsoft founder in the 1990s, and uncovered eyebrow-raising details of Gates's frat-like life as a single man.

'A lot of those Microsoft kids back then, they were young guys in pizza-stained t-shirts for two or three days working on software code,' the former Seattle Post-Intelligencer investigative reporter said.

'Then they would have some pretty wild parties, where they would go out and get strippers in Seattle and bring them over to Bill's home.

'He wasn't a choir boy back then, he wasn't just this little computer nerd. He did have a life back then.'

A spokeswoman for Gates said 'There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.' She said his 'decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter.

In a press release the tech mogul said he would continue to serve as a technical adviser to Chief Executive Satya Nadella, above

The same day Gates quite Microsoft he also announced he was stepping down from his position with the board of Berkshire Hathaway, run by his friend Warren Buffet

In 1997, Wallace's second book on the billionaire, Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace, described the alleged naked parties at Gates' Laurelhurst, Washington home in even more lurid detail.

The former Post-Intelligencer reporter wrote that national media wanted to keep their flow of technology and business stories from Gates and therefore 'didn't report on the wild bachelor parties that Microsoft's boyish chairman would throw in his Seattle home, for which Gates would visit one of Seattle's all-nude nightclubs and hire dancers to come to his home and swim naked with his friends in his indoor pool.'

Wallace wrote that Gates's 'womanizing' also put strain on his nascent relationship with his now-estranged wife Melinda.

'Though Gates began dating French [Melinda's maiden name] in 1988, he continued to play the field for a while, especially when he was out of town on business, when he would frequently hit on female journalists who covered Microsoft and the company industry,' the author wrote.

In the Gates' divorce petition, which was filed in Superior Court of Washington - King County on Monday, Melinda asked the judge to dissolved the marriage 'on the date stated in our separation contract'. The separation contract was not included in the filing so that date is unclear.

In the absence of the pre-nuptial agreement, the only agreement pertaining to the divorce is the separation contract.

Melinda did not ask for any spousal support but requested a trial date in April 2022. However it is likely the divorce will be settled without a trial.

The petition states that finances pertaining to the couple's two children are addressed in the separation contract. The document was signed by both Bill and Melinda, as well as their attorneys.

Both Bill and Melinda hired powerhouse law firms to assist in the divorce. Melinda is represented by a team of four New York based attorneys from two separate firms: Cohen Clair Lane Griefer Thorpe & Rottenstreich LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

Bill is represented by three Los Angeles-based attorneys from Munger Tolles & Olson. One of the founding attorneys, Charles T Munger, is a longtime partner of Bill's billionaire friend Warren Buffett.

Bill founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. He served as CEO until 2000 then moved into a director role while gradually scaling back his involvement to dedicate more time to philanthropy.

He transitioned out of a day-to-day role in Microsoft in 2008 and served as chairman of the board until 2014. Last year he stepped down from the board of Microsoft entirely, as well as the board of Berkshire Hathaway.

Melinda - the daughter of an aerospace engineer and a housewife - was born Melinda Ann French in Dallas, Texas, in 1964 and attended the elite Duke University in North Carolina before joining Microsoft in 1987.

Bill also grew up privileged in Seattle, where he was born in 1955. His father was a prominent lawyer and his mother was on the board of the financial holding companies. He dropped out of Harvard to pursue Microsoft in the 1970s.
Australians have been warned not to elude the Covid-19 international travel ban by flying to New Zealand and then on to their destination of choice.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews on Monday admitted there's nothing officials can do to stop travel-starved Aussies using this loophole but said it would be 'selfish' to do so.

'It's certainly not something we are encouraging people to do. That's not what you should be doing to get to other countries,' she told The Briefing podcast.

Australian art teacher Tim Byrnes (left with his mother) flew to Auckland then to Istanbul and Russia

Asked if it was illegal for Australians to fly to a third country via New Zealand, Ms Andrews said: 'At the end of the day people will make their own decisions as to what is appropriate action for them to be taking.

'I don't want to over the course of this discussion to open up opportunities for people to try and circumvent (the rules) and put other Australians at risk, which is what they're doing.

'There's no way in the world I'm going to encourage that sort of behaviour, because it's pretty selfish.'

Australian citizens and residents have been banned from leaving the country - unless they are granted an exemption - since March 2020 under the Biosecurity Act.

A soldier at Sydney Airport on Monday

However a two-way travel bubble opened with New Zealand in April, allowing citizens of the two countries to travel without the need to quarantine.

Unlike Australia, New Zealand is not preventing outbound travel to other countries, meaning Aussies can fly to Auckland and then get another plane to Asia, Europe or the US.

Australian art teacher Tim Byrnes used this loophole to fly to Russia, where he works, via Auckland and Istanbul. He was in Australia to visit family when the borders closed last year, trapping him Down Under.

'I've escaped! I get to go back to my life,' he said after he left.

Mr Byrnes previously had an exemption application to leave Australia rejected - but Ms Andrews said it would have been granted if he had provided officials with the correct information.

Health Minister Greg Hunt updated the Biosecurity Act in April to require an Australian who flies to New Zealand and then a third country to provide a signed statement justifying their action when they return.

Justified reasons are the death or serious illness of a family member or travel for medical treatment not available in Australia.

If deemed to have breached the Biosecurity Act, Australians could face a $66,000 fine and five years in prison.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews warned people not to use the New Zealand loophole. Pictured: Travellers arriving at Sydney Airport

However, legal experts doubt whether such punishment would be valid.

'There is a very strong argument to say that even the measures preventing Australians from leaving are unlawful and therefore any attempt to criminalise that or to provide some sanction would be unlawful,' Professor Kim Rubenstein, a citizenship expert at the University of Canberra, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Meanwhile, a new poll has found that three in four Australians want the international borders closed until the Covid-19 pandemic is under control around the world.

As many as 73 per cent of voters support the government's approach to keep the border closed until mid-2022, according to a YouGov survey of 1,506 people conducted for The Australian.

Only 21 per cent of voters believe the country should open up when everyone has been offered a vaccination, a view supported by several health experts including former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth.

The federal budget assumes the borders, which have been closed since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will open in mid-2022. Pictured: Sydney's Coogee Beach in November

Speaking on the Today show on Monday morning, Dr Coatsworth said Australians will have to get used to the virus circulating in the community next year.

'What do we do when the majority of Australians are vaccinated and immune, safe from hospitalisation, safe from death from Covid-19 but there's still critical events going on that people want to attend around the world,' Dr Coatsworth said.

'Do we still put them in hotel quarantine in 2022 at their own expense?

'This is a conversation we need to get the community involved in. There will be Covid-19 circulating within the community in the future.'

Dr Coatsworth made similar comments in a speech at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons on Sunday in which he called eradication of the disease a 'false idol'.

'It is clear we will not have our borders closed indefinitely,' he said.

'We will not have quarantine stations in perpetuity while we aim for the false idol of eradication.'

'At a point in the future when a significant majority of our community is vaccinated, there will be pressure to open our borders. We must not resist that. In fact, when the time is right, we should be leading the calls for it.'

Australia's borders to the outside world will remain virtually shut through to mid-2022 according to federal budget forecasts released on Tuesday evening

Earlier this year Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country could treat the virus 'like flu' once everyone has been offered the vaccine, which is expected by the end of this year.

But he dropped this language as global cases surged in April, largely due to a rapid increase in India where mutant strains of the disease have caused chaos.

However the rate of death in India is less than a tenth of what it was in some European countries at the height of their virus outbreaks.

Federal budget documents on Tuesday said that inbound and outbound international travel into Australia 'will remain low through to mid-2022.'

Officials assume there will then be a 'gradual' return to normal travel after that point.

In the meantime, the government had promised to establish more 'safe travel zones' to add to the New Zealand travel bubble but had since showed little sign of opening any.

Last year the Government predicted international borders would be open in October 2021 after the whole adult population has been offered a vaccination.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's budget contained the 'assumption' that overseas travel will not return until 2022

However, this timeline has now been pushed back as Australia's vaccination rollout falls behind due to supply shortages and vaccine hesitancy.

Even when the borders open, Treasury officials admit the number of Aussies travelling overseas won't return to pre-pandemic levels for some time.

Tuesday's forecast is only a government assumption which could be wrecked at any point by a serious Covid outbreaks or mutant virus variants.

At the weekend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the border would remain closed 'indefinitely'.

'We sit here as an island that's living like few countries in the world are at the moment,' he said.

'We have to be careful not to exchange that way of life for what everyone else has.'

Australians have been banned from leaving the country since March 2020 unless granted special exemptions.

Only citizens, permanent residents and some visa holders have been allowed to enter under some of the strictest Covid-19 border rules in the world.

The budget documents also say the government expects occasional Covid-19 outbreaks to plague the country throughout the rest of the year.

However, they believe they will successfully be contained by authorities.

The government also believes there won't be 'extended or sustained state border restrictions' this year.

But the government is at the mercy of the virus and premiers such as West Australia's Mark McGowan on that.

International students are likely to begin trickling back into the country at the end of 2021 and re-enter Australia in increasing numbers in 2022.
Controversial Brexit checks in Northern Ireland will be scrapped this summer, the new leader of the DUP has pledged.

In his first interview since his election on Friday, Edwin Poots yesterday said it was time to go back to the drawing board on the Northern Ireland protocol.

Vowing to fix the issue in his first 90 days, Mr Poots told the provinces Sunday Life newspaper: If there are grey areas and opportunities, we will certainly seek to strip away elements of the protocol. But, to take things forward, he added that it needs to be fundamentally changed [or] removed.

Edwin Poots, pictured, yesterday said it was time to go back to the drawing board on the Northern Ireland protocol

The row centres on the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit deal, which prevents checks at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland

On Saturday the Daily Mail revealed that Boris Johnson is ready to suspend Northern Ireland Brexit checks within weeks over fears they will destabilise the region.

The row centres on the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit deal, which prevents checks at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The EU can still make checks on goods crossing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland which ministers have warned is causing trade disruption.

Writing in The Mail on Sunday yesterday, Cabinet Office minister Lord Frost warned that political stability in Ulster was being put at risk by the EUs hardline approach. He urged Brussels to stop the point-scoring, adding they could then build a new relationship.
A Queensland pharmacist accused of trying to kill two women by setting a north Brisbane home alight will remain behind bars.

Emergency services were called to the Eveleigh Street home in the suburb of Wooloowin early on Sunday morning following reports of a house fire.

Two women in the house at the time of the fire escaped without injury.

Curtis Shea Mickan, 34, is charged with two counts each of attempted murder and arson, assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault and wilful damage.

Emergency services were called to the Eveleigh Street home in the suburb of Wooloowin early on Sunday morning following reports of a house fire

Mickan did not appear as the charges were mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

Lawyer Tam Elabbasi did not apply bail for Mickan, who was remanded in custody for mention in Brisbane Magistrates Court on June 14.

Outside court, Mr Elabbasi said it was an 'unfortunate incident'.

'It's going to take some time. It's a totally unfortunate set of circumstances,' Mr Elabbasi said.

'There's been some damage. Somebody has lost everything. It's terrible.'
A young woman has opened up about the weeks she spent 'lying in bed in fear' because she was so anxious that she had a hidden illness during Covid lockdown, despite being 'extremely healthy'.

Claudia Berman, from Vaucluse in Sydney's eastern suburbs, is a fit surfer and successful technology lawyer who has struggled with anxiety all her life.

The 27-year-old said her 'irrational' anxiety feels like a 'large pit in the centre of her stomach' and revolves around a fear that there is something physically wrong with her.

Ms Berman told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that her childhood nannie's tragic death from the Covid-19 in South Africa in 2020 tipped her over the edge.

Pictured: Claudia Berman surfing at Bondi Beach. The 27-year-old has crippling anxiety

Pictured: Claudia Berman with her boyfriend Sam. The couple are surf life savers at Bondi

Pictured: Claudia Berman with her parents after graduating with a degree in law. She is now a technology lawyer

'My family migrated to Australia when I was nine and my nannie was like a second mother to me - when she died, it was a big trigger,' she said.

'I'm not specifically anxious about getting Covid-19, but the pandemic definitely didn't help.'

During lockdown, the young surfer had a lot of time to sit alone with nothing to occupy her besides the swirling negativity in her mind.

When she felt anxious, she would normally go and surf or go for a walk, but eventually she could barely sleep or leave her bedroom.

'I spent a large amount of time in bed feeling scared and fearful,' she said.

Pictured: Claudia Berman with her boyfriend Sam. The couple are keen surfers in Sydney

Even though her doctors keep reassuring her that she has no underlying medical conditions, Ms Berman (pictured) said her condition defies logic

Ms Bermann said her crippling illness defied logic, revealing doctors had reassured her she had no underlying medical conditions prompting the breakdowns.

'I'm a healthy person and that's why the anxiety is so awful, because it's irrational - it's not real and there's no evidence to support it,' she said.

'I'm scared of the unknown.'

With no explanation as to when or why her crippling anxiety will come on again, the young lawyer said all she can do is try and control it by distracting herself with work - which she loves.

Pictured: Claudia Berman (middle) with her brother Ryan and sister Nicola, who are twins

She initially found it difficult to open up to family and friends about her mental health because she knew she looked heathy and people may not believe that she was dealing with mental illness, but realised everyone wanted to help.

Eventually, the young surfer was able to pull herself out of it with the help of loved ones and mental health workers, and thinks her struggle during the pandemic may have been a 'blessing in disguise'.

'I would run for the hills when I had an anxiety attack before, but I feel really on top of it now - I've learned to focus on the present, I'm open about my struggles and I've learnt that I can't control everything,' she said.

For her 28th birthday, Ms Berman set up a Go Fund Me campaign to help raise money for mental health organisation, Beyond Blue

Claudia Berman (left, with friends) eventually reached out to her friends for help with her mental health struggles

For her 28th birthday, Ms Berman set up a Go Fund Me campaign to help raise money for mental health organisation, Beyond Blue.

Her initial goal was to raise $2,800, but on Monday the fundraiser hit $4,100.

While she knows that she can't control her anxiety attacks - which, as a surfer, she describes as 'waves' - she tries to remind herself that life is unpredictable.

'You can't control what happens, but you can control how you react,' she said.
A jet skier towing in surfers as a huge swell battered Australia's east coast is lucky to be alive after being smashed into the rocks.

A video of the moment he was nearly smashed into a thousands pieces at Cape Solander, Botany Bay, Sydney was shared to the Surfing Visions YouTube channel on Thursday where more than 50,000 people have viewed the footage.

'Make sure you see the moment when Kipp Caddys jet ski ended up on the rocks,' the video is captioned.

The caption to the clip explains the surfers are being towed on 'slab' waves at Cape Solander on Sydney's Botany Bay (pictured)

One jet ski rider had a narrow escape, diving into the water seconds before his ride is smashed against the rocks (pictured)

In the video two surfers can be seen on the back of the jet ski before jumping off as a series of large waves pounds the vehicle.

Moments later one of the riders attempts to get back on only to have to dive off again into the froth as a huge wave picks up the jet ski and smashes it onto the rocks.

The rider then climbs on again and attempts to rescue the expensive piece of equipment from the foam by accelerating and sending a spray of saltwater behind him.

A crowd of onlookers can be heard yelling to hit the throttle, however, the jet ski fails to get traction - leaving the rider to dive off seconds before another wave batters the ride against the shore.

The caption to the video further explains that the area where the video was filmed is well known for huge waves especially around May.

'In the middle of the Aussie autumn is a good time for this place to come alive which it did for two consecutive days back on the 7th & 8th.'

Cape Solander is known as one of the best places in Australia to surf 'slab' waves (pictured)

According to the surfers the area is one of the best for 'slab' waves in Australia.

Normal waves roll towards the shore and gain height as the water gradually gets shallower then break evenly on both sides.

A slab wave, however, moves at speed through deep water then hits a shallow reef - rising fast within seconds and, while they create spectacular barrels, are dangerous to surf because of the sheer volume of water behind them.

Perhaps the most famous area for slab waves in the world is the surf break at Teahupoo in Tahiti, widely regarded as having some the largest and heaviest waves ever ridden.
A teenage boy has been taken into custody over the alleged sexual assault of a seven-year-old girl in the Northern Territory.

The 16-year-old allegedly assaulted the girl on Wednesday in Tennant Creek, about 1000km south of Darwin, NT police say.

The girl received medical treatment in Tennant Creek before being flown to Alice Springs.

The boy, who was known to the girl, was arrested late Sunday and is expected to be charged on Monday.

A seven-year-old was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 16-year-old boy 'known to her' on Wednesday in Tennant Creek (pictured, the local police station)

It comes a day after a 43-year-old man was arrested for alleged indecent dealings with a child in East Arnhem Land on Saturday.

He was charged with gross indecency with a child under 16 and is scheduled to appear in Darwin Local Court on Monday.
A local Amcal pharmacist has appeared in court to answer charges relating to a house fire in a Brisbane suburb on the weekend.

Curtis Mickan, 34, appeared in Brisbane Magistrate's Court on Monday charged with offences including two counts of attempted murder and contravention of a police protection notice.

Emergency services were called to the Eveleigh Street home in the suburb of Wooloowin early on Sunday morning following reports of a house fire.

Curtis Mickan, 34, is listed as the pharmacist at Amcal+ in Murgon, three hours from Brisbane

The house on Eveleigh St, Wooloowin was reported to be alight at 6.15am Sunday morning

Two women inside the house when it was discovered alight managed to escape uninjured

Two women, believed to be Mickan's partner and his mother-in-law, were in the house at the time of the fire but escaped without injury.

Police had been called to the house at 11pm the previous night after a disturbance in which the man allegedly assaulted his partner. He was taken into custody and charged with a number of domestic violence offences, including assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault and wilful damage.

He was released early on Sunday morning subject to a number of bail conditions, including not to visit the Wooloowin address.

The fire at the house was then reported at 6.15am.

Mickan appeared in the press when he took over the Amcal+ pharmacy in his home town of Murgon in regional Queensland in 2019.

'We are committed to providing outstanding healthcare services to every customer and patient who walks through our doors,' he said at the time.

Until Monday morning he was listed as the pharmacist on the pharmacy's Facebook page.

Mickan also appears in photos as president of Graham House, a not-for-profit community centre in Murgon providing assistance to people in the South Burnett region.

He appeared in photos with state MPs and other dignitaries celebrating the centre's 30th anniversary in 2019.

In a 2019 interview for Tradies Health Month, Mickan discussed men's mental health as a sponsor of a free breakfast for tradies in Murgon.

'It seems most tradies are young to middle-aged men and that's the age group around the South Burnett that seems to really struggle with mental health and suicide,' Mickan said.

'It's really important we chat about the early warning signs for mental health with the tradies especially.

'Because you've got to be able to spot when your mate or work colleague isn't themselves or not doing OK.'

Mickan did not appear as the charges were mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

Lawyer Tam Elabbasi did not apply bail for Mickan, who was remanded in custody awaiting an appearance in Brisbane Magistrates Court on June 14.

Outside court, Mr Elabbasi said it was an 'unfortunate incident'.

'It's going to take some time. It's a totally unfortunate set of circumstances,' Mr Elabbasi said.

'There's been some damage. Somebody has lost everything. It's terrible.'

1800 Respect Helpline: 1800 737 732

Women's Crisis Line: 1800 811 811

Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491

Lifeline: 131 114
A crocodile that was ridden on by a tradesman with a mullet was likely trapped or drugged, an expert has said.

The reptile may have been caught in one of the Northern Territory's many crocodile traps, which are often frequented by locals who take photos with the dangerous creatures.

Captioned 'the most Australian photo ever', the image showed a barefoot man in a high-vis short standing barefoot on the loosely-tied croc in murky waters in the dark.

'The crocodile wouldn't sit still like that unless it was drugged or trapped. They are fierce defenders of themselves, they don't sit still like that,' crocodile expert John Lever told Daily Mail Australia.

A mysterious image showed a tradie standing on a tied-up crocodile in murky waters at night

Mr Lever - who runs the Koorona Crocodile Farm in central Queensland - said if the photo is real, the reptile may have been taken illegally from a trap in the Northern Territory, which has over 80 placed strategically in waterways.

'You'd have to be familiar with the area and where the traps are, you're not looking for a stranger. They should be looking for a local,' he said.

Mr Lever said standing on a crocodile like that was 'extremely dangerous.'

'One of the things I can't see in the pictures here is I can't see how well the jaws are tied or whether it's just a noose,' he said.

'But if that was just a noose without a knot, then that man is taking a big risk ... [because] a crocodile could slip that noose a bit by shaking its head. If it shook its head the man on the rope would be thrown off the back of the crocodile.'

Croc expert John Lever (pictured) said the reptile could have been trapped or drugged

Mr Lever said the reptile could have been drugged with a prescription medicine.

'There is a drug that can be used on crocodiles which is a muscle relaxant where they can't move,' he said.

'It's not easy to access, you have to get it through a prescription from a veterinarian.'

The crocodile farmer condemned the treatment of the animal and said it was a cruel stunt.

'Crocodiles are not circus animals, they just don't perform and particularly if it's one coming from the wild as they're claiming, that is not the way to treat them,' he said.

'[But] they're robust enough get over the stress, they're not fragile little creatures.'

Mr Lever condemned the tradesperson's cruelty, saying 'that is not the way to treat' a croc

CROC TRAPPING IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY There are over 80 croc traps placed across the territory. There are trapping programs in the urban areas of Darwin, Katherine and in NT parks and reserves. The maximum penalty for standing on, interfering with or damaging a crocodile trap is six-month imprisonment. Source: Northern Territory Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security Advertisement

Mr Lever also said the crocodile could have been dead and lying on its stomach in shallow water.

Dr Adam Britton from Crocodile Safety Australia agreed with that theory, saying it was unlikely someone could pull off standing on an alive crocodile.

'It seems extraordinarily unlikely to be able to pull this off as depicted, crocs typically spin around and bite anything touching their back like this, and the guy would be in the water,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's much more likely to be digital manipulation, or even faked as a set up.'

'I'm no expert on digital manipulation, but the rope nor the way his feet are interacting with the crocodile looks right to me,' he said.

'If you wanted to fake it with a real croc that was either dead, or sedated, or otherwise not acting like a wild crocodile it would be fairly easy in shallow water.

'A shallow draft tinnie could add to the illusion.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Northern Territory Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security for comment.
One of the first Australians brought back from Covid-ravaged India on Saturday has already tested positive to the virus in Darwin.

The first flight after the travel ban with India ended landed on Saturday, with one of its passengers since returning a positive result in the Howard Springs quarantine facility.

Passengers returning to Australia from India are required to return a negative result from two tests before they are allowed to board their plane.

More than 40 people who tested positive pre-flight along with about 30 of their close contacts were barred from returning on QF 112, which had a Covid-safe capacity of 150 seats.

Seventy-eight returnees are understood to have made it onto the eight-and-a-half hour flight, which touched down about 9.25am AEST on Saturday.

The first flight after the travel ban with India ended landed on Saturday, with one of its passengers since returning a positive result in the Howard Springs facility (pictured)

Saturday's flight from New Delhi (pictured, passengers from the flight) carried 78 people after about 70 were knocked back after either recently testing positive or being a close contact of a Covid case

More than 9,000 Australians are registered as wanting to return, with about 900 of them said to be desperate or vulnerable.

The next government-facilitated flight is expected into Darwin on May 23, bringing up a total of 40 such flights since March 2020.

Meanwhile, Australia's 38-strong Indian Premier League contingent touched down in Sydney on Monday.

Players, coaches and commentators were on board a charter flight from the Maldives.

Former Test batsman Mike Hussey, who has been self-isolating in India after contracting the coronavirus, is expected to arrive later on Monday via a commercial flight from Qatar.

The cricketers will spend a fortnight in NSW's hotel-quarantine system.

They have been given no exemptions or concessions but are being accommodated outside the state's cap on returned travellers.

'We don't give a blanket yes to anybody,' NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Monday.

'A request was made to go over and above our cap. If we get these requests through federal government authorities or other authorities, our health and police teams make independent assessments.

David Warner is greeted by Australian Federal Police at Sydney Airport ahead of his mandatory two-week hotel quarantine on Monday morning

'For example... seasonal workers or other categories of people.

'We have received those requests and we have dealt with them through independent assessment from health and police.

'If health and police feel that we can't go over our cap at all for a particular reason, well, that request will be denied.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated the IPL charter flight was only given the green light on the basis that cricketers 'did not take one place in quarantine that anyone else may have otherwise had'.

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith wheels his luggage before getting on a bus for hotel quarantine

Cricketers and officials are assisted by the ADF as they load their luggage into a bus

'That's something we insisted on with the NSW state government,' the prime minister said on Monday.

'It has to be over and above the caps.'

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is believed to be funding travel and quarantine arrangements for Australians involved in the IPL.

Cricket Australia's interim chief executive Nick Hockley had previously insisted 'we are not seeking any kind of special exemptions whatsoever'.

'We will work with the Australian government and the relevant state governments to make sure we're not taking spaces of anyone else,' Hockley said.

It is the second time in the space of six months that NSW has come to the sport's aid.

Last summer, Australia and India players were given the green light to fly from the IPL to Sydney after CA's talks with the Queensland government fell through.

This year's IPL was halted on May 4 because of COVID-19 cases among players and support staff.

Australians involved in the event, except for Hussey, travelled to the Maldives on May 6 via a charter flight that was organised and funded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Jeffrey Epstein suggested Bill Gates should leave his wife Melinda during dozens of meetings at the convicted pedophile's $77million Manhattan townhouse, according to a person who attended the 'men's club'-style get-togethers.

Gates' visits to Epstein's 'lair' were an escape from his unhappy marriage, and the pair 'were very close', a source told The Daily Beast.

The report alleges the pair's friendship blurred personal and professional lines, and was much closer than Gates had previously admitted.

The Daily Beast revealed Gates sought marriage advice from Epstein during dozens of meetings between 2011 and 2014, far more than had previously been reported.

Gates apparently told Epstein his marriage to Melinda was 'toxic', which both men found funny, according to the report. A spokeswoman for Gates said he had never talked in a disparaging way about Melinda.

Bill and Melinda Gates - one of the world's richest couples with a fortune of $130billion - announced earlier this month that they were getting a divorce after 27 years of marriage.

The news comes as another blow to Gates who - in two new bombshell reports - was revealed to have had an affair 20 years ago, and was accused of making advances on employees at both Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The affair came to light after the Microsoft employee wrote to the board in 2019 with details, and allegedly asked that Gates' estranged wife read the letter.

The Microsoft board decided that Gates - who left Microsoft unexpectedly last year - should step down after the relationship in 2000 was deemed to be 'inappropriate', the Wall Street Journal reported.

Gates' spokeswoman confirmed he had a sexual relationship with a female staff member in 2000 and that he resigned as an investigation into the relationship was being conducted by an external law firm on behalf of the company board.

The New York Times also reported that Gates asked a Microsoft employee in 2006 after watching her make a presentation and, couple of years later, asked out an employee with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - both while he was married.

Gates reportedly told the Microsoft employee in an email: 'If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened.' She said she took his advice.

Gates later allegedly asked an employee with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to dinner, while the pair were in New York for a trip.

Bill Gates had dozens of meeting with Jeffrey Epstein where they discussed his marriage to Melinda, according to a new report. Bill Gates is pictured at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011, from left: James E. Staley, at the time a senior JPMorgan executive; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Gates and Boris Nikolic, who was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's science adviser

Gates and Epstein were 'very close, according to a source who used to attend the 'men's club' style meetings at Epstein's townhouse

Melinda told Bill to stop hanging out with Epstein after the couple had an uncomfortable meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2013

According to the The Daily Beast report, Gates suggested Epstein become involved with the couple's philanthropic organization and 'rehabilitate his image' after his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, according to a person who attended the meetings.

Melinda Gates was so incensed by the friendship that she started speaking to a divorce lawyer after the pair's close ties were first reported by the New York Times in October 2019.

The friendship between Gates and Epstein began in 2011, three years after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor.

The Daily Beast reported on Sunday that the pair had met 'dozens of times' at Epstein's palatial $77m townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side between 2011 and 2014.

The pair would chat about science and philanthropy, as well as joking and gossiping in a 'men's club' atmosphere, the Daily Beast claimed.

Melinda Gates warned her husband Bill against any further contact with Jeffrey Epstein after the couple had an uncomfortable meeting with the convicted sex offender in 2013.

Melinda was 'furious' at Bill's relationship with Epstein after the couple visited the predator's Upper East Side townhouse in September 2013.

The meeting proved a turning point in Bill's relationship with Epstein, after Melinda expressed how uncomfortable she was with the sex offender and said she wanted nothing to do with him, the sources said.

Gates and Epstein became friendly in 2011 when Epstein pitched a fund to the Gates Foundation and JP Morgan.

When they met, Epstein had already spent a year in prison for soliciting child prostitution, but he was welcomed back into the upper echelons of New York society.

After their first meeting, Gates sent an email to colleagues saying of Epstein: 'His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me.'

When the friendship was first revealed in 2019, Gates told the Wall Street Journal: 'I didn't have any business relationship or friendship with him'.

After further revelations came in the New York Times in October 2019, a spokeswoman said he 'regrets ever meeting with Epstein and recognizes it was an error in judgment to do so.'

Gates said in a statement to the New York Times at the time: 'I didn't go to New Mexico or Florida or Palm Beach or any of that. There were people around [Epstein] who were saying, 'Hey, if you want to raise money for global health and get more philanthropy, he knows a lot of rich people.'

'Every meeting where I was with him were meetings with men. I was never at any parties or anything like that. He never donated any money to anything that I know about.'

After the latest claims were put to Gates, his spokeswoman said the 'characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate'.

'Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false.'

The couple are pictured with their three kids Jennifer (center), Rory (right) and Phoebe (left) in 2019. The kids were said to be 'very angry' with their father, according to the sources

The same month the New York Times published details of Gates' friendship with Epstein in 2019, Melinda began consulting with divorce lawyers, which culminated in the announcement this month that their 27 year marriage was over.

Gates suggested Epstein become involved with the couple's philanthropic organization and 'rehabilitate his image' after his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, according to a person who attended the meetings.

Gates' visits to Epstein's 'lair' was an escape from the marriage, according to the source, who claimed the pair 'were very close'.

The Gateses, one of the world's richest couples with a fortune of $130billion, announced this month they were getting divorced, with Melinda saying the marriage is 'irretrievably broken' in divorce filings.

Epstein died in August 2019 in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York, while awaiting trial for child sex trafficking charges.

The report about Gate's apparent friendship with Epstein is a further blow to the world's fourth richest man, after he admitted to having a relationship with a female staff member in 2000 while married to his wife Melinda.

It was also reported that he asked two women who worked at Microsoft and his philanthropic foundation out on dates, also while married.

Gate's affair came to light after the Microsoft employee wrote to the board in 2019 detailing the affair - and allegedly asked that Gates' estranged wife, 56, read the letter.

Bill Gates, pictured in 1985, had an affair with a Microsoft engineer in 2000 which came to light when the woman wrote to the company board in 2019

Gates quit the board suddenly in March 2020 while the investigation was still underway.

His spokeswoman confirmed there had been an affair almost 20 years ago but said his decision to leave Microsoft's board was not linked to it.

The Microsoft board decided that Gates should step down after the relationship was deemed to be 'inappropriate', the Wall Street Journal reported.

The same day Gates quit Microsoft he also announced he was stepping down from his position with the board of Berkshire Hathaway, run by his friend Warren Buffet.

In a press release the tech mogul said he would continue to serve as a technical adviser to Microsoft's Chief Executive Satya Nadella.

A Microsoft spokesman told the Wall Street Journal: 'Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000.

'A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern.'

A spokeswoman for Gates said his decision to leave the board had nothing to do with the affair, saying 'There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.'

The spokeswoman told the Journal his 'decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier.'

Bill and Melinda Gates, seen at their marriage in 1987. The Microsoft board decided the relationship between Gates and the female staff member was inappropriate, and he quit while it was being probed

The New York Times also reported that Gates, 64, asked out a Microsoft employee in 2006 after watching her make a presentation.

'If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened,' Gates emailed the employee, according to the Times.

The woman took his advice and pretended it never happened.

A couple of years later, Gates asked out an employee with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The pair were in New York for a work trip, when he told her: 'I want to see you. Will you have dinner with me?'

The woman told the Times the approach made her feel uncomfortable, but she laughed it off.

The report said there was no expectation that the women would suffer professional repercussions for spurning Gates' advances.

It's not clear whether Melinda Gates, who met Bill at Microsoft in the late 1980s, was aware of her husband's advances.
The commission formed to observe the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre has announced that it has booted Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt from his seat on the panel a week after he signed a bill outlawing the teaching of some race and racism concepts in public schools.

A statement from the commission did not indicate the reason for the parting, and a spokeswoman said the commission had no further comment.

However, commission project manager Phil Armstrong sharply criticized the Republican governor for signing a bill into law that prohibits the teaching of so-called critical race theory in Oklahoma schools.

Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has been removed from a panel formed to observe the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre after banning critical race theory from schools

A tweet from Gov Kevin Stitt supporting the Op Ed in the Tulsa World of Oklahoma Sec of Education Ryan Walter supporting the passage of the bill that bans critical race theory

'The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commissioners met Tuesday and agreed through consensus to part ways with Governor Stitt,' the commission's statement said.

It went on to say that while the commission 'is disheartened to part ways with Governor Stitt, we are thankful for the things accomplished together.' It also said, 'No elected officials, nor representatives of elected officials, were involved in this decision.'

The Republican governor was informed of his ouster only when the commission issued its statement, said Stitt spokeswoman Carly Atchison.

In June 1921, a white mob killed an estimated 300 people and wounded 800 while burning 30 blocks of black-owned businesses and homes and neighborhood churches in Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood

An African-American man with a camera looking at the skeletons of iron beds which rise above the ashes of a burned-out block after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 1921

Stitts role 'has been purely ceremonial and he had not been invited to attend a meeting until this week,' her statement said.

The commission was formed to organize events for the anniversary of the massacre that occurred May 31 and June 1 in 1921.

A white mob killed an estimated 300 people and wounded 800 while burning 30 blocks of black-owned businesses and homes and neighborhood churches in Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood, also known as 'Black Wall Street.'

CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The fight over critical race theory in schools has escalated in the United States over the last year. The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project. The 1619 Project, which was published by the New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, reframes American history by 'placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative'. The debate surrounding critical race theory regards concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist. Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color. Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law. Advertisement

Planes were even used to drop explosives on the area, burning it to the ground.

In a letter to the governor Tuesday, Armstrong said the commission was 'gravely disappointed' that neither Stitt nor a representative chose to attend a meeting Monday night to discuss the signing of the GOP-backed legislation on 'critical race theory,' which examines systemic racism and how race influences U.S. politics, legal systems and society.

Among the concepts that are prohibited are that individuals, by virtue of race or gender, are inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Earlier this month, Stitt said that the US, now more than ever, needs 'policies that bring us together, not rip us apart'.

'As governor, I firmly believe that not one cent of taxpayer money should be used to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex. That is what this bill upholds for public education.

'We must keep teaching history and all of its complexities and encourage honest and tough conversations about our past. Nothing in this bill prevents or discourages those conversations.

'We can and should teach this history without labeling a young child as an oppressor or requiring that he or she feel guilt or shame based on their race or sex. I refuse to tolerate otherwise.'

Among the concepts that will be prohibited are that individuals, by virtue of race or gender, are inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

The bill, which takes effect on July 1, also prevents colleges and universities from requiring students to undergo training on gender or sexual diversity.

Armstrong had said Stitt's signing of the bill on May 7 was 'diametrically opposite to the mission of the Centennial Commission and reflects your desire to end your affiliation.'

Atchison decried the commission's move in her statement Friday.

'It is disappointing to see an organization of such importance spend so much effort to sow division based on falsehoods and political rhetoric two weeks before the centennial and a month before the commission is scheduled to sunset,' her statement said.

Another member of the commission, state Rep. Monroe Nichols of Tulsa, resigned from the panel Tuesday over Stitts signing of the bill, saying it 'cast an ugly shadow on the phenomenal work done over the last five years.'

The commission has developed and promoted programs, events and activities to remember the 1921 massacre and memorialize its victims.

Among the events are 'Greenwood: An American Dream Destroyed,' a presentation that wraps a monthlong run this weekend, and 'Greenwood Rising: The Black Wall Street History Center,' which is scheduled to be unveiled June 2.

Three Republican-led states have now signed laws banning critical race theory in public schools and nearly a dozen others are currently trying to pass similar bills that block or limit it from becoming part of curriculums

There is currently a national debate over critical race theory.

Critics say the theory reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color.

Defenders, however, argue that the theory examines the ways in which race and racism influence American politics, culture and the law, and say it is vital to eliminating racism.

The Oklahoma bill is similar to measures signed into law in Utah and Arkansas. Another similar measure stalled out recently in Louisiana but its author has said he intends to try and revive it.

Tennessee and Arizona have also introduced similar bills.

South Dakota's Gov Kristi Noem recently signed a bill that opposes the teaching of critical race theory. And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also recently said parents should oppose the theory.
A Republican congressman called out his colleagues on Sunday for downplaying the events of the Capitol riots, as lawmakers work to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the events of the day.

Representative Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, told CNN's Dana Bash that some of the claims his colleagues have made about the riots in recent weeks are 'bogus' and he was not sure what their motivations would be for making such statements.

Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona, for example, claimed the FBI has been 'harassing peaceful patriots across the country' in its arrests of those who have participated in the insurrection, and Andrew Clyde, of Georgia, said that if you did not know the footage was from January 6 'you would actually think it was a normal tourist video.'

And Jody Hice, also of Georgia, wrongfully claimed 'it was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not Trump supporters who were taking the lives of others.'

Representative Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday that some of the claims his colleagues are making downplaying the events of the Capitol riots are 'bogus' and he does not know why they would make these claims

'It's absolutely bogus,' Upton, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the insurrection, told Bash.

'You know, I was there,' he said. 'I watched a number of the folks walk down to the White House and then back.

'I have a balcony on my office,' he continued. 'So I saw the noise  the flash bangs, I smelled some of the gas as it moved my way.'

He added that he spent some time talking about it afterwards with Police Officer Michael Finone, who was injured in the insurrection, and saw 'firsthand what it was,' as did others who are now downplaying the events of the day.

'It was terribly frightening,' Upton said. 'They knew that by stopping some of those folks from getting into the House Chamber, it probably saved their lives.'

'I don't know how you could be a better witness,' he said, noting that he supports a move by his fellow lawmakers to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack.

On January 6, many Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election

They scaled the walls of the Capitol and broke windows to get in

Many clashed with local law enforcement in the insurrection

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee struck a deal on Friday for how thy would structure the independent panel  with 10 members, half appointed by Democratic congressional leaders, including the chairperson and half appointed by Republicans, including the vice chair.

They would be tasked with issuing a final report on the events of January 6 by the end of the year, and would have the power to issue subpoenas, so long as they are signed off by both the chair and the vice chair.

But it remains unclear whether House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would approve the commission, as he said he is still reviewing the matter, according to CNN.

Upton said he would want McCarthy to approve the commission, and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who was ousted from her GOP leadership position last week, told ABC News that McCarthy should 'absolutely' testify before the commission if it were to be established.

'I would hope he doesn't require a subpoena, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were subpoenaed,' Cheney said of McCarthy, adding that the attempts by some of her colleagues to downplay the insurrection are 'disgraceful and despicable.'

It remains unclear whether House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would approve of a bipartisan commission to study the events of January 6

House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson also told CNN's Jim Acosta on Sunday that it is important to find out what McCarthy knows about Trump's actions on January 6.

'We have to get all of the facts,' he said. 'We want to get the House Administration documents. We want to get the Government Reform and Oversight Committee's documents, the Department of Defense documents and any witness who had anything in terms of knowledge of what happened on January 6. The commission needs to hear from them," Thompson said.

When asked if that includes Trump, he said the commission would 'need to get' information from Trump himself.

'He invited many of the people who broke into the Capitol to Washington on that day. He said, 'Come to Washington. It's going to be wild.' So we need to get from him what 'coming to Washington, being wild' was all about,' Thompson said.
Australians looking for property should avoid rushing in to buy an apartment.

While house prices are at record highs, apartment prices have hardly moved during the past year.

Treasury is expecting demand to fall for high-rise apartments in coming years as Australia's border remains closed to international students and non-citizens.

In Sydney, homes with a backyard in April surged at an annual pace of 10.4 per cent to a mid-point price of $1.147million.

Australians can take their time looking for an apartment with median prices going up by 0.9 per cent during the past year. Sydney's gentrified inner-west has some bargains with a two-bedroom unit at Marrickville, 10km from the central business district, is on the market for just $650,000 in an older-style block

But median apartment prices have edged by just 0.9 per cent to $771,859, despite property price records being set in 63 of Australia's 88 real estate sub markets, CoreLogic data showed.

In some inner-city suburbs, units are available for much less.

Sydney's gentrified inner-west has some bargains with a two-bedroom unit at Marrickville, 10km from the central business district, is on the market for just $650,000 in an older-style block.

A one-bedroom unit at nearby Lewisham was available from $600,000.

Living in an upmarket suburb is also affordable with a one-bedroom unit at Turramurra on the Upper North Shore selling for between $700,000 and $770,000.

In the Budget papers, Treasury forecast working-from-home arrangements would see a longer-term drop in demand for units, leading to fewer new developments.

A one-bedroom unit at nearby Lewisham was available from $600,000

'Changing preferences for more outer-city, spacious and detached housing may also limit growth in apartment construction in coming years,' it said.

'It is not yet clear what structural changes will result from the pandemic, particularly given the greater propensity to work from home during the pandemic.'

Treasury also expected building activity for both houses and units to be unravelled, with the extended $15,000 HomeBuilder subsidies expiring in April 2023.

'As the outlook for elevated levels of detached house construction unwinds, slower population growth is also expected to limit demand for higher-density dwellings in coming years, such that the recent strength in housing market activity is not expected to be sustained,' it said.

Living in an upmarket suburb is also affordable with a one-bedroom unit at Turramurra on the Upper North Shore selling for between $700,000 and $770,000

With Australia's border set to remain closed until mid-2022, the Treasury Budget papers predicted population growth of just 0.2 per cent during the 2021-22 financial year.

A reopening of the border from June next year would see population growth in 2022-23 edge up to 0.8 per cent - the OECD average before the pandemic.

Net overseas migration was forecast to surge to 235,000 in 2024-25, higher than where it was before the pandemic.
The Associated Press has been accused of lying about whether it knew Hamas maintained a military presence in its Gaza headquarters.

Israeli forces destroyed Jala Tower which had been the AP's headquarters in the Palestinian territory for 15 years, and was also where Al Jazeera was based.

Politicians and journalists in the United States rushed to condemn the bombing, claiming the Israelis had endangered the lives of the journalists.

Israel said it had given the media outlets an hours' warning to get out of the building before the bombing, and that it was a legitimate target because it housed Hamas military forces.

AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said in a statement that he was 'shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP's bureau and other news organizations in Gaza.' He also claimed that the AP didn't know that Hamas was 'active in the building.'

But a 2014 report in The Atlantic written by journalist Matti Freidman suggested Associated Press were well aware of Hamas's presence in the building - and chose not to report it.

'When Hamas's leaders surveyed their assets before this summer's round of fighting, they knew that among those assets was the international press,' the article states, referring to an outbreak of fighting that year.

Pictured: A ball of fire erupts from the Jala Tower as it is destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. The 12-storey block in Gaza City brought down by Israeli air strikes housed the U.S. Associated Press and Qatar-based Al Jazeera media operations

Gary Pruitt, left, President and CEO of the Associated Press, claimed not to know Hamas maintained a presence in the building where Gaza's headquarters is situated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, above, told Face The Nation 'it's because we took special pains to call people in those buildings, to make sure that the premises were vacated' that no-one was murdered

'The AP staff in Gaza City would witness a rocket launch right beside their office, endangering reporters and other civilians nearbyand the AP wouldn't report it,' Freidman wrote.

The journalist at the time claimed that Hamas fighters would regularly 'burst into the AP's Gaza bureau and threaten the staffand the AP wouldn't report it.'

Appearing on Face The Nation on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the media agencies had received plenty of warning to evacuate the building.

'One of the, I think, AP journalists said we were lucky to get out,' told Face The Nation on Sunday.

'No, you weren't lucky to get out. It wasn't luck. It's because we took special pains to call people in those buildings, to make sure that the premises were vacated.'

'It's a perfectly legitimate target,' he added.

Israel has said it shared 'smoking gun' evidence Hamas operated in the building with the US in a call Saturday.

President Joe Biden 'found the explanation satisfactory', according to a source close to the Israeli foreign ministry.

Israeli warplanes unleashed a new series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City early Monday local time.

A day earlier, 42 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza early Sunday, the deadliest attacks in the latest round of violence between Israel and Hama.

Netanyahu has so far resisted attempts to reach a ceasefire, and signaled the war would rage on.

Smoke billows after an Israeli airstrike struck the Andalus Tower in Gaza city, controlled by the Palestinian Hamas movement, on May 15, 2021

Smoke billows from the 12-story Jala Tower after it was bombed by the IDF. Journalists were given an hours' notice to get out before the strike

The bombing of the 12-story Jala Tower in Gaza came after days of intense fighting between Palestinians and Israelis.

Hamas fired thousands of rockets into civilian areas of Israel, forcing millions to seek safety in underground shelters.

Israel launched bombing raids of its own on targeting Hamas forces in Gaza, but as the designated terrorist organization embeds its military operations within civilians areas of the densely populated city, dozens of civilians were killed.

After the AP's offices were bombed, White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that the U.S. had 'communicated directly to the Israelis that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility'.

Both Pruitt, the AP's chief executive, and Sally Buzbee, AP's executive editor, said they had no prior knowledge of Hamas maintaining military offices in the building.

Buzbee, who was last week named as the new executive editor at the Washington Post, called on the Israeli government to provide clear evidence supporting its attack.

'We are in a conflict situation,' Buzbee said. 'We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we don't know what that evidence is.'

'We think it's appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday  an independent investigation,' she added.

Writing in The Atlantic in 2014, journalist Matti Friedman said 'Hamas fighters would burst into the AP's Gaza bureau and threaten the staffand the AP wouldn't report it'

But the 2014 Atlantic article appeared to show journalists had been aware of their presence since at least 2014.

The AP was criticized on social media for the apparent oversight.

One person shared The Atlantic article on Twitter, and commented: '@AP didn't know about sharing a building w/ Hamas for 15 years?'

'Doesn't say much for their reporting abilities if they missed a Hamas staging office a floor away,' another tweeted.

However, Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and U.N., said in an interview with Israeli public broadcaster Kan radio on Wednesday that it is not likely that the AP knew about the Hamas presence.

'I can also tell you that as a state, we dont have information as to whether AP knew or did not know that Hamas is in that building, because the unit that was operating there was a secret unit,' he said.

'It can be said its more likely they were not aware of the existence of Hamas in the building.'

IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman defended the decision to bomb the building, the Times of Israel reported.

'We're in the midst of an operation. They are firing wherever they want, on a civilian population, on cities that have tens and hundreds of thousands of people. Think for a second about all the people you mentioned, imagine what they would say if one rocket  one!  were fired at Washington. I want to know what they would say,' Zilberman says.

'A building that has Hamas and Islamic Jihad assets in it needs to be brought down.'

The bombing came at a time of increased tensions and suspicions between the international press and the Israeli Defense Force.

On Friday, the IDF tricked Hamas into believing a ground invasion was underway last night and then obliterated their tunnel network knowing militants would be hiding underground waiting to ambush tanks and soldiers, reports in Israel claim.

There was confusion when the IDF said shortly after midnight that ground forces were 'attacking in Gaza', and later suggested that boots were on the ground. A spokesman later retracted that statement - saying that military operations were conducted along the border, but no Israeli troops had crossed it.

However, the announcement was apparently a well-planned ploy to get Hamas to send its fighters into its underground tunnel system beneath Gaza City, before bombarding the area, in the hope of eliminating large numbers of militants in one fell swoop.

Soldiers and tanks with drones equipped with night vision lay in wait for survivors as they surfaced, hitting them with aerial and ground fire. Snipers and missile units were also waiting for them on the ground as the IDF said it had carried out a 'complex' operation to destroy Hamas tunnels underneath Gaza City, which the military refers to as 'the Metro'.

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave, early on May 17, 2021. Deadly violence erupted across the West Bank amid a massive aerial bombardment in Gaza and unprecedented unrest among Arabs and Jews inside the country

On Sunday evening US EST, the IDF said it had targeted the homes of nine Hamas commanders throughout the Gaza Strip during its strikes over the last several hours.

'The houses attacked were used as terrorist infrastructure and in some of the houses, weapons depots were even found,' an IDF spokesman said.

It came after air-raid sirens had sounded for the seventh consecutive day across southern Israel, as Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza launched more rocket attacks into the country.

After a specially-convened meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was heading for an 'uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis'.

Biden has spoken to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to restore calm.
A Coles shopper has appeared to threaten a security guard with a weapon after she allegedly stole a trolley-load of groceries.

The woman was filmed locked in an argument with a security guard at Coles Derrimut Village, in Melbourne's west, over the contents of her trolley.

The footage, which was shared to Facebook on Monday, showed the woman and another man try to leave the self-serve section of the grocery store.

A Coles shopper has appeared to threaten a security guard with a weapon after she allegedly stole a trolley-load of groceries

But the security guard, who was dressed in blue, grabbed the four-wheeled metal trolley in protest.

She resisted and tried to pull the trolley to freedom while shouting: 'Let go of the trolley.'

'Seriously stop it.'

A man dressed in black observed the tug-of-war while other Coles employees petered out from the grocery store to see what was going on.

The woman eventually pulled a black object out of her pocket and ran around the trolley, towards the security guard.

He retreated and the pair then fled the supermarket.

The woman was filmed locked in an argument with a security guard at Coles Derrimut Village, in Melbourne's west, over the contents of her trolley

The woman eventually pulled a black object out of her pocket and ran around the trolley, towards the security guard. He retracted and the pair fled the supermarket

'Derrimut Coles at its finest,' the woman who shared the video wrote to Facebook.

'Security and staff said she hadn't paid for something in her trolley, they play an awkward tug-of-war for a bit.

'Until she threatens to stab him and then pulls out what appears to possibly be a knife in a sheath and that's when security finally let go.'

The video garnered numerous comments from Facebook users debating what had occurred.

'That poor security guard doing his job,' one person wrote.

'She could have just proven she didn't steal anything if she was so innocent,' another commented.

A third said: 'Why did the security guard keep pursuing it though? Coles don't care about a few items being stolen that much honestly.'

A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that: 'We were concerned to see this vision and are investigating with the team at the store'.

The video comes after the Covid pandemic led to countless physical fights at supermarkets across Australia.

A man dressed in black observed the tug-of-war while other Coles employees petered out from the grocery store to see what was going on

Shoppers found themselves in a struggle over toilet paper as panic buying left the shelves bare.

Major supermarkets Coles and Woolworths were also forced to introduce a limit on toilet paper packets.

Meriam and Treiza Bebawy, 23 and 61, were found guilty of affray charges in July last year over a wild brawl at a south-west Sydney Woolworths at the height of panic-buying in 2020.

The family tried to argue they were acting in self-defence after fellow shopper Tracy Hickson snatched a pack from their loaded-up trolley that manic March morning.
A dilapidated one-bedroom house in Sydney that has been lived in by squatters has sold for a whopping $1.62million.

The Camperdown property, in the inner west, surprisingly had 28 registered bidders when it went under the hammer on Saturday.

The new owner of the 127sq m home technically paid $12,756 per sqm - even more expensive than a $100million Double Bay mansion that sold in 2018.

The run down home has just one bedroom - with a large hole in the roof - and a small living room, eat-in kitchen and a bathroom/laundry.

The Camperdown property, in the inner west, surprisingly had 28 registered bidders when it went under the hammer on Saturday

The run-down home has just one bedroom - with a large hole in the roof - and a small living room, eat-in kitchen and a bathroom/laundry

Despite Domain spruiking the 26 Eton Street property as 'the ultimate blank canvas opportunity,' LJ Hooker Newtown real estate agent Bryan Mahlberg admitted it sold for an 'absurd amount' of money

Despite Domain spruiking the 26 Eton Street property, which has been empty for 12 years, as 'the ultimate blank canvas opportunity,' LJ Hooker Newtown real estate agent Bryan Mahlberg admitted it sold for an 'absurd amount' of money.

'The reason it was so expensive is the main buyer pool were all builders that saw it as a knock-down-rebuild opportunity,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Mahlberg said the buyer hopes the property will be worth in 'the high two millions' after the rebuild.

'The buyers have a lot of faith in current and future values and their forecasting that the confidence will remain strong [in making a good profit],' he said.

'I think the buyers that bought it knew the area and knew what they were doing and believe in the finished product value.'

Mr Mahlberg there were a couple of owner-occupier buyers at the auction, but they 'didn't have the experience to get that high-end home built on a small site'.

While the home is 'unlivable' and will no doubt be demolished, Mr Mahlberg said the owner has forked out the large sum for its location.

The home is nestled in a park-side precinct and is just moments from Camperdown Park and Camperdown Commons, bus services, the rail, King Street and the RPA.

Sydney's property market is so overheated prospective buyers are even paying $2,000 fees just to view blocks of land that are 84km from the city centre.

Developers Lendlease and Mirvac are both selling house and land packages, from $800,000, on the city's south-western outskirts.

And competition is fierce.

Mr Mahlberg said the buyer hopes the property will be worth in 'the high two millions' after the rebuild

While expensive, basic houses in new, master-planned suburbs are marginally more affordable than Sydney's record $1.147million median house price, which increased by 11.2 per cent during the first four months of 2021, CoreLogic data showed.

But many of these outer Sydney house and land packages are pricier than Melbourne's mid-point house price of $869,676.

Lendlease is selling new houses at Wilton, 84km south-west of the city, for between $790,000 and $1.2million, in an area that until 2013 was being seriously considered as the site of Sydney's second airport.

Like many master-planned districts, the new suburb of Bingara Gorge comes with a fake lake.

Lendlease's Kings Central development at Werrington near Penrith, 50km west of Sydney, received 2,000 enquiries before the first weekend opening in March, with house and land packages available for $720,000 to $950,000.

Sydney's property market is so overheated prospective buyers are paying $2,000 fees just to view blocks of land more than 80km from the city centre. Pictured is Lendlease's Bingara Gorge development

Lendlease is selling new houses at Wilton, 84km south-west of the city, for between $790,000 and $1.2million, in an area that until 2013 was being seriously considered as the site of Sydney's second airport. Pictured is an artist's impression of a house

Interest in both projects is so strong prospective buyers have to pay a $2,000 fee just to jump the queue to see available blocks, which is fully refunded if they don't end up signing a purchasing contract.

Ben Christie, Lendlease's head of residential property, said buyers were particularly interested in brand-new homes that didn't need to be renovated or fixed.

'We've been experiencing strong demand for our stock,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'These numbers indicate confidence in both the Australian housing market, and our turnkey product, which, being a fully completed home, is remarkably appealing for many customers.'

Maggie Xu, from the Byton Realty Group, said the demand for house and land packages at Menangle Park, near Campbelltown, was outstripping the availability of blocks.

'I don't have any available stocks right now,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'We're all waiting for the land developer to release the land.'

Prospective buyers at Mirvac's The Village development at Menangle have to pay a refundable $1,000 fee just to inspect a plot of land.
A learner skydiver on his 12th jump is in a serious condition after a horrific skydiving accident on a highway.

The man suffered multiple serious injuries after a rough landing on Brisbane Valley Highway at Toogoolawah, 90 minutes south-west of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

He suffered injuries to his leg, arm and pelvis when he came down hard under an open parachute on Monday, the Australian Parachute Federation said.

Paramedics arrived at scene after a man is seriously injured in a skydiving accident (pictured)

Paramedics arrived at the accident scene on Monday at around 11.15am, and the man was airlifted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

He was training under Skydive Ramblers Toogoolawah, which offers learn to skydive lessons and tandem jumps.

'The man, whose name cannot be released, was a trainee skydiver, making his 12th jump as part of a routine training exercise,' the federation said in a statement.

The federation, which regulates skydiving in Australia, will investigate whether equipment, human error, or weather conditions played a part in the incident.

More to come.
Hadid whose father, Mohamed Hadid, is Palestinian, also was seen in videos on social media Saturday marching with thousands at the demonstration in Bay Ridge amid

Hadid published a series of cartoons Wednesday that called Israel 'occupiers' and called Palestinians 'oppressed'

Hadid attended a protest in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday

The tweet showed a screenshot of Hadid streaming to Instagram Live from the protest wearing a traditional dress, a Keffiyeh, and a face mask

'When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State,' wrote @Israel

The State of Israel's official Twitter account condemned model Bella Hadid, 24, after she posted her support for the Palestinian cause

Israel has condemned Bella Hadid is calling for 'throwing Jews into the sea' after the American supermodel sparked allegations of anti-Semitism.

'When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State,' the State of Israel's official Twitter account wrote Sunday.

'This shouldn't be an Israeli-Palestinian issue. This should be a human issue. Shame on you,' along with the hashtag Israel Under Attack.

The tweet showed a screenshot of Hadid streaming to Instagram Live from the protest wearing a traditional dress, a Keffiyeh, and a face mask.

Israel's official state Twitter account later said: 'For those of you who don't know, 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' is a phrase used by those who call for the elimination of Israel (from the river to the sea....)'

It followed a message on their account saying: 'When celebrities like Bella Hadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State. This shouldn't be an Israeli-Palestinian issue. This should be a human issue. Shame on you.'

Earlier this week, the supermodel sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid sparked a firestorm over an Instagram post that said Israel was not a country, but rather a land settled by colonizers.

Bella, who has nearly 42 million followers on the platform, published the series of cartoons Wednesday that called Israel 'occupiers' and called Palestinians 'oppressed.'

Her sister Gigi then liked the post, amplifying the cartoons riddled with historic inaccuracies and anti-Semitic tropes to her 66.2 million followers.

Bella Hadid, 24, whose father Mohamed Hadid, is Palestinian, attended protests in Brooklyn on Saturday.

As the Israeli bombing campaign intensified, and Hamas and other militant groups fired rockets into civilian areas, the war for hearts and minds escalated, with celebrities on both sides weighing in to offer their views.

Thousands took to the streets in the United States at the weekend to voice their anger at the ongoing military action being carried out by Israel.

At least 145 people in Gaza and eight in Israel have been killed since the fighting erupted on Monday night.

Scroll down for video

Bella Hadid joins with protestors Brooklyn to demonstrate in support of Palestinians in New York on Saturday. The State of Israel accused her of advocating 'throwing Jews into the sea'

The accusations from Israel came after Hadid, pictured wearing a traditional dress, a Keffiyeh, a face mask and waving a large Palestinian flag, shared an anti-Semitic cartoon to her 42 million Instagram followers

The State of Israel's official Twitter account said Hadid was advocating for sending 'Jews into the sea'

Bella Hadid has used her Instagram account - with 42 million followers - to show her support for Palestine

Gigi (left) and Bella Hadid with their father Mohamed, who was born in Palestine in 1948

As Hadid came under fire for posting images that said Israel was not a country, Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, faced backlash and was even forced to disable comments on her post about the conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas.

'My heart breaks. My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people,' the 36-year-old Wonder Woman star wrote on Instagram.

'This is a vicious cycle that has been going on for far too long. Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation. Our neighbors deserve the same,' she continued.

'I pray for the victims and their families, I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so we could live side by side in peace. I pray for better days.'

Despite her statement seeming benign, many social media users objected to her painting the most-recent conflict as a both-sides issue.

Bella Hadid shared the cartoon, with several slides explaining her point, on Instagram

Controversial post: Gal Gadot, 36, was criticized on social media for a statement shared Wednesday calling for peace in the IsraelPalestine conflict while not addressing the sources of the violence; seen in 2018

No comments: Gadot eventually closed off comments on Instagram after being inundated with criticism for her statement. She also closed comments on a Twitter post of the same statement

In the United States, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied in cities across North America on Saturday, calling for an end to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip as the worst violence in years flared between the Jewish state and Islamist militants.

Groups gathered to show solidarity with Palestinians in cities including New York, Boston, Washington, Montreal and Dearborn, Michigan.

About two thousand people turned out in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, chanting 'Free, free Palestine' and 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'

They waved Palestinian flags and held placards that read 'End Israeli Apartheid' and 'Freedom for Gaza.'

Many protesters wore black and white, and red and white, keffiyeh scarves, while drivers sounded car horns and motorcyclists revved their engines as the sun beat down.

Sobbing selfie: Bella Hadid, 24, posts sobbing selfie and talks about 'deep sense of pain' she feels for Palestine as she continues to takes sides on the geopolitical conflict

Among them in Bay Ridge was Hadid who joined in supporting Palestinians.

Hadid was spotted wearing a traditional dress, a Keffiyeh, a face mask and was waving a large Palestinian flag.

She marched alongside thousands as she flashed a peace sign and waved.

Several Jewish people attended, carrying placards that said 'Not in my name' and 'Solidarity with Palestine' as the protesters took over a street in the area which has a large Arab population.

A few dozen police officers looked on at the peaceful protest, dubbed 'Defend Palestine.

Earlier in the day, Hadid shared a sobbing selfie saying she felt a 'deep sense of pain,' for Palestinians as she continued to take sides  despite many calling her previous social media posts 'mis-informed.'

Hadid posted a closeup of her face with tears streaming down her cheeks as she continued to speak.

'I feel a deep sense of pain for Palestine and for my Palestinian brothers and sisters today and everyday. Watching these videos physically breaks my heart into 100 different pieces.

'You cannot allow yourself to be desensitized to watching human life being taken. You just can't. Palestinian lives are the lives that will help change the world. And they are being taken from us by the second. #FreePalestine'

Her post about the nation state  which was established in 1948 was said to have inflamed the very fraught situation and contributed to rising anti-semitism on a global scale. Numbers-wise Bella boasts 41.7M Instagram followers  three times the number of Jews in the world.

BOSTON: Thousands gather during a rally to support Palestine at Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts on May 15, 2021

DEARBORN, MICHIGAN: Protestors speak out against the Israeli army in Gaza as well as the forced removal of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem

WASHINGTON D.C.: Jewish demonstrators show their solidarity with Palestinians over the ongoing conflict with Israel

BROOKLYN: People gather in Brooklyn to demonstrate in support of Palestinians in New York City

BROOKLYN: Protests are taking place worldwide against Israel as a result of recently escalated actions towards the Palestinian people

LOS ANGELES: Demonstrators holding signs and the flag of Palestine march to the Israeli Consulate during a protest against Israel and in support of Palestinians during the current conflict in the Middle East, in the Westwood area of LA

LOS ANGELES: Demonstrators holding signs march to Israeli Consulate during a protest against Israel and in support of Palestinians in LA

LOS ANGELES: A demonstrator takes part in a protest outside the Federal Building against Israel and in support of Palestinians in California

NEW YORK CITY: Activists supporting Palestine block traffic on Interstate 278 Saturday, in New York

HOUSTON, TEXAS: People participate in a demonstration at the Houston City Hall on May 15, 2021 in Houston, Texas

HOUSTON, TEXAS: A man leads a chant during a march to the Houston City Hall. The death toll in Gaza continues to rise as the region is seeing the worst outbreak of violence since the 2014 Gaza war

LOS ANGELES: People rally in support of Palestinians near the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, California

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles Sheriff deputies keep watch as people rally in support of Palestinians near the Consulate General of Israel in LA. Tensions have escalated between Israelis and Palestinians, leading to the heaviest offensive in years

LOS ANGELES: People demonstrate in support of Palestine during the Los Angeles Nakba 73: Resistance Until Liberation rally and protest outside the Consulate of Israel in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES: A demonstrator performs a backflip outside the Consulate of Israel in LA

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Ahmad El-rifai, 5, participates in prayer at the Houston City Hall on in Houston, Texas. People gathered during a rally to show support for Palestinians facing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip

'I'm here because I want a Palestinian life to equal an Israeli life and today it doesn't,' said 35-year-old Emraan Khan, a corporate strategist from Manhattan, as he waved a Palestinian flag.

'When you have a nuclear-armed state and another state of villagers with rocks it is clear who is to blame,' he added.

Alison Zambrano, a 20-year-old student, travelled from neighboring Connecticut for the demo.

'Palestinians have the right to live freely and children in Gaza should not be being killed,' she told AFP.

Mashhour Ahmad, a 73-year-old Palestinian who has lived in New York for 50 years, said 'don't blame the victim for the aggression.'

'I'm telling Mr. Biden and his cabinet to stop supporting the killing. Support the victims, stop the oppression.

'The violence committed by the Israeli army recently is genocide,' he added, raising a poster above his head that said 'Free Palestine, End the occupation.'

BROOKLYN: People wave flags during a demonstration in support of Palestine in Brooklyn, New York

LOS ANGELES: People rally in support of Palestinians near the Consulate General of Israel in LA

HOUSTON, TEXAS: People gathered during a rally to show support for Palestinians facing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip

HOUSTON, TEXAS: A woman leads a chant during a march to the Houston City Hall. People gathered during a rally to show support for Palestinians facing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip

NEW YORK: An activist supporting Palestine runs with a pro-Palestine sign during a rally on Saturday, May 15, 2021, in New York. The rally supports Palestine in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine on the day Israeli airstrikes leveled several buildings in the Gaza strip

BROOKLYN: Activists supporting Palestine block traffic on Interstate 278 Saturday in New York

People block the Gowanus Expressway during a Nakba Day Defend Palestine protest in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

The Gowanus Expressway was blocked because of the protests on Saturday night

Palestinian protestors folded arms in what was a peaceful protest

The Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, has a large Arabic-speaking community

Some protesters walked onto Interstate 278 shutting down traffic in at least in one direction

The marches coincided with Nakba Day, which commemorates the 1948 displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians amid Israel's declaration of independence

Some religions Jews also appeared to show support for the Palestinian community

Thousands rally in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to stand with Palestinians calling for the end of what they see as an illegal occupation by Israel

President Joe Biden spoke separately Saturday with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, expressing his 'grave concern' over six days of violence that has left scores dead or wounded.

He expressed Washington's 'strong commitment to a negotiated two-state solution as the best path to reach a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,' the White House said.

The protests were held on the anniversary of Nakba Day, or 'catastrophe,' that saw hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced during Israel's creation in 1947-1948.

Throngs of people gathered in Copley Square in Boston, while a few hundred rallied on the Washington Monument grounds in the US capital.

Several thousand demonstrated in Montreal, calling for 'the liberation of Palestine.'

Protesters also denounced 'war crimes' committed by Israel in Gaza and carried placards accusing Israel of violating international law during the protest in the center of the Canadian city.

Earlier, a caravan of cars sounded their horns and drove with Palestinian flags blowing in the wind as they protested outside the Israeli consulate in the western part of Montreal.

A protester was arrested for breaking a window, a police spokesperson said, but otherwise the demonstration was peaceful.

A Palestinian man looks for belongings to salvage in a damaged building following Israeli air strikes in Gaza

Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli forces across the West Bank

Israeli soldiers take aim during clashes with Palestinian protesters in the city center of Hebron in the occupied West Bank

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired from the Gaza Strip toward the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Saturday night

Israeli security forces and emergency services work on a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ramat Gan

Israeli beachgoers rush towards shelters in the central city of Tel Aviv on May 15 following the launching of rockets from the Gaza Strip controlled by the Palestinian Hamas movement towards Israel

Israeli beachgoers pictured going towards shelters in Tel Aviv. Israel, which is also trying to contain an outbreak of internal Jewish-Arab violence, is facing its bloodiest conflict with Palestinian militants in Gaza since a 2014 war

Smoke billows as an air bomb is dropped on the Jala Tower during an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza, said: 'It's terrible, very sad, to target the Al Jazeera and other press bureaux'

This picture taken from the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon shows rockets fired from the Gaza Strip being intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome missile defence system , on May 15, 2021

This picture taken from the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon shows rockets fired from the Gaza Strip being intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome missile defence system , on May 15, 2021

A thick column of black smoke rises from the Jala Tower as it is destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on May 15

Families who live in Jala Tower, a high-rise housing AP and other media offices, flee the building before Israeli airstrikes on Saturday, May 15

A ball of fire erupts from the Jala Tower as it is destroyed on May 15. Israeli air strikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight, killing 10 members of an extended family and demolishing a key media building
Chris Zimmerman, an executive at AmerisourceBergen, seemed to call some drug addicts 'pillbillies' in an email to his colleagues

Top officials at a leading drug distribution company sent emails disparaging those who have gotten hooked off of their products, according to a West Virginia prosecutor.

The emails were put forth by Cabell County attorney Paul Farrell Jr. in a federal trial that pits county and Huntington City officials against the nation's three largest drug distributors  who they argue fueled the opioid epidemic in the state.

In the emails, executives for AmerisourceBergen wrote rhymes and songs making fun of those who became addicted to opioid painkillers.

One email in 2011 from a Joseph Tomkiewicz, who was working as a corporate investigator for the company at the time, included a rhyme to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song in which a 'poor mountaineer' named Jed 'barely kept his habit fed' and traveled to Florida to buy 'Hillbilly Heroin'  a nickname for OxyContin.

At the time, Florida was well-known for its lax regulations on pain killers, as doctors were able to prescribe and dispense a large number of opioids at a time.

Another rhyme, this time to the tune of a Jimmy Buffett song, described Kentucky as 'OxyContinville' due to the high use of drugs in the state.

And when Kentucky introduced new regulations to crack down on the opioid epidemic, a regional director for Amerisource, according to her LinkedIn profile, wrote 'One of the hillbilly's must have learned how to read :-)'

And yet another email Farrell presented to a Cabell County judge contained a mocked-up breakfast cereal with the word 'smack' under the words 'OxyContin for kids.'

'Youre just a barrel of laughs today,' responded a coworker.

Chris Zimmerman, the senior executive responsible for enforcing AmerisourceBergen's legal obligation to halt opioid deliveries to pharmacies suspected of dispensing suspiciously large amounts of drugs, also sent an email to colleagues after Florida passed legislation cracking down on the pharmacies in 2011, saying 'Watch out 'George' and Alabama, here will be a max exodus of pillbillies heading north.'

U.S. District Judge David Faber denied the introduction of further emails as evidence.

Another executive, Joseph Tomkiewicz wrote a poem about a man named Jed who was hooked on painkillers to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song

When Kentucky introduced new regulations to crack down on the spread of opioids, Cathy Marcum, a regional director for Amerisource, wrote 'One of the hillbilly's must have learned how to read :-)'

In court, Zimmerman apologized for the email, and said the term 'pillbillies' was in reference to drug dealers, not to the patients.

'I shouldn't have sent the email,' he said, according to the Mountain State Spotlight, but added that the emails Farrell presented were 'cherry-picked out of context.'

He said they were just a way to express frustration as the company worked to crack down on the opioid epidemic, The Guardian reported.

Zimmerman acknowledged the 'devastating effect' of the opioid epidemic, but deflected responsibility blaming the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and lower-level employees at his company.

He claimed that if the company had stopped deliveries, it would harm the patients who actually needed the drugs.

Farrell, meanwhile, said the emails reflected a culture of contempt at one of the nation's leading drug distributors.

'It is a pattern of conduct by those people charged with protecting our community, and they're circulating emails disparaging hillbillies,' he said.

Over the course of nine years, three drug distributors  Amerisource Bergen, McKesson and Cardinal Health  delivered about 100 million opioid doses to Cabell County, which has a population of just about 90,000.

Certain pharmacies in small towns received over 100,000 opioid pills in a single month, according to the Mountain State Spotlight.
Matthew McConaughey has been quietly making calls to prominent Texas politicians and business leaders to test the viability of his candidacy as governor.

The 51-year-old Lone Star actor has been in talks with a wealthy moderate Republican and energy CEO to discuss him officially entering the race and their potential support, Politico reports.

Many are skeptical that McConaughey would be willing to give up his hugely successful Hollywood career for one in politics.

But the Dazed and Confused star has been teasing a run for governor for several months. Even if he did run, there is no guarantee he would win although a recent poll shows him eking into first place with more support from Democrats than Republicans.

McConaughey recently told The Hugh Hewitt Show that 'it would be up to the people more than it would me' whether he follows a career in politics.

Matthew McConaughey has been quietly making calls to prominent Texas politicians and business leaders to test the viability of his candidacy as governor

A recently released poll from the University of Texas found showed 45% of voters would support McConaughey over Abbott if the actor decided to run for office. The pair are pictured together here

And the odds are pretty good for the Dallas Buyers Club actor if he did decide to proceed. Out of more than 1,000 registered voters, 45 percent said they would vote for him if given the chance.

The odds were good particularly when compared to the incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott with just 33% promising the Governor their vote, according to a new poll conducted by The Dallas Morning News and The University of Texas Tyler.

When looking at individual parties, only 30% said they'd vote for McConaughey with 56% opting for Abbott.

In Democrat circles he commands a far more certain majority with 66% liking the sound of a Governor McConaughey.

McConaughey has openly talked of the possibility of running but always deferred saying 'it would be up to the people' on whether he'd run.

Politically speaking, McConaughey, who hails from Uvalde, Texas, west of San Antonio, has kept his leanings pretty close to his chest.

Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey (pictured), 51, has not ruled out the prospect of running for Governor of Texas

He has never said either way whether he would run as a Republican or a Democrat.

'I'm not teasing the idea  I'm actually looking at the idea and giving it serious consideration,' McConaughey told CNBC.

'I have a new chapter for myself, personally in my life. I believe it is in some sort of leadership role. I don't know what that role is. I don't know my category. We've been talking about the 'why' of leadership and even, I would say, we need some more good leaders.

'We've gotten to this spot where, 'You voice your opinion and it opposes mine. My gut reaction  our gut reaction  is 'Oh, you must be saying that at the exclusion of mine' If I say I'm a believer, someone will say 'Oh, you must not believe in science.' Well, I didn't say that, I'm a believer and I believe in sciencetwo different opinions can exist at the same time,' he said in a March interview.

Back in March, he told host of the Houston-based podcast and Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Mankarious that he had been looking to the future.

'I'm looking into now, what is my leadership role because I do think I have some things to teach and share,' he said.

'What is my role, what is my category in my next chapter of life that I'm going into now?'

Mankarious asked the actor if he was considering whether to run for governor of Texas, to which he responded: 'It's a true consideration.'

Oscar-winning Texan Matthew McConaughey could win should he run for Governor of Texas in a race against incumbent Greg Abbott

In the past, McConaughey has not labelled himself as either left or right leaning but said 'extremes' on both sides were 'unfair'.

He accused political 'illiberals' of 'completely 'illegitimising the other side' - saying that liberals are 'often being cannibalised' by hardliners on left and right.

He said there is 'no room for any consensus' and accused both sides of 'exaggerating' each other's positions into an 'irrational state'.

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain late last year, he did not identify himself with either Democrats or Republicans. 'You need liberals, what I don't think we need is the illiberals and what I don't think that some liberals see is that they're often being cannibalised by the illiberals,' he said.

Asked by Piers Morgan about his views on free speech, McConaughey said that 'the extreme left and the extreme right completely illegitimize the other side, the liberal and the conservative side which we need in certain places.'

'The two extremes legitimize those two sides, or they exaggerate that side's stance into an irrational state that makes no sense - and that's not fair when either side does that,' he said.

'Where the waterline's going to land on this freedom of speech, and what we allow and what we don't and where this cancel culture goes, where that waterline lands is a very interesting place that we're engaged in right now as a society because we haven't found the right spot.'

McConaughey, 51, added: 'You've got to have confrontation to have unity, I think we can all agree on that, and that's when a democracy works really well.

'I would argue to say we don't even have true confrontation right now. True confrontation at least gives some validation to the opposing point of view or legitimizes the opposing point of view.

Ronald Reagan was also a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975. He is pictured with First Lady Nancy Reagan in 1984

Austrian-born actor and retired bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011. He is pictured here in 2020

'Right now, we don't have true confrontation because we don't even give legitimacy to an opposing point of view, we give no validation to it, we make that view persona non grata. In a way, it's sort of unconstitutional.'

Republican Gregg Abbott is currently up for reelection in the state in 2021.

Speaking on The Hugh Hewitt Show in November last year, McConaughey refused to rule out running for governor.

'I don't know. I mean, that wouldn't be up to me. It would be up to the people more than it would me,' he said.

'Look, politics seems to be a broken business to me right now. And when politics redefines its purpose, I could be a hell of a lot more interested.'

When later asked to expand on his comments, McConaughey said that while he has no plans of becoming involved in politics 'right now', he will consider 'leadership roles' in the future.

He said: 'As I move forward in life, yes, am I gonna consider leadership roles where I can be most useful.

'I'd love to. I'm doing that regardless.'

McConaughey, who won an Oscar for his role in 2013 AIDS drama Dallas Buyers Club, would be the latest in a line of actors who have won political office in the United States.

They include Presidents Donald Trump and the late Ronald Reagan, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.
A teenage boy who nearly killed a classmate during a playground fight was legally allowed to carry the 'knife' he used in the attack on the school's grounds - because it's classified a 'religious weapon' by the Education Department.

The 14-year-old boy allegedly stabbed another male student, 16, twice in the stomach with the miniature sword called a kirpan at Glenwood High School in Sydney's north-west on May 6th, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.

The 16-year-old boy was rushed to hospital while the other student, 14, was charged with two counts of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He is on bail and is due back in court in July. Meanwhile, his alleged victim was only released to hospital on Monday, 11 days after the attack.

Students in New South Wales are legally allowed to carry a Kirpan if they are a baptised Sikh

The sword must be carried by baptised Sikhs at all times to remind them of their duty to 'uphold and defend the truth courageously' and is a weapon permitted on school grounds in NSW.

The kirpan is specifically named as being one which is exempt from the NSW Education Department's ban on knifes as school.

The policy states that students caught with other types of knifes face suspensions of up to 20 days and even being expelled.

The Kirpan, which is shaped like a miniature sword, is a religious artefact which 'must always be carried... to remind him or her of their duty to uphold and defend the truth courageously'

Poll Should any religious weapons be allowed on school grounds? Yes No Should any religious weapons be allowed on school grounds? Yes 98 votes

No 1396 votes Now share your opinion





It is not clear if students or their families are required to warn staff or the school when carrying such an item.

The kirpan, which looks like miniature sword and is generally kept in a holster, is considered one of the 'five k's' of Sikhism.

The others are maintaining Kesh through uncut hair, wearing a Kara (steel bracelet), carrying a Kanga (a wooden comb) and wearing Kacchaera (cotton underwear).

A paper submitted by the Australian Sikh Association seeking an amendment to the Anti Discrimination (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 claimed Sikhs were often discriminated against for carrying a kirpan.

A boy allegedly stabbed at Glenwood High School on May 6 is yet to return to school. Pictured are police at the scene

It looks like a miniature steel or iron sword and is generally kept in a holster on a person's body, giving them easy access to the weapon should they need it

The Australian Sikh Association also claimed three 21-year-old Sikhs were discriminated against while attending an interfaith public event at NSW Parliament House in 2016.

They said the trio were refused entry due to carrying their Kirpans, as staff explained there was protocol in place which required any practicing Sikh to obtain prior approval to visit with the weapon.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was shocked to learn the knives could students could take knives to school and said it didn't pass the 'common sense test'.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she and Attorney-General Mark Speakman were urgently reviewing the operation of laws relating to children carrying knives for genuine religious reasons.

'Student and staff safety has to come first, and that's why I have asked for advice and I think we have to look at that exemption, and if there is more we need to do,' Ms Mitchell said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Education for comment.

Glenwood High School principal Sonja Anderson addressed the alleged incident in a letter sent home to parents last Friday, which was obtained by 2GB.

Ms Anderson acknowledged the use of knives 'used as a weapon in a dangerous, violent or threatening way is never acceptable'.

But she added possession of a knife for genuine religious reasons is specified as a reasonable excuse under the The NSW Summary Offences Act.

'We are currently working with community representatives to discuss how best to enable students to meet aspects of their religious faith and, at the same time, ensure our schools remain a safe place for students and staff,' the letter states.

'Once we have discussed this issue further with the community representatives we will provide further guidance to NSW public schools.'

The injured student is said to be progressing well and will be offered additional support before reintegrating into school.

The NSW Department of Education's position on knives sparked outrage among 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham and his listeners.

'I'm sorry but knives don't belong in schools,' he told listeners on Monday.

A boy, 14, was arrested at the school and has since charged with two counts of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm

Ms Anderson acknowledged the use of knives 'used as a weapon in a dangerous, violent or threatening way is never acceptable'

'I don't care what your religion is. And the NSW Police and Department of Education should make this crystal clear.'

Even New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian was surprised about the policy and will meet with the education minister to discuss potential changes.

'I was quite taken aback to learn that students can take knives to schools,' she told reporters on Monday.

'Students shouldn't be allowed to take knives to school under any circumstances and I think it doesn't pass the common sense test to have students taking weapons of any description to school.'

'I'll talk to the Education Minister about it but my strong view is that no student should be allowed to take a weapon to school. Full stop.'

The maximum penalty for carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse is a $5,500 fine or two years imprisonment.

A parent who knowingly authorises their child to carry a knife without a reasonable excuse also faces a $550 fine.

Possessing a knife for self defence purposes is not considered a 'reasonable excuse'.

Similar legislation offer Sikh students exemptions to carry kirpans on school grounds in Western Australia (Weapons Act 1999) and in Victoria (Control of Weapons Act 1990).

Queenslands Weapons Act 1990 states the kirpan cannot be worn on school grounds for any reason, although they are allowed in public places.

Under laws in Tasmania and South Australia, baptised Sikhs are permitted to have kirpans in public. However, it is unclear whether the rules apply to school grounds.

The principal of Glenwood High School (pictured) told parents that a student being in possession of a knife for genuine religious reasons is specified as a reasonable excuse

The principal addressed the alleged incident in a letter (pictured) sent to parents on Friday
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Hussam Abu Harbid has been killed by an Israeli air strike, the country's military has said, describing him as a senior commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad

A senior Palestinian militant commander has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the country's air force has claimed, following a night of heavy bombardment that saw more than a hundred bombs dropped on Gaza.

Hussam Abu Harbid, commander of the Northern Division of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), was killed in a strike on Monday, according to the Israeli air force as airstrikes continued into Monday afternoon.

Harbid was behind rocket attacks against Israel including several launched on the first day of the most-recent clashes, the Israeli air force said, and had been a commander within PIJ for at least 15 years.

News of Harbid's death - which has not been confirmed by PIJ - was followed by a flurry of rocket fire from inside Gaza at cities in southern Israel, which left at least eight people wounded.

A missile scored a direct hit on a residential building in Ashdod, the Magen David Adom emergency service said, with at least three people wounded by shrapnel in that attack, and amid fears more could be trapped in rubble. Five other people suffered panic attacks.

The death toll from a week of fighting now stands at 211, with 201 dead on the Palestinian side according to Gaza's health authority, including 58 children and 34 women.

Ten deaths have been confirmed in Israel, including one child. More than 1,200 Palestinians have been injured so far, along with 302 Israelis.

Monday morning's strikes came after an overnight bombardment described by witnesses as the heaviest of the conflict so far, with 54 Israeli jets dropping bombs on 35 targets in and around Gaza City in just 20 minutes.

The IDF said the strikes targeted around nine miles of Hamas tunnels, referred to by the military as 'the Metro', along with the homes of senior Hamas commanders that were also used as weapons stores.

Abu Harbid - whose death has yet to be confirmed by PIJ - came amid continuing attacks by Israel in Gaza today. Pictured: Palestinian rescue workers carry the remains of a man found next to a beachside cafe after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike

A Palestinian man stands next to a car that was hit by an Israeli airstrike, near the beach in Gaza City, with three people thought to have died in the strike

Palestinians gather around a car targeted by an Israeli missile in Gaza City as strikes continued on Monday

Reports of Harbid's death were followed by a flurry of rocket fire from Gaza at Israel, with at least one rocket hitting a residential building in Ashdod and causing eight injuries

Rockets fired towards Israel are intercepted in the skies above the Gaza Strip on Monday

A man inspects a three storey demolished building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City overnight

Palestinians inspect damaged building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinians inspect at debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinian Al Deyri family's children are seen at street after their home demolished by Israeli army's airstrikes in Gaza City

Children and Palestinian men are seen near debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

A Palestinian man walks through the ruins in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City

A Palestinian man passes the site of Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Monday after a night of heavy bombardment

Palestinian firefighters douse a huge fire at the Foamco mattress factory following an Israeli airstrike, east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip

Palestinian firefighters attempt to put out a blaze at a sponge factory in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday

Flames rip through a warehouse belonging to a sponge factory in the northern Gaza Strip early on Monday

Flames rise from the rubble of destroyed factories in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning

Rockets are launched from Gaza City, towards Israel on May 17

Streaks of light are seen as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards central Israel as seen from Ashkelon, Israel

Streaks of light are seen as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel

Streaks of light are seen as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu defends Gaza air strikes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended his attacks on the Gaza strip, saying a country has a right to defend itself, and argued the United States knows 'd**n well' it would do the same thing. In a defiant interview on CBS' Face the Nation, Netanyahu denied any political motivation for the attacks that have left 174 Palestinians dead, including 47 children. In Israel, 10 people have been killed in total, including two children, with barrages of rockets fired from Gaza. 'I think any country has to defend itself, and we'll do whatever it takes to restore order and the security of our people,' he said. He argued he was fighting Hamas, a terrorist organization that hid behind civilians, as tensions rose between Israelis and Palestinians to levels not seen since a 2014 war. 'Frankly, if Hamas thought that they could just fire on our rockets and then sit back and enjoy immunity, that's false. We are targeting a terrorist organization that is targeting our civilians and hiding behind their civilians, using them as human shields. 'We're doing everything we can to hit the terrorists themselves, their rockets their rocket caches and their arms, but we're not going to just let them get away with it,' he said. And, when pressed on the issue, he snapped back to interviewer John Dickinson. 'What would you do if it happened to Washington and New York? You know d**n well what you'd do,' Netanyahu said. Netanyahu, meanwhile, denied his actions were about staying in power. 'That's preposterous,' he said. 'Anybody who knows me knows that I've never, ever subordinated security concerns, the life of our soldiers the life of our citizens for political interests, that's just hogwash,' he added. 'I'll do what I have to do to protect the lives of Israeli citizens and to restore peace and make peace with for our countries. 'I'm glad that we have a restoration of some considerable calm within Israel. That's my goal to restore peace and quiet and to assure tranquility.' Advertisement

The night of strikes began when Hamas rockets were fired at the cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon, with one slamming into a synagogue hours before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli emergency services said. No injuries were reported.

Israeli aircraft then launched their own raids, with the IDF saying that nine residences belonging to high-ranking Hamas commanders were hit. Some of the homes were used for weapons storage, it said.

Later in the morning, Palestinian media reported that Israel had struck a factory in northern Gaza. Video on social media showed a column of thick black smoke rising into the air.

Gaza mayor Yahya Sarraj said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure, and that he expected 'the situation to get much worse' if the bombardment continued.

It came amid reports that just one turbine at the power station which supplies much of Gaza's electricity is now working, threatening mass blackouts including at hospitals and interruption to water supplies.

The U.N. has warned that the territory's sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts.

Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territory's electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or a three days.

Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the company's staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.

West Gaza resident Mad Abed Rabbo, 39, expressed 'horror and fear' at the intensity of the onslaught.

'There have never been strikes of this magnitude,' he said.

Gazan Mani Qazaat said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'should realise we're civilians, not fighters', adding 'I felt like I was dying'.

The renewed strikes come a day after 42 Palestinians in Gaza - including at least eight children and two doctors, according to the health ministry - were killed in the worst daily death toll in the enclave since the bombardments began.

Israel's army said about 3,100 rockets had been fired since last Monday from Gaza - the highest rate ever recorded - but added its Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted over 1,000.

Netanyahu said in a televised address Sunday that Israel's 'campaign against the terrorist organisations is continuing with full force' and would 'take time' to finish.

The Israeli army said it had targeted the infrastructure of Hamas and armed group Islamic Jihad, weapons factories and storage sites.

Israeli air strikes also hit the home of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas's political wing in Gaza, the army said, releasing footage of plumes of smoke and intense damage, but without saying if he was killed.

On Saturday, Israel gave journalists from Al Jazeera and AP news agency an hour to evacuate their offices before launching air strikes, turning their tower block into piles of smoking rubble.

Netanyahu on Sunday said the building also hosted a Palestinian 'terrorist' intelligence office.

'It is a perfectly legitimate target,' he said.

In the Israeli air assault early Sunday, families were buried under piles of cement rubble and twisted rebar. A yellow canary lay crushed on the ground.

Shards of glass and debris covered streets blocks away from the major downtown thoroughfare where the three buildings were hit over the course of five minutes around 1 a.m.

Palestinian youth attend a demonstration in Beit Jala on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on May 17, to express their support with Gaza and Sheikh Jarah

Palestinian youth attend a demonstration in Beit Jala on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on May 17, to express their support with Gaza and Sheikh Jarah

Israeli artillery soldiers carry shells as their unit aim at targets in the Gaza Strip as the escalation continues between the Israeli Army and Hamas forces at the Gaza Border, Israel, on Monday. In response to days of violent confrontations between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jerusalem, various Palestinian militants factions in Gaza launched rocket attacks since 10 May that killed at least ten Israelis to date

An Israeli artillery soldiers sort shells as their unit aim at targets in the Gaza Strip as the escalation continues between the Israeli Army and Hamas forces at the Gaza Border, Israel, May 17. In response to days of violent confrontations between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jerusalem, various Palestinian militants factions in Gaza launched rocket attacks since 10 May that killed at least ten Israelis to date. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 192 Palestinians, including 58 children, were killed in the recent retaliatory Israeli airstrikes

Israeli soldiers fire a 155mm self-propelled howitzer towards the Gaza Strip on Monday as fighting continues

Israel has defied international calls for a ceasefire and continues to bombard targets within Gaza today

An Israeli artillery unit deployed next to the Gaza Strip border as fighitng continues between Israeli Army and Hamas forces

Israeli artillery moved around near the Gaza border as fighting between the two sides continues today

Smoke rises from Gaza City as an Israeli shell fired by a gunboat hits a target on Monday morning

Search and rescue works continue at debris of buildings after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings at Jabalia Refugee Camp

Search and rescue works continue at debris of buildings after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings at Jabalia Refugee Camp

Palestinians inspect at debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinians inspect at debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinian children are seen at street after their home demolished by Israeli army's airstrikes in Gaza City

Palestinian Al Deyri and his family are seen on the streets of Gaza after their home was destroyed in Israeli air strikes

A Palestinian girl eats a piece of flatbread on the streets of Gaza after her family home was destroyed in overnight airstrikes

Palestinians inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinian children walk next to rubble from a house was that was hit by early morning Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City

Palestinians inspect the damage in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City

AP editor demands answers after building destroyed The Associated Press' top editor is calling for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts. Separately, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel's bombing of a building housing the media organizations as a possible war crime. Sally Buzbee, AP's executive editor, said Sunday that the Israeli government has yet to provide clear evidence supporting its attack, which leveled the 12-story al-Jalaa tower. The Israeli military, which gave AP journalists and other tenants about an hour to evacuate, claimed Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office and weapons development. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israel was compiling evidence for the U.S. but declined to commit to providing it within the next two days. 'We're in the middle of fighting,' Conricus said Sunday. 'That's in process and I'm sure in due time that information will be presented.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would share any evidence of Hamas' presence in the targeted building through intelligence channels. But neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any American official had seen it. Buzbee said the AP has had offices in al-Jalaa tower for 15 years and never was informed or had any indication that Hamas might be in the building. She said the facts must be laid out. 'We are in a conflict situation,' Buzbee said. 'We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we don't know what that evidence is.' 'We think it's appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday - an independent investigation,' she added Advertisement

The hostilities have repeatedly escalated over the past week, marking the worst fighting in the territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians since Israel and Hamas' devastating 2014 war.

'I have not seen this level of destruction through my 14 years of work,' said Samir al-Khatib, an emergency rescue official in Gaza. 'Not even in the 2014 war.'

Rescuers furiously dug through the rubble using excavators and bulldozers amid clouds of heavy dust. One shouted, 'Can you hear me?' into a hole. Minutes later, first responders pulled a survivor out.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 16 women and 10 children were among those killed, with more than 50 wounded.

Haya Abdelal, 21, who lives in a building next to one that was destroyed, said she was sleeping when the airstrikes sent her fleeing into the street.

She accused Israel of not giving its usual warning to residents to leave before launching such an attack.

'We are tired,' she said, 'We need a truce. We cant bear it anymore.'

The Israeli army spokespersons office said the strike targeted Hamas 'underground military infrastructure.'

As a result of the strike, 'the underground facility collapsed, causing the civilian houses' foundations above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties,' it said.

Among those reported killed was Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Ouf, the head of the internal medicine department at Shifa Hospital and a senior member of the hospital's coronavirus management committee. Two of Abu Al-Oufs teenage children and two other family members were also buried under the rubble.

The death of the 51-year-old physician 'was a huge loss at a very sensitive time,' said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa.

Gazas health care system, already gutted by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed in 2007 after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces, had been struggling with a surge in coronavirus infections even before the latest conflict.

Israel's airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

The violence between Hamas and Israel is the worst since 2014, when Israel launched a military operation on the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of ending rocket fire and destroying tunnels used for smuggling.

The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, mostly civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.

Opening the first session of the UN Security Council on the renewed violence on Sunday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the fighting 'utterly appalling'.

'It must stop immediately,' he said.

But the UN talks, already delayed by Israel's ally the United States, resulted in little action, with Washington opposing a resolution.

U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration is working with all parties towards achieving a sustained calm.

'We also believe Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security and enjoy equal measure of freedom, prosperity and democracy,' he said in a pre-taped video aired at an event marking the Muslim Eid holiday on Sunday.

'My administration is going to continue to engage with Palestinians and Israelis and other regional partners to work towards sustained calm,' he said.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that the United Nations was 'actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire' and urged them 'to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed.' U.N. envoys have helped to mediate past truces between Israel and Hamas.

Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated at the United Nations over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the violence because it worries it could harm behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

The United States on Monday again prevented the United Nations Security Council from issuing a public statement on worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants as the White House said it was pursuing 'quiet, intensive diplomacy.'

For the past week Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated on the 15-member council over its objection to a statement, which it does not believe would be helpful at the moment. Such statements are agreed by consensus.

'The question is, will any given action or any given statement actually, as a practical matter, advance the prospects for ending the violence or not,' U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday. 'If we think that there's something ... that would effectively advance that, we would be for it.'

The United States also said no to a public council meeting on Friday, but compromised and allowed a Sunday meeting, where China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi publicly, and unusually, called out the United States for obstructing a statement.

China, council president for May, then said it would try again for a council statement. Diplomats said on Monday that the United States again said it was not the right time.

'Our approach is through quiet, intensive diplomacy and that's where we feel we can be most effective,' White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly plans to meet on Thursday over the violence, General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said as the fiercest hostilities in the region in years entered a second week.

Jordan's King Abdullah said his kingdom was involved in intensive diplomacy to halt the bloodshed, but did not elaborate.

China on Monday renewed calls for the U.S. to play a constructive role in ending the conflict in Gaza and stop blocking efforts at the United Nations to demand an end to the bloodshed.

Palestinian civil defense men search for people between the rubble of destroyed houses after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City

alestinian civil defense men search for people between the rubble of destroyed houses after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City

Firefighters try to extinguish fire broke out after Israeli warplanes hit coastland in Gaza City

Palestinian solidarity protest takes place in Damascus, Syria, following dozens of similar events around the world on Sunday

People waving Palestinian and Syrian flags gather in Damascus, Syria, to protest clashes taking place with Israel

Marchers in Damascus, Syria, carry pro-Palestinian placards during a protest over fighting around the Gaza Strip

People waving Palestinian and Syrian flags gather in Syria to protest the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China, as rotating head of the Security Council, has urged a cease-fire and the provision of humanitarian assistance, among other proposals, but that obstruction by 'one country' has prevented the council from speaking with one voice.

'We call on the United States to assume its due responsibility and take an impartial position to support the council and play its due role in cooling down the situation and rebuilding trust for a political solution,' Zhao said at a daily briefing.

China 'strongly condemns' violence against civilians and calls for an end to air strikes, ground attacks, rocket fire and 'other actions that aggravate the situation,' Zhao said.

Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Pope Francis to support sanctions against Israel, saying Palestinians will continue to be 'massacred' as long as the international community does not punish Israel.

During a telephone telephone call Monday with the pope, Erdogan also said that 'continued messages and reactions' from Francis in support of Palestinians would be of great importance for the 'mobilization of the Christian world and of the international community,' according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications directorate.

During their conversation, Erdogan also renewed a call for the international community to take concrete steps to show Israel the 'dissuasive reaction and lesson it deserves,' according to the statement. The Turkish leader has been engaged in a telephone diplomacy bid to end Israel's use of force.

France and Egypt also discussed the Gaza crisis and agreed to continue efforts for a quick ceasefire and to avoid a spreading of the conflict, the French Presidency said in a statement.

The Elysee released the statement after French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Israel is also trying to contain inter-communal violence between Jews and Arab-Israelis, as well as deadly clashes in the occupied West Bank, where 19 Palestinians have been killed since May 10, according to a toll from Palestinian authorities.

Major clashes broke out at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound - one of Islam's holiest sites - on May 7 following a crackdown against protests over planned expulsions of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Sheikh Jarrah has been at the heart of the flareup, seeing weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

On Sunday, a car-ramming attack in Sheikh Jarrah wounded seven police officers, police said, adding that the attacker had been killed.

Police also said 'a number of suspects' had been arrested during clashes in another east Jerusalem neighbourhood overnight Sunday to Monday.

Guterres warned the fighting could have far-reaching consequences if not stopped immediately.

'It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole.'

Israeli jets continued their bombardment of Gaza overnight with 54 planes involved in strikes on nine miles of Hamas tunnels and nine homes of senior figures within the group, according to the IDF

Palestinians living under nightly threat of bombardment described the raids as the 'most devastating' they had witnessed, exceeding the scale of attacks during the 2014 war

The death toll now stands at 207 since fighting began on Monday last week, with 197 Palestinians killed including at least 58 children, while 10 Israelis have lost their lives including one child

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave

It is unclear how many people were killed or injured in the strikes overnight, but the death toll of a week of fighting now stands at 207 - with at least 197 Palestinians in the total

Israel's Iron Dome defence system intercepts rockets fired from Gaza overnight, as Hamas targeted the cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon with one synagogue destroyed

Rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza City at targets in southern Israel are seen streaking into the sky overnight

Flares fired by Israeli fighter jets as they pass over Gaza City during overnight raids fall towards the ocean

Israel was unable to give an estimate of the death toll from last night's raids, a day after the deadliest 24 hours of the conflict so far, with 42 Palestinians killed

Smoke and flames rise above a building as Gaza was hit by bombs dropped by 54 Israeli jets during airstrikes overnight

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave

Israel says the bombing is targeted at networks of Hamas tunnels that run under the city and the homes of group leaders, but at least 58 children have been killed in the raids so far

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike hits Gaza City during overnight raids targeting Hamas tunnels
New York Representative Elise Stefanik claimed on Sunday that the Republican Party is unified following Liz Cheney's ouster in a Republican leadership role and called former President Donald Trump 'an important voice in the Republican Party.'

Stefanik recently replaced Cheney as the House Conference Chair, after Cheney was ousted from her position last week for blasting the former president's claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Cheney previously said she would do 'whatever it takes' to keep Trump from being president again and from solidifying his control of the Republican Party. And she would not rule out her own presidential bid in 2024 to keep Trump from winning another term.

'I'm going to do everything that I can both to make sure that that never happens, but also to make sure that the Republican Party gets back to substance and policy,' she said. 'We cannot be dragged backward by the very dangerous lies of a former president.'

But Stefanik said in another interview on Sunday that the party is 'unified in exposing the radical far-left agenda of President Joe Biden and Speaker Pelosi.'

'Republicans are looking forward,' she said. 'We are unified and we are talking about conservative principles.'

Stefanik said the party wants to focus 'every day on exposing the border crisis, economic crisis and the national security crisis in the Middle East because it's having an impact on everyday Americans.'

New York Representative Elise Stefanik claimed on Sunday that the Republican Party is unified following Liz Cheney's ouster in a Republican leadership role and called former President Donald Trump 'an important voice in the Republican Party

Cheney said she regrets voting for Donald Trump in 2020 and called his lies about election fraud a 'danger' to the nation

'We are working as one team,' she said. 'We are focused on moving forward.'

She added that the Republican Party is now 'looking forward' while Cheney is 'looking backwards.'

Cheney, meanwhile, remained defiant after being removed from her Number Three leadership position among House Republicans.

'I'm not leaving the party,' she said.

She expressed zero regret for her public challenges to Trump's false claim he won the 2020 election and for her calls that he be held accountable for his role in inciting the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill that left five people dead.

'It's an ongoing threat,' she said. 'So silence is not an option.

On Sunday, Cheney said that the 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump for president were 'misled' and 'betrayed.'

Stefanik recently replaced Cheney as the House Conference Chair, after Cheney was ousted from her position last week for blasting the former president's claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged

Stefanik said in another interview on Sunday that the party is 'unified in exposing the radical far-left agenda of President Joe Biden and Speaker Pelosi'

Rep. Liz Cheney said House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy should testify before the commission studying the January 6th riot and predicted he will likely be subpoenaed

She also accused House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the woman who replaced her as GOP Conference Chair, of being complicit in Trump's lie that he won the 2020 election.

The Wyoming Republican, who voted for Trump in last year's contest, said she regrets that decision and argued the former president is a 'real danger' to democracy with his false claims of election fraud.

Liz Cheney talks about her parents' influence Rep. Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney, said she talks to her father nearly every day. 'I talked to him every day usually. And, you know, I'm just immensely, immensely proud to be his daughter,' she told NBC's Today Show. 'I learned from him the importance of having the courage of your convictions. I learned from him what it means to stand up for what's right,' she said. Asked if her dad would be proud of her, she said: 'I know he is.' Cheney also downplayed any talk that sexism may have play a role in her ouster from GOP leadership. 'As women, all of us have an obligation to usually fight harder and work harder and be better, but I don't think that anybody should ever play the victim,' she said. She said she thought of her mom Lynne Cheney: 'I think about the example of my mother. You know, I was really blessed to grow up in a house where it just never occurred to us, my sister and me, that that you know our gender was any sort of an obstacle to anything.' Lynne and Dick Cheney with their daughters Mary and Liz Advertisement

'Former President Trump continues to be a real danger. What he's doing and what he's saying, his claims, his refusal to accept decisions by the courts, his claims continued as recently as yesterday that somehow this election was stolen,' she said on Fox News Sunday.

She told Chris Wallace the Republicans who supported him were misled.

'Those millions of people that you mentioned who supported the president have been misled. They've been betrayed. And certainly as we see his continued action to attack our democracy, his continued refusal to accept the results of the last election, you see that ongoing danger,' Cheney said.

She also had harsh words for McCarthy and Stefanik. McCarthy supported Stefanik's bid for leadership after it was clear House Republicans wanted Cheney booted out.

Cheney said the two were complicit in Trump's lies.

'They are,' she said. 'I'm not willing to do that.'

'What I said in my last remarks to the conference as chairwoman of the conference was that if they were looking for leaders who would be complicit in spreading the big lie, I wasn't their person, that there were plenty of other people who would do that,' she said.

Trump, on Saturday, continued his tirade about his loss last year: 'As our Country is being destroyed, both inside and out, the Presidential Election of 2020 will go down as THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!,' he said in a statement.

Many Republicans have embraced Trump, seeing his supporters as their way of taking back control of the House and the Senate in the 2022 midterm election.

But Cheney rejected that argument.

'We cannot do that if we are embracing the big lie, if we are embracing what former President Trump continues to say on a nearly daily basis, which is claims that the election was stolen, using the same language he used, that he knows provoke violence on January 6th,' she said.

Cheney also accused Trump of echoing Chinese communists when it comes to democracy and predicted the commission examining the January 6 MAGA riot will have to subpoena McCarthy to learn what the former president told him that day.

Cheney, who was ousted from House Republican Leadership last week for her criticism of Trump, has not let up since she was booted out.

The Republican from Wyoming has been on a media tour since her exile, where she's called for her party to hold Trump accountable for his false claims he won the presidential election and his role in the riot, which left five people dead. She has said repeatedly the former president cannot be elected to another term in 2024 and won't rule out her own bid to stop him.

She took her tough talk a step further in an interview with ABC's This Week, saying Trump's lies about the 2020 election are 'dangerous' and are similar to what Chinese communists say about democracy.

Cheney said the riot, where Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, was the last straw for her

'We have to recognize what it means for the nation to have a former president who has not conceded and who continues to suggest that our electoral system cannot function, cannot do the will of the people,' she said in the interview that aired Sunday.

'To cause that kind of questioning about our process, frankly, it's the same kinds of things that the Chinese Communist Party says about democracy: that it's a failed system, that America is a failed nation,' she added.

'I won't be part of that. And I think it's very important for Republicans who won't be part of that to stand up and speak out.'

Cheney's words will likely irritate the former president, who had a contentious relationship with China while in the Oval Office and engaged in a trade war with Beijing.

She said she believes only a small number of Republicans believe Trump's lie the election was stolen.

'I think it's a relatively small number,' she said on ABC's This Week.

Cheney also had tough words for House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has embraced Trump as he tries to win back control of the House in the 2022 midterms and take over as speaker. McCarthy supported Stefanik replacing Cheney as GOP Conference Chair.

Rep. Liz Cheney accused Donald Trump of echoing Chinese communists when it comes to democracy, keeping up her criticism of former president

She said McCarthy, who spoke on the phone with Trump during the January 6th riot as MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol, will likely be subpoenaed by the commission studying what happened.

She said he should testify.

'He absolutely should, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were subpoenaed. I think that he very clearly and said publicly that he's got information about the president's state of mind that day,' Cheney said.

'I would hope he doesn't require a subpoena, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were subpoenaed,' she added.

She said, for her, January 6th was the last straw.

'You know, once January 6th happened, that that's the end. And that has been, I think, the most disappointing thing to me, that that more of my colleagues have not been willing to stand up and say that can never happen again,' she said.

The bipartisan commission will be evenly split between Republican and Democratic lawmakers. It will study the facts and circumstances of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as well as the influencing factors that may have provoked the riot.
The boss of Virgin Australia has called for the nation's border to be reopened well before mid-2022 even though 'some people may die'.

Jane Hrdlicka said she disagreed with the federal government's estimated reopening date for international travel, declaring Covid will be part of the community and 'we've got to learn how to live with' the virus.

'We can't keep (Covid) out forever. It's not in anybody's interest to do that,' Ms Hrdlicka said at a business lunch in Brisbane on Monday.

She wants the border reopened once the country's most vulnerable people are immunised and a high percentage of the general community is vaccinated.

'Covid will be part of the community, we will become sick with Covid and it won't put us in hospital, and it won't put people into dire straits because we'll have a vaccine,' Ms Hrdlicka said.

'Some people may die, but it will be way smaller than with the flu.

'We're forgetting the fact that we've learnt how to live with lots of viruses and challenges over the years and we've got to learn how to live with this.'

Ms Hrdlicka warned Australia risked being left behind by the rest of the world if it waited until about this time next year before reopening the border.

Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka (pictured) wants borders removed as soon as Australia's most vulnerable people are immunised

Ms Hrdlicka said Australia risked being left behind by the rest of the world if it did not reopen the international border before mid-2022

'We're all going to be sicker than we ever have in the past because we're not exposed to the virus and challenges of the rest of the world,' she said.

'We need to get the borders open for our health and for the economy.

'We need to do that once the most vulnerable are most protected. And it will be a difficult thing to do politically, because the narrative needs to change.'

Her comments came as Scott Morrison refused to reveal the benchmark for reopening the international border, saying only that restrictions will remain in place until it is safe to do anything different.

'It's not safe to take those next steps right now, it's not. But we'll keep working on what the next steps are,' the Prime Minister said on Monday.

Mr Morrison is taking comfort in broad support for the closed border.

Three in four people believe Australia's international border should remain closed until at least the middle of next year.

However, there is a growing push from the business community and within government ranks to open the border sooner than planned.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to reveal the benchmark for reopening the international border. Pictured: Travellers arriving at Sydney Airport

A poll published by The Australian has found 73 per cent of voters think the border should stay closed until at least mid-2022.

Only one in five people believes the border should open as soon as all Australians who want to be are vaccinated.

But a group of Liberal MPs including Jason Falinski want the country to reopen as soon as possible.

They also want vaccinated Australians to be given a greater opportunity to travel overseas.

Mr Falinski said it was understandable people had adopted a 'fortress mentality' during the coronavirus pandemic.

'But it doesn't need to be that way. We spent a lot of money keeping families safe, we don't want to keep them apart,' he told Seven.

Mr Falinski wants people who are vaccinated to be able to reunite with friends and family overseas.

He suggested vaccinated people could quarantine at home rather than in a hotel upon their return to Australia.

Australia's borders to the outside world will remain virtually shut through to mid-2022 according to federal budget forecasts released last Tuesday evening

Business leaders also want the borders to reopen, concerned about the economic consequences of keeping them sealed for another year.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet agrees, and has warned against letting populism determine public policy.

'It's the role of political leaders not to be following the polling or looking at what focus groups are saying,' Mr Perrottet told Sky News.

'The job is to lead and communicate and bring Australian people with us.'

Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth said Australians must learn to live with coronavirus and be prepared for the disease to spread in the community when international borders reopen.

Dr Coatsworth said reaching zero cases of coronavirus in Australia was 'perhaps unattainable' and suggested vaccination rates of 90 per cent may be needed to control coronavirus within the community.

Australia's vaccination rollout has entered a new stage, with people aged over 50 able to get the AstraZeneca shot from their family doctor.

Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth has suggested vaccination rates of 90 per cent may be needed to control coronavirus within the community. Pictured, Ben Shepherd from RFS receives his Covid vaccine in Sydney last week

The vaccines will be available at more than 4000 general practices across the country, with some clinics to have their deliveries tripled to cope with the expected rise in demand.

Previously, people aged over 50 could only receive their jabs from vaccination hubs or respiratory clinics.

More than three million Australians have received their coronavirus vaccinations.

But 15 per cent of aged care residents have still not been vaccinated.

Some 999 residential disability care residents have been vaccinated as of Monday, Health Minister Greg Hunt has confirmed.

Mr Hunt defended the pace of the rollout in the sector after the disability royal commission heard it was an abject failure.
Britain could have another Covid vaccine in its arsenal by the end of the year after GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi's jab produced promising results today.

The British-French vaccine was found to trigger a 'strong' immune response against the virus, according to phase two trial results.

All 700 volunteers given the experimental two-dose jab had high levels of Covid-fighting antibodies in their blood.

There were no safety concerns among participants, who were 18 to 95 years old.

The shot will now move to Phase 3 trials which will involve more than 35,000 adults across several countries. They are set to begin 'in the coming weeks'.

These will determine the jab's effectiveness at preventing infections, hospitalisations and ultimately deaths.

GSK/Sanofi's vaccine could be available this winter after the successful Phase 2 trials

Their plans were dealt a blow in December after trials showed the jab produced a weak response in middle-aged and older people

More than 36million Britons - or two in three adults - have already received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine

Scientists will also assess how effective the shot is at fighting off the South African variant (B.1.351), which is considered the most vaccine-resistant strain.

GSK and Sanofi have been playing catch up with their rivals after their jab was delayed in December when early studies suggested it did not work well in older people.

The latest results, which showed a 'strong neutralising antibody response' in all age groups, has given its makers confidence it will hit the market by the end of this year.

Britain has ordered 60million doses, although officials don't expect them to be available until this winter at the earliest.

GSK Vaccines' President, Roger Connor, said the data suggested their jab could make a 'significant contribution' to the ongoing fight against Covid.

GSK's vaccine is based on the existing technology used to produce Sanofi's seasonal flu vaccine.

Genetic material from the surface protein of the Covid virus is inserted into insect cells - the basis of Sanofi's influenza product - and then injected to provoke an immune response in a human patient.

It is administered as two doses, with a gap of 21 days between each shot.

The companies said they were also planning to study the jab's effectiveness as a booster shot for the coming winter.

Mr Connor said: 'We believe that this vaccine candidate can make a significant contribution to the ongoing fight against Covid and will move to Phase 3 as soon as possible to meet our goal of making it available before the end of the year.'

Sanofi's head Thomas Triomphe said: 'Our Phase 2 data confirm the potential of this vaccine to play a role in addressing this ongoing global public health crisis.'

More than 36million Britons - or two in three adults - have already received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.

The UK's roll-out has focused on the AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots, although Moderna was also added to their arsenal last month.

The single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine is expected to be approved within days, but shots won't be available until mid-summer.
With Adolf Hitler's murderous Third Reich on the verge of total defeat in January 1945, Jews who had avoided a horrendous fate in gas chambers were forced by the Nazis to 'evacuate' their network of concentration camps.

Known as the death marches, men, women and children had no choice but to travel hundreds of miles on foot, by rail, in horse-drawn wagons and in lorries.

Thousands were murdered at the roadside by their Nazi guards, just days before the end of the Second World War.

Now, first-hand accounts of people who survived the last chapter of the Holocaust  in which six million Jewish men, women and children were murdered  are to go on display.

The Wiener Holocaust Library's 'Death Marches' exhibition, which opens tomorrow at the organisation's London base, will feature testimonies which have been translated into English for the first time.

The library, which collected testimonies from survivors in the 1950s and 1960s, hopes to shed light on what it called 'mobile concentration camps'.

Dr Christine Schmidt, the exhibition's co-curator, told The Guardian: 'There weren't that many survivors of the death marches, so these testimonies we have are rare, and are quite precious documents  This vast, chaotic period is a story that isn't often told.'

First-hand accounts of people who survived the last chapter of the Holocaust are to go on display. Known as the death marches, men, women and children were forced by the Nazis in 1945 to travel hundreds of miles on foot, by rail, in horse-drawn wagons and in lorries as Hitler's troops 'evacuated' concentration camps in the face of approaching Russian and Allied troops. Pictured: A death march from Dachau concentration camp in April 1945

Of the 400 accounts which have now been translated, 45 relate to the death marches.

They have been digitised and can be accessed on the library's Testifying to the Truth database.

The remaining 1,185 translated testimonies will be released later this year. They include accounts from people who survived by hiding in attics and cellars or through the use of false identities.

Others recall their experience of living in concentration and death camps, the most famous of which was Auschwitz Birkenau, in what was then Nazi-occupied Poland.

Survivor Gertrude Deak, whose account features in the new exhibition, told how she and her fellow inmates had to 'walk barefoot in the snow without any food', with guards shooting 'anybody' who 'stopped for lack of strength'.

Survivor Gertrude Deak, whose account (shown above) features in the new exhibition, told how she and her fellow inmates had to 'walk barefoot in the snow without any food', with guards shooting 'anybody' who 'stopped for lack of strength'. Ms Deak was left for dead after collapsing from exhaustion but survived by hiding in a barn. She was then found by Russian soldiers who attempted to sexually assault her

Another story featured in the exhibition is that of Sabina (right) and Fela Szeps, two Polish Jewish sisters who were sent on a death march. Sabina is seen above along with two other Polish youths when they were in the Dabrowa Ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland

Ms Deak, who was later known as Trude Levi, was left for dead after collapsing from exhaustion but survived by hiding in a barn.

She was then found by Russian soldiers who attempted to sexually assault her.

Her account was one of the first given after the holocaust. She went on to work for the Wiener Library.

Her memoir, A Cat Called Adolf, will also be on display in the new exhibition.

Dr Schmidt said of Ms Deak: 'Hers is a remarkable story of survival in which she was on a death march, then was hiding in a barn, and survived attempted sexual assaults by soldiers and people she encountered.'

Another story featured in the exhibition is that of Sabina and Fela Szep, two Polish Jewish sisters who were sent on a death march.

The Wiener Holocaust Library's 'Death Marches' exhibition, which opens tomorrow at the University of London, will feature testimonies which have been translated into English for the first time. Pictured: Dachau concentration camp inmates on a death march, photographed on April 28, 1945

A clandestine photograph of prisoners on a death march from Nuremberg to Dachau on April 26, 1945

One image shows them before they were physically 'devastated' by their time in the camp.

Another image, taken in May 1945, shows the 'incredible physical toll' of the camp they were in.

One of the sisters died after the image was taken, Dr Schmidt said.

Death Marches: Evidence and Memory will open to the public on Tuesday, May 18, at the Wiener Holocaust Library in Russell Square, London.
This is the terrifying moment an angry mob smash up a Muslim YouTuber's family home after accusing him of 'disrespecting Palestine'.

The masked gang waved a Palestinian flag while hurling bricks through the window of a house in the Hodge Hill area of Birmingham in the early hours of Monday morning.

Screams were heard as the thugs kicked in the front door and ran upstairs, swearing at the homeowner and demanding he 'come outside'.

The victim - a popular Muslim YouTuber - later released a statement on social media saying he and his family were unhurt but his daughter had been left 'traumatised'.

He denied making anti-Palestinian comments and said his videos had been altered and shared by trolls to spread hate.

Shocking video - filmed by one of the gang - shows half a dozen hooded figures marching towards the house in the dead of night, flying a Palestinian flag.

The masked gang waved a Palestinian flag before they entered the house in the Hodge Hill area of Birmingham in the early hours of Monday morning

The thugs appeared to be wearing masks in the footage filmed in the early hours of Monday morning

Masked thugs were filmed shashing the door (damage pictured left) and hurling bricks through the windows

The man filming says: 'Yo, this is for that dirty dog, Abu Layth, who disrespects our brothers and sisters of Palestine.'

The yobs launch several bricks through the living room window, shattering the glass - as a woman is heard screaming inside.

They shout 'come outside' and 'come on, you m***********', before kicking the front door in.

The gang is then heard shouting: 'Where the f*** is Abu Layth?'

More smashing sounds and screams are heard from upstairs before the footage cuts out.

In the early hours of this morning, Mufti Abu Layth wrote on his official Facebook page: 'Just had some masked-up thugs break into my house, smash the doors and windows, yelling 'free Palestine'.

'They barged in and rummaged the place, terrorised my family. The police are here now.

'We are safe, although my daughter (is) traumatised.'

'This a consequence of hate-mongering and people sharing cut and paste videos of me on Palestine... foolish people circulating videos creating hate against me,' added Mr Layth, who describes himself as a 'Muslim theologian' on his YouTube page.

'There's consequences to creating hate.

'These thugs recorded themselves and circulated them (the videos) on WhatsApp groups.

'The police now have these videos and are treating the matter with urgency.

Mr Layth - a popular Muslim YouTuber - denied making anti-Palestinian comments and said his videos had been altered and shared by trolls to spread hate

Mr Layth posted about the incident on social media and shared pictures of the damage done to his home

In the footage of the incident, the man filming can be heard shouting: 'Yo, this is for that dirty dog, Abu Layth, who disrespects our brothers and sisters of Palestine'

One of the images showed boarded up windows in the aftermath of the incident, which took place in the early hours of Monday

'If anybody has any information about the identity of these people... or recognises their voices please forward it to me or get in touch with the police.'

Mr Layth - who has 25,000 subscribers on YouTube - insists he is pro-Palestine and on Saturday he uploaded a 30-minute speech titled 'The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice'.

Hours before the attack on his home, he warned his Facebook followers there was a fake video of him circulating on YouTube which falsely attributed comments to him about the Israel/Palestine conflict.

He wrote: 'This is NOT a video I have created, or uploaded, but is instead cut and pasted and uploaded by my haters in an absurd attempt to defame me.

'The really disgusting element is how these people are exploiting the Palestinian tragedy to further their hateful agendas against me.'

The incident was reported to West Midlands Police and the force confirmed they are investigating.

A spokesperson told Mail Online: 'We are investigating after a group of men attacked a house with weapons in Bucklands End Lane in Birmingham just before 11pm last night (16 May).

'Windows were smashed and a car was damaged. The men entered the house but fortunately no-one was injured.

'The attack appears to be in response to original YouTube footage from August 2020. This was very distressing for the family, including two young children at the address, who have temporarily moved out of the property.

'We are conducting house to house enquiries as well as forensic and CCTV examination in the area.

'We are asking anyone with information to contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101 quoting log 3985 of 16/5. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'

The attack is the latest in a series of incidents across the UK where people are taking action to protest against others' stance on the current situation in Israel and Palestine.

Yesterday Boris Johnson condemned acts of 'shameful racism' amid a series of attacks on the Jewish community in Britain.

The 'abhorrent and absolutely unacceptable' incident prompted outrage on social media

Another Twitter user reacted to the 'terrible news' by praying for the victims

Footage of the incident came after the YouTuber posted a video concerning Palestine on his channel

He says his comments in the video were altered to 'spread hate', as people came to his aid to support him on social media

Another user questioned 'what is wrong with people' following the incident early on Monday

Yesterday a convoy of cars bearing Palestinian flags drove through a Jewish community in north London while the passengers screamed 'f*** their mothers, f*** their daughters'.

Metropolitan Police confirmed that four arrests were made after one of the cars was stopped at around 6.30pm on Sunday.

Footage on social media showed the vehicles passing down Finchley Road with passengers heard to shout offensive language and threats against Jews.

Onlookers were left horrified after the convoy yelled: 'F*** the Jews... F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters and show your support for Palestine.

'Rape their daughters and we have to send a message like that. Please do it for the poor children in Gaza.'

The Finchley Road footage, along with other incidents that have emerged following large pro-Palestine rallies over the weekend, received cross-party criticism.

Prime Minister Mr Johnson Tweeted: 'There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society. Ahead of Shavuot, I stand with Britain's Jews who should not have to endure the type of shameful racism we have seen today.'

The incident comes after thousands of people marched through London on Saturday to the gates of the Israeli embassy, while protests took place in other cities across the UK and Ireland in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes after a week of sustained conflict.

Since Monday night, Palestinian militant group Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, whose military responded by barraging the Gaza Strip with tank fire and air strikes.
A drill rapper shared a video on Instagram showing him apparently drinking Champagne at the wheel of his car to celebrate gaining a Number One single amid concern over its violent lyrics.

Footage shows Tion Wayne, 27, swigging from the bottle as he raps along to his hit song Bodies, while at one point keeping both hands off the wheel while driving along a road.

At one point the video cuts to a photo of Wayne and a friend holding up signs saying '1' before it returns to footage of him driving.

The bottle the rapper is holding closely resembles Ace Of Spades, a Champagne produced by Armand de Brignac that sells for around 300 for a 750ml bottle.

The video, which appears to have been filmed recently, has now been taken down. MailOnline has contacted Wayne's representatives for comment.

Footage shows Tion Wayne, 27, swigging from the bottle as he raps along to his hit song Bodies, while at one point keeping both hands off the wheel (right) while driving along a road

Wayne has appeared on three top-10 singles before getting his first top 10 hit as the lead artist with I Dunno featuring Dutchavelli and Stormzy, which peaked at number seven.

His song Bodies, where he appears alongside fellow British star Russ Millions, recently took the top spot in the UK Singles Chart for the second week in a row and also went to number one in Australia.

It was the first drill song to go to No 1 in the official UK charts, amid concerns about its violent lyrics.

The rappers yell about my nank [knife] just wavin and with my fist, love the altercation . . . with my shank [knife], thats a combination . . . when I punch man, its grievous.

The lyrics refer to the 3x3 group from Edmonton in North London, and the gang violence which has plagued the area. Rapper E1 who is credited as E1 (3x3) on the popular remix of the song, raps in it: No one in 3x3s been blammed [shot].

Body racked up 71,000 chart sales and almost 11 million online streams last week alone.

The bottle the rapper is holding closely resembles Ace Of Spades, a Champagne produced by Armand de Brignac that sells for around 300 for a 750ml bottle

Combined views for the YouTube videos of two versions of the song stand at more than 56 million.

Wayne, whose real name is Dennis Junior Odunwo, was born in Edmonton, north London, and began his rise to fame in 2010 after posting videos of his songs on YouTube.

In March 2017, he was involved in a brawl after performing at a nightclub in Bristol.

The incident was not said to be gang-related, but began when a group of people who had been banned from entry then waited outside after the event.

Wayne was jailed for 16 months for stamping on a mans head, which was caught on CCTV.

Last year, he was reportedly involved in an altercation on a plane to Dubai with a rapper affiliated with a rival Tottenham drill group, OFB.

He appears to reference the 2017 incident in his new hit single, rapping: They played back the CCTV / When I banged him, man, my defence said Jesus .

Wayne, whose real name is Dennis Junior Odunwo, was born in Edmonton, north London, and began his rise to fame in 2010 after posting videos of his songs on YouTube. He is seen performing at the O2 Academy Brixton in 2019

Soundtrack to murder: For the first time, a gangland 'drill' track is at Number One - spreading a message of hatred and violent revenge being echoed in playgrounds across the country. So why IS the BBC promoting it?

By Sian Boyle for the Daily Mail

In Body, Russ Millions (pictured above) and Tion Wayne rap: Free Big A, hes too militant  which online followers of the singers have interpreted to be a reference to a gang member currently in prison on firearm offences

Stab first then talk...On flight-mode when we walk...Chest or back well rip his face offIll put holes in your back.

The lyrics are brutal and the music is drill  a raw and aggressive form of British rap with accompanying videos that feature balaclava-wearing men waving weapons and detailing the bloody reality of life on the streets.

For Sharon Kendall, the words of the song Dip First (dip being slang for stab), by a drill rapper associated with a gang in the Rayners Lane area of North-West London, the lyrics were heart-wrenchingly close to home.

Her 18-year-old son Jason Isaacs was killed near Rayners Lane by teenagers who stabbed him in the back, arms and legs.

She said a piece of me died when Jason was pronounced dead in hospital in 2017. That was the year that drill music first exploded in London.

Joel Amade, then 19, a drill rapper allegedly affiliated with the Rayners Lane gang  and who raps these ugly lyrics on Dip First  was found guilty of murder two years after the attack and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Ms Kendall described her shock at discovering the musical ambitions of her sons killer.

The boy that killed Jason is in numerous YouTube videos and all they talk about is stabbing people in the back, putting their phones on flight mode, she said in a documentary last year. (Phones on flight mode cannot be traced by the authorities.)

Its a massive thing, this drill music, she added. I dont think its the only cause [of violence], but its one of them. They actually played [Amades] YouTube video in court; hes made a few music videos. They get so many views.

The lyrics and the violence they glorify can indeed be horrifying. Which is why the soaring popularity of the music among British teenagers is so troubling.

Earlier this month, a drill song reached No 1 in the Official Singles Chart for the first time.

Body by two rappers who style themselves Russ Millions and Tion Wayne racked up 71,000 chart sales and almost 11 million online streams last week alone  and retained the top spot this weekend. Combined views for the YouTube videos of two versions of the song stand at more than 56 million.

So close: Jason Isaacs with his parents before he was killed. Ms Kendall described her shock at discovering the musical ambitions of her sons killer. The boy that killed Jason is in numerous YouTube videos and all they talk about is stabbing people in the back, putting their phones on flight mode, she said in a documentary last year

Martin Talbot of the Official Charts Company claimed the event was a brand new high point for drill and perhaps the beginning of a new era for the Official Singles Chart.

To the casual listener, Body is a catchy earworm and a heavily sexualised celebration of women with bodies shaped like Cola bottles.

But dig deeper and the lyrics are just as horrifyingly violent as those of Amade and thousands of other drill songs on Spotify and YouTube.

The Body rappers yell about my nank [knife] just wavin and with my fist, love the altercation . . . with my shank [knife], thats a combination . . . when I punch man, its grievous.

The lyrics refer to the 3x3 group from Edmonton in North London, and the gang violence which has plagued the area. Rapper E1 who is credited as E1 (3x3) on the popular remix of the song, raps in it: No one in 3x3s been blammed [shot].

Edmonton gangs are often engaged in violence with gangs from nearby Tottenham including OFB and NPK (Northumberland Park Killers), both splinter groups of the original Tottenham Mandem gang, which was instrumental in the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985, in which PC Keith Blakelock lost his life. These gangs all hail from areas within Londons N17 postcode.

3x3, meanwhile, forms part of the N9 postcode (3x3 equals 9). Gangs here including the Greens (referring to the districts of Edmonton Green and Wood Green, among others). The Greens are allegedly responsible for the murders of rival gang members.

Online craze: Youngsters dance on TikTok to drill music. Martin Talbot of the Official Charts Company claimed the event was a brand new high point for drill and perhaps the beginning of a new era for the Official Singles Chart

In Body, Russ Millions and Tion Wayne rap: Free Big A, hes too militant  which online followers of the singers have interpreted to be a reference to a gang member currently in prison on firearm offences.

The video is less than subtle about its gangland influences: it was shot outside Edmonton Green Overground station, with crew members wearing green balaclavas, scarves and bandanas.

Announcing the No 1 spot on BBC Radio 1 last week, presenter Scott Mills trilled excitedly that the song had exploded, claiming this is a moment in history.

The track is now on the stations daytime A-list playlist, the songs that enjoy the most airtime. Although the BBC plays a version of the song with violent gang references dubbed out, the original and its explicit remix (more of which later) go hand-in-hand, and it is the explicit lyrics that children are chanting in the playgrounds.

In years gone by, the state broadcaster has seen fit to ban songs including Cliff Richards High Class Baby in 1958 (which referenced the Cadillac car brand in a breach of Aunties advertising guidelines), Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1984 (which alluded to gay sex) and even The Beatles A Day In The Life, banned in 1967 for containing the lyric: Id love to turn you on.

How ironic, then, that it is happy to play  even in a censored version  a genre of music that is so steeped in gory violence, gangland fighting and death.

And the BBC is by no means consistent in its refusal to play the songs uncensored. In 2019, the drill rapper Dave performed his hit Thiago Silva at the Glastonbury music festival.

A video of a teenage boy from the audience singing along with the rapper later went viral. The lyrics that the teen Alex Mann sang along with the musician, include: Hand on my hip, shank [knife] for the dip [stab] . . . Trip, get splashed [stabbed] and much more in the same vein.

The BBC was happy to broadcast this uncensored version in its entirety to the youthful audience of its Glastonbury coverage.

Meanwhile, one of Radio 1s best known former DJs, Tim Westwood, has posed in photographs with drill artists and gang members (one of whom, Sidique Kamara, 23, was later stabbed to death).

Westwood himself is the son of a bishop and went to private school, but has been known to speak in a pseudo-Jamaican street patois. He is said to have partly inspired Sacha Barons Cohen spoof character Ali G.

That the BBC censors some drill songs matters little to young audiences, who can easily go online to find the explicit versions.

Asked about the decision to play Body on radio during the day, a BBC spokeswoman said: Each track is considered for the playlist based on its musical merit and whether it is right for our target audience, with decisions made on a case-by-case basis. So who exactly are the two drill artists behind it?

Tion Wayne, 27, whose real name is Dennis Junior Odunwo, was born in Edmonton to Nigerian parents. In March 2017, he was involved in a brawl after performing at a nightclub in Bristol.

The incident was not said to be gang-related, but began when a group of people who had been banned from entry then waited outside after the event.

Wayne was jailed for 16 months for stamping on a mans head, which was caught on CCTV.

Last year, he was reportedly involved in an altercation on a plane to Dubai with a rapper affiliated with a rival Tottenham drill group, OFB.

He appears to reference the 2017 incident in his new hit single, rapping: They played back the CCTV / When I banged him, man, my defence said Jesus .

Russ Millions real name is Shylo Batchelor Ashby Milwood. He was born in Lewisham: that this area is south of the Thames did not prevent him being accepted by Tion Waynes North London crew, though there is no suggestion he has been involved with gang activity.

The 25-year-old calls himself the King of Drill and also goes by the stage name Russ Splash  as weve seen, splash is yet another slang word for stab.

Russ Millions is signed to Virgin Records alongside artists such as Mick Jagger and Katy Perry, and Tion Wayne is signed to Atlantic Records, the same label as Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.

But their song Body was languishing in the charts for weeks until it was used in a canny and increasingly common music-industry marketing ploy.

An ultra-explicit remix of the song  featuring members of the 3x3 group guest-rapping certain verses  was uploaded on to the video-sharing platform TikTok as a trend.

Trends on TikTok involve users filming themselves dancing or lip-syncing to the same piece of music in their own videos.

In the case of the Body remix, teenagers in bedrooms across the world began lip-syncing to the camera, and then at a certain point in the song, transforming into drill stars wearing balaclavas and bullet-proof vests and brandishing baseball bats and makeshift guns.

It worked: by targeting the lucrative teen market and getting the remix trending on social media, the original lurched up the Top 20, ascending to No 1  not just in the UK but also in Australia.

Now it is being blasted out in playgrounds and classrooms across Britain.

ZT raps: Im a chest-shot specialist, wet [stab] mans chest / Back shot specialist /. . . SOS for an anti-green.

Another rapper, Bugzy Malone, states: He got wetted [stabbed] for spillin his drink on me / Need resuscitation just to help him breathe / Man drown when its an internal bleed . . . Anyone can get R.I.Pd.

Some of these men arent just rapping about life on the capitals most violent streets (known as the road); they are living it.

This gives their music an authenticity and, to some, a gritty glamour that has entranced impressionable young audiences around the world  to such an extent that London gang warfare, which has seen hundreds of teenagers die in recent years  is now enjoying its own internet fan culture.

The young gangs of London increasingly enjoy a twisted kind of fame, and their millions of fans fastidiously follow their rivalries, chart the postcode territories, know the colours sported by each gang, and even know the estates in which the gangs operate.

It is not unusual to see YouTube comments and online forum comments such as Hello, Im from Brazil, could you explain the difference between Edmonton 3x3 and Wood Green please, or Canadian here, can I get some clarification on the SE postcode districts?

From the safety of their bedrooms, youngsters track the antics of their favourite gangs as if they were Pokemon cards, footballers or characters in a video game.

Except, of course, its real life.

In Londons poorest areas, young boys see this form of music as a thrilling call to arms. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has said: Drill music is associated with lyrics which are about glamorising serious violence  murder, stabbings.

They describe the stabbings in great detail, joy and excitement . . . Most particularly, in London we have gangs who make drill videos and in those videos, they taunt each other. They say what theyre going to do to each other and specifically what they are going to do to who.

In 2018, the Metropolitan Police tracked more than 600 suspected gangsters across 1,100 YouTube clips, which they said potentially incited violence.

The crime rates speak for themselves. In 2019, homicides in London hit a ten-year high, having increased 50 per cent over four years. Between 2019 and 2020, there was a six per cent rise in offences involving knives or sharp instruments.

Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood posing with gang members. Westwood himself is the son of a bishop and went to private school, but has been known to speak in a pseudo-Jamaican street patois. He is said to have partly inspired Sacha Barons Cohen spoof character Ali G

Already, 13 teenagers have been killed in knife attacks in London since January 1 this year: one short of the entire total for 2020.

Police and social workers have warned of a perfect storm of gang crime this summer with the release of lockdown and tensions pent up online in the past year.

And it is impossible to ignore the relationship between knife crime and drill.

In 2018, 17-year-old rapper Junior Simpson was sentenced to life in prison after he and three others stabbed 15-year-old Jermaine Goupall to death. The court heard he had written a track about knife attacks before carrying out the killing.

And only this month police issued a 20,000 reward for information about a 17-year-old drill rapper who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Kennington, South London, in 2018.

It would be easy to deplore drill artists as reprehensibles who should all be behind bars. But many drill artists insist that the music has allowed them to escape gang culture, and that censoring it is a barrier to the creative jobs that it generates, including video production and marketing.

Many black boys in inner-city areas see no aspirational careers except in music or football.

Drill musicians also insist that gang culture and related knife and gun-crime are due to socio-economic factors such as funding cuts, inequality and poverty, and that these issues should be addressed by policymakers before banning music which they add is against their freedom of speech.

Regardless, the genre is seemingly here to stay.

This week, Headie One, aka 26-year-old Irving Adjei  a former Tottenham OFG gang member and county lines drug runner, who in 2020 left prison to become one of the breakout stars of drill  gave a rousing performance at the Brit Awards. He says his time in prison was a wake-up call and he has escaped the trap of crime.

Britain is now widely thought to be producing some of the worlds best hip-hop music, and teenagers around the globe are singing along to rap records that name Manchester, Birmingham and Brighton instead of LA, Chicago and New York.

Neither Russ Millions, Tion Wayne or Atlantic Records, the label on which Body was released, replied to requests for comment.

As drill music continues to blaze a path into the mainstream, the debate will continue to rage as to whether art is imitating life, or life imitating art. But one thing seems all too clear; as its popularity grows, its malevolent influence will continue to spread.
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A group of men who shouted anti-Semitic abuse while driving through a Jewish community in North London were part of a convoy that travelled 200 miles from Bradford, it was emerged today, as police stepped up patrols at synagogues and Sadiq Khan said there was 'no excuse' for racism.

Onlookers were left horrified after the passengers yelled: 'F*** the Jews... F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters and show your support for Palestine. Rape their daughters and we have to send a message like that. Please do it for the poor children in Gaza.'

The Convoy 4 Palestine began in Bradford before passing Sheffield and Leicester on the route to London. One of the men inside the car where the abuse was coming from had a shirt reading 'Blackburn'.

Mr Khan, who was recently re-elected as Mayor of London, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'Many of us feel quite strongly about what's happened in Israel and Gaza, what we can't do is use that as an excuse for any kind of anti-Semitism or hate crime.'

The mayor said he has been in contact with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner and there will be an increased police presence in Jewish communities, synagogues and schools with the aim of trying to make people feel safe, but also to alert 'anybody who is involved in any race crimes that action will be taken'.

He added: 'It is important for us to realise the impact of this criminal behaviour has a ripple of fear effect on Jewish Londoners and those across the country. It is really important that we don't bring conflicts 3,000 miles away to the capital city.'

The Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors the security of the Jewish community, said the car rally had travelled down from Bradford on Sunday morning to attend a protest about Israel's ongoing military actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The incident on Finchley Road happened at around 6.30pm. It is not known if the perpetrators of the abuse were themselves from Bradford.

Earlier on Sunday a rabbi was attacked by two teenagers outside his synagogue in Essex, leaving him requiring hospital treatment.

Community leaders have offered their support to Rabbi Rafi Goodwin following the attack in Chigwell, Essex shortly after 1.15pm, which police are treating as a hate crime but are not linking to heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Yesterday saw a series of pro-Palestinian protests taking place across Britain amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Officers engaged with protesters at a planned demonstration on Whitehall during the afternoon. 'The event passed peacefully and concluded without any arrests,' police said.

A convoy of cars bearing the Palestinian flag drove through a Jewish community in north London yesterday while the passengers screamed 'f*** their mothers, f*** their daughters

Onlookers were left horrified after the convoy yelled: ''F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters and show your support for Palestine. Rape their daughters and we have to send a message like that. Please do it for the poor children in Gaza'

Sadiq Khan, who was recently re-elected as Mayor of London, said this morning: 'Many of us feel quite strongly about what's happened in Israel and Gaza, what we can't do is use that as an excuse for any kind of anti-Semitism or hate crime'

Do you know the men who shouted the anti-Semitic abuse? Contact rory.tingle@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

Essex Police said they believed two teenagers stepped out in front of the Rabbi Goodwin's vehicle while he was driving.

The pair then shouted at him and spoke in a derogatory way about his religion before going on to damage his car.

When the victim, aged in his 30s, got out of the car to confront them he was attacked with an unknown object, causing him to require hospital treatment, police said. His phone was also stolen during the attack.

The two boys, believed to be aged between 15 and 18, then ran away on foot.

The leader of Redbridge Council, Jas Athwal, said on Sunday: 'Essex Police have confirmed that they are treating today's attack on Rabbi Rafi as an a anti-Semitic hate crime, however police are not linking the motives of this crime to heightened tensions in the Middle East and the current hostilities in Israel and Palestine.

'Anti-Semitism has no place in our society and if you have any information about this unprovoked and cowardly attack, please contact the police.

'We are proud of our community and all parts of the community in Redbridge, we unequivocally condemn this attack and will continue to work together to support each other.'

Rabbi Rafi Goodwin's injuries are being assessed in King George's Hospital after he suffered cuts to his head and around one eye, following the attack in the Limes Estate area, Jewish News reports

Essex Police confirmed that the incident was not linked to wider pro-Palestine protests that have occurred over the weekend.

The Finchley Road footage, along with other incidents of anti-Semitism that have emerged following large pro-Palestine rallies over the weekend, received cross-party criticism.

Prime Minister Mr Johnson Tweeted: 'There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society. Ahead of Shavuot, I stand with Britain's Jews who should not have to endure the type of shameful racism we have seen today.'

TORY MP CRITICISED FOR 'PRIMITIVES' TWEET Tory MP Michael Fabricant has been criticised for describing pro-Palestine demonstrators clashing with police as 'primitives'. Anti-racism campaign Hope Not Hate called for the Conservative Party to suspend the backbencher on Sunday, accusing him of 'hateful racism that stirs up division'. Largely peaceful demonstrations took place across the UK over the weekend in solidarity with the people of Palestine, as Israel and Hamas exchange rocket fire in a deadly conflict. The MP for Lichfield shared a video of clashes with police outside the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday. He tweeted: 'These primitives are trying to bring to London what they do in the Middle East.' Mr Fabricant deleted the message after it drew criticism on social media. Hope Not Hate said: 'The tense situation requires steady leadership from people who want to bring communities together, not hateful racism that stirs up division. The Conservatives must suspend Michael Fabricant for this disgraceful comment.' Director of the British Future think-tank Sunder Katwala tweeted: 'Anybody who realises that it is racist to hold British Jews responsible for Israeli policy should also be able recognise the racism here in Michael Fabricant's tweet.' Mr Fabricant sought to justify the comments, saying that 'attacks on the British police as shown in the video are disgraceful'. He told the PA news agency: 'It is primitive behaviour by people who preach anti-Semitism or racism of any kind, whether they be Jewish, Christian or Muslim. 'And the sort of anti-Semitism displayed by Hamas in the Middle East must not be repeated here in the UK.' Mr Fabricant's remarks came as video from a separate demonstration in the capital appeared to show anti-Semitic abuse being shouted from a car on Sunday in footage that drew criticism from across the political spectrum, including from Boris Johnson. 'There is no place for antisemitism in our society,' the Prime Minister tweeted. The Metropolitan Police said nine officers were injured as they attempted to disperse crowds outside the embassy on Saturday and 13 arrests were made. The Conservative Party is yet to respond to a request for comment. Advertisement

The Met said in reference to the Finchley Road incident: 'Four men were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences. They were taken into custody at a west London police station where they remain.'

The incident comes after thousands of people marched through London on Saturday to the gates of the Israeli embassy, while protests took place in other cities across the UK and Ireland in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

It comes as thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes after a week of sustained conflict.

Since Monday night, Palestinian militant group Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, whose military responded by barraging the Gaza Strip with tank fire and air strikes.

Mike Freer, MP for Finchley and Golders Green, said: 'The scenes I've witnessed in my constituency today have left me sick to my stomach.

'The blatant and open anti-Semitism on display today, deliberately targeting areas with large Jewish populations is nothing short of incitement and I have urgently raised the matter with the Home Secretary, Commissioner and Mayor.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel also described the scenes as 'disgusting anti-Semitism'.

'There is no place for this hatred in the UK,' she tweeted.

'I expect @metpoliceuk to be taking this seriously.'

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq condemned the 'horrifying' scenes of anti-Semitism in Finchley, adding that there is 'no place' for 'vile hate speech'.

Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, tweeted: 'I have seen the footage of horrifying antisemitic behaviour on the Finchley Road in my constituency.

'It has been referred to the police and I hope action can and will be taken. This vile hate speech has no place in Hampstead and Kilburn or anywhere else.'

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, told MailOnline: 'This convoy and demonstration were utterly predictable and preventable. They have been advertised for a week.

'Jews have had to witness the shocking reality that in 2021, people can drive through the capital of our country calling for our daughters to be raped, with nobody in sight to protect us or take action.

'There must be an immediate police crackdown on those responsible for these acts of Jew-hatred, and an inquiry into why the Metropolitan Police Service permitted these protests to go ahead without proper measures in place to stop this criminality, in full knowledge that today's scenes were likely to the point of certainty.

'Britain's Jews will not wait until this persistent antisemitic incitement leads to violence. We pray that it will not take bloodshed on our streets before the authorities realise they have let this go too far. These antisemitic thugs must face the full force of the law.'

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators scuffle with police during a demonstration in London on Sunday

A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators crowd around a group of police officers who were forced to stand against their van

JEWISH COMMUNITY 'AFRAID ANTI-SEMITIC THREATS COULD TURN INTO ACTIONS' Members of the Jewish community are 'very afraid' that 'threats could turn into actions', a rabbi has said, in the wake of an anti-Semitic incident in London. A video, shared on social media, showed a convoy of cars covered with Palestinian flags passing down Finchley Road in north London, with passengers showing offensive language and threats against Jews. Four men have been arrested, the Metropolitan Police said on Sunday evening. Rabbi Herschel Gluck told the PA news agency: 'People are very concerned and very afraid about where this will lead. 'There is always the fear that threats could turn into actions.' He added: 'It is very important to emphasise in London that the Muslim and Jewish communities stand shoulder to shoulder and in a great spirit of solidarity. There aren't tensions locally, all these tensions are coming from people who have never seen a Jew and they are coming from outside London. 'I think it is important to stress that the Muslim and Jewish communities in London do not have any issues. 'The friendship and cooperation between our communities are as strong as ever.' The Metropolitan Police said the vehicle involved had been identified and the force was making enquiries to locate the occupants. In Chigwell on Sunday morning, an assistant rabbi was attacked a short distance from his synagogue, suffering blows to the head and face. Mr Gluck said: 'Whenever a person is attacked like this, it touches me deeply. The person themselves, their families, their congregation, and their friends are all affected by this. Even though it is an individual, it has much broader and wider ramifications.' He continued: 'At the moment, of course, we don't know what the motives are. But we are living in a time when, because of the situation in the Middle East, everyone is nervous, everyone is scared, everyone is concerned. 'People feel very insecure at the moment because of the heightened tensions in the world.' Advertisement

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the Finchley incident as 'utterly disgusting.'

'Anti-Semitism, misogyny and hate have no place on our streets or in our society,' he said. 'There must be consequences.'

Referring to the video of the convoy, Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'This, on the streets of London, is deeply disturbing. Vile, criminal hatred like this must not be tolerated.'

In a statement Mr Jenrick continued: 'Whatever your view of the conflict in Israel and Gaza, there is no justification for inciting anti-Jewish or anti-Muslim hatred. The incidents of anti-Semitism we have seen in recent days have been shameful.

'Some of the language used on marches this weekend and in posts on social media is intimidating, criminal and racist.

'We must not tolerate this vile, shameful hate in our country. These actions must stop.'

Cabinet minister Michael Gove described another video appearing to show protesters shouting anti-Semitic abuse as 'deeply concerning'.

Meanwhile spokesperson for Community Security Trust, a charity providing safety for the Jewish community in the UK, Dave Rich said: 'This video of vile antisemitism being shouted from a car as it passed through an area of London with a large Jewish community has caused enormous upset and alarm.

'It is outrageous and we are working closely with the police to assist in identifying the culprits.'

Nigel Farage also condemned the convoy of cars, which were seen filling the roads across north London, as their horns blared and called on Home Secretary Priti Patel to act.

'This footage from Golders Green is shocking, provocative and dangerous,' Mr Farage tweeted. 'The Home Secretary and the police must act right now.'

It came after nine police officers were injured and missiles were thrown amid efforts to disperse pro-Palestine protesters outside the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick condemned the violence he has seen in the last few days.

'Whatever your view of the conflict in Israel and Gaza, there is no justification for inciting anti-Jewish or anti-Muslim hatred.

'The incidents of anti-Semitism we have seen in recent days have been shameful. Some of the language used on marches this weekend and in posts on social media is intimidating, criminal and racist.

'We must not tolerate this vile, shameful hate in our country. These actions must stop.'

Thousands of people marched through the capital on Saturday to the gates of the embassy in Kensington, while protests took place in other cities across the UK and Ireland in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold the Palestian flag during a demonstration on Sunday as police look on

Thousands of people marched through the capital on Saturday to the gates of the embassy in Kensington, while protests took place in other cities across the UK and Ireland in solidarity with the people of Palestine

The Metropolitan Police said nine people were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in London, and a further four were arrested on suspicion of breaching the Health Protection Regulations.

The force said small pockets of disorder had followed a largely peaceful demonstration.

Protesters were seen scaling buildings, climbing on the gates of Kensington palace, setting off fireworks and clambering to the top of traffic lights outside the embassy.

A video showed that some clashed with police, with one officer shown on the ground injured while another man was arrested. A separate video showed people throwing drinks at officers stationed at the palace gates.

Meanwhile, in Paris protesters defied a strict order against large gatherings to express their anger over the treatment of the Palestinian people. Riot police reacted with force, spraying desperate Parisians with water cannons to try to dispel the crowds.

In Birmingham hundreds of demonstrators descended on the city centre yesterday in support of Palestine amid escalating violence between the Arab state and Israel.

Organisers in London say 'immediate action' is needed by the UK Government to help end the 'brutal' violence against the Palestinian people.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the crowds international action provides 'succour, comfort and support' to those suffering in the conflict. Crowds chanted 'oh, Jeremy Corbyn' and threw roses as he took to the stage.

Nine police officers were injured and missiles were thrown amid efforts to disperse pro-Palestine protesters outside the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday. Pictured: Metropolitan Police arrest a pro-Palestinian demonstrator outside the Israeli Embassy in central London on Saturday, May 15, 2021

Metropolitan Police arrest a pro-Palestinian demonstrator outside the Israeli Embassy in central London on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Thousands of people marched through the capital on Saturday to the gates of the embassy in Kensington, while protests took place in other cities across the UK and Ireland in solidarity with the people of Palestine

Nine people were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in London, the Metropolitan Police said. Pictured: Metropolitan Police arrest a pro-Palestinian demonstrator outside the Israeli Embassy in central London on Saturday, May 15, 2021

Dozens of Israeli warplanes 'bomb Hamas leaders' homes and underground tunnels' in Gaza overnight as fighting shows no sign of slowing with death toll rising to 207

By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline

Israeli air strikes hammered the Gaza Strip Monday, after a week of violence between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants left more than 200 people dead despite continuing international calls for de-escalation.

Overnight Sunday to Monday, 54 Israeli jets took 20 minutes to bomb 35 targets largely in and around Gaza City in what witnesses described as the most intense bombardment since fighting broke out on Monday last week.

The IDF said it had struck the homes of nine 'high-ranking' Hamas commanders, some of which were also used to store weapons, along with a nine-mile stretch of underground tunnels which it refers to as 'the Metro'.

Meanwhile Hamas fired 70 rockets at Israel, the IDF said, 10 of which fell short in Gaza. Most of the remainder were intercepted by Iron Dome defences but at least one destroyed a synagogue in Ashkelon shortly before prayers.

There was no indication Monday morning of the number of people killed in strikes overnight, but the death toll from the previous week of fighting now stands at 207 - including 197 Palestinians and at least 59 children.

More than 1,200 Palestinians have been wounded since Israel launched its air campaign against Hamas on May 10 after the group fired rockets. The heaviest exchange of fire in years was sparked by unrest in Jerusalem.

In Israel, 10 people, including one child, have been killed and 294 wounded by rocket fire launched by armed groups in Gaza.

Israeli jets continued their bombardment of Gaza overnight with 54 planes involved in strikes on nine miles of Hamas tunnels and nine homes of senior figures within the group, according to the IDF

Palestinians living under nightly threat of bombardment described the raids as the 'most devastating' they had witnessed, exceeding the scale of attacks during the 2014 war

A Palestinian man walks through the ruins in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City

Palestinian firefighters attempt to put out a blaze at a sponge factory in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday

Palestinian firefighters douse a huge fire at the Foamco mattrss factory east of Jabalia in the northren Gaza Strip

Flames rip through a warehouse belonging to a sponge factory in the northern Gaza Strip early on Monday

Flames rise from the rubble of destroyed factories in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu defends Gaza air strikes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended his attacks on the Gaza strip, saying a country has a right to defend itself, and argued the United States knows 'd**n well' it would do the same thing. In a defiant interview on CBS' Face the Nation, Netanyahu denied any political motivation for the attacks that have left 174 Palestinians dead, including 47 children. In Israel, 10 people have been killed in total, including two children, with barrages of rockets fired from Gaza. 'I think any country has to defend itself, and we'll do whatever it takes to restore order and the security of our people,' he said. He argued he was fighting Hamas, a terrorist organization that hid behind civilians, as tensions rose between Israelis and Palestinians to levels not seen since a 2014 war. 'Frankly, if Hamas thought that they could just fire on our rockets and then sit back and enjoy immunity, that's false. We are targeting a terrorist organization that is targeting our civilians and hiding behind their civilians, using them as human shields. 'We're doing everything we can to hit the terrorists themselves, their rockets their rocket caches and their arms, but we're not going to just let them get away with it,' he said. And, when pressed on the issue, he snapped back to interviewer John Dickinson. 'What would you do if it happened to Washington and New York? You know d**n well what you'd do,' Netanyahu said. Netanyahu, meanwhile, denied his actions were about staying in power. 'That's preposterous,' he said. 'Anybody who knows me knows that I've never, ever subordinated security concerns, the life of our soldiers the life of our citizens for political interests, that's just hogwash,' he added. 'I'll do what I have to do to protect the lives of Israeli citizens and to restore peace and make peace with for our countries. 'I'm glad that we have a restoration of some considerable calm within Israel. That's my goal to restore peace and quiet and to assure tranquility.' Advertisement

The night of strikes began when Hamas rockets were fired at the cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon, with one slamming into a synagogue hours before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli emergency services said. No injuries were reported.

Israeli aircraft then launched their own raids, with the IDF saying that nine residences belonging to high-ranking Hamas commanders were hit. Some of the homes were used for weapons storage, it said.

Later in the morning, Palestinian media reported that Israel had struck a factory in northern Gaza. Video on social media showed a column of thick black smoke rising into the air.

West Gaza resident Mad Abed Rabbo, 39, expressed 'horror and fear' at the intensity of the onslaught.

'There have never been strikes of this magnitude,' he said.

Gazan Mani Qazaat said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'should realise we're civilians, not fighters', adding 'I felt like I was dying'.

The renewed strikes come a day after 42 Palestinians in Gaza - including at least eight children and two doctors, according to the health ministry - were killed in the worst daily death toll in the enclave since the bombardments began.

Israel's army said about 3,100 rockets had been fired since last Monday from Gaza - the highest rate ever recorded - but added its Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted over 1,000.

Netanyahu said in a televised address Sunday that Israel's 'campaign against the terrorist organisations is continuing with full force' and would 'take time' to finish.

The Israeli army said it had targeted the infrastructure of Hamas and armed group Islamic Jihad, weapons factories and storage sites.

Israeli air strikes also hit the home of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas's political wing in Gaza, the army said, releasing footage of plumes of smoke and intense damage, but without saying if he was killed.

On Saturday, Israel gave journalists from Al Jazeera and AP news agency an hour to evacuate their offices before launching air strikes, turning their tower block into piles of smoking rubble.

Netanyahu on Sunday said the building also hosted a Palestinian 'terrorist' intelligence office.

'It is a perfectly legitimate target,' he said.

In the Israeli air assault early Sunday, families were buried under piles of cement rubble and twisted rebar. A yellow canary lay crushed on the ground.

Shards of glass and debris covered streets blocks away from the major downtown thoroughfare where the three buildings were hit over the course of five minutes around 1 a.m.

The hostilities have repeatedly escalated over the past week, marking the worst fighting in the territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians since Israel and Hamas' devastating 2014 war.

'I have not seen this level of destruction through my 14 years of work,' said Samir al-Khatib, an emergency rescue official in Gaza. 'Not even in the 2014 war.'

Rescuers furiously dug through the rubble using excavators and bulldozers amid clouds of heavy dust. One shouted, 'Can you hear me?' into a hole. Minutes later, first responders pulled a survivor out.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 16 women and 10 children were among those killed, with more than 50 wounded.

Haya Abdelal, 21, who lives in a building next to one that was destroyed, said she was sleeping when the airstrikes sent her fleeing into the street.

She accused Israel of not giving its usual warning to residents to leave before launching such an attack.

'We are tired,' she said, 'We need a truce. We cant bear it anymore.'

The Israeli army spokespersons office said the strike targeted Hamas 'underground military infrastructure.'

As a result of the strike, 'the underground facility collapsed, causing the civilian houses' foundations above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties,' it said.

Among those reported killed was Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Ouf, the head of the internal medicine department at Shifa Hospital and a senior member of the hospital's coronavirus management committee. Two of Abu Al-Oufs teenage children and two other family members were also buried under the rubble.

Israeli soldiers fire a 155mm self-propelled howitzer towards the Gaza Strip on Monday as fighting continues

Israel has defied international calls for a ceasefire and continues to bombard targets within Gaza today

The death toll now stands at 207 since fighting began on Monday last week, with 197 Palestinians killed including at least 58 children, while 10 Israelis have lost their lives including one child

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave

It is unclear how many people were killed or injured in the strikes overnight, but the death toll of a week of fighting now stands at 207 - with at least 197 Palestinians in the total

Israel's Iron Dome defence system intercepts rockets fired from Gaza overnight, as Hamas targeted the cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon with one synagogue destroyed

Rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza City at targets in southern Israel are seen streaking into the sky overnight

Flares fired by Israeli fighter jets as they pass over Gaza City during overnight raids fall towards the ocean

AP editor demands answers after building destroyed The Associated Press' top editor is calling for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts. Separately, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel's bombing of a building housing the media organizations as a possible war crime. Sally Buzbee, AP's executive editor, said Sunday that the Israeli government has yet to provide clear evidence supporting its attack, which leveled the 12-story al-Jalaa tower. The Israeli military, which gave AP journalists and other tenants about an hour to evacuate, claimed Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office and weapons development. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israel was compiling evidence for the U.S. but declined to commit to providing it within the next two days. 'We're in the middle of fighting,' Conricus said Sunday. 'That's in process and I'm sure in due time that information will be presented.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would share any evidence of Hamas' presence in the targeted building through intelligence channels. But neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any American official had seen it. Buzbee said the AP has had offices in al-Jalaa tower for 15 years and never was informed or had any indication that Hamas might be in the building. She said the facts must be laid out. 'We are in a conflict situation,' Buzbee said. 'We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we don't know what that evidence is.' 'We think it's appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday - an independent investigation,' she added Advertisement

The death of the 51-year-old physician 'was a huge loss at a very sensitive time,' said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa.

Gazas health care system, already gutted by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed in 2007 after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces, had been struggling with a surge in coronavirus infections even before the latest conflict.

Israel's airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

The violence between Hamas and Israel is the worst since 2014, when Israel launched a military operation on the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of ending rocket fire and destroying tunnels used for smuggling.

The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, mostly civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.

Opening the first session of the UN Security Council on the renewed violence on Sunday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the fighting 'utterly appalling'.

'It must stop immediately,' he said.

But the UN talks, already delayed by Israel's ally the United States, resulted in little action, with Washington opposing a resolution.

U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration is working with all parties towards achieving a sustained calm.

'We also believe Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security and enjoy equal measure of freedom, prosperity and democracy,' he said in a pre-taped video aired at an event marking the Muslim Eid holiday on Sunday.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that the United Nations was 'actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire' and urged them 'to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed.' U.N. envoys have helped to mediate past truces between Israel and Hamas.

Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated at the United Nations over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the violence because it worries it could harm behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

Jordan's King Abdullah said his kingdom was involved in intensive diplomacy to halt the bloodshed, but did not elaborate.

Israel is also trying to contain inter-communal violence between Jews and Arab-Israelis, as well as deadly clashes in the occupied West Bank, where 19 Palestinians have been killed since May 10, according to a toll from Palestinian authorities.

Major clashes broke out at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound - one of Islam's holiest sites - on May 7 following a crackdown against protests over planned expulsions of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Sheikh Jarrah has been at the heart of the flareup, seeing weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

On Sunday, a car-ramming attack in Sheikh Jarrah wounded seven police officers, police said, adding that the attacker had been killed.

Police also said 'a number of suspects' had been arrested during clashes in another east Jerusalem neighbourhood overnight Sunday to Monday.

Guterres warned the fighting could have far-reaching consequences if not stopped immediately.

'It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole.'

Israel was unable to give an estimate of the death toll from last night's raids, a day after the deadliest 24 hours of the conflict so far, with 42 Palestinians killed

Smoke and flames rise above a building as Gaza was hit by bombs dropped by 54 Israeli jets during airstrikes overnight

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave

Israel says the bombing is targeted at networks of Hamas tunnels that run under the city and the homes of group leaders, but at least 58 children have been killed in the raids so far
Sadiq Khan and Tony Blair today called for Covid vaccines to be fast-tracked to young people in places where the Indian Covid variant is surging.

The London mayor said he asked Health Secretary Matt Hancock and vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi to consider the plan to jab people as young as 18 in high risk areas, but the Government isn't keen.

Official data show London boroughs are some of the worst performing in England when it comes to vaccinations, with some having fewer than six out of 10 eligible adults immunised so far.

At the same time, officials say, the new Indian variant is spreading quickest in places with poor coverage.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said ministers should 'absolutely' vaccinate young people - who are most likely to spread the disease - in Indian variant hotspot areas.

Currently, official guidance says only Britons aged 38 and above can come forward for their Covid vaccine appointment.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today said he didn't approve of the suggestion and that the rollout method so far  using age groups  has been 'very effective'.

SAGE advisers suggested the policy in meetings earlier this month and said it could 'dampen' outbreaks but it would take at least two weeks to have an impact and hit vaccine supplies intended for other areas.

Some local authorities such as Bolton are taking matters into their own hands and offering vaccines to younger adults in a bid to stop the spread of the Indian variant, which last week spooked Mr Johnson into admitting the first signs that lockdown easing plans could be under threat.

More than 6,200 people - thought to be of all ages, not just those over 38 and eligible for a jab - were vaccinated in Bolton at the weekend.

An Oxford University at the weekend today showed current vaccines still work well against the variant meaning the focus on controlling the strain will be slowing it down.

Sadiq Khan said he had approached Matt Hancock about the proposal over the weekend, but suggested it fell on deaf ears. (Pictured on Sky News)

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Times Radio today: 'Taking a more varied approach to the way we do the vaccine rollout at this stage, given the problems and the challenge of Indian variant is absolutely sensible'

Members of the public are pictured queuing outside a vaccination centre in Bolton this morning as the local authorities rush to get jabs to as many people as possible

London has the ten areas with the lowest vaccine uptake in the UK, NHS figures show

Mr Khan has urged ministers to kick-start surge vaccinations in parts of London where the variant is spreading quickly to stop it getting out of hand.

In Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea only 58 per cent of all the eligible over-40s had taken up the offer of a vaccine by May 9  fewer than anywhere else in England.

'What I'm saying to the Government is there are five boroughs in particular with high numbers of these cases,' Mr Khan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'What we'd like to see is the vaccine being accelerated in these areas with younger Londoners receiving the vaccine sooner than other parts of London because the early evidence is it does appear that if you receive the vaccine, particularly both doses, you may be less likely to catch it.

BOTTOM 10 AREAS IN ENGLAND FOR VACCINE UPTAKE IN OVER-40s Westminster Kensington + C. Newham Hackney H.smith + Fulham Brent Lambeth Haringey Waltham Forest Wandsworth 57.7 per cent 57.7 per cent 60.8 per cent 60.9 per cent 61.1 per cent 62.9 per cent 63.1 per cent 64.3 per cent 65.0 per cent 65.3 per cent Advertisement

'The spread is less but also the consequences should you test positive are less serious as well.'

Public Health England data show that London overall has the most cases of the Indian variant in the country, with more than 400 positive tests linked back to the strain.

This includes all 31 boroughs of the city, however, and other areas  notably Bolton and Blackburn in the North West  have had worse infection rates at a local level.

Mr Khan called for the vaccine rollout to become more 'nimble' to target areas where protection is low, vaccinating younger people to try and prevent the spread of the virus.

He told Sky News he wanted 'those who are younger, who would have to wait a few weeks, to have this vaccine now to avoid the strain spreading'.

Tony Blair told Times Radio that the Government should 'absolutely' consider tweaking the rollout to cover younger people in high risk areas quicker.

He added: 'Taking a more varied approach to the way we do the vaccine rollout at this stage, given the problems and the challenge of Indian variant is absolutely sensible.'

But Mr Kwarteng defended the Government sticking to its strategy.

He said on Sky: 'The Government has very clear guidelines in terms of the ordered way in which we roll out the vaccine.

'That has been working and has been a very effective rollout, and we would suggest that people should do it in the correct order, in the right way.'

On some areas taking matters into their own hands he added: 'Weve got very firm guidelines and we want people to follow those.'

SAGE advisers to the Government have not come out in favour of surge vaccination because it has drawbacks as well as positives.

In documents published last week they said: 'Increasing regional vaccination in areas where it is prevalent could dampen growth in infections, although it takes several weeks for vaccines to provide protection.

'The benefits would need to be balanced against the costs of moving vaccines from elsewhere. '

And Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said: 'The two issues with that are that, first of all, were really not quite sure how well the vaccines will interrupt transmission, particularly for this new variant.

'We do know they protect people against getting sick and thats something we can hold on to and use as a strategy.

'The other thing is, that after a first dose of these vaccines, it does take two-three weeks at least before that protection begins to emerge, so what you do now is not really going to have much influence over what happens over the next couple of weeks.

'So for those two reasons we do need to think strategically about what we do with the vaccine doses that weve got at the moment over the next two weeks right around the country, in order to minimise the chances of this new variant causing a very major third wave.'

NHS figures show that vaccine uptake among all over-40s, which is at 83 per cent average across England, is below average in all but one (Sefton) of the Indian variant hotspot areas. Although experts do not think the at-risk older age groups are the ones driving outbreaks at the moment, it could be cause for concern if the virus spreads to them

Heat maps of where the Indian variant has become most common (left) and where vaccine uptake is lowest (right) show that the same areas are doing badly on both counts  the North West, the Midlands and London. These are the most urban and most populated parts of the country, which are known to be worse affected by outbreaks and have been throughout the pandemic

Mr Khan's call for 'hyper-local' vaccine rollout comes as data for April showed that the borough of Hillingdon had the most cases of the variant in London up to May 1 (11).

It was followed by Ealing (7), and Tower Hamlets and Bromley, which had six each.

That data, provided by the Sanger Institute, excludes cases due to surge testing or travellers, giving a picture of transmission on the ground. There are likely many more cases of the variant since the figures were compiled.

Alongside this, London has consistently had the lowest Covid vaccine uptake rates in the country, with all ten local authorities with the fewest number of jabs in the capital.

Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea have the lowest uptake rates in the country (57.7 per cent among over-40s), followed by Newham (60.8 per cent) and Hackney (60.9 per cent).

In Hillingdon it was 74 per cent, while in Ealing it was 65 per cent, Tower Hamlets 65 per cent and in Bromley 80 per cent.

Ministers have been mulling over plans to launch surge vaccinations in hotspots for the variant in the country.

But they are mindful that this will lead to jabs being redirected from other areas, delaying vaccinations for some parts of society.

Boris Johnson said on Friday over-50s would see the gap between doses cut to eight weeks, to spark protection more quickly amid mounting cases of the mutant strain.

Local health chiefs have attempted to launch surge vaccinations, but the plans were shot down by health chiefs who insist they must stick to the age-centred priority list.

HILLINGDON: Covid cases in the borough remain flat. Sanger Institute data suggest it had the most infections with the virus in London by May 1

EALING: Covid cases also remain low in Ealing, which data suggests has Indian variant cases

TOWER HAMLETS: Cases are also still low in this borough despite the Indian variant being detected here

BROMLEY: There have been a few cases of the Indian variant in this borough, but its infection rate remains very low overall

Surge testing has also been launched in five London boroughs to root out cases of the mutant strain.

These are Hillingdon (HA4 area), Hounslow (Woodlands area), Redbridge (targeted in IG1 and IG6 postcodes), Kensington and Chelsea (W11) and Tower Hamlets (E1)

An Oxford University study rushed out to study the Indian variants ability to evade vaccines, shows jabs are 'nearly as effective' against the strain as the old virus.

AstraZeneca and Pfizer doses still created enough antibodies to neutralise the highly contagious strain and reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death, they concluded.

It was also less vaccine resistant than the South African variant, which sparked concern among scientists and has led to surge testing.

Sir John Bell, Oxford's regius chair of medicine and a member of the Government's vaccines taskforce, told The Times immunity from jabs against the Indian variant was sufficient.

'It looks okay. It's not perfect but it's not catastrophically bad,' he said.

'There's a slight reduction in the ability to neutralise the virus, but it's not very great and certainly not as great as you see with the South African variant.'

Scientists have split the Indian variant into three separate strains, but only one B.1.617.2 is sparking concerns.

This mutant strain carries the L452R and P681R mutations which are thought to make it more transmissible.

But it lacks the E484Q change associated with making vaccines less effective. B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.3 have this mutation.
High school students will be taught how to do a budget, keep accounts and understand taxes under a new course designed to build practical numeracy skills for life and work.

The NSW Government is rolling out new numeracy classes for years 11 and 12 after finding students were becoming disengaged from mathematics because many believed what they were being taught did not apply to the real world.

Students will also be taught how to analyse a mobile phone contract, read a payslip and how to be financial savvy when shopping.

NSW Year 11 and 12 students will be taught practical life skills like budgeting and record and account keeping under a new numeracy course

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the numeracy course was aimed at ensuring all students have the necessary support to develop core numeracy and mathematics skills and apply them to everyday life.

The new course follows the success of a pilot program at 198 schools over the last three years, which found increasing participation in mathematics among pupils.

'Students who have been a part of the pilot course are more engaged in maths by up to 11 percentage points, which is a huge success and will help set them up for the future,' Ms Mitchell said.

'We've seen increased engagement particularly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students in rural and remote areas and students studying vocational education and training courses.

The new numeracy course comes in response to an increasing number of students feeling disengaged with mathematics because they felt it was not teaching them skills that could be applied post-school

'Those are the results we want to see from the NSW Mathematics Strategy because every child in NSW deserves the opportunity to develop the mathematics skills and understanding necessary to succeed in life and expand their options for post-school pathways.'

While the course can count towards the Higher School Certificate, as it classified as a Content Endorsed Course results are not able to contribute towards the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank.

The numeracy course will be available at all schools from term one next year.
Russia is 'constantly tracking' a British warship on patrol in the flashpoint Black Sea, the defence ministry in Moscow has announced.

HMS Trent sailed through the Dardanelles and Bosporus on Sunday amid high tension over the Kremlin's intentions in eastern Ukraine.

Despite planning to track the Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel's every move, it posed 'no serious threat' to the Russians according to former Black Sea Fleet commander Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov.

'I would not even say that the British [navy] would be able to tickle our nerves,' he told Interfax. 'Maybe, only the heel, a little.'

Russia is 'constantly tracking' the HMS Trent while it is on patrol in the Black Sea, the defence ministry in Moscow has announced. HMS Trent sailed through the Dardanelles and Bosporus on Sunday amid high tension over the Kremlin's intentions over eastern Ukraine

The HMS Trent sailed into to the Black Sea on Sunday amid heightened tensions with Russia

The HMS Trent (pictured) was picked up by the Russian navy as it left the Bosporous and entered the Black Sea on Sunday

Former Black Sea Fleet commander Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov has claimed the Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel poses 'no serious threat' to the Russians, despite plans to track the frigate's every move.

Komoyedov said the vessel would be constantly monitored by Russian naval vessels, such as this missile cruiser 'Moskva', while it patrols the Black Sea

Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Trent Armament: 1  30 mm DS30B gun 2  General purpose machine guns 2  Miniguns Range: 5,500 nmi (10,200 km) Speed: 25 knots Size: 90.5 metres Crew: 70 Advertisement

The British warship is sailing to Odessa where it will work with NATO and regional partners to support security and stability in the region as part of the Royal Navy's Forward Presence.

'If a serious ship enters the Black Sea, and there is an immediate threat, then you can track it with weapons, as target designations are issued to coastal missile systems and aircraft, which are on duty,' said Komoyedov.

The British warship is sailing to Odessa where it will work with NATO and regional partners to support security and stability in the region as part of the Royal Navy's Forward Presence.

HMS Trent was permanently deployed to southern Europe and Africa in August and has so far visited Algeria, trained with Tunisian forces, and carried out work with NATO.

The Russian National Defence Control Centre confirmed it was tracking the Royal Navy vessel.

'The forces of the Black Sea Fleet have started tracking the movements of the British Navy patrol ship HMS Trent, which entered the Black Sea on 16 May 2021,' it said in a statement.

Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the Russian naval staff, said the Trent would be 'met' near the Bosporus Strait and monitored using 'radio equipment', according to Interfax.

'Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are constantly nearby until foreign naval ships leave the area,' said the news agency report citing Kravchencko.

'Of course, this is unpleasant. You will have to be distracted, keep an eye on them; what are they going to do in the Black Sea,' said Kravchenko.

The HMS Trent (pictured) made its way through the Dardanelles and the Bosporous on route to the Black Sea on Sunday

The British vessel (pictured transiting the Bosporous on Sunday) will now patrol the Black Sea where it can remain for up to 21 days under international agreements

The Russian National Defence Control Centre confirmed it was tracking the Royal Navy vessel (pictured transiting the Bosporous) from the moment it arrived in the Black Sea on Sunday

The HMS Trent, seen here in the Dardanelles and Bosporous Strait on Sunday, was commissioned in August and is permanently stations in Gibraltar

The Russian National Defence Control Centre confirmed it was tracking the Royal Navy vessel (pictured, Admiral Essen, a Russian frigate, on duty in the Black Sea)

Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the Russian naval staff, said the Trent would be 'met' near the Bosporus Strait and monitored using 'radio equipment'

Kravchencko said 'ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are constantly nearby until foreign naval ships leave the area'

The former chief of the Russian naval staff said the Black Sea Fleet, which includes submarines, would 'keep an eye' on the HMS Trent during its patrol

In recent days, the Russians also said they were tracking French Navy patrol vessel Commandant Birot (pictured, Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich)

The Gibraltar-based HMS Trent's arrival follows the US Coast Guard patrol ship Hamilton in the Black Sea.

The vessel's arrival precedes the deployment of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and the UK's Carrier Strike Group (CSG), which departs for its first operational deployment later this month.

The 3billion warship, with eight RAF F35B stealth fighter jets on board, will set off for Asia on May 24 accompanied by six Royal Navy ships including HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, a submarine, 14 naval helicopters and a company of Royal Marines.

Prior to leaving the UK, the CSG led by 'Big Lizzie' will take part in a major exercise, Strike Warrior, off the coast of Scotland before departing for the Mediterranean.

Part of the CSG will then head to the Black Sea to support Nato maritime security operations at a time when tensions are rising tensions in Russia and Ukraine.

HMS Queen Elizabeth will not sail into the Black Sea because it would breach an international treaty.

HMS Queen Elizabeth departs for its first operational deployment on May 24 and will attempt to stand up to Russia and China

This is the route the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) will take from next month, reaching Japan this summer after travelling via a number of hotspots that will upset Russia and China

Big Lizzie - the Royal Navy's largest ever warship - will take part in a major exercise, Strike Warrior, off the coast of Scotland before departing for the Mediterranean later this month

Russia's Black Sea Fleet Russia's Black Sea Fleet comprises 25,000 personnel, up to 43 surface warships and a further 7 support and auxiliary submarines. The fleet includes one guided missile carrier and three guided missile frigates. It also comprises seven diesel attack submarines, one torpedo retriever, and seven large landing ships. Two more Russian warships and 15 smaller vessels were transited to the Black Sea in mid-April amid rising tensions with Ukraine. The pair are capable of carrying tanks, and of delivering armour and troops during coastal assaults. The fleet is headquartered in Svestapol, the Crimean Peninsula, and has bases in Rostov Oblast and Krasnodar Krai. Advertisement

In recent days, the Russians also said they were tracking French Navy patrol vessel Commandant Birot. Over three days the Russian military said its fighter jets were scrambled to shadow French Air Force aircraft over the Black Sea.

Last month, Russia massed troops on the Ukrainian border and carried out huge military drills in Crimea involving 10,000 soldiers, 40 warships and 200 planes. Russia has since pulled back some troops.

However, there is still concern in the West over Vladimir Putin's intentions in Ukraine and considerable forces and equipment remain in the area.

The Kerch strait between the Black Sea and the Avoz Sea and an area of coastline on the Crimean Peninsula remain closed to foreign warships after they were shuttered amid heightened tensions last month.

Vladimir Putin escalated fears of a possible Russian invasion by ordering the blockade of the strategically important Kerch Strait in mid-April.

Russian warships moved into position to control the strait on April 16, cutting off sea access to Ukraine's south-eastern coastline and eastern Crimea.

The Kremlin confirmed all foreign and Ukrainian military vessels will be forbidden to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov until mid-October, although commercial vessels will not be affected.

Russia released a video demonstrating a show of strength to coincide with Black Sea Fleet Day on May 13.

Russia carried out huge military drills in Crimea involving 10,000 soldiers, 40 warships and 200 planes last month, sparking fears of a conflict

On 13 May, Russia released a video demonstrating a show of strength coincide with Black Sea Fleet day

The video included footage of the Black Sea Fleet's guided missile carrier 'Moskva' firing a missile
Dexter Kruger celebrated milestone of 111 years and 124 days old on Monday

A retired cattle rancher has officially become Australia's oldest man alive and revealed his secret to a long life.

Dexter Kruger from the rural town of Roma in Queensland marked being 111 years and 124 days on Monday while surrounded by family and friends.

The centenarian born in January 1910 surpassed former World War I veteran Jack Lockett who died in 2002 aged 111 years and 123 days.

To celebrate the milestone Mr Kruger said his secret to living a long and healthy life was regularly eating chicken brains and living in the countryside.

Dexter Kruger (pictured) celebrated the milestone of 111 years and 124 days old on Monday

Mr Kruger, a retired cattle rancher (pictured, centre) has officially become Australia's oldest man alive

The former veterinarian disclosed another key factor to his prosperous lifetime to Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who visited him on Monday.

'Find something you like to do, and do it well,' Mr Kruger told 7News.

'I set myself a goal when I was quite young, and I achieved that.'

Mr Kruger (pictured) shared his secret for a healthy life was regularly eating chicken brains and living a remote lifestyle out in the country

Kruger, Australia's oldest-ever man, (pictured) has included eating chicken brains among his secrets to living more than 111 years

The former veterinarian celebrated the milestone with his friends and family (pictured)

The poet and writer - who has written 13 books and has an upcoming autobiography in the works - said he was involved in the cattle industry from a young age thanks to his father.

'When I was seven years old my father gave me a heifer calf and I've been in the cattle business ever since,' he said.

Mr Kruger, who was raised by German immigrants, said he was 'honoured' by the record-holding milestone.

'It has been and will continue to be a great honour to be the oldest man ever to be in Australia,' he said.

Following the death of his wife when he was 86, Mr Kruger decided to write books and has since self-published 12 of them.

The poet and writer (pictured centre holding 108 sign) said he was involved in the cattle industry from a young age thanks to his father

The centenarian (pictured) born in January 1910, surpassed former World War I veteran Jack Lockett, who died in 2002 aged 111 years and 123 days

He also offered some positive reassurance to Australians that 'we'll get through this virus thing'.

'In my industry - the cattle industry - we had several big problems overcome with vaccines. We've exterminated many things with vaccines, and that will happen with this,' he previously told the ABC.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, there are more than 6,000 centenarians living in Australia with figures expected to double by 2023 due to the nation's ageing population.
Police say they are becoming 'increasingly concerned' about two brothers who may have vanished with a relative on Friday night.

Patrick Hovarth, five, and his older brother Fabricio, eight, were last sighted in the Limestone road area of Belfast.

They were spotted getting into a black Ford car at 6pm but nothing has been heard or seen of them since that time.

Detectives from Police Service Northern Ireland think it is possible they may be over 50 miles away in Ireland.

They have released a pair of photographs of the siblings and have asked members of the public to keep their eyes peeled for them.

Officers have also urged the unnamed relative they think they may be with to get in touch with them to try and resolve the missing persons' probe.

Fabricio and Patrick Hovarth, eight and five, have been both missing since Friday night

Inspector Phil McCullagh said: 'We are keen to know that both boys are safe and well.

'We believe they may be in the company of a relative in Northern Ireland or possibly in Ireland.

'I would appeal to that person to get in touch with police as soon as possible on 101, quoting the reference number 2275 of 14/5/21.

The two boys have been last seen in Belfast on Friday night but not heard from since

'Both boys are dark-haired and were seen getting into a black Ford car around 6pm on Friday 14 May in the Limestone road area of Belfast.'

Police say that the younger brother Patrick was wearing light-coloured bottoms and top with black shoes.

Fabricio was wearing grey bottoms and a purple and green top.

Insp McCullagh added: 'If any members of the public have any information about the boys or have seen them since Friday evening, I would urge them to contact police immediately.'
India has seen the number of Covid-19 cases drop below 300,000 a day for the first time in three weeks - but as the country grapples with a second wave, it must also contend with a killer cyclone.

Cyclone Tauktae bore down on India on Monday, disrupting the nation's urgent response to its devastating Covid-19 outbreak.

At least 12 people died over the weekend as Tauktae, the biggest cyclone to hit western India in 20 years according to local media, triggered gale-force winds, torrential rains and high tidal waves along the Karnataka, Kerala and Goa coasts.

It comes as India's health ministry on Monday reported 281,386 coronavirus cases, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21.

But daily deaths remained about 4,000 and experts warned that the count was unreliable due to a lack of testing in rural areas, where the virus is spreading fast.

India's health ministry on Monday reported 281,386 coronavirus cases, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21

As the country grapples with a second wave, it must also contend with a killer cyclone. Pictured: Police and rescue personnel evacuate local residents from a flooded house in Kochi on May 14 after heavy rains hit

Torrential rain, intense wind batter India's financial capital of Mumbai ahead of cyclone landfall on Monday

Torrential rain and severe hits Mumbai as cyclone Tauktae sweeps through the city

The 'Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm' is due to make landfall on Monday between 8-11 pm (1430-1730 GMT) with winds of 155-165 kilometres per hour (95-100 miles per hour) gusting up to 185 kmph, the Indian Meteorological Department said.

It warned of storm surges of up to ten feet high (three metres) high in some of Gujarat's coastal districts.

The vast swirling system visible from space threatens to exacerbate India's dire problems dealing with a huge surge in coronavirus cases that is killing at least 4,000 people every day and pushing hospitals to breaking point.

In waterlogged Mumbai, where authorities on Monday closed the airport for several hours and urged people to stay indoors, authorities on Sunday shifted 580 Covid patients 'to safer locations' from three field hospitals.

In Gujarat, where on Sunday and overnight nearly 150,000 people from 17 districts were evacuated, all Covid-19 patients in hospitals with five kilometres of the coast were also moved.

Authorities there were scrambling to ensure there would be no power cuts in the nearly 400 designated hospitals and 41 oxygen plants in 12 coastal districts where the cyclone was expected to hit hardest.

'To ensure that Covid hospitals are not faced with power outages, 1,383 power back-ups have been installed,' senior local official Pankaj Kumar said.

'Thirty-five 'green corridors' have also been made for supply of oxygen to Covid hospitals,' he said.

Police and rescue personnel evacuate a local resident through a flooded street in a coastal area after heavy rains under the influence of cyclone 'Tauktae' in Kochi on May 14

Auto rickshaws wade through a flooded street during heavy raised caused by Cyclone Tauktae in Mumbai on Monday

Police personnel clear fallen trees from a road following cyclone Tauktae hit Panjim in Goa on May 16

Indian government reassures citizens 5G does not cause Covid The Indian government has been forced to reassure its citizens that 5G has not caused the second wave of coronavirus following a spate of conspiracy theories circulating on social media. Officials pointed out that there are no 5G networks in India as the country only approved 5G trials last week and they won't start for months. The government described the conspiracy theories as 'baseless and false' and urged the public not to be 'misguided' by the rumours. India's Department of Telecommunication said in a statement: 'Several misleading messages are being circulated on various social media platforms claiming that the second wave of coronavirus has been caused by the testing of the 5G mobile towers. 'These messages are false and absolutely not correct... the general public is hereby informed that there is no link between 5G technology and the spread of Covid-19 and they are urged not to be misguided by the false information and rumours spread in this matter.' A prominent message circulating on social media states that the radiation from cell phone towers 'mixes with the air and makes it poisonous and thats why people are facing difficulty in breathing and are dying', reports Coda Story. Advertisement

Virus safety protocols such as wearing masks, social distancing and the use of sanitisers would be observed in the shelters for evacuees, officials added.

The state, which officially has seen 9,000 virus deaths - likely a gross underestimate, as elsewhere, experts say - also suspended vaccinations for two days. Mumbai did the same for one day.

Thousands of disaster response personnel had been deployed, while units from the coast guard, navy, army and air force had been placed on standby, Home Minister Amit Shah said in a statement.

'This will be the most severe cyclone to hit Gujarat in at least 20 years. This can be compared with the 1998 cyclone that hit Kandla and inflicted heavy damage,' state revenue secretary Pankaj Kumar said.

Four people died on Saturday as rain and winds battered Karnataka state with several towns and villages flooded, authorities said.

Two people died in the resort state of Goa - which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic in recent weeks - hitting power supplies and uprooting trees.

Two others were reported dead and 23 fishermen were feared missing in Kerala, local media said.

Last May, more than 110 people died after 'super cyclone' Amphan ravaged eastern India and Bangladesh, flattening villages, destroying farms and leaving millions without electricity.

The 1998 cyclone that ravaged Gujarat killed at least 4,000 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, media reported at the time.

The vast nation of 1.3 billion people reported on Monday 4,100 deaths and 280,000 fresh Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total close to 25 million - a doubling since April 1.

For months now, nowhere in the world has been hit harder than India by the pandemic, as a new strain of the virus first found there fuelled a surge in infections that has risen to more than 400,000 daily.

Even with a downturn over the past few days, experts said there was no certainty that infections had peaked, with alarm growing both at home and abroad over the new more contagious B.1.617 variant taking hold.

It comes as India registered another 4,077 deaths on Sunday, taking the total fatalities to a devastating 270,294

Indian covid sufferers are now contracting deadly 'black fungus' infection with spike causing a shortage of the drugs to treat it A growing number of current and recovered Covid-19 patients in India are contracting a deadly and rare fungal infection, doctors said on Monday. Mucormycosis, dubbed 'black fungus' by medics, is usually most aggressive in patients whose immune systems are weakened by other infections. 'The cases of mucormycosis infection in Covid-19 patients post-recovery is nearly four to five times than those reported before the pandemic,' Ahmedabad-based infectious diseases specialist Atul Patel, a member of the state's Covid-19 taskforce, told AFP. In the western state of Maharashtra, home to India's financial hub Mumbai, up to 300 cases have been detected, said Khusrav Bajan, a consultant at Mumbai's P.D. Hinduja National Hospital and a member of the state's Covid-19 taskforce. Some 300 cases have been reported so far in four cities in Gujarat, including its largest Ahmedabad, according to data from state-run hospitals. The western state ordered government hospitals to set up separate treatment wards for patients infected with 'black fungus' amid the rise in cases. 'Mucormycosis - if uncared for - may turn fatal,' the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), the scientific agency leading the government's response, said in a treatment chart released on Twitter. Covid-19 sufferers more susceptible to contracting the fungal infection include those with uncontrolled diabetes, those who used steroids during their virus treatment, and those who had prolonged stays in hospital ICUs, the ICMR added. Treatment involves surgically removing all dead and infected tissue and administering a course of anti-fungal therapy. But Yogesh Dabholkar, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Mumbai's DY Patil Hospital, told AFP that the drugs used to treat those infected with the fungus were expensive. One of the treatment drugs was also running short in government hospitals due to the sudden spike, he added. 'The mortality rate is very high... Even the few that recover, only recover with extensive and aggressive surgery,' Bajan said. 'This is a fast-moving infection. It can grow within two weeks... It's a Catch-22, coming out of a virus and getting into a fungal infection. It's really bad.' Reporting by AFP Advertisement

'There are still many parts of the country which have not yet experienced the peak, they are still going up,' World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan was quoted as saying in the Hindu newspaper.

Swaminathan pointed to the worryingly high national positivity rate, at about 20 per cent of tests conducted, as a sign that there could be worse to come.

'Testing is still inadequate in a large number of states. And when you see high test positivity rates, clearly we are not testing enough. And so the absolute numbers actually don't mean anything when they are taken just by themselves; they have to be taken in the context of how much testing is done, and test positivity rate.'

Having begun to decline last week, and new infections over the past 24 hours were put at 281,386 by the health ministry on Monday, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21. The daily death count stood at 4,106.

At the current rate India's total caseload since the epidemic struck a year ago should pass the 25 million mark in the next couple of days. Total deaths were put at 274,390.

Hospitals have had to turn patients away while mortuaries and crematoriums have been unable to cope with bodies piling up. Photographs and television images of funeral pyres burning in parking lots and corpses washing up on the banks of the Ganges river have fuelled impatience with the government's handling of the crisis.

It is widely accepted that the official figures grossly underestimate the real impact of the epidemic, with some experts saying actual infections and deaths could be five to 10 times higher.

Whereas the first wave of the epidemic in India, which peaked in September, was largely concentrated in urban areas, where testing was introduced faster, the second wave that erupted in February is rampaging through rural towns and villages, where about two-thirds of the country's 1.35 billion people live, and testing in those places is sorely lacking.

'This drop in confirmed COVID cases in India is an illusion,' S. Vincent Rajkumar, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, said on Twitter.

'First, due to limited testing, the total number of cases is a huge underestimate. Second, confirmed cases can only occur where you can confirm: the urban areas. Rural areas are not getting counted.'

But lockdowns in parts of the country such as Mumbai are offering a glimmer of hope for India.

In the last week, the number of new cases plunged by nearly 70 per cent in the nation's financial capital, home to 22 million people.

After a peak of 11,000 daily cases, the city is recording fewer than 2,000 a day. Even the capital of New Delhi is seeing signs of improvement.

But experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people, with hospitals still overwhelmed and officials struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds.

A well-enforced lockdown and vigilant authorities are being credited for Mumbai's burgeoning success.

Even the capital of New Delhi is seeing whispers of improvement as infections slacken after weeks of tragedy and desperation playing out in overcrowded hospitals and crematoriums and on the streets.

It is still too early to say things are improving, with Mumbai and New Delhi representing only a sliver of the overall situation.

While lockdowns have helped limit cases in parts of the country that had been hit by an initial surge of infections in February and April, such as Maharashtra and Delhi, rural areas and some states are dealing with fresh surges.

Combating the spread in the countryside, where health infrastructure is scarce and where most Indians live, will be the biggest challenge.

'The transmission will be slower and lower, but it can still exact a big toll,' said K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

The government issued detailed guidelines on Sunday for monitoring COVID-19 cases with the health ministry asking villages to look out for people with flu-like illness and get them tested for COVID-19.

Villagers in northern India are also being urged by police officers not to bury their dead in rivers after scores of bodies washed up on the shore of the Ganges.

Dozens of bodies were also discovered in shallow sand graves, prompting police to investigate.

Policemen stand next to the bodies buried in shallow graves on the banks of Ganges river in Prayahraj, India on Saturday

On Friday, rains exposed the cloth coverings of bodies buried in shallow graves in the sand of the riverbank in Prayagraj, a city in Uttar Pradesh state. Pictured: Several bodies are seen buried in shallow graves on Saturday in Prayagraj

In jeeps and boats, the police used portable loudspeakers to ask villagers not to dispose of the bodies in rivers. 'We are here to help you perform the last rights,' they said.

On Friday, rains exposed the cloth coverings of bodies buried in shallow graves in the sand of the riverbank in Prayagraj, a city in Uttar Pradesh state.

Navneet Sehgal, a state government spokesman, on Sunday denied local media reports that more than 1,000 corpses of COVID-19 victims had been recovered from rivers in the past two weeks. 'I bet these bodies have nothing to do with COVID-19,' he said.

Earlier this week, authorities installed a net across the Ganges to catch the corpses of Covid victims after dozens washed up on the river's banks.

Four relatives carry a dead body of a Covid-victim past shallow graves covered with cloths on the banks of the Ganges River in Shringverpur village on Saturday

Mr Sehgal said some villagers did not cremate their dead, as is customary, due to a Hindu tradition during some periods of religious significance and disposed of them in rivers or digging graves on riverbanks.

K.P. Singh, a senior police officer, said authorities had earmarked a cremation ground for those who died of COVID-19 on the Prayagraj riverbank and the police were no longer allowing any burials on the riverfront.

Sehgal state authorities have found 'a small number' of bodies on the riverbanks, he said, but didn't give a figure.

Ramesh Kumar Singh, a member of Bondhu Mahal Samiti, a philanthropic organization that helps cremate bodies, said the number of deaths is very high in rural areas.

He said relatives have been disposing of the bodies in the river because they could not afford wood for traditional Hindu cremations or the cost of performing the last rites. The cremation cost has tripled up to 15,000 rupees (145).

Dozens more bodies of Covid victims in Inida washed up on the banks of the Ganges on Tuesday, as ambulance drivers were spotted dumping corpses into the water

Health authorities last week retrieved 71 bodies that washed up on the Ganges River bank in neighboring Bihar state.

It prompted authorities to install a net across the Ganges to catch the corpses of other Covid victims.

The discovery of the bodies in Bihar state on Tuesday last week stoked fears that the virus was raging unseen in India's vast rural hinterland where two-thirds of its people live.

The infected bodies surfaced in the river along the border of the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which the Ganges runs through.

Bihar's water resources minister Sanjay Kumar said on Twitter on Wednesday that a 'net has been placed' in the river on the state border with Uttar Pradesh and patrolling increased.

He said the impoverished state's government was 'pained at both the tragedy as well as harm to the river Ganges'.

The infected bodies (pictured) surfaced in the river along the border of the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the Ganges run through

Health workers in India were filmed reportedly dumping bodies in the Ganges (pictured)

Authorities performed post mortems but said they could not confirm the cause of death due to decomposition.

Kumar added that postmortems confirmed that the corpses had been dead for four to five days.

Press reports said as many as 25 bodies had also been recovered in the Gahmar district of Uttar Pradesh state.

The Hindu daily quoted a local police official there as saying there were long queues at cremation grounds in the northern state.

'It is possible that in hurry some disposed of the bodies in the river like this,' Hitendra Krishna was quoted as saying.

A dozen corpses were also found last week buried in sand at two locations on the riverbank in Unnao district, 40 kilometres southwest of Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh state capital.

District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said an investigation is underway to identify the cause of death.

A video reportedly showing bodies thrown into the water by ambulance drivers was shared widely on social media, and was picked up by local news outlets.

Another showed the bodies washed up on the shores of the Ganges, with wild dogs walking in the shallows and sniffing at the victims.

People have reacted with horror to the footage, partly out of fear that relatives could not carry out the sacred funeral rites for their loved ones.

It comes after more than 150 rotting bodies were dumped into the river on Monday in the same region.

India's two big states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with nearly 358 million people in total, are among the worst hit in the surge sweeping through the country with devastating death tolls.

Hapless villagers have been rushing the sick to nearby towns and cities for treatment, many of them dying on the way, victims of India's crumbling health care.

Janardhan Singh Sigriwal, a Bihar Member of Parliament for the country's ruling BJP party, claimed that the coronavirus victims were being dumped by ambulance drivers from a bridge.

Meanwhile, officials in the Katihar district have opened an investigation after the video of the bodies being dumped by hospital staff circulated online.

A senior figures from the hospital has been asked to report to local authorities within the next day to explain the incident.

It is reported that the bodies of the coronavirus victims were unclaimed, and that was why staff were attempting to get rid of them quickly, rather than having to perform the full last rites, which involves burying or cremating them.

On Monday, the decomposed bodies were discovered on the banks of the Ganges in the northern state of Bihar, with residents telling local officials they had seen dozens floating downstream.

There were more than 150 bodies spotted in the river on Bihar's border, according to the Times of India. However, local officials denied the number, putting the figure at between 40 and 45.

One local official told NDTV: 'They are bloated and have been in the water for at least five to seven days. We are disposing of the bodies. We need to investigate where they are from, which town in UP (Uttar Pradesh) - Bahraich or Varanasi or Allahabad.

'The bodies are not from here as we don't have a tradition of disposing of bodies in the river.'

Pictured: Dogs paddle in the shallows, attracted by the bodies of reported victims of the coronavirus disease that have washed up on the shore of the Ganges in India

Harrowing footage showed dozens of bodies washed up at the sides of the River Ganges in northeastern Bihar state on Monday

The local administration believes that the deceased were Covid patients and local villagers have been left terrified the disease could spread further after dogs were seen wading near the bodies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under fire for his messaging to the public, a decision to leave key decisions on lockdowns to states, and the slow rollout of an immunisation campaign in the world's biggest vaccine producer.

India has fully vaccinated just over 40.4 million people, or 2.9 per cent of its population.

A top virologist told Reuters on Sunday that he had resigned from a forum of scientific advisers set up by the government to detect variants of the coronavirus.

Shahid Jameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of the forum known as INSACOG, declined to say why he had resigned but said he was concerned that authorities were not paying enough attention to the evidence as they set policy.
A grandmother who claims she broke her leg when she slipped on spilled champagne ice and birthday cake in a gastropub is suing for 200,000.

Anne Andlaw, 69, claims she slipped in a puddle of ice from champagne cooling buckets and 'greasy foodstuffs' at the Cherry Tree in Dulwich while at a friend's birthday party in October 2016.

The pensioner spent weeks in hospital and rehabilitation after the fall left her with a broken leg and fractured knee cap.

Now classed as disabled following the incident, she needs extra support with her domestic and social life.

Lawyers for Redcomb Pubs & Bars Ltd who managed the pub at the time, deny blame and say she was 'intoxicated' at this time. The pub has since changed hands, and is now under the management of Young's.

Anne Andlaw, 69, claims she slipped in a puddle of ice from champagne cooling buckets and 'greasy foodstuffs' at the Cherry Tree in Dulwich in October 2016

According to paper filed at Central London County Court, Mrs Andlaw arrived at the party to find all of the wine and food had already been eaten and the party table 'cluttered with empty bottles and ice buckets.'

Her barrister Anthony Johnson said the incident happened at around 11:30pm when she got up to leave.

'Suddenly and without warning, her feet slipped out from underneath her as if she was on an ice rink,' he says in claim papers.

'She slipped up in the air and landed very heavily on her right hand side, immediately suffering extreme pain.

Now classed as disabled following the incident, Mrs Andlaw needs extra support

The incident happened at the Cherry Tree pub in East Dulwich in October 2016

'When the lights came on at the end of the night it could be seen that the floor area around the table was covered in water and ice cubes, which had presumably been spilt from the ice buckets that were on the table.

'There were also other greasy foodstuffs, including what appeared to be birthday cake, visible on the floor around the table.

'The staff had not attempted to clean or dry the floor in any way and there were no wet floor signs displayed at all.'

Lawyer Hannah Hale, representing Redcomb Pubs & Bars Ltd, denies that the table was cluttered or that the floor was covered in spilled food and drinks.

'The defendant denies that the area was covered in water and ice cubes and greasy foodstuffs including birthday cake at the end of the night,' she said.

She added that the area was checked by the deputy manage who 'will confirm there was no spillage in the areas where she fell or at all.'

'The accident occurred at approximately 11.30pm, by which time Mrs Andlaw's group, including Mrs Andlaw, were intoxicated,' she added.

'The duty manager will state the party were regularly attended to throughout the course of the evening and there was no evidence of a spillage.

'At no time in the immediate aftermath of the accident did she herself suggest to the [staff] that she had slipped on a spillage of water and or greasy foodstuffs.

'Having participated in the party activity, she was on notice of the hazard she and her companions had created and should have taken more care and or actively brought the state of the floor to the attention of the defendant so that steps could be taken.'

The case reached the courts last month and a full trial of the claim is expected at a later date.
She lost her job representing Boris Johnson on live television after being shunted out of her job as the Prime Minister's press secretary.

But Allegra Stratton has now re-emerged on screen to tell the nation how the Government is going to help to save the planet.

The former ITV national editor has presented a 'behind the scenes' short film promoting the Cop26 summit that is due to be help in Glasgow in November.

Ms Stratton was due to face the nation on a regular basis from a briefing room revamped at a cost to the taxpayer of 2.6million.

But after the PM got cold feet about the plan she was shunted sideways into helping Cop26 president Alok Sharma promote the global climate initiative.

Allegra Stratton has now re-emerged on screen to tell the nation how the Government is going to help to save the planet.

Boris Johnson axed plans for White House-style televised press briefings led by Ms Stratton despite investing 2.6million on the room

After the PM got cold feet about the plan she was shunted sideways into helping Cop26 president Alok Sharma promote the global climate initiative.

The four-minute film released on social media today is presented by Ms Stratton and shows Mr Sharma and his team at work in No9 Downing Street.

Downing Street's new media briefing room was installed with microphones, control desks, cameras and computers

Allegra Stratton: Ex-ITV and BBC journalist who quit to spin for Sunak Allegra Stratton is a former ITV journalist who has been Rishi Sunak's director of strategic communications at the Treasury since April this year. The 39-year-old mother-of-two quit ITV News to enter politics after co-presenting Peston on Sunday with Robert Peston. She also served as ITV News' national editor, making her first appearance on the broadcaster's News at Ten programme in January 2016. Before that she worked at the BBC between 2012-2015 as political editor of Newsnight, replacing Michael Crick who left to become a correspondent for Channel 4. Previously she was the Guardian's political correspondent and presented the newspaper's Politics Weekly podcast with Tom Clark. Ms Stratton has also worked as a producer for the BBC, on the foreign desk at The Times and wrote for the Independent and the New Statesman. Before embarking on her journalism career, Ms Stratton attended Cambridge University. She is married to James Forsyth who is the political editor of The Spectator magazine. Advertisement

The four-minute film released on social media today is presented by Ms Stratton and shows Mr Sharma and his team at work in No9 Downing Street.

Introducing the film she says Cop26 has a lofty aim: 'To get 190 world leaders to agree nothing less than how to save the planet.'

Ms Stratton was Chancellor Rishi Sunak's top adviser before she was unveiled as the new press secretary in October last year.

The Prime Minister was said to have been 'impressed' with the former BBC and ITV News journalist since she joined the Chancellor's team as his director of communications in April 2020.

There were thought to have been about half a dozen candidates in the frame for the role which came with a salary of more than 100,000.

She was expected to start the regular press briefings that month, but the start date was regularly pushed back

The Prime Minister had confirmed the proposals for an upgraded Downing Street briefing room last year, suggesting the public had liked having more direct information from ministers during the coronavirus press conferences.

But last month it was confirmed the PM had axed plans for White House-style televised press briefings despite spending 2.6million of taxpayer money on the conference room.

The No 9 briefing room, which was installed with microphones, control desks, cameras and computers, will instead be used by the PM, ministers and officials to present press conferences themselves.

It was announced that Ms Stratton would move to work with Ms Sharma, the former business secretary, on Cop26 promotion.

Ms Stratton left her role as co-presenter of the Peston on Sunday programme on ITV in April 2018 after two years in order to spend more time with her two young children, Vaughn and Xanthe.

She had reportedly returned to the show just six weeks after the birth of Xanthe in May 2017, initially taking her baby with her to work.

She also served as national editor at ITV News, a role she left in April last year in order to become Mr Sunak's director of communications.

She was credited with helping to boost the Chancellor's public profile and increasing his popularity during the coronavirus crisis.

Downing Street's plans to introduce the briefings suffered a set back at the end of August after it emerged that Sky News and the BBC may not always cover the events.

The UK's two major broadcasters were expected to only show the briefings based 'on merit' which means they could cut away early or fail to show them at all if they are judged not to be newsworthy.

The decision to introduce the afternoon TV briefings was made by Number 10 as part of a bid to communicate more directly with voters.

They were said to be the brainchild of Boris Johnson's former adviser Lee Cain, were expected to run in a similar way to White House press briefings, with Ms Stratton answering questions on behalf of the Prime Minister and the government.
A dog thief has been caught on camera fleeing with a family's pedigree XL American bully and bulldog after breaking into their home when they were out.

The man broke into the home of Cavan Dixon and girlfriend Brooklynn Robert in King's Heath, Birmingham, to steal the dogs last Friday.

Footage shows the crook walking calmly through a car park at around midday with the animals, each worth thousands of pounds.

In another shot he is carrying the younger dog, Amercian Bully XL, Nitrous, as English bulldog Mercury runs to catch up.

The thief broke into the home of Cavan Dixon and girlfriend Brooklynn Robert in King's Heath, Birmingham, to steal the dogs last Friday

And footage from a third camera shows the man running with both dogs in tow. Now the couple, who have a three-year-old daughter and another child on the way, are appealing for help in finding their much loved pets, which were snatched from their home while they were out.

The family believe their two-bedroom house was being watched before being raided.

It comes just days after the Government set up a taskforce to put a stop to 'cynical and nasty' pet theft.

Soaring demand for pets over lockdown is said to have led to a surge in criminals stealing dogs.

The taskforce will look into what contributes to the increase in thefts and recommend solutions.

Last year an estimated 2,438 dogs were reported as stolen in the UK, according to research by Direct Line Pet Insurance.

Stealing a pet is already a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968, with offenders facing a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: Pets are much loved members of the family, and these reports will be distressing for all pet owners.

Pet owners shouldnt live in fear so weve set up this taskforce to thoroughly investigate the issue and ensure that we have the measures in place to stop these criminals in their tracks.

Mr Dixon told BirminghamLive: 'I left my house on Friday at around half 11 or quarter to 12 with my step-daughter to go and get my hair done.

'My girlfriend was already out on a driving lesson. The thief has waited for me to and broke both barrels of the door lock.

'There was a hole in the fence which we think the thief came through.

'He has broke the back door and taken the dogs and not taken anything else. We have laptops and Playstation 5 but they were left. He has literally just come for the dogs.'

Pictured: English bulldog Mercury and American Bully XL Nitrous

Mr Dixon continued: 'The way he has taken them is similar to how I leave the house with them. When I take them out I run with them to where there's a field. And that's how he did it.

'He has then come out of alleyway by our neighbour's house.

'Nitrous  our American Bully XL who is four-months-old is being carried and our English bull dog, Mercury, she's ran after him.

'They are different breeds but they are like brother and sister. They have literally been together 24/7 and only aren't when one of them has to go to the vets and the other doesn't. They are walked at the same time and fed at the same time and are very close.

'We think Mercury has seen her brother being carried down the road and followed him.'

The 21-year-old who works as a removals van driver said he believes they were '100 per cent' being watched before the break-in.

Footage shows the crook walking calmly through a car park at around midday with the animals, each worth thousands of pounds

He said: 'Why we know we have been sussed out is our house is up a little grove off Brandwood Park Road. It's such a close-knit community.

'He's taken the dogs and been able to go straight on the canal and be on another bit of town in a few minutes.

'Looking at the CCTV the thief appears to have avoided where the cameras when going to the house.'

Brooklynn returned home at 2pm and saw the dogs were gone with the back door and kitchen door open.

Mr Dixon said the family had been 'ripped apart'.

He said: 'Our daughter keeps asking us when the dogs are coming back. She's three.

'This has ripped apart our family unit.

'We have been everywhere doing our own investigating. We have had lots of different leads. We have barely been in our own house and been out to see if we can find the dogs.

'Dog thefts have gone up during the pandemic. It's scary that that's what people are trying to do.

'The emotional side of it. Destroying families.

'We have got security, a Ring doorbell but it has still happened.'

He added: 'I am struggling to sleep. It feels so targeted and so planned-out.

'It's an invasion of privacy. These are just scummy people. Just tramps.

'The reaction of my step-daughter. They have literally stolen from children and it feels like they have kidnapped out babies.'

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: 'We're investigating after two pedigree dogs were stolen from a house in Boatmans Reach, Kings Heath.

'It happened at around midday on Friday (14 May). An investigation is underway.

'We'd urge anyone with any information to contact us via live chat on our website or call us on 101. Please quote crime reference number 20/245106/21.'
Ministers have ordered prison guards to stop calling criminals 'clients' and 'residents', it was revealed today.

Politicians have stepped in after concern that the terms have become increasingly widely used instead of 'prisoners' in the justice system.

Prisons minister Alex Chalk has issued a message insisting staff must not 'pretend that these people are angels residing in a cell out of choice', according to The Times.

There have been growing complaints about the use of 'residents' in prison guidance in England and Wales.

In some instances they have been rebranded as supervised individuals, service users, or even clients.

Politicians have stepped in after concern that the terms have become increasingly widely used instead of 'prisoners' in the justice system (pictured, Belmarsh prison)

Jo Farrar, chief executive of the prison and probation service, is among those who have used the 'residents' language.

In a speech in March, she said: 'All prison governors will be given funding to spend on in-cell activities and extra technology to help our incredible staff support residents to maintain family ties and access support services.'

Guidance at HMP Wandsworth in southwest London says: 'Residents have phones in their rooms and are able to make outgoing calls.'

However, prison officers have voiced alarm at the language - which supporters claim can help rehabilitation.

One former officer told the Times: 'I have locked some people up in the worst accommodation you can imagine and actually if you called them a resident in that accommodation you'd be taking the mick. Why are we trying to pretend they're not in prison?'

A source close to the prisons minister said: 'This kind of language does nobody any favours.

'People in prison are there because they have committed serious crimes and need to be locked up to protect the public.

'We should be speaking plainly and not pretending that these people are angels residing in a cell out of choice.'

Andrea Albutt, president of the Prison Governors Association, backed the move.

'The word prisoner is inoffensive, it refers to everyone who's in prison - whether they are on remand and unconvicted or convicted,' she told the paper.

'We've had residents, we've had clients, we've had service users - all sorts. It muddies the water. Prisoner is simple, it's inoffensive and it refers to every single person who is in prison.'
A Conservative MP sparked a backlash after describing pro-Palestine demonstrators who clashed with police as 'primitives'.

Anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate called for the Conservative Party to suspend Michael Fabricant, accusing him of 'hateful racism that stirs up division'.

Largely peaceful demonstrations took place across the UK over the weekend in solidarity with the people of Palestine, as Israel and Hamas exchanged rocket fire in a deadly conflict.

The Tory MP for Lichfield shared a video of clashes with police outside the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday.

He tweeted: 'These primitives are trying to bring to London what they do in the Middle East.'

Tory MP Michael Fabricant faced criticism after describing pro-Palestine demonstrators who clashed with police as 'primitives'

Largely peaceful demonstrations took place across the UK over the weekend in solidarity with the people of Palestine, as Israel and Hamas exchanged rocket fire in a deadly conflict. Protesters are pictured in London on May 15

Mr Fabricant subsequently deleted the message after it drew criticism on social media.

Hope Not Hate said: 'The tense situation requires steady leadership from people who want to bring communities together, not hateful racism that stirs up division.

'The Conservatives must suspend Michael Fabricant for this disgraceful comment.'

Director of the British Future think tank Sunder Katwala tweeted: 'Anybody who realises that it is racist to hold British Jews responsible for Israeli policy should also be able recognise the racism here in Michael Fabricant's tweet.'

Mr Fabricant sought to justify the comments, saying that 'attacks on the British police as shown in the video are disgraceful'.

He told the PA news agency: 'It is primitive behaviour by people who preach anti-Semitism or racism of any kind, whether they be Jewish, Christian or Muslim.

'And the sort of anti-Semitism displayed by Hamas in the Middle East must not be repeated here in the UK.'

Mr Fabricant's remarks came as video from a separate demonstration in the capital appeared to show anti-Semitic abuse being shouted from a car on Sunday in footage that drew criticism from across the political spectrum, including from Boris Johnson.

'There is no place for antisemitism in our society,' the Prime Minister tweeted.

The Metropolitan Police said nine officers were injured as they attempted to disperse crowds outside the embassy on Saturday and 13 arrests were made.

The Conservative Party declined to comment.
Johnson and Johnson's single-shot coronavirus vaccine could be targeted at Britons living in Indian variant hotspots who have so far refused a jab, according to reports.

Health officials believe the one dose schedule could be more appealing to vaccine-hesitant Britons, who they fear are harder to convince to turn up for two appointments.

The shot could be deployed in areas where the new Indian strain is surging to prevent infections translating into hospital admissions and deaths, health sources told The Telegraph.

The J&J jab is currently under review by Britain's medical regulators and is tipped to be given the green light in the coming weeks.

One of the benefits of the vaccine is that it only takes three weeks following injection to achieve full protection.

The vaccines currently being rolled out in Britain require two doses, given three months apart.

Britain has ordered 30million doses of J&J's vaccine, but these are not expected to start arriving until mid-summer.

More than 36.5million Britons - or two in three adults - have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.

Johnson and Johnson's vaccine could be used to target Covid hotspots (stock)

Britain has ordered 30million doses of the Johnson and Johnson, or Janssen, vaccine

More than 36.5million Britons - or two in three adults - have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine

The source revealed to The Telegraph that ministers were considering focusing the 'one chance' jab in low uptake areas.

They said: 'It will be a really useful addition, it could help us to catch up in areas where we have seen vaccine hesitancy, especially in areas which have seen surges.'

Deliveries of the jab could also be used in the booster programme, which is set to begin this Autumn.

England's deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam suggested earlier this month the one dose vaccine could be instrumental to the roll-out.

'It will be authorised as a single dose schedule and that could potentially make it very important, rather than no vaccine, in populations that are hard to reach,' he said.

'Basically where you have one chance of vaccinating them and little chance of calling them back for a second.'

There are fears that vaccine hesitancy is behind the rapid spread of the Indian Covid variant.

In Bolton - where cases have more than doubled in a week - the majority of the 18 people hospitalised with the strain haven't had the jab but are eligible, Matt Hancock has claimed.

NHS figures show that vaccine uptake among all over-40s, which is at 83 per cent average across England, is below average in all but one (Sefton) of the Indian variant hotspot areas. Although experts do not think the at-risk older age groups are the ones driving outbreaks at the moment, it could be cause for concern if the virus spreads to them

Heat maps of where the Indian variant has become most common (left) and where vaccine uptake is lowest (right) show that the same areas are doing badly on both counts  the North West, the Midlands and London. These are the most urban and most populated parts of the country, which are known to be worse affected by outbreaks and have been throughout the pandemic

Indian variant is already behind one in FIVE Covid infections The Indian Covid variant now accounts for at least one in five infections in England and NHS figures show that five out of the six hotspots have vaccine uptake lower than the national average. Local outbreaks of the alarming new strain sprung up in Bolton, Blackburn, Sefton in Merseyside, Bedford, Nottingham and Leicester this month as Public Health England confirmed it has found 1,313 cases so far. At the most recent count the Sanger Institute in London, which is analysing the variants in positive tests, found the Indian variant now makes up 20 per cent of all cases, showing it is edging out the Kent variant, now at 78 per cent. The Sanger lab found 895 samples containing the Indian B1617.2 variant in those six areas between April 25 and May 8, not including people who had travelled into England from abroad. But only Sefton is keeping pace with the national vaccine rollout, having got at least one dose to 86 per cent of over-40s, while it the England average is 83 per cent. The five other areas are behind on the measure and Nottingham had reached only 74 per cent of eligible adults by May 9, with only 75 per cent in Leicester. All but Sefton are also below the national average on getting two doses to everyone over the age of 70 (90 per cent) and four out of the six are behind on the proportion of over-50s to have had both doses. Although figures suggest low vaccine rates aren't causing high rates  most cases are in young adults  they will raise concerns that outbreaks could quickly turn deadly if older people aren't protected. Eighteen people are reported to have been hospitalised with the variant in Bolton, with 'the majority' of them not fully vaccinated. Advertisement

And MailOnline's analysis of official data shows five out of the six hotspots for the variant have vaccine uptake lower than the national average.

Local outbreaks of the alarming new strain sprung up in Bolton, Blackburn, Sefton in Merseyside, Bedford, Nottingham and Leicester this month as Public Health England confirmed it has found 1,313 cases so far.

At the most recent count the Sanger Institute in London, which is analysing the variants in positive tests, found the Indian variant now makes up 20 per cent of all cases, showing it is edging out the Kent variant, now at 78 per cent.

The Sanger lab found 895 samples containing the Indian B1617.2 variant in those six areas between April 25 and May 8, not including people who had travelled into England from abroad.

But only Sefton is keeping pace with the national vaccine rollout, having got at least one dose to 86 per cent of over-40s, while it the England average is 83 per cent.

The five other areas are behind on the measure and Nottingham had reached only 74 per cent of eligible adults by May 9, with only 75 per cent in Leicester.

All but Sefton are also below the national average on getting two doses to everyone over the age of 70 (90 per cent) and four out of the six are behind on the proportion of over-50s to have had both doses.

Although figures suggest low vaccine rates aren't causing high rates  most cases are in young adults  they will raise concerns that outbreaks could quickly turn deadly if older people aren't protected. Eighteen people are reported to have been hospitalised with the variant in Bolton, with 'the majority' of them not fully vaccinated.

Bolton has taken the vaccine rollout into its own hands and is giving jabs to young adults in a bid to slow the spread of the variant, which scientists fear is more infectious than the Kent strain.

The MHRA, Britain's drug regulator, is expected to issue a decision this week on whether the J&J vaccine can be used in Britain and among which age groups.

It is unclear if the jab will be restricted in any age groups. In the US, it has been given the go-ahead for all Americans.

But J&J proactively delayed the roll-out of its jab in Europe over concerns of its link to blood clots.

The decision was taken after six rare blood clot cases were recorded out of 7million doses dished out - a risk of less than one in a million.

The condition in question, known as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT), is the development of a blood clot in a vein that carries blood away from the brain. Experts say it is occurring in combination with low levels of blood platelets.

Officials insist the disorder  the same as the one seen in AstraZeneca's vaccine  is extremely rare but seems to be happening slightly more often in young people who have been vaccinated.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), No10's expert vaccine advisory group, suggested the J&J vaccine could be restricted in younger Brits last month.

He added: [It] uses the same technology platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, albeit a different adenovirus vector.

'So although the most recent data about this rare adverse event in the US still has many uncertainties it clearly requires both the MHRA and JCVI to scrutinise any new data related to both vaccines as it emerges.

'The observation of cases of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia in those receiving the Jansen vaccine in the US will need to be carefully reviewed  depending on outcomes of any review there may be implications for the recommendation of the Janssen vaccine in the younger age groups in the UK where the risk from severe Covid is much less than in older age groups and in those with underlying illnesses.'

Both AstraZeneca and the J&J vaccines are viral vector types, which use a weakened version of a different virus to deliver instructions to human cells.

They tell the cells to produce a harmless piece of Covid, known as a spike protein, so the body can recognise it if the real virus infects them.
Britain's supermarket and chain store bosses are due to hold 'crunch talks' with the government to ditch mask wearing in stores, industry sources claim.

The retail giants have also pushed to have the one metre-plus social distancing rule scrapped as it reduces the number of shoppers able to enter stores at any one time.

Discussions have been organised 'in the coming days' between representatives of the nation's biggest supermarket chains and government officials, according to trade journal The Grocer.

While supermarkets do not expect an immediate scrapping of Covid regulations they hope to get a roadmap of how and when these measures could be scrapped admitting it would all depend on 'the science'.

Supermarkets are hosting 'crunch talks with government officials to ditch mask wearing inside shops and food stores, according to industry experts The Grocer reports

The retail giants have also pushed to have the one metre-plus social distancing rule scrapped as it reduces the number of shoppers able to enter stores at any one time. Pictured: A shopper wearing a mask in an East London supermarket

One industry source told The Grocer: 'The meeting will discuss the way forward with moving away from social distancing, including looking at what happens with the one metre-plus rule.

'The talks with the government are upcoming and will involve the operations bosses of both food and non-food retailers.'

Recent figures released by the British Retail Consortium show footfall in stores has fallen by up to 40 per cent since the start of the pandemic at a cost said to be 'in the billions'.

The Grocer's source added: 'This is by no means a straightforward decision for stores.

'They are very conscious that many customers will be wary about the removal of social distancing measures and have got used to having extra space.

'It could also become quite a competitive issue. Customers may prefer to shop in places where they believe the best safety measure are still in place.'

Morrisons CEO, David Potts, told The Grocer some measures such as Perspex screens were likely to remain in case of a third wave.

He said: 'The one thing retailers don't want is to roll back measures like screens and then to have to bring them back if there's another wave.

Supermarket bosses claim social distancing measures are limiting the number of customers allowed in store at any one time. Pictured: A Waitrose queue in Frimley, south west of London

Over the course of Covid restrctions this has often led to long queues outside supermarkets. Pictured: Shoppers queue using social distancing outside an Asda supermarket in Gateshead, north-east England

Ministers 'are split' over whether to keep lockdown beyond June 21 to protect 'idiot' vaccine refuseniks - amid fears local Tiers will have to return in England with Scotland ALREADY targeting areas Ministers are at loggerheads over whether to extend lockdown beyond June 21 to protect 'idiot' vaccine refuseniks from the Indian variant. Tensions are rising within government as the more transmissible strain threatens to derail the roadmap, which should see all legal restrictions lifted from next month. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng insisted this morning he is still 'confident' and 'fully expects' the schedule to be kept despite anxiety about surging cases in 'hotspots'. However, he warned against 'stigmatising' those who do not want to get jabs. Summing up the dilemma over June 21 one minister told Politico: 'The risk is that a small number of idiots ruin it for everyone else.' Meanwhile, there is swirling speculation that local curbs might needed in England to keep the wider easing on track - with Scotland already targeting restrictions on specific areas. Advertisement

'It is not just a case of slotting them back in, it would be a huge cost.'

Figures from last wee show footfall in UK retail destinations rose by +0.5% last week, ahead of the reopening of indoor hospitality today.

The figure is set to rise this week amid futher easing of Covid restrictions.

From today, people are allowed to enjoy a drink with friends inside pubs, bars and restaurants, while holidays also became legal again.

Theatres, cinemas and museums can also open their doors again this morning.

Today's easing of Covid curbs is the biggest since the latest lockdown began in January.

Hotels and B&Bs can reopen to take advantage of the lifting of the ban on overnight stays while cinemas, museums and soft play centres can reopen their doors. The 5,000 fines for taking a foreign holiday will be scrapped.

Economists believe that families could splash out more than 800million this week as they celebrate the chance to meet loved ones again for the first time in months.

But the one-metre (3ft) rule remains in place in public settings such as pubs, shops and restaurants. The government says people should also wear a face mask when walking around these places.

But it comes amid warning from top scientists over the spread of the Indian varient of the virus.

The Prime Minister urged families to adopt a 'heavy dose of caution' and a minister encouraged revellers to avoid 'excessive drinking' amid an eight per cent rise in infections in a week and concerns the total scrapping of restrictions on June 21 is under threat.

Despite the warnings, the retail sector hopes to see a major uplift in the number of shoppers after a year of tough restrictions on the High Street.

Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard said: 'With indoor hospitality opening today the return of shoppers to high streets couldn't come at a better time, suggesting we will see a further uplift in footfall as the opportunity to eat and drink inside protected from the elements will give shoppers an incentive to visit high streets more frequently and dwell longer.'
In a post on his website on Sunday, Donald Trump said the Republican Party was 'very strong'

Former President Donald Trump has claimed 'there is no way' Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election after a poll suggested the majority of GOP voters agree.

A CBS News poll published on Sunday showed that 67 per cent of self-described Republicans did not think that President Joe Biden was the legitimate winner of the election.

'Breaking News! New polling by CBS News on the state of the Republican Party (which is very strong!),' Trump wrote on his own website.

''President Trump has a strong hold on the GOP." 80% of Republicans agree with the removal of Liz Cheney from GOP Leadership and only 20% disagree.

'The poll also showed that 67% of Republicans said that they do not consider Sleepy Joe Biden to be the legitimate winner of the 2020 Presidential Election.

'I agree with them 100%, just look at the facts and the datathere is no way he won the 2020 Presidential Election!'

Former President Donald Trump has claimed 'there is no way' Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election after a poll suggested the majority of GOP voters agree [File photo]

Trump has made several false claims of electoral fraud in the November presidential election in which he lost out on a second term.

The claims - which include thousands of dead people voting - have been largely or entirely disproven and Biden's victory was finalized by Congress on January 7.

Despite this, many GOP voters continue to agree with Trump.

The CBS News survey was conducted by YouGov between May 12 and 14.

It spoke to 951 'self-identified Republicans (including Republicans and Republican-leaners)'.

The sample was weighted to be representative of Republicans in the previous national polls, according to several factors including gender, race and education.

Despite the strong support for Trump's claims, the poll showed that voters considered it most vital that GOP officials and candidates propose important legislation.

President Joe Biden's win in the November 2020 presidential election deprived Trump of a second term [File photo]

Seventy-three per cent of respondents considered that very important, compared to 37 per cent who said it was very important for officials and candidates to support claims of 2020 election fraud.

Support for election fraud claims also fell behind agreement on economic policy and agreement on culture and values in terms of importance to voters.

CBS News conducted the poll following the ouster on Wednesday of Congresswoman Liz Cheney from her leadership post.

The Wyoming lawmaker, who is the daughter of ex-US Vice-President Dick Cheney, had held the third-ranking post in the House of Representatives since 2019.

She was voted out over her criticism of Trump, which included repeatedly rubbishing his unfounded claims regarding the election.

Eighty per cent of respondents to the poll said they agreed with her removal, with 69 per cent saying they felt that she was not on-message with the party.

Rep. Liz Cheney said told Fox News on Sunday that the 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump for president were 'misled' and 'betrayed'

Cheney also accused House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Elise Stefanik of being complicit in Trump's lie that he won the 2020 election

Others gave their reasons as Cheney being wrong about the 2020 election or being unsupportive of Trump.

Those who opposed the lawmaker's removal - roughly a fifth of the party, based on the poll - said there was room in the party for different views.

On Sunday, Cheney claimed that the 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump for president were 'misled' and 'betrayed.'

She also accused House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the woman who replaced her as GOP Conference Chair, of being complicit in Trump's lie that he won the 2020 election.

Cheney, who voted for Trump in last year's contest, said she regrets that decision and argued the former president is a 'real danger' to democracy with his false claims of election fraud.

'Former President Trump continues to be a real danger. What he's doing and what he's saying, his claims, his refusal to accept decisions by the courts, his claims continued as recently as yesterday that somehow this election was stolen,' she said on Fox News Sunday.

She told Chris Wallace the Republicans who supported him were misled.

'Those millions of people that you mentioned who supported the president have been misled. They've been betrayed. And certainly as we see his continued action to attack our democracy, his continued refusal to accept the results of the last election, you see that ongoing danger,' Cheney said.
Plans for six family homes in North Wales have been blocked over fears they could be 'harmful' to the Welsh language.

Planning chiefs say the houses, worth up to 800,000 each and located in the seaside village of Morfa Nefyn, will likely be unaffordable for locals who speak their native tongue.

They are concerned that outsiders who do not speak Welsh could move in and harm the language.

Planning inspector Vicki Hirst explained that the impact of the homes on the Welsh language was one of the reasons for blocking it.

She said: 'I note the intention to provide Welsh names for the dwellings, the proposed local marketing strategy and the associated benefits to the local economy during the construction phase, but I do not find these to be sufficient to outweigh the potential harm to the Welsh language through the housing not being genuinely accessible to those in the local communities.'

Planning chiefs say the houses, located in the seaside village of Morfa Nefyn, will likely be unaffordable for locals who speak their native tongue

They are concerned that outsiders who do not speak Welsh could move in and harm the language

This has been given as one of the main reasons to block the plans, along with affordability and the effect on neighbours.

The development of three and four-bedroom houses was proposed in 2019, on the site of an old church.

The upmarket family homes would have a balcony, garage and open-plan kitchen and lounge.

The site is in the picturesque seaside village of Morfa Nefyn, not far from Mount Snowdon in North Wales.

However the local authority Gwynedd Council turned down due to a lack of affordability.

Ms Hirst added: 'I have insufficient information before me to conclude that the proposal would genuinely be accessible to meet the identified need for family homes in the area and would fail to make a contribution towards affordable housing.

'Equally, in the absence of information in relation to local wages and the likely market price of the houses I am unable to conclude that the proposal would be accessible to those within the local communities that speak Welsh.

Planning inspector Vicki Hirst explained that the impact of the homes on the Welsh language was one of the reasons for blocking it.

The development of three and four-bedroom houses was proposed in 2019, on the site of an old church

'In the absence of such information I am unable to reach a view that the impact of the proposal on the Welsh Language would not be harmful.

'Furthermore, as set out above the proposal does not provide for the delivery of affordable housing.

'Therefore, the potential for any contribution towards the Welsh language as a result of such housing cannot be taken into account.'

The developer, Commercial Development Projects Ltd, carried out a Welsh Language Statement which said the homes would have a neutral impact on Welsh.

A 2015 law requires public bodies - such as councils - to build resilient communities, culture and language.

The site is in the picturesque seaside village of Morfa Nefyn, not far from Mount Snowdon in North Wales. However the local authority Gwynedd Council turned down due to a lack of affordability

At the planning meeting, Councillor Gareth Jones said: 'Morfa Nefyn is a coastal village with too many holiday homes, and policy states that only affordable homes should be approved.

'This would undoubtedly harm the Welsh language by leading to even more incomers moving in.'

A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: 'A planning application for a residential development of six dwellings, access and associated works for St Mary's Church, Lon yr Eglwys, Morfa Nefyn was refused by the Gwynedd Council Planning Committee on 1 February for a number of reasons as outlined in the report.

'An appeal was lodged by the applicant, which has subsequently been refused by the Planning Inspectorate.'

It comes just two years after a planning application for 366 houses was rejected for the same reason.

Gwynedd Council first refused developer Morbaine's plan for the homes at Pen Y Ffridd in Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, in April 2016.

The upmarket family homes would have a balcony, garage and open-plan kitchen and lounge. Pictured: Plans for the houses

Campaigners argued the development would cut the number of Welsh speakers in the area by at least 10 per cent.

The Welsh Government wants to have a million speakers of the native tongue by 2050.

Currently around 30 per cent of the population speaks Welsh, with fairly steady growth over the last decade.

Language app Duolingo said Welsh was the UK's fastest growing language.
A drug sniffing police dog in Washington indicated narcotics were inside 100 percent of the vehicles it sniffed, but police found drugs in just 29 percent of them.

Karma, a K-9 with the since-dissolved Republic Police Department operating near Washington state's border with Canada, would give the signal to police officers that every vehicle he sniffed was carrying drugs.

The signal - Karma sitting down when his police handler pointed to a vehicle's rear panel with the palm of their hand - would be given regardless of whether the driver possessed illegal narcotics or not.

By doing so, Karma essentially gave officers probable cause to search and seize every vehicle he sniffed, undercutting constitutional guarantees of due process.

For the vehicle owners, this could prove costly, and on some occasions resulted in them spending nights in jail, despite being innocent.

Similar patterns have been found nationwide. A K-9 in Illinois alerted officers 93 percent of the time, but was wrong in more than 40 percent of cases. A drug detection dog in Florida gave false alerts 53 percent of the time.

Another dog, Brono in Virginia, incorrectly gave the indicator for the presence of drugs in 74 percent of vehicle sniffs.

A drug sniffing police dog in Washington state indicated narcotics were inside 100 percent of the vehicles it sniffed, even if nothing illegal was present. Pictured: Karma, the drug sniffing K-9 from the now-dissolved Republic Police Department

But despite the frequent errors made by drug sniffing dogs, courts typically treat certified narcotic dogs' signals as infallible. This allows law enforcement agencies to use them as permission to enter vehicles and search through people's belongings.

Some handlers even refer to their K-9 police dogs as 'probable cause on four legs,' according to CNN.

The Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm, demonstrated a financial motive for the practice in its 2020 report, titled Policing for Profit.

It shows that local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have collected more than $68.8 billion since 2000 through a process called civil forfeiture.

The money making scheme allows the government to seize and hold assets without a criminal conviction. The process often begins with a police search, which requires probable cause. A K-9 sniff often provides just that.

Clients of Institute for Justice all lost money because of the practice, and have had to fight to get it back after police dogs gave officers false alerts on their vehicles.

Karma, a K-9 with the since-dissolved Republic Police Department operating near Washington's border with Canada, would give the signal to police officers that every car he sniffed was carrying drugs

In one case involving Karma, real estate agent Wendy Farris of Great Falls, Montana had her vehicle seized after she took a break during a 1,300 mile round-trip for her grandson's birthday party after rescuing a friend from the streets in California.

Despite the long journey, Farris was determined to attend the party, but when she felt drowsy she parked in a safe place in Republic, where a Ferry County sheriff's deputy found her asleep behind the wheel.

The deputy ordered her to take a sobriety test, but Farris - who had no prior arrests and doesn't drink, and had not consumed any drugs or alcohol (which was later confirmed by a blood test) - was arrested under suspicion of driving while drunk.

The officer then called a K-9 unit, with the then-head of the police department Loren Culp bringing Karma, leading him on a leash twice around Farris' vehicle.

The dog gave the indication that there we drugs in the car, giving the deputy probable cause to impound the car, and Farris - knowing her car contained no alcohol, drugs, drug residue, paraphernalia, or weapons - was locked up.

Despite finding nothing other than $4,956 in cash in her car - which was also seized - officers held Farris over the weekend. She missed her grandson's birthday party, and was given a bill for hygiene supplies in the jail, before being eventually released.

Republic now no longer has a police department, let alone a K-9 team, but the case of Karma and others has brought into question whether sniffer dogs should provide probable cause for officers to compound vehicles. Pictured: Republic Police Department

Top 10: Police forfeiture revenue by state from 2000 to 2019 New York: $18,214.10 million Texas: $781.60 million Illinois: $676.10 million Arizona: $530.20 million California: $440.00 million Florida: $392.20 million Pennsylvania: $279.40 million Michigan: $252.20 million Massachusetts: $191.70 million New Jersey: $166.30 million Data from: Policing for Profit, the Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture Advertisement

In other cases, Karma got lucky, with officer finding narcotics in people's vehicles, but in others, officers had probable cause already but led the dog around the vehicles anyway, saying it proved his competence.

'Once again Karma's nose knows where the drugs are,' Culp wrote in a Facebook post following a November 2018 stop in which narcotics were found. Culp also reported on Facebook that Karma had 'zero misses' in 2018 and 2019.

But the real test of Karma's competence would have been to walk the K-9 around a car officers knew contained nothing, and 'zero misses' is an indicator of a problem.

'In training if a dog is perfect and never misses, and never is recorded to make a mistake, then there are a couple of problems,' law enforcement consultant Mary Cablk told CNN. 'Either the training is not rigorous or the recordkeeping is bad.'

According to experts, false alerts from sniffer dogs can have nothing to do with a dog's nose. Instead, it is likely they are giving the signal out of loyalty to their handlers.

'The tendency of producing signals even when they detect nothing comes from the desire to please the human handler,' Federico Rossano, who studies animal communication with humans at the University of California, San Diego, told CNN.

Now, Republic no longer has a police department, let alone a K-9 team, but the case of Karma and others has brought into question whether sniffer dogs should provide probable cause for officers to compound vehicles.

According to data from the Policing for Profit report, between 2000 and 2019, law enforcement agencies have collected more than $68.8 billion through civil forfeiture.

'Civil forfeiture allows police to seize property on the mere suspicion that it is involved in criminal activity. Prosecutors can then forfeit, or permanently keep, the property without ever charging its owner with a crime,' the report says.

Of the 44 states which shared their data with researchers, New York collected the most revenue through the practice by around 23 times that of second place Texas.

Pictured: A map showing forfeiture revenue by state, and Federal agencies on the right New York raked in more than a staggering $18.2 billion in forfeiture revenue. By contrast, Texas collected $781.60 million. Of the top ten states, New Jersey was the lowest with $166.3 million

Pictured: A map showing states sized based on their 2018 forfeiture revenue per 100 people

New York raked in more than a staggering $18.2 billion in forfeiture revenue. By contrast, Texas collected $781.60 million. Of the top ten states, New Jersey was the lowest with $166.3 million.

At a federal level, the report states that the Department of Justice made $30.8 billion in revenue, while the Department of the Treasury brought in $14.9 billion.

The report says that through the revenue brought in by civil forfeiture, police spending is more difficult to control through oversight.

Pictured: A graphic showing the median currency forfeitures by sate, with the conservative estimated for the attorney costs higher than the median amount forfeited

Pictured: A graphic showing states ranked by the protection they offer from civil forfeiture

'Forfeiture also poses a separation of powers concern. In allowing agencies to self-fund outside the normal appropriations process and with little oversight, it undermines legislatures power of the purse and invites questionable expenditures, such as $70,000 for a muscle car in Georgia, 11 $250,000 for lavish travel and meals in New York, 12 and $300,000 for an armored vehicle in Iowa,' the report states.

The report also says that data suggests that due to civil forfeiture amounts being relatively low, forfeiture often does not target big-time criminals, and that it often makes very little financial sense for property owners to hire legal help for their case.

The cost of hiring an attorney is often greater than the value of the property that has been forfeited, leading to many to abandon their property as a lost cause.
The twisted partner of the Babes in the Wood killer, whose lies derailed his first trial, was savaged by his victims' families today as she was found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Mother-of-four Jennifer Johnson, 55, lied at Russell Bishop's first trial in 1987, leading to him walking free after murdering nine-year-old friends Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway in Brighton.

Johnson stunned police in the dock after suddenly claiming a blue jumper that linked him to the crimescene and killings was not his. She had previously told investigators it had been his garment.

That 1987 acquittal saw him go on to kidnap, sexually assault and try and kill another girl at Devils Dyke on the South Downs three years later, which did see him subsequently jailed.

But it was only in 2018, after double jeopardy laws were changed, that he was finally brought to justice for sexually assaulting and strangling to death Nicola and Karen after the same jumper was forensically linked to him.

Today Johnson's lies saw her finally brought to book after 34 years of agony for Bishop's victims.

Michelle Johnson, the mother of Karen who is not related to the defendant, said : 'Jennifer Johnson lied on oath at the very court where she had just been convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice. Her wicked lies about a crucial piece of evidence subsequently helped her boyfriend, the murdering, psychopathic paedophile escape justice for the double murder of two innocent little girls, my beautiful Karen and her friend, Nicky.'

She said that after the acquittal Bishop and Johnson, who had signed a 15,000 deal with a Sunday newspaper, spent two days eating fine food and drinking champagne all paid for by the paper.

'Not only had we lost our daughter but the evil monster who had done it walked free. The evil lies this woman told had very serious consequences because three years later, on the anniversary of Karen and Nicola's funeral that evil man struck again. This time it was a seven year old little girl who was attacked,' she added.

She said Johnson was a 'pathological liar' who could have prevented the 1990 attack if she hadn't told her lies 'But she was besotted with Bishop.'

Lorna Heffron said: 'Jennifer Johnson perverted the course of justice for our beautiful girls Nicola and Karen, as well as for the seven year old little girl who suffered immensely in the wake of Bishop's wrongful acquittals.

'The wheels of justice and they turn incredibly slowly. Justice has finally been served on someone who thought she was untouchable.'

She said: 'Johnson was infatuated with her lover, the paedophile, double child murderer Russell. She helped him walk free in 1987 with her lies under oath. Had she not lied, Bishop may have been found guilty. He may not have been free to attack again, which of course he did less than three years after he had been acquitted.'

Johnson had admitted lying, but had pleaded not guilty to perjury and perverting the course of justice, on the basis that she was acting under duress.

But the jury at Lewes Crown Court decided she was lying again and had been 'part of Team Bishop', desperate to get him cleared of murder.

Love letters sent from Johnson to him during the Devils Dyke case and shown to these jurors, had laid bare the lengths she would go to for him.

They trilled: 'I'm not going to leave you so don't worry because I won't. cos I love you very much and I will write every day because you're special to me and you mean all the world too.

'Don't get worried when I'm not up with your mum as I can't get a babysitter all the time but I'm still thinking of you love.

'Can we get married quite soon and I will book the church OK? It is wonderful that you want to marry me. It's not prison talk is it love? I haven't got a lot to say so bye for now.'

Jennifer Johnson, Russell Bishop's girlfriend, pictured leaving Brighton Magistrates Court on left and after the first trial on the right

The letter from Johnson to Bishop showed she only cared for him, not his victims

Bishop (right) murdered Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway, both nine, in Wild Park, Brighton in 1986 but was freed a year later after Johnson (left) lied for him

The letter includes pictures of hearts with arrows through it and the phrases 'true love' and 'I love you'.

Outside court Lorna Heffron, Nicola's cousin, branded Bishop 'an evil paedophile' whose actions had 'devastated and destroyed' two families.

She said he was only freed due to a huge miscarriage of justice in which Johnson played a key part.

Miss Heffron said: 'She helped blur the lines. She blatantly perverted the course of justice for Nicky and Karen.

'She had plenty of opportunity to tell the truth back then and in past three decades. She lied at every opportunity.'

Nicola Fellows and her friend Karen Hadaway, both aged nine, were found murdered in Brighton's Wild Park in 1986

Pictured: A blue Pinto sweatshirt, allegedly worn by Bishop and said to contain vital DNA evidence, which was found beside a path behind Moulsecoomb railway station

The lies and blunders that let killer go free Bishop's first trial in 1987 saw a series of blunders which led to his acquittal. Bishop's sweatshirt, which was central to the case, was initially treated as lost property.

It was put in a brown paper bag as 'no one thought it was important' during the search for the girls.

Forensic science only allowed experts to say the jumper and the girls 'could' have been in contact with each other.

Human hairs and fibres found on Nicola's body were not tested.

The 'Pinto' jumper was widely available in shops across the country, so may not have been Bishops.

Bishop's partner Jennifer Johnson initially identified the jumper as his, but then denied it when she took the witness stand. Advertisement

She said her demeanour at the 1987 was 'smug and self-assured'.

'She must pay her price in the part she played in the miscarriage of justice. Her devious lies have impacted on us all. The past has caught up with someone who hid in plain sight believing she was untouchable.'

New DNA techniques linked the killer to the double murders through a blue sweatshirt.

The top, discarded along Bishop's route home, contained crucial evidence which linked it to Bishop, the two girls and Johnson.

Johnson's trial had heard her deny perjury and perverting the course of justice because she was terrified into lying by the killer and his family.

But prosecutor Alison Morgan QC told jurors that Johnson was 'part of Team Bishop, not a victim of it', and added: 'Nobody has a gun to her head.'

The lies meant the families of Nicola and Karen were denied justice for more than 30 years.

Karen's parents Michelle and Lee Hadaway moved to Surrey and divorced six years later, blaming the tragedy.

Lee moved back in Brighton where he was homeless and addicted to tranquillisers.

He died from a heart attack in 1998 without seeing Bishop convicted of killing his daughter.

Nicola's dad Barrie Fellows was dogged for years by entirely false claims by Johnson and Bishop implicating him in the murder of his own daughter.

Russell Bishop, pictured after his initial arrest for the 1986 Babes in the Wood murders

The girls were found dead in this 'den' in undergrowth in Wild Park, Brighton after he struck

The long road to justice October 10, 1986 - Victims found in woods in Wild Park, Brighton. December 3, 1986 - Bishop charged with the murders. December 10, 1987 - After a four week trial, Bishop is acquitted of both murders and released. February 4, 1990 - Bishop arrested for kidnap, indecent assault and attempted murder of a seven-year-old girl at Devil's Dyke, East Sussex. January 19, 1991 - Bishop convicted of kidnap, indecent assault and attempted murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years. July 2002 - Babes in the Wood case subject to review and DNA profiling, but was not a success. April 2005 - Double jeopardy laws - on people being able to be tried twice for same offence twice - are changed. January 2006 - Forensic tests link Bishop and the Pinto sweatshirt. Autumn 2006 - Families of both victims informed there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a fresh case against Bishop. 2011-2012 - Cold case review of the murders. November 3, 2013 - Full reinvestigation of forensics. May 10, 2016 - Russell Bishop rearrested. December 2017 - His acquittal was quashed. December 2018 - He is finally convicted of the murders. Advertisement

His brother Kevin spent 18 months conducting his own investigation into the blue sweatshirt before he died of cancer without seeing justice for Nicola.

The seven-year-old girl Bishop attacked after he was acquitted was snatched off the street, thrown in a car boot.

Bishop drove her to Devil's Dyke where he left her for dead.

She was spotted on the roadside, naked, freezing and terrified.

The girl was able to identify Bishop and he was jailed for life.

During the perjury trial Johnson was exposed for making a decision to lie 'deliberately and prolifically' to help Bishop.

The prosecutor added: 'In telling those lies, the prosecution alleges that she intended to pervert the course of justice. She lied because she was seeking to assist and protect her former partner.

'By lying in the way that she did she wanted to help Russell Bishop to be acquitted of the offences of murder.'

'Her evidence attributing the sweatshirt to Bishop fell away. The case against Bishop was significantly undermined as a result.

'Bishop was acquitted of those offences at the trial which took place between November and December 1987. He was then released from custody and returned to live with the defendant and their children.'

Miss Morgan said: 'Three years later in 1990, at a time when he was still living with the defendant, Russell Bishop kidnapped, sexually assaulted and tried to kill another young girl.

'He left that girl in woodland, believing her to be dead. Miraculously, the girl survived.

'There was another trial.

'The defendant continued to maintain her support for Russell Bishop.

'This time, however, Russell Bishop was convicted of the offences of attempted murder and sexual assault and he was sentenced to a life sentence.'

She said it was clear Johnson, who then worked as a cleaner at the American Express offices in Brighton, was in a 'violent, volatile and coercive' relationship with Bishop.

But she added: 'It will be suggested on behalf of the defendant that she was forced to give false evidence by Russell Bishop and his family.

'She will say that she had 'no choice'.

'She will say that she was young and the victim of domestic abuse and coercive control. She will say that at the time when she told the lies she did, she was acting under duress.'

But Miss Morgan said Johnson, who was pregnant at the time and also had a young son with Bishop, also showed signs of being an independent and assertive woman herself.

During the murder investigation, she told police she had a normal relationship with Russell and been 'happy' until he started a relationship with 16-year-old Marion Stevenson.

Miss Morgan said a person is only entitled to claim that they are acting under duress if there is no reasonable evasive action that they could have taken.

She told the jury the defence of duress was only applicable if the defendant felt seriously threatened.

Miss Morgan said: 'For someone to be acting under duress they must reasonably believe that if they do not do something, serious violence will be used against them, or someone close to them, immediately or almost immediately.'

Miss Morgan said Johnson had ample opportunities to tell the truth about the ownership of the sweatshirt.

She said: 'Was she someone who was so terrified of Russell Bishop and his family that she simply had no choice but to lie on oath?

'Was there anything stopping her from telling the judge or the police officers or anyone else present in the courtroom that she was under that type of threat.'
Indias devastating second coronavirus wave and its ban on exporting vaccines has left the Covax scheme for other nations facing a shortfall of 140 million doses.

India is the largest manufacturer for the program, which distributes free vaccines to developing countries, but the country stopped exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March in order to vaccinate its own population amid a surge in cases.

For three months, the Serum Institute of India has not shipped the vaccine for Covax, leaving a 140 million dose shortfall - and that number is expected to rise to 190 million by the end of June.

A devastating surge of coronavirus in India has seen nearly 25 million people infected and a staggering 274,390 deaths. The second wave had meant the country is now focusing its vaccine efforts at home.

Indias devastating second coronavirus wave and its ban on exporting vaccines has left the Covax scheme for other nations facing a shortfall of 140 million doses

India is the largest manufacturer for the program, which distributes free vaccines to developing countries, but the country stopped exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March in order to vaccinate its own population amid a surge in cases and deaths. Pictured: Damily members carry the body of a Covid victim for cremation in New Delhi, India on May 11

It comes as India registered another 4,077 deaths on Sunday, taking the total fatalities to a devastating 270,294

Even though India is the world's largest vaccine-producing nation, it has fully vaccinated only 2.9 per cent of its population of 1.35 billion, or just over 40.4 million people, health ministry data shows

The Covax scheme will deliver its 65 millionth dose this week, but it should have been at least its 170 millionth, according to UNICEF, which is in charge of supplying Covid vaccines through the program.

Ahead of the G7 Summit in Cornwall next month, the head of UNICEF today called for the countries to donate 20 per cent of their own domestic vaccine supplies to address the severe shortfall caused by the disruption to Indian vaccine exports.

'Among the global consequences of the situation in India, a global hub for vaccine production, is a severe reduction in vaccines available to Covax,' said UNICEF Director Henrietta Fore.

'Soaring domestic demand has meant that 140 million doses intended for distribution to low- and middle-income countries through the end of May cannot be accessed by COVAX.

'Another 50 million doses are likely to be missed in June. This, added to vaccine nationalism, limited production capacity and lack of funding, is why the roll-out of COVID vaccines is so behind schedule.'

The Covax scheme will deliver its 65 millionth dose this week, but it should have been at least its 170 millionth, according to UNICEF, which is in charge of supplying Covid vaccines through the program

What is Covax? The UN COVAX initiative was developed with the aim of first vaccinating 20 per cent of the population in the 92 poorer countries that signed up. The 92 low and middle-income countries are receiving the doses for free through the scheme, which aims to ensure wider access to vaccines around the world. The initial aim is to have 2 billion doses available by the end of 2021, which should be enough to protect high risk and vulnerable people, as well as frontline healthcare workers. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO. Advertisement

At a virtual briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on manufacturers to make doses available to Covax earlier than planned due to the supply shortfall left by Indian export disruptions.

'While we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca who have been steadily increasing the speed and volume of their deliveries, we need other manufacturers to follow suit,' Mr Ghebreyesus said, mentioning Pfizer and Moderna specifically.

It comes as India's health ministry on Monday reported 281,386 coronavirus cases, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21.

But daily deaths remained about 4,000 and experts warned that the count was unreliable due to a lack of testing in rural areas, where the virus is spreading fast.

COVAX, run jointly by the WHO and the GAVI vaccine alliance, relies heavily on the AstraZeneca shot, which accounts for the bulk of the vaccines earmarked for early rollout as it seeks to provide 2 billion doses this year.

She said that G7 nations and the European Union can afford to donate 153 million vaccines to countries in need without compromising their own goals.

They could close the world's vaccine gap by sharing just 20 percent of their June, July and August stocks with the Covax jab scheme for poorer nations, a study by British firm Airfinity showed.

'While some G7 members have greater supply than others, and some have further advanced domestic rollouts, an immediate collective commitment to pool excess supply and share the burden of responsibility could buttress vulnerable countries against becoming the next global hotspot,' Fore said.

'Sharing immediately available excess doses is a minimum, essential and emergency stop-gap measure, and it is needed right now.'

India's health ministry on Monday reported 281,386 coronavirus cases, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21

The COVAX shipment to Ghana in February marked the start of what will be the world's largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history

The UK government has ordered enough doses to fully vaccinate its population three times over and it says it will share doses but hasn't said when.

Meanwhile the US has 60 million AstraZeneca doses it could share, while France has pledged 500,000 doses and Sweden 1 million, with Switzerland considering a similar donation.

The UK is due to host its fellow G7 member states Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US for a summit in June.

Some 44 per cent of the 1.4 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines so far injected around the world have been administered in high-income countries accounting for 16 percent of the global population.

Just 0.3 percent have been administered in the 29 lowest-income countries, home to nine percent of the world's population.

The yawning gap spurred WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to ask vaccine-wealthy nations last Friday to refrain from giving jabs to children and adolescents and instead donate those doses to Covax.

The urgency stems from more than mere fairness: wherever the virus continues to circulate it could give rise to more contagious or more deadly variants that could wipe out any progress toward immunity.

Even though India is the world's largest vaccine-producing nation, it has fully vaccinated only 2.9 per cent of its population of 1.35 billion, or just over 40.4 million people, health ministry data shows.

But the average vaccination rate over seven days fell to 1.7 million, from 1.8 million a week ago (pictured, people queue for jabs in Mumbai)

India's supply of vaccine doses should rise to 516 million doses by July, and more than 2 billion between August to December, boosted by domestic production and imports, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a statement.

Vaccines were resulting in milder infections and preventing loss of life, states told Vardhan on Saturday, according to the statement.

But the average vaccination rate over seven days fell to 1.7 million, from 1.8 million a week ago, after Maharashtra, the richest state, and Karnataka in the south put vaccinations on hold for adults younger than 45.

India could protect itself from future waves of the pandemic by vaccinating 510 million people, or more than 40 per cent of its population, over the next few months, surgeon Devi Shetty told news channel India Today in an interview.

'There is no other solution and that is the cheapest solution,' he added. 'It is the best solution we have to save millions of lives.'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened vaccinations for all adults from May 1, doubling the number of those eligible to an estimated 800 million, though domestic production will stay largely flat, at about 80 million doses a month, until July.

Authorities in Modi's western home state of Gujarat said they would halt vaccinations on Monday and Tuesday to take protective measures against a cyclone expected to hit its coast next week.

A second batch of the Sputnik V vaccine imported from Russia arrived in the southern technology hub of Hyderabad on Sunday.
An allegedly drunk driver has narrowly avoided crashing head-on with a police car after veering into the opposite lane following a 'fun' night out.

The Mercedes-Benz driver veered around a sharp bend on Bradman Avenue in Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast, before swerving into the opposite lane on Friday around 8pm.

Officers stopped the driver further along the road and the motorist allegedly blew four times more than the legal limit.

Mercedes-Benz driver veered around bend in Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast, on Monday

The allegedly drunk driver has narrowly avoided crashing head-on with a police car after turning corner in Queensland

Bodycam footage showed the police officers approach the vehicle and question the driver.

'Having fun? You almost had a head-on (collision) with me, mate,' the officer said.

The officer asked the driver if he had been drinking after he noticed something unusual missing from the vehicle.

'Mate, have you had an accident today  because you've got tyre chunks out of your rims?' He asked.

Bodycam footage showed the police officers approach the vehicle and question the driver who allegedly blew four times more than the legal limit

'You like driving your car and you like driving fast?'

The 56-year-old driver was taken to Maroochydore station and allegedly returned a breath alcohol concentration of 0.205.

The man was charged with dangerous driving and driving under the influence and was due to appear in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on May 31.
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A former plumber turned urban explorer stumbled across an abandoned cannabis farm in a disused nightclub full of 300 rotten plants.

Colin Smith, 36, from Hampshire, was driving home from Wales when he decided to drop into an abandoned nightclub in Gloucester.

Mr Smith, known on YouTube as The Bearded Explorer, found dozens of empty plant pots, once used to grow drugs, left scattered across the nightclub's floor.

He also saw a huge mound of dried-up cannabis left abandoned after the nightclub was raided by police.

A former plumber turned urban explorer was left astounded after stumbling across an abandoned cannabis farm 'worth hundreds of thousands' in a disused nightclub full of 300 rotten drug plants

Colin Smith, 36, from Hampshire, was driving home from Wales when he decided to drop into an abandoned nightclub in Gloucester

Mr Smith (pictured), known on YouTube as The Bearded Explorer, found dozens of empty plant pots, once used to grow drugs, left scattered across the nightclub's floor

A game wheel deciding who should drink next was uncovered in a back room

On entering the building through one of the many wide-open doors, Mr Smith discovered promotional flyers to bygone events, drink and food menus, and a kitchen full of cutlery and glasses

Pictured: The exterior of the former nightclub which is about to be bulldozed

On entering the building through one of the many wide-open doors, Mr Smith discovered promotional flyers to bygone events, drink and food menus, and a kitchen full of cutlery and glasses.

Exploring the two main dance floors and the upper floor of the nightclub, the explorer also found three locked safes, empty money bags and a cloakroom.

Once he ventured into the basement, Mr Smith was shocked to find the remnants of a cannabis farm, complete with broken strip lighting and over 300 rotten cannabis plants.

There was also a bed and clothes which were presumably left behind by those operating the drug factory.

'I was on my way back from another exploration in Wales and I had been told about this place in Gloucestershire, so I pinned it on my map and drove to it,' Mr Smith said.

He also saw a huge mound of dried-up cannabis left abandoned after the nightclub was raided by police

No smoking signs were left in the club which shut its doors in 2009

Promotional fliers are left pinned to the walls in the abandoned nightclub

A spooky hallway from inside the club which has been abandoned since it closed its doors in 2009

Exploring the two main dance floors and the upper floor of the nightclub, the explorer also found three locked safes, empty money bags and a cloakroom

'The doors were all open, so I literally just walked in. There was still loads of memorabilia including restaurant menus, promotion flyers, drinks and all of the standard stuff you would expect to find.

'I saw lots of strip lighting left dumped in one of the upstairs rooms and thought 'that's a little bit strange, why are these in here?'

'It wasn't until I went downstairs to the ground floor and opened the door to a huge back room when I came across the huge haul of old cannabis plants.

'The guys that were doing it were obviously living on site because they had a bed area and their clothes were all still hanging up.

Cannabis leaves remain scattered across the floor of the basement

Mr Smith said: 'The doors were all open, so I literally just walked in. There was still loads of memorabilia including restaurant menus, promotion flyers, drinks and all of the standard stuff you would expect to find'

Medical supplies and money bags were left in the property

The former nightclub in Gloucester was originally closed in 2009. The police raid in 2019, put an end to the drug operation housed there and the site is now set to be bulldozed to make way for student accommodation

Cannabis it is classified as a Class B drug with those in possession facing up to five years in prison and those producing the drug facing up to 14 years in jail

'The amazing thing is that it was just across the road from a police station. Whoever was growing it there certainly had some nerve.

'From my research, I believe the nightclub was raided by the police in 2019.

'But everything that was in there the police left behind which was really weird. Usually I would expect the police to take everything as evidence.

'When it was fully functional, I expect the haul could have been worth hundreds of thousands.'

The former nightclub in Gloucester was originally closed in 2009. The police raid in 2019, put an end to the drug operation housed there and the site is now set to be bulldozed to make way for student accommodation.

Cannabis it is classified as a Class B drug with those in possession facing up to five years in prison and those producing the drug facing up to 14 years in jail.
A mother-of-three who lured a 28-year-old man to the secluded western Sydney car park where he was fatally assaulted has avoided full-time imprisonment despite her 'crucial role' in the attack.

Loubna Kawtharani, now 28, pleaded guilty earlier this year to being an accessory before the fact of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Kawtharani admitted posing as a buyer on Facebook marketplace in early 2020 for Apple earphones that Ross Houllis was seeking to sell.

The pair arranged to meet at a Wakeley car park on the evening of February 14, 2020 to complete the purchase.

However, police allege Mr Houllis was instead encountered at the car park by Sami Hamdach, Kawtharani's partner, and Abdul Karaali.

Loubna Kawtharani, now 28, (pictured) was handed a two-year Intensive Corrections Order after pleading guilty to being an accessory before the fact of assault occasioning actual bodily harm

The pair are accused of demanding money and severely beating Mr Houllis, leaving him with catastrophic injuries to the brain and lungs which ultimately caused his death.

They purportedly took this action because Mr Houllis previously sold Hamdach a pair of fake Apple AirPods for $150.

Hamdach and Karaali remain before the courts.

Defence lawyer David Carroll told Kawtharani's sentencing hearing at Campbelltown Local Court on Monday that his client was not present when the fatal assault occurred and was not legally responsible for Mr Houllis' death.

But she acknowledged her moral culpability and apologised to his family.

'She certainly does accept the heavy burden of being responsible morally for what followed,' Mr Carroll said.

'She carries the deep regret and shame and sorrow every day of her life.'

Mr Carroll also outlined Kawtharani's extensive community work and sole caregiving role for her three children.

He said there was a difference in Kawtharani's case 'between the criminality and gravity of consequences' wrought by the fatal assault.

But magistrate George Breton said Kawtharani knew her partner well enough to understand his alleged confrontation with Mr Houllis may turn violent.

Ross Houllis, 28, (pictured) was allegedly fatally assaulted by two men in February last year

He said Mr Houllis' violent death - over a dispute based on $150 earphones - was tragic, and Kawtharani had ample time to change course between her initial contact with Mr Houllis and his fatal assault.

He said she 'started the events that led to his death'.

Additionally, she told Hamdach in a text message before the alleged attack to conceal his number plates, indicating she understood criminal activity may occur.

'You agree you foresaw the possibility of that kind of injury,' Mr Breton said.

'Ultimately your role was absolutely crucial ... it simply would not have happened without you.'

Mr Breton handed Kawtharani a two-year Intensive Corrections Order and said she was obliged to continue her treatment for depression and anxiety.
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In 1897, Britain's first production car was made in Coventry by Daimler.

Less than 20 years later in 1913, 12,000 workers employed by 20 different manufacturers were turning out more than 9,000 vehicles a year.

As well as Daimler, other famous names including Standard Triumph, Alvis, Rootes, Hillman, Morris and Jaguar were all based in the city.

Now, a new BBC documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of the West Midlands car manufacturing hub.

Classic British Cars: Made in Coventry, which airs this evening, hears from the relatives of the man who led Hillman to mega sales before revitalising the Standard Motor Company.

The programme also tells how iconic manufacturer Jaguar rose to produce the much-loved E-type after its founder Sir William Lyons moved the firm to Coventry.

Footage from the documentary shows one of only four existing 1897 Daimlers being driven by its owner Michael Flaver.

The show also touches on the demise of Coventry's car industry amid stiff competition from the US and Europe and the ill-fated decision to merge some of the cities biggest names to form British Leyland, which collapsed in 1975 before being rescued by the state.

Many of the cars produced by the conglomerate were famed for their poor build quality and unreliability; with the Austin Maestro being particularly lambasted.

A new BBC documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of Coventry as a hub of British car manufacturing. Pictured: The Standard car works at Coventry, seen in 1953

Before cars were invented in the late 19th century, Coventry was one of the main centres of British watch and clock manufacturing.

After that declined due to powerful competition from Swiss producers, the city's skilled pool of workers turned their hands to bicycle production.

They were first made in the city in 1869. By 1900 there were 75 different cycle companies in the city.

Daimler began its car production in and old cotton factory in 1897.

Mr Flaver still regularly drives his Daimler, which was made in Daimler's first year.

He says in the new documentary: 'My father bought it in 1951, and it was a car that was saved by the veteran car club from being crushed and used for ammunition or something during the war effort.'

The car enthusiast said 'everybody', from old ladies to small children, waves when they see the car.

'Because we're going so slowly you can do high-fives at the side of the road to people,' he added.

'What it does, it brings a smile to peoples' face, which in this day and age is wonderful isn't it?'

One man whose story features prominently in the show is that of John Black, a First World War veteran who transformed both Hillman and what was then the Standard Motor Company.

Black introduced a production line at Standard. Within a decade, output shot up from 8,000 cars to 55,000 vehicles a year.

Along with its rival Rootes, Standard ended up producing 10 per cent of Britain's cars.

Later, in 1945, Black bought another rival, Triumph, with the aim of competing with William Lyons' Jaguar.

In 1953, the firm's Coventry-made Standard 8 was released. Available at a cost of just 500, it was Britain's cheapest car.

Footage from Classic British Cars: Made in Coventry, which airs this evening, shows one of only four existing 1897 Daimlers being driven by its owner Michael Flaver

The show also touches on the demise of Coventry's car industry amid stiff competition from the US and Europe and the ill-fated decision to merge some of the cities biggest names to form British Leyland. Pictured: Work resumes after ten weeks of strike action at the British Leyland Jaguar plant in Coventry, West Midland, England, on September 6, 1972

Workers assemble chassis in Armstrong Siddeley Motors Factory in Coventry in 1930. In 1913, 12,000 workers employed by 20 different manufacturers were turning out more than 9,000 vehicles a year in Coventry

Iconic British brand Rover was also based in Coventry. Workers are seen manufacturing car parts at the Rover Motor Factory in 1930

Early motor cars were produced on a small scale, with all parts fitted by hand, until the advent in 1909 of Henry Ford's assembly line for producing the Model T Ford in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Pictured: A car factory in Coventry's Bishop's Green in 1907

The Triumph Mayflower assembly line at Canley in Coventry is seen above in 1951. The fortunes of Standard Triumph had been transformed by John Black

Black was also in charge when the Triumph TR2 was released. In 1953, it achieved a top speed of 125mph, making it the world's fastest two-litre production car.

Black, a heavy drinker, was forced by the directors of his firm to resign in the late 1950s after he made a series of questionable decisions.

Lyons founded Jaguar in Blackpool in the 1920s. It was then known as the Swallow Side Car Company.

When Lyons moved the firm to Coventry so it could expand, it was first named SS Cars before being re-named Jaguar, after its 1934 model of the same name.

In 1948, the firm released the Jaguar XK120, which went on to become the world's first production car.

It was also a huge commercial success and helped to cement the firm as a British manufacturing icon.

Jaguar's E-type, which was released in 1961, was based on the manufacturer's D-type racing car, which competed at Le Mans.

With a 3.8litre engine and stunning curved bodywork, the car was capable of speeds close to 150mph.

At the time, it cost just 2,000  half the price of close competitor Aston Martin's effort. They continue to be highly sought after, with models selling for 300,000 and beyond.

The programme also tells how iconic manufacturer Jaguar rose to produce the much-loved E-type after its founder Sir William Lyons (pictured above with the Jaguar E-type in 1961) moved the firm to Coventry

Hillman was one of Coventry's key car manufacturers. Rally driver Rosemary Smith is seen above standing on her Hillman Imp in Coventry

A line of almost completed Standard Eight cars at the Standard factory in Coventry. Along with its rival Rootes, Standard ended up producing 10 per cent of Britain's cars

One man whose story features prominently in the show is that of John Black (pictured above with his wife Lady Alicia Black), a First World War veteran who transformed both Hillman and what was then the Standard Motor Company

However, Coventry's car manufacturing industry began to decline in 1974 when stiff competition came from both the US and Europe.

Between 1975 and 1982, the city's top 15 employers had axed almost half their combined labour force.

By the end of the period, this translated to 520 jobs a month. By the mid-1980s, there were only two surviving plants  at Browns Lane and Ryton  producing Jaguar, Daimler and Peugeot cars.

Unemployment had by then risen to 17 per cent in the city.

Today, the only remaining car production in Coventry of any note is of London's black cabs, which are made by the Chinese-owned London Taxi Company.

Jaguar closed its plant at Browns Lane in 2005.

Part of the reason for the demise of Coventry as a car manufacturing hub was the ill-fated formation of the enormous conglomerate British Leyland in 1968. Cars produced in this era, such as the Austin Maestro (above) were famed for their poor build quality and unreliability

Part of the reason for the demise was the ill-fated formation of the enormous conglomerate British Leyland in 1968.

It included Triumph, Morris, Austin, Jaguar and Rover  all names which had been a beacon of Coventry's motoring success.

The firm collapsed in 1975, leading to it being partly nationalised.

But the firm was beset by repeated strikes and the cars produced in this era  the likes of the Austin Maestro  were famed for their poor build quality and unreliability.
'If the freedom of speech is taken away,' said America's first president George Washington, 'then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.'

His view was shared by Thomas Jefferson, a fellow Founding Father and America's third president, who declared: 'Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.'

These two men helped create the initial United States Constitution and subsequent Bill of Rights that included the First Amendment which was specifically designed to protect the very freedoms they were referring to.

That Amendment states: 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.'

They are arguably the most important words in the entire Constitution and have afforded Americans, and American journalists, the most powerful protection for their rights to freedom of speech and expression of any country in the world.

The First Amendment is one of the things I most admire about the United States, especially coming from a country like Britain where free speech for journalists like me is now heavily regulated.

Prince Harry has just declared the First Amendment to be 'bonkers.' His extraordinary outburst came during an interview he conducted with actor Dax Shephard for the 'Armchair Expert' podcast, during which he also launched a shameful new attack on his family

It's shameful enough that Harry is once again publicly hammering his father in public like this, just as he did to Oprah when he sounded like a petulant teenager as he berated Charles for cutting him off financially and not taking his calls. But for him to implicitly criticise the Queen and Prince Philip for the 'genetic pain and suffering' they supposedly inflicted on Charles which then got inflicted on him is beneath contempt. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth at the opening of parliament in London, UK

But not everyone shares my admiration.

In fact, Prince Harry has just declared the First Amendment to be 'bonkers.'

His extraordinary outburst came during an interview he conducted with actor Dax Shephard for the 'Armchair Expert' podcast, during which he also launched a shameful new attack on his family.

'I've got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it,' he said, 'but it is bonkers. I don't want to start going down the First Amendment route because that's a huge subject and one which I don't understand because I've only been here a short time, but you can find a loophole in anything. You can capitalize or exploit what's not said rather than uphold what is said.'

Like so much of the absurd Meghan-inspired psychobabble that spews out of his mouth, none of this makes any sense, and he clearly doesn't understand what he's saying either.

Though we can safely assume that he just hates anything which affords any protection to journalists to say things he doesn't like, because that has been a familiar theme from the indignant media-loathing Prince for the last few years.

It's the same mindset that makes Meghan think she can complain to the bosses of TV networks when presenters like me refuse to believe her lies - and have them removed from their jobs if we don't apologise for our impertinence.

But all that Americans will take away from Harry's outburst about the First Amendment is a posh, privileged British royal slamming their Constitution and their unalienable rights to freedom of speech and expression.

It takes an extraordinary amount of entitled arrogance to mock the most revered building block of your adopted country's history.

And lest we forget, things didn't end well for the last British royal who tried to tell Americans how to lead their lives, George III.

Bashing the US Constitution is very dangerous territory for any British royal to meddle in, but Harry seems beyond caring about the impact of his ignorant and deluded words, and oblivious to his rank hypocrisy.

He professes to care about free speech, but like with so many of his statements, his actions suggest the complete opposite.

Harry was the kind of person that Sir Winston Churchill was talking about when he said: 'Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.'

It's the same double standard that we see behind Harry's claim to be a man of compassion.

I didn't think the world's most spoiled brats could plunge any lower than their two-hour Oprah whine-athon in which they branded the royals a bunch of horrible uncaring racists without producing a shred of evidence to support their claims, and bitterly attacked the institution of the Monarchy whilst continuing to trade off their royal titles to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars

The Prince of Compassion used his latest interview to launch an astonishing rant about the terrible 'genetic pain' he claims to have suffered at the hands of his awful father, and then said that Prince Charles has only been such a bad parent because he himself had been treated just as badly by HIS parents, the Queen and Prince Philip. Pictured: Prince Charles and Harry at Prince Philip's funeral in April

The word screams off the front page of Archewell, the foundation he and Meghan set up in their son Archie's name.

'Compassion in action,' the title headline boasts. 'Through our non-profit work, as well as creative activations, we drive systemic cultural change across all communities, one act of compassion at a time.'

How touching.

And barely a day goes by without the pair of these selfless charitable souls telling us how deeply compassionate they are.

But they're not, are they?

In fact, it's hard to imagine a less compassionate pair of ruthless, heartless, selfish, shameless little grifters than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan's disowned almost her entire family, including her father, Thomas.

Just as she has tossed away anyone in her life, from her ex-husband to friends and work colleagues who've ceased to be of use to her on her frenzied scramble up the global celebrity ladder.

And Harry's spent the past few weeks publicly trashing his family on any media outlet that will have him.

I didn't think the world's most spoiled brats could plunge any lower than their two-hour Oprah whine-athon in which they branded the royals a bunch of horrible uncaring racists without producing a shred of evidence to support their claims, and bitterly attacked the institution of the Monarchy whilst continuing to trade off their royal titles to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

But Harry's new orgy of unsavoury self-indulgent podcast tripe on was even worse.

The Prince of Compassion used his latest interview (he gives a lot of interviews for a guy who quit Britain to safeguard his privacy, doesn't he?) to launch an astonishing rant about the terrible 'genetic pain' he claims to have suffered at the hands of his awful father, and then said that Prince Charles has only been such a bad parent because he himself had been treated just as badly by HIS parents, the Queen and Prince Philip.

'I don't think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody,' Harry began, before immediately pointing the finger and blaming people, 'but certainly when it comes to parenting, if I've experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I'm going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don't pass it on, basically. It's a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on. I started to piece it together and go 'okay, so this is where he went to school, this is what happened, I know this about his life, I also know that is connected to his parents so that means he's treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids?'

It's shameful enough that Harry is once again publicly hammering his father in public like this, just as he did to Oprah when he sounded like a petulant teenager as he berated Charles for cutting him off financially and not taking his calls.

But for him to implicitly criticise the Queen and Prince Philip for the 'genetic pain and suffering' they supposedly inflicted on Charles which then got inflicted on him is beneath contempt.

Does it get any less compassionate, or more disgusting than condemning your grandparents just weeks after one of them died? Or, any more reprehensible than to compound the mourning Queen's misery by making her feel even worse?

How terribly hurt she must have felt when she heard what her grandson had said about her.

It takes a rare degree of self-obsessed uncaring narcissism to do that to a grieving woman of 95, yet the most shocking about Harry's outburst is that it wasn't really shocking at all.

The guy's hit the self-destruct button and is now unravelling before our eyes.

The only remaining question, as the front page of the Daily Mail asked last week is 'HOW LOW WILL HARRY GO?'

I fear the answer is a lot lower.

After all, the only currency and relevance he has left is exploiting his royal status, and he has to give his lucrative new paymasters at Spotify and Netflix their money's worth.

It's shameful enough that Harry is once again publicly hammering his father in public like this, just as he did to Oprah when he sounded like a petulant teenager as he berated Charles for cutting him off financially and not taking his calls. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan and Oprah during their interview

The British public has grown increasingly angry at Harry's behavior, as can be seen in recent polls showing support for him and his grasping wife plummeting to record negative depths.

And now the American public is turning on him too, incensed that he is belittling their right to free speech whilst reserving the right to spew off about anything he likes.

But I doubt he either comprehends the damage he is doing, or cares.

Like his equally shameless and hypocritical wife, all Harry seems to worry about is promoting himself and making as much money as he can from the royal status that he pretends to hate but loves to commercialize.

The double standard of this position is so staggering, it's little wonder that furious Palace officials are now clamouring for the Sussexes to voluntarily stop using their royal titles.

But they won't, obviously, because without them they become just another celebrity couple on the make in California, only without any discernible talent.

As I wrote when they announced in January 2020 that they were quitting Britain and royal duty, Queen should have stripped them of the titles then and there.

She didn't because Harry's her beloved grandson and she doesn't want to be seen to mistreat him.

Today, the case for cutting him off from his royal status is even stronger, yet I suspect the Queen is still resisting all calls to do so, because she is an inherently decent woman and has a far greater loyalty to her family than Harry is showing.

However, we've surely reached the point where she has to put the future of Monarchy before a couple of renegades way down the succession food-chain who are intent on wrecking it?

On the Archewell website, the Sussexes claim they are 'serving the Monarchy, honouring the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II', insist they 'deeply believe in the role of The Monarchy and their commitment to Her Majesty..' and vow 'their roles will continue to reflect their sense of duty and allegiance to the Monarch.'

Sadly, as we can all see, this is complete bullsh*t.

With every word that now comes from his increasingly cruel mouth, Harry does more damage to the reputation of not just the Royal Family but the institution they serve.

The Queen is the head of that institution and its greatest protector.

Her grandson's gone rogue and seems intent on destroying everything she's worked so hard to preserve.

It's time she showed him that the Monarchy is bigger than his pathetically bruised, fragile and victimhood-dominated ego and rendered him and Meghan plain title-less civilians.

As for Harry, if I were Prince Charles, then I'd be tempted to borrow the words of Rocky Balboa when his son began behaving like this.

'Let me tell you something you already know,' Rocky said. 'The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that.'

Exactly.

Harry's spent the past few weeks publicly trashing his family on any media outlet that will have him. He appeared on Dax Shephard's 'Armchair Expert' podcast to launch another attack on his family

Harry's gone from being a courageous war hero to a spineless whiny cry baby who blames his family for all his supposed woes and who like his wife, shamelessly and cynically weaponises issues like mental health and racism to silence critics.

Neither he nor Meghan shows an ounce of the compassion they love to preach about to those closest to them.

Nor do they seem to appreciate just how chronically unself-aware they sound constantly bleating about their poor oppressed lives from the comfort of their $11 million Californian mansion, while much of the world reels from a deadly pandemic.

Harry has lost his country, his dignity and now seems to be losing his mind too as he condemns everything from his grieving grandmother to free speech.

It's time His Royal Hypocrite stopped abusing his family, stopped moaning about everything all the bloody time, stopped exploiting his royal titles for huge financial gain, stopped trashing America's constitution - and grew a pair.
A BBC producer paedophile on the sex offenders register began a secret life under a fake name in Wales, where he agreed to a 450 gig to film a Christmas concert at a private girls school.

Disgraced Peter Croasdale, 58, had been ordered to tell police of his address after he was released from prison after being jailed for four-and-a-half years in 2009 for sexually abusing a girl under 13.

But the former Radio 4 producer secretly moved 160-miles from the north of England to live under an alias in Wales.

He started a new life under the name Peter Alan by winning over locals, joined a male voice choir and even moved in with a teacher.

But another sir at the Haberdashers' Monmouth School of Girls recognised him and police were called and discovered he was actually Croasdale.

Disgraced Peter Croasdale, 58, had been ordered to tell police of his address but did not obey

Cardiff Crown Court heard it was fortunate he did not attend the concert and there were no child safeguarding concerns.

Prosecutor Claire Pickthall said: 'Croasdale had been negotiating a deal with the school by posing as a man called Peter Alan.

'They were hoodwinked by this man who is intelligent and deliberately hid his identity.

'But his deception was soon uncovered and police were called.'

Croasdale admitted fraud, possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography involving bestiality.

Cardiff Crown Court heard there were 15 category A indecent images of a child, which portray rape, 28 category B and 63 category C on his home computer.

Haberdashers' Monmouth School of Girls in south Wales, where he was supposed to film

The offences were committed between January 16, 2016 and January 15, 2021.

Tom Roberts, defending, said there was a prospect Croasdale could be rehabilitated.

But Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told him: 'You simply don't want to face up to the risks you pose to children.'

She described him as a 'dangerous offender' and sentenced him to an extended sentence of four years.

The sex offender, from Bolton, will serve two years in jail and an extended licence period of two years following his release.

Croasdale worked for the BBC as an employee and as a freelance producer where he made programmes for Radio 4 including the Radio Science and File on Four shows.

He was put on the sex offences register for life when he was jailed at Leeds Crown Court in 2009.
Homeworking rates soared during 2020 thanks to the pandemic lockdowns and Government efforts to keep offices and factories closed, new figures revealed today.

The proportion of the working population that stayed at home rose by 60 per cent last year, with around one in 12 people regularly swapping the office for the spare bedroom or the kitchen table.

But according to new numbers from the Office for National Statistics today, there was a wide variety in the rate across the UK.

In London and the South East, which have a greater proportion of affluent workers in office jobs, 10.5 per cent worked from home last year.

But in the North East of England, the East Midlands and Northern Ireland, areas with higher proportion of manual employment, the rate was below seven per cent.

Rush-hour traffic builds up on the A102 in Greenwich, South East London, this morning

The figures for last year were released as question marks remained over whether the public would be freed from working-from-home guidance in June.

Hopes are high that under Step 4 of Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown staff will be encouraged to return to city centers to provide a much-needed boost for local service businesses.

But the new Indian variant that is prevalent in some Northern towns is giving scientists pause over whether the lockdown lifting should be slowed down.

Many Britons headed back to the office for the first time in more than a year today as commuters continued to return to city centres with lockdown rules easing further.

Rush-hour traffic congestion in London was at 65 per cent at 8am today, up from last Friday (55 per cent) and the averages in 2020 (49 per cent) and 2019 (63 per cent).

Office staff posted selfies on social media as they took the train in to work this morning - with some saying it was their first time back in since March 2020.

Some parts of the mainline rail network expect passenger numbers to return to up to 85 per cent of pre-Covid levels today as step three of the roadmap gets underway.

Transport for London said Tube journeys up to 10am this morning were at 37 per cent of normal demand, and up 5 per cent from last week. The total was 840,000 entries and exits compared to a 2.27million baseline of Monday, May 20, 2019.

Bus journeys were at 61 per cent of normal, and up 1 per cent from last week. There were 1.03million boarding taps compared to an expected 1.68million baseline.

A slew of Boris Johnson's top experts today warned against socialising indoors and the 'high risk' of hugging friends with the Indian variant on the rise despite Britons now being free to go back inside pubs, restaurants and cinemas as well as stay with friends for the first time since Christmas.

The Prime Minister has also urged families to adopt a 'heavy dose of caution' and a cabinet colleague encouraged revellers to avoid 'excessive drinking' amid an eight per cent rise in infections in a week and ministers at loggerheads over whether to extend lockdown beyond June 21 to protect 'idiot' vaccine refuseniks from the Indian variant.

TomTom data showed rush-hour traffic congestion in London was at 65 per cent at 8am today, up from last Friday (55 per cent) and the averages in 2020 (49 per cent) and 2019 (63 per cent)

In Bolton, a hotspot for the Indian strain, thousands more people than usual are being jabbed every day, with queues snaking outside health centres again today, as officials try to suppress the virus in an area where vaccine hesitancy has hampered efforts to slow its spread.

Last night thousands of people queued across the UK to enjoy a drink with friends inside pubs and bars after midnight, while this morning around 20 flights took off for Portugal as holidays became legal again and people enjoyed a pint and a meal inside for the first time in almost six months. Theatres, cinemas, galleries and museums can also open their doors again.

These venues are expected to be even busier this week because heavy showers and gales are forecast for at least the next ten days, with some areas soaked with a month's worth of rain in the past week.

But Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a senior member of the SAGE committee, said today that he would not meet indoors 'at the moment', despite millions of people now having the opportunity to do so.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is reasonable to just be sensible about knowing where transmission is occurring, mostly indoors, mostly in larger gatherings indoors with lots of different people, different families, different communities, and I would just restrict that at the moment personally.' But he added: 'I don't think it's unreasonable to lift the restrictions - we do need to lift the restrictions at some point, we've been in restrictions now for a very long time.'

Hugging is a 'high-risk procedure', Professor Peter Openshaw said. The professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, who is a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told BBC Breakfast: 'Some of us are quite happy not to be hugging and kissing many times on the cheek. This is a high-risk procedure, I would say in medical terms and I would certainly not be embracing people closely. I think you can greet people perfectly well at a distance with a smile and a kind word.'
A minute's silence was today held for the victims of the Croydon tram crash ahead of the jury being sworn in for the inquest of the seven people killed.

Coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe hosted the silence on the first day of the inquest at Croydon Town Hall on Monday. The inquest is expected to run for the next three months.

The first evidence in the inquest will be heard on Tuesday, with the hearing expected to run until August.

A further 51 people were injured when the derailment happened in south London on November 9 2016. The inquest was initially due to begin in October 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

An investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that driver Alfred Dorris may have been in a 'microsleep' for up to 49 seconds before the tram came off the tracks on a sharp bend at almost four times the speed limit.

Mr Dorris has been diagnosed as unfit to attend the inquest, but the families 'still hope that they will hear an apology from him', their lawyer said. He was arrested at the scene of the crash, but charges of gross negligence and manslaughter were later dropped by British Transport Police.

The inquest into the deaths of the seven people killed during the Croyon tram crash (pictured) began on Monday as the jury were sworn in at Croydon Town Hall

The inquests after the fatal crash (pictured) was initially due to begin in October 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic

Seven people died during the incident. A further 51 people were injured when the derailment happened in south London on November 9 2016. Pictured: Left, the tram, right, tram interior

The tram crash was one of the worst public transport tragedies for a generation

Jean Smith, mother of 35-year-old crash victim Mark Smith, said she feels 'relief' that the inquiry is finally taking place, but is also 'dreading it'.

She went on: 'It means reliving the nightmare all over again. And that's upsetting beyond words.'

She said she hopes the process will lead to 'culpability' for those responsible for 'failing to heed warnings' prior to the crash.

Danielle Wynne, whose grandfather Philip Logan, 52, died in the crash, said she wants 'answers on how this was allowed to happen', as well as a law change 'to prevent this from happening to any other family'.

Phil Seary, 57, Dane Chinnery, 19, and Donald Collett, 62, of Croydon, who all died in the crash

Mother-of-two Dorota Rynkiewic (left) was also kiled, as was Mark Smith and Philip Logan, 52, (pictured right)

Robert Huxley, 63, (pictured) was described as a 'loving husband' by his heartbroken family after his death in the tram crash

She said the wait for the inquest to open has been 'too long'.

She continued: 'We're going to get a little bit of closure.

'It's going to be hard, but I know he's up there watching down.'

Ben Posford, partner at law firm Osbornes Law, representing relatives of five of the victims, claimed they have been 'badly let down' by operator Tram Operations Limited, a subsidiary of First Group, and Transport for London, which owns the network.

He went on: 'Their hope for the inquest is that it will give them a better understanding, and some long overdue answers, as to why their loved ones are no longer here.

'Importantly, they also want to make sure that lessons are learned, and changes made in relation to the systemic failures and poor management culture that led to the crash, so that nothing like this can happen again.'

Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Seary, 57, Dorota Rynkiewicz, 35, Robert Huxley, 63, and Mr Logan, all from New Addington, and Donald Collett, 62, and Mr Smith, both from Croydon, were killed in the crash.
One of the Capitol rioters free on bond while awaiting trial for his alleged role in the insurrection could have his release rescinded after he posed with a 170-pound mountain lion recently after allegedly killing the big cat.

One stipulation of Patrick Montgomery's release was a prohibition on possessing firearms, but he allegedly used one to kill the mountain lion in Douglas County, Colorado, on March 31.

Federal prosecutors filed a motion asking Montgomery to be put on house arrest with a GPS monitor, which could happen as soon as Monday.

He could also face new charges from Colorado state, as he was not allowed to possess a firearm due to a felony robbery conviction dating back 25 years, according to the Washington Post.

Patrick Montgomery allegedly shot and killed a 170-pound mountain lion before posing with it on March 31

Montgomery, 48, is free on bond awaiting trial for his alleged role in the Capitol riot

In their motion, prosecutors wrote, 'Given that Montgomery has repeatedly and flagrantly violated both state and federal law while on pretrial release in this case  including by possessing and using a firearm  the Government respectfully requests that the Court revoke his release pending trial.'

The prosecutors claim that Montgomery shot and killed a 170-pound mountain lion before posing with it.

His dogs allegedly chased the lion into a tree before Montgomery shot it twice with a .357 pistol.

After he allegedly killed the lion, Montgomery posed with by wrapping his arms around the dead cat.

Social media pictures show Montgomery outside of the Capitol on January 6

Montgomery has claimed that he was 'let in peacefully by the police' to the Capitol

He received the correct permits and reported his kill per local law, but his alleged possession of a firearm would violate the conditions of his pretrial release.

Montgomery, 48, was part of the alleged Capitol storming on January 6, where he allegedly kicked a police officer.

He was arrested on January 17 in Colorado and charged with ten criminal counts, which included assaulting a police officer. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.

He was identified based on Facebook pictures that appear to show him inside of the Capitol.

Montgomery claims he 'was let in peacefully by the police' in a criminal complaint.

The FBI release pictures showing Montgomery at the Capitol riot in January

One person even told Montgomery he was being reported to the FBI after the riot

Prosecutors allege Montgomery wasn't peaceful once inside, however, allegedly trying to grab a cop's baton before wrestling him to the ground, kicking his chest, and sticking his middle fingers out at the officer.

According to the Denver Gazette, a status hearing on the Capitol indictment is set for July 28.

Days after his arrest, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials began investigating him for allegedly harvesting a bobcat illegally on January 25.

Montgomery allegedly chased the bobcat for more than 11 miles with his dogs before hitting it out of a tree with a slingshot and letting his dogs attack it, all illegal acts under either local or Colorado law.

Montgomery was cited by a Colorado wildlife officer in the incident.

The Littleton, Colorado also pleaded guilty to felony robbery in New Mexico back in 1996, which resulted in a six-year prison sentence.

As of May 6, around 440 people have been arrested for their role in the January 6 riot

The riot, which came about to protest the 2020 election, left five people dead in January

Montgomery claimed he was allowed to possess firearms for hunting because of his plea deal, but Colorado officials couldn't find such an allowance in court records.

Montgomery expressed confusion to a Colorado wildlife officer last month, saying he 'did not understand why this was popping up now.' But the state had only recently learned of the New Mexico conviction.

He could face charges from the state for illegal hunting practices, as well as possessing a firearm as a felon.

As of May 6, around 440 people have been arrested for their role in the January 6 riot, according to CBS News. The riot left five people dead.
Thirteen children were injured and three people taken to hospital after a crash between a school bus and a car in rural Wales this morning.

The bus was taking children to Ysgol y Preseli in Crymych, Pembrokeshire, and crashed about nine miles away near the village of Llandissilio.

Police, fire crews, ambulance personnel and an air ambulance helicopter were called to the scene following the crash on the A478 at about 8.30am today.

One parent who picked up her son from the scene told Wales Online that the bus was in a 'head-on collision' with a car, but no pupils suffered serious injuries.

The bus was the number 636, travelling on the Tenby to Crymych route, and the council said all parents and guardians of children on it have now been contacted.

The road was closed, which meant two other buses could not get past and complete their journeys - so a number of other pupils have also not been able to get to school.

Emergency services on the A478 near Llandissilio in Pembrokeshire today after the crash

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at approximately 8.39am this morning to reports of a road traffic collision involving a bus and car near Efailwen.

'We responded with four emergency ambulances, one rapid response vehicle and our emergency medical retrieval and transfer service in the Wales Air Ambulance.

'Three patients were conveyed to hospital - two to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen and one to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest.'

A Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: 'Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service are currently in attendance of a road traffic collision on the A478 near Llandissilio, Clunderwen.

Police, fire crews and an air ambulance helicopter were called to the scene in Wales today

'Joint fire control received the first call at 8.40am today. The incident is currently ongoing.'

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said: 'We are at the scene of a serious collision on the A478 near Llandissilio in Pembrokeshire.

'The incident was reported to police at 8.35am, and the ambulance and fire services are also in attendance. The collision involved a motorcar and a bus carrying school children.

'A number of children received minor injuries with two taken to hospital by ambulance with what are described as minor injuries. The road is currently closed and officers remain at the scene.'

And a spokesman for Pembrokeshire Council said: 'The A478 in Pembrokeshire has been closed this morning following a serious collision involving a school bus and another vehicle.

'The collision happened at around 8.30am as the bus was taking pupils to Ysgol y Preseli. Emergency services are at the scene and the road remains closed whilst the emergency services deal with the incident.

'Thirteen young people are understood to have received injuries. None of the injuries to these young people are understood to be serious.

'Parents and guardians of the young people travelling on the bus have been contacted to collect their children.'
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For years student accommodation was known best for the grubby carpets and stained sofas of dingy dives portrayed in television sitcoms like The Young Ones.

But the next generation of learners can now enjoy a 225million pampered lifestyle a world away from the stereotype of undergraduate poverty - decked out with karaoke rooms, sky lounges and private dining rooms.

Photos released exclusively to Mail Online reveal how students are now demanding four-star luxury in en-suite rooms and studio apartments.

These photos were taken inside the new state-of-the art Guilden Village, a short walk from the University of Surrey in Guildford, and two sister developments, The Vantage in Nottingham and Luxurio in Loughborough.

Additional features include Samsung smart TVs, a YouTube/Instagram room, futuristic Morsia Gyms from renowned fitness vlogger Matt Morsia (AKA MattDoesFitness), cinema rooms, special air-conditioning with anti-bacterial filters, a fleet of bicycles to borrow, 1GBps Broadband, under bed storage, floor-to-ceiling windows, 24 hour security, study rooms and off-street parking.

The rooms seen here are decorated with trendy ornaments, designer props and super cool neon lighting.

These photos were taken inside the new state-of-the art Guilden Village, near the University of Surrey in Guildford

New developments  worth around 225million  will accommodate 1,500 students and are based in three UK locations

Television sitcoms like the BBC hit The Young Ones portrayed student accommodation as dingy dives of foul squalor

Industry insiders say the rise of luxury Purpose Built Student Accommodation like Guilden Village  part of developer Future Generation's portfolio  spells doom for old-school House of Multiple Occupancy landlords who dominated the student market for years.

Flashy build-to-rent student accommodation means urban landlords now face stiff competition for tenants, who can actually save money choosing premium PBSA like this over often neglected HMOs. That's because students don't have to pay over the summer months, with rental agreements lasting 44 weeks instead of the 51-weeks typical of private landlords.

This means over the year that a student at Guilden Village would save nearly 3,000, paying around 8,750 for a luxury room compared with over 11,500 for a room in a shared house.

Last year, 22 per cent of all commercial real estate investment was purpose built student accommodation with investment topping 6billion, according to JLL. So far in 2021 that figure has jumped to 36 per cent.

An air-conditioning system even isolates air and uses an anti-bacterial filtration system in some rooms, which have neon art

The rooms look like a luxury hotel in the heart of the city but are actually the next generation of deluxe student digs

Developers Future Generation say 'Times have changed and students expect far better for their money' in modern era

Future Generation's three new developments  worth around 225million combined  will accommodate 1,500 students in a mixture of private studios and en-suites.

The Guildford development  with views over Stoke Park  has been described as the 'jewel in the crown' of Britain's booming PBSA sector.

The building's air-conditioning system even isolates air from individual rooms and uses an anti-bacterial filtration system.

Andrew Southern, Chairman of property developer Future Generation and its sister company Southern Grove, said: 'Times have changed and students expect far better for their money.

'They want gigabit internet, top-of-the-range furnishings, mod-con appliances and communal spaces to chill out in the evenings.

'No one wants to be in a damp terraced house anymore with peeling wallpaper and a creaky bed.

'Parents too are taking an interest like never before.

'We're finding demand is off the scale despite the pandemic. A lot of landlords who grew complacent over the years are going to struggle now.

'Too many of them took their student tenants for granted for too long, and now the chickens are coming home to roost.

'In this business, you either evolve or you get left behind.'

Overseas investment in PBSAs remained healthy during the pandemic despite an earlier squeeze on development finance in other sectors.

Mr Southern said: 'The figures speak for themselves: it's estimated there are three students for every PBSA bed in the country, so there's still plenty of room to grow.

'Even in the darkest days of the pandemic we never found the appetite for investment drifting.'
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President Joe Biden held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu where he expressed his 'support' for a cease fire between Israel and Hamas, the White House said Monday afternoon.

The language ticked up the public pressure on Israel at a time when some allies are calling for an outright ceasefire as the conflict escalates  although Biden once again asserted Israel's right to self defense against an onslaught of Hamas rockets.

'The President reiterated his firm support for Israel's right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks. The President welcomed efforts to address intercommunal violence and to bring calm to Jerusalem,' according to the readout.

'He encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians. The two leaders discussed progress in Israel's military operations against Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. The President expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed U.S. engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end.'

Biden stopped short of calling for an 'immediate' cease-fire, as some fellow Democrats have demanded.

The readout concluded that 'the two leaders agreed that they and their teams would remain in close touch.'

The first public call by the Administration for a cease fire came shortly after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had avoided making such a call herself, instead stating a less direct 'commitment and a desire to bring an end to the violence.'

It came on a day when the U.S. once again used its veto power as a member of the UN Security Council to block a third attempt at a statement expressing 'grave concern.'

President Joe Biden said he would hold another call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday amid ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas

Biden confirmed earlier Monday that he was set to speak with Netanyahu Monday, and suggested to reporters that he'd get back to them.

The White House said it was deploying 'quiet, intensive diplomacy' to try to stop the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas as Democrats ramped up calls for the administration to step in.

Biden revealed his scheduled call with the Israeli prime minister after speaking at the White House about plans to ship millions of coronavirus vaccine doses out next month.

Asked if he would push the U.S. ally for a cease fire given the escalation in violence, Biden said: 'I'll be speaking with the prime minister in an hour, and I'll be able to talk to you after that.' He avoided further questions about his Thursday defense of Israel's bombardment of targets in Gaza.

An Israeli official told Axios the administration did not give a timeline for a ceasefire, but that its ability to hold back international pressure was waning.

Biden also spoke to Netanyahu Saturday amid days of violence, where he 'raised concerns' about the safety of journalists, according to the White House.

His contact with the longtime Israeli leader comes as Biden has taken heat from some House Democrats for his carefully calibrated statements in defense of Israel.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), blasted a report that the U.S. earlier this month had given approval to the sale of precision munitions to Israel, a top recipient of U.S. military aid.

'It would be appalling for the Biden administration to go through with $735 million in precision-guided weaponry to Netanyahu without any strings attached in the wake of escalating violence and attacks on civilians,' she said in a statement. 'If this goes through this will be seen as a green light for continued escalation and will undercut any attempts at brokering a ceasefire,' she said.

She said the U.S. should not 'stand idly by while crimes against humanity are being committed with our backing,' although the arms sale is set to go through after it makes it through a period for congressional review.

Omar is the first Muslim women elected to Congress and a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. The Washington Post, which first reported the information, quoted an unnamed member of the panel also blasting the approval for the sale.

Biden's statement also came on a day when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell mocked efforts to apply equal pressure on the Isarelis and Hamas.

'To say that both sides need to de-escalate downplays the responsibility the terrorists have for initiating this conflict in the first place, and suggests Israelis are not entitled to defend themselves against on-going rocket barrages. I completely reject this obscene moral equivalence,' McConnell added.

Earlier on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he'd seen no evidence Hamas was operating in a Gaza media building leveled by Israeli airstrikes - despite Netanyahu's government saying they had shown Biden 'smoking gun' evidence.

It was also revealed that the US approved a $735million weapons deal that included precision-guided missiles, a week before the conflict began.

28 Democratic lawmakers, led by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, have called for a ceasefire to 'prevent further loss of life and further escalation of violence'.

The building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media in Gaza City collapses after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike Saturday, May 15, 2021. The attack came roughly an hour after the Israeli military warned people to evacuate the building, which also housed Al-Jazeera and a number of offices and apartments

A U.S. soldier walks in front of Patriot anti-missile systems deployed in a joint U.S. and Israeli military outpost in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv March 5, 2003. The U.S. this month approved the sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel, the Washington Post reported Monday

Abu Harbid - whose death has yet to be confirmed by PIJ - came amid continuing attacks by Israel in Gaza today. Pictured: Palestinian rescue workers carry the remains of a man found next to a beachside cafe after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said the U.S. would not stand 'idly by while crimes against humanity are being committed with our backing'

Psaki talked up the value of quiet diplomacy but refused to confirm whether the US had seen information on the attack on the high-rise housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera.

'Our calculation at this point is that having those conversations behind the scenes, weighing in with our important strategic partnership we have with Israel  is the most constructive approach we can take,' Psaki told reporters at the White House.

She said the U.S. and allies 'all share a commitment and a desire to bring an end to the violence.'

She said the U.S. was approaching the matter through the prism of: 'What steps can we take, what actions can we take behind the scenes.' She referenced 60 calls from the president down to other officials. She also mentioned Egypt and Qatar.

Asked about Nenyahu's statement that the building was a 'legitimate target,' Psaki refused to get into what she termed intelligence matters. 'I don't have a further readout or conf of any of those details here, nor do I have an assessment of the intelligence that was stated by the prime minister,' she said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki

Psaki was also asked about Biden's statement last week that he had not seen a 'significant overreaction from Israel'  a remark that drew pushback from some Democrats in Congress.

She pointed to Biden's weekend phone calls where he conveyed his concerns. 'We're not going to give a day-by-day evaluation,' she said. Speaking of U.S. efforts involving Israel  a key ally and top recipient of U.S. military aid  she said 'a great deal of that is going to be through intensive, quiet diplomacy behind the scenes.'

An Israeli diplomat said on Sunday that the government provided the 'smoking gun' evidence to President Joe Biden about the high-rise its forces obliterated.

But Blinken appeared to go against the claims, said the U.S. is seeking additional evidence and has demanded a full explanation from the Israelis as to why they targeted the building.

'Shortly after the strike we did request additional details regarding the justification for it,' Blinken said Monday.

Blinken would not discuss specific intelligence, saying he 'will leave it to others to characterize if any information has been shared and our assessment that information.'

A Democratic lawmaker on the House Foreign Affairs Committee led the fury in response to the weapons deal.

They referenced the attack on the building housing the AP, and told The Washington Post: 'Allowing this proposed sale of smart bombs to go through without putting pressure on Israel to agree to a cease-fire will only enable further carnage.'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, following their meeting at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eigtveds Pakhus, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday, May 17, 2021. 'I have not seen any information provided,' when asked about Israeli evidence that Hamas was operating inside a building its Air Force destroyed that also housed the Associated Press and Al Jazeera offices

DEMOCRATS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN GAZA Jon Ossoff of Georgia Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin Sherrod Brown of Ohio Cory Booker of New Jersey Tom Carper of Delaware Tammy Duckworth of Illinois Dick Durbin of Illinois Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii Tim Kaine of Virginia Angus King of Maine, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota Patrick Leahy of Vermont Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico Ed Markey of Massachusetts Jeff Merkley of Oregon Chris Murphy of Connecticut Patty Murray of Washington Jack Reed of Rhode Island Bernie Sanders of Vermont Brian Schatz of Hawaii Tina Smith of Minnesota Jon Tester of Montana Chris Van Hollen of Maryland Mark Warner of Virginia Raphael Warnock of Georgia Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island Advertisement

'I have not seen any information provided,' he said at a press conference with the Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod.

Blinken sought to avoid speaking about any information the Israelis provided. 'I wouldn't want to weigh in on intelligence matters in this forum, it's not my place,' he said.

But he also shared the 'broader point' that he called 'really critical': Israel has a special responsibility to protect civilians in the course of its self-defense. That that most certainly includes journalists.,' he said.

When pressed on if he had seen and received information provided by Israel, Blinken said: 'I have not seen any information provided, and again to the extent that it is based on intelligence that would be shared with other colleagues and I'll leave that to them to discuss.'

His comment came after officials in Israel were providing their own characterizations of the information.

Journalists operating in the building say Israeli Defense Forces provided a warning before a rocket took out the building. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called it a 'perfectly legitimate target.'

Israeli government officials say Natanyahu shared a 'smoking gun' with Biden when the two men spoke by telephone on Saturday.

A source close to Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said: 'We showed them the smoking gun proving Hamas worked out of that building'. He also said Biden 'found the explanation satisfactory', without providing details of the evidence, the Jerusalem Post reported.

He also said the intelligence had not been shared more widely because the U.S. were the only country to request more information on the strike on the Al-Jalaa building.

The Israeli Air Force dropped three bombs on the building, collapsing it in a giant cloud of dust, on Saturday afternoon after giving journalists a one hour warning to evacuate the premises.

The ongoing violence poses a continued political challenge for the Biden administration, which was already facing blowback from critics of Israel from Democrats in Congress.

A senior Palestinian militant commander has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the country's air force has claimed, following a night of heavy bombardment that saw hundreds of bombs dropped on Gaza.

Hussam Abu Harbid, commander of the Northern Division of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), was killed in a strike on Monday, according to the Israeli air force.

Harbid was behind rocket attacks against Israel including several launched on the first day of the most-recent clashes, the Israeli air force said, and had been a commander within PIJ for at least 15 years.

News of Harbid's death - which has not been confirmed by PIJ - was followed by a flurry of rocket fire from inside Gaza at cities in southern Israel, which left at least eight people wounded.

A combination picture shows a tower building housing AP, Al Jazeera offices as it collapses after Israeli missile strikes in Gaza city, May 15, 2021

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod hold a joint news conference in Denmark

A missile scored a direct hit on a residential building in Ashdod, the Magen David Adom emergency service said, with at least three people wounded by shrapnel in that attack, and amid fears more could be trapped in rubble. Five other people suffered panic attacks.

The death toll from a week of fighting now stands at 211, with 201 dead on the Palestinian side according to Gaza's health authority, including 58 children and 34 women.

Hussam Abu Harbid has been killed by an Israeli air strike, the country's military has said, describing him as a senior commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Ten deaths have been confirmed in Israel, including one child. More than 1,200 Palestinians have been injured so far, along with 302 Israelis.

Monday morning's strikes came after an overnight bombardment described by witnesses as the heaviest of the conflict so far, with 54 Israeli jets dropping bombs on 35 targets in and around Gaza City in just 20 minutes.

The IDF said the strikes targeted around nine miles of Hamas tunnels, referred to by the military as 'the Metro', along with the homes of senior Hamas commanders that were also used as weapons stores.

The night of strikes began when Hamas rockets were fired at the cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon, with one slamming into a synagogue hours before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli emergency services said. No injuries were reported.

Israeli aircraft then launched their own raids, with the IDF saying that nine residences belonging to high-ranking Hamas commanders were hit. Some of the homes were used for weapons storage, it said.

Later in the morning, Palestinian media reported that Israel had struck a factory in northern Gaza. Video on social media showed a column of thick black smoke rising into the air.

Gaza mayor Yahya Sarraj said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure, and that he expected 'the situation to get much worse' if the bombardment continued.

It came amid reports that just one turbine at the power station which supplies much of Gaza's electricity is now working, threatening mass blackouts including at hospitals and interruption to water supplies.

The U.N. has warned that the territory's sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts.

Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territory's electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or a three days.

A Palestinian man stands next to a car that was hit by an Israeli airstrike, near the beach in Gaza City, with three people thought to have died in the strike

Palestinians gather around a car targeted by an Israeli missile in Gaza City as strikes continued on Monday

Reports of Harbid's death were followed by a flurry of rocket fire from Gaza at Israel, with at least one rocket hitting a residential building in Ashdod and causing eight injuries

Rockets fired towards Israel are intercepted in the skies above the Gaza Strip on Monday

A man inspects a three storey demolished building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City overnight

Palestinians inspect damaged building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinians inspect at debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinian Al Deyri family's children are seen at street after their home demolished by Israeli army's airstrikes in Gaza City

Children and Palestinian men are seen near debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

A Palestinian man walks through the ruins in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City

A Palestinian man passes the site of Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Monday after a night of heavy bombardment

Palestinian firefighters douse a huge fire at the Foamco mattress factory following an Israeli airstrike, east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip

Palestinian firefighters attempt to put out a blaze at a sponge factory in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday

Flames rip through a warehouse belonging to a sponge factory in the northern Gaza Strip early on Monday

Flames rise from the rubble of destroyed factories in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu defends Gaza air strikes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended his attacks on the Gaza strip, saying a country has a right to defend itself, and argued the United States knows 'd**n well' it would do the same thing. In a defiant interview on CBS' Face the Nation, Netanyahu denied any political motivation for the attacks that have left 174 Palestinians dead, including 47 children. In Israel, 10 people have been killed in total, including two children, with barrages of rockets fired from Gaza. 'I think any country has to defend itself, and we'll do whatever it takes to restore order and the security of our people,' he said. He argued he was fighting Hamas, a terrorist organization that hid behind civilians, as tensions rose between Israelis and Palestinians to levels not seen since a 2014 war. 'Frankly, if Hamas thought that they could just fire on our rockets and then sit back and enjoy immunity, that's false. We are targeting a terrorist organization that is targeting our civilians and hiding behind their civilians, using them as human shields. 'We're doing everything we can to hit the terrorists themselves, their rockets their rocket caches and their arms, but we're not going to just let them get away with it,' he said. And, when pressed on the issue, he snapped back to interviewer John Dickinson. 'What would you do if it happened to Washington and New York? You know d**n well what you'd do,' Netanyahu said. Netanyahu, meanwhile, denied his actions were about staying in power. 'That's preposterous,' he said. 'Anybody who knows me knows that I've never, ever subordinated security concerns, the life of our soldiers the life of our citizens for political interests, that's just hogwash,' he added. 'I'll do what I have to do to protect the lives of Israeli citizens and to restore peace and make peace with for our countries. 'I'm glad that we have a restoration of some considerable calm within Israel. That's my goal to restore peace and quiet and to assure tranquility.' Advertisement

Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the company's staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.

West Gaza resident Mad Abed Rabbo, 39, expressed 'horror and fear' at the intensity of the onslaught.

'There have never been strikes of this magnitude,' he said.

Gazan Mani Qazaat said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'should realise we're civilians, not fighters', adding 'I felt like I was dying'.

The renewed strikes come a day after 42 Palestinians in Gaza - including at least eight children and two doctors, according to the health ministry - were killed in the worst daily death toll in the enclave since the bombardments began.

Israel's army said about 3,100 rockets had been fired since last Monday from Gaza - the highest rate ever recorded - but added its Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted over 1,000.

Netanyahu said in a televised address Sunday that Israel's 'campaign against the terrorist organisations is continuing with full force' and would 'take time' to finish.

The Israeli army said it had targeted the infrastructure of Hamas and armed group Islamic Jihad, weapons factories and storage sites.

Israeli air strikes also hit the home of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas's political wing in Gaza, the army said, releasing footage of plumes of smoke and intense damage, but without saying if he was killed.

On Saturday, Israel gave journalists from Al Jazeera and AP news agency an hour to evacuate their offices before launching air strikes, turning their tower block into piles of smoking rubble.

Netanyahu on Sunday said the building also hosted a Palestinian 'terrorist' intelligence office.

'It is a perfectly legitimate target,' he said.

In the Israeli air assault early Sunday, families were buried under piles of cement rubble and twisted rebar. A yellow canary lay crushed on the ground.

Shards of glass and debris covered streets blocks away from the major downtown thoroughfare where the three buildings were hit over the course of five minutes around 1 a.m.

The hostilities have repeatedly escalated over the past week, marking the worst fighting in the territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians since Israel and Hamas' devastating 2014 war.

'I have not seen this level of destruction through my 14 years of work,' said Samir al-Khatib, an emergency rescue official in Gaza. 'Not even in the 2014 war.'

Rescuers furiously dug through the rubble using excavators and bulldozers amid clouds of heavy dust. One shouted, 'Can you hear me?' into a hole. Minutes later, first responders pulled a survivor out.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 16 women and 10 children were among those killed, with more than 50 wounded.

Haya Abdelal, 21, who lives in a building next to one that was destroyed, said she was sleeping when the airstrikes sent her fleeing into the street.

She accused Israel of not giving its usual warning to residents to leave before launching such an attack.

'We are tired,' she said, 'We need a truce. We cant bear it anymore.'

The Israeli army spokespersons office said the strike targeted Hamas 'underground military infrastructure.'

As a result of the strike, 'the underground facility collapsed, causing the civilian houses' foundations above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties,' it said.

Among those reported killed was Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Ouf, the head of the internal medicine department at Shifa Hospital and a senior member of the hospital's coronavirus management committee. Two of Abu Al-Oufs teenage children and two other family members were also buried under the rubble.

Israeli soldiers fire a 155mm self-propelled howitzer towards the Gaza Strip on Monday as fighting continues

Israel has defied international calls for a ceasefire and continues to bombard targets within Gaza today

An Israeli artillery unit deployed next to the Gaza Strip border as fighitng continues between Israeli Army and Hamas forces

Israeli artillery moved around near the Gaza border as fighting between the two sides continues today

Smoke rises from Gaza City as an Israeli shell fired by a gunboat hits a target on Monday morning

Search and rescue works continue at debris of buildings after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings at Jabalia Refugee Camp

Search and rescue works continue at debris of buildings after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings at Jabalia Refugee Camp

Palestinians inspect at debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinians inspect at debris of a building after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinian children are seen at street after their home demolished by Israeli army's airstrikes in Gaza City

Palestinian Al Deyri and his family are seen on the streets of Gaza after their home was destroyed in Israeli air strikes

A Palestinian girl eats a piece of flatbread on the streets of Gaza after her family home was destroyed in overnight airstrikes

Palestinians inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes by Israeli army hit buildings in Gaza City

Palestinian children walk next to rubble from a house was that was hit by early morning Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City

Palestinians inspect the damage in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City

AP editor demands answers after building destroyed The Associated Press' top editor is calling for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts. Separately, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel's bombing of a building housing the media organizations as a possible war crime. Sally Buzbee, AP's executive editor, said Sunday that the Israeli government has yet to provide clear evidence supporting its attack, which leveled the 12-story al-Jalaa tower. The Israeli military, which gave AP journalists and other tenants about an hour to evacuate, claimed Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office and weapons development. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israel was compiling evidence for the U.S. but declined to commit to providing it within the next two days. 'We're in the middle of fighting,' Conricus said Sunday. 'That's in process and I'm sure in due time that information will be presented.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would share any evidence of Hamas' presence in the targeted building through intelligence channels. But neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any American official had seen it. Buzbee said the AP has had offices in al-Jalaa tower for 15 years and never was informed or had any indication that Hamas might be in the building. She said the facts must be laid out. 'We are in a conflict situation,' Buzbee said. 'We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we don't know what that evidence is.' 'We think it's appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday - an independent investigation,' she added Advertisement

The death of the 51-year-old physician 'was a huge loss at a very sensitive time,' said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa.

Gazas health care system, already gutted by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed in 2007 after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces, had been struggling with a surge in coronavirus infections even before the latest conflict.

Israel's airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

The violence between Hamas and Israel is the worst since 2014, when Israel launched a military operation on the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of ending rocket fire and destroying tunnels used for smuggling.

The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, mostly civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.

Opening the first session of the UN Security Council on the renewed violence on Sunday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the fighting 'utterly appalling'.

'It must stop immediately,' he said.

But the UN talks, already delayed by Israel's ally the United States, resulted in little action, with Washington opposing a resolution.

U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration is working with all parties towards achieving a sustained calm.

'We also believe Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security and enjoy equal measure of freedom, prosperity and democracy,' he said in a pre-taped video aired at an event marking the Muslim Eid holiday on Sunday.

'My administration is going to continue to engage with Palestinians and Israelis and other regional partners to work towards sustained calm,' he said.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that the United Nations was 'actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire' and urged them 'to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed.' U.N. envoys have helped to mediate past truces between Israel and Hamas.

Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated at the United Nations over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the violence because it worries it could harm behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

Jordan's King Abdullah said his kingdom was involved in intensive diplomacy to halt the bloodshed, but did not elaborate.

China on Monday renewed calls for the U.S. to play a constructive role in ending the conflict in Gaza and stop blocking efforts at the United Nations to demand an end to the bloodshed.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China, as rotating head of the Security Council, has urged a cease-fire and the provision of humanitarian assistance, among other proposals, but that obstruction by 'one country' has prevented the council from speaking with one voice.

'We call on the United States to assume its due responsibility and take an impartial position to support the council and play its due role in cooling down the situation and rebuilding trust for a political solution,' Zhao said at a daily briefing.

China 'strongly condemns' violence against civilians and calls for an end to air strikes, ground attacks, rocket fire and 'other actions that aggravate the situation,' Zhao said.

Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Pope Francis to support sanctions against Israel, saying Palestinians will continue to be 'massacred' as long as the international community does not punish Israel.

During a telephone telephone call Monday with the pope, Erdogan also said that 'continued messages and reactions' from Francis in support of Palestinians would be of great importance for the 'mobilization of the Christian world and of the international community,' according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications directorate.

During their conversation, Erdogan also renewed a call for the international community to take concrete steps to show Israel the 'dissuasive reaction and lesson it deserves,' according to the statement. The Turkish leader has been engaged in a telephone diplomacy bid to end Israel's use of force.

Israel is also trying to contain inter-communal violence between Jews and Arab-Israelis, as well as deadly clashes in the occupied West Bank, where 19 Palestinians have been killed since May 10, according to a toll from Palestinian authorities.

Major clashes broke out at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound - one of Islam's holiest sites - on May 7 following a crackdown against protests over planned expulsions of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Sheikh Jarrah has been at the heart of the flareup, seeing weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

On Sunday, a car-ramming attack in Sheikh Jarrah wounded seven police officers, police said, adding that the attacker had been killed.

Police also said 'a number of suspects' had been arrested during clashes in another east Jerusalem neighbourhood overnight Sunday to Monday.

Guterres warned the fighting could have far-reaching consequences if not stopped immediately.

'It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole.'

Israeli jets continued their bombardment of Gaza overnight with 54 planes involved in strikes on nine miles of Hamas tunnels and nine homes of senior figures within the group, according to the IDF

Palestinians living under nightly threat of bombardment described the raids as the 'most devastating' they had witnessed, exceeding the scale of attacks during the 2014 war

The death toll now stands at 207 since fighting began on Monday last week, with 197 Palestinians killed including at least 58 children, while 10 Israelis have lost their lives including one child

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave

It is unclear how many people were killed or injured in the strikes overnight, but the death toll of a week of fighting now stands at 207 - with at least 197 Palestinians in the total

Israel's Iron Dome defence system intercepts rockets fired from Gaza overnight, as Hamas targeted the cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon with one synagogue destroyed

Rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza City at targets in southern Israel are seen streaking into the sky overnight

Flares fired by Israeli fighter jets as they pass over Gaza City during overnight raids fall towards the ocean

Israel was unable to give an estimate of the death toll from last night's raids, a day after the deadliest 24 hours of the conflict so far, with 42 Palestinians killed

Smoke and flames rise above a building as Gaza was hit by bombs dropped by 54 Israeli jets during airstrikes overnight

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave

Israel says the bombing is targeted at networks of Hamas tunnels that run under the city and the homes of group leaders, but at least 58 children have been killed in the raids so far

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike hits Gaza City during overnight raids targeting Hamas tunnels
Accused Aryan Brotherhood member Richard Kuykendall, 41, has been charged with a federal weapons possession count in connection with a triple homicide in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Disturbing surveillance video shows the moment a suspected Aryan Brotherhood member was shot at by his fellow white supremacist gang members from within a car, before he abandoned the vehicle containing the bodies of the three men at an Albuquerque hospital.

In the video, as described in an affidavit written by an FBI agent in support of a criminal complaint, suspect Richard Kuykendall, 41, was walking in an alley on Wednesday afternoon when a dark-colored Chevy approached from behind and stopped next to him.

Kuykendall tries to get inside through the rear passenger door, but one of the car's occupants fires several shots at him, which strikes a cinderblock behind him.

Several shots are fired within the car and exit though the front windshield.

Kuykendall opens the back door, jumps into the Chevy and closes the door behind him.

A few seconds later he exits the back door and walks toward a dumpster, then returns to the car and gets behind the wheel, sitting on top of the driver, and heads to the hospital.

An Albuquerque police SWAT team on Friday arrested Kuykendall on a federal arrest warrant in connection with the deadly shooting.

Police said that detectives tracked Kuykendall to a home on the east side of Albuquerque and called in the SWAT team to make the arrest on Friday night, two days after he was caught on video dodging bullets fired from inside a car, and later walking away from a hospital shirtless and dripping blood.

He was questioned and then booked into jail on a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

A criminal complaint filed on Friday indicates that an FBI special agent believes that Kuykendall, also known as 'Sky,' may have killed one of the three men found dead inside the vehicle, and thinks all four men are members of the Aryan Brotherhood - a ruthless white supremacist prison gang that has been around since 1964.

Surveillance video from May 12 shows Kuykendall dodging bullets being fired from inside this Chevy Malibu parked in an alley

Kuykendall ducks to avoid getting shot in the 2400 block of San Pedro Drive NE

Kuykendall climbs inside the back of the car, settles in the driver's seat and takes off

As of Monday morning, Kuykendall has not been charged in connection with the killings. Police said he had a gun when the shooting happened.

Two of the victims found Wednesday in a bullet-riddled car outside a city hospital have been identified as 44-year-old Brandon Torres and 41-year-old James Fisher.

The full name of the third man, identified in charging documents only by his initials, M.S., was being withheld until his relatives can be notified.

The shooting happened just after 2.40pm on Wednesday while the dark Chevrolet Malibu was parked in the 2400 block of San Pedro Drive NE. Surveillance video from a nearby business obtained by KOB4 shows shots fired from inside the car at Kuykendall as he stands outside. He ducks to avoid getting hit, then climbs into the vehicle.

A short time later, Kuykendall arrived at Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital in northeast Albuquerque, where he left the car with three dead men inside

Security video shows a shirtless Kuykendall walking away from the hospital, with blood on his arm

An iron cross tattoo that is associated with the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang is seen on his chest (circled)

The affidavit states that Kuykendall removed one of the three guns that were inside the car and hid it in a nearby dumpster.

He then got behind the wheel and drove the Chevy with the three dead bodies inside to Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital in northeast Albuquerque.

There, he approached a security guard and told him there were 'three dead guys in the Chevy,' according to the court document. After pacing around for a few moments, Kuykendall fled on foot.

Security video shows Kuykendall walking away from the hospital bare-chested with blood on his arm.

A search of the Chevy yielded two guns and shell casings. A third gun, a Berretta 9mm, was later recovered on the side of the dumpster next to the crime scene.

Kuykendall has a long criminal history with 35 arrests in New Mexico and Massachusetts

The affidavit states that the victims all were members of Aryan Brotherhood and Kuykendall has an apparent association to the gang via identifying tattoos, including an iron cross on his chest seen in the second video, along with a Shamrock, a Viking, a lightning bolt and the words 'White Boy.'

The FBI said Kuykendall has a long criminal history dating back to at least 1998 with 35 arrests in New Mexico and Massachusetts including assault and battery, forgery, larceny and identity theft.
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Looking awkward in his top hat and great coat, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gives a pained smile as a poppy is pinned to his lapel in 1937.

Less than two years later, Chamberlain's policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany had failed spectacularly and Britain had declared war.

The photo is among a set released by the TopFoto archives and then colourised by Welsh electrician Royston Leonard to mark the Royal British Legion's 100th birthday.

Another photo shows a glamorous woman in 1967 selling poppies while showing off a classic 1960s hair style.

The Royal British Legion was formed on May 15, 1921, after the First World War to fight the injustices faced by servicemen when they returned home from the conflict.

It brought together four national organisations of ex-servicemen that had been established during the war: The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers; The British National Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers; The Comrades of The Great War and The Officers' Association.

Field Marshal Haig and Tom Lister of The Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers are largely credited for the formation of the organisation.

Haig served as organisation's president until his death in January 1928.

The first Poppy Appeal, then known as the Haig Fund, took place in 1921 and raised more than 106,000 for the charity.

The Royal British Legion still provides life-changing support to the needs of the armed forces community 100 years on.

Looking awkward in his top hat and great coat, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gives a pained smile as a poppy is pinned to his lapel. The image was taken in 1937, two years before the outbreak of the Second World War. Less than two years later, his policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany had failed spectacularly and Britain had declared war

Another photo shows a glamorous woman in 1967 selling poppies while showing off a classic 1960s hair style. They are among a set released by the TopFoto archives and then colourised by Welsh electrician Royston Leonard to mark the Royal British Legion's 100th birthday

Captain Leonard Baynes, a well-known champion of ex-servicemen, had started a tour of Britain which set off from the Star and Garter Disabled Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Richmond with a decorated car on October 25, 1935 - the car had models of the Cenotaph, a Flanders battlefield complete with duck-boards and shell-holes, and a plaque of the Prince of Wales, all of which he made himself

Naval cadets from Deptford are seen marching to place a British Legion wreath on Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, Central London, in commemoration of Trafalgar Day, on October 21, 1936

A group of young Indian girls are seen selling poppies outside the Criterion Theatre, London, for the Haig Fund - the name for the early poppy appeal - on November 11, 1925

British troops are pictured buying and fixing their poppies to their uniforms on Armistice Day during the Second World War in 1939

Men from the British Legion police force walk away from St Pancras station, London, to make their way home on October 15, 1938

The dipping of the newly dedicated flags of the British Legion at a church in Wembley, London, February 10, 1935

The British Legion procession through the streets of Petts Wood, London, 1938. The first Poppy Appeal, then known as the Haig Fund, took place in 1921 and raised more than 106,000 for the charity

The then Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, buys a poppy from Sister L Calvert of the Royal Red Cross on a morning walk in St James Park, London, November 11, 1932

A war widow holds a wreath with the badge of the Coldstream Guards at the Field of Remembrance, Westminster, London, November 11, 1932

Mrs Mary Hall, wife of a miner from Grimethorpe, Yorkshire, pictured in her role of standard bearer of the British Legion Women's Section, in what was the first time a woman paraded with the legion outside the Royal Albert Hall, London, November 5, 1949

Men sit in a bar holding their British Legion Flag in Greenhithe, Kent, in 1935. The Royal British Legion still provides life-changing support to the needs of the armed forces community 100 years on

Sir Winston Churchill's granddaughter, Miss Celia Mary Sandys, views the Empire Field of Remembrance at the old churchyard of St Margaret, Westminster, London on November 5, 1947

Mr Jack Thorne of Twickenham, Middlesex, is pictured working on a poppy wreath for Armistice Day 1948 at the British Legion Poppy Factory in Richmond, Surrey - the wreaths were sold in aid of the British Legion's fund for the war disabled

Men making poppies at the British Legion Poppy Factory on October 21, 1925. The annual Poppy Appeal continues to resonate with millions of Britons every year
A businesswoman who bombarded her ex-lover and his fiancee with messages after he announced their engagement claims she was 'pushed' by her lawyer to admit harassment.

Zoe Phillips, from Chelsea, west London, sent Ministry of Defence worker Neil Cross 60 WhatsApps and emails and threatened to kill herself when he ended their relationship in January 2019.

The 53-year-old admitted two counts of harassment without violence last July and was sentenced to a 12 month community order, but now claims she is 'not guilty' and 'never has been'.

Westminster Magistrates' Court previously heard that following the end of their relationships, Phillips went to his fiancee Serena Williams' workplace and fired off messages to her company email account after 'following Mr Cross around all evening' at a charity ball.

She also posted a selfie outside Ms Williams' family castle in Cornwall and sent a 'flurry of WhatsApp messages' to Mr Cross.

The 53-year-old admitted two counts of harassment without violence last July and was sentenced to a 12 month community order, but now claims she is 'not guilty'

The brand manager for Nestle and Biogen also contacted Major Harry Wallace on Facebook after the victim blocked her on social media to use the army officer as her 'conduit' to Mr Cross.

Phillips now insists she was badly advised by her defence lawyer and broke down in tears while she maintained her innocence at Westminster Magistrates' Court this week.

'They told me I was going to prison for 26 weeks, or that was a possibility,' she said.

'I wrote many times, they pushed me and said I can't avoid it. I felt very worried, very alone.

'I do believe that mistakes have been made.

As she left the court, she addressed Judge Nicholas Rimmer and said: 'I never harassed those people. I'm not guilty, I never have been.'

The 53-year-old broke down at Westminster Magistrates' Court and claimed her innocence

During court, Judge Rimmer said: 'All I can say is that this court recognises the pressures you are under.

'Unfortunately this court does not have the jurisdiction to set aside your plea and to revisit the case for trial.

'I think the law is clear.'

In a statement read in court at Phillip's sentencing last year, Mr Cross said: 'She infiltrated my social circle and manipulated my friends in order to get to me.

'This has negatively impacted every aspect of my life. I simply wish for this to be over and to do my duty without her harassing Serena in my absence.'

Ms Williams said she was unable to sleep after not knowing when Phillips might 'strike' again.

Phillips has claimed she was pushed by her lawyers to admit to the charges

'It has led me to lock all of the doors and check under the car,' she said.

'She systematically made it her mission to force herself into our lives, this was unasked for and unwanted.

'She has written a number of times how she's going to turn up. What she will do next is the question spinning around in my mind almost all the time.'

Mr Cross said in his statement he had four dates with Phillips before deciding to end the short relationship and remain friends.

But in February last year, Mr Cross organised a charity ball which Phillips attended, and he said she followed him around all evening.

Prosecutor Johnathan Bryan earlier told the court: 'Throughout 1 May to 31 December 2019 he received a number of texts and emails from Ms Phillips.

'There were a number of WhatsApp messages talking about their relationship and her apologising about contacting him and making reference to the fact that she would take her life describing how much she still likes him. I'm summarising as there are about 45 texts but the general nature is that she's upset about the new relationship and unhappy about him blocking and unblocking her.

'She was blocked but then contacted him through different avenues on his work email address, that being a Ministry of Defence email address and giving Mr Cross great difficulty to get her blocked from that address having received all those emails.

'On 4 October 2019 Ms Phillips had gone on to send a further 15 emails in a row and on that same day he received a number of telephone calls from an unknown number.'

When Mr Cross and Ms Williams announced their engagement in the Telegraph newspaper, Phillips commented on the piece on the website.

'Phillips in fact commented on that on the website making reference to the fact that she was still in love with Mr Cross and was not happy about the end of their relationship,' Mr Bryan said.

Phillips was sentenced to a 12 month community order and ordered to pay 800 costs last July.

A restraining order was put in place to prevent her from contacting the couple and attending their place of work and social club.
Eight in 10 Republicans agree with the House GOP's decision to vote out Representative Liz Cheney from her leadership position for breaking with Donald Trump, a new poll revealed Sunday.

The latest numbers are just another sign of the direction of the Republican Party and its doubling-down on loyalty to the former president.

Among the 80 per cent of Republicans surveyed by CBS News/YouGov, 52 per cent said the party was right to boot Cheney because she 'didn't support Trump,' while 69 per cent said she is no longer 'on message with the party.'

On Wednesday, the House Republican Conference held a vote to boot Cheney as chairwoman, which is the No. 3 spot in GOP leadership in the lower chamber.

The vote was scheduled by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy after a failed ouster vote earlier this year as Wyoming's at-large representative continued to break with Trump's claims the 2020 election was stolen and 'rigged' for Joe Biden.

Instead, she was one of the 10 Republican members of Congress who voted for Trump's impeachment for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot.

On Friday, the House GOP voted for New York Representative Elise Stefanik to take Cheney's former leadership role.

Stefanik objected to certifying the 2020 election results during the joint session on January 6 and was one of Trump's biggest defenders in his subsequent impeachment hearing.

Of the 951 Republicans polled by CBS/YouGov May 12-14, 66 per cent say being loyal to Trump is important to them.

A poll released Sunday show 80 per cent of Republicans agree with the House GOP ousting Liz Cheney as Republican Conference chairwoman

Of those who wanted Cheney gone, 52 per cent agreed with removal because she 'didn't support Trump'

Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from her No. 3 leadership post on Wednesday for refusing to back Donald Trump's claims of widespread election fraud and continuously breaking with the former president

Stefanik claimed on Sunday that the Republican Party is unified following Liz Cheney's ouster in a Republican leadership role and called former President Donald Trump 'an important voice in the Republican Party.'

The same poll showed 67 per cent of Republican voters still don't believe Biden is the legitimate winner of the 2020 election.

Trump claimed in a statement Sunday following the poll results that 'there is no way' Biden won.

The former president wrote in a statement from his 'Save America' political action committee email: 'Breaking News ! New polling by CBS News on the state of the Republican Party (which is very strong!).'

''President Trump has a strong hold on the GOP.' 80% of Republicans agree with the removal of Liz Cheney from GOP Leadership and only 20% disagree,' he continued in the statement, which was also posted to his website 'From the Desk of Donald J. Trump.'

'The poll also showed that 67% of Republicans said that they do not consider Sleepy Joe Biden to be the legitimate winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. I agree with them 100%, just look at the facts and the datathere is no way he won the 2020 Presidential Election!'

Cheney said after the vote to oust her Wednesday that she would do 'whatever it takes' to keep Trump from being president again and from solidifying his control of the Republican Party.

She also has not ruled out her own presidential bid in 2024 to keep Trump from winning another term.

Two-thirds of Republicans feel it's 'important' that GOP lawmakers are 'loyal to Trump'

Trump released a statement on the poll lauding his prevailing support in the party

'I'm going to do everything that I can both to make sure that that never happens, but also to make sure that the Republican Party gets back to substance and policy,' she said. 'We cannot be dragged backward by the very dangerous lies of a former president.'

Trump has not yet announced whether he will run for the White House again in 2024, but a bid is all-but-assured as the former president has previewed people will be 'very happy' with his announcement after the 2022 midterms.

Republicans' claimed leading up to the vote to remove Cheney and afterwards that their goal is solely to win back the majority in the House in next year's election.

Stefanik said in another interview on Sunday that the party is 'unified in exposing the radical far-left agenda of President Joe Biden and Speaker Pelosi.'

'Republicans are looking forward,' she said. 'We are unified and we are talking about conservative principles.'

Stefanik said the party wants to focus 'every day on exposing the border crisis, economic crisis and the national security crisis in the Middle East because it's having an impact on everyday Americans.'

New York Representative Elise Stefanik was voted to replace Cheney on Friday and claimed on Sunday that the Republican Party is unified following Cheney's ouster in a Republican leadership role and called Trump 'an important voice in the Republican Party'

'We are working as one team,' she said. 'We are focused on moving forward.'

She added that the Republican Party is now 'looking forward' while Cheney is 'looking backwards.'

Cheney, meanwhile, remained defiant after being removed from her Number Three leadership position among House Republicans.

'I'm not leaving the party,' she said.

She expressed zero regret for her public challenges to Trump's false claim he won the 2020 election and for her calls that he be held accountable for his role in inciting the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill that left five people dead.

'It's an ongoing threat,' she said. 'So silence is not an option.

On Sunday, Cheney said that the 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump for president were 'misled' and 'betrayed.'

Rep. Liz Cheney said House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy should testify before the commission studying the January 6th riot and predicted he will likely be subpoenaed

She also accused House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the woman who replaced her as GOP Conference Chair, of being complicit in Trump's lie that he won the 2020 election.

The Wyoming Republican, who voted for Trump in last year's contest, said she regrets that decision and argued the former president is a 'real danger' to democracy with his false claims of election fraud.

Liz Cheney talks about her parents' influence Rep. Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney, said she talks to her father nearly every day. 'I talked to him every day usually. And, you know, I'm just immensely, immensely proud to be his daughter,' she told NBC's Today Show. 'I learned from him the importance of having the courage of your convictions. I learned from him what it means to stand up for what's right,' she said. Asked if her dad would be proud of her, she said: 'I know he is.' Cheney also downplayed any talk that sexism may have play a role in her ouster from GOP leadership. 'As women, all of us have an obligation to usually fight harder and work harder and be better, but I don't think that anybody should ever play the victim,' she said. She said she thought of her mom Lynne Cheney: 'I think about the example of my mother. You know, I was really blessed to grow up in a house where it just never occurred to us, my sister and me, that that you know our gender was any sort of an obstacle to anything.' Lynne and Dick Cheney with their daughters Mary and Liz Advertisement

'Former President Trump continues to be a real danger. What he's doing and what he's saying, his claims, his refusal to accept decisions by the courts, his claims continued as recently as yesterday that somehow this election was stolen,' she said on Fox News Sunday.

She told Chris Wallace the Republicans who supported him were misled.

'Those millions of people that you mentioned who supported the president have been misled. They've been betrayed. And certainly as we see his continued action to attack our democracy, his continued refusal to accept the results of the last election, you see that ongoing danger,' Cheney said.

She also had harsh words for McCarthy and Stefanik. McCarthy supported Stefanik's bid for leadership after it was clear House Republicans wanted Cheney booted out.

Cheney said the two were complicit in Trump's lies.

'They are,' she said. 'I'm not willing to do that.'

'What I said in my last remarks to the conference as chairwoman of the conference was that if they were looking for leaders who would be complicit in spreading the big lie, I wasn't their person, that there were plenty of other people who would do that,' she said.

Trump, on Saturday, continued his tirade about his loss last year: 'As our Country is being destroyed, both inside and out, the Presidential Election of 2020 will go down as THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!,' he said in a statement.

Many Republicans have embraced Trump, seeing his supporters as their way of taking back control of the House and the Senate in the 2022 midterm election.

But Cheney rejected that argument.

'We cannot do that if we are embracing the big lie, if we are embracing what former President Trump continues to say on a nearly daily basis, which is claims that the election was stolen, using the same language he used, that he knows provoke violence on January 6th,' she said.

Cheney also accused Trump of echoing Chinese communists when it comes to democracy and predicted the commission examining the January 6 MAGA riot will have to subpoena McCarthy to learn what the former president told him that day.

Cheney, who was ousted from House Republican Leadership last week for her criticism of Trump, has not let up since she was booted out.

The Republican from Wyoming has been on a media tour since her exile, where she's called for her party to hold Trump accountable for his false claims he won the presidential election and his role in the riot, which left five people dead. She has said repeatedly the former president cannot be elected to another term in 2024 and won't rule out her own bid to stop him.

She took her tough talk a step further in an interview with ABC's This Week, saying Trump's lies about the 2020 election are 'dangerous' and are similar to what Chinese communists say about democracy.

'We have to recognize what it means for the nation to have a former president who has not conceded and who continues to suggest that our electoral system cannot function, cannot do the will of the people,' she said in the interview that aired Sunday.

'To cause that kind of questioning about our process, frankly, it's the same kinds of things that the Chinese Communist Party says about democracy: that it's a failed system, that America is a failed nation,' she added.

'I won't be part of that. And I think it's very important for Republicans who won't be part of that to stand up and speak out.'

Cheney's words will likely irritate the former president, who had a contentious relationship with China while in the Oval Office and engaged in a trade war with Beijing.

She said she believes only a small number of Republicans believe Trump's lie the election was stolen.

Cheney said the riot, where Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, was the last straw for her

'I think it's a relatively small number,' she said on ABC's This Week.

Cheney also had tough words for House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has embraced Trump as he tries to win back control of the House in the 2022 midterms and take over as speaker. McCarthy supported Stefanik replacing Cheney as GOP Conference Chair.

She said McCarthy, who spoke on the phone with Trump during the January 6th riot as MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol, will likely be subpoenaed by the commission studying what happened.

She said he should testify.

'He absolutely should, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were subpoenaed. I think that he very clearly and said publicly that he's got information about the president's state of mind that day,' Cheney said.

'I would hope he doesn't require a subpoena, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were subpoenaed,' she added.

She said, for her, January 6th was the last straw.

'You know, once January 6th happened, that that's the end. And that has been, I think, the most disappointing thing to me, that that more of my colleagues have not been willing to stand up and say that can never happen again,' she said.

The bipartisan commission will be evenly split between Republican and Democratic lawmakers. It will study the facts and circumstances of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as well as the influencing factors that may have provoked the riot.
A primary school teacher sent a lewd photo of himself to a girl he believed was 14 years old on Snapchat along with a series of 'sexualised' messages telling the teen to be 'proud of your body', a court has heard.

Liam Paul Wilkinson appeared before the County Court of Victoria on Monday after he was caught in an international police sting in 2019 when he chatted to a teenage girl in Colorado, who was actually a US investigator.

The court heard the 27-year-old former Milgate primary school teacher initially believed the girl was 16 and continued talking to her when the investigator who was purporting to be the teen said her true age was 14, the Herald Sun reported.

Liam Paul Wilkinson pleaded guilty to one charge of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication

The County Court of Victoria on Monday heard Wilkinson had sent 'sexualised' messages to a girl on Snapchat he believed was 14-years-old

'I have just woken up about you (wet emoji),' Wilkinson wrote to the girl on Snapchat.

He also sent a semi-nude photo of himself to the girl and told the teenager in later messages he was 'not pressuring' her to send a photo in return.

But he added: 'What you showed me last week was (flame emoji) (love heart eyes emoji) just so you know, be confident & proud of your body'.

'I am only full of compliments (smiley face emoji) Btw especially that full body one with you on your knees naked on your bed was just (wet emoji) hahahaha.'

The court heard Wilkinson sent a semi-naked photo of himself and a series of messages to a girl he believed was 14 on social media app Snapchat

Wilkinson pleaded guilty to one charge of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication.

The court heard Wilkinson did not actively seek out an underage girl and had not been charged with grooming but had not stopped messaging after finding out she was 14.

Judge Justin Hannebery said Wilkinson's future career prospects in teaching were all but 'extinguished' because of '10 minutes of stupidity', noting the-then 25-year-old was a teacher 'sending a nude to someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl'.

Wilkinson will be sentenced later this month.
Judy Bednar, 78, (pictured) was found dead in her Chelsea home on Drinan Road, Victoria on Saturday morning

A son accused of killing his elderly mother will remain in police custody as detectives analyse 'significant amounts' of DNA evidence.

Thomas Bednar, 53, was on Monday arrested and charged with the murder of his 78-year-old mother Judy Bednar after she was found dead in her Chelsea home on Drinan Road, in Victoria, on Saturday morning.

Police allege Ms Bednar was murdered some time between May 12 and 15.

Ms Bednar was reportedly terrified of her son, who has schizophrenia, and went to police in the months before her death for protection, the Herald Sun reported.

The reports come as footage of a man dressed in a white hazmat get-up was seen entering Ms Bednar's home on CCTV footage before she was murdered.

Thomas Bednar, 53, (pictured) was on Monday arrested and charged with the murder of his 78-year-old mother Judy Bednar

Bednar did not appear during a brief filing hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court court on Monday evening.

His lawyer told Magistrate Victoria Campbell he was not aware Bednar had a history of psychiatric illness and was not withdrawing from drugs.

Bednar, however, does have a nightly prescription for 20 milligrams of temazepam, a medication used to treat sleep problems including insomnia.

Ms Bednar's murder comes as as footage of a man dressed in a white hazmat get-up was found entering Ms Bednar's home before she was murdered (pictured: Thomas Bednar)

His lawyer Lachlan Hocking told the court it was Bednar's first time in custody.

Prosecutors have been granted additional time to gather CCTV footage, and send off 'significant amounts of DNA evidence' and devices for analysis.

Ms Bednar fled Hungary as a young girl as her father and relatives were imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

Bednar did not apply for bail and was remanded to next appear before court on October 4.
Lord Frost today said post-Brexit border rules in Northern Ireland are having a 'bigger chilling effect than we thought' on trade coming from Great Britain.

The Cabinet Office minister told MPs that talks remain ongoing with the European Union on how to improve the rollout of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He said there is 'a bit of momentum' in discussions with the bloc but warned overall they are 'not hugely productive'.

However, Lord Frost said he does remain hopeful of a potential breakthrough within the next month.

The Northern Ireland Protocol has angered unionists because it effectively creates a barrier between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by leaving the region tied to a range of EU customs and regulatory rules

The Protocol was agreed as part of the Brexit divorce deal and it was designed to protect the peace process by avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But it has angered unionists because it effectively creates a barrier between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by leaving the region tied to a range of EU customs and regulatory rules.

Those rules require checks to be carried out on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, causing disruption to trade.

Lord Frost told Parliament's European Scrutiny Committee this afternoon that the Protocol's impact on trade from GB to Northern Ireland has been greater than anticipated.

He said: I think the broader question is that the processes around the boundary between GB and Northern Ireland are significant.

They probably have a bigger chilling effect than we thought on GB businesses wanting to move goods into Northern Ireland and that is one of the problems thats underlying some of the unrest and political developments we are seeing in Northern Ireland.

Talks remain ongoing between Britain and Brussels as they discuss how to improve the rollout of the Protocol.

Lord Frost said he does not intend to impose a negotiating deadline but signalled he wants the problems to be resolved as soon as possible.

The UK Government fears that unless problems are remedied, unionist violence could flare during the July marching season in protest at the border in the Irish Sea.

Lord Frost told MPs: At the moment, we are talking to the Commission about the range of practical issues that have arisen from trying to operate the Protocol.

I would say many of those issues dont themselves go to the heart of the problems but we are talking to them and trying to find solutions.

There is a bit of momentum in that discussion. It is not hugely productive and we will have to see how far we can take it.

The fundamental problem for us is that the way the Protocol is operating is undermining the Good Friday Agreement rather than supporting it then we obviously have a problem, that wasnt what the Protocol was meant to do and if it is doing it then it isnt working right.

So we have begun discussion with the EU that enables us to fix those sort of difficulties.

At the moment we arent quite [there] but I still hope that that might be possible in the next month or so.

His comments to the committee came after he suggested at the weekend that the UK Government could unilaterally decide to suspend border checks in Northern Ireland by triggering Article 16 of the Protocol should Brussels refuse to budge.

Lord Frost made clear this afternoon that such a step has not been ruled out by ministers.

'Article 16 does allow for such counter-measures, obviously no decisions have been taken on any of these next steps, as I said we continue to consider all the options,' he said.
Passengers could be weighed before they get on jets because Americans are getting fatter and the FAA is concerned aircraft may be overloaded.

Airline carriers are tasked with calculating the weight and balance of their aircraft to ensure its within allowable limits for the safety of the plane.

Increasing obesity rates in the United States, however, dictate that the standard numbers used by the airline industry to average out passenger weight is likely outdated and therefore, unsafe to use.

Weighing select passengers at airports would establish a more accurate number for average passenger weight so the number of seats available on flights can be adjusted accordingly.

The FAA sent out a circular two years ago addressing issues of weight and balance for aircrafts.

Advisory circulars are not binding law, but they do set de facto standards for the airline industry, which could start adhering to the standards soon.

View from the Wing reports that the point of time for potential final action from the FAA has arrived after a public comment period closed last spring.

Monitoring weight and balance for safety reasons on flights is nothing new, but the estimated weight for passengers that has been in use has become outdated as obesity rates in the United States have risen.

The CDC reports the obesity rate in the United States at 42.4 percent in 2017-18, the most recent public data available.

Airline passengers may have to deal with a new stress soon: being weighed at the airport

To get a better sense of passenger weights, random survey sampling may be implemented, which could include passengers being weighed at the gates.

The process would be voluntary for passengers, who would have the ability to opt-out of any weighing.

Old FAA standards list the average adult passenger and their carry-on baggage at 170 pounds in the summer and 175 pounds in the winter, which accounts for extra clothing.

New standards increased those averages to 190 pounds and 195 pounds, respectively, according to AirInsight Group.

That includes an average of 179 pounds in the summer and 184 pounds in the winter for women, against an average of 200 pounds in the summer and 205 pounds in the winter for men.

The advisory circular - which is not law - was issued in regards to weight and balance control

The recommendations do include an opportunity for operators to 'make a reasonable estimate of the passenger's actual weight,' though only under certain conditions

In total, it was about a 12 percent increase in estimated weight from the previous standards.

Still, airlines may need to do their own surveys every three years to make sure those estimations are accurate.

'The FAA recommends operators accomplish such a review every 36 calendar-months,' the advisory circular reads.

This would entail surveying at least 15 percent of an airline's passengers on any given day.

The surveys would be random and voluntary, with passengers being allowed to opt-out of being weighed.

'Regardless of the sampling method used, an operator has the option of surveying each passenger and bag aboard the aircraft and should give a passenger the right to decline to participate in any passenger or bag weight survey,' the FAA guidance says.

It isn't clear if the passenger would be penalized in any way, but the airline would then have to move on to a different random passenger.

'If a passenger declines to participate, the operator should select the next passenger based on the operators random selection method rather than select the next passenger in a line,' the guidance continues.

It also states that a passenger's weight should not be estimated if they choose not to participate in being weighed.

Overseas, these surveys have been taken before (1938 flight to Australia pictured)

The FAA guidance also addresses privacy concerns, stating that the data will remain confidential and any weighing would take place out of public view.

'The scale readout should remain hidden from public view,' the FAA says. 'An operator should ensure that any passenger weight data collected remains confidential.'

If a weight is voluntarily given to an airline instead of a measurement taking place, however, operators can then give a new estimate if they believe the weight is 'understated.'

It's not clear when the guidelines could be put into place.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, the FAA said, 'The FAA issued an Advisory Circular in May 2019 that stressed the importance that airline weight and balance programs accurately reflect current passenger weights.

'Operators are evaluating their programs to comply with this guidance. While weighing customers at the gate is an option, most operators will likely rely on updated methods for estimating passenger weights.'

Weighing passengers for balance purposes and to calculate fuel burning isn't unheard of overseas.

Just last month, Air New Zealand conducted a survey similar to the one proposed by the FAA, according to View from the Wing.

The upshot of the change to weights and balances is that seats could be removed to balance out the plane better, potentially giving passengers more legroom.

That, however, could result in an increase in ticket prices for passengers down the road.
ragya Thakur, an MP from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is claiming that cow urine can cure lung infections caused by Covid-19

An Indian MP has caused outrage after she claimed that she is protected from coronavirus because she drinks cow urine every day.

Pragya Thakur, a controversial MP from Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also claimed that the urine can cure lung infections caused by the virus.

Her bizarre comments come just days after Indian doctors urged people not to cover themselves in cow dung and urine as a treatment for Covid, saying it risks spreading the disease faster.

She made the claims at a party gathering on Monday at a time when India is grappling with a second wave and a daily death toll of about 4,000.

MP Thakur sparked outrage over her comments, with political figures arguing that her 'unscientific' claims will 'ultimately discourage people from vaccination and invite more devastation'.

Pragya Thakur, a controversial MP from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has caused outrage after she claimed that she is protected from coronavirus because she drinks cow urine every day

Cow urine eliminates lung infections caused due to Covid: BJP MP Pragya Thakur said.



Someone please tell #PragyaThakur thr is a life outside gaushala.

Statements like these r an insult to all virologists, frontline workers who r doing everything beyond thr capacity to save lives pic.twitter.com/uia7HOhULQ  Jagan Patimeedi (@JAGANTRS) May 17, 2021

MP Thakur (centre) also claimed that the urine can cure lung infections caused by the virus

People cover themselves in a mixture of cow dung and urine at a Hindu school in Gujarat state, India, believing it is an alternative cure for Covid

'If we have desi gau mutra (urine from an indigenous cow) every day, then it cures lung infection from Covid,' MP Thakur told a crowd.

'I am in deep pain but I take cow urine every day. So now, I don't have to take any medicine against coronavirus and I don't have coronavirus,' she said, adding: 'Cow urine is a life-saver.'

Her comments have caused outrage, with political figures slamming the statement as 'unscientific and illogical' and 'an insult' to the health workers who are trying to save lives.

Kunwar Danish Ali, an MP for the Bahujan Samaj Party, said: 'Losing 50 more doctors yesterday to Covid-19 is so disturbing.

'What is more disturbing is the unscientific and illogical statement from a BJP MP that drinking cow urine saved her from Covid.

'This will ultimately discourage people from vaccination and invite more devastation.'

Jagan Patameedi, the TRS Party Social Media Convenor, said: 'Someone please tell Pragya Thakur there is a life outside guashala (a protective shelter for cows in India).

'Statements like these are an insult to all virologists, frontline workers who are doing everything beyond their capacity to save lives.'

Despite MP Thakur's claims that cow urine has protected her from coronavirus, she was admitted to Delhi's AIIMS hospital in December last year for Covid-19 symptoms, reported NDTV.

Two years ago, MP Thakur caused controversy among the medical community after she claimed she had cured herself of breast cancer by drinking cow urine.

But a surgeon Dr. S.S. Rajput from the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow said the MP had instead undergone a bilateral mastectomy to prevent the recurrence of cancer, reported The Hindu.

MP Thakur's comments come after it emerged that Hindus in western Gujarat state have been visiting cow shelters once a week to douse themselves in excrement, which is then washed off with milk.

Cow dung is often used in Hindu rituals for its supposed antiseptic or therapeutic properties, but some are now turning to it as a treatment for Covid

Believers smear themselves in a mixture of dung and urine, wait for it to dry, and then wash the mixture off using milk or buttermilk

Indian government reassures citizens 5G does not cause Covid The Indian government has been forced to reassure its citizens that 5G has not caused the second wave of coronavirus following a spate of conspiracy theories circulating on social media. Officials pointed out that there are no 5G networks in India as the country only approved 5G trials last week and they won't start for months. The government described the conspiracy theories as 'baseless and false' and urged the public not to be 'misguided' by the rumours. India's Department of Telecommunication said in a statement: 'Several misleading messages are being circulated on various social media platforms claiming that the second wave of coronavirus has been caused by the testing of the 5G mobile towers. 'These messages are false and absolutely not correct... the general public is hereby informed that there is no link between 5G technology and the spread of Covid-19 and they are urged not to be misguided by the false information and rumours spread in this matter.' A prominent message circulating on social media states that the radiation from cell phone towers 'mixes with the air and makes it poisonous and thats why people are facing difficulty in breathing and are dying', reports Coda Story. Advertisement

They believe feces from a cow - a holy animal to Hindus - will boost their immune systems, helping to both prevent and cure Covid.

But Dr JA Jayalal, president of the Indian Medical Association, warned the 'cure' doesn't work and may actually help to spread the virus as often sick people gather in groups to undergo the treatment.

Some Indians have turned to unproven 'cures' for Covid as the virus runs rampant in the country and proven treatments - such as oxygen and vaccines - run in desperately short supply.

Earlier this month, medics in rural parts of Maharashtra state warned that patients are being brought to them with marks from hot irons held against their skin by witch doctors in an attempt to drive the virus out.

Others are coming to shelters such as Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam, a school run by Hindu monks near Ahmedabad, to undergo cow dung 'therapy'.

The shelter is located just across the road from the headquarters of Zydus Cadila, which is developing its own COVID-19 vaccine.

Gautam Manilal Borisa, a manager at a pharmaceuticals company and frequent visitor, insisted to reporters that bathing in cow dung had cured him of Covid when he caught the virus last year.

'We see ... even doctors come here. Their belief is that this therapy improves their immunity and they can go and tend to patients with no fear,' he said.

They mix both cow dung and urine - which has been used in Hindu rituals for centuries for its supposed therapeutic and antiseptic properties - and then cover their bodies in the mixture.

As participants wait for the dung and urine mixture on their bodies to dry, they hug or honour the cows at the shelter, and practice yoga to boost energy levels.

The packs are then washed off with milk or buttermilk.

'There is no concrete scientific evidence that cow dung or urine work to boost immunity against COVID-19, it is based entirely on belief,' said Dr Jayalal as he urged people not to visit such centres.

'There are also health risks involved in smearing or consuming these products - other diseases can spread from the animal to humans.'

While waiting for the dung packs to dry, devotees hug the cows or perform yoga - believing it will further boost their immunity

Devotees at a Hindu school in the city of Ahmedabad have their cow dung packs washed off using milk in the belief it will help prevent illness

A man covered in cow dung is washed with milk in the belief it will help prevent Covid, though medics warn there is no evidence to support it

A man washes cow dung off his legs after taking part in a 'therapy' session at a Hindu school in Ahmedabad that was designed to ward off Covid

It comes as India's health ministry on Monday reported 281,386 coronavirus cases, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21.

But daily deaths remained about 4,000 and experts warned that the count was unreliable due to a lack of testing in rural areas, where the virus is spreading fast.

For months now, nowhere in the world has been hit harder than India by the pandemic, as a new strain of the virus first found there fuelled a surge in infections that has risen to more than 400,000 daily.

Even with a downturn over the past few days, experts said there was no certainty that infections had peaked, with alarm growing both at home and abroad over the new more contagious B.1.617 variant taking hold.

'There are still many parts of the country which have not yet experienced the peak, they are still going up,' World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan was quoted as saying in the Hindu newspaper.

India's health ministry on Monday reported 281,386 coronavirus cases, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21

It comes as India registered another 4,077 deaths on Sunday, taking the total fatalities to a devastating 270,294

Indian covid sufferers are now contracting deadly 'black fungus' infection with spike causing a shortage of the drugs to treat it A growing number of current and recovered Covid-19 patients in India are contracting a deadly and rare fungal infection, doctors said on Monday. Mucormycosis, dubbed 'black fungus' by medics, is usually most aggressive in patients whose immune systems are weakened by other infections. 'The cases of mucormycosis infection in Covid-19 patients post-recovery is nearly four to five times than those reported before the pandemic,' Ahmedabad-based infectious diseases specialist Atul Patel, a member of the state's Covid-19 taskforce, told AFP. In the western state of Maharashtra, home to India's financial hub Mumbai, up to 300 cases have been detected, said Khusrav Bajan, a consultant at Mumbai's P.D. Hinduja National Hospital and a member of the state's Covid-19 taskforce. Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS Hospital in Delhi warned that secondary infections like mucormycosis or 'black fungus' were adding to India's mortality rate with states having reported more than 500 cases recently in COVID-19 patients with diabetes. Some 300 cases have been reported so far in four cities in Gujarat, including its largest Ahmedabad, according to data from state-run hospitals. The western state ordered government hospitals to set up separate treatment wards for patients infected with 'black fungus' amid the rise in cases. 'Mucormycosis - if uncared for - may turn fatal,' the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), the scientific agency leading the government's response, said in a treatment chart released on Twitter. Covid-19 sufferers more susceptible to contracting the fungal infection include those with uncontrolled diabetes, those who used steroids during their virus treatment, and those who had prolonged stays in hospital ICUs, the ICMR added. Treatment involves surgically removing all dead and infected tissue and administering a course of anti-fungal therapy. But Yogesh Dabholkar, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Mumbai's DY Patil Hospital, told AFP that the drugs used to treat those infected with the fungus were expensive. One of the treatment drugs was also running short in government hospitals due to the sudden spike, he added. 'The mortality rate is very high... Even the few that recover, only recover with extensive and aggressive surgery,' Bajan said. 'This is a fast-moving infection. It can grow within two weeks... It's a Catch-22, coming out of a virus and getting into a fungal infection. It's really bad.' Reporting by AFP Advertisement

Swaminathan pointed to the worryingly high national positivity rate, at about 20 per cent of tests conducted, as a sign that there could be worse to come.

'Testing is still inadequate in a large number of states. And when you see high test positivity rates, clearly we are not testing enough. And so the absolute numbers actually don't mean anything when they are taken just by themselves; they have to be taken in the context of how much testing is done, and test positivity rate.'

Having begun to decline last week, and new infections over the past 24 hours were put at 281,386 by the health ministry on Monday, dropping below 300,000 for the first time since April 21. The daily death count stood at 4,106.

At the current rate India's total caseload since the epidemic struck a year ago should pass the 25 million mark in the next couple of days. Total deaths were put at 274,390.

Hospitals have had to turn patients away while mortuaries and crematoriums have been unable to cope with bodies piling up. Photographs and television images of funeral pyres burning in parking lots and corpses washing up on the banks of the Ganges river have fuelled impatience with the government's handling of the crisis.

It is widely accepted that the official figures grossly underestimate the real impact of the epidemic, with some experts saying actual infections and deaths could be five to 10 times higher.

Whereas the first wave of the epidemic in India, which peaked in September, was largely concentrated in urban areas, where testing was introduced faster, the second wave that erupted in February is rampaging through rural towns and villages, where about two-thirds of the country's 1.35 billion people live, and testing in those places is sorely lacking.

'This drop in confirmed COVID cases in India is an illusion,' S. Vincent Rajkumar, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, said on Twitter.

'First, due to limited testing, the total number of cases is a huge underestimate. Second, confirmed cases can only occur where you can confirm: the urban areas. Rural areas are not getting counted.'

But lockdowns in parts of the country such as Mumbai are offering a glimmer of hope for India.

In the last week, the number of new cases plunged by nearly 70 per cent in the nation's financial capital, home to 22 million people.

After a peak of 11,000 daily cases, the city is recording fewer than 2,000 a day. Even the capital of New Delhi is seeing signs of improvement.

But experts say the crisis is far from over in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people, with hospitals still overwhelmed and officials struggling with short supplies of oxygen and beds.

A well-enforced lockdown and vigilant authorities are being credited for Mumbai's burgeoning success.

Even the capital of New Delhi is seeing whispers of improvement as infections slacken after weeks of tragedy and desperation playing out in overcrowded hospitals and crematoriums and on the streets.

It is still too early to say things are improving, with Mumbai and New Delhi representing only a sliver of the overall situation.

While lockdowns have helped limit cases in parts of the country that had been hit by an initial surge of infections in February and April, such as Maharashtra and Delhi, rural areas and some states are dealing with fresh surges.

Combating the spread in the countryside, where health infrastructure is scarce and where most Indians live, will be the biggest challenge.

'The transmission will be slower and lower, but it can still exact a big toll,' said K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

The government issued detailed guidelines on Sunday for monitoring COVID-19 cases with the health ministry asking villages to look out for people with flu-like illness and get them tested for COVID-19

Adding to the strain on medical facilities, the Indian government has told doctors to look out for signs of mucormycosis or 'black fungus' in COVID-19 patients as hospitals report a rise in cases of the rare but potentially fatal infection.

The disease, which can lead to blackening or discolouration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood, is strongly linked to diabetes. And diabetes can in turn be exacerbated by steroids such as dexamethasone, used to treat severe COVID-19.

Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS Hospital in Delhi warned that secondary infections like mucormycosis or 'black fungus' were adding to India's mortality rate with states having reported more than 500 cases recently in COVID-19 patients with diabetes.

India's second wave has increased calls for a nationwide lockdown and prompted a growing number of states to impose tougher restrictions, impacting businesses and the wider economy.
A second case of a mysterious brain illness known as 'Havana Syndrome' has been reported near the White House as US intelligence officials continue investigating the cause and source of the suspected sonic attacks.

CNN on Monday reported that a second member of the National Security Council was struck by the illness near an entrance to the White House. The development comes less than three weeks after the reveal of the first case, which also involved an NSC official.

The neurological symptoms in both cases are consistent with a string of strange sonic attacks that have reportedly affected more than 130 US diplomats, spies and troops worldwide, sources told CNN.

The suspected directed-energy attacks have baffled US investigators who are working to determine who and what is causing them. Last week reports emerged that some US officials suspect Russia's infamous foreign intelligence agency - the GRU - could be the culprit.

The first NSC official fell ill while attempting to pass through a gate near the Ellipse mere yards from the White House one day after the election on November 4, according to CNN. That official experienced mild symptoms for the next week, including headaches and sleeplessness.

The second official, whose case came to light Monday, was struck near an entrance to the White House grounds several weeks later and suffered more severe symptoms, two sources told CNN.

The back-to-back incidents in the heart of the US capital have heightened concerns that the perpetrator may be ramping up their attacks on American soil.

A second case of a mysterious brain illness known as 'Havana Syndrome' has been linked to the White House as US intelligence officials continue investigating the cause and source of the suspected sonic attacks (file photo)

Last week a spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the Biden administration has dramatically escalated efforts to 'identify the cause of these incidents, determine attribution, increase collection efforts, and prevent' the so-called 'anomalous health incidents'.

CIA Director William Burns is said to be receiving daily briefings on the matter, in a sign of the level of concern at the highest levels of government.

Three current and former officials told Politico on May 10 the finger of blame was being pointed with increasing conviction toward Russia's GRU.

The attacks began in Havana in 2016 and have since been reported by more than 130 US personnel stationed in Syria, Europe and the US, the New York Times reported last week.

That tally was more than double the 60 cases previously known - most of which occurred in Cuba and China.

The first-suspected case in the US came in 2019, when a White House official who was walking her dog in a Virginia suburb near Washington reported experiencing symptoms.

Effects of Havana Syndrome include debilitating headaches, vertigo, nausea, and head or neck pain. In some cases victims have developed long-term brain damage, and physicians at Walter Reed have warned officials that some are at risk for suicide.

CIA Director William Burns is now receiving daily briefings on the sonic attacks worldwide

Sources who spoke to CNN said officials have struggled to come up with a definitive diagnosis for the illness, meaning they have not been able to prove a single case among the dozens suspected.

Scientists, engineers and medical experts are at odds over whether all of the cases could be linked to a single cause given the variety of symptoms and their duration, the sources said.

Two of the sources said investigators have successfully identified and fielded a blood test that can point to some markers that may indicate exposure - but that test alone is not enough for a diagnosis.

The uncertainty surrounding the cause of the attacks also poses a major roadblock in efforts to prevent more from happening. 'How do you counter something you don't know is coming?' one intelligence official told CNN.

The National Academy of Sciences issued a report in March which found that symptoms of the syndrome were most likely the result of a 'directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy' from a 'microwave weapon'.

However, the sources who spoke to CNN said those findings are far from confirmed.

'The whole "microwave" theory is not because someone has any intelligence to suggest it, or someone saw it happen,' one source said. 'This is what's been so maddening. It's based purely on symptoms.

'We have no hard leads - just all circumstantial evidence. And it's circumstantial evidence that could also be something completely different.'

The officials also cautioned that speculation about Russia potentially being behind the attacks is also circumstantial because Russia is one of only a few countries that has dedicated research and development to what could be the kind of weapon behind Havana Syndrome.

'The problem with the handful [of episodes] that I know have happened here in this country [is] the smoking gun,' one official said. 'We don't have the smoking gun.'

The lack of clarity around the incidents has fueled frustration among US lawmakers who feel Congress has been left in the dark about the investigation.

Among the critics is Rep Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat and former Marine who heads the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations.

'I don't believe that we as a government, in general, have acted quickly enough. We really need to fully understand where this is coming from, what the targeting methods are and what we can do to stop them,' he said.

Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner called out a lack of transparency in the investigation, saying: 'There are lots of entities in the government looking at this. We need to have it better coordinated.

'I think there's a level of seriousness given to this now that frankly was not there until Director Burns came and made this a priority.'

Other lawmakers slammed the government for failing to provide adequate support to victims.

'I'm appalled that many of these individuals who were injured in the line of duty have had to fight to get adequate medical care, to have their injuries even recognized and acknowledge and to receive financial compensation,' said Sen Susan Collins (R -Maine), who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The mysterious brain injuries started in 2016 after dozens of Americans became ill in Havana, Cuba - leading for the injuries to be called 'Havana Syndrome'

The Times revealed that in one 2019 case, which had not previously been reported, a military officer serving overseas had been targeted with his two-year-old son

A mountain of details about the attacks emerged in the New York Times report last week, which revealed one 2019 case in which a military officer serving overseas was targeted with his two-year-old son.

The officer was driving his car when he pulled into an intersection and was 'overcome by nausea and headaches' while his toddler sat in the back seat crying, current and former officials told the outlet.

The officer was able to pull away from the intersection when the nausea stopped and his kid stopped crying, according to the Times. Several other military personnel were hurt in Europe and Asia, though none were injured in combat zones.

That incident reportedly angered officials in both the Trump and Biden administrations leading them to investigate further. The CIA has reportedly formed a new 'targeting cell' to investigate the episodes 'with a similar rigor and intensity' to hunting Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

At least three CIA officers have reportedly been required to undergo outpatient treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or other facilities since December - with one of the cases happening in just the last two weeks.

Marc Polymeropouloss, a former Russia-based CIA officer, developed such bad migraines he had to retire

Some Pentagon officials told the Times they believe Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, was behind the incident with the officer and his son - and that evidence points to Russia in other cases too.

Intelligence agencies and the White House have not determined what is responsible for the episodes or whether they constitute as attacks from foreign powers - while Moscow officials have repeatedly denied being involved.

'As of now, we have no definitive information about the cause of these incidents, and it is premature and irresponsible to speculate,' Amanda J. Schoch, the spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told The New York Times.

Emily J. Horne, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said the agency started an intelligence review to find if more unreported incidents fit the pattern.

'We are bringing the US government's resources to bear to get to the bottom of this,' she said.

The White House has tried to balance showing the issue being taken seriously while trying to keep panic from spreading within the government - and has worked to standardize reporting of the episodes while improving medical treatment.

A view shows the building of the US Embassy at 8 Bolshoi Devyatinsky Lane in Moscow, Russia

Cubans drive past the US embassy during a rally calling for the end of the US blockade against Cuba, in Havana, March 28, 2021

Marc Polymeropoulos, pictured in the Middle East, fuels suspicion that Russia is carrying out sonic attacks on Americans

A painting by one former CIA officer injured while overseas is on display at Walter Reed, the outlet reported.

Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer who was hurt in Moscow in 2017, said it signified the artist's feeling that victims wished they had been shot instead so their injuries would be more readily believed.

The mysterious brain injuries started in 2016 after dozens of Americans became ill in Havana, Cuba. Similar cases were later identified in Guangzhou, China. In October, the Times revealed that CIA officers in Russia reported symptoms as early as 2017.

In February, Polymeropoulos told BBC News that CIA agents were 'suffering in silence' after 'several senior agency officials' were affected by headaches, dizziness or loud noises in their head.

'What happened to US diplomats in Cuba, happened to me in Moscow,' Polymeropoulos said.

Lawmakers have also been briefed on injuries sustained by US troops in Syria, Politico reported.
A young nursing student has been hospitalised with three blood clots on her right lung just three weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Ellie Peacock, who works on a casual team that is exposed to potential Covid-positive patients, was given her first dose of the vaccine on March 31, a week before the government advised under 50s against receiving the AstraZeneca jab.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration is investigating and is yet to make a determination on Ms Peacock's case but she believes the blood clots were linked to the vaccine.

The 18-year-old went to the emergency department at the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital with severe throbbing and tightness in her calf on April 18 and what she claims were 'signs of clotting'.

Nursing student Eli Peacock has just been released from hospital after it was discovered she had three blood clots on her right lung

Ms Peacock received her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 31 and went to the emergency department on April 18 with what she claims were 'signs of clotting'

Ms Peacock was sent back to hospital after visiting her doctor two days later after her oxygen levels dropped to 90 per cent

But no blood clots were picked-up in an ultrasound and she was sent home where her pain subsided, the Courier-Mail reported.

The trainee nurse then started getting regular headaches and by May 7 Ms Peacock had severe pain near her collarbone while inhaling.

Two days later a chest x-ray identified she had pneumonia after she went back to hospital complaining of pain in her back and ribs.

She returned home again but on May 11, Ms Peacock was rushed to emergency at 2am after struggling to breathe.

'I was sent home within six hours without further testing done and was told that it's normal pain with pneumonia and that I need to put up with the pain until the medications start working,' she said.

Ms Peacock was sent back to hospital after visiting her doctor two days later after her oxygen levels dropped to 90 per cent.

It was then the three blood clots were discovered on her right lung, along with a low platelet count.

A timeline of Ellie Peacock's hospital visits: March 31, 2021: Trainee nurse gets her AstraZeneca jab a week before the government advised under 50s against receiving the AstraZeneca dosage. April 18: Takes herself to the hospital with severe throbbing and tightness in her calf. Had an ultrasound but no blood clots detected and she was sent home. May 7: Ms Peacock had severe pain near her collarbone while inhaling. May 9: A chest x-ray identified she had pneumonia after she went back to hospital complaining of pain in her back and ribs. She goes home once again. May 11: Ms Peacock was rushed to emergency at 2am after struggling to breathe. Is sent home within six hours. May 13: Is sent back to hospital after her oxygen levels drop to 90 per cent. Only now do doctors notice three blood clots on her lung. May 18: The Therapeutic Goods Administration is investigating and has yet to make a determination on Ms Peacock's case. Advertisement

The teenager now has to have regular CT scans and take blood thinning medication, along with having blood tests every four days and antibiotics for about six months.

Ms Peacock said she believes her blood clots are linked to the vaccine but has had to convince doctors because the clotting was discovered outside the usual timeline for adverse vaccine reactions.

'The doctor believes the ultrasound they did on my calf back all that time, that the clot had already got to my pelvis, or, was too small to show in the ultrasound,' she wrote in an Instagram story.

The teenager now has to have regular CT scans and take blood thinning medication, along with having blood tests every four days and antibiotics for about six months

Ms Peacock took to Instagram to say the three blood clots were found only after she persisted for further testing

'This experience has been terrifying and overwhelming but I'm on the mend. Now to focus on my health for the next six months.'

The TGA reported seven cases of a rare blood clotting condition linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine in its weekly Covid vaccine safety briefing on Thursday.

The authority said three cases were confirmed as a syndrome involving blood clots combined with a low platelet count - and four were deemed 'probable' cases.

The three confirmed cases are a 75-year-old man from Victoria, a 59-year-old man from Queensland, and a 75-year-old man from Western Australia.

The TGA said two of the patients were treated and released from hospital while the third man is in a stable condition.

The four 'probable' cases are a man, 70, from NSW and three men, 65, 70 and 81, from Victoria.

The condition, known technically as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, is 'very rare', according to the TGA, with the rates in Australia consistent with other countries.

Ms Peacock said her experience has been 'terrifying and overwhelming' but she is now on the mend and focusing on her health for the next six months

Of the 1.8million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine given in Australia up to Thursday, there have been 18 confirmed blood clot cases.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd last week addressed concerns surrounding the vaccine.

Professor Kidd said while the vaccine can cause blood clotting in people with low platelet counts he stressed that the chances of it happening are 'very small'.

'The serious risk disease and death from Covid-19, if we experience another severe outbreak is far greater than the very small potential risk of a very rare clotting disorder associated with the vaccine,' he said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently only recommended for those aged over 50, who those under that age are advised to get the Pfizer jab.
A Honduran women and her four kids who illegally crossed the Rio Grande into Texas last March and is now living in the United States speaks out for the first time about her journey to freedom and hopefully eventually citizenship.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com Tania Molina, 38, who is from Le Ceba, Honduras recounts how she made the 1,000-mile, 18-day arduous journey crossing the border into McAllen, Texas with her four children ages 8 to 15 years old.

Molina said she left her native country, because 'Honduras is getting more and more dangerous to live there. It's so bad in some places you can't even walk outside your house at night. And the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs start recruiting young boys in their early teens to become members and sell their drugs and run guns.'

'As a parent I want my children to have a better life. Any parent wants their children to have a better life. If we stayed in Honduras my young boys may be forced to join a gang, and I don't even want to think about what could happen to my 10-year-old daughter.

'It's was a tough miserable journey coming to America, but I would do it all over again without even thinking about it, any mother would,' continued Tania.

Tania Molina, 38, who is from Le Ceba, Honduras, tells DailyMail.com how she made the 1,000 mile, 18-day arduous journey to McAllen, Texas

Molina traveled to the U.S with her four children ages 8 to 15 years old. 'It's was a tough miserable journey coming to America, but I would do it all over again without even thinking about it, any mother would'

Molina said she left Honduras on March 1st and crossed the Rio Grande under the cover of darkness on March 18th, walking for hours until they found a Border Patrol agent who took them to a processing center. The family is pictured reunited after the trek

Molina said she left Honduras on March 1st and crossed the Rio Grande under the cover of darkness on March 18th, walking for hours until they found a Border Patrol agent who took them to a processing center.

Molina said her escape from Honduras to the United States was five years in the making. Her husband Adan Guerra had immigrated to the United States along with their eldest son in 2016.

During this time Adan and other family members were sending Molina money to live and pay for rent, food and saving for their long trek to the US.

Molina said she had to pay a guide $4K each or $20K total for her and her four children's passage to the United States - a hefty amount where the per capita income is about $2,400 U.S. dollars per year.

'It took several years to save up the money for me and my children to come to the United States,' she said.

Molina said it wasn't difficult to find a 'guide' as they are referred. 'You know somebody who knows somebody in Mexico that you can hire as a guide, you agree on a price and then begin your trip.'

Payment is made via wire transfer during various legs of the journey, not all at once, she said, 'it cost $1K US each to cross the border from Guatemala into Mexico. '

When the payment was due for each leg of the journey, Molina said the 'guide' would call the person who had the money on her end and give instructions on who, how, where and when to wire the money via Western Union. Each wire transfer along their leg of the trip was to a different person and city, the same person wasn't paid twice.

Molina said the guides were also changing out their cell phones every few days- using burner ones. During her trip she had at least 4 different guides. 'Most of the guides were young males but surprisingly there were a few females. Some of them were nice, but most of them were pretty militant to deal with. They didn't want to make small talk or talk about any personal. It was all business, at times I felt like we were treating us like animals, not human beings.'

She said there was never any mention of the cartel being involved in her journey but wouldn't be surprised if they were. 'They control most of Mexico so I'm sure the cartel was either directly or indirectly involved, but I never saw any evidence of it.'

Footage from the ride to the U.S. shows a packed boat of migrants - including young children - making their was to America

A packed boat shows migrants wearing masked as they travel to the U.S.

The Molina family provided this picture of two of Molina's sons on their journey to the U.S.

Before Molina left the detention facility a GPS tracking device was put on her ankle and she has to check in with US immigration every month

Molina said at times she was frightened during the journey because 'it was an unknown, putting our life into the hands of these guides, but the violence and turmoil we were facing in Honduras made it worthwhile. '

She said there wasn't any sexual violence or physical threats against their lives, like that has been reported in the past.

Traveling conditions were at times 'ok' but mostly subpar. About 25 immigrants were crammed into a private small bus that usually carries about 10 people and they would drive for hours without stopping. The bus was filled with immigrants from other Central American countries. Tania said some of them paid as much as $11K US each to cross the border.

She said during her 18 day journey she only spent two nights in hotel, and when she did they slept on the floor because they would put about 10 people into each room.

She can only remember a few days where they were actually fed a decent meal, one time she said they had pizza and another day they had some burritos, but mostly they were given crackers, cookies and candies to eat and water to drink.

Molina said that they mostly traveled by the small bus. When they encountered several federal police roadblocks on the way, most of time they were just waved by without them checking out the passengers on the bus.

But there were times the small bus had to take other alternate routes heading toward the border.

'We went on small dusty non paved dirt roads for a few several days. When we arrived in the northern Mexico area we had to walk for a few days through the desert, we were told to avoid detection by the Federal Police.'

Molina said for three nights her and her children had to sleep on the desert ground with nothing more than a plastic sheet covering them from the wind and cold.

'It was freezing at night in the desert, we were scared, it was pitch black outside and we couldn't see a thing but we heard all sorts of animal noises.'

Then there were several days Molina and her children spent the night in the back room of a local bodega, sleeping on the floor.

Molina and her children spent a total of eight days in a detention facility before her husband sent them bus tickets to travel from San Antonio to Louisiana

Molina said her escape from Honduras to the United States was five years in the making. Her husband Adan Guerra had immigrated to the United States along with their eldest son in 2016

At 4AM when Molina got off the bus, it was the first time she had seen her husband of 22-years and eldest son, face to face in almost five years

She said they were lucky if they were able to shower or bath twice a week. 'Like I said at times we were treated like human cargo, which we were.'

Another night while in Monterrey, Mexico Molina and her children slept under a bridge in the cold without a blanket, huddling together for warmth.

While leaving Monterrey the next morning Molina said she experienced something every mother fears, being separated from her children.

'If we stayed in Honduras my young boys may be forced to join a gang, and I don't even want to think about what could happen to my 10-year-old daughter,' she said. Her husband and daughter are pictured together

She said they were being loaded into the bus to be transported to the next city when one of the guides told her that there wasn't any room in the bus for her 13-year old son, Brounson.

'The guides told me last minute there was no room for him and they promised me that he was going to be on the next bus. The bus was so crowded I really didn't realize he wasn't on the bus until they were about ready to shut the door. I pleaded with the guides to let him on but they refused, and just drove away.

'I was sickened by what just happened but I had to stay strong for my other kids. We arrived at a border town, Reynosa, our final destination before we crossed over into the United States. I begged the guides for us to wait a few days until my son could be located, but he never showed up.

'The guides assured us that he was OK, and prior to paying the final payment for our trip, they let us talk to him by phone. He was crying and scared. Once again the guides promised us that he was OK and they were going to bring him across the border.

'Later that night we were told by the guides they were going to be taken across the Rio Grande in an inflatable raft at 10:30PM.'

Molina and three of her kids were loaded up on a raft and shuttled across the river which was about 100 yards wide, the trip took less than 10 minutes. They were dropped off on the US side near McAllen, TX.

Molina said she should have been happy finally completing her journey and making it into the United States, but she wasn't she still had no idea when she was going to see him again.

Before the guides dropped Molina and her children off on the US side of the border, they were told the Border Patrol would be on the other side and ready to pick them up to take them in for processing. But when they got to the US side, there was no Border Patrol to meet them. So Molina and a few others decided they were going to walk on the trails on the US side hoping to run into the Border Patrol. She said they walked until 4AM until they were able to locate a Border Patrol vehicle and flagged them down.

'The Border Patrol agents were nice and after we arrived at the processing center, I told one of them about my missing son, I gave them information on him.'

While at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, Molina and her children were given medical check-ups, making sure they didn't have COVID or tuberculosis. They were able to shower and given fresh clothing. 'We only brought 3 suitcases for clothing and personal belongings for 5 people on our trip,' said Molina.

They spent several more days at the center when finally she received the good news, her son had made it across the border safely and was in border patrol custody - they were going to be reunited.

Molina said, 'We spent a total of 8 days in the detention facility, then my husband sent bus tickets for all of us to make the overnight journey from San Antonio, Texas to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.'

Before she left the facility a GPS tracking device was put on her ankle and she has to check in with U.S. immigration every month.

The Molina family are pictured reunited after the 1,000 mile trek from Honduras to the U.S. Adan and other family members were sending Molina money to live and pay rent, food and saving for their long trek to the US.

At 4am Molina got off the bus, it was the first time she had seen her husband of 22-years and eldest son, face to face in almost five years.

'We were finally together as a family, it took five years for it to happened and I thank God and the United States for giving us this opportunity.'

Said Molina, 'I just want to be free and for my children to be given a chance. People in America don't realize how fortunate they are to be born in a free country. I wish we didn't have to leave Honduras in order to give my family a safer and better life, but we had to. '

Molina added, that she hasn't been given any money by the US Government to live on nor any other assistance, they are supported by friends and family while they go through the immigration process.

She is a big fan of President Biden, 'I think he is a kind, humane man that cares about family.' But added that she believes she and her kids would have been deported under President Trump.

Since taking office President Biden has refused to call it a 'crisis' at the southern border in spite of record number of immigrant crossings. In April more than 178,000 immigrants were stopped at the southwest border, 21-year high in monthly apprehensions, in March 2021 the southwest border saw almost 174,000 immigrant crossings.

'I just want a chance for my family to contribute to the United States, we will not be a burden to the tax payer. We want to work and pay our share of taxes, and do our part as society. I want my children to be safe, I want what any mother wants for her children.

'We want the American dream and we are willing to work hard for it.'
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up the case of a Mississippi state law that bans almost all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy  giving it the chance to substantially weaken the 1973 Roe. v. Wade decision.

The case will be the first abortion case to be heard in its entirety since the Republican Senate confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the last weeks of President Donald Trump's administration.

The case is setting up to be a major test of the court's new 6-3 conservative majority.

By hearing the case, the justices will look at whether to overturn a central part of the landmark ruling, a longstanding goal of religious conservatives.

The case will be the first abortion case to be heard in its entirety since the Republican Senate confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the last weeks of President Donald Trump's administration

In the Roe v. Wade decision, subsequently reaffirmed in 1992, the court said that states could not ban abortion before the viability of the fetus outside the womb, which is generally viewed by doctors as between 24 and 28 weeks. The Mississippi law would ban abortion much earlier than that.

The Roe v. Wade ruling recognized that a constitutional right to personal privacy protects a woman's ability to obtain an abortion. The court in its 1992 decision, coming in the case Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, reaffirmed the ruling and prohibited laws that place an "undue burden" on a woman's ability to obtain an abortion.

The Supreme Court will take up the Mississippi abortion case with its new 6-3 conservative majority

Shannon Brewer, the clinic director at the Jackson Women's Health Organization, watches a monitor with the live feed from security video cameras set throughout the property Friday, May 17, 2019, in Jackson, Miss.

Coney Barrett joined the court in October after then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed through her confirmation while voting for the November elections was already underway.

She replaced the pro-choice Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last year.

Last year, Chief Justice John Roberts, joined the court's four liberals at the time to rule against a Louisiana abortion law in a 5-4 decision, finding its restrictions were virtually identical to a Texas law the Court had struck down in 2016.

Abortion opponents are hopeful that the Supreme Court will narrow or overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. The court moved from a 5-4 to a 6-3 conservative majority following Senate confirmation last year of Republican former President Donald Trump's third appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

The 2018 Mississippi law, like others similar to it passed by Republican-led states, was enacted with full knowledge that was a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.

After the only abortion clinic in Mississippi, Jackson Women's Health Organization, sued to try to block the measure, a federal judge in 2018 ruled against the state. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019 reached the same conclusion, prompting the state to appeal to the Supreme Court.

By taking up the case, the court could hear arguments on the contentious issue the summer of 2022, an election year with control of the House and Senate up for grabs.

The state law prohibits all abortions if the 'the probable gestational age of the unborn human' was found to be more than 15 weeks 'except in a medical emergency or in the case of a severe fetal abnormality.'
Hundreds of thousands of people are dying from working long hours, according to a major World Health Organization (WHO) report.

The global study, the first of its kind, found 745,000 people died in 2016 from heart disease or strokes as a result of working more than 55 hours per week.

The majority - or 60 per cent - were middle-aged or older men.

Experts said working long hours not only puts extra stress on the body, but it also leads to unhealthy behavious such as overeating, smoking, drinking alcohol and sleeping less.

They found people who did overtime were more likely to suffer from obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes - all three conditions which dramatically drive up the risk of heart issues and strokes.

WHO scientists compared data from more than 4,000 global health surveys.

They found people who did 55-hour weeks were 35 per cent more likely to have a stroke and 17 per cent more likely to die from heart disease, compared with a working week of less than 40 hours.

According to the analysis, this was equivalent to 347,000 extra deaths from heart problems and 398,000 more from strokes.

One in 10 people around the world work more than 55 hours a week, the WHO said  equivalent to 11 hours per day.

Britons work 41.2 hours per week on average, official figures suggest, and Americans work roughly 47 hours a week.

California University scientists compared studies investigating the health effects of spending more than 55 hours a week behind a desk. They found it increased the risk of suffering heart disease by 35 per cent, and a stroke by 19 per cent

Proportion (%) of population exposed to long working hours more than 55 hours a week in 2016 in 194 countries. Researchers found South-East Asian and Western Pacific regions were the worst-affected

Men, particularly middle-aged and elderly men, were more likely to work long hours and die from conditions associated with overworking

The study did not take into account job changes during the pandemic and is based on data from hundreds of thousands of people in the years before Covid began.

The WHO said the problem may have been exacerbated during the crisis because some studies have suggested people are working longer hours.

Britons should work from home INDEFINITELY, say SAGE officials Britons should continue to work from home indefinitely even though the infection rate is at its lowest since early September, government officials believe. They say there is no need to rush back to offices because that drastically increases their contact with others. Figures from the Office for National Statistics published last week showed about one in 1,000 people are carrying the virus in England. The efficacy of working from home has been the subject of much research, with one study released in late April claiming it could lead to Britons losing out on career opportunities and create discrimination in offices. So-called 'hybrid working' models which give staff the flexibility to work between home and the office could be 'dragging businesses back decades', according to a team of business psychologists at the Cambridgeshire-based firm, OE Cam. But senior government advisers has warned against promoting a return to the office in summer amid fears it could encourage a third coronavirus wave. Members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) argued that working from is a simple and cheap way to reduce contact. Current advice is to work from home unless being in the office is required. A senior advisory source told The Times a large scale return to offices would not be best, at least until it is better understood how further reopenings would effect the country. Advertisement

The study estimated that in 2016, 398,000 people died from a stroke and 347,000 from heart disease after working at least 55 hours per week.

Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths due to heart disease linked to long working hours increased by 42 percent, while the figure for strokes went up by 19 percent.

Most of the recorded deaths were among people aged 60 to 79, who had worked 55 hours or more per week when they were between 45 and 74 years old.

'With working long hours now known to be responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease, it is established as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden,' the WHO said.

Frank Pega, a technical officer from Neira's WHO department, said the study found no difference in the effects on men and women of working long hours.

However, the burden of disease is particularly high among men - who account for 72 percent of the deaths - because they represent a large proportion of workers worldwide and therefore the exposure 'is higher amongst men', Pega told reporters.

It is also higher among people living in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia regions, where there are more informal sector workers who may be forced to work long days, Pega added.

The WHO is concerned about the trend as the number of people working long hours is increasing. It currently represents nine per cent of the total world population.

The organisation also said that the coronavirus crisis was speeding up developments that could feed the trend towards increased working hours.

'The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,' said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

'Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours.

'No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers.'

Citing a study by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, conducted across 15 countries, Pega said: 'When countries go into national lockdown, the numbers of hours work increased by about 10 percent.'

Working from home, combined with the increasing digitalisation of work processes, makes it harder to disconnect, he said, recommending the firmer scheduling of rest periods and personal time.

The pandemic has also increased job insecurity, which, in times of crisis, tends to push those who have kept their jobs to work more to prove their place in a more competitive market, said Pega.

The study was published in the journal Environment International.
Construction of all communication towers along China-Laos railway completed

Xinhua) 13:51, May 17, 2021

Photo taken on Oct. 12, 2020 shows a communication tower along the China-Laos railway in the north of Vientiane, Laos. (China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd./Handout via Xinhua)

The construction of all 67 communication towers along the China-Laos railway has been completed, marking a major progress in the project.

VIENTIANE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The construction of all 67 communication towers along the China-Laos railway has been completed, marking a major progress in the project.

Half of the railway's communication towers are located in tropical uninhabited mountainous areas, with complex geographical conditions and poor traffic conditions, which has brought difficulties to the construction, Xiao Qianwen, the general manager of the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd., told Xinhua on Sunday.

The company is a joint venture based in Lao capital Vientiane undertaking the construction and operation of the railway.

Chinese engineers work at the installation site of a communication tower along the China-Laos railway in the north of Vientiane, Laos, May 15, 2021. (China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd./Handout via Xinhua)

During the rainy season, large amounts of the needed materials and equipment can only be carried piggyback to the construction sites by pack animals, Xiao said.

Li Chunsheng, who heads the team from China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (CRCC-EBG, simplified as EBG) to carry out the railway's communication project, said the construction of all the communication towers was done on Saturday and that in order to complete the tower installation on schedule with high quality, his team made detailed arrangements when confronting the difficult construction conditions, including the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Aerial photo taken on July 24, 2020 shows the China-Laos Railway's Ban Ladhan Mekong River Super Major Bridge in Laos. (Photo by Pan Longzhu/Xinhua)

The China-Laos Railway is a project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

The over-400-km railway will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos bordering China, to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of the Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December 2021.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Authorities in El Salvador have discovered the bodies of at least 10 people who were murdered and then buried in the home of a former police officer.

Hugo Osorio, 51, was arrested May 8 after he confessed to raping and killing Mirna Lina Cruz, 57, and her daughter, Jackeline Cristina Palomo Lima, 26, at his residence in the eastern city of Chalchuapa a day earlier.

Osorio attempted to take his own life by puncturing one of his veins, but cops at the scene intervened and quickly rushed him to a local hospital were he was treated.

Osorio has officially been charged for the murders of Cruz and Palomo Lima.

At least nine other suspects have been apprehended since Osorio was placed behind bars and are being investigated for their roles in at least 13 homicides, the prosecutor's office announced Friday.

Hugo Osorio, a former police officer in El Salvador, is led away by the National Civil Police after he was arrested at his home on May 8. He confessed to raping and killing Mirna Lina Cruz, 57, and her daughter, Jackeline Cristina Palomo Lima, 26, at his residence in the eastern city of Chalchuapa a day earlier. At least 10 bodies have been recovered from pits in the backyard of residence

Investigators search the El Salvador residence of former cop Hugo Osorio where 10 bodies have been discovered buried in three pits. One of the bodies belongs to his brother, who was repeatedly involved in smuggling migrants across the Mexico-United States border

Two of the three clandestine graves at the home of former Salvadoran police officer Hugo Osorio were 10 bodies were found last week

The Attorney General's Office in El Salvador said that some of the victims were killed at the former police officer's home two years ago

They have been identified as Juan Zarceno; Juan Gochez; Jose Siguenza; Henry Olivares; Nelson Olivares; Lorena Miranda; Ernesto Ramirez; Cindi Mendoza; and Ingrid Ramos.

The suspects, who are not considered gang members, were due in court Monday.

'The investigations indicate that these people collaborated directly in the homicides as perpetrators, instigators or accomplices, they will be brought to justice for due process,' the National Civil Police said in a statement.

An extensive search of the property turned up three clandestine graves in the backyard where eight other corpses were found after the ex-cop led investigators to them, El Diario De Hoy reported.

The prosecutor's office said that seven of the 10 victims are females. Two adult males were identified as 23-year-old Alexis Palomo Lima, the son of Cruz, and Osorio's brother, who reportedly worked as a human smuggler. His name has not been released by authorities.

Three of the victims were minors, two boys aged 2 and 9, and a 7-year-old girl.

Authorities say that most of the bodies may have been buried for at least two years.

El Salvador's Attorney General's Office announced Saturday that so far nine other suspects have been arrested in connection to the 10 bodies that were discovered at the home of former police officer Hugo Osorio. They are all due in court Monday

Hugo Osorio was fired from the National Civil Police in 2005 due to sexual misconduct accusation and did a five-year sentence after he was convicted of having sex with a minor

According to an El Diario De Hoy report, family members said Cruz and her two children met with Osorio on May 6 to give him $7,000 so that he could hand it over to his brother who would illegally ferry the three victims across the Mexico-United States.

Osorio was fired from the National Civil Police in 2005 due to sexual misconduct accusation and did a five-year sentence after he was convicted of having sex with a minor.

The disgraced cop, who has been cooperative in the investigation, told the prosecutor's office that prayed on his victims by inviting them over to his home and promising them jobs as aides and guaranteeing them jobs in Mexico.

Osorio said he repeatedly raped his victims inside his home before killing them. Osorio revealed that he would get his victims drunk and subsequently use a metal pipe to hit them on the head or neck.

Hugo Osorio told the prosecutor's office he repeatedly raped his victims inside his home before killing them. Osorio revealed that he would get his victims drunk and subsequently use a metal pipe to hit them on the head or neck
British tourists were handed face masks, sanitiser and asked to provide full details about their stay in Portugal as they touched down in the country for the start of long-awaited sunshine breaks.

All Brits arriving the country were also warned by officials at Faro airport of the strict rules for wearing face masks in public places, which includes keeping them on while on the beach or they could be hit with hefty 100 fines.

Passengers arriving were asked by immigration officials to produce proof of a negative PCR test and show that they had completed a locator form, with details of where they are staying before being allowed to proceed to the baggage hall.

In Gibraltar, support worker Lynne Wilson clinked glasses with husband David and her Rock-based daughter Kelly Dolan after a tearful airport reunion with toddler granddaughter Gabriela.

It comes as the Portuguese tourism minister announced at the weekend that 'everything is open' for British tourists when borders open.

Restaurants, coffee shops and bars have been opened up in time for an expected influx of holidaymakers next week, Rita Marques revealed.

She told the BBC : 'We have been working hard to tackle the pandemic, as I said, so restaurants and coffee shops and shops and everything is open as from May 1.'

Amongst the first Brits to arrive in Faro today was honeymoon couple Siddhant Majithia, 26, and his wife Hemisha, 24.

Grandma Lynne Wilson greets her daughter Kelly Dolan and baby Gabriella at Gibraltar airport

People arrive at Faro Airport from Manchester on the first day that Britons are allowed to enter Portugal without needing to quarantine

Grandparents David and Lynne Wilson meet her daughter Kelly Dolan and baby Gabriella at the airport in Gibraltar on the day global travel restrictions are eased

Grandma Lynne Wilson with Husband David,her daughter Kelly Dolan and baby Gabriella having first drink in Gibraltar

The traffic light system rates countries as green, amber or red based on the risk of importing coronavirus into Britain, with those going to green list countries such as Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel free to travel without quarantining on return

UK border rules are branded a 'joke' as Brits ignore Matt Hancock's warnings and board HUNDREDS of flights leaving for 'amber list' nations - saying they don't care about isolating at home for 10 days The UK's border rules were branded a 'joke' today as Brits ignored Matt Hancock's pleas to board hundreds of flights bound for 'amber list' countries. Passengers have been taking advantage of at least 340 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick that MailOnline has identified to destinations in the medium-risk category. They included nine flights to Rome, 21 to Paris and 26 to New York - on what is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year for British airports. Brits catching flights at Gatwick admitted the Health Secretary's entreaties only to visit a small set of of 'green' rated destinations had not swayed them - and nor had the requirement to isolate at home for 10 days on return. In another confusing signal, the government has dropped the threat of 5,000 fines for non-essential travel. Former No10 chief Dominic Cummings complained that the policies were not tough enough to protect public health and the economy this afternoon, while British Airways chief Sean Doyle said the rules on when people are permitted to visit amber countries are 'not clear'. Nathan Priestly, 31, from Wokingham in Berkshire, said he was heading to Corfu with five friends. Asked if he minded having to quarantine after returning to England from the Greek island, he said: 'For me, I work from home at the moment so it's neither here nor there. I'm still fairly young and fairly active. I haven't had anything wrong with me, nothing underlying, so for me, a negative test and away you go.' Other tourists were seen landing in the Algarve in southern Portugal, a green list country, and smiling for the cameras as they stepped into Mediterranean sunshine for the first time since the end of last year. However, Ryanair passengers flying to Portugal from Birmingham were told to wear their masks or face spending the start of their holiday in a police station. According to LBC, the pilot threatened: 'This isn't a kindergarten, this is a two hour flight. If you can't wear your masks you will be starting your holiday in Portugal in a police station.' Just 12 countries including Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel are green list countries on the UK traffic light scheme, meaning British holidaymakers are allowed to travel there without quarantining on their return to Britain. However, they are required to take a covid test on or before day two of their arriving back in the UK. The Government has said that people travelling to amber list countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the US and Canada must quarantine at home and take two tests upon returning. All travellers to green, amber and red list destinations must also follow the entry requirements of the countries they are heading to. This means while Britons can fly to countries like Portugal, Greece and Italy with proof of negative test, they can only enter countries like Spain if they are citizens and legal residents of the EU, Schengen states, Andorra, Monaco, The Vatican, and San Marino, or can demonstrate essential need to enter. Under the UK's traffic light scheme, people travelling to red list countries such as India and Pakistan are required to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of 1,750 upon returning in Britain. Again, government guidance says they will need to follow the local entry requirements and restrictions. British holidaymakers returning to the UK from amber and red list countries have to complete a passenger locator form providing the results of their covid tests and where they will be quarantining for 10 days. Advertisement

The young couple only married two weeks ago and admitted that they were not looking forward to the prospect of honeymooning in Britain and were relieved when the Government placed Portugal on the green list.

Siddhant, an optician from Leicester revealed that they only booked their Portugal honey last Thursday. He said: 'It's great to get away and we're very lucky to have got on this plane. We had to cancel three other honeymoons before this one because of the travel restrictions.

'It was very frustrating and getting us down because the thought of a honeymoon in England with unpredictable wedding wasn't very exciting.'

Hemisha, a physiotherapist added: 'We were thinking of doing a road trip to the Lake District, which isn't exactly a memorable honeymoon given the unpredictable British weather.

'Now we've got the chance for a great break in the sun and I'm really looking forward to it.'

Romina Depino, 28 and her sister Teresa, 43, said that Portugal was their first break in over a year.

Teresa, from Surrey said: 'It feels great to be here. The sun is shining, it's warm and I just want to lie by the pool and chill. I'm a care worker for elderly people and it's been a really difficult year and I really need this holiday.

'We were meant to be going to Turkey but then it was placed on the red list, so we've ended up in Portugal, which isn't bad really.'

British holidaymakers celebrated with drinks in the sun today after jetting to Gibraltar on the first 'green list' flight from the UK.

Lynne, 59, clinked glasses with husband David and her daughter Kelly, 33, after a tearful airport reunion with granddaughter Gabriela.

Lynne, from Cambridge, wiping away a tear as she sat Gabriela, one last week, on her lap after hugging her as she came out of arrivals and watched her walk towards for the first time, gushed: 'Last time I saw her was at Christmas when Kelly came to the UK.

'Gabriela couldn't walk then so this is a very emotional moment for me. She started walking on April 1 and she's been running since then.

'We booked last year for May 11 but that flight got cancelled and we rebooked for today. We're here for six days and we're going to make the most of the sunshine and being with family again.'

Fuel service engineer David, sipping his first pint in near-eighty degree Fahrenheit heat at a bar in Gibraltar's iconic Casemates Square after leaving Heathrow Airport on the BA492 flight which touched down at 11am local time, added: 'This beer tastes great.

'The sun makes it feel so much better. It was cold and raining when we left London.'

Mark Walker, enjoying his first pint in a neighbouring terrace bar a few feet away with wife Jo before checking into their nearby hotel after coming in on the same flight, added: 'We left our home in Devon at midnight because we weren't sure how chaotic the airport would be and we knew parts of the M4 were closed.

'We got to Heathrow around 4am and we haven't had any sleep.

'But it's been worth it so far. It's great being able to travel again.

'We normally take several short breaks abroad every year. We were booked to be on the Greek island of Skiathos right now but when that got cancelled I decided to try booking Gibraltar last month because I thought it would be a dead cert for the green list and I wasn't wrong.'

Jo, 50, added: 'Mark's been here twice on day trips years ago but it's my first time on the Rock. It's just nice to get away and be in the sun. The weather was decent in Devon in April but it was a rotten May.

'That's why we stopped off for a drink before we got to the hotel and we're still lugging our suitcases. We'll savour this first pint, and maybe a second, and then do the check-in.

'We've got a walking tour booked for Wednesday and I imagine we'll make it to the top of the Rock at some point to see the Barbary apes.

'But basically we're just looking forward to a relaxing six days away after so long without a holiday.'

Finance director Max Arks, 36, the first off the flight with pal Warwick Howard, 37, said: 'It's the first chance we've had to go on holiday for ages so we just thought, 'Why not!'

'I've come to see friends and mix a bit of pleasure with business. We'll have a few beers while we're here.'

On board BA's first Portugal flight By Vivek Chaudhary Boarding the 9.05 BA flight to Faro felt a bit strange. It wasnt because I hadnt flown in more than six months but because it was my first taste of the new normal when taking to the skies. It actually started even before I boarded the plane as I had to produce two pieces of new documentation; a Fit to Fly certificate, showing I was COVID free and a Portuguese locator form giving details of my stay in the country. Seats on the flight were virtually sold out with passengers continually warned about COVID regulations. We were repeatedly told to keep our masks on at all times and remain in our seats as much as we could to avoid mingling with others. In the post-COVID era, keeping to yourself behind a mask is the way to fly. Despite the rigid rules, the captain helped ease our anxiety by welcoming us aboard and informing us that BA was happy to see the return of passengers such as holiday makers. BA has also decided to show a bit more generosity as it attempts to lure back travellers. Free bottled water and a breakfast bar was provided, something which it previously charged for on short haul flights. A cabin crew member remarked smugly when asked about BAs modest give away that desperate times call for desperate measures. We need passengers to come back to us, she smirked. But no coffee, tea or any other drinks and snacks were available unless pre-ordered online. We boarded and de-boarded in groups according to our row number in an attempt to restrict passengers interacting. Despite the precautions being taken by passengers and air line staff, it was difficult for most of us to maintain social distance as some got up to go to the toilet or just stretch their legs. And it goes without saying, aeroplane seats are not 2 metres apart. But daunting as it seemed and given the pandemic, flying to Portugal was tolerable but not pleasant. Besides, we have little choice in the matter and will have to get used to the new normal if we want to experience the sun and sand again or any other far off location we have in mind. Advertisement

Passengers arriving on a flight from the United Kingdom walk at Faro airport

Algarve tourism authority workers prepare Covid-19 welcome kits containing masks and disinfectant to hand out to passengers arriving at Faro airport

First British holidaymakers arrive today flight into Gibraltar on the UK's green zone for travel

First British holidaymakers tested with Covid PCR on arrival at Gibraltar airport

People travelling out of UK could transmit India variant, warns director of the Wellcome Trust Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said that he would not meet indoors 'at the moment'. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is reasonable to just be sensible about knowing where transmission is occurring, mostly indoors, mostly in larger gatherings indoors with lots of different people, different families, different communities, and I would just restrict that at the moment personally.' But he added: 'I don't think it's unreasonable to lift the restrictions - we do need to lift the restrictions at some point, we've been in restrictions now for a very long time.' There is a risk that the variant first identified in India could be transmitted by people travelling out of the UK, Sir Jeremy Farrar said. The director of the Wellcome Trust told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Britain is a very connected, and very small country and the chance of local cases becoming regional and then regional becoming national is very clear. 'And it is also connected internationally and I think that's also a concern not only for importation of new variants coming into the country, but also people travelling out of the country - there is a risk that this variant B.617 could be transmitted from the UK now. 'I think travel should still be very cautious and only when absolutely essential. 'But the only way to stop these variants occurring is to drive down transmission.' He added: 'The biggest risk to countries like the UK - who have done very well with vaccine rollout - is variants arising from anywhere in the world and then spreading around the world when they have a biological advantage. 'So driving down transmission in this country is essential, but so is it in the rest of the world, and that means driving down transmission and making vaccines available globally.' Sir Jeremy warned that restrictions may have to be reversed if the new variant 'escapes' protection afforded to people by the vaccines. 'The new variant that has come, the B.167, is becoming dominant in parts of the UK,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Yet vaccination across the country has been extraordinarily successful. 'I think we will see an increase of cases and infections over the coming weeks as some of the restrictions are lifted, but I think the key question is whether we have decoupled increased transmission and number of people who do get infected from the number of people that get ill and need to go into hospital or with long Covid. 'If we've decoupled them, then I think the country can cope with a marginal degree of an increase in transmission. 'So that is the key question and to be honest, we don't know that today and that is why I think a very careful lifting is reasonable, but we may have to reverse that if there is escape from the vaccine.' He added: 'I just think we're at this point where we've lifted restrictions, and yet we don't have that full amount of information - I think it is reasonable to lift them today, but I do believe all of us need to be really, really careful.' Advertisement

Luke Barnard, 26, who flew in from his home in Chelmsford, Essex, to get married on the Rock with fiancee Alexa Turner, 23, from Cincinnati, Ohio, added: 'Getting married in the US was going to be very difficult and Gibraltar seemed a great option.

'We're getting married on Wednesday in the Registry Office and we're staying in the Rock Hotel.

'It was something we had already planned but the fact Gibraltar was put on the UK's green list is a relief because you're always a little bit concerned about what's going to happen at the moment when you book a trip abroad.'

Alexa, who did five days' quarantine after flying in from the States three weeks ago, added: 'The flight was about 90 per cent full and there were quite a lot of tourists on it.

'When we left Heathrow it was raining and cold and only about 12 degrees Celsius so we're looking forward to feeling the sun on our faces.

'We're here till Thursday and we're going to make the most of every minute.'

The first UK flight to Gibraltar since the May 7 announcement the overseas British territory was one of a handful of green list countries, touched down just 24 hours after the Rock's government announced zero active resident and visitor Covid cases for the first time since July 21 last year.

All its adult population have been offered vaccines and thousands of Spanish workers who cross the busy border every day to work in Gibraltar, which has a population of just over 33,000, have also received both their jabs.

The last records released yesterday show the total number of vaccines administered were 74,461 - 38,905 first dose and 35,556 second dose.

A last-minute Gibraltar Government vaccination change in policy meant holidaymakers and Gibraltar residents on the first green list plane this morning discovered they still had to be tested for Covid despite saying they had been told before their trip no tests were needed.

Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo boasted on Sky TV earlier this month British holidaymakers jetting to the Rock would not need PCR tests.

But he was due to announce this afternoon air arrivals from the UK would continue to have to undergo testing for Covid-19 upon arrival in Gibraltar because of concerns over the spread of the Indian variant of the virus in the UK.

Passengers on flight BA492 were today offered free - but mandatory - quick lateral flow tests after reaching the Rock unless they could provide negative PCR tests.

Nick Tree, a former BA airport manager from Stratford-upon-Avon in the West Midlands, said after arriving in Gibraltar: 'I paid for a PCR test in the UK 10 minutes before the Gibraltar Government changed the technical notice and said no test was required.

'I touched down to be told the policy had changed while we were in the air and I had to go to a Portakabin outside the terminal to be swabbed.

'When I said I'd got a negative PCR test which is the most reliable type of test there is I was told to upload it online so local officials were aware.'

Another passenger on the flight added: 'It was all a bit chaotic. We boarded the flight thinking we'd need nothing and arrived to find we had to be tested because of a last-minute change of policy.

'The immigration officials were telling us to start with when we touched down they could only let us in if we booked a lateral flow test online but when we tried through the app we were told there would be a charge.

'In the end we got through and had it done for free.'

Warwick Howard, from Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire, said: 'We were caught a bit blindsided by the test requirement but I'm happy to comply.

'It's a simple test and very little hassle for something which at the end of the day helps to keep everyone safe.'
The House of Commons is to relax its Covid rules to almost double the number of MPs allowed to speak from its famous green benches, with was announced today.

Authorities will now allow 64 MPs to take part in debates, with the remainder still having to dial in remotely.

While the number has gone up, it is still only a tenth of the 650 MPs eligible to sit in the House.

As the Parliamentary week began today there were only 27 MPs present for the first item of business, Department of Work and Pensions questions.

Since last April 50 MPs have been allowed in the chamber at one time, but there were only 33 seats from which they could speak. The number of seats has been increased to 64, with an additional five MPs also allowed in but not to speak, a total of 69.

The numbers are sure to hit capacity for Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, which could provide a boost to Boris Johnson, who performs better with an audience.

Announcing the change today, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said MPs had to wear masks when not on their feet addressing the house, as that was one of the conditions of being allowed to let more in.

Warning he would suspend debates if they became too crowded, he added: 'Every additional member in this chamber brings us a step closer to returning to normality, which I and all other members wish to see.'

Authorities will now allow 64 MPs to take part in debates with the remainder still having to dial in remotely.

Announcing the change today, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said MPs had to wear masks when not on their feet addressing the house, as that was one of the conditions of being allowed to let more in.

While the number has gone up, it is still only a tenth of the 650 MPs eligible to sit in the House.

The Commons has been functioning at a fraction of its regular capacity since April last year when historic plans were introduced to allow virtual participation for the first time.

A House of Commons spokesman said: 'Following a review of social distancing measures, and in line with advice from Public Health England, a total of 64 members will be able to speak in the Chamber from today  almost double the original number.

'The changes include seven marked seats in the under galleries beyond the Bar of the House which have had new microphones installed to enable this.

'Individuals must continue wearing face coverings when seated in the Chamber  and the Commission also agreed that Members should be encouraged to take part in lateral flow testing twice a week.'
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Heartbreaking images have captured a pride of lions ganging up and downing a 2,000-pound water buffalo in Kenya.

The pictures show the lions as they start to gang up on their kill, by sneaking up behind the huge beast.

The 15-strong pride of lions then appear to sink their sharp claws and teeth into the buffalo's body in the Maasai Mara.

Heartbreaking images have captured a pride of lions ganging up and downing a 2,000-pound water buffalo in Kenya

The images show the lions as they start to gang up on their kill, sinking their sharp claws and teeth into the buffalo's body

The black beast can be seen whimpering in pain as the lions start to attack their prey, who was alone at the time

The black beast can be seen whimpering in pain as the lions start to attack their prey, who was alone at the time.

The pride were seen lounging in the shade some metres away from the buffalo, when they noticed the potential prey.

At first, two male lions got up to inspect the buffalo from afar. The pair then broke into a sprint towards the prey, which the lionesses followed.

The buffalo tried to flee the chasing lions but was quickly surrounded by the predators. It then lost its footing and appeared to effectively surrender to the 15 hungry lions.

This pride of lions are known for bringing down buffalos, according to photographer Murray Jacklin.

The lions can be seen working together as a unified fighting machine to bring down the buffalo, despite each only weighing less than a quarter of the prey's 2,000-pounds.

The lions can be seen working together as a unified fighting machine to bring down the buffalo, despite each only weighing less than a quarter of the prey's 2,000-pounds

The buffalo tried to flee the chasing lions but was quickly surrounded by the predators. It then lost its footing and appeared to effectively surrender to the 15 hungry lions

Jacklin said the pride had brought down the lone buffalo 'with very little effort' by sinking their teeth into the beast's hind quarters.

'The buffalo almost sensed it was outgunned and never really offered much resistance', Jacklin added.

After killing the buffalo in under five minutes, the hungry lions tore apart and devoured the feast in 24 hours.

Lions usually favour smaller prey, such as wildebeests, because they are easier to hunt, but when a pride is large enough, they are able to catch bigger meals, such as buffalo.

But, success is rare because the larger beasts are often heavier and stronger than the lions so are able to fight the predators off.

Lions usually favour smaller prey, such as wildebeests, because they are easier to hunt, but when a pride is large enough, they are able to catch bigger meals, such as buffalo, though success is rare

The heart-breaking photographs and footage were taken by Murray Jacklin in the Maasai Mara National Park, Kenya

The heart-breaking photographs and footage were taken in the Maasai Mara National Park, Kenya, Africa, from 98-feet away.

Jacklin said: 'Due to the size of the pride and number of strong males, it only took just a few minutes for the buffalo to be brought down - but it tried its best to fend off the multiple launches made by different pride members.

'The whole pride literally clambered on top of the innocent buffalo and held it down whilst one of the lionesses began suffocating it, where the buffalo screamed in pain. Eventually, it gave up due to the sheer strength of its attackers.

'Once the buffalo was pinned to the ground and suffocated by the nose, it took just five minutes for the buffalo to be killed. Despite the brutality of the lions, I got to witness nature in its rawest form and it was a privilege being able to capture these shots.

'I have never witnessed such a brutal scene, but it was without a doubt one of the most extraordinary sightings I have seen in the African bush.'
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republicans' new GOP conference chair, said the Justice Department is trying to block the Arizona election audit, as allies of former President Donald Trump pour millions into the recount.

'The Biden Department of Justice is trying to block that audit. That is unconstitutional, from my perspective,' Stefanik told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. 'Our states, constitutionally, are responsible for writing their state's elections law.'

Stefanik's comments come as ABC News reported how key Trump figures are backing the controversial audit, with former White House strategist Steve Bannon giving it publicity on his video podcast and former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne aiming to raise $2.8 million to go toward the effort.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House GOP Conference Chair, said Sunday that she supported the ongoing election audit in Arizona, ordered by Arizona's GOP-led Senate, and claimed the Department of Justice is trying to block it

Key Trump figures are backing the controversial audit, with former White House strategist Steve Bannon (left) giving it publicity on his video podcast and former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne (right) aiming to raise $2.8 million to go toward the effort

Earlier this month, the Justice Department warned that the audit, which was ordered by the Republican-run Arizona Senate, could be in violation of federal voting and civil rights laws.

The audit is looking exclusively at 2.1 million ballots from Arizona's largest county, Maricopa, where a majority of voters in the traditionally Republican state selected Democrat Joe Biden for president, making him the first Democrat to win the state in 24 years.

Trump has continued to claim, falsely, that the only way for that to have happened is due to widespread fraud.

Pamela Karlan, principal deputy assistant Attorney General for the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, wrote a letter to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, a Republican, warning her that turning election materials over to Cyber Ninjas, the audit's contractor, could be in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, according to CNN.

Karlan added that there were 'at least issues of potential non-compliance with federal laws enforced by the Department.'

The first, Karlan said, was based on reports that suggested ballots, election systems and election materials in the Maricopa County audit are 'no longer under the ultimate control of state and local election officials and are not being adequately safeguarded by contractors at an insecure facility, and are at risk of being lost, stolen, altered, compromised or destroyed.'

'We have a concern that Maricopa County election records, which are required by federal law to be retained and preserved, are no longer under the ultimate control of elections officials, are not being adequately safeguarded by contractors, and are at risk of damage or loss,' Karlan said.

Karlan mentioned how Cyber Ninjas said they planned to 'identify voter registrations that did not make sense, and then knock on doors to confirm if valid voters actually lived at the stated address' saying that raised concerns of voter intimidation.

Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, Thursday, May 6, 2021 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix

'The Department enforces a number of federal statutes that prohibit intimidation of persons for voting or attempting to vote,' Karlan said. 'Past experience with similar investigative efforts around the country has raised concerns that they can be directed at minority voters, which potentially can implicate the anti-intimidation prohibitions of the Voting Rights Act.'

Stefanik, who became closely allied with Trump during his first impeachment in 2019, was elevated to the third most powerful Republican in the House last week, replacing Trump critic, Rep. Liz Cheney.

'I support the audit,' the New York Republican told Bartiromo on Sunday. 'Transparency is important for the American people.'

'And, again, this should be a nonpartisan issue. Whether you're Republican, Democrat, independent, or conservative, transparency is important,' she continued. 'And the audit was passed by the Arizona state Senate.'
President John F. Kennedy was notorious for asking his agents to keep their distance, they recalled. On the day he was shot his guards had been ordered to keep their distance

A Secret Service agent who was assigned to President John F. Kennedy's security detail wondered if he could have saved the president from assassination if he weren't kept at a distance, a new book reveals.

For the Secret Service agents protecting Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States posed an unusually difficult challenge because he insisted on keeping them at a distance to shield his philandering and to seem approachable to the public, the book claims.

While on a Florida and Texas campaign tour to smooth over schisms in the Democratic Party in 1963, he told members of his Secret Service escort to keep their distance, and stay in a separate vehicle a car length's behind his.

He wanted to seem relatable to the people while on his re-election campaign tour, but after his assassination in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, agents would later wonder whether the distance he mandated had contributed to his death.

Their misgivings are outlined in Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service, which is out on Tuesday, and written by journalist Carol Leonnig.

In it, Leonnig tells the history of the agency over the decades from its agents' own perspective.

The book is described as the 'first definitive account of the rise and fall of the Secret Service, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming mismanagement of the Obama and Trump years, right up to the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6.

For JFK, his alleged propensity for extramarital affairs meant frequent breaches in protocol, and he often gave his own guards the slip.

While on a Florida and Texas campaign tour to smooth over schisms in the Democratic Party in 1963, he told members of his escort to keep their distance, and stay in a separate vehicle a car length's behind his. In this photo moments before Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, the president can be seen relatively unguarded

Kennedy's propensity for extramarital affairs posed an unusual challenge for the Secret Service agents tasked with guarding him, according to a new book by journalist Carol Leonnig. Agents would later express regret that they couldn't do more to prevent his assassination. In this photo, the president and his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, are seen in Dallas before getting in the car to join the parade where the president would be killed

The accounts from Secret Service members were outlined in Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service, which is out Tuesday

'Kennedy was extremely reckless with his own personal safety,' Leonnig wrote in the book, as reported by Fox News.

'His actions made some of his protectors uneasy and a few quite angry. Professionally, he was their toughest assignment yet.'

While the agency was stretched thin resource-wise, it was Kennedy himself who was perhaps a larger problem.

His mistresses could not be subject to background checks, and one agent quoted in the book, Tim McIntyre, recalled a cavalcade of women being escorted to the president's bedroom.

Leonnig wrote that McIntyre, 'stood witness to a steady parade of secretaries, starlets, and even prostitutes escorted to the presidents bedroom  in hotels and in his private residence. The Secret Service agents werent allowed to ask the womens names.'

Clint Hill at the 2018 premiere of Always At The Carlyle. Hill was head of Jacqueline Kennedy's Secret Service detail, and recounted with regret how he had been ordered to follow the president and first lady in a follow car to make Kennedy seem more approachable. He believed if he had been closer he would have been able to shield him with his body

The Secret Service members were barred from asking for the women's names, but he was reported to have had affairs with actresses Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe as well as painter Mary Eno Pinchot Meyer and White Hour press office intern.

Zero Fail recounts the evening before his assassination, during which Kennedy brought nine of his agents, four of whom were set to guard him the next morning, to a night club.

Leonnig wrote that Clint Hill, who headed the first lady's detail, said he believed he could have made a difference early that next afternoon, maybe using his body to shield the president after the first shot.

Instead, he had been in the car behind.

It was part of the move to seem more approachable, Leonnig said in the book.

'If Id only been on the rear steps of the car, I would have been close enough to get to him before the third shot,' Hill recounted in Leonnig's book. 'If only Id been faster.'

Don Jr.'s ex-wife Vanessa and Tiffany Trump both got 'inappropriately - and perhaps dangerously - close' to their Secret Service detail while Donald was president, new book claims

Don Jr.'s ex-wife Vanessa and Tiffany both got 'inappropriately - and perhaps dangerously - close' to their Secret Service detail while Donald Trump was president, according to a new book.

Vanessa, 43, allegedly 'started dating one of the agents who had been assigned to her family' at some point between Trump taking office in January 2017 and him leaving the White House in January 2021.

Vanessa was married to the president's eldest son Don Jr., 43, from 2005 before she filed for an 'uncontested' divorce in 2018.

The bombshell claims of a 'close' relationship with an agent are made in 'Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service', the new book from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carol Leonnig.

The book, published by Random House and due for release May 18, is described as the 'first definitive account of the rise and fall of the Secret Service, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming mismanagement of the Obama and Trump years, right up to the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6.'

Don Jr.'s now-ex-wife Vanessa and Tiffany both got 'inappropriately - and perhaps dangerously - close' to their Secret Service detail while Donald Trump was president, according to a new book. Vanessa and Don Jr pictured in September 2019 with an agent

Vanessa is spotted with a secret service agent in December 2017. There is no suggestion this agent is the person she had an alleged 'close' relationship with

Vanessa and Tiffany were often seen spotted out and about with their Secret Service personnel. There is no indication the agents pictured with them are those at the center of the allegations.

Leonnig writes in the book, seen by The Guardian, that Secret Service agents had reported the relationship between Vanessa and the unnamed agent.

But the agent did not face disciplinary action because neither he nor the Secret Service were official guardians of Vanessa at the time, according to the book.

It is not clear when the alleged tryst is said to have taken place.

In 2017, Don Jr. reportedly asked that and his family have their 24-hour Secret Service protection removed because they wanted more privacy.

This led to Vanessa and their five children being left with 'a rotating set of temporary agents' which they didn't like, the Washington Post reported.

Ultimately, the Secret Service detail was restored later that month.

Vanessa then filed for an uncontested divorce in March 2018.

It is not clear if Vanessa's apparent relationship with the agent was before or after this date.

The couple wed at Mar-a-Lago in 2005 and welcomed their first child Kai in 2007.

They went on to have four more children together.

Speculation started brewing that a split was on the cards some time before Vanessa filed for divorce.

Page Six reported that Vanessa had been consulting divorce lawyers even before Trump entered the White House, with insiders saying they had been living separate lives for some time.

Things reportedly worsened after he took office and the family were thrust into the spotlight more.

In February 2018, Vanessa was rushed to hospital when she opened a letter addressed to Don Jr. at their Manhattan home containing a white powder, amid fears it was an anthrax attack.

The substance was later found to be harmless but the experience was said to be 'terrifying' for Vanessa.

Vanessa leaving her apartment in February 2018 with an agent to do the school run. There is no indication the agent is the person at the center of the claims made in the book

Tiffany and her fiance Michale Boulos exit Air Force One at the Palm Beach International Airport in January

Other sources said Vanessa was ending the marriage because Don Jr treated her 'like a second-class citizen' and kept her on such a tight budget she had to turn to her mother for financial help.

There were also rumors of infidelity with Celebrity Apprentice star Aubrey ODay claiming she had an affair with Don Jr.

O'Day claimed she and the president's son had an affair after meeting on the show in 2011.

The alleged affair came to an end in 2012 when Vanessa found messages between the pair, she claimed.

Vanessa and Don Jr's divorce was finalized at the end of 2018, with the couple putting on a united front with a joint statement the following February where they said they 'committed' to raising their five children together.

Don Jr's ex-wife is not the only member of the Trump family the book claims grew close to a Secret Service agent while enjoying taxpayer-funded protection.

In 2017, Tiffany was spotted protectively putting her hand on an agent's arm in New York City as they crossed the street together on her way to meet her mom for dinner. it is not clear if this is the agent mentioned in the book

Leonnig writes that Tiffany, Trump's only child with second wife Marla Maples, 'began spending an unusual amount of time alone with a Secret Service agent on her detail' after splitting up with a boyfriend.

The alleged relationship raised eyebrows among Secret Service leaders, the book claims.

'[They] became concerned at how close Tiffany appeared to be getting to the tall, dark and handsome agent,' Leonnig writes.

The book says both Tiffany and the unnamed agent denied anything was going on between them but the agent was later reassigned to another post.

In 2017, Tiffany was spotted out in New York City with her Secret Service agent.

The then-24-year-old was photographed protectively putting her hand on the agent's arm as they crossed the street together on her way to meet her mom for dinner.

It is not clear if this agent was the one linked to the president's daughter.

Agents are forbidden from entering into relationships with the people they protect because it could impact their judgement on the job.

The book reveals it isn't clear if the then-president was aware of the rumors circling his two family members.

However, it claims Trump did want agents removed for other reasons - namely that they were too short or fat.

'I want these fat guys off my detail,' Trump is reported to have said, possibly confusing office-based personnel with active agents, the book reads.

'How are they going to protect me and my family if they can't run down the street?'
Two brothers who targeted vulnerable teenage girls in order to sexually abuse them have been jailed for a total of more than ten years.

Muhammad, 20, and Hashim Hussain, 24, were convicted of a string of 'despicable and sickening' sex offences against young girls in Bury, Greater Manchester.

Muhammad was sentenced to six years and two months in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulting another girl, also aged 14.

Meanwhile, Hashim was sentenced to four years behind bars after he filmed a group of men engaging in sexual activity with two other girls, aged 16 and 17, on two separate occasions.

Muhammad, 20, (pictured) and Hashim Hussain, 24, were convicted of a string of 'despicable and sickening' sex offences against young girls in Bury, Greater Manchester

The offending took place between August 2016 and August 2017, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The brothers would regularly meet up with a group of teenage girls in Openshaw Park, in Bury, and buy vodka for them before heading to one of their homes.

Sex charges against a third brother Yasif, 23 were dropped an earlier hearing. Eldest brother Khadim Hussain, 27, and half-brother Kurtis Corrigan, 25, were also named in court as two of the men involved the videos. All the men denied wrongdoing.

Muhammad was just 16 himself when he raped his 'extremely vulnerable' victim in August 2016.

Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said the girl, who was known to social services and deemed at 'high risk of child sexual exploitation', invited Muhammad to a house party at her friend's house.

Alcohol was being consumed and the pair kissed before they were encouraged to go upstairs together.

Once in an upstairs bedroom, the girl initially engaged in consensual sexual intercourse with Muhammad.

But the court heard she then repeatedly asked him to slow down as it was 'hurting her'.

However, Muhammad pushed her head down into the pillow and carried on having sex with her.

The girl then started crying and told him to get off her, said Mr Blackshaw.

When she managed to move away from him and started to get dressed, the court heard Muhammad called the girl a 'f****** b****' and told her 'finish me off'.

She left the room but, feeling under pressure, returned and asked Muhammad what she had to do.

He threatened to tell her on-off boyfriend that they had had sex if she did not comply.

Hashim (pictured) was sentenced to four years behind bars after he filmed a group of men engaging in sexual activity with two other girls, aged 16 and 17, on two separate occasions

Muhammad later contacted the victim to apologise and 'begged her to send pictures of her bottom', which she refused to do.

On another occasion, between March and May 2017, Muhammad filmed the girl and her friend performing oral sex on him.

The court heard the victim wanted 'to shut the incident out' and it was eight months before she told a social worker she had been raped.

She was interviewed by police in February 2018 as part of an operation - codenamed Burgos - into child sexual exploitation in Bury.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl said the ordeal had 'ruined her life' and that she still has nightmares about it.

'It took away my childhood,' she said. 'After what happened, I went off the rails. It affected everything.'

She told the court she did not think she would ever be able to forgive Muhammad.

On another occasion, in August 2017, the girl and a friend - aged 14 - were in Openshaw Park with Muhammad, Hashim and another man when Muhammad approached the friend and put his hand down her leggings.

The court heard he then 'yanked up her underwear' and grabbed her bottom with such force it caused pain and left 'a number of fingernail shaped impressions'.

When interviewed by police, Muhammad admitted having sex with the first victim, but claimed it had been 'consensual'.

He denied using his phone to record the girl and her friend performing oral sex on him, or sexually assaulting the girl in Openshaw Park.

Hashim's phone was seized by police after he was arrested in relation to driving offences in October 2017.

Detectives found a video showing 'a young, intoxicated female' being sexually contacted by a man, while he was cheered on by others people in a park.

The court heard a girl could be heard on the footage asking whether she was being recorded but was told 'it's just a torch'.

Hashim told officers he could not remember recording the video.

Another video showed a young female holding onto a kitchen counter with both hands while an older male had sex with her from behind.

A number of other males can be seen gathered around them, the court heard.

Hashim was identified as the cameraman due to a 'distinctive watch' he was wearing which was caught in the footage.

He was arrested at Manchester Airport in July 2019 after getting off a flight from Pakistan and replied 'no comment' to all questions asked by police.

Following a trial, Muhammad, of Bury, was found guilty of two counts of rape, as well as one count of taking an indecent image and another count of sexual assault.

Nicholas Clarke, defending for Muhammad, told the court that his client was 'naive and inexperienced' at the time of the offences.

He said he had since married and had a son and was working as a financial advisor at a call centre until recently.

Hashim, also of Bury, was also convicted of two counts of taking an indecent image of a child, and two counts of possessing an indecent image of a child, after the four-week trial.

Hunter Gray, defending, said the harm caused by Hashim's offending had been 'negligible or none'.

'Those girls came to no harm,' he added. 'This is not the recording of a criminal activity.'

He likened the footage to pornography, describing it as 'grotesque but lawful'.

Sentencing Muhammad, Recorder Jeremy Lasker said he had taken advantage of the 'extremely vulnerable' victim and given 'no indication of regret of remorse'.

He added: 'What started as consensual sexual activity between the two of you became something very different.

'She may have initially consented to penetration but when she asked you to stop because it was hurting her, you simply ignored her and carried on regardless.

'It was a clear example of you putting your own sexual gratification before giving and real or genuine consideration to the feelings of others.'

Jailing Hashim, the judge said: 'I have to the firm conclusion that although these girls may well have been consenting to what was happening, they were the victim of older men, whether they were aware of it at the time of not.

'You were playing your part in this abuse by filming.'

Following the hearing, Detective Inspector Ian Partington, of Greater Manchester Police, said: 'This has been an immensely thorough investigation in order to bring Muhammad and Hashim Hussain to account for their despicable and sickening crimes, and it is a great relief that they are now to spend time behind bars.

'Our investigation team have worked tirelessly to secure today's outcomes, but this would not have been possible had it not been for the courage and resilience of the victims to speak to police and pursue with the trial and to relive that abuse.

'Everyone in the team pays tribute to their unwavering bravery.'

Jo Lazzari from the CPS added: 'Muhammad and Hashim Hussain treated these young girls as objects for their own sexual gratification.

'They exploited their vulnerability without any thought to the devastating impact of the abuse on the girls' lives.

'I would like to thank these very brave young women for supporting the prosecutions and trusting us with their experiences.

'They described feeling ashamed, but it is the defendants who should now feel the shame of being convicted and jailed as predatory sex offenders.

'I would say to anyone abused in this way please come forward and tell us what happened to you. We will listen and take your allegations seriously.'
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Passengers flying into the UK today faced 'bedlam' at the borders with some facing a three hour wait - with some left standing next to Red List arrivals.

Heathrow travellers have told MailOnline how they were 'terrified of catching Covid' while being crammed into the airport's border hall this morning. Some even claim they were left standing next to arrivals from Covid-ravaged India while in the three hour long queues.

The chaotic scenes at the border come as figures show Britain's daily coronavirus cases have fallen by 16 per cent in a week while deaths remain steady.

Department of Health statistics show there were 1,979 new infections in the past 24 hours, down on last Monday. A further five fatalities were registered, one more than the same time last week.

Thousands of Britons today rushed to the airport to leave the country after the international travel ban was lifted this morning.

Passengers have been taking advantage of at least 340 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick that MailOnline has identified to destinations in the medium-risk category. They included nine flights to Rome, 21 to Paris and 26 to New York - on what is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year for British airports.

But as thousands jetting off to the likes of Portugal joined orderly queues in the departures area, those in arrivals faced chaos at the border.

One of those stuck in the queue in Terminal 2 at 10:40am yesterday told MailOnline: 'I arrived back in the country from South Africa - one of the Red Listed countries. I was more terrified catching Covid while going through border control than walking around South Africa.

'While queuing there was no social distancing we had a plane from India arrive straight after ours and we queued for over three hours and when their plane arrived it was out the door.'

As the coronavirus lockdown was further eased today, it emerged:

The PM urged families to adopt 'caution' with the ban on indoor socialising and hugs finally ending;

Britons headed back to the office for the first time in more than a year as commuters return to city centres;

Ministers are stuck over whether to extend lockdown beyond June 21 to protect 'idiot' jab refuseniks;

The number of Britons given their second coronavirus vaccine reached 20million yesterday;

An update to the NHS app allowed for proof of jab status as pubs and restaurants allow customers indoors;

Mr Hancock said ministers were confident existing vaccines would work against the new Indian strain;

Just four virus-related deaths were recorded yesterday, but cases rose by eight per cent in a week to 2,000;

Long queues formed outside vaccination centres in Bolton, where the Indian covid variant has surged.

Passengers flying into the UK today faced 'bedlam' at the borders with some facing a three hour wait. Pictured: One arrival sent this picture in of the queues at Heathrow

Heathrow travellers have told MailOnline how they were 'terrified of catching Covid' while being crammed into the airport's border hall this morning. Pictured: Passengers queue at the Heathrow border hall

New York-based journalist Steve Myall was one of those caught up in the Heathrow arrivals chaos this morning, having gone through Terminal 5 after flying in on American Airlines

The reporter, who came from 'amber listed' America, documented his experience on Twitter - saying in one post how he had been forced to sit next to a family from a red list country. He said: 'Have arrived in Heathrow. Been told to join the one hour plus queue and also that the fast tracking of families with young children is on hold.

'Asked to go and sit somewhere while one parent queues up weve been directed to sit with a family who have just arrived from a Red List country.'

He later claimed that just 10 of the 35 Border Force desks were being staffed when he went through around 6am today.

NHS figures show that vaccine uptake among all over-40s, which is at 83 per cent average across England, is below average in all but one (Sefton) of the Indian variant hotspot areas. Although experts do not think the at-risk older age groups are the ones driving outbreaks at the moment, it could be cause for concern if the virus spreads to them

Brits are warned they must wear face masks on the beach or face 100 fines as they land in Portugal British tourists were handed face masks, sanitiser and asked to provide full details about their stay in Portugal as they touched down in the country for the start of long-awaited sunshine breaks. All Brits arriving the country were also warned by officials at Faro airport of the strict rules for wearing face masks in public places, which includes keeping them on while on the beach or they could be hit with hefty 100 fines. Passengers arriving were asked by immigration officials to produce proof of a negative PCR test and show that they had completed a locator form, with details of where they are staying before being allowed to proceed to the baggage hall. In Gibraltar, support worker Lynne Wilson clinked glasses with husband David and her Rock-based daughter Kelly Dolan after a tearful airport reunion with toddler granddaughter Gabriela. It comes as the Portuguese tourism minister announced at the weekend that 'everything is open' for British tourists when borders open. Restaurants, coffee shops and bars have been opened up in time for an expected influx of holidaymakers next week, Rita Marques revealed. She told the BBC : 'We have been working hard to tackle the pandemic, as I said, so restaurants and coffee shops and shops and everything is open as from May 1.' Amongst the first Brits to arrive in Faro today was honeymoon couple Siddhant Majithia, 26, and his wife Hemisha, 24. The young couple only married two weeks ago and admitted that they were not looking forward to the prospect of honeymooning in Britain and were relieved when the Government placed Portugal on the green list. Siddhant, an optician from Leicester revealed that they only booked their Portugal honey last Thursday. He said: 'It's great to get away and we're very lucky to have got on this plane. We had to cancel three other honeymoons before this one because of the travel restrictions. 'It was very frustrating and getting us down because the thought of a honeymoon in England with unpredictable wedding wasn't very exciting.' Hemisha, a physiotherapist added: 'We were thinking of doing a road trip to the Lake District, which isn't exactly a memorable honeymoon given the unpredictable British weather. 'Now we've got the chance for a great break in the sun and I'm really looking forward to it.' Romina Depino, 28 and her sister Teresa, 43, said that Portugal was their first break in over a year. Teresa, from Surrey said: 'It feels great to be here. The sun is shining, it's warm and I just want to lie by the pool and chill. I'm a care worker for elderly people and it's been a really difficult year and I really need this holiday. 'We were meant to be going to Turkey but then it was placed on the red list, so we've ended up in Portugal, which isn't bad really.' Onel Hernandez, 28 arrived in Faro with his fiance Kirsha, 27, her sister Hazel, 18, and their daughter Dreamy, two. The family revealed that they were staying for two weeks and had been saving up all year for the break. Onel, who lives in Norwich said: 'It's great to be back on holiday and something we've really missed. The one good thing about the lockdown is that it gave me a chance to save some money for a decent family holiday. 'We only booked the holiday two weeks, and it was quite expensive because there is a lot of demand for Portugal. But it's worth it because given what the whole world has gone through over the past year, we all need a holiday.' Advertisement

Mr Myall later said: 'Made it through after almost two hours.'

He added that he and his family had chosen to arrive in the UK today as he had not seen family members since August and that it was the first day when households were allowed to mix.

Because he is arriving from an amber list country he will have to quarantine for at least 10 days, with two tests needed.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: 'Protecting public health is our priority and as we reopen international travel safely we will maintain 100 per cent health checks at the border to protect the wider public and our vaccine rollout.

'While we do this, wait times are likely to be longer and we will do all we can to smooth the process, including the roll-out of our e-Gate upgrade programme during the summer and deploying additional Border Force officers.

'Arrangements for queues and the management of returning passengers are the responsibility of the relevant airport, which we expect to be done in a COVID-secure way.'

The spokesperson said that the Border Force was attempting to separate Red List entries from those arriving from Amber and Green List countries - though admitted this was not always possible.

Those who arrived from Red List countries were later escorted by security from immigration, to the baggage reclaim and on to transport to quarantine hotels.

The spokesperson added that social distancing measures must be adhered to at all times.

Heathrow, who are not responsible for staffing, said in response to Mr Myall's tweet that the delay was down to delays in checking Covid entry requirements for passengers.

'Border Force is currently experiencing some delays as they conduct Health Measure Checks to ensure passenger compliance with the UK Governments latest entry requirements.

'We have raised your concern with our colleagues at Border Force whose responsibility it is to ensure that passengers within the red listed queue remain separate from other passengers.'

It comes as the UK's border rules were branded a 'joke' today as Brits ignored Matt Hancock's pleas to board hundreds of flights bound for 'amber list' countries.

Passengers have been taking advantage of at least 340 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick that MailOnline has identified to destinations in the medium-risk category.

They included nine flights to Rome, 21 to Paris and 26 to New York - on what is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year for British airports.

Brits catching flights at Gatwick admitted the Health Secretary's entreaties only to visit a small set of of 'green' rated destinations had not swayed them - and nor had the requirement to isolate at home for 10 days on return.

In another confusing signal, the government has dropped the threat of 5,000 fines for non-essential travel.

Former No10 chief Dominic Cummings complained that the policies were not tough enough to protect public health and the economy this afternoon, while British Airways chief Sean Doyle said the rules on when people are permitted to visit amber countries are 'not clear'.

Nathan Priestly, 31, from Wokingham in Berkshire, said he was heading to Corfu with five friends. Asked if he minded having to quarantine after returning to England from the Greek island, he said: 'For me, I work from home at the moment so it's neither here nor there. I'm still fairly young and fairly active. I haven't had anything wrong with me, nothing underlying, so for me, a negative test and away you go.'

Other tourists were seen landing in the Algarve in southern Portugal, a green list country, and smiling for the cameras as they stepped into Mediterranean sunshine for the first time since the end of last year.

However, Ryanair passengers flying to Portugal from Birmingham were told to wear their masks or face spending the start of their holiday in a police station.

According to LBC, the pilot threatened: 'This isn't a kindergarten, this is a two hour flight. If you can't wear your masks you will be starting your holiday in Portugal in a police station.'

Just 12 countries including Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel are green list countries on the UK traffic light scheme, meaning British holidaymakers are allowed to travel there without quarantining on their return to Britain.

However, they are required to take a covid test on or before day two of their arriving back in the UK.

The Government has said that people travelling to amber list countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the US and Canada must quarantine at home and take two tests upon returning.

All travellers to green, amber and red list destinations must also follow the entry requirements of the countries they are heading to. This means while Britons can fly to countries like Portugal, Greece and Italy with proof of negative test, they can only enter countries like Spain if they are citizens and legal residents of the EU, Schengen states, Andorra, Monaco, The Vatican, and San Marino, or can demonstrate essential need to enter.

Under the UK's traffic light scheme, people travelling to red list countries such as India and Pakistan are required to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of 1,750 upon returning in Britain. Again, government guidance says they will need to follow the local entry requirements and restrictions.

British holidaymakers returning to the UK from amber and red list countries have to complete a passenger locator form providing the results of their covid tests and where they will be quarantining for 10 days.

UK border rules are branded a 'joke' as Brits ignore Matt Hancock's warnings and board HUNDREDS of flights leaving for 'amber list' nations - saying they don't care about isolating at home for 10 days

Airports expecting their busiest day of the year, with the easing of restrictions

Hundreds of holidaymakers said they are flying to the Algarve in Portugal

No10's traffic light system has come into force today

The UK's border rules were branded a 'joke' today as Brits ignored Matt Hancock's pleas to board hundreds of flights bound for 'amber list' countries.

Passengers have been taking advantage of at least 340 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick that MailOnline has identified to destinations in the medium-risk category.

They included nine flights to Rome, 21 to Paris and 26 to New York - on what is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year for British airports.

Brits catching flights at Gatwick admitted the Health Secretary's entreaties only to visit a small set of of 'green' rated destinations had not swayed them - and nor had the requirement to isolate at home for 10 days on return.

In another confusing signal, the government has dropped the threat of 5,000 fines for non-essential travel.

Former No10 chief Dominic Cummings complained that the policies were not tough enough to protect public health and the economy this afternoon, while British Airways chief Sean Doyle said the rules on when people are permitted to visit amber countries are 'not clear'.

Nathan Priestly, 31, from Wokingham in Berkshire, said he was heading to Corfu with five friends. Asked if he minded having to quarantine after returning to England from the Greek island, he said: 'For me, I work from home at the moment so it's neither here nor there. I'm still fairly young and fairly active. I haven't had anything wrong with me, nothing underlying, so for me, a negative test and away you go.'

Other tourists were seen landing in the Algarve in southern Portugal, a green list country, and smiling for the cameras as they stepped into Mediterranean sunshine for the first time since the end of last year.

However, Ryanair passengers flying to Portugal from Birmingham were told to wear their masks or face spending the start of their holiday in a police station. According to LBC, the pilot threatened: 'This isn't a kindergarten, this is a two hour flight. If you can't wear your masks you will be starting your holiday in Portugal in a police station.'

Just 12 countries including Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel are green list countries on the UK traffic light scheme, meaning British holidaymakers are allowed to travel there without quarantining on their return to Britain. However, they are required to take a covid test on or before day two of their arriving back in the UK.

The Government has said that people travelling to amber list countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the US and Canada must quarantine at home and take two tests upon returning.

All travellers to green, amber and red list destinations must also follow the entry requirements of the countries they are heading to. This means while Britons can fly to countries like Portugal, Greece and Italy with proof of negative test, they can only enter countries like Spain if they are citizens and legal residents of the EU, Schengen states, Andorra, Monaco, The Vatican, and San Marino, or can demonstrate essential need to enter.

Under the UK's traffic light scheme, people travelling to red list countries such as India and Pakistan are required to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of 1,750 upon returning in Britain. Again, government guidance says they will need to follow the local entry requirements and restrictions.

British holidaymakers returning to the UK from amber and red list countries have to complete a passenger locator form providing the results of their covid tests and where they will be quarantining for 10 days.

British holidaymakers arrive at Faro airport in Algarve, south of Portugal, on May 17, 2021

Two passengers wearing face masks wheel their suitcases through Heathrow's Terminal 5 as the global travel ban is eased

A passenger in a hazmat suit is seen in Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 this morning as covid restrictions ease today

The traffic light system rates countries as green, amber or red based on the risk of importing coronavirus into Britain, with those going to green list countries such as Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel free to travel without quarantining on return

Queues at Terminal 5 formed early this morning, with check-in taking longer as airline staff checked documentation that all passengers were covid-free while BA staff stood at the entrance handing out chocolates to passengers as they said: 'Welcome back to flying. We've missed you.'

HOW DO AMBER LIST TOURIST DESTINATIONS COMPARE TO THE UK? Dozens of flights to 'amber list' countries took off from the UK today as holidaymakers took advantage of legal international travel undeterred by the need for quarantine when they return. The Government has asked people not to travel to countries on the amber list because of fears about them catching the virus or bringing back a new variant, but it is no longer illegal. Here's how the situations in popular destinations compare to the UK's  Britain has the lowest infection rate and the most people vaccinated, while the US has the most people to have received two doses of a jab: COUNTRY CASES (Daily positive tests per million people) VACCINES (% of people given 1 dose of a jab) 2ND DOSES (% of people fully vaccinated) France Greece Canada Germany Spain Italy US UK 213 207 160 123 114 113 100 34 30% 27% 44% 36% 32% 31% 47% 54% 13% 15% 4% 11% 15% 14% 37% 30% Britain has a lower infection rate than any of the other popular destinations, and it has been consistently lower for months The UK has more people vaccinated once than other nations But the US has more people who have received both jab doses Advertisement

Stephen Bough, a 51-year-old company director travelling to Faro with his wife Lucy, 51, and daughter Hannah, 20, said: 'It's a fantastic feeling, it's like being free again. And it's another step on the road to getting back to normal life. I can't wait to get back in the sun and just relax because it's been a very difficult year for us all.'

Hannah said: 'The first thing I'm going to do when I get to our house is have a cocktail and get in the pool.' Meanwhile, streams of passengers piled off the Gatwick Express as they took flights to Portugal, Jersey and Jamaica, as well as Antigua, Barcelona, Belfast, Cancun, Guernsey, Paris and Rome.

Brian Douglas, 77, was on his way to Malaga, Spain, to stay at his second home.

In possession of his new blue British passport, he said she saw no reason not to travel.

'I've been fully tested and had my jabs so why should I not go to,' he said.

'There is no real reason that people should be stopped from going to Spain or other countries on the amber list.'

Check-in desks at Heathrow's Terminal Five were busy for the first time in months as British Airways staff said welcomed back passengers.

The airline was operating more than a dozen flights to amber list countries, including those to Marseille and Toulouse in France and Malaga in Spain.

There were also four flights to the USA although only US citizens and Permanent Residents were being allowed to fly to destinations such as Philadelphia, Chicago and Miami.

Travellers returning from countries on the Government's amber list must quarantine for 10 days and undertake Covid tests on day two and eight. They can also pay extra to be released early from quarantine after five days.

Film director Sarah Arzoinelaurent was off on a 10-day holiday the South of France.

She said: 'It has been a long 18 months with no travel and I just need a break. I have worked all through the lockdown and in my industry tested three times a week.

'I feel I deserve a break away and am happy to go into quarantine when I get back.'

Another traveller, on the same BA flight to Marseille, said:' We have had so many restrictions that it is wrong for the Government to tell us now not to go.

'I have had a PCR test to show I am fit to fly and will go into self-isolation when I get back. If I am doing everything correctly then I should not be told where I can and cannot go.'

Many of those booked on the afternoon Malaga flight were travelling to homes in Spain.

Sally Langmead, 56, said she had been desperate to escape to the sun and plans to spend at least a month at her home.

'If the Spanish Government are happy for us to travel, then I see no reason not to go. I've been waiting for this day for a very long time and just want to get out there and relax.'

Others travelling to France were nationals returning home to see parents.

Vanessa,40, said people going to see family should not be grouped with tourists and condemned for travelling.

She said:' I have lived in the UK for six years, but have not seen my parents for months.

'This is a chance for me to meet up with my family and it is wrong to be told I am doing a bad thing by going to France.

'I have had three tests before booking the flight and will self-isolate when I arrive. I will also self-isolation when I return to the UK. I can do that as I am working from home.'

Many travellers were unaware that they could use the NHS app to prove they have been vaccinated, after an update for users in England last night effectively made it a covid passport - to the fury of MPs and privacy campaigners who regard the system as a potential breach of human rights.

It comes after Mr Hancock caused chaos by telling people not to go on holiday to whole swathes of Europe despite most of the continent being on the amber list.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng echoed Mr Hancock's confusing calls this morning as he told Sky: 'People are allowed to do things but it doesn't mean everyone should be going away at the same time. I think urging caution makes sense. Yes we can go to another country, but we should take caution.'

The remarks were slammed by travel bosses who accused the Government of needlessly 'instilling fear' by discouraging overseas holidays. One industry executive suggested No10's real concern was a shortage of border staff to police arrivals following scenes of chaos at passport arrivals at Heathrow earlier in the year.

But Mr Cummings waded into the argument this afternoon by arguing that 'fast hard effective' action was the 'best policy for economy AND for reducing deaths/suffering'.

He criticised the focus on civil liberties and trusting people's common sense, pointing out that there was too much resistance to the restrictive approach taken by many countries in Asia that had deal well with the pandemic.

'This nonsense is STILL influencing policy, eg our joke borders policy,' Mr Cummings added.

No10 has come under pressure from aviation bosses to add France, Greece, Spain, the US and the Caribbean to the green list 'early next month', with Heathrow's chief executive John Holland-Kaye telling Sky News: 'We want to ensure British towels are on the sun loungers this summer.'

But Labour yesterday called for a 'slow down' in the lifting of the travel ban, and accused Boris Johnson of ignoring science after he allegedly delayed putting India on the red list so he could strike a trade deal with New Delhi - despite a variant bringing that country's health system to the brink of collapse.

Passengers at Heathrow Airport as still confident to travel to amber list countries, despite the threat of quarantine when they return to the UK.

Space scientist Simon Thomas said: 'I live and work in Toulouse, France, so I am going to get back to my job. When I came over here I had the quarantine and have all the tests which was frustrating. I have not been able to travel back and forth much due to the cost of quarantine and how long it takes.'

The 32-year-old, who came back to the UK to look after his mum, added: 'I have to do a week's quarantine when I get back to France but I am not too worried about not being able to return to the UK.

So, where IS accepting UK tourists? After Portugal flip-flopped on allowing us in, these are the European countries welcoming Brits... and the ones shutting us out Tourism is starting to reopen across Europe as vaccine drives ramp up and Covid infections fall across much of the continent Green list countries Portugal Portugal has become much talked-about in recent days: A favourite travel destination of British sun-seekers, it was included on the government's travel 'green list' and initially seemed eager to welcome us from today. But that was all thrown into chaos this week when it was suddenly announced that a ban on non-essential travel might be extended until May 30, throwing hundreds of people's plans into doubt. Portugal has now reversed that stance, saying it will accept tourist arrivals from Britain from today as originally planned. All arrivals will have to take a PCR test no more than 72 hours beforehand, and bring the negative results with them to be allowed into the country - with those having tickets now in a rush to get the tests sorted. Gibraltar People travelling to Gibraltar must present proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival, or take a fast test on arrival at Gibraltar Airport. Those coming from England can present the NHS app or an NHS letter demonstrating vaccination status, but they cannot use a handwritten NHS covid card as proof of inoculation for travel purposes. Requirements upon arrival will depend on where you have been in the 14 days prior to your arrival. Requirements depend on whether the countries you have previously visited are on green, amber or red lists. People who have been to a country on the amber or red list in the previous 14 days will be required to take covid tests. If they have not been fully vaccinated, they will need to self-isolate on arrival in Gibraltar. In all instances, you they complete a Passenger Locator Form. Iceland Visitors from any foreign nation are being allowed into the country provided they can show proof of vaccination or a previous covid infection. Tourists then have to take a PCR test on arrival and wait in their hotel for the results, but border authorities say this will be no longer than 24 hours and is usually over in five or six hours. There is a complicated list of exemptions for those who are not vaccinated, but it is unlikely that most people will qualify. Iceland also has the benefit of being on the UK's green list which comes into force on Monday, meaning you won't need to quarantine after arriving home. Amber list countries Greece Since April, Greece's borders have been open to foreign arrivals provided they can show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure or that they have been fully vaccinated with an EU-approved Covid jab. Arrivals also need to complete a passenger locator form including details of where they have travelled and where they are staying so it can be used by test and trace authorities in the case of an outbreak. Italy Prime Minister Mario Draghi said last week that Italy plans to run its own 'green pass scheme' which would allow tourists in from any country provided they are vaccinated, have previously been infected, or have tested negative. Mr Draghi said the scheme would be in place by 'mid-May', raising hopes that it might be ready in time for Britain's rules to relax on May 17. But since his initial announcement, no further details have been published leading to frustration and confusion among those hoping to travel. France Arrivals from the UK will need to complete a 'sworn statement' form self-certifying they are not suffering from covid symptoms and have not been in contact with confirmed cases in the preceding fortnight. All UK travellers will need to present a negative PCR test result, carried out less than 72 hours before departure. They should not use the NHS testing service to get a test in order to facilitate your travel to another country. Passengers arriving in France from the UK will also be required to self-isolate for seven days on arrival, before taking another PCR test. Exit from this self-isolation period is subject to a negative test result. Spain Fernando Valdes, Spain's tourism minister, laid out his plans for reopening the tourist economy last month and predicted the country will be ready to welcome back foreign arrivals in June. UK travellers are not allowed into Spain unless they can demonstrate an essential need to enter the country. Only citizens and legal residents of the EU, Schengen states, Andorra, Monaco, The Vatican and San Marino will be granted passage under current restrictions. Croatia Tourists are welcome to travel provided they have taken a negative PCR test within 48 hours of departure, have evidence of previous infection, or are fully vaccinated. Arrivals will also need to provide evidence that they have paid for accommodation within the country - which can include campsites - or own property there. Travellers are also required to complete a form, which can either be done on arrival or in advance online. Cyprus The Mediterranean island is welcoming tourists provided they have been fully vaccinated, can show evidence of a previous infection or have taken a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure. Travellers also need to register for a flight pass no later than 24 hours before departure. For those using a PCR test to get into the country, details of the test will need to be entered into the online form, meaning they will have to plan the timing of the test carefully. Netherlands An oddball on this list: The Netherlands is allowing tourists into the country but says it strongly discourages people from visiting. If you do decide to go, then the government advice is to stay in your hotel as much as possible and avoid busy places when you do go out. Many hotel facilities, including restaurants and pools, are currently closed, and there is a night-time curfew in place from 8pm until 6am. However, from May 19 restaurant and bar terraces will be allowed to open from midday until 6pm and all non-essential retail is open. Germany The country is currently not permitting foreign tourists. You can only enter if you are returning to your place of residence; if you serve in an important role; or there is an urgent need for your travel. UK nationals resident in Germany must demonstrate proof of residence. If you are not yet in possession of a residence card, you will be required to provide credible evidence that you are resident in Germany. Red list countries Turkey Despite the country being in almost-total lockdown, Turkey is allowing tourists in without a PCR test or evidence of vaccination. Tourists are largely exempt from the lockdown rules - which have confined Turks to their homes for weeks - while hotels and other businesses involved directly in tourism have been allowed to remain open. However, many other businesses - such as shops and restaurants - remain closed. City streets are also deserted, which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on your idea of a good holiday. What does the EU say? Currently, the EU has adopted a recommendation for all 27 member states to ban non-essential travel from third countries - though this is non-binding and countries can ignore it if they wish. Just six nations escape the EU's ban due to low infection rates: Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The EU commission last week proposed an update to the guidance which would allow fully-vaccinated citizens of any foreign nation in, provided they have been given an EU-approved jab. The threshold to get on the 'low infection' list would also be raised so more countries can be added, allowing citizens into the EU whether they have been jabbed or not. However, the guidance still needs to be approved and there is no clear indication of when this might happen. Even then, it would not be binding. Advertisement

'I have a vaccine tomorrow in Toulouse and I am hoping that France will get on the green list soon as cases drop and I will be able to come back and see my mum in the summer.'

Backpacker Sophie Forde said: 'I am off to Mexico City for a long-delayed trip. I was meant to leave in January so I am very excited, I have not really planned anything but I just want to get out there and explore.

'This has been part of a four-year-long 'gap year' with lots of travelling so lockdown was really tough waiting around to be able to leave.'

The 25-year-old added: 'I don't think there is any quarantine in Mexico so I should be able to get out as soon as I get there, that is part of the reason I chose to go there. I think I might head to Cancun, enjoy the sun and then go for an adventure and make everyone at home jealous.'

Leanne, who was travelling to visit her ill grandmother in Mexico, said: 'I am just travelling to say my last farewells, I am not too worried about the quarantine as long as I get to see her in time.

'Seeing her is more important than my time in quarantine, so even though I have not had a vaccine I am going over there.'

A student, who did not want to be named, said: 'I am travelling back to Los Angeles, I have been over here for three months studying and now I am desperate to get home. I am not too worried about the quarantine in the US, I can go home and it will be fine for me, the internet just makes things so much easier.'

Travellers at London Heathrow are rushing to catch the first flights to green list Portugal and Gibraltar, as airport staff were seen giving excited passengers bound for Europe gift bags as they arrived at check-in.

Restaurant manager Amanda Brown said she 'can't wait' to be reunited with her boyfriend, who lives in Faro, after eight months apart and six flight cancellations, as she boarded the first green-list flight from Gatwick Airport.

While queuing for the plane, Ms Brown, 48, said: 'I booked this holiday in December but it has cancelled probably about six times now, so this is the first opportunity I've got to fly out.'

When asked how it felt to finally be making the trip, she said: 'Fantastic, I'm so excited - I didn't sleep properly last night - so yeah it's amazing, I love it - it's really good to see everything going back to some kind of normality.

'I'm planning to go to the beach and seeing my boyfriend - I haven't seen him since October so I can't wait.' On the testing and airport process, she added: 'I found it quite easy going through the airport, no queues or anything really.

'There's a bit of anxiety on the build-up because obviously you have to take a test before you go, it was a bit anxious waiting for the result to come back through.'

Partners Terry Walby, 53, and Kerry Hallard, 50, were heading to Tavira in Portugal's Algarve via an easyJet flight to Faro. They own the boutique Tavira House Hotel, which has sadly been unable to open its doors to guests since September last year due to coronavirus.

Mr Walby, from Esher, Surrey, said: 'We've not travelled since the second lockdown. We're going for business. We've got a hotel which has been closed because of lockdown. We've not been able to head to it and it's reopening on June 1. We're off to make sure everything is in order for when it reopens.

'The hotel has been closed since the end of September 2020 and we had a few bookings in September last year but that's it. It has been a tough two years.

'It's a nine bedroom boutique hotel located in an 160 year old building in the heart of the city, which has been lovingly restored. We booked the flight just over a week ago. We're travelling with EasyJet to Faro then heading to Tavira in the Algarve.

'We've both been vaccinated with one shot, but we had to get a test beforehand too. It cost 120 each.'

When asked whether they were planning to use the NHS app to prove they had been vaccinated, both said they had not heard about the updated feature.

Gary Danielz, 53, and his wife Bella Danielz, 53, a nurse, were heading off to Portugal for their first holiday in a year and couldn't wait to arrive for a well-earned break.

Mr Danielz, a software engineer from Maidstone, Kent, said: 'We're excited to be off. It's the first time I've been out of the house in a year. I've got the curse of having to work from home.

'We booked the flights about two weeks ago. We're heading to Porto with TAP then making our way to Braganca, a city in the north of Portugal. We had PCR tests before coming here. They were 99 each. They're making a lot of money out of the tests, put it that way.

'I'm not anxious about the Indian variant. My only concern is if they don't let us fly or if they don't let us come back. I'm of the opinion that we've reached herd immunity.'

Mrs Danielz added: 'I'm Portugese so normally I go and visit once a year, but not last year. We're off for a six day break - it's just what we need after this year.'

Steve Dewhurst, 64, was lugging suitcases up a travelator into the terminal building behind his wife Zoya Dewhurst, 58. Mr Dewhurst, who was on his first ever holiday to Portugal, said he was excited to set off on his EasyJet flight to Faro.

The construction company director from Crowborough, East Sussex, said: 'We're off to the Algarve. It's my first time going there. I'm ready for a break to be honest.

'I've gone abroad a couple of times since the pandemic hit, to Angola and Saudi Arabia, but it has always been for work. I'm vaccinated but we had to pay for covid tests too in order to fly. They were 160 each.

'I'm excited for the sun. Hopefully it'll be better weather than it is here. The last time I travelled anywhere it was last Christmas so I think I'm due for a break.'

When asked whether he planned on using the NHS app to prove that he had been vaccinated, he said he had no idea about the feature.

Roberto Almeida, 53, was heading to Portugal for a week to visit his sister in Porto who he hasn't been able to see for over a year because of Covid-19. He was flying directly to Porto with TAP.

Mr Almeida, a martial arts coach from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, said: 'I'm just heading off for a holiday in Porto.

'It's the first time I've travelled abroad since the start of the pandemic. I'm staying with my sister there. I'm very excited to get on-board because I've not seen my sister in the last year.

'Covid has made it very difficult to plan to travel. I booked the flight one or two weeks ago. It's the first time I've travelled abroad since the start of the pandemic.'

Mr Almeida, who is originally from Brazil, said he had not had a PCR test prior to flying, but seemed unconcerned, saying he was already fully vaccinated.

He added: 'They didn't say anything about needing a PCR test. I'm fully vaccinated anyway.'

Martyn Jackson, 33, arrived at Gatwick with his violin. The classical violinist from East Grinstead, East Sussex, was heading to Portugal for a month with work.

He said: 'I'm excited to head off into the sun. I booked my flights a couple of months ago. Luckily, I'm a resident of Portugal so I've been able to come since 17th April.

'I moved out of London and was meant to be working in Portugal but then in January this year I had to come back to the UK because of covid and the fact they were closing all the flights. I work with an orchestra in Portugal and they shut down too.

'I'm taking the flight to Porto today but I'll be staying in Porto and Lisbon and I'm trying to head to Marrakech in Morocco for a few days too. But we'll see how that goes when I get there

'I tried to get the vaccine before coming, but they wouldn't give it to me because they only had the AstraZeneca version and they weren't giving it to under 40s.'

Colin Stokes, 63, and his wife Ellen Stokes, 62, were among the passengers catching the first flight out of Gatwick to Faro in Portugal. They were taking the three hour flight to Faro with easyJet with their two children, before heading to the city of Albufeira, where they have family.

Mr Stokes, from Ramsgate, who runs a plumbing merchant, said: 'We booked about 6 months ago and we're lucky to be able to go today.

'We've been vaccinated so we didn't think we had to have the PRC test so we had to rush around trying to find one. We got one on Friday afternoon in the end.

'They were 150 each. It cost 600 in total - it's quite a lot.This is the first time we've gone on holiday since lockdown really. We've got a granddaughter over there who is three months old and we've never seen.

'We're very emotional. We just can't wait to see her. It's fantastic.' Mrs Stokes added: 'My mum was coming with us but she packed it at the last minute. She was worried about the Indian variant. She's really concerned now and won't go out of her home. It's just us for now.'

Claudia Trindade, 32, was pushing a trolley packed with bags and suitcases up the conveyer, as she prepared to return to Portugal for good after eight years in the UK.

The Portuguese national had worked in intensive care wards at the peak of the pandemic and was ready for a well-earned break. She said: 'I managed to make a few trips back home when travel restrictions were relaxed during the pandemic, but now I'm returning for good.

'I'm a nurse and I'm tired. It was too much. It was incredibly difficult and all the team are really tired. I'm a little anxious about flying. I just want to go home. It's more the anxiety to finally be here though.

'I will take a break when I get back to Porto. At the moment they are looking for nurses for the covid areas.

'I might go back to nursing later, but for now I will take a break. I'm fully vaccinated. Intensive care nurses were some of the first to be offered vaccines, but I still had to take a PCR test. It was 100 and I had it on Saturday, 48 hours before. They're usually around 150.'

Some people, including 21-year-old Michelle Clark, admitted she was 'quite nervous' about getting through security, which has been beefed up with temperature scanners to meet covid safety requirements.

Care home worker Theresa Depino, who is travelling with a friend to Faro, revealed that her holiday to Portugal is her first holiday since September.

'It has been a really long winter for me with the lockdown and trying to keep the care home going all through the last year so it will be so nice,' she told MailOnline. 'I am just going to sleep and get in the sun and relax for a week, I have earned it.'

Mike, Sharon, Isabella and Evan, who declined to give their surnames, said: 'We are so excited to get away, this is our first holiday for almost two years.

'We are heading to Portugal for a couple of weeks and staying in an Airbnb. We just want to get some sun really and to escape the rain. We have been stuck in the country for literally two years now so it is just so nice for us to get away. So far we haven't really got any plans for when we get there.

'We are just going to see what it is like when we are over there but we just want to see the sun!'

Businessman James Fitzgerald, 42, revealed that he booked his flight just minutes after the Government placed Portugal on the green list of countries.

Downing Street released the full list of countries on green, amber and red lists ahead of a loosening of restrictions tomorrow

Dominic Cummings waded into the borders argument this afternoon by arguing that 'fast hard effective' action was the 'best policy for economy AND for reducing deaths/suffering'

Hundreds of people seen queueing at check-in at Terminal 5 in Heathrow Airport today as global travel curbs ease

Passengers wearing face masks at Gate A13 boarding their flight to Lisbon, Portugal from London Heathrow today

Passengers with suitcases seen queueing at check-in at London Heathrow as global travel restrictions are eased

Zoya, 58, and Steve, 64, Dewhurst (left) who are travelling to Portugal today from Gatwick Airport. Pictured right: Gary, 53, and Bella, 53, Daniels who are travelling to Portugal from Gatwick today

People travelling out of UK could transmit India variant, warns director of the Wellcome Trust Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said that he would not meet indoors 'at the moment'. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think it is reasonable to just be sensible about knowing where transmission is occurring, mostly indoors, mostly in larger gatherings indoors with lots of different people, different families, different communities, and I would just restrict that at the moment personally.' But he added: 'I don't think it's unreasonable to lift the restrictions - we do need to lift the restrictions at some point, we've been in restrictions now for a very long time.' There is a risk that the variant first identified in India could be transmitted by people travelling out of the UK, Sir Jeremy Farrar said. The director of the Wellcome Trust told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Britain is a very connected, and very small country and the chance of local cases becoming regional and then regional becoming national is very clear. 'And it is also connected internationally and I think that's also a concern not only for importation of new variants coming into the country, but also people travelling out of the country - there is a risk that this variant B.617 could be transmitted from the UK now. 'I think travel should still be very cautious and only when absolutely essential. 'But the only way to stop these variants occurring is to drive down transmission.' He added: 'The biggest risk to countries like the UK - who have done very well with vaccine rollout - is variants arising from anywhere in the world and then spreading around the world when they have a biological advantage. 'So driving down transmission in this country is essential, but so is it in the rest of the world, and that means driving down transmission and making vaccines available globally.' Sir Jeremy warned that restrictions may have to be reversed if the new variant 'escapes' protection afforded to people by the vaccines. 'The new variant that has come, the B.167, is becoming dominant in parts of the UK,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Yet vaccination across the country has been extraordinarily successful. 'I think we will see an increase of cases and infections over the coming weeks as some of the restrictions are lifted, but I think the key question is whether we have decoupled increased transmission and number of people who do get infected from the number of people that get ill and need to go into hospital or with long Covid. 'If we've decoupled them, then I think the country can cope with a marginal degree of an increase in transmission. 'So that is the key question and to be honest, we don't know that today and that is why I think a very careful lifting is reasonable, but we may have to reverse that if there is escape from the vaccine.' He added: 'I just think we're at this point where we've lifted restrictions, and yet we don't have that full amount of information - I think it is reasonable to lift them today, but I do believe all of us need to be really, really careful.' Advertisement

He beamed: 'I feel like a free man again and I've been waiting for this day for a long time, as have a lot of other people in the country, so I don't mind going through a few extra checks.

'I'm a very keen golfer and am just looking forward to playing a few rounds, enjoying the sun, the beach and having a few drinks. It's been a very tough year and being able to go on holiday will give all of us a lift.'

Michael Cohen, 56, who owns a holiday home in the Algarve, said: 'I feel like a prisoner whose just been released. It's been a long time coming. I just want to lie in the sun and enjoy the beach.

'I must admit that I'm a bit nervous about flying and there's a lot more paperwork to organise if you want to get on a plane. But it's really worth it because I could do with a really nice holiday.'

Jessie Redhead, 32, smiled and said: 'Freedom and it's wonderful. The first thing I'm doing after I get to my hotel is to get in my bikini and hit the beach. I'm desperate for a bit of sun.'

All passengers flying to the country had to provide a negative PCR test and complete a Portuguese Government passenger locator form. Even airline staff admitted that they were excited about the return of passengers.

BA ground staff member Jurian, who was standing at the entrance to Terminal 5 handing out chocolates, said: 'At times over the past year the airport has been like a ghost town. So, we're just happy to see people back and hope that things return to normal very soon.

'It's a great day not just for the travellers but also for us.'

A cabin crew member who spent part of her furlough helping out at a vaccination centre said it was 'absolutely lovely' to be working again on the first day of the Government's easing of foreign travel restrictions.

Kim Mariani, 42, from Portsmouth, was among the team serving customers on board a TUI flight from London's Gatwick Airport to the Portuguese island of Madeira - a green-list destination.

Passengers burst into applause as the plane touched down on Monday morning.

It marked Ms Mariani's first flight back at work since January when her second period of furlough in the past year had begun.

She said: 'This is such a social job, we fly with different people every day, chatting to passengers. So it's so nice to be back and it's so nice to take people on holidays. Holidays are so important to people to spend time with their family and relax.'

Ms Mariani, who has nearly 20 years of flight experience, said many cabin crew colleagues had volunteered at Covid vaccination centres, with some even administering jabs.

She said furlough had been 'strange', adding: 'We've been one of the last businesses to get back so it's been really hard. One of the hardest bits is seeing everyone else get back to normal whereas you're not.'

Essy Kamaie, a passenger on the first green-list flight from Gatwick Airport to Faro in Portugal, said he was 'excited' to travel abroad after having a previous holiday cancelled, and booked his ticket only two hours before the flight.

Mr Kamaie, a 65-year-old property developer, said while waiting in the queue for the plane: 'I'm excited, I was disappointed because I booked to go to Malaga but I've been refused, I have a property there and we couldn't go but I'm now going to Faro.

'It was very easy actually, it was all online, we booked it this morning at about 7.30 - a few hours ago.'

Kevin and Pauline Nash from Essex were among the first to board a green-list flight to Portugal from Gatwick Airport. In the queue for the plane to Faro, Mr Nash, a company chairman, 66, said: 'We're very excited to go on holiday, we haven't been since last September.

'This is the first time we've booked and it's the first flight out, so we're delighted - and it's been a long, cold winter at home so we're looking forward to it.'

When asked about what it was like booking the journey and going through the airport with coronavirus measures in place, he added: 'It's been a great experience so far, very smooth, the airport has been particularly empty which is nice, no hitch at all.'

Brits are handed face masks and sanitiser as they arrive in Portugal British tourists were handed face masks, sanitiser and asked to provide full details about their stay in Portugal as they touched down in the country for the start of long-awaited sunshine breaks. All Brits arriving the country were also warned by officials at Faro airport of the strict rules for wearing face masks in public places, which includes keeping them on while on the beach or they could be hit with hefty 100 fines. Passengers arriving were asked by immigration officials to produce proof of a negative PCR test and show that they had completed a locator form, with details of where they are staying before being allowed to proceed to the baggage hall. Amongst the first Brits to arrive in Faro was honeymoon couple Siddhant Majithia, 26 and his wife Hemisha, 24. The young couple only married two weeks ago and admitted that they were not looking forward to the prospect of honeymooning in Britain and were relieved when the Government place Portugal on the green list. Siddhant, an optician from Leicester revealed that they only booked their Portugal honey last Thursday. He said: 'It's great to get away and we're very lucky to have got on this plane. We had to cancel three other honeymoons before this one because of the travel restrictions. 'It was very frustrating and getting us down because the thought of a honeymoon in England with unpredictable wedding wasn't very exciting.' Hemisha, a physiotherapist added: 'We were thinking of doing a road trip to the Lake District, which isn't exactly a memorable honeymoon given the unpredictable British weather. 'Now we've got the chance for a great break in the sun and I'm really looking forward to it.' Romina Depino, 28 and her sister Teresa, 43 said that Portugal was their first break in over a year. Teresa, from Surrey said: 'It feels great to be here. The sun is shining, it's warm and I just want to lie by the pool and chill. I'm a care worker for elderly people and it's been a really difficult year and I really need this holiday. 'We were meant to be going to Turkey but then it was placed on the red list, so we've ended up in Portugal, which isn't bad really.' Advertisement

When asked what they planned to do in Faro, he said: 'Open the doors of our villa and look out to sea and just go 'Ahhh'.' Ms Nash, a housewife, 54, added: 'And then get a cocktail. 'It's just the freedom again to be able to do this - and it feels safe.'

Royal Mail postman Gary Underdown, 33, has said he was 'shocked' at how quickly he and his family got through airport security on the morning of their flight to Faro in Portugal.

Travelling from Gatwick Airport with his partner Georgina Raven, who also works for Royal Mail, and their young son, he said: 'We can't wait to get there, we've been waiting a long time.'

When asked what they plan to do in Faro, he said: 'Not a lot. We're key workers, we work for Royal Mail, we've been working a lot and very hard for the last year so we just want a break.

'Sit at the pool, do nothing, walk up into the mountains, that's all we want to do.'

On getting through the airport with coronavirus measures in place on the first day of green list travel, he said: 'I was shocked, we got here really early expecting the six-hour queues, and we walked straight to the front, straight through and sat there for three-and-a-half hours waiting.'

Grandfather Robert Hatfield is travelling to Bahrain to be reunited with his grandchildren: 'This will be the first time in a long time, it is getting on for two years since I have seen them,' he said.

'The internet has helped but it doesn't make up for it physically. I would not have been so quick off the mark if my very cute three-year-old granddaughter hadn't kept asking when she was next going to see me.

'I had a very strong bond with my grandparents when I was a child, a week seemed a long time when I was three so a year or 18 months is an eternity. I was just concerned she would forget who I was.'

The 67-year-old, who is travelling for two weeks, added: 'I am really lucky to have had both vaccinations, so I am really happy to be travelling and Bahrain has had really good uptake.

'I have made some really good friends over there so I am looking forward to seeing them and getting into the sun. But, most of all, I can't wait to see my daughter and my grandchildren.'

Holidaymaker Bruce Smith said: 'We are off for a holiday and a bit of work in Portugal, we just want to rest and relax as safely as possible. I am a director of an engineering company and it has been tough.

'It has been our busiest year ever, people have not been able to go away so they have put all their money into landscaping and tree surgery instead, at least some good has come out of it. The last year has been manic so I will be doing as little as possible. We are going for a week and I just want to forget about work.'

The 47-year-old from Devon is confident he can avoid any travel hiccups: 'I am not worried about getting back here, I am a little bit concerned about getting there but the Portuguese don't seem worried. Our tests here came back really fast so I think we will be fine.'

Retired couple Keith and Janice Tomsett, aged 72 and 71, from West Chiltington in West Sussex, were 'looking forward to' their break to the Portugese island of Madeira.

As they prepared to board their flight at Gatwick Airport's north terminal, Mr Tomsett said: 'We've gone through all the hoops, PCR testing... after 15 months of being locked up this is unbelievably good.'

He joked: 'It was even worth getting up at 3 o'clock this morning'. The couple, who are both vaccinated against Covid-19, said they found their pre-flight drive through testing at the airport 'easy', but Mr Tomsett expressed frustration at the need to complete another test after returning to England from their holiday.

He said: 'We're fully vaccinated, we're going to a green list country and we will be having a test 48 hours before we fly, so why we have to have another one two days later I do not understand.'

Some people, including 21-year-old Michelle Clark, admitted she was 'quite nervous' about getting through security, which has been beefed up with temperature scanners to meet covid safety requirements

Care home worker Theresa Depino, who is travelling with a friend to Faro, revealed that her holiday to Portugal is her first holiday since September. 'It has been a really long winter for me with the lockdown and trying to keep the care home going all through the last year so it will be so nice,' she told MailOnline

Passengers wearing face masks pushing trolleys loaded with suitcases through Heathrow's Terminal 5 this morning

Ryanair suffers record 700MILLION loss due to grounding of 80% of flights - but 'optimistic' boss Michael O'Leary says bookings 'tripled' in last six weeks and predicts Italy and Greece will be on 'Green List' by end of month Ryanair has reported a full year loss of 702 million as traffic fell 81 per cent from 149 million passengers to 27.5 million due to the pandemic. But the Ireland-based low-cost airline said in a statement it expects to benefit from a 'strong rebound of pent up travel demand' through the second half of 2021. It is looking to returning to pre-Covid growth in summer 2022 with the help of the delivery of Boeing 737 'Gamechanger' aircraft and new bases in Billund, Riga, Stockholm, Zadar and Zagreb. It described the financial year as 'the most challenging' in the firm's 35-year history due to the pandemic. 'There was a partial recovery during summer 2020, as initial lockdowns eased, however a second Covid-19 wave in Europe followed quickly in the autumn with a third wave in spring,' Ryanair said in a statement. 'This created enormous disruptions and uncertainty for both our customers and our people, as they suffered constantly changing Government guidelines, travel bans and restrictions. 'Ryanair responded promptly, and effectively, to this crisis, by working hard to assist millions of customers with flight changes, refunds and changed travel plans. 'We minimised job losses through agreed pay cuts and participation in Government job support schemes, while at the same time keeping our pilots, cabin crew and aircraft current and ready to resume service once normality returns.' Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said the airline was 'very optimistic for the next couple of months' after bookings trebled during the past six weeks. He told BBC Breakfast: 'The UK vaccine programme has been extraordinarily successful. We're up to 60 per cent of the adult population having received their first dose. 'European countries recognise that. They're beginning to lift restrictions on inbound UK visitors. 'Portugal this morning. We're very hopeful that Italy and Greece will be added to that green list before the end of May, and Spain will come shortly thereafter.' Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told BBC Breakfast that fares will remain low this summer but could soar in 2022 as the number of seats will be 25 per cent lower than before the pandemic due to airlines collapsing or reducing their operations. He said: 'There's no doubt in my mind that prices will rise, particularly during the peaks of the bank holiday weekends, the school holiday travel period, but that won't affect bookings for summer 2021. 'In 2021 prices will never be cheaper because all the airlines are running with much lower advanced bookings than we have ever had before because of the travel restrictions. 'So I think this summer there are going to be great travel bargains. Get on the Ryanair website and book them now. 'But summer 2022, we will be urging people to book very early because I think there's less seats and pricing will be higher.' Advertisement

Both travellers, who booked their holiday in October on the 'off chance' it would go ahead, said they would not travel to Madeira if it was not on the green list.

The pair said they did not have any health worries and would take 'the normal safe guards'.

Commenting on the Government's green list of quarantine-free destinations, Mr Tomsett said: 'I think you have to err on the side of caution. They've probably taken more caution than they need. But I've never got Covid and I wouldn't want to go there.'

Speaking to MailOnline, business traveller Yaseen Akhtarwas, 28, worried about the impact holidaymakers might have on the airport. 'I have been travelling for work all through lockdown,' he said.

'We had to move our office to Amsterdam because of Brexit so I have been back and forth.

'It is busier than it has been. Travelling through lockdown has been a nuisance, coming back last month it was a mess. I waited here for three hours to get back and having to book the two tests is expensive.

'It is going to be packed unless they sort it out, it was already packed last month with only business travellers so they need to get more staff on the desks here. I am really looking forward to getting away for a holiday, I think it will be quite a while till I get one though.'

British tourists were handed face masks, sanitiser and asked to provide full details about their stay in Portugal as they touched down in the country for the start of long-awaited sunshine breaks.

All Brits arriving the country were also warned by officials at Faro airport of the strict rules for wearing face masks in public places, which includes keeping them on while on the beach or they could be hit with hefty 100 fines.

Passengers arriving were asked by immigration officials to produce proof of a negative PCR test and show that they had completed a locator form, with details of where they are staying before being allowed to proceed to the baggage hall.

Amongst the first Brits to arrive in Faro was honeymoon couple Siddhant Majithia, 26 and his wife Hemisha, 24.

The young couple only married two weeks ago and admitted that they were not looking forward to the prospect of honeymooning in Britain and were relieved when the Government place Portugal on the green list.

Siddhant, an optician from Leicester revealed that they only booked their Portugal honey last Thursday.

He said: 'It's great to get away and we're very lucky to have got on this plane. We had to cancel three other honeymoons before this one because of the travel restrictions.

'It was very frustrating and getting us down because the thought of a honeymoon in England with unpredictable wedding wasn't very exciting.'

Hemisha, a physiotherapist added: 'We were thinking of doing a road trip to the Lake District, which isn't exactly a memorable honeymoon given the unpredictable British weather.

'Now we've got the chance for a great break in the sun and I'm really looking forward to it.'

Romina Depino, 28 and her sister Teresa, 43 said that Portugal was their first break in over a year.

Teresa, from Surrey said: 'It feels great to be here. The sun is shining, it's warm and I just want to lie by the pool and chill. I'm a care worker for elderly people and it's been a really difficult year and I really need this holiday.

'We were meant to be going to Turkey but then it was placed on the red list, so we've ended up in Portugal, which isn't bad really.'

Onel Hernandez, 28 arrived in Faro with his fiance Kirsha, 27, her sister Hazel, 18 and their daughter Dreamy, 2.

The family revealed that they were staying for two weeks and had been saving up all year for the break.

Onel, who lives in Norwich said: 'It's great to be back on holiday and something we've really missed. The one good thing about the lockdown is that it gave me a chance to save some money for a decent family holiday.

'We only booked the holiday two weeks, and it was quite expensive because there is a lot of demand for Portugal. But it's worth it because given what the whole world has gone through over the past year, we all need a holiday.'

Travel bosses are urging the Government to add 'most of Europe' to the green list as soon as possible after Mr Hancock caused chaos during a media round yesterday by telling people not to fly out to amber list countries - most of Europe - for holidays.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye stressed the need for France, Greece and Spain to be added to the green list this summer, and the US and Caribbean 'early next month'.

He said: 'The travel industry continues to face real pressure. As is well known, the profits travel companies make in the summer are used to help drive them through the rest of the year.

'Without that season many companies will not make it until next year. That is half a million UK jobs at risk. This is not a choice between profits and public health, we can have both.'

Mr Holland-Kaye stressed that the industry had significantly more tools at its disposal this year than it did in 2020 to keep passengers safe.

He highlighted new and improved testing facilities, social distancing measures, stringent cleaning procedures and the impact of vaccines on the risk of transmission.

But he called for an end to the 'burden' of high cost PCR tests on fully vaccinated passengers, saying that the risk of transmission halved among those who had received two doses of the jab.

He called on the Government to move towards a system where passengers took lateral flow tests first, adding that gold standard PCR tests could then be used to confirm positive results.

Mr Holland-Kaye also called on the Government to cut VAT on coronavirus tests, to help drive down the prices.

He added: 'We are ready to go. We have spent the last year adapting to these unprecedented changes. We are not calling for a return to unregulated travel yet. But we are calling on the Government to expand the green list at the beginning of June, particularly to include the US and the Caribbean.

'We also want to remove the need for fully vaccinated customers to take a test and remove VAT to bring the cost down.'

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren, speaking on Gatwick Airport's runway today, said: 'I am optimistic about (summer holidays later this year) because the latest data that is available means that most of Europe could actually go on to that green list of destinations, and I urge the Government to look at and exercise that data.

'That is what I'm expecting to happen, because that is what's happening as we speak right now in the rest of Europe. Otherwise the Germans are going to beat the Brits to the sun loungers and for no good reason at all.'

When asked how it felt to be welcoming the first holidaymakers on to planes for several months, he said: 'I'm so excited, as is everyone who works in easyJet as well, and also the passengers that are now onboard as well.

'Today is an important day because now people can actually start to travel, and now we're just looking for that green list of countries to be expanded, which we believe it is safe to do so because that is what the latest data suggests that scientifically that can be done.'

Mr Lundgren said the 'success of the vaccination programme' in the UK and Europe has been 'key' to allowing foreign travel, on the first day that people have been allowed to fly from England and Wales to green list countries.

When asked if there were blue skies ahead for the travel industry, he said: 'I believe so, and the key to that is clearly the success of the vaccination programme that is now being rolled out, not only in the UK but we also see that taking place across many other European markets.

'That is the key to restarting travel in a safe way.' He added: 'The latest data suggests that most of Europe could actually already from right now go on to that green list of categories.

'And we know there is huge pent-up demand for people to not only go on holidays but to visit friends and family that they haven't been able to see because of the pandemic and the fact that it has been illegal to travel so it's a big day today for us.'

He added: 'I believe that the green list is cautious, but it's a first step because the travel ban is removed.'

Mr Doyle told BBC Breakfast that the pandemic 'has been tough for our people' as he proclaimed: 'It's great to see all of our staff back today. They can't wait to meet our customers and they're very excited to be part of rebuilding aviation.'

Asked if travellers will face increased prices, Mr Doyle responded: 'What we're seeing are very competitive prices out there but also great flexibility. So I think in terms of creating options to book, it's kind of the best of both worlds today for travellers. There's a lot of airlines out there competing for business, and we will always be competitive.'

Mr Doyle added that he expects travel restrictions to be eased for countries which are 'vaccinating at pace'. He said: 'The US has vaccinated 59 per cent of all adults, and infections are falling, so we'd be very optimistic about the United States.

'And if we look at places like Germany and you look at France, again they're making great progress, as is Europe. So we think Europe and the US certainly should be in scope for inclusion in the green list as we see the trends on vaccination and prevalence.'

Passengers queueing at check-in at Terminal 5 in Heathrow Airport as the global travel ban is lifted by the Government

Passengers wearing face masks at Gate A13 boarding their flight to Lisbon, Portugal from London Heathrow today

Passengers wearing face masks at Gate A13 boarding their flight to Lisbon, Portugal from London Heathrow today

NHS app will contain 'Covid passport' from TODAY: Update allows patients to prove they have had the jab... but critics voice privacy fears A change to the NHS app brought in today allows people to prove whether they have had the Covid jab  effectively making it a vaccine passport. The update for users in England has been brought in with little fanfare but MPs and privacy campaigners have voiced fears that any such system could be discriminatory and a breach of human rights. The app, which is separate to the NHS Covid-19 app for contact tracing, can already be used to request repeat prescriptions, book doctor appointments and view medical records. The update coincides with Step 3 of the Government's roadmap, which lifts the ban on foreign travel. The NHS Digital website reads: 'From 17 May, people in England who have had a full course of the Covid-19 vaccine can demonstrate their Covid-19 vaccination status for international travel. 'People can prove their vaccination status in the NHS app or by ringing 119 to get a letter.' A No 10 source last night said the updated app was designed to allow people to meet foreign countries' requirements for visitors. But they said 'no decisions' had been taken on the scope or use of any domestic scheme. Boris Johnson has shelved the idea of requiring people to prove their Covid status to access pubs and restaurants. Advertisement

Mr Doyle said the airline has received 'an awful lot of interest' from people planning trips 'to reunite with their loved ones'. Speaking from Heathrow Airport, he told BBC Breakfast: 'There's a human cost to this, in that a lot of people have been separated from friends and family for over 12 months now.

'That's a segment that we see grow, and a lot of people who are here today are taking part in the opportunity to reunite after a long period of separation.'

But he conceded that the amber list rules were causing confusion.

'The framework is there to deal with risk and I think if people comply with the framework, that's ultimately achieving what it was designed to achieve,' Mr Doyle said.

'I think there are many reasons why people need to travel, and the advice is not clear in that regard.'

Paul Charles, chief executive and founder of the respected travel firm The PC Agency, accused the Government of 'trying to play down travel' because of concerns about border staff shortages.

He said: 'The Government has to change its message. It is not illegal to travel, you can travel safely and responsibly to any country if they will let you in.

'And many British travellers will want to see their families who they haven't seen in over a year. Now is the time to travel safely. But they are still trying to instill fear into people at a time when the most vulnerable have been jabbed and mortalities are at a record low.'

The travel expert said that ticket sales data showed that people were ignoring the amber list advice and booking trips to coincide with the end of the official travel ban.

Booking website Skyscanner found bookings to Italy increased by 63 per cent week on week once the relaxation of travel restrictions was announced. Bookings to France rose by 41 per cent and Spain bookings went up by 39 per cent. In comparison, bookings to Portugal rose by 616 per cent.

Mr Charles added: 'The traffic light system is in danger of being out of date before the bulk of it comes into practice because people will vote with their feet.'

Tim Alderslade, of industry body Airlines UK, said: 'The whole point of the tiers system is that restrictions are built in to mitigate the risk. We strongly believe that the green list can be extended at the next review point to include the most popular European destinations and the United States.'

Almost the whole of Europe, North America and large parts of the Middle East and East Asia are on the Government's amber list, with people returning from these countries required to quarantine. However, they can leave isolation if they have a negative PCR test taken on day five.

Tour operators including Tui, easyJet Holidays and British Airways Holidays are planning to run trips to countries including Malta, Antigua and the Canary Islands - with Tui yesterday offering up to 51 per cent off holidays to the Canaries as early as next week.

The Government has said it will review the green list every three weeks, starting early next month.

Critics have warned that tougher action should have been taken sooner against India, which was only added to the 'red list' on April 23, two weeks after neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh - despite reports that the virus was bringing the country's health system to the brink of collapse.

Yesterday Mr Hancock defended the timing of travel restrictions on India but dodged questions on whether the decision was linked to Downing Street's planned trade mission.

The Health Secretary argued in a round of interviews that testing rates were lower in Pakistan at the time, and that the proportion of arrivals testing positive for covid was three times higher than from India.

But data from Public Health England shows that 4.8 per cent of the 3,345 people landing in Britain from India between March 25 and April 7 tested positive, compared to just 0.1 per cent of people in England.

Official figures also show Bolton and Blackburn are the most infectious parts of the country, with a doubling in cases in the past week largely as a result of the more transmissible Indian variant.

It is the latest statistic to be brandished at Mr Johnson, with pressure growing over his decision to delay banning travel from the Asian nation until late April amid allegations that he refrained from doing so for fear of offending Narendra Modi and torpedoing the chance to strike a major trade deal.

Labour chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Yvette Cooper called for a 'slow down' in the easing of travel restrictions alongside her colleague Steve Reed, the Shadow Communities Secretary, who accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of 'not always following the science in the way he ought to be doing'.

Though SAGE scientist Professor John Edmunds urged the country not to panic over the new variant, he admitted that the spread of the variant could have been delayed had the border to India been closed more quickly. This could prove to be critical as No10 accelerates its vaccine roll-out so that a million jabs are given out per day in a race against the Indian variant.

Your guide to FREEDOM: From pints in pubs, movies on the big screen and that long-awaited hug with gran... vital Q&A on today's lifting of lockdown rules

By MARK DUELL FOR MAILONLINE

People across England began enjoying a series of newfound freedoms today as indoor hospitality returned and hugs with family and friends were allowed again.

The next stage of the post-lockdown roadmap went ahead as planned at midnight, with up to six people or two different households now allowed to meet indoors.

Hugs and other physical contact between households are now permitted for the first time since Covid-19 restrictions began more than a year ago in March 2020.

Pubs and restaurants can now welcome customers back indoors, visits to the homes of friends and family can resume and the foreign holiday ban has ended.

Cinemas, hotels and B&Bs also reopened, although anyone visiting a pub must remain seated while eating or drinking  and nightclubs remain closed for now.

Here, MailOnline looks at what your newfound freedoms are from today:

Can people come over to my house again?

Yes. Up to six people from multiple households or an unlimited number of people from two households can now visit you inside your house again.

Can people stay over at my house again?

Yes. People from outside your household are now allowed to stay overnight, as long as you stick to within the rule of six or two households.

Can I still meet people outside?

Yes. You can now meet in groups of up to 30 people outside, but bigger groups are illegal.

A member of staff serves food to customers at the Northwestern pub in Liverpool this morning

Can I hug my friends and family again?

Yes. The Government has said you can now hug 'close friends and family' from outside your own household - for the first time since the pandemic began.

However, people should 'exercise their own personal judgement in line with the risks.' There is no legal definition on who 'close friends and family' are.

Wider social distancing rules remain in place in adult social care, medical, retail, hospitality and business settings, the Government said.

Can I sit inside a pub again?

Yes, indoor hospitality has resumed  so you can sit inside a pub or restaurant with people from other households, as long as the rule of six (or two households) is met.

Is there a substantial meal or curfew requirement for pubs?

No. As with step two on April 12, venues do not have to serve a substantial meal with alcoholic drinks; nor is there a curfew.

The National Youth Choir of Scotland meet on Calton Hill in Edinburgh to sing this morning

Can I stand at the bar?

No. Customers still have to order, eat and drink while seated at a hospitality venue  even though they are now allowed inside.

Are indoor entertainment venues now allowed to reopen?

Yes. Cinemas, theatres, museums and indoor children's play areas can all now reopen, but must follow guidelines on social distancing and face masks.

Concert halls, conference centres and sports stadia are also now allowed to reopen, with larger events in all venues able to resume with capacity limits (see below).

Sunny Jouhal, general manager of the lastminute.com London Eye, stands on top of a London Eye pod to celebrate the re-opening of the attraction today

Do venues face capacity limits?

Yes. Larger performances and sporting events are now capped in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half-full, whichever is a lower number. For outdoor venues the cap is 4,000 people or half-full - again, whichever is lower.

In the largest outdoor seated venues, where crowds can be spread out, up to 10,000 people are now able to attend - or a quarter-full, whichever is lower.

Will social distancing and face masks rules remain for now?

Yes. The one-metre (3ft) rule remains in place in public settings such as pubs, shops and restaurants. You should wear a face mask when walking around these places.

What about children wearing masks in schools?

Secondary school children no longer have to wear face masks in classrooms and corridors from today. However, those aged 11 and above are still required to wear the masks in public settings such as shops, unless they have a medical exemption.

Ministers said infection rates among students and staff continue to decrease in line with wider community transmission, but twice weekly home testing will remain.

Guests at Studley Castle Hotel in Warwickshire eat at its restaurant, in a picture issued today

Can students now attend university lectures in person again?

Yes. All university students in England can return to campus today for in-person teaching. They will be expected to get tested for Covid-19 twice a week.

Most students, apart from those on critical courses, were told not to travel back to term-time accommodation as part of the third national lockdown in January.

Students on practical courses, who require specialist equipment and facilities, began returning to face-to-face teaching on March 8. But it is estimated that about half of university students have not been eligible to return to in-person lessons.

Charlotte Griffiths, 25, with her three-year-old son Robert, from Morpeth, Northumberland, at the Great North Museum in Newcastle today

Can I go on holiday abroad again?

Yes, but with many restrictions. Last Friday, the UK Government cleared just 12 destinations for quarantine-free tourist trips for Britons from May 17.

However, many of the destinations are remote islands or have very strict entry measures or blanket bans on UK tourists, further reducing the list of options.

Portugal and Gibraltar are the only countries on the 'green list' that most Britons will realistically be able to visit for a warm weather holiday this month.

You can technically also go on holiday to 'amber list' and 'red list' countries again too, but you will need to complete a period of quarantine as follows:

For amber list, you must quarantine at home for ten days on your return and take a PCR test on days two and eight - as well as a lateral flow test before the return flight.

Or there is an alternative option that you could pay for an additional 'Test to Release' on day five to end self-isolation early. There is also a chance the country turns red.

Those returning from a red list country must stay in a government-approved quarantine hotel for 11 nights upon their return at a cost of 1,750.

Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro at Gatwick Airport this morning

Is there a new limit on wedding numbers?

Yes. Up to 30 people can now attend weddings. This limit also applies to other types of significant life events including bar mitzvahs and christenings.

Are funerals also now limited to 30 people?

No. There is now no limit of the number of mourners at funerals, although the venue must operate in a socially distanced way and within capacity guidelines.

Can I stay overnight somewhere with people from another family?

Yes. The rest of the accommodation sector can now reopen, including hotels, hostels and B&Bs - and people from different households can share the same room.

Up until May 17, if you wanted to stay at a hotel or self-catering accommodation, you could only do so with members of your own household or support bubble.

A room is prepared for guests at the Hilton Metropole Brighton Hotel, in a picture issued today

Can I go to indoor sport classes now?

Yes. All indoor adult group sports and exercise classes were allowed again from today, five weeks after gyms were allowed to reopen under step two on April 12.

Are closed parts of leisure centres now allowed to reopen?

Yes. Saunas and steam rooms are now allowed to reopen, following on from swimming pools and gyms on April 12.

Are there limits on numbers in support groups?

Yes. The Government has said 30 people can now able to attend a support group or parent and child group. The limit does not include children aged under five.

Have restrictions on care home visiting changed?

Yes. Care home visiting has been eased further, with residents able to have up to five named visitors and more freedom to make 'low risk visits' out of the home.

May Morris is hugged by her granddaughter Francesca Royle this morning in Carlisle

Has the guidance on working from home changed?

No. People are still being advised to 'continue to work from home where they can'.

Are there businesses that still cannot reopen?

Yes. Nightclubs are the only businesses that must remain shut until at least June 21.

Is there a confirmed date for when all Covid rules will cease?

Not yet. The Government hopes that on June 21 it will be able to drop all legal limits on social contact, but this will be confirmed nearer the time.

Before this date, the Government will complete a review of social distancing and other long-term measures such as face masks and guidance on working from home.

Though the Government is continuing with today's relaxation, Boris Johnson has warned the Indian variant could jeopardise plans to end legal restrictions on June 21.

Why can we now move into Step 3 today?

The Government has set four tests to further ease restrictions, which have now been met. These are that:

The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully;

Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated;

Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS;

Assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of concern.

It also comes after the UK Chief Medical Officers confirmed last week that the UK Covid-19 alert level should move from level four to level three.
The fugitive father of two young children found dead in his eastern Nebraska home, where they had been staying for a court-ordered visitation with him amid a custody battle with his estranged wife, has been arrested more than 1,600 miles west in California.

Police in Bellevue, south of Omaha, said 5-year-old Emily Price and 3-year-old Theodore Price were found dead Sunday morning in 35-year-old Adam Prices home, but he wasnt there when the children were found.

Investigators have not disclosed how the brother and sister died, but said the deaths were being investigated as homicides.

Adam Price, 35 (left), is suspected of causing the deaths of his two children, 5-year-old Emily and 3-year-old Theodore (pictured right with their mother), amid a bitter custody battle

Mary Nielsen (right) described her estranged husband (left) as 'abusive, controlling and manipulative'

The children's grieving mother, Mary Nielsen, wrote in a Facebook post: 'Im so sorry to see you two go. You did not deserve this and I love you so very much. I would fight a thousand fights to have you back again. Heaven gained two beautiful angels and I hope great grandpa was at the gates to greet you. You were the only reasons I survived everything I did and the only reason I am alive. I love you. Til we meet again my sweet babies.'

Adam Price was arrested on Sunday evening in Pacifica, near San Francisco, and he awaits extradition to Nebraska. He was expected to appear in court on Monday afternoon, but the hearing was delayed by a day.

He faces two counts of felony child abuse resulting in death.

Police found Price and Nielsen's two children dead inside his Bellevue, Nebraska, home on Sunday morning

Nielsen and Price are going through a divorce, and their children had been staying with their father for a weeklong court-ordered visitation

Nielsen told reporters that she and Adam are in the process of getting divorced and that the children were at their fathers home for a weeklong court-ordered visitation.

Nielsen described her husband to Lincoln Journal Star as 'abusive, controlling and manipulative.'

The mother-of-two, who had moved to Illinois with the children, called police more than once and went on social media to plead for information on her childrens whereabouts after not hearing from them since Thursday.

Nielsen said her estranged husband was under court order to provide her daily communication with the children during his visits.

Nielsen last heard from her children on Thursday. After failing to reach them, she asked police twice to perform welfare check, but officers left both times when no one opened the door

Nielsen described Emily, pictured as a toddler on her dad's lap. as exceptionally smart and Theodore (seen before birth in ultrasound scans) as a typical little boy who liked playing with superheroes

Bellevue police twice went to Adam Prices home in the 2700 block of Alberta Avenue  at 10pm on Saturday and at 9am on Sunday  at Nielsens request to check on the children, but left when no one answered the door.

Bellevue police spokesman Capt. Andy Jashinske said in a news release that officers didnt have sufficient reason to force an entry into the home.

A friend of Nielsens went to Prices home around 11am Sunday at her request and went inside after finding the door unlocked. The friend called police after finding the childrens lifeless bodies.

Nielsen told the Omaha World-Herald that her children had been 'happy, sweet, loving,' and described Emily as exceptionally smart and Theodore as a typical little boy who liked playing with superheroes.

'I wish I could hold you one more time and tell you how much I love you,' she said in a Facebook post Monday. 'Rest easy, my sweet babies.'
A Tennessee gas station is hitting out at rising pump prices, mocking them with memes, including an infamous image of Hunter Biden.

Among the pictures beamed onto the giant roadside screen of the Lewis Country Store in Nashville is the photo of President Joe Biden's son smoking in a bathtub.

It runs alongside the message: 'Hope gas prices don't get too high'. Then 'gas prices' is written again over the photo.

A Nashville, Tennessee gas station is hitting out at rising pump prices, mocking them with memes, including an infamous image of Hunter Biden. Among the pictures beamed onto the giant roadside screen of the Lewis Country Store is the photo of President Joe Biden's son smoking in a bathtub

I thought that gas station pic with Hunter was fake, but this guy RECORDED it!!  Bless this ballsy gas station!  pic.twitter.com/PHfAlTxBZv  Coyote Outlaw (@ThatF_ckerYote) May 15, 2021

Hunter Biden has a long and well-documented history of substance abuse issues.

The image of him in the bath, along with other incriminating images and documents, were released to the New York Post by Rudy Giuliani shortly before the 2020 Presidential election.

The documents and images were taken from the hard drive of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden.

The Hunter Biden meme is just one that appears under the gas station's pump pricing. Another features Fox News host Tucker Carlson laughing

A third meme shows an empty gas gauge. The 'E' for empty is the same font as that of the Biden-Harris logo

The meme is just one that appears under the gas station's pump pricing.

Another features Fox News host Tucker Carlson laughing, while a third shows an empty gas gauge.

The 'E' for empty is the same font as that of the Biden-Harris logo.

The memes have drawn praise and ire on social media but this is not the first time the Nashville retailer has used courted controversy with its advertising.

Late last year, a sign at the store's entrance advised customers that mask-wearing was optional.

Late last year, a sign at the store's entrance advised customers that mask-wearing was optional

'You are not required to verify your medical condition if you decline to wear a mask in our facility nor are we allowed to ask you due to HIPPA rules and regulations.

'Mayor John Cooper and his band of communist cohorts are 'the real virus' threatening Nashville!!!' the sign reads.

Oil giant Shell dropped its branding from Lewis Country store in 2016 over controversial messages used in its advertising, Fox 17 in Nashville reported.

The messages encouraged people to vote for Trump and referred to then-Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton as a 'b****'.

After Shell pulled out, the gas station displayed an explanatory message on pumps: 'Due to our refusal to remove our Pro-Trump sign, Shell has de-branded us. We will not be threatened or intimidated.

'Our doors will remain open. Vote Trump on Nov. 8th so this does not happen to you!'

Fuel shortages have been ramping up since a devastating cyber-attack cut oil flow in a key pipeline.

The Colonial Pipeline, which transports nearly half of the east coast's fuel supplies, was disrupted between May 7 and 13 by a ransomware gang known as DarkSide, according to the FBI.

The six-day shutdown was the most disruptive cyberattack on record, triggering widespread panic buying by U.S. motorists that left filling stations across the U.S. Southeast out of gas.

On Thursday, President Biden welcomed earlier news that gas had begun flowing through the pipeline again but cautioned: 'We will not feel the effects at the pump immediately. This is not like flicking on a light switch'

The widespread gasoline shortages began to ease slightly on Saturday as the pipeline said it was back to delivering 'millions of gallons per hour', and ships and trucks were deployed to fill up dry storage tanks.

'We have returned the system to normal operations, delivering millions of gallons per hour to the markets we serve,' the company said on Saturday.

Those markets include Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

On Thursday, President Biden welcomed earlier news that gas had begun flowing through the pipeline again but cautioned: 'We will not feel the effects at the pump immediately. This is not like flicking on a light switch.'
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Britain's daily coronavirus cases have fallen by 16 per cent in a week while deaths remain steady, official figures revealed today.

Department of Health statistics show there were 1,979 new infections in the past 24 hours, down on last Monday. A further five fatalities were registered, one more than the same time last week.

Health chiefs also dished out another 131,318 first doses of the Covid vaccine, and 183,745 second doses. More Britons have got their first jab in recent days after the roll-out was expanded to 38 and 39-year-olds.

England today enjoyed more freedoms under the next stage of Boris Johnson's roadmap, as pubs and restaurants were again allowed to serve indoors and Britons were permitted to invite up to six people into their homes.

But the Prime Minister warned people to proceed with a 'heavy dose of caution' because of fears over spiralling cases of the Indian variant. SAGE members admitted they would not be taking advantage of the freedoms because there was still a risk cases could spike.

Matt Hancock revealed to the Commons that 2,323 cases of the variant have now been identified in 83 local authorities. The Health Secretary said the resurgence emphasised the importance of getting a jab for people of all ages but that the infections 'were not tending to penetrate into older groups'.

Local outbreaks of the alarming new B.1.617.2 variant have sprung up in Bolton, Blackburn, Sefton in Merseyside, Bedford, Nottingham and Leicester as Public Health England last week confirmed it has found 1,313 cases so far.

Downing Street has admitted the full end of lockdown, scheduled for June 21, could be thrown off course by the variant which could cause a huge spike in infections and hospital admissions in the summer.

It comes as official figures showed the mutant strain is now behind one in five Covid infections, with five out of six hotspots lagging behind in the vaccine roll-out. Cases are focused in London and the North West.

NHS figures show that vaccine uptake among all over-40s, which is at 83 per cent average across England, is below average in all but one (Sefton) of the Indian variant hotspot areas. Although experts do not think the at-risk older age groups are the ones driving outbreaks at the moment, it could be cause for concern if the virus spreads to them

Members of the public in Bolton are pictured queueing for coronavirus vaccines after local health chiefs did away with NHS guidance and said any adult could get a jab  the Government has asked the council and NHS not to break from national policy

PASSENGERS LEFT 'TERRIFIED OF CATCHING COVID' WHILE CRAMMED INTO HEATHROW MIGRATION QUEUE Heathrow travellers have told MailOnline how they were 'terrified of catching Covid' while being crammed into the airport's border hall this morning. Pictured: Passengers queue at the Heathrow border hall today Passengers flying into the UK today faced 'bedlam' at the borders with some facing a three hour wait - with some left standing next to Red List arrivals. Heathrow travellers have told MailOnline how they were 'terrified of catching Covid' while being crammed into the airport's border hall this morning. Some even claim they were left standing next to arrivals from Covid-ravaged India while in the three hour long queues. It comes as thousands of Britons today rushed to the airport to leave the country after the international travel ban was lifted this morning. But as thousands jetting off to the likes of Portugal joined orderly queues in the departures area today, those in arrivals faced chaos at the border. One of those stuck in the queue told MailOnline: 'I arrived back in the country from South Africa today - one of the Red Listed countries. 'I was more terrified catching Covid while going through border control than walking around South Africa. 'While queuing there was no social distancing we had a plane from India arrive straight after ours and we queued for over three hours and when their plane arrived it was out the door.' New York-based journalist Steve Myall was one of those caught up in the Heathrow arrivals chaos this morning. The reporter, who flew in from 'amber listed' America, documented his experience on Twitter - saying in one post how he had been forced to sit next to a family from a red list country. He said: 'Have arrived in Heathrow. Been told to join the one hour plus queue and also that the fast tracking of families with young children is on hold. 'Asked to go and sit somewhere while one parent queues up weve been directed to sit with a family who have just arrived from a Red List country.' He later claimed that just 10 of the 35 Border Force desks were being staffed when he went through around 6am today. Advertisement

Department of Health figures showed of the deaths recorded today, three were in England and one was in Northern Ireland and Wales. There were no fatalities from the virus in Scotland.

Covid cases have plateaued recently amid mounting concern over the Indian variant, which scientists suggest could be 50 per cent more transmissible than the already dominant Kent variant.

Bolton - which is a hotspot for the mutant strain - now has the highest infection rate in the country after 790 residents tested positive, giving an infection rate of 274.4 cases per 100,000 people.

It was followed by Bedford (212 cases or 122.3 per 100,000) and Blackburn with Darwen (176 cases or 117.6 per 100,000), which are both also hotspots for the B.1.617.2 strain.

At the most recent count the Sanger Institute in London, which is analysing the variants in positive tests, found the Indian variant now makes up 20 per cent of all cases, showing it is edging out the Kent variant, now at 78 per cent.

The Sanger lab found 895 samples containing the variant in the six hotspot areas between April 25 and May 8, not including people who had travelled into England from abroad.

But only Sefton is keeping pace with the national vaccine roll-out, having got at least one dose to 86 per cent of over-40s, while the England average is 83 per cent.

The five other areas are behind on the measure and Nottingham had reached only 74 per cent of eligible adults by May 9, with only 75 per cent in Leicester.

All but Sefton are also below the national average on getting two doses to everyone over the age of 70 (90 per cent) and four out of the six are behind on the proportion of over-50s to have had both doses.

Although figures suggest low vaccine rates aren't causing high rates  most cases are in young adults  they will raise concerns that outbreaks could quickly turn deadly if older people aren't protected. Eighteen people are reported to have been hospitalised with the variant in Bolton, with 'the majority' of them not fully vaccinated.

Bolton has taken the vaccine rollout into its own hands and is giving jabs to young adults in a bid to slow the spread of the variant, which scientists fear is more infectious than the Kent strain.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for the same tactic to be used elsewhere but the Government is resisting the idea, insisting that areas keep going with the age-based system, which is now on people in their 30s and which ministers say has been 'very effective' so far.

Fears about the variant taking off have led to disagreements over whether vaccines should be given out more widely to try and increase protection in hard-hit areas that could see outbreaks worsen in the coming weeks.

Downing Street today urged health officials not to extend the coronavirus vaccine rollout to younger people and to stick to the priority list advised by experts.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: 'This is a decision made by the JCVI about how best to deploy the vaccines we have, but we have deployed thousands more additional doses in Bolton so they can do this work of getting vaccinations to people.'

He added: 'We want every part of the country to abide by the advice set out by the JCVI, its this unified approach that has allowed us to proceed so quickly with our vaccine rollout.'

Earlier in the day London Mayor Sadiq Khan and former prime minister Tony Blair had called for the opposite and want jabs targeted at hotspots and given to people of all ages to try and slow down the virus.

In Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea in London, only 58 per cent of all the eligible over-40s had taken up the offer of a vaccine by May 9  fewer than anywhere else in England.

'What I'm saying to the Government is there are five boroughs in particular with high numbers of these cases,' Mr Khan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'What we'd like to see is the vaccine being accelerated in these areas with younger Londoners receiving the vaccine sooner than other parts of London because the early evidence is it does appear that if you receive the vaccine, particularly both doses, you may be less likely to catch it.

'The spread is less but also the consequences should you test positive are less serious as well.'

Tony Blair told Times Radio that the Government should 'absolutely' consider tweaking the rollout to cover younger people in high risk areas quicker.

Libby Jones, right, with her colleague Shannon Maiden, both nurses from Great Ormond Street hospital who have just finished an overnight shift, have a pint of cider at the Shakespeare's Head pub

Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex after the ban on international leisure travel for leisure ended

May Morris is hugged by her granddaughter Francesca Royle for the first time in months this morning in Carlisle

Staff members clean seats at Vue Cinema in Leicester Square during its reopening today

BRITS WARNED TO WEAR FACE MASKS ON BEACHES IN PORTUGAL British tourists were handed face masks, sanitiser and asked to provide full details about their stay in Portugal as they touched down in the country for the start of long-awaited sunshine breaks. All Brits arriving the country were also warned by officials at Faro airport of the strict rules for wearing face masks in public places, which includes keeping them on while on the beach or they could be hit with hefty 100 fines. Passengers arriving were asked by immigration officials to produce proof of a negative PCR test and show that they had completed a locator form, with details of where they are staying before being allowed to proceed to the baggage hall. In Gibraltar, support worker Lynne Wilson clinked glasses with husband David and her Rock-based daughter Kelly Dolan after a tearful airport reunion with toddler granddaughter Gabriela. It comes as the Portuguese tourism minister announced at the weekend that 'everything is open' for British tourists when borders open. Restaurants, coffee shops and bars have been opened up in time for an expected influx of holidaymakers next week, Rita Marques revealed. She told the BBC : 'We have been working hard to tackle the pandemic, as I said, so restaurants and coffee shops and shops and everything is open as from May 1.' Amongst the first Brits to arrive in Faro today was honeymoon couple Siddhant Majithia, 26, and his wife Hemisha, 24. The young couple only married two weeks ago and admitted that they were not looking forward to the prospect of honeymooning in Britain and were relieved when the Government placed Portugal on the green list. Advertisement

He added: 'Taking a more varied approach to the way we do the vaccine rollout at this stage, given the problems and the challenge of Indian variant is absolutely sensible.'

But Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng defended the Government sticking to its strategy.

He said on Sky: 'The Government has very clear guidelines in terms of the ordered way in which we roll out the vaccine.

'That has been working and has been a very effective rollout, and we would suggest that people should do it in the correct order, in the right way.'

Referring to today's new freedoms, Professor Sir Mark Walport, England's former chief scientific adviser who also sits on SAGE, claimed that just because people are legally allowed to do something doesn't mean they should.

He told the Guardian: 'My personal judgement is that I will do things outside as far as possible. My advice is that just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should.'

SAGE adviser Graham Medley, professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, suggested people should avoid going to pubs or restaurants in areas with low vaccine uptake or high Indian variant case numbers.

He told LBC Radio he would only dine indoors if the establishment 'was suitably organised and it looked okay and was in an area of low prevalence and the clientele was very old [and therefore mostly vaccinated].' He added: 'I'll certainly hug my children and grandchildren and others very close to me. But will I be hugging strangers? No'.

Sir John Bell, emeritus professor of medicine at Oxford University and prominent SAGE member, urged people to use their newfound freedoms 'cautiously'. He told The Times: 'I don't want to be a party pooper but the most important thing is not to prolong this any longer than we absolutely have to, so going about this cautiously could be quite helpful to everybody.'

While Dr Zubaida Haque, from Independent Sage, told BBC Essex that with the India variant in circulation, indoor mixing for the next 2-3 weeks 'is a really dangerous idea' and could lead to 'thousands of hospitalisations'.

The scientists spoke out this morning after a guarded statement before revellers packed into pubs to celebrate the lifting of restrictions, where the Prime Minister said the emergence of the Indian strain of coronavirus meant the restored freedoms should be exercised carefully.

Tory MPs however called on Mr Johnson to reject warnings from scientists that lockdown curbs may have to remain in place longer because of the new variant. Britain recorded four new daily Covid deaths and 1,926 cases yesterday as Matt Hancock urged people to hug 'carefully' and get jabbed to prevent the new Indian strain spreading 'like wildfire'.

Amid rising cases in pockets of the north-west because of the Indian strain of Covid, Mr Hancock said that most of the 18 people hospitalised in Bolton 'haven't had the jab but are eligible', with the aim now to administer up to 1million jabs per days as soon as possible and encourage more people to take it.
A Texan property tycoon embroiled in a fight over money with his Belarusian model ex-wife could go to jail if he does not pay her 50,000 in the next two weeks.

US-born Preston Haskell IV was ordered to shell out more than 5million to the mother of his three children, Alesia Vladimirovna Haskell, in early 2020.

The sum was expected to be paid in installments, but Mrs Haskell on Monday told a High Court judge that Mr Haskell had not paid money in breach of orders.

Mr Justice Moor ruled that Mr Haskell's failure to pay Mrs Haskell 50,000 in breach of another judge's order was in contempt of court.

He imposed a six-week prison sentence, but gave Mr Haskell an opportunity to pay.

The judge said Mr Haskell had 14 days to pay the 50,000 if he wanted to avoid arrest and imprisonment.

He made the ruling at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Another judge had ruled on the pair's fight over money in February 2020.

Alesia Vladimirovna Haskell (right) began legal action against Preston Haskell IV (left) in 2016 after their marriage collapse

Mr Justice Moor ruled that Mr Haskell's failure to pay former Belarusian model Mrs Haskell (pictured) the first installment was in breach of another judge's order was in contempt of court. He has been ordered to pay back 50,000 in two weeks or face jail

Mr Justice Mostyn had criticised Mr Haskell saying he had tried to impose a 'syndrome of control' over Mrs Haskell.

He concluded that Mrs Haskell, then 39, who comes from Belarus, needed around 5 million and ordered Mr Haskell, then 53, to hand over that amount in instalments.

Mrs Haskell had told Mr Justice Moor that Mr Haskell had failed to pay a first instalment of 50,000, as ordered.

Mr Haskell was not at Monday's hearing - Mr Justice Moor was told that he was in the USA. A lawyer representing him mounted a defence.

But Mr Justice Moor concluded that Mr Haskell was able to pay 50,000 and had not paid.

He said proceedings had been delayed because of the coronavirus crisis.

The couple moved to London in 2013 and moved into a 3.3 million home in Chelsea, pictured

The High Court (pictured) previously heard that the tycoon, 53, and his 39-year-old wife had met and married in Moscow in 2003

Judges have heard how the Haskells had lived together for more than a decade and have three children.

They have heard that Mr Haskell's American father was 'exceptionally wealthy'.

Mr Haskell had renounced his United States citizenship and become a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis, and Sweden, Mr Justice Mostyn had been told.

Mr Justice Mostyn said the marriage had been blighted by Mr Haskell's 'serial infidelity and abuse of cocaine and alcohol'.

Mr Haskell had told Mr Justice Mostyn that he was 'not a man of poverty' but 'a man suffering liquidity and cash flow problems' during a period of transition in his business activities.

Mr Justice Mostyn had said Mr Haskell was 'presently forging a change of direction in his business activities' and described him as 'exceedingly astute commercially'.
A charter plane has been forced to land in Birmingham Airport after declaring a 'general emergency' over the West Midlands today.

The Stobart Air flight - STK3690 - departed Belfast at 10.43am heading for Exeter.

But it suffered an emergency over the Worcester area, with an alert issued just before midday, according to Flightrader24 - which tracks live air traffic.

'Stobart Air flight STK3690 diverts to Birmingham Airport in UK after declaring general emergency,' the site posted.

It is unclear what the nature of the emergency was and how many passengers or crew were on board.

The Stobart Air flight - STK3690 - departed Belfast at 10.43am heading for Exeter. But it suffered an emergency over the Worcester area, with an alert issued just before midday, according to Flightrader24 - which tracks live air traffic

A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said they could not comment on individual airlines.

Stobart Air was founded in 1970 with a small fleet of BN-2 Islanders aircraft.

On its website it said: 'Today, Stobart Air is one of Europe's leading franchise, ACMI and charter aviation specialists.

'Every week, we operate up to 940 flights across 43 routes in 11 European countries with our partners Aer Lingus, including flights from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Donegal and Kerry.'

In February, an C-17 Globemaster III left RAF Brize Norton - but was forced to make an emergency landing at the city airport after 'initial reports of smoke being reported in the cabin.'

Emergency vehicles, including the fire brigade, were on alert. The RAF plane later made a successful landing.
The widow of a former Court of Appeal judge who is on trial for alleged historic sex offences has been described as 'very gregarious' by former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

Sir Malcolm gave evidence in a temporary Nightingale court at Peterborough Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, on behalf of Lady Lavinia Nourse.

She is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a boy in the 1980s with the knowledge of her late husband, Sir Martin Nourse.

She has denied five counts of indecently assaulting a boy and 12 counts of indecency with a child between 1981 and 1990.

Lady Lavinia Nourse is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a boy in the 1980s with the knowledge of her late husband, Sir Martin Nourse.

The court heard that Sir Malcolm, 74, and his late wife had gotten to know the Nourses some time between 1997 and 1999.

The friendship was struck after Sir Malcolm served as a Cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, before going on to serve as defence secretary from 1992 to 1995, and foreign secretary between 1995 and 1997.

'We met them socially and we enjoyed each other's company,' he told the court.

'When my late wife and I were driving to Scotland or on the way back we would quite often stay with them. Our home was outside Edinburgh and they would often stop over on their way back from holidays in Scotland.

Sir Malcolm, 74, (pictured) and his late wife had gotten to know the Nourses some time between 1997 and 1999.

'We saw them three or four times a year. It varied from year to year and according to other factors.'

Sir Malcom, a barrister at the Scottish bar, said he spoke more with Sir Martin, a former Lord Justice of Appeal, when staying with the couple, but said that he found Lady Nourse to be 'very sociable' and 'very gregarious'.

Lady Lavinia, from Newmarket, Suffolk, was married to Sir Martin Nourse (pictured), who died in 2017 aged 85

'I was aware that she herself had her own career. She wasn't simply what would have been called in the olden days a housewife,' he said.

'She had opinions and was articulate and fun and very sociable.

'Sir Martin was not only a judge with all that implies. He was pretty traditional. He came across as a bit old fashioned and traditional. He came across as a man of the highest integrity.

'He had the highest standards of personal integrity and also what he hoped for and expected in other people. He wasn't tactile in the sense of hugging and kissing. I think he had a great love for his family.'

Describing the Nourses as being a 'very close' couple, he added: 'He expected high standards from his own family as well as everyone else he came into contact with.'

He told the court that he last saw the couple shortly before Sir Martin died, aged 85, in November 2017.

Last week, the court heard that Nourse had been seen by a witness carrying out a sex act on the boy on two separate occasions and had told Sir Martin what she had seen.

The witness claimed that Sir Martin told her that he would 'deal with it' on each occasion, and that he was aware of the abuse and had 'turned the other way.'

Sir Malcolm (pictured arriving at court) gave evidence in a temporary Nightingale court at Peterborough Cathedral, Cambridgeshire

Journalist and historian Simon Heffer, a former deputy editor of the Spectator and Daily Telegraph, has also appeared in court as a character witness

Journalist and historian Simon Heffer, a former deputy editor of the Spectator and Daily Telegraph, also appeared in court as a character witness, having known the couple for 25 years.

He told the court he would meet the couple 'at least half a dozen times a year', which also included shooting days with Sir Martin.

'I regard Lady Nourse as one of my closest friends,' he said. 'I have known her for 25 years She is a person I regard of being of complete integrity and probity who is very loyal to her friends. That is why I wanted to come here today.

'Sir Martin was one of the most upright people I have met in my life. He took his responsibilities as a very senior judge very seriously. He had a cast iron belief in justice. He absolutely believed in the rule of law and in doing things properly.'

'We have seen more of Lady Nourse since her husband's death. She was utterly stricken by his death. She was quite often distraught. I remember at his funeral she was not far off prostrate with grief. She was in a hell of a state after being widowed after a long and happy marriage.'

'I have no doubt that the devotion she showed to him in the good times was redoubled in the bad times before he died.'

The wife of disgraced Tory peer Jeffrey Archer (above, Mary Archer) gave evidence last week as character witness for Nourse, saying she was one of her 'closest friends'

The wife of disgraced Tory peer Jeffrey Archer also gave evidence as a character witness for Nourse last Thursday, saying she was one of her 'closest friends'.

Dame Mary Archer described her as 'kind hearted' and 'generous', a keen flower arranger and hostess who doted on her grandchildren.

Nourse has denied abusing the boy or being attracted to children, calling the claims 'completely repulsive.'

She has said the evidence from the witness who claimed to see the abuse happen as 'an impossible scenario' and 'just not true.'

She told the court last week that her accuser 'is most definitely lying' and was 'very psychologically disturbed.'

When asked in court why she had used the word 'blackmail' when she was confronted about the alleged abuse, she claimed the victim was 'making demands' of her and that 'it seemed like it was to do with money.'

Nourse also admitted that she had been involved in a shoplifting incident at Harrods in the 1980s while suffering from depression.

The trial continues.
The family of one of the four prisoners accused of killing Boston mob boss James 'Whitey' Bulger has appealed for his release from solitary confinement.

Fotios 'Freddy' Geas has spent the majority of more than two years in solitary confinement ever since Bulger was killed in a West Virginia prison.

Attorney Daniel Kelly said Geas was moved into the special housing unit at United States Penitentiary, Hazelton since 'almost immediately after' Bulger was fatally beaten and attacked with a makeshift knife on October 30, 2018.

Since then, Geas and Kelly have regularly filed requests for him to be transferred from the special housing unit, or for an explanation as to why he is still being held in solitary confinement.

So far, their requests have been denied, Kelly told Fox News, saying the latest transfer request was rejected in the last few months.

Fotios 'Freddy' Geas (pictured) has spent the majority of more than two years in solitary confinement ever since Bulger was killed in a West Virgnia federal prison in 2018

He was told that Geas was still not eligible for release from the unit, Kelly said, adding that he had since reapplied.

Kelly told Fox News that his client should be considered for a transfer, and 'not just a blanket denial.

'He's been housed in the SHU now since almost immediately after the incident. Again, using their own internal guidelines, they have to do periodic reviews. They've done none that we can tell,' Kelly said.

'We've requested them, they denied our requests. They've told us to file Freedom of Information Acts. We've done that. So they've kind of stonewalled us on essentially everything regarding his status.'

Alex Gaes, one of the inmate's two adult children, told the network that he believes prison employees have been messing with his father by redacting large sections of letters the 26-year-old sends to his father.

In some cases, he said, they covered one-half of the page at a time, withheld books from him, and changes his inmate postbox information with notifying anyone.

He also said he did not hear from his father for a month after he was put into solitary confinement.

'He had absolutely no idea what was going on out here,' Alex Geas recalled. 'So, I basically had to fill him like, "This is an international news story." He sounded fine. All he said was, "How are you doing? How's your sister doing?" That's it.'

Bulger (pictured in 2011) hadn't even been processed at Hazelton when he was killed by a gang of inmates, sources said

Bulger, 89, was transferred to USP Hazelton (pictured in an aerial shot) on a Monday. By Tuesday morning, he was dead

Twice a month, Gaes is permitted to make a phone call - on the first and the 15th. He will typically call his son Alex, his 27-year-old sister, his attorney, or anyone else who is on his approved list of contacts.

His son says that the only thing that appears to have changed since he was moved into solitary confinement is that he has been given a cellmate.

'Enough is enough,' Alex Geas said. 'I challenge the prison to either formally indict him or to transfer him, because this cannot keep going on like this.'

The use of solitary confinement in US prisons has come under scrutiny in recent years and attracted criticism from civil rights campaigners.

David Fathi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project, said: 'Under international human rights law, solitary confinement lasting longer than 15 days is categorically prohibited.'

Bulger was a leading figure in Boston's underworld before he was finally captured in Santa Monica with girlfriend Catherine Greig in June 2011 after being on the run for 16 years.

Pictured: Fotios 'Freddy' Geas appears in court in January 2008 along with his brother Ty C. Geas, (center) who also had connections to the mafia

Bulger, who at the time of his arrest in 2011, was one of the FBI's most-wanted criminals, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in 11 gangland killings.

More than $822,000 and 30 guns were found hidden in the walls of the couple's rent-controlled apartment.

Greig, 69, was freed in 2020 after serving a nine-year federal prison sentence for helping him evade capture for 16 years.

Greig had joined Bulger on the run back in 1995 shortly after he fled Boston to evade a federal racketeering indictment after he was tipped to his pending arrest.

Prior to going on the run, Bulger had terrorized Boston from the 1970s into the 1990s with a campaign of murder, extortion and drug trafficking.

He had lived a double life as the notorious head of the Irish mob and as a secret FBI informant.

The couple was captured in an apartment where they had been living in Santa Monica, California in 2011 after 16 years on the run.

Girlfriend Catherine Greig had joined Bulger on the run back in 1995 shortly after he fled Boston to evade a federal racketeering indictment after he was tipped to his pending arrest. They are pictured in 1998

The couple were found hiding out at Princess Eugenia Apartments in Santa Monica in June 2011

The Boston underworld kingpin and his girlfriend had managed to go undetected for years by posing as an elderly couple under the names of Charles and Carol Gasko prior to their arrest.

Following their capture, Greig was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping her mobster boyfriend evade capture and an additional 21 months for refusing to testify before grand juries.

Bulger, meanwhile, was convicted in 2013 of a slew of crimes, including at least 11 murders, and was sentenced to life behind bars.

In 2018, he was transferred from the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City to United States Penitentiary, Hazelton on October 29. The following day, he was found unresponsive in prison.

Other inmates brutally attacked the wheelchair-bound Bulger, beat him with a pad lock in a sock, tried to gouge out the mobster's eyes with a shiv and attempted to cut out his tongue - a punishment often reserved for 'snitches'.

His body was found wrapped in a sheet 12 hours later by prison officers, who said the gangster was hardly recognizable.

Geas was in the same prison having been sentenced to live for his role as an enforcer for the New England Mafia in Boston.

In 2009, he was sentenced for the murder of Gary Westerman and Adolfo Bruno, and was also indicted as the getaway driver in the failed assassination attempt of Bronx cement union boss, Frank Dabado.

In his trial, he was shocked to see one of his former associates testifying against him. He had a reputation for despising snitches.

He was the primary suspect in orchestrating the killing of Bulger, but has never been charged over his murder.
A counter-terror police officer has agreed his team should have raised a concern about jihadi Usman Khan's visit to a prisoner education event where he killed two Cambridge University graduates.

Det Sgt Jon Stephenson, from Staffordshire Police Special Branch, said he agreed in hindsight that the decision to allow 28-year-old Khan to travel without escort to central London was a risk.

Khan stabbed to death Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a celebration from Cambridge University-affiliated Learning Together.

The event took place at Fishmongers' Hall, on November 29, 2019, 11 months after his release from prison for plotting a terrorist training camp in his parents' homeland of Pakistan.

However, evidence presented at inquests into the deaths has repeatedly suggested the decision to allow Khan to attend was made with little scrutiny, despite concerns of Khan's increasing isolation, his frustration at being unable to find a job, and warnings during his eight years in prison that he may comply with conditions upon release to slip under the radar of authorities.

An inquest has heard that Fishmongers' Hall terrorist Usman Khan (pictured) was allowed to attend Learning Together event in London despite concerns about his increasing isolation

Bystanders and police detain jihadi Usman Khan on London Bridge after he killed two people

Giving evidence on Monday, Mr Stephenson said there had been nothing presented at multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa) meetings, in the months leading up to the atrocity, that Khan's visit was a risk.

Mr Stephenson had, however, raised concerns with police colleagues three weeks before Khan struck that he 'did not appear to be on an upwards trajectory'.

In emails and phone calls to colleagues on November 6 2019, two weeks before the attack, he alerted them to the fact that Usman Khan appeared to be isolating in his flat and had 'limited engagement with authority.'

As a result, MI5 and police held a meeting on the killer 11 days before his trip to London in which they considered getting extra surveillance but the measures were not in place by the time of the event, the inquest heard.

Mr Stephenson told inquest jurors: 'There had been no recent adverse intelligence since his release, he continued to engage with authorities.

'All the reports appeared to be positive from Prevent (the Government's terrorist-diversion strategy) and probation, and Learning Together was deemed by us to be a positive factor in his rehabilitation.

'I am not aware of any objections raised by anybody about what he shouldn't attend.'

Jonathan Hough QC, counsel to the inquests, said: 'I have to put this to you - this was a terrorist with a terrible record in prison ... about to be sent on his first unaccompanied trip, and he was going to be sent into London.

Pictured: victims Jack Merritt (left), 25, and Saskia Jones (right), 23, who were killed by Khan

'Looking back, do you think you and your colleagues ought to have raised a concern and given some advice on this?'

Mr Stephenson replied: 'Yes.'

Mr Hough suggested that it ought to have occurred to Mr Stephenson, an experienced counter-terrorist officer, that allowing Khan to attend the Learning Together event without a police chaperone presented a serious risk.

Mr Stephenson replied: 'Yes it would, in hindsight, given the awful events.'

The inquests heard Khan spent the week before the event buying equipment needed to stab conference delegates, as well as manufacturing a fake suicide belt, which he was wearing when he was shot dead by police on London Bridge, pursued by three members of the public.

He is believed to have fixed the fake explosive device around his waist on his train journey from Stafford to Euston, and kept it hidden underneath a large coat that he wore throughout the day until he struck.

The inquests continue.
Security forces in El Salvador launched a raid to arrest 93 alleged members of a MS-13 cell who were plotting to carry out 17 assassinations.

As many as 40 apprehensions were made during a series of pre-dawn raids that were carried out Friday in the departments of La Libertad, Santa Ana and San Salvador, the Attorney Generals Office said.

An additional 18 suspects who were already in prison were summoned for their roles in the murder plot.

Authorities have not identified whether the intended targets. DailyMail.com reached out to the Security Ministry for comment.

Security forces enter a home in El Salvador on Friday while searching for alleged members of the MS-13 during an operation to arrest 93 individuals who were part of a plot to kill 17 people

Pictured above are alleged MS-13 member who were part of a plot being organized to kill 17 people in El Salvador

A law enforcement agent reviews documents seized from a home during a series of raids that were carried out in the departments of La Libertad, Santa Ana and San Salvador

The gang members are being charged with soliciting and conspiring to commit homicide, extortion, drug trafficking, and for belonging to a terrorist organization.

The investigation was part of a six-month process called Operation Balsamo which netted the arrest of the cells founder, Juan Mancia.

Authorities also detained the cells principal leader, Eli Jimenez; high-ranking leader, Francisco Espinoza; and cell runner, Cristian Jimenez.

Juan Miguel Mancia Mendoza, Eli Antonio Jimenez Lopez, Cristian Vladimir Jimenez Marroquin, and Francisco Antonio Espinoza Melgar are among the highest ranking MS-13 gang members who were arrested during a pre-daw raid in El Salvador last Friday

A police officer inspects at bed at the home of an alleged MS-13 gang member

Cops prepare to enter a residence in El Salvador during a massive sting to arrest 93 alleged MS-13 foot soldiers

Video footage of a raid shows the moment a National Civil Police elite unit appeared to open fire and barged inside a residence where they seized documents that linked suspects to a string of crimes.

Agents also confiscated firearms, drugs, cellphones and cash.

According to a Human Rights Watch 2021 World Report, local media outlets estimate that the MS-13 currently has 60,000 foot soldiers operating in the Central American nation.

President Najib Bukele drew criticism in April 2020 after he ordered a crackdown throughout the country's prison system after 77 killings during a three-day stretch were orchestrated by gang leaders who were locked up.

A law enforcement agent in El Salvador inspect documents retrieved from a home during one of the many raids that were carried out before dawn Friday as authorities sought the arrest of 93 MS-13 gang members who were plotting to kill 17 people

An alleged MS-13 gang member is detained and questioned during a raid Friday in El Salvador

Pictured above is an MS-13 alleged gang member who was detained at a home in El Salvador by security forces Friday

Pictured above is one of the 29 MS-13 alleged gang member arrested Friday during a series of raids after authorities discovered a plot to murder 17 people. According to a Human Right's Watch 2021 World Report, local media outlets estimate that the MS-13 currently has 60,000 foot soldiers currently operating in the Central American nation

Photos were then released by authorities that showed dozens of prisoners lined up together and semi-naked at a maximum-security jail in Zacatecoluca.

The majority of the inmates were also pictured without masks at the height of the COVID-19.

The MS-13 became a focal point former President Donald Trump's agenda against illegal migration to the United States.

During a May 23, 2018 appearance in Bethpage, Long Island, Trump defended himself from criticism hurled by Democratic leadership after he compared previously the gang to 'animals.'

'I called them animals the other day and I was met with rebuke,' Trump said. 'They said, "They're people." They're not people, these are animals and we have to be very, very tough.'
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Vice President Kamala Harris is meeting with leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Monday afternoon to again discuss the root causes of migration.

The vice president addressed eight lawmakers - some in person and some via video call - including Rep. Raul Ruiz, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' chair.

In late March President Joe Biden made Harris the point person on dealings with the so-called Northern Triangle countries - Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador - where the majority of new migrants are coming from.

At Monday's meeting, Harris told the group of lawmakers that the Biden administration was trying to bring together CEOs of private corporations to help the region recover from 'extreme climate incidents' including two hurricanes and a drought in Guatemale that have impacted the countries' agriculture sector.

'So this is some of the work that we can do together and - and to address what I call - not only the - the root causes, but the acute causes of the migration,' Harris said. 'The impact of all these issues ... the poverty, extreme food insecurity, violence, domestic violence in the treatment of women and girls, so many of these issues are long standing.'

Vice President Kamala Harris is meeting with leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Monday afternoon to again discuss the root causes of migration

The vice president addressed eight lawmakers - some in person and some via video call - including Rep. Raul Ruiz, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' chair

Vice President Kamala Harris had made a number of domestic trip since late March, but hasn't traveled to the border. She'll visit Mexico and Guatamale in June

In brief remarks at the top of her meeting with Congressional Hispanic Caucus members, Vice President Kamala Harris talked about the 'extreme climate incidents' that have damaged the Northern Triangle countries, inspiring citizens to head north to the U.S.-Mexico border

A group of migrants mainly from Honduras and Nicaragua wait along a road after turning themselves in upon crossing the U.S.-Mexico border

Migrants make their onto a bus after being apprehended near the border between Mexico and the United States in Del Rio, Texas

New reporting from The New York Times revealed that the stream of migrants traveling over the U.S. southern border included many pandemic refugees as well, coming from as far away as India.

In April, 30 per cent of all families encountered along the border hailed from countries other than Mexico and the Northern Triangle.

In April 2019, during the last border surge, that number was just 7.5 per cent.

In recent months, U.S. border agents have stopped people from more than 160 countries, the Times report said, many coming from areas hardest hit by the coronavirus.

For example, nearly 4,000 Brazilians were stopped in March, compared to just 300 in January.

Those coming from India - being decimated by COVID-19 currently - and other parts of Asia told the Times they took buses to large cities like Mumbai and then flew through Dubai and then onto Moscow, Paris or Madrid to Mexico City to then make the hike north toward the border.

Migrants have been coming through at Yuma, Arizona, where there's a break in the border wall.

When Biden first made his announcement about Harris, he said she would be dealing with the root causes of migration, with the White House later clarifying that the vice president was not running point on what the administration didn't want to call a 'crisis' along the southern border.

Her first foreign trip will be on June 7 and 8 to Mexico and Guatemala.

The vice president, who was formerly a U.S. senator from California, has made a number of domestic trips to sell the president's plans before Congress, but hasn't visited the border.

Harris joined the president in his meeting with leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last month.

A readout from that meeting noted that the group discussed 'immigration reform and a humanitarian response at the border.'

That meeting was overshadowed by comments Biden made to reporters in the Oval Office about police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty later that day on three counts for the death of Minneapolis black man George Floyd.
A senior Cabinet minister blasted 'racist and extremely serious' criminal anti-Semitism today after a week of shame on Britain's streets.

Communities Minister Robert Jenrick lashed out at the treatment of British Jews by people furious at the actions of the Israeli military in attacking Gaza.

As the tensions in the Middle East spilled over into cities around the world there were appalling scenes in London yesterday.

Most notably they included a convoy of pro-Palestinian supporters visiting areas with large Jewish communities while shouting vile abuse and rape threats.

Taking an Urgent Question in the Commons today Mr Jenrick said: 'No-one could fail to be appalled by the disgraceful scenes of anti-Semitic abuse being directed at members of the Jewish community in the past week.

'In Chigwell, Rabbi Rafi Goodwin was hospitalised after being attacked outside his synagogue. In London, activists drove through Golders Green and Finchley, both areas with large Jewish populations, apparently shouting anti-Semitic abuse through a megaphone.

'These are intimidatory, racist and extremely serious crimes.'

He also lashed out at councils and universities who have so far failed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, threatening to name and shame them.

He revealed that all but one MP has already signed up to the code - but did not reveal who it is.

Communities Minister Robert Jenrick lashed out at the treatment of British Jews by people furious at the actions of the Israeli military in attacking Gaza.

A convoy of cars bearing the Palestinian flag drove through a Jewish community in north London yesterday while the passengers screamed 'f*** their mothers, f*** their daughters

Onlookers were left horrified after the convoy yelled: ''F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters and show your support for Palestine. Rape their daughters and we have to send a message like that. Please do it for the poor children in Gaza'

TORY MP CRITICISED FOR 'PRIMITIVES' TWEET Tory MP Michael Fabricant has been criticised for describing pro-Palestine demonstrators clashing with police as 'primitives'. Anti-racism campaign Hope Not Hate called for the Conservative Party to suspend the backbencher on Sunday, accusing him of 'hateful racism that stirs up division'. Largely peaceful demonstrations took place across the UK over the weekend in solidarity with the people of Palestine, as Israel and Hamas exchange rocket fire in a deadly conflict. The MP for Lichfield shared a video of clashes with police outside the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday. He tweeted: 'These primitives are trying to bring to London what they do in the Middle East.' Mr Fabricant deleted the message after it drew criticism on social media. Hope Not Hate said: 'The tense situation requires steady leadership from people who want to bring communities together, not hateful racism that stirs up division. The Conservatives must suspend Michael Fabricant for this disgraceful comment.' Director of the British Future think-tank Sunder Katwala tweeted: 'Anybody who realises that it is racist to hold British Jews responsible for Israeli policy should also be able recognise the racism here in Michael Fabricant's tweet.' Mr Fabricant sought to justify the comments, saying that 'attacks on the British police as shown in the video are disgraceful'. He told the PA news agency: 'It is primitive behaviour by people who preach anti-Semitism or racism of any kind, whether they be Jewish, Christian or Muslim. 'And the sort of anti-Semitism displayed by Hamas in the Middle East must not be repeated here in the UK.' Mr Fabricant's remarks came as video from a separate demonstration in the capital appeared to show anti-Semitic abuse being shouted from a car on Sunday in footage that drew criticism from across the political spectrum, including from Boris Johnson. 'There is no place for antisemitism in our society,' the Prime Minister tweeted. The Metropolitan Police said nine officers were injured as they attempted to disperse crowds outside the embassy on Saturday and 13 arrests were made. The Conservative Party is yet to respond to a request for comment. Advertisement

Earlier it had been revealed that the convoy that struck in London had travelled 200 miles from Bradford in West Yorkshire.

The news emerged as police stepped up patrols at synagogues and city mayor Sadiq Khan said there was 'no excuse' for racism.

Onlookers were left horrified after the passengers yelled: 'F*** the Jews... F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters and show your support for Palestine. Rape their daughters and we have to send a message like that. Please do it for the poor children in Gaza.'

The Convoy 4 Palestine began in Bradford before passing Sheffield and Leicester on the route to London. One of the men inside the car where the abuse was coming from had a shirt reading 'Blackburn'.

The Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors the security of the Jewish community, said the car rally had travelled down from Bradford on Sunday morning to attend a protest about Israel's ongoing military actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The incident on Finchley Road happened at around 6.30pm. It is not known if the perpetrators of the abuse were themselves from Bradford.

Mr Jenrick told the Commons that four arrests have been made in connection with the north London incident and that 'anti-Semitism has no place in our society'.

He told MPs: 'During Shavuot, as always, we stand with our Jewish friends and neighbours who have sadly been subjected to a deeply disturbing upsurge in anti-Semitism in recent years - particularly on social media.

'Like all forms of racism, anti-Semitism has no place in our society.

'A lot of young, British Jews are discovering for the first time that their friends don't understand anti-Semitism, can't recognise it and don't care that they are spreading it.

'They are not responsible for the actions of a Government thousands of miles away but are made to feel as if they are. Seeing their friends post social media content that glorifies Hamas, an illegal terrorist organisation - an organisation whose charter calls for every Jew in the world to be killed.'

Mr Jenrick continued: 'Every time the virus of anti-Semitism re-enters our society it masks itself as social justice, selling itself as speaking truth to power. This Government is taking robust action to root it out.'

Mr Khan, who was recently re-elected as Mayor of London, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'Many of us feel quite strongly about what's happened in Israel and Gaza, what we can't do is use that as an excuse for any kind of anti-Semitism or hate crime.'

The mayor said he has been in contact with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner and there will be an increased police presence in Jewish communities, synagogues and schools with the aim of trying to make people feel safe, but also to alert 'anybody who is involved in any race crimes that action will be taken'.

He added: 'It is important for us to realise the impact of this criminal behaviour has a ripple of fear effect on Jewish Londoners and those across the country. It is really important that we don't bring conflicts 3,000 miles away to the capital city.'
An inventor suing the BBC for 3.7m says he can't think properly now due to brain damage suffered whilst acting as a human crash-test dummy for a TV science show.

Jem Stansfield says he sustained life-changing injuries while filming an episode of BBC popular science show Bang Goes the Theory, during which he was strapped into a specially designed rig and catapulted along a track and into a metal pole to mimic the effect of hitting a lamp-post in a car.

Mr Stansfield, who has a degree in aeronautics from Bristol University, is known for his inventions, which include 'Spider-Man style' climbing gloves made from vacuum cleaners and boots that walk on water, for which he won a New Scientist prize.

But his lawyers told London's High Court today that since filming the episode he cannot think properly because 'prolonged intellectual activity' sets off a cascade of symptoms in his damaged brain.

Stansfield told the judge that in the aftermath of the staged crashes, his memory was so badly affected he couldn't even remember his lines.

'The main thing that was noticeable afterwards was my ability to remember my pieces to camera,' he said.

'Everybody was commenting that it was really unusual that I couldn't remember my lines.

'That's not like me. It was very unusual.'

Jem Stansfield is pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice London today

Jem Stansfield, above, says he sustained life-changing injuries while filming an episode of BBC popular science show Bang Goes the Theory

Mr Stansfield, who has a degree in aeronautics from Bristol University, is known for his inventions

The engineer is suing for 3.7m, claiming the injuries robbed him of his 'stellar' career and, but for his disability, he could have gone on to earn as much as Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond

But despite agreeing to make a payout, the BBC is hotly contesting the amount in damages which the presenter should get.

Today, he attended the High Court in London, masked and in a jumper over shirt combo, where a full trial of his compensation battle kicked off before senior judge, Mrs Justice Yip.

Marcus Grant, for Mr Stansfield told Mrs Justice Yip that the crash tests, including a set performed in reverse to test the safety of a child car seat facing backwards, caused injury to Mr Stansfield 'right at the heart of the brain'.

There was also damage to the nerves connecting his eyes, ears and nose to his brain, the barrister said.

He has since suffered 'profound sleep disturbance' and 'disturbance to his memory,' as well as having the 'processing speed' of his brain 'strikingly impaired,' said Mr Grant.

There has been a 'decomposition of the function of the brain' due to the repeated crash tests the lawyer said, adding that Mr Stansfield's symptoms 'turn on and off' and vary in severity.

A clip of him on the show shows Mr Stansfield, who was strapped into a specially designed cart and catapulted into a fake lamppost, pulled forwards and backwards by the contraption

It is when Mr Stansfield attempts to use his formerly brilliant brain for 'prolonged intellectual activity' that the effects of the injury are most noticeable the barrister told the judge, adding, 'anything that calls on his brain reserve will aggravate his symptoms'.

Mr Stansfield gave evidence to the court this afternoon.

He went to see his GP on the day after the final tests, telling the doctor of not feeling himself and his anxiety at possibly losing mental capacity, as it was vital for work.

He was told to take painkillers, but then went to A&E a couple of days later, when he complained of suffering bad headaches and was x-rayed in case his neck was broken.

Mr Stansfield told the judge that, in speaking to colleagues soon afterwards, he had probably downplayed how bad he felt at the time.

'I always prided myself on being very tough and I had a reputation for being tough and resilient,' he said.

'I wouldn't have gone to hospital unless something was really bad, for sure..'

Jem Stansfield, 46, appeared as part of a crash simulation on his show, BBC One's Bang Goes The Theory in 2014

Mr Stansfield's injuries occurred during a second series episode of the popular show, which the BBC billed as: 'Engineer Jem becomes a crash test dummy to discover how much g-force his body can take.'

The judge, Mrs Justice Yip, has already seen footage of the tests, which took place on two days in February 2013.

In the broadcast footage, Mr Stansfield declares himself 'a little nervous' and adds: 'tests make me confident I will walk away, but what we don't know is how my body will behave'.

His cart is seen slamming into the metal pole and his head jerking back before he announces: 'there's definitely an impact'.

Court documents reveal that the stunt left him with 'soft tissue injury to the structures around the spine' as well as a 'subtle brain injury' caused by the shock 'the repeated acceleration/deceleration forces generated by the crash-tests'.

Other alleged effects of the accident include dizziness, psychological damage and a possible carotid or vascular injury, and medics have described his condition as 'complex'.

Lawyers on both sides accept he is a 'very unwell man' and his own doctors say his current chances of further significant recovery are 'poor'.

His legal team claim that without the effects of the crash testing he could now be earning up to 500,000 per year, and that he had dazzling prospects as his talents spanned creativity, writing, presenting and engineering.

But for the injury, he would have ended up carving out his own unique niche, breaking into the US market and developing lucrative roles as a 'brand ambassador'.

His lawyers say he would have been earning at the same level as top TV stars, adding that 'Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond...may provide a good source of comparison'.

The issue of liability in the case has already been settled, with the BBC agreeing to pay Mr Stansfield two-thirds of the full value of his claim after a discount for his own 'contributory negligence'.

But contesting the amount claimed, BBC barrister Jonathan Watt-Pringle QC says the corporation is 'requiring him to prove that the unusual array of symptoms of which he complains arose from disabling organic brain damage, vestibular or whiplash injuries and/or disabling psychological injuries in the crash tests'.

The trial continues.
Market Research Future Has Published a Cooked Research Report on the Global Master Alloys Market.

Market Analysis:

Various factors are propelling the master alloys market growth. These factors, as stated by the MRFR report, include burgeoning demand for master alloys from the titanium industry, and growing demand in the automotive sector. Additional factors pushing market growth include growing demand for superalloys that can withstand extreme temperatures and collaboration between consumers and manufacturers.

Master Alloys Market Size is predicted to touch USD 441.2 million at a 6.51% CAGR over the forecast period (2018-2024), as per the latest Market Research Future (MRFR) report. A master alloy, simply put, is a base metal including nickel, copper or aluminium with a comparatively percentage of one or two other elements. These alloys are made in various shapes such as rod in coils, waffle plate, and ingot. They are mostly found in plants where metals are melted, alloyed with different elements as well as cast into shapes. It can be steel, iron, aluminium or precious metals such as gold. Master alloys are also known as a modifier, grain refiner, and hardener resting on its application.

On the contrary, declining profit margins, coupled with the dull growth of the steel industry are factors that may impede the master alloys market growth over the forecast period.

Key Players:

Leading players profiled in the Master Alloys Industry include KBM Affilips (Netherlands), Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. (Netherlands), Asturiana de Aleaciones SA (Spain), Reading Alloys (AMETEK Inc.) (US), and Milward Alloys Inc. (US), among others.

July 2019: UK-based LCM (Less Common Metals), the sole rare earth alloy producer based outside Japan and China has begun the production of metal. LCM produces samarium cobalt alloys and neodymium-iron-boron, and high purity earth metals for the permanent magnet industry in Southern England. Besides, they also make other rare earth alloys such as master alloys (lanthanum nickel and yttrium aluminum) and hydrogen storage.

Market Segmentation

The Market Research Future report provides a wide segmental analysis of the Master Alloys Market Size based on application and type.

Based on type, the master alloys market is segmented into copper-based master alloys, chromium alloys, vanadium alloys, molybdenum alloys, aluminium-based master alloys, and others. Of these, the aluminium-based master alloys segment will have the largest share in the market over the forecast period. This is owing to the fact that aluminium is lightweight, highly compatible with other base materials, and works as a hardening agent.

By application, the master alloys market is segmented into the aluminium industry, metal anhydride alloys, iron, titanium production, powder metallurgical, stainless steel, superalloys, and others. Of these, the titanium production segment will dominate the market over the forecast period. This is owing to its wide use in aircraft engines as well as components. The titanium production segment will be followed by the superalloys segment.

Regional Analysis

Based on the region, the Master Alloys Industry covers growth opportunities and the latest trends across North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Of these, the APAC region will remain the frontrunner in the market over the forecast period. It is predicted to grow at an 8.3% CAGR. This is owing to the burgeoning demand from various end industries such as aluminum, consumer goods, automotive, and aircraft components. The presence of automotive giants such as Mitsubishi and Toyota are investing largely in production facilities, especially in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia are also boosting the market growth in this region.

The master alloys market in North America is predicted to have the second-largest share in the market during the forecast period and is predicted to touch USD 91.4 million. This is owing to the growth in the aerospace industry and the presence of leading aircraft manufacturers in the region.

The master alloys market in Europe is predicted to have moderate growth over the forecast period. Germany is the key contributor in this region owing to the growing demand for titanium alloys in the automotive as well as aerospace industries.

Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/master-alloys-market-6229
A vicar is set to replace badly eroded religious carvings at her Yorkshire church with scenes depicting BAME and feminist icons.

St Mary's Church, a centuries-old parish in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, has been given the green light to introduce figures including the Queen, Marie Curie and nursing pioneer Mary Seacole in place of some of its ancient carvings.

The 16th century carvings at the Grade 1 listed church, which dates back to 1120, have become so badly eroded over the years it is impossible to see what they are meant to depict.

Now the go-ahead has been given by the Church of England's Consistory Court for some of the artefacts to be replaced with new carvings with a BAME and achievements of women theme.

The plan for which the vicar, Reverend Rebecca Lumley, and two of her church wardens sought approval was given the go-ahead by Chancellor of the local diocese, Canon Peter Collier QC, in his role as a judge of the Consistory Court.

Reverend Rebecca Lumley, vicar at St Mary's Church, sought approval from the Church of England's Consistory Court for the new carvings

He said: 'I am entirely satisfied that the petitioners have made out the case for their proposal'.

In their application for consent the Reverend Lumley and the church wardens said: 'The contribution of women to humanity isn't always properly recognised in the telling of history, and throughout history women's voices have been silenced.

'We take seriously the Church's role in battling inequality and injustice. And so we hope that this project will help highlight the remarkable achievements of these women, and provide hope and inspiration for future generations.

The plan is for the replacement carvings to include images of: the Queen; Crimean War nursing pioneer Mary Seacole, who in 2004 was voted 'the greatest black Briton'; Marie Curie; airship designer Hilda Lyon; pioneering aviator Amy Johnson; astronaut Helen Sharman; and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft.

The carvings are at the Grade 1 listed St Mary's Church, in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, which dates back to 1120 and has been described one of 'the most beautiful parish churches'

Mary Seacole (pictured left), was born in Jamaica in 1805 and saved lives during the Crimean War, 1853 to 1856. Marie Curie (right), a Polish-born French chemist and physicist, was the first to use the term radioactivity, and discovered two elements, polonium and radium

Giving his consent Chancellor Collier said the erosion of the existing carvings was so bad it was impossible to tell what they were meant to be or whether there was any theme to them.

He said each of the women whose names had been put forward had 'played a significant role in relation to the advancement of science or human knowledge' adding that in the case of the Queen the world wide impact of her reign was beyond question.

'In my judgment it is entirely appropriate to celebrate these lives for their human achievement,' he said.

Some of the carvings currently being restored at the church, described as 'one of the most beautiful parish churches in England', were installed in 1520 when the main part of the church was rebuilt.

In 2020, as part of the restoration of church, 14 new carvings of characters from The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis were made and installed at St Marys, after being blessed by the Bishop of Hull.

The church has also been given the green light to include a depiction of Britain's Queen Elizabeth in the carvings. Pictured: The Queen sits in the House of Lord's Chamber during the State Opening of Parliament in London, May 11, 2021

The announcement comes just days after the Church of England published new guidance following the Black Lives Matter movement, which urges churches and cathedrals to consider the history of their buildings and the physical artefacts and how it could impact their congregations' worship.

For some churches this means removing artefacts with links to slavery and colonialism.

Churches that have already taken action include St Margaret's church in Rottingdean, Sussex, which has removed two 'deeply offensive' grave headstones which contained racial slurs.

St Peter's Church in Dorchester has also covered a plaque commemorating a plantation owner.

And dedications to slave trader Edward Colston were removed from Bristol Cathedral last year.

In June 2020, the Church of England established an anti-racism task force which carried out a review of the action it had taken to address its own role in the slave trade.

Speaking on the issue last year the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that justice is crucial to forgiveness as he stressed a need to learn from the past so that it is not repeated in the future.

His comments came as monuments of controversial figures came under the microscope amid the wave of protests and growing tensions about Britain's colonial past, sparked by global outcry following the death of George Floyd in the US.

Floyd was killed when white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds despite his desperate pleas that he 'can't breathe'. He passed out and later died in Minneapolis on May 25.

His death is seen as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans sparking outrage and largely-peaceful protests first across the US before quickly spreading worldwide.
Target announced on Monday that fully-vaccinated customers need no longer wear a face mask in their stores, unless the local government rules otherwise.

It means that in states such as California and New Jersey, were mask mandates are still in place, you must still wear a mask inside the store.

The Minnesota-based company followed the lead set on Friday by Trader Joe's, Walmart and Costco in saying that customers who have had their COVID vaccine no longer need to wear a mask while shopping.

The news came shortly before Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, announced his state was lifting its mask mandate on Wednesday.

'Effective Wednesday, NYS will adopt the CDC's new mask & social distancing guidance for vaccinated people,' Cuomo said.

'Unvaccinated people should continue to wear a mask.

'Masks will still be required on public transit, in schools & some communal settings. Private venues may require masks.'

Shoppers at Target will no longer have to wear face masks, unless local rules order them

Thirteen states say they are lifting their mask mandates in accordance with the new CDC guidance and 11 states are keeping them. New York's is lifting on Wednesday

Restrictions still remain in states including New Jersey, California, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Virginia.

Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, insisted Monday that his state will keep requiring all people, vaccinated or not, to keep wearing masks indoors in public because 'we're still not out of the woods' with the pandemic. He did announce the lifting of the mask mandate outdoors, however.

California will 'reopen' on June 15, the governor, Gavin Newsom, said on Monday. But there were no details on what 'reopening' meant - and even if masks are no longer mandated in stores after then, individual counties and cities in California will be free to chart their own course with mask mandates and social distancing guidelines.

The governor of Massachusetts said on Monday his state's mask mandate will end on May 29.

Target's announcement came four days after the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) announced that they were updating their guidance, and fully-vaccinated people need no longer wear face masks indoors or out.

'The health and safety of our guests and team members have been Target's top priority throughout the pandemic, and we've closely and consistently followed the CDC's recommendations over time,' Target said in a statement.

'Given the CDC's updated guidance last week, Target will no longer require fully vaccinated guests and team members to wear face coverings in our stores, except where it's required by local ordinances.

'Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated and we'll continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores.'

The Minneapolis-based company said they are offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments at nearly all CVS at Target locations for guests and team members.

'We're also providing paid time to U.S. hourly team members when they get their vaccines and free Lyft rides, up to $15 each way, for our team to get to and from their appointments,' they said.

A similar announcement was placed on Trader Joe's website on Friday, stating: 'We encourage customers to follow the guidance of health officials, including, as appropriate, CDC guidelines that advise customers who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear masks while shopping.'

Vaccinated shoppers can go maskless immediately, Walmart said. Vaccinated workers can stop wearing them on May 18.

As an incentive, the company said it is offering workers $75 if they prove they have been vaccinated.

A Walmart customer in Derry, New Hampshire in November 2020. The store has announced it was lifting its rule saying customers must wear masks while shopping

A Costco store in Washington DC. The wholesaler has lifted its rule on masks, with vaccinated shoppers allowed to peruse its aisles bare-faced

A Trader Joe's shopper in New York in August 2020. TJ's has also lifted its mask rule - although customers must still cover up in individual states or counties with ongoing mask mandates

John Bechtold puts his face covering on as he passes his storefront sign that lists COVID-19 protective covering required to enter in his retail shop on Friday in Pittsburgh's South Side

A customer exits a corner market while wearing a protective mask in the retail shopping district of the SoHo neighborhood of the Manhattan

Both Costco and Trader Joe's said they would not require proof of vaccination, but employees at the grocery chain will still need to cover their faces.

Workers will need to answer 'yes' to a vaccination question in a daily health assessment in order to go maskless, the company said in a memo to employees posted on its corporate website.

'Integrity is one of our core values, and we trust that associates will respect that principle when answering,' the Walmart memo states. To get the bonus, workers will have to show their original vaccination certificate.

Walmart was one of the first retailers to mandate masks last July. Its move to allow vaccinated shoppers and workers to not wear masks could lead other chains to follow suit.

Tourists, some in face masks while others are not, walk the National Mall in Washington, DC on May 14

A group of young men are see without face masks sitting in Washington Square Park, New York on May 13

Anni Bacchus joins coworkers from Atlanta Eats at a lunch on the Atlanta Beltline on Friday. The group said they were only sitting so close together because the CDC updated their mask guidelines for COVID-19 vaccinated people

People visiting the Santa Monica Pier wearing masks on Friday in Santa Monica

A number of visitors to the Santa Monica Pier were spotted wearing face masks on Friday

But several major chains, including CVS, Home Depot, Macy's and supermarket giant Kroger Co., said they are still requiring masks in stores for the time being, though some said they are reviewing their policies.

More than a dozen states quickly embraced new federal guidelines that say fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors or out in most cases.

But other states and cities and some major businesses hesitated amid doubts about whether the approach is safe or even workable.

As many business owners pointed out, there is no easy way to determine who has been vaccinated and who hasn't.

Industry leaders have warned of the potential for confusion and hard feelings among customers because of the varying rules from place to place. Even in states that have dropped mask mandates, stores and other businesses can still require face coverings if they want.

Plenty of people were still wearing masks along the Santa Monica Pier on May 14

Servers and diners in Santa Monica must still mask up. They're pictured on the famous promenade on May 14

The CDC's recommendations are non-binding, and actual policy is left for the relevant local authorities or employers to decide which means those in Santa Monica, pictured, must still wear masks

New guidelines, issued Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, essentially work on the honor system, leaving it up to people to do the right thing.

The CDC's recommendations are non-binding, and actual policy is left for the relevant local authorities or employers to decide.

It also doesn't apply to planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation, or to medical settings such as hospitals.

The situation has left CEOs and local officials caught in a dilemma -- whether to follow the scientific recommendations right away, or make sure people are comfortable with it.

Labor groups and others warned that employees at stores, restaurants, bars and other businesses could be left exposed to the coronavirus from customers and could be forced into the unwanted role of 'vaccination police.'

The City of Santa Monica has strict requirements for people to wear face coverings along with penalties for those who do not wear them when required

In Malvern, Pennsylvania, owner Sean Weinberg took down the mask signs Friday at Restaurant Alba, which he runs with his wife. He also emailed his employees to let them know they can forgo masks at work if they are fully vaccinated.

'Its just a headache we dont want to have to fight any more,' Weinberg said.

Half the states had mask requirements in place for most indoor spaces when the CDC issued its recommendations amid tumbling cases and rising vaccination rates.

Nearly 47% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and cases have dropped to their lowest level since last September, at an average of about 35,000 a day.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky noted in making the announcement that the vaccine has proved powerfully effective in preventing serious COVID-19 illness.

Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Ohio, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Kentucky, Washington, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, North Carolina, Kansas, Colorado and Rhode Island announced plans to fall in line with the CDC guidance either immediately or in the coming weeks.

Some cities, including New Orleans and Anchorage, did the same.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown said the new approach makes clear that vaccines are the fastest way to get back to doing the things 'we all love.'

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called the guidance a 'game-changer.'

Washington Governor Jay Inslee said the change is 'a heck of a benefit.'

Other states, such as California, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Hawaii and Massachusetts, and cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul kept mask rules in place for the time being.

'We're frankly not there yet,' New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said.

Hawaii Governor David Ige said, 'We are unable to determine who is vaccinated and who is not vaccinated. The best mitigation measure is for everyone to wear a mask.'

Confusion over the guidance extended to the White House, where press secretary Jen Psaki said, 'I think we're still figuring out how to implement it.'

The CDC and the Biden administration had faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people in part to highlight the benefits of the shots and motivate other people to get inoculated.

Although no longer required outside, a sign advises visitors to wear masks at the Denver Zoo in Denver, Colorado, on May 13

Restaurant workers in places where mask mandates remain are finding themselves caught in the middle, said Jot Condie, the president of the California Restaurant Association. He said his phone has been 'blowing up' with reports of increasingly belligerent customers.

'The person who is not wearing a mask will say, @My president just told me that the CDC just issued guidance and Ive been vaccinated and Im not going to wear a mask,''he said.

Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, said owners are concerned about being put in a difficult position.

'Theyre like, OK, now I have to deal with the honor system, hoping that that person that told me theyre totally vaccinated' is telling the truth, Dolch said.

The CDC announcement sent airline stocks soaring, though the guidance still calls for masks in crowded indoor settings such as planes, buses, trains, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, and says people should obey all local and state regulations.

A hild wears a mask while looking out the window of a beachfront restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif. A number of states immediately embraced new guidelines from the CDC that say fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors or out in most situations

Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson, South Dakotas lone congressman, marked the announcement by sharing a video demonstrating how cast-off masks can now be used for things like suit pocket handkerchiefs, bookmarks or beer cozies.

'It seems too wasteful to just throw them away,' he said. 'I think Ill have my mother make them into a quilt.'

Shelby Lofton, a reporter for WKYT-TV in Lexington, Kentucky, tweeted: 'So, I guess Ill start wearing lipstick again. Also need to work on my poker face.'

In Detroit, a fully vaccinated Christoph Cunningham, 28, wore a mask as he rode an electric scooter to a bar for lunch and said he agrees with the relaxed guidelines.

'I have confidence in the science behind it all,' said Cunningham, who runs a catering business. 'Ill eventually take my mask off more and more.'

Some states and some businesses are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Maskless people in Atlanta are pictured

A sign requiring a COVID-19 protective mask is required to enter is in front of Dee's Cafe, in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood

The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, said the 1.7 million-member union is still trying to sort out what the change means for schools. Many school districts already ditched mask requirements in recent weeks, as had many states and cities, as virus numbers fell.

That meant the CDC announcement didnt mean much in places like the tourist town of Branson, Missouri, which dropped its mandate early last month after several mask supporters were voted out of office.

'I think it just further supports the decision we made to lift the mask mandate,' said the town's new mayor, Larry Milton.

'It was dividing our community. We heard loud and clear from voters that they wanted the mask mandate repealed.'
A crime gang who dressed as key workers to avoid capture during the first UK lockdown, joking about a weekly clap for drug dealers, have been jailed.

Andrew Doyle, 35, from Hammersmith, north London, used the name 'Neighbourhoodhero' on a secret encrypted messaging network while carrying out cocaine deals at the height of lockdown last year.

He exchanged messages with Derrick Canning, 50, from Isleworth, west London, as they sold drugs across London.

Still taken from footage of police raiding the drug gang. Evidence showed that they plotted to continue their operation during the first and strictest UK lockdown

The messages were exchanged on the Encrochat network, an encrypted system that was brought down by law enforcement last year after a successful hack by French investigators

Joe Roche led away by officers following a raid on his home in June last year. His mother was arrested at the same address

Catherine Roche being led away by police following a raid on her property in London

In one conversation in April last year, Doyle asked Canning: 'Mate, do you have a high vis and stuff for the van? And like builder clothes? We need to look official in times like this.'

Another messsage sees Doyle mention a friend working for the NHS who has an NHS pass if he is stopped and says that 'driving through London, old bill are everywhere...pulling people'.

The messages were exchanged on the Encrochat network, an encrypted system that was brought down by law enforcement last year after a successful hack by French investigators.

Doyle and Canning were jailed at Kingston Crown Court on Monday along with mother and son Catherine Roche, 63, and Joe Roche, 29, who both dealt with the gang's cash.

Joe Roche, who used the handle 'Cremebrulee', was in regular contact with Doyle and joked about clapping for drug dealers during the height of the first lockdown.

All four were arrested during raids on their homes in June last year, which saw nearly 50,000 MDMA pills, cash, a cash counting machine, encrypted phones and Rolex watches seized.

Matt McMillan, manager of joint Met Police and National Crime Agency squad the Organised Crime Partnership, said: 'We believe this group distributed huge amounts of drugs across parts of London and the Home Counties.

'Evidence showed that they plotted to continue their operation during the first and strictest UK lockdown. A risk that didn't pay off in the end.

'The trade in class A drugs fuels violence and exploitation and today's sentences are yet another example of the NCA and Met Police working together to protect the public from this threat.'

Doyle (left) and Canning (centre left) were jailed at Kingston Crown Court on Monday along with mother and son Catherine Roche, 63, (centre right) and Joe Roche, 29, (right) who both dealt with the gang's cash

All four were arrested during raids on their homes in June last year, which saw nearly 50,000 MDMA pills, cash, a cash counting machine, encrypted phones and Rolex watches seized

Doyle was sentenced to 12 years and nine months for conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to facilitate the acquisition of criminal property, as well as five years and seven months for possession of criminal property to run concurrently.

Canning was jailed for eight years for conspiracy to supply cocaine; Catherine Roche, of Townmead Road, Fulham, south-west London was sentenced to four years and nine months for possession of criminal property, and four years for possession with intent to supply MDMA to run concurrently.

Joe Roche, of the same address, was jailed for eight years for conspiracy to supply cocaine; and to run concurrently five years and seven months for possession with intent to supply of MDMA, and three years and seven months for possession with intent to supply cocaine.
On the eve of Robert Durst's trial resumption, he is facing new allegations that his brother and father helped cover up the murder of Kathie Durst, who disappeared in 1982.

The explosive claim was made by lawyers representing the family of Kathie Durst, saying that brother Douglas and father Seymour were involved in the cover-ups.

Robert allegedly killed Susan Berman in 2000 by shooting in her the back of the head, with prosecutors believing she had information on Kathie's disappearance, which may have motivated Robert to allegedly kill her.

Robert Durst, 78, has been in jail since 2015 on charges related to Berman's death, with his trial in her murder set to resume this week.

Cathy Russon of Law & Crime Network tweeted about the new allegation on Monday while Robert Durst was in the courtroom.

Kathie Durst, the wife of Robert, has been missing for almost 30 years after disappearing from the couple's South Salem, New York home on January 31, 1982.

Her body has never been found and Robert has not been charged with her death, though authorities believe he is likely responsible, according to the New York Post.

Jordan Barowitz, a spokesperson for the Durst family, said on Monday that the lawsuit was nothing more than an attempt to profit off Robert's victims.

'Mr. Abrams is a member of the cottage industry that seeks to personally profit off of Robert's victims, even if it involves disrupting the prosecution of the murder of Susan Berman. The truth is that the Durst family is appalled by Robert's actions and has cooperated with authorities to help ensure justice is served. These allegations are false and have been repeatedly debunked.'

Robert Durst is facing new allegations that he was responsible for Kathie Durst's death

The Westchester District Attorney's office recently relaunched an investigation into Kathie's disappearance.

'The Westchester DA's Office Cold Case Unit was established to review and reinvestigate unsolved homicides. It is reviewing a number of cases, including the murder of Kathie Durst,' said Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah.

News 12 reports DA's office has been conducting interviews for several weeks.

Her family met with investigators last month, with three of her four siblings present for that meeting.

Durst is in Los Angeles prison on charges of murdering Susan Berman, his longtime friend (together left), to whom he allegedly admitted to killing his wife. Pictured right: Seymour Durst

Durst was in court on Monday for the resumption of his murder trial in Susan Berman's death

The trial had been postponed for 14 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Prosecutors have said Durst (pictured with Kathleen Durst) shot Berman because of what she knew about the fate of his spouse, whom authorities have said they presume was slain by Durst

In 1973, just after his thirtieth birthday, Robert Durst married Kathleen McCormack (pictured)

After opening arguments and a couple of days of testimony last year, Robert's trial in the death of Berman was delayed for 14 months due to COVID-19.

Judge Mark Windham is set to question the 23 jurors about the case on Monday before the trial resumes on Tuesday.

Durst's lawyers claim the jury can no longer be impartial due to the long layoff and high-profile nature of the case.

The real estate heir was the subject of The Jinx, an HBO documentary that ends with Durst seemingly confessing to murder.

The defense also wants to postpone the trial because Durst is suffering from health issues, including bladder cancer.

The case of the missing wife of real estate heir Robert Durst is being reopened by investigators

Lawyers filed an emergency motion asking for his trial to be delayed indefinitely due to a 'myriad of life-threatening issues.'

'We are very concerned about his health,' Durst's lawyer Dick DeGuerin told CNN.

'He's really gone down in the last year. He's been in and out of clinics and hospitals frequently.'

Lawyer Dick DeGuerin told DailyMail.com: 'His health has deteriorated alarmingly over the past fourteen months since the trial was shut down at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

'I'm concerned about whether he can withstand the rigors of trial.

Douglas Durst, chairman of Durst Organization, in November 2010

'We are continuing our request for mistrial through a Writ to the appellate courts, which means we have appealed the trial court's denial of our latest motion for mistrial.'

Durst was present at his most recent court hearing on March 17 but looked frail and sounded weak.

He is being held in the Twin Towers correctional facility in Los Angeles.

His legal team said they are willing for him to pay for his own security, be subjected to GPS monitoring, and have a high bail amount if he is released to a medical facility.

In July, a judge denied a request for a mistrial after a delay from the coronavirus outbreak.

In 2003, Durst was acquitted in Texas of murdering neighbor Morris Black, whom he admitted to dismembering after shooting him in self-defense during a struggle inside the Galveston apartment they shared.
Pictured: Jayden McCarthy is accused of sexually assaulting children while working at a nursery in Torquay in July 2019

A 16-year-old committed a string of sexual assaults on eight children aged between two and four while employed as a nursery assistant, a court heard.

Jayden McCarthy, now 18, allegedly used his position as a childcare apprentice in Torquay, Devon to carry out the attacks over a 19-day period in July 2019.

Exeter Crown Court was told that he was given the job at the nursery, which cannot be named for legal reasons and which has since closed, after applying for the position February 2019.

Jurors heard he satisfied the nursery owners with references and passed the appropriate barring checks, and he had also received safeguard training.

The alleged offences came to light after a three-year-old girl told her parents in graphic detail how McCarthy, from Bridgwater, Somerset, had performed a sex act on her.

The parents told the nursery, who then suspended him. Police were also contacted, who arrested McCarthy and examined 250 hours of CCTV from the nursery - from which 13 incidents were identified.

Prosecuting, Jason Beal said these included McCarthy touching girls or boys, aged two to four, while playing with them or rubbing in sun cream.

He told jurors at Exeter Crown Court that the overall effect of the CCTV was to show a pattern of his touching children under their clothing.

'The assaults were not witnessed at the time,' he said. 'The prosecution say that, watching them together, you appreciate the nature of what he was doing.

'It is the cumulative effect of his actions being repeated that allows you to see the full picture. These are not isolated incidents which have been put together to create a misleading picture. This was repeated behaviour.'

McCarthy denies three counts of rape of a child and 13 counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 and the trial continues and is currently on trial at Exeter Crown Court (pictured)

Mr Beal said some of the staff said McCarthy was immature and let the children throw around toys and climb all over him. However, the nursery staff put his immaturity down to the fact he was 16, jurors were told.

The incidents came to light after a three-year-old girl told her mother why she returned home wearing different clothes to the ones she had worn earlier that day.

Mr Beal said the children did take a change of clothes because they could get wet playing in water and sand. After describing the alleged incident to her mother, the court heard the child then described the same incident to her father.

They contacted the nursery and McCarthy was suspended and asked to leave while an investigation was launched.

Social services were contacted and the police were informed and the little girl told an officer the same details.

Special interviews were carried out with the child and the defence barrister in the trial asked her questions about anything that happened with Jayden that she did not like. She replied it did described the same incident again, the court heard.

A court heard McCarthy (pictured leaving court today) denied being sexually aroused by children under three and said he had not engaged in sexual acts when interviewed by police

Prosecutors told the jury McCarthy was arrested and he agreed that he had changed the little girl that day in a toilet because he was not supposed to change a child in front of the CCTV cameras. He said her clothes were wet but he did not need to change her underwear.

He said he struggled to put her dress back on and another staff member helped him but he denied exposing himself or sexually assaulting the child.

He was asked about guidelines when changing children and he said to 'try to keep your hands away from the bikini line and the bikini area'.

Mr Beal said police examined 250 hours of CCTV and 13 incidents were identified, telling jurors: 'The defendant was caught on CCTV sexually assaulting children on various days over a period of 10-29th July.

'There were eight children involved and they were aged between two and four.'

Mr Beal said McCarthy used sun tan cream to rub into the children in areas beneath their clothes which he said showed the real purpose of what he was doing.

He said he rubbed suntan cream into a little boy in a 'very cursory way' and there was a striking difference with little girls with his hand up their dress and touching their private areas. The court heard he also placed their hands on his genitals.

Mr Beal said CCTV clips were a sample of what he was doing but he said: 'These are not isolated incidents.'

In a statement to police, McCarthy stayed silent apart from saying he had never touched a child sexually or for sexual gratification, and he denied being sexually aroused by children under the age of three.

He denies three rapes of a child and 13 counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13. His trial continues.
A Chinese billionaire with close ties to Steve Bannon is behind a fake news network peddling lies about COVID vaccines, the election and QAnon, research shows.

Guo Wengui is said to be the 'linchpin' of a digital web which falsely suggested the coronavirus shots are 'poison', said there was widespread election fraud in 2020 and posted an 'extensive collection' of videos about the Q conspiracy theory.

Bannon had been staying on the self-styled Chinese dissident's $28 million vessel, Lady May, when he was arrested in August last year for allegedly defrauding his Mexico border wall charity of $25 million.

Now research by network analysis firm Graphika and first shown to The Washington Post indicates news websites, social media, local action groups and non profits linked to Wengui work together to spread the disinformation.

Graphika describes Wengui as the 'linchpin' of the movement, adding: 'He is the leading personality, appears to define goals and messaging, and is positioned as a wise leader who should be admired and followed.'

They add: 'Wengui is at the center of a vast network of interrelated media entities which have disseminated online disinformation and promoted real-world harassment campaigns.

'Graphika has identified thousands of mostly-authentic social media accounts associated with this network which are active across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Gab, Telegram, Parler, and Discord.'

Guo Wengui is said to be the 'linchpin' of a digital web which falsely suggested the shots are 'poison', there was widespread election fraud and posting an 'extensive collection' of videos about the Q conspiracy theory. He is pictured with close associate Steve Bannon

Wengui and Bannon met in October 2017 when Bannon was still working as Donald Trump's chief strategist, and say they bonded over their shared loathing of the Chinese government

Examples cited by their report include a video posted to GNews which called COVD vaccines 'fake' and 'poison'. It also looked to hydroxychloroquine as a treatment.

Wengui fled to the US in 2014 after learning he was wanted for bribery, fraud, money laundering and rape - allegations he fiercely denies. He has spoken publicly about helping to set up GNews.

Another site, GTV, which Guo said he helped raised funds for, 'continuously amplified QAnon-aligned content', Graphika suggest, including by posting an 'extensive collection' of videos about the conspiracy theory.

Non profits, the Rule of Law Foundation and the Rule of Law Society, are also said to be part of the Guo's network. He launched those in 2018.

The web network has also pushed the idea that the coronavirus was purposely manufactured in China as a bioweapon, according to research.

Graphika said the false information pushes appear coordinated.

Bannon had been staying on the self-styled Chinese dissident's $28 million vessel, Lady May, pictured, for weeks before his arrest in August last year for allegedly defrauding his Mexico border wall charity of $25 million

At some point Guo had also joined Mar-a-Lago where he was photographed by DailyMail.com just after Christmas 2018. He has divided opinions even among his fellow dissidents

Delaware-registered company Saraca Media Group Inc offers GNews and GTV apps in Apple's App Store. It also owns Guo Media which hired Bannon for 'strategic consulting services' related to his investigation into the Chinese Communist Party.

Under that year-long contract, Bannon received $1million from an unidentified source, WSJ reported.

Guo and Bannon met in October 2017 when the latter was still working as Donald Trump's chief strategist, and say they bonded over their shared loathing of the Chinese government.

And after Trump fired Bannon, Guo hired him in the $1 million consulting contract in 2018, retaining the former presidential Svengali to introduce Guo to 'media personalities' and advise Guo's nascent media company.

Guo's spokesman Daniel Podhaskie said neither GTV or GNews is controlled by the businessman, adding: 'They are not platforms whose content is managed or directed by Mr. Guo or any single individual or company.

'GTV is an online video sharing platform with posts mainly in Chinese Mandarin.

'Similar to Twitter and Facebook, the GTV video hosting platform allows users to create, upload, view, like/dislike, comment, and share videos  implying that Mr. Guo is responsible for everything that is posted on this platform is ludicrous.

'Mr. Guo posts his own videos on GTV and does not control or coordinate what subscribers or other GTV bloggers do with them.'

But Joan Donovan, a technology expert at Harvard's Shorenstein Center, told the Post the research 'is an important forensic analysis of the ways that rich and politically motivated people can manipulate social media'.

And Chinese dissident Teng Biao said he was targeted by Guo supporters. He said: 'Guo and his media have played a very active role in spreading misinformation related to Chinese and American politics and society.'

GTV, which Guo said he helped raised funds for, 'continuously amplified QAnon-aligned content', Graphika suggest, including by posting an 'extensive collection' of videos about the conspiracy theory

Examples cited by their report include a video posted to GNews which called COVD vaccines 'fake' and 'poison'. It also looked to hydroxychloroquine as a treatment

Guo, a former member of China's Communist Party, made headlines in June last year when he teamed up with Bannon to fly a fleet of propeller planes carrying banners congratulating the 'Federal State of New China' over New York City.

A YouTube video posted in August 2020 shows Bannon with a slight sunburn, popped collar, and cigar in hand, standing next to Guo in one of the yacht's glitzy rooms, railing against the Chinese government.

Later that month Bannon was arrested aboard the boat on charges he pocketed donations to a crowd-funded US-Mexico border wall fundraiser; a scheme unrelated to his dealings with Guo.

At some point Guo had also joined Mar-a-Lago where he was photographed by DailyMail.com just after Christmas 2018.

He has divided opinions even among his fellow dissidents  some adoringly printing his slogans on t-shirts, and others claiming he is in fact a Chinese government spy.

Delaware-registered company Saraca Media Group Inc offers GNews and GTV apps in Apple's App Store. It also owns Guo Media; that hired Bannon for 'strategic consulting services' related to his investigation into the Chinese Communist Party. Under that year-long contract, Bannon received $1million from an unidentified source, WSJ reported

The enigmatic businessman is believed to have made his fortune in real estate, and says he came from humble beginnings with vivid descriptions of foraging twigs for firewood in a rural Chinese province during the country's brutal 1970s Cultural Revolution.

Guo, who now owns lavish apartments in major cities, says he made his first property deal age 25, and began building his real estate empire in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou where he constructed the city's then-tallest building, the Yuda International Trade Center.

As well as his $28 million yacht, he acquired a 9,000-square-foot apartment overlooking Central Park on the 18th-floor of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel on New York's Fifth Avenue and similarly luxurious pads in London and Hong Kong.
Rabbi Rafi Goodwin's injuries were being assessed King George's Hospital

Two people have been arrested in connection with a religiously-aggravated assault on a rabbi in Chigwell.

Rafi Goodwin had been attacked with an unknown item following a verbal altercation in Limes Avenue, near his Essex synagogue, shortly after 1.15pm yesterday, it was reported.

He required treatment at King George's Hospital after he suffered cuts to his head and around one eye, and his phone was stolen.

Two men from Ilford, aged 18 and 25, were arrested this afternoon on suspicion of GBH with intent. They are currently in custody.

Police say they do not believe the incident is 'related to events taking place overseas or incidents which have taken place elsewhere in the country'.

While issuing an appeal yesterday, Essex Police had said it was believed that two teenagers had stepped out in front of the victim's vehicle while he was driving, before shouting at him and speaking 'in a derogatory way about his religion before going on to damage his car'.

'When he got out of his car to confront them, he was attacked with an unknown object causing him to require hospital treatment,' a spokesman had said.

Today, following the arrests, a spokesman said: 'Throughout today our officers have been engaging with local Jewish communities to provide reassurance and updates following on from the incident.

'Community members and religious leaders, who are celebrating Shavuot, have been speaking to our officers in Chigwell and Southend this morning.'

Rafi Goodwin had been attacked with an unknown item following a verbal altercation in Limes Avenue, near his Essex synagogue, shortly after 1.15pm yesterday, it was reported

Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper said: 'We know this is a very important time - a time for communities to come together, to be around each other and celebrate. We do not want anyone to feel that they cannot do that safely' (pictured: Police at the synagogue)

Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper said: 'We know this is a very important time - a time for communities to come together, to be around each other and celebrate. We do not want anyone to feel that they cannot do that safely.

'Officers have spent the day speaking with the Jewish community to provide reassurance.

'At this time we do not believe this incident is related to events taking place overseas or incidents which have taken place elsewhere in the country.'

Community leaders have offered their support to Rabbi Goodwin.

Moshe Freedman, rabbi of New West End Synagogue in central London, asked people to pray for his 'dear friend and colleague' following the attack.

And Rabbi Herschel Gluck said: 'Whenever a person is attacked like this, it touches me deeply.

'The person themselves, their families, their congregation and their friends are all affected by this.

'Even though it is an individual, it has much broader and wider ramifications.'

Police are also continuing to appeal for anyone with any information about the incident to contact then.

A spokesman said: 'Anyone with information about this incident, relevant CCTV, dashcam or ring door bell footage  particularly in the areas of Limes Avenue, Tudor Crescent, and Fencepiece Road, is asked to contact Loughton CID on 101 quoting the crime reference number 42/92174/21.'
Andrew Lloyd Webber has warned ministers not to let 'selfish' vaccine-refusers derail plans for the final stages of easing the lockdown.

The musical composer today said those who wouldn't have a Covid jab 'are as bad as drink drivers', and that they were affecting 'an enormous number of people's jobs and livelihoods'.

While restrictions on theatres were lifted this morning, Lord Lloyd Webber said he would not be opening shows in his venues until all measures are scrapped, as it was 'too costly' to play to reduced audiences.

But he warned that people who refused to take a vaccine when offered were jeopardising the June 21 date for the final stage of England's road map, when remaining restrictions are meant to be eased.

While restrictions on theatres were lifted this morning, Lord Lloyd Webber said he would not be opening shows in his venues until all measures are scrapped, as it was 'too costly' to play to reduced audiences. Pictured: The Mousetrap reopens at St Martin's Theatre

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One he said: Look at it this way. You could just say I would like to go out and have a drink tonight and drive home and accidentally I kill somebody.

'Now it seems to be that nobodys going to go out and deliberately infect anybody with Covid but its completely wrong if we know the science.

We know that the vaccines are very effective and we know that they are really broadly speaking unbelievably safe.

'I think the Queen put it rather well when she said we had to think of other people in all of this.'

He added that the June 21 date for the final unlocking was 'absolutely critical', warning: 'If that doesn't happen, I really don't even want to think about it.

The musical composer today said those who wouldn't have a Covid jab 'are as bad as drink drivers', and that they were affecting 'an enormous number of people's jobs and livelihoods'

'It has been such a devastating time for everybody.

'I just feel so strongly at the moment, particularly the people who are not getting vaccinated and everything, just how selfish it is, because so many people depend on this June 21 date, they really depend on it.'

It was a view echoed by Tory MPs Conor Burns and Marcus Fysh, who said people who refuse vaccines should not hold up the easing of restrictions.

Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said: 'As a nation we have tolerated with generally good humour the most profound curtailment of our freedoms in peacetime for the greater good.

'It wouldn't be right to do it again for those who have been offered a vaccine and have freely chosen not to take it - fully aware of the risks.'

Theater-goers get their temparature check as they arrive to St Martins theatre in London's West End

Yeovil MP Mr Fysh said it would not be 'reasonable' to delay the 'complete release from restrictions' on June 21.

'The vast majority are vaccinated, the vaccines work, and the rest now have a vanishingly small risk of harm,' he said.

'If people don't want to be vaccinated it is not up to society to shield them.'

Their comments come after a senior minister told Politico that 'the risk is a small number of idiots ruin it for everyone else'.

Downing Street said concerns about the impact of coronavirus on the unvaccinated were not the only reasons why the spread of the Indian variant had led to uncertainty about the June 21 date.

In a worst-case scenario, where the Indian variant is far more transmissible than the existing UK strain, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'What we would be talking about then is a situation where not just individuals who are vaccine-resistant or vaccine-hesitant, or those who have not sought out their first jab, might catch coronavirus, but those who have had the first dose or those who have had two doses but for whom vaccine efficacy is reduced.

'That would then lead to increased hospitalisations and put unsustainable pressure on our NHS.

'That's the situation we are attempting to avoid here.'
Six members of Extinction Rebellion who blockaded a printing works and stopped millions of newspapers from being distributed across the country have been fined for their actions.

About 50 members of the protest group had erected bamboo structures outside he gates of Newsprinters in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News UK, last September.

Their actions meant millions oif editions of The Mail, The Times, The Sun, The Daily Telegraph, and London Evening Standard could not leave the premises.

Members of staff could also not drive home at the end of their shifts at 5am.

(From left) Liam Norton , James Ozen, Morgan Trowland, Eleanor Bujak, Tim Spears and Sally Davidson outside court

Today Sally Davidson, 33, James Ozden, 35, Timothy Speers, 25, Morgan Trowland, 38, Eleanor Bujack and Timothy Speers were found guilty of wilfully blocking the highway during their protest.

During the trial at St Albans Magistrates' Court, the group claimed they disrupted the distribution highlight, what they described as the media's failure to report the seriousness of the climate and ecological crisis.

Alan Brett, the manufacturing director at Newsprinters, told the court printers, contractors, engineers, drivers and cleaners all found themselves unable to leave in their cars when their shift ended at 5am in the morning.

The scene of the protest last September when Extinction Rebellion activists block the entrance to Newsprinters facility

He said the company had to order a fleet of around 20 taxis to take the employees home.

It meant that workers had to make their way on foot through the gates and past the protestors to the waiting taxis.

But he said they were then faced with the prospect of coming back to the site later to collect their cars.

Raj Chada who defended four of the six said in his closing speech: Without doubt they were exercising their right to free speech.

Mr Speers who defended himself said: "It's often said that for evil to thrive, all it takes is for good people to do nothing. Well, on the evening of September 4, I decided to do something in the full knowledge that it would bring me here and I would have to defend my actions."

Police at the scene of the protests last September which prevented the distribution of millions of newspapers

Extinction Rebellion parked vans across the road in a V formation and built bamboo structures to hang from

The judge told the defendants she noted that it had been a peaceful demonstration, with no damage being caused and no abuse towards the police.

"You all spoke in your own defence with passion and clarity of thought. I take the view to order compensation in this case would not be appropriate.

Davidson, Norton and Ozden were each given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay prosecution costs of 150 and a statutory victim surcharge of 22.

Trowland and Bujak were both fined 150 and told to pay costs of 150, plus a victim surcharge of 34.

Speers was fined 200 and ordered to pay 150 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of 34.

Two of the defendants were not in court to hear the verdicts

Bujak was unable to attend while Norton had been excluded from the proceedings at the start of the trial when he glued his hand to a table.
Kim Potter (pictured) was charged with second degree manslaughter in Daunte Wrights death

The former Brooklyn Center police officer who shot dead 20-year-old black man Daunte Wright last month will stand trial for her actions, DailyMail.com can reveal.

In a brief hearing Monday afternoon Hennepin County District Court Judge Regina M. Chu found that there was probable cause for the second-degree manslaughter charge brought by prosecutors following the April 11 shooting.

The judge opened proceedings by offering her condolences to Wright's friends and family before scheduling the trial to begin December 6.

Potter will remain free on $100,000 bond until then.

Protests erupted when Potter, a police officer of 26 years standing, shot Wright dead at a traffic stop after apparently mistaking her handgun for her Taser.

Both Potter and Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon resigned two days after the incident that came at a time of heightened tensions and security amid the Derek Chauvin murder trial.

Brooklyn Center, a mostly non-white suburb of Minneapolis, is just ten miles from where Chauvin, 45, was standing trial for murdering George Floyd, 46.

On Monday, Potter, 48, appeared tired and somber as she sat behind her defense attorney Earl Gray in his offices in St Paul.

She wore a black top and no make-up and remained silent save for acknowledging her consent to the Zoom hearing. Special Assistant Hennepin County Prosecutor Imran Ali was present for the state.

Wright was shot on Sunday, April 11, after he and his girlfriend were pulled over for having an expired license plate.

Daunte Wright (pictured) was shot and killed during a traffic stop on April 11

A background check revealed that Wright had an outstanding warrant against him, and officers moved to make an arrest.

Bodycam video was swiftly released by the police department as the shooting was characterized by former Police Chief Gannon as an 'accidental discharge.'

In the footage Wright can be seen trying to get back into the car after botched efforts to cuff him and in an apparent attempt to flee.

Former officer Potter can be heard shouting 'Taser! Taser! Taser!' before shooting him at point blank range.

As Wright's car careered away Potter can be heard saying, 'Holy sh*t. I shot him.' She then dropped her gun.

Court records showed that Wright was being sought after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

In that case a statement of probable cause said that police got a call about a man waving a gun who was later identified as Wright.

But despite this, there was no gun retrieved from Wright's vehicle when he finally crashed several blocks from the scene of his shooting.

Wright's mother, Katie Wright, said that her son had called her moments before his death to tell her that police had stopped him for having an air-freshener dangling from his rear-view mirror  an offense in Minnesota.

She went to get insurance information for her son and told him to put the officer on the phone when they came back to the window.

Bodycam footage shows former Brooklyn Center Police officer Kim Potter shooting 20-year-old Daunte Wright (pictured) following a traffic stop

She said, 'Then I heard the police officer come to the window and say, 'Put the phone down and get out of the car.' And Wright said, 'Why?' He said, 'We'll explain to you when you get out of the car.'

She heard scuffling and police telling Wright 'Don't run,' before the phone was hung up.

A minute later his mother called back, and his girlfriend answered and told her that he had been shot. She recalled, 'She put [the phone] on the driver's side and he was laying there lifeless.'

Speaking at a press conference the following day, then Chief Gannon said, 'As I watch the video and listen to the officer's command, it is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their taser, but instead shot Mr Wright with a single bullet.'

He explained 'For informational purposes we train with our handguns on our dominant side, and our taser on our weak side. If you are right-handed, you carry your firearm on your right side and you carry your taser on the left. This is done purposefully, and it's trained.'

But the father-of-one's family and hundreds of protesters were not satisfied with this assessment and took to the streets to demand justice and accountability.

Benjamin Crump, the attorney who helped the Floyd family win a $27million civil settlement, has also taken up the Wright family's cause.

Kim Potter,(pictured) a 26 -year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department in Minnesota, faces 10 years in prison for the shooting death of Daunte Wright

Speaking at the time he said, 'Daunte Wright is yet another young black man killed at the hands of those who have sworn to protect and serve all of us  not just the whitest among us.

'As Minneapolis and the rest of the country continue to deal with the tragic killing of George Floyd, now we must also mourn the loss of this young man and father.'

Judge Chu opened the brief hearing by stating that she did find probable cause for the charge. Last week Chu denied recordings of the court proceedings because Potter did not consent.

The criminal complaint noted that Potter holstered her handgun on the right side and her Taser on the left, both with their grips facing rearward.

To remove the Taser - which is yellow and has a black grip - Potter would have to use her left hand, the complaint said.

Intent isn't a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge - which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison - can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by 'culpable negligence' that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause a death.

The judge set a trial date for December 6.
Market Definition:

Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) is a highly versatile synthetic rubber, which exhibits excellent resistance to oxygen, ozone, polar materials, and sunlight and is highly resistant to steam, heat, and water. It is used across diverse industry verticals for a wide range of applications. Market Research Future (MRFR) has added the global COVID-19 Impact ON Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer Market to its existing portfolio, which is a compilation of the key dynamics affecting the market. As per the report, COVID-19 Impact ON Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer Market is expected to catapult to USD 6.5 Bn by the end of 2025 from USD 3.9 Bn in 2019, at a CAGR of 6% over the forecast period of 2019-2025.

Get a Free Sample of This Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2767

Market Scenario and Growth Factors:

EPDM experiences significant demand from the automotive industry, where its properties such as excellent resistance to heat, UV rays, and ozone is highly desirable. They help in reflection of UV rays and reduce polymer degradation due to which they are used in engine mounts, vehicle glazing systems, moisture barriers, valves, and pumps. They are used in the manufacturing of seals & gaskets, weather-stripping, brake parts, radiator, tubing, belts, windshield wipers, and others. Expanding the automotive industry and increasing the production of vehicles is supporting the growth of the market. EPDM is also used in the construction industry for waterproofing applications. They help in lowering air-conditioning costs as well. The booming construction industry in the developing countries of Asia Pacific is favoring the growth of the market. Other factors supporting the growth of the market include numerous rainwater harvesting initiatives undertaken in various countries and increasing adoption of green cities.

On the other hand, the growth of the market might be hindered by the volatile price of raw materials.

Competitive Landscape:

Firestone Building Products Company (US),

Exxon Mobil Corporation (US),

SABIC (Saudi Arabia), Dow (US),

Carlisle Companies Inc. (US),

JSR Corporation (Japan),

SK global chemical Co., Ltd (South Korea),

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Japan),

Lion Elastomers (US),

LANXESS AG (Germany),

KUMHO POLYCHEM (South Korea),

Johns Manville (US),

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd (Japan)

Segmentation:

The Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer Market has been segmented based on application and end-use industry.

By application, the ethylene propylene diene monomer market has been segmented into seals & gaskets, weather-stripping, tires & tubes, wire & cables, roofing membranes, electric insulation, radiators, oil additives, and others.

By end-use industry, the ethylene propylene diene monomer market has been segmented into automotive, building & construction, aerospace & defense, electrical & electronics, consumer goods, medical, and others.

Regional Analysis:

Region-wise, the ethylene propylene diene monomer market has been segmented into North America, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa (MEA), Europe, and Asia Pacific (APAC).

The largest share of the market was captured by APAC in 2019. The region is in the midst of rapid industrialization, and various end-use industries of EPDM are expanding at an accelerated pace in the region, which is generating constant demand within the market.

The prolific growth of the automotive industry in the UK, Germany, Italy, and France are supporting the growth of the EPDM market in Europe. Besides, the European Union (EU) has laid down stringent regulations for environment protection, which works in favor of the EPDM market. The region is investing significantly in the medical sector, which is inducing the growth of the market.

North America EPDM market is likely to exhibit substantial growth in the coming years. Demand will be generated from the automotive, electrical & electronics, construction, and healthcare industries.

The growth of Latin America EPDM market can be attributed to the fast track industrialization in countries such as Brazil and Chile.

The MEA market growth is driven by the GCC countries. Construction activities are going on at a torrid pace, which is inducing high demand within the market.

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Palm Beach Country State Attorney Dave Aronberg said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can't stop former President Donald Trump from being extradited from Florida to New York if he's indicted in the ongoing tax investigation.

'So that's a conversation we're having: What is the governor's power? And the governor's power to stop an extradition is really non-existent,' Aronberg said on CNN Sunday.

The comments came after Politico Playbook reported on an obscure passage in Florida's statute on interstate extradition that gives DeSantis the power to investigate whether a person 'ought to be surrendered' to law enforcement officials from another state.

Palm Beach Country State Attorney Dave Aronberg said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can't stop former President Donald Trump from being extradited from Florida to New York if he's indicted in the ongoing tax investigation

Politico Playbook reported that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (left) could come to the aid of former President Donald Trump (right) if he's indicted by Manhattan's District Attorney Cy Vance in an ongoing tax and banking fraud investigation

'The statute leaves room for interpretation that the governor has the power to order a review and potentially not comply with the extradition notice,' Joe Abruzzo, the clerk of the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County, told Playbook.

Abruzzo would be in charge of opening a fugitive-at-large case if Trump didn't comply with a court order.

Aronberg pushed back on Politico's reporting that DeSantis had any real power to help the former president.

'He can try to delay it, he can send it to a committee and do research about it, but his role is really ministerial and ultimately the state of New York can go to court and get an order to extradite the former president,' Aronberg said.

'But DeSantis could delay matters,' he added.

He also said there haven't been high-level conversations between law enforcement in Florida and New York.

'I can clear that up because I'm the state attorney here in Palm Beach County, and we have not had conversations with prosecutors in New York about this,' Aronberg said. 'The story that you saw was informal conversations with the clerk of courts and other local officials in case an indictment happens.'

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office has been probing Trump and his businesses on whether the ex-president committed tax fraud, among other things.

Vance has said publicly that he plans to retire at the end of the year and so there's speculation that indictments would be coming before then.

While Trump landed at Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House in January, he plans to spend the summer months - when the Palm Beach, Florida club is closed - at his Bedminster, New Jersey property.

Trump is expected to then return to Mar-a-Lago in the fall, when the property reopens to members.

While New Jersey has a similar statute about out-of-state warrants, the state's governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, would have no problem turning Trump over to New York.
Two cousins were pulled out of a Massachusetts lake by emergency workers and pronounced dead after one of the boys attempted to save his relative from drowning.

Tiago Depina, 12, and Rafael Andrade, 13, were skipping over rocks on the shore of Waldo Lake on Saturday evening before one of the boys fell into the water in the Boston suburb of Brockton, according to the Boston Herald.

One of the cousins went into the lake to save the other boy, before both of the kids disappeared around 7:30pm local time, authorities said.

An 11-year-old boy who was also playing with the children was pulled from lake and rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

Neither of the children knew how to swim, investigators said.

Photo of Tiago Depina, 12, and Rafael Andrade, 13, that was taken of the cousins with a caption in Spanish that reads, 'Minutes before the accident.' Investigators say the boys were skipping over rocks on the short of Waldo Lake in Brockton, Massachusetts, on Saturday evening before one of them fell into the water. The other cousin then attempted to save his relative before both went underwater. Neither of them knew how to swim

Aerial view of Waldo Lake in Brockton, Massachusetts, where two boys were pulled out of the pond and pronounced dead at a local hospital Saturday night. Authorities say Tiago Depina, 12, and Rafael Andrade, 13, were skipping rocks when one of them slipped into the lake and the other jumped in to save his cousin from drowning. A third child was pulled out alive from the waterway and was taken to a medical facility for treatment

Yannick Depina and his friend Valdo Centeio were visiting the lake when they heard the boys' parents screaming for help and immediately dove into the water to save the children.

Centeio and Depina, who is not related to Tiago Depina, were unable to find the boys because it was too dark out.

'The whole time I was in the water searching for them, I was asking God, 'why?' When I got out of the water and couldn't find them, I was still asking 'why,'' Yannick DePina told the newspaper.

As of Monday afternoon, over $14,000 were donated via a GoFundMe page set up to help the families cover the funeral and burial expenses for 12-year-old Tiago Depina and his cousin, Rafael Andrade, 13

Valdo Centeio was one of two men who jumped into Waldo Lake in an attempt to rescue Tiago Depina, 12, and Rafael Andrade, 13, after the boys fell into the waterway Saturday night

The Brockton Fire Department and the Plymouth County Technical Rescue Team arrived at the scene, and by 8:51pm were able to recover the body of Andrade from about 10 feet under the lake, NBC 10 reported.

Tiago Depina's body was found approximately at 9:33pm, almost 10 feet under the lake.

The boys were rushed to Good Samaritan Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

Centeio and Yannick Depina returned to the lake Sunday after being unable to sleep and reevaluating their heroic efforts.

On Sunday, Brockton residents also were present to console the families of two boys who drowned at Waldo Lake and left balloons, candles and teddy bears at a makeshift shrine

Other Brockton residents also were present at the lake's shore in support of the boys' families, leaving balloons, candles and teddy bears at a makeshift shrine.

'I just came back here today to release some pain, to think about them a little and see if I can get this out of my head,' Centeio said as he lit a candle. 'They were just two little kids. I would put my life down for theirs.'

As of Monday afternoon, over $14,000 were donated via a GoFundMe page set up to help the families cover the funeral and burial expenses.

Family members were expected to gather at Waldo Lake and hold a vigil for Tiago Depina and Rafael Andrade on Monday and Tuesday evening.

'They're really good kids. I love them,' family friend Elton Nunes told NBC 10.
A luxury cruise ship which usually ferries tourists along the Baltic coast is set to house more than 1,000 police officers protecting world leaders at next month's G7 summit.

Devon and Cornwall Police has hired the MS Silja Europa for the duration of the event in Cornwall between June 11 and 13.

Sky News reported the ship will be used for accommodation and moored at Falmouth for ten days.

The popular liner is usually used to transport people overnight between Finland and Estonia

The popular liner is usually used to transport people overnight between Helsinki in Finland to Tallinn in Estonia with rooms on board costing as much as 1,200 for an executive suite.

Its hire comes as 5,000 police officers are being brought into Cornwall to boost its existing 1,500 coppers.

A spokesman for the police force said: 'We will be deploying over 6,500 officers and staff to this event and we are supporting a vast range of local businesses and suppliers as part of our extensive logistical arrangements.

The G7 group is made up of the world's seven largest advanced economies, including the UK

'This includes using over 4,000 rooms at almost 200 venues across Devon and Cornwall which will support local communities and accommodate police officers and staff deployed from across the UK.

'In order to secure further essential capacity, we reviewed a number of options and recently agreed to hire the MS Silja Europa, operated by Tallink; taking into account impacts to the environment, community, the operational needs, and those of our officers and staff.'

'We are working closely with the vessel owners, ports authorities and health partners to ensure the safe use of this accommodation.

'Those staying onboard will strictly follow all the applicable COVID safety guidelines, enhanced by daily testing - consistent with staff staying at all other accommodation sites across the force area.'

The Carbis Bay Estate hotel and beach is set to be the main venue for the upcoming G7 summit

The G7 group is made up of the world's seven largest advanced economies - the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Cruise line Tallink describe the Silja Europa as the 'biggest and most beautiful cruise ship on the Baltic'.

The ship has had a colourful history with one website reporting in 2019 two passengers, a male and a female, were found dead onboard.

And in 1995 it ran aground near the coast of Finland.
Mrs Seale claims their daughter and stepchildren are now suing 'to take away her house'

He died aged 83 from brain cancer in 2014 with half the home going to his estate

Couple had 'stormy' relationship and Mr Seale had asked lawyers about divorce

The widow of a millionaire author faces being thrown out on the streets in a bitter legal battle with her stepchildren and daughter over their 3.5million house.

Rana Seale was married to Patrick Seale for 29 years and lived with him in their three-storey, six-bedroom property in fashionable Holland Park, west London.

She says their daughter Yasmine Seale and two of her stepchildren  one of them the child of Martin Amis and the other a former understudy to Sir Kenneth Branagh  are now suing her to take away her house.

The couple had a stormy relationship and Mr Seale, who was respected for his works as a historian of the Middle East, spoke to lawyers about divorcing his wife before he died, aged 83, from brain cancer in April 2014.

Rana Seale (right) the widow of a millionaire author Patrick Seale (left) says she faces being thrown out on the streets in a bitter legal battle with her stepchildren and daughter over their 3.5million house

Oxford-educated Mr Seale severed the joint tenancy on their home, resulting in his half going into his estate instead of to Mrs Seale.

Now Yasmine Seale and stepchildren Delilah Jeary and Orlando Seale and are suing her to have the house where she lives sold and the proceeds split.

But Mrs Seale, 63, backed by the couples son Alexander with whom she lives, is fighting to get her late husbands half signed back over to her.

She told the High Court that she and her son are living in fear of being thrown out on the streets if she loses.

The couple lived at their six-bedroom property in Holland Park, west London, but their 'stormy' relationship led Mr Seale to speak to lawyers about divorcing his wife before he died, aged 83, from brain cancer in April 2014

In the latest twist in a long-running legal battle, she pleaded to judge Master Iain Pester: Can you imagine what is it like for a mother finding her daughter suing her to take away her house?

The court heard the couple bought their home for 1.75million in 2009.

It is now worth about 3.5million, according to the Nationwide house price calculator.

Mr Seale had son Orlando, 48, an actor and former understudy to Branagh, from his first marriage to writer Lamorna Heath. He also brought up ITN producer Delilah, 45, who was the product of an affair Amis had with Miss Heath.

Now their daughter Yasmine and stepchildren Delilah Jeary (pictured) and Orlando Seale and are suing her to have the house where she lives sold and the proceeds split

Mr Seale looked after Delilah and told her before she started university that Amis was her father. Mr and Mrs Seale had two children together, poet and writer Yasmine, 31, and journalist Alexander Seale, 33.

Mr Seale split his wealth equally in his will between Mrs Seale and the four children.

Mrs Seale and Alexander have launched court proceedings to block the sale of the house, arguing that the property should go to Mrs Seale.

Mother and son say terminally ill Mr Seale was under undue influence in the weeks before he died, when he began divorce proceedings and severed the joint tenancy.

Representing herself, Mrs Seale  a British-Syrian historian  said threats of divorce featured in their stormy relationship, but never happened.

Mr Seale brought up ITN producer Delilah, 45, who was the product of an affair his first wife Lamorna Heath had with British novelist Martin Amis. Pictured: Delilah with Amis and her son Isaac

In January 2014, Mr Seale told his solicitor he intended to separate from Mrs Seale.

Barrister Richard Fowler, representing Orlando, Delilah and Yasmine, said Mr Seale had been advised to consider severing the joint tenancy and went ahead with it. But the decision only resulted in a long legal battle over who owns the house.

The case reached court again last week when Orlando, Delilah and Yasmine asked the judge to strike out Alexanders challenge to the severance of the joint tenancy. Mr Fowler said there was nothing to suggest any of the children had influenced Mr Seale into doing what he did.

He added that Mrs Seale had previously threatened to divorce Mr Seale, which would have resulted in all his assets being split between them.

Mrs Seale told the judge new evidence cast doubt on whether Mr Seale had the mental capacity to make important decisions at that time. Videos showed Orlando and Yasmine prompting him, she said.

The judge, who heard the case via video link, will give his decision on the applications at a later date.
Youngsters should not be vaccinated sooner in Covid hotspots to curb the spread of the Indian variant, Downing Street said today.

Health officials were urged to continue making their way down the national priority list  which has now reached those aged 36.

In Bolton, teenagers have been inoculated in a frantic effort to contain the B1617.2 strain. In London, mayor Sadiq Khan has called for 'flexibility' to give jabs to younger people in parts of the city linked to the variant, while former PM Tony Blair has said it would be 'sensible' to focus on vaccinating the worst-hit areas.

Gavin Carr. A teenager who lives in the UK's Indian variant hotspot and has received his first jab has said it was an 'obvious choice' to get the vaccine as it 'saves lives'

Members of the public queue to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination centre at the Essa academy in Bolton, northwest England on May 17

Join the queue: Residents in Bolton wait in line for a coronavirus jab at a temporary vaccination centre yesterday

However, opinion remains divided over the issue. No 10 insisted yesterday that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) believes the best way to protect against the new variant is to ensure vulnerable groups get their doses as soon as possible.

Asked whether Covid hotspots would be prevented from giving first doses to younger people, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'We want every part of the country to abide by the advice set out by the JCVI. It's this unified approach that has allowed us to proceed so quickly with our vaccine rollout.'

The Health Secretary told the Commons that the JCVI priority list is 'what is most likely to save the most lives'.

Phone call: Kate spoke with Hayley Evans

Hayley Evans is pictured above

Hayley pictured with her grandparents Ron and Pat Wood

When asked about vaccinating all over-18s in Bolton and Blackburn, Matt Hancock said to MPs: 'I want to be absolutely crystal clear... that is not our approach. I have looked into it in great detail and we have taken clinical advice.

The approach is to make sure we get as many second vaccinations done as possible, as many first vaccinations amongst the vulnerable groups, and then as many vaccinations as possible for those eligible groups who are under the age of 50.

'The reason that we've taken this approach is because that is what is most likely to save the most lives. That second jab is absolutely vital and, of course, the first jab for anybody over 50 could be the difference between life and death.'

Memories: Couples 1949 wedding

Ron playing for Worthing

Holding hands: Hayley Evanss photo

...But Bolton does it anyway All adults in Bolton were yesterday urged to book a vaccination, with doctors saying they would find a reason to given them a jab. The town is suffering worse than anywhere else in Britain with the Indian variant of Covid  with infection rates at 12 times the national average. And despite calls from ministers not to invite healthy people aged under 36 for their jab, local medics are now vaccinating teenagers as young as 17. They inoculated more 6,000 people over the weekend with some recipients reporting that they only needed to give their name, their phone number and which GP they were registered with. Asked if her staff would turn away someone who turned up at a walk-in vaccination centre and didnt meet the NHS eligibility criteria, Dr Helen Wall, who is co-ordinating the towns vaccination programme, said they were going to find reasons to vaccinate people, not reasons not to. Similarly in neighbouring Blackburn which has the third highest rate in the country and where an extra 1,000 daily jabs have been allocated  residents have been told that even going shopping for a grandparent constitutes being an unpaid carer  and therefore eligible for a jab. Dr Dominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn with Darwen, said he was urging anyone over 18 to book an appointment and then discuss on arrival whether they met one of the eligibility criteria. A very, very, very large percentage would be cleared to have a vaccine. The massive effort to boost immunity comes amid surging case rates, particularly among under-30s, in the areas. Cases are fuelled by the more transmissible Indian variant  and have sparked fears of a return to local lockdowns, to the horror of local businesses. Boltons infection rate is twice that in the next worst Covid hotspot, Bedford, with rates doubling in a week to 282 per 100,000 people over the past seven days. In addition to stepping up vaccinations, surge testing is being carried out to monitor what officials describe as the exponential spread of the Indian variant. Advertisement

Mr Hancock said there were now 2,323 confirmed cases of the Indian variant in the UK  with the total having doubled in a week.

Some 483 were in Bolton, Blackburn and nearby Darwen, but 86 local authorities have now reported five or more cases.

Bolton has seen 19 people hospitalised with B1617.2, while Blackburn has eight patients with the strain.

NHS data suggests the variant has not had a damaging effect on older residents, who are more likely to be vaccinated.

Professor Adam Finn of the JCVI said he understood calls to inoculate younger age groups, but stressed there were still uncertainties over how well the vaccines interrupt transmission.

Furthermore, given the lag between receiving a first dose and when its protection kicks in, he warned that changes made now would make little difference in the next fortnight.

'We do need to think strategically about what we do... over the next two weeks right around the country, in order to minimise the chances of this new variant causing a very major third wave,' he told Sky News.

Government adviser Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, or Nervtag, said we should vaccinate people as 'fast as possible', including under-18s.

He told the BBC that if supply was limited, it should not be taken away from more vulnerable people, but added: 'In Bolton, it looks like the cases are growing, particularly in those under the age of 45  in other words, those who have not been vaccinated.

'It does look like we need to roll out the vaccines as fast as possible, and to extend down into the younger age groups who are being infected by this new variant, even those under the age of 18 and in the age range of people still at school.'

No 10 said the vaccine supply 'remains limited, as it has throughout this process', but added: 'There are no specific supply issues.'

Of the 56,992,075 jabs given in the UK as of Sunday, 36,704,672 were first doses  a rise of 131,318 on the previous day.

There were 20,287,403 second doses, up by 183,745.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab could be between 10 and 15 per cent less effective against the new strain, it was reported last night.

ITV's political editor Robert Peston claimed preliminary data from Oxford researchers showed the jab did not combat the Indian variant as well as Pfizer's or Moderna's.
A former Space Force commander who was relieved from his post over comments he made about Marxism and Critical Race Theory insists that the teachings are anti-American and says he has received thousands of letters of support from other members of the military.

'I'm being misportrayed online,' Lt Col. Matthew Lohmier told Fox News on Monday. 'I don't criticize any leader or any person in the [Department of Defense] or any elected officials  but I try to tee up ideas that I think are toxic.'

Lohmeier had been the commander of the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, when he spoke about the rise of Marxism and Critical Race Theory in the armed forces on an episode of the 'Information Operation' podcast.

He said the comments were not meant to be partisan, but were instead meant to call out extremism in the armed forces.

Lt Col. Matthew Lohmier told Fox News on Monday that he was being 'misportrayed' online and did not intend to be partisan when he made comments about Marxism on a podcast

'I don't believe I was being partisan,' he said. 'It is not politically partisan to expose or attack Critical Race Theory or Marxism.

'The reason I say this is because Critical Race Theory and Marxism are antithetical to American values,' he continued, adding that the Critical Race Theory 'fuels narratives that attack America's founding documents.'

He later told Sean Hannity that he received 'thousands' of letters from his military members who said they felt they've 'lost their voice' as these ideas spread throughout the military.

Lohmeier said on the podcast: 'The diversity, inclusion and equity industry and the trainings we are receiving in the military...is rooted in critical race theory, which is rooted in Marxism.

'Since taking command as a commander about 10 months ago, I saw what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be.

'That wasn't just prolific in social media, or throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the United States military. And I had recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature.'

He described the the New York Times 1619 Project as 'anti-American', adding: 'It teaches intensive teaching that I heard at my base - that at the time the country ratified the United States Constitution, it codified white supremacy as the law of the land.

'If you want to disagree with that, then you start (being) labeled all manner of things including racist.'

Dan Crenshaw (right) is leading the Republican's defense of 'hero' Space Force commander Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier who was fired for calling CRT Marxist, amid concerns the Pentagon is trying to purge Conservatives

Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier appeared on a podcast to promote his new self published book, pictured, when he made the comments which led to a 'loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead', according to a statement from the Space Force

The comments led to a 'loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead', according to a statement from the Space Force, and he was relieved of his position last Friday.

A Space Force spokesperson told The Military Times: 'This decision was based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast.

'Lt. Gen. Whiting has initiated a Command Directed Investigation on whether these comments constituted prohibited partisan political activity.'

The military is now investigating whether the comments were partisan.

Republican lawmakers have since slammed the dismissal of Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier who was fired as a Space Force commander for saying critical race theory is 'rooted in Marxism'.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, pictured, Space Operations Command commander, relieved Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier of command of the 11th Space Warning Squadron, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, May 14, due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead', the Space Force said

Lohmeier was dismissed from his role as a commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base Colorado last Friday over critical comments he made 'fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives' within the military ranks.

Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas, a former Navy Seal who lost an eye in combat in Afghanistan, condemned Lohmeier's removal.

'We need to be preparing our warriors to fight and win battles, not how to be (social justice warriors),' he wrote.

'Far left critical race theory is taught while speaking out against MARXISM is punished??'

A fellow Texan, Senator Ted Cruz, called the move 'troubling'.

Rep. Andy Biggs, of Arizona, said Lohmeier was a 'hero,' adding the US military 'should be preparing to win battles - not being brainwashed with Marxist ideals'.

And Dan Bishop, of North Carolina, wrote on Twitter: 'Lt. Col. Lohmeier is correct. CRT is a neo-Marxist ideology. He was punished for telling the truth. We need to fight this with everything we have.'

Lohmeier made the comments on a podcast to promote his new self-published book Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military.

'We need to be preparing our warriors to fight and win battles, not how to be SJWs,' wrote Dan Crenshaw. 'Far left critical race theory is taught while speaking out against MARXISM is punished??'

Senator Ted Cruz, called the move to remove Lohmeier from his commander role 'troubling'

Dan Bishop wrote: 'Lt. Col. Lohmeier is correct. CRT is a neo-Marxist ideology. He was punished for telling the truth. We need to fight this with everything we have'

Several more Republican Members of Congress said they were determined to keep Lohmeier's case in the public spotlight.

Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, said: 'The Pentagon promotes partisan books on its reading list, then fires people for criticizing the same far-left ideology.

'There's a different set of rules for those on the right.'

Rep. Byron Donalds, of Florida, said Lohmeier was a 'hero' for standing up to the 'leftist mob' which was trying to cancel him.

'Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier is a hero, not only for putting on the uniform every day to defend our nation but also to defend the freedoms of the leftist mob attempting to cancel him,' Donalds wrote on Twitter.

'[Critical race theory] should have no place in our classrooms, Armed Forces, or country as a whole.'

Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado said the teaching critical race theory was racist and divisive.

'Critical race theory is counterproductive to the very cause it champions.

'It emphasizes stereotypes and perpetuates prejudices by focusing on our differences instead of what unities us.

'It is racist, divisive, anti-American, and has no place in our schools or military.'

While Rep Mike Waltz posted on Twitter: 'You cannot allow seminars at West Point that share anti-policing messaging while also relieving a soldier who shared anti-Marxism messages.'

Rep. Byron Donalds, of Florida, said Lohmeier was a 'hero' for standing up to the 'leftist mob' which was trying to cancel him.

'The Pentagon promotes partisan books on its reading list, then fires people for criticizing the same far-left ideology,' wrote Jim Banks of Indiana

CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The fight over critical race theory in schools has escalated in the United States over the last year. The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project. The 1619 Project, which was published by the New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, reframes American history by 'placing the consequnces of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative'. The debate surrounding critical race theory regards concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist. Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color. Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law. Advertisement

Lohmeier, a former fighter pilot received a Thanksgiving call from President Donald Trump in November of last year after joining the Space Force the previous month.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of Space Operations Command, is understood have removed him from his role Friday.

Lohmeier told The Washington Examiner: 'What you see happening in the U.S. military at the moment is that if you're a conservative, then you're lumped into a group of people who are labeled extremists, if you're willing to voice your views.

'And if you're aligned with the Left, then it's OK to be an activist online because no one's gonna hold you accountable.'

He said active service members have written to thank him for his comments 'because we don't have a voice anymore'.

A Space Force spokesman told The Washington Examiner: 'Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, Space Operations Command commander, relieved Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier of command of the 11th Space Warning Squadron, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, May 14, due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead.'

Members of the military are allowed to express their personal opinions when not in uniform but are prohibited from 'partisan political activity'.

Critical race theory claims to highlight how historical inequities and racism continue to shape public policy and social conditions today.

Those who are against it say people are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist and that it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color.

The issue has become one of the frontline skirmishes in the country's culture wars in the wake of last year's Black Lives Matter protests.

Lohmeier had said of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's diversity and inclusion program: 'I don't demonize the man, but I want to make it clear to both him and every service member this agenda  it will divide us. It will not unify us.'

Austin in February ordered military leaders to spend time talking to their troops about extremism in the ranks.

Chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said then that while extremism has been a problem in the military in the past, the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which left five people dead, was a 'wake-up call' for military leaders. He said that Austin wants to get a better handle on the breadth of the problem.

Lohmeier's book Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military looks at the 'impact of a neo-Marxist agenda' on American security.

He has said he discussed the book with his superiors prior to writing it.

In an email to The Military Times Lohmeier said: 'My intent never has been to engage in partisan politics.

'I have written a book about a particular political ideology (Marxism) in the hope that our Defense Department might return to being politically non-partisan in the future as it has honorably done throughout history.'
A disturbing photo has emerged of a man in South Australia Police uniform appearing to snort a white substance.

The image shared to Facebook on Monday morning shows a man dressed in current police uniform leaning over a black plate with lines of white substance on it sitting on a bench.

The man's face can't be identified in the photo.

Bottles of alcohol can be seen in the background.

The shocking photo shows a man wearing a current SA police uniform (pictured) leaning over a kitchen bench appearing to snort a white substance on a plate

It's currently not known whether the man pictured is a serving police officer.

Police have launched an investigation into where the photo came from and whether a serving officer is involved after being made aware of its online circulation by Seven News on Monday.

Police are also investigating whether the uniform was possibly stolen, which had its official identification number removed.

'Police have not previously been made aware of the image,' a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

'An investigation will be undertaken which will attempt to ascertain the authenticity of the image, any involvement by a SAPOL employee, or whether an item of police uniform has been unlawfully obtained.'

The offence of stealing a police uniform carries a maximum penalty of six months jail.
New figures show almost a quarter of all available doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are not being used.

The federal health department on Monday released data comparing the availability of vaccine doses and the number of jabs delivered.

Nationally, dose utilisation as of week 12 of the vaccine rollout was 77 per cent.

The Northern Territory had the worst lag of all the jurisdictions, with 47,652 doses available and 22,953 administered, giving it a utilisation rate of just 58 per cent.

New figures show almost a quarter of all available doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are not being used (stock picture)

Queensland was the worst performing state, with 317,810 doses available and 170,330 delivered - or a usage rate of 64 per cent.

Across the other states and territories rates were: Tasmania (90 per cent), NSW (78 per cent), Victoria (77 per cent), WA (80 per cent), SA (79 per cent), ACT (82 per cent).

The health department found all doses available for the aged and disability care program were being used, while the commonwealth primary care program was at 75 per cent utilisation.

So far, 3.1 million doses have been administered nationally.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said some adjustments may be needed in the states and territories.

'We are encouraging all the states and territories - who we believe are doing an excellent job - to continue to use their vaccines,' he told reporters in Melbourne.

'And where they feel that they have more capacity to open up channels, or where they feel they are using their capacity, to adjust their ordering.'

Commodore Eric Young from the Vaccine Operations Centre said utilisation rates had dropped when the vaccine program was 'recalibrated'.

But the rates were now improving, he said.
A fiery debate has erupted on the Today show about whether children should be able to take religious weapons to school after a teenager was allegedly stabbed with a Sikh kirpan in Sydney.

The 14-year-old boy who allegedly used the knife was legally allowed to carry it on school grounds because it was classified a 'religious weapon' by the education department.

The NSW Department of Education reacted on Tuesday morning by placing a ban on such weapons.

Under religious tradition, the curved knife must be carried by Sikhs at all times to remind them of their duty to 'uphold and defend the truth courageously'.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell on Tuesday morning announced religious weapons would be banned at public schools across the state from Wednesday in response to the stabbing at Glenwood High in Sydney's north-west two weeks ago.

Students in New South Wales were legally allowed to carry a Kirpan if they are a baptised Sikh at the time of the alleged attack (stock)

Karl Stefanovic on Tuesday admitted it was a 'difficult one' to debate as it was 'school safety versus religious freedom'

Before the ban was announced, Today host Karl Stefanovic admitted it was a 'difficult one' to debate as it was 'school safety versus religious freedom'.

Broadcaster Chris Smith said: 'I don't think it's hard, it's not 1621, it's 2021, it is Australia, it is modern day. You don't put knives in the hands of immature human beings.'

'What sort of backward religious belief is this in the modern day? It's dangerous.'

Former opposition leader Bill Shorten, who was also appearing on the show on Tuesday morning, then interjected urging for caution.

'I'd be careful about saying the Sikh's have got a backward religious belief,' he said.

'It's not an easy issue but we've got to be careful because it's a different religion to what we are used to.'

Ms Mitchell told 2GB's Ben Fordham the ban would be introduced on Wednesday.

Broadcaster Chris Smith said: 'I don't think it's hard, it's not 1621, it's 2021, it is Australia, it is modern day. You don't put knives in the hands of immature human beings'

The Kirpan, which is shaped like a miniature sword, is a religious artefact which 'must always be carried... to remind him or her of their duty to uphold and defend the truth courageously'

'I feel much more confident knowing that we put that than in place as a policy  while we work through the legal issues that exist with the act.'

The ban will apply to all students, staff and visitors to NSW public schools.

'In the interim I've also asked the department to send advice out to our schools today updating our policy to say that knives for religious purposes will be banned in government schools,' Ms Mitchell said.

Ms Mitchell had spoken to representatives from the Sikh community about the stabbing and they were distressed, she said.

'We need to act and that's in line with community sentiment and it's also in line with my responsibilities as minister,' she added.

'I have to make sure that our schools are safe places for our students and staff and that's why we need to take this action.'

In the incident at Glenwood High School t on May 6, a 14-year-old boy allegedly stabbed another male student, 16, twice in the stomach with the kirpan.

The 16-year-old boy was rushed to hospital while the other student, 14, was charged with two counts of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He is on bail and is due back in court in July. Meanwhile, his alleged victim was only released to hospital on Monday, 11 days after the attack.

Former opposition leader Bill Shorten, who was also appearing on the show, urged for caution

At the time of the alleged attack the kirpan was exempt from the NSW Education Department's ban on knifes as school.

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The policy states that students caught with other types of knifes face suspensions of up to 20 days and even being expelled.

The kirpan, which looks like miniature sword and is generally kept in a holster, is considered one of the 'five k's' of Sikhism.

The others are maintaining Kesh through uncut hair, wearing a Kara (steel bracelet), carrying a Kanga (a wooden comb) and wearing Kacchaera (cotton underwear).

A paper submitted by the Australian Sikh Association seeking an amendment to the Anti Discrimination (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 claimed Sikhs were often discriminated against for carrying a kirpan.

The Australian Sikh Association also claimed three 21-year-old Sikhs were discriminated against while attending an interfaith public event at NSW Parliament House in 2016.

A boy allegedly stabbed at Glenwood High School on May 6 is yet to return to school. Pictured are police at the scene

It looks like a miniature steel or iron sword and is generally kept in a holster on a person's body, giving them easy access to the weapon should they need it

They said the trio were refused entry due to carrying their Kirpans, as staff explained there was protocol in place which required any practicing Sikh to obtain prior approval to visit with the weapon.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was shocked to learn students could take knives to school and said it didn't pass the 'common sense test'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Education for comment.

The principal of Glenwood High School (pictured) told parents that a student being in possession of a knife for genuine religious reasons is specified as a reasonable excuse

Glenwood High School principal Sonja Anderson addressed the alleged incident in a letter sent home to parents last Friday, which was obtained by 2GB.

Ms Anderson acknowledged the use of knives 'used as a weapon in a dangerous, violent or threatening way is never acceptable'.

But she added possession of a knife for genuine religious reasons is specified as a reasonable excuse under the The NSW Summary Offences Act.

'We are currently working with community representatives to discuss how best to enable students to meet aspects of their religious faith and, at the same time, ensure our schools remain a safe place for students and staff,' the letter states.

'Once we have discussed this issue further with the community representatives we will provide further guidance to NSW public schools.'

The injured student is said to be progressing well and will be offered additional support before reintegrating into school.

The NSW Department of Education's previous position on religious knives had sparked outrage among 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham and his listeners.

'I'm sorry but knives don't belong in schools,' he told listeners on Monday.

A boy, 14, was arrested at the school and has since been charged with two counts of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm

'I don't care what your religion is. And the NSW Police and Department of Education should make this crystal clear.'

The maximum penalty for carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse is a $5,500 fine or two years imprisonment.

A parent who knowingly authorises their child to carry a knife without a reasonable excuse also faces a $550 fine.

Possessing a knife for self defence purposes is not considered a 'reasonable excuse'.

Similar legislation offer Sikh students exemptions to carry kirpans on school grounds in Western Australia (Weapons Act 1999) and in Victoria (Control of Weapons Act 1990).

Queensland's Weapons Act 1990 states the kirpan cannot be worn on school grounds for any reason, although they are allowed in public places.

Under laws in Tasmania and South Australia, Sikhs are permitted to have kirpans in public. However, it is unclear whether the rules apply to school grounds.

The principal addressed the alleged incident in a letter (pictured) sent to parents on Friday
BBC bosses plotted to 'pick off' Panorama staff who exposed Martin Bashir's rogue tactics, according to an explosive document on the Princess Diana scandal.

The memo suggests executives discussed 'troublemakers' and how to get rid of them 'one by one'.

Panorama reporters had come forward to blow the whistle on Bashir's use of forged bank statements to secure his historic 1995 television interview with Diana.

But instead of being thanked, the staffers were reportedly told by the programme's editor it was not any of their 'f****** business'.

Then what critics believe was a cover-up was launched, starting with an alleged cull to get rid of the whistleblowers.

In April 1996, Matt Wiessler, the graphics designer who mocked up the bank statements on Bashir's orders, was made a scapegoat and sacked.

A new document suggests BBC executives plotted to 'pick off' whistleblowers who shared any concerns about tactics used by Martin Bashir to secure 1995 interview with Diana (pictured)

According to a source familiar with the new document, which is from minutes of a news and current affairs board meeting that month, bosses discussed embarking on a 'disciplinary' route to tackle the whistleblowers.

But it noted that they would need 'proof' and suggested an alternative that would instead 'pick off' these people 'one by one'.

Well-placed sources who were at the BBC at the time say a number of those who raised concerns with bosses about Bashir's behaviour were forced off the show in the following months.

Lord Dyson, the former judge commissioned to investigate the scandal, is believed to have had access to the document. It is not known whether he will refer to it in his bombshell report, due to be published tomorrow or possibly Thursday.

But it chimes with a previously released dossier showing that corporation chiefs had vowed to 'deal with leakers and remove persistent troublemakers'.

Meanwhile, the row over a new Panorama investigation into the Diana interview scandal due to have been broadcast last night  but shelved on the orders of director-general Tim Davie  intensified yesterday.

An investigation is now taking place into Martin Bashir's BBC interview with Diana in 1995

The BBC won praise for commissioning Panorama to, in effect, investigate itself.

Veteran investigative reporter John Ware spent five months preparing a half-hour programme to be broadcast ahead of the Dyson report.

But then Mr Davie pulled the show last Friday, the same day it announced that Bashir, 58, was quitting the BBC as religion editor.

Some corporation sources said the decision was 'ludicrous', and Diana's brother Earl Spencer, a key interviewee on the programme, voiced his anger on Twitter.

Last night there were signs the BBC was on the verge of a humiliating U-turn. It is understood the corporation intends to broadcast the Panorama show after all, on the same day as the Dyson report, albeit in the evening.

The U-turn would make a mockery of the decision to postpone it from last night, if the delay turns out to be only 48 or 72 hours.

In recent months Martin Bashir has battled Covid and undergone a quadruple heart bypass. The 58-year-old stood down last week as the BBC's religion editor, it was announced

A BBC spokesman has explained the postponement by saying it was because of a 'significant duty of care issue'  believed to refer to Bashir, who has been on sick leave following heart surgery.

It is understood the journalist was back in hospital last week. A friend of Bashir said yesterday that he was 'very low' and was 'very worried about Dyson'.

The peer was asked to uncover the truth about Bashir's tactics in winning the 1995 Diana scoop.

Bashir is accused of peddling lies and smears to persuade a vulnerable Diana to give her world-famous interview that November.

In the subsequent broadcast she rocked the Royal Family by saying 'there were three of us in this marriage'.

She divorced Prince Charles the following summer and died in Paris a year later.

Lord Dyson has interviewed all the key players, including Lord Hall, who was head of news at the time and went on to become director-general until he stood down in August last year.

He was also given access to BBC archives. It is unclear whether the document revealed today by the Mail will appear in his final report.

But one source said it was 'astonishing' that the BBC had written down in an official document the way in which it was going to target members of its own staff.

A spokesman for the BBC said last night: 'The BBC is determined to get to the truth about the circumstances surrounding the Panorama interview in 1995 and has commissioned Lord Dyson to carry out a fully independent investigation.'
According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the worldwide battery management system (BMS) market is anticipated to reach USD 14,422 million by 2026. In 2017, the lead-acid batteries dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.

The rising demand of BMS from the automotive sector primarily drives the growth of this market. These systems are increasingly being adopted across various industries such as aerospace and defense, healthcare, and electronics among others. The increasing adoption of BMS in data centers, and renewable energy systems further supports the growth of this market.

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The demand for electric vehicles has increased significantly over the years owing to increasing prices of gasoline prices across the globe, which leads to increased adoption of battery management systems. The exponential growth in the prices of gasoline and diesel owing to the depleting fossil fuel reserves has encouraged consumers to switch to battery based electric vehicles. Limited availability of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure for electric vehicles had restricted the adoption of these vehicles to a certain extent in the past. However, with significant government initiatives and substantial investments, the development of public charging infrastructure has accelerated significantly. Technological advancements in components such as lithium-ion batteries, which are majorly used in electric vehicles, along with decreasing prices of the same is expected to further increase the demand of battery based electric vehicles in the market.

North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The increasing demand for alternative fuel vehicles, especially the electric-vehicles is expected to drive the growth of battery management systems in this region. The growing use of BMS in renewable energy storage systems also accelerates the adoption. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing demand for BMS from countries such as China, Japan, and India. The presence of large number of automotive manufacturers and portable device suppliers also augments the growth of this market in the region.

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The different types of topologies included in the report include centralized, distributed, and modular. In 2017, centralized topology accounted for the highest market share. However, during the forecast period distributed and modular topologies are expected to represent strong growth.

Modular topology offer high computational power, and enhanced safety. Modular topology is also increasingly being used for various applications such as drones, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems among others.

The various end-users of battery management systems include medical, automotive, telecommunication, consumer electronics, military, and others. In 2017, consumer electronics accounted for the largest share in the global market, and are estimated to grow at a substantial rate during the forecast period. The automotive segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing applications, stringent government regulations regarding vehicular emissions, increasing acceptance of electric vehicles.

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The well-known companies profiled in the report include Texas Instruments Inc., Johnson Matthey PLC., Linear Technology Corporation, vecture Inc., Elithion Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Intersil Corporation, Nuvation Engineering, Ventec SAS, Generex Systems, and Lithium Balance A/S among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.
President Biden and his wife saw their earnings plunge last year as he gave up lucrative speaking gigs and university teaching to campaign full time, reducing their income to $607,336, according to his 2020 tax return.

In previous years, he and first lady Jill Biden have declared earnings of more than $11 million including as much as $190,000 to deliver a speech.

Even so, it still means the Bidens would pay more tax under plans he is pushing for the country's wealthiest people.

The Bidens' tax return shows that $260,000 of their income came from pensions and investments, as well as $45,836 in social security benefits.

Most of the remainder came from Jill Biden's work teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.

The Bidens income has plunged from a high of $11 million in 2017 to a little over $600,000 last year as Biden gave up lucrative speaking appearances to campaign full time

The Biden's paid federal income tax of $157,414 giving a rate of 25.9%. Latest IRS data suggest the average rate is just over 14%

BIDEN'S 2020 INCOME $252,035 of the Bidens' taxable income came from pensions and investments $45,836 came from social security benefits $212,681 comes from Jill Biden's work teaching at Northern Virginia Community College $5,930 comes from taxable interest $90,854 comes from real estate or business income Advertisement

As a result they paid $157,414 in federal income tax - at a rate of about 25.9%.

The White House published the document on Monday afternoon with a not so subtle dig at Biden's predecessor Donald Trump who refused to release his tax returns.

'Today, the president released his 2020 federal income tax return, continuing an almost uninterrupted tradition,' said the White House.

'With this release, the President has shared a total of 23 years of tax returns with the American public.'

Biden campaigned on a promise of transparency to draw a comparison with Trump during the campaign.

Trump repeatedly claimed that he could not release his tax data while it was subject to an audit.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff also released their tax returns on Monday.

They showed the couple had an income of more than $1.8 million, mostly from Emhoff's position as a partner at the law firm DLA Piper.

They paid a little over $620,000 in federal income tax - a rate of 36.7%.

Like the Bidens, their income declined substantially from the previous year when they had a taxable income of more than $3 million.

The Bidens' tax return shows that $260,000 of their income came from pensions and investments, as well as $45,836 in social security benefits, with most of the remainder coming from Jill Biden's job as an educator

Biden and Harris delivered an update on their COVID-19 response on Monday, appearing together indoors for the first time without masks

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff declared an income of more than $1.8 million, down from more than $3 million in 2019

Harris and Emhoff paid a little over $620,000 in income tax in 2020

Previous records show how Biden's income rocketed after leaving the White House in 2016 and he was able to cash in on his time as President Obama's right hand man.

In 2017, the Bidens declared $11.1 million in earnings. That was almost double what they had made in the previous 18 years combined as the couple struck lucrative book deals and hit the speaking circuit.

A book deal for the couple's memoir was reportedly worth $8 million and Biden also landed a teaching gig at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2018, they had a combined income of $4.6 million, according to their returns released by the Biden campaign.

That figured dropped as soon as Biden launched his run for the presidency. In 2019, he took an unpaid leave of absence from the university and he and his wife declared an income of about $985,000.

This year's income is still more than the $400,000 threshold Biden has set for income tax increases.
A mystery Sydneysider who won $2.5million in Saturday night's Lotto draw has yet to come forward and claim their prize.

The New South Wales player held one of the four division one winning entries across Australia in Saturday Lotto draw 4155.

The ticket is unregistered so officials from The Lott have no way of contacting the winner to break the news. Instead, they must wait for the ticketholder to come forward and claim their prize.

The winning numbers in draw 4155 were 19, 16, 5, 41, 15 and 20, while the supplementary numbers were 4 and 21.

The life changing entry was purchased at Broadarrow Newsagency and Tobacconist in Narwee, in Sydney's south.

The winning numbers in draw 4155 were 19, 16, 5, 41, 15 and 20, while the supplementary numbers were 4 and 21 (stock image)

The ticket is unregistered so officials from The Lott have no way of contacting the winner to break the news. Instead, they must wait for the ticketholder to come forward and claim their prize

Broadarrow Newsagency and Tobacconist owner Mandy Tiaw explained she was in celebration mode.

'I was so shocked when I heard the news that we'd sold another division one winning entry,' she said.

'I just can't believe it. We've put up posters and we've got balloons everywhere. We've also been sharing the news with our customers and we are hoping our unregistered winner checks their ticket soon.

'Our customers are so happy for us and excited to know they could potentially hold the winning ticket.

'We last sold a $50 million Powerball division one winning entry in 2018. So, in three years, we have sold two division one winning entries.'

The Lott spokesperson Ally Ramsamy said she was eager to unite the region's newest multi-millionaire with their prize.

'It's likely this winner has been going about their day as normal with no idea they've just won $2.5 million!' she said.

A mystery Sydney resident who won $2.5million in Saturday night's Lotto draw has yet to come forward and claim their prize

'We're urging all players who purchased a Saturday Lotto ticket from Broadarrow Newsagency and Tobacconist to check their tickets today.

'Imagine how exciting it would be to realise you've just become a multi-millionaire! Your plans for the rest of the year could certainly change with those extra digits in your bank account!

'Make sure you check your ticket, which could be in your wallet, handbag, fridge door or car glovebox, because you could be the winner we are searching for.

'If you discover you are holding the winning ticket, contact The Lott on 131 868 to begin the process of claiming your prize.'
Pools around the country are struggling to recruit qualified swimming teachers and lifeguards to keep people safe in the water.

Royal Life Saving Australia is warning that an 'acute' shortage of staff is hampering the aquatic industry's attempts to rebuild post-pandemic.

'This is a significant issue for an industry which really struggled to survive the pandemic lockdowns,' Royal Life Saving Australia chief executive Justin Scarr said in a statement on Tuesday.

He's urging people who are out of work or looking for a career change to consider hopping in the water.

Around 500 jobs for lifeguards and swimming teachers across Australia are available (pictured, a lifeguard at Sydney's Coogee Beach)

'The aquatic industry is great for people who need some flexibility - parents returning to the workforce, or people looking for hours that fit around their caring responsibilities,' he said.

The society reviewed job advertisements on Seek this week, finding 198 ads for paid lifeguards and 153 for swim teachers.

Some of the ads are recruiting multiple people, with more than 500 positions available in total.

Mr Scarr said there were good career paths available in the aquatic industry, including entry-level, technical and management roles.
A 43-year-old man will spend nearly a decade in jail for his role in a failed plan to import more than 500 kilograms of cocaine into Australia via the Solomon Islands.

Two Sydney men were arrested in September 2018 following a joint investigation involving the Australian Federal Police, Solomon Islands Police, US Drug Enforcement and the Australian Border Force.

Their arrests came as police searched the Belgian-registered, double-masted yacht Vieux Malin, which was moored outside the Honiara marina in the Solomon Islands.

The AFP says police found 501kg of cocaine concealed on the vessel, with an estimated street value of between $125million and $250million.

A 43-year-old man will spend nearly a decade in jail for his role in a failed plan to import more than 500 kilograms of cocaine into Australia via the Solomon Islands

The cocaine had been loaded onto the vessel in South America and was destined for Australia

Police found 501kg of cocaine on the yacht which had a street value of up to $250million

The cocaine had been loaded onto the vessel in South America and was destined for Australia.

As the yacht was being searched, police in Australia arrested two men during raids on homes in the Sydney suburbs of Wahroonga, Bonnyrigg Heights, Dolls Point and Caringbah.

In December 2019, a 41-year-old Bonnyrigg Heights man charged with knowingly dealing in money or other property which is an instrument of crime was sentenced in Downing Centre District Court to two years' imprisonment to be served by the way of an Intensive Correction Order and 500 hours of community service.

Two men were arrested in September 2018 following a joint investigation involving Australian Federal Police, Solomon Islands Police, US Drug Enforcement and Australian Border Force

The AFP says police found 501kg of cocaine concealed on the vessel, with an estimated street value of between $125million and $250million

On May 2 this year a 43-year-old Wahroonga man, who was a key player in the scheme, was sentenced in Downing Centre Court.

He was sentenced to 14 years and five months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of nine years for his involvement in the conspiracy to import the cocaine into Australia.

He was also sentenced to five years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of three years for his involvement in knowingly dealing in money or other property which is an instrument of crime, valued at greater than $50,000.

The man will be eligible for parole in November 2027.
Duke Francis I of Brittany had an illustration of his first wife painted over in a 15th century manuscript with a picture of his new bride, a new study shows.

The duke made the alteration in Hours of Isabella Stuart, a book of hours, a Christian devotional book popular in the Middle Ages that was completed by 1431.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge used non-invasive analytical techniques to identify pigments and reveal sketches beneath the paintings.

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The Hours of Isabella Stuart, currently held at the University of Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum

THE HOURS OF ISABELLA STUART The 15th century manuscript is a book of hours, an illustrated prayer book commissioned by the wealthy, and is called The Hours Of Isabella Stuart. The manuscript, written in Latin, was commissioned in 1431 by the mother of the first wife of Duke Francis I of Brittany. It was a wedding gift to the duke's first wife the Duchess of Anjou, Yolande of Aragon, that year. She died in 1440. The Hours Of Isabella Stuart is an 'absolute masterpiece of illumination', said Dr Suzanne Reynolds at Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge She said it was one of the most extensively decorated books of hours in existence. The manuscript was given to the museum by its founder Richard Fitzwilliam upon his death in 1816. It will go on show in the Fitzwilliam Museum's new exhibition The Human Touch which opens on Tuesday May 18. The book is made of vellum (dried goat or calf skin), gold, ink and egg tempera. Advertisement

Staff at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum, where the book is currently housed, 'noticed there was something slightly odd' about it.

Co-curator Dr Suzanne Reynolds said a 'darker area' was noticed on a page 'so it was decided to use infrared and see what was going on there'.

'That's when the under-drawing was revealed,' said Dr Reynolds.

The Hours of Isabella Stuart is one of the most extensively illustrated Books of Hours in existence, and contains a unique, personalised combination of images and texts.

It was commissioned in 1431 by the powerful patron of the arts, the Duchess of Anjou, Yolande of Aragon (1381- 1442).

She gave the volume to her daughter, Yolande of Anjou (1412-1440), on the occasion of her marriage to the future Duke Francis I of Brittany in 1431 (1414-1450).

After Yolande died in 1440, the duke remarried Isabella Stuart (1427-1494) on October 29, 1442 and had the manuscript altered.

Yolande, kneeling before the Virgin, was painted over and replaced with his new wife, Isabella. Isabella's coat of arms was also painted into each corner of the decorated borders.

Scientists also discovered that Breton artists working in Nantes had adapted and added illuminations for Isabella, and later, her daughter Margaret (1443-1469).

Variations in the underdrawings helped to distinguish between the original artists who were based in Angers, but the use of different pigments has confirmed the modifications and additions made in Nantes.

'It's a very exciting discovery,' Dr Reynolds said.

The page subject to the researchers' analysis. Note the coat of arms added to all four points of the page. This is Isabellas coat of arms

Close-up of Isabellas coat of arms that was painted into each corner of the decorated borders

'These books in a way are sort of archaeological sites and when you start to uncover what lies under these images it actually unlocks the human story of how these books were commissioned and then passed from one person to another as the story of these different marriages and different dynastic alliances evolved.'

It was discovered that the overpainting was done in two stages.

During the first stage, Isabella's face and heraldic dress were painted over those of Yolande, and the figure of St Catherine was added behind her in blue robes.

A whole page from the manuscript, showing the Virgin and Child, St Catherine (far left) and Isabella Stuart (in red coat), the new bride

The red of Isabella's ermine-lined coat is vermilion, the same pigment used for her coat of arms in the border.

Meanwhile, the original red elsewhere on the page  in the main image, the marginal miniature and the floral border  is red lead.

St Catherine's garments were painted in insect-based organic pink and ultramarine blue, except the darker, oval area behind Isabella's head which was painted in azurite instead. It conceals the head dress of Yolande, which Isabella retained at first.

During the second stage of overpainting, the head dress was covered with azurite and Isabella's ducal coronet was painted over it.

Close-up of Isabella's ducal. Fitzwilliam Museum staff 'noticed there was something slightly odd' about the book so it was examined in the lab. Researchers noticed a darker area on the page, suggesting some sort of alteration

Showing the original underdrawing, with Virgins robe reaching as far as the margin, the kneeling figure of first wife Yolande with large headdress

Close-up of St Catherine's robe painted in insect-based organic pink. St Catherine was added during the alterations

The Hours of Isabella Stuart was given to Fitzwilliam Museum by its founder Richard Fitzwilliam upon his death in 1816.

It forms part of the founding collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum bequeathed by Fitzwilliam and as such can never leave the museum.

The 15th century medieval manuscript is part of a new exhibition opening to the public on Tuesday, May 18 that lasts until August 1 this year.
Elephants, polar bears, gorillas, tigers, and lion have been named as the 'big five' most popular members of the animal kingdom to photograph after a public vote.

This is a new take on the traditional 'Big Five' which was a list of the five toughest animals in Africa for colonial hunters to track, shoot and kill.

The new list is made up of animals to see in the wild and shoot with a camera.

More than 50,000 votes were cast by wildlife lovers around the world in an initiative launched by photographer and journalist Graeme Green.

More than 250 photographers, conservationists and charities worked together to support the New Big Five initiative, aimed at raising awareness of the crisis facing the animal kingdom from habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade and climate change.

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Elephants, polar bears, lions, gorillas, and tigers have been named as the 'big five' most popular members of the animal kingdom to photograph after a public vote

This is a new take on the traditional 'Big Five' which was a list of the five toughest animals in Africa for colonial hunters to track, shoot and kill

The new list is made up of animals to see in the wild and shoot with a camera, including: elephants, polar bears, gorillas, tigers and lions

THE NEW BIG FIVE ANIMALS TO PHOTOGRAPH Lions

Tigers

Polar Bears

Gorillas

Elephants Advertisement

Green said the aim was to celebrate nature and create a 'bucket list' for wildlife lovers and photography enthusiasts to see in their lifetimes.

He added that the new Big Five are 'not just some of the most beautiful, incredible animals on the planet' but also all 'face serious threats to their existence'.

The original Big Five, the killing of which was celebrated by colonial hunters, were lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo.

Green said: 'The new Big Five are the tip of the iceberg. They stand for all the creatures on the planet, so many of which are in danger.

'From bees to blue whales, all wildlife is essential to the balance of nature, to healthy ecosystems and to the future of our planet.'

Famed English primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, said a million species were at risk of extinction.

More than 50,000 votes were cast by wildlife lovers around the world in an initiative launched by photographer and journalist Graeme Green

More than 250 photographers, conservationists and charities worked together to support the New Big Five initiative, aimed at raising awareness of the crisis facing the animal kingdom from habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade and climate change

Goodall said that 'there is always hope,' and that change is possible 'if we each play our part' and work together to stop it happening.

She said the new Big Five animals are 'such beautiful and remarkable species, and are wonderful ambassadors for the worlds wildlife.'

Since launching in April 2020, wildlife lovers and photographers around the world have voted on the New Big 5 website for the five animals they want to be included.

Each of the 5 species in the New Big 5 face severe threats to their existence and are listed by the IUCN either as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable.

Green said the aim was to celebrate nature and create a 'bucket list' for wildlife lovers and photography enthusiasts to see in their lifetimes

The original Big Five, the killing of which was celebrated by colonial hunters, were lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo

Photographer Marsel van Oosten, involved in the project, said we are experiencing the worst spate of species die-off since the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

'But unlike those past mass extinctions, the current crisis is almost entirely caused by us: humans,' van Oosten added.

He said the new big five are some of the most iconic animals on the planet and a 'stark reminder of what's at stake if we don't change our ways.'

Photographer Marsel van Oosten, involved in the project, said we are experiencing the worst spate of species die-off since the dinosaurs 65 million years ago

Since launching in April 2020, wildlife lovers and photographers around the world have voted on the New Big 5 website for the five animals they want to be included

Each of the 5 species in the New Big 5 face severe threats to their existence and are listed by the IUCN either as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable

'Thats how I will look at each of them, as beautiful representatives of the many thousands of other, often lesser-known species who desperately need our help.'

All five animals are keystone species, essential to the balance of nature in their habitats, biodiverse ecosystems and the survival of other species. Each species is vital to the health of the planet and to our future.

The New Big 5 project team say the goal is to 'encourage travellers to visit the places where these five animals live, support conservation efforts, and learn about all the wildlife there and the threats they face.'

Full details about the selected animals and images are available on the New Big Five Project website and Instagram account.
YouTube has launched a campaign to encourage young people to get their Covid jab when they become eligible in partnership with the NHS.

The campaign, with the tagline Let's Not Go Back, will run on the video platform as well as on social media and in other outlets.

It comes as the vaccine rollout in England is set to be opened up to those aged 35 and over this week.

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YouTube said it can help the health service reach this audience, with 98 per cent of 18-34 year olds in the UK using YouTube each month.

Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS England, welcomed the support of such platforms to spread the message that coronavirus vaccines are safe.

She said: 'We want to make sure that everyone, including in younger generations, have any barriers removed that may stop them from taking the vaccine when offered, so it is great to have support from platforms such as YouTube, to reassure people that the vaccine is safe, simple and effective.

'NHS staff have pulled out all the stops to deliver the success of the vaccine programme so far, and I urge everyone to book in for a vaccine when you are eligible.'

As part of the campaign, YouTube has worked with its creators to spread the COVID-19 vaccination message in a way that is easier to understand and more accessible for younger people.

YouTube has launched a campaign to encourage young people to get their Covid jab when they become eligible in partnership with the NHS

Creators including leena norms and AFTV channel host Robbie Lyle have collaborated with leading health experts to share health information with their audiences in 'digestible and engaging ways,' according to YouTube.

Mr Lyle said: 'The quicker the country is vaccinated, the quicker life will return to normal and I can't wait to be back travelling all over the country to watch Arsenal again.'

Vaccines are currently available to those aged 38 and over in England but Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday that the rollout would be opened up to people aged 35 and over this week.

The Government has set a target of offering a first dose to every UK adult by the end of July.

England's deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said: 'The NHS has done an incredible job to vaccinate more than 35 million people so far with at least one dose in order of age and clinical risk.

YouTube said it can help the health service reach this audience, with 98 per cent of 18-34 year olds in the UK using YouTube each month

'Younger adults will soon be offered their vaccines and I encourage everyone to get their jab when eligible so we can stay on top of this virus, protect those most at risk, and get back to a normal life including travelling and being with your friends.'

YouTube has already added information panels on its platform, linking to both global and locally relevant health officials that appear on videos and searches about COVID-19 and also display on the YouTube homepage.

According to YouTube, collectively, these information panels have served over 400 billion impressions.

YouTube UK managing director Ben McOwen Wilson said: 'We hope that this light-hearted campaign helps remind everyone that there is one more critical contribution we can all make: by ensuring we have the best information on Covid vaccines, and doing our part when our time comes.'
British and Ukrainian scientists have gone to court to fight the seizure of of 1,500 special bottles of vodka made from 'radioactive' apples grown near Chernobyl.

Destined for sale, the batch of 'Atomik' liquor was made to highlight efforts to study the changing landscape in the 1,000 sq. mile exclusion zone around the power plant.

The team  including experts from the University of Portsmouth  hoped to prove the ban on farming in outer parts of the zone, where 10,000 live, can be safely lifted.

The apples had slightly elevated radiation levels, but were considered safe to eat under Ukraine law even before the radiation-filtering distillation process.

In March, however, the Security Service of Ukraine seized the first commercial batch of the vodka from its distillery in the country's west, where it was being produced.

According to Ukrainian prosecutors, the reason behind the confiscation was not the origin of the liquor, but issues with the bottles' duty stamps.

The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, when a safety test accidentally led to an uncontrolled chain reaction that contaminated the surrounding area.

British and Ukrainian scientists have gone to court to fight the seizure of of 1,500 special bottles of vodka (as pictured) made from 'radioactive' apples grown near Chernobyl .

The apples used to make the liquor (pictured) had slightly elevated radiation levels, but were considered safe to eat even before the radiation-filtering distillation process

The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, when a safety test in reactor 4 (pictured) accidentally led to an uncontrolled chain reaction that contaminated the surrounding area

Prosecutors said the seizure was due to issues with the bottles' duty stamps, pictured

'I have no idea why [the bottles were seized],' environmental scientist Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth, one of the experts behind the vodka, told ABC News.

'The reason they gave was they thought the bottles had forged duty stamps on. But they clearly had the UK stamps on.

'We hope it was just a mistake.'

However, the Kyiv city prosecutors office told ABC News that a discrepancy was found between the British stamps for the bottle and the examples that were submitted to the distillery for registration.

Professor Smith and colleagues won the first ruling in court, which called for the release and return of the impounded vodka, but are now left waiting for a second hearing after the prosecutors filed an appeal.

The first sample bottle of 'Atomik' vodka was made by the researchers back in 2019, and also used water and rye grain sourced from the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

The team sent it to researchers at the University of Southampton for analysis, which found that the drink contained no signs of unusual radiation.

In fact, the only trace of radioactive isotopes in the vodka came in the form of Carbon-14, which occurs naturally in spirits.

The first sample bottle of 'Atomik' vodka (pictured left, and with University of Portsmouth environmental scientist Jim Smith, right) was made by the researchers back in 2019  and also used water and rye grain sourced from the Chernobyl exclusion zone

The team  including experts from the University of Portsmouth  hoped to prove the ban on farming in outer part of the exclusion zone (pictured), where 10,000 live, can be safely lifted

Professor Smith and Gennadiy Laptev of Ukraine's Hydrometeorological Institute told ABC News that their studies show that radiation in the outer ring of the exclusion zone is so weak that official restrictions on farming there now make no sense

Had the larger batch of the liquor not been impounded, the researchers would have also sent samples to the same team at Southampton to verify their safety.

Professor Smith and Gennadiy Laptev of Ukraine's Hydrometeorological Institute told ABC News that their studies show that radiation in the outer ring of the exclusion zone is so weak that official restrictions on farming there now make no sense.

While there remain hot spots of radiation within the zone where radiation levels are dangerously high, in most areas  including some closer to the reactor  levels have returned to normal and nature has begun to thrive.

While there remain hot spots of radiation within the zone where radiation levels are dangerously high, in most areas  including some closer to the reactor  levels have returned to normal and nature has begun to thrive. Pictured: the checkpoint Dytiatky on the edge of the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Destined for sale, the batch of 'Atomik' liquor was made to highlight efforts to study the changing landscape in the 1,000 sq. mile exclusion zone around the power plant, pictured

This first commercial batch of the vodka had been intended to go on sale in Britain for around 35 per bottle, with the team having already received a great deal of interest for prospective customers, Professor Smith told ABC News.

Profits from the sales would have gone back to support the local community living in the area around the Chernobyl reactor complex.

'We're getting emails from people all over the world  Australia, the US, Canada, France  from people saying 'Where we can buy some?',' he added.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter spacecraft has recorded stunning footage of a powerful massive eruption coming from the sun.

While just 46 million miles from our star, closer than the current orbit of Mercury, the orbiter watched a coronal mass ejection (CME) blast out into space.

These eruptions have the potential to trigger space weather that can interfere with satellites and power grids on Earth, and can be harmful to unprotected astronauts.

It captured the footage of the CME on February 10, when the spacecraft was behind the sun as viewed from Earth, causing the video to take longer to reach the Earth.

The position of the probe meant it has taken more than three months for the data to be downloaded and analysed, according to the ESA team behind the project.

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter spacecraft has recorded stunning footage of a powerful massive eruption coming from the sun, as seen through the flares of light in this image

Multiple satellites captured the latest coronal mass ejections. These eruptions have the potential to trigger space weather that can interfere with satellites and power grids on Earth, and can be harmful to unprotected astronauts

SOLAR STORMS PRESENT A CLEAR DANGER TO ASTRONAUTS AND CAN DAMAGE SATELLITES Solar storms, or solar activity, can be divided into four main components that can have impacts on Earth: Solar flares : A large explosion in the sun's atmosphere. These flares are made of photons that travel out directly from the flare site. Solar flares impact Earth only when they occur on the side of the sun facing Earth.

: A large explosion in the sun's atmosphere. These flares are made of photons that travel out directly from the flare site. Solar flares impact Earth only when they occur on the side of the sun facing Earth. Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's) : Large clouds of plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, and then continue on in that direction, plowing through solar wind. These clouds only cause impacts to Earth when they're aimed at Earth.

: Large clouds of plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, and then continue on in that direction, plowing through solar wind. These clouds only cause impacts to Earth when they're aimed at Earth. High-speed solar wind streams : These come from coronal holes on the sun, which form anywhere on the sun and usually only when they are closer to the solar equator do the winds impact Earth.

: These come from coronal holes on the sun, which form anywhere on the sun and usually only when they are closer to the solar equator do the winds impact Earth. Solar energetic particles : High-energy charged particles thought to be released primarily by shocks formed at the front of coronal mass ejections and solar flares. When a CME cloud plows through solar wind, solar energetic particles can be produced and because they are charged, they follow the magnetic field lines between the Sun and Earth. Only charged particles that follow magnetic field lines that intersect Earth will have an impact. While these may seem dangerous, astronauts are not in immediate danger of these phenomena because of the relatively low orbit of manned missions. However, they do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks. Source: NASA - Solar Storm and Space Weather Advertisement

Solar Orbiter launched on February 10, 2020 and is currently cruising around our host star preparing for its main science mission, due to start in November.

Four of its main instruments have been online since it first launched, collecting science data on the environment around the spacecraft.

However, there are six remote sensing instruments due to come online later this year.

This cruise phase is focused primarily on instrument calibration, and they are only active during dedicated checkout windows and specific campaigns.

A close perihelion pass of the Sun a year after launch, on February 10, 2021, which took the spacecraft within half the distance between Earth and the star, was one such opportunity for the teams to carry out dedicated observations.

They were able to check instrument settings and so on, in order to best prepare for the upcoming science phase.

In full science mode, the remote sensing and in situ instruments will routinely make joint observations together.

At the same time as the close solar pass, the spacecraft was behind the sun as viewed from Earth, resulting in very low data transfer rates.

The data from the close flyby have therefore taken a long time to be completely downloaded and is still being analysed.

Three of Solar Orbiters remote sensing instruments captured a pair of coronal mass ejections in the days after closest approach.

The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), the Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI) and the Metis coronagraph captured different aspects of two CMEs that erupted over the course of a day on the sun.

The CMEs were also seen by ESAs Proba-2 and the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) from the front side of the Sun.

NASA's STEREO-A, located away from the Sun-Earth line, also caught a glimpse, together providing a global view of the events coming from our star.

For Solar Orbiters SoloHI, this was the first coronal mass ejection seen by the instrument.

The Metis instrument on board the solar probe previously detected a CME on January 17, and the EUI instrument detected one in November last year.

The spacecrafts in situ detectors bagged their first CME soon after launch in April 2020, the first on board to do so.

A close perihelion pass of the Sun a year after launch, on February 10, 2021, which took the spacecraft within half the distance between Earth and the star, was one such opportunity for the teams to carry out dedicated observations

Most of the currently operating instruments also detected particle activity surrounding these two CMEs in February, although that data hasn't been fully analysed so the cause won't be revealed until a later date.

For SoloHI the CME sighting was particularly serendipitous , captured during bonus telemetry time, when it really should have been offline.

Upgrades in Earth-based antennas made since the mission was planned allowed the team to downlink data at times they previously didnt expect to be able to, albeit at lower telemetry rates.

Most of the currently operating instruments also detected particle activity surrounding these two CMEs in February, although that data hasn't been fully analysed so the cause won't be revealed until a later date

For SoloHI the CME sighting was particularly serendipitous , captured during bonus telemetry time, when it really should have been offline

European Space Agency is calling on the public to help rename its Lagrange spacecraft that will fly 'behind' Earth The European Space Agency (ESA) is calling on the public to rename its Lagrange spacecraft, which will spot potentially hazardous solar storms from the Sun before they reach Earth. The new space weather mission will keep constant watch over our 'unpredictable and often unruly' star, sending back a steady stream of data to ESA. Suggestions for the satellite's name can be made from now until October 17 on the ESA's website, and the winner will get a 'nifty prize', the space agency says. Someone has already suggested 'Lagrangey McLagrangeFace' in reference to Boaty McBoatface, the public's choice of name for the Natural Environment Research Council's research vessel. Advertisement

They therefore decided to collect just one tiles worth of data (the instrument has four detector tiles) at a two-hour rate, and happened to capture a CME.

'CMEs are an important part of space weather as the particles spark aurorae on planets with atmospheres, but can cause malfunctions in some technology and can also be harmful to unprotected astronauts,' ESA said.

'It is therefore important to understand CMEs, and be able to track their progress as they propagate through the Solar System.'

Studying CMEs is just one aspect of Solar Orbiters mission.

The spacecraft will also return unprecedented close-up observations of the Sun and from high solar latitudes, providing the first images of the uncharted polar regions.

Together with solar wind and magnetic field measurements, the mission will provide new insight into how our parent star works in terms of the 11-year solar cycle, and how we can better predict stormy space weather.

Chris Castelli, director of programmes at the UK Space Agency, said said these CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms on Earth.

These storms can 'disrupt power grids and the satellites we rely on for things like navigation and telephone communications,' he added.

'Tracking their progress will provide new insight into how the Sun affects space weather and its impact on our daily lives.

'UK specialists are playing a leading role in one of the most important space science missions of our generation through our membership of the European Space Agency.'

Earlier observations by the Solar Orbiter captured stunning pictures of 'campfires' on the surface of the Sun with some larger than the entire planet Earth

Solar Orbiter launched on February 10, 2020 and is currently cruising around our host star preparing for its main science mission, due to start in November
'Tree farts' from so-called 'ghost forests' in North Carolina are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, according to experts from North Carolina State University.

Dead trees -- also known as snags -- in these 'ghost forests' release carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in trace amounts (as does the nearby soil) that are contributing on some level to greenhouse gases.

'Even though these standing dead trees are not emitting as much as the soils, they're still emitting something, and they definitely need to be accounted for,' the study's lead author Melinda Martinez, a graduate student in forestry and environmental resources at NC State, said in a statement. 'Even the smallest fart counts.'

The study was published earlier this month in Biogeochemistry.

The researchers looked at five 'ghost forests' made up of dead pine and bald cypress trees in the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in North Carolina.

The researchers spent most of their time observing the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in North Carolina

In a separate study, the experts have tracked the recent rise of 'ghost forests' in the area as sea-levels have rose in recent years.

Martinez continued: ''The transition from forest to marsh from these disturbances is happening quickly, and it's leaving behind many dead trees.'

'We expect these ghost forests will continue to expand as the climate changes.'

For their study, Martinez and her team observed snags and nearby soil using portable gas analyzers.

They measured gases that were emitted by snags and soil between 2018 and 2019.

Greenhouse gas emissions from soil were nearly four times higher than that of dead trees the researchers found, though they admitted that dead trees were 'less predictable and more variable.'

'Ghost forests' and dead trees are expected to continue to rise, not only as sea levels do, but as they climate continues to change.

'Ghost forests' are made up of trees that have died. They are releasing greenhouse gas emissions, or 'farts, that are adding to levels of GHGs in the atmosphere

'Ghost forests' have popped up in five areas in North Carolina and more are likely as temperatures continue to warm, due to human activity

The researchers are doing additional work to see how much of a role snags and soil play into rising emissions, but they are concerned this is an ongoing issue that is not expected to stem anytime soon.

'The transition from forest to marsh from these disturbances is happening quickly, and it's leaving behind many dead trees,' Martinez added. 'We expect these ghost forests will continue to expand as the climate changes.'

Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a report that was blocked by the Trump administration that admitted humans are the root cause of climate change.

'The Earth's climate is changing,' the summary states.

'Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events  like heavy rainstorms and record high temperatures  are already happening.

'Many of these observed changes are linked to the rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, caused by human activities.'

Previous studies have said the average temperature on the planet has rose 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-19th century, due in large part to the Industrial Revolution and human events.
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The Japanese billionaire who purchased an orbiting trip around the moon in 2023 aboard SpaceX's Starship has paid for a separate flight to the International Space Station this coming December.

Yusaku Maezawa, 45, an online fashion tycoon, made headlines in 2019 when he launched a search for a female companion to accompany him during the lunar mission  but the request was unmet and he is now looking to bring eight friends instead.

Before Maezawa travels around the moon, he in a film producer will head to NASA's orbiting laboratory for 12 days with plans of sharing this out of world experience on YouTube.

The pair are set to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 8, which has been organized through Space Adventures.

The cost of the flight has yet to be revealed, but previous space tourists have reportedly paid between $20 million and $40 million for their missions to the ISS.

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The Japanese billionaire who purchased a trip around the moon in 2023 aboard SpaceX's Starship has paid for a separate flight to the International Space Station this coming December

The mission will be commanded by Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, who will carry Maezawa and his crew to the ship.

Maezawa is set to start astronaut training next month at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

'I'm so curious 'what's life like in space'? So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world on my YouTube channel,' said Maezawa in a statement posted by Space Adventures.

Space Adventures has been cooperating with Roscosmos since the world's first space tourist flight in 2001.

Yusaku Maezawa, 45, an online fashion tycoon, made headlines in 2019 when he launched a search for a female companion to accompany him during the lunar mission  but the request was unmet and he is now looking to bring eight friends instead

In total, seven self-funded individuals have visited the space station and Maezawa plans to be the 8th and the first from Japan.

'We are excited for Maezawa-san, and we are honored to have enabled this opportunity for him to fly to space,' Space Adventures chairman and CEO Eric Anderson said in the same statement. 'Welcome to space, Yusaku!'

Although Maezawa's plans were to have female companionship for the SpaceX mission to the moon, he has received more than 300,000 applications since announcing the opportunity in 2019.

India has had the highest number of people sign up to make the six-day dash, followed by the US, Japan and then France, Maezawa confirmed on Twitter.

A final interview and medical checkup is then due to take place this month, before the eight people are selected.

Maezawa had originally sought artists to accompany him on the trip, which was first announced in September 2018.

Before Maezawa goes to the moon, he in a film producer will head to NASA's orbiting laboratory for 12 days with plans of sharing this out of world experience on YouTube

However, he decided to broaden the search to a 'more diverse audience', provided they are prepared to 'push the envelope' creatively and able to support other crew members 'who share similar aspirations'.

He had also proposed the idea of finding a 'girlfriend' to accompany him around the moon - with the journey turned into a television show.

But he cancelled the hunt in January last year despite 27,722 women applying, saying he had reservations about the idea.

'Despite my genuine and honest determination toward the show, there was a part of me that still had mixed feelings about my participation,' he said at the time.
Errors found in the mitochondrial DNA of certain people can lead to them being shorter than those without the variations, a new study has found.

The team from the University of Cambridge used data on 358,000 people from the UK Biobank and created a new technique to study mitochondrial DNA and its relationship to human diseases and certain characteristics like height.

They found that people with Scottish, Welsh or Northumbrian heritage are more likely to have a common variation in this maternal DNA.

Mitochondria are the 'batteries' of the cell, containing small amounts of DNA passed on from the mother, unlike nuclear DNA which comes from both parents.

Study authors found that those with errors in this form of maternal DNA could be about 2mm shorter than someone without the variations.

Errors found in the Mitochondrial DNA of certain people can lead to them being shorter than those without the variations, a new study has found (stock image)

WHAT IS MITOCHONDRIAL DNA? Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) is exclusively inherited from the mother, not both parents as is the case with nuclear DNA. It is located in the mitochondria, the part of the cell that converts chemical energy from food into fuel for the cell called ATP. It is a tiny portion of the overall DNA in the human body, with nuclear DNA making up the bulk. It was the first part of the human genome to be sequenced by scientists, accounting for 16,569 base pairs and 13 proteins. It has a separate evolutionary origin to nuclear DNA, coming from the circular genomes of bacteria. There is usually no change in the mitochondrial DNA as it is passed from mother to child. This can make it a powerful tool for tracking ancestry through the female line. In animals scientists have used it to trace the family line of species back multiple generations through the mother. Advertisement

Mitochondria also play an unexpected role in common diseases such as type 2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, the team found.

They discovered that genetic variants in the DNA of mitochondria could increase the risk of developing these conditions, as well influence height and lifespan.

Almost all of the DNA that makes up the human genome - the body's 'blueprint' - is contained within the nuclei of our cells.

Among other functions, nuclear DNA codes for the characteristics that make us individual as well as for the proteins that do most of the work in our bodies.

Our cells also contain mitochondria, which provide the energy for our cells to function by converting food into ATP, a molecule capable of releasing energy very quickly.

Each of these mitochondria is coded for by a tiny amount of 'mitochondrial DNA', making up only 0.1 per cent of the overall human genome.

While errors in mitochondrial DNA can lead to so-called mitochondrial diseases, which can be severely disabling, until now there had been little evidence that these variants can influence more common characteristics.

Several small-scale studies have hinted at this possibility, but scientists have been unable to replicate their findings.

Now, a team at the University of Cambridge has developed a new technique to study mitochondrial DNA and its relation to human diseases and characteristics in samples taken from 358,000 volunteers as part of UK Biobank.

Dr Joanna Howson, who carried out the work, said using this method, they looked for associations between features recorded in the biobank and mitochondrial DNA.

'Aside from mitochondrial diseases, we don't generally associate mitochondrial DNA variants with common diseases,' she explained.

'But what we've shown is that mitochondrial DNA - which we inherit from our mother - influences the risk of some diseases such as type 2 diabetes and MS as well as a number of common characteristics.'

Among those factors found to be influenced by mitochondrial DNA are: type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, liver and kidney function, blood count parameters, lifespan and height.

Some of the effects are seen more extremely in patients with rare inherited mitochondrial diseases - for example, patients with severe disease are often shorter than average.

The team from the University of Cambridge used data on the DNA of 358,000 people in the UK biobank and created a new technique to study mitochondrial DNA and its relationship to human diseases and certain characteristics like height

THE KEY FINDINGS: MITOCHONDRIAL DNA CAN 'SPEAK' TO NUCLEAR DNA Unlike nuclear DNA, which is passed down from both the mother and the father, mitochondria DNA is inherited exclusively from the mother. This suggests that the two systems are inherited independently and hence there should be no association between an individual's nuclear and mitochondrial DNA - however, this was not what the team found. The researchers showed that certain nuclear genetic backgrounds are associated preferentially with certain mitochondrial genetic backgrounds, particularly in Scotland, Wales and Northumbria. This suggests that our nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have evolved - and continue to evolve - side-by-side and interact with each other. One reason that may explain this is the need for compatibility. ATP is produced by a group of proteins inside the mitochondria, called the respiratory chain. There are over 100 components of the respiratory chain, 13 of which are coded for by mitochondrial DNA; the remainder are coded for by nuclear DNA. Even though proteins in the respiratory chain are being produced by two different genomes, the proteins need to physically interlock like pieces of a jigsaw. If the mitochondrial DNA inherited by a child was not compatible with the nuclear DNA inherited from the father, the jigsaw would not fit together properly, thereby affecting the respiratory chain and, consequently, energy production. This might subtly influence an individual's health or physiology, which over time could be disadvantageous from an evolutionary perspective. Conversely, matches would be encouraged by evolution and therefore become more common. Advertisement

The effect in healthy individuals tends to be much subtler, likely accounting for just a few millimetres' height difference, for example.

There are several possible explanations for how mitochondrial DNA exerts its influence, the team explained, adding that one is that changes to mitochondrial DNA lead to subtle differences in our ability to produce energy.

However, it is likely to be more complicated, affecting complex biological pathways inside our bodies, according to the team.

Professor Patrick Chinnery, study co-author, said that if you want a complete picture of common disease you also have to consider the influence of mitochondrial DNA.

'The ultimate aim of studies of our DNA is to understand the mechanisms that underlie these diseases and find new ways to treat them. Our work could help identify potential new drug targets,' he said.

Unlike nuclear DNA, which is passed down from both the mother and the father, mitochondria DNA is inherited exclusively from the mother.

This suggests that the two systems are inherited independently and hence there should be no association between an individual's nuclear and mitochondrial DNA - however, this was not what the team found.

The researchers showed that certain nuclear genetic backgrounds are associated preferentially with certain mitochondrial genetic backgrounds, particularly in Scotland, Wales and Northumbria.

This suggests that our nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have evolved - and continue to evolve - side-by-side and interact with each other.

One reason that may explain this is the need for compatibility. ATP is produced by a group of proteins inside the mitochondria, called the respiratory chain.

There are over 100 components of the respiratory chain, 13 of which are coded for by mitochondrial DNA; the remainder are coded for by nuclear DNA.

Even though proteins in the respiratory chain are being produced by two different genomes, the proteins need to physically interlock like pieces of a jigsaw.

If the mitochondrial DNA inherited by a child was not compatible with the nuclear DNA inherited from the father, the jigsaw would not fit together properly, =affecting the respiratory chain and, consequently, energy production.

They found that people with Scottish, Welsh or Northumbrian heritage are more likely to have a common variation in this maternal DNA

This might subtly influence an individual's health or physiology, which over time could be disadvantageous from an evolutionary perspective. Conversely, matches would be encouraged by evolution and therefore become more common.

This could have implications for the success of mitochondrial transfer therapy - a new technique that enables scientists to replace a mother's defective mitochondria with those from a donor, thereby preventing her child from having a potentially life-threatening mitochondrial disease.

'It looks like our mitochondrial DNA is matched to our nuclear DNA to some extent - in other words, you can't just swap the mitochondria with any donor, just as you can't take a blood transfusion from anyone,' explained Professor Chinnery.

'Fortunately, this possibility has already been factored into the approach taken by the team at Newcastle who have pioneered this therapy.'

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Genetics.
Some 2.7 million metric tons of plastic make their way into the oceans each year and a new study finds the trove of trash comes from 1,656 rivers.

The findings debunk previous research that suggested 90 percent of ocean plastics came just 10 major river systems  the latest concludes that the number is 100 times that.

Several institutions in the Netherlands and one in Germany found these systems contribute to up to 80 percent of all plastics dumped in oceans, with urban areas of South East Asia and West Africa identified as the main hot spots for plastic emission.

However, the team, working with the non-profit Ocean Cleanup Project, notes that this only accounts for one percent of rivers worldwide, 'which means solving the problem is feasible.'

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Some 2.7 million metric tons of plastic make their way into the oceans each year and a new study finds the trove of trash comes from 1,656 rivers. The map highlights areas where rivers are dumping the most plastic

Tons of plastic debris makes its way into the oceans every day and as of 2020 there were some 5.25 trillion pieces of waste with 269,000 ton of it floating on the surface.

Scientists worldwide are working tirelessly to uncover how the trash is being distributed and the latest study may have solved the mystery.

The largest contributing country estimated by the model was the Philippines with its 4,840 rivers dumping more than 356,000 metric tons a year.

This was followed by India with 126,513 metric tons a year, Malaysia with 73,098year through 1070 rivers, and China with 70,707 MT year through 1309 river.

It was believed that the largest culprits are smaller rivers in urban areas and not large rivers that travel long distances. Now, the 16-mile Pasig River (pictured) in the Philippines is now considered a greater contributor to ocean plastics

The largest contributing country estimated by our model was the Philippines with its 4,840 rivers dumping more than 356,000 metric tons a year. Pictured is the Meycuayan (A,C) and Tullahan river (B,D)basins and river network in Manila, Philippines

It was believed that the largest culprits are smaller rivers in urban areas and not large rivers that travel long distances.

Now, the 16-mile Pasig River in the Philippines is now considered a greater contributor to ocean plastics than the Yantze that was once named the most plastic-polluted river.

'It's not the great rivers of the world [doing the polluting],' Ocean Cleanup Project CEO, Boyan Slat, says in the video.

'It's sort of smaller rivers through cities in rising economies; that's where the plastic pollution hotspots of the world can be found.'

These more than 1,000 rivers account for nearly 80 percent of global annual emissions, ranging between 0.8 million and 2.7 million metric tons per year, with small urban rivers among the most polluting

The non-profit designed a tool to track plastic flowing into the oceans, which shows these more than 1,000 rivers account for nearly 80 percent of global annual emissions, ranging between 0.8 million and 2.7 million metric tons per year, with small urban rivers among the most polluting.

Researchers found three main drivers along routes: wind and various forms of precipitation that move plastics from one area to another; the way land is used and its geographydifferent types of terrain can make it easier for plastics to be moved by natural forces; and the distance plastics have to travel to get to the sea, Phys.org reports.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is calling on the public to rename its Lagrange spacecraft, which will spot potentially hazardous solar storms from the Sun before they reach Earth.

The new space weather mission will keep constant watch over our 'unpredictable and often unruly' star, sending back a steady stream of data to ESA.

Suggestions for the satellite's name can be made from now until October 17 on the ESA's website, and the winner will get a 'nifty prize', the space agency says.

Someone has already suggested 'Lagrangey McLagrangeFace' in reference to Boaty McBoatface, the public's choice of name for the Natural Environment Research Council's research vessel.

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We're preparing to launch an exciting new spacecraft, but we need your help to #NameTheMisson!



This one-of-a-kind #spaceweather mission will help protect life in space & infrastructure on Earth from the Sun



More info/enter naming contesthttps://t.co/Ml2ClSeOmj#SpaceCare pic.twitter.com/Btf3XJ4XDk  ESA Operations (@esaoperations) May 17, 2021

WHAT IS BOATY MCBOATFACE? Boaty McBoatface officially topped a poll over the name for a new polar research ship during a competition launched by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in 2016. The suggestion received 124,109 votes - more than three times that of its closest contender. However, the 200 million research vessel was not christened with the winning suggestion after a final decision by then science minister Jo Johnson. Instead he announced that the Boaty McBoatface name would be used for one of the submersibles aboard the Sir David Attenborough - the name chosen for the research ship - instead. Advertisement

Despite topping a public poll in 2016, 'Boaty McBoatface' was ultimately rejected as the name of the ship in favour of 'RRS Sir David Attenborough'.

But the wacky name was affectionately given instead to an on-board submarine in recognition of the public's zany contribution.

ESA, which has asked for the 'best and liveliest' ideas, will likely be hoping for some slightly more sensible suggestions to name its spacecraft.

Once operational, the spacecraft will be the first of its kind, according to the ESA.

Flying to a unique position in space, fixed in relation to the Earth and the Sun, it will have a 'side view' of the latter.

ESA says: 'From here, it will see sources of dangerous solar activity  like sun spots  before they rotate into view from Earth, as well as follow the propagation of solar events as they travel toward Earth.

'The mission's data will be used to make timely warnings available to national authorities, industries and organisations who rely on or look after the modern technological systems on which we all depend and which are at risk from the Sun's outbursts.'

Overall, the mission will combat problems presented by solar storms  which aren't dangerous to humans on Earths surface, but they can cause interference with power grids and GPS signals, and present harm to astronauts.

The new space weather mission, yet to be properly christened, will keep constant watch over the Sun, sending back a steady stream of data to ESAs Space Weather Service Network

The Sun frequently 'sneezes', ejecting billions of tonnes of hot plasma into space in colossal blobs of matter threaded with magnetic fields that are called 'coronal mass ejections' (CMEs).

It also emits gigantic flares, bursts of powerful electromagnetic radiation  x-rays, gamma rays and radio bursts  accompanied by streams of highly energetic particles.

These violent solar sneezes sometimes spin outward from the Sun in our direction, delivering radiation, energy and charged particles that distort and disrupt Earth's protective magnetic field and upper atmosphere.

ESAs Sun-watching Proba-2 minisatellite shows the aftermath of 18 February 2014s coronal mass ejection (CME)

Disruption to our magnetic field creates geomagnetic storms that can affect satellites in orbit, navigation systems, terrestrial power grids and data and communication networks.

ESA says: 'Harmful space weather has affected Earth before, but as we become increasingly reliant on systems and technologies vulnerable to the Sun's outbursts, future solar impacts could be even more disruptive.

'Early warning of such events can make a real difference, giving civil authorities crucial time to prepare and protect our vital infrastructure on Earth as well as explorers in space.

'That's precisely what our new mission will do as it monitors "the side" of the Sun, getting a view of sunspots  often the sources of potential solar outbursts  before they rotate into view from Earth.'
Having more women in a team or group can boost the overall 'collective intelligence' for decision making, when compared to a male dominated group, study reveals.

Researchers from Pennsylvania's Carnegie Mellon University examined 22 studies covering 5,349 individuals engaged in group and individual activities.

The team found that individual skill, group gender composition, and group collaboration were all predictors of collective intelligence, or the ability of a group to work together and solve a range of problems that vary in complexity.

The research, that involved running machine learning algorithms over multiple large sets of data, revealed that the success of a group activity could be better predicted using collective intelligence measures than on individual member skill.

These collective measures included social perceptiveness of individual members, group composition, particularly female proportion and age diversity, and group size.

Having more women in a team or group can boost the overall 'collective intelligence' for decision making, when compared to a male dominated group, study reveals. Stock image

WHAT IS COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE? Collective Intelligence (CI) is a measure of the ability of a group to work together and solve a range of problems that vary in complexity. It is a 'shared intelligence' emerging from collaboration and competition between members of a team. The phenomenon comes as a result of an effort to reach a consensus decision on a project or problem. Recent studies have shown that the overall make-up of a group matter more in success than an individual's skill or ability within the group. Having more females or people with higher social perceptiveness also improved the success rate. Advertisement

In order to address issues ranging from climate change to developing complex technologies and curing diseases, science relies on collective intelligence.

The data demonstrated that group collaboration processes were about twice as important for predicting CI than individual skill.

They found that group composition, including the proportion of women in a group and group member social perceptiveness, are also significant predictors of CI.

'This paper introduces some computational metrics for evaluating collaboration processes that could be foundational for studying collaboration moving forward,' said Anita Williams Woolley, study co-author.

Williams Woolley added that they continue to find that having more women in the group raises the overall level of collective intelligence.

The team discovered that this improvement in collection intelligence applied regardless of whether the collaboration was face-to-face or online.

In earlier research, the same team found that a group's ability to perform a wide range of tasks could be predicted by a single statistical factor - that is where they came up with the concept of collective intelligence.

In follow up work, by this team and others, experts found that this CI factor was weakly linked to individual intelligence levels, but strongly linked to social sensitivity and the number of women in any group.

For this new study, using machine learning techniques, Woolley and colleagues determined the relative importance of different variables for predicting CI.

They observed that group collaboration process measures were about twice as important as individual member skill.

Other important predictors were social perceptiveness, group composition (particularly female proportion and age diversity) and group size.

The team discovered that this improvement in collection intelligence applied regardless of whether the collaboration was face-to-face or online. Stock image

The research advances the science of collective performance both conceptually and methodologically.

By using a metric of collective intelligence based on a variety of tasks, a group's score should predict future performance in a broader range of settings.

The authors say that by having a robust measure of a group's capability to work together can help managers assemble groups for high collective intelligence.

The findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Climate change isn't just threatening our future: It's causing some of the oldest known artwork to decay at an exponential rate.

Cave paintings in Indonesia that date to 44,000 years ago are being threatened by increased salt crystals forming due to rising temperatures and longer dry spells, according to new research.

The crystals weaken the pigment as they swell and shrink, with hand-sized chunks flaking off some panels in just a matter of months.

Agricultural strategies that collect monsoon rains are also magnifying the crystals' cycle, they found.

Given the advance state of decay, researchers warn, 'We are in a race against time.'

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Salt crystals forming on and behind ancient rock art in Indonesia is causing it to decay at a dramatic rate

In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, examined 11 rock-art panels found in the limestone caves of Maros-Pangkep in southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Using high-powered microscopes, they discovered salt crystals growing on top of and behind ancient rock art was causing it 'to flake off the walls.'

'It is disappearing before our eyes,' said lead author Jillian Huntley, an archaeologist with the Griffith Center for Social and Cultural Research.

The researchers reported one panel lost a hand-sized chunk over just a few months.

The effects of salt crystals on rock art is evident in this painting of an animal: The gray areas depict sections that were visible in 2013 but have since flaked off

These works have endured millennia of environmental changein a tropical regionbut increased greenhouse gases have magnified climate extremes, the reseachers say, resulting in higher temperatures and more consecutively dry days.

On hot days, salt crystals can grow over three times their initial size, the researchers wrote in The Conversation.

The expanding and contracting of the crystals as temperatures rise and fall loosens the paint.

Monsoon rains can also extend the salts' 'shrink-and-swell' cycles, the researchers said.

In Indonesia, farmers now intentionally collect monsoon rains in rice fields and aquaculture ponds.

While an ingenious agricultural solution, the practice further degrades the cave paintings.

Dots on this rendering of an art panel from the ceiling of Leang Timpuseng cave indicate the presence of salt crystals

Researchers analyze rock art at Maros-Pangkep in Southern Indonesia. Unlike France's famed Lascaux cave, Australasia has an incredibly volatile atmosphere, 'fed by intense sea currents, seasonal trade winds and a reservoir of warm ocean water, ' says anthropologist Franco Viviani

'I was gobsmacked by how prevalent the destructive salt crystals and their chemistry were on the rock art panels, some of which we know to be more than 40,000 years old,' Huntley said.

Cave art in Europe, like in France's famed Lascaux cave, benefits from more stable temperatures and weather that make decay less aggressive, according to Franco Viviani, an anthropologist at the University of Padua who explored Sulawesi in 2019.

Dating to some 45,500 years ago, this painting of a wild boar was found in one of the Maros-Pangkep caves in 2019. It's believed to be the oldest-known figurative artwork on the planetand possibly the earliest cave painting

'Australasia has an incredibly active atmosphere, fed by intense sea currents, seasonal trade winds and a reservoir of warm ocean water,' Viviani, who is not involved in the new study, wrote in Sapiens.

That can have a devastating effect on Ice Age artwork never intended to last millennia, 'yet some of its rock art has so far managed to survive tens of thousands of years through major episodes of climate variation.'

That long lucky streak may be running out: Huntley said the degradation of Sulawesi rock art will likely get worse 'the higher global temperatures climb.'

More than 300 painted sites have discovered in limestone caves in southern Sulawesi, Indonesia (above). In almost every site, 'the rock art is in an advanced stage of decay,' researchers say

More than 300 painted sites have discovered in the limestone caves and sinkholes of Maros-Pangkep, representing some of the earliest evidence of humans on the islands.

'Tragically, at almost every new site we find in this region, the rock art is in an advanced stage of decay, said Indonesian rock art expert Adhi Agus Oktaviana, 'We are in a race against time.'

Viviani suggested the paintings' decay could be increasing due to rising humidity 'promoting mold or other microorganisms that eat away at the walls.'

He also theorized nearby vehicle traffic and mining activities were a factor.

'This amazing heritage is probably doomed to disappear, or at least be reduced,' Viviani wrote.

'At least researchers are now diligently photographing and scanning the art. Without it we would not be able to see back to the dawn of human culture.'

In 2019, the Griffith University team discovered an image of a wild boar on the rear wall of Sulawesi's Leang Tedongnge cave.

Dating to some 45,500 years ago, it's believed to be the oldest-known figurative artwork on the planetand possibly the earliest cave painting known to man.

A second painting of a warty pig  around 13,500 years younger  was found to the south, in Leang Balangajia cave.

That image, made with red ochre pigment, also features four hand stencils and several other animal paintings that had already seriously degraded.

According to the researchers, the Sulawesi rock art represents some of  if not the  earliest evidence for the presence of modern humans in Wallacea, the area incorporating the islands between Asia and Australia-New Guinea.
The skull of an 8 million-year-old crocodile that used to hunt 'big prey' has been found in Australia, with researchers believing it to be part of a new species.

The killer croc was discovered in 2009 approximately 125 miles (200km) from Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, according to the BBC, which first reported the news.

It was approximately the same size as a modern-day saltwater crocodile, or roughly 17ft in length and approximately 1,000lbs.

The new species, which does not yet have a name and belongs to the Baru genus, adds to the legacy of creatures that roamed the Australian continent millions of years ago.

'It tells us about a new species that we didn't realize was inhabiting central Australia,' Dr. Adam Yates, senior curator of Earth Sciences at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, told the news outlet.

It may be surprising to believe that the central part of the country had rivers large enough to support crocodiles of these size.

However, Yates said it adds 'one more thread in the tapestry in understanding the way Australian fauna has evolved over time.'

The unnamed species of crocodile was discovered in 2009, but it was only recently that it was confirmed to be a new species

Dr. Adam Yates is holding the fossilized skull of the ancient croc. With enormous teeth, it likely hunted large prey, including flightless birds

This is an drawing of what the ancient croc, belong to the Baru genus, might have looked like, as it roamed around Australia 8 million years ago

It's possible that not only did the enormous croc weigh 'many hundreds of kilos,' but that it used its brute force and strength to go after much larger prey.

"It is the most heavily robust member of the genus Baru,' Yates added. 'It has particularly large teeth so it has a lower number of teeth.'

He continued: 'This was a crocodile that was attacking big prey. Big megafauna.'

One such creature that it feasted on was Dromornis stirtoni, a massive flightless bird that was approximately 10 feet tall (3m) and weighed close to 1,400 pounds (650kg).

"We know from other sites that Baru was tackling Dromornis because we found Dromornis bones with crocodile-teeth puncture marks in its leg bones," Yates told abcnews.net.au.

It's expected that the new species will be named sometime next year.

In December 2020, Yates and a separate team of researchers wrote up research on another 'prehistoric swamp king' in Australia, the Pallimnarchus de Vis.
A rare tropical owl has been spotted for the first time since it was discovered nearly 125 years ago.

The orange-eyed Bornean subspecies of Rajah scops owl was photographed in the forests of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.

Based on its unique patterns and habitat, researchers believe it is actually a new species in need of conservation.

While little is known about the bird, the mature mountainous forest it calls home are threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation, climate change and palm oil production.

Ornithologists in Malaysia took the first photographs of a Bornean subspecies of Rajah scops owl. The elusive bird had only ever been once, when it was discovered 124 years ago

Technician Keegan Tranquillo spied the owl while nest-searching in May 2016 as part of an extensive study of avian evolution among the forests of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.

'Out of this dark corner where there was a lot of vegetation, this owl flew out and it landed,' Tranquillo told Smithsonian magazine.

The bird flew away, but returned a short while later'A stroke of luck,' Tranquillo said.

He could tell it was a scops owl, but it was larger and had orange eyes, different from the yellow irises of the more common Sumatran subspecies.

The Rajah scops owl was first described in 1892 by Richard Bowdler Sharpe, an ornithologist with the British Museum. Sharpe named the bird after James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, who ruled parts of Borneo in the mid-1800s.

Currently there are two known subspecies of Rajah scops owlBorneo's Otus brookii brookii (pictured), which have orange eyes, and Otus brookii solokensis on Sumatra, which have yellow. Researchers believe the Bornean Rajah scops owl may actually represent a distinct species

Tranquillo notified researcher Andy Boyce, then a doctoral candidate at the University of Montana.

'When I got the call about a 'weird owl,' I was in a laboratory at the park measuring metabolic rates and cold tolerance for some common species as part of my Ph.D. work,' Boyce, now an ecologist with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, told Mongabay.

He recalled being overwhelmed by a 'pretty rapid progression of emotions' upon encountering the elusive bird of prey.

'[I felt] 'absolute shock and excitement that we'd found this mythical bird, then pure anxiety that I had to document it as fast as I could,' Boyce said.

The Bornean Rajah scops owl only weighs about four ounces and measures up to nine inches tall. But adults are rather fierce-looking, with a furrowed brow, black streaks on their chests and those piercing pumpkin-colored eyes

'There was nervousness and anticipation as I was trying to get there, hoping the bird would still be there. Just huge excitement, and a little bit of disbelief, when I first saw the bird and realized what it was. And then, immediately, a lot of anxiety again.'

The Rajah scops owl was first described in 1892 by Richard Bowdler Sharpe, an ornithologist with the British Museum who named more than 230 bird species and another 200 subspecies.

Sharpe named the bird after James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, who ruled parts of Borneo in the mid-1800s.

It's not a large bird, weighing about four ounces and measuring up to nine inches tall.

But adults are rather fierce-looking, with a furrowed brow, black streaks on their chests and those piercing eyes.

Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, where the Rajah scops owl calls home, is threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation, climate change and palm oil development

There were two subspecies of Rajah scops owlBorneo's Otus brookii brookii, which have orange eyes, and Otus brookii solokensis on Sumatra, which have yellow ones.

Based on Sharpes' description, Boyce was certain he was looking at a Bornean Rajah scops owl.

His report, published in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology, includes the first first-ever photograph of the bird in the wild.

'Being able to document this vanished bird was really an incredibly exciting moment, and not something I ever really dreamed of,' Boyce told Mongabay. 'My work wasn't focused on exploring remote and little-known places, or purposely searching out these forgotten species.'

With only two sightings more than a century apart, scientists still know next to nothing about the Rajah scops owl, including its population size, reproductive habits and vocalizations.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it a species of 'least concern,' but Boyce says that's premature.

'To protect this bird, we need a firm understanding of its habitat and ecology.' he said. '[We] can't conserve what we don't know exists.'

He believes the bird has gone unseen for so long because it's nocturnal and its population density is so low.

The historic encounter only lasted two hours, according to Boyce.

'It reminds us as humans, and as scientists, that there are things, there are places in this worldeven at this point where we have our fingerprints all over the planetthat we still just don't have a grasp of and we're still surprised on a daily basis by things that we find,' he said.
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A Starbucks made of sticks, a thatched boutique hotel and villas designed to look like pebbles dotted around the landscape.

Superstar Japanese architect Kengo Kuma is a master of blending old with new, cutting edge and tradition, to make beautifully simple buildings that speak to the past and the present - and capture the imagination.

Book Kengo Kuma  Topography (The Images Publishing Group) explores close to 40 of his most-recognised projects and offers an insight into the thinking behind each one.

The publisher says: Kuma masterfully engages both architectural experimentation and traditional Japanese design with 21st-century technology, resulting in highly advanced yet gentle, human-scaled buildings.

In his new book, Kuma offers the reader deep insight into how he has engaged with different aspects of the architectural discipline by transforming topography, construction, and representation in order to give further progress to his ideas on the harmony of design and nature.

Scroll down for MailOnline Travels pick of the stunning creations by Kuma featured in the tome, from Japan to Scotland.

THE EXCHANGE, SYDNEY: This seven-floor multi-use civic building contains a public library, fresh food market and restaurants. Kuma writes: 'Timber was selected for the building envelope in order to offer a natural texture in contrast to the building's neighbours. An organic and spontaneous timber screen wraps around the shifting floor plates. The timber strips filter the natural light and provide a soft texture to the interior space. It is our intent to express architecture as a part of the natural elements, like a tree or a "nest", in a playful and primitive manner'

XIANGCHENG YANGCHENG LAKE TOURIST TRANSPORTATION CENTER: This striking 2018 structure serves as a port terminal for Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, China, functioning as a tourist centre, retail space and shipyard

V&A DUNDEE: This amazing structure projects out over the River Tay and is formed from 'layers of long slabs of precast concrete with varying angles, to realise a facade with subtle nuances and dynamics', writes Kuma. Inside, meanwhile, 'randomly attached panels work to create a wide and relaxed space' and 'the space expands upward so visitors can experience a unique sense of openness'

GC PROSTHO MUSEUM RESEARCH CENTER, KASUGAI-SHI, JAPAN: Kuma explains that 'the architectural concept for this work is based on the system used in Cidori, an old Japanese toy assembled of wood sticks with joints that have a unique shape, and which can be extended merely by twisting the sticks, without the need for nails or metal fittings'. He adds: 'The wooden grid supports the structure, and also serves as a display space for the items exhibited in the museum. We worked on the project in the hope that the era of machine-made architecture would be over'

YUSUHARA WOODEN BRIDGE MUSEUM, TAKAOKA-GUN, JAPAN: This 'bridge/museum' links two public buildings and was constructed using a 'unique cantilever bridge design... a traditional technique that's been forgotten in Japan'. Kuma describes the 2010 structure as a 'balancing toy bridge'

CODEA HOUSE, ATAMI, SHIZUOKA, JAPAN: This extraordinary, tree-like structure was made 'by randomly stacking three-inch- (eight-centimetre) square cedar boards'. A lack of columns at the perimeter maximises the Pacific Ocean view

CHINA ACADEMY OF ART'S FOLK ART MUSEUM, HANGZHOU, CHINA: This museum sits on a hilly site within the China Academy of Art's Hangzhou campus, with the building's floors 'following the ups and downs of the sloping terrain'. The roof tiles were sourced from local houses

KOMATSU SEIREN FABRIC LABORATORY FA-BO, NOMI, ISHIKAWA, JAPAN: Here a rigid-frame office building has been transformed into an exhibition space for the Komatsu Seiren textile company. Lengths of carbon fibre have been draped over it and tethered to the ground to 'create an overall illusion of fabric curtains' and to strengthen the building's quake resistance

STARBUCKS COFFEE SHOP IN DAZAIFU, FUKUOKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN: Kuma explains that this Starbucks is located on the main approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu, one of Japan's major shrines. Along the way, are traditional one and two-storey Japanese buildings 'so the aim was to make a structure that harmonises with the overall townscape'. The building is made of 2,000 stick-like parts varying in length that combined would stretch for 2.74 miles (4.4km)

FRAC MARSEILLE: This museum has been covered with enamel glass panels to 'create a soft appearance' and to 'disperse the strong light of the Mediterranean into fine particles'

JAPAN NATIONAL STADIUM, TOKYO: This much-anticipated stadium, completed in 2019, expresses the Japanese architecture tradition of beautiful eaves with small-diameter wood louvres placed on the underside of each eave [the part of the roof that meets the wall]

HONGKOU SOHO, SHANGHAI, CHINA: An office block with a facade covered in 'pleats' made of 0.7-inch-wide aluminium mesh, 'designed to look like the draping of a dress'

COMMUNITY MARKET YUSUHARA, JAPAN: This intriguing building is a community market that doubles as a boutique hotel, with 15 rooms situated around an atrium where local produce is sold. The roof is thatched as a nod to the history of Yusuhara. It dates back to the Meiji Restoration (1868) and during this time the road to Yusuhara, Kuma explains, was dotted with thatched restroom structures for travellers called Chad Do

JEJU BALL, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA: Inspired by the dark porous volcanic rock of Jeju Island, Kuma designed these villas 'to appear as a black round stone... each house appears like a single pebble in the landscape from a distance'

MONT-BLANC BASE CAMP, CHAMONIX, FRANCE: This is the headquarters of Blue Ice, which specialises in outdoor clothing. Kuma says: 'In order for the architecture... to dissolve into the environment the facade of the building was designed to be almost like the trees in the wood, as it consists of thick, unskinned panels of oak'
Sophie Hermann has opened up about her attempts at launching a fashion label in her early 20s - and how she learnt invaluable lessons from its failure.

On a quest to contribute to a sustainable and mindful approach in consuming fashion, the Made In Chelsea favourite, 34, is selling the entire collection - designed for the 2012-2014 seasons - vowing to 'do a Vivienne Westwood' and burn it if it doesn't sell.

'If you have a dream, you try to make it come true,' Sophie told MailOnline. 'But my dream was shattered. It all ended very dramatically and terribly with me liquidating the company.

Lessons learned: Sophie Hermann has opened up about her attempts at launching a fashion label in her early 20s - and how she learnt invaluable lessons from its failure [hair by Tatiana Karelina]

'Basically, don't start a business in your early 20s with your boyfriend - especially if said boyfriend is younger than you. The whole thing made me end a toxic relationship and rethink life.'

Sophie launched Sophie Hermann London around the time she joined Made In Chelsea - but admits she got the wrong end of the stick with her expectations.

'I joined Made In Chelsea because of the collection. I thought coming onto the show would be the perfect platform to advertise my designs. However, I didn't take into consideration who was watching the show,' she reflected. 'I miscalculated the target group and had no idea what I was signing up for on MIC.

'It was the first time I'd been on TV - pushed into lion pit. I thought we would sell out in a week. But I ended up with more of a side-role on the show and my designs were just too expensive.

'MIC helped me create a platform for myself and turn myself into a brand where now other brands pay me to design for them which is a lot of fun as well. And I am very grateful. It's like one door closes and another opens. That's the silver lining.'

Sophie's Fairytale Collection features such items as a tweed blazer with colour splashes, featured on the cover of Grazia in November 2013 and worn by Cressida Bonas who was, at the time, dating Prince Harry.

The products range from jeans and hot pants to feminine pastel dresses with bold shoulder pads in an 80s style, all reflective of Sophie's personal style. The centerpieces of the collections are mesh bodysuits.

Sophie's skill set has been both studied and inherited. She was a student at renowned fashion school Istituto Marangoni in Milan, and her great-grandmother is Luise Hermann, the founder of the famous German jeans brand Mustang.

Aspirations: 'If you have a dream, you try to make it come true,' Sophie told MailOnline. 'But my dream was shattered'

'My dream is to have a fashion house so that my late great-grandmother can live vicariously through me,' she said. 'I now know what it takes - how much money it takes, the dedication.

'Right now I'm enjoying TV work so much that having a fashion house or label would require all of my attention. So it's something I'll probably revisit when I'm 40.

'And if I do get the same opportunity again, I'll focus on two or three signature pieces to perfection, rather than try to create my entire dream wardrobe with 25 pieces in five different colours.

'Fashion is one of the most expensive ventures you can do. You touch base with reality quickly. Look at Victoria Beckham. Look at McQueen. By the time he died he was in a lot of debt.

Tasty: 'My dream is to have a fashion house so that my late great-grandmother can live vicariously through me,' she said

'With me I have a creative side of my brain but no business side. So I'd need to get a team together of specialists in different fields next time, so that I could be the creative head because all the marketing and taxes is incredibly hard.'

Now, Sophie wants to give her fans the chance to purchase pieces of her first collections.

'I put lots of effort into designing these pieces and it's a project very close to my heart. I want to share this part of my journey with my fans, and encourage everyone to think sustainably and value high quality and creative craftsmanship,' she said.

'And I'm going to do a Vivienne Westwood if it doesn't sell and burn it on Primrose hill!'

Venture: Now, Sophie wants to give her fans the chance to purchase pieces of her first collections

Ever the optimist, however, Sophie looks forward to trying her hand at launching a label in the future.

'What you see of me on Instagram is like the light side of the moon. But obviously the moon has two phases.

'People don't see how much blood, sweat and tears you put into things behind the scenes. Or how many times you actually fail until something successful comes along...'
Retropharyngeal abscess is a serious infection deep in the neck and generally occurs in children under age eight, though it can also affect adults. The symptoms include difficulty in breathing and swallowing, pain, severe cough and throat pain, neck stiffness and spasms and others. If left untreated, retropharyngeal abscess infection can result in septic shock, organ failure and death. Retropharyngeal abscess recurs in an estimated 1 to 5% of patients and such patients are 40 to 50% more likely to die due to abscess-related complications.

Get Free Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4922

The Latest report by Market Research Future (MRFR) asserts that, The global retropharyngeal abscess market is expected to reach USD 5.9 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 4.5 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.

The market drivers include rise in demand due to growing young and immune-compromised population, increasing screening, and others. The market restraints are the complications such as risk of bleeding, pain, especially during surgery, high cost of treatment, poor healthcare penetration and others.

Development of antibiotics resistant bacteria is the single most unmet need of the market. Product development represents the best strategy for the market growth. The market is expected to witness exponential growth over the review period owing to development of selective gram negative antibiotics. Market development is another strategy for as there is a large unmet need in the developing regions such as India and China. Cost of the product will be a decisive factor in the developing regions such as Asia Pacific and especially Africa.

Key Players

Merck KGaA,

Johnson & Johnson,

AstraZeneca plc,

Sanofi S.A.,

Pfizer,

Mylan N.V,

Novartis AG,

Teva pharmaceutical company,

GlaxoSmithKline plc.

Segments

The global retropharyngeal abscess market has been segmented on the basis of diagnosis, treatment, and end user.

Based on the diagnosis, the market has been segmented as X-rays and computed tomography, blood tests, physical exam and others.

Based on the treatment, the market has been segmented as calcium antibiotics, pain killers, surgical drainage and others.

Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals and clinics, research and academics and others.

Regional Analysis

Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly; China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. South East Asian countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are projected to contribute highly to the market growth. The growing penetration of healthcare industry in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive the future retropharyngeal abscess market in the region. However the low expenditure on healthcare coupled with the poor incomes in the developing regions is a dent on the market.

A significant market share of the global retropharyngeal abscess market is held by the Americas, owing to high expenditure on the health care especially in major countries of the region like the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the number of cardiac procedures in the U.S and Canada is increasing due to greater healthcare penetration, which drives the retropharyngeal abscess market. The high concentration of the major hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with good reimbursement rates is adding fuel to the market growth. Moreover, the large share of infective procedures treatment in the returns of hospitals favors the market. The large number of pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. is also a cause for the faster development of retropharyngeal abscess market in the US. The development of broad spectrum antibiotics in developed regions such as the U.S. and Europe is a strong driver of the market.

Europe is the second largest market in the world due to growing pharmaceutical industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large pharmaceutical and microsurgery devices industry. The development of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) especially in the southern regions of Europe such as Spain, Italy etc. stimulates the market.

Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle East nations to watch out for are Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a poor growth owing to poor economic and political conditions, and poor healthcare development. Other regions are expected to be laggards due to poor social development and tribal identities such as sub Saharan Africa.

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Ellen Pompeo was spotted stepping out for a solo coffee run in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday morning.

The 51-year-old actress appeared to be enjoying her morning as she stepped out of her car and made her way to the line of one of her favorite cafes before purchasing her pick-me-up and driving off.

The performer's outing comes just a few months after she was put under heavy media scrutiny for discussing the potential ending of Grey's Anatomy.

Doing her thing: Ellen Pompeo was spotted on a coffee run in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday morning

Pompeo stayed comfortable in a light green hoodie and a matching pair of loose-fitting sweat pants during her coffee run.

The Moonlight Mile actress contrasted her eye-catching outfit with a pair of multicolored Nike running shoes while stepping out in public.

The Golden Globe-nominated performer accessorized with a sizable pair of tinted sunglasses and carried a brown purse.

Her beautiful blonde hair lightly fell onto her shoulders and the nape of her neck as she went to go pick up her coffee.

Staying cozy: The actress wore a light green hoodie that was paired with a matching set of sweat pants during her solo outing

Taking precaution: The performer notably wore a sizable blue facial covering to keep herself protected from COVID-19 while spending time around other people

Pompeo wore a large light blue facial covering to keep herself protected from COVID-19 while spending time in public.

The actress is best known for her long-running role as Meredith Grey on the hit medical drama series Grey's Anatomy, which first premiered in 2005.

She is one of only three individuals to have starred in the show ever since its inception, with the other two being Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr.

Other prominent performers who have appeared on the show include Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl and Patrick Dempsey, among numerous others.

Notable role: Pompeo is well-known for her longstanding portrayal of Meredith Grey on the hit medical drama series Grey's Anatomy

Sticking around: The actress is one of only three performers who have been featured on the show ever since its inception in 2005

The show has become one of the highest-watched series on television, and its cast and crew have been the recipients of several accolades for their work.

In February, Pompeo was the subject of heavy media attention for comments that she made about the future of Grey's Anatomy during an interview for CBS Sunday Morning.

During the sit-down, the actress noted that the show's potential ending was being discussed by the writers, although nothing was set in stone at the time.

Making headlines: In February, Pompeo was the subject of heavy media interest due to comments that she made about Grey's Anatomy's potential ending during an interview for CBS Sunday Morning; she is pictured in November of last year

Specifically, she noted that there were things that she 'can't say...We honestly have not decided. We're really trying to figure it out right now.'

Pompeo went on to express that the show's team was attempting to craft an ending that would please both the show's cast and its longtime viewers.

'To end a show this iconic, you know, how do we do it? I just want to make sure we do this character and this show and the fans  I want to make sure we do it right,' she remarked.
Christine Quinn may be 37 weeks pregnant but that isn't stopping her from pounding the pavement at work.

The 31-year-old blonde bombshell was seen flashing her growing bump in one heck of an outfit as she filmed season four of Selling Sunset.

The quick-witted show lead turned heads in a sheer knit dress and dazzling blazer as she popped into a store after shooting a few scenes for the hit Netflix show in Los Angeles.

Turning heads: Pregnant Christine Quinn, 31, struts her stuff in a sheer knit dress and dazzling blazer as she films scenes for season four of Selling Sunset in Los Angeles

Christine strutted her stuff in the very couture outfit which included a multi-layer knit dress which showed off her killer frame.

She continued to add glamour to the look with a crystal adorned blazer that featured dramatic winged shoulder pads, and a pair of Swarovski heels with a bow accent on the front strap.

The luxury realtor added some flare to the already edgy outfit with a crystal chair purse from designer Area which retails for about $900.

And the soon-to-be mom rocked sparkling cat eye sunglasses and wore her famed blonde locks down in glamorous curls, while flashing a red lip.

Peek-a-boo! The luxury realtor's bump poked through a vey edgy dress and she continued to add flare to the look with a dazzling wing tipped blazer and a crystal chair purse

Attitude: She became an instant breakout star on the real estate centered show after delighting viewers with her 'no BS' attitude and head-turning outfits

Christine became an instant breakout star on the real estate-centered show after delighting viewers with her 'no BS' attitude and killer fashion sense. She has graced covers for Playboy and Vogue Ukraine.

The ladies of the Oppenheim Group  including Chrishell Stause and Heather Rae Young  have been back filming season four of the show for the last few weeks.

The upcoming seasons continue to tease serious drama and more multi-million dollar homes as the ladies continue to navigate both work and their personal relationships on camera.

And after rumors began to circulate that the show stars were not actually real estate agents, Jason Oppenheim (one of two brothers who own the firm) put the rumors to rest with a statement.

Dream team: The upcoming seasons continue to tease serious drama and more multi-million dollar homes as the ladies continue to navigate both work and their personal relationships on camera

Renewed: She shared the news that the show had been renewed four seasons four and five as she posted a stunning series in a sparkly black dress in March

'Mary [Fitzgerald], Heather, Maya [Vander], and Christine were licensed and successful real estate agents at The Oppenheim Group many years prior to filming our show,' he said.

Jason continued to elaborate that other cast members Amanza Smith, Chrishell and Davina Potratz were also 'licensed' and 'experienced,' while going to bat that his team had more than '50 years' of combined experience.

And the always glamorous Christine announced the show had been picked up for a fifth season additionally in March as she shared a series in a black sparkling dress.

Speaking about the upcoming seasons she told People she was 'looking forward,' to sharing her 'boss moves' and 'haute couture,' on camera again.

'Having been working remotely for so long with the pandemic, it's so great to finally see my colleagues and cast mates in person again. I am looking forward to sharing all my boss moves, my new journey as a mom, and showcasing my haute couture on camera, obviously!,' she shared.

Mom-to-be: To celebrate 37 1/2 weeks of pregnancy earlier this week, she shared a stunning photo shoot of herself in a midriff-baring neon set with expertly coordinated accessories

Hot mama: Christine has not let pregnancy deter her incredible fashion sense and she and her husband recently celebrated their impending bundle of joy at a baby shower

She is currently expecting her first child with tech entrepreneur husband Christian Richard whom she wed on the show  any day now.

And to celebrate 37 1/2 weeks of pregnancy earlier this week, she shared a stunning photo shoot of herself in a midriff-baring neon set with expertly coordinated accessories.

On Monday May 10 she and Christian celebrated their impending bundle of joy at a glamorous baby shower, which she called a 'modern, high-fashion take on the jungle.'

And she had previously said she was 'open to giving birth on screen,' citing Khloe Kardashian's and Bling Empire's Cherie Chan as inspiration to do so.

Quinn plans to have a natural birth and said that whether or not she chooses to film this intimate chapter of her life she is 'most excited to finally get to meet and hold [her] little one.'
Billie Lourd and partner Austen Rydell were able to enjoy at least one parent's night out during their getaway to Las Vegas this past week.

And now the couple have apparently taken their pre-summer holiday to Mexico for some fun in the sun.

To mark their arrival, the Booksmart actress took to Instagram and shared a picturesque photo of herself looking towards the sky with a beaming smile on her face, all while showing off her post-pregnancy body.

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Another getaway! Billie Lourd, 28, flashed a #serenescene' glow in a colorful ensemble when she revealed she took a trip to Mexico, just days after enjoying time in Las Vegas with partner Austen Rydell and their seven-month-old son Kingston

The first-time mother kept it simple in the caption of the sweet snap, with two hashtags: '#serenescene #mexicorocks.'

She can be seen striking an enlightened pose among a formation of large rocks just feet from the ocean, dressed in a multi-colored, floral skirt and a matching top.

The cropped design helped showcase her toned midriff, just seven-months after giving birth to the couple's son Kingston.

Hidden talent: The actress showed off her post-baby body in a floral skirt and matching crop top, while showing off her '#importantlifeskills' by balancing a drink on the top of her head

Sin City: Five days earlier, the American Horror Story star posted images from her trip to Las Vegas, which included at least one parent's night out as their son rested in the hotel room

The lovely horizon in the backdrop was equally colorful as she leaned her head back and placed her hands on her forehead.

There's a second photo posted on her Insta-Story showing with her arms reaching out into the air with a some sort of glass or plastic drink resting on top of her head.

In keeping with her sense of humor, the American Horror Story star added the hashtag, '#importantlifeskills' as the headline.

From the looks of the chairs, table and place settings on the sand next to her, it appears she was going to enjoy a meal and drinks at the scenic location.

Lourd, who's the daughter of late Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, appeared to be in a festive mood when the couple locked off their holiday in Las Vegas last week

Daring: There's also a video of the California native running down an upwards-bound escalator

Lourd gave her 1.5 million Instagram fans and followers a glimpse at the couple's first stop, in Las Vegas, with several photos, including when she posed in front of an ornate chandelier installation in front of an escalator, in an elevator hall, and inside the elevator during the couple's night out.

There's also a video of the California native running down an upwards-bound escalator, which ends with a celebration of her safe arrival at the bottom of the stairway.

The duo started dating in 2017, and eventually took the next step and got engaged in June 2020.

They welcomed Kingston to Planet Earth just two three months later, in September.

Going strong: Lourd and Rydell reportedly started dating in 2017

Making a family: The couple welcomed son Kingston to Planet Earth in September 2020, three months after announcing their engagement

Along with her television roles on Scream Queens and American Horror Story, Lourd has also played Lieutenant Connix in three films in the Star Wars sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Her late mother, Carrie Fisher, played Princess Leia in the Star Wars anthology, which included reprising her role in the new films in the franchise.

Fisher died In December 2016, at the age of 60, four days after she had a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
She has long referred to herself as Australia's 'Kmart Kim Kardashian'.

And Married At First Sight's Martha Kalifatidis, 32, is now set to star in her own Keeping Up with the Kardashians-inspired reality show.

According to New Idea, Martha and her glamorous family are being inundated with lucrative offers from top casting directors.

Keeping up with the Kalifatidises? Married At First Sight bride Martha is 'in talks for her own Kardashian-style reality show with her family'. Pictured (left to right): Mary, Martha, Sophie and Theo Kalifatidis

'Offers are definitely being put forward to green-light a Kardashian-style reality series this year,' the source told the magazine.

Despite being contractually bound to Channel Nine, New Idea claims Martha's reality show could be picked up by Channel 10 for its Pilot Week line-up.

'Martha has long been eyed off by 10,' the insider said.

Australia's new reality TV royalty? 'Offers are being put forward to green-light a Kardashian-style reality series this year,' the source said. Pictured: the Kardashian-Jenner family

Martha has remained firmly in the spotlight since her debut on Nine's Married At First Sight two years ago.

Aside from boasting a huge social media following, the brunette also hosts the official MAFS recap show Red Wine Moments and is set to star in Nine's upcoming reality show Celebrity Apprentice.

Fans are also familiar with Martha's mother Mary, who became a reality star in her own right this year after joining the cast of Big Brother on Channel Seven.

Family affair! Fans are also familiar with Martha's mother Mary (left), who became a reality star in her own right this year after joining the cast of Big Brother on Channel Seven

Our very own Kanye West? Martha's Instagram influencer beau Michael Brunelli (right) will likely appear on the show

It's not the first time rumours have swirled about Martha starring in her own show.

In March last year, her publicist told NW magazine that production on a reality series had already started.

'I can confirm we are in the early stages of creating a reality show for Martha and her mum,' the publicist said.

At the time, an insider told the magazine Martha had beauty mogul Kim Kardashian in mind when coming up with the project.

'She definitely wants to be the next Kimmy K,' the source said.
Storage Wars star Jarrod Schulz has been charged with domestic violence in connection with an alleged attack on his ex Brandi Passante at an Orange County, California bar.

Police sources told TMZ on Sunday that the incident took place April 30 in which Schulz is accused of pushing Passante twice after an argument when she asked him to leave the establishment.

Police were summoned to the establishment (at which point Schulz had departed) and took a report, according to the outlet.

The latest: Storage Wars star Jarrod Schulz has been charged with domestic violence in connection with an attack on his ex Brandi Passante at an Orange County, California bar

Officers later spoke with Schulz, who denied getting physical in the exchange.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office subsequently charged Schulz with misdemeanor domestic violence battery in connection with the incident.

Passante cryptically referred to the course of events last week in an Instagram post in which she posed with a confidante.

'Longest week of my life!' she wrote. 'Good supportive friends are hard to come by. Cherish you always @chelfreeman.'

The former couple, who have been featured in the A&E show's 13-season run, confirmed their breakup earlier this year.

On the show's season 13 debut last month, Passante said, 'I'm not with Jarrod anymore,' as they had split in November of 2018

Background: Passante cryptically referred to the course of events last week in an Instagram post in which she posed with a confidante

The former couple, who have been featured in the A&E show's 13-season run, confirmed their breakup earlier this year. They are parents to two children, son Cameron and daughter Payton.

On the show's season 13 debut last month, Passante said, 'I'm not with Jarrod anymore,' as they had split in November of 2018.

Schulz on the show said that both would remain in the reselling business in the wake of their split.

'Just because me and Brandi aren't together anymore, doesn't mean we can't go to an auction - but separately,' said Schulz, who previously stared the limelight with Passante on the spin-off series Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job.

In a February chat on the Spirit Talk YouTube channel, Passante said she was 'just going with the flow' and not romantically linked to anyone 'in particular.

'I wasn't really allowed to have an identity for many, many years. And so these last couple of years, I'm kind of coming into my own and figuring out who I am,' Passante said. 'I just don't have an attachment to anyone. I've definitely dated and things like that, but ... right now it's not something I'm really trying hard to seek out. I'm waiting until I can feel an attachment to someone.'
Strictly Come Dancing's Motsi Mabuse exuded glamour as she posed for pictures wearing a patterned Versace playsuit.

The judge, 39, wore her hair in Bantu knots for the occasion and shared pictures of her stunning outfit on Instagram on Friday.

She looked sensational in the black and white mini playsuit which showcased her enviable curves.

Glamorous: Motsi Mabuse, 39, put on a leggy display as she posed in a patterned Versace playsuit in pictures shared on social media on Friday

With the long-sleeved playsuit, Motsi wore a pair of strappy gold stilettos which elongated her toned, slender legs.

She also wore a matching belt which created the perfect silhouette and a pair of large square earrings.

She styled her hair in Bantu braids, a traditional African hairstyle that has been around for more than 100 years.

The hair is sectioned off, twisted, and wrapped in a such a way that the hair stacks upon itself to form a spiraled knot.

Designer: The Strictly Come Dancing judge wowed in the glamourous outfit, which she pair with gold accessories and wore her hair in Bantu knots

Motsi took to social media on Sunday to explain the hairstyle and its significance.

She said: 'I feel a conversation should happen. At a time when Blackness, specifically Black hairstyles, are appropriated for fun by celebrities, fashion designers, and everyday peoplebecause you know, Black hair is ghetto until Bantu knots, cornrows, or box braids, etc. land on the heads of Kardashians (no hate intended just facts) .

'Embracing our hair is healing. Everything takes time. These here are called Bantu knots. Born and raised in South Africa we heard the word Bantu quiet a lot. The definition of Bantu relating to the African people who speak one of the Bantoid languages or to their culture.

'The Zulu people of southern Africa originated Bantu knots, a hairstyle where the hair is sectioned off, twisted, and wrapped in a such a way that the hair stacks upon itself to form a spiraled knot. What is the difference??

'The difference is that I have little eyes watching and learning one day my daughter will be old enough to understand and see her mom.

Powerful message: Motsi took to social media on Sunday to explain the history behind her Bantu knots - a traditional African hairstyle that has been around for more than 100 years

'Its personal at the same time there are many young girls her in Germany watching and seeing this on prime TV. They are also watching.

'Will I ever wear a wig yes of course because she must also know she has the right to choose whatever she wants.'

Her fans took to the comments to share their appreciation for her words and perspective.

One wrote: 'Love this! Even though I think we shouldn't be explaining ourselves in 2021.'

Message: 'These here are called Bantu knots. Born and raised in South Africa we heard the word Bantu quiet a lot,' she explained

Another said: 'Thank you for always representing and being true to yourself representation matters!!! And you slayed sis.'

Earlier in the year, Motsi's younger sister Oti Mabuse, 30, revealed that the pandemic meant she didn't see sister for almost a year before their Strictly reunion.

The professional explained that before the 2020 series of the BBC dance competition began last Autumn, she hadn't seen Motsi since the final of the 2019 series due to travel restrictions.

Popular: Motsi's sister Oti is one of the regular professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing

Oti lives in the UK with her husband Marius Iepure while Motsi is based in Germany with her husband Evgenij Voznyuk and their young daughter.

After Motsi flew home following the 2019 Strictly finale, the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020 meant the two sisters were separated until the 2020 series.

Speaking on Lorraine, Oti said: 'Actually the last time I had seen my sister was the Strictly final in 2019 and because of the travel bans I couldn't go over to see her on her birthday.

'We usually celebrate together so because of Strictly that was the only family member that I could actually see.'

Oti capped off 2020 with her second Strictly Come Dancing win in a row, picking up the Glitterball trophy with her celeb partner, comedian Bill Bailey.
Friends alum Lisa Kudrow was 'proud, happy, and crying a little' as her son Julian Murray Stern graduated from the University of Southern California on Sunday.

The 57-year-old Emmy winner - who earned a BS in psychobiology from Vassar College - posted the news for her 12M social media followers and received glowing comments from D'Arcy Carden, Lisa Rinna, and Dan Bucatinsky.

The 23-year-old graduate just learned that his 'really weird' six-minute junior thesis short film Mind Made Up will screen at the Portland Comedy Festival, which runs June 10-13.

Milestone: Friends alum Lisa Kudrow was 'proud, happy, and crying a little' as her son Julian Murray Stern graduated from the University of Southern California on Sunday

Also graduating from USC was two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton's 22-year-old son Daniel Patrick Hunt, whom she could barely see due to COVID-19 safety protocols.

'I think that's our son who swears he is graduating today,' the 63-year-old Everybody Loves Raymond alum tweeted.

'Our Covid seating makes it hard to know. #USC'

Lisa did not share a snap of her French husband - advertising executive Michel Stern - with whom she'll celebrate 26 years of marriage on May 27.

'Congrats! Ahhh!' The 57-year-old Emmy winner - who earned a BS in psychobiology from Vassar College - posted the news for her 12M social media followers and received glowing comments from D'Arcy Carden, Lisa Rinna, and Dan Bucatinsky

'This is literally a dream come true!' The 23-year-old graduate (M, pictured in 2020) just learned that his 'really weird' six-minute junior thesis short film Mind Made Up will screen at the Portland Comedy Festival, which runs June 10-13

'I think that's our son': Also graduating from USC was Patricia Heaton's 22-year-old son Daniel Patrick Hunt, whom she could barely see due to COVID-19 safety protocols

Private: Lisa did not share a snap of her French husband - advertising executive Michel Stern (L, pictured in 2009) - with whom she'll celebrate 26 years of marriage on May 27

May 27 also happens to be the day HBO Max debuts its long-delayed Friends reunion - titled 'The One Where They Got Back Together' - which Kudrow executive produced.

Eyebrows raised when the 19 special guests were announced as only three include people of color: Malala Yousafzai, Mindy Kaling, and K-pop boyband BTS.

Ben Winston directed the special - featuring Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Reese Witherspoon - which was filmed in April at Stage 24 of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

The Valley Girl brought her son Julian to the reunion, which is partially what made it so emotional for her.

'The One Where They Got Back Together': May 27 also happens to be the day HBO Max debuts its long-delayed Friends reunion, which Kudrow executive produced

Yikes! Eyebrows raised when the 19 special guests were announced as only three include people of color: Malala Yousafzai, Mindy Kaling, and K-pop boyband BTS

'He came up to me and he said, "Can I say that I'm really proud of you?"' The Valley Girl brought her son Julian to the reunion, which is partially what made it so emotional for her

Concluded in 2004: Lisa famously portrayed massage therapist and musician Phoebe Buffay for 10 seasons on the entirely-Caucasian NBC ensemble sitcom, which concluded in 2004

'Afterward, he came up to me and he said, "Can I say that I'm really proud of you?"' Lisa recalled on last Thursday's episode of TBS' Conan. 'That was one of the very emotional things that happened to me.'

Kudrow famously portrayed massage therapist and musician Phoebe Buffay for 10 seasons on the entirely-Caucasian NBC ensemble sitcom, which concluded in 2004.

The Death to 2020 funnywoman will next voice Honey the Poodle in the May 31 episode - titled 'Who's A Good Girl?' - of Fox animated sitcom HouseBroken.

Lisa will also voice Janice Templeton in Tom McGrath's animated sequel The Boss Baby: Family Business, which hits US theaters September 17 and UK theaters October 22.
She suffered a devastating injury when she broke her femur in a gym accident in January.

But it looks like Brooke Shields is making great progress in her long recovery.

On Sunday she was seen walking without the aid of a cane as she enjoyed a walk in NYC with husband Chris Henchy.

Recovering well: Brooke Shields was seen walking without a cane four months after breaking her femur as she enjoyed an outing with husband Chris Henchy in New York City on Sunday

The couple, who have been married since 2001, sweetly held hands as they walked around the Manhattan's West Village neighborhood.

The actress, 55, was dressed casually in a dark green t-shirt and blue jeans and stepped out in a pair of white sandals that revealed her red nail polish.

She left her long hair loose and donned a pair of black-framed tinted spectacles.

Henchy, 57, a screenwriter and producer, wore a pale blue cotton shirt left untucked over gray chinos and he added white sneakers and a pair of shades.

So in love: The couple, who have been married since 2001, sweetly held hands and paused for a heartfelt kiss as they walked around the Manhattan's West Village Neighborhood

Relaxed: The actress, 55, was dressed casually in a dark green t-shirt and blue jeans and stepped out in a pair of white sandals that revealed her red nail polish

Shields sustained a life-changing injury when she fell off a balance board and landed on her upper leg, breaking her femur.

It's been a long haul since then with the star undergoing a series of surgeries as well as battling a staph infection.

She's slowly worked her way back to mobility, first using crutches then a cane to help her get around.

In March, she shared with People that initially she was terrified she might never walk again and said the work involved in regaining the use of her leg had left her feeling helpless.

In total she's had seven rods and a metal plate inserted in her right leg and hip and she's clearly made a remarkable recovery.

'If anything, I'm a fighter,' she told People.
She welcomed her second child, a boy named Rocky, just one month ago.

And Jesinta Franklin, 29, was every inch the yummy mummy as she stepped onto the red carpet at the Vida Glow launch event in Sydney on Monday.

Joined by the likes of pop-star Rita Ora and fellow models Duckie Thot and Gemma Ward, Jesinta turned heads in an all-black ensemble as she posed against the media wall.

Oh baby! Jesinta Franklin, 29, was every inch the yummy mummy as she stepped onto the red carpet at the Vida Glow launch event in Sydney on Monday, just one month after welcoming her second child

The mother-of-two wore a plunging, long-sleeved top that showcased a glimpse of cleavage, and completed her look with a pair of wide-leg trousers.

She added height to her frame with a pair of red Bottega Veneta stilettos and accessorised her ensemble with a pearl bracelet.

For makeup. the brunette highlighted her pout with a slick of red lipstick, and enhanced her cheeks with a swipe of rosy blush.

Taking the plunge! The mother-of-two wore a plunging, long-sleeved top that showcased a glimpse of cleavage, and completed her look with a pair of wide-leg trousers

Elsewhere, mother-of-three Gemma, 33, oozed sophistication in a beige midi dress by SIR. that featured a cut-out at the waist.

She accessorised her unusual frock with a blue top-handle Fendi handbag and a pair of black stiletto sandals.

Gemma's blonde hair fell in loose tousles by her shoulders, while her age-defying complexion was enhanced with a subtle brush of bronzer.

Beauty in beige! Elsewhere, mother-of-three Gemma Ward, 33, oozed sophistication in a beige midi dress that featured a cut-out at the waist

Pop of colour: She accessorised her unusual frock with a blue top-handle handbag

Australian model Duckie Thot turned heads in a bold monochrome pattered blazer by Louis Vuitton and a leather miniskirt.

Heeled boots added height to her already statuesque frame, while a set of perfectly-painted white nails added a modern twist to her ensemble.

Rita Ora also courted attention with her red carpet attire, sporting a bright pink jumpsuit by Alex Perry and nude stilettos.

Bold: Australian model Duckie Thot (left) meanwhile turned heads in a Louis Vuitton pattered blazer and leather mini-skirt. Pictured with Rita Ora (centre) and Jestina Franklin (right)

Stylish: Heeled boots added height to her already statuesque frame, while a set of perfectly-painted white nails added a modern twist to her ensemble

Think pink! Rita Ora also courted attention with her red carpet attire, sporting a bright pink jumpsuit and nude stilettos

The British songstress, 30, pulled her blonde locks back into a smooth up-style, and completed her look with a gold choker.

Also spotted on the red carpet was Vida Glow founder Anna Lahey, who looked sleek in a tan-coloured pantsuit.

Hairstylist Renya Xydis also made an appearance at the event, sporting a green-and-cream silk blazer and matching palazzo trousers.

She wears the pants! Also spotted on the red carpet was Vida Glow founder Anna Lahey, who looked sleek in a tan-coloured pantsuit
Colton Underwood may have publicly come out as gay recently, but he has no time for 'inappropriate' fan questions about his sex life.

The 29-year-old former Bachelor star was asked via Instagram to share the number of guys he's 'done things with,' prompting him to pen a statement about his personal life.

'Let me vent for a second. Questions like this are inappropriate,' he fired back, adding that he won't be entertaining any inquiries about the details of his sex life.

Off limits: Colton Underwood, 29, addresses a fan's 'inappropriate' question about his sex life after he was asked to share the number of guys he's been with since coming at as gay publicly last month

Setting boundaries: One particularly nosy fan asked Colton: 'How many guys have you done things with?,' prompting him to publicly address that he won't be sharing those sorts of things

Colton posted a Q+A bubble to pass time while he was on a flight, telling his 2M Instagram followers: 'Ask me a question.'

When one particularly nosy fan wrote 'How many guys have you done things with?,' he shut the situation down publicly.

'Let me vent for a second. Questions like this are inappropriate. I understand you might know me from the bachelor where I shared a lot about my personal life. I have set boundaries and I'm respecting myself in a way that will lead me to a healthier life.'

He continued to say that being helmed as the 'virgin bachelor' had created an unwarranted buzz about his sex life, which has now increased since coming out.

'I never asked to be labeled as the virgin bachelor and have people feel the security to ask me questions about my sex life. It just happened and during that time I thought I had no other choice but to just go with it the network would be mad.'

Fresh start: In his Q+A he said that Denver was great for him during this time as he has an amazing support system

Authenticity: He later engaged with a few more questions, saying that his move from Los Angeles to Denver helped give him the courage to live more authentically

Colton concluded with: 'I know differently now. I'll share what I want and this won't be one of those things.'

He later engaged with a few more questions, saying that his move from Los Angeles to Denver helped give him the courage to live more authentically.

The fan comment seemed to be sparked by a recent interview he gave with Variety, in which he shared that he 'did experiment with men,' before being tapped for Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette.

'I'll say this. I was 'the Virgin Bachelor' but I did experiment with men prior to being on The Bachelorette,' he shared, before clarifying that the hookups were 'not sex.'

'When I say hookups, not sex. I want to make that very clear that I did not have sex with a man, prior to that,' he said, elaborating that the hookups made him feel 'guilty.'

Previous experimentation: The fan comment seemed to be sparked by a recent interview he gave with Variety, in which he shared that he 'did experiment with men,' before being tapped for Becca's season of The Bachelorette; pictured March 2020

'I remember feeling so guilty, like 'What the hell am I doing?' It was my first time letting myself even go there, so much so that I was like, 'I need The Bachelorette in my life, so I could be straight.''

In the interview he also divulged new details about his coming out journey saying that he had made a Grindr account under an alias around 2016 or 2017  three years before he led The Bachelor franchise on his own.

And he walked away from his season in a relationship with Cassie Randolph, before the pair called it quits officially in May 2020.

In September she filed a restraining order against him in September, accusing him of 'harassing and stalking,' her and putting a tracking device on her car.

Colton came out last month to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, giving a shocking tell-all interview where he spoke about 'processing,' what he'd known for a while.

Speaking his truth: Colton came out for the first time publicly in a Good Morning America interview where he said: 'I'm gay, and I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it'

Getting people talking: He appeared in a recent TikTok with creator Markell Washington where he faked fans out by seeming to lean in for a kiss as part of a video trend

'I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time,' he began. 'And I'm gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.'

Despite feeling liberated by the public coming out, in his recent Variety interview he shared that he felt added pressure after someone obtained photos of him visiting a spa catered towards gay clientele and threatened to 'out' him.

He spoke about the blackmail, confessing that he was just there 'to look' and that he 'should have never been there,' but after someone sent him the images and threatened to take them public, he was forced to address his sexuality head on.

Underwood has now been helmed to star in a new Netflix series which will follow his journey living as a gay man. Many are calling via petition for the show to be pulled on account of his 'manipulative,' behavior towards Randolph. It has accrued 35K out of 50K needed signatures.
There are many community partners that can provide assistance, such at the Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC), police said. If you would like to speak to a crisis counselor for guidance and resources, please call the DVCC at 888-774-2900, and if you are in immediate danger, call 911.
She's been impressing viewers with her portrayal of audacious Linda Radlett.

And Lily James once again dazzled during Sunday's second episode of The Pursuit Of Love as she flirted with a new communist beau while naked in the bath- following on from several bathroom scenes in last week's debut show.

The actress, 32, also perfectly showcased her character's love of a good party as she knocked back champagne and danced on chairs after becoming a 'society darling'.

Racy character: Lily James once again dazzled during Sunday's second episode of The Pursuit Of Love as she flirted with a new communist beau while naked in the bath

Sunday's show saw Linda go from newly married to Tony Kroesig and having their daughter, Moira, to leaving her child to become a 'society darling' and party away the years with Lord Merlin [Andrew Scott].

In these racy and alcohol-filled scenes, narrated by Linda's cousin and best pal Fanny [Emily Beecham], the character was seen dancing and stumbling around the room.

As clips of Linda falling off chairs and enjoying herself with Lord Merlin played, Fanny explained: 'Linda frittered away years of youth with nothing to show for them'.

The actress looked incredible as she donned a white silk slip dress and smoked a cigarette before changing into low cut glittering gown for another night on the tiles.

Life of the party: The actress, 32, also perfectly showcased her character's love of a good party as she knocked back champagne and danced on chairs after becoming a 'society darling'

After all the rowdy living, Linda and Fanny are seen heading to the Kroesig family estate in Surrey to visit Linda's daughter Moira, who is now seven-years-old.

However instead of bonding with her daughter, Linda becomes enchanted with communist Christian Talbot [James Frecheville].

Another racy scene from the episode showed Lily stripping off as she soaked in the bath and spoke with Fanny about love before Christian appeared at the window.

Fanny is reluctant to let him in, but bold Linda teases that she'll stand up from the tub and 'let him in herself' if her pal doesn't unlock the window.

Bath time chats: One racy scene showed Lily stripping off as she soaked in the bath and spoke with Fanny about love before Christian appeared at the window

Cheeky! Fanny is reluctant to let him in, but bold Linda teases that she'll stand up from the tub and 'let him in herself' if her pal doesn't unlock the window

'I better get dressed first!': Linda jokes that she best put some clothes on before heading off to 'fight fascists' with her new beau Christian the communist

In an unlikely declaration of love, he says to Linda: 'Fight the fascists with me, Linda.'

And after a few lingering looks, she jokes: 'I better get dressed first.'

Another standout moment from the second hour-long episode showed Linda telling her dad Matthew Radlett [Dominic West] that she was getting divorced.

The strict upper-class father is outraged at the idea and angrily tells her during a family meeting: 'Divorce! Youll be banned from the house, your sisters will be banned from seeing you, no decent man will marry any of them now.

'An adulterous woman is the single most disgusting thing there is.'

New love interest: Linda becomes enchanted with Christian Talbot [James Frecheville]

Wild time: Lily looked sensational as she knocked back drinks and partied during the show

Party animal: In racy and alcohol-filled scenes, narrated by Linda's cousin and best pal Fanny [Emily Beecham], Lily's character Linda was seen dancing and stumbling around the room

Dazzling: She slipped into another low cut glittering gown for one rowdy night on the tiles

Despite her fathers words, Linda continues with her love affair and ends up travelling abroad before leaving brokenhearted when she discovers Christian loves another woman called Lavender Davis.

The show ends with Linda sobbing at Gare du Nord in France and about to embark on a new affair with hunky Fabrice, Duc de Sauveterre [Assaad Bouab].

She is seen taking a call from him announcing his arrival for their lunch date while, once again naked, in bed and being told that she has a 'pretty name' as well as her 'keeping him waiting' is a good sign for their 'affair'.

VERY unimpressed: Another standout moment from the second hour-long episode showed Linda telling her dad Matthew Radlett [Dominic West] that she was getting divorced

Dominic's character Matthew told Lily's Linda: 'An adulterous woman is the single most disgusting thing there is'

Stunning: The actress was also seen sporting an expensive necklace while still married to Tony

The latest episode comes after some viewers of the first instalment in the series were left saying it was a 'bit weird' and 'awkward' watching actor Dominic West play his co-star's father, Matthew, in the adaption of Nancy Mitford's novel.

In October, Lily, 32, and married Dominic, 51, were caught enjoying what appeared to be a racy weekend in Rome, leading to his wife Catherine FitzGerald assuring the public they were fine - but banning him from talking to the actress again.

Taking to Twitter during the hour-long episode, one viewer wrote: 'Ah I see this is where Lily James and Dominic West's 'friendship' began then. #pursuitoflove'

And another person penned: 'Well, it's a bit awkward watching The Pursuit of Love where Dominic West plays Lily James' dad when you know they got, erm, 'close' during filming..! #ThePursuitOfLove'.

Mother: Linda has a daughter, Moira, but she doesn't spend much time with the child

Here we go again: The second episode ended with Linda about to embark on another love affair with Fabrice, Duc de Sauveterre (Assaad Bouab, pictured with Lily as Linda)

The Pursuit Of Love was filmed between July and October last year, with Lily and Dominic's Italy trip taking place shortly after filming on the period drama wrapped.

While in the Italian city the duo were spotted putting on a very cosy display as they explored Rome and enjoyed lunch with their mutual agent Angharad Wood.

Following the snaps emerging, Dominic put on a public display of unity with his wife Catherine, with the couple releasing a statement about their marriage.

It read: 'Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together.'

Catherine is also said to have banned Dominic from speaking with the actress as part of a peace deal struck between the couple, according to The Mail On Sunday.

'Bit weird': It comes after some The Pursuit Of Love viewers were left saying it was a 'bit weird' and 'awkward' watching Dominic West play his co-star Lily' father on the first show last week - after THAT cosy weekend in Rome last October

Reaction: Several said it was a little 'awkward' following the events of the last year

Since the public scandal, Lily has found love with Queens of the Stone Age rocker Michael Shuman, 35, and has been pictured meeting his parents in the states.

She recently declined to discuss the media storm about Rome in an interview with The Guardian - but admitted there is in fact much to discuss, saying: 'Ach, I'm not really willing to talk about that. There is a lot to say, but not now, I'm afraid.'

And ahead of The Pursuit Of Love airing, it was reported that Dominic is reportedly that Lily might decide to speak out about their trip to Rome.

A source told The Sun that actor is worried that his co-star's side of the story 'could be very different from what he told his wife'.

MailOnline contacted Dominic West and Lily James' representatives for further comment at the time.
She well and truly confirmed her romance with Thor director Taika Waititi over the weekend when the pair put on a very loved-up display during a romantic lunch.

And Rita Ora could not wipe the smile off her face as she attended a beauty event in Sydney on Monday morning.

The 30-year-old was glowing while leaving the Vida Glow Global launch in a standout hot pink jumpsuit.

Her smile says it all! Rita Ora beamed as she left a beauty event in Sydney on Monday after spending the weekend in the arms of her new boyfriend Thor director Taika Waititi

The Hot Right Now songstress was in high spirits, laughing and chatting with other guests.

Rita turned heads in the bright ensemble, which flaunted a hint of cleavage and her toned legs.

She teamed the stylish outfit with pair of nude stilettos, gold necklace and hoop earrings.

Pretty in pink! Rita turned heads in a hot pink jumpsuit that showed off a hint of cleavage and her toned legs

Good spirits! The Hot Right Now songstress was in high spirits, laughing and chatting with other guests

Rita tied her long blonde locks back and wore a full face of makeup consisting of a pink lip, blush and eyeliner.

The pop star was joined at the event by several local Australian celebrities, including models Jesinta Franklin and Gemma Ward.

Gift: Rita took home a small gift from the skincare brand

She's a local: Rita has been in Sydney for months now filming The Voice Australia

Strike a pose: Rita posed in front of the Sydney Opera House at the Monday morning event

Natural beauty: Rita tied her long blonde locks back and wore a full face of makeup consisting of a pink lip, blush and eyeliner

The outing comes after Rita was spotted enjoying lunch with her beau Taika Waititi in Sydney on Sunday.

Rita and the Thor director, 45, first sparked romance rumours last month after they stepped out together at the Stan's RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under premiere at the Sydney Opera House.

They avoided being photographed on the Opera House red carpet together, and appeared decidedly coy when they were spotted sneaking into the venue.

Star-studded: The pop star was joined at the event by local Australian celebrities including models Jesinta Franklin and Duckie Thot

Once inside the venue, Daily Mail Australia revealed the pair took their seats side by side at the front of the audience.

Rita also recently sent fans into a frenzy when she took to Instagram to share a cosy photo showing Taika hugging her as she posed for the camera.

According to The Sun, Rita and Taika have made no secret they are together among their famous friends and things could be getting serious.
Channel Nine has revealed the upcoming season of The Weakest Link will premiere on Tuesday, May 25.

The revived game show is set to air at 9pm, with Magda Szubanski taking over as host of the fan favourite.

'The highly anticipated return of television's most cut-throat quiz show, The Weakest Link, is here,' read a statement from Nine.

Making a comeback: Channel Nine has revealed the upcoming season of The Weakest Link will premiere on Tuesday, May 25. Pictured, host Magda Szubanski

'Comedian and actress Magda Szubanski will host the all-new, supercharged version of the smash-hit quiz when it premieres Tuesday.'

The show was originally set to premiere on May 4, but was pushed back to a later date because of scheduling issues.

It first premiered in February 2001 with the late Cornelia Frances acting as host, before it was cancelled just a year later.

'The highly anticipated return of television's most cut-throat quiz show, Weakest Link, is here,' read a statement from Nine

But according to Nine, the new season 'has been reimagined for a new generation', with Magda, 60, now at the helm.

'They say never work with animals or children, but no one ever mentioned quiz show contestants!' Magda said in a statement.

'My patience will be pushed to its limits each week as I try my best to give eight players a chance at winning a remarkable $250,000.

'They say never work with animals or children, but no one ever mentioned quiz show contestants!' Magda said in a statement

'Yet at every turn they do their best to let themselves down. Weakest Link will have you playing along, shouting at the television, and recognising me for the tolerant, forgiving host that I always knew I would be.'

A Nine spokesperson blamed the programming change on The Weakest Link's 'tight production schedule' - with TV Tonight reporting that filming only started late last month.

'Due to the tight production schedule Weakest Link will now launch at the end of May on Channel 9,' the representative said.

Channel Nine has delayed the premiere date for quiz show reboot The Weakest Link, hosted by controversial comedian Magda (pictured in Auckland in 2019)

The delay could be a blessing in disguise for Nine, as Szubanski made headlines for all the wrong reasons last month when she fired off a series of bizarre and widely condemned tweets about Prime Minister Scott Morrison's wife, Jenny.

She later defended her tweets - which compared a conservatively dressed Mrs Morrison to a character from dystopian TV series The Handmaid's Tale - by arguing the PM's wife was fair game for criticism because she had 'opted in' to public life by offering her husband policy advice.

Szubanski also suggested the outrage was distracting from ousted Australia Post boss Christine Holgate's scorching testimony against the PM at a Senate Inquiry - even though this had been covered extensively by news outlets at the time.

The network had originally scheduled the program to launch on Tuesday, May 4, at 8:50pm, but it's now expected to air later in the month, reports TV Blackbox. Szubanski is pictured in Melbourne in November 2019

The Weakest Link previously aired on Channel Seven from 2001 to 2002, and was hosted by the late Cornelia Frances

The delay could be a blessing in disguise for Nine, as Szubanski made headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier this month when she fired off a series of bizarre and widely condemned tweets about Prime Minister Scott Morrison 's wife, Jenny

She faced criticism from female politicians for comparing Jenny Morrison to a character from The Handmaid's Tale in this Twitter post from April 11

Responding to criticism from Liberal MP Nicolle Flint - one of several conservative female politicians who took issue with her Handmaid's Tale tweet - Szubanski wrote: '1) seriously, my comment is 'appalling' says Flint. 'Appalling'?!

'2) I never said a single word about Jenny. 3) why is this headline news when... Christine Holgate is testifying?! Blatant attempt to use 'sisterhood' to distract. Now THAT'S appalling.'

She then denied any suggestion she was 'walking back' her initial comments about Mrs Morrison.

Szubanski tweeted: 'Oh no you don't! I'm not 'walking back' from anything! Simply stating facts. Nor will I be forced into an apology for... nothing.

'I see what the 'Christian Soldiers' are doing here. They have drawn a 'pink line' and I'm the Big Game. Let the fat shaming begin!

'THIS is what this is really all about. Well, I'm not backing down. The infiltration of the religious far right into Australian politics is... disturbing.'

She defended her Twitter post - which compared a conservatively dressed Mrs Morrison to a character from dystopian TV series The Handmaid's Tale - by arguing the PM's wife had 'opted in' to public life by offering her husband policy advice. Szubanski is pictured in October 2019

Szubanski tried to justify her criticism of Mrs Morrison by saying the PM had 'weaponised' his wife by admitting he speaks to her about policy matters

During a subsequent interview on A Current Affair - which was viewed by many as Nine's attempt at 'damage control' ahead of the launch of The Weakest Link - Szubanski reiterated her position that her tweets were not about Jenny personally but about the influence of the Christian right in politics.

'That was a mild way of drawing attention to the fact I do have concerns about, and trust me this is not about the majority of Christians, but the element of the far-right,' she said.

'And - they are really going to come for me now - I think that is a concern. I think that is quite legitimate to say in this country. I don't like extremes of any kind is my stance.'

Mr and Mrs Morrison are evangelical Christians and have made no apologies for their strong beliefs, with the Liberal leader having met his future wife at a Christian youth camp.

Responding to criticism from Liberal MP Nicolle Flint - one of several conservative female politicians who took issue with her Handmaid's Tale tweet - Szubanski wrote: '1) seriously, my comment is 'appalling' says Flint. 'Appalling'?!'

During a subsequent interview on A Current Affair - which was viewed by many as Nine's attempt at 'damage control' ahead of the launch of The Weakest Link - Szubanski reiterated her position that her tweets were not about Jenny personally but about the influence of the Christian right in politics

A glum-looking Szubanski had celebrated her 60th birthday on April 12 by taking a solo stroll in Melbourne, after being criticised by female politicians for comparing Mrs Morrison to a character from The Handmaid's Tale.

The funnywoman, who won fame for her roles on comedy shows Fast Forward, Full Frontal and Kath & Kim before becoming a prominent activist, had retweeted a photo of Mrs Morrison in a high-neck black dress as she watched her husband sign a condolence book for the late Prince Philip.

Szubanski captioned the image: 'I genuinely thought this was a photoshopped Handmaid's Tale meme. But no. It's 21st century Aussie life.'

Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, HBO series The Handmaid's Tale is set in a totalitarian society in which women are treated as property of the state.

Szubanski had retweeted the photo with a message from a left-wing Twitter account, which read: 'Good morning to everyone else to whom this feels creepy, chilling, terrifying, ominous, enraging, despairing and utterly, completely f**king depressing.'

She faced widespread backlash for her commentary, which suggested Ms Morrison was part of the machinery of a misogynist society.

The actress - who played loveable misfit Sharon Strzelecki in ABC sitcom Kath & Kim - faced backlash from a number of conservative female politicians over her tweet.

Dystopian: Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, HBO series The Handmaid's Tale is set in a totalitarian society in which women are treated as property of the state. Pictured: actors Yvonne Strahovski and Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid's Tale

NSW Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes told The Daily Telegraph: 'Ms Szubanski has herself been the target of obscene trolls, yet the hypocritical nature of the Left is here on display.'

Liberal MP Nicolle Flint also launched a scathing attack on Magda, saying her tweet represents a 'double standard' in the way female politicians are perceived.

'I cannot believe the appalling personal attacks on Mrs Morrison, especially by Ms Szubanski, a woman who has received one of our nation's highest honours,' she said.

'Ms Szubanski's completely disrespectful comments are yet another example of the double standards demonstrated towards women on the centre-right of politics.

'The sisterhood need to stop picking and choosing which sisters to protect; all women deserve to be treated with respect.'

Szubanski had also re-tweeted an image of the Morrison family posing with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, zooming in on Mrs Morrison's hand which showed her forefinger and thumb joined.

While it is mostly used as a benign sign for 'OK', a similar signal had been used by the far right, using the digits to create a W and P for White Power.

'What's this little hand signal thingy??' Szubanski tweeted.

While her question may have been innocent, it prompted a string of replies suggesting the hand gesture was somehow sinister.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Jenny Morrison's hand gesture was in any way signifying 'white supremacy'.

More backlash: Szubanski had also re-tweeted this image of the Morrison family posing with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, zooming in on Mrs Morrison's hand which showed her forefinger and thumb joined. While many understand the symbol to be a benign sign for 'OK', darker corners of the Internet allege it's been appropriated to signify 'white supremacy'

On April 13, Szubanski took to her social media platform again to address the backlash against her controversial Handmaid's Tale tweet.

'Let me be clear...' she wrote, 'I'm not actually making a disparaging comment about Jenny. I just genuinely thought it was a meme!'

After one follower called her 'bitter and twisted', she replied: 'I know, right?! I'm terrible Muriel. A bitter twisted wreck of a once talented (debatable) funny gal.

'Sigh. So do yourself a favour and spare yourself the awful spectacle and don't follow me or read my tweets. Actually, I'll save you the effort and just block you.'
Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson have hinted at a future beyond commercial radio, after several clashes with KIIS FM management.

Sandilands, 49, made a throwaway remark on Monday's Kyle and Jackie O Show about 'leaving here' and signing with a 'censorship-free' platform.

He spoke about a move away from traditional radio broadcasting after becoming frustrated with the legal and HR loopholes he had to jump through to get his Most Beautiful Penis Pageant over the line.

Tension: Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson have hinted at a future beyond commercial radio, after several clashes with KIIS FM management

After declaring the winner of the Penis Pageant, Sandilands complained about how difficult it had been getting the competition on the air.

He also bemoaned the fact the contest was only a sanitised version of the grand extravaganza he'd originally planned last year.

He and co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson said the much-hyped competition was 'as good as we could get it' given the restrictions imposed by the 'fun police' executives at the Australian Radio Network (ARN).

Making a move? Sandilands, 49, made a throwaway remark on Monday's Kyle and Jackie O Show about 'leaving here' and signing with a 'censorship-free' platform

Sandilands then said: 'Until we leave here and go commercial free and censorship free...'

While he didn't say anything further, his comments hinted at a future 'with a streaming or podcast giant less hamstrung by commercial broadcasting rules', according to Radio Today.

If Sandilands and Henderson do end up leaving KIIS FM over the censorship issue, they will likely end up taking most of their audience with them.

When the duo quit 2Day FM in late 2013, they brought their listeners with them to KIIS, resulting in a sharp ratings decline for their old station that is still felt today.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted KIIS FM and Sandilands' manager, Bruno Bouchet, for comment.

Issues: He spoke about a move away from traditional radio broadcasting after becoming frustrated with the legal and HR loopholes he had to jump through to get his Most Beautiful Penis Pageant over the line. Pictured: Sandilands' co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson

It comes a week after Sandilands sensationally threatened to quit his top-rating breakfast show last Tuesday over a disagreement with KIIS FM management.

He started the broadcast at 6am in a filthy mood after discovering senior execs had removed the much-hyped Most Beautiful Penis Pageant from the podcast edition of his radio show.

Sandilands claimed he'd been 'lied to by station management' who allegedly told him the Most Beautiful Penis Pageant would be included uncensored on The Kyle and Jackie O podcast - which is one of the most popular in Australia.

When he woke up to discover the segment - which he'd been trying to get on air for months - had been edited out of the podcast, he was ropeable.

Valuable asset: If Sandilands and Henderson do end up leaving KIIS FM over the censorship issue, they will likely end up taking most of their audience with them

He offered a stern warning to station bosses and vowed to find out which executive was responsible for the decision.

'You don't go up against me or you'll be finished,' he said. 'I wish I could name a name but I don't know a name yet.'

Henderson, 46, was less outraged by the podcast snub but was nonetheless confused as to why it was edited out.

'The Penis Pageant is happening on our show; we've just got to make sure it's on our podcast. I don't understand. If it can be heard here...' she said.

'[On other] podcasts people are saying so much worse. There's a lot of freedom of speech on there. [On] podcasts they're saying anything they want to.'

Sandilands added: 'I don't think our company understands audio. Get a grip. One more lie from this management and you'll never see me again.'

He then backed down on his threat slightly by making a joke about having 'to rob banks to survive' without his radio salary.

But jokes aside, he seemed genuinely angry and upset that management had gone behind his back by removing his beloved Penis Pageant from the podcast.

He concluded: 'Anyway, the witch hunt will continue behind the scenes, and when I find out the culprit, they will be exposed for the lying dog they are.

'Tricking and lying and ducking and weaving. How embarrassing. It's embarrassing.'

Ropeable: It comes a week after Sandilands sensationally threatened to quit his top-rating breakfast show last Tuesday over a disagreement with KIIS FM management

It's not uncommon for content broadcast on live radio to be removed when a show is uploaded as a podcast on Apple, Spotify or other audio streaming platforms.

This is typically done to cover up gaffes, but sometimes it's due to legal concerns.

Legally problematic content broadcast on live radio often doesn't result in any consequences for stations because live radio is considered an ephemeral medium - in other words, it is aired once then 'disappears' and is forgotten.

But when the content is uploaded to the Internet, it becomes more permanent and searchable on Google, which can result in complaints down the track.

The radio duo announced earlier this month they would be holding their long-awaited Most Beautiful Penis Pageant on May 17, after months of negotiations with management and lawyers at KIIS FM.

Sandilands was particularly enthusiastic about the concept, which he first proposed on air last year, declaring: 'This is the greatest day of my life.'

Network bosses had previously expressed concerns about the ethics and legality of such a contest, and were especially worried about minors sending in explicit photos.

As a result, the segment was the subject of much behind-the-scenes legal wrangling at KIIS FM.

On May 7, Sandilands read aloud a confidential legal letter that outlined some of the supposed risks associated with the Penis Pageant.

He said on air: '"Clause three states that you" - me, right? - "accept all risk associated with the Most Beautiful Penis Pageant. These risks include, but are not limited to, 1) Being exposed to full-frontal male nudity" - that's fine - "2) Being exposed to unsolicited images of penises, scrotums and potentially anuses..." Imagine the poor person writing this letter! Some poor paralegal sitting there typing this up.'

Sandilands continued: '"We know that if you were to be traumatised through the exposure to nudity etc. or physically injured that you have no legal recourse in recouping any damages through the Australian Radio Network."'

Henderson added: 'I don't think we have to worry about that, do we?'

Where did it go? He started the broadcast in a filthy mood after discovering senior execs had removed the much-hyped Most Beautiful Penis Pageant from the podcast edition of his show

Sandilands went on, quoting the letter: '"It is important to acknowledge that any physical or psychological harm that would stem from being host, judge and creator of Most Beautiful Penis Pageant are solely your responsibility.

'"While this type of activity may appear to be fun, there are real-life consequences with much to be considered from partaking in this type of activity.'"

KIIS FM newsreader Brooklyn Ross then asked: 'So are you going to sign the waiver?'

Muzzled: On Monday, Sandilands bemoaned the fact the Most Beautiful Penis Pageant was only a sanitised version of the grand extravaganza he'd originally planned last year

'Yeah, I'm going to sign the waiver,' Sandilands responded. 'It just means I can't sue if someone comes in here and stabs me to death during it.'

Sandilands found it baffling that anybody could be traumatised by a penis pageant, and asked his producers if they'd already signed the waiver.

They all said they had signed except for Henderson, who admitted she hadn't yet but intended to once her manager had read over it.
Sunrise host Natalie Barr has spoken candidly about struggling with motherhood when her sons Lachlan and Hunter were young.

The Channel Seven presenter, 53, admitted it was extremely difficult to balance her TV career with raising her children.

'I was barely keeping it together. I went back to work in three months [after giving birth] because I really struggled with motherhood at that stage and found it hard to be at home with young kids,' Natalie told TV Week.

Candid: Sunrise host Natalie Barr has spoken candidly about struggling with motherhood when her sons, Lachlan and Hunter, were young

The journalist went on to say she couldn't have done it without her husband Andrew Thompson's support.

'I really couldn't do anything of this without him,' she said.

'He's so much stronger than me. I might appear strong but I'm not really. I've learned to be a stronger person over the years and through my job,' Natalie explained.

Difficult balance: 'I was barely keeping it together... I went back to work in three months [after giving birth] because I really struggled with motherhood at that stage and found it hard to be at home with young kids,' Natalie told TV Week

Natalie joined Seven's breakfast show as a newsreader in 2003, and was promoted to co-anchor this year after the departure of Sam Armytage.

Her husband Andrew is an Oscar-nominated film and TV editor best known for his short film The Eleven O'Clock.

The couple married in 1995 and share sons Lachlan, born in 2001, and Hunter, born in 2005.

'He's so much stronger than me': The journalist went on to say she couldn't have done it without her husband Andrew Thompson's support. Pictured together on March 27 in Sydney

Last year, Natalie celebrated 25 years at Seven; however her career in journalism actually began at the Wanneroo Times in 1987.

In an interview with Yahoo, Natalie also revealed she was the 'fittest [she's] ever been' after embracing a 'back to basics' approach to her health.

'I exercise regularly, eat well most of the time, cut out sugar and make sure I get enough sleep,' she said.
She underwent preventative surgery to have her ovaries removed earlier this month, as she continues to battle breast cancer.

But Camilla Franks refused to let the recent procedure dampen her mood on Thursday, as she stepped out in Sydney wearing a bold outfit and a bright smile.

Surrounded by her assistants, the high-profile fashion designer, 44, turned heads in an animal-print hoodie and matching trackpants from her own label.

Still smiling: Camilla Franks, 44, was in good spirits as she stepped out in a animal-print tracksuit in Sydney on Thursday, after undergoing surgery to remove her ovaries

She completed her look with a black cross-body bag, white sneakers and a large gold cocktail ring.

Camilla revealed her age-defying complexion by going makeup free, and allowed her bleach blonde tresses to fall loosely by her shoulders.

At one stage, the businesswoman was spotted standing on the footpath chatting to someone inside a car.

Fresh-faced: Camilla revealed her age-defying complexion by going makeup free, and allowed her bleach blonde tresses to fall loosely by her shoulders

Later, Camilla strolled down the road holding hands with her daughter Luna, two.

The mother-daughter duo wore matching outfits, with little Luna sporting animal-print leggings and a printed jacket designed by her mother.

Camilla, meanwhile, layered a colourful puffer jacket over her animal-print tracksuit.

Friendly: At one stage, the businesswoman was spotted standing on the footpath chatting to someone inside a car

The outing came a week after Camilla shared a gut-wrenching Instagram post about her surgery and the sorrow she felt after having her ovaries removed.

On May 6, she uploaded a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed alongside Luna's teddy bear, calling the toy her 'comfort in a sea of sadness'.

'I'm clinging to it like a life raft, breathing in her smell, feeling her presence and warmth. Its little furry body is soaked with a torrent of tears that I can't seem to stop,' she wrote in the caption.

Twinning! Later, Camilla and her daughter Luna, two, were spotted wearing matching outfits as they strolled down the footpath hand in hand

'I lie here with a broken heart as I recover from surgery to finally remove my ovaries. The grief and pain is excruciating. I feel as if my chest is going to burst as I mourn the loss of children I can no longer bear.'

Describing her battle with breast cancer as 'hideous', Camilla confessed her fight with the insidious disease is ongoing.

'The gut-wrenching fear, sickness and debilitating rounds of immediate treatment are one thing, but it goes on,' she continued.

Recovering: Camilla shared this a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed on May 6, as she recovered from surgery to remove her ovaries

'I have a harmful BRCA2 gene variant and with that diagnosis came a horrible reality. That not only did I have to fight the breast cancer I had, I also had to prevent the future cancers I was so much more likely to get - more breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, and others.'

She added: 'I had to fight to save my life. A life which is so much more precious now that I have a little girl who loves and needs me.'

Camilla was first diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer only months after welcoming her daughter in January 2018.

Horrific: Describing her battle with breast cancer as 'hideous', Camilla confessed her fight with the insidious disease is ongoing. Pictured at a fashion show in Sydney in May 2018

'First was the discovery of a lump, and the heartache of having to wean my eight-week-old baby off my breast within days,' she wrote.

'Then six months of the bazooka of all chemo to attack my cancer, successfully. Then my treatment shifted to prevention.

'I underwent a double mastectomy, saying goodbye to my breasts which had only just been nourishing my beautiful newborn. Next went my fallopian tubes.

'But now, this. The divine essence of my womanhood. My ovaries, the most sacred givers of life, being taken from me, leaves the biggest hole of all.'

Fear: 'The gut-wrenching fear, sickness and debilitating rounds of immediate treatment are one thing, but it goes on,' she said. Pictured at a fashion launch in Sydney in April 2017

Camilla revealed she'd been undergoing IVF treatments in the hope of having another child when her dream of becoming a second-time mum was destroyed.

'I've spent the last 18 in pursuit of the dream of becoming a mother again,' she confessed.

'I kept putting this final lifesaving surgery off in the hope that I could pull off a miracle... I just really wanted to carry a baby again.'
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Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe 2021 on Sunday a year after the 2020 pageant was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 26-year-old model-software engineer - who was crowned by 2019 titleholder Zozibini Tunzi - reacted to her triumph on Instagram: 'MISS UNIVERSE IS MEXICO!', and later: 'MEXICO ESTO ES PARA TI,' which translates as 'Mexico is for you'.

For the grand finale, Andrea dazzled in a flaming red-fringed gown designed by Ivis Lenin to accept the honor onstage Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

Meza - who has 40 cousins and wowed judges in a hot pink mini dress, a yellow bikini and Aztec dragon national costume - is reportedly the third Mexican woman to ever win the crown, following Lupita Jones and Ximena Navarrete.

Congrats! Miss Mexicana Universal Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe 2021 on Sunday a year after the 2020 pageant was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic

The 26-year-old model-software engineer - who was crowned by 2019 titleholder Zozibini Tunzi (R) - reacted to her triumph on Instagram: 'MISS UNIVERSE IS MEXICO!'

Supportive embrace: The Autonomous University of Chihuahua grad managed to beat out 74 other contestants for the title of Miss Universe at the 69th annual beauty competition

Brook Lee, Demi-Leigh Tebow, Miss Universe 2021 Andrea Meza and Olivia Culpo pose onstage at the Miss Universe 2021 Pageant at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on May 16

The Autonomous University of Chihuahua grad managed to beat out 73 other contestants for the title of Miss Universe at the 69th annual beauty competition, including Miss Brazil Julia Gama - who came in as runner up - and Miss Peru Janick Maceta Del Castillo, who came in third place.

'I am so honored to have been selected among the 73 other amazing women I stood with tonight,' Meza said in a press release from the Miss Universe Organization.

'It is a dream come true to wear the Miss Universe crown, and I hope to serve the world through my advocacy for equality in the year to come and beyond.'

'We live in a society that more and more is more than advanced, and as we advance as a society, we've also advanced with stereotypes,' she said in her final statement during the pageant

'Nowadays beauty isn't only the way we look. For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirit, but in our hearts and the way that we conduct ourselves. Never permit someone to tell you that you're not valuable.'

The six-foot-tall model and makeup-artist, who is from Chihuahua City, is also an activist, and 'works closely with the Municipal Institute for Women, which aims to end gender-based violence.'

She additionally serves as the official Tourism Brand Ambassador for her hometown.

On Monday, hours after claiming her crown, Andrea appeared on Good Morning America to celebrate her win, revealing that she spent many years thinking that Mexican people were not able of achieving success on such a prestigious global platform.

Taut tummy: And while Miss America ditched their swimsuit competition in 2018, the women competing for Miss Universe were still required to strut their stuff in a bikini

Andrea donned three very different dresses throughout the competition including a hot-pink mini and a beige halter gown with a thigh-high slit

Quetzalcoatl: Meza also represented her country by wearing a national costume of an Aztec dragon featuring thousands of beads and colorful feathers

However that 'mindset' changed when Andrea saw her countryman Ximena Navarrete claim the Miss Universe crown in 2010, she revealed.

'[My dream of being Miss Universe] started when I was around 15 years old when Ximena Navarrete won Miss Universe,' she said.

'I used to think that Mexican people were not able to get to these places and to be in these high positions, and after she won, she changed the mindset that I had.'

But even after overcoming her fears about how her heritage might hold her back, Andrea says she still faced an uphill battle to achieve the kind of self-confidence needed to step out on the Miss Universe stage.

'I always thought that I was not pretty enough, that I was not smart enough, and I was afraid of being in front of cameras or microphones,' she shared.

Andrea added that her feelings of self doubt made her Miss Universe dream seem 'impossible' at times, however she says she was determined to 'get out of her comfort zone' - even if that meant facing her fears head-on.

Elegant: For the grand finale, Andrea dazzled in a flaming red-fringed gown designed by Ivis Lenin to accept the honor onstage Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood

The model and software engineer student blew kisses to the crowds after she was announced this year's winner

Elated: Meza - who has 40 cousins - is reportedly the third Mexican woman to ever win the crown, following Lupita Jones and Ximena Navarrete

Emcees: The FYI-broadcast ceremony was hosted by 2012 titleholder Olivia Culpo (L) and Saved by the Bell star Mario Lopez (R)

Amazon! Andrea also posed with special performer, five-time Grammy nominee Luis Fonsi

'It was an impossible dream that I had, but I started growing up and I decided that this was the path that I needed to take in order to get out of my comfort zone and keep growing,' she explained.

The newly-crowned Miss Universe, who described herself as being 'not the tallest, not the skinniest', hopes that her participation in the pageant will help others to see that they can break beyond conventional beauty standards to achieve anything they dream of.

'I like to think I am perfect the way I am,' she said. 'I am not the tallest, I am not the skinniest, [I don't have] the perfect body. [But] I always believe that beauty comes in different packages, and we are all different. We can embrace ourselves and we can feel good about ourselves.

'I just like to picture myself to others like a normal person. If you look at my social media, yeah you can find pictures where I'm looking fabulous, but I also like to show them the real me, the real Andrea, and the normal activities, and having a normal look.

'[I want to] make them understand that not everything is about glamor, not everything is about how you look. It's about who you are, it's about what you do, and what you are doing to help your society and help yourself.'

The FYI-broadcast ceremony was hosted by 2012 titleholder Olivia Culpo and Saved by the Bell star Mario Lopez, and it featured a special performance by Luis Fonsi.

During the Q&A round with four other contestants, Andrea was asked about beauty standards in the fast-evolving age of technology.

'We live in a society that more and more is more advanced and as we have advanced as a society, we have advanced with stereotypes,' Meza explained through a translator.

'Nowadays, beauty is not only the way we look. For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirits, but in our hearts and the way we conduct ourselves. Never permit someone to tell you that you are not valuable.'

'Never permit someone to tell you that you are not valuable': During the Q&A round with four other contestants, Meza was asked about beauty standards in the fast-evolving age of technology

'Create the lockdown even before everything was that big': The 6ft vegan - who reportedly has Chinese ancestry - also explained how she would have handled the coronavirus pandemic through a translator

Miss Mexico Andrea Meza clutched her prized bouquet as she waved to the crowds after being announced winner of Miss Universe 2021

Celebration: On Monday, Andrea appeared on Good Morning America to discuss her win, revealing that she never used to think 'Mexican people were able to get to these places'

Inspiration: When Andrea was 15, she watched her fellow countryman Ximena Navarrete win Miss Universe 2010, and that helped her to realize that her heritage would not hold her back

The 6ft vegan - who reportedly has Chinese ancestry - also explained how she would have handled the coronavirus pandemic.

'I believe that what I would have done was create the lockdown even before everything was that big,' Andrea stated.

'Because we lost so many lives and we cannot afford that. We have to take care of our people. That's why I would have taken care of them since the beginning.'

And while Miss America ditched their swimsuit competition in 2018, the women competing for Miss Universe were still required to strut their stuff in a bikini.

Meza donned three very different dresses throughout the competition including a hot-pink mini and a beige halter gown with a thigh-high slit.

Miss Mexico 2017 also represented her country by wearing a national costume of an Aztec dragon featuring thousands of beads and colorful feathers.

Also sending a message was Uruguay's Lola de los Santos Bicco, who fanned out her rainbow-colored cape to reveal the phrase: 'No more hate, violence, rejection, discrimination'

Plea: Myanmar's Thuzar Wint Lwin literally held a sign up asking for 'Prayers for Myanmar' in reaction to the unrest in the Asian nation since the military carried out a putsch on February 1

Miss Singapore Bernadette Belle Ong decided to include her powerful message into her actual costume and decided to shine a spotlight on the #StopAsianHate movement through a sequinned bodysuit which included a hashtag on a white and red cape

Taking to her Instagram, Bernadette Belle Ong penned: 'This year's national costume is inspired by the Singapore flag. The red of the flag represents universal fellowship, and white purity. These ideals ring true not just for Singapore but also at an international competition like Miss Universe that brings women together to empower each other and address important issues. #stopasianhate'

The official representative of Cayman Islands, Mariah Tibbetts, put on a very colourful display in a range of red, orange and blue in her carnival-inspired outfit

Looking roarsome! Miss Nicaragua Ana Marcelo made sure she stood out among the other contestants in her eye-catching ensemble (pictured, left and right)

Monochrome magic! Miss Great Britain Jeanette Akua put on a memorable display in a black and white sequin down as she took centre stage

Miss Denmark Amanda Petri lit up the stage in her breathtaking ensemble which featured lights, feathers and sequins

Miss Universe Philippines Rabiya Mateo put on a stylish display in red and blue wings and three stars to represent the colours and symbols of the country's flag

Miqueal-Symone, who is the 48th Jamaican woman to represent Jamaica at the Miss Universe, looked powerful in purple as she took to the stage

Miss Bahamas Shauntae-Ashleigh Miller, who placed as first runner-up in 2018, donned an air hostess inspired outfit - complete with a plane attached to her back

Other contestants standing out in their national costumes included Singapore's Bernadette Belle Ong who wore a cape emblazoned with 'Stop Asian Hate.'

Taking to her Instagram, she penned: 'This year's national costume is inspired by the Singapore flag. The red of the flag represents universal fellowship, and white purity.'

'These ideals ring true not just for Singapore but also at an international competition like Miss Universe that brings women together to empower each other and address important issues. #stopasianhate.'

She continued: 'Our peaceful social fabric is built on respect for all races, languages and religions. We stand tall and raise our voice for democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. This is what makes Singapore thrive as a multicultural, inter-religious nation.'

Also sending a message was Uruguay's Lola de los Santos Bicco, who fanned out her rainbow-colored cape to reveal the phrase: 'No more hate, violence, rejection, discrimination.'

Myanmar's Thuzar Wint Lwin literally held a sign up asking for 'Prayers for Myanmar' in reaction to the unrest in the Asian nation since the military carried out a putsch on February 1, disputing the results of an election that resulted in a pro-democracy party winning power.

Across Myanmar, citizens have been pushing back against the ruling junta, staging massive demonstrations which have been met with violence by the military and led to the deaths of hundreds so far.

What a way to shellabrate! Miss Panama Carmen Jaramillo donned a costume adorned with a fishing net and shells as she represented her country

Miss Universe Ukraine Yelyzaveta Yastremska opted for an intricate dress which took the folk tradition of paper-cutting to monumental levels

Spring has sprung! Miss Dominican Republic Kimberly Jimenez brought a touch of sunshine to the stage with her daffodil-inspired costume

Miss Bolivia Lenka Nemer put on a jovial display to ensure her colourful costume was captured in all its glory

Flower power! Ivonne Cerdas Cascante, who represented Costa Rica, donned a floral-patterned gown as she took to the stage to compete in the 2021 beauty contest

Making a splash! Miss Mauritius Vandana Jeetah put on a tropical display in a sea-inspired gown which featured an array of different oceanic fish

Miss Colombia Laura Olascuaga made sure all eyes were on her in this bright ensemble, complete with feathers, sequins and pom poms

Miss Brazil Julia Gama took to the stage in a nude-coloured playsuit and platform heels this morning (pictured)

Miss Argentina Alina Akselrad paid tribute to her country's incredible football success in her sequinned kit featuring an image of Diego Maradona, one of the country's greatest sporting legends (pictured, left and right)

Miss British Virgin Islands Shabree Frett looked pretty in pink as she opted for a feathered dress complete with flamingo headpiece

Spreading the love! Nova Stevens, who was representing Canada, made sure the maple leaf took centre stage of her ensemble - the characteristic leaf of the maple tree is the most widely recognised national symbol of the country

Miss Netherlands Denise Spellman proudly represented her country in a red gown which has 'Holland' emblazoned across the front

Mariangel Villasmil Arteaga, Miss Venezuela (pictured, left and right), looked a vision in blue as she put her best fashion foot forward on Friday morning

Cecilia Rossell, who represented Miss Honduras, put on a confident display in a very impressed headpiece complete with cheetah statue

Miss Australia Maria Thattil opted for a black and white ensemble as she appeared onstage at the Miss Universe 2021

Miss Ecuador Leyla Espinoza impressed on stage with a gold and black cape at the Miss Universe 2021

Miss France Amandine Petit had two layers to her big reveal - taking off her white gown to reveal a skimpy silver sequin outfit

Other memorable performances included Miss Philippines Rabiya Mateo, who stood out in a pair of red and blue wings and three stars which represented the colours and symbols of her country's flag.

The three stars in the Philippine flag represent the country's main island groups which are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Wearing her dark hair loose and wavy, Rabiya completed her eye-catching ensemble with a pair of mismatched but colour-coordinated heels.

Miss Bahamas Shauntae-Ashleigh Miller, who placed as first runner-up in 2018, also made sure she was one to be seen in her glitzy air hostess-inspired outfit - complete with a plane attached to her back.

Miss Haiti Eden Berandoive opted to make a bold statement as she took to the stage for the 69th edition of Miss Universe 2021

Chelsea Tayui, the official representative of Ghana, donned a colourful ensemble comprised of the colour's of her country's flag

Miss Barbados Hillary Ann Williams brought a splash of colour in bright turquoise as she attended the 69th edition of the beauty competition

Lady in red! Miss Albania, Paula Mehmetukaj, opted for a figure hugging bodice, red gown and impressive neckpiece as her turn came to take to the stage

Miss Italy Viviana Vizzini put her best foot forward as she took to the stage at Miss Universe 2021

Miss Cambodia Sarita Reth was all smiles when it was her turn to grace the stage and showcase her 'national costume'
Sacha Baron Cohen appeared as himself as well as all of his characters - including Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Bruno and Admiral General Aladeen - at the MTV Movie & TV Awards as he accepted the honors for the Comedic Genius gong on Sunday.

Cohen, 49, was introduced by Seth Rogen prior to initially appearing as Borat, saying: 'Thank you Prince Harry. I'm very excited to be on this brand new music television channel.

'I'm very happy to be accepting this cup of gold teeth instead of Sacha Baron Cohen and will put it in our national museum along with national treasure we have confiscated.'

In da house: Ali G was back in our lives on Sunday at the MTV Movie & TV Awards

In character: Sacha Baron Cohen appeared as himself as well as all of his characters at the ceremony as he accepted the honors for the Comedic Genius gong on Sunday [L-R Borat and Bruno]

Ali G then made his way into the picture, arguing the merits of his character collecting the honors: 'We should be accepting this award not you. I was the original gangster. The OG.'

Eventually, Cohen himself appeared in a suit to clarify that he was the one worthy of receiving the award as the creator of all the characters.

'Thank you MTV; to the millions of fans out there who voted for me, I salute you,' he said. 'This is yours, I'd be nothing without you. I'm so humbled by this. I'm just a human being creating complex nuanced characters.'

Cohen's Bruno character then emerged onscreen and made his case, to which Cohen eventually said: 'I am officially canceling myself - I was actually really looking forward to this after losing the Oscar. You can f***ing keep it.'

Cohen was referencing his 2021 Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Best Adapted Screenplay for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - both of which he failed to win.

Three of a kind: They all appeared alongside each other for the funny sketch

Funnyman: Cohen first appeared as Borat, who said, 'Thank you Prince Harry. I'm very excited to be on this brand new music television channel'

Blast from the past: Ali G, clad in a yellow outfit, then made his way into the picture, arguing the merits of his character collecting the honors

In charge: Cohen also reprised his role as Admiral General Aladeen for the acceptance

Past performers to capture the honors include Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart and Melissa McCarthy; according to MTV, the award is set to honor a performer 'who has made incomparable contributions to the world of comedy, providing a major influence through their work and transforming the genre at-large.'

Cohen had been nominated for three awards at the ceremony - Best Movie, Best Duo (with Maria Bakalova) and Best Performance in a Movie for his performance in The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Cohen had received plaudits in an introduction from Rogen, who said, 'From the start, his goal was to reveal the truth about the human condition by utilizing brilliant wit and sharp, insightful commentary.'

Rogen said that Cohen 'went on to reveal so much more' - including various parts of his anatomy he's bared in his comic pursuits.

An honour: Cohen clutched his golden popcorn trophy as he collected the honors Sunday

High honors: The award is set to honor a performer 'who has made incomparable contributions to the world of comedy, providing a major influence through their work and transforming the genre at-large,' MTV said

Kind words: Cohen had received plaudits in an introduction from Rogen, who said, 'From the start, his goal was to reveal the truth about the human condition by utilizing brilliant wit and sharp, insightful commentary'

'Sometimes putting himself in physically and legally precarious situations, whether he singing at gun rallies, announcing a mega-mosque to a bunch of right-wing a**holes, or standing well within a horny Rudy Giuliani's ... radius.'

Rogen continued: 'Uncompromising, unflinching, and ruthlessly effective, these are just some of the words Sasha's lawyer said they would have for me if I did not mention his new Amazon special, the snappily titled, Borat Supplemental Reportings Retrieved from Floor of Stable Containing Editing Machine.

'He makes us laugh, he makes us cry, he makes the most annoying one of our friends do a horrible impersonation of him every time someone brings up their wife. You're all children. This year's recipient of MTV's comedic genius award is Sacha Baron Cohen - he's a comedian.'

MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED is set to air Monday at 9/8c.
She's always positioned herself as having an alternative and kooky style, after finding fame in reality show The Osbournes, chronicling the family of rocker Ozzy Osbourne.

On Sunday, Kelly Osbourne made the case for her quirkiness even clearer, as she was spotted strolling around Los Angeles with a pink Lulusimonstudio sweater with the word 'weirdo' written across it.

The 36-year-old reality TV personality appeared to have a matching pink bag and a black face covering, with her lilac-dyed hair tied up messily.

So kooky: Kelly Osbourne steps out wearing a pink Lulusimonstudio sweater with 'weirdo' written across it in LA... after revealing all about her relapse from sobriety

The sighting comes after Osbourne recently opened up on details about her sobriety relapse, illustrating the extent of how rapidly she fell back into bad old habits.

'I went away with my friend and people were by a pool, drinking champagne,' Osbourne, 36, said in an interview, according to The Sun newspaper. 'I was like, "I can have a glass of that." And I had one glass and I was fine.'

She continued, 'But it went from having one drink here, one drink there to literally three bottles of champagne and 24 White Claws a day.'

Walk this way: The reality TV personality was pictured in LA on Sunday

On her podcast The Kelly Osbourne and Jeff Beacher Show, Osbourne said that she would sip out of a large 'coffee mug that says, "Thank God Im not dead" which is so ironic.'

In an interview on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast Monday, Osbourne said she 'did embarrassing s**t' and 'blacked out' amid the relapse.

She added: 'I can't drink the same that I used to. It wasn't fun ... it wasn't until I found myself last weekend covered in ranch dressing by my friend's pool, sunburnt, looking like a piece of s*** that I was like, "Maybe I don't have this under control."'

The Osbournes star spoke with Extra late last month about the relapse, which came amid the lockdown as things were opening back up again.

Out and about: Kelly was seen on New Year's Eve in New York City

'I'm that girl that when everything is going great I need to f*** it up a little and make everything a little bit worse in my life,' said Kelly, whose parents are Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. 'I am an addict and had thought that I had enough time under my belt and I could drink like a normal person, and it turns out I cannot and I will never be normal.'

Kelly said that in hindsight, she doesn't know why she experimented in the first place.

'It took me a matter of days and I was like done, not doing this,' said Osbourne, who has had multiple rehab stints in an effort to shake her addiction. 'This is something I am going to battle for the rest of my life. It's never going to be easy.'

Osbourne opened up in an Instagram clip April 20 about the sobriety slip, as she had been sober since 2017.

'I relapsed. Not proud of it. But I am back on track,' she said. This is a little hard for me to talk about, but Ive always promised you that I will always be honest with you about where Im at and whats going on in my road to recovery.'
She announced she had become a first-time grandmother at 35 at the start of this year.

But former Married At First Sight star Ning Surasiang looks nothing like a gran in her latest Instagram photo.

The stunning mother of three showed off her incredible figure in a lacy bra and G-string in a sexy snap she posted on Sunday.

Is she the world's hottest granny? Former Married At First Sight star and new grandmother Ning Surasiang, 35, showed off her incredible figure in a lacy bra and G-string underwear in a saucy Instagram snap on Sunday

The Townsville-based hairdresser's slender legs and incredible abs were on show in the racy lingerie as she posed seductively against a window.

In February, Ning confirmed the happy news that her eldest daughter Kia, 18, had given birth to a gorgeous baby girl.

Ning, who appeared on season six of MAFS in 2019, shared several photos to Instagram of Kia with her newborn in hospital, and wrote: 'So very proud of my oldest daughter, who did something I wasn't able to ever do.'

Baby joy! In February, Ning confirmed the happy news that her eldest daughter Kia, 18, had given birth to a gorgeous baby girl

'Thank you for having me with you to witness the most incredible, beautiful and raw experience called childbirth,' she added.

'Watching your baby have a baby was an emotional experience for all of us, but you kicked a**e!'

She went on to say that Kia was 'one tough cookie', then added: 'Words can not describe how proud I am of you.

'You didn't complain, not once you said you couldn't do it. Not even one curse word. You did better than [your] mama.'

'So very proud of my oldest daughter': Ning, who appeared on season six of MAFS in 2019, shared several photos to Instagram on Wednesday of Kia with her newborn in hospital

Sweet: Ning went on to say that Kia, who has yet to reveal the name of her daughter, was 'one tough cookie', then added: 'Words can not describe how proud I am of you'

Ning celebrated Kia's 16th birthday on February 25, 2019, making her eldest child just shy of turning 18 at the time of the little one's arrival.

In addition to Kia, Ning is also a proud mum to Kai, six, and Kobi, nine.

The reality TV favourite appeared on Nine's social experiment in 2019, but failed to find love with her on-screen 'husband' Mark Scrivens.

Failed romance: The reality TV favourite appeared on Nine's social experiment in 2019, but failed to find love with her on-screen 'husband' Mark Scrivens (right)

Meanwhile, Mark has moved on from Ning with another reality star: former netball player Bianca Chatfield, from the 2018 season of The Block.

The pair, who live together in Melbourne's St Kilda, will celebrate their second anniversary of dating in April.
Police arrested two others  an 18-year-old and a juvenile  at the scene of the May 11 shooting, Lt. William Meier said. Both had weapons: One had a knife and the other had some type of club or bat, he said.
Seven's iconic cooking show My Kitchen Rules could be returning as soon as next year, despite suffering dismal ratings for its eleventh season.

On Monday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the broadcaster hopes to bring back the once popular cooking contest in order to 'boost network ratings and attract lucrative advertising dollars'.

According to the news outlet, industry sources anonymously revealed that the network are in the early stages of talking to production companies in the hopes of securing a new contract for the show's return.

Cooking up a comeback? Seven's iconic show My Kitchen Rules could be returning as soon as next year, despite the show suffering disastrous ratings for its eleventh season. Pictured (left to right): MKR judges Pete Evans, Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel

However, as nothing has been signed or confirmed, there's no guarantee MKR - which was previously produced by Seven Studios - will get the green light to return just yet.

Daily Mail Australia have contacted Seven for further comment.

Both MKR and House Rules were axed last year by Seven chief executive James Warburton, who said they had become 'stale' and needed a pause.

'We tried really hard,' he said. 'But viewers are looking for something fresh and different. So weve rested them.

'Well bring them back at the right time when weve got the right momentum and they can be freshened up.'

MKR had once been a ratings juggernaut for Seven, but its popularity nosedived in recent years as viewers flocked to Channel Nine's Married At First Sight instead.

In 2020, its eleventh season drew an average of half a million metro viewers per episode.

Fall in ratings: MKR had once been a ratings juggernaut for Seven, but its popularity nosedived in recent years as viewers flocked to Channel Nine's Married At First Sight instead

At its height in 2014, the fifth season had attracted an average audience of 1.891 million across the five major cities.

In May last year, television executive-turned-commentator Rob McKnight said MKR had been the victim of its own success.

'Basically the show has performed for such a long time but fatigue set in,' said McKnight, who runs industry website TV Blackbox.

'The show could absolutely come back in a couple of years once viewers have had a break from it.'

Gone: One person who won't be returning for season 12 of MKR is original judge Pete Evans (left), who left his $800,000-per-year position at Seven several last year

One person who won't be returning for season 12 of MKR is original judge Pete Evans, who left his $800,000-per-year position at Seven several last year.

It's rumoured that Pete - who has become known for his controversial anti-vaxxer views - was let go as a cost-cutting measure, but the network maintains both parties reached an 'amicable' decision to part ways.

It's not known if the show's other stars - Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge - would reprise their judging roles should the show make a comeback.
Rege-Jean Page looked stunned when he won the award for Breakthrough Performance Sunday night at the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

The 31-year-old British actor earned the golden popcorn for his hit Netflix romance series Bridgerton, which he stars in opposite Phoebe Dynevor.

He sounded like he was honored in a heart-felt speech delivered virtually, before returning for a hilarious send-up of Bridgerton featuring the evening's host, Leslie Jones.

Honored: Rege-Jean Page, 31, looked stunned when he won the award for Breakthrough Performance Sunday night at the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards

Rege-Jean filmed his acceptance speech from what appeared to be a bedroom, with an array of blue and gray pillows behind him.

He was dressed casually in a white T-shirt with a navy blue jacket on top.

'Wow, thank you for this remarkably heavy award,' he said after someone tossed the trophy to him from off to the side.

'It has been a remarkable year for everyone,' he declared. 'I know that everyone who works on Bridgerton worked incredibly hard to give audiences stories and shows that we could just feel good about, and not just because thats incredibly valuable  thats so important [and] it has been for me the last year. We wanted everyone to know they deserve love stories.'

Misleading appearance: 'Wow, thank you for this remarkably heavy award,' he said after someone tossed the trophy to him from off to the side

You're worth it: 'It has been a remarkable year for everyone,' he declared before saying the makers of Bridgerton 'wanted everyone to know they deserve love stories'

Tight grasp: 'I will hold this close to my heart,' he said, before adding, 'not too close because it would probably crush it. Cheers. Thanks so much.'

He continued: 'They deserved happily ever afters, no matter who they are. No matter where theyre from. No matter when theyre from. Awards like this, voted for by you, let us know that you took those stories close to your hearts. Thank you.'

Despite the intentionally low-key nature of the award show, the actor sounded genuinely touched after fans voted for him.

'I will hold this close to my heart,' he said, before adding, 'not too close because it would probably crush it. Cheers. Thanks so much.'

Old school: Rege-Jean's breakout performance came with the period drama Bridgerton, set in Regency-era London in 1813

Attraction: Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) is in search of a suitor and joins forces with Rege-Jean's character Simon Bassett, Duke of Hastings, to allow him to remain a bachelor while marrying her off to a suitor, though their feelings threaten to get in the way

Rege-Jean's breakout performance came with the period drama Bridgerton, which is based on the series of romance novels by Julia Quinn.

The first season begins in Regency-era London in 1813, when Daphne Bridgerton (Dynevor) is in search of a suitor.

She joins forces with Rege-Jean's character Simon Bassett, Duke of Hastings, to allow him to remain a bachelor while marrying her off to an eligible suitor, though their feelings for each other threaten to get in the way.

The show features several Black actors and imagines an alternate Britain in which Queen Charlotte is Black, inspired by unfounded claims that the queen had African features.

Although he was a favorite of fans, the actor's time on the series if finished, as subsequent seasons will focus on new character. The show has already been renewed through a fourth season.

good sport: Rege-Jean was back later in the show for a hilarious pre-taped sketch in which Leslie Jones was edited into footage from Bridgerton

Steamy: The actor stripped down to reveal his chiseled physique while the host was overcome with desire

Going long: But in order to get a more extreme experience, she followed in the path of Zack Snyder's director's cut of Justice League with the 'long-a**' Snyder Cut of Bridgerton

Rege-Jean was back later in the show for a hilarious pre-taped sketch in which Leslie Jones was edited into footage from Bridgerton.

The actor stripped down to reveal his chiseled physique while the host was overcome with desire.

'Enough of the courtship! Simon says, take off your trousers.'

But in order to get a more extreme experience, she followed in the path of Zack Snyder's director's cut of Justice League with the 'long-a**' Snyder Cut of Bridgerton.

Like the four-hour superhero film, the clip was cut down to a squarer aspect ratio and desaturated.

The SNL star was filmed in hilarious closeup as she started to salivate and sweat while Rege-Jean continued to strip down off screen.

Intense: Like the four-hour superhero film, the clip was cut down to a squarer aspect ratio and desaturated
Outer Banks' real-life couple Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes continued to lock lips even after winning the best kiss trophy at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday night.

Chase - who met Madelyn on the 2019 set before confirming their romance in June 14 - expressed his elation over their triumphant PDA via tweet: 'Well that was fun.'

After winning, the Maryland-born 28-year-old and the South Carolina-born 23-year-old joked that they'd 'found the gold' referring to their treasure-hunting Netflix series.

Champions: Outer Banks' real-life couple Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes continued to lock lips even after winning the best kiss trophy at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday night

Chase - who met Madelyn on the 2019 set before confirming their romance in June 14 - expressed his elation over their triumphant PDA via tweet: 'Well that was fun'

'Thank you, MTV. Thank you to the fans for supporting the show,' Chase said onstage the Hollywood Palladium.

Madelyn chimed in: 'You guys are so passionate and wonderful. This is you. This is all you.'

'Also Josh [Pate], Jonas [Pate], and Shannon [Burke] for creating the show,' Stokes continued.

'Thank you to everybody behind the scenes. There's so many people I want to thank, I'm not sure...'

'We found it!' After winning, the Maryland-born 28-year-old and the South Carolina-born 23-year-old joked that they'd 'found the gold' referring to their treasure-hunting Netflix series

Chase said onstage the Hollywood Palladium: 'Thank you, MTV. Thank you to the fans for supporting the show'

Madelyn chimed in: 'You guys are so passionate and wonderful. This is you. This is all you'

Broke his concentration: He started thanking the co-creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke as well as others behind the scenes when the blonde got closer

At that point, Cline interrupted him just like her character did in their rainy award-winning scene - by saying 'Shut up' and then kissing him.

Afterwards, Chase smiled: 'Alright well on that note, thank you guys!'

They later joined their Outer Banks castmates Rudy Pankow, Madison Bailey, and Jonathan Daviss to present the golden popcorn prize to best villain winner Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision).

The Kygo video stars arrived to the awards ceremony in matching red ensembles, but Madelyn quickly changed into a black vest and wide-leg pants for the broadcast.

Life imitating art: Cline eventually interrupted Stokes just like her character did in their rainy award-winning scene - by saying 'Shut up' and then kissing him

Afterwards, Chase smiled: 'Alright well on that note, thank you guys!'

Group effort: They later joined their Outer Banks castmates Rudy Pankow, Madison Bailey, and Jonathan Daviss to present the golden popcorn prize to best villain winner Kathryn Hahn (L, WandaVision)

'We didn't [coordinate]!' The Kygo video stars arrived to the awards ceremony in matching red ensembles, but Madelyn quickly changed into a black vest and wide-leg pants for the broadcast

'We didn't [coordinate]!' Stokes groaned to ET.

'Like, I walked upstairs and I was like. "Oh my gosh!" We kept [our outfits] a secret.'

The Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets star later changed into a grey suit and silk shirt to escort Cline to the afterparty at West Hollywood hotspot Craig's.

Chase and Madelyn made sure to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus by wearing black disposable face masks into the restaurant.

Date night! Stokes later changed into a grey suit and silk shirt to escort Cline to the afterparty at West Hollywood hotspot Craig's

Indoor rules: Chase and Madelyn made sure to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus by wearing black disposable face masks into the restaurant

Agreement: The ARO swimwear collaborator and Stokes maintain a strict rule where they don't argue or bicker about personal issues while acting in the hit teen drama

There's been 1.2M confirmed COVID-19 cases leading to 24K deaths in the city, but LA County is currently in the least-restrictive yellow tier.

The ARO swimwear collaborator and Stokes maintain a strict rule where they don't argue or bicker about personal issues while acting in the hit teen drama.

The Tell Me Your Secrets actor and Madelyn reprise their roles as Pogues ringleader John Booker Routledge and Kooks princess Sarah Cameron in the second season, which premieres this summer on Netflix.

Wrapped on April 2! The Tell Me Your Secrets actor and Madelyn reprise their roles as Pogues ringleader John Booker Routledge and Kooks princess Sarah Cameron in the second season, which premieres this summer on Netflix

Chase explained: 'We have Maddie and Chase and we have [our characters] John and Sarah...But it's two different relationships and two different moments, so it's fun to bring them both together and find little moments but to keep them separate'

When asked what fans can expect for season two, Stokes teased: 'All I can say is, we're in the Bahamas'

'We have Maddie and Chase and we have [our characters] John and Sarah,' Chase explained.

'But it's two different relationships and two different moments, so it's fun to bring them both together and find little moments but to keep them separate.'

When asked what fans can expect for season two, Stokes teased: 'All I can say is, we're in the Bahamas.'
Shane Richie took to the streets to celebrate the re-opening of London's West End following the lifting of further lockdown restrictions on Monday.

The former EastEnders actor, 57, stood in Piccadilly Circus and cheered for the return of the capital's arts and culture district surrounded by fellow performers from Magic Mike Live and Everybody's Talking About Jamie.

Theaters and hospitality venues can now welcome 1,000 audience members, or half their capacity, whichever is lower, according to government guidelines.

Hooray! Shane Richie took to the streets to celebrate the re-opening of London's West End alongside his Everybody's Talking About Jamie co-star Noah Thomas on Monday

Shane looked overjoyed as he posed on one leg and threw out some jazz hands on the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain.

He kept things casual in jeans, a plaid shirt and brown suede boots, while his Everybody's Talking About Jamie co-star Noah Thomas glammed up for the occasion in towering red stilettos and a glittery fringed denim jacket.

The pair whooped and clapped as a ceremonious red ribbon was cut to mark the long-awaited re-opening of London's theater district.

They were joined by a whole host of key industry figures for the momentous occasion, including Magic Mike Live stars Aaron Witter and Jake Brewer, Death Drop actress Holly Stars and Westminster Councillor Matthew Green.

Celebrate: Shane looked overjoyed as he whooped and cheered in Piccadilly Circus in jeans and a plaid shirt while Noah glammed up for the occasion in towering red stilettos

Everybody's Talking About Jamie will be one of the first major musicals to reopen in London and will lift its curtain to punters on Thursday.

With the return of hit show, Shane will resume his role as Hugo and the character's drag queen alter ego Loco Chanelle.

The musical, which will run at the Apollo Theatre, follows Jamie New, who is 16 and doesn't quite fit in, with the teenager set on becoming a drag queen instead of pursuing a 'real' career.

Uncertain about his future, Jamie knows one thing for sure - that he is going to be a performing sensation.

Supported by his loving mum and his amazing friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight.

Overjoyed: They were joined by a whole host of key industry figures for the momentous occasion, including (L-R) Westminster Council's Matthew Green, Magic Mike Live stars Aaron Witter and Jake Brewer and Death Drop actress Holly Stars

The musical was originally staged at The Crucible in Sheffield in 2017 before moving to London's West End later that year with most of the original cast returning.

Talking about resuming his role earlier this year after his I'm A Celebrity appearance, Shane said: 'I can't wait to swap my castle walking boots for a pair of high heels and return to Everybody's Talking About Jamie as Hugo / Loco Chanelle.

'After 2020 we could all do with little bit of glitter in the grey,' he added.

While producer, Nica Burns, said: 'We are delighted that Shane Richie is returning to sprinkle his special star dust on the role of Hugo/Loco Chanelle. What a treat!'

Clearly eager to get back to business, Shane took to Twitter last Monday to write: 'The countdown has started,' alongside a photo of him in drag as Loco Chanelle.

Coming soon: Everybody's Talking About Jamie will be one of the first major musicals to reopen in London and will lift its curtain to punters on Thursday

'The countdown has started': Shane will resume his role as Hugo and the character's drag queen alter ego Loco Chanelle in the hit show

Nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards in 2018, the production won Best New Musical that year at the WhatsOnStage Awards.

In October, a trailer of the hotly-anticipated film adaption of the musical was released with Richard E. Grant playing Shane's Hugo/ Loco Chanelle character.

The movie also stars Catastrophe co-creator and star Sharon Horgan as Jamie's teacher Miss Hedge while Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire will appear as his mother, Margaret.
American Idol finalist Grace Kinstler put on a jaw-dropping display on Sunday evening as she took to the stage in a trio of stunning gowns.

The songstress, 20, looked incredible as she stormed the stage to belt out a cover of Kelly Clarkson's 2002 hit A Moment Like This while sporting a dazzling gold dress before later slipping into a Jessica Rabbit-worthy red gown.

Her appearance on the show comes after the Berklee College of Music student spoke candidly about body confidence and the impact she has had on fans with her attitude: 'You have to love yourself because you love you'.

Stunner: American Idol finalist Grace Kinstler put on a jaw-dropping display on Sunday evening as she took to the stage in a trio of stunning gowns

Grace looked sensational as she took to the stage first in a golden dress with a strapless top and a figure-enhancing black waistbelt.

She wore her blonde locks in flowing bouncy curls and ensured she was perfectly glammed up for her turn in front of the judges.

Grace then slipped into a corseted red velvet number, again with a black waistbelt and a billowing bottom to achieve maximum glamour.

Her last look featured a black top with a showstopping pink sequinned skirt, which swept the floor and nipped in at the waist.

Stunner: The songstress, 20, looked incredible as she took to the stage to belt out a cover of Kelly Clarkson's 2002 hit A Moment Like This while sporting a dazzling gold dress before later slipping into a Jessica Rabbit-worthy red gown

A vision: Grace then slipped into a corseted red velvet number, again with a black waistbelt and a billowing bottom to achieve maximum glamour

Sparkling: Her last look featured a black top with a showstopping pink sequinned skirt, which swept the floor and nipped in at the waist

Far from just making an impact with her voice, Grace has won the hearts of viewers thanks to her empowering message around her body.

Grace recently spoke to Mass Live about body confidence, saying: 'They want people to stick to like the old norms of if you're plus size you can't do this because you don't fit the mould or you shouldn't wear this. I don't agree with that.'

'I like to wear things that I feel good in. I think I look nice, so I like to share that. There are a lot of people who appreciate the message that I'm sending for their kids and their daughters...

Incredible: Far from just making an impact with her voice, Grace has won the hearts of viewers thanks to her empowering message around her body

A vision: Grace recently spoke to Mass Live about body confidence, saying: 'They want people to stick to like the old norms of if you're plus size you can't do this because you don't fit the mould or you shouldn't wear this. I don't agree with that'

Stunner: She looked incredible during her turn on the stage

'Even older women have reached out to me saying, "I am 40 years old but I still look up to you because I wish I had that confidence. You're making me regain my confidence." And that means the world to me.'

'You can't love yourself just because someone else loves you. You have to love yourself because you love you. Because at the end of the day, you're all that you really have.'

Grace is headed to this week's final alongside Willie Spence, 21, and Chayce Beckham, 24, who is a machinery operator from Apple Valley, California.

Red hot: 'I like to wear things that I feel good in. I think I look nice, so I like to share that. There are a lot of people who appreciate the message that I'm sending for their kids and their daughters'

All star! Grace is headed to this week's final alongside Willie Spence, 21, and Chayce Beckham, 24, who is a machinery operator from Apple Valley, California
Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid rejected a request for a hug from her co-star Adil Ray on Monday's show, in a bid to 'protect' the host.

Marking the lightening of coronavirus restrictions, Adil, 47, ventured towards a concerned Susanna, 50, saying: 'Come on, I havent seen you in such a long time! however she nervously declined his offer.

Referencing the show's medical professional Dr Hilary, she said: 'What did Dr Hilary say? I am still in the mood for a virtual hug!

Monday marked a momentous day for Brits, as inside socialising, hugging, certain flights and much more were permitted however Susanna continued to exercise caution off the back of warnings to excited viewers.

No! Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid rejected a request for a hug from her co-star Adil Ray on Monday's show, in a bid to 'protect' the host

Susanna and Adil were chatting during which he said: Come on, I havent seen you in such a long time!, leading to Susanna's polite decline.

She went on to say: 'If we ration our hugs that means we can hug at more important times. Im saving mine for my mum and dad, sorry Adil'.

Adil went on: If there was no pandemic you still would not hug people. We went to the National Television Awards, we jumped on a bus to go there, I went to hug you and you went No its fine!

Dr Hilary said: Ask them if they want to hug, get consent first, and then by all means hug, but I would still wear a mask, I would turn your head away and not talk to them whilst youre hugging them, because its aerosol contact.

Not today pal: Marking the lightening of coronavirus restrictions, Adil, 47, ventured towards a concerned Susanna, 50, saying: 'Come on, I havent seen you in such a long time! however she nervously declined his offer

No thanks: Susanna and Adil were chatting during which he said: Come on, I havent seen you in such a long time!, leading to Susanna's polite decline

The exchange comes after Susanna and fellow host Ben Shephard were forced into action on Thursday after an animal rights campaigner graphically described the slaughter of battery hens.

A faction of viewers almost choked on their cornflakes after PETA animal rights spokesperson Dr. Carys Bennett bluntly detailed the manner in which chickens are prepared for human consumption during a live interview at 8:30am.

But her descriptive language prompted audible gasps from the presenting team, with its principal hosts cutting in as they discussed a new bill that enables any animal with a vertebrae to legally feel emotions such as joy and sadness.

Not a chance: She went on to say: 'If we ration our hugs that means we can hug at more important times. Im saving mine for my mum and dad, sorry Adil'

Appearing on the show remotely from her Leicester home, Bennett said: 'Billions of chickens are killed a year in the UK, their life is just a living hell.

'They're killed at just six weeks old having suffered a super-sized body; they're so heavy their legs break beneath them. They're crammed into crates breaking their wings in the process.'

She added: 'They're shipped off to the slaughterhouse, hung upside down, electrocuted, and their throats are slit.'

Get off! Adil went on: If there was no pandemic you still would not hug people. We went to the National Television Awards, we jumped on a bus to go there, I went to hug you and you went No its fine!

With Bennett demanding how the process can justifiably continue, Susanna and Ben quickly diverted attention to farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, who was on hand to offer a contrasting opinion from his own home in North Wales.

The interaction prompted a mixed response from viewers, with some defending the activist's right to free speech while others expressed unhappiness with her choice of words.

Taking to Twitter, one raged: 'Why did you stop her telling your viewers the truth???? The meat industry is disgusting.'

Your turn: The exchange comes after Susanna and fellow host Ben Shephard were forced into action on Thursday after an animal rights campaigner graphically described the slaughter of battery hens

While a second wrote: 'Obviously a twisted farmer is going to say to eat innocent defenceless animals because they sell them for GREED.'

Hitting out at Bennett, another commented: 'Nice. Does this woman know young children are watching?? Throats being slit, oh dear.'

While a fourth added: 'Calm down, this is all a bit much for 8.30 in the morning!'

The new Animal Sentience Bill, part of a Government drive to raise welfare standards, will give any animal with a spine the legal right to the same feelings experienced by humans.
They are two of TOWIE's hottest commodities.

And Chloe Meadows and Chloe Brockett were sure to turn up the heat as they headed to filming on Sunday while putting on a stunning display.

The former, 28, opted for a racy lingerie style top in a pale blue while the latter, 20, was looking sensational in a skin-tight lace dress.

Red hot: Chloe Meadows and Chloe Brockett (L-R) were sure to turn up the heat as they headed to filming on Sunday while putting on a stunning display

Chloe M looked incredible as she displayed her lithe physique and ample cleavage in the plunging top paired with wide-leg leather trousers.

Taking style tips from the show veteran, Chloe B was slipping into the eye-wateringly tight lace number which perfectly highlighted her curves.

Also headed to filming was Amber Turner, who was flashing her abs in a white top, and her boyfriend Dan Edgar, who sported a pink jacket.

Dan's former flame Chloe Sims was going for her favoured Seventies-inspired style, in a floor-sweeping crochet cardigan and orange tee.

Woah mama: The former, 28, opted for a racy lingerie style top in a pale blue

What a babe: Chloe M looked incredible as she displayed her lithe physique and ample cleavage in the plunging top paired with wide-leg leather trousers

The outing comes after Chloe M confessed she fears for her fertility as the women in her family have experienced problems on the show late last year.

The reality star sat down for a candid chat with Amy Childs, Courtney Green and Chloe B. The star - who was in the process of buying a house with boyfriend George Wales - revealed: 'I really worry about having kids.'

She continued: 'I'm not young anymore and there's actually fertility problems in my family. Like my nan took five years to get pregnant, my mum took three years.

Stunning: Also headed to filming was Amber Turner, who was flashing her abs in a white top, and her boyfriend Dan Edgar, who sported a pink jacket

Seventies sensation: Dan's former flame Chloe Sims was going for her favoured Seventies-inspired style, in a floor-sweeping crochet cardigan and orange tee

'It's a real worry for me. Girls have got such an internal clock ticking'.

Recalling her own experiences with daughter Polly, now three, Amy, 30, recalled: 'I've got to be completely honest. It took me two years to fall pregnant with Polly.

'I had my ovaries checked. You might have to get your ovaries checked. I'm sure it'll be fine. Sometimes they say when you want something so much it don't happen. And the minute I relaxed, I fell pregnant'.

All white? Courtney looked stunning in a white skirt suit

Courtney added: 'I definitely think having a test is a good idea for you as I know how much you stress and you talk about it all the time'.

Lightening the mood, Amy - who is also mum to son Ritchie Junior, two - quipped: 'I'm like the expert in trying to fall pregnant, so if you want any advice, you come to me, I'm a professional!'

Chloe M joked: 'When I'm actually trying, you can move in with me and George and you can tell us to go upstairs when we need to!'

Chloe M and George were childhood sweethearts but split in 2016, with Chloe admitting that was her motivation for joining TOWIE, as she wanted her ex to see her dating other people as 'revenge'.

During her time on the show, Chloe struck up a romance with Taylor Barnett, who she was introduced to by Courtney, as he was the best friend of her ex, Myles Barnett.

However, things were not meant to be, and after a year of dating, Chloe ended up reconciling with city worker George.

Although the pair are focusing on finding a house together first, Chloe recently confessed that she does expect a proposal soon.

Speaking out: Chloe - who is in the process of buying a house with boyfriend George Wales (pictured together in August) - revealed, 'I really worry about having kids'
Phillip Schofield has revealed he is not a fan of American actor Dax Shepard's interviewing skills, branding him a 'dreadful interviewer'.

Speaking on Monday's This Morning about Prince Harry's recent appearance on 46-year-old Dax's Armchair Expert podcast, Phillip, 59, suggested the Without A Paddle actor spoke over Harry, 36, too much.

'I thought the podcast was dreadfully done. They're shocking interviewers. Just shut up and let him speak. I didn't think that was any good,' Phillip said of Dax's approach.

Not a fan: Phillip Schofield, 59, has revealed he is not a fan of US actor Dax Shepard's interviewing skills, branding him a 'dreadful interviewer' on Monday's This Morning

High profile: On Thursday, Dax, 46, was joined by Prince Harry on his popular Armchair Expert podcast

On Thursday, Harry appeared on Armchair Expert where he promoted his Apple TV+ mental health series with Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can't See, which premieres next Friday.

Harry, who is expecting a daughter with his wife Meghan Markle this summer, suggested Charles had 'suffered' because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and the Prince of Wales had 'treated me the way he was treated', calling it 'genetic pain'.

The Duke of Sussex did not hold back during the wide-ranging interview lasting 90 minutes.

He said: 'I don't think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody, but certainly when it comes to parenting, if I've experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I'm going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don't pass it on, basically.

Honest: The Duke of Sussex, 36, did not hold back during the wide-ranging interview lasting 90 minutes

Honest: 'Just shut up and let him speak,' Phillip said of Dax's approach when discussing the interview

'It's a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway so we as parents should be doing the most we can to try and say "you know what, that happened to me, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen to you".'

He added: 'I never saw it, I never knew about it, and then suddenly I started to piece it together and go 'OK, so this is where he went to school, this is what happened, I know this about his life, I also know that is connected to his parents so that means he's treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids'. And here I am, I moved my whole family to the US, that wasn't the plan but sometimes you've got make decisions and put your family first and put your mental health first.'

The Duke called royal life 'a mixture between The Truman Show and being in a zoo' and said he quit last year to put his family and mental health 'first'. He also put 'wild partying' in his youth down to 'childhood trauma', having previously admitted experimenting with cannabis and drinking to excess, and joked about the time he played naked billiards at a party in Las Vegas.

Honest: 'I thought the podcast was dreadfully done. They're shocking interviewers. Just shut up and let him speak. I didn't think that was any good,' Phillip said of Dax's approach

Candid: Dax, who is married to Kristen Bell, spoke about his own addiction to smoking crack and alcohol. Harry asked him what it was like to take a 's***load' of drugs when he was young

The podcast saw both men share their experiences of past trauma - and Dax, who is married to Frozen star Kristen Bell, spoke about his own addiction to smoking crack and alcohol. Harry asked him what it was like to take a 's***load' of drugs when he was young after suffering sexual abuse as a child - while also speaking about his own experience of 'pain' as a senior royal.

Harry asked him if he had 'an awareness' whether his abuse of drink and cocaine was fuelled by his childhood, saying: 'For you it was your upbringing and everything that happened to you - the trauma, pain and suffering. All of a sudden you find yourself doing a s***load of drugs and partying hard'.

The Duke described how he started therapy after Meghan 'saw he was angry', and when asked if he felt 'in a cage' while in royal duties, he said: 'It's the job right? Grin and bear it. Get on with it.

'I was in my early twenties and I was thinking I don't want this job, I don't want to be here. I don't want to be doing this. Look what it did to my mum, how am I ever going to settle down and have a wife and family when I know it's going to happen again'.

He added that his frame of mind was: 'I've seen behind the curtain, I've seen the business model and seen how this whole thing works and I don't want to be part of this', before revealing he had therapy after meeting Meghan, which 'burst' a bubble and he decided to 'stop complaining'.

He added: 'So living here (in Los Angeles) now I can actually lift my head and I feel different, my shoulders have dropped, so have hers, you can walk around feeling a little bit more free, I can take Archie on the back of my bicycle, I would never have had the chance to do that.'
Charlotte McKinney put her toned physique on display on Sunday as she lapped up the sunshine at the W hotel in Miami wearing a white PrettyLittleThing bikini.

Lounging poolside, the blonde beauty, 27, looked sensational in the skimpy two-piece and covered up her string bikini bottoms with a chic wraparound.

Letting her blonde hair fall down her back as she removed a hairclip, Charlotte accessorised with a delicate chain necklace and a matching bracelet.

Wow: Charlotte McKinney, 27, put her toned physique on display on Sunday as she lapped up the sunshine at the W hotel in Miami wearing a white PrettyLittleThing bikini

The model kept the sunshine at bay with a pair of trendy black sunglasses.

Unwinding on a black and white striped sunbed, Charlotte kept her belongings safe in a miniature leather handbag nestled at her feet.

She tucked her white phone underneath her body as she spent the day at the city's W Hotel.

It comes after Charlotte returned from the Bahamas where she reunited with family at the Four Seasons Ocean Club and didn't wash her hair for 'days' at a time.

Stunning: Lounging poolside, the blonde beauty looked sensational in the skimpy two-piece and covered up her string bikini bottoms with a chic wraparound

'This is the longest I've gone without seeing them,' she told Miami Living Magazine back in March.

'In 2020, I learned to focus on my mental health and happiness. My goal for this year is to maintain prioritizing happiness and continue working on my craft of acting and modeling.'

Earlier in May, Charlotte shared an extremely rare snap of her boyfriend Nathan Kostechko.

Hair down: Letting her blonde hair fall down her back as she removed a hairclip, Charlotte accessorised with a delicate chain necklace and a matching bracelet

Phone: She tucked her white phone underneath her body as she spent the day at the W Hotel with friends

Happy: The blonde beauty was in high spirits as she made the most of her weekend in the Florida sunshine

Charlotte and the 36-year-old tattoo artist have never gone 'Instagram official' despite having dated since late 2017.

The Guest House actress is said to have previously romanced Scott Eastwood in 2016, Stephen Dorff in 2015, and Trevor Engelson in 2014.

Charlotte's last gig was guest judging the April 1 episode of truTV 10-episode reality competition, Fast Foodies.
Britons are now free to mix inside pubs, restaurants, museums, theatres and cinemas as well as stay with friends for the first time since Christmas.

And stars including Katie Price and Carl Woods were reveling in the changes as they swarmed social media to share details of their day as they jetted on holiday.

The happy couple took to Instagram to reveal they were headed on a 'gorgeous break' with the former Love Island star sharing a video of their arrival and a response to a news report, in which he revealed their flights cost 7.

Freedom day: Katie Price and Carl Woods jetted away on holiday on Monday

Katie and Carl were clearly keen to get away as she posted the selfie showing them both on what appeared to be a busy Ryanair flight to Portugal.

She penned a caption reading: 'Yesss finally Carl Woods a gorgeous break' while he shared various snaps and videos of their arrival.

Elsewhere, Jason Manford shared a sweet snap showing him with his grandmother and mum and added a caption reading: 'Nana Manford! Gave her the biggest cuddle today. This last year has been so hard on her, hoping to make up for lost time!'

He posted a tweet reading: 'Here we are with my Mum & Sergio the cat!'

Ha! Carl revealed the couple scored a mega saving on the trip

Touch down! Carl filmed the couple walking through the airport

Idyllic: He shared various snaps and videos of their arrival

Bling bling: She showed off the eye-popping engagement ring Carl gifted her

Jeremy Vine meanwhile led his show by hugging his mum for the first time in a year.

Amid the excitement from many, a slew of Boris Johnson's top scientists today warned against socialising indoors and the 'high risk' of hugging friends because of the rise in Indian variant cases.

The Prime Minister urged families to adopt a 'heavy dose of caution' and a cabinet colleague encouraged revellers to avoid 'excessive drinking' with ministers at loggerheads over whether to extend lockdown beyond June 21.

There has been an eight per cent rise in infections in a week.

In a hint the easing of all restrictions next month is now under threat, Boris' official spokesman confirmed that a review of the one-metre plus social distancing rule due to be released on May 31 may now be delayed.

Happy days: The couple documented the trip on Instagram

Sweet: Elsewhere, Jason Manford shared a sweet snap showing him with his grandmother and mum Sharon and added a caption reading: 'Nana Manford! Gave her the biggest cuddle today. This last year has been so hard on her, hoping to make up for lost time!'

On Sunday evening, thousands of people queued across the UK to enjoy a drink with friends inside pubs and bars after midnight, while this morning around 20 flights took off for Portugal as holidays became legal again.

People enjoyed a pint and a meal inside for the first time in almost six months. Theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums and other tourist attractions can also open their doors again.

These venues are expected to be even busier this week because heavy showers and gales are forecast for at least the next ten days, with some areas soaked with a month's worth of rain in the past week.

Sweet: Jeremy Vine meanwhile led his show by hugging his mum for the first time in a year

Off she goes! Georgia Toffolo was taking snaps of her dog ahead of getting a flight
I am very proud of my husband and it was heartwarming to see our boys pin on his new rank, she said, describing her husband as a humble leader who always leads by example and recognizes excellence in others.
Alison Hammond waited until the cameras had stopped rolling during Monday's This Morning before enjoying a dip in the swimming pool of her Madeira hotel.

Alison, 46 - who was visiting Portugal for This Morning to document what it was like to travel now Brits have been given the green light for holidays abroad - made the comment when speaking to show hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

She said: 'I'm gonna get in that pool. I'm gonna get my bikini on and I'm gonna get in that pool. I'm not gonna do it for the cameras, because all this juice doesn't need to be seen.'

Honest: Alison Hammond, 46, waited until the cameras had stopped rolling during Monday's This Morning before enjoying a dip in the swimming pool of her Madeira hotel

Having a dip: Alison pictured in swimwear during her I'm A Celebrity stint back in 2010

Standing poolside with a cocktail in her hand, doting mother Alison looked typically stylish in a short floral dress.

She kept the ocean-side breeze at bay beneath a navy cardigan.

Overseas trips are currently permitted under a 'traffic light' country classification scheme with different requirements.

Green countries do not require a return quarantine, although pre-departure Covid tests will be necessary and a further test when back.

She said: 'I'm gonna get in that pool. I'm gonna get my bikini on and I'm gonna get in that pool. I'm not gonna do it for the cameras, because all this juice doesn't need to be seen'

Poolside: Standing poolside with a cocktail in her hand, doting mother Alison looked typically stylish in a short floral dress

Amber nations need a ten-day return quarantine, a pre-departure Covid test and two tests on return.

Red-listed countries require you to pay for ten days in a 'quarantine hotel' on return (1,750), plus a pre-departure test and two others on return.

Elsewhere on Monday's show, Phillip, 59, revealed he is not a fan of American actor Dax Shepard's interviewing skills, branding him a 'dreadful interviewer'.

Not a fan: Phillip revealed he is not a fan of US actor Dax Shepard's interviewing skills, branding him a 'dreadful interviewer' on Monday's This Morning

Speaking about Prince Harry's recent appearance on 46-year-old Dax's Armchair Expert podcast, Phillip suggested the Without A Paddle actor spoke over Harry, 36, too much.

'I thought the podcast was dreadfully done. They're shocking interviewers. Just shut up and let him speak. I didn't think that was any good,' Phillip said of Dax's approach.

On Thursday, Harry appeared on Armchair Expert where he promoted his Apple TV+ mental health series with Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can't See, which premieres next Friday.

Honest: 'Just shut up and let him speak,' Phillip said of Dax's approach when discussing the interview

Harry, who is expecting a daughter with his wife Meghan Markle this summer, suggested Charles had 'suffered' because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and the Prince of Wales had 'treated me the way he was treated', calling it 'genetic pain'.

The Duke of Sussex did not hold back during the wide-ranging interview lasting 90 minutes.

The Duke called royal life 'a mixture between The Truman Show and being in a zoo' and said he quit last year to put his family and mental health 'first'. He also put 'wild partying' in his youth down to 'childhood trauma', having previously admitted experimenting with cannabis and drinking to excess, and joked about the time he played naked billiards at a party in Las Vegas.
Gina McKee and Linus Roache were seen stepping out on set to film LGBT drama My Policeman in Brighton on Monday.

The actress, 57, and Law & Order star, also 57, are portraying older versions of Emma Corrin and Harry Styles' characters Marion and Tom Burgess in the 90s.

Gina looked demure as she stepped out of a mini mart with her onscreen husband, and things appeared frosty between their characters as they walked at a distance from each other.

Stars: Gina McKee (L) and Linus Roache stepped out on set for the first time to film as older versions of Emma Corrin (R) and Harry Styles' characters in My Policeman on Monday

Gina opted for comfort over style as she wore an off-white padded jacket over a grey jumper and brown flared trousers.

Her silver locks were brushed into a sleek, cropped style and she wore a light palette of make-up for the outing.

Linus, meanwhile, transformed into Tom by donning a black coat over a matching jacket and a blue plaid shirt.

He completed his sombre look by wearing black trousers and brown suede shoes, and his locks were slicked back over his ears.

Older: Linus (L) was seen transforming into policeman Tom Burgess, who Harry portrays in an earlier period of his life, to film outside a mini mart in Brighton

Past: My Policeman is set in the 1950s and it focuses on police officer Tom, who is gay but married to Marion due to societal expectations (Harry and Emma pictured on Thursday)

Co-star: Rupert Everett (L) was also seen out on set to portray an older version of Patrick Hazelwood, who is being played by David Dawson (R) in the 50s

Rupert Everett was also seen on set preparing to portray an older version of Patrick Hazelwood, who is being played by David Dawson in the 50s.

The actor, 61, cut a casual figure on set as he donned a brown coat over a yellow cable-knit cardigan and a grey top and blue trousers.

He completed his ensemble by wrapping a plaid scarf around his neck, and he wore a grey baker boy hat.

During his scenes, the actor was seen sat in a wheelchair while being driven around in a van with other cast members.

Ensemble: The actor, 61, cut a casual figure on set as he donned a brown coat over a yellow cable-knit cardigan and a grey top and blue trousers

Filming: During his scenes, the actor was seen sat in a wheelchair while being driven around in a van with other cast members

Outfit: Rupert completed his ensemble by wrapping a plaid scarf around his neck, and he wore a grey baker boy hat

My Policeman is set in Brighton in the 1950s, and based on Bethan Roberts' novel, and it focuses on police officer Tom, who is gay, but married to Marion (Emma) due to societal expectations.

The film follows him as he goes on to have a decades-long affair with museum curator Patrick.

Production on the film kicked off in Brighton last month, and it is currently unclear when the film will be released.

Harry will reportedly film sex scenes with co-star David, who plays his on-screen lover, in the upcoming romantic drama.

Drama: Gina looked demure as she stepped out of a mini mart with her onscreen husband, and things appeared frosty between their characters as they walked at a distance from each other

Relaxed look: Linus transformed into Tom by donning a black coat over a matching jacket and a blue plaid shirt, as well as dark blue jeans and brown suede walking boots

And, action! Rupert was seen filming inside the van for the day's shoot

An insider said: 'Harry will be having sex on screen and they want it to look as real as possible. The plan is to shoot two romps between Harry and David, then another scene where Harry is naked on his own.'

The 2012 novel explores the sexual mores of the 1950s and the criminalisation of homosexuality.

The Amazon Studios production is being directed by Michael Grandage, and has been shooting since April 12 on locations in London and the South-East coast, while the more intimate moments will be filmed at one of the big film studios.

The film will be adapted by Oscar-nominee Ron Nyswaner, and Amazon will be working with Berlanti Schechter Productions.

Plot: The film follows Tom as he goes on to have a decades-long affair with museum curator Patrick during his marriage

Busy schedule: Production on the film kicked off in Brighton last month, and it is currently unclear when the film will be released
Chris Hemsworth has made no secret of his love for Western Australia's Kimberley region, even hailing it as his favourite fishing destination in 2019.

And now his little brother Liam Hemsworth has popped up in the area, with the 31-year-old Hunger Games star mobbed by fans at Derby airport on Monday.

The Last Song heartthrob rocked a low-key look of a simple white T-shirt and an Akubra-style hat as he posed for selfies with eager locals.

Go West: Liam Hemsworth has popped up in the Kimberley region, with the 31-year-old Hunger Games star mobbed by fans at Derby airport on Monday

The surprise appearance follows swirling rumours that Thor star Chris, 37, 'was staying at the luxurious and remote Berkeley River Lodge', according to Perth Now.

There also appeared to be some evidence that the brothers' Hollywood pal Matt Damon was in the area too, given his Bombardier Global 7500 jet was reportedly sitting on the Derby runway.

However, Perth Now also suggested Liam may have borrowed the aircraft for his trip to the western state.

Cheer squad: The Last Song heartthrob rocked a low-key look of a simple white T-shirt and an Akubra-style hat as he posed for selfies with eager locals

WA catchup? The surprise appearance follows swirling rumours that Thor star Chris, 37, [pictured right, in 2017] and Matt Damon, 50, [L] were also in the region

Meanwhile, Chris has been busy in recent months filming the fourth instalment of the Thor franchise in Sydney.

On Saturday, the Australian actor shared a cheeky selfie from the makeup chair on set, alongside his friend and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi.

In the photo, Chris pulled a serious expression while posing in a Thor branded cap and a long blond wig.

Loaner? Perth Now also suggested Liam may have borrowed the aircraft for his trip to the western state

'They really squeezed the budget for the official poster': On Saturday, Chris posted a selfie wearing a long blond wig and a Marvel cap on set of Thor: Love and Thunder with director Taika Waititi

Next to him was 45-year-old Kiwi director Taika, who wore a pair of trendy sunglasses for the photo.

Chris joked in the caption: 'They really squeezed the budget for the official Thor Love & Thunder poster but the message is clear, plenty of love and plenty of thunder.'

'Album drops soon...again...,' he quipped, tagging Taika and Marvel Studios.

This comes after Chris recently reflected upon how far his career has come over the past decade.

New film: Chris and Taika have been busy filming the fourth instalment of the Thor films, Thor: Love and Thunder, in Sydney for the past several months. Pictured with Chris and Taika is actor Matt Damon, who will also star in the movie

Earlier this week, he posted an throwback photo of himself and co-star Tom Hiddleston on Instagram, showing them reading their scripts for the first Thor film, which was released in 2011.

'This year marks the 10th anniversary of Thor when two unknown lads were given the keys to the kingdom,' Chris wrote in the caption.

'It's been a hell of a ride and we clearly haven't aged a day,' he joked, making sure to tag Tom's account.

'It's been a hell of a ride': Chris recently reflected on how far his career has come over the past decade. He posted an throwback photo of himself and co-star Tom Hiddleston on Instagram, showing them reading their scripts for the first Thor film, which was released in 2011

The former Home And Away star also shared a Vulture article written in 2009 that referred to himself Tom as 'no name actors'.

These 'virtual unknowns' would go on to become two of Hollywood's most highly-paid actors.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently scheduled for release on May 6, 2022.
Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan of Kim Kardashian's most recent post.

The GOOP founder and Oscar-winning actress, 48, said 'stop it!' when she saw photos from Kim's Instagram account of her two youngest kids with Kanye West - Chicago, age three, and Psalm, age two - as well as Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's daughter Dream, four.

Kim, 40, and Gwyneth seem to have become pals this year. In March Paltrow sent Kardashian and 'orgasm' candle and Kim said she was 'excited' about the present. Then in April the Shakespeare In Love actress sent the KKW Beauty mogul a vibrator.

GOOP approved: Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan of Kim Kardashian 's most recent post. The GOOP founder and Oscar-winning actress said 'stop it!' when she saw a photo from Kim's Instagram account of her two youngest kids with Kanye West - Chicago, age three, and Psalm, age two - as well as Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's daughter Dream, four

She has a lot of pals: Kim and Gwyneth seem to have become pals this year. In March Paltrow sent Kardashian and 'orgasm' candle and Kim said she was 'excited' about the present. Then in April the Shakespeare In Love actress sent the KKW Beauty mogul a vibrator

Gwyneth was not the only celebrity commenting on the post.

Pal Nicole Williams of WAGS fame - who also models for Khloe Kardashian's Good American brand - said, 'My god Chi is YOU!!'

And sister Khloe added, 'I love how dream is holding them down.'

The photo was of Dream with her arms around Chicago and Psalm. Kim said in her caption, 'Sunday Morning Sweetness.'

Kim also has two other kids with West: North, seven, and Saint, five, who were not seen in the portraits.

And the Hidden Hills, California resident was also seen in another post with her mother Kris Jenner. The reality TV queen had on a black tank top and a gold cross necklace.

Another look: And pal Nicole Williams of WAGS fame - who also models for Khloe Kardashian's Good American brand - said, 'My god Chi is YOU!!'

Cute trio: The photo was of Dream with her arms around Chicago and Psalm. Kim said in her caption, 'Sunday Morning Sweetness'

Earlier last week Kim shared images of her 'freshest kid' Saint as she shared a photo of him rocking a very fashion forward outfit.

Her eldest son was seen in cargo pants and a patchwork bandana denim jacket, adding plastic slides designed by his father Kanye West that retail for $240.

Kim sounded the alarm to her 220M followers as she captioned the trio of Saint photos: 'Freshest kid alert.'

In the snaps Saint rocked a pair of patchwork Cargo pants with a graphic T-shirt and reversible bandana printed jacket from the brand Kapital which retails for about $500.

She likes Kim! The two have gotten closer lately. They are both business moguls these days as Kim has SKIMS, KKW Beauty and fragrance, and Gwyneth has GOOP

The look was topped off with a New York Yankees hat which he wore backwards, and naturally a pair of Yeezy slides.

Despite Kim's seeming excitement over the at-home snaps, Saint looked a bit tired as he rubbed his eye in a photo before showing off his outfit from the back.

The comments section was filled with praise for the look as former assistant Stephanie Shepherd wrote 'fire,' and Jonathan 'Foodgod' Cheban wrote: 'I'm DONE DONE!'

'Freshest kid alert!' Kim shares a photo of her 'freshest kid' Saint West, five, as he rocks cargo pants and a patchwork bandana jacket during an impromptu backyard photoshoot

Proud mommy: Kim is seen here in a scene from Thursday's episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Saint was the last of Kim and Kanye's children to be welcomed without the use of a surrogate  a topic which was discussed in-depth on the May 13 episode of the family's hit reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

As the only one of her five sisters who has experience with surrogacy, she tried to give sister Khloe Kardashian advice as the Good American founder is in the process of trying to have another baby with somewhat reformed cheater beau Tristan Thompson.

Confessing to be a bit of a control freak, Khloe understandably got a little freaked out after a surrogacy therapist revealed that her surrogate could choose to terminate the pregnancy if there was an 'unplanned outcome.'

'It's your baby but it's her body,' the therapist said via a Zoom call. 'So she could terminate the pregnancy with any unplanned outcome,' he said, adding that the embryo could split and lead to twins  one example of an unplanned outcome.

Saint: Saint was the last of Kim and Kanye's children to be welcomed without the use of a surrogate  a topic which was discussed in-depth on the May 13 episode of the family's hit reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians; pictured May 7

Billionaire: The KKW Beauty mogul recently attained billionaire status and in her divorce proceedings both she and the Yeezy designer asked the court to terminate the right to award spousal support to either of them; pictured May 12

'I'm definitely getting freaked out I think as the questions go by just because I, of course, I know it's her body, my baby, but I really did not put two and two together that that means she has the control whether she would want to, you know, terminate the twin. Me not having control over that outcome makes me very nervous,' Khloe said in a confessional.

And Kim confessed that though she was a bit nervous the first time around, having a surrogate to welcome kids Chicago, three, and Psalm, two, was the 'best experience,' as she tried to put Khloe at ease.

'You know what giving birth feels like. I always say if you can do it, it's such an amazing experience, but you'll see that the love you'll have for your kids is exactly the same. There's no difference except there was someone else that was the carrier,' she told her sister.

But ultimately Khloe decided that it was the right decision for her and that she hoped to find a surrogate within a year in order to give True, three, a sibling. 'I do think this is the right choice for us, but I'm not going to be rushed into it, I'm not gonna force it.'
She is best known for her high-profile relationship with a man nearly twice her age.

But Amelia Hamlin is certainly making a name all her own.

The 19-year-old model certainly turned up the heat on the feeds of he 856K followers as she posted a sultry lingerie snap on Monday morning.

Wow factor: Amelia Hamlin certainly turned up the heat on the feeds of he 856K followers as she posted a sultry lingerie snap on Monday morning

She absolutely scintillated as she showed off her ripped abs in nude-colored sheer bra and panties combination from Boux Avenue.

Amelia strategically placed her hand at her chest to not reveal too much as she sported the Boux lounge mesh triangle bra and thong combination.

The daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin accessorized with multiple chain bracelts in both gold and silver along with a silver pinky ring.

Wow factor: The 19-year-old model absolutely scintillated as she showed off her ripped abs in nude-colored sheer bra and panties combination from Boux Avenue

Keeping it PG: Amelia strategically placed her hand at her chest to not reveal too much as she sported the Boux lounge mesh triangle bra and thong combination

Her ombre locks were worn down in a middle-part as they flowed like waves crashing down her shoulders as she accentuated her stunning looks with complementary make-up topped off with a swipe of shiny lip.

She captioned the image: 'when your friends ask your eta and you say 5 mins... @bouxavenue #myboux #bouxavenue #ad.'

When Amelia is not focused on her modeling aspirations, she is busy spending plenty of quality time with her 37-year-old beau Scott Disick.

The age gap couple were first romantically linked in late October, when they were seen arriving to Kendall Jenner's star-studded birthday party in West Hollywood.

In love: Things are still going strong between her and her much older boyfriend Scott Disick, who she was first romantically linked to last October; the pair pictured in February

Since then, the couple have made their relationship Instagram official and have gone on several lengthy vacations together to Mexico and Miami, Florida.

Scott has also introduced Amelia to his three children, sons Mason and Reign and daughter Penelope, whom he shares with ex Kourtney Kardashian, 42.

Despite being a full fledged relationship with Amelia, Scott's seemingly lingering feelings for Kourtney are being aired out on the current and final season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Living the dream: Since then, the couple have made their relationship Instagram official and have gone on several lengthy vacations together to Mexico and Miami, Florida; Scott and Amelia pictured in February

Meeting the fam: Scott has also introduced Amelia to his three children, sons Mason and Reign and daughter Penelope, whom he shares with ex Kourtney Kardashian, 42; Kourtney and Reign pictured

E! recently reported that Scott is 'uncomfortable' seeing Kourtney in a 'serious relationship' with her new beau Travis Barker, whom she went Instagram official with in mid-February.

'It's uncomfortable for Scott to see Kourtney in a serious relationship, although he knew this day would come,' said the source. 'He is glad she is happy, but it's definitely been hard on him. He doesn't like to bring it up and it's a weird convo for him.'

Additionally the insider added that in turn he has 'really distanced himself' from Kourtney substantially, and that all communication revolves around their three children.

Uncomfortable? E! recently reported that Scott is 'uncomfortable' seeing Kourtney in a 'serious relationship' with her new beau Travis Barker, whom she went Instagram official with in mid-February; Kourtney and Travis pictured in April

Kourtney and Travis' relationship came as a bit of a shock to Disick who has been open about lingering feelings and hopes of rekindling their romance on their reality show.

But as the duo continue to pack on the PDA on social media, with both having said 'I love you,' and Barker even inking her name on his chest, Scott has come to realize that a future romance between them is 'never going to happen.'

'At one point, the family was really encouraging Scott and Kourtney to try the relationship again and it's a bit of an eye opener for him, that it's truly never going to happen,' the insider shared.

Just the two of us: Kourtney and Scott are seen together on Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Travis Barker's daughter has accused his ex-wife Shanna Moakler of being an absent mom.

The 15-year-old took to Instagram to speak out after her mother Shanna made comments about Travis' new relationship with Kourtney Kardashian, including the claim that her marriage to the Blink-182 drummer ended when he had an affair with Kourtney's sister Kim.

Alabama shared what appeared to be a screenshot of a message from Shanna to someone unknown, and wrote in the caption: 'Everybody thinks my mother is amazing, Matthew is nothing but awful to her not only that but he cheats on her.

Alabama Barker has claimed mom Shanna Moakler is an absent mom after Shanna, 46, made a claim that ex Travis Barker cheated on her with Kourtney's sister Kim when they were married

Shanna, 46, has been dating model and actor Matthew Rondeau on and off in recent months.

He has been criticized for never posting photos of the mother-of-three on his social media while Shanna regularly documents their romantic escapades.

'My mom has never completely been in my life, can you guys stop painting her out to be an amazing mom. Did your mom ask to see you on Mothers Day cause mine didn't? I'm done keeping a secret, reality shows.' Alabama added.

In Shanna's message, which appeared to be in response to an unknown Instagram user, the model said: 'I divorced Travis because I caught him having an affair with Kim! Now he's in love with her sister...It's all gross...I'm not the bad guy!'

'My mom has never completely been in my life, can you guys stop painting her out to be an amazing mom. Did your mom ask to see you on Mothers Day cause mine didnt? Im done keeping a secret, reality shows.' Alabama said about her mom (pictured)

'Stop painting her out to be amazing': Alabama shared what appeared to be a screenshot of a message from Shanna to someone unknown and shared her thoughts in the caption

She also claimed that Travis controls Alabama's social media and that she 'gets blamed for [Alabama's] sexualization'.

'How does a father allow her to act like that and do lives at 4am? With men twice her age...' she wrote.

It's not just Alabama but Shanna's other child, son Landon, 17, who thinks Shanna could be more involved in her kids' lives.

Responding to a TikTok commentator who implied that he and his sibling were siding with their father, Landon replied: 'Actually, if you werent such a dumbass, you would realize our mom has never been in our lives and isn't in our lives like our dad is.'

And Landon has also made it clear which of his parents' relationships he supports.

On April 16, Landon called Shanna and Matthew the 'most on and off relationship ever' and told his mother, 'You can do so much better.' in comments under one of Shanna's posts featuring her younger beau.

Shanna made the claim that she divorced Travis because he cheated on her with Kourtney's sister Kim Kardashian

Doing her own thing: The 15-year-old hit back after Shanna made claims that dad Travis controls her social media and that she gets blamed for daughter's 'sexualization'

'I control my Instagram': Alabama said in response to Shanna's claims

He then commented on a photo of Travis and girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian nearly two weeks later and called the couples romance 'True love' on April 28.

Shanna and Travis were married from October 2004 to 2006 and once had their own reality show, Meet The Barkers, which documented their everyday life with their kids. Shanna also has 22-year-old daughter Atiana with ex partner Oscar De La Hoya.

Travis was known to briefly date Kim's pal Paris Hilton after his divorce but Shanna's claims he dated Kim are unsubstantiated.

In response to Alabama's claims, Shanna was asked why her kids spend more time with their father in an Instagram Q&A.

Making it permanent: Travis is now with Kourtney Kardashian and the couple have been showing off their romance on social media

'Our mom has never been in our lives and isn't in our lives like our dad is.' Alabama's brother Landon also recently commented on social media

'Because he lives behind two gates, has a mega mansion and is cooler than me.' she replied.

'LOL, we have shared custody but our kids are older. We are very close.'



It comes after Shanna spoke to People about Travis' PDA with girlfriend Kourtney.

'I'm very much over my ex,' the actress, 46, told the site. 'It's been a long time. However, do I think some of the PDA that he's doing with her is weird? [Yes].'

Not only that, but Shanna pointed out some similarities between Travis' new romance with Kourtney and their former marriage.

'Matthew is nothing but awful to her not only that but he cheats on her' Alabama said of her mom's younger beau

'I'm very much over my ex,' Shanna recently told PEOPLE. 'It's been a long time. However, do I think some of the PDA that he's doing with her is weird? [Yes].' Travis and Kourtney are seen here on a recent trip together

'Because he lives behind two gates, has a mega mansion and is cooler than me.' Shanna replied to a user who asked why Travis spends more time with her kids

'The movie, True Romance, that I feel like they've been bonding over was the theme of our wedding. Our daughter's named after the character in the movie. Flying banners overhead like we did on Meet the Barkers. Stuff like that... I just think it's weird,' Shanna told the site.

Travis got a True Romance inspired tattoo on his leg back in March, and the couple regularly quote the movie in their social media comments. More recently Travis had a plane fly a banner wishing Kourtney a happy birthday.

'My kids seem to really like her and her family, so that's key,' Shanna told People.
It was a nail-biting finish to season three of LEGO Masters on Monday night.

The contestants were given 28 hours to create whatever their imaginations inspired them to, for $100,000 in prize money.

It was between Gabby and Ryan, who built an impressive circus, and David and Gus, who created an elaborate forest scene.

Winner: It was a nail-biting finish to season three of LEGO Masters on Monday night. David and Gus (pictured) won the competition

Also in the running were Owen and Scott, who created a Engineers versus Hippies build, which saw bulldozers move in on a forest guarded by a wizard.

When all was said and done, David and Gus took the crown, with their forest diorama, complete with deer and a pack of wolves, impressing the judges.

'The reason we went with deer, they have good storytelling features,' engineer Gus explained to the judges.

Wow! When all was said and done, David and Gus took the crown, with their forest diorama, complete with deer and a pack of wolves, impressing the judges

Details: 'The reason we went with deer, they have good storytelling features,' engineer Gus explained to the judges

'Winning LEGO Masters is unreal. I feel like I'm dreaming and about to wake up any second now,' David said after his win.

'To have had the chance of being invited to participate in LEGO Masters was one of the best moments of my life.

'I am over the moon to have been able to meet some of the most talented builders and amazing people I've known in my life and to share the final with two amazing teams,' he added.

Happy: 'Winning LEGO Masters is unreal. I feel like I'm dreaming and about to wake up any second now,' David said after his win

Gus said: 'I have had a hard time putting my emotions from winning LEGO Masters into words.

'I came onto the show wanting to push myself technically and creatively and winning the finale really makes me feel that I have done that.

'It was amazing to be paired with Dave. He has an unbelievable LEGO brain and has the ability to put all sorts of things together.'
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen appeared on Monday's This Morning to talk to hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about the revival of his cult interiors show Changing Rooms, and revealed he will be slipping back into his iconic leather trousers.

Laurence, 56, who is famed for his flamboyant dress sense, joked: 'I will be wearing the leather trousers. They're a lot bigger than they used to be for obvious reasons.'

He hilariously added: 'Basically it's enough leather to cover the backseat of a Bentley.'

The leather is back: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen appeared on Monday's This Morning and confirmed he will be bringing back his leather trousers for Changing Rooms' revival

During the segment, a series of throwback photos of a much younger, clean shaven Laurence appeared on screen, prompting him to remark: 'Tiny creature. Little tiny baby Laurence there.'

He also revealed that the show will return in September, exactly 25 years on from the series' inaugural episode.

'We will be on air on the 4th September 2021, which marks the 25th anniversary of the first show going out,' Laurence said.

Elsewhere on Monday's show, Phillip, 59, revealed he is not a fan of American actor Dax Shepard's interviewing skills, branding him a 'dreadful interviewer'.

He revealed: 'I will be wearing the leather trousers. They're a lot bigger than they used to be for obvious reasons ( L on Monday, R in 2006)

Not a fan: Phillip Schofield, 59, revealed he is not a fan of US actor Dax Shepard's interviewing skills, branding him a 'dreadful interviewer' on Monday's This Morning

Speaking about Prince Harry's recent appearance on 46-year-old Dax's Armchair Expert podcast, Phillip suggested the Without A Paddle actor spoke over Harry, 36, too much.

'I thought the podcast was dreadfully done. They're shocking interviewers. Just shut up and let him speak. I didn't think that was any good,' Phillip said of Dax's approach.

On Thursday, Harry appeared on Armchair Expert where he promoted his Apple TV+ mental health series with Oprah Winfrey, The Me You Can't See, which premieres next Friday.

Honest: 'Just shut up and let him speak,' Phillip said of Dax's approach when discussing the interview

Harry, who is expecting a daughter with his wife Meghan Markle this summer, suggested Charles had 'suffered' because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and the Prince of Wales had 'treated me the way he was treated', calling it 'genetic pain'.

The Duke of Sussex did not hold back during the wide-ranging interview lasting 90 minutes.

The Duke called royal life 'a mixture between The Truman Show and being in a zoo' and said he quit last year to put his family and mental health 'first'. He also put 'wild partying' in his youth down to 'childhood trauma', having previously admitted experimenting with cannabis and drinking to excess, and joked about the time he played naked billiards at a party in Las Vegas.
Giovanna Fletcher has been helping to support a baby gift company whose HQ was destroyed by an alleged arson attack.

The founders and staff at personalised gift service My 1st Years were left devastated when a blaze ripped through their 90,000 sq. ft. premises in Northampton earlier this month.

But today the company said it has been overwhelmed by messages of support after I'm A Celeb's Giovanna, 36, interviewed its founders Dan Price and Jonny Sitton in a video posted on social media.

Thoughtful: Giovanna Fletcher has been helping to support a baby gift company whose HQ was destroyed by an alleged arson attack

My 1st Years, which employs 150 people, had also already received offers of support from high street giants such as Argos and Boots - and even free office space from a local business.

TV presenter Giovanna told the pair: 'As an outsider you see what has happened and you are completely shocked to know that the company has been growing, growing, growing and then suddenly it is all burned down.

'You have become a brand that people associate with such lovely times so I feel like your customers will stick with you.'

Support: The company My 1st Years said it has been overwhelmed by messages of support after I'm A Celeb's Giovanna, 36, interviewed its founders Dan Price and Jonny Sitton in a video posted on social media

Mother-of-three Giovanna is a friend of Dan and Jonny, who have spent the last ten years building their business into one of the UK's most popular suppliers of personalised baby gifts.

The pair said that they feared the worst when they awoke to be told their life's work had gone up in flames during the early hours of May 1st.

In the video, Jonny said: 'We had everything there, we had our offices at the front and we had a production office behind it, and then there was the warehouse and all of the stock.'

The blaze was so intense that Northampton Fire and Rescue Service it took eight pumps to douse the fire, using water from a local river. The fire destroyed all of the company's machinery along with 3,000 pallets of stock.

Shock: The founders and staff at personalised gift service My 1st Years were left devastated when a blaze ripped through their 90,000 sq. ft. premises in Northampton earlier this month

Dan said: 'We woke up on Saturday May 1st in the early hours of the morning to about 60 missed calls from our head of operations, Richard - and we realised that the building was on fire. We just couldn't believe it. We went there straight away and by the time we got there the whole building was burned.'

Giovanna asked the pair: 'Are we talking everything was gone? I guess you are talking about fabrics and things... Would you have been certain there was no one inside?'

Dan replied: 'Luckily nobody was in the building, which was the main thing we asked about straight away. It's all of our machines - and all of our stock as well, everything has gone. The first thing Jonny and I said on the morning is that we have to show positivity to get the business back up and running as soon as possible.'

Sad: The blaze was so intense that Northampton Fire and Rescue Service it took eight pumps to douse the fire, using water from a local river

The company says within 72 hours it had refunded around 1,400 orders from customers that were outstanding at the time of the fire.

It set up a temporary HQ at a local hotel with a handful, while the majority of employees were granted paid leave until the company bounces back.

Giovanna said: 'I think the drive that you have shown since the start of all this (means) I have no question that you are going to pull through and get it done.'

Tough: The fire destroyed all of the company's machinery along with 3,000 pallets of stock

Police have launched an arson investigation in the blaze, which is among several other unexplained fires that have occurred recently in the local area.

My 1st Years today thanked customers, staff, and suppliers for their support.

Dan added in a statement: 'At first we just didn't know what to do, but the support we had moved us to tears and gave us strength to fight.

Business: Giovanna is a friend of Dan and Jonny, who have spent the last ten years building their business into one of the UK's most popular suppliers of personalised baby gifts

'We couldn't believe the support we got, from staff, from investors through to high street names, rallying to get us back live, including giants like Sainsburys, Argos, Boots and many others, through to smaller companies and even competitors. Offers of every kind have flooded in, to give us office or warehouse space, help of all kinds. This is a dark time but we are now really seeing the light to rebuild stronger than before.

'We want to thank the firefighters and police who got to the building right away. One of the key firemen involved was even a My 1st Years customer, that was incredible.

'The bravery of he and his colleagues humbled us. We just wanted to thank everyone so much, including Giovanna, we will recover because of the kindness we've been shown.'
Bachelor Nation's Sarah Herron recently announced that she was engaged to filmmaker Dylan Brown.

The 34-year-old reality television personality made the big news public through a post made to her Instagram account on Sunday.

She later shared a video that showed the actual moment that her fiance popped the question during a river rafting trip with several of their friends.

Happy pair: Sarah Herron announced her engagement to filmmaker Dylan Brown in a post made to her Instagram account on Sunday

Herron also wrote a lengthy message in the post's caption to let her followers know about her feelings regarding her engagement.

She began her note by writing, 'We are thrilled to share the announcement of our engagement! In our favorite place, with close friends and Rio, Dylan popped the question in front of Mount Sopris.'

The media personality also expressed that she was ecstatic to have ended up with the filmmaker and that her experiences on reality television paled in comparison to how she felt about her now-fiance.

'To everyone who thinks life has to go in one particular order, or by a specific time... IT DOESNT. Id wait a lifetime all over againthrough the heartbreaks, years of self-work and countless rose ceremoniesto end up with this person,' she wrote.

Special occasion: The reality television personality's partner popped the question during a shared river rafting trip with a group of their friends

Heartfelt message: Herron also wrote a statement in the post's caption, where she noted that she would 'wait a lifetime all over again' in order to meet Brown

Herron went on to note that the two were so invested in their relationship that they had agreed to start a family following their impending nuptials.

'We make each other better, we have so much fun and were going to become parents together, so we decided to do the damn thing,' she wrote.

The reality television personality's video also showed the moment that her partner went down on one knee to pop the question to his now-fiancee.

It also featured moments from the post-engagement celebration and river rafting trip, on which they were accompanied by several friends.

Capturing the moment: Herron also shared a video to her account that included a clip of her now-fiance getting down on one knee and asking her the big question

Big plans: In her message, the Bachelor Nation figure wrote that she and her soon-to-be husband were already planning to start a family in the near future

Herron and Dylan met in 2017 after he was hired as a videographer for her inaugural SheLift retreat in Colorado.

In an Instagram post from 2018 where she described the circumstances of their first meeting, she wrote that she 'was pretty certain I had a crush on him' after working together.

The social media figure also noted that she 'was drawn to his creative instinct, expertise on the ski hill, ability to direct firmly yet allow for compassion in a vulnerable environment.'

She then recalled that, after kissing him at the end of their first date, he was 'undeniably hooked' and they began a relationship shortly afterward, with Herron moving to his hometown of Carbondale, Colorado.

Moving fast: The couple first met in 2017 when Brown was hired as a videographer for Herron's SheLift retreat in Colorado

Herron is best known for her appearances on various seasons of shows from the Bachelor franchise.

She appeared on season 17 of The Bachelor, where she competed with 26 other contestants for the affection of author Sean Lowe.

Although she made it past the early stages, the newly-engaged media personality was eliminated in the sixth week of the competition.

The reality television figure went on to be featured in the first and third seasons of Bachelor In Paradise, although she did not end up with another contestant during either appearance.
Chinese medical team's visit boosts Lao people's confidence in fighting COVID-19 pandemic

Xinhua) 14:02, May 17, 2021

VIENTIANE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese medical experts has visited the northern Laos where the COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging, boosting Lao people's confidence to win the war against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The training given by the Chinese medical team has helped us solve critical problems and boosted our confidence in putting out the COVID-19 outbreak," a local epidemic prevention and control staff in Bokeo province said while commenting on the professional training for the local staff by the Chinese medical experts.

The Chinese medical experts, along with medical materials, arrived in Laos on May 4 to help the country fight the virus.

From May 9 to 14, the Chinese medical experts visited four northern Lao provinces of Luang Prabang, Bokeo, Oudomxay and Luang Namtha to assess the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic and provide suggestions and guidance to local health authorities and medical staff.

They also trained and answered questions from the local medical staff, optimized treatment for confirmed COVID-19 patients, visited local virology testing laboratories as well as quarantine centers and vaccination sites, fed back their assessments to the local governments and put forward rectification options for prevention and control of the virus, among others.

Khamdy Sintham is an interpreter for the Chinese medical experts in Oudomxay, about 310 km north of Lao capital Vientian by aerial distance, and also a doctor of the provincial hospital. After on-site training, Khamdy learned how to put on and take off the protective clothing. He entered the isolation wards for the first time with the Chinese medical experts.

Khamdy said he had gained more knowledge about the disease by professional training which also dispersed his fear of the virus.

Knowing that the only confirmed COVID-19 patient in Luang Namtha Provincial Hospital, some 360 km north of Vientiane, was feeling quite nervous about the disease, the Chinese medical experts took the initiative to apply for entering the isolation ward to visit the patient.

After chatting with the Chinese medical experts and getting psychological counseling, the patient's fear for the disease was eased. The patient gave a thumbs-up to the Chinese medical experts, and believed that he would recover soon.

At the COVID-19 vaccination center in Luang Prabang Province, some 220 km north of Vientiane, the Chinese medical experts answered the questions raised by the vaccinators such as "how to choose the target population for COVID-19 vaccination" and "whether food allergies or other drug allergies matter in vaccination."

All the staff at the vaccination center expressed their gratitude to and asked for group photos with the Chinese experts.

In Bokeo Province, some 350 km northwest of Vientiane, which borders China, Myanmar and Thailand and where the epidemic is severe, after knowing that there is a lack of professional personnel for epidemic prevention and control, and that the work of epidemiological investigation, isolation and disinfection is only carried out by business staff and volunteers without special training, the Chinese medical experts worked overnight to prepare and improve the next day's medical training.

"The Chinese experts have travelled far and worked hard to help study and solve problems here and put forward valuable work suggestions. The Chinese experts team has set an example of Laos-China cooperation in the fight against the epidemic, and served as envoys of the friendship between the two countries," said Director-General of Bokeo's health department Bounyaveth Vongkhamsao when seeing off the Chinese colleagues.

The Chinese medical experts' work tour to the northern Laos was also hailed on internet.

"Thank you for your contribution," a Lao netizen named Somsouk Sayavongsa commented while following the news about their tour.

"Thanks to the Chinese government, (and to) an unbreakable community with a shared future!" said a netizen named Sythala Pathammavong.

Laos has been experiencing a surge of COVID-19 infections recently. The country confirmed 21 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total number to 1,591.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
In a Facebook post, Murphy wrote I had a great lunch at Villa of Lebanon in South Windsor. Later in the day, Mayor Paterna told me that the town ordered hundreds of meals there during the pandemic for first responders, and every time, the owner, Ali, refused payment. I just want to help the town, he said.
Candice Swanepoel showed off her impressively toned physique in a scorching snap shared to her Instagram account on Monday morning.

The 32-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel was seen posing in a lush tropical landscape, with the breathtaking golden sunlight serving to accentuate her beautifully sculpted form.

The supermodel also wrote a short message in the post's caption that read: 'I am a brutally soft woman.' It is a quote from poet Nayyirah Waheed.

Showing off: Candice Swanepoel placed her immaculately toned form on full display in a scorching snap posted to her Instagram account on Monday morning

Swanepoel was dressed in a white bikini top that placed her toned tummy on full display for her 15.2 million followers.

She contrasted her top with a hip-hugging red bottom that was complemented by strands of blue string.

The fashion industry icon's gorgeous blonde hair stayed messy during the photoshoot and partially covered the right side of her face while also falling onto her shoulders and backside.

The South African accessorized with a single gold armband while posing for the sizzling snap.

Keeping it real: The model is well known for flaunting her eye-catching physique on her various social media outlets

Head honcho: The Victoria's Secret Angel is often seen wearing various items from her clothing line, Tropic of C

Swanepoel also tagged the official Instagram account for her swimwear line, Tropic of C, in the post.

She was recently featured in two shots that were posted to her brand's outlet, the first of which showed her posing in her line's hot pink Scorpio top.

The runway fixture was also seen wearing the brand's high curve bottom in a matching shade.

The supermodel's previous feature showed off plenty of her beach-ready physique as she wore a patterned and matching bikini set.

Trying something new: Swanepoel first launched Tropic of C in 2018 and makes a point of constructing her items with recycled materials

Swanepoel founded Tropic of C in 2018 with the intention of crafting fashionable swimwear that was constructed in an environmentally friendly way.

Much of the company's fabrics are created with recycled material and are manufactured with methods that are meant to reduce water waste.

Most of her brand's swimwear products are designed with a nylon fiber that is made up of old waste and scraps from landfills.

The fashion industry icon extended her vision of eco-friendly business practices to her packaging, as much of it is entirely compostable.

All the way: Much of the South African's packaging for Tropic of C is also constructed with recycled and compostable materials

Swanepoel recently spoke to Fashion Week Daily and told the publication that she started Tropic of C to set an example for future designers.

'I wanted the line to be something I could be proud of from all angles, not just adding to the problem. I want to leave the world a better place, not worse,' she said.

The supermodel went on to note that she has been keeping busy with the company over the course of the last year and that she was happy to be occupied with growing her business.

'I've been working nonstop on the brand...so I'm having a lot of fun dreaming up new designs and new beautiful ways to shoot them. I'm just grateful that weve continued to grow and expand, despite the pandemic,' she remarked.
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It was recently revealed that she is dating Selling Sunset star Brett Oppenheim.

And Tina Louise certainly encapsulated her red hot romance with what she wore during her latest beach trip.

The 39-year-old Australian model flaunted her fabulous figure in a crimson colored thong bikini while enjoying a relaxed day in Venice Beach on Sunday.

Wow factor: Tina Louise flaunted her fabulous figure in a crimson colored thong bikini while enjoying a relaxed day in Venice Beach on Sunday

The 39-year-old Australian model was not alone on the outing as she packed on the PDA with her 44-year-old luxury realtor/Netflix star boyfriend Brett Oppenheim

She was not alone on the outing as she packed on the PDA with her 44-year-old luxury realtor/Netflix star boyfriend.

Tina showed off her ample assets in the tiny red string bikini as her bountiful cleavage and pert derriere were on full display.

She donned plenty of jewelry including several gold necklaces, a large chain bracelet and multiple gold rings.

Va va voom: Tina showed off her ample assets in the tiny red string bikini as her bountiful cleavage and pert derriere were on full display

Bling bling: She donned plenty of jewelry including several gold necklaces, a large chain bracelet and multiple gold rings

Loved up: The two couldn't keep their hands off one another

Tina also accessorized with a multicolored headband and a pair of designer gold-rimmed aviator shades.

Her blonde locks were put up in a messy bun as she showed off her natural looks by wearing minimal make-up.

Brett donned a pair of white sweatpants that were pulled up to just under the knee.

The power couple didn't just soak up the sun as they also partook in a bit of beach volleyball and even cuddled up in between games.

Working it: Tina also accessorized with a multicolored headband and a pair of designer gold-rimmed aviator shades

Stunner: Her blonde locks were put up in a messy bun as she showed off her natural looks by wearing minimal make-up

Last month, Tina and Brett confirmed their relationship on a PDA-filled stroll through Venice Beach.

The social media personality's outing came not long after she pulled the plug on her past relationship with her ex, Brian Austin Green.

Louise and Oppenheim went Instagram official with their relationship earlier that month with a set of photos that had been taken during a getaway to an undisclosed location.

Keeping cool: She also partook in a bit of volleyball as she served up a stunning look

Serving it up: Brett donned a pair of white sweatpants that were pulled up to just under the knee

No information about how long the couple has been seeing each other has been made public.

Although she appeared to be head over heels with her new boyfriend, the Instagram personality was previously romantically linked to Beverly Hills, 90210 star Brian Austin Green.

The former couple was first linked in May of last year after the actor separated from his estranged wife, Megan Fox.

The pair shared three sons named Noah Shannon, Bodhi Ransom and Journey River, aged eight, seven and four, respectively.

Ace: The power couple played beach volleyball and even cuddled up in between games

Simpatico: The happy couple shared a coconut water together

Green and Louise were spotted spending time together at various locations in and around Los Angeles for a few weeks before they split up after just a few weeks of dating.

The two would go on to exchange flirty Instagram messages over the next few months and ultimately decided to remain friends for the forseeable future.

In October of last year, the model was spotted making out with rap mogul Sean Combs on a Malibu beach, although nothing between them was ever made public.
Rachel Brosnahan was spotted on the New York City set of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel on Monday morning.

The 30-year-old actress was first seen filming a scene with another actor, who was dressed as a milkman, before she was assisted with her outfit by a crew member before preparing for another scene.

The much-lauded Amazon Prime Video series first premiered in 2017, and its production team is currently working on its upcoming fourth season.

Hard at work: Rachel Brosnahan was pictured on the set of the Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel on Monday morning

Brosnahan was costumed in a sizable light blue overcoat that featured a vibrant floral-printed interior while working on the show's set.

The performer contrasted her outer covering with a light pink dress that was paired with a slightly more vibrant purse and pair of gloves.

The Emmy-winning actress also wore a set of patterned high-heeled shoes and a small blue brimless hat as she made her way around the production area.

Her gorgeous brunette hair fell down to just above her shoulders and flowed slightly in the springtime breeze.

Dressed for success: The award-winning actress was seen wearing a sizable blue overcoat that covered much of her frame. She also wore a pink dress that was paired with a slightly brighter purse and pair of gloves

Eye-catching clothing: The actress' outfit also included a brimless blue hat and a pair of patterned and high-heeled shoes

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel made its debut on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service in 2017 and has been one of its most lauded programs.

The show follows housewife Midge Maisel, played by Brosnahan, who discovers that she has a talent for standup comedy and begins to pursue a career in the field, which affects her personal life in turn.

Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino based the titular character on various female comedians, as well as her own father, who performed as a comedian in her youth.

The show also features the talents of performers such as Jane Lynch, Kevin Pollak and Alex Borstein, among several others.

Long time running: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel first premiered in 2017 and was met with widespread critical acclaim

After the premiere of its first season, various members of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's cast were nominated for several awards.

In 2018, Brosnahan won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series award at that year's Primetime Emmys, with Borstein being given the distinction for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Sherman-Palladino also took home the awards for Outstanding Directing and Writing for a Comedy Series during the ceremony.

Following the positive reception of its first run of episodes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's production team went on to work on two more seasons, which were released in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The show's cast and crew were presented with several awards for their further efforts on the program over the next two years.

Raking them in: Following the show's premiere, its cast and crew were nominated for several awards for their work on the program

Starring role: Brosnahan won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Midge Maisel during the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards

Brosnahan spoke about her real-life connection to her character during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where she noted that Maisel's feelings about various things had begun to affect her own.

'I think I tap into Midge when I get nervous! I can hear myself starting to fall into some rhythms and cadences and trying to will her confidence into my own life, and she's kind of become like a weird alter ego,' she expressed.

The award-winning actress also spoke about the audience's perception of Maisel as a parent and expressed that the show's writers fully intended for the character to run into complications with her children.

'It seems to make people uncomfortable, or they feel like it's a plot hole rather than something that was very carefully thought out,' she remarked.
A terrifying true story of medical malpractice is coming to Peacock with an all-star cast.

The streaming network dropped the chilling new trailer for its limited series drama, Dr. Death, starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater on Monday.

Jackson is haunting as he portrays the real-life, overconfident hack of a neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch who was accused of injuring over 33 out of 38 patients over the course of two years.

The doctor is in: Jackson is haunting as he portrays the real-life, overconfident hack of a neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch in the trailer for Peacock's new miniseries Dr. Death

'Morning, I'm Dr. Christopher Duntsch,' Jackson says to open the preview.

Speaking to his surgical team he explains: 'Today we're going to be operating on Rose Keller. Patient presented with severe back pain diagnosed as a herniated disc.

'It is important we are in and out with as little fanfare as possible. So, mouths shut, ears open. Let's begin,' he confidently tells the group.

Things quickly take a turn and a nurse, panicking tells Dr. Duntsch: 'sir, there's a lot of bleeding'.

Malpractice: The streaming network dropped the chilling new trailer for its limited series drama, Dr. Death, starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater on Monday

'Morning, I'm Dr. Christopher Duntsch,' Jackson says to open the preview. 'Today we're going to be operating on Rose Keller. Patient presented with severe back pain diagnosed as a herniated disc.'

Terrifying: Scored with tense, nail-biting music, the trailer for Dr. Death juxtaposes Duntsch's self-confidence with his patients with his seemingly careless and dangerous techniques in the operating room

His bedside manner gone, the neurosurgeon snaps at the nurse to 'focus' on her own job.'

Scored with tense, nail-biting music, the trailer for Dr. Death juxtaposes Duntsch's self-confidence with his patients with his seemingly careless and dangerous techniques in the operating room.

'I don't have complications,' he's heard saying.

The limited series is based on Wondery's hit podcast of the same name that followed the terrifying tale of the Dallas, Texas based surgeon and the dozens of patients he injured and some who died on the table.

Patient care: In real life, the doctor was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in two years

'I don't have complications,' he's heard saying.

Source material: The limited series is based on Wondery's hit podcast of the same name that followed the terrifying tale of the Dallas, Texas based surgeon and the dozens of patients he injured and some who died on the table

When fellow doctors began to notice a pattern of bad outcomes, neurosurgeon Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin), vascular surgeon Randall Kirby (Christian Slater), and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart (AnnaSophia Robb) banded together to take him down.

'I could have told you the guy was a hack,' Christian Slater's Dr. Kirby says in the trailer. 'He turned him into a quadriplegic,' Baldwin adds.

The series logline explained: 'Patients entered his operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries and left permanently maimed or dead.'

'He's either the most incompetent surgeon I've ever crossed paths with or he's a sociopath,' Baldwin sums up.

Star power: Dr. Death, which streams later this summer on Peacock, stars Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, AnnaSophia Robb, Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin

'I could have told you the guy was a hack,' Christian Slater's Dr. Kirby says in the trailer. 'He turned him into a quadriplegic,' Baldwin adds.

Heroes: When fellow doctors began to notice a pattern of bad outcomes, neurosurgeon Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin), vascular surgeon Randall Kirby (Christian Slater), and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart (AnnaSophia Robb) banded together to take him down

'He's either the most incompetent surgeon I've ever crossed paths with or he's a sociopath,' Baldwin sums up.

Dr. Death, which streams later this summer on Peacock, stars Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, AnnaSophia Robb, Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin.

The story was featured in the first season of Wondery's six-episode 2018 podcast Dr. Death.

Duntsch's medical license in the state of Texas was revoked - an action alluded to in the trailer for the gripping miniseries. The doctor was sued several times for 'gross negligence' by multiple former patients, as well as by all of the hospitals that employed him.

He was ultimately convicted of maiming one of his patients and is serving a life sentence in prison.
She knows how to cultivate a brand.

And Kendall Jenner roamed through fields of agave on horseback to announce the launch of her 818 tequila brand in California with moody visuals shared to Instagram on Monday.

The 25-year-old supermodel toured the farm located in Jalisco, Mexico, but made sure to turn off comments to her 164million followers after facing cultural appropriation backlash for naming her new beverage after her Calabasas area code, despite tequila's deep-rooted Mexican history having no affiliation to the affluent community she grew up in just outside of Los Angeles.

Cheers: Kendall Jenner roamed through fields of agave on horseback to announce the launch of her 818 tequila brand in California with moody visuals shared to Instagram on Monday

Kendall proved to be the perfect ranch hand as she walked side-by-side a horse while touring the grounds of her agave fields.

'What an incredible experience I have had thus far, learning about this beautiful place, it's beautiful culture, and the beautiful people,' she captioned the series.

'@818tequila has launched in California... we will be rolling out to the rest of the US all summer long, keep a look out!!!'

The 25-year-old supermodel toured the farm located in Jalisco, Mexico, but made sure to turn off comments to her 164million followers after facing cultural appropriation backlash for naming her new beverage after her Calabasas area code, despite tequila's deep-rooted Mexican history having no affiliation to the affluent community she grew up

Relax: Kendall proved to be the perfect ranch hand as she toured the grounds of her agave fields between horseback and truck

'What an incredible experience i have had thus far, learning about this beautiful place, it's beautiful culture, and the beautiful people,' she captioned the series

Kendall beamed while wearing a white cropped tank top and a striped long-sleeve blouse while sipping on one of the flavors from her new brand.

Her dark brown hair was tied into braids and she appeared to be mostly makeup-free for the desert shoot.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star took a swig from a bottle of her Reposado before climbing atop chopped down agave for a snap shared with her Blanco.

Cowgirl: Kendall beamed while wearing a white cropped tank top and a striped long-sleeve blouse while sipping on one of the flavors from her new brand

Drink up: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star took a swig from a bottle of her Reposado before climbing atop chopped down agave for a snap shared with her Blanco

Vibes: Her dark brown hair was tied into braids and she appeared to be mostly makeup-free for the desert shoot

Almost immediately after announcing her latest venture earlier this year, Kendall faced intense scrutiny for the name of her brand and the attempt to diminish tequila's cultural significance in the Latinx community.

'@818tequila has launched in California... we will be rolling out to the rest of the US all summer long, keep a look out!!!'

'There was just a lack of respect to the culture and the importance of tequila to Mexico,' bartender Lucas Assis told Yahoo Life in February. 'She didn't even know how to properly drink tequila.'

He went on to explain how agave takes up to nine years to fully mature before being able to harvest, a questionable time frame since Kendall noted that she had only spent four years perfecting her new brand.

'The plant is embedded in the country's history and culture. Celebrities need to understand the detrimental effect their brands can have on the tequila industry but even most importantly on the agriculture of the agave plant,' he said.

'Using Mexico's culture and history for nothing other than capital gain is culture appropriation. Not to mention leaving the family-owned small distilleries, who have been doing this for generations, struggling to keep up with the sky rocketing prices of the agave, due to farmers simply not being able to keep up with the demand.'

Not great: Almost immediately after announcing her latest venture earlier this year, Kendall faced intense scrutiny for the name of her brand and the attempt to diminish tequila's cultural significance in the Latinx community

Boss: It was back to business as usual on Monday afternoon when Kendall made an appearance at Mel and Rose liquor store to celebrate the launch

'There was just a lack of respect to the culture and the importance of tequila to Mexico,' bartender Lucas Assis told Yahoo Life in February. 'She didn't even know how to properly drink tequila'

It was back to business as usual on Monday afternoon when Kendall made an appearance at Mel and Rose liquor store to celebrate the launch.

Kendall wore a loose white long-sleeve top with straight leg jeans and a navy blue 818 vest with a 'Kenny' patch.

Enthusiastic fans were treated to 818 merchandise (including hats and shirts) thrown by Jenner into the crowds from a bright green truck.

Casual: Kendall wore a loose white long-sleeve top with straight leg jeans and a navy blue 818 vest with a 'Kenny' patch
He's the outspoken radio host who recently jumped ship from Nova FM's drive show to host his own breakfast program for Triple M Melbourne.

And Marty Sheargold pulls no punches when it comes to the guests he allows on air, revealing on Monday that certain Aussie TV personalities are blacklisted.

The comedian, 49, told News.com.au he has banned reality stars from appearing on The Marty Sheargold Show, saying they are just 'filler' content.

Banned: Triple M host Marty Sheargold pulls no punches when it comes to the guests he allows on air, revealing on Monday that certain Aussie TV personalities are blacklisted

He said: 'I'll never do that. That to me is filler and lazy.'

Sheargold said some breakfast radio hosts devote lengthy segments to interviewing reality TV stars simply because they're desperate for content.

'[When] you give someone from Married At First Sight half an hour of your show, that's because you don't want to do half an hour of your show,' he said.

Sorry, MAFS brides! The comedian, 49, told News.com.au he has banned reality stars from appearing on The Marty Sheargold Show, saying they are just 'filler' content

He said the result is usually 'awful' radio and insulting to the listener.

Sheargold has probably made the right decision by avoiding reality stars, as his audience at Triple M skews towards Gen-Xers and boomers who tend not to watch shows like The Bachelor and Married At First Sight.

But this wasn't the case during his previous role as a host on Nova FM's Kate, Tim and Marty drive show, where he would routinely chat to Bachelor and MAFS contestants.

Shots fired: Sheargold said some breakfast radio hosts devote lengthy segments to interviewing reality TV stars simply because they're desperate for content. Pictured: Married At First Sight stars Nic Jovanovic and Elizabeth Sobinoff on The Kyle and Jackie O Show

Sheargold hinted during his interview with News.com.au that his time at the more youth-focused Nova wasn't always creatively fulfilling.

'I don't have to talk about Justin Bieber anymore, which is good,' he said, referring to his move to Triple M in December.

Reality stars regularly appear on metro and regional breakfast radio shows as part of their contractual publicity duties.

Media rounds: Reality stars regularly appear on metro and regional breakfast shows as part of their contractual publicity duties. Pictured: MAFS couple Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven

While this can sometimes result in bland interviews unpacking what viewers already saw on TV the night before, Sheargold is wrong in saying they're always 'awful'.

The Kyle and Jackie O Show regularly airs headline-making interviews with MAFS stars, and once famously stitched up Bryce Ruthven live on air by calling a woman he'd had a one-night stand with years earlier while he was engaged to his ex-fiancee.

The Marty Sheargold Show airs on Triple M Melbourne weekdays from 6am to 9am.
Zack Snyder has revealed he penned a 300 movie, featuring a gay love story, but Warner Bros. turned down his idea.

The director and screenwriter, who co-wrote and directed the first installment in 2006 as well as co-wrote and produced the sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, in 2014, said in a new podcast that the studio asked him to come up with the final chapter.

But Snyder, 55, admitted 'I just couldn't really get my teeth into it' while he was writing during the coronavirus pandemic, and ended up going in a direction that Warner Bros. weren't really into.

Zack Snyder has revealed he penned a 300 movie during the pandemic but Warner Bros. turned down his idea

'When I sat down to write it, I actually wrote a different movie,' he said on The Playlist's The Fourth Wall.

'I was writing this thing about Alexander the Great, and it just turned into a movie about the relationship between Hephaestion and Alexander. It turned out to be a love story.'

Snyder said he realized his vision didn't really fit as the third movie in the series but he was still excited to bring it to the table.

'There was that concept, and it came out really great. It's called Blood and Ashes and it's a beautiful love story, really, with warfare,' he said.

'I was writing this thing about Alexander the Great, and it just turned into a movie about the relationship between Hephaestion and Alexander. It turned out to be a love story.'

'I would love to do it, [WB] said no  you know, they're not huge fans of mine. It is what it is.'

Snyder made the jump to Netflix with his recent zombie flick Army of the Dead, ending his 15-year relationship with Warner Bros., temporarily at least.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin born filmmaker has said he hopes that Warner Bros. listens to the 'massive fandom' calling for him to make more DC movies.

The director thinks it's unlikely he'll make another DC film, having previously helmed Justice League and Man of Steel, but Snyder suggested that the studio could ultimately bend to fan pressure.

'I would love to do it, [WB] said no  you know, they're not huge fans of mine. It is what it is.' Snyder said of bringing the 'beautiful love story' to the studio

He told Jake's Takes: 'I don't know what could be done as you go forward other than, I think the fan movement is so strong and the fan community is so - the intention is so pure - and I really have huge respect for it.

'I would hope that cooler heads would prevail with them and that they would see that there's this massive fandom that wants more of them, but who knows what they'll do.'

Snyder recently admitted he feared he would be sued by Warner Bros over a campaign to release his version of Justice League.

The director and screenwriter, who co-wrote and directed the first installment in 2006 as well as co-wrote and produced the sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, in 2014, said in a new podcast that the studio asked him to come up with the final chapter but they rejected his idea

He was at the helm of the superhero blockbuster until May 2017, when he stepped down to mourn the death of his daughter Autumn, and he was replaced by Joss Whedon, who changed the tone of the film.

A huge #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign was subsequently launched, featuring billboard adverts and planes flying banners, and though the director came out in support of the idea, he never expected anything positive to happen.

He said: 'I was more worried the studio would sue me. Do something to silence me.'

Snyder made the jump to Netflix with his recent zombie flick Army of the Dead, ending his 15-year relationship with Warner Bros., temporarily at least

Although some elements of the campaign led to in-fighting, Snyder - who released his version of the film earlier this year - will always be grateful for what fans did.

He said: 'Heres the reality. That fandom raised $750,000 for suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Theyve saved lives. Thats a fact. But on the other hand, was it fun to provoke them? For a clickable thing? Yes. And they were an easy target. But they continue to raise money.

'There are not a lot of fan communities whose primary objective, other than seeing work of a guy they like, realized their other main thing was to bring awareness to mental health and suicide prevention. For me, its kind of hard to be mad at them.'
Just in the last couple weeks, demand has really evaporated, to the point where within the next week, we will be closing most, if not all, of our mass vaccination sites and pivoting toward smaller venues, just because its not logistically worthwhile to keep large vaccination sites open when were seeing only a few hundred doses being requested per day, Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer for Yale New Haven Health, said Monday.
Go Give One global campaign debuts in US; gives individual Americans the opportunity to drive COVID-19 recovery throughout the world
My personal hope ... is that people who are not yet vaccinated are looking at this as a reason to go ahead and get vaccinated, Balcezak said at a Monday press briefing. And rather than focus on whether everyone should be wearing a mask or not, I think focus on why and how we can get everyone vaccinated who has not yet chosen to do so.
Jazz musician Mario Pavone was recalled Monday an essential part of the Litchfield Jazz Fest family and the accompanying jazz camp, and a friend who was terrific, very giving, encouraging, fun to be around.

Pavone, 80, died of cancer Saturday, May 15. For the last few years, he lived Madeira Beach, Florida, with his wife, Mary. A native of Waterbury, Pavone was a well-known and prolific bass player, recording artist and performer who traveled to share his style of jazz.

The jazz fesival is holding a free online concert of Pavones performances Friday, May 14. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ockyhTROb_M for information.

In one of Pavones final interviews last October at the jazz festival  held virtually because of the pandemic  WNPR interviewer John Dankosky said that over the last few months Pavone had worked to record and master his last two albums, telling him he wanted to get the music out. Downbeat magazine writer Kevin Whitehead called it a final artistic statement.

Litchfield Jazz Fest founder and Executive Director Vita Muir, a colleague and friend of Pavone, said he was a family member of Litchfield Performing Arts from the get-go.

I remember when we started the jazz camp, we had to plan the classes, where to put the kids, what rooms to use ... I discussed lineups with Mario, but I didnt know how to decide who went where.

I remember being on our hands and knees on the floor, using tiles to see how they would intersect to play together, she said. He was absolutely always there for me, always in my corner. And I was for him. He always tried to be helpful and we cherished what he did. He taught bass at the camp every single year.

She recalled a recent jazz camp year when Pavone was losing strength because of his illness, and his bass had to be carried up the stairs because he couldnt do it.

The young staff and the kids would help him, she said. Many people were shocked by that, because he didnt advertise that he was ill. He didnt want any bias  he also wanted to get hired, because he was still playing and recording. Because he appeared to be so strong when he was playing, only people who knew him really knew what was going on.

Muir organized an 80th birthday celebration for Pavone in 2020. I did it because I wanted to honor his 80th year, but I also knew that the music he was involved in was keeping him going for the last five years. Everything was about the music, she said. I wanted to make it a multi-pronged event, and I built in his interview with John Dankosky on WNPR, and Mario was just thrilled.

Musician Albert Rivera, part of the Litchfield Jazz Fest, remembered Pavone fondly.

As a musician who knew Mario for years, I had opportunities to perform with him and call him a friend, he said. He was such a unique musician. The concepts that were in his head, which were then translated to music, and the way he made and sustained the pulse when he played, was incredible.

He was a driving force by himself, but when paired up with incredible musicians as he did all of his career, made his music nothing short of incredible. He will be missed, Rivera said.

According to a story on npr.org, Pavone earned an engineering degree from UConn but decided on a career in jazz after hearing legendary saxophonist John Coltrane play at the Village Vanguard in 1961. Over the decades, the bassist, composer and educator was part of New York Citys so-called Loft era of jazz in the late 1960s, working closely with pianist Paul Bley and trumpeter Bill Dixon, the story notes. In the 1970s, Pavone was influenced by Chicago transplants Wadada Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton, joining their Creative Musicians Improvisers Forum in New Haven, the story also notes. By the mid-1980s, he was part of New Yorks Knitting Factory scene, working closely with the late saxophonist, Thomas Chapin, according to the NPR story.

Jazz trombonist Peter McEachern was a close friend to Pavone, and performed and recorded with him for many years. McEachern played on Pavones acclaimed Song for Septet as well as 5 CDs by Pavone including Vertical, Pavones 2017 release with Tony Malaby, Dave Ballou Oscar Noriega and Michael Sarin on Clean Feed Records, according to his bio on litchfieldjazzcamp.com. Both musicians were faculty members at the camp.

We started working together in 1978 or 1979, so at least 43 years ago, McEachern said. We made a couple of albums together, and played together, very regularly, at a club in Waterbury called The Hillside. We did a lot of clubs back then, and at the time, Hillside was the most regular venue. We also did concert-type venues, theaters and things like that.

They met through mutual friends, McEachern said.

I appreciated his approach, he said. I had been exploring avant garde jazz myself, and so when I met Mario, I immediately recognized a kindred spirit. Also, he was a little older and was a mentor in a lot of ways. We worked together and grew together, playing as musicians.

Working to the end, Muir said, Pavone was determined to record as much music as possible with his trio. He had done two albums, and he did another one in February 2020, she said. He laid the album down in three days in New York. Hes two or three weeks away from dying, and he insists hes going to mix it ... he went to the engineer in Tampa, Florida, and he had to walk up two flights of stairs with people helping him. And he sat through the whole session, mixing that album. He was interested in getting the Dialect Trio out there.

Muir noted that Pavone was not formally educated, and improvisation and collaboration was a big part of his work. The way he worked was completely collaborative, she said. He laid down the music, and the other musicians would score it. But it was like a map, and people he worked with would improvise around him. He created absolutely fabulous music.

Pavones style was not traditional jazz and in keeping with her mission for the festival, Muir always sought out up-and-coming or out of the box artists. Mario performed in our very first festival, and the second and third, she said. At the first one, people were expecting more in-the-pocket type of music. But by the time we got to the third year of the festival, he got a major standing ovation after his concert.

I got people to understand that there are all different kinds of jazz and that they should listen to it, Muir said. And they did, and they went crazy for it. Thats what it takes.

Muir described Pavones music as melodic, with a driving, pulsing force behind it.

That was the secret  for the listener to hear that vibe and never lose interest, she said. It evoked emotion. It was very experiential.

McEachern said Pavones music wasnt just avant garde. That description can sound sort of esoteric, he said. His music was very accessible to people. His soul came through it. It was just great music.

McEachern said, He was always thinking about music, and what was going on in the world. We always ahd interesting conversations. Ill miss him a lot.

For more about Mario Pavones work, visit www.mariopavone.com/artist.html
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Former President Donald Trump will speak at North Carolinas annual state Republican Party convention next month, party officials announced Monday.

The former president will speak in person at the June 5 convention dinner in Greenville. Trump narrowly carried North Carolina in 2020 and held numerous events in the state toward the end of his campaign.

Trump's speech will be closed to the media, and journalists won't be able to view it via livestream or alternate forms, said Livy Polen, a spokeswoman for the NC GOP.

Trump has kept a relatively low public profile since leaving office. His last significant public speech was in February at the CPAC convention. He's still banned from Twitter and Facebook, and his public comments have largely come in the form of written statements and calling into right-leaning news outlets.

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump has not yet publicly ruled out a 2022 U.S. Senate run in North Carolina and has expressed interest in the contest. Trump has not endorsed any of the three Republicans already running for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Richard Burr.

North Carolina U.S. Rep. Ted Budd and former Rep. Mark Walker, who are vying for the partys 2022 U.S. Senate nomination, are scheduled to attend the convention, as are U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn and four other members of the state's congressional delegation. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will serve as a guest speaker.

Trump has expressed interest in running for president again in 2024 but has not yet announced a decision. The state party hopes Trump can help Republicans retake control of the U.S. House in the upcoming midterms. NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley, a staunch Trump ally who also served as one of the former president's 13 North Carolina electors in 2020, wants Trump to play an active role in North Carolina politics.

President Trump delivered real results for North Carolina by rebuilding the military, standing strong against China and unleashing the American Economy, Whatley said in a news release. "We are honored to welcome President Trump to our convention as the Republican Party launches our campaign to retake Congress and the Senate in the 2022 midterms .

Burr was censured by the state Republican Party following his vote to impeach Trump.

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Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.

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Anderson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
First people started with rentals, William Raveis real estate agent Stacey Matthews said. It was just a mad dash for rentals last March and April, and then it quickly changed over to people wanting to buyPeople had locked up short-term rentals and then realized they loved it here and everyone's telling their friends and it just kind of spread.

As life seemed to stand still in the early days of the pandemic, it made way for a different and equally-widespread change: a booming real estate market. While lower Fairfield County landed eight of the top 10 spots for net gains in 2020 in New York and Connecticut, travel an hour north on Route 8 to Litchfield County, and theres a similar, yet quieter migration of new residents settling into the area.

The Litchfield boom by the numbers

According to data presented by real estate listing company Redfin, Litchfield Countys home inventory in January 2020 was 1,216 properties; by September 2020, the area hit a peak with a year-high of 1,392 properties listed. By December, that number reduced to 917 homes  and by March 2021, Redfin reports only 731 listed in Litchfield County.

At the same time that inventory in the area reached its pinnacle, a separate Redfin data set shows that Litchfield County homes began spending less time on the market. In fact, at the start of their records in 2012, the average amount of time a Litchfield County home spent on the market was 226 days; while that number fluctuated over the course of the next nine years, it never dipped below a median of 70 days on the market in July 2018. Cut to 2020, and homes were spending an average of just 61 days on the market in the month of October; by March 2021, that average moved to 66.

Where are the buyers coming from?

Realtors in the area are seeing the data play out in real time. For Matthews, who is based out of Washington Depot, she said she saw an influx of buyers from one area in particular: Brooklyn, N.Y.

I think we've seen things change from primarily Manhattan to Brooklyn over the past few years," she said. But now, it's just definitely a majority of the people are from Brooklyn.

Matthews isnt the only realtor in the area who has seen this shift. Broker Elyse Harney Morris of Elyse Harney Real Estate said she too has seen an exodus from Brooklyn to the states northwest corner, calling it the strongest location out of New York City. Melnick said there was even a particular demographic for each Brooklyn and Manhattan buyer hes seen.

Theyre usuallya couple that are both professionals, aged 35-45 it seems like, he said. They all had two kids. They needed to have enough Wi-Fi bandwidth to have two Zoom calls for each professional parent as well as two kids on Zoom school. So what became really important was the strength of the Wi-Fi.

Patrick Sikes

The motivation for moving

For Dave Mallison, a realtor with Best & Cavallaro in Salisbury, the transplants to Litchfield County that hes seen from New York, parts of New Jersey, Long Island and even cities in Connecticut had one clear reason for their move.

It seemed like people were abandoning metropolitan areas and moving to the country, where the air is clear and not filled with the virus as much, he said. It was an escape from the more urbanized areas to the much less urbanized areas to the country.

In Matthews experience, this preference for the country trumped suburban areas in Connecticut.

If you're in Fairfield County, you're really in the suburbs and it's still very congested, she said. There's still traffic. You still have to book a reservation every time you want to go out to dinner. It's just a whole different kind of feel there. As soon as you cross over the Litchfield County border, it's just immediate countryI think people want more space, more fresh air, no traffic and more outdoor activities.

Seeking more space took the form of finding Litchfield Countys trails, lakes, mountains and ski areas an added bonus, especially for previous city dwellers, Morris noted. With more outdoor amenities available in a time when most activities seemed to halt, Morris said it seemed to force some of her clients to reconsider what was most important to them.

I think peoples priorities became very focused to safety, family, to enjoy the simpler things in life, she said. I have about eight different clients of mine who are all now raising chickens. They just got their little chicks and their kids are all watching this transpire.

Other features of the area that Melnick and Matthews both found attracted new residents to the area included lower tax rates, access to good school systems and proximity to Bradley International Airport and the commuter train to New York for work travel. For Matthews, the steady stream of new residents has potential to continue past the pandemic.

I think it really depends on people's work, but I do think that the people who have come here are making a commitment for a year or a longer-term commitment; I don't see those people leaving, she said. They're bringing their friends up to visit now that COVID restrictions have lifted and now their friends want to buy houses.

Nicole Desanti

The lay of the land

Comprised of 21 towns, the northwestern county spans from North Canaan just below the Massachusetts line, to Sharon and Kent bordering New Yorks Dutchess County. Litchfield County is also home to many of Connecticuts hiking trails, mountain peaks and waterfalls, including Bradford Mountain in Canaan and Kent Falls State Park.

Helping to preserve the natural flora and fauna is the Litchfield Land Trust, which was established in 1968 and has accumulated 3,682 acres of parcels and conservation easements. The trust works to establish permanent protection of these lands, which according to Matthews, will help preserve Litchfield Countys landscape no matter how many new residents the area attracts.

We have a huge amount of our total acreage tied up into land trust. So that really reduces even the amount of land that could be developed, she said. One of the reasons why we don't have a lot of inventory is there's not a lot of speculative developing here. So it's not like the suburbs where we have the big builders coming in and developing 50 houses on a cul de sac. It's not like that at all.

The area, however, was already popular among those seeking vacation or weekend properties, according to Bill Melnick, a realtor at Elyse Harney Real Estate in Salisbury, who called Litchfield County undervalued prior to the pandemic.

The land trust and land preservation up here are different than the Hamptons, which really keep the land looking the way it does now, he said. We lack in big box stores, and we have miles and miles of beautiful landscapes, which is something that people who were forced to look outside the Hamptons were immediately attracted to.
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Hyderabad: Not just treating Covid-19 patients, but tackling the side effects in the aftermath too has become a major concern for the doctors, it seems. After recovery, Covid-19 patients are showing increased sugar levels due to use of steroids, psychological stress, sedentary lifestyle and compromised cell immunity. Black fungus, increased levels of cholesterol, heart problems and urinary tract infections are expected as the sugar levels rise.

Doctors have been taken off guard as they never expected these side-effects in patients. In the first wave, there were side-effects noted in terms of scarring of lungs and heart due to prolonged treatment and higher viral load.

But in the second wave, they find that the side-effects are similar to that of a patient suffering from uncontrolled diabetes. Post-Covid-19 side effects have unmasked the underlying diabetes and pre-diabetes disease existing in people.

Sugar levels are not checked in 80 percent of the cases as the treatment is at home. It is not clear whether before and after the medication of steroids, there are fluctuating sugar levels. It is also not clear if the time gap between the steroids is properly followed by patients.

Dr Ch. Vasant Kumar, senior general physician at Apollo Hospitals, explains, "Due to the infectious nature of Covid-19, maximum treatment is at home and only those with identified diabetic disorder are checking random blood sugar at home. In majority of the cases, there have not been random levels taken as they are not thought to be vulnerable for pre-diabetes or diabetes. We are now seeing high incidences as those with a pre-existing condition but not diagnosed, borderline cases and uncontrolled diabetes but never diagnosed are suffering from severe side-effects. This is bringing the diabetics pandemic to the fore."

Increased sugar levels are also due to psychological stress as living in isolation, staying in one room, concerns over income and social changes are affecting many patients. Stress hormones in the body rise and insulin levels fall down hampering functioning of the body. For this reason, there is tiredness, headaches, muscle pain and also lack of sleep, explained Dr S Sangeetha, senior endocrinologist. It also leads to mood swings, demotivation and anger affecting mental health. These have an overall impact on the body making recovery a slow process.

Dr Shyam Kalavalapalli, senior endocrinologist of Idea Clinics says, "In the second wave, we have observed that people who suffered from the infection also suffered from abdominal obesity, sedentary lifestyle and weight gain. There has been a change in lifestyle and most of them have been at home. They have not opted for testing and were neither advised as there was fear of contracting the virus. Neither are the people seeing their doctors face-to-face and it is mostly a video call that decides on the treatment. These factors account for this surge in side-effects."

Experts state that in India for one diagnosed case of diabetes, there is one undiagnosed or missed case. The prevalence of diabetes in India is 7.5 percent of the population according to Indian Council of Medical Research. In urban areas, the incidence is 15 per cent and in rural areas it varies from 4.5 per cent to 10 per cent.

Experts say that due to the unidentified and undiagnosed nature of the disease those who have recovered from Covid 19 must check their blood sugar levels for a month. They can opt for random checking of blood sugar. Apart from that, they must opt for meditation, light exercise at home, check on their weight in terms of food intake, eat healthy foods and carry out breathing exercises so that their cell immunity improves. It is also very important for them to beat their psychological stress and ensure fitness of mental health.
Hyderabad: A simple device, designed using high-strength woven belts as restraints to limit the movement of captive elephants used in wildlife rescue operations in Maharashtra, has resulted in elimination of painful injuries on the legs of pachyderms caused by traditional steel chains used as restraints.

Industrial strength belts, capable of handling loads of more than 5 tonnes, are being used on the legs of elephants. These belts, connected to a shackle, are linked to steel chains that afford the animals some space to move. Though the elephants we use are trained, as with all captive elephants, these ones which we use in operations to tranquilise wild animals including tigers, are tied to chains. But in the past, the chains were wrapped around the legs directly. It was quite common for the elephants to develop wounds because the chains would begin biting into their skins, Dr Ravikant Khobragade, a wildlife veterinarian working in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, told this newspaper.

There was once an incident of an elephant in musth, a state when it is high on testosterone and began pulling the chain on its leg leading to a deep cut and nasty injury and the elephant also killed a mahout, he said. Captive elephants that are chained and frequently suffer from wounds from steel chains that bite into their legs, and the device Khobragade designed has made it safer for elephants. Khobragade, incidentally, is the wildlife vet on call for any possible capture of tiger A2, a wandering big cat from Maharashtra that in November and December last killed two tribals, a young man and a girl, in Asifabad district of Telangana.

The animals are no longer irritated by the steel chains on their legs. The mahouts too are happy, he said, about the new belt restraints being used for five elephants in Tadoba tiger reserve, and a few more in other tiger reserves in Maharashtra. Several states have captive elephants to help in rescue, or tranquilising of wild animals that might stray into human habitations, or need to be captured for other reasons.
Vijayawada: The Supreme Court on Monday called for the medical examination of rebel YSR Congress Lok Sabha member K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju at the Army Hospital, Secunderabad. He had been arrested by the state CID on charges of sedition and sent to 14-day judicial remand by the CID Court, Guntur.

The SC bench comprising Justice Vineet Saran and Justice BR Gavai ordered that a three-member medical board would examine the MP in the presence of a judicial officer named by the Telangana high court. It would submit a report to the apex court. The court asked the board to videograh entire proceedings.

Acting fast, the AP government arranged for Rajus transit from Guntur jail to Secunderabad this evening.

The top brass of the state administration adopted a cautious approach on the maverick MP right from his arrest. It left it to the judiciary to decide on the examination of alleged injuries he had, as also his treatment and hospitalization.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has appointed a three-member medical board headed by Guntur General Hospital superintendent to examine if the MP was inflicted injuries by police during his custody and asked the board to decide on further hospitalization. Within a few hours, the CID court asked the police to get his injuries examined by the board and a team of doctors of Ramesh Hospitals.

The apex court finally gave a direction to the Army Hospital, Secunderabad to examine and submit a report.

Except for opposing the examination and treatment at Ramesh Hospitals, which itself is facing several criminal charges, the government did not interfere with the judicial process, a senior police official stressed.

The SC took up two petitions -- one filed by Raju himself on medical examination and another by his son Bharat Raju challenging the HCs rejection of bail to his father.

Senior counsels Mukul Rohtagi and Dushyant Dave represented Raju and the state government respectively. At one stage, the bench adjourned the proceedings and sought the opinion of the Centre.

While Rajus counsel wanted the medical examination done at the AIIMS, New Delhi, the AP government suggested the AIIMS, Mangalagiri, or the Manipal Hospital in Guntur. The SC bench decided to entrust the task to the Army Hospital, Secunderabad. On bail, the court directed the state to file counters and posted the case to Friday.

The apex court also said Raju could be admitted to the Army Hospital and kept there for medical care until further orders. The hospitalization will be considered as part of judicial remand and expenses of treatment, if any, shall be borne by the MP, the bench said. It also ordered that the Y category security would escort Raju till the hospital and need not be present during the medical examination.
We have teachers who want to educate, we have students who want to learn, we have federal funds thatll help us start, Anwar said at the event. So this is perfect timing for something that we can start which can be truly an opportunity for our students and our families in our state.
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the state government to furnish details of its strategy to deal with the third wave of Covid-19 infection that is being predicted by experts, during which children will be the most vulnerable. This time, the government should not be caught napping, Chief Justice Hima Kohli cautioned.

The court was also anxious over the increasing number black fungus infection cases and directed the government to make medicines available to treat the patients. The court sought a report on the steps taken by the government to address the issue of black fungus infection.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy was dealing with PILs related to the Covid-19 infection.

The court commended the measures taken by the government and the police to enforce the lockdown, more specifically during Id-ul-Fitr. The court directed the police to ensure that there must be no crowding in the markets during the relaxation of lockdown. This came when senior counsel L. Ravichander brought the issue of overcrowding in the markets.

Reacting to an incident of a pregnant woman who died in an ambulance in Hyderabad on Friday, after being denied admission by several hospitals, the court said all the patients who come to hospitals should be admitted without insisting on RT-PCR reports. The court recalled the orders already issued regarding not to insist on test reports.

Justice Hima Kohli said the court had done right in staying the circular issued by the state government restraining entry of persons from other states to Telangana for Covid-19 treatment.

The difficulty faced by the Telangana state government for treating an extra 35 percent of Covid-19 patients in the state was acknowledged by the Centre, and has resulted in the direct intervention of the Prime Minister and revised allocation of oxygen and life-saving drugs to the state, Justice Kohli said, and thanked the Prime Minister. However, she said, counsel for the Centre had not submitted data on how much the supply of oxygen and life-saving drugs had been increased.

Expressing regret over press reports highlighting the issue of non-payment of salaries to contract and outsourced healthcare workers, especially in King Koti Hospital, the Chief Justice directed the government to immediately release the dues.

The court directed the government to treat all police personnel and teachers, who were deputed to the recently-held elections as covid warriors and extend benefits to them.

Poojitha, one of the counsels, informed the Bench that nearly 500 such officials had been infected with Covid-19, out of which 15 teachers succumbed.

Taking cognizance of submissions by senior counsel Ravichander, who stated that the government website was fudging numbers on hospitals rendering Covid treatment and availability of beds, the court directed the government to place real-time data about bed availability.

Ravichander said around 350 hospitals, which are polyclinics, dental hospitals and others with 5,000 beds were reflected as Covid-19 hospitals in the website but were not rendering treatment on the ground. The government was directed to consider the introduction of walk-in vaccination in coordination with NGOs. The court sought details of vaccination to be administered to destitute, orphans, people from below poverty line and prison inmates, apart from people above 45 years and those above 18 years.

The state was directed to ensure that every civil authority in each district tied up with the local NGOs to set up community kitchens for providing free meals to the needy during the lockdown, as there were many instances where the entire family was down with Covid-19. A government order on the matter should be issued on the matter in 48 hours.

Rebuking the government for keeping the testing at an average of about 69,000 for 15 days and not enhancing the data, the court directed the government to increase the tests.

The court said a state task force should be constituted which should coordinate with the National Task Force with regard to allocation of oxygen and life-saving drugs. The court also sought a cap on the price of PPE kits, CT scans and blood tests done at private laboratories for Covid-19.

While responding to the contention of N.S. Arjun Kumar, one of the counsels, that revenue officials of Siddipet district were dislodging people from their homes at Moglicheruvu tanda, Etigaddakistapur, as the area would be submerged by water from the Mallanasagar, the court directed that the decision be altered till the end of the lockdown.

The court directed the government to consider the aspect of converting community centres for testing and Covid care. The court directed the government not to make steroids a part of the Covid-19 medical kit which is being given to patients.
The ongoing Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip is horrific in its ferocity and far exceeds any limits of justifiable and even acceptable retribution. There was once an image of the Israelis being a people of heroic dimensions and sterling character forged by the many tyrannies that the Jewish diaspora have suffered, including the industrial scale programme of extermination by Nazi Germany.

The founding of the State of Israel held out the promise of a new nation that, being tempered by their experiences and motivated by the high idealism of its founders, would give the world something to look up to. It was this idealism that inspired India to be among the first three nations to recognise Israel.

The first generations of Israeli leadership, drawn from the European Jewry known as the Ashkenazim, were generally liberal and progressive. This was seen in early Israel when most agriculture was under cooperative farming organised around the kibbutz, which also entailed a communal (sharing) lifestyle.

The Histadrut, the labour union, which was the bedrock of the Labour Party and political movement led by Israels founding father, David Ben-Gurion, was also Israels biggest employer and owned much of its transportation, dairy, construction and services sectors. Israel was intended as a progressive, socialist and democratic state. It has moved along quite a bit away from that now.

During the initial years of its existence, Israel heroically defied the odds and many writers like the late Leon Uris captured this new promised spirit of the Israeli people. His 600-page masterpiece Exodus created a sensation in 1957 and propelled him to the highest literary fame. It was a detailed and heroic chronicle of European Jewry from the turn of the last century to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

Exodus, while being the epic story of a nation seeking a state, was also the touching love story of Ari Ben Canaan, an Israeli freedom fighter, and Kitty Fremont, an American nurse who joins Canaans fight for a Jewish state.

In 1958, after it became one of the most popular novels of the century, Exodus was made into a film by Otto Preminger and featured Paul Newman as Canaan. It was probably the first time that Hollywood had portrayed a Jewish man in such heroic dimensions. The book and the movie contributed to the mythologising of the Israeli fighter as an indomitable and idealistic hero.

But it is not that Israel lacked such men those days. The founders of the Palmach, the elite strike force of the Haganah that was the forerunner of the Israeli Defence Forces, were men like Moshe Dayan, Haim Bar Lev, Ezer Weizmann, Yigael Yadin, Yitzhak Rabin and Yigal Allon, who were all men of heroic proportions and each one could have been a prototype for Canaan.

But it was Yigal Allon who came closest of all to it. Allon, who died in 1980, began life as a Haganah field commander in 1936 when he was just 18 years old. In 1941 he was one of the founders of the Palmach, the Haganahs commando-style strike unit. In 1948 he was made a lieutenant-general and commanded Israeli forces in the south that liberated the Negev in what became to be known as the War of Independence. He retired from the IDF in 1950, at the ripe old age of 32.

In 1960, Allon went to Oxfords St. Anthonys College to study international relations. He later entered public life and became deputy prime minister in 1967 and devoted himself to seeking a durable peace with the Palestinians.

The Haganah was founded in 1920 as the underground military organisation of the Jewish Yishuv, or community, and was then a loose organisation of various local defence groups. The Palmach was its first mobilised unit, gained battle experience in the Second World War as the Jewish Brigade under British command. The Palmach consisted of many first generation Sabra, or Palestine-born Israelis, who were also fluent Arabic speakers, which gave it the ability remain concealed among the Arab population and to wage a lethal unconventional war on them.

The British learned as much from this experience. Captain Orde Wingate, who later led the famous Chindits Brigade in Burma, learned his art of fighting from the Palmach. Wingate was a charismatic dreamer who, though a Christian, had joined the Jewish movement and led the joint British-Haganahs Special Night Squad which fought in Ethiopia. Wingates African experience found expression in Burma and its successes led all traditional armies to establish special warfare forces to give them similar deep strike capabilities.

The combination of unconventional warfare by the British SAS and US Special Forces and deep and precision air strikes by modern fighter and bomber aircraft in Afghanistan has now given modern warfare a new dimension. Of the three battalions who formed the original Chindits Brigade, the 2/4 Gurkha Rifles is still with the Indian Army and carries the Chindits tag with great pride. Wingate was born in Nainital in 1901 and died in Manipur in 1944.

The Israeli Defence Forces heroic sheen has now largely dissipated with its emergence as a mighty army with the latest weapons and Americas unstinted support. It is now no longer David with a slingshot facing mighty Goliath. In the four major wars that it has fought, the IDF had worsted numerically superior Arab armies with ease. It is difficult to remain a heroic David against such adversaries for long.

The Palestinian intifada is now the heroic struggle of a people seeking to find their identity and their freedom. Just like Israel was before 1948.

The atrocities during the War of Independence can even be justified by the fact that there was a war declared on the Jewish State by all its Arab neighbours, Egypt, Jordan and Syria, and supported by the entire Arab world. The moth-eaten Israel mandated by the UN was not tenable in terms of security, and addition of territory to gain security could have even been justified.

But the continued occupation of the West Bank since 1967 and the continued building of settlements in defiance of UN resolutions and in the face of world opinion are ugly and contemptuous manifestations of a narrow nationalism.

Israel is no longer the valiant and beleaguered underdog, but increasingly seen as an increasingly arrogant oppressor seeking to crush another old nation under its jackboots. The sad truth about Israel is that Benjamin Netanyahu is fact and Ari Ben Canaan is fiction.
For the second year in a row Covid-19 has disrupted Indias mango exports to the United States because the two governments have not been able to devise a solution to the problem of securing US government clearance of export consignments. Indias mango exports to the US were the fruit of prolonged negotiations that finally came to fruition as part of the new strategic partnership inaugurated by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In June 2007 I was presented with the opportunity of handing over the first basket of mangoes legally imported into the United States to then US secretary of state Condoleeza Rice at the annual meeting of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) in Washington D.C. I insisted that the USIBC include in the basket that I was to hand over to Ms Rice at least ten different varieties of mangoes, and not just the most popular export variety -- Alphonso or Hapus.

While presenting the basket I said to Ms Rice that it represented Indias national motto -- unity in diversity. Every Indian regards the mango as the king of fruits, I told her, but each Indian has his/her own favourite variety, and most of us can get very argumentative about which is the best variety.

The diversity in the subcontinents preference for its favourite fruit is a metaphor for an India that is home to around 1,500 varieties of mangoes. While Maharashtras Alphonso and Gujarats Kesar dominate the export basket, other varieties like Andhra Pradeshs Banganapalli and Uttar Pradeshs Langra are also being increasingly marketed around the country and exported overseas.

But the immensely popular mango is not the only edible symbol of unity in diversity. Consider the case of the biryani. The social media has seen from time to time animated arguments about which is the best biryani among biryani aficionados and the authority of food columnists has often been summoned to pass judgement. Yet, between the biryani of Malabar, Bengal, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chettinad and a dozen other places, it is difficult to select the best.

In the larger discussion on Indias plurality and diversity, the culinary preferences of over a billion and a quarter people does not get the attention it deserves.

Just as most Indians who agree that democracy is the best form of governance would have sharp differences on which political party they would support in the interests of preserving that democracy, most of us would be united in our view that Indian food is the tastiest in the world, and yet argue about which part of India offers the most scrumptious cuisine. Unity in diversity is written into our social and cultural DNA.

Foreigners used to imagining that Indian food is tandoori chicken and mattar paneer or dosa and sambar are always surprised by the diversity of what Indian kitchens can conjure up. From imagining that there is something called Indian cuisine, they slowly get used to the idea that there may well be a north, east and south Indian cuisine.

But when they discover that Rayalaseema ruchilu can be very different from Telangana vantakalu, they give up looking for a common thread.

I have so far made a series of fairly obvious observations. Who would disagree with any of these statements? If we are a land of 1,500 mangoes, we are also the land of 15,000 gods and goddesses and 150,000 local deities. While the Constitution recognises 22 official languages, close to 20,000 languages and dialects are spoken as the mother tongue across the subcontinent.

The miracle of Indian democracy and development is that despite this diversity the country has remained united and the roots of national unity now run deep into the soil of Mother India. Against this background, the desperate attempts by certain political elements to impose one religion, one language, one election on this diversity is an insult to the national imagination and an affront to our national personality.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the resistance to the Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan project has most recently been asserted by a clutch of regional political parties in the non-Hindi-speaking states.

The electoral victory of the Trinamul Congress in West Bengal and the DMK in Tamil Nadu are only recent examples. They remind those who need reminding that diversity has never been Indias weakness.

Rather, it is its strength since it prevents the emergence of majoritarian authoritarianism.

If there is one lesson that the present political leadership in New Delhi should re-learn, it is that India cannot be governed as if it was a land of homogeneity. Unity is rarely imposed on a nation from the outside. It is the product of shared values, interests, culture and experience.

No Indian has to be commanded to love the mango. That love is second nature to us. No Indian can be commanded to love just one variety of the mango. That assertion of independent thinking too is second nature to us.

There is much that political and religious leaders can learn from the preferences of the Indian palate. The national popularity of a dosa and a tandoori naan has not been imposed on us by any overbearing political philosophy of national unity. They have become popular across the length and breadth of the subcontinent because, like the majestic mango, we have all come to like their taste. We have our own favourite biryani and we love our own language, but we recognise that we belong to one nation.

The writer is an economist, a best-selling author and former adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. His latest book is Indias Power Elite: Class, Caste and a Cultural Revolution.
OPINION

Sound Off for Monday, May 17
TIM JEAN/File photoStudents file in to outside seating with masks on during Windham High School graduation ceremony last year. The high school was recently honored as a top high school in a U.S. News and World Report ranking. Windham earned the honors due to several factors including graduation rate, and academic success.
Two more areas in Derry are to get Irish street signs.

Applications were recently made for new bilingual street signs at Ballynagard Close and Elmvale.

Once an application is made to Derry City and Strabane District Council, the council then writes to the residents in the streets to find out their views on the street sign application.

Previously, from those who reply to the council's correspondence, a minimum of 67% of respondents had to support the new street sign proposal for it to be granted.

However, in January of this year, the council agreed to reduce this threshold to 15%.

The applications for new street signs at Ballynagard Close and Elmvale, however, were all based on the previous threshold.

In relation to Ballynagard Close, a total of 13 households were contacted in relation to the application.

Of these households, four responded to the council.

Three of the occupants who responded were in favour of the bilingual street sign, while one was against it.

Therefore, this represents 75% of residents who responded being in support on the proposed new street sign.

At Elmvale, 159 households were contacted by the council.

Of these, responses were received back from 76 households.

A total of 92% of the Elmvale households who responded were in support of the new street sign, with 8% opposed to it.

As a result, new bilingual street signs will now be erected by the council at both Ballynagard Close and Elmvale.

January's decision by the council to reduce the bilingual street sign threshold from 67% to 15% was criticised by unionist councillors.

They described it as a 'backwards' step for cross community relations in the local area.

However, those who backed the decision said it would promote equality within local communities.
So for those of you who have been long-term unemployed for a while, were going to pay you $1,000 at the end of two months of work, to give you the incentive to get back to work, make sure work is worth your while, make sure that you can afford it, make sure if you need help on transportation, a little bit of extra help on child care, weve got the upfront money that allows you to do that, Lamont said.
Derry welcomed some special visitors over the weekend.

Two Canadian naval vessels have been docked in the city in recent days as part of events to mark the Battle of the Atlantic during World World War.

Derry's docks played a key role in the battle as it was the first port in Europe for vessels travelling from the US and Canada.

The two vessels attracted a lot of attention from those using Derry's riverside walk at Fort George.
Police have described an assault on four teenage boys by a group of between 30 to 50 young people as an 'unprovoked and vicious attack'.

The attack happened on the East Strand beach in Portrush at about 7.30pm on Saturday night.

Police said one of the victims was beaten with an object, possibly a hammer, while another was pushed into the sea.

The attackers attempted to hold the victim's head underwater.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) also said three of the boys were punched in the face, with one suffering a cut above his eye. Another of the friends was hit on the shoulder with a bottle.

PSNI Inspector Stephen McCafferty said the teenagers were approached by the group 'who suggested they fight'.

"When they refused and turned away, they were set upon by members of the larger group."

Insp McCafferty appealed for information.

"We believe the incident took place about halfway along East Strand beach," he said.

"The perpetrators were said to be wearing dark tracksuits and they spoke with Belfast, Ballymena and Derry accents."
Vital medical supplies have been donated by the Western Trust to help the fight against Covid-19 in India.

In recent weeks, India has been hit by a devastating wave of the disease which has claimed thousands of lives.

The health service in India has been unable to cope with the crisis and many people have died because of the lack of adequate medical supplies.

In an effort to help, the Western Trust has donated 13 boxes of BIPAP machines, which are ventilation machines that play a life-saving role in treating Covid patients.

Along with the BIPAP machines, the Western Trust has also donated a large consignment of personal protection equipment for health staff in India.

Amerjit Singh Nagra from the Northern Ireland Sikh Association, which will help ship the equipment to India, said they were very thankful of the efforts made by Dr Mukesh Chugh, a consultant anaesthetist att Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, and the team of Neal McAlister, Principal Critical Care Technologist at the Western Trust, for procuring the medical equipment.

The boxes were handed over to Mr Nagra at Altnagelvin Hospital.

I would like to thank the management of Western Trust on behalf of the charity, all the Indians living in Northern Ireland and the voiceless in India.

This is true humanity at work and I cannot praise them enough. These people are heroes and should be role models for all people across the globe.
Amitabh Bachchan Feels Embarrassed To Ask For Donations To Raise COVID-19 Relief Funds

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday opened about why he didn't choose a fundraiser way to raise COVID-19 relief funds for India saying that 'it makes him feel embarrassed'. As the nation continues to fight COVID-19, several celebrities came together to raise funds for India to help tackle the crisis. However, few big names from the industry are being targeted by the social media users, alleging them for not contributing towards the COVID-19 relief funds in India.

Veteran star Amitabh Bachchan is one of such big names from the Bollywood industry who was targeted by some of the social media users regarding the same. The senior Bachchan had already addressed the reasons for not speaking about the charity on his personal blog saying that he 'believes in doing charity rather than speaking about it'. In the blog, for the first time, the megastar listed out all the charities he had done till date, while keeping the amount under wraps.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan)

In his recent blog post, the KBC host shared a series of pictures featuring his recent donations - including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, beds and more for the COVID-19 relief in India. He also shared the updates of his latest donations at Shri Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, Delhi in his blog post. While concluding the post, Amitabh wrote, "This has probably been a most unendearing post for the Blog .. and I do apologise for that .. for one that has ever promulgated a desire to be silent and do my work, I have crossed my own LOC - the Line of Control .. "

"It has come about through incessant cries from many to SPEAK .. but speak is not the desired element according to me in these times .. and the less said on this the better .. ek chup sau khush." The 78-year-old actor also revealed why he has not made any effort to collect the funds through campaigns or donations to a cause that he may have instituted saying that, "I just feel asking someone for funds is embarrassing for me .. yes there have been events in the past where the voice is for contributing, but I feel uncomfortable to ask, to contribute .. I may have partaken in the event as a voice over, but never directly asked to give or contribute .. and if there have been such unseen or unknown incidents then I seek forgiveness .." Explaining that he has not posted about his recent donations to seek praise, but just to assure all of the delivery and the visuals of where the funds "have been used and to what avail .. that they are not just blank promises .."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan)

Earlier, in the day, Big B also informed his fans that he had took the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, after having received the first jab last month.

Separately, on the work front, Amitabh Bachchan was recently cast for the Indian adaptation of The Intern opposite Deepika Padukone. Apart from that, he has films like Jhund, Brahmastra, Goodbye, May Day and several others in the pipeline.
Neena Gupta On Her Character In Sardar Ka Grandson: When You Get Something Like This, You Must Dive Into It

Remember when Neena Gupta shared a post on social media in 2017 seeking work? Along with a beautiful picture of herself, the veteran actress wrote: I live in mumbai and working am a good actor looking fr good parts to play. Things have changed quite a lot since then and today shes one of the most popular veteran actresses of the industry with super hits such as Badhaai Ho and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan to her credit. She is now gearing up for her next film, Sardar Ka Grandson, which will premiere on Netflix on 18th May.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Neena Gupta (@neena_gupta)

Also featuring Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh, the comedy drama stars Neena as a central character. In a chat with Mid Day, she shared, Things have changed for actors my age. Now, unique roles are being written for us, which never used to happen before. In the film, her character Sardar often reminisces about her past, something that she has in common with the actress. Neena ji explained that she remembers her past a lot and feels that going back in time does not mean ruining the present. In fact, she gets motivated to not make the same mistakes again.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Neena Gupta (@neena_gupta)

In the film, Neena has played the role of Arjuns 80 year old grandmother, for which she had to sport a lot of prosthetics and makeup to look convincing. Talking about how difficult it was, the actress shared, After pack-up, everybody used to run home while I used to sit in my vanity van and remove my make-up. But this role is precious to me. Not everybody gets to play a central character. When you get something like this, you must dive into it.

Up next, the actress will share the screen with Amitabh Bachchan in Vikas Bahls Goodbye. We wish her only the best!
Indian telecommunications giant Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd has announced its participation in the construction and deployment of two next generation cables to support what it calls the extraordinary growth in data demand across India.

The India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) undersea cable system will connect India to Asia-Pacific markets with express connectivity from Mumbai and Chennai to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. The India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system will connect India to the Middle East and Europe.

The IEX system will extend Indias connectivity to Italy, landing in Savona, in the western part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, with additional landings in the Middle East and North Africa.

The systems will seamlessly interconnect as well as connect to the worlds top interexchange points and content hubs to enable extension of the service globally. The two systems are also connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fibre Network beyond Asia Pacific and Europe, connecting to both the east and west coast of the USA.

IAX is expected to be ready for service in mid-2023, while IEX will be ready for service in early 2024. Along with several key global partners and submarine cable supplier SubCom, the company says it is currently deploying the largest international submarine cable system connecting India  referring, one assumes, to the two cables once they are interconnected.

According to Reliance Jio, these high-capacity and high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tbps of capacity spanning over 16,000 kilometres. In addition, employing open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units will ensure rapid upgrade deployment and flexibility to add or drop waves across multiple locations.

The company claims that, for the first time in the history of fibre optic submarine telecommunications, these systems place India at the centre of the international network map.

Apart from SubCom, which offers numerous capabilities for implementing undersea networks, its not yet clear who the other partners in the two projects are likely to be.
Ukrainian mobile operator Lifecell has expanded the coverage of high-speed mobile Internet in the country. As of the end of April, 10,745 settlements were connected to 4G from Lifecell, in which a total of more than 27.7 million people live.

As per a press release from the third-largest Ukrainian mobile telephone network operator, (after Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraine revealed that the operator covered 674 villages in April, of which 667 with a population of up to 5000 thousand people and the remaining seven up to 25000 people in all regions of the country.

The mobile operator also continued to analyze the use of traffic by subscribers. Thus, in April 2021, the consumption of 4G traffic increased by 80% compared to the same period in 2020. At the same time, the total amount of user data traffic in the operators network increased by 49% on an annual basis.

According to the release, in 2020, more than 1 million residents of different regions of Ukraine gained access to lifecell high-speed mobile Internet. Currently, 77% of Ukrainians have access to 3G and 4G from lifecell.

In 2021, the mobile operator promises to continue to work actively to further expand coverage, which will reduce the gap in access to digital services between small towns and cities.
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Well give you a bag with four crab legs and the veggies, then when youre done if you want more, well bring you a bag with three, then two, then one, and well keep on giving you bags with one until you are full, he said. The most Ive seen a person do is 12.
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The MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions headquarters, at 7717 Detroit Ave. S.W., has sold for over $14.3 million, according to King County records. The well-known mechanical and HVAC contractor leases the property from one of its now retired former owners.

Company president Gus Simonds told the DJC that the company was discussing a fresh lease with the new owner. It also has a broker, Colliers, looking for possible new offices. MacDonald-Miller has been there since 1988, he said, when the main building was new.





. . .
Nothing quite excites a real revhead like seeing a rare imported car that was never officially sold in the country its driving around in.

For example, Americans are often jealous when they see Japanese domestic market vehicles like the legendary R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R driving around Australian streets. Conversely, Australians might be shocked to discover theres a surprisingly large amount of Holden Kingswoods driving around Indonesia, or how theres a bizarre amount of American panel vans in Portugal.

But the most surprising fish out of water car on the planet might just be a solitary Hummer H2 thats found itself in Pyongyang  the capital of North Korea, and perhaps the last place on Earth youd expect to see perhaps the most American car ever made.

Foreign Market Car Sightings, a Facebook group dedicated to this sort of thing, features dozens of posts sharing sightings of this huge SUV. The H2 sticks out like a sore thumb on the streets of Pyongyang, not only thanks to its size and unmissable design but also because Pyongyangs roads are rather empty. Few North Koreans own a car, with car ownership limited to the elite.

Imagine both loving Kim Jong-Un and rolling around in a bloody Hummer

While North Korea does produce a small number of vehicles domestically  mostly derivatives of designs made by other manufacturers, such as Fiat, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz  the vast majority of vehicles on their roads are imports, most of which have come through China or Russia. One commenter in the Facebook group, a scholar of North Korea, shared some insights into how this all works:

What happens is that cars are bought at auction in North America and are shipped off to Russia. Especially luxury cars. They usually end up in Vladivostok and then from there a smaller boat will quietly make its way, usually at night, with a handful of cars onboard to a broker in the DPRK

Normal people dont have these cars. They are all military or government or other people of power or standing that are able to get them. The cars are usually written off by some shady dudes a few months later in Russia and they disappear in the DPRK for people to drive around.

This is how they have been smuggling luxury goods into the DPRK for pretty much ever. America isnt messing around in those waters. China couldnt give a shit what comes into the DPRK. So who is going to stop them? Putin? He doesnt care. He makes money from the guys who are doing the importing and exporting of the cars. So no matter how much everyone is all gung ho about the embargoes, they do nothing to stop the flow of cars and goods coming in from Russia.

Also, some stuff comes across the land bridge from China, but that is few and far between because it is more obvious.

RELATED: Abandoned Porsche Photo Reveals Sad Reality Of Japans Most Deadly Attraction

Another explained that North Koreans like to buy USDM spec because these vehicles are cheap as hell on the international market. They can blame these purchases on the sanctions preventing them from producing their own Pyeonghwa [North Koreas domestic auto brand] vehicles.

North Koreas not the only country that features an automotive landscape seemingly at odds with its political landscape. Cuba, another famously isolationist communist country, is well-known for the large fleet of classic American cars that call its roads home.

RELATED: Unlikely New Country Keeping Cubas Tourism Industry Alive

As for North Korea, you can keep your Hummers. Were more interested in importing rare European station wagons or yakuza spec JDM limousines

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St. Vincent's secondary school's Transition Year students recently presented a cheque for over 800 to Dundalk Women's Aid.

With the help of their teacher Julie Mohan, Religion class students from TYE decided to direct the focus of their Social Justice project to the issue of domestic abuse.

In December they each donated money to a fund which enabled them to buy a number of luxury items.

These items filled a pamper hamper, which was raffled in the school just before Christmas. raising over 800 for Dundalk Women's Aid.

Their teacher said they were delighted with the amount raised for the local charity.

Once remote learning was finished the girls were keen to finally present the funds to Niamh Quinn of Dundalk Womens Aid.

Niamh took time on the day to speak to the girls about the work Womens Aid carries out within Dundalk and the surrounding area.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are becoming increasingly concerned about the welfare of two children from north Belfast and are appealing to the public for help in locating them.

Five-year-old Patrick Hovarth and his older brother, Fabricio who is eight years old, were last seen in Belfast on Friday evening, May 14.

Inspector Phil McCullagh said: "We are keen to know that both boys are safe and well. We believe they may be in the company of a relative in Northern Ireland or possibly in Ireland  and so I would appeal to that person to get in touch with police as soon as possible on 101, quoting the reference number 2275 of 14/5/21.

"Both boys are dark-haired and were seen getting into a black Ford car around 6pm on Friday, May 14 in the Limestone Road area of Belfast.

"At that time, the younger brother, Patrick, was wearing light-coloured bottoms and top with black shoes. Fabricio was wearing grey bottoms and a purple and green top.

"If any members of the public have any information about the boys or have seen them since Friday evening, I would urge them to contact police immediately.

The PSNI believe Fabricio and Patrick may have travelled to the Republic of Ireland.

Callers in the Republic of Ireland, or roaming on an Irish network, or from anywhere else outside the UK, should contact Police Service of Northern Ireland on 0044 2890 650222.
McMorris, who says I have not favorite genre or type of film  I can watch anything and appreciate it, does have a favorite period from his half-century with Cinestudio: the early years of the cinema, which coincided with the rise of major American filmmakers such as Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola. It was before anybody know who these people were, he says. We were introducing them to audiences, getting to share our reactions to them.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D., has welcomed the return of buyers to the rings of livestock marts all over the country while adhering to public health guidelines.

Online trading will continue to be facilitated, alongside the return of in-ring buying.

Speaking to farmers and mart staff Minister McConalogue paid tribute to their efforts in keeping mart sales going while online.

This is a great day for our network of marts across the country. Mart managers, their staff as well buyers and sellers of livestock have shown tremendous resilience, agility and resourcefulness over the past 12-months in dealing with the challenges of COVID-19 while continuing to trade so seamlessly, said Minister McConalogue.

Im convinced the efforts of farmers and marts in recent months, adhering to the COIVD-19 measures, has undoubtedly played a role in minimising and reducing the threat of COVID-19 in our communities, the Minister added.

Cattle throughput from 1st January to 14th March 2021 was at 94% of the comparable period in 2020. Sheep throughput in the same period was at 100% of the comparable period for 2020.

Buyers may attend the sales ring and view stock in pens. However, this must be done by prior appointment with the livestock mart. Buyers who wish to be present at ringside must wear face coverings and adhere to strict 2m social distancing. Marts must also prevent the congregation of members of the public in the mart car park or at entry ways into mart buildings.

Marts must operate according to COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) which have been approved by their Regional Veterinary Office.

Minister McConalogue said he is encouraging farmers and buyers to continue to use online platforms as a way of trading livestock.

He states, Livestock mart sales will continue to be a blend of both online and ringside as we move forward. This blended approach, with a strong online element, has proved to be an excellent way of trading cattle and sheep.

I am urging farmers, buyers and marts to pay particular attention to the public health guidelines as we move forward. We all have our role to play in keeping each other safe and this is as important at the mart as anywhere else, the Minister concluded.
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This will allow the court to tell us whether the county can actually decline to enforce certain state laws, and it will tell us how to abide by the will of the voters to the extent that we can, said Sarah Hanson, who serves as counsel in the conservative-leaning county in deep-blue Oregon.
Julie Huss/Staff photoArmy Sgt. Brandon Korona, second from left, and his family are greeted at a Home For Our Troops event Saturday in Windham. The Massachusetts veteran who lost a leg while serving in Afghanistan will be getting a new home built for him in Derry.
North Andover, MA (01845)

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A surge in online shopping sprung up over the past year due to the pandemic. The rapid adoption pushed the expected timeline for consumers to expand their online shopping forays. It also opened the door to a drone delivery industry to feed a growing demand for increased online deliveries.

Companies scrambling to compete with the advancing delivery capabilities offered by Amazon and UPS are looking to drone delivery options. Will this be the future of delivery?

Aviation is an extremely regulated environment -- drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) included. So what does this mean in terms of safety within the airspace? Will the FAA create special allowances for drones that permit them fly with autonomy to deliver packages faster than ground delivery?

Perhaps, in the long run. But do not expect to see your online purchases dropping from the sky anytime soon, cautions aviation safety expert Mark Baier, CEO of AviationManuals and ARC Safety Management Software Systems. It will not be easy.

TechNewsWorld sought Baier's insights on the implications of the future of drone delivery in terms of aviation safety. Obviously, if federal regulations offer greater latitude to drone deliveries, that accommodation could be a boon to e-commerce.

Hopeful Buzz in the Air

The two concepts -- drone safety and the impact of drones on e-commerce -- are related, Baier noted. Both topics have created a lot of buzz around the potential of drone delivery probably for the last five or six years.

All of that buzz has not converted to reality yet. Some of the safety issues have not really been addressed or resolved.

"That's a big step. First of all, I want to say drone delivery, in my opinion, is a virtual certainty. It is just a matter of time and on what scale and how the rollout will look," he told TechNewsWorld.

Most people envision drone delivery is going to be like the sci-fi that we all have in mind of drones landing in our front yards filled with our packages. More so, people in the industry tend to see it as a far more gradual phase-in process.

Perhaps it will be a blended approach for some time before we get really dedicated drone services for a wider variety of things. Baier thinks the one hurdle that was kind of moved out of the way recently was a decision by the FAA about where to stick commercial drone operations.

More Regulated Than Not

The FAA for a long while was split between drone operations being allowed under general aviation rules or abiding as part of aviation's Part 135 rather than Part 121 regulations. The difference is significant.

Part 121 deals with commercial air service for scheduled flights with paying passengers or customers. Part 135 regulates on-demand flights and scheduled charter flights. Scheduled charter flights are usually limited to a few days a week.

"So that does mean that delivery drones are going to be more regulated perhaps than some of the drone industry accounted for. But at least now they have a roadmap on which to follow, explained Baier.

The FAA had to include some exemptions because those regulations are designed toward passenger travel and passenger carriage. Of course, you can follow the standardizations and the safety management system pipe fit standards and protocols for commercial operators. But exemptions had to take into account existing rules related to just passengers travel and passenger with airports.

We are seeing 100 years' worth of manned flight regulations and learning. Baier thinks we are going to see over the next couple of years the FAA trying to find some middle ground, so that drone rules are not just layering an existing though slightly more onerous regulatory process on top of something that is probably different in its own category.

Getting Deeper Into Drone Delivery Potential

TechNewsWorld engaged Baier in an extensive conversation about how -- and if -- drone regulations and consumer lust for speedy airdrop service will ever safely coexist.

TechNewsWorld: How competitive is the drone certification process under the Part 135 regulations?

Mark Baier: Five operators that have applied for this Part 135 certificate thus far have received permission to operate drone deliveries. But it is really still very, very specific, very limited with one drone operator involved. One certification is only for medical deliveries to a particular hospital in North Carolina.

Another applicant is Flirtey, a transport freight service in Nevada. That company has not yet received certification. If approved, much of that drone's travel will be over open spaces and farmland.

A third company is delivering medical supplies pretty effectively to rural and remote areas. A fourth approved drone delivery service is for a company called Google Wings. I'm not exactly sure what they are going to be doing.

[Editor's Note: Wing (pictured above) is a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Also known as Project Wing; it is currently offering trial delivery to parts of Christiansburg, VA.]

The fourth approved drone delivery service of the five applicants is Amazon Prime, according to Baier.

Are some industries more economically viable to support drone deliveries?

Baier: The medical industry is certain to accelerate looking at drone usage for probably anything from plasma to organs, but even something as benign as insulin delivery to somebody that may not be on a typical delivery route. I think the medical industry is really at the forefront of driving some of this because they are also able to get more exemptions from a regulatory perspective.

One thing people need to understand at this point is that it is not an economically viable way to deliver packages. It probably will not be for some time. The drones are not as reliable as surface vehicles so a lot of them are not outfitted with equipment. Hence, in bad weather, you probably have to revert at this stage to road transportation. So the cost-effectiveness of package delivery is probably in some ways down the road.

The companies that are looking into doing drone deliveries have the financial wherewithal to plow ahead. I also think some industries where cost is not an issue -- where time is more important than cost -- you might see drones start to come into play.

How difficult are drone operations on a reliable basis?

Baier: The commercial drone operations are difficult, even if that costs a lot of money. So I think the general package drone delivery thing is probably still a ways away. But to your point, I believe Covid-19 and other factors are driving it ahead faster now than it probably would have happened pre-Covid.

How much of an impact on drone flying is the weight of packages?

Baier: There is a technology limitation and a cost limitation right now. From what I understand, the FAA is talking about package weight being limited to four pounds. But there is a strange little quirk to that. The drone comes and hovers about 20 feet above your property and actually lowers the package with a tether instead of landing and dropping it.

I think that involves safety, privacy, and security issues they have not yet figured out. Those proximity issues involve avoiding pads, kids, etc., so they prefer to keep the drone hovering and 20 feet. They lower the package and then they fly off so that again restricts the amount of weight that you can carry.

In terms of drone operations, do the pilots fly them from fixed locations, or are GPS systems onboard for automated deliveries?

Baier: Right now, drones are operated by people. The only difference with delivery drones is putting navigational equipment in place so you can operate beyond line of sight. So it is instrument enhanced, but there still are operators behind the flight controls; none of it is fully automated yet.

Some of the drones have geofencing and built-in protection mechanisms that are automated. If you lose contact with the drone, it will geofence itself or hover until you can find it.

Is it accurate to draw a parallel between the logistics involved in drone delivery and self-driving automobiles?

Baier: We definitely are looking at two different things. Ground vehicles need a lot more sensors because of the obstacles on the ground. But I think it is also this factor of drones being operated according to slightly more traditional aviation regulations at this point. The two systems might one day both be fully automated. That is a very high probability, but that is a way down the road.

What are other potential barriers for drones flying off the ground?

Baier: People forget that this may be regulated down to 4,400 feet by the FAA. Once you get below that level, you may see a layered patchwork of local, state, and county-level regulations that end up being blended with the FAA. So you may see drone deliveries happening quicker in one place than in another just because the local regulations are going to be different.

Much more depth and complications exist for drone considerations than for an aircraft that is flying in the airspace between airports per se. You are also still going to have privacy issues below 400 feet to address with drones. There will be some liability and legal issues in that regard.

How does drone licensing work?

Baier: Drone operators are now expected to operate according to higher standards. The licensing process is actually a certificate for that particular operator. Imagine that UPS is going to have a drone division. That division would be completely separate from its own operating license. The company running the drone would report directly to the FAA or its local Flight Standards District Offices (FSDO) office.

Two licenses would not be needed. UPS would be the parent company. The certification for the drone operation would go to its divisional office.
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Appeal after dangerous driving incident on Mountain Road

Police are investigating a dangerous driving incident which happened earlier this month.

A silver-coloured Porsche has been driving dangerously on the A18 Mountain Road heading from Ramsey toward Douglas.

Another road user had to take evasive action due to the manner of their driving.

Officers from the Northern Neighbourhood Policing Team said the incident happened at around 8:20am on Thursday 6th May.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ramsey Police Station on 812234
If you look at several of the reports that states attorneys have done with regard to use of force cases, youll see that one of the things that was hampering them was people not cooperating, not coming forward, people deciding they were not going to talk to us, Colangelo said. Giving the Inspector General the ability to compel testimony in these types of cases is very important to us. These cases are very difficult to investigate. So having every tool in our tool box is very important to us to regain the publics trust.
Connie Lovel appointed as Executive Director of MNH

Manx National Heritage has announced the appointment of Connie Lovel to the position of Executive Director.

It follows the retirement of Edmund Southworth after 12 years in the post.

Connie, who will be relocating to the Isle of Man in early August to take up the position, has a wealth of experience in the heritage and tourism sectors and joins MNH directly from the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) after almost seven years.
Isolation rules relaxed for UK travellers visiting Isle of Man

The Isle of Man will move to the next phase of the Manx Governments COVID-19 Exit Framework next Monday, meaning travellers will benefit from shorter periods of self-isolation.



This latest easing of border restrictions is part of the gradual and managed process to achieve the Governments ambition of unrestricted travel within the British Isles by 28 June.



Anyone travelling to the Isle of Man who has not been outside of the United Kingdom, Guernsey or Jersey in the 10 days prior to arriving on the Island will no longer be required to isolate for seven days. Instead, they can opt to undertake a 30 COVID-19 test within 48 hours of arrival and isolate until they receive a negative result. A second COVID-19 test will also be required  free of charge  six days after arrival.



The only restriction will be the requirement to avoid health and social care settings  except to seek emergency treatment  until ten days after arrival.



Anyone who has been outside of the UK, Guernsey or Jersey  this includes Ireland  in the 10 days prior to arriving on the Island will only have to isolate for seven instead of 10 days, if they opt for a 60 COVID-19 testing package within 48 hours of arrival and on day six, and both the results are negative.



Exercise will continue to be allowed after a first negative test. The same requirement to avoid health and social care settings  except to seek emergency treatment  until ten days after arrival also applies.



If a traveller opts for a testing pathway they can isolate within a household and there will be no restrictions on the rest of the household, unless a traveller tests positive.



If a traveller chooses not to undergo testing, they will be required to isolate for 21 days and will have to isolate alone or with fellow travellers. The changes will be also apply simultaneously for those already in self-isolation on 24 May, to enable an early release where appropriate.



Chief Minister, Howard Quayle MHK, said: We continue to work towards the ambition of unrestricted travel to and from the Island from within the British Isles by 28 June. As I have made clear, however, we must continue to monitor developments, particularly with regard to variants of the virus that give us cause for concern. The increasing spread of the Indian variant of COVID-19 in the UK is one such concern  particularly the level of infection in the North West of England  but we do hope that the evidence will continue to develop supporting that whilst this variant may spread faster, the vaccine is effective against it.



Our aim has been to move to level 2 of our borders framework by 29 May, if the average infection rate over in the UK over 14 days was below 30 cases per 100,000 people  as measured by the ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control). The UK COVID-19 infection rate has not dropped below this level, but remains stable at between 50 and 40 cases per 100,000 people. Because of this and concerns about the Indian variant, we have adjusted our approach slightly for this next stage in easing our border restrictions.



We are not yet making any further changes to who can come to the Island, which the Council of Ministers feels is a prudent approach to limit the numbers of people travelling here whilst work continues to understand the impact of the Indian variant. Those who are eligible to come today and choose to come  family, property owners, people with an offer of employment and of course returning residents  will benefit from a reduced period of self-isolation. This will make travel to and from the Island for residents and eligible visitors much more viable.



The Government will continue to closely monitor developments around the spread of the Indianan variant of COVID-19 in the UK and what impact this has on transmission, and importantly on severe illness and hospital admissions.
Athens, AL (35611)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early then periods of showers late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early then periods of showers late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
After clues in iOS 14.6 beta code and Apple Music for Android, and an intentional tease from the company, Apple has officially announced spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and lossless streaming. After all the hints and rumors, there are two new high-quality music options available through the streaming service. And the best part is Apple Music subscribers will have access to both at no additional cost when they arrive on the service next month.

Apple's AirPods Max are equipped with spatial audio capabilities, but the headphones only work well with your iPhone, iPad or Mac and there hasn't been much compatible content. With the addition of Dolby Atmos to Apple Music, you'll have an immersive option for listening to music akin to what Tidal HiFi and Amazon Music HD (which is also no additional cost as of today) already offer. Both of those services support Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio. Apple says the streaming service will automatically play music in Dolby Atmos on all AirPods and Beats earbuds and headphones with an H1 or W1 chip. Ditto for built-in speakers on "the latest versions" of iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Apple promises to make Dolby Atmos content easy to find with curated playlists and special badges. However, the company didn't go into specifics on the size of the music library here. It says "thousands" of songs will be available at launch, but didn't give any numbers. The company did say it's collaborating with Dolby to make it easier for artists, producers and engineers to create music in Dolby Atmos. It's also working with artists and labels to bring existing material to the format. Apple promises more tracks will be added "regularly."

Apple is also making its entire catalog of music available in lossless audio. Lossless streaming uses Apples ALAC codec (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) at up to 48kHz, while Hi-Resolution Lossless increases the quality to 192kHz. More specifically, Lossless starts out at CD quality 16 bit at 44.1 kHz and goes up to 24-bit/48KHz. Apple says 24 bit at 192kHz is meant for "the true audiophile." For that level of quality, the company warns you'll need some extra gear to make it worthwhile  like an external USB digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

The whole idea here is to capture the original detail of the studio recording. "This means Apple Music subscribers will be able to hear the exact same thing that the artists created in the studio," the company explained in a press release. You can access lossless audio by adjusting the audio quality settings in the Apple Music app and opt for different resolutions based on your connection.

Both Dolby Atmos and lossless audio will be available in Apple Music in June.
Epic Games has filed a lawsuit against mixed-reality glasses company Nreal over an alleged trademark infringement. It claims the company's name looks and sounds virtually identical to Unreal and said that was "no coincidence." Epic also said in the suit that the two companies are competing in the same market and suggested the similarity could cause confusion.

"Epic has ten registrations for 'Unreal' alone or in connection with another term for a wide range of goods and services including but not limited to software, video games, virtual worlds, and 3D visualizations, animations, and platforms," according to the suit.

Nreal released its Nreal Light mixed-reality glasses in South Korea last year and it plans to launch them in the US this quarter, as The Verge notes. Although Epic doesn't yet have AR hardware of its own, it has shown interest in the AR/VR space. In 2017, Epic released Robo Recall, a virtual reality game it developed with Unreal Engine.

Epic is seeking an injunction that would force Nreal to withdraw its trademark application, as well as unspecified damages. The companies have been battling over the Unreal moniker for a few years. They had been in discussions over a settlement but weren't able to reach an agreement, according to the suit.

"Nreal is an innovative and growing startup that is setting a new standard for augmented reality," an Nreal spokesperson told Engadget. "Recognized as a ground-breaking company among both consumers and developers, Nreal has developed a reputation as the leading hardware manufacturer of mixed reality and augmented reality glasses currently sold in Asia and Europe. We're aware of the litigation that has been filed by Epic. We respect intellectual property rights, but we believe that this lawsuit lacks merit and plan to defend vigorously against the claims brought by Epic."

Nreal has faced other legal issues in the US. Last year, a court threw out a claim by Magic Leap that a Nreal founder and CEO Chi Xu, a former employee, used stolen secrets to help create his company. Epic, of course, is embroiled in another major lawsuit. The third week of its bench trial against Apple is underway.

Update 5/18 12PM: Added Nreal's statement.
Samsung used its first-mover advantage in foldables to establish a lead in the fledgling category. Last winter, it confirmed its commitment to folding devices by promising new launches that would make the premium tech more accessible. Today, we're getting a peep at the future foldables it has in store, including larger flexible displays for phones and tablets. It showcased the prototypes at the Display Week 2021 event, according to SamMobile.

Among the concepts was a double-folding OLED panel (pictured above) that can be used like a smartphone. When unfolded, the screen has a maximum size of 7.2-inches, which puts it between the main display on the Galaxy Z Flip (6.7-inches) and the Galaxy Fold 2 (7.6-inches).

Samsung Display

Ditching folds, Samsung also showed off a Slidable OLED display that extends horizontally. As a sign of the innovation in the space, we've already seen similar devices with slide-out and rollable screens teased by TCL and LG (before it gave up on its mobile phone business). While neither of those have launched yet, China's Oppo has revealed a working prototype in its X 2021 rollable phone, which can switch between a conventional 6.7-inch screen and a larger 7.4-inch screen.

Indicating that we may soon get a folding Galaxy tablet, Samsung unveiled a 17-inch foldable panel at the event. With a 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded, the display is larger than the 13.3-inch screen on Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold foldable PC.

Samsung Display

Finally, Samsung also offered a glimpse at its under panel camera (UPC) display inside a concept notebook, which would allow for edge-to-edge panels. The company previously teased the tech on Chinese social media, promising that the UPCs would lead to thinner and lighter laptops with smaller bezels. Again, the under screen camera tech is already available in the wild on ZTE's Axon 20 5G phone and is supposed to be coming to Xiaomi's handsets this year. With the rest of the industry piling in on foldables, including (if you believe the long-standing rumors) Apple, Samsung is showing no signs of slowing down.
Free streaming services, not to mention teaser shows or trials, continue to persist. Amazons latest entry is another free video streaming offering, this time in India, which differs to its existing ad-supported IMDb TV already available the US.

MiniTV mostly focuses on older  and presumably cheaper  content, including a mix of material designed for other platforms, like YouTube, but you can expect "new and exclusive" videos in the future.

Techcrunch

Its available through Amazon's Android app for now, with plans to hit iOS and the web soon. For now, however, the service is sticking to India. Amazon isnt the only one cautiously testing services. PlayStation is testing its own video streaming offering in Poland. Depending on how it fares, maybe well see elsewhere. Or maybe we wont.

 Mat Smith

Spoiler spoiler.

Tesla's Model S Plaid should be fast, but the company may even tweak the design to handle that added performance. YouTube channel The Kilowatts spotted a Model S prototype (most likely the Plaid or Plaid+) with a retractable spoiler built into the trunk.

There's no certainty the finished Plaid models will reach drivers with retractable spoilers built-in, however. The base Plaid is set for a late-summer launch, while the Plaid+ is expected to arrive in mid-2022. Continue reading.

It appears that Leica's exclusive Huawei relationship is over.

We don't hear much about Sharp's smartphones these days, largely because they're only available in Japan and a select few other regions. However, the company has just unveiled a new model, the Aquos R6, which includes a Leica-branded camera with a very large sensor. Sharp collaborated with Leica to create a 20-megapixel camera with a 1-inch sensor, one of the largest available on any smartphone. It also worked with Leica on the entire camera system, including the sensor (likely built by Sony), and the f/1.9 lens. The screen is notable, too, with a 6.6-inch HDR display that can reach up to 2,000 nits of brightness  reportedly the highest available on any smartphone. Continue reading.

A significant visual overhaul.

A leak from Front Page Tech shows off what might be Android 12s new look, in addition to some new functional changes. The latest version may revamp notifications with grouping that tells you the number of waiting alerts and a lock screen "pill" that shows what you've missed. We wont have to wait too long for the unofficial unveiling. Thats likely to be tomorrow. Continue reading.

And another one.

91Mobiles

Samsung brought its prices for 5G phones down to Earth when it unveiled the Galaxy A32 earlier in the year, but now its possibly taking those prices even lower. The leaked A22 is humble with its reported specs, but theres still a 6.4-inchscreen, three rear cameras and that premium Samsung look. No price or release date, yet, but if you wanted the cheapest entry into 5G, this could be it. Continue reading.

But wait, theres more...

Clubhouse will make its Android app available worldwide in a week

AT&T and Discovery may combine content to take on Disney+ and Netflix

Engadget deals: The Roku Streambar is back on sale for $100 at Amazon

What to expect at Google I/O 2021

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 review: Shoddy software mars great hardware
The scientific communitys response to COVID-19 has been nothing short of Herculean. Researchers have developed several highly-effective vaccines against the novel virus in less than a year  with more on the way  and we have mRNA-based technology to thank for it. The discovery that, instead of injecting semi-dead viruses into ourselves, we can trick our bodies into generating an immune response by instigating it to produce protein fragments has been a revolution to the field of immunology. As vaccination rates for the current pandemic continue to climb, the medical community is looking ahead to turn this powerful genomic weapon against myriad other deadly diseases. And theyre already tantalizingly close to having one for malaria .

The vaccine field has been forever transformed and forever advanced because of COVID-19, Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Harvard Medical School, told the AAMC in March.

According to the Mayo Clinic , some 290 million people are infected with malaria annually and at least 400,000 people die of the disease each year  predominantly young children, the elderly and the infirm  making it the worlds most pervasive parasitic disease. Symptoms involve ongoing cyclical attacks''  chills and shivering followed by fevers followed by chills followed by fevers.

Safe, effective, affordable vaccines could play a critical role in defeating malaria, Dr Robert Newman, Director of WHOs Global Malaria Program said in 2013. Despite all the recent progress countries have made, and despite important innovations in diagnostics, drugs and vector control, the global burden of malaria remains unacceptably high.

Researchers have sought a vaccine for Malaria nearly since it was first confirmed in 1897. However, progress has been slow going and the reasons for that are, multiple and reside in the complexity of the parasite, which expresses over 5,000 proteins during its different life stages, the intricate interplay between parasite biology and host immunity, a lack of adequate resources and a lack of effective global cooperation, wrote Giampietro Corradin and Andrey Kajava, professors at the University of Lausanne and University of Montpellier, respectively, in the journal Expert Review of Vaccines in 2014.

But new research out of Oxford University is set to turn that dynamic on its ear. In a report published to the April issue of The Lancet , Mehreen Datoo, study author and clinical research fellow at Oxfords Jenner Institute, and her team revealed that they had developed a vaccine candidate that demonstrated efficacy of 77 percent after 12 months of inoculation. At least, it did as part of its Phase IIb trials, which involved more than 450 children, ages 5-17 months, living in Burkina Faso. Dubbed the R21 / Matrix-M Malaria Vaccine , this marks the first time that such a potential treatment for the disease has met or exceeded the World Health Organizations Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap goal of 75 percent efficacy.

Malaria is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality in Africa, Professor Charlemagne Ouedraogo, Burkina Fasos Minister of Health, told Oxford News in April. We have been supporting trials of a range of new vaccine candidates in Burkina Faso and these new data show that licensure of a very useful new malaria vaccine could well happen in the coming years. That would be an extremely important new tool for controlling malaria and saving many lives.

The results are so encouraging in fact, the researchers (in coordination with Novavax ) have already started recruiting for the Phase III trials with 4,800 children, aged 5-36 months, across four African countries. And we have mRNA technology to thank for it.

A primary advantage mRNA-based treatments have over their conventional drug development counterparts is that the genetic method is generalizable, said Dr. Stephen Floor, Assistant Professor at UCSFs Department of Cell & Tissue Biology, and lead researcher at the Floor Lab located therein.

National Human Genome Research Institute

If you are making a traditional small molecule or an antibody, there's a lot of optimization and development that has to go into it, he noted. And often those rules are not well defined. You can't say, because this particular molecule worked well on this protein, I predict that this other molecule will work on this related protein.

DNA  the genetic material that invariably makes more Idiocracy-adjunct clowns every time yall refuse to slip on a jimmy  is composed of twin-stranded, reflected, connected amino acid pairs. Basically, bits of microscopic meat that tell your progenys cells how to make more of themselves, while hopefully making the most of them that get made look as little as possible as your local famous monarch.

However, with mRNA, we understand the rules of how to write particular sequences that will make proteins, Floor continued, though we still havent fully figured out how to instruct mRNA to target specific cells. Luckily, when it comes to antibodies, precise targeting is not necessary because your immune system wont care where the protein came from, only that it registers as a foreign threat. That's the reason why it's been so effective for COVID, he said. And that's the reason why it's likely to be effective for many other contexts.

Those other contexts are myriad. Such mRNA-based treatments have already been investigated as candidates for everything from the flu to Zika, rabies, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, cystic fibrosis, HIV ( trials start this year )  even cancer. Against the latter , an mRNA-based treatment would instigate the patients cells to build protein fragments that mimic a tumors mutated genetics the same way the COVID vaccine got cells to recreate the virus surface protein spikes, and with the same immune system response.

mRNA vaccines can be used to target almost any pathogen, Dr. John Cooke, medical director of the RNA Therapeutics Program at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, told AAMC. You put in the code for a particular protein that stimulates an immune response.  Its essentially unlimited.

But understand that this is not a silver bullet to use against any and all human diseases. Nor will they be developed anywhere near as quickly as the Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines were. Researchers have been working on an HIV vaccine for three decades so far with very little progress to show for it. Although mRNA technology may be able to drastically shorten drug development times, I dont think well end up in a situation where every vaccine is going to be developed in a year, Dr. Florian Krammer, from the Icahn School of Medicine at New Yorks Mount Sinai, warned.
The UK at long last plans to roll out an emergency alert system in 2021. Public tests will start this month and, all going well, the system will be switched on across the UK later this year.

The government plans to send alerts only when theres a risk to life on a local or national level. Those risks include the likes of public health emergencies, severe flooding, fires, industrial incidents and terror attacks. The alert will include a warning, details about the affected area, advice on what to do and a link to a government website with more information.

The system doesn't need to know the recipients' phone numbers or specific locations. Mobile providers don't share any personal information as part of this system as the alerts are sent to all mobile devices in a specific area. When an authority (either the government or an emergency service) sends an alert, it will take between four and 10 seconds for the public to receive it.

"The Emergency Alerts service will be a vital tool in helping us to better respond to emergencies, both nationally and locally," paymaster general Penny Mordaunt said in a statement. "The concept was used to good effect during the pandemic when we asked people, via text message, to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives. This new system builds on that capability and will allow us to more quickly and effectively get life-saving messages to people across the UK."

Other countries have had such systems for years, including the US, Canada, Netherlands, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand. Alerts sent in the wake of incidents like earthquakes have helped to save lives.
Commissioners during Tuesdays study session, then again in the regular meeting afterward, raised concerns over next years 90% annually calculated increase to the city of Enids public arts funding.

Next year, the Public Arts Commission of Enid (PACE) will receive $138,700, calculated from up to 1% of all capital improvement projects costing between $250,000 and $10 million, according to city accounting staff. The program received $73,000 this fiscal year.
Meet China's young CPC members

Xinhua) 14:04, May 17, 2021

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and even after 100 years since its inception the Party continues to flourish with vigor.

About one-third of the current 91 million CPC members are under the age of 40, and approximately 80 percent of the new Party members who were admitted in 2019 are 35 years old or below.

Young people played a pivotal role in propelling the Party's growth after it was founded. The average age of representatives attending the first National Congress of the CPC, convened in 1921, was 28.

Even today young Party members are continuing to play a crucial role in the Party, with their firm convictions, as well as "red gene," ensuring that the Party stays in the prime of life.

POWER OF ROLE MODEL

Wang Xiukun, a postgraduate from Wuhan University, was just 23 when she raised her right fist and took an admission oath in front of the flag of the Party last year. At that time, the COVID-19 epidemic was wreaking havoc in the city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province.

She was accepted as a full member of the Party in the nick of time and became one of the 91 million CPC members.

Amid the country's fight against the epidemic, many young doctors, nurses and volunteers her age "led the charge" as they are Party members, Wang said.

"Fighting with unflinching courage, unfazed by any risks, like those young CPC members, was my original aspiration in joining the Party," she said.

Together with over 1,500 volunteers, Wang helped children of some 640 frontline health workers amid the war against COVID-19, working for 133 days, over 20,000 hours in total.

Wang was later recognized as a young leader for her role in inspiring people to change the world by the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth of the United Nations.

REALIZING VALUE OF LIFE

Lu Yi, 31, who is a primary-level Party cadre in a small village in east China's Anhui Province, felt duty-bound in another arduous battle of the country -- poverty alleviation.

Recommended by local villagers, Lu applied for a Party membership in 2014.

Ever since Lu put on the Party emblem, she became more determined to help locals in rural areas vanquish poverty and live a better life.

Due to the long trek to poverty-stricken households, Lu's feet swelled to the point where she had to wear a larger-sized pair of shoes.

"Those trips, however, were akin to visiting my own relatives because of the hospitality of the locals," Lu said.

When China announced a "complete victory" in eradicating absolute poverty, Lu said she broke down and wept in exhilaration.

"The great cause of poverty alleviation led by the CPC enables me, and thousands of other young people, to avail ourselves of the opportunities and realize the value of our lives," Lu said.

All 82 poverty-stricken households in her village have shaken off poverty, with their average net income last year reaching 12,000 yuan (about 1,864 U.S. dollars), Lu said.

"When I pay a return visit to the local households, what makes me happier than anything else is hearing villagers praise our Party and its policies," Lu said.

CALL OF TIMES

Foreigners are usually surprised at the CPC's ability to rally people, said Fang Yedun, another young Party member.

As a co-founder of a social media start-up, Fang works with video creators from more than 30 countries and regions to produce content about China for overseas audiences.

"One feature of our Party is that its members come from all walks of life including entrepreneurs, scholars, delivery men, or perhaps a middle-aged woman in your neighborhood," Fang said.

From his perspective, excellent Party members are like a spark in their own field and always inspire others to do meaningful things.

"The Party emblem on our chest is our faith and spiritual strength," Fang added.

Covering topics from zeitgeist to buzzwords of China, Fang's short videos have garnered over 100 million followers from all over the world.

The golden age of the young generation to strive for excellence is the same direction and pace as the key period of the Chinese nation's journey toward rejuvenation, Fang said.

"When we turn 60, we could still contribute our remaining energy to develop China into a great modern socialist country," Fang said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Sigworth says the search for new divers is part of the gradual reopening of the shark programs. The aquarium reopened in June 2020, but without Ocean Beyond the Sound, one of its most popular events, because people tend to gather outside the tank to watch. As part of the preparation for their eventual return, Were looking for a bigger pool of volunteers  no pun intended, Sigworth says.
Trevor Noah and Minka Kelly broke up a few months after purchasing a mansion and moving in together.

Noah and Kelly only started their relationship in August 2020, but the couple already decided to end their relationship. Multiple news outlets reported the heartbreaking news, with one insider confirming the breakup to People on Sunday.

The reason behind the split remains unknown. However, their separate posts seemingly confirmed that Noah and Kelly are away from each other now.

The 37-year-old "The Daily Show" host joined DJ Steve Aoki and Dave Grutman at a party in Miami.

Meanwhile, the 40-year-old actress shared a snap of herself wearing a bikini below a palm tree. Kelly recently went on a trip with her friends to Mexico.

"When it feels good to feel good," she captioned the post.

Trevor Noah and Minka Kelly Relationship Timeline

Kelly previously dated Jesse Williams before breaking up in January 2018. The "Grey's Anatomy" actor was still in the middle of his divorce battle with Aryn Drake-Lee.

In Noah's part, he shared his last relationship with Jordyn Taylor in 2017. Like his set-up with Kelly, he never spoke about Taylor, as well, that nobody knows when the two broke up.

Prior to their breakup, Noah and Kelly shared a private relationship.

Ever since they started dating neither of the two ever discussed each other in public. However, when they started dating last year, a source said that they were serious and happy with the new development.

In September 2020, people saw them together for the first time as they walked toward the comedian's apartment in New York City. During that time, the then-couple sparked rumors that they were already living together after the actress brought in luggage.

READ ALSO: Chrissy Teigen BADLY Needs Mental Help, Farrah Abraham Suggests

From the apartment, the love birds moved to the $27.5 million mansion Noah purchased for both of them.

"They're making plans for a future together, and it's a very stable relationship. They've been spending time between coasts over the last year and had been looking for a place in L.A. as a couple," a separate source told People.

Meanwhile, another source told Us Weekly that they had been dating before quarantine started. It could explain why Noah "flooded" the actress' social media posts with likes as early as November 2019.

READ MORE: Will Michael Jordan Appear on LeBron James' 'Space Jam 2' Movie? Here's the Truth!

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Robert De Niro gave his fans a health update after he injured his legs.

Last week, De Niro left everyone worried after he hurt his leg while waiting for the filming of Martin Scorsese's new movie "Killers of the Flower Moon."

A few days after the tragic event happened, the actor pledged that the show must go on despite feeling the excruciating pain.

Is Robert De Niro Feeling Okay Despite Injury?

De Niro appeared in a recent interview with IndieWire's Eric Kohn and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal where he gave an update about his recovery.

According to the two-time Academy Award winner, an unexpected event led him to suffer from the injury.

"I tore my quad somehow. It's just a simple stepping over something and I just went down. The pain was excruciating and now I have to get it fixed," he said.

He noted that things like that happen especially when someone gets older already. The 77-year-old actor then reminded everyone to be prepared for unexpected things like sustaining an injury.

READ ALSO: 'Fantastic Beasts' Actor Kevin Guthrie Charged For Past Disturbing Assault [REPORT]

Still, De Niro eased fans' worries by saying that the injury is somehow manageable. Thus, he does not think it would affect his performance in Scorsese's new film since his character does not move a lot.

The actor plays the role of cattleman William Hale, and he works with Leonardo DiCaprio (nephew Ernest Burkhart). The movie is based on the book of the same name by David Grann. It depicts the serial murders in 1920s Oklahoma which became infamous as the Reign of Terror.

"I just have to get the procedure done and keep it straight in a certain position and let it heal," he added.

How De Niro Tries to Recover From Injury

Last week, a source told People that the actor traveled back to New York to have his legs checked out. He will reportedly stay at home for two weeks while the film's production continues.

"While at his on-location home in Oklahoma for the filming of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, Robert De Niro injured his quadriceps muscle which will be treated medically in New York. This will not affect production as he was not scheduled to film again for another three weeks," his representative said.

It remains unknown whether he would need to undergo surgery or rehabilitation medicine to completely recover from his leg injury.

READ MORE: Sam Ehlinger Gets Alarming Warning After Jake Ehlinger's Death: 'See a Doctor'

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More details of Bill Gates' marriage to Melinda French Gates are being uncovered amid their divorce and the billion-dollar money at stake.

The New York Times reported that Bill Gates allegedly pursued other women at his company and his other business ventures while they were already together.

In 2006, Bill attended a presentation by a female employee of Microsoft. After the meeting, he reportedly emailed the employee and asked her to dinner.

Bill reportedly wrote in the email, "'If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened."

Another woman also allegedly said that the billionaire also asked her to dinner while they were in New York for a business trip for the Gates Foundation.

The woman was asked by Bill "'I want to see you. Will you have dinner with me?'" to which she just responded with a laugh to avoid answering.

A total of six current and former workers for Bill and Melinda Gates said that he and his actions created a very uncomfortable workplace for them.

Though Bil made advances towards women in the workplace, mostly clumsy advances, they were reportedly "not predatory" and didn't abuse his powers.

Sources who are knowledgeable of Bill Gates' endeavors also told The Times that he was oftentimes dismissive of his wife in meetings at their foundation.

This caused many employees to cringe, per people who attended the meetings with the couple.

Bill Gates' Link to Jeffrey Epstein

Bill Gates' relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein reportedly to have played a role in his split from Melinda French Gates.

Melinda expressed her discomfort with Bill spending time with the sex offender, however, her husband continued doing so.

Bill got to know Epstein in 2011, three years after accusations of sex trafficking emerged and he later pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution.

When Bill and Epstein's relationship was made known to the public, Melinda was reportedly unhappy, according to The Daily Beast.

She immediately hired divorce lawyers in 2019 and immediately planned a process that climaxed just this month with the declaration of their marriage finally ending.

However, it is worth noting that it's unclear how Melinda French Gates knew about her husband's conduct or to what degree with his relationship with Epstein added to their divorce.

READ ALSO: Bill Gates' Biggest Asset Disclosed Amid Divorce: How Much of the Tech Mogul's Money Is in It?

Bill Gates Denies the Claims

A spokeswoman for Bill Gates denied all the accusations The New York Times reported.

Bridgitt Arnold said in a statement, "It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances, and the timeline of Bill Gates's divorce."

She called the meetings with Epstein and others about his business ventures "inaccurate, including who participated."

Claims about the Gates' marriage or Melinda in a "disparaging manner" is "false," per the spokesperson, including claims of mistreatment of employees.

She called the speculation and rumors surrounding Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates' divorce "becoming increasingly absurd."

READ MORE: Melinda Gates' Billion-Dollar Divorce Payout Plans Revealed Ahead of First Hearing on Friday

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Bill Gates' news: In late 2019, Microsoft board members hired a law firm to conduct an investigation on their founder after a female employee alleged, she had a sexual relationship with Bill throughout the years.

By 2020, Microsoft decided that it wasn't appropriate for Bill Gates to sit on its board members with the allegation.

On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that an engineer alleged in a letter that she slept with the billionaire for several years.

However, just before the investigation concluded, Bill Gates resigned from his position. The publication reported that the board decided that the 65-year-old should step down after the affair was exposed as it was "inappropriate."

Bill also left the board of Berkshire Hathaway the same day, a company run by his friend, Warren Buffet.

Did Bill Gates Really Had Extra-Marital Affairs?

According to a spokesperson for Microsoft, the company received a complaint in 2019 that Bill Gates allegedly "sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee" back in 2000.

Though it was already decades ago, the board members reviewed the concern and hired an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation.

"Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern."

However, another spokesperson for Bill revealed that his decision to leave Microsoft didn't anything to do with the said affair.

They did, however, admitted that he indeed cheated on Melinda French, whom he was already married to at the time.

"There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably."

WSJ's report on Sunday about Bill Gates' extra-marital affair comes after The New York Times revealed the same day that the tech mogul also asked two women who worked at Microsoft and his foundation on dates while still married to Melinda French.

The Times published a story alleging that Bill asked two different women, and possibly more, on dates.

After a 2006 presentation by a female Microsoft employee, Bill reportedly email the employee asking her to dinner.

However, he reportedly followed up with, "'If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened.'"

The other woman alleged that while she and Bill were attending a cocktail party, he lowered his voice and reportedly said, "'I want to see you. Will you have dinner with me?'"

However, the woman laughed it off to avoid answering.

Though Bill Gates made his moves to the two women, and possibly more, the publication noted that the dad-of-three didn't seem predatory with his advances, nor had he abused his power.

READ ALSO: Bill Gates' More Questionable Behavior with Women Exposed Amid Melinda French Gates Divorce

Why Bill Gates Left Microsoft

According to the spokesperson who told The Wall Street Journal, Bill Gates' decision to leave Microsoft was so he could spend more time on his philanthropy.

Bill Gates, who has a net worth of $127 billion, and his soon to be ex-wife Melinda French Gates founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. They have almost 50 billion in endowment.

Early this month, Bill and Melinda announced they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage.

Melinda French Gates said in her filing that their marriage is "irretrievably broken."

READ MORE: Bill Gates' Biggest Asset Disclosed Amid Divorce: How Much of the Tech Mogul's Money Is in It?

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After the Philippines' delegate Rabiya Mateo failed to make the top ten finalists, a petition to bring back Steve Harvey as Miss Universe host has gained traction on Twitter.

Mateo came in 21st place in the 69th Miss Universe pageant held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Harvey has hosted the Miss Universe pageant since 2015, but he made headlines when he declared Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the 2015 winner when it was actually Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach.

"Bring back Steve Harvey and PH will bring home the crown!," one user commented while posting photos of Wurtzbach and Miss Universe 2018 Winner Catriona Gray, who also hails from Philippines.

Bring back Steve Harvey and PH will bring home the crown! #MissUniverse #PHILIPPINES pic.twitter.com/52K4LjEvyz  kd  (@ASAH1KUUN) May 17, 2021

Another commented that Steve Harvey is probably the country's lucky charm. "steve harvey ata lucky charm ng PH Hahaahahahahahah (Steve Harvey seems like the lucky charm of PH)."

READ ALSO: Steve Harvey Net Worth 2021 and Earnings From TV and Radio Hostings

Where is Steve Harvey? Why Didn't He Host Miss Universe 2020?

When the Miss Universe organization announced Steve's replacements on Twitter this past April, Steve replied, "I miss you guys - but I'll see you for the 70th!" "We'll miss you too - but we'll see you soon!" the organizer replied to Steve on Instagram.

Miss Universe and Steve don't seem to have broken up for good, based on the conversation above. Given that Miss Universe has been held in November, December, or January for the past five years, the most likely reason for Steve's absence this year is a scheduling and/or travel dispute.

Steve had just returned from South Africa, where he was filming season 2 of Family Feud Africa. Steve is also the host of Family Feud Africa in Ghana, as well as Celebrity Family Feud and Family Feud in the United States. Apart from that, Steve is busy with his Facebook Watch series, Steve on Watch.

Miss Universe 2020-2021 Winners

Miss Brazil Julia Gama and Miss Mexico Andrea Meza were the final two, with Meza emerging victorious. Miss Mexico is a girl from Mexico. Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe for the first time. She was given a crown, as well as a sash and flowers. Meza then took her first steps as Miss Universe 2020 on stage.

Miss Dominican Republic Kimberly Jimenez was named fourth runner-up ahead of the winner's announcement.

Miss India Adline Castelino came in third place.

Miss Peru Janick Maceta came in second place.

READ MORE: Steve Harvey 'Not Impressed' With Daughter Lori Harvey's BF Michael B. Jordan

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Marvel Studios has so many ways to bring back Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man/Tony Stark to the franchise.

Since Iron Man's death in "Avengers: Endgame," fans remain hopeful that the actor would give it a shot again. In fact, they recently rose a billboard in Los Angeles to convince the studio to bring him back. The huge material also has a hashtag #BringBackTonyStarkToLife and a date "04.24.21."

The move only invited criticisms from fans who already appreciate Iron Man's ending in the franchise. Still, their wishes may be granted soon since MCU has several ways to breathe life to the superhero again.

The Power of AI

The power of artificial intelligence is more advanced in Tony Stark's world that this technology could be the key to his new life. Existing as an AI would be a simple task for Stark through the Just A Rather Very Intelligent System (J.A.R.V.I.S.). The character originally made it a natural-language user interface computer system to return his former butler back to life.

Through this, the MCU could adapt the plan already since an AI Tony Stark has already been introduced in many Marvel comics, including Ironheart, Super Iron Man, and Hypervelocity.

Time Traveling

This has been a usual routine in the universe. In fact, the whole Avengers tried time traveling to get a hold of the infinity stones to defeat Thanos.

Time-traveling will be more possible with the coming of the MCU series "Loki" since it would show how Tom Hiddleston jumps from one timeline to another.

READ ALSO: Chrissy Teigen's Business in Trouble After Courtney Stodden Bullying Claims Emerged

Doctor Strange Can Also Do The Job

Among the superheroes in the MCU, Doctor Strange can see the other versions of themselves in other universes. Thus, Stark from the other universe can travel to the present time, too.

For what it's worth, Steve Rogers/Captain America tried this already. He returned to the universe where he can be with Peggy Carter after passing his shield to Sam Wilson.

Tony Starks May Appear in Flashbacks

Although MCU already moved forward with the new phase, there might be instances where they would show previous scenes featuring the original Avengers. Marvel Studios also tend to have prequels of their previous films, especially when they became a hit.

For example, Scarlett Johannsson will finally lead her standalone film "Black Widow" which serves as the prequel before the events of the "Avengers" series.

READ MORE: Robert De Niro Drops Update On Leg Injury: Will It Leave Him Crippled or Not?

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Josh Duggar's accuser, Ashley Johnston, says that she's receiving hate messages and being slut-shamed after speaking out about her alleged sexual encounter with the former reality TV star.

Johnston recently talked to Inside Edition to detail Duggar's alleged misconduct on her. Shortly after the interview was published, she immediately took to her Instagram page and shared a screenshot of a hate message that she received.

A user by the name sacharacine sent Johnston a vile message that reads "You do not care for self not for your kids not for the thing you call husband. Oh and not for me either! Didn't see how heartless you are , but I see now your trash from Ohio and like trash and whore you get around..coast to coast in fact how is for story ,you'll be a forgot slut like the rest of your miserable life. God have pity on you, I don't anymore."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ashley Johnston (@1andonlycupcake)

The message continues "Just an abused woman all her life to bad I met to late in life. I could of! She isn't right upstairs typical so so typical. I already see how you live to late gonna laugh when wearing makeup bites you in the ass and you become sagging mess of sh*t. Thanks for pissing me off stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!"

READ NOW: Bill Gates' Cheated on Melinda Gates: 'Mistress' Speaks Out, Possible Causes of Divorce Revealed [Report]

Despite receiving a hateful message, Johnson captioned the screenshot post with "Why thank you for such an uplifting message"

Followers of Johnston rallied their support to her by writing positive messages on the post "Oh my god, Much Love to you Ashley. Stay strong please" one follower wrote. "You're just famous and have haters. But you also have adorers and there are more of us. We love you" another one commented.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ashley Johnston (@1andonlycupcake)

Ashley Johnston, who is a former adult entertainer, recently spoke out and detailed her experience with Josh Duggar in 2015. She claims that Duggar and her had met in a strip club where she's working in 2015.

Duggar allegedly kept coming to her and ask for a private time, the former "19 Kids and Counting" star also kept on giving her money for private dances.

Johnston detailed the horrific night when she and Duggar allegedly went back to her hotel room where they became intimate but things got "tremendously out of hand". She describes the situation as "one of the most terrifying experiences of her life".

The alleged accuser sued Duggar for battery but he later on denied the allegations and stated that he never met Johnson before, the case was dismissed.

Johnston had already stopped working in the adult industry and is now based in Texas with her husband and four kids.

As per Duggar's case, he was released from prison on Thursday after bailing and pleading not guilty to the child pornography charges filed against him. According to the judge, the former reality TV star is not allowed to go back to his home where his pregnant wife and their six children lives.

READ ALSO: Bring Back Steve Harvey Trends After Miss Universe 2020 Philippines' Bet Fails to Win the Crown

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Cruising his way to the top is Faiysal Kothiwala with his brand 'The Beard Struggle.'

For men, growing and grooming a beard is no longer a fashion equation, it's a lifestyle. There are several explanations for growing a long and sharp beard. It is said that by allowing your face to grow beautiful hair, you can formally enter manhood and take another step up the social ladder. But growing this manly feature can invite some serious hair troubles. Therefore, several businesses have come forward with distinctive beard care products that seek to provide men with the best grooming experience. One such business that tops the list of such brands is 'The Beard Struggle'.

Faiysal Kothiwala is the founder of the "The Beard Struggle", a brand that provides men with the most premium and natural beard care items. He has put people above profits and given the finest customer services, contributing to its tremendous growth. Back in the year 2015, Faiysal founded 'The Beard Struggle', to cater the needs of those who wanted to grow a beard but could rarely find time and attention to take care of it. He believes in offering his customers an excellent experience, by thoroughly valuing their desires, and fulfilling them. His brand is soaring greater heights because of consistently producing top-notch quality products for men. The company offers all its customers 24/7 support, and with 100 percent effort, it strives to resolve all customer issues. Apart from the high-quality service and products, the company is also dedicated to serve the society and fulfill its social responsibilities. It has raised over 30,000 CAD in 2020 for various social causes such as BC Cancer, Wounded Veterans Project, St. Judes Children Hospital, etc.

'The Beard Struggle' has two warehouses, one in the United Kingdom and one in Canada. With a wide range of high-quality beard care products, the brand has emerged as a one-stop solution for all those men who want their beard to be the most talked about subject in town.

Visit their official website - www.thebeardstruggle.com, to shop and obtain further information about high quality beard products.

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2021-05-14

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, met today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Felipe Sola.



The two Ministers took stock of the excellent state of bilateral relations, characterised by a close historical and cultural bond. In Argentina, there is the largest Italian community abroad; the solid and strategic economic collaboration is boosted by a significant number of qualified Italian businesses.



The Ministers then agreed on the opportunity to deepen further the political dialogue, also given the upcoming joint appointments of the G20, COP 26 and the 10th Italy-Latin America and Caribbean Conference.



After an in-depth analysis of the fight against the pandemic, the two Ministers discussed the latest developments in Latin America, focusing on the Venezuelan crisis.
Director of Operations Holly Hawk released a statement: The students perform with no scenery and minimal costumes. As such, the excerpts are devoid of context and convey no story to the audience. Our performance, while using the music and classical choreography of the original, includes nothing that could be construed as stereotyping or orientalist depiction. As such, and with full sensitivity to the problem of insensitive depiction of other cultures, we are comfortable with our decision to present them.
2021-05-17

Maeci

Today, at the Foreign Ministry, Minister Luigi Di Maio has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Minister Di Maio has first of all expressed deep concern about the escalation of attacks and violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, calling for an immediate end to all violence.

Condemning the rocket attacks from Gaza and urging a proportionate Israeli response, he has reiterated his call to the parties to take immediate de-escalation measures and show responsibility.

Minister Di Maio has then highlighted the importance of the ongoing negotiations in Vienna on the revitalisation of the JCPoA and the parallel contacts with the United States, expressing the hope that a compromise might swiftly be reached on the outstanding issues. He has reaffirmed that the nuclear deal remains a pillar of non-proliferation and regional stability and a key element in the much hoped-for strengthening of bilateral economic cooperation.

The two Ministers have then exchanged views on the main regional dossiers, from Iraq and Afghanistan to the crises in Syria and Yemen, regarding which Minister Di Maio has reiterated Italys convinced support for a political solution.

Minister Di Maio has also drawn attention to the human rights situation in Iran, recalling Italy's traditional position in support of human rights and a moratorium on capital punishment.

Finally, the two Ministers have reviewed the most significant aspects of bilateral cooperation.
Clopidogrel outperformed aspirin in what is believed to be the first and largest randomized trial to compare the effectiveness of the two antiplatelet drugs as long-term maintenance therapy for patients who had no adverse events after one year of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following the insertion of a coronary stent. After two years of follow-up, chronic maintenance therapy with clopidogrel resulted in a 30% reduction in deaths, heart attacks, strokes or major bleeding events, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

"These data confirm our working hypothesis that long-term maintenance antiplatelet monotherapy with clopidogrel produces better outcomes than aspirin in patients who are adverse event-free at one year after coronary stenting," said Hyo-Soo Kim, MD, PhD, professor of internal medicine at Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea and lead author of the study.

The trial met its primary endpoint, a composite of death from any cause, heart attack, stroke or a major bleeding event within two years of study entry, which occurred in 5.7% of patients assigned to clopidogrel and 7.7% of those assigned to aspirin.

Ischemic heart disease is an umbrella term for problems caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart, such as heart attacks and unstable angina. Stenting, also known as coronary angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention, is a minimally invasive procedure in which a flexible tube (catheter) is threaded through an artery under local anesthesia. At the site of an arterial blockage, a tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter is inflated to unblock the artery, and a stent--a tiny mesh tube coated with medication--is inserted to prop the coronary artery open and restore blood flow to the heart.

Blood cells known as platelets help the blood to clot, and both clopidogrel and aspirin stop platelets from clotting. Current treatment guidelines recommend a DAPT regimen of two antiplatelet drugs for six to 12 months after the insertion of a coronary stent to prevent blood clots.

"However, the optimal single antiplatelet agent for long-term maintenance therapy beyond the duration of DAPT has been unclear," Kim said. He added that in clinical practice, physicians may maintain patients on DAPT for as long as 18 months, depending on the patients' level of risk for clotting.

This trial, known as HOST-EXAM (EXtended Antiplatelet Monotherapy), enrolled 5,436 patients who had received a coronary stent. Patients' average age was 63 years; 75% were men, 34% had diabetes and 13% had chronic kidney disease. After completing between six and 18 months of DAPT without experiencing any adverse events, patients were randomly assigned to receive single-agent maintenance therapy with either clopidogrel or aspirin.

In addition to the primary endpoint, researchers also separated out blood-clotting events (death, heart attack, hospital readmission due to acute coronary syndrome, or a blood clot in the stent) from all bleeding events and analyzed them as secondary endpoints. They found that blood-clotting events occurred in 3.8% of the patients who took clopidogrel compared with 5.6% of those who took aspirin; bleeding events were seen in 2.3% of patients in the clopidogrel group versus 3.3% of those in the aspirin group. All of the differences between the groups were statistically significant.

"These results confirm that clopidogrel is superior to aspirin at reducing the incidence of blood-clotting events," Kim said. "What is interesting is that clopidogrel also performed better than aspirin at reducing bleeding events. Such findings that one antiplatelet agent is better than the other in reducing both clotting and bleeding events have been observed in other studies comparing different antiplatelet regimens, suggesting that thrombotic and bleeding events are tightly associated with each other. For example, when patients experience bleeding, they stop the antiplatelet agents leading [them to experience] thrombotic events."

Kim said that the results apply only to patients who had completed between six and 18 months of DAPT without any adverse events.

"It may be difficult to directly extrapolate our results to patients who received DAPT for a shorter period, such as one or three months," he said. "However, our results may be useful in helping physicians to select antiplatelet monotherapy for patients who are in the chronic stable phase after coronary stenting."

The two years of patient follow-up in the HOST-EXAM trial is longer than that of many previous trials comparing antiplatelet drug regimens in patients who have received a coronary stent, Kim said. He and his colleagues plan to continue their follow-up for a total of five years to gain further insights into the long-term benefits and trade-offs of clopidogrel compared with aspirin. Because the daily cost of clopidogrel is higher than that of aspirin, Kim said, he and his team are also planning a follow-up study that will examine the cost-effectiveness of the two medications.

Another limitation is that the trial was not blinded, meaning that both patients and their doctors knew which drug patients were receiving. Also, the total number of reported adverse events in both groups was lower than the investigators had expected when they designed the trial, which suggests that adverse events could have been under-reported. However, Kim said he believes the main reason for the lower-than-expected rate of adverse events was not under-reporting but the quality of care that evolved over the seven-year study period.

###

The study was funded by the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare and by four Korea-based pharmaceutical companies.

This study was simultaneously published online in The Lancet at the time of presentation.

Kim will be available to the media in a virtual press conference on Sunday, May 16, at 12:15 p.m. ET / 16:15 UTC.

Kim will present the study, "Aspirin Vs. Clopidogrel During Chronic Maintenance Monotherapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: The Host Exam Randomized Controlled Trial," on Sunday, May 16, at 10:45 a.m. ET / 14:45 UTC, virtually.

ACC.21 will take place May 15-17 virtually, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCinTouch, @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC21 for the latest news from the meeting.

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit ACC.org. Media Contacts

Nicole Napoli

202-669-1465

nnapoli@acc.org

Thy-Ann Nguyen

703-479-3642

thyann.nguyen@curastrategies.com
Two months after undergoing renal denervation (RDN), patients with high blood pressure who did not respond to treatment with multiple medications had a greater reduction in daytime systolic blood pressure than patients who did not receive RDN, with no difference in major adverse effects, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

Patients who received RDN--a procedure that delivers energy to overactive nerves in the kidneys to decrease their activity--saw a median reduction of 8 mmHg in their daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure compared with their level prior to treatment. They also had a 4.5 mmHg greater drop in median blood pressure compared with those who received the sham procedure, despite both groups receiving the same three guideline-recommended antihypertensive medications as background therapy. The benefit of RDN was consistent regardless of sex, ethnicity, age, waist size or blood pressure level at study entry.

"This study has shown for the first time that RDN can effectively lower blood pressure in patients in whom it is uncontrolled despite standardized treatment with three guideline-recommended medications," said Ajay Kirtane, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and an interventional cardiologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Kirtane is a co-principal investigator of the trial.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure. High blood pressure remains a major public health problem despite the availability of a wide range of medications to treat it, with as many as 40% of patients continuing to have uncontrolled high blood pressure despite treatment with medications, Kirtane said.

"RDN offers an additional tool that we could use to help these patients, hopefully achieving better overall control of hypertension, especially if longer-term data support the durability and safety of the procedure," he said.

Overactivity of the sympathetic nerves in the kidneys can contribute to high blood pressure. RDN works by delivering energy that decreases the overactivity of these nerves. Other studies in patients with less-severe hypertension have shown that, compared with a sham procedure, RDN reduces blood pressure. The procedure is performed in a hospital catheterization lab under local anesthesia and with X-ray imaging guidance. A catheter is directed from the femoral artery in the thigh to the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. There, the catheter delivers ultrasound-based energy to the nerves in the arteries. Patients may be discharged the same day or may spend one night in the hospital after the procedure.

The international study, known as the RADIANCE-HTN TRIO trial, enrolled 989 patients in the U.S., the United Kingdom and five European countries. Patients' average age was 53 years and 80% were men. At study entry, patients were taking an average of four antihypertensive medications. Despite this, patients' average blood pressure at study entry was 163/104 mmHg. (According to the 2017 ACC/American Heart Association Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults, blood pressure of 130/80 mmHg or more is considered high.) Patients' median body mass index (BMI) was about 32.7 (a BMI of 30 or higher falls within the obesity range). Roughly a quarter of patients also had Type 2 diabetes.

Upon enrollment in the study, all patients were switched from their existing medications to a regimen consisting of three blood pressure-lowering medications combined into a single pill taken once daily. The use of such once-daily combination pills has been shown to improve patient adherence to blood pressure-reducing medication.

After four weeks on this once-daily, three-drug regimen, patients whose blood pressure was still 135/85 mmHg or higher as assessed by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring underwent non-invasive imaging to ensure that their renal arteries were suitable for RDN. A total of 136 patients were then randomly assigned to receive either ultrasound-based RDN or a sham procedure. A sham procedure is used in non-pharmacological studies; a control group receives an imitation procedure instead of the actual medical intervention that is being studied.

Neither the patients nor the doctors they saw for follow-up visits knew who had received RDN and who had received the sham procedure. All patients continued to take the once-a-day combination pill during the two-month follow-up period. Patients' urine was tested to evaluate how well they followed their treatment with the three-medication pill during the study.

The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure (the top number) from study entry to two months. The investigators also monitored major adverse events occurring within 30 days of the procedure, including death from any cause, kidney failure, a blood clot, any complications involving the veins or arteries serving the kidneys that required treatment, or a severe increase in blood pressure.

Compared with the sham procedure, daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure, nighttime ambulatory systolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure measured in the doctor's office were all significantly lower with RDN. No differences in major adverse events were observed between the treatment arms.

Kirtane said that he and his colleagues will continue to follow the patients in the study for three years to assess the durability, safety and ongoing benefit of the RDN procedure.

This study was funded by ReCor Medical Inc., the manufacturer of the Paradise renal denervation system. Kirtane reports institutional funding to Columbia University and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation from ReCor Medical.

This study was simultaneously published online in The Lancet at the time of presentation.

Kirtane will be available to the media in a virtual press conference on Sunday, May 16, at 12:15 p.m. ET / 16:15 UTC.

Kirtane will present the study, "Endovascular Ultrasound Renal Denervation To Treat Hypertension Resistant To A Fixed Dose Triple Medication Pill: The Randomized Sham-controlled RADIANCE-HTN TRIO Trial," on Sunday, March 16, at 10:45 a.m. ET / 14:45 UTC, virtually.

ACC.21 will take place May 15-17 virtually, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCinTouch, @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC21 for the latest news from the meeting.

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit ACC.org.

###

Media Contacts

Nicole Napoli

202-669-1465

nnapoli@acc.org

Thy-Ann Nguyen

703-479-3642

thyann.nguyen@curastrategies.com
DALLAS, May 17, 2021 -- Detecting a critical heart defect before birth (congenital heart defects) is less likely when a mother lives in a rural area, lives in a neighborhood with low socioeconomic status or is Hispanic, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

Diagnosing a heart defect before birth reduces infant death rates, increases access to prompt medical treatment, improves neurodevelopmental outcomes and decreases the risk of brain injury for the infant after birth.

"The benefits of prenatal diagnosis for heart defects have been recognized for years, yet prenatal detection occurs in less than 60% of congenital heart disease cases in many U.S. regions," said the study's first author Anita Krishnan, M.D., an associate professor of pediatrics and associate director of echocardiography at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

"This is one of the largest studies to define specific populations at risk for missed prenatal screening and diagnosis of congenital heart disease," she said. "With these conditions, minutes can make a difference, and prenatal planning allows for improved care before, during and after birth."

Researchers evaluated data on more than 1,800 infants from 21 cardiology centers in the United States and Canada to determine whether a relationship exists between prenatal detection of transposition of the great arteries and hypoplastic left heart syndrome and socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and geographic factors.

Congenital heart defects are heart conditions present at birth. According to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics -- 2021 Update, an estimated minimum of 40,000 infants are expected to be affected each year by congenital heart defects in the United States. At least 18 distinct types of congenital heart defects are recognized, with many additional anatomic variations.

Transposition of the great arteries occurs when the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed and accounts for 2.6% of congenital heart defects. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome involves an underdeveloped left side of the heart and accounts for about 0.3% of the defects.

The study focused on clinical data from fetuses and infants with a first-time evaluation between 2012 and 2016 at a participating institution in the Fetal Heart Society, a non-profit multicenter research collaborative whose mission is to advance the field of fetal cardiovascular care and science. Researchers defined prenatal detection as having a fetal echocardiogram - a test that uses high frequency sound waves, or ultrasound, to view structures and functioning of the fetus' heart. Patients are referred for fetal echocardiograms for a variety of maternal or fetal conditions per the guidelines from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, or if an anomaly is suspected on a second trimester ultrasound examination. Most cases are referred due to suspected cardiac disease and not for one of the routine indications for fetal echocardiography, Krishnan explained.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is identifiable through echocardiogram imaging of the heart's four chambers; however, detecting transposition of the great arteries requires additional views on prenatal ultrasound screening and may be more difficult to detect prenatally than hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the authors noted.

Socioeconomic and residential information came from federal census data for the mothers, and distance from a cardiology center was derived from the mothers' address at the time of her first visit for prenatal detection. For U.S. patients, socioeconomic neighborhood status was measured in quartiles that considered median household income; median household value; neighborhood percentage of high school graduates; neighborhood percentage of college graduates; percentage of neighborhood residents in executive, managerial or professional specialty occupations; and the percentage of households receiving rental income.

Among Canadian patients - all from Alberta and Ontario - socioeconomic status was calculated from 22 variables related to cultural identities, environmental pollutants, environmental injustice studies and a deprivation index, which is a marker of social inequalities in health. These factors were then converted to be comparable with the U.S. quartiles.

The study revealed that about 92% of hypoplastic left heart syndrome cases and 58% of transposition of the great arteries cases were diagnosed before birth. However, significant socioeconomic and racial and ethnic differences emerged among the women diagnosed with fetal transposition of the great arteries.

"Mothers who lived in neighborhoods with the lowest socioeconomic position were up to 22% less likely to receive a prenatal diagnosis of transposition of the great arteries than the mothers who lived in the wealthiest neighborhoods," Krishnan said. "While the findings are not completely surprising and resonate with clinical experience, the strength of the associations was surprising."

Other findings include:

Hispanic ethnicity in the United States was associated with a 15% lower likelihood of prenatal detection of transposition of the great arteries compared to non-Hispanic mothers, and living in rural areas was associated with a 22% lower likelihood of prenatal detection of transposition of the great arteries compared to mothers who lived in more urban areas.

Among the patients in Canada, only longer distance to a cardiology center was associated with lower prenatal detection rates of hypoplastic left heart syndrome - those driving more than 135 miles for care were 24% less likely to have transposition of the great arteries detected.

Lower socioeconomic status was associated with about a four-week delay in diagnosing prenatal congenital heart disease for pregnant women in both the U.S. and Canada.

The standards of care for congenital heart disease are similar in both countries, yet some of the associations were different in the United States compared to Canada, where health care is publicly funded and available to all Canadian citizens or permanent residents without financial limitations. "This suggests that factors related to the different health care delivery systems may also play a role in the rates of screening and diagnosis," Krishnan said.

"While prenatal detection rates of congenital heart disease are lower than they should be across the board, there are striking sociodemographic and geographic disparities," she said. "Strengthening relationships among cardiology and surgery centers and the populations identified in this study, through outreach and potentially telemedicine, may improve prenatal detection rates within these communities.

"Telehealth linkages to the tertiary care center may improve timeliness of detection as well as overall detection rates, but is likely not the only solution," Krishnan continued. "In-person collaboration or consultation is also needed. There is ongoing study of whether socioeconomic barriers exist to participation with telemedicine and internet, and our center is currently doing pilot work in rural Maryland. To successfully implement telemedicine requires investing in the hardware, educating sonographers and establishing the security infrastructure to make telemedicine easier to perform."

The study created a new registry of data variables that had not been possible using hospital databases that typically do not include prenatal care information linking maternal and pediatric records. A significant limitation is that the study only included patients who received care at one of the 21 participating fetal cardiology centers.

###

Co-authors are Marni B. Jacobs, Ph.D.; Shaine A. Morris, M.D., M.P.H.; Shabnam Peyvandi, M.D.; Aarti H. Bhat, M.D.; Anjali Chelliah, M.D.; Joanne S. Chiu, M.D.; Bettina F. Cuneo, M.D.; Grace Freire, M.D.; Lisa K. Hornberger, M.D.; Lisa Howley, M.D.; Nazia Husain, M.D.; Catherine Ikemba, M.D.; Ann Kavanaugh-McHugh, M.D.; Shelby Kutty, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.C.M.; Caroline Lee, M.D.; Keila N. Lopez, M.D., M.P.H.; Angela McBrien, M.D.; Erik C. Michelfelder, M.D.; Nelangi M. Pinto, M.D.; Rachel Schwartz, M.D.; Kenan W.D. Stern, M.D.; Carolyn Taylor, M.D.; Varsha Thakur, M.D.; Wayne Tworetzky, M.D.; Carol Wittlieb-Weber, M.D.; Kristal Woldu, M.D.; and Mary T. Donofrio, M.D.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health, the Children's National Heart Institute Cardiology Patient Research Fund and the Fetal Heart Society.

Additional Resources:

Available multimedia is on right column of release link - https:/ / newsroom. heart. org/ news/ prenatal-detection-of-heart-defects-lower-in-rural-poor-areas-and-among-hispanic-women?preview= be432ecc3b6275f956337de3b374e2eb

Statements and conclusions of studies published in the American Heart Association's scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association's policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers are available here, and the Association's overall financial information is available here.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public's health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
A branch of artificial intelligence (AI), called machine learning, can accurately predict the risk of an out of hospital cardiac arrest--when the heart suddenly stops beating--using a combination of timing and weather data, finds research published online in the journal Heart.

Machine learning is the study of computer algorithms, and based on the idea that systems can learn from data and identify patterns to inform decisions with minimal intervention.

The risk of a cardiac arrest was highest on Sundays, Mondays, public holidays and when temperatures dropped sharply within or between days, the findings show.

This information could be used as an early warning system for citizens, to lower their risk and improve their chances of survival, and to improve the preparedness of emergency medical services, suggest the researchers.

Out of hospital cardiac arrest is common around the world, but is generally associated with low rates of survival. Risk is affected by prevailing weather conditions.

But meteorological data are extensive and complex, and machine learning has the potential to pick up associations not identified by conventional one-dimensional statistical approaches, say the Japanese researchers.

To explore this further, they assessed the capacity of machine learning to predict daily out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, using daily weather (temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, snowfall, cloud cover, wind speed and atmospheric pressure readings) and timing (year, season, day of the week, hour of the day, and public holidays) data.

Of 1,299,784 cases occurring between 2005 and 2013, machine learning was applied to 525,374, using either weather or timing data, or both (training dataset).

The results were then compared with 135,678 cases occurring in 2014-15 to test the accuracy of the model for predicting the number of daily cardiac arrests in other years (testing dataset).

And to see how accurate the approach might be at the local level, the researchers carried out a 'heatmap analysis,' using another dataset drawn from the location of out of hospital cardiac arrests in Kobe city between January 2016 and December 2018.

The combination of weather and timing data most accurately predicted an out of hospital cardiac arrest in both the training and testing datasets.

It predicted that Sundays, Mondays, public holidays, winter, low temperatures and sharp temperature drops within and between days were more strongly associated with cardiac arrest than either the weather or timing data alone.

The researchers acknowledge that they didn't have detailed information on the location of cardiac arrests except in Kobe city, nor did they have any data on pre-existing medical conditions, both of which may have influenced the results.

But they suggest: "Our predictive model for daily incidence of [out of hospital cardiac arrest] is widely generalisable for the general population in developed countries, because this study had a large sample size and used comprehensive meteorological data."

They add: "The methods developed in this study serve as an example of a new model for predictive analytics that could be applied to other clinical outcomes of interest related to life-threatening acute cardiovascular disease."

And they conclude: "This predictive model may be useful for preventing [out of hospital cardiac arrest] and improving the prognosis of patients...via a warning system for citizens and [emergency medical services] on high-risk days in the future."

In a linked editorial, Dr David Foster Gaieski, of Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, agrees.

"Knowing what the weather will most likely be in the coming week can generate 'cardiovascular emergency warnings' for people at risk--notifying the elderly and others about upcoming periods of increased danger similar to how weather data are used to notify people of upcoming hazardous road conditions during winter storms," he explains.

"These predictions can be used for resource deployment, scheduling and planning so that emergency medical services systems, emergency department resuscitation resources, and cardiac catheterisation laboratory staff are aware of, and prepared for, the number of expected [cases] during the coming days," he adds.

###

Externally peer reviewed? Yes

Evidence type: Machine learning; Opinion (editorial)

Subjects: Meteorological and cardiac arrest data
Top experts from Brigham and Women's Hospital presented outcomes from some of the most-anticipated clinical trials in cardiology at the virtual American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session. In four Late-Breaking Clinical Trial presentations, Brigham cardiologists shared their latest findings on strategies to prevent future cardiovascular events in at-risk patient populations, results of a randomized clinical trial of a statin drug among patients critically ill with COVID-19, and more.

IL-6 Inhibitor Reduced Biomarkers of Inflammation in Patients at High Risk for Heart Attacks, Strokes

In work that builds upon and extends the potential clinical reach of the inflammatory hypothesis of heart disease, Paul M. Ridker, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Brigham and the Eugene Braunwald Professor of Medicine, presented data on the IL-6 inhibitor Ziltivekimab. Ziltivekimab is a human monoclonal antibody targeting the IL-6 ligand that is being developed specifically for atherosclerosis. Ridker led RESCUE, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial to evaluate the effects of ziltivekimab on multiple biomarkers of inflammation and thrombosis. The trial evaluated patients at high cardiovascular risk with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and elevated hsCRP.

In a late-breaking clinical trial presentation and in simultaneous publication in The Lancet, Ridker reported that ziltivekimab markedly reduced multiple biomarkers of systemic inflammation and thrombosis, including hsCRP, fibrinogen, SAA, sPLA2, and Lp(a). Investigators found minimal evidence of bone marrow suppression, infectious risk, hepatic toxicity, or change in atherogenic lipid levels.

"These phase II data suggest that ziltivekimab may be unique among currently available IL-6 inhibitors and strongly supports its use in future cardiovascular outcome trials," said Ridker.

Based on the safety and efficacy results of RESCUE, a new cardiovascular outcomes trial known as ZEUS is set to launch later this year.

In a separate presentation at ACC.21 (May 16 at 10 a.m.), Brigham cardiologist Muthiah Vaduganathan, MD, MPH, and colleagues presented data showing that people with heart failure and kidney disease face very high risks of adverse events and death yet are infrequently treated with guideline-recommended medical therapies. Their presentation underscored the unmet clinical need for patients with CKD.

SGLT 1/2 Inhibitor Shows Benefit in Men and Women with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI, FESC, executive director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at the Brigham's Heart & Vascular Center, presented evidence on the benefits of sotagliflozin across the spectrum of ejection fraction, including heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Sotagliflozin inhibits both SGLT1 and SGLT2. Two clinical trials, SOLOIST-WHF and SCORED, demonstrated its protective effects for patients with diabetes and worsening heart failure as well as patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease, respectively.

Bhatt presented data showing that sotagliflozin robustly and significantly reduced the composite of total cardiovascular deaths, hospitalizations for heart failure, and urgent visits for heart failure across the full range of ejection fraction, including in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. In on-treatment analyses, sotagliflozin demonstrated a significant reduction in cardiovascular death.

"These are the first randomized data from a prespecified analysis of clinical trials to show a significant effect of a therapy on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction," said Bhatt. "Additionally, sotagliflozin demonstrated a consistent and significant benefit in women."

Statin Drug Did Not Improve Outcomes for Patients Critically Ill with COVID-19

Behnood Bikdeli, MD, MS, a physician-investigator in the Brigham's Cardiovascular Medicine Division, presented results from the INSPIRATION-statin trial in a late-breaking clinical trials session. INSPIRATION-S is a randomized controlled clinical trial of hospitalized critically ill patients with COVID-19. Patients were randomized to receive atorvastatin 20mg daily or a matching placebo. The study's primary endpoint included a composite of adjudicated acute arterial thrombosis, venous thromboembolism (VTE), use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or all-cause death within 30 days from enrollment. Bikdeli reported no statistically significant difference between the statin intervention and placebo.

"The body's exuberant inflammatory response is known to play a role in the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which is seen in some cases of COVID-19," said Bikdeli. "We hypothesized that statins, which can have anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic effects, might be beneficial in patients with severe COVID-19. While we found no statistical difference between atorvastatin and placebo, we did see intriguing hints among patients who presented within the first seven days, and are interested in understanding these observations further."

Sacubitril/Valsartan Did Not Outperform an ACE Inhibitor

A late-breaking clinical trial highlighting the results of PARADISE-MI extends the Brigham's decades-long work in the area of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are used during acute myocardial infarction to save lives and reduce incidence of heart failure. Marc Pfeffer, MD, PhD, Distinguished Dzau Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and cardiologist at the Brigham, presented the results of PARADISE-MI. The clinical trial compared the effectiveness of the heart failure drug sacubitril/valsartan to ramipril, a proven effective ACE inhibitor, at preventing cardiovascular death, heart failure hospitalization, and outpatient development of heart failure among patients who had survived a heart attack and had left ventricular systolic dysfunction and/or pulmonary congestion. There was a high use of guideline-based therapies and procedures prior to randomization.

Pfeffer reported that sacubitril/valsartan did not significantly lower rate of CV death, heart failure hospitalization or outpatient heart failure requiring treatment. However, pre-specified observations of reductions in both investigator reports of the primary composite as well as in the total (recurrent) adjudicated events support incremental clinical benefits of sacubitril/valsartan. The safety and tolerability of sacubitril/valsartan in this patient population was comparable to that of the ACE inhibitor.

"We found sacubitril/valsartan was as safe and well-tolerated as one of the best proven ACE inhibitors, even in an acutely ill population," said Pfeffer. "This trial is not likely going to change guidelines, but it should make physicians even more comfortable using sacubitril/valsartan in their patients with heart failure."

###

Disclosures: The RESCUE trial was supported by Corvidia and Novo Nordisk. Dr. Ridker has received investigator-initiated research grants from Kowa, Novartis, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Amarin, NHLBI, NCI. Dr. Ridker has served as a consultant to Corvidia, Novo Nordisk, Inflazome, Novartis, Amgen, Merck, Jansen, Agepha, Flame, and CiviBio. Dr. Ridker is listed as a co-inventor on patents related to the use of inflammatory biomarkers in CVD and diabetes that are no longer active.

The original sponsor of SCORED and SOLOIST was Sanofi. Sponsorship was transferred to Lexicon Pharmaceuticals as of January 30, 2020. Dr. Bhatt receives research funding paid to Brigham and Women's Hospital from Sanofi and Lexicon for his role as the study chairman of SCORED and SOLOIST.

Dr. Pfeffer has received research grant support (through Brigham and Women's Hospital) from Novartis; consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly Alliance, Corvidia, DalCor, GlaxoSmithKline, NHLBI CONNECTs (Master Protocol Committee), Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Peerbridge and Sanofi; and has equity in DalCor and Peerbridge.

The INSPIRATION-S trial was funded by the Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center. Dr. Bikdeli reports that he is a consulting expert, on behalf of the plaintiff, for litigation related to two specific brand models of IVC filters.
Indigenous peoples in Canada have higher rates of death and complications after surgery and lower rates of surgeries than other populations, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

"Understanding surgical outcomes and access to surgical services is a vital step toward addressing colonialism and structural racism within health care, so we can identify the gaps and determine what needs to be improved," said Dr. Nadine Caron, a general surgeon in Prince George and co-director of the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health at the University of British Columbia.

Access to safe and timely surgery is essential, as surgery is responsible for 65% of cancer cure and control, can prevent death following trauma and, in the case of cesarean births, reduces newborn deaths by up to 70%.

Researchers looked at 28 studies that compared surgical outcomes across a range of procedures in Indigenous Peoples to outcomes in non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Combined, the studies included 1.9 million patients, of whom 10.2% (202,056) identified as Indigenous, although few specifically addressed Inuit or Metis populations.

The research team found Indigenous Peoples had higher rates of complications after surgery; were less likely to undergo life-saving surgery, including cardiac surgery and cesarean deliveries; and experienced longer wait times for kidney transplants. Four studies indicated that Indigenous Peoples had a 30% increased risk of death after surgery and were less likely to undergo surgeries such as joint replacements that improve quality of life.

These findings are consistent with those for Indigenous Peoples in other high-income countries. As the Canadian data were limited and of poor quality, the research team calls for more research and consistent data collection methods.

"This study tells Canadians two things. We need better data, and the data we have tell us that we need to do better," said Dr. Jason McVicar, a Metis anesthesiologist at The Ottawa Hospital, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa and the lead author of the study. He added, "Better-quality research by Indigenous investigators and real-time outcome monitoring for Indigenous patients are essential to eliminating structural racism in the health care system."

The research team has concerns about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to surgery for Indigenous Peoples. "The pandemic has exposed societal disparities and disproportionately affected vulnerable populations," says Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk, a cardiac surgeon and fellow at The Cleveland Clinic. "This research illuminates the inequities built into our surgical systems. When we begin to address the backlog, those with the political agency to strongly advocate for themselves will inevitably get to the front of the line, which will again disproportionately impact First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities."

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Dr. McVicar was one of three Indigenous authors on this study, along with Dr. Nadine Caron (First Nations) and Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk (Inuk).

"Postoperative outcomes for Indigenous Peoples in Canada: a systematic review" is published May 17, 2021
Exposure to light is compulsory for photosynthetic organisms for the conversion of inorganic compounds into organic ones. However, if there is too much solar energy, the photosystems and other cell components could be damaged. Thanks to special protective proteins, the overexcitation is converted into heat - in the process called non-photochemical quenching. The object of the published study, OCP, was one of such defenders. It was first isolated in 1981 from representatives of the ancient group of photosynthetic bacteria, ?yanobacteria. OCP comprises two domains forming a cavity, in which a carotenoid pigment is embedded.

"When light is absorbed by the carotenoid molecule, OCP can change from an inactive orange to an active red form. This process is multi-stage and follows a complex hierarchy of events. We showed the asynchrony of these changes in previous work, but the mechanism of the very first stage of OCP activation, associated with the breakage of hydrogen bonds between the carotenoid and the protein, remained unsolved," - says Dr. Eugene Maksimov, Senior Researcher of the Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of RAS.

Scientists conducted a comprehensive study using methods of structural biology, biochemistry, spectroscopy, and quantum chemistry. Researchers from the Federal Research Centre for Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, have created a "super orange" version of OCP with unique spectral and structural properties and determined its crystal structure with the highest spatial resolution among all OCP-related proteins.

The analysis of the obtained data revealed that a charge separation reaction could occur along the hydrogen bond between the carotenoid molecule and one of the amino acid residues of the protein as a result of the absorption of a photon in OCP. In darkness, this hydrogen bond stabilizes the orange OCP state, but upon illumination, it breaks quickly due to the redistribution of the electron density in the carotenoid molecule. As a result, the protein becomes a dipole, which leads to a change in its entire structure. This photochemical reaction has been described for carotenoids for the first time.

"Our discovery will allow controlling the process of OCP activation and its spectral properties. Consequently, this can lead to the creation of new light-controlled systems and "smart" biocompatible materials based on photoactive proteins for optogenetics and functional imaging," - says Dr. Nikolai Sluchanko, Leading Researcher of the Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of RAS.

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The work was carried out jointly with colleagues from the Faculty of Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Semenov Federal Research Center of Chemical Physics RAS, Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Russian Academy of Sciences, and from scientific institutions of Germany and Czech Republic.
Nearly 40 years after creating the first, iconic map of the universe, researchers aim for the largest map ever.

Cambridge, MA -- In 1983, astrophysicists at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) released a cosmic map using 2,400 galaxies. Now, CfA scientists are aiming to map 30 million.

In the largest quest yet to map the universe, an international team of researchers is using DESI, or the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, to survey the skies. Observations officially began today, May 17, at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona; the mission will last five years with the goal of mapping 30 million galaxies.

By surveying a vast volume of space, the scientists of the DESI collaboration -- including a dozen from the CfA -- will be able to address a myriad of questions in modern cosmology: how does the early universe create large-scale structures, how does gravity cause matter to collect and form galaxies, and what might be driving the enigmatic acceleration of the expansion of the universe?

EARLY MAPS OF THE UNIVERSE

Mapping the universe has a storied history at the CfA, says Douglas Finkbeiner, a CfA researcher and member of the DESI collaboration.

Pioneering astrophysicists at the CfA launched the first systematic surveys to map the universe in the late 1970s. Led by Marc Davis, John Huchra, Dave Latham and John Tonry, the team first targeted 2,400 galaxies, measuring their redshifts -- the shift in wavelength of light of an object in space -- which can be used to calculate distance from Earth.

The second, more extensive map by Margaret Geller and Huchra, revealed on the cover of Science in November 1989, was groundbreaking. It revealed the cosmic web for the first time, showing that galaxies are not distributed across space uniformly, but instead are broken up into clusters with vast, empty regions of space between them.

It was around that time that CfA astrophysicist Margaret Geller coined the term "soap bubble universe" when, after creating early maps, they realized these clusters of galaxies sat on the membranes of what seemed to be large, invisible bubbles that spanned millions of light years.

THE ROAD FORWARD

But what cosmic forces create and shape these bubbles? Scientists now infer the action of two unseen actors -- dark matter and dark energy -- whose physical origins remain mysterious, thus requiring further observational clues to understand their nature and composition.

That's where DESI can help.

Built by a collaboration of hundreds of people, and with primary funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, DESI has been installed and is now being operated on the retrofitted Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The instrument will allow scientists to study redshifts at an unprecedented scale. Using 5,000 robotically controlled optical fibers, DESI can gather spectroscopic data, or light, from 5,000 galaxies at a time.

By gathering light from over 30 million galaxies, DESI will help construct a detailed 3D map of the universe that reaches as far back as 11 billion years. The map will help better understand the repulsive force associated with dark energy that has driven the exponential expansion of the universe for billions of years.

"DESI is a finely tuned machine, building on the opportunities of the latest technology and learning from decades of experience in optimizing the hardware, software, and operational strategy of major sky surveys," says Daniel Eisenstein, a CfA researcher and member of the DESI collaboration. "The result is quite amazing: a facility about 20 times faster than previous state-of-the-art technology. We are acquiring redshifts from galaxies 100 times fainter than what we targeted with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, just 20 years ago."

As data from DESI begins to roll in, Eisenstein and the CfA team will see how it compares to current cosmological structure theories. He and his colleagues have used the fastest supercomputer in the United States, Summit at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to create simulations of how the large-scale clustering of galaxies came to be and what role dark energy played in it.

Finkbeiner, who helped decide what targets DESI would observe over the course of the next five years, believes there is still much to learn from redshift surveys.

"Redshift surveys provide key information about how much matter there is in the universe and how it clusters," he says. "We can now measure so many galaxies so precisely that they also give us a handle on dark energy and neutrinos. Today we celebrate the start of the DESI survey and look forward to the new discoveries it will bring."

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DESI is an international science collaboration managed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

DESI is supported by the DOE Office of Science and by the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science user facility. Additional support for DESI is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Science and Technologies Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico, the Ministry of Economy of Spain, and by the DESI member institutions.

The DESI collaboration is honored to be permitted to conduct astronomical research on Iolkam Du'ag (Kitt Peak), a mountain with particular significance to the Tohono O'odham Nation.

About the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is a collaboration between Harvard and the Smithsonian designed to ask--and ultimately answer--humanity's greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe. The Center for Astrophysics is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with research facilities across the U.S. and around the world.
Image fusion is a process that can enhance the clinical value of medical images, improving the accuracy of medical diagnoses and the quality of patient care.

Researchers at the College of Data Science Software Engineering at China's Qingdao University, have developed a new 'multi-modal' image fusion method based on supervised deep learning that enhances image clarity, reduces redundant image features and supports batch processing. Their findings have just been published in KeAi's International Journal of Cognitive Computing in Engineering.

Author Yi Li explains: "Most medical images have unilateral or limited information content; for instance, focus positions vary which can make some objects appear blurred. Having important information scattered across a number of images can hamper a doctor's judgment. Image fusion is an effective solution - it automatically detects the information contained in those separate images and integrates them to produce one composite image."

Researchers are increasingly turning to deep learning to improve image fusion. Deep learning, a subset of machine learning, draws on artificial neural networks that are designed to imitate how humans think and learn. That means it is capable of learning from data that is unstructured or unlabelled.

However much of the current research focuses on the application of deep learning in single image fusion processing. Studies that use it for multi-image batch processing are much rarer.

Li explains: "Medical images have specific practical requirements, including information richness and high clarity. During our study, we used successful image fusion results to build an image-training database. We were then able to use that database to fuse medical images in batches."

Li adds: "Our method also enhances the clarity of MRI, CT and SPECT image fusion, improving the accuracy of medical diagnosis. We have achieved state-of the-art performance in terms of both visual quality and quantitative evaluation metrics. For example, the fused images we produced look more natural, and have sharper edges and higher resolution. In addition, detailed information and features of interest are better preserved."

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Contact the paper's author: Yi Li, lyqgx@126.com

The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 100 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
These joint statements are compromises, Murphy said. To me the most important thing is to bring this violence to an end and the quickest way to get there is to have folks from both sides of the aisle call for a ceasefire. A statement that was just coming from me would look differently.
KIT scientists benefit from a new set of maps created from high-resolution satellite data and statistics to prove that land-use changes are four times more extensive than previously expected

Humans leave their "footprints" on the land area all around the globe. These land-use changes play an important role for nutrition, climate, and biodiversity. Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) combined satellite data with statistics from the past 60 years and found that global land-use changes affect about 32 percent of the land area. This means that they are about four times as extensive as previously estimated. The researchers publish their findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Whether it is deforestation, urban growth, agricultural expansion, or reforestation - land-use changes are diverse and have shaped human history at all times. "To face the global challenges of our time, we need to better understand the extent of land-use change and its contribution to climate change, biodiversity, and food production," says Karina Winkler from the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research - Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU) Division, KIT Campus Alpin in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. "In fact, land use also plays a critical role in achieving the Paris climate targets."

Despite the availability of satellites, "Big Data," and the increasing amount of information, existing studies of land-use change are only of fragmentary nature, and they are limited in space or time. A research team from IMK-IFU and Wageningen University in the Netherlands now combined various data from free sources to develop a set of new, high-resolution maps called "HILDA+" (Historic Land Dynamics Assessment +). It traces and reconstructs global land-use changes and their spatio-temporal patterns between 1960 and 2019 using high-resolution satellite data and land-use statistics. "Our work is highly challenging as we have to deal with very different data sets," explains Winkler. "For example, if land-use maps have different spatial resolutions, temporal coverage, or land-use classifications, we need a strategy for harmonizing them."

The set of maps reveals that land-use changes have affected nearly one-third of the global land area in just six decades, i.e. they were about four times as extensive as previously known from long-term analyses. "However, land-use changes do not show the same patterns all over the world," Winkler says. In their study, the researchers point to North-South differences. Hence, in the Global North, for example in Europe, the USA, or Russia, forests have expanded and the arable land area has decreased, while in the Global South, for example in Brazil or Indonesia, forest areas have decreased and arable as well as pasture lands have increased.

Another aspect is that the rate of land-use change has changed over time. For the period between 1960 and about 2005, the researchers identified a period of accelerated land-use change and from about 2006 to 2019, land-use change had slowed down. "This trend reversal could be related to the increasing importance of global trade for agricultural production and to the global economic crisis of 2007/2008," Winkler adds.

The new land-use data could provide an improved data basis for climate and Earth system models - and thus contribute to political debates on strategies on how to achieve sustainable land use in the future. The data is freely available and can be viewed in an online map application. (jwa)

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Original Publication

Winkler, Karina; Fuchs, Richard; Rounsevell, Mark D A; Herold, Martin (2020): HILDA+ Global Land Use Change between 1960 and 2019. PANGAEA, 2021. DOI: 10.1594/PANGAEA.921846

https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1594/ PANGAEA. 921846

More information:

Nature Communications: https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41467-021-22702-2

Online application: https:/ / landchangestories. org/ hildaplus-mapviewer/

More information on the KIT Climate and Environment Center: http://www. klima-umwelt. kit. edu/ index. php

Being "The Research University in the Helmholtz Association", KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
MUSC Hollings Cancer Center lung cancer researcher Gerard Silvestri, M.D., found that a lack of insurance leads to worse cancer survival than for those with Medicare, in a paper published in the May issue of Health Affairs. This work, a joint effort between Silvestri and researchers at the American Cancer Society, highlights the current dire barrier in medical care: Many people cannot take advantage of the newer potentially lifesaving treatments due to the high costs.

Silvestri said the research began last year, inspired by the hotly debated topic of expanding Medicare insurance coverage to those under 65. Using the National Cancer Database, which contained data collected between 2004 through 2016 from over 1.2 million cancer patients, Silvestri began investigating lung cancer outcomes based on insurance status and age.

The findings in lung cancer were so surprising that the American Cancer Society recommended looking at 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year survival rates across the 16 most common cancers, including lung, breast, colon and prostate cancer. Due to the large study population, comorbidities and other disease factors were able to be matched across these four groups: uninsured patients 60 to 64 years old, private insurance patients 60 to 64 years old, Medicare patients 66 to 69 years old and Medicare plus private insurance 66 to 69 years old.

Generally, when comparing cancer survival among patients with similar stages and types of cancer, younger patients have better outcomes than their older counterparts, Silvestri said. However, this study found that across all 16 cancer types those younger than Medicare age (60 to 64 years old) without health insurance had significantly worse survival than their older counterparts.

"Further, there was a dose response gradient across the different insurance groups. Uninsured younger patients had the lowest survival, followed by older Medicare patients without supplemental private insurance, then older Medicare patients with supplemental private insurance, with younger privately insured patients having the best survival. The survival difference was quite surprising," he said.

"Even in cancers with poor five-year survival amongst all insurance groups, the differences observed between uninsured individuals 60 to 64 years old versus individuals ages 66 to 69 years old could be seen at one and two years with Medicare patients having significantly better survival at those yearly landmarks compared to younger uninsured patients," explained Silvestri, an MUSC Health lung cancer pulmonologist at Hollings.

Silvestri said this research is important to him given his personal experiences. As one of seven children in his family, Silvestri vividly remembers his family dealing with his father's cancer as he battled through treatments for more than five years. After his father's death, the financial burden did not stop as his mother kept paying the medical bills monthly for many years thereafter, despite his family having medical insurance.

Unexpected medical expenses are one of the leading causes of personal bankruptcy. Research published in a 2018 article in the American Journal of Public Health found that over 66% of personal bankruptcy is due to medical debt.

Due to the financial hurdle, uninsured patients often present with advanced, non-curable disease because they may delay medical care or be unable to afford screenings. Additionally, some cancer drugs cost tens of thousands of dollars annually, which may be more than double a household's annual income, he said.

"The results of this study lead me to ask this simple question: 'Is it OK for a patient to die from cancer simply because he or she does not have health insurance?' If the answer is 'no' to that question, then a true policy discussion needs to happen at a high level," Silvestri said.

As a pulmonologist, Silvestri is particularly interested in the insurance and survival disparities in lung cancer. Lung cancer is unique because it occurs primarily in smokers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 30% of uninsured adults smoke, and smoking is more prevalent among people with a low annual household income. Since many smokers fall into a segment of the population that lacks insurance, this can affect their ability to pursue care, as many uninsured individuals will not seek regular lung cancer screening, he said.

"Fortunately, the cancer center is really well-positioned to help smokers with programmatic support," said Silvestri. Hollings, which is the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, has a robust smoking cessation program, a lung cancer screening program, as well as rigorous disparities research, which has led to the implementation of novel programs across the state, he said.

While the current study focused on insurance disparities and survival outcomes in cancer, it is highly probable that these findings could be replicated in studies of other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. Silvestri hopes this research will be a catalyst for conversations about the financial toxicity of cancer treatment, at the state and national level.

"Although I was initially surprised to see that lack of insurance was a greater predictor of worse outcomes in lung cancer than older age, I was even more shocked to see that this phenomenon was true across all major cancer types. People who want to change the paradigm need to make it personal and share the numerous stories of patients who, after they are told they have cancer and their world is turned upside down, are forced to ask, 'How am I going to afford this?' rather than 'What can we do to cure me?'" said Silvestri.

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Funding: The American Cancer Society database is funded by the public.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state's only integrated academic health sciences center with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The state's leader in obtaining biomedical research funds, in fiscal year 2019, MUSC set a new high, bringing in more than $284 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians' practice plan and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2020, for the sixth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care

About MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer research program in South Carolina. The cancer center comprises more than 100 faculty cancer scientists and 20 academic departments. It has an annual research funding portfolio of more than $44 million and a dedication to reducing the cancer burden in South Carolina. Hollings offers state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within multidisciplinary clinics that include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other specialists equipped for the full range of cancer care, including more than 200 clinical trials. For more information, visit hollingscancercenter.musc.edu.
Fifty years after presumably becoming extinct as a breeding species in Bulgaria, the Griffon Vulture, one of the largest birds of prey in Europe, is back in the Eastern Balkan Mountains. Since 2009, three local conservation NGOs - Green Balkans - Stara Zagora, the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna and the Birds of Prey Protection Society, have been working on a long-term restoration programme to bring vultures back to their former breeding range in Bulgaria. The programme is supported by the Vulture Conservation Foundation, the Government of Extremadura, Spain, and EuroNatur. Its results have been described in the open-access, peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.

Two large-scale projects funded by the EU's LIFE tool, one of them ongoing, facilitate the import of captive-bred or recovered vultures from Spain, France and zoos and rehabilitation centres across Europe. Birds are then accommodated in special acclimatization aviaries, individually tagged and released into the wild from five release sites in Bulgaria. Using this method, a total of 153 Griffon Vultures were released between 2009 and 2020 from two adaptation aviaries in the Kotlenska Planina Special Protection Area and the Sinite Kamani Nature Park in the Eastern Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria.

After some 50 years of absence, the very first successful reproduction in the area was reported as early as 2016. Now, as of December 2020, the local population consists of more than 80 permanently present individuals, among them about 25 breeding pairs, and has already produced a total of 31-33 chicks successfully fledged into the wild.

"Why vultures of all creatures? Because they were exterminated, yet provide an amazing service for people and healthy ecosystems", Elena Kmetova-Biro, initial project manager for the Green Balkans NGO explains.

"We have lost about a third of the vultures set free in that site, mostly due to electrocution shortly after release. The birds predominantly forage on feeding sites, where the team provides dead domestic animals collected from local owners and slaughterhouses," the researchers say.

"We, however, consider the establishment phase of the reintroduction of Griffon Vulture in this particular site as successfully completed. The population is still dependent on conservation measures (supplementary feeding, isolation of dangerous power lines and accidental poisoning prevention), but the area of the Eastern Balkan Mountains can currently be regarded as a one of the only seven existing general areas for the species in the mainland Balkan Peninsula and one of the five which serve as population source sites".

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Original source:
How well can a climate model simulate an extreme precipitation event and what causes it? Researchers from Portland State's Climate Science Lab have been awarded an $843,000 grant from NASA to evaluate just that.

Paul Loikith and Andrew Martin, both with PSU's Geography Department, say better understanding the processes that drive extreme precipitation -- whether that's a cold front, hurricane or atmospheric river -- is critical as climate change is projected to impact the frequency, severity and seasonality of extreme precipitation across the U.S.

"When thinking about how extreme precipitation may change under global warming, the way it will change will be in part because of its driving mechanism," Loikith said. "Extreme precipitation caused by hurricanes will be affected in different ways by global warming than extreme precipitation caused by atmospheric rivers."

The four-year project, funded through NASA's Modeling, Analysis and Prediction (MAP) program, involves evaluating a suite of climate models against actual observations for their ability to accurately simulate precipitation extremes with the proper driving meteorological mechanisms.

"For example, in the real world, most extreme precipitation events in Portland are caused by atmospheric rivers," Loikith said. "We therefore want to make sure that extreme precipitation events over Portland in climate models are also caused by atmospheric rivers."

Martin says an increase in extreme precipitation increases the risk of flooding, which can impact roads, dams, buildings, agriculture and water quality. He expects their findings will help water managers better interpret climate models and better anticipate future infrastructure investment needs.

Loikith and Martin say the project will also help advance the software tools used in climate model evaluation and enable better research about climate change.

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The collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates resulted in the formation of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt; however, the formation mechanism of Tianshan and the construction of a dynamic model explaining it remain to be achieved and an integrated understanding has not been reached. A new study adopted shear-wave splitting system to collect and analyze shear-wave splitting parameters of 33 stations in the Tianshan area, it provides new evidence for potentially enhance the understanding the dynamic mechanism of the Tianshan tectonic belt.

The research paper is titled:"Anisotropic zoning in the upper crust of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt, Published in Science China Earth Sciences Issue 4, 2021, Corresponding author of the paper is Yuan Gao, Institute of Earthquake Prediction, China Earthquake Administration. Li Jin, works in the Earthquake Administration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is the first author. This study investigates the spatial distribution of seismic anisotropy in the upper crust at 33 stations measured during 2009-2019 in the Tianshan Tectonic Belt.

Current research on the anisotropy of Tianshan is insufficient due to the lack of observational data, the research found that the polarization directions of fast waves at various stations in the Tianshan Tectonic Belt show obvious zoning in terms of spatial distribution. In the area with the strong surface piedmont deformation in the Tianshan Tectonic Belt, the polarization directions are consistent with the tectonic stress field. The obvious stress extrusion observations could be related to dynamic models such as "interlayer insertion and reduction" and "intraplate subduction". The Tianshan Orogenic Belt is relatively softer compared to the basins located on both sides of the north and the south. As the main crustal shortening area, the Tarim Basin thrusts and subducts beneath the Tianshan into the crust and the upper mantle, due to the long-range influences of the convergence between the Indian Plate and Siberian Plate.

Time delays of slow waves exhibit spatial differences. The time delays in the Tianshan Tectonic Belt, regardless of North Tianshan or South Tianshan, increase from east to west. These results are consistent with the north-south convergence deformations across the Tianshan Mountains, where the deformation rate increased from east to west. The average values of time delays in northeastern Pamir are significantly higher than that in the other areas due to the occurrence of the most intensive tectonic movements suggesting that the anisotropy of the zone is significantly stronger than that of the other zones in the Tianshan Tectonic Belt.

This research successfully deciphered the seismic anisotropy in the upper crust and provided a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the dynamic mechanisms of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt.

This research was funded by the Science for Earthquake Resilience Project (No. XH17041Y, XH21041) and the Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (No. 2020D01A83).

See the article: Li J, Gao Y, Wang Q. 2021. Anisotropic zoning in the upper crust of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt. Science China Earth Sciences, 64(4): 651-666. https:/ / www. sciengine. com/ doi/ 10. 1007/ s11430-020-9709-0

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A study published in the scientific journal Addiction provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of the association between recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) in US states and responses in the illegal markets for cannabis, heroin, and other drugs in those states.

As of 2021, 17 US states and the District of Columbia have implemented RCLs that allow people aged 21 and older to possess, use and supply limited amounts of cannabis for recreational purposes. This study found that the implementation of RCLs was associated with the following responses in the illegal drug market in those states:

9.2% decrease in street/illegal cannabis prices.

19.5% decrease in low-quality street/illegal cannabis prices.

64% increase in heroin prices.

54% increase in heroin potency.

7.3% increase in street/illegal oxycodone prices.

5.1% increase in street/illegal hydrocodone prices.

93% decrease in law enforcement seizures of street/illegal cannabis

>50% decrease in law enforcement seizures of heroin, oxycodone, and hydrocodone

Lead author Dr. Angelica Meinhofer (Assistant Professor of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine) says "Our exploratory findings suggest that markets for illegal drugs may not be independent of legal cannabis market regulation. As more states move towards legalization and additional post-RCL implementation data become available, we'll need to do more research to determine whether recreational cannabis laws cause those changes in the illegal market and what happens in the long-term."

This study used a difference-in-differences analysis of the staggered implementation of RCLs in 11 states to compare changes in outcomes between RCL and non-RCL states. This study used crowdsourced data from Price of Weed and StreetRx on the price and quality of illegal drugs, which may be subject to error and sampling bias.

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For editors:

This paper is free to download for one month from the Wiley Online Library: https:/ / onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ abs/ 10. 1111/ add. 15517 or by contacting Jean O'Reilly, Editorial Manager, Addiction, jean@addictionjournal.org.

To speak with senior author Dr Angelica Meinhofer: contact her by email (anm4001@med.cornell.edu).

Funding: National Institute on Drug Abuse P30DA040500 and K01DA051777 and the Asociacion Mexicana de Cultura AC.

Full citation for article: Meinhofer A and Rubli A (2021) Illegal drug market responses to state recreational cannabis laws. Addiction 116: doi:10.1111/add.15517

Addiction is a monthly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research reports on alcohol, substances, tobacco, and gambling as well as editorials and other debate pieces. Owned by the Society for the Study of Addiction, it has been in continuous publication since 1884.
An international study has found that four out of five women in prison in Scotland have a history of head injury, mostly sustained through domestic violence. Published recently in The Lancet, researchers, including SFU psychology graduate student Hira Aslam, say the study has important implications for the female prison population more broadly and could help to inform mental health and criminal justice policy development.

"The findings are incredibly sobering," says Aslam. "While we anticipated that the incidence of head injuries among women who are involved in the criminal justice system would be high, these estimates exceeded our expectations."

Researchers also found that violent criminal behaviour was three times more likely among women who had a history of significant head injury, while women who sustained such injuries generally had prison sentences that were three times longer. Two-thirds were found to have suffered repeated head injuries, and nearly all reported a history of abuse.

Aslam, the study's second author who led the interviews and assessments with offenders, says expanding the study to Canadian and other prison populations would be a critical next step. She can talk about the impact of trauma, head injury and the overall vulnerability of female offenders in the study sample.

"The relationship between head trauma and both violent crime and length of incarceration suggests that this may be an important consideration in the assessment and management of violent offending, as well as in reducing the risk for reoffending," says Aslam. "There is a need to consider these vulnerability factors in Canada and elsewhere in developing appropriate policy and interventions for this population."

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The study, carried out by the University of Glasgow, was funded by the Scottish government and the National Prisoner Healthcare Network.

Aslam previously earned a Master's degree at the University of Oxford and is currently a clinical forensic psychology graduate student in SFU's Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute, working with SFU professor Stephen Hart.

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BELLINGHAM, Washington -- Exceptional articles in interdisciplinary applications, theoretical innovation, and photo-optical instrumentation and design in the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (JARS) have been given best paper awards for papers published in 2020. The honorees were selected by the journal's editorial board.

JARS is published online in the SPIE Digital Library by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and optimizes the communication of concepts, information, and progress among the remote-sensing community. Ni-Bin Chang, professor of civil, environmental, and construction engineering at the University of Central Florida, is the editor-in-chief.

"How much benthic information can be retrieved with hyperspectral sensor from the optically complex coastal waters?" by Ele Vahtmae, Birgot Paavel, and Tiit Kutser, of the University of Tartu, Estonia, was selected for Interdisciplinary Applications.Their study investigated the amount of benthic information a hyperspectral sensor can retrieve in the complex waters of the Baltic Sea using simple empirical and semi-analytical models.

"Noise reduction and destriping using local spatial statistics and quadratic regression from Hyperion images" by Mahendra Pal, Alok Porwal, and Thorkild Rasmussen -- all of Lulea University of Technology, Sweden; Pal and Porwal are also with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India -- was selected for Theoretical Innovation. Their proposed method was shown to efficiently remove noise primarily from the bands inside or close to the water vapor absorption region, which are very useful and predominantly significant for geological applications.

"On-orbit calibration and characterization of GOES-17 ABI IR bands under dynamic thermal condition" by Zhipeng Wang, Xiangqian Wu, Fangfang Yu, Jon P. Fulbright, Elizabeth Kline, Hyelim Yoo, Timothy J. Schmit, Mathew M. Gunshor, Monica Coakley, Mason Black, Daniel T. Lindsey, Haifeng Qian, Xi Shao, and Robbie Iacovazzi was selected for Photo-Optical Instrumentation and Design. Wang, Yu, Yoo, Qian, and Shao are with the University of Maryland, College Park, USA; Wu, Schmidt and Lindsey are with the Center for Satellite Applications and Research and the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, USA; Kline is with the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, USA; Fulbright is with Arctic Slope Federal Technical Services, USA; Gunshor is with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; Coakley and Black are with the MIT Lincoln Lab, USA; and Iacovazzi is with Global Science & Technology, Inc., USA. The paper summarizes efforts by NOAA's GOES-R Calibration Working Group, in collaboration with other teams, to evaluate and alleviate negative impacts of warmer and floating focal plane module temperatures on ABI IR calibration.

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Paper Title: SARS-CoV-2 infects human adult donor eyes and hESC-derived ocular epithelium

Authors: Timothy Blenkinsop, PhD, Assistant Professor, Cell, Developmental & Regenerative Biology, and Benjamin tenOever, PhD, Professor, Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, and other coauthors.

Bottom Line: SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, is thought to transmit and begin infection in the upper respiratory tract. For this reason, the use of face masks has been recommended for the general public. However, it remains unclear whether infection can also be initiated from the eye, thus requiring additional protective measures.

Results: The new study finds that cells in the eye can be directly infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Why the Research Is Interesting: The findings have an immediate impact on preventive measures to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and support new guidance for eye protection that can be instituted worldwide.

Who: Adult human eyes in an in vitro stem cell model.

When: Eyes were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and studied after 24 hours.

What: The study evaluated whether SARS-CoV-2 could infect both tissues and primary cells in the eye.

How: The donor cells were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and then analyzed through RNA sequencing. The sequences were then mapped to the human genome and compared to non-infected control cells from adult tissues. The expression of the exposed cell where then evaluated. Contracting the virus through the eye could also be corroborated using a small animal model in independent work done Ramus Mller in the tenOever lab.

Study Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 can infect surface cells of the eye. The exposed cells revealed the presence of infection-associated proteins including ACE2, the virus receptor, and TMPRSS2, an enzyme which allows viral entry. IFN, a protein that has antiviral and antibacterial properties, was also found to be suppressed from the exposure to the virus. Additionally, the researchers found that ocular surface cells, particularly the limbus, were susceptible to infection, while the central cornea was less vulnerable.

Said Mount Sinai's Dr. Timothy Blenkinsop of the research: We hope this new data results in additional measures to protect the eyes. We also intend to use these models to test approaches to prevent ocular infections.

Said Mount Sinai's Dr. Benjamin tenOever of the research:

This work was the result of a very productive collaboration from two very different scientific programs. More importantly, the data generated not only adds to our understanding concerning the biology of SARS-CoV-2, but the results also highlight the importance of washing hands, as rubbing one's eyes should now be viewed as an entry point for infection.

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View the full paper here. To schedule an interview with Dr. Blenkinsop or Dr. tenOever, please contact the Mount Sinai Press Office at stacy.anderson@mountsinai.org or at 347-346-3390.
NASA launched one of its largest sounding rockets Sunday from an East Coast facility in an experiment led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute space physics professor.

The four-stage Black Brant XII rocket carrying the KiNET-X experiment of principal investigator Peter Delamere lifted off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 8:44 p.m. Eastern time. The ascent of the rocket, which flew on an arc into the ionosphere before beginning its planned descent over the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda, could be seen along the East Coast.

The experiment seeks to understand how a large mass of plasma such as the solar wind interacts at the particle level with, for example, the plasma of Earth's space environment.

The interaction between the solar wind and a planet's magnetosphere appears as the aurora, whether here on Earth or on another planet that has a magnetic field and a substantial atmosphere. Physicists have long been trying to understand how the interaction works.

"KiNET-X was a fantastic success, as the Wallops and science teams worked through unprecedented pandemic-related challenges," Delamere said. "Hats off to all involved. We couldn't have asked for a better outcome tonight."

The rocket released two canisters of barium thermite, which were then detonated -- one at about 249 miles high and one 90 seconds later on the downward trajectory at about 186 miles, near Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean. The detonations produced purple and green clouds.

The barium, once dispersed from the canisters, turned into a plasma when it became ionized by the sunlight. The barium plasma clouds, which generated their own electromagnetic fields and waves, then interacted with the existing plasma of the ionosphere.

The experiment's science team has already begun analyzing the data from that interaction.

The launch came on the final day of the 10-day launch window. Previous days had been plagued by bad weather at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and in Bermuda, unacceptably high winds at upper elevations, and an incident in which the rocket "came in contact with a launcher support during launch preparations," according to NASA.

The experiment included three other Geophysical Institute space and plasma scientists: Project co-investigator Don Hampton, a Geophysical Institute research associate professor, was in Bermuda for ground observations; Geophysical Institute researchers Mark Conde, a space physics professor, and Antonius Otto, an emeritus professor of plasma physics, monitored the experiment from Fairbanks.

Two UAF students pursuing Ph.Ds at the Geophysical Institute also participated. Matthew Blandin supported optical operations at Wallops Flight Facility, and Kylee Branning was at Langley Air Research Center operating cameras on a NASA Gulfstream III monitoring the experiment.

The experiment also included researchers and equipment from Dartmouth University, University of New Hampshire, Clemson University, University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Preparation began in 2018, when NASA approved the project.

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ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:

Peter Delamere, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, padelamere@alaska.edu

Keith Koehler, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov. 757-894-4152
"The creation of the bottle in the third hour, that's very interesting," he said. "Because I do think it shows a story about creative process, or [how] we use creative process to tell the big story. So we get to see his genius, we get to see him making things and why he is who he is and then all the crazy people around him. You get to see her [Elsa Peretti] find the shell on the beach and then you get to see it become this bottle. And we really went to a glass foundry and worked with glassblowers to recreate the bottle."
Irvine, Calif., May 17, 2021 -- Greenhouse gases and aerosol pollution emitted by human activities are responsible for increases in the frequency, intensity and duration of droughts around the world, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine.

In a study published recently in Nature Communications, scientists in UCI's Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering showed that over the past century, the likelihood of stronger and more long-lasting dry spells grew in the Americas, the Mediterranean, western and southern Africa and eastern Asia.

"There has always been natural variability in drought events around the world, but our research shows the clear human influence on drying, specifically from anthropogenic aerosols, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases," said lead author Felicia Chiang, who conducted the project as a UCI graduate student in civil & environmental engineering.

Chiang, who earned her Ph.D. in 2020 and is now a postdoctoral scholar at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, said that her team's research demonstrated significant shifts in drought characteristics - frequency, duration and intensity - due to human influence, or what they call "anthropogenic forcing."

The researchers used the recently released Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 platform to run climate simulations showing how the length and strength of droughts changes under various scenarios including "natural-only" and with the addition of greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions.

The modeling experiments under natural-only conditions did not show regional changes in drought characteristics from the late 19th to late 20th centuries, according to the study. But when the team accounted for anthropogenic greenhouse gas and aerosol contributions, statistically significant increases occurred in drought hotspots in southern Europe, Central and South America, western and southern Africa and eastern Asia.

The team found that in examining the anthropogenic forcings separately, greenhouse gases had a bigger impact in the Mediterranean, Central America, the Amazon and southern Africa, while anthropogenic aerosols played a larger role in Northern Hemisphere monsoonal and sub-arctic regions. Chiang said human-emitted aerosols are essentially particulate matter that are small enough to be suspended in the air. They can come from power plants, car exhaust and biomass burning (fires to clear land or to burn farm waste).

"Knowing where, how and why droughts have been worsening around the world is important, because these events directly and indirectly impact everything from wildlife habitats to agricultural production to our economy," said co-author Amir AghaKouchak, UCI professor of civil & environmental engineering and Earth system science. "Lengthy dry spells can even hamper the energy sector through disruptions to solar thermal, geothermal and hydropower generation."

Co-author Omid Mazdiyasni, who earned a Ph.D. in civil & environmental engineering at UCI in 2020 and is now a project scientist with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, said, "To make matters worse, droughts can be accompanied by heat waves, and high heat and low moisture can increase wildfire risk, which is already significant in the western United States."

Mazdiyasni said that while the research paints a gloomy picture of the unwanted impact of humans on the global environment, it points to a potential solution.

"If droughts over the past century have been worsened by human-sourced pollution, then there is a strong possibility that the problem can be mitigated by limiting those emissions," he said.

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This study was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Program Office and relied on climate modeling software provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit http://www. uci. edu .

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
Whether it's plankton exposed to parasites or people exposed to pathogens, a host's initial immune response plays an integral role in determining whether infection occurs and to what degree it spreads within a population, new University of Colorado Boulder research suggests.

The findings, published May 13 in The American Naturalist, provide valuable insight for understanding and preventing the transmission of disease within and between animal species. From parasitic flatworms transmitted by snails into humans in developing nations, to zoonotic spillover events from mammals and insects to humans--which have caused global pandemics like COVID-19 and West Nile virus--an infected creature's immune response is a vital variable to consider in calculating what happens next.

"One of the biggest patterns that we're seeing in disease ecology and epidemiology is the fact that not all hosts are equal," said Tara Stewart Merrill, lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow in ecology. "In infectious disease research, we want to build host immunity into our understanding of how disease spreads."

Invertebrates are common vectors for disease, which means they can transmit infectious pathogens between humans or from animals to humans. Vector-borne diseases, like malaria, account for almost 20% of all infectious diseases worldwide and are responsible for more than 700,000 deaths each year.

Yet epidemiological studies have rarely considered invertebrate immunity and recovery in creatures that are vectors for human disease. They assume that once exposed to a pathogen, the invertebrate host will become infected.

But what if it was possible for invertebrates to fight off these diseases, and break the link in the chain that passes them on to humans?

While observing a tiny species of zooplankton (Daphnia dentifera) throughout its lifecycle and exposure to a fungal parasite (Metschnikowia bicuspidata), the researchers saw this potential in action. Some of the plankton were good at stopping fungal spores from entering their bodies, and others cleared the infection within a limited window of time after ingesting the spores.

"Our results show that there are several defenses that invertebrates can use to reduce the likelihood of infection, and that we really need to understand those immune defenses to understand infection patterns," said Stewart Merrill.

Unexpected recovery

Stewart Merrill started this work in her first year as a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, studying this little plankton and its collection of defenses. It's a gruesome process if the plankton fails to ward off the parasite: Its fungal spores attack the plankton's gut, fill its body and grow until they are released when the host finally dies.

But she noticed something that had not been recorded before: Some of the doomed plankton recovered. Several years later, she has found that when faced with identical levels of exposure, the success or failure of these infections depends on the strength of the host's internal defenses during this early limited window of opportunity.

Based on their observations of these individual outcomes, the researchers developed a simple probabilistic model for measuring host immunity that can be applied across wildlife systems, with important applications for diseases transmitted to humans by invertebrates.

"When immune responses are good, they act as a filter that reduces transmission," said Stewart Merrill. "But any environmental change that degrades immunity can actually amplify transmission, because it will let all of that exposure go through and ultimately become infectious."

It's a model that can also apply to COVID-19, as research from CU Boulder has shown that not all hosts are the same in transmitting the coronavirus, and exposure does not directly determine infection.

COVID-19 is also believed to be the result of a zoonotic spillover, an infection that moved from animals into people, and similar probabilistic models could be advantageous in predicting the occurrence and spread of future spillover events, said Stewart Merrill.

Understanding prevention of infection

Stewart Merrill hopes that a better understanding of infections in a simple animal like plankton can be applied more broadly to invertebrates that matter for human health.

In Africa, Southeast Asia, as well as South and Central America, 200 million people suffer from infections caused by schistosomes--invertebrates more commonly known as parasitic flatworms. They cause illness and death, and significant economic and public health consequences, so much so that the World Health Organization considers them the second-most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria.

They're just one of many neglected tropical diseases transmitted to people by invertebrate hosts such as snails, mosquitoes and biting flies. These diseases infect a large portion of a population but occur in areas with low levels of sanitation that don't have the economic resources to address those diseases, said Stewart Merrill.

Schistosomes live in freshwater environments that people use for their drinking water, laundry and bathing. So even though there are treatments, the next day a person can easily get reinfected just by accessing the water they need. By better understanding how the flatworms themselves succumb to or fight off infection, scientists like Stewart Merrill help us get closer to stopping the chain of transmission into humans.

"We really need to work on understanding prevention of infection, and what that risk is in those aquatic systems, rather than just cures for infection," she said.

The good news is we can learn from the same invertebrates which infect us. In invertebrate hosts that suffer or die from their infections, there is a good incentive to learn how to build an immune response and fight it off. Some snails have even shown the ability to retain an immunological memory: If they get infected once and survive, then they might never get infected again.

"If we can better understand how the environment shapes those defenses, we could predict into the future how environmental changes might amplify or suppress risk of transmission to people," said Stewart Merrill.

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Additional authors on this paper include Zoi Rapti and Carla Caceres at the University of Illinois.
Southern lesser galagos (Galago moholi), a species of primate that lives in southern Africa, boast big, round eyes and are so small they can fit in your hand.

A new study from an international team of scientists, however, suggests that there may be a downside to their cuteness: The trade in lesser galagos, also known as bushbabies, which some people keep as pets, may have shifted the genetics within their wild populations over the span of decades, according to the research. Those changes could undercut the ability of the critters to adapt as human farms and cities grow throughout the region.

The study was published recently in the journal Primates and was led by researchers from the United States and South Africa, including primatologist Michelle Sauther at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Lesser galagos, she said, are hard to spot: They're nocturnal and live high in the branches of acacia trees. But you may still hear their eerie calls at night in the savannas and forests of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and other neighboring nations.

"They're called bushbabies because they sound like a baby crying," said Sauther, professor in the Department of Anthropology. "It's kind of spooky."

In their new study, Sauther and her colleagues analyzed the DNA of bushbabies living in the regions around Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, and more remote areas to the north. The team found that populations located far away from each other may share more genes in common than scientists would normally expect--suggesting that something, and probably people, is secretly shuttling the primates around the country.

"You've got populations that are genetically different mixing with each other," said Metlholo Andries Phukuntsi, lead author of the new study and a graduate student at the South African National Biodiversity Institute and the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria. "When that happens, you can dilute the local gene pool, and these animals lose their ability to adapt to their habitats."

Bounding bushbabies

Study coauthor Frank Cuozzo said that the findings are significant because scientists today don't know much about these primates, which are cousins to lemurs. But they're worth keeping an eye on, including for their feats of acrobatics.

"From a simple sitting position, they can jump a meter (three feet) into the air, grab a moth and bring it back down," said Cuozzo, a CU Boulder alumnus and primatologist at the Lajuma Research Centre in South Africa.

Those majestic leaps, however, may be growing rarer in parts of South Africa. The country's Limpopo and Gauteng provinces have experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades. In 1980, for example, the Pretoria metropolitan area had an estimated population of about 700,000 people. Today, more than 2.5 million people call the city home.

Sauther suspects that this expansion could be pushing bushbabies out of many areas--and all without anyone knowing.

"What's is worrying is that we talk to farmers, and they're saying, 'We used to see bushbabies back in that orchard, but we don't anymore,'" Sauther said. "That's true even in places like national parks. Some bad things may be happening to them, and it's flying under the radar."

She and her colleagues wanted to find out if southern lesser galagos really are in trouble. To do that, the researchers worked closely with veterinarians to safely collect blood samples from primates living in several different habitats in Limpopo and Gauteng provinces. They then analyzed those samples, plus others kept in biological archives, to take a close look at their mitochondrial DNA--small clusters of genes that mothers pass to their offspring.

Bushbabies on the move

And, as Sauther put it, "something weird is going on."

Phukuntsi explained that, normally, scientists expect that animals that live closer to each other should have more in common genetically than those that live far apart--when wild populations are separated by large distances or barriers like mountains, fewer individuals can travel between them to breed. But what the team discovered in its samples from roughly 40 bushbabies was almost the opposite: Individuals from areas separated by dozens or even more than 200 miles shared a lot of gene mutations. Individuals dwelling within the same populations, in contrast, displayed a surprising amount of genetic divergence.

Something, in other words, seems to be putting the species through the genetic equivalent of a cocktail shaker. And all signs point to the trade in wild animals.

"We think that maybe people are catching them and bringing them to a different area," Phukuntsi said. "But then they become difficult to maintain as pets, so people release them back into the wild."

He added that wild animals have spent thousands of years adapting to the challenges of their particular habitats. If you mix genes up too much, you risk washing away all of those helpful adaptations.

"You can really tell whether a population is healthy or not by looking at its genetic diversity," Phukuntsi said.

For now, the findings suggest that researchers may want to take a closer look at the conservation of these miniature primates. And if you're thinking about keeping a bushbaby in your home: don't, Phukuntsi said. They may be cute, but like all wild primates, they're not well-behaved and don't make good pets.

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Other coauthors on the study include Morne Du Plessis, Desire L. Dalton and Antoinette Kotze at the South African National Biodiversity Institute and Raymond Jansen at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Scientists studying the impact of record heat and drought on intact African tropical rainforests were surprised by how resilient they were to the extreme conditions during the last major El Nino event.

The international study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today, found that intact rainforests across tropical Africa continued to remove carbon from the atmosphere before and during the 2015-2016 El Nino, despite the extreme heat and drought.

Tracking trees in 100 different tropical rainforests across six African countries, the researchers found that intact forests across the continent still removed 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere during the El Nino monitoring period. This rate is equivalent to three times the carbon dioxide emissions of the UK in 2019.

During 2015-2016 African rainforests experienced warming of 0.92 degrees Celsius above the 1980-2010 average, and the strongest drought on record, both driven by the El Nino conditions on top of ongoing climate change. This event gave the scientists a unique opportunity to investigate how Africa's vast tropical rainforests could react to heat and drought.

Lead author Dr Amy Bennett, in Leeds' School of Geography, said: "We saw no sharp slowdown of tree growth, nor a big rise in tree deaths, as a result of the extreme climatic conditions. Overall, the uptake of carbon dioxide by these intact rainforests reduced by 36%, but they continued to function as a carbon sink, slowing the rate of climate change."

Tree measurements in long-term inventory plots in intact forest -- unaffected by logging or fire -- were completed just before the 2015-2016 El Nino struck. Emergency re-measurements of 46,000 trees across 100 of the plots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and the Republic of the Congo then allowed the researchers the first ever opportunity to directly investigate how African tropical forests would react to the hotter, drier conditions.

Senior author Professor Simon Lewis, in Leeds' School of Geography, who led the development of the Africa-wide network of forest observations, said: "Scrambling field-teams to get to our remote rainforest sites was worth all the difficulties we faced. This is the first on-the-ground evidence of what happens when you heat and drought an intact African rainforest. What we found surprised me.

"African rainforests appear more resistant to some additional warming and drought compared to rainforests in Amazonia and Borneo."

African rainforests exist in relatively dry conditions compared to those across much of Amazonia and Southeast Asia. The researchers wanted to establish whether this made them particularly vulnerable to extreme climatic conditions, or if the abundance of drought-adapted tree species occurring in African forests meant that they were less vulnerable to additional warmth and drought.

The results showed that the biggest trees in the forest were largely unaffected, whereas the smaller trees grew less and died more during El Nino, potentially due to having less access to water than the larger trees.

Yet these negative effects had only modest impacts. African rainforests continued to function as a carbon sink, as the changes in the smaller trees were too small to stop the long-term increase in overall tree biomass seen in these forests over the last three decades.

Professor Lewis said: "These findings show the value of careful long-term monitoring of tropical forests. The baseline data running back to the 1980s allowed us to evaluate how well these rainforests coped with record heat and drought."

Past evidence from similar inventory networks in Amazonia studying major droughts in 2005 and 2010, and in Asia studying the large 1997-1998 El Nino event, show either substantially slower tree growth or much greater tree mortality in response to extreme drought and heat. In all these cases, the conditions led to a temporary halting or reversal of the tropical forest carbon sink in these regions.

Co-author Professor Bonaventure Sonke, from University of Yaounde I (CORRECT) in Cameroon said, "Our results highlight just how important it is to protect African rainforests - they are providing valuable services to us all. The resistance of intact African tropical forests to a bit more heat and drought than they have experienced in the past is welcome news. But we still need to cut carbon dioxide emissions fast, as our forests will probably only resist limited further rises in air temperature."

Dr Bennett added: "African tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, absorbing 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year in the 2000s. To discover that they will be able to tolerate the predicted conditions of the near future is an unusual source of optimism in climate change science.

"Our results provide a further incentive to keep global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, as these forests look to be able to withstand limited increases in temperature and drought."

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Notes to Editors

The 2015-2016 El Nino southern oscillation (ENSO) caused record rainfall, cyclones, droughts and raised temperatures globally.

ENSO is a recurring phenomenon caused by a rise in the temperature of the Pacific Ocean, which impacts the atmosphere and affects the climate around the world. There have been three major ENSO events in the past 50 years, 2015-2016, 1997-1998, and 1982-1983.

Most datasets show 2016 and 2020 as joint record holders for global temperature. https:/ / www. nasa. gov/ press-release/ 2020-tied-for-warmest-year-on-record-nasa-analysis-shows

In the paper the carbon sink is reported in units of billion tonnes of carbon, because trees store carbon (1 billion tonnes C = 1 Pg C). To convert carbon sequestered in trees to carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere, multiply by 3.667. The overall sink during the El Nino is 0.29 Pg C per year, equivalent to 1.1 billion tonnes carbon dioxide per year.

The forest inventory data part of the African Topical Rainforest Observatory Network, covering 13 countries in Africa, http://www. afritron. org . The data is curated at http://www. forestplots. net .

The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the European Research Council.

Further information

Pictures: https:/ / drive. google. com/ drive/ u/ 0/ folders/ 1hBFBkzcVUSosCp8IE9qE2z8zUgZ12cOvTBC

For media enquiries contact University of Leeds press officer Lauren Ballinger on L.ballinger@leeds.ac.uk.

The University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 38,000 students from more than 150 different countries, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University plays a significant role in the Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes.

We are a top ten university for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and are in the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2021.

The University was awarded a Gold rating by the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017, recognising its 'consistently outstanding' teaching and learning provision. Twenty-six of our academics have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships - more than any other institution in England, Northern Ireland and Wales - reflecting the excellence of our teaching. http://www. leeds. ac. uk

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Four faculty members of the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering -- Shelby Bensi, Gregg Duncan, Katrina Groth, and Katharina Maisel -- are recipients of CAREER grants, the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty.

The CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development) Program supports exemplary junior faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

"Congratulations to Shelby, Gregg, Katrina, and Katharina on their career milestones. Maryland engineers strive for work that advances our profession and helps improve lives, and a CAREER award acknowledges they're doing both," said Robert Briber, interim dean of the Clark School. "We're proud to help set the national engineering agenda. Keep your eye on Maryland!"

Michelle (Shelby) Bensi, Assistant Professor

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Natural hazards often come in bundles: an earthquake, for instance, may lead to flooding if dams or levees break. Risk mitigation needs to consider these multi-hazard events, yet experts who perform hazard assessments generally address each type of hazard in isolation, without investigating the ways in which multiple hazards could combine.

Bensi has set out to close the gap in hazard assessment by developing tools and strategies that can guide our understanding of more complex types of risk. In her NSF-funded research, Bensi will seek to develop a common lexicon as well as a mathematical framework that will enable specialists in different hazard areas to communicate and collaborate effectively. To do so, she will employ probabilistic graphical models known as Bayesian networks.

Gregg Duncan, Assistant Professor

Fischell Department of Bioengineering

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has emerged as a leading therapeutic gene delivery system and recently became the first virus granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical use. Because AAV has not been shown to cause any known human disease, bioengineers are working to harness the virus for critical gene therapy applications.

Recognizing this, Duncan and his team are investigating how AAV interacts with components of the bloodstream and tissues like the brain, liver, and heart. Their aim is to develop new tools to comprehensively assess biological barriers to AAV gene therapy in order to optimize its performance and maximize therapeutic benefits in diseases such as arthritis, cancer, and hemophilia. Along with their work in the lab, Duncan and his team will apply the NSF award toward launching a summer research immersion program for high school science teachers in Baltimore City with the goal of promoting research exposure for underrepresented students.

Katrina Groth, Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Groth believes there's no such thing as a completely safe system: "Instead of a safety-at-all-costs mindset, what we need is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and mitigate risks."

The field of risk assessment is important not only for regulating existing technologies, such as nuclear power, but also for emerging ones, such as autonomous vehicles or--farther down the road--cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

In her NSF-funded research, Groth plans a significant rethink of her field by leveraging techniques from two different areas: probabilistic risk assessment and prognostics and health management. The former, applied typically to large-scale systems such as power plants, employs logic models to determine when, how, and why the system could fail. The latter, often applied to smaller systems such as pumps, depends on using sensors to monitor system status and flag any anomalies or breakdowns.

Katharina Maisel, Assistant Professor

Fischell Department of Bioengineering

Vaccines and immunotherapies target the immune system; for decades, scientists have shown that targeting therapies to the lymph nodes--the body's immune system "command center"--can significantly enhance the efficacy of both vaccinations and immunotherapies. Methods to target the lymph nodes typically rely on direct injections, but Maisel is investigating another tactic: tapping the lymphatic vessels' transport function to deliver therapies to the lymph nodes.

Similar to how blood vessels carry blood throughout the human body, lymphatic vessels carry lymph, a fluid largely composed of white blood cells and antibodies that plays an integral role in the body's defense against viruses and other pathogens. Maisel is exploring how the material properties of tissues, such as shape, surface chemistry, and fluid flow, affect how nanoparticles can be used to transport a payload via the lymphatic vessels.

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The A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland serves as the catalyst for high-quality research, innovation, and learning, delivering on a promise that all graduates will leave ready to impact the Grand Challenges of the 21st century. The Clark School is dedicated to leading and transforming the engineering discipline and profession, to accelerating entrepreneurship, and to transforming research and learning activities into new innovations that benefit millions. Follow us online at eng.umd.edu.
There are roughly 50 billion individual birds in the world, a new big data study by UNSW Sydney suggests - about six birds for every human on the planet.

The study - which bases its findings on citizen science observations and detailed algorithms - estimates how many birds belong to 9700 different bird species, including flightless birds like emus and penguins.

It found many iconic Australian birds are numbered in the millions, like the Rainbow Lorikeet (19 million), Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (10 million) and Laughing Kookaburra (3.4 million). But other natives, like the rare Black-breasted Buttonquail, only have around 100 members left.

The findings are being published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Humans have spent a great deal of effort counting the members of our own species - all 7.8 billion of us," says Associate Professor Will Cornwell, an ecologist at UNSW Science and co-senior author of the study.

"This is the first comprehensive effort to count a suite of other species."

The research team reached their figures by pooling together almost a billion bird sightings logged on eBird, an online database of bird observations from citizen scientists. Using this data - and detailed case studies where available - they then developed an algorithm to estimate the actual global population of each bird species.

This calculation took into account each species' 'detectability' - that is, how likely it is that a person will have spotted this bird and submitted the sighting to eBird. Detectability can include factors like their size, colour, whether they fly in flocks, and if they live close to cities.

"While this study focuses on birds, our large-scale data integration approach could act as a blueprint for calculating species-specific abundances for other groups of animals," says study lead author Dr Corey Callaghan, who completed the research while he was a postdoctoral researcher at UNSW Science.

"Quantifying the abundance of a species is a crucial first step in conservation. By properly counting what's out there, we learn what species might be vulnerable and can track how these patterns change over time - in other words, we can better understand our baselines."

The study dataset includes records for almost all (92 per cent) bird species currently alive. However, the researchers say it's unlikely the remaining 8 per cent - which were excluded for being so rare that we lacked available data - would have much impact on the overall estimate.

Only four bird species belonged to what the researchers call 'the billion club': species with an estimated global population of over a billion. The House Sparrow (1.6 billion) heads this exclusive group, which also includes the European Starling (1.3 billion), Ring-billed Gull (1.2 billion) and Barn Swallow (1.1 billion).

"It was surprising that only a few species dominate the total number of individual birds in the world," says Dr Callaghan, who is now based at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig.

"What is it about those species, evolutionarily, that has made them so hyper-successful?"

But while some bird populations are thriving, many others look a lot slimmer: around 12 per cent of bird species included in the study have an estimated global population of less than 5000. These include species such as the Chinese Crested Tern, Noisy Scrub-bird, and Invisible Rail.

"We'll be able to tell how these species are faring by repeating the study in five or 10 years," says A/Prof. Cornwell.

"If their population numbers are going down, it could be a real alarm bell for the health of our ecosystem."

A global effort

The study was made possible with the help of more than 600,000 citizen scientists who contributed their sightings to the eBird dataset between 2010 and 2019.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who run the eBird site, have made the data freely available.

"Large global citizen science databases such as eBird are revolutionising our ability to study macroecology," says A/Prof. Cornwell.

"This type of data simply wasn't available a decade ago."

While the research team are confident in their estimates, they acknowledge a degree of uncertainty is inevitable when working with large datasets like this.

For example, people who document the sightings may be more likely to seek out rare species, or a species may be so rare that there simply isn't enough data.

"A range of uncertainty is necessary when making global-level estimates," says Professor Shinichi Nakagawa, an ecologist and statistician at UNSW Science and co-senior author of the paper.

"Our findings, while rough in some areas, represent the best-available data we currently have for many species."

New data is continuously added to eBird from both past records and present-day sightings. The research team plan to repeat their analysis as more data becomes available.

"We will need to repeat and refine this effort to really keep tabs on biodiversity - especially as human-caused changes to the world continue and intensify," says Dr Callaghan.

A timeless hobby

Birdwatching - or 'birding' for more serious enthusiasts - is a popular hobby that dates back to the late 18th century. The growing popularity of citizen scientist apps and websites have made birdwatching an accessible way to engage with science.

"Birding is a hobby that just keeps on giving," says Dr Callaghan.

"You can usually find a bird or two to identify and watch anywhere you go, anytime of the day, anywhere in the world."

People interested in being involved with the project can create a birdwatching account on eBird - and A/Prof. Cornwell says that you don't need to be a bird expert to get started.

"A great starting point is to learn a handful of birds that come to your local area, like Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, and Australian White Ibis," he says.

"It can be as simple as seeing if you can spot any out the window while you're drinking your coffee in the morning."

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PITTSBURGH, May 17, 2021 - Monoclonal antibodies, a COVID-19 treatment given early after coronavirus infection, cut the risk of hospitalization and death by 60% in those most likely to suffer complications of the disease, according to an analysis of UPMC patients who received the medication compared to similar patients who did not.

UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physician-scientists published the findings today in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, a journal of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The study involved bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody that is now offered only in combination with another monoclonal antibody to further increase its effectiveness--a change mandated by the federal government after the study's completion.

"The fact that we found bamlanivimab to be this effective in keeping our patients with COVID-19 out of the hospital bodes very well for the future use of the currently available monoclonal therapies, something we are studying now," said lead author Ryan Bariola, M.D., associate professor in Pitt's Division of Infectious Diseases and director of the UPMC Community Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Efforts (CHASE) Program. "If given early to high-risk patients, this treatment works to prevent COVID-19-related complications. We look forward to research with next-generation monoclonal antibodies and hope to continue to find safe and effective treatments for our patients."

Monoclonal antibodies are a type of medication that seeks out the COVID-19 virus in a person's body and blocks it from infecting their cells and replicating. Currently, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has granted Emergency Use Authorization to two monoclonal antibody treatments, which are given through a one-time IV infusion. This is the same type of emergency authorization given to the COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the U.S.

Federal and UPMC guidelines require the antibodies be administered within 10 days of COVID-19 symptom onset and diagnosis for patients at high risk of a poor outcome, including patients of advanced age, who are obese or those with conditions such as diabetes or lung disease.

UPMC has given monoclonal antibody infusions to 2,600 qualifying patients. The researchers analyzed data on the first 232 patients treated with bamlanivimab to learn how they've fared since their infusions. They compared antibody-treated patients' data to that of a matched set of patients of similar age and health status who had contracted COVID-19 and were eligible for the treatment but did not receive it.

The strongest effect was seen in older patients. Those age 65 and older who received monoclonal antibodies from UPMC were nearly three times less likely to be hospitalized or die in the following month, compared to their untreated counterparts. The results were less pronounced in younger populations, but overall, more positive results were seen in those who received monoclonal antibody infusions than in those who did not.

UPMC's data also showed a stronger positive effect the earlier patients received the treatment after contracting the virus, and a very low rate of adverse reactions to the infusion, all of which were mild.

"If there's one key take-away that we're seeing in our data, it's this: If you get COVID-19 and are at higher risk for severe illness, ask your doctor about monoclonal antibodies," said Graham Snyder, M.D., M.S., medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at UPMC and associate professor in Pitt's School of Medicine. "Don't hesitate. Early treatment, while your symptoms are still mild, may be essential."

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UPMC offers monoclonal antibody infusions at 18 dedicated infusion sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York, as well as in Emergency Departments, behavioral health centers and patients' homes. Patients and providers can find out more about monoclonal antibody treatment at UPMC by visiting upmc.com/AntibodyTreatment or calling 866-804-5251.

Additional authors on this paper are Erin McCreary, Pharm.D., Richard J. Wadas, M.D., Kevin E. Kip, Ph.D., Oscar C. Marroquin, M.D., Tami Minnier, M.S.N., R.N., Stephen Koscumb, Kevin Collins, Mark Schmidhofer, M.D., Judith A. Shovel, R.N., Mary Kay Wisniewski, M.T., M.A., Colleen Sullivan, M.H.A., Donald M. Yealy, M.D., David A. Nace, M.D., M.P.H., David T. Huang, M.D., M.P.H., Ghady Haidar, M.D., Tina Khadem, Pharm.D., Kelsey Linstrum, M.A.S., Christopher W. Seymour, M.D., M.Sc., Stephanie K. Montgomery, M.S., and Derek C. Angus, M.D., M.P.H., all of Pitt and UPMC.

About UPMC

A $23 billion health care provider and insurer, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is inventing new models of patient-centered, cost-effective, accountable care. The largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, UPMC integrates 92,000 employees, 40 hospitals, 700 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, and a 4 million-member Insurance Services Division, the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania. In the most recent fiscal year, UPMC contributed $1.4 billion in benefits to its communities, including more care to the region's most vulnerable citizens than any other health care institution, and paid more than $800 million in federal, state, and local taxes. Working in close collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC shares its clinical, managerial, and technological skills worldwide through its innovation and commercialization arm, UPMC Enterprises, and through UPMC International. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside among the nation's best hospitals in many specialties and ranks UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on its Honor Roll of America's Best Children's Hospitals. For more information, go to UPMC.com.??? ??????

About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support.

Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see http://www. medschool. pitt. edu .

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Contact: Allison Hydzik

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URI Professor Stephan Grilli is keeping a close eye on volcanoes closer to the US

KINGSTON, R.I. - May 17, 2021 - An article recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, written by University of Rhode Island College of Engineering Professor Stephan Grilli and his colleagues, reveals new data on the Anak Krakatau volcano flank collapse, which was triggered by an eruption on December 22, 2018.

The tsunami created by the flank collapse hit the coast of Indonesia with waves as tall as 5 meters, leaving 420 people dead and 40,000 people displaced from their homes.

New Data Used for Modeling

Ever since the eruption occurred, scientists have been collecting evidence to determine exactly how it happened, just as crime scene investigators attempt to recreate a crime scene.

"Up until now, a lot of the information we had was based on satellite images and conjecture," said University of Rhode Island Distinguished Engineering Professor Stephan Grilli. "Until there was real data, nobody could do any better."

By combining new synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, field observations from a marine geology underwater survey, and aerial photographs taken by drones, a more accurate model can now be created of the volcano before and after it collapsed.

New high-resolution seafloor and sub-seafloor hydroacoustic surveys have provided a comprehensive view of what the landslide deposits look like underwater.

"The renderings show how deep the sediment slid underwater and how large the pieces were that collapsed," said Grilli.

Published Findings

The article in Nature Communications, which is considered one of the world's leading multidisciplinary science journals, was published on May 14, 2021.

"For many researchers working in the natural sciences, publishing a paper in one of Nature's journals is really an honor and a sign that one's work is being recognized by the scientific community," said Grilli. "This also brings great visibility to the work, which is important because as we improve our understanding and modeling of how tsunamis are generated by natural hazards, we can improve our mitigation of their effects in coastal areas and hopefully save lives."

Grilli's research was funded by the National Science Foundation. Other co-project investigators at URI were Annette Grilli, associate professor of ocean engineering and Steve Carey, professor of oceanography.

Most of Stephan Grilli's peers who are co-authors on the Nature article are from the United Kingdom and were funded by its Natural Environment Research Council.

Closer to Home

As devastating as the tsunami caused by Anak Krakatau was, a potentially much greater threat exists closer to the United States.

According to Grilli, if one of the volcanoes in the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Northwest Africa was to erupt and suffer a large flank collapse, the results would be catastrophic.

"Our sights are on the Canary Islands because that volcano shows signs of becoming unstable and an eruption could cause a major landslide on one of its flanks, which studies have shown could be up to 2,000 times larger than what we saw in Indonesia," said Grilli. "That could create a mega-tsunami, with the potential to cause inundations along the East Coast of the United State, in some areas twice as large as a category five hurricane. It could mean major destruction along the East Coast."

On a smaller scale, but within the United States, Hawaii's volcanoes pose a constant threat of eruption and flank collapses.

"If a piece of one of Hawaii's volcanoes was to break off, it could create a significant tsunami," said Grilli.

Not Much Warning

Despite advances in technology, there is still very little warning when a volcano is on the verge of eruption or a tsunami is forming as a result of it.

"We have high-frequency radar and systems that can monitor surface currents, including those caused by tsunamis, but we're still a long way from being able to predict when an earthquake, volcano eruption or tsunami may occur," said Grilli.

After Japan was struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 in 2011, resulting in a tsunami and a nuclear power-plant accident, which left close to 18,000 people dead, the country spent $12 billion to build 42-foot-high concrete seawalls.

The walls block the view of the ocean, but experts say the barriers are worth it, as they should minimize damage and buy time for evacuation. In some areas of the United States, such as along the Cascadia subduction zone off of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, there would be very little time to retreat to safe ground should a large earthquake and tsunami occur.

"In Oregon, people are worried about evacuation if we had 'The Big One,'" said Grilli. "Even though people have built artificial hills for a vertical evacuation, at most there would be a 15-minute tsunami warning. There just wouldn't be enough time to get everyone to safety."

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Drone footage of Anak Krakatau, taken on January 10-11, 2019, after the collapse and eruption of the volcano. YouTube video by Earth Uncut TV. Not for commercial use.
One of the projected effects of a warming climate for species living on mountain slopes is moving their distributions upslope as their habits shift upwards. Eventually, since mountains have a limit to their elevation, a species may have no more habitat to move up to and therefore go extinct. Tracking how and where this is happening is tough, though, if you don't have a good idea of where the species are now. That's the situation in places such as Africa, which have tremendous biodiversity but spotty ecological baseline data.

So University of Utah researchers set out to assess the status of bird species in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains through six years' worth of bird banding efforts at five sites. The sites spanned more than a mile of vertical elevation on the tropical mountain slopes. The highest species richness, they found, was near the lowest and intermediate elevation stations, and six species were found at elevations higher than they'd been seen before.

The study, the authors write, establishes baseline observations for tropical birds in East Africa, filling in an important data gap for monitoring biodiversity and tropical ecosystem health in a warming world.

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The study is published in Ornithological Applications.
Clinics that mailed mifepristone and misoprostol tablets to patients during the pandemic have experienced a high demand and have been able to safely screen and care for patients via telehealth, according to two studies recently published online in the journal Contraception.

The first study identifies factors that supported the provision of abortion pills across four healthcare settings. Factors that contributed to success included clinic staff helping to organize the telehealth appointment and to distribute pills, the first paper noted, as well as already having telehealth resources in-clinic and having outside organizations or mentors support the implementation of care.

"Mifepristone has more than two decades of recorded safety here in the United States," Dr. Emily Godfrey noted. In this study, UW Medicine practitioners interviewed staff at 15 clinical sites that ranged from independent care providers to health systems. Most study sites were in urban areas in states generally supportive of abortion policies, another factor that affected the number of clinics able to offer this care via telehealth, the paper noted.

"Even with relaxed FDA rules, providers still had to navigate a lot of regulations," noted lead author Dr. Emily Godfrey, a family medicine and Ob-Gyn practitioner. "One takeaway is that once you start reducing unnecessary barriers and treat medication abortion just like other medical services, there is a lot of interest. Our providers feel safe providing care this way and it really shows the power of telemedicine to serve patients," she said.

In the past year, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Food and Drug Administration have issued opinions about whether the mailing of these pills could continue. This month the FDA announced that, through Dec. 1, 2021, it will continue to suspend the requirement that the pills be dispensed in-person. It is reviewing whether to permanently suspend the restriction based on new data such as that from these studies, Godfrey said.

Both papers argue that telehealth abortion improves access to reproductive health services for many groups, including low-income persons, women of color and those who live long distances from family planning clinics.

The second study analyzed what happened when India's borders closed in March 2020 and physicians in three states stepped up to secure abortion pills and dispense them to fulfill patients' requests.

That study focused on the experience of three clinics, in Washington, New Jersey and New York. It confirmed the findings of the first study: If women can opt for a telehealth visit and receive pills through the mail to end a pregnancy early, they will.

"What surprised our team was that the majority of people requiring services - even in a place like Seattle, where there are plenty of in-person clinics - still wanted the pills delivered through the mail and were comfortable interacting with their healthcare providers through telehealth visits," Godfrey said.

A majority of the 534 patients (71%) lived in urban areas, the study noted. About 85% were less than seven weeks pregnant when they requested care. The study's findings indicate that one primary-care provider using telehealth could serve an entire state, especially in rural areas where the services are scarce. Of the 124 patients who received the pills via mail in Washington, about half lived in rural areas.

Many Washington state patients told researchers that they chose the mail option not only to avoid risk of COVID-19 transmission, but also to avoid potential social stigma, the report stated.

"Mifepristone has more than two decades of recorded safety here in the United States," Godfrey said. "Once the FDA permanently lifts its restrictions on prescribing it like most other medications, then early abortion care will become equal to prenatal care, miscarriage management, STD (sexually transmitted disease) testing, and other essential reproductive health services offered in family medicine and women's health clinics across the U.S."

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This research was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1 TR002319), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the generous donation of a private donor (UW Medicine Family Planning Fund); and Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants (CRHC). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the University of Washington, CRHC or NIH.
The House Democratic Majority followed the science and took the necessary safety precautions, allowing us to meet and do the peoples business through the height of the pandemic  and in turn protect members, staff of the House of Delegates, and our constituents, the statement said. But the success of the vaccine rollout means we can soon safely convene in person for the first time in over a year.
M

eia Lua, which stands for half moon in Portuguese, was founded in Lisbon by watch enthusiast Goncalo Lopes. After its first series Inception, the brand is now presenting its new collection, Callisto, with the aim of developing its presence on international markets - so far the company has delivered timepieces to more than 30 countries worldwide.

The brand wishes to deliver exclusive automatic timepieces with upscale features, beautifully designed, carefully crafted and yet reasonably priced. The name of its latest collection, Callisto, comes from the Greek mythology. Callisto was a nymph and the daughter of the King Lycaon, a lover of Zeus, eventually transformed into a bear by Hera and set among the stars as Ursa Major. It is also the name of the third largest moon of the solar system, discovered by Galileo.

Goncalo Lopes, founder of Portuguese watch brand Meia Lua

Callisto carryies the oldest and most heavily cratered surface that mankind has ever known and is considered one of the most suitable candidates for human life space exploration. Some source for inspiration, indeed!

The model showcases an elegant and slimmer see-through case. It is positioned in an affordable price segment (529-569 euros). Its new dial design is finished with customised moon-shaped, SuperLuminova-coated indexes, backed by sword-shaped hands.

The Callisto timepiece is powered by a mechanical triple date calendar Miyota movement (month, day of the week and date), protected by a double and domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. It features a 10 ATM water resistance.

The collection is composed of two lines: the Monochromatic version and the Half Moon version, an interpretation of the classic panda and semi panda design.
GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Rises as Indoor Gatherings to Resume in UK

The Pound Euro exchange rate rose today as the UK prepares to further ease lockdown restrictions, allowing pubs and restaurants to serve indoors. After last weeks reports of the Indian variant, however, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to take the next step with a heavy dose of caution. The pairing is currently trading around 1.16.

Sterling has continued to head higher, with confidence in the UK economy continuing to grow as the nation further eases lockdown restrictions.

Boris Johnson commented:

The current data does not indicate unsustainable pressure on the NHS and our extraordinary vaccination programme will accelerate  with second doses being bought forward to give the most vulnerable maximum protection.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has also expressed confidence in the UK vaccination programme, saying that he was confident that vaccines would work against the Indian variant.

Hancock said:

[T]he good news is because we have increasing confidence that the vaccine works against the variant, the strategy is on track - it's just the virus has gained a bit of pace and we've therefore all got to be that bit more careful and cautious.

In an absence of UK economic data today, however, we could see the GBP/EUR exchange rate quickly begin to shed some of its gains.

Euro (EUR) Climbs as Eurozone Economy is More Stable as Covid-19 Cases Drope Across Europe

The Euro (EUR) struggled against the Pound (GBP) today because of a lack of notable Eurozone economic data.

Instead, EUR traders are awaiting this weeks release of the latest Eurozone PMI data, due out on Friday.

However, with concerns growing over the health of the Eurozones economy, EUR traders are have become more cautious over the past few weeks.

Economists at HSBC have expressed optimism in the blocs economy, however, saying:

[E]conomic activity is certainly more stable through the latest lockdown than last year.

Today also saw news that France had passed a Covid-19 vaccine milestone at over 20 million jobs, while Germanys cases of the virus continue to drop.

Pound Euro Exchange Rate Forecast

Pound (GBP) traders will be awaiting tomorrows release of the latest ILO unemployment rate figure for March.

Any signs joblessness dropping in the UK would further boost the Pound Euro exchange rate.

Euro (EUR) investors will be looking ahead to tomorrows release of the Eurozones GDP data for the first quarter.

If this shows that the Eurozones economy is still suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic, then the Euro would suffer as confidence dwindles in the blocs economy for 2021.

The Pound Euro exchange rate could continue to head higher this week, however, as the UK further eases lockdown measures in what Boris Johnson has promised to be an irreversible roadmap.
GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Rallies as Risk Appetite Weakens

The British Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate has made steady gains today, with the pairing climbing to AUD1.8202 amidst a weakening of market risk appetite.

Australian Dollar (AUD) Undermined as Chinese Retail Sales Fall Short of Expectations

The Australian Dollar (AUD) is off to a poor start this week, as the China-proxy Aussie is being hindered by the release of some lacklustre Chinese retail sales figures.

Official data revealed year-on-year sales growth rose 17.7% in April, a slowdown from the 34.2% expansion in March and below consensus forecasts for an acceleration of 24.9%.

This suggests that Chinas recovery from the coronavirus pandemic may be more sluggish than first hoped, which could impact demand for Australian exports.

Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, commented: Year-on-year growth on all indicators dropped back last month. This partly reflects a less flattering base for comparison. But current momentum in output and consumption was also a bit softer. We think month-on-month growth will remain modest throughout the rest of this year as activity drops back to its pre-virus trend following the withdrawal in policy support.

Also applying pressure to the risk-sensitive Aussie this afternoon is the prevailing risk-off mood, with flaring tensions in the Middle East, and growing concern over the Indian variant of the coronavirus dampens market sentiment.

UK Economy Reopens, Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Advance vs Majors

At the same time, the Pound (GBP) is buoyant today amidst the latest stage of lockdown easing in the UK.

From today people in England can start to socialise indoors, allowing for the reopening of most of the hospitality sector, with restaurants, pubs and cinemas all allowed to open their doors again for the first time since January.

GBP investors are hopeful that the latest phase of reopening will further help to spur the UKs economic rebound in the second quarter.

However tempering Sterlings gains somewhat were concerns over the spread of the Indian variant of the coronavirus in the UK, which has some analysts fearing the latest stage of easing could be quickly rolled back.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: Its a big day for many businesses as the UK lifts more Covid-related restrictions. This should have been cause for celebration, but all eyes are on the Indian variant and whether the Government is going to impose new lockdowns, be it localised or national. Businesses will have to make hay while the sun shines, albeit interspersed by lots of dark clouds. Hospitality companies will be hoping that their doors stay open from today and not have a repeat of the stop-start cycle theyve had to endure over the past year and a bit.

Looking Ahead: GBP/AUD

Looking ahead, the GBP/AUD exchange rate may maintain its upward trajectory tomorrow, with the publication of the UKs latest jobs report.

This is expected to show that unemployment held at 4.9% in March as the governments furlough continued to protect jobs.

Alongside what is forecast to be another month of robust wage growth, this could help propel Sterling even higher on Tuesday.

In the meantime, the focus for AUD investors will be on the minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australias (RBA) May policy meeting, which could be supportive of the Australian Dollar, if they reinforce the banks cautious optimism for the future.
Monday, May 17, 2021

Warren Hinckle was the editor of Ramparts Magazine, a fairly popular left-wing magazine from 194 to 1969. He wrote a really fun book, about the 1960s, called If You Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade.

He devotes one chapter, "Give Us This Day Our Daily Paranoia," to the conspiracy theorists of the JFK assassination. His book is worth buying just for that chapter. Here is an excerpt about Jim Garrison:

My last communication with Garrison was on November 5, 1968. It was not untypical. I was interrupted in mid-explanation to an unhappy investor (Keating's stormy departure had not helped the money-raising situation). The investor was turning a tinge yellow at my suggestion that the only way to insure the return of the $20,000 he had previously loaned Ramparts was to cover his bet with an additional $50,000. The interruption was an emergency long-distance telephone call from New Orleans.

The caller was in no mood to inquire about the weather. "This is urgent," Jim Garrison said. "Can you take this in your mailroom? They'd never think to tap the mailroom extension."

I excused to go to the mailroom for a moment on a matter of high priority and left the investor, sputtering like a referee without a whistle, alone with the latest negative balance sheets. In the mailroom, Two bearded Berkeleyite mail boys were running the postage machine under the influence of marijuana. I told them to take a walk around the block and get high on company time, and locked the door behind them.

Garrison began talking when I picked up the mailroom extension: "This is risky, but I have little choice. It is imperative that I get this information to you now. Important new evidence has surfaced. Those Texas oilmen do not appear to be involved in President Kennedy's murder in the way we first thought. It was the Military-Industrial Complex that put up the money for the assassination -- but as far as we can tell, the conspiracy was limited to the aerospace wing. I've got the names of three companies and their employees who were involved in setting up the President's murder. Do you have a pencil?"

I wrote down the names of the three defense contractors -- Garrison identified them as Lockheed, Boeing, and General Dynamics -- and the names of those executives in their employ whom the District Attorney said had been instrumental in the murder of Jack Kennedy. I also logged a good deal of information about a mysterious minister who was supposed to have crossed the border into Mexico with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the assassination; the man wasn't a minister at all, Garrison said, but an executive with a major defense supplier, in clerical disguise. I knew little about ministers crossing the Rio Grande with Oswald -- but after several years of fielding the dizzying details of the Kennedy assassination, I had learned to leave closed Pandora's boxes lie; I didn't ask.

I said that I had everything down, and Garrison said a hurried goodbye: "It's poor security procedure to use the phone, but the situation warrants the risk. Get this information to Bill Turner. He'll know what to do about the minister. I wanted you to have this, in case something happens . . . ."

I unlocked the mailroom door, and returned to my office. The investor was gone.

I typed up a brief memorandum of the facts as Garrison had relayed them and burned my notes in an oversized ashtray I used for such purposes. I Xeroxed one copy of the memo, which I mailed to myself in care of a post office box in the name of Walter Snelling, a friendly, non-political bartender in the far-removed country town of Cotati, California, where I routinely sent copies of all supersecret Ramparts documents. That night I hand delivered the original to Bill Turner, the former FBI agent in charge of the magazine's investigation of the Warren Commission. Turner had drilled me in a little G-Man security lingo. According to our code, I called him at home and said something about a new vacuum cleaner. He replied that he would be right over, and said he would meet me at Trader Vic's, which meant I was to actually meet him at Blanco's, a dimly lit Filipino bar on the fringe of Chinatown, where we often held secret meetings.

That was the way we did things in those days.

"Those days" encompassed several years of sniffing, as Sam Goldwyn might say, along the greenhorn trail of red herrings in the 26 volumes of the Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. We began asking rude questions in 1965, and by 1968, with paranoia in full bloom, we had divided almost everyone, by some sort of conspiracy litmus test, into "them" and "us." Even "us" was subdivided into good guys, no-so-good-guys, dangerous fanatics and fiffth columnists. We ended up seeing "them" lurking behind every potted plant rented by the CIA; and occasionally, we found a real spook in the shadows.

Garrison really went overboard about the Aerospace industry. Fred Crisman, one of his favorite suspects, worked briefly for Boeing and Edgar Eugene Bradley, who he actually charged with conspiracy to assassinate JFK, once worked for Lockheed.

We have blogged about this once before.

You can see more of this thinking in the conference he held in New Orleans in September 1968 with some of his staff and a few Warren Commission Critics. Here's one excerpt where they start talking about Nancy Rich Perrin - she testified before the Warren Commission that Ruby was involved in smuggling arms to Cuba. But her testimony was extremely fuzzy on the details, and she had a history of telling stories. Her husband committed suicide in 1962 and Jim Garrison suspected that had been faked and that he was a grassy knoll gunman. I tell the entire story in Chapter 16, "Arsenic and Old Perrin," of my book, On The Trail of Delusion - Jim Garrison: The Great Accuser.

You can read the testimony of Nancy Perrin Rich here.

The discussion quickly turns from Perrin to the aerospace industry: (page 129)

Turner: I don't understand Nancy Rich's antagonism towards your office if she told all the to the Warren Commission. She told Mark Lane the thing...

Garrison: Aren't you glad, though. She told us more than she told the Warren Commission, in a way.

Boxley: She's afraid we'll ask her how it is that J. D. Tippit sent for her to come to Dallas.

Garrison: Let's see. That's another thing. We've been going through her testimony again and it's become apparent that what happened - here's what happened and here's what Crisman knows Tippit. When - her husband leaves her (Bob Perrin); and she can't find him so she things he may be in Dallas so she calls the Police Dept. and she calls Tippit. Why does she call Tippit? It's not spelled out but I think the possibility is because Tippit is a friend of her husband. Her husband is previously at an ONI base. Tippit used to work with Ling Temco. Fred Lee Crisman knows Tippit. Fred Lee Crisman is with Boeing. You see the whole structure is ...

In another excerpt, they talk about Warren Reynolds, a witness who saw Oswald running away after killing police officer J. D. Tippit: (page 168)

Fensterwald: What about Warren Reynolds?

Garrison: Warren Reynolds in my judgment was part of a convoy. At least one of the men who shot Tippit merely ran around the block and back into the church and car 223 covers him. That's kind of involved to get into but that's one area we dug into a lot. As a matter of fact, the jacket which he dropped - he dropped just before he went into the church - and he's probably protected by Captain Westbrook there. Wasn't a patrol car there? He's convoyed all the way around. He's safe. But the jacket he dropped, leads straight to Los Angeles. Which is where Lockheed is and they never really checked out the jacket.

Turner: The jacket leads to Lockheed?

Garrison: Yeah. It's in Los Angeles.

Turner: What? Laundry mark?

Boxley: No. It was manufactured in Los Angeles, plus it's got a laundry mark on it that's identical to one from Toro Marine Base.

Turner: Well, we think. We don't know. This guy sent in the letter but nobody's checked that though.

Here is another section of that conference: (page 34)

Sprague: There's a guy from Lockheed who showed up in Paris with a story - he contacted Jeff Paley's office over there.

Turner: Why don't you take over Dick? We've been offering you your opportunity and then we keep monopolizing the ...

Garrison: I wanted to just underline that point. That that is the common denominator that I have found, at least in the JFK killing, of virtually anybody who has any role of significance. If they did not work for - it's not just a defense operation but it is one of the elements of the defense operations which got the major bite of the billions. I think we'll find ultimately that the reason for that is because they're are almost one with the CIA and vice-versa.

Garrison: I think we'll find that Allen Dulles constructed the CIA in as close coordination with certain corporations which were essential in the defense operations. And that's why these people keep showing up.

Garrison: I don't want to get into it now but every potential witness associated with Oswald at the Reily Coffee Company - almost everybody - now works for Aerospace, NASA - I made a list of them on the theory that while the structure itself may have been invisible on the 22nd of November that if you go back far enough with individuals or come later far enough you can see a structure. And you do. The structure is Aerospace.

Not that the Sprague mentioned above is Richard Sprague, the photographic expert who was a Warren Commission critic, not the Richard Sprague who was the first Chief Counsel of the HSCA.

There is a simple explanation why many people at Reily Coffee went to work in the Aerospace Industry.

Here is a map from the Garrison files:

We will end this blog post with one additional quote from Warren Hinckle's book:
The list of retailers pulling down mask requirements for vaccinated customers continued to grow after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidelines last week.

Target, joining Walmart, was the latest chain to announce Monday it would no longer require vaccinated customers and employees to wear masks. The large chains joined smaller retailers and entertainment venues such as SeaWorld in San Antonio in relaxing requirements in the wake of the new policy.

Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated, Target said in a statement, and well continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Frontline workers fear mask chaos as statewide mandate ends

The CDC altered its guidelines Thursday for what vaccinated people can safely do, saying fully vaccinated people can resume prepandemic activities without masks and social distancing. The revised guidance sent the latest tectonic shift of the pandemic into motion.

Vaccinated customers will no longer need masks at Starbucks, Home Depot and Costco.

We will not require proof of vaccination, Costco CEO Craig Jelinek said in a letter on the companys website, but we ask for members responsible and respectful cooperation with this revised policy.

CVS, too, rolled back mask requirements in its stores Monday, stipulating employees will still be required to wear them.

Kroger and Ulta both said last week they would continue requiring masks for customers. H-E-B said only it was evaluating its policies in light of CDCs revisions.

SeaWorld San Antonio eliminated mask requirements for vaccinated guests over the weekend and dropped social distancing rules on rides, at shows and restaurants. The new policies are a dramatic reversal of rules put in place when the theme park reopened in late June 2020 after a three-month shutdown.

For some local retailers, the CDCs latest instructions unburdened them of a fight with customers they never wanted to have. For the family-owned Phoenicia Specialty Foods, with locations downtown and in West Houston, policing masks in the stores posed challenges for the business and its staff. Owner Haig Tcholakian said these fights resulted in arguments and negative online reviews.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas records zero COVID-19 deaths for first day in over a year

Now, staff is no longer asking unmasked customers to leave, he said.

We just feel weve kind of reached the point where everyone that wanted a vaccine has pretty much been vaccinated, he said. That CDC ruling, it kind of opened the door.

Augie Bering, owner of Berings Hardware, said after the CDCs latest missive he removed signs requiring masks at his stores on Bissonnet and Westheimer. He said hes noticed a shift since last week.

Before, everyone wore a mask; we didnt really have to ask, he said. Now, were seeing more people not wearing a mask and coming in. And were just not saying anything to them.

Randy Diamond contributed to this report.

amanda.drane@chron.com

Twitter.com/amandadrane
Most kids make colorful picture frames and charm bracelets at summer camp or for Mothers Day. Bella and Ruby Cortez make such crafts their business.

Since August, the South Side siblings have been doing that business as the Crafty Cortez Sisters (@craftycortezsisters on Facebook and Instagram), a couple of tween entrepreneurs with an eye for handicrafts and the bottom line that would make Martha Stewart proud.

Bella and Ruby clock in a good two hours a night crafting their best-selling wooden picture frames, which they dress up with colorful quick-dry paint and glue-on gems and flowers. The girls also make silvery earrings, charm bracelets and necklaces as well as headbands and barrettes.

In addition to selling through social media, the girls do two pop-up markets a month. They had a $300 sold-out debut at the Southside Artezan Market and were the first kid entrepreneurs to sell their wares at the Magik Theatre.

Bella also self published a book, Crafty Cortez Sisters: The Story, available on Amazon, about how the sisters started their crafting business. She recently promoted it at the inaugural Southside San Antonio Book Fair alongside former San Antonio and Texas poet laureate Carmen Tafolla and other Latino authors.

Did we mention Bella is just 11 and Ruby is 10?

On ExpressNews.com: Amazing Popsicle stick toys made by San Antonio grandmother, from Titanic, Big Ben to carousel, doll house

Really me and Ruby just wanted to make money, Bella said. We were going to wait until we were older. Then April told us we could do it now. We werent really crafting until April came into our life.

That would be April Monterrosa, a fellow Latina entrepreneur who also has cultivated her own brand out of the South Side. Bella and Ruby often refer to Monterrosa as their bonus mom. Since her relationship started with the girls widowed father Conrad Cortez two years ago, shes also become their de facto business manager.

We work very well together, said Monterrosa, who also calls herself Bella and Rubys stepmom-ager.

In 2018, Monterrosa founded Live from the Southside (southsidesanantonio.com), a monthly print and online magazine that highlights South Side culture, events and businesses. The magazine owner and editor also organized the recent book fair.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio native Henry Munoz III buys Funny or Die comedy production studio

The youngest of five siblings, Bella and Ruby came up with the Crafty Cortez Sisters last summer while walking on the beach in Port Aransas with Monterrosa and her mother. Bella and Ruby talked about wanting to one day run their own boutique. Monterrosa said there was no reason to wait, so the girls drew up a brand and a dream board business plan as soon as they got back home.

Theyre learning responsibility, Monterrosa said. Theyre learning how to take care of finances. I dont treat them any different than my other business associates.

That means making Bella and Ruby responsible for calculating and managing their own overhead and supply costs. Monterrosa just handles their social media. The Crafty Cortez Sisters typically work at the dining room table with the pop tunes of Ariana Grande and Katy Perry to pump them up.

Im excited for them, said their father, a diesel mechanic. Theyve done so much in a little bit of time. It just makes me happy for them to actually do what they want to do.

Cindy Martin-Ramos found about the Crafty Cortez Sisters on Facebook. When she saw their picture frames in person at the Southside Artezan Market last year, she bought more than a dozen. Today those colorful frames brighten the construction managers stairwell with photos of her nieces and nephews.

Theyre cute, Martin-Ramos said of the Cortez Sisters handiwork. But if it was in a Target or retail store, I would pay probably even more for them. To me it is that quality.

So far Bella and Ruby have made at $4,000 in sales, including sales of the book, and the profits are earmarked for American Girl doll accessories and a bendable Barbie. But the business isnt all about hawking handmade crafts to buy toys.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio Zoo's plastic giraffes, gorillas from Mold-A-Rama machines still going after 60 years

What people dont see or realize is Im building this bond with my stepkids, Monterrosa said.

Monterrosa said a Crafty Cortez Sisters website and Etsy store are in the works, as is a return to selling at the Magik Theatre. Meanwhile, Bella wants to write a collection of scary stories and Ruby wants to pen her own poetry and fairy tales.

Though no matter what the sisters craft next, their stepmom-ager just hopes it connects them more with her and with each other.

rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz
Larry W. Smith/Getty Images

San Antonio police are searching for a man accused of shooting at a woman outside of a San Antonio abortion clinic on Saturday.

Police said the woman arrived at the Alamo Women's Reproductive Center, located at 7402 John Smith Drive on the Northwest Side, at around 8:30 a.m. and did not know the man was hiding in the trunk of her vehicle. The man got out of the trunk and began firing several rounds at the woman, police said.
For Cindy Segovia, theres never enough time in the day. She cleans office buildings for work and is mother to four children, including a 5-month-old daughter.

So when Segovia found out about a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic being held Saturday at Sul Ross Middle School on the West Side, she jumped to get appointments for her two boys, 12 and 13 years old.

The federal government had made younger teens eligible for Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine just days earlier, and this was the busy mothers most convenient option: We live three minutes away, she said. Segovia, whos already vaccinated, could finally plan their summer vacation to Port Aransas, knowing her kids would be protected from COVID-19.

They're wondering why they have to get it, and I just tell them, It's safer to have it than not to have it, Segovia said.

At Saturdays middle school clinic, run by the University of the Incarnate Word, an estimated 250 people were scheduled for shots. Many of them were newly eligible adolescents whose parents learned about the event through fliers distributed by the school.

The clinic was part of San Antonios effort to bring COVID-19 vaccines directly into neighborhoods, making the shots more accessible for people who might otherwise have trouble finding the time or transportation to get them elsewhere.

More Information Want to learn about COVID-19 vaccine clinics in your area? Visit covid19.sanantonio.gov/News-Events/Events. See More Collapse

Since Metro Health and other health care organizations began organizing regular pop-up clinics in February, more than 8,500 people have been vaccinated in community hubs such as churches and schools.

We've gone to a lot of congregations throughout the city, because that seems to work pretty well  we're going to a trusted venue, said Colleen Bridger, an assistant city manager who is overseeing the pandemic response. The congregations have done a good job of getting the word out and getting the people to come.

Public health experts say communities need a range of weapons to defeat the pandemic  including mass vaccination sites like the one at the Alamodome capable of immunizing more than a thousand people per day, and smaller pop-up clinics within walking distance of peoples homes and jobs.

Among the pop-up sites planned for this week: the Islamic Center of San Antonio, Steves & Sons door manufacturing and Martinez Street Womens Center.

Each one adds to the push to vaccinate as many people as possible so San Antonio can reach herd immunity  or at minimum, curb the coronavirus into a more controllable threat. Herd immunity is reached when enough people are immune to a disease, typically because of vaccination, to keep it from spreading.

Some researchers think the U.S. might hit the threshold when at least 80 percent of the population  including children  is vaccinated. But because of new virus variants and hesitancy among some Americans to get vaccinated, scientists think herd immunity could be harder to reach than initially thought.

As of Saturday, a little more than 50 percent of Bexar County residents 16 years and older had received at least one dose of vaccine, according to state data.

Over the last few months, public health officials have focused on funneling vaccines into neighborhoods that were hardest hit by COVID-19. Thats meant setting up pop-up clinics in areas that include large numbers of Latino and Black families on the South, East and West Sides that had been disproportionately devastated by the pandemic.

Bridger said it also means figuring out ways to improve vaccination rates among the adults least likely to have been vaccinated so far: people between 20 and 40 years old. As of May 10, only 33 percent of Bexar County residents between the age of 18 to 49 were fully vaccinated, compared to 55 percent of people between 50 and 64, and 69 percent of people 65 and older, according to city data.

I have coined a new phrase, which is vaccine apathy, Bridger said. There's a segment that is scared of getting vaccinated, but I think there's still a large segment that just hasn't been motivated or hasn't really had an easy opportunity to be vaccinated.

In addition to putting on the usual events at churches, community hubs and workplaces, public health officials are eyeing another option to vaccinate younger adults where they already are: Fiesta. At least 20 different pop-up immunization events are planned during next months festivities, and many vendors will be giving away prizes if attendees bring proof of vaccination, Bridger said.

We're working on making it fun, easy, Bridger said. You're here anyway  why not get vaccinated?

marina.riker@express-news.net
Total bill: $800 million.

That is how much CPS Energy, the states largest ratepayer-owned utility, owes natural gas suppliers, thanks to a 1,600 percent price increase during Winter Storm Uri.

On April 26, Enterprise Products Partners announced it was suing CPS Energy for an unpaid bill totaling $99.7 million. Three days later, CPS amended its lawsuit against the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to protect customers from excessive, illegitimate, and illegal power prices, and requested a temporary restraining order to further protect its customers from ERCOTs attempts to pass on unlawful charges.

Both lawsuits came just days after CPS Energy announced 10 percent of its customers are far enough behind on their bills to be in danger of having their power cut off when the utility restarts disconnections. As of March 31, the utility was owed roughly $100 million in unpaid bills.

Since the freeze, a wave of electric providers in Texas have declared bankruptcy, with several more teetering on the brink. Unless members act swiftly to pass comprehensive, marketwide securitization, debt collectors will quickly come after electric utilities and ratepayers, further stalling Texas economic recovery.

When temperatures dipped during the February freeze and power generators went offline, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, or PUC, instructed ERCOT to set prices to the maximum amount to incentivize generators to come online. None did. Instead, lives were lost and Texans suffered. When the power came back on, state leaders had the opportunity to reset the price charged during the blackout period, essentially wiping out the debt. While Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate supported changing the price, the House failed to act.

Energy retailers in Texas owe $46 billion. Its too late to get rid of this debt, but its not too late for the Legislature to cushion the economic blow.

Continuing coverage: CPS battles surprise bills from ERCOT in court

To ease the debt burden on ratepayers, the Legislature is considering a mechanism called securitization. Essentially, the state government would establish an organization to finance debt related to the emergency and provide lower-cost, longer-term loans, allowing it to be paid over decades.

Senate Bill 2227, introduced by Senate State Affairs Chairman Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, wisely provides marketwide securitization. By quickly passing this legislation, the Legislature can protect ratepayers, businesses and the economy from outrageous energy costs.

If the Legislature fails to act, ratepayers across the state will see their energy bills increase by hundreds over the next few months. And its not just individuals; commercial real estate companies have millions in added costs that will be passed to clients during the next billing cycle. Restaurants, small businesses and even manufacturers will be forced to pay out of pocket or fold due to the increased costs.

Like CPS Energy, Texas providers have felt the crippling impact of COVID-19 on the Texas economy. Passing on billions in unpaid bills to ratepayers on the heels of a one-in-a-century pandemic would be the last straw for many Texas businesses that have been hanging on by threads. It would guarantee that Texans  especially low and middle-income consumers  will pay off Uri bills for years to come.

To prevent additional lawsuits and save the Texas economy, our elected officials must pass a marketwide securitization bill before it is too late.

Brandon Young is a member of Texans for Fair Energy Billing, a statewide consumer coalition, and the CEO of Payless Power, an energy company.
I believe that a successful police chief must be a visible presence in the community, Talbot said in the release. My first goal in Hampton is to learn. I might know about policing, but Im not an expert on what it means to live in Hampton. Learning about a community means learning about the people. It is reaching out, meeting people, engaging with people in person and on the phone. I plan on giving out a lot of love.
A former city council aide resigned in 2019 after alleging harassment from the districts chief of staff. Now, he faces his former boss, District 2 Councilwoman Jada Andrews-Sullivan, in a runoff election.

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, a math teacher at James Madison High School, worked as Andrews-Sullivans communications director from January 2019 to December 2019. That October, McKee-Rodriguez filed a complaint alleging harassment and discrimination against Lou Miller, the district offices chief of staff.

In the May 1 election this year, Andrews-Sullivan faced 11 opponents, with McKee-Rodriguez garnering the most support  more than a quarter of the districts vote. Andrews-Sullivan was the runner-up with almost 17 percent of the vote.

The two are going head-to-head in the citys runoff election June 5.

In the complaint, McKee-Rodriguez alleged Miller had a long history of harassment and targeted behavior because McKee-Rodriguez is a gay man.

Miller did not respond for comment. Andrews-Sullivan has said she didnt want to see anyone in her office feel discrimination or retaliation.

McKee-Rodriguez said Miller took photos of his outfits without permission, was told to change his hair color while other female staff members had the same hair color and was told to tone (his) outfits down when he wore patterns like animal print, similar to female city employees, according to the complaint.

I feel Mr. Millers enforcement of the dress code discriminates against me, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, in that the code is gender specific as enforced, McKee-Rodriguez stated.

Miller also allegedly made comments about McKee-Rodriguezs femininity, spoke harshly to the communications director and gave some of his job duties to interns.

The communications director was hired in January for Andrews-Sullivans campaign and later worked for her district office. His duties included posting on social media, preparing a newsletter, attending events, coordinating with media and writing press releases.

McKee-Rodriguez said there was a tension between him and Miller from the beginning.

After filing the complaint, McKee-Rodriguez said he was met with retaliation, according to his resignation. This included having to move offices, a change in workload, unrealistic and impossible expectations and deadlines and an increasingly hostile environment which involved isolation and prohibition from doing duties necessary to my job.

I wanted it to be handled internally, and I wanted it to be fixed because I believed there was room, but what happened showed that there wasnt; it was retaliation, he told the Express-News.

Le Reta Gatlin-McDavid, the former director of community outreach for District 2, confirmed McKee-Rodriguezs allegations in her own employment complaint in November 2019. Gatlin-McDavid worked for Andrews-Sullivan from June to October 2019.

I have witnessed the Chief of Staff and the Councilwoman treat Jalen differently from other staff members, Gatlin-McDavid said in her written complaint. Miller had a double standard when it came to Jalen.

William Frankie Trynoski, a former District 2 director of policy, stated in a draft affidavit that he heard Andrews-Sullivan joke that she may not have a communications director soon while McKee-Rodriguez was employed.

Jalen, despite performing his duties at adequate levels would frequently have his work ethic questioned or commented on by the Chief of Staff and/or the Councilwoman, especially when he was not around, Trynoski wrote.

Trynoski started working for the district in June and resigned in November 2019. He now works as a policy advisor for District 9.

City staff confirmed they received McKee-Rodriguezs complaint on Oct. 31, 2019. The complaint was under administrative investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but the case closed in fall 2020 without any further action, according to city spokeswoman Laura Mayes.

Andrews-Sullivan said in an April Express-News Editorial Board meeting that her office could do some better training.

Miller is not one of the newest of times, and we have to remind him its OK to be old, but its not OK to bring old ways, Andrews-Sullivan said. And so thats what were working on.

As for her offices universal dress code policy, it wasnt to speak directly to him and his lifestyle, Andrews-Sullivan said of McKee-Rodriguez.

Sometimes we have to live in a professional environment; sometimes we have to dress according to the work that were doing, Andrews-Sullivan added.

All of Andrews-Sullivans staff have undergone harassment training as an annual city requirement. Andrews-Sullivan also conducts weekly interpersonal training with her staff, teaching them how to empower, uplift and educate their constituents, she said.

The councilwoman said in April she still has someone on her staff who is part of the LGBTQ+ community.

I never wanted it to end the way that it ended, Andrews-Sullivan said of McKee-Rodriguezs departure. I wanted it to have some rectification, and we didnt get to that part.

Despite the complicated relationship between McKee-Rodriguez and Andrews-Sullivan, he said his candidacy isnt based on revenge. Its simply to finish what he had hoped to accomplish during his time in the District 2 office.

Its about securing the representation that I deserve, and all of my neighbors in the entire district deserve, he said. Nothing was being done.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  He served as an interpreter alongside U.S. soldiers on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights in eastern Afghanistan, earning a glowing letter of recommendation from an American platoon commander and a medal of commendation.

Still, Ayazudin Hilal was turned down when he applied for one of the scarce special visas that would allow him to relocate to the U.S. with his family. Now, as American and NATO forces prepare to leave the country, he and thousands of others who aided the war effort fear they will be left stranded, facing the prospect of Taliban reprisals.

We are not safe, the 41-year-old father of six said of Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO. The Taliban is calling us and telling us, Your stepbrother is leaving the country soon, and we will kill all of you guys.'"

The fate of interpreters after the troop withdrawal is one of the looming uncertainties surrounding the withdrawal, including a possible resurgence of terrorist threats and a reversal of fragile gains for women if chaos, whether from competing Kabul-based warlords or the Taliban, follows the end of America's military engagement.

Interpreters and other civilians who worked for the U.S. government or NATO can get what is known as a special immigrant visa, or SIV, under a program created in 2009 and modeled after a similar program for Iraqis.

Both SIV programs have long been dogged by complaints about a lengthy and complicated application process for security vetting that grew more cumbersome with pandemic safety measures.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters last month that the U.S. is committed to helping interpreters and other Afghan civilians who aided the war effort, often at great personal risk. The Biden administration has also launched a review of the SIV programs, examining the delays and the ability of applicants to challenge a rejection. It will also be adding anti-fraud measures.

Amid the review, former interpreters, who typically seek to shield their identities and keep a low profile, are becoming increasingly public about what they fear will happen should the Taliban return to power.

They absolutely are going to kill us, Mohammad Shoaib Walizada, a former interpreter for the U.S. Army, said in an interview after joining others in a protest in Kabul.

At least 300 interpreters have been killed in Afghanistan since 2016, and the Taliban have made it clear they will continue to be targeted, said Matt Zeller, a co-founder of No One Left Behind, an organization that advocates on their behalf. He also served in the country as an Army officer.

The Taliban considers them to be literally enemies of Islam, said Zeller, now a fellow at the Truman National Security Project. Theres no mercy for them.

Members of Congress and former service members have also urged the U.S. government to expedite the application process, which now typically takes more than three years. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said May 10 that the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had temporarily increased staff to help process the visas.

In December, Congress added 4,000 visas, bringing the total number of Afghans who can come with their immediate family members to 26,500, with about half the allotted amount already used and about 18,000 applications pending.

Critics and refugee advocates said the need to relocate could swell dramatically if Afghanistan tumbles further into disarray. As it is, competing warlords financed and empowered by U.S. and NATO forces threaten the future along with a resurgent Taliban, which have been able to make substantive territorial gains against a poorly trained and poorly equipped Afghan security force largely financed by U.S. taxpayers.

While I applaud the Biden administrations review of the process, if they are not willing to sort of rethink the entire thing, they are not going to actually start helping those Afghans who are most at need, said Noah Coburn, a political anthropologist whose research focuses on Afghanistan.

Coburn estimates there could be as many as 300,000 Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO in some form over the past two decades.

There is a wide range of Afghans who would not be tolerated under the Talibans conception of what society should look like, said Adam Bates, policy counsel for the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Those fears have been heightened by recent targeted killings of journalists and other civilians as well as government workers. The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for several, while the Taliban and government blame each other.

Biden raised the nations overall cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 this month, weeks after facing bipartisan blowback for his delay in replacing the record low ceiling set by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

The U.S. is not planning to move civilians out en masse, for now at least. We are processing SIVs in Kabul and have no plans for evacuations at this time, a senior administration official said.

The White House is in the beginning stages of discussing its review with Congress and will work with lawmakers if changes in the SIV program are needed in order to process applications as quickly and efficiently as possible, while also ensuring the integrity of the program and safeguarding national security, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Former interpreters have support in Congress, in part because many also have former American troops vouching for them.

Walizada, for example, submitted a letter of support from an Army sergeant who supervised him in dozens of patrols, including one where the interpreter was wounded by Taliban gunfire. I cannot recall a linguist who had a greater dedication to his country or the coalition cause, the sergeant wrote.

Walizada was initially approved for a visa, but it was later revoked, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services telling him that it had adverse information you may be unaware of, in a letter he provided to The Associated Press. Walizada said he has appealed the decision and hasn't received a response.

Hilal, who translated from Dari and Pashto to English for the Army from June 2009 to December 2012, was rejected by the U.S. Embassy, which said he did not meet the requirement for faithful and valuable service, because he was fired by the contracting firm that hired him after 3 1/2 years of service.

It was a stinging response, considering the dangers he faced. If I havent done faithful and good service for the U.S. Army, why have they given me this medal? he says, holding the commendation, in an AP interview at an office in Kabul used by the former interpreters to meet with journalists.

Why he was fired by the U.S.-based contractor, Mission Essential, is unclear. Hilal said he had a conflict with supervisors that started with a dispute over a work assignment. The company says it does not discuss current or former employees and declined to comment.

But whatever happened eventually, a November 2019 letter of support from his platoon commander was highly complimentary of stellar service that rivals that of most deployed service members.

Hilal was by his side on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights, monitoring enemy radio traffic and interpreting during encounters with locals, Army Maj. Thomas Goodman said in the letter.

He was dependable and performed admirably, Goodman wrote. Even in firefights that lasted hours on end, he never lost his nerve, and I could always count him to be by my side.

As it happens, an AP journalist was embedded with the unit for a time, amid intense fighting in eastern Afghanistan, and captured images of Hilal and Goodman, surrounded by villagers as American forces competed with the Taliban for the support of the people.

Goodman said he stands by his recommendation but declined to comment further.

Coburn, who interviewed more than 150 special immigrant visa recipients and applicants for a recently released study of the program, said Hilal's denial reflects a rigid evaluation process. There is no nuance to the definition of service, he said. You either served or you didnt serve.

The special immigration visa program allows applicants to make one appeal, and many are successful. Nearly 80% of 243 Afghans who appealed in the first quarter of 2021 were subsequently approved after providing additional information, according to the State Department. Hilal says his appeal was rejected.

Bates, of the International Refugee Assistance Project, says the fact that there is a U.S. Army officer willing to support should count for something. Even if he doesnt qualify for the SIV program, this plainly seems like someone who is in need of protection, he said.

___

Fox reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California wont lift its mask requirement until June 15 to give the public and businesses time to prepare and ensure coronavirus cases stay low, the state health director said Monday, a decision that runs counter to many other states including Oregon and Washington that quickly aligned with last week's new federal guidelines.

This four-week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change, while we continue the relentless focus on delivering vaccines particularly to underserved communities and those that were hard hit throughout this pandemic, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.

The timing reflects California Gov. Gavin Newsom's earlier announcement that if cases remain low, the state will drop nearly all COVID-19 restrictions on June 15.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention altered its mask guidelines last week, saying its safe for fully vaccinated people to skip face coverings and social distancing in virtually all situations. The CDC guidelines say all people should still wear masks in crowded indoor locations such as airplanes, buses, hospitals and prisons.

On May 3, California adopted the CDCs earlier recommendation that people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask outdoors unless they are attending crowded gatherings. But the state says those people must wear masks indoors unless they are meeting with other vaccinated people.

For unvaccinated people, face coverings are required outdoors any time physical distancing can't be maintained, including at such at things as parades, fairs, sports events and concerts.

Businesses are expected to adhere to the states guidelines, Ghaly said. Both the CDC and state plan to keep the mask requirement in place for students for the rest of the calendar year.

California business leaders including state Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Allan Zaremberg feared the differing federal and state mask requirements will sow confusion. He urged regulators to follow state health officials' lead, while his counterpart at the California Restaurant Association, Jot Condie, had hoped the state would follow the new CDC guidelines.

Regardless, "Californians need to be aware that restaurants and other businesses must follow state and local guidelines, and we ask for the patience of our guests, Condie said.

It is difficult already for business owners to play mask cop, said John Kabateck, director of the California chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses: We hope that they will not be vulnerable to penalties and scrutiny by state regulators or plaintiffs' attorneys because theyre trying to make sense of this labyrinth.

Still, Kabateck he was generally supportive of the state's decision.

If wearing masks for a little bit longer is an ounce of prevention thats going to let mom-and-pops reopen their doors and get people back to work, thats a step in the right direction, he said.

Major retailers including Walmart, Costco and Trader Joes say they wont require vaccinated shoppers to wear a mask unless state or local laws say otherwise.

San Diego retiree Rafael Sanchez, 64, called it a scrambled egg message and blamed his fellow Democrat Newsom for sending conflicting signals involving state rules and the governor's own behavior, an allusion to Newsom attending a fancy dinner party with lobbyists last fall while telling residents to avoid such gatherings.

San Diego hair stylist Emily Follweiler, 27, was relieved masks will still be required indoors.

I think people should still keep wearing it and not have to rely on an honor system, she said, a reference to customers only needing to say they have been fully vaccinated and not provide documentation.

Los Angeles County was among those quickly saying they would follow the state lead. Supervisor Hilda Solis said the county will use the extra month to increase vaccination rates.

So far 43% of residents 16 and over are fully vaccinated in the state's most populous county. That means more than half of our adult population remains vulnerable, Solis said.

Wearing masks and social distancing remain critically important strategies, said Los Angeles County health director Barbara Ferrer.

After becoming the epicenter for the virus in the U.S. at the start of the year, California has seen a precipitous decline. The state positivity rate among those tested has fallen below 1%, officials said Monday, and more than 34.5 million doses of vaccine have been administered as the state approaches the full reopening of its economy.

Newsom, like the Biden administration, has been under pressure to ease mask restrictions as coronavirus cases decline nationwide. But the governor is facing a recall election this fall driven largely by frustration with his handling of the pandemic.

Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, businessman John Cox and reality TV personality and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, all Republicans seeking to replace Newsom, criticized the delay in removing mask requirements.

Cox, who lost in a landslide to Newsom in 2018, said it was notable that the governor had Ghaly deliver the news about the mask mandate but last week the Democratic governor traveled the state to announce a litany of initiatives to spend an unprecedented budget surplus.

He wants to take credit for spending billions of dollars, but then goes into hiding when he has something unpopular to announce, Cox said. "Theres a reason hes hiding: hes wrong.

___

Associated Press writers Christopher Weber contributed from Los Angeles and Julie Watson from San Diego.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The leaders of the Minnesota Legislature and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced a $52 billion deal for the state's next two-year budget on Monday, but lawmakers will have to finish the work next month and difficult negotiations still lie ahead on police accountability and other policy issues.

The agreement calls for a balanced two-year budget without raising taxes, while fully exempting from state taxes federal Paycheck Protection Program loans to businesses and unemployment insurance benefits that were raised during the pandemic. It also includes extra money for summer school to help students catch up after a year of distance learning.

Minnesota did it again. We found commonality amongst ourselves, Walz said at a news conference called to announce the deal, which was reached at about 12:15 a.m.

Walz, Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman agreed it was impossible to nail down the language of all the major budget bills and get them passed before Monday night's constitutional deadline for the regular session to adjourn, so lawmakers will have to go into overtime.

But you have three people who basically respect each other and are able to work well together despite huge ideological rifts between them, said Hortman, of Brooklyn Park.

The task of resolving their differences was harder this year because lawmakers mostly met remotely due to the pandemic and had fewer chances for one-on-one deal-making. The $52 billion deal compares with the $48 billion budget that the Legislature approved in 2019 and $52.4 billion for Walz's original budget proposal.

Before adjourning, the House and Senate voted to liberalize the state's medical marijuana program, which is one of the country's most restrictive and expensive, by allowing smokable marijuana. Democratic House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, of Golden Valley, said costs to patients could fall to around one-third the cost of the oils and pills now available in Minnesota. The House passed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana last week but the Senate refused to take it up.

The governor plans to call the special session for no later than June 14, but the work will begin earlier. Walz is required by law to reconvene lawmakers by that date as a condition for extending the broad emergency powers he has used to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Those powers, which the governor holds under the peacetime state of emergency he declared in March 2020, have been a major source of friction between the governor and Republicans. But Walz repealed his statewide mask mandate last week, and has lifted other restrictions in time for Memorial Day weekend. Walz said that leaves just managing the state's vaccination drive and qualifying for federal funds as the primary reasons to keep extending those powers.

Deciding how to spend $2.8 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money was one of the main complications in reaching a deal, the leaders said. The state didn't get federal guidance on how it can spend that money until last week. Walz will control $500 million of that sum, while the Legislature will get a say in how the rest is spent.

Hortman and Gazelka have left it up to the conference committee negotiating the public safety budget bill to find common ground and decide which Democratic police accountability proposals will make it into the final version.

Senate Republicans had resisted the policing package passed by the House, saying they wanted to focus on the budget and allow time to implement a policing bill that passed last summer following the death of George Floyd. The new package was spearheaded by the legislative People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, which had hoped to build on the momentum of the murder conviction of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in Floyd's death.

Depending on who you're talking to, we're either way apart or close, said Gazelka, of East Gull Lake. Because there are some things that we think that we can do, but again, some people would want a lot more, some people want less.

Another unresolved policy dispute, which the leaders left up to a different conference committee, is the future of Walz's proposed Clean Car rules, which aim to accelerate the shift to electric cars. Republicans have threatened to block the entire natural resources budget bill in an effort to block the plan, raising the specter of a shutdown of state parks just ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.

Republican House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, of Crown, who was not included in the three-way negotiations, criticized the deal on Paycheck Protection Program loans and unemployment insurance. He said the failure to pass the exemption earlier means that roughly 250,000 laid-off workers and 200,000 businesses will have to pay those taxes by midnight Monday and wait for refunds. State officials haven't figured out yet whether those people and businesses will have to file amended returns or whether the state can process refunds on its own.

This was the least productive session in modern history, Daudt told reporters after adjournment.
Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police / Contributed Photo

NAUGATUCK  A stretch of Route 8 south was closed Monday morning after of a crash involving a dump truck, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Route 8 south is closed between Exits 27 and 26 because of the crash. It was first reported by the CTDOT at 9:13 a.m.
A Cornish free range egg producer has explained how the adversity of the pandemic led to the creation of a scheme to provide hungry families with eggs.

A surplus of eggs had led St Ewe Free Range Egg to create a temporary scheme to provide food to struggling food banks in the South West of England.

CEO Rebecca Tonks has explained how this had developed into ongoing support for families who are finding it difficult to feeds themselves.

It started in January this year, she told those taking part in the recent Pig & Poultry Forums, when the third lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic was underway.

Eggs sales had taken quite a hit and the highest number of eggs was coming in from producers, as farm gate sales had dropped," she said at the virtual event on 12 May.

"We had to think of something drastic, as the volume of egg was building and the potential for waste was increasing.

Our pasteuriser had no foodservice demand and staff were moved into the packing centre. Larger processors were also in the same boat.

"Things had slowed down and they were having a tough time with foodservice shut, manufacturing was struggling to operate with Covid restrictions and Brexit now in full swing.

Ms Tonks said that 52 percent of St Ewes customers were foodservice businesses, who now had no income as a result of lockdown.

(Photo: St Ewe Free Range Egg)

Finding a home for surplus egg was quite a challenge, she said. This is when a member of our team came up with the Shell Out to Help Out concept.

"The concept was to sell trays of eggs to the general public and use the funds from this help to cover the cost of packing the eggs and six pack cartons for the food banks.

"Everyone, including our producers, contributed to Shell Out to Help Out and our team for three months gave up their weekends to volunteer selling eggs out of the backs of lorries and vans at different locations around Cornwall.

She said that St Ewe was selling up to eight pallets a weekend from January through to March.

The company and its producers had now donated more than 200,000 eggs to food banks across the South West of England.

She said that running the Shell Out to Help Out scheme had shown them that consumers wanted not only beautiful, healthy eggs, but also an emphasis on transparency, trust and community.

Visiting food banks and seeing first hand the desperate situation that many families are in, we really wanted to continue our community contributions and so Shell Out to Help Out has evolved into the Bakers Dozen.

"Every dozen eggs we sell to the retail sector, we donate the thirteenth egg to a food bank. With the furlough scheme coming to an end in September, it is highly likely than many more families will need support. St Ewe would like to do our bit.

For St Ewe, itself, in March 2020 retail egg sales soared, she said, but not enough to absorb the loss of the foodservice sector.

However, looking ahead she said: We are all really confident that the British public like eggs, lockdown has proved it. From a producers point of view, I feel like I am in the right business.

The company had found a site for a new packing centre, it had planning approval for it and she said that St Ewe had launched a new brand called Super Egg.
Farmers are needed to take part in veterinary field trials that will test out a new bovine TB vaccine and diagnostic skin test for cattle.

Veterinary firm Eville & Jones will run trials of the CattleBCG vaccine and the companion DIVA (Detecting Infected amongst Vaccinated Animals) skin test.

The Contract Research Organisation (CRO) is now seeking to work with farmers and veterinary practices to support the trials on suitable farms that meet criteria.

The first phase aims to determine the safety and specificity of the DIVA test in TB-free herds in the Low Risk Area of England and the Low TB Incidence Area in Wales.

Phase one of the trial requires between five and ten farms across the UK to participate.

Bovine TB is one of the most complex and difficult animal health challenges facing farmers.

Figures show that in Wales alone, more than 12,000 cattle were slaughtered in 2019 due to bTB.

Scientists say an effective cattle vaccine has the potential to become a powerful tool in the battle against the disease following the necessary testing and safety approvals.

According to initial research conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency's (APHA), CattleBCG produces a spectrum of protection in cattle.

Around one third of animals are fully protected with an absence of lung pathology, one third are partially protected and one third are not protected at all.

Defra Secretary George Eustice spoke about the vaccine last year: This scientific breakthrough is a major step forwards in our battle to see the disease eradicated from this country.

As wider preventative measures like cattle vaccines are introduced, we will accelerate other elements of our strategy and start to phase out badger culling, as no one wants to continue the cull of a protected species indefinitely.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said the deployment of a viable cattle vaccine used in combination with a validated DIVA test had the 'potential to be a game changer'.

The body's junior vice president, James Russell said: These field trials mark the culmination of years of ground-breaking research by the veterinary scientific community to expand the range of tools available to vets and farmers to tackle bTB.

Who can take part in the new field trials?

The following herd criteria needs to be met for farmers interested in taking part in the research project:

 Officially TB Free for 8 years or more

 Not in a current TB hotspot or in a radial or contiguous testing regime

 TB test window of May  October 2021 or willing to undertake an additional private TB test on selected trial animals

 Approximate herd size of 60+ animals

 Availability of the same practice vet to visit the herd every day for two weeks

 Ideally, a closed herd or with minimal purchases (eg, stock bull only)

Those interested in taking part have been told to contact Dr Lindsay Heasman, by emailing lindsay.heasman@eandj.co.uk.
Thames Valley Police has come under fire after it used a patrol car to hit a loose cow amid fears the animal posed a 'significant danger' to the public.

A graphic video circulating on social media shows officers using a car to ram a runaway cow which had escaped from a nearby farm.

The incident happened on Thursday 13 May on a road near to the A329M in Wokingham, Berkshire.

The loose cow had caused injuries to a member of the public and a police officer who had to be taken to hospital.

But hundreds of social media users have since criticised Thames Valley Police, with some calling the action it had taken 'unnecessary' and 'cruel'.

In a statement released by the force the following day, it defended the officers' actions by saying that the loose cow presented a 'significant danger to motorists'.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "Officers attended the scene, closed the road and attempts were made over a period of time to contain the animal.

Please see below a statement regarding an incident that took place last night, involving a cow on the A329M in Wokingham ?? pic.twitter.com/19MOnpkong  Thames Valley Police (@ThamesVP) May 14, 2021

"The cow then moved to a residential area of Woodley. Despite efforts of both the police and the farmer to whom the animal belonged, the cow could not be safely brought under control.

"The cow became increasingly distressed and charged at a member of the public causing her minor injury, as well as causing injuries to a TVP officer and damage to vehicles."

The force said that one of their cars were used in an effort to stop the cow from running ahead, after all other attempts including tranquillisation had been unsuccessful.

The Thames Valley Police spokesman went on to say that a private company was then used to 'humanely euthanise' the cow.

"This decision whilst not taken lightly, was necessary to limit the suffering of the animal, to prevent further injury and to ensure the safety of the public."
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
Police say the men were involved in an altercation that led to the stabbings. Police say that all involved have been identified, but they have not released the names.
If youre thinking about buying a property in Turkey and need some help to make your dream come true, give Oceanwide Properties a call.

Oceanwide Properties

Established in the UK in 2005 by Suleyman (Sam) Akbay, Oceanwide Properties is a fully accredited, well established and successful property business with offices in Turkey. With years of experience in the UK and Turkey market, the professional and knowledgeable bilingual team at Oceanwide Properties ensures its clients receive a trustworthy and reliable service.

Suleyman (Sam) Akbay, owner of Oceanwide Properties and Sam Akbay Estate Agency (UK)

Oceanwide Properties offer a no-nonsense and friendly approach to Turkish property investment, sales and consulting. With head offices in the UK and Fethiye (run by Suleymans sister, Hulya Akbay), and a number of regional and associate offices along the Turkish coast, they are ideally equipped to help investors along the path to securing a Turkish home.

A property to suit all tastes and budgets

Oceanwide Properties have a property to suit all tastes and budgets. From holiday homes, buy to lets, home from homes or luxury mansions, they have it covered  and if there is nothing on the books that suits, the team will gladly head off and hunt down the ideal home for you.

Owner Suleyman (you can call him Sam) believes in keeping the interest of his clients at the heart of any sale or purchase and prides himself on his team being readily available to speak with clients who have questions or would like some advice.

Selling Turkish properties is not just our job, its our passion. Your journey may start by simply browsing our website, watching a property video or reading our posts on social media, but get in touch and let us guide you through the entire process from start to finish.  Suleyman (Sam) Akbay

Click here to contact Oceanwide Properties or call Hulya Akbay on +90 541 320 0080

Alternatively, pop in to the office for a chat.

https://www.oceanwideproperties.co.uk/

Sam Akbay Estate Agency

Due to the increasing demand from existing clients for properties in the UK, Sam Akbay Estate Agency has been established in association with Keller Williams, a global company with over 190,000 estate agents, making it the largest in the world. Sam Akbay Estate Agency is an extension of www.oceanwideproperties.co.uk.

Sam Akbay Estate Agency is committed to providing its clients with the same exceptional service as their parent company Oceanwide Properties and follows the ethos, ethics and guidance from the National Association of Estate Agents at all times.

Sam Akbay is a fiduciary bespoke estate agent, working to meet the individual needs of each client by listening to their exact requirements and employing a range of marketing strategies that will suit the needs of clients.

Sam Akbay Estate Agency also work as a buyers agent, so if you are looking to purchase a property rather than selling then please get in touch.

Click here to contact Sam Akbay Estate Agency

https://www.samakbay.co.uk/

Remove the stress and worry when relocating to another country

Whilst clients are accustomed to their chosen estate agent deal with all aspects of both buying and selling properties, that isnt always the case when youre selling and buying in different countries.

Having Sam Akbay Estate Agency operating in the UK and Oceanwide Properties in Turkey can remove the stress and worry of relocating to another country by dealing with all aspects of your entire home buying and selling experience.

If you are planning to buy a holiday home in/or move to Turkey (or are planning to relocate back to the UK) and you need help finding the right property, please contact Suleyman who will be happy to advise you.

Email: suleyman@oceanwideproperties.co.uk

Tel/WhatsApp: +90 541 320 0080 (Turkey) or +44 7760 155601 (UK)

In the meantime, click on the links below to have a look at some of the properties for sale in Fethiye and the local area.

Property for sale in Fethiye

Property for sale in Cals

What do our clients have to say?

Sam Akbay and his team in Turkey have helped us purchase our dream properties, we purchased an apartment and a villa, unfortunately later down the line due to family circumstances we had to sell both our properties, we have given Sam power of attorney to sell on our behalf. He sold them both for us and everything went smoothly and we have received our funds without any delay. It is a huge trust giving someone power of attorney, Sam and his team have never failed to deliver. We always recommend his services to our friends and family. -Janet

Best property agent Ive ever come across! Highly recommended!  Matt

Extremely efficient and very professional. I would strongly recommend this agent and would use them again. Ehsan

Sam dealt with our sale and was the most professional person we have ever dealt with, he kept us constantly informed of proceedings by both email and phone. We really cant praise or thank him enough. Hulya dealt with the legal side of the sale and she too was superb. Both my wife and I would recommend Oceanwide Properties without hesitation whether youre buying or selling.  Chris and Carel

Excellent, professional, quality homes. Nothings too much to ask.  James

Connect on social media to keep in touch:

Oceanwide Properties

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This is a sponsored advertorial brought to you in association with Oceanwide Properties
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Director Tigmanshu Dhulia has revealed that late actor Irrfan Khan believed that his character in Haasil would be "remembered like Gabbar Singh" from the cult film, Sholay. Irrfan shot to fame with Haasil which marked 18 years since its release on May 16. "Haasil...16th of May the film did wonders for us I remember doing the background score and Irrfan dropped in we were working on the climax he saw it said this villain will be remembered like Gabbar Singh...well the villain was unlike Gabbar but yes Irrfan will always be remembered," Dhulia shared on Twitter.

Amjad Khan's Gabbar Singh is easily one of the most iconic villains in Hindi cinema. Sholay also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Hema Malini in the lead roles. While Irrfan was honoured with the Filmfare Award for his role in Haasil, he lost out on the National Film Award because Tigmanshu Dhulia had a fight with the producer. He did not get the National Award because I had a fight with the producer. So out of revenge, he (producer) did not send it (Haasil) for the National Awards, which was a huge blow. Im sure Irrfan would have got it in 2004," the director had told a leading news website earlier.
Veteran actor KD Chandran who gave us some of his best work in films like Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and China Gate died on Sunday. The actor had advanced kidney problems which led to his cardiac arrest at a hospital in Mumbai. He was 84 years old. "He had kidney problems. He passed away today morning due to advanced kidney issues that led to cardiac arrest," a hospital source told PTI.

Sudha Chandran, who is his daughter, has penned a tribute to her late father. "Goodbye Appa..till we meet again...so proud to be Ur daughter....I promise you that I will follow Ur principles Nd experience Nd Ur values til the last breath of my life ...bt I must confess a part of me hs gone with you Appa ...Ravi Nd Sudha LV u to eternity.... prayers to god that I shld b born as Ur daughter again . Om shanti (sic)," she wrote on Instagram.
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - China is scheduled to release a raft of data on Monday, headlining a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are April figures for industrial production, fixed asset investment, retail sales and unemployment. Industrial production is tipped to rise 9.8 percent on year after jumping 14.1 percent in March. FAI is called higher by n annual 19.0 percent, slowing from 25.6 percent in the previous month. Retail sales are expected to spike 24.9 percent on year, down from 34.2 percent a month earlier. The jobless rate is expected to hold steady at 5.3 percent. Thailand will provide Q1 numbers for gross domestic product; in the three months prior, GDP was up 1.3 percent on quarter and down 4.2 percent on year. Singapore will see April figures for non-oil exports; in March, exports were up 1.2 percent on month and 12.1 percent on year, with a trade surplus of SGD5.61 billion. Japan will release April data for producer prices; in March, prices were up 0.8 percent on month and 1.0 percent on year. New Zealand will see April results for the Performance of Service Index from BusinessNZ; in March, the index score was 52.4. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DGAP-News: Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V. / Key word(s): AGM/EGM

Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V.: Vivoryon Therapeutics Announces Notice of its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on June 28, 2021



17.05.2021 / 07:00

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Vivoryon Therapeutics Announces Notice of its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on June 28, 2021

HALLE (SAALE) / MUNICH, GERMANY, May 17, 2021 - Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: VVY; NL00150002Q7) (Vivoryon) invites all shareholders to Vivoryon's annual general meeting of shareholders to be held on Monday, June 28, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. (CEST).



In accordance with the Temporary Act COVID-19 Justice and Safety (Tijdelijke wet COVID-19 Justitie en Veiligheid) (the COVID Act), shareholders can only attend the meeting virtually through an audio webcast via the company's website.



All relevant documents are available on the company's website: https://www.vivoryon.com/ordinary-general-meeting-of-shareholders-2021/



NOTE:

If the duration of COVID Act is not extended beyond May 31, 2021, the annual general meeting will be held on Monday, June 28, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. (CEST) as a hybrid meeting both virtually through an audio webcast via the company's website, at https://www.vivoryon.com/ordinary-general-meeting-of-shareholders-2021/, and physically at Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Schiphol Boulevard 701, 1118 BN Schiphol, the Netherlands.

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For more information, please contact:

Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V.

Dr. Manuela Bader, Director IR & Communication

Tel: +49 (0)345 555 99 30

Email: contact@vivoryon.com



Trophic Communications

Gretchen Schweitzer / Valeria Fisher

Tel: +49 (0)172 861 8540 or +49 (0)175 8041816

Email: vivoryon@trophic.eu



About Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V.

With 20+ years of unmatched understanding in identifying post-translational modifying enzymes that play critical roles in disease initiation and progression, Vivoryon's scientific expertise has facilitated the creation of a discovery and development engine for small molecule therapeutics. This platform has demonstrated success by developing a novel therapeutic in type 2 diabetes. In its current programs Vivoryon is advancing its lead product, varoglutamstat (PQ912), in Alzheimer's disease and its entire portfolio of QPCT and QPCTL inhibitors in oncology and other indications. In addition, the company pursues a development program for Meprin protease inhibitors with potential therapeutic use in fibrotic diseases, cancer and acute kidney injury.

www.vivoryon.com



Forward Looking Statements

Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of Vivoryon Therapeutics N.V. as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TACOMA, WA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / IONIC BRANDS CORP. (CSE:IONC)(OTC PINK:IONKF)(FRA:1B3) ("IONIC BRANDS" or the "Company") is a regional manufacturer of innovative cannabis consumables and concentrate extract products, is pleased to announce that together with REPS JAPAN Co. Ltd., ("REPS"), the parties have executed a License Agreement that will allow REPS the exclusive rights to produce, manufacture, and distribute CBD vape products throughout Japan under the IONIC brand name.

The companies have been preparing to launch IONIC branded cannabidiol ("CBD") products in Japan since early 2018. After three years of strategic planning, market research, streamlining importation, formulation research and development, and identification of reliable distribution channels, IONIC BRANDS and REPS are now ready to begin selling in Japan.

In the coming weeks of May 2021, the two companies have planned to launch a CBD version of the American IONIC Black Line Disposable Vape Pen for test marketing. The vape oil used is 40% hemp stem-derived CBD and enhanced with various terpenes found in hemp and other plants. Products will be distributed within offline shops throughout Okinawa, Tokyo and online nationwide through one of the largest CBD e-commerce site, http://cbd-library.com, and a direct-to-consumer site. The companies plan to use crowd testing platforms, which are popular in Japan, to test new flavors and devices for this young and growing CBD market.

Dr. Zachary Bell, IONIC BRANDS Chief Science Officer and founder of REPS, has been with the Company since 2017 and lives in Okinawa, Japan. Dr. Bell founded REPS as his own private research company that focuses on developing IONIC BRANDS' R&D programs for both the U.S. and emerging Asian markets. REPS is located at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), one of Japan's premier graduate universities and research institutes.

Unlike the US, the CBD market in Japan has not been saturated with many brands and types of products. While smoking tobacco is still quite popular in Japan, safer alternatives are a growing trend with more and more consumers adopting electronic vaporizers. Education on using CBD vapes are still in progress for this new market, but IONIC is seeing a growing consumer interest in CBD products and vapes. In addition to offering the natural hemp and cannabis flavored vape oils IONIC is known for, REPS is developing flavor options using provincial aromas and tastes.

IONIC BRANDS Chairman and CEO John P. Gorst commented, "IONIC BRANDS and Dr. Bell have been collaborating for several months on the development of a world-class, premium CBD blend that is sourced locally in Japan and working within laboratories of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. We will be jointly selling our products online with REPS direct-to-consumer, as well as select retail locations in Tokyo and Okinawa Japan. This will represent IONIC BRANDS' first international licensing agreement outside of the United States".

Dr. Bell, was quoted saying, "While working in the US at IONIC BRANDS, I recognized we would be a more valuable company if we had stronger relationships with academic and biomedical researchers as a means of driving internal innovation and technology development. IONIC BRANDS, and my science team at REPS, are excited to see our years of hard work in Japan finally pay off. Furthermore, IONIC is the perfect fit for Japanese market. Japan is a country that has a high attention to detail and strives to achieve perfection, thus a well suited for IONIC. We are confident the premium luxury IONIC devices, packaging, and formulas will be fast moving products in Japan. Being able to have IONIC products "Made-In-Japan" is one of my biggest contributions to IONIC BRANDS to-date during my 4 years with the Company."

About IONIC BRANDS Corp.

The Company is dedicated to building a regionally based multi-state consumer packaged goods company with a highly respected cannabis concentrate brand portfolio with strong roots in the premium and luxury segments of vape, concentrates and consumables. The cornerstone Brand of the portfolio, IONIC, is a top concentrates brand in Washington State along with its economy brand Dabulous and has aggressively expanded throughout the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The brand is currently operating in Washington and Oregon. IONIC BRANDS' strategy is to be the leader of the highest-value segments of the cannabis market.

On behalf of IONIC BRANDS CORP.

John Gorst

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

For more information visit www.ionicbrands.com or contact:

John Gorst

info@ionicbrands.com

+1.253.248.7927

To stay better informed with the current events of the company you can join our investor community at https://www.ionicbrands.com/investor-community

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The risks are without limitations the price for cannabis and related products will remain consistent and the consumer demand remains strong; availability of financing to the Company to develop the retail locations; retention of key employees and management; changes in State and/or municipal regulations of retail operations and changes in government regulations generally. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the Canadian Securities Exchange, the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Alberta Securities Commission.

SOURCE: IONIC Brands Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647605/IONIC-Brands-to-Produce-CBD-Vape-Products-in-Japan-Its-First-International-Licensing-Agreement
BERLIN, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 /

Significant on-farm cultivation of two prominent hot chilli varieties and with smallholder farmers as a win-win business model

On-site state-of-the-art processing factory to expand the chilli product range offered to off-takers with a short payback period

Unification of the entire value chain of dried spices on the company's premises

Paprika added to the product portfolio under irrigated conditions

Agri Holding N.V. (the "Company"), the Euronext listed agribusiness and farming group (ISIN NL0010273694, Symbol MLAAH), updates about developments of its new chilli activities with the current start of the first harvest season. In order to achieve additional contribution margins, the Company invests into a state-of-the-art processing facility for chilli and other spices to further scale the Company's superfood value chain and product portfolio. With a flake-milling technology installed on-site at its Zambian subsidiary, the Company will be able to increase the added value with its own grown chilli as a strategic product.

Sizeable chilli production on-farm and in partnership with smallholder farmers (outgrowers)

At the beginning of the year, the Company started its first large-scale cultivation of two in-demand hot chilli varieties, Long Slim Cayenne and Bird's Eye, for both local and export markets, following the Company's aim to further scale its trading volume while having positive impact in local communities. Both varieties are currently cultivated on the Company's own farms on a total number of 200 hectares in Zambia and Uganda, as well as in partnership with more than 2,000 smallholder farmers, who benefit through a contract farming agreement with the Company and an income diversification opportunity.

With the choice to cultivate two prominent chilli varieties, the Company is able to systematically supply off-takers with chilli products of various pungencies. While the Long Slim Cayenne savouriness ranges from a moderate 15,000 to 30,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) and is predominantly used around the world to flavour food, the Bird's Eye chilli have a range of 30,000 to 100,000 SHU and are among the hottest of chilli.

On-site processing of chilli to increase the added value (payback period less than 2 years)

With an expected processing volume of 1,500 metric tonnes of dried chilli this year, the Company has now taken the next step to expand the product mix offered to its local and international off-takers and to act adaptible on the market for chilli products. With a German enginered and manufactured facility, the dried chilli will be processed into flakes with seeds, pure flakes and seeds, in accordance with international food and processing standards.

Furthermore, the total investment of about 1 million Euro investment in a new production building and the flake-milling technology as well as additional compenents like solar dryers and state-of-the-art sorting equipment enables the Company to process other dried spices in future. This allows the Company to easily expand its product offering and is a solid long-term operational investment. With an expected payback period of less than 2 years, Amatheon added a supplementary source of contribution margins from processing for the future - in addition to the contribution margins from growing and trading chillis.

"The demand for hot chilli products is unabated", says Founder and CEO of Amatheon Agri Holding N.V, Mr Carl Heinrich Bruhn. "With the establishment of our own spice processing facility, we have streamlined our superfood value chain even further and can now provide chilli end-products to our off-takers."

Expanding the product portfolio by adding paprika

To meet strong demands from partners in the spice markets, the Company has furthermore decided to cultivate ca. 80 hectares of sweet paprika in the upcoming Zambian winter planting season with an expected harvest volume of ca. 300 metric tonnes of dried product. The paprika will be cultivated under irrigated conditions and will benefit from the ideal growing conditions of the Zambian climate. Global demand for paprika products to add moderate spice and colour to dishes is rising. "By first adding chilli and now paprika to this year's portfolio, we demonstrate the potential and flexibility of our modern farming infrastructure in Africa", says Bruhn.

For further information please see the Group's website: https://amatheon-agri.com

Contact:

Laura Schenck

Amatheon Agri Holding N.V.

Friedrichstrasse 95, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Tel: +49 30 53 000 90 121

Fax: +49 30 53 000 90 20

Email: l.schenck@amatheon-agri.com

About Amatheon Agri Holding N.V.:

Amatheon Agri is a European agri-food company with headquarters in Berlin and production sites in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since its foundation by Mr. Carl-Heinrich Bruhn in 2011, Amatheon Agri has established sustainable agricultural value chains from cultivation to product-specific processing and trading processes in Zambia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. With a combination of international distribution network, incorporated local know-how as well as a sustainable vision for the future, Amatheon Agri has been able to establish itself as a strategically aligned global player in the African agricultural sector.

In 2020, Amatheon Agri also launched its new brand for 100% natural, fair and sustainably grown food from Zambia, Uganda and Zimbabwe: ZUVA Foods.

https://www.zuva.de

https://www.instagram.com/zuvafoods/

https://www.facebook.com/zuvafoods

The Shares of Amatheon Agri are listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (ISIN NL0010273694, Symbol MLAAH) and on the Lang & Schwarz Exchange in Germany (Symbol/WKN A1J4XD).

The Convertible Bonds of Amatheon Agri are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with ISIN DE000A286BY3 and Symbol/WKN A286BY.

SOURCE: Amatheon Agri Holding N.V.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647689/Amatheon-Agri-Investment-into-Chilli-Processing-Factory-and-Adding-Paprika-to-Increase-Contribution-Margins
I will walk over to a vaccinator with them, and then distract them with conversation, Hundley says. I usually can reassure people. I just want to get shots into as many arms as possible, because its been very hard as a person of faith to not be able to gather together normally or visit our clergy members in the hospital.
Volta FinanceLimited (VTA/VTAS)

Directorate Change

NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION,

IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

Guernsey, 17May2021

The Board of Volta Finance Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Dagmar Kent Kershaw as an independent non-executive director, with effect from 30 June 2021.

Ms Kershaw is an experienced non-executive director, with over 25 years' experience in financial markets, leading and developing fund management and alternative debt businesses. She headed Prudential M&G's debt private placement activities, and launched its Structured Credit business in 1998, which she led for ten years. In 2008, she joined Intermediate Capital Group to head its European and Australian credit business including institutional funds, CLOs, direct lending and hedge funds. Since 2017, she has held non-executive positions and is currently a director of Brooks Macdonald plc and Aberdeen Smaller Companies Income Trust Plc, and a member of the Advisory Council of SVP Global (Strategic Value Partners, LLC). Ms Kent Kershaw holds a BA in Economics and Economic History from York University

Commenting on the appointment, Paul Meader, Company Chairman said "With the retirement of Paul Varotsis at the forthcoming AGM, we are delighted to welcome Dagmar to the board of Volta. Not only does she have enormous experience in structured finance, she is also a highly experienced director. We greatly look forward to her contribution."

Regulatory Disclosure

Ms Kershaw holds the following directorships of publicly quoted companies in the five years prior to the date of her appointment:

Brooks Macdonald Group Plc

Aberdeen Smaller Companies Income Trust Plc

There is no information concerning Ms Kershaw which is required to be disclosed pursuant to Listing Rule 9.6.13 R (2) to (6) inclusive.

For further information, please contact:

For the Investment Manager

AXA Investment Managers Paris

Serge Demay

serge.demay@axa-im.com



+33 (0) 1 44 45 84 47

Company Secretary and Administrator

BNP Paribas Securities Services S.C.A, Guernsey Branch

guernsey.bp2s.volta.cosec@bnpparibas.com

+44 (0) 1481 750 853

Corporate Broker

Cenkos Securities plc

Andrew Worne

Daniel Balabanoff

Will Talkington

+44 (0) 20 7397 8900

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ABOUT VOLTA FINANCE LIMITED

Volta Finance Limited is incorporated in Guernsey under The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) and listed on Euronext Amsterdam and the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for listed securities. Volta's home member state for the purposes of the EU Transparency Directive is the Netherlands. As such, Volta is subject to regulation and supervision by the AFM, being the regulator for financial markets in the Netherlands.

Volta's investment objectives are to preserve capital across the credit cycle and to provide a stable stream of income to its shareholders through dividends. Volta seeks to attain its investment objectives predominantly through diversified investments in structured finance assets. The assets that the Company may invest in either directly or indirectly include, but are not limited to: corporate credits; sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt; residential mortgage loans; and, automobile loans. The Company's approach to investment is through vehicles and arrangements that essentially provide leveraged exposure to portfolios of such underlying assets. The Company has appointed AXA Investment Managers Paris an investment management company with a division specialised in structured credit, for the investment management of all its assets.

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ABOUT AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS

AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) is a multi-expert asset management company within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the largest European-based asset managers with 679 investment professionals and 858 billion in assets under management as of the end of December 2020

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This press release is published by AXA Investment Managers Paris ("AXA IM"), in its capacity as alternative investment fund manager (within the meaning of Directive 2011/61/EU, the "AIFM Directive") of Volta Finance Limited (the "Volta Finance") whose portfolio is managed by AXA IM.

This press release is for information only and does not constitute an invitation or inducement to acquire shares in Volta Finance. Its circulation may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions and no recipient may circulate copies of this document in breach of such limitations or restrictions. This document is not an offer for sale of the securities referred to herein in the United States or to persons who are "U.S. persons" for purposes of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or otherwise in circumstances where such offer would be restricted by applicable law. Such securities may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration from the Securities Act. Volta Finance does not intend to register any portion of the offer of such securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of such securities in the United States.

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This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The securities referred to herein are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance.

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This press release contains statements that are, or may deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "anticipated", "expects", "intends", "is/are expected", "may", "will" or "should". They include the statements regarding the level of the dividend, the current market context and its impact on the long-term return of Volta Finance's investments. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Volta Finance's actual results, portfolio composition and performance may differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements. AXA IM does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements.

Any target information is based on certain assumptions as to future events which may not prove to be realised. Due to the uncertainty surrounding these future events, the targets are not intended to be and should not be regarded as profits or earnings or any other type of forecasts. There can be no assurance that any of these targets will be achieved. In addition, no assurance can be given that the investment objective will be achieved.

The figures provided that relate to past months or years and past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance or construed as a reliable indicator as to future performance. Throughout this review, the citation of specific trades or strategies is intended to illustrate some of the investment methodologies and philosophies of Volta Finance, as implemented by AXA IM. The historical success or AXA IM's belief in the future success, of any of these trades or strategies is not indicative of, and has no bearing on, future results.

The valuation of financial assets can vary significantly from the prices that the AXA IM could obtain if it sought to liquidate the positions on behalf of the Volta Finance due to market conditions and general economic environment. Such valuations do not constitute a fairness or similar opinion and should not be regarded as such.

Editor: AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS PARIS, a company incorporated under the laws of France, having its registered office located at Tour Majunga, 6, Place de la Pyramide - 92800 Puteaux. AXA IMP is authorized by the Autorite des Marches Financiers under registration number GP92008 as an alternative investment fund manager within the meaning of the AIFM Directive.

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BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks were subdued on Monday, with concerns over climbing COVID-19 cases across much of Asia and mixed data from China keeping investors nervous. India's daily spike of coronavirus cases dropped below the 3 lakh mark for the first time in nearly 26 days, but the death toll climbed to 2,74,390 as 4,106 more people succumbed to the disease. Taiwan and Singapore tightened anti-coronavirus restrictions amid fresh virus outbreaks. Overnight data out of China showed factories slowed their output growth in April and retail sales significantly missed expectations. The benchmark DAX was little changed with a negative bias at 15,414 after rallying 1.4 percent on Friday. Bayer AG shares fell 2.2 percent. The company lost its second appeal of the three jury verdicts finding that the company's Roundup weed killer causes cancer. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "It is our duty to invest in a better future for all children with disabilities," says Petar Mandjoukov, Ambassador of Goodwill and recipient of the Order of Charity awarded by the U.S. Congress.

"I don't see people as having disabilities or not - I see them as being good people or people devoid of human compassion. If we fail to make the investments required for children with special needs today, there will be tragic consequences in the future not only for Europe, but for the whole world." These were the words of Petar Mandjoukov, Ambassador of Goodwill of the Disability Movement in Bulgaria and recipient of the Order of Charity awarded by the U.S. Congress, expressing his high appreciation of the new EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, presented on March 3 of this year https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8376&furtherPubs=yes . The document opens the door to greater justice and more equal opportunities for people with psychosocial dysfunctions and mental problems by drawing the focus of the institutional efforts to their dignified inclusion in society. One of the causes to which the Bulgarian philanthropist and diplomat has dedicated himself; is the introduction of programmes for more tolerance and support of disabled people in the workplace.

For his generosity and altruism, Petar Mandjoukov received the well-deserved award of Ambassador of Goodwill of the Disability Movement in Bulgaria from the late Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad who was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mandjoukov also received an award on behalf of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy. The prize was first established by his distinguished relative, the 35th American President J. F. Kennedy who, apart from being the first Goodwill Ambassador, Is also the patron of all initiatives within and outside the United States of America helping disadvantaged people in their battle with disabilities. Today, this cause is supported by Patrick J. Kennedy, who is fighting his own battle and has been very open about his personal struggle.

The humanistic and humanitarian work of Petar Mandjoukov has been the reason for the honorary 'Humanity' prize conferred upon him, as well as the Order of Gratitude for Charity awarded by the U.S. Congress. The name of the Bulgarian diplomat is included in the European Book of GoldenCorporate Donors. In 2007, he was awarded the esteemed prize personally by Donna Steiger, Chairwoman of the Tribunal for Crimes against Humanity.

One of the largest humanitarian projects undertaken by Mr. Mandjoukov was the establishment of a department for work with children at the Integration Resource Centre for People with Disabilities in his home country and the regular supply of equipment and medications for the department. It employs a team of highly qualified psychologists, physicians, rehabilitators, and lawyers consulting more than 10,000 children with physical, mental and sensory disabilities, as well as their families. There are rehabilitation exercise programmes and art therapy programmes with drawing and dancing activities for the youngest children. According to numerous global humanitarian organizations, Mr. Mandjoukov is one of the few Eastern European entrepreneurs who actively endorse the national and municipal initiatives supporting children and adults with disabilities. Thanks to his compassion and understanding, these children are raised in their own homes and not at social institutions, which is crucial for their future integration in a work environment, as commented by various activists. As a sign of appreciation, the Bulgarian government named the newly established department after Mr. Mandjoukov. The social and healthcare workers admit that thanks to the invaluable financial support provided by the honourable Goodwill Ambassador, the Mental Studies Centre is able to help people with disabilities and prioritize the most vulnerable among them, such as children from low-income families.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1511470/Petar_Mandjoukov.jpg
DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE American:GORO) (the "Company") announces the addition of Alberto Reyes to the Company's senior leadership as its new Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Allen Palmiere, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gold Resource Corporation, said, "I would like to welcome Mr. Alberto Reyes to Gold Resource Corporation's senior leadership team. A mining executive with over 20 years of global mining experience, sound technical knowledge and a genuinely practical leadership approach. Alberto is known for producing higher performance operations, unifying workforces and delivering results. I expect that Alberto's addition will allow us to embed these principles with the employees, enabling us to achieve our strategic vision, improve our safety record and operation's performance, and effectively improve our margins."

Mr. Alberto Reyes, a B.Eng by training, has more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry in an operational capacity. His international experience includes North and Latin America, South Africa, Australia, the Philippines, Ghana, and Brazil. Mr. Reyes' expertise includes operations, mine planning, feasibility studies, developing cost-saving strategies, and community and government relations. Mr. Reyes has progressively held more senior roles in Newcrest Mining LTD, GoldFields International Ltd. Luna Gold Corp, and most recently Vice President of Operations at Coeur Mining. Mr. Reyes possesses a B.Eng Mining from Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, is a Chartered Professional Mining and a qualified person with the AusIMM.

About GRC:

Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico. Under the direction of a new board and senior leadership, the focus is to unlock the significant upside potential of its existing infrastructure and large land position surrounding the mine. For more information, please visit GRC's website, located at www.goldresourcecorp.com and read the Company's 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors involved.

Contacts:

Ann Wilkinson

Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs

Ann.Wilkinson@GRC-USA.com

www.goldresourcecorp.com

SOURCE: Gold Resource Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647670/Gold-Resource-Corporation-Strengthens-Senior-Leadership-With-Addition-of-Alberto-Reyes-as-New-Chief-Operating-Officer
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / High Tide Resources Corp. ("High Tide" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has engaged Prospectair Geosurveys Inc. based in Gatineau, Quebec to perform a Heliborne High-Resolution Magnetic and Time-Domain Electromagnetic Survey at its 100% owned Lac Pegma Copper - Nickel - Cobalt property located 50 kilometers southeast of Fermont, Quebec. High Tide is a majority controlled private subsidiary of Avidian Gold Corp ("Avidian") (TSXV:AVG)(OTCQB AVGDF), a company with advanced stage gold assets in Alaska and Nevada.

High Tide Director and Interim CEO, Steve Roebuck, states: "We are very pleased to commence work on the Lac Pegma Project. The high-resolution Mag and EM survey is a key part of our program to expand the historical resource and identify new targets at Lac Pegma. Mapping the ultra mafics with Mag and tracking electromagnetic conductors on a 50-meter line spacing will provide our geologist with a much better understanding of the geology and potential target areas. Historical data (mag only) from government surveys dates back to 1980 and is very widely spaced."

The survey will be carried out with traverse lines oriented N025 in order to properly map the dominant magnetic/geological strike, and with a 50m line spacing. Control lines will be flown perpendicular to traverse lines and at a 500 m line spacing. Total survey distance is 599-line kilometers. The survey begins on or before May 17 and data collection is expected to be completed within 2 to 3 days - weather dependent.

Qualified Person Statement

All scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release was prepared and approved by Steve Roebuck, P.Geo., interim CEO & VP Exploration of High Tide Resources Corp. who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved this news release.

About High Tide Resources Corp.

High Tide is a private corporation that is focused on, and committed to, the development of advanced-stage mineral projects in Canada using industry best practices combined with a strong social license from local communities. High Tide is earning a 100% interest the Labrador West Iron project located adjacent to IOC/Rio Tinto's 23 mtpy Carol Lake Mine in Labrador City, Labrador and owns a 100% interest in the Lac Pegma Copper-Nickel-Cobalt deposit located 50 kilometres southeast of Fermont, Quebec. High Tide's majority shareholder is Avidian Gold.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Roebuck

High Tide Interim CEO & VP Exploration

Mobile: (905) 741-5458

Email: sroebuck@avidiangold.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-looking information

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from

those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Avidian Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647657/High-Tide-Commences-Geophysical-Survey-at-its-Lac-Pegma-Copper--Nickel--Cobalt-Project-in-Quebec
COLLEGE STATION, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / In a significant white paper, Enzolytics inc. (OTC PINK:ENZC) (http://enzolytics.com/) and Intel Corporation (https://www.intel.com) has published a thought leadership collaboration. The white paper titled, "Optimizing Empathetic A.I. to Cure Deadly Diseases," [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/healthcare-it/resources/enzolytics-whitepaper.html] highlights Intel's Artificial Intelligence Analytic tools and Enzolytic's innovative approach and groundbreaking contributions to create universal, durable, and broadly effective treatment targeting all virus variants.

This collaborative effort approaches the future of medicine; a future wherein the process of healthcare evolves from reactive to anticipatory, as exemplified by P4 Medicine, a term coined by Biologist Leroy Hood:

Predictive - Our genetic makeup can predict the diseases we are at risk for.

Preventative - Medicine that refocuses care on the future rather than the present.

Personalized - Every human is genetically different and unique. This kind of approach will give autonomy to individuals as they transition from health to disease.

Participatory - This pillar is a crucial aspect that involves (i) convincing physicians of the potential of adopting newer technology, (ii) educating patients about the opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities of adopting the technology, and (iii) revolutionizing the entire medical community's mindset.

The White Paper underscores Intel's recognition of the premise of P4 Medicine and embraces Artificial Intelligence to deliver on the promise. Intel has made incredible advances in Artificial Intelligence's applications to Empathetic A.I., outsourcing healthcare tasks and decisions to rational machines, freeing up time for healthcare professionals to engage in empathetic care, cultivating trusting relationships with their patients.

While Empathetic A.I. is promising, scientific and healthcare-related studies generate large amounts of invaluable data. Intel is empathetic to this challenge and has responded by building a graph analytics processor that can process streaming graphs thousands of times faster, and at much lower power, than current processing technology. Graph representation of data enables a schema of independent analytics that scales with the data size and data types. Knowledge Graphs - a significant class of graphical representations of data - are expected to play a substantial role in several spaces: investment insights, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, government analytics, enterprise A.I. analytics, social media insights, drug discovery & repurposing, and predictions of virus mutations.

A breakthrough of traversing issues with scalability, Intel's Programmable Integrated Unified Memory Architecture (PIUMA) offers solutions. Both PIUMA and graph analytics will add velocity to drug discoveries, repurposing of existing drugs, and predictions of virus mutations. Dr. Gaurav Chandra, Chief Operating Officer, talking about Intel's A.I. Analytic tools, says, "There is excellent potential for Intel's Innovative Artificial Intelligence Analytics to pioneer the way for a paradigm shift in Healthcare; we are confident that Intel's PIUMA and Graph Analytics will advance drug discoveries and prognosticate virus mutations. "

Intel commends the discovery of Dr. Joseph Cotropia and Dr.Gaurav Chandra. Dr. Cotropia discovered a genetic amino acid sequence designated KLIC in the outer envelope of HIV. Discovering this sequence is like finding a "needle in a haystack" and retrieving the needle. These immutable sites have been identified and the antibody that targets those sites created. This antibody (Clone 3) can lock onto the KLIC epitope. Once bound by the antibody, the virus cannot infect a human cell and cannot ultimately reproduce.

Patented by Dr. Cotropia, this HIV monoclonal antibody has been successfully tested in five international labs. Clone 3 antibody neutralized [at an IC90] 95% of all HIV primary isolate strains (41/43) -across all clades and groups - against which tested it. For an antibody to be effective, it has to attack a neutralizable site on the virus that is always present and does not mutate. Knowing the binding site for the monoclonal Clone 3 antibody on the HIV-1 virus and then examining the Coronavirus amino acid sequence, a correlation in the structures has been identified by Dr. Joseph Cotropia and Dr. Gaurav Chandra. Specific antibodies that broadly neutralize are necessary to provide effective therapy and prevention of disease. These applications in using a monoclonal antibody in passive immunotherapy are accomplished by using Enzolytics' proprietary method of producing broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. However, a primary focus on identifying immutable binding sites on the virus and then creating monoclonal antibodies that bind to such immutable sites is required will universally and durably neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Dr. Gaurav Chandra recognized A.I.'s potential and, based on knowledge of these homologous viral structures, targeting the corresponding "Achilles Heel" site on a virus, an expected conserved immutable and neutralizable site was identified.

Consequently, Dr. Chandra worked with Denver Scientific's genetics molecular biology data science team to screen more than 50,512 Coronavirus and 87,336 HIV isolates, the largest known repository of HIV and Covid- 19 isolates in the world. From this very complex and extensive A.I. analysis, conserved sites immutable on HIV and Covid-19 were identified. The use of A.I. helped to confirm the sequence determined throughout two decades of Dr. Cotropia's career. Additionally, another seven conserved sequences have also been identified using A.I. technology, while in another breakthrough, 19 conserved sequences over the entirety of the 50,512 Coronavirus isolates analyzed have been identified. These immutable sites on the SARS-CoV-2 virus have also been confirmed as existing (100%) in the U.S. SARS-CoV-2 virus variants that have surfaced in United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa.

As a trifecta, Intel technology, P4 Medicine, and the efforts of Enzoyltics requires effective public policy; policies that will fuel this trifecta as a promising thought leadership experiment; a necessary journey of experimentation as humanity bravely marches towards cures for society's most deadly diseases; towards a more Empathetic A.I. Cultivating a technology-neutral public policy, regulatory, and government investment environment is paramount to this end. The consensus is for five primary policy drivers to cultivate trust, empathy, and velocity that will help in realizing the potential described in the White Paper. The five policy drivers are to:

perpetuate public-private partnerships foster secure federated machine learning implement standards and frameworks to address structured and unstructured data challenges ethically liberate datasets for evolving regulatory environments minimize bias to optimize empathetic A.I.

The conclusion described in the White Paper is that Enzolytics Inc's use of Artificial Intelligence underscores a novel approach in assessing millions of virus sequences to identify the conserved segments essential for virus survival. Through effective public and private sector symbiosis and the fostering of a technology-neutral regulatory environment, the genuine power of A.I., coupled with advanced techniques in proprietary technologies illustrated in the Enzolytics immunotherapeutics, will no doubt create universal, durable, and broadly effective treatment targeting all virus variants.

Charles Cotropia, CEO said: "We are honored and privileged to work with the preeminent international corporation Intel in a collaborative manner focused on the optimum way to advance healthcare using science and technology together. Combining science with technology will guarantee success."

About Enzolytics, Inc.

Enzolytics, Inc. is a drug development company committed to the commercialization of its proprietary proteins for the treatment of debilitating infectious diseases.

Enzolytics' flagship compound ITV-1 (Immune Therapeutic Vaccine-1) is a suspension of Inactivated Pepsin Fraction (IPF), which studies have shown is effective in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. IPF is the active component of ITV-1 and is a purified extract of porcine pepsin. ITV-1 has also been shown to modulate the immune system.

About BioClonetics Immunotherapeutics, Inc.

BioClonetics Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Enzolytics, is a Dallas and College Station, Texas biotech company with proprietary technology for producing fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against infectious diseases including HIV, rabies, influenza A, influenza B, tetanus, and diphtheria. Its proprietary methodology for producing fully human monoclonal antibodies is currently being employed to produce monoclonal antibody therapeutics for other infectious diseases including the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Safe Harbor Statement: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties associated with financial projections, budgets, milestone timelines, clinical development, regulatory approvals, and other risks described by Enzolytics, Inc. from time to time in its periodic reports filed with the SEC. ITV-1 is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or by any comparable regulatory agencies elsewhere in the world.

While Enzolytics, Inc. believes that the forward-looking statements and underlying assumptions contained therein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, including, but not limited to, the ability of Enzolytics to establish the efficacy of ITV-1 in the treatment of any disease or health condition, the development of studies and strategies leading to commercialization of ITV-1 in the United States, the obtaining of funding required to carry out the development plan, the completion of studies and tests on time or at all, and the successful outcome of such studies or tests. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this release will prove to be accurate.

Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of the statements made, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

IR contact

TEN Associates, LLC

Tom Nelson, CEO

(480) 326-8577

Investor Relations Contact

Company Contact

Enzolytics, Inc.

2000 North Central Expressway

Plano, TX 75074

and

Research Center

Enzolytics, Inc.

Texas A&M University

Institute for Preclinical Studies

College Station, TX 77843-44

SOURCE: Enzolytics, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647624/Enzolytics-Inc-and-Intel-Corporation-Co-Author-White-Paper-on-Use-of-Artificial-Intelligence-for-Social-Good
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2021) - SLANG Worldwide Inc. (CNSX: SLNG) (OTCQB: SLGWF) ("SLANG" or the "Company"), a leading global cannabis consumer packaged goods ("CPG") company with a diversified portfolio of popular brands, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Sam Brill and Ms. Felicia Snyder as independent directors on its Board of Directors. SLANG's Board of Directors is now comprised of nine directors, six of whom are independent.

Mr. Chris Driessen, President and CEO of SLANG, stated, "Felicia and Sam are both seasoned professionals with significant knowledge and experience in the cannabis industry. As we enter the next chapter of our growth, we made the strategic decision to expand our Board and bring on two executives who have led several companies through tremendous growth. They will help us build value for our shareholders and provide ongoing counsel and guidance in achieving our short and long-term objectives."

Mr. Brill has served as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Seventh Avenue Investments ("SAI") since August 2017, focused on direct investing in debt and equity securities of a wide range of both growth-oriented and distressed private companies. SAI is the private equity arm of a single-family office in New York City with a multibillion-dollar asset portfolio. In addition to building SAI's diversified portfolio in traditional sectors, Mr. Brill expanded the investments of the family office into the cannabis sector with a total cannabis portfolio that now exceeds $160 million. In a number of these investments, he played a critical role in helping management with strategic decisions, corporate reorganization, and financial planning. Before joining SAI, Mr. Brill was the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of Weismann Capital, a single-family office in Stamford, CT, responsible for all long and short investments in public equities and credit. Previously, he also served as the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Amedia Networks (formerly TTR Technologies), a publicly traded technology company. He started his finance career at JDS Capital Management, a highly successful technology focused hedge fund.

Mr. Brill noted, "As a long-term shareholder of SLANG, I am excited about the additional impact I can make as a director on the company's growth and direction. SLANG has compelling prospects and I look forward to bringing my experience and track record in the capital markets, cannabis industry, and corporate strategy to the SLANG Board of Directors."

Ms. Snyder was a Founding Executive at Tokyo Smoke, one of Canada's most recognized cannabis brands and a leading Canadian cannabis retailer, where she led the company through its merger with Doja Cannabis and its eventual sale to Canopy Growth. Post-acquisition, she was Vice President at Canopy Growth, managing Canopy's portfolio of premium cannabis brands. Prior to Tokyo Smoke, she worked for several years in South Korea with Samsung Electronics in its Global Strategy Group and Smart TV Services Group where she led a variety of projects related to business strategy, acquisitions, investments, and developing new partnerships, products and services. She was also a Senior Market Manager at Google and a Management Consultant at Oliver Wyman, a global consulting firm. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her Bachelor of Commerce at McGill University (graduating with Great Distinction).

Ms. Snyder commented, "As the cannabis market matures from supply-driven, to brand driven, I believe SLANG is well positioned and on the precipice of significant growth. I am excited to combine SLANG's diverse brand portfolio, multi-state supply chain and dynamic business model with my experience scaling brands and driving growth at start-ups, Fortune 500 and large multinational corporations."

About SLANG Worldwide Inc.

SLANG Worldwide Inc. is a global leader in the cannabis CPG sector with a diversified portfolio of popular brands distributed across the United States. The Company specializes in acquiring and developing market-proven regional brands as well as launching innovative new brands to seize global market opportunities. For more information, please visit www.slangww.com.

To be added to SLANG's email distribution list, please email SLNG@kcsa.com with "SLNG" in the subject.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management of SLANG at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties and contingencies that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to regulatory risks, risks related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, changes in laws, resolutions and guidelines, market risks, concentration risks, operating history, competition, the risks associated with international and foreign operations and the other risks identified under the headings "Risk Factors" in SLANG's annual information form dated April 29, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SLANG is not under any obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Media and Investor Inquiries

Investors@SLANGww.com



KCSA Strategic Communications

Phil Carlson / Elizabeth Barker

SLANG@kcsa.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84274
LONDON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Highlights

Appointment of Monica Pinto as Appian's CFO strengthens the Company's senior leadership team

Monica will support the Executive Team on leading the financial management of the company

Brings 20 years of experience in financial services across Europe , Asia and Latin America and over 25 years of experience in both Emerging Markets and developed economies

Appian Capital Advisory LLP ("Appian" or the "Company"), the investment advisor to long-term value focused private equity funds that invest solely in mining and mining related companies, announces the appointment of Monica Pinto as the Company's Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") with immediate effect.

As Chief Financial Officer, Monica will work closely with the Executive Team in managing the financial operations of the Company at a group corporate and portfolio level. This will include responsibility for relationships with banks and co-ordinating the finance and administration of fund vehicles, with oversight of financial and regulatory reporting, deal structuring and tax, as well as maintaining investor relationships alongside Appian's CEO and the Global Investor Relations team.

Monica has spent over two decades in the financial markets, most recently as part of the founding team and CFO at Apis Partners, a private equity fund manager with over USD $1bn under management. During her time at Apis, Monica led the operations of the group across Europe, Africa and Asia, supported its exponential growth from the launch of its inaugural fund, and was responsible for the finance and administration of all fund vehicles.

With a strong track record of success in managerial leadership, strategic development, and operational execution, Monica has worked in investment banking, including as Head of the Business Unit for Banco Efisa, Portugal, and in strategic consulting, where she was Manager for the Financial Services practice at Marakon Associates, UK, covering a range of jurisdictions globally. Monica started her career as a Consultant at UNISYS in Portugal before becoming an Analyst, and later Project Manager, at Procter and Gamble in Portugal and then Germany, overseeing projects in Latam and South East Asia.

Prior to her professional career, Monica was educated at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Portugal, graduating with First Class Honours in Engineering, before receiving her MBA from INSEAD in 2002. She is a founding member and former co-Head of INSEAD's Private Equity and Entrepreneurship Club, Portugal.

Michael W. Scherb, Founder and CEO of Appian, commented:

"It is fantastic that Monica is joining Appian as Chief Financial Officer, in what is the latest step in the growth and institutionalisation of our Firm. Her experience across financial services and private equity demonstrates that she will be an incredibly valued member of the Executive Team. I am confident Monica's expertise will help us build on our excellent growth trajectory as we continue to assert ourselves as the leading private capital provider to the metals and mining sector, and I look forward to working with her closely."

Monica Pinto, Chief Financial Officer at Appian, added:

"I am thrilled to be joining Appian at this exciting time, with the business continuing to expand its global breadth and expertise at a time of such opportunity in the sector. I'm looking forward to working with Michael and the impressive members of the Appian Team as we look to capitalise on a unique business model and opportunity."

For further information:

Finsbury Glover Hering +44 (0)20 7251 3801 / AppianCapital-LON@finsbury.com

Charles O'Brien, Ruban Yogarajah, Richard Crowley, Theo Davies-Lewis

Appian Capital Advisory +44 (0)20 7004 0951 / info@appiancapitaladvisory.com

Michael W. Scherb

About Appian Capital Advisory LLP

Appian Capital Advisory LLP is the investment advisor to long-term value focused private equity funds that invest solely in mining and mining related companies.

Appian is a leading investment advisor in the metals and mining industry, with global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and a successful track record of supporting companies to achieve their development targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing nearly 5,000 employees.

Appian has a global team of 46 experienced professionals with offices in London, Toronto, Lima, Belo Horizonte and Sydney.

For more information please visit www.appiancapitaladvisory.com, or find us on LinkedIn or Instagram.
JACKSON CENTER, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / Halberd Corporation (OTC PINK:HALB) announces the successful conjugation of gold-coated iron nanoparticles with Halberd's patent-pending monoclonal antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This milestone paves the way for testing to proceed on the elimination of disease through the application of extracorporeal radio frequency waves or laser emissive energy to bodily fluids of infected patients.

Dr. Mitchell S. Felder, Halberd Corporation's Chief Technical Officer stated, "Although we were successful earlier in conjugating solid gold nanoparticles with Halberd's patent-pending monoclonal antibody, we found that the gold was not sufficiently reactive to the radiowaves to accomplish the efficient eradication of the disease antigen. Iron oxide nanoparticles are the ideal metal for this process. Unfortunately, we were unable to create a stable conjugation of the iron oxide with our patent-pending antibody. The gold-coated iron nanoparticle, by contrast, provides the combination of traits to satisfy both conditions:

Sufficiently reactive to radio waves and laser emissive energy, and The ability to facilitate a stable conjugation.

Our patented extracorporeal approach to treatments is a necessary element to the eradication of disease through radiofrequency waves and laser emissive energy."

William A. Hartman, Halberd's Chairman, President & CEO, commented, "We commend the ingenuity and persistence of our team to seek a viable solution. We now have a road to success with the appropriate combination of metallic properties for the disease eradication process. This discovery was only possible with the careful study and testing by Dr. Qiang Chen of GreenBioAZ. With a suitable conjugation methodology achieved, we can now proceed with proof-of-concept testing at Youngstown State University (YSU) using E. coli as a first step. After successful completion of testing at YSU, pathogenic virus testing at a secure Level 3 laboratory will be conducted under the direct supervision of Dr. Chen and the GreenBioAZ team, at the Arizona State University facility."

To get the latest news on Halberd's exciting developments, subscribe by submitting this form.

(https://halberdcorporation.com/contact-us/)

For more information please contact:

William A. Hartman

w.hartman@halberdcorporation.com;

support@halberdcorporation.com

http://www.halberdcorporation.com

Twitter:@HalberdC

About Halberd Corporation.

Halberd Corporation (OTC PINK:HALB), is a publicly traded company on the OTC Market, and is in full compliance with OTC Market reporting requirements. It holds the exclusive worldwide rights to several patent- and PCT-pending extracorporeal treatments for COVID-19 and other medical maladies:

Title Patent/ Application No. Filing Date Status/Document *Method for Treating and Curing Covid-19 Infection US 62/989981 03/16/2020 Provisional PCT/US21/22541 03/16/2021 International PCT *Method for Treating Covid-19 Inflammatory Cytokine Storm for the Reduction of Morbidity and Mortality in Covid-19 Patients US 63/007207 04/08/2020 Provisional Covid-19 Inflammatory Cytokine Storm Treatment PCT/US21/26386 04/08/2021 International PCT *Method for Treating and Curing Covid-19 Infection by Utilizing a Laser to Eradicate the Virus US 63/013104 04/21/2020 Provisional Treating and Curing Covid-19 Infection Utilizing a Laser PCT/US21/28368 04/21/2021 International PCT *Method For The Rapid Identification Of Covid-19 Infection US 63/049441 07/08/2020 Provisional *Nasal Spray To Prevent The Transmission Of Covid-19 Between Humans US 63/080735 09/20/2020 Provisional *Nasal Spray To Prevent The Transmission Of The Covid-19 Virus US 63/108301 10/31/202 Provisional *Method For Treating And Curing Covid-19 Infection By Utilizing Radiofrequency Extracorporeally To Eradicate The Virus US 63/111043 11/08/2020 Provisional *Medication For The Reduction Of Morbidity And Mortality In Persons Infected By Sars-Cov-2 (Covid-19 Virus) US 63/135695 01/10/2021 Provisional

Halberd also holds the exclusive rights to the underlying granted U.S. Patent 9,216,386 and U.S. Patent 8,758,287.

Safe Harbor Notice

Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking statements" (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). The Companies caution that statements, and assumptions made in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and makes no guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made. These statements may address issues that involve significant risks, uncertainties, estimates made by management. Actual results could differ materially from current projections or implied results. The Companies undertake no obligation to revise these statements following the date of this news release.

Investor caution/added risk for investors in companies claiming involvement in COVID-19 initiatives -

On April 8, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and William Hinman, the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, issued a joint public statement on the importance of disclosure during the COVID-19 crisis.

The SEC and Self-Regulatory Organizations are targeting public companies that claim to have products, treatment or other strategies with regard to COVID-19.

The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operations is unknown and will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, new information may emerge concerning the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and any additional preventative and protective actions that governments, or the Company, may direct, which may result in an extended period of continued business disruption, reduced customer traffic and reduced operations. Any resulting financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

We further caution investors that our primary focus and goal is to battle this pandemic for the good of the world. As such, it is possible that we may find it necessary to make disclosures which are consistent with that goal, but which may be adverse to the pecuniary interests of the Company and of its shareholders.

SOURCE: Halberd Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647659/Halberd-Corporation-Reports-Successful-Conjugation-of-Metallic-Particles-SARS-CoV-2-Proprietary-Monoclonal-Antibody
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK / OTCQB:PKLBF / FKT:PKLB) ("Perk" or the "Company"), the parent company of Perk Hero, the mobile commerce platform with perks on curated lifestyle products and digital gift cards, today announced a comprehensive technology upgrade, which includes a new merchant payout system, universal shopping cart and single sign-on.

All of the architectural changes will support the scalability and fast, frictionless experience that Perk Hero merchants and customers require and expect.

"This has been a significant investment on our part and is fundamental to our strategy moving forward," said Jonathan Hoyles, CEO, Perk Labs. "We are committed to pioneering the next generation of mobile commerce and digital loyalty rewards through rapid product innovation."

The new merchant payout system is a new and unique method for merchants to connect their bank accounts to Perk's platform when they sign up to Perk Hero and to receive payment for products sold through Perk Hero. Previously, Perk Hero relied on Stripe's platform to connect with and payout to bank accounts and did not have the desired controls, insights and reporting functionality with respect to merchant payouts. The new Perk payout system allows Perk Coin product development to be more loosely coupled, which will allow for faster innovation, testing and scalability, and is a required step towards Perk Coin becoming a blockchain-based rewards platform.

The new universal shopping cart feature makes it easy to shop simultaneously from a variety of brands and retailers on Perk Hero. Previously, while the checkout process was easy, customers were limited to checking out at only one merchant at a time. Now, with universal shopping cart, customers will be able to add multiple items from various retailers to their cart and checkout all together on Perk.

"We believe that the easier we make it for our customers to shop on our site, the longer they will stay there and browse through the catalogue; and the quicker we can lead someone to a checkout, the more likely it is that they will actually go through with a purchase," explained Jonathan Hoyles, Perk Labs CEO.

Development of the universal shopping cart and the new payout system is complete and Perk plans to complete the migration of all merchant customers from Stripe payouts to the new payout system and deploy universal shopping cart by the end of the month.

Perk's new single sign-on feature streamlines the login experience for new and existing customers across multiple platforms. Customers and merchants can now sign up or sign in to both Perk Hero's mobile app or website using their Google or Apple account, in addition to their phone number. By making the sign-up process simpler and more seamless, Perk believes that it will increase its conversion rate for customers that visit its app or website and then sign up as registered users.

Perk also announced that Michelle Berg has joined the Company as its new Director of Marketing and will oversee the Company's new marketing campaign that will begin rolling out over the next two weeks and fully ramp up in the next quarter. Michelle was previously the Group Lead at Major Tom, an industry-leading marketing agency.
When Thomas Jefferson needed a secluded respite outside the limelight of his main residence, Monticello, he designed Poplar Forest  it is believed to be the earliest octagonal house in America. It became the first true presidential retreat in the nations brief history, according to Peter Hannaford author of Presidential Retreats. Construction of the hideaway began in 1806 under Jeffersons personal supervision; due to his extended obligations in the capital, the sanctuary was not fully completed until just after he left office.
ABI Research's Digital Security Research Director answers critical questions about the Colonial Pipeline ransomware hack

OYSTER BAY, N.Y., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the world asking how the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack could happen to such a large and sophisticated company, global tech market advisory firm ABI Research turned to its Digital Security Research Director Michela Menting with some pressing questions about this stunning breach. Perhaps the most significant statement made by Ms. Menting will give every company a wakeup call: "Any company (especially one with upwards of $500 million in annual revenues) that is not prepared for such attacks has clearly been purposefully skimping on basic cybersecurity tools, training, and strategy."

1.In simple terms, what was the exact nature of the hack?

It was a ransomware attack. In general, this means a threat actor infiltrated corporate IT systems and installed some malware, which encrypts data and systems. As a result, these systems become unusable without a decryption key. The threat actor then offers to deliver the key only in exchange for a ransom payment.

In the case of the Colonial Pipeline attack, the threat actor is a group known as DarkSide. The group utilizes an additional tactic that involves stealing a copy of the data before encrypting the original. This puts additional pressure on the company, as DarkSide threatens to release the data publicly unless the ransom payment is received.

2.What was the primary infrastructure weakness that enabled entry? Was there more than one critical entry point?

The primary infrastructure weakness is unknown at this point as Colonial Pipeline has not revealed any information pertaining to how the threat actors got in. Typically, however, such groups use a mix of social engineering, such as phishing emails, and vulnerabilities of remote access mechanisms, to get in and then privilege escalation (e.g., gaining elevated access to restricted resources) and lateral movements (e.g., using one system to access other systems in order to move deeper into the network) inside the infrastructure to identify weaknesses and assets.

3.What should have been in place to prevent the hack, or to make it more difficult/less successful?

This is also unknown since no information has been shared yet. However, the fact that ransomware shut down most of their operations, both IT and OT, means that their security posture must have been poor at best.

Ransomware is neither new nor revolutionary. The fact that there is a sophisticated, organized cybercriminal market for ransomware shouldn't be news for anyone in the industry. On the contrary, it is a longstanding, experienced, and mature black market. Any company (especially one with upwards of $500 million in annual revenues) that is not prepared for such attacks has clearly been purposefully skimping on basic cybersecurity tools, training, and strategy.

4.This hack is a harbinger of cyberthreats to come. Do you have one or two solutions/recommendations that are critical for companies/governments/utility authorities to implement to prevent hacks like this from happening again?

Attacks like this have been happening since the dawn of the first virus and will continue to happen indefinitely. Cybercrime is as lucrative as the IT industry itself. For companies that take these threats seriously, there are a great many resources available, including guidelines, standards, regulations, best practices, technologies, architectures, strategies, and information sharing processes. These tools are available at the public, private, and international levels, and the U.S., where the attack took place, is among the leaders in the cybersecurity space. Therefore, a failure as big as that of Colonial Pipeline simply shows an obvious willful ignorance to take cybersecurity seriously, to their unfortunate detriment.

Expanding connectivity in both IT and OT will mean continuously increased threat vectors. The key is to understand that even the best cybersecurity solutions will not, and cannot, always guarantee absolute protection for all assets. Consequently, organizations large and small should always be prepared for an eventual attack, which means architecting their infrastructure so that it can continue to operate despite an ongoing attack while simultaneously recognizing and dealing with the threat. This is not an easy feat, but there are concepts such as zero-trust security and cyber-resiliency which can aid in creating such a posture.

5.Do you think this hack will speed IoT security efforts in the U.S. or globally? ABI has forecasted that cybersecurity spending for critical infrastructure will grow to reach US$106 billion in 2021. Should it be more?

Many in the industry expected attacks against critical infrastructure of this nature and breadth to have been launched by nation states. However, despite global geopolitical tensions, most of the big powers have abstained from such large, public-facing, debilitating attacks against one another, as they could be considered acts of war. As such, and despite the dangers, cybersecurity efforts have been sporadic, fragmented, and half-hearted in critical infrastructure, leaving many gaping holes in security postures.

Unsurprisingly, the organized cybercriminal market has stepped in to pick the low-hanging fruit, but ransomware is such a profitable market that it has become highly competitive, with sophisticated ransomware gangs going after bigger and bigger targets. However, there is still a fine line for the types of companies organized crime is willing to go after. The closer these groups get to undermining critical infrastructure, the more dangerous they become to national security and the greater the risk of serious repercussions from concerned governments.

Additionally, these repercussions may not just come from the victim country, but also potentially from their host nation, especially when this country might be Russia or China. To that end, while there is no conclusive evidence that most of these groups are state sponsored, there is clearly an implicit understanding between the gangs and their home countries that allow them to conduct their illicit operations with impunity. If these gangs start to cause too much trouble from a national security perspective and create problems for their host nations, reprisals back home may be likely.

It is clear DarkSide is conscious of such consequences, as evidenced by their recent half-apologetic press release and their efforts to distance themselves from any political motivation some may want to infer about their attack. Nonetheless, it may be that, in this instance, they may have gone after too big a fish, however poorly secured Colonial Pipeline seems to have been. Hopefully, however, it will give large corporations a push to revise and strengthen their cybersecurity strategies, especially those in critical infrastructure, and show them - yet again - that they are not exempt from common cyberattacks.

More information can be found in ABI Research's Critical Infrastructure Security market data report. This report is part of the company's Digital Security research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Market Data spreadsheets are composed of deep data, market share analysis, and highly segmented, service-specific forecasts to provide detailed insight where opportunities lie.

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LONDON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Map Market size, was worth of USD 18.59 Billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 59.94 Billion in 2026, growing at a CAGR of 18.2% from 2021 to 2026. Increasing adoption of advanced technologies for surveying and digital map-making is the key factor driving the growth of Global Digital Map Market.

Global digital map market report covers prominent players are like key players in the market include Google, TomTom, Esri, Here, Digital Map Products Inc., Nearmap, Magellan, Apple, Mapquest, Intrix, Yahoo, AutoNavi, MapWise, Jibestream, Indoor Atlas, Mapillary and others.

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Digital mapping involves the collection and collection of data to create virtual images. It accurately represents a specific geographical area, main roads, rivers and airports, shopping complexes, restaurants, tourist attractions, and future signs and colors as hospitals in and around a particular area. It is also useful to calculate the total distance from one place to another as well as the total time required to get to the actual place considering the traffic. Digital mapping has become mainstream and opened up a whole new range of possibilities in recent years. The first map was used in 1507 with the name of America. Additionally, in the 17th, 18th, and 19th map become accurate and factual. Emerging in the 1970-80 decades, replacing traditional paper cartography with a single database of paper and displaying geographic information, this GIS digital system had maps with digital screens and digital memory as a display system. Moreover, the first appeared in the Sputnik era and experts were able to track satellites with shifts in its radio signals. They move the cars, ships, planes, mobile phones, etc. slowly and steadily.

The Covid-19 has shown a mixed impact om the growth of global digital map market. It has increased the demand of the digital map offerings for aiding in tracking Covid-19 across the world. However, its demand has shown a decline in the other industries like construction, agriculture and others as most of the activities are stopped due to lockdown globally.

The global digital map market report is segmented on the basis of component, mapping type, solution, services, and application, vertical and by regional & country level. Based on component, global digital map market is classified into solution and services. Based on mapping type, global digital map market is classified into mapping type outdoor mapping and indoor mapping. Based on solution, global market is classified into mapping data, web mapping and GPS-enabled services. Based on services, global digital map market is classified into consulting, cross-platform support and deployment & integration. Based on application, global market is classified into real-time location data management, geocoding & geopositioning, routing & navigation, asset tracking and others. Based on vertical, global digital map market is classified agriculture, oil & gas, and other natural resources, infrastructure development, construction, government & homeland security, logistics, travel, & transportation and others.

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News: India's Drone-Powered Digital Maps Project Begins In Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana

On September 15th, 2019; The Survey of India, with support from Department of Science and Technology (DST), has taken up the task of digitally mapping the length and breadth of the country over the next two years. The scientific department has set up three digital centres to generate digital topographic database and create a digital map of India across terrains to aid geo-information systems.

Global Digital Map Market Dynamics:

Increasing technological advancements in the automotive industry is one of the major factors driving the demand for the digital map product offerings. Digital maps have gained importance in navigation and self-driving car technologies that facilitate real-time mapping. Self-driving cars are no longer an idea of the future. Large vehicle manufacturers have already dropped or abandoned their driving features, which give the car the ability to drive itself. To operate safely, autonomous vehicles will need purpose-built HD map datasets, significantly more detailed information, and truth-ground accuracy than those found in current conventional resources. Other areas of automotive applications include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), fleet management, and logistics control systems. Tracking natural disasters, monitoring other environmental emergencies, and measuring the distance between places are some of the desired features of digital maps which contribute to the growth of the digital mapping market. For example, MapAction, a leading mapping organization for the humanitarian crisis, has deployed more than 100 Disaster and Emergency Mapping Specialists and has provided remote assistance to teams responding to many people since 2003. With a rich experience and in-depth understanding of all aspects of humanitarian information management, maps help organizations and governments around the world build and respond to disasters.

Moreover, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies for surveying and digital map-making and extensive adoption drive the market growth. And, the adoption of 3D modeling and digital elevation models is expected to increase the use of this technology. However, the costs associated with LiDAR, legal and regulatory policies may limit the development of the digital mapping technology and the market growth. In spite of that, the emergence of cloud technology and big data in digital mapping solutions may create more opportunities for the further growth of the market.

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North America Is Expected to Dominate the Global Digital Map Market

North America is expected to dominate the global digital map market owing to the early adoption of technological advancement and high investment in research and development activities in this region. The Asia Pacific is expected to witness a fastest growth in this market owing to increasing growth of agriculture, oil and gas, and other natural resources industries and rising adoption of connected cars and the rapid deployment of high-speed communication networks in this region. The increasing need for real-time cloud computing and fast cloud-car communication is creating a market for 5G-enabled connected cars. For example, as of 2018, agriculture employed more than 50% of the Indian workforce and contributed 17-18% to the country's GDP.North America is expected to dominate the digital map market.

Key Benefits for Global Digital Map Market Report-

Global Digital map market trends report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis.

Global Digital map industry statistics research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level.

Global Digital map industry analysis report helps to identify opportunities in market place.

Global Digital map market trends report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape.

Digital Map Market By Regional & Country Level:

North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

U.K.

France

Germany

Italy

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Southeast Asia

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Middle East and Africa

GCC

Africa

Rest of Middle East and Africa

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LONDON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The British Beauty Council is launching a new campaign to encourage people to return to hair and beauty salons - and help get high street and city centre businesses back on their feet.

more than 7,300 salons have gone out of business since March 2020

3 million fewer customers in salons since reopening in April 2021

poster and social media campaign aim to bring back the joy of visiting salons

More than 7,000 salons in the UK have gone out of business since March last year following the forced closures in light of the pandemic; the British Beauty Council fears more businesses will suffer the same fate unless people start returning for treatments. While salons were able to reopen on 12 April 2021, they continue to run at 30 per cent less capacity due to Covid restrictions, resulting in more than 3 million fewer appointments than would have been otherwise.

Millie Kendall, chief executive of The British Beauty Council, says:

"We need to support the high street and city centre premises-based businesses. The personal care sector has not only struggled with the many months of closure and the on-going costs related to keeping their businesses alive - they are also not yet seeing the numbers of clients coming back to salons and stores that they had pre-Covid.

"We need to bring the joy back to beauty by encouraging clients to come back to experience the array of services we offer - most of these require immense skill and can't always be replicated at home."

The 'Oh hello beauty' poster and social media campaign, to be launched on 17 May 2021, aims to reverse the decline, by showing how beauty can help people feel their best.

The UK's 30bn beauty industry was one of the sectors most heavily impacted by coronavirus measures, with hair and beauty salons closed for 140 days of lockdown. It employs more than 600,000 of which more than 80 per cent are women. Full-time equivalent employment numbers are down 21% on 2019 as staff hours were cut and redundancies made despite the furlough scheme. At 30bn, the beauty industry contributes more to the UK economy than pubs, which contribute 23bn a year.

Small Business Minister Paul Scully said: "The beauty sector is so crucial to our recovery from Covid, not only for boosting jobs and local high streets but also for the career opportunities it provides to so many young people, particularly women, and the uplift beauty treatments can give to people's mental health and wellbeing.

"I have had two drastically-needed post-lockdown haircuts in the last year, so I know for myself how important it is to back these vital businesses and keep salons thriving."

More about Oh hello beauty campaign

The "Oh hello beauty' poster and social media campaign was developed in partnership with creative agency M&C Saatchi, with support from patrons of the British Beauty Council, Facebook INC, JC Decaux and Zenith Media. The British Beauty Council are proud to present Oh Hello Beauty, launching 17th May 2021, a campaign to promote the importance of the beauty industry and to encourage clients to return to their much-loved pros. Say OhHelloBeauty and celebrate the talented and valuable hair, beauty & wellness workforce.

You're invited to bring beauty back into your life! How salons, stores and experts can get involved:

Head to the British Beauty Council website Download your Oh Hello Beauty campaign posters and social media assets Print your posters out in either A2 or A3 Place facing outwards to the street in your salon window Use the social media assets on your Facebook and Instagram accounts, tagging @britishbeautycouncil and OhHelloBeauty Use the Gifs and Stickers available via Instagram Stories to help spread the word. Get your clients involved! Ask them to post pictures of themselves after a visit to you, using OhHelloBeauty

Oh Hello Beauty assets available here:

British Beauty Council website: http://bit.ly/ohhellobeauty

Or to feature on your pages please get in touch at joinme@britishbeautycouncil.com

Notes for editors:

The hairdressing, beauty and holistic service industry:
FARMINGDALE, N.Y., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Telephonics Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation (NYSE: GFF), announced today that its Mode 5 Operationally Autonomous Surveillance System (M5OAS) successfully completed all Department of Defense (DoD) AIMS 1201, 1202 and 1203 testing and received platform level certification. The certification testing took place at Wallops Island, Virginia, and Farmingdale, New York and included sensor validation of the company's AN/UPX-44A active Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system and AN/UPR-4(V) 6-channel Passive Detection & Reporting System (PDRS) with results showing both systems meet the requirements of DoD AIMS 17-1000 and exceed operational expectations. During the week-long testing, the PDRS consistently exceeded the maximum range required by passively detecting targets at over 200 nautical miles. The initial M5OAS system has been fully deployed in an operational theatre and additional systems have been delivered to the customer.

The M5OAS is a low cost, quick-set up, Mode S and Mode 5 compliant situational awareness system designed to meet the DoD AIMS 17-1000 program requirements for new and emerging IFF standalone surveillance systems. M5OAS can be used to upgrade legacy radar systems or utilized where Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations have been damaged in disaster relief situations or brought down for facility upgrades.

"Telephonics continues to be an industry leader in the design and development of advanced IFF and ATC technologies, and the M5OAS adds to our legacy. We were the first company to offer an All-Mode, DoD AIMS certified IFF interrogator, and we continue to lead the way by offering the first single shelter unit to integrate both active and passive IFF/ATC surveillance solutions," said David Lopez, Vice President of Surveillance Systems.

For information about the M5OAS system, please contact Kimberly Chernick ator visit www.telephonics.com.

About Telephonics

Telephonics, founded in 1933, is recognized globally as a leading provider of highly sophisticated intelligence, surveillance and communications solutions that are deployed across a wide range of land, sea and air applications. Telephonics designs, develops, manufactures and provides logistical support and lifecycle sustainment services to defence, aerospace and commercial customers worldwide.

Visit us at www.telephonics.com or on our social media channels:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

LinkedIn

About Griffon Corporation

Griffon is a diversified management and holding company that conducts business through wholly-owned subsidiaries. Griffon oversees the operations of its subsidiaries, allocates resources among them and manages their capital structures. Griffon provides direction and assistance to its subsidiaries in connection with acquisition and growth opportunities as well as in connection with divestitures. In order to further diversify, Griffon also seeks out, evaluates and, when appropriate, will acquire additional businesses that offer potentially attractive returns on capital.

Griffon currently conducts its operations through three reportable segments:

Consumer and Professional Products ("CPP") conducts its operations through The AMES Companies, Inc. (" AMES "). Founded in 1774, AMES is the leading North American manufacturer and a global provider of branded consumer and professional tools and products for home storage and organization, landscaping, and enhancing outdoor lifestyles. CPP sells products globally through a portfolio of leading brands including True Temper, AMES , and ClosetMaid.

Home and Building Products conducts its operations through Clopay Corporation ("Clopay"). Founded in 1964, Clopay is the largest manufacturer and marketer of garage doors and rolling steel doors in North America . Sectional garage doors are sold to residential and commercial customers through professional dealers and leading home center retail chains throughout North America under the Clopay, Ideal, and Holmes brands. Rolling steel door and grille products designed for commercial, industrial, institutional, and retail use are sold under the CornellCookson brand.

Defense Electronics conducts its operations through Telephonics Corporation, founded in 1933, a globally recognized leading provider of highly sophisticated intelligence, surveillance and communications solutions for defense, aerospace and commercial customers.

For more information on Griffon and its operating subsidiaries, please see the Company's website at www.griffon.com.

Company Contact: Investor Relations Contact: Brian G. Harris Michael Callahan SVP & Chief Financial Officer Managing Director Griffon Corporation ICR Inc. (212) 957-5000 (203) 682-8311

Forward-Looking Statements

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the company's management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the company's management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Information concerning risks and uncertainties that may impact the company's results and forward-looking statements are set forth in Griffon Corporation's filings with the SEC. The company does not undertake to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 2021 Telephonics Corporation. 815 Broad Hollow Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735. All trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.

SOURCE Telephonics Corporation

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Advantages of 3D culture techniques over 2D methods, surge in demand for organ transplantation, and increase in investment for R&D activities have boosted the growth of the global scaffold technology market

PORTLAND, Ore., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Scaffold Technology Market by Product Type (Natural Scaffold and Synthetic Scaffold), by Type (Macro-porous Scaffolds, Micro-porous Scaffolds, Nano-porous Scaffolds, Solid Scaffolds), Application (Cancer Cell Research, Stem Cell Research, Drug Discovery, Regenerative Medicine, and Others), and End User (Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies, Contract Research Laboratories, and Academic Institutes): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027". As per the report, the global scaffold technology industry was pegged at $398.91 million in 2019, and is estimated to reach $1.25 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2020 to 2027.

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Drivers, restraints, and opportunities

Advantages of 3D culture techniques over 2D methods, rise in use of 3D cell cultures for cancer research, surge in demand for organ transplantation, and increase in investment for R&D activities have boosted the growth of the global scaffold technology market. However, high implementation costs and irregularity in 3D cell culture outcomes hinder the market growth. On the contrary, technological advancements are expected to open lucrative opportunities for the market players in the future.

Covid-19 scenario:

Rise in R&D activities has created a massive demand for scaffold-based platforms in 3D cell cultures to develop a viable treatment against Covid-19.

However, prolonged lockdown resulted in an inconsistent and interrupted supply chain and lack of skilled human resources.

Several countries adopted nationwide lockdown to maintain social distancing. Thus, the trade and transport restrictions, cross-border movement controls, and quarantine measures have minimized the supply of scaffold-based components required for 3D cell cultures.

The synthetic scaffold segment to manifest the highest CAGR through 2027

By product type, the synthetic scaffold segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 17.9% during the forecast period, due to its efficiency over biologically derived materials. However, the natural scaffold segment held the lion's share in 2019, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global scaffold technology market, owing to its properties such as biocompatibility, non-toxicity, biodegradability, good cell recognition properties, and easy functionalization.

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The cancer research segment held the lion's share

By application, the cancer research segment held the largest share in 2019, contributing to nearly one-third of the global scaffold technology market, due to rise in adoption of scaffold-based 3D cell culture in cancer research and the drug discovery and increase in prevalence of cancer across the world. However, the regenerative medicine segment is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 17.6% from 2020 to 2027, as scaffold initiates tissue growth in regenerative medicine, and its presence allows cells to generate biological structural components of the extracellular matrix in a culture environment.

North America dominated the market in 2019

By region, the global scaffold technology market across North America held the lion's share in 2019, contributing to around two-fifths of the market, due to presence of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that use scaffold technology in 3D culture in collaboration with research institutes and clinical laboratories for developing regenerative medicines and drug discovery & development. However, the market across Asia-Pacific is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 18.7% during the forecast period, due to economic development and low operating costs.

Major market players

3D Biotek LLC

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Biotek)

Advanced Biomatrix, Inc.

Corning Incorporated

BioVison, Incorporated

PromoCell GmbH

Merck KGaA (Sigmaaldrich)

Synthecon, Incorporated

Reprocell, Incorporation

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

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We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market.

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- Revenues Continue to Rise Over Prior Year with Strong Performance by Subsidiaries -

SAN CLEMENTE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / Concierge Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB:CNCG), a diversified global holding firm, today announced financial results for the third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2021, with strong performances in revenues, net income and stockholders' equity.

The Company reported that for the three months ended March 31, 2021, revenues continued their rise to $9.5 million from $5.9 million for the comparable prior year period. For the nine months ended March 31, 2021, revenues advanced to $30.3 million from $17.7 million for the same period last year. Income before income tax for the most recent three-month period rose to $2.1 million, equal to $0.04 per share, from a net loss of $208,000, equal to breakeven per share, for the comparable prior year period. Year-to-date pre-tax income increased to $6.8 million, equal to $.13 per share on a fully diluted basis, from a net loss of $240,000, or breakeven per share, a year ago.

Concierge said the primary driver for the fiscal 2021 improvement was an increase in assets under management (AUM) at the Company's Wainwright Holdings funds management subsidiary to approximately $5.1 billion for the nine-month period ending March 31, 2021, compared with $2.2 billion at the same time a year ago. Wainwright, which operates under the name USCF Investments, manages commodity-oriented exchange-traded products (ETPs) that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Company's "Other" business segment, which comprised approximately 37% of total revenues in the most recent quarter, versus 49% of revenues in last year's third quarter, were up approximately $0.6 million year-over-year. The increase was due, in part, to the acquisition of Printstock Products Limited by the Company's New Zealand-based wholly owned subsidiary, Gourmet Foods. The Other segment is comprised of Gourmet Foods, Brigadier Security Systems and Original Sprout.

Concierge's balance sheet further strengthened at the end of the third fiscal quarter. Cash and cash equivalents grew to $14.3 million from $9.8 million at June 30, 2020. Total stockholders' equity increased to $24.7 million at March 31, 2021 from $19.1 million at June 30, 2020. The company has essentially no debt.

"During this third quarter we made significant progress in positioning our subsidiaries for continued growth. Original Sprout moved to a larger facility and continued its efforts to ease consumer access to its products through online platforms such as Costco.com and other large retailers. Brigadier Security Systems garnered an even larger share of the commercial and public building security monitoring business in Saskatchewan, while Gourmet Foods refocused on the lucrative convenience store business in New Zealand while profitably operating its recently acquired Printstock subsidiary which supplies food wrappers in New Zealand and Australia. Couple these initiatives with the continued robust AUM within USCF and we have strong confidence in future growth for the remainder of this fiscal year and beyond," said David Neibert, Chief Operations Officer. "The financial sector has a history of fluctuations, however we are successfully combating those effects through diversification in other profitable industries as well as expanding on our financial service offerings."

"This quarter we once again relied on our subsidiary management teams to endure virtual meetings and operate their businesses in adherence with COVID-19 restrictions worldwide. While we hoped to be back to normal operations by now, we planned for the long haul. Excellence at each subsidiary proved us correct in our thinking as both revenues and income were on the rise once again. While we are looking forward to the end of the pandemic, we are certain that our plans and processes to deal with it are more than sufficient. As such, we are moving forward with our strategy to introduce new product offerings, including Fintech applications through our Marygold and Co. subsidiary, and continue to seek out acquisition candidates." added Nicholas Gerber, Chief Executive Officer. "I'd like to thank our shareholders for their continued support and reiterate our goal to maximize shareholder value as we continue to grow."

Business Units

Gourmet Foods, https://gourmetfoodsltd.co.nz/, acquired in August 2015, is a commercial-scale bakery that produces and distributes iconic meat pies and pastries throughout New Zealand under the brand names Pat's Pantry and Ponsonby Pies. Gourmet Foods also owns Printstock Products Limited, acquired July 1, 2020, https://www.printstocknz.com/, who is a commercial printer of specialized wrappers for food products manufactured in New Zealand and Australia.

Brigadier Security Systems, www.brigadiersecurity.com, acquired in June 2016 and headquartered in Saskatoon, Canada, provides comprehensive security solutions to homes and businesses, government offices, schools and other public buildings throughout the province.

The company's USCF Investments operation, www.uscfinvestments.com, acquired as part of the Wainwright Holdings transaction in December 2016 and based in Walnut Creek, Calif., serves as manager, operator or investment adviser to exchange traded products, structured as limited partnerships or investment trusts that issue shares trading on the NYSE Arca.

Acquired by Concierge at the end of 2017, California-based Original Sprout, www.originalsprout.com , produces and distributes a full line of vegan, safe, non-toxic hair and skin care products, including a "reef safe" sun screen, in the U.S. and its territories, the U.K., E.U., Turkey, Middle East, Africa, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and at various online outlets worldwide.

Marygold & Co, https://marygoldandco.com formed in November 2019 as a development stage corporation headquartered in Denver, CO, seeking to explore opportunities in the Fintech space. Marygold plans to launch a proprietary Fintech mobile app later in the current year.

About Concierge Technologies, Inc.

Concierge Technologies, originally founded in 1996, was repositioned as a global holding firm in 2015, and currently has operating subsidiaries in financial services, food manufacturing, security systems and beauty products. Offices and manufacturing operations are in the U.S., New Zealand and Canada. For more information, visit www.conciergetechnology.net.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" that include information relating to Concierge Technologies' future events and future financial and operating performance. Such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the launch of a new Fintech venture, continue growing the company and adding shareholder value, should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements.

For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting Concierge Technologies or its subsidiary companies, and more detailed information about the individual operating entities, please refer to the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available on the Company's website, (http://www.conciergetechnology.net), or at www.sec.gov.

For more information contact:

Concierge Technologies, Inc.

info@conciergetechnology.net

Tel: 949-429-5370

Financial Tables Follow:

CONCIERGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

March 31, 2021 June 30, 2020 (AUDITED) ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 14,263,287 $ 9,813,188 Accounts receivable, net 1,222,900 717,841 Accounts receivable - related parties 2,051,589 2,610,917 Inventories 1,925,561 1,174,603 Prepaid income tax and tax receivable 559,248 857,793 Investments 1,827,652 1,820,516 Other current assets 434,296 603,944 Total current assets 22,284,533 17,598,802 Restricted cash 13,976 12,854 Property and equipment, net 1,529,537 1,197,192 Operating lease right-of-use asset 1,237,865 733,917 Goodwill 1,043,473 915,790 Intangible assets, net 2,423,201 2,541,285 Deferred tax assets, net 900,878 900,878 Other assets, long - term 540,160 523,607 Total assets $ 29,973,623 $ 24,424,325 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 2,463,690 $ 2,843,616 Expense waivers - related parties 238,886 421,892 Operating lease liabilities, current portion 569,717 323,395 Notes payable - related parties 3,500 3,500 Loans - property and equipment, current portion 14,727 13,196 Total current liabilities 3,290,520 3,605,599 LONG TERM LIABILITIES Notes payable - related parties 600,000 600,000 Loans - property and equipment, net of current portion 378,222 359,845 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 718,142 447,062 Deferred tax liabilities 329,984 261,923 Total long-term liabilities 2,026,348 1,668,830 Total liabilities 5,316,868 5,274,429 STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 50,000,000 authorized Series B: 49,360 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2021 and 53,032 at June 30, 2020 49 53 Common stock, $0.001 par value; 900,000,000 shares authorized; 37,485,959 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2021 and 37,412,519 at June 30, 2020 37,486 37,412 Additional paid-in capital 9,330,843 9,330,913 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 208,085 (144,744 ) Retained earnings 15,080,292 9,926,262 Total stockholders' equity 24,656,755 19,149,896 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 29,973,623 $ 24,424,325

CONCIERGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(UNAUDITED)

For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31, For the Nine-Month Periods Ended March 31, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net revenue Fund management - related party $ 5,997,085 $ 2,986,503 $ 19,182,801 $ 8,866,790 Food products 2,015,529 1,257,205 6,212,698 3,827,564 Security systems 717,664 606,268 2,013,819 2,110,526 Beauty products and other 813,084 1,051,980 2,846,052 2,918,582 Net revenue 9,543,362 5,901,956 30,255,370 17,723,462 Cost of revenue 2,336,541 1,750,845 7,121,339 5,243,803 Gross profit 7,206,821 4,151,111 23,134,031 12,479,659 Operating expense General and administrative expense 1,512,387 1,098,721 5,071,090 3,207,762 Fund operations 860,027 695,529 2,562,525 2,232,816 Marketing and advertising 689,939 604,163 2,227,322 1,811,249 Depreciation and amortization 178,588 148,131 521,584 447,955 Salaries and compensation 1,925,571 1,785,913 6,106,978 5,002,617 Total operating expenses 5,166,512 4,332,457 16,489,499 12,702,399 Income (loss) from operations 2,040,309 (181,346 ) 6,644,532 (222,740 ) Other income (expense): Other income (expense) 26,748 (40,224 ) 203,275 (61,797 ) Interest and dividend income 6,730 23,806 22,193 76,078 Interest expense (9,988 ) (9,979 ) (30,215 ) (31,219 ) Total other income (expense), net 23,490 (26,397 ) 195,253 (16,938 ) Income (loss) before income taxes 2,063,799 (207,743 ) 6,839,785 (239,678 ) (Provision) benefit of income taxes (480,991 ) 190,507 (1,685,754 ) 202,420 Net income (loss) $ 1,582,808 $ (17,236 ) $ 5,154,031 $ (37,258 ) Weighted average shares of common stock Basic 37,474,535 37,412,519 37,432,889 37,383,246 Diluted 38,473,159 37,412,519 38,473,159 37,383,246 Net income (loss) per common share Basic $ 0.04 $ (0.00 ) $ 0.14 $ (0.00 ) Diluted $ 0.04 $ (0.00 ) $ 0.13 $ (0.00 )

CONCIERGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME

(UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended March 31, Nine Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net income (loss) $ 1,582,808 $ (17,236 ) $ 5,154,031 $ (37,258 ) Other comprehensive income: Foreign currency translation (loss) gain (17,317 ) (295,100 ) 352,829 (125,563 ) Comprehensive income (loss) $ 1,565,491 $ (312,336 ) $ 5,506,860 $ (162,821 )

CONCIERGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

FOR THE THREE AND NINE MONTH PERIODs ENDING MARCH 31, 2021 and MARCH 31, 2020

(UNAUDITED)

Period Ending March 31, 2021 Preferred Stock (Series B) Common Stock Number of Shares Amount Number of Shares Par Value Additional Paid - in Capital Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income Retained Earnings Total Stockholders' Equity Balance at July 1, 2020 53,032 $ 53 37,412,519 $ 37,412 $ 9,330,913 $ (144,744 ) $ 9,926,262 $ 19,149,896 Gain on currency translation - - - - - 72,714 - 72,714 Net income - - - - - - 2,219,434 2,219,434 Balance at September 30, 2020 53,032 $ 53 37,412,519 $ 37,412 $ 9,330,913 $ (72,030 ) $ 12,145,696 $ 21,442,044 Gain on currency translation - - - - - 297,432 - 297,432 Net income - - - - - - 1,351,788 1,351,788 Balance at December 31, 2020 53,032 $ 53 37,412,519 $ 37,412 $ 9,330,913 $ 225,402 $ 13,497,484 $ 23,091,264 Loss on currency translation - - - - - (17,317 ) - (17,317 ) Conversion of preferred stock to common stock (3,672 ) (4 ) 73,440 74 (70 ) - - - Net income - - - - - - 1,582,808 1,582,808 Balance at March 31, 2021 49,360 $ 49 37,485,959 $ 37,486 $ 9,330,843 $ 208,085 $ 15,080,292 $ 24,656,755

Period Ending March 31, 2020 Preferred Stock (Series B) Common Stock Number of Shares Amount Number of Shares Par Value Additional Paid - in Capital Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Retained Earnings Total Stockholders' Equity Balance at June 30, 2019 53,032 $ 53 37,237,519 $ 37,237 $ 9,178,838 $ (175,659 ) $ 8,152,861 $ 17,193,330 Gain on currency translation - - - - - 33,949 - 33,949 Common stock issued for services - - 175,000 175.00 - - - 175 Common stock issued for services - earned(1) - - - - 37,366 - - 37,366 Net income - - - - - - 54,892 54,892 Balance at September 30, 2019 53,032 $ 53 37,412,519 $ 37,412 $ 9,216,204 $ (141,710 ) $ 8,207,753 $ 17,319,712 Gain on currency translation - - - - - 135,588 - 135,588 Common stock issued for services - - - - - - - - Common stock issued for services - earned(1) - - - - 76,751 - - 76,751 Net loss - - - - - - (74,914 ) (74,914 ) Balance at December 31, 2019 53,032 $ 53 37,412,519 $ 37,412 $ 9,292,955 $ (6,122 ) $ 8,132,839 $ 17,457,137 Loss on currency translation - - - - - (295,100 ) - (295,100 ) Common stock issued for services - earned(1) - - - - 37,958 - - 37,958 Net loss - - - - - - (17,236 ) (17,236 ) Balance at March 31, 2020 53,032 $ 53 37,412,519 $ 37,412 $ 9,330,913 $ (301,222 ) $ 8,115,603 $ 17,182,759

CONCIERGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

For the Nine-Month Periods Ended March 31, 2021 2020 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Net income (loss) $ 5,154,031 $ (37,258 ) Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities Depreciation and amortization 521,584 447,955 Stock based vendor compensation - 152,250 Bad debt expense (recovery) 14,082 (197 ) Impairment to inventory value 67,576 - Unrealized (gain) loss on investments (5,146 ) 44,409 Gain on disposal of equipment (2,148 ) - Operating lease right-of-use asset - non-cash lease cost 420,948 303,851 Decrease (increase) in current assets: Accounts receivable (91,002 ) 77,244 Accounts receivable - related party 559,327 (25,020 ) Prepaid income taxes and tax receivable 302,313 196,670 Inventories (254,177 ) (155,644 ) Other current assets 47,336 (18,910 ) Decrease (increase) in current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses (808,350 ) (715,356 ) Operating lease liabilities (424,071 ) (303,714 ) Expense waivers - related party (183,006 ) 56,965 Net cash provided by operating activities 5,319,297 23,245 CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Cash paid for acquisition of business assets (993,435 ) - Cash paid for internally developed software - (217,990 ) Purchase of property and equipment (41,074 ) (455,064 ) Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 2,148 - Sale of investments - 1,000,000 Purchase of investments (492 ) (1,040,767 ) Net cash used in investing activities (1,032,853 ) (713,821 ) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Proceeds from property and equipment loans - 370,220 Repayment of property and equipment loans (25,394 ) (89,666 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (25,394 ) 280,554 Effect of exchange rate change on cash and cash equivalents 190,171 (44,049 ) NET INCREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH 4,451,221 (454,071 ) CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, BEGINNING BALANCE 9,826,042 6,495,251 CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, ENDING BALANCE $ 14,277,263 $ 6,041,180 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION: Cash paid during the period for: Interest paid $ 11,989 $ 12,926 Income taxes paid, net of refunds $ 1,247,005 $ 159,363 Non-cash financing and investing activities: Acquisition of operating right-of-use assets through operating lease obligations $ 730,741 $ 1,150,916 Reclassification of acquisition deposit $ 122,111 $ - Reclassification of building deposit from other current assets to property and equipment, net $ - $ 178,276

The accompanying notes found in the Company's Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2021 are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

SOURCE: Concierge Technologies, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647587/Concierge-Technologies-Reports-Financial-Results-for-Third-Fiscal-Quarter
CONCORD, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) is holding its Annual Meeting this week and will recognize several achievements with prestigious awards.

The Gold Medal award is the organization's highest honor and is awarded to recognize a major research contribution to the field of magnetic resonance within the scope of the Society. The ISMRM Gold Medal was awarded to the following individuals:

Frederik Barkhof, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neuroradiology, Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Imaging Computing, University College London, England, and Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands, for his seminal contributions to the understanding of various neurological diseases and conditions using MRI.

Douglas L. Rothman, Ph.D., Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and of Biomedical Engineering, Director of Yale MR Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA, for his seminal contributions to the study of brain, muscle, and liver metabolism using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging.

Clare Tempany-Afdhal, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, and Ferenc Jolesz Chair of Research, Radiology Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, for her seminal contributions to the advancement of diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer with MRI.



In addition, Tim Leiner, M.D., Ph.D., the 2020-21 ISMRM President, awarded and presented the 2021 school of Senior Fellows as well as Junior Fellows, both of which are listed on the ISMRM website.



In addition to the award presentations, the Annual Meeting is the time of the official transfer of leadership. Tim Leiner, M.D., Ph.D., the 2020-21 President, will hand over the gavel to Fernando Calamante, Ph.D., ISMRM President for 2021-22, on Wednesday, 19 May, at the annual business meeting, as well as welcome the incoming Board of Trustees members.

The ISMRM-SMRT Annual Meeting is being held virtually this year, with over 5,000 attendees dedicated to the field of magnetic resonance participating. The next Annual Meeting will be a joint meeting with the ESMRMB and will be held 7-12 May 2022 in London, England.

About ISMRM:

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine is a nonprofit, scientific association whose purpose is to promote communication, research, development, and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine and biology and to develop and provide channels and facilities for continuing education. Its multidisciplinary membership consists of clinicians, physicists, engineers, biochemists, and technologists. In addition to its large scientific meetings, the Society holds workshops and publishes two journals, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and a virtual newsletter, MR Pulse. It also sponsors 29 study groups on specific areas of scientific interest and chapters based on geographical location.

To find out more about the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), please call +1 510-841-1899, or visit our website at www.ismrm.org.

ISMRM, One Concord Center, 2300 Clayton Road, Suite 620, Concord, CA 94520 USA
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Responding to the European Union Tariffs, Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG) reaffirmed its commitment to defend its position in Europe. The company will continue to pursue its legal challenge to the Binding Origin Information revocation, and its application for extended reliance. The company said it remains committed to free and fair trade and is focused on remaining globally competitive in the interests of all its stakeholders, and is committed to ensuring its customers around the world have access to its products. Harley-Davidson said that tariffs affecting its products will not escalate from 31% to 56%. Its employees, dealers, stakeholders and motorcycles have no place in this trade war. The tariffs provide other motorcycle manufacturers with an unfair competitive advantage in the E.U. European motorcycles only pay up to 2.4% to be imported into the U.S. The company wants free and fair trade. Earlier today, the European Union agreed to postpone plans to raise tariffs on U.S. whiskeys, motorcycles, boats and other items set to take effect June 1 as it begins talks with the Biden administration aimed at lifting U.S. steel tariffs. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Grande Prairie, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2021) - Angkor Resources Corp. (TSXV: ANK) (OTC Pink: ANKOF) ("Angkor" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that Delayne Weeks has been appointed and will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective May 6, 2021. Delayne has worked with the Company since 2011 in capacities of financial management, social development, senior administration, and partner relations. Delayne holds a degree of distinction in Education and Commerce, a diploma of honors in Horticulture, and has consulted in economic development and community development over several decades. Delayne has also owned, operated and served in management roles in several businesses in the financial transaction sector prior to working actively in SE Asia for the past decade. Delayne also holds in excess of 11 million shares of the Company.

Delayne is replacing Stephen Burega who served the corporation since 2015 as VP Corporate Development and then CEO. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Burega for his work and service over the years.

With the management changes, Angkor's strategic work will capitalize on its key assets and business opportunities to aggressively move the Company forward in these challenging times. The Company looks forward to providing updates as this important work progresses.

A further adjustment in management includes Mike Weeks taking on a new position of Executive Vice President Operations and continuing as a trusted Board Director. Mike has served as Executive Chairman of Angkor for the past decade and has extensive management experience in the international extractive sector, including both minerals and oil and gas. He has been instrumental in actively moving Angkor projects forward during COVID and has been onsite in Cambodia for the past seven months. He continues with mineral exploration and negotiations on the Production Sharing Agreement for the onshore oil and gas projects under EnerCam Resources. An announcement for the replacement of the Board Chair is forthcoming.

ABOUT ANGKOR RESOURCES CORP.

Angkor Resources Corp. is a public company, listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange, and is a leading mineral explorer in Cambodia with a large land package across four 100%-owned licenses and a fifth license under an earn-in agreement with a third party. In 2020, the company received approval and initiated negotiations on Production Sharing Contract (PSC) terms for Block VIII, a 7,300 square kilometre oil and gas license in Cambodia.

CONTACT:

Delayne Weeks, CEO

Telephone: +1 (780) 831-8722

Email: da@angkorgold.ca

Website: http://www.angkorresources.ca or follow us on Twitter @AngkorGold.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to the potential for gold and/or other minerals at any of the Company's properties, the prospective nature of any claims comprising the Company's property interests, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals, uncertainty of sample results, timing and results of future exploration, and the availability of financing. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84321
Skybox Vulnerability and Threat Management honored at RSA Conference 2021

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Skybox Security, a global leader in security posture management, today announced it won the Global InfoSec Award for Next-Gen Vulnerability Management. The Global InfoSec Awards by Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM) is one of the world's most coveted and prestigious cybersecurity awards. Selected by leading infosec experts, winners were revealed at the RSA Conference 2021.

"This accolade highlights Skybox as the best next-generation solution for vulnerability and threat management. It represents our technology advantages over competitors - including accurate and customizable risk scores that identify critical vulnerabilities, exploitable assets, and the most effective remediation options," said Gidi Cohen, CEO and founder, Skybox Security. "Skybox shifts the focus of security posture management programs from reactive to proactive, finding latent threats that are hiding in plain sight. Rather than trying to coordinate multiple, disparate security tools, enterprises need a single platform that can do this quickly and at scale with limited resources."

A new era of security defined by prevention

Today's cyberattacks gain access to critical enterprise assets by exploiting exposed vulnerabilities across the attack surface, including medium- and low-severity vulnerabilities which are typically ignored by security teams as "not important to fix." After slipping through small and unguarded cracks, bad actors move laterally through networks resulting in high-impact and high-profit attacks.

Skybox illuminates a new path forward with the industry's most advanced exposure analysis that helps security teams identify and proactively remediate critical attack vectors ahead of the incident. This analysis is possible by bringing together disparate data repositories into a network model that provides a dynamic representation of hybrid environments across corporate networks, private cloud, public cloud, and operational technology (OT). Through attack simulation on the model, security teams can walk the path of potential breaches and develop the ideal remediation strategy that reduces the most risk.

"Skybox Security embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow's threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. "We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cybercrime. Skybox Security is absolutely worthy of this coveted award and consideration for deployment in your environment."

Skybox is the only platform that gives enterprise teams the ability to collectively visualize and analyze hybrid and multi-cloud networks. The platform unifies vulnerability management and policy management capabilities to establish mature, consistent, and enterprise-wide security posture management programs.

By combining the threat intelligence feed from Skybox Research Lab with rich context acquired across the corporate security and technology stacks, Skybox calculates a unique risk score that highlights critical vulnerabilities on important assets and places a higher priority on those critical vulnerabilities that are exploited in the wild and are exposed to threat actors. This unique approach allows security teams to proactively focus on remediating the vulnerabilities with the highest exposure risk.

To learn more about the Skybox Security Posture Management Platform, visit https://www.skyboxsecurity.com/products/our-platform/.

Additional resources

Demo: Prioritize exposed vulnerabilities across your entire threat landscape

Case study: Skybox Security reduces customer remediation time from weeks to hours

CEO insights: How to mature your cybersecurity program

About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power.

About Skybox Security

Over 500 of the largest and most security-conscious enterprises in the world rely on Skybox for the insights and assurance required to stay ahead of dynamically changing attack surfaces. At Skybox, we don't just serve up data and information. We provide the intelligence and context to make informed decisions, taking the guesswork out of securely enabling enterprises at scale and speed. Our unified security posture management platform delivers complete visibility, analytics, and automation to quickly map, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities across your organization. The vendor-agnostic platform intelligently optimizes security policies, actions, and change processes across all corporate and cloud environments. With Skybox, security teams can now focus on the most strategic business initiatives while ensuring enterprises remain protected.

We are Skybox. Secure more, limit less. https://www.skyboxsecurity.com/

Media contact

Ashley Nakano, Corporate Communications

skyboxglobal@allisonpr.com

 2021 Skybox Security, Inc. All rights reserved. Skybox Security and the Skybox Security logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Skybox Security, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications subject to change at any time without prior notice.

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The entry of biosimilars and expected competition from emerging therapies is expected to erode the market share of currently dominated Anti-VEGF therapies in the Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market.

LAS VEGAS, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's ' Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market, Epidemiology and Market Forecast-2030 ' report presents a holistic picture of the epidemiological and market insights with a central focus on marketed therapies, Age-related Vision Dysfunction pipeline therapies, key pharmaceutical companies, collaborations, deals, clinical trials and other factors that shall shape the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market outlook in the coming decade in the 7MM (the US, EU5 (the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy and France) and Japan).

Focal points from the Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market report:

The total Age-related Vision Dysfunction prevalent cases were 374,306,439 in the 7MM.

in the 7MM. The total cases are further expected to increase in the study period 2018-30.

At present, several medications are available in the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market comprising anti-VEGF agents, anti-inflammatory agents, mitotic or cholinergic agents, prostaglandins, beta-blockers, alpha-adrenergic agonists, and rho-kinase inhibitors.

Anti-VEGF injections include ranibizumab , bevacizumab , and aflibercept .

, , and . New anti-VEGF treatments include Eylea , Lucentis , Avastin and Beovu . These have an advantage in the market over other approved anti-VEGF therapies because they do not require to be injected directly into the eye.

, , and . These have an advantage in the market over other approved anti-VEGF therapies because they do not require to be injected directly into the eye. Key companies setting the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market in the motion include Hoffman La Roche, Eyenovia, Allergan/AbbVie and Molecular Therapeutics, Regenxbio, Novartis, Santen, Nicox Ophthalmics, Kodiak Sciences, Opthea Limited, Ocular Therapeutix, Orasis Pharmaceuticals, IVERIC bio, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, Outlook Therapeutics, Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Limited , and so many others.

, and so many others. The pipeline therapies for the Age-related Vision Dysfunction treatment consists of AGN-190584, MicroLine(Pilocarpine Ophthalmic), PresbiDrops(CSF-1), Faricimab, Abicipar, RGX-314, STN1013001 /DE-130A, NCX 470, KSI-301, OPT-302, OTX-TP, AGN-190584, Zimura, ALK 001, ONS-5010/LYTENAVA, PDP - 716, and several others.

and several others. Out of all the Age-related Vision Dysfunction emerging therapies, AGN-190584 (pilocarpine 1.25%) is expected to garner maximum market share owing to its target patient pool consisting of presbyopia patients. Moreover, the drug has an early mover advantage, dosing advantage (i.e. once daily), and maximum visibility around the phase III results.

Download report to understand which drug is going to capture the maximum market share @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Therapies, Emerging Trends

Age-related Vision Dysfunction: Overview

Visual impairment in people as they age is among one of the most common and major health problems. With aging, the human body goes through several changes; the normal functioning of the eye tissues gets hampered, leading to vision loss.

As per DelveInsight's epidemiological estimates, the United States reported maximum Age-related Vision Dysfunction prevalence, followed byJapan, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, with Spain contributing to the least Age-related Vision Dysfunction prevalence in 2020.

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology Segmentation

The Age-related Vision Dysfunction market report lays down a comprehensive analysis of epidemiology in the 7MM for the study period 2018-30 segmented into:

Total Age-related Vision Dysfunction Prevalent Cases

Total Diagnosed Age-related Vision Dysfunction Cases

Severity-specific Age-related Vision Dysfunction Cases

Treated cases of Age-related Vision Dysfunction

Visit for deep insights into the patient pool @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Insights

The Age-related Vision Dysfunction emerging therapies, which are under development, are expected to offer a new paradigm in the treatment of Age-related Vision Dysfunction. Availability of alternative options (such as a novel therapeutic agent) to anti-VEGF treatment for the treatment is expected to offer patients several options.

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Marketed Therapies

Rhopressa/Rhokiinsa (Netarsudil mesylate)

Vyzulta (Latanoprostene Bunod Ophthalmic Solution)

Glanatec (Ripasudil hydrochloride hydrate)

Tapcom/DE-111 (Tafluprost/ Timolol Maleate; Taptiqom)

Combigan (Brimonidine/timolol)

Rocklatan/Roclanda (Latanoprast; Netarsudil Dimesylate)

Eybelis Ophthalmic Solution (DE-117, Omidenepag isopropyl)

Xelpros (Latanoprost Ophthalmic Emulsion)

Simbrinza (Brinzolamide/Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Suspension)

Azarga/Azorga (Brinzolamide/Timolol)

Lucentis (Ranibizumab)

Eylea (Aflibercept)

Beovu (Brolucizumab)

Key players energetically working in the domain include, Novartis, Allergan (AbbVie), Bayer, Santen, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Eyenovia, Genentech, Roche, Regenxbio, Graybug Vision, Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Ocuphire Pharma, among several others.

The United States occupies the largest Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Share

DelveInsight's Age-related Vision Dysfunction market research analyzed that the US takes up the maximum market share, followed by Germany. Further, the United States Age-related Vision Dysfunction market share growth is expected to climb at a CAGR of 5.4% in the study period (2018-2030).

Reach out to us @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Marketed Therapies for more information on available treatment regimens

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Pipeline Therapies and Key Companies

AGN-190584: Allergan (acquired by AbbVie)

MicroLine/Pilocarpine Ophthalmic: Eyenovia

PresbiDrops/CSF-1: Orasis Pharmaceuticals

Zimura/ Avacincaptad pegol: IVERIC Bio

ALK-001: Alkeus Pharmaceuticals

ONS-5010/Lytenava/Bevacizumab-vikg: Outlook Therapeutics

KSI-301: Kodiak Sciences

Faricimab: Roche

Abicipar: Allergan

RGX-314: Regenxbio

Beovu/RTH258/Brolucizumab: Novartis

STN1013001/DE-130A/Catioprost and latanoprost emulsion: Santen SAS

NCX 470: Nicox Ophthalmics

OTX-TP/Travoprost ophthalmic insert: Ocular Therapeutix

PDP-716: Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Limited

OPT-302: Opthea

Lumitin/Conbercept: Chengdu Kanghong Pharmaceuticals

AKST4290/Lazucirnon: Alkahest

GT005: Gyroscope Therapeutics

ADVM-022: Adverum Biotechnologies

Emixustat hydrochloride: Kubota Vision

KVD001: KalVista Pharmaceuticals

Luminate/ALG-1001/Risuteganib: Allegro Ophthalmics and Bausch Health

GB-102: Graybug Vision

Razuprotafib/AKB-9778: Aerpio Pharmaceuticals

Nyxol/Phentolamine Mesylate: Ocuphire Pharma

STN1012600/DE-126: Santen Pharmaceutical

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Guiding Factors

The Age-related Vision Dysfunction market majorly comprises VEGF signalling pathways targeting drugs. This offers the patient pool limited therapy options, besides 30% of the total patients receiving treatment report loss of vision. Furthermore, Intravitreal injections require frequent and indefinite evaluations with no effective treatment options present for the refractory pool.

Therefore, there is a dire need for effective, safe and novel therapies that can help deliver more effective treatment. To address these unmet needs in the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market, several pharmaceutical companies are working to advance and cement the pipeline. A large number of Age-related Vision Dysfunction pipeline products in the offing like Faricimab, Brolucizumab, AGN-190584, KSI-301, RGX-314, among others, are expected to push the market growth further. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of vision dysfunction cases due to an increase in the geriatric population, rise in awareness, upsurge in the launch of products with readily adoption and lifestyle changes are further driving the growth of the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market size.

However, the high prices of therapies are bound to put pressure on the companies and drugmakers, especially on therapies with a high price (i.e. gene therapies) with no added significant benefits are expected to face hurdles.

Check out for more @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Forecast

Scope of the Report

Coverage: 7MM (the US, EU5, and Japan)

Study Period: 2018-30

Key Companies: Hoffman La Roche, Eyenovia, Allergan/AbbVie, Molecular Therapeutics, Regenxbio, Novartis, Santen, Nicox Ophthalmics, Kodiak Sciences, Opthea Limited, Ocular Therapeutix, Orasis Pharmaceuticals, IVERIC bio, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, Outlook Therapeutics, Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Limited, and many others.

Key Age-related Vision Dysfunction Pipeline Therapies: AGN-190584, MicroLine, PresbiDrops, Faricimab, MicroLine, Abicipar, RGX-314, STN1013001 /DE-130A, NCX 470, KSI-301, OPT-302, OTX-TP, AGN-190584, PresbiDrops, Zimura, ALK 001, ONS-5010/LYTENAVA, PDP - 716, and several others.

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Segmentation: By Geography, By Age-related Vision Dysfunction Therapies

Analysis: Comparative and conjoint analysis of Age-related Vision Dysfunction emerging therapies

Tools used: SWOT analysis, Conjoint Analysis, Porter's Five Forces, PESTLE analysis, BCG Matrix analysis methods.

Case Studies

KOL's Views

Analyst's Views

Drop by to learn more about the future market trends @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Landscape and Forecast

Table of Contents

1 Key Insights 2 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Report Introduction 3 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Overview at a Glance 4 Executive Summary of Age-related Vision Dysfunction 5 Disease Background and Overview 6 Algorithm for Diagnosis of Age-related Vision Dysfunction 7 Patient Journey 8 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology and Patient Population 9 Treatment Algorithm, Current Treatment, and Medical Practices 10 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology and Patient Population 11 Country Wise-Epidemiology of Age-related Vision Dysfunction 10 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Treatment 12 Unmet Needs 13 Key Endpoints of Age-related Vision Dysfunction Treatment 14 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Emerging Therapies 15 Age-related Vision Dysfunction: 7 Major Market Analysis 16 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Unmet Needs 17 Case Reports 18 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Drivers 19 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Barriers 20 SWOT Analysis 21 KOL Reviews 21 Appendix 22 DelveInsight Capabilities 23 Disclaimer 24 About DelveInsight

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About DelveInsight

DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports Pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve .

For more insights, visit Pharma, Healthcare, and Biotech News

Contact Us

Shruti Thakur

info@delveinsight.com

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www.delveinsight.com

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Virtual Press Conference 2-3pm BST, Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Register Here

Advocates and government leaders to demand faster and greater global vaccine access, better international collaboration and also discuss problems with COVAX, vaccine nationalism, vaccine hesitancy as well as the inequalities of vaccine roll out in poorer nations across Europe and the globe

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest provider of HIV/AIDS care and treatment worldwide, will host a London-based virtual Zoom press conference to demand international collaboration to Vaccinate Our World against COVID-19. The press call will feature public health advocates and government officials from the UK, Europe, Africa and the US who will issue calls for faster and more widespread global vaccine access as well as call on the UK and EU to follow the Biden administration's lead on the temporary suspension of COVID-19 vaccine patents.

Speakers will also address the inequalities in the European and global vaccine roll out, discuss vaccine nationalism and hesitancy and cite lessons learned from the earliest days of the AIDS pandemic. The London press conference-part of the UK/EU launch of the new VOW campaign-is one of four VOW press events held globally throughout May.

WHAT: Virtual Zoom press conference for the UK Europe Launch of the Vaccinate Our World Campaign

Virtual Zoom press conference for the UK Europe Launch of the Vaccinate Our World Campaign WHEN: 2-3pm BST Tuesday, 18 May 2021

2-3pm BST Tuesday, WHO: AHF Founder and President Michael Weinstein Dr. Tamar Gabunia, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs Georgia Baroness Sheehan , the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vaccinations for All MEP Dr. Juozas Olekas , Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung AHF Europe Bureau Chief Zoya Shabarova



JOIN: Register for the virtual press conference here and pre submit questions for the Q&A

Register for the virtual press conference here and pre submit questions for the Q&A PRESS ENQUIRES: Jenny Rose, jenny.rose@barleycommunications.co.uk, +44 (0) 7957 551697; Ged Kenslea, AHF, ged.kenslea@ahf.org, +1.323.791.5526

Jenny Rose, jenny.rose@barleycommunications.co.uk, +44 (0) 7957 551697; Ged Kenslea, AHF, ged.kenslea@ahf.org, +1.323.791.5526 ALL ASSETS: Available for download from PA Media Centre

"We are facing a catastrophic moral and public health failure akin to the initial and woefully inadequate global response to the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s and 90s by allowing COVID-19 to rip through the world's poorest populations. We simply cannot make the same mistakes that were made in fighting HIV there must not be a delay in getting lifesaving vaccines to all corners of the globe," said AHF Founder and President Michael Weinstein. "The Biden administration took an unprecedented step in supporting a proposal before the WTO to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. If we are to have a real shot at ending the COVID-19 pandemic globally, we urge the UK and EU to follow suit. At minimum, waiving patents may motivate drug companies and governments to vastly increase sharing of their vaccines worldwide."

The 'VOW' call to action was first introduced in mid-April with a worldwide social media campaign and a series of 22 full-page newspaper ads in prominent daily papers in eight countries across the globe. The multimedia global advocacy campaign for VOW continued with virtual press events in Bangkok, Johannesburg, Sao Paulo and now London virtually for UK, European and other interested media.

For the UK/Europe event, on 18 May AHF Europe Bureau Chief Zoya Shabarova will be joined by AHF Founder and President Michael Weinstein and AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung, to discuss patents, vaccine hesitancy, COVAX and inequalities in the European roll out. Joining them will be Dr. Tamar Gabunia, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs Georgia, Baroness Sheehan from the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vaccinations for All and MEP Dr. Juozas Olekas, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.

As of May 13, more than 1.37 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, with 83% going to wealthy countries. Low-income countries have received only 0.3%. NYT Vaccine Tracker via Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford.

Despite public commitment to equity the UK and EU are amongst the worst COVID-19 vaccine hoarders. The UK is the second largest hoarder in the world according to the latest data on vaccine procurement from Duke Global Health Innovation Centre, having purchased enough vaccine to cover more than four times its population. EU is in the top six having purchased enough vaccine to cover more than twice its population. But this short-sighted nationalism is putting the whole of humanity in danger and prolonging the pandemic as outbreaks provide a petri dish for potential vaccine resistant mutations to evolve.

Part of the solution is the suspension of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines. On 6 May, 140 MEPs issued a letter to the European Commission urging it to adopt the proposal for a temporary 'Waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19'.

"We are tired of endless promises by our governments that one day we will be vaccinated. We do not want to hear explanations of why it's impossible to deliver on earlier promises -- because there is no valid explanation when people's lives are at stake. We want to see real actions from our governments and we want to get our vaccines today! If we are to rid the world of COVID-19 we must VOW to Vaccinate Our World now," states Zoya Shabarova, AHF Europe Bureau Chief

Eastern European countries such as Ukraine and Georgia are especially struggling to purchase COVID-19 vaccines. Only 1.9% of the population in Ukraine is currently vaccinated, while in Georgia it is a mere 1.2%.

"If one nation has COVID-19 and no access to vaccines, all countries remain in danger," said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung. "The 'VOW' call-to-action is about uniting advocates and government leaders worldwide and shining a spotlight on the immorality of vaccine rationing. While COVAX was established to help lower-income nations the quantities of vaccines have been inadequate and have forced developing countries in Africa and other parts of the world to fend for themselves in securing enough vaccines to protect their citizens. Legislators and decision-makers must do more to ensure that all countries have the requisite numbers of vaccines to 'Vaccinate Our World' and defeat the pandemic."

About VOW

The ambitious but achievable 'Vaccinate Our World' call to action includes five primary tenets:

The global COVID-19 vaccination effort must secure $100 billion from G20 countries

It must produce and provide seven billion vaccine doses worldwide within one year

worldwide within Companies and governments must waive or suspend ALL COVID-19 vaccine patents during the pandemic

COVID-19 vaccine patents during the pandemic Countries must be 100% transparent in sharing information and data

World leaders must also promote far greater international cooperation as the driving force for ending the pandemic, not continue with politics as usual.

Join the digital advocacy campaign to urge world leaders to ensure vaccine equity worldwide:

Pledge as an individual or as an organization to fight for vaccine access across the world.

Subscribe to our e-mail list to stay up-to-date and help out when we issue a call to action, such as a global Twitter rally

Tell your friends, family members and colleagues about the VOW call to action and ask them to join

Spread the word and encourage others to VOW now to end COVID-19 by tweeting and posting on social media

In addition to the press conferences and events coming up in the following weeks, be on the lookout for VaccinateOurWorld and VOWnow actions-join the fight and VOW to protect humanity! For more information on the campaign, please visit www.VaccinateOurWorld.org

Notes to editors

AHF Spokespeople and case studies worldwide available to interview. Op eds, statements and quotes also available.

Speaker Bios

Michael Weinstein, AHF Founder and President

Dr. Tamar Gabunia, First Deputy Minister ,Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs

Baronness Sheehan, from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vaccinations for All

MEP Dr. Juozas Olekas, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament

Dr. Penninah Iutung, AHF Africa Bureau Chief

Zoya Shabarova, AHF Europe Bureau Chief

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.5 million clients in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

The APPG on Vaccinations for All, chaired by Dr Philippa Whitford MP, was set up in 2017 to raise awareness of the importance of routine immunisation programmes. The pandemic has brought the importance of all immunisations into sharp focus, and we continue to ensure the UK Government is held to all of its' commitments to improving access to vaccines worldwide.

Vaccine HASHTAGS:

Vaccinate Our World campaign hashtags: VOWNow and VaccinateOurWorld

Hashtags from other global vaccine campaigns: peoplesvaccine and freethevaccine

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005823/en/

Contacts:

Jenny Rose, jenny.rose@barleycommunications.co.uk, +44 (0) 7957 551697

Ged Kenslea, AHF, ged.kenslea@ahf.org, +1.323.791.5526
Carbon Streaming Corporation ("CSC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its first carbon credit streaming investment. CSC has agreed to invest US$6 million to implement the proposed MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project in Magdalena Bay in Baja California Sur, Mexico which is focused on the conservation of mangrove forests and their associated marine habitat. The project is anticipated to be one of the largest blue carbon conservation projects in the world and once implemented will reduce estimated emissions by 26 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) over 30 years by conserving and sustainably managing approximately 22,000 hectares of mangroves and 137,000 hectares of its marine environment across Baja's largest mangrove forest.

Magdalena Bay is home to Baja's largest mangrove forest which creates an incredibly diverse and unique ecosystem. It is known for its pristine habitat and is home to a large diversity of sharks, whales and a variety of other species, including multiple species which are listed as endangered. The Mexican State of Sinaloa has undergone significant deforestation of mangroves due to intensive shrimp farming and the MarVivo project intends to prevent the same from occurring in Magdalena Bay. The project plans to limit deforestation, promote wildlife conservation and generate unique benefits for the local communities. The REDD+ framework developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be used to define the project and it is anticipated to be certified through the Verified Carbon Standards (VCS) administered by Verra, an international institution based in Washington D.C. that manages carbon credit standards, so that "blue carbon" credits may be generated.

Blue carbon refers to carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, major sources for sequestering and storing carbon. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA), mangroves and coastal wetlands annually sequester carbon at a rate of up to ten times greater than mature tropical forests. They also tend to store carbon for a longer period of time as much of the carbon is stored below water in organic-rich sediment or peat, which is why investment in innovative blue carbon projects like the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project represent a critical step in solving the climate emergency.

MarVivo Stream Investment Highlights:

US$2.0 million initial investment into MarVivo Corporation, paid in cash on closing, followed by four separate US$1.0 million investments at specific project milestones during development, implementation, validation and verification by Verra. These investments will be funded by the Company's cash-on-hand. Closing is conditional on completion of customary conditions precedent.

Each year, CSC will have the right to purchase the greater of 200,000 credits or 20% of the annual verified carbon credits from the MarVivo Blue Carbon Project.

CSC will make ongoing payments to MarVivo Corporation equal to 40% of CSC's net revenue from the sale of the carbon credits from the project.

The MarVivo Stream agreement will run for a term of 30 years starting on date of the first delivery of carbon credits, which is expected to occur in H1 2023.

The total investment of US$6.0 million into the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is expected to fully fund initial project development and implementation costs, which include a significant investment by MarVivo Corporation into the local community to support local businesses, provide employment opportunities and develop a local eco-tourism management plan with the local communities. In addition, the project developers, Mexico's National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP), government partners and local communities have committed to seek World Heritage Status for the area due to its unique nature.

Once the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is fully validated and verified, it is expected to provide approximately US$2 million in direct annual benefits to the local communities. These funds will provide much needed support to address poverty, one of the main drivers of deforestation, and create new economic opportunities like eco-tourism and sustainable sea scallop farming. The project will further support conservation efforts in Magdalena Bay, a global diversity hotspot known for its pristine habitat and significant bio-diversity.

Justin Cochrane, President CEO of the Company stated, "We couldn't be more excited to announce our first carbon credit streaming investment into a blue carbon project that we anticipate will protect one of North America's largest mangrove forests and its associated marine environment while also supporting the local communities of San Carlos and Lopez Mateos. This carbon credit stream investment perfectly aligns with our investment philosophy of being a true impact investment while also having the potential to generate significant returns for our shareholders." Mr. Cochrane continued, "The MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is being developed by a highly-experienced team, led by Todd Lemons and Jim Procanik who also developed the world-class Rimba Raya carbon and biodiversity project in Borneo, Indonesia which is one of the largest and oldest REDD+ carbon projects in the world."

More information on the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project can be found on the project's website at https://marvivo.earth.

CSC was advised by Carbon Advisors LLC and Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as legal counsel to CSC. Blake, Cassels Graydon LLP acted as legal counsel to MarVivo Corporation.

About the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project

The MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is being developed by Fundacion MarVivo Mexico, A.C. and MarVivo Corporation in partnership with Mexico's National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). The non-profit groups Fins Attached, NAKAWE Project and Migamar, as well as the local communities of San Carlos (population ~5,000) and Lopez Mateos (population ~3,000), are also involved in the project. It is anticipated that the project will be certified through the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the Climate, Community Biodiversity Standard (CCB) and the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta), all of which are administered by Verra.

About Carbon Streaming Corporation

Carbon Streaming Corporation is a unique ESG principled investment vehicle that will offer investors exposure to carbon credits, a key instrument being used by both governments and corporations to achieve their carbon neutral and net-zero climate goals. The Company intends to invest capital through carbon credit streaming arrangements with project developers and owners to accelerate the creation of carbon offset projects by bringing capital to projects that might not otherwise be developed. Many of these projects will have significant social and economic co-benefits in addition to their carbon reduction or removal potential.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain information which constitutes 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements regarding closing of the carbon credit stream transaction, statements and figures with respect to the development, implementation, validation and verification of carbon projects; statements and figures with respect to the generation of local community benefits; statements with respect to the conservation and protection of mangroves, forestry and marine environments; statements with respect to the annual creation of carbon credits; and, statements with respect to the business and assets of the Company and its strategy going forward. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the Company's control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties underlying these forward-looking statements materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005852/en/

Contacts:

Justin Cochrane, President and CEO

info@carbonstreaming.com

www.carbonstreaming.com


Almere, the Netherlands

May 17, 2021, 9 p.m. CET

ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today announces the voting results of its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 17, 2021, at the ASM offices, the Netherlands.



The shareholders approved all resolutions as proposed to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.

The main approved resolutions include the following:

Mr. Paul Verhagen was appointed as a member of the Management Board and will succeed Mr. Peter van Bommel as Management Board member and as CFO. Mrs. Stefanie Kahle-Galonske was re-appointed as Supervisory Board member for a term of four years. Furthermore the financial statements for the year 2020 were adopted, and the shareholders discharged the members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board from liability in relation to the exercise of their duties in the financial year 2020. The shareholders also voted in favor of a regular dividend payment of 2.00 per common share, and the withdrawal of 500,000 common shares.

About ASM International

ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as for assembly & packaging and surface mount technology (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances.

This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

CONTACT



Investor and Media contact:

Victor Bareno

T: +31 88 100 8500

E: victor.bareno@asm.com





Attachment
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2021) - Edgemont Gold Corp. (CSE: EDGM) (FSE: EG8) ("Edgemont") is pleased to announce that planning is underway for a fully funded Phase I, 3000 m drill program this summer at its Dungate copper/gold porphyry project located 6 km south of Houston, B.C.

The Company's Notice of Work has been reviewed and accepted by the B.C. Ministry of Mines and is now awaiting issuance of the final drill permit. As a result of IP surveys completed last year, Edgemont expanded its initial Notice of Work to make it a multi-year program, adding an additional 10 holes that can be drilled following successful completion of the Phase I drill program

We are very much looking forward to the start of our summer drill program at Dungate" stated Stuart Rogers, the CEO of Edgemont. "The similarities between Sun Summit's recent discovery at Buck and the properties of the breccia zone reported in the drill log for DDH C75-01 drilled in 1975 have contributed to the targeting of an exciting first drill hole".

The initial six drill targets at Dungate are 7 km north of the high grade gold/silver discovery recently announced by Sun Summit Minerals Corp. on their adjacent Buck property, where their recent claim staking in 2020 expanded their property to the southern boundary of the Dungate property. A map showing the location of the Dungate property is available here :





Figure 1



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6955/84335_17d21ad834f94a87_002full.jpg

The initial drilling planned for the Dungate project will be comprised of six deep holes (approximately 500 m each). The first holes will test a strong cohesive circular chargeable anomaly approximately 1.2 km in diameter (chargeability response varies from 15mv/v to greater than 60 mv/v) identified by Edgemont during a 16 line km IP survey conducted in September 2020. This chargeability anomaly appears to be increasing in size and strength with depth and is coincident with a total magnetic intensity high identified in a magnetic survey completed by Edgemont in 2019. Both geophysical anomalies occur on a quartz feldspar porphyry ("QFP") identified by Edgemont in mapping and surface rock sampling in 2019 and 2020. In addition, the magnetic and IP surveys also identified another possible intrusion, much larger in size, under overburden to the north of the initial Dungate showing. This target has never been drilled and will be tested for the first time during this summer exploration program.

Drilling was last conducted at Dungate in 1976, with numerous shallow (<100 m) drill holes. The only deep hole (333 m) on the property, DDH C75-1, was drilled by Cities Services in 1975 and drill logs reported 142 m of "abundant chalcopyrite" at the bottom of the hole. No assay results are available. The IP survey conducted by Edgemont in 2020 was the first modern geophysical survey ever conducted at Dungate and it indicates that the strongest IP anomalies have never been tested by drilling.

The drill log for DDH C75-1 also indicates 24 m of quartz-pyrite ("Qtz-Py") breccia zone was intercepted about 90 meters downhole with similar characteristics to that reported by Sun Summit at the nearby Buck discovery this January. This zone appears to be an exciting gold target within the larger copper-gold porphyry and will be tested in the first drill hole planned for this summer. A map interpreting the location of this possible Qtz-Py breccia zone using the recent geophysical data now available can be accessed here :





Figure 2



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6955/84335_17d21ad834f94a87_003full.jpg

The Dungate property in its entirety is thought to be mostly underlain by volcanic rocks of either the Jurassic Hazleton Group or the Eocene Endako Group. These volcanic rocks have been intruded by a probable QFP intrusion of Eocene age. The currently known mineralization on the property is proximal to the immediate area of this QFP intrusion. This geological environment hosts potential for porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum mineralization. Outcrop on the property is limited but in the southeast quadrant of the IP anomaly potassic altered quartz feldspar porphyry intrusive occurs in historic trenches with sulphide mineralization grading up to 0.54% Cu and up to 1.70 g/t Au in outcrop.

The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Joseph Campbell, P. Geo, a Director of Edgemont, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

About Edgemont

Edgemont is actively exploring the Dungate copper/gold porphyry project located just 6 km south of Houston in the Omenica Mining Division of northern British Columbia. Having acquired an interest in its initial claims at Dungate in 2018, the Company now holds five mineral tenures covering 1,582.2 hectares that can be explored year round by all-season roads. For more information, please visit our web site at www.edgemontgold.com.

For further information, please contact:



Stuart Rogers

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (778) 239-3775

www.edgemontgold.com



Kevin Arias

VP Corporate Development

Tel: (778) 773-4786

E-mail: info@edgemontgold.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84335
Top Conyers Roofer, Braswell Construction Group, offers $500 OFF or a FREE architectural shingle upgrade to all Georgia residences impacted by recent severe storms.

CONYERS, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / Major recent storms in Conyers GA are requiring the skill and expertise only Elite Premier Status Contractors, like Braswell Construction Group, Inc. (BCG) can offer. When asked what makes them unique, owner Chris Braswell states "We have just won the Owens Corning Roofing 2021 Product and Service Excellence Awards for the 3rd consecutive year and are recognized with the elite status of Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractors. We are one of few Preferred Contractors in Georgia that is given this recognition by meeting the highest standards of qualifications to be considered the best of the best in the roofing industry. We are also an Insurance claim specialist and work closely with homeowners and Insurance companies to guarantee our clients get what they deserve should they have storm, water, or fire damage. We are also certified by the IICRC for water damage and applied structural dry-outs."

BCG explains the following ways a severe storm can negatively impact the health of a roof. Based on the storm and wind intensity, it's very common for asphalt, wood shingles, or tiling to crack. It can be due to the water exposure and a lack of maintenance. Additionally, heat exposure can be very problematic. Not only does it lead to a breakdown of the protective roof sealant, but it can also make it easy for storms to damage your roof beyond repair. In that case, you may have to replace those shingles, a process that can be rather expensive. If the winds from a storm are very violent, damaged gutters, fascia, heaped debris all over the roof, roof nails coming loose, missing shingles and other issues may result. Water can easily get into the tiniest spots, and in time it can lead to fungus/moss accumulation on the roof which will damage the structural integrity of the roof. In time, it will bring in water leaks, not to mention the roof will need serious repairs, if not a complete replacement.

BCG emphasizes the importance of taking the necessary maintenance steps to protect a roof to avoid any issues and recommends the homeowner talk with a roofing expert and repair any type of roof damage as fast as possible, especially if storms are predicted in the near future to prevent further damage. To keep a roof healthy and prepared for storms, monitor the roof regularly and look out for leaks. Cut tree branches near the roof, or roof line. Clean the gutters to prevent any moisture damage and moss accumulation. Insulate the attic which will make it easier to keep shingles working properly, but it will also lower the energy bills. If a roof isn't insulated properly, any heat emanating from below will damage the roof and shorten its lifespan.

A homeowner's insurance policy should cover the roof replacement as a natural disaster for both wind and hail, meaning that premiums should remain the same once the claim is made. Braswell Construction Group offers free next-day inspections to assist in beginning this process. A trained expert team member will inspect the roof and determine the extent of the storm damage.

BCG is unique in that they provide a premium service as being the liaison between the homeowner and the insurance provider at no extra cost. They do everything from reviewing the estimate, which guarantees that all required repairs are included in the scope of work, to speaking with the Insurance provider over the telephone to ensure that all paperwork necessary to secure your claim is promptly turned in. Braswell Construction Group has extensive knowledge of the claim procedure with most insurance companies.

Unlike other Contractors that only help with a single trade like replacing the roof, Braswell Construction Group, handles the restoration or remodel project from start to finish, which in the end saves the customer time, money, and headaches.

Their mission is to earn trust by providing timely and quality services. Since exterior property damage may essentially cause further exterior damage, interior damage, or environmental health hazards, Braswell Construction Group encourages customers impacted by Conyers GA storms to take advantage of the free inspection and estimate offer, plus either $500 off the project or a free upgrade to an architectural shingle roof.

About Braswell Construction Group

BCG has been locally owned and operated since 2002, and prides itself on its high-quality craftsmanship, exceptional customer service, and professional acumen. They have a reputation for always completing its roofing and restoration projects on time and on budget while providing customized service, top-notch customer service, and unparalleled workmanship.

Multi-Award-Winning, Braswell Construction Group, recently received the Owens Corning 2020 Product Excellence Award and also is recognized as a DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor by DaVinci Roofscape and is the Davinci Project of the Year Award current recipient. This prestigious award is only given to a limited number of roofing specialists nationwide. The program, sponsored by DaVinci RoofScapes, was established to facilitate relations with select DaVinci Roofers in recognition of their expertise and experience in installing and maintaining DaVinci synthetic slate and shake roofing systems. To gain acceptance into the program, contractors must be nominated or approved by their respective territory manufacturer's representative.

Brava Roofer, Braswell Construction Group, is also recognized in Georgia as the top roofing specialist for real cedar shake, real slate and synthetic shake/slate roofing, and prides itself on its high-quality service. One attribute that separates BCG from other Atlanta roofing contractors is that they are one of very few installers of Brava Roof Tile that is certified. Additionally, BCG has recently been awarded 'Brava Preferred Contractor' making this the first roofing company recognized for this honor in the state of Georgia. Once named as a 'Brava Preferred Contractor', the provider is considered among the best in the industry known for their experience and commitment to quality roofing.

Braswell Construction Group operates from four Georgia locations to service homeowners with all their roofing and restoration needs in Conyers/Covington, Stone Mountain, Atlanta, Greensboro/Lake Oconee, and their respective surrounding areas.

For more information contact Braswell Constructions Group at their website given below or by calling 678-283- 2551.

Contact Info:

Name: Michelle Bird

Email: info@braswellconstructiongroup.com

Organization: Braswell Construction Group, Inc. Roofing & Restoration

Address: 6105 Emory St NW, Covington, GA 30014

Phone: (678) 283-2551

Website: https://www.braswellconstructiongroup.com

SOURCE: Braswell Construction Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647833/Roofing-Contractor-Conyers-GA-Braswell-Construction-Group-Discusses-How-Storms-Affect-a-Roof
Benchtop Lab Equipment Reports Strong Revenues and Earnings

Company Continues to Invest In Its Bioprocessing Business

BOHEMIA, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / Scientific Industries, Inc. (OTCQB:SCND), a life sciences tool provider, and a developer of optical sensors for non-invasive, real-time monitoring of cell culture systems through its subsidiary Scientific Bioprocessing, Inc. ("SBI"), today reported financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 ended March 31, 2021.

2021 Third Quarter, Nine Months and Recent Highlights:

Net revenues were $2.5 million and $7.2 million, an increase of 17% and 16% vs. prior year.

Gross profit was $1.4 million and $3.8 million, an increase of 24% and 18% vs. prior year.

Gross profit percentage was 54.3% and 52.8%, an increase of 280 and 60 basis points vs. prior year.

Benchtop Laboratory Equipment Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was $0.80 and $1.8 million, an increase of 378% and 328% vs. prior year periods.

Cash and cash equivalents and investments as of March 31, 2021 was approximately $6.0 million and no long-term debt.

Acquired aquila biolabs GmbH ("aquila") in April 2021 to advance platform for digitally simplified bioprocessing.

Management Discussion

Helena Santos, Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Industries, stated, "We are pleased with the solid financial performance in our fiscal third quarter with double digit topline growth. With the continued strong performance of our core business plus the growth potential of our Bioprocessing Systems ("SBI"), especially with the recent acquisition of aquila in April 2021, the long-term outlook for our Company is truly exciting."

John Moore, Chairman of Scientific Industries and President of SBI, said, "We are positioning the Company for long-term success as we enter the $1.2 billion cell culture and biomanufacturing market. We are excited as we enter the next phase of development with our bioprocessing business to improve productivity gains and time-to-market. Our recent acquisition of aquila combined with our technology will allow us to create a new digital platform to precisely tune multiple culture parameters in real-time for the production of high-quality therapeutics."

2021 Third Quarter and Nine Months Financial Review

Net revenues for the third quarter of fiscal year 2021 were $2.5 million, an increase of $0.4 million, or 17%, compared to $2.1 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020. Gross profit for the fiscal third quarter was $1.4 million with a gross profit of 54.3%, an increase of $0.3 million, or 24% and 280 basis points compared to $1.1 million and 51.5% for the third quarter of fiscal 2020. Net loss for the fiscal third quarter was $1.4 million, or a loss of $(0.50) per basic share, compared to net loss of $0.31 million, or a loss of $(0.21) per basic share for the third quarter of fiscal 2020.

For the nine months ended March 31, 2021, the Company reported net revenues of $7.2 million, an increase of $1.0 million, or 16%, compared to $6.2 million for the nine months ended March 31, 2020. Gross profit for the nine-month period was $3.8 million with a gross profit percentage of 52.8%, an increase of $0.6 million, or 18% and 60 basis points, compared to $3.3 million and 52.2% for the nine-month period of 2020. Net loss for the nine months was $2.3 million, or $(0.81) loss per basic share, compared to a net loss of $0.4 million, or $(0.25) loss per basic share for the nine months ended March 31, 2020, respectively.

The Company benefited from another consecutive quarter of increased sales from its core Benchtop Laboratory Equipment Operations with continued robust worldwide demand for its vortexers and shakers, in part due to COVID-related research and testing. As a result, sales of the Benchtop Laboratory Equipment Operations increased by 31% and 28% for the three- and nine-month periods ended March 31, 2021 compared to the same periods last year, with significantly higher income from the segment's operations for both the current three and nine-month periods. Adjusted EBITDA for Benchtop Laboratory Equipment, a non-GAAP measure, for the three and nine-month periods was $0.80 million and $1.8 million, an increase of 378% and 328% over for the same prior year periods of $0.2 million and $0.4 million.

The Company's results reflected continued investment in the Company's Bioprocessing Systems operations, which resulted in increased operating expenses, including sales, marketing, and product development. In addition, the Company's results reflected non-cash stock options expense of $1.3 million and $1.4 million for the three- and nine-month periods ended March 31, 2021 compared to $14,600 and $50,000 for the prior year periods, respectively. The 2021 nine months' results also included losses from discontinued operations resulting from the November 30, 2020 sale of the Company's Catalyst Research Instruments Operations.

On April 29, 2021, the Company acquired aquila, a privately held German bioprocessing technology company for approximately $7.9 million financed in part through a private placement investment in the Company of approximately $7.6 million. This strategic acquisition provides the Company with the building blocks to create a new category in bioprocessing called digitally simplified bioprocessing.

Despite the significant investment in SBI, the Company ended the quarter with $6.0 million in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, in part due to the robust sales and profits generated by its core business segment - Benchtop Laboratory Equipment, and to a lesser extent, a second Payroll Protection Program loan.

About Scientific Industries, Inc.

Scientific Industries (OTCQB:SCND), is a life science tool provider. It designs, manufactures, and markets laboratory equipment, including the world-renowned Vortex-Genie 2 Mixer and Torbal balances, and bioprocessing systems and methods. Scientific Industries' products are generally used and designed for research purposes in laboratories of universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and pharmacies. To learn more, visit www.scientificindustries.com.

About Scientific Bioprocessing, Inc.

SBI is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art instruments, strategies, and technologies to expedite the production of viable cells and therapies with a streamlined process and product consistency. SBI's mission is to develop sensor technologies and instruments that make cell culture and bioprocessing work easier, experiments more reproducible, and culture conditions better suited to meet experimental objectives. SBI is a subsidiary of Scientific Industries, Inc.To learn more, visit www.scientificbio.com.

Non-GAAP Measures

This press release contains information prepared in conformity with GAAP as well as non-GAAP financial information. Non-GAAP financial measures presented in this press release include Benchtop Laboratory Equipment Adjusted EBITDA. This non-GAAP information should be considered by the reader in addition to, but not instead of, the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP, and similarly titled non-GAAP measures may be calculated differently by other companies.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements made in this press release that relate to future events, performance or financial results of the Company are forward-looking statements which involve uncertainties that could cause actual events, performance or results to materially differ. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of these statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as to the date hereof. Accordingly, any forward-looking statement should be read in conjunction with the additional information about risks and uncertainties set forth in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including our annual report on Form 10-K.

Contact:

Helena Santos

CEO and President

Phone: 631-567-4700

info@scientificindustries.com

Investor Contact:

Joe Dorame

Lytham Partners, LLC

Phone: (602) 889-9700

SCND@lythampartners.com

--FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW-

SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

ASSETS

March 31, 2021 Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 627,500 Investment Securities 5,325,700 Other Current Assets 5,231,200 Deferred Taxes 1,189,400 Other Long-Term Assets 1,526,500 Total Assets $ 13,900,300 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities $ 1,858,500 Long-Term Liabilities 1,199,400 Shareholders' Equity 10,842,400 Total Shareholders' Equity & Liabilities $ 13,900,300

SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

For the Three Month Periods Ended For the Nine Month Periods Ended March 31, March 31, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Revenues $ 2,508,600 $ 2,136,200 $ 7,245,100 $ 6,234,500 Gross Profit 1,362,900 1,099,200 3,825,700 3,255,600 Operating Expenses 3,221,700 1,334,200 6,124,600 3,314,400 Loss from Operations (1,858,800) (235,00) (2,298,900) (58,800) Total Other Income (expense), Net 28,600 (41,900) 93,700 (30,100) Loss Before Income Tax (Benefit) (1,830,200) (276,900) (2,205,200) (88,900) Income Tax (Benefit) (378,200) (45,500) (472,300) (15,000) Net Loss from Continuing Operations (1,452,000) (231,400) (1,732,900) (73,900) Income (Loss) From Discontinued Operations 16,400 (99,600) (758,400) (360,300) Income Tax (Benefits) - (16,400) (179,900) (67,000) Net Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations 16,400 (83,200) (578,500) (293,300) Net Loss $ (1,435,600) $ (314,600) $ (2,311,400) $ (367,200) Basic earnings per common share: Continuing Operations $ (0.51) $ (0.15) $ (0.61) $ (0.05) Discontinued Operations $ 0.01 $ (0.06) $ (0.20) $ (0.20) Consolidated Operations $ (0.50) $ (0.21) $ (0.81) $ (0.25) Weighted average number of outstanding shares: Basic 2,861,607 1,502,773 2,861,376 1,497,567

SOURCE: Scientific Industries, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647831/Scientific-Industries-Reports-Financial-Results-for-Third-Quarter-of-Fiscal-Year-2021
JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2021 / ParkerVision, Inc. (OTCQB:PRKR) ("ParkerVision"), a developer and marketer of technologies and products for wireless applications, today announced results for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Recent Developments

The district court in the Western District of Texas issued a favorable Markman ruling in January 2021 in ParkerVision's infringement case against Intel scheduled for trial in early February 2022.

The district court in the Western District of Texas scheduled Markman hearings for October 2021 in the Company's infringement actions against TCL, Hisense, Zyxel and Buffalo and indicated estimated trial dates in December 2022.

The district court in the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division, issued an order that it will reschedule the jury trial against Qualcomm previously scheduled to commence in July 2021. Citing backlog due to the pandemic, among other factors, the court has not yet reset the trial date. The court affirmed all other trial preparation dates in the Qualcomm case remain unchanged with May 2021 deadlines for all motions and joint pre-trial statements. The Court indicated it would set the pre-trial conference and trial dates after it rules on outstanding motions.

ParkerVision received an aggregate of $5.6 million in proceeds in the first quarter of 2021 from the sale of debt and equity securities and the exercise of outstanding warrants and options.

Jeffrey Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Investor support in the first quarter of 2021 allowed us to strengthen our balance sheet significantly. In addition, our litigation efforts are focused on our case against Qualcomm in Orlando, Florida and our cases against Intel and others in Texas which are fully funded allowing us to better manage our expenses."

Parker continued, "With the Orlando court maintaining the current schedule for motions and pre-trial statements, we are hopeful that we will receive notification from the court in the near term as to the new Qualcomm trial date. In addition, with Markman hearings in our Texas cases scheduled less than six months away, we look forward to reporting on-going meaningful milestones the balance of 2021 and into early 2022."

First Quarter Financial Results

Net loss for the first quarter of 2021 was $2.5 million, or $0.04 per common share, compared to a net loss of $7.9 million, or $0.21 per common share for the first quarter of 2020. The $5.4 million decrease in net loss year-over-year is largely due to reduced litigation expenses resulting from a stay in the infringement case against Qualcomm and Apple in Jacksonville, Florida, a decrease in noncash expense recognized in 2020 from an amendment to a warrant agreement, and a decrease in the loss on changes in fair value of contingent payment obligations.

We used cash for operations of approximately $5.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 which included the payment of approximately $4.0 million in current liabilities. This reduction in current liabilities included resolution of outstanding payment obligations to the law firm of Mintz Levin.

About ParkerVision

ParkerVision, Inc. has designed and developed proprietary radio-frequency (RF) technologies that enable advanced wireless solutions for current and next generation wireless communication products. ParkerVision is engaged in a number of patent enforcement actions in the U.S. to protect patented rights that it believes are broadly infringed by others. For more information, please visit www.parkervision.com. (PRKR-I)

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, each of which speaks only as of the date made. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that are disclosed in the Company's SEC reports, including the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated or projected.

Cindy French

Chief Financial Officer

cfrench@parkervision.com

(TABLES FOLLOW)

ParkerVision, Inc.

Balance Sheet Highlights

(in thousands) (unaudited) March 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,247 $ 1,627 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 695 607 Property and equipment, net 27 30 Intangible assets & other noncurrent assets 2,099 2,192 Total assets 5,068 4,456 Current liabilities 1,948 5,989 Contingent payment obligations 38,841 38,279 Convertible notes 3,465 3,018 Other long-term liabilities 903 991 Shareholders' deficit (40,089) (43,821) Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit $ 5,068 $ 4,456

ParkerVision, Inc.

Summary Results of Operations

(unaudited)

Three Months Ended (in thousands, except per share amounts) March 31, 2021 2020 Product revenue $ - $ - Cost of sales - - Gross margin - - Selling, general and administrative expenses 2,280 5,495 Total operating expenses 2,280 5,495 Interest expense (37) (186) Change in fair value of contingent payment obligations (150) (2,240) Total interest and other (187) (2,426) Net loss $ (2,467) $ (7,921) Basic and diluted net loss per common share $ (0.04) $ (0.21) Weighted average shares outstanding 63,695 38,329

ParkerVision, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(unaudited)

Three Months Ended (in thousands) March 31, 2021 2020 Net cash used in operating activities $ (4,989) $ (1,301) Net cash used in investing activities (1) - Net cash provided by financing activities 5,610 1,417 Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 620 116 Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period 1,627 57 Cash and cash equivalents - end of period $ 2,247 $ 173

SOURCE: ParkerVision, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/647700/ParkerVision-Reports-First-Quarter-2021-Results
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2021) - Wondr Gaming Corp. (CSE: WDR) (CSE: WDR.WT) (the "Company" or "Wondr Gaming") a company providing partnerships in media through loyalty and rewards, is pleased to announce it has entered into a binding agreement dated May 17, 2021 (the "Definitive Agreement") to acquire Enterprise Gaming Canada Inc. ("EGI"), owner of a proprietary non-fungible token ("NFT") platform leveraging Ethereum.

Pursuant to the Definitive Agreement, the Company has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of EGI in exchange for 4,000,000 common shares of the Company to be issued to the shareholders of EGI at a deemed price of $0.25 per share. The parties expect the acquisition to close on or around May 25, 2021.

All common shares issued in connection with the acquisition of EGI are subject to a four-month and one day resale restriction and an 18-month voluntary escrow agreement between the selling shareholders of EGI and the Company.

Transaction Highlights and Benefits

The Company will become a Canadian public markets' first to integrate a wholly owned proprietary NFT-focused company within a gaming rewards ecosystem

The Company will add Pascal Leblanc to its team, a proven entrepreneur who has built and sold two blockchain platforms and was blockchain strategist for E&Y

Provides an existing platform that can be leveraged through partnership with other potential celebrities, athletes, and family offices within the Wondr Gaming network

"The examples in industry of partnerships in the digital space leveraging exciting technology provided by NFTs are extensive. From Acker, the world's largest fine and rare wine auction house releasing its first-ever NFTs from Burgundy, Beeple selling digital NFT art for $69M, eBay recently announcing NFT inventory on its platform, to a host of sports, celebrity, and music icons embracing this new digital way to monetize. Our ethos from the beginning has been to expand the media vertical by leveraging our vast network through partnership and acquiring a proven technology team and NFT platform allows us to expand on this vision.", commented Jon Dwyer, CEO of Wondr.

Founded in 2019 by Pascal Leblanc, who has been Blockchain strategist to E&Y and has built and sold two businesses in the blockchain ecosystem, EGI has developed a proprietary NFT marketplace called 'Memestation' which facilitates the purchase, sale, and trading of meme digital art. In addition, EGI has consolidated a wholly owned rare meme database to offer for trade and sale through its marketplace. Memestation has been designed to be easily cloned and reskinned to be applied to other media verticals.

About NFTs

NFTs are in essence a record created using blockchain that attributes ownership of a given piece of digital 'art' to an individual on the blockchain ledger.

NFTs are emerging as a popular new way for creators and artists globally to monetize their intellectual property.

NFT sales topped $2B in Q1 2021, over 20 times the volume ($93M) of the previous quarter. (1)

Acker, the world's largest fine and rare wine auction house, released its first-ever NFTs from Burgundy, which fetched US$61,752 overall, a 332% above the low estimate. (2)

Vancouver-based Dapper Labs, a leader in NFT integration with the NBA, closed a $305M funding at a $2.6B valuation. (3)

The first pure-play publicly traded investment vehicle for NFTs, NFT Investments plc, went public on the AQUIS exchange in London in April 2021 and raised 35m with an initial market capitalization of 50m.(4)

(1) Source: CNBC, April 13, 2021

(2) Source: Acker Auction Newsflash, May 13, 2021

(3) Source: USA Today, March 30, 2021

(4) Source: NFT Investments PLC, April 13, 2021

Further, the Company is pleased to announced that it has entered into a consulting agreement dated May 17, 2021 with Blue Deer Capital Partners Inc. ("Blue Deer") whereby Blue Deer has agreed to provide business, operational and strategic advice to the Company in exchange for 4,000,000 performance warrants exercisable by Blue Deer at a price of $0.29, expiring three years from the date of issuance and subject to a certain vesting schedule agreed to by the Company and Blue Deer.

Blue Deer is a capital markets advisory firm headquartered in Toronto, Canada, focused on mission driven entrepreneurs. Blue Deer helps its clients reach their full potential by leveraging its network of family offices and executives to help find accretive capital and business partnerships.

About Wondr Gaming

Wondr Gaming Corp, a publicly traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange that builds partnerships and fosters community within the gaming and esports industries by creating and acquiring new assets. Its business model unites brands and the global gaming community through loyalty & rewards, augmented reality, influencer advocacy, and tournament platform silos.

About Enterprise Gaming Canada Inc.

Founded by a serial blockchain entrepreneur, EGI is a privately held company that has built a proprietary NFT marketplace called 'Memestation' which facilitates the purchase, sale, and trading of meme digital art. Memestation has been designed to be easily cloned and reskinned to be applied to other media verticals.

For further information please contact:

Jon Dwyer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,

(416) 627-8868,

Email: jon@wondrgaming.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating, the future business of the Company, the completion of the acquisition, the potential of the Company's products and services, further business from the Company's clients, industry outlook and potential and other matters. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84369
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2021) - AgriCann Solutions Corp. (the "Company", "AgriCann" or "ASC") is pleased to announce a private placement offering of 5,000 $100.00 Convertible Debentures (collectively the "CDs") for proceeds of $500,000, expected to close May 24, 2021.

Proceeds will be primarily used to fund the expansion of Sticky Leaf Cannabis ("SLCC") through the existing line of credit facility ("LOC") (see our October 14, 2020 news release) and for working capital purposes.

Corporate update

The Company recently completed its funding commitment to Craft Nurseries Canada ("CNC") under the $600,000 Convertible Loan Agreement ("CLA") (see our June 3, 2020 news release). CNC completed its initial build-out of two gutter-connect greenhouses totaling 3,600 sq ft with the recently approved and completed addition of an epoxy-sealed concrete foundation. Health Canada's Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch has presented its CNC file to a panel for a Cannabis Nursery Licence recommendation.

CNC's focus is on the supply end of the cannabis industry, developing genetics (both cannabis and hemp) to produce seedlings and clones, specializing in medicinal high-CBD as well as THC strains. CNC is specifically targeting the supply and sale of superior starter plant materials (seedlings and clones) directly to a relatively starved niche market of licensed growers whose primary focus is growing to flower stage, as well as licensed retail store outlets, cultivators, other nurseries, processors, analytical testers, researchers and cannabis drug licence holders.

SLCC currently operates two licenced Cannabis Retail Stores ("CRS") in popular BC tourist and recreation towns, with additional locations and CRS applications in progress. With ASC's financial support, SLCC is strategically positioning ahead of BC's proposed rules allowing farm-gate or farm-to-gate sales for craft cannabis farmers. The province currently allows similar sales for some breweries, wineries and micro distilleries. A click-and-collect website and delivery service is expected to integrate and enhance the system.

Current BC rules say that a licensee is required to purchase their non-medical cannabis supply directly from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) and that they are not permitted to purchase any cannabis products directly from a federally licensed producer. Mike Farnworth, the province's point man on cannabis policy, told the media last October: "I see farm-gate as an important component of it. We're not there yet, but I fully expect that we'll get to a point where you will be able to see farm-gate sales." Although the details are not finalized, the government also expects to begin a direct delivery program that will allow "small-scale" cannabis producers to sell directly to retailers in 2022. Small-scale is not limited to micro licenses and will also apply to cannabis nurseries.

Private placement offering of CDs

The CDs are convertible for twelve months into $0.25 Units at no additional cost to the holder. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share (a "Share") in the capital of AgriCann and one-half of a share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one (1) additional Share (a "Warrant Share") for $0.50 at any time for twenty-four (24) months, at which time the Warrants will expire.

Should the Company's Shares have a closing price equal to or higher than $1.00 per Share for ten (10) consecutive trading days on a recognized stock exchange, the Company shall be entitled to give notice to the holders of Warrants by news release, that the Warrants will expire 30 days after the date of such news release unless exercised before the expiry of that period, and in such event all unexercised Warrants will expire on the last day of such 30 day period.

The Company will pay the holder of each CD interest on the principal amount outstanding from time to time to the date that the Convertible Debenture remains outstanding (the "Term") 5% of the principal amount, payable at the option of the holder in cash or in Shares to be accrued while the CD is outstanding until the Maturity Date, at which time the Company will also pay the holder the principal amount of the CD then outstanding unless otherwise converted by the holder.

It is anticipated that insiders will participate directly or indirectly in subscribing for these CDs to expedite a full and timely close.

About AgriCann Solutions Corp.

The Company is a "Reporting Issuer" that originated as one of three spinouts upon completion of a statutory plan of arrangement completed by The Valens Company (formerly Valens GroWorks Corp.) on March 12, 2015. The Company seeks to strategically acquire suitable business opportunities with potential for scalable near-term cash flow and sustainable growth to create shareholder value.

ON BEHALF OF AGRICANN SOLUTIONS CORP.

(signed) "Rob van Santen"

CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Robert van Santen, CA, CPA, CMT

Telephone: +1.604.608.1999

Some of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "expects", "intends", "is expected", "potential", "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law. The Company will provide further updates respecting these initiatives as developments occur. There can be no assurance that interests in any or all of these or additional projects being pursued will be acquired, funded and/or commercialized.

AgriCann Solutions Corp.

400-1771 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6G 1C9

Tel. +1.604.608.1999 ~ Fax. +1.778.379.9990

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84368
China's economy to provide guide for global data: Bloomberg

Xinhua) 14:08, May 17, 2021

NEW YORK, May 17 (Xinhua) -- As the first major country to have exited pandemic lockdowns, China's economic numbers will provide a guide as to what global data may look like, Bloomberg reported Sunday.

China's robust economic momentum looks likely to be carried into the second quarter as its factory-led recovery broadened to the consumer, Bloomberg said on its website.

Combined with this month's report showing a continued export boom, such evidence of a more widespread rebound taking hold would point to China continuing to be one of the main driving forces for global growth this year, the report said.

The country has cemented its role as the world's factory, and its swift recovery from the COVID-19 crisis last year not only boosted the domestic economy but also the profits of international companies.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Most of the tutors do not have a background in education. They are just people who really have a desire to help others who need a step up in life, Smith said. It always is so impressive, you know, how everybody just supports each other.
(ASX:MAY)

Hello. Melissa Darmawan for the Finance News Network. Joining me from Melbana Energyis Executive Chairman Andrew Purcell. Andrew, nice to meet you and welcome back to the network.Thank you, Mel. It's good to be here.It's good to have you. First up, can you tell us a bit about the company and its key focus?We're an ASX-listed oil and gas explorer. We have been for 20+ years, and we've done a lot of exciting things in that time. We have a very good geoscience team, and added with some commercial experience that I bring in transactions, together we've been able to do transactions with some very significant oil and gas companies over the past few years. Santos, Total, the national oil companies of Cuba and Angola, and now EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG). So, for a little company, we're, I think, fair to say, punching well above our weight, identifying big, exciting prospects, bringing in good partners, giving our shareholders a crack at something quite transformative if it should happen.Can you give us an update on your key exploration project in Cuba?Well, it's been a busy few months for us. We have been buying lots of gear and shipping people into the country. And so, the project management team is in place. The physical work on the civil works for the construction of well pads is done for the first pad, starting on the second pad. And we've got boats travelling across the Pacific and the Atlantic filled with equipment for the program. So, it's very full on at the moment, very exciting.And in preparation for the drilling in the third quarter, your team in Cuba has expanded, including adding a second office. Can you tell us a bit more about that?We have an operational office now set up in a town called Varadero. We always had the admin office in Havana to be near to the regulators, but a lot of the contract providers, a lot of the materials providers and equipment providers, they have their offices in Varadero, and our operational site is very close to Varadero. So, we've opened a second office there. It's also a big resort town in Cuba, so I don't think the guys mind too much.And, Andrew, you've had some exciting news in regards to a sale of a permit to -- Timor Sea, southwest of Darwin -- to a US company called EOG Resources. Tell us about that.That's a great development for us. This is a prospect that our geoscience team identified and has championed for a long time. It's a very special play type in Australia. Not one that's been tested here before, but overseas and around the world where these types of prospects have been tested and when they have worked, they've worked big. So, we've got a prospective resource of 400 million barrels. It could be as big as 1.6 billion barrels. But the trick is always getting somebody to come and pay for drilling the well. And we're very, very happy to have a company of the calibre, expertise and capacity of EOG Resources enter the country to drill this well. And they're hoping to do so as early as next year. So, this could be a very transformative prospect for Australia.Last question. Is there anything else you'd like to add?Well, I think now that we've got a runway of four wells for our shareholders, it makes Melbana Energy a very exciting energy stock. We've got the two wells in Cuba that are starting soon, both funded, both with a good partner. So, nothing more to be put in there. We have this well now with EOG Resources being drilled next year, of which we have an interest, if it's successful. Nothing more for Melbana to pay there. And lately we just announced another small interest in a well by Santos and Sapura up in the Ashmore Cartier region, where we also have a small contingent interest in a well being drilled there next year. So, four wells being drilled, no more money needed from shareholders, all happening over the next 6 to 18 months. It makes our stock a very interesting little play for a part of a resources portfolio, I think.Andrew Purcell, thanks for the update, and I look forward to hearing from you more regularly.Thank you, and I look forward to coming back with good news, I hope, about our drilling successes in Cuba soon.
From left: Aryeo co-founders Brendan Quinlan, Matt Michalski and Branick Weix (Photo: Business Wire)

Aryeo, a Boston, MA-based proptech startup offering a platform to manage, syndicate and utilize content in the real estate industry, raised $3.65m in seed funding.

The round was led by Hyperplane VC and Amplo with participation from Contrary, Jon Oringer, founder of Shutterstock, and Bill Clerico, founder of WePay.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations and business reach.

Started in 2019 by Branick Weix, Matt Michalski, and Brendan Quinlan, Aryeo provides software to agents, brokers and photographers, helping them create the most complete digital experience for properties. Features include business workflow software for real estate content creators; marketing automation for real estate agents; and listing feed APIs for websites, MLSs and property portals.

Today, more than 30,000 agents are using the platform, along with hundreds of real estate photography companies.

FinSMEs

17/05/2021
Hayden AI Technologies, Inc., a San Francisco, Calif.-based smart city solutions provider, closed a $4.5m funding round.

The round, which brings total funding to $9.5m, including a $5m seed round from last year, was led by BootstrapLabs with participation from Modern Venture Partners, UC Berkeleys Strawberry Creek Ventures, e.Republic, and Autotech Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development and delivery of AI-powered solutions.

Led by Chris Carson, Co-Founder and CEO, Hayden AI combines mobile sensors with artificial intelligence to provides solutions aimed at enabling governments to achieve their goals of safer streets, equitable transportation, and efficient urban mobility.

The company secures partnerships with public transportation and mobility providers to deliver automated traffic law enforcement solutions. Most recently, Hayden AI partnered with Conduent Transportation to deliver an automated bus lane enforcement solution featuring a transit bus-mounted perception system integrated with video analytics and violation processing technologies, thereby improving bus lane performance and enhancing traffic safety. The companys platform also wields sensor data with digital twin technology to simulate scenarios and create actionable insights into hazardous driving areas, parking management, traffic patterns, curbside management, and more, empowering traffic enforcement agencies to operate efficiently.

FinSMEs

17/05/2021
The Wrisk leadership team. From left to right: Niall Barton, Executive Chairman, Nimeshh Patel, CEO, Darius Kumana, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer

Wrisk, a London, UK insurtech company, raised 4.6M in funding.

The round was led by QBN Capital with participation from investors Guinness Asset Management and Cell Rising Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach and further scale its platform.

Led by Nimeshh Patel, CEO, Wrisk has created a customizable platform for automotive, retail, telecommunications and other brands, to build mobile-first insurance experiences.

The company partners with insurance companies to provide the customers of automotive brands with mobile-first insurance at the point of sale.

Last month, Wrisk launched a flexible monthly subscription-based car insurance product allowing people to pay for the miles they drive  in partnership with the RAC, one of the UKs most progressive motoring organisations.

Other partners include the BMW Group, the RAC, Allianz and Munich Re.

FinSMEs

17/05/2021
Tampa, FL (33646)

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Tampa, FL (33646)

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Mostly sunny skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 93F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

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Update: Xiaomi has confirmed that it will launch Redmi Note 8 (2021) for global markets soon. The new teaser shows a waterdrop notch, same as the Note 9. It also said that the global Redmi Note 8 sales have crossed 25 million. Last year in May the company said that the combined sales of Redmi Note 8 series were 30 million.

The #RedmiNote8 has now sold 25M+ units globally! As we celebrate this milestone, were thrilled to introduce you to the #ThePerformanceAllStar  the #RedmiNote8 2021. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/39RHoTC2Mb  Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) May 20, 2021

Redmi launched the Redmi Note 8 series in India back in October 2019. After over one and half years, the company is said to be working on a new Redmi Note 8 dubbed as Redmi Note 8 (2021) with the model number M1908C3JGG, according to FCC and Bluetooth SIG certification.

The FCC certification reveals MediaTek Helio G85, MIUI 12.5, which should be based on Android 11 and a 4000mAh battery with support for 22.5W fast charging. However, according to Bluetooth SIG it will support Bluetooth 5.2, but the G85 only supports 5.0, which is contradictory.

Twitter leakster Xiaomiui, says that the phone will support 120Hz waterdrop IPS screen, 48MP rear camera along with ultra-wide, depth and a tele-macro camera, 4GB RAM with 64GB and 128GB storage options. It will likely come with a FHD+ screen. The Twitter users further says that the phone will be launched in Europe and Russia markets.

We should know more details about the smartphone in the coming months.

Source 1, 2, 3 | Via
Courtesy photo

The 2020-21 Alliance Bank Junior Board of Directors presented donations to Humanitarian Distribution Center and Monon Food Pantry during their year-end celebration.
Dr Reddy's is tying up with local manufacturers to produce Sputnik V within the country and it will take three months for technology transfer.  AFP

HYDERABAD: Sputnik V vaccine has been formally launched in Hyderabad on Monday by Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals. Thirty staff members of Dr Reddy's were administered the vaccine on the occasion.

DRL has imported 1.5 lakh doses of Sputnik V for its soft launch, the first phase of it being in Hyderabad. Five thousand staff and families of DRL are to be administered the vaccine by Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

While the first dose has been given in Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, the same will be extended to Visakhapatnam and thereafter to group hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune.

The first and second doses of Sputnik V are distinctly different. The gap between two doses of Sputnik V is 21 days. Apollo Hospitals said the cost of vaccination is Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,250.

DRL (Branded Markets) chief executive officer M. V. Ramana says, "We have got stocks of both the doses and will scale up accordingly. Presently, we have tied up with Apollo Hospitals as a cold chain is required for the vaccine."

Dr Reddy's is tying up with local manufacturers to produce Sputnik V within the country. It will take three months for technology transfer.

It is stated discussion are on with union government for Sputnik V vaccinations in government hospitals. There are also eight states that have shown interest in the vaccine but details are to be worked out.

Dr K. Hari Prasad, president, hospitals division of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited, said, "Opening up vaccination programmes to private sector will help accelerate vaccination. We are currently administering the other Covid vaccines at 60 locations across the country. Sputnik V is going to be another significant contribution to ease availability of Covid vaccines within the community."

Sputnik V is also included in the COWIN app of government of India. But due to technical glitches, it will take time to reflect on the app, DRL officials said.
(Purdue University/Rebecca McElhoe)

Purdue University is preparing to welcome its largest-ever incoming class this fall, with more than 10,000 freshmen expected to arrive.
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA)-- A Mobile womans desperate plea for help on TikTok has touched millions of people around the world.

Theres been people from Ireland, South Africa I didnt expect it to.. the video.. to blow up that much, said Valerie Partsch, who shared her mother, Michelle Moodys story on the social media platform.

In the video she explains how the single mom and substitute teacher suffered a severe stroke on Easter and has been in the hospital since, unable to walk, talk, barely able to eat and looking at a long road to recovery.

An outpour of support in the comments and people messaging me saying that she seems like a wonderful person and they support teachers and their families have gone through people having strokes and its just been incredible.

Partsch is doing anything she can to soften the financial strain on her family.

Were taking things like the dining room table and chairs to resale shops and I was doordashing until like one and two a.m. just to make the extra money.

She first took her plight to the TikTok app on May 4th, more than two weeks after her mothers stroke. The first video got thousands of views, but it was the second one she posted last week that went viral, reaching 4.6 million people by Sunday afternoon.

This is life changing, honestly...the support on GoFundMe has been insane and wonderful.

Loved ones and strangers alike have donated more than $22,000 dollars to the GoFundMe, after many of the people who donated saw her video on TikTok.

Partsch says its lifted a huge burden off of her family, hoping her mother can focus on her recovery.

I'm definitely planning on paying this forward and helping whoever I can and its just been incredible. This is the craziest thing to ever happen to us and were so grateful.

Partsch says her mom will be discharged from Mobile Infirmary on Tuesday.

All of the money raised will go toward her recovery and paying for bills while her mother is unable to work.

Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.
(CNN) -- Israeli emergency services are responding to what they have described as a "mass casualty event" after bleachers collapsed at an Orthodox synagogue in the West Bank settlement of Giv'at Ze'ev northwest of Jerusalem.

At least two people have been confirmed dead, the head of police for Jerusalem district told Israeli television reporters.

Video broadcast on Israeli television shows dozens of worshippers falling to the ground when the crowded bleachers collapsed.

A "considerable number of worshippers were injured," according to police. A firefighter on the scene told Israel Channel 13 that worshippers appeared to be trapped under the bleachers.

More than 100 have been injured, according to Israeli emergency medical services.

The bleacher collapse comes just over two weeks after 45 people were killed in a stampede at a religious festival at Israel's Mount Meron, where worshipers had gathered to mark the Lag B'Omer holiday.

CNN's Amir Tal reported from Jerusalem, while Dakin Andone reported and wrote this story in Atlanta.
FILE - In this June 7, 1999, file photo, Zane Floyd makes an appearance in Clark County Justice Court in Las Vegas, to face charges of murder in the shooting deaths of four people inside an Albertsons grocery store on June 3. (Aaron Mayes/Las Vegas Sun via AP, Pool)
Access Garage Doors Franchise Opens New Location in Minnesota

Mike Rustad Brings Essential National Franchise to South St. Paul Area

May 17, 2021 // Franchising.com // CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Access Garage Doors is growing its presence in the Midwest. The company is proud to welcome Mike Rustad as its newest franchise owner of Access Garage Doors of South St. Paul, in Minnesota.

Rustad is an experienced and savvy franchise owner whos already found success with his first business in the garage organization market. After 10 years of building that franchise, Rustad understands the needs of his community and is ready to offer customers new services and products with the Access Garage Door brand.

When were in customers homes, theyll ask us about garage door repair and replacement, said Rustad. I thought, were already in their homes, and theyre happy with the projects were doing, so why wouldnt we get into the garage door business? Access is the perfect next step for us to offer great customer service and products to new and existing customers.

Rustad grew up in an entrepreneurial family. He worked at his fathers automotive repair shop as a teenager.

He always saved the hardest projects for me because I have a lot of patience, said Rustad. The biggest lessons I learned from my dad were persistence and not to back down from a challenge. I know this is a competitive market, but Im impressed by the Access business plan and the fact that theyre growing quickly. Im excited to grow with this company.

Access Garage Doors President and CEO, Jesse Cox, is confident Rustad will be a tremendous asset to the Access Garage Doors franchise team.

Access is excited about this opportunity to establish a presence in Minnesota, said Cox. Mike has a knack for understanding the needs of his community and can take on any challenge that comes his way. Im confident he will thrive as the newest member of the Access family. I cant wait to see the growth of Access Garage Doors South St. Paul in the coming years.

Access Garage Doors offers homeowners a comprehensive selection of services on garage door opener systems and garage doors, as well as a wide selection of high-quality new garage doors and openers. Access Garage Doors is a Master Authorized Clopay dealer and an Authorized Service Provider for LiftMaster, Home Depot, Genie, Clopay, and Amarr.

SOURCE Access Garage Doors

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New Delhi: With Covid-19 cases and deaths raging across India, testing hesitancy among the rural population and small towns has emerged as a major obstacle. A considerable number of people living in the villages and small towns are rushing to jhola chap doctors (quacks) to get treated for their fever, cough and cold rather than going in for Covid tests. The fear that is stalking these sections is that those testing positive would be shifted to Covid hospitals, from where no one comes out alive.

Sandeep Sharma, a resident of a small village, Milak Khandera, in Uttar Pradesh, got himself tested only after a team of health workers reached the village on May 12. Speaking to this correspondent, he said: We are not going for tests. Its not safe to go to the hospitals for tests. Sharma claimed that most of the villagers believed that test karane gaye toh who pakar lenge aur hospital mein dal denge (If we go for tests, we will be forcibly admitted to the hospitals). Of the 500 villagers living in Milak Khandera, the team of health workers managed to test only 75 of them. Sharma was among those tested. They are still waiting for the reports.

Sharma virtually boasted that there had been no Covid-19 cases in his village. When asked how he would know since no one had got tested so far, he only said: Koi toh abhi tak mara nahi (No one has died so far).

A similar problem continues to plague Chausa, the village in Bihar which hit the headlines as several bloated and decomposed bodies were flushed out from the river in this particular region. Ashwini Varma, a social activist, lawyer and president of the Mahararishi Chausa Thermal Power Mazdoor Sangh, claimed that log darke maare test nahi kara rahe hain (People are not getting tested as they are scared). Its the fear of testing positive which is apparently preventing the villagers from getting tested. Varma further claimed that besides fear, the lack of infrastructure in Buxar was another major reason for the lack of testing. Shortage of oxygen, hospital beds and vaccines continue to hit Buxar, Varma said.

In fact last year, a paper published on Coronoavirus Testing Hesitancy among the Masses in India, by Priya Thappa and Kirtan Rana, had said clearly that in spite of the clear instructions from the government that no loss of wages should be suffered by people undergoing quarantine, many people, especially the ones belonging to the economically weaker sections of society, still face the fear of losing their livelihood. One of the other major factors contributing to the hesitation could be the long waiting period between the sample collection and declaration of reports. The paper further claimed that apart from these spheres, the lesser discussed issue is the social stigma associated with it.

In Jaipur, Deepak Khandelwal, a businessman, was facing a herculean task to get his workers tested. Even threats of sacking them have failed to work. The workers are scared that if they go for tests, they would be forcibly quarantined in some centres and no one would come out alive. Khandelwal claimed the majority of his workers were in a denial mode.

Deepak Methi and Amit Singhal, members of an NGO Om Foundation, came up with similar stories of testing hesitancy among people.

Singhal claimed that NGO workers had found that a majority of people in Gijhore, a small village in Uttar Pradesh, were refusing to be tested. Methi felt this was a major cause of concern, as the people refusing to get tested could be spreading the virus all across. Similar reports of testing hesitancy continue to emerge from tribal-dominated areas in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

In fact, the fear stalking villagers and even some urbanites which is driving them to refusing to be either vaccinated or tested was due to ignorance and the massive spread of fake news. Neelesh Misra of Gaon Connection, a media platform, wrote: The massive wall of suspicion, rumours, fake news and fear were driving the hesitation or plain refusal to both vaccine and testing.

For instance Chhavi Methi, a budding yoga instructor, who comes from an affluent background in Noida, felt that her body has the ability to develop immunity on its own against the virus. Chhavi is averse to the inoculation at least for now due to serious side effects of the vaccine. Even though her husband and daughter have got themselves vaccinated, Chhavi spoke of the reports about people dying even after vaccination.

Rajit Mehta, MD and CEO of Antara, while talking about this particular apprehension that people die even after being vaccinated, wrote in an article no single vaccine provides 100 per cent protection. He noted: The annual influenza vaccine offers only 40-60 per cent protection and the measles vaccine offers only 97 per cent protection. He went on to add: Similarly, no Covid-19 vaccine developed in India or outside offers 100 per cent protection.

To those refusing to get tested or vaccinated, Mehta said, while adding that the vaccination significantly lowered the level of infection, that full vaccination protects from fatal infections. The ICMR in a recent report also said that only 2-4 people in 10,000 were found to get infected after getting both doses.

While the government and the medical fraternity put ignorance behind the testing and vaccine hesitancy in India, social activists and a majority of doctors felt a massive awareness drive needs to be launched to counter these obstacles.
Other than frontline workers, I dont think it should be required

It should never be required

It should be required by private employers in almost all cases

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FILE  In this Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, file photo, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas looks on as President Joe Biden signs an executive order on immigration, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Biden, under political pressure, agreed to admit four times as many refugees this budget year as his predecessor did, but resettlement agencies concede the number actually allowed into the U.S. will be closer to the record-low cap of 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
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.
Galveston, TX (77553)

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A few passing clouds. Low 79F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

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A few passing clouds. Low 79F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Theres no untangling the Israeli governments assault on the Palestinian people from the world of video games this week. As casualties have mounted with the Israelis governments assault on the Gaza Strip, the impact of the violence has had fallout in the world of video games.

As of this writing, the Washington Post lists 200 Palestinians killed in a barrage of missile and artillery attacks by the Israeli Defense Force, and 10 Israelis slain by Hamas-launched rockets.

The exponentially disproportionate death toll doesnt include any accounting of the street-level violence that began after Israeli settlers and police forces began the process of evicting Palestinian residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Protests and counter-protests escalated into a police raid on the Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan prayers last week.

(For more on how Israels occupation of Palestinian territories impacts game developers from the area, you can see developer Rasheed Abueidehs 2017 #1ReasonToBe presentation in the video above. He's the creator of Liyla and the Shadows of War, a mobile game drawn directly from his lived experiences.)

In the light of the disproportionate impact on Palestinian people across the region, individual game developers and journalists began speaking out and attempting to raise funds for non-governmental organizations providing aid in the area. Thats where things got complicated.

Both IGN and Game Informer ran stories last week with links to charities working to respond to the growing human rights crisis Palestinians face. Those stories vanished over the weekend, seemingly due to intervention from both outlets corporate managers.

A statement appeared on the IGN Twitter feed that appeared to take issue with the IGN teams decision to include charities specifically aiding Palestinians, offering instead to make a donation to Save the Children.

These are the organizations that IGN and Game Informer originally shared with their readers:

The Palestine Childrens Relief Fund

Anera

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency

Medical Aid for Palestinians

Doctors Without Borders

Game Informer additionally shared links to Friends of Al-Aqsa and a Just Giving fundraising page run by UK organization Muslim Relief.

The rhetoric of Israeli national security and a right to self defense against Hamas carries so much weight that it's forced two video game outlets to pull links to charities supporting medical and financial in the region. It's also been used to justify stringent restrictions on Palestinians that deny them the same human rights that the rest of us enjoy.

As the death toll continues to rise, it feels worth remembering stories like Abueideh's to remember the ordinary people this rhetoric impacts--or risk being so blind to human suffering that continued deaths leave us numb.
I can say pretty confidently that we will be able to do at least one prime dose clinic next week because well be approved to start administering to 12- to 15-year-olds, Noble said, in an interview shortly before the approval announcement was made. After that we will likely slow down our clinics, our prime dose ones anyway."

Of course, with the number of vaccines waning at mass vaccination clinics in both Corvallis and Albany, a big question remains of how local officials are utilizing all the surplus doses that they have on-hand. Part of this is done through conservative preparation of the doses at these clinics, while another component is in coordinating clinics at workplaces and in rural parts of the counties.

We have not wasted one single dose, Noble said. What weve been doing is being careful as we draw out the doses that we dont waste any  what basically happened is last week we had a couple thousand doses that didnt get used but we didnt draw them up and just kept them in the coolers.

Linn County is sending many of its surplus doses to Benton County clinics run by Samaritan, however, leaving them to account for how best to use those extra doses.
Voters intending to cast ballots in the special election must have their ballots in the hands of county elections officials by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Although Oregon is a vote-by-mail state, postmarks do not count. A ballot must be in the hands of the elections office by the time polls close to be counted.

Tuesdays ballot features Measure 2-130, a renewal of a public safety and health levy in Benton County, as well as a series of contested school board races in Greater Albany Public Schools and the Corvallis School District.

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

Money measures also are on the ballot in the Lyons-Mehama Water District and the Mill City Rural Fire Protection District.

Also on the ballot in Benton County and Linn County are a wide variety of school and college boards, special districts and fire districts.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, 28.94% of ballots had been cast in Benton County (17,284 cast out of 59,728 eligible). Meanwhile, in Linn County, 15.39% of ballots have been turned in (14,835 cast out of 94,530 eligible).
The High Court questioned the 'unusual haste' by officials in completing 170-acre survey in a single day and set aside the report submitted by Medak collector S Harish.  Twitter

Hyderabad: After a brief lull, the state government has stepped up investigation into the alleged encroachment of assigned and endowment lands by ousted health minister Etala Rajendar.

Officials from Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) visited Masaipet on Monday and examined land records from the time as old as from 1980 at the MRO office to assess the extent of assigned land encroachments by Jamuna Hatcheries owned by family members of Rajender.

Simultaneously, officials from the revenue department conducted an inquiry into the issue on Monday. Masaipet mandal revenue officer (MRO) Malathi and Veldurthi MRO Suresh visited the assigned lands and recorded the statements of village secretaries on how the lands were transferred to Jamuna Hatcheries.

Speaking to the media later, both the MROs said that Jamuna Hatcheries obtained NOC (no objection certificate) for regularisation of assigned lands by exerting pressure on village secretaries in 2018 and 2019. They said that Jamuna Hatcheries was setting up a poultry feed plant against the norms in Hakimpet even after the village secretaries issued notices twice to stop the works.

They said the village secretaries stopped the works after it was found that the firm was laying roads over an extent of 5.35 acres against norms. The MROs informed that they had issued notices to 75 farmers owning 90 acres and a comprehensive land survey would be conducted from May 26 to 28 to ascertain the extent of encroachments.

The Medak district administration had earlier surveyed these lands and submitted a report to the state government on May 1 stating that Rajendars poultry farm had encroached 66 acres.

However, the Huzurabad MLAs family members challenged the report in the High Court. The High Court questioned the 'unusual haste' by officials in completing 170-acre survey in a single day and set aside the report submitted by Medak collector S Harish. The inquiry was halted since then.

Similarly, the probe into the encroachment of Devarayamjal temple lands by Rajendar too was halted on May 8 after the High Court observed why there was an urgency to form IAS officers committee and engage senior officials and district collectors to probe into this issue at a time when people were dying due to Covid-19 in the state. The government told the court that it was only a preliminary inquiry and a detailed inquiry will be conducted later.

Official sources said the government asked the committee to resume the probe and submit a report to the government in two weeks.

These probe reports will be submitted to the High Court which is expected to hear these cases again in July.
Armed Forces Day, which celebrates the men and women serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy, is May 15. The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of our nations armed forces.

1. Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress which powers?

A. The power to provide and maintain a navy

B. The power to declare war

C. The power to raise and support armies

D. All of the above

2. The oldest infantry unit has been active since 1784. What is it called?

A. Old Iron Sides

B. Yellow Jackets

C. Old Guard

D. Devil Dogs

3. Who is the current U.S. Secretary of Defense and in what branch of the military did he serve?

A. James Mattis, Marines
Mr. Brenan, I am glad I am read (Law doesnt bar souls to the polls, April 23).

It appears that you do not like to read between the lines. I, too, would like things spelled out in black and white. I agree with you that everything looks on the up and up with polling places, ballot boxes and I.D., etc. Heres the rub.

The Republican Georgia legislature kicked out Raffensperger, the secretary of state, of his responsibilities as the election official. So who is responsible for election responsibilities? Guess who. The Republican Georgia legislature. The fox is now in charge of the chicken coop! They are angry that Raffensperger did not back up our national disgrace, obviously. Now the legislature will appoint a chairperson of its choosing to oversee the Georgia election (can you say Republican?).

They also can choose to appoint the election board members of each county. If the legislature deems a county underperforming during an election (what does that mean?), it has the power to appoint election officials to oversee election results. The new law authorizes the state board to suspend local election officials and appoint members of its choosing.
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Generally clear skies. Low near 45F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Generally clear skies. Low near 45F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
KCR on Monday appealed to Covid-19 patients to undergo treatment in government hospitals free of cost. (Photo: twitter @TelanganaCMO)

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Monday appealed to Covid-19 patients to undergo treatment in government hospitals free of cost. They would get free food and medicines, he said.

The Chief Minister urged the people to take advantage of the facilities in government hospitals including oxygen, beds and medicines for free instead of going to private hospitals and spending huge amounts. Since the treatment is good at government hospitals too, people should prefer them, he said.

Rao said that as on Monday 6,926 beds lay vacant in government hospitals in the state. Of these, 2,252 were oxygen beds, 533 ICU beds and 4,140 general beds.

The CM's appeal comes in the wake of increasing demand from various quarters to include Covid treatment under Aarogyasri to enable patients

from poorer sections avail treatment at private hospitals free of cost.

The CM also announced the setting up of oxygen production plants of 324 metric tonnes capacity in 48 government hospitals across the state to overcome the problem of oxygen shortage for Covid patients and make the State self-reliant in oxygen supply.

The decision was taken at a review meeting held by the CM on the Coronavirus situation attended by senior officials at Pragathi Bhavan. It was decided to set up an additional 100 metric tonne capacity liquid oxygen plant in Hyderabad.

Accordingly, six plants of 16 metric tonnes, 15 plants of eight metric tonnes, 27 plants of four metric tonnes will be set up in government hospitals in Hyderabad and in district hospitals and area hospitals in all districts.

The CM asked oxygen manufacturers to provide 11 oxygen tankers of 20-tonne capacity each in the next ten days. It was also decided to set up six new medical colleges in the government sector to boost health infrastructure.

The new colleges will come up at Sangareddy, Jagtial, Kothagudem, Wanaparthy, Mancherial and Mahbubabad. Nursing colleges will also be set up.

The CM asked officials to make arrangements for the equipment and the required medicines in ENT Hospital in Koti, Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, medical college hospitals in the districts to treat the black fungus disease among Covid-19 patients.

The CM said, if need be, 25 Microdebrider machines and HD endoscopic cameras will be purchased. He also instructed the officials to immediately invite global tenders for the supply of the vaccines. He asked officials to be in touch with the Centre regularly on the vaccination quota and get the vaccines to the state.

The officials informed the CM that the state received 57,30,220 doses of vaccine and had a stock of 1,86,780 doses. Of this, 58,230 are Covaxin and 1,28,550 are Covishield vaccines.

To give medical treatment facilities and medicines to the poor in government hospitals, 12 regional sub centers should be formed at Siddipet, Wanaparthy, Mahbubabad, Kothagudem, Nagarkurnool, Suryapet, Bhongir, Jagtial, Mancherial, Bhupalpally, Vikarabad, and Gadwal. The CM said the 200-bed hospitals in Anantagiri in Vikarabad, Singareni, RTC, CISF, Railways, Army and ESI hospitals should be brought in for Covid treatment.
In what was, so far, the best baseball game of the week, the Jaguars pulled their 33rd win out of the fire and salvaged a gem of a start from their star pitcher.
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Barton - Miriam A. (Jacobs) Carter, 98, died from declining health on Monday, June 1, 2020, in Barton, Vt. She was the widow of John C. Carter. Born in Rockland, Mass., on April 20, 1922, she was the second daughter of the late David Percy and Ethel Agnes (Belcher) Jacobs. She was a graduate
Fishermen cast on the rocky shore at the Beavertail Lighthouse, the third-oldest lighthouse in America, at the tip of Beavertail State Park, on Narragansett Bay, in Jamestown, Rhode Island, on July 7, 2006. The federal government's General Services Administration announced the U.S. Coast Guard has decided it no longer needs four of the nation's most storied and picturesque lighthouses, including the Beavertail Lighthouse. The government says it'll make the historic lighthouses and their outbuildings available at no cost to federal, state and local agencies; nonprofit organizations; educational and community development agencies; or groups devoted to parks, recreation, culture, or historic preservation. (Stew Milne/AP file photo)
TOPEKA [mdash] Lydia N. Hostetler, 89, of Topeka, died at 4:25 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8 at her residence. She was born on April 8, 1932, in LaGrange County, to Noah J. and Amanda Mae (Bontrager) Raber. On April 23, 1953, in Honeyville, she married Ervin D. Hostetler. He died June 3, 2017. Sur
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FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2018 file photo, Senator Gustavo Petro pauses during an interview at a local radio station in Bogota, Colombia. The former presidential candidate has adopted a low-key approach during the anti-government protests that started in late April 2021 ahead of his third run for Colombias presidency. AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
A team of researchers led by Loretta Roberson, associate scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, has installed the first seaweed farm in Puerto Rico and US tropical waters. The research array furthers the design and development of a system for offshore cultivation of tropical seaweeds to support large-scale production of biomass for biofuels and other valuable bioproducts.

Puerto Rico has stable warm temperatures and ample sunlight year-round, as well as a wide range of exposure to prevailing winds and waves. These conditions make its southern coastline an ideal test bed for exploring how environmental conditions influence the biological, physiological, and chemical properties of cultivated macroalgae, as well as the impact of seaweed farms on the surrounding environment. Facilitating research of this nature will be key for the development of sustainable aquaculture in this area. We have tested similar farm designs in New England and Alaska, but this will be the first test of the array in warm tropical waters where we expect higher fouling rates from other marine organisms, UV damage, and threats from hurricanes. Loretta Roberson

Additional farms are being tested in Florida and Belize to assess scalability.

The research team includes experts in ocean farm systems design, modeling of nutrient dynamics in ocean systems, environmental impact assessment and stakeholder engagement, and economic analysis.

The team members are affiliated with an additional 16 organizations: Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System; University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez; University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; C.A. Goudey & Associates; Tend Ocean; University of Connecticut Stamford; Cascadia Research Collective; Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute Merida; Makai Ocean Engineering; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Rutgers; The Nature Conservancy; Two Docks Shellfish LLC; University of California Irvine; and University of California Santa Barbara.

The researchers are currently targeting commercially valuable red algal eucheumatoid species, which are primarily cultivated in East Africa and Asia. To date, eucheumatoids have been difficult to propagate in a cost-effective manner and production has been limited to easily accessible areas near shore.





A diver measuring the size of a newly outplanted bunch of Eucheumatopis isiformis, a red seaweed native to the Caribbean. The research team will monitor the algae throughout its cultivation to determine which environmental conditions and farm operations lead to optimal algal growth and composition. Credit: Loretta Roberson

In addition to developing the best methods for cultivating these species in offshore environments, the project team seeks to further quantify the ecosystem services associated with the farming activities. These likely include habitat provision for a variety of marine species and the improvement of water quality through removal of excess nutrient and buffering of pH.

The ultimate goal of the project is to cost-effectively produce biomass at scale in underutilized areas of the Gulf of Mexico and tropical US Exclusive Economic Zones where year-round production is possible.

MBL received funding for this research from the US Department of Energys Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) competitive Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program. (Earlier post.)

Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.
Greensburg, IN (47240)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 86F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies. Low 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
SEATTLE (AP)  A Nigerian man suspected in Washington states $650 million unemployment fraud was arrested Friday at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport by federal agents as he allegedly attempted to leave the country.

Abidemi Rufai of Lekki, Nigeria appeared in federal court Saturday on charges that he used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington state Employment Security Department during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
WASHINGTON  The White House says President Joe Biden has expressed support for a cease-fire during a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A statement says the leaders spoke Monday, which was the eighth day of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

Bidens move signals U.S. concern for an end to Israels part of hostilities with Hamas, although it falls short of joining growing Democratic Party demands for an immediate cease-fire.

The White House says the president reiterated his firm support for Israels right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks.

___

JERSUALEM  Israels military says it identified six rockets launched from Lebanon that apparently fell inside Lebanese territory.

The army said Monday that Israeli artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon. Air raid sirens sounded in a kibbutz near the border, and residents were instructed to prepare bomb shelters.

The incident took place near the site of protests staged along the Lebanese border Friday. In one incident, protesters breached the border fence and entered Israeli territory. Israeli troops fatally shot man who was later identified by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah as one of its fighters.

___

JERUSALEM  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will continue to strike terror targets in the Gaza Strip after a week of fighting with Palestinian militants.

In an address after meeting with top defense officials, Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.

The fighting broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police.

The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

___

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Qatar has condemned the Israeli bombing of the Qatari Red Crescent building in the Gaza Strip, which it said resulted in deaths and injuries.

Qatar said Monday the operation also damaged parts of The Hamad Bin Khalifa Hospital for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation, as did the previous aerial bombing Saturday of the tower that housed the offices of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel. The mixed-use office and residential high-rise was also home to The Associated Press' offices in Gaza.

Qatar said the targeting of humanitarian and media institutions is a flagrant violation of international law. The Foreign Ministry said Qatar affirms it will spare no effort in supporting the just Palestinian cause and its brothers in Palestine.

The energy-rich Gulf country has been providing $20 million to Gaza monthly since 2018.

___

AMMAN, Jordan  Jordans interior minister says Israel has handed over two Jordanian citizens who infiltrated its border over the past days.

Mazen Farayah didn't elaborate while speaking to parliament Monday.

The foreign ministry said authorities are looking into reports that other Jordanian citizens have crossed into Israel in Monday without confirming whether it indeed happened.

Jordan has been witnessing protests against Israel over fighting that broke out last week between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

On Monday, all parliament members in Jordan called on the government to evict Israels ambassador to Jordan and recall Jordans ambassador to Israel. The legislators also called for abolishing the peace accord that Jordan and Israel signed in 1994.

The calls by the legislators aren't binding.

___

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations says over 38,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes and more than 2,500 people have been made homeless because their houses were destroyed.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday those displaced have sought protection in 48 schools run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian Refugees.

Dujarric said 41 education facilities have been damaged according to U.N. staff on the ground.

The power supply across Gaza has been reduced to six to eight hours per day, on average, with a number of feeder lines not functioning, he said. That, in turn, disrupts the provision of health care and other basic services, including water, hygiene and sanitation.

He said the World Food Program has started providing emergency assistance for more than 51,000 people in north Gaza.

___

CAIRO  An Egyptian health official says three Palestinian wounded arrived Monday at a hospital in Egypts Sinai Peninsula for treatment.

The official says ambulances have transferred the three, including a child, from the Raffah crossing point to the al-Arish public hospital.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief media.

They were the first wounded to cross into Egypt from Gaza since the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the territory started May 10 following weeks of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police in Jerusalem.

Egypt, which is mediating a cease-fire, has also sent trucks carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Gaza.

 By Samy Magdy

___

PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron says he will have talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming days about the airstrike that destroyed a Gaza building that housed The Associated Press and other media outlets.

Macron said at a news conference in Paris that the safety of journalists ... and their protection in times of conflict is a crucial responsibility.

He said France has requested that Israel clarify the circumstances and objectives of the airstrike.

Macron called for a cease-fire as soon as possible, and said France is supporting Egypts mediation in the conflict as key to avoiding more violence.

He said he will discuss with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, whom he already met on Monday in Paris, and Jordanian King Abdullah II in the coming days to make concrete proposals.

___

ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed U.S President Joe Biden, accusing him of writing history with his bloody hands following reports of a multi-million dollar weapons sale to Israel by his administration.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan also said Jerusalem should be administered by an international commission made up of Jewish, Christian and Muslim representatives. Erdogan, who has been conducting telephone diplomacy to try and end the violence, said he had raised the issue during a call with Pope Francis.

In todays circumstances, the administration of Jerusalem by a commission made up of representatives of the three religions will be the most accurate and consistent way, he said.

Erdogan also took aim at Austria for flying the Israeli flag from a government building, suggesting that Vienna was trying to make Muslims pay the price of their own genocide against the Jews.

Now, unfortunately, you (Biden) are writing history with your bloody hands with this event (in which) Gaza is being attacked with seriously disproportionate force causing the martyrdom of thousands of people, Erdogan said. You have forced us to say this.

Erdogan was referring to reports that the Biden administration had approved a $735 million weapons sale to Israel.

___

UNITED NATIONS  The United States has again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to the crisis related to Gaza and the protection of civilians, especially children.

Council diplomats said there was a 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) deadline Monday for countries to comment on the statement and Washignton objected to it.

At a high-level emergency council meeting on Sunday, there were near unanimous calls for an end to the week-long conflict.

The proposed council press statement by China, Norway and Tunisia, obtained by The Associated Press, didn't name Israel or Gazas Hamas rulers, instead expressing grave concern at the Gaza crisis and the loss of civilian lives and casualties.

The U.S. says it's "engaging in intense diplomatic efforts at the highest levels to try to bring an end to this conflict.

___

BEIRUT  The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group's leader has made a rare public appearance in Beirut where he vowed that his group will keep fighting Israel, which he described as weaker than a spiders web.

Ziad Nakhaleh told hundreds of supporters during a rally organized by Lebanons militant Hezbollah group Monday evening that Israel is targeting civilians and avoiding direct confrontation with holy warriors.

The groups military wing, the Quds Brigades, along with the military wing of Hamas have fired hundreds of rockets and missiles toward Israeli towns and cities since the latest round of fighting began last Monday.

Nakhaleh, who thanked Iran for its help, said the latest round of fighting is a new page in defending Jerusalem and al-Aqsa mosque.

___

SANAA, Yemen  Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa on Monday to denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners calling for the boycott of Israeli and American goods. They also chanted: Death to America! and Death to Israel! Many protesters were seen carrying AK-47 assault rifles.

The protests are called by Houthi rebels, who are allied with Hamas. Both groups have close ties with Iran, the archenemy of Israel.

___

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Palestinian witnesses say at least two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike at the upper floor of an apartment building in Gaza City.

The witnesses say the bodies of man and a girl were brought to the Shifa hospital in the city. There was no immediate comment from the Health Ministry.

The latest airstrike occurred Monday in the same neighborhood at Wahda street where a series of conservative air raids had flattened three buildings and killed as many as 42 Palestinians early Sunday.

Meanwhile, a fresh airstrike has flattened a five-story commercial building housing the headquarters of the Hamas-run religious affairs ministry.

The armed wing of Hamas said Israel has resumed hitting houses Monday afternoon and said it would fire rockets toward Israels heartland in retaliation.

___

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Hamas Interior Ministry has ordered journalists and media production companies in Gaza to refrain from offering their services to two Saudi-owned satellite channels.

In a message sent to journalists mobiles, a ministry official stressed offering any service to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV and its news branch Al-Hadath are prohibited by liability.

Hamas has closed the Gaza offices of the channel during the 2014 war after accusing it of broadcasting false news meant to distort the Islamic militant group.

___

ATHENS, Greece  Greece says its foreign minister will head to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday for talks with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.

Nikos Dendias is to meet with Gabi Ashkenazi and Riad al-Maliki before heading later the same day to Jordan for talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the foreign ministry announced Monday.

The minister will travel to Egypt on Thursday for a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukri.

In the past Greece, which has long had good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, has attempted to play a mediating role in their conflicts.

___

BERLIN  German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the current escalation in the Mideast conflict and emphasized Germanys solidarity with Israel and the countrys right to self-defense.

She condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli and voiced her hope for a swift end to the fighting in light of the loss of civilian life on both sides.

Merkels office said she also stressed that the government will continue to act decisively against protests in Germany at which hatred and antisemitism is spread.

One of the leading contenders to succeed Merkel in Germanys national election this fall, Annalena Baerbock of the center-left Greens, likewise condemned the Hamas rocket attacks and backed Israels right to self-defense.

She called for Germany and the European Union to support efforts by U.S. President Joe Biden to mediate between the warring parties.

Asked about Israels destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza used by international media, including AP, Baerbock said the principles of international humanitarian law, which bans attacks on civilians  apply in the conflict. Israel said the airstrike targeted Hamas, which it claimed was present in the building, but didnt offer proof.

___

JERUSALEM  An Israeli man hurt in violent unrest by Arab citizens in central Israel last week has died of his injuries, his family says.

Police confirmed that Yigal Yehoshua, 56, was attacked and seriously injured by rioters in Lod on Monday, has died. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Lod saw some of the worst Jewish and Arab violent unrest that wracked Israeli cities last week. Police said that a total of 190 people were injured in the violence, 10 of them seriously. Yehoshua was the second confirmed death. Musa Hassuna was shot and killed May 11 during the first night of unrest in Lod.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said operations are continuing across the county to prevent and respond to incidents with additional reinforcements in Lod.

 This item has been corrected to show that Yigal Yehoshua was the second confirmed death in the violence, not the first.

___

PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi stressed the absolute need to cease hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians, the French presidency said.

During a working meeting in Paris on Monday, both leaders shared strong concerns about the escalation of violence in the Middle East and deplored the numerous civilian victims, the statement said.

Macron reaffirmed Frances support to Egypts mediation in the conflict.

Both leaders agreed to continue to coordinate their actions in favor of a rapid cease-fire and prevent a spreading of the conflict in the region, according to the French presidency.

___

BRUSSELS  The European Union will redouble its efforts to end the upsurge in violence between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants, and seek progress during a special meeting of its foreign ministers Tuesday, the bloc said.

The EU also called the weekend destruction of a building housing major international media extremely worrying and said safe working conditions for journalists were essential.

The EU has never had the impact Washington can wield in the region and no immediate breakthrough was expected from Tuesdays meeting. Ever since the outbreak of violence last week, the EU has been calling for restraint and condemned attacks that hit civilian populations.

___

LONDON  The British government says Israel must ensure that its military activities against Hamas are proportionate, and it is deeply concerned by the destruction of media offices and other civilian targets in Gaza.

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said Britain is in contact with our U.S and U.N. counterparts and urgently seeking more information from the Israeli government on Saturdays attack, which destroyed a high-rise building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media organizations.

We are deeply concerned by U.N. reports that 23 schools and 500 homes, as well as medical facilities and media offices, have been destroyed or damaged in Gaza, Blain said. He added that Israel must make every effort to avoid civilian casualties and military activity must be proportionate.

Blain also said the U.K. was concerned about Hamas using civilian areas as cover. Israel says the media building was also being used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.

___

CAIRO  Egypts chief diplomat has warned against expanding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, urging all parties to strike a cease-fire.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said in televised comments that Egypt is working with international partners to reach a truce and embark on political negations aiming at achieving a permanent, comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian cause.

He said Egypt hopes the U.S. administration will engage in such an effort to relaunch the political process in order to avert war and destruction in the region.

He called for Israels government to reduce tensions in Jerusalem and stop efforts by extremist settlers to change the nature of the city.

___

BERLIN  German officials have condemned the ongoing rocket fire by Hamas on Israel and demanded that the militant group immediately end those attacks.

This is terror, which is intended to kill people indiscriminately, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reportes in Berlin. The German government stands by Israel and its right to protect its population and defend itself.

Seibert added that it was tragic that so many human lives need to be lamented on both sides but accused Hamas of holding the Palestinian population in Gaza hostage by launching its rockets from densely populated civilian areas.

Asked about the destruction of a Gaza building housing several media outlets, including AP, by Israel over the weekend, Seibert said it was important that journalists should be able to report from war zones, but again cited Israels right to self-defense. Israel has claimed the building was also used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.

___

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The ambassador of the Czech Republic to Kuwait is apologizing over an image posted online of him draped in the Israeli flag, amid anger in the small, oil-rich nation over the death of Palestinians.

Martin Dvorak wrote an open letter posted on the embassys Twitter account on Monday after Kuwaitis posted angry messages to his Instagram account.

Dvorak wrote that his post inspired understandable outrage and indignation among many people with regards to the current, deeply dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip.

He added: It was absolutely not my intention to express any manner of disrespect towards the innocent Palestinian victims and casualties whose loss we are currently witnessing.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry summoned Dvorak on Monday over the post to express its categorical rejection and strong disapproval.

While some Gulf Arab nations now recognize Israel, Kuwait has not done so in a decades-long support of the Palestinians efforts to have an independent state.

___

MOSCOW  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia is extremely concerned about Israel's destruction of a building in Gaza City that housed the APs longtime Gaza bureau and offices of other media organizations.

We are extremely concerned about the growing number of human casualties, Peskov added during a conference call with reporters.

Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasnt had any contacts with neither the Israeli, nor the Palestinian side in recent days, but such contacts can be organized, if necessary.

The Kremlin spokesman added that very energetic efforts are now being made both through the Quartet (of Middle East mediators, which comprises the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia), and various countries are now in constant contact through bilateral channels with both the Israelis and the Palestinians in order to stop the exchange of strikes.

___

ROME  The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis met with the Iranian foreign minister and spoke by telephone with the Turkish president amid the spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Vatican said Francis spoke by phone around 9 a.m. Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later, he met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Rome on a previously announced visit. The Vatican provided no comment on the content of the talks.

On Sunday, Francis appealed for calm and international help to open a path of dialogue. Speaking during his Sunday blessing, Francis said the deaths of children in the latest surge of violence was a sign that they dont want to build the future but want to destroy it.

___

ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Pope Francis to support sanctions against Israel, saying Palestinians will continue to be massacred as long as the international community does not punish Israel.

During a telephone telephone call Monday with the pope, Erdogan also said that continued messages and reactions from Francis in support of Palestinians would be of great importance for the mobilization of the Christian world and of the international community, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications directorate.

During their conversation, Erdogan also renewed a call for the international community to take concrete steps to show Israel the dissuasive reaction and lesson it deserves, according to the statement. The Turkish leader has been engaged in a telephone diplomacy bid to end Israels use of force.

___

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Gazas mayor says Israeli airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip have caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure, while the Israeli military says they destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse, mayor Yahya Sarraj told Al-Jazeera TV.

The U.N. has warned that the territorys sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territorys electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days. Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the companys staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.

The war broke out last Monday, when the Hamas militant group fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

Since then, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,100 rockets into Israel.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes and 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks from Gaza.

___

JERUSALEM  The Israeli military says its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

Residents of Gaza awakened early Monday by the overnight barrage described it as the heaviest since the war began a week ago, and even more powerful than a wave of airstrikes in Gaza City the day before that left 42 dead and flattened three buildings.

There was no immediate word Monday on the casualties from the latest strikes. A three-story building in Gaza City was heavily damaged, but residents said the military warned them 10 minutes before the strike and everyone cleared out. They said many of the airstrikes hit nearby farmland.
Griffin, GA (30223)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 84F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially before midnight. Low 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Qualcomm introduced a new 7-series chipset, the Snapdragon 780G (model number SM7350). However, the San Diego chip company is working on a slightly downgraded project with model number SM7325 and a rumored name Snapdragon 775G.

The first phone with the new SoC will be Honor 50, at least according to a leakster in China who has a good track record with this kind of information.

The Honor 50 smartphone will be the most affordable member of a family of three - the Honor 50 Pro and Honor 50 Pro+ are expected to arrive with the flagship Snapdragon 888. A date of the release is yet unknown, but we expect the phones to be introduced in June and arrive for sale in July when the bottleneck in chipset production opens up.

Working with Qualcomm, an American company, would also most likely mean the Honor 50 will come with Google Services. This will likely bring the now-independent company back in the smartphone game, after it fell out, following Huaweis collapse, following the trade war between the United States in China.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
According to a new Weibo post by Huawei official He Gang, well see the brands first smartwatch with blood pressure monitoring in the second half of this year. Based on the shared info, Huaweis upcoming smartwatch with ECG (electrocardiogram) monitoring has already passed registration as a medical device in China and is now starting clinical trials in medical institutions across the country.



He Gang post on Weibo

Huawei plans to incorporate hypertension management and coronary heart disease screening alongside smart body temperature health measurement. Huaweis ECG reader will rely on a combination of PPG and ACC data to detect early signs of heart disease. Huawei is reportedly working on its Watch 3 smartwatch which should be announced alongside the P50 series. So far, we've seen rumors that the watch will boot HarmonyOS and will pack eSIM functionality.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
A poster for the Samsung Galaxy F52 5G has surfaced in China, spotted by Weibo user Instant Digital. This will be the first F-series device in the country (currently, the F-series is focused on India), the Galaxy A52 5G is already available.

The two devices are quite similar, though the A52 5G costs CNY 3,000 while the F52 5G will go for CNY 2,000 (in Europe the A-phone is 430, subtracting 33% from that shows that the F-phone should cost under 300).



The poster details the pre-order period, first sale and a couple of freebies

According to the poster, the Galaxy F52 5G will be available for pre-order starting on May 20 (this Thursday). The first sale will be in the June 1 to June 3 period and will include a free smart bathroom scale. More freebies will be offered until June 30.

The F52 5G will be powered by a Snapdragon 750G, just like the A52 5G, however, it will have a 6.57 LCD instead of the 6.5 Super AMOLED (both with 1080p+ resolution). The battery will be slightly smaller (4,350 mAh), but will still support 25W fast charging. The quad camera on the back will have a 64 MP sensor in the main module, the selfie camera (oddly placed in the upper right corner) will have a 16 MP sensor.



Samsung Galaxy F52 5G hands-on photos

Its not clear if the Galaxy F52 5G will be available outside of China. It is likely that at least India will get it (the F62 is already available there).

Source (in Chinese) | Via




Haiti - FLASH : Sonson La Familia arrested in Dominican Republic





Woodly Etheart aka "Sonson La Familia" who was actively sought by Haitian justice since December 2019 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28480-haiti-news-zapping.html has been arrested on Saturday May 15, 2021 in Santo-Domingo when he had come to the Dominican Republic to attend a concert of the former President Martelly at the Hard Rock (Friday May 14th https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33722-haiti-news-zapping.html).



Dominican authorities handed over Woodly Etheart to the Haitian National Police (PNH) on Sunday May 16. Note that Woodly Etheart, although "wanted", has often been seen wandering freely in the streets of Petion-Ville in recent months without being worried by the authorities...



Let's recall that the PNH had requested in 2019 the help of the Dominican authorities for the arrest of Etheart after a surprising and contested release decision in 2015 from Judge Lamarre Belizaire https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13663-haiti-justice-an-unacceptable-verdict.html and after an appeal by the Government Commissioner to the Court of Cassation who had finally ordered in May 2018 the return to prison of "Sonson La Familia" to be tried again by the same criminal court (but with other judges) for the same offenses with which it had previously been accused, among others: criminal conspiracy, kidnapping followed by kidnapping for ransom, murder, illicit trafficking in narcotics, vehicle theft, illegal possession of weapons fire, forgery and use of forgery, usurpation of title and laundering of assets.



hHe is currently in custody at the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) pending his transfer to the Prosecutor's office for legal follow-up.



Read also on "Sonson la Familia" :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28480-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27355-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24701-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13669-haiti-justice-strong-reaction-of-me-carlos-hercules.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13679-haiti-flash-layoff-of-dean-of-tpi-for-administrative-negligence.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13756-haiti-justice-call-for-a-peaceful-march-against-impunity.html



SLj/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Audit on the management of Jean Marie Altema, former DG of CONATEL

On May 13, 2021, the Financial Chamber of the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigation (CSC/CA) heard the audit file on the management of Jean Marie Altema, former Director General of the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) for the period from April 22, 2016 to May 2, 2017. After hearing the various parties, the CSC/CA ordered the filing of additional documents with the Registry and put the case on "sine die"...



Cap-Haitien : Tribute to a diaspora from New-Orleans

Dr Yvens Laborde, native of Port-au-Prince, Medical Director of "Ochsner Health" for health education and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in New-Orleans on an official visit to Cap-Haitien was honored by Ms. Yvrose Pierre, Mayor of Cap-Haitien, for the exemplary nature of his humanitarian action both abroad, but also in recognition of her work and efforts in Haiti and in particular in Cap-Haitien.



Town halls and preparations for the referendum

Interior Minister Louis Gonzague Edner Day met this week with the Executive Committee of the National Federation of Mayors of Haiti (FENAMH) on preparations for the referendum on the Constitution.



Did you know ?

Did you know that the nickname of city of poets, Jeremie owes it to some of the greatest Haitian writers from this city, such as Edmond la Forest, Emile Roumer. It was also in Jeremie that, in 1762, Thomas Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie was born, better known under the name of General Dumas, father of Alexandre Dumas and grandfather of Alexandre Dumas fils, two of the greatest writers of the French literature.



Haiti/Spain cooperation

As part of a decentralized cooperation strategy, the Ambassador of Haiti in Spain, Louis Marie Montfort Saintil met the Delegate of the Basque Government in Madrid, Juan Aguado Urkiola. The two men discussed the need to develop cooperation in areas of common interest (industry, commerce, vocational, academic and scientific training) A visit to the region, in particular to the Basque Agency for Development Cooperation and to the Center innovation and vocational training, is planned soon in order to define the contours of a partnership between Basque and Haitian institutions.



Diaspora : Consulate General of Haiti in New York

As part of the launch of Flag Week, the Consulate General of Haiti in New York has made available to the community a registration system for the new National Identification Card in Brooklyn.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Fighter jets take off for flight training exercise

China Military Online) 14:20, May 17, 2021

Fighter jets attached to an air force aviation brigade under the PLA Southern Theater Command taxi on the runway before a flight training exercise on April 20, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Guoyun)

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
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A Senate panel voted Wednesday to give themselves and their colleagues a big increase in their allowance  and do it as soon as possible.

You voted:
Local nominees sought

Press release

BILLINGS  Well-known radio personalities of the Northern Broadcasting System are fanning out across Big Sky Country in 2021, and coming to Havre Thursday to broadcast the stories of public-spirited Montanans and local businesses who have supported their communities throughout the years and to highlight the special contributions made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Northern Broadcasting System Tow Rope Tour will draw attention to Montanas communities and the people who make them great, said Colter Brown, Director of the Northern Ag Network, which, along with the Northern News Network, a divisions of NBS, will visit Shelby, Havre and Malta, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Montanans are special, Brown said. I believe we witnessed that throughout this pandemic as neighbors and employers looked out for each other. We want to draw attention to those stories, and celebrate our connection with each other.

The Tow Rope Tour will be coming to Havre Thursday and broadcasting live from 9 a.m. to noon from Montana State University-Northerns Diesel Technology Center. The broadcast event is open to the public.

Along with live broadcasts from various locations across the state, the networks are inviting listeners to visit northernbroadcasting.com and submit nominations for Tow Rope Heroes, people or businesses that have helped make a difference in the community or in the lives of others. Tow Rope Hero nominees, and the people who nominate them, will be entered into a drawing for a Bad Boy Zero-Turn lawn mower. No purchase is necessary to win, and people can see https://northernbroadcasting.com for contest details.

In Montana, we dont leave folks stranded along the side of the road, said Tom Schultz, host of Montanas longest-running statewide radio talk show, Voices of Montana, part of the Northern News Network. Thats why we carry a tow rope. There are a lot of good people in Montana humbly doing good things for their neighbors, or even strangers, and hearing those stories can be uplifting and encouraging for all.

The Tow Rope Tour, sponsored by Mountain Health CO-OP, a non-profit, member-governed health insurance cooperative, will feature a live, on-site statewide broadcast of Voices of Montana, plus a two-hour local radio broadcast, and interviews and field reports airing on more than 70 radio stations affiliated with Northern Broadcasting. In all, more than a dozen Montana communities will be included in the tour.

The Tow Rope Tour previously honored community supporters in Lewistown, Great Falls, and Helena, April 13-15. Visit northernbroadcasting.com/towropetour for a list of dates and communities involved, and to submit nominations for Tow Rope Heroes.
Plans being made for future clinics

PAWS of Chinook hosted its first spay and neuter clinic Saturday and Sunday at the towns Girl Scout House with the assistance of Spay Montana, where veterinarians and technicians performed the surgeries and provided vaccinations and microchips to about a hundred animals over two days.

PAWS of Chinook Board President and Shelter Manager Alissa Hewitt said Saturday the clinic was going very well, and will hopefully be the first of many, with their next desired location being Harlem.

Customers brought in their dogs and cats, which were provided drugs to calm the animals and anesthetics before conducting the surgeries, which Hewitt said were handled by experienced professionals from Spay Montana which recruits veterinarians from all over the state.

(Theres) a lot of experience in this room, she said.

She said the organization has high standards and requires specialized training, making clinics like this run smoothly.

Special care was taken to comfort the animals as they emerged from their sleep and make sure they felt calm and safe before they were sent home with their owners along with instructions for how to take care of them in the wake of their operation including advice about feeding, monitoring their incisions and making sure they dont injure themselves.

Hewitt said the slots for the clinic were filled in advance, so extra time and care could be provided to animals which may be pregnant or have other complicating factors.

She said all the standard vaccines were being offered and microchipping the animal, which cost $20, would help recoup the $4,200 spent to make the event happen.

Spaying and neutering were done for free.

Hewitt said Chinook doesnt have have much of an issue with strays at the moment, but PAWS general mission to prevent and address over population is furthered by events like this.

Also, she said, this clinic will give PAWS an idea of what needs to be done in the future, especially in the neighboring town of Harlem, which she said is in much worse shape when it comes to overpopulation.

Its to the point where kids, when theyre waiting for their parents to pick them up at the park, theyre up on the slides because the dogs wont get them there, Hewitt said.

She said PAWS staff will consult with the Spay Montana technicians after the event to see what can be improved and what went well in preparation for future work which is still in the very early planning stages.

She said the issue of overpopulation is a matter of safety for humans and for the animals, and PAWS of Chinook is trying to help alleviate the issue as much as they can.

Hewitt said PAWS of Chinook offers spay and neuter services year-round, but clinics like this really help.

She also said she wanted to thank Rads Deli & Pizza for providing lunches to staff at the event, the Chinook High School Honors Society for making breakfast for them and for making the rice-socks to comfort the post-operation cats, as well as Ace Hardware of Chinook for providing supplies, and AmericInn of Havre for comping two nights for all of the Spay Montana vets who traveled to the area for the clinic.

She also thanked the volunteers for their time and hard work, including her husband, Edwin, for helping with the microchipping.

Past, Present and Future of PAWS

Hewitt said PAWS of Chinook is in a good place these days overall, but it still is looking for more volunteers. She said they have enough regular volunteers to cover all their bases, but especially during summer time many of them want to take breaks and better manage compassion fatigue so theyre still on the lookout for back up.

She said volunteering can be as simple as taking a dog for a walk in the morning, but they are always looking for people with time to spare for taking care of animals in the shelter.

She said PAWS of Chinook was on the verge of closing due to a lack of volunteers two years ago when she joined up, a problem she has since helped remedy, but more is always better.

Thankfully, Hewitt said, the organizations funds are not an issue thanks to the people of Chinook and surrounding areas, but people are busy and its sometimes hard to find people with the time and energy to help.

Financial support is never an issue for us because this community is amazing, she said. Its because of them that were able to do things like this. But volunteers is a different story.

She said while the shelter has been able to maintain an average length of say under 30 days, the kennels are often full, and she finds herself having to ask people to delay surrenders until she can clear some space.

While Hewitt said the COVID-19 pandemic hasnt had a dramatic effect on PAWS of Chinook overall, it has delayed some adoptions to people in Canada due to the closing of the border.

However, she said, the organization continues to see demand from as far away as Washington, as well as Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming.
Vaccination for 12 and up, masks still required in some areas

With COVID-19 cases still trickling into the area, vaccination clinics are ongoing including for the 12-and-older age group.

Among the new cases last week was a case confirmed Friday in someone associated with Havre Public Schools. Superintendent Craig Mueller said in a release that people in the district had been exposed, and contact tracing had been completed.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week gave emergency authorization for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children 12 to 15, the first time people that young have had a vaccine authorized.

Testing is underway on children ages six months to 11 years as well as for other vaccines for the 12 to 15 age range, but for the moment, Pfizer is the only vaccine authorized for people younger than 18.

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson-Janssen vaccines have emergency authorization right now for people 18 and older.

And while CDC last week said people who are fully vaccinated generally do not need to wear masks, local jurisdictions and businesses are taking the option CDC set to continue their mask mandates. CDC and President Joe Biden said people, vaccinated or not, need to continue local and business requirements on masks.

Both Rocky Boys and Fort Belknap Indian reservations are continuing their mask mandates for the moment, and some local businesses also are continuing to require masks.

Rocky Boy and Fort Belknap have access to the Pfizer vaccine and have been offering it to the general public for several weeks, and also are bringing the vaccine to events off the reservations.

Hill County Health Department is conducting vaccinations Tuesday for people 18 and older with the Moderna vaccine.

Rocky Boy is bringing its new mobile clinic to Havre Wednesday with the Pfizer vaccine distributed at Holiday Village Mall parking lot from 2-6 p.m. Parents must accompany any children getting vaccinated.

Fort Belknap will be offering the vaccine to children 12 and older at the Northern Montana Health Care Flu Clinic from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And all three vaccines will be available in Chinook Thursday at the Blaine County Fairground Commercial Building from 3 to 7 p.m. Ages 12 to 17 must have parental permission.
Zellah M. Nault, Spotted Down Thunderbird Wing, 78, passed away due to natural causes at Benefis Medical Center in Great Falls on Thursday, May 13, 2021.

Wake services began at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 14, 2021, and continued until her funeral service, which was at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2021, all at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. Burial followed in the Rocky Boy Cemetery.

Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

Please visit Zellah's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for her family at http://www.hollandbonine.com .

Zellah was born on March 10, 1943, in Rocky Boy to Four Souls and Fanny Oats. She was raised in Rocky Boy, attending Box Elder Schools. She graduated from Box Elder High School in 1961, and married Alfred "Sonny" Nault in 1963. The couple soon moved to Los Angeles, CA, remained there briefly, and returned to Rocky Boy in 1964. Upon their return, their son, Emery, was born. For around 10 years, Zellah worked as the executive secretary to the superintendent of the BIA. She lost her beloved Sonny in 1977 in an automobile accident. Zellah attended Montana State University in Bozeman from 1983 until 1985, and returned to Rocky Boy. There she worked for the Rocky Boy Schools for 34 years, retiring in 2019, as a secretary and truancy officer.

Zellah was a loving, smart, feisty woman who adored children. She enjoyed traveling, socializing, attending pow wows, and spending time with those she cared about. Music was very important to her, as were her beloved Rocky Boy Stars. She was an avid fan, and served as the advisor to the cheerleaders and pep club for over 20 years. She was easygoing, but also loved to tease and laugh. Zellah spent her time in her later years doing crossword and word search puzzles, and watching "Law and Order" and Lifetime.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred "Sonny" Nault; special friend, Bobby Wright; parents, Four Souls and Fanny Oats-Sunchild; brothers John "Roddy" Sunchild and Ned Sunchild; and sisters Deliah Demontiney, Joyce Four Souls and Dorothy Small.

Zellah is survived by her son, Emery "Paco" (Lenore) Nault of Rocky Boy; adopted children, Brian "Kelly" Eagleman, Kenneth Gopher, Donna Raining Bird, and Tina Morales; grandchildren, Harmony Rock Lafromboise, Keenan Myers, and Chad Nault, together with adopted grandchildren too numerous to name including Shana Henry and Ashley Small; numerous great-grandchildren, including Phenix Lee and Zane Southard; sisters Irene Mitchell and Helen Parker; brother Bruce (Valerie) Sunchild; and an untold number of nieces, nephews, and many, many other extended family and friends.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Arntzen, as an elected official, has the responsibility to serve all Montanans  not just some. Instead, she needlessly and recklessly chose to place Montanas public education system in the crosshairs of a national political debate.

Her recent opinion piece undermines long-established critical race theory that recognizes slavery, segregation, redlining, and other oppressive policies and laws are part of Americas history. When we do not acknowledge and examine how those things impact our society along racial lines, we cannot establish a new path that works to undo legacies of racism to sincerely move toward equality and justice for all.

Montana has been a national leader in culturally responsive teaching for over 30 years through Indian Education for All. An entire generation of students has received an education that seeks to reconcile the wrongs of history with the future wellbeing of our state. It is not fringe thinking when our states constitution explicitly declares the state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.

By adding her voice to radical anti-critical race theorists, Superintendent Arntzen disregards the collaborative work that schools, educators, tribal leaders, students, and the Office of Public Instruction have done for decades to implement an accurate, authentic, and truthful history of Native people in Montanas schools. Superintendent Arntzen calls on social studies standards to be honest, candid, and most importantly, accurate. I couldnt agree more. This is why we need to talk about colonialism, oppression, slavery, and other hard, unflattering facts.

The State of Montana has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to teach all students how settlers brought disease and starvation to Native people and how those tactics were used as genocidal practices for white people land-grabs. Students learn that our founders used the Declaration of Independence to establish a white-Native divide by naming Indians savages. They learn about policies that sought to erase or assimilate Native people. And, they learn that tribes have inherent sovereignty that allows them to determine their future without state interference. These are all lessons that the OPI helped create and that schools and educators implement in classrooms. This is the type of accurate, authentic, and factual history that our students need and deserve.

Young people can handle the truth. If we want the next generation to truly understand where we come from and our current context, they need to recognize that systemic racism is part of our daily lives.

Thoughtful approaches like critical race theory encompass the very best of what public education does. Instead of a white-washed social studies curriculum, we deserve to know the whole, unedited story of our state and our nation. Students should question what we have always been taught, discuss divergent perspectives, learn from others life experiences, and yes, talk about systemic racism and how it contributes to their current lives. As Superintendent Arntzen points out, we need (our students) to comprehend when our country has fallen short of its lofty goals, and how ordinary citizens and leaders alike have come together to enact change to guarantee we learn from our history and that the same mistakes are not repeated.

Superintendent Arntzen could have used her position to do the right thing to help our country confront our current racial reckoning and empower the next generation to do and be better. Instead, she chose to be complicit in upholding a history where Natives and people of color are tucked away into convenient sections of text books, perpetuating a false and damaging mythology of our country.



Denise Juneau was Montanas superintendent of public instruction from 2008-2016, when she became the first Native woman elected to a statewide executive office in the nation. She just completed a three-year tenure as the superintendent for Seattle Public Schools.
Todays students are tomorrows citizens. We need all Montanans to understand, and care about, the future of our state and nation. We need them to study our founding documents, and understand what makes the United States so exceptional. And we need them to comprehend when our country has fallen short of its lofty goals, and how ordinary citizens and leaders alike have come together to enact change to guarantee we learn from our history and that the same mistakes are not repeated.

In order for that to happen, we must ensure that our civics education and social studies standards are honest, candid, and most importantly, accurate. I recently brought over 100 diverse Montanans to the table to help modernize and update our states social studies content standards for the first time since the early 2000s. We strongly agreed that our children must know their history, understand their government, and use original, primary source documents to achieve that knowledge. We also strongly agreed that Montanans should celebrate our diverse heritage, and proudly embrace our states unique Constitution, which commits to the continued education and preservation of Indigenous culture.

Our schools should not be teaching debunked theories that twist and distort our history, and fringe philosophies that Americans have consistently rejected.

I have heard from countless families statewide in recent weeks specifically about what one of those fringe ideologies  critical race theory  would mean for Montana, and what it would mean for their children. They are rightfully concerned that this kind of thinking could be coming to their schools classrooms, and they want their voices to be heard.

Perhaps no one has summed up what critical race theory really entails better than South Carolina Senator Tim Scott in his response to President Bidens recent address to Congress. A hundred years ago, Scott said, kids in classrooms were taught the color of their skin was their most important characteristic  and if they looked a certain way, they were inferior. Today, kids again are being taught that the color of their skin defines them  and if they look a certain way, theyre an oppressor.Its backwards to fight discrimination with different discrimination.

What do critical race theory and similar radical propaganda look like in practice, and what do these teachings mean for our students? Among the many real-life examples to choose from are the following:

 In Cupertino, California, an elementary school forced first-graders to deconstruct their racial and sexual identities and rank themselves according to their power and privilege.

 In New York, some curriculum documents call for disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family while bemoaning cis-gender privilege.

 In Oregon, the state education department advertised an anti-racist math workshop hosted by an organization that claims white supremacy shows up in math classrooms because students are required to find the right answer.

 And in Springfield, Missouri, a middle school forced teachers to locate themselves on an oppression matrix based on the idea that straight, white, English-speaking, Christian males are members of the oppressor class and must atone for their privilege and covert white supremacy.

These are not isolated cases, and they are not exaggerated. This kind of mis-education and rewriting of our nations history has no place in Montanas classrooms. Its also discrimination, plain and simple, and its un-American.

In another stark example, the U.S. Department of Education recently issued a pair of proposed priorities for American History and Civics Education. In the document, the Biden Administration says it is seeking to support the development of culturally responsive teaching and learning. This will be accomplished through the incorporation of so-called anti-racist practices in curricula, as well as the creation of identity-safe learning environments. The proposal specifically cites the work of the discredited 1619 Project and authors like Ibram X. Kendi as models to be followed and incorporated into classroom instruction.

This outlandish succotash of woke phrases and vague terms clearly reflects an effort to hide the more extensive agenda behind the proposal: financially incentivizing school districts across the country to teach our children fringe thinking like critical race theory. This is an effort, led by the highest office in the nation, to replace neutrality in teaching with slanted propaganda. Our students should learn and appreciate the history of this country, flaws and all. But this isnt education, its indoctrination.

I thank Senator Steve Daines for joining 38 of his U.S. Senate colleagues in calling on the department to withdraw this misguided proposal. In their letter, the Senators write, our nations youth do not need activist indoctrination that fixates solely on past flaws and splits our nation into divided camps. Taxpayer-supported programs should emphasize the shared civic virtues that bring us together, not push radical agendas that tear us apart. I could not agree more. The last thing we need is Washington, D.C. reinventing Montanas content standards.

As a result of my examination of these current trends, and in response to the concerns of parents statewide, I have sent a letter to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen requesting a written legal opinion on the legality of such teaching in our states education system. I remain concerned that this type of instruction would not only be divisive, but could violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Article II, Section 4 of the Montana Constitution, or other applicable nondiscrimination laws.

This is a call to action for families and educators across Montana. This kind of social engineering may seem foreign and distant, but if we remain complacent, the slow creep of these teachings and ideologies will take root and overwhelm our traditional educational system.

What can you do? Be active. Be attentive. Be mindful of examples of this radical indoctrination in your communities. Be engaged in your childs schoolwork. Pay attention to local school board meetings and school curricula, and speak up if you are concerned. Write letters to the editor in your local newspapers. And, if you are so inclined, join me responding to the U.S. Department of Education and telling them to withdraw their Proposed Priorities. Comments are due by May 19th, and information on how to respond can be found by searching Docket ID ED-2021-OESE-0033 on FederalRegister.gov, or click here to read the proposal and submit comments.



Elected in 2020 to a 2nd four-year term, Elsie Arntzen, a fourth-generation Montanan from Billings, is the Montana superintendent of public Instruction.
Who is behind the disturbances in Jerusalem? By Pinhas Inbari

If events in east Jerusalem were up to the local residents, they would try to contain the violence erupting around the Temple Mount, but it is not in their hands alone. Many cooks are stirring the pot. What is really happening? Can the events on the Temple Mount lead to a new intifada, such as the events on the Mount that were said to spark the al-Aqsa intifada in 2000, or to regional escalation elsewhere? Who are the most active players on this issue? Regardless, it is essential to note that the violence in Jerusalem was not spontaneous. It was clearly pre-planned. Firebombs were produced by Palestinian organizations, mounds of rocks and projectiles were stored in the mosques on the Temple Mount, along with fireworks that were used as weapons. This was mainly the work of Hamas, but it was prompted by other Middle East players, as well. What we hear from east Jerusalemites does not coincide with what we hear from the external elements. As tumultuous as the events at al Aqsa are, we rarely hear nationalist slogans from the Palestinians, and we saw relatively few Palestinian Authority and Hamas flags. Demonstrators called for blood and fire to defend al Aqsa and for Iran to bomb Tel Aviv, but they voiced no slogans about the establishment of a Palestinian state or Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. The local shebab (youth) fought for local affairs  first to return the amphitheater-type seats in front of the Damascus Gate that the police had closed in preparation for Ramadan, and today the steamy emotions focus on a legal issue related to real estate ownership in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. An Outside Agitator  Jordan Jordan, unfortunately, can be identified as one of the cooks stirring the pot. Its intelligence chief, who came to PA headquarters in the Muqata to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to drop the idea of the elections, also scolded him for allowing many entities, such as Israel, to take over properties in Jerusalem. Immediately afterward, Jordans foreign minister arrived with documents to protect the Arab residents of Sheikh Jarrah facing an eviction order filed in court by Jewish NGOs. The UAE and Turkey are also busy accruing real estate in Jerusalem. Jordan is spurring Mahmoud Abbas to shake his indifference and take action. Indeed, we saw Abbas Fatah activists in Sheikh Jarrah and the Temple Mount, but what may be more worrisome are Fatah websites issuing a statement on behalf of the so-called Mujahideen Battalions  the military wing of the Palestinian mujahideen  about mobilizing to defend al-Aqsa. It appears that a fictitious organization was invented to take responsibility for attacks planned by Fatah. The publishing of this incitement on Fatahs website is no coincidence. The Fatah broadcast appears to respond to a statement issued by the commander of Hamas military-terrorist wing in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Deif, in which he threatened terrorism to defend al-Aqsa. The Motives of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood Regarding Hamas, it is important to note that al-Quds (Jerusalem) and al Aqsa are the prominent motifs in the Muslim Brotherhoods propaganda. They see Jerusalem as the future capital for the Muslim Caliphate  challenging the preeminent position held by Mecca in Islam. The Saudis noticed that the slogans of the Brotherhood, the Palestinian Authority, and Turkeys President Erdogan claim that the al-Aqsa Mosque was the first Muslim qibla (direction of prayer)  that is, it holds preeminence to Mecca. The issue of Jerusalems status vis-a-vis Mecca is among the main disputes between Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood. From within Hamas  a Standout or Man who Surrendered his Authority? It should be noted that the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar remains relatively silent. Today, the loudest Hamas spokesman is Mohammed Deif, head of the Hamas military wing, who is joined by members of Hamas residing outside of Gaza like Ismail Haniyeh. They seek to lead the operation to defend al-Aqsa through terrorism in Israel, Judea, and Samaria, while Sinwar settles for the action of firing rockets at Israel to send a message that Gaza, not Jerusalem, is the main objective. He wants to put Gaza at the center, while the Muslim Brotherhood wants to put Jerusalem at the epicenter. For Sinwar, Gaza is more important than Jerusalem, and he wants to prove that Gaza is leading the Palestinian problem, not leaders in the West Bank. After the elections were postponed, the issue of Jerusalem became Mahmoud Abbas source of authority, and therefore he would not let it go. It is also the source of the legitimacy of the King of Jordan, as the Guardian of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including the Haram el Sharif (the Temple Mount), a title held by the Hashemite kings since 1924. If he cannot protect Jerusalem, the Hashemite crown has no legitimacy to rule over Jordan, either. King Abdullah and Mahmoud Abbas have become allies, and they hope that the events of Jerusalem will undermine the Abraham Accord agreements between Israel and other Arab countries. It should also be noted that the Al-Aqsa plaza has become a source of tension between the two parts of the Islamic movement in Israel. Through the defense of the al Aqsa mosque, each side wants to prove its superiority over the other. While the southern branch headed by Mansur Abbas cooperates with the religious authority on the Mount, the Waqf, Raed Salahs northern stream challenges the Waqf. Members of the northern branch curse moderate MK Mansur Abbas and carry the Palestinian flag with the Turkish crescent affixed. Pinhas Inbari is a veteran Arab affairs correspondent who formerly reported for Israel Radio and Al Hamishmar newspaper, and currently serves as an analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Home
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Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening - fog may develop overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Our side needs to stop falling for fake news By Rachel Alexander

The left is great at putting the right on the defensive, lumping us all in with a handful of extremists and making us defend them. As Ive written previously , the left has figured out how to label conservative principles as conspiracy theories, racism or other distasteful characterizations, making us run from our own views. Part of the reason they get away with the conspiracy theory label is because we get caught spreading stories that may cross that line, and so the left then lumps in perfectly legitimate suspicions with them. This took place far too often regarding the presidential election. Studies have shown that the right is more susceptible than the left at falling for fake news. This is because the left is up to so much corruption that gets swept under the rug by the left-leaning legal system and MSM that many of the stories seem plausible. The relatively new conservative satire site Babylon Bee is now almost as popular as The Onion, which has been around for years and likely has a far bigger budget, because there is so much craziness believable about the left. The problem is there is so much information out there now, how do you determine whether something is accurate or not? Legitimate major conservative websites dont have the time to vet everything. There is no major conservative fact checking site (I have been attempting to start one in order to combat this). So unless you have time to watch an endless stream of 45-minute long videos, what can be done? I am buried with requests from conservatives to watch videos made by people I have never heard of, and cannot keep up with it all. It got worse during the 2020 presidential election, when everyone and their brother made a video about election fraud. COVID-19 compounded things, with all the videos about masks and vaccines. The fake news videos that tend to get the most steam are ones done by apparent experts. You want to believe retired military intelligence and nurses, why would they lie? Well its much more complex than that. Heres whats going on. A lot of people take a piece of information and run with it before thoroughly vetting it. Because were too overloaded with information, we lack time and become sloppy. We hear something that sounds good, from someone good, and we are wired to want to believe it. We may not spend the full hour watching the entire video before sharing it. Or something halfway through it jumps out as a red flag, but we ignore it because the rest of the video seems so good. Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock who got involved with President Trumps legal team challenging the election, revealed in an expose after the fact on January 27 that Michael Flynn drafted a plan for Trump to bring in the National Guard and U.S. Marshals. None of this ever materialized, of course. But it got leaked at the time to activists who ran with it. They probably only heard hyped-up versions of the plan which had become distorted being passed person to person, which made it seem likely to happen (if anyone has ever really studied Trump however, they would know such drastic action is not his style). What retired military intelligence officer doesnt believe Flynn? Flynn comes across as a very honest man. While he probably proposed the plan, it was never under serious consideration. Another recent example is Mike Lindells  Absolute Proof documentary about election fraud. While much of it seemed plausible, there was one lengthy segment discussing foreign hacking of voting machines that was noticeably lacking in evidence. The movie displayed logs of the alleged hacking, and cited just one person, Mary Fanning, who has little information available about her on the internet. There is no explanation as to how Fanning obtained the logs nor any of the technical details about how it worked. For something that serious, that incredulous, you cant just expect people to believe some little known woman claiming its true. If she didnt reveal more details because she was afraid for her safety, then why did she reveal her name and as much as she has? Maybe clear, irrefutable evidence will come out that there was foreign hacking, so the investigations need to continue. But one person saying so with some logs that could have been made up isnt enough to get anywhere, so it allows the left to pile on and claim the right is making up conspiracy theories. One more way these types of unproven stories pop up is in a vague, general style. The activist will use a lot of attention getting words, like patriots, terrorism, God bless, prayer, collusion, Russians, hacking, mysterious deaths, the elites, etc. There isnt any real coherent message, and the dots never connect. Its just a jumbled mess of hysteria (I know someone semi-famous who does this constantly). While it might sound good at a campaign rally, it serves little purpose other than to waste time and divert people from figuring out whats really going on. I believe the vast majority of these people are patriots who think they are doing the right thing. But the left will use their sloppiness to discredit the rest of us. Those of us who are really laboring to get to the bottom of issues like election fraud get lumped in with their efforts, and we end up wasting a lot of time defending them instead of doing the tedious work required to hold up to the Democrats intense scrutiny. They also waste our time watching and then researching all of their ideas. I dont have time to vet every video out there. The videos usually end up the same; usually a grain of truth stretched to an unrealistic conclusion, with lots of vague, attention-getting words. Stop blindly promoting them; if you dont have time to vet them, dont share them. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative . She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications.mericano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications. Home
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James Edward Wygal, 69, of Emory, passed away May 30, 2021, at home. Visitation will be Tuesday, June 8, 2021, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home. A celebration of life service will be held at a later date at his home, which was his sanctuary and his favorite place. Mr. Wygal was
Anderson, IN (46016)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Third parties in Canada  updated to 2021 (Part Three) By Mark Wegierski

Western Canada has also been an area where many third parties have arisen. The Green Party, which has contested more recent federal elections, finally elected its first MP in the 2011 election. The leader of the federal Green Party, Elizabeth May, won the British Columbia riding she was running in. She also won again in the 2015 election. The federal Green Party had won about 4 percent of the vote in successive elections. However, under the first-past-the-post system in Canada, it is rather difficult for smaller parties whose support is widely scattered, to win any parliamentary seats. In the 2019 federal election, the Green Party won three seats, with about 6.5 percent of the country-wide popular vote. In the 2017 election in B.C., the Green Party won 3 seats  and their backing of the NDP had resulted in an NDP government in British Columbia. However, in the 2020 election in B.C., the NDP won a majority, so the 3 seats won by the Green Party are far less important. In the 2018 provincial election in Ontario, the leader of the Ontario Green Party was elected MPP. The Canadian federal system -- which consists of provinces that are fewer in number, typically territorially larger, and more regionally and culturally delineated between each other than most U.S. states  is clearly one factor that has encouraged the arising of third parties. There are also the northern territories in Canada  which are symbolically quite important to Canadian identity  but have very small populations relative to the rest of the country. There is a Yukon Party in the Yukon. That party was formerly called the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party. Both the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and Reform Party arose in Western Canada. Preston Manning insisted that the Reform Party exist only at the federal level in order to focus strictly on winning the federal government, and not to be diverted into battles in the particular provinces. On November 7, 2007, the Saskatchewan Party (a coalition mostly of former provincial Progressive Conservatives, and former provincial Liberals) won a decisive victory over the provincial New Democratic Party  which had held the provincial government in Saskatchewan since 1991. On October 26, 2020, the Saskatchewan Party won a majority government  and its fourth straight term. In Alberta, the Progressive Conservatives were challenged in the 2012 provincial election by the distinctly more conservative Wildrose Alliance  a party which existed only in Alberta. Although it was widely predicted that they would win the 2012 election, the Wildrose Alliance fizzled in the end. Albertans seemed to have been scared to vote for a party that was seen as extremely conservative. Indeed, Alison Redford, the P.C. winner, was called by some pundits as Albertas first NDP Premier. Ironically, in the May 5, 2015 provincial election, the NDP won a strong majority, with the Wildrose Alliance in second place (with 21 seats), and the P.C.s reduced to only 10 seats. The P.C. leader, Jim Prentice, was seen as arrogant  although he did manage to attract most of the previously sitting Wildrose Alliance parliamentary members to the P.C. Party, before the election. It was widely expected that the Wildrose Alliance would simply fold, but they in fact rallied to win more seats than the P.C.s, who fell to the NDP juggernaut. The NDP victory was tied to the worsening economic situation in Alberta (which has now worsened still further, because of the dropping price of oil in world-markets). In 2017, the Wildrose Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives were able to merge, as the United Conservative Party (UCP). Jason Kenney, who had been a prominent federal Conservative, won the leadership of the new party. In 2019, the UCP won a strong majority under the leadership of Jason Kenney. However, the UCP is now being challenged by the Wildrose Independence Party (a merger of the Freedom Conservative Party and Wexit Alberta). The Wexit Party Saskatchewan was renamed as the Buffalo Party. (Buffalo was the name of a proposed larger province that would have encompassed Alberta and Saskatchewan, before it was decided to form the two smaller provinces.) The federal Wexit Party  which will run candidates throughout the four Western provinces -- was renamed as the Maverick Party, around September 2020. There is also a Manitoba Party in Manitoba. Speaking of Alberta, one should mention the small Western separatist parties of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the anti-official-bilingualism Confederation of Regions party, which also had a sporadic existence in Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Ontario. Its height of achievement was being the Official Opposition in New Brunswick in 1991-1995  before it disintegrated as a result of factional conflicts that often seem to plague such small, protest parties. There was also a small, libertarian-oriented, Freedom Party of Ontario (which continues to exist today). In 1992, Mel Hurtig, known mainly as the publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia, tried to form a party called the National Party. Of course, the name was mostly a reference to left-wing, progressive Canadian nationalism, rather than something more right-wing. The somewhat quixotic Paul Hellyer, who in his political life had been both a prominent Liberal and Progressive Conservative, had eventually established a small party of his own, called the Canadian Action Party. In the Canadian Parliamentary system, there have by tradition been no set election dates  an election can take place at any point within five years from the previous election, at the discretion of the Prime Minister or Premier. (The leader of the party which holds the majority of seats in the federal or provincial parliament.) In more recent years, there have been experiments with legislating a defined date for the upcoming election shortly after winning office. This is in response to criticisms that the ability of the Prime Minister or Premier to call an election at a most politically propitious time, confers too much of an electoral advantage to his or her party. When there is a minority government (when the ruling party holds less than a majority of seats in the legislature) an election can take place any time a more important bill (termed a matter of confidence) is voted down by the opposition parties combining against it. Sometimes, the opposition parties may try to form a coalition government without an election being called. In late 2008, there was an attempt to form an anti-Conservative coalition in the federal Parliament (consisting of the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois). However, Stephen Harpers skillful political maneuvering (and the fact that the coalition idea was extremely unpopular among most Canadians) meant that the putative coalition never took power. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Uniontown, PA (15401)

Today

Showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 73F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night. Low 61F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
AMSTERDAM (JTA)  Many thousands of people protested against Israel in major European cities over the weekend as the latest Israel-Gaza conflict reached new heights. Several events featuring antisemitic rhetoric and rioting.

In Brussels, London and Vienna dozens of men were filmed at rallies on Saturday shouting in Arabic: Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning.

The chant relates to an event in the seventh century when Muslims massacred and expelled Jews from the town of Khaybar, located in modern-day Saudi Arabia. It is widely understood as a battle cry when attacking Jews.

The protests came as fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza intensified. More than 150 Palestinians have died since last week, when Israel began an offensive against Hamas; 10 Israelis have died when some of the thousands of rockets launched by Hamas have broken through Israels Iron Dome missile defense system and landed in residential neighborhoods.

At the London event, nine police officers were slightly injured when protesters hurled objects at them. The officers were preventing the protesters from reaching the citys Israeli embassy, the end point for a march by thousands that began at Hyde Park. Organizers said 100,000 people attended that march.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, told the Jewish News of London. I am deeply concerned about reports of hateful, intimidating and racist language being used on marches and social media this weekend. It is unacceptable to incite anti-Jewish or anti-Muslim hatred. This must stop now. On Twitter, he added that he had given Londons police my full backing for their zero-tolerance approach.

A motorcade of cars with Palestinian flags on Sunday drove through a heavily Jewish part of London with one person shouting through a loudspeaker: Fk the Jews; rape their daughters.

At the Hyde Park march, a giant inflatable puppet dressed like an Arab with horns and a hooked nose led to some confusion. Some interpreted it as an antisemitic reference to Jews, but others concluded it was a caricature of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, one of several Arab nations to establish diplomatic relations with Israel last year.

In Germany, many thousands protested Israels actions in Gaza. At the Berlin rally Saturday, police ordered the protesters to disperse citing COVID-19 measures. They were pelted with stones, bottles and rocks, resulting in multiple injuries, Tagesschau reported.

In Paris, thousands disobeyed a ban on protests that police said would endanger public order. Police used water cannons to disperse the crowd Saturday.

And in Amsterdam, about 3,000 people protested against Israel on the Dam Square, a central square that is the countrys main monument for victims of World War II, including the Holocaust. They carried signs accusing Israel of genocide and promising that from the river to the sea, Palestinian will be free, a phrase that

About 50 people, mostly Jews and Christian supporters of Israel, staged a support rally for Israel about 500 yards away from the Dam Square event.

Israel has seen additional displays of support in Europe, where many Jews are on high alert because of a history of antisemitic violence during clashes between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Austrian and the Czech presidential palaces flew the Israeli flag on Friday in solidarity with Israel. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in a tweet Friday blamed Hamas for firing rockets indiscriminately on civilian populations and said the Netherlands supports Israels right to self defense within the border of international law and proportionality.
Study uncovers drivers of fishers' decisions of where to fish

A team of researchers from ZSLs Institute of Zoology and the University of Exeter, alongside Oceanswell, have used a new approach to understand the movement and drivers of commercial fishing fleet activity in one of the worlds most over-exploited oceans.

As coastal fish populations decline, commercial fishing fleets in the Indian Ocean are venturing ever further into the high seas, increasing the risk of overfishing of vulnerable species including sharks and tuna. A growing concern due to their impact on already declining fish populations, this study highlights that the true reach and effect of these fishing fleets may still not be fully understood, despite advancements in vessel tracking technologies.

Funded by the Bertarelli Foundation, the study, published today (17 May) in People and Nature, highlights that collecting data directly from fishers significantly increases understanding of the social drivers for fishing behaviour and, when combined with environmental data, could help to better manage fishing fleet movements globally.

Researchers focussed on the Sri Lankan offshore fishing fleet as a case study because it is known to operate over a large area and was suspected of illegal fishing beyond their own national Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

Building a picture of not just the impact but also the motivation behind the fleets non-compliance with existing ocean management policies, the research overlayed the broad geographic range of the vessels  and occasional incursions into other countrys waters  using the results of informal interviews with 95 fishers landing to two sites on the south west coast of Sri Lanka.

Using a paper map to ask fishers where they had fished over the past five years, Oceanswell researchers and study co-authors asked a series of questions to understand how important each area was in terms of catch volume and earnings as well as how fishing activity is planned. 26% of fishers admitted to fishing illegally in foreign waters during the interviews, whereas 62% indicated doing so during participatory mapping.

When asked to provide their target species in order of importance, tuna was the most common primary target species (94%). Just 19% of fishers reported targeting sharks, however, in conversation, 75% of fishers said that sharks contributed to their annual income  revealing how informal discussions can uncover crucial information.

Author Claire Collins, from ZSLs Institute of Zoology and the University of Exeter, said: Understanding decisions fishers make about where and when to fish is vital to ensure sustainable management of fisheries. While advancing technologies, including vessel monitoring systems (VMS), have made it easier to track spatial behaviour and to identify those fishing in areas illegally, when used in isolation they provide little context for the decision making behind the activity. By speaking directly to fishers we can identify the nuanced drivers behind fleet movement, and the reasons for occasional non-compliance.

Confirming increased income potential as a motivator for non-compliance, fishers explained that higher catch within foreign EEZs allows vessels to fill up faster, spend less money on costs and return to landing sites more promptly. However, the discussions also revealed the importance of target species, with fishers saying those targeting sharks were more likely to fish illegally.

ZSL Institute of Zoology Research Fellow and co-author Tom B Letessier said: While overfishing is a globally recognised issue for ocean diversity, existing safeguarding and management policies such as Exclusive Economic Zones and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are only effective if fishing fleets adhere to them.

In the last 10 years, new technology has really revolutionised the opportunities for surveillance and tracking of fishing activity, yet steps must be taken to unravel why illegal fishing is tempting in the first place. Our novel research bridges both the humanities and biological oceanography and highlights the value of delving into the motivation for carrying out illegal activity, enabling us to devise truly effective solutions.

Dr Asha de Vos, Executive Director of Oceanswell, Sri Lanka said: "Beyond the research findings, this study is a good example of the importance of collaborations with teams on the ground. While it is important to speak with the fishers to understand the drivers of these types of behaviour, access to such information is only really possible if familiar, local research teams are involved."

Calling for a nuanced approach to managing fishing fleets in future, the researchers are hoping to expand this study beyond Sri Lanka.

The paper is entitled: "Ocean-scale footprint of a highly mobile fishing fleet: social-ecological drivers of fleet behaviour and evidence of illegal fishing."
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Mayors are used to balancing competing goals with limited public funds, including park improvements or employee pay raises. During a worldwide pandemic, the pressure became even tighter. Good thing, there is President Joe Biden's COVID relief bill.

How will cities spend their COVID relief funds?

However, a $350 billion release of federal COVID-19 relief funds currently making its way to city and state governments this week creates a new dilemma: how to spend a financial windfall. The Treasury Department has made available a historic amount of federal assistance to thousands of city and county councils just two months after President Joe Biden signed his American Rescue Plan into law.

Local governments are expected to gain more than $110 billion over the next two years, in addition to $125 billion for school reopenings. States will get another $195.3 billion. Tax revenue collections in cities plummeted a year ago when firms closed amid state-ordered lockdowns at the onset of the pandemic, as per USA Today.

Many cities have reduced the number of municipal employees and services. The financial assistance is intended to replace lost revenue, enabling mayors to employ cops and firefighters or restart capital programs halted.

Per theTreasury Department, although doomsday tax scenarios were not realized, the government has lost 1.3 million jobs since the outbreak began. Nonetheless, the financial conditions in towns and cities across the country differ.

Some mayors said difficulties persist, with unemployment remaining below last year's level and sales failing to keep up. For some, the crisis is nearly over.

The American Rescue Plan will assist cities in two stages, the first this year and the second in a year. Payments are due within days of a city's proposal being approved by the Treasury Department.

The funds must follow strict guidelines set out by the Treasury Department. Public health costs such as coronavirus prevention programs and hospital bills are eligible uses; resolving adverse economic effects, such as a drop in public sector jobs or small enterprises affected by the pandemic; restoring lost tax revenue; tackling poverty; and providing extra wages for critical workers are also eligible uses.

Local and state governments will also use the funds to invest in water and sewage systems, as well as telecommunications infrastructure. Cities cannot use funds to donate to pension funds, create reserves, pay debt service, or pay legal matters. More than 250 mayors joined a Zoom call organized by the United States Conference of Mayors this week, led by Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Greg Fischer, the group's president, to discuss how they could use Biden's COVID relief funds.

Read Also: Schumer, McConnell Face-off in Senate Committee Over Democratic Elections Bill

How much will each state receive in COVID relief funds?

On Monday, the Biden administration started distributing $350 billion to state and local governments from his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, with $12.7 billion going to New York state alone and billions more going to cities and counties. The city of New York will receive $4.3 billion, NY Post reported.

The money, however, comes with conditions: the Treasury Department has a list of "eligible uses" that states and municipalities must follow. Officials stated that the funds would be used for public health, counteract the pandemic's damaging economic impact, replace missing public sector revenue, include overtime compensation for critical jobs, and finance sanitation, wastewater, and broadband internet programs.

It's not surprising that so much funding is going to New York's state government. It's in line with predictions made before President Biden's stimulus bill was approved by a Democratic vote with no Republican support in March. Any of New York's cities and counties will also receive cash. Albany will receive $80 million, and Buffalo will receive $331 million in addition to the $4.3 billion for the Big Apple. Additional support for the boroughs comes from a budget set aside for each county in the state, bringing the overall appropriation for New York City up to $6 billion.

California is expected to receive the most money, totaling $27 billion, followed by Texas, which will receive $15.8 billion. The official said the timing would encourage most states to incorporate the funds into their existing budgets. Besides, the administration heard many people frustrated by a lack of guidance on the money they got in a separate assistance package last year.

As part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief program enacted by Congress in March, the federal government plans to distribute $350 billion to states and local governments. More than $153 billion will go to helping states fix up their budgets after the pandemic and promote new measures to help citizens recover.

Counties would receive $65.1 billion, cities $45.6 billion, tribal governments $20 billion, territories $4.5 billion, and non-entitlement divisions in local government $19.5 billion. A senior administration official told Newsweek that the administration has spoken with governors and mayors about using the funds and that a case-by-case analysis will be allowed. "This is a significant sum of money. We've done a lot of outreach," the official explained.

State funding is focused in part on unemployment. Several traditionally Republican strongholds are among the top beneficiaries, even though none of the GOP lawmakers who voted for the stimulus bill called the money for states a "blue state bailout."

Related Article: 3 States To Stop Giving Unemployment Benefits; Biden Said He Might Cut It Down

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As Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest single attack in nearly a week of unrelenting Hamas missile barrages and Israeli bombings, the United Nations (UN) Security Council diplomats and Muslim foreign ministers called emergency meetings Sunday to urge an end to the civilian bloodshed.

Calls mount for Israel-Gaza ceasefire

Facing calls from some Democrats for the Biden administration to become more involved, President Joe Biden showed no signs of increasing pressure on Israel to commit to an immediate ceasefire. His ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told an emergency Security Council high-level meeting that the US was "working diligently through diplomatic channels" to end the war.

However, as violence in Israel and Gaza reached new highs and the international uproar intensified, the Biden administration seemed determined to shift the United States' foreign policy attention away from the Middle East and Afghanistan. It refused to escalate any public demands on Israel to commit to a ceasefire or intensify US diplomatic participation. Other countries' calls for Gaza's militant Hamas rulers and Israel to halt their fire failed to yield results.

The US, Israel's nearest partner, has so far thwarted days of attempts by China, Norway, and Tunisia to persuade the Security Council to release a resolution calling for a ceasefire. Hady Amr, a deputy assistant, sent by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to attempt to de-escalate the situation in Israel, met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who expressed gratitude to the US for its assistance.

Blinken left for a separate tour of Nordic countries on Sunday, with no intention to stop in the Middle East in response to the crisis. From the aircraft, he made calls to Egypt and other countries trying to negotiate a ceasefire, telling Egypt that both sides "should de-escalate tensions and put the conflict to a halt," AP News reported.

Officials from the Biden administration have encouraged peace but have said nothing publicly about pressuring Israel to quickly comply with a ceasefire call made by Egypt and others. According to Thomas-Greenfield, US negotiators are in contact with Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

Read Also: Militant Group Launches Rocket at Jerusalem, Israel Says They Will Respond With Great Force

Sunday was the 'deadliest day' in Gaza, say officials

According to Palestinian officials in Gaza, Sunday was the deadliest day since the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict began. More than 40 people were killed in the most recent Israeli air attacks on Gaza, said the officials, as per BBC News.

Within the last week, Palestinian militants have launched over 3,000 missiles at Israel, according to Israel's army. The battle could plunge the country into an "uncontainable crisis," per UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

He called for an end to the "utterly appalling" violence on Sunday.

Fuel shortages in Gaza could result in hospitals and other facilities losing power. According to the BBC, Lynn Hastings, the UN's deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, appealed to Israeli officials to allow the UN to bring in fuel and supplies but was told it was not safe.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed 42 people, including 16 women and ten children, Gaza officials confirmed. Since the fighting started last Monday, ten people have been killed in rocket attacks on Israel, including two children, said Israel.

According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, the total death toll in Gaza has risen to 188 people, including 55 children and 33 women, with 1,230 people wounded. Hundreds of militants are said to have died, according to Israel. Just after midnight on Sunday, Israeli airstrikes struck a busy street in Gaza, causing at least three buildings to collapse and dozens of deaths.

Early Monday morning, Israel conducted another round of heavy airstrikes in Gaza, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the attacks would escalate. Over ten minutes, Israeli warplanes attacked several locations in Gaza.

"Fighter jets are attacking terror sites in the Gaza Strip," Israeli Defense Forces said in a short statement, NY Post reported. Hamas has continued its attack, launching rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas.

Shortly before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, a rocket hit a synagogue in the southern city of Ashkelon. The synagogue attack resulted in no injury.

Related Article: Israeli Ground Forces Now Join Attacks on Gaza Strip

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on May 15 that schools in the United States must continue to use face masks for the 2020-2021 academic year. It is because not all students will be fully immunized.

CDC's New Recommendation for Schools

According to the CDC, all K-12 schools "should implement and layer prevention strategies and should prioritize universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing." The advisory arrives after the agency stated fully vaccinated people need not wear face masks outdoors. They could also avoid wearing them indoors in most locations, reported The Epoch Times.

The CDC, however, stated all people in school facilities and buses must don masks all the time. A distance of six feet (1.8 meters) should be maintained between students and teachers, reported DW.

Previously this May, United States regulators permitted Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for usage in children as young as 12 years of age. According to CDC health advisers on Wednesday, the doses will safely allow children to attend camps this summer. The shots will also help affirm a more normal return to classrooms in 2022, reported King 5.

According to the CDC, face masks must be required in all classroom and non-classroom locations, including hallways, gyms, restrooms, school buses, etc. The 3-feet distance policy for masked students should also be imposed.

Read Also: CDC Says Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Linked to 28 Blood Clotting Cases, 3 Deaths

According to Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, at a White House briefing on Thursday, they all have anticipated for this moment when they can return to a semblance of normalcy. The CDC and President Joe Biden had been through pressure to relax restrictions on fully inoculated people in part to underscore the benefits of getting the doses.

Disney World and other amusement parks across the country have also updated their face mask policy. Face masks have been made optional in pool decks and outdoor locations at Walt Disney's Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was made effective on May 15. However, masks are still needed for indoor locations and entering rides, as indicated in the guidelines posted on its website.

The new policy for fully vaccinated people still calls for wearing face masks in crowded indoor locations. These include planes, buses, prisons, hospitals, and homeless shelters.

Universal Orlando has also eased its mask advisory for people at outdoor locations. According to the company in a statement on Friday, face coverings will remain imposed at all indoor settings, including shops, restaurants, and public indoor hotel locations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has prompted wealthy nations to consider donating novel coronavirus vaccine doses to the COVAX distribution scheme. It supplies vaccination to poorer countries before vaccinating children.

According to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the pandemic will leave behind permanent wounds on society. He stated the social effects of the coronavirus would not disappear with the final vaccination and the final measure.

Related Article: Americans Fully Vaccinated Reaches 100 Million Mark: Fatalities Tumble, Will COVID-19 Restrictions Change?

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The first weekend since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new masks guidance came to a close on Sunday, enabling those who have been fully vaccinated to return to normalcy by removing their masks in most settings. Businesses and community members in Columbia's Five Points District were both excited and hesitant about the change.

States, businesses uncertain over CDC's new masks guidance

Others have been confused by the current mask guidance, with businesses clinging to mask criteria frequently left to find out who has received the shot and who has not. According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), only about 36 percent of the state's population had been completely vaccinated, meaning the rest of the residents will still need to follow safety measures. Some people claimed they have seen fewer people wearing masks since the CDC's most recent update, WLTX via MSN, reported.

Bring your mask with you if you're going to CVS or Target. If you're going to Trader Joe's or Starbucks, though, you can leave it in the car, provided you're fully vaccinated. However, you'll need to wear a mask for the ride if you're using public transit.

After 405 days of encouraging every man, woman, and child to wear a mask, the CDC stunned most of the states this week, including health professionals, when it announced that vaccinated Americans could largely avoid wearing masks. Businesses, governors, and schools scrambled to adapt, and a tangled mess of mask guidelines emerged, based on the state, district, or store an individual was in.

The current CDC policy also poses several serious concerns: Can employers demand evidence of vaccination before allowing a worker to work without a mask? Should companies need proof of identification upon entry? If teens qualifying for the vaccination aren't vaccinated, would they be refused entry to a school without a mask? Although 24 states and the District of Columbia had some state-wide mask requirement in effect at the time of the announcement, governors said they were not consulted in advance on the initiative.

Gov. Janet Mills of Maine told reporters she was "anxious" to hear from the CDC about how to tell the difference between those who have been vaccinated and others who have not. On the other hand, Mills declared on Friday that she was on board and that the state would follow the CDC masks guidance as policy.

Several health experts said they were taken aback when they expected new mask guidelines to arrive after more Americans had been fully vaccinated, ABC News reported. Nearly 36 percent of the United States population has been vaccinated, and the vaccination rate has slowed.

Read Also: Several States, Walmart, Trader Joe's, and Costco Lift Mask Restrictions for Fully Vaccinated Customers

CDC defended its decision to ease masks-wearing guidance

On Sunday, the CDC director defended the agency's decision to loosen mask-wearing guidelines for fully vaccinated people, insisting that increased political pressure had nothing to do with the sudden policy change. On FOX News Sunday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, "I'm delivering the data to the medical papers in the same way as the science is delivered to the medical journals. And it evolved. When we have the detail, I deliver it as soon as I can."

According to updated recommendations issued last week, fully vaccinated individuals, those two weeks past their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, should stop wearing masks in crowds and most indoor settings, as well as social distancing. People who are either partly vaccinated or unvaccinated, on the other hand, have to wear masks, said the CDC. Per SFGate, Masks are also needed in crowded indoor areas such as buses, airlines, hospitals, jails, and homeless shelters, as per the guidelines.

Related Article: CDC Lifts COVID-19 Mask and Social Distancing Restrictions for Fully Vaccinated Americans



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Despite acknowledging that he "doesn't understand" the constitution's freedom of expression clause, Prince Harry has called America's First Amendment "bonkers." Following his remarks on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, the Duke of Sussex has faced a barrage of criticism.

The Duke of Sussex dislikes the attention he got from US media

Prince Harry mentioned his surprise at the amount of exposure he got while living in Beverly Hills while talking about life in LA, mental health, family, and plans. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the media's feeding frenzy.

In the United States, the First Amendment guarantees several fundamental freedoms. This encompasses the freedoms of religion, speech, and the press and the right to assemble and petition the government.

The Duke's remarks have raised many eyebrows because of its significance in America. Last year, he moved to the United States with his wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie to start a new life.

Per Geo News, the Queen's grandson said, "I don't want to start talking about the First Amendment because it's a big topic that I don't know anything about because I've just been here a short time. However, you can find a flaw in almost everything. Rather than upholding what is written, you should capitalize or exploit what isn't said."

Both Americans and British people slammed Prince Harry's controversial comments on social media, with Brexit leader Nigel Farage stating, "Prince Harry's condemnation of the First Amendment in the United States demonstrates that he has lost his mind. He'll soon be unwelcome on both sides of the Pond."

For Prince Harry to condemn the USA's First Amendment shows he has lost the plot. Soon he will not be wanted on either side of the pond.  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 15, 2021

Read Also: Kate Middleton Is Not Mean, Says Her Uncle Over Allegations She Made Meghan Markle Cry

Prince Harry criticized his father, Prince Charles' parenting

In the same podcast interview, Prince Harry slammed his father, Charles' parenting, saying he moved to California to "break the loop" of suffering for his wife Meghan Markle and their children. The Duke, 36, said that his father, 72, suffered due to the Queen and Philip's upbringing and then "treated me the way he was treated," The Sun reported.

Prince Harry praised his mother, Diana's immense influence but admitted that he couldn't deal with her death until Meghan Markle recommended therapy. He compared royal life to The Truman Show and being in a zoo in the snarky podcast interview. The royal also admitted that he decided to leave royal service when he was in his twenties, claiming, "I didn't want this job."

He described how, after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, he despised his position and felt isolated from the rest of his family. He also said that he moved to the United States with Meghan Markle and their baby son Archie to get away from his "genetic pain." In a profoundly frank and profanity-laden interview with US podcast host Dax Shepard, the Duke discussed his mental health problems.

Following Prince Harry's recent disgraceful attack on the Royal Family, Palace aides have called for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to renounce their titles. Senior courtiers told The Daily Mail on Sunday of an increasing feeling of bewilderment and betrayal due to the couple's continuing attacks on the Royals.

They are particularly enraged by Prince Harry's shocking criticism of Prince Charles' parenting skills, as well as the Queen's and the late Prince Philip's. Although it is known that there are no official plans to strip the pair of their names, the pressure to do so showed how strong the feeling of betrayal has been in the Palace.

As a result of his recent outburst, tensions are expected to be heavy when Prince Harry returns to the United Kingdom on July 1 to unveil a new statue of his mother, Princess Diana. Harry's woeful lack of compassion in an expletive-filled 90-minute interview with actor and podcaster Dax Shepard last week perplexed senior Royals.

Related Article: Prince Charles Appears to Snub Meghan Markle, Does Not Mention Her in Grandson's Birthday Message



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In a recently published article in POLITICO, more than $2 billion funds from the Health and Human Services meant to address the country's Strategic National Stockpile and COVID-19 testing will be diverted.

Health and Human Services Diverted Some Funds

The report said that around $850 million from the emergency stockpile while another $850 million from the expansion of COVID-19 testing would be diverted to cover the health cost of migrants, most especially the unaccompanied children at the Southern Border.

An unprecedented financial toll caused by sheltering more than 20,000 unaccompanied children has taken on the department so far this year. According to a published report in Yahoo News, it struggled to open emergency shelters and add personnel and facilities across the country, as outlined to congressional appropriators in notices over the last two months.

Read Also: Biden Officials Order GOP Senator to Delete Migrant Photos Crammed in like Sardines

Diverted Money Exceeds the Government's Annual Budget

The diverted funds, totaling $2.13 billion, increase the government's annual target for the unaccompanied minors initiative in both the past two fiscal years, according to a published report in the Daily Advent.

It is also more than the nearly $500 million that the Trump administration diverted toward sheltering a migrant refugee population that had swelled due to its stringent immigration policies, including splitting children from parents at the border in 2018.

Aside from moving funds from the Strategic National Stockpile and Covid-19 research, the Health and Human Services (HHS) has since taken $436 million from various current health programs around the government, MSN News reports.

Health and Human Services Released a Statement

Mark Weber, the HHS spokesperson, said that the agency also collaborated with the Office of Management and Budget to identify options to keep the unaccompanied minor program supported in the light of growing expenses.

He stated that HHS has historically tended to divert funds from areas of the department where it is not urgently needed. He said in a statement that "All options are on the table. His program has relied on, year after year, on the transfer of funds."

Moreover, Xavier Becerra, the HHS secretary, has the right to transfer funds among programs within the sprawling department as long as he notifies Congress, a power that his predecessors have often used during previous influxes of migrant children.

However, these transfers come at a time when HHS has publicly attempted to increase funding for the Strategic National Stockpile and Covid-19 research activities, stressing the crucial role that both play in pandemic response and future preparedness efforts.

Later, Becerra emphasized the importance of "ensuring we have the resources" to replenish the Strategic National Stockpile, which came under pressure early in the pandemic after officials learned it lacked anything near the amount of defensive equipment and medical supplies needed to respond to the epidemic.

In another discussion, Rep. Markwayne Mullin pushed Becerra on whether HHS will gain more from Congress spending in other areas of its operations than funding more Covid testing. Mullin cited the record number of migrant children arriving at the border in particular.

Related Article: Pentagon Approves to House Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Its Military Base

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Four officers suffered gunshot wounds in Birmingham, Alabama. One suspect was reported dead during an attempted search by the police.

According to the police, the shooting transpired at an apartment building in Southside's 1000 block of 18th Street South. A Birmingham police spokesperson stated the shooting happened as officers searched for a suspect in a previous gunning incident on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard that recorded two fatalities. Sgt. Rod Mauldin remarked a tactical team was making efforts to initiate a search warrant at an apartment when officers were immediately shot.

Alabama Shooting of Police Officers

The four officers are all members of the department's tactical team. They are all expected to recover. Two policemen were shot, and two policemen were grazed, said Sgt. Rod Mauldin. The identity of the slain suspect was not divulged, only to be described as a white male.

The injuries of the victims are non-life-threatening. The suspect was gunned and killed at the scene of the shooting.

According to Sgt. Rod Mauldin, someone called the Birmingham Police Department at 6:30 AM on Sunday. About two individuals had been gunned in Brother Bryan Park on Magnolia Avenue South. Upon arrival, initial responders discovered a male and female who had been shot. The woman was declared dead upon arriving at the hospital while the man was pronounced dead at the location of the incident, reported CBS 42.

Mauldin stated an investigation is underway. It will be transferred to the Alabama Bureau of Investigations. Meanwhile, according to Birmingham City Councilor Hunter Williams in a statement, "I am extremely grateful the officers will survive their injuries and hope the community will continue to support them," reported ABC 30.

Read Also: NYC Subway Slashing: Suspects in Custody After 4 People Hurt in Recent Separate Incidents

A few moments before the shooting, there was reportedly an argument over a dog. One witness told the police that the pair usually bring a dog. Police were still searching for the dog on Sunday.

According to Council President William Parker, "We are calling on all of our residents to take a stand against these hostile acts. This senseless violence must stop. We are continuing to monitor this situation closely, and we are wishing all of the officers involved a speedy recovery," reported ABC 33 40.

Investigators have declared the suspect and the woman victim were in a dating relationship. The suspect escaped the scene before the officer's arrival.

Officers stated they later got a lead on the male suspect in the 1000 block of 18th Street South. Tactical officers responded and initiated a search warrant.

Public Safety Chairman Hunter Williams also released a statement. He remarked the events that transpired exemplify the risks that the officers of the Birmingham Police Department face every day. He added there is a need to rally around their department and officers who are risking their lives in what is often a thankless job to protect Birmingham's citizens.

Related Article: Colorado Springs Shooting Motive: Suspect Upset at Not Being Invited to the Party

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The Iron Dome stops the Hamas rockets launched by Islamic militants and lessens casualties and damage to the City Of Askelon on Sunday.

Iron Dome stops the Hamas rockets repeatedly

According to a resident of the southern Israeli city, who hid with his teenage daughter to hide and seek cover while the missile defense system intercepted the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, reported the Wall Street Journal.

While staying undercover, Six rockets shot at incoming missiles exploded into white as the air-defense interceptors darted into the sky. The Islamic militants started firing into Jewish communities last Monday, but no severe casualties or rocket hits cause harm to civilians.

What is the Iron Dome system?

The Iron Dome system has been operating since 2011, built and operated with $1.6 billion in US financing, made up of a network of linked missile batteries and radars that target rockets aimed at inhabited areas.

Its radar is programmed to knock out the only rockets that will hit populated sections and ignore uninhabited open areas with not communities. Compared to the Palestinian Hamas rocket attack before, fewer and more projectiles were launched starting Monday.

Danny Yatom, a former head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, said, "What Hamas is doing about now could be an effort to cause chaos on the system. They anticipated Iron Dome to quit functioning, but this did not occur." Universal Personality mentioned this statement.

His remark cited by Head Topics, "The versatility of defense system to cope with the sheer volume has quietly amazed everyone."

Iron Dome stops the Hamas rockets by testament to its precision in detecting and striking attacking projectile in mid-air.

Read also: The F/A-18 E Super Hornet: More Advanced Block III Variant for US Navy

The system suppresses approximately 90% of the incoming volleys, aligning with the Israeli navy's expected performance for effectiveness.

Other experts from the Overseas Coverage Analysis Institute in Philadelphia, Michael Stephens, a senior fellow, said, "It's been a good example of a system that has rapidly developed to become the world's most powerful short-range system."

Justin Bronk, another expert from Royal United Providers Institute, stated, "I believe that this will support Israeli missile defense programs gain more support in the global market since it is technically impressive."

Along with the United Arab Emirates, India, and some other Asian nations, several nations have shown interest in acquiring the Iron Dome system. Analysts expect that its recent performance will make such sales compelling.

In the Middle East, the system will be helpful for UAE and Bahrain that has faced attacks from the rockets and drones of the Yemeni Houthi and Hamas, that both backed by Iran.

Israel's Rafael and IAI security companies developed short-range missile systems, and a prototype for the US navy was developed in collaboration with Raytheon Technologies Corp. But, the system has not been deployed by the US military yet.

An Israeli Air Force general mentioned that the system would have two interceptors hitting an incoming hostile missile; with more missile barrages, it will only fire one attacking projectile. It is due to the high intensity of the Hamas attack, said an Israeli Air Drive common.

Iron Dome stops the Hamas rockets and even Hamas Drones and hitting about three launched by the Palestinian extremists. This system destroyed on targeting Reim, where the Israeli division headquarters is situated. Stopping most of the attacking missiles is a technical feat protecting Israeli cities like Askelon.

Related article: SSN-21 Sea Wolf-class: American-Made Soviet Typhoon ICBM Hunters

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The Los Angeles Class nuclear attack sub was first operated during the Cold War until 1991. Its job is to look for Soviet submarines that carried nukes and look for similar targets.

Los Angeles Class nuclear attack sub before the Sea Wolf

The attack sub was first put into service in 1976 when American was waging a Cold War against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR); during this time, it is a potent weapon system in service until today, although the SSN 21 Sea Wolf Class will replace it eventually, noted Popular Mechanics.

In service are 16 in the Pacific, and 32 based in the Atlantic, reported Naval Technology. One of the last of the class first sailed in 1996, the USS Cheyenne, manufactured by the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and General Dynamics Electric Boat DivisionAmerican companies specializing in shipbuilding.

Service during the Gulf War

A submarine force of nine Los Angeles attack subs was sent to fight in the 1991 Gulf War; they gave the Iraqis a taste of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles which were devastating weapons. Next, the old Cold War warrior saw service in Operation Iraqi Freedom in March/April 2003; 12 units were sent to the middle east. These subs fired Tomahawk TLAM cruise missiles as part of the US offensive.

Other than firing missiles, the Los Angeles Class Nuclear Attack Sub is made to kill other submarines, gather intelligence, show force, special operations, and other missions.

Read also: US Preparing Countermeasures to Kill New Chinese and Russian Submarines

Weapons of the Los Angeles

Once engaged in combat, the sub has four 533mm torpedo tubes equipped with a Mark 117 torpedo fire control system, and torpedo tubes are found midship position. Made for aggressive action against ships and other subs, with 26 torpedo tubes that can fire Tomahawks, Harpoon, and Mark 48 ADCAP torpedoes.

Mark 48 torpedoes target ships on the surface and subs underwater that might try to dive deep to getaway. Torpedoes are guided by wire or use active or passive sonar, backup systems like multiple re-attack modes if targets are not sunk, uses extra built it programs to act independently. Extra anti-ship and sub armament include Mobile Mark 67 and Captor Mark 60 mines in its arsenal.

Missile capabilities of the class

Since 1982, the attack sub was upgraded with a vertical launch missile system (VLS), 12 tubes in all, seen on the Arleigh Burke destroyers and Ticonderoga class ship of the US Navy (USN), remarked Fas Org. Managing this collection of weapons is a Raytheon CCS Mark 2 combat data system that controls its weapons firing but improved with the AN/BYG-1 Combat Control System. This newer system was first seen on the SSN68 Los Angeles equipped in 2005.

It still has the Raytheon Tomahawk with 2,500-km as its attack range, can fly at subsonic speeds, and got Block III additions to its newest version in use. These missiles can carry nuclear warheads that are not standard, though it attacks radar sites at 450-km away. More advances on the missile were added in September 2004.

Additional missiles the Los Angeles Class nuclear attack sub include the Boeing Harpoon ant ship-missile, with radar homing and 255-kg warhead, and 130-km that flies faster than subsonic.

Related article: SSN-21 Sea Wolf-class: American-Made Soviet Typhoon ICBM Hunters

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Multimedia Video Journalist

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Now Open

17 May 2021

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced the opening of The Walper Hotel in Kitchener, Ontario marking the second JdV by Hyatt hotel in Canada following the opening of The Anndore House last month in Toronto. The 92-room boutique hotel caters to free-spirited guests seeking vibrant and socially inclusive stays - bringing people from all walks of life together.

The Walper Hotel is a premiere wedding and leisure destination for Waterloo Region and Ontario residents, thanks to its stunning ballroom, stylish restaurant spaces, boutique guest rooms and heartfelt guest experience.

The Walper Hotel also features TWH Social restaurant located at 1 King Street West, Lokal Cocktail Lounge on the second floor of the hotel and The Barrister's Lounge breakfast room. These outlets feature locally inspired menus by Chef Nicole Hunt and welcome hotel guests and members of the community alike. New in 2021, a fresh set of cultural events and unique collaborative programming curated celebrating the local community are underway.
Now Open

17 May 2021

Swiss-Belhotel International is bringing its 5-star brand Grand Swiss-Belhotel to the GCC with the Grand Swiss-Belhotel Waterfront Seef in Bahrain. It marks the upscale brand's foray into the Middle East for the very first time.

Combining the Asian passion and Swiss professionalism with the vision of excellence the Grand Swiss-Belhotel brand is designed to surprise guests with unexpected experiences wrapped in elegance and grace and enhanced with innovation.
Appointment

17 May 2021

Centara Hotels & Resorts has appointed Wayne Duberly as area general manager of Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, and Centara Sonrisa Residences & Suites Sriracha.

The British national started his career with Centara Hotels & Resorts as general manager in 2011 at Centara Anda Dhevi Resort & Spa Krabi, before he was transferred to helm the Centara Seaview Resort Khao Lak in 2013.

In 2015, he moved to Centara Karon Beach Resort Phuket as area general manager, where he also oversaw operations for both Centara Kata Beach Resort Phuket and Waterfront Suites Phuket by Centara.
Appointment

17 May 2021

Conrad Hong Kong has hired Jan Jansen as its general manager.

Previously in 2016, Jansen first joined the hotel as the hotel manager, before being recruited as opening general manager of Conrad Hangzhou two years later.

His return this year will play an instrumental role in leading the hotel in adapting to the new normal and creating business opportunities.

Prior to joining Hilton in 2012, Jansen cut his teeth in management at the Rezidor Hotel Group (presently known as the Radisson Hotel Group), particularly in the business development and commercial sectors.
Author

To her current role at Great Hotels of the World, Rita brings an impressive track record in hotel sales and distribution, where pricing strategies, revenue streams, channel management, GDS, leads, bookings, production are all part of her DNA, and a wealth of knowledge and experience in hotel Marketing and PR. Before joining Great Hotels of the World, Rita was the Director for Marketing and Communications for Minor Hotels in Portugal and Brazil where she was responsible for managing branding, communications and PR strategy across regions as well as managing international teams. Rita has a Masters in Hotel Management from ESCAET, Aix-en-Provence and a Post Graduate Advanced Management degree in Marketing. Currently, she is also a Lecturer at ISCTE-ISEG where she covers the Distribution and Sales module in Top Management in Hospitality for Executives and has written articles for trade publications.

More about Rita Machado
Author

Before joining U.S. Travel, Aaron worked at the World Bank, concentrating on youth employment and entrepreneurship in Jamaica, and public-private partnership development in Grenada. Prior to that, while at Centennial Group International, Aaron led a number of international macroeconomic assignments, including country-risk assessments in Bosnia and Bangladesh. Aaron graduated from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Massachusetts with a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) and concentrations in Development Economics and International Business. Prior to graduate study, Aaron held a community leadership role as the program director for the Joint Distribution Committee in Oradea, Romania. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance Summa Cum Laude from the Sy Syms School of Business of Yeshiva University.
Press Release

17 May 2021

London, UK: Following its launch just 12 months ago, the highly popular Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has now been adopted by more than 275 destinations around the world.

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WTTC, which has continually led the private sector to rebuild global consumer confidence and encourage the return of Safe Travels, made history when it launched the worlds first ever global safety and hygiene stamp, just 12 months ago.

The stamp was developed to help restore confidence in travellers and aims to revive the global Travel & Tourism sector which has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now it is being used by destinations around the world, with the hotspots of Thailand, Barbados, Cyprus, Abu Dhabi, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, among the latest to join WTTCs ever-growing list.

The WTTC Safe Travels stamp, and its global protocols have been embraced by more than 200 Travel & Tourism CEOs, and many of the worlds major tourism groups.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO said: We are delighted that our Safe Travels stamp continues to grow from strength to strength and has been adopted by destinations from all corners of the world.

From Portugal to Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka to Slovenia, Tunisia to Tobago, our stamp is now recognised around the globe, which is testimony to the hard work which has been put in to make the stamp work for both destinations and holidaymakers.

As the global vaccine rollout picks up pace around the world and with travel restrictions beginning to be relaxed, we believe the stamp will prove a key component of destination recovery and restoring consumer confidence.

The success of the stamp shows the importance of global coordination to help rebuild and revive the international Travel & Tourism sector which has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, we are finally beginning to step into the new normal of a post-COVID world, and we are proud to be leading the way for globally coordinated efforts in recovery.

Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand, said: The Tourism Authority of Thailand is delighted that the World Travel & Tourism Council has approved the use of the TAT's Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) logo in tandem with the WTTC Safe Travels stamp.

Together, they share a common objective to ensure that all visitors feel safe, as Thailand continues to open its tourism industry to international travel in the new normal.

The Safe Travels stamp has reaffirmed the Amazing Thailand SHA and serves to further motivate travel-related enterprises in Thailand to maintain their health and safety standards, as the country rebuilds traveller confidence while also protecting the Thai workforce that serves them.

The WTTC Safe Travel stamp protocols were designed following guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and taking best practices from WTTCs Members into account.

Download the press release.
Supplier News

17 May 2021

Hotel benchmarking is essential to every hotel brand's growth strategy. From five-star luxury properties to serviced apartments and everything in between. Benchmarking allows you not only to understand your hotels performance compared to the market but to pinpoint areas for improvement.

Traditional hotel benchmarking, however, generally focuses on comparing rates and occupancy, providing little understanding as to how those results came to be. That is why, at The Hotels Network (THN) we launched BenchDirect, the first benchmarking platform for your hotels direct channel. Taking a completely new approach, BenchDirect provides real-time insights so you can break down the entire booking funnel and understand your hotel's performance compared to the market and competition.

With multiple dynamic competitive sets and covering more than 30 key metrics, BenchDirect provides you with invaluable insights to help you unravel the building blocks of your direct channel strategy. In addition to looking at overall data for these metrics from Conversion rates and LOS to Disparities and Average Booking Value, you can easily drill down on the data using filters by source, travel party, country, and more!

But knowing how to analyze this data, how to determine areas for improvement, where opportunities lie, and what actions to take can be baffling for even the most seasoned hoteliers. In THN's handy new guide, you will find real use case examples showing how hotels are breaking down the analytics and taking full advantage of everything BenchDirect has to offer.

Fancy taking a sneak peek? Lets delve into this real example of the analysis of a hotels benchmarking data

The Scene

In this use case, we are cross-filtering three key metrics of the propertys direct booking channel (website visits by visitor country rank, total conversion rate and overall revenue) and comparing them to similar hotels in the same destination. With these metrics, we will be able to identify the main source markets for the hotels website traffic, if these lookers are being effectively turned into bookers, and how much they spend on average.

Firstly, we take a look at the visitor country rank to see the origin of those guests who are searching for a stay on the hotels website. Comparing the hotels distribution of visitors by country to that of the destination compset, we see that the UK is the second biggest source market in both cases.

Visitor Country Rank for Website Visits  Photo: The Hotels Network

To understand more about how traffic from the UK is behaving, we take a look at the Total Website Conversion rate, filtering the information specifically for the UK market. From the dotted red line in the below graph, we can see that the hotel has a slightly higher website conversion rate than the Destination. This means that the hotel is able to convert more UK website visits into actual stays compared to other similar hotels in their destination.

Total Conversion Rate for website visits from the UK  Photo: The Hotels Network

However, when looking at the Revenue tab filtered by country, we see in the graph below that the hotels average booking value for UK visitors is significantly lower than all 3 compsets. In other words, despite the hotels website is being quite effective at converting UK visitors, it is underperforming in terms of the average booking value of those conversions.

Total Conversion Rate for website visits from the UK  Photo: The Hotels Network

The Opportunity

While the hotel is performing well when converting UK visitors into bookings, the data indicates that visitors from the UK are potentially willing to spend more on hotel bookings. There is therefore an opportunity for the hotel to adopt new tactics specifically aimed at boosting the average booking value of these UK conversions on their website.

Best Practices

Based on this valuable opportunity identified from the analysis, the hotel should look for ways to increase the average booking value of the reservations coming from the UK.

An effective way to achieve this is by tailoring the website experience for the UK market. With todays personalization technology, its possible to create relevant website messages and offers exclusively for the UK market and use targeting rules to only show them to UK users. For instance, Hotel H could push UK visitors to upgrade to a higher value room type such as rooms with a sea view or suites. Alternatively, the hotel could entice visitors to book additional services such as late check-out or breakfast.

There are any number of website campaigns a hotel could do to encourage visitors to spend a little extra on their reservation, but were showing the example below as it has proven to be highly successful. As you can see in the image, the hotel is displaying a Layer promoting an exclusive offer for higher value room types. Shown on the booking engine and targeted towards visitors who are searching from the UK, the message format includes a 1-click promocode. This means that the offer is only applied to those visitors who click directly on the CTA (call-to-action), limiting the diffusion of the discount.

By promoting this attractive upselling deal to UK visitors, who we know have the potential to be high-value guests, the hotel can expect to be able to tempt them to spend a little more, helping to boost direct revenue.

Layer with a 1-click promo code for UK visitors  Photo: The Hotels Network

This example is just one of the eight use cases that THN's guide explores. By going through the different metrics, drilling down on the data, explaining how to interpret the results and sharing best practices around taking action, this guide is the perfect starting point as you embark on your hotel benchmarking journey to grow your direct bookings.

Ready to sign up your hotel to BenchDirect, for free? Be sure to join the waiting list and become part of THN's global network of 10,000+ hotels who are already happily benchdirecting.
Press Release

17 May 2021

UAE - Aligned with Kerten Hospitalitys ethos to foster a sustainability-focused growth right at the heart of local communities in global destinations, curating a project with a purpose has been pivotal for the organisations portfolio diversification and entry into new markets, such as Ras Al Khaimah.

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Antony Doucet, Brand and Marketing Director, Kerten Hospitality said: Taking Cloud7 brand into Glamping has been a long-term dream for us for many years. Spontaneous Living has been our motto since day 1, so launching this new offering is a genuine and natural evolution of our Cloud7 brand story. We could not imagine a better place than Ras Al Khaimah for that dream to come true - not too far from Dubai but not too close either. The perfect getaway for friends, families, work celebrations or even remote working. Cloud7 Camp Jebel Jais and Cloud7 Camp AlSawan are the first 2 steps of a long journey.

After the successful opening of Cloud7 Residences in Ayla Aqaba in the thick of the slowdown caused by the pandemic last summer, Kerten Hospitality, a mixed-use and lifestyle operator, adds to its portfolio: 2 unique projects in Ras Al Khaimah, in the mountainous area of Jebel Jais and in the sand dunes of AlSawan. While both put the local community at the core of this Ecosystem offering nature exploration, an immersive heritage and unparalleled experiences, AlSawan will be the place where eco-farming and desert farming will gather agrarian enthusiasts to grow fresh produce. At Jebel Jais, thrill-seekers and hikers will enjoy a glimpse of the mountain views and trekking paths.

Cloud7, a Kerten Hospitality lifestyle brand born 5 years ago, has been chosen recently in the GCC region for the most unique projects done jointly with owners who have a new-age hospitality vision.

Younis Al Dawoodi, General Manager of Kerten Hospitalitys Glamping Projects, said We are proud to announce our unique projects Cloud7 Camp Jebel Jais and Cloud7 Camp AlSawan which will empower the local community and entrepreneurship and will provide city getaways in 2 exotic destinations revolving around a return to our roots whilst showcasing to visitors a glimpse of the authentic Emirati hospitality and bedouin heritage. The former, known for its mountainous weather and tranquillity will be the spot for thrill-seekers and camp AlSawan will demonstrate how we can create self-sustainable glamping retreats.

Kerten Hospitalitys unique glamorous camping project in the UAE are created around the key pillars of the organisation: to support Locality, to contribute to the growth of eco-tourism and to craft a destination that combines a strong cultural heritage in an exclusive environment that will be frequented by adventurers, thrill-seekers, residents and tourists seeking to explore the true sense of sustainable hospitality and environmental responsibility by engaging the local community.

Sharing a glimpse of spectacular mountain views, diverse Ecosystem that allow authentic adrenaline-rush experiences across the winding hiking trails, Cloud7 Camp Jebel Jais will be the most coveted spot for staycations nestled in the heart of a hiking hotspot where adventurous hikers and holidaymakers will learn more about the local Flora and Fauna. Accommodation in 30 units built out of sustainable material with luxury amenities will host guests in the cool mountainous area away from the city pollution and amidst abundant wildlife. At AlSawan, 60 units will be welcoming guests who are ready to become farmers for a day experiencing the local agriculture whilst exploring the beauty of the desert.
Opinion Article

17 May 2021

There has been a great deal of progress and technology that helps hotels and businesses in general keep better financial information. This story is about the early days and how things changed rapidly in my world. With those changes came opportunities. I also remember how some struggled with all the changes. It in turn makes me think of the current situation in our world and I can take some solace from knowing there is still more to come.

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I can recall working in the early days and using green columnar pads to enter food and beverage purchase information. There were no personal computers at work. For those of you who are stumped about what one of these pads looks like, here is an image.

Going from this to Lotus 123 was certainly a trip, to see the possibilities and automation was quite simply amazing. With that transition came opportunities for creativity.

This story is about another technical advancement and it was called the Infamode machine. I say Infamode because thats the name the people that introduced me to it used. I think the name was a company nickname because I cant find it by searching Google. It literally means information and modem (probably started out as Infomode). It was the early 80s and although PCs were invented, they were not yet developed and available to the masses. Businesses used mainframe computers. These mainframes were limited in their use to being in the same building as the machine unless you had an Infamode machine.

It was todays version of a desktop remote dial-in, sort of.

The machine is actually a fully functioning telex machine that has been upgraded to include the use of numbers. The telex is an electronic version of a telegraph machine that used electromagnetic signals on both ends to send and receive messages and data.

This is how the process worked: The hotel would close the general ledger at the end of the month using a completely manual set of books, those green pads were the mainstay. Once the books were closed, the accountant would produce the trial balance. This is where the fun started. With the trial balance in hand, we jumped in the hotel van and drove six hours to the closest Infamode machine. It was located in another city and hotel. We had our time booked to use the terminal and one by one we had to type each account and its balance (positive or negative) (debit or credit) into the telex.

One mistake and it was all over, but you didnt find out until you entered the entire trial balance which included several hundred accounts. My friend and boss was a pro and he balanced on the first shot. Once the trial balance was entered the mainframe on the other end crunched the numbers and a few minutes later the telex (Infamode) began spitting out a rudimentary financial statement.

This whole process might seem a bit tedious and you are right it was, but it was still a giant leap from the alternative which was creating a manual financial statement from the green forest of pads. This manual financial statement was the process before the Infamode.

Today we live in the information era, or better still the hyper-connected information era. But back then you needed to understand how the mechanics worked and seeing how it was now makes so much sense. I think if I arrived today and missed the transition from paper to tech I would not understand how it all works so well.

Another aspect of the monthly trip to the city to process the financial statements was a night on the town. This you could say was my first boondoggle, this word is a noun and its work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value.

I remember at the time thinking this was an exciting process and being exposed to this was like being on the inside for the first time in my short life so far. A blink of an eye later and we were unpacking the fax machine. That was quickly followed by a desktop terminal linked to the mainframe. No more monthly boondoggles for financial statements. The desktop also had a rudimentary version of email. I still remember my code, LUN0007.

Progress never stops. Sometimes it looks like we are stuck, or things have stalled but the changes in business and society continue to move. Thankfully.

Dedicating this one to Mike. RIP.
Let us begin by mourning our lost colleagues, managers, employees, customers and vendors.

More than 50,000 Texans have succumbed to COVID-19. Most of us know someone who died, and many are grieving. We have lost leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, artisans and laborers who made businesses successful. Replacing them will not be easy.

Then let us mourn the lost businesses: the corner stores, restaurants, bars and services that added convenience, joy and efficiency to our lives.

Starting a business requires courage in the best of times, but fantastic fortitude and persistence are the only way to keep a company afloat through lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, safety expenses and a recession.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: COVID-19 has changed worker expectations from employers

More than 5,300 Texas businesses closed permanently, and 8,900 shut down temporarily, between March and September 2020, according to data collected by the business search app Yelps Economic Impact Report. In December, the Texas Restaurant Association reported that 30 percent of operators did not expect to still be open in six months.

When it comes to peoples lives and livelihoods, the pain and suffering are real. And even as vaccination rates rise and infection rates drop, the pandemic is not over. Many more people will contract the virus, and some will suffer horrible illnesses or die. Some businesses struggling to reopen will never recover.

Its not the falling down that matters, though; its the getting up.

After we assess the casualties, those with the wherewithal to rebuild must carry on. Conducting commerce, making and selling goods, marketing and supplying services is what will return our world to economic and physical health.

Even during the first year of the pandemic, Americans added 487,000 new businesses to Yelps search app. While that number was down 14 percent year-over-year, it still shows remarkable resilience. Most of the drop was in new restaurants, while professional services, landscaping, auto-detailing and contractors shot up. When times got tough, entrepreneurs hung out their shingles.

More than 260,000 businesses that closed due to COVID have reopened, including 85,000 restaurants. The biggest challenge they face now is finding workers. Consumers are coming out of their crouches.

Yelp searches indicate people so far want to play it safe and stay outside. Drive-in or outdoor movies remain highly desirable, as do skate parks and horseback riding. How long these trends last will depend on how the virus mutates and how quickly we reach herd immunity.

Barring a deadly new form of COVID-19, in six months I suspect well be inured to the disease as people learn to trust their vaccinations. People who acquire the infection in the last half of the year will only have themselves to blame. Anti-vaxxers should not expect compassion if they fall ill.

Businesspeople should also anticipate scientific breakthroughs that will make living with the coronavirus easier. As treatments improve, fear of the virus will drop. Testing will help detect the disease quicker. Researchers at Texas Tech are commercializing a coronavirus saliva test that provides results in seconds.

We may never find a cure for COVID-19, but we will not always fear it.

Peoples desires will grow for fancy dinners, a cozy bar, or live music and theater. Many of us may want to continue working from home, but that also means well want to get out after work more than ever.

Yelps first-quarter data also show significant upturns at barbershops, beauty parlors and retail stores. We are a social species, and we are ready to mingle again. And we want to look good doing it.

Hopefully, the pandemic has proven the interconnectedness and interdependence of humanity. The novel coronavirus confirmed that a problem first detected 10,000 miles away can shut down the most powerful economy in the world within months.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: COVID makes the rich even richer - and takes away from workers

Im not naive enough to believe were heading toward a kumbaya moment. Weve seen far too much selfishness and self-centered behavior to make me think humanity is capable of unity. But we do seem ready to do things that will make our lives better, such as building roads, string power lines, designing better technology and developing better health services.

The United States is long overdue for an upgrade, and doing whats necessary to stay strong in the 21st century will create enormous business opportunities. All great powers eventually decline, but that does not have to happen to our country on our watch.

The COVID-19 pandemic took a terrible toll on humanity and the global economy. The virus has likely changed some of our behaviors forever. There are losses from which we will never recover.

Destruction, though, presents the opportunity to create something new and better. Staying down after the coronaviruss blow is not an option; time to get back up and build again.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
After a year of record job loss, the Houston and Texas economies are bouncing back as vaccinations increase, COVID-19 restrictions ease and business and hiring  activity rebounds.

Texas employers added just under 100,000 jobs in March, the biggest hiring spree since October, according to government statistics. In Greater Houston, employers added more than 26,000 jobs, the most since June.

Oil prices have rebounded, and so has the regions energy industry. Hotels, restaurants and other services that were hard hit by the pandemic also are coming back. But whether the economy can keep this momentum remains to be seen, said Patrick Jankowski, an economist at the Greater Houston Partnership, a business-financed economic development group.

The real question is, Where do we go from here? Jankowski said. We can either keep at this pace or go stagnant. We already got the easy jobs.

Job growth nationally slowed in April, raising concerns that the economy might not recover from the deep recession as quickly as hoped. U.S. employers added 266,000 job last month, far less than the 1 million expected by economists. At that pace, it could take years to recover all the jobs lost in the pandemic.

The nation still has 6.7 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic broke out in March 2020.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Hiring in Texas surges with vaccinations, stimulus

Then national economy is one of the three factors that will drive Houstons recovery, Jankowski said. The other factors are oil and gas industry and exports, both of which face challenges.

The pandemic brought a devastating oil crash just as the industry was recovering from a two-year oil bust that ended in 2016. Oil prices have rebounded and companies are profitable again, but the sector still faces uncertainty.

Prices have been propped up by OPEC and its allies, which have maintained production cuts. Energy demand is rising, but the global recovery is weaker than the U.S. rebound because vaccinations have come more slowly in Europe and Asia. That is is also affecting demand for exports, Jankowski said.

Texas exports fell about 2 percent in March, compared to March of 2020, according to the Commerce Department.

After the Great Recession, the oil and gas boom helped us. During the oil bust we were helped by a construction boom, Jankowski said. I dont think were going to see help from either of those areas this time around.

Jankowski estimates it will take about two years to recover the the 193,000 jobs lost during the pandemic, despite historically stong job growth here and across Texas.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Downtown Houston faces unceratin future

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas projects statewide employment will grow 6.6 percent this year, about double the pre-pandemic growth rate. Recent data points to a quickly improving labor market. New claims for unemployment insurance in Texas declined steeply in April, while the number of job postings has reached prepandemic levels, according to the Dallas Fed.

Texans can also expect wages to rise as the economy picks back up. Texas firms expect to raise wages nearly 5 percent this year, on average, according to a Dallas Fed survey. That would be the biggest average increase in four years.
The pandemic brought dramatic shifts to the world of retailing, hammering businesses large and small.

Roughly 100,000 restaurants and retailers permanently closed in the first six months of the pandemic, including around 2,500 in Houston alone, according to Yelp. The swift, dramatic decline brought with it a adaptation on the part of small-business owners. Some of the changes wrought by the pandemic will swing like a pendulum back in the other direction, but other shifts are here to stay, analysts project.

Annie Rupani-Farino had to transform her Uptown chocolate shop Cacao & Cardamom into an e-commerce company on the fly. Online sales accounted for just 10 percent of her business before the pandemic; that number is 70 percent, even as the pandemics hold on the economy loosens.

More than a year into the pandemic, the packing and shipping portion of her business has grown to take over half the space on her retail floor.

On HoustonChronicle.com: While leisure travel is making a comeback, a key driver of Houstons economy isnt so lucky

Even as the pandemic begins to recede, supply chains remain strained, staffing is a challenge, prices are rising and convenience still rules for consumers whove grown used to ordering things with a click.

People dont want to drive, said Brian Ashby, Houston-based retail real estate broker for CBRE. Were kind of a time-based economy at this point.

Nearly half of consumers are willing to spend more for convenience, according to consulting firm Deloitte. E-commerce now accounts for nearly one quarter of all retail sales  a gain that enabled the overall retail sector to grow during a pandemic that throttled in-person sales, said Michael Valleskey, associate research director for CBREs Texas division.

Unable to travel earlier in the pandemic, consumers saved instead. Personal savings reached $6 trillion in March and the personal saving rate  savings as a percentage of disposable income  was 28 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Personal savings rates hovered below 10 percent in the years before the pandemic, but jumped to historic highs last year as people held onto more cash.

Those savings are starting to flow into the consumer economy, undaunted so far by rising prices, said Jeff Buhr, a retail analyst and partner in Deloittes Houston office.

What youre really starting to see is a significant rebound in many of those categories, he said.

Houstons rapid growth in the past decade also positions it well for a healthy rebound, analysts said. Despite the pandemic, 74 percent of new retail developments were leased by the end of 2020, according to the CBRE, and another 2 million square feet is currently underway.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas continues to lead US in raw population growth, Census Bureau estimates

All these things combined make for a real good scenario right now for Houston retail, Valleskey said.

Still, not all segments are expected to quickly rebound. Clothing retailers and restaurants are expected to gain traction again with younger age groups, but older people are not expecting to go that route, according to a national survey by Deloitte. Respondents over age 55 said in a survey completed April 28 they expected to decrease their spending on clothing by 16 percent in the weeks ahead and to increase their restaurant spending by just 1 percent. Conversely, respondents under 55 said they expect to spend 15 percent more on clothing this month; younger respondents projected spending between 14 percent and 16 percent more in restaurants.

Those venturing out and spending money for the first time in a year may find higher prices than before, as vendors and retailers pass along price hikes brought on by supply chain strains during the pandemic.

To be sure, retailers are looking to make investments in areas where supply chains were strained over the last year. Theyre also moving full-steam ahead with automation in a time when hiring is a challenge for many companies.

Staffing shortages may yield better pay and treatment for some workers, analysts said, while others may soon get replaced by robots.

The labor force in retail is going to be the first to go, CBREs Ashby said.

Dominos recently launched driverless pizza deliveries in Houston, some shopping centers have robotic security guards, and robot servers are already arriving at some restaurants in the city, Ashby said.

Its just beginning, he said. Were going to see a lot more of that.

amanda.drane@chron.com

Twitter.com/amandadrane
Index-Journal Careers

PART-TIME POSITION available in our packaging area.

Job responsibilities include putting inserts into the newspaper. Must have a positive attitude and be a team player. Applicants must be able to: lift up to 20-lbs; stand for long periods of time; be available to work Sunday thru Friday, late evening to early morning hours; pass drug screen.
Wells Middletons brown eyes lit up in laughter as he watched his son walk around.

One by one, 3-year-old Conrad picked up small weighted plates and placed them in a line. Once he ran out of those, he looked around the room for anything that would complete his imaginary train track.

Conrad walked underfoot as his parents talked with Harwin Wo, an occupational therapist at Arm Dynamics in Houston, about what his father could expect from a pair of new prosthetic arms.

The 31-year-old welder and father of two feels he is at the beginning of a long journey to a new life  one unlike the one he had before Aug. 6, 2020, when his hands were crushed in an industrial accident in Natchez, Miss. Since then, Middleton has not been able to hold his children.

I miss rubbing my hands through Conrads hair. You know just that touch and feel that you get by squeezing them and hugging them, Middleton said. I miss sliding my index finger into my babys hands and having him squeeze my finger, ya know? I missed all that.

Now Playing: Video: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

The incident

Middleton remembers that August day clearly. His wife, Lacey, was pregnant and on her way to an OBGYN appointment in another town. She was nearly full term with their second son, Levi, and Middleton felt jittery with excitement and impatience.

I went to work that morning and everything was fine; I was on top of the world  Im about to have my son, and Im wondering what hes going to look like, Middleton remembered. Then unfortunately, that is when I had my accident.

He was operating a computerized welding machine with an overhead crane that bends and shapes metal pieces. In a blur, his hands were caught in the machine. He felt his left hand and fingers crush first. When he used his right hand to try to free it, that hand was caught by the machine, too.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Woodlands woman went to doctor for a stomachache. A few days later, she had open heart surgery.

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

As he screamed for help, his high-school-sweetheart-turned wife Lacey and children ran through his mind. He remembers praying and asking for forgiveness in the moments before his supervisor turned off the machine.

Free from the machine, Middleton saw the damage and thought he might bleed to death. He tried to lower his heart rate to slow the breathing, turning his mind again to Lacey, his son Conrad and soon-to-arrive Levi. Once in the Natchez hospitals emergency room, his adrenaline petered out, bringing forth a flood of pain as doctors rushed to preserve what was left of his hands.

Middleton was airlifted to a hospital in Jackson, Miss., where he underwent the first of several surgeries in an effort to preserve what was left of his hands. Days later, he was taken to a Baton Rouge hospital for more surgeries.

He spent the first month of his sons life in a hospital bed.

I always pictured her giving birth, getting the baby out and handing him to my wife, Middleton said. And then I put my arms around her  I completely missed that.

The amputation

By January, Middleton was in Houston, where doctors walked him through his options.

My experience with these patients  bilaterial upper limb amputees from crush injuries  are the most complex group of patients you will see, said Dr. Danielle Melton, associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UTHealth and director of the amputee program at TIRR Memorial Hermann. It affects every aspect of their life when it comes to daily living. Its a long time before they feel whole again.

After long talks with his wife, Middleton decided to have amputation surgery at Memorial Hermann Orthopedic and Spine Hospital in January.

The limb grieving process can last two years, Melton said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Alone at home, a Houston stroke patient's quick thinking saved her brain

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Losing a limb is like losing a family member. There are stages of grief that people go through that is really important, she said. It can be completely overwhelming, and thats OK. Coping with limb loss means knowing it will be a long process to acceptance.

But Middleton knew what he wanted.

With the hands I had left, I couldnt grab a Coke can. I had to use both hands to pick things up, Middleton said. With two kids, I felt like I had to function and help my wife. I had to be focused on being as functional as possible.

New limbs

Three months post-surgery, Middleton was eager to try on his new prosthetic arms.

Scott Spring, certified prosthetist for Arm Dynamics Houston, is in the process of building two prostheses for Middleton  a body-powered and an electric-powered set.

In April, Middleton stayed a week for multiple prosthetic fitting appointments. The body-powered set  a mechanical hand or a hook attached to a harness that is strapped around the patients back  is made of a webbing material like the straps of a backpack.

More than 2 million people live with limb loss in the U.S.

They have to relearn how to use these tools to get back to their life, Spring said. Every case is unique.

Spring evaluates all his patients strength and range of motion so he can begin crafting his custom prostheses, using castings and moldings of the residual limbs.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'I was too young.' After a heart attack at 29, a Port Neches man is rebuilding his health

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Middletons electric-powered set will look mechanical or robotic, like The Winter Soldiers titanium arm in Marvel films. Many people ask for this option nowadays, Spring said. The outer part will be made of carbon fiber, and it will feel lightweight, but strong. Batteries in Middletons arm will enable him to open and close the electric hooks, and twist his writ side to side and up and down.

Now that hes on his way to becoming more functional, Middleton said he feels better each day. But he admits it has been an emotionally and mentally taxing adjustment.

When he sees his family hold the new baby or his 3-year-old son, Middleton wishes he could do the same. Hes still not used to being taken care of, and he struggles with wanting to fit the Man of the House stereotype.

You dont realize what all you do with your hands until theyre gone, Middleton said. I dont think it  Ive never been the type to sit on the sidelines. Ive always wanted to participate in life.

When Middleton returns to Houston in a few weeks, the new prostheses will be ready for him to take home. Thats when the real work begins, and he cant wait.

Its not fun starting over again at 31-years-old, he said. He knows there will be a few failures before he feels successful, and he plans to take it one movement at a time.

Renew Houston: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox

Once I get my prosthetics, I see myself back in life again, he said. I see myself having a job again, coming home from work and hugging my kids. Seeing Lacey and asking How was your day? and shell say, Good, how was yours?

You know, I see myself tackling the world.

julie.garcia@chron.com

Twitter.com/reporterjulie
A man who allegedly tortured four cats to death over a five-month period is a former Fort Bend ISD teacher.

Graham Reid, 29, from Sugar Land was arrested April 28 and charged with four counts of felony cruelty to non-livestock animals after allegedly beating and torturing his four cats to death on separate occasions. He posted bond the same day.

Related: Sugar Land man 'felt powerful' when allegedly torturing four cats to death, police say

Prior to his arrest, Reid taught geometry at Ridge Point High School in Fort Bend ISD. His name and information page has been removed from the districts website.

A statement from Sherry Williams, media relations director for Fort Bend ISD said, We have been made aware of a disturbing animal cruelty allegation against a teacher who is no longer employed with the district. We are unable to comment further as the matter involves an ongoing criminal investigation.

According to a former student taught by Reid, Reids last day in class was April 29, the day after his arrest.

I remember coming into class on April 30th and he wasnt there, the student said. Then it was two days later the principal came into school and said he had quit for unknown reasons. We never got any more info from the school besides that since then.

Reids warrant states that he felt powerful when he tortured the four cats. The cats ranged in age from a 4-month-old kitten to a 1-year-old cat. Reid also told investigators that he tortured the cats to relieve stress, the warrant said.

The student said she never saw any sign of violence or anger from Reid.

He was really laid back honestly. There were times where he would seem to be a bit stressed but he never snapped at us or raised his voice at any of us, the student said. He was very nice though. He seemed invested in his students, which I really liked.

Its shocking to me, the student added. He never seemed to have a sadistic personality or behavior.

The disturbing allegations have caused distress among some of Reids former students.

This man. This man was my geometry teacher  said another student. I just found out today what he did. Someone please comfort me.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How Mattress Mack's family came to the aid of India, Houston's infamous tiger

Williams noted that counselors on staff are prepared to work with any students who may be traumatized by the allegations.

Please know the safety and security of our students is our top priority, and we are taking steps to safeguard the emotional well-being of our students by making well-trained counselors available to the teachers former students, Williams said.

David Hunter, Reids attorney, declined to comment on his client or the case at this time.

Reid posted a $25,000 bond on April 28 and was released from jail. His court date is set for June 14.

claire.goodman@chron.com
Houston police are searching for suspects who opened fire Sunday on a car with three children inside.

The shooting occurred before 10 p.m. at 11738 Zarroll Dr., near south Kirkwood in the Alief area, Lt. Christopher Bruce said.
SANTA FE  When Gail McLeod thinks about her son, Kyle, she is drawn to the vacant space he left behind: at the dinner table; playing video games; sitting in the art classroom at Santa Fe High School, where he was killed by a bullet from a fellow student three years ago.

For more than a year, McLeod has been part of a foundation comprised of Santa Fe High School students, parents, and community members planning a memorial to honor the 10 people killed in a mass shooting on campus in May 2018. While the group plans to move forward with several designs, McLeod had her heart set on one concept in particular: an empty chair.

Theyre never going to sit there in that chair again, youre always gonna have an empty place whatever you do, whatever gathering you go to or in the house, McLeod said.

The Unfillable Chair was finally installed on the high school campus on May 13 for its official unveiling on Tuesday, the third anniversary of the shooting. The aluminum chair, built by National Signs, a Houston-based sign manufacturer, stands over 8 feet high, with the empty seat 4 feet wide by 3 feet deep. The back of the chair is illuminated by a frosted acrylic light box, with arrows symbolizing the Indians  the Santa Fe mascot  and forming an X shape, or Roman numeral 10, signifying the number of shooting victims. The chairs light will be turned on for the first time on the evening of the shooting anniversary and every night thereafter.

On Sunday, McLeod and several other members of the Santa Fe Ten Memorial Foundation stood in the rain to marvel at the finished product.

This was my baby, this is what I wanted, McLeod said.

The foundation was formed by Megan Grove, the parent of a former Santa Fe student. Grove reached out to the University of Houston College of Architecture and Design to kickstart the design process with a group of 11 graduate students to come up with concepts in the spirit of other large memorial across the country.

Hannah Hemmer, one of the Houston design students, raised the idea of a chair, drawing on her own experience when a former classmate passed away.

It was a moment of sitting in class and thinking about this chair and how someone else would come and sit in it and they wouldnt remember that someone had been there before, Hemmer said.

While the Houston design students ultimately moved on to other concepts, the chair idea piqued the foundations interest, leaning on other national memorials for design precedents. The Field of Empty Chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum held particular resonance with the parents of Santa Fe victims, as well as the high school students on the committee. Every Santa Fe class from 2018 through 2021 was part of the design committee that took the Unfillable Chair concept and ran with it.

It was even more important that we finished the design and have it dedicated by the third anniversary, because (the class of 21) is the last class that will graduate that was there that tragic day, Grove said. And they lost five of their classmates. It was the largest class impacted.

Three of the Santa Fe students on the design committee, Chailyn Gillespie, Morgan Wilson, and Reagan Gaona, were on campus Sunday, showing some members of the media the memorial. Gillespie and Wilson were freshmen when the shooting happened, while Gaona, a sophomore at the time, dated Chris Stone, one of the victims. All wanted to contribute to a project that honored their friends and classmates before the class of 2021 graduated.

It's really difficult to try to process knowing that we're about to leave a school but these (future Santa Fe students) don't know what we went through, Gillespie said. Healing is going to take many, many, many years. But I think this year, having (the memorial) built is gonna help quite a bit for the community.

The Santa Fe Ten Memorial Foundation hopes the Unfillable Chair wont be the only formal tribute to the shooting victims. Grove said the chair could be a precursor to a larger planned memorial the foundation is raising money for.

The University of Houston students came up with several design concepts that the foundation hopes will be approved by the Santa Fe ISD Board of Trustees once funds are procured. One of the concepts includes a warrior statue commissioned by a local artist, an homage to the high schools mascot. But the primary components will be a meditative grove and a Sacred Space within it. An infinite loop forms the Meditative Grove, with 10 feather-shaped monoliths filling the Sacred Space. Each feather is folded by age and exact longitude and latitude coordinates of the birthplace or hometown of the ten victims.

It was really, really trying to find a way to make a memorial that was beautiful, and in uniform, but also had unique qualities to it, said Courtney Warren-Williams, one of the University of Houston architecture students. That kind of small tweak, based on the longitude and latitude of (the victims) birth is what makes them unique.

The foundation is looking to raise $1.2 million to construct these memorials, Grove said. The Santa Fe ISD Board of Trustees approved the design concepts, contingent on the foundation coming up with the funds.

For now, the Unfillable Chair will stand alone, a beacon of remembrance for a small community still grieving from the tragedy. Many family members of the shooting victims, including McLeod, will skip the chairs official unveiling Tuesday, even though she acknowledged the planning process has given her an outlet for her sadness.

Im glad Im involved, dont get me wrong, its very hard sometimes because you got this constant feeling every time that I shouldnt be doing this, this shouldnt be my life, McLeod said. But it is.

McLeod and three other mothers of victims  Rosie Y. Stone, Pamela Stanich, and Shannan Claussen, all of whom lost sons in the shooting  planned a getaway for the anniversary. To escape the overwhelming grief, but also commiserate with each other without judgment.

This is something that we wanted to do for us, because we are so close, said Stone, who lost her son, Chris Stone. It's gonna be good for us to be together, you know, having people around us with the same situation, the same heartbreak. I think it's good for our sons to be able to have our families with us.

nick.powell@chron.com
There are few things that unite Texans more than our disdain for property taxes.

Politicians know this and exploit our hatred regularly for their own partisan gain, with some playing the role of warriors beating back the daunting foe. Last session, Republican leaders declared school finance reform the answer. This session, Sen. Paul Bettencourt crowed in a recent press release about advancing legislation to create statewide portal where Texans can more easily view proposed tax rates.

Taxpayers demand and need transparency in the entire property tax process! Bettencourt shouted in bold type.

We agree, so much that we think all lawmakers  Republicans and Democrats  should be transparent about the real reasons our property taxes are so high. Its not only our soaring property values or Texas lack of income tax.

Its also that ordinary Texans are regularly expected to bear the burden of billions of dollars in corporate welfare to some of Americas wealthiest companies under the false premise that were all benefiting somehow.

While the arrangement is sold as a way to lure new business to Texas and create well-paying jobs, a Chronicle investigation, Unfair Burden, reveals how the states biggest tax incentive program is a wasteful boondoggle.

The Chapter 313 program, named for the section of the Texas Tax Code that enables it, lets companies keep a portion of their property values off of school district tax rolls for a decade.

The program is so poorly regulated by lawmakers and Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar that it routinely pays incentives to companies that need no inducement to move to Texas because they were already planning to build here and in some cases, have begun construction.

Caterpillar, for example, applied for tax breaks in August 2009 for a new plant in Seguin, telling the comptrollers office it had many attractive opportunities and had considered locations outside Texas. In reality, Caterpillar officials had already hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Seguin, seven months earlier, attended by Gov. Rick Perry himself.

Some companies  say those building natural gas pipelines that reach the Gulf  cant realistically move operations outside of Texas, but they get the subsidies anyway. So do companies that fail to deliver on the number of jobs or competitive pay they promised to bring to Texas.

Yet, lawmakers have sanctioned the Chapter 313 shakedown for 20 years now, refusing to kill the program or even to sufficiently tighten standards and oversight.

Imagine how absurd it would have been if the Cleveland Browns had paid Johnny Manziel a big signing bonus after hed already signed, and then kept paying him bonuses for years after they realized hed never be the player they had hoped hed be. Then imagine the team doing it again with another player. And again. And again. For two decades.

Except of course Chapter 313 is worse. It isnt just a rich team owner losing money. Its Texas taxpayers, many of whom have enjoyed no breaks on their own soaring property tax bills despite losing work during the pandemic.

How much has Texas lost? By one measure, Chapter 313 costs more than $1.1 million in tax breaks per new job created, according to state data the Chronicle analyzed. And the more than 500 projects active as of early 2020 are expected to cost nearly $10.8 billion in tax breaks over the life span of each project.

So, how has such a wasteful program, seemingly rife with abuse, survived this long?

To begin with, the standards for qualifying for the break are ridiculously loose.

Hegars office need only determine if the tax break is a determining factor in a companys decision to proceed with the project. Even the comptrollers office has acknowledged on its website that the ultimate determining factors are generally impossible to determine. So, how does he decide? Assumption.

Then theres the fact that for some school districts the 313 program can be a short-term bonanza, lending the program vocal support that can drown out the criticism. State school finance formulas ensure that the districts arent hurt by the initial loss in property taxes, and theyre allowed to sweeten deals by negotiating extra payouts.

Since those payouts dont have to be shared with other districts, Chapter 313 deals benefit only about 5 percent of K-12 students across the state, the Texas Tribune reported recently.

A loyal 313 supporter, Houston Republican state Rep. Jim Murphy argues that no ones getting money from the state because companies receiving the tax incentives get simply a reduction of taxes for 10 years, and then it goes up to the full rate for the rest of the time.

Hes wrong. If the companies would have moved here anyway  and the evidence suggests many would have  then, yes, theyre getting tax breaks that ordinary taxpayers, including homeowners, small business owners and renters, have to make up for with higher property taxes to fund schools and other state needs. The Chronicle investigation also found that Chapter 313 properties often depreciate in value, meaning the state misses out on a decade of the highest tax revenues.

Lawmakers have proposed tweaks that supposedly address opponents concerns. But, as in sessions past, the changes only worsen problems or create other ones.

Murphy had authored a bill to prohibit districts from negotiating with companies and cap the extra payments they can receive, but the bill also allows tax breaks for renovations and removes the modest requirement that companies create 10-25 jobs.

Another bill offers a compromise: renewing Chapter 313, as is, for a couple more years, during which time lawmakers could study whether to change or end it next session.

We say enough is enough for a parasitic program that has mooched off hard-working Texans for too long. Left to continue, the program will only grow, as new applicants routinely argue they should benefit from the giveaway because their competitors already have.

Chapter 313 is nothing more than a series of sweetheart deals that enrich a few on the backs of many: homeowners and other taxpayers across Texas who can least afford it. Lawmakers who truly want property tax relief and transparency should kill Chapter 313 and cut our losses: $10 billion and counting.
No more GOP

Regarding GOP infighting erupts in Cheney ouster, (A1, May 13): I rarely take the time to send a letter to an editor, but issues with the GOP have risen to the crisis point and, as a citizen, I must weigh in. I find myself in the position of having to look for a political party to which to belong. The Republican Party has elected to hide its head under the tails of a ruthless bully that throughout his life has left a string of failures, ruined businesses (his and others), ruined careers and lives. Our GOP congressmen and congresswomen who were afraid for their lives while they were caught up in the attempted coup incited by the former president, now say they cant live without him. They have allowed themselves to become prisoners held hostage by a vengeful hostage taker. They ingratiate themselves to him daily, thankful he doesnt make them the next target he will enjoy destroying. Through the GOPs willingness to turn a blind eye to attacks on our democratic institutions and to perpetuate the dangerous lies promulgated by the previous president, it has become complicit in concentrating all the power of governance into one office, under one person. Their willingness to do away with the balance of power set up by the U.S. Constitution, threatening to transition our democracy into an autocracy, is disgraceful. I can not be a member of the Republican Party. I will not turn my back on my country and what it stands for.

Louise Deretchin, The Woodlands

Speaking as a dependably Republican voter for decades, I can only say, in response to Rep. Liz Cheneys concern that Republicans will follow Donald Trump to their destruction  from her lips to Gods ear.

Sean Kelly McPherson, Houston

Protect all

Regarding CDC: Vaccinated people can go maskless, (A1, May 14): While most public establishments in the Houston metro area are now completely smoke-free, many restaurants and even some bars still have the architecture required for separation. Given Thursdays CDC guidance that vaccinated people should be able to return to life without masks both outdoors and indoors, but that non-vaccinated people should continue to wear a mask unless socially distanced, I propose that restaurants and bars should utilize their existing architecture to allow the greatest number of people to patronize their establishments, feel comfortable and protect all. This temporary segregation will boost patronage, is easily enforceable, complies with CDC recommendations and will keep us all safe.

John Galvan, Houston

Right to live with dignity

Regarding Israel, Hamas trade deadly fire, (A1, May 12): I demand that the U.S. government stop funding the massacre of innocent Palestinians by the Israeli government. We should stop funding Israel. My tax dollars should not be used to abuse Palestinian children, land theft and ethnic cleansing. The U.S. government must send a strong message to Israel to stop its unjust attacks on innocent Palestinians. They must also stop illegal settlements of Jewish settlers in Palestinian lands. Palestinians have the right to live with dignity in their homeland.

Tazeen Zehra, Sugar Land

Research miracle

Regarding Houston toddler first to receive COVID vaccine in Baylor, Texas Childrens trial for young kids, (A1, May 5): I think I speak for many when I say that 2020 was one of the most challenging years in recent memory. There was so much uncertainty, change and so much loss. As someone with some of the health conditions noted as particularly susceptible to COVID-19, I worried about contracting COVID-19 since I was high-risk. I never could have imagined that a year later, wed have multiple vaccines against the virus and be close to ending the pandemic. I know its all because of medical science and ingenuity  what U.S. researchers have accomplished is nothing short of a miracle.

Thats why I was surprised to read about a congressional proposal known as H.R. 3 that would import foreign price controls on U.S. drug manufacturers, a move that would harm future innovation. Given the pandemic, the last thing we need is legislation that would hinder new medical research.

Instead of hindering the development of new cures and treatments, leaders need to consider an alternative solution to health care affordability  like regulating insurers. Its the only viable option for reducing health care costs without harming patients like me.

Katie Stavinoha,

The Woodlands
The claim: People over 65 years of age, over 80 percent, have now been vaccinated, and 66 percent fully vaccinated. And theres virtually no difference between white, Black, Hispanic, Asian American.  President Joe Biden

Biden has claimed multiple times that the COVID-19 vaccination rate for people 65 and older is equal between white people and people of color.

PolitiFact rating: False. No public national data from the CDC or another database has been released to support this assertion.

For the few states that do report data on age and race/ethnicity combined, the numbers suggest that, for the most part, obvious disparities persist in the vaccination rates for white seniors and seniors of color. In several states, vaccine administration rates are more proportional to the percentage of the Black and Hispanic populations, but the data covers all age groups. National data for all age groups also shows that rates of vaccinations for Black and Hispanic people lag behind that of white people.

Discussion

About PolitiFact PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made See More Collapse

The national data that Biden keeps touting  vaccination statistics regarding both race and age  is not public. PolitiFact asked the White House for the information underlying this claim, but officials did not provide specifics.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spokesperson Chandra Zeikel said that unfortunately, we dont have available a data breakdown of both racial demographics and age together.

Current CDC vaccination data is broken down only by race/ethnicity and shows significant differences, with white Americans far outpacing the percentage of other groups getting a shot. It also shows that the rate of vaccinations among some groups, including Black and Latino Americans, does not match their share of the population, though new CDC data shows there has been some progress on this front in the last two weeks.

Meanwhile, the CDC published a report May 11 based on the first 3.5 months of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program that described limited race/ethnicity data for those older than 65 who have received at least one vaccine dose. Although the data reflects some gains in vaccination equity, those rates do not hold across different ethnic and racial categories. In addition, about 40 percent of vaccine records were missing race and ethnicity data.

As far as I know, there is no comprehensive publicly available data on vaccination rates by race/ethnicity and age, Samantha Artiga, vice president and director of the racial equity and health policy program at the Kaiser Family Foundation, wrote in an email. As such, we are not able to assess whether there are racial disparities in vaccinations among people over 65 years of age.

A small number of states report both age and race together

At least seven states track vaccination based on a combination of age and race, according to Artiga: Michigan, South Carolina, West Virginia, Kansas, Minnesota, Washington and Vermont (Vermont tracks only two racial categories: non-Hispanic white and a combination of Black, Indigenous and people of color.)

The results from some of these states show that racial disparities do exist in the older age groups.

In Michigan, for instance, over 50 percent of non-Hispanic white people ages 65 to 74 had completed their vaccinations as of May 11. Other racial groups  non-Hispanic Black people; Asian American and Pacific Islanders; and Hispanics  all trailed by about 10 percentage points. The exception was the Native American and Alaska Natives category, which was within 4 percentage points of white people.

And as of May 11 in Kansas, the rate at which white people in that same age group were vaccinated was higher than the rates of Black people and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders.

In Vermont, for those 65 and up, about 79 percent of people of color had received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared with 85 percent of white people as of that date.

With the exception of Vermont, which has the distinction of being the only state to target BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) populations by race explicitly, these are examples of states in which the numbers are not doing well in their equity efforts, Dayna Bowen Matthew, dean of the George Washington University Law School and an expert in racial disparities in health care, wrote in an email.

The Kaiser Family Foundation provides weekly updates on national and state race/ethnicity data of those who have received vaccinations, which have consistently shown that Black and Hispanic people are receiving smaller shares of vaccinations compared with their shares of the total population, while white people are receiving a higher share. The May 5 weekly update, for instance, found that based on the 42 states that share race/ethnicity data, the percentage of white people who have received at least one COVID vaccine dose (39 percent) was roughly 1.5 times higher than the rates for Black (25 percent) and Hispanic people (27 percent).

Its also important to note that data on race and ethnicity information has not been gathered for many people who have been vaccinated. As of May 3, the CDC reported that race and ethnicity were known for only 55 percent of all people who had received at least one vaccine dose. And three states, Montana, New Hampshire and Wyoming, dont report race/ethnicity data at all.

Existing data paints one story on vaccine equity, while Bidens words paint another.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Treasury Department said Monday that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15.

The payments are part of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which expanded the child tax credit for one year and made it possible to pre-pay the benefits on a monthly basis. Nearly 88% of children are set to receive the benefits without their parents needing to take any additional action.
An architect's rending of a new high school gymnasium project at the Houston School District. Completion is expected later this year.
A free chance to win $1 million or more in lottery

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More young people in Zambia venture in businesses to counter unemployment

Xinhua) 14:31, May 17, 2021

Kelida Banda, 26, who runs mobile money businesses that has provided employment to three other young people, talks with a client in Lusaka, Zambia, May 13, 2021. Youth unemployment remains one of the challenges confronting virtually all countries around the globe today. As more and more young people graduate from higher institutions of learning, conventional employment opportunities seem to be dwindling. This has forced some young people in Zambia to look to alternative ways of earning incomes and running small businesses is slowly becoming their mainstay of getting hired. It is now common to see young people from both rural and urban parts of the country involved in businesses with many of them earning a living solely from their enterprises.(Photo by Lillian Banda/Xinhua)

LUSAKA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Youth unemployment remains one of the challenges confronting virtually all countries around the globe today.

As more and more young people graduate from higher institutions of learning, conventional employment opportunities seem to be dwindling.

This has forced some young people in Zambia to look to alternative ways of earning incomes and running small businesses is slowly becoming their mainstay of getting hired.

It is now common to see young people from both rural and urban parts of the country involved in businesses with many of them earning a living solely from their enterprises.

"I started by helping out at a hair salon run by my elder sister. After learning the ropes, I decided to invest my all in hairdressing and hair accessories," said Grace Phiri, 25, a resident of Lusaka, Zambia's capital.

Phiri revealed that she currently earns about 150 Zambian Kwacha (about 7 U.S. dollars) each day from selling hair accessories and hair plaiting.

According to Phiri, a number of her peers who ventured into businesses are doing well. She added that young people are increasingly becoming enterprising in a bid to counter unemployment.

And Kelida Banda, 26, who runs mobile money businesses that has provided employment to three other young people, said it is more fulfilling to create one's own opportunities for employment.

"I no longer wish to look for employment because I am comfortable being self-employed. I earn about 9,000 Zambian Kwacha (about 400 U.S. dollars) every month. I am now working on ways to expand my business," said Banda.

Patrick Dilaiva, 25 and a resident of Siavonga, a town in southern Zambia, said lack of conventional employment opportunities has pushed many young people in Zambia to venture into businesses.

Dilaiva, a professional fisherman, further observed that even those that are considered to be highly educated have also joined other young people in being enterprising.

"We have among us university graduates that have chosen to be fishermen and have actually become good at it," he said.

Dilaiva asserted that while youth unemployment may be considered as a bad thing, it is also an opportunity for young individuals to innovate and create their own job opportunities.

He, however, emphasized the need for young people to have access to start-up capital, noting that would accord many young people with great business ideas to realize their dreams.

Dilaiva's views were echoed by Zizo Muleya, 24, who specializes in selling village chickens in Zambia's border town of Chirundu.

Muleya, who earns an average of about 5,000 Zambian Kwacha from selling livestock, said that being self-employed as opposed to being employed by others instills a sense of responsibility and ownership in an individual.

"I believe being self-employed helps one to be disciplined with resources such as time and money. Those in unconventional jobs also tend to be more resilient to social and economic shocks and are often open to new ideas," he added.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
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Mount Greylock Superintendent Explains Diversity Initiative, Responds to Criticism

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Mount Greylock Regional Schools superintendent Thursday gave a detailed explanation of the opening stages of his diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiative and responded to community members who have been critical of his approach to the issue.

"The real part of this work is working to better understand and know ourselves and to know those with whom we share our community and our county and our commonwealth and our world," Jake McCandless told the School Committee at its monthly meeting.

"We are always with our students and within ourselves working to build a greater empathy and understanding of not only ourselves but our shared history and our understanding of one another.  And this is an area where I have to assume we all agree: working to end bias and working to end hate and working to end the notion that anybody feels unsafe in a place like a school is work that we can all agree is absolutely vital."

The evening began with the committee hearing a letter signed by five residents of the district who asked whether the school district was "indoctrinating or educating."

"Families, caregivers, teachers, students and taxpayers are deeply concerned with the approach some schools have taken with regard to their diversity and equity initiatives," according to the letter read by signee Janean Laidlaw. "Thus, we are prompted to ask a number of specific questions of our district.

"We have, to date, made two previous written inquiries about the underlying philosophies upon which the Mount Greylock initiative is to be based. To date, our written inquiries, including those about the underlying philosophies that inform the district initiative, have not all been answered to our satisfaction."

On Thursday, McCandless spoke for more than half an hour about specifics of the DEIB work that he has initiated and about the reasons why he believes it matters.

McCandless pointed out early on that he is a white, heterosexual male who was raised with a degree of privilege and, as such, it is incumbent on him to recognize the advantages that he has been given.

"Implicit bias exists in all of us," McCandless said, noting that he grew up in a white, rural community in western Pennsylvania. "It is not a shame to have implicit bias. What might be a shame is not working to overcome the implicit bias I believe is present in each and every one of us.

"While I am not ashamed of who I am, I do have to remain hyper aware of who I am. I have to be hyper aware, as Jake McCandless, the person, of the immense amount of privilege that I have, automatically, because of who and what I am that many people who I know, that I care about, that I love deeply, that I work for and who I work to serve have a very different life experience because of who they are."

McCandless walked the committee through a 14-page presentation that explained his still evolving initiative, which already has begun with an assessment of perceptions and lived experiences of members of the district's community. DEI consultant Cortney King Tunis, a 2004 Williams College graduate, is taking the lead on that work.

"Cortney's work will help us understand the experiences of the students we serve," McCandless said.

Other consultants who have signed on to help the district include Khyati Joshi, a scholar whose work focuses on "promoting cultural and religious pluralism," and Simran Jeet Singh, a best-selling children's author who Time magazine recognized as one of "16 people fighting for a more equal America."

Joshi will do professional development classes with district faculty. Singh will present his book, "Fauja Singh Keeps Going," at both of the district's elementary schools and do a full-school presentation at the middle-high school, McCandless said.

"Dr. Joshi will be working to some degree with us in person and sometimes online," he said. "Her schedule is full. The need for this work is great. The need for somebody with her national reputation is great. We feel very fortunate she is coming here to work with us."

McCandless said Thursday that he tries to avoid social media, but he is aware of some of the conversation going on in the district about the DEIB work he identified this winter as a priority in the fiscal year 2022 budget.

One highly-trafficked Facebook post questioned whether Mount Greylock should be teaching critical race theory, an academic movement that looks to address long-standing institutional racism in America.

McCandless said he was not an academic and would not attempt to delve into the issues in depth. But he did note that among the books in his office are Ibram X. Kendi's "Stamped from the Beginning" and its companion book for younger audiences, "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You."

"This is not anti-white,'" McCandless said of Kendi's work. "It is causing me, as a white guy, to take a hard look at the fact that, if life is a 100-yard dash, because of the way I was born, I am starting the 100-yard dash from about 10 feet from the finish line."

Members of the School Committee expressed their support for McCandless in his DEIB initiative and considered whether to vote on a resolution to that effect. McCandless said he did not think a resolution was needed but said he and all the district's employees know and appreciate the fact that the School Committee has their backs in the effort.

"It's very hard to read [the criticism]," Carrie Greene said. "It must be very hard to respond to it. You've done it graciously a number of times already. I'd like to know how this committee can support you focusing on your attention to the work rather than defending it."

McCandless said responding to criticism is part of his job.

"At some point, the questions, the queries, the continual undercutting can almost seem like a strategy to take time and energy away from the actual work at hand," McCandless said, pointing out that he is not saying that is the case yet in the district. "I think my years as a superintendent, my years as a principal and my years as a teacher with dozens of ninth-graders, I have a pretty good radar for when that's happening and when I need to say, 'Thank you. I've received that,' and proceed with the work.

"I don't know an answer to [Greene's] question tonight, but I will think about it."
MCLA Student Receives 29 Who Shine Award

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Shelby Dempsey '21 has been chosen as MCLA's recipient of the Commonwealth's "29 Who Shine" award, which recognizes 29 outstanding graduates from the state higher education system.

Governor Charlie Baker will recognize Dempsey and 28 other students during a virtual YouTube Live ceremony on May 13 at 2 p.m. held by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE).

"Her work provided critical support for her fellow students to allow them to continue their studies despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic," said MCLA Dean of Academic Affairs Ely Janis.

According to a press release, Dempsey, a history major from Weymouth, Mass., who plans to pursue a career in publishing, is an active campus leader at MCLA who has tackled the issue of student food insecurity over the past several years. Working collaboratively with the staff of MCLA's Office of Civic and Community Engagement and her fellow classmates, Shelby helped lead the effort to maintain student access to MCLA's Food Pantry during the COVID-19 pandemic. They developed an online-pickup service that allowed students to continue to have access to what they need from the food pantry by using an online form. Students are able to choose a time to schedule their food pick up and their orders are organized and filled by student volunteers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit and students were sent home for the second half of the spring 2020 semester, the food pantry remained open for the few students still on campus and in the local area. Dempsey also led efforts to continue to help students in their hometowns. The Food Pantry volunteers researched and found resources across the Commonwealth and the Northeast and relayed that information to the students who needed those services the most.

"I've witnessed Shelby's efforts to help her peers for years, and I'm proud that she is MCLA's 2021 29 Who Shine' award recipient," said MCLA President James F. Birge. "Shelby exemplifies the kind of community spirit we hope to encourage at MCLA, and her work helped many members of our community with access to food and other resources at an extremely important time. She is an exceptional student leader."

The "29 Who Shine" awards program was launched by the DHE in 2011 to recognize and honor graduates from Massachusetts community colleges, state universities, or University of Massachusetts campuses. Students are nominated by a faculty or staff member or by a university awards committee and must show exceptional promise as a future leader in civic affairs or in business or professional activity in Massachusetts, having already demonstrated an ability to contribute to the civic and economic wellbeing of the Commonwealth.

Students must also intend to pursue a career track for which there is a demonstrated need in the Commonwealth, such as a high-demand STEM-related career or a community service role to better the lives of fellow Massachusetts citizens.
Costa Rica tuna cannerys effect on costal communities

by Todd Staley

May 17,2021 | Source: Tico Times

Alimentos Pro Salud S.A., the Puntarenas Company that produces a variety of different brands of canned tuna including Sardimar is one of the largest employers in the area. The claim is they supply around 5,200 direct and indirect jobs in the chain of producing cans of tuna.



This includes people who work directly inside the cannery, to transport people, up to farmers that produce the vegetables that go into one of their popular local items, tuna with vegetables Both the Dun and Bradstreet and Alimentos Salud websites lists them as having 1200 employees in Costa Rica. Dun and Bradstreet reports them producing $104 million in sales. The company cans between 8,000 and 11,000 tons of tuna annually extracted from Costa Rican waters.



The company is also active in community service. They have donated medical equipment to a childrens hospital, support breast cancer research, sponsored beach clean-ups, donated more than 110,000 books to schools and 180,000 cans of tuna during the pandemic.



Sounds like a company anyone would want as a neighbor. The issue is not the company in itself, but how the tuna it produces is delivered to them and the companys influence on decisions made by Incopesca, who governs Costa Ricas fisheries as well as other government officials.



Not so much in human atrocities, more in damage to other marine species that die in the process of catching tuna with purse seine vessels. Costa Rica does not have a purse seine fleet and sells licenses to fish territorial waters to foreign flagged boats. The last few years those licenses have only been given to boats flagged in Nicaragua and Venezuela, countries not exactly known as world leaders in human rights.



There are over 100 different species of fish and marine mammals besides tuna that are captured in the process of purse seine fishing for tuna. Included are dolphins, small whales, sharks, turtles, and several species that affect Costa Rican fishermen directly. These include dorado (mahi mahi), marlin, sailfish, and wahoo among the many. Over the years over 3000 tons of this incidental catch (bycatch) has perished in tuna nets and were thrown dead back in the ocean.



Not so much in human atrocities, more in damage to other marine species that die in the process of catching tuna with purse seine vessels. Costa Rica does not have a purse seine fleet and sells licenses to fish territorial waters to foreign flagged boats. The last few years those licenses have only been given to boats flagged in Nicaragua and Venezuela, countries not exactly known as world leaders in human rights.



There are over 100 different species of fish and marine mammals besides tuna that are captured in the process of purse seine fishing for tuna. Included are dolphins, small whales, sharks, turtles, and several species that affect Costa Rican fishermen directly. These include dorado (mahi mahi), marlin, sailfish, and wahoo among the many. Over the years over 3000 tons of this incidental catch (bycatch) has perished in tuna nets and were thrown dead back in the ocean.



Up until 2014, purse seine boats pretty much had the run of Costa Rican territorial waters outside of 12 miles from the coast. A 2014 decree moved them out 45 miles off the coast (40 miles plus 5 mile buffer zone), as well as protecting various sea mounts and other areas determined to be important to reproduction areas of tuna.



Most of Costa Ricas National fleet has been limited by law to fish inside 40 miles from the coast. That probably wasnt so much of an issue decades ago when the regulation was written but the fleets have grown to over 400 longline vessels and over 650 sport and tourist charter boats today, working that stretch of water. There is also nearly 6000 artisanal fishing boats that fish inshore waters up to 3 miles off the beach.



Both the commercial and tourist fishing fleet generate hundreds of millions of dollars to the Costa Rican economy and both have been absolutely crushed by the Covid pandemic. The demand for product fell way off for commercial fishermen with restaurants and small commercial outlets closed. The charter industry came to a screeching halt with the rest of the tourist industry. With the current Covid situation in Costa Rica, the near future is not that bright.



The original 2014 tuna degree moving the purse seiners from 12 miles to 45 miles minimum off shore was initiated by a conflict between commercial longline fishermen and sport fishermen. The commercial fleet claimed the purse seine industry was killing many of their target species as bycatch.



The sport fishing sector claimed the commercial fleet was targeting fish like sailfish, the most important species to the tourist industry and written in law as a species of tourist interest.. The two sectors worked together and presented a plan backed by science investigation done by the Fedreracion Costarricense de Pesca. (a sportfishing group). It was passed in 2014.



It didnt take long it start working. Within a couple of years catch records of sport fishing boats showed in improvement in catches of tuna, dorado, and marlin. Tuna, once a rarity in sport fishing catches had become common. The 45 mile limit had become a recruitment area for tuna. The only species that has showed no improvement is sailfish, in fact catches are down.



Up until 2014 the foreign purse seiners pounded the coastal waters just beyond the 12 mile limit. Outside of that the majority of net sets were beyond 170 miles from the coast. Then in 2015 their strategy began to change. The bulk of these sets were associated with dolphins. The boats started setting their nets closer to shore.



Tuna, as well as dorado, marlin, and sailfish are pelagics, meaning they are migratory species. They are always moving, following their food source. Beginning in 2015, if the schools of tuna and other species were unfortunate enough to venture outside 45-miles, they would find a tuna boat flagged from Nicaragua or Venezuela waiting for them. They were netting these fish as they moved in and out of the coastal buffer zone. Zoning has also improved the purse seiners efficiency. Their average haul per net set has risen from an average of 12 tons in 2014 to 20 tons in 2019.



There has been a proposed law bouncing around Costa Rica congress for the last two-years regarding tuna reform. The part of the law that most interests fishermen and marine mammal fans is the distance from shore restriction tuna boats will be able to fish in territorial waters.



Jose Maria Villalta is the congressman sponsoring the proposed law and his proposal asks to move the purse seiners out to 80 miles. Both the Executive President of Incopesca and the Camara Costarricense de la Industria Atunera (Catun) only support a move to 60 miles. The tuna cannery is a member of Catun.



Members of the National fishing fleets feel the tuna boats need moved out between 100 to 200 miles minimum depending on who you ask. A look at the map of sets immediately tells us that 150 miles or more would function for everyone just fine and basically the recruitment zone would become larger and eventually benefit all sectors just as well as the 2014 decree has.



In the past the representatives of the tuna industry have threatened to pull up stakes and move the cannery to another Central American country, putting a large group of Costa Ricans out of work if the boundaries were moved. That is an empty threat, as the cost to do so would be tremendous. If they left there would still be a demand for Costa Rican tuna. In fact, another cannery company has already approached some officials in Costa Rica about setting up shop. I think the country could figure out a way to benefit more than only $37 a ton as was discovered in a 2013 study that the country was getting.



That really doesnt make much sense as the cost to do so would be tremendous and another cannery company has already approached some officials in Costa Rica about setting up shop. Even if they left there would still be a demand for Costa Rican tuna.



It is easy for the congress to make this a win for everybody. Move the tuna boats out to where they used to fish before 2014. Not only will this be in tune with Costa Ricas plan for better ocean management, but will help National fishermen recover from their present crisis, giving plenty of room for both the commercial fishing and sport fishing groups to work on their differences and both important sectors to the economy could thrive.



It is time for congress to put Costa Ricas marine resources and its citizens ahead of a private company and foreign interests and win for everyone.

 AN ELITE CAFEMEDIA PUBLISHER

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Climate-displaced people in Bangladesh raise their voices for support

May 17,2021 | Source: Climate Home News

In the next few decades Bangladesh is likely to lose more than 10 percent of its land to the sea, and 18 million people could lose their livelihoods and homes.



As a result, many families must relocate from coastal areas. While some people have means to resettle elsewhere, the most vulnerable have nowhere to go and must live where they can, often on public land along the roads atop Bangladeshs many embankments.



Cheno Ara Begum, a 45-year-old, single mother of three from the southeast coast of Bangladesh, describes how her family has been living after losing her husband and being displaced several times: We have lived in a thatched hut alongside the embankment for five years. We regularly deal with open defecation in Kucha or raw latrines covered with polythene and face difficulties collecting safe drinking water. Around 1,000 people are living around the Raichata village, but no one has a hygienic latrine.



Since 2012, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) has used rights-based approaches to support climate-displaced people inside Bangladesh. They recognise that existing government programs do not meet climate-displaced peoples needs, often because local and national governments do not fully understand the challenges they face or how to support them.



The national program for landless peoples, the Ashrayan or cluster village Project, builds communal living spaces that have limitations, as most people are relocated to isolated areas without access to basic needs and support, explained Mohammad Shahjahan of YPSA. Relocated people lose their dignity, traditional or native lifestyle, occupation, and cultural and social harmony. They face social stigma as outsiders in their new communities and are preyed upon by local criminals. In short, this is not a sustainable solution for landless households.



YPSAs efforts entered a new phase two years ago with support from the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF). YPSA started a comprehensive program including community organising, advocacy, and community-driven planned relocation and resettlement.



Part of YPSAs holistic approach is organising climate-displaced people into Community Teams and empowering them to advocate for what they need to support themselves and their families. This community organising has succeeded in connecting climate-displaced people to government support programs they had previously been unable to access.



For example, in the upazila, or administrative region, of Banskhali in the Chittagong coastal area, people who face hardship due to a natural disaster qualify for local government cash assistance. The YPSA Community Team in Banskhali helped seventy climate-displaced people get information about this resource and apply for funds that help cover food and other living expenses.



One of the most difficult challenges facing the Bangladesh government  and where YPSAs innovative efforts play a key role  is proactively relocating the increasing number of people who are or will be displaced as a result of the climate crisis in the coming years. YPSAs comprehensive model of community-driven relocation includes everything from providing land and shelter to ensuring access to clean water, skills training, and start-up capital to build a new life.



YPSA also supports people to integrate into the receiving community. They facilitate meetings for relocating families with service providers, local authorities, and members of the host community. While the number of families YPSA has resettled through this community-based, planned relocation process is small in comparison to the need, the people they resettle are able to build a new life where they are placed.



By building an holistic model for relocation and resettlement of climate-displaced households, YPSA offers an alternative to top-down, ineffective, and often unjust relocation policies and programs. YPSAs success demonstrates that grassroots, rights-based approaches can work for the complex challenge of climate-forced displacement, and their advocacy encourages local, national, and international governing bodies to dedicated resources to these bottom-up efforts.



Through our community organising, we are forcing the government to address this issue and take responsibility. At the same time, we are advocating with like-minded networks and organisations at the international level to hold the wealthy nations that contribute most to climate change accountable to the people and regions this crisis hits the hardest. This challenge wont be solved immediately, but YPSA will continue until climate-displaced people have the focus and resources they deserve, Shahjahan stated.

 2021 Climate Home News Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theme(s): Others.
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FAJ condemns Israels attacks against journalists, calls for Israel to be held accountable for its crimes against journalists

The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the Pan-African organization that represents journalists in Africa, condemns in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli Defence Forces against journalists and news media organisations, whom it has turned into targets during the ongoing aggression in Palestine.

Photo: Journalists sit on to the rubble of Jala Tower, which was housing international press offices, following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on May 15, 2021. An Israeli air strike demolished the 13-floor building housing Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television and American news agency The Associated Press in the Gaza Strip. MOHAMMED ABED / AFP

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) has reported at least two arrests of journalists while another 30 journalists were assaulted and beaten in targeted attacks by soldiers of the Israeli armed forces. On 11 May, the Israeli army bombed and flattened the Al-Jawhara Tower in Gaza City, Palestine, which housed the offices of 13 media organisations as well the offices of a number of non-governmental organizations.

This was followed on May 15 by aerial raids in which, Israeli fighter jets again flattened the Al-Jalaa tower which housed international news media organisations such as Al Jazeera Media Network and The Associated Press offices in Gaza.

The attacks on the buildings housing news media organisations are unjustified and constitute war crimes. Besides the significant material losses occasioned to local and international media organizations by the unjustified attacks, a large number of journalists lost their workplaces and personal belongings, and were lucky to get away with their lives said FAJ President Sadiq Ibrahim Ahmed.

Elsewhere, the actions of Israel would be rightly called war crimes. As the bonafede representative of journalist unions and associations in Africa, FAJ considers the reckless, repetitive and targeted bombings of media and journalistic organisations, a crude attempt to obscure the heinous crimes being committed by the Israeli army against civilians, and to prevent journalists from presenting the true picture of what is happening in the Palestinian territories, stated FAJ President.

FAJ stands in full solidarity with the leadership and members of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and all journalists working in Palestine as they bravely continue to report the crimes committed by the Israeli army and calls for immediate accountability and for the perpetrators of war crimes and attacks on journalists not to go unpunished.

The Pan-African federation calls on the African Union (AU) and African governments to unequivocally condemn the Israeli aggression against civilians in Palestine, including journalists. The federation particularly urges the Peace and Security Council of the AU to meet urgently on the situation in Palestine.

We will not relent in our demand to hold Israel to account for the crimes it is committing against journalists. We also call on the international community to retrain the wanton acts of Israel against defenceless civilians declared FAJ President.
Imperial Valley News Center

United States and Iceland: Reaffirming Shared Commitments

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is attending the Arctic Council Ministerial in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 17-20, 2021. During his visit, the Secretary will meet with Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson, Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, and Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson to discuss U.S.-Icelandic priorities related to climate change, human rights, bilateral cooperation, and the Arctic.

A Relationship Based on Shared Values and Commitments

The U.S.-Icelandic relationship is based firmly on a history of cooperation and mutual support. The United States was the first country to recognize Icelands independence in 1944. The two countries share a commitment to individual freedom, human rights, and democracy.

As partners and Allies, the United States and Iceland work together on a wide range of issues, including ensuring peaceful cooperation in the Arctic and harnessing renewable energy sources. The United States and Iceland have been North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies since 1949, and 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Icelandic bilateral defense agreement. The two countries cooperate as steadfast Allies and partners for peace and prosperity in the Euro-Atlantic area, as well as around the globe.

The United States and Iceland hold an annual strategic dialogue to discuss a range of matters pertinent to each countrys national security and to the security of the North Atlantic, including on the Arctic, climate action, human rights, and democracy.

The United States and Iceland seek to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations. The United States is Icelands single largest trading partner and one of the largest foreign investors in Iceland, primarily in the aluminum sector. The United States and Iceland signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in 2009 and a memorandum of Economic Cooperation in the fall of 2020.

The United States and Iceland share concerns about the global pandemic and seek solutions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We must work together to safely restore global travel and trade.

Partnering in the Arctic

The United States and Iceland work together closely in the Arctic Council, the premier forum for discussing matters of Arctic governance. The Arctic Council is made up of the eight Arctic states and six Permanent Participants who represent Arctic indigenous peoples organizations.

During Icelands chairmanship, the Government of Iceland has made significant progress in advancing shared priorities such as climate and clean energy solutions, addressing COVID-19 in the Arctic context, and developing a stronger Arctic Council. The United States envisions the Arctic region as one that is free of conflict, where nations act responsibly and where economic development and investment takes place in a sustainable, transparent manner that respects the environment and interests and cultures of indigenous communities.

Taking Climate Change Action Together

The United States looks forward to working with Iceland to raise the level of global ambition to meet the climate crisis and keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. Together with other partners, we are setting our world on a path to a secure, prosperous, and sustainable future. The United States has announced a new target to achieve a 50-52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, in addition to its goal of a net zero emissions economy no later than 2050.

The United States welcomes Icelands leadership in tackling the climate crisis, with its goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and to cut greenhouse gas emissions 55 percent by 2030. Iceland and the United States enjoy strong cooperation in renewable energy, and renewables make up 85 percent of Icelands energy supply.

Strengthening People-to-People Ties
A new biography of Philip Roth, which was taken out of publication last month after sexual assault allegations surfaced against its author, Blake Bailey, has found a new publisher.

Skyhorse Publishing announced today that it will publish Philip Roth: The Biography in paperback on 15 June, and plans to have e-book and audio editions ready by 19 May.

The book was originally released in early April by WW Norton & Company and reached the New York Times bestseller list on a wave of largely positive reviews.

However, two weeks after publication reports from the Los Angeles Times and the New Orleans Times-Picayune among others featured extensive allegations of sexual abuse against Bailey.

The allegations were made by former students of Bailey who had been taught by the author when he was a middle-grade teacher in New Orleans in the 1990s.

Students went on the record to allege a pattern of inappropriate behaviour while he was a teacher, and that he later pursued sexual relationships. Two former students and book publishing executive Valentina Rice have alleged that he assaulted them.

Bailey, who has also written acclaimed biographies of the authors John Cheever and Richard Yates, has denied any wrongdoing.

WW Norton & Company initially paused the books printing and promotion, then withdrew it from publication altogether.

That was before it was picked up by Skyhorse Publishing, which last year published a memoir by Trump lawyer Michael Cohen as well as Woody Allens memoir Apropos of Nothing. The latter book had been dropped by Hachette Book Group after employees staged a walkout in protest at its publication. Allens daughter Dylan Farrow has alleged he molested her when she was seven, an allegation Allen has always vehemently denied.
This summer, art galleries all over Scotland are celebrating the centenary of one of Scotlands favourite artists, a woman who captured the essence of urban and rural life in her powerful, unsentimental paintings. In Scotland, Joan Eardley is that rare and precious thing  an artist who cuts through. Art historians revere her, but shes also adored by folk who rarely go to galleries. Shes equally popular with the cognoscenti and the hoi polloi.

In Scotland, shes huge, says Patrick Elliott, senior curator at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and the author of an absorbing new book about Joan Eardley. And yet south of the border, its a different story. In England, where she was born and raised, its hard to find anyone whos heard of her. You might meet the odd artist or curator who knows (and loves) her work but to most Sassenachs, even art-lovers, her name means nothing. Its the same story overseas. So why do Scots feel such a close connection with her gutsy paintings? And why is she virtually unknown elsewhere?

Joan Eardley was born in Sussex on 18 May 1921. Her father, William, was English, and her mother, Irene, was Scot. William was a farmer and had fought in the First World War on the Western Front. This ordeal left him with severe shell shock and he suffered from depression and when the farm failed he turned to drink. In 1926, William went to Lincoln, to work for the Ministry of Agriculture, and Irene took Joan and her younger sister Pat to London, to live with Joans maternal grandmother in Blackheath. Then, in 1929, William took his own life. It wasnt until she was in her late teens that Joan learned that her fathers death had been suicide.
Thuso Mbedu is fully prepared for backlash against new series, The Underground Railroad Following the release of the trailer for the 10-part Amazon Original, the 29-year-old newcomer  this is her first role outside South Africa  read peoples reactions on social media.

People were saying theyre tired of seeing what they call trauma porn, explains the lead star of the unflinching drama. But, having gone through the show, I can say its not that type of story. Were not indulging in the brutalisation of the black body. Its a case where  and [director] Barry [Jenkins] has said this time and time again  pretending it didnt happen does a great disservice to the history of our ancestors.

Based on Colson Whiteheads Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from 2016, The Underground Railroad chronicles the journey of young slave Cora Randall (an enthralling Mbedu) in her desperate bid for freedom. After escaping from a Georgia plantation, she discovers a railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Travelling from state to state to realise a life she never thought possible, Cora also has to contend with the legacy of her mother, Mabel who left her behind.

While this is a story of hope and resilience, as Mbedu puts it, the show is, at times, a violent, intense and distressing watch.

Australian actor Joel Edgerton 46, plays Ridgeway, a bounty hunter fixated on returning Cora to the plantation  he has an ulterior motive; her mother is the one slave he never caught. Asked about delving into the headspace of such a character, The Great Gatsby and Red Sparrow actor Edgerton says: I dont think I could have just gone to set every day to just do bad things and not to understand why. And thats not to say were looking to sympathise with Ridgeway as a person, but to get some insight into how a persons brain gets shaped from a child into a person thats willing to do the terrible things he does.

All I could do is really service that to the extremities we were asked to on set, under the guidance of Barry and this wonderful group of actors and team, and try and look after each others wellbeing along the way.

As part of building a safe environment for the cast and crew, a guidance counsellor was available on set and was constantly checking in with us, says Mbedu.

Just knowing the production had done that meant we realised we were in safe hands, that they werent just like, Were making a show and were not going to spend any extra money, its all going to go on the screen, adds Edgerton. They understood that as much as there were pleasurable aspects to Coras journey  her seeking love and various other things  there were triggering aspects to some of the things we were asked to do.

They also had the comforting and supportive presence of Miami-born Jenkins, 41, known for If Beale Street Could Talk and Moonlight. The African American filmmakers approach to the story, and the inclusion of brutal scenes wasnt in order to stir people and rile people up, says Mbedu. It was a case of, Were showing it because this is what happened, but it happens within a bigger context of a lived experience. So as much as you see it, there is also a softer side to the story were telling.

Were not romanticising it in any way, she continues, noting theres an understanding that what I am portraying right now, is actually nothing compared to the actual lived experience that the black body had to endure at the time.

When Edgerton heard the series was being made, he actually tracked Jenkins down himself to talk about the role. I was the one that sort of tapped him on the shoulder and said, Hey, Ive heard youre doing this thing and Id like to work with you.

I just knew from watching his movies that while those movies have a lot of darkness and violence underpinning them, a lot of the terrible things are balanced with this incredible search for love and light.

The Underground Railroad is available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent after a rabbi was violently attacked outside his synagogue in Essex.

Essex Police said the men, aged 18 and 25, from Ilford, north-east London, were arrested on Monday after Rabbi Rafi Goodwin was attacked in Chigwell, north London, on Sunday.

Police said the men were currently in custody.

The force said officers were speaking to community members and religious leaders, who are celebrating Shavuot, in Chigwell and Southend, Essex.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper said: "We know this is a very important time  a time for communities to come together, to be around each other and celebrate.

"We do not want anyone to feel that they cannot do that safely.

"Officers have spent the day speaking with the Jewish community to provide reassurance."

Essex Police said the attack was not believed to be linked to wider pro-Palestinian protests that took place over the weekend.

Officers were called to Limes Avenue in Chigwell shortly after 1.15pm on Sunday following reports a man had been attacked with an unknown item following a verbal altercation.

Community leaders have offered their support to Rabbi Goodwin, who required hospital treatment and also had his phone stolen.

The leader of Redbridge Council, Jas Athwal, said on Sunday: "Essex Police have confirmed that they are treating today's attack on Rabbi Rafi as an a antisemitic hate crime, however police are not linking the motives of this crime to heightened tensions in the Middle East and the current hostilities in Israel and Palestine.

"Antisemitism has no place in our society and if you have any information about this unprovoked and cowardly attack, please contact the police.

"We are proud of our community and all parts of the community in Redbridge, we unequivocally condemn this attack and will continue to work together to support each other."

Moshe Freedman, rabbi of New West End Synagogue in central London, asked people to pray for his "dear friend and colleague" following the attack.

And Rabbi Herschel Gluck told the PA news agency: "Whenever a person is attacked like this, it touches me deeply.

"The person themselves, their families, their congregation and their friends are all affected by this.

"Even though it is an individual, it has much broader and wider ramifications."

Police are urging witnesses, especially people with relevant CCTV, dashcam or door bell footage, particularly in the areas of Limes Avenue, Tudor Crescent, and Fencepiece Road, to come forward.

Anyone with information should call Loughton CID on 101 quoting the crime reference number 42/92174/21.
The post-Brexit trading crisis in Northern Ireland must be solved before the turbulence of traditional Protestant celebrations in July, David Frost has warned the EU.

Boris Johnsons negotiator denied that July 12  the date of the largest parade  is a formal time limit or deadline for talks on changes to the Protocol to succeed.

But he said: We all know that late spring and summer in Northern Ireland can sometimes be turbulent and some days are significant in that. We have to take that reality into account.

We have a responsibility to try and avoid further deterioration and difficulties in the situation  and that obviously is a possibility as we go into the spring and summer.

The comments come after the UK has repeatedly said it is ready to invoke Article 16  giving it the freedom to act unilaterally if the protocol is causing economic difficulties  if necessary.

Lord Frost said no decision had been taken yet and urged the EU to respond constructively if measures of any kind are taken.

Every 12 July, members of the Orange Order carry banners and flags in parades across Northern Ireland, accompanied by marching bands. There are fears this could cause conflict with Republican communities.

This years celebrations will come after the Democratic Unionist Party elected a hardline new leader demanding the scrapping of the protocol and border checks on trade with Great Britain.

At the weekend, Lord Frost attacked the EU for intransigence and suggested the arrangements  an international treaty agreed by the UK  would not be sustainable for long.

The Irish government is alarmed by a link being drawn between finding a solution and the loyalist marching season, one senior source calling it irresponsible.

Speaking to the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, Lord Frost also:

* Claimed that, on UK-EU trade as a whole, the initial disruptions have been largely overcome  despite goods exports remaining well below pre-pandemic levels.

* Admitted the Irish Sea border checks were having a bigger chilling effect than we thought.

* Nevertheless shot down calls for the UK to stick with EU food and plant rules, to minimise checks, saying  we are not doing dynamic alignment.

* Argued the UKs naval presence had forced a climbdown in the dispute over fishing in Jerseys waters  while insisting we dont choose gunboat diplomacy.

* Claimed Brussels is putting pressure on EU member states not to strike deals to allow the UK to return asylum-seekers.

Hilary Benn, of the cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission at Westminister, criticised the claim of near-normality on cross-Channel trade, telling The Independent: This doesnt square with the evidence weve heard in recent weeks.

This so-called initial disruption has become an impediment to smooth trade and some companies are now giving up on trade with the EU or Northern Ireland altogether, because of the additional bureaucracy and costs involved.

And James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food and Drink, said the evidence suggested food exports are still down by roughly a third.

The chaos in January has given way to more order. However, the reality is that business is adjusting to a new normal, not getting back to the way things were, he said.
Rudy Giuliani has complained he is being treated like the head of a drug cartel head amid reports that Donald Trump has abandoned him.

Lawyers for Mr Giuliani have condemned prosecutors for the 28 April raid by FBI agents on his New York home and criticised them for gaining electronic access to his accounts.

The former Mayor of New Yorks legal team made the strong criticism in a letter filed on Monday on his behalf.

Unfortunately for Giuliani, and even more unfortunately for the attorney-client privilege and executive deliberation privilege, and the publics perception that those privileges are real, the SDNY simply chose to treat a distinguished lawyer as if he was the head of a drug cartel or a terrorist, in order to create maximum prejudicial coverage of both Giuliani, and his most well-known client  the former President of the United States, it stated.

The letters comes amid reports that Mr Trump and his inner circle are reluctant to help Mr Giuliani during his legal difficulties, reports The Daily Beast.

Federal prosecutors are looking at whether Mr Giulianis work in Ukraine while Mr Trump was in the White House amounted to illegal and unregistered lobbying for foreign individuals.

Its a question now of whether or not [the former president and his team] want to leave Rudy to fend for himself or if theyre going to take a stand against this. Right now, we dont know, one person close to Mr Giuliani told the outlet.

Two sources told The Daily Beast that Mr Trump has expressed sympathy for Mr Giulianis legal issues but has not yet committed to helping out his personal lawyer.

Another insider told them that Mr Giuliani has said he is convinced that when he needs him Mr Trump will step up.

Meanwhile federal prosecutors have asked the US Southern District of New York to appoint a special master to make sure that no evidence protected under attorney-client privilege is released in the case.

Mr Giulianis lawyers claims that such a request is a do over after prosecutors did not get one for the 2019 seizure of his iCloud account.

His lawyers argue that 2019 search was certainly used in some part to secure the 2021 largely duplicative search warrant.

His legal team has asked a federal judge to halt the appointment of the special master in the 2021 warrant to give them more time to review the evidence supporting the 2019 search.

The lawyers claim that the prosecutors waited until Joe Biden was in the White House and senior members of the Justice Department had been removed and replaced by Biden appointees to carry out the April raid.

Prosecutors have not charged Mr Giuliani with any crime. He has vigorously denied any wrongdoing.
Andrew Cuomo will net more than $5m from American Crisis, the New York governors pandemic response book, according to tax filings released by his office on Monday.

The governor made $3.2m from the book in 2020, and is expected to be paid $2m over the next two years, according to accounting filings shared by the governors office.

His total net income from the book totals $1.53m after expenses and taxes in 2020. From that, he donated $500,000 to statewide vaccination and relief charities, and is giving the remainder to a trust for his three daughters in equal shares, according to the governors office.

The state of his finances follows investigations into the governors response to the public health crisis, including accusations that his office deliberately obscured the number of nursing home deaths in the state. More than 52,000 New Yorkers have died from Covid-19.

At the onset of the crisis, the governors briefings were hailed by national media in contrast to then-President Donald Trumps unhinged statements and White House press conferences, but the attention often masked the scope of the states crisis.

In his book, Mr Cuomo said the state showed how the coronavirus is confronted and defeated despite the state having one of the highest rates of deaths and hospitalisations in the US.

State officials have also asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate whether the governors staff helped with the book.

The Attorney General and the State Assembles Judiciary Committee are also pursuing parallel investigations and a majority of New Yorks congressional delegation  including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer  have urged the governor to step down following sexual harassment allegations by former aides, among others.

Mr Cuomo has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and rejected calls to resign.

The facts about this entire situation that has been, I think, distorted in the press and manipulated, and when the time is right, I will tell you the truth and the facts and I am very much looking forward to it, he told reporters at a briefing on Monday following questions about whether he has had sexual relationships with state workers.

Beginning on Wednesday, New York will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions latest mask guidance, which provides that people who are vaccinated from Covid-19 no longer need to be masked outdoors or indoors in most cases.

Most capacity restrictions for restaurants, retailers and museums will be lifted this week, and indoor and outdoor gathering capacities will expand.

Nearly 62 per cent of New York adults have received at least one vaccine dose, and more than 52 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, the governor announced on Monday.
Israel has thanked the US for blocking a United Nations Security Council statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and stressing the need to protect children and other civilians.

On Monday, the Biden administration rejected - for the third time - the draft of a statement that would have called for a deescalation of violence, and expressed concern over the loss of civilian lives, and those injured in more than a week of violence.

While the US has a long history of stopping criticism of Israel in official UN statements, even regularly using its veto power to do so, there was a hope the US would sign on to a statement that called for both Israel and Hamas to act to prevent further casualties.

But for the third time in a week, the US said it would not agree to the wording, a decision that reportedly startled some of its allies.

On Monday afternoon, Israels defence minister, Benny Gantz, posted a tweet thanking the US for its actions.

My sincere thanks to the US administration and in particular to @SecDef Lloyd Austin, with whom I spoke this week, for rightly preventing the unjust UN Security Council statement criticising Israels actions in Gaza, he wrote.

While Hamas, a terror organisation, targets our civilians and commits war crimes, our aims are solely to dismantle terror infrastructure and protect our people. This criticism of Israel is hypocritical and detrimental to the global fight against terror.

On Monday, the White House said Mr Biden had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and voiced support for a ceasefire.

The US president, who has long record of being a strident defender of Israel, is said to have stressed his belief in Israels right to defend itself, but also welcomed efforts to address inter-communal violence and to bring calm to Jerusalem.

The phone conversation between the two leaders and strategic allies came as the violence in the Middle East, triggered by a series of events including long-simmering outcry over Israels efforts to force Palestinian families to leave East Jerusalem, entered its second week.

 John Oliver urges US to reconsider its position on Israel

At least 212 people, including 61 children, have lots their lives in Gaza, and 10, including two children, in Israel. There have been nightly clashes in Jerusalem between police and Palestinian protesters.

Hamas, a militant group that has controlled Gaza since 2007, has been firing rockets into Israel. Israels military - modern and powerful - has been pounding Gaza with air strikes and bombing runs. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, the US has provided it with $146bn in bilateral assistance and missile defence funding. In 2019, that figure was around $4bn, and in recent years all that aid was in the form of military assistance.

While Mr Biden is said to have voiced support for a ceasefire, there is pressure from some Democrats for him to speak out more firmly, though he has not done so. In Copenhagen, Mr Bidens secretary of state, Antony Blinken, claimed at a press conference that Washington was working behind the scenes.

Any diplomatic initiative that advances that prospect is something that well support, he said. And we are again willing and ready to do that. But ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a ceasefire.

But on Monday, the United States blocked moves by China, Norway and Tunisia in the UN Security Council for a statement by the UNs most powerful body, including a call for the cessation of hostilities. The proposed statement called for an end to the crisis related to Gaza and the protection of civilians, especially children.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric spoke of the need to take unified action, telling a press conference: I would really restate the need for a very strong and unified voice from the Security Council, which we think will carry weight.

The AFP news agency said the US refusal to endorse a joint Security Council statement was met with disbelief by its allies.

It quoted one diplomat as saying: We are just asking the US to support a statement by the Security Council that would pretty much say similar things which are being saying bilaterally from Washington.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press
Marco Rubio is calling for the United States to take the issue of UFO sightings seriously, ahead of an unclassified report to Congress.

The US senator and top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee told CBSs 60 Minutes of concerns about UFO stigma in Congress, in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

It follows calls from the committee for a report on UFOs, or unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), to be released by the US director of national intelligence and the secretary of defence in December.

Theres a stigma on Capitol Hill, Mr Rubio told 60 Minutes. Some of my colleagues are very interested in this topic and some kind of giggle when you bring it up, but I don't think we can allow the stigma to keep us from having an answer to a very fundamental question.

Mr Rubio called for an unclassified report to Congress following briefings from defence department officials, and reports of the defence departments' continued investigation of UFO sightings.

The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), the former investigation unit for UFOs, was thought to be closed in 2012, but was found operating as a part of the naval intelligence office, as The New York Times first reported.

"I want us to take it seriously and have a process to take it seriously, Mr Rubio said of UFOs. "I want us to have a process to analyse the data every time it comes in.

"That there be a place where this is catalogued and constantly analysed, until we get some answers. Maybe it has a very simple answer. Maybe it doesn't."

The former director of AATIP, Loue Elizondo, told 60 Minutes that although there were often "simple explanations" for supposed UFO sightings, at other times there were not.

You're still left with the fact that this is in our airspace and it's real, added Mr Elzondo, of non-US forces, [and] that's when it becomes compelling, and that's when it becomes problematic."

The government has already stated for the record that they're real. I'm not telling you that. The United States government is telling you that, the former ATTIP director told 60 Minutes.

The Independent has approached the Pentagon for comment.
A plane has flown a banner above US District Court in Orlando, Florida reading Tick Tock Matt Gaetz as the GOP congressmans ally Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor, among other charges, potentially aiding prosecutors in a related investigation involving the Republican congressman.

Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector, appeared in court on Monday after admitting to introducing a minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with her, according to a plea agreement filed on 14 May. The other men were not named.

The former Seminole County tax chief also pleaded guilty to five other felonies, including aggravated identity theft and wire fraud, in addition to the trafficking charge, as part of an agreement to dismiss the other 27 counts against him.

In exchange, he has agreed to cooperate with the US Department of Justice in the investigation and prosecutions of other persons, and to testify in related proceedings.

In the event that he provides substantial assistance in those cases, he may be eligible for a more lenient prison sentence than what is outlined in federal sentencing guidelines, according to court documents.

Mr Gaetz was not named in court documents filed in US District Court on Friday. He has not been charged with any crimes and has adamantly denied allegations against him.

Remove Ron  a group aimed at ousting the states Republican Governor Ron DeSantis  hired the plane to fly the banner.

The Florida congressman  a close ally of former president Donald Trump  is reportedly the focus of a Justice Department investigation over an alleged relationship with a 17-year-old girl, and whether he violated federal sex trafficking laws by allegedly paying her to travel with him.

The House Ethics Committee also is investigating whether Mr Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use and reports that he allegedly shared inappropriate images and videos on the floor of the House of Representatives.

That committee is also investigating whether he misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use or accepted bribes.

(REUTERS)

Greenberg has admitted to commercial sex acts with a minor at least seven times while she was under 18 years old, according to court documents. He also would offer and supply her with Ecstasy, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors reported more than 150 financial transactions totaling more than $70,000 from 2016 to 2018, all of which involved Greenberg paying women for commercial sex acts using Venmo, his American Express card or an American Express card supplied by the tax collectors office.

Following his arrest in June 2020, Mr Greenberg contacted the girl and her friends in an effort to ensure that their stories would line up, because he knew that his commercial sex acts with her were illegal, according to court documents.

In a speech in Ohio on Saturday, Mr Gaetz said he is being falsely accused of exchanging money for naughty favours.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma says he is ready for his trial on charges of corruption, racketeering, and money laundering.

Zuma appeared at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday where the trial was adjourned to May 26 when he will announce his plea.

He is accused of receiving bribes from French arms manufacturer Thales through his then financial advisor Schabir Shaik, who was convicted of related corruption charges in 2005.

The first witness in the trial will be Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille, who was among the first to allege that the 1999 arms sale was tainted by corruption.

De Lille compiled a dossier that she says has documents that prove influential members of the ruling party, the African National Congress corruptly benefitted from the governments lucrative contracts with international arms manufacturers and suppliers.

De Lille was in court Monday and has been asked to appear when the trial resumes next week.

Several ANC leaders and a crowd of Zuma's supporters dressed in colorful ANC outfits showed up at the courthouse to demonstrate their backing for the former president.

Zumas trial starts as the ANC party is torn between President Cyril Ramaphosa who has pledged to root out corruption, and a faction supporting Zuma and others accused of graft. One of Zuma's most prominent supporters is Ace Magashule, who has been suspended as the party's secretary-general because he is also facing criminal corruption charges.

A defiant Magashule told supporters in front of the courthouse that he would not be silenced even though the terms of his suspension specify that he may not publicly mobilize or address ANC supporters.

Nobody under a democracy will ban me, nobody will remove the ANC from me," he said.

Former ANC member of parliament Tony Yengeni, who was found guilty of corruption in 2003 and served a prison sentence, also attended the opening of the trial and voiced his support for Zuma.

This is nothing else but a political trial. President Zuma is being persecuted. No trial in South Africa has ever taken this long, where a person has been coming to court for 20 years, Yengeni told supporters outside court.
 Close Harrowing footage shows Palestinian fathers final moments before he is killed in Israeli air strikes.mp4

More than 52,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli airstrikes, the United Nations aid agency said on Tuesday.

About 47,000 of the people displaced people have sought shelter in 58 UN-run schools in Gaza, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters, according to Reuters.

It comes as the Israeli army unleashed a fresh wave of airstrikes on Gaza overnight.

Israels army said it was once again targeting an underground metro system it says is being used by Hamas operatives to evade surveillance.

The residences of five Hamas commanders were also struck, with the Israeli military asserting that some of the homes had been used as command and control centres, while an anti-tank squad in Gaza City was also targeted.

On Monday, President Joe Biden expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas rulers in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US leader stopped short of demanding an immediate end to the violence, but expressed his support for a ceasefire and encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, the White House said.

Mr Biden also renewed his his firm support for Israels right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks, a readout of the call said.

At least 213 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes so far, including 61 children, with more than 1,400 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, Israeli authorities have said.
An Italian port workers union has refused to load an arms shipment destined for Israel, as the countrys military continues to unleash air strikes on Gaza.

Union staff in the Tuscan city of Livorno would not load the shipment, claiming they had discovered it was destined for the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The port of Livorno will not be an accomplice in the massacre of the Palestinian people, the LUnione Sindacale di Base (USB) said in a statement.

The USB claimed the ship contained weapons and explosives that will serve to kill the Palestinian population  citing research by a Genoa-based campaign group called The Weapon Watch.

The arms shipment did make its way to Israel via Naples after other port workers continued to load the ship, according to The New Arab website.

USB workers would take part in street protests to call for an immediate stop to the bombings on Gaza, the union said in a statement.

Fighting spilled into a second week, as Israel bombed what it claimed were underground tunnels used by Hamas and Palestinian militants to fire rocket barrages at Israeli cities.

The Israeli military unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early on Monday, saying it destroyed nine miles of militant tunnels, and the homes of nine Hamas commanders.

Residents of Gaza awakened by the overnight barrage described it as the heaviest since the war began a week ago even more powerful than a wave of airstrikes in Gaza City on Sunday that left 42 dead.

Gazas mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse, he said.

Paramedics evacuate a child in Gaza City (AFP via Getty Images)

US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Monday urged all parties in the conflict to protect civilians and said Washington was working intensively to bring about an end to the violence.

Mr Blinken says he has not seen any Israeli evidence of Hamas operating in the Gaza media office building hit by airstrike over the weekend. The Biden administration official said he has asked Israel for justification for the strike.

At least 198 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, including 58 children and 35 women, with 1,300 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Eight people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks launched from Gaza, including a five year old boy and a soldier, since conflict broke out last Monday, when the Hamas militant group fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem.

Additional reporting by agencies
Devyani International, the largest franchisee of Yum Brands, operating core brands such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Costa Coffee besides its own brands such as Vaango, Food Street, Masala Twist, Ile Bar, Amreli and Ckrussh Juice Bar having 692 stores in 26 states across 155 cities in India, as well as, internationally in Nepal and Nigeria, has filed its papers with the regulator to raise approx. 1400cr as per market sources.As stated in the DRHP, the Initial Public Offering looks to raise Rs400cr via issuance of fresh equity shares and an Offer of Sale of upto 125,333,330 equity shares by Investor Selling Shareholder, Dunearn Investments (Mauritus) Pte. Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings and Promoter Selling Shareholders, RJ Corp Ltd.DIL commenced its relationship with Yum in 1997 with its first Pizza Hut store in Jaipur, its also a franchisee of the Costa Coffee brand and currently operates 297 Pizza Hut stores, 264 KFC stores and 44 Costa Coffee as on March 31, 2021 in India. Between March 2019-2021 the core brand stores saw a CAGR growth of 13.58% from 469 stores to 605 stores and the company attributes its success and continuous growth effort to its 9,356 employees.The company is led by Ravi Kant Jaipuria, Promoter, RJ Corp and Virag Joshi, President & CEO, who been a key strategist to the expansion efforts by the company in addition to the management team comprising of Manish Dawar, Wholetime Director and Chief Financial Officer, Rajat Luthra, CEO  KFC and Amitabh Negi, CEO  Pizza Hut.Devyani is the single largest QSR company in India to be listed on Swiggy and was amongst the largest QSR company in India to be listed on the Zomato platform in 2019 and 2020. It is expected that the sale value of the QSR industry will grow at a CAGR of 12.4% between 2020  2025.In FY21 Devyanis business from the core brands (India & Internationally) accounted for 94.19% of its revenues from operations and delivery sales represented 70.20% of the said revenues, an increase from 51.15% in FY20.Despite the pandemic, it has continued to expand its store network and has opened 109 stores across its core brand business in the last 6 months. KFC and Pizza Hut were amongst the earliest to roll out contactless delivery in May 2020 and June 2020, respectively.Investment Bankers appointed to the Issue are Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Ltd, CLSA India Pvt Ltd, Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd, Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors Ltd.


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India recorded fewer than 3,00,000 new COVID cases for the first time since April 21. The country reported 2.81 lakh fresh infections in the last 24 hours.

However, the number of daily casualties remains high, with 4,106 COVID patients dying in the last 24 hours.

On April 22, the country achieved a grim milestone in its fight against the raging coronavirus as it reported over 3 lakh new cases in a 24-hour period for the first time since the pandemic began last year.

PTI

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported 4,106 COVID-related new deaths in the country and 3,78,741 fresh recoveries during the 24-hour period.

The cumulative caseload stands at 2,49,65,463, including 2,11,74,076 recoveries, 35,16,997 active cases and 2,74,390 deaths.

Karnataka remains worst affected

Karnataka, which has recently emerged as the new COVID-19 hotspot, continues to remain the worst affected state at present with 6,00,168 active infections. Maharashtra follows with 4,70,595 active cases.

A total of 18,29,26,460 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the country so far.

BCCL

On Sunday, the Union Health Ministry informed that a declining trend in daily positivity rate was also observed which stood now at 16.98 per cent.

It pointed out that the national recovery rate improved to 84.25 per cent while the mortality rate currently stands at 1.09 per cent.

10 States including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu cumulatively account for 74.69 per cent of India's total Active Cases, the health ministry said.
Anand Mehta, an Indian American IT professional and father of two young boys, died in India of Covid-19 May 10. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his wife and kids. (photo provided)
A demonstrator holds a sign calling for a stop to hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during a national day of action against anti-Asian violence in Seattle, Washington, on March 27. The South Asian Journalists Association released a statement May 7, advising reporters and media outlets against using the term India variant or Indian variant. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)
Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic...
Philadelphias district attorney makes decisions that can change lives and policies that can change communities.

But an uncomfortable reality hangs in the background of Tuesdays primary election: The voters who will show up to pick the citys top prosecutor by and large wont be the people who are most directly affected by that office.

Incumbent DA Larry Krasner, running for reelection as a reform-minded progressive prosecutor, is aiming to repeat his 2017 victory with a coalition of progressives and Black voters from areas with historically high turnout. His challenger, former homicide prosecutor Carlos Vega, hopes to win with largely white, police-friendly voters in Northeast Philadelphia and the Delaware River wards, bolstered by some Latino voters from neighborhoods with lower turnout.

But the young, low-income, Black and Hispanic Philadelphians most likely to encounter the DAs Office will be largely unheard.

Criminal justice policy is not very much influenced by people who interact with the criminal justice system, said Jake Grumbach, a political science professor at the University of Washington.

There are multiple reasons for that disconnect, and Tuesdays primary highlights the intersection of two well-established truths in politics and criminal justice.

Voters on the whole are whiter, wealthier, older, and better-educated than the overall population. Theyre much more likely to be homeowners. And thats particularly true in low-turnout, low-information, local elections outside a presidential year  especially primaries.

Meanwhile, poor people, people of color, and people with less education are much more likely to be arrested, charged, and convicted, and face more severe outcomes, including in bail and sentencing.

 READ MORE: The Philly DA race is personal in neighborhoods most affected by crime and incarceration

In other words, the factors that suggest whether youre likely to vote Tuesday are the opposite of those that suggest whether youre likely to be caught in the criminal justice system. And in Pennsylvania, one group that is particularly close to prosecutorial decisions isnt allowed to vote at all: people in prison.

In Philadelphia, one in five residents has been arrested and charged before. Areas of the city where crime rates are high  where residents are more likely to be victims of crime  are often the same neighborhoods with a high percentage of people on probation or parole. Those neighborhoods tend to be where voter turnout is lowest.

Turnout shapes campaigning because winning citywide means going where the most voters live, to the detriment of poorer communities, said Mustafa Rashed, a Philadelphia political consultant.

When youre campaigning, the first question you ask a person is: Are you registered to vote? Rashed said. And if theyre not, and especially if its [close to] the election, you stop talking to them.

When turnout drops, its mostly a core group of super-voters who show up.

That means local elections are more skewed  and, thus, local government is often less representative than at the state and federal levels, said Brian Schaffner, a political science professor at Tufts University whose book Hometown Inequality found that low-income residents and people of color have the biggest local representation gaps.

Local government is mostly responsive to whites in cities, much more so than its responsive to people of color, especially if we look at Black and Hispanic residents, Schaffner said. Thats happening even in communities where whites are a minority of the population.

Changing that reality is hard. For one thing, cash-strapped local campaigns have to focus resources carefully, chasing people who are likely to vote, Rashed said.

Youre not trying to reshape an electorate, youre trying to win an electorate, Rashed said.

 READ MORE: Larry Krasner has progressives in a new position: Defending a controversial incumbent

And theres little sign in those areas that an election is coming. Several people interviewed in Fairhill and Kingsessing earlier this month said they didnt know much about the primary and were skeptical about any politicians ability to change long-neglected neighborhoods.

Although the candidates have largely spent time campaigning where registered voters live, often removed from high crime or incarceration rates, their pitches are all about people touched by both.

Vega has campaigned in the heart of Kensington, promising frustrated residents he would increase prosecution of crimes Krasner has de-emphasized. The neighborhood is ground zero for the citys drug trade. Krasner has held campaign events with Black men wrongfully convicted of murder. His core coalition, though, includes progressive white voters who live in neighborhoods largely unaffected by crime.

 READ MORE: Kensington symbolizes the promise and peril of Philly DA Larry Krasners policies as he seeks reelection

That alliance has historical precedent, said Jessica Trounstine, a political scientist at the University of California-Merced, who studies political representation in big cities.

Lower-income people of color are able to get their best chance at representation when theres a progressive white wing that allies with their group, she said. They just dont have a lot of political power, and so their best chance is when theyre allied with some wing of white progressivism, and its a terrible statement about structural racism and structural inequality.

Most of Vegas support is likely to come from white communities in South and Northeast Philadelphia. Asteria Vives, a housing activist in Fairhill, said a challenge in her North Philadelphia neighborhood is educating people about the DAs Office.

How we get people engaged is by actually having some type of workshop to better understand the voting system, to better understand the responsibilities of these leaders, she said. Some people point the finger in one direction without understanding the responsibilities of others.

 READ MORE: The Philadelphia district attorneys job, explained

Trauma cant be overlooked as a deterrent to voting, Vives said. She plans to vote for Krasner but is frustrated with city leadership and doesnt feel as motivated as she was in 2017, when she led voter registration drives.

Gina Lopez, a pharmacy technician who lives in nearby Hunting Park, said shootings are so prevalent that she doesnt let her kids play outside. Shes looking to move. Its really bad, she said. Everybodys killing everybody.

Lopez is a registered Democrat who voted in Novembers presidential election but was unaware of the primary.

I havent heard of it, she said. I did vote [last] year, but  I just feel like a lot of times, I feel like everyone fails us, for the most part.

That kind of frustration is often described as apathy. But whether people vote isnt a reflection of whether they care, said City Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez, who is backing Krasner.

Everybody is touched by this, she said, whether they choose to be angry and come out or they choose to stay home.

Millennials in Action, which works to engage young voters in marginalized communities, has been canvassing neighborhoods across Northwest Philadelphia for what typically sees even lower turnout: judicial races.

The group has knocked on more than 11,000 doors from Germantown to Olney to Strawberry Mansion. Its president, Abu Edwards, recruits young Black men, some of whom have been affected by the criminal justice system, to help.

When youre working three to four jobs, voting is not at the forefront, he said, even though it should be because you need the policies to support you.
Culpeper, VA (22701)

Today

A steady rain early. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder developing in the afternoon. High 71F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers late. Low 63F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Periods of rain. High near 70F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

A steady rain in the evening. Showers continuing late. Low 64F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Periods of rain. High around 70F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers late. Low 63F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Local Twin Cities artists Enzyrose, Eyenga Bokamba, Noah Lawrence-Holder, LeShon Lee, and Meadow Gillispie, talk about their reaction to the murder of George Floyd, the trial of Derek Chauvin, and life as a black artist during this time.
This post is part of a series sponsored by Old Republic Surety.

Fidelity bonds differ from liability insurance and errors and omissions insurance. They protect against corporate crime. Does your commercial clients business own valuable assets or expensive equipment? Maintain a large inventory? Have employees who can access their customers assets? Consider talking about fidelity bonds. We also offer tips to deter employee theft.

The industry refers to employee theft as white-collar crime  or corporate crime. It is a financially motivated, nonviolent crime committed by professional or government employees.

Data from the U.S. Justice Department shows that corporate crime prosecutions were up 4.1% in February over January 2021, but overall, corporate crime prosecutions are down 35.8% since 2016. Still, in 2021 the average business will lose 5% of its revenue to employee fraud or misuse of company resources. Small businesses suffer most, according to the National Federation of Independent Business, which reports that two-thirds of small businesses are victimized by their employees.

What is the one tool that businesses may use to mitigate their financial loss? A fidelity bond.

What is a fidelity bond?

Fidelity coverage, sometimes referred to as a fidelity bond, is actually an insurance coverage  the parties to the coverage are the named insured and the surety or the insurance provider. It is different from errors and omissions insurance, which protects against honest mistakes. Its also different from liability insurance, which protects against claims caused by injuries to others.

Standard fidelity coverage is first party coverage for the named insured to protect them from financial loss due to employee theft and fraud. It is written to protect the business entity.

Why are fidelity bonds important?

Employee theft is a concern for all business types. Fidelity bonds may protect the business against financial loss due to employee dishonesty and theft.

Common types of fidelity claims

Fidelity bonds may help ensure some solvency for businesses should they fall victim to a financial loss due to employee dishonesty. Many business owners trust their employees, but real-life loss scenarios, unfortunately, tell a different story.

Here are some real-life examples of fidelity claims:

Restaurant employees can steal more than money from the cash register  i.e., food or liquor. Two employees had been stealing shrink-wrapped cases of meat, racking up a significant theft total. They got caught.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have a potential exposure when employees have access to residents funds. In this case, a trusted employee friend of the nursing homes owner stole $400,000 from patient funds accounts. They got caught.

A companys employee who is responsible for handling deposits, withdrawals and reconciling the bank statement can easily hide a misappropriation of funds. An employee was able to fudge the deposit slips and deposit large amounts of cash into their own personal account. The person was eventually caught, but only after a lengthy series of thefts due to the lack of internal controls.

An employee set up fake vendor companies that issued fake invoices. That employee approved the invoices, and the company paid the fake companies  and the employee received the checks at a P.O. Box. He got caught when his department downsized, eliminating his position while his last invoice had not yet arrived in the mail.

A bank teller was about to lose her vehicle because she was behind in making payments. She borrowed funds from her bank drawer with the intention to return it. A surprise audit revealed the drawer to be short. She got caught.

In a retail establishment, the part-time worker responsible for upkeep after hours was removing inventory in what looked like bags of trash. He would simply take the haul to his car. No oversight. Easy access. He got caught eventually.

In these examples, the thefts were discovered. Think about all of those that were never discovered or have yet to be discovered. How can you reduce the impact of theft like this on your business? A fidelity bond.

Fidelity bonds can mitigate your risk

Its important to note that there are many types of fidelity bonds to choose from. A standard fidelity bond offers first party coverage for the business as discussed above. There are also bonds that provide third party coverage for clients of the Insured. For example:

ERISA bonds are required by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). These types of fidelity bonds protect the assets in employee pension plans from the dishonest acts by people managing them. This is a first party coverage as the plan would be reimbursed under the bond.

Third party bonds include:

Business services bonds protect companies or individuals that youre providing with services from theft of client property by one of your employees. This has often been referred to as a janitorial bond, but may be written for many types of businesses.

Specialty outside services bonds protect customer property when your employees are handling it. For example, if you run a courier service and an employee steals something from a delivery, the specialty outside services bond may cover the damages.

All businesses should be concerned about employee theft. Its a common problem, but businesses can protect themselves with the right type of fidelity bond.

Your business should consider a fidelity bond if:

Your business has assets you wish to protect.

Your business has valuable equipment or inventory.

Theft Deterrents in the Workplace

There are a few workflow enhancements that a business can implement to help reduce the likelihood that a theft could occur.

Increase the difficulty of access to company assets.

Be more aware of substance abuse or gambling addictions. These can lead to employee theft losses.

Make sure there is ample oversight for positions that have access to company assets.

In a retail setting, have security beepers on the back door as well as the front of the store.

Have a clear and frequent inventory process that would catch any abnormalities.

Segregate money-handling duties. A single person should not be able to handle deposits and/or withdrawals and reconcile the bank statement.

Fidelity bonds are extremely useful tools to help protect businesses from employee misconduct. They are imperative for todays business world.

For more information about fidelity bonds and how they may protect your business and your customers, please contact your independent insurance agent. If you would like to be connected to an agent that Old Republic Surety is appointed with, please email us at ORSCManagement@orsurety.com, and we can get you connected.

Topics Fraud
Vermont Governor Phil Scott has signed into law a measure that lifts the statute of limitations in civil cases of childhood physical abuse.

Scott signed the bill on Wednesday.

The new law builds on legislation passed two years ago that ended the statute of limitations for civil cases of past childhood sexual abuse. The proposal was pushed by a group of people who say they suffered physical abuse while living at the St. Josephs Orphanage in Burlington, which closed in 1974.

In an email, Ellen Kane, a spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, said they had no comment at this time as we are not sure how this is all going to play out. However, we continue to pray for all victims of sexual and physical abuse.

The legislation defines physical abuse as any act that when it was committed would have been considered aggravated assault.

The legislation does not apply to criminal cases.

The legislation would allow damages against an entity that employed, supervised, or had responsibility for the person allegedly committing the physical abuse only if there is a finding of gross negligence on the part of the entity.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits
A former Bank of America manager who pleaded guilty to embezzling $1.5 million from a company that did business with the bank and using some of the money to buy a luxury Porsche SUV has been sentenced to a year in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Waqas Ali, 31, of Abington, Massachusetts, was also sentenced to two years of probation, including a year in home confinement, and ordered to pay $600,000 in restitution, the U.S. attorneys office in Boston said in a statement Friday.

He pleaded guilty in October to wire fraud and unlawful money transactions.

Ali was the banks client relationship manager for the victim company, prosecutors said.

He opened a checking account in the name of the company without its knowledge or authorization, and between September 2016 and July 2017, fraudulently transferred the money from the victim companys accounts to the fraudulent account, prosecutors said.

He used more than $600,000 of the money to pay for luxury items, including a $63,000 Porsche SUV and for purchases at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Christian Louboutin and Tag Heuer.

The victim company was not disclosed.

Bank of America fired him in September 2018.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Massachusetts
Fourteen months after coronavirus confined the worlds office-workers to their homes, companies are embarking on another great experiment  how to get their teams back together, in-person, at least some of the time.

Its a task that is briefly uniting the titans of global finance and leaders of nimble startups, all of whom are having to plan for staff coming in two or three days each week, at least for now. Driven in some places by COVID concerns and in others by a desire to embrace workplace change, hybrid work is the new center ground  at least in the short term.

But with work-from-home mandates easing soon in many places, experts are concerned the future mix of home and office work will be complicated to manage and wont provide the flexibility employees have become accustomed to during the pandemic. The UK is expected to ease restrictions on June 21, and New Yorks mayor wants the city fully reopened by July 1.

Read more: The New Digital Normal and the Future of Work in Reinsurance

Remote home-working is about flexibility in location, not necessarily about flexibility in hours, said Claire McCartney, senior resourcing and inclusion adviser at the CIPD, the UKs professional body for human resources and people development.

Flexible arrangements  ranging from job-sharing to staggered start and finish times or compressed working hours  are used frequently by a range of employees, notably parents and carers, and in by particular working women.

A CIPD analysis of UK labor force data suggests that 9.3% of UK workers  equivalent to 3 million people  would be willing to work fewer hours in exchange for a cut in pay, and in a report published last month, the organization found unmet employee demand across a range of flexible working options.

Yet the CIPD also found that while 63% of employers expect to implement hybrid work policies in 2021, fewer than half (48%) plan to expand flexitime, the single most popular flexible-work option.

A lack of true flexibility is a really valid concern, said Margarete McGrath, London-based global head of strategic propositions at Dell Technologies Inc. McGraths teams work to help clients adapt to a changing business environment while putting in place technology to help them retain and attract staff in the long-run.

For now, many employers are sanguine about the prospect of asking staff to come back to office two or three days a week. The divide is over what executives expect their teams to do when they cross the threshold, and how much permanent change bosses will encourage.

It could be absolutely chaotic. Thats our fear, that actually they havent pulled together a hybrid working strategy, McGrath said. There are lots of organizations that are lagging behind, saying were not going to change anything, were just going to get our staff back in. Theyre not fully grasping the extent of this paradigm shift around work.

Data from workplace experience specialists Leesman show that employees feel more productive at home doing many key elements of their jobs. Separately, research carried out at Stanford University demonstrated that home-working works, in moderation.

Peggie Rothe, Leesmans chief insights & research officer, says not all companies are ready to embrace the findings. She sees a division into three broad buckets: companies that are already taking action and redesigning working practices; some that intend to but havent started the process yet; and those that simply have not started thinking about it yet.

A recent Kings College London/Bristol University study found that while 97% of companies are planning for hybrid working of some kind, just 36% plan to redesign job roles.

The worst thing an organization can do now is close you eyes, cover your ears and imagine you can try to go back to how it was before, because if you do that youre going to go backwards, Rothe said.

Thats a concern driving change at Aviva, the insurance company that was an early UK evangelist of hybrid work. Managers there are now being supplied with five profiles to help define where and how their team members are best suited to working and what facilities they will need.

Concerns remain, though, that a focus on role-based guidelines for the new era of work will allow employers to trumpet hybrid working policies while paying lip service to wider issues of flexibility.

Such arrangements help businesses attract and retain employees, as well as supporting inclusion and diversity and boosting customer service, said Claire McCartney of the CIPD. Organizations will ignore this at their peril, because expectations have changed, she said.

At Aviva, the onset of the hybrid era will bring a formal end to some of the blurring of family and home life that employers have tolerated during the pandemic. For example, wherever employees are working they will be expected to ensure they have adequate childcare in place to allow them to work uninterrupted.

Emily Clark, a senior employment lawyer at international law firm Bird & Bird LLP in London, believes companies will need to think through potential side-effects of imposing a top-down, one-size-fits-all employment policy.

The risk is that peoples working patterns are usually set out in their employment contracts to some extent, said Clark.

It does get quite complex. I can envisage situations where organizations have something in mind that might not be the normal pattern of working in the office every and people turn around and say You cant change that without my consent.'

Dells Margarete McGrath notes that companies need to ensure business goals met, premises are COVID-secure and staff are treated fairly.

Its important that we get that mix right. There will be teething issues no doubt, because were still very much in the experimentation phase.

By the time schools and universities open their doors in September life on Wall Street will have resumed, and employers in the U.S. and UK will likely have more robust plans. Leaders and staff alike may well find they need to be patient, and strap in for a bumpy road ahead, according to McGrath.

This is the first time where nobody is bragging that theyve got this totally pinned down. Were going through another phase that is even murkier.

Top photograph: Pedestrians walks in the Canary Wharf business, financial and shopping district of London, on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. Photo credit: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics COVID-19
Whatsapp chat rooms and Telegram channels across Germany lit up in the early hours of April 29. Young people frantically exchanged messages in a tone that went from disbelief to surprise to euphoria.

The countrys highest court had just ruled that the governments 2019 climate law was incompatible with fundamental rights, a victory for the nine young German activists that filed the lawsuit and for the global youth climate movement. Over the next few days, it also changed the course of Germanys politics, economy and climate strategy for the next three decades.

For us it has been rather shocking, we were surprised because we did not have so many expectations of winning, said Nick Heubeck, a 22-year-old student and a spokesperson for the Fridays For Future movement in Germany, one of the organizations supporting the suit. Much of what has happened over the past few days would have been completely unthinkable before the ruling.

A week later, the German government announced it would speed up its transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and cut emissions 65% by 2030. The goals will force industry to implement massive emissions cuts over the next decade and puts the country ahead of most other large economies in addressing climate change.

We have shown its possible, said Heubeck. This sends a strong signal to all of the ongoing cases that Germanys highest court understands its necessary to limit warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Climate litigation cases boomed after 189 countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, committing to limit global warming at 1.5C or below 2C by the end of the century. Of the more than 1,727 cases recorded between 1986 and 2020, over 50% started after 2015, according to a report in April. Many have been initiated by the same young activists that led mass climate action demonstrations in 2019.

Activists are not only challenging governments and their climate plans, but increasingly private companies too, according to Catherine Higham, a policy analyst at the London School of Economics Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

Traditionally, climate cases on the private sector were brought against fossil fuel majors, but thats changing, said Higham, who coordinates the Climate Change of the World Laws database. Almost every sector is being targeted, including dairy farming in New Zealand and insurance companies in Poland. They challenge everything from greenwashing to financial risk disclosure.

The vast majority of cases is still against governments and thats where the most major successes have taken place, Higham said. Its important to remember theres a real connection between the public and private sectors cases against governments also have the potential to have an impact on the business environment.

The flurry of cases is a result of years of mobilization by climate activists, but something is changing in courts too, said Gerry Liston, a lawyer at nonprofit Global Legal Action Network. Liston is currently coordinating a case in front of the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of six Portuguese activists, aged 9 to 22. The activists argue that their human rights are threatened because climate policies in 33 countries are not sufficient to meet the Paris target. In a rare move, the court granted priority to the case in November, forcing countries to respond to the claims by the end of this month.

In a sign that judges are getting creative in their thinking, they cited an article in the European Convention for Human Rights that plaintiffs hadnt even thought about invokingArticle 3, which prohibits torture and degrading treatment. The article is most commonly used in cases of police abuse, but it has been invoked to argue in favor of inmates with chronic lung conditions who were exposed to smokers in prison, Liston said.

An analogy can be made with the situation of people in the context of climate change, Liston said. They have nowhere to go and are facing an inevitable worsening of conditions.

A favorable ruling by the court, which has the power to issue binding decisions, could force governments to change their climate policies. Getting there wont be easy, Liston said. The five lawyers and 10 barristers working on the case face a long process, funding challenges and fielding a flood of documents once the responses from the 33 governments come in.

The reality is that courts are responsive to whats happening on the groundcertainly no legal decision is made in a vacuum, Liston said. The impacts of climate change, and demands for radical and rapid mitigation action are resonating with judges, too.

Laura Millan writes the Climate Report newsletter about the impact of global warming.

Top photograph: Supporters of the Fridays for Future climate movement demonstrate outside the Chancellery, where earlier in the day the government cabinet met to agree on amendments to Germanys climate protection law on May 12, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. Germanys Federal Constitutional Court recently ruled that the current law is insufficient in protecting future generations from the consequences of climate change, giving climate activists, including the nine young plaintiffs who brought the suit, a big victory. However many activists are saying the new government commitment of climate neutrality by 2045 is not enough and are demanding the same goal but for 2035. Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits
A severe cyclonic storm made landfall on Indias west coast, home to major refineries and ports, causing heavy rain and strong winds at a time when the nation is already battling the worlds worst outbreak of COVID-19.

Cyclone Tauktae, equivalent of a category 3 hurricane, slammed Indias western Gujarat state late on Monday, with wind speed surging as high as 190 kilometers (118 miles) per hour, according to the India Meteorological Department. The landfall process will be completed in three hours, the national weather forecaster said in a statement.

Heavy downpours in some areas, including in the financial hub of Mumbai, will continue for the next 12 hours, while sea waves of as high as 4 meters above normal tides are likely to inundate some coastal places, the weather office added.

Authorities have taken several preventive measures, including evacuating people and suspending fishing operations, to minimize the cyclones impact in the country, which is currently the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals and crematoriums in India are getting overwhelmed amid the worlds fastest-surging outbreak. Any disruption from the cyclone could worsen the already-existing shortages of medical supplies from oxygen cylinders to vaccines.

Mumbai, the capital of neighboring Maharashtra state that escaped the worst of the storm, canceled coronavirus vaccinations at public centers on Monday. More than 600 patients were moved from the so-called jumbo facilities  makeshift hospitals to accommodate the surge in infections  to government-run hospitals. The citys international airport was shut for most of the day.

Almost two dozen ports on the west coast from Goa to Gujarat were put on high alert, according to a tweet by the shipping and ports ministry. The Gujarat Maritime Board asked port authorities to suspend loading and unloading operations and drift all ships, including liquefied natural gas vessels and oil tankers, to high seas, according to a state government official handling port operations.

More than 6,500 fishing boats and trawlers out in the sea were shepherded back to safety by the Indian Coast Guard that has deployed ships, aircraft and relief teams along the western coast of India. The Indian Air Force deployed its fleet of heavy transport aircraft to ferry rescue teams and materials from various parts of India to the west coast.

Dozens of teams from the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in several states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka.

With assistance from Anirban Nag, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Anurag Kotoky, Jeanette Rodrigues, Faseeh Mangi and Karthikeyan Sundaram.

Photograph: A policeman helps a public transport driver to cross a flooded street due to heavy rain caused by Cyclone Tauktae in Mumbai, India. Photo credit: Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.
This wrap-up of international People Moves details recent appointments at Peak Reinsurance, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and the new Bermuda-based insurer Mosaic.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Peak Reinsurance Co. Ltd., the Hong Kong-based global reinsurer, announced that Sascha Bruns has been appointed director, head of Global Retrocession, effective Sept. 1, 2021.

Bruns will lead the design and implementation of Peak Res retrocession strategy for the companys global Property & Casualty business. He will be based in Hong Kong, and will report to Franz Josef Hahn, chief executive officer of Peak Re.

Bruns was previously senior underwriter and deputy to the head of Group Protections at Hannover Re, a company he joined almost two decades ago and had held positions of increasing seniority. He has broad experience in analyzing, structuring, placing and administrating natural catastrophe retrocessions programs, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

***

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced that it has appointed Nikki Nagra as head of Casualty Claims in the UK.

Based in Manchester, Nagras appointment establishes a senior claims presence at the heart of BHSIs UK National team, reinforcing a commitment to the city and to the national business.

Nagra comes to BHSI with more than two decades of claims management experience. Most recently, she was UK Motor Claims Manager at AIG, where her career also included leadership roles handling casualty and disease claims.

***

Bermuda-based Mosaic Insurance has announced five recent underwriting appointments to its political risk, professional liability and financial institutions units.

Finn McGuirk, an experienced Lloyds of London specialty underwriter, has been appointed senior vice president, head of Political Risk. He is responsible for building this fast-evolving class of businessone of seven lines the new insurer will underwrite globally through its Lloyds Syndicate 1609.

McGuirk has nearly 25 years of experience in the political risk market, initially as a broker before moving to underwriting. Most recently, he was head of the political risk and trade credit accounts for Pembroke Syndicate 4000 at Lloyds and headed similar divisions at AXA ASR and CNA Hardy. Previously, he worked for Chaucer Syndicates and Berry Palmer & Lyle.

Mosaic also recently appointed Anna Jay and Christopher Webb to its London underwriting team. Jay has been named SVP, head of Professional Liability. She has 18 years experience working across the specialty sector with a core focus on this product line.

Jays career in the London market began as a specialist-placing broker, before she moved to underwriting, spending a decade at QBE International. She later joined Pembroke Syndicate 4000 at Lloyds in 2016 and served as divisional director of professional lines for the syndicate.

Webb joins Mosaic as SVP, underwriter, Financial Institutions, reporting to Chris Brown. He has nearly 40 years experience in the Lloyds market, first as a financial institutions placing broker, and later as an underwriter in the sector. He has spent the last 13 years as a senior underwriter for Syndicate 4000.

Danny Clack, a nearly 20-year veteran of Lloyds of London and the commercial insurance market, last month was named SVP, deputy active underwriter, at Mosaic.

Clack has joined the London team and supports Active Underwriter Charlie Mackey across all business lines through Mosaic Syndicate 1609, with a focus on professional liability underwriting.

Clack has 15 years of underwriting experience at Lloyds, including serving as deputy active underwriter and head of professional lines for Syndicate 4000, which he joined in 2006 to underwrite professional indemnity insurance. Previously, he underwrote environmental insurance in the London market.

Topics AIG
A Michigan man has been ordered to pay restitution of nearly $775,000 for an alleged insurance scam, the state insurance department says.

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) Fraud Investigation Unit, in conjunction with the Ogemaw County Sheriffs Office, said Darrell Lee Hardenburgh, of West Branch, also was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years probation for receiving and concealing stolen property in excess of $20,000.

As part of a plea deal, Hardenburgh was not charged with several additional counts of insurance fraud but was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $746,529.21 to Hastings Mutual Insurance Company and $28,339.60 to The Hanover Insurance Group.

He was also ordered to turn over all medical equipment used in the scheme to law enforcement.

According to DIFS, after an auto accident that allegedly left him wheelchair bound, Hardenburgh was accused of fraudulently receiving attendant care and medical equipment provided by his insurance company. As a result of information gathered by the Ogemaw County Sheriffs Office during an investigation into the theft of a backhoe, Hastings Mutual Insurance Company filed an insurance fraud complaint with DIFS against Hardenburgh.

A joint investigation by DIFS Fraud Investigation Unit the County Sheriffs Office determined that Hardenburgh could in fact walk. At that time, Hardenburgh was facing charges for the backhoe theft and a plea deal was reached that included restitution for the alleged insurance fraud.

Source: Michigan DIFS

Topics Fraud Michigan
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk / Reuters-Yonhap



The price of Bitcoin traded below $45,000 on Sunday after a tweet by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, an outspoken supporter of cryptocurrency, suggested Tesla may be considering or may have sold off its bitcoin holdings.



Musk's tweet was in response to an unverified Twitter account called @CryptoWhale, which said https://bit.ly/2QsUQkw, "Bitcoiners are going to slap themselves next quarter when they find out Tesla dumped the rest of their #Bitcoin holdings. With the amount of hate @elonmusk is getting, I wouldn't blame him".






A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a $25 million judgment and trial verdict finding Bayers Roundup caused a California residents non-Hodgkin lymphoma, dealing a blow to the chemical companys hopes of limiting its legal risk over the weed-killer.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected Bayers argument that lawsuits like Edwin Hardemans never should go to trial because federal pesticide laws barred allegations that the company failed to warn of Roundups cancer risks.

Its a slam dunk for plaintiffs, said Leslie Brueckner, an attorney with Public Justice who helped with Hardemans appeal. This proves these claims are viable in the tort system.

Bayer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A jury in 2019 awarded Hardeman $5 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages in the first federal case to have gone to trial. The punitive award was later cut to $20 million and the appeals court also upheld the reduction.

Fridays ruling was the first by a federal appeals court in a case linking Roundup and cancer and Bayer had said the case had the potential to shape how every subsequent Roundup case is litigated.

Bayer has said that decades of studies have shown Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides that dominate the market are safe for human use.

The company has argued that glyphosate was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency as safe for humans and that regulators prevented Bayer from adding a warning to the products label.

But the company has spent years trying to contain the litigation.

Bayer has committed $9.6 billion to settle 125,000 claims over Roundup.

It also wants to resolve potential legal claims of millions of consumers and farm workers who have been exposed to Roundup and might get sick in the future.

On Wednesday it will seek preliminary approval for a controversial $2 billion proposed deal to resolve those future claims through a class action that would group those exposed to Roundup but who havent gotten sick.

Personal injury attorneys and consumer groups have opposed the plan, which they say limits the rights of Roundup users to sue.

Brueckner said Fridays ruling undermined one argument for the class action settlement, which was that Bayer might prevail in federal appeals courts.

The timing couldnt be more perfect, said Brueckner, referring to Wednesdays hearing on the class action agreement. I doubt it was accidental.

Elizabeth Cabraser, the class action attorney who negotiated the class action agreement, said she was pleased with Fridays ruling.

Proponents of the class action agreement argued that it provides consumers free medical exams to monitor their health. If consumers were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, they could receive compensation worth up to $200,000 and free legal advice to assess their options.

The deal also pauses litigation against Bayer for four years and if someone rejected the compensation and sued, they could not seek punitive damages.

The more verdicts against Bayer, the more pressure there is on the company to pull Roundup from the market or agree to a more generous settlement, said David Noll, a professor with Rutgers Law School.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; additional reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Dan Grebler and Diane Craft)
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed a challenge to an Internal Revenue Services (IRS) requirement for firms to report micro-captive insurance arrangements to proceed.

The IRS authority to require the captive reporting is being challenged as invalid by a Tennessee captive advisory firm, CIC Services.

At issue in this case was whether firms can challenge the reporting requirement without having to pay the $50,000 tax penalty or waiting for the IRS to start enforcement proceedings. The Supreme Court answered yes, remanding and reversing a Sixth Circuit court ruling affirming a district court opinion that had favored the government.

The IRS imposes a reporting requirement on taxpayers and advisors like CIC to monitor micro-captives, which the IRS has claimed for years are often tax-avoidance schemes masquerading as insurance arrangements. The $50,000 penalty is imposed for failure to comply with the reporting requirement.

CIC complained that the reporting rule was illegal under the Administrative Procedure Act. But the issue was complicated by the Anti-Injunction Act, which typically requires those contesting a taxs validity to pay the tax before filing a legal challenge.

The IRS argued that firms can decline to submit the report, pay the penalty and then sue for a refund.

However, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling written by Justice Elena Kagan, found that the suit to enjoin the IRS captive reporting requirement is not barred by the Anti-Injunction Act even though a violation may result in a tax penalty. The high court found that CICs suit seeks to invalidate the reporting requirement itself, not the tax.

The government argued that there is no real difference between a suit to invalidate the reporting rule and one to preclude the tax penalty. But the Supreme Court rejected that argument that CICs complaint is a tax action in disguise. Among its reasons: the presence of criminal penalties forces CIC to bring this type of an action and the governments proposed alternative procedurehaving a party disobey the rule and pay the tax penalty before bringing a suit for a refundwould risk criminal punishment.

The court also said that allowing CICs suit to proceed will not open the floodgates to pre-enforcement tax litigation because the Anti-Injunction Act will always bar pre-enforcement review when taxpayers challenge ordinary taxes and the sole target for a suit is the tax.

CIUC Services cheered the ruling.

This case is hugely significant given that the IRS has made issuing illegal regulations and enforcing them against taxpayers part of its standard operating procedure, said Sean King, general counsel for CIC Services. An alarming percentage of substantive obligations that the IRS imposes upon taxpayers each year by fiat dont comply with the procedural requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act, and so are illegal, and yet are still shamelessly enforced by the Service.

The Supreme Court has now remanded the case back to the district court for a determination on whether the reporting rule should be formally enjoined.

When we go back to district court this time, the IRS will not be able to hide behind the Anti-Injunction Act, said King. This time it will have to defend itself as any other administrative agency would. It will have to account to the court for its abuses, and the court will be empowered to end it.

The case is CIC SERVICES, LLC v. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE ET AL.
Texas Mutual

Workers compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., has promoted Bill Potter to chief financial officer (CFO). Potter, a certified public accountant, succeeds Mike Barron, who served as Texas Mutuals CFO for over 17 years and has retired.

Potter joined Texas Mutual in 2018 as vice president of premium audit, after accumulating over 25 years of finance, accounting and business leadership experience in multiple executive roles. Potter led the premium audit team as they enhanced their focus on customer service, resulting in a policyholder audit satisfaction rate of 98%.

Texas Mutual Insurance also named Larry Martin as the companys new senior vice president of human resources. Martin assumed this role following the retirement of Lynette Caldwell, who held the position for over 12 years.

Martin has been a part of Texas Mutual since 1994, after spending five years at Blue Cross Blue Shield. He has held a number of roles at Texas Mutual, including vice president of human resources consulting services. Martin also played a key role in overseeing the growth of Texas Mutuals college recruitment program and implemented the companys learning and development and performance management strategies.

Topics Texas Human Resources
A woman forced to the ground by two sheriffs deputies in an arrest recorded by her son. Demonstrators tear-gassed and hit by rubber projectiles while protesting the death of George Floyd. A man stunned with a Taser as he tried to flee what advocates say was an unjust arrest.

They are the subjects of federal lawsuits filed in recent weeks by attorneys working under the auspices of Justice Lab, an initiative launched nearly a year ago by the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana to raise awareness of, and litigate against, police brutality and racially discriminatory policing.

This is the first of its kind, says Alanah Odoms, executive director of the organization. But she expects it to expand to other state ACLU affiliates, especially in the South.

Its an initiative born in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died last year after a white police officer pinned him down and kneeled on his neck until he could no longer breathe. Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of murder and manslaughter charges in Floyds death.

Law firms around the nation, regardless of specialty, are involved.

Reid Collins & Tsai LLP, for instance, describes itself on its website as a boutique law firm handling complex business litigation.

Keith Cohan, an attorney with Reid Collins in Austin, Texas, said he believes the Floyd case and discriminatory policing practices were among reasons that his firm decided to participate in Justice Lab.

This is different than our typical practice, he said.

Odoms said nearly 50 private law firms are involved in the project. The ACLU developed a two-week training program for the private firms involved.

The latest Justice Lab lawsuit was filed May 4 in federal court in New Orleans and accuses two St. Tammany Parish deputies of using excessive force and making a false arrest in what started out as a May 5, 2020, traffic investigation. Reid Collins attorneys are among those representing Teliah Perkins in the suit. It references a video recorded by her 14-year-old son and posted on YouTube that shows police forcing her to the ground, her face to the pavement in front of her Slidell home. The suit says the incident began when officers stopped to question her about complaints of someone in the area riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

Capt. Scott Lee, a spokesman for the Sheriffs Office, said the department doesnt comment on pending litigation but also said complaints about the arrest were full investigated and deemed to be unfounded.

Another high-profile lawsuit says police in New Orleans unlawfully used a Taser last year on Michael Celestine, a Black man, as he ran from officers and tried to climb a fence. The lawsuit acknowledges police later found a small amount of cocaine and a gun on Celestine. But it also says officers never had a reason to approach Celestine. It notes that charges eventually were dropped and says the use of force and the search were unlawful.

In a response filed last week, the police officers say Celestine attempted to evade a lawful investigatory stop. They deny wrongdoing and also claim they state law grants them qualified immunity for lawsuits over actions they take in the course of their work.

Qualified immunity for police is a concept supported by many in laws enforcement as necessary to protect police from unjust lawsuits. But its being challenged by criminal justice advocates around the country in the aftermath of the Floyd case. And its a target of the Justice Lab litigation.

We have a real chance, I think, to build a body of case law that at least stands to challenge qualified immunity, Odoms said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Claims Louisiana Law Enforcement
A Florida judge ruled Thursday that two deputies who were fired for inaction during a high school mass shooting in 2018 should be reinstated with back pay.

Broward Circuit Judge Keathan Frink concluded that arbitrators last year were correct in ruling that the fired Broward County deputies, Brian Miller and Joshua Stambaugh, should get their jobs back, with back pay plus other benefits, the Sun Sentinel reported. That includes accrued sick and vacation time, overtime and off-duty detail pay, among other benefits that they would have been paid had they not been fired.

One arbitrator had ruled in September that Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony acted 13 days too late when he fired deputy Stambaugh in 2019 for his conduct during the February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The shooting left 17 dead.

State law says discipline against law enforcement officers must occur within 180 days of an investigations completion. Another arbitrator reinstated Miller last May, saying Tony had missed that deadline by two days.

The sheriffs office appealed both decisions.

Lori Alhadeff, who joined the Broward County School Board less than a year after the shooting, said in a message to The Associated Press that her daughter Alyssa and 16 others are no longer alive because of the inaction and failures of many, including Miller and Stambaugh.

It is painful for me to once again see that there is no accountability, Alhadeff said.

An arbitrator has not yet ruled on the case involving a third fired deputy, Edward Eason.

Jeff Bell, president of the Broward Sheriffs Office Deputies Association, said the judges decision solidifies that Miller and Stambaugh were terminated improperly.

The sheriffs office released a statement pointing out that the unions victory was based on a procedural technicality, which the sheriffs office maintains was wrongly decided. The agency also reaffirmed its position that Miller and Stambaugh do not deserve to have their jobs back.

A state investigative commission found that Stambaugh was working an off-duty shift at a nearby school when he responded to reports of shots fired at Stoneman Douglas. He got out of his truck, put on his bulletproof vest and took cover for about five minutes after hearing the shots, according to body camera footage. Stambaugh then drove to a nearby highway instead of going toward the school.

Eason ran the other way as gunfire continued, then spent time putting on his bulletproof vest and body camera while the carnage continued, investigators said.

Eason also was faulted for not writing an official report after receiving a tip in February 2016 that the shooting suspect, Nikolas Cruz, was making threats on social media to shoot up a school. Tips to the FBI about Cruz also were not followed up, a separate investigation has found.

Miller was the first supervisor to arrive at the school, arriving in time to hear three or four shots, records show. Investigators found that Miller took his time putting on a bulletproof vest and hid behind his car.

Cruz, 22, is awaiting trial and could get the death penalty if convicted. His attorneys have said he is willing to plead guilty in exchange for life sentence.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Florida Talent
A salvage team assessed damage Saturday after a fire was ignited inside the remains of an overturned cargo ship that is being dismantled along the Georgia coast.

The assessment is likely to take several days, the multiagency command overseeing the demolition of the Golden Ray said in a statement.

The wreckage caught fire Friday as workers used torches to cut into the hull. Crews extinguished the blaze, which burned for several hours and sent up black smoke. No one was injured.

A giant crane being used to dismantle the ship was unhooked Saturday and shifted away from the site to allow for the damage assessments, officials said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes, a spokesman for the multiagency command, said it was too early to know how much the fire might further delay efforts to remove roughly one-half of the shipwreck that remains partly submerged in St. Simons Sound.

The South Korean-owned Golden Ray measured 656 feet (199 meters) in length when it overturned on Sept. 8, 2019. A towering crane was brought in to straddle the wreck. It has been cutting the ship into giant chunks using 400 feet (122 meters) of anchor chain to tear through the hull like a blunt-edged saw.

An active 2020 hurricane season and the coronavirus pandemic kept demolition from starting until November. Though the job reached the halfway mark in April, progress has been slower than initially expected.

Himes said flames flared up inside the wreck Friday afternoon as workers used torches to make cuts along the ships hull to serve as a guide path for the cutting chain.

It picked up very quickly, Himes said of the blaze Friday. The good news is, because we planned for fires and we planned for the need to evacuate in the case of those fires, all of our crews are accounted for.

Himes said the fire was likely sparked by one of the cutting torches, even though crews were pumping sea water onto the ship as a fire suppression measure. He didnt know what was fueled the blaze, but said its possibly residual fuel still aboard the ship as well as cars that remain inside its cargo decks.

The Golden Ray had roughly 4,200 vehicles in its cargo decks when it rolled onto its side shortly after leaving the nearby Port of Brunswick. Though four crew members had to be rescued from deep inside the ship, all 24 people on board survived.

A Coast Guard expert concluded the Golden Ray tipped over because unstable loading had left its center of gravity too high. Lt. Ian Oviatt testified at a hearing on the wreck last year that the ship lacked enough water in its ballast tanks, used to add weight at the bottom of a vessel, to offset that of the vehicles in cargo decks above.

AP Writer Russ Bynum contributed to this report

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Georgia Trucking
Mississippi will remain in the minority of states without a medical marijuana program after the state Supreme Court on Friday overturned an initiative that voters approved last fall  a decision that also limits other citizen-led efforts to put issues on the statewide ballot.

At the heart of the ruling is the fact that initiatives need signatures from five congressional districts to get on the ballot, but because of Mississippis stagnant population, the state only has four districts.

Six justices ruled that the medical marijuana initiative is void because the states initiative process is outdated. Three justices dissented.

The initiative process was added to the Mississippi Constitution in the 1990s as Section 273. It requires petitioners trying to get any initiative on the ballot to gather one-fifth of signatures from each congressional district. Mississippi had five congressional districts at the time that was written. But the state dropped to four districts after the 2000 Census, and language dealing with the initiative process was never updated.

Whether with intent, by oversight, or for some other reason, the drafters of section 273(3) wrote a ballot-initiative process that cannot work in a world where Mississippi has fewer than five representatives in Congress, Justice Josiah Coleman wrote for the majority in the ruling Friday. To work in todays reality, it will need amending  something that lies beyond the power of the Supreme Court.

In a strongly worded dissent, Justice James Maxwell wrote that he believes the secretary of state correctly put Initiative 65 on the ballot. Maxwell wrote that the majority opinion confidently and correctly points out that the Supreme Court cannot amend the state constitution.

Yet the majority does just that  stepping completely outside of Mississippi law  to employ an interpretation that not only amends but judicially kills Mississippis citizen initiative process, Maxwell wrote.

About 1.3 million people voted in Mississippi in November, and more than 766,000 of them voted in favor of Initiative 65, which required the state Health Department to establish a medical marijuana program by the middle of this year. The department had been working to create a program as the legal fight continued.

People also have started investing money in businesses related to medical marijuana in Mississippi. A cannabis cultivation supplier announced in April that it was leasing a warehouse in Jackson with plans to open this summer, WLBT-TV reported.

Mississippi was among about three dozen states to have approved medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

To get Initiative 65 on Mississippis statewide ballot, organizers gathered signatures from the five congressional districts that the state used during the 1990s. They did that based on legal advice issued years ago by the state attorney generals office.

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler filed a lawsuit days before the election, contending that the signature-gathering requirement is mathematically impossible with four congressional districts. She opposed Initiative 65 because it limits a citys ability to regulate the location of medical marijuana businesses.

The city is pleased that the Supreme Court followed the plain language of the Mississippi Constitution and recognized that, unfortunately, the current voter initiative process is broken, Butler said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday.

Ken Newburger, executive director of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, said the justices overturned the will of the voters.

Patients will now continue the suffering that so many Mississippians voted to end, Newburger said.

State attorneys said Mississippi has two sets of congressional districts  one set used for congressional elections and one set used for other purposes. An attorney for Butler argued that the only purpose of a congressional district is to have boundaries for electing U.S. House members.

Chief Justice Michael Randolph said during last months hearing that seven bills have been filed over the years to update Mississippis initiative process to remove confusion about signatures coming from old or new congressional districts, and legislators have not made the change.

Legislative leaders have not said clearly why they have not updated the initiative process in the 20 years since Mississippi lost a congressional district. The problem with five districts versus four has existed first with Democrats in control at the Capitol and now, for many years, with Republicans in control.

People are gathering signatures for several other proposed initiatives, including one to authorize widespread early voting and another to expand Medicaid.

Justices on Friday did not mention two other ballot initiatives that Mississippi voters approved in 2011, after the state dropped from five congressional districts to four. Initiative 27 requires people to show government-issued photo identification before voting. Initiative 31 limits the use of eminent domain  the practice of governments taking private property for other uses.

During the legislative session that ended in April, the Senate tried to create rules for a state medical marijuana program, but the House defeated the effort. Republican Sen. Kevin Blackwell said the proposal was a backstop to have a program in place in case the Supreme Court invalidated Initiative 65. But supporters of Initiative 65 balked at the proposal, saying they saw it as an attempt to usurp what voters approved.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cannabis Mississippi
Last October, firefighter Ryan Bellanca and his crew battled to keep the raging Glass Fire in California from devastating an upmarket Napa Valley vineyard.

But Bellanca wasnt working for any fire department. He owns a private company that had been hired to protect the vineyard. Authorities from Cal Fire and the Napa County Sheriffs office eventually stepped in and detained the private firefighters for several hours, according to Bellanca and a sheriffs office report. Bellanca said Cal Fire accused his crew of lighting dangerous backfires and failing to leave an evacuated area.

Bellanca denies lighting backfires  which consume fuel in a wildfires path  but admits his team failed to advise Cal Fire, the states fire agency, that it was in the evacuated area, as required by law.

It was the fog of war, said Bellanca, CEO and owner of Bella Wildfire & Forestry. But we saved an entire mountain that Cal Fire thought was gone. Cal Fire wants it to be just them. If they can set precedent with kicking us out, then they can tell anybody to leave.

The incident highlights how a booming business in private firefighting is creating friction with government firefighters as wildfires grow more frequent and dangerous across the western United States. It also underscores the inequity of who receives protection. Businesses and wealth property owners have growing options to protect themselves, for a price. Meanwhile, homeowners across California are being denied homeowners insurance renewals because of wildfire risk.

Californias largest firefighting union calls the Glass Fire incident a cautionary tale and says it should be further investigated.

When an evacuation order is given, you dont question it. You get the hell out of there, said Brian Rice, who represents more than 30,000 government firefighters as the president of California Professional Firefighters. To us, private firefighters are one more group of civilians, who we need to know where they are. Theyre a liability.

Rice said hes particularly worried about the training and equipment maintenance at smaller mom and pop operations that are not subject to clear regulation.

The Napa County District Attorneys Office in December declined to press charges of unauthorized entry into an emergency area against Bellanca and a handful of other private firefighters who were detained. Assistant District Attorney Paul Gero said there was insufficient evidence that Cal Fire had asked the firefighters to leave, and that the Cal Fire report did not mention backfires. Cal Fire said it was still investigating the incident and declined further comment.

The controversy over private firefighting comes as a record 4.2 million acres burned last year in California amid heat waves and dry-lightning sieges. Climate scientists blame global warming for the increasingly flammable landscape. Expecting the worst this summer, after an unusually dry winter, the state is investing $536 million to improve fire protection and hire nearly 1,400 additional firefighters.

Lets be realistic. Fire season has already started, Governor Gavin Newsom said on April 8, long before the typical summer fire season. Gavin said the state had already seen twice as many fires by early April as last year.

About 280 private companies are involved in preventing or fighting wildfires, up from 197 a decade ago, according to the National Wildfire Suppression Association, a trade group. Most of the firms work in the western United States, for clients including private landowners, insurers and government agencies. The trade group, however, only represents companies with government contracts, so the total number of private fire companies may be higher. Many focus on prevention work rather than fighting fires.

When they do battle blazes, private contractors run the risk of getting in the way or even accelerating a fire, state firefighters warn. Thats because the private groups are focused on saving a particular property rather than protecting entire communities.

Rice of the firefighters union pointed to an incident at Californias Point Reyes National Seashore last year in which two private firefighters were injured by debris from a burning tree. Rice said a professional firefighter would have known not to enter the area. The National Park Service, which manages Point Reyes, said it frequently contracts with private crews to help fight wildfires when government crews are insufficient. It said the two firefighters injuries served as a lesson to better prepare for the unexpected.

Representatives of private fire services companies say they work well with authorities.

We dont see that area of conflict, said David Torgerson, the president of Montana-based Wildfire Defense Systems, which works for insurance companies and says it oversees the nations largest private wildfire service.

BURNING HOLES IN POCKETS

Private forestry companies provide a range of services from preventative tree trimming to traditional firefighting when blazes break out. Companies contacted by Reuters declined to disclose their rates.

A recent job advertisement seeking private firefighters in California offered pay of $13 to $15 per hour  far lower than the average of nearly $42 an hour for the states firefighters, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bellanca, whose company has about 30 employees, confirmed that his company was protecting a vineyard during the Glass Fire but declined to name the owner.

A source with knowledge of the arrangement told Reuters Bellancas firm was protecting a property of Jackson Family Wines, which operates about 40 wineries around the world. One of them, Lokoya, is a few minutes drive up from where Bellanca and his crew were detained.

A spokeswoman for Jackson Family Wines, Galen McCorkle, said the company was not involved in this investigation but did not answer questions about whether Bellancas fire company was protecting its vineyard.

The Glass Fire burned 67,484 acres in the Napa and Sonoma regions and destroyed dozens of buildings, including the mansion-like Chateau Boswell winery and a farmhouse containing storage, bottling and fermentation facilities at the Tuscan castle-style Castello di Amorosa. Six months later, the smell of ash still floats among the charred trees that dot vineyard-covered hillsides.

Castello di Amorosa winery, a 175-acre property in Napa Valley, said that, after the fire, it invested some $100,000 in gear and equipment for a new fire-protection team, made up of eight employees.

The 2020 wildfires will cost the California wine industry about $3 billion through 2028 chiefly because of grapes that were destroyed or ruined by smoke, according to an estimate by Jon Moramarco, managing partner of alcohol industry consultancy bw166.

A Napa Valley wine industry executive predicted that demand for private firefighting will continue to increase because vineyards are struggling get strapped government crews onto their property.

Cal Fire did not respond to questions about whether it had enough firefighters to handle last years blazes.

California also saw a 31% increase in homeowners being dropped by their insurance from 2018 to 2019, mostly in areas with high wildfire risk, according to the California Department of Insurance. The state government has responded by ordering moratoriums on rejected renewals in certain wildfire-prone areas.

Wealthy homeowners can turn to insurance companies like PURE, which offers wildfire protection for homes that would cost more than $1 million to rebuild.

GO WEST

Texas-based private firefighter Ian Shelly, 45, can make up to $40,000 during a few months of fire season work in the west. But disaster struck last summer, when he and his 63-year old mother Diana Jones were hired by an Oregon-based firefighting company.

In the Mendocino National Forest on Aug. 31, Jones hopped into a truck and drove backwards to flee from a growing blaze, according to a Cal Fire report reviewed by Reuters.

A crew leader yelled stop! repeatedly over the radio to Jones, the report said. But the truck slid into the fire and Jones died, trapped in the vehicle. Shelly said his mother had been fighting fires for more than five years and had ample training. After her death, he said he agonized over whether to keep battling blazes.

There were several times I was ready to wash my hands of fire entirely. But I know that mom wouldnt want that, said Shelly, a former mechanic who has four children. This is what I do, this is what I know.

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; editing by Donna Bryson and Brian Thevenot)

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Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
The driver of a Tesla involved in a fatal crash that California highway authorities said may have been operating on Autopilot posted social media videos of himself riding in the vehicle without his hands on the wheel or foot on the pedal.

The May 5 crash in Fontana, a city 50 miles east of Los Angeles, is also under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The probe is the 29th case involving a Tesla that the federal agency has probed.

In the Fontana crash, a 35-year-old man identified as Steven Michael Hendrickson was killed when his Tesla Model 3 struck an overturned semi on a freeway about 2:30 a.m.

Hendrickson was member of the Southern California chapter of a Tesla club who posted numerous photos and video on social media of his white Model 3. One video on his Instagram account showed him riding in the drivers seat without his hands on the wheel or foot on the pedal as the Tesla navigated freeway traffic. The video included the comment: Best carpool buddy possible even takes the boring traffic for me.

A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his funeral and memorial service says Hendrickson was survived by his wife and two children. A message seeking comment from his wife has not been returned.

Every time we spoke to him, he would light up talking about his kids and loved his Tesla, Tesla Club-SoCal posted on Instagram. He was truly an amazing human being and will be missed!

Another man was seriously injured when the electric vehicle hit him as he was helping the semis driver out of the wreck.

The CHP announced Thursday that its preliminary investigation had determined that the Teslas partially automated driving system called Autopilot was engaged prior to the crash. The agency said it was commenting on the Fontana crash because of the high level of interesta about Tesla crashes and because it was an opportunity to remind the public that driving is a complex task that requires a drivers full attention.

However on Friday, the agency walked back its previous declaration.

To clarify, a new CHP statement said, There has not been a final determination made as to what driving mode the Tesla was in or if it was a contributing factor to the crash.

At least three people have died in previous U.S. crashes involving Autopilot, which can keep a car centered in its lane and a safe distance behind vehicles in front of it. Tesla is allowing a limited number of owners to test its self-driving system.

Tesla, which has disbanded its public relations department, did not respond Friday to an email seeking comment. The company says in owners manuals and on its website that both Autopilot and Full Self-Driving are not fully autonomous and that drivers must pay attention and be ready to intervene at any time.

Autopilot at times has had trouble dealing with stationary objects and traffic crossing in front of Teslas.

In two Florida crashes, from 2016 and 2019, cars with Autopilot in use drove beneath crossing tractor-trailers, killing the men driving the Teslas. In a 2018 crash in Mountain View, California, an Apple engineer driving on Autopilot was killed when his Tesla struck a highway barrier.

Teslas system, which uses cameras, radar and short-range sonar, also has trouble handling stopped emergency vehicles. Teslas have struck several firetrucks and police vehicles that were stopped on freeways with their flashing emergency lights on.

After the Florida and California fatal crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that Tesla develop a stronger system to ensure drivers are paying attention, and that it limit use of Autopilot to highways where it can work effectively. Neither Tesla nor the safety agency took action.

In a Feb. 1 letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt urged the department to enact regulations governing driver-assist systems such as Autopilot, as well as testing of autonomous vehicles. NHTSA has relied mainly on voluntary guidelines for the vehicles, taking a hands-off approach so it wont hinder development of new safety technology.

Sumwalt said that Tesla is using people who have bought the cars to test Full Self-Driving software on public roads with limited oversight or reporting requirements.

Because NHTSA has put in place no requirements, manufacturers can operate and test vehicles virtually anywhere, even if the location exceeds the AV (autonomous vehicle) control systems limitations, Sumwalt wrote.

He added: Although Tesla includes a disclaimer that currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous, NHTSAs hands-off approach to oversight of AV testing poses a potential risk to motorists and other road users.

NHTSA, which has authority to regulate automated driving systems and seek recalls if necessary, seems to have developed a renewed interest in the systems since President Joe Biden took office.

Associated Press writers Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

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Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Autonomous Vehicles Tesla
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk grimaces after arriving for the Axel Springer award, in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 1, 2020. REUTERS/Yonhap



By Anna J. Park



Bitcoin and altcoin prices fluctuated once again on Monday (KST) as Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent a series of tweets on late Sunday and early Monday, triggering a plunge of bitcoin and other altcoins, followed by a slight rebound on Monday.



The nosediving of the cryptocurrencies started on late Sunday, as Musk sent a tweet hinting that Tesla may have dumped its bitcoin holdings.



On Sunday afternoon, local time, Musk replied "Indeed" to a tweet that said "Bitcoins are going to slap themselves next quarter when they find out Tesla dumped the rest of their Bitcoin holdings." His short response hinted that Tesla may have sold all its cryptocurrency assets. The one-word tweet sent a global shockwave to the cryptocurrency market, which had already been faltering amid recent heightened volatility.





Elon Musk's reply on Twitter on Sunday afternoon / Courtesy of Twitter



Bitcoin's price fell by 9.63 percent over a 24-hour period, as the major cryptocurrency was traded at $43,746.48 at 2 p.m. on Monday, Korea time. Ethereum, the second-largest market cap coin, also nosedived by 12.31 percent over the 24-hour period, as it was traded at $3,325.45 at 2 p.m. Monday. Dogecoin, for which Musk expressed his fondness calling himself "The Doge Father," fell to $0.4819, an 8.95 percent fall from the previous day.









However, the Tesla CEO tweeted once again on early Monday local time, or 2:56 p.m. (KST), that "To clarify speculation, Tesla has not sold any Bitcoin." In less than an hour after that tweet, global coin prices showed a slight rebound. Bitcoin's price gained a boost to $44,690.30 as of 3:40 p.m., while Ethereum and Dogecoin also rose to $3,408 and $0.489, a slight increase from an hour earlier.





Elon Musk's tweet on Monday / Courtesy of Twitter



Elon Musk's seemingly fickle stance has wielded much influence on the global cryptocurrency market lately, particularly since Tesla's surprise announcement in early February that it would start accepting bitcoins for payment of electric vehicle (EV) purchases. At that time, the EV company also announced that it bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoins.



As Tesla joined the list of crypto-favoring companies including Square and PayPal, bringing legitimacy to the actual use of the cryptocurrency in payment systems, Bitcoin went on a strong bullish move. Its price skyrocketed by more than 41 percent in just over two and a half months from $38,817 on Feb. 7  the day before Tesla's bitcoin purchase was made public  to $55,046 on April 26, when the EV company made another announcement that it had sold about 10 percent of its Bitcoin holdings, garnering $101 million in profit.



Musk tweeted again late last week that Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin due to concerns over the increased combustion of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining, causing more than a 17 percent fall in the price of the cryptocurrency.





gettyimagesbank
Burma 2020 Election Result Accurately Reflected Voters Will: Poll Monitor

A protest is staged against the military coup in Yangon on Feb. 14. / The Irrawaddy

Rejecting the claims of mass fraud and voting irregularities used by the Myanmar military to justify its coup, an international monitoring group said in its final report on the results of last years polls that the vote reflected the true will of the electorate.

The November 2020 general election brought another landslide victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Rejecting the regimes allegations of electoral fraud, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), one of two foreign observer missions accredited to monitor the vote, said Election Day was found to be peaceful and orderly across the country, with no major incidents reported, in its final comprehensive report released on Monday.

The report found that the campaign environment ahead of the general elections was not quite as free or fair as in 2015, however, in part of because of the unprecedented backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quoting the networks former chair, the report states, There are no elections made

in heaven, meaning there is always room for improvement in the eyes of experienced observers.

Nevertheless, it is ANFRELs informed opinion that the results of the 2020 general elections were, by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar, the report reads.

Despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic, 27.5 million people voted thanks to the hard work of polling staff and election or health officials, their voices cannot be silenced, Chandanie Watawala, executive director of ANFREL, is quoted as saying in the report.

Standing in solidarity with Myanmars democracy supporters, the group repeated in its report a chant that has become popular with protesters: Give the power back to the people! [Pyithuarrnar Pyithu Pyanpayy!].

The final report of the international observation mission of ANFREL was initially due to be released in mid-February after the group completed monitoring of the post-election period, including addressing election complaints in election tribunals and investiture of newly elected representativesprocesses that were halted by the military coup.

Until the military coup of 1 Feb. disrupted the final phase of a largely peaceful election process, ANFREL had meant to first congratulate the people of Myanmar, the Union Election Commission (UEC), and the hundreds of thousands of polling staff who made the 2020 general elections a success despite difficult conditions, ANFREL said in the report.

Just hours before the newly elected Parliament was to convene, the military seized power by detaining elected leaders including State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, political activists and politicians. MPs-elect who had arrived in Naypyitaw to attend Parliament were confined at their government guesthouse and later forced to leave the capital. In the following months, arrest warrants were issued for many of them, and many have been detained.

Since then, the regime has killed at least 796 civilians, and over 3,900 people are currently detained.

A new, regime-appointed election commission declared the results of last Novembers election invalid in late February, coercing election officials into signing affidavits purportedly confirming that instances of electoral fraud took place.

ANFREL added that the 2020 election was marked by efforts to increase diversity and achieve greater inclusion, with an increase in women candidates; an emphasis placed by political parties on fielding ethnic candidates and reaching out to 5 million first-time voters; continued efforts to provide advance voting opportunities to the elderly and PWD (persons with disabilities) voters; and the first-ever openly LGBT candidates, among others.

ANFREL found no reason to doubt the overall integrity of the advance voting process, it said, referring to a phase of the election that drew allegations of fraud from the military and its allied party. To the contrary, ANFREL said, the UEC allowed greater participation in a challenging environment.

Earlier, other poll monitors including the US-based Carter Center and Myanmars largest election observer group, Peoples Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE), said in their reports the election was largely free and fair with no major irregularities.



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Burma Myanmar Civilian Government Condemns Juntas Atrocities in Mindat

NUG Prime Minister Mahn Win Khaing Than addressed the public on May 16, a month after the formation of the National Unity Government.

Myanmars civilian National Unity Government (NUG) said it is saddened by its inability to protect Chin States mountainous town of Mindat, where there has been intense fighting with junta forces.

The NUGs Prime Minister Mahn Win Khaing Than said the shadow government is working with rescue teams and the international community to help Mindat.

The NUG is a coalition of democratic forces in Myanmar, including ousted National League for Democracy lawmakers and representatives from ethnic groups.

It was formed in April 16 to defy and discredit the military regime, restore civilian rule and establish a federal union.

The military regime declared martial law for Mindat, which has a population of around 20,000, on Thursday night after bombarding the town with artillery. Resistance forces held the town for a week. Shooting continued until Sunday. At least eight civilians and at least ten junta troops have died during the shootouts, but The Irrawaddy could not independently verify them.

On Saturday, when junta forces raided the town, they reportedly used captured civilians as human shields, forcing the civilian resistance group, the Mindat Defence Force to retreat.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, during his public address to mark a month since the formation of the NUG, on Sunday said: We are seriously frightened that the military dictators and their forces used artillery and helicopters to attack the people of Mindat and using detained residents as human shields.

We are saddened that we were unable to fully protect the people in the town. However, we honor those who have resisted the military dictatorship and their atrocities and sacrificed their lives. In the meantime, we are not just standing and watching the peoples suffering. We are communicating with international organizations and governments for help and arranging to bring assistance.

By Sunday, since the Feb. 1 coup, the regime has killed at least 790 civilians and detained 5,073 people, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Undeterred by brutal crackdowns, anti-regime protesters are peacefully taking to the streets in defiance of military rule, while civilian resistance forces use homemade weapons against heavily armed junta forces.

Resistance has been particularly heavy in Mindat and Hakha in Chin State since April, and Kale, Tamu, Taze, Yinmabin and Kani townships in Sagaing Region since late March.

Mahn Win Khaing Than asked for public patience in establishing armed forces that protect civilians.

The prime ministerial appointee said: Any country needs armed forces which protect its people, therefore the NUG has formed the Peoples Defense Force [PDF] as a precursor to the Federal Union Army. To build modern armed forces takes time to prepare training, structures, recruitment and weapons and, therefore, we expect your understanding.

The NUG said it would take responsibility for transforming the security forces and establishing the Federal Union Army.



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Burma Myanmar Miss Universe Contestant Calls on World to Speak Out Against the Junta

Miss Universe contestant Thuzar Wint Lwin holds a placard saying "Save Myanmar" during the competition. / Thuzar Wint Lwin / Facebook

Myanmar beauty queen Thuzar Wint Lwin won the award for best national costume at the Miss Universe pageant in the United States on Sunday. The 22-year-old used the competitions global platform to urge the world to speak out against the military regime, appearing on stage with a placard saying Pray for Myanmar.

Our people are dying and being shot by the military every day, she said in a video message for the competition. I would like to urge everyone to speak about Myanmar. As Miss Universe Myanmar, I have been speaking out as much as I can since the coup, she added.

However, she now faces an uncertain future telling media that she fears her life may be at risk if she returns to Myanmar.

Thuzar Wint Lwin won the Miss Universe Myanmar pageant representing the Chin State capital Hakha and wore ethnic Chin costume at the 69th Miss Universe contest in Florida. Fighting between civilian resistance forces and junta troops in Chin State has intensified in recent days, with clashes in both Hakha and Mindat.

Just before the final round of Miss Universe, Thuzar Wint Lwin wrote on her Facebook that she was very sorry to hear about conditions in the mountain-top town of Mindat, where military regime forces reportedly used civilians as human shields during a raid in response to the towns resistance to the junta.

Last week, the regime declared martial law in Mindat, which is home to some 20,000 people, after bombarding the town with artillery.

Thuzar Wint Lwin is one of dozens of Myanmar celebrities, including actors and social media influencers, who have condemned the juntas Feb. 1 coup and the overthrowing of the democratically-elected civilian government led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Following the coup, Thuzar Wint Lwin joined Yangon street protests against the regime and donated most of her life savings to family members of pro-democracy supporters who have been killed in the juntas lethal crackdowns on anti-coup demonstrations.

She also called for the military to return the country to civilian rule and for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on March 8, International Womens Day.

When some Myanmar beauty pageant fans urged her in early March to stop protesting against the dictatorship and focus on preparations for the Miss Universe contest, she responded that Miss Universe is very important for me because it is my biggest dream. But, the most important thing at this time is [changing] our political system.

We will lose everythingour hopes, dreams and our entire lives if we lose this revolution. So I must protest and stand with my fellow citizens for my country and for the truth, she said.

Despite the fact that an airline lost her suitcase, which included original costumes for the pageant, Thuzar Wint Lwin made it to the top 21 of the Miss Universe competition. Other beauty queens loaned her dresses, while Myanmar citizens resident in the US also helped prepare dresses for her.

As of Sunday, she did not know which country she would apply to stay in instead of returning to Myanmar.

Han Lay, winner of Miss Grand Myanmar, also spoke out against the military regime at the Miss Grand International 2020 pageant in Thailand in April, and described Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as her greatest inspiration. She is currently living in Thailand as she also fears being arrested by the junta if she returns to Myanmar.

At least 790 people have been killed by security forces and more than 5,000 arrested since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.



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Burma Myanmar Regime Air Base Hit by Rockets: Military

A rocket is seen near the Taungoo military air base on Saturday. / Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services

A Myanmar military regime air base and unit in Bago Region were attacked with rockets on Saturday, but there were no casualties in the latest offensive against the juntas troops, who have killed at least 790 civilians since the coup on Feb. 1.

Regime-controlled newspapers said the unidentified attackers used 107-mm rockets to attack the Taungoo air base and its military unit in Bago. The Taungoo facility is one of the major air bases in country. It is located more than 100 km northeast of Yangon, the commercial capital.

One rocket fell without exploding about 100 m from where the military unit is stationed, the newspapers said.

Another three struck about 100 m, 200 m and 350 m from the air station and exploded. However, there were no reports of injuries or damage to the buildings, the military said.

Later, junta troops found six 107-mm rockets near Aike Sauk Village that were aimed at the airbase, the military said.

The military said it was still identifying those responsible for the attacks.

Local residents said the military has tightened security in the town since the attacks, conducting checks on most of the main streets and outside the base.

We heard at least four rounds of rocket fire. We dont know about causalities. We do not dare to go outside and look. And the air base is a bit far from us, a resident said.

Since the military staged the coup on Feb. 1, the regimes troops had killed at least 790 civilians and arrested 5,073 people as of Sunday. Since last month, a series of small explosions have been reported almost every day in major towns from the north to the south of the country, including the two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay. The military blames anti-coup protesters for the blasts, claiming that democracy supporters are creating instability in the country.

Military air bases in Magwe and Meiktila were attacked with rockets in late April, but no casualties were reported.



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Two civilians were shot by junta forces in Magwe after the attacks.
Burma Six Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Chin State Shootout

Hakha, Chin State. / The Irrawaddy

Six junta soldiers were killed and several wounded during a shootout with civilian resistance forces in the Chin State capital Hakha on Sunday evening.

Chinland Defense Force-Hakha fighters ambushed around 60 regime troops travelling on the Hakha-Falam highway, in the northern part of Hakha, at around 5.30pm on Sunday. The soldiers were in four vehicles and heading as reinforcements to Hakha.

The clash lasted a number of hours. Six junta soldiers died on the spot and more than 10 were injured, according to a member of the Chinland Defense Force-Hakha. A civilian resistance fighter was also killed in the shootout.

Junta troops used heavy explosives and rocket-propelled grenades during the shootout, while the civilian resistance forces were armed only with traditional firearms and single and double-barreled shotguns, said a member of the Chinland Defense Force-Hakha.

We ambushed the troops as retribution for the juntas war crimes and terrorism against the civilians of Mindat. Their acts are unacceptable, he said.

During four days of prolonged fighting in Mindat, in southern Chin State, the military regime used heavy explosives, artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, while reinforcements were flown into the town on helicopters. In contrast, the Mindat civilian defense fighters were armed with old-fashioned, homemade hunting rifles.

Junta artillery bombarded the town and regime soldiers used 18 arrested civilians as human shields when they raided Mindat on Saturday. Around eight civilian resistance fighters were killed in the fighting and twenty more, including peaceful residents, were wounded, according to a member of the Mindat Peoples Administration Team.

As of Monday, troops deployed across Mindat are opening fire on anyone who appears on the streets and no one dares to go outside, residents reported.

A 10-year-old girl was seriously injured in Mindat on Monday after being shot in the neck while she was hiding in her house as junta troops fired randomly, according to Chin State-based news agencies. She has been unable to receive proper medical treatment because of the presence of regime soldiers in the town.

On Sunday night, two civilians were shot dead and another injured after junta forces opened fire in Tedim Township in northern Chin State.

Myanmars civilian National Unity Government issued a statement on Saturday urging the international community to take immediate action to end all violence by the military regime and to protect Mindats residents.



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Voices of Myanmars Martyrs Will Not Be Silenced by the Junta
Californians might be getting a one-time $600 stimulus check payment soon. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Golden State Stimulus plan to release a fourth stimulus payment for the state and its residents. Families might receive $600 to $1,200 payment depending on their eligibility.

Under Biden's $1.9 Trillion Budget for the American Rescue Plan, individual states are given a percentage of the funds to support their residents and local government expenses. Newsom proposed to send directs stimulus checks to people's pockets for financial relief. In his Golden State Stimulus Plan, households earning $30,000 to $75,000 would get $600. Also, families with at least one child will receive an extra $500 for child support, giving a total of $1,100.

CA moms deserve more support. Whether its as caregivers or breadwinners.



Were expanding childcare supports across the state and adding 100,000 child care slots  the largest expansion of its kind  and investing millions more for child care providers. pic.twitter.com/SHH5kl31v0  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 9, 2021

Fourth Stimulus Check Tracker: Golden State Stimulus

In the official webpage for the State of California Franchise Tax, the full details for the Golden State Stimulus plan are explained. The Golden State Stimulus plan aims to support low-income Californians, especially those who experience hardships due to the pandemic.

Eligibility for the Golden State Stimulus plan requires you to:

Complete filing your 2020 taxes

Be a California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) recipient, or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) registered to earn $75,000 or less

Live in California for more than half of the 2020 tax year

Be a California resident on the date payment is issued

Not be eligible to be claimed as a dependent

Unfortunately, Newsom faced political pressure from his proposal. CBS News reported that former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer criticized the plan, saying that "One-time payments for just one year isn't enough, not nearly enough. We need permanent, lasting tax relief for middle-class families."

Read Also: Tax Deadline Day 2021: How to File for an Extension and Pay Your Taxes Online

Online Tracker and Payment Dates

AS reported the scheduled dates when to expect the fourth stimulus payment. Depending on the date you completed filing your 2020 tax return, some Californians might receive their stimulus checks early.

If you filed your 2020 tax return somewhere between January 1 to March 1, you could receive your stimulus checks starting April 15.

If you filed your 2020 tax return somewhere between March 2 to April 23, you could receive your stimulus checks starting May 1.

Direct deposits should come in two weeks from the given date. Paper checks, on the other hand, might take four to six weeks of mailing time.

Unfortunately, people who filed their 2020 tax returns after April 23 would have to wait a little longer. Direct deposit might take 45 days to process, and paper checks might take 60 days to complete delivery.

Keep an eye out on the links provided for real-time news and updates for California's fourth stimulus check payment and schedule. Unfortunately, the waiting time is significantly longer than the last period, and this proposal only supplies one round of stimulus checks.

However, California is gradually emerging from the pandemic crisis. Pandemic-related restrictions are being lifted, and the economy is making its move. The local government believes that another wave of relief would help the resident families across the nation.

Related Article: Fourth Stimulus Check Tracker: $2000 Payment Update, Online Petition and More


By Lee Min-hyung









The Bank of Korea's (BOK) new deputy governor, Min Jwa-hong, took office Monday, bring with him hopes that his strong leadership and communication skills will help the central bank see stable growth.







Min joined the BOK in 1989 and previously held various posts in the central bank's major divisions, including the financial market and international collaboration.







For three years since February 2015, he also worked as the public economy policy director at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, where he helped mediate policy-making between the central bank and the government.







"He set an exemplary case of the interchange of personnel during his three-year career there," an official from the central bank said. "Min will contribute to the overall growth of the central bank here and abroad."







He served as the director of the BOK's financial stability department before being appointed as the new deputy governor last week. He handled a series of key tasks to stabilize the local financial market in the wake of the pandemic outbreak last year, while working as the leader of the department.







The central bank hopes that he will help the BOK enhance its footprint abroad during his tenure, which will expire on May 16, 2024.







The new deputy governor studied international economics at Seoul National University before starting his career at the central bank.






This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
MiMi-Sandra of Fort Worth, born 7 September 1945 in Jacksonville to Joe Selman Gore and Jeffie Gwendolyn (Lazenby) Gore. Preceded by her parents and five siblings. Survived by her husband, daughters, four siblings, nieces and nephews.




Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support.
Tom Hallberg covers a little bit of everything, from skiing to long-form feature stories. A Teton Valley, Idaho, transplant by way of Portland and Bend, Oregon, he spends his time outside work writing fiction, splitboarding and climbing.
Page Content

Commercial radio station, 947 and telecommunications firm, Huawei are billed to host yet another multimedia extravaganza featuring the cream of the crop in South African music, performing alongside emerging local talent.







Similar to last year when the organisers experimented with an online show, this years Huawei Joburg Day will also be accessible through virtual platforms. It is free of charge for all music enthusiasts and will be flighted on Friday, 28 May between 4-7pm.





Budding artists Jordan Rivers and Courtney Courus will share the stage with heavyweights such as GoodLuck, Micasa, Jesse Clegg, Dj Zinhle, Prime Circle as well as Black Motion alongside Brendon Praise and Msaki.





Music lovers can enjoy the show on their mobile phones, in the comfort of their homes or cars or the backyard of their house.





Thando Makhunga, 947s Station Manager says music is the core pillar of her medium.





947 is always moving forward, going beyond for our audiences. Its great to once again have Huawei on board for this exceptional music production that brings the City together, says Makhunga.

Festival organisers say in light of Covid-19 protocols, the show has moved from one large venue in the City to wherever Joburgers want to be. From standing in long queues to watch SAs hottest artists perform to enjoying the same experience, indoors.





Organisers say this years Huawei Joburg Day will bring energy, dance music and good vibes to all who log in to watch on YouTube and those who opt to listen live on 947.





Makhunga says last years show, the first of its kind, was a runaway success.

The previous event was a success, setting new records with more than 20 000 live views on 947s YouTube page, she says.

Stay tuned to 947 for more details and to participate in exciting competitions to win amazing hampers.













Written by Gontse GeE Hlophe


"Jumping into 'The Adoration of the Kings  Jan Gossaert'" (2018) by Bae Chan-hyo / Courtesy of SNUMoA



By Park Han-sol



Aesthetic forms and themes from outside Korea have been influencing and mixing with Korean art for centuries. As Korea underwent colonial occupation, modernization and development from the late 19th to late 20th centuries, views of "Western art" have run the gamut from uncritical embrace and acceptance, to resistance and reversion to nativist forms.



To this day, the complex relationship between Western and Korean contemporary art continues to oscillate between acceptance, negotiation and resistance.



Against this backdrop, an exhibition titled "The Chronicle of Lost Time" at the Seoul National University Museum of Art (SNUMoA) looks into the works of 15 artists who reinterpret the status given to "Western art" in Korea.



"Throughout the history of the development of Korean modern art, the processes of accepting, translating and challenging Western art have all co-existed," SNUMoA curator Lee Joo-yeon told The Korea Times. "Based on such a relationship, the exhibition introduces works that refer to the aesthetic values of the so-called West, but at the same time transform or reinterpret them through new artistic forms."





"Terms of Beauty VI" (2009) by Debbie Han / Courtesy of SNUMoA



Artists Debbie Han and Bahc Yi-so question the near universally elevated status of so-called Western cultural values in Korea.



Han's "Terms of Beauty VI" is a white porcelain bust series of Venus, the goddess who has been a classical symbol of beauty since Greek and Roman antiquity. However, the artist chose to apply features like prominent noses, droopy eyelids and big mouths  which go against standards of beauty as idealized as "Western"  to her Venus busts, thereby challenging the aesthetics conventions set by the original.



Bahc's "Exotic-Minority-Oriental" combines stereotypical words that describe phenomena or figures deviating from the so-called Western perspective, thereby remaining "elusive." By incorporating three magazine photos that are commonly associated with these words, the combination explores the ongoing making of the "West's" others, as well as the continued hierarchies between the "West" and its "non-Western" forms.





"Exotic-Minority-Oriental" (1990) by Bahc Yi-so / Courtesy of MMCA
South Africa: Compensation Fund, partners contribute R1.35b towards vaccination of uninsured workers

The Compensation Fund and mutual assurance companies Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) and Federated Employers Mutual Assurance (FEMA) have joined forces to contribute R1.35 billion to procure vaccines for workers without medical aid cover.

The Department of Employment and Labour, of which the Compensation Fund is an agency, said the funding is anticipated to contribute towards the vaccinations under phase 2 of an estimated three million workers of the countrys vaccination programme.

[This is] is a significant contribution to the governments plan to inoculate about 75% of the population to reach the 67% herd immunity target, the department said in a statement.

The initiative forms part of the ongoing collaboration between the public and private sectors to plug the vaccine rollout's financial gaps programme.

It will also help ensure a significant part of workers gets inoculated instead of dealing with resultant claims.

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, announcing the partnership during the tabling of the Departments Budget Vote on Friday, expressed delight at the partnership.

We are humbled and grateful for the support that the boards of the CF, the RMA and FEMA have demonstrated in pledging support for the departments plan to ensure protection of workers through the vaccine rollout programme.

This selfless gesture demonstrates the milestones that can be achieved when all social partners work towards a common purpose and vision, he said.

Nxesi said the COVID-19 vaccination programme was unprecedented and is one of the biggest and most expansive national programmes government has undertaken.

As government, we cannot successfully carry out this mammoth task on our own. We need all hands on deck to ensure that we can prevail over this pandemic, said the Minister.

He expressed his gratitude to chief executives of the two entities and the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa for working closely with government in ensuring the objective of this contribution is achieved.

This marks an important turning point in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Our view is that if we can have more parties on board to support in a similar vein. We can help government in bridging some of the funding gaps in the procuring of vaccinations.

If we work together, we can all play a significant role in providing a much-needed safety net for millions of vulnerable workers who do not have the means to fund their vaccinations or afford private healthcare cover.

We aim to collectively make a meaningful contribution to the fight against the coronavirus by ensuring that as many people as possible are vaccinated for the country to meet herd immunity targets, said Nxesi.

The department said the decision to fund the vaccine for uninsured workers marks a proactive intervention by the three entities that the government is taking to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In just over a year, the CF, in compliance with the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act as well as the Workplace-Acquired COVID-19 Directive issued Nxesi in July, has received 22 333 COVID-19 claims. Of these, the fund accepted liability for 11 466 claims.

Of those, 71 are in relation to fatalities, while R57 million has been spent in support of workers through medical aid, funeral costs, and benefits for dependants as well as in temporary total disablement.

The department said the majority of the workers who will benefit from this initiative are mainly the vulnerable workers, who have the least resources to mitigate against the loss of income. This was irrespective of whether the employment was temporary or permanent but resulted from hospitalisation due to COVID-19 infection.

The ripple effects of the financial burden they face are felt by their extended families, who rely on them for their livelihood, the department said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-05-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Interview: CPC's leadership capability key to China's success -- Palestinian party official

Xinhua) 14:39, May 17, 2021

RAMALLAH, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The outstanding leadership capability of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is "a critical and very important factor" for China's success, according to a senior Palestinian party official.

"China's great changes are unimaginable," Abbas Zaki, head of Palestinian Fatah party's commissioner general of the Arab and Chinese Affairs, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The veteran official has visited China more than 10 times. His first trip to China was in 1974, when he visited China as a member of a delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Talking about China's rapid development over the decades, Zaki spoke highly of the CPC's governance practice and achievements.

In just one generation, China has transformed into a strong and modern country, which has successfully addressed prominent challenges including meeting 1.4 billion people's basic needs for food and clothing, said Zaki.

During his China visits, he noticed that China's villages and towns are growing at an "incredible" rate.

"What used to be poor villages have been transformed into productive, rich ones almost overnight. Some backward and desolate places in the past have become vibrant industrial parks," he said.

He once visited a suburban village near Beijing in the 1990s, which was surrounded by a lot of empty land with no decent roads. But when he visited the same place in 2018, what he found was a bustling town with a number of high-rise buildings.

To Zaki, the CPC's leadership and the political system with Chinese characteristics are admirable.

The party adheres to a people-centered development philosophy and takes people's aspiration for a better life as its goal, he noted.

In Zaki's eye, the CPC has a far-sighted national development strategy, which not only focuses on economic development and industrial construction, but also values education and sci-tech progress.

All these measures have provided driving forces for China's growth, navigating the Chinese economy towards high-quality development, he said.

Zaki spoke highly of the CPC's new concept of green development, saying that such a concept indicates that the party is placing ecological civilization and environmental protection in a more important position in the country's governance.

China's 14th Five-Year Plan has included green development into all aspects of China's economic and social development, he added.

"It's a very smart strategic plan," Zaki said, stressing that China's green development will benefit all mankind.

Zaki believes that the CPC's experience in governance and administration of state affairs is worth learning by other political parties around the world.

He noted the CPC is a political party that pursues the spirit of openness and is willing to conduct dialogue and exchanges with political parties of different types around the world.

Fatah looks forward to enhancing party exchanges with the CPC in a bid to seek a development approach that is most suitable for Palestine, he said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Then-President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pose during their summit in Singapore in this June 12, 2018 photo. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



The South Korean government is seeking to use this week's summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden as a vehicle to revive its North Korea diplomacy and facilitate inter-Korean peace talks, according to government sources and experts, Monday.



In doing so, Seoul is looking to send a message to North Korea through a joint statement to be announced after the Moon-Biden summit, hoping this will include the Biden administration's reaffirmation of the 2018 Singapore agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, or an end-of-war declaration.



According to sources, the government wants to have the Singapore agreement put on the agenda for the summit scheduled for this Friday (local time). This is interpreted as a bid to have the Biden administration build its North Korea policy upon the declaration which includes the establishment of new U.S.-North Korea relations, a lasting and stable peace on the Korean Peninsula and the peninsula's complete denuclearization.



Though the Biden administration is yet to disclose whether its North Korea policy is based on the agreement, Moon said during last week's press conference that the U.S. aims to "build upon the foundation of the Singapore declaration," and the South Korean government "welcomes" this direction.



While saying he will address the North Korea issue during the summit, Moon added that such a policy direction is "almost in line with" what the South Korean government has desired, urging Pyongyang to return to negotiations.









"The Singapore declaration is the most advanced and comprehensive agreement signed by the heads of the U.S. and the North," said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification. "It is a U.S.-North Korea agreement reached during the Kim Jong-un regime and contains Pyongyang's commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Rebuilding U.S.-North Korea relations on the basis of this agreement seems to be the fastest way for initiating a peace mood."



Although Washington has not openly mentioned whether it will reaffirm the Singapore agreement, Hong said it is already acknowledging it as the basis of its new North Korea policy, citing U.S. Department of State principal deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter's remark that the policy goal "remains clear that it is complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."



"The term, which also appears in the Singapore declaration, seems to be giving the hint at the U.S. intention to continue with the 2018 agreement," Hong said. "Since the U.S. is underscoring a practical and calibrated approach, the content of the Biden administration's North Korea policy will be based on the Singapore declaration."





President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden / Yonhap
Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.

Tomorrow

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.




USFK recently delivered its intention of providing around 13,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson (JJ) vaccines, and Korean defense and health authorities are discussing how to use the vaccines and other details, according to the sources.







In March, USFK began administering JJ's Janssen vaccine to its members in addition to Moderna's, and around 70 percent of the population have been vaccinated so far.







"We are discussing with the U.S. side diverse ways of cooperating on the issue," a ministry official said.







Korea has been struggling to boost its COVID-19 vaccine supply and has sought help from the United States to address the issue.







"USFK continues to work closely with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Ministry of National Defense regarding FDA-authorized use of COVID-19 vaccines," USFK spokesperson Col. Lee Peters said in a statement. He did not give further details, citing policy.







The Janssen vaccines, if shipped, are likely to be administered to civilians, not service members, as the defense ministry already secured vaccines for troops. The vaccination program for those aged 30 and older was to be completed in the coming days, and troops in their 20s are expected to receive Pfizer's COVID-19 shots starting around June. (Yonhap)






Le Figaro reported yesterday de Saint-Affriques appointment at the Alpro and Activia brands owner should be formalised this afternoon when Danones board of directors is due to meet.

The newspaper said de Saint-Affrique, who has already announced he is leaving the Switzerland-based B2B chocolate maker Barry Callebaut, should be available to take over as Danone CEO from 1 September.

The report also suggested the France-based dairy and baby-food group had previously approached Max Koeune, CEO of Canadian potato-products major McCain Foods and a former head of corporate development at Danone, about the position but he had ruled himself out.

Nathalie Roos, former head of professional products at LOreal, has also been linked with the role.

De Saint-Affrique was strongly tipped for the Danone CEO role in a previous French newspaper report on 12 May. Les Echos reported he was to be named successor to Emmanuel Faber, the chairman and CEO of Danone who stepped down earlier this year amid investor criticism.



The newspaper said a majority of Danones board of directors were in favour of the candidacy of de Saint-Affrique and that they had reached an agreement with him on his remuneration package.

In early March, as investor disapproval of Danones performance under Faber grew, the company announced he would stand down as its CEO after almost seven years at the helm but stay on as its new non-executive chairman.

However, that move failed to placate some investors and, days later, Danone said its board had decided Faber should stand down as the companys chairman as well and leave the business entirely.

Approached by Just Food, Danone declined to comment on Le Figaros report.
It is urging parties to take a long-term pragmatic approach to finding a solution to the provinces problems.

Supermarkets and their suppliers have complained about the difficulty of supplying outlets in Northern Ireland from the UK mainland since the countrys withdrawal from the EU came into force at the beginning of January.

They have cited additional paperwork and administration and border checks for slowing down trade. Northern Ireland, which shares a land border with EU country the Republic of Ireland, is effectively still treated as an EU member state when it comes to trade with the rest of the UK under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

And things could get worse for suppliers to the province as additional Irish Sea border checks for food products are due to be introduced. The UK government is proposing to phase these in in four stages from October but the EU has yet to agree to that proposal.

The UKs Brexit minister David Frost has accused the EU of point-scoring over the Northern Ireland protocol and hinted that the UK would take unilateral action if needed.



In a hard-hitting newspaper article at the weekend, he accused the EU of trying to treat goods coming from mainland UK into Northern Ireland in the same way as the arrival of a vast Chinese container ship at Rotterdam.

Meanwhile, in an article published today (17 May), the London-based The Guardian newspaper reported that the UK has ruled out a food standards alignment deal that would have done away with 90% of border checks and instead wants to phase in border checks on food. Phase one from 1 October would involve health certificates on exports of fresh meat while phase two, from the end of January, would cover dairy products.

Phase three would cover fruit and vegetables and pet food, and phase four would cover ambient foods, products with a short shelf life and high-risk foods not of animal origin.

The Guardian quoted an EU spokesperson as saying: Every step of the way the EU has tried to enhance dialogue and to work constructively with the UK at technical and political level to find solutions, in line with the protocol, regarding outstanding implementation issues.

But with the two sides seemingly some way from reaching agreement, the BRC has called for a summit between major supermarket group, the UK government and the EU to thrash things out

In a statement sent to Just Food, Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: We have always argued for a long-term pragmatic approach to checks and paperwork on food moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; one that recognises the need for EU import controls but does not add unnecessary bureaucracy and costs, reducing choice for Northern Ireland consumers.

EU and UK officials should urgently sit down with the major supermarkets to understand the issues and agree robust and practical controls which work for households across NI.
Israeli strikes killed 42 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the worst daily toll yet in almost a week of deadly clashes, as the UN Security Council met amid global alarm at the escalating conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for an immediate end to the utterly appalling violence and warned of an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis.

But the council meeting, already delayed by Israels ally the United States, resulted in little action.

The heaviest exchange of fire in years, sparked by unrest in Jerusalem, has killed 197 in Gaza since Monday, along with 10 in Israel, according to authorities on either side.

Israel said Sunday morning its continuing wave of strikes had in the past 24 hours struck over 90 targets across the crowded coastal enclave, where an Israeli strike that destroyed a building housing journalists offices sparked international outrage.

The death toll kept rising in Gaza on Sunday as rescuers extracted bodies from vast piles of smoking rubble and the bereaved wailed in grief.

We were sleeping and then all of a sudden there were rockets raining down on us, said Lamia al-Koulak, 43, who lost siblings and their children in dawn bombardment.

The children were screaming. For half an hour we were bombarded without prior warning. We came out to find the building next door flattened.

But Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the campaign would take time.

Our campaign against the terrorist organisations is continuing with full force. We are acting now, for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israels citizens, he said in a televised address.

 Hatred and revenge 

Israels army said Sunday that about 3,000 rockets had been fired from the coastal strip towards Israel  the highest rate ever recorded.

Around 450 fell within the Gaza Strip, while the Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted over 1,000, the army said.

Rockets have wounded over 280 people, hitting districts that had previously been well beyond the range of Hamas rockets.

Army chief Aviv Kochavi said Israel had reacted with unprecedented force.

Hamas misjudged the strength of our response, he said on Sunday.

At least 58 children have died in Gaza, local health authorities said, more than 1,200 people have been wounded and entire city blocks smashed to rubble.

Gaza health authorities said 40,000 people had been displaced from their homes since Monday.

Save the Children warned that life-saving services were at breaking point after Israeli strikes damaged power lines.

Now basic supplies and power are running low, compounding and further fuelling this humanitarian catastrophe, said the charitys country director Jason Lee.

The Israel army says it takes all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians, and blames Hamas for deliberately placing military targets in densely populated areas.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki urged the UN Security Council to act, accusing Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

But Israels UN ambassador blamed Gaza militants for the bloodshed.

It was completely premeditated by Hamas in order to gain political power, Gilad Erdan said.

 Media offices destroyed 

The Israeli army said it had targeted the infrastructure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, including a vast tunnel system, weapons factories and storage sites.

Israeli air strikes also hit the home of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamass political wing in Gaza, the army said, releasing footage of plumes of smoke and intense damage, but without saying if he was killed.

Balls of flame and a cloud of debris shot into the sky Saturday afternoon as Israels air force flattened the 13-floor Gaza building housing Al Jazeera and AP news agency, after giving journalists just an hour to evacuate.

Netanyahu on Sunday defended the strike, alleging the building also hosted a Palestinian terrorist intelligence office.

So it is a perfectly legitimate target, Netanyahu told CBS News. I can tell you that we took every precaution to make sure that there were no civilian injuries, in fact, no deaths.

AP called for an independent investigation. Al Jazeeras Jerusalem bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, accused Israel of trying to silence media that are witnessing, documenting and reporting the truth.

 It was hell 

The conflict has sparked inter-communal violence between Jews and Arab-Israelis, and deadly clashes in the occupied West Bank, where 19 Palestinians have been killed since Monday.

A rocket on Sunday damaged a synagogue in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, shortly before prayers for the Shavuot Jewish holiday.

And a car-ramming attack wounded six police officers in the flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem on Sunday, police said, adding that the attacker was neutralised.

Sheikh Jarrah has been at the heart of the flare-up in violence, seeing weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces who have cracked down hard on protests against the planned expulsion of several Palestinian families from their homes there.

Palestinians have also been outraged by police actions against worshippers protesting at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

China on Sunday accused the US of blocking a UN Security Council statement on the violence.

Simply because of the obstruction of one country, the Security Council hasnt been able to speak with one voice, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The United States, Israels main ally, had delayed the Council session and has shown little enthusiasm for a resolution.

President Joe Bidens administration says it is working behind the scenes and that a Security Council statement could backfire.

The Biden administration has publicly backed Israels right to self-defence, while urging de-escalation.
Israeli strikes killed 42 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the worst daily toll in almost a week of deadly clashes, as the UN Security Council met amid global alarm at the escalating conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for an immediate end to the utterly appalling violence and warned of an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis.

But the council meeting, already delayed by Israels ally the United States, resulted in little action.

The heaviest exchange of fire in years, sparked by unrest in Jerusalem, has killed 197 in Gaza since Monday, along with 10 in Israel, according to authorities on either side.

Israel said Sunday morning its continuing wave of strikes had in the past 24 hours struck over 90 targets across the crowded coastal enclave, where an Israeli strike that destroyed a building housing journalists offices sparked international outrage.

The death toll kept rising in Gaza as rescuers extracted bodies from vast piles of smoking rubble and the bereaved wailed in grief.

We were sleeping and then all of a sudden there were rockets raining down on us, said Lamia al-Koulak, 43, who lost siblings and their children in dawn bombardment.

The children were screaming. For half an hour we were bombarded without prior warning. We came out to find the building next door flattened.

But Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the campaign would still take time.

Our campaign against the terrorist organisations is continuing with full force. We are acting now, for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israels citizens, he said in a televised address.

 Hatred and revenge 

Israels army said that about 3,000 rockets had been fired since last Monday from the coastal strip towards Israel  the highest rate ever recorded.

Around 450 had fallen within the Gaza Strip, while the Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted over 1,000, according to the army.

Rockets have wounded over 280 people, hitting districts that had previously been well beyond the range of Hamas rockets.

Army chief Aviv Kochavi said Israel had reacted with unprecedented force.

Hamas misjudged the strength of our response, he said.

Two doctors and at least 58 children have died in Gaza, local health authorities said. More than 1,200 people have been wounded and entire city blocks smashed to rubble.

Gaza health authorities said 40,000 people had been displaced from their homes.

Save the Children warned that life-saving services were at breaking point after Israeli strikes damaged power lines.

The Israel army says it takes all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians, and blames Hamas for deliberately placing military targets in densely populated areas.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki urged the Security Council to act, accusing Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

But Israels UN ambassador blamed Gaza militants for the bloodshed.

It was completely premeditated by Hamas in order to gain political power, Gilad Erdan said.

 Media offices destroyed 

The Israeli army said it had targeted the infrastructure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, including a vast tunnel system, weapons factories and storage sites.

Israeli air strikes also hit the home of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamass political wing in Gaza, the army said, releasing footage of plumes of smoke and intense damage, but without saying if he was killed.

Balls of flame and a cloud of debris shot into the sky Saturday afternoon as Israels air force flattened the 13-floor Gaza building housing Al Jazeera and AP news agency, after giving journalists just an hour to evacuate.

Netanyahu on Sunday defended the strike, alleging the building also hosted a Palestinian terrorist intelligence office.

So it is a perfectly legitimate target, Netanyahu told CBS News.

AP called for an independent investigation. Al Jazeeras Jerusalem bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, accused Israel of trying to silence media that are witnessing, documenting and reporting the truth.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Sunday that targeted Israeli strikes have destroyed the premises of 23 Palestinian and international media outlets in the past week.

We call on the International Criminal Courts prosecutor to determine whether these air strikes constitute war crimes, RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said.

 It was hell 

The conflict has sparked inter-communal violence between Jews and Arab-Israelis, and deadly clashes in the occupied West Bank, where 19 Palestinians have been killed since Monday.

A rocket on Sunday damaged a synagogue in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, shortly before prayers for the Shavuot Jewish holiday.

And a car-ramming attack wounded six police officers in the flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, police said, adding that the attacker was neutralised.

Sheikh Jarrah has been at the heart of the flare-up in violence, seeing weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces who have cracked down on protests against the planned expulsion of several Palestinian families from their homes there.

Palestinians have also been outraged by police actions against worshippers protesting at Jerusalems flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

China on Sunday accused the US of blocking a Security Council statement on the violence.

Simply because of the obstruction of one country, the Security Council hasnt been able to speak with one voice, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The United States, Israels main ally, had delayed the Council session and has shown little enthusiasm for a resolution.

President Joe Bidens administration says it is working behind the scenes and that a Security Council statement could backfire.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday spoke by phone to officials in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France, according to the State Department.

The Biden administration has publicly backed Israels right to self-defence, while urging de-escalation.

bur-dar-gl/fz/lg/hc

CBS CORPORATION
Press freedom watchdog Reporters sans Frontieres on Sunday asked the International Criminal Court to determine whether Israeli air strikes on a Gaza building housing media outlets constituted war a crime.

They acted after Israeli air strikes flattened the 13-storey Jala Tower in the Gaza Strip housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera television and the US news agency The Associated Press Saturday.

Israeli defence officials claimed the building housed not only news bureaus but offices of the Islamist Hamas, which controls Gaza. They gave the buildings owner an hour to evacuate the tower.

But RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said in a statement: Deliberately targeting media outlets constitutes a war crime.

By intentionally destroying media outlets, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are not only inflicting unacceptable material damage on news operations.

They are also, more broadly, obstructing media coverage of a conflict that directly affects the civilian population.

We call on the International Criminal Courts prosecutor to determine whether these air strikes constitute war crimes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended the strike, alleging the building also hosted a Palestinian terrorist intelligence office.

RSF recalled that it had earlier asked the ICC to investigate what it regards as war crimes by the Israeli army against dozens of Palestinian journalists covering protests in Gaza in 2018.
Canadian police used tear gas Sunday following clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters in Montreal, as the worst violence in years raged between the Jewish state and Islamist militants.

Several hundred demonstrators, draped in Israeli flags, had gathered in a central Montreal square to express solidarity with the Jewish state.

Although the protest had begun peacefully, tensions ratcheted up with the arrival of pro-Palestinian demonstrators and clashes soon broke out.

The SPVM, Montreals city police force, declared the protests illegal, and squads of riot police intervened, using tear gas to separate and disperse the two groups, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

The police spent much of the afternoon in pursuit of the pro-Palestinian protesters, who spread out and regrouped in commercial streets in the city center, which are frequented by many passers-by.

Several thousand pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered Saturday in central Montreal to denounce what they said were Israeli repression and war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.

Pro-Palestinian protests were also held throughout Saturday in multiple Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver.

Israeli strikes killed 42 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the worst daily toll in almost a week of deadly clashes.
Ever since its creation, in 2003, the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) has been responsible for Rwandas genocide remembrance policy, based on a program that has, over time, influenced all aspects of politics, across all sectors.

Each year, themed memorial events are organised, in close collaboration with the president in office. This article will address the period following the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan civil war and the 1994 genocide. It is a detailed review of the annual commemorations held by Rwandan authorities to mark the 1994 genocide.

2014-2019: Internationalising genocide remembrance

During this period, Rwanda entered the final phase of their genocide remembrance public policy, the second internationalisation phase, as defined by the CNGL. The aim was to urge recognition and commemoration of the genocide as an ethical obligation across the world.

In 2014, this policy gave rise to commemorations organised in Kigali that were considered particularly offensive, especially by the French government. The very morning of the event, the French ambassadors accreditation to attend was withdrawn. This culminated in an accusatory speech by President Paul Kagame at the official ceremonies, at which the UN Secretary General and many foreign heads of state were present.

In December 2017, in light of the widespread international genocide commemorations on 7 April, Rwanda submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to change the name of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. On 26 January 2018, the UNGA adopted a decision without vote to use the official Rwandan wording, changing the designation to the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. This decision was highly criticised, given that the new name reintroduces a specific ethnic group and excludes other victims.

 In 2019, the 25th anniversary commemorations consecrated the international communitys unanimous recognition of its responsibility towards the genocide and unwillingness to try to stop it. The official ceremonies were characterised by expressions of remorse from many countries and took place on an exceptional scale.

Even France, usually in the crosshairs, was spared. A few months prior, a French court had dismissed the case against some prominent Rwandans for the 6 April 1994 attack on President Habyarimanas plane which sparked the genocide). This resolved a long-running dispute between France and the new Rwandan regime authorities, but was not without risk. In fact, in 2017, while the investigation was being closed, Rwanda enlisted a prestigious American law firm to examine the possibility of bringing France before international courts for complicity in genocide.

Though French President Emmanuel Macron was expected in Kigali, he ended up sending a parliamentary deputy of Rwandan descent. In a [public declaration, he highlighted his desire to break with the way in which France had understood and taught the Tutsi genocide and made 7 April a national day of commemoration in France. A commission was set up to examine all French archives relating to Rwanda between 1990 and 1994. A French court also dismissed another case against French officers involved in Operation Turquoise during the 25th anniversary of the Bisesero massacre, in June. The judges of inquiry give place to historians. This indicated an educational approach towards French sovereign institutions, who were invited to acknowledge this legacy and recognise the errors of the past. Questions, awaited answers and the planned schedule for this process could not be continuously submitted to pressure from Rwandan authorities.

2020: The return of controversial commemorations

The 26th; anniversary was particularly complicated for Rwanda. On top of Covid-19 restrictions forbidding public gatherings, the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and UN General Assembly president Volkan Bozkir unexpectedly questioned the new official title on the eve of the commemorations. In his public message, Antonio Guterres specified that among the one million people murdered in just 100 days, the victims were overwhelmingly Tutsi, but also included Hutu and others who opposed the genocide. On this day, we honour those who were killed. And we gain inspiration from the capacity of those who survived for reconciliation and restoration.

 The following day, 7 April, President Kagames short public declaration took note of the statements from the UN. It was addressed to survivors and all Rwandans, evoking those we lost, speaking of tragedy and what happened to our country, and what we learned from it, but without specifically mentioning the genocide against the Tutsi.

Such a transgression of the official wording, set out by the Constitution and legally mandated, drew such criticism from survivor organisations that the President eventually backtracked.

Rwandas draft resolution amending the title of the outreach program required a formal vote to be passed in the UNGA. On 20 April, during debates, the United States and the United Kingdom denounced this discrimination towards other victims of the war and genocide, and the rewriting of history implied by this wording. Following Rwandan pressure, the controversial version of the resolution was nevertheless passed by consensus.

The American ambassador then sent a second explanatory letter to the UNGA President, expressing her disappointment in the negotiation process that led to this resolution  while forcing Rwandas allies, including the United States, to accept language we find concerning.

On 28 April, an official response from the Rwandan government defended the decision to name the Tutsi as the only victims of the genocide and lamented: Rather than advancing reconciliation, the explanations of position of the United States and the United Kingdom bring ambiguity that feeds the resurgent genocide denial movement that is already on the rise in the Great Lakes region and beyond.

All objectives of the active national commemoration policy promoted by the CNLG have therefore been formally achieved. The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is now recognised and commemorated internationally as an ethical obligation, and so is the genocide remembrance policy, now divorced from its historical context, as underlined by the American ambassadors remarks.

In fact, by dissociating the genocide from actions undertaken by the two politico-military blocs during the 199094 war, which culminated in the final war and the genocide in April-July 1994, Rwandas official history has ended debates that characterise the historic work relating to this region since countries achieved their independence. Its no longer a matter of rebuilding, using factual data or research to provide greater depth, but criminalising all those who dare to disagree, citing the various genocide denial laws.

2021: Rwandas other fights

In April 2021, two major events provided the backdrop to commemorations. Back on 26 March, the publication of a report based on French archives relating to Rwanda and the Tutsi genocide was followed by the announcement that the French President would likely travel to Rwanda. In Kigali, authorities were actively preparing for a summit of Commonwealth member countries to be held in June. Everything pointed towards the commemorations capitalising on these advances.

They were indeed capitalised on, but President Kagames long speech consisted mainly of justifying the authorities resolution to defend the fruits of reconstruction  the restoration of peace, security and the rule of law, and the fight against perpetrators of genocide living outside Rwanda. In the process, he also responded to overseas criticism sparked by the regimes measures of law and order.

The President thereby denounced those countries that have not tried genocidal perpetrators living on their own soil and refuse to extradite them to Rwanda: its the same people who question the use of Genocide against Tutsi, he said (that is, those who opposed the April 2020 UN resolution). In the eyes of the President, such opposition is not a simple reminder, but rather a new challenge to fight:

Well, today we have another struggle, people are struggling to call it Genocide against the Tutsi. But the problem of definitions started way back in 1994, of just simply naming what it was.

This struggle and accusations of denialism are surprising, given that Kigali is preparing to host the next meeting of the Commonwealth, an organisation based around the United Kingdom. Membership for Rwanda goes beyond the fact that part of the population speaks English, and is mainly based on adhering to values in the Commonwealth Charter. The British representative went so far as to raise this once again when delivering a statement on Rwanda to the UN Human Rights Council in January 2021:

As a member of the Commonwealth, and future Chair-in-Office, we urge Rwanda to model Commonwealth values of democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights.

Rwandas human rights violations have been denounced by the biggest Anglo-Saxon human rights organisations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which ranked Rwanda among the worst countries in the world in this area. Hence the animosity and cutting reply from President Kagame to Great Britain:

It is as though this simple recognition of what the word [genocide] should be would be a reward bestowed on Rwandans in exchange for good behaviour.  What a shame.

In rebuttal, Kagame referred to a passage from the recent report on the French archives, which shows that President Mitterrand and his closest advisers knew that a genocide against Tutsi was being planned by their allies in Rwanda. The French report does in fact provide a documented approach and strong critique of Frances role supporting the Habyarimana regime between 1990 and 1994, but stops short of stating that France was complicit in the genocide. It also marks a change, Kagame commented. It shows the desire, even for leaders in France, to move forward with a good understanding of what happened, and we welcome this. This is a new step forward from a country that has been regularly challenged by the Kigali authorities since the first official commemorations in April 1995.

But the most important part was yet to come. On 19 April, Rwandan authorities finally revealed their own investigative report, prepared by an American law firm, on the role of the French government in connection with the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. This report was updated in light of the French reports conclusions, but was much harsher. According to the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, the investigation against France establishes that the responsibilities of French political leaders at the time enabled a foreseeable genocide. It also settles the truth, based on recognised facts and existing archives, and states that France did not participate in planning the genocide  nor in the killings and violence, adding, the French government is not complicit. But its a question of law and the Rwandan government will not bring this question before a court. In this way, the foundations for a healthy relationship have been laid, contingent on an official apology, which would be a step in the right direction to rebuild trust.

It is worth highlighting that the two reports agree that France was not complicit in the genocide, and mutually renounce taking the dispute between the two countries to court. In France, the 2019 case dismissals cleared a path for archival historians to take over. Following their analysis of a significant body of official data that had been classified until that point, they pronounced conclusions of a legal character, despite not being specialised in the area of Rwanda. Similarly, the Rwanda-appointed American lawyers came to the same conclusions, having spelled out a long, detailed history of Rwandas liberation from the genocidal regime, a regime that was continuously supported by France, first politically when it took over in the 1970s, then militarily during the war, without forgetting about the relations with the current authorities. These conclusions are part of an established policy, unrecognised as such, following a spectacular defence that France was not complicit in the genocide, which is what their client wanted.

Researchers specialising in this region, who were deliberately kept out of the report-writing process for these two documents, are now invited to assess their unprecedented contributions and recent established truths. Such truths are likely to rewrite approaches to the war and genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.

2022: Challenges ahead

It would seem that next years commemorations will involve a wealth of events and contributions. Without trying to predict the diplomatic and political factors that will be in play, we can already mention two international commemorations that concern Rwanda either directly or indirectly. The first will be held on 1 July, the anniversary shared by warring brothers Burundi and Rwanda celebrating sixty years of independence.

In Rwanda, where 1 July is an unremarkable public holiday, the regime will probably continue to mainly celebrate 4 July, the date that they took Kigali in 1994. In Burundi, its the opposite. Authorities intend to give strong symbolic and political meaning to the occasion, remembering both the countrys independence and the 50th anniversary of the genocide against the Hutu in 1972. Giving a national and international recognition to this hidden genocide will be at the heart of this years commemorations.

Without getting too deep into the debate around the concealment of this part of history, it should be said that multiple UN reports mention the massacre of Hutu by the Tutsi in 1965 and 1972 in their list of massacres it considers genocides (Report, 1985,pp. 12, 20, 22), as well as the acts of genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi minority on 21 October 1993 and in the following days (Report, 1996, pp.89). But, in the absence of in-depth investigations, these crimes have remained free of legal repercussions.

Since Rwanda and Burundi achieved independence, the region has been marked by closely intertwined national political crises, dominated by divided ethnic groups. The various massacres and genocides in 195961, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1988, 1973, 199394 and 2015 remain profoundly fixed in the memories of both Burundians and Rwandans. While the Tutsi domination of Burundi and Hutu domination of Rwanda (now inverted after two civil wars) have established since the independence the political authoritarianism of military regimes and/or de facto single parties, the debate sparked by UN representatives about commemorating one group of victims over the other will endure in various forms, on both sides of the border.

Ouverture du debat des cette annee au Burundi.

The specifics of Burundis event to commemorate the 1972 genocide of the Hutu have not yet been decided. However, it would therefore appear paradoxical that at the next commemoration of the 1972 Hutu genocide, The Burundian authorities do not confirm the position of principle in the name of which they did not associate themselves last year with the sponsor countries of the Rwandan resolution, nor to explicitly mention the other victims. For the vast majority of Burundians, fifty years after the 1972 genocide and a return to peace, it is high time to honour the memory of all the victims of national divisions.

In many places, the open debates, established by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission alongside the current work of exhuming and registering the victims from 1972, have allowed for liberating moments of expression for Hutu and Tutsi populations. These populations have learnt to live together and establish a dialogue. On the ground, strong public motivation and the involvement of ethical institutions in mourning efforts has curbed or even contained politicians intentions to set their own agendas onto the process.

In this context, the duty of remembrance and duty of history are moving forward together. This could finally pave the way for the writing of a plural, shared, national history.

Such demands could not leave the authorities permanently insensitive. In April, the Burundian Senate and the TRC have opened the debate. It could even be contagieux in Rwanda.

Andre Guichaoua is professor of sociology at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne. An expert witness for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, he has published From War to Genocide, Criminal Politics in Rwanda, 19901994, University of Wisconsin Press, 2015.

This article has been initially published by The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence, in a slightly reduced version. It has been modified by Justice Info with the authors permission.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Monday that Rwanda and France have a good basis to create a relationship after a landmark report acknowledged French responsibility over the 1994 genocide.

I think France and Rwanda have a chance now and a good basis on which to create a good relationship as the case should have been, Kagame told journalists from the France 24 television channel and RFI radio.

We are in the process of normalisation, he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron moved to repair ties with Rwanda by commissioning a report by historians into the role of French troops in the genocide, in which around 800,000 people were killed.

It concluded in March that France had been blind to preparations for the massacres of members of the Tutsi ethnic group by the Hutu regime, which was backed by France.

Kagame has in the past accused France of participating in the genocide, but he said he accepted the findings of the French commission that Paris was not complicit in the killings.

Its not up to me to conclude to say this is what they should have said, Kagame said. It is something that I can accomodate.

He also welcomed the arrest by French police in May last year of Felicien Kabuga, who is suspected of financing the genocide.

I think its a good start. Maybe more could be done, he said, adding that there were still a number of genocide suspects in France whose cases have not been handled the way they should.
Toronto-How much money does Canada owe indigenous people for the theft of land, and what will it be like to restore it to the original state?

A new report raises these and other questions as it delves into Canadas history and the financial situation behind the continued oppression of indigenous peoples.

This report is called cashback Released on Wednesday It is the latest Red Book of Yellowhead Institute (Yellowhead Institute). The Yellowhead Institute is an Aboriginal-led think tank run by Ryerson University. Immediately after its earlier Land Back report, the report specifically addressed the deprivation and theft of indigenous lands.

This time, the camera focused on the financial aspects of the equation.

Shiri Pasternak, research director of the Yellowhead Institute, assistant professor of criminology at Ryerson University, and one of the co-authors of the report, told CTVNews.ca: Cashback is still about the return of stolen wealth.

She explained that the new report looks at how the history of land theft by indigenous peoples means the loss of livelihoods and economic independence of indigenous peoples.

That report, Publish through an interactive website It contains graphics, videos, and cartoons, focusing on the actual monetary cost of theft and commoditized land in Canada, as well as the ways in which Canada has perpetually impoverished Aboriginal people through policies and court decisions that limit its economic efforts and choices.

Pasternak said: The project was completed by approximately 40 indigenous thinkers, leaders, scholars, activists, youth and non-indigenous allies and scholars in collaboration with six artists, animators and creators.

Some of the main findings include a survey that looked at the deterioration of housing in reserves designed to help communities under the government debt program.

Pasternak said: The problem is politics, and indigenous rights are not seen as urgent needs or rights. So the problem is only passed from one government to another. The fundamental problem will only deepen and deepen the influence of one generation on the next. .

Track money

The report is divided into three parts, pointing out that Canadas economy is inherently linked to land (by extracting resources or simply occupying space) and therefore inherently linked to indigenous land.

Although Canada received monetary gains from waterways and land long before the arrival of the colonists, aboriginal people from the coast to the coast were excluded from wealth.

The report states: The indigenous people are trapped in vast protected areas and settler islands, deprived of the right to wealth on their territory.

In the first part, the report reviews the history of the theft of indigenous lands and wealth in Canada, all the way back to the sale of Ruperts land, when the Hudsons Bay Company (HBC) soon sold one-third of what is now Canada to Canada. It is made up of the territories of many aboriginal people, but after the Confederacy.

The report estimated that the First Nations received an annuity equivalent to 50 million U.S. dollars through annuities to be paid to those who signed the treaty after Ruperts land transfer, but pointed out that many descendants never even saw these funds.

At the same time, HBC and Canadian Railways earned approximately US$97.5 million and US$107 million respectively from land transfers. Although HBC sold the deed to Canada for only C$1.5 million, the report estimates that in addition to retail and resource extraction projects, they also made a profit of C$96 million from other land sales.

As we stated in Cashback, Canadas economy cannot be understood outside of the land issue. The first part of the report shows how Canada uses stolen Aboriginal land to fund the country. pic.twitter.com/bTPk9i8Fu4 -Yellowhead Institute (@Yellowhead_) May 13 2021

Indigenous people are also usually forced to sell land to the Ministry of Indian Affairs at a price much lower than the price at which companies like HBC can sell land.

In a few figures you can see the impact of the intergenerational wealth accumulated by the Hudsons Bay Company, the railway company and the colonization company through the accumulation of indigenous peoples and the payment there, compared to the amount of land allocated to the indigenous peoples Give them a treaty annuity, Pasternak said.

The second part of the report looks at the fiscal policies of indigenous communities and how to make services underfunded, focusing on issues such as education and housing.

According to the report, Canada tried to take active measures and adopt a retrogressive policy to allow indigenous communities to exercise their autonomy, but in the process, it failed to provide the indigenous communities with the necessary funds or resources. Recovered from the damage caused by Canada.

Pasternak said: On the surface, what you have is that the government is responding and recognizing the demands of indigenous peoples for self-determination. But in reality, if you follow closely behind, compared to other governments, you see The huge difference in government funding for the aboriginal people, and then the weird game caused by the aboriginal peoples reserves or the poverty of the community in which they live, without any resources being transferred to the aboriginal band with responsibility.

Man-made housing crisis

The second part also discusses a project called Default Management and Prevention Strategy (DPMP), which aims to assist indigenous people in debt.

The report found that between 2011 and 2016, the community under the DPMP needed an average of 24 additional houses that needed major repairs, reducing about 10 suitable houses.

Pasternak said: This default policy is designed to help and support communities that are in debt. We found that the fact is the opposite: communities tend to get stuck under the policy, and in this decline, their infrastructure is also very poor. Deteriorating at a rapid rate.

Therefore, we found that according to this debt management policy, the housing deterioration of the community is highly correlated with housing, which aims to free them from deficits, but instead enables people to gain a deeper understanding of these foundations that have lasting intergenerational effects. Facility debt.

She explained that since the band originally planned to focus on getting rid of debt, the DPMP community has regulations not to use funds for housing infrastructure or basic maintenance. However, if it is found that these problems have been ignored for a long enough time, the cost of fixing them will increase greatly in the future, which makes the debt problem of the community more complicated, especially because some communities have been implemented under the DPMP for more than ten years.

A community in Pasternak was eventually hooked for $15 million in order to eliminate the damage to the lock system that was unable to use the bands funds due to DPMP to maintain the lock system around its community for many years.

Pasternak said: The main problem is insufficient funds. There is no surplus in the reserves. The community has been trying to get the maximum benefit from the shortfall, and then put them under debt management, they have to save money in some way. Okay. , If you are already facing a systemic shortage of funds, how can you save money?

The cashback problem

The third part of the report itself is the title: How do indigenous people get cash?

Pasternak said: We know thatcashback belongs to the category of compensation, compensation and compensation. In Canada, some of the most famous forms of compensation against indigenous people have been launched through class actions, such as boarding schools in India and the 1960s. Shovel settlement.

The report pointed out that relying on litigation is not a guarantee of judicial justice-24 lawsuits between 1993 and 2019 involved such as cutting funds for indigenous groups, refusing to provide housing services, and placing them under third-party management. On the theme, only five wins.

The report believes that one strategy for raising more funds for indigenous communities to correct underfunding may be to levy a wealth tax.

Pasternak said: If a wealth tax is imposed, it can actually generate enough funds to cover the major deficits estimated to be infrastructure reserves, education and language funds.

Indigenous peoples also called for more funding for child welfare and annuities, annuities to be paid based on resources extracted from their land. Activists suggested that funds could be transferred from police organizations to indigenous groups.

Pasternak said: There are also treaty-based funding proposals, so direct funding from the Finance Committee to the community will bypass the bureaucracy and patriarchy of the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs. He added that treaty scholars pointed out that many original treaties include language providing continuous The language of sharing land resources.

Of course, one way to get back the cash is to get back the land.

The report said that canceling the idea of ??royal land and giving the indigenous people control over these territories again would be the most direct form of restitution, and described how the indigenous people would get funds from the land if they control these territories. Lease and tax, and collect payments that match the value of the land obtained from them.

Another aspect of the complex system that prevents indigenous peoples from accessing opportunities is the way the courts can prevent them from engaging in the Canadian economy or creating their own opportunities.

The report detailed the Canadian courts decision whether to allow indigenous people to fish and sell fish, and if so, whether the case needs to be supervised by the British government. In other court cases, although indigenous peoples have autonomy, they are prohibited from supervising their high-stakes gambling business.

In 2014, the federal government passed the C-10 bill to increase the power to criminalize violation of tobacco smoke, which clearly mentioned the booming independent Mohawk tobacco industry, which Canada considers illegal.

Even if the court decides to support the treaty rights of indigenous peoples, they may face huge opposition. For example, in 2020, Mikmaw fishermen in Nova Scotia were harassed and attacked by non-indigenous fishers.

Pasternak said: Once indigenous people seek to participate in those commercial economies in a modest way, this resistance is immediate and extreme.

The report shows that one of the reasons Canada fears the financial independence of indigenous peoples is its fear of competition.

Pasternak said Canadians should stop and think about why their estimates of the rights of indigenous peoples are so threatening.

Is it because we have always been the beneficiaries of (colonization) and it is time for the theft to end. We all have to adapt and adapt to the decolonization process?

One thing she hopes to get from this report is to destroy the stereotype that indigenous people receive charity from the government.

Pasternak said: There are many stereotypes about the free money allocated to indigenous people. You can see it in the comment section of the newspaper. People there feel that taxpayers money is spent on indigenous people, and where is the result? and many more.

I think one of the important goals of the report or one of the results I hope is that this provides a real understanding of the facts for the diagnosis. The facts are just the opposite. Compared with other jurisdictions, the funding methods of First Nations are very large. difference.

By CTVNews.ca editor writer Ben Cousins
(California Department of the Interior)-Kevin Faulconer (Kevin Faulconer) talked to the California Department of the Interior about how to resolve the states homelessness crisis.

Faulconer said: When you focus on common sense, I think this is how you make the changes and reforms that most people want and expect.

He said California will need to be more liveable and affordable.





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U.S. President Joe Biden, left, participates in a Quad summit remotely with Indo-Pacific nation leaders at the White House, Washington, D.C., March 12. Reuters-Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



Ahead of the summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden later this week, Korea appears to be leaning toward participating in the U.S.-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) partially, as the country is allegedly reviewing how to cooperate with the strategic forum's working groups in non-military sectors.



Given that the Quad has been regarded as a means to contain China, Korea has been reluctant to accept the U.S.'s repeated calls to join, due to Beijing being Seoul's largest trading partner.



However, Washington has begun to promote the Quad as an informal strategic network for cooperation, suggesting that it is not targeting China, leaving room for Korea to join the forum.



The Quad, established in 2007, is comprised of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.



Lee Soo-hyuck, the Korean ambassador to the U.S., told reporters last week that the government was carefully reviewing cooperating with the Quad's working groups on vaccine access, critical and emerging technologies and climate change. The groups were established following the first Quad summit in March.



Lee's remark was backed up by Japan's Asahi Shimbun, which recently reported Korea's possible involvement in the working groups.



Korea's change of stance follows a series of American government officials' remarks suggesting that the Quad is not seeking to counter China.






New York (AP)-Microsoft Corp. board members made a decision in 2020 that it is inappropriate for co-founder Bill Gates to continue as a board member because they investigated this billionaire. The previous relationship between the millionaire and a female Microsoft employee was deemed inappropriate according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Citing an unnamed source, the Wall Street Journal reported online on Sunday that the board member investigating the matter hired a law firm to investigate at the end of 2019 after a Microsoft engineer claimed in a letter that she and Gates Have had sex.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Gates resigned before the end of the board investigation on the grounds that another person familiar with the matter.

A Gates spokeswoman, who asked not to be named, admitted to the Wall Street Journal that the incident was nearly 20 years ago and ended friendly. The spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal, His decision to withdraw from the board of directors has nothing to do with this issue.

When Gates left the Microsoft board last year, he said he was resigning to focus on charity.

Microsoft could not immediately comment.

Earlier this month, Bill and Melinda Gates announced that they would divorce after 27 years of marriage, but they will continue to work together on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (one of the largest charitable foundations in the world). Gates was once the richest man in the world, and his wealth is estimated to exceed 100 billion U.S. dollars.

Earlier on Sunday, the New York Times reported that Gates had established a reputation of suspicious behavior in work-related environments.

The Times reported that Gates paid tribute to women who worked at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on at least a few occasions. The Times cited people who have direct knowledge of his behavior.
The Southeast Asian country reported the 9635 new case on Monday as the country scrambled to contain the third wave of coronavirus.

Thailand reported 9,635 new coronavirus cases on Monday, which is a daily record, of which more than 70% of the cases are in prisons because of the third wave of this virus in the competition among Southeast Asian countries.

Thailands COVID-19 task force says 6,853 new cases are from the countrys overcrowded situation prisonSince last years pandemic, the countrys overall total has reached 111,082.

Authorities said that 25 people died from the disease, and the death toll was 614.

Thailand, with a population of 69 million, has yet to strengthen its COVID-19 vaccination program.

So far, it has used vaccines developed by Chinas Novartis (Sinovac Biotech) and AstraZeneca (AstraZeneca) to vaccinate frontline workers and high-risk populations with 2.2 million doses.

Earlier this month, a medical staff tested a man in the Klong Toey residential area of ??Bangkok for COVID-19 from a nasal swab sample from a man. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]

It is expected that the locally produced AstraZeneca dose will be used for more extensive vaccination from June. Vaccine registration is open to the public this weekend, and the goal is to vaccinate 70% of adults.

The government has tightened restrictions on daily life to stop the surge in infections.

More measures have been taken in prisons, requiring all prisoners to wear masks and wash their hands frequently. The correctional department is also setting up a laboratory to test prisoners for the virus.

Thai media also reported that starting from high-risk groups or people over 60 years old, vaccination will be carried out in prison next month.

Thai prisons currently can accommodate about 310,000 people.

Local media reported that the cases announced on Monday came from eight prisons in the northern Chiang Mai prison, with the most cases, followed by the Bangkok Remand Prison.
US President Joe Biden delivered an excellent speech at the end of March: I am a union leader. I support unions. Unions have established a middle class. They should start taking action. He was in the rusty suburb of Pittsburgh A woodworking trade school in said that this is just to emphasize this message.

The idea that a political leader of a British country might be interested in what the unions say makes me feel like a huge shift, which makes me back down.

One of the greatest stories in my adult life is that people generally believe that it is okay or even desirable to get rich. In the UK, the embrace of the city of London by the new workers proves this point. In the United States, the lionization of Silicon Valley bosses. This can be seen in the list of the rich and the way the marginal tax rate has fallen. The way the rich have contact with politicians can be seen, and it has almost nothing to do with the affiliation of political parties.

Can the Biden era change? Can we enter a new era where wealth does not mean enter all fields?

Maybe. While schadenfreude continues to plague the failed attempts of former British Prime Minister David Cameron to get rich through lobbying, his reputation has increased dramatically since John Major and Gordon Brown stepped down. Two former prime ministers. As far as we know, no one seeks unlimited wealth. Public recognition is shifting to those who at least seem to avoid personal gain.

Respected

But these guys are getting old. They spanned the so-called silent generation (Major, born in 1943) to the early generation X (Cameron, born in 1966). Regardless of their attitudes, they are part of similar research that has performed well in the past 50 years. What about those who dont? How do they feel about the rich?

In 2019, there are more millennials than baby boomers in the United States. Their living standards are also poor, and they can even control their age (Gen-X is somewhere in the middle, but closer to millennials than baby boomers). In the same year, research by the Cato Institute, a US think tank, hardly became a hotbed of activism-it was found that 75% of Americans felt that our admiration for the rich was too high (although 71% of Americans still said, They feel admiration, not resentment)). But when you ask young people under the age of 30, its really interesting: 44% of people tell Cato that they get angry when they read or hear rich people, compared with 11% of all Americans. 53% of people support the distribution of wealth, while 20% of the total; 35% of people say that violence is reasonable, while 10% think. Long live the revolution!

The reason why millennials now surpass baby boomers is that baby boomers are beginning to die. Data from the Institute of Finance, a British think tank, shows that, on average, the inherited income of adults born in the 1980s will account for 14% of their total lifetime income, which is higher than the 8% of adults born in the 1960s. However, these inheritances are expected to reflect the unequal distribution of parental wealth. It is worth noting that Biden is considering raising the inheritance tax.

Of course we have been here. After the financial crisis, there are many topics about getting the rich to pay their due share. The rich themselves talked about hidden wealth-the idea is, if you have it, dont show it off. However, nothing happened. The banker was relieved and regained significant consumption within a year or two.

Respected

That was 12 years ago, but now there are more millennial adults (some of them with children) unable to serve the economy. The coronavirus pandemic has further enriched the rich and made the poor poor (and killed more poor people). Donald Trump embodies the idea of ??the rich above the rules-but he is gone. Boris Johnson is still in power in the UK, but for the countrys wealthy elite, public relations are terrible.

There is a larger, well-educated middle class with prejudices concentrated in industries such as media and art. Although its members may struggle to make money, it is good at expressing its voice.

Those who feel they are failing are more willing to support fundamental changes, including increased public spending, increased state intervention to reduce all inequalities from health care to housing, and higher taxes on the rich . They may also support green policies to curb excessive consumption, such as frequent leaflet levies.

This does not mean that the rich and the capitalist system will disappear (even if Catos people under 30 wish to do so). But it looks like the partys election is coming to an end  maybe being a billionaire doesnt bring you to the top of every queue every time. Who knows, you might even have to stand behind the union members.

Rhymer is reading. . . Come join our disease, An understatement. This book covers all streaks of excrement, pus, and depravity. The drill on the mouse necklace is particularly memorable.

Follow Rhymer on Twitter @rhymerrigby

This article is part of Financial Times Fortune, This section provides an in-depth introduction to philanthropy, entrepreneurs, family offices, and alternative and impact investing.
An investigation found that the shift to safer jobs and the outflow of foreign workers exacerbated the shortage.

The survey showed that as pubs, restaurants and other hospitality industries and travel companies prepared for the removal of the coronavirus restrictions in England on Monday, British companies increased their searches for new employees.

However, according to a survey conducted by the job search website Adzuna, the outflow of foreign workers has exacerbated the shortage of candidates. In some cities, each job seeker has provided more than 10 job opportunities.

In the first week of May, Adzunas job advertisements jumped to 987,800, an increase of 18% from the end of March at the end of March, when non-essential retailers and hotel companies reopened on April 12.

On Monday, England will further remove restrictions to allow bars and restaurants to serve customers indoors.

Adzuna said companies seeking to hire include bar company Whitbread, Stonegate Pub Company and JD Wetherspoons, restaurant chains Nandos and Pizza Express, Marriott Hotels and Ryanair.

However, after the last three years of work stoppages, many workers have given up opportunities to find hospitality and retail jobs in favor of safer jobs.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: The number of foreign workers seeking work in the UK is much less than half of what it was before the pandemic. This has dealt a heavy blow to these industries, and it has dealt a serious blow to these industries. .

Adzuna said that compared to before the pandemic, 250,000 job seekers from Western Europe and North America apply for jobs in the UK every month, a decrease of 250,000 people every month.

Hunter said: British employers can no longer rely on overseas workers to fill the employment gap.

Employment gap

It is believed that the combination of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic has reduced the number of foreign workers in the UK.

According to tax data, the Bureau of Statistics estimates that according to tax data, the number of non-British nationals employed in the country in the last three months of 2020 decreased by 4% from the same period in 2019 to 4.22 million, while British nationals fell by 2.6% to 24 million

Azuna said that every job seeker in Manchester has 13 job opportunities, while the ratio between Cambridge and Oxford is 11. In Maidstone in the south-east of England, every job seeker has 20 job opportunities.

The shortage of workers is not unique to Britain. Hotel companies in parts of the United States said their holidays are threatened by a shortage of staff, which echoes the recent problems in Australia.

In the UK, there has not been a worrying surge in the number of unemployed people, thanks in large part to the large-scale public employment subsidy program. The vacation plan will be phased out in the summer before the end of September this year.

Another survey showed that British employers have been the most optimistic about recruitment since 2013, and the base salary is expected to increase from 1% to 2% in the next 12 months.

A survey of more than 1,000 employers by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development also found that layoff intentions have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

CIPD senior labor market consultant Gerwyn Davies (Gerwyn Davies) said: Although this quarters survey shows optimism, but this strong employment growth is still likely to weaken in 2021.
AT&T will merge its massive media business including CNN, HBO, TNT and TBS with Discovery, the owner of lifestyle networks including Food Network and HGTV, in a US$43 billion deal.

Faced with the disconnection and intrusion of streaming media services, major broadcast media companies have laid off employees and seek strength through mergers.

The deal announced on Monday will create an independent media company as families increasingly abandon cable and satellite TV in favor of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

In an all-stock transaction, AT&T will receive $43 billion in cash, debt securities, and certain debt held by WarnerMedia. AT&T shareholders will receive 71% of the shares representing the new company, and Discovery shareholders will own 29% of the new company.

AT&T entered the streaming media field through HBO Max, which is a direct competitor of Netflix, Apple, Disney and Comcast. Discovery launched an independent streaming service this year called Discovery Plus.

The abandonment of the media business marks a major shift for AT&T. AT&T strives to complete a deal in 2018 to acquire Time Warner for $85.4 billion. The US Justice Department is trying to prevent it for anti-competitive reasons. transaction.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the middle of next year.
The armed group said that one of its leaders in Gaza, Hussam Abu Harbeed (Hussam Abu Harbeed) was killed by Israeli air strikes.

Armed groups say that the Israeli air strike in Gaza killed the leader of the Islamic Jihad, Hussam Abu Harbeed (Hussam Abu Harbeed).

Mondays killings could provoke a fierce response from groups fighting alongside the Hamas movement that controls the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said in a statement that Hubed after several terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians with anti-tank missiles.

Soon after Harbeed was killed, Isahed Jihad stated that it had fired rockets at the coastal city of Ashdod in Israel.

Medical staff said that after a night of Israeli airstrikes, at least three Palestinians were also killed by an Israeli airstrike on a car in Gaza City on Monday.

According to the Israeli military, fighters in Gaza fired about 60 rockets into Israeli cities overnight, down from 120 and 200 in the previous two nights.

Hamas said its attack was retaliation for Israels continuous aggression against civilians and called civilian casualties premeditated killings.

Since the most recent violence a week ago, at least 200 Palestinians, including 58 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip.

More than 1,300 Palestinians were also injured.
In March 2020, Minakshi believes that her Canadian citizenship journey is about to end because Canadian immigration, refugees and citizenship set a date for her exam.

Then, on March 11, just a week before her scheduled citizenship exam, the world changed because the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

IRCC cancelled all exams, including her, except for several urgent exams held virtually.

Minakshi said: We understand, we are trying to cooperate.

However, several months have passed before the department resumed testing, and it was converted online at the end of November.

Backlog of tests increased during the pandemic

According to data obtained by CBC News, Minakshi is one of hundreds of thousands of people who have fallen into a waiting state.

In a series of internal IRCC emails, employees acknowledged that the backlog of permanent residents preparing for citizenship testing has increased from 87,000 in March 2020 to 102,000 at the beginning of this year.

The information also showed that as of the end of January, a total of 311,259 people were waiting to go through the entire citizenship application process.

Of these, 102,989 waited 13 to 18 months-865 waited more than four years.

120 applicants are like the size of a medium-sized city in Canada, said Ahsan Umar, the head of the temporary advocacy group of the civil rights advocacy group.

The team made a request for access to information, which showed numbers and internal department emails.

Umar said: Because of our current situation, we all know reasonable delays. But when there is a lack of transparency and unreasonable delays, this in itself brings deep sadness to people.

Waiting fee

For Minakshi, who came to Canada 10 years ago and lives in London, Ontario, this also adds to the job search problem.

She has only one name, which is not uncommon in the part where she comes from India. She wants to pursue a real estate career in Canada and obtain a surname. But to do this legally, she first needs to pass a citizenship test.

Since 2018, she estimated that she had paid up to $600 to renew her permanent resident card and Indian passport, and scanned her fingerprints three times to help IRCC conduct criminal background checks. She must regularly process citizenship applications Perform redo.

Although Minakshi started to apply for Canadian citizenship in 2018, she has not received a new test invitation, and she does not understand why it is her responsibility to pay for the new scan, because her actions did not cause any delay.

You know, every morning, I am not doing my daily work, but checking the phone. Every day, do I receive an email? Do I need to prepare for my citizenship exam?

By the end of 2020, Ben Mansoura is one of 5,000 applicants to be invited for an online citizenship test. He must submit a request for access to information to find out if he has passed it. (Mark Boxler/CBC)

Toronto resident Ben Mansoura (Ben Mansoura), another permanent resident, successfully became one of the first 5,000 candidates to accept an invitation to take the December online exam.

However, the senior IT manager must have access to his information request before he can find out that he has passed it.

He is still waiting for the results of his criminal background and language qualifications, and there is no sign of when the evidence will arrive.

The agent on the phone is almost like:Why are you calling us?' Mansoura said, whenever he called IRCC to get the latest information.

For some permanent residents who think they are about to become Canadian citizens, the possibility of further delay increases the possibility that they may not be able to vote in the next federal election to be held later this year. (Tijana Martin/Canada Press)

In 2019, he does not have the right to vote in the federal election, and he is worried that if the election continues to be delayed indefinitely, he may still be unable to vote in the next election, which is expected to take place later this year.

I really want to participate in the progress of this country, Mansoura said. He arrived in Canada from the Czech Republic in 2012. I feel unwelcome here, I feel that I have not been treated equally.

Minister: More digital tests are coming soon

Some of the internal IRCC emails in the 353-page document obtained by the Ahsan Umar team can be traced back to the start of the online test. Employees began to accept the so-called active plan and started the pilot project with 5,000 test invitations. By the end of 2020.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino was unable to conduct an interview on this issue, but at a recent press conference, he asked people who are still waiting to keep their faith.

He said: More digital tests and civic ceremonies will come soon.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino appeared at a press conference in June last year, asking people who are still waiting for invitations to online citizenship tests to keep their faith. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canada Press)

In a follow-up statement from CBC News, IRCC stated that as of the end of April, it had issued 65,893 online exam invitations and 43,697 people had completed the citizenship exam.

Raj Sharma, an immigration lawyer based in Calgary, said: Immigration officials also have to fight for this.

A glimpse of the numbers obtained by CBC News, he said that he had expected the backlog caused by the pandemic to become more serious.

But Sharma said that there is no explanation for so many people waiting so long.

He said: It is clear that before the pandemic, before the excuse of the pandemic, there were delays in certain applications.

Watch | Basic workers, new ways for graduates to obtain permanent residency:

The federal government has revealed that it wants to make it easier for temporarily necessary staff and international students to obtain permanent residency. 1:59

Sharma said: It does seem that there are some encouraging signs that spring is coming. Sharma pointed to the smoother online testing process now.

But for Minakshi, this is not comforting: If I receive a fourth fingerprint request next year, I will withdraw my files, she said.
In deadly Israel, the third emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in a week Offensive in Gaza -After the United States blocked the joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, it did not end with any concrete results.

According to reports, the meeting on Sunday was held after the United States reportedly obstructed Israels two resolutions last week to condemn Israels military response and call for a ceasefire. In the intense bombing of the 2 million besieged enclave, nearly 200 people (including 58 children) were killed.

Israel has proven that its bombing operations were retaliation for rocket attacks launched by Hamas fighters. But the Gaza-based Hamas movement said its actions were a response to Israels policy of forcibly displacing Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the Israeli forces attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque last week. Israel missed the deadline for Hamas to withdraw its troops from the mosque compound.

At the time of the latest round of inaction, US President Joe Biden has yet to show any signs that he plans to increase public pressure on Israel, but has repeatedly emphasized Israels right to self-defense.

Critics, including members of Bidens party, accused the Israeli government of whitewashing Israeli strikes that killed at least 192 Palestinians in Gaza.

Since Monday, at least 10 Israelis, including two children, have been killed by rockets in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said at the emergency meeting that the United States is working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to stop the fighting.

She said: The United States has made it clear that if all parties seek a ceasefire, we are ready to provide support and good rotation.

Although Norway, China and Tunisia led the negotiations, the Security Council has yet to issue a joint statement.

The United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom are all permanent members of the Security Council, giving them veto power over the joint statement. China has previously called on the United States to be the only voice of opposition to this issue.

On Monday, senior Fatah officials told Al Jazeera that they were disappointed with the US position.

Sabri Saidam, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, told Al Jazeera: The positive and serious atmosphere in Bidens recent appeal to President Abbas does not reflect the United States presence in the United Nations last Tuesday. The position of the Security Council. President of Palestine.

Words are needed, not words! he added.

Must stop immediately

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began a meeting on Sunday, calling for a ceasefire.

He said: This meaningless cycle of bloodshed, terror and destruction must stop immediately, All parties must respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

At the same time, the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki (Riyad al-Maliki) defendant Israel committed war crimes during the week-long offensive.

Israeli warplanes aimed at Palestinian enclaves, and fires and thick smoke rose above buildings in Gaza City [File: Anas Baba/AFP]

Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, in turn accused Hamas of carrying out indiscriminate attacks in order to gain political gain and put civilians in the country at risk.

On Sunday, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israels air strikes will continue to be carried out with full force and will take time, adding that he wants to impose a heavy price on the Hamas ruler in Gaza.

Work harder

US ambassador Thomas Greenfield warned at the meeting that returning to armed conflict will only make the negotiated two-state solution between the two countries more distant.

However, the United States has little willingness to deviate from its support for Israel.

In a phone call with Netanyahu on Saturday, Biden was concerned about civilian deaths caused by Hamas rockets. The White Houses reading of the call did not mention the United States urging Israel to join the ceasefire being promoted by Middle Eastern countries.

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, urged Biden on Sunday to increase pressure on both sides to end current fighting and revival negotiations to resolve conflicts and crises between Israel and the Palestinians .

I think the U.S. government needs to step up its efforts to demand that Israel and the Palestinian Authority stop violence, achieve a ceasefire, end these hostilities, and return to the process of trying to resolve this long-standing conflict, said Schiff, a California Democrat. ) Told CBS Face the Country plan.

At the same time, more and more US senators called for a ceasefire on Sunday. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Todd Young, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Group, said in a statement: Due to the Hamas rocket attack and the Israelis In response, both parties must realize that too many people have lost their lives and that the conflict must not escalate further.

The other 25 U.S. Democratic senators and two independents issued similar separate statements urging an immediate ceasefire.

In the continuing bombing of the Gaza Strip, the famous American progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Israel an apartheid country.

The hopeful Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential candidate, also criticized Israels military operations in Gaza.

The destruction in Gaza is unreasonable. We must urge an immediate ceasefire. The killing of Palestinians and Israelis must end. We must also seriously consider the nearly $4 billion in military aid provided to Israel each year. The United States aids human rights violations. Is illegal.
Film producer Michelle Latimer (Michelle Latimer) used to study her Algonquin (Algonquin) and Metis (Metis) identity claims, also provided expert evidence for a Quebec court case, According to the person in charge of Algonquin, this may threaten the rights of the indigenous people who originally claimed to be her family community.

Latimer ended several months of silence last week, discussing the findings of reports about her ancestors, and said that she has a modern blood relationship with Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, the Algonquin First Nations about 120 kilometers north of Ottawa .

In a Q&A with the Globe and Mail, Latimer said that she commissioned two scholars to investigate her family tree. She said that their conclusion supports her claim.

She told the newspaper: I am a French-Canadian Metis, not a mixed Algonquin.

This is the fact that I can accept.

Latimer, in a blog post Published May 11 She said: She is a direct descendant of the aboriginal people scattered in the upper reaches of Baskatoon, Quebec.

Baskatong is a now-disappeared community, also known as Baskatong Bridge. It is a Catholic church north of Kitigan Zibi, where French Canadians live with Algonquin.

Latimer, former director of the CBC TV series con manAfter being censored, it was commissioned to write this report after claiming to be the legacy of Algonquin, Metis and French from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg (Maniwaki) of Que.in a Press Release of the National Film Bureau on August 14, 2020 Documentary about her Inconvenient indians. The lawsuit attracted the attention of Kitigan Zibi members, who began to question her familys connection with the community. She resigned last year.

Some of the clues involved in the discovery and conclusion of Latimers ancestors also run through the several years of legal battles in the Eastern Canadian Court, which defeated the established indigenous people.

One of the co-authors of the Latimer report is Sebastien Malette, an associate professor of law and legal studies at Carleton University. Malette was in Que in Kitty Gandsbys hometown. Maniwaki helps an organization that claims to have indigenous rights in Metis. The case involved a member of the Maniwaki group who had indigenous rights under the constitution to maintain a hunting camp on royal land.

Marlettes work claimed that Metis existed in parts of eastern Canada, a theory that was rejected by other Metis scholars. The homeland of the Metis is usually considered to be the western part of the Great Lakes.

Kitigan Zibi CEO Dylan Whiteduck said the case may reduce Algonquins rights in land and resources.He said the leadership is considering intervention

This is indeed right [Algonquin] Country, especially Kitigan Zibi First Nations. Whiteduck said.

Dylan Whiteduck is the head of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg. (Jean Francois Poudrier/Radio Canada)

He said that this will allow the organization to start boasting in areas that they think belongs to them, which is absurd. They will start to say that their rights are trapping, hunting, fishing this is the ultimate goal. This one The whole thing is to try to deprive the indigenous people of their due rights to inherit this land.

Whiteduck said that after reading Latimers interview in the Globe, only Algonquin can determine who is a member of their country-he doesnt think Latimer is one of them.

No legal determination

Malette said in an email statement that no legal decision has been made regarding the historical status of the Maniwaki Metis community, and he plans to provide expert testimony during the trial in the summer of 2022. He has provided expert reports and testified in earlier hearings.

Malette wrote: In Quebec, the Metis may threaten the sovereignty of the Aboriginal and Inuit people. In various debates, this threat is often exaggerated and played out; moreover, it ignores the subject matter. Existing jurisprudence.

There are appropriate judicial principles and mechanisms to negotiate and resolve disputes between indigenous peoples, but this will not cause any party to fail.

In the past two decades, in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, there have been dozens of similar cases from groups and individuals who have claimed the rights of the Metis. So far, no one has succeeded.

French book  Bois-Brules: The untold story of the Metis people in western Quebec Won the 2020 Canadian Award from the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences.Federal Indigenous Advisory Circle Resigned shortly after the book won.

Not long ago, this letter was sent to @ideas_idees . /twitter.com/hashtag/reconciliation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#reconciliation Work & Cooperate with Indigenous Advisory Committee 2words2, please remember: #meaningful&Amp; #partnership . Ty, other members of the IAC, Dr. Chelsea Gabel, @inukartprof, & @SheilaCoteMeek pic.twitter. com / 7NJOr634xn & Mdash;@pitseolak

The resignation of IAC and the subsequent opinions of regional experts convinced us that we did not show a correct understanding of this issue. We will provide an update at the beginning of next week to explain the necessary measures we need to take to achieve systemic changes in the Federation. 2/2 & Mdash;@ideas_idees

In a statement issued at the time, the author stated that the Metis people in eastern Canada were deprived of the possibility of forming communities to allow vulnerable members of the diaspora to drift.

Their statement stated that their book was based on an analysis of ethnic historical records and showed the existence of the Metis community in the Otauwais region of Quebec, despite the fact that certain local studies and the government denied the Metis community. exist.

Their statement said: We know that such work may offend some readers who believe in the definition of identity and maintain the sensitivity of the political stance surrounding that definition.

We do hope that ultimately our work will encourage respectful dialogue.

proposed question

After the film industry surfaced, questions about Latimers native identity began to increase.

Latimer confirmed this in her blog post, as previously reported by CBC News, Inconvenient indians Special to her roots, which led to the release of NFB news. She wrote that she never intended to imply that she was a member of Kitigan Zibi or had Aboriginal status.

My intention of naming Kitigan Zibi recently is to determine my identity geographically, because I am closely linked to the complex history and cultural reality of the Algonquinian or Metis people in the Gatineau Valley. This complexity is portrayed as my attempt to fabricate or forge a false identity for personal gain. This is not true at all, Latimer wrote.

Latimer said in a statement emailed to CBC News last time: I am sincerely sorry for publicly naming the Kitigan Zibi community until I have completed all the necessary work to understand this connection. Via Facebook in December A similar statement was made publicly.

Concerns from members of Kitigan Zibi led to a CBC News investigation finding that Latimers direct lineage had two indigenous ancestors dating back to the 17th century. According to the Globe, the genealogy report commissioned by Latimer follows the same genealogy route.

Latimer did not respond to requests for comment via email or phone. She has published a defamation notice in CBC News.

Latimer pointed out in her blog post that she was connected to Kitigan Zibi through the marriage of her great-grandfathers brother to Cecilia Natowesi. Natovics descendants live in Kitigan Zibi.

Her ancestors lived in an indigenous world

Latimer wrote that this connection allowed her to form a modern blood relationship with Elder Anne Smith St. George of Kitigan Zibi (later the elder of the National Art Center in Ottawa).

Smith St. Georges said that Latimer asked her for help.

She said: My role is, if someone asks for something, I will help them.

Elder Anne Smith St. George of Algonquin and her husband Robert. (Facebook)

Smith St. Georges said her family was connected to Latimers ancestral line through marriage.

She said that she believes Latimer has indigenous ancestry, and she needs to keep searching, because the process of truly understanding where and who you are will take years.

Smith St. George said: She has indigenous ancestry, and her ancestors lived in an indigenous world.

She must go in a canoe more.

Latimer also wrote in a blog post that her ancestors experienced a certain amount of Al recorded by Quas Okas expedition to the Lake of Two Mountains in 1721. Gunkun ancestors.

Latimer wrote: Especially my mixed Algonquin and French Canadian heritage has been strengthened after the five generations of Algonquin and French Canadians inhabited and intermarried in the unsecured Algonquin territory in western Quebec. , And later crossed the Ottawa River into northeastern Ontario..

Latimer wrote in her blog post that she learned about her heritage and culture from her grandfather, hunting and fishing guide.

His knowledge and respect for the land is a gift he has handed down, and it continues to affect who I am today.

In later years, Latimer said that she and other artists established an urban indigenous community.

Latimer wrote: I am still a loyal supporter of indigenous representatives and autonomy, telling stories that celebrate indigenous culture, resilience and resistance.

The pain I feel

The famous niece and great niece of Metis leader Louis Riel, Jean Teillet (Jean Teillet) said that she read Latimers words in an article in the Globe.

Teillet said: From my point of view, this is an illusion. with Published a book about the history of Metis, titled Northwest is our mother.

Tiette said: I think this is very harmful to both the legal Metis community and the legal Algonquin community.

Most legitimate Metis groups they dont accept someone who found such a great grandmother in the 1600s alone. This wont work. This is not a culture. This is just a fact of genealogy.

Lawyer Jean Teillet is the author of a book about the history of Metis and the great niece of Metis leader Louis Riel. (Brian Morris/CBC)

Researcher Darryl Leroux wrote a book on the growing claims of the Metis identity in Eastern Canada. He has criticized Malettes writings in the past, but she told Latimer There are still doubts about my own history-from the Algonquin ancestors on the banks of the two mountains and lakes to the idea of ??intermarriage.

Leroux, an associate professor in the Department of Social Justice and Community Studies at St. Marys University in Halifax, said: The proximity to the indigenous people does not make the indigenous people an aboriginal.

Kyle St-Amour Brennan stated that Latimer was initially introduced to the band official in charge of membership to help her search. He said he had contacted Latimer after news about Latimers claim to be in contact with the community, and they spoke about it three times on the phone.

Kitigan Zibi members now regret the decision after reading the text she published in Globe and blog posts.

Band member St-Amour Brennan said: My frustration, injury and slight embarrassment will eventually lead to further marginalization of my community. The band members come from the ancestors of Baskatong.

Kitigan Zibi principal Whiteduck said: Unfortunately, I do think that Ms. Latimer was led by mistake.
Microsoft said on Monday that more than 20 years ago, after Microsoft was informed of the relationship between co-founder Bill Gates and an employee, Microsoft was told in 2019 that he had tried to establish a romantic relationship with that person.

A Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement that Microsoft stated that it received information in the second half of 2019 that Gates had tried to establish an intimate relationship with company employees in 2000.

The statement said: With the assistance of an external law firm, a committee of the committee conducted a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to employees who raised this concern.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Microsofts board of directors has determined that Gates involvement with the female employee is inappropriate, and quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that he needs to resign in 2020.

A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment on whether the board of directors has decided to resign Gates.

A Gates spokesperson said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal that his decision to leave Microsofts board of directors has nothing to do with his involvement with an employee.

The statement said: About 20 years ago, one thing ended in a friendly way. Bills decision to withdraw from the board has nothing to do with this matter.

In fact, he has already expressed interest in spending more time on philanthropy since a few years ago.

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation told Reuters that it supports the statement in this document.

The billionaire co-founded Microsoft in 1975 and served as its CEO until 2000. He said in March 2020 that he would resign from the board of directors and focus more on charity.

Gates and his wife Melinda filed for divorce After 27 years of marriage, early this month.
People hold signs at a rally held at the Banpo Han River Park, southern Seoul, Sunday, calling for thorough police investigation to uncover the truth about the death of a college student who went missing April 25 and whose body was found in the Han River five days later,. Yonhap



By Lee Hyo-jin



Rumors and speculation are growing about the case of a college student who was found dead in the Han River five days after he went missing from Banpo Han Rover Park, southern Seoul.



Son Jeong-min, 22, a medical student at a university in Seoul, was found dead in the Han River, April 30, five days after he was last seen by his friend, whom he allegedly had been drinking with in the park from 11 p.m., April 24, until after 2 a.m. the next morning.



The friend said they both got very drunk and fell asleep in the park, and when he woke up at around 4:30 a.m., Son wasn't there. Assuming that Son had already left, he went home. But as Son did not return home, his parents reported him missing to the police.



Five days later, his body was found in the Han River near the place where the two had been drinking. The initial autopsy conducted by the National Forensic Service concluded that he had drowned.



While the police investigation is yet to uncover the truth about the death such as how he entered the water, various rumors have been spreading online, including speculation that the friend is deeply involved in the case.



The friend threw away the shoes he wore that day, which might have contained evidence for the police to fix the timeline for that night. He said the shoes were ruined as they were covered in dirt and vomit.



He was also in possession of Son's mobile phone, saying he mistakenly took it while under the influence, claiming he lost his own phone.





Police officers search for a missing cell phone which belonged Son Jeong-min's friend, at Banpo Han River Park in southern Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap




The Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, California was established in 1888 to provide specialized care for individuals suffering from spinal cord injuries, strokes, brain injuries, and other neurological diseases. As part of the $418 million campus revitalization plan completed in October 2020, the two-story, 67,000-square-foot support services building became a new centralized workplace, housing management, employee health clinic, nursing classroom, and nursing demonstration laboratory .

As part of the renovation, four buildings have been decommissioned or demolished, triggering the relocation of 11 administrative departments. The client executive committee recommends that all departments collectively reduce the scale to share common support spaces such as meeting areas, consulting rooms, and staff lounges. By not allocating common space to each department, additional square feet can be allocated back to each program.

From the early days of the hospital, textile art has been incorporated into the rehabilitation program of occupational therapy. Doctors and therapists use carpets, chairs and basket weaving to help patients recover as a method of healing the body, mind and soul. It is from this inspiration that tapestry as a metaphor was formed, which promoted the design direction.

The design integrates Otomi tapestry artwork in modern applications to commemorate the multicultural surrounding Rancho Los Amigos. This kind of embroidery was created by the Otomi people in central Mexico, and there are symbols of local flora and fauna everywhere. Curated historically significant black-and-white archive photography works and exhibited as a large-scale art installation along with the framed photo wall in the public corridor.

Project details:

Facility name: Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Support Services Building

Location: Downey, California.

Completion date: October 2020

Owner: Los Angeles County

Total floor area: 46,353 square feet

Total construction cost: $13.7 million

Cost/sq. ft: $295/sq. ft.

Construction company: Taylor Design

Interior design: Taylor Design

General Contractor: Kemp Brothers Construction Company

Engineering: IMEG

Constructor: Los Angeles County Department of Public Works





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On Monday, vaccinated Saudi Arabians were allowed to leave Saudi Arabia for the first time in more than a year as the country eased international travel bans aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus and its new variants.

In the past 14 months, most Saudi citizens have been banned from traveling abroad due to concerns that international travel may exacerbate the virus outbreak in the country for more than 30 million people. The ban has been implemented since March 2020 and has affected Saudi Arabian students and others studying abroad.

However, in recent months, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has vaccinated nearly 11.5 million residents with at least one bite of the COVID-19 vaccine, making them eligible to leave the country under the new guidelines on Monday. The authorities will also allow people who have recently recovered from the virus and minors under the age of 18 to travel abroad through travel insurance.

Relaxation of regulations prompted Muslims to rush to Saudi Arabia after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Saudi Arabia said when traveling to the island country: Its really a beautiful feeling after leaving Bahrain for so long.

Cleaning measures

Saudi travelers must demonstrate their health to airport officials through the governments health app Tawakkalna. Travelers returning from abroad will be required to be isolated at home and tested for the virus.

The Kingdom has provided citizens and residents with coronavirus-related hospitalization and implemented some of the most comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the early stages of the pandemic. These included closing mosques and businesses for several weeks at a time, which greatly reduced the pilgrimage to Mecca and restricted the borders to travelers.

On Monday, passengers flocked to Saudi Arabias airports to head abroad.

We were confined in Saudi Arabia for about a year and a half, so we couldnt believe that the ban was lifted and we could see the world. Nawaf Askar (Nawaf), a Saudi from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was traveling with Bosnia and Herzegovina. al-Askar) said.

Other travelers are preparing to go abroad to continue their studies or leave due to long business trips. We have been dreaming [of travelling] Its been over a yearThank God, the airport is open and we can escape, said Saleh, a Riyadh resident.

However, the recent list of countries where direct or indirect travel is still restricted includes some high-risk countries such as Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey and India.

However, according to local media reports, due to the relaxation of restrictions, Saudi Arabians will be able to pass through neighboring Bahrain again through the King Fahd Causeway from Monday. The small island nation legally sells alcoholic beverages under certain regulations and is a popular destination for Saudi residents and others seeking short vacations.

Saudi Arabias flagship airline, Saudi Arabia, will operate flights to 71 destinations, including 43 international destinations, starting Monday. Among them are Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Athens, Frankfurt, Washington and New York.

With few exceptions, foreigners from 20 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France are still barred from entering the country.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 430,000 cases of the virus, including more than 7,160 deaths. Approximately 1,400 people are still in critical condition of the virus.

Although tourist visa holders to Saudi Arabia are still barred from entering the country, Saudi Arabia is still actively marketing its website to potential tourists.

At this weeks face-to-face Arab travel market show in Dubai, Saudi Arabia is actively promoting its Red Sea coastline and heritage sites such as the desert Al-Ula ruins and the Diriyah fort on the outskirts of Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia opened international tourism in September 2019, just a few months after the coronavirus outbreak.
Suheir al-Arbeed was holding his newborn baby Hasan in a cradle on the floor of a classroom in Gaza City. Five other children flew around, listing the basic necessities they lacked.

We need food, clothes, duvets, mattresses and milk, Al-Arbeed, who was born two weeks ago, told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview. After sleeping on the thin covering on the floor, my back hurts.

She added: I have to ask others to provide diapers for my son. I am trying to breastfeed him, but he is still hungry and crying all the time.

Suheir al-Arbeed and her family were forced to leave their home in Shujaiyah and hold her newborn child at the Gaza al-Jadeeda school in Gaza City. [Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]

The 30-year-old is one of hundreds of families living in northern and eastern Gaza. They fled their homes overnight on Thursday when Israels heavy shelling and aerial bombardment shook their feet.

The families escaped on foot and hurriedly rushed in the dark to the Gaza Jadida School a few kilometers away, which is one of the schools managed by the UNRWA, UNRWA.

Al-Arbeed said: There are no cars or transportation. His house is located in the Shujaiyah area in northeastern Gaza.

For Umm Jamal al-Attar, this is not the first time she and her family have been displaced. She told Al Jazeera that she lived in a school for 40 days during the 2014 Gaza War. Israel killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, during the 50 days.

While children were playing in the school yard, the displaced families hung their clothes on the railing to dry [Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]

Umm Jamal, her husband and five children fled the northern town of Beit Lahia, Atatra after an Israeli missile aimed at an adjacent house Houses.

The attack killed Lamya al-Attar and her three children-Amir, Islam and Muhammad-who lived in an apartment on the second floor.

The Israelis bombed us with missiles and shelling. They also fired some gasoline. Umm Jamal said, adding that she could not return home to get clothes or food.

She said: Our children need to distract from toys or anything else that will free their attention from bomb attacks and the fears they live in. Bombing is all they are talking about now.

Warda al-Gharabli cleans the floor of the al-Jadeeda school in Gaza City, Gaza City [Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera] (limited use)

Urgent need for support

According to the Gaza Health Authority, Israels bombing of the besieged Gaza Strip has now entered its second week, killing at least 201 Palestinians, including 58 children and 35 women. More than 1,300 people were injured.

Israel reported that Hamas, the Palestinian organization that rules Gaza, killed at least 10 people, including two children.

Last Monday, Israeli forces suppressed demonstrators in the occupied Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, wounding hundreds of Palestinians and sparking an escalation. When Israel failed to comply with Hamass deadline to withdraw from the area around the Holy Land, its deadline for Muslims and Jews sacred areas, Hamas launched several rockets into Jerusalem. Soon thereafter, Israel carried out air strikes on Gaza.

According to the United Nations, more than 38,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were internally displaced and sought asylum in 48 UNRWA schools along the coast. This number includes at least 2500 people whose houses were completely destroyed in the Israeli bombing.

Adnan Abu Hassan, a spokesman for UNRWA, said in a brief statement on Monday that the agency has begun to provide some basic needs for displaced families.

We urgently need support, he said, referring to Israels closure of border crossings for humanitarian assistance on May 10.

I need to cover my children with blankets

Majda Abu Karesh, the mother of seven children, was destroyed in his house in Beit Lahia. He said these families must be self-sufficient.

She told Al Jazeera: This is the fourth war we have to seek asylum in school.

For five days, we have been sleeping on the bare floor, and we have not received food or any supplies from UNRWA. There is not even clean drinking water, and the toilets are in a mess.

Majda Abu Karesh, 30, is a 7-year-old mother. She said that this is the fourth time her family has left Beit Lahias home since Israel launched an offensive in 2008-09. [Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]

Shaher Barda was forced to leave Shujaiya with his family only carrying clothes on his back. He said that the Refugee Board doesnt take much care of our situation.

He said: We got together and everyone paid 1 shekel ($0.30), so we could buy enough water. We didnt come here to choose, but because our house is not a bomb shelter and there is no one. I was able to survive the crazy Israeli attack.

An Israeli military spokesperson acknowledged the intensity of the bombing and shelling on Friday, and said that the pre-dawn assault included 160 fighters and used about 450 missiles and shells to attack 150 targets in 40 minutes.

The spokesman said that the army targeted the extensive underground tunnel network used by Hamas, but many people in the area disputed the statement, saying they did not see any combatants.

Rajai Barda and his family escaped from their house in Shujaiyah after they were destroyed by an Israeli air strike on May 12. [Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]

Rajai, a relative of Barda, said he and his family could not go home because it was too dangerous.

He said: For many families here, since we live near the Israeli fence, this is not the first time we have been displaced.

He continued: We want the world to support us. And we are behind the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Gaza Strip and behind the Palestinians in Jerusalem and elsewhere. We all need to stand together. But now I just need to give it to me. The children covered with blankets. They couldnt sleep because of the cold last night.
Among a series of punitive measures against Myanmars military rulers and related entities, the latest is coordinated sanctions.

The United States, Britain and Canada have imposed coordinated sanctions on Myanmars military rulers and related entities. This is the latest in a series of punitive measures since the military launched a coup in February.

The United States said on Monday that it will target the ruling State Executive Council (SAC) and 13 officials, freeze any assets in the United States and prohibit Americans from dealing with them.

Canada stated that it has imposed more sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the Myanmar Armed Forces, while the United Kingdom announced sanctions on the state-owned Myanmar Gem Enterprise, which were also included in the previous sanctions by the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in his speech: Our actions today demonstrate the determination of us and our partners to impose political regimes on the regime as long as it cannot stop violence and take meaningful actions to respect the will of the people. And financial pressure. A statement announcing the move.

The United States has designated the National Administrative Council of Myanmar and 16 individuals associated with the military regime. We are taking this action together with the United Kingdom and Canada, and the United Kingdom and Canada are also imposing costs on the regime. Thank you, my colleagues, @DominicRaab @Mark???MarcGarneau?, For your efforts. -Secretary Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 17, 2021

Canadian Foreign Minister Mark Gagno said in a statement: Canada stands with the people of Myanmar. They continue to fight to restore democracy and freedom in their country. We will not hesitate to take further action.

Since the Burmese military seized power, protests across the country have continued. Coup on February 1, Detained and removed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The local coup organization stated that since the coup, at least 796 people have been killed by security forces and nearly 4,000 have been imprisoned.

The United States and other Western countries have steadily added key members of the military regime and state-owned enterprises that provide funding to their sanctions lists to force the military to restore democracy.

However, the unrest continued, explosions occurred every day, the formation of local militias confronted the army, and the coup detat demonstrators throughout Southeast Asian countries protested and went on strike.

On Sunday, there are six opposition rebels Be killed After several days of confrontation, the military said that an anti-coup defense force composed of civilians said.

In the western Chin State, the town of Mindat has become a turbulent hotspot, and some residents have formed the Chin Lan Defence Force (CDF) here.

Our six members of the CDF try to protect the safety of the people of Mindat, [the military] And sacrificed his life for the national revolution. The CDF said in a statement.
"Taxi Driver" episode 12 showcases an unexpected turn of events between Lee Je Hoon and Esom.

With the soaring viewership rating, making the crime mystery series the most-watched Friday and Saturday drama, viewers get hooked every episode with their jaw-dropping revelation and scenes featuring the Rainbow Taxi team and their journey to get revenge against the criminals.

"Taxi Driver" Episode 12: Lee Yoo Joon's Brutal Death

In the latest episode of the Korean drama "Taxi Driver," Prosecutor Kang Ha Na, played by Esom, learned more about the brutal death of her colleague, Investigator Wang Min Ho (Lee Yoo Joon.)

With a mission to help save their witness, the Investigator arrived at the scene but was entangled in a fight with Goo Young Tae.

As he gets the upper hand of the situation and tries calling the police for the arrest of Young Tae, his twin brother Goo Suk Tae attacks him from behind, which causes his death.

Based on the post mortem report, the Investigator died due to multiple stab wounds, making Kang Ha Na felt guilty about the Investigator's brutal murder.

This prompted the prosecutor to arrest Goo Young Tae but was released because of the lack of evidence. "Taxi Driver" episode 12 also showed that Kang Ha Na is eager to solve Wang Min Ho's case.

However, the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, headed by Jo Jin-Woo (Yoo Seung-Mok), cited that the case will be assigned to another prosecutor.

Prosecutor Kang Ha Na Joined Force with Kim Do Ki's Team

Given that the new murder case was out of her hand, she sought Kim Do Ki's (Lee Je Hoon) help to look for justice and avenge Investigator Wang Min Ho's death.

There, the Rainbow Taxi team received a surprising request from Kang Ha Na, which the group immediately took as they planned their set up to take Goo Young Tae and Goo Suk Tae down.

The team's first mission is to look for the witness Sim Woo-Sub (Jung Kang-Hee) and infiltrate the building, which they believe is where the evil twins are hiding their captives.

Unfortunately, Kim Do Ki was surprised that the area is being used as an organ trade and was also found out that the witness was already dead.

Do Ki called Kang Ha Na and informed her about the illegal trade.

Chairman Baek Sung Mi's Plan

In the next scene, BlueBird Foundation and Taxi Driver boss Jang Sung Chul (Kim Eui Sung) learned about the illegal trade and questioned Paradise Credit Group Chairman Baek Sung Mi (Cha Ji Yeon) if she is involved with the case.

She admitted that she knew about the organ trade but was clueless that his personal assistant Goo Suk Tae and her junior managing director Goo Young Tae were also doing a side job of killing innocent people.

With this, the two created a plan to end things out and turn over the twins to the Rainbow Taxi group.

Rainbow Taxi Group Gets Deceived by Chairman Baek Sung Mi

"Taxi Driver" episode 12 showed the unification between the group and Chairman Baek Sung Mi, but Kim Do Ki was doubtful if the Paradise Credit boss can be trusted.

Despite his hunch, the group proceeds with the plan. Do Ki and Jang Sung Chul was outside of the restaurant where they set up a spy camera as Chairman Baek Sung Mi spoke with Goo Young Tae.

This was being monitored by the resident hacker Ahn Go Eun (Pyo Ye Jin) while Choi Kyung Goo (Jang Hyuk Jin) and Park Jin Eon (Bae Yoo Ram) were at the dungeon where Baek Sung Mi is hiding all their captives.

While being monitored by the trio, she offered her a drink that would make Goo Young Tae unconscious.

The goal is to get him and transfer the suspect to the prosecution; however, the plan failed, and Goo Young Tae single-handedly attacked the Paradise Credit boss.

Jang Sung Chul and Kim Do Ki barged in to help Chairman Baek Sung Mi but later found out that it was pre-recorded and it was all her plan.

Baek Sung Mi escaped alongside his men, Goo Young Tae and Goo Suk Tae.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Taxi Driver' Behind-the-Scenes: Lee Je Hoon Hilariously Mocks Kim Eui Sung on Set









KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
Award-winning actress Gong Hyo Jin surprised fans with a jaw-dropping shoot for Harper's Bazaar Korea.

The 41-year-old star radiates a youthful glow as she graces the publication's June cover.

Over Harper's Bazaar Official Instagram account, a series of photos were posted showing "It's Okay, That's Love" actress' modeling skills donning accessories from Piaget.

"The woman who showed the best breath with her second encounter. Meet the fashionable moment, not predictable and contemporary!" The caption reads.

In the first photo, the "Jealousy Incarnate" star exudes a chic yet childlike vibe with minimal makeup as she wears a bright green sleeveless top flaunting her stunning arm tattoo.

Netizen celebrated this achievement as Gong Hyo Jin's fans showed the actress love and support over the comment section.

As of this writing, the post garnered almost 8,500 likes while the majority of fans wrote how "classy and beautiful" the A-lister is in her Harper's Bazaar cover.

Gong Hyo Jin is Piaget's New Ambassador

In May 2019, the Swiss luxury company welcomed the "The Master's Sun" actress as their new brand ambassador.

At the time, the brand explained that Gong Hyo Jin embodies an "elegant, stylish, audacious, independent and confident" woman, which is a spirit of Piaget.

In a short interview by the brand, the award-winning actress revealed why she made her say yes to the Swiss company.

At the time, she mentioned that she is impressed by Piaget's "dedication and craftsmanship" in every single piece.

In addition, she noted that the luxury brand offers "stylish and easy to wear" accessories regardless of the occasion.

"I'm so honored to be Piaget's brand ambassador, and I'm looking forward to learning more about this fabulous brand," she added.

Gong Hyo Jin's Net Worth

Aside from the Swiss brand, Gong Hyo Jin has a long list of endorsements, ranging from beauty, clothing, and more.

She is also the current face of the Seoul-based vegan beauty brand AMUSE.

With this, Gong Hyo Jin's net worth this 2021 reportedly rakes $8.5 million and receives $33,000 per episode, making her among the top 10 highest paid South Korean actresses.

Dubbed as the "Queen of the romantic comedy," the 41-year-old actress has amassed several remarkable dramas, including "Hello My Teacher," "The Greatest Love," and the popular drama "When The Camellia Blooms" alongside Kang ha Neul.

Apart from her notable series, Gong Hyo Jin also scored an accolade of achievement and has won her first ever Baeksang Arts Award Best Actress in 2012 for her performance in "The Greatest Love."

In addition, she also took home two Blue Dragon Film Awards as Most Popular Actress for two consecutive years.

Gong Hyo Jin's Appears on "House on Wheels"

Over Gong Hyo Jin's Instagram, the actress often shared photos of her on casual days and mostly spent time outdoors.

Speaking of outdoors, the A-lister previously appeared in an episode of "House on Wheels," where she spent a day living on a beachside together with the hosts.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Gong Hyo Jin Talks about Her Current Co-Stars and Responds To Being Actors' Favorite Pick









KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
Weeks after the drama "Vincezo" aired its finale episode, the cast started to share their personal experiences of working with their co-actors.

One of the rising stars of today, Kwak Dong Yeon, who made a big impact with his character in the said series, revealed what it was like to be working with Song Joong Ki and Ok Taecyeon.

New K-drama Hero, Kwak Dong Yeon Shared His Work Experiences with the Cast and Crew of "Vincenzo"

Recently, actor Kwak Dong Yeon participated in an interview and shared some of his happy and unforgettable work experiences with two of his co-stars in "Vincenzo," Song Joong Ki, and Ok Taecyeon.

First, he thanked all the viewers for loving and supporting the drama from the first episode until the finale episode, which he enjoyed filming for almost eight months. The "Fight for My Way" star also confessed that "Vincenzo" is a project that will remain as a good memory in the future.

The 24-year-old actor also expressed his appreciation for his fellow actors and staff, "For a long time, I once again felt the happiness of working on a warm set and in a good work environment." He added that he will work hard in his upcoming projects to create and build a bright atmosphere on set.

Kwak Dong Yeon said, "I hope the viewers will remember 'Vincenzo' as a drama that will make them feel better amidst the pandemic that we are experiencing today."

You Can Also Read: 'Vincenzo' Star Kwak Dong Yeon Is Your New K-Drama Hero

Kwak Dong Yeon Praised Song Joong Ki and Ok Taecyeon for Their Distinct and Admirable Traits as Actors

Meanwhile, as the interview continued, the "Love in the Moonlight" actor mentioned that Song Joong Ki is like Vincenzo Cassano himself. According to him, "He was considerate of everyone in the set. Song Joong Ki sunbaenim didn't show how tired he was even though he had the most parts to film. He always takes good care of people around him."

The "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" star confessed that other staff and actors on set have probably felt their hearts flutter even once because of Song Joong Ki. Kwak Dong Yeon praised the "Space Sweepers" star, "With his gentle and vague consideration and the amount of professionalism he showed all throughout the drama project, Song Joong Ki is an amazing person from everyone's perspective."

Of course, the evil villain that most of the audience can't hate because of his oozing charisma, Ok Taecyeon, who played the role of Jang Han Seok, Babel Group's CEO and known as the abusive brother of Jang Han Seo played by Kwak Dong Yeon.

He shared how it was like sharing the screen with the 2PM member, "My on screen brother, Taecyeon worked hard to always create a bright atmosphere on set. His natural energy is already one of his charming points. He uses his glow persona to make everyone feel relaxed and happy on set."

In Case You Missed It: Kwak Dong Yeon Talks on Memorable Experience Working with 'Vincenzo' Cast

What can you say about the chemistry of Song Joong Ki, Kwak Dong Yeon, and Ok Taecyeon in their latest series "Vincenzo"? Don't forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins.
ASHLAND, Ore.  An Ashland-based organization has undertaken distributing $400,000 in state funds for people struggling to pay back rent and those on the verge of losing their housing due to the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Options for Helping Residents of Ashland (OHRA) said that the money came via ACCESS, and is part of Oregon's Supporting Tenants Accessing Rental Relief, which was set aside to help people pay rent, late fees, and back rent incurred after April 1 of 2020. The money can also go toward utility payments, hotel/motel vouchers, and moving costs.

Anyone in need of rental assistance who meets the requirements should contact OHRA's center at 611 Siskiyou Boulevard, Unit 4. They can call OHRA at 541-631-2235 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays to make an appointment.

Time is of the essence as the funds expire on June 30," said Cass Sinclair, OHRA executive director. "If you meet the criteria and have lost housing or your housing is at risk due to COVID related issues, please contact us . . . An OHRA navigator can help determine eligibility and then assist with the application process.

Oregon requires that applicants' gross household income be either at or below 80 percent of area median income. Those who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, are in unstable housing, or are fleeing domestic violence can apply. There is no residency requirement, beyond being a resident of Oregon.

The funding also has requirements specific to the pandemic, at least one of which must apply:

Loss of employment or income due to COVID-19 or related factors

Directly impacted by business closures related to COVID-19

Diagnosed or exposed to COVID-19

Compromised health status or elevated risk of infection or vulnerability to health issues related to COVID-19

Incurred significant costs or experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19

"OHRA really values this funding as it will help people move from crisis to stability  which is our key organizational goal, said Sinclair.

In February, OHRA became the first organization in Oregon to receive a Project Turnkey grant, allowing them to purchase the erstwhile Super 8 motel for conversion into a shelter facility and resource center.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Police on Sunday say they're getting help from the FBI in investigating the latest round of shootings in Portland, Oregon, amid a cycle of violence that the citys police chief says is gang-related.

At least three shootings were reported over the weekend.

On Sunday, a woman was killed in a shooting about an hour after another man was wounded in another shooting. He is expected to recover. Police say a woman was shot in the shoulder as she was driving Saturday, but she is expected to survive.

City officials announced Friday that the police and FBI would be working together because of information that groups, some traveling from California and Washington, were in Portland to escalate gun violence.
MEDFORD, Ore-- According to data collected by the Oregon Health Authority, Jackson County experienced 227 cases of Covid-19 last week, a slight increase from two weeks ago.

Over the last two weeks Jackson County has reported 440 cases of Covid-19, 213 cases two weeks ago, as new cases continue to decline compared last month.

Jackson County Public Health is reporting 15 new cases of the virus on Sunday. This means that Jackson County is 47 cases away from surpassing 11,000 total cases.

Jackson County Public Health also reported one new death from Covid-19 on Sunday. Oregons 2587th death was an 88-year-old man from Jackson county who tested positive on Apr. 22 and died on Apr. 22 at Providence Medford Medical Center. The Oregon Health Authority says that the man had underlying conditions.

More than 140 people have now died from Covid-19 in Jackson County.

But even with new Covid-19 cases and deaths slowing down across Jackson County, Health officials are asking that everyone still follow current mask and physical distancing requirements in businesses.

Last week, Governor Kate Brown announced that Oregon would be following new guidance by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors.

On Sunday, Jackson County Public Health released a statement that until more information can be given on how to verify vaccinated people, all current procedures in businesses should remain in place.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a press conference at City Hall, Monday, to mark a month since he took the office. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Monday that the metropolitan government would continue to use the slogan "I.SEOUL.U," which was created under his predecessor Park Won-soon.



The decision runs contrary to earlier expectations among the public that the new mayor from the conservative main opposition People Power Party would reverse or abolish many of the policies promulgated by Park who was a member of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea.



Saying consistency in administrative affairs was important, Oh said he would not abolish his predecessor's policies just because they were established by a person with different political views, but would develop them so they could help city affairs and the residents of the capital.



"Even if some policies or decisions made by my predecessor are insufficient or undesirable, I, as a successor, want to keep my philosophy to respect administrative consistency in order not to waste our citizens' tax," Oh said during a press conference at City Hall to mark one month since his inauguration.



"In terms of a brand, whether it's well-made or insufficient, it gets more valuable when you keep using it. As a successor, I believe I have a duty to keep using it as much as possible," Oh said, referring to the controversy the slogan brought at the time of its introduction in 2015 for its ambiguity.



However, Oh implied the city would no longer install large-sized "I.SEOUL.U" sculptures around parks or other public areas. "The Seoul brand is intended to be used to promote the city to foreign countries or to attract tourists, but in some cases I can see there was a waste of money."





Citizens pass by a large-sized I.SEOUL.U sculpture installed at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, in this Feb. 24, 2020 photo. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Throughout the state and beyond there is a shortage of workers. Its not just restaurants and retail, its also manufacturing and other higher paying jobs.

Some places have had to shut down operations at least one day a week because of the shortage.

There are jobs out there for anyone who is looking.

Unfortunately one problem at least in Wisconsin is that currently those on unemployment are not required to be looking for work because of a state Department of Workforce Development emergency coronavirus rule.

During the height of coronavirus, the spring and even summer of 2020, that made sense. At that time everything shut down and there werent jobs out there.

Now is a different story. Coronavirus vaccinations are widespread in Wisconsin and businesses are safely reopening.

The problem now is a shortage of workers and Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, is right to have his committee change the rule to reinstate the job search requirement as soon as this month  before Memorial Day.
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Cities across the country, including Chicago and New York, have announced reopening  Broadway will be full capacity soon. This is at the same time as the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has lifted, walk-in vaccines are available around the country, and 107 million Americans are fully vaccinated.

A positive side effect is that millions of health care workers worldwide are looking forward to some relief from treating extremely ill COVID-19 patients. I know, because I am one of them.

But a new poll saying many Americans will refuse to be vaccinated is just one more gut punch for an overextended, exhausted health care workforce.

A March study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and Carnegie Melon University of more than 1.2 million Facebook showed nearly 48% of working-age adults had concerns around vaccine side effects. More than one-third had concerns around vaccine safety, government distrust or didnt feel a vaccine was necessary at all.

The study also shows that hesitancy is linked to lines of work. Those who work in blue-collar industries such as construction, farming and mining demonstrated the greatest hesitancy, close to 46%. While those in health care and teaching industries demonstrated some of the lowest, between 8.5% to 20.5% in some areas.

Misinformation, fear, accessibility and bias all play a role in vaccine hesitancy. But this is not new.

A 2020 commentary in the Center for Strategic and International Studies offers the context that vaccine hesitancy and the spread of misinformation is nothing new and has been around since the inception of the smallpox vaccine in the 18th Century. But vaccine hesitancy is more prominent in the last 25 years.

In the U.S., the risk of dying from contracting COVID-19 far outweighs the risk of dying from receiving the vaccination. But unfortunately, for many, assessing true risk is often more influenced by popular opinion rather than data, research, and factual evidence.

A recent report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that over 65% of the anti-vaccination rhetoric shared on social media originates from only 12 individuals. But it has been viewed by up to 29 million individuals in one month alone.

These 12 individuals have often violated Facebook, Instagram, and Twitters policies but have remained on at least one platform or another continuing to share posts. These posts include false claims and conspiracy theories that the COVID-19 virus itself was lab-engineered, that having children wear masks is considered child abuse and that COVID-19 vaccines have caused thousands of deaths and female infertility.

This content only further perpetuates vaccine anxiety, fear and confusion. And although advertising campaigns from brands, as well as the Ad Council and Covid Collaborative have launched national campaigns to promote vaccine education, the response has, perhaps, not been fast enough. That leaves weary health care providers to defend the science to resistant patients.

As a physician assistant (PA) and director of advanced practice at a large academic hospital system in Chicago, I have lived the last year dealing with the ravages of COVID seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

As health care providers, we left partners, children, families, and friends at home to care for some of the sickest patients with a deadly virus we had no control over. We gladly and dutifully perform whatever duties are necessary, as the work itself is fully rewarding. But it has been at a personal cost.

In a recent Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll of more than 1300 health care workers, 62% of respondents indicated COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their mental health, with the highest percentage among those aged 18-39 which ranged between 71-75%.

Some of the biggest worries included fear around contracting the virus themselves (21%), wearing PPE (16%), new and changing rules and safety protocols (8%), and being overworked (7%).

Even prior to the pandemic, burnout among health care workers had been a growing concern for some time. Burnout, which includes emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a low sense of personal accomplishment, can have significant consequences for healthcare workers and their patients.

A study of medical students, residents, and physicians published in Academic Medicine suggests that physicians who experience burnout may have higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse.

Burnout may even cloud a physicians professional judgment, contribute to poor decision-making, and possibly lead to medical errors. Additionally, data from a more recent NurseGrid Survey showed that nursing self-reported burnout had increased more than 25% post-pandemic to a whopping 61 percent, and almost 20% of nurses from a December 2020 survey reported they were considered leaving nursing altogether by 2021.

The continued rise in vaccine hesitancy likely means that health care workers will continue down the tunnel of exhaustion for the foreseeable future.

It is not possible to change every resistors mind, but continuing to provide emotional support to those who are scared, talking openly about the known and unknown risks, and providing facts honestly from reputable sources, it is possible to combat misinformation.

Sharing positive vaccination stories openly and often can make a powerful difference. Its worth a shot.

Jennifer M. Orozco is a physician assistant.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law by President Biden on March 11 provides direct relief to those impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, it could benefit low-income pregnant and postpartum individuals. The ARPA includes provisions that offer new incentives for states that have not expanded Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It also provides the option to extend the postpartum coverage period under Medicaid from 60 days to one year after the date of delivery through a State Plan Amendment (rather than submitting a waiver to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and awaiting approval). Articles are starting to surface with proposed budgets from state legislatures and governors to use ARPA funds, and we will soon see which states do the right thing for their pregnant and postpartum people.

Maternal mortality is staggering in the United States. We have the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries  20.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 pregnancies in 2019. This alarming statistic is consistent with my experience as a physician providing maternity care for over 12 years.

Unfortunately, I know it is our countrys reality.

Because Medicaid finances approximately 40 to 45 percent of all U.S. births annually, the ARPA provisions offer hope that more pregnant women will obtain access to the maternity care they need. Per the 2020 March of Dimes report card, 14.9 percent of pregnant women have inadequate prenatal care, and among women aged 15 to 44 years, 11.9 percent are uninsured and 14.7 percent live in poverty.

Expansion of Medicaid under the ACA and extension of postpartum coverage to one year, regardless of the states Medicaid expansion status, can yield considerable gains for coverage and access to care for low-income reproductive-age women.

When looking at maternal mortality in the U.S., we must acknowledge the disproportionate effect on Non-Hispanic Black women.* A pregnancy-related death (occurs while pregnant or within one year postpartum) is four to five times more likely to occur for Black than white women.l A large proportion are preventable. Providing access to maternity care could significantly benefit Black pregnant women since they are more likely to be uninsured than white women. But, is increased access enough?

The answer: No, it is not.

The risk of pregnancy-related death for Black women spans income and education levels. Implicit bias, structural racism, low-quality care and inaccurate research are contributors. The question then becomes what will we, as health professionals, do differently today to improve maternal mortality for Black women and move towards health equity? We have opportunities to act now.

First, we can understand our implicit bias and learn how to address it. Implicit bias involves associations outside conscious awareness that lead to a negative evaluation of a person on the basis of irrelevant characteristics such as race or gender. Many health professionals have implicit biases that lead to negative attitudes toward people of color.

Health professionals can often recognize that health disparities impact people of color, but they underestimate the magnitude. Implicit biases can be activated during stress, often present on labor and delivery and postpartum units in the hospital. We need to understand the implicit biases all of us have through an implicit association test and realize their consequences for patients. We can then learn how to apply bias-reduction strategies, such as replacing stereotyped with non-stereotyped responses, focusing on individual rather than group-based characteristics, and consciously considering situations from other racial viewpoints.

Second, we can address structural racism in our health systems. Structural racism describes the totality of ways in which societies foster racial discrimination through mutually reinforcing inequitable systems, such as in housing, education, employment, health care, and criminal justice. As health professionals, we serve in positions with associated power, and we can influence system change. We need to look for discrimination our patients face and say something when we witness it. We need to push for reliable and respectful collection of patient identity data to improve maternity care safety. and facilitate quality research. We need to name racism as the cause of racial health disparities and recognize that structural racism leads to poor health over time. We need to advocate for policy change and intersectoral efforts that lead to equitable infrastructure, services, and quality of care at all health care facilities.

Third, we can focus on providing high-quality care to all pregnant people. We can learn cultural humility, so our care is based on our patients needs and not assumptions we subconsciously make. If our state expands coverage for prenatal and postpartum care through the ARPA provisions, lets take advantage of that opportunity. We can carefully monitor and address blood pressure and blood sugar control, mental health, and reproductive health care needs for our patients during extended postpartum coverage. For those who work in states that expanded Medicaid through the ACA, we can identify opportunities to enhance preconception and preventive health care.

You may be reading this opinion piece and wonder, Does this apply to me? I implore you to consider how it does. Many health professionals have not considered it, which is precisely why maternal mortality in the United States is so horrifying for Black women. Lets believe that we can all do better to address these preventable pregnancy-related deaths.

The ARPA provisions can significantly increase access to maternity care for low-income pregnant and postpartum individuals if states appropriate funds. But for Black pregnant people, access is not enough. We need to do something different today to address racial health disparities. Only then can we improve the care of Black pregnant people tomorrow and decrease maternal mortality.

* In this article, the term women describes people who are pregnant or recently gave birth and aligns with the language used for Medicaid eligibility for pregnant and postpartum women as well as March of Dimes and CDC statistics. It is recognized that not all people who become pregnant or give birth identify as women.

Christina Kelly is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Dr. Goods willing intervention and active interest in my development kept me in medical school and led me to become an academic anesthesiologist. When his career took a turn toward administration, his mentor, Dr. J. S. Gravenstein, took over. He convinced me to stay at the University of Florida, and a couple of years later, when I mentioned a need for a good introductory anesthesia textbook geared to medical students, he suggested we co-write one. So we did. Writing Essential Anesthesia: From Science to Practice together was an incredible journey. Not just through selecting topics and writing and choosing diagrams and writing and working with publishers and proofs and reviews, but through his innumerable stories about the evolution of anesthesia during his career and the story of his remarkable life. But thats a topic for another article, or a full-length book, or series, on its own. Sadly, Dr. J. S. Gravenstein did not live to see the publication of the 2nd Edition of our book. Instead, two of his sons wrote it with me. But Dr. Gravenstein made me into the educator I became.

Tammy Euliano is an anesthesiologist and author of Fatal Intent.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, The inestimable value of a mentor.

Did you enjoy todays episode?

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Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from.
EUGENE, Ore. -- Students enrolled in 4J high schools for the next academic year can sign up for free summer courses taught on-site by 4J teachers, according to district officials.

Currently 18 summer intensive courses are scheduled, and more courses may be added throughout the spring. The offered courses span a wide range of topics including woodworking, stop motion animation, Native American art and culture, financial literacy, and engineering design, district officials said.

Most courses are open to students who will be in grade 912 at a 4J high school in the 202122 school year, but some are limited to selected grades, 4J said. Most courses will be taught in person in July and August.

Students may enroll in one course at any location, regardless of which 4J high school they attend, the district said. Enrollment is limited to a single course to ensure there is enough space for other interested students. High school credit is offered upon successful completion, according to school officials.

The district said it can provide students with a loaned laptop and help with internet access, if needed.

More information can be found HERE.
HARRISBURG, Ore.  A driver headed in the wrong direction on Interstate 5 died after crashing into a semi-truck on Sunday, Oregon State Police say.

Police responded to the scene at milepost 208 at about 10:30 p.m.

Investigators say multiple people complained about someone driving a Honda Civic recklessly on northbound I-5. As troopers responded, the vehicle turned around to head south in the northbound lanes.

The driver then collided with a semi-truck. They sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their name has yet to be released.

Police said the semi-truck driver was not injured in the crash.

The Linn County Sheriffs Office, Harrisburg Fire Department and Oregon Department of Transportation assisted.
By Ivan Ssenabulya

Families have been asked to create time and space to share and discuss various issues concerning them.

The appeal comes from the Executive Director, High Sound for Children who believes well organized families will raise good children into better citizens.

Hadija Mwanje has underscored the need for open family discussions as one sure way of conflict resolution and will help minimise cases of domestic violence.

This call comes just days after Uganda commemorated the International Day of the Family.
By Damali Mukhaye

Makerere University 71st graduation ceremony kicks off today at its main campus in Kampala.

The university Chancellor, Dr. Ezra Suruma will confer degrees and award diplomas to over 11, 000 graduands during the five- day ceremony that kicks off today till Friday.

The Principal Communication Officer, Rita Namisango said earlier that the University Senate in its 169th meeting held on March 24 approved the proposal from the Ceremonies Committee to host a blended graduation ceremony.

This means that only students with first class, masters students and PHD students will attend the function physically while others will attend it virtually.

According to the schedule, students from the School of Law, College of Health Sciences and College of Natural Sciences will graduate today.

While the Colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences as well as that of Education and External Studies will have their students graduate tomorrow.
Combined deterrence needed to tackle NK nuclear threats



By Ahn Ho-young





President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden are scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., May 21. There will be no shortage of issues for the two leaders to discuss. However, from my own experience of preparing for, and participating in, Korea-U.S. summits, much of their time will likely be spent talking about how the two countries should work together toward North Korea's denuclearization.



On April 30, the U.S. confirmed that its review of the country's North Korea policy had been completed. White House press secretary Jen Psaki and other U.S. officials disclosed the outlines of Biden's new policy, even though we are still waiting to learn more about the specifics. A large number of countries around the world, especially their foreign ministers who gathered together in London for the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting, welcomed the new U.S. approach.



However, Pyongyang responded negatively. U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan responded with a conciliatory tone, affirming that the new policy toward the North was aimed not at "hostility," but at "solutions," in order to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.



Around the same time, the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) organized a webinar May 11, where a large number of former officials and academics related to Korea and the U.S. participated to share their views on the Korean Peninsula. Much of their discussion revolved around North Korea's denuclearization. I wish to share some of the main ideas from this as food for thought for Presidents Moon and Biden.



First, I told U.S. participants: "Don't blame yourself too much for past failures." I made this comment because what I read in Jen Psaki's April 30 statement, and Washington gurus' subsequent comments about it, was a high degree of frustration, as well as an urge to try something new.



I understand their frustration and this urge. However, a good prescription needs a correct diagnosis. Past U.S. efforts failed, not because they were poorly conceived or implemented, but because of North Korea's all-consuming obsession with developing nuclear weapons and adherence to "salami tactics."



An example of a problematic  though well-intentioned  prescription based on frustration is, as I wrote in my column for The Korea Times several weeks ago, to cite David Ignatius' terminology, the idea of preaching the virtue of finding a "way station" for Biden.



In this strategy, the U.S. should initially move its focus away from denuclearization itself and toward preventing proliferation and the development of delivery vehicles, such as submarine-launched ballistic missiles by the North. I think that such ideas raise far more problems than solutions for the many reasons I shared at the time.



Second, many participants at the webinar emphasized the importance of sanctions. In fact, as many analysts agreed at the time, the convergence of three factors led to the 2018 "spring of peace" on the Korean Peninsula: North Korea's confidence in its nuclear capability; an exceptionally strong and effective global network of sanctions; and Moon's cajolement of Pyongyang to come forward to join the path of diplomacy.



After three years, those three factors are still there, with some modifications. What changed most drastically is North Korea's calculation. Up until the Hanoi summit in February 2019, North Korea seems to have guessed that, with Trump as president of the U.S., it was on track to achieve its "byongjin" policy, in which it could develop nuclear weapons and its economy at the same time. What North Korea learned in Hanoi only too poignantly was that even Trump wouldn't buy North Korea's "salami tactics."



On April 30, in announcing the completion of the U.S. policy on North Korea, Jen Psaki said, "Our policy will not focus on achieving a grand bargain, nor will it rely on strategic patience." The urge for a new path does not necessarily mean ignoring past experiences and lessons.



We must remind ourselves of the convergence of factors that worked in 2018. In this context, the recent London G7 ministers' meeting, through its joint statement, reaffirmed its commitment to "working together to ensure the full implementation of all related United Nations Security Council sanctions."



Third, many participants, including myself, advocated taking concrete actions to strengthen deterrence. Biden, through his speech to the joint session of U.S. Congress, April 28, said the U.S. will address the threat posed by North Korea "through diplomacy, as well as stern deterrence."



In view of the track record of the North, especially the fact that Pyongyang's engagement in talks and negotiations did not stop it from continuing to develop weapons of mass destruction, it only makes sense that Korea and the U.S. pursue a new path in parallel with further investment in deterrence.



The Asan Institute for Policy Studies and the Rand Corporation jointly issued a report titled, "Countering the Risks of North Korean Nuclear Weapons." The report estimated that by 2027 North Korea could have 200 nuclear weapons, which will equip Pyongyang with seriously enhanced coercive and war-fighting leverage.



This picture is a scary but realistic one. What is even more worrisome is, as the report stresses, "there is a growing gap between North Korea's nuclear weapon threats and the ROK's and the U.S.'s capabilities to defeat it."



For President Biden's stern deterrence to work, it is absolutely necessary to develop the combined capabilities of Korea and the U.S. We must ensure that the Combined Forces Command is educated, equipped and trained to deal with the security challenges arising from the increasing nuclear weapons in North Korea's arsenal.




'Please report anything that looks out of place' - Family of presumed homicide victim in Kittitas County hopes for answers
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A man who conned hundreds of thousands of euro out of two elderly women  including the life-savings of one  by telling them a series of sob stories has been jailed for five years.

Gerry O'Brien (41) convinced his victims that he was due to receive a substantial pay-out from an insurance claim before he stole 107,286 and 27,254 from them over a number of months.

His wife, Joanne O'Brien (39), stole a total of 900 from one of the women on two occasions. She was given a suspended nine month sentence.

Gerry O'Brien told the women various stories to convince them to hand over money in the form of cheques and cash, including that he needed a deposit for a house, needed medical care, needed to drill holes in his walls for an oxygen machine and had been evicted.

He convinced his victims that he would pay them back with the fictitious pay-out.

At one point, O'Brien paid a young fella to pose as a solicitor and phone the women to confirm this tale, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard previously.

Gerry O'Brien, of Belmont Close, Ballyguile, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty to one count of stealing 107,286 in cash and cheques by deception from a 77-year-old Dublin woman between July 2017 and November 2018.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of stealing 27,254 in cash and cheques by deception from a 73-year-old Dublin woman between August and November 2018.

Joanne O'Brien, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft from the first complainant on December 23, 2017 and July 12, 2018.

Sentencing the pair on Monday, Judge Pauline Codd said Gerry O'Brien had left the woman financially insecure in their twilight years.

This is a particularly despicable and mean offence against two pensioners, which involved significant preying upon two elderly ladies, the judge said.

She noted Gerry O'Brien had engaged in the psychological manipulation of his victims and used other people to help him in his deception.

She noted he took a substantial amount of money from his victims and frittered it away on his own addictions. Their trust and security is gone, she said, as she handed down a five year jail term.

In relation to Joanne O'Brien, Judge Codd accepted it was a very different case and that, while Joanne O'Brien aided her husband's lies, she stole on two occasions only and spent the money on rent and her children.

She handed down a nine month sentence and suspended it on a number of conditions.

Detective Garda Paul Kane previously told the court that Gerry O'Brien first called to the 77-year-old woman's door in July 2017 and told her a sob story about being put out of his house.

He told her he was a Traveller from Wicklow with a number of children. The woman gave him 100 in cash and he returned a few days later looking for more money.

Over the following 16 months, she regularly gave him cash and cheques for a range of fictitious reasons. She also gave Joanne O'Brien money on two occasions when she called to the house.

In relation to the second woman, the court heard Gerry O'Brien called to her house and told her he was the son of a Traveller woman who she used to help 25 years ago. She was also persuaded to give him money on a number of occasions.

On one occasion, the fake solicitor who rang both women about the insurance claim also told one of them that O'Brien had been kidnapped up the mountains and needed ransom money. The woman replied that she had already given O'Brien all her money.

The offences in relation to the first complainant came to light in November 2018 when a bank worker became suspicious about the activity on her account and gardai were contacted.

Coincidentally around the same time, the second complainant confided in her son about O'Brien and he also contacted gardai.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the first complainant's daughter said her mother was a hard-working and kind woman, who had always given generously to charity and taught her children to do the same.

She said the O'Briens exploited her mother's kindness with their sob stories and asked her for more and more money. She was subjected to a barrage of intimidating and begging phone calls and had no peace in her own house.

At one point, she said her mother went without heating oil in winter as she was short of money as a result of the offence. Her children only discovered the thefts when the gardai became involved.

Gerry and Joanne conned mum out of most of her life savings, her daughter said.

In a victim impact statement read out by the prosecution counsel, the second complainant said she had been left distraught by the thefts. She said she had only one question for Gerry O'Brien: Have you no conscience?

The court heard Gerry O'Brien, who is in custody, has 68 previous convictions, including theft, fraud and assault.

Joanne O'Brien has 28 previous convictions, almost entirely for road traffic offences. The couple have four children.

Seoirse O Dunlaing BL, defending Gerry O'Brien, said his client was extremely remorseful for his actions. A psychological report and a letter of remorse were handed into court.

Judge Pauline Codd said the letter contained no remorse to the two ladies whose kindness he exploited. This letter is just about his woes, she said.

Marc Murphy BL, defending Joanne O'Brien, said his client had repaid the 900 she stole.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Dozens of people gathered outside a hospital in Robbinsdale to pray for a young girl who was shot in the head while playing with other children in a Minneapolis neighborhood.

Police say 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith remains in critical condition at North Memorial Health Hospital.

She was shot Saturday night while bouncing on a trampoline in the Jordan neighborhood. Police say the shooter was in a red four-door Ford vehicle that drove away after firing at a residence. T

he shooting comes just two weeks after another child, 10-year-old Ladavionne Garrett Jr., was shot while riding in a vehicle in Minneapolis. Garrett remains in critical condition at North Memorial.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP)  A prosecutor warned prospective jurors Monday that the trial of a Mexican national charged in the 2018 fatal stabbing of a University of Iowa student will include graphic evidence that will be emotionally difficult to see and hear.

Prosecutor Scott Brown said the first-degree murder trial of Cristhian Bahena Rivera in the death of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts will feature testimony about the stab wounds she suffered after going for a run.

Were going to talk about the violent death of a young girl, Mollie Tibbetts, he said. Its not going to be pleasant.

Brown spoke during jury selection at an events center in Davenport, where lawyers began working to whittle down a 175-person pool to 12 jurors and three alternates. Jury selection is expected to continue Tuesday before a two-week trial at the Scott County Courthouse.

Legal experts say ensuring a fair trial for Rivera, a farm laborer who is suspected of entering the country illegally as a teenager, will be difficult given the extraordinary circumstances of the case.

Riveras arrest inflamed anger over illegal immigration, with then-President Donald Trump calling Rivera a killer who exploited lax immigration laws and Iowas governor calling him a predator. The case deepened anxieties about random violence against women, since Tibbetts was attacked while out for exercise in her small town of Brooklyn, Iowa.

Rivera, 26, has been jailed since his arrest in August 2018. He wore a dress shirt and navy slacks Monday and listened through headphones as an interpreter translated the proceedings into Spanish. Hes likely to face a jury that will be predominantly white in a state that Trump carried in 2020.

This case has a double-edged problem with picking fair and impartial jurors. They can be overcome, but they are problems, said Drake University law professor Mark Bennett, a former federal judge who doesn't have a link to the case.

Tibbetts, who was working toward her dream of becoming a child psychologist, is an extremely likeable victim who will draw sympathy from jurors, Bennett said. In addition, some will question Riveras immigration status because of the interpreter, even if the judge doesnt allow any mention of it, he said.

Underscoring the challenge, 10 of the first 12 potential jurors questioned Monday said they had heard about the case, and five said they had formed opinions about it.

Those jurors were interviewed individually in private to determine whether they could be fair. At least two white men were soon excused.

One prospective female juror said she felt sympathy for Rivera because he's accused of a horrible crime, and for the family of Tibbetts, who she said was so viciously murdered.

I think whoever did this should definitely pay, the woman said, adding that her view would not at all prevent her from serving.

Dan Vondra, an Iowa defense lawyer who routinely represents Spanish-speaking clients and isn't involved in the case, said the two-day jury selection seemed too short given the issues the case raises. He said jurors who posted opinions about the highly publicized case on social media should be screened out to avoid problems later.

Judge Yoel Yates has barred the public from the trial, citing COVID-19 restrictions, but it will be livestreamed by media outlets.

Tibbetts went for a run in July 2018 through Brooklyn, population 1,700, where she ran cross-country in high school. She never made it back to the home where she was dog-sitting for her boyfriend and his brother, who were out of town.

Her disappearance triggered a massive search that featured hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers and drew extensive media coverage. Detectives say they zeroed in on Rivera a month later after obtaining surveillance video showing a Chevy Malibu appearing to circle Tibbetts as she ran, and a deputy later spotted him in town driving that vehicle.

Investigators showed up at the dairy farm where Rivera worked to interview him and search his vehicles. Rivera initially denied involvement and federal agents put an immigration detainer on him during a lengthy interrogation after finding blood in the Malibu's trunk. Hours later, investigators say he confessed to approaching Tibbetts as she ran, killing her in a panic after she threatened to call police and hiding her body in a cornfield. He allegedly led police to the body, which had been buried underneath leaves.

An autopsy found that she died of sharp force injuries due to stabbing, although investigators have not recovered a murder weapon. Police say that DNA testing on blood found in the trunk of the vehicle showed it was a match for Tibbetts.

Rivera, the father of a young daughter, had no prior criminal history. His lawyers have not signaled what their strategy will be and they declined to comment ahead of trial. If convicted, Rivera faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The trial was moved to Scott County  100 miles east of Brooklyn  after defense lawyers noted that local residents had very strong opinions about Riveras guilt and Mexican nationality, and that they were nearly all white. Scott Countys population is diverse by Iowa standards but is still roughly 80% white and 7% Hispanic or Latino.

Trump seized on Riveras August 2018 arrest to argue for strengthening the nations immigration laws, calling him an illegal alien who killed an incredible, beautiful young woman. Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed anger that a broken immigration system allowed a predator like this to live in our community.

The anti-immigrant backlash was swift. The Republican family who employed and housed Rivera under an alias reported getting death threats. Robocalls linked to a white supremacist group blanketed Iowa calling for mass deportations. Immigrants, even many in the country legally, said they were afraid.

The anger cooled after Tibbetts family members demanded that politicians stop using her killing to promote a racist agenda she would have opposed, and said immigrants should be treated as neighbors, not scapegoats.

My clients tell me that her familys speeches saved lives, that they might have prevented violent reprisals, said Bram Elias, who directs an immigration practice at the University of Iowa law school. In some ways its a sign of how effective they were that today we are thinking about how he can get a fair trial.
GRUNDY CENTER, Iowa (AP)  A man suspected of fatally shooting an Iowa State Patrol trooper during a violent standoff last month has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the case.

Michael Lang was set to appear in court Monday on charges of first-degree murder, assault on a peace officer and attempted murder for the April 9 killing of Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith during a standoff at Lang's home.

Instead, Lang's attorney filed a written plea. Prosecutors have said Lang opened fire on state troopers during the standoff, killing Smith, and was later in turn shot three times by troopers returning fire. Lang has since been released from the hospital and is expected to recover.
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota  The Mid-American Chamber Executives (MACE) have honored the Mason City Area Chamber of Commerce with its Digital Campaign of the Year award.

MACE says the award is designed to honor the inventive media and digital platform content that has shown to push the boundaries of the traditional chamber publication, these awards could include email, websites, banner ads, online marketing, social media, videos and more. Mason City was named the winner for its The Show Must Go On annual report video.

MACE says the creativity and unique approach to presenting the annual report, the thirty-minute movie, complete with an opening scene, modeled after "The Greatest Showman", Boss of the Year vignette, Exchange of Gavel--social distancing style and the closing credits and bloopers demonstrated a level of ingenuity that put the Mason City Area Chamber in a class of its own.

The other candidates were the Bismark Mandan Area Chamber of Commerce and the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce.

MACE represents chamber executives in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
CLIVE, Iowa  MercyOne is launching a new online Community Resource Directory.

The healthcare provider says it will give participating organizations the ability to respond to patients interested in programs including food and housing assistance, transportation resources, health care, employment, education and more.

Social services are vital to the health of our communities and MercyOne is proud to offer this additional avenue for our patients and community members to connect with them, says Emily Fletcher, division director of Social and Clinical Care Integration. MercyOne is committed to transforming the health of our communities, and this is another innovative approach to provide access to begin that journey.

To search for resources and social services in your area, go to MercyOne.org/CommunityResourceDirectory and enter your ZIP code. MercyOne says all searches are completely confidential.
Premature normalization could invite danger



The government is reiterating its plans to allow all students from kindergarten through high school to return to school for in-person classes for the second semester. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Facebook, Saturday, that the administration will normalize such classes fully in the fall semester. "I am concerned about the learning gap among students, and their inability to make social and emotional connections owing to the prolonged pandemic," Kim said.



Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae also expressed hope that normal classes will resume fully in the fall. In an interview with local media last week, she said, "We are consulting with the quarantine authorities to finish vaccinations for teachers before the summer break ends."



The government's eagerness to get students back to school is understandable, given that some children, particularly those in the low-income bracket, have been left behind in their learning due to increased contactless classes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Online classes are also being blamed for passing the responsibility of teaching children to parents. So it's evident that the full resumption of in-person classes must be pushed for at all costs with the future of our children and the normalization of our society as goals of primary importance.



The problem is that reopening schools fully without thorough quarantine measures might risk making schools the epicenter of fresh infection clusters. It is of great concern that vaccination programs are not yet ready for students due to the limited supply of vaccines available, although school teachers and staff are being vaccinated.



It's clear that reopening schools fully without inoculating students can invite danger, considering the possible spread of the virus to households and communities. Before deciding on the normalization of in-person classes, education officials should look at our overall quarantine situation, especially the progress of vaccinations for students, in close consultation with the health authorities. The government needs to boost the country's vaccination rate before fully reopening schools.


Alabama woman turns herself in after machete attack, son still at large
Kyrin, who has autism, was last seen around 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Best Western Hotel near 179th Street and Cline Avenue. A flyer released Sunday indicates Kyrin could be in danger and in need of medical attention.
(KMOV.com) - Lawmakers in Missouri did not deliver on the promised relief to residents who are now in debt to the state because of unemployment benefits.

Around 46,000 people in Missouri have been told to pay back unemployment money they used to live on during the COVID-19 because of various errors, none the fault of the recipients. A bill to waive a significant portion of the debt was proposed in the legislature but it failed to pass before the session ended.

'How am I supposed to survive?' | Missourians at a loss as state demands repayment of unemployment money Governor Mike Parson is telling desperate Missourians to pay up, but his response is not a satisfactory answer to some lawmakers, who will call top state leaders to the carpet to testify about unemployment benefits on Tuesday.

"It went to the senate and and senate held onto it for awhile. When it finally came to the senate floor, some senators with an agenda tried to tack other legislation onto it, which would spoil the bill," said Missouri House Minority Leader Rep. Doug Clemens.

Clemens says the federal government waived what such recipients owe them but money owed to Missouri will still need to paid. Clemens adds that anyone having trouble contacting the Missouri Department of Labor should contact their elected officials.
The president of the country's largest nurses' union has spoken out against updated federal guidance which says that -- with a few exceptions -- people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 don't need to wear face masks in indoor or outdoor settings.
Samsung Display's factory in Asan, south of Seoul / Courtesy of Samsung Display



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Display is on the verge of a strike, as its management and employees have failed to narrow down differences concerning their wage negotiations. If the union stages a walkout, this action would be the first case of a strike in the Samsung Group, which saw the launch of its first union in nearly half a century in late 2019.



Eyes are on whether the union members actually will go on strike as the possible walkout could affect the union activities of other Samsung affiliates. Industry officials said Monday that the group should pay mind to the possibility of a production line stoppage, due to a strike, and the consequent disruption to operations with its overseas partners.



Samsung Display's union said May 16 that they will hold a large-scale rally at the firm's workplace in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on May 18. This action comes after the talks between management and the union failed to reach an agreement over wage negotiations. During the negotiations, the union demanded a wage increase of 6.8 percent, while the management held to their position of a maximum 4.5 percent increase.



The union then applied for mediation via the National Labor Relations Commission on May 4, but the commission's arbitration ended in failure. They decided to stop the mediation process on May 14, meaning that the union now has the legal basis to stage a walkout.



In response to the commission's decision, the Samsung Display union revealed that they have come to feel that the company's CEO has no intention of sharing the company's prosperity with the union, adding that they will express their opinions clearly at the scheduled May 18 rally.



"Who are the decision-makers of this company? Members from the management, who have been entrusted with the authority to negotiate with the union, cannot even make a decision about whether to meet our requests from the negotiation. At this time when the union has earned the legal right to stage a walkout, the CEO has not said a word. This silence makes us think either that the CEO has no intention of sharing the company's prosperity with the union or that there is no CEO within the company," the union said in a statement.



Samsung Display, Samsung's display-making affiliate, is a non-listed company. Samsung Electronics holds an 84.78 percent stake in Samsung Display, while its battery-making affiliate, Samsung SDI, owns a 15.22 percent stake.



Since Samsung leader Lee Jae-yong apologized in 2020 over the conglomerate's long-time policy of opposition to labor unions, employees from eight affiliates have become actively engaged in union activities. These affiliates include: Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Samsung Life Insurance.



Depending on whether Samsung Display's union stages a walkout, this action is expected to affect the activities of other Samsung unions. About 10 percent of Samsung Display's employees have joined the union, and if the strike is prolonged, it is likely to affect the company's production schedule.


The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office on May 17 returned to its owners Irving, a stolen tortoise believed to be 70 years old.
MOUNT VERNON - A Knox County Grand Jury handed down 14 indictments on May 17, including Laura E. Tucker, 33, of Mount Vernon, who was indicted for theft, a felony of the fourth degree.

Allegedly, after the passing of a family member, Tucker disbursed funds from the Estate to herself, but did not pay attorneys and other family members entitled to distributions. This case was investigated by KCSO Dep. Shari Rice.

Charles M. Shannon, 44, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for failure to comply with order or signal of a police officer, a felony of the third degree. Shannon allegedly fled from KSCO deputies and officers from MVPD and Fredericktown PD on the night of May 11, when KCSO attempted to stop his vehicle near Fredericktown.

At the time, Shannon was wanted for a parole violation. The pursuit included speeds in excess of 110 miles per hour, much of which was on roads posted at 55 mph. In addition to multiple traffic infractions, the pursuit resulted in the death of a dog which was struck in the roadway by pursuing police units. Shannon was arrested the following day by a KCSO deputy and an MVPD officer who deployed a K9. Shannon was allegedly found in a tree where he climbed to avoid the MVPD K9.

Cortland R. Williams, 22, of Centerburg, was indicted for two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, both felonies of the fifth degree; possession of cocaine, a felony of the fifth degree; and aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the second degree.

Williams allegedly was in possession of cocaine, magic mushrooms, and MDMA when he was stopped by KCSO deputies. He had just taken delivery of a package at the Centerburg Post Office which was later found to contain approximately 87 grams of methamphetamine. This case was investigated by Det. Aaron Phillips.

Macey A. Jance, 21, of Columbus, was indicted for making false alarms, a felony of the fifth degree. This case was investigated by MVPD Det. Matthew Haver. Jance is accused of falsely reporting a sexual assault to MVPD.

Hilary L. Myers, 28, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. In January, OSHP responded to a crashed vehicle and upon arrival found that the driver, Myers, had an open warrant in Delaware County. After she was arrested, an administrative inventory led to the discovery of alleged methamphetamine in the vehicle. The case was investigated by Trooper Colton Stanley.

Justin A. Flack, 28, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. Ptl. Sarah Wheeler initiated a traffic stop with Flack due to not having a valid license. During the traffic stop, it is alleged that Flack was in possession of methamphetamine.

Eric S. Mather, 51, of Mount Gilead, was indicted for aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. When MVPD officers responded to a disturbance on May 9, they encountered Mather, who had an outstanding warrant from Morrow County. During a search incident to his arrest, Mather was in possession of alleged methamphetamine.

Mita B. Dave, 56, of Roseburg, Oregon, was indicted for passing bad checks, a felony of the fifth degree. Dave allegedly used a check to pay a Knox County company, Shelhorn Trucking, to haul two vehicles to Oregon. The check was returned for insufficient sufficient funds and was not made good. This case was investigated by KCSO Lt. Tim Light.

Jacob A. Hinger, 21, of Fredericktown, was indicted for possession of cocaine, a felony of the fifth degree, and trafficking in marijuana, a felony of the fourth degree, with a forfeiture specification. During a traffic stop with Dep. Shari Rice and KCSO K9 Eri, it is alleged Hinger was in possession of approximately 370 grams of marijuana and a small amount of cocaine.

Latashia N. Shellenbarger, 31, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. Shellenbarger was discovered to be in possession of alleged methamphetamine during a traffic stop by Ptl. Sarah Wheeler.

Holly Daniels, 29, homeless, was indicted for aggravated possession of drugs, a felony of the fifth degree. Daniels was stopped by MVPD. Ptl. McDonald, due to a warrant. It is alleged that Daniels was in possession of methamphetamine at the time of the arrest.

Jacob McQueen, 36, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, both felonies of the fifth degree. In September 2020, McQueen was arrested due to a warrant and it is alleged McQueen was in possession of methamphetamine at the time. On another occasion in April 2021, McQueen was arrested on an outstanding warrant and allegedly discovered to be in possession of methamphetamine.

Jeremy N. Pursel, 34, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for having weapons while under disability, a felony of the third degree. MVPD officers executed a search warrant on a residence on North Sandusky Street on Friday, May 14, and discovered Pursel in possession of an alleged 9mm handgun. Pursel has a prior felony drug conviction that prevents him from possessing weapons. This case was investigated by MVPD Det. Jessica Butler.

Anthony Vance, 43, of Mount Vernon, was indicted for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them, a felony of the fourth degree. Vance was stopped by MVPD Lt. Rex Young for a suspended license. Young observed several alleged signs of impaired driving. Vance has three prior OVI convictions in the past 10 years in Mount Vernon Municipal Court.
The number of refugees in mid-Missouri is bound to increase as a result of the change in presidential administration.
Here's what you need to know: Monday, May 17
Standard Chartered Bank Korea's headquarters in Seoul / Yonhap



SC Bank Korea denies any immediate plans to shut down branches here



By Lee Min-hyung





Standard Chartered Bank Korea CEO Park Jong-bok
Poster for Africa Week 2021 / Courtesy of Korea-Africa Foundation



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF) celebrates Africa Day with its annual Africa Week program, aiming to introduce African culture to Koreans and raise awareness about the vast continent of possibilities and opportunities.



Africa Day falls on May 25, commemorating the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now known as the African Union (AU), on May 25, 1963.



The Africa Week 2021 events run two weeks from May 24 to June 6. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's events will utilize online platforms to reach a greater audience.



The highlight will be the Africa Film Festival. A total of 10 films, recommended by the African Group of Ambassadors in Korea, will be screened on Naver TV.



"Sleeping Before Night" was suggested by the Embassy of Zambia to Korea. Directed by Deexon Nthele, the thriller reflects issues such as poverty and child abduction.



"Supa Modo" is a Kenyan film about nine-year-old girl Jo, who wants to become a super hero. The film is directed by Likarion Wainaina and received a Special Mention from the Children's Jury of the Generation Kplus section.



"O Grande Kilapy," directed by Zeze Gamboa, is an Angolan film based on the true story of Joao Fraga, who diverted the national bank's funds to liberation activists in the 1960s when Angola was still under Portuguese colonial rule.



The South African film "Uncovered" is a thriller revolving around a female journalist who investigates a mine scandal. It was inspired by the true story of the people of Richards Bay who fought a legal battle against the Somkhele Coal Mine over their health.



"The Blue Elephant" is an Egyptian mystery film about psychiatrist Yehia Rashed, played by Karim Abdel Aziz, who tries to unravel a crime by his former colleague who is accused of killing his wife. The novel that the film is based on won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2014.



"Pegasus" is a Moroccan film revolving around the emotionally exhausted psychiatrist, Zineb, and the traumatized and pregnant young woman, Rihana, who claims that she is being chased by "The Lord of the Horses."



Nigerian director Mildred Okwo's "La Femme Anjola" is a "Nollywood" style noir film, combining traditional elements of noir films with African sentiments.



"Noura's Dream" is a Tunisian divorce drama, where adultery is a crime and adulterers can go to jail for five years. Director Hinde Boujemaa explores the theme of women's right to freedom and choice.



"Night of the Kings" depicts a new prisoner at a prison in Cote d'Ivoire, who has to tell a story to survive. It was shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards 2021.



The Embassy of Ghana in Seoul presents "Aloe Vera," a Romeo-and-Juliet style love story of Aloewin and Veraline, who are from rival groups in a village but nevertheless fall in love with each other.



With the advantage of the online platform, all films will be available for free, unlimited viewing during the period.



In addition to the film festival, a variety of cultural content related to Africa will be released on the foundation's YouTube channel on May 24.



With the theme of the "five senses of Africa," various aspects of African culture will be presented in video clips. African traditional and contemporary art will provide a visual experience, while the recitation of African poems will offer an auditory experience.



There also will be video content about Africa's coffee, cuisine, musical instruments and places of interest for tourism.


It is necessary to develop small modular reactors



Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil has called on the Moon Jae-in administration to reconsider its nuclear phase-out policy. During a meeting with President Moon, Friday, Song emphasized the need to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) so that the country can lead the global nuclear power market. This development will also help Korea achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, according to Song.



"The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden has been focusing on the SMR sector so as to push toward carbon neutrality. Korea and the United States should boost their strategic cooperation in the SMR field and other nuclear sectors," Song said. We hope that his call leads to a shift in the Moon government's nuclear energy policy.



Moon should listen and react positively to what Song is saying, as the new DPK leader is also reflecting the public's concerns about the government's push for a nuclear phase-out. The chairman's call for a policy change came after he became head of the governing party in the wake of its crushing defeat in the April 7 mayoral by-elections. A large number of voters have turned their back on the DPK due to the Moon government's policy failures, including the ill-conceived one of reducing nuclear power generation.



An SMR is a small-sized reactor that can produce 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity, integrating major equipment like a steam generator and coolant pump into a containment unit. About 1/150th the size of a conventional nuclear reactor, it is easy to install, with one third of the construction costs. It helps maintain a nuclear reactor ecosystem, enhance relevant technology and create decent jobs.



The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) foresees some 1,000 SMRs being built around the world by 2050. The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) is pushing for the development of SMRs, with the goal of exporting them starting in 2030. The U.S., Russia and China have embarked on developing some 70 kinds of SMRs, amid bright prospects in future markets.



Major economies have been rushing to meet the requirements of efficiency and eco-friendliness. These requirements result from the fact that the incoming Fourth Industrial Revolution is comprised of many high electricity-consuming industries as well as carbon reduction, which has emerged as a significant global agenda item.



Korea has already developed its own SMR with the brand name "SMART," acquiring a patent for the first time in the world. Yet, it has failed to advance and commercialize the technology, due to the government's nuclear phase-out policy. While declaring 2050 as the target year for carbon neutrality, the Moon administration has been concentrating on promoting renewable energy.



For instance, it plans to construct an 8.2 gigawatt (GW) windmill off Sinan, South Jeolla Province, by investing 48 trillion won ($40 billion). Yet, there are growing concerns that renewable energy sources are heavily dependent on weather conditions, with wind power generation efficiency equivalent to 24 percent of that of nuclear energy. The Moon administration should reconsider its nuclear energy policy and accept Rep. Song's recommendation.


Samsung SDI's booth at the International Electric Vehicle Expo, held on Jeju Island in 2016 / Courtesy of Samsung SDI



By Kim Bo-eun



Samsung SDI is looking to build its first battery cell plant in the United States, as the market for electric vehicles (EV) there is set to see explosive growth, according to industry sources, Monday.



The battery making unit of the nation's largest conglomerate already operates a plant for assembling battery packs in the U.S. state of Michigan, but is behind its rivals in efforts to secure U.S. market share.



"Considering the growth potential of the U.S. EV market, it makes sense for Samsung SDI to set up a production facility there," a source said.



A tariff incentive is also a factor in this, as under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), battery manufacturers can enjoy tariff-free benefits if they base 75 percent of their production in the region by July 2025.



The construction of the plant has become more likely given Samsung SDI will supply batteries to the U.S. EV startup Rivian, which is backed by investments from Amazon and Ford. This has raised speculation that the plant could also be constructed in Michigan.



"A review is taking place from the mid- to long-term perspective, but nothing has been decided so far," a senior company official said.



Given the tariff-free factor, Samsung SDI is taking the first of small steps, although the company is not yet ready to officially reveal its investment plans for the U.S.



Samsung appears to be taking a more prudent approach, seeking to resolve safety issues first, following a spate of recent battery fire incidents. Earlier, BMW and Ford recalled their hybrid vehicles with Samsung SDI batteries after fires were reported.



Outside Korea, Samsung SDI has already built production sites in Hungary and China. Carmakers around the world have vowed to develop their own EV batteries in a bid to secure a stable supply, but battery makers still see ample business opportunities because it will take time for auto manufacturers to be able to mass produce batteries.



South Korean battery manufacturers including LG Energy Solution (LGES) and SK Innovation (SKI) are rushing to the U.S. to capitalize on the exponential growth of the EV market there. Demand for EVs is set to grow 12-fold to 3.8 million vehicles in 2025, from 305,000 vehicles in 2020, according to energy market tracker SNE Research.



The U.S. market is expected to show significantly sharper growth than those of China and Europe. The U.S. market currently ranks third with a 20.8 percent market share, behind China with 38.6 percent and Europe with 32.1 percent.



Samsung SDI's rivals LGES and SKI have been aggressively investing into expanding EV battery production facilities in the U.S. to capture opportunities in the market.



LGES has partnered with GM to set up a joint venture to produce EV batteries, and unveiled a plan to build a second plant in Tennessee, in addition to its one in Lordstown, Ohio. LG's battery affiliate is also separately investing 5 trillion won into setting up new production plants in the U.S. by 2025. The company is soon expected to announce the specifics of its U.S. factory investments.



SKI has two plants in the U.S. state of Georgia that are under construction. The first plant is nearing completion and construction of the second has progressed about 20 percent. Given SK Chairman Chey Tae-won is set to accompany President Moon Jae-in on his trip to Washington this week, speculation is growing over the possibility of the company announcing additional investments.




SK Bioscience's plant in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of SK Bioscience



By Kim Bo-eun



SK's vaccine contract manufacturer said Monday that it received quality approval from European authorities for its plant that produces COVID-19 vaccines here.



Its Andong plant in North Gyeongsang Province is manufactur COVID-19 vaccines for U.K. company AstraZeneca on a contract basis, and it plans to do so for U.S. firm Novavax, once drug authorities approve the vaccine.



SK Bioscience said that the European Medicines Agency determined its Andong plant met its good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards. GMP is the minimum standard Europe requires medicine manufacturers to meet in their production processes.



The biopharmaceutical company received the European authority's approval in the contract manufacturing of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on March 29. It also obtained approval for manufacturing the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidate on April 26. This case is the first where a local vaccine plant has been certified by European standards. SK Bioscience is seeking to receive the same approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (USFDA).



The vaccine manufacturer plans to expand its Andong production plant to boost production capacity, as it aims to win more orders to develop and produce the vaccines of global firms.



SK Bioscience said its advanced technology-based manufacturing facilities and R&D personnel are optimized to produce vaccines and the processes involved in making them, such as cell cultivation, bacterial cultivation, gene recombination and protein conjugation. The company said that these optimized capabilities enable it to mass-produce even the newest vaccines immediately. It is also reviewing the extension of existing contracts, as client firms are seeking to increase their vaccine supplies.



"With the pandemic, the global vaccine demand is expected to increase explosively, and SK Bioscience is at the center of it," SK Bioscience CEO Ahn Jae-young was quoted as saying in a press release. "Based on our globally recognized technologies, we will accelerate our business expansion."



SK Bioscience signed a contract to manufacture the drug substance and final product of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University in July of last year. The company then sealed a deal with Novavax to develop and produce its COVID-19 vaccine in August 2020. The SK affiliate also signed a license contract with Novavax, earning the rights to produce and sell its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Korea.



Novavax CEO Stanley Erck visited SK Bioscience's Andong plant last month, to check its vaccine production and to discuss related issues with the contract manufacturer. Erck also met with President Moon Jae-in to discuss the vaccine supply. Novavax's vaccine has yet to receive approval globally.


gettyimagesbank



By Ko Dong-hwan



Eone Diagnomics Genome Center (EDGC) has sold its prenatal DNA testing service to a hospital in Pakistan, raising hopes there that more pregnant women will be able to receive information on fetal health more conveniently.



The genetic sequencing company based in Incheon's Songdo said May 14 that the technologies and systemic foundations used in the service  called NICE  will be provided to Surgimed Hospital in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province. The hospital, according to EDGC, is one of the country's most advanced; it is at the forefront of studying and treating not only COVID-19 during the ongoing pandemic, but also HIV, human leukocyte antigen and inherited diseases.



NICE, which stands for "non-invasive chromosome examination," enables medical professionals to examine the health conditions of a fetus via a blood sample from the mother. It is a method more convenient and less painful for pregnant women than the traditional procedure that extracts amniotic fluid from the womb by injecting a needle inside. NICE, according to EDGC, has zero risks of miscarriage or rupture of the amniotic sac.



Hospitals using NICE can send especially designed tubes containing the blood samples to EDGC's genetic laboratory in Korea, where they will be analyzed. EDGC then examines the cell-free DNA contained in the samples to check if the fetus' chromosomes have any signs of abnormalities. The laboratory then sends the examination results back to the hospital where the samples came from, and physicians inform the service users of the results.





A launching event for EDGC's NICE service in Bangkok in 2018 / Courtesy of the EDGC
Korea Airports Corp. President and CEO Son Chang-wan speaks during a media conference at the firm's headquarters in Seoul's Gangseo District, Monday. Courtesy of Korea Airports Corp.



By Jun Ji-hye



The Korea Airports Corp. (KAC) will carry out a feasibility study for an airport development project in Laos worth 100 billion won ($88 million), the state-run airport operator said Monday.



KAC President and CEO Son Chang-wan said during a media conference that the Laotian government is currently pushing for the project to improve and expand Luang Prabang International Airport, located about 4 kilometers from the center of Luang Prabang in northern Laos.



The city, which was the royal capital of Laos until 1975, is known for its many Buddhist temples, and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1995.



The KAC, which operates 14 regional airports in Korea except for Incheon International Airport, participated in a bid that took place in February, and was selected as the successful bidder over the other airport operators of France, Japan and Malaysia.



The Korean airport operator will carry out the feasibility study, which includes forecasting air travel demand and drawing up plans to improve the airport operating system, as well as an environmental effects evaluation, for the next six months.



After this, the KAC will form a "Team Korea" consortium with construction companies here to participate in the work of expanding and improving the airport's facilities, with the chance of the Korean consortium's participation being very high, according to the KAC.



The project is expected to be carried out during the next 10 to 30 years, in accordance with the results of the feasibility study and the Laotian government's investment decision.



In 2019, the KAC won a 34.7 billion won bid to oversee and manage construction operations for the new Chinchero International Airport in Peru by the end of 2024. This airport is the gateway to Machu Picchu.



The airport operator also secured a 540 billion won order in April to operate an airport in Manta, Ecuador, for 30 years.



KAC head Son said that the firm's latest achievement in Laos was meaningful in that its overseas businesses, which were focused on Africa and South America, have been expanded to the Asia-Pacific region.



"As a global airport company that has a rich body of experience and knowhow, we will continue to explore the global market actively," Son said.




SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, right, also chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), speaks with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook, during Moon's visit to the KCCI in Seoul, May 12. Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



The Biden America is committed to forming distinctively anti-China supply chains jointly with allies to protect key industries that it sees as critical for national security.



This means Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK have to be diplomatically sensitive to prevent China from assuming they are a part of the anti-China alliance, according to analysts, Monday.



The four will send their respective business executives to the U.S. with President Moon Jae-in this week as part of the "unofficial economic delegation." They accordingly plan to announce large-scale investment plans at the time of the first Korea-U.S. summit on May 21, the total amount of which would reach some 40 trillion won ($35.2 billion).



Unlike previous presidential visits, this one will not include a large-scale business delegation due to safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.



The "big four" companies plan to invest in pharmaceuticals, large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, bioscience and semiconductor chips, which the Biden administration addresses to "outcompete" China.



"The executives will certainly will be required to develop a diplomatic sense of awareness this time as the Washington-China row is escalating to an unprecedented level," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Ewha Womans University.



He noted the Biden administration has begun to flesh out an overarching strategy to bolster domestic investments and also to compete with China by enhancing its alliance with Korea, Japan, Australia and India, among others.



The allied countries are defined as those who share values of democracy and freedom against China's autocracy, in the U.S. vision to control the global economy.



An economist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, voiced a similar view with Park.



"The entrepreneurs, unfortunately, may need to take U.S.-China relations into account in making business decisions for a while," he said.



Of the four conglomerates, SK has several affiliates with a keen interest in estimated outstanding issues to be discussed and touched upon during the summit, such as semiconductor producer SK hynix, battery maker SK Innovation and SK Bioscience.



For instance, SK Innovation is currently building two battery manufacturing plants in Georgia and has plans to build two more. Accordingly, Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who is also chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), will be a part of the economic delegation.



Regarding Samsung Electronics, it was the only Korean company invited to a special White House meeting in April on the global semiconductor shortage. It was also invited to a conference held by the U.S. Department of Commerce this month to further discuss the chip shortage issue.



Samsung is set to announce the specifics of its massive semiconductor investment plan just before the start of the summit. The investment plan would be Samsung's best bet to expand its foundry chip-making line already in operation in the U.S. state of Texas. The amount of the investment would be around 20 trillion won, according to reports.



"It is doubtless the firms came up with investment plans in accordance with business strategy, but China may pick on them if the investments work against it," Park said. The professor noted the Korean companies in the 6G technology sector especially should actively join the U.S.-led global supply chain so that they will not be left out if the U.S. seizes the initiative in the wireless technology race.



"Compared to other sectors, wireless and other digital technologies undergo faster changes as well as related standard. Firms will not benefit much if they maintain ambiguous stances and remain passive in spending money for the U.S.-led digital connectivity partnership," Park explained.



Meanwhile, an economist at Hyundai Research Institute viewed China may not go for economic retaliation against individual companies that it sees as "actively" joining U.S. efforts to form a global supply chain.


CHEYENNE, Wyo.  Governor Mark Gordon has identified the areas on which he will focus to administer federal dollars awarded to the state under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

According to a release, Wyoming just recently received the first half of the states allocation.

The governor plans to strategically utilize the $1 billion in federal funds to address the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The areas of focus he has identified are:

Health and Social Services

Education and Workforce

Economic Diversity and Economic Development

Gov. Gordon and his Cabinet say they are working to identify both short and long-term priorities within each area of focus. This work not only includes identifying the most significant problems the state is facing due to the pandemic, but also identifying the best opportunities for investment of these funds.

A preliminary planning framework will be released in June. The process will include developing proposals for initiatives or new programs for consideration by the Legislature. Unlike previously received federal relief funds, the funds provided to the state by the ARP do not need to be immediately spent. The state has more than three years to spend these funds.

The governor emphasized his determination to use the funds strategically.

We are going to be laser-focused on addressing Wyomings short and long-term recovery, and on getting people back to work, Gov. Gordon said. I want to ensure we use these dollars to thrive in the long-term, because this federal spending is increasing debt on our children and the generations to come. We must not squander this opportunity to invest wisely in our states future.

Counties and municipalities, as well as tribal governments, will also receive separate funding through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds section of the ARP.

Furthermore, the ARP provides additional funding to schools and higher education, child care stabilization and assistance, behavioral health clinics, community health centers, and other entities. For example, Wyoming will receive $360 million for education and $9 million for community health centers.
COLUMBUS, Mont. - On Thursday, the CDC released new federal guidelines regarding masking. Stillwater Billings Clinic announced in a release they will continue to require masks for all employees, patients and visitors onsite.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated their federal guidance that was implemented last March at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CDCs new guidance states that individuals who are fully vaccinated may resume activities done prior to the pandemic without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

We are excited that our community now has the freedom to resume indoor and outdoor activities without the wearing of masks. Patient and employee safety continues to be our top priority. Although we are seeing an increase in community members being fully vaccinated, our care team at Stillwater Billings Clinic will continue to adhere to masking requirements and will ask patients and visitors to wear masks, Kirby Johnson, Interim CEO, Stillwater Billings Clinic, said.

Stillwater County continues to receive Johnson & Johnson and Moderna allocations released from the state, in efforts to vaccinate more of the community. Public Health and Stillwater Billings Clinic Vaccination Teams have worked strategically to immunize as much of the countys population as possible, however, children under the age of 18 have not yet had the option to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Stillwater County.

The Vaccination Team will continue to follow Montana Governor Greg Gianfortes guidance on vaccinating the remainder of the population.

Stillwater Countys population is nearly 33% vaccinated according to a Stillwater County public health official.

You are asked to continue to take all appropriate protective and preventative measures if you have not been fully vaccinated.

If you have COVID-19 related questions, contact Public Health at 322-1070.
Firefighters in Phoenix, Arizona helped rescue 22 people stuck on a stalled roller coaster at an area theme park.

The roller coaster at Castles N' Casters was stalled at about 20-feet high, causing some terrifying moments for those stuck at the top.

The ride stalled while it was in a loop, leaving the riders tilted at an angle.

It took the fire department about two and a half hours to get all of the riders safely to the ground.

There were no injuries.
BILLINGS - The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Montana, and Native American Rights Fund (NARF) challenged two new Montana laws on Monday they say hinder Native American participation in the states electoral process.

House Bill 176 ends same-day registration, which reservation voters have relied upon to cast votes in Montana since 2005.

The second, HB 530, blocks organized ballot collection on rural reservations. Just last year, a Montana court struck down a similar measure after listening to cold, hard data on its detrimental impact on the Native vote.

Mondays lawsuit against HB 176 and HB 530 was brought on behalf of Western Native Voice and Montana Native Vote, Native American-led organizations focused on getting out the vote and increasing civic participation in the Native American community and the Blackfeet Nation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Fort Belknap Indian Community and Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

Montana politicians are once again targeting the voting rights of Native Americans. They tried and failed last time, and we urge the court to swiftly reject this latest attempt to disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters in rural tribal communities, Alora Thomas-Lundborg, senior staff attorney with the ACLUs Voting Rights Project, said.

In a release, the groups say rural reservations are the most isolated voter locations in Montana. They say the distance to travel to register and vote, limited mail routes, disproportionately high levels of poverty on reservations, and digital divide issues isolate Native Americans from participating in the political process.

To overcome these barriers, they say many rely on same-day voter registration so they can make just one trip to the polling center to register and vote on the same day.

Native Americans living on reservations disproportionately rely on same-day registration, the groups say, especially voters on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in northwest Montana.

These laws are an unconstitutional attack on the right of Native Americans to vote, NARF Staff Attorney Jacqueline De Leon said. Theyre part of a pattern of carefully designed laws that make voting more difficult for some voters than others, which the court has already recognized does not serve the state.

Western Native Voice and Montana Native Vote say they work to protect Native American voting rights. As part of that effort, they engage in get-out-the-vote work in tribal communities and in urban areas. A critical part of this work is voter education and voter registration. Both organizations regularly provide rides to county election offices on Election Day so that voters can register and vote.

Native people have been fighting for the right to vote and fair and equal access to the polls for the last 75 years. We are now in 2021, and instead of dismantling barriers to the polls for citizens we serve, some Montana legislators have quickly built them back up even though a Montana court previously ruled the obstacles created for Indigenous voters are simply too high and too burdensome to remain the law, Ronnie Jo Horse, executive director of Western Native Voice, said. Western Native Voice will continue to organize, grow, and gain support from other concerned Montanans for equal access to the polls. We will continue to work together to tear down the barriers that our disenfranchised communities face before they cast their ballot in the next election."

These measures are not only blatant attacks on Native American communities, but also pose a clear and present danger to the foundations of our democracy. HB 176 and HB 530 violate, arguably, our most important right  the right to vote. These harmful bills will prevent many Montanans from exercising that fundamental right to participate in the democratic process, Alex Rate, legal director of the ACLU of Montana, said.

You can read the full filing document below:
A new case of COVID-19 in Liaoning province was confirmed on Sunday by disease control authorities, who suspect the woman was infected in the port city of Yingkou over the May Day holiday. The patient, 83, had traveled from Shenyang to Yingkou with 12 people between May 3 and May 5, according to the Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention. She was given a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 on Saturday after coming into contact with a patient from Anhui province who was confirmed to have the virus, said Wang Ping, deputy director of the Shenyang CDC. The woman's son, 61, tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. "The two infections in Shenyang were not listed in the priority group for COVID-19 vaccination, which covers people ages 18 to 59.And they are now in good condition, both physically and psychologically," said Wang. Anhui province reported a COVID-19 case on Thursday in the city of Lu'an. By Saturday, it had confirmed five cases; two in Hefei, the provincial capital, and three in Lu'an. Lu'an has conducted citywide nucleic acid testing and by Sunday afternoon, more than 1.04 million samples had been tested, China Central Television reported. Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Saturday that the resurgence of COVID-19 may have originated in Yingkou and be linked to imported cases. Although Lu'an reported the first confirmed case in the current cluster, Wu said the onset of the Yingkou-linked cases was earlier. Yingkou is a major port, which sends and receives cargo to 130 ports in more than 40 countries and regions. "Usually, it has been either imported cases or items that have resulted in new cases in China," Wu said. "As an inland province, it's less likely that Anhui's resurgence resulted from imported cases." China's National Health Commission has sent working groups to Liaoning and Anhui to guide the prevention and control work of the COVID-19 epidemic. As of Sunday morning, there had been 13 medium-risk regions relating to the resurgence of sporadic COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland. Ten are in Liaoning and three in Anhui.






By Kim Jae-heun







Lotte Confectionery CEO Min Myung-ki

Starbucks Korea's consecutive successes with collectible merchandise giveaways has prompted many local firms to follow suit in hopes of generating more sales.







Lotte Confectionery plans to reward customers by passing out small suitcases manufactured in collaboration with U.S. camping brand CHUMS. They look almost identical to Starbucks Korea's mega-hit Sumer Ready Bag that went out of stock instantly after its release.







Customers can get the bag after displaying a receipt showing they purchased over 15,000 won worth of snacks at Homeplus or seven packs of chips at Lotte Mart.







Local coffeehouse chain A Twosome Place is offering discounts on camping products when customers purchase frozen desserts at its chain stores.







A Twosome Place CEO Lee Young-sang

Bakery franchise SPC Group also revealed its limited-edition picnic cool bag for customers purchasing over 10,000 won worth of donuts at Dunkin', which it operates here through a subsidiary.







McDonald's Korea is giving away "picnic set" collectible merchandise for customers who purchase Big Mac sets.







HiteJinro introduced a cooler bag manufactured in collaboration with sportswear brand Barrel, while Chinese brewer Tsingtao is giving away cooling containers made in collaboration with the camping brand Naturehike.







However, skeptics say these so-called second movers won't be as successful as Starbucks Korea, because of their weaker brand power.







"It is not the item itself that people like. People like merchandise with the Starbucks logo on them. If a firm does not have strong brand power, its collectible merchandise has to be a quality product, because if it is not, then people won't even look at it," an industry source said.







The U.S. coffeehouse chain started its collectible merchandise business last year. It gave out small suitcases to customers who purchased 17 drinks, including seasonal beverages.







The giveaway item gained unexpected popularity and created a craze here that made people wait in front of Starbucks coffee shops every morning last summer.







One customer purchased 300 coffees at a Starbucks shop in Yeouido and received 17 reward items last May. This helped the coffeehouse chain's sales grow 3 percent year-on-year in 2020 when its operations in all other countries posted negative growth in the same period. Starbucks Korea's revenue last year reached an all-time high of nearly 2 trillion won ($1.77 billion).







Starbucks Korea introduced two more collectible merchandise items this summer  "Summer Day Cooler" and "Summer Night Singing Lantern." The lantern has already gone viral among Starbucks fans and is being traded for 150,000 won on secondhand online markets here. The price is more than twice the amount (65,000 won) that a customer needs to pay for 17 drinks to get the collectible item.







Some customers are selling their e-frequency coupons for between 65,000 won and 67,000 won, which can be exchanged for the coolers at Starbucks coffee shops.







Shinsegae, which owns 50 percent of Starbucks Korea, has decided to ride on the popularity of Starbucks' collectible merchandise in its hotel marketing. The retail giant is giving out one of the two latest Starbucks merchandise items to people who stay at its boutique L'Escape Hotel in Seoul.







At its e-commerce platform SSG.com, Shinsegae offered two camping items exclusively last Thursday and they were all sold out in 80 minutes, even crashing the server due to explosive traffic.







To prevent people from waiting in long lines that can cause inconveniences to other customers, Starbucks decided to sell collectible merchandise products on SSG.com. But this also caused the e-commerce platform's server to crash after traffic surged by more than 10 times compared to usual.







SSG.com said it will sell Starbucks merchandise two more times: on May 20 and 27.


ROME, MAY 17 - President Sergio Mattarella called for an end to intolerance in his message for the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Monday.. "The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is an occasion to reiterate the absolute rejection of every form of discrimination and intolerance and, therefore, to reiterate the centrality of the principle of equality, sanctioned by our Constitution and by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union," he said. (ANSA).
ROME, MAY 17 - Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Rome Monday that Palestinian militants' rockets from the Gaza strip on Israel were "unacceptable and had to stop" while stressing that "immediate measures of de-escalation" must be adopted. He said "the conflict is causing the deaths of too many innocents and everyone must work to get negotiations between the sides started again". The death toll from Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip is currently 198 including 58 children while Israel has reported 10 dead including two children. (ANSA).
TRIESTE, MAY 17 - A statue of controversial proto-Fascist poet and self-styled military leader Gabriele D'Annunzio was defaced with yellow paint in Trieste at the weekend. Authorities said they were confident CCTV footage would help them find the culprits. Croatia condemned the inauguration of the statue on the 100th anniversary, on September 12, 2019, of the Decadent poet, airman and militarist's occupation of Fiume or Rijeka in 1919. Croatia handed a note to the Italian ambassador in Zagreb condemning the statue "in the strongest terms". It noted that this inauguration had happened "exactly on the day that marks the centenary of the occupation of Rijeka". According to a Croatian foreign ministry communique sent to ANSA, the act "contributes to disrupting the relations of friendship and good neighbourliness between the two countries". Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic also firmly condemned the "inauguration of the scandalous statue of discord". She said Italo-Croatian relations were founded today "on values that are totally in contrast with (the actions of) the man to whom the scandalous statue has been dedicated". The statue "celebrates Irredentism and the occupation of Rijeka, which was and will remain a proud part of its Croatian homeland". D'Annunzio, a larger than life figure who became a legend in his time, seems to have tried to do almost everything to excess. He had countless love affairs, including a fiery relationship with the world-famous actress Eleanora Duse, took part in duels, committed heroic feats in World War I and occupied Fiume (now Rijeka) in 1919. Later he supported Fascist political ideas but was progressively sidelined by Mussolini. An accomplished poet, novelist and dramatist who in his works combined naturalism, symbolism, and erotic images, he was considered the best interpreter of European Decadence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (ANSA).
By Baek Byung-yeul







Jean Touboul, CEO of Pernod Ricard Korea





Jean Touboul, CEO of French liquor company Pernod Ricard's Korean unit, has returned to France, while under investigation over allegations of suppressing union activities.







According to a May 16 report from local broadcaster JTBC, the CEO abruptly left Korea this month while he was being investigated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor for allegations that he has been trying to get rid of the union of Pernod Ricard Korea for years.







Lee Kang-ho, a chief of the Korean unit's union, said employees of Pernod Ricard Korea were treated unfairly simply because of their union membership.







"I was told not to work and put on hold for a change of duties for 15 months. This makes me tired," Lee was quoted by the JTBC report as saying that the company forced him to take online education in a solitary office during his working hours.







One employee said there have been no raises in the past 10 years, and claimed the company offered them a raise if they quit the union.







Due to these allegations, the CEO was called on to attend National Assembly hearings twice in the last three years.







When asked during a May 4 hearing if the CEO should be subject to an international travel ban, Labor Minister An Kyung-duk said the ministry was working on the investigation.







In regard to the issue, Pernod Ricard Korea said, "Jean Touboul is on a business trip. This trip is a business trip for job transitions and he plans to return to Korea when his work is completed in mid-June."


LA SPEZIA, MAY 17 - The sister of an Italian VIP lawyer was convicted Monday of killing him with a lethal injection to get his inheritance in 2015 and sentenced to 15 years in jail. Marzia Corini was found guilty of murdering her brother Marco Valerio Corini. His former legal studio colleague Giuliana Feliciani was also found guilty of aiding and abetting and sentenced to four years in jail. Marzia Corini professed her innocence throughout the trial, which lasted over three and a half years. (ANSA).
The annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service takes place Wednesday in Downtown Kenosha.

After a woman decided to fire a contractor she believed was ripping her off  and who she thought had friends in her home doing drugs while she was away  the man allegedly pulled a gun on her.

Bryan Tidwell, 37, of Lyons, was charged Monday in Kenosha County Circuit Court with felony intimidation of a victim, pointing a gun at another, disorderly conduct  use of a dangerous weapon, and bail jumping. A warrant was issued for Tidwells arrest Monday.

According to the criminal complaint, a Trevor woman hired Tidwell to renovate a bathroom in her home. She paid him $2,500 up front, but he had not completed the work. On April 2 she arrived home not expecting to find Tidwell there, but noticed his vehicle in the driveway when she arrived. She went inside and found him with two men she did not recognize, whom he introduced as friends, according to the complaint.

During this interaction (the woman) saw all three men smoking a blunt and also observed a white crystalline powder in a sandwich bag on her counter, the complaint states.
If were going to take it out, I think we have to have the public give their input, Fesenmaier said. I think the public needs a chance to talk about this.

Fesenmaier made a motion, which was approved by a 5-3 vote, to discuss the issue at an upcoming city council committee meeting. Aldermen Richard Hedlund, Joan Yunker and Cindy Flower voted against the motion.

Hedlund said he is in favor of removing the provision because he has talked to several residents who have complained about the outdoor merchandise being on the downtown sidewalks.

I deal with a lot of people on the weekends, and they find it kind of troubling, Hedlund said. I dont know why we allowed it in the first place, but we did and I think we should eliminate it from the order.

Alderman Tim Dunn said the city council approved sidewalk cafe applications, such as for The Farmstand and Wicked Poke Hut, to allow those restaurants to offer outdoor dining.

Dunn said if restaurants are able to offer outdoor seating, then the downtown merchants should be allowed to display their items outside of their establishments.

I dont think its very fair, Dunn said.
The event will host ten concurrent forums accessible worldwide through live streaming

SHANGHAI, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- From May 18 to 20, SIAL China 2021, one of the world's three major food exhibitions, will be held at Shanghai Pudong New International Expo Center. As an annual conference of the whole food industry chain, the exhibition this year will, for the first time, live stream the event worldwide in both Chinese and English. In collaboration with other SIAL Global F&B exhibitions, SIAL China 2021 promises to deliver insights into the future of the industry at ten concurrently-held forums.

The organizers of the exhibition will host ten thematic forums concurrently, among them, New Retail Summit, International Meat Conference, Global Dairy Forum and Food Supply Chain Forum. Representatives from multiple countries and regions, including China, the European Union, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Indonesia, as well as executives from emerging food brands, large F&B corporations, and venture capitals plan to share opinions on core issues including nutrition and health food, alternative proteins, carbon neutrality, product innovation, and the food supply chain upgrade.

Unlike the previous 21 exhibitions, SIAL China 2021 will further strengthen its collaboration with other SIAL Global F&B exhibitions, further empowering the 700,000 food industry professionals from 220 countries brought by SIAL Network by giving them the opportunity to participate and interact via live streaming of the ten concurrent forums. Moreover, a promotional campaign for SIAL China via social media channels including LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, will be launched by SIAL Paris, the original and most well-known one of the SIAL series of exhibitions.

The SIAL Network exhibitions are held every year in Shanghai (China), Paris (France), Montreal (Canada), Toronto (Canada), Abu Dhabi (UAE), New Delhi (India) and Jakarta (Indonesia), with the mission of continuously driving and optimizing the integration of the global food industry chain and helping food companies everywhere build a global competitive advantage.

Contact:

Christina Leechristina.lee@sialchina.cn
Editors note: President Trump announced on July 26, 2017, he has decided to bar transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the U.S. armed forces through his Twitter account.

In 2016, the Pentagon had lifted the ban on transgender people serving openly in the military. Transgender people have long served at rates disproportionate to their representation in the general population, as The Times explored in this September 2015 article.

As a young psychiatry resident at Ohios Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in the 1980s, Dr. George Brown was surprised the first time he saw a transgender patient.

Estimates at the time were that for every 100,000 biological males in the general population, no more than three were transgender.

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Brown figured the rate had to be even lower in the all-volunteer military. It made little sense to him that a transgender person would choose to join an institution that by its nature had no tolerance for deviance.

Yet over the next three years, Brown saw 10 more transgender patients  all of them seeking hormone therapy and male-to-female gender reassignment surgery. He began to suspect that the military, despite its ban on allowing transgender people to serve, was somehow attracting them at a disproportionately high rate.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

The Pentagon is now weighing whether to lift its ban on transgender service members and is expected to do so next year. As the policy is reviewed, researchers are citing evidence that bears out Browns hunch of three decades go.

Transgender people are present in the armed services at a higher rate than in the general population.

The latest analysis, published last year by UCLA researchers, estimated that nearly 150,000 transgender people have served in the military, or about 21% of all transgender adults in the U.S. By comparison, 10% of the general population has served.

The findings have pumped new life into a theory that Brown developed to explain what he had witnessed. In a 1988 paper, he coined it flight into hypermasculinity.

His transgender patients told him that they had signed up for service when they were still in denial about their true selves and were trying to prove they were real men.

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I just kept hearing the same story over and over again, said Brown, 58, now a professor at East Tennessee State University and a specialist in gender identity issues at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Mountain Home, Tenn.

Some patients had deliberately chosen the militarys most dangerous jobs. In one case described in the paper, a 37-year-old patient with a long history of cross-dressing had been a laboratory technician on a base in Germany but gave that up to become a combat helicopter pilot at the height of the Vietnam War, a job with a high death rate.

Colene Simmons, 60, says she is one of Browns longtime patients. She started life in rural Georgia as ODay Simmons. A 185-pound champion wrestler in high school, Simmons protected other students from bullies and had no problem getting girlfriends.

But the tough exterior belied inner issues.

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Simmons had escaped a physically abusive father and grown up in a Christian group home.

God doesnt make mistakes, the house mother said after discovering Simmons trying on a curtain as if it were a dress.

As the feelings grew stronger, Simmons enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in hopes of fighting them off. I wanted to prove to myself that I was a man, she explained.

Stationed at Camp Geiger, N.C., in the late 1970s, Simmons occasionally left the base and drove 80 miles to a thrift store to buy womens clothes and check into a motel room alone to play dress-up.

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Simmons later married and had two children, but that could not erase her feelings any more than spending four years in the military.

She eventually underwent hormone therapy and surgery and legally changed her name. Remarried to another woman, she considers herself a lesbian. They live in rural northeast Tennessee.

Colene doesnt talk much about the military, said Jane Simmons, her wife.

For all the attention gender identity has received recently  including Olympian Bruce Jenners transformation to Caitlyn Jenner and Army Pvt. Bradley Mannings emergence as Chelsea Manning after being convicted of leaking classified documents  even the size of the transgender population is open to wide speculation.

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The U.S. Census Bureau does not collect data to determine it, so researchers must extrapolate from other, smaller surveys.

In 2011, Gary Gates, research director at UCLAs Williams Institute, which is devoted to public policy questions related to gender identity and sexual orientation, estimated that 3 of every 1,000 U.S. adults are transgender  at least 100 times the presumed rate in the 1980s.

Figuring out how many transgender people serve in the military is even harder, because they can be kicked out if they reveal themselves.

Were working largely in a vacuum, Gates said.

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His estimates are based on demographic tweaks to the results of a 2008 nationwide survey of more than 6,500 transgender people that was conducted by activist groups.

Among those assigned male at birth, Gates found that 32% had served in the military, compared with 20% of men in the general population who had served.

For those assigned female at birth, that figure was 5.5%, compared with 1.7% of all women.

Other measures suggest even bigger differences between transgender people and the rest of the population in terms of military service.

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In 2011, nearly 23 out of every 100,000 patients in the VA system had a diagnosis of gender identity disorder, which is used to describe gender identity issues that lead to significant levels of psychological distress and has been associated with high suicide risk.

Thats five times the rate in the general population.

The comparison comes with a caveat. In 2011, the VA began providing hormone therapy and other nonsurgical treatment for transgender patients, a strong motivation for some people to seek out a diagnosis.

Though Brown developed his theory around male-to-female transgender service members, the draw of a hypermasculine environment may also help explain why female-to-male transgender people join the military.

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The theory has been a topic of debate among activists and researchers. Although most say it has validity, some worry that its simplicity undermines the full humanity of transgender people.

It dehumanizes the community and reduces it to this narrative, said Jake Eleazer, a transgender veteran and doctoral student in psychology at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

He and others point out that there are many reasons transgender people join the military: adventure, money for college, family tradition and other factors that attract all recruits.

They also say it is possible that transgender people are more likely to have certain traits or skills that draw them to service, or that on the whole they are socioeconomically disadvantaged, discriminated against or rejected by their families in a way that leaves them fewer other options.

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But there is not enough data to test those ideas.

Whatever the reasons that transgender people join, their presence has become one of the governments most powerful arguments for lifting the ban.

Transgender men and women in uniform have been there with us, even as they often had to serve in silence alongside their fellow comrades in arms, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a July statement announcing that the Pentagon would review the ban starting with the premise that it should be rescinded.

Brown predicted that even if the ban is lifted, the military will continue to attract transgender 18-to-20-year-olds who have yet to come to terms with their true selves.

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As a place to hide, consciously or subconsciously, the military, with its order and uniformity and prohibitions on self-expression, may be unrivaled.

Jennifer Long, who joined the Army in 1983 as Edward Long, managed to suppress her feminine identity for her first 22 years of duty as a drill sergeant, paratrooper and security official at the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Youre in very gender binary roles, she said. It doesnt leave any room. Theres no gray area.

Eventually, though, she could no longer run from herself. After a second divorce in 2005, Long attempted suicide.

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You want to make it all go away, she said. You cant be who you want to be.

Then Long started meeting other transgender people online and dressing as a woman off-duty in the evenings and on the weekends.

After a deployment to Iraq in 2008, she began taking hormones with plans to leave the military and live openly as a woman. A combat duty assignment in Afghanistan delayed her retirement until 2012.

Now 50, Long lives in New Jersey and works as a financial advisor.

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If I could have remained on duty, I would have, she said.

Twitter: @AlanZarembo

ALSO:

Pentagon moves toward lifting ban on transgender troops

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How a transgender man tries to honor his Muslim faith

In a first, California agrees to pay for transgender inmates sex reassignment
Palestinian people search for people between the rubble of destroyed houses after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, May 16. Thirteen Palestinians were killed and more than 40 others wounded after an Israeli air strike in Gaza. EPA-Yonhap



Israeli strikes killed 42 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the worst daily toll in almost a week of deadly clashes, as UN Security Council talks fizzled despite global alarm at the escalating conflict.



Israeli warplanes continued to pummel the Palestinian enclave overnight Sunday to Monday, carrying out dozens of air strikes across the densely populated territory in just a few minutes and causing power cuts, AFP journalists said.



The Israeli army said in the first hours of Monday its fighter jets were "striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip".



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for an immediate end to the "utterly appalling" violence and warned of an "uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis".



But the council meeting, already delayed by Israel's ally the United States, resulted in little action.



The heaviest exchange of fire in years  sparked by unrest in Jerusalem  has killed 197 in Gaza and 10 in Israel since Monday, according to authorities on either side.



Israel said Sunday morning its "continuing wave of strikes" had in the past 24 hours struck over 90 targets across the coastal enclave, where an Israeli strike that destroyed a building housing journalists' offices sparked international outrage.



The death toll kept rising in Gaza as rescuers extracted bodies from vast piles of smoking rubble and the bereaved wailed in grief.



"We were sleeping and then all of a sudden there were rockets raining down on us," said Lamia al-Koulak, 43, who lost relatives in a dawn bombardment.



"The children were screaming. For half an hour we were bombarded without prior warning. We came out to find the building next door flattened."



Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the campaign would "take time" to finish.



"Our campaign against the terrorist organizations is continuing with full force," he said in a televised address. "We are acting now, for as long as necessary, to restore calm and quiet to you, Israel's citizens."





Palestinian protester uses his sling shot to throw stones during clashes with Israeli troops at Huwwara checkpoint near the West Bank City of Nablus on May 16. EPA-Yonhap



'Hatred and revenge'



Israel's army said about 3,000 rockets had been fired since last Monday from Gaza towards Israel  the highest rate ever recorded.



Around 450 fell within the coastal strip, while the Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted over 1,000, according to the army.



Rockets have wounded over 280 people, hitting districts previously well beyond the range of Hamas' rockets.



Army chief Aviv Kochavi said Israel had reacted with unprecedented force.



"Hamas misjudged the strength of our response," he said.



Two doctors and at least 58 children have died in Gaza, local health authorities said. More than 1,200 people have been wounded and entire city blocks smashed to rubble.






U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to kick out one of the most senior officials in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The Department of Homeland Security political appointees had decided to replace CBP Deputy Commissioner Robert Perez as the second-highest official of the agency.

Perez got the position in July 2018. He was then responsible for trade, travel, immigration, and national security at borders, according to a Washington Examiner report.

Perez was transferred to an office in Tucson, Arizona. The 29-year public servant is now planning to retire.

Troy Miller was expected to fill the position Perez will be leaving.

On April 7, CBP posted on their website Miller was performing the duties of Commissioner.

Miller will be overseeing more than 60,000 employees while also managing a budget of more than $15 billion, according to the U.S. CBP website.

Miller will be directing CBP's three core goals, which are counterterrorism, border security, and trade enforcement.

He previously served as the Director, Field Operations for CBP's New York Field Office.

He also had an earlier stint at National Targeting Center as Executive Director.

Office of Intelligence and Investigative Liaison also had Miller as the Acting Assistant Commissioner from 2013 to 2015.

READ MORE: Biden Admin May Have To Restart Border Wall Construction To Fill Holes

Border Patrol

Some U.S. border patrol agents said that they are struggling with Biden's border policies, adding that they are encouraging early retirement.

Meanwhile, others are buying unofficial coins that say U.S. Welcome Patrol, according to a Reuters report.

There were also reported dissatisfaction among some rank-and-file members of U.S. CBP over Biden's reversal of Trump's hardline immigration policies.

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, criticized Biden in a news conference with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Judd represents the labor union with three-quarters of around 20,000 border patrol agents.

Judd further said that he is confident to say that Biden had caused the migration crisis at the border.

Meanwhile, Biden administration officials defended the changes in the law enforcement agency.

The officials said that the current president's approach stemmed from solutions and effective management.

Gil Kerlikowske, who was CBP commissioner for three years under former President Barack Obama, said that there are people inside the agency who disagree with the politically outspoken union.

However, Kerlikowske said that many may not speak out their oppositions.

Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus's nomination was also among the frustrations of those inside the agency.

Kerlikowske defended Magnus's nomination, saying that if the Tucson Police Chief were to be confirmed as head of the immigration agency, empathy and compassion will be a standard.

Migration Crisis

In March, CBP agents had met 172,000 illegal migrants mainly from Central America and America. It marked a more than 70 percent increase from February, according to a Foreign Affairs report.

Many have labeled the migrant surge at the border as a crisis. However, Biden had earlier refuted the idea that what was happening at the border was a crisis.

The president then tapped U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to address the migration issue through diplomacy and discussion with the leaders of the countries with the highest migrants, such as Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.

READ NEXT: 10 of 13 Killed in California Crash Were Mexicans Who Entered U.S. Through Hole in Border Fence

WATCH: GOP Blasts Biden on Immigration Amid Migrant Influx at U.S-Mexico Border - from Bloomberg Quicktake: Now






Another California wildfire has erupted and prompted evacuations in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles this weekend.

The Weather Channel reported that the Palisades fire began on Friday, around 10 p.m., at a remote area in the Santa Monica Mountains. The said affected area is 18 miles west of Los Angeles. Authorities reported no casualties and damaged on structures, Associated Press reported.

As of 1 p.m. Sunday, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LAFD) underscored that the California wildfire was zero percent contained and has consumed about two square miles of the land.

READ NEXT: Redwood Trees in California State Park Shows Signs of Life Following Wildfires

California Wildfire Prompts Evacuation in Topanga

The wildfire caused the evacuation of residents of Topanga Canyon due to the flames that raced across ridges and sending huge plumes and rains of ashes across the surrounding neighborhoods and the U.S. 101 freeway in the north. About 1,000 Canyon area residents had been displaced from their homes.

ABC News reported that the livestock at ranches in some homes was moved to an emergency animal shelter in Pierce College, about eight miles away from the area.

Few dozens of residents from a hilly neighborhood were also alerted by the authorities to evacuate if the fire continues to grow.

What is the Situation in Palisades Amid California Wildfire?

By midday Sunday, the California wildfire has charred about two square miles of brush and trees. The said wildfire is burning in rugged terrain and steep hillsides where vegetation has not burned for more than 50 years.

Because of this, the fire crew relied on aircraft making drops of water to the area.

"We're trying to keep it out of the old-growth which is 50-60 years that hasn't burned," said a spokesman from LAFD, David Ortiz told ABC News.

Ortiz added that their objective is to try to keep it out of the vegetation and "protect the communities and neighborhoods to the west" since the fire is closest to them.

LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart noted that their department is seeing an increased fire activity.

The Weather Channel noted that onshore winds are expected to pick up on Sunday and are expected to pick up on Sunday afternoon. The fire department noted that the said winds could push the fire to the northwestern area.

How Did the California Wildfire Start?

ABC News reported that the arson suspect is on the loose on Sunday morning after kindling a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades.

Los Angeles Police Department said a police helicopter spotted what appeared to be a person setting fires in the area on Friday night.

In a tweet, Air Rescue 5 from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department earlier said it was in the Topanga Area searching for the arson suspect that sparked the California wildfire.

#PalisadesFire. #LASD Air Rescue 5 inserting LASD SEB personnel in the Topanga area in search of arson suspect setting fires. pic.twitter.com/tUyDzV1UTx  SEB (@SEBLASD) May 16, 2021

Arson investigators identified one individual who was detained and released. Investigators then detained a second suspect for questioning on Sunday night, according to Stewart.

READ MORE: California Wildfire Smoke Causes Drop in Solar Energy Production

WATCH: Palisades Fire Explodes to 750 Acres, Triggering Mandatory Evacuations in Topanga - From ABC 7
The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has defended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) new mask mandate for people who already completed their cycle of immunization against COVID-19.

The new CDC mask mandate caused confusion among state and local health officials. CDC had updated its guidelines in mask-wearing, saying it is safe for fully vaccinated people to waive social distancing and go to most places without a mask may it be indoor or outdoor, Fox News reported.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the new CDC mask mandate was based on the "evolution of science." He added that it could serve as an incentive for all people to get vaccinated.

READ NEXT: Texas County's Hospital Forced to Choose 'Who is Sent Home to Die' as COVID-19 Cases Spike

Confusion On New CDC Mask Mandate

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky had also defended the agency's decision on the new mask mandate. Walensky said the move was science-driven and an individual assessment of one's risk.

However, some states have insisted that they would still impose a mask-wearing requirement in their area of jurisdiction, like in Hawaii and Massachusetts.

The confusion stems from the information that there is no definitive way to track who has already received a vaccine that has forced businesses to work in believing an individual's statement, CNBC News reported.

The CDC has updated its mask guidance on Friday. It noted that masks are still required on planes and other public transportation.

Local leaders in New York, New Jersey, California, and Washington, D.C. are still seeking to review the new guidance before implementing the changes in their respective states.

On the other hand, Minnesota and North Carolina ended their mask requirements, ABC News Go reported. Michigan, Maryland, and Virginia had also followed suit in lifting their mask mandate for those already vaccinated.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said that this was the day that many have been waiting and working with. Maine had decided to follow the new CDC mask mandate on May 24, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the state would drop the mask mandates once the state fully reopens.

Puerto Rico still requires people to wear face masks in public settings.

Critics are quick to question the decision as variants still threaten the spread of the contagious disease. They added that many regions in the U.S. are still struggling with vaccine hesitancy.

Herd Immunity

New COVID variants are spreading quickly, and the vaccination program is slow for herd immunity to take place anytime soon, according to The New York Times report.

Rustom Antia, an evolutionary biologist at Emory University in Atlanta, said that the virus is unlikely to go away.

Dr. Anthony Fauci noted that people should forget herd immunity for a second, adding that the focus should be vaccinating more people for infections to go down.

The previous target immunity threshold was around 60 to 70 percent of the population. Now, experts are saying that herd immunity should be at least 80 percent.

READ MORE: Guatemala Struggles With COVID Vaccine Rollout, Corruption Issues

WATCH: Fauci Weighs In On CDC's New Mask Guidance For Fully Vaccinated - From NBC News
Child actor Ricky Schroder lashed out at a Costco employee who did not allow him to enter a California store for not wearing a mask.

The actor posted a video in his Facebook account showing him berating a Costco employee who did not allow him to enter the store.

The said video was posted on Saturday, and it prompted different reactions from people online. It came days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new face mask guideline concerning fully vaccinated people.

The CDC said fully vaccinated people can attend indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a face mask and maintain at least six feet of physical distancing.

However, there are still instances fully vaccinated people will have to wear their face masks, like when a state, workplace, or business requires it.

The agency also underscored that fully vaccinated people should still wear their face masks on airplanes, trains, buses, and other public transportations.

READ NEXT: Time to Be More Liberal on Indoor Mask Mandates: Says Fauci as Vaccine Rates Rise

Ricky Schroder Berated Costco Worker

The video posted by the actor himself showed that a Costco Costco supervisor named Jason was trying to inform the actor that their company is always adhering to local rules regarding pandemic restrictions.

"Costco goes above and beyond when following the law, and the mandate in California has not changed," the Costco worker explained to Ricky Schroder.

New York Daily News cited a statement from Costco, saying that they will allow customers to enter their stores without a mask in locations where the state or the local jurisdiction does not have a mask mandate.

The store said they "will not require proof of vaccination" and asked for members to adhere and cooperate with the revised policy responsibly.

The worker Costco worker also tried to explain to the actor that the state of California may change its mask guidelines by mid-June. However, Ricky Schroder abruptly cut him.

"The people in power. You're going to listen to these people," the actor said as he interrupts the worker from what he was saying. He added that the people in power destroyed the economy and the culture.

The video also showed that Ricky Schroder encouraged Californians to cancel their membership in the store. The Costco worker argued that the mask mandate they are enforcing has not changed in "any building in California," adding that their store was simply abiding local laws.

The actor's recording ended with the store manager handing the actor a receipt for a canceled membership.

Ricky Schroder Apologizes after the Costco Incident

Following the backlash he has received from his post, the actor issued an apology video, which he also posted on his Facebook account on Sunday.

Ricky Schroder said "nothing personal," addressing it to Costco worker Jason.

"I'm not upset with you or anyone in a position like you have and work for a living," the actor noted. Ricky Schroder said that he understood that the worker is just following the laws and rules and apologized if he hurt the worker's feelings.

He added that he was trying to make a point to "corporate overlords."

Apart from the recent Costco incident, reports said the actor was also caught in a controversy in the past year about using part of his fortune to bail alleged white supremacists out of jail.

READ MORE: Capacity Limits in California Churches No Longer Mandatory

WATCH: Ricky Schroder Loses It At Costco Employee Over Mask - From Popcorned Planet
Chile has started to vote for the 155 delegates to the Constituent Assembly to rewrite the country's dictatorship-era constitution. It was part of efforts to address social inequality, which caused the 2019 protests.

About 14 million people were set to vote, marking Chile's most important election since it imposed democracy 31 years ago.

According to Aljazeera, Chile's Electoral Service said that more than three million people had already cast their ballot on Saturday. As of Sunday, independent candidates and leftist parties were reportedly in the lead.

With about over 50 percent of the vote counted, candidates aligned to leftist parties, and the rest that were independents got 33.19 percent of the votes, compared with 21.37 percent for candidates of the right, which is in power.

Chile's President Sebastian Pinera said he hopes to have a constitution that embraces the soul of their country.

READ NEXT: Chile's Government Gave Out Flawed Birth Control Pills Which Caused Dozens of Unplanned Pregnancies

Chileans Voting

Maribel Mora Curriao said they are voting with pride, adding that they take it seriously as they know how unique the opportunity is. Curriao is a Mapuche poet who lives in the Chilean capital.

Chileans had already started voting on Saturday in a two-day election for local leaders such as mayors, governors, and councilors, according to another Aljazeera report.

Andres Tagle, president of the Electoral Service Board, said that everything is under control regarding the election. Tagle added that they will know and find out if ever there's a fraud attempt.

Chile's constitution was recorded way back from 1980 under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. It is widely blamed for blocking progress in the country, which had the greatest number of inequalities among advanced economies.

The plebiscite was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020. However, it was delayed due to the COVID pandemic. It took place on October 25 last year.

Once the measure is passed, the Constitutional Convention will have nine months to write Chile's new constitution. It will then be submitted to voters in a plebiscite next year. Voting will then be mandated.

A political analyst said the low voting turnout was partly due to a lack of information and the ongoing pandemic. Election experts said that voter participation must reach the same level as last October's plebiscite when Chileans voted 78 percent in favor of rewriting the dictatorship-era Constitution.

Luna Follegati, a historian and feminist, highlighted the importance of having a voice in crafting the new constitution.

Pandemic in Chile

Chile has one of South America's highest vaccination rates, with over 48.5 percent of the 15.2 million population receiving the doses to date, according to a France 24 report.

In April, the number of daily cases in the country had reached a record-high 9,000 for the first time since the pandemic started.

Intensive units are overwhelmed, and Chile has lost its borders to everyone for the second time. Critics have claimed that Pinera's government is getting caught up in the triumph over the vaccine rollout and has loosened its COVID restrictions quickly.

Vaccination efforts in the country started in late December. Several frontline health workers, over 90 individuals, and teachers were the first group to receive the vaccination.

Dr. Susan Bueno, a professor of immunology from the Pontifical Catholic University, said several factors played at the recent surge, BBC News reported. Bueno noted that the new COVID-19 variants could be playing a huge impact on the surge.

READ MORE: Police Brutality 'Out of Control' in Latin America

WATCH: Chile Votes for Body to Rewrite Dictatorship-Era Constitution - From FRANCE 24 English




The 69th Miss Universe winner is Andrea Meza from Mexico. Reigning Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa relinquished the coveted crown to Meza.

Other women in the top 5 were: Brazil's Julia Gama (1st Runner-Up), Janick Maceta del Castillo of Peru (2nd Runner-Up), Adline Castelino from India (3rd Runner-Up), and Dominican Republic's Kimberly Jimenez (4th Runner-Up).

The Miss Universe coronation night was held at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida, May 16, 2021. Mario Lopez and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo hosted the event.

This year's pageant is very much different from the previous years because of the pandemic. The organizers had to implement major adjustments to ensure the candidates' safety. E! Online quoted Miss Universe Organization president, Paula M. Shugart, "We have spent months planning and preparing safety precautions to develop this edition of Miss Universe-one that will be memorable, special and totally innovative."



Andrea Meza's Winning Answers

In the final question, former title-holder Brooke Lee read the question to Mexico: "If you were the leader of your country, how would you handle the COVID-19 pandemic?"

26-year-old Meza said she believes there is no perfect way to handle this hard situation. However, she said she would have created a lockdown even before the problem was that big.

"We have to take care of our people, that's why I would have taken care of them since the beginning," she ended.

This year, the questions were written by their fellow contestants.

But the pressure does not stop there. After the final question, each of the Top 5 finalists will deliver a 30-second final statement about a topic that they will randomly pick.

Andrea Meza pulled out the card with the topic: "changing beauty standards."

Meza mentioned the prevailing stereotypes in the society, but she emphasized that beauty is not only about how we look.

"For me, beauty radiates, not only in our spirits, but in our hearts and the way that we conduct ourselves," she said in Spanish.

She ended with a powerful piece of advice to other women: "Never permit someone to tell you that you're not valuable."

Her wit and eloquence wowed the audience - and for sure, the judges as well, because that made her bring home the third Miss Universe crown for her country, Mexico. Andrea Meza follows the footsteps of Lupita Jones (1991) and Ximena Navarette (2010) as Mexicans who bagged the Miss Universe title.

READ MORE: Mexico Plans to Ban Beauty Pageants



Latinas Dominate Miss Universe Top 10

Aside from the representatives from Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Peru, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica also made it to the 2020 Miss Universe Top 10. This means that six, or more than half of the top 10 finalists, were from Latin American countries. Thailand, Jamaica, and Australia also made it to this cut.



Other Countries in Miss Universe Top 21

Other Latinas, such as the ladies from Argentina, Colombia, and Nicaragua, made it to the 2020 Miss Universe Top 21.

U.S.A., Great Britain, Curacao, and France made it to the first cut as well.

Several Southeast Asian nations were also among the initial set of finalists, including Indonesia and Myanmar. The Philippines continues to still be a pageant powerhouse as their bet this year continues the decade-long run of holding at least a Top 20 (Top 21) spot in Miss Universe, with two titles and a couple of runner-up finishes. Meanwhile, Vietnam completes the Top 21, having garnered the most number of fan votes online.

RELATED ARTICLE: 10 Latinas Who Serve as an Inspiration to the Latin Community
Bill Gates is currently being accused of a couple of sexual misconduct cases after his divorce to his then-wife, Melinda Gates.

Gates' divorce has put the spotlight on his ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which allegedly shook his marriage with Melinda, according to a Market Watch report.

Gates was also reported to have developed a reputation for having a misconduct in work-related setting, which is now getting a new look after the divorce of the Gates couple.

Melinda was reported to have been unsatisfied with her husband's handling of a previously undisclosed sexual harassment claim in 2018. The issue involved his long-time money manager, according to The New York Times report.

Melinda said that Gates moved to settle the matter clandestinely while she had insisted on an outside investigation.

People with direct knowledge on the matter said that Gates had pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

READ MORE: Amazon to Allocate $18 Billion to Help Small, Medium-Sized Businesses

Sexual Misconduct Claims

Gates had resigned from Microsoft's board of directors after the board hired a law firm to investigate a romantic relationship he had with a Microsoft employee.

Some board members said that it was no longer suitable for Gates to be a director at the software company, according to a CNN report.

The employee was not named in the report.

A spokesperson for Gates had revealed that there was an affair almost 20 years ago, which had ended. The spokesperson said that it was the tech mogul's decision to get off the board.

The spokesperson also added that allegations of mistreatment of employees are also false, and rumors have started becoming absurd.

Six current and former staffers said that the incidents at the time had made the workplace environment uncomfortable.

The employees added that Gates' personal life had become a topic of gossip among employees.

One Microsoft employee was reported to have received an email from Gates, asking her out to dinner.

Gates had reportedly written in an email to the employee that if it makes her uncomfortable, she could pretend it never happened.

Another woman has come out and said that Gates had asked her out to dinner with him during a work trip.

The other woman was working at the time for the Gates' foundation.

The former Gates' foundation employee had reportedly said she was uncomfortable and said that she laughed to avoid answering Gates.

Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Gates

Known sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had allegedly given Gates advice on ending his marriage with Melinda after Gates complained about her during meetings at the money manager's mansion, according to The Daily Beast report.

Gates had met Epstein several times from 2011 to 2014, with their conversations taking place years before the couple had filed for divorce.

The billionaire had also encouraged Epstein to rehabilitate his image in the media after his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

One of the people who were at the meetings said that Gates' was going to Epstein to respite from his marriage, as well as a way to get away from Melinda.

READ NEXT: Ghislaine Maxwell Seen With 'Black Eye' in First Pic From Prison

WATCH: Bill And Melinda Gates Divorce Reportedly Linked To Jeffrey Epstein Connection - from TODAY




The murder trial of New York real estate heir Rober Durst will resume on Monday in Los Angeles Courtroom. New York Post reported that the delay stretched for at least 14 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. After two days of testimony, the jury was sent home as the COVID-19 pandemic closed the courthouses.

The pandemic disturbed the court operations nationwide, leading to delays and video instead of in-person proceedings, Associated Press reported. Because of the delays, Judge Mark Windham plans to question the panel of 23 jurors and the 11 alternates on Monday if they can continue with the case.

READ NEXT: Amityville Killer, Who Massacred His Entire Family, Dies at 69

Rober Durst's Attorney Submits Questions for Jury

Because of the murder trial, the defense attorneys of Robert Durst proposed a question for Windham to question the returning jurors included in the trial whether they read or heard about the case during the break and can remain impartial during the trial. Furthermore, the attorneys also want to know if the pandemic altered the lives of the jurors in a way that can prevent them from serving another four to five months.

Scott Sundby, a law professor from the University of Miami, uttered in Associated Press that the trial of Robert Durst had had a longer break than the trials halted due to damaging earthquakes and hurricanes. Sundby also emphasized that Windham, who is trying to keep the jurors intact, should be careful in making sure that the juror was not affected in any way that can violate Durst's right to a fair trial.

Robert Durst's Lawyers Asking for a Trial Delay

Before the schedule of Durst's murder trial in Los Angeles, the lawyers of the real estate heir submitted an emergency motion asking for a delay in the murder trial due to a "myriad of life-threatening issues," as well as bladder cancer.

In an interview, Dick DeGuerin, Durst's lawyer, noted that the 78-year-old man "has been in and out of clinics and hospitals frequently," during the previous year. Mail Online reported that the defense attorneys requested Robert Durst to be released on bail into an outside medical facility. DeGeurin also said Durst's health deteriorated alarmingly over the past 14 months since the trial was shut down.

The defense lawyers of Durst uttered that the 78-year-old is suffering from prior esophageal cancer, bladder cancer, malnutrition, chronic kidney cancer, coronary artery disease with drug-eluting stents, and atrial fibrillation.

Why Was Robert Durst Arrested?

Associated Press noted that the authorities took at least 15 years before Robert Durst was arrested for the killing of his best friend and another five years to bring him into the trial. Durst was accused of shooting Susan Breman in the back of the head in her Beverly Hills home in 2000.

Prosecutors argued that the motive for killing Breman was to stop the woman from disclosing with authorities that she aided Durst to cover up the killing of her first wife, Kathi Durst. Durst was only charged with killing Breman. However, prosecutors are using the death of his wife and neighbor Morris Black, who he allegedly shot, to prevent him from sharing his whereabouts.

Robert Durst has been in jail since 2015, and a documentary that included an interview with Durst helped lead to the charges against him.

READ MORE: Cecil Hotel: Other Terrifying Deaths, Crimes That Occurred Before Elisa Lam's Disappearance

WATCH: Robert Durst Defense Team Files Emergency Delay In Murder Trial - from Law&Crime Network
Amid the national gas shortage the U.S. is facing, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer continues her pursuit to shut down the Enbridge pipeline.

In a Washington Post op-ed on Friday, the Democrat Governor explained that the Line 5 pipeline, which was owned and operated by Enbridge Inc., has pumped crude oil for 70 years through the cross-section of Lake Michigan and Huron and the Straits of Mackinac. The Michigan Governor also mentioned that the two 4.5 mile sections are ticking time bombs in the area.

According to Fox News, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated that oil and water do not mix, especially when the latter involves the Great Lakes. She mentioned that it is the repository of more than 20 percent of the fresh water in the world.

Whitmer also added that she is taking every action that she can have to shut them down to protect the two Great Lakes. She also shared that she wants to protect jobs that depend on them.

Line 5 is part of a network that moves crude oil and other petroleum products from Western Canada. It transports around 540,000 barrels daily.

Also, Whitmer mentioned that the incident in 2010 alerted the whole nation because of the dangers imposed by a possible oil spill after Line 6B of the Enbridge pipeline ruptured is what she is attempting to avoid.

However, the recent Colonial Pipeline hack, which shut down the entire 5,500-mile stretch and caused the scramble at the gas pump, drove prices to record highs and caused major shortages. Reports even mentioned that a gas station raised its regular gas prices to $7 per gallon.

ALSO READ: Tax Day Monday: Reasons to File Income Tax Return Now

In November, Whitmer filed a lawsuit against Enbridge that notifies the state of Michigan that it would allow the pipeline 180 days to cap oil flow operations. The governor threatened to disgorge the company of all profits unjustly earned upon refusal to comply. But Enbridge replied that they will continue pumping until a court orders them to stop.

Whitmer also concluded that running pipelines through the water of the Great Lakes is and always has been a dangerous threat. She also emphasized that she will not sit idle as the time bomb keeps ticking.

Enbridge's Response

Enbridge spokesman Jesse Semko mentioned in a statement that they will not stop operating the pipeline unless they received an order from a court or their regulator to do so. But they view it as "unlikely to happen," iPolitics reported.

The company spokesman also mentioned that Line 5 is operating safely, reliably, and is in compliance with the law. Even the Canadian government filed an objection with the court on Tuesday, which was joined by the attorneys general of Ohio and Louisiana, and chambers of commerce in Canada and the U.S., PBS reported.

The Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan said Thursday during the question period in the House of Common that it is a critical energy link.

RELATED ARTICLE: Rep. Maxine Waters Weighs Lawsuit Against News Outlet Over Air Marshals "False Claims"



WATCH: Enbridge defies Whitmer order calling for shutdown of Line 5 pipeline -FROM Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV




Australia's oldest-ever man has included eating chicken brains among his secrets to living more than 111 years.







Retired cattle rancher Dexter Kruger on Monday marked 124 days since he turned 111, a day older than World War I veteran Jack Lockett was when he died in 2002.







Kruger told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview at his nursing home in the rural Queensland state town of Roma days before the milestone that a weekly poultry delicacy had contributed to his longevity.







''Chicken brains. You know, chickens have a head. And in there, there's a brain. And they are delicious little things,'' Kruger said. ''There's only one little bite.''







Kruger's 74-year-old son Greg credits his father's simple Outback lifestyle for his long life.







Nursing home manger Melanie Calvert said Kruger, who is writing his autobiography, was ''probably one of the sharpest residents here.''







''His memory is amazing for a 111-year-old,'' Calvert said.







John Taylor, a founder of The Australian Book of Records, confirmed that Kruger had become the oldest-ever Australian man.







The oldest-ever verified Australian was Christina Cook, who died in 2002 aged 114 years and 148 days. (AP)


Authorities are investigating whether a man accused of breaking into a College Hill home and attempting to sexually assault two women may have committed an additional three sexual assaults.

Clement Swaby, 35, of Bethlehem, is charged in the attempted March 5 attack of two 22-year-old women just off Lafayette Colleges campus in the 400 block of McCartney Street.

The victims told police the man entered their bedroom armed with a knife and demanded that each of them perform a sex act, prosecutors said.

At a bail hearing Monday, Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Tatum Wilson said Swaby is a person of interest in sexual assaults in Bethlehem, Lehigh County; West Conshohocken, Montgomery County; and in Florida.

She said shes waiting for the result of DNA tests before determining whether to charge Swaby.

It would be dangerous to release him into the community, she told District Judge Robert Weber.

Weber refused to lower the $300,000 bail set for Swaby or to offer him the option of posting 10% to be released. Nothing changed since he set bail at $300,000 and he said he feels that amount is necessary based on the safety of the community.

Defense attorney Shaka Mzee Johnson argued Swaby has never been charged with a crime. He moved from Florida to Bethlehem to be closer to the family of the mother of his children, ages 11 and 13. Hes worked as a temp and an Uber Eats driver and cant stay employed while hes locked up, Johnson said.

Johnson acknowledged the seriousness of the charges but said the bail ought to be reduced.

What do you get for being dutiful and going to work every day? Now youre charged with criminal offenses and you get close to half a million dollar bail? Something doesnt feel quite right, Johnson said.

Swaby waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the charges related to the Easton break in and attempted sexual assaults. He allegedly stole a $500 Starbucks gift card after climbing in a bedroom window to get into the building.

Swaby is also a person of interest in a Feb. 22 break-in in the 400 block of McCartney Street in Easton.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.
New Jersey State Police on Monday morning identified the high school senior who died Sunday after a crash in Hardwick Township.

Krystina Corriveau, 18, of Blairstown Township, was the driver of a vehicle that left Birch Ridge Road in the 100 block and struck a tree just after 8 a.m., police Lt. Jeff Flynn said. She was taken to Newton Medical Center where she died of her injuries, Flynn added.

Corriveau was a senior at North Warren Regional High School and was expected to graduate May 28, Superintendent Sarah Bilotti confirmed.

This tragedy has touched all members of our school community, Bilotti told lehighvalleylive.com. Her teachers have said that Krystinas laugh and smile lit up even her virtual classes. Our prayers are with her family and friends.

Bilotti also wrote a letter to parents and students.

On behalf of the entire North Warren Regional community, I share our deepest condolences and prayers for her family, including her two older sisters, Erica and Kim, who are loved by our faculty and staff, and for her friends who are now faced with the unspeakable task of ending their senior year without her, Bilotti wrote.

The school community was requested to create remembrances of Corriveau, the letter continues.

The family has asked that students who knew her compile photo collages or written memories of Krystina to be given to the family, Bilotti wrote. Students can bring these memories to the Guidance or Main office. The family has also asked that any donations be made in Krystinas name to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation so that other lives may be saved in her honor.

Arrangements were not complete as of Monday morning, the letter said.

Counselors are being made available to in-class students as well a virtual learners, Bilotti wrote.

The crash remains under investigation, Flynn said. There was no one else in the vehicle.

Troopers from the Hope barracks responded Sunday morning. A state police fatal crash unit as well as police, EMS personnel and firefighters from Blairstown assisted a the scene, Flynn said.

This is a breaking news post and will be updated if more information becomes available.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a subscription.

Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
In this Feb. 22, 2016, file photo, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda sit during an interview in New York. Bill Gates left the Microsoft board in 2020 as the board pursued an investigation into his romantic relationship with a female employee, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Reuters-Yonhap



Bill Gates left the Microsoft board in 2020 as the board pursued an investigation into the billionaire's romantic relationship with a female employee, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.



The founder and former head of the US technology giant stepped down as board chair in March 2020.



"Microsoft Corp. board members decided that Bill Gates needed to step down from its board in 2020 as they pursued an investigation into the billionaire's prior romantic relationship with a female Microsoft employee that was deemed inappropriate," the Journal reported, citing people close to the matter.



This was "an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," a spokeswoman for Gates told the Journal.



According to the spokeswoman, Gates left Microsoft to focus more on his philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.



Gates and his wife Melinda, who co-founded their charity two decades ago to battle global poverty and disease, announced their divorce on May 3 after 27 years of marriage.



A spokesperson for Microsoft told AFP that the company was alerted in the second half of 2019 that "Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000. A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation."



The employee, an engineer, claimed in a letter to have had a sexual relationship with Gates "over years," the Journal reported.



According to the Journal, some board members also asked about links between Gates and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking minors.



Gates's team assured the board the Microsoft founder had met Epstein for "philanthropic reasons" and "regretted doing so," the Journal said.



Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975, stepped down as the company's CEO in 2000, saying he wanted to focus on his foundation.



He left his full-time role at Microsoft in 2008.



His seat as board director, which he left in March 2020, was the last position that officially linked him to the company. (AFP)


The Miss Laois winner has been announced as nurse and science student Alison Dyer from Portarlington.

Alison who is sponsored by Laois business Blush Beauty Bar, now goes on to compete in the Miss Ireland event, and if she is chosen as winner, the career defining Miss World pageant.

She shared her delight with the Leinster Express and revealed her chosen charity for the final.

"I am delighted to have won Miss Laois and I am very excited to go onto the Miss Ireland final. I am determined to create many opportunities for myself but most importantly, just have fun!

"My beauty with a purpose project for Miss Ireland is coming together nicely. I have decided to work with the local charity SOSAD, a non-for-profit mental health charity who provide counselling and bereavement services to those affected my mental health. The midlands and Laois in particular have limited access to these essential services so I am very proud to be working with SOSAD to help fund their new office which will be based in Portlaoise. We are running a virtual talent show with celebrity quest judges to raise funds which will be used to provide these essential services from the new Portlaoise location," Alison said.

She was chosen out of three finalists as part of the first wild card event which had 12 finalists. The other Laois finalists were Sarah McDonnell also from Portarlington, and Halle Courtney from The Heath.

The online virtual final saw each entrant submit their introduction videos, catwalk selection videos and charity videos which where all reviewed by a panel of judges who then interviewed each contestant via zoom.

Judges on the night were former Miss Ireland finalists and the evening was hosted by Brendan Marc Scully.

She is a daughter of Phil and Martin Dyer who run a furniture upholstery and manufacturing business in Portarlington. Alison attended Colaiste Iosagain.

Before the result was announced, Alison had told the Leinster Express about herself and why she entered.

"I am completing a Masters in biotechnology in UCD, which I am enjoying. Its challenging but interesting. I am also a qualified General Nurse, I trained in St. Vincents University Hospital, Dublin (throughout the pandemic) and graduated from UCD in 2020."

Alison says she was inspired to enter by growing up watching America's Top Model.

"I want to step outside my comfort zone. I want to live my life to the fullest, have the most fun and try loads of new opportunities. I am determined to make great memories and live a fun life. Entering the Miss Ireland competition is equally as scary as it is exciting but who knows what good could come from it. At the very least, I will have a platform which I will put to good use, highlighting important issues like mental health and supporting others. I like to think Im pretty normal and relatable, maybe entering could inspire others. I always watched Americas next top model growing up and wished I could be involved, so this competition is as close as I can get in lovely Laois. I am excited to see what opportunities I can create for myself from this competition."

She said what it would mean to win.

"I would be the most exciting thing ever, to win Miss Laois and go onto compete in Miss Ireland because I believe I have a lot of life-experience and good advice to offer and that I would be a good role model. It would mean that I would broaden my platform which would allow me to reach more people when working towards important goals and discussing important topics ikemental health. I would love to be the representative for my lovely little county, I think that I can make them proud."

She said that the Miss Ireland competition is supportive for women and for good causes.

"This competition has a huge focus on charity work, so having fun whilst raising Money for good causes seems like the perfect opportunity for me. I have already worked with Pieta house, Variety Ireland, Coolmine and P.A.T.H charities since beginning my journey with Miss Ireland and I cant wait to get involved with more.

"I cant speak for all competitions, but Miss Ireland is a supportive organisation that helps women build a platform which they can use to bring awareness to social causes. Its great for building confidence, becoming better at public speaking, networking and meeting new people. Many great women such as Rozanna Purcell, Holly Carpenter, Rosanna Davison and Andrea Roche have taken part in Miss Ireland have then gone on to do amazing things afterwards like write books, set up modelling agencies, launch clothing collections and build brands for themselves. The opportunities are exciting and endless, who knows where it could lead me and what good I can do from this starting point.

She described some of her own charity efforts.

"In the first lockdown I completed half a million steps in the #steppingoutoflockdownchallenge and raised almost 400 for Pieta House. At Christmas time, I took part in the Christmas sandwich bag appeal which my local charity P.A.T.H were running, this involved collecting essential supplies like toothpaste, wipes, deodorant and making care packages which were given to homeless people. Myself and the Miss Ireland contestants recently created an activity fundraiser called the get up 2 move challenge , where people were invited to create a two minute video doing any activity/exercise and donate 5 to pieta House to be in with the chance of winning a 100 one for all voucher. I learned how to roller skate for this challenge, the aim was to

encourage people to be active and get some fresh air to benefit their mental health. For St. Patricks day all the Miss Ireland girls took part in a challenge to show off our beautiful counties. That was a fun challenge and it allowed me to share a few of my favourite places in Laois like Emo Court, Derryounce Lake and Garryhinch woods," Alison said.

Alison is also thankful for the community support for her.

"I think the best part so far has been the volume of support I have received from all the people in my town and in Laois. I get so many encouraging and supportive messages, its just been so positive. I think it may have come as a surprise to people that I would enter this type of competition, so its nice to see such a positive response. Voting for Miss Laois is now live on the Miss Ireland app and so many people who I dont even know are voting for me, to support a fellow Laois woman or because they know my parents. They community spirit is most definitely there, the support is fantastic.

"Getting to know all the girls from the other counties has been brilliant, they really are amazing. I always love to make friends everywhere I go and this competition has given me that opportunity, it will be even nicer when we can eventually meet up in person," she said.

Her interests including modelling, social media and travel.

"I love all things creative painting, singing (even though Im no good) fashion and styling outfits, I post daily outfits and

fashion inspiration on my Instagram page. I enjoy modelling, I would do a photoshoot everyday If I could. I have worked with some brilliant Irish photographers, specifically a local photographer Con Murphy, the photographs which can be seen on my Instagram page are just amazing.

"I enjoy being active on social media, which has opened many doors for me to work with many fashion and beauty brands. I am currently a brand ambassador for bBold tan, I get to work with Irish fashion brands such as Loro and Texas Tom and I have some other exciting adventures currently in the works. Pre-covid I loved to travel, I spent all last summer travelling exploring Dubai, Indonesia, Bali and I did a road trip along the west coast of America. Made enough memories to last a lifetime."

Follow her on Instagram @alison.dyer.X

The grand finale of Miss Ireland will take place later this Summer.The winner of Miss Ireland will take part in the 70th Miss World festival which will take place in the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico in December. To follow all the 2021 finalists journey

download the free Miss Ireland APP .
A Laois man is among those shortlisted for this years 2021 EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

Kevin Brennan, Managing Director and co-founder of Modubuild is a finalist in the International category of the competition.

Kevin has been chosen from more than 140 nominations for the awards which are now in their 24th year.

The shortlisted entrepreneurs represent a large number of sectors, including retail, consumer, technology, health and leisure. Collectively, their companies generate annual revenues in excess of 1.325 billion.

The shortlisted entrepreneurs will vie for the title of EY Entrepreneur of the Year at an awards ceremony in Dublin in November.

The winner will go on to represent Ireland at World Entrepreneur of the Year finals in June 2022.

Modubuild was co-founded by Kevin Brennan who is a native of Clough, along with his business partner John Comerford who is from Castlecomer. Mr Comerford also has strong links to Laois as his mother is a native of Clough.

Modubuild is a fast growing High Tech Construction and Engineering company, headquartered in Kilkenny. They have a manufacturing facility in Castlecomer and a network of regional offices and operations in Amsterdam, Brussels, Manchester, Helsinki, Stockholm and most recently Warsaw, Poland.

They are currently in the process of setting up a new base in Spain and have plans to enter new markets in the near future.

Modubuild specialise in the rapid delivery of both Modular on-site and off site construction solutions on some of Europe's largest and most complex high-tech projects primarily in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and Data Centre sectors.

Modubuild have been leading the way in High Tech Volumetric Modular Construction for a number of years, having made a multi million euro investment in their 140,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing facility in Castlecomer.

Modubuild recently delivered a 12 million Vaccine Laboratory for Chinese Biopharma Company Wuxi in a record breaking duration during the early stages of the Covid 19 Pandemic.

The entire two story biosafety vaccine laboratory facility was constructed inside Modubuild's factory at the same time that planning permission and site preparations were happening. The building was then shipped to site and reassembled in nine days.

This project was named as the Large Pharma Project of the year for 2020 at the Pharma Industry Awards.

The company, which was recently named as Kilkennys Employer of the Year, has been recruiting heavily over the past year. They have recruited over 50 additional people since the Covid 19 pandemic kicked off and they currently have over 400 people employed across their operations.

Modubuild has experienced phenomenal growth over recent years having delivered projects for leading global clients in countries such as Netherlands, UK, Germany, Denmark, Sweden & Finland in addition to significant growth in the Irish market.

Its customers include leading global data centre providers, as well as biopharma companies such as Amgen, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, MSD, Wuxi Vaccines and more.

Commenting on the nomination Kevin Brennan said, I'm delighted to have been selected as a finalist in this year's EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. It's fantastic that an Irish owned and local business has been recognised as a leading international player, operating and competing in multiple markets.

This years finalists highlight the vibrant diversity of the entrepreneurial landscape across the island of Ireland, with sectors including technology, consumer, leisure and healthcare all represented, as well as our highest ever proportion of female finalists which is great to see, said Roger Wallace, partner lead for the Entrepreneur of the Year programme.

The finalists in the International category are: Brian OSullivan, Zeus Packaging; Peter Foley, LetsGetChecked; Michael Burke, Chanelle Pharma; Colin Lynch, EPS (Electronic Product Services Limited); Karl McHuge, Atlantic Dawn Unlimited; Kevin Brennan, Modubuild, Jacqueline OReilly, KonFloor IRL Limited and Brian and Jackie Reid, Deli Lites (Ireland) Limited.
There are just 25 staff dedicated to protecting the State agencies against cyber-attack such as the ransomware incident that has crippled the health service, according to a TD who represents parts of Laois and Offaly.

Independent TD Cathal Berry for Kildare South spoke out after the National Cyber Security Centre following the cyber attack on the HSE and the Department of Health.

"Our capability is improving but it is still very limited. The capacity of the National Cyber Security Centre needs to improve on three fronts - premises, budget and staff. It's incredible that we still dont have a dedicated premises yet and their budget of 5 million a year is not sufficient.

"Most importantly, from a talent perspective, we need to improve the amount of people there. There is currently only 25 people on the staff and the appointment of the Director of the National Cyber Security Centre has been vacant for the last year," he said.

He warned the country is at risk of a bigger assault.

"This is just a criminal attack from a small criminal entity, if this was a full-on military grade state-on-state attack wed be looking at much more serious consequences downstream," he said.

The former Deputy Commander of the Army Ranger Wing (ARW), linked the shortcomings to recruitment problems in the Defences Forces.

"The National Cyber Security Centre was intended to be a multi-agency entity with the support of members of An Garda Siochana and the Defence Forces. However, as a result of the staff retention crisis in the Defense Forces, two seats are vacant and that's simply just not good enough. The Defence Forces need their own dedicated cyber unit," he said.
Seven new volunteer centres across Ireland including one in Laois are among seven to be officially announced this week by the Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities Joe O'Brien on the first day of National Volunteering Week.

The new Volunteer Centres serve Kilkenny, Leitrim, Laois, Offaly, Roscommon, Waterford and Wexford, meaning there is now a volunteer centre in every county. The new Laois centre launches on Tuesday, May 18.

A statement said Volunteer Centres are supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development to provide a placement service between individuals and groups who want to volunteer and organisations that are seeking to involve volunteers.

They also provide training, Garda vetting, advice and supports to volunteer organisations. Funding for the establishment of the new centres came from the DormantAccoutnts Action Plan, and ongoing funding support will be provided from the Departments Volunteering Supports budget.

A statement said the announcement is a key deliverable of the National Volunteering Strategy which Minister OBrien launched in December 2020. It added that the opening of these seven Volunteer Centres is a hugely positive step and will ensure volunteers are supported in contributing to developing and maintaining vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities through volunteering.

Launching the new Volunteer Centres, Minister OBrien said volunteering is vital.

My Departments funding to Volunteer Centres is designed to strengthen and foster volunteering in Ireland. With the opening of these seven new centres throughout National Volunteering Week, we are further strengthening our volunteering infrastructure across the country and this will provide invaluable support to volunteers and volunteering activity in our communities.

"As we know, the most effective volunteering doesnt happen by accident and the correct infrastructure combined with strong volunteer management can help ensure that volunteer efforts are maximised across our communities.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Volunteer Ireland for their support in this project and to sincerely thank the Boards and staff of the new Volunteer Centres who have worked so hard to open their doors, he said.

He said that back in March 2020 the country was called on to step up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The response by volunteers was staggering. With the support of the thousands of volunteers in communities across Ireland, the Community Call was successfully able to support those most vulnerable in our communities during the pandemic.

Over 26,000 people registered to volunteer through the I-VOL app by the end of the year, and their contribution to supporting their communities during these difficult times has been invaluable.

As part of National Volunteering Week, we take the time to acknowledge and showcase this, and all, volunteering efforts and I look forward to attending the events being organised across the country, he said.

William Earley is the Chair of Volunteer Ireland.

This is a momentous day for volunteering in Ireland. We are lucky to have a strong culture of volunteering in this country, but it doesnt happen in a vacuum.

The supports provided by Volunteer Centres to both volunteers and organisations alike from referral and training to Garda vetting will be hugely beneficial to these counties.

Volunteer Ireland were delighted to play an integral role in the establishment and development of these Volunteer Centres, and we look forward to continuing our work with them and the wider network of Volunteer Centres across the country to support, advocate for and celebrate volunteering in Ireland, he said.

National Volunteering Week is the annual week where we celebrate all things volunteering. A local and national communications campaign supported by a programme of events will take place from 17th  23rd May 2021. This years theme is Small Actions, Big Impact. Events will take place across the country (mostly virtually) covering everything from training, recognition and wellbeing.

The Department says more than 1 million people in Ireland volunteer each year (according to CSO 2013 QNHS). Annually, this adds up to an economic contribution of 5 billion per year (this is based on the value of the 232.8 million hours given average industrial wage).

In a normal year, about 15,000 new people register on the volunteering database I-Vol. In 2020, as a result of mobilising a huge number of additional volunteers in response to COVID-19, that number will be around 35,000-40,000.

Volunteering has significant benefits to the health and well-being of those who volunteer and by extension their communities  in a 2018 survey, 51% of volunteers reported that their physical health and wellbeing had improved and 62% reported that their mental health and wellbeing had improved. Volunteering also supports those in unemployment to return to the workforce by helping them develop skills and build confidence.

The purpose of the National Volunteering Strategy is to recognise, support and promote the unique value and contribution of volunteers to Irish society.

The strategy also provides an opportunity for Government to acknowledge how important volunteering is to the well-being of the nation and to steer the delivery of an agreed and ambitious vision.

A statement said the strategy is a whole-of-government framework to support the voluntary sector, the development of which involved extensive public consultations.

The Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan 2018 included a provision of 1.2m in 2019 for the establishment of seven new full Volunteer Centres in order to provide a consistent level of volunteering infrastructure nationwide. The seven counties involved are Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Offaly, Roscommon, Waterford and Wexford and, are hosted by the local development companies.
Super junior Laois Offaly Minister Pippa Hackett took to the Slieve Blooms as National Biodiversity week got underway to see first-hand what is necessary for the protected Hen Harrier to flourish in the Slieve Bloom mountains.

Minister of State Hackett visited what is called a 'high nature farm' of George and Hazel McBryde, near Kinnitty.

The area is part of the Hen Harrier Project, which is supported by the Department of Agriculture through funding under the EUs Rural Development Programme. Farmers participating in the results-based project receive payments for delivering sustainable benefits for biodiversity.

The hen harrier is not just a beautiful bird of prey, it is also an indicator species of a healthy ecosystem, so it is vital that this area of the Midlands would be hospitable to them," said Minister Hackett.

"During my visit I heard that there are six confirmed breeding pairs in this area, and possibly more. Of course, we didnt see any because they are sitting on their nests and we were very careful not to disturb them but Im hoping to return later in the summer to see them in flight, said the Green Party senator.

The Minister continued by highlighting to the importance of the Hen Harrier Project.

May 22nd is International Day for Biological Diversity and it is really important we do all we can to heighten awareness of projects supporting Irelands beautiful protected species. The hen harrier is a rare, ground-nesting bird of prey and for them to nest, breed, hunt, and rear their chicks the land needs to be managed is a sustainable way. Thats why farmers, like George and Hazel, are so important, and I look forward to being able to continue to support this wonderful work.

Fergal Monaghan is the Hen Harrier Project Manager.

"We are delighted to have Minister Hackett here in the Slieve Blooms Special Protection Area. This region supports one of the largest Hen Harrier populations in the country. The birds that nest and rear their chicks here depend on the habitats that farmers maintain. These farmland habitats do more than just support Hen Harriers, they benefit other wildlife, store Carbon, and improve water quality, all important public goods delivered through Agriculture," he said.

Farmers are paid for their participation in the project on the basis of conservation work.

More on the project here.
Routine x-ray appointments were cancelled in Portlaoise hospital this week and anyone attending other appointments including maternity care must bring documentation due to the ransomware attack which has crippled the health service.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG) issued a statement updating the public on the impact.

It said hospitals are working hard to continue appointments but disruption is expected due to the attack on its IT systems.

The DMHG said emergency services are open in all its hospitals but remain extremely busy. It asked that people do not attend if they do not have an urgent problem. It said non-urgent patients could expect long delays.

The Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise group falls under the DMHG. The DMHG said emergency services continue but all radiology appointments have been cancelled.

It said patients attending the Laois hospital for other appointments should bring the letter received by post. Patients attending for antenatal or maternity should also bring their combined antenatal card or patient number.

Portlaoise's maternity is linked to the Coombe hospital in Dublin. Services and outpatients were due to run as scheduled on Monday but delays were expected.

Other hospitals have also been impacted.

The DMHG says the same measures, excluding maternity requirements, apply in Tullamore hospital.

Routine outpatient radiology and blood test (phlebotomy) appointments were cancelled in Naas General on Monday as the hospital cannot make contact with these patients directly. It urged people not to attend.

Cancer patients attending the St Luke's Oncology network were also impacted. All outpatient appointments and non-emergency radiation treatment were cancelled on Monday across the network. A plan to treat all urgent patients was set in train last week. Patients were contacted directly. Any patient who is unwell was asked to contact the team. The DMHG said St Lukes was doing everything to get the systems ready to treat patients next week.

The DMHG advised that people should only attend the Emergency Department at Tallaght hospital if urgent care is needed. Routine radiology was cancelled. Hospital letters were also required for appointments.

St James's advised all patients to attend their scheduled appointments as normal with updates posted on its website.

The DMHG said patients of all the hospitals should attend appointments unless they hear otherwise. It advised of delays.

It also advised people do to be seen in the coming days to pay attention to updates on services as hospitals may not be able to call to cancel.

Updates will be posted on the HSE's service disruption website and Twitter at @dmhospitalgroup or @hse live. Individual hospitals may have their own accounts or websites.

The DMHG said it regrets the impact and any inconvenience with appointments rescheduled as soon as possible.
We at Killashee Hotel are absolutely thrilled to announce in line with new government direction, we will be reopening our doors on June 2 for leisure residential guests. Our reservations team are working hard and are available to assist you on 045879277 or email reservations@killasheehotel. com.

We will be able to open for outdoor dining from June 7 for non-residents. In the meantime, we still have our Coffee Dock available daily for Take Away and also our Killashee Kitchen Take Away offerings.

We understand the importance and peace of mind each of our guests need to feel comfortable during their stay in Killashee. In preparation, we have issued our 'Keeping you Safe' Programme of Health and Safety Measures which includes detailed Health & Safety procedures developed by us, in line with HSE, Government, and Irish Hotel Federation guidelines so that we along with our guests can all adapt the hospitalitys new normal.

We very much look forward to welcoming all our very missed guests back to Killashee and to help you make the most out of your summer staycation to Kildare.

See you soon!

Follow Killashee Hotel on FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM or TWITTER or visit www.killasheehotel.com. Call 045 879277.

As Kildare prepares to reopen  hopefully for good  after the Covid-19 lockdown, the Leinster Leader/KildareNow is launching its Back In Business campaign to support local retailers and the community.

Each day on our website we will highlight two local Kildare businesses, as part of our Two for Today effort to support the local community, secure and create local jobs, and keep our towns and villages alive. The Leinster Leader has been here for Kildare through thick and thin since 1880, and we will continue to deliver all thats happening in news, sport and entertainment in print and online in the county.
All routine outpatient radiology and phlebotomy (blood test) appointments have been cancelled for today, Monday, May 17, at Naas Hospital, due to the ongoing cyber attacks on the HSE's IT systems.

The hospital has said that it cannot make contact with these patients directly, and has asked those with appointments not to attend at the hospital.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, of which Naas Hospital is a part, has said that patients should attend appointments this week unless they hear otherwise from the hospital. Patients have been warned to expect delays. They have been asked to bring previous appointment letters, and patient numbers, if available, to the hospital with them.

Emergency services remain operational, but are extremely busy, and patients are asked to only attend the Emergency Department in the case of an emergency. Non-urgent patients can expect long waits.
A 37-year-old man accused of murdering his wife and two young children at their south Dublin home will go on trial at the Central Criminal Court in June next year.

Sameer Syed of Grosvenor Lodge, Rathmines, Dublin 6 is charged with murdering his wife Seema Banu (37), his daughter Asfira Riza (11) and son Faizan Syed (6) at Llewellyn Court, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16 on October 28 last year.

Ms Banu, who was from India, lived in a house in Llewellyn Court with her two children. Their bodies were found after residents in the estate became concerned when the family hadn't been seen in several days and alerted the gardai.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions Brendan Grehan SC on Monday told Mr Justice Michael White at the Central Criminal Court that the matter had just been returned for trial and said the accused was charged with the murder of his wife and two children.

Mr Grehan said that the District Court had made certain orders in light of a Court of Appeal ruling but those orders no longer applied due to the change in the law. "There is no impediment to them being named," he added.

Mr Justice White said in that case he did not need to make any order.

When Mr Syed was charged with three counts of murder at Dun Laoghaire District Court on November 30 last, arresting officer Detective Sergeant John White told Judge Ann Watkin that reporting restrictions under Section 252 of the Children Act applied because two of the deceased were juveniles. Judge Watkin reminded the media at the same court sitting that reporting restrictions applied and a subsequent attempt by the media to have them lifted was unsuccessful.

Defence counsel Roisin Lacey SC told Mr Justice White today that there was a considerable amount of material in the case.

Mr Grehan said that other material could become available from abroad, which might lengthen the trial.

Mr Justice White set a trial date for June 15, 2022. The case is expected to last five weeks.

Mr Syed appeared via video-link for today's brief hearing and he was remanded in custody until that date.

On April 28, Mr Syed was sent forward for the trial to the Central Criminal Court after being served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was also granted and there was no State objection.

The Children (Amendment) Act 2021 was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins last month after passing in the Dail and the Seanad and came into force two weeks ago.

This means that, following the controversial Court of Appeal ruling in October last year, the law has now been changed to remove the restriction on naming deceased children except in certain exceptional circumstances. In cases where specific orders remain, applications have to be made to the courts by media organisations or relatives in each case to lift those orders.

The Court of Appeal found that Section 252 of the Children Act, 2001 prohibited the identification of child victims and made it an offence to publish anything that could identify a child who is an alleged victim of an offence, including a deceased child.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D., has welcomed the return of buyers to the rings of livestock marts all over the country while adhering to public health guidelines.

Online trading will continue to be facilitated, alongside the return of in-ring buying.

Speaking to farmers and mart staff in Carndonagh Mart, Co Donegal today, Minister McConalogue paid tribute to their efforts in keeping mart sales going while online.

This is a great day for our network of marts across the country. Mart managers, their staff as well buyers and sellers of livestock have shown tremendous resilience, agility and resourcefulness over the past 12-months in dealing with the challenges of COVID-19 while continuing to trade so seamlessly, said Minister McConalogue.

Im convinced the efforts of farmers and marts in recent months, adhering to the COIVD-19 measures, has undoubtedly played a role in minimising and reducing the threat of COVID-19 in our communities, the Minister added.

Cattle throughput from 1st January to 14th March 2021 was at 94% of the comparable period in 2020. Sheep throughput in the same period was at 100% of the comparable period for 2020.

Buyers may attend the sales ring and view stock in pens. However, this must be done by prior appointment with the livestock mart. Buyers who wish to be present at ringside must wear face coverings and adhere to strict 2m social distancing. Marts must also prevent the congregation of members of the public in the mart car park or at entry ways into mart buildings.

Marts must operate according to COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) which have been approved by their Regional Veterinary Office.

Minister McConalogue said he is encouraging farmers and buyers to continue to use online platforms as a way of trading livestock.

He states, Livestock mart sales will continue to be a blend of both online and ringside as we move forward. This blended approach, with a strong online element, has proved to be an excellent way of trading cattle and sheep.

I am urging farmers, buyers and marts to pay particular attention to the public health guidelines as we move forward. We all have our role to play in keeping each other safe and this is as important at the mart as anywhere else, the Minister concluded.
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of a house that was hit by early morning Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, Monday. AP-Yonhap



U.N. Security Council diplomats and Muslim foreign ministers convened emergency weekend meetings to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest single attacks in nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes.



President Joe Biden gave no signs of stepping up public pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate cease-fire despite calls from some Democrats for the Biden administration to get more involved.



His ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told an emergency high-level meeting of the Security Council that the United States was "working tirelessly through diplomatic channels" to stop the fighting.



But as battles between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers surged to their worst levels since 2014 and the international outcry grew, the Biden administration  determined to wrench U.S. foreign policy focus away from the Middle East and Afghanistan  has declined so far to criticize Israel's part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. Appeals by other countries showed no sign of progress.



Thomas-Greenfield warned that the return to armed conflict would only put a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict even further out of reach. However, the United States, Israel's closest ally, has so far blocked days of efforts by China, Norway and Tunisia to get the Security Council to issue a statement, including a call for the cessation of hostilities.



In Israel, Hady Amr, a deputy assistant dispatched by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to try to de-escalate the crisis, met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who thanked the U.S. for its support.



Blinken himself headed out on an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, with no announced plans to stop in the Middle East in response to the crisis. He made calls from the plane to Egypt and other nations working to broker a cease-fire, telling Egypt that all parties "should de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence."



Rep. Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, urged Biden on Sunday to step up pressure on both sides to end current fighting and revive talks to resolve Israel's conflicts and flashpoints with the Palestinians.



"I think the administration needs to push harder on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence, bring about a cease-fire, end these hostilities, and get back to a process of trying to resolve this long-standing conflict," Schiff, a California Democrat, told CBS's "Face the Nation."



And Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, the senior Republican on the foreign relations subcommittee for the region, joined Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the subcommittee chairman, in asking both sides to cease fire. "As a result of Hamas' rocket attacks and Israel's response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further," the two said.



Biden focused on civilian deaths from Hamas rockets in a call with Netanyahu on Saturday, and a White House readout of the call made no mention of the U.S. urging Israel to join in a cease-fire that regional countries were pushing. Thomas-Greenfield said U.S. diplomats were engaging with Israel, Egypt and Qatar, along with the U.N.



Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people Sunday, medics said, bringing the toll since Hamas and Israel opened their air and artillery battles to at least 188 killed in Gaza and eight in Israel. Some 55 children in Gaza and a 5-year-old boy in Israel were among the dead.



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis in a televised address Sunday that Israel "wants to levy a heavy price" on Hamas. That will "take time," Netanyahu said, signaling the war would rage on for now.



Representatives of Muslim nations met Sunday to demand Israel halt attacks that are killing Palestinian civilians in the crowded Gaza strip. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called on "the international community to take urgent action to immediately stop military operations."





Palestinian firefighters douse a huge fire at the Foamco mattress factory east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on May 17. AFP-Yonhap
Rafal Karaczyn is not a cold-blooded killer who planned his wife's death, but a devoted father who lost all self control and caused the death of "the very thing he loved the most", his barrister has told the Central Criminal Court.

The prosecution, however, have told the jury that Natalia Karaczyn's wish to move on with her life was not a provocative act.

Barristers for the prosecution and defence delivered their closing speeches today to the jury of eight women and four men in the trial of Rafal Karaczyn (35) of Crozon Park, Sligo. Mr Karaczyn has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder for the unlawful killing of his wife Natalia Karaczyn on April 29, 2018.

The issue for the jury to decide, both barristers said today, is whether Mr Karaczyn intended to kill his wife when he strangled her and if he was provoked to such an extent that he temporarily lost all self control. The trial has heard that Ms Karaczyn, who repeatedly told the accused that she wanted to end their marriage, came home at about 6am having had sex with another man.

Mr Karaczyn came to her room and asked where she had been. He told gardai that she pushed him from the room and when he came in again asking where she had been she slapped him twice in the face. In garda interviews Mr Karaczyn said: "I really don't know what happened. I started to strangle her and after a while she started to slide down." He also told gardai that he was under "very big stress" or "in a rage".



Defence barrister Brendan Grehan SC told the jury that the verdicts available to them are guilty of murder or guilty of manslaughter. He contrasted Ms Karaczyn's death with obvious cold-blooded gangland-style murders or with a husband who "decides he wants out" of his marriage, kills his wife and plans out the crime so he can cover his tracks. "That is what I mean by cold-blooded," he said, adding that Mr Karaczyn's crime "could not be further" from such a killing.

If there was a plan in place, counsel said, "the last place to carry it out was in the house with the children present who could have walked in at any moment." If planned, Mr Grehan suggested, Mr Karaczyn would have arranged to meet his wife elsewhere or he would have done it when the children were being babysat. Mr Karaczyn used no weapon and afterwards, when he decided to get rid of the body "for the sake of the kids", he had to back the car into the driveway because he hadn't planned the disposal of the body.

Mr Grehan further noted that his client only approached his neighbour afterwards to find out if his CCTV would show Natalia arriving home that morning or show him backing the car in the driveway. He also drove "aimlessly" up and down various roads outside Sligo in search of a place to hide her. He had no spade and no prepared site for the body which he ended up leaving loosely covered with branches in a wooded area close to the road.

While Mr Karaczyn had left a "false trail" Mr Grehan described it as "an absolutely pathetic one". He followed that with what Mr Grehan described as a "cock and bull story", in which he said a Traveller killed Natalia, that served only to further arouse garda suspicions.

After admitting to the killing, Mr Grehan said his client had told gardai that he didn't intend to kill his wife, but that he "grabbed her and she died before he could stop". It was, counsel said, a reaction, not premeditated and he did not wish for her death. He added: "It was in the heat of the moment and he is criminally liable for that but the question is whether he is the cold-blooded killer the prosecution would portray or someone who simply lost all self control for that critical period of time."

Mr Karaczyn, counsel said, is not an aggressive person, was a good worker with no convictions in Ireland or Poland, had never come to adverse garda attention, has no history of domestic violence and was a devoted father in love with Natalia. But, Mr Grehan said, he "exploded and did something he will regret until the day he dies."

Counsel asked the jury to imagine a scenario where a man comes home early in the morning with lipstick on his collar, smelling of cheap perfume and his irate wife demands an account. He continued: "He tells her to get lost, slaps her and pushes her around and she grabs a knife and stabs him. Could anyone suggest she had planned it, that it was premeditated, that it was akin to where someone plans to bring about a result, or just someone who has lost it in the emotional circumstances into which they are thrown?"

He asked the jury to treat Mr Karaczyn in the same way that they would treat such a woman. Mr Grehan finished by saying his client, "acted in an uncharacteristic fashion and caused the death of the very thing he loved the most."

Prosecution counsel Conor Devally SC told the jury that provocation cannot arise out of sexual jealousy or possessiveness. He said a recent Supreme Court decision has stated that juries cannot use provocation to reduce murder to manslaughter simply because a man was jealous and wanted to possess his wife. Ms Karaczyn's wish to move on with her life is not, counsel said, a provocative act.

Mr Devally added: "So all you are left with is him being slapped and not told where she has been and perhaps some humiliation in being thrown out of the room. Is that a circumstance where society at large would be able to say his uncontrolled rage was provoked by an action of Natalia?"

Mr Devally said the evidence of the slap and Ms Karaczyn pushing the accused out of her private room are "a trigger that is pathetically mild". He said it would be "ludicrous" to say that the slap "unhinged him". If the jury is satisfied that the killing was prompted by jealousy or a wish to possess his wife, Mr Devally said the correct verdict is murder.

He asked the jury to consider a series of text messages dating back one year prior to Ms Karaczyn's death, in which she repeatedly told the accused she wanted to end the marriage and he repeatedly told her he loved her and wished to fix their relationship.

He asked the jury to consider whether these texts reveal that he was "not going to let this woman leave the relationship". If that was the reason for the violence, he said, then it is murder.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon will deliver her charge to the jury tomorrow.
A BROTHER and sister have been charged with drugs offences arising from seizures made during a major garda operation in Limerick city nearly two years ago.

Owen Treacy, aged 25, of St Ita's Street, Saint Mary's Park, Limerick and Stephanie Treacy, aged 28, of the Path, Garryowen were released on bail when they appeared before a special court sitting in Ennis the weekend.

Each face eight charges including possession of quantities of heroin, cocaine, Alprazolam tablets and cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply.

The drugs were seized at St Munchin's Street, St Mary's Park on August 2, 2019 during an operation involving members of the divisional Drugs Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau.

During Saturday night's special court sitting, Judge Mary Larkin was told neither defendant made any reply when formally charged and that the DPP has directed trial on indictment before the circuit court.

Inspector Sandra Heelan said there was no objection to bail subject to the defendant's compliance with a number of conditions.

Both defendants, who were represented by solicitor Tom Kiely, were ordered to live at their home addresses and they must sign-on daily at Henry Street garda station.

They were also ordered to surrender their passports and must supply gardai with a mobile phone number.

The case was adjourned to facilitate preparation of a book of evidence.
A RATHKEALE man accused of possession of pepper spray during a row in the town last Christmas, told the arresting garda it was self-defence.

They were beating me. I saw my father bleeding. I had no other choice, he told the garda.

John OBrien, aged 24, who has an address at Old Barrack View, Rathkeale was before Newcastle West Court having been charged with an offence under the provisions of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990.

He was also charged with assaulting another man - Michael OBrien - during the same incident but told the arresting garda when charged: He assaulted me first. I can go under oath that they started that.

Mr OBriens solicitor Michael ODonnell said his client was pleading to the charges which relate to an incident at the Square, Rathkeale on January 4.

Inspector Andrew Lacey said an altercation between family members had escalated into a fight which was caught on camera and circulated on social media. A number of others could come before the court, he said.

Pleading for his client, who normally lives in the UK, Mr ODonnell said there was a bad relationship between his client and his brothers.

On the day, he had gone down to meet his grandfather who lives with other family members. He wasnt wanted and an exchange took place which led to a fight, Mr ODonnell said.

I know what happens around Christmas. You couldnt make it up, Judge Mary Larkin said, But the pepper spray was serious, she continued. I cant ignore it, she said. I am sure he knew it was illegal here.

He knows he was wrong, Mr ODonnell said. It is a big pity because he is a young man, the judge replied, imposing a fine of 500 for the pepper spray and 300 for the assault.

Recognisance with leave to appeal was fixed at a cash bond of 200.
FRESH calls have been made to honour IRA volunteer Sean South in the city of his birth.

At present, only a small plaque honours the man  who died following a 1957 raid on a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in Co Fermanagh  outside his original home in Henry Street.

But now Sinn Fein councillor John Costelloe is to seek for there to be a more prominent monument to the soldier.

He said: You go around the world and Sean Souths name is immortalised. For a man to come up from Limerick and take on the might of the British Empire took some guts. His name is as relevant now as it was back then. We learn from our history and mistakes, and we should honour our heroes.

Having sought a statue on numerous occasions, Cllr Costelloe is to put a question into the next metropolitan meeting raising this again.

Times are changing. Peoples attitudes are changing and I feel now is the right time for Limerick to stand proud, said the City North member.

Sean South is remembered by Limerick people far and wide in the track Sean South of Garryowen.

This is in spite of the fact he came from the other side of the city centre.

Written by Limerick man Sean Costelloe to the tune of another Republican ballad Roddy McCorley, Sean South from Garryowen can frequently be heard at sporting fixtures across the county.

It was following the raid in Co Fermanagh that South died, aged only 26 or 27.

And while many consider him to be a Republican hero in Limerick  with a memorial on his passing each year  his legacy outside these borders is more mixed.

Some suggest that the 1957 raid on the Brookeborough barracks was a terrorist act, with South considered by some to be a well-known fascist and an anti-Semite

Indeed, in letters to this newspaper, he appeared to promote the practice of McCarthyism against communists in the United States.

He also wrote to condemn what he felt were immoral messages in some Hollywood films, and believed the American film industry was controlled by Jewish and Masonic executives dictating to Communist rank and file.

Each year, Sinn Fein in Limerick hold a memorial to South near to the anniversary of his passing on January 1, 1957.

Many prominent party members have attended including former president Gerry Adams and the party's current leader Mary Lou McDonald.
A LIMERICK primary school is one of fifteen primary schools across Ireland set to take part in a DCU initiative aimed to help students and teachers to lead programmes that address societal challenges.

Corpus Christi Primary School in Moyross has joined DCUs initiative entitled DCU Changemaker Schools Network. The aim of the initiative is to grow the network so to enable primary and post primary secondary schools across the country to participate.

One of the coordinators of the project, Fiona Collins, said, The DCU Changemaker Schools Network (DCU CMSN) is a new initiative in Irish education, seeking to support innovative schools.

She continued, The skills and learning opportunities developed with and for students within the network closely align to the new Primary Curriculum which places a strong emphasis on agency, participation and a creative school pedagogy to foster active citizenship.

The initiative will support students and teachers in areas such as student voice, agency and participation. They will also engage students and teachers in ideas like social innovation and engaged citizenship all with the aim of honing those skills into addressing societal challenges like climate change, mental health and inequality.

The overarching goal is to help students develop their skills for critical thinking, empathy, teamwork, leadership, inclusion and to become active participants in their school and community to support sustainable and positive change, said a spokesperson for the initiative.
A member of the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office survey crew lays down beside the 6 foot 10 inch lake sturgeon, which was pulled from the Detroit River.

Biologists just captured a scale-tipping 240-pound (109 kilograms) sturgeon measuring 6 feet 10 inches (2.1 meters) in length in the Detroit River in Michigan. The enormous fish, which is likely a female and could be more than 100 years old, is believed to be one of the largest of its kind ever caught in the U.S., according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The researchers were surveying lake sturgeon in the area on April 22 when they caught the supersized sturgeon. It took three people to haul in, measure and tag the fish, which was later released back into the river. The biologists, from the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (AFWCO), were shocked by the discovery and described the sturgeon as a "real-life river monster," according to CNN .

"As we pulled it in, it just got bigger and bigger," Jason Fischer, a fish biologist at the AFWCO who was involved in catching the sturgeon, told Live Science. "It ended up being over double the size of any fish caught in the area before, our excitement was through the roof."

Related: Photos of the largest fish on Earth

It was hard for the team to determine the fish's sex or age in the short window of time they had to assess it; but its size suggests the sturgeon is a female that is likely to be more than 100 years old. Incredibly, she had managed to avoid detection by scientific surveys in the area for over 20 years, Fischer said.

Gentle giants

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are found in freshwater systems across the U.S., from the Hudson Bay to the Mississippi River. Males can live for 50 to 60 years, but the females are believed to have life spans that exceed 100 years, and as a result they can grow to be much larger, according to the USFWS .

Sturgeon look very similar to their prehistoric ancestors and have a distinct shark-like tail and rows of armored plates called scutes for protection. These characteristics, combined with their large size, give the fish their monstrous appearance; but they are actually completely harmless to humans.

Sturgeon are bottom-feeders and spend most of their time at the bottoms of rivers and lakes, where they feed on insects, worms, snails, crayfish and small fish. They catch their prey via suction feeding  by sucking down large amounts of prey-filled water and sediment  and as a result, they do not have any teeth.

Related: Photos: The freakiest-looking fish on the planet

Lake sturgeon are also very popular among local residents of the Detroit River area. "They are a large, charismatic fish, and a lot of people enjoy seeing them and knowing they are out there," Fischer said.

Under threat

Lake sturgeon are currently listed as threatened in 19 of the 20 states they are found in, including Michigan, according to the USFWS. There are a number of reasons for this, including toxic pollution in waterways and the construction of dams and flood-control measures that impact their ability to travel upstream to their spawning grounds. However, one of the main factors was historic overfishing.

"About 120 years ago, there was a very strong commercial fishery for sturgeon across the U.S.," Justin Chiotti, a fish biologist at the AFWCO who was not involved in catching the sturgeon, told Live Science. "A lot of the big fish got taken out."

Since then, other pressures, such as pollution, have decreased the life expectancy of the sturgeon, which makes the size of this particular fish even more impressive, Chiotti said.

There are now bans on commercial fishing and strict catch limits in place for recreational fishing for sturgeon, which are starting to show signs of recovery, Fischer said. The Detroit River now has one of the healthiest populations in the country, with more than 6,500 lake sturgeon, Chiotti said.

The surveys carried out by AFWCO and other USFWS groups across the country play an important role in monitoring population recovery, and supersized individuals like this one are indicators that the population and wider ecosystem are doing well, Chiotti said.

However, the scientists think there may still be bigger fish lurking in the depths.

"I don't think we caught the biggest sturgeon in the system," Chiotti said. "There are historical accounts of even larger fish being found."

Originally published on Live Science.
(Image credit: Court Image via Shutterstock

The U.S. Supreme Court said on May 17 that it would review a Mississippi law that would ban nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The state is one of several to pass abortion restrictions that clash with the Supreme Court's decision in 1973, in Roe v. Wade, to allow a woman to seek an abortion, with some caveats, before fetal viability.

"In an unbroken line dating to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court's abortion cases have established (and affirmed, and reaffirmed) a woman's right to choose an abortion before viability," Judge Patrick Higginbotham wrote in the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2014. "States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the woman's right but they may not ban abortions," The Washington Post reported.

But Roe. v. Wade is not the only Supreme Court decision to impact families. Live Science digs into historic decisions concerning families, including rulings on marriage, contraception, mental illness in family members, police search of a home without a warrant and right-to-die cases. Here's a look at Supreme Court rulings that changed life for U.S. families.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

The active ingredient in most birth control pills winds up in rivers, lakes and estuaries, where it can harm wildlife. Shutterstock) (Image credit: Tomas Daliman

Estelle Griswold and C. Lee Buxton were directors of a Planned Parenthood Center in New Haven, Conn., in 1961 when they were arrested as accessories to the crime of providing contraceptives.

The law that allowed their arrest dated back to the 1873 federal Comstock Act, which banned mailing or distributing explicit material, including information about contraceptives.

Griswold and Buxton appealed their convictions and in 1965, the Supreme Court ruled that Connecticut's law "violates the right of marital privacy which is within the penumbra of specific guarantees of the Bill of Rights." Unmarried women gained access to contraception in every state after another ruling, Eisenstadt vs. Baird, in 1972.

But more than 40 years later, contraception controversies still flare.

"We just had these issues of Obamacare requiring employers to pay for contraception," said Gloria Browne-Marshall, an associate professor of constitutional law at John Jay College, in New York City and author of the book "Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present" (Taylor & Francis, 2007).

The administration was also fighting against making the emergency contraceptive Plan B, which can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, available to teens under 17 without a prescription. But earlier this month it dropped the fight.

Loving v. Virginia (1967)

A couple embraces on a beach. (Image credit: Couple photo via Shutterstock)

In the summer of 1958, newlyweds Mildred and Richard Loving faced a choice: spend one year in jail, or face 25 years in exile from the state of Virginia. The couple married legally in Washington, D.C., but Judge Leone M. Bazile ruled their new marriage a crime against a Virginia state law that forbid miscegenation, or interracial marriage, because Mildred, then 17, was black and Native American, and Richard, 23, was white.

In issuing the ruling, Bazile wrote, "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents... The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix."

The Lovings chose to live in exile until they and the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the constitutionality of the Virginia law in 1964.

"After Brown v Board of Education in 1954, that was a big turning point. A lot of states repealed their anti-miscegenation laws... and there were a few that didn't," Gloria Browne-Marshall said.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Lovings, thereby voiding existing anti-miscegenation laws in 16 states.

"I don't think there was a big backlash against that decision," said Daniel Feldman, an associate professor at John Jay College. But a lack of backlash didn't mean automatic public support. A Gallup poll in 1968 showed 73 percent of Americans opposed interracial marriage. Opposition dropped to 42 percent in 1991 and to 17 percent by 2007.

Today, "Most of the arguments ... used Loving v Virginia as the core argument for repealing DOMA and Proposition 8," Browne-Marshall said.

Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp. (1971)

(Image credit: Mom feeding baby image via Shutterstock

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited employment discrimination by sex, but plenty of companies at the time loosely interpreted the law. Newspapers still listed separate want ads for men and women in 1970

When Ida Phillips applied for a job as an aircraft assembler in 1966, the Martin Marietta Corp. said it would not consider her because she had preschool-age children. The Supreme Court ruled against Martin Marietta, but sent the case back for retrial to see if the company could find enough proof that women with young children were unable to perform in the position as well as men with young children.

In his decision, Justice Thurgood Marshall added, "I fear that in this case, where the issue is not squarely before us, the Court has fallen into the trap of assuming that the Act permits ancient canards about the proper role of women to be a basis for discrimination."

Still, Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp. laid the foundation for future cases based on sex stereotypes.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Freedom of religion and the importance of education came head-to-head in the 1972 case of Wisconsin v. Yoder.

Wisconsin state law required minors to stay in school until age 16. But Adin Yutzy, Jonas Yoder and Wallace Miller  all members of the Amish community  pulled their children out of school at 14 and 16. Other states with large Amish populations, such as Pennsylvania, compromised with Amish communities by creating part-time vocational schools run by Amish teachers.

But Wisconsin prosecuted the families and fined them $5 each. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the families, who argued the conviction violated their First and 14th amendment rights.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

(Image credit: Diego Vito Cervo | Dreamstime)

Jane Roe is a pseudonym for the woman who brought a class-action suit against Henry Wade, a district attorney in Texas in 1970. Roe was pregnant, unmarried and denied an abortion at the time.

In 1973, the Supreme Court found that the right to privacy, as implied by the Bill of Rights, allowed a woman to legally seek an abortion without interference from the state. But the court gave states the right to regulate abortion after the first trimester, and the right to restrict abortions in some cases after viability, often deemed to be 20 to 23 weeks into the pregnancy.

Forty years later, states are still passing new abortion laws. The Guttmacher Institute counted 43 new state provisions restricting abortions in 2012. There were more than 90 new provisions in 2011.

Legal abortions after Roe v. Wade climbed to a peak in 1980, when 1.6 million were performed, but the number has been on the decline. In 2008, 1.21 million abortions were performed in the U.S.

Roe eventually came forward as Norma McCorvey. By the time the 1973 decision was issued, she had given the baby up for adoption.

McCorvey worked in an abortion clinic years after the ruling, but then said she regretted her part in Roe v. Wade, and became an anti-abortion advocate. She lived with a lesbian partner for decades until converting to Catholicism.

O'Conner v. Donaldson (1975)

Lonely people are more likely than others to produce inflammatory compounds linked to some chronic disorders. Shutterstock) (Image credit: Suzanne Tucker

Kenneth Donaldson was committed to a Florida State mental hospital in 1957 at the request of his father, who said he was suffering from delusions. Donaldson was kept there for close to 15 years against his will, despite evidence showing he wasn't violent, and was capable of living outside the hospital.

The Supreme Court ruled the hospital had violated Donaldson's rights under the 14th Amendment. It found, "In short, a State cannot constitutionally confine, without more [evidence], a nondangerous individual who is capable of surviving safely in freedom by himself or with the help of willing and responsible family members or friends."

The decision protected against the nightmarish scenario of a reasonably sane person trapped indefinitely in a mental hospital. But some mental health advocates say some interpretations of the case made it difficult for families to help their loved ones. [5 Controversial Mental Health Treatments]

The National Alliance on Mental Illness policy on involuntary commitment contends, "Current interpretations of laws that require proof of dangerousness often produce unsatisfactory outcomes because individuals are allowed to deteriorate needlessly before involuntary commitment and/or court-ordered treatment can be instituted."

FollowLiveScience @livescience, Facebook&Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

Cruzan v. Director of the Missouri Department of Health (1990)

(Image credit: Effe45 | Dreamstime)

The case of Nancy Cruzan was an early case in right-to-die controversies. Cruzan was 25 when a car crash left her in a persistent vegetative state.

Her parents fought to remove the feeding tube keeping her alive, but were denied by Missouri courts. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a state's right to demand evidence of an incapacitated person's wishes before removing life support.

The court wrote, "It is assumed that a competent person would have a constitutionally protected right to refuse lifesaving hydration and nutrition. This does not mean that an incompetent person should possess the same right, since such a person is unable to make an informed and voluntary choice to exercise that hypothetical right or any other right."

Despite the ruling, the Cruzans won the right to remove the feeding tube six months later. Nancy Cruzan died at age 33, eight years after the car crash.

Georgia v. Randolph (2006)

The Fourth Amendment requires police to gain permission from a person before they search a home without a warrant. But in 2005 the Supreme Court faced the situation where one person at the home says yes, and another says no.

Janet Randolph called police complaining that her estranged husband, Scott Randolph, had taken their son. After police arrived, Janet Randolph accused her husband of using cocaine and gave police permission to search their home. But Scott Randolph adamantly refused.

The Supreme Court found in favor of Scott Randolph in 2006, ruling, "Thus a disputed invitation, without more, gives an officer no better claim to reasonableness in entering than the officer would have absent any consent."

Originally published on Live Science.
The ancient Egyptians are famed for their fondness of all things feline. There's no shortage of cat-themed artifacts  from larger-than-life statues to intricate jewelry  that have survived the millennia since the pharaohs ruled the Nile . The ancient Egyptians mummified countless cats, and even created the world's first known pet cemetery , a nearly 2,000-year-old burial ground that largely holds cats wearing remarkable iron and beaded collars.

But why were cats so highly valued in ancient Egypt? Why, according to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus , would the Egyptians shave their eyebrows as a mark of respect when mourning the loss of a family cat?

Much of this reverence is because the ancient Egyptians thought their gods and rulers had cat-like qualities, according to a 2018 exhibition on the importance of cats in ancient Egypt held at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. Specifically, cats were seen as possessing a duality of desirable temperaments  on the one hand they can be protective, loyal and nurturing, but on the other they can be pugnacious, independent and fierce.

Related: How were the Egyptian pyramids built?

To the ancient Egyptians, this made cats seem like special creatures worthy of attention, and that might explain why they built feline-esque statues. The Great Sphinx of Giza , a 240-foot-long (73 meters) monument that has the face of a man and the body of a lion, is perhaps the most famous example of such a monument, although in truth, historians arent exactly sure why the Egyptians went to the trouble of carving the sphinx. Likewise, the powerful goddess, Sakhmet (also spelled Sekhmet), was depicted as having the head of a lion on the body of a woman. She was known as a protective deity, particularly during moments of transition, including dawn and dusk. Another goddess, Bastet, was often represented as a lion or a cat, and the ancient Egyptians believed that cats sacred to her.

Cats were likely also loved for their abilities to hunt mice and snakes . They were so adored that the ancient Egyptians named or nicknamed their children after felines, including the name "Mitt"' (which means cat) for girls, according to University College London . It's not clear when domesticated cats turned up in Egypt, but archaeologists have found cat and kitten burials dating as far back as 3800 B.C., Live Science previously reported .

Image 1 of 11 A faience (glazed ceramic) ring of a cat with its kittens, dating to Egypt's Ramesside/Third Intermediate period (1295664 B.C.). (Image credit: urchase, Patricia A. Cotti and Friends of Egyptian Art Gifts, 2017; CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)) Image 2 of 11 A bronze and gold cat dating to 664-30 B.C., Egypt's Late Period, Dynasty 26 or later. (Image credit: Bequest of John L. Severance; Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)) Image 3 of 11 The head of Sekhmet, dating to Egypt's New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III, 1391-1353 B.C. (Image credit: Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust; Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)) Image 4 of 11 A marsh scene with a cat and birds, dating to 667-647 B.C., dating to Egypt's Late Period, Late Dynasty 25 to Early Dynasty 26 (Image credit: Gift of the Hanna Fund; Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)) Image 5 of 11 The sarcophagus of a cat, dating to Egypt's Late Period-Ptolemaic Period (about 66432 B.C.). (Image credit: Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne; CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)) Image 6 of 11 An amulet of the lioness-headed deity Sekhmet, dating to Egypt's Third Intermediate period (1070664 B.C.). (Image credit: Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson, Henry H. Getty, and Norman W. Harris; CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)) Image 7 of 11 A cosmetic vessel in the shape of a cat, dating to Egypt's Old Kingdom (19901900 B.C.). (Image credit: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1990; CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)) Image 8 of 11 A cat amulet crafted from faience that dates to Egypt's Third Intermediate period or later (1070664 B.C.). (Image credit: Bequest of Mary Anna Palmer Draper, 1915; CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)) Image 9 of 11 Cuff bracelets decorated with cats, dating to Egypt's New Kingdom (14791425 B.C.) (Image credit: Fletcher Fund, 19191922; Rogers Fund, 1922; Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1988 (1988.17i); CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)) Image 10 of 11 This painting of a cat sitting under a chair was found in the Tomb of Ipuy, and dates to the New Kingdom/Ramesside (12951213 B.C.). (Image credit: Rogers Fund, 1930; CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)) Image 11 of 11 A cat, likely a representation of the goddess Bastet, atop of a box for an animal mummy. It dates to the Late PeriodPtolemaic period (66430 B.C.). (Image credit: Rogers Fund, 1912; CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0))

Much research has suggested, however, that this obsession wasn't always kind and doting, and there's evidence of a more sinister side to the ancient Egyptians' feline fascination. There were likely entire industries devoted to the breeding of millions of kittens to be killed and mummified so that people could be buried alongside them, largely between about 700 B.C. and A.D. 300. In a study published last year in the journal Scientific Reports , scientists carried out X-ray micro- CT scanning on mummified animals  one of which was a cat . This enabled them to take a detailed look at its skeletal structure and the materials used in the mummification process.

When the researchers got the results back, they realized the creature was a lot smaller than they had anticipated. "It was a very young cat, but we just hadn't realized that before doing the scanning because so much of the mummy, about 50% of it, is made up of the wrapping," said study author Richard Johnston, a professor of materials research at Swansea University in the United Kingdom. "When we saw it up on the screen, we realized it was young when it died," less than 5 months old when its neck was deliberately broken.

"It was a bit of a shock," Johnston told Live Science. That said, the practice of sacrificing cats wasn't rare. "They were often reared for that purpose," Johnston said. "It was fairly industrial, you had farms dedicated to selling cats."

That's because many of the creatures were offered as a votive sacrifice to the gods of ancient Egypt, Mary-Ann Pouls Wegner, an associate professor of Egyptian archaeology at the University of Toronto previously told Live Science . It was a means to appease or seek help from deities in addition to spoken prayers.

Sadly, it's not exactly clear why it was considered desirable to buy cats to be buried with, but it seems there's a fine line between veneration and infatuation.

Originally published on Live Science.
In 2019, a group of scientists and distillers decided to create a bold new type of booze: Atomik, an artisanal alcoholic spirit made from ingredients grown in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant's still-radioactive exclusion zone. (The booze itself was not radioactive after the distilling process, Live Science previously reported ).

Now, the first batch of Atomik is finally complete  and all 1,500 bottles of it have been seized by Ukrainian Secret Services agents for unknown reasons, according to a statement from Atomik's manufacturer, The Chernobyl Spirit Company.

"It seems that they are accusing us of using forged Ukrainian excise stamps, but this doesn't make sense since the bottles are for the U.K. market and are clearly labelled with valid U.K. excise stamps," Jim Smith, founder of the company and a professor at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K., said in the statement.

Related: 5 weird things you didn't know about Chernobyl

Elina Smirnova, a lawyer representing the company, added that the seizure was a "clear violation" of Ukrainian law. If Atomik does make its way onto shelves, it will be the first consumer product from the Chernobyl region since the infamous 1986 meltdown, the company said.

A prototype bottle of Atomik. (Image credit: University of Portsmouth)

Soon after the nuclear disaster, officials deemed the Chernobyl exclusion zone  the 1,000-square-mile (2,600 square kilometers) area surrounding the damaged power plant  uninhabitable by humans for 24,000 years. However, plants and animals are now thriving in the region  and so is tourism. According to local tourism officials , Chernobyl sees upwards of 60,000 visitors a year, with visits spiking after the May 2019 debut of HBO's "Chernobyl" miniseries.

Atomik is made from apples grown in Ukraine's Narodychi District, which sits on the edge of the exclusion zone and was heavily polluted by fallout from the meltdown. This region still has a population of nearly 10,000 people, according to Ukraine's State Statistics Service , and must abide by stringent agricultural restrictions.

With Atomik, Smith and his colleagues hope to prove that some products made near the exclusion zone can be safe for consumption, according to the company's website. Several years ago, the Atomik team tested rye crops from the exclusion zone for radiation, and found that the grains were indeed contaminated. However, Smith said, all traces of radiation were removed during the distillation process, making Atomik no more dangerous than other commercially available spirits.

Since then, the founders have changed their recipe from a rye-based booze to an apple-based one  but, according to Smith, the distillation process still renders the final product completely radiation -free. If Atomik makes it to liquor shops, 75% of the company's profits will be used "to help bring jobs and investment to the Chernobyl affected areas of Ukraine and to further support the community," according to the company's statement.

In the meantime, would you care to try a bottle of wine exposed to cosmic radiation aboard a space station for 14 months? It'll only cost you $1 million.

Originally published on Live Science.
The concrete structure known as The Shelter seals in the remains of Chernobyl's ruined Unit Four reactor.

Nuclear reactions are smoldering again in an inaccessible basement of the wrecked Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, according to news reports.

Researchers monitoring the plant  which infamously exploded in a deadly 1986 meltdown  have detected a steady spike in the number of neutrons in an underground room called 305/2. The room is full of heavy rubble, concealing a radioactive mush of uranium , zirconium , graphite and sand that oozed into the plant's basement like lava, before hardening into formations called fuel-containing materials (FCMs).

Rising neutron levels indicate that these FCMs are undergoing new fission reactions, as neutrons strike and split the nuclei of uranium atoms , creating energy.

Related: 5 Weird things you didn't know about Chernobyl

For now, this radioactive waste is smoldering "like the embers in a barbecue pit," Neil Hyatt, a nuclear materials chemist at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., told Science magazine . However, it's possible that those embers could fully ignite if left undisturbed for too long, resulting in another explosion.

This potential explosion wouldn't be anywhere near as devastating as the one that shattered the plant in 1986, which resulted in thousands of deaths and spewed a radioactive cloud over Europe, Maxim Saveliev, a senior researcher with the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants (ISPNPP) in Kyiv, Ukraine, told Science. If the nuclear material ignites again, the blast will be largely contained within the steel and concrete cage known as the Shelter, which officials built around the plant's ruined Unit Four reactor one year after the accident.

Still, even a contained explosion would make the long-term mission of removing the plant's FCMs much harder, Saveliev said. The Shelter is old and could easily crumble from the force of an explosion, filling the area with heavy debris and radioactive dust. (The Shelter itself is contained in a larger steel structure called the New Safe Confinement, which was completed in 2018.)

Neutron levels have been steadily rising in room 305/2 for four years, Saveliev said, and could continue rising for several more years without incident. It's possible these nuclear nuggets will fizzle out on their own in that time. But if neutron levels keep rising, scientists will have to intervene.

That is more easily said than done, of course; plant managers have yet to figure out how to access the tons of radioactive material buried below the room's thick layers of concrete debris. Radiation levels are too high for humans to endure, but radiation-resistant robots might be able to drill through the rubble and install neutron-absorbing control rods into the room, according to the ISPNPP.

Ukraine hopes to present a detailed plan for the removal of Chernobyl's still-smoldering FCMs by September, Science reported.

Originally published on Live Science.
On Sunday, May 16, the Korean Business Research Institute dropped their brand reputation rankings for female idols.

Want to know who the most popular female idols for May 2021 are? Then keep on reading!

What are the Brand Reputation Rankings?

The brand reputation ranking is an index crafted with big data brand analysis. The rankings helped determine the consumers' online habits and figure out what affects brand consumption.

The brand reputation rankings also determine the positive and negative influence of an idol, the media's interest in them, the consumers' interest in them, and the idol's communication volume.

From Apr. 16 to May 16, The Korean Brand Research Institute analyzed 114,224,835 pieces of big data to determine a female idol's participation index, media index, communication index, and community index.

Compared to the 129,777,828 pieces of big data in Apr. 2021, the number decreased by 11.98%.

Brave Girls' Yujeong is the Most Popular Female Idol for May 2021

Ranking at number one is Brave Girls member Yujeong with a brand reputation ranking of 4,054,785.

Yujeong has a participation index of 1,525,324, a media index of 964,766, a community index of 861,176, and a communication index of 702,631.

Compared to her brand reputation index of 6,404,321 in Apr. 2021, her index fell by 36.70%.

Brave Girls' Yuna is the Second Most Popular Female Idol for May 2021

The second place goes to another Brave Girls member, Yuna, with a brand reputation ranking of 3,344,631.

Yuna has a participation index of 1,254,769, a media index of 788,924, a community index of 655,502, and a communication index of 645,445.

Compared to her brand reputation index of 4,807,708 in Apr. 2021, her index fell by 30.43%.

BLACKPINK's Jennie is the Third Most Popular Female Idol for May 2021

Third place goes to BLACKPINK's very own Jennie with a brand reputation ranking of 3,338,856.

Jennie has a participation index of 391,288, a media index of 470,809, a community index of 1,688,165, and a communication index of 788,593.

Compared to her brand reputation index of 3,909,845, her index fell by 14.60%.

Oh My Girl's Arin is the Fourth Most Popular Female Idol for May 2021

Oh My Girl's "Princess" Arin is the fourth most popular female idol of the month with a brand reputation ranking of 3,280,008.

Arin has a participation index of 372,7230, a media index of 726,458, a community index of 1,538,453, and a communication index of 642,368.

Compared to her brand reputation index of 2,493,161 in Apr. 2021, her index rose by 31.56%.

ITZY's Yuna is the Fifth Most Popular Female Idol for May 2021

ITZY's towering maknae Yuna took home fifth place with a brand reputation ranking of 3,268,841.

Yuna has a participation index of 472,393, a media index of 1,179,916, a community index of 776,489, and a communication index of 839,044.

Compared to her brand reputation index of 1,182,668 in Apr. 2021, her index rose by 176.40%.

These are the Top 50 Most Popular Female Idols for May 2021.

1. Brave Girls' Yujeong

2. Brave Girls' Yuna

3. BLACKPINK's Jennie

4. Oh My Girl's Arin

5. ITZY's Yuna

6. Brave Girls' Minyoung

7. ITZY's Yeji

8. ITZY's Lia

9. ITZY's Ryujin

10. BLACKPINK's Rose

11. Brave Girls' Eunji

12. ITZY's Chaeryeong

13. Oh My Girl's Jiho

14. LOONA's Chuu

15. BLACKPINK's Lisa

16. BLACKPINK's Jisoo

17. Oh My Girl's YooA

18. Oh My Girl's Hyojung

19. Oh My Seunghee

20. Girls' Generation's Yuri

21. Oh My Girl's Binnie

22. Oh My Girl's Mimi

23. Red Velvet's Joy

24. Red Velvet's Wendy

26. Girls' Generation's Taeyeon

27. STAYC's J

28. WJSN's Yeoreum

29. Red Velvet's Seulgi

30. STAYC's Isa

31. STAYC's Sieun

32. WJSN's Seola

33. WJSN's Bona

34. STAYC's Seeun

35. MAMAMOO's Wheein

36. TWICE's Nayeon

37. GFRIEND's Sowon

38. STAYC's Yoon

39. STAYC's Sumin

40. Apink's Jung Eunji

41. MAMAMOO's Hwasa

42. TWICE's Sana

43. EXID's Hani

44. HOT ISSUE's Hyungshin

45. TWICE's Mina

46. TWICE's Jeongyeon

47. WJSN's Eunseo

48. HOT ISSUE's Dana

49. aespa's Karina

50. HOT ISSUE's Dain

Did your favorite female idol make it to the top 50 for May 2021? Tell us in the comments below!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS Jimin, ASTRO Cha Eun Woo, and More: Male Idol Brand Reputation Rankings for May 2021 Released

For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Alexa Lewis
A staff member uses a powered parachute to search for three leopards that had escaped from the Hangzhou Wildlife World. The search took place in the mountains near Hejia Village in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, on May 9, 2021.

Chinese officials are hunting for an escaped leopard in the outskirts of Hangzhou, in eastern China, over three weeks after it escaped from a safari park. Hunters have used many methods to find the elusive big cat, including deploying a small army of drones and releasing around 100 live chickens as bait.

The leopard was one of three that escaped from Hangzhou Safari Park, around 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the city, while their enclosure was being cleaned on April 19. On April 21, officials captured the first leopard after shooting it with a tranquilizer dart, and on May 8, they caught the second one, which had injuries to its hind leg, according to The Washington Post .

Because the third leopard is still on the loose, local residents near the park have been warned to stay indoors for their own safety. Chinese officials issued a mass text message to local residents: "Leopard tracks have been discovered near mountain villages. Police are searching. Everyone please securely close doors and windows and do not go out," The Guardian reported .

Related: Here, kitty, kitty: 10 facts for cat lovers

Rescuers search for leopards that escaped from a wild park in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province, on May 9, 2021. (Image credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Officials have deployed 1,700 personnel, including dog handlers, to find the final leopard and have released 990 drones, as well as a pilot in a powered parachute  a type of light aircraft that consists of a parafoil with a motor and wheels  to search from the skies, according to The Washington Post. Infrared motion sensors have also been set up near bodies of water.

The large-scale operation has been going for only a few days, because the safari park initially covered up the escape in an attempt to maintain visitor numbers over the May 1 Labor Day holiday, during which over 97,000 people visited the park, according to The Washington Post. Police launched an investigation after the public reported a large number of leopard sightings.

There was widespread public outrage toward the park after the news of the escaped leopards broke, and five individuals have been arrested in connection with the escape and subsequent cover-up, according to The Guardian.

A happy outcome for the final leopard is becoming increasingly unlikely, as it never learned to hunt for its own food and is probably nearing starvation, according to The Guardian.

Originally published on Live Science.
Security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan as members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus make a visit to the institute on February 3, 2021.

More than a dozen researchers have published a letter in a top scientific journal calling for further investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

In the letter, published Thursday (May 13) in the journal Science , the authors say that two theories  that the virus was accidentally released from a lab or that it spilled over naturally from animals  "both remain viable."

"Knowing how COVID-19 emerged is critical for informing global strategies to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks," they wrote.

Related: 14 coronavirus myths busted by science

The authors, who include 18 prominent scientists, are not the first in the scientific community to call for more investigation into the new coronavirus's origins. But many previous statements on the issue have clearly favored one theory over the other, while the authors of the new letter tried to remain neutral, arguing that current evidence is not strong enough to favor either theory, according to The New York Times .

"Most of the discussion you hear about SARS-CoV-2 origins at this point is coming from, I think, the relatively small number of people who feel very certain about their views," Jesse Bloom, lead author of the letter and associate professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who studies virus evolution, told the Times. "Anybody who's making statements with a high level of certainty about this is just outstripping what's possible to do with the available evidence."

Other authors of the letter include Dr. David Relman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University; Ralph Baric, a professor of epidemiology and microbiology at the University of North Carolina who has spent decades studying coronaviruses; and Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who uses mathematical modeling to study infectious disease transmission.

The origins of SARS-CoV-2 have been hotly debated since the pandemic began, and some experts have said we may never know exactly where the virus came from, Live Science previously reported.

In March 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the results of a months-long investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, conducted in partnership with Chinese scientists. The report concluded that a spillover from wildlife through an intermediate host was the "likely to very likely pathway" for the original transmission into humans, while introduction through a lab accident was "extremely unlikely."

However, many countries soon criticized the report for a lack of transparency and incomplete data, according to CNN . The U.S. and 13 other governments have since released a statement expressing concern about the WHO findings.

The new letter notes that in the WHO report, "the two theories were not given balanced consideration" and that "there were no findings in clear support of either a natural spillover or a lab accident."

"A proper investigation should be transparent, objective, data-driven, inclusive of broad expertise, subject to independent oversight and responsibly managed to minimize the impact of conflicts of interest," the authors of the Science letter said.

Some experts not involved with the letter said they support the need for further investigation on the virus's origins, but they disagreed that the two hypotheses currently have equal evidence supporting them.

"There is more evidence (both genomic and historical precedent) that this was the result of zoonotic emergence rather than a laboratory accident," Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Canada, told the Times.

Originally published on Live Science.
A man in a hazmat suit walks past ditches and bags of calcium oxide as members of Danish health authorities, assisted by members of the Danish Armed Forces, dispose of dead mink in a military area near Holstebro, Denmark on November 9, 2020.

Last year, Denmark culled millions of farmed mink after coronavirus infections broke out amongst the animals. But in the following months, hastily buried mink carcasses began rising up from the ground, propelled skyward by the gases seeping from their decomposing flesh, according to news reports.

In November 2020, Danish authorities announced a plan to cull all farmed mink in the country after more than 200 farms reported SARS-CoV-2 infections among their animals, Live Science previously reported . The virus, which causes COVID-19 in humans, had picked up mutations while spreading among the mink, and the Danish authorities worried that the mutant virus might spill over to humans and worsen the pandemic .

"The other area to be concerned about is having this virus spill into an animal host that becomes a regional or local reservoir for viral infections," Jonathan Runstadler, professor in the department of infectious disease and global health at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts, told NBC News in December. A few thousand mink escape Danish farms each year, so some infected mink could have potentially ventured into the wild and passed the virus to other animals, Live Science previously reported .

Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history

Citing these concerns, the Danish government issued its order in early November 2020, and by Nov. 25, "mink on all 289 affected mink farms, and farms within an assigned zone, were culled," according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Most of the roughly 17 million mink carcasses were burned in waste incinerators, but due to limited capacity, about 4 million mink were instead buried in military areas in western Denmark, Reuters reported .

One of the mass graves lies near a swimming lake and the other near a drinking water source, which raised concerns of water contamination from local residents, Reuters reported. And not long after their initial burial, the mink carcasses began poking up through the ground, like a scene pulled from a bad zombie flick, NBC News reported.

In response to this disaster, the Danish government decided to excavate the mass mink graves, starting in May 2021, and that plan is now finally underway, Reuters reported. Per the plan, the 4 million mink will be dug up and burned at 13 central heating plants around Denmark by mid-July.

Originally published on Live Science.
A never-ending detonation could be the key to hypersonic flight and space planes that can seamlessly fly from Earth into orbit. And now, researchers have recreated the explosive phenomenon in the lab that could make it possible.

Detonations are a particularly powerful kind of explosion that move outward faster than the speed of sound . The massive explosion that rocked the port of Beirut in Lebanon last August was a detonation, and the widespread destruction it caused demonstrates the huge amounts of energy they can produce.

Scientists have long dreamed of building aircraft engines that can harness this energy; such craft could theoretically fly from New York to London in under an hour. But detonations are incredibly hard to control and typically last less than a microsecond, so no one has yet been able to make them a reality.

Related: The top 10 greatest explosions ever

Now, a team from the University of Central Florida has created an experimental setup that lets them sustain a detonation in a fixed position for several seconds, which the researchers say is a major step toward future hypersonic propulsion systems.

"What we're trying to do here is to control that detonation," said Kareem Ahmed, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Central Florida, and lead author of a new paper on the research published Monday (May 10) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We want to freeze it in space and harness that energy. Rather than it destroying buildings, as you saw in Lebanon, now I want to use it and produce thrust with it," Ahmed told Live Science. "If we can do that, we can travel super fast."

The breakthrough was built on decades of research into a theoretical propulsion system called an oblique detonation wave engine (ODWE). The concept works by funneling a mixture of air and fuel at hypersonic speeds (more than five times the speed of sound) toward a ramp, which creates a shock wave. This shock wave rapidly heats up the fuel-air mixture and causes it to detonate, blasting exhaust gasses out from the back of the engine at high speed. The result? Lots of thrust.

When a mixture of air and fuel detonates in this way, the resulting combustion is extra efficient as close to 100% of the fuel is burned. The detonation also generates a lot of pressure, which means the engine can generate much more thrust than other approaches. In theory, this detonation should be able to propel an aircraft at up to 17 times the speed of sound, say the researchers, which could be fast enough for spacecraft to simply fly out of the atmosphere , rather than needing to hitch a lift on rockets.

The challenge is sustaining the detonation for long enough to power such flight, and previous experimental demonstrations have topped out at just a few milliseconds. The main difficulty, Ahmed said, lies in preventing the detonation from traveling upstream toward the fuel source, where it can cause serious damage, or further downstream, where it will fizzle out.

"There's always been the question of, "Well, if you're holding it for a millisecond or so, did you just hold it temporarily?'" Ahmed said. "You don't know if you've stabilized or not."

To see if they could improve on the previous record, Ahmed and his colleagues built a roughly 2.5-foot-long (0.76 meters) series of chambers that mixes and heats air and hydrogen gas before accelerating it to hypersonic speeds and firing it at a ramp.

By carefully balancing the proportions of the air-fuel mixture, the speed of the gas flow and the angle of the ramp, they were able to generate a detonation that remained fixed in position for around 3 seconds. That's long enough to confirm that the detonation was stabilized in a fixed position and was not travelling up or downstream, Ahmed said, which is a first, major step toward realizing a real-life ODWE.

Frank Lu, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington who specializes in detonation-based engines, said demonstrating stable detonation is a significant achievement. To develop a practical engine researchers will now have to work out how to operate over a range of speeds and altitudes and deal with combustion instabilities caused by things like uneven mixing of the fuel and air.

"I think the investigators have done an excellent job and look forward to further results," Lu told Live Science.

The researchers only ran their experiment for a few seconds mainly because the intensity of the detonation rapidly erodes the glass sides of the test chamber, Ahmed explained. They had to use glass in their initial tests so that they could make optical measurements of the detonation, but if they were to replace them with metal sides they should be able to run the detonation for much longer, he said.

And promisingly, Ahmed said the structure of the test apparatus is not that different from the design of a full-scale ODWE. The main challenge for the researchers now is working out how they can alter the three key ingredients of fuel mix, air speed and ramp angle while still maintaining the stability of the detonation.

"Now, we've demonstrated it is feasible, it's more of an engineering problem to explore how to sustain it over a larger operating domain," Ahmed said.

Originally published on Live Science.
A research group in Germany has presented a possible explanation for why the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines sometimes trigger rare blood-clotting events. But not all experts are convinced the explanation is correct.

The group, led by Dr. Andreas Greinacher, head of the Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine at University Hospital Greifswald, suggests a chain reaction that involves a preservative and certain proteins in the vaccines may be responsible for the rare blood clots.

The team has completed relevant studies only on the AstraZeneca vaccine and recently began examining the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, The Wall Street Journal reported . However, Greinacher said he suspects that the mechanism that causes the rare blood clots may be common to both shots, as both vaccines use modified adenoviruses as their means of getting the vaccine into the body's cells, WebMD reported in April.

Related: AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine causes very rare blood clots, EU regulator says

"My assumption is, and that's a hypothesis, that this is a class effect of vaccines using adenovirus," Greinacher told reporters during a call on April 20, WebMD reported.

Adenoviruses are a family of viruses that typically trigger symptoms of the common cold in humans, but for use in vaccines, scientists modify the viruses so they cannot infect cells, Live Science previously reported . Instead, the viruses simply act as vessels to carry vaccine ingredients into the body. (The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a human adenovirus called Ad26, while the AstraZeneca shot contains an adenovirus that naturally infects chimpanzees.)

In addition to the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson shots, the COVID-19 vaccines made by CanSino Biologics in China and the Russian Ministry of Health's Gamaleya Research Institute contain modified adenoviruses, Live Science previously reported . However, the latter two vaccines have not been linked to any unusual blood clotting events, the Journal reported.

And it's important to note that, even with the former two vaccines, the observed clotting events are quite rare: In the U.K., for example, 168 cases of blood clots had been reported by April 14 in connection to the AstraZeneca vaccine, after more than 21.2 million doses had already been administered there, according to Cosmos . And as of Wednesday (May 12), the U.S. had reported 28 cases of rare clotting disorders linked to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, out of more than 9 million total doses administered, The New York Times reported .

Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history

"COVID-19 is much, much, much more dangerous than this extremely rare condition," Greinacher told the Journal.

That said, "understanding the cause [of the clots] is of highest importance for the next-generation vaccines, because [the novel] coronavirus will stay with us and vaccination will likely become seasonal," Dr. Eric van Gorp, a professor at Erasmus University in the Netherlands who heads a group of scientists studying the clots, told the Journal.

How the shots might cause clots

Greinacher's group hypothesizes that, in rare instances, proteins in the vaccines set off a runaway immune response that quickly spreads throughout the whole body. In the AstraZeneca vaccine, the full-body response may emerge, in part, due to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a preservative in the shot and common stabilizer found in drugs.

During vaccine development, scientists grow the modified viruses in human cells; in their analyses, Greinacher's group identified more than 1,000 proteins in the AstraZeneca vaccine that are derived from these human cells, the Journal reported.

Once inside the body, the vaccine comes into contact with platelets, the small blood cells involved in clotting, the group concluded in a study posted April 20 to the preprint database Research Square . Exposure to the vaccine and its associated proteins "activates" the platelets, causing them to change shape and send out chemical signals to alert the immune system. The activated platelets also release a substance called platelet factor 4 (PF4), which normally helps modulate blood clotting in the body.

However, in some instances, PF4 latches onto components in the vaccine, likely some of the cell-derived proteins, and forms large "complexes" that the immune system mistakes as a threat, like an invasive bacterium. That causes immune cells to build new antibodies to attack PF4, triggering a violent immune response.

"Imagine this is like a dragon in the cave who was sleeping for a long time [but] which now got alerted by someone's throwing a stone on it," Greinacher said on the April call, according to WebMD.

Related: Quick guide: COVID-19 vaccines in use and how they work

With the "dragon" awake, EDTA enters. The preservative causes "leakage" in blood vessels near the injection site, at least in mice, the team found, and past studies also suggest that EDTA increases the permeability of blood vessels. Leaky blood vessels may release the PF4 complexes into the bloodstream and set off a body-wide reaction, the team hypothesized.

EDTA is not a listed ingredient in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but if the shot generates similarly large PF4 complexes, the basic mechanism behind the clotting may still be the same, Greinacher speculated, according to WebMD.

However, Greinacher is still working to confirm his theory. "[Greinacher's] hypothesis could be right, but it could also be wrong," Dr. John Kelton, a professor at McMaster University in Ontario who helps run Canada's reference lab for assessing patients with blood clots after vaccination, told The Wall Street Journal. Kelton and his colleagues were able to replicate some of Greinacher's findings but could not confirm the underlying cause of the blood clots.

Other research groups have suggested that the adenovirus shells that carry vaccines into the body may be a factor, as the family of viruses has been linked to blood clotting in the past, the Journal reported. Van Gorp's group has theorized that the clotting may stem from a spike in inflammation in the body following the shot.

Still others have suggested that the shots may mess with the so-called complement system, a part of the immune system that helps to clear away pathogens and infected cells from the body, Science magazine reported . The spike protein  a structure that sticks off of the coronavirus  can bind to the lining of blood vessels and activate this complement system, and in some people, this may lead the complement system to attack the blood vessels themselves.

More research will be needed to know for sure. Read more at WebMD and The Wall Street Journal .

Originally published on Live Science.
After the Greeks triumphed over the Carthaginians at the First Battle of Himera in 480 B.C., the Greeks had the Temple of Victory at Himera (shown here) built.

Herodotus, the famed ancient Greek historian, lied about a pivotal battle between the Greeks and the Carthaginians, a new study finds.

In his magnum opus "The Histories," Herodotus detailed the First Battle of Himera on Sicily in 480 B.C. He wrote that when the "barbarian" Carthaginians attacked the Greek colony of Himera, a coalition of Greek allies from other Sicilian cities joined the fray, leading to a Greek victory.

But now, a chemical analysis of the bones of the soldiers who fought at the First Battle of Himera reveals that those Greek "allies" were actually foreign mercenaries, likely hired by the Greeks to help vanquish their foes.

"We realized that it was possible that many of the soldiers from 480 [B.C.] were coming from outside of Sicily, and maybe even outside of the Mediterreanean," study lead researcher Katherine Reinberger, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Georgia, told Live Science.

Related: Photos: Ancient Greek burials reveal fear of the dead

Several decades later, in 409 B.C., the Second Battle of Himera erupted between the Greeks and Carthaginians, but this time the Carthaginians won. Herodotus had died by that time, but another ancient Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus (whose name means Diodorus of Sicily), wrote about it, as well as the first battle. While Diodorus Siculus also omitted the Greeks' use of mercenaries during the First Battle of Himera, he accurately described the second, saying that local Greeks at Himera fought but lost the battle. This account is corroborated by a new chemical analysis of those soldiers' remains, Reinberger said.

The new research suggests that "in general, [these two ancient historians] are trying to be accurate in their accounts," Reinberger said. "However, as we have to with modern sources of information, we have to evaluate them and use other available evidence to think critically about how accurate they are and why they may have emphasized or omitted certain pieces of information."

Ancient mass graves

In 2008, Italian archaeologists discovered ancient mass graves in Himera filled with the remains of 132 soldiers, some with weapons still embedded in their bones, dating to 480 B.C. and 409 B.C. The deceased were buried in orderly rows, and archaeologists think this indicates that these soldiers fought for Himera and were intentionally buried "by Greek victors who had time and opportunity to respectfully bury their own dead," the researchers wrote in the new study.

This find caught the attention of the Bioarchaeology of Mediterranean Colonies Project (BMCP), co-led by study researchers Laurie Reitsema, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Georgia, and Britney Kyle, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Northern Colorado, because they were interested in the ancient soldiers who fought for the Greek colonies.

Working with BMPC, Reinberger analyzed where these soldiers came from. She examined the soldiers' bones using a technique that looks at different versions of elements  in this case strontium and oxygen  that have a different number of neutrons in their nuclei, known as isotopes. Over time, oxygen from the water people drink and strontium from the food they eat ends up in their tooth enamel. By comparing the isotope ratios in the teeth with those found in the landscape, researchers can determine where individuals grew up.

This map of Sicily shows the Greek and Phoenician colonies in the 5th century B.C. (Image credit: Reinberger, K.L. et al. PLOS One (2021); CC-BY-4.0

The team analyzed isotopes in the tooth enamel of 62 soldiers  51 from 480 B.C. and 11 from 409 B.C.  as well as 25 ancient individuals from the general population of Himera, found at a nearby cemetery. The soldiers from the First Battle of Himera had highly variable isotopic values, much more so than the general population samples, meaning they grew up in many different places, the researchers found. Overall, about two-thirds of the soldiers from 480 B.C. were not local to Sicily. This suggests that "Greek tyrants [in Sicily] hired foreign mercenaries from more distant places," during the First Battle of Himera, the researchers wrote in the study.

Related: 10 ancient battles that changed history

It's a mystery where these mercenaries came from, but locations with similar strontium isotopic ratios to some of the ones found in the bones include the Greek Cyclades islands in the Aegean, and Catalonia, Spain, the researchers said. The soldiers' oxygen isotope values suggest that they came from areas farther inland and at higher elevations than coastal Sicily, including the ancient Greek cities of Himera, Agrigento and Syracuse, the team found.

Determining the exact location of where the soldiers came from may prove challenging, said Rasmus Andreasen, an isotope geochemist at the Department of Geoscience at Aarhus University in Denmark, who was not involved with the study.

"There's not a whole lot of variation geologically in the Mediterranean area, so there's a lot of places that could be a potential match," Andreasen told Live Science. "It's not a signature that's unique to one place, so you can't use it to say, 'Oh, they definitely came from here.' You can safely say that they did not come from Himera, but where they came from is more open to interpretation."

Meanwhile, just one-fourth of the soldiers whose remains were unearthed from the second battle were not local, indicating that the historical records about the second battle were accurate, the team found.

This map shows the predicted oxygen isotope values in Sicily. (Image credit: Reinberger, K.L. et al. PLOS One (2021); CC-BY-4.0

Why did Herodotus lie?

Himera sits in northern Sicily, a strategic spot for trade in the Mediterranean. That's likely why the Greeks founded a colony there in about 648 B.C. The Phoenicians also had colonies in Sicily, and they often traded with Greek colonies there, Reinberger noted. It's not clear why tensions arose between the Greeks and Phoenicians from the city-state of Carthage during the First Battle of Himera, but one idea is that it was related to political unrest from Greek tyrants, while another is that the Persians, who were already fighting the Greeks in the Persian Wars, conspired with the Carthaginians to attack Greek Sicily, Reinberger said.

In "The Histories," Herodotus states that the Carthaginians used mercenaries when they attacked Himera, but neither he nor Diodorus Siculus mention foreign mercenaries on the Greek side. There might be a reason for this: Greek pride.

"I do think the ancient Greek historians had an interest in keeping the armies fully Greek," Reinberger said. "The Greeks were obsessed with being Greek." Herodotus' bias toward foreigners is evident in his writing. "He uses the term 'barbarian' a lot. In ancient Greece that just meant anyone who doesn't speak Greek," she added.

What's more, in some cases foreign mercenaries could gain citizenship by fighting for the Greeks. "Not all of the citizens of the Greek cities in Sicily were particularly happy about that because citizenship is tied up in independence and [owning land for] farming and the democratic nature of ancient Greek city states," Reinberger said. "I think there's at least one historical reference to Greeks being upset that there were some foreign mercenaries that were granted citizenship."

In their writings, Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus tie the First Battle of Himera to other Greek triumphs, writing that the victories at the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Salamis happened on the same day, "as though heaven had deliberately arranged for the finest victory and the most famous of defeats to take place simultaneously," Diodorus said in a translated text. The stated timing is probably not factual, but shows just how much pride the Greeks had in their military forces, Reinberger said.

The new study has "pretty solid work," Andreasen said. "It's interesting that you can actually take the written records and match it up with the geological records."

The study was published online Wednesday (May 12) in the journal PLOS One .

Originally published on Live Science.
Over the weekend ~15 California condors descended on my moms house and absolutely trashed her deck. They still havent left. It sucks but also this is unheard of, theres only 160 of these birds flying free in the state and a flock of them decided to start a war with my mom  pic.twitter.com/bZyHsN58BkMay 5, 2021 See more

A semirural house in Southern California recently hosted some unruly visitors: more than a dozen condors. They were terrible houseguests; they shredded a screen door and spa cover; destroyed potted plants, lawn ornaments and furniture; and relieved themselves all over the deck.

Fifteen to 20 of the California condors (Gymnogyps californianusi) showed up on the weekend of May 1 at the house in Tehachapi, California, according to the Associated Press (AP). Many of the birds gathered on the deck, and still more congregated on the roof, The New York Times reported . Several wore numbered wing tags, which are used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) California Condor Recovery Program to identify and track the birds, according to the program's website .

Homeowner Cinda Mickols photographed the uninvited avian companions, and her daughter Seana Lyn Quintero, a graphic designer in San Francisco, shared the images on Twitter on May 4. In the photos, several condors perch on the deck railing and survey the wreckage of their rampage that lies scattered across the deck, which was "absolutely trashed," Quintero wrote in the tweet.

Related: Species success stories: 10 animals back from the brink

Mickols considered the experience "pretty amazing but also the worst," Quintero tweeted . "They keep hanging out on her roof and railings, messing with stuff and pooping everywhere."

Even when just a few condors are visible in Mickols' photos, the deck looks crowded. That's because California condors are sizable birds. With a black-feathered body that's nearly 5 feet (1.3 meters) long and a wingspan of about 9 feet (3 m), condors are the biggest birds in North America, according to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology . Condors' heads are bald, pinkish and ringed by a luxurious feather ruff, and adults have patches of white feathers under their wings and on their legs, The Cornell Lab says.

These big birds are also highly endangered . Only about 230 live in the wild in California, Arizona and Baja California, Mexico, and an additional 160 condors live in captivity, according to The Cornell Lab. But why did nearly two dozen wild condors decide to take up temporary residence outside Mickols' home?

She does think this is pretty amazing but also the worst. They dont have to leave her property but leave the house alone. They keep hanging out on her roof and railings messing with stuff and pooping everywhere. Trees are fine but not the house please  pic.twitter.com/QhE9XVERZFMay 5, 2021 See more

"The California condor is a social species, and it is not unusual to see large congregations of them within their habitat  like where this incident occurred," said Arianna Punzalan, a supervisory wildlife biologist with the California Condor Recovery Program. Because condors are scavengers (and, unlike vultures, don't have a strong sense of smell), this social behavior helps them find decaying animal remains scattered across the landscape, Punzalan told Live Science in an email.

Over the past 25 years, condor populations have been slowly rebuilding from historic lows in the 1980s, when there were just 22 birds in the wild. With greater numbers of condors in their historical range, where humans are also abundant, the stage is set for more interactions between condors and people, Punzalan explained.

"The home where the condors have congregated is in historical condor habitat where natural food sources occur," she said in the email. "Unfortunately, they sometimes perceive houses and decks as suitable perch locations. Condors are curious animals and explore their surroundings using their beaks, which are powerful and can cause property damage."

Mickols spoke to a representative with the FWS on May 7 about the persistent condor visitors, Quintero tweeted . As one possible explanation for the condor visit, the FWS suggested that the birds may have been drawn to the spot by the presence of strong updrafts  something condors are known to ride  above Mickols' home.

"So the condors likely realized 'Hey this place is great! We can stay here at night and then surf the wind to find food during the day and know we can always catch a wave home,'" Quintero said on Twitter .

Also yesterday evening my mom found what we assume is a pellet from a condor (I suspect #52 since he really likes her roof). Like owls, condors will barf up any undigested bits of their food like bones and teeth pic.twitter.com/Gg8NntA4IqMay 7, 2021 See more

For predicaments such as Mickols', "hazing" the condors is typically advised, to keep them from getting too comfortable and to limit their destructive behavior, Punzalan said.

"Safe hazing methods include clapping, yelling, spraying water from hoses or using other preventative methods, such as scarecrow sprinklers," she said. "Sometimes it takes persistence, but hazing keeps condors safe from any potential dangers and helps prevent property damage." People should not try to feed or touch the birds, which could encourage them to become habituated to humans and lead to more frequent visits.

After more than a week, the condors still showed no signs of abandoning their new hangout  though they did shift their attention to another part of Mickols' property, Quintero tweeted on May 10.

"Condor party was back and they were also in her driveway out front," Quintero wrote . "No longer content with just waging war on mom's deck, the condors have now decided her fence must be dismantled," she added .

Originally published on Live Science.
The U.S. Space Force has been established to keep a keen military eye on the space domain that is congested and contested by numbers of nations.

Here on Earth, the air, land, and sea are zones of conflict, clashes and combat. There is a growing perception that next up is the ocean of space , transformed into an arena for warfare.

There is ongoing chatter regarding military use of space by various nations. The freshly established U.S. Space Force , for instance, is busily shaping how best to protect U.S. and allied interests in the increasingly contested and congested space domain.

What conditions could lead to clashes in space? Is such a situation a given, or can conflicts be short-circuited ahead of time ? Could nations "slip into" off-planet muscle-flexing, quarreling and actual warfighting in space that might spark confrontation here on terra firma?

Space.com contacted several leading military space and security experts, asking for their opinions on the current status of the militarization of space.

Related: The most dangerous space weapons ever

Pass interference

The term " warfare in space " could entail things that are already taking place, said Mark Gubrud, an adjunct assistant professor in the Curriculum in Peace, War & Defense at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He pointed to jamming satellite communications, laser dazzling of photo-snapping satellites, hacking systems to selectively block or eavesdrop on phone or data streams, and probing systems to see if they can be hacked.

"While the full extent of such activities may not be known, they appear to occur sporadically up to now," Gubrud said. According to some reports, he said, the U.S. and perhaps others have made extensive use of the ability to intercept and interfere with commercial telecom traffic, though this is an asymmetric capability of major powers that presents little risk of escalation.

Gubrud said that all of these forms of harmful interference could potentially lead to escalation risks as they are more widely and commonly practiced and as adversaries develop reciprocal capabilities.

"Therefore, we should build on the United Nations Outer Space Treaty with a further treaty that bans all forms of harmful interference and weapons for causing interference," he said.

Absence of binding commitments

The greatest danger will arise from a massive proliferation of Earth-based anti-satellite systems that are able to affect spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit and beyond, or the pre-deployment of various types of such weapons in space that would allow them to reach their targets within minutes or seconds, rather than hours, Gubrud said.

"Here the potential for rapid escalation becomes a severe threat to nuclear stability, as the main confronting powers would almost certainly be the US, Russia and China," he said. The only good news here is that this hasn't happened yet, he added, probably because there is enough recognition of how dangerous it would be.

"So really, the path to war in space is a space arms race , one that has long been postponed but that is only made more imminent and potentially explosive as technology advances in the absence of binding commitments to space arms control," Gubrud concluded.

Tailgating

Space is already weaponized by dual-use robotic spacecraft serving as weapons to disable our satellites , said Brian Chow, an independent policy analyst with over 25 years' experience as a senior physical scientist specializing in space and national security.

"Because their peaceful uses are important to space prosperity, they should not be banned," Chow said. "Actually, we can accept some rules and measures so that we can enjoy the benefits of these spacecraft and prevent them from harming our satellites at the same time."

Chow senses that the present problem is that the international community has not prohibited spacecraft, whether peaceful or hostile, from staying arbitrarily close to satellites operated by another nation. An adversary is not prevented from placing its dual-use spacecraft close to our satellites in peacetime.

"Once these spacecraft are in place, mounting attacks from such a close range would give us insufficient warning time to fashion a defense and save our targeted satellites," Chow told Space.com.

The international community is ambiguous about whether a nation is allowed to tailgate another country's satellites, Chow said. Also, the current U.S. national security space strategy is ambiguous about preemptive self-defense, including when it faces a threat from space stalkers, he said.

Related: 2 Russian satellites are stalking a US spysat in orbit, and the Space Force is watching

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a constellation of satellites that provides position, navigation and timing data to military and civilian users globally. Next-generation satellites are designed to thwart jamming and signal-spoofing by aggressors (Image credit: Lockheed Martin and U.S. Space Force)

Dangerous ambiguities

The uncertainties surrounding preemption and stalking are dangerous, Chow said. For instance, China could reason that space stalkers would be the best type of anti-satellite system, because it would present the United States with two bad choices.

"First, the United States could preemptively destroy the space stalkers to save the targeted satellites so as to maintain space support to military operations during crisis and war," Chow said. "However, without discussing and resolving these two ambiguities with the international community in peacetime, the United States could be condemned as the aggressor who fired the first shot, which led to a war in space possibly spreading to Earth  something both sides tried to avoid," Chow said.

Secondly, Chow said that the United States may not be able to fight effectively without the support of some critical satellites.

"Facing these two bad choices, the United States might end up not intervening at all. This would be the perfect outcome for China, as it prevented U.S. intervention without firing a single shot," Chow said. "If we keep using the current space policy without necessary and needed changes, the U.S. and other nations could 'stumble into' such conflicts."

Related: Military Space: Spacecraft, weapons and tech

Lose-lose proposition

"I'm not a huge believer in inevitability," said Wendy Whitman Cobb, an associate professor of Strategy and Security Studies at the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. "Analysts have constantly been saying that attacks and weapons in space are inevitable and right around the corner since the 1960s."

It has long been recognized, said Whitman Cobb, that one country attacking a satellite of another is a lose-lose proposition for those concerned.

"Not only would the space environment be cluttered with debris making it harder to operate there, but it would be open season on all satellites including their own," she said. "Because of the stability that monitoring from space gave to the nuclear arms race, it was just better to allow satellites to freely operate rather than threaten your own strategic position."

In 2019, India tested an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon. The target of the Mission Shakti test was the country's Microsatellite-R satellite, specifically built to be destroyed as it replicated the size of a typical adversary's defense spacecraft. China, Russia and the United States have also seriously researched ASAT technology. (Image credit: India Defense Research & Development Organization)

Economic repercussions

The flourishing commercialization of space and the global economy's reliance on space-based systems makes open conflict in space very costly, as Whitman Cobb points out in her recent book, "Privatizing Peace: How Commerce Can Reduce Conflict in Space" (Routledge, 2020).

"It only takes one piece of debris to take down a satellite through which financial transactions and key communications are routed. The wrong satellite could have significant economic repercussions that would not be isolated to one country alone," Whitman Cobb said. "Thus there should be both strategic and economic considerations that restrain countries in their use of weapons in space."

That said, Whitman Cobb added that it is still possible for states either to stumble into conflict or to have conflict be initiated by rogue states like North Korea or Iran. The electromagnetic pulse from a detonating nuclear device, for example, would quite quickly and easily take out all satellites in the vicinity.

"It's certainly a non-discriminatory weapon, but, backed into a corner, it's not far out of the realm of possibility for North Korea or Iran," she said.

Because of the dual nature of space technology and the inherent secrecy involved, there's a significant chance of misperception, Whitman Cobb said, stressing that misunderstandings of not just technology but also intent could easily lead to conflict. (Her views are her own, based on open source, unclassified information and are not representative of the Department of the Defense or the Air Force.)

Chest thumping

There is a lot of talk that space is now weaponized, so the attitude in certain quarters is that the U.S. would be remiss to not "keep up," said Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

"Dual-use technology has meant that there have been 'potential' space weapons around for at least a decade, but now we are moving, if not running, toward the overt weaponization of space," Johnson-Freese said. She thinks what might be going on relates to putting some parameters around the Space Force mission to organize, train and equip.

"That can be broadly defined  as the Trump Administration seemed inclined to do  or reined in a bit to abate some of the chest-thumping, warfare-fighting connotations given to its creation, some of which Space Force has since perpetuated," Johnson-Freese added, noting that her views are her own and not those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, nor the Naval War College.

Perhaps the Biden Administration will tone down the chest-thumping rhetoric. But should technology development and war fighting plans continue?

"Yes, I think that's inevitable. I also think, however, that without some measure of accompanying space diplomacy, there is a distinct danger of space war of some sort being a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Johnson-Freese. "I would like to see a major effort by this new administration in space diplomacy, specifically toward transparency and confidence building measures."

Leonard David is author of "Moon Rush: The New Space Race," which was published by National Geographic in May 2019. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Of all the places to find the love of your life, hidden inside the shell of a still-developing fly probably ranks low in most expectations.

However, for a male jewel wasp this is the first place to go, according to new research that shows how males of the species can detect potential mates from inside their host flies, even before theyve burst out of the host.

Jewel wasps (Nasonia vitripennis) can be found across North America, and they reproduce by injecting their eggs, along with a paralyzing venom, inside the shells of still-developing flies. The wasp eggs take roughly two weeks to mature to adulthood within the fly shell. Broods are all male if the eggs havent been fertilized, or a mixture of male and female if some of the eggs have been. Upon maturity, the wasps devour as much as they can of the host fly for a boost of energy before emerging to mate.

Related: Zombie animals: 5 real-life cases of body-snatching

But males exit a few hours earlier than females. So if the males want to mate, they need to wait around. And, as new research shows, males choose to wait where they are more likely to find the most females.

"Our best guess is that they are capable of detecting the scent of adult females inside the hosts," co-author Rhitoban Raychoudhury, an evolutionary geneticist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali (IISER), told Live Science.

To see if waiting males were able to sniff out females, the researchers collected the unfertilized eggs of wild jewel wasps to make a 26-strong, all-male brood. Once the males had reached maturity, the researchers placed each individual into a container before presenting them with two petri dishes  one with a host containing only adult male wasps and the other a host with a mixture of adult males and adult females. The male wasps spent four times longer on the female-harboring host.

But what were they sniffing for? To find out, the researchers analyzed the chemical makeup of both hosts, and they found that the host containing females also had a higher concentration of a special type of hydrocarbon thats more abundant in adult females than adult males. This hydrocarbon could explain how the males were able to detect the females, the researchers said

Being able to find females before theyve emerged is a significant reproductive advantage for a male, according to the researchers. They hope to now find out whether this same behavior occurs in other parasitoid wasp species.

Males of other species (such as Pimpla disparis) have been known to spend more time on parasitized hosts than non-parasitized ones, Raychoudhury said. However, unlike our study, it is not known whether they can distinguish between those that have females from those containing males.

The researchers published their findings April 27 on the preprint server bioRxiv , and so the study has yet to be peer-reviewed.

Originally published on Live Science.
Evidence of what may be the youngest eruption seen yet on Mars suggests the Red Planet may still be volcanically active, raising the possibility it was recently habitable, a new study finds.

Most volcanism on Mars occurred between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago, leaving behind giant monuments such as Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the solar system. At 16 miles (25 km) high, Olympus Mons is about three times as tall as Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain.

Previous research suggested the Red Planet may still have flared with smaller volcanic eruptions as recently as 2.5 million years ago. Now scientists have found evidence that Mars may still be volcanically active, with signs of an eruption within the past 50,000 years or so.

"This being the youngest documented volcanic eruption on Mars, the potential that Mars could potentially be volcanically active at present is exciting," study lead author David Horvath, a planetary scientist now at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, told Space.com.

Related: 10 incredible volcanoes in our solar system (images)

Using data from satellites orbiting Mars, researchers analyzed relatively featureless equatorial plains of a region known as Elysium Planitia. They discovered a previously unknown smooth dark volcanic deposit about 8 miles (13 kilometers) wide, covering an area slightly larger than Washington, D.C. It surrounds a volcanic fissure about 20 miles (32 km) wide, one of the cracks making up the fissure system known as Cerberus Fossae.

"I first noticed this volcanic deposit when I was looking over some images of this region. I had looked at this area many times before but somehow had always overlooked this feature," study senior author Jeff Andrews-Hanna, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona at Tucson, told Space.com. "Once this odd dark deposit centered on a volcanic fissure came to my attention, I knew it was telling us something important."

Specifically, this deposit looked unlike anything else found in the region, or indeed on all of Mars, Andrews-Hanna said. Instead, it more closely resembled features created by older volcanic eruptions on the moon and Mercury.

Related: Weird volcanoes are erupting across the solar system

This map of Mars shows Elysium Planitia, the region of recent explosive volcanism (white box) and the locations of NASA's InSight lander and Elysium Mons. (Image credit: MOLA Science Team)

Most signs of volcanism previously seen in Elysium Planitia and elsewhere on Mars consisted of lava flowing across the surface, similar to recent eruptions in Iceland. However, this newfound eruption looks different  it appears to be a relatively fresh deposit of ash and rock on top of surrounding lava flows.

This volcanic deposit may be the most recent seen yet on Mars, the scientists noted. "If we were to compress Mars' geologic history into a single day, this would have occurred in the very last second," Horvath said in a statement.

The researchers found the properties, composition and distribution of material from the eruption match what they would expect from a pyroclastic eruption  an explosive outburst of magma driven by expanding gases, not unlike the opening of a shaken can of soda. On Earth, deadly avalanches of scalding ash, toxic gas and pulverized rock from pyroclastic eruptions, known as pyroclastic flows, entombed the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

"This eruption could have spewed ash as high as 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the Martian atmosphere," Horvath said in the statement.

Although there are numerous examples of explosive volcanism on Mars, those occurred long ago. It is possible such pyroclastic deposits were once more common, but most have eroded or gotten buried, Horvath said.

The newfound volcanic deposit is located about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from NASA's InSight lander, which has investigated tectonic activity on Mars since 2018. Two Marsquakes InSight detected in the region originated around Cerberus Fossae.

"We now know that this region is both the most volcanically and seismically active area on the planet today," Andrews-Hanna said.

Previous research suggested magma might still be moving deep underground the region around Cerberus Fossae.

"If lava was erupting to the surface only 50,000 years ago, and the area is still rumbling with seismicity today, that means that it could erupt again," Andrews-Hanna said.

One potential mechanism driving this eruption was gases trapped in magma, said study co-author Pranabendu Moitra, a research scientist at the University of Arizona. Another was contact between magma and permafrost, with ice in the permafrost melting to water, mixing with the magma, and then vaporizing, triggering a violent explosion, he added.

Intriguingly, this newfound eruption also happened only 6 miles (10 km) from the youngest large impact crater on Mars  a meteor crater 6 miles (10 km) wide named Zunil. "The ages of the eruption and the impact are indistinguishable, which raises the possibility, however speculative, that the impact actually triggered the volcanic eruption," Moitra said in the statement.

Prior work found that on Earth, seismic waves from large quakes can force magma stored beneath the surface to erupt. The collision that created Zunil could potentially have shaken Mars like an earthquake, triggering an eruption, Moitra suggested.

"To be clear, we cannot state that the eruption was triggered by an impact  only that the timing and magnitude are right," Andrews-Hanna said.

These new findings raise the possibility the warmth from recent volcanic activity could have made the Red Planet more habitable to life as we know it. Magma rising from deep underground could have melted ice near the surface, which could have provided favorable conditions for microbial life fairly recently.

"This does not necessarily confirm past life on Mars, but does imply an environment conducive to habitability," Horvath said.

The big question the scientists now have, Andrews-Hanna said, is "why is this particular area such a hotspot for activity on Mars?"

"Mars has a number of giant volcanoes, including nearby Elysium Mons, but this eruption and the volcanic fissures it is associated with are in an otherwise featureless plain," Andrews-Hanna added. "Is this area underlain by a plume of hot mantle material? Will the next great Martian volcano rise from this spot?"

The scientists detailed their findings online April 21 in the journal Icarus.

Originally published on Space.com.


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Elementary Library/Media Specialist

MS Social Studies

High School Business/Technology Professional exemption: The employee has a primary duty of performing work requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction and study or has a primary duty of teaching, tutoring, instructing, or lecturing in the activity of imparting knowledge and is employed and engaged in this activity as a teacher Terms of Employment: Days according to school calendar as approved by board policy Evaluation: Performance in this position will be evaluated regularly by the supervisor and in accordance with Board Policy Compensation: Reviewed and established annually by the Board of Education EMPLOYEE CHARACTERISTIC REQUIREMENTS Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations. WORKING CONDITIONS Inside offices and classrooms.

Outside for activities with students and student supervision. PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES Participate in team meetings for the development of IEPs and 504 Plans and implement provisions of IEPs and 504 Plan accommodations for the teachers students.

Participate in faculty committees and the sponsorship of activities as assigned.

Participate in professional activities and staff development as assigned and as needed to maintain professional competence and to perform duties.

Adhere to all district policies, rules, regulations, and supervisor directives.

Adhere to the code of ethics of the District and the code of ethics set forth in NDE Rule 27. The teacher must serve as a positive role model for other staff and students.

Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among the students for whom they are responsible.

Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.

Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.

Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students varying needs and interests.

Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.

Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.

Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems, or special academic interests.

Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.

Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of the State and the school district.

Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress. High School Teacher (2/29/12)

Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence

Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.

Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.

Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.

Administer standardized ability and achievement tests and interpret results to determine student strengths and areas of need.

Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services.

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work. This includes organizing esteem building activities and social behavior learning activities.

Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. This includes: adapting course of study to meet student needs, assessing educational potential or need of students, converting information into instructional program, developing course or training objectives, instructional materials and teaching aids, organizing educational material or ideas, preparing audio-visual teaching aids, selecting teaching materials to meet student needs, teaching students with disabilities, and using classroom management techniques.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. This includes: using interpersonal communication techniques, inventory control procedures, knowledge of multi-media technology, motivational techniques in education, oral or written communication techniques, public speaking techniques, special education techniques, and teaching techniques.

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. This includes: ensuring correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. This includes: resolving behavioral and academic problems.

Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. This includes: communicating student progress, communicating visually or verbally, conducting parent conferences, and making education presentations.

Perform other tasks as assigned. EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE Bachelors degree required.

Must possess at all times during employment a Nebraska Teaching Certificate with such endorsements as required by NDE Rule 10.

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From all-out nuclear war to a giant asteroid strike, it's not hard to imagine ways human life on Earth could abruptly end . But assuming there are some survivors, how many people would it take to keep our species going?

The short answer is, it depends. Different catastrophes would create different doomsday conditions for surviving human populations to endure. For example, a nuclear war could trigger a nuclear winter , with survivors facing freezing summer temperatures and global famine, not to mention radiation exposure. However, putting some of these conditions aside and focusing on population size, the minimum number is likely very small compared with the approximately 7.8 billion people alive today.

"With populations in the low hundreds, you can probably survive for many centuries. And many small populations of that kind have survived for centuries and perhaps millennia," Cameron Smith, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Portland State University in Oregon, told Live Science.

Related: What could drive humans to extinction?

Smith's research into early human civilizations and space colonization gives him pretty good insight into our apocalypse survival hopes. He expects big cities would be most vulnerable if global civilization were to crumble , as they import almost all of their food and are heavily reliant on electricity. Surviving populations would, therefore, likely spread out to find resources.

During the early Neolithic period (beginning when the last ice age ended, about 12,000 years ago) when humans began farming, there were many small villages worldwide with populations ranging from the low hundreds up to about 1,000 individuals, according to Smith. "Those were rather independent populations, but I suspect they also had breeding links and marriage interconnections with other villages. And in an apocalyptic scenario, I imagine the same thing would happen."

A surviving population of just a few hundred people would need a way of maintaining a breeding system, Smith said. Inbreeding, or breeding between closely related individuals, is one major challenge small populations face.

The consequences of inbreeding can be demonstrated with the fall of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty, which ruled Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. The dynasty regularly kept marriage in the family until 1700, when the bloodline ended with an infertile and facially deformed King Charles II, Live Science previously reported .

A similar scenario could happen to a dwindling human population with limited breeding options following an apocalypse, unless they had enough genetic diversity to avoid closely related unions. A sufficient number of breeding-age individuals of the opposite sex, known as the effective population size, would also be required for successful interbreeding to take place.

Humans could potentially prepare populations to survive a doomsday if they saw it coming. Seth Baum, co-founder and executive director of the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, looks at the risk of global catastrophes occurring. He favors preventing potential catastrophes, which in the case of nuclear war, for example, means ensuring adequately good relations among countries with nuclear weapons. However, Baum's research also includes the prospect of building refuges to safeguard humans in the event of a global catastrophe occurring.

"If a catastrophe is going to happen, we'll want to have some of these safeguards in place, so that at least some population can carry on, some measure of human civilization can carry on," Baum told Live Science.

An important factor in any sort of refuge is the ability to isolate a group from whatever it is that's causing harm, according to Baum. For example, certain island countries, such as New Zealand and Australia, have effectively turned themselves into large-scale refuges during the coronavirus pandemic by keeping the virus out , for the most part.

One step up would be to have a dedicated catastrophe refuge somewhere on Earth , Baum said. Baum compared this hypothetical refuge with the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, which keeps backups of the world's seeds safe inside a mountain. "And then, going even more ambitious than that, would be to have something [for humans] that is not on the planet," Baum said.

Related: What is the most genetically diverse species?

Surviving in space

An illustration of a human colony on an alien planet. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

So, in the hypothetical situation in which humans managed to escape to a celestial body or planet to avoid a doomsday scenario, what's the minimum number of people needed to survive in space?

A starting crew of just 98 people would be enough for a 6,300-year-long journey (travelling in a hypothetical spacecraft at speeds that are possible with current technology) to Proxima Centauri b, a potentially habitable Earth-like exoplanet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the sun, according to a 2018 study published in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society led by Frederic Marin, an astrophysicist at the University of Strasbourg in France who studies space anthropology.

The Proxima Centauri b crew would not consist of a random sample of 98 humans, but rather 49 unrelated breeding pairs, ready to pass on their genes. The population would only remain genetically diverse and healthy over time under certain conditions, so for example, the crew's breeding would have to be monitored and restricted. Furthermore, a larger starting crew of 500 would likely be a safer choice, as they would be more likely to retain their genetic diversity with more breeding pairs, according to a follow-up study by Marin and colleagues, posted in February on the preprint server arXiv.org.

Smith recommended against using absolute minimum numbers in space endeavors. "My analogy is that if you get onboard an airliner, and they are flying you to New York, you don't want the pilot to have just exactly enough fuel to reach the runway in New York. You need a reserve in case of catastrophe."

Originally published on Live Science.
Paleontologists discovered fossils of a plant-eating dinosaur that belonged to a previously unknown species, one that was likely "talkative," based on the ear structure, which would've been adept at picking up low-frequency sounds.

The tail of the dinosaur, which lived 73 million years ago, was first discovered in 2005 in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation near Presa de San Antonio in Coahuila, northern Mexico, according to a new study describing the findings.

About eight years later, paleontologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) worked together to recover the tail and any other remains. They needed to quickly rescue the tail that was protruding from the surface of the Earth, which was exposed to rain and erosion, according to the statement.

Related: Photos: Early dinosaur cousin looked like a Croc

"Although we had lost hope of finding the upper part of the specimen, once we recovered the tail we continued digging under where it was located," lead author Angel Alejandro Ramirez Velasco, from the UNAM's Institute of Geology, said in a statement. "The surprise was that we began to find bones such as the femur, the scapula and other elements."

Archeologists with the INAH and the UNAM recovered the dinosaur in northern Mexico. (Image credit: Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH))

The dinosaur remains were well preserved, suggesting the individual had died in a sediment-rich body of water that would have been quick to blanket and protect the remains, according to the statement. In fact, the paleontologists were able to recover 34 bones fragments, which made up 80% of the dinosaur's skull, including its crest, its lower and upper jaws, palate and neurocranium, the part of the skull that would have housed the brain.

Because the researchers could recover so much of the dinosaur's skull, they were able to compare this individual with other known species. At first, based on its tail, the researchers knew the dinosaur belonged to a family of duck-billed dinosaurs called hadrosaurs. But they quickly realized that the crest and nose differed from those of any known hadrosaurs, and what they had in their hands represented a new genus and species.

The researchers named the species Tlatolophus galorum. They named the genus after the Nahua Indigneous group's word tlahtolli, which means "word," and the Greek word lophus, which means "crest."

The name is fitting, as the dinosaur's crest is shaped like a "virgula" or "a symbol used by Mesoamerican peoples to represent communicative action and knowledge in itself in codices," according to the statement.

By examining the structure of the ear bones, the researchers were even able to get a glimpse at how the dinosaurs may have communicated.

"We know that they had ears with the ability to receive low-frequency sounds, so they must have been peaceful but talkative dinosaurs," Ramirez Velasco said in the statement. The dinosaurs may have also emitted loud sounds to scare off carnivores or for breeding, he said.

The findings were published on May 11 in the journal Cretaceous Research .

Originally published on Live Science.
A NASA-funded study is giving scientists insight into how "night-shining clouds" form in the upper atmosphere  and the role that growing space traffic plays in the phenomenon.

Scientists have known about these high-flying clouds since at least the late 1800s  well before the space age that launched in 1957 . Newer research, however, shows that these clouds tend to form in high-altitude areas with abundant water vapor, such as what is produced after modern-day rocket launches.

The polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs), as the clouds are formally called, are collections of ice crystals usually found over the north or south poles during the late spring and summer. They're easiest to spot at twilight when the sun shines on them from just below Earth's horizon.

Photos: Magnificent night views of the heavens in America's dark sky parks

"What has attracted a lot of interest in these clouds is their sensitivity  they're occurring just on the edge of viability in the upper atmosphere, where it's incredibly dry and incredibly cold," lead author Richard Collins, a space physicist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, said in a statement . "They're a very sensitive indicator of changes in the upper atmosphere  changes in temperature and/or changes in water vapor."

Collins and his team followed the origin story of PMCs using NASA's Super Soaker mission, which used a small suborbital rocket that flew to space from Alaska. Water vapor from such launches, the study suggests, can lower the temperature in the immediate region and create a shiny cloud. Team members found this even happens in January during the toughest conditions in the Arctic  when PMCs don't typically form.

"We wanted to make sure to avoid mixing artificially created and naturally occurring PMCs. That way, we could be confident that any PMC we observed was attributable to the Super Soaker experiment," Irfan Azeem, a space physicist at Astra in Colorado and principal investigator of the Super Soaker mission, said in the same statement.

After the rocket launched on Jan. 26, 2018, from the Poker Flat research range near Fairbanks, it flew to 53 miles (85 kilometers) in altitude and deliberately released 485 lbs. (219 kilograms) of water packed into a canister. Just 18 seconds later, ground-based laser radar picked up the signature of a PMC.

A photograph of polar mesospheric clouds taken from the International Space Station in 2012. (Image credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/International Space Station)

The team also put their results into a model to estimate how PMCs formed. The model suggested that the water from Super Soaker must have cooled the air dramatically, by about 45 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius). "We don't have direct temperature measurements of the cloud, but we can infer that temperature change based on what we think is required for the cloud to form," Collins said.

While this experiment threw water vapor into the air with a canister, water vapor is a common byproduct of satellites and rocket launches  such as with the space shuttle that flew from NASA's Kennedy Space Center between 1981 and 2011. One launch of the space shuttle spurred 20% of PMC ice mass observed in a season, the team members said in their statement.

"As the water vapor freezes, it turns into ice crystals. But those ice crystals absorb heat even better than water in vapor form. As the ice crystals heat up, they eventually sublimate back into vapor, and the cycle repeats," NASA added in the statement.

The effects of space traffic should be monitored and if rocket launches increase dramatically, the researchers urge that PMCs should be further modeled to understand what happens in an artificial environment. (More space traffic is a reality already, and may accelerate with the launch of more cubesats and small satellites in the coming years.)

A paper based on the team's work was published Feb. 1 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
This iron sword was folded in a ritual "killing" before it was buried with a soldier about 1,600 years ago.

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a 1,600-year-old iron sword that was folded in a ritual "killing" before being interred in the grave of a soldier who served in the Roman imperial army.

The discovery of the folded sword was "astonishing," because the soldier was buried in an early church, but folded sword was part of a known pagan ritual, said project co-researcher Errikos Maniotis, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Byzantine Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece.

Although this soldier, who was likely a mercenary, may have "embraced the Roman way of life and the Christian religion, he hadn't abandoned his roots," Maniotis told Live Science in an email.

Related: Photos: Decapitated Romans found in ancient cemetery

The soldier's burial is the latest finding at the site of a three-aisled paleochristian basilica dating from the fifth century. The basilica was discovered in 2010, during excavation ahead of the construction of a subway track, which prompted researchers to call the ancient building the Sintrivani basilica, after the Sintrivani metro station. The station is in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, which was an important metropolis during Roman times.

The basilica was built over an even older place of worship; a fourth-century chapel, which might be the oldest Christian church in Thessaloniki, Maniotis said.

The individual's burial in the ancient basilica. (Image credit: Errikos Maniotis)

In the seventh century, the church was damaged and only poorly renovated before it was eventually abandoned in the eighth or ninth century, Maniotis said. During recent excavations, archeologists found seven graves that had been sealed inside. Some of the graves contained two deceased individuals, but didn't have any artifacts. However, an arch-shaped grave contained the remains of an individual who had been buried with weapons, including a bent spatha  a type of long, straight sword from the late Roman period (A.D. 250-450).

"Usually, these types of swords were used by the auxiliary cavalry forces of the Roman army," Maniotis said. "Thus, we may say that the deceased, taking also into consideration the importance of the burial location, was a high-ranking officer of the Roman army."

The individual was buried with the folded sword, a shield-boss and a spearhead. (Image credit: Errikos Maniotis)

The archaeologists still have to study the individual. "We don't know anything about his profile: age of death, cause of death, possible wounds that he might have from the wars he fought, etc.," Maniotis said. However, they were intrigued by his folded sword and other weapons, which included a shield-boss (the circular center of a shield) and spearhead.

So far, the folded sword is the most revealing feature in the grave. "Such findings are extremely rare in an urban landscape," Maniotis said. "Folded swords are usually excavated in sites in Northern Europe," including in places used by the Celts , he said. This custom was also observed in ancient Greece and much later by the Vikings , but "it seems that Romans didn't practice it, let alone when the new religion, Christianity, dominated, due to the fact that this ritual [was] considered to be pagan," Maniotis said.

The bent sword is a clue that the soldier was a "Romanized Goth or from any other Germanic tribe who served as a mercenary (foederatus) in the imperial Roman forces," Maniotis wrote in the email. The Latin word "foederatus" comes from "foedus," a term describing a "treaty of mutual assistance between Rome and another nation," Maniotis noted. "This treaty allowed the Germanic tribes to serve in the Roman Army as mercenaries, providing them with money, land and titles. [But] sometimes these foederati turned against the Romans."

Related: In photos: A journey through early Christian Rome

Image 1 of 4 The famous fountain in Thessaloniki, Greece. (Image credit: Errikos Maniotis) Image 2 of 4 Archaeologists found the ancient basilica ahead of construction at a metro station in Thessaloniki, Greece. (Image credit: Errikos Maniotis) Image 3 of 4 A collage of photos showing the new Sintrivani metro station, where archaeologists found the basilica and the soldier's grave. (Image credit: Errikos Maniotis) Image 4 of 4 A peek inside the Sintrivani metro station in Thessaloniki. (Image credit: Errikos Maniotis)

The archaeological team recently found ancient coins at the site, so they plan to use these, as well as the style of the sword's pommel, or the knob on the handle, to figure out when this soldier lived, Maniotis noted.

"The soldier's armament [weapons] will shed light to the impact that the presence of the community of foreign mercenaries had in the city of Thessaloniki, the second greatest city, since the fall of Rome and after Constantinople, in the Eastern Roman Empire."

Mosaic and cemetery

The discovery of the ancient basilica has revealed other ancient artifacts. Archaeologists led by Melina Paisidou, an associate professor of archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, have also excavated the building's beautiful mosaic floor, Maniotis said. The mosaic shows a vine with birds on its stalks, including the mythical phoenix with a halo that has 13 rays at its center. Only seven other depicted birds have survived, but the archaeological team posits that there were originally 12 birds, and that the mosaic is likely an allegorical representation of Christ and the 12 apostles, Maniotis said.

In addition, a discovery at the site in 2010 revealed about 3,000 ancient burials in Thessaloniki eastern cemetery, a burial ground that was used from the Hellenistic period (about 300-30 B.C.) until just before late antiquity (A.D. 600-700), according to Ancient Origins .

Originally published on Live Science.
A historic cathedral in the United Kingdom recently renovated a 14th-century shrine with an update that acknowledges the COVID-19 pandemic: a carved mask covering a stone face.

St. Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire, England, is Britain's oldest site of continuous Christian worship. Construction began in the late 11th century on the burial location of the Christian martyr Alban, Britain's first saint, and was completed in 1115, according to the St. Albans website . The renovated shrine, added to the cathedral in 1350, honors the early Christian saint Amphibalus, and it's one of two shrines in the cathedral (the other, added around 1308, commemorates St. Alban).

In addition to repairing and rebuilding the damaged parts of the shrine, stoneworkers added the new carving to commemorate the health crisis that transformed the world in 2020 and 2021, St. Albans representatives said in a statement . Now, the shrine features a new face  but only the eyes are visible. The rest of the features are hidden under a protective face mask, a sight that has become all too familiar worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history

"This tiny little figure on the corner of the shrine of St. Amphibalus will be an important reminder for centuries to come of the events of the past year," Reverend Abi Thompson, sub-dean of St. Albans, tweeted on May 8.

St. Alban lived during the third century and was executed after helping Amphibalus  a Christian priest  escape from Roman authorities. The Romans later captured and killed Amphibalus, according to the cathedral's website .

"Legend recounts that Alban performed miracles on the way to his execution," according to the British Library . "When Alban was decapitated, his executioner's eyes fell out," read an account in a 13th-century illuminated manuscript.

Details of the restored Shrine of St. Amphibalus. (Image credit: St. Albans Cathedral)

Shrines in medieval cathedrals held relics of martyred saints. They were important destinations for Christian pilgrims, many of whom traveled great distances to pray at the sacred sites for blessings, forgiveness and healing, according to restoration experts at Skillington Workshop in the U.K. who repaired the damaged shrine and carved the new mask-wearing face.

However, many such shrines were damaged or destroyed during the English Reformation in the 16th century, and this included the shrines at St. Albans. Broken pieces of these shrines were found during a cathedral restoration in 1872, and they were reconstructed in the early 1900s. But while St. Albans' shrine was entirely rebuilt in the 1990s, St. Amphibalus' shrine "remained looking rather forlorn," according to Skillingtons.

Shrine pieces discovered during the 1870s. (Image credit: St. Albans Cathedral)

However, many such shrines were damaged or destroyed during the English Reformation in the 16th century, and this included the shrines at St. Albans. Broken pieces of these shrines were found during a cathedral restoration in 1872, and they were reconstructed in the early 1900s. But while St. Albans' shrine was entirely rebuilt in the 1990s, St. Amphibalus' shrine "remained looking rather forlorn," according to Skillingtons.

Conservation of the shrine began in June 2019, with a focus on restoring missing elements in new stone (work on the project was briefly suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic ). Only about 55% of the original stone remained, which presented restorers with "a really exciting opportunity for new carving," Skillingtons representatives wrote. Carvers also added a distinctly modern touch to the medieval shrine: "a face wearing a face mask to commemorate the shrine's restoration project taking place during the pandemic," cathedral representatives said.

The reconstructed shrine to St. Amphibalus now stands in the cathedral's Chapel of the Four Tapers. (Image credit: St. Albans Cathedral)

With both of the cathedral's shrines now fully restored, St. Albans is preparing to unveil the shrine on May 17 and launch a new pilgrimage route in June, tracing a path from Redbourn, the site of St. Alban's martyrdom, to the shrine's new location in the cathedral's Chapel of the Four Tapers.

"The masked figure reminds us that the history of St. Albans stretches forwards as well as backwards," Reverend Thompson said in a statement . "Pilgrims will be able to mark the latest chapter in the history of this Cathedral alongside Amphibalus and Alban, who were there at the very beginning," the reverend said.

Originally published on Live Science.
When rock band R.E.M. belted out "Everybody hurts sometimes," they weren't singing about backaches or sprained ankles. They were, of course, referring to the intense pain our emotions can cause  like the pang of losing a cherished friend or the heaviness in your chest after a breakup. So why do we experience rejection and loss as literal heartache?

The short answer: It helps us survive.

Pain is a danger signal, said Geoff MacDonald, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. When you place your hand on a hot stove, for example, a network of neurons in your brain activates to send a message: Something is very wrong. "If you stub your toe, for a brief moment, your entire world is that toe," MacDonald told Live Science. "Pain is really good at disrupting attention and getting you singularly focused on making the bad thing stop."

Related: What are the most common ways people get injured?

From an evolutionary perspective, rejection is a really bad thing. For human ancestors, survival required a close social network, MacDonald said. "By cooperating, you can collect food better; you can protect against predators better," he said. "And obviously, if you're not connected to other people, you're going to have a hard time finding somebody to reproduce with."

Human ancestors who went out of their way to avoid rejection would have had better odds of survival  and what better deterrent is there than physical pain?

Studies suggest that when we experience rejection, our brains behave similarly to the way they do when we're in physical pain. In 2011, psychologists used a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine to scan the brains of 40 heartbroken participants, all of whom had recently gone through an unwanted breakup. Inside the scanner, the participants gazed at photos of the partner who had dumped them, while thinking about the rejection. Then, the individuals focused on photos of close friends while imagining a happy memory of that friendship.

Finally, the psychologists scanned the participants' brains as they experienced painful and pleasant physical sensations: a hot (but not burning) object, followed by a pleasantly warm object, placed on their arms. The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found that both the sight of an ex-partner and the sensation of the hot object activated areas of the brain associated with pain, but the photo of a friend and the pleasant warmth did not. A review of 524 other neuroscience studies on experiences ranging from pain to memory supported the psychologists' results. The same areas of the brain were associated with pain in up to 88% of the studies they reviewed, the team reported in the study.

Many psychologists think the experience of emotional pain "piggybacked" onto the already existing physical pain system in the brains of our early ancestors, said Ethan Kross, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and first author of the 2011 PNAS study.

The pain you feel after a fight with a close friend is quite real, Kross told Live Science, but it's not exactly the same as physical pain. "Anyone who has ever been rejected on one occasion and punched in the nose on another can tell you that these experiences are, of course, different," he said. We see that reflected in fMRI studies. The parts of the brain activated by these two different experiences have some overlap, but they're not identical.

But why do we experience the pain of rejection in our chest and abdomen as opposed to, say, our knee? Some psychologists have hypothesized that this experience has to do with activation of the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the neck, chest and abdomen. But there's not much compelling evidence for this explanation, Kross said.

Moreover, there's also "broken-heart" syndrome, a condition in which the heart temporarily weakens, causing its main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, to balloon out and pump improperly. The condition, also known as takotsubo syndrome (TTS), is linked to heightened activity in the brain caused by stressful events, such as the death of a loved one. But more often than not, heartbreak doesnt lead to broken-heart syndrome  the condition is rare, Live Science previously reported .

General heartache may hurt, but the next time you're coping with the pain of loss or rejection, you can take comfort in the fact that the ability to feel this kind of pain likely evolved to help us survive.
Shortly after he ascended the English throne in 1603, King James I commissioned a new Holy Bible translation that, more than 400 years later, is still widely read around the world.

This Bible, known as the King James Version (KJV), helped King James leave behind a lasting cultural footprint  one of his goals as a leader. "James saw himself as a great Renaissance figure who wanted to impart on the world culture, music, literature and even new ways of learning," Bruce Gordon, a professor of ecclesiastical history at Yale Divinity School, told Live Science.

But given the KJV's age, why is it still so popular across different Christian denominations?

Related: Why does Christianity have so many denominations?

In short, the KJV's influence has waxed over the centuries because, Gordon said, it was the version that was most widely read and distributed in countries where English was the dominant language and that its translation was "never really challenged until the 20th century." In that time, the KJV became so embedded in the Anglo-American world that "many people in Africa and Asia were taught English from the KJV" when Christian missionaries brought it to them, Gordon said. "Many people weren't even aware that it was one of many available translations," he added, "they believed the King James Version was the Bible in English."

But there's more to the story that goes back to the translation's inception.

Why did King James want a newly translated Bible?

Before James commissioned the KJV in 1604, most people in England were learning from two different Bibles  the Church of England's translation, commonly read during worship services (known as the Bishops' Bible, first published in 1568), and the more popular version most Brits read at home, known as the Geneva Bible, first published in 1560. The Geneva Bible was the Bible of choice among Protestants and Protestant sects, and as a Presbyterian , James also read that version. However, he disliked the lengthy and distracting annotations in the margins, some of which even questioned the power of a king, according to Gordon.

What's more, when James assumed the English throne in March 1603, following the death of Queen Elizabeth I, he inherited a complicated political situation, as the Puritans and the Calvinists  religious followers of reformer John Calvin  were openly questioning the absolute power of the Church of England's bishops. James' own mother  Mary, Queen of Scots  had been executed 16 years earlier in part because she was perceived to be a Catholic threat to Queen Elizabeth's Protestant reign. "Mary's death made James keenly aware of how easily he could be removed if he upset the wrong people," Gordon said.

A portrait of James VI and I, King of Scotland, England and Ireland (1566-1625). The portrait, painted by the Dutch painter Daniel Mytens (also spelled Daniel Mijtens) in 1621, is on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London. (Image credit: Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

To moderate such divisions, James commissioned a Bible that aimed to please both parishioners of the Church of England and the growing Protestant sects by removing the problematic and unpopular annotations of the Geneva Bible while remaining true to the style and translations from both Bibles that each group revered. Despite James' efforts, Gordon said, "the KJV didn't really succeed while James was alive." That's because the market for James' version didn't really arise until the 1640s, when Archbishop William Laud, who "hated the Puritans," suppressed the Geneva Bible that the Puritans followed, Gordon said.

James died from a stroke in March 1625, so he never saw his Bible become widely accepted. But even during his lifetime, after James commissioned the translation, he didn't oversee the process himself. "It's almost as if he got the ball rolling, then washed his hands of the whole thing," Gordon said.

Related: Was the 'forbidden fruit' in the Garden of Eden really an apple?

How the KJV was translated

To oversee the translation, James commissioned six committees made up of 47 scholars from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. They were tasked with translating all of the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Old and New Testaments into English. It was a complicated and sometimes contentious process that took seven years to complete. Though we don't have a lot of the records of those committees, "through our best reconstructions, we understand it was a very rigorous debate with everyone committed to the most accurate translation of the Bible," Gordon said.

Much of the resulting translation drew on the work of William Tyndale, a Protestant reformer who had produced the first New Testament translation from Greek to English in 1525. "It's believed that up to 80% of the King James Version stems from the William Tyndale version," Gordon said.

A comparison between Tyndale's Bible, 1528: I Corinthians, chapter 13, 1-3, (top) and the King James Version, 1611: I Corinthians, chapter 13, 1-3, (bottom). (Image credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Why is the KJV still popular today?

For a book that was published in 1611, it's amazing how influential and widely read the KJV still is today. Though there are hundreds of versions and translations of the Bible, the KJV is the most popular. According to market research firm Statistica , as of 2017, more than 31% of Americans read the KJV, with the New International Version coming in second place, at 13%. Five large denominations of Christianity  Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Latter-day Saints and Pentecostal  use the KJV today .

The KJV "works as both a word-for-word and sense-for-sense translation," meaning it acts as both a literal translation of many of the words believed to have been used by Jesus Christ and his Apostles and accurately conveys the meaning behind those words and events, Gordon said. One line of manuscripts used in the KJV  the Textus Receptus of Erasmus, translated from Greek to Latin by the 16th-century Dutch scholar and philosopher Desiderius Erasmus  is thought by some to be a particularly important inclusion in the KJV, especially for those who see it as the purest line of the New Testament going back to the Apostolic Age (A.D. 33 to 100), Gordon said.

Despite the KJV's popularity throughout the centuries, Gordon said some scholars now view parts of it as outdated. He cautioned that there have been other ancient manuscripts discovered since the KJV was commissioned that enhance scholars' understanding of some biblical events and possibly even change the meaning of certain words.

Related: What led to the emergence of monotheism?

For example, in the mid-20th century, "many translators believed that 'maiden' or 'young woman' was a more accurate Hebraic translation to use to describe Jesus' mother Mary, instead of 'virgin,'" Gordon said. If correct, the interpretation would have far-reaching implications as the Old Testament prophet Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. "Translations," Gordon said, "are not neutral things."

To that end, many KJV readers (known as "King James Onlyists") don't believe the Bible should be updated at all and hold to the notion that James' version was translated from the most reliable manuscripts. What's more, Gordon said, some Onlyists believe that the scholars who oversaw the KJV translation were "divinely inspired" and that more modern translations should be disregarded because they have been "carried out by nonbelievers."

Even casual religious observers or nonbelievers are affected by the prose of the KJV Bible in ways they may not realize. Its poetic language has influenced generations of artists and activists, with many biblical phrases becoming part of our everyday language. A few examples include "the blind leading the blind," "the powers that be," "my brother's keeper," "by the skin of your teeth," "a wolf in sheep's clothing," "rise and shine" and "go the extra mile," according to Wide Open Country . Even the famous opening line "Four score and seven years ago" from President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was inspired by language used in the KJV.

Originally published on Live Science.
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Set in the foreboding sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal, Fremantle-M-Net crime thriller Reyka  starring South African born Kim Engelbrecht, whose credits include Isidingo, Dominion and The Flash, and Iain Glen, Ser Jorah Mormont in Games of Thrones  looks set to mark another milestone in both Fremantle and premium South Africa TV production.

For Fremantle, a still expanding scripted drama force, Reyka is its first South African show, after it launched last year its first shows from Israels Maria Feldman and Chiles Fabula.

For M-Net, following on Trackers, co-produced with HBO and ZDF, Reyka marks an early push into large-scale premium international co-production pairing local and international talent as M-Net parent Multichoice, led by Yolisa Phahle, sees some significant success in facing off with Netflix.

Chosen by Variety as one of the 10 buzziest shows hitting MipTV, typically for a Fremantle drama, Reyka tackles big ideas from a progressive feminist stance: the durability of past trauma, for instance, which gains special resonance in South Africa.

But it wraps them, again typically for Fremantle, in an engrossing thriller format, centering on Reyka Gama  played by Engelbrecht  a brilliant but damaged criminal profiler. Gama seeks to bring to justice a serial killer rampant in KwaZulu-Natal, who attacks and asphyxiates his women victims, leaving their dead and burned bodies among the sugar canes.

By several accounts, the killer first approaches and charms his victims, persuading them to take a walk in the plantations. To capture him, Reyka turns to the most seductive psychopath shes ever known: Angus Speelman, a farmer of large culture who abducted her at the age of 12, an experience from which she has never recovered. Glen plays Speelman.

Nordic Noir detectives usually battle inner demons. Shot in ultra close-up, with Engelbrecht delivering a full-on performance, few, however, are as haunted as Reyka. That, and the series settings  the dark green sugar cane fields wavering in a slightly sinister fashion in the wind; the dirt-poor rural village-ships; and the manifestations of new organized crime  lend a singularity to the crime drama, which is created and written by screenwriter Rohan Dickson (Husk). Reyka is produced by the U.K.s Serena Cullen Prods. and Emmy-nominated Quizzical Pictures in South Africa.

As Reyka tracks for a July debut on M-Net, Variety talked to Engelbrecht about the series, which moves the dial on South African scripted series.

In an early present-day scene from episode one, Reyka is seen sitting in a cane field as it thunders rain. Her eyes are lost to the present as she remember the past and then grimaces, as if she realizes that she must but cant move on. From the get-go, theres a huge ambiguity and contradiction about your characters feelings for Speelman.

Engelbrecht: Thats the wonderful thing about this character. People say that once youve experienced extreme trauma, your emotional growth gets stunted. Thats happened with Reyka. When she was 12, in 1994, her mother, a political journalist, is standing in a queue to vote for a brand new president, and Reyka gets abducted for four years. The day of South Africas freedom, Reykas freedom is taken away. Back with her family  theres an idea of the sanctity of the family, that in the family youre supposed to feel safe  she feels she doesnt belong.

There are parallels, and differences, with the evolution of South Africa

Engelbrecht: Reykas of mixed race, she has a complete feeling of being displaced. In a time of healing, she has absolutely no healing. Shes trying to form herself as a woman, as an adult, but shes stopped being able to emotionally mature, and has a strange affinity to the person that abducted her.

Theres also a certain parallel between what Speelman did to her and what the killer is doing to his victims, charming and trapping them.

Engelbrecht: Reykas obsessed, not only with Speelman, but with his psyche. Shes charmed by him, and addicted, and in love, which makes her feel absolutely ashamed. But she cant stop herself from going to see him. Its the one place where she feels she can be herself.

For South Africa, whats new about Reyka? In what ways does it push the envelope?

Engelbrecht: South Africa is very much known for its wonderful soaps. Thats the background I come from. Whats beautiful and sobering about South African soaps is that they do touch on the realities of South Africa. Whats new about Reyka is that its a procedural, a cop drama, with complicated characters and investigations; and the murders and what happens to Reyka is brutal.

Reykas directors, Zee Ntuli (Hard to Get) and Catharine Cooke (The Girl From St Agnes), appear from the little Ive seen to shoot the series with a lot of close-ups, especially of you or from your viewpoint. Reyka is your story as felt by you. The series does, however, cut away to establishing shots of the beautiful countryside by day or the slightly sinister cane fields at night. Did you shoot all the series on location?

Yes, all on location. Its one of those beautiful locations that makes South Africa seem extremely tropical with its features and beautiful cane fields, which seem quite mystical actually, as if they have a life of their own.

Do you sense that South African TV, and especially its scripted series, are evolving very, very quickly?

Yes, its a really great time for South Africa to be in the spotlight. But its important for stories about South Africa to be told in an African way. That style still has to be defined but the more we make the more well know what it is. And the more we make, the more the confidence of a whole industry, including directors and actors, will grow.

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Worldwide and remake rights to Argentine political horror pic, History of the Occult, has been snapped up by leading Buenos Aires-based sales and production company, FilmSharks International.

According to FilmSharks CEO Guido Rud, advanced talks are underway with a streaming giant while a major U.S. genre producer is eyeing it for a remake, which FilmSharks subsidiary, The Remake Company, handles.

Filmed in black and white and set in the 1980s, History of the Occult takes place during the last broadcast of the #1 news show on TV, 60 Minutes Before Midnight. A band of journalists are racing against time to convince the lead guest, Adrian Marcato, to expose a conspiracy that connects their corrupt government to an actual coven.

Marcato is played by veteran Argentine film, theatre and commercials actor German Baudino whose credits include Abrakadabra, 2017s Los Olvidados and Dia de los Muertos.

The feature debut of Christian Ponce, whose animated series The Kirlian Frequency plays on Netflix, has snagged several awards, among them the Le Film Francais prize at Cannes Blood Window sidebar where it premiered; the Black Tulip best film honor at Amsterdams Imagine Festival; and the best director and audience prizes in the Terror Molins Festivals Videodrome sidebar.

Regional prizes include the best debut feature and best actor awards from Argentinas category A Mar del Plata Film Festival and best film and script recognitions from Uruguays horror and fantasy film festival Nox.

Film played at Spains premier fantastic film festival, Sitges, where it was picked up by Spain-based Filmin and has become one of the streamers biggest hits in recent times.

Since Cannes and Sitges, this genre gem has been a critics and festival pleaser until it became Spains digital market sweetheart, creating a very strong buzz for international buyers; we already have major territories under discussions, said Rud.

FilmSharks has been doing amazingly well with elevated genre films like Macabre, Play with Me, Ferocious Wolf, Legions, The Shadow of the Rooster and, most recently, Virtual Reality, Rud noted.

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AI/ML - Cloud Architect/Developer Tools, Siri Experience Seattle , Washington , United States Machine Learning and AI Summary

Posted: May 12, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200246039 One of the beautiful things about working at Apple is the connection that every engineer has to the end customer. You will be working through close partnership with multiple teams in the AIML and Siri org. You'll be helping teams get deeper understanding of how the experiences we're building-in the home, on the go-are being used, looking at the key areas of performance, reliability and quality. You will be a part of a small, collaborative team of engineers in Siri Engineering Efficiency team responsible for building and standardizing tools, process, code, and best practices across product teams with the aim of improving the quality of all of them holistically. You will be collaborating with engineers in several technical areas who have crafted the entire range of Siri's capabilities. Our team interfaces with all Siri, acts as a liaison between component, product teams and platform with the end goal of making it easier for the Siri engineers to release features. We build and own tools+services that are used within Siri to help diagnose issues and deliver fixes across the Siri pipeline. Siri is seeking an extraordinary Cloud Architect/Sr. SRE to focus on building a secure, continuous delivery oriented platform. This role will be responsible for designing, building, and running developer tooling to support a variety of critical systems. This is a highly technical, hands-on role that requires expertise supporting systems at enterprise scale. The candidate will deliver innovative solutions and help to port existing tools and services to internal and external cloud platforms. Key Qualifications Experience supporting infrastructure and services in public cloud environments (AWS, GCP, etc.)

Expertise with in both building and using log aggregation and distributed monitoring tools (Splunk, Elastic Stack, etc.)

Experience building and supporting containerized application technologies including Docker, Kubernetes Familiarity with CI/CD tools and deployment processes

Proficient with various programming languages such as Python/Java/Ruby/Perl/Go for building automation or integration with APIs Proven understanding and experience with centralized configuration management, coordination and provisioning technologies, such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, etc.

Excellent interpersonal skills, should be capable of working with cross functional technical and business teams and varying levels of management

Strong project management skills, including excellent presentation development

Passion for writing detailed solution specifications, diagrams, best practices/ standards documentation, operating procedures, test plans/test reports, etc. Description This is a highly technical, hands-on role that requires expertise supporting systems at enterprise scale. We manage a varied set of tools and services that range from on- device macOS/iOS tools to server based applications on Mesos, Kubernetes and AWS. Our team looks at the overall toolset from a holistic solutions oriented viewpoint to provide the best quality and dynamic tooling to handle the larger Siri development and production pipeline. You will need to assess tools and services that the team already owns and see where consolidation should occur, which tools should be internally hosted vs external cloud hosted and what new tools need to be designed to maintain the high level of service expected for Siri. The role is also responsible for executing on product wide tasks by cutting across all Siri components and tools, providing leveraged impact. Specific responsibilities include a wide range of cloud and systems engineering tasks across multiple domain areas: Create, manage and integrate software to automate and secure public cloud environments Develop solutions that can support large capacity and scale reliably Collaborate with cross functional teams to capture requirements, understand dependencies and architecture, and implement solutions with out of box thinking Work with multiple teams across the organization to gain a deep understanding of the overlapping areas in order to help identify where efficient tooling can help solve problems Participate in the continual improvement of engineering tools and processes Help figure out common service themes across multiple product teams, build those libraries and help product teams integrate those libraries, accelerating feature releases You will work closely with engineers, QA, and project managers throughout the software lifecycle in successfully delivering best-in-class secure and scalable systems. You take responsibility; you can demonstrate creativity, initiative, and the ability to work to deadlines. You feel a personal stake in the product you ship. You thrive in uncertainty and strive to bring order to it. You keep your eye on the ball; you build strong relationships; and you are constantly looking to improve yourself and your team. Education & Experience BS degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent work experience Additional Requirements Apple is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We also take affirmative action to offer employment and advancement opportunities to all applicants, including minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities. Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants.






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The U.K. industry may be at the top of its game globally, with creative talent cleaning up at major award shows and becoming engrained in Hollywood, but the British system is far from an equal playing field for those trying to break in from different socioeconomic or ethnically diverse backgrounds.

No one knows this better than Bisha K Ali, a former domestic violence support worker turned TV writer, whose impressive credits include Sex Education and the forthcoming Ms. Marvel, but whose unconventional career path was devoid of the cultural capital afforded to those entering the industry from privileged backgrounds.

Ali is the driving force behind a new screenwriting fellowship jointly supported by streaming giant Netflix and Sky, the Comcast-backed European pay-TV operator. The program will provide six U.K. writers with a 22,568 ($31,820) bursary, support network, and  most importantly  a job in a Netflix or Sky writers room that can provide that vital first TV credit.

Ali was inspired to start the fellowship after spotting a five-year-old Facebook memory in which shed polled other writers about how they afford the basic networking that can lead to gigs in the U.K.

I was asking other writers, Are you guys facing these problems as well? I dont have the money to spare to go around taking meetings!' she explains, noting she didnt have the extra funds to take time off her full-time job and come into London to network.

Like, how much does an Oyster [travel] card cost? Its so expensive. And those costs were just adding up. How many people have the financial backing to be able to launch yourself and become known as a writer in our field without a big sum of money that you just have access to? asks Ali.

The Hounslow-born Ali, through her agents, scored her first writing job on Netflixs Sex Education before heading Stateside to work on Mindy Kalings Four Weddings and a Funeral for Hulu and eventually landing the head writer gig for Disneys Ms. Marvel series, about a New Jersey-raised Muslim teenager who realizes she has superpowers. The show, which introduces the studios first Muslim superhero, is a significant turning point for Marvel and representation across its franchises.

Ali was relaying her experiences to Anne Mensah, Netflix VP of original series out of the U.K., when the former Sky executive  a long-time champion for representation in the British industry  suggested that the deep-pocketed SVOD could help with setting up an initiative.

When the fellows come out of this, I want it to have real measurable impact, notes Ali. The bursary allows them to more easily focus on their craft, while the addition of Sky as a partner opens up the fellows pool of connections within another broadcaster, which also happens to be a key domestic player.

The writer was also keen for fellows to have their first television credit by the end of the fellowship: Getting that first credit is so hard, admits Ali. Its one of the biggest hurdles when youre breaking in. Within 18 months of starting the program, Ali hopes each fellow can secure agent representation.

Ali credits schemes born out of the U.S. studio system, where writers emerge from programs with extensive experience and exposure to different parts of the production process.

The benefit of the U.S. system is a built-in apprenticeship for writers. You can be a writers assistant or a showrunners assistant in a writers room, and youre surrounded by writers doing the job of writing for 20 weeks minimum, says Ali. There is an expectation in that system, then, that that assistant will go on to become a staff writer for the subsequent season, or get recommended to be a staff writer on a subsequent season of a different show.

As writers rooms become more commonplace in the U.K. and more apprenticeships also develop, Ali hopes there will be similar opportunities. The question is whether the industry can grow without doubling down or recapturing some of the existing biases and instead ensure that inclusion is built into the expansion.

While the first year of the Netflix-Sky fellowship will focus on selecting writers from Black, Asian and ethnic and racial minority backgrounds, Ali highlights the importance of recognizing barriers to social mobility, and the challenges facing those from working class backgrounds looking to work in film and television.

There are some walls that people who are part of the establishment, as part of the status quo, dont realize even exist, says Ali. She notes a personal experience in which she was asked to meet a producer at a members club, but didnt know what a members club was.

I didnt know that existed, and thats part of the elite structure, notes Ali. Most of these production companies are doing their meetings at members clubs, or taking you for drinks or dinner. Even that space is an elitist space.

Theres a mismatch in life experience, she says, and thats a problem  one thats not talked about enough in Britain.

When someone whos not from that world goes into that meeting, and doesnt know what the space is, and the space is kind of hostile towards them, and frankly, they dont look like other people in those spaces, were dealing with six more barriers to entry just for one meeting, says Ali.

Apply for the Screenwriters Fellowship here.

Read Netflix and Skys vision for the program here.

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If AT&T and Discoverys shock announcement underlines any learnings in recent years, its that legacy media is fighting back. And for this particular deal, a key battleground could be overseas.

The new combination of WarnerMedia and Discovery, a closely guarded manoeuvre relegated to C-suite executives, has come as a surprise to the vast majority of staff in both companies international camps, who hope a town hall quickly scheduled for Tuesday will clear up confusion around whats to come  one of the most urgent matters, by most accounts, being what lies ahead for each companys much-ballyhooed streaming offering.

My first reaction was, Wow! says Mathew Horsman, director of London-based consultancy Mediatique, who describes the WarnerMedia and Discovery spin-off as sensible but rife with all sorts of ramifications.

The pact  which is expected to close in mid-2022, subject to approval by regulators and Discovery shareholders  sees AT&T and Discovery agreeing to combine their media assets into a standalone, publicly traded company in order to compete more directly with large rivals like Netflix, Walt Disney and NBCUniversal. Under terms of the deal, AT&T shareholders will control 71% of the new company, while Discovery shareholders will own 29%. Meanwhile, Discovery CEO Davis Zaslav has been tapped to lead the new company.

Between WarnerMedias HBO Max and Discovery Plus, the latter lifestyle-focused unscripted giant currently covers the most ground internationally.

Discoverys SVOD launched in the U.K., Poland and Eastern Europe last year, and debuted this year in India, Japan, Spain, Italy, Nordics, Netherlands, Middle East, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Plans are underway to launch the service in Latin America, Brazil and other parts of Asia.

HBO Max, meanwhile, is very much a U.S.-only proposition for the moment, though a Latin America roll-out is expected in a matter of weeks, while launches in Europe are planned in the next few months, with the platform set to be fully operational by years end. The main European markets at launch will be Spain, Central Europe, Portugal and the Nordics, where the existing HBO Europe services will become HBO Max. In France, HBO has an exclusive deal with French streaming group OCS, but this agreement is expected to end next year, which will allow HBO Max to launch as a standalone service in France.

Forward planning may have become a little murkier overnight. Will the new outfit, under Zaslav, integrate HBO Max and Discovery Plus? Or will both platforms remain separate  similar to Discovery Plus and Eurosport Player, which are distinct services in Europe  and instead be offered to consumers as attractive bundle deals, a la Disney Stateside? When asked about bundling, Zaslav opaquely promised in an investors call on Monday that the new company is going to do it differently.

Horsman says WarnerMedia and Discovery have all to play for in terms of what they choose to do with their streamers. The key will be to have the ease to buy a single proposition [if they choose to bundle], whether thats paying a bit more  or a lot more, says Horsman.

As for timing, while some have questioned whether HBO Max might delay its international launches until the deal closes in mid-2022, sources have shut down this possibility, noting that there is no change in direction for the South America and Europe launches at it stands. Both HBO Max and Discovery Plus have come so far in the last few months; to go back on that would be quite tricky, said one insider.

Further afield, while any impact on Asia is too early to qualify, the first repercussions are likely to be on personnel. Streamlining human resources is a consequence of every major merger and this one is likely to be no different. Given that Discovery boss David Zaslav will lead the merged company as CEO, its likely that his senior Discovery team, including Arthur Bastings, president and managing director for Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, will find roles in the re-jigged setup. WarnerMedia went through a major management revamp in 2020, and hasnt yet finished a three-year process of restructuring and personnel changes in Asia.

In terms of streaming services, Discovery Plus is available only in India and Japan so far in Asia, and HBO Max is yet to launch in the region. Its easy to imagine a scenario in which the Discovery offering in Asia adds an extra layer to HBO Max when its eventually rolled out. Meanwhile, the Discovery and WarnerMedia channel bouquets could also benefit from distribution synergies.

Elsewhere, a Discovery-WarnerMedia alliance also raises questions about the future for Comcast-backed pay-TV operator Sky, which has long-term licensing agreements in place for key European markets with WarnerMedia.

Will they become more willing to launch HBO Max in Sky countries [U.K., Italy, Germany]?, asks Francois Godard, senior media and telecoms analyst for Enders Analysis. So far, they have said theyll do it eventually, but its unclear because they make money with Sky and it would cost them a lot to establish HBO Max.

But now, the launch of HBO Max in territories where WarnerMedia and Sky have deals could become more likely, adds Godard.

Finally, from a content supply perspective, Romain Bessi, managing director of TF1-owned French production giant Newen and president of TF1 Studio, says the emergence of another American media giant is good news for content makers, but will be challenging for local players to negotiate with yet another U.S. group of such massive scale.

Thankfully, in France they will be subjected to the same obligations as local services and they will be working with producers on the ground, says Bessi.

The executive says Newen has been anticipating consolidation of this scope and became a more global company in recent years, with subsidiaries in France as well as the U.K., Denmark, Canada and Belgium, in order to become a key purveyor of international content and deal with these powerful groups.

Naman Ramachandran, Nick Vivarelli and Elsa Keslassy contributed to this report.

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Residents of El Cenizo and Rio Bravo will soon see a new fire truck roaming the streets and responding to emergencies as Rio Bravo received a truck earlier this week from a state agency.

The City of Rio Bravo Volunteer Fire Department received a fire truck known as the 1986 Oshkosh AS32P19A Firefighting Truck from the Texas A&M Forest Service. The truck was agreed to by the city under the conditions of the program by the agency under the Cooperative Agreement Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program.

I had made an application for the DOD from the Texas Forestry back in 2016, and recently we got the response that they have accepted it, Rio Bravo Fire Chief Juan C. Gonzalez said. The truck will be mainly used for brush fires and structure fires.

Gonzalez said the truck will be essential to use in narrow areas where the citys fire engine cannot enter as it is too big to enter various terrains, especially along the riverbanks or inside ranches.

The truck was provided after the citys application for the Rural Fire Department Assistance Program (HB 2604) was approved by the agency. However, though the truck is ready to be used, the fire chief said the city must first register the truck under the citys name.

What we need to do is register it here in Texas, get the license plate, get the signage to put on the truck to show that it says Rio Bravo fire and rescue on both sides, and then the Texas Forestry is going to come and check it out and if it passes. Then we are ready to use it, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said the fire truck cannot be used yet as they continue to work on the paperwork, but he said they would be able to use it if their other vehicles failed. Still, he expects to have all the paperwork for the new truck ready as soon as possible.

I am very proud to have Mr. Juan Gonzalez as fire chief for the Rio Bravo community, Rio Bravo City Commissioner Julio Cavazos said. He has proven to be a good, responsible leader who always seeks to improve the service to our city. Today is a good example of that.

Gonzalez said this is the first truck of two that the city may get. According to the fire chief, the city might get a second truck they requested next week. He said it would be great timing as fire season has already begun and the volunteer firefighters in his department have been put to the test in major ranch fires near El Cenizo.

We havent gotten any new details, although supposedly it was going to be here next week, so hopefully it is, Gonzalez said. We are really thankful to the Texas Forestry for getting us this truck, and hopefully we get the other one soon and we are going to be even more happy.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
President Joe Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but stopped short of demanding an immediate stop to the eight days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket barrages that have killed more than 200 people, most of them Palestinian.

Biden's carefully worded statement, in a White House readout of his second known call to Netanyahu in three days as the attacks pounded on, came with the administration under pressure to respond more forcefully despite its determination to wrench the U.S. foreign policy focus away from Middle East conflicts.

Biden's comments on a cease-fire were open-ended, and similar to previous administration statements of support in principle for a cease-fire. That's in contrast to demands from dozens of Democratic lawmakers and others for an immediate halt by both sides. But the readout of the call to the Israeli leader showed increased White House concern about the air and rocket attacks including Israeli airstrikes aimed at weakening Hamas  while sticking to forceful support for Israel.

The U.S. leader encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, the White House said in its readout.

An administration official familiar with the call said the decision to express support and not explicitly demand a cease-fire was intentional. While Biden and top aides are concerned about the mounting bloodshed and loss of innocent life, the decision not to demand an immediate halt to hostilities reflects White House determination to support Israels right to defend itself from Hamas, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations.

Netanyahu told Israeli security officials late Monday that Israel would continue to strike terror targets in Gaza as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.

As the worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2014 raged, the Biden administration has limited its public criticisms to Hamas and has declined to send a top-level envoy to the region. It also had declined to press Israel publicly and directly to wind down its latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, a six-mile by 25-mile territory that is home to more than 2 million people. Cease-fire mediation by Egypt and others has shown no sign of progress.

Separately, the United States, Israels top ally, blocked for a third time Monday what would have been a unanimous statement by the 15-nation U.N. Security Council expressing grave concern over the intensifying Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the loss of civilian lives. The final U.S. rejection killed the Security Council statement, at least for now.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki and national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was focusing instead on quiet, intensive diplomacy.

Biden has been determined to wrench U.S. foreign policy away from Middle East and Central Asia conflicts, including withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan and ending support for a Saudi-led war in Yemen, to focus on other policy priorities. Internationally for the U.S., that means confronting climate change and dealing with the rise of China, among other objectives.

That shift carries risks, including weathering flaring violence as the United States steps back from hotspots.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Denmark on the first stop of an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, said Monday the United States was ready to spring in to help if Israel and Hamas signal interest in ending hostilities  but that the U.S. wasnt demanding that they do so.

Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire, Blinken said. He described U.S. contacts to support an end to the fighting, including the calls he was making midair between his Nordic stops.

Blinken defended the U.S. handling of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict as America works to push for climate-accord deals, withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and turn U.S. attention to what Biden sees as the nations most pressing foreign policy priorities.

Its a big world and we do have responsibilities," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday joined dozens of Democratic lawmakers  and one Republican, and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders  in calling for the cease-fire by both sides. A prominent Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, the House intelligence committee chairman, pressed the U.S. over the weekend to get more involved.

Progressive Democrats have been more outspoken in demanding pressure on Israel  and Republicans and conservative Democrats comparatively quiet, for a politically fraught U.S. issue like support for Israel  as the death toll has mounted.

Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, linked Palestinian issues to those of Black Americans.

We oppose our money going to fund militarized policing, occupation, and systems of violent oppression and trauma, Bush tweeted.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, took the Senate floor on Monday to assail lawmakers for including Israel in their demands for a cease-fire.

To say that both sides, both sides need to de-escalate downplays the responsibility terrorists have for initiating the conflict in the first place and suggests Israelis are not entitled to defend themselves against ongoing rocket barrages, McConnell said.

In a shot at Democrats, McConnell said, The United States needs to stand foursquare behind our ally, and President Biden must remain strong against the growing voices within his own party that create false equivalence between terrorist aggressors and a responsible state defending itself.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., led 19 Republican senators releasing a resolution supporting Israel's side of the fighting. They plan to try to introduce the legislation next week.

Blinken also said Monday he had asked Israel for any evidence for its claim that Hamas was operating in a Gaza office building housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera news bureaus that was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend. But he said that he personally had not seen any information provided.

___

Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City, Lee from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Lederer from New York. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Alan Fram, Aamer Madhani, Padmananda Rama and Joshua Boak in Washington contributed.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgias sweeping new overhaul of election laws threatens the fundamental right to vote, freedom of speech and the separation of powers, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday.

The lawsuit against the secretary of state and the members of the State Election Board was filed in federal court in Atlanta by county election board members, individual voters, election volunteers, nonprofit organizations and a journalist. It joins a half dozen other legal challenges, asking a judge to declare parts of the new election law unconstitutional and to prohibit the state from enforcing them.

Liberty requires at least three essential things  an unfettered right to vote, freedom of speech, and the meaningful separation of powers, the lawsuit says. This lawsuit is necessary to preserve individual constitutional rights, and constitutional government, against the attacks that (the law) makes on these three pillars of liberty.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger accused the Coalition for Good Governance, an election integrity advocacy group that is one of the plaintiffs, of spreading disinformation about the new law.

"We look forward to defeating another frivolous lawsuit, Raffensperger said in an emailed statement.

Attorney General Chris Carr said it is his duty to defend the Constitution and the laws of Georgia.

We have observed a significant amount of misinformation about this legislation, Carr said in an emailed statement. Our office will properly evaluate this law and defend the state and its citizens. We have and will continue to protect access to and the integrity of voting in Georgia.

One of the most significant changes in the new law is that it removes the secretary of state as chair of the State Election Board, replacing that elected official with a chair selected by the General Assembly. It also allows the state board to remove county election superintendents  a combined election and registration board in most counties  without providing much notice or giving them a meaningful chance to defend against their removal, and then allows the state board to appoint a single person in their place, the lawsuit says. While election boards are subject to requirements of Georgia's open meetings law, replacing them with a single person would mean that decisions would be made by that one person without the transparency of a public meeting, the lawsuit says.

In counties where the election and registration boards are separate, the election board is the superintendent. While the law provides for a replacement to be appointed for a removed superintendent, it does not provide for the appointment of a replacement for the board of registrars, which could leave a county without anyone to do that important work, the lawsuit says.

Another part of the law that has gotten a lot of attention and that has been challenged in other lawsuits because of assertions that it makes it more difficult to vote is a change in the identification verification requirement for absentee ballots. Instead of signing their ballot envelopes to be verified by election workers, voters must provide their name, date of birth, address and drivers license or state ID card number.

Rather than enhancing security as the laws sponsors and Raffensperger have asserted, this change creates the potential for fraud, vote dilution and identity theft, the lawsuit says. The personal identification information required by the new law can be easily stolen, opening the possibility for ballots to be requested and cast using voters' names and information without their knowledge, the lawsuit says.

The new law makes it a felony to intentionally observe an elector while casting a ballot in a manner that would allow such person to see for whom or what the elector is voting." But the large touchscreen voting machines Georgia uses make it hard for anyone in a polling place to avoid seeing a voter's selections, leaving voters and observers open to a felony charge that could discourage their participation, the lawsuit says.

The new law says monitors and observers cannot communicate any information that they see while monitoring the processing and scanning of absentee ballots to anyone other than an election official. It also makes it a misdemeanor for those monitors and observers to tally, tabulate, estimate votes. Those provisions mean that observers, including news reporters, would run the risk of criminal charges for reporting on absentee ballot processing, tabulation problems or progress, the lawsuit says.

The law also makes it a misdemeanor to photograph or record the face of a touchscreen voting machine while it is being used to vote or while a voters selections are displayed. News media frequently shoot photos and video of people voting and this provision would criminalize constitutionally protected speech, the lawsuit says.

Under the new law, the window to request an absentee ballot shrinks from 180 days before election day to 78 days before an election and closes 11 days before election day. That means voters who have an unforeseen emergency within 11 days of an election will be disenfranchised, and it also means that absentee voting will be impossible in some runoff elections, the lawsuit says.

The provisions that allow the State Election Board to replace local election officials are egregious and dangerous to every concept of free and fair elections, said Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance. And parts of the law that criminalize practices of citizen and press oversight of elections are abhorrent to modern democratic societies, she said.
Two capital murder and three murder cases are scheduled for hearings this week in the 406th District Court.

Samuel Enrique Lopez, 21, is scheduled for a motions hearing in the 406th District Court on Wednesday.

During a hearing on March 4, prosecutors argued that defense attorneys published their motion for exculpatory evidence with incomplete information between Webb County Jail Commander Shane Sowell and prosecutors.

Lopez allegedly sexually assaulted Julian Saracho, 2, with a blunt object according to the indictment filed in early May. Records state Lopez also punched, hit and suffocated the child by covering his mouth and nose with duct tape.

Furthermore, Lopez is also accused of fatally stabbing Zayra Marlen Fuentes, 33; Lesly Sarahy Hernandez, 18; and Pedro Cruz, 12.

Juan David Ortiz, 37, is scheduled for a status hearing with 406th District Court on Thursday. The last time Ortiz appeared in court via Zoom was in January.

Ortiz, a former Supervisory Border Patrol agent, is charged with one count of capital murder of multiple persons, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of unlawful restraint and one count of evading arrest. The Webb County district attorney is seeking the death penalty.

Arraignment

Colton Quade Branning is set to be arraigned in the 111th District Court on Friday. Branning was arrested in connection to the body found with a gunshot wound to the head near the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab, east of Bob Bullock Loop.

Branning is accused of taking Justin Allen Heath, 25, to a dead end in the 4500 block of Clark Boulevard and shooting him in the head, according to the Webb County District Attorneys Office.

The DAs office said Branning came from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Laredo to participate in smuggling people and drugs.

Branning has been at the Webb County Jail since he was booked on March 16. Heaths death marked the citys second homicide in 2021.

The case unfolded at about 9:15 a.m. Feb. 23, when an LPD officer arrived at the dead end of the 4500 block of Clark Boulevard and discovered an unresponsive man lying on the street. He appeared to be dead and had a pool of blood around his head.

A spent casing was located near the area and seized as evidence. Identified as Heath, he had an apparent gunshot wound to the head, according to court documents.

An investigation revealed Branning picked up Heath in a black Dodge Charger rental car. Branning allegedly had a job for Heath in Laredo, according to court documents. The girlfriend told police that Branning was known to smuggle narcotics into the United States from Mexico and had an extensive criminal history.

While in Laredo, Justin (Heath) advised (his girlfriend) (that) Colton (Branning) wanted him to smuggle a load of narcotics, states the arrest affidavit.

An investigation led police to find the alleged murder weapon at about 8:01 a.m. Feb. 24 when an officer responded to a report of a gun located inside a trash can in the 3400 block of West San Francisco Avenue.

Surveillance video from the area showed that a dark-colored Dodge Charger, believed to be Brannings, drove by slowly as it passed the location where the gun was found. Further inspection of the weapon revealed the spent cartridge casing found at the murder scene was associated with the test fired cartridge casings obtained from the recovered weapon, states the affidavit.

Murder cases

Noel Antonio Ruiz-Martinez is scheduled for a plea hearing on Monday in the 341st District Court.

Ruiz-Martinez is charged with one count of attempting to commit murder, a second degree felony.

Ruiz-Martinez claimed his wife kept threatening to call Border Patrol on him since he was an immigrant who had entered the country illegally, according to an arrest affidavit.

Ruiz-Martinez, who police said appeared to be slightly intoxicated, agreed to talk to officers.

He further explained that he and his wife had been having problems, and he had been tired of her attitude because she keeps threatening him by saying that she is going to call Border Patrol on him being that he is an illegal immigrant, states the affidavit.

Prior to LPDs arrival, an off-duty United Independent School District police officer heard loud banging on his door. He opened the door to a woman who was screaming for help since Ruiz-Martinez had cut her with a knife, according to police.

Norberto Adame is scheduled for a final pretrial hearing on Friday in the 111th District Court. He is charged with one count of murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

At about 2 a.m. in November 2018, police officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired between the 800 block of Olive Street and the intersection of McClelland Avenue and Travis Street.

As officers were en route, Lesther Julian Castro Jr. called police saying he and his friend had been shot at. Authorities identified his friend as Jose Jesus Martinez.

Officers said they found Castro and Martinez in a black Chrysler 300 in the 3800 block of Logan Avenue by East Saunders. The driver, Castro, sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his left arm and abdomen, according to reports.

Martinez was bleeding in the backseat of the vehicle from multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said. He was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.

Paramedics took Castro to a local hospital. He was then airlifted to a San Antonio hospital for further care.

Authorities recovered multiple casings from the intersections of East Saunders and Tilden Avenue and of East Saunders and McClelland, according to police.
High cost for stairs

Barry Luckman, Army Bay (abridged)

I read with concern in Hibiscus Matters, March 15 edition, that Auckland Council is to spend $490,000 repairing the stairs leading to the beach below Pacific Parade in Army Bay. Its a pity that the Council didnt get onto this earlier. Initially, it was a minor rockfall that came down on top of the stairs, breaking part of them. This could have been fixed without much fuss or expense, and the rest of the structure could have been saved. It has now deteriorated to a point that its a major problem to remedy. However, I accept that the stairs need to be reinstated, but am baffled to know how the figure of just under half a million dollars has been arrived at. It is intimated in the article that climate change is an increasing concern to such structures in coastal regions, and theres no argument about that. However, a request to Council by several residents to have something done about the rabbit plague on the reserve front along the cliff-tops of Pacific Parade, drew a weak and ineffectual response. They might well find that its not climate change that will cause accelerated erosion along the cliff-top here, but rabbits burrowing into the fragile margins along the front of the reserve. No doubt if the stairs are anything to go by, theyll leave the control of rabbits until its too late and ratepayers will end up with another horrendous bill.

Julie Pickering, Councils head of area operations  community facilities, responds (abridged): The total cost for the replacement staircase at Army Bay is $315,000. The work is very specialised and a large amount of Geotech and structural engineering was required. A large proportion of the cost is to stabilise the cliff to prevent future landslides taking out the structure. The cost includes: project management, structural engineering, design work, contractors, consenting fees, the replacement staircase, a drape mesh for the rock fall and ecological services. Council controlled rabbits at Pacific Parade last year after receiving repeated requests from a resident. There was a rapid reinvasion immediately after the control as the rabbits are likely coming from surrounding private properties, where Council does not carry out control. Landowners are encouraged to control pests on their property. In urban residential areas, one option is using a low toxicity poison pindone in a bait station. This can be purchased over the counter and used without a licence as long as it is contained in an appropriate bait station.

Editors note: The good news is that the cost appears to have dropped! The estimated sum for the repair work on the stairs quoted in our March 15 paper, of $490,000, came from Councillor John Watson. He was given this figure several times on making enquiries. The same sum also appears in costings provided to Councillors at a Parks Arts Community & Events Committee workshop, held on March 3.

Duke of Ed vision lives

Gregory Pierce, Principal Orewa College

With the sad passing of the Duke of Edinburgh it is pertinent for us to acknowledge the impact that part of his legacy, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, has had for our students. The Award was founded by the Duke in 1956 and Orewa College became involved in 1976 under the leadership of teacher Drew Parsons with hundreds of students over the years being part of the programme ever since. In 2021, 120 Orewa College students are participating in the award, which builds the skills, confidence and resilience that students need to support their communities and be ready for the world. Thanks to the foresight of the Duke of Edinburgh we will continue to ensure that his vision for many young people continues to flourish at Orewa College.

Editors note: Almost all the other local colleges also run this programme for young people, apart from Kingsway College, which uses the Student Voluntary Army as an alternative.

RSA puts record straight

W. David Dryden, Hibiscus Coast Community RSA president. On behalf of the Executive Committee (abridged)

We wish to put the record straight with regard to the article Resilient Anzac service needs community help printed in HM dated 21 April. The Hibiscus Coast Community RSA did not opt out of the Orewa Remembrance Reserve service. In 2019 on the advice of the NZ Police and our National Office all RSAs reviewed the number of services that were going to be held that year. Hibiscus Coast Community RSA decided to reduce the number from the five services that we had traditionally held, to one, in line with these recommendations. Two outlying services, Upper Waiwera and Orewa communities, decided to go against this advice and conduct their own services. Subsequently we heard that they would in the future continue to organise their own services  of course no one was allowed to have official services in 2020. As a result of the above decision by these two groups, the Hibiscus Coast Community RSA organised three services this year, which were successfully undertaken. We think in the interest of good journalism enquiries could have been made from the RSA to get a balanced view of the matter.



Editors note: Thank you for the clarification, and apologies for the error. The opt out information came from a former Hibiscus Coast Community RSA member, Commander Frank Rands, who has been MC at the Hibiscus Coast Community RSA Anzac service in the past and, while on the committee, helped run its Anzac Day services. The paper considers him a reliable source but accepts that an error was made.

Shelterless bus stops

Eric Bennett, Red Beach

I would like to add to Peter Burns letter regarding bus shelters in Hibiscus Matters April 21. I have asked Auckland Council on many occasions for bus shelters or even seats at the Red Beach shops and opposite, without success. We are asked to get out of our cars and onto buses. I would like to do that more, although I would rather use the car than stand at the bus stop in either the blazing sun or the wind and rain. I note while driving my car through Kukuwai Avenue and Taikura Avenue that there are four unused bus shelters where no buses travel, maybe these bus shelters could be transferred to where they would be used and appreciated.

Bus shelter needed

Tony Cunningham, Army Bay

With reference to the excellent letter from Peter Burn published in this paper on April 21. My wife and I, both pensioners, would love to make use of the bus service and can easily walk from our house to the bus stop on Whangaparaoa Road, but then would have to wait, standing in the sun or rain, with nowhere to shelter or rest our legs. It is for this reason alone that we have stopped using the bus. As Mr Burn correctly says, it should be a priority.
Wharf plaques



We were saddened to learn that the name plaques on the Warkworth Wharf are to be removed during the renovations and stored for safe keeping (MM May 5). The names will be listed in a kiosk on the wharf for future reference, whatever that means. Our late parents names are on two of the plaques, and we like to share a quiet time with them occasionally in a peaceful setting. Standing outside a kiosk is hardly the same. What will be the eventual fate of the plaques and why can they not be reinstalled on the renovated wharf? Is it penny-pinching? Has a woke objection been discovered? Or has some bureaucrat decided that there is nothing wrong with a snub to the people of Warkworth?

Naa & John Northcott, Warkworth



Auckland Councils Community facilities head Paul Amaral responds: The old plaques will not be reattached to the wharfs new decking, which is partly due to the condition of some plaques and the different widths of the new decking timber. Community facilities staff have been working with the Riverbank Enhancement Group to find a more sustainable solution for the plaques to ensure the communitys contribution to the old wharfs construction continues to be acknowledged. After careful consideration, the groups intention is to display the contributors names in the wharf kiosk next to the wharf and if possible also on the rolling digital screen in the kiosk. Anyone who would like their plaque returned to them should contact the project manager, Aaron Pickering, on 09 301 0101.

Think again, Greg



Thank you for adding the accurate information from Mayor Goff at the end of your report on local roads funding (MM April 21). And for pointing out to the apparently unaware Councillor Sayers, that an $878 million world class motorway has recently been built through his constituency directly connecting it to the largest urban economy in the country.

I understand it is difficult for councillors to play a meaningful role in the Supercity, after all minimising democratic participation in the operation of Auckland Council was a core intention of the then Local Government Minister Rodney Hide. Today, councillors across the city continue to struggle to represent their constituents effectively. However, regurgitating the old chestnut of local roads and raising the dead horse of the Hill Street roundabout probably dont qualify as burning issues in comparison with the Council paying a private contractor $90 million of ratepayers money to build speed bumps around Auckland. Or why a developer at Te Arai has been awarded a water right, which is destroying the environment of Lake Tomarata, or why Council continues to ignore the Rodney communitys effort to stop the Dome Valley tip. These examples of Auckland Council pandering to private business interests and misspending public money are surely symptoms of a failed local government administration worthy of everyones attention. Incidentally, as someone who travels the Rodney rural roads constantly, one thing I can congratulate Council for is the significant improvement in their condition since it began managing them. I suggest the councillor takes a look for himself sometime  he may be pleasantly surprised.

Brent Morrissey, Wellsford.

Fair return needed



Im not in favour of my rates increasing if there is no guarantee of local roading infrastructure equally increasing (MM April 21). The Mayor is asking if we favour a 3.5 per cent or a five per cent rate increase. Correct me if Im wrong, but from what I have read there seems to be a manipulation that we get nothing at 3.5 per cent and a little bit for a five per cent rates increase. If we get a fairer return back, I might feel differently.



J Williams, Warkworth

Corrections on sailing



Thank you for the coverage of the NZ Team Sailing national competition in Algies Bay last month (MM May 5). However, I was mistakenly quoted as saying that the event would have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the local economy. The more realistic figure is likely to have been around $120,000 (had the sailors not been exhausted by five full days of sailing, with early starts and late finishes, there may have been more money spent locally). I had also particularly wanted to mention those who gave their time, services, boats and houses to accommodate the young sailors (the list is long), and this too was missing from the article. Without these generous folk, the event is not possible, let alone affordable, and collectively they contribute enormously to the events success. The event was held at the Sandspit Yacht Club facilities located at Algies Bay. Mention was made of the Sandspit Yacht Squadron donating a scholarship to Waimea College last year. This was not the case. The New Zealand Team Sailing Association (NZTSA) was offered a scholarship by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron to send one up-and-coming team to Kawau for a training weekend. South Islands Waimea College team was the worthy recipient of this scholarship, which no doubt contributed to their success as they came third in the Gold Fleet at this event. The competition is the largest schools sailing regatta in the country where all the boats and equipment are supplied by NZTSA and run by volunteers. It is held every year, sometimes alternating between the North and South Islands, but Algies Bay has time and again offered all the right ingredients for highly successful regattas, and South Islanders are its biggest fan.



Ross Sutherland, event coordinator, NZTSA

Bothersome bias

In reply to Neil Andersons letter Biased survey, (MM April 21), Councillor Greg Sayers put up this survey to gather local opinions on the abysmal treatment Rodney gets from Auckland Councils rates spend. This had options for people to choose their answers. On the other hand, a few weeks ago Phelan Pirrie and Beth Houlbrooke, of the Rodney Local Board, put out a quick guide to this issue, but in this they had marked the answers They wanted! So Mr Anderson, who is actually being biased here?

Shannon James, Matakana

Wrong about race

The article and comment by the race relations commissioner Meng Foon (MM March 31) are disappointing and arguably not the whole or true story. The majority of New Zealanders who have lived for a few decades can and should question much of the information that is recorded before coming to the conclusion that the impacts of racism in New Zealand are extensive in migrant communities. Mr Foon states that only about half of New Zealanders hold positive views on migrants, but does not provide any evidence why that might be, or if it is even true. All New Zealanders have experienced difficulties in life, as well as good times, so depending on the way the questions were asked, it might slant the answers to the way you want it to look. Mr Foon quoted comments from the Indian Focus Group the Muslim Focus Group and the Filipino Focus Group, and also comments from Chinese elderly people. This mix would cause me to question. Are we talking about race or is it cultural concerns people are dealing with? When I was a boy on our farm in Tauhoa in the 1940s, the communitys only local store was owned by an Indian family. The children came to our school, and the whole district valued that family and what they provided. One of the boys came to our wedding when that time came. It seems that race is a current trendy term but much more divisive  and political foolishness results. We have little to no control over our birthed race, but we do have control over how we live out our culture. If I am looking to employ a driver for my valuable truck, I might have a look at the applicants car to measure the care for aspect. If I am looking to rent my property, it will be much less about the race and much more about how the culture is going to value it. Most times absolutely nothing to do with race, but are we getting on with the honest dealings of sharing our cultures? Remember we can, if we choose, blend cultural standards and choose to be one people. So to sum up, I am disappointed with our race relations commissioner. He is highlighting race and making it a political matter, instead of what it is  a human behaviour matter.

Maurie Hooper, Snells Beach
Fierce community opposition has prompted one of New Zealands richest couples to back down on constructing a helipad in Leigh.

Residents were furious after learning that a helipad was among the plans for a high-end tourism development, believing it would destroy the peace and tranquillity of the area.

The getaway is being developed by Panetiki Ltd, which is directed by multi-millionaires Carmel and Hugh Fisher.

Residents only learned of the helipad plan after members of the neighbouring Danish club got chatting to workers constructing the luxury lodge at 172 Omaha Block Access Road.

The workers revealed that the tourist development included plans for a helipad, which prompted concerned residents to request the property file from Auckland Council.

Residents were shocked to learn that Panetiki was originally seeking a non-notified consent for the helipad, which would have allowed up to 10 landings and take-offs per day, plus two landings and two take-offs during the night  up to 168 helicopter movements a week.

Resident Judson Croft said the topography of Leigh Harbour, creating a natural amphitheatre, and the relatively flat surface of the water would have caused the sound from the helicopters to affect every property in Leigh.

Another resident, Rhys Harrison, made a submission to Auckland Council last month, on behalf of himself and several neighbours, insisting the resource consent for the tourist resort and helipad be publicly notified.

Mr Harrison strongly contested an assessment of the environmental effects of the application by planning consultants Lane Associates, which said the effects on the environment would be minor and that there was, therefore, no requirement for public notification.

But in his submission, Mr Harrison wrote that the noise of helicopters landing and taking off would have had a particularly intrusive effect on the natural environment, which is characterised by its peace, beauty and burgeoning bird life.

Residents who felt similarly were preparing to mount a concerted campaign in opposition to the helipad.

But late last week, Mahurangi Matters was informed that Panetiki was abandoning plans for the helipad and any helicopter movements at the site in the wake of the outcry.

Annie Baines, who is the chair of Omaha Marae, which is close to the Panetiki property, said Hugh Fisher had confirmed that the helipad had been deleted from the resource consent application.

She spoke highly of the Fishers.

Hugh and his wife are actually very lovely people and have kept us in the loop about what they are doing, including walking us around the whole site showing us their plans. They also stop work when we have a tangi, she said.

Attempts by Mahurangi Matters to contact Carmel and Hugh Fisher for comment on this story were unsuccessful.


On todays menu at Rodney College  mac n cheese.

Wellsford School and Rodney College have benefitted from a free lunches programme rolled out by the Government this month.

College acting principal Stephen Rowe says he has already noticed a difference in students ability to concentrate.

Students who might have bought a 1.5 litre sugary soft drink at lunch to fill them up dont seem to be doing that now, he says.

At Rodney, the meals are served at 10.30am as many students arrive at school without having had breakfast.

The college trialled breakfasts in the school marae, but the trial was discontinued as students werent making use of it because that they did not want to be singled out.

Hungry vulnerable kids didnt go because they were afraid of being labelled, Mr Rowe said.

The new programme universally provides meals for all children at eligible schools. Principal Rowe says some students still bring their lunches and wait to see what the meals are like before giving up on their peanut butter sandwiches.

The Ministry of Education says around one in five Kiwi kids lives in a household that struggles to put enough food on the table.

In some low decile communities, 40 per cent of families say they sometimes run out of food.

The Ministry aims to be providing 215,000 students with meals across 963 schools by the end of the year  that is 25 per cent of students in New Zealand.

Schools are able to select meal providers, with Ministry approval. Labelles Catering won the contract for Rodney College, while Subway has the contract for Wellsford School.

Lunches are provided by the Government at a maximum per child, per day cost of $5 for students in Years 1 to 8, and $7 for students in Years 9 to 13.

The Government has also given Rodney College $150 per student to replace a donation scheme. The college was asking parents for $100 a year, but only one-third of parents were paying it.

It means we can do more with the students, removing the stress and stigma for parents unable to pay.
Job Title: Custodian



School Year: 2021-2022





This is the application for the following positions: RW3 custodian and RW5 custodian.



The following are the steps in the custodial position application process:

Upload your current resume. Complete general employment questions (10-20 minutes) Advance to a recommended pool which principals will consult to hire for school-based openings.

Custodian applicants for the 2017-18 school year are required to hold at least a high school diploma or a GED.

This position is a safety-sensitive position. All safety-sensitive positions are subject to mandatory pre-employment drug testing in accordance with the Child and Youth, Safety and Health Omnibus Act of 2004. If you are tentatively selected for this position, you will be required to submit to testing for illegal drug use prior to employment, and your employment shall be contingent upon negative test results. If you are appointed into this position, you shall be subject to mandatory random drug and alcohol testing throughout your employment.
Click the image above to view slideshow

When two-year-old German shepherd Koda went missing on Anzac Day, his owner, Blake Richardson of Manly, began the search.

He never imagined the enormous community support that would follow, which included a dedicated Facebook page with 6500 followers, people searching all day, and offers of food and other items.

The 20-year-old builder put up a $1000 reward for the dogs return, but says that is not the main reason why people across Rodney and the Hibiscus Coast reached out to help.

Key to the search has been the Facebook page, Find Koda the German Shepherd, started by Leanne Coste of Helensville, who lives near where Koda disappeared.

So many complete strangers have been part of this, its incredible, Blake says.

The search first focused on Riverhead Forest, but Blake says he believes his dog may have left there now, hoping to get home to Manly or Kaukapakapa, where Blakes parents live.

Its been a couple of weeks, but Im still very hopeful hell be found, Blake says.

He has enough strength to get through it. As Hibiscus Matters goes to print, Koda is still missing.

If you see a lost German shepherd that could be Koda, call 021 262 7059, take a photo, note your location and try to keep eyes on him.
Longford farmers are required to donate a calf for a sale in Carrigallen Mart at 11am on Saturday, May 22.

This is a ringside sale and online auction and will include dairy heifer and beef calves. The sale is in support of the Hooves 4 Hospice Project.



The aim of the project is to raise funds to provide a level three hospice in the midland counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath.

The Midlands is now the only area in Ireland which does not have a level three regional hospice.

A level three hospice is a state-of-the-art purpose built facility where end-of-

life care is provided by specially trained doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.

Your support for this sale would be much appreciated. For further information please contact: Eugene Fitzpatrick - 087 2751545 or Cecil Bennett  086 3640779.
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Indiana to opt out of $300 per week in extra unemployment benefits starting June 19
(Alliance News) - Carnival PLC on Monday said some of its units have resumed cruises in Europe and the Caribbean as it eyes restarting US voyages in July, amid regulatory talks.

AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises have begun sailing from global ports in Europe and the Caribbean, Carnival said.

"Additionally, as the company continues to work with authorities to resume sailing in the US, its Carnival Cruise Line brand has announced possible US restart plans and hopes to begin operating sailings in July on three ships from ports in Miami and Galveston, Texas. The company and several of its brands are also hopeful that cruises will be allowed to sail to Alaska for part of the summer," Carnival added.

"Collectively, the brands resuming sailings from global ports over the next several months will be using a gradual, phased-in approach, including limited itineraries that have been announced on 16 initial ships to date, representing nearly 20% of the company's global fleet."

The initial cruises will have a limited capacity, as well has "enhanced health protocols".

Shares in the company were 0.5% higher at 1,602.20 pence each in London on Monday afternoon.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Cairn Energy PLC is suing Air India in the US to enforce a USD1.2 billion plus interest award, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The Edinburgh-based energy company has launched a lawsuit aimed at allowing it to seize the planes of state-owned Air India, amid a long-running tax dispute with the Indian government.

A tribunal ruled in favour of Cairn back in December, awarding the oil and gas explorer USD1.2 billion, now thought to be worth more than USD1.7 billion, in damages, plus interest and costs. It is one of a number of disputes between western companies and the government, the FT added.

The lawsuit, filed in New York on Friday, aims to establish that Air India is "the alter ego of the Republic of India and therefore jointly and severally liable for the debts and obligations of India itself", the FT noted. It is a legal process that could lead to Cairn Energy attempting to seize aircraft and other assets as part of the dispute, although talks to settle the case are continuing.

Cairn has identified USD70 billion of assets owned by the Indian government globally that could be pursued. The firm said it was "taking the necessary legal steps to protect shareholders' interests in the absence of a resolution to the arbitral award", the FT reported.

https://www.ft.com/content/3cd49709-9d5b-453c-9776-62b2bea62730

By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.


Exempt

Are you an experienced therapist who enjoys working with a multidisciplinary team? Does your

passion and background involve working with children and families? Are you looking to apply

your Spanish language skills to provide support for an underserved population? If this sounds

like you, we have an excellent opportunity for you as an Outpatient Therapist position located

in Toppenish, WA.

What You'll Do:

Provide mental health services to children and adolescents and their families

Grow and maintain your own client panel

Collaborate with multiple levels of support staff and providers to build client care plans We want to talk to you if you are:

A Licensed outpatient therapist who has direct experience treating children

A team-focused individual who is able to deftly engage with all levels of an

interdisciplinary team

A therapist who can handle complex, multi-service treatment plans that may require

expertise in evidence-based practices. What we'll offer you:

On-boarding program

Relocation Assistance

Paid Time Off

Excellent Healthcare options

Additional Compensation for Spanish/English Bilingual Skills (testing required) What You'll Need:

Education: Master's Degree in a relevant field required.

Experience: Two years of experience in the direct treatment of persons with mental

illness or emotional disturbance that was gained under the supervision of a mental health

professional preferred for MSWs and required for all other relevant masters degrees. One

year full-time experience in the treatment of children under the supervision of a children's

mental health specialist and experience preferred. A letter from the Washington State

Department of Health qualifying the employee as a Mental Health Professional and/or a

Child Mental Health Specialist may be substituted for the experience requirement. If this

substitution occurs, the employee may not receive further credit for additional

experience. License Requirements:

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Independent Clinical Social

Worker (LICSW) or Licensed Advanced Social Worker (LASW), Washington State

Licensed Social Worker Associate Advanced (LSWAA), Licensed Social Worker

Associate Independent Clinical (LSWAIC), Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate

(LMHCA), or Agency Affiliated Counselor Registration, all within 1 week of hire if not

currently active.

Child Mental Health Specialist Certification or the hours required to obtain one from the

WA DOH.

Current driver's license and proof of automobile liability insurance coverage.

Current First Aid/CPR card, or obtained within 45 days of hire. Note: FBI fingerprints are

required if you have lived in Washington State less than the last 3 consecutive years About YVFWC

We serve more than 181,000 patients across 25 medical clinics, 14 dental clinics, 10 pharmacies,

and 64 program sites in two states. We are Level 3 Certified as a Patient-Centered Medical

Home (PCMH). With integrated services including medical, dental, pharmacy, orthodontia,

primary care nutritional counseling, autism screening, and primary care behavioral health,

YVFWC's patient-centered model of care offers patients the full spectrum of care and shelter

assistance, energy assistance, weatherization, HIV and AIDS counseling and testing, home visits,

and four mobile medical/dental clinics.

Working at YVFWC

Working in our organization means being the passionate champion for those who have no voice.

It means having the opportunity to work with underserved populations and with peers committed

to the same work.

At Farm Workers Clinic:

We will consistently trust one another to work for the common good.

We will foster integrity by demonstrating ethical behavior and insisting on doing what we

say we will do.

We will demonstrate transparency by being candid and truthful no matter the risk.

We will create partnerships to strengthen ourselves and our community.

We will fight for just treatment for all individuals.

We will let joy in.

We have the courage to be an agent of change and refuse anything short of excellence. Our mission celebrates diversity. We are committed to equal opportunity employment.

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A 76-year-old former Warren man who shot and killed a neighbor because he thought she was trying to poison him will serve time in a mental fac
Take a few minutes and scroll through some of the local news from the past week:
Exton, PA (19341)

Today

A steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High 68F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.
Brian Plakke,age 59 passed away May 23rd, 2021 at Hillcrest after a long battle with cancer. Brian was born to Donald and Marlene Plakke.( Howard True stepfather.) He graduated from Mankato West and journied to Alaska with friends,where he enjoyed fishing and traveling throughout the state. 


Salary $99,195.20 - $151,486.40 Annually Location Arlington *METRO-accessible*, VA Job Type Full-Time Department Department of Environmental Services Job Number 8325-21A-DES-KH Closing Continuous Position Information Salary listed above is the salary range effective July 1, 2021.



Arlington is seeking an experienced, innovative, results-oriented Program Manager to lead the Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping Center Unit which produces the official County maps, provides base mapping and analytical services, cartographic expertise, aerial photo analysis, data maintenance and digitizing support for all County agencies. The Mapping Center uses GIS technology for the management, analysis, visualization and dissemination of geospatial data. GIS technical staff provides their own software and hardware support for specialized high-end applications as well as handling database design, administration, management and application development duties. This team is comprised of the Manager/, four cartographers, one GIS Database Administrator, one GIS Applications Developer, two GIS Database Analysts and one intern



The GIS Mapping Center Unit is responsible for setting GIS data standards including specifying file types, data projections, coordinate systems, and data accuracy standards as well as determining how GIS features are defined. In addition, the unit creates, maintains, and backs up all corporate geospatial data. Senior cartographic staff establishes requirements, guidelines and best practices for Arlington County map products ensuring that professional practices such as citing sources, defining symbols and providing comprehensive notes/disclaimers are appropriately used.



The GIS Program Manager is responsible for: leading a team of GIS professionals including developing program goals, long and short-range plans, policies and standards; developing, prioritizing and overseeing the implementation of service initiatives; managing fiscal resources; initiating and overseeing expansion of Arlington's geospatial holdings, including setting and administering data sharing policies; conducting outreach activities to attract new clientele and creating opportunities for improved service delivery within the departments by linking databases to geospatial information; managing contracts; overseeing the contracting process for the biennial photogrammetric update of the County's base map; working with staff to develop new technologies to support web-based access to data and products; participating in inter-jurisdictional initiatives; and acting as primary point of contact for the Office of Emergency Management.



Specific duties of the GIS Program Manager include: Working closely with senior technical staff to provide strategic planning, direction, management oversight, evaluation and implementation of GIS programs and projects;

Developing, supporting and documenting long and short-term program goals, objectives, policy, standards and performance measures;

Working with GIS staff to establish and implement technical standards to ensure that products produced by staff are in accordance industry standards;

Assisting in the development of and ensuring the integration of GIS plans, programs and services with other County agencies;

Managing the work of the team to ensure that new and current projects are thoroughly evaluated to determine scope, funding and priority; along with ensuring the appropriate and adequate staff are assigned and trained, and program objectives and activities are monitored; and any issues that arise are resolved in accordance with policies, procedures and standards;

Tracking research, development and implementation of new technologies as recommended by technical staff including moving to new platforms and web applications to increase both internal and external customer access;

Establishing digital data distribution policies, determining data charges, copyright protection measures, use of data sharing agreements and commercial data licenses;

Building geospatial data holdings by networking with external agencies, such as state, county and federal GIS agencies to acquire both imagery and vector data sets;

Developing strategies to educate County staff and managers about GIS program services and products; plans technical demonstrations, an annual GIS Day Open House as well as coordinating distributions of GIS maps throughout Arlington County's agencies/departments.

The GIS Program Manager works with the state on a variety of issues including data sharing, storage and back-up as well as establishing conditions for Arlington County's participation in VGIN's statewide effort to establish a data clearing house. In addition, the Program Manager represents Arlington County's GIS interests on funding grants, training initiatives, legislation, and data standardization/distribution matters with state and federal agencies. This position also chairs the County's internal GIS Community of Interest group which provides a county wide perspective on new initiatives, provides a forum for staff to demonstrate technical advancements and leads discussion on possible service initiatives requested by the group.



For details about Arlington County Government and the community, click here .

Selection Criteria Minimum : Bachelor's degree in Business, Public Administration, Geography, Computer Sciences, Urban Planning or a related field plus considerable experience in the following areas: GIS program administration, staff management, program development, and customer services support strategies.



Substitution : Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.



Desirable: Preference may be given to candidates with a Master Degree in related field and experience in one or more of the following: Working in a local, state, or federal government agency;

Budgeting and/or financial management; and

Staff evaluation, program development and/or performance measurement.

Special Requirements In order to be considered for this position you must attach a letter addressing your experience and training and how they match the qualifications of this position. Be sure to include a description of the organization(s) in which you have worked; services provided; size of staff and budget; and significant accomplishments.

Additional Information Work Hours : This is a full-time position, with work hours generally between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Occasional evenings.



Starting salary will depend upon the qualifications and experience of the candidate selected.



Applications will be reviewed continuously. Interviews will be scheduled with those candidates whose qualifications best fit our needs. The application process will close when the position has been filled or when a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. Arlington County Government employee benefits depend on whether a position is permanent, the number of hours worked, and the number of months the position is scheduled.



Specific information on benefits and conditions of employment can be found on the Arlington County Human Resources Department website: (see application details)



Permanent, Full-Time Appointments

All jobs are permanent, full-time appointments unless otherwise stated in the announcement. The following benefits are available:



Paid Leave : Vacation leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. Leave accrual increases every three years until eight hours of leave are earned biweekly for twelve or more years of service. Sick leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. There are eleven paid holidays each year.



Health and Dental Insurance : Three group health insurance plans are offered - a network open access plan, a point-of-service plan, and a health maintenance organization. A group dental insurance plan is also offered. The County pays a significant portion of the premium for these plans for employees and their dependents. A discount vision plan is provided for eye care needs.



Life Insurance : A group term policy of basic life insurance is provided at no cost to employees. The benefit is one times annual salary. Additional life insurance is available with rates based on the employee's age and smoker/non-smoker status.



Retirement : The County offers three vehicles to help you prepare for retirement: a defined benefit plan, a defined contribution plan (401(a)), and a deferred compensation plan (457). The defined benefit plan provides a monthly retirement benefit based on your final average salary and years of service with the County. You contribute a portion of your salary on a pre-tax basis to this plan. General employees contribute 4% of pay; uniformed public safety employees contribute 7.5% of pay. Employees become vested in the plan at five years of service. The County also contributes to this plan.



For general employees, the County also contributes 4.2% of pay to a defined contribution plan (401(a)) . The County also matches your 457 contribution, up to $20 per pay period, in this plan. The 457 deferred compensation plan allows you to set aside money on either a pre-tax (457b) or post-tax (457 Roth) basis up to the IRS annual limit. New employees are automatically enrolled with a pre-tax contribution equal to 2% of your base pay.



Other Benefits: The County also offers health, dependent care, and parking flexible spending accounts; long-term care insurance; tuition assistance; transit and walk/bike to work subsidies; a college savings plan; wellness programs; training opportunities; and a variety of other employee benefits.



Permanent, Part-Time Appointments:

Part time employees who work ten or more hours per week receive paid leave and benefits in proportion to the number of hours worked per week.



Limited Term Appointments:

Benefits are the same as permanent appointments except that the employees do not achieve permanent status.



Temporary Regular Appointments:

Temporary regular employees who work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for health, dental, and basic life insurance as described above. They are also eligible for vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays.



Temporary Seasonal and Occasional Appointments:

Temporary employees who work on a seasonal basis or variable hours receive sick leave, but do not normally receive other paid leave or benefits. Exceptions are noted in individual announcements.


This Saturday, May 15, 2021, booking photo released by Tempe Police Department shows Yui Inoue, 40, who is jailed for allegedly killing her two children in Temple, Ariz. Yui Inoue remained jailed on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder, according to Tempe police. It was unclear Sunday, May 16, 2021, if Inoue has a lawyer yet. Police said the woman primarily speaks Japanese and had an interpreter for a post-Miranda interview. Inoue drove to a police station about 7 a.m. Saturday and told officers she was hearing voices telling her to kill her children, authorities said.
A crash with a Boston Police Department cruiser Monday morning left three people injured, according to news outlets.

The Boston police cruiser and an SUV collided around 3 a.m. near the intersection of West Cottage Street and Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, WBZ reported.

Three people were rushed to the hospital. An officer suffered minor injuries, according to the news outlet.

Both the cruiser and the SUV were towed away from the crash scene, the news outlet reported. The front end of the cruiser was smashed, and the drivers side of the SUV was damaged.

Authorities didnt release any further information Monday morning.
WESTFIELD  The Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce has hosted  it hopes  its last online event of the coronavirus pandemic.

The next events on its schedule, a job fair this weekend and the annual meeting in June, will be live and in person, said new executive director Eric Oulette.

Im really looking forward to it, he said. It will give me a chance to meet everyone. It will give us a chance to get together.

Oulette has been on the job for just more than a month, coming to the chamber after a 15-year career with various Boy Scouts of America local councils, starting in Rhode Island, the one headquartered in Westfield, and then for more than a year in New Hampshire.

But Oulette said his family stayed in South Hadley, so he appreciated the chance to return to Westfield to work.

Kate Phelon retired as executive director of the Westfield Chamber on Sept. 15 after nearly 10 years with the organization.

At the time, the chamber was hurting, having been forced to cancel the calendar of mixers, coffees and luncheons it and organizations like it use to foster community, build business relationships among members, convey information and generate revenue.

The chamber also had the challenge of keeping members up to date on all the new regulations prompted by COVID-19.

Oulette said the chamber now has 275 members and local businesses are reopening from the pandemic.

Our local businesses are going to look to us to help with that, he said.

That includes hiring help to build up their workforce.

Mestek, a manufacturer of specialty heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, recently bought the baseboard heating business of Slant/Fin and plans to move production to Westfield in the next year. Mestek will hire 50 to 60 additional employees in the process.

The business, at 214 North Elm St., will host a job fair outside on its law from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. There are now at least 10 employers participating, according to the chamber, including C&S Wholesale Grocers, ProAmpac and Commercial Distributing.
A child and five adults were rescued by multiple good Samaritans over the weekend after the boat they were on capsized off the coast of Cape Cod, news outlets reported.

The 9-year-old child and group of adults were on a 15-foot recreational vessel Sunday morning when it overturned in Hog Island Channel, which is located southwest of Monument Beach in Bourne, The Boston Globe reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted shortly after 7:05 a.m. that the boat had capsized. Two nearby vessels picked up the six people in the water, Petty Officer Amanda Wyrick, a spokesperson for the military branch, told the Globe.

One of the vessels took three of the six people to a Marion Fire Department boat, which then transported them to Island Wharf in Marion. They declined medical attention, Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony said, according to the newspaper.

The other vessel took the other three people to Bourne EMS for evaluation, the newspaper reported.

The boat that capsized was towed out of the channel, according to the Globe.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced that, as the state is on track to meet its vaccination goal by early June, Massachusetts will lift all remaining industry COVID restrictions and capacity limits by May 29.

Additionally, Baker said the states pandemic-era state of emergency will lift on June 15. Baker said the state is nearing its goal of vaccinating 4.1 million residents by the first week of June.

Effective May 29, the Commonwealth will lift all industry COVID restrictions and capacity limits, Baker announced on Monday during a press conference at the Massachusetts State House.

The Department of Public Health on May 29 will also be issuing a new order to replace the states existing mask guidance with the Center for Disease Control and Preventions new guidance for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, Baker said.

At that time, the (DPH) will issue a public health advisory urging all unvaccinated residents to wear face coverings in most indoor settings, Baker said.

That public health order will also mandate the use of face coverings by everyone, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, in a small number of specific places, like nursing homes, health care settings, schools and public and private transportation systems, among other places, Baker said.

And effective May 18, guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Early Education and Care will be updated, no longer requiring masks for outdoor activities, such as recess, and to allow for the sharing of objects in classrooms, in both K-12 and childcare settings. This guidance will remain in effect beyond May 29, officials said.

State officials will also release updated guidance for summer camps, effective May 29, which will include no longer requiring masks for outdoor activities.

Last month, Baker unveiled a detailed timeline for when most COVID restrictions on businesses and gatherings will lift amid positive trends and continued progress in the vaccine effort. Additionally, Baker announced that masks are no longer required outdoors if social distancing is possible.

The changes unveiled to the Massachusetts timeline on Monday come just days after the CDC eased the federal guidance with respect to indoor mask-wearing, no longer requiring masks for people who are fully vaccinated. That updated guidance still mandates masks in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but loosens the requirement for offices and schools.

Massachusetts currently requires that residents wear a face covering when inside, except when dining. That includes while at events, whether held indoors or outdoors and whether held in a public space or private home, except for when eating or drinking.

The CDC also recently updated its guidance with respect to outdoor mask wearing, which are no longer required when outside by yourself away from others, or with people who live in your household. In Massachusetts, Baker also eased the outdoor mask requirement amid declining infections.

Massachusetts officials on Sunday reported 494 new COVID-19 cases and five virus-related fatalities as the number of active cases continues to decline statewide. There are an estimated 14,146 active infections as of Sunday, down from Saturdays 14,396. Statewide, the seven-day average of positive tests is 1%.

Related Content:
Boston will follow the amended Massachusetts reopening timeline, lifting all COVID-era restrictions by May 29, Acting Mayor Kim Janey announced on Monday.

We are making progress all across our city, from Roxbury to Roslindale, East Boston to West Roxbury, Boston residents are getting their shot at rates that outpace the rest of the country, Janey said. The numbers are going in the right direction.

Janey cited high vaccination rates and continued positive COVID-19 trends as the reasons for shortening the reopening timeline. Roughly 58% of Boston residents have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Janey, adding that active infections are at their lowest levels since the city began monitoring ongoing cases more than a year ago. Officials say there are roughly 63 new cases a day as of May 11, with a citywide positivity rate of 2.1%.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday announced an expedited timeline for when the states remaining COVID restrictions will lift. Officials are planning to lift capacity limits and other pandemic-era regulations on May 29, which is more than two months earlier than originally proposed. Additionally, the Baker administration will lift the COVID state of emergency on June 15.

While the statewide move to lift regulations signals a return to normal is near, masks will still be required in numerous places and situations  even for fully vaccinated people.

The Department of Public Health on May 29 will also be issuing a new order to replace the states existing mask guidance with the Center for Disease Control and Preventions new guidance for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, Baker said during a press conference earlier in the day.

On Thursday, the CDC eased the federal guidance with respect to indoor mask-wearing, no longer requiring masks for people who are fully vaccinated. That updated guidance still mandates masks in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but loosens the requirement for offices and schools.

Related Content:
As the state nears its goal of vaccinating 4.1 million residents by early June, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday announced an expedited timeline for when the states remaining COVID restrictions will lift.

On May 29, more than two months ahead of schedule, all COVID restrictions and capacity limits will be lifted, marking the states transition post-pandemic life after more than a year of illness, death and economic hardship born of emergency regulations. While the move signals a return to normal is near, masks will still be required in a number of settings  even for fully vaccinated people.

The Department of Public Health on May 29 will be issuing a new order to replace the states existing mask guidance with the Center for Disease Control and Preventions updated guidance for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, officials said on Monday. As part of that order, DPH will issue a public health advisory urging all unvaccinated residents to wear face coverings in most indoor settings, Baker said.

That public health order will also mandate the use of face coverings by everyone, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, in a small number of specific places. As of May 29, masks will be required when on public and private transportation, including on the MBTA, Commuter Rail, transportation hubs, buses, ferries, airplanes, rideshares, taxies and in livery vehicles, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. The requirement applies to riders and employees.

Masks will also be required inside K-12 public schools, child care programs, health care facilities and provider officers, like hospitals, nursing homes, rest homes, emergency medical services, physician offices, urgent care settings, community health settings, behavior health clinics, vaccination programs and the Bureau of Substance and Addiction Services, Sudders said. In schools, the mandate applies to students, teachers and staff, and in all other facilities, the requirement applies to patients, consumers and staff.

The mask requirement also extends to congregate care settings, like assisted living facilities, group homes, houses of corrections, Department of Correction prisons, jails, residential treatment programs and shelters, Sudders said.

And the mandate also applies to health care and rehabilitative day services and programs, such as Adult Day Health, rehabilitation clubhouses, day treatment, recovery support centers and center-based day support programs, Sudders said.

As part of the changes to the mask mandate, effective May 18, guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Early Education and Care will be updated, no longer requiring masks for outdoor activities, such as recess, and to allow for the sharing of objects in classrooms, in both K-12 and childcare settings. This guidance will remain in effect beyond May 29, officials said.

State officials will also release updated guidance for summer camps, effective May 29, which will include no longer requiring masks for outdoor activities.

The changes unveiled to the Massachusetts timeline on Monday come just days after the CDC eased the federal guidance with respect to indoor mask-wearing, no longer requiring masks for people who are fully vaccinated  regulations that the state will adopt come Memorial Day. That updated federal guidance still mandates masks in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but loosens the requirement for offices and schools.

Amid a sustained decline in new COVID infections, active cases, deaths and hospitalizations, officials are also moving to end the state of emergency on June 15.

Baker said that cities and towns that want to continue on with the current level of restrictions, or some modified version of them, can still do so.

Communities that dont want to go as aggressively or as far as were proposing to go here  they know the facts on the ground in their communities as well as or better than anyone and they can make whatever decision they make, and we support that, Baker said.

And while masks will no longer be required by law in most situations, officials say businesses, like municipalities, will still be able to require them.

There will be business owners who will still choose to require them. That is OK, said Mike Kennealy, the states secretary of housing and economic development. Just as many residents will continue to wear masks on a go-forward basis, some restaurants, stores and venues will continue to ask you to do so at their place of business. Lets all pledge to respect each others right to get back to normal at our pace, and in our own way.

Related Content:
Artist Don Gummers three-dimensional works explore ideas about balance, stability, energy and space.

And his current show, Constructing Poetry: Sculptural Work by Don Gummer, at the DAmour Museum of Fine Arts, features large-scale sculpture as well as wall reliefs and maquettes from four decades of his career.

The artists life-long commitment to minimalism and interest in architecture is presented through the sculptural works on view, said Maggie C. North, curator of art at the Springfield Museums. Gummer re-contextualizes the viewers perception of space through his investigation of the principles of construction, coupled with his desire to explore the visual poetry of form.

There are seven large-scale sculptures scattered on the museums lawn and 11 wall reliefs, sculptural maquettes and a self-portrait on view in the Starr and Alpert Galleries inside the DAmour Museum of Fine Arts. In addition, four of the artists sculptures are on display in Pynchon Plaza, across the street from the DAmour Museum of Fine Arts.

Though intrigued by all of the works on view, Heather R. Haskell, vice president and director of the Springfield Art Museums, especially likes Blue House, an architectural wall relief created by Gummer in 2004; it showcases his sensibility and brings a sense of calm.

The work is based on a simplified architectural schematic of a 200-year-old guest house, purported to be haunted, that is located on the artists property in Connecticut. Gummer presents the most basic outline of the building, with its peaked roofs and rectangular living spaces, and I find myself easily transported into the space, Haskell said. Though created of geometric and formal lines, the end result is both soulful and joyful.

Throughout his career, Gummer has explored spatial relationships. The exhibition showcases works that indicate movement, and negotiate with the principles of energy, gravity and open and closed spaces to not only communicate with each other, but to create a flowing momentum that interconnects each of the pieces, she said.

Best known for abstract, large-scale sculptures that seem to reach, swirl or expand upward, Gummer has long been invested in creating pieces with presence. Influenced by the structured beauty of floorplans, the artist began a series of large, wooden wall reliefs in the early 1970s. This project has become a lifelong pursuit, and his ongoing series of reliefs often reimagine architectural plans by placing the schematics of one building on top of another.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Gummers work expanded in scale and material as he began to design free-standing sculptures that incorporated various metals and stained glass.

The extraordinary way that the artist combines his interest in space and form with an exploration of architecture and composition, North said, adding that visitors will be fascinated with how the artist uses different materials, including metal, wood, glass and stone to create powerful visual statements.

A sculpture by artist Don Gummer sits in front of the Dr. Seuss Museum at the Springfield Museums. Gummer's work is being featured in the exhibit "Constructing Poetry: Sculptural Work by Don Gummer." (Don Treeger / The Republican)

As a student at Yale University, Gummer became interested in the French philosopher, Maurice Merleau-Pontys theoretical text, The Phenomenology of Perception and began to think of sculpture as a re-contextualization of natural phenomenon, of unaltered things brought into aesthetic balance by choosing and placing.

Haskell said the dynamic sculptures, both formal and expressive, amplify the lines and geometric forms of the museum buildings surrounding the green: The placement of the works encourages visitors to explore each piece separately as well as to regard the sculptures as an entire assemble, where each sculpture, weighted to the ground, reaches, swirls or expands upward to the sky.

Gummers works subvert expectations on weight and motion and ask visitors to consider how the essence of form is envisioned, she continued. The exhibition furthers Gummers ultimate goal of sharing his artwork. One day, he hopes that as the world turns, the sun is always shining on one of his public works of art.

Today, Gummers works are in numerous public collections and have been displayed in locations from Massachusetts to Japan.

The Springfield exhibit runs through Sept. 12.

For more information, visit springfieldmuseums.org/exhibitions/don-gummer.
BOSTON  Niberd Abdalla can finally call the United States home.

The Iraqi immigrant recently won a four-year battle to win citizenship after an immigration judge granted him permanent legal status  but that watershed moment followed a decades-long struggle to become an American citizen.

After overstaying his visa in the 1970s to take care of his infirm parents, Abdalla lived in Western Massachusetts until 2010 when he was issued a final order of removal by immigration officials. Abdalla was Kurdish  the ethnic group that was violently persecuted under Sadaam Husseins Baath party reign. His family moved Abdalla through Iraq, seeking safety, until he moved to the United States in 1976 at 16 years old.

The move wasnt entirely smooth, according to Abdallas attorneys. He shuttled from home to home as his extended family struggled financially and medically. The aunt he lived with died of cancer, and he moved to New York City looking for work. He found that  as well as love, attorney Buz Eisenberg told an immigration judge during Abdallas individual hearing to vet his potential for permanent residency.

This is also a love story, Eisenberg said.

Abdalla met Ellen McShane in 1979 while riding horseback in Central Park. They fell in love and McShane became pregnant with a son, but her father forbade the couple from remaining together and threatened to disowned McShane, who collapsed under the pressure. The couple split, but Abdalla found his son, Kevin, on social media decades later in 2012. The couple resumed their relatinoship and Abdalla built a relationship with his son, Eisenberg said.

The reunited family rallied around Abdalla after the removal order came down and he was ordered to appear at Boston immigration court.

However, because Iraq was not issuing travel documents to Iraqis at that time; (Abdalla) had never departed the United States; and he had complied completely with the supervision condition that he report every six months as required to the ICE offices, he was only ordered to so report, Eisenberg said in his opening statement to the judge during the recent hearing that yielded permanent legal status for Abdalla.

He and McShane finally married in 2018, while Abdalla endured eight months behind bars in an immigration jail. While he had reported faithfully and without incident to authorities for seven years, he was unexpectedly detained after former President Donald J. Trump took office and a hard line on immigration matters.

Abdallas plight prompted an outpouring of support from civil rights activists, including a 250-person rally outside Northamptons City Hall that year.

Abdallas detention and potential deportation to Iraq stunned him and McShane, she told a reporter with MassLive.com in 2018, after his release.

I jokingly said to him give me the car keys, what if they take you into custody. We were laughing, we were laughing about it, thinking, yeah right, McShane said at the time. It came to pass. The worst thing we never saw coming.

After the May 13 hearing that afforded him permanent status, Abdalla released a celebratory statement through the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

I really cant put into the words the overwhelming feeling that (the) court victory brought. We can just be what we were meant to be from the very beginning: a happy family. I am so humbled by the number of people who cared so much about one mans struggle just to stay here and to live, Abdalla said.

All the people who went out of their way to make this happen, the attorneys, the ACLU, the folks who broadcast it and put it in the papers, those who came to the rallies, children who wrote to me while incarcerated, and the religious leaders who comforted us. We have been blessed, and we only hope that we can somehow continue to share that good with those around me, he added.

McShane echoed his jubilation.

The freedom and justice that the United States of America has traditionally held dear shone brightly yesterday. My husband can, at last, live under the shelter of that freedom for the rest of his life, she said, adding that the judge concluded the hearing by telling Abdalla: Welcome to America.

Local ACLU head Bill Newman said he maintains hope for similarly situated immigrants detained across the country.

Across the country, millions of other families cant wait. Congress must pass legislation to create a path to citizenship, and Massachusetts must do all it can to keep families together, regardless of immigration status, Newman said.

Eisenberg, a cooperating lawyer for the ACLU who practices in Northampton, also credited attorney Megan Kludt for championing Abdallas cause.

We owe our success to the outpouring of love and support from the community here in Western Massachusetts, and the courage and endurance of Niberd, his wife Ellen McShane, and their family and friends. It has been an honor to be his lawyer, Eisenberg said.
SPRINGFIELD  Taking the next step in her career in front of family, friends and mentors, Judge Maureen E. Walsh was sworn in as an associate judge of the Massachusetts Appeals Court Monday afternoon.

In a ceremony organized by the Hampden County Bar Association and held outside the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in Springfield, Walsh thanked her spouse, her children, grandchildren, siblings and parents.

I want to thank you all for always being there for me in good times and in bad, and I would say that without you none of this would have been possible and without you any accomplishments that Ive made would have been without meaning, Walsh said.

The youngest of eight children, Walsh credited her parents for teaching her to treat everyone, including those who have come before her in court, with respect.

My parents raised all of us to have a hard work ethic, to treat others respectfully and with dignity and they emphasized the value of education, she said.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts and the Western New England University School of Law, Walsh began her career as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor in 1991. Ponsor attended the ceremony and said he has always been impressed with Walshs work ethic and intelligence.

Shes a terrific legal analyst, a fantastically conscientious person, a hard worker and an excellent writer, he said.

After working with Ponsor, Walsh went on to become an assistant district attorney for the Northwestern district attorneys office from 1994 through 1998. She was appointed to the Parole Board in 1998, eventually serving as chairwoman until she was appointed as an associate justice of the Eastern Hampshire District Court in 2008 by then-Gov. Deval Patrick.

I have followed her career ... and I am so proud of her and so proud to think of her as my good friend more than three decades later, Ponsor said.

Walsh has also served as the presiding judge of Holyoke District Court and most recently served as the presiding judge of Northampton District Court, as well as the Regional Administrative Judge for Region 6 of the District Court, which encompasses all four western Massachusetts counties. She was nominated to the Appeals Court by Gov. Charlie Baker.

Judge Paul C. Dawley, chief justice of the District Court, said Walsh is an advocate for the people of Western Massachusetts.

For 13 years I have had the privilege of working with Judge Walsh as a colleague and most importantly as a friend, Dawley said. She is constantly advocating for interests of the justice system out here and we are very grateful for that.

Walsh was sworn in by Governors Councilor Mary E. Hurley, who called Walsh a friend.

If there is anyone who deserves this its Maureen Walsh. She has been all the things that youve heard about for so long and in addition to being the regional administrative judge shes been a friend of mine for a long time and has a great heart and the ability to understand what being in the other persons shoes is like, she said.

Related content:
Have you filed your taxes?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced last month that the filing deadline would be pushed back to Monday, May 17, about a month from the typical date of April 15.

This continues to be a tough time for many people, and the IRS wants to continue to do everything possible to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic, while also working on important tax administration responsibilities, said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. Even with the new deadline, we urge taxpayers to consider filing as soon as possible, especially those who are owed refunds. Filing electronically with direct deposit is the quickest way to get refunds, and it can help some taxpayers more quickly receive any remaining stimulus payments they may be entitled to.

The IRS opened this years filing season on Feb. 12, 2021, a later start than in typical years, in part due to the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Those unable to file on time can request an extension to Oct. 15, though taxes not paid by the deadline are subject to interest and penalties.

Penalties, interest and additions to tax will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances as of May 17, 2021, the IRS said. Individual taxpayers will automatically avoid interest and penalties on the taxes paid by May 17.
A bill filed on behalf of Molly Bishs family would expand the use of DNA in criminal investigations, allowing investigators to look for partial matches and narrow down the field of potential suspects in cold cases.

But the proposal is met with serious questions about privacy and police and prosecutorial overreach  even from prosecutors themselves.

The bill, S.1595  an Act Permitting Familial Searching and Partial DNA Matches in Investigating Certain Unsolved Cases  was filed by State Sen. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, and Rep. Todd Smola, R-Warren. In March, it was forwarded to the Public Safety and Homeland Safety Committee for review.

Gobi said that if it is signed into law, the bill would aid police and prosecutors, particularly with unsolved homicide cases in which investigators have exhausted all leads and the trail has gone cold.

If we can solve some of these old crimes especially  because if theres still killers walking around, lets get them, she said.

Heather Bish, the sister of Molly Bish, proposed the idea, according to Gobi. Molly Bish was 16 in 2000, when she was abducted from her summer job as a lifeguard Comins Pond in Warren. Her body was found three years later in Palmer.

No one has been charged in her killing, and her death is one of the regions most notorious unsolved crimes over the last two decades.

Heather Bish, who is now head of the Molly Bish Foundation, said familial DNA searching could help find her sisters killer and provide answers to several other unsolved homicides across the state. I think its another tool for law enforcement to use, Bish said.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said recently that he favors the bill in theory, but has serious concerns about how it would be put into practice. In particular, he cited the need for strict protocols about how the searches are conducted and which sources of DNA investigators use.

He also said there needs to be a strong consideration for the privacy rights of people who could find themselves being investigated only because they share DNA with the actual perpetrator.

Im a DA and I work murder cases, he said. Thats one of the parts of my job and the more tools, the better.

But, he added, We want to tailor this to respect privacy rights but still provide a powerful tool for law enforcement.

Ann Marie Mires said the version of the bill before the Legislature does both.

Mires is a forensic anthropologist and the Director of the Molly Bish Center and Forensic Criminology at Anna Maria College. She is also a member of the state Forensic Science Oversight Board, formed in 2018 as part of the states criminal justice reform bill.

She said the board conducted a thorough review of Gobis original version of the familial DNA bill, and had serious problems with some of it. The board offered several recommendations that Mires herself revised in a second draft, which is the version Gobi and Smola filed.

It contains strict protocols on how the searches are to be conducted, by whom, and who controls the information, she said.

The use of familial DNA is exciting, but she agrees with Gulluni that it cannot be done haphazardly.

It is an awesome tool, she said. But unregulated, it is disastrous.

Anyone who has watched a television crime drama in the last two decades understands the basics of DNA. Everyone has a unique DNA profile, a kind of genetic fingerprint. When genetic materials  a strand of hair, or blood, spit or semen  is left at a crime scene, forensic crime lab scientists can compare DNA from the sample with DNA profiles on file with the FBIs Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS.

If the sample from the crime scene matches a DNA profile of someone in the CODIS database, you just found a prime suspect.

Massachusetts currently recognizes two outcomes from a CODIS search: yes or no. The DNA evidence matches, or it does not.

The bill would allow another type of result  a type of in-between finding called a partial match.

A partial match, or a familial match, is not an exact match with a person in the database. As the name suggests, it is close enough to be one of the the known persons blood relations. A familial match reduces the list of suspects from potentially everyone on the planet to members of a specific family: grandparents, parents or siblings.

Suppose, Heather Bish said, that such a finding could allow investigators to narrow a search tremendously, to a handful of people they could research for connections to the crime or the victim.

Its science. So to me its like a no-brainer, she said.

Just five states  California, Florida, New York, Wisconsin and Colorado  have laws and formal policies allowing familial DNA searches. One state, Maryland, has laws expressly forbidding them.

Familial DNA searches have been called the last resort of forensic investigations.

They are typically used when other means of identifying a suspect have come up empty.

The most celebrated example of a successful familial DNA search leading to an arrest and conviction was the so-called Grim Sleeper case in 2010. Lonnie Franklin, a trash collector and garage attendant for the Los Angeles Police Department, was arrested. He was convicted of the murder of nine women and a teenage girl between 1985 and 2007. He died in prison in March.

Franklins DNA profile was not in the states database  but a profile for his son, who was arrested a year earlier for illegal weapons possession, was on file.

LA police began following Franklin and secretly obtained a sample of his DNA from a discarded pizza crust he left behind at a restaurant.

Mires said that properly employed, a partial-match search can narrow the focus of an investigation and allow police to conduct the traditional gumshoe work to zero in on a suspect.

Through legitimate investigative research, they then have to come up with the means, motive and opportunity, she said.

This extends our ability to try to solve these crimes which are still a public safety concern, she added. Think about it. Molly Bishs killer is still out there 20 years later. Holly Piirainens killer. And the list goes on and on. We have many, many, many unresolved cases where we have viable DNA but we dont have a direct match.

Holly Piirainen was 10-years old when she was abducted in August 1993 in Sturbridge. Her body was found months later by hunters in Brimfield. Her killer has never been found.

01/03/2012 Springfield- Handout- Photo of Holly Piirainen which was shown on a monitor during a press conference tuesday at the Hall of Justice.

Gulluni is a fan of innovative uses for DNA in unsolved murder cases. In 2016, his office used an emerging technology called DNA phenotyping to create a composite sketch of the suspected killer of Lisa Ziegert, who was abducted and murdered in 1992. The composite was credited with helping identify Gary E. Schara as her killer. Schara admitted guilt in 2019 and was sentenced to life in prison.

Familial DNA has great potential, but proper guidelines and rules for its use have to be put in place, he said.

DNA technology is developing, and were going to learn much more about this sort of technology in the future. Its going to play a role in law enforcement, Gulluni said. Its a valuable tool for law enforcement but it has be balanced with privacy interests in a way that is appropriate and usable for law enforcement in the Commonwealth.

Under Massachusetts law, anyone convicted of a crime and sentenced is required to surrender a sample of their DNA. They surrender their expectation of privacy against future DNA searches.

But a relative of someone with a conviction has not waived their right to privacy. Under the law, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Further, the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects people from unreasonable searches by law enforcement without probable cause.

A convicted felon whose DNA profile is in CODIS has no expectation of privacy about how that data is used. But a relative of that felon who has not been convicted of anything has an expectation of privacy.

The Forensic Board report on the bill notes this conflict between finding the guilty and disturbing innocent people who are identified as a suspect solely due to their biological relationship to the offender profile in the database

That suspicion can result in exposing an innocent person to burdens that carry real and devastating financial, emotional and liberty implications, the report notes.

Gulluni said it is important to understand that a hit on a partial match is not grounds for an arrest.

Its only a clue toward the development of probable cause, he said. Were going to look at that person and then develop probable cause and go to court, and do everything like we would do with any investigation.

The American Civil Liberties Union has for years spoken critically about the use of familial DNA in other states, calling it an intrusion on privacy and civil liberties.

An ACLU science advisor was quoted in a 2006 Scientific American article saying, Were talking about innocent people by proxy being included in this database.

The Massachusetts chapter of the ACLU did not respond for comment to this article.

Including Gobi and Smola, the bill has 16 other sponsors in the Senate and the House including Northampton Sen. Jo Commerford, Westfield Sen. John C. Velis, and Rep. Angelo Puppolo of Springfield.

The revised version has privacy protections and strict requirements about who has access to the partial match searches, and how that information can be used. As written, it allows familial searches only if there is reason to believe such a search would be fruitful, if all other practical police leads have been exhausted, and if investigators have already run a search and did not find an exact match.

The bill limits familial searches to the state CODIS database, and requires searches to begin and end with the state police crime lab.

The legislation specifically states that familial searches are to be conducted only with the state CODIS database, not any other rogue databases or private ancestry sites like Ancestry.com.

Gulluni said that is important. Someone who voluntarily submits their DNA to a private genealogy site would would be shocked if police suddenly started asking them about an unsolved murder, he said.

I think its just finding that reasonable place in the middle where it can be valuable for law enforcement but it doesnt overstep any bounds, he said.

6/28/07 - Magdalen M. Bish, left, wipes a tear from her eye yesterday as she sits with her daughter, Heather K. Bish, and son John J. Bish Jr., during a memorial service marking the seventh anniversary of the disappearance of Molly Bish from her lifeguard post at Comins Pond. Her remains were found three years later near the Warren-Palmer line.

Heather Bish said she got the idea from one of the investigators working on her sisters murder. She meets yearly with investigators for updates on the 20-year-old homicide. During one of the annual meetings, one of them mentioned that it could be helpful if Massachusetts allowed familial DNA searches.

And I said OK, Ill work on that, she said.

She admits that at first she did not quite know what familial DNA was, or what she was getting into. I really didnt understand it at the time, she said. So, I just started doing some research on it.

She found other states that allow familial DNA searches, and added sections from their regulations to her draft.

Once done, she reached out to Gobi and Smola because each has been supportive of the Bish familys efforts to find justice for Molly.

Gobi first introduced the bill last year, but it went nowhere because of the states pandemic shutdown.

Heather Bish said that was beneficial because it allowed time for people with a better understanding of the issues to review it and offer suggestions.

Bish and Gobi both said Mires helped them understand both the science behind familial DNA as well as the legal and privacy issues involved.

I was just giving it my best shot to get it off the ground, Bish said. She was really helpful and a leader in advancing it through, and giving us feedback so that the bill was edited correctly.

Bish said solving her sisters murder is motivation for the bill. But its more than that. There are other unsolved murders where this could help too, she said.

When youve spent 20 years in a club that no one wants to belong to, you get really close with other victims families, she said.

In addition to mentioning Piirainens slaying, she talked about the unsolved case of Patricia Gonyea, a 17-year-old girl who was raped, beaten and murdered in Worcester in 1984.

Ive watched them suffer, the sisters and brothers and their moms and dads suffer for so long, she said of the other families. It would mean just as much to me if those cases are solved.

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A former Brockton Police officer has been indicted on charges that he mislead a police investigation by falsely claiming he performed cell checks on a man in custody before lying on a police report, according to Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz.

A Plymouth County grand jury on Monday returned indictments charging 40-year-old Anthony Louis, of Brockton, with two counts of misleading a police investigation and creating a false police report, authorities said.

The charges stem from an investigation into the death of 27-year-old Afonso Brandao, who was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended license, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace following a minor crash on Nov. 13, 2020.

Police transported Brandao from the scene of the crash that night, which occurred on Highland Street and Goddard Road, to the Brockton police station. He was booked, searched and placed in a holding cell, authorities said.

Then, at roughly 3:45 a.m., police found Brandao unresponsive during a routine cell check. Emergency medical personnel responded and pronounced Brandao dead on scene. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled during an investigation that Brandaos death was caused by accidental overdose, authorities said.

The investigation was conducted by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth District Attorneys office. Prosecutors say Louis submitted a supplemental narrative to the official report for the case that noted he failed to perform each required cell checks.

Prosecutors also said that Louis falsely reported to several Massachusetts State Police troopers that he routinely performed cell checks as required, and observed no issues, problems or abnormalities with Brandao.
A police officer in Massachusetts came to the rescue of more than a dozen baby ducks who were stuck in a storm drain over the weekend.

Officer O. Fitzpatrick of the Andover Police Department rescued 15 baby ducks out of the storm drain Sunday, according to a Facebook post from the department.

The department explained the real heroes were two children, Ayla and Everly, who noticed the momma mallard in distress and told their parents about it.

Thank you Ayla and Everly for being so alert and calling us to help, the department said, and thank you mom for letting us use the pictures!
SPRINGFIELD  Two suspects who were arrested last week in Orlando, Florida in connection with a February homicide in the citys South End are expected to be returned soon to Springfield for arraignment.

The suspects, Fernando Massey, 23, and Quamel Batchelor, 24, both of Springfield, are charged in connection with the Feb. 26 shooting death of Robert Crochiere.

Crochiere, 18, of Springfield, was shot around 2:45 a.m. near Main and Locust streets while he was in the line at a McDonalds drive-through window, police said.

Both suspects were arrested May 7 on fugitive of justice warrants as they were leaving a hotel room in Orlando, police said. The arrests came after the Springfield Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and U.S. Marshals received information indicating the men fled to Florida.

Massey and Batchelor waived rendition and will be brought to Springfield in the near future to face the charges, police said. Both men are charged with murder, as well as firearms offenses, according to court records.

The investigation is ongoing by the Springfield Police Homicide Unit and the Hampden District Attorneys Office Murder Unit, police said.


IT-Support Analyst (Morrisville, NC): Support PeopleSoft FMS (Financials Management Solutions) application in terms of functional configuration, maintaining integrity, & ensuring availability to support reporting requirements. Run integrity checks in the system to ensure all data sent to the PeopleSoft General Ledger is validated & processed correctly as per pre-defined rules set up in the system in confirmation with the bank's requirements. Create & maintain business units in Peoplesoft General Ledger module. Configure & maintain allocation rules, converting business requirements into system defined allocation rules, & ensure smooth run of existing rules such that the expenses & assets at the end of each month's processing are allocated per business needs. Set up consolidation structures & rules which enable the bank to add financial balances across legal entities to produce consolidated financial statements. Enable system rules in PeopleSoft General Ledger to achieve elimination of balances, calculation, & amortization of goodwill as well as calculation of minority interests before balances are aggregated & presented on a consolidated basis. Create, debug, & maintain reports as per business requirements using PeopleSoft Queries & nVision. Participate in testing new application & People tool upgrades for PeopleSoft, ensuring no disruption to BAU activities with changes. Support other modules offered by PeopleSoft, such as Peoplesoft Billing, Account Payables, Account Receivables, Lease Administration, & Asset Management modules. Use Application Designer to make changes in nVision layout & analyze application engine (PeopleCode & SQLs) & SQR failures & work on the resolution of processes. Req's Master's degr plus 2 yrs exp or Bachelor's degr plus 5 yrs exp. Please forward your resume to Credit Suisse, P.O. Box D69CSNC, 10 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1016, New York, NY 10020. No phone calls.

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A woman in her 20s was killed over the weekend after the car she was driving went off Route 9 in Framingham and crashed into a brick sign, according to authorities.

The crash was reported shortly before 9:25 p.m. at the Metro Credit Union at 1124 Worcester Road. The car crashed into a guardrail, went off the road and struck the brick base of a sign for the bank, officials said.

First responders pulled the woman from the car. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Authorities initially asked for a medical helicopter but canceled the request due to the extent of her injuries, Chief Mike Dutcher of the Framingham Fire Department told MassLive.

Nobody else was in the car at the time of the crash, the fire chief said.

The woman has yet to be publicly identified, but police said she was a 28-year-old Ashland resident.

The investigation into the crash and its cause is ongoing.

The eastbound lanes of Route 9 between Temple and Winter streets were closed to all traffic while the single-car crash was being investigated, the Framingham Police Department wrote in a post on Facebook.
For his decision last year to vote to convict former President Donald Trump, a member of his own party, Sen. Mitt Romney was honored this month with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

The Utah Republican was given the award for his consistent and courageous defense of democracy, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. He was the first senator to ever vote to convict a president of his own party. The museum called his stand courageous and historic.

Senator Romneys commitment to our Constitution makes him a worthy successor to the senators who inspired my father to write Profiles in Courage,  said Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, former President John F. Kennedys daughter. He reminds us that our Democracy depends on the courage, conscience and character of our elected officials.

In a virtual ceremony, Caroline Kennedy and her son, Jack Schlossberg, presented the award to Romney, who joins a group of fellow recipients that includes former Presidents Barack Obama and George H. W. Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Sen. John McCain, the late Rep. John Lewis and others.

The Profile in Courage Award was created in 1989 by the John F. Kennedys family to honor and celebrate the quality of political courage the Massachusetts Democrat admired most.

The award honors a public official for demonstrating qualities of leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage, the late presidents 1957 Pulitzer prize-winning book, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good, according to the museum.

In February 2020, during Trumps first impeachment trial, Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, was the sole Republican senator to vote to convict the former president for his 2019 call in which he pressured Ukrainian officials to dig up dirt on Democratic President Joe Biden. He temporarily withheld U.S. military aid to the country after the call.

He characterized his vote to convict as the most difficult decision I have ever faced and acknowledged that he would suffer significant political consequences, the museum explained. Nevertheless, Romney said he could not disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end. 

After the vote to convict Trump, the Utah senator faced unrelenting criticism and public antagonism, along with threats to his safety and demands that he be censured or expelled from the Republican party, according to the museum.

Those threats continued through last years president election, when many Republican, pro-Trump lawmakers were trying to reverse Bidens win by casting doubt on the legitimacy of the vote without any evidence backing their claims.

When the U.S. Capitol was stormed on Jan. 6, Romney and other lawmakers were rushed into the basement of the federal building. He then spoke out again against Trump and other members of his own party, calling on his fellow Republican senators to tell the truth about the former presidents loss.

In the second impeachment trial of Trump following the insurrection, Romney joined only six other Republican senators in voting to convict the former president of inciting the attack on the Capitol.

More recently, Romney spoke out against Republican members of the House of Representatives stripping Rep. Liz Cheney from her No. 3 spot in GOP congressional leadership for publicly stating Biden won the 2020 election fairly and those who suggest otherwise are promoting falsehoods.

Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership wont gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few, Romney wrote in a tweet on May 10.

Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership wont gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few.  Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 10, 2021

Massachusetts current Republican governor, Charlie Baker, also touched on Cheneys removal from her House GOP leadership position, saying the Wyoming representatives absolutely right in stating Bidens win was fair.

I made very clear that I felt the election process that took place in November was fair, and that President Joe Biden won the election, he said. On those issues, I believe Liz Cheney is absolutely right.

Romney wasnt the only person with Massachusetts ties to be honored by the JFK Presidential Library this month.

Caroline Kennedy and her son honored seven individuals with COVID Courage awards. While on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic, the honorees went above and beyond their everyday responsibilities to help those in their communities, the museum said.

Among the honorees was Fred Freeman, who serves as a captain in the Hanover Fire Department and is a registered nurse. He spearheaded the creation of a mobile program that allowed the Massachusetts town to provide COVID-19 testing and other critical health services to vulnerable residents in their homes, thus slowing the spread of the virus and alleviating pressure on the health care system, according to the museum.

In a statement, multiple town officials said, Captain Freeman has been instrumental in protecting and supporting the citizens and students of Hanover with his vision, his hard work and his dedication to the health and wellbeing of this community.

He has shown professional and personal courage not only in his determination to create a brand new Mobile Integrated Health Program during a crisis, but he is also a frontline firefighter, registered nurse and a paramedic who provides direct care, testing and emergency response for the town of Hanover, putting the needs of the community above his own health and safety, they added.

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A nonprofit senior housing agency has plans to build a retirement community at a now-closed Catholic school in Worcester.

Goddard/Homestead, which operates independent living facilities and a rest home in the area, is seeking a special permit to operate a continuing care retirement community at the campus of St. Peter-Marian High School, The Telegram & Gazette reported Friday.

The school merged last year with Holy Name High School to become St. Paul Diocesan Junior/Senior High School.

The plan calls for the demolition of the main school building to make way for a 145-unit, over-55 continuing care retirement community.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester is still listed in the application as the owner of the 24-acre property.

According to the application, Goddard/Homestead plans to build 120 one-bedroom units and 25 two-bedroom units in a three-story, 135,000 square-foot building.

The new development will provide services including respite care, access to third-party medical care, a licensed social worker, a resident services director, local transportation, dining services and activities, according to the application.
A small fire forced B.T.s Smokehouse in Sturbridge to close Sunday, but the popular barbecue spot, which also has a location in Worcester, plans to reopen as soon as it can.

Firefighters in Sturbridge responded to the restaurant on Main Street for a smoldering fire in the wall with smoke, authorities said. Firefighters cleared the second floor, contained the flames and ventilated the building.

Photos posted by the Sturbridge Fire Department show what appears to be scorched kitchen equipment as well as charred walls. Some of the walls, the photos show, were cut into by firefighters.

A small fire at B.T.'s Smokehouse in Sturbridge closed the restaurant on Sunday.

No injuries were reported.

B.T.s Smokehouse thanked firefighters for their quick response and said it would reopen as soon as possible. The restaurants contractor is expected to visit the restaurant on Monday with the hope of completing all the work necessary.

B.T.s Smokehouse is normally closed on Mondays. Its possible the small fire wont interrupt service at the restaurant beyond closing on Sunday.

One of the most popular barbecue restaurants in Central Massachusetts opened a second location, B.T.s Fried Chicken and BBQ, in Worcester last year.

B.T.s Smokehouse also represented one of the several local restaurants that have vendor stands in Polar Park.

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Marietta, GA (30060)

Today

Showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 82F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly before midnight. Low around 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Atlanta, GA (30303)

Today

Showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 82F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.


Squaxin Island Tribe

Job Description Job Title: Bus Driver

Department: Community Development

Reports To: Program Services Manager, Pam Hillstrom

FLSA Status: Non Exempt

TS Range: 5/6

Opening Date: May 14, 2021

Closing Date: May 28, 2021

SUMMARY

This position provides transportation services by driving bus, minibus, van or lightweight truck/car for seniors,

youth, disabled, and the general public through fixed or deviated scheduled routes and special events.

Responsibilities include transporting passengers in a safe and courteous manner. Must have excellent people skills by promoting positive and professional relationships with passengers and co-workers. Must be an effective member of the team by being reliable and completing required paperwork in an accurate and timely manner.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Drives vehicle from individual or central loading areas to social services or rehabilitation center, training

location, job site, or other destinations according to assigned schedule.

Operates passenger vehicles in a safe manner under varying traffic and road conditions by obeying traffic

rules and regulations, while using defensive driving techniques.

Promotes positive passenger relations by greeting and assisting passengers with diverse personalities by

being friendly, courteous and sensitive, sometimes in stressful situations.

Assists seniors and disabled passengers into and out of vehicle.

Supervises the conduct of individuals accepted as passengers while riding the bus.

Maintains a personal clean and professional appearance at all times.

Must be punctual, dependable and maintain regular attendance by being at work during scheduled work time.

Inspects vehicle for readiness for operation by performing a pre-trip inspection.

Inspects vehicle at end of each shift for damage and lost articles.

Secures passengers wheelchairs to restraining devices to stabilize the wheelchairs during trip.

Operates radio or similar device while vehicle is parked to communicate with base office or other vehicles in

case of disruption of service.

Services vehicle with fuel, lubricants, and accessories.

Maintains cleanliness and orderliness of the buses by washing buses inside and out, emptying garbage etc.

Completes accurate daily records of trips and the behavior of passengers or other required written materials

in a timely manner.

Maintain necessary certifications and attend yearly training as required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty

satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Must be twenty-one years of age and have a minimum of five years of driving experience with a clean

driving record.

Ability to work independently and effectively as part of a team.

Ability to pass a background check (including but not limited to clean driving record, free from violent and

domestic violent crimes).

Ability to resolve conflicts using sound judgment possibly in a crisis situation. Must have an accurate time piece (watch, etc.) carried at all times while on duty.

Must be a dependable, people friendly individual who is able to work on-call with little or no notice.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE: Associates Degree and 1 year related experience; or High School

Diploma/GED and 3 years related experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Must be able to effectively communicate with supervisor, co-workers and passengers.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole

numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in

situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: The successful applicant will be responsible for keeping all

licenses and/or certificates current and submit annually. Must be in compliance with DOT training within 30 days of hire. Must have a valid Washington State Drivers License. Must have a Class B Commercial Drivers License with P1 endorsement and airbrake waiver. Must have a medical certificate. Must have a CPR certificate. Must be in compliance with DOT Drug and Alcohol policy.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel.

The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee may occasionally be required to lift up to 50 pounds. This position must be able to assist disabled passengers into and out of vehicle.

On occasion, this position will be required to work irregular shifts and/or Dial-a-Rides Monday through Friday or for other Squaxin Island Tribal departments as needed Monday through Friday, nights, holidays, and/or weekends.

This position also requires close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the

ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an

employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be

made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will frequently be exposed to vibration for long periods of

time; and occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles and hot or cold outdoor weather conditions. The noise level for this position is generally moderate.

DRUG FREE WORKPLACE: The successful candidate will be required to have a urinalysis for drug and alcohol

screening, in accordance with the Tribes Drug Free Workplace Policy and the Federal Transit Administration drug and alcohol testing policy.

INDIAN PREFERENCE: Indian preference will be exercised in the hiring of this position consistent with the

Tribes Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.

TO APPLY: Submit application packets including a resume and cover letter. Contact Human Resources for more information: 360-432-3865.

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Atlanta, GA (30320)

Today

Overcast with rain showers at times. High 84F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Rain showers early with clearing later at night. Low 71F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Marietta, GA (30060)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with scattered thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. High 82F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight. Low near 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


HELP DESK ANALYST Waynesburg University is seeking applicants for the position of Help Desk Analyst. Bachelors degree and 6 months experience preferred in any of the following areas: PC Repair and Technical Support, Audio/Video Support, Server administration, Help Desk, Network Infrastructure and Wireless Technologies, Distance Education and Learning/Course Management systems.Candidates should possess strong analytical and communication skills. Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Job responsibilities will include providing functional and technical service, support, and training to administration, faculty staff and students. Setup, service, and maintain computers, peripherals, multimedia, and network devices and perform network and system administration duties as assigned. Provide first line support for online learning platforms (e.g. Canvas) technology (e.g. Microsoft Products, campus technology etc). Provide consultation for faculty, staff, and students on how to effectively use technology in support of their role at the university. The positions primary office is located at our Waynesburg campus, however, travel to our Southpointe location may be required. Successful candidates must demonstrate a strong Christian faith, a commitment to the Universitys Mission and a demonstrated commitment to that faith, through his/her professional responsibilities, relationships and the mentoring of students. Send resume/cv, and letter of interest, along with a written statement that articulates the relationship between the candidates profession and his/her Christian faith, and names/addresses/phone numbers of five references. Include transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable initially). Apply to the Human Resources Office, Waynesburg University, 51 West College Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370, e-mail: hr@waynesburg.edu . For further information, please see the University home page www.waynesburg.edu

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Job Title: Director of Development & Major Gifts Fill Date: August 1, 2021 Salary Commensurate with Experience Brief Description of Duties: The Catholic Schools of Broome County (CSBC) is seeking a Director of Development & Major Gifts who will oversee fundraising and donor engagement efforts required to support the long-term strategic direction of the organization. The Director of Development & Major Gifts is responsible for the development and management of a comprehensive, strategic major and leadership gift program focused on cultivating, soliciting and stewarding philanthropic support from alumni, parents, and friends of the Catholic Schools of Broome County, including major giving for endowments, planned giving, capital campaign and special projects. The Director of Development & Major Gifts will report to the Executive Director of Advancement, work closely with the CSBC Foundation Board of Directors, and serve as a conduit to faculty and staff of the CSBC, using discretion, enthusiasm, and sound judgement in the implementation the CSBCs philanthropic efforts. Essential Functions of the Position: Grow a major gifts program including identification, cultivation and solicitation of major donors

Oversee major giving program with the direction set by the Executive Director and the President

Direct the annual fund program, including mailings and annual fundraising drives

Meet prospective donors and supporters on a continual basis to establish effective communications with them

Build the planned giving program with a focus on deferred gifts such as bequest expectancies

Coordinate fundraising events

Oversee prospect research

Work closely with the Executive Director of Advancement and the CSBC Foundation Board of Directors

Oversee fundraising database and tracking systems

Maintain gift recognitions programs

Oversee creation of publications to support fundraising activities

Perform other related duties as requested Required Qualifications: Bachelors degree, preferable in nonprofit management, communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field

5 years (minimum) experience managing a non-profit fundraising portfolio

Direct experience leading and working with prospects across a broad spectrum of backgrounds and experiences

Ability to simultaneously manage and effectively prioritize a large number of fundraising activities

Experience in effectively engaging and leading staff and Board Members in cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities

Excellent leadership, strategy, management, and organizational skills

Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with proven ability to write effectively and speak persuasively and an ability to listen to and learn from others

Well-organized with strong follow-thorough skills

Self-motivated, team player with strong collaboration skills Preferred Qualifications: Technically competent with modern cloud-based tools and donor management databases / CRMs (preferable Raisers Edge NXT)

Experience working with volunteers and volunteer boards To learn more about the Catholic Schools of Broome County visit our Website at: https://csbcsaints.org Persons interested in the above position should submit the following by May 28, 2021: CSBC Employment Application

CSBC Background Check Form

Cover letter

Resume

Names and contact information for three professional references Electronic submissions may be sent to: kejohnson@syrdiocese.org (attachments must be in Microsoft Word, rich text format or PDF). Hard copy submissions should be mailed to: Mrs. Kim Johnson Executive Director of Advancement Catholic Schools of Broome County 70 Seminary Avenue Binghamton, NY 13905 For further information, contact: kejohnson@syrdiocese.org Posting period: May 14-28, 2021 Applicants are encouraged to apply during the posting period. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. The Catholic Schools of Broome County is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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India has been severely hit by the second wave of the novel Coronavirus and its disturbing to see how people are struggling. Sadly, even state governments and health care infrastructure are almost crippled. In the time of need, many celebs are coming forward to donate money to the government. Megastar Rajinikanth is the latest celebrity to have donated to the cause of fighting the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

ANI shared the update and according to the tweet, the megastar has requested fans to strictly adhere to the COVID protocols. A tweet by ANI read, Chennai: Actor Rajinikanth handed over Rs 50 lakhs for COVID relief fund to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin at the secretariat." "I appealed to the people to strictly follow COVID restriction favoured by the govt to control the pandemic," said Rajinikanth.

 ANI Twitter

After the news went viral, people started to bash the megastar for giving a meager amount when he earns in crores.



 ANI Twitter

 ANI Twitter

 ANI Twitter

Meanwhile, a few days ago, Rajinis daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, her husband Vishagan, sister-in-law, and father-in-law Vanangamudi donated Rs 1 crore to the CMs Covid-19 relief fund. She had tweeted, My father-in-law Mr. S.S.Vanangamudi, husband Vishagan, his sister, and I visited the honorable Chief minister @mkstalin sir this morning to hand over our contribution of 1cr for the chief ministers #CoronaReliefFund from our pharma company Apex laboratories, Makers of #Zincovit.



Other celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna, and Shilpa Shetty, Alia Bhatt among others have also come forward to help people in such times of turmoil.

Is it fair to attack Rajinikanth for trying to help the needy? Or do you agree with peoples opinions who think that he should have donated more for the cause? Let us know in the comments below.
The weather departments have issued a warning to residents of Mumbai and have urged them to stay indoors as Cyclone Tauktae intensifies.



The Indian Meteorological Department said that this is the country's first major tropical storm this season and it is moving northwards in parallel with the country's western coast, bringing heavy rains, thunderstorms, and strong winds to several states.

Meanwhile, actor Kartik Aaryan found a rather hilarious way to urge people to stay indoors.

He took to social media and shared an important message for his fans. He wrote, #Tauktae One more reason to stay inside.

Checkout the post here-

#Tauktae

One more reason to stay inside pic.twitter.com/ME5A0FlHFd  Kartik Aaryan (@TheAaryanKartik) May 17, 2021

In the throwback post, Kartik is posing in front of a large outdoor fan, in sunglasses, with the wind whipping at his hair vigorously. All in all, it makes for a hilarious picture.

Heres what people have to say about this-

Ghar par raho aur Kartik Aaryan ki movies dekho   KA (@Kiwi_Kartik) May 17, 2021

No one can beat u in captions

Kha se aata hai itna dimaag  Simran  { VID Stan } (@simranslays) May 17, 2021

Jail mai kisne band kiya aapko  Simran  { VID Stan } (@simranslays) May 17, 2021

From where did those guts to post such a pic  KARTIK AARYAN FC (@kartikaaryan_fb) May 17, 2021

Hawa jyada tej hai nhi  Shreyu (@teamkartikians) May 17, 2021

Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar districts were on orange alert while Raigad district was put on red alert due to cyclones. Also, a heavy downpour accompanied by gusty winds was witnessed at Gateway of India in Mumbai.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) also forecasted moderate to intense spells of rain with winds 90-100 kph at isolated places in the districts of Raigad, Palghar, Mumbai, Thane, and Ratnagiri.

Kartik Aaryan has been sharing COVID-related information since last year.

He wrote in his post, "These tough times reinstate my faith in humanity. It is truly heartwarming to see how everyone is doing their bit in one way or the other or using social media to show more compassion and empathy towards one another and serving each other with kindness. Praying for everyone and hoping for a better tomorrow.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
Last year, Irrfan Khan passed away at the age of 54, after battling with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018. The film industry mourned the loss of India's most versatile actor. He was posthumously honoured with two awards including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) along with Lifetime Achievement Award. Even his son Babil Khan has time and again taken to social media and shown us several memories of the late actor.

 Instagram/Irrfankhan_FC

 Instagram/Irrfankhan_FC

Recently, Irrfan's movie, Haasil marked 18 years in the film industry. The director of the movie, Tigmanshu Dhulia in a conversation unveiled that Irrfan believed his character from Haasil would be 'remembered like Gabbar Singh'. The movie garnered major recognition for Irrfan's role.



Haasil...16th of May the film did wonders for us I remember doing the background score and irfan dropped in we were working on the climax he saw it said this villain will be remembered like Gabbar Singh...well the villain was unlike Gabbar but yes Irfan will always be remembered  Tigmanshu Dhulia (@dirtigmanshu) May 16, 2021

Here's how the people reacted on this tweet:

One of my fav movie and the movie which made me huge fan and admirer of Great Irfan sahab. More than a wonderful actor he was such a good person. Could tell by whatever available in public domain. We will always remember him .  Piyush (@Piyush364) May 16, 2021

'I like artist'. What a line from Irrfan. Haasil is such a gem. Student politics, dialogues and songs.  Pavneet Singh Chadha (@pub_neat) May 16, 2021

One of my fev, I think it was a great film and cant understand why it ended up being underrated.  mildsduck (@mildsduck) May 16, 2021

"Tumko goli se nahi marenge, tumko toh daat denge toh tum mar jaoge"



"Dauda dauda ke maarna, hauk hauk ke marna aur Itna marna ki tumhari jaan ko lage ki tumme jaan hai"



Illahabadio ke liye haasil sirf movie nahi, emotion hai.  faraz khan   (@fkhan14) May 16, 2021

The director took to Twitter and wrote "Haasil...16th of May the film did wonders for us I remember doing the background score and Irfan dropped in we were working on the climax he saw it said this villain will be remembered like Gabbar Singh...well the villain was unlike Gabbar but yes Irfan will always be remembered."

 Instagram/Irrfankhan_FC

 Twitter/GabbarSingh_FC

The filmmaker in an interview last year had also mentioned that the movie was tough to make and release. Ever since the director got the idea for the movie, Irrfan became a part of the journey. When the actor saw the first cut of the movie, he said his character won't die soon, which turned out to be true.



Tigmanshu also mentioned that Irrfan could have easily received National Film Award for his character, had he not fought with the producer. He mentioned "Irrfan didn't get the National Award because I had a fight with the producer. So out of revenge, the producer did not send Haasil for the National Awards, which was a huge blow. Im sure Irrfan would have got it in 2004,"

 Karma Network

In Haasil, Irrfan played the role of Ranvijay Singh, an ambitious union leader. Irrfan's role as an antagonist stood out, amongst the rest of the cast.



Over the span of the last 30 years, Irrfan worked on some other critically acclaimed projects including Paan Singh Tomar, Haider, The Lunchbox etc. He was also a part of some international projects including Slumdog Millionaire and The Warrior.
Scores of disappointed Indians took to Twitter to express their disbelief after seeing India's name being omitted from the list of countries that were thanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for standing with his nation during the Israel-Palestine conflict.

 Reuters

Netanyahu on Sunday (May 16) morning expressed his gratitude to a list of 25 countries that included the United States, Albania, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, and Ukraine.



The 71-year-old PM used the emoticons of the flags of the countries in a tweet which said, "Thank you for resolutely standing with Israel and supporting our right to self-defense against terrorist attacks."



Thank you for resolutely standing with  and supporting our right to self defense against terrorist attacks.  PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 15, 2021

However, one country's flag that was missing in the post was that of India, which has remained a staunch ally of the Middle East nation.

 Reuters

Netanyahu's decision to not include India in the list could be due to the Indian government showing no official statement of supporting Israel's stance in the Israel-Palestine violence.



However, by no means does that mean that the citizens of India have not shown their support to Israel, with many being vocal on social media in standing against Palestine.

Unsurprisingly, the Israeli PM's decision to not feature India in the Twitter post did not go down well with these Indian supporters, who spammed Netanyahu's post to question him on their country's exclusion.

What the hell man, you forgot to add India???? We have always stood in solidarity as a strong ally of Israel.  ANKIT MENON (@TheAnkitMenon) May 16, 2021

Why not India !  CoviBuddy Srijan (@srijanpalsingh) May 16, 2021

@IsraeliPM Where is the Flag of India ?  #IndiaStandWithIsrael  Sunil Sahoo (@warmbloodedguy) May 16, 2021

Where is Indian Flag? The people of india are strong supporter of Israel.  Priyanka shukla (@Priyanka8912) May 16, 2021

Some even took shots at the Indian government for not showcasing its support to Israel in its fight against Palestine.

Why is the  flag missing from here?



Why did the  government fail to recognize #Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism?



India, one of the biggest victimy of terrorism, again failed to take a decent and moral stand. #indiawithisrael  Vijeta Uniyal (@iUniyal) May 16, 2021

Not a foreign policy expert but on a face of it looks like @narendramodi ji @DrSJaishankar ji has undone all efforts of good work which they themselves did in building ties with Israel. Continues statement by @netanyahu shows that he & Israel where expecting clearer stand from  Sameet Thakkar (@thakkar_sameet) May 16, 2021

@narendramodi   clear your stand..

You know better but tell us why we are not supporting openly to #Israeli and acting like Neutral..

You called @IsraeliPM as Indians true friend then in this critical time atleast we should support them..#IndiaStandsWithIsrael https://t.co/KnfllRIykB  MB (@MBtweet11) May 16, 2021
Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable.
The parties also agreed to cooperate on identifying further opportunities to invest in the countrys lithium sector.Argentina is nestled in the lithium triangle, alongside Bolivia and Chile, where more than 70% of the worlds lithium reserves lie beneath its salt flats.The current Argentinian administration under President Alberto Fernandez is committed to developing the country's lithium resources.Argentinas government announced in early April that it had set up the Mesa Nacional del Litio roundtable in collaboration with the nations lithium-rich provincial governments of Jujuy, Catamarca and Salta. The roundtable is tasked with the development of lithium exploitation and its industrialization.We are working in Argentina on various projects and we are supporting Argentina's industrial development to allow the country to be one of the key global lithium producers. We are committed to working alongside Argentina on the sustainable development of the industry, Ganfeng Lithium chairman Li Liangbing said.Argentina has an enormous geological potential, which is being explored jointly by both countries. This will allow us to position ourselves to the changes that will take place over the next decade, Argentina mining secretary Albert Hensel said.[I believe that] 80% of lithium production will be destined to electromobility, and this agreement will allow us to satisfy this demand," he said.Ganfeng Lithium partnered with junior miner Lithium Americas for the development of the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium brine project in Argentina.The project is on track to start production in mid-2022, which once operational is expected to produce 40,000 tonnes per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate equivalent. Ganfeng Lithium owns a 51% stake in the mine and Lithium Americas the remaining 49%.Lithium prices have surged globally since the beginning of the year due to tightness in supply.The persistence of this tightness has supported lithium prices in the seaborne Asian market, a key consuming region of the ultralight metal.Fastmarkets assessment of the lithium hydroxide monohydrate, 56.5% LiOH.H2O min, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea was at $12.50-14 per kg on May 13, up by 1.92% from $12.50-13.50 per kg one week earlier.
KABUL  Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Haneef Atmar in a telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of the Peoples Republic of China Wang Yi, discussed the Afghan Peace Process, fight against Coronavirus, strengthening Afghanistan-China strategic relations to fight against terrorism, ensuring peace in Afghanistan, and regional prosperity.

Calling the expansion of strategic political, security, and economic cooperation important, Minister Atmar expressed gratitude to Chinas cooperation and support to the Afghan Peace Process, particularly Afghanistans stance on ceasefire and ensuring a lasting and dignified peace.

Minister Atmar also appreciated Chinas assistance with Afghanistan in the fight against COVID-19.

Expressing Chinas pledge to assist in provision of COVAX and laboratory equipments, Mr. Wang assured Minister Atmar of Chinas continued assistance with Afghanistan in providing machinery for infrastructures development.

Emphasizing the expansion of strategic cooperation between the two countries to ensure peace and strengthen regional consensus, both sides discussed and exchanged views on organizing the upcoming Afghanistan - China - Pakistan Foreign Ministers meeting.
The College of Creative Arts at Miami University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. John (Jack) D.M. Green as the new Jeffrey Horrell 75 & Rodney Rose Director and Chief Curator of the Miami University Art Museum (MUAM). Green comes to the MUAM from the American Center of Research (ACOR) where he served as the Associate Director.

Jack Green with a display of prehistoric statues, Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman, Jordan.





Greens unique experience as a museum and cultural heritage specialist, archaeologist, administrator, and fundraiser will provide new perspectives as the museum builds on incredibly robust collections and traditions. His vast research interests in archaeology, art history, photography, and cultural heritage of the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean, history of archaeology and museums, and looting and repatriation will contribute to Miamis wealth of knowledge and expertise.

What excites me most about my new position at the Miami University Art Museum is the opportunity to work with the museum staff, and to collaborate across the College of Creative Arts and Museums Miami Center to develop new exhibits, programs, and initiatives that will best serve the students, staff, faculty of the university, and the southwest Ohio community, said Green. I also look forward to getting to know this diverse museum collection of more than 17,000 objects and considering new directions for presenting more of them online, as well as developing further opportunities for teaching and object-based learning.

Green was selected after an extensive search and will assume leadership from retiring MUAM director, Dr. Robert S Wicks, in August 2021. Wicks has served as museum director since 2003 and emphasized themes of cultural collaboration and social justice during his leadership. "Besides missing the excitement of working with a remarkable team of dedicated museum professionals, shared Wicks, what I will cherish most were the opportunities I had to work with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Those were probably the most intellectually rewarding experiences of my career at Miami."

At his retirement, Wicks will have worked at Miami University for 38 years. He joined Miami in 1983 after completing his Ph.D. degree from Cornell University. He became the interim director of MUAM in 2000, and after a national search, was appointed director in 2003. After learning of Greens appointment Wicks stated "I couldn't be more pleased with the choice of Dr. Jack Green to serve as director of the Miami University Art Museum. He brings a remarkable breadth of international experience to the position, together with a perspective on the future direction of the institution that can only ensure its success."












by Hannah Sroka, MUDEC Spring 2021

Editor's Note: We bid a fond farewell to our spring semester students last week as they concluded their MUDEC semester. This week, new MUDEC alum Hannah Sroka provides reflections on saying goodbye to friends while staying in Europe for the summer.

I wrote the first draft of this article the day before everyone left for the US, and it wasnt anything spectacular. It was supposed to be a reflection of my time in Luxembourg and what Im looking forward to in the future. I can sum it up in a few sentences: MUDEC was one of the reasons I came to Miami. COVID-19 made everything more difficult. Im not quite ready to leave Europe yet, so I decided to stay an extra eight weeks for some internships.

As I was writing this first draft, my roommate, Taylor, was packing. She would alternate between weighing her suitcases, stuffing little souvenirs into anywhere theyd fit, and chatting with me about how it was almost time to go home. We couldnt believe that the semester had gone by this fast. I remembered getting here in January and unpacking; now I was watching her put four months of her life back into two suitcases, a carry-on bag, and a backpack. In between this, I was writing about how I knew what my extra eight-week stay would look likeId miss my friends, but I also wouldnt look back, and Id spend my time venturing around Luxembourg.

Im writing this second draft just over twelve hours later, but my mindset is so different that it feels like a week has passed. I went with Taylor to the airport this morning to say goodbye to her and some of our other friends. I was expecting lots of tears and emotionsI had spent almost every day with Taylor for the past 16 weeks, and now we wouldnt even be on the same continent. When the time came, she gave me a hug and said, Im sure Ill see you again. After she checked in, we waved one last goodbye, then she was off to security.

And that was it.

It really was rather anticlimactic. I didnt cry, or even feel like I was going to. I spent the rest of the morning wandering around Luxembourg City by myself, getting some fresh air and exploring some new sites. It wasnt until I got back to my host familys house that I realized all my friends were gone. I walked into the room that Taylor and I used to share and saw that my shoes were the only ones on the rack, that my food was the only thing still in our drawers, and that my suitcases were the only ones propped against the wall. The only indications that she had lived here at all were a box of disposable masks that wouldnt fit in her suitcase and a slightly rumpled bed. She wasnt here anymore, and neither was anyone else.
Michigan Civil Rights Commission Congratulates and Thanks Director White for His Work

Michigan Civil Rights Commission Congratulates and Thanks Director White for His Work

Jeannette Johnson JohnsonJ106@michigan.gov

May 17, 2021

LANSING, MI--Stacie Clayton, Chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, has issued the following statement on the resignation of Michigan Civil Rights Director James White:

"The Michigan Civil Rights Commission extends sincere congratulations to Director James White for being named Interim Chief of the Detroit Police Department. While we are saddened by his departure, we are very pleased with the positive impact he made during his time leading the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

In his relatively brief tenure at the helm of the department, Director White has made a lasting impact. The changes he made to processes and structure already have boosted efficiency and morale; expanded and enhanced our training offerings; and extended our reach into communities experiencing hate, bias and discrimination.

We firmly believe that he will be a transformative leader upon his return to the Detroit Police Department. We look forward to partnering with Chief White in the months ahead on issues of mutual interest."

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan Constitution to safeguard constitutional and legal guarantees against discrimination. The Commission is charged with investigating alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin, genetic information, sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical and mental disability. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights serves as the operational arm of the Commission.

###
Michigan dam safety program continues to assist recovery one year after Mid-Michigan dam failures

Michigan dam safety program continues to assist recovery one year after Mid-Michigan dam failures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 17, 2021

EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278

One year after the failures of the Edenville and Sanford dams, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) continues to assist the community in recovery efforts and planning for the future of the affected communities.

Wednesday marks a year since the dams failed during a torrential rain event, displacing thousands of residents, damaging businesses and livelihoods, destroying property and natural resources, and illuminating the chronic problem of deferred maintenance of Michigan's infrastructure.

"A year has passed, but for the families and businesses affected by the dam failures it surely feels like only yesterday," said Liesl Clark, EGLE director. "We had personnel literally on the dam just prior to its failure, and since then we've engaged continually with community leaders to provide scientific, logistical and technical support to help them recover from this disaster."

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer affirmed the state's long-term commitment to affected communities.

"It has been one year since the Midland area was faced with a historic flood. When I first toured the damage a year ago, I promised the affected families that we would be with them every step of the way, and that continues today," said Governor Whitmer. "I want to thank everyone who has come together and stepped up to help rebuild this community. Together, even in the face of challenging circumstances, we're showing how strong Michiganders can be when we come together. Lt. Governor Gilchrist and I will always have your back as we continue to recover and rebuild."

Most recently, EGLE oversaw emergency work to draw down water levels in the Tobacco River upstream of the remaining portion of the Edenville Dam to help protect downstream residents and properties from further damage during spring flooding. That work builds on EGLE's continuing efforts to assist, which have included water quality monitoring, helping local officials expedite debris removal, assisting with restoration of drinking water infrastructure, assessing and mitigating continued natural resource damages, and assisting communities in disaster relief applications among many other activities.

Clark said that with the help of the State Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the agency is also moving forward on the recommendations from external reviews of its program, including additional staffers that allowed the creation of a separate Dam Safety Unit within EGLE's Water Resources Division.

Completed and ongoing reviews of EGLE's dam safety program include:

With support from the Michigan Legislature, the reorganized Dam Safety Unit within EGLE's Water Resources Division will soon have five full-time-equivalent staffers, doubling the resources available at the time of the dam failures last year. At that time, the state had two inspectors to oversee more than 1,000 state-regulated dams. Ideal staffing for the state of Michigan, according to the ASDSO's recommendations and supported by the Task Force's report, would be 11 full-time personnel devoted solely to dam safety.

"With the help of the additional staffing provided by the Legislature, we've strengthened our efforts to ensure state-regulated dams meet or exceed all safety requirements," said Clark. "The recovery and restoration efforts at Edenville are still top of mind for us every day, while at the same time we are working hard to help ensure there is never a repeat of this disaster."

Clark said she looks forward to working with legislators on additional recommendations from the program review. Those include additional funding, staffing, and legislative changes that provide regulators with better resources to hold dam owners accountable for safe maintenance practices and upkeep.

For more information about dams go to the Dam Safety Unit webpage and for updates on EGLE's work after the Mid-Michigan dam failures go to the Edenville Dam Recovery webpage.

# # #
U.N. Security Council diplomats and Muslim foreign ministers convened emergency meetings Sunday to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest single attacks in nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes.

President Joe Biden gave no signs of stepping up public pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate cease-fire despite calls from some Democrats for the Biden administration to get more involved.

His ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told an emergency high-level meeting of the Security Council that the United States was working tirelessly through diplomatic channels" to stop the fighting.

But as battles between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers surged to their worst levels since 2014 and the international outcry grew, the Biden administration  determined to wrench U.S. foreign policy focus away from the Middle East and Afghanistan  has declined so far to criticize Israel's part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. Appeals by other countries showed no sign of progress.

Thomas-Greenfield warned that the return to armed conflict would only put a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict even further out of reach. However, the United States, Israel's closest ally, has so far blocked days of efforts by China, Norway and Tunisia to get the Security Council to issue a statement, including a call for the cessation of hostilities.

In Israel, Hady Amr, a deputy assistant dispatched by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to try to de-escalate the crisis, met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who thanked the U.S. for its support.

Blinken himself headed out on an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, with no announced plans to stop in the Middle East in response to the crisis. He made calls from the plane to Egypt and other nations working to broker a cease-fire, telling Egypt that all parties should de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence.

Rep. Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, urged Biden on Sunday to step up pressure on both sides to end current fighting and revive talks to resolve Israel's conflicts and flashpoints with the Palestinians.

I think the administration needs to push harder on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence, bring about a cease-fire, end these hostilities, and get back to a process of trying to resolve this long-standing conflict, Schiff, a California Democrat, told CBS's Face the Nation.

And Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, the senior Republican on the foreign relations subcommittee for the region, joined Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the subcommittee chairman, in asking both sides to cease fire. As a result of Hamas' rocket attacks and Israel's response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further, the two said.

Biden focused on civilian deaths from Hamas rockets in a call with Netanyahu on Saturday, and a White House readout of the call made no mention of the U.S. urging Israel to join in a cease-fire that regional countries were pushing. Thomas-Greenfield said U.S. diplomats were engaging with Israel, Egypt and Qatar, along with the U.N.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people Sunday, medics said, bringing the toll since Hamas and Israel opened their air and artillery battles to at least 188 killed in Gaza and eight in Israel. Some 55 children in Gaza and a 5-year-old boy in Israel were among the dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis in a televised address Sunday that Israel wants to levy a heavy price on Hamas. That will take time, Netanyahu said, signaling the war would rage on for now.

Representatives of Muslim nations met to demand Israel halt attacks that are killing Palestinian civilians in the crowded Gaza strip. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called on the international community to take urgent action to immediately stop military operations.

The meeting of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation also saw Turkey and some others criticize a U.S.-backed push under which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other Islamic nations signed bilateral deals with Israel to normalize their relations, stepping over the wreckage of collapsed international efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians long-term.

The massacre of Palestinian children today follows the purported normalization, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said. t

At the virtual meeting of the Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.N. was actively engaging all parties for an immediate cease-fire.

Returning to the scenes of Palestinian militant rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes in the fourth such war between Israel and Hamas, only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair, and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace, Guterres said.

Eight foreign ministers spoke at the Security Council session, reflecting the seriousness of the conflict, with almost all urging an end to the fighting.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, had thrown U.S. support solidly behind Israel, embracing Netanyahu as an ally in Trump's focus on confronting Iran. Trump gave little time to efforts by past U.S. administrations to push peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians, instead encouraging and rewarding Arab nations that signed two-country normalization deals with Israel.

Biden, instead, calls Middle East and Central Asia conflicts a distraction from U.S. foreign policy priorities, including competition with China.

He's sought to calm some conflicts and extricate the U.S. from others, including ending U.S. military support for a Saudi-led war in Yemen, planning to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and trying to return to a nuclear deal with Iran that Israel opposes.

___

Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City and Lederer from New York. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai and Lisa Mascaro in Washington and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
Washtenaw County Judge Cedric Simpson reaffirmed his courts position May 17 on the decision to revoke Justen Watkins bond earlier this month.

Watkins, a self-proclaimed leader of The Base, had his bond revoked in 14A-1 District Court in Washtenaw County May 7, in part due to charges he faces in Huron County.

In Huron County, Watkins was recently charged with one count of breaking and entering at the home where Watkins lived when he was arrested last year. The alleged break-in occurred while Watkins was out on bond.

State Assistant Attorney General Sunita Doddamani asked 14A-1 District Court Judge Cedric Simpson to revoke Watkins bond May 7 because he had violated the courts previous bond conditions.

During a bond hearing May 17, Doddamani reaffirmed her position.

Judge, I should be clear with the court, I just dont have any faith that Mr. Watkins is going to follow any bond conditions because the things that you have asked him to do at this point are pretty light and he didnt seem to be able to comply with those conditions, Doddamani said.

Doddamani also stated that if the court were to release Watkins on bond, he should have additional conditions including GPS tethering and no access to the internet beyond communication needed for job searching or related to his court cases.

During the hearing, Simpson stated that although Watkins original bond stipulation from Nov. 20, 2020 did not specify he was not allowed to have contact with former or current associated of The Base, that condition was added about a month later.

FBI Special Agent Jeremy Jaskulski gave testimony during the bond hearing regarding the alleged violations of bond.

Jaskulski said on May 5, 2021, the FBI executed a search warrant at Huron County motel room where Watkins and another man where living. The man was reportedly also a member of The Base and had lived with Watkins prior to his arrest in October 2020. The FBI seized several items including a black mask with a white skull, and a cell phone. Jaskulski said the FBI is still processing the device but there were text messages between Watkins and the former Base associate and items open on the browser on a blog describing activities of The Base.

Jaskulski said the device also had a document with details of using two prescribed drugs to circumvent anabolic steroid use  which Watkins was previously charged with possessing in Huron County.

Watkins attorney Olga Yermalenka told the court that if it chose to release Watkins on bond, he would be helped by family who would put him up at a motel in Macomb County, away from Huron County and his associate. Yermalenka also stated that she opposed the no internet condition presented by Doddamani.

With the pandemic a lot of things are done virtually, Yermalenka said. Access to the internet is a necessity in 2021.

Ultimately, Simpson stated the only way he could be sure there was no communication between Watkins and his associates was to continue to revoke his bond, essentially keeping him lodged in the Washtenaw County Jail. Simpson told Yermalenka that she could file for another bond hearing if she wished.
Independent schools across Connecticut are weighing the pros and cons of vaccine mandates, considering how far theyll go to keep their communities safe from COVID-19.

With eligibility expanding to school-aged children, now including those ages 12 and older, some primary and secondary schools are deciding whether to require the coronavirus vaccine ahead of this school opening in the fall.

A few boarding schools, where students not only take classes together but also live in close quarters, have already announced new immunization requirements next semester.

A few day schools have also decided to mandate the shot, but most are waiting to make a decision until closer to the fall, their spokesmen said. Several others, including religious schools, told Hearst Connecticut Media that parents can choose whether to inoculate their kids or not.

National data reflects a similar trend.

The majority of schools reported that they would likely encourage but not require that students get the COVID-19 vaccine (once approved for different age groups), said Myra McGovern of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Nationally, between 15 and 17 percent of independent schools plan to require the vaccine with legal exemptions, according to a survey of member schools conducted by the association between May 3 and 6. Some schools have not yet determined their approach.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only shot currently authorized under emergency use for minors. The federal Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue full approval, which experts say could impact schools decisions on mandating the jabs before then.

There is legal uncertainty about whether you can mandate an EUA (emergency use authorization) vaccine, and there are, as of yet, no court decisions on this issue, said Dorit Reiss, professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law with expertise in vaccine policy.

Reiss added that private schools have more leeway to set their own conditions, while public school immunization requirements are set by the state, not individual schools or districts.

Some elite Connecticut boarding schools, including The Taft School in Watertown and Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, have already notified families of student vaccine mandates for this fall.

Schools requiring the vaccine exempt students from vaccination requirements if they have certain medical conditions, such as a weakened immune system or an allergy to a vaccine. In some cases, schools might provide religious or philosophical exemptions as well.

St. Lukes School, a secular private school in New Canaan, is planning to require vaccines for all eligible faculty, staff and students, accommodating those with documented medical exemptions, officials there said.

Other middle and high schools are still on the fence, and join colleges and universities as they decide whether they should or legally can require vaccines under emergency use authorization. At the higher education level, some researchers have noticed the schools with mandates are often well-resourced and selective, and could defend themselves against legal challenges and the threat of enrollment dips, POLITICO reported.

Reiss, the vaccine law and policy specialist, described a schools decision more as a balancing act of priorities.

Schools are going to balance the risk of closures if theres a COVID-19 outbreak, the view of their staff, parents and community on this and the risks of litigation or losing students to a mandate, she said. Being well resourced does not mean you want litigation, which can be unpredictable, costly and damaging to reputation.

Schools already have at least some vaccine mandates for students to prevent the spread of diseases such as tetanus, measles and polio.

Several schools in Greenwich, including Greenwich Country Day School, Greenwich Academy, Brunswick School and Sacred Heart Greenwich, have yet to make a determination one way or another.

We are weighing all the options, said Kimberly Eves, the director of strategic communications at Greenwich Country Day, a co-education independent school with notable alumni George H. W. Bush and press secretary Jen Psaki.

Our plan is to consult with our medical advisors this summer about all of our mitigation strategies for next year, said Haley Sonneland, who directs communications at Sacred Heart Greenwich, an all-girl Catholic school independently operated within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. Vaccines will certainly be part of the conversation, as will physical distancing, mask-wearing, sanitation protocols and more.

The Diocese of Bridgeport told Hearst Connecticut Media that its decisions are based on CDC and local health department guidelines.

Immaculate High School in Danbury, a co-educational Catholic school overseen by the Diocese of Bridgeport, has already reached a determination.

While we promote getting vaccinated and have sponsored special dates for students 16-plus with (the Community Health Center), we will not be requiring students to be vaccinated, said Mary Maloney, the schools president.

Bridgeport Hope School, a small non-sectarian elementary and middle school borne out of a home school collective, also decided to leave vaccination decisions up to parents, though most faculty have opted for the shot.

Canterbury, a co-educational boarding school in New Milford, formed a medical task force that is still discussing whether or not to require faculty, staff and students to be vaccinated next year.

Whether more independent schools require immunization closer to the fall, and how those decisions will impact the course of the pandemic, remain to be seen.

School immunization mandates work, said Reiss, the law professor. A large body of literature shows that school mandates lead to higher vaccine rates and less outbreaks... My impression is that, as with seatbelt laws, once a mandate is in place for a while, most people accept it as a given and it has a normative effect.

Staff writers Currie Engel and Julia Perkins contributed to this report.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP)  A prosecutor warned prospective jurors Monday that the trial of a Mexican national charged in the 2018 fatal stabbing of a University of Iowa student will include graphic evidence that will be emotionally difficult to see and hear.

Prosecutor Scott Brown said the first-degree murder trial of Cristhian Bahena Rivera will feature photos and testimony about the stab wounds 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts suffered after going for a run.

Were going to talk about the violent death of a young girl, Mollie Tibbetts, said Brown, an assistant Iowa attorney general, said during jury selection at an events center in Davenport, where lawyers began working to whittle down a 183-person pool to 12 jurors and three alternates. Its not going to be pleasant.

Legal experts say ensuring a fair trial for Rivera, a farm laborer who is suspected of entering the country illegally as a teenager, will be difficult. Riveras arrest inflamed anger over illegal immigration, with then- President Donald Trump calling Rivera a killer who exploited lax immigration laws and Iowas governor calling him a predator. The case deepened anxieties about random violence against women, since Tibbetts was attacked while out for exercise in her small town of Brooklyn, Iowa.

Jury selection will continue Tuesday before a two-week trial at the Scott County Courthouse.

Rivera, 26, has been jailed since his August 2018 arrest. He wore a dress shirt and slacks Monday and listened through headphones as an interpreter translated the proceedings into Spanish. Hes likely to face a predominantly white jury in a state that Trump carried in 2020.

Defense lawyer Chad Frese told prospective jurors that his client's immigration status had become an unfortunate flashpoint but said it had nothing to do with the trial. He said Rivera enjoys the same constitutional rights as a U.S. citizen, and that jurors cannot hold his lack of English language skills against him.

The vast majority of about 30 potential jurors questioned Monday said they had heard about the case, and a dozen said they'd formed opinions about it. At least six were excused after being questioned in private about their views.

One prospective female juror said she felt sympathy for Rivera because he's accused of a horrible crime, and for the family of Tibbetts, who she said was so viciously murdered.

I think whoever did this should definitely pay, the woman said, adding that her view would not at all prevent her from serving.

Tibbetts's disappearance in July 2018 triggered a massive search that featured hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers and drew extensive media coverage to her hometown of 1,700. Detectives say they zeroed in on Rivera a month later after obtaining surveillance video showing a Chevy Malibu appearing to circle Tibbetts as she ran, and a deputy later spotted him in town driving that vehicle.

Rivera initially denied involvement but federal agents put an immigration detainer on him during a lengthy interrogation after finding blood in the Malibu's trunk. Hours later, investigators say he confessed to approaching Tibbetts, killing her in a panic after she threatened to call police and hiding her body in a cornfield. He allegedly led police to the body, which had been buried underneath leaves.

An autopsy found that she died of sharp force injuries due to stabbing, although investigators have not recovered a murder weapon. Police say that DNA testing on blood found in the trunk of the vehicle showed it was a match for Tibbetts.

Rivera, the father of a young daughter, had no prior criminal history. Frese suggested Monday he will argue his client gave a false confession after hours of questioning, and will cast suspicion on others for the death.

The trial was moved to Scott County  100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Brooklyn  after defense lawyers noted that local residents had very strong opinions about Riveras guilt and Mexican nationality, and that they were nearly all white. Scott Countys population is diverse by Iowa standards but is still roughly 80% white and 7% Hispanic or Latino.

Trump seized on Riveras arrest to argue for strengthening the nations immigration laws, calling him an illegal alien who killed an incredible, beautiful young woman. Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed anger that a broken immigration system allowed a predator like this to live in our community.

The anti-immigrant backlash was swift. The Republican family who employed and housed Rivera under an alias reported getting death threats. Robocalls linked to a white supremacist group blanketed Iowa calling for mass deportations. Immigrants, even many in the country legally, said they were afraid.

The anger cooled after Tibbetts family members demanded that politicians stop using her killing to promote a racist agenda she would have opposed, and said immigrants should be treated as neighbors, not scapegoats.

My clients tell me that her familys speeches saved lives, that they might have prevented violent reprisals, said Bram Elias, who directs an immigration practice at the University of Iowa law school. In some ways its a sign of how effective they were that today we are thinking about how he can get a fair trial.
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SOUTH WINDSOR  Investigators continue to hunt for information to piece together what led to the disappearance of local resident Jessica Edwards, last seen a week ago Monday.

Local police and the state police major crimes squad served a search warrant at Edwards home on Friday, Sgt. Mark Cleverdon said. Warrants were also served on three vehicles. State police K-9 units also canvassed the area around Edwards home.
On Nov. 22, 2013, my grandmother Bianca Markoski lost her battle with terminal pancreatic cancer. A silent killer. I credit Dr. Alan Douglass and Dr. John Williams and Dr. Michael Farrell, Connecticut Oncology Group for all their efforts in keeping our family member comfortable during the end of a brave courageous fight with a difficult cancer to treat which is a silent killer. We need to honor the life and legacy of our beloved family member in honor of the efforts displayed by Middlesex Hospital doctors and nurses on hospice and the Emergency Department. I would like to dedicate a tree in not only my grandmothers honor but in honor of the great medical care displayed by the wonderful medical care staff at Middlesex Hospital.

Its all about honoring the great group of doctors and nurses that worked alongside at Middlesex Hospital and Dr. Douglass, Dr. Williams, Dr. Farrell are all being dedicated in the tree dedication for the professional doctors in giving my grandmother the best patient care in the history of Middlesex Hospital and in the history of Middlesex County. Middlesex Hospital is the smartest choice for care. And together my grandmothers legacy will be honored.
HADDAM  The Regional School District 17 Board of Education has begun a search for a new superintendent of Haddam and Killingworth schools following the resignation of Holly Hageman.

Her last day is June 30, administrators said.

The district is stable at its core, largely due to Hollys leadership, and poised to plan for, and execute, an exciting future, Board Chairwoman Suzanne Sack said in a prepared statement. As much as we wish for Holly to be a part of that future, we are grateful for her extraordinary dedication to the district.

Over the past few years, RSD 17 put into place a strong leadership team, launched a new intermediate school, advanced to Chromebooks for all students, enhanced communication and trust with staff and the community, and advanced a multitude of operational projects and building renovations, according to a press release.

On May 7, Hageman accepted a position as a part-time superintendent of schools, working a schedule that will allow her to have more time with her family, Sack said. This was a deeply personal decision for her.

My decision to leave is wholly centered upon my need and desire to devote more time to my family  my young teenage sons, my husband, as well as my aging parents, Hageman said in the statement.

RSD 17 was one of the school districts in Connecticut that remained open, safely operating school in person this year during the pandemic, according to the district.

The board has already begun the search process by appointing itself as a Committee of the Whole, the news release said. It will consider hiring an interim superintendent, using a search firm, and communicating its plans with the community and staff. The Board of Education will act judiciously and move expeditiously in finding a talented, caring, and inspirational superintendent of schools for RSD 17, Sack said.

Hageman served the district first as a science teacher, returned as assistant superintendent, and was then promoted to superintendent of schools. At each level, she served with distinction and dedicated herself to putting student interests first and foremost, Sack said.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  A Florida politician who emerged as a central figure in the Justice Departments sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz pleaded guilty Monday to six federal charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a plea deal.

Joel Greenberg, a longtime associate of Gaetz's, appeared in federal court in Orlando. He pleaded guilty to six of the nearly three dozen charges he faced, including sex trafficking of a minor, and he admitted that he had paid at least one underage girl to have sex with him and other men.

Gaetz was not mentioned in the plea agreement or during the court hearing. But Greenbergs cooperation  as a key figure in the investigation and a close ally of Gaetz's  may escalate the potential legal and political liability that the firebrand Republican congressman is facing.

Federal prosecutors are examining whether Gaetz and Greenberg paid underage girls and escorts or offered them gifts in exchange for sex, according to two people familiar with the matter. Investigators have also been looking at whether Gaetz and his associates tried to secure government jobs for some of the women, the people said. They are also scrutinizing Gaetzs connections to the medical marijuana sector, including whether his associates sought to influence legislation Gaetz sponsored.

The people had knowledge of the investigation but were not allowed to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

Gaetz has denied the allegations and any accusation of wrongdoing and has said repeatedly he will not resign from Congress. A spokesperson for the congressman has said Gaetz never had sex with a minor and has never paid for sex.

During the nearly hourlong hearing Monday, Greenberg, 36, acknowledged he understood the charges he was pleading guilty to and the possible punishment he faced and told the judge he was of a sound frame of mind.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman told Greenberg that even though prosecutors may request some leniency from his sentencing judge because of his cooperation, there was no guarantee a judge would agree to the prosecutors recommendations and Greenberg would be unable to change his plea. No sentencing date was immediately set.

Mondays court appearance marked the first time Greenberg has been seen in court since the Gaetz investigation blew into the public spotlight in March. Outside the courthouse, a plane flew over during the hearing pulling a banner that read: TICK TOCK MATT GAETZ.

After the hearing Greenberg was taken back to jail in handcuffs and shackles, wearing a dark inmate uniform and looking worn down.

Mr. Greenberg has pleaded guilty subject to a plea agreement that has certain requirements and obligations on him, and he intends to honor them," Fritz Scheller, Greenberg's attorney, said after the hearing. He definitely feels a sense of remorse."

Asked if Gaetz should be nervous, Scheller said, I will leave that up to Matt Gaetz's attorneys to answer."

As part of his plea deal, Greenberg, a Republican who served as the tax collector in Seminole County, admitted he recruited women for commercial sex acts and paid them more than $70,000 from 2016 to 2018, sometimes through online payment services like Venmo. They include at least one underage girl he paid to have sex with him and others, the plea agreement says.

Prosecutors wrote in the plea agreement that Greenberg had introduced the girl to others, who also engaged in commercial sex acts with her. The agreement does not identify the men.

Greenberg first met the girl online from a website where she was posing as an adult and first paid her $400 after a meeting on a boat, the documents said. He later invited her to hotels in Florida where he and others would have sex with her and supplied her and other people with ecstasy, according to the plea deal.

In total, prosecutors say Greenberg had sex with the girl at least seven times.

Greenbergs legal scrutiny began when he was arrested last summer on charges of stalking a political opponent, Brian Beute. Prosecutors said he mailed fake letters to the school where his opponent worked, signed by a nonexistent very concerned student, who alleged the opponent had engaged in sexual misconduct with another student.

I wouldnt want to be him, Beute, who showed up at the courthouse on Monday, said after the hearing.

Greenberg also is accused of embezzling $400,000 from the Seminole County tax collectors office, according to the indictment filed against him.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo disclosed Monday that he was paid a $3.1 million advance to write his COVID-19 leadership book last year and under his publishing contract will make another $2 million on the memoir over the next two years.

That total windfall of more than $5.1 million further inflamed critics who have said it was inappropriate for Cuomo to personally enrich himself with a self-congratulatory book, published just as the state was seeing a deadly resurgence in infections last October.

At least 52,987 people have died of COVID-19 in New York, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

Cuomo, a Democrat, had for months declined to say how much money he made from writing American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic," published by Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House. The book largely recounts the governor's once-daily press conferences on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disclosure of the big payday was made on the day Cuomo's mandatory financial disclosures were due to a state ethics agency. Cuomo also let reporters view a copy of his tax returns, which were also due Monday.

Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi said Monday that after taxes and expenses, Cuomo had netted $1.5 million on the book last year. He said Cuomo donated $500,000 of his profits from the book to the United Way of New York State and is putting the rest into a trust for his three daughters. Azzopardi didn't immediately provide a response Monday to a question about what the governor plans to do with the future $2 million in book payments.

From the moment Cuomo's book came out he was criticized for penning a book touting his performance while the crisis was ongoing. Since then he's come under more criticism over the involvement of some of his staff in preparing the book for publication.

In April, the state's comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, authorized New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the role some of Cuomo's aides played in drafting, editing, sale and promotion of the book.

Azzopardi has repeatedly said that state employees who helped with the book did so on their own time in a volunteer capacity.

The Democrat has also been criticized by some over his administration's decision to withhold data on COVID-19 deaths among nursing home patients for months as the book was being finalized and sold.

Critics say the administration was purposely obscuring the true death toll to boost the governor's image and mute criticism that Cuomo hadn't done enough to protect nursing home residents. Cuomo often used the smaller death toll to argue that New York lost far fewer nursing home residents than other states, based on a percentage of overall deaths.

The governor and the state's health commissioner have said the numbers were withheld because the state had trouble verifying them.

Sochie Nnaemeka, state director of the Working Families Party, a liberal group that has clashed often with Cuomo over policy, said the revelation about his book payday showed he was unfit to lead.

Last June, millions of New Yorkers were struggling to keep their families safe, and thousands of seniors were struggling to survive in the states nursing homes, while the governor was having his staffers write a book that would make him millions off of the still-raging public health crisis, Nnaemeka said.

The top Republican in the state senate, Sen. Rob Ortt, said the fact that Governor Cuomo lined his own pockets with more than $5 million while thousands of New Yorkers were dying horrific deaths is a national disgrace.

Azzopardi sniped back at the critics.

The governor worked night and day to try to save lives and lead New York out of this crisis. Lord knows where they were, he said.

The book revelations come as Cuomo is also under fire over sexual harassment allegations made by several women who worked for him. One aide has also accused him of groping her breasts beneath her shirt.

The states attorney general is investigating those allegations and the state Assembly's judiciary committee is probing whether there are grounds to impeach the governor. The Assembly committee's investigation is also examining whether Cuomo provided members of his family with priority access to COVID-19 tests in spring 2020.

The states ethics commission approved Cuomos request to write the book last summer, but only if he followed several conditions, including making sure it was written on his own time and not using state property, personnel or other resources for activities associated with the book.

The governor was also barred from advertising, promoting or endorsing his book when performing his state duties.

John Kaehny, executive director of pro-transparency group Reinvent Albany, has called for Cuomo to release his full contract with the book publisher so the public knows whether Cuomo will receive additional compensation if more copies of his book are sold.

Azzopardi said Monday he'd ask Cuomo if he will release the contract.
Ron Harris/AP

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisiana would prohibit state and local government agencies from refusing to issue licenses, permits and degrees or barring access to public facilities to someone who isn't vaccinated against COVID-19 under a bill that started advancing Monday in the state House.

Republican Rep. Kathy Edmonston, of Gonzales, said she proposed the measure to avoid discrimination against people who choose not to get vaccinated. Opponents said no such government vaccination mandates exist in Louisiana and suggested bill supporters were spreading false narratives about the risks of the vaccine.
MILFORD  Police have arrested a person in connection with a violent domestic incident that led to a manhunt in Silver Sands State Park Monday afternoon.

Milford Police said on social media that theyve arrested Anthony Sliney, 32, and taken him into custody.

Silver Sands State Park was closed shortly after noon on Monday as Milford Police and authorities with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection searched the shoreline park. The park has since reopened, a spokesman for DEEP confirmed shortly before 4 p.m., but directed all other questions to Milford police.

DeVito said that after an exhaustive search involving phone pings, K9 units and drones, they were initially unable to locate Sliney.

The shoreline park sits just east of Walnut beach on the citys south side. It encompasses about a half-mile of shoreline that features a board walk.
KABUL, Afghanistan  A three-day cease-fire marked by violent attacks  most claimed by the Islamic State group  ended Sunday in Afghanistan amid calls for renewed peace talks between the government and Taliban.

Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the negotiating teams of the government and the Islamic Emirate, as the Taliban refer to their ousted regime, met briefly Saturday in the Middle Eastern State of Qatar. They renewed their commitment to finding a peaceful end to the war and called for an early start to talks that have been stalled, he said.

The U.S. has been pressing for accelerated talks as it withdraws the last of its 2,500-3,500 soldiers and NATO its remaining 7,000 allied forces.

Even as the Taliban and government signed on to the cease-fire, which was declared to mark the Islamic holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, violence continued unabated in Afghanistan. A bombing Friday in a mosque north of the capital killed 12 worshippers, including the prayer leader. Another 15 people were wounded. The Taliban denied involvement and blamed the government intelligence agency.

In a statement Sunday, the ISIS affiliate took responsibility for the mosque attack, saying its fighters planted an explosive device in a worship place for disbelievers Sufis, killing the apostate Imam, or prayer leader. The statement claimed 40 worshipers were wounded.

The ISIS also claimed it blew up several electrical grid stations over the weekend. That left the capital Kabul in the dark for much of the three-day holiday that followed the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

In posts on its affiliated websites, ISIS claimed additional attacks over the last two weeks that destroyed 13 electrical grid stations in several provinces. The stations bring imported power from the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The attacks have left nine provinces including Kabul with disrupted power supplies, said Sanger Niazai, a government spokesman. There was also concern that local warlords, demanding protection money from the government to safeguard stations in areas they control, may have been behind some of the destruction.

At least one local warlord was arrested last year after demanding protection money.

On Sunday in the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi, parents of scores of young girls killed in a brutal May 8 bombing demonstrated to demand the government provide them with greater security. They said 90 people were killed, most of them students of Syed Al-Shahda girls school, in the bombings outside the school. No one took responsibility but the IS affiliate has declared war on the country's minority Shiites.

The seemingly unstoppable violence in Afghanistan has residents and regional countries fearful the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO soldiers could lead to further chaos. Washington said it wants its last soldier out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11 at the latest, but the withdrawal is progressing quickly and a Western official familiar with the exit said it is likely to be completed by early July. He spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the withdrawal are not being made public.

On Saturday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed concern about the rapid withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces in a phone call with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Wang called the withdrawal hasty and warmed it would severely impact the Afghan peace process and negatively affect regional stability, He called on the United Nations to play a greater role.

___

Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu contributed from Beijing and Maamoun Youssef from Cairo.

This article was written by KATHY GANNON and TAMEEM AKHGAR from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
As COVID-19 vaccinations are more readily available and the Pfizer vaccine has received approval from the FDA for children ages 12-15, the discussions about whether to vaccinate have increased.

Not all military installations are administering the Pfizer vaccine, nor are all of them accepting appointment requests from dependents under the age of 18. But state-run vaccination sites are encouraging appointments for those ages 12-17 to ensure the Pfizer vaccine is available.

So, what's a military parent to do when faced with the decision whether to vaccinate their child? The answer, of course, depends on the family.

Emily R., a 12-year-old who lives in California with her mom and Air Force dad, said her parents discussed her options with her. During that discussion, Emily said she kept in mind how she could pass along COVID-19 to others, which may put them at greater risk.

Whenever decisions like this come along, we usually talk about it as a family, Emily said. But I definitely get a say in the matter.

Emily got her first dose of the vaccine through a local option and said it felt just like a flu shot.

My arm is a bit sore, of course, but it was so easy, she said.

The Numbers

As of May 12, 2021, the Defense Department reported 29,249 military dependents have been infected by COVID-19, including 375 who were hospitalized. There have been 12 deaths among dependents from COVID. More than 3 million doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered by the DoD, but a breakdown by age and dependent status was not available.

Children have had lower rates of infection than adults and have been studied in several age groups. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,871,828 confirmed cases were recorded in the 24-and-younger age range from March 1 to Dec. 12, 2020. Less than a fifth (16.3%) of those cases were in children ages 14-17, and only 7.9% were those ages 11-13. The age ranges for children align with their educational groupings; i.e., middle school and high school.

Of those children with confirmed infections, less than 0.1% of each age range died, and 2% or less were hospitalized.

Absolutely Not

Air Force spouse Mary Chatriwala, who lives with her husband and two children at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, does not plan to have her kids vaccinated.

Absolutely not, Chatriwala said.

While there are several reasons that her children, ages 11 and 14, will not receive the vaccine, Chatriwala said the short answer is that she believes the long-term effects are unknown.

The CDC indicates that long-term effects of the vaccine are unlikely, because most side effects take place within six weeks of vaccination. People who received the vaccine were studied for eight weeks after the final dose and no long-term side effects were detected, though the CDC is still monitoring. The FDA evaluated data from 2,260 participants ages 12-15 in a clinical study, and the lack of long-term side effects was consistent with those for adults.

"I actually have come to believe more recently, in doing extensive research, that there are very few vaccines that are truly safe," she said. "Basically, there's no information as to what this could potentially do to their bodies."

Chatriwala says her childrens pediatrician has not recommended they receive the vaccine.

"The younger populations face such a low risk for contracting the disease and even lower risk of any permanent or serious effects that the risk in allowing them to be experimented upon is just not worth it," she said.

We're Doing It as Soon as Possible

Army spouse and veteran Helen Paglio's family support the vaccine. She, her husband and their older children -- ages 19, 19 and 17 -- are fully vaccinated. Her younger children, ages 16, 14, and 12, are ready to go. And when her 10-year-old is eligible, he'll be first in line.

Paglio's youngest, James, received a kidney transplant seven years ago. Paglio hopes to get him in a vaccine study that is specific to pediatric transplant patients. The study won't provide him with the vaccine, but it tracks its efficacy.

"His doctors are well-versed in epidemiology and infectious diseases. They have their own kids participating in the vaccine studies," Paglio said.

The eligible members of the Paglio family were vaccinated as soon as they were eligible -- with recommendations for the other kids to be vaccinated coming from their pediatrician and the specialty medical teams that have known the family for the 10 years since Jamess diagnosis.

When asked about any potential concerns with vaccinating her children, Paglio said she had none.

"I figured the dosing differences between adults and adolescents had not been an issue since the adults in the studies had presumably been of wildly different sizes, she said. I also did enough reading about mRNA vaccine history to know that these types of vaccines [using the mRNA vaccine technology] have been in the works for decades. So the 'newness' of the vaccine doesn't scare me."

Paglio and her family have gotten their vaccines from local options, as they live too far away from Fort Meade, Maryland, where her spouse is stationed, to make the drive reasonable.

--Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine.

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The Navy has determined it would like to work alongside private developers to replace its familiar-but-obsolete hangars along Interstate 5 with new facilities, thousands of homes, plenty of office space for large companies, two hotels and community shops in towers stretching as high as 350 feet  with a transit center to boot.

The preliminary decision for the 70-acre site in the Midway District, commonly referred to as NAVWAR, was published Friday by the United States Department of the Navy in what's known as a draft environmental impact statement.

The 730-page document, now available to the public for a 60-day comment period, considers the impacts of five scenarios of varying intensity on things such as traffic, views and air quality. The report, required by the National Environmental Policy Act, identifies the highest-density plan, which would introduce 10,000 homes and 70,000 more car trips per day to the area at buildout, as the Navy's first  but not final  choice for the property.

"This makes good business sense. This project takes what is federal property, spread out on the first floor of 70 acres, and gives the opportunity to monetize the value of that 70 acres to provide the Navy with new, modern facilities that are secure to support our mission. And, at the same time, allowing housing and transit-oriented development to take place on what is currently federal land," said Greg Geisen, who is the project manager for the NAVWAR revitalization effort.

"That is ground-breaking in the sense of a partnership between the community and the Navy to both win."

Referred to as "alternative four," the preferred development scenario encompasses 19.6 million square feet of total development spread across 109 buildings and two parking structures, all built over a 30-year period.

In this instance, the Navy requires 1.7 million square feet for all-new cybersecurity buildings and employee parking spots, with its portion to be built by a private partner within the first five years. The developer could then use, in exchange, the remaining square footage for a massive, mixed-use development dominated by housing.

Some 75 percent of all square footage would be dedicated to apartments and parking spaces for residents  or 10,000 units (and 14,400 parking stalls) for a potential neighborhood population increase of 14,364 people. The plan also calls for 1.35 million square feet of commercial office space, 250,000 square feet of mostly ground-level stores, a 140,000 square-foot transit center with 500 parking spots and two hotels offering a total of 450 rooms.

After construction, the annual gross county product is estimated at $1.9 billion in 2020 dollars. The scenario would also generate $154 million in local and state government revenue from a new tax base.

Owned by the Navy since the mid-90s, the Naval Base Point Loma, Old Town Complex is home to the military's Naval Information Warfare Systems Command and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific divisions. The groups  a mix of 6,000 full-time and contract cybersecurity professionals  work in World War II-era hangars deemed by the federal agency to be beyond their useful life. Many of the buildings have sewage problems and leaky roofs, presenting far from ideal conditions for a defense operation that supports 700,000 network users, is said to combat 8 million cyberintrusion attempts per day and needs to recruit a highly skilled workforce.

"These things were built in the 1940s to assemble B-24 bombers. So in many cases, you've got a building within a building, because the building itself does not lend itself well to the mission that NAVWAR has," said Capt. Kenneth Franklin, who is the Commanding Officer of Naval Base Point Loma. "As the mission progresses, and NAVWAR's facility requirements continue to evolve, we have to evolve with that changing requirement."

The new facility push started in earnest in September of 2018 when the Navy first tested the private sector's interest in the site. In 2019, the Navy contractually joined forces with the San Diego Association of Governments, with both agreeing to study the prospect of an airport-serving transit station in addition to a mixed-use project on the property. In 2020, the parties said they would work toward a land transfer, although a transaction remains out of reach until SANDAG can identify funding.

Still, the Navy's preference for a high-density, transit-centered development matches perfectly with SANDAG's desire for a "Grand Central Station" that connects all rail and bus lines with a people mover to the airport. Whether the public agrees remains to be determined.

The Navy's draft environmental analysis finds that the preferred proposed development would create significant impacts in five out of the 16 different areas studied: transportation, visual resources, land use, environmental justice and noise.

For instance, many of the envisioned uses are greater, sometimes far greater, in intensity than those represented in the Midway District's recently adopted community plan. And, when it comes to traffic, the Navy estimates that the desired scenario would create 70,022 new daily car trips by 2050, causing additional congestion at 26 intersections, 25 street segments, 10 freeway segments and one freeway on-ramp.

The report also finds that views across the NAVWAR property would be greatly impacted as well, particularly when looking toward Mission Bay and the University of San Diego.

Visual simulations, pairing real-world photography with modeled building heights, suggest a wall of high-rises along Interstate 5 that would not only block drivers' scenic views of Point Loma and beyond, but tower over Old Town and interfere with sunsets from Mission Hills.

The plan is estimated to block 44 percent of views of the Point Loma Hillside, 36 percent of views of the southwest Pacific Ocean and 12 percent of views of the downtown skyline. The average view blocked across 10 different viewing scenes was 37 percent, the document states. The scenario would also give 70,000 more people within a 3-mile radius the ability to see buildings on the NAVWAR property.

In the realm of environmental justice considerations, the analysis noted that low-income and minority groups living nearby would likely bear the brunt of traffic issues.

"Residents of the areas in the immediate vicinity of (the NAVWAR site) would be most strongly affected as most travel tends to be close to home," the report states. "The areas in the immediate vicinity of (the NAVWAR site) are either low-income or minority areas, and therefore low-income and minority populations would tend to experience adverse effects disproportionately."

The analysis also studied alternatives with fewer impacts, including just a Navy-funded renovation plan with limited demolition and construction, as well as options without a transit center. The federal agency is not yet committed to any one option and will make a decision after considering public input and publishing a final environmental impact statement, likely around the end of the year.

Community members, government agencies and other groups are being asked to weigh in on the draft environment analysis between now and July 13. The Navy has also scheduled two virtual public meetings for June 8 and June 23, with additional information available at NAVWAR-revitalization.com.

This article is written by Jennifer Van Grove from The San Diego Union-Tribune and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has lifted its mask requirements for fully vaccinated employees, contractors and visitors to all facilities except those that provide health care, officials said Monday.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough issued guidance Monday that allows those who are at least two weeks past their final vaccine dose to walk around mask-free indoors and outdoors at all non-health care locations.

However, mask mandates remain in place for health facilities. Veterans Health Administration leadership is meeting this week to review the matter, a VA official told Military.com.

Read Next: Two Navy T-45 Trainer Aircraft Collide in Texas; One Pilot Treated For Minor Injuries

The announcement comes four days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance to say that fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing -- except in places where state law or local regulations require COVID-19 restrictions.

The Defense Department removed mask requirements at its facilities Friday.

The VA will continue to adhere to telework guidance and federal building occupancy limits, officials said. Personnel who are not fully vaccinated are expected to follow established mask requirements in VA buildings, they added.

McDonough told VA employees that they will receive updates as the situation changes.

"Thank you for your continued commitment to Veterans, their families and survivors. Our workforce is our most valuable asset, and we truly appreciate your tireless dedication," he said.

The VA reached a grim milestone in the pandemic Monday. It released data showing that 12,000 patients in the VA health system have died from COVID-19. In addition, 140 employees have died.

The pace of deaths and cases has slowed in the past two months, however. As of Monday, the VA was tracking 2,902 active cases of COVID-19 -- the lowest recorded since last September.

The department has racked up 258,991 cases since the beginning of the outbreak.

As of Monday, the VA has administered 5.7 million vaccine doses. More than 2.8 million veterans are fully vaccinated and 290,997 employees -- or more than 70% of the total workforce -- have been fully vaccinated.

Nearly 33 million Americans, or 10% of the U.S. population, have tested positive for COVID-19 and 586,000 have died, according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: The VA Has Now Administered More COVID-19 Vaccine Shots Than 42 US States
U.S. Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, announced Friday it has awarded contracts totaling $19.2 million to five companies to produce prototype aircraft for its Armed Overwatch program.

In a notice published on the U.S. federal contracting website, SOCOM said that the awards will go to Leidos Inc. of Reston, Virginia; MAG Aerospace of Fairfax, Virginia; Textron Aviation Defense of Wichita, Kansas; L-3 Communications Integrated Systems of Waco, Texas; and Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nevada.

The Armed Overwatch program is Air Force Special Operations Command's effort to field a series of flexible, fixed-wing aircraft that could be deployed to austere regions and require only a light logistical footprint to operate. AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Jim Slife told reporters in February he hopes Armed Overwatch aircraft could keep pressure on violent extremist organizations in places such as some parts of Africa, where extremist groups operate but the airspace is largely uncontested.

Read Next: More Female Soldiers Are Passing the ACFT, But Their Scores Still Trail Men's

Slife said then that Armed Overwatch planes could conduct both intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as close-air support and precision strike missions to support ground troops.

In a previous announcement on the program in April 2020, SOCOM said it planned to buy about 75 Armed Overwatch planes.

SOCOM said Friday that the five awardees will work on and demonstrate their prototypes primarily at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; that process should be complete by March 2022.

The aircraft being considered include Leidos' Bronco II, MAG Aerospace's MC-208 Guardian, Textron's AT-6E Wolverine, L-3's AT-802U Sky Warden, and Sierra Nevada's MC-145B Wily Coyote.

The Air Force in recent years looked at Textron's AT-6 as part of its experiment with light attack aircraft; in 2019, it said it expects to buy two or three of them. The first AT-6E was delivered to the service in February.

Leidos announced in May 2020 that it had developed the Bronco II to meet SOCOM's needs and compete for the Armed Overwatch program. In March, MAG Aerospace announced the launch of the MC-208, which is based on the C-208 Cessna.

L-3 announced the single-engine turboprop Sky Warden earlier this month.

Sierra Nevada has not made any public announcements about the MC-145B. But for more than a decade, AFSOC has flown a variant called the C-145A Combat Coyote, primarily for combat air adviser missions.

Slife said AFSOC hopes that, as it brings on new planes for Armed Overwatch that can collect intelligence, it will be able to pull its costly U-28A Draco aircraft out of the field. The Draco is a small aircraft adapted from the Pilatus PC-12, which is capable of landing in small, rough airfields and flying in remote areas.

But the Draco is also an expensive plane to keep in the air. Because there are so few of them and they are not standard aircraft, it requires specialized equipment, maintenance and training to sustain them. This takes airmen away from bigger missions, driving up the cost of maintenance.

"At the end of the day, the Armed Overwatch platform will be less expensive to operate, [and] it will be more versatile than the U-28," Slife said in February.

-- Oriana Pawlyk contributed to this report.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Air Force Pitches 'Armed Overwatch' Planes to Patrol Austere Regions, Police Africa Extremism
Growing up in the Reformed Mennonite Church, Patty Bear didnt know anything about the military  only that her people were pacifists. Higher education and many secular professions were taboo, especially for women. She assumed shed be wearing long dresses and bonnets for the rest of her life, like her mother and countless generations of female ancestors before her.

Yet after years of watching her mother endure alleged abuse from her father, whose ongoing feud with Mennonite leaders has made newspaper headlines for decades, Bear realized she wanted more than the future she had always accepted. And in 11th grade, she met an Air Force Academy cadet who would be her way out.

I had no idea, Bear, now a 57-year-old Gulf War veteran and retired commercial airline pilot, told Coffee or Die Magazine. I couldnt have imagined that my path out of that wouldve been the military or the Air Force Academy. I didnt even know those things existed.

Bears story is the focus of her book, released in February, From Plain to Plane: My Mennonite Childhood, a National Scandal, and an Unconventional Soar to Freedom.

A Big Shock to the System

Bear knew next to nothing about the Air Force when she started at the academy in 1982, but she knew it was a way to pay for college if she worked hard. By then, she had the support of her mother and siblings, even though they reminded her to always turn the other cheek.

It was a big shock to the system, she said. The first time I saw the academy was when I stepped off the bus, and they start yelling at you.

Bears class was only the seventh to admit women. She remembers some gender discrimination, including an assertion from an upperclassman that women were only there to meet men so they could get married. But the military itself provided leadership opportunities and a level of equality shed never had before, which took some getting used to.

[Women] literally were invisible in the church. They had no voice, no power, no nothing, she said of her upbringing. Looking back on it, I dont know how conscious I was of it, but probably the biggest thing was to go from that position of invisibility to, you know, in the military, youre a leader, and then same way in the airlines  youre a captain. So from invisibility to this very visible role of leading other people and kind of, you know, self-taught in a lot of ways.

Bear went on to become a KC-135 pilot in the Air Force and deployed twice to the Middle East. Her first deployment was during Desert Storm. She lived in a tent city at an airport outside Muscat, Oman, and flew north over Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, refueling every type of US military and allied aircraft. Later, Bear deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to refuel keeping the peace combat air-patrol missions over postwar Iraq, she said.

Bear flew one or two missions a day. Airspace was tight, and everyone she worked with had near mid-air collisions or close calls, she said. And there was always the possibility of being shot down.

Even though [women] couldnt be in combat, we were, she said of her time in Oman. We were in theater.

Besides that element of fear, Bear was also reconciling the realities of war with the Mennonite pacifist teachings shed grown up with.

You could see some of the places that we were orbiting, she said. We could see the [B-52s] on their runs, carpet bombing. Its just sobering to know that theres real people on the ground, and this is serious business.

But the war also brought new beginnings for Bear, who was deployed with her then-boyfriend and fellow pilot, Kevin Amsrud. They returned from Oman engaged.

The two got married in October 1991, four days after Bear separated from the military, and continued their careers as pilots in the private sector until their recent retirements. Amsrud continued serving in the Army National Guard.

The Path Out of Trauma

To Bear, her new book is more than a memoir. Its a way to set the record straight and show readers that there is a path out of trauma, even when it may not seem like it, she said.

Her father, Robert Bear, gained national attention in the 1970s after publicly denouncing church doctrine and its bishops and accusing the church hierarchy of lying, according to a 1973 New York Times article, which described Robert Bear as the model of rawboned American Gothic.

He was excommunicated from the church and shunned by its members, including his wife, Gale Bear. Media outlets ran with the story of perceived injustice  that his wife and children had shunned him, even though Gale Bear was following the churchs rules, Patty Bear said.

He was really in the public eye for almost a decade, Bear said. Her fathers story cropped up in The New York Times, The Washington Post, People, big-city and small-town newspapers, and even the Defense Department-funded newspaper Stars and Stripes. People were very sympathetic.

Yet only a few people knew how violent he was  that Patty Bear, her mother, and Bears siblings lived in fear of the next time he would show up in their lives, Bear said.

In 1979, Robert Bear was arrested for and confessed to kidnapping his wife, who also accused him of rape. He was acquitted. His oldest son told The Washington Post at the time, Im not shunning my father. I just dont want anything to do with him. I dont hate him and I didnt want to see him go to jail. But I did want someone in authority to tell him that he just cant do this to my mother anymore.

Robert Bear, now in his 90s, was also arrested and jailed more recently for vandalism, trespassing, and other charges in connection with his beef against the Mennonite Church.

Patty Bears book goes into more details about the abuse she said she and her family had endured from her father for years and the churchs strict teachings that she now considers beyond what some might call traditional.

Standing from where I stand now, it can feel like no big deal  I dont need to believe that. But when youre immersed in that, and everybody you know believes a certain dogma, its very, very hard to go against the grain and to say, Well, wait a minute, Bear said.

For friends and family, the book was tough to read.

There are parts that are just really sad or really angering, Morgan Amsrud, Patty Bears 26-year-old daughter, told Coffee or Die.

Amsruds upbringing was happy and warm, she said, so its difficult to hear how bad her mothers was. It was hard to read because, knowing the people and loving the people that are in the book, I dont like reading of their abuse or their struggles.

Yet even though she knew her familys story, she feels that her mom tapped into her emotions and feelings as she wrote the book in a way that was different from what Amsrud had heard before.

Shes always been a high performer, and I think its interesting to hear about the internal feeling, Amsrud said. Its easy to think that someone is healed if theyre externally very accomplished, so I really like hearing about that aspect.

Monica Smith, also an Air Force Academy graduate, veteran, and Bears friend since their initial six-week United Airlines pilot training, described the book as intense. It also made her proud of her friend.

Just overall how shes able to conduct herself in the world so positively with kind of this  I dont want to call it baggage, because she doesnt see it that way  but this background, this history  that, of course, made her who she is, Smith said. She soldiered forward. She just put her head down and kept working and did the work. Shes an incredible person.

Bear doesnt feel sorry for herself. In her case, trauma was a path to liberation.

I dont justify his behavior in any way, Bear said of her father, but without what happened, I wouldve grown up to have the same life my mother had.

Bear sees her experiences as a trail of breadcrumbs she just kept following to land where she is today.

I had this moment when I was flying the Triple Seven over Siberia, and I just kind of look out, and I thought for a moment that I must be delusional, she said. I was like, Did I imagine this whole thing? This life that was my fate, or this life that was everything I knew and that I thought I wanted and was going to grow up to be, and then  here I am.

Read the original article on Coffee or Die Magazine.

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The Yankees announced that slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left quad strain. Stantons placement is retroactive to May 14. Right-hander Albert Abreu has been called up to take Stantons spot on the active roster.

The specter of Stanton hitting the IL is an ominous one for the Yankees and their fans, given how the 31-year-old has so often been sidelined by injuries throughout his career as a whole, and particularly his tenure in the Bronx. A variety of leg injuries (and a biceps strain) limited Stanton to only 18 games in 2019 and 23 games in 2020, which led the Yankees to make Stanton into a full-time designated hitter prior to last season.

While New Yorks lineup as a whole hasnt lived up to its usual standard, Stanton has been a major bright spot, hitting .282/.347/.534 with nine home runs over 144 plate appearances. Despite all the injuries, Stanton has always been a very dangerous bat when he has been able to play, which naturally only adds to the concern over this MVP-level hitter seemingly being unable to stay on the field.

The severity of Stantons quad strain isnt yet known. Given his track record, its probably safe to predict that the Yankees will hold Stanton out beyond the 10-day minimum just to be completely sure that this injury wont linger (and result in another extended absence).

There is no way to really replace Stantons offensive contributions, of course, but the Yankees could now rotate a few players through the DH spot. Rougned Odor is expected back from the injured list relatively soon, to add to the position player mix. Speculatively, the absence of Stanton (not to mention Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres) could open up some playing time for Miguel Andujar, as the former Rookie Of The Year candidate has been lacking in consistent playing time since his own injury-ruined season in 2019.
LANSING, MI -- A former priest from the Upper Peninsula has agreed to a plea deal involving multiple sexual assault charges across two counties.

Gary Jacobs, 75, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in Dickinson County. That came just one month after Jacobs pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal sexual conduct in Ontonagon County. Both pleas were part of a plea agreement reached by Jacobs and Attorney General Dana Nessels office.

I am proud of the work done by our clergy abuse team to reach this plea agreement, Nessel said. None of this would be possible without the courageous victims who have been willing to share their stories in order to achieve justice.

As part of the agreement, Jacobs will serve between eight and 15 years behind bars on each count, which will run concurrently, according to the state. He will also be required to register as a sex offender on all five counts. Jacobs will have to attend sex offender counseling and will be electronically monitored when released.

Nessels office says the plea agreement will result in the harshest prison sentence handed down thus far in the Michigan Attorney Generals clergy abuse investigation.

Jacobs was living in New Mexico at the time of his arrest and was extradited to Michigan to face the charges.

Jacobs was first charged in January 2020 for crimes he committed in the 1980s while serving as a priest as part of the Catholic Diocese of Marquette, according to Nessels office. After his arrest, more victims came forward with accusations against Jacobs. When the first charges were announced against Jacobs, the victims were identified as ranging in age from under the age of 13 up to 16 years old, at the time of the crimes.

The victims in the various cases will be allowed to speak at sentencing.

In Ontonagon County, Jacobs sentencing date is set for Tuesday, May 25, while his Dickinson County sentencing has been scheduled for Friday, July 2.

READ MORE:

Michigans clergy abuse probe identifies 454 accused priests, 811 victims

Retired Grand Haven priest defrocked after credible sexual abuse allegation, diocese says
The CNS Liaoning aircraft carrier leads a fleet during a People's Liberation Army Navy training mission in the South China Sea in 2016. [Photo by Mo Xiaoliang/For China Daily]

The United States has made clear its intention to strengthen its presence in the Indo-Pacific region. While former US secretary of the navy Kenneth Braithwaite has reiterated his proposal to reconstitute the US First Fleet, which was active from 1943 to 1973 in the Western Pacific, the US is keen on testing the First Fleet's revival as a "trial balloon" or "thought exercise" to see whether it will help it strengthen its forward presence in the Asia-Pacific region and promote its Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China.

The First Fleet can also serve the US' strategy of "great power competition" that targets Russia, China and other countries. In 2018, the US Second Fleet was resurrected to counter Russia. The Second Fleet has frequently carried out operations near the western border of Russia in the North Atlantic Ocean, including the Barents Sea and the Baltic Sea, and has had near standoffs with Russia's Northern Fleet and Baltic Fleet.

The Second Fleet coordinated with the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and the naval and air forces of Washington's NATO allies to control Russia's northern and southern sea routes.

At present, the US Seventh Fleet undertakes most operations in the Western Pacific and the Third Fleet in the Eastern Pacific. Considering that vessels comprising the Third Fleet have frequently joined the Seventh Fleet's "missions" in the Western Pacific, rebuilding the First Fleet would ease the pressure on the Seventh Fleet for conducting operations in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

The US has built a dense network of naval and air force bases and intensified its military buildup in the island chains along the Western Pacific. It has also urged its allies, including Japan and Australia, to strengthen their naval and air forces and missile defense systems. And to advance its Asia-Pacific strategy, the US has renamed its Pacific Command as the Indo-Pacific Command.

Strategically, the US armed forces have expanded their operational zone by integrating the Pacific and Indian oceans in their "mission". The US is determined to strengthen its military deployment in key areas in the Pacific and Indian oceans in conformity with Braithwaite's assertion that the First Fleet be placed at a crossroad between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Since the Ronald Reagan administration, the US has focused on controlling the international sea routes in an attempt to block them whenever necessary to further its interests.

And that is exactly what the First Fleet will do, if it is reconstituted - it will attempt to block the key routes, especially the "oil channels" of the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Hormuz to contain China's rise.

Hundreds of millions of tons of commodities sail between China and more than 150 countries and regions through four sea lanes every year.

The east lane to the Americas, Africa and Western Europe through the "first island chain" and the Panama Canal, and the north lane to Europe through the Bering Straits and the Arctic Ocean are mostly under the surveillance of the US Seventh Fleet.

And the First Fleet, if reconstituted, will cover the crossroad between the south lane to South Asia and Australia through the South China Sea, the Makassar Strait and the Sunda Strait, and the west lane to Persian Gulf countries through the Strait of Malacca, the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as to Europe and Africa through the Indian Ocean, the Bab el Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal.

After Joe Biden was sworn in as the US president in January, the "freedom of navigation operations" of the US Navy, including aircraft carrier battle groups, have increased in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea-they have become more frequent than during the Donald Trump administration.

And at least one of the Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz carrier strike groups that frequently sail through the Indian Ocean, the Strait of Malacca and into the South China Sea will join the First Fleet, if it is reconstituted.

When it comes to the rim of the South China Sea, thanks to its Changi Naval Base in Singapore, Subic Bay and Clark Air Base in the Philippines, and Da Nang and Cam Ranh Air Base in Vietnam in the past, the US still exercises some influence there. And the US has been inviting countries such as India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to join its naval drills in order to make them parties to its military strategy.

The Darwin Port in Australia may be a preferred option for the First Fleet Command because Australia supports the US' Indo-Pacific strategy and the Darwin Port is close to the Strait of Malacca and its three alternative routes of the Sunda Strait, the Lombok Strait and the Makassar Strait.

But Southeast Asian countries are cautious about establishing closer military ties with the US because the US' strengthened presence in the region may undermine their growing economic and trade cooperation with China.

The author is a council member of, and senior research fellow at, China Arms Control and Disarmament Association. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
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DETROIT -- A suspect in the murder of a Detroit police officer has been charged in the murders of two other people which took place just before Officer Rasheen McClain was killed.

Jujuan Parks, 30, was charged Monday with with first-degree murder in connection to the death of Nathaniel Lloyd, according to Fox 2 Detroit. Parks was also charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, felon in possession of a weapon, and second-degree felony firearm in connection to the death of Dontez Lavarr Calhoun.

Lloyd and Calhoun were killed on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, 2019 respectively. Officer McClain was killed on Nov. 20, 2019.

Parks is currently awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in McClains death. Parks is facing charges of first-degree premeditated murder, murder of a police officer, assault with intent to murder, resisting and obstructing police and more as part of that case.

Prosecutors allege that Parks opened fire on Officer McClain, his partner Officer Phillippe Batoum-Bisse, and two other officers while they attempted to capture him in a Detroit home. Both McClain and Batoum-Bisse were hit by the gunfire, with McClain being struck in the neck and Batoum-Bisse being hit in the leg.

A third officer involved was able to shoot Parks in the arm, allowing police to arrest him.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig has previously said Parks was baiting the officers to come look for him before opening fire.

He was very target-specific, Craig said of the gunman at the time of the shooting. He knew what he planned to do. Its very clear he was trying to bait the officers.

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ANN ARBOR, MI  Ann Arbor Police Department officers will no longer attend seminars led by controversial law enforcement trainer Dave Grossman, Police Chief Michael Cox said.

Grossman is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and director of the Killology Research Group whose stances on lethal force have been controversial.

The Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police recently canceled a training event with him due to complaints from the public.

Cox said he has never attended any of Grossmans training seminars, but comments from Grossman that hes heard and seen in the news are totally outrageous.

Grossman has traveled the country since 1998 speaking to police groups and churches. Before Grossman was scheduled to speak at Oak Pointe Church in Novi recently, a video circulated online depicting Grossman telling a class that police can have the best sex after killing someone.

Both partners are very invested in some very intense sex, Grossman said in the video. Theres not a whole lot of perks that come with this job. You find one, relax and enjoy it.

Grossman, who was scheduled to speak about the psychological effects of being involved in a fatal shooting, is credited with popularizing a warrior mentality in law enforcement, encouraging police to see society as a collection of sheep who need protection from dangerous criminals.

Grossmans books argue police officers are sheepdogs who protect society using their natural gift of aggression. Therefore, he argues, police must squash their hesitancy to use violence and even kill when necessary.

While its been a few years since AAPD sent any officers through Grossmans training, Cox, who came to Ann Arbor to become police chief in 2019, said it wont be happening under his watch due to what hes heard and seen.

Lisa Jackson, chair of Ann Arbors Independent Community Police Oversight Commission, said she checked with Cox after hearing Grossman may have trained police in Ann Arbor.

Jackson learned from the chief that eight officers employed by AAPD in March 2017 and five officers employed by AAPD in June 2018 went to hear Grossman speak, she said.

The past events calendar on Killology.com lists a March 2017 appearance in Ypsilanti and June 2018 appearances in Dearborn, Mount Pleasant and Parma.

One of Grossmans all-day seminars that some AAPD officers attended in 2018 was called The Bulletproof Mind and it was intended to cover topics such as post-traumatic stress, surviving gunshot wounds, survivor guilt, new killers in the 21st century, violent visual imagery, reality versus fantasy and games that are more dangerous than movies, Jackson said, citing an event pamphlet provided by AAPD.

Of the handful of AAPD officers who attended, Cox said he thinks one doesnt work for the department anymore.

And also, based on my understanding of the course, the nature of the course had to do with not about police killing people, but really about the mindset of people who kill in general, video games, the nature of violence in the country in general and understanding some of the people that might be out there killing people, Cox said.

Thats what was advertised on the pamphlet and the subject matter seemed relevant, Cox said, though he couldnt attest for what was actually said during the training.

AAPD wants its officers trained to be patient with people, especially around de-escalation, Cox said.

Cox said hes heard sound bites of remarks from Grossman that are pretty horrible, but he doesnt know if Grossman was just having a bad day and he doesnt want to judge Grossmans entire lifes work by them.

But I do know that the sound bites that I did see, that is not the kind of thing that we would ever want to send any officer or any person, for that matter, to go and hear, Cox said. In my opinion, it was offensive.

MLive reporter Malachi Barrett contributed to this report.

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DAVISON TOWNSHIP, MI -- Being a police officer was the only thing Davison Township Police Chief Rick Freeman ever wanted to do.

Now, after a more than three-decade-long career in law enforcement, Freeman plans to retire at the end of June.

The township has offered Lt Jay Rendon the chief position following Freemans retirement.

I know it sounds cliche, but that desire to help people and protect people is just something thats always kind of been in me, Freeman told MLive-The Flint Journal. I cant really explain it. So, for lack of a better term, this has really been all I could ever do in life because it was all I ever wanted to do.

Freeman, 50, was born and raised in Flint Township.

He spent 25 years of his career at the Davison Township Police Department, serving as chief for over nine years. Prior to working in Davison Township, Freeman worked for the Flint Police Department.

Freeman said his reason for retiring is almost as cliche as why I got into the career.

The reason Im getting out is someone once told me Youll know when its time. And thats kind of where Im at, he said. I know its time. Its been a long, very blessed career and 30 years in this particular career field is something to be proud of, I think.

Its both my time and I think, for the success of the department, its time for someone else to take the helm and make sure a fresh set of eyes is leading the department into the future. Its someone elses turn and its my turn to ride off into the sunset.

Retirement means Freeman can have more time with his family, but he said he still will be involved in the community and plans to work with Flint Area Narcotics Group, also known as FANG.

I definitely want to continue serving my church and my community, he said.

At 50, Freeman said hes an old-timer in the police world and leaving is bittersweet.

The average life expectancy for a male police officer is 63-years old, he noted.

Every time I hear a siren, I can guarantee my head is going to turn and Im going to wish I was there right at the front lines so to speak. Thats going to be hard to get over, Freeman said. However, on the opposite side of that, its, especially when you get up to the chief level, youre not only worried about you and the guy or gal standing next to you on the front line.

Youre worried literally about every single person on your department and in your community. It weighs on you every day because, at the end of the day, youre the one leading public safety in your community and thats a heavy burden.

In current times, Freeman said law enforcement is taking a little beating.

However, he said the Davison Township community has been highly supportive of the department with the community approving a renewal of the police millage by a large margin in November.

That spoke volumes about how our community supports our police department, Freeman said.

He said hes proud he was able to keep up staffing levels through the recession and has started the police department on the path toward state accreditation.

Freeman has served on multiple boards across the county and state. He currently serves on the executive board of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.

Ive served in many communities trying to keep law enforcement in Michigan at the forefront of professional policing and maintaining community trust, anything we can do to keep moving forward serving communities in law enforcement, Freeman said. Im very proud of those involvements.

Davison Township Supervisor Jim Slezak, who came into the supervisor position in November, said working with Freeman has been very positive.

The contact Ive had with (Freeman), everythings been open to discussing basically anything and weve had no glitches anywhere, he said.

Rendon served at the Davison Township Police Department for 25 years, Slezak said.

With him coming in, the transitions going to be great -- really smooth, Slezak said. The respect is there from all the fellow officers, the respect from the township board. Theres not going to be any hiccup there. Its going to be a nice, smooth transition.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Meijer will no longer require shoppers fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear facemasks inside its stores.

Starting today, fully vaccinated customers may shop without a face covering where allowed under state or local law. Non-vaccinated customers must continue to wear a face covering while shopping in our stores, except where medical conditions prevent them from wearing one, the Walker-based retailer said in a statement.

Our team members will still be required to wear face coverings while we evaluate regulatory requirements.

Meijers new policy comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance last week indicating fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear facemasks in most indoor and outdoor locations. Those who have not been vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors, according to the agency.

In response to the CDC guidance, the state of Michigan released an order stating businesses must make a good faith effort to ensure unvaccinated people wear masks. That includes having signs indicating that unvaccinated people must wear masks, asking customers if they are vaccinated (or have any other exemption), or simply requiring everybody to wear masks.

A Meijer spokesperson did not immediately respond Monday afternoon when asked how the company would approach the matter.

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JACKSON COUNTY, MI -- A man suspected of stealing the wheels off of a vehicle in Summit Township was caught on camera when he returned to take more parts from the vehicle, police said.

A deputy responded to the theft of all four wheels from the vehicle in the area of E. McDevitt Avenue on Thursday, May 13, according to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office

After the wheels were stolen, the vehicles owner set up a security camera on the property, police said. At about 8:47 p.m. Sunday, May 16, the suspect returned and attempted to remove the catalytic converter from the same vehicle, police said.

Using the security camera footage, a deputy was able to obtain the suspects vehicle and license plate information, police said.

The suspect, a 29-year-old man, was found soon after and, when confronted by deputies, the suspect confessed to the theft, police said. His Ingham County residence was checked for the stolen wheels, though they were not located, police said.

Charges against the suspect are being requested from the Jackson County Prosecutors Office, said Capt. Kevin Hiller.

A connection between Sundays attempted theft and previous catalytic converter thefts in the western Michigan area has not been determined, Hiller said, though the sheriffs office is considering it as a possibility.

Earlier on Sunday, a Jackson County deputy responded to a report of a catalytic convertor being stolen from a vehicle at about 1 p.m. in the Sackrider Hill parking lot.

On May 9, a 43-year-old Big Rapids man was arrested while attempting to cut off and steal a catalytic converter from a car in a Park-N-ride lot near Albion.

At the time of the arrest, it was believed the man may be involved in other catalytic converter thefts along the I-94 and I-69 corridor, police said.

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KALAMAZOO, MI  A former Portage childcare worker who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting multiple children under his care was sentenced Monday to a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Aaron Joe Bryant, 19, of Hartford, was sentenced Monday, May 17, by Kalamazoo County Circuit Judge Gary Giguere to a minimum of 2 years, 8 months, and maximum of 15 years in prison for a single count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child younger than 13. Bryant was also sentenced to 138 days of time served on a misdemeanor count of fourth-degree child abuse.

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Bryant pleaded guilty to both charges in April and, as a result, two additional felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct were dropped. The charges stem from two separate cases in Kalamazoo County  both from incidents that occurred while Bryant was employed at Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool, 1518 E. Centre Ave. in Portage.

The former childcare worker began working at the school in September 2019 and was terminated from his job in July 2020 amid a month-long investigation into allegations raised by a childs parents who said they saw Bryant sexually assault their child in video streamed live from the facility.

Bryant, charged in October in the incident, was arraigned Jan. 5 on two additional charges involving a different child. That child, a 5-year-old boy, told his mother and investigators that Bryant touched and/or pulled on his privates, allegedly making skin-to-skin contact during nap time. The child said Bryants actions stopped when the child opened his eyes.

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The 19-year-old defendant, appearing by video from a Jackson prison, addressed Giguere during the sentencing hearing, offering an apology to the families and the victims he hurt and saying he wished he could take back the things he has done.

I think about what Ive done a lot and I really, really regret it, Bryant said. Since being incarcerated, Ive given my life to God fully and I vowed never to make these mistakes again. I know what I did was inexcusable and I know I deserve to be punished for it, but I feel that Ive already been punished a lot.

Bryant said he has been punished physically, mentally and emotionally since the incidents and he fears that punishment could get worse as time goes on. He asked the judge to show a little mercy and said he promised to be a better man, both now and when he gets out of prison.

Mercy is not for the court to dispense, Giguere said while issuing Bryants sentence. Mercy is for the victims and the victims families to dispense; Ill leave that to them.

Giguere said Bryant was guilty of preying on vulnerable people in a supposed safe place at a supposed safe time, and that he obviously cannot be trusted around children. Referencing victim impact statements from both families, he said Bryant had altered the lives of the parents and children involved, and that one mother was feeling things she should never have to feel.

I hope that the defendant, Mr. Bryants, stated remorse is real, Giguere said.

The defendant was also sentenced March 15 in Berrien County in a separate criminal sexual conduct case involving a child under the age of 13. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Bryant pleaded guilty in that case to one felony count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct for an incident that occurred in July 2020.

The judge in Berrien County at that time ordered Bryant to serve the same sentence as was issued in Kalamazoo County on Monday: a minimum of 2 years, 8 months and maximum of 15 years in prison.

Bryant was also sentenced to lifetime electronic monitoring and lifetime sex offender registration.

Giguere said Bryant will serve the sentences in Kalamazoo and Berrien counties concurrently.

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KALAMAZOO, MI  A few dozen protesters in downtown Kalamazoo Monday called for the United States to stop suppling money to Israels army as violence between the country and Palestinians escalates.

The group gathered at noon Monday, May 17, at the intersection of South Park Street and West Michigan Avenue, outside the federal courthouse in downtown Kalamazoo.

The hour-long protest, organized by Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War Working Group on Israel/Palestine, featured speakers talking about issues in English and Arabic.

Protesters also gathered in downtown Grand Rapids on May 15 with a similar message.

Israel and Hamas, the leadership in Gaza, have traded artillery strikes since May 10. There have been 212 people killed in Gaza, 15 people in the West Bank and 10 in Israel, as of May 17, the Washington Post reported.

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There is no military solution to the conflict, protesters said in a news release. Instead, Israel needs to end its occupation of Gaza and respect international law, according to the release from the protest group.

The United States provided about $3.8 billion to Israel in 2020, according to a memo from the Congressional Research Service, which accounts for about 20% of the countrys defense budget.

Kalamazoo protesters called for an end to U.S. aid. They also asked for individuals to support the Palestinian Children and Families Act, a bill in the U.S. Congress that would prohibit Israel from using U.S. money in the Israeli-occupied territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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SOUTH HAVEN, MI-- Viewers around the world can now pay a virtual visit to the South Haven pier and lighthouse within seconds, thanks to a new 360-degree camera mounted on the pier.

Lovers of the lakeshores vistas no longer need to be physically present in South Haven to enjoy panoramic views of the citys lighthouse, pier and waterfront -- all available in real time.

The new camera, installed as the result of efforts by the South Haven Historical Association, is accessible at SouthHavenLight.org.

The viewer is able to operate the camera for a 360-degree, customized view of all that is happening in every direction from the cameras vantage point. That includes the lighthouse, the piers catwalk and everything else  from spectacular sunsets to views of the Black River channel and South Havens popular beaches.

We have been fortunate in recent years to have several cameras pointed with live views of South Havens beaches, including the lighthouse, but none are like this, said Donald Goodwillie, the historical association board member who was put in charge of the lighthouse with a mandate to find a way to share it with more people.

Goodwillies initial thought was to put cameras on the lighthouse itself. But after talking with Phil Poole and Jared Knapp, who coordinate information and technology services the city of South Haven, he realized the potential of a 360-degree camera.

As far we know, this is the first time anyone has used the 360-camera in this way, Goodwillie said. Phil and Jared went to work and were absolutely the ones that made this idea possible. They should have all our gratitude.

The South Haven lighthouse has been a beacon to boaters since 1872. The current lighthouse replaced the original wooden tower in 1903.

The catwalk is original and one of only four remaining on the Michigan shore. The historical association acquired the lighthouse in 2012, and are the ones who have restored the structure in recent years.

The lights on the catwalk are currently maintained by the city of South Haven.

We all hope that everyone, everywhere will now be able to experience the storms, the sunsets and all that happens at this special place we all love and share, Goodwillie said.

The installation of the camera has been made possible through the work of members of the South Haven Historical Association (HASH). To learn more or to support the Light, visit southhavenlight.org

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SAGINAW, MI - Jayati Ghosh will become the next dean of Saginaw Valley State Universitys Scott L. Carmona College of Business, according to a news release.

Ghosh most recently served as the dean of Widener Universitys School of Business Administration, a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. She has more than 25 years of higher education experience at institutions both public and private, according to the release. Shell officially join the university Monday, June 28.

Ghosh holds a doctorate from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, as well as masters degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario and the University of Calcutta in India.

I am honored and excited about the opportunity to lead the Carmona College of Business in its upward trajectory of academic excellence, Ghosh said. I am impressed by the commitment of the college towards the professional and personal development of students and looking forward to working with the faculty and staff, centers of excellence and engaging with the community.

Its a very important time for the College of Business, and the university is counting on Ghosh to enhance its business education, collaborate with local businesses and support the vitality of the region, SVSU Provost Deborah Huntley said in the release.

The university opened a new $25.4 million facility for the business college in February 2020, boasting 38,500 square feet of space including laboratories, classrooms, Bloomberg terminals and more.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has laid a clear path for Michigan to eliminate its COVID-19 health order and associated restrictions: Get 70% of the population 16 or older to have at least one vaccine shot.

But simultaneously, the state is working through a process to make permanent its workplace COVID-19 rules, enforced through the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The current temporary MIOSHA workplace rules expire Oct. 14 and cannot be extended again, per state law.

Republicans and business leaders are unhappy with the prospect of permanent rules.

Voice your opposition to Whitmers plan to make heavy-handed COVID rules permanent, the Michigan Republican Party wrote on Twitter. Say NO to out-of-control, big-government intrusion into the lives and livelihoods of Michiganders. We must end this madness.

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The Small Business Association of Michigan added a form to its website allowing people to send a message to MIOSHA saying they oppose permanent rules. Within a few hours of adding it to the website, there were hundreds of responses, SBAM President Brian Calley said.

The notion of having permanent COVID-19 rules  there was a very visceral, negative reaction to that from members, Calley said.

In light of last weeks pivot on masks from the Centers for Disease Control and Michigan, Calley thinks MIOSHA will abandon its pursuit of permanent rules.

A draft of the permanent rules is available online and closely mirrors the current emergency rules  including requiring masks for workers when they cant maintain 6 feet of distancing, requiring barriers, mandating daily temperature checks and health screenings of employees and recommending people work remotely when feasible.

Starting May 24, MIOSHA will remove the remote work requirements from its emergency rules  since Michigan hit the 55% vaccination mark. However, MIOSHA hasnt committed to removing the language from the permanent rules, said Sean Egan, Michigan director of COVID-19 workplace safety.

Theres a hearing scheduled for May 26 to discuss the proposed rules.

The permanent rule-making process takes about 12 months to complete, Egan said.

At the end of the process, the Legislatures joint committee on administrative rules with the will decide whether to approve the rules.

But business leaders say those rules will be obsolete by October. Some unsuccessfully advocated for the MIOSHA rules to sunset once the states COVID-19 health order is removed. The permanent rules draft would allow MIOSHA to reconsider the rules after the health order is gone, but doesnt require it.

Making sure these rules dont become permanent is the top priority right now for the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, said executive director Scott Ellis.

Likewise, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce is also speaking out against the idea. Vice President Wendy Block said employers know how to keep their workers safe by now and that the CDC guidelines are enough.

Egan disagrees.

MIOSHA needs tools to hold employers accountable if they choose not to (follow safety protocols), Egan said. By simply following the CDC guidelines, it really restricts MIOSHAs ability to ensure that workers have a safe workplace.

MIOSHA has cited more than 280 workplaces for COVID-19 violations. Its received more than 15,000 complaints since March 2020, which is more than fiscal years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 combined.

State law requires MIOSHA to go through a months-long process to extend its rules further, even though COVID-19 trends change so quickly it could render them outdated.

The agency is forced to predict how widespread COVID-19 will be in mid-October. State leaders are taking the conservative route. Businesses are betting the virus wont be a problem by then  or say there are other rule-making options, if needed.

We dont think its reasonable to establish permanent rules, just in case, Calley said.

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Film producers and filmmakers in Ghana cannot sell their films to television stations starting from July 1, 2021 until further notice.

The move is part of measures to supposedly help save the movie industry from collapsing.

This was included in a joint statement by stakeholder bodies in the film industry including the Film Producers Association of Ghana, Film Crew Association of Ghana, Marketers & Distributors Association of Ghana and Ghana Academy of Film & Television Arts.

These bodies reached the agreement at the end of a three-day strategy session organised and sponsored by the Ghana Tourism Authority to understand the challenges and the reasons behind the collapse of the film industry and to enable the various stakeholders to put together solutions to revive the exhibition, marketing and sales of Ghanaian movies, which once was a model for film producers across the world.

To fully appreciate this and other challenges and how to overcome them to unlock the huge potentials of the industry, it was appropriate to convene the various leadership in the film market (i.e. Film Producers Association, Markers & Distributors Association, Film Crew Association and other stakeholders) to unravel the challenges surrounding the marketing of the films produced and recommend pragmatic steps for its implementation, the statement said.

We would therefore like to use this medium to notify all our film producers that; from July 1, 2021 no film producer or film maker shall sell any feature film to any TV station in Ghana to air until further notice. All feature films already sold to these TV channels can show until the agreed date expires and thereafter cannot be renewed. Any producer or film marketer who flouts these directives shall be sanctioned accordingly. All film stakeholders must take these directives seriously and comply accordingly until further notice, it added.

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The headmaster and his staff of Kusanaba Senior High School in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region are still operating under trees after a heavy rainstorm ripped off the administration block last month.

The rainstorm that started at about 4:30 pm Tuesday 22nd April 2021 and lasted about 30minute destroyed the school properties running into millions of cedis.

The school administration block, classrooms, some electricity polls within the campus, toilet, storerooms, trees, documents among others were all destroyed.

An ongoing dining hall project which started in 2016 was not spared either.

Speaking to Modernghana News reporter, the headmaster of the school, Daniel Abugri lamented that, he and his bursar continue to operate under trees hoping that philanthropists and good public-spirited individuals will come to their aid.

He said operating under the trees in this rainy season is challenging, disappointing and embarrassing. Moving documents, tables and chairs from one place to another is worrying."

The headmaster further listed problems affecting teaching and learning.

Transportation

Daniel Abugri also said transportation has been a challenge for him anytime he has to travel to the district capital for official duties.

He said the Old Mahindra which was given to the school since 2014 has broken down.

Students/staff accommodation

He said students and staff accommodation is a serious challenge in the school.

The lack of accommodation for teachers at the school has forced some teachers to live far away in the Kusanaba township.

The staff strength of the school is about 80 but only few are staying on campus due to lack of accommodation.

The Staff common room in the school is also small in size and can only contain 40 teachers out of the 80 teachers.

He added that students accommodation is also a challenge.

According to him, the standard boys dormitory which started ten years ago is left with 20% to complete but the contractor has abandoned the site due to delay in payment.

The headmaster students have no option but to make use of the uncompleted building.

Classroom Furniture

Daniel Abugri said the school lacks furniture and dining hall tables. He added that in their own small way they have been able to procure some furniture. He however added that some classrooms will have no furniture if all the tracks are in session.

School fence

He said the school has no fence wall which has given way for movement of people and animals to graze on campus.

He said fencing the school will help stop students from sneaking out of the school and intruders.

John Amidini, Chairman, board of governance, described the situation as terrible.

He said the school was already suffering and the little infrastructure they have been managing has also been destroyed by a heavy storm.

He called on philanthropists and organisations to come to the aid by re-roofing the school before the rain sets in.
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Member of Parliament (MP) for Gomoa East Constituency, Hon. Desmond De-Graft Paitoo has taken a swipe at his predecessor, Hon. Kojo Asemanyi for inciting some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to accuse him of "doing nothing" in his first 100 days.

The MP has described the act as a desperate move after the defeat of his predecessor in the 2020 elections. "This desperate move by my predecessor I don't think is unhealthy," he said.

This comes after some NPP folks accused him (Desmond Paitoo) of failing to honour his promise to constituents in his first 100 days in office.

The group alleged that Hon. Asemanyi in his first 100 days among other things lobbied for the construction of some roads including the Safari road in the constituency and supported some constituents in the acquisition of skills training.

However, in a sharp rebuttal, Hon. Desmond said the move is borne out of jealousy and hatred.

"I don't see why Hon. Asemanyi will engage in this jealousy and hatred venture. He was in parliament for four years and I didn't do this, and I don't expect him to engage in this unfruitful venture. And beside throughout my campaign, I didn't make any 100 days promise, after all the competence of an MP is not measured by his first 100 days".

According to him, the claims by the NPP in the constituency in the first 100 days of Hon. Kojo Asemanyi are fabrications and that is an orchestrated move to make him (Hon. Desmond) unpopular.

"The Safari road they talked about began few months to the 2020 general elections. It was a bid to lure voters but failed."

He disclosed that, the former MP, a week ago hurriedly donated some desktop computers to the Ghana Education Service when he held discussions between him (Hon. Desmond) and the GES plans to procure computers to aid their administrative work.

"It is sad to note that Hon. Asemanyi after knowing discussions were far advanced to aid the GES with computers hurriedly procured the computers to the GES. But I have my plans and in the coming days, my constituents will get to know as and when they are rolled out, so Asemanyi can't detect how they should be executed," he told Modernghana News
Francois Bayrou, the man in charge of envisioning France's future, has urged people to have more children, warning the future demographic of French society was no longer assured following the biggest birth rate drop in 45 years.

The French centrist leader, appointed in September 2020 as the chief of "le Plan" for the France of tomorrow, called for a "national pact for demography that included controlled immigration.

Bayrou, a former justice minister, said the damage to the birth curve done by Covid-19 was a problem that needed solving.

In 2020, the number of births fell to its lowest level since World War II, with 735,000 children born.

Demography is the key to the sustainability and generosity of French social contract," Bayrou wrote in the Journal du Dimanche weekly, in reference to France's public financing system, which includes pensions.

He said ensuring France's demographic future could be done both by encouraging the birth rate  down by 13 percent in January 2021 compared to a year earlier  and by welcoming people from other countries.

"France will have to play both levers in reasonable proportions that guarantee the maintenance of national cohesion, Bayrou said.

The fertility rate in France has fallen to 1.83 children per woman, compared with 2.02 more than a decade ago. Bayrou estimated that 40,000 to 50,000 births per year would be needed to ensure the renewal of generations".

Better housing and childcare were key to giving people the desire to have the number of children they dream of, Bayrou added.

Immigration 'necessary'

Increasing the flow of migration, while not an obvious solution", was also important to improve the ratio of working people to retirees in order to finance social systems, he said.

French media reports said his comments on migration were politically risky ahead of next year's presidential election, where the issue is expected to be a hot topic.

Figures from 2019 showed 6.7 million immigrants lived in France  nearly 10 percent of the population  of whom 37 percent have acquired French nationality.

"Contrary to what is generally believed, immigration is not the cause of our demographic dynamicsbut we have to accept that it plays a role, Bayrou said.

A former justice minister under President Emmanuel Macron, Bayrou was named as commissioner of France's Plan for 2030, including how the country should move towards a greener economy and which skills and local industries to invest in to ensure the future.
The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Private Newspaper Printers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), have called on the government to take urgent steps to remove persons with brutish behaviour and tendencies from the countrys National Security setup.

The three Associations said this in a joint statement while demanding that government restructures the National Security Ministry in the wake of growing incidents of abuse and torture of journalists by some of its officers.

They said the restructuring must involve reorienting the minds of the operatives and putting in place proper mechanisms for recruitment of qualified persons into the National Security.

We are of the view that, the time has come for the government to restructure the Ministry of National Security, re-orient the minds of these operatives, and to institute professional recruitment policies to ensure that the Ministry recruits the right calibre of professionals who will be entrusted with the intelligence mandate of the Ministry, the joint statement said.

The Associations said they are concerned about the impunity with which security personnel attack media practitioners in their line of duty, and has condemned the National Security operatives for the unwarranted use of force and intimidatory tactics against the Citi FM journalists.

Operatives of the National Security last Tuesday arrested and assaulted Citi FM's Caleb Kudah after they found him filming abandoned state-funded vehicles near its offices.

The operatives subsequently besieged Citi FM to arrest another journalist, Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo who received the materials captured by Caleb via her phone.

PRINPAG, GJA and GIBA further condemned the invasion of the Citi FMs premises by the National Security operatives and the seizure and deletion of materials from the gadgets.

 It is the view of the leadership of the three media groups that, the handlers of Ghanas national security institute measures to weed out of the security agencies, undesired elements with barbaric and brutish tendencies, whose conduct always creates needless tension between poor civilians and the operatives of Ghanas national security, the added in their statement.

Read the full statement below:

The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Private Newspaper Printers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) have taken note of the spate of brutalities being meted out to journalists such as those working with Luv FM, Whatsapp News and the most recent case of the one involving journalists working with Citi FM/Citi TV.

The media is an indispensable partner in the development of the country as well as the consolidation of democracy while holding government to account. Any attempt to cower them to stay away from carrying out these duties, should be condemned in no uncertain terms.

We are of the view that, the time has come for the government to restructure the Ministry of National Security, re-orient the minds of these operatives, and to institute professional recruitment policies to ensure that the Ministry recruits the right calibre of professionals who will be entrusted with the intelligence mandate of the Ministry.

GIBA, PRINPAG and the GJA do not intend to prejudge the outcomes of any findings from any inquest to be instituted into the molestation of the Citi FM/Citi TV journalists by national security operatives. We believe in and support the work of investigative journalists in Ghana in highlighting matters of public interest. We draw attention to the impunity with which security personnel in Ghana attack media practitioners in the course of exercising their legitimate duties and condemn in no uncertain terms, the approach of the National Security operatives in the unwarranted use of force and intimidatory tactics against the Citi FM journalists even if the actions of the journalist in question, raises concerns for the security services.

The continuous invasion of media houses by national security operatives must stop. We condemn the seizure and deletion of journalistic and any other material on any recording device without court orders. We demand an immediate and unqualified apology from the National Security Secretariat to the Management and staff of Citi FM/TV and to the entire media for the havoc, panic and trauma caused them. We recommend an independent inquiry to establish and recommend punishment for anybody found culpable in this incident.

GIBA, PRINPAG and the GJA, and indeed, the entire media in Ghana are ready to partner with the security agencies to advance the course of the country and its development. But for this collaboration to be effective, it is important for the security agencies to be oriented on the intricacies in the practice of the journalism profession, one of which is to employ in some cases, subterfuge and unorthodox means of gathering information, if same is in the supreme national interest. For this collaboration to be effective in the national interest, we expect members of the two institutions to treat one another with mutual respect and decorum. We therefore recommend an immediate roundtable discussion between the top hierarchy of the security agencies, media organisations, CSOs involved with media and the National Media Commission (NMC).

It is the view of the leadership of the three media groups that, the handlers of Ghanas national security institute measures to weed out of the security agencies, undesired elements with barbaric and brutish tendencies, whose conduct always creates needless tension between poor civilians and the operatives of Ghanas national security.

The findings and recommendations from the Committee of Enquiry set up by the Ministry of National Security and the Complaints Settlement Committee of the National Media Commission should be implemented with utmost urgency to give meaning to our maxim as a land of freedom and justice.

Thank you for your kind attention.

May God help our nation Ghana and make us great and strong.

Andrew Danso-Aninkora Andrew Edwin Arthur, ESQ Affail Monney

(GIBA President) (PRINPAG President) (Outgoing GJA President)
The Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Haroun has lauded government for securing the first and second batch of covid-19 vaccines to help curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

Speaking to the Modern Ghana News in an interview at the closing ceremony of the Eid Mubarak at the Kumasi Central Mosque on May 13, Sheikh Haroun observed that the administration of Nana Akufo Addo is on course in addressing challenges facing the country.

He recalled that before government made provision for the vaccines, some critics in the country launched several conspiracy theories to cause vaccine hesitancy.

According to him, the very countries that opposed the vaccines are today the ones struggling for the drugs, whilst those who internally criticized Nana Akufo Addo are now quite following the successful administration of the vaccines.

Sheikh insisted that for the fact that the vaccines have come at the right time to curb the spread of the pandemic, Ghanaians still need to observe the Covid-19 protocol restrictions for their own good since the Holy Koran makes it mandatory for Muslims to wear nose masks and wash hands at all times in times of pandemic.

He entreat Muslims and for that matter Ghanaians to take advantage of the Ramadan celebration to promote peace, unity and love to one another for peaceful coexistence in the society.

Touching on the activities of money doublers and rituals for money attractions, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Haroun describes the act as abominable, demonic and satanic adding that those who engage in it will face the wrath of God.
In this edition, summaries of topical activities involving players in Ghanas commercial aviation space between May 10  15, 2021 are highlighted as follows:

AWA Increases Flight Frequency to Lagos

Africa World Airlines has increased its flight frequency between Lagos and Accra to three daily flights. Flight schedules for Lagos-bound flights are 6:45 AM, 11:20 AM, and 6:10 PM, local time. Accra-bound flights are scheduled as follows: 9:15 AM, 1:50 PM, and 8:40PM, local time.

PassionAir Debuts New Uniform

Domestic airline operator, PassionAir has debuted a new uniform for its flight and cabin crew. The uniform which was outdoored on May 11, 2021, has a strong touch of the local Kente design which gives the airline a new image.

SAA Hoping to Restart Operations before September 2021

South African Airways (SAA) says it is aiming to restart its operations between July and August this year after exiting a business rescue plan late last month. According to the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, SAA is trying to resolve issues it has with its pilots and also monitor the COVID-19 pandemic before setting a specific date.

The airline has suspended operations since September 2020.

United Restarts Commercial Operations in Ghana

United Airlines has resumed its flight operations between Accra and Washington with 3 weekly flights starting May 14, 2021. The route which was suspended by the airline in 2012 will now be serviced on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for passengers departing Washington to Accra and on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for passengers departing from Accra. The Accra-bound flight will depart at 6:05 PM from Washington and arrive at 8:40 AM (+1day). Washington-bound flights will depart Accra at 11:45 PM and arrive at 6:35 AM (+1day).

British Airways Trials 25 Second COVID-19 Test

Aiming to support the quick reopening of global borders, British Airways, and its medical technology partner, Canary Global have trialed an ultra-rapid Covid-19 antigen test that produces results in 25seconds.

The airline says it will use the test initially on its flight and cabin crew and compare it with its standard test results. The test uses saliva to detect SARS-CoV-2 and other variants in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.

Kenya Debunks Reports of Flight Operations in Somaliland

Kenya Airways has debunked claims making rounds on social media that it operates flights from its hub, Nairobi to Hargeisa, Somaliland. It says flights to Somaliland are currently awaiting clearance and further approvals.

Brussels Extends Rebooking Option

Passengers of Brussels airlines with booked tickets can now reschedule their booking to any date as often as they want without any charges. However, all rebooking must be done before July 31, 2021, after which passengers will only have one more chance to make changes.

Also, for passengers who are indecisive about their travel dates, after the first cancellation of the initial travel date, they have up to August 31, 2021, to reschedule to another travel date in 2022 which must be before July 31, 2022

Passenger Traffic at KIA for 2020 Reduced by 40% Compared to 2019

International passenger traffic at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for the year 2020 was 702, 651 compared to that of 2019s 2.1million. The reduction affected revenue generated at KIA from GHC521.3million to GHC185.3 million. The shortfall can be attributed to the covid-19 pandemic which has created restrictions on human movement.

Similarly domestic traffic fell from 690,314 in 2019 to 423,718 in 2020.

Mark Ofosu ||Twitter: M__ofosu
President Akufo-Addo, has announced that the country will commence the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination exercise on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

President Akufo-Addo said this in his 25th national address on the management of the pandemic in the country.

According to him, the exercise will take place in some 43 districts.

President Akufo-Addo added that the Ghana Health Service will provide more information on the vaccination in the coming week.

I am happy to announce that beginning Wednesday, May 19 to Wednesday 26 May, the deployment of the second dose of vaccines will take place across the designated vaccination centres in the 43 districts approximately 12 weeks after the first jab as the science prescribes. More details of the deployment will be communicated by the Ghana Health Service in the coming week.

Earlier, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had indicated that the vaccination exercise will be administered to individuals who are due for their second jabs.

In an interview with Citi News, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said individuals who have reached the 12-week period after the first jab will be prioritized.

He said GHS has the data of all persons who qualify to receive their second jabs.

We have the information and data of those who took their vaccines early and as we speak, not everybody is even qualified to get the second dose because it depends on when you had your first dose.

So we are going to follow the same routine to ensure that those who are due and those who are closest to the 12 weeks will be our priority until everybody is done, he said. When did Ghana's vaccination exercise start?

Ghana's mass vaccination against the coronavirus begun on March 2, 2021, with the deployment of 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines which were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

In addition to the COVAX support, Ghana received 50,000 AstraZeneca vaccines from the Indian government and 165,000 from MTN.

Ghana has so far vaccinated close to 900,000 persons against the virus, according to the Ghana Health Service.

citinewsroom
Achimota Preparatory School is going to be part of Achimota Basic School under the general management of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

This was part of a resolution reached after a meeting between the Minister of Education , Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and management of Achimota Preparatory School.

On Friday, April 30, the GES locked up the private school following an Accra High Court ruling.

But management of the school raised issues with the takeover and consequently petitioned President Akufo-Addo .

A press release issued by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education , Benjamin Kofi Gyasi, to update the public on the matter said the President directed the Minister to find a lasting solution to the issues.

After a meeting between the parties, one of the resolutions is to manage Achimota Preparatory School as part of Achimota Basic School.

The status of the staff, as well as the specific role of the current managers of the school are to be discussed at a subsequent meeting to be facilitated by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education .

Assurances have been given that the quality of education which Achimota Preparatory School is noted for will not be compromised under the new management and arrangement.

---3news.com
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday hosts African leaders, diplomats and lenders at a summit aimed at helping Sudan after years of conflict-riven authoritarian rule.

Several heads of state will gather in Paris to discuss investment in Sudan and negotiate its debt to help the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in the transition after the 2019 ouster of longtime strongman Omar al-Bashir.

The next day, a summit on African economies will try to fill a financing shortfall of almost $300 billion caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both meetings, held in a temporary exhibition centre near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, will be a chance for Macron to show himself as a statesman on Africa whose influence goes beyond the continent's Francophone regions.

The meetings will both mark a return to in-person top-level gatherings after the Covid-19 pandemic made video conferences the norm.

Among those attending both meetings will be Rwandan President Paul Kagame in a rare visit to France as Paris presses for reconciliation with Kigali after a historic report made clear French failings over the 1994 genocide.

Also expected to attend on both days is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, making another journey to key ally France after his state visit in late 2020 enraged rights activists.

'Explore opportunities'

France wants the Sudan summit to send a signal of the help African countries can receive if they embrace democracy and turn their backs on authoritarianism.

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok hopes to negotiate his country's debt at a Paris summit. By ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP/File)

"The Sudanese transition is considered by us -- but also by the entire international community -- as an example of democratic transition in Africa and as such deserves special attention," said a French presidential official who asked not to be named.

The official said the summit aims to unite the international community around helping Sudan, in particular addressing its vast debt pile.

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva will be present as well as top European diplomats, including German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Hamdok told AFP ahead of the meeting that he hopes Sudan can help wipe out a $60 billion foreign debt bill this year by securing relief and investment deals at the Paris conference.

Sudan's debts to the Paris Club, which includes major creditor countries, is estimated to make up around 38 percent of its total $60 billion foreign debt.

"We are going to the Paris conference to let foreign investors explore the opportunities for investing in Sudan," Hamdok said.

"We are not looking for grants or donations," he added.

Hamdok and his government have pushed to rebuild the crippled economy and end Sudan's international isolation under Bashir, whose three-decade iron-fisted rule was marked by economic hardship and international sanctions.

Africa summit

Sudan was taken off Washington's blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism in December, removing a major hurdle to foreign investment. But many challenges still lie ahead.

Also attending will be President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, whose country has been locked in a long dispute with Sudan over water resources that has sometimes threatened to erupt into open conflict.

The International Monetary Fund has warned that Africa faces a shortfall in the funds needed for future development. By JOEL SAGET (AFP/File)

Africa has so far been less badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic than other global regions -- with a total of 130,000 dead across the continent.

But the economic cost is only too apparent, and Tuesday's Africa summit will focus on making up the shortfall in the funds needed for future development -- a financial gap estimated by the IMF to amount to $290 billion up to 2023.

Around two dozen African leaders from across the continent will attend the meeting, including Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi whose country is battling a bloody Islamist insurrection in its north.

A French presidential official said Macron and Nyusi would hold a bilateral meeting and the summit would also be a chance for the international community to coordinate efforts to help Mozambique.
The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Marketing Companies Association says it may lose GH60million worth of investment put into building some 100 LPG retail outlets which remain incomplete.

The government, after the Atomic Gas explosion in 2017, placed a ban on new LPG retail points to allow for proper assessment of all LPG outlets nationwide.

Although the LPG marketers have petitioned the government and the National Petroleum Authority over the years to lift the ban, nothing has been done about it.

The Vice-Chairman of the LPG Marketing Companies Association, Mr. Gabriel Kumi in a Citi News interview said his group is hopeful of a positive response soon from the sector Minister.

According to him, they have petitioned the Minister to relay their request to cabinet for consideration.

We have been calling on the NPA to consider granting us the permit so that we can complete these stations, and get them running so that our members can recoup the investments that they have made, for us to create some employment for our youth and contribute to nation-building, and also deepen the penetration of LPG consumption. Weve been knocking on the doors of the NPA within the last year, but unfortunately, that has not yielded a positive result.

So when the sector minister came to the seat, we decided to petition him so that he can table our concerns to cabinet for consideration. We did that about a month ago, and we are yet to receive an official response from our Minister, but we will continue to cooperate with him fully.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, shortly after the Atomic Junction Gas explosion in 2017, directed the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Module.

This meant that gas cylinders will no longer be filled up at gas retail outlets, but cylinders would be bought from distributors already filled when they go empty.

Apart from concerns over the loss of jobs, the Ghana LPG Operators Association has constantly complained that proper stakeholder consultations were not carried out as they were not engaged on the policy.

CRM to provide jobs

Meanwhile, in response to the concerns of the gas operators, the National Petroleum Authority has said the Cylinder Recirculation Model would create at least 4500 jobs across the country.

According to the then Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Hassan Tampuli the module when fully introduced would create jobs for distributors and retailers at the various bottling plants.

Two companies, so far have been given licenses to establish and operate LPG bottling plants in different parts of the country although over 20 companies have applied for the licenses.

---citinewsroom
The #FixTheCountry campaigners have declared their intention to protest against the detention and alleged assault of Citi News' Caleb Kudah, and the invasion of Citi FM by National Security operatives.

The assault on Caleb Kudah last Tuesday has dominated discussions in Ghana.

Mr. Kudah was detained and assaulted by National Security operatives for filming abandoned MASLOC vehicles parked at the premises of the security agency.

Some heavily-armed National Security operatives subsequently stormed the premises of Citi FM/Citi TV to pick up Broadcast Journalist, Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo for receiving some of the files captured by Mr. Kudah.

The group in a statement called on Ghanaians to join in the protest, adding that the routes for the protest would be communicated later.

We have decided to have the conversation differently, by taking our case to the streets. We are inviting all well-meaning Ghanaians to join us on May 22nd for a massive protest in Accra to reclaim our rights as citizens. Details of the routes will be released soon.

It also listed several assault cases on journalists to justify its decision to take to the streets.

The management of Citi FM/Citi TV has petitioned the National Media Commission over the assault on Caleb Kudah and the invasion of the station.

The National Security Ministry also said it was investigating the issue.

---citinewsroom
Operatives of National Security arrested and assaulted Citi FM's Caleb Kudah, after they found him filming abandoned state-funded vehicles near their office on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.

The operatives subsequently besieged the premises of Citi FM to arrest another journalist, Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo because Caleb had sent the files to her via WhatsApp.

Both reporters were forced by the operatives to delete all multimedia materials on their phones.

The two are yet to be charged after their release on that same day.

Following this development and the vivid accounts given by the two journalists on The Point of View on Wednesday, several individuals and credible organizations have condemned the National Securitys handling of the situation, and called for a thorough probe, and also a restructuring of the national security outfit.

The National Security Secretariat in a statement on the development said it is investigating the matter.

OccupyGhana

Pressure group, OccupyGhana, in a statement last Friday expressed doubt that the national security will conduct any proper investigations into the matter. It said the only means to have a holistic probe into the circumstances surrounding the assault is for the government to set up an independent commission of inquiry into the unfortunate incident.

We have no faith that the National Security Ministry can provide a satisfactory investigation into the damning allegations, and therefore would like to advise the government to set up an independent body of inquiry into the matter, OccupyGhana said.

OneGhana movement

Social action group, OneGhana Movement, also backed OccupyGhanas position for an independent probe into the matter.

The movement however expressed its discomfort with the arrests carried out by the national security operatives, stressing that it amounts to usurpation of the powers of the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service.

It is also worrying to note that the National Security is almost operating a police service. The National Security Ministry is not a police service, it is an intelligence agency and should operate as such. Article 200(2) provides that no person or authority shall raise any police service except by or under the authority of an act of Parliament.

The modus operandi of the National Security, as it is now, amounts to usurpation of the powers of the IGP and a breach of the constitution of Ghana. Indeed, similar findings were made against the National Security in the Ayawaso West Commission Report where the Commission recommended among others that the SWAT team should be disbanded, it said.

CDD Ghana

While also calling for a thorough investigation into the arrest and assault, CDD Ghana said the development makes it more urgent to implement the recommendations of the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry which made a case for dissolution of the SWAT team of the National Security Council Secretariat.

Centre for Social Democracy

The Centre for Social Democracy, which also condemned the actions of the national security, stressed that the journalists did not err in videoing the abandoned state-funded vehicles.

A fellow at the Centre, Williams Ampomah, questioned the procedure employed by the security officers, further indicating that their action was an attempt to put fear in Ghanaians to stop them from further criticizing the government.

Human Rights and Governance Centre (HRGC)

The Human Rights and Governance Centre described the development as regretful, and urged the government to disband the SWAT team at the National Security to address the challenge.

ASEPA

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), described the manhandling of Caleb Kudah as a slap on media freedom.

It further said steps should be taken to ensure that the officers cited for the abuse are arrested and dealt with to serve as a deterrent to others who take the law into their own hands.

We entreat the police to adopt more civil means of dealing with the media when they fall short of the law. We don't want this whole negative publicity and all these things go a long way to affect our media freedom rankings and also our human rights indices as well.

MFWA

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), which has for a very long time been tracking attacks on journalists and the media, advised the management of Citi FM/Citi TV and journalist, Caleb Kudah, to take legal action against the National Security operatives who assaulted him.

I only hope that as our friend Caleb has narrated, if he was indeed assaulted, this is a matter that we should talk about. We should report to the police and pursue legal action. I don't think that anybody who is a National Security person is immune to our Justice system and so I think it is something that we have to do, MFWA Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah said in an interview on Eyewitness News.

Reporters Without Borders

An international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF), has pledged to ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out into the allegations of assault against Caleb Kudah and the action of the national security operatives.

The Ministry of National Security said it has initiated a probe into alleged brutality against Caleb Kudah and [arrest of] Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo. RSF will make sure that the investigation on this serious case is carried out effectively, it said in a tweet last week.

GIBA, PRINPAG, GJA

The three media-focused organizations in a joint statement on Sunday bemoaned the increasing cases of attack on journalists, and called for a total restructuring of the National Security Secretariat which has been at the centre of most of the attacks.

They also called on the National Security Secretariat to render an apology to the management of Citi FM and Citi TV over the arrest and assault of its journalist, Caleb Kudah, and the subsequent invasion of the premises of the media house on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.

We are of the view that, the time has come for the government to restructure the Ministry of National Security, re-orient the minds of these operatives, and to institute professional recruitment policies to ensure that the Ministry recruits the right calibre of professionals who will be entrusted with the intelligence mandate of the Ministry, the joint statement said.

It is the view of the leadership of the three media groups that, the handlers of Ghana's national security institute measures to weed out of the security agencies, undesired elements with barbaric and brutish tendencies, whose conduct always creates needless tension between poor civilians and the operatives of Ghana's national security, they added.

Meanwhile, the management of Citi FM and Citi TV has petitioned the National Media Commission over the matter.

---citinewsroom
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The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), has backed calls for an independent investigation into the alleged assault on Citi FMs Caleb Kudah by National Security operatives.

The PPP says it expects that the investigation will bring the operatives to book once they are found culpable.

The operatives, after arresting Caleb Kudah, besieged the premises of Citi FM to arrest another journalist, Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo because he had sent the files to her via WhatsApp.

They were subsequently compelled by the operatives to delete all multimedia materials on their phones.

The PPP condemned the attack in a statement, saying it is worried about the incessant brutalities that the Police and some members from the National Security mete out to innocent citizens in this country especially journalists.

While calling for the installation of CCTV cameras in all interrogation rooms for supervision of security personnel interrogating suspects, the party also called for the implementation of recommendations from the Emile Short Commission.

To prevent future brutalities on persons in custody, CCTV cameras should be provided in all interrogation rooms for supervision and make it a punishable offence for any security personnel who interrogates a suspect outside of such camera fitted interrogation rooms.

Implement fully aspects of the recommendations of the Emile Short commission report that government's white paper admitted, and punish all persons who were deemed to have acted unprofessionally.

NDC condemns assault

The NDC has already condemned the incident, saying the developments indicate a dangerous erosion of the [country's] democracy.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms this degradation of our democracy by the Akufo-Addo government. We condemn the continuous abuse of our rights protected by the Constitution by the marauding and wayward administration of President Akufo-Addo, the NDC said in a statement.

Other groups have also condemned the attack on Caleb Kudah and the invasion of Citi FM and Citi TV.

---citinewsroom
President Akufo-Addo has left Accra as part of his three-country working visit.

The President will be in France, Belgium and South Africa for nine days.

In France, President Akufo-Addo will attend the Summit on Financing African Economies to be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, May 18.

The Summit, which will bring together several African and European leaders, and heads of international financial institutions, will devise strategies that will boost strong, inclusive recovery in Africa, grounded in a dynamic private sector, help foster sustainable progress and prosperity, and accelerate the green and digital transition in line with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Whilst in Paris, President Akufo-Addo is scheduled to have bilateral discussions with the President of the World Bank, and the Managing Director of the IMF, who will both be attending the Summit.

The President will on Wednesday be in Belgium before travelling to South Africa on Monday, May 24 to address the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).

These working visits, according to the Presidency, are part of the efforts Mr Akufo-Addo is making to re-engage with the rest of the world , following the onset of the pandemic, and highlight Ghana, once again, as a country with an impressive business -friendly atmosphere, with bright economic prospects for the future.
A member of the National Communication Team of the opposition National Democratic Congress has expressed his disappointment in the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, GJA for his comment on the arrest of two journalists of Citi Fm and Citi Tv.

Mr Eric Adjei, who is also the Deputy Regional Communications Officer of the NDC in the Bono Region, made this comment on Adom TV during a panel discussion on the topic ''unpacking National Security handling of Citi Fm's reporters''.

The GJA President, Mr Affail Monney, has come under public backlash for his earlier comment that Mr Caleb Kudah breached the association's code of ethics when he filmed the grounded MASLOC vehicles at the National Security premises which, may have been a justification for the assault on him.

This comment by Mr Monney, have not gone down well with major players in the media and that led the Executive Director of ASEPA to issue a statement calling for his removal should he, Mr Affail Monney, failed to retract his comment and unreservedly apologise to the victim, Mr Caleb Kudah.

On Friday, May 14, 2021 Mr Affail Monney in a statement to clarify his earlier comment, said the had sketchy details on the incident at the time he was interviewed on it.

''Admittedly, the information i had was sketchy. I roundly condemned the invasion of Citi Fm premises by the National Security Operatives and apologise to Caleb for my earlier comment''.

Speaking to this issue, Mr Eric Adjei sympathised with Mr Caleb Kudah, the victim in this case and condemned the action of the National Security operatives.

''I am very disappointed in Mr Affail Monney for his earlier comment. Per your own code of ethics, one must always have the facts before one comes out to speak on issues and if the president of the association can breach on such ethics and later hide behind his failure and attribute it to sketchy information, then you must vote him out in your next election'.

''If you are a leader, in times of difficulty, you should always be there for your people,'' Mr Eric Adjei stated.

He continued, ''As a leader, if you immediately come out to condemn an act by your member, and later comes out to purportedly render an apology for claiming to have sketchy information on the act, then the members of the association must vote against you in the next election''.

Mr Eric Adjei, who was worried about the rampant attack on journalists by the National Security Operatives under the Akufo-Addo government, recounted on a number of similar attacks on journalists from 2017 to 2021 by National Security Operatives with impunity.

He talked about the arrest and torture of Modernghana journalists in June, 2019 by the National Security operatives over an opinion piece against Albert Kan-Dapaah, the National Security Minister. He said, up to date, nothing has been said of that case after Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah promised government was going to comment about the case after the internal investigation has ended.

''If you have such a leader as Mr Affail Monney, then why won't the National Security Operatives, continue to unleash mayhem on journalists in their line of duty''?
The French government promised Monday to lend $1.5 billion to Sudan to help it pay off its massive foreign debt, kicking off an international summit aimed at helping the aspiring democracy emerge from decades of authoritarian rule.

The conference hosted by President Emmanuel Macron aims to provide financing breathing room for Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok as he pursues economic reforms while paying off a foreign debt bill of $60 billion.

"Rebuilding an attractive and resilient market takes time, but today, I hope we will convince private investors that the fundamentals for business are fully there," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said ahead of the summit.

"President Macron will confirm later today that France will provide the $1.5 billion bridge loan to clear Sudan's arrears to the IMF," he said.

Several heads of state are in Paris to also discuss investment in Sudan, as is International Monetary Fund director Kristalina Georgieva, along with top European diplomats including EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Hamdok is pushing to rebuild and reform a crippled economy and end Sudan's international isolation under former strongman Omar al-Bashir, whose three decades of rule were marked by economic hardship and international sanctions.

On Tuesday, a Paris summit on African economies will try to fill a financing shortfall of almost $300 billion caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both meetings, held in a temporary exhibition centre near the Eiffel Tower, present a chance for Macron to show himself as a statesman on Africa whose influence goes beyond the continent's Francophone regions.

The meetings will also mark a return to in-person top-level gatherings after the Covid-19 pandemic made video conferences the norm.

Among those attending both meetings will be Rwandan President Paul Kagame in a rare visit to France as Paris presses for reconciliation with Kigali after a historic report made clear French failings over the 1994 genocide.

Also attending is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, making another journey to key ally France after his state visit in late 2020 enraged rights activists.

Macron's office said he would also meet privately with Sisi for talks on the escalating conflict in Gaza, where Israeli forces again launched air strikes overnight in response to rocket launches by Islamist group Hamas over the past week.

"France's goal is to stop the spiral of violence and support Egypt's mediation attempts," an official at the Elysee Palace told AFP.

'Explore opportunities'

France wants the Sudan summit to send a signal of the help African countries can receive if they embrace democracy and turn their backs on authoritarianism.

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok hopes to negotiate his country's debt. By ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP/File)

"The Sudanese transition is considered by us -- but also by the entire international community -- as an example of democratic transition in Africa and as such deserves special attention," said a French presidential official who requested anonymity.

The official said the summit aims to unite the international community around helping Sudan, in particular addressing its vast debt pile.

Hamdok told AFP ahead of the meeting that he hopes Sudan can secure relief and investment deals at the Paris conference.

Sudan's debts to the Paris Club, which includes major creditor countries, is estimated to make up around 38 percent of its total foreign debt.

"We are going to the Paris conference to let foreign investors explore the opportunities for investing in Sudan," Hamdok said. "We are not looking for grants or donations."

Africa summit

Sudan was taken off Washington's blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism in December, removing a major hurdle to foreign investment. But many challenges persist.

Also attending will be President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, whose country has been locked in a long dispute with Sudan over water resources that has sometimes threatened to erupt into open conflict.

Africa has so far been less badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic than other global regions -- with a total of 130,000 dead across the continent.

But the economic cost is only too apparent, and Tuesday's Africa summit will focus on making up the shortfall in the funds needed for future development -- a financial gap estimated by the IMF to amount to $290 billion up to 2023.

Around two dozen African leaders from across the continent will attend the meeting, including Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi whose country is battling a bloody Islamist insurrection in its north.

A French presidential official said Macron and Nyusi would hold a bilateral meeting and the summit would also be a chance for the international community to coordinate efforts to help Mozambique.
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If there was a eureka moment in fixing the economy post-covid, it came on the 10th of May 2021.

Alan Kyerematen, the industrious Minister of Trade & Industry paid a working visit to Dzata cement a wholly-owned Ghanaian cement producing company in Tema.

This $100 million state-of-the-art cement factory is wholly owned by Ibrahim Mahama, the former President's brother.

The Alan Factor and Industrialization :

The remarkable thing about the visit was that it started trending on social media sites similar to the fix the national trends.

The love for made by Ghanaians products was rekindled and this showed in the comments thousands of Ghanaians made with regards to Alan Kyerematens visit.

It's refreshing to see the huge interest from Ghanaians to buy Dzata cement from both home and abroad in the aftermath of the Trade Ministers visit.

As a Minister of Trade under President Kufuor, Alan Kyerematen instituted the vision of the Friday wear which Ghanaians bought in.

This accelerated the garment industry and helped to revive struggling local manufacturing businesses.

In 2005, when Friday Wear was patronized, GTP Company was one of the key beneficiaries of this policy.

The Alan factor is one that ultimately has the agenda of producing in Ghana at its core. Primarily, so because if more businesses are producing products and Ghanaians are patronizing, the net effect is that more high skilled jobs will be created for unemployed graduates.

More and more Ghanaian businesses will be encouraged to attempt processing and manufacturing because there's a political will to support which will lead to the success of these ventures.

The Way Forward for The Made in Ghana Vision :

President Akufo Addos vision of a Ghana beyond aid is fully on course and Alan Kyerematen is executing this strategic vision with excellence.

We all need to support Alan Kyerematen in advancing the Made in Ghana vision.

This is because it's a vision when accelerated and embraced by all Ghanaians will lead to the economic revolution and mass job creation we all desire.

The various support mechanisms for the Ghanaian to pursue industrialization need to be maximized and radically improved to support the job creation agenda for the youth.

The Ghanaian rejuvenation to buy Made in Ghana commodities have to be sustained and built upon.

Chinese Chopsticks Culture & Producing in China :

The love for chopsticks in China for example has led to a big boom in the Bamboo chopstick industry.

This chopsticks culture has also led to more large chopsticks factories that create hundreds of thousands of jobs for Chinese citizens.

China is the world's largest producer of disposable chopsticks and its chopsticks factories produce more than 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks annually.

This culture for chopsticks has enormously impacted the economy and the citizens as a whole.

Conclusion :

Alans achievements in his career have focused on job creation and domestication.

I am fully persuaded that he has more arsenals at his disposal to ensure that numerous employment opportunities are placed in the path of the Ghanaian youth through the industrialization agenda.

The ultimate dream of every nation is to see the strength and energies of its youth is channeled for development.

The struggle to overcome the growing gap with regards to unemployment will burnish on the altar of industrialization and the return to buy Made in Ghana and build in Ghana.
Naa Koryoo Foundation has pledged to provide Muslims in Kasoa with at least one ultramodern Islamic Education Institute to increase literacy and reduce the intimidation of Muslim students in some schools.

The founder of the foundation, Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor made the pledge during the Ed-al Fitir prayers at Kasoa Central Mosque in the Central Region.

According to her, the foundation believes all religions deserve equal rights to worship regardless of one's belief which is why her foundation has pledged to support the Islamic community in Kasoa with a school.

She said the foundation will collaborate with its foreign partners, Chiefs, Imams and Opinion leaders of the Muslim communities as well as the Ghana Education Service to deliberate on a place to build the facility in a good environment that will be conducive for teaching and learning.

Mrs Phyllis Naa Koryoo praised the Muslim community in Ghana for the mature way and manner they handled the Wesley Girls' High School brouhaha.

She uses the occasion to wish all Muslims around the world a happy Ed-al Fitir and called on them to use the occasion to pray for peace among Christians and Muslims around the world.

The Foundation donated bags of rice, boxes of oil and an undisclosed amount of cash to the less privileged within the Muslim Community.

The donation she said was to put smile on the faces of vulnerable Muslims during the Ed-al Fitr celebration.

She said the donation was just a token from her foundation to the less privileged within the Muslim and Zongo communities.

The beneficiaries of the items expressed their profound gratitude to Mrs Naa Koryoo for the kind gesture and prayed for her to succeed in her endeavor.

They further expressed gratitude for the support Naa Koryoo Foundation gave them during the month of Ramadan adding that the donation went a long way to support them throughout the Ramadan period.
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Last week we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the death of Reggae Legend Bob Marley and as a huge fan, I felt like writing something about a man who died when I was not born but yet had a great influence on my life and the way I think and sees things. Then again there are so many things running through my head as a young Ghanaian. It is for this reason I expect all young Ghanaians to reflect on the impact Bob Marley had on the world. Through his music, he inspired revolutions, he conscientize men of great thought and gave the world an anthem for love with his song titled 'One Love.' Bob Marley (in his song One Love) pleaded with mankind to get together and feel all right in one love and with one heart without prejudice, suspicions and hate.

But today I want you the young Ghanaian to do more than spreading love. I want you to pay attention to his song co-authored with Peter Tosh and The Wailers titled, 'Get Up, Stand Up.' In Get Up, Stand Up the legend admonishes us to get up and stand up for our rights. He says most of us think [a] great God will come from the skies and take away everything and make everyone feel high but [no!] if you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth.

Bob is telling us that, unless we strive to change our situation, mana will not fall from heaven on a silver platter. Before I left for work to work on Tuesday 11th May 2021, I shed tears listening to a mother narrate how she lost her son at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The doctors didn't fail me, the system did. She told Kokui Selormey of the Citi Breakfast Show. She reminded us all that the surgical ward her son was admitted to had only four beds and in emergencies, people have to wait their turn. In that ward, when you come with an emergency, they won't ask you whether you are NDC or NPP before giving you a bed she added. Whoever you are, your chances of surviving or dying is the same. That a piece of equipment as small as a defibrillator, seven of which can be bought at the price of one Toyota V8 can determine whether you live or die in a hospital as big as Korle Bu built 98 years ago should be enough trigger point for any reasonable young man to say, enough is enough, we've got to fix this country!

However, if that isn't enough for us to (in the words of Bob Marley) see the light and fight for our rights to a functioning healthcare system, what else will shine the light on us? We live in a country in which people willing to donate medical equipment to our facilities are asked to foot the shipping fees while those who are building hotels and importing luxury cars are being given tax exemptions. Our Finance Minister told us that until he was admitted to a hospital abroad, he didn't have a fair idea of how important investment in healthcare is to the citizenry. This should tell you how he is out of touch with the reality of the average Joe.

Over the weekend Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram wrote an emotional piece detailing how a 12-year-old boy died because he and his colleague MP could not secure a bed for the child who happens to be the son of a local Assembly Man. It is rather unfortunate the child died but the question is: if two Members of Parliament cannot secure a bed for a child, what about us sons and daughters of ordinary people with no connections? Indeed if the green leaves are burning, what will happen to the dried ones? So my young man, what else do you need to see the light again young man? This is why we must decide the issues to and not to politicise because the people we have voted to fix the problem always travel abroad to seek medical care while we are left to suffer yet we make ourselves available to defend them and make excuses for their inefficiencies and incompetence. What a shame!

In his song Zimbabwe dedicated to the independence of Zimbabwe, Bob Marley starts by reiterating the fact that, "every man has got the right to decide his own destiny." This resonates with the thinking of Nkrumah, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X etc all of whom stood for our collective right to decide the course of our destiny as black people. But how are we in charge of the course of our destiny when our hospitals and roads are deathtraps? How do we control our destiny when the Chinese run our economy running retail outlets filled with China-made goods and mining and destroying our land? How do we control our destiny when we are being entrapped with debts we can never repay? Where is our destiny when 76% of everything we have (GDP) is in debt? What is the destiny of the child who goes to school to spend three weeks only to return home to spend 3 months on holidays? What is the destiny of the cocoa farmer whose cocoa may not be wholesome for the world market because, through no fault of his, some mercury content has found its way into his cocoa? What is the destiny of the unemployed 30-year-old who isn't sure where his next meal will come from? What is the destiny of the young lady who must sell her body to afford basic things in life? What is the destiny of the university graduate who will waste his time and money to produce a thesis which will never be used in solving any problem and his chances of getting a job depends on whom he knows? What is the destiny of a country in which telling the truth is a crime? What is the destiny of a country full of God-loving, religious folks who will congregate in great numbers on Fridays and Sundays to ask for forgiveness only to spend the other days telling lies, hating, cheating and stealing?

Bob Marley died at 36 but we remember him today although some of us were not born when he lived and died. He died a youth. We are the youth of this country. What if we die at 36? What will our kinsmen remember us for? That we were attack dogs fed with crumbs from the dinner tables of the high and mighty to fight on the side of wrong and evil? Is there any single soul aside from our immediate friends and family who will remember us 40 years from today and say that he/she was a good man who fought for Ghana?

Is there truly any Ghanaian youth today who isn't genuinely sick and tired of the isms and schisms games in this republic? So then why are we not seeing the Babylon System for the vampire that it is and demanding a change in the leadership that will make the system work for us? As young people, the future of this country is ours to protect. We must get up, stand up as Bob Marley taught us and fight for our rights as Ghanaians. Until we are unanimous in our cry and demand for change in the system, we shall perish as fools. We mustn't give up the fight.
If you are fully vaccinated, it is an incentive to be able to remove your mask, but businesses and workplaces may still require this added layer of protection for their employees or customers that may have underlying conditions that continue to make them vulnerable to this virus, Beam said. We ask that Pennsylvanians continue to be kind and respectful to each other as we continue to fight COVID-19 in our communities and continue to get residents vaccinated.
King Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulama, Ghana branch over the weekend donated sanitary and some provisions to the Nima Polyclinic in Accra.

The donation forms part of the foundations public health programs which is aimed at complementing government efforts at providing the deprived health centers with the needed supplies in order to beef up the health delivery system in the country.

The items included Hand sanitizers, liquid detergents, bleach (Paragons), Detol disinfectants, Toiletries, and some provisions.

The Moroccan Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Mrs Imane Quaadil donated the items on behalf of the King Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulama, Ghana Branch to the Administrator of the Polyclinic.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Branch of the foundation Sheikh Usaman Barry said the foundation is committed to helping government to provide the needed supplies for less-endowed health centers.

Receiving the items, the Senior Medical Officer of the Polyclinic, Dr. Alexander Balinia Adda thanked King Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulama Ghana Branch for the kind gesture and assured that the items will be put to good use for the benefit of the patients.

He indicated that health workers have been living in peace with the people of Nima. He said being a predominantly Muslim area they have been supporting each other to render health service to the community.

He said the people of Nima respect and appreciate the doctors and the efforts they put in to give quality health care.

Dr. Alexander Balinia Adda appealed to King Mohammed VI to come to the aid of the clinic and support them with a surgical theatre to be able to take care of low-risk surgical cases while the bigger hospitals take care of high-risk ones.

He said very often it is women who usually need the service of the polyclinic but are not able to access such services at the Nima Polyclinic.

According to him, they are often compelled to refer most of their clients to bigger hospitals for surgical operation which could have been done at the Nima Polyclinic.
The Progressive People's Party (PPP) has called for an independent investigation into the unprofessional arrest and alleged torture of Caleb Kudah.

Last week, Citi FM/TV journalist Caleb Kudah was arrested by the National Security operatives for filming some grounded MASLOC vehicle at the premises of the National Security Ministry.

While his colleague Zoe Abu-Baidoo would later be picked up by heavily armed operatives of National Security subsequently, Caleb Kudah after his release revealed that he was assaulted and manhandled.

Joining the many calls, the PPP has today stressed that it is worried about the incessant brutalities the Police and some members from the National Security met out to innocent citizens in this country especially journalists.

More worrying is the recent Rambo-style arrest and alleged torture of Citi FM Journalist Caleb Kuda and Zoe at the premises of Citi FM and security custody respectively.

Caleb's alleged torture is one of the numerous incidences of such impunity among security operatives in recent past and it is sad to note that it will not be the last since nothing is being done to prevent such inhumane act and human rights abuses from happening again in the country, part of a press release from the PPP signed by National Chairman Nana Ofori Owusu has said.

In the foregoing, the PPP wants the government to investigate the arrest by the National Security operatives and the alleged torture of Caleb Kudah to ensure the perpetrators are punished.

Institute an urgent independent investigation into the unprofessional arrest and alleged torture of Caleb Kudah and bring unprofessional officers of the National Security who will be found culpable to book according to law, the release adds.

The PPP further recommends that to prevent future brutalities on persons in custody, CCTV cameras should be provided in all interrogation rooms for supervision and make it a punishable offence for any security personnel who interrogates a suspect outside of such camera fitted in interrogation rooms.

Below is the full release from the PPP:

For Immediate Release To All Media Houses

17th May 2021

End the Brutalities and Have Respect for the Fundamental Rights of Journalists and Citizens

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) is worried about the incessant brutalities the Police and some members from the National Security met out to innocent citizens in this country especially on journalists. More worrying is the recent Rambo style arrest and alleged torture of Citi FM Journalist Caleb Kuda and Zoe at the premises of Citi FM and security custody respectively.

Caleb's alleged torture is one of the numerous incidence of such impunity among security operatives in recent past and it is sad to note that it will not be the last since nothing is being done to prevent such inhumane act and human rights abuses from happening again in the country.

The entire chapter Five (5) of the 1992 constitution enjoins every citizen for certain fundamental human rights and frowns on any kind of torture and inhumane treatment meted on persons whether or not such persons has been arrested or convicted of a crime.

It enjoins all to treat suspects as being innocent until proven guilty. It is, therefore, unacceptable and unconstitutional for security personnel who are expected to know better to torture citizens in their custody instead of respecting their human rights.

We note that the recommendations of the Ayawaso West Wuogon commission report stating the removal of certain persons from the National Security, would have helped to serve as a framework to address such problem if the government had admitted to implement them and not reject major aspects of the recommendations as it was done.

Many of such unprofessional officers are still at post and continuing to act in ways that undermine the human rights of citizens. Again, as the Chairman of the Police council, the Vice President has remained silent over these brutalities and government functionaries also sit in armchairs with little concern to the plight of victims.

We in the PPP provide the following recommendations for immediate action by government:

Institute an urgent independent investigation into the unprofessional arrest and alleged torture of Caleb Kudah and bring unprofessional officers of the National Security who will be found culpable to book according to law.

To prevent future brutalities on persons in custody, CCTV cameras should be provided in all interrogation rooms for supervision and make it a punishable offence for any security personnel who interrogate a suspect outside of such camera fitted in interrogation rooms.

Implement fully aspects of the recommendations of the Emile Short commission report that governments white paper admitted and punish all persons who were deemed to have acted unprofessionally.

Implement the report of the constitutional review committee to ensure the absolute powers of the executive is reduced so Ghanaians can have good governance and demand proper accountability from the state.

We further demand a separation of the Attorney General from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). This separation will allow the total independence of the Attorney General to prosecute cases in the public interest without fear or favor.

The PPP believes the state must create a just and disciplined society which forms the basis of respect for fundamental human rights and bring true development for the people.

The blueprint for our development is the Constitution, as such, if defective, it skews our democratic principles negatively. The culture of impunity is partly attributable to the constitutional deficiencies we have identified which need fixing.

Thank you

Singed: Nana Ofori Owusu

(National Chairman)
The start of the corruption trial of South Africa's scandal-tainted ex-president Jacob Zuma, which was slated to start on Monday, has been postponed to May 26, a judge said.

Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military gear from five European arms firms for 30 billion rand, then the equivalent of nearly $5.0 billion.

The 79-year-old Zuma, who was at the time serving as deputy president to Thabo Mbeki, is accused of accepting bribes totalling four million rand from one of the firms, French defence giant Thales.

The case has been postponed numerous times as Zuma lodged a string of motions to have the charges dropped.

In the latest snag last month, all of Zuma's lawyers quit without explanation.

But his new lawyer, Thabani Masuku, told the court Monday: "Zuma is ready to proceed with trial, he has always been ready to proceed with trial".

Zuma has previously described the trial as a "political witch hunt".

Nearly everyone rose as Zuma, dressed in a dark blue suit, entered the wood-panelled courtroom at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

In response, he clasped his hands in front of his chest.

A man in the public gallery chanted "Long live Jacob Zuma, long live!"

Dozens of people, including senior ruling African National Congress (ANC) officials like the recently suspended party secretary general Ace Magashule, rallied in a show of support for the embattled former head of state.

"I am here to support president Zuma," Magashule told AFP, dismissing the trial as "so political".

A crowd of supporters dressed in yellow party T-shirts chanted outside the court house, waving ANC flags.

"We should allow president Zuma, with grace and dignity, to rest at home," said ANC lawmaker and former North West provincial premier Supra Mahumapelo.

He said Zuma has "consistently maintained no one is above the law. He has always submitted himself to the law. But at his advanced age, he should be allowed to go into obscurity and we to move forward as a society."

In power between 2009 and 2018, Zuma was forced to resign by the ANC after a mounting series of scandals.

His successor Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to root out corruption.
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Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Energy Minister says the intermittent power cuts is deliberately done to enable government fix the energy sector.

He calls it 'Dumsiesie' which means, off and fix.

Addressing Ghanaians through his official Twitter handle, the Honorable Minster shared a short video explaining the necessity for the erratic power supply in the country.

According to Dr Opoku Prempeh, the population has outgrown the transmission lines used in the 1950s and 1960s. He said these power lines were 161,000V was used to power a then Ghanaian population of about 6millon. Now the population has increased to about 30 billion, w hich has necessitated upgrades on the system .

People are hanging on 330kV and 161,000 volts power lines to upgrade the power cables. We cant have electricity running through these lines whilst work is being done on it. So we have to put out the lights somewhere so that someone can do that work.

He continued that this is why power cuts as been happening across the country. He said the current situation is not the same as the significant power cuts, Dumsor. That Ghanaians experienced between 2012 to 2016.
The Movement for Responsible and Accountable Governance (MoRAG), has backed calls for an independent investigation into the assault on Citi FM's Caleb Kudah and subsequent raid of the station by National Security operatives.

The operatives, after arresting Caleb Kudah, besieged the premises of Citi FM to arrest another journalist, Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo because he had sent the files to her via WhatsApp.

They were subsequently compelled by the operatives to delete all multimedia materials on their phones.

MoRAG in a statement condemned the attack.

First of all, MoRAG condemns these acts of the security officials in its strongest term. We believe the Ministry, under the instruction of ASP Samuel Azugu and Lieutenant Colonel Agyemang could have handled the matter more professionally.

The alleged brutality by the National Security personnel against Caleb Kudah was inhumane, uncharacteristic of modern-day policing.

The movement believes the National Security lacks the needed credibility to investigate the Caleb Kudah incident as they have not liver up to expectation in similar instances where they had to investigate or undertake reforms.

The movement further opined that the Ministry has not shown true fidelity to Ghanaians and cannot be trusted in investigating their own men.

It thus called for independent investigation into the sad happening.

MoRAG further recommended that the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, immediately constitutes a committee to investigate the case.

Additionally, the committee should extend its investigation to cover all brutalities by the National Security Ministry and other security agencies like the National Intelligence Bureau, formerly BNI.

The Ministry of National Security says it has initiated investigations into the incident.

---citinewsroom
The viral Fix-the-Country (FTC) versus Fix Yourselves First (FYF) protests have generated a controversy worth writing about. One may liken it to the age long Nature-Nurture Controversy or the chicken and egg debate (whether the egg is older than the chicken or the chicken is older the egg). It can also be called Fix Country- Fix Self Controversy or simply, Fix-Fix Controversy.

The FTC protest was started by the masses who are not wielding political power. Per the protest, the citizens are only telling the Nana Addo Administration to focus on fixing the numerous problems of the country such as bad roads nationwide, sanitation problems, healthcare problems, schools under trees and other education related problems, security problems, harsh economic conditions and many more.

Opponents of the FTC protest had also countered with another dictum that goes, Fix Yourselves First (FYF), thereby making the protest convoluted, aside the fact that the government through the Police is reluctant to permit the protest to be held with the gathering of the people.

In this article, I have discussed the FTC FYF Controversy pari passu, hence the discussion unfolds from two perspectives. These are what is required of government and what is required of the citizens. Suffice to say that I have taken an eclectic stand that both government and the citizens need to fix Ghanas problems.

Fix The Country (FTC)

Fortunately, Prof. Steve Addei is alive and he is currently serving on various public institutional boards in the Nana Addo Administration. It was Prof. Addei who said poignantly, Leadership is Cause, Everything else is Effect. This widely quoted assertion by Prof. Addei points to the fact that societal problems can only be blamed on leadership. In much the same way, the credit for solving societal problems goes to leaders in society. Whether good or bad occurs in society, leadership is the cause.

If Prof. Addeis leadership-is- cause-maxim is anything to go by, then it truly resonates with the FTC protest. It means that leadership is the cause of the problems Ghanaians want the current Administration to solve. As such, the Akuffo Addo Administration, must find lasting solutions to those problems. The problems are affecting costs and standards of living in Ghana. Some of the problems are also leading to the misuse of the countrys scarce resources whereas others are germane to preventable and untimely deaths especially on our roads.

In a democratic dispensation, a government is elected by the people with certain constitutional mandates to steer affairs of the country on behalf of the people. The government levies the people through taxation to do the job. The same government especially the Government of Ghana goes chasing foreign loans with harsh conditions attached. As if that is not enough, corruption swallows part of the loans so the countrys problems linger. The excessive foreign loans have made Ghanaians economic slaves to the donor countries.

It would be recalled that the Atta Mills Administration took over from the Kufuor Administration on January 7, 2009. After taking over, the Mills Administration was complaining about the weak economy and other challenges the country was going through. Members of the erstwhile Kufuor Administration and other Ghanaians retorted that Prof. Mills should fix the problems because that was the essence of his election as President. Little did we know that almost 9 years after Prof. Mills death, his political opponents (now in government) would be told the same thing to fix the countrys problems.

This time, the political leaders are telling the citizens to also fix their (the citizens) attitudes and some of the problems. One wonders how the individual citizens must be told to fix the countrys problems. Who causes the countrys budget to be prepared and laid before Parliament for approval? The answer to this question can be found in Article 179 (1) of the 1992 Constitution. Who manages the public funds of Ghana? Refer to Article 176 for the answer.

In any event, public goods have two main characteristics; they are non-excludable (one user cannot prevent others from using them) and they are non-rivalry (one persons use of the goods does not deny another person from using them). As such, there are certain public problems that only government must fix. For example, bad roads, poor streetlights, abandoned state projects, fulfilling the numerous campaign promises, neglect of the Fiadjoe Constitutional Review Commission Report etc. How can fixing themselves make the individual citizens complete the abandoned Saglemi affordable housing project and other similar projects since the days of Kwame Nkrumah? Government must be the one solving these problems so it is not out of place when President Akuffo Addo and his appointees are told to fix the country. After all, the President once led the famous Kume Preko Demonstration as a concerned citizen. He once said we are sitting on money but we are hungry.

In the just ended 2020 elections, the President made certain manifesto promises to the people. These promises arguably led to his re-election. Is it too much to request him to fix the countrys problems? Or is the Prof Addei dictum (Leadership is Cause, Everything else is Effect) not relevant again? It is still relevant, methinks.

Fix Yourselves First (FYC)

Having said the foregoing, it is equally true that the citizens must also fix their attitudes toward national interest and development. The 1992 Constitution says that in a descending order, the President, Vice President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice take precedence over all persons in Ghana [Article 57 (2)] so if Ghanaians must fix themselves, then it should happen through exemplary leadership, starting with the President. His promises to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa, fixing the problems of the Zongos and many other promises must be fulfilled as a way of fixing ourselves.

Actually, the individual citizens or the masses can fix some of the countrys problems. Keeping our surroundings clean and eschewing indiscriminate littering of streets cannot be a Presidential duty. Teenage pregnancies are problems that families must solve. Eschewing the throwing of rubbish into drains and building on waterways are issues individual citizens must handle. The President and his appointees are not blame for all the countrys problems.

The President is not the one who sells one plot of land to several buyers, thereby creating unnecessary land litigations. The President is not the cause of the numerous chieftaincy disputes in the country. The President is not omnipresent so he cannot be at so many places at the same time to see and fix all the problems confronting the country. Individual citizens must, therefore, fix themselves or fix their attitudes. The excessive noise making in public places especially in some churches and market places cannot be attributed to the President. Does the President drink and drive recklessly on our roads, causing accidents? No, some citizens do that. Fix yourselves indeed.

It is obvious from my take that fixing the countrys problems is the collective responsibility of the both the political leaders and the citizens. On this ground, therefore, one must analyse the Fix-the- Country versus Fix Yourselves First (Fix-Fix) controversy using a convergence rather than a dogmatic and one-sided approach. The elected officials alone cannot solve the countrys problems. However, the elected officials must not renege on their campaign promises or neglect their mandatory duties. They must lead in fixing the country. They are paid and made comfortable to do so.

~Asante Sana ~

Author: Philip Afeti Korto

Email: [email protected]
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Up the down escalator is how I see it; and that frightens me a lot more than down the up escalator. It's about a Gatwick Airport experience, flying to North Africa. I found the gradient of the escalators at that airport too steep for my liking. Being acrophobic, I suffer serious giddiness at heights. But looking up a steep escalator frightens me less than looking down an escalator of similar gradient. Thus, I'd rather look up an escalator than look down one.

Looking down an escalator is trickle-down economics long preached by Uncle Sam. 'My fellow Americans, trickle-down economics has never worked.' These words were spoken on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, by the overlord of Bretton-Woods, of trickle-down land. From that base, trickle-down apostles have been evangelising it as the only path to national development and prosperity, the elixir and panacea for curing underdevelopment. Let's note, though, Kufuornomics practised it much human-faced.

In trickle-down workings, as diagnosed in Kwame Nkrumah's 'Class Struggle in Africa,' a comprador class of the schooled (not interchangeable with the educated) professionals, businesspeople, military and traditional leaders, facilitates the operations of the foreign exploiter of their own compatriots. To that class Sir Sam and poor me belong, oiling the exploitation of the exploited by the exploiters who develop because we underdevelop.

To Sir, the missing piece in our development effort puzzle is dealing with 'compradorism,' whereby everything economy is foreign controlled. Kutu tried and failed to 'capture the 'commanding heights of the economy.' The AFRC attempt to check the Leventine stranglehold fizzled out during the PNDC reign. sono almost traded a presidential palace meal of pottage for foreign control of the retail merchandise trade. Now, it's bauxite for Sinohydro.

Apparently, the formation of a critical mass of a progressive middle class was gravely obstructed by the coups of 1966, 1972 and 1981. Self-exile pushed out many of those elements out of the motherland. Such elements would return with no fold to reengage or not return at all. Thus, the comprador role has been strengthened rather than being lessened for a transformative bourgeoisie.

Without that 'matriotic' critical mass of a middle class, then, opting for a bottom-up approach has come to mean 'ateyie' (living well) suicide for us 'compradoring.' Top-down trickle-down works by deceptive peaceful mouse-like bite and sniff tactics. The bottom-up works in deluge surge, through violent societal upheaval. It usually comes about through a revolution. As upstream flow, it requires huge wave push. That is the kind of wave that often sweeps along with it of name and wealth Sir, and only by name, my type.

Our dear motherland has experienced it all. From 1951-1966, it was a movement of the masses that speedily developed the motherland at a rate far ahead of her peers. It was only truncated by a comprador that cared more about the liberty of the individual than an accompanying economic liberation. Next was 1981-2000 which was squandered by a sloganeering comprador.

Call the nine-page Sam Jonah expression expose, ranting, or lamentations, as suits you. His most ardent critics may even want to say by 'escalator' he actually meant 'excavator,' since his career had been more associated with the latter. Mainly and by the audience type, though, as by his own preference, it's about 'reflections.'

His 'Down the up escalator: Reflections on Ghana's future by a Senior Citizen, Sam K. Jonah,' for Rotarians, has succeeded in provoking the debate he must have hoped for. And in my humble view, whichever way one may see it, it's been a national service and not the disservice some prefer it to be. I am a little perplexed, though. I'm unsure whether by 'down the up', Sir is advocating bottom-up or he's saying we are stuck at the bottom and therefore, there's a need to move up.

In our motherland political discourse, sadly in my view, often, what gets noticed is the reaction to the outrageous provoking punches thrown by congresspeople. (I'm not implying Sir is a congressperson) That is why I am convinced that, for as long as congress elements have some power in this motherland, the motherland cannot be hastened anywhere towards the good life and living conditions called development.

What the Sam Jonah 'fuss' shows is that there are at least two sides to national issues: the congress view and the sono view. In-between, maybe tilting a bit towards the sono view, though, must be the view beneficial to the motherland; especially where the two agree to chop chop. And there is a lot of agreement between the two in ripping off the motherland as in no assets declaration, ex-gratia for MPs every four years and collecting double salary as ministers and MPs.

To touch on just a bit of Sir's submission, we can easily broaden schooling as education to make teaching and upbringing more purposeful. Let us teach the sciences and technical subjects in our own language. I have been struggling with completing a small book for years because 'me brfo asa' (my English vocabulary is exhausted). Why that torture? And let the outcome be that EVERY high school graduate will have some functional artisanal skills; that is, upping the schooling and work nexus, to provide citizens with the proper education for life and living.

You must have guessed right that I am silent on the 'culture of silence.' Well, it's because I have written about it before. You may google and read it if you so wish. If you did that, you would find what I think it is and how much of it is happening or not happening now.

If we are back at PNDC culture of silence, this motherland has no future. Because that would mean if you are not NDC you must always do right, be perfect. The motherland expects the right to be done. Pay no, or less, attention or care about congress' provocateur first punch throwing. That's not possible.

Yes, if you're a #FixTheCountry, by all means talk about sono flaws. But in fairness, take a critical view of the fixing that is going on, because it's considerable. Roads, free SHS and RAILWAYS. Functioning 76 factories mean 14 per year by the current government. We have improved from one USD35 million white elephant factory. Sir and #FixTheCountry would not be complaining about manufacturing jobs if from January 7, 1993 governments would have been completing 14 factories per year.

Let all beware, though, you're not canvassing congress return to power. 'S wo annma wani anns nea wo w a, ne nyinaa hwere wo' (Without some appreciation, you risk losing everything.' That is not mediocrity; it is recognising real progress to inspire greater effort. If we need something more than sono to fix the motherland, let us look for that in, and not create opportunity for another congress government. Congress must disappear for the motherland to develop; otherwise, forget this motherland's quick acceleration to the development that was envisioned and contemplated in 1951.

By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh
After much delay and on the cusp of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, South Africa on Monday launched a large-scale immunisation drive, targeting around five million people aged over 60 by the end of June.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was on hand as nurses administered jabs at an elderly care facility in the mining town of Krugersdorp, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of Johannesburg.

Among the first seniors to receive their vaccinations under the mainstream campaign was 89-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner and retired archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Tutu and his wife Leah emerged in wheelchairs from the Brooklyn Chest Hospital in Cape Town after being immunised.

Despite being Africa's worst virus-hit country, registering more than 1.6 million cases including 55,210 deaths, South Africa has vaccinated fewer than 480,000 people or just one percent of its population, mainly health workers.

The drive started in February when South Africa became the first country in the world to administer inoculations by US pharma group Johnson & Johnson, but it has moved slowly.

The government, which has been widely criticised for the sluggish pace of the campaign, says it has ordered enough doses to vaccinate at least 45 million of the estimated 59 million population.

"Five million senior citizens are targeted to be completed by the end of June, provided that the supply of vaccines flow as anticipated," Mkhize said.

He said the country expects to have received 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and two million J&J doses in the next six weeks.

South Africa and India are leading a global campaign to waive intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines so that any country can produce vaccines, with poor countries so far lagging behind in the vaccination race.

'Vaccine apartheid'

President Cyril Ramaphosa deplored the shortfall.

"A situation in which the populations of advanced, rich countries are safely inoculated while millions in poorer countries die in the queue would be tantamount to vaccine apartheid," he said last week.

South Africa earlier this year purchased AstraZeneca vaccines and then sold them to other African countries over fears that they would be less effective.

Then, after it started inoculating healthcare workers with the J&J jabs, it had to pause for two weeks in mid-April to vet risks over blood clots that had been reported in the US.

The "phase two" rollout is being conducted at 87 vaccination sites using the Pfizer formula.

Minister Mkhize said the vaccinations would start "fairly slowly" but be ramped up towards the end of the month "because we are starting off with a new vaccine we have never used before."

After a brief lull, infections climbed by as much as 46 percent between the last week of April and the first week of May.

Some experts blame the backlog in the rollout for the jump.

"If we had the vaccine rolled out much earlier that would have helped," said medical professor Nombulelo Magula, who serves on the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and retired archbishop Desmond Tutu was among South Africa's first seniors to receive jabs on Monday as the country launched a massive immunisation drive for over-60s.

The 89-year-old anti-apartheid icon and his wife Leah emerged from Cape Town's Brooklyn Chest Hospital in wheelchairs after getting their shots.

After much delay and on the cusp of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, South Africa finally rolled out the much anticipated campaign, which aims to vaccinate around five million people aged over 60 by the end of June.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize visited an elder care facility in the mining town of Krugersdorp, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of Johannesburg where he looked on as nurses administered jabs.

Despite being Africa's worst virus-hit country, registering more than 1.6 million cases including 55,210 deaths, South Africa has vaccinated fewer than 480,000 people or just one percent of its population, mainly healthcare workers.

The drive started in February when South Africa became the first country in the world to administer inoculations by US pharma group Johnson & Johnson. By GIANLUIGI GUERCIA (POOL/AFP/File)

The drive started in February when South Africa became the first country in the world to administer inoculations by US pharma group Johnson & Johnson, but it has moved slowly.

The government, which has been widely criticised for the sluggish pace of the campaign, says it has ordered enough doses to vaccinate at least 45 million of the estimated 59 million population.

"Five million senior citizens are targeted to be completed by the end of June, provided that the supply of vaccines flow as anticipated," Mkhize said.

He said the country expects to have received 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and two million J&J doses in the next six weeks, and that 16.5 million people should be vaccinated by October.

South Africa and India are leading a global campaign to waive intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines so that any country can produce them, as poor lag behind in the vaccination race.

'Vaccine apartheid'

Last week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa deplored the shortfall.

"A situation in which the populations of advanced, rich countries are safely inoculated while millions in poorer countries die in the queue would be tantamount to vaccine apartheid," he said.

South Africa earlier this year purchased AstraZeneca vaccines, but then sold them to other African countries over fears that they would be less effective.

Tutu and his wife Leah emerged from Cape Town's Brooklyn Chest Hospital in wheelchairs after getting their jabs. By RODGER BOSCH (AFP)

Then, after it started inoculating healthcare workers with the J&J jabs, it had to pause for two weeks in mid-April to vet risks over blood clots that had been reported in the US.

The "phase two" rollout is being conducted at 87 vaccination sites using the Pfizer formula.

Mkhize said the vaccinations would start "fairly slowly" before being ramped up towards the end of the month "because we are starting off with a new vaccine we have never used before".

At a vaccination centre in Johannesburg's district of Germiston, retiree Asha Naran, 61, was relieved to finally get a shot.

"I'm very happy that we're getting the vaccine and we're moving forward... everywhere else they're getting it. Our family in India already got it twice. So they're quite ahead of us so we would like this thing to go faster," she told AFP after receiving her jab.

After a brief lull, infections in South Africa climbed by as much as 46 percent between the last week of April and the first week of May.

Some experts blame the jump in cases on the delayed jab campaign.

"If we had the vaccine rolled out much earlier that would have helped," said medical professor Nombulelo Magula, who serves on the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee.
A Business Executive Prince Charles Dedjoe accused of spousal murder, has filed an interlocutory injunction restraining his deceased wife's family from burying her.

Dedjoe, in his injunction, said he was in custody and that family cannot proceed with burial and funeral rites of Lilian Dedjoe in his absence.

Father of the Deceased, Seth Charles Bladzu, informed the Madina Magistrate Court about injunction as the Court adjourned the matter to May 24.

According to him, he was seeking the Court's permission to enable him attend and respond to the injunction before the High Court on the said date.

Meanwhile, Captain Retired Nkrabeah Effah Darteh, counsel for Dedjoe, is also praying the Madina District Court to order the Police to furnish them with the statement of the children of the deceased to him to facilitate his filing of a second bail application at the High Court.

At today's proceedings, Captain Rtd Effah Darteh said he found it strange for prosecution to say for the second time that they had not been served with application that would enable him get access to the children of the deceased investigation statements.

Defence counsel said the distance between the court's Registry and the Prosecution was not much and wondered how long it would take a court bailiff to serve the prosecution with his motion that would enable his bail application also be relisted.

The prosecution's case is that the complainant is the deceased's father who is a retired administrator, residing at Sogakope in the Volta Region.

The prosecution said the 43-year-trader, now deceased, was married to the Dedjoe and they both lived at East Legon, Accra.

It said, for sometime now, Dedjo and the deceased's relationship had been marred with some misunderstanding leading to conflicts between them.

The prosecution said on March 1, this year, a misunderstanding ensued between Dedjoe and Lilian and as a result, Dedjoe assaulted Lilian who sustained injuries and she went to the Madina Polyclinic for treatment.

It said when Lilian returned home, her condition deteriorated and on March 6, 2021, Lilian went into coma and was rushed to the Lister Hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The prosecution said a report was made to the Police and Dedjoe was arrested.

It said, during investigations, Dedjoe admitted assaulting the deceased with slippers.

The prosecution said a postmortem examination is yet to be carried out on the deceased.

Dedjoe is facing a charge of murder.

The Madina District Court has preserved the plea of the Dedjoe and he has been remanded into lawful custody.

GNA
The latest combined data from the state and Philadelphia health departments and the CDC show that 11.17 million vaccinations have been administered to 6.72 million residents, accounting for 60.6% of the states 12-and-older population. There are 4.84 million people  43.7% of the eligible population  fully vaccinated, excluding those vaccinated in U.S. government facilities or through federal nursing home clinics for residents and staff. About 1.88 million people are in need of their follow-up shot.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday sought to rally support for Sudan including debt relief at an international summit, praising the country as an "inspiration" in its transition after years of authoritarian rule.

The French government promised to lend $1.5 billion (1.24 billion euros) to Sudan to help it pay off its massive foreign debt, as Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok pursues economic reforms while paying off bills of some $60 billion.

France wants the Sudan summit to send a signal about the help African countries can receive if they embrace democracy and turn their backs on authoritarianism.

Hamdok is pushing to rebuild a crippled economy and end the international isolation Sudan endured under former strongman Omar al-Bashir, whose three decades of rule were marked by sanctions and hardship.

"Despite the difficulties, considerable progress has been made since the fall of the old regime," Macron said in his opening address.

Hailing Sudan's transition as "an inspiration" and a "precedent", he said that the international community has "collective responsibility" to realise its goals.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said ahead of the summit that the $1.5 billion bridge loan would clear Sudan's arrears to the IMF.

"Rebuilding an attractive and resilient market takes time, but today I hope we will convince private investors that the fundamentals for business are fully there."

'Explore opportunities'

Hamdok told AFP in Khartoum in the run-up to the meeting that he hopes Sudan can secure relief and investment deals at the Paris conference.

Sudan's debts to the Paris Club, which includes major creditor countries, is estimated to make up around 38 percent of its total foreign debt.

"We are going to the Paris conference to let foreign investors explore the opportunities for investing in Sudan," Hamdok said. "We are not looking for grants or donations."

Macron praised the Sudan revolution that in 2019 ousted Bashir as "post-Islamist" and said it had been unique in the region.

"For the first time in the entire region, it put an end to a regime using the weapon of political Islam to cover up its mistakes and to divide its people," said Macron.

Sudan was taken off Washington's blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism in December, removing a major hurdle to foreign investment. But many challenges persist.

Also attending will be President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, whose country has been locked in a long dispute with Sudan over water resources that has sometimes threatened to erupt into open conflict.

Several heads of state are also in Paris to discuss investment in Sudan, as is International Monetary Fund director Kristalina Georgieva, along with top European diplomats including EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Africa summit

On Tuesday, a Paris summit on African economies will try to fill a financing shortfall of almost $300 billion caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both meetings, held in a temporary exhibition centre near the Eiffel Tower, present a chance for Macron to show himself as a statesman on Africa whose influence goes beyond the continent's Francophone regions.

The meetings will also mark a return to in-person top-level gatherings after the Covid-19 pandemic made video conferences the norm.

Among those attending both summits will be Rwandan President Paul Kagame in a rare visit to France as Paris presses for reconciliation with Kigali after a historic report made clear French failings over the 1994 genocide.

Also attending is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, making another journey to key ally France after his state visit in late 2020 enraged rights activists.

Macron's office said he would also meet privately with Sisi for talks on the escalating conflict in Gaza, where Israeli forces again launched air strikes overnight in response to rocket launches by Islamist group Hamas over the past week.

"France's goal is to stop the spiral of violence and support Egypt's mediation attempts," an official at the Elysee Palace told AFP.

Africa has so far been less badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic than other global regions with a total of 130,000 dead across the continent.

But the economic cost is only too apparent, and Tuesday's Africa summit will focus on making up the shortfall in the funds needed for future development -- a financial gap estimated by the IMF to amount to $290 billion up to 2023.
The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin has called on President Nana Akufo Addo to decentralise all ministries such that dealing with sanitation issues coupled with the workload and population in Accra can be reduced.

According to him, this will fairly ensure shared responsibilities across the length and breadth of the country to enhance development.

According to him, the move will bring government appointees and workers' focus on the jobs in the regions and he believes they will work diligently.

"Government must make sure he expands ministries to every region. The workforce must leave Accra to the areas the jobs are located, only that way the country can develop" Accra is loaded with all the ministries while the jobs are outside Accra. How can a commission be in Accra while forests are in other regions? And the dirt in the capital alone is a lot of works and when the decentralization is done it will reduce the population in the country and the dirt will reduce automatically." he indicated.

The Okyehene made these observations when the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Hon Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her team visited the region to tour the water treatment plants in the Eastern region.

Touching on the illegal mining 'Galamsey' in the region, he denied allegations of Galamsey in Kyebi insisting that the allegations are untrue.

He said water is life, hence access to potable water is a necessity to every man's life.

"The foreigners coming to Ghana don't have any good intentions about Ghana rather than mining which we Ghanaians must not let them. We must stop showing them the areas where the minerals are located because if we don't they will destroy all our water bodies."

He said, his outfit will continue to support the president in the fight against galamsey in the country to protect the rest of the water from contamination.

He also admonished authorities to enforce all sanitation by-laws in the country to punish any cooperative body or individual that violates them.

"Our water bodies are being destroyed simply because we say there are no jobs in the country. I will encourage them to find something meaningful like planting for food and jobs to earn a living. Government must make sure the laws are enforced and punish anyone who breaks the law."

The Okyehene also used the opportunity to debunk allegations of free Wi-Fi internet networks in Kyebi.

"I would like to commend H.E Nana Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Hon. Cecelia Abena Dapaah for their hard work towards the fight against illegal mining and making sure our water bodies bounce back in good shape."

The four-day tour which commenced today at Kyebi in the Eastern Region by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources is aimed at checking on water bodies and making sure water treatment plants in the regions are in shape.

The first point of call was the Osuio Water Treatment, Bunso Water Treatment Plant then the Kyebi Tutake plant.

On her part, Hon. Cecelia Abena Dapaah during an interaction with the media expressed excitement upon seeing both water bodies and treatment plants in good shape.

"The government will continue to work assiduously to ensure Ghanaians have access to clean and potable drinking water," the Minister assured.
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There has been a plethora of views proffered by the proponents of each of the mentioned movements from the traditional social media platforms to the traditional media outlets. However, a very fundamental question still lingers on the minds of well-meaning Ghanaians, begging for answers. Does one necessarily need to fix him/herself before the general agenda of nation building can take place? Does the fixing of a country include the fixing of the minds of the individual citizens?

I will attempt to address the above vexing matters by drawing inspiration from the Hobbesian social contract political theory. According to this theory, the individual citizen in a state, who are the gate keepers in the political system, engage in a fiduciary contract with the state through voting. As a result, the state is tasked with a responsibility of providing social goods to satisfy the needs of the citizens. The state in this regard act as a trustee of its citizens.

James Madison, a medieval American statesman is credited with a very powerful statement which I will like to quote, If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.

Every government has a fundamental duty of providing social goods for its citizens to achieve the best possible social order in a polity. That is why prior to every election, political parties are allowed to campaign on the basis of their political platform (manifestoes) which outline their developmental vision for the country, which ranges from the economy, health, infrastructure, education and a host of others.

Political platforms (manifestoes) are therefore record documents that can be accessed and verified at any time by the individual citizens of the state to assess the developmental progress of any government. This is a sacred task that must be performed by the citizens in all fairness and soundness of mind.

The individual citizens, who are the gatekeepers of the country have every right per their social contract with the state, to demand accountability for the progress of development. Therefore, I will at any day see as preposterous, any attempt to denigrade any citizen of a country for demanding performance accountability from the state. This is a duty of right and sanctity.

As mentioned above, men (citizens) are not angels that is why an institution called government is established to act in trust of the citizens. In the same vain, the state and its actors are not angels. So what is wrong with men seeking accountability by putting their fellow humans on their toes? The fact is, humans are very fallible so it will certainly take another fallible human to make two fallibles, infallible to a certain extent.

Nation building is a complete and holistic process which thrives on the individual citizens. Mind you, it is the citizens who are the end users or beneficiaries of every project undertaken by the government. Wherefore, the citizens must be of the right mindsets and attitudes to ensure the success and longevity or relevance of any governmental project and initiative. The question is; whose duty is it to fix the attitudinal and behavioral defects of the citizens?

Attitudinal and character formation are basically nurtured at home. That is, the first point of call for every individual. Nonetheless, the state, which is the ultimate authority, must put in place structures and initiatives to deal with deviance that will spill out of the character nurturing roles of the family.

That is the more reason why every state has its coercive arms or forces to ensure compliance in a polity. Accordingly, if the character and behavior of the citizens in a state do not help or support the state in fulfilling its mandate, it is the duty of the state to use the powers at its disposal constitutionally or otherwise, needs be, to ensure compliance. After all, it is the state that will assume responsibility for the failure or otherwise of its citizens.

#FixTheCountry or #FixYourself; I strongly think that they are all needful, logical and fair but I think that these movements are not mutually exclusive. It is the duty of the state to fix the country. There is not shred of ambiguity about this. Also in the process of building the country, the character and behavior of the citizens ostensibly have to be fixed through the policy creativity and ingenuity of the state. I therefore see nothing wrong with citizens demanding for their country to be fixed.

The main problem in our part of the world is that, the citizens are too polarized politically. We attach emotions, inclinations and attachments to every issue that arises. We therefore cease to look at issue holistically to see the general sense in them. It is however unfortunate that the movement #FixTheCountry was wrongfully attributed to a specific regime or government. This attribution also stems from our inability to accept issues holistically.

To this end, I will indicate that we need a crop of citizens, who will see issues with objectivity in order to put our leaders on their toes in the bid to enforcing our social contract with them. Until this is done, our country will continually witness the regime of confused priority application in state developments and funds. Ghana deserves better whether you belong to party A or B.

Nana Osei Boateng

(Political Scientist, Broadcaster, Educator, Columnist)
A former Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Inusah Fuseini, wants a probe into the alleged burning of equipment belonging to licensed small-scale miners in the country.

The Communications Director for the Small-Scale Miners Association, Abdul Razak Alhassan, recently complained about the burning of mining equipment owned by its members.

This, he described as a stab in the back as there was no mention of the military operations affecting them at the Stakeholder Dialogue on Small Scale Mining which took place from April 14 to 15, 2021.

We need clarifications on the President's directive to the military. We do not understand why the government made a u-turn on the issues raised at the meeting held at the Accra International Conference Centre.

We never discussed anything about involving the military in clearing people operating with legally acquired licences.

But Alhaji Inusah Fuseini believes that although some small-scale miners are licensed, they tend to operate illegally causing environmental degradation.

People have licenses to mine, and they have to mine in a responsible manner, so if a licensed company does not mine in accordance with the permit given, and instead pollutes water bodies and degrades the environment, that company is engaging in an illegality.

The former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central however called for proper investigations to understand the circumstances under which those machines were burnt.

Currently, the Ghana Armed Forces has commenced the second phase of a security operation to fight illegal small-scale mining affecting water bodies and forest reserves.

A statement from the Ministry of Information said the exercise, dubbed 'Operation Halt II', is aimed at removing all persons and logistics involved in mining on water bodies.

The new phase of the operation focuses on the tributaries of the Pra River, which have also been significantly affected by the activities of illegal miners, the statement added.

The Ghana Armed Forces has also commenced armed patrols of the Pra river.

The operation is being undertaken by 400 men of all ranks.

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Delft after protests against the local government. One of South Africa's first social impact bonds funded a project in the town. - Source: Jaco Marais/Gallo Images via Getty Images

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Social impact bonds are a financing model for social welfare services based on payment by results. They are relatively new : the first was launched in the UK in 2010, and the first in a developing country in Colombia in 2017. Nearly 140 have been launched in the last 10 years. About 70 are being developed.

In social impact bonds, investors provide working capital upfront to nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to deliver services. If the NGO successfully meets predefined targets  like placing a certain number of work-seekers in jobs  outcome funders repay investors with interest. If NGOs miss the outcome targets, outcome funders reduce their payments to investors in proportion to the performance gap, thus diminishing their returns.

If targets are missed by a wide margin, the investors could also lose their capital.

In most cases, it is philanthropists (typically charitable or corporate foundations) that provide all the investment capital. Rather than providing grants, the investments give these philanthropists the chance to earn returns and recycle social expenditure, ensuring that the money goes a little further.

The performance against the outcome targets is confirmed by an independent outcome auditor, with the financial management audited by a financial auditor. An intermediary typically solicits investments and outcome funding, manages the relationships between the different participants, and assists the service providers in developing results-based systems.

This capacity building  along with the promise of larger pools of funding  is a drawcard for NGOs. Another is that it opens an alternative funding door in an environment that has seen a decline in funding from traditional donors.

The first two social impact bonds were initiated in South Africa in 2018. They concluded last year. Both pioneered new solutions to stubbornly persistent social problems. They also increased the money available to social expenditure by soliciting private investment capital.

I was involved in compiling a series of reports for the research firm Intellidex about their financial and social performance.

The reports concluded that social impact bonds showed innovation in areas that desperately needed it. And with minor adjustments, they should be applied more widely.

The projects

The first social impact bond in South Africa  Bonds4Jobs  had a single performance target: the placement of economically excluded young people into well-paying, higher-complexity jobs. Meeting the target was the responsibility of NGOs that provide training and job-matching services to young people and employers. The project was led by the non-profit Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator . Two additional providers were brought in after the successful first year.

Matching is an approach to youth training that designs training in consultation with employers. It combines additional services with training for work-seekers. This involves the profiling of job-seekers so that they are trained for specific jobs that fit their competences and abilities.

Research has demonstrated that many employability programmes for young people aren't developed on a matching basis. This reduces their effectiveness and means that substantial spending  by the state, private sector and civil society  is inefficient. In turn, this contributes to the unending catastrophe that is youth unemployment in South Africa. At the end of 2020 , 63% of 15-24 year olds, and 41% of 25-34 year olds, were unemployed.

The service providers were successful, meeting the social impact bond's job target of 600 medium complexity jobs in the first year and missing it by only a small margin in the second year (1,209 placements against a 1,400 jobs target). This was due to the COVID-19 related national lockdown.

The social impact bond was terminated by the intermediaries two years earlier than anticipated and with full repayment of capital and returns (ranging from 7% to 11% per year) to investors. The decision to terminate was taken due to the extraordinarily negative economic environment.

The second social impact bond  the Impact Bond Innovation Fund (IBIF)  ended on schedule in November 2020 after an investment term of three years. Here, the Western Cape Foundation for Community Work provided home-based early learning services to preschool-aged children in two impoverished communities in the Cape metro area: Delft and Atlantis. For most South Africans, early learning services delivered in preschool-like environments are very expensive . Where services are accessible, they are typically bad .

The performance targets were:

the recruitment and retention of 2,000 children in the programme over the three assessment years,

attendance of a set number of sessions, and

improvements relative to a group of similar children in the Early Learning Outcomes Measure  a test that assesses programme impacts on early learning.

The project significantly over-achieved on the first target. However, though improvements were achieved, the early learning outcome measure targets were missed. This was largely due to the fact that the IBIF was the first time the test had been applied to a home visiting (rather than centre-based) model. This made setting targets difficult.

Rich learnings

In both social impact bonds, the priority of the NGOs was meeting the performance targets. This results orientation  along with the provision of working capital by investors to cover service delivery costs upfront  allowed service providers to try new things to ensure that targets were met.

The service providers' efforts were supported by the intermediaries. They built the capacity of NGOs to improve service delivery, especially in the area of monitoring and evaluation. These systems allowed for a better understanding of performance, the needs of staff and beneficiaries, and what needed to be changed to ensure targets were met.

A major consequence of the monitoring and evaluation was that the evidence base about effective programming in youth employability and early learning has grown. Bonds4Jobs showed that it is possible to use a matching approach to deliver decent jobs to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. This has already led to a change in the way the state designs some employment programming. Similarly, the IBIF showed the usefulness of home-based services in improving access to quality early learning and improving child-carer interaction.

The hope is that future social impact bonds will build in rigorous impact evaluation  rather than simple outcome verification. This would allow for a more nuanced understanding of the various effects of social programming, and how they might differ for different groups of beneficiaries.

Secondly, to really begin to make a dent in youth unemployment and inadequate early learning, performance targets will need to be more ambitious.

This could be achieved by intermediaries building capacities of smaller, less well-resourced NGOs to deliver services differently and in more areas.

Scale could also be achieved by the state adopting models that have been proven with the social impact bonds.

Next frontier

The next frontier in social impact bonds is attracting larger volumes of commercial investment. For this to happen, bigger transactions serving more beneficiaries are needed. In addition, a blended capital stack, as employed in Bonds4Jobs  where philanthropists take losses first, and commercial investors are the first to be paid out  is a promising feature that lowers the risk profile for investors.

Finally, more market development is required. As social impact bonds and similar instruments proliferate, and as benchmarks are developed, investing in them will seem less niche. But the need to make investment profiles attractive for commercial investors must be balanced against the needs of outcome funders who also require a good deal. It makes little sense for governments to pay investors returns unless they are shouldering significant risk in financing innovative programmes to vulnerable populations.

The research series on the South African social impact bonds was funded by the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation (Tutuwa). Tutuwa participated as an investor in both the social impact bonds that we studied. However, the work was independently researched and written by Intellidex. Zoheb Khan works as the social economy research manage at Intellidex. He is also a research associate at the Centre for Social Development at the University of Johannesburg.

By Zoheb Khan, Researcher, University of Johannesburg
CyberGhana, a non-profit orgnisation in Ghana, has launched a state-of-the-art cybersecurity centre at Takoradi Technical University.

Takoradi Technical University (TTU) is the 6th Technical University to partner Non-profit Organization, CyberGhana, for the installment of modern cybersecurity and forensic center in Ghana.

The facility which seeks to build a cybersecurity and cyber engineering workforce across the country was officially open on May 7, 2021.

The first five institutions that benefited from the project are Cape Coast Technical University, Sunyani Technical University, Koforidua Technical University, Bolgatanga Technical University, and Ghana Baptist University College. The facilities will serve as resource centres for security consulting services, research and development, and cyber workforce development.

Reverend Professor John Frank Eshun, Vice-Chancellor of TTU, said the centre reinforces TTUs determination to become a center of excellence and a technical institution that help in addressing problems of this current dispensation.

It is envisaged that the centre will train many people who will help unravel the myth behind cyber-crime, digital forensics and other cyber-related issues which confront our nation today.

The centre will offer prospective students certificates and Diplomas in cyber programmes This state-of-the-art centre will serve as an employment avenue for our teaming graduates looking to start their enterprises, he asserted.

On the part of Mr. David Davor, Assistant Manager of CyberGhana, the move to expand the project to the various regions in Ghana is an opportunity for businesses and youths to benefit from the global growth in cybersecurity jobs.

National Initiative for Cyber Engineering, Science and Technology Educational Programme (NICESTEP CyberLabs) cybersecurity project, according to the Executive Director of CyberGhana, Sam Aduafo Owusu is intended to provide consultancy services on cybersecurity and forensics as well as hands-on training for interested persons to pioneer artificial knowledge studies in the country.
The leadership of the Tano North branch of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) has organised a sensitization workshop for its members at the Tano North Municipal Assembly Hall.

The theme of the said program was "Where would be their fate after National Service ".

They indicated that would government provide them with jobs, since Ghana's economy has been severely affected by the corona virus. According to them, the end of their service period is just around the corner and called on government to put measures in place to address alarming rate of unemployment issues confronting the nation.

In his welcome address the Tano North Municipal president for (NASPA) Mr. Oteng Jake Ashong said, the reason behind the organisation of the workshop was to expose the personnel to some of the activities that could help them to secure white cola jobs after performance of their National Service.

The Tano North Municipal Director of Human Resource Mr. Yaw Larbi Kissiedu urged the personnel to cultivate the habit of saving and explore the internet for job opportunities. He also informed them to undergo livestock farming including stock trading.

On the other hand, Mr. Collins Akuamoah Boateng, the Technical Director of Grassroot Hub educated the participants on procedures of writing an effective business plan and urged them to take advantage of any opportunity that may come their way since success is not achieved on a silver platter.

For his part, the Executive Director for Prove for Justice Ghana, Mr. Gordon Walter Seade took the participants through the topics like the preparation of curriculum vitae, cover letter, and Interview orientation.

The Tano North Municipal Director for National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) Madam Vanessa Asomea Takyi encouraged the personnel to work hard to enable them to achieve their goals and aspirations. According to her, a good entrepreneur must have a vision and however charged the service personnel to be focused in any field they may find themselves after the service.

The Brong Ahafo Regional President for NASPA Mr. Gyasi Berchie Antwi Prince, advised all participants that government has a scholarship package for those who want to further their education and urged all interested persons to apply through the National Service Secretariat.
The Human Rights Court 1 of the High Court in Accra will on May 31 deliver its judgement on the Oheneba Nkrabea suit against the Achimota School and three others.

The lawyer for the applicant, Wayoe Ghanamannti in arguing on the substance of the case, opined that per the offences and sanctions contained in the Achimota school rules, deferring his admission into the school would be contrary to its own regulations.

This is because students found to be keeping bushy hair are liable to an internal or external suspension, a punishment that can only be administered to a student enrolled at the school.

For the Chief State Attorney, Stella Badu, and lawyer for the Achimota school, Kwesi Fynn, allowing Oheneba Nkrabea to maintain his dreadlocks will defy the rules of uniformity on campus and maybe unhealthy.

The court, presided over by her ladyship, Gifty Adjei Addo, thus set the day for judgement on Monday, May 31, the same day that the other rastafarian student, Tyrone Marhguy's case would be decided.
Mali's largest trade union paralysed banks and government offices on Monday after launching a strike in the West African country, amid growing disenchantment with the post-coup government.

The National Union of Malian Workers (UNTM), which represents public servants and private-sector employees, called the 4-day strike after pay negotiations with Mali's interim government collapsed.

UNTM official Ousmane Traore told AFP that workers in banks, the treasury and the departments of customs and taxes were mostly following the strike.

"In all regions of Mali and in Bamako, the administration is paralysed," he added, referring to the landlocked nation's capital.

Mali is governed by an transitional government installed after military officers deposed president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August, after weeks of protests over his handling of Mali's jihadist insurgency, and perceived corruption.

Under the threat of international sanctions, the military handed power between September and October to a caretaker government that pledged to reform the constitution and stage elections within 18 months.

But figures with army links dominate this body, and there is growing anger about their prominent role and the slowness of reforms.

Coup leader Assimi Goita is currently serving as interim vice president and the interim president, Bah Ndaw, is a retired army officer.

This month, the M5 opposition movement -- which led anti-Keita protests in 2020 -- also urged dissolving the transitional government in favour of "a more legitimate" body.

Responding to growing criticism, the presidency said last week that Interim Prime Minister Moctar Ouane would form a more inclusive cabinet.

M5 has already refused to participate in the new government, however. The question of the military's participation is particularly fraught.

Political contestation in Mali has raised concerns among the the war-torn country's neighbours.

A delegation from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States urged the UNTM to delay its strike until a new government is formed, according to union official Traore.

"We told them that the government was dissolved in the middle of negotiations. So we can't stop," Traore said.
Rwanda President Paul Kagame on Monday dismissed "noise" over the arrest and trial of his critic Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the movie "Hotel Rwanda", while defending the government's role in tricking him into returning home.

Rusesabagina had been living in exile in Belgium until his arrest in August after he boarded a plane to Rwandan capital Kigali when he thought he was going to neighbouring Burundi.

The United States, the European parliament and Belgium have raised concerns about his transfer and the fairness of his trial on terrorism charges.

"I don't see why people make a lot of noise. He is in a court of law. He is not being hidden somewhere," Kagame told journalists from the France 24 television channel and RFI radio.

"What's wrong with tricking a criminal you are looking for? When you get him, where do you put him? If it is in a court of law, I think that's ok," he added.

Rusesabagina has been charged with nine offences, including terrorism, for starting a group that is accused of staging deadly attacks within Rwanda in recent years.

He is credited with sheltering hundreds of Rwandans inside a hotel he managed during the 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 mostly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus were slaughtered.

But, in the years after Hollywood made him an international celebrity, a more complex image emerged of a staunch government critic, whose tirades against Kagame led him to be treated as an enemy of the state.

Kagame has been in power since 1994 and is accused by critics of crushing opponents and ruling through fear.

While defending legal process in Rwanda, he dismissed calls by Congolese activists, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, for accountability for crimes committed by troops active in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo from the 1990s.

He called a UN investigation known as the Mapping Report into alleged war crimes, including by Rwandans, "extremely controversial" and "highly disputed by people."

"It was highly politicised. Mukwege becomes a symbol or a tool of these forces you don't get to see. He is made a Nobel laureate, he's told what to say," he added.
This year we are extending the access and opportunity to all of our students K-12 to have some type of summer learning experience, whether it be in person, hybrid or as a remote learning option, Brown said. Whats known as the summer slide or summer decline really impacts our students. We know that the achievement gap  which is what we were calling it before COVID  is more pronounced in the area of STEM.
The Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana says it will embark on an indefinite nationwide strike from Tuesday, May 18.

The Association explained that the decision follows the government's failure to address the concerns of its members after they called off a similar action early on in the year.

The intended strike comes on the back of the government's inability to pay the tier-2 pension arrears, market premiums, and non-basic allowances of members.

In an interview with Citi News, the National Chairman of the Association, Mohammed Zakaria, said the government has consistently failed to address their concerns despite earlier promises.

We submitted our letter of intent to the National Labour Commission (NLC) on the 7th of this month, but we have not heard anything. We have been disappointed so many times. This strike will hold till our demands are met.

In February 2021, the Association declared a strike over the same concerns but was forced to suspend it after the National Labour Commission (NLC) secured an interlocutory injunction from the High Court, Labour Division, against them.

The NLC had had earlier given a directive that the government should do everything possible to pay the outstanding pension arrears to the Association by end of March 2021.

---citinewsroom
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Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has attributed the current challenges at various hospitals to bureaucratic processes at the Ministry of Health.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. George said these practices frustrate benevolent persons who try to support hospitals in dire need of medical equipment and supplies.

He recounted how officials at the Health Ministry attempted to cut deals with him on some medical supplies yet to be received into the country.

His revelation comes in the wake of the death of the son of an Assembly Member in his constituency.

The 12-year-old boy was rushed to the Battor Catholic Hospital but was later referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Korle Bu declined to admit him, citing the usual no bed syndrome as their reason.

The MP said the Ministry of Health is to blame for some of these challenges at the various hospitals.

If it had to take our Finance Minister going to sleep in a hospital for five weeks in the US to realize the problems in our society. It should tell you why they have not agreed to put money in there. I have a constituent who is a retired soldier in the US army, who wants to bring a container load of medical supplies. Before he brings it, we go to the port to say I am bringing a container load of medical supplies. I am asked to pay duty or go to the Ministry of Health for exemption. When we go to the Ghana Health Service for exemption, I am told by the officer that if I am not ready to do a deal, I will not get an exemption letter. Until now, that container has not come.

The recent death of a 13-year-old boy, Michael Kofi Asiamah, who passed away at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital following complications from brain surgery, has revived the conversation about the poor healthcare system in Ghana.

Michael died on April 9, 2021, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where he was receiving treatment after undergoing two successful surgeries to remove a brain tumor.

He was buried on Saturday, May 8, 2021.

About $30,000 had been raised through crowdfunding to support Michael's surgery.

---citinewsroom
The Deputy National Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Madi Jibril, believes the new measures employed by the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry to fight galamsey are short-term and would hardly yield desirable results.

Madi Jibril explained that it is essential not to only think of medium and long-term solutions that would aid in solving the problem but also avoid using the same approach in the past while expecting different results.

We need to try and find the head-on solutions to the problem. This is not the first time we have burnt peoples excavators. In 2013 they burnt over 200 excavators, did it deter people from going back to work? No. So it means this is not the solution to the problem, Madi Jibril told Reynold Agyemang on Pae Mu Ka Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7

He continued, If we could recall we bought about 3 million worth of drones to try and fight this problem, using them to patrol our water bodies. Ask yourself if that thing brought about the needed solution. I heard the defense minister talking about using helicopters to be patrolling, how long can we sustain this? So it means this one is a short-term solution we are trying to use but at the end of the day we should always think about the medium and long term.

Madi Jibril that the Ministry must engage and educate sub-chiefs, the district committees, the assemblies and the town folks on the need to fight illegal mining.
The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), has served notice it will embark on strike beginning June 4.

The industrial action according to the group, will be in force if the Finance Ministry halts the payment of allowances to some of its members who have been described as unqualified office holders in the public universities.

GAUA in a statement argued that despite petitions to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry is still going ahead to withdraw the allowances of members who were legitimately appointed to head offices through no fault of theirs to be unfairly treated this way

It is in this regard that we write to notify your outfit of intention to embark on an industrial action if the Ministry of Finance through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission and the Vice Chancellors Ghana proceed to implement the directive without addressing our demands as contained in several communications on this matter, portions of the statement added.

The group pointed out that the officers of the grade of Assistant Registrars or their equivalents are fully qualified in running universities for years, thus it is unfortunate to be tagged as unqualified to be denied allowances.

According to the Association, the non-payment of the allowances would have dire consequences on the affected persons.

No amount of justification for the immediate stoppage in this critical period can suffice, the statement further added.

---citinewsroom
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President of Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Outgrowers Association of Ghana, Mr. Paul-Kwabena-Amaning, has declared his intention to contest the Eastern Regional chairmanship of the New Patriotic Party(NPP).

Mr Paul-Kwabena-Amaning said, "let me state emphatically that my mission as the next Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP is to make the region a no go area for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The incumbent Chairman, Mr Kingsley Kusi, will also be seeking re-election

According to him, politics in Ghana had taken a new trend which required dynamism and that, "l am a contemporary young man who understands the political language of today.

"I am ready to serve the NPP since it is the only unique property left for us by our forefathers. We, therefore, have to sacrifice everything to make it attractive for the current generation, as well as preserving it for unborn generations," Mr.Paul-Kwabena-Amaning exclusively told Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7

Mr Amaning was of the view that members of the party toiled relentlessly to win power in 2020 and, therefore, in order to get the total commitment of the grassroot folks, their interest must be prioritised first.

"I, Paul Amaning, will commit myself to the task of getting majority of our youth jobs. I am an entrepreneur and know how to nurture entrepreneurs and, therefore, will do so to create more jobs for our teeming youth who sacrificed their all for the party's victory in 2020," he said.

He said when elected, he would operate an open-door policy and work relentlessly to serve at all times.

According to him, when given the nod, human development would be paramount.
Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), on Monday conferred with Dr Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, National Chief Imam, in Accra on the Wesley Girls' Senior High School (Weygeyhey) impasse.

This was to enable the Council to brief the Chief Imam on its efforts to resolve the situation.

The impasse concerns the prevention of Muslim student from observing the just ended Ramadam fast for various reasons by the School's Authorities.

Other members of the delegation include Numo Blafo Akotia Omaetu III, Sheikh Salman Mohammed Alhassan, Mrs Joana Adzoa Opare, Mrs Magdalene Kannae, Bishop John Kwamina Otoo and Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih.

The rest are Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, Bishop Emmanuel Kofi Fian, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, who doubles as the Spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, and Mr Geoge Amoh, the Executive Secretary of the NPC.

Rev Dr Adu-Gyamfi in his remarks thanked the National Chief Imam for accepting to play the role in the Presidential Peace Pact signing towards Election 2020.

He also expressed gratitude to him for the role he played when the Wesley Girls' issue came up, by calling his team together and appealing to all of them to remain calm as they sought to solve the problem.

And we see this, as part of your nature and your desire for peace and consensus (building) in this country. We believe that those appeals have helped to tone down the tension in the country, he said.

Ghana has been a very peaceful country, and we believe that we have been the envy of all our neighbours and we have existed peacefully among ourselves.

He said the Council in its efforts to resolve the impasse had already met with the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the School, Old Girls Association of the School and the Ministry of Education.

He informed the Chief Imam that the Council in interactions with the Ministry of Education, they had come to the consensus that within the next two weeks there should be a memorandum of understanding (MoU) governing the all-mission schools and all public schools in this country

He said the document also specified clearly what were the rights, the privileges, and also the responsibilities of every individual who went to those schools.

And we want this document to be documented and signed by all parties who agree to it; that at the end of the day, once you take that document, everybody knows what can be done and what cannot be done, the Chairman said.

We believe that if this is pursued to its logical conclusion, this matter would come to an end, that Ghana would not see this again.

He said the document would also incorporate some of the issues that the Peace Council recommended in 2015 when the hijab issue came; in which there were some recommendations that were made, which were not implemented to its logical conclusion.

We are bringing those recommendations into this new document, so that at the end of the day, everybody in this country would be satisfied.

He said when the draft document was ready, it would be brought back to all stakeholders to look at it; adding that this would ensure that all were satisfied with it before they sign it; adding that the document would online what could be done and could not be done.

Rev Dr Adu-Gyamfi noted that some people were using the issue as an opportunity to divide the nation further by using rehash videos and tapes.

He also appealed to Ghanaians to remain calm; saying  let's stay together as one people with one destiny.

On his part, Dr Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu said God had been gracious to Ghanaians by giving them peace, and that adherents of various faiths were able to live in peace and harmony in the country; saying that Ghanaians must preserve the peace of the nation.

Citing the Holy Koran, the National Chief Imam advised Ghanaians to always communicate with each other in a civil manner.

Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, who doubles as the Ameer and Missionary-in-Charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission of Ghana, urged Muslims in the country to see themselves as an embodiment of peace.

---GNA
President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said France would cancel almost $5 billion in debt owed by Sudan, hailing the African nation as an "inspiration" in its transition after years of authoritarian rule.

Macron hosted Sudan's new leadership and other key African figures for a summit in Paris aimed at boosting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's drive for economic reform and investment.

The French leader made clear the biggest priority for making progress would be to rid Sudan of its "burden" of debt, which amounts in total to some $60 billion, adding that he hoped other creditors would follow suit.

"We (France) are in favour of an outright cancellation of our debt to Sudan" which amounts to "nearly $5 billion", Macron said after the summit.

Hamdok called the summit a "major achievement in the right direction of our transition", adding: "What we did on the debt front is marvellous."

The head of Sudan's civilian-military ruling council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said "the people of Sudan will never forget this gesture" adding that it would open the way "for other creditors" to make similar moves.

'Model for Africa'

Hamdok is pushing to rebuild a crippled economy and end the international isolation Sudan endured under former strongman Omar al-Bashir, whose three decades of rule were marked by sanctions and hardship.

"Despite the difficulties, considerable progress has been made since the fall of the old regime," Macron said in his opening address.

Hailing Sudan's transition as "an inspiration" and a "precedent", he said that the international community has "collective responsibility" to realise its goals.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said ahead of the summit that a $1.5 billion bridge loan would clear Sudan's arrears to the IMF.

"Rebuilding an attractive and resilient market takes time, but today I hope we will convince private investors that the fundamentals for business are fully there," he said.

Sudan's debts to the Paris Club, which includes major creditor countries, is estimated to make up around 38 percent of its total foreign debt.

Macron praised the Sudan revolution that in 2019 ousted Bashir as "post-Islamist" and said it had been unique in the region in putting an end to a regime that used political Islam.

"Sudan can be a model for Africa and the Arab world," he said.

"It is our duty to help you succeed and to accompany the courageous women and men who have put an end to obscurantism."

Sudan was taken off Washington's blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism in December, removing a major hurdle to foreign investment. But many challenges persist.

Africa summit

On Tuesday, a Paris summit on African economies will try to fill a financing shortfall of almost $300 billion caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both meetings, held in a temporary exhibition centre near the Eiffel Tower, present a chance for Macron to show himself as a statesman on Africa whose influence goes beyond the continent's Francophone regions.

The meetings mark a return to in-person top-level gatherings after the Covid-19 pandemic made video conferences the norm.

Among those attending both summits was Rwandan President Paul Kagame in a rare visit to France as Paris presses for reconciliation with Kigali after a historic report made clear French failings over the 1994 genocide.

Also attending was Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, making another journey to key ally France after his state visit in late 2020 enraged rights activists.

Macron's office said he met privately with Sisi for talks on the escalating conflict in Gaza, where Israeli forces again launched air strikes overnight in response to rocket launches by Islamist group Hamas over the past week.

Africa has so far been less badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic than other global regions with a total of 130,000 dead across the continent.

But the economic cost is only too apparent, and Tuesday's Africa summit will focus on making up the shortfall in the funds needed for future development -- a financial gap estimated by the IMF to amount to $290 billion up to 2023.
The Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has underscored the need for Ghanaians to respect nature by ensuring that their communities and gutters are clean at all times.

In the olden days, our mothers will wake up around 4:00 a.m, and sweep the compound; there was nothing like dumping of refuse into the gutters. In those days, our gutters were clean and tidy, he recounted.

He said it was regrettable that Ghanaians had brushed aside these good values and were rather dumping refuse into gutters and polluting water bodies.

These negative attitudes, he said, posed various health risks to the citizenry.

We can deal with the sanitation problems as a country if we defend and believe in the rule of law, and more importantly, respect the rule of nature in our traditional areas, he stressed.

Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin made the call when the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, paid a courtesy call on him in his palace at Kyebi, Eastern Region, on Monday, May 17, 2021.

The Minister was accompanied by some chief directors from her outfit.

The visit was part of the minister's four-day working tour of the Eastern and Ashanti Regions, aimed at assessing the state of water bodies and checking water treatment plants in the two regions.

According to the Okyehene, what worked for our forefathers and ancestors was that they had enormous respect for God's creation, adding that practices such as farming 200 feet away from water bodies went a long way to protect water bodies.

He insisted that it was imperative that water bodies in the country were safeguarded at all cost.

We must, therefore, not sit down and allow our water bodies to be destroyed by the practice of galamsey, he advised.

The Okyehene, who was very passionate about the need to protect the country's waters, said the lack of jobs should not be used as an excuse by the youth to venture into galamsey.

While commending the Akufo-Addo administration for its concerted towards the fight against galamsey, he appealed to the government to look for funds to reclaim lands wantonly destroyed by illegal miners.

The reclamation of these lands can be done by engaging the youth to plant trees on them which will in itself be a job opportunity for them, he said.

Furthermore, the Okyehene added his voice to the calls for the country to be decentralised to bring government to the doorsteps of the people.

For example, decentralising the country will help decongest and rid Accra of filth and traffic.

Decentralising the country will mean that Ministries of Sanitation and Water Resources, Lands and Natural Resources, Local Government and Rural Development, Food and Agriculture among others can be moved to other regions, he explained.

What business, for instance, are the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Food and Agriculture and Lands and Natural Resources doing in Accra? he asked.

Okyehene further said it was important that we change our attitudes to help support the government to fix the country.

Earlier, Mrs Dapaah explained that the essence of her visit to the region was to look at the conditions of the water treatment plants of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and also assess the state of the water bodies in the region.

She said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was committed and working hard to improve the lives of Ghanaians.

She was particularly happy about the state of cleanliness of the Kyebi township and applauded the Okyehene for his efforts in that respect.

After the courtesy call, Mrs Dapaah and her delegation inspected a GWCL water intake facility in Kyebi, not far away from the Okyehene's palace, the Bunso Water Treatment Plant and finally Osino Water Treatment Plant, Osino, all in the Eastern Region.

From the Eastern Region, Mrs Dapaah will move to the Ashanti Region where she and her delegation will undertake a similar exercise.
Former CEO of COCOBOD, Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, and businessman, Seidu Agongo, have appealed against the Accra High Courts ruling dismissing their submissions of no case.

The two gentlemen filed the appeal at the Court of Appeal.

They have, subsequently, filed an application for stay of proceedings seeking to put their trial on hold until the final determination of the appeal.

At the last sitting the Accra High Court asked Dr Opuni and Mr Agongo, to open their defence on 24 of the 27 charges levelled against them by the state in the ongoing GHS217 million financial loss case in connection with the procurement of fertiliser by the state-owned cocoa company.

The two men have been standing trial since 2017.

Subsequently, Dr. Opuni filed for submission of no case arguing that the prosecution had not proven its allegations against them.

However, the presiding judge Justice Clemence Honyenuga, a Supreme Court judge sitting with additional responsibilities as a High Court judge said the state has successfully proven that the accused persons have a case to answer for 24 of the 27 charges.

The case was adjourned to today, Monday, May 17.

---classfm
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The Awutu Ofaakor Circuit Court in the Central Region, presided over by His Honour, Ebenezer Osei Darko, has sentenced four armed robbers to 72 years imprisonment for robbing and raping a woman with a four-month-old pregnancy at Awutu Bereku in the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region.

The robbers, Solomon Quaye (26), Edwin Paa Kwesi Tetteh (28), Benjamin Mensah (22) and Paul Sakyi (24), committed the act on the eve of the Eid-ul-Adha celebration.

Sources say three of the robbers were arrested at their hideout at Agbogbloshie in Accra.

The other was however arrested at Awutu Bereku.

The robbers were arrested in connection with the stealing of a TV set. But during our investigation, we arrested three other suspects in connection with the robbery, and we sent them to court. Judgment was given on the matter and the four robbers were given 18-year jail sentence each with hard labour, Inspector Stephen Tamaklo of the Awutu Bereku Police Command told Citi News.

According to the Chief Inspector, Stephen Tamakloe, the robbers managed to break into three houses and robbed them.

Our sources say the gang leader, Solomon Quaye, led the robbers to break into three houses, and he went ahead and raped a woman carrying a four-month old pregnancy. He is from Bereku, but went and settled at Agbogbloshie, so we managed to arrest three of them at Agbogbloshie, Chief Inspector Stephen Tamaklo said.
About a year after the settlement  and less than two weeks after French Gates column in Time  The New York Times published an article detailing Gates relationship with Epstein. The article reported that the two men had spent time together on multiple occasions, flying on Epsteins private jet and attending a late-night gathering at his New York City town house. His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me, Gates emailed colleagues in 2011, after he first met Epstein.
The Northern Regional Police Command has nabbed three suspected kidnappers in Tamale in the Northern Region.

Briefing the media at the Northern Regional Police Headquarters, the Northern Regional Police Commander, COP Timothy Bonga Yoosa, indicated that on May 13, 2021, at about 6:27 pm police picked up intelligence that three suspected kidnappers believed to be part of a syndicate operating in the Northern region also suspected to be involved in alleged armed robbery attacks on the Highway arrived in Tamale to plan for their operations.

According to him, the suspects were lodging in separate hotels (name's withheld) in Tamale in preparation to move to Salaga, Makango, Bimbilla and Wulensi areas to attack and kidnap people for ransoms.

He disclosed that the Northern Regional Criminal Investigation Department raided the hotels and arrested the three suspects Ussif Mohammed,22, Sanda Mohammed, 23, and Mohammed Umar, 23.

The Northern Regional Police Commander hinted that a search conducted on Mohammed Umar found a Machete, one mobile phone and cash of Gh 1,500, Ussif Mohammed had three mobile phones, cash of Gh1,800 and mobile money amount Gh 5,239 while Sanda Mohammed had in his Possession three phones and cash amount of Gh2,561.

COP Yoosa stated that the suspects could not explain the circumstances under which such monies obtained and refused to lead police to their places of abode for further information investigations.

Our investigators retrieved videos and scenes of the suspects displaying cash bundles of fifty Ghana cedis notes being splashed by them in what appears to be booties collected from robbery scenes or otherwise of ransoms received from kidnappings.

He called on persons who have ever fallen victim to kidnapping or robbery activities to come and assist in their investigations.

Meanwhile, the suspects were arraigned before the Tamale District Magistrate Court and remanded into police custody for further investigations.

The suspects have been charged with robbery and kidnapping.

---Daily Guide
Mr Samuel Ayigba, a man believed to be in his mid-60s, wept uncontrollably when he appeared before the Madina District Court following delays in the commencement of his committal proceedings.

Ayigba, who is being held for murder, has been awaiting his committal proceedings for the past five years.

He has suffered stroke while in custody and is unable to walk well.

The commencement of the committal proceedings would enable him to stand trial at the High Court.

Ayigba has been granted bail by an Accra High Court but has not been able to execute the bail conditions due to a justification attached to it.

Case Investigator told the court that Ayigba had been admitted to bail by the High Court but the challenge had been the justification clause, which his family said it did not have.

Chief Inspector Sophia Adamuwaa, who recently took over prosecution, said they were waiting for the committal proceedings by the AG's representative.

The Court, presided over by Maame Efua Tordimah, tasked the investigator to expeditiously follow up at the Attorney General's Department.

Let the Principal State Attorney know the condition of the accused person. This case has been before the court over the past five years. Accused has even suffered stroke whiles in custody, the Magistrate said.

She further directed the case investigator to let the AG's representative know that the matter had been adjourned to May 31 for committal.

The court remanded Ayigba into custody.

---GNA
Australian High Commission is funding the training of 25 underserved women engaged in manual and mechanical production of dairy-based beverages like yoghurt and cocoa drinks.

At the opening of the five-day training in Accra on Monday, Mr Gregory Andrews, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, said the support was in line with Australia's commitment to gender equality and women empowerment.

That, he said, was aimed at promoting the sustainable livelihoods, income diversification and the economic empowerment of the women.

He said the training was led by an alumni in Africa who were beneficiaries of the Australia Awards Scholarship programme.

Mr Andrews explained that the Scholarship was a prestigious development assistance programme, which provided professional development for high calibre, early to mid-career professionals from the public and private sector, as well as civil society.

Mrs Martha Adjorlolo, the Programme Manager, said the beneficiaries were selected from Madina and Adenta in Accra and would be taken through topics including Business Management, Marketing Skills, and Women Empowerment.

She said the training was an extension of her project as an Alumnus of the 2019 batch of the Australia Awards Scholarship programme, where she majored in Agri-business Management.

Mrs Adjorlolo said she had since been engaged in the yogurt value chain and had been working with women to train others who wished to learn a trade, and commended her benefactors for their assistance.

---GNA
Newly re-elected West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has started a sit-in protest in CBI's Kolkata office to protest the arrest of four of her Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, provoking an unusual Centre-State confrontation of sorts.

Earlier today morning, the CBI arrested two TMC ministers -- Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, apart from former Trinamool minister and present MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Corporation mayor Sovon Chattopadhyay in the Narada sting tapes cases where several politicians and a high-ranked police officer were allegedly found accepting cash bribes in exchange for providing unofficial favours to the company. The TMC leaders were taken to the CBI office in the Narada sting operation case. The tapes were released ahead of the 2016 state Assembly polls. The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March 2017.

All of them were State ministers when the Narada sting operation purportedly showed them taking money.

The arrests come days after Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar gave his consent to the CBI for filing a chargesheet against the four accused and sanctioned prosecution against them.

Tensions ran high as Mamata Banerjee rushed to the 15th floor of the 'Nizam Palace', where the CBI has the office of its anti-corruption cell and expressed her wish to speak with her cabinet ministers. The chief minister appeared angry as she entered the CBI office and met her leaders.

Lawyers present on the floor said that the chief minister questioned the CBI officers about the legality of the arrests and even said that she would wait till the end until there is a proper conclusion to the whole incident.

The arrests created huge controversy and protests all over the city as the TMC supporters broke the lockdown norms and blocked the road in front of Nizam Palace and several other places in the city. They demanded immediate release of the leaders.

There are reports that violence erupted outside CBI's Kolkata office, where the CM is sitting in dharna to protest the arrest of four of her TMC leaders. Thousands of TMC supporters encircled the Nizam Palace and started pelting stones at central para-military forces guarding the office. Large number of central forces cordoned off Nizam Palace and nobody was allowed to enter the area.

The CMs spokesperson, lawyer Anindyo Raut told waiting media persons: "Didi (Banerjee) will not leave this CBI office until her party colleagues are released or until she is also arrested."

He said Mamata Banerjee told the CBI officers they have arrested the four leaders, among them two sitting and two former ministers, without the mandatory notice. "These arrests are politically motivated and illegal. Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy have been let off though they faced the same charges," Raut quoted Mamata Banerjee as saying.

Central forces guarding the CBI office were not letting media persons inside the office -- so speaking to CM Banerjee was not possible. But she sent out Raut to let journalists "know her viewpoint".

A few days ago, Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had given permission to the CBI for prosecution of these TMC leaders. Dhankhar had threatened the Trinamool Congress and said he should not be forced to use his powers. Trinamool MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee told IANS the party leaders had "always cooperated with the CBI in these cases."

"Now the CBI says they have arrested the four because they are submitting the charge sheet against them. If they are submitting charge sheet, that means the investigation is over. So why they need the leaders in custody and where is the mandatory notice of arrest! This is downright illegal and politically motivated, we will move the court and we have faith in it," Banerjee told IANS.

In a statement, the CBI said, "Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and Chatterjee have been arrested by CBI and are being produced in the jurisdictional court."

The statement said that the chargesheet against the five persons against whom prosecution sanction is received is being submitted in court. The CBI had earlier arrested IPS officer SMH Meerza in connection with the case, who is presently out on bail. He is the fifth accused.

The CBI said that it has received the prosecution sanction against the four arrested leaders on May 7.

Meanwhile, State transport minister and former Kolkata mayor Hakim told the media after he was arrested from his Chetla home in South Kolkata earlier in the day, "They have not given any notice and now they have arrested me. They didn't even seek the permission of the Speaker. We will fight it in the court."

The CBI officers with large central forces went to the houses of the leaders and the ministers in the morning at around 9.30 a.m. and brought them to the regional office without even allowing them to speak to their lawyers.

Sources in the agency said that all of them were made to sit in separate rooms on the 15th floor of the office and they were allowed to consult their lawyers.

Though questions have been raised about the arrest of two cabinet ministers without the permission of the Speaker, the CBI officials said that they had sought the permission of the Governor and Jagdeep Dhankhar had given them the permission to prosecute. "We will appeal for the bail," one of the lawyers said.

The arrests obviously attracted controversy because Governor Dhankhar has accorded sanction of prosecution to the premiere agency just few hours before the oath taking ceremony of the ministers.

"The moment the poll process was over, the matter engaged my attention because such issues should not be delayed and so I acted and you know the results. As coming to issues on people taking oath in respect of whom sanctions for prosecution has been accorded is a matter of propriety to be taken not by those who make a request to the governor to appoint them," the Governor had said.

West Bengal assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee too dubbed as illegal the arrest of two Bengal ministers others in the Narada case, contending that the CBI action on the basis of the governor's sanction was unlawful. "I have not received any letter from the CBI nor has anybody sought permission from me as per the protocol," Banerjee said.

What is the Narada case?

The Narada sting operation was conducted by Narada news founder Mathew Samuel (former managing editor of Tehelka) for over two years in West Bengal. Conducted in 2014 for the news magazine Tehelka, it was published on a private news website Narada News months before the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections.

As part of the operation, Samuel floated a fictitious company named Impex Consultancy Solutions and approached several TMC ministers, MPs and leaders, asking them for favours in return for money. As per the footage submitted by Samuel and his colleague Angel Abraham, then TMC MPs Mukul Roy, Sougata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Prasun Bannerjee, Suvendu Adhikari, Aparupa Poddar and Sultan Ahmad (he died in 2017), and State ministers Madan Mitra, Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and Iqbal Ahmed were seen accepting alleged bribes in the form of wads of cash in exchange for extending unofficial favours for Impex Consultancy Solutions.
A report by the Swiss financial regulator FINMA claims that Credit Suisse ignored over 100 warnings of potential breach of regulations.

Swissinfo quoted that the NZZ am Sonntag paper as reporting that the management of Credit Suisse had overlooked breaches of regulations for years and that bank leads the pack when it comes to the most ongoing FINMA investigations.

In recent years, FINMA has initiated five proceedings against the bank to remedy these omissions. The most recent cases concern the billions lost via the Greensill and Archegos funds. There have also been investigations into money laundering and executive espionage. A report shows that Credit Suisse ignored more than 100 red flags in total, the report said.

The SonntagsBlick paper highlighted one such red flag around the time when Urs Rohner was head of the board of directors. It concerns a client advisor who managed the funds of wealthy Eastern Europeans that earned the bank some 25 million Swiss francs a year.

According to the SonntagsBlick, he was alleged to have invested his clients' assets in high-risk investments without their knowledge, falsified documents and lined his own pockets in the process. Despite warnings, he allegedly continued to work for the bank and was only fired in 2015 after making massive speculations.

The SonntagsZeitung paper wrote that the bank's heavy losses also have political consequences. The Credit Suisse issue is on the agenda of the House of Representatives' economic committee next week. The main topic for discussion will be whether and how the regulation of the big banks should be strengthened.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
We had mentioned in previous weeks closing report that Nifty, Sensex may rally. On Monday, the indices opened rallied and closed with major gains. On the NSE, there were 1,333 advances, 627 declines and 339 unchanged.

The trends of the major indices in the course of Mondays trading are given in the table below:

Bharti Airtel reported a net profit of Rs 759.2 crore against a loss of Rs 5,237 crore in the year-ago period. Total revenue came in at Rs 25,747 crore, up 17.6% YoY.

Colgate Palmolive India reported net profit of Rs 314.66 crore for the Jan-Mar 2021 quarter compared to Rs 204 crore in the previous year. Revenue grew to Rs 1,289 crore from Rs 1,090 crore in the same period of the previous year.

Natco Pharma has signed a royalty-free, non-exclusive, voluntary licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company, for the drug Baricitinib for Covid-19 indication in India.

Shakti Pumps India reported net profit of Rs 30.49 crore for the Jan-Mar 2021 quarter compared to a loss of Rs 6.14 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

Revenue more than tripled to Rs 321.11 crore compared to Rs 93.78 crore in the previous year.

The Federal Bank reported net profit of Rs 500 crore for the Jan-Mar 2021 quarter compared to Rs 302 crore in the previous year. Total income declined 5% to Rs 3,996 crore.

Panacea Biotec has filed a suit seeking to restrain Sanofi Healthcare India from marketing a fully liquid hexavalent vaccine that would infringe Panacea's patent for its fully liquid Whole Cell Pertussis based fully liquid Hexavalent Vaccine, EasySix.

Shilpa Medicare has entered into a 3 year definitive agreement with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories for production-supply of the Sputnik V vaccine from its integrated biologics R&D cum manufacturing center at Dharwad, Karnataka.

Camlin Fine Sciences will invest in AlgalR NutraPharms Private Limited. The company will then hold 80% of the paid-up capital of AlgalR on a fully diluted basis. AlgalR is a manufacturer of algal omega-3 fatty acids, two of which are considered 100% vegetarian.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
BOZEMAN, Mont. - The Eating Disorder Center of Montana is partnered with local Bozeman businesses to highlight the importance of having a body-inclusive community.

The Every Body Belongs in Bozeman campaign started Sunday and is a week-long community initiative and fundraiser.

The center is hosting events all week long to bring awareness to the Bozeman community.

Over the past year, the Eating Disorder Center of Montana saw over a 40% increase in people seeking help in Montana.

Eating Disorder Center of Montana, Clinical Director and Co-Founder Jeni Gochin said, "We treat all ages, all kinds of eating disorders all gender and all races."

This week, the center is also helping raise money for organizations doing important work in mental health and eating disorder treatment.

The two profits the center is supporting this week are Suffer Out Loud and Project HEAL.

More information on Suffer Out Loud can be found here.

More information on Project HEAL can be found here.

The silent auction and event sign-up can be found here.

Here is a list of this week events in Bozeman:
MISSOULA, Mont. - Agriculture is essential to Montana's economy and the industry's future is up in the air.

But on Missoula County Public School's 100 acres of land, students like Big Sky High School Senior, Colter McWilliams, are learning skills they can use anywhere.

Its really taught me to work hard and to value my work and it really feels good to have someone rely on you to get things done," McWilliams said.

He's one of 300 students in the Agriculture Program.

Ag teacher, Tom Andres has been a part of the program for years.

We try to create a student that has job-ready skills when they leave our program in agriculture which is Montanas number one industry, so those are valuable skills to have," Andres said.

Those skills include everything from construction, handling the animals, and even a little veterinary work, but Andres said it's what they learn beyond raising livestock that makes these kids stand out.

You hear all the time If you want to hire a good worker, hire a farm kid,' and I believe thats true. Out here, we can teach kids responsibility, we teach em how to work hard, that its okay to sweat, its okay to get a blister on your hand every now and then, it's okay to get a little poop on your shoes," Andres said.

That hard work starts on day one. Most of the animals are owned by the students. They're responsible for raising them both physically and financially, with hopes that their hard work pays off.

"But then they keep the profits when they sell their animal at the fair, or if they sell off a litter of pigs, or something like that," Andres said.

The program has been around for over 100 years and it's proven to be successful, not just for the family farm, but to help young men and women get through college.

A student, if theyre ambitious and theyre a pretty good farmer and a good business person, they can, in the four years of high school, they can make enough money usually to pay for their first year of college," Andres said.

Andres has even helped McWilliams with his future career.

Mr. Andres helped me to get this scholarship at Northwest down in Powell Wyoming, so thats kind of what opened it up. But up until that point, I really had no plans or intentions of going to college after high school, McWilliams said.

Ag teacher, Cindy Arnott said it's more than just farming.

Our animals and our crops, our greenhouse and our mechanics shop, those are all just vehicles for us to use to help students learn skills theyre gonna need, no matter what they do once they leave here," Arnott said.

While the students may come and go, the impacts they're having on Montana's #1 industry can be felt all across the state as they strive to keep the family farm not just up and running, but thriving.

Working in the farming industry is definitely something Id recommend to anyone and everyone to do. It just teaches you so much and opens your eyes to a whole new perspective of how things are done," McWilliams said.

With tears in her eyes, Arnott said her students are her world.

You just get to see the people that theyre gonna be. Im gonna cry. You get to see the people that your students are gonna grow up to be. These are young men and you can tell that theyre gonna continue to be incredible adults," Arnott said.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders while others were warned they should get ready to leave, authorities said.

The cause of the fire near Topanga State Park has been deemed suspicious and is under investigation, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Arson investigators with the fire department and the Los Angeles Police Department identified one individual who was detained and released. Investigators then detained a second suspect and were questioning them Sunday evening, according to a statement from fire department spokesperson Margaret Stewart.

Cool, moist weather early in the day gave firefighters a break, but by afternoon flames starting moving again in steep terrain where tinder-dry vegetation hasn't burned in a half-century, the fire department said.

We're definitely seeing increased fire activity, said Stewart.

No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported in the wildfire that broke out late Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains. It smoldered for much of Saturday before erupting in the afternoon.

A thousand or so residents of the Topanga Canyon area were ordered to evacuate their homes as flames raced along ridges, sending a huge plume of smoke and raining ash across surrounding neighborhoods and the U.S. 101 freeway to the north.

By Sunday evening, the fire had charred a little over 2 square miles (5.4 square kilometers) of brush and trees. There was no containment. The Los Angeles sheriff's department's Lost Hills station said on Twitter that the evacuation orders will remain in effect throughout the night.

Los Angeles has seen very little rain in recent months, making for extremely parched conditions and high fire risk.

Crews relied on aircraft making drops of water and retardant because the terrain is very steep and extremely difficult to navigate which hinders ground based firefighting operations, a fire department statement said.

Topanga Canyon is a remote, wooded community with some ranch homes about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles, on the border with Malibu.



AP journalist Emily Wilder contributed to this report from Phoenix.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  The Israeli military unleashed another heavy wave of airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. International diplomacy to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds appeared to make little headway.

Israel has said it will press on for now with its attacks against Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the United States signaled it would not pressure the two sides for a cease-fire.

The latest attacks destroyed the five-story building housing the Hamas-run Religious Affairs Ministry, a building Israel said housed the main operations center of Hamas' internal security forces. Israel also killed a top Gaza leader of Islamic Jihad, another militant group whom the Israeli military blamed for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel in recent days. Israel said its strikes destroyed 15 kilometers (9 miles) of tunnels used by militants.

At least 212 Palestinians have been killed in the week of airstrikes, including 61 children and 36 women, with more than 1,400 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Ten people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier, have been killed in the ongoing rocket attacks launched from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel.

Violence has also erupted between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, a Jewish man attacked last week by a group of Arabs in the central city of Lod died of his wounds, according to police.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top security officials on Monday evening and later said Israel would continue to strike terror targets in Gaza. We will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens, he said.

The new airstrikes, which hit Gaza overnight Monday and again in the evening, hollowed out one floor of a multistory concrete building and killed five people. A woman picked through clothing, rubble and splintered furniture in a room that had been destroyed. One strike demolished the wall of one room, leaving untouched an open cabinet filled with bedding inside. Children walked over debris in the road.

A car in the street that witnesses said was hit by an airstrike was bent and torn, its roof ripped back and what was left of the driver's side door smeared with blood. A beachside cafe the car had just left was splintered and on fire. Rescue workers tried to put out the blaze with a small fire extinguisher.

Gaza Citys mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. He said water supplies to hundreds of households were disrupted. We are trying hard to provide water, but the situation remains difficult, he said.

The U.N. has warned that the territory's sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the territory's electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days.

Palestinian officials said Israel pledged to open its only cargo crossing with Gaza for several hours on Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid  including fuel, food and medicine  to enter. The Kerem Shalom crossing is the main entry point for goods entering the territory.

Israel also said it targeted what it suspected was a Hamas submersible weapon preparing for an attack on Israel's coast.

The war broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

More protests were expected across the region Tuesday in response to a call by Palestinian citizens of Israel for a general strike. The protest has the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party.

The Biden administration has declined so far to publicly criticize Israels part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. On Monday, the United States again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to the crisis related to Gaza and the protection of civilians, especially children.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Denmark, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would support any initiative to stop the fighting, but signaled the country did not intend to put pressure on the two sides to accept a cease-fire.

Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire, he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized her country's solidarity with Israel, condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza, and expressed hope for a swift end to the fighting, according to her office.

Hamas top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.

Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,200 rockets into Israel. Israeli military officials said Hamas had stockpiled about 15,000 rockets before the war started. Rocket attacks continued Monday, with one hitting a building in the city of Ashdod that caused injuries, the Israeli police said.

Israels military said six rockets launched from Lebanon late Monday apparently fell inside Lebanese territory, and artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon.

Israels airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Blinken said he hasnt yet seen any evidence supporting Israels claim.

AP President Gary Pruitt called for an independent investigation into the attack.

As we have said, we have no indication of a Hamas presence in the building, nor were we warned of any such possible presence before the airstrike, he said in a statement. This is something we check as best we can. We do not know what the Israeli evidence shows, and we want to know.

The Israeli military said it struck 35 terror targets Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the Metro, used by fighters to take cover from airstrikes. They included a strike against a building that housed the Qatari Red Crescent, Qatar said. That attack killed a man and a 12-year-old girl.

The tunnels extend for hundreds of kilometers (miles), with some more than 20 meters (yards) deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just chokepoints and major junctions.

The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to high-ranking commanders in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant groups commander for the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were eliminated. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many casualties were militants or civilians.



This story has been updated to correct that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, not the United States.



Nessman reported from Atlanta, Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Matthew Lee in Copenhagen, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
Youre playing with fire when you do that, Reichley told him. People come in here and say they need a gun to protect themselves. The problem is that for every person like you who thinks that, theres somebody else who thinks that too and they can be shooting back at you.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Bill Gate's resignation from Microsoft's board was because of a romantic relationship with an employee.

The Journal reported Sunday that a female Microsoft engineer alleged in a letter that she had a sexual relationship over the years with Gates.

Microsoft's BOD was concerned enough to hire a law firm to investigate the romantic relationship, according to the report.

Gates resigned in 2020 before the investigation was complete according to the Journal.

In a statement, the software mogul did not deny the relationship but said it had nothing to do with him stepping down from the board.
Firefighters in Phoenix, Arizona helped rescue 22 people stuck on a stalled roller coaster at an area theme park.

The roller coaster at Castles N' Coasters was stalled at about 20-feet high, causing some terrifying moments for those stuck at the top.

The ride stalled while it was in a loop, leaving the riders tilted at an angle.

It took the fire department about two and a half hours to get all of the riders safely to the ground.

There were no injuries.
Update, May 16 at 4:48 pm:

According to the Montana Department of Corrections, the U.S. Marshal Montana Violent Offender Task Force apprehended Lisa Nester.

Nester was arrested without incident and is being held at the Yellowstone County Detention Center.

Previous coverage:

BILLINGS - The Montana Department of Corrections is looking for an escapee from the Montana Womens Prison in Billings.

According to a press release, at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Friday, prison staff discovered inmate Lisa Anne Nester, 50, was not at the facility.

Nester is described as a white woman, weighing 135 pounds, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes.

The department immediately notified its law enforcement partners and is working with the Billings Police Department, the Yellowstone County Sheriffs Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Montana Analysis & Technical Information Center (MATIC) to locate and apprehend Nester.

The DOC is evaluating the circumstances of the escape and will make all necessary adjustments to ensure this does not occur again.

The department does not believe Nester poses any specific threat to public safety.

However, members of the public should not approach her, and contact local law enforcement or call the U.S. Marshals Service at (406) 247-7030 if they have any information regarding this offender.

Nester is believed to have connections in Carter, Mont. and Grenora, ND.

The Montana Department of Corrections says this incident marks the first escape from MWP since 2015.
BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana State University announced they are rescinding the existing mask rule on campus, MSUB announced Monday.

The following is a letter from MSUB's COVID-19 Incident Command Team & Chancellor Hicswa:

Dear Campus Community,

Last Friday, Commissioner of Higher Education Clay Christian sent a memo to all MUS campuses formally sunsetting the Healthy MUS Planning Guidelines, effective immediately. This action is taken in partnership with the Montana Board of Regents and is based on federal, state, and local public health guidance and on the recommendation of the Healthy MUS Task Force. The Commissioner's memo also covers issues related to quarantine & isolation housing; international travel; event hosting and vaccines. View the full memo here.

Mask requirement: There is no longer an MUS system-level mask mandate, which includes MSU Billings. RiverStone Healths CEO and Health Officer John Felton, with whom we maintain a close relationship, concurs with these guidelines as there is no longer a mask mandate for Yellowstone County or Montana. The CDC has released updated health and safety guidelines and face mask guidelines for vaccinated individuals which can be found here.

Effective immediately, there is no longer a requirement to wear a face mask on MSUB campuses or property if you have been fully vaccinated or have had a confirmed case of COVID-19. While not a requirement, individuals who still want to wear a face mask are welcome to continue doing so. Remember that all other health and safety protocols still remain in place such as rigorous hand washing and hand sanitizing and staying home when you are ill. Follow the CDC guidelines for when you are sick and take appropriate precautions.

The COVID Incident Command Team is meeting this Wednesday to discuss detailed guidance for the in-class experience for faculty and students for this fall semester. Please stay tuned for more information.

We strongly encourage everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccination. They are readily available and accessible. Visit RiverStone Health for more information. If the COVID-19 landscape changes and we start to see an increase in cases, we will need to be prepared to return to certain restrictions.

On behalf of the COVID-19 Incident Command Team and Chancellor Hicswa, we thank you for all you have done to keep our campus community healthy and safe this past year and a half. Again, please stay tuned for more information about this fall and we thank you for your patience.

If you have any questions, please email covidquestions@msubillings.edu.

Sincerely,

The COVID-19 Incident Command Team & Chancellor Hicswa
Two police officers were shot and injured this morning in Chicago's West Side.

The shooting occurred around 7:15 local time, the officers approached an individual in a vacant lot who began shooting at the two.

One officer was shot in the hand and the other was shot in the leg and shoulder.

The officers were transported to the hospital and were later released.

The man who allegedly shot the two officers, a 45-year-old convicted felon was also shot. He too was taken to the hospital.

An investigation into the incident is underway.
UPDATE: MAY 18 AT 7:31 A.M.

HELENA, Mont - The Missing Endangered Person Advisory for Phillip James Pierre Jr. has been cancelled Tuesday, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

The DOJ said the Missoula Police Department found Pierre and he is safe.

HELENA, Mont. -- Helena police are searching for 59-year-old Phillip James Pierre Jr. after he went missing late last week.

Pierre is a 59-year-old Native American male, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, with brown eyes and black hair. There is no description of the clothing he was wearing when he went missing, but Pierre has numerous tattoos on his arms, legs and chest, according to Helena PD.

His tattoos include two feathers with a heart and rose on his right forearm, a tiger with skulls also on his right arm, and a heart with rose and spade tattooed on his left calf. He also has roses, a tribal design, and a heart tattoo on his chest, per a press release.

He was last heard from on Thursday, May 13th around 5:30 p.m. in Helena. At the time of last contact, he had just traveled from Missoula to Helena but left all of his medication and personal belongings in Missoula.

Pierre suffers from several medical conditions and without those medications, police say there is concern for his well-being. If you have any information, please call the Helena Police Department at 406-442-3233 or dial 911.
UPDATE: MAY 17 AT 1:38 P.M.

HELENA, Mont. - The reported bomb threat at Capital High School has been cleared Monday around 1:30 p.m., Helena Public Schools Superintendent Tyler Ream told us.

Students and faculty are now allowed to enter the building to get their belongings.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

UPDATE: MAY 17 AT 12:50 P.M.

HELENA, Mont. - The Helena Public School Superintendent Tyler Ream told Montana Right Now Capital High School students and faculty will be dismissed from the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds at 1 p.m.

The following is the letter from CHS Principal Brett Zanto to parents regarding the procedure after dismissal:

CHS Parents, All CHS students will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m. today. Students Who Drove to School: Students who drove to school may leave in their car if they took their car keys with them when they evacuated the building. Students who drove but left their keys in the school will not be able to enter the building to get their keys until approximately 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. Students who drove but dont have their keys with them need to contact parents for alternative pickup. Parents Who Plan to Pick up Students: Parents who plan to pick up their students are asked to pick them up at Northwest Park NOT in front of the school. Students Who Rode the Bus to School: Students who rode the bus will be able to return home on the bus. Pickup will be in the normal bus pickup area. A message will be sent to all families when the building is cleared for re-entry allowing students to return and pickup any personal belongings. Brett Zanto CHS Principal

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

UPDATE: MAY 17 AT 11:48 A.M.

HELENA, Mont. - Our reporter on scene said students and faculty have been moved to the fairgrounds.

The Helena Public School superintendent tells us this is standard procedure.

It is unclear at this time whether this is a credible threat.

HELENA, Mont. - Capital High School has evacuated Monday after reportedly receiving a bomb threat, police said.

According to a release from the Helena Police Department, the school has requested HPD K-9 squad to search the building.

HPD asks the public to avoid the school area during the search.

HPD K-9 squad is searching the school building with the Montana Highway Patrol.

CHS will update with more information.

This is a developing story.
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Moultrie, GA (31768)

Today

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing during the afternoon. High near 90F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early with thunderstorms developing late. Low 73F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine unveiled a lottery system Wednesday to entice people to get COVID-19 shots, offering a weekly $1 million prize and full-ride college scholarships in a creative bid to overcome the vaccine hesitancy that remains a stubborn problem across the nation.

The move comes as governors, health officials and community leaders are coming up with creative incentives to get more shots in arms, including insider access to NFL locker rooms and an Indianapolis 500 garage, cash incentives, various other promotions.

READ ALSO: If you're still skeptical about the COVID-19 vaccine, this is for you

With three weeks to go before most state restrictions lift, DeWine rolled out the big-ticket incentives during a prime-time address. Beginning May 26, adults who have received at least one vaccine dose may enter a lottery that will provide a $1 million prize each Wednesday for five weeks. In random drawings, the state will also provide five full four-year scholarships to an Ohio public university  including tuition, room-and-board, and books  to vaccinated Ohioans under 18.

The money will come from existing federal pandemic relief dollars, DeWine said, and the Ohio Lottery will conduct the drawings.

State Rep. Emilia Sykes, the top House Democrat, questioned the use of federal funds.

Using millions of dollars in relief funds in a drawing is a grave misuse of money that could be going to respond to this ongoing crisis, she said.

DeWine acknowledged the unusual nature of the financial incentives.

I know that some may say, DeWine, youre crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money, he said. But the real waste, when the vaccine is now readily available, is a life lost to COVID-19, the governor said.

The White House and Treasury Department had no immediate comment on the governors plan.

All Ohios COVID-19 orders except those applying to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities will end June 2, the Republican also announced during the address. However, DeWine noted that stores and businesses still may require customers to be masked.

In announcing the mandates' end, the governor cited the sharp drop in the numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and the high vaccination rates among people 65 and older. He also said the vaccine is a tested and proven weapon that all Ohioans 12 and older can now avail themselves of.

Its time to end the health orders. Its been a year. Youve followed the protocols, DeWine said. Youve done what weve asked. Youve bravely fought this virus.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from about 1,522 new cases per day on April 26 to 1,207 new cases per day on May 10, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

READ MORE: Is there a link between COVID vaccine and 'funky' menstrual periods? Experts say it's too soon to know.

More than 4.2 million Ohioans  about 36% of the population  had completed the vaccination process as of Tuesday. But the number of people seeking vaccines has dropped in recent weeks, with an average of about 16,500 starting the process last week, down from figures above 80,000 in April. About 42% of Ohioans have received at least one dose.

There comes a time when individual responsibility simply must take over," DeWine said.

Business groups uniformly praised the decision. The news is the logical next step in fully reopening our state for Ohios businesses and families, said John Barker, president and CEO of the Ohio Restaurant Association.

Removing these barriers comes at the right time and will assist the efforts of Ohios business community to restore Ohios economy, said Andrew Doehrel, Ohio Chamber of Commerce CEO and president.

Dr. Lisa Egbert, president of the Ohio State Medical Association, said the organization supported the announcement but urged all eligible Ohioans to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

DeWine made the announcement even though his previous goal for dropping the orders hadn't been reached. In a March 4 primetime address, the governor had said he would lift remaining mandates once the state hit 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people for two weeks. At the time, the figure was 179 cases per 100,000 people; it had dropped to 123 cases as of this week.

READ MORE: Why you shouldn't share your COVID-19 vaccine card on social media

Despite DeWine's message, he had little choice in removing the mandates. His speech came only a few weeks before fellow GOP lawmakers could have voted to immediately remove all mandates, per a bill passed earlier this year over the governor's veto. That legislation takes effect June 23. House Republicans had signaled their intention to introduce a resolution Wednesday in preparation for a June 23 vote.

There's a strong sentiment that the health orders need to be dissolved, House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican, said earlier Wednesday.

Senate President Matt Huffman, another Lima Republican, also said Wednesday it was time for the end of mandates.

Ohioans care about getting their businesses open and doing other things that will allow some freedom, Huffman said.

Also Wednesday, DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney confirmed that employees of executive branch agencies  who have been working almost exclusively from home  would return to their offices in stages, beginning July 6.

DeWine implemented the current mask mandate in July as case numbers rose. That followed a mandatory mask order in April 2020 that he rescinded just a day later under intense criticism that the directive was one government mandate too far.

In addition to his daily or weekly midday briefings, DeWine previously addressed Ohioans about the pandemic in primetime speeches Nov. 11 and July 15.

Also Wednesday, a federal judge denied Republican Attorney General Dave Yosts request for a temporary order preventing U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen from enforcing a provision of the American Rescue Plan Act that says states cant use their recovery dollars to offset tax cuts or credits.

Judge Douglas Cole said Ohio has a strong chance of proving the tax rule unconstitutionally ambiguous. But the judge also found that granting the order against Yellen wouldnt provide Ohio the relief it seeks, because Treasurys rules for the money are still being worked out, the state hasnt yet received its money and Yellen has not yet tried to recoup anything.

___

Associated Press writers Julie Carr Smyth and Kantele Franko contributed to this report.
Business partners broke ground Thursday for a new coffee shop in Midland. Black Rifle Coffee Co. will open sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas on the corner of North Big Spring Street and Fiesta Avenue, not far from Ally Village. Black Rifle Coffee Co. is a veteran-owned coffee company serving premium coffee. Partners James Gripp, Brett Johnson, Michael Blonkvist, Sean Lobo and Chris Blonkvist have been fans of the coffee company for a while.

Black Rifle is based on veterans, law enforcement, first responders and the founders are ex-military but this is something I have been looking to do for a couple of years, Gripp said. I think its going to be special. We brought law enforcement out for the groundbreaking, and it will be nice to back the community.

Gripp, the CEO of Ally Outdoor in Ally Village, has been selling Black Rifle Coffee Co. products for three years. Ally Outdoors already sells bags of roasted coffee beans, coffee rounds (for Keurig coffee makers) and more. Johnson said he also subscribes to Black Rifle Coffee Co.s subscription service, which delivers to his door.

Law enforcement and first responders understand the support that will come from this coffee shop, Gripp said. Its unique compared to other coffee shops because its veteran-owned.

Gripp has supported local law enforcement before. In 2019, he held a private concert at Ally Outdoors with Shield616 that raised money to buy 90 Angel Armor vests for the Midland Police Department, he said. He said the coffee shop will also be a great opportunity to host events like coffee with a cop or other community-centered events.

Gripp said he hopes the community will rally around the coffee shop and that it will provide a new feature for the area. Architect Frank Richardson said the coffee shop will be about 3,000 square feet and have a drive-thru. He said the queuing line for the drive-thru wont be winding through the parking lot, instead it will have its own dedicated lane outside the parking lot so the store will be able to queue about 20 cars without congesting the parking area. The coffee shop will have a shaded outdoor seating area too.

We have tried to incorporate an industrial, military vibe into the building using black metal panels and rustic wood that go along with the whole vibe of Black Rifle Coffee Co. and the military, Richardson said.

The company sells Thin Blue Line, Five Alarm, Vintage Roast, Silencer Smooth Roast, Gunship Roast, Space Bear, Power Llama Roast, Coffee or Die, Flying Elk Coffee and CAF Roast. The company also works with partners such as Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Brotherhood for the Fallen, Echo Hill Ranch and Foundation for Wildland Firefighters.

Black Rifle Coffee Co. imports high-quality coffee beans from Colombia and Brazil then roasts five days a week at facilities in Manchester, Tennessee, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The company has coffee shops in the Texas cities of North Richland Hills, Boerne and San Antonio.

More news

The Paleta Bar hosted a grand opening Saturday at 4200 Midland Drive, No. 250.

Crumbl Cookie has announced a store will open in Midland in the Cornerstone Shopping Center at 4400 Midland Drive, No. 501. The store hopes to open in June.

Breakout

Want to know more?

Visit www.blackriflecoffee.com/

or allyoutdoors.com
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Confronting multiple unrelated international crises, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought Monday to revive strained ties with Denmark, pledging renewed cooperation with the country over climate change, Arctic policy and Russia.

As calls in Washington and around the world grew for the Biden administration to take a tougher, more active stance on increasing Israeli-Palestinian violence, Blinken largely held to his initial agenda in meetings with Danish leaders and officials from Greenland and the Faeroe Islands. He cancelled only one scheduled event to make calls on the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

Blinken's talks in Copenhagen came ahead of his first face-to-face encounter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a time of significantly heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. That meeting is set for Wednesday in Iceland on the sidelines of a meeting of the Arctic Council. It will set the stage for a planned summit next month between President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

While the deteriorating situation in the Middle East cast a shadow over his trip, Blinken brought a message of renewed U.S. cooperation to Denmark. Denmark was one of several European countries that felt slighted by former President Donald Trump and expressed clear relief at the change in administrations.

Today America is back, and in more ways than one," said Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. And, let me tell you, America has been missed.

At a joint news conference with Blinken, Kofod rattled off a litany issues on which the Biden administration has reversed course from the Trump era to Denmarks delight. Those included rejoining the Paris climate accord and World Health Organization and re-engaging with the UN Human Rights Council and the World Trade Organization.

Kofod had met less than a year ago with Blinkens predecessor, Mike Pompeo, amid lingering mistrust created by Trumps desire to buy the Danish territory of Greenland and his cancellation of a state visit to Denmark in 2019 after his suggestions were flatly rejected.

I am resolutely focused on today and tomorrow, not yesterday," Blinken said, adding that the United States would pursue new partnerships with Denmark and other countries on climate change and work more closely with like-minded nations to confront threats posed by an increasingly assertive Russia and China.

But, he said that: "Across the board, I think you've seen a few short months a determination by the United States to reinvigorate its alliances and partnerships and also our engagement with international institutions. And, he appealed for Europeans to embrace the Biden administration's policy shifts. Judge us not by what we say, but by what we do, Blinken said.

Climate change dominated the discussions. The Biden administration is seeking to restore U.S. credibility with allies on the topic after four years during which the Trump administration either downplayed the threat posed by climate change or urged other nations to take advantage of the commercial possibilities resulting from a loss of sea ice and melting glaciers.

After her meeting with Blinken, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also noted the change.

Its a different approach," Frederiksen told reporters. "That means a desire for cooperation around the Arctic region, where changes are taking place.

In a statement, the State Department said Blinken had emphasized the importance of advancing our mutual goals of combating the climate crisis, developing green technology, and continuing common efforts with the Kingdom of Denmark on the Arctic.

Former President Donald Trump had also created a stir when he proposed purchasing Greenland from Denmark, an offer roundly rejected by both. Trump then canceled a scheduled state visit to Denmark in 2019, creating more ill feelings.

A senior U.S. official said Blinken hoped to get beyond any lingering doubts on Greenland by highlighting all of the things that were doing with Greenland as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

___

Jan M. Olsen contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House is expected to vote next week on two bills aimed at preventing more attacks on the U.S. Capitol, with one seeking to establish a 9/11-style commission to study what went wrong on Jan. 6 and the other allocating $1.9 billion to address the security problems revealed by the insurrection.

The top Democrat and the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee on Friday unveiled their plan to form the commission after weeks of delicate negotiations. Modeled after the revered investigation into the 9/11 terrorist attacks, their bill would establish an independent 10-member commission, evenly divided between the two parties, that would have subpoena power and an end-of-year deadline for completing its work.

Efforts to stand up the commission had previously stalled amid partisan differences, with Republicans  including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell  arguing that its scope should be widened to look at violence in cities around the country in the past year in reaction to the killing of George Floyd while in police custody. But the new bill appeared to be a breakthrough after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the legislation must be bipartisan.

The emergency spending bill was also released Friday, a product of months of reviews about what is needed to harden security at the Capitol after the violent mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters pushed past police officers and broke through windows and doors on Jan. 6. That legislation would include money for new retractable fencing around the building, added training and resources for the Capitol Police, and better security for members of Congress, among other measures.

Pelosi said that protecting the Capitol and the people who work inside it is of the highest priority, and that a commission is imperative to examine and report upon the facts, causes and security relating to the terrorist mob attack.

While both bills are expected to pass the House, it's unclear how much Republican support they would receive. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday he had not read the details of the Jan. 6 commission bill and did not signal whether he would support it. In a letter to Pelosi earlier this week, McCarthy said that any panel should not have any predetermined conclusions or findings and suggested that money for security should wait until after the commission issues a report.

The insurrection is an increasingly fraught subject in the House GOP conference. While almost every Republican member condemned the violent mob that day, and many criticized Trump for his role in egging them on, a growing number of them have downplayed the attack as time has passed. At a House hearing this week investigating the siege, one member denied there was an insurrection at all while another said a woman who was shot and killed by police while trying to break into the House chamber was executed. Many other Republicans have tried to change the subject, saying Democrats should focus on the violence in cities instead.

The bill's path forward is uncertain in the 50-50 Senate, where Republicans have been quiet on the commission in recent weeks. McConnell objected to an initial proposal by Pelosi that would have included more Democrats than Republicans on the panel, and said the scope should be widened to investigate the rioting in cities. But he has not spoken about it since Pelosi endorsed the new language that would make the commission an even partisan split.

House Democrats negotiated the bill with Republican John Katko of New York, who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the insurrection for telling his supporters that day to fight like hell to overturn his defeat.

The legislation does have one other prominent GOP supporter: Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who was kicked out of House GOP leadership this week for calling out Trump for his false claims that the election was stolen from him. Cheney also voted to impeach Trump.

In the aftermath of national crises, such as Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, or September 11th, our nation has established commissions so the American people know the truth and we can prevent these events from happening again, Cheney said in a statement.

Like the 9/11 Commission that investigated the terrorist attacks on the U.S., the Jan. 6 commission would be granted authority to issue subpoenas to obtain information, requiring the bipartisan agreement of both the chair and vice chair of the commission, or through a majority vote. The commission would be charged with issuing a final report by Dec. 31, along with recommendations to prevent future attacks.

The security spending bill would seek to make security improvements in the meantime, creating a quick-reaction force that could respond quickly in the event of an attack. National Guard troops were delayed for hours on Jan. 6 as police were beaten and overwhelmed by the rioters who broke in.

The bill includes money for new fencing  either retractable or pop in," according to Democrats  that would protect the grounds while removing the dark black fence that has surrounded the Capitol since Jan. 6. The legislation says that the money cannot be used to install permanent aboveground fencing, reflecting the wishes of most members of Congress that the area should be open to the public.

Other improvements would be to better secure windows and doors, install new security vestibules and cameras, and protect members with increased security at home and in Washington. There is also money to protect federal judges who are prosecuting the rioters and have received threats.

The legislation renames a wellness program for Capitol Police as the Howard C. Howie Liebengood Center for Wellness and adds mental health counselors and resilience specialists for trauma support. Liebengood was a Capitol Police officer who took his own life shortly after the attack.

___

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  The Israeli military unleashed another heavy wave of airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. International diplomacy to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds appeared to make little headway.

Israel has said it will press on for now with its attacks against Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the United States signaled it would not pressure the two sides for a cease-fire even as President Joe Biden said he supported one.

The latest attacks destroyed the five-story building housing the Hamas-run Religious Affairs Ministry, a building Israel said housed the main operations center of Hamas' internal security forces. Israel also killed a top Gaza leader of Islamic Jihad, another militant group whom the Israeli military blamed for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel in recent days. Israel said its strikes destroyed 15 kilometers (9 miles) of tunnels used by militants.

At least 212 Palestinians have been killed in the week of airstrikes, including 61 children and 36 women, with more than 1,400 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Ten people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier, have been killed in the ongoing rocket attacks launched from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel.

Violence has also erupted between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, a Jewish man attacked last week by a group of Arabs in the central city of Lod died of his wounds, according to police.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top security officials on Monday evening and later said Israel would continue to strike terror targets in Gaza. We will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens, he said.

The new airstrikes, which hit Gaza overnight Monday and again in the evening, hollowed out one floor of a multistory concrete building and killed five people. A woman picked through clothing, rubble and splintered furniture in a room that had been destroyed. One strike demolished the wall of one room, leaving untouched an open cabinet filled with bedding inside. Children walked over debris in the road.

A car in the street that witnesses said was hit by an airstrike was bent and torn, its roof ripped back and what was left of the driver's side door smeared with blood. A beachside cafe the car had just left was splintered and on fire. Rescue workers tried to put out the blaze with a small fire extinguisher.

Gaza Citys mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. He said water supplies to hundreds of households were disrupted. We are trying hard to provide water, but the situation remains difficult, he said.

The U.N. has warned that the territory's sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the territory's electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days.

Palestinian officials said Israel pledged to open its only cargo crossing with Gaza for several hours Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid  including fuel, food and medicine  to enter.

Israel also said it targeted what it suspected was a Hamas submersible weapon preparing for an attack on Israel's coast.

The war broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

More protests were expected across the region Tuesday in response to a call by Palestinian citizens of Israel for a general strike. The protest has the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party.

The Biden administration has declined so far to publicly criticize Israels part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. On Monday, the United States again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to the crisis related to Gaza and the protection of civilians, especially children.

The White House said Monday evening that Biden expressed support for a cease-fire during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Secretary of State Antony Blinken signaled earlier that the U.S. did not intend to pressure the two sides.

Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire, Blinken told reporters during a trip to Denmark.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke Monday with Netanyahu, emphasized her country's solidarity with Israel, condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza, and expressed hope for a swift end to the fighting, according to her office.

Hamas top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.

Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,200 rockets into Israel. Israeli military officials said Hamas had stockpiled about 15,000 rockets before the war started. Rocket attacks continued Monday, with one hitting a building in the city of Ashdod that caused injuries, the Israeli police said.

Israels military said six rockets launched from Lebanon late Monday apparently fell inside Lebanese territory, and artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon.

Israels airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Blinken said he hasnt yet seen any evidence supporting Israels claim.

AP President Gary Pruitt called for an independent investigation into the attack.

As we have said, we have no indication of a Hamas presence in the building, nor were we warned of any such possible presence before the airstrike, he said in a statement. This is something we check as best we can. We do not know what the Israeli evidence shows, and we want to know.

The Israeli military said it struck 35 terror targets Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the Metro, used by fighters to take cover from airstrikes. They included a strike against a building that housed the Qatari Red Crescent, Qatar said. That attack killed a man and a 12-year-old girl.

The tunnels extend for hundreds of kilometers (miles), with some more than 20 meters (yards) deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just chokepoints and major junctions.

The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to high-ranking commanders in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant groups commander for the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were eliminated. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many casualties were militants or civilians.

___

This story has been updated to correct that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, not the United States.

___

Nessman reported from Atlanta, Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Matthew Lee in Copenhagen, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
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Illustration of Tianwen 1 probe entering Martian orbit. [Photo provided to China Daily]

China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 successfully landed on the surface of the red planet on Saturday, leaving a Chinese footprint on Mars for the first time.

The exciting landing has made China a new member among the world's pioneering Martian explorers. The spirt of self-reliance has played a key role in China's scientific development over the decades despite foreign attempts to block China's technological progress.

Exploring a planet some 55 million km away from Earth is extremely challenging. So far, around 50 Mars missions have been launched globally in humankind's saga to explore Mars since 1960. More than half of them have failed. With a late start, China launched Tianwen-1 last year, but the spacecraft is designed for a bold initiative: to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one single mission. This has never been done before.

China has now become the third country in history to touch down on Mars' surface following the United States and the former Soviet Union. The feat was not easily accomplished.

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the country was a toddler in scientific and technological development. With the help of a wave of Chinese scientists returning to China from overseas, China has made its early breakthroughs in rocket and space technologies.

Through more than six decades of unremitting efforts, China has achieved one milestone after another in aerospace development, including manned space program, lunar exploration, and its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

A new giant leap was recorded in late April, as China sent into space the core module Tianhe of its space station, kicking off a series of launch missions that will complete the construction of the station around 2022.

While China is catching up in space exploration, and has grown from a follower to a trailblazer, it is facing even louder noise from some Western nations.

Following the launch of the Tianhe module, some media and scientists in the United States hyped up irresponsible theories about China's handling of the rocket debris. Their unfounded concerns reflect a fact that Washington is not happy to see China's fast leaps in space and technology, and sees in China a threat to its pursuit of space dominance.

However, such ill-intentioned and self-defeating disruptions will not hinder China's solid determination to move up the ladder in technological development, and promote international space cooperation.

China has always welcomed and participated in global cooperation on the peaceful use of outer space. During its Mars mission, China has worked with European partners and others. In March, it signed an accord with Russia on building an international lunar research station.

It is a common cause of the human race to find inspirations from the universe for solutions to daunting challenges threatening people's life on Earth. In this Odyssey, China, armed with enthusiasm, diligence and the readiness for cooperation, will help propel the humankind to travel faster and farther.
A multi-state advertising campaign is promoting Greene, Jersey and other west-central Illinois counties as a destination for day trippers.

The campaign by Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau of Southwest Illinois was launched Monday. It is targeting active outdoor lifestyles and living like a local.

In addition to Greene and Jersey counties, it will highlight offerings in Macoupin, Calhoun, Madison and Montgomery counties.

We want to encourage people to hop in the car and head to southwest Illinois where they can experience amazing outdoor fun or just relax and live like a local, said Cory Jobe, CEO of the tourism bureau.

The campaign is seeking potential leisure travelers within about four hours of the region: St. Louis; Paducah, Kentucky; Terre Haute, Indiana; and central Illinois, including Springfield, Champaign, Peoria and the Quad Cities.

People are ready to travel and while they may not want to get on a plane right now, we know they will get in their cars and drive to destinations that spark their imaginations, Jobe said. We believe we have that kind of destination right here in southwest Illinois.

Among the offerings being highlighted are such things as kayaking on the Mississippi River, zip-lining in Grafton and hiking at Pere Marquette State Park.
NEW YORK (AP)  The merger of Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia operations, marrying the likes of HBO and CNN with HGTV and Oprah Winfrey, is another illustration of the head-spinning speed in which streaming has transformed the media world.

The companies are essentially placing a $43 billion bet that they'll still be in the mix when consumers decide how to spend their monthly entertainment budgets.

The agreement was announced Monday after AT&T CEO John Stankey and his Discovery counterpart, David Zaslav, worked out the details in Zaslav's Manhattan brownstone over the past two months.

I think, together, the combination makes us the best media company in the world, said Zaslav, who will run the new company if approvals are granted, probably sometime next year.

The deal also represents a strategic retreat for AT&T.

The hope for the newly merged company is that, with a wider array of material than either can offer on its own, it can join Netflix, Amazon and Disney in the widely acknowledged top tier of streamers.

Analysts say it also makes it imperative that services below that tier  think Paramount+ or Peacock  find some way to ramp up or risk being left behind.

WarnerMedia and Discovery both launched their own streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+, within the past two years. It's still not clear whether the merger will result in a single streaming service or several bundled together, but it will have a vast array of content to offer: scripted and reality TV, movies, sports including the NBA and NCAA men's basketball tournament, and news with CNN.

With consumers figuring out which streaming services they use regularly and which they can give up, that depth means a better chance they will use this new one regularly, said Raj Venkatesan, professor of business administration at the University of Virginia. The average U.S. household spends $40 a month on streaming services.

It either has something for everyone in the family, or is so diverse that it is hard to explain, said Jim Nail, an analyst for Forrester Research.

David Schweidel, a business professor at Emory University, questioned whether consumers will be better off with the deal.

If I do decide to cut the cord and I need three to five services to get what I had before, that bill could easily approach what I was paying for cable before, Schweidel said. This may end up hurting consumers.

HBO Max and HBO have a combined global subscriber base of about 63.9 million, and Discovery+ has about 15 million subscribers. That compares with Netflix, which has more than 200 million subscribers worldwide, and Disney+, which counts over 100 million.

In a call with investors, Zaslav said he believes that the standalone company could garner 200, 300, 400 million subscribers at some point in the future, but there were no details regarding a timeline.

The deal is a stark reminder of how much the entertainment world has changed, said Tim Hanlon, CEO of the media consultants Vertere Group.

I think most consumers now look at live television as being something of an anachronism, he said.

While it increases the pressure on smaller streaming services like Peacock or Paramount+ to find partners, those two are affiliated with the NBC and CBS television networks  so doing so would require a rethinking of the broadcast industry regulatory process, Hanlon said.

Its the second time this year that AT&T has calved off a major acquisition as it navigates a rapidly evolving media landscape. In February, the company spun off satellite TV service DirecTV for a fraction of the $48.5 billion it paid in 2015.

Dallas-based AT&T acquired the former company Time Warner for more than $80 billion less than five years ago in a bid to control both sides of the entertainment process: the broadband and wireless services that help deliver entertainment to homes, and the entertainment itself. But the costs involved in trying to do both became a burden.

That vision clearly has not panned out, said CFRA analyst Tuna Amobi.

The new company will be able to cut costs by $3 billion annually, the companies said, money that could go toward original streaming content. It will house almost 200,000 hours of programming and bring together more than 100 brands under one global portfolio, including DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC and Animal Planet.

That likely means layoffs as the companies consolidate.

The deal is also likely to force major decisions on familiar brands. For instance, CNN Chief Executive Jeff Zucker said he expected to leave at the end of the year. But with the new company being led by Zaslav  who worked with Zucker at NBC in the 1990s  that equation could change.

Zaslav called Zucker an extraordinary talent. It's all about the talent, and so we'll be figuring out how do we get the best people to stay, he said.

Shares of Discovery Inc., which is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, fell $1.80, or 5%, to close Monday at $33.85 after initially jumping to $39.70. AT&Ts shares finished the day down 87 cents, or 2.7%, at $31.37, down from a session high of $33.88.

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AP business writers Tali Arbel, Anne D'Innocenzio and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.
BLUFFS  The school board plans a meeting next month in the hope of gathering more information on community reaction to a potential consolidation of the Bluffs and Winchester school districts.

Board President Gary Westermeyer said while a few members of the community attended the presentation, he and many of the board members felt they have not had enough community feedback to adequately represent the wants of the community.

We want to gauge the support for the consolidation and be available to answer any questions community members have, Westermeyer said.

The meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. June 10 at Bluffs High School.

Westermeyer said board members have heard from some community members, both for and against a consolidation, but said there has not been enough to gauge an overall consensus.

The two district boards met in a joint meeting in April to hear the results of a feasibility study completed by Midwest School Consultants, which indicated that a consolidation of the districts would be beneficial in various aspects, including enhanced or varied educational opportunities.

Kevin Blankenship, the joint superintendent for both the Winchester and Bluffs school districts, said Winchesters board is also wanting more community input, though he said a meeting hasnt been scheduled.

The boards are in the same place, but have a different idea of how to go about it, Blankenship said. Winchesters board had a short discussion and theyd like to get the same information, but I think they feel that is the job of the committee.

Westermeyer said the board will discuss the next moves following the meeting in June.

If approved by both boards, a Committee of 10 would be established with members of both communities and boards. The committee members would be responsible for overseeing the process, including establishing the property tax rate for the new district that would be placed on the ballot for voters to decide.

If both boards agree to proceed, a proposition for consolidation would have to go through the Regional Office of Education before being placed on a ballot for community approval.

If the board gets to the point where we have a comfortable understanding, we would agree to the formation of a committee, Westermeyer said. We all feel we are representatives of the voters and taxpayers and we feel we need their feedback before we make any decisions for our district.

Voters in the two districts would vote on whether to consolidate.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Christopher L. Preston, 47, of 104 S. Miller St., Waverly, was arrested on a retail theft charge at 6:09 p.m. Friday after being accused of leaving Walmart at 1941 W. Morton Ave. with a cart filled with items without paying.

 Tanika L. Davis, 31, of Jacksonville and Anthony E. Brooks, 19, of Jacksonville were cited on disorderly conduct charges after being accused of fighting at a business in the 100 block of West Walnut Street at 10:46 a.m. Saturday.

ACCIDENTS

 Deante J. Overton, 21, of Jacksonville was cited on charges of improper lane use and operating an uninsured vehicle after a wheel fell off the car he was driving and his car collided with one owned by Elizabeth M. Gourley, 30, of Jacksonville at 10:31 a.m. Saturday in the 500 block of West Lafayette Avenue.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
BEARDSTOWN  The state fire marshals office is investigating a massive blaze that left three firefighters injured late Sunday.

The fire was reported about 8:30 p.m. Sunday in the 600 block of East Fourth Street in Beardstown. It took firefighters from Beardstown and eight other departments more than three hours to get the fire under control.
Watertown, SD (57201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early. Scattered strong thunderstorms developing late. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near an inch..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early. Scattered strong thunderstorms developing late. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near an inch.
South Africas ex-president says he is ready for graft trial

South Africas ex-president says he is ready for graft trial View Photo

JOHANNESBURG (AP)  Former South African President Jacob Zuma says he is ready for his trial on charges of corruption, racketeering, and money laundering.

Zuma appeared at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday where the trial was adjourned to May 26 when he will announce his plea.

He is accused of receiving bribes from French arms manufacturer Thales through his then financial advisor Schabir Shaik, who was convicted of related corruption charges in 2005.

The first witness in the trial will be Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille, who was among the first to allege that the 1999 arms sale was tainted by corruption.

De Lille compiled a dossier that she says has documents that prove influential members of the ruling party, the African National Congress, corruptly benefitted from the governments lucrative contracts with international arms manufacturers and suppliers.

De Lille was in court Monday and has been asked to appear when the trial resumes next week.

Several ANC leaders and a crowd of Zumas supporters dressed in colorful ANC outfits showed up at the courthouse to demonstrate their backing for the former president.

Zumas trial starts as the ANC party is torn between President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has pledged to root out corruption, and a faction supporting Zuma and others accused of graft. One of Zumas most prominent supporters is Ace Magashule, who has been suspended as the partys secretary-general because he is also facing criminal corruption charges.

A defiant Magashule told supporters in front of the courthouse that he would not be silenced even though the terms of his suspension specify that he may not publicly mobilize or address ANC supporters.

Nobody under a democracy will ban me, nobody will remove the ANC from me, he said.

Former ANC member of parliament Tony Yengeni, who was found guilty of corruption in 2003 and served a prison sentence, also attended the opening of the trial and voiced his support for Zuma.

This is nothing else but a political trial. President Zuma is being persecuted. No trial in South Africa has ever taken this long, where a person has been coming to court for 20 years, Yengeni told supporters outside court.

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME

Associated Press
Vacation redux: British tourists return to Portugal beaches View Photo

LISBON, Portugal (AP)  British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

A plane from Manchester, England, disembarked the first of more than 5,000 tourists expected to arrive on 17 U.K. flights in Portugals southern Algarve region on the first day nonessential travel was allowed.

As local temperatures climbed toward a forecast high of 32 C (90 F), the tourists were met at Faro airport by workers handing out COVID-19 welcome kits containing masks and disinfectant, and by the head of the Algarve tourist authority.

The arrivals brightened the outlook for Portugals crucial tourism sector, especially the sun and surf resorts along the Algarve coast which relies heavily on the U.K. market and where hotels shut down for most of the past year.

Arriving tourists needed to show a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken within the previous 72 hours.

Both Portugal and the United Kingdom have reduced their seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people to between three and four. Authorities said that rate was low enough to relax restrictions.

The Portuguese government on Saturday announced that people from European countries with COVID-19 incidence rates below 500 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days can now also make nonessential trips to Portugal. That means most Europeans can travel to Portugal, as long as they can show a negative test.

The U.K. government has put Portugal and 11 other countries on a so-called green list of low-risk territories. British people returning home from those areas dont need to go into quarantine.

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Biden raises cease-fire, civilian toll in call to Netanyahu View Photo

President Joe Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gazas militant Hamas rulers in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but stopped short of demanding an immediate stop to the eight days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket barrages that have killed more than 200 people, most of them Palestinian.

Bidens carefully worded statement, in a White House readout of his second known call to Netanyahu in three days as the attacks pounded on, came with the administration under pressure to respond more forcefully despite its determination to wrench the U.S. foreign policy focus away from Middle East conflicts.

Bidens comments on a cease-fire were open-ended, and similar to previous administration statements of support in principle for a cease-fire. Thats in contrast to demands from dozens of Democratic lawmakers and others for an immediate halt by both sides. But the readout of the call to the Israeli leader showed increased White House concern about the air and rocket attacks including Israeli airstrikes aimed at weakening Hamas  while sticking to forceful support for Israel.

The U.S. leader encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, the White House said in its readout.

An administration official familiar with the call said the decision to express support and not explicitly demand a cease-fire was intentional. While Biden and top aides are concerned about the mounting bloodshed and loss of innocent life, the decision not to demand an immediate halt to hostilities reflects White House determination to support Israels right to defend itself from Hamas, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations.

Netanyahu told Israeli security officials late Monday that Israel would continue to strike terror targets in Gaza as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.

As the worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2014 raged, the Biden administration has limited its public criticisms to Hamas and has declined to send a top-level envoy to the region. It also had declined to press Israel publicly and directly to wind down its latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, a six-mile by 25-mile territory that is home to more than 2 million people. Cease-fire mediation by Egypt and others has shown no sign of progress.

Separately, the United States, Israels top ally, blocked for a third time Monday what would have been a unanimous statement by the 15-nation U.N. Security Council expressing grave concern over the intensifying Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the loss of civilian lives. The final U.S. rejection killed the Security Council statement, at least for now.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki and national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was focusing instead on quiet, intensive diplomacy.

Biden has been determined to wrench U.S. foreign policy away from Middle East and Central Asia conflicts, including withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan and ending support for a Saudi-led war in Yemen, to focus on other policy priorities. Internationally for the U.S., that means confronting climate change and dealing with the rise of China, among other objectives.

That shift carries risks, including weathering flaring violence as the United States steps back from hotspots.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Denmark on the first stop of an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, said Monday the United States was ready to spring in to help if Israel and Hamas signal interest in ending hostilities  but that the U.S. wasnt demanding that they do so.

Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire, Blinken said. He described U.S. contacts to support an end to the fighting, including the calls he was making midair between his Nordic stops.

Blinken defended the U.S. handling of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict as America works to push for climate-accord deals, withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and turn U.S. attention to what Biden sees as the nations most pressing foreign policy priorities.

Its a big world and we do have responsibilities, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday joined dozens of Democratic lawmakers  and one Republican, and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders  in calling for the cease-fire by both sides. A prominent Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, the House intelligence committee chairman, pressed the U.S. over the weekend to get more involved.

Progressive Democrats have been more outspoken in demanding pressure on Israel  and Republicans and conservative Democrats comparatively quiet, for a politically fraught U.S. issue like support for Israel  as the death toll has mounted.

Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, linked Palestinian issues to those of Black Americans.

We oppose our money going to fund militarized policing, occupation, and systems of violent oppression and trauma, Bush tweeted.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, took the Senate floor on Monday to assail lawmakers for including Israel in their demands for a cease-fire.

To say that both sides, both sides need to de-escalate downplays the responsibility terrorists have for initiating the conflict in the first place and suggests Israelis are not entitled to defend themselves against ongoing rocket barrages, McConnell said.

In a shot at Democrats, McConnell said, The United States needs to stand foursquare behind our ally, and President Biden must remain strong against the growing voices within his own party that create false equivalence between terrorist aggressors and a responsible state defending itself.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., led 19 Republican senators releasing a resolution supporting Israels side of the fighting. They plan to try to introduce the legislation next week.

Blinken also said Monday he had asked Israel for any evidence for its claim that Hamas was operating in a Gaza office building housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera news bureaus that was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend. But he said that he personally had not seen any information provided.

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Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City, Lee from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Lederer from New York. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Alan Fram, Aamer Madhani, Padmananda Rama and Joshua Boak in Washington contributed.

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER, MATTHEW LEE and EDITH M. LEDERER

Associated Press
The Latest: Biden expresses support for Gaza cease-fire View Photo

WASHINGTON  The White House says President Joe Biden has expressed support for a cease-fire during a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A statement says the leaders spoke Monday, which was the eighth day of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

Bidens move signals U.S. concern for an end to Israels part of hostilities with Hamas, although it falls short of joining growing Democratic Party demands for an immediate cease-fire.

The White House says the president reiterated his firm support for Israels right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks.

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JERSUALEM  Israels military says it identified six rockets launched from Lebanon that apparently fell inside Lebanese territory.

The army said Monday that Israeli artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon. Air raid sirens sounded in a kibbutz near the border, and residents were instructed to prepare bomb shelters.

The incident took place near the site of protests staged along the Lebanese border Friday. In one incident, protesters breached the border fence and entered Israeli territory. Israeli troops fatally shot man who was later identified by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah as one of its fighters.

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JERUSALEM  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will continue to strike terror targets in the Gaza Strip after a week of fighting with Palestinian militants.

In an address after meeting with top defense officials, Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.

The fighting broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police.

The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Qatar has condemned the Israeli bombing of the Qatari Red Crescent building in the Gaza Strip, which it said resulted in deaths and injuries.

Qatar said Monday the operation also damaged parts of The Hamad Bin Khalifa Hospital for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation, as did the previous aerial bombing Saturday of the tower that housed the offices of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel. The mixed-use office and residential high-rise was also home to The Associated Press offices in Gaza.

Qatar said the targeting of humanitarian and media institutions is a flagrant violation of international law. The Foreign Ministry said Qatar affirms it will spare no effort in supporting the just Palestinian cause and its brothers in Palestine.

The energy-rich Gulf country has been providing $20 million to Gaza monthly since 2018.

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AMMAN, Jordan  Jordans interior minister says Israel has handed over two Jordanian citizens who infiltrated its border over the past days.

Mazen Farayah didnt elaborate while speaking to parliament Monday.

The foreign ministry said authorities are looking into reports that other Jordanian citizens have crossed into Israel in Monday without confirming whether it indeed happened.

Jordan has been witnessing protests against Israel over fighting that broke out last week between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.

On Monday, all parliament members in Jordan called on the government to evict Israels ambassador to Jordan and recall Jordans ambassador to Israel. The legislators also called for abolishing the peace accord that Jordan and Israel signed in 1994.

The calls by the legislators arent binding.

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UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations says over 38,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes and more than 2,500 people have been made homeless because their houses were destroyed.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday those displaced have sought protection in 48 schools run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian Refugees.

Dujarric said 41 education facilities have been damaged according to U.N. staff on the ground.

The power supply across Gaza has been reduced to six to eight hours per day, on average, with a number of feeder lines not functioning, he said. That, in turn, disrupts the provision of health care and other basic services, including water, hygiene and sanitation.

He said the World Food Program has started providing emergency assistance for more than 51,000 people in north Gaza.

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CAIRO  An Egyptian health official says three Palestinian wounded arrived Monday at a hospital in Egypts Sinai Peninsula for treatment.

The official says ambulances have transferred the three, including a child, from the Raffah crossing point to the al-Arish public hospital.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to brief media.

They were the first wounded to cross into Egypt from Gaza since the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the territory started May 10 following weeks of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police in Jerusalem.

Egypt, which is mediating a cease-fire, has also sent trucks carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Gaza.

 By Samy Magdy

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PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron says he will have talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming days about the airstrike that destroyed a Gaza building that housed The Associated Press and other media outlets.

Macron said at a news conference in Paris that the safety of journalists  and their protection in times of conflict is a crucial responsibility.

He said France has requested that Israel clarify the circumstances and objectives of the airstrike.

Macron called for a cease-fire as soon as possible, and said France is supporting Egypts mediation in the conflict as key to avoiding more violence.

He said he will discuss with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, whom he already met on Monday in Paris, and Jordanian King Abdullah II in the coming days to make concrete proposals.

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ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed U.S President Joe Biden, accusing him of writing history with his bloody hands following reports of a multi-million dollar weapons sale to Israel by his administration.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan also said Jerusalem should be administered by an international commission made up of Jewish, Christian and Muslim representatives. Erdogan, who has been conducting telephone diplomacy to try and end the violence, said he had raised the issue during a call with Pope Francis.

In todays circumstances, the administration of Jerusalem by a commission made up of representatives of the three religions will be the most accurate and consistent way, he said.

Erdogan also took aim at Austria for flying the Israeli flag from a government building, suggesting that Vienna was trying to make Muslims pay the price of their own genocide against the Jews.

Now, unfortunately, you (Biden) are writing history with your bloody hands with this event (in which) Gaza is being attacked with seriously disproportionate force causing the martyrdom of thousands of people, Erdogan said. You have forced us to say this.

Erdogan was referring to reports that the Biden administration had approved a $735 million weapons sale to Israel.

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UNITED NATIONS  The United States has again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to the crisis related to Gaza and the protection of civilians, especially children.

Council diplomats said there was a 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) deadline Monday for countries to comment on the statement and Washignton objected to it.

At a high-level emergency council meeting on Sunday, there were near unanimous calls for an end to the week-long conflict.

The proposed council press statement by China, Norway and Tunisia, obtained by The Associated Press, didnt name Israel or Gazas Hamas rulers, instead expressing grave concern at the Gaza crisis and the loss of civilian lives and casualties.

The U.S. says its engaging in intense diplomatic efforts at the highest levels to try to bring an end to this conflict.

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BEIRUT  The Palestinian Islamic Jihad groups leader has made a rare public appearance in Beirut where he vowed that his group will keep fighting Israel, which he described as weaker than a spiders web.

Ziad Nakhaleh told hundreds of supporters during a rally organized by Lebanons militant Hezbollah group Monday evening that Israel is targeting civilians and avoiding direct confrontation with holy warriors.

The groups military wing, the Quds Brigades, along with the military wing of Hamas have fired hundreds of rockets and missiles toward Israeli towns and cities since the latest round of fighting began last Monday.

Nakhaleh, who thanked Iran for its help, said the latest round of fighting is a new page in defending Jerusalem and al-Aqsa mosque.

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SANAA, Yemen  Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa on Monday to denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners calling for the boycott of Israeli and American goods. They also chanted: Death to America! and Death to Israel! Many protesters were seen carrying AK-47 assault rifles.

The protests are called by Houthi rebels, who are allied with Hamas. Both groups have close ties with Iran, the archenemy of Israel.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Palestinian witnesses say at least two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike at the upper floor of an apartment building in Gaza City.

The witnesses say the bodies of man and a girl were brought to the Shifa hospital in the city. There was no immediate comment from the Health Ministry.

The latest airstrike occurred Monday in the same neighborhood at Wahda street where a series of conservative air raids had flattened three buildings and killed as many as 42 Palestinians early Sunday.

Meanwhile, a fresh airstrike has flattened a five-story commercial building housing the headquarters of the Hamas-run religious affairs ministry.

The armed wing of Hamas said Israel has resumed hitting houses Monday afternoon and said it would fire rockets toward Israels heartland in retaliation.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Hamas Interior Ministry has ordered journalists and media production companies in Gaza to refrain from offering their services to two Saudi-owned satellite channels.

In a message sent to journalists mobiles, a ministry official stressed offering any service to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV and its news branch Al-Hadath are prohibited by liability.

Hamas has closed the Gaza offices of the channel during the 2014 war after accusing it of broadcasting false news meant to distort the Islamic militant group.

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ATHENS, Greece  Greece says its foreign minister will head to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday for talks with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.

Nikos Dendias is to meet with Gabi Ashkenazi and Riad al-Maliki before heading later the same day to Jordan for talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the foreign ministry announced Monday.

The minister will travel to Egypt on Thursday for a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukri.

In the past Greece, which has long had good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, has attempted to play a mediating role in their conflicts.

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BERLIN  German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the current escalation in the Mideast conflict and emphasized Germanys solidarity with Israel and the countrys right to self-defense.

She condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli and voiced her hope for a swift end to the fighting in light of the loss of civilian life on both sides.

Merkels office said she also stressed that the government will continue to act decisively against protests in Germany at which hatred and antisemitism is spread.

One of the leading contenders to succeed Merkel in Germanys national election this fall, Annalena Baerbock of the center-left Greens, likewise condemned the Hamas rocket attacks and backed Israels right to self-defense.

She called for Germany and the European Union to support efforts by U.S. President Joe Biden to mediate between the warring parties.

Asked about Israels destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza used by international media, including AP, Baerbock said the principles of international humanitarian law, which bans attacks on civilians  apply in the conflict. Israel said the airstrike targeted Hamas, which it claimed was present in the building, but didnt offer proof.

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JERUSALEM  An Israeli man hurt in violent unrest by Arab citizens in central Israel last week has died of his injuries, his family says.

Police confirmed that Yigal Yehoshua, 56, was attacked and seriously injured by rioters in Lod on Monday, has died. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Lod saw some of the worst Jewish and Arab violent unrest that wracked Israeli cities last week. Police said that a total of 190 people were injured in the violence, 10 of them seriously. Yehoshua was the second confirmed death. Musa Hassuna was shot and killed May 11 during the first night of unrest in Lod.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said operations are continuing across the county to prevent and respond to incidents with additional reinforcements in Lod.

 This item has been corrected to show that Yigal Yehoshua was the second confirmed death in the violence, not the first.

___

PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi stressed the absolute need to cease hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians, the French presidency said.

During a working meeting in Paris on Monday, both leaders shared strong concerns about the escalation of violence in the Middle East and deplored the numerous civilian victims, the statement said.

Macron reaffirmed Frances support to Egypts mediation in the conflict.

Both leaders agreed to continue to coordinate their actions in favor of a rapid cease-fire and prevent a spreading of the conflict in the region, according to the French presidency.

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BRUSSELS  The European Union will redouble its efforts to end the upsurge in violence between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants, and seek progress during a special meeting of its foreign ministers Tuesday, the bloc said.

The EU also called the weekend destruction of a building housing major international media extremely worrying and said safe working conditions for journalists were essential.

The EU has never had the impact Washington can wield in the region and no immediate breakthrough was expected from Tuesdays meeting. Ever since the outbreak of violence last week, the EU has been calling for restraint and condemned attacks that hit civilian populations.

___

LONDON  The British government says Israel must ensure that its military activities against Hamas are proportionate, and it is deeply concerned by the destruction of media offices and other civilian targets in Gaza.

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said Britain is in contact with our U.S and U.N. counterparts and urgently seeking more information from the Israeli government on Saturdays attack, which destroyed a high-rise building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media organizations.

We are deeply concerned by U.N. reports that 23 schools and 500 homes, as well as medical facilities and media offices, have been destroyed or damaged in Gaza, Blain said. He added that Israel must make every effort to avoid civilian casualties and military activity must be proportionate.

Blain also said the U.K. was concerned about Hamas using civilian areas as cover. Israel says the media building was also being used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.

___

CAIRO  Egypts chief diplomat has warned against expanding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, urging all parties to strike a cease-fire.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said in televised comments that Egypt is working with international partners to reach a truce and embark on political negations aiming at achieving a permanent, comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian cause.

He said Egypt hopes the U.S. administration will engage in such an effort to relaunch the political process in order to avert war and destruction in the region.

He called for Israels government to reduce tensions in Jerusalem and stop efforts by extremist settlers to change the nature of the city.

___

BERLIN  German officials have condemned the ongoing rocket fire by Hamas on Israel and demanded that the militant group immediately end those attacks.

This is terror, which is intended to kill people indiscriminately, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reportes in Berlin. The German government stands by Israel and its right to protect its population and defend itself.

Seibert added that it was tragic that so many human lives need to be lamented on both sides but accused Hamas of holding the Palestinian population in Gaza hostage by launching its rockets from densely populated civilian areas.

Asked about the destruction of a Gaza building housing several media outlets, including AP, by Israel over the weekend, Seibert said it was important that journalists should be able to report from war zones, but again cited Israels right to self-defense. Israel has claimed the building was also used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.

___

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The ambassador of the Czech Republic to Kuwait is apologizing over an image posted online of him draped in the Israeli flag, amid anger in the small, oil-rich nation over the death of Palestinians.

Martin Dvorak wrote an open letter posted on the embassys Twitter account on Monday after Kuwaitis posted angry messages to his Instagram account.

Dvorak wrote that his post inspired understandable outrage and indignation among many people with regards to the current, deeply dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip.

He added: It was absolutely not my intention to express any manner of disrespect towards the innocent Palestinian victims and casualties whose loss we are currently witnessing.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry summoned Dvorak on Monday over the post to express its categorical rejection and strong disapproval.

While some Gulf Arab nations now recognize Israel, Kuwait has not done so in a decades-long support of the Palestinians efforts to have an independent state.

___

MOSCOW  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia is extremely concerned about Israels destruction of a building in Gaza City that housed the APs longtime Gaza bureau and offices of other media organizations.

We are extremely concerned about the growing number of human casualties, Peskov added during a conference call with reporters.

Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasnt had any contacts with neither the Israeli, nor the Palestinian side in recent days, but such contacts can be organized, if necessary.

The Kremlin spokesman added that very energetic efforts are now being made both through the Quartet (of Middle East mediators, which comprises the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia), and various countries are now in constant contact through bilateral channels with both the Israelis and the Palestinians in order to stop the exchange of strikes.

___

ROME  The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis met with the Iranian foreign minister and spoke by telephone with the Turkish president amid the spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Vatican said Francis spoke by phone around 9 a.m. Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later, he met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Rome on a previously announced visit. The Vatican provided no comment on the content of the talks.

On Sunday, Francis appealed for calm and international help to open a path of dialogue. Speaking during his Sunday blessing, Francis said the deaths of children in the latest surge of violence was a sign that they dont want to build the future but want to destroy it.

___

ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Pope Francis to support sanctions against Israel, saying Palestinians will continue to be massacred as long as the international community does not punish Israel.

During a telephone telephone call Monday with the pope, Erdogan also said that continued messages and reactions from Francis in support of Palestinians would be of great importance for the mobilization of the Christian world and of the international community, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications directorate.

During their conversation, Erdogan also renewed a call for the international community to take concrete steps to show Israel the dissuasive reaction and lesson it deserves, according to the statement. The Turkish leader has been engaged in a telephone diplomacy bid to end Israels use of force.

___

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Gazas mayor says Israeli airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip have caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure, while the Israeli military says they destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse, mayor Yahya Sarraj told Al-Jazeera TV.

The U.N. has warned that the territorys sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territorys electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days. Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the companys staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.

The war broke out last Monday, when the Hamas militant group fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

Since then, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,100 rockets into Israel.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes and 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks from Gaza.

___

JERUSALEM  The Israeli military says its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

Residents of Gaza awakened early Monday by the overnight barrage described it as the heaviest since the war began a week ago, and even more powerful than a wave of airstrikes in Gaza City the day before that left 42 dead and flattened three buildings.

There was no immediate word Monday on the casualties from the latest strikes. A three-story building in Gaza City was heavily damaged, but residents said the military warned them 10 minutes before the strike and everyone cleared out. They said many of the airstrikes hit nearby farmland.

By The Associated Press
Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer has died at 77 View Photo

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Buddy Roemer, a Harvard-educated reform-minded politician whose one tumultuous term as Louisianas governor was marked by bruising political battles over taxes, budgets and abortion, died Monday at age 77.

His son, Chas Roemer, said the former governor died peacefully at his home in Baton Rouge after a long battle with diabetes. He was surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren, Chas Roemer said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered flags at the Capitol and state office buildings lowered to half staff and said Roemer proudly represented the state he so dearly loved.

Roemer, a congressman before he was elected governor in 1987, never held office again after he finished third in the 1991 race, having switched from the Democratic to the Republican party that year. He came in behind populist Democrat Edwin Edwards, who was making a comeback bid after losing the governorship to Roemer four years earlier, and Republican David Duke, the ex-Ku Klux Klan leader. Edwards trounced Duke in the ensuing runoff, winning a fourth term.

Roemer, who became a banker in private life, ran unsuccessfully for governor again in 1995. He also briefly ran a campaign for the presidency in 2012, railing against special interest politics. Though the effort drew little notice, it kept alive Roemers reputation as a reform-minded maverick.

Buddys election as governor signaled a turning point in Louisianas history, Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, said in a news release. He loved Louisiana, contributing to it through the public and private sector. He leaves a great legacy. My condolences to his family.

He was immeasurably talented, said U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, another Democrat-turned-Republican, who got his political start as Roemers executive counsel. All he ever wanted to do was make Louisiana better, and he did. That meant making the right people mad, but he understood that. When I count my blessings, I count Buddy twice.

Married three times (his second marriage ended while he was governor) Roemer kept a lower public profile after suffering a stroke in 2014.

He was born Charles Elson Roemer III, and grew up on his familys cotton plantation, Scopena, in north Louisianas Bossier Parish. He learned politics from his father, Charles E. Roemer II, who served as Edwards chief budget officer in the 1970s.

Elected to the U.S. House in 1980, Roemer forged a reputation as one of the Boll Weevils  conservative Southern Democrats who helped President Ronald Reagan pass legislation.

But no political label quite fit Roemer, whose north-Louisiana drawl belied his Ivy league education. Although he was reared in a politically active family and elected to four congressional terms, he ran for governor in 1987 as an outsider, crusading against special interests and bureaucracy.

His campaign, dubbed the Roemer Revolution, was perhaps best remembered for his vows to scrub the budget and brick up the top three floors of the Department of Education building.

He defeated Edwards, whose third term was marred by a sinking economy and federal trials in which he was acquitted but politically damaged.

Once elected, Roemer found the political going rough, perhaps in part due to his reputed abrasiveness.

I did step on a lot of toes but frankly all the toes were hanging out there naked. They needed it, he said in a 1992 interview with The Associated Press.

There were some successes, including passage of campaign contribution limits. He also signed into law a bill bringing riverboat casino gambling to the tourism-dependent state.

But, in the spring of 1989, voters defeated what would have been his hallmark initiative: a proposed constitutional amendment that would have overhauled the state tax structure, shifting the tax burden from business to individuals. The plan also included a $1.4 billion program to improve highways, airports and shipping ports that would have been funded by a gasoline tax increase of 4 cents a gallon.

Opponents called it a needless tax hike. Duke, the former Klansman who had won a state legislative seat in suburban New Orleans, rode opposition to the plan to statewide popularity that would help him gain a foothold in the governors race two years later.

Then, there were the state Legislatures often highly emotional debates over abortion, which took place as socially conservative Southern politicians hoped changes at the Supreme Court might result in the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision.

Roemer declared himself an opponent of legal abortion, but his vetoes of tough anti-abortion bills drew anger from social conservatives. Roemer insisted on stronger exceptions for rape and incest victims and he wanted abortions allowed in cases of severe fetal deformities. Lawmakers overrode his 1991 veto  the first time a Louisiana governor suffered such a fate in the 20th century. The law was later ruled unconstitutional.

Duke, running as a Republican, and Edwards, a lifelong Democrat, each had strong, committed bases when they ran in the 1991 governors race. Roemer switched parties that year and had support from Republican President George H.W. Bush, but finished third in the states non-partisan primary. In the runoff, Edwards, despite a political lifetime of scandal, easily defeated the ex-Klansman. One Edwards bumper sticker read: Vote for the crook. Its important.

Roemer would run again in 1994 but that race ultimately was won by businessman and state Sen. Mike Foster  another Democrat-turned Republican.

He ran for president in 2012, first as a Republican, then as a third-party candidate. He dropped out after 17 months, never polling above single digits, left out of major TV debates and unable to get on the ballot in all states.

At a December 2012 event with other former Louisiana governors, Roemer described inheriting a state teetering near bankruptcy in 1988, with high unemployment and the nations lowest bond rating.

I would go home at night  and Ive never said this publicly  and I would sit on the edge of my bed crying, after another 17-hour day, he said.

Then, he joked that when he lost his re-election bid to Edwards, I got back in that same bed and smiled.

___

Associated Press reporter Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge contributed to this story.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Roemers third run for governor was in 1995, not 1994.

By KEVIN McGILL

Associated Press
MIAMI (AP)  As the streets of Colombia smolder amid the biggest antigovernment unrest in decades, a former rebel leader who would undo antinarcotics cooperation with the U.S. is looking to capitalize on the growing discontent and ride it to the presidency next year.

In a long political career that included a stint as Bogotas mayor, Sen. Gustavo Petro has earned a reputation as Colombias perennial rabble-rouser with a silver tongue admired  when not feared  by friends and foes alike.

But hes adopted a decidedly low-key approach to the recent protests, apparently believing that he must win over some of his many conservative skeptics to prevail in what would be his third run for Colombias presidency.

The protests began April 28 after President Ivan Duque attempted to ram through a tax increase amid a pandemic that has left millions without work or food. Although he quickly backed down, protesters have remained on the streets, broadening their fight to include grievances ranging from the decrepit state of Colombias health care and education systems to the slow implementation of a 2016 peace deal with Marxist rebels.

Duque has accused the nations many cocaine cartels and criminal mafias of adding fuel to the fire, although so far hes presented no evidence to back the claim. But the culture of political violence that has long plagued Colombia has taken a toll: to date, at least 42 people have been killed, with police accused of scores of abuses.

Many of the young activists on the streets hail from Colombias left, where Petro, 61, has been a fixture for decades.

If theres someone in Colombia who has consistently been paying attention to young people and the issue of economic inequality, its Petro, said Sandra Borda, a political analyst at Bogotas Andes University.

In the past, Petro hasnt hesitated to take to Twitter  where his 4.2 million followers almost double those of Duque  to fan protests, blast opponents as fascists or spread baseless claims that the 2018 election he lost by more than 2 million votes was marred by vote buying.

But this time, Petro has projected restraint, in counterpoint to the growing rejection of Duque as a weak, flailing leader.

On April 27, the night before the start of a national strike, he delivered what he dubbed an address to the Colombian nation in which he appealed for calm and urged protesters to wear masks and maintain social distancing while on the streets.

The police arent the enemy, he said in the video published on social media. The enemy is the tax reform.

So far, he's avoided appearing alongside protesters, in part for fear of being cast as a firebrand. In a leaked audio recording from a private meeting with peace activists, he suggested strikers should have gone home once Duque buried the tax hike.

Thats when they shouldve declared a triumph and put a stop to it, he can be heard saying in May 5 online meeting. In other words, accumulate strength for what comes next.

Petro didnt respond to repeated requests for an interview.

But Jorge Rojas, a longtime aide, said Petros cautious approach is deliberate.

Owing to his youthful militancy in the M-19 rebel movement, Petro has long battled conservative attempts to brand him as Colombias harbinger of Castro-Chavismo who would follow the path of the late Cuban and Venezuelan revolutionaries Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.

He knows that he has to behave like a statesman to fill the void left by Duque, said Rojas.

However, younger voters less shaped by the ideological battles of the Cold War appear to be more forgiving.

In the central city of Bucaramanga, Laura Velazco, 26, said she doesnt fear Petro so much as the status quo  her inability to find work since graduating from college three years ago with a degree in psychology.

Were becoming Venezuela and were not even governed by the left, said Velazco, who voted for Petro in 2018 and says she will consider doing so again next year  if she doesnt emigrate first.

If I have to wash dishes, Ill do so because I have a daughter to take care of, she added.

But the more violent and disruptive the protests become, theres a risk Petro would be blamed, said Borda. Already law-and-order allies of Duque have urged the president to deploy the military, suspend civil liberties and decree a state of internal commotion to control the unrest.

Petro rose to prominence 15 years ago leading a crusade to expose the alliance between conservative allies of then-President Alvaro Uribe and right-wing paramilitary groups. In mesmerizing televised speeches from the Senate floor, he revealed evidence that spurred the arrest of dozens of members of Congress for criminal ties to the paramilitaries.

The signing of a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in 2016 created space for leftist politics that Petro has been quick to seize on. Several opinion polls show him as the clear frontrunner to win next Mays presidential election, in some cases quadrupling the support of his nearest rival.

But some fellow leftists say his ego can get in the way of shrewd political instincts. He's also lost support among women because of his staunch defense of a former aide accused of domestic abuse. In 2018, a decade-old video surfaced showing him receiving stacks of cash from a government contractor.

Despite that, Petro has managed to maintain a lock on the left and distance himself from the rest of Colombia's discredited political establishment. And now, members of the country's business elite in recent weeks have been requesting meetings with Petro to learn more about his policies, said Rojas. A trip to Washington is planned this year, he added.

I still believe that Petro is perhaps the only politician who has a coherent program to offer a country submerged in a deep social crisis, said Maria Mercedes Maldonado, who distanced herself from Petro after serving as his top policy adviser in the 2018 campaign, complaining that he doesn't listen to grassroots activists.

As mayor of Colombias capital, he racked up enemies by banning bullfights, cutting bus fares and transferring control of private garbage collection to a city agency  a move for which he was briefly ousted by the nations inspector general in 2014.

U.S. officials at times have viewed Petro as a radical populist in the mold of Chavez, according to a 2006 secret U.S. Embassy cable published by pro-transparency group Wikileaks. But two years later, Ambassador William Brownfield in another cable described him as pragmatic.

If he were elected, it would likely upend Colombia's role as the U.S.' caretaker in the war on drugs, the linchpin of more than two decades of close bilateral cooperation, said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. Frictions with the U.S. could also emerge if he takes a softer approach to neighboring Venezuela and engages more with China, Shifter said.

A Petro administration would probably mean heightened tensions with the U.S, on drug policy, sharp conflicts with the (Drug Enforcement Administration) and the end of forced eradication of coca crops, Shifter said.

Nonetheless, he said Petro understands the importance of maintaining good relations with the U.S. It's hard to see how hostile bilateral ties would advance his policy priorities.

___

AP Writer Astrid Suarez contributed to this report from Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana.
People with autoimmune deficiencies face serious illness and possibly death should they contract COVID-19 and are encouraged to get vaccinated, despite questions over its effectiveness in the population.

Doctors expressed frustration over the lack of testing available to measure the immunity levels in their vaccinated patients, but agreed some protection is better than none.

The COVID vaccination is definitely recommended for patients with rheumatologic and autoimmune disorders, particularly since these patients are considered to have a higher risk for hospitalization and worse outcomes from COVID itself compared to the general population, said Dr. Marwan Haddad, medical director of the Center for Key Populations with Community Health Center Inc.

Haddad said those who should avoid the vaccine are people who have allergies to any ingredients in the vaccines. Those with autoimmune deficiencies should consult with their providers about when to get the shot.

Patients who suffer from an autoimmune disease have an overactive immune system that attacks itself, experts said. This family of illnesses includes SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus), rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and Type 1 diabetes, among others.

Many local doctors are taking vaccine guidance for autoimmune-deficit patients from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) which released its recommendations in February.

Although there is limited data from large population-based studies, it appears that patients with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions are at a higher risk for developing hospitalized COVID-19 compared to the general population and have worse outcomes associated with infection, said Dr. Jeffrey Curtis, chair of the ACR COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance Task Force. Based on this concern, the benefit of COVID-19 vaccination outweighs any small, possible risks for new autoimmune reactions or disease flare after vaccination.

Doctors typically recommend the messenger RNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna over the Johnson & Johnson shot. The mRNA shots contain a fragment of mRNA that directs cells to make a specific spike protein that mounts an antibody response to the actual virus. J&J utilizes a weakened virus in its vaccine.

We dont like giving weakened virus to people with immune disorders, said Dr. John Magaldi, specialty chief of rheumatology at Hartford HealthCare.

Unfortunately, both the Pfizer and Moderna trials excluded volunteers on immunosuppressive therapy but because of the sheer size of the clinical trials and the millions of doses distributed globally, doctors are able to extrapolate results and develop best practices.

If there was a problem with flare ups, it would have appeared by now, Magdali said.

Autoimmune deficient patients want to get their vaccines when their immune system is strongest, which means delaying certain medication and immunosuppressive therapies a week to several weeks.

For now, the main consideration for patients with autoimmune or rheumatologic diseases is the timing of the vaccine. The primary recommendation from the ACR is to delay certain medications for one week after vaccination. Withholding the medication can increase the vaccines chances of success.

One of the challenges presently is we dont have a test to measure vaccine antibodies, Magaldi said. We can test for COVID antibodies if you had COVID. But to measure vaccine antibodies, its not readily available. Its all a guessing game if they are immune compromised.

Magaldi and other specialists have not seen too many cases of disease flareups following vaccination beyond the normal side effects.

If someone has lupus, for instance, and the lupus is attacking the kidney, doctors might delay the vaccine. But there have been plenty of rheumatoid and lupus vaccinations without evidence of flareups.

A lot of our patients have been vaccinated, Magaldi said. The ones that havent said they are concerned about side effects. They should be equally nervous about getting COVID infection. COVID is a life and death difference.

Doctors and scientists hope to learn more about the vaccine and levels of protection in autoimmune-deficient patients and risk of flareups as time goes on.

Its just like theyre studying it in kids, Magaldi said.There is now a database of 200 million. Thats a good-sized database. if there was something with an autoimmune response we would have had it by now. Youre not in the starting gate.

mgodin@record-journal.com

203-317-2255

Twitter: @Cconnbiz
From The Social Network to Steve Jobs to Girlboss on Netflix , Hollywood has always invested money in actors who dramatically tell how the origins of companies that have changed the world came about.

Mark Zuckerberg , Steve Jobs, and Ray Kroc are just a few of the entrepreneurs whose stories can put you on the edge of your seat. Here are 11 business men and women who deserve their own feature film.

1. Nick Woodman, GoPro

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

After launching and failing with two startups at the age of 27 - and losing millions of investor dollars in the process - Woodman decided to go on a surf trip to Australia and Indonesia. In order to film himself on the waves, the entrepreneur developed a device with a rubber band, a piece of broken surfboard and a Kodak camera .

That was the GoPro camera prototype.

Years later Woodman amassed a net worth of $ 2.4 billion , has deals with the world's most famous athletes, adventurers and brands, publicly launched his company and won an Emmy. In 2014, he became the highest paid CEO in the United States. At the same time, he has infuriated investors , lost 47% of his company's profits , faced lawsuits against GoPro, called the worst CEO of 2016, and dubbed the "crazy millionaire."

2. Jan Koum and Brian Acton, WhatsApp

Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Jan Koum grew up in a village on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, without clean water . When he was 16 years old, he left the anti-Semitic and communist environment of his country and moved to a small apartment in California where he, his mother and his grandmother lived on charity.

Brian Acton made a small fortune by being employee 440 of Yahoo! during the 2000 dot com boom. When the bubble burst, it lost millions.

The two met on Yahoo! and after working together for several years they looked for work on Facebook, but both were rejected.

On August 3, 2009 Acton tweeted Facebook just rejected me. It was a great opportunity to connect with great people. I look forward to the next great adventure of life .

Six years later, Mark Zuckerberg offered them $ 19 billion to buy WhatsApp.

3. Sarah Blakely, Spanx



Marla Aufmuth | Getty Images

This is the story of a Disney World ex-girl who tried to be a lawyer and ended up selling door-to-door fax machines. One night he was looking for some clothes that he could wear under his shorts to have a better silhouette and he ended up inventing the girdles that all Holywood wears. In the process, she became the youngest self-made millionaire in history upon reaching wealth at age 41. What a great story!

4. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's

Barbara Alper | Getty Images

The Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield story shares the victories and failures that many entrepreneurs already know. But his story, more than anything else, is about friendship.

When they were children they took a course on how to prepare ice cream and in 1981 they opened their first ice cream shop. As co-founders they grew their business from an initial investment of $ 12,000 to a sale to Unilever for $ 326 million in 2001. They have faced controversies, lawsuits, presidential awards, struggles for the environment and the affection of the public.

Thirty-six years after they launched their first ice cream parlor, Ben and Jerry are still the best of friends.

5. George Powell and Stacy Peralta, Powell-Peralta

Bones Brigade | Facebook

While looking for an innovative way to advertise their skateboard business in the 1980s, George Powell and Stacy Peralta created the Bones Brigade skateboard team.

Powell and Peralta felt that traditional advertising and traditional PR platforms were not working for their industry. If they really wanted to get closer to skateboards they needed to authentically connect with them by talking not just about the technology, but about their lifestyle.



So they started looking for stars that had a lot of potential but were not recognized worldwide. With these little-known figures, they set out to challenge the rules of classic skating and developed new tricks to film them and send the images to magazines and specialized media.

Who were the athletes doing tricks for these entrepreneurs? Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk, Tommy Guerrero and Lance Mountain. Almost nobody.

6. Richard Branson, Virgin



Aaron Davidson | Getty Images

Longtime entrepreneur Richard Branson has dominated the trade media with news of Virgin Galactic's commercial space flight and his vacation with Barack Obama. But before he revolutionized the world, Branson was dyslexic, he had dropped out of the school that had founded a magazine at the age of 16.

What followed was a record brand that signed with the Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones and Genesis, founding Virgin Atlantic in just three months, and a spot on the list of the richest men in the world .

7. Mel and Patricia Ziegler, Banana Republic

Columbia Journalism School | Youtube

You may recognize Banana Republic as the luxury brand for professional women, but did you know that it was founded by a married couple who had no idea how to sell?

Mel and Patricia Ziegler, a writer and artist had the idea to " find, clean and sell used military clothing in a new style ." The pair started the company with their savings of $ 1,500, but five years later they sold the Banana Republic Travel and Safari Clothing Company brand to Gap in 1983 (who shortened the name).

The Zieglers took everything they learned and founded The Republic of Tea and ZoZa.com. Their entrepreneurial story is captivating, but more interesting were the good and bad moments they faced as partners and a sentimental couple, such as the time they had a lawsuit at the airport and ended up so angry that they flew in different planes ... to get to the same house.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Michael A. McCoy / Associated Press

Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate whose work helped turn the state blue in 2020, is kicking off her whirlwind tour in San Antonio. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts will host A Conversation with Stacey Abrams on September 20, promising an evening "of candid conversation and insights on politics, leadership, entrepreneurship, social justice and being a true voice for change."

There are multi-hyphenates, and then there is Abrams, who counts political leader, voting rights activist, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author among her achievements. During the evening, Abrams will discuss both national and global events and invite questions from the audience.
San Antonio is proving true its reputation as a big city with the small town feel.

Reddit user u/doingthebergamost took to the platform over the weekend to ask a very valid question: Is it normal to say hi while out on a walk?

Explaining that she recently moved to the Alamo City, u/doingthebergamost said she was harassed while walking in Chicago, where she previously lived. However, she said wasnt used to men saying hello and greeting her in a genuine, friendly way during her strolls through San Antonio.

I said hi back and nodded, but now Im worried I was perceived as rude, u/doingthebergamost said of her interactions before reflecting. In Chicago, no one says anything unless they are harassing you, selling drugs, or asking for money.

Locals and transplants who have adjusted to life in San Antonio filled her in on the 2-1-0 way of doing things.

Its very normal for everyone to greet each other in passing, u/Butterflybug99 clarified. Its not intentional harassment, people are just very friendly here.

Im from Chicago and I totally freaked out when people would smile at me or say hi to me while I was out walking, admitted u/Amaze345. Its very different here... It took me a few years to embrace it but now Im one of them.

Also we still say thank you when someone holds open the door when walking into a building or restaurant, said a proud u/Tough-Boysenberry-38.

Im from Philly and am always caught off guard with people in cars waving at me when Im walking my dog through random neighborhoods, said transplant u/Patfishmusic. I kinda love it.

Yes, I always try to say hi unless the person appears to be on the phone. If they are on the phone, I just give a bit of a wave, advised u/Thepolishpickle.

I always say hi when making eye contact and feel a little offended when people dont say hi back. I do believe its a Southern gesture but also a human gesture, explained u/NinjaWarriorSteph. When the hi is given back, it puts a smile on my face.

I dont know if it is a Southern thing, but it is definitely a San Antonian thing. Also, we chit chat with people in line at stores, gushed u/lauriebrainerd. I was looked at like an alien in California for doing this. Upon returning to San Antonio, I was delighted when someone chit-chatted me in line. I was home.
Update 3 p.m. Monday:

A flash flood watch is in effect from 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday afternoon. The watch has been issued to a number of Texas cities, including San Antonio, Boerne, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Bandera, Floresville, Gonzales, Pearsall, Hondo, Seguin, Kerrville, Giddings, Lockhart, Pleasanton, Bandera, and more.

Heavy rainfall could lead to flooding near low-lying buildings, creeks, streams, and roads.

Original story:

After bouts of rain over the weekend, the Alamo City can expect to see more storms this week.

San Antonio will face a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms Monday night, while there is an enhanced risk for storms across the Rio Grande and western part of the Hill Country, according to the latest update from the National Weather Service.

With the storms, South Central Texas can expect to see large hail, up to one inch in diameter, and damaging wind gusts, reaching near 60 mph, both of which have become more common over the last few weeks. West of San Antonio in Uvalde and Eagle Pass, however, hail could be more than two inches in diameter.

READ MORE: Andrea Meza of Mexico crowned 69th Miss Universe

While San Antonio has a lower risk for severe storms compared to areas such as Del Rio and Rocksprings, the heavy rainfall could also mean flash flooding in portions of the area through Wednesday. Along the Rio Grande Plains, there is a possibility of an isolated tornado.

Though the severity of the storms is expected to taper off after Wednesday, there is still a chance for rain Thursday through the weekend. San Antonio and the Hill Country can both expect to see between four and six inches of rain through Friday, while New Braunfels may receive between six and eight inches of rain.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Bird Song of the Day

In honor of Tax Day, here is an American Bald Eagle (not mellifluous, but more mellifluous than I would have thought).

* * *

#COVID19

At reader request, Ive added this daily chart from 91-DIVOC. The data is the Johns Hopkins CSSE data. Here is the site.

I feel Im engaging in a macabre form of tape-watching. All the charts are becoming dull  approaching nominal, if you accept the new normal of cases, for example.

Vaccination by region:

Still whoops, except in the Northeast. I guess well see if Biden abandoning masks provides sufficient incentive.

Case count by United States regions:

Continued good news. I have added an anti-triumphalist black line; as far as cases go, we are at the same level of the first wave. Since this is a weekly average, the Biden/CDC masking kerfuffle will not show up for awhile, if indeed it does show up.

The Midwest in detail:

Continued good news. Looks like I can abandon this chart when Michigan is no longer an outlier. I think Ill do a case chart for the world instead.

Big states (New York, Florida, Texas, California):

Continued good news.

Test positivity:

The West is flat. The South is rising.

DIVOC-91 no longer updates hospitalization and death so I went and found some substitutes; neither provide regional data.

Hospitalization (CDC):

More good news.

Deaths (Our World in Data):

More good news.

* * *

Politics

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51

They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery. Frank Herbert, Dune

They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord

Biden Administration

UPDATE Biden to Send U.S.-Authorized Vaccines Abroad for First Time [Bloomberg]. President Joe Biden plans to send an additional 20 million doses of U.S. coronavirus vaccines abroad by the end of June  including, for the first time, shots authorized for domestic use, where supply is beginning to outstrip demand. Biden will announce Monday that hell export 20 million doses of vaccines from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. or Johnson & Johnson, on top of 60 million AstraZeneca Plc doses he had already planned to give to other countries, according to a senior administration official familiar with the plan. The official, who asked not to be identified ahead of planned remarks from the president, stressed that the measures are only a first step as the U.S. pivots its attention to quelling the pandemic abroad. Biden has previously pledged that the U.S. would soon become an arsenal of global vaccine supply. Biden will also announce that he is putting Jeff Zients, who has served as the White House coronavirus response coordinator, in charge of his effort to beat back the pandemic globally, the official said. Zients will work with the National Security Council and other agencies to steer doses abroad.  Zients, not Kamala? I guess Biden actually wants something done. Child cash benefit will show up in parents bank accounts soon [The Hill]. Close to 39 million U.S. families will begin to receive child benefit payments in July from the Biden administrations new benefit under the coronavirus relief bill. On July 15, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will begin dispensing monthly payments of $300 per child under 6 and $250 per child older than 6 to families who qualify. These benefits will be dispersed to families through direct deposit, paper check or debit card, every month on the 15th, or, if it is a weekend or a holiday, the closest available day to the 15th. The benefit stems from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Democrats passed in March, which expanded on a $2,000-per-child benefit to make it $3,600 per child under the age of 6 and $3,000 per child older than 6. The expansion also provides benefit coverage to additional families who previously didnt qualify due to low incomes. Families or parents who earn a high income will receive lower benefits or no benefits, determined by their income. Individual parents with a gross income of more than $75,000 and couples with a combined income of more than $150,000 will receive smaller benefits. The Biden administration believes the benefits will affect more than 65 million children, or 88 percent of all U.S. children.  Its good that the Biden administration is provisioning the working class beyond the wage relation, even if the program does only last one year. Of course its means-tested with a for the children! eligibility requirement, so and as usual, no concrete universal material benefits. Space Force commander removed after comments on podcast [The Hill]. On the podcast, Lohmeier said he has witnessed fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be. Since taking command as a commander about 10 months ago, I saw what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be, Lohmeier said, according to CNN. That wasnt just prolific in social media or throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the United States military. And I had recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature, he added. When pushed on what he meant by these comments, Lohmeier said The New York Timess 1619 Project, a historical look at how slavery shaped the countrys institutions, was anti-American. It teaches intensive teaching that I heard at my base  that at the time the country ratified the United States Constitution, it codified white supremacy as the law of the land, Lohmeier said. If you want to disagree with that, then you start [being] labeled all manner of things, including racist, he continued.  If the 1619 Project is Marxist, then its certainly odd that the WSWS got some actual scholars to take an axe to it, so thats precious bodily fluids-level woo. On the other hand, criticizing the 1619 Project is grounds for dismissal? Really?

Realignment and Legitimacy

Ill Take White Supremacist Hand Gestures for $1,000 [New York Times]. So the moderators of the group waited until 11 p.m. sharp on April 27 to reassure the roughly 2,800 fellow members that they had the crisis in hand. They had seen a contestant on that nights show, a big white guy with a red tie, Kelly Donohue, make an odd gesture with three fingers of his right hand. Based on the evidence weve seen being bandied about elsewhere, there is a real possibility he was giving either a white power or a Three Percenter hand gesture, wrote one moderator, a middle-school teacher who was on the show about five years ago, according to screenshots provided by another group member. And though we cant know his intent, he continued, were not here to provide safe harbor for white supremacists. But the Jeopardy! story is a remarkable case study for a couple of reasons. First, the participants represent a particular kind of American achievement  the mastery of facts and trivia, celebrated by one of Americas few universally beloved institutions. A turn on Jeopardy! is the best credential there is in America . (When my brother, Emlen, lost valiantly in 2017, it generated more familial excitement than his Ph.D.) And I would say, after talking to a couple of dozen former contestants last week, that they are not just smart people but basically nice and sincere ones, too, from diverse backgrounds all over the country, united only by their ability to recall Madonna lyrics and capital cities. And second,  Mr. Donohues case is unusually clear-cut, and the allegation is obviously false. Mr. Donohues three fingers, Snopes pointed out, symbolize the number three. After his first victory, he waved one finger. After his second victory, he raised two. And after his third, he showed three fingers. He awkwardly folded his index and forefingers into something that looks as if it could be some kind of sign, but doesnt resemble the OK; signal that white supremacists have sought to appropriate.  Symbol manipulotors gotta symbol manipulate. And obviously a class that easy to gaslight is a tremendous asset to whoever controls the gas.

Stats Watch

May 2021 Empire State Manufacturing Index Declines [Econintersect]. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey index marginally declined but remained in expansion. Key elements are in positive territory and all improved. This report is considered about the same as last month.

* * *

The Bezzle: Champions League of tax avoidance: Uber used 50 Dutch shell companies to dodge taxes on nearly $6 billion in revenue, report says [Business Insider]. Uber has been using a complex tax shelter involving around 50 Dutch shell companies to reduce its global tax bill, according to recent research from the Center for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research. In 2019, Uber claimed $4.5 billion in global operating losses (excluding the US and China) for tax purposes  in reality, it brought in $5.8 billion in operating revenue, according to CICTAR, an Australia-based research group. Uber transfered its intellectual property through a $16 billion loan from one of its subsidiaries in Singapore that in turn owns one of Ubers Dutch shell companies, a manuever that grants the company a $1 billion tax break every year for the next 20 years, the researchers found.

Tech: Apple AirTag Review: Works Well, Maybe Too Well [Forbes]. The idea of the AirTag is that it can be attached to items like keys or luggage or laptop bags, so that if those items are misplaced or stolen, we can track their whereabouts.  When that lost AirTag is within the proximity of another opted-in Apple device, that AirTag will ping its location to that device, allowing you to see its latest location. Lets say someone has stolen your bag containing an AirTag. Even if hes halfway across town, another strangers iPhone could help you locate the thieve [sic].This is where the AirTag has a leg up on all the competition. The basic tracking stuff for lost items within your home is easy to recreate with a competing product like Tile or Samsungs SmartTags. But neither Tile nor Samsung will ever have an item as ubiquitous as an iPhone to help build a tracking network like Apples Find My Network. Heck, no other company has such a product, period.  So far, so good. But:  because the Find My Network is so vast and work so wellthink about how many iPhones you encounter in a dayit makes the AirTag a potential stalking device. For example, someone could in theory slip an AirTag into my bag without me knowing, and track my whereabouts throughout the day.

Tech: OK, even if it is night sky-destroyer Elon Musk, this is pretty neat:

CHECK THIS OUT! 

SpaceX just landed B1058 for the 8th time, and just check out this uninterrupted landing footage. Can you believe what we are able to watch live these days. This is possibly the BEST landing footage I've seen live on a drone ship.  pic.twitter.com/H16Q0uPBxe  Marcus House (@MarcusHouse) May 16, 2021

Manufacturing: China wants to boost disruptive semiconductor technologies as Moores Law moves towards its limit [South China Morning Post]. Chiang Shang-yi, executive director of Chinas top chip foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), said earlier this year that the global semiconductor industry has been facing bottlenecks in its push for advanced nanometre nodes given the huge investments required. The industry veteran, who was recruited by SMIC last year from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC)  the worlds largest co

tract chip maker  said future breakthroughs for Chinas IC manufacturing industry would come from advanced packaging techniques that can cram more circuits into smaller bundles. SMIC, which stands as Chinas best hope at boosting its chip-making capability amid a protracted tech war with the US, is currently only able to produce chips using the 14-nanometre process. TSMC, in contrast, moved to the more advanced 5-nm production last year.

Intellectual Property: Who owns the covid vaccines? [Cory Doctorow]. Behind every great fortune lies a great crime. The true mRNA vaccines theft isnt entrepreneur-inventors who face robbery by the public sector  rather, those entrepreneurs have enjoyed billions in public subsidies, and now insist they owe nothing in return.. Pharmas claim that it doesnt owe us anything in return makes no sense, even by the companies own logic. They say that markets produce wonders because they reward canny risk-taking with vast fortunes. By that logic, the public  who assumed the majority of the risk in developing vaccines  are the angel investors in this high-tech unicorn, and the pharma companies are the VCs who came in with some late capital to help scale up a sure thing.

* * *

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 39 Fear (previous close: 40 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 51 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated May 17 at 12:49pm.

Rapture Index: Closes up one on Israel. Violence in Israel has maxed out this category [Rapture Ready]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 188 (Remember that bringing on the rapture is a good thing, so high is better.)

Health Care

Ivermectin and the odds of hospitalization due to COVID-19: evidence from a quasi-experimental analysis based on a public intervention in Mexico City (preprint) [SocArXiv]. This one is above my paygrade. Mexico City sends out kits that contain Ivermection to mild-to-moderately symptomatic patients, creating the opportunity for a natural experiment. From the Research Design section. To assess the effect of ivermectin on hospitalizations in Mexico City, we used a quasi-experimental research design. We make use of statistical methods that match cases based on observable co-variants, reducing the possible imbalance on those variables, and allowing us to estimate systematic differences in the dependent variable (i.e. hospitalization); between those who received the medical kit and those who did not. This method recreates the randomization of treatment by statistically making those treated and untreated indistinguishable on all relevant co-variants except the existence of the treatment (i.e.; got the medical kit with ivermectin or did not). We used the Coarsened Exact Matching method to match observations. This method belongs to the class of Monotonic Imbalance Bounding methods, in which balance between the control and treatment groups is chosen by the user and not by the continuous re- estimation process (Blackwell, M., 2009). And the Results: We found a significant reduction in hospitalizations among patients who received the ivermectin-based medical kit; the range of the effect is 52%- 76% depending on model specification.

Dont mention Ivermectin; itll upset the vaccine rollout [Andrew Bannister, Biz News]. The venue is South African. The author does indeed seem to have written for the Lancet, as his bio states (here, here). Salt having been taken, this is clearly put: What if there was a cheap drug, so old its patent had expired, so safe that its on the WHOs lists of Essential and Childrens Medicines, and used in mass drug administration rollouts? What if it can be taken at home with the first signs COVID symptoms, given to those in close contact, and significantly reduce COVID disease progression and cases, and far fewer few people would need hospitalisation? The international vaccine rollout under Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) would legally have to be halted. For an EUA to be legal, there must be no adequate, approved and available alternative to the candidate product for diagnosing, preventing or treating the disease or condition. The vaccines would only become legal once they passed level 4 trials and that certainly wont happen in 2021. This would present a major headache for the big public health agencies led by the WHO. The vaccine rollout, outside of trials, would become illegal. The vaccine manufactures, having spent hundreds of million dollars developing and testing vaccines during a pandemic, would not see the $100bn they were expecting in 2021. In a pandemic, and for the next one, we need big pharma to react quickly, and the best way to that, is to reward them financially. Allowing any existing drug, at this time, well into stage 3 trials, to challenge the legality of the EUA of vaccines, is not going to happen easily. On the 31st of March 2021, the WHO recommended against the use of Ivermectin for COVID treatment, citing safety and lack of large RCT proof.

Masking:

The mask mandate in the US was so badly bungled that this useful norm (making mask use an uncontroversial option in cold and flu season) is probably out of reach.  Pinboard (@Pinboard) May 13, 2021

Bungled the mask mandate may have been, but whatever Biden/Walensky thought they were doing, getting rid of them was not greeted with universal applause. And masks will come in handy during the fire season in California.

How to Improve Our Response to COVIDs Mental Tolls [MedScape]. Four interdependent factors drive the magnitude of the traumatic impact of a disaster: (1) the degree of exposure to the life-threatening event; (2) the duration and threat of recurrence; (3) an individuals preexisting (natural and human-made) trauma and mental and addictive disorders; and (4) the adequacy of family and fundamental resources such as housing, food, safety, and access to healthcare (the social dimensions of health and mental health). These factors underline the who, what, where, and how of what should have been (and continue to be) an effective public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet existing categories that we have used to predict risk for trauma no longer hold. The gravity, prevalence, and persistence of COVID-19s horrors erase any differences among victims, witnesses, and bystanders. Dr Sayres Van Niel asserts that we have a collective, national trauma. In April, the Kaiser Family Foundations Vaccine Monitor reported that 24% of US adults had a close friend or family member who died of COVID-19. Thats 82 million Americans! Our country has eclipsed individual victimization and trauma, because we are all in its maw.

Depression is linked to inflammation in the body, study reveals in breakthrough that could boost treatment hopes for people with the mental health condition [Daily Mail]. Professor Carmine Pariante, from the National Institute for Health Research Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, said: Our large-scale analysis of data removed socio-economic background, ill health, unhealthy habits as well as genetic predisposition to immune dysfunction as the only explanations for the relationship between depression and inflammation. By this process of elimination, we show that there may be a core biological process that is behind the association between depression and increased inflammation. If we can identify this process and uncover more detail about its role in the development of depression, we can pave the way for trialling new treatments for this widespread mental health disorder. sInflammation is a biological response  summoning the immune system into action to help the body fight against things that harm it, such as infections, injuries and toxins. But it can also play a key role in regulating behaviour and switch the brain into sickness mode. For the study, the scientists looked at the data of 86,000 people from the UK Biobank, which has health and genetic information on around half a million people. These included blood samples, genetic data as well as physical and mental health questionnaires. Nearly a third (31 per cent) of participants included in the study were classified as having major depressive disorder.  Interesting. Reminds of the discovery that (many) peptic ulcers are caused by a bacteria, H. Pylori, and not by stress, etc. If would be fascinating to find out that the core biological process behind depression involves a micro-organism.

Water

There are no clear winners in the Wests water wars [High Country News]. As a longtime observer of interstate water negotiations, I see a basic problem: In some cases, more water rights exist on paper than as wet water  even before factoring in shortages caused by climate change and other stresses. In my view, states should put at least as much effort into reducing water use as they do into litigation, because there are no guaranteed winners in water lawsuits.  Uh-oh

Our Famously Free Press

Spanish politician temporarily suspended by Twitter after saying a man cannot get pregnant' [Yahoo News]. Francisco Jose Contreras, deputy to Spains far-right Vox Party, was locked out of his Twitter account for 12 hours last week after saying a man cannot get pregnant because they have no uterus or eggs.. According to Twitter, Contreras violated its policy against material that threatens, harasses, or fosters violence against other people on the basis of their race, ethnic origin, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religion, age, disability or disease.  Background here and here (best English-language sourcing I could find).

Black Injustice Tipping Point

Black Lives Matter protesters file charges against NC judge they say tried to hit them [News & Observer]. Hit them with a car. A Fayetteville activist has pressed assault charges against an N.C. Court of Appeals judge, alleging he tried to hit protesters with his car outside the downtown Market House this month. Myah Warren filed charges of assault with a deadly weapon against Judge John Tyson in Cumberland County on Friday. Warren said she was holding a Black Lives Matter sign at a downtown Fayetteville demonstration last week. She said she saw a car circle twice, nearly striking her on the second pass. It caused me to literally have to jump out of the way to avoid being hit, she said. He was going so fast he jumped up on the curb. Protesters who had gathered for a weekly memorial for residents killed in police shootings approached the car and shot video, later recognizing the driver, they said, as Tyson.

In a just world, this entomologist wouldnt have had to worry about getting whacked. Thread:

Still processing my first run in with the police I've been doing a lot of cicada interviews & with national news outlets contacting me, I thought I should have some live ones onhand. So I was delighted when my cousin called panicking about the "swarm" on the side of her home. pic.twitter.com/lB0jTTcKlB  drsammytweets (@drsammytweets) May 14, 2021

Protests and Riots

OK, grant that property destruction is not violence. What about the effects on electoral politics?

Almost identical result as the Omar Wasow study showing riots shifting the 1968 election pro-Nixon, which provoked an outcry because Twitter extremists are certain without any evidence that riots do not shape public opinion https://t.co/uo1G9Z1YPC  Lee Fang (@lhfang) May 13, 2021

Imperial Collapse Watch

Until Daddy takes the T-Bird away:

america is gonna be fun for young people in 20 years like russia is today pic.twitter.com/f4VN8GSZA7  cool man  (@dickpillcyborg7) May 15, 2021

Guillotine Watch

Microsoft board members thought Bill Gates should resign over relationship with staffer: report [The Hill]. The Journal reported that multiple members of the board came to believe that Gates should not hold a leadership role at the company after a woman wrote to the company in 2019 alleging a years-long affair with Gates, who founded the company in 1975.  Just like Cuomo. Slaughter a few tens of thousands of oldsters in nursing homes and try to conceal the evidence, no problemo. And Gates: Destroy public education in the United States and deprive a few billion of the worlds poor of vaccines, thats OK. The only elite malfeasance, apparently, is sexual.

Rich Guy Asks Around To Find Out Who The New Jeffrey Epstein Is [The Onion].  I asked around the board room, but it turns out everyone there was hoping I knew someone.  And you know there is one.

Class Warfare

Long working hours are killing 745,000 people a year, research finds [CNBC]. In joint research by the global public health and employment bodies, the WHO and ILO estimated there were 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, marking a 29% increase since 2000. The study, published in the Environment International journal Monday, was a first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours. The WHO and ILO estimated that 398,000 people died from stroke and 347,000 from heart disease in 2016 as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased by 42%, and from stroke by 19%. The study concluded that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared with working 35-40 hours a week. In 2016, 488 million people worldwide were exposed to long working hours of more than 55 hours a week, the WHO and ILO estimated.  Of course its WHO. Maybe the numbers are higher.

News of the Wired

This is lovely:

East Window, 2008 designed by Iranian artist Shirazeh Houshiary, St Martin-in-the-Field, London #womensart pic.twitter.com/bPxYMTUhUP  #WOMENSART (@womensart1) May 16, 2021

* * *

Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (TH):

TH writes: I took the opportunity to dart over and grab a few photos of this plant in bloom while Don pumped gas. It looks like a plant we have at home. :-) (Google image search seems to think this honeybee is harvesting a variety of Stonecrop. Curiously, its not the very center of the flower shes studying.)

* * *

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the recently concluded and  thank you!  successful annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:









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By Sharon Kelly, an attorney and freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She has reported for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Nation, National Wildlife, Earth Island Journal, and a variety of other publications. Originally published at DeSmog Blog

Whats the single word that fossil fuel giant ExxonMobils flagship environmental reports to investors and the public tie most closely to climate change and global warming?

According to newly published research from Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes and Harvard research associate Geoffrey Supran, its a simple four-letter word, one that carries overtones not only of danger, but also  crucially  of uncertainty: risk.

Oreskes and Supran argue in the peer-reviewed study published in the journal One Earth, that by repeating that word over and over as it discusses climate change ExxonMobil continues to connect climate change to uncertainty, even in its most carefully worded and most scrutinized discussions of the topic.

That tiny word is one sign of a massive change underway in how fossil fuel companies talk about climate change in places where its no longer considered credible to contest climate science. Instead, Oreskes and Supran write, ExxonMobils statements subtly shift responsibility for climate change onto the shoulders of consumers, while avoiding the need to describe in detail the risks that are posed by climate change.

And that, for the record, is a lot to gloss over  not just in terms of what scientists predict about the future, but in terms of what climate change has already played a role in bringing about. Last year, for example, tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record, according to NASA  2020 brought a brutal drumbeat of climate-linked calamities, including a record-obliterating wildfire season on the West Coast that memorably turned skies orange and red and an extraordinarily intense Atlantic hurricane season.

The way that ExxonMobil talks about climate change, the paper suggests, lets the company thread a very specific rhetorical needle, communicating two ideas that fundamentally benefit their interests. On the one hand, risk rhetoric is weak enough to allow the company to maintain a position on climate science that is ambiguous, flexible, and unalarming, the researchers write. On the other, it is strong enoughand prominent enough, in [New York Times] advertorials and elsewherethat ExxonMobil may claim that the public has been well informed about [anthropogenic global warming].

And if that approach feels a little familiar, maybe thats because its very similar to the tactics used by another industry in the past: Big Tobacco.

Akin to early, tepidly worded warning labels on cigarette packages, ExxonMobils advertorials in Americas newspaper of record help establish this claim, sometimes explicitly: Most people acknowledge that human-induced climate change is a long-term risk, a 2001 advertorial states (emphases added), the paper continues. The risk of climate change and its potential impacts on society and the ecosystem are widely recognized, says another the following year.

13/n: Here's how an ExxonMobil advertorial on climate change in @nytimes falls apart when its denialist techniques are deconstructed. pic.twitter.com/MeNhyYhnnd  Geoffrey Supran (@GeoffreySupran) October 21, 2019

And thats just one example of the ways that ExxonMobils favored ideas about climate change  ideas like we are all to blame or society must inevitably rely on fossil fuels for the foreseeable future  can become embedded in conventional wisdom and creep into how people think and talk about climate change, the paper argues.

While the new paper is hardly the first to draw parallels between the fossil fuel and tobacco industries, what sets it apart is how the research was done.

Our analysis is the first computational study illustrating how the fossil fuel industry has encouraged and embodied AGW [anthropogenic global warming] narratives fixated on individual responsibility, the paper says. The study used automated methods to analyze 180 ExxonMobil documents, 32 previously published internal company documents, and 76 New York Times advertorials where the company took positions on climate change. The authors believe that these methods of efficiently reviewing a large number of company records could prove useful later in litigation, where larger batches of documents may need review.

The number of climate liability lawsuits worldwide and in the U.S. continues to grow. A January 2021 United Nations report tallied 1,200 cases in the U.S. and 350 other lawsuits in nearly 40 other jurisdictions worldwide  nearly double the number of lawsuits underway three years ago by the report authors count. Not all of those cases involve ExxonMobil  but some of the highest profile lawsuits include those filed by state attorneys general and state and local governments alleging that the company misled investors or consumers or others.

Supran and Oreskes have both assisted with legal briefs or served as expert witnesses in climate liability cases, but in an email to DeSmog, Supran noted that virtually all of that work has been done pro bono (with the sole exception that Oreskes once billed 3.5 hours for her work reviewing the historical accuracy of allegations in one 2017 case). Supran called their work and testimony in climate liability cases a logical application of our knowledge and expertise.

ExxonMobil did not respond to a request for comment about their study from DeSmog.

Injecting Uncertainty

As it has become less credible to contest the legitimacy of climate science, the paper notes, the company has shifted its rhetoric on climate to focus on risk.

In ExxonMobil Corps 2005 Corporate Citizenship Report, for instance, which extensively questions whether AGW is human caused and serious, a member of the public [is quoted asking]: Why wont ExxonMobil recognize that climate change is real?, Oreskes and Supran write. The company replies: ExxonMobil recognizes the risk of climate change and its potential impact (emphases added).

That subtle shift lets ExxonMobil inject uncertainty into conversations about climate change, the paper continues, even while superficially appearing not to.

We have also observed that, starting in the mid-2000s, ExxonMobils statements of explicit doubt about climate science and its implications (for example, that there does not appear to be a consensus among scientists about the effect of fossil fuel use on climate) gave way to implicit acknowledgments couched in ambiguous statements about climate risk (such as discussion of lower-carbon fuels for addressing the risks posed by rising greenhouse gas emissions, without mention of [anthropogenic global warming]), the paper reports.

Its also a way of talking that also lets ExxonMobil leave out any description of what, exactly, is being put at risk, the paper notes.

The companys public messaging pits clear-cut descriptions of the benefits of using fossil fuels against the risks of climate change  but while it offers examples of the ways people find fossil fuels useful, ExxonMobil is a lot more vague about what, exactly, the risks associated with climate change are, the paper argues.

A day late, but still reeling at the absolute gaul of this sentiment from Shells CEO. Not just cause oil company bad. But because we NEEDED (past tense) Shell on climate. We needed them in 1988. When they were on the cutting edge of climate science. pic.twitter.com/TKczzThmGV  Kelly Mitchell (@kellyemitchell) May 11, 2021

Communications strategies similar to those described in Oreskes and Suprans new research have drawn pushback on Twitter.

Thats not for a lack of available scientific data. Today, we are at 1.2 degrees of warming and already witnessing unprecedented climate extremes and volatility in every region and on every continent, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a December 2020 address. The science is crystal clear: to limit temperature rise to 1.5-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the world needs to decrease fossil fuel production by roughly 6 per cent every year between now and 2030.

The biggest remaining questions about climate change dont concern the ways that our lives will be increasingly disrupted by extreme weather, wildfires, rising seas and the like. Theres a strong body of scientific evidence that lets scientists make good predictions about what happens when we collectively burn fossil fuels at different rates. And a peer-reviewed study published last year in the journal Geophysical Research found that climate models dating back to the 1970s through 2007 have proved remarkably accurate

The biggest open questions are about policy and products, not about what the science shows.

The real source of uncertainty, in other words, is how long we will continue doing the things that cause climate change.

Modern Propaganda

Polling shows that Americans understandings of climate science have shifted dramatically in recent years. In 2014, NBC News recently reported, less than half of Americans polled believed that climate change was caused by human activity. Polls from 2020, however, show that now 57 percent of Americans cite human activity as causing climate change, a jump of roughly ten percent.

But there may still be times and places where not only is discussion of risk familiar and habitually framed in terms of risk management, but also where ExxonMobils framing might find a particularly receptive audience.

Asked by DeSmog, Supran said that investors may be particularly vulnerable to what he called ExxonMobils fossil fuel savior framing.

Within this frame, the company is an innocent supplier, simply giving consumers what they demand. That is, ExxonMobil are the good guys who we should trust to address the climate risks that we, the public, brought upon ourselves, he said. Its also worth noting that these modern forms of propaganda are increasingly subtle and insidious, and so being exposed to them ad nauseam, as shareholders are, could make them more vulnerable to this discursive grooming.

Going forward, the new paper predicts that companies like ExxonMobil may continue to rely on the strategies developed by the tobacco industry.

In their public relations messaging, industry asserts smokers rights as individuals who are at liberty to smoke, the paper says. In the context of litigation, industry asserts that those who choose to smoke are solely to blame for their injuries.

ExxonMobils framing is reminiscent of the tobacco industrys effort to diminish its own responsibility (and culpability) by casting itself as a kind of neutral innocent, buffeted by the forces of consumer demand, it continues. It is widely recognized that the tobacco industry used, and continues to use, narrative frames of personal responsibilityoften marketed as freedom of choiceto combat public criticism, influence policy debates, and defend against litigation and regulation.
Yves here. This is a short but informative and sobering assessment of the balance of forces between Israel and Palestine.

By Paul Rogers, professor in the department of peace studies at Bradford University, northern England. He is openDemocracys international security adviser, and has been writing a weekly column on global security since 28 September 2001; he also writes a monthly briefing for the Oxford Research Group. His latest book is Irregular War: ISIS and the New Threat from the Margins (IB Tauris, 2016), which follows Why Were Losing the War on Terror (Polity, 2007), and Losing Control: Global Security in the 21st Century (Pluto Press, 3rd edition, 2010). He is on Twitter at: @ProfPRogers Originally published at openDemocracy

Israel is the most powerful state in the Middle East. Its military forces may not match the likes of Egypt or Turkey in numbers, but the might of its training, equipment, technologies and nuclear weapons make it unassailable. Given its long-developed capabilities in public order control, such a position should also apply to its control of radical dissent within its own borders, as well as in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Gaza may not be occupied in the conventional sense but it is a small territory with two million people living behind borders controlled by Israel. It lacks a port, its sole airport was destroyed many years ago and its Mediterranean coastline is patrolled by Israelis at all times. It is essentially an open prison.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has persistently claimed that his country is indeed safe, that it has nothing to fear from the Palestinians and that the settlements can and should expand as Israel has established good relations with key Gulf states.

More importantly, President Joe Bidens administration has done little to repeal Donald Trumps pro-Israel changes. There is no sign of moving the US embassy back from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, the US consulate in East Jerusalem that gave Palestinians a direct link to Washington has remained closed since 2019, as has the Palestinian office in Washington since 2018. There has been little pressure over the settlement expansion, and even the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) has only had $230m of its previous $380m US financial support restored.

Taking all these elements into account, Israel should feel safe and secure  but in practice it doesnt. Instead, an apt summary is of a state that is impregnable in its insecurity. It is impregnable in the sense that it cannot be defeated but insecure in that the underlying threats will not go away, as evident in the current violent confrontations.

Underlying Anger

The threats stem from the underlying anger in Palestinian circles, especially in the occupied territories, as Netanyahus government moves ahead to get more settlers into East Jerusalem. This is seen in Palestine as straightforward ethnic cleansing, further encouraged by the far-Right Jewish parties that Netanyahu depends on for power.

The extremist Jewish ideology behind the Kahanist movement in Israel that seeks something approaching full ethnic cleansing of the land west of the Jordan, is still very much in the minority. Nevertheless, it is there in the background, aided by the growth in numbers of some of the more rigorous religious elements.

As the social unrest came to a head this week, many hundreds of young Palestinians were injured but their demonstrations continued and the Israeli police took the extraordinary step of entering al-Aqsa Mosque, Islams third holy place. This provoked outrage in the territories, in Gaza, and among Israeli Arabs who make up a fifth of the population of Israel, as well as across the wider Islamic world.

Widespread violence has broken out, leaving many people injured. Much of it has been instigated by Jewish youth, while Islamic paramilitaries in Gaza have fired numerous unguided rockets towards towns in southern and central Israel, including the port of Ashdod and the city of Tel Aviv.

The Israelis, in turn, have carried out hundreds of airstrikes and drone attacks on Gaza, already killing well over a hundred people, many of them children. Israeli casualties are tiny in comparison but the psychological threat of missile attacks is affecting millions of Israelis as they head for shelters, night and day. That should not be underestimated and Netanyahus claim of victory seems increasingly hollow.

Unless the violence dies down very soon, Netanyahu will look to take firm action to regain control of Israeli towns, including multiple arrests to deter rioters. Such domestic action will do little to reassure people that all is well, and the situation in Gaza and East Jerusalem only adds to the instability that such action induces.

Israels problem in Gaza is that it cannot prevent the rockets being fired without a military ground force intervention. However, the last time it sent in troops, during Operation Protective Edge in July 2014, they came up against determined paramilitaries who knew the urban areas intimately and had long trained in urban guerrilla warfare.

As my column explained at the time, 12 days into the seven-week war, Israeli troops moved into Gaza to destroy cross-border tunnels and rocket launch sites. On the first day of that operation, 20 July, the elite Golani brigade lost 13 men killed and well over 50 injured. The dead included a battalion deputy commander and the wounded the brigades commanding officer, Colonel Ghassan Alian. The overall level of resistance, and especially the abilities of the Hamas paramilitaries, came as a shock to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), even as it was coming to realise that the tunnels constituted a far more serious problem than expected.

Eight days later, when hundreds of Israeli troops were operating within Gaza, a Hamas paramilitary unit used an undetected tunnel to cross the border and kill five young IDF sergeants on a leadership training course, losing one of their own men in the operation. Rockets continued to be fired from Gaza throughout the war, killing six people, including a child.

In Gaza, the Palestinian losses were vastly greater. Amnesty International later reported that more than 2,000 Palestinians had been killed during the seven weeks, including more than 500 children, and more than 10,000 people had been injured.

Shift to the Right

Over the course of that 2014 conflict, the Israelis lost 68 troops, while several hundreds were left wounded, some maimed for life. Yet, when a ceasefire was eventually agreed, IDF sources accepted that Hamas still had 3,000 rockets available, an arsenal that will have increased massively in the past seven years.

IDF leaders may believe that they have since prepared their forces much more effectively for ground operations. However, that same belief after the 2008 Operation Cast Lead conflict didnt stop them failing six years later. Netanyahu, though, has little option but to take action now, not least because of the changes in Israeli politics over the last ten years.

Prior to the events of the past month, Netanyahu had worked hard to convince Israelis that the Palestinians had been defeated and Israeli Jews could feel secure. This narrative was supported by a 40-year shift to the Right in Israel, propped up by the influx of close to a million migrants from Russia and Ukraine in the 1990s, who were understandably determined to be secure in their new country. It was also aided by the near-wholesale privatisation of the Kibbutz and Moshav cooperatives across Israel that had often provided a more liberal outlook.

Furthermore, the idea that the Palestinians had lost and had to get used to it was promoted vigorously by sectors of the Israeli lobby in the United States, most notably the Middle East Forum. And the many millions of Christian Zionists in the US are an ever-present influence on aspiring politicians, both Republican and Democrat.

On the surface, Israel still appears secure but for all its military power, this is far from true. It may seem impregnable but remains fundamentally insecure. Perhaps the current conflict will ease, possibly due to late pressure from Biden, but whether or not it does, the one key event of recent weeks is the incursion of the Israeli forces into al-Aqsa Mosque. That will have a far deeper and more longer-lasting effect than associates of Netanyahu realise.
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(Natural News) Now 20 US states have legalized the practice of liquefying dead people, dumping their flesh goo down the sewage drains, harvesting the sewage as biosludge and spreading it on food crops as a form of fertilizer. (See absolute proof of this in the state government links below.)

Welcome to 2021 in America, where the dead are liquefied and fed to the living, almost like a scene ripped right out of The Matrix.

As LifeSiteNews now confirms, Wisconsin is the latest US state to legalize this practice, which is deceptively named water cremation. But it uses lye as the chemical ingredient that eats away human flesh, turning it into a slimy goo thats washed off the bones using city water. This resulting flesh goo  often the remains of vaccine-murdered citizens  is flushed into the city sewer system and combined with raw human feces, light industrial waste, feminine hygiene products that are flushed down toilets, and other biohazard waste, then transformed into biosludge which is loaded onto trucks and dumped on food farms.

I created an entire feature film documenting this process, including the interview of a former top EPA scientist who tried to blow the whistle on this practice but was threatened and professionally destroyed by the EPA. That film is available to watch (for free) at Biosludged.com.

That scientist, David Lewis, even wrote a book documenting all this called, Science For Sale. For attempting to blow the whistle on the EPA-approved practice of mass pollution of US crop soils with biosludge, David Lewis was threatened by government goons and stripped of all funding for his environmental research on toxic substances in soils. If you thought the science behind the plandemic was insane, take a peek at the criminally insane science the EPA uses to justify the mass pollution of Americas soils.

Just in time to dispose of all the bodies that will be generated by the covid vaccine death wave

Now, states like Wisconsin are adding liquefied human flesh goo remains to the biosludge cocktail, actually dumping human DNA and vaccine-originating RNA fragments onto food crops, apparently oblivious to the trans-genetic process of transfection that may wreak havoc on the sustainability of future food crops and soil microbiomes.

The timing of all this seems especially convenient, given that the vaccine death wave from Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) may only be another 5-6 months away. It begs the question: What will cities and states do with all the dead bodies as the spike protein bioweapon achieves the depopulation goals of Fauci and Gates?

Answer: Flush them down the sewers and spread them on food crops as fertilizer. This puts dead humans into the food supply as an indirect form of cannibalism. Soon, if you eat non-organic product, you will be eating crops that are literally grown in human flesh goo.

This is not science fiction and it isnt a conspiracy. You can read it right here in Wisconsin Senate Bill SB228: The use of alkaline hydrolysis to cremate human remains and providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures.

Introduced by Senators TESTIN, L. TAYLOR, CARPENTER, KOOYENGA and RINGHAND, cosponsored by Representatives NOVAK, SWEARINGEN, ARMSTRONG, BOWEN, CALLAHAN, KITCHENS, KRUG, MOSES, L. MYERS, J. RODRIGUEZ, ROZAR, SKOWRONSKI and STUBBS. Referred to Committee on Health.

This is why fact checkers wont touch this topic, because the facts are crystal clear. They dont want to admit that covid vaccine-murdered human beings are being liquefied and spread on food crops all across America (in 20 states and counting).

Its one more reason to eat organic, of course, since organic crops disallow the use of biosludge as fertilizer. Then again, we now have organic proponents signing up to be injected with the deadly covid vaccine, which means they may soon become an input for the food supply itself.

Listen to my shocking Situation Update podcast to learn the full truth about this stunning revelation:

Brighteon.com/698ddf8a-9b71-4fa8-a30c-1e1e87206c81

Discover a new Situation Update podcast each day at Brighteon.com:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
(Natural News) The American Medical Association (AMA), the largest national organization representing physicians and medical students in the United States, says it will set aside its long-held concept of meritocracy in favor of racial justice and health equity.

(Article by GQ Pan republished from TheEpochTimes.com)

In an 86-page strategic plan released May 11, the AMA set out a three-year road map detailing how the advocacy group will use its influence to dismantle structural and institutional racism and advance social and racial justice in Americas health care system.

According to its plan, the AMA will be following a host of strategies, including implementing racial and social justice throughout the AMA enterprise culture, systems, policies, and practices; expanding medical education to include critical race theory; and pushing toward racial healing, reconciliation, and transformation regarding the organizations own racially discriminatory past.

The AMA also makes clear that it now rejects the concepts of equality and meritocracy, which have been goals in the fields of medical science and medical care.

Equality as a process means providing the same amounts and types of resources across populations, the association said. Seeking to treat everyone the same, ignores the historical legacy of disinvestment and deprivation through historical policy and practice of marginalizing and minoritizing communities.

While the AMA doesnt run Americas health care system, it holds tremendous influence over medical schools and teaching hospitals that train physicians and other health professionals. Those institutes, the AMA says, must reject meritocracy, which it describes as a harmful narrative that ignores the inequitably distributed social, structural and political resources.

The commonly held narrative of meritocracy is the idea that people are successful purely because of their individual effort, it states. Medical education has largely been based on such flawed meritocratic ideals, and it will take intentional focus and effort to recognize, review and revise this deeply flawed interpretation.

Instead, the AMA suggests, medical schools should incorporate into their programs critical race theory, an offshoot of Marxism that views society through the lens of a power struggle between the race of oppressors and that of the oppressed. As a result, according to the theory, all long-established institutions of Western society are considered to be tools of racial oppression.

Expand medical school and physician education to include equity, anti-racism, structural competency, public health and social sciences, critical race theory and historical basis of disease, reads the document, which is loaded with critical race theory vocabulary.

In a statement that accompanied the plan, AMA President Gerald Harmon said he is fully committed to this cause and called on the medical community to join the effort.

We believe that by leveraging the power of our membership, our influence, and our reach we can help bring real and lasting change to medicine, he said.

The controversy around critical race theory in U.S. institutions gained more attention in 2020, when President Donald Trump banned the use of training materials based on divisive and harmful sex and race-based ideologies in federal workplaces. President Joe Biden rescinded the order, instead issuing an order stating that his administration would pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all.

Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) A troubling new report shows that several Apple suppliers have been using forced labor in China, a problem that has long plagued the company and many other tech giants. Two human rights groups worked with The Information to identify seven companies supplying services and products to Apple that have supported forced labor programs targeting the countrys Muslim minority population, including Uyghurs living in Xinjiang. Six of the suppliers are believed to participate in work programs that are operated by the Chinese government and are known to offer cover for forced labor.

Just one of the companies in question, Advanced-Connectek, is actually located in Xinjiang, where Uyghur Muslims are being enslaved and mistreated by the Chinese government. However, the Chinese government has been shipping Uyghurs from their native regions to eastern factories, where they must work or face jail time.

One supplier, Advanced-Connectek, had previously drawn concern when photos of their factory emerged showing barbed-wire-topped walls surrounding it and guard towers, which would presumably not be needed in places where people are working willingly.

Five of the companies in question reportedly obtained Uyghur and other minority workers at factories producing products for Apple. One is Apples biggest supplier, Luxshare. One of their circuit board manufacturers, Avary Holding, received 400 workers from Xinjiang last year, according to sources, although the company denies this. Meanwhile, antenna and cable producer Shenzhen Deren Electronic obtained 1,000 laborers from Xinjiang.

iPhone glass creator Lens Technology has obtained 600 workers from Xinjiang since 2018, while supplier AcBel Polytech has also been known to use forced labor.

Apple, however, claims that it has not found any evidence of forced labor where it operates. A spokesperson added that the company looks for forced labor in every assessment it conducts.

Apple just one of many companies benefiting from forced labor

Apple is not the only firm that has been connected to forced labor. Many tech companies that rely on suppliers in China are in a similar position. According to The Information, some of the same companies that rely on forced labor used by Apple have also worked with Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft, to name just a few. While Facebook and Amazon claim that they do not work with suppliers who use forced labor, Microsoft and Google did not respond to the publications request for comment.

According to Human Rights Watch, more than a million Uyghur Muslims are persecuted in China. Many of them are detained in internment camps, where they are forced to abandon their culture in favor of Chinese customs. Some have been subjected to torture ranging from medical experiments and sterilization to organ harvesting and gang rape. China claims they are reeducation camps.

Several human rights groups and countries around the world have publicly condemned the actions of the Chinese Communist Party, calling its treatment of Uyghurs crimes against humanity.

Last year, The Information reported that Apple had ignored alleged labor law breaches by suppliers when it comes to the use of temporary workers. At the center of the controversy was a Chinese law that required for no more than 10 percent of a factorys workforce be temporary workers, who usually have fewer legal protections and benefits than permanent ones.

Apple reportedly found in a survey of its supplier factories that half were over the temporary worker quotas, with some using them for more than 50 percent of their labor force. Although Apple asked suppliers to fix the situation, little was done and the firm ultimately decided to look the other way to avoid business disruptions, according to The Information.

A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that 27 factories across nine provinces in China had been using forced Uyghur labor since 2017, with more than 80,000 Uyghurs being forced to work in factories that supply major global fashion and technology brands such as Nike, Google, Samsung, Victorias Secret, Zara, LG, Lenovo, Fila and Calvin Klein.

Sources for this article include:

HeadlineUSA.com

TheVerge.com

iMore.com

ASPI.org.au
(Natural News) Once again, Big Tech has proven it is a destructive force in our republic, undermining the democratic processes at every turn in order to keep in power the Marxist party their founders and CEOs align with.

According to Judicial Watch, the amazingly patriotic legal organization without which we would know far less about how Barack Obama and the politicized FBI worked to depose the duly-elected Donald Trump, Big Tech has been caught colluding with Californias Democratic leaders to censor pre-election posts of American users who were obviously on the wrong side of the political spectrum.

In recent days, the organization noted in a press release it has received 540 pages and a supplemental four pages of documents from the office of the Secretary of State of California revealing how state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter, Facebook, Google, YouTube) to censor posts about the 2020 election.

Included in these documents were misinformation briefings emails that were compiled by communications firm SKDK, that lists Biden for President as their top client of 2020, the press release continues.

The documents show how the state agency successfully pressured YouTube to censor a Judicial Watch video concerning the vote by mail and a Judicial Watch lawsuit settlement about California voter roll clean up.

Judicial Watch attorneys filed their requests for the information following a December 2020 report that was made public showing that the secretary of states office was surveilling, tracking and attempting to censor Americans political speech, a basic violation of the First Amendment:

The Office of Election Cybersecurity in the California Secretary of States office monitored and tracked social media posts, decided if they were misinformation, stored the posts in an internal database coded by threat level, and on 31 different occasions requested posts be removed. In 24 cases, the social media companies agreed and either took down the posts or flagged them as misinformation, according to Jenna Dresner, senior public information officer for the Office of Election Cybersecurity.

We dont take down posts, that is not our role to play, Dresner said. We alert potential sources of misinformation to the social media companies and we let them make that call based on community standards they created.

Right.

Of course, one persons definition of misinformation or fake news is very often different that someone elses definition. Clearly, the left has used arbitrary, loose definitions to justify taking down content that is factual and well-documented but harmful to the lefts political causes and issues.

And in fact, Dresner proves the point.

In a California Secretary of State communication with YouTube, officials wrote: We wanted to flag this YouTube video because it misleads community members about elections or other civic processes and misrepresents the safety and security of mail-in ballots.

An accompanying chart quotes Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton as making a statement regarding the organizations lawsuit settlement with Los Angeles County that mandates they clean up their voter registration rolls as well as how a state court in Michigan changed the rules regarding deadlines for 2020 ballots and ballot harvesting (a highly controversial ruling that was overturned in October 2020).

In addition, the document shows that Golden State officials made direct contact with YouTube to have the video taken down Sept. 24, 2020; the platform agreed and did so three days later, Judicial Watch notes.

Besides YouTube, the California Secretary of States office also communicated similar concerns to Twitter and Facebook, both of which also acted on the false claims that Judicial Watch was not providing accurate information about its own cases. The results were the same: Content was removed by those platforms.

These new documents suggest a conspiracy against the First Amendment rights of Americans by the California Secretary of State, the Biden campaign operation, and Big Tech, said Fitton. These documents blow up the big lie that Big Tech censorship is private  as the documents show collusion between a whole group of government officials in multiple states to suppress speech about election controversies.

Sources include:

JudicialWatch.org

NaturalNews.com
Similarly, no Wuhan scientist or Chinese official picked up the phone and forced our leaders to do close down the gyms and arrest gym owners. Americas corrupt ruling class did it all by itself.

Ditto for forcing tiny young children to wear suffocating masks on airplanes.

We could keep your blood boiling for hours with example after example. The important thing to keep in mind is that irrespective of where Covid originated, the people responsible for the criminally Orwellian response to Covid are none other than the people who run America.

Any narrative that points fingers anywhere else than toward Americas corrupt, evil, dysfunctional, incompetent, and illegitimate ruling class is a counter-productive distraction at best.

In fact, much of the value of the Covid origin story is that it rightly delegitimizes many of the very same corrupt incompetent and possibly criminal figures pushing the disastrous response to Covid. This includes, of course, the media.

If the media is willing to lie to us about the origin of Covid, why wouldnt they lie or present false information relating to lockdowns, masks, or even vaccines?

Turning back to Nicholas Wades article for a moment, we see that Wade doesnt definitively solve the question of Covid-19s origin. China is too secretive for that to be possible. But he does show just how devastating and lopsided the circumstantial evidence is in favor of the virus being leaked from a poorly-run lab. Among Wades key points:

The open letter in Lancet, an elite medical journal, denouncing all lab-origin theories was was organized and drafted by Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance of New York. Daszaks organization funded coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and they could conceivably be culpable if their funding resulted in the outbreak. But this clear conflict of interest was not disclosed.

It is far easier to manipulate a coronavirus, and do so without leaving clear-cut evidence, than scientists claimed early in the outbreak.

No traces at all have been found of COVID-19 in the natural environment, even though the earlier SARS and MERS viruses were found in nature quite quickly, and even though an intensive search has tested more than 80,000 animals.

The virus possesses unusual mutations, like a furin cleavage site, which no similar viruses have.

Not only was the Wuhan Institute of Virology working on creating new coronaviruses, but it was specifically researching creating coronaviruses that were as infectious as possible.

China has every incentive to prove that the coronavirus origin is natural, but produced no such evidence when WHO investigators visited Beijing in February.

The National Institutes of Health in the United States directly funded research work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology that may have led to the outbreak.

Wades article is one of the most important yet written on the Chinese coronavirus and its origins.

And yet, incredibly, when it first came out, Wades article had to be published on Medium, a blogging site. Only three days later was it published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. And even now, Wades work has almost exclusively drawn attention from right-leaning publications and programs: The New York Post, National Review, Tucker Carlson Tonight, and a handful of others.

The New York Times hasnt mentioned Wades article, even though Wade was a Times science correspondent for thirty years. The Washington Post has ignored it. CNN is silent, and NBC News, and The Daily Beast, and so forth.

Of course, one year ago, these publications were the most aggressive in suppressing any debate or discussion about Covid-19s origins.

Importantly, regime media publications are not still suppressing the idea of a lab-origin coronavirus. They have at least tolerated discussion of the matter since early this year.

Instead, they are simply broadly uninterested in the topic. Like a maximally efficient Ministry of Truth, the question that was once worth imposing nationwide tech censorship over in the name of combating misinformation is now a dull academic matter. In the words of Bloomberg columnist Noah Smith, So what?

What does this show? That for the press, all discussion of Covid-19 is fundamentally political in nature.

In the spring of 2020, it was useful to the Globalist American Empire to claim that Covid-19 was natural. Absolving China of blame allowed the press to claim that it was racist to blame the Chinese, allowing the media to push the lie that America is systemically racist and that the Trump administration was endangering Asians. Acknowledging that the virus came from a lab would have been a victory for President Trump and his efforts to decouple from China. Simply acknowledging the president was right would have increased his odds of reelection, and given him the power to further dismantle the Globalist American Empire in favor of a functioning America-first system. And, of course, claiming that the lab leak was misinformation served the eternally-useful role of justifying censorship online.

A year later, the incentives have changed. President Trump is gone, so there is no immediate threat to the American ruling class power in acknowledging Chinese misbehavior. Tech censorship has become firmly entrenched, and there are other excuses available to justify perpetuating it.

The revelation of the likely Chinese origins of Covid doesnt just discredit the media, and by extension discredit the lockdowns the media has promoted from the beginning. The exposure of a Chinese lab leak also thoroughly discredits the American medical establishment  the very same medical establishment pushing draconian mask mandates and questionable vaccines.

From June 2014 to May 2019, Daszaks EcoHealth Alliance had a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to do gain-of-function research with coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Whether or not SARS2 is the product of that research, it seems a questionable policy to farm out high-risk research to unsafe foreign labs using minimal safety precautions. And if the SARS2 virus did indeed escape from the Wuhan institute, then the NIH will find itself in the terrible position of having funded a disastrous experiment that led to death of more than 3 million worldwide, including more than half a million of its own citizens. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

Senator Rand Paul, who has also done good work fighting lockdowns and exposing mask hysteria, confronted Dr. Anthony Fauci this week about his role in funding this catastrophically dangerous research.

Anything that discredits Fauci is a good thing. But its crucial to remember why discrediting him is so important. Its not simply because hes an embarrassing phony who has held his job about 30 years too long.

For a year, Faucis vacillating, irresponsible recommendations have taken on sinister cultic significance for nearly half the country. Fauci was the figurehead of nationwide Covid totalitarianism. Fauci terrorized the public about the dangers of celebrating Christmas and New Years. Hes talked about maintaining restrictions into 2022.

But Faucis worst offenses came at the beginning of coronavirus, when he hysterically warned of serious consequences if lockdowns werent continued indefinitely; this warning was of course completely forgotten when several states exited lockdowns and fared no worse than others.

If America had ignored Fauci and done nothing at all in response to coronavirus the whole country would look roughly like South Dakota right now, with a healthy economy, a contented population, and about the same death rate as every other state.

The chief crime of Americas establishment in the past year was the indefinite and useless coronavirus lockdowns. These lockdowns were not imposed by Beijing. They were imposed by lawmakers, supported by fear pornographers in the press.

The CNN staffer who was secretly recorded admitting the network used propaganda to help get Joe Biden elected president also said they played up the COVID-19 death toll for ratings  and that the order came down directly from top brass. Charlie Chester, a technical Director at the cable network, was filmed by Project Veritas during a series of fake Tinder dates as he explained how Fear really drives numbers. COVID? Gangbusters with ratings, Chester told the unidentified PV staffer. Which is why we constantly have the death toll on the side, he continued, making reference to the coronavirus death tracker that would appear on the screen. It would make our point better if [the COVID death toll] was higher. [NY Post]

In a year of Covid fear porn, mask hysteria, and lockdown frenzies, the regime had no greater symbol than Dr. Fauci. Exposing him as a gross incompetent who may be directly responsible for Covid-19 itself is invaluable because it exposes how fraudulent expertise was used to justify the worst public policy blunder since the Second World War.

This is why the press now has every incentive to shift the coronavirus blame over to China. In 2020, they needed a blameless China so they could blame Trump. But in 2021, China is a shield to hide their own hideous failures.

In fact, in the months to come, look for the press to realize that shifting blame back to China can render them even more powerful.

Ruling class enjoys unprecedented consolidation of power via Covid scam Big Tech, Stocks, Oligarchs booming The next step is to cast blame on CHINA and double dip with budgetary windfall for DOD, contractors, military industrial complex Like stealing candy from a baby  Darren J. Beattie  (@DarrenJBeattie) May 11, 2021

There are worrying signs this could be happening. Lawmakers like Marco Rubio are babbling about military confrontation with China, even when Americas military is increasingly controlled by zealots who are burdening it with woke extremists while sapping its power to win wars. American nationalists are in danger of being suckered into a scheme that will empower the very national security apparatus that has just targeted them as white supremacist domestic terrorists.

Consider this recent open letter signed by more than 100 retired military leaders.

China is the greatest external threat to America. Establishing cooperative relations with the Chinese Communist Party emboldens them to continue progress toward world domination, militarily, economically, politically and technologically. We must impose more sanctions and restrictions to impede their world domination goal and protect Americas interests.

The letter is correct that China is the greatest external threat to America. But China is certainly not the greatest threat to America overall. The greatest threat to this country by far is its current ruling class.

As Revolver wrote earlier this year, America isnt failing against China because of special perfidy by Beijing, but because it is cursed with a ruling class that is actively betraying the country.

[O]n just about every issue that has mattered over the past several decades, the American ruling class has been stupid, corrupt, dysfunctional, and parasitic. If China disappeared, they would simply be selling the country out to India, or Saudi Arabia, or Vietnam, or some other rising country (and in fact, they are doing this already, just to a lesser extent). Our ruling class has failed us on China because they have failed us on everything. It follows that there will be no sound China policy that benefits actual Americans until there is a legitimate ruling class in the United States. For this reason, emphasizing the wickedness and danger of China will be less effective than emphasizing the utter failure and illegitimacy of the American ruling class. The coronavirus is a perfect example. Perhaps China is at fault in many ways for the virus. But even assuming the virus was concocted in a Chinese lab at the direction of President Xi himself, we must remember that the Chinese didnt force our media to lie about it and exaggerate its danger, nor did they force our American tech companies to censor all information and analysis of Covid not approved by our ruling class. The Chinese did not force the devastating and unnecessary lockdowns that have destroyed family wealth, shattered lives and dreams, and ruined New York, once one of the greatest cities in the world. Our own leaders did that to aggrandize and empower themselves, and no matter how defiantly we use the term China virus we should never forget that. Perhaps we would be better served to call it the Bezos virus. Unfortunately, many of Trumps would be imitators (such as [Secretary Mike] Pompeo) have not followed the Presidents wise approach in framing the China problem principally in terms of the failure of our own ruling class. [Revolver]

In 2020, suppressing the truth of Chinas behavior allowed the Globalist American Empire to shift the blame onto President Trump. In 2021, letting the truth come out (gradually) will redirect the publics anger away from who really deserves blame for wrecking the country for the past year.

This diversion of blame should not be allowed to happen. It isnt China that wrecked America in the past year. Its our own corrupt leaders, who deserve to pay the political (and perhaps criminal) price for what they did.

It matters where the Chinese coronavirus came from. And it matters that China is an increasingly formidable rival to the U.S., economically, politically, and militarily. But what matters most of all is exposing and confronting the ruling class of America who used the coronavirus to lie to the people, hoard power for themselves, and loot the country they were supposed to serve.

Read more at: Revolver.news
(Natural News) As Facebook and other social media giants remove groups and ban users who oppose the vaccination agenda, infiltrators are quietly setting up fake honey pot groups in their place to wage psychological warfare on anti-vaxxers.

One such honey pot group reported on by the BBC includes an altered photo of Bill Gates holding a syringe, much like the one in the headline of this article. It is presented to social media users as an anti-vax group when in reality it is anything but that.

A trained psychologist by the name of Richard set up the decoy group not to spread vaccine skepticism, but rather to try to help those who reject the notion that all vaccines are safe and effective simply because the government says they are.

Richards friend Dave  they all use fake names because they are scared of anti-vaxxers  pretends to believe in vaccine skepticism conspiracy theories to try to lure others into the group in order to manipulate them.

If I was to actually create a group saying, Im going to re-educate you  then Im not going to get any takers, Richard says about the scheme.

So, I have to do it in a stealth way, which is a bit underhanded, I suppose. But the intentions are good.

Richards banner of Gates is followed by information claiming that he and Microsoft are plotting to kill millions of people through genocide  which they are, by the way  which aims to draw in those who reject the official deep state narrative surrounding vaccination.

All of this is designed to combat anti-vaccine sentiment on Facebook, which over the past several years has been aggressively targeting people who question vaccines as anything other than perfect medicine for the masses.

Plandemic lockdowns spurred many to start researching vaccines

You see, the government, Big Tech, and Big Pharma are deeply concerned about the fact that people all around the world are waking up to the truth about vaccines.

In the Ukraine, for instance, anti-vaccine content grew by 157 percent in 2020 alone, reaching nearly 26,000 page likes  double the amount compared to the previous year.

In Mexico, Brazil, and India, anti-vaccine pages similarly grew by about 50 percent each over the past year, a faster growth rate than the two years prior combined.

The plandemic kept a lot of people home on their computers and phones, during which time they started researching things that they had never before taken the time to research. This led many of them to realize that vaccines are death medicine that they do not want for themselves or their families.

People also started learning about how mRNA injections permanently alter DNA while doing absolutely nothing to protect against the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19). They also come with serious side effects that are being widely downplayed by the corporate media.

According to the fake news media, anyone who figures out the vaccine sham is an extremist who must be stopped from telling others about it online. It is also off limits to tell others about the vaccine genocide that is being brought about through compulsory mandates.

So far, Richard and Dave have drawn in several thousand members from all around the world. They are now working on converting these members into the vaccine cult, which for all intents and purposes is a religion.

It was horrible having to lie to begin with, Richard admitted about the deception.

Now, however, Richard has convinced himself that taking down peoples posts and challenging their skepticism is good for society and the world. He even claims to have saved peoples lives by preventing them from falling into dark places of fear concerning Chinese Virus injections.

Im in a better place, one allegedly converted member told BBC.

Im in a proper home environment now, Ive got rug rats running around my feet again, he added, referring to his grandchildren.

This same member, who used to oppose vaccines, recently got injected with the Chinese Virus after being against it just a few months prior.

According to Richard, this is a good thing and just goes to show that social media needs to be policed a lot better. Until that happens, he says, conspiracies are going to keep growing.

Facebook agrees, which is why it is rapidly expanding its censorship department to ensure people are seeing accurate information. The social media giant is actively removing groups, pages and even user accounts that deliberately discourage people from taking vaccines, regardless of whether the information can be verified as false or not.

This is the Stasi-like medical police state we have been warning about for years, only to be told that we were conspiracy theorists. Ironically, we were conspiracy fact-ists who have been proven right.

Even so, Facebook is on a mission to remove as much truth as possible from the platform. Thus far, more than 160 million pieces of misleading content have been pulled since the beginning of the plandemic. It has also connected more than two billion people to information from trusted health authorities.

Hilariously, Richard and Daves group was recently suspended because it contains posts that Facebook has deemed as falsehoods. Even more hilariously, they are appealing the decision on the grounds that they have been targeted for unfair censorship.

More of the latest news about government efforts to stamp out vaccine truth through manipulation, deceit and trampling liberties can be found at Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

BBC.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Mark Zuckerberg, we have learned, is funneling millions of dollars to the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), a Beijing-based journalism school that trains people to work for the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) state-run propaganda outlets.

Part of Facebooks Journalist Project, Zuckerbergs funding spree has already pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into fake news outlets for fact checking, also known as censoring the truth.

With outlets in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, Facebooks Journalism Project aims to continue shaping coverage of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) by teaching paid lackeys how to fact check any information that defies the official narrative.

According to Zuckerberg and his team, the project is effectively and safely combatting rampant misinformation on social media. In reality, it is silencing all criticism of Democrats and the CCP.

The ICFJ is also funding Tsinghua Universitys Global Business Journalism School, which is one of the CCPs leading propaganda training centers. Facebook has sent numerous executives there to learn the CCPs censorship tactics as well as teach them.

One of these executives is Vice President Lori Goler, who went to the Marxist facility as a guest lecturer. Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg, Deloitte and the Knight Foundation are all recognized as funding partners of the program.

Facebook is a CCP asset spreading anti-American, pro-Chinese propaganda

An introductory letter to the school outlines its express purpose: to accomplish the tasks for news media as delineated by the Central Committee of the CCP. In order to accomplish this, Tsinghua brainwashes talented professionals to achieve these goals through manipulation and censorship.

We should be committed to a firm and correct political orientation, the document reveals. Our school has been actively exploring the theory and practices of Marxist Journalism, namely, to applying the Marxist theory in observing the world, selecting and handling news production.

Central to the schools mission is training journalists who take a lead in public opinion as opposed to focusing on objectively reporting facts  sound familiar?

Alumni of Tsinghua typically go on to work for fake news outlets like China Central Television, the Xinhua News Agency, China Daily and the Peoples Daily. These four propaganda outlets largely comprise the CCPs brainwashing apparatus  or as one outlet put it, they represent a long-standing weapon in Beijings arsenal of repression whose mission is to attack designated enemies of the Communist Party.

The ICFJ also collaborates with journalism partners here in the West via the East-West Institute. This organization receives funding directly from the China-United States Exchange Foundation, also known as CUSEF.

Founded by the vice-chairman of the highest-ranking entity overseeing Chinas United Front, the goal of which is to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party, CUSEF exists to influence overseas Chinese communities, foreign governments, and other actors to take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijing.

With the support of numerous Western lobbying firms, CUSEF has as one of its stated goals to effectively disseminate positive messages to the media, key influencers and opinion leaders, and the general public concerning communist China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is an alumnus of Tsinghua, which is no surprise. He continues to maintain close ties to the school, having recently met with the institutions advisory board at the CCPs Great Hall of the People.

Tsinghua, by the way, has been caught on numerous occasions launching cyberattacks against the U.S. government. This what Facebook is aligned with, which really makes one wonder what else the Silicon Valley giant is doing to undermine our country.

More related news about Facebooks ties to the CCP can be found at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A surge in fission reactions caught the attention of scientists monitoring the ruins of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Sensors have tracked a spike in neutron emissions from a chamber known as room 305/2, which is inaccessible and has not been seen by human or robotic eyes since the explosion of Reactor No. 4 at Chernobyl on April 26, 1986.

That explosion brought down walls and sealed off many rooms and corridors. The heat generated by the explosion had melted sand from the reactor walls with concrete and steel to form lava-like and intensely radioactive substances that flowed into the reactor halls basement rooms. These then hardened into formations called fuel-containing materials (FCMs), which are laden with about 170 tons of irradiated uranium.

Room 305/2 is thought to contain large amounts of FCMs. Scientists are now investigating whether the problem will stabilize or require a dangerous and difficult intervention to prevent a runaway nuclear reaction.

Levels of neutron emissions from the room have increased by around 40 percent since the start of 2016, which points to a growing nuclear fission reaction.

Its like the embers in a barbecue pit, said Neil Hyatt, a nuclear materials chemist at the University of Sheffield. He added that its a reminder to us that its not a problem solved, its a problem stabilized.

Scientists are trying to determine if this surge will fizzle out, as previous spikes in other parts of the ruins have done, or whether they will need to find a way to access the room and intervene. Intervention could involve drilling into the room and spraying it with gadolinium nitrate, which would soak up excess neutrons and choke the fission reaction.

According to Hyatt, any remedy the scientists come up with will be of keen interest to Japan, which is coping with the aftermath of its own nuclear disaster 10 years ago at Fukushima. Its a similar magnitude of hazard, Hyatt said. (Related: Radioactive fallout from Fukushima approaching same levels as Chernobyl.)

Maxim Saveliev of the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants (ISPNPP) noted that the neutron counts are rising slowly, which suggests that scientists may still have a few years to figure out how to stifle the threat.

There are many uncertainties, said Saveliev. But we cant rule out the possibility of [an] accident.

Problem stabilized, but not solved

A year after the Chernobyl disaster, a concrete-and-steel sarcophagus called the Shelter was erected to house the remains of Reactor No. 4. However, the Shelter allowed rainwater to seep in.

Because water slows or moderates neutrons and thus enhances their odds of striking and splitting uranium nuclei, heavy rains would sometimes send neutron counts soaring.

After rains hit the Shelter in June 1990, one scientist risked radiation exposure to venture into the damaged reactor hall. The scientist dashed in and sprayed a gadolinium nitrate solution, which absorbs neutrons, on an FCM that he and his colleagues feared might go critical.

Several years later, the plant installed gadolinium nitrate sprinklers in the Shelters roof. But the spray cannot effectively penetrate some of the basement rooms.

Chernobyl officials thought all risks would fade when the massive New Safe Confinement (NSC) was slid over the Shelter in November 2016. The 1.5 billion ($1.81 billion) structure was meant to seal off the Shelter so it could be stabilized and eventually dismantled. Neutron counts in most areas in the Shelter have either been stable or declining since the NSC was put in place.

But they began to increase in a few spots, nearly doubling over four years in room 305/2. ISPNPP modeling suggests the drying of the fuel is somehow making neutrons more effective at splitting uranium nuclei.

Its believable and plausible data, Hyatt said. Its just not clear what the mechanism might be.

The threat cant be ignored. As water continues to recede, the fear is that the fission reaction accelerates exponentially, which could lead to an uncontrolled release of nuclear energy, Hyatt said.

Scientists say that theres no chance of a repeat of 1986, when the explosion and fire sent a radioactive cloud over Europe. A runaway fission reaction in an FCM could sputter out after heat from fission boils off the remaining water. (Related: Air pollution of cities more dangerous to health than living near Chernobyl radiation zone.)

That said, any explosive reaction could bring down unstable parts of the unsteady Shelter, filling the NSC with radioactive dust.

Cause for concern, but not alarm

Hyatt views the situation as a cause for concern but not alarm. But if the rate of neutron production continues to increase, researchers may need to intervene.

Addressing the new threat is proving to be a daunting challenge, forcing experts to think of ideas to combat it. One idea is to develop a robot that can withstand the intense radiation for long enough to drill holes in the FCMs and insert boron cylinders, which would function like control rods and sop up neutrons.

Ukraine has long intended to remove the FCMs and store them in a geological repository. By September, with help from European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Ukraine aims to have a comprehensive plan to do so.

Follow Nuclear.news for more news and information related to nuclear disasters.

Sources include:

OilPrice.com

ScienceMag.org

NewScientist.com
(Natural News) Due to a serious labor shortage in his restaurants, the owner of a McDonalds franchise in Tampa, Florida, said he is willing to pay people $50 just to show up for a job interview. Despite this incentive, he is still struggling to find applicants for his store because people make more money from unemployment benefits.

Blake Casper, who owns 60 McDonalds restaurants around Tampa, said one of his general managers and supervisors came up with the plan to pay would-be employees just to show up for the interview after he told them to do whatever you need to do to hire more staff.

At this point, if we cant keep our drive-thrus moving, then Ill pay $50 for an interview, said Casper.

The reopening of the American economy has allowed many businesses to expand, but Casper said enhanced unemployment benefits have cut into the potential number of applicants for his stores. This has led to a serious labor shortage, and Casper said it has not been this difficult to hire people since the late 1990s. (Related: LABOR COLLAPSE: Small business owners cant compete with federal stimulus, struggle to hire workers.)

Its a perfect storm right now, explained Casper. Youve got a lot of people with a lot of money, and theyre out there shopping. And then, on the flip side, were scrambling for help.

Unfortunately for Casper, simply offering applicants $50 to go to the interview has not convinced a lot of people.

Regular checkin to how the labor market is right now pic.twitter.com/pPq6zbCiah  Dan Nunn (@danyay) April 15, 2021

I tried to make a little splash, said James Meadowcraft, the manager at one of Caspers stores. He explained that the store posted a sign outside saying that interviews would be conducted from Mondays through Fridays at 2 p.m. and that applicants would be given $50 just to sit down for the interview.

But after two weeks, Meadowcraft took down the sign because it failed to bring in even a single candidate. No one responded, he said. I didnt even get anyone trying to scam us.

Caspers stores have found more success through referral programs, offering signing bonuses and allowing people to apply via text message. Using these programs, his 60 McDonalds restaurants were able to hire 115 new workers in a week.

The labor shortage is also forcing Casper and many of his fellow franchisees to raise their wages. He is currently offering new hires $12 an hour  $3 above Floridas minimum wage. He is considering raising it to $13 an hour in an effort to attract more employees.

The biggest challenge out there is the federal government and the state government are going to continue with this unemployment because that is truly creating the incentive to not work right now, explained Casper, echoing the concerns raised by many Republican lawmakers regarding the pandemic relief bills. And, how do you blame somebody? You can make more money on unemployment  and so, weve got to be at least above that.

Restaurant industry desperate for more workers

While Casper has been able to find a lot of workers, he still has a long way to go before all of the job openings in his restaurants are filled up. He is not alone in this situation.

According to a March survey by the National Federation of Independent Business, 42 percent of small business owners are still having difficulties filling up job openings even though millions of Americans are unemployed. This in turn is hurting their ability to keep up with the renewed demand for products or services.

We are struggling to get people, said one McDonalds franchisee who spoke to Business Insider under the condition of anonymity. I dont have enough. Cant get enough. Wish I had enough.

A lot of business owners are saying their potential employees are concerned about catching the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) at the workplace.

Others, like Casper, said their would-be workers prefer to live off unemployment benefits. This view is supported by a study released in March by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which found that a 10 percent increase in unemployment benefits during the pandemic led to a 3.6 percent drop in job applications.

Childcare is also an issue, as many potential workers are unable to juggle work with raising their children. A Census survey taken in late March showed that 6.3 million people were unable to work because all of their time was focused on taking care of their children. This survey also found an additional 4.1 million unemployed people refusing to go back to work due to their fears of contracting or spreading the coronavirus.

According to McDonalds, the company usually gets bombarded with job applications leading into the summer as franchises all over the country ramp up their recruitment efforts. The company has had to intervene by hosting a system-wide webcast to talk about best practices in staffing.

Franchise owners at McDonalds and other fast-food restaurants unable to fill up their openings have decided to delay the reopening of their indoor dining rooms, which were shut down last year at the beginning of the pandemic.

Its just craziness out there, said Dunkin Donuts franchisee John Motta, who also serves as the chairman of the Coalition of Franchisee Associations. People are closing early, people are not opening lobbies.

This is the COVID of 2021, added Motta. This is the pandemic of 2021  lack of people to work.

Learn more about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected small businesses by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

BusinessInsider.com

NYPost.com

WTSP.com
(Natural News) California National Guard members received an unusual order at the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March last year.

They expected directives from Sacramento headquarters to make preparations for any civil unrest that might arise over stay-at-home rules. But instead of an order to get the ground troops ready to help state and local authorities, the air branch of the Guard was told to place an F-15C fighter jet on an alert status for a possible domestic mission.

Four sources from the Guard with direct knowledge of the matter told Los Angeles Times that the order didnt spell out the mission. But given the aircrafts limitations, they understood it to mean the plane would be deployed to terrify and disperse protesters by flying low over them at window-rattling speeds  with its afterburners streaming columns of flames.

They know the drill. Fighter jets have been used occasionally in that manner in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation from their superiors.

Deploying an F-15C, an air-to-air combat jet based at the Guards 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno to frighten demonstrators would have been an inappropriate use of the military against U.S. civilians.

It would have been a completely illegal order that would have disgraced the military. one source said. It could look like were threatening civilians.

Directives relayed orally or in text messages

According to the sources, the directives from Guard headquarters made their way down orally or in text messages, rather than in formal written orders, which was unusual and heightened their concerns that the jet would be used inappropriately.

Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, who leads the California Guard, did not respond to interview requests. A spokesman for Baldwin, Lt. Col. Jonathan Shiroma, denied that the F-15C was placed on an alert status for a potential response to civil disturbances.

We do not use our planes to frighten or intimidate civilians, Shiroma said.

Shiroma noted that assigning jets at the 144th Wing to respond to civil unrest would have required the approval of First Air Force, which oversees the air defense of the continental United States for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). He said the California Guard never made such a request.

He released a list of aircraft that he said were postured to support any potential civil unrest missions. It included two planes  a C-130J and an HC-130J  but no fighter jets.

As the head of the California Guard, Baldwin reports to Gov. Gavin Newsom. A spokeswoman said that Newsom never authorized the use of the F-15C for a response to civil unrest, and that the possibility of that type of mission for the jet was never a consideration before the governors office.

If it had been, the spokeswoman added, Newsom would not have approved it. (Related: Trump federalizes the National Guard, deploying tens of thousands of National Guard troops who will carry out their governors plans.)

F-15Cs one and only mission: Shoot down other airplanes

The F-15C can hit supersonic speeds and fire air-to-air missiles, and is outfitted with 20-millimeter cannon. It is expensive to operate, costing nearly $25,000 per flight hour, according to the Guard.

That jet has one mission and one mission alone  to go up and shoot down other airplanes, said retired Gen. Dave Bakos.

At Fresno, the jets are used to train pilots for combat. Some are kept on around-the-clock alert to respond immediately to attacks by enemy aircraft on orders from the Pentagon as part of NORAD. That federal alert mission is separate from any use of the jets for civilian purposes.

Army Lt. Col. Christian Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesman, said deploying the jet for dispersing crowds would not be an appropriate use of the F-15.

Dan Woodside, a retired Guard pilot who has flown the F-15C, said that on the few occasions the fighter jet was deployed to assess earthquake damage, it proved nearly useless because it isnt designed for that purpose. The jet has a camera-equipped targeting pod to zero in on enemy aircraft in flight, but F-15C pilots are not trained to use it for air-to-ground surveillance, Woodside said.

Woodside, who held the rank of major, said he absolutely would have disobeyed any order to use an F-15C to buzz a civilian crowd during unrest.

The decibel level alone from an F-15C demonstrating a show of force can break windows, set off car alarms and cause more fear than shouting fire in a crowded theater, he said.

F-15C pilot and launch crew advised to be ready for potential mission during election

The week before the election, a lieutenant colonel sent a message to Guard members who maintain the F-15C, advising them that a jet must be ready to take off within two hours beginning the Monday morning before the election. That meant a pilot and launch crew had to be available to reach the Fresno base within 90 minutes or so of receiving an order to deploy the jet, the sources said.

The message also said aircraft availability for a domestic mission would be at a premium next week with the election. We may need to work on Saturday and maybe Sunday to ensure we have aircraft availability for the potential mission. The sources said the aircraft in question was the F-15C. (Related: Texas National Guard activated, deployed in anticipation of Election Day chaos.)

With concern mounting among Guard officers and others, the then-commander of the 144th Wing, Col. Jeremiah Cruz, sent an email to several officers, saying that there is no expectation that the F-15C will be used in any way in support of civil unrest. He went on to instruct the recipients to keep him apprised of any requests or upcoming requests from California Guard headquarters in Sacramento.

While that order never came, the sources said, the fact that their leaders might even consider using the F-15C over civilian crowds alarmed Guard members.

Its a war machine, not something you use for [suppressing] civil unrest, one of the sources said. He added that readying the F-15C for potential deployment over a protest was definitely unprecedented in his experience.

Follow MilitaryTechnology.news to learn more about advanced military technologies and how the government uses them.

Sources include:

WND.com

LATimes.com

Military.com
(Natural News) Many more people than is being reported are suffering serious adverse events from Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines, and some of them, including a trio of healthcare workers, are bravely coming forward to tell their stories and warn others.

In a recent episode of The Highwire with Del Bigtree, Shawn Skelton, CNA, Angelia Desselle, and Kristi Simmonds, RN, NP, revealed how they now suffer from tremors, seizures, headaches and other strange health abnormalities ever since getting injected for the Chinese Virus. And because these injuries were all caused by vaccines, their doctors are now refusing to help them because doing so would be too controversial.

You see, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Anthony Fauci and even Donald Trump all say that Wuhan Flu shots are safe and effective, even though tens of thousands are dying or becoming permanently injured from them. Because of this, physicians are too afraid, in many cases, to help their vaccine-injured patients for fear of getting canceled by the medical establishment.

In some cases, doctors are even going so far as to blame the vaccine injured as if they caused themselves to become sick. They are calling this a conversion disorder diagnosis because they do not know what else to call it without being dubbed a conspiracy theorist.

On January 4, I was very pressured by my employer to get the vaccine, Skelton revealed, explaining that she complied, only to immediately suffer adverse effects. On January 5, I just had mild flu-like symptoms  but by the end of the day, my legs hurt so badly, my body hurt so badly, I couldnt stand it. The next day I woke up, my tongue was spazzing and it just went on from there, the next day becoming full body convulsions and stayed like that for 13 days.

Skeltons video plea for help went viral and was one of the first to do so before other nurses and injured patients started to come forward with similar stories  watch below:

Just as we warned would happen, people injured by covid vaccines are now on their own

Desselle and Simmonds both had similar experiences of not only the full-body convulsions and tremors but also being refused treatment by their doctors.

One doctor told me that its a diagnosis of I dont know whats wrong with you so were going to blame you,' Skelton explained about her experience.

The doctors just dont know how to treat a vaccine adverse reaction from the mRNA, and I feel like theyre too scared. I dont have any other explanation as to why no doctor will help us.

Desselle says she actually had a neurologist she had never even met deny her referral through email, claiming that his office was very complex and simply could not help her at that time.

He was a movement disorder specialist, which I felt like I needed, she says. My primary care doctor said it looked like I had advanced Parkinsons. And he emailed us back and said, my office is very complex and I will not be able to see you at this time.'

Desselle repeatedly tried to find someone who would help her but has been unsuccessful. Nobody wants to touch the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination genocide with a 10-foot pole.

I actually went to a neurologist and did not even mention the vaccine because I did not want them to turn me away, and its in my medical record because everything is electronic now, Desselle lamented.

And once he started looking, he came back in and said, so, you took the vaccine? And I said, yes sir, I did, but I did not want to give you that information because I need help. And I felt like maybe if that word was not involved, I could have gotten the help I needed, and now Im actually being treated for migraines.

To hear their full stories, be sure to watch the video.

To learn more about the dangers and ineffectiveness of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines, visit ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com
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WASHINGTON - Its not uncommon these days to pull up to a stop sign in Washington Depot and have two or even three cars ahead of you.

Neighboring Roxbury has seen similar and undeniable signs that the New Yorkers have indeed arrived to sample this quiet country life in the wooded hills of Litchfield County.

Absolutely, says Barbara Henry, Roxburys top-elected leader for the last 24 years. I think we are going to see even more of this in the next year.

While the future is no easier to forecast than a year ago, statistics from 2020 crunched by a national real estate research firm back up Henrys prediction - namely that Roxbury and three Washington communities rank in Connecticuts 10 hottest ZIP codes for newcomer growth, when figures are adjusted for population.

The latest analysis of U.S. Postal Service change-of-address data by the Dallas-based commercial real estate firm CBRE shows that Roxbury and the Washington communities of New Preston, Marble Dale and Washington Depot had net migration rates between 56 and 60 percent - compared to the vast majority of Connecticut ZIP codes that showed a much lower rate of growth in newcomers, and in many cases a net loss.

The reason will not surprise those whove followed the headlines about the wave of New Yorkers fleeing the pandemic-related pressures of urban density for a new home in Connecticut.

For some Manhattanites and other urban dwellers, the coronavirus crisis has transformed cities into what one CBRE economist calls a poisonous cocktail of high density and high cost.

Real estate agents and other observers in a position to know the minds of Washington and Roxburys newest residents say newcomers are buying homes here more than elsewhere in Connecticut because its quiet, rural and private.

The exception to this explanation is downtown Stamford, where the ZIP code 06901 was a top hot spot last year for net newcomer growth, with a net migration rate of 65.

People are choosing this rural area specifically because it is not a suburb like Westchester County (N.Y.) or Greenwich, said Jeff Phillips, a real estate agent with Madonna & Phillips Real Estate Group at William Pitt Sothebys International Realty, who has an office in Washington. They appreciate the charm of a tiny little grocery store and a farmers market and our one state trooper.

Roxburys First Selectman Henry agrees.

This is a bucolic atmosphere where there is room in between homes, and there is a lot of respect for peoples privacy, she said of the towns resident artists. People who are famous and have a lot of notoriety know they can walk the roads and people wont come up to them and ask for their autograph.

The impact New Yorkers are having on these two small New England towns is most profound at Region 12 Schools - a district comprised of Bridgewater, Roxbury and Washington, which saw enrollment jump by 105 students in August. The entire district typically has fewer than 700 students at the start of the school year.

Absorbing New Yorkers

We were a bit nervous about what class size would be because of the pandemic, but the New Yorkers came in and we were able to absorb them, said schools Superintendent Megan Bennett during an interview this week. They brought in a new and wonderful energy to our schools.

It remains to be seen how many New Yorkers choose to keep living in Litchfield as vaccinations increase, infection rates wane, and companies call employees back to the office. The same question is being asked across Connecticut, where 30,000 households from the Big Apple relocated in 2020.

CBRE data showed that Roxbury, a town of 2,180, had 91 more households move into town in 2020 than households that moved out, compared to a net loss of 31 households in 2019.

In Washington Depot, New Preston and Marble Dale, with a combined population of 1,900, 57 more households moved into those communities than households that moved out in 2020, compared to a net loss in those same communities of 58 households in 2019.

The result is a housing shortage that Phillips calls very frustrating for buyers and discouraging for us as realtors.

The good news is this is a good place to live where people dont want to put their houses on the market - even if I say, I have a buyer for you at this price, Phillips said. There is absolutely is a shortage of homes, because there is not a lot of land, and (new home) contractors are two years out.

Homes are going from $750,000 to $6 million on Lake Waramaug.

Meanwhile leaders are wondering how long it will last.

We are planning for next year with some degree of uncertainty by not knowing, Region 12s Bennett said. Our hope is that they stay.

Region 12 has already been at work to assure new families that they are welcome. School board members reached out to newcomers last fall to answer questions and offer help making families feel at home.

This is a place where people look out for one another and make connections early on, and we are seeing that, Bennett said. We watch parents waiting for their kids to cross the street to school, and then the parents go off in a group to form new connections. If they feel connected, they wont want to leave.

Henry agrees.

A small town is like a big family - it really is, Henry said. As long as there is not an election going on, we all get along, because it really is a special place.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
BOTUCATU, Brazil (AP)  As some Brazilian states strain to get coronavirus vaccines to complete immunizing their seniors, a city in the interior of Sao Paulo state devoted all its doses Sunday to a mass immunization for all residents 18 to 60 years old as part of a medical research project for the pandemic.

The task forces set up 45 vaccination points at voting sites in Botucatu and people were directed to get their shots at their normal election center. Those showing up for shots also were separated by age groups.

The first doses of the day was administered by Brazil's health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, who highlighted the importance of maintaining care to avoid the transmission of the coronavirus.

In addition to vaccination, encourage non-pharmacological measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, he said.

Peter Wilson, the British ambassador to Brazil, attended the event.

Its absolutely vital for all of us across the world that we have as much data as possible, and the research that is being done in Botucatu for the next months is going to be really vital for that scientific sharing and the increase of knowledge in the world about how the AstraZeneca vaccine operates, Wilson told The Associated Press.

At 36, commercial representative Ana Lobardela and her husband, restorer Bernardo Piragda, 37, were emotional about being immunized now. She made sure to record the moment she received the first dose.

Knowing that for my age group it was going to take a long time to take it and having elderly people in my family, I have no words to describe it, Lobardela told AP.

The research project hopes to vaccinate 80,000 of Botucatu's 149,000 residents to test the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as well as study people's behavior related to the pandemic. The study is expected to last about eight months, including the application of the second AstraZeneca dose and monitoring of the vaccinated population.

Similar research is being done by the Butantan Institute, which vaccinated more than 40,000 people in Serrana, also in the countryside of Sao Paulo, with the Coronavac vaccine.

Nisia Trindade, a researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, one of Brazil's leading medical research institutions and a producer of the AstraZeneca vaccine, said scientists hope to more than evaluate the effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

With this research we will see the issue of behavior in the face of the variants, the transmission, and the effectiveness in the health system," she said.

According to data from the Sao Paulo state Health Department, Botucatu has registered 211 deaths from COVID-19 among 12,602 cases of coronavirus infections. The city also has a depleted public health system, with the Hospital das Clinicas using three more beds than its usual 40.

Brazil as a whole has recorded more than 434,000 deaths related to the pandemic.
BANGKOK (AP)  Last Novembers election results in Myanmar were by and large, representative of the will of the people, an independent election monitoring organization said Monday, rejecting the militarys allegations of massive fraud that served as its reason for seizing power.

While there were flaws in the election process, there were a number of procedural safeguards implemented throughout the polling process, which ... was found to be transparent and reliable, the Asian Network for Free Elections said in a report.

It noted, however, that Myanmars electoral process is fundamentally undemocratic because its 2008 constitution, written during army rule, grants the military an automatic 25% share of all parliamentary seats, enough to block constitutional changes. Large sectors of the population, most notably the Muslim Rohingya minority, are deprived of citizenship rights, including the right to vote.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in the Nov. 8 polls, which should have secured it a second five-year term in office. Its 2015 victory moved Myanmar along a path toward democracy after more than five decades of direct and indirect military rule.

But on Feb. 1, the military arrested Suu Kyi and dozens of other top officials. It prevented elected lawmakers from convening a new session of Parliament, declared a state of emergency and said it would run the country until new elections were held in a year -- a deadline it later indicated could be delayed an additional year.

Security forces have used lethal force in an attempt to suppress huge popular opposition to the military coup. Hundreds of protesters and bystanders have been killed in the crackdown.

The report by ANFREL, a non-partisan international group working for fair elections in Asia, noted that junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said the military took over because there was terrible fraud in the voter lists. The army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, which suffered unexpectedly heavy losses in the election, made similar allegations.

Since the coup, the state-controlled media have released data down to the township level purporting to show that voter lists could not be reconciled with the election results.

ANFREL said it lacked sufficient information to independently verify the allegations of voter list fraud because the election law did not allow it access to voting lists, but that it had not seen any credible evidence of any massive irregularities.

The report said there was merit to several complaints about the election made not just by the Union Solidarity and Development Party  the main opposition party  but also by independent observers.

The biggest issue was the cancellation of voting for security reasons in several areas where insurgent groups had been active. ANFREL criticized the cancellations by the Union Election Commission for being conducted in an opaque, arbitrary, and inconsistent manner and noted that they were seen by critics as aimed at limiting the seats that might be won by ethnic political parties that were rivals of Suu Kyis party.

Other areas in which the election fell short included discriminatory citizenship laws that were used to reject some candidates, especially Muslims, and the dissolution of one group, the United Democratic Party, just three weeks ahead of election day. Disqualifying the party, which had fielded the second highest number of candidates, disenfranchised advance voters who had already cast their ballots for its candidates, ANFREL said.

Nevertheless, it is ANFRELs informed opinion that the results of the 2020 general elections were, by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar. Despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic, 27.5 million people voted thanks to the hard work of polling staff and election or health officials; their voices cannot be silenced, the report said.
HOUSTON (AP)  A tiger that frightened residents after it was last seen briefly wandering around a Houston neighborhood was transported to a wildlife sanctuary on Sunday after police found the animal a day earlier following a nearly week-long search.

The 9-month-old male named India is now being cared for at the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, an animal sanctuary in Murchison, Texas, located southeast of Dallas, said Noelle Almrud, the sanctuary's senior director.

Black Beauty Ranch will provide safe sanctuary for him and give him a proper diet, enrichment, an expansive naturally wooded habitat where he can safely roam and will provide everything else he needs to be the healthy wild tiger he deserves to be," she said.

The sanctuary is home to nearly 800 domestic and exotic animals, including two other tigers who were found in recent years  one in Houston in 2019 and another in February in San Antonio.

Houston police announced Saturday night that India had been found safe and unharmed. In a short video tweeted by Houston police, Cmdr. Ron Borza was seen sitting next to the tiger, petting the animal.

The tiger was held at BARC, the city of Houstons animal shelter, until officials with the sanctuary picked him up Sunday morning.

Authorities had been searching for the tiger since it was spotted May 9 in a west Houston neighborhood. At the time, it was nearly shot by an off-duty deputy before being whisked away in a car by Victor Hugo Cuevas, who police allege is the owner.

At a news conference Saturday evening, Borza said that Cuevas' wife, Giorgiana, turned over the tiger to police on Saturday after a friend of hers reached out to officials at BARC.

It is Victors tiger. Thats what I was told by (Giorgiana Cuevas) ... She says theyve had that animal for nine months," Borza said. He alleged that the tiger was passed around to different people but that Cuevas' wife knew where the tiger was at all times this week as authorities searched for it.

Police are still trying to determine where exactly the tiger was held this week and if any charges related to having the tiger will be filed. Tigers are not allowed within Houston city limits under a city ordinance unless the handler, such as a zoo, is licensed to have exotic animals.

But Cuevas attorney, Michael W. Elliott, on Saturday night continued to insist his client doesnt own the tiger.

Victor was not the primary owner of India nor did India stay with him the majority of the time," Elliott told The Associated Press. Victor was however involved in the caretaking of India often. Victor loves India as anyone else would love a favorite pet ... He treated India with love and fantastic treatment in all respects."

Cuevas was arrested Monday by Houston police and charged with evading arrest for allegedly fleeing his home with the tiger after officers had responded to a call about a dangerous animal.

At the time of his arrest by Houston police, Cuevas was already out on bond for a murder charge in a 2017 fatal shooting in neighboring Fort Bend County. Cuevas has maintained the shooting was self-defense, Elliott said.

Cuevas was released on a separate bond for the evading arrest charge on Wednesday. But prosecutors in Fort Bend County then sought to have him held with no bond on the murder charge. After an all-day hearing on Friday, a judge revoked Cuevas current $125,000 bond on the murder charge and issued a new bond for $300,000. He remains jailed.

During Fridays court hearing, Waller County Sheriffs Office Deputy Wes Manion, who lives in the Houston neighborhood where the tiger was seen, testified he interacted with the animal for about 10 minutes to make sure it didnt go after someone else. He said Cuevas came out of his house yelling, Dont kill it, grabbed the tiger by the collar and kissed its head before leading it back inside his home. Various videos of the tiger's encounter with Manion were posted on social media.

Elliott has said Cuevas did nothing illegal because Texas has no statewide law forbidding private ownership of tigers and other exotic animals.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, which runs the sanctuary, said Sunday while India might have appeared to be safe, Big cats like India express natural, unpredictable behaviors that can occur at any moment." Borza said India already weighs 175 pounds (79 kg), it can do a lot of damage and will only get bigger.

Situations like this are why we are working to pass federal legislation. The Big Cat Public Safety Act would prohibit keeping big cats as pets," Block said.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
HARTFORD, Conn.  As some states set plans to a pandemic $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit as a way to encourage people to find work, Connecticut is offering a much different incentive  a $1,000 signing bonus for taking a job.

Starting May 24, up to 10,000 people in Connecticut considered to have been unemployed for the long-term will be able to sign up for the program with the state Department of Labor. Ultimately, they would be paid the bonus after spending eight weeks in their new full-time job.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that the state will also retain the $300 benefit before some people are still afraid to work because of the coronavirus.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 A dip in cases is bringing a glimmer of hope in India, but shortage of beds, oxygen show virus crisis isn't over yet

 Joy in UK as pubs, restaurants and museums reopen but new variant sparks worry

 Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKlines vaccine candidate triggered strong immune responses; production to begin soon

 Eurovision song contest gears up in Rotterdam for 1st time since the pandemic began, hopes virus bubbles will ensure safety

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  The Biden Administration is putting a fresh wave of funding toward its stated goal of making a serious dent in homelessness across the country.

Despite a wave of public support and a nationwide eviction moratorium, Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge said as many of 580,000 people experienced homelessness in the middle of the pandemic.

Fudge, who heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Monday that an extra $5 billion would be allocated toward keeping families off the streets. Thats in addition to the $5 billion in funds for preventing homelessness previously announced as part of the American Rescue Plan.

The aid will come in the form of 17,000 emergency housing vouchers that will be distributed to housing authorities across the country. Fudge said the vouchers were expected to help provide shelter for up to 130,000 people and called the new money, an important milestone in our effort to end homelessness in the United States.

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WARSAW, Poland  Poland-based molecular diagnostics firm Genomtec says it has registered for use in European Union a pioneer, high-reliability COVID-19 test from saliva.

The test, Genomtec SARS-CoV-2 EvaGreen Direct-RT-LAMP CE-IVD Kit spares those tested the discomfort of having swabs pushed up their noses and down their throats. Instead, they only need to produce a sample of saliva in a small test tube, Genomtec, a Polish-British firm, said Monday.

The result is obtained within one hour, because the technology does not require special preparatory procedures on the sample. Its reliability is pegged at over 92%, according to the Genomtec. The test detects various mutations of the coronavirus, said the company that is listed on the Warsaws Stock Exchange NewConnect market.,

Genomtec said the test has been registered and approved for use in the European Union by Polands Office of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products. First tests on the general public using the kit will be done still this month in Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, where Genomtec is based.

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PRAGUE  The Czech government has announced a new wave of easing coronavirus restrictions amid falling numbers of infected people.

Starting May 24, all hotels are allowed to return to business. The guests will need to present a negative coronavirus test or be vaccinated or recover from COVID-19. If they want to stay longer than seven days, an additional test will be required.

At the same time, all elementary schools and high schools will fully reopen. Schoolchildren and students will be tested once a week.

The same applies for universities where, however, the spring term in many cases ends next week.

It will be also possible for up to 1,000 people to attend outdoor cultural events, while up to 500 are allowed at such events indoor.

Mondays announcement comes on the day when Czech bars and restaurants are reopening for outdoor dining.

The number of people infected per 100,000 inhabitants in last seven days has dropped to 71 in the Czech Republic.

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BERLIN  Germanys health minister says the country will open up coronavirus vaccinations to everyone starting on June 7. Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters on Monday that the current system of prioritization in which the most vulnerable groups are to be vaccinated first will no longer be valid then.

The minister said, this does not mean that everyone will get an appointment within days, but ... everyone who wants to get vaccinated will get an offer.

Spahn said that the vaccination campaign has picked up speed in recent weeks and that by the end of May about 40 percent of all people in Germany will have received at least one shot. He said 70 percent of those above the age of 60 have received one shot, about one-quarter of them are fully vaccinated. All in all, 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given and around nine million people are fully vaccinated, in this country of 83 million.

After months of lockdown, the infection rate has been dropping in Germany and some states are slowly starting to open up outdoor dining and various shopping possibilities.

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NEW YORK  Vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks or social distance in New York starting Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

The governor said the state is adopting the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week.

Lets get back to life, Cuomo said. If you are vaccinated, you are safe, no masks, no social distancing.

Cuomo urged people who are unvaccinated and immunocompromised to continue to wear a mask and social distance.

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BISMARCK, N.D.  The North Dakota Department of Health on Monday issued new guidance on coronavirus masks.

State health officer Nizar Wehbi says the department is aligning with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that fully vaccinated individuals can resume activities without wearing a mask indoors and outdoors.

The risk of being infected or spreading COVID-19 once fully vaccinated is very low, and therefore wearing a mask if you are fully vaccinated is no longer a recommendation, the health department said in a statement.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A recommendation remains that everyone wears masks when they are in a health care setting, when they are traveling on public transportation, including airplanes, and when they are in a business or employer that requires masks, health officials said.

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt.  Vermont is preparing to hold its first jury trials since the coronavirus pandemic hit last year.

Jury draws were planned Monday for a number of cases in Windham County criminal court. Among them are cases involving drug crimes. According to court documents, social distancing and masking will be part of the proceedings.

Vermont Chief Superior Judge Brian Grearson told the Brattleboro Reformer that the judiciary picked cases that were not very complicated, meaning they did not involve a large number of witnesses and could be tried within a couple of days because of the virus-related protocols.

An upgrade to the buildings heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system for proper airflow could lead to fluctuating temperatures, according to a court flyer sent to jurors.

The trial arrangements were planned in consultation with an infectious disease expert to comply with virus guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Vermont Health Department, the newspaper reported.

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GENEVA  The head of the World Health Organization is calling on some of the worlds top COVID-19 vaccine makers to do more to get doses to needy people around the world, especially in the developing world -- and more quickly.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed in particular to U.S.-based Moderna to accelerate its planned timetable for doses of its vaccine to be available to the U.N.-backed COVAX program, which aims to get vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

Moderna has signed a deal for 500 million doses with COVAX, but the majority has been promised only for 2021, Tedros said Monday. We need Moderna to bring hundreds of millions of this forward into 2021 due to the acute moment of this pandemic.

The WHO chief also said COVAX was working toward a deal with U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson that could get doses to the program by the second half of this year, but this has not been finalized and we do not know when they will arrive.

Tedros said we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca  the British-Swedish manufacturer that has been the main pillar so far of COVAX and the source of the vast majority of doses in the program that has now deployed some 65 million doses.

U.S.-based Pfizer, along with German partner BioNTech, has committed to 40 million doses this year to COVAX, but the majority of this would be in the second half of 2021, he said.

Tedros cited figures from UNICEF, which is helping the deployment, that COVAX is facing a huge shortfall of 190 million doses in its planned rollout because of tight supplies and a surge in cases.

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TORONTO  All adults in Canadas most populous province will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine starting Tuesday.

The Ontario government says those turning 18 this year will be allowed to book shots. The provincial government had initially said it would lower the vaccine eligibility age to 30 this week.

The province will also now send shots to regions on a per-capita basis, after two weeks of sending half the vaccine supply to COVID-19 hot spots.

Canada expects to get 3.5 million Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. More than 55% of the population in Ontario aged 18 and over have received at least one dose.

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AMSTERDAM  The European medicines regulator says it is safe to store thawed Pfizer vaccines in a regular fridge for up to 31 days, a ruling that will make handling the vaccine easier around the European Union.

The European Medicines Agency said Monday that its human medicines committee has recommended changing the storage guidelines for unopened, thawed vials of the Pfizer vaccine from five days to a month at normal fridge temperatures after they have been taken out of deep freeze.

The change came after Pfizer and BioNTech submitted additional stability study data to the Amsterdam-based agency.

The European Union agreed a massive contract extension for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this month for a potential 1.8 billion doses through 2023.

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ROME  The number of calls placed to Italys national domestic violence hotline increased nearly 80% last year in a sign that coronavirus-induced lockdowns created a detonator effect in already violent homes.

Italys national statistics agency issued a comprehensive report Monday on the requests for help last year to the hotline and shelters.

The report said the number of calls to the toll-free 1522 number and related texting option hit a peak in April and May, during the first wave of COVID-19, which hit Italy first in Europe. Another peak came around Nov. 25.

ISTAT said the data confirmed it was accurate to speak of a double pandemic  one that was epidemiological and one fueled by domestic violence.

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NEW YORK  Target and CVS are the latest retailers to no longer require vaccinated shoppers to wear a mask in its stores. Targets said vaccinated workers can also stop wearing masks, but at CVS, the company said workers will be required to wear them even if theyve been inoculated.

The announcements come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people last week, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. On Friday, Walmart, Costco and several other large retailers said that those who have been vaccinated dont need to wear masks.

Target and CVS said Monday that they will still recommend those who arent vaccinated to wear masks in its stores. Target said it is offering paid time off to workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
State

ENPO president Sashi Naga passes away

Late C. Sashi Naga

DIMAPUR/KOHIMA, MAY 17 (NPN): | Publish Date: 5/17/2021 1:36:59 PM IST

Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organisation (ENPO) president C. Sashi Naga passed away after a brief illness in the early hours of May 17, 2021 at Christian Institute of Health Sciences & Research (CIHSR), Dimapur. Sashi took over the charge as ENPO president for the tenure 2021-2023 during handing and taking over programme held on March 31, 2021 at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur. According to family sources, the body of late C. Sashi Naga was laid to rest at his private residence in Dimapur on Monday.

Owing to Covid restrictions, it was informed that the family members held a brief prayer meeting before his body was handed over to the district task force (DTF) for the burial.

Late C. Sashi Naga, son of late Chapongse Sangtam from Chimonger village, was born on September 30, 1964. He entered government service as sub inspector of police in 1983 after which he was promoted to the rank of UBI in 1993. Late Sashi took voluntary retirement in 2002 and contested general election from 53 Tuensang Sadar-1 assembly constituency on NPF ticket in 2003, but lost the poll.

He also served as general secretary United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP) from 2006-2010, vice president ENPO 2009-2018, advisor ENPO 2018-2021.

Late Sashi was a recipient of Governors Medal, Governor Commendation Certificate, DGP commendation Certificate, and also received others commendations and cash rewards from government and other organizations. ENPO, as a mark of respect and honour to the departed leader, on Monday observed half day mourning in all ENPO jurisdiction besides closure of all business establishments till noon. Flag of the six federating tribal bodies (CKS, KTC, KU, PPC, USLP and YTC) was flown at half-mast on Monday.

Gov, CM lead in condolences: State governor RN Ravi and chief minister Neiphiu Rio led several leaders and organisations in mourning the death of ENPO president C Sashi Naga.

In a condolence message, Ravi expressed deep shock and pain over the sudden and untimely demise of ENPO president and said that in his demise the State has lost a tall and dedicated leader. Ravi said that Sashi Naga, since young age, was known for his personal and public virtues, adding that his life was in service to the people. His relentless and selfless services towards the society will be remembered for years to come, Ravi said and conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that God give them strength to bear this tragic loss.

CM: State chief minister Neiphiu Rio said he was deeply grieved to hear the sudden demise of C. Sashi Naga. In a condolence message, Rio said that late Sashi was a dedicated and a selfless social worker, who worked tirelessly for the welfare of the people particularly for those in need. As a leader of civil society, the chief minister said Sashi made significant contributions and sacrifices for the masses, adding that his footprints would always be remembered for all times to come.

In his death, Rio said the Eastern Naga people in particular and the Nagas in general have lost a guardian and a leader and the vacuum left by him would be difficult to fill.

Rio extended deepest condolences to members of the bereaved family, the ENPO family and to all his well wishers and prayed that the Almighty God grant them peace and solace at this time of grief.

DY.CM: State deputy chief minister and BLP leader Y.Patton expressed grief over the untimely demise of C. Sashi Naga. In a condolence message, Patton said that Sashi was truly determined for working towards a common goal of the Nagas, which he lamented unfortunately has been cut short. Patton also said that Sashis passing was a big blow to the Nagas because this was the time when his service was needed most by the people. Patton, on behalf of the state BJP legislators, conveyed deepest condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the departed to rest in peace.

LoP: Leader of opposition (LoP) TR Zeliang expressed grief over the sudden demise of C Sashi Naga and said that his untimely demise at this hour would create a huge vacuum and was a great loss for the people of Nagaland and in particular the ENPO.

Zeliang described late Sashi as gentleman who dedicated his life for the welfare of the people and especially the ENPO region. The LoP extended deepest condolences to the bereaved family and pray that the Almighty grant them solace during this time of grief and sorrow.

ENPO: Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organization (ENPO) expressed its deep sorrow over the sudden and untimely demise of its president C. Sashi Naga and stated that it was unfortunate to have lost a visionary and a tall leader at such a crucial time.

ENPO said late Sashi began his involvement in the organization as vice president and was elected to the post of president on February 25, 2021 at Tobu town and assumed the office of the president on March 31, 2021. ENPO said late Sashi with the passionate zeal and commitment to serve the people of Eastern Nagaland rendered his selfless services in different capacities till he breathed his last.

ENPO described late Sashi as a man of principle, steadfast and courageous who always stood for truth.

His numerous contributions would be remembered by the people and his passion would remain as an inspiration to all, it added. ENPO said that his death was an incalculable loss not only to the immediate family but to the entire people of Eastern Nagaland.

ENPO conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed soul to rest in eternal peace.

ENLU: Expressing shock and sadness over the demise of C. Sashi Naga, the Eastern Nagaland legislators Union (ENLU) said that eastern Nagaland has lost a true and dynamic leader of the soil whose immense contribution would be deeply remembered.

In a condolence note, ENLU convener S. Pangnyu Phom and secretary general Toshi Wungtung described late Sashi as dedicated and visionary leader who spent his life time working and voicing for the people of eastern Nagaland in various capacities.

ENLU conveyed its sincere condolences and prayed that Almighty grant solace to the bereaved family members.

KU: Konyak Union (KU) on behalf of all Konyak civil society organisations (KNSK and KSU) has deeply condoled the sudden demise of late C. Sashi Naga, president.

KU through its media cell said that Mon district would observe two-day mourning (May 17 and 18, 2021) and fly the flag in all offices of all civil society organizations at half mast besides total closure of shops and movements.

KU described late Sashi as a true leader with a charismatic ability and dedication to serve the people with commitment and sincerity. KU said he served the eastern people in various capacities under the banner of ENPO for many years. It said that his service, dedication and commitment towards the eastern region would be forever cherished and remembered.

KU extended heartfelt condolences to bereaved family in this hour of pain and grief and prayed that the Almighty grant them solace and comfort.

ENGOA: Eastern Nagaland Gazetted Officers Association (ENGOA) said it was shocked and saddened to learn the sudden passing away of C Sashi Naga. In a condolence message, ENGOA said late Sashi worked selflessly for the Nagas and the future generations and that his contributions to the cause and welfare of the Eastern Nagaland would be remembered and emulated by younger generations. ENGOA has conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed to rest in peace.

KTC: Khiamniungan Tribal Council (KTC) expressed deep sorrow and sadness over the untimely demise of C. Sashi Naga, saying his demise has been a great loss to the ENPO and the people of Nagaland in general.

KTC president M.Thangou and general secretary NSM Pakhiu conveyed heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family in this moment of grief and prayed that Almighty God provide them solace.

USLP: Expressing deep sadness over the demise of C. Sashi Naga, the United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP) said his demise has caused an irreparable loss to the social arena in the Sangtam community,

Eastern Nagaland and Nagas in general.

In a condolence message, USLP president T Seopi Sangtam and general secretary P Achumse Sangtam described late Sashi as an upright individual and a man of impeccable integrity, who served Eastern Nagas with outmost dedication and valour.

USLP said late Sashi was known for his honesty and virtue, adding that as a God-fearing man he steadfastly supported and contributed in strengthening the relation between eastern brothers and Nagas in general during his short term as president ENPO. It said he would always be remembered with deepest respect.

USLP extended sincere condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that the Almighty grant them peace and solace to carry on at this hour of immeasurable pain and sorrow.

Ao Senden: Ao Senden has expressed deep pain over the demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that his demise has been a great loss to ENPO brothers and the Naga people in general.

In a condolence message, Ao Senden president Chubawati Longchar and secretary Imtipokyim conveyed deepest condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that Almighty God provide them solace.

WSH: Western Sumi Hoho (WSH) has expressed shock and pain at the untimely demise of C Sashi Naga. In a condolence message, WSH said that late Sashi was a man of principle, committed to social justice. WSH said late Sashi worked for the upliftment of not just the Eastern Nagas, but all the suffering Naga people everywhere, and took pride in the fact that the Eastern Nagas have contributed immensely to the national struggle and development of the Naga people. WSH said his demise was not just the loss of the Eastern Nagas but equally the loss of all the Naga people. Further, WSH has conveyed deepest condolences to the bereaved members and prayed that Almighty God would grant solace and strength to bear the loss.

NTC: Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has expressed shock and mourned the untimely demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that his death has not only created void in the ENPO circle but Nagas in general.

In a condolence note, NTC president Toniho Yepthomi and general secretary Nribemo Ngullie described late Sashi as a dedicated and an experienced social worker, who also served ENPO in various capacities earlier. NTC conveyed its deepest condolences to the ENPO and the bereaved family and prayed Almighty God grant them strength to withstand in this time of grief and sadness.

NCD: Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) has also expressed deep sadness over the passing of C.Sashi Naga and said that his legacy will stand as an example to all of us to persist in our pursuit of progress.

In a condolence message, NCD vice-president (adm) Etsungmomo Kikon and general secretary Thsapongkyu Sangtam said that at this moment Nagas have lost an extraordinary person who showed the skills of leadership and great determination.

NCD said he had been a well-known and respected person for many years, and would be remembered as an extremely pleasant and effective leader.

NCD conveyed deepest condolence to bereaved family at this difficult time and prayed that God grant them solace.

YAA: Yimchungru Akheru Arihako (YAA) expressed grief over the sudden and untimely demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that his demise left a vacuum in eastern Nagaland.

In a condolence message, YAA president Achung Jangleh and general secretary Donan S Yimchunger said that late Sashi, known for his conviction and boldness, was a distinguished person who served his people in various capacities with utmost devotion. YAA said that his contribution for the social cause was immense, adding that his leadership qualities would remain an inspiration for the younger generation.

YAA offered its deepest condolences to the bereaved family at this moment of great grief and pain.

Pangnyu: Health and family welfare minister S. Pangnyu Phom expressed pain over the sudden demise of ENPO president C. Sashi Naga, saying that his contribution in all spheres for the growth and development of the state would be remembered.

In his condolence message, health minister said late Sashi was a person with a vast experience, served in various public forums and was a highly respectable man.

The minister shared his condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

Paiwang: Minister for transport, civil aviation and land resources P Paiwang Konyak expressed sorrow over the demise of ENPO president C. Sashi Naga.

In a condolence note, Paiwang stated that late Sashis unwavering dedication and devotion to his duties as president for ENPO was a testament of his high principles.

Paiwang conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

Kronu: Minister planning and coordination, land revenue and parliamentary affairs, Neiba Kronu expressed shock over the demise of late C. Sashi Naga and said that the state in his demise has lost a good leader who always worked for the uplift of the society.

In a condolence message, Kronu described late Sashi as a humble and dedicated leader who served the organization in various capacities. He conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family.

Imna Along: Minister higher education & tribal affairs and state BJP president Temjen Imna Along expressed sadness over the sudden demise of C. Sashi Naga.

In a condolence note, Along said late Sashi was known to be an upright man whose leadership prowess was well known, revered deeply by one and all as one finest leader whose integrity and principle created a deep impact in the society.

He described late Sashi as selfless and un-daunting in his efforts to bring peace and understanding wherever there was conflict, adding that he was known as the peoples leader.

Along shared his condolences and sympathy with the bereaved family members and loved ones of late Sashi.

Kashiho: Minister soil and water conservation, geology and mining V. Kashiho Sangtam mourned the demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that his death has left vacuum among the Nagas and ENPO in particular.

In his condolence note, the minister said late Sashi was an accomplished police officer and grassroots leader. Kashiho conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family.

Bongkhao: Advisor DUDA Bongkhao Konyak expressed shock over the sudden demise of late C. Sashi Naga. In a condolence note, Bongkhao late Sashi had tremendous potentials to lead the people to new heights of glory when he took over the office of ENPO at Tobu HQ.

Bongkhao said late Sashi was a leader par excellence who gave his brilliant mind and outstanding leadership to the Nagas and ENPO in particular. Bongkhao conveyed deepest condolences to bereaved family.

Muthingnyuba: Muthingnyuba Sangtam, MLA, has expressed shock and sadness at the untimely demise of late Sashi Naga. In a condolence message, Sangtam said late Sashi was a man of integrity, someone who stood strong by his values and principles, lot of which were inspired by his God fearing nature. Further, Sangtam along with his wife have conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and for the departed soul to rest in peace.

NDPP: NDPP president, Chingwang Konyak has expressed profound sadness over the demise of C Sashi Naga. In a condolence message, Konyak said the rank and file of the NDPP join him in conveying heartfelt sorrom at a promising leader who would have made immense contributions to not only Eastern Nagaland, but also to the Nagas in general. NDPP has conveyed sincere condolences and prayed that Almighty God bestow strength and solace to the members of the bereaved family during these sad and trying times, and for the departed soul to rest in peace.

Asungba Sangtam: Former MP Lok Sabha K.Asungba Sangtam expressed sadness over the demise of late Sashi Naga and said that his demise was a huge loss for the Nagas in general and the Eastern Nagaland people in particular.

In a condolence note, Asungba said late Sashi had just started to take up responsibilities bestowed upon his shoulders by the ENPO public. Asungba conveyed heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Neiki Sashi and her children in this time of sorrow.

ENCSU: Eastern Nagaland College Students Union expressed shock and sadness on the demise of ENPO president C. Sashi Naga.

In a condolence message, ENCSU described late. Sashi as vibrant leader, a preacher and a dedicated social reformer who significantly sacrificed his time for the growth of the least advantaged people.

ENCSU conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members.

NSCN (I-M): The collective leadership of the NSCN (I-M) has expressed deep grief over the sudden demise of C. Sashi Naga and lamented that the Nagas have lost a great public leader whose service as ENPO president was prematurely cut short by the cruel hands of death.

NSCN (I-M) through its MIP stated that the collective leadership expressed deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and his close friends and colleagues in ENPO and prayed that the Almighty God provide solace to them.

WC, NNPGs: Working Committee (WC), Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) expressed deep shock over the sudden demise of Sashi Naga and said that his positive footprints would inspire ENPO tribes in particular and Nagas in general in all social and political matters.

WC, NNPGs through its media cell stated that late Sashi was one of the very few civil society leaders who did not surrender his integrity and social responsibility to intimidations, fame or fortune.

WC stated that his ardent desire for an honourable and acceptable political solution was always spelled out at many consultative meets.

WC, NNPGs conveyed heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Neike Sashi Naga and her children at this hour of grief and prayed that the Good Lord comfort them and grant eternal solace to departed leader.

NSCN (K): Khango-led NSCN (K) has expressed sadness at the passing away of C Sashi Naga. In a condolence message, NSCN (K) said late Sashi Naga was a thorough gentleman who always had the welfare of his people at heart. Further, NSCN (K) has conveyed condolences to the members of the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace for the departed soul.

USSC: Expressing deep shock and grief over the untimely demise of C Sashi Naga, the United Sangtam Students Conference (USSC) said that his death has caused an irreparable vacuum which would be hard to fill.

USSC president Samuel B Sangtam and assistant general secretary Tiakaba Sangtam described late Sashi as an illustrious and visionary leader who always stood firm towards the cause of Eastern Nagaland in particular and for the Nagas in general.

USSC said that his selfless dedication towards the Naga people would be cherished forever. It also conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members and loved ones.

TUD: Tangkhul Union Dimapur (TUD) expressed shock over the demise of C Sashi Naga and said that he had given his best service towards uniting all Naga people beyond borders.

In a condolence message, TUD president Ayo Vashum said that late Sashi was a peace loving citizen who had rendered enormous services to the Naga people and the Eastern Nagas in particular.

TUD prayed that the love and mercy of the Lord be bestowed upon the bereaved family during this unfortunate time.

RCN: Rongmei Council Nagaland (RCN) expressed deep grief over demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that his untimely death has been a great loss to ENPO brothers and the entire Naga society.

In a condolence note, RCN president Chingkhiulung Gonmei and general secretary Kidongam Panmei stated that the vacuum left by his death would be irreplaceable.

RCN extended deepest condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that the Almighty God comfort them during this period of mourning and grief.

NTUCT: Mourning the sudden demise of C. Sashi Naga, the Naga Tribal Union Chumoukedima Town (NTUCT) said that he was someone who worked selflessly for the welfare of the common people.

NTUCT stated that in his untimely demise, Nagas have lost a father figure and a guardian of ENPO and the Naga public in general.

His benevolent deeds left behind a powerful legacy of humanity, simplicity and dedication shall be cherished, NTUCT said and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members.

NSCN (I-M) USR: United Sangtam Region (USR) NSCN (I-M) caretaker CAO Thronglise Sangtam

expressed anguish and sorrow over the sudden demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that in his death the Nagas have lost a great and visionary leader.

USR described late Sashi as a true, straight forward and God-fearing leader. The region also conveyed its deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and loved ones.

TT Among: NSCN (I-M) collective leadership member TT Among expressed shock over the demise of Sashi Naga and said that his love and dedication for the people and his tremendous contribution to the Eastern Nagaland and the Nagas in general would always be remembered.

In a condolence message, TT Among said late Sashi was the man of his word, practiced what he preached, a tall leader who was highly respected throughout his community and profession.

He conveyed deepest sympathies to bereaved family in this hour of pain and sorrows.

ENPUDA: Eastern Nagaland Peoples Union Diphupar Area (ENPUDA) has mourned the sudden demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that people of eastern Nagaland and Nagas in general have lost an incredible life.

ENPUDA stated that late Sashi was one of the charismatic and forward looking leaders, adding that his untimely demise has been a great loss for the people of Eastern Nagaland. The union conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members at this hour of sorrow.

SUK: Sangtam Union Kohima (SUK) expressed grief over the sudden demise of C. Sashi Naga and said that his demise has left a void that would be hard to fill.

SUK said late Sashi was known for his sincerity and upright nature, adding that he was also a dedicated leader and God-fearing man.

SUK conveyed deepest condolences to the bereaved family at this moment of grief and pray that God would give them solace.

ENPUK: Eastern Nagaland Poples Union Kohima expressed deep sorrow over the demise of late Sashi Naga.

In a condolence note, ENPUK said late Sashi was an active and social activist who served the society wholeheartedly in eastern Nagaland. ENPUK conveyed its condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family members.

NPP state unit: National Peoples Party (NPP) Nagaland unit mourned the demise of C. Sashi Naga, saying it was deeply saddening to have lost such a soul so brave and righteous.

NPP state unit president Dr. Andrew Ahoto Sema stated that the late Sashi has indeed left a footmark to be followed by each Naga brethren:.

The party conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed that the Lord comfort their sorrow and bring peace to their ailing hearts.

KSC: K Sachu Colony (KSC) has expressed sadness over the demise of C Sashi Naga, former chairman and veteran member of the colony. In a condolence message, KSC said in his demise, the people has lost a good leader in the time when more of his service was needed by the society. KSC has conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed that the Almighty given them peace and strength.


St John's Cathedral welcomes Mayor and Sheriff St John's Cathedral welcomes Mayor and Sheriff

Bishop Alan Hopes of East Anglia welcomed Councillor Vaughan Thomas, the Mayor of Norwich, to a special service for civic leaders at St Johns Cathedral.

The mayor was joined by Dr Marian Prinsley, the Sheriff of Norwich, and her husband, who are members of the Jewish community. She is well known to the Cathedral, as the synagogue is opposite and has good relations with the cathedral community.



Canon David Paul, the Dean of St Johns Cathedral, was present to host the civic leaders. Councillor Thomas and his wife Vivien are both practising Catholics and attend Mass regularly at the Cathedral.



The presence of the Mayor and Sheriff at St Johns Cathedral this year was a way of recognising the contribution that the Catholic Community makes to the common good in Norfolk and across the whole of East Anglia.



At the start of Mass, Bishop Alan said: I would like to express the sadness of the Catholic community in Norwich that one of the synagogues in the city has been targeted with anti-semitic graffiti. Please be assured that we stand in solidarity with you against such attacks and of our prayers for all the Jewish community at this time.



In his homily, Bishop Alan spoke of the love which unites a community, and which has to be at the heart of all who are called to serve in civic and public life.



The Bishop emphasised that this same unity was essential to the Church, since it was not just a group of individuals who have come to faith but a community of believers united by the teaching of the Apostles, the celebration of the Eucharist and prayer.



The love at the heart of the Church is always to be shared, he said. It must always lead to fruitful action. Christs love was not limited to people he liked; he never discriminated between people; His love was never poisoned by the wrongs of others.



Turning to those who serve in civic life, the Bishop continued: This love must be at the heart of any vision they have for a society where the needs and rights of people are respected. Civic leaders, he said, must seek the Common Good of communities with a special regard for the poorest and most dispossessed members.



Speaking directly to the Mayor and Sheriff, he concluded: As you and your fellow councillors go about your important work, please be assured of the gratitude, prayers and support of the Catholic people.



Pictured above are Dr Marian Prinsley and Councillor Vaughan Thomas. Below are Bishop Alan and Canon David Paul, with the Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich and their consorts.





Eldred Willey, 17/05/2021


Young family adds new life to fountain church Young family adds new life to fountain church

The Fountain of Life Church, Ashill, will soon be welcoming a new curate, Adam Poole, together with his wife Martha, and their daughter Sofia.

They are coming to Norfolk from Wycliffe College, Oxford where Adam has been studying for a Masters in Applied Theology. Adam will be ordained at Norwich Cathedral on June 27 and will be licensed as a Deacon to serve his curacy at The Fountain of Life.



Adam and Martha met at the London School of Theology where Martha was studying for a BA in Theology, Music and Worship and Adam was doing a BA in Theology. After their studies at LST were complete Adam worked for a church in London for a year before they got married in 2017.



After much prayer and discernment, the couple followed Gods call to live and work in Cyprus, Marthas home, for about two years. During their time there, they were part of a wonderful Greek-speaking church and worked as teachers. Their theological training was put to good use as they taught music, Bible studies, and RE (respectively).



They were also involved in an inter-church Youth Group and saw great fruit from this during their two years there. In 2019 they returned to the UK, trusting Gods call for Adam to train for ordination in the Church of England. Sofia was born in October 2020 and Adam and Martha are loving watching her grow and develop her personality.



Adam, Martha and Sofia have visited Ashill a couple of times in the last few months and are really looking forward to moving into the village more permanently in mid-June, although they already feel like part of the family. The Fountain of life team and congregation are all looking forward to working with them, sharing life and growing together.



Pictured above are Adam, Martha and Sofia Poole



Eldred Willey, 17/05/2021
Pure Storage is upgrading to its Portworx Enterprise software that improves the scale of Kubernetes while simplifying the process of supporting multiple platforms.

Portworx Enterprise 2.8 features new integrations across Pures line of products and services and with VMware Tanzu, VMwares container-orchestration software. It comes with dynamic storage provisioning on Pures FlashArray and FlashBlade hardware and offers unified visibility and support via Pure1, Pures AI-drive operations software.

This allows volumes and file systems to be provisioned using Kubernetes without the need to directly interface with the backing storage arrays. That means containerized workloads can run seamlessly across the cloud, bare metal infrastructure, Pure Storage arrays, and even storage solutions from other vendors.

Container-native volumes receive the full suite of Portworx container-storage management features, including backup, disaster recovery, security, auto-scaling, and migration. These features arent tied to hardware and travel with the containerized application as it moves between on-prem and cloud deployments.

Portworx also extends support for VMwares Tanzu (TKG) by supporting the native Tanzu container-storage interface (CSI) driver. This means that customers can benefit from container-granular data management such as backup and recovery, encryption, and migration regardless of the storage backing their VMware environment.

More cloud-like services

For some time, Pure has offered Pure-as-a-Service, a cloud-like storage service meant to span both on-prem and public cloud services with a single subscription. The updated Pure1 Digital Experience builds on that by adding self-service management and online procurement to its catalogue. Customers can buy new systems and services from Pure or expand their as-a-service footprint on demand.

They can be alerted to needing more storage through Pure1s AI-engine Meta, which delivers predictive service management that proactively identifies issues and prescribes resolutions so that issues are resolved before they become outages. In other words, it knows when to make a sales pitch.

By monitoring all data-service platforms, customers can be alerted to potential failure through predictive fault analysis and resolution as well as real-time troubleshooting across storage and VMs. The new Pure1 Digital Experience not only tracks how resources are being used, but forecasts what will happen if you add or move workloads.

Pures first-generation Kubernetes offering, Pure Service Orchestrator (PSO), will become a part of Portworx Essentials, the Portworx freemium offering, to provide unified storage orchestration for Kubernetes. Portworx Essentials is included and fully supported in a customers Evergreen or Pure-as-a-Service subscriptions with more functionality than the current PSO.

Portworx Enterprise 2.8 will be available in June.
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Courtesy photoStudents in Melissa Fourniers fifth-grade class at Page School in West Newbury show their copies of the book "Leon's Story" after being able to meet award-winning author and illustrator Susan Roth via Zoom recently. The Zoom session also included a class of 10- and 11-year-olds from France.
NAS President Marcia McNutt's Annual Address to Members

NAS 158th Annual Meeting: Return to the ONLINE PUBLIC PROGRAM





Marcia McNutt is a geophysicist and president of the National Academy of Sciences. From 2013 to 2016, she served as editor-in-chief of the Science family of journals. She was director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from 2009 to 2013. During her tenure, the USGS responded to a number of major disasters, including earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and Japan, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. McNutt led a team of government scientists and engineers at BP headquarters in Houston who helped contain the oil and cap the well. For her contributions, she was awarded the U.S. Coast Guards Meritorious Service Medal.

Before joining the USGS, McNutt served as president and chief executive officer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, in Moss Landing, California. McNutt began her academic career at MIT, where she was the E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics and directed the Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science & Engineering, jointly offered by MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Her research area is the dynamics of the upper mantle and lithosphere on geologic time scales, work that has taken her to distant continents and oceans for field observations. She is a veteran of more than a dozen deep-sea expeditions, on most of which she was chief or co-chief scientist.

McNutt is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), Geological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Association of Geodesy. She is a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, U.K., and the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1998, McNutt was awarded the AGUs Macelwane Medal for research accomplishments by a young scientist, and she received the Maurice Ewing Medal in 2007 for her contributions to deep-sea exploration. The webcast will be available at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

See Marcia McNutt's interviews and public statements as NAS president.

Join the conversation #NAS158
By PTI

New Delhi: Lenskart on Monday said global investment firm KKR will invest USD 95 million (about Rs 695.8 crore) in the omni-channel eyewear retailer via a secondary stake acquisition.

As part of the transaction, existing investors - TPG Growth and TR Capital - will each divest a portion of their holding in Lenskart, a statement said.

These entities had invested in Lenskart in late 2014.

Upon the completion of the transaction, KKR will look to leverage its experience working with leading technology and eyewear companies globally to support Lenskart in expanding its presence in India, scaling its growing operations overseas, and enhancing its digital offerings to augment customers'' virtual and omni-store experience, the statement said.

According to reports, KKR's investment is part of a larger USD 300-million round. However, the companies did not comment on the report and if other investors have participated in the round.

KKR said it is making its investment from its Asian private equity fund.

Some of the recent technology-focused investments for KKR in Asia include Adopt A Cow (a digitalised, direct-to-consumer dairy company in China), NetStars (the operator of Japan''s largest QR code payment gateway), and Walnut Programming (a children''s programming education company in China).

In 2019, Lenskart had announced raising over USD 275 million (nearly Rs 1,956 crore) from Softbank Vision Fund. In the past, it has received funding from investors'' like Ratan Tata, PremjiInvest, IFC (venture capital arm of the World Bank), TPG Growth, IDG Ventures, Unilazer Ventures and Adveq.

Established in 2010, Lenskart currently serves over 7 million customers annually through its omni-channel presence that spans online, mobile application, and 730 stores in 175 cities across the country. In 2019, Lenskart had also expanded to Singapore, marking its foray into Southeast Asia.

Lenskart integrates technology into all aspects of its operations, to the browsing, shopping and purchasing experience, in addition to manufacturing and supply-chain optimisation.

Among Lenskart''s digital offerings is a virtual 3D try-on tool; AI-powered facial mapping and frame recommendation features; smart physical stores with seamless omni-channel experience; and footfall tracking beacons, heat maps and demographic analytics; and intelligent supply-chain and inventory-management solutions.

More than 600 million people in India and 4.5 billion people globally need vision correction, but only a fraction of them use it due to a lack of access, awareness, and high-quality, affordable solutions, Lenskart CEO Peyush Bansal said.

Lenskart was founded to address this gap by leveraging technology to make eyewear accessible to everyone  first in India, and now worldwide, he added.

"In the next five years, we aspire to have 50 per cent of India wearing our specs... We are thrilled to welcome KKR as an investor given their significant experience working with leading global eyewear retailers such as National Vision and 1-800 Contacts as well as technology-focused businesses globally," he said.

KKR Partner Gaurav Trehan said as a technology-driven business, Lenskart is a strong, homegrown disruptor in India''s rapidly expanding eyewear industry.

"We are truly excited to work with Peyush and Lenskart''s impressive management team to support Lenskart''s growth and innovation in India and internationally, in addition to advancing its mission to provide affordable, accessible eyewear products for everyone," he added.

Avendus Capital advised Lenskart on the transaction.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India on Monday lost the ONGC Videsh Ltd-discovered Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf after Iran awarded a contract for developing the giant gas field to a local company.

"The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has signed a contract worth USD 1.78 billion with Petropars Group for the development of Farzad B Gas Field in the Persian Gulf," the Iranian oil ministry's official news service Shana reported.

"The deal was signed on Monday, May 17, in a ceremony held in the presence of Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh in Tehran."

The field holds 23 trillion cubic feet of in-place gas reserves, of which about 60 per cent is recoverable. It also holds gas condensates of about 5,000 barrels per billion cubic feet of gas.

The buyback contract signed on Monday envisages daily production of 28 million cubic meters of sour gas over five years, Shana said.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had in 2008 discovered a giant gas field in the Farsi offshore exploration block.

OVL and its partners had offered to invest up to USD 11 billion for the development of the discovery, which was later named Farzad-B.

PTI had on October 18, 2020, reported that NIOC had informed OVL of its intention to conclude the contract for Farzad-B development with an Iranian company, in an apparent rejection of the Indian firm's bid.

After this, it kept sitting on OVL's investment proposal for years.

The 3,500 square kilometer Farsi block sits in a water depth of 20-90 metres on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf.

OVL, with 40 per cent operatorship interest, signed the Exploration Service Contract (ESC) for the block on December 25, 2002.

Other partners included Indian Oil Corp (IOC) with 40 per cent stake and Oil India holding the remaining 20 per cent stake.

OVL discovered gas in the block, which was declared commercially viable by NIOC, on August 18, 2008.

The exploration phase of the ESC expired on June 24, 2009.

The firm submitted a Master Development Plan (MDP) of Farzad-B gas field in April 2011 to Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC), the then designated authority by NIOC for the development of Farzad-B gas field.

A Development Service Contract (DSC) of the Farzad-B gas field was negotiated till November 2012, but could not be finalized due to difficult terms and international sanctions on Iran.

In April 2015, negotiations restarted with Iranian authorities to develop the Farzad-B gas field under a new Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC).

This time, NIOC introduced Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) as its representative for negotiations.

From April 2016, both sides negotiated to develop the Farzad-B gas field under an integrated contract covering upstream and downstream, including monetization/marketing of the processed gas.

However, negotiations remained inconclusive.

Meanwhile, on the basis of new studies, a revised Provisional Master Development Plan (PMDP) was submitted to POGC in March 2017, sources said, adding that in April 2019, NIOC proposed development of the gas field under the DSC and offtake of raw gas by NIOC at landfall point.

However, due to the imposition of US sanctions on Iran in November 2018, technical studies could not be concluded which is a precursor for commercial negotiations.

The Indian consortium has so far invested around USD 400 million in the block.
By Associated Press

NEW YORK: Board members at Microsoft Corp. made a decision in 2020 that it wasn't appropriate for its co-founder Bill Gates to continue sitting on its board as they investigated the billionaire's prior romantic relationship with a female Microsoft employee that was deemed inappropriate, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Citing unnamed sources, The Journal reported online Sunday that board members looking into the matter hired a law firm in late 2019 to conduct an investigation after a Microsoft engineer alleged in a letter that she had a sexual relationship with Gates over several years.

The Journal reported that Gates resigned before the board's investigation was finished, citing another person familiar with the matter.

An unnamed spokeswoman for Gates acknowledged to The Journal that there was an affair almost 20 years ago, and that it ended "amicably." The spokesperson told The Journal that "his decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter.""

When he left Microsoft's board last year, Gates said he was stepping down to focus on philanthropy.

In an email sent to The Associated Press late Sunday, Microsoft said that it "received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000. A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern."

Earlier this month, Bill and Melinda Gates announced that they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage but would keep working together at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest charitable foundations in the world. Gates was formerly the world's richest person and his fortune is estimated at well over $100 billion.

Earlier Sunday, The New York Times reported that Gates had developed "a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings."

The Times reported that on at least a few occasions, Gates made overtures to women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Times cited people with direct knowledge of his behavior.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Even as new COVID-19 infections have shown a declining trend, credit rating agency Crisil on Monday said it is 'too early' to say that the second wave of the pandemic has peaked and flagged concerns over the vaccination drive.

After opening up the vaccination for all adults, the drive has suffered because availability of vaccines has become a 'national bottleneck', the rating agency said in a report.

It said new cases touched 4.14 lakh on May 6, and have now declined to an average of 3.6 lakh a day for the week ended May 16.

The decline in new cases offers some respite, but, 'it's too early to call a peak', the report noted.

It also acknowledged that the new cases have fallen without a dip in testing numbers.

"India's COVID-19 affliction curve has turned for the first time since the second wave began, with daily cases in the week ended May 16 falling 15 per cent sequentially," it said.

"While vaccination was opened to all adults two weeks back to battle the fierce second wave, vaccine availability has become a national bottleneck," it said.

As a result of this, some states have announced a temporary halt to their vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group and prioritised those in the 45 plus bracket, especially the second doses, it added.

On the economic front, the agency said high-frequency indicators have continued to soften and the mobility indicators, in particular, have fallen to June 2020 level.

Meanwhile, in a note, American brokerage Morgan Stanley said the COVID-19 flare-ups in India are a temporary "speed bump, not a permanent roadblock".

The brokerage said it expects the Reserve Bank to cut rates by 25 basis points in December quarter.

Even if the pace of vaccination in India is slower than developed markets, it would nudge Asia towards recovery, it said.
S Lalitha By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: In light of people facing hardship to get taxis and ambulances during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, an umbrella organisation of over 60 resident welfare organisations in Kanakapura Road has decided to aid its residents. It will offer a car free of cost to help residents reach anywhere for treatment as well as revive its popular ambulance service it ran when the pandemic broke out last year.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Abdul Aleem, president of Changemakers of Kanakapura Road said, With Covid cases rising, we want to help out the nearly 30,000 residents who are our members. We have arranged for an Innova car through Sathya Sai Tourist service. Our group will bear the diesel and driver charges.

Aleem said that when people use their own car to ferry their Covid-positive family members, there is a big risk to others using it. We want to offer this alternative to them. We will ensure the vehicle is fully sanitised, he said.

A popular ambulance service the group ran last year and stopped two months ago, will be restarted in a week. It costs us around Rs 2.4 lakh to maintain the vehicle supplied by J K Ambulance. We had collected Rs 60 per family for fuel and driver costs last time and plan to repeat it. We have three medical staffers available 24x7 and two drivers to run the ambulance, he said.

A ventilator, suction apparatus, cardiac monitor, oxygen cylinder and infusion pumps are the equipments in the ambulance. There is a back-up arrangement too with our provider so that if there is an emergency and someone has booked this ambulance, another one can be supplied, he added.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A 54-year-old man who allegedly misbehaved with a fever survey staffer when she visited his house while on duty was arrested on Monday.

According to the police, the 27-year-old woman was working with the Chennai city corporation on a contract basis to conduct door-to-door surveys. On Saturday, at around 9.45 am, she was on duty, visiting houses at Portugese Street, Seven Wells.

ALSO READ: Triaging COVID-19 patients at home brings down direct admissions to hospitals in Chennai

The accused Sadakathulla is said to have invited her inside his house by claiming that his family members have symptoms and she has to check them.

A police officer said, To her shock, there were no family members in the house. The man then locked the door and misbehaved with the woman. She raised an alarm and on hearing her scream, neighbours came to her rescue."

Based on a complaint by her mother, the All Women's Police, Harbour, arrested the accused on Monday. A court later placed him in judicial custody.
OMJASVIN M D By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chennais daily test positive rate of Covid-19 has declined from 26% on May 10 to 21.1% on May 16. This shows that about 21 out of 100 people tested are now becoming positive.

While the city conducted close to 30,000 tests daily during the period, the daily cases too reduced from 7,149 on May 10 to 6,150 on May 17. This indicates that the spread in the city is gradually on a decline.

Public health experts say that lockdown alone is not a reason. Not just lockdown but the vaccination drive too could have caused the decline, says former Director of Public Health Dr. K Kolandasamy.

He said that since there has been a massive rise in infection, it may also have brought in immunity among some sections, while the simultaneous vaccine coverage too may have helped in stopping the massive spike.

Virologist Dr. Jacob John says that the lockdown effect will be seen after two weeks. This decline may be due to the natural tendency of the virus too. If there is a continuous decline further, in the coming days, then it may be a clear indicator of control measures showing a result, he says.

Dr. John said: Epidemiologically, there is a decline. This may vary from district to district but overall, the cases may come down in the state soon.

Chennais Covid-19 case growth too has slowed down. From 3.8% case growth on May 10, it has now come down to 1.8%.

ALSO READ | Triaging COVID-19 patients at home brings down direct admissions to hospitals in Chennai

Surprisingly, three Corporation zones -- Sholinganallur, Alandur, and Ambattur -- are recording a negative case growth. This means, more people here are getting discharged daily than the number of fresh cases.

Need oxygen stretchers, step-down wards

Meanwhile, to control the spread further, experts suggest the introduction of oxygen stretchers and step-down wards.

Oxygen cylinders can be fitted beneath a stretcher. This can help patients waiting in ambulances for admission and by putting the patient on an oxygen stretcher, the ambulances too can go back to ferry other patients, says Dr. Kolandasamy.

He said that for a hospital with 1000 beds, at least 50 oxygen stretchers can be placed so that patients may continue the oxygen support while they wait for beds.

Apart from this, Dr. Kolandasamy also suggests hospitals set up a step-down ward. Here, hospitals can have oxygen concentrator supported beds. This will be sufficient for severe patients recovering from Covid and will help to free up tertiary hospitals too, he said.

Dr. Kolandasamy added that there could be at least 200 beds in step-down wards which may de-stress the hospital from overburden and also help in treating more severe patients needing attention.
Nirupama Viswanathan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Triaging COVID-19 patients at home has brought down the number of patients being admitted directly to government and private hospitals, according to the Chennai corporation's data.

Triaging at home is done for COVID patients below the age of 60 where a doctor accompanied by a staff nurse and ANM visit them, check their vitals and take note of their symptoms. Based on their symptoms, they are advised to undergo to home isolation or directed to COVID care centres or hospitals. In case of home isolation, tablets are given to them during the course of their isolation.

"By triaging at home, we reduce the risk of crowding at the screening centres and also make sure people are given timely medical advice so they don't panic and go to hospitals directly," said a corporation official.

ALSO READ: Free emergency vehicle service a boon to patients in Chennai

According to the data, on Saturday, a total of 6,072 people had been reported positive from government and private labs. Of these, 3,637 underwent home triaging - 3,335 were then recommended home isolation, 163 were sent to COVID care centres and 139 were directed to hospitals.

The data also shows that 1,829 persons were screened at the screening centres. With this, the number of persons admitted directly to government and private hospitals is 606 of the total 6072.

Plea to be treated with dignity

On the other hand, the corporation staff who visit houses for triaging said that they were bearing the brunt of public frustration every day.

"When we go for home triaging, they ask us when we will come and take a CT scan. When we tell them we are not equipped for it, they get offended. It takes doctors three to four hours minimum to finish triaging the cases assigned to them. They don't understand the work that we put in," said a corporation official.

A sanitary inspector said that a sector worker (fever surveillance staff) broke down while at work.

"A family who is COVID positive accused her of infecting them with the virus since she came to check on them everyday. They asked her not to come anywhere near them again and also shouted at her till she broke down and called us for help," the inspector said.

Staff who are on the field almost everyday said that while they understand the frustration, they deserved to be treated with dignity.

"Last year, the way they treated us was much different in my opinion. This year, the frustration is high and they take it out on us. We feel like we are caught in the middle - we also put in long hours, put our lives at risk and bear the brunt of the frustration," the inspector added.
VALLEJO, CA - JANUARY 17: Bella, a Bottlenose Dolphin, swims in a pool with her new calf named Mirabella at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on January 17, 2014 in Vallejo, California. Bella, a nine year-old Bottlenose Dolphin, gave birth to her first calf on January 9, 2014 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. (Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

It looks like recreational vices of human is not limited to human alone; dolphins enjoy it as much!

A BBC footage from a new documentary "Spy in the Pod" - a series produced by award-winning wildlife documentary producer John Downer - reveals dolphins on their natural habitat getting high off of pufferfish.

Caught on camera were a number of them gently playing with the puffer. They seem to enjoy passing it around among other dolphins with 20 to 30 minutes interval and were careful not to tear it apart.

Dolphins use toxic chemical produced by a pufferfish to enter a 'trance-like state' which they are clearly fond of. Dolphins were filmed floating just underneath the water's surface, 'apparently mesmerized by their own reflections', the Daily News reports.

While it was believed that large amounts of the chemical can be deadly, dolphins seem to know how to take just the right amount which gives off a narcotic effect.

The Hallucinogenic Rodeo





Zoologist and series co-producer Rob Pilley described in Sunday Times that the young dolphins 'purposely' experimented with what they know to be intoxicating.

"After chewing the puffer gently and passing it round, they began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection," he said.

Filmmakers used spy camera techniques and designed underwater cameras hidden in fake turtles, fish, squid, and even other dolphins to film hours of footage as they aim to observe their behavior naturally.

"The spy creatures were designed to infiltrate the dolphins' hidden lives by looking like the marine creatures a dolphin might encounter in their everyday lives," Downer said. The episode will feature in the second episode of the series.

Pilley described the behavior as a first-time observation, saying the dolphins have been so gentle and delicate towards the pufferfish, as if they were trying to avoid upsetting it.

"'As a result, the fish released various toxins as a defense," he added. Pilley was sure the behavior was not a one-time encounter as it looks like the dolphins knew exactly how to behave around the toxic pufferfish.

Also read: Hundreds of Dolphins Found Dead, Dismembered on Ghana's Beaches

Captured Life Under the Sea

The episode was subsequent to a previous series still produced by Downer's "Penguins: Spy in the Huddle", which was also a proud moment for BBC1. Similar approach of disguised cameras was used at the time, providing a more natural perspective for viewers of the sea creatures, specifically the Dolphincam, the Tunacam, Turtlecam and Squidcam; each fitted with HD cameras to capture life under the sea.

Downer did confirm there had been modifications. "Unlike Penguin-cams, this time our spy creatures had to keep pace with fast-moving dolphins, often out in the deep ocean," he said. Extraordinary efforts were put into the program, from HD cameras to hundreds of hours of filming, crews diving some 1,500 times, and nearly 3,000 hours at sea regardless of the weather.

"The dolphins were very curious about their new neighbors and allowed them into their lives," Downer added.

As disguised sea creatures pictured life under the sea, other interesting events such as a mother teaching her calf to catch fish and leap from water, were also witnessed. The first of the two-part series aired on Thursday, January 2 at 8pm on BBC1.

Also read: Why Don't Whales Get Cancer? Evolutions Hold the Key!
Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: An analysis of the partial or full lockdowns imposed to combat the Covid second wave by various states since last month shows that apart from Delhi, most states have not seen a progressive reduction of fresh cases in the initial weeks despite the curbs.

The graph began tapering only after May 9. For instance, while Maharashtra had around 60,000 daily new cases from April 15 to 26, which dropped to 48,700 on April 27, the count subsequently climbed to the 55,000-60,000 range.

Its only after May 9 that there has been a progressive reduction of cases. Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said the lockdown helped bring down positive cases from the peak of 69,000 per day to below 40,000.

People should follow the lockdown restrictions strictly because it helps break the virus chain and reduce the burden on hospitals. However, in a rural area, positive cases are still rising. Self-discipline is very important to defeat the virus, he said.

Tope added that the state needed more restrictions to contain the virus. He was hopeful that by the end of May, the situation in Maharashtra will be much better.

The positivity rate in the state also witnessed a decline from around 26% on April 15 to 16% on May 14. Dr D C S Reddy, former head of the department at the Institute of Medical Sciences at Banaras Hindu University, said to accurately analyse the data, a seven-day moving average is a better parameter as the number of cases tested and confirmed on a daily basis depends on various other factors and hence there are fluctuations in numbers.

In terms of lockdown, it was taken to ensure that transmission is slowed down both intra-state and interstate. Also, to get a better picture of the decline, we need to wait a little longer. The rate of decline is slow in the initial phases but speeds up with time. So, we will get a clearer picture in the coming weeks, he said.

Delhi, on the other hand, saw a progressive decline in the case count and the positivity rate. While the number of cases hovered in the 20,000- 25,000 range till May 2, it fell to just over 8,500 on May 14.

Fall in cases not as steep in states where partial or phased lockdown imposed

Positivity rates also took a sharp dive from 16% on April 19 to 12.2% on May 14. In Haryana, the number of cases since the imposition of the lockdown on May 2 has been hovering around 13,000- 15,000 per day with the state recording its lowest per day tally since the imposition of the restrictions on May 14 with just over 10,600 cases. The positivity rate also saw a dip from around 26.5% to 16%.

Amit Arya, media adviser to Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar, said: After the lockdown was imposed, cases have come down. From 16,000 cases a day, the number is around 10,000 now. Also there is more availability of beds as more Covid care centres have been set up and a few more will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Khattar on Sunday. Besides, the availability of oxygen in the state is much better, he said.

In states like Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, where the lockdown was partial or phased, the fall in the number of cases has not been as steep.

For instance, MP recorded just under 5,000 cases on April 9, when lockdown was imposed in some parts. The tally gradually grew to around 23,000 on May 9, after which there has been a steady drop with the state witnessing just over 15,600 cases on May 14.

The positivity rate has seen a drop from almost 25% on April 20 to just under 12% on May 14. West Bengal, which saw an eight-phase state elections, imposed partial restrictions on April 30. Its per day cases have been on the rise since then from around 17,000 a day on April 30 to over 20,000 on May 14.

However, the positivity rate has seen a slight dip from over 32% on April 30 to just under 30% on May 14. Similar trends were noticed in states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, which imposed partial lockdowns on April 27, April 24 and May 5, respectively.

Despite the drop in the number of cases and positivity rates in the states, the number of deaths have been on the rise in almost all the states since the complete or partial lockdowns kicked in. Delhis deaths peaked on May 3 (448) while on May 14, the days toll was 289. Maharashtras worst day in terms of deaths was April 28 (1,035) after which the number fluctuated.
Somrita Ghosh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With cases of post-corona complications such as Covid Associated Mucormycosis (CAM) gradually increasing, experts from the AIIMS Delhi have noted that it is wrongly addressed as Black Fungus.

Black fungus is actually Dermatiaceous and not Mucormycosis. There is no scientific publication addressing disease caused by Mucormycosis as Black Fungus infection. Mucormycosis causes 50 per cent mortality if untreated, said Dr Deepak Gupta, Professor at Neurosurgery department, AIIMS, Delhi.

Other name of CAM is ROCM (RhinoOrbitalCerebral Mucormycosis) and not Black Fungus. Dematiaceous hyphomycetes causes Phaeohyphomycosis. These fungi are darkly pigmented because of the presence of melanin in their cell wall. Infections with these fungi may remain localized at the site of traumatic inoculation or within the sinuses or may become disseminated, he added.

Dr Gupta explained that mucor fungus responsible for Mucormycosis in Covid are molds occurring in the soil, vcompost, animal dung, rotting wood and plant material, fruits, vegetables. It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in the nose and mucus of healthy people.

As a number of states have reported cases of Mucormycosis, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan last week shared details regarding this fungal infection. The government has already assured of taking steps to increase the availability of Amphotericin B to treat Mucormycosis.

Elderly diabetics, history of high dose and long duration steroid therapy, recent recovery from Covid infection (2-4 weeks prior), malignancy are at the higher risk of getting infected with covid associated mucormycosis.

Those patients given immunosuppressants, remained under long term ventilator/oxygen therapy, administered tocilizumab/Immunomodulator usage, hemochromatosis also are at risk of getting CAM.

CAM is not unique to Covid-19 Pandemic. Mucormycosis infections have been reported in medical literature even before Covid pandemic. Higher CAM infections noted in the second wave of Covid -19 is associated with indiscriminate /non judicious usage of steroids and oxygen therapy in high-risk Covid patients. Covid first wave didnt have so many cases of Mucormycosis. Data being studied. However, the disease is also noted in those who were not on oxygen therapies, Dr Gupta stated.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Two African nationals have been arrested for allegedly cheating people on the pretext of providing them oxygen cylinders, police said on Sunday.

The accused have been identified as Cheema Benneth (42), a native of Nigeria and Jonathan Kojo (44), a resident of Ghana, they said.

On May 5, a man told the police that he was in need of an oxygen cylinder for his relative who was suffering from COVID-19 and after finding a phone number on the social media, he contacted the accused who told him to pay Rs 16,000 for an oxygen cylinder and Rs 4,000 as transportation charge, following which the complainant transferred Rs 20,000 to their account, officials said.

The accused assured him that the cylinder would reach his address. However, the victim did not receive any cylinder and when he tried to contact the accused, they blocked his number, a senior police officer said.

During investigation, it was found that foreign nationals were involved in the cheating racket spread across India. On Thursday, police apprehended Benneth from Green Park in south Delhi. Based on his disclosure, his associate Kojo was also also nabbed on Saturday, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shibesh Singh said.

22-year-old uses WhatsApp to dupe

Jai Kishan, 22, was on Sunday arrested for allegedly duping people on the pretext of providing oxygen cylinders to them via WhatsApp ad.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl that led to the death of a wrestler here.

A reward of Rs 50,000 has also been announced for the arrest of his associate Ajay Kumar, who has been absconding in the case, police said.

"We have announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Sushil Kumar and Rs 50,000 on his associate Ajay, who is also absconding in the case," said a senior police officer.

Last week, a Delhi Court had issued non-bailable warrants against Sushil Kumar and six others in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl days after a lookout notice was issued against the two-time Olympic medalist in the same case.

The police have already recorded the statements of the victims allegedly involved in the brawl.

The clash had taken place over vacating a flat in the Model Town area, police said.

Kumar, who has been named in the FIR, is on the run, and efforts are on to trace him, a senior officer had said earlier, adding that raids were being conducted in the Delhi-NCR region and neighbouring states to nab him.

The victims alleged that Kumar was present at the spot when the clash took place, he had said.

The wrestler who died was 23 years old.

He and two of his friends were brutally assaulted allegedly by other wrestlers inside the Chhatrasal Stadium in the northern part of the city last Tuesday night.

According to the police, the brawl involved Kumar, Ajay, Prince Dalal, Sonu, Sagar, Amit and others.

A case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act at the Model Town Police Station.

Dalal (24), a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, was held in the case, police had said.
By ANI

WASHINGTON: South African comedian and television host Trevor Noah and American actor Minka Kelly have reportedly separated, only a short time after he splashed out eight figures on a massive Bel Air mansion.

Page Six cited a source to People magazine who confirmed on Sunday that the 'Daily Show'host Friday Night Lights' actor parted ways after first being linked last August.

While the private couple for the most part avoided the spotlight and never at any point publicly affirmed their relationship - the stars praised his 37th birthday celebration together in February. However, the two praised the commemorated in an extremely low-key way: by grabbing takeout from In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles.

Per Page Six, the 40-year-old actor was additionally seen with a smattering of balloons for her beau's big day.

In January, Noah allegedly purchased a six-room home for the couple - regardless of his past statement that he'd never live with a girlfriend (in spite of the fact that he said he wasn't against marriage).

A source revealed to People magazine at the hour of the buy, "They're making plans for a future together, and it's an entirely steady relationship. They've been investing energy between coasts throughout the most recent year and had been searching for a spot in LA as a team."

Kelly's previous boyfriends include Jesse Williams, Derek Jeter, Chris Evans and Wilmer Valderrama. Noah was recently connected to girlfriend Jordyn Taylor in 2017.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: When actor Raima Sen was asked to audition for Amit Kumar's "The Last Hour", she didn't know who he was.

After some research, the actor found out that Kumar was behind the critically-acclaimed crime thriller feature "Monsoon Shootout" and that sealed the deal for her.

"I found it a very interesting and unique kind of plot," Sen said of the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vijay Varma-starrer, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013.

"I was amazed when I saw it and I said how come I haven't seen this before.

Then I thought I would like to work with this director," she added.

Sen said she is not someone who goes for auditions, but she made an exception for Kumar.

"When Amit Kumar was doing the screen test in Calcutta, actually I didn't know who he was. Then, he asked me to come for a screen test. I thought let me see what he's done before. I had seen 'Monsoon Shootout' and actually I thought I wanted to work with this director.

ALSO READ | Sanjay Kapoor, Shahana Goswami's 'The Last Hour' series set for May 14 premiere on Amazon Prime

"This was probably my first audition and I was sceptical, but I thought he's such a good director he'll probably get the best out of me, even in the audition. So I went for it, having no expectations. I didn't think I'd get the call, but it's been fabulous working with him," the 41-year-old actor told PTI in a Zoom interview from Kolkata.

Billed as Amazon Prime Video's first supernatural crime series, "The Last Hour" explores the story of Dev, a shaman (healer), played by Karma Takapa, who joins a newly transferred cop DCP Arun Singh (Sanjay Kapoor) to track down a mysterious killer.

Set in a small Himalayan town, the series is created, written and produced by Kumar and Anupama Minz.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia has served as an executive producer on the show.

Sen said "The Last Hour" is an intriguing insight into the shaman tradition.

"I had no idea about shamans. I thought it was a very interesting concept when Amit Kumar told me about the synopsis. This is something which I had never heard or seen before. So, the show brings out a new aspect.

"It has got other ingredients to make it supernatural. It should be a very interesting and intriguing watch," she added.

The actor, known for films like "Chokher Bali", "Manorama Six Feet Under", and "Noukadubi", plays the enigmatic Nyima and the wife of DCP Singh in the series.

"Every character in the show has a story to tell. I'm portrayed as mysterious. Sometimes you see her, sometimes you don't. So you keep wondering (about her), but as the episodes progress, you'll understand. The mystery will be unravelled."

Sen, who has built an impressive filmography across Bengali and Hindi cinema over 21 years, also said she is set to make her acting debut in Tamil cinema alongside Vijay Antony, known for the 2017 film "Yaman".

"There is another show for another big OTT platform which should release hopefully at the end of this year or next," she added.

Also starring Shaylee Krishen, Robin Tamang and Mandakini Goswami, "The Last Hour" is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Actor Irrfan Khan believed his character of Ranvijay Singh in 2003's "Haasil" would go on to become as iconic as Amjad Khan's villain Gabbar Singh from the cult classic "Sholay", director of the movie and his longtime friend Tigmanshu Dhulia has revealed.

The role of Ranvijay, a student leader with negative overtones, proved to be a breakthrough for the actor who was then trying to make a mark in the field of cinema and made him a darling in the Hindi heartland.

Set in a university in Allahabad, "Haasil" revolves around two gangs in a college which are out to finish each other.

One gang is headed by college veteran and students union president Gauri Shankar (Ashutosh Rana), the other an aspiring politician Ranvijay Singh (Khan).

Aniruddh (Jimmy Shergill), a law-abiding college student, falls in love with Niharika (Hrishitaa Bhatt) and gets caught up in college politics and crime and must fight it out for himself when his friend becomes his foe.

Sharing an anecdote from the "Haasil" days on the 18th anniversary of the film on Sunday, Dhulia said Irrfan Khan was certain that his portrayal of the cunning and ambitious Ranvijay will be as memorable as as Gabbar.

Even though the two characters were unlike each other, the director said, Irrfan Khan will always be remembered.

"Haasil...16th of May the film did wonders for us I remember doing the background score and irfan dropped in we were working on the climax he saw it said this villain will be remembered like Gabbar Singh...well the villain was unlike Gabbar but yes Irfan will always be remembered," Dhulia wrote in a tweet.

For his performance in "Haasil", Irrfan Khan won the Filmfare award for best actor in a negative role.

Dhulia and Irrfan Khan first met at the National School of Drama (NSD) in the 1980s, which was just the beginning of their long-standing association, both onscreen and offscreen.

The two formed a solid cinematic partnership, working in acclaimed films like 2010's "Paan Singh Tomar", for which Irrfan Khan won the best actor National Award, and "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns" (2013).

Irrfan Khan died on April 29 last year following a two-year-long battle with a neuroendocrine tumour.
Raghottam Koppar By

Express News Service

GADAG: Gadag Superintedent of Police Yatish N and his staff are lending a helping hand to migrants who are stuck in the district after the imposition of lockdown by giving them grocery and other essential items. His pictures of helping people have gone viral on social media.

Many migrants come to the district during the summer months to attend annual fairs and to sell agricultural equipment and other items. Most migrants were not aware of the recent lockdown and got stranded on the outskirts of Gadag town.

Yatish and other officials are planning to help all of them. Many organisations and individuals have also come forward to help them. A family, which received grocery kits, said, We were not aware of the lockdown this time. We sell agriculture products in villages.

Now, we do not have any work and PDS cards. We were worried about our future as we lost our source of income. Luckily, we got food kits. Now, our children can at least eat. ZYatish told The New Indian Express, The assistance is being carried out with the help of some donors and the department. We are making a list of people who are in need of help. The department will coordinate and ensure that maximum people get the benefits.
By PTI

BALLIA: Two bodies were spotted on the bank of the Ganga at a village here, police said on Monday.

Last week, Ballia residents had claimed that over 50 corpses were seen floating in the river in the district, triggering suspicion that these were of COVID patients.

The two bodies were spotted at Maldepur village under the Phephana police station area on Sunday and their last rites were performed on Monday, area SHO Sanjay Tripathi said.

He said of the two bodies, one was half burnt.

Police have started patrolling the river here and has told villagers not to dispose of bodies in the Ganga.

Tripathi said the flood unit of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) is also patrolling the river.

"People living near the river bank in villages have been told that if anyone is facing difficulty in getting the last rites done, they can take the help of police or the district administration," Tripathi said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government will now take the help of religious leaders to create awareness among people not to dump bodies in the rivers, an official said on Monday, amid mounting criticism over such incidents.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed officials during a meeting that the process of burial on the banks of rivers or disposing bodies in rivers as part of last rite was not environment friendly.

There should be a dialogue with the religious leaders in this regard as there is a need to make people aware about it, an official said.

Adityanath asked for continued patrolling by water police of the State Disaster Response Force and Provincial Armed Constabulary around all the rivers of the state and asked for ensuring that the bodies were not disposed of in water under any condition, the spokesperson said.

The chief minister stressed the last rites should be respectfully performed and financial assistance was also being provided for it, the spokesperson said.

Even in case of bodies being left unclaimed, the last rites should be performed according to the religious beliefs, Adityanath said.

A large number of dead bodies have been found flowing in the rivers in many districts of the state.

There have also been reports of bodies being found buried on the banks of the Ganga.

During the meeting, Adityanath said experts have warned about a third coronavirus wave and stressed on the need to be fully prepared.

He asked for preparing paediatric, ICU wards of 100100 beds in all medical colleges, the spokesman said.

Adityanath said oxygen audit being conducted to balance the demand and supply of oxygen yielded good results Most refillers and medical colleges now have up to 48-72 hours of oxygen backup, the spokesman said, quoting Adityanath.

The state on Monday reported 285 coronavirus deaths as 9,391 fresh cases surfaced, taking the state's infection tally to 16,28,990, a government bulletin said.

So far, 17,817 people have died from the infection in the state.

Of the fresh deaths, 22 were reported from Lucknow, followed by 21 in Kanpur.

Eleven deaths each were reported from Ghaziabad and Saharanpur and nine each from Lakhimpur Kheri and Etawah, the bulletin said.

Meanwhile, the highest 542 infection cases surfaced in Gorakhpur, followed by 517 in Lucknow, 458 in Saharanpur, 457 in Gautam Buddh Nagar and 452 in Meerut.

Till now, 14,62,141 people have recovered from the virus with 23,045 recoveries in the past 24 hours.

The count of active cases in the state stands at 1,49,032, the bulletin said.

On Sunday, over 2.55 lakh tests were done, taking the total tests performed till now to 4.49 crore, the statement added.
Pranab Mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: With the lockdown to contain a surging Covid-19 cases in West Bengal starting on Sunday, officials in the states health department warned the government to strictly impose the restrictions, saying the situation would go out of control otherwise.

The state has seen a steep surge in Covid-19 cases, blamed on the political gatherings during the course of the recently-concluded eight-phase Assembly elections in the state. During the one month it took to hold the elections, which began on March 27 and concluded on April 29, the state witnessed an unprecedented 25 times surge in daily Covid-19 positive cases.

On February 26, the day the Election Commission announced the election schedule, about 199 people had tested positive. A month later, on March 27, when the first-phase of the election was held, as many as 646 daily cases were recorded. By the time the fifth phase was held on April 10, the number of daily cases had grown more than ten-fold to 6,910. The chief minister then requested the ECI to conduct the last three phases of the election in one go. But, the poll panel had rejected her request.

On the day the last phase of the polls was held on April 29, the state recorded a whopping 17,207 new cases in 24 hours. On May 15, the eve of lockdown, a total of 19,511 people tested positive. On the first-day of the lockdown in the state, Kolkata police arrested 158 persons for not wearing masks, four for spitting in public. The police also impounded 59 vehicles and arrested 23 for flouting restrictions.

The Centre has asked the state government to make use of the services of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) to conduct door-to-door survey in rural areas of the state. The Centre has also asked West Bengal to reach out to the people in villages and tests their samples as much as possible.

Man alive, but Hosp issues death certificate

In a major goof-up by the West Bengal health department, the family of a man, who was under treatment for Covid-19, was handed his death certificate even though he was alive. All our family members broke down. We went to the mortuary but the body was not there. We then went to the rear portion of the hospital and looked through a window, and we saw my brother sitting on the bed," said the elder brother of the patient.
According to the US environment envoy, citizens would not have to sacrifice their quality of life to meet any of the net-zero targets.

Not Compromising

John Kerry, the US climate envoy, has stated that half of the carbon reductions needed to reach net-zero would come from yet-to-be-developed technology and that people "do not have to give up a standard of life" to reduce emissions.

Because of experiments being conducted into how cattle are herded and fed to minimize methane emissions, he said Americans would "not necessarily" have to consume less beef.

"To do any of the goals we know we need to achieve, you don't have to sacrifice your quality of life. That's the genius of some of the stuff we can do," he said on Andrew Marr's BBC One broadcast. "I've been advised by scientists that half of the reductions we'll need to get to net-zero will come from the technology we don't yet have. That's about the way things are.

"And people who are honest about this recognition that this is a part of the problem. As a result, we must arrive as soon as possible."

Related Article: Sustainable New Normal: Green Energy Capacity Increases by 45% During COVID-19 Pandemic



Visiting Climate Allies and Partners

Kerry will visit London next week to consult with government officials ahead of the UN climate change conference Cop26, which will occur in Glasgow in November.

Kerry visited Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday, describing him as "one of the great voices of reason and persuasive moral authority on the climate crisis."

Kerry told Vatican News, "I believe his presence will be a very powerful voice leading up to and through the Glasgow meeting, which I believe he plans to attend." "Everyone is needed in this war. All of the world's leaders must come together, and each nation must play its part."

Government Targets

Kerry said Joe Biden had set a target of making the US power sector carbon-free by 2035, but he couldn't speak for the president on concrete policies when asked by Marr whether the US would back an end to all coal-fired power plants if the UK demanded it at Cop26.

"What is the timeline for phase-out? Is this a fair request? Is everybody pulling together in the same direction? President Biden would no doubt want answers to those issues, but he is leading the charge to transition America to clean alternative energy," Kerry added.

Related Article: US First Massive Windfarm Finally Approved by the Biden Adminstration



Dealing with Emitters

After China, the United States is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with one of the highest per-capita CO2 emissions.

Kerry said, "We're determined to turn that around." "We will be increasingly transitioning to a digital environment, constructing new infrastructure, shifting to sustainable green energies, and expanding the boundaries of a technology exploration. There are several options available."

Also Read: Producing Electric Cars Will Be Cheaper Than Gas Models by 2027

For more news update about Environmental Action, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Anuraag Singh By

Express News Service

Popular leopard of Van Vihar National Park dies



Sheru, the 16-year-old popular male leopard of Bhopals Van Vihar National Park died after a period of prolonged illness on Friday. According to the Parks director Ajay Kumar Yadav, owing to the illness, Sheru was shifted from the display area to the leopard rescue centre. Sheru was brought to Van Vihar National Park from Maharashtras Tadoba National Park seven years ago. After Sherus demise, the Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal is now left with only ten leopards.

More incidents of inter-caste violence in Morena

Inter-caste clashes between members of OBC and the general category or between Dalits and members of OBC or the general category in the Gwalior-Chambal region arent new. In the regions Morena district, however, members of of Valmiki, a Scheduled Caste, on Thursday opened fire indiscriminately and pelted stones outside the house of a municipal corporation official from the Jatav group, another Scheduled Caste. The video of the incident, which happened in the broad daylight in Morenas Uttapura locality, went viral within a few hours. The incident was the result of long-standing enmity between both sides. A few days ago, a similar incident happened in Morena, wherein a group of men from an OBC group, wearing masks, rode along a stretch of a road on their motorbikes, firing indiscriminately.

Sena praises MP govt over policy to protect orphaned children

Maharashtras ruling party Shiv Sena has heaped praise on the Madhya Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for announcing a slew of measures to secure the future of the children who have lost their parents to Covid-19. In an editorial in the partys mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena praised Madhya Pradesh chief ministers recent announcement of `5000 monthly pension, free ration and education to the children whose parents fell prey to the viral infection.

BJP district office turned into Covid care centre

To provide relief to the Covid-hit families, the ruling BJP has turned its district party office in Betul district into a full-fledged 50-bed Covid care centre. According to a state BJP functionary, the district party office in Betul now houses the Covid care centre for patients with mild symptoms. Besides providing medical and oxygen support, there is provision for meals as well. The ruling party has also supplied a large quantity of medical items and equipment to the local Covid Care Centre in Chhatarpur districts Nowgaon. Meanwhile, the coronavirus-induced curfew in Bhopal and Berasia town in Madhya Pradesh was on Sunday extended till May 24 by Collector Avinash Lavaniya, an official said. The corona curfew, which was supposed to end at 6am on May 17, has earlier been given multiple week-long extensions since April 12.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: The state health department in Bihar is on alert after symptoms of black fungal infection has been noticed in more than 24 COVID-19 patients in the state in the past few days.

The state's Health Minister announced that a special ward will be set up on Monday in Patna AIIMS to house the patients being treated for black fungal infection.

Experts say that those who are recovering from the coronavirus infection, and has a medical history of diabetes, blood pressure, and kidney ailments are more susceptible to catching mucormycosis, also known as black fungus.

It is feared that there may be a spurt of the fungal infections among those recovering from COVID-19 in rural areas because of the growing cases in the interior parts of the state.

Though unofficial sources put the number of patients showing symptoms of black fungus at 30, health minister Mangal Pandey put the figure at 24 in Bihar.

Meanwhile, multiple health experts projected that Bihar may see between 1,000 and 1,500 patients with black fungus by the end of May this year on the basis of rate of infection of Covid witnessed in rural areas.

On Saturday, four new patients showing symptoms of black fungus were admitted to Patna AIIMS taking the total number of people showing the symptoms of the infection in AIIMS to 20.

Sources said that all these patients at AIIMS arrived from Patna, Neura, Ara, Buxar, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Aurangabad and other districts.

Mangal Pandey told media that six thousand doses of 'Liposomal Amphotericin-B' injection, which is used in treating black fungus, have been supplied by the health department to various government and private hospitals, with the help of the World Health Organization.

"In view of rising cases of black fungus infections, 2000 vials of injections have been sent to AIIMS at Patna, 300 to IGIMS, 300 to PMCH, 300 to NMCH, 300 to JLNMCH at Bhagalpur, 200 to SKMCH at Muzaffarpur, 200 to DMCH, in Darbhanga, 200 to medical College and Hospital at Madhepura, 200 to Gaya, 200 to Vardhman Medical College and Hospital at Pawapuri in Nalanda, 200 to Government Medical College and Hospital at Bettiah and 1600 to RMRI in Patna, he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The CBI will on Monday file the charge sheet against five accused, including three TMC leaders arrested earlier in the day, in the Narada sting case wherein politicians were purportedly caught taking money on camera, officials said.

The central agency arrested Trinamool Congress leaders Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee and Madan Mitra as well as former party leader Sovan Chatterjee in Kolkata in connection with the case this morning.

The sting operation was purportedly conducted by Mathew Samuel of Narada TV news channel in 2014 wherein people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were allegedly seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.

The tapes were made public just before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March 2017.
By PTI

MUMBAI: The mortal remains of Congress MP Rajeev Satav, who died after recovering from COVID-19, were consigned to flames with state honours at his native place Kalamnuri in Maharashtra's Hingoli district on Monday.

Several key Congress leaders, including AICC in-charge of Maharashtra HK Patil, party's Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole and state ministers Ashok Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Vijay Wadettiwar, Aslam Shaikh, Nitin Raut, Varsha Gaikwad, Satej Patil, Vishwajeet Kadam and other party workers were present at the funeral.

Satav (46), considered as a close associate of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, died at a hospital in Pune on Sunday, days after recovering from the coronavirus infection. The late Rajya Sabha member's family members bid him an emotional farewell as his mortal remains were consigned to flames at his native place on Monday.

Paying tributes to the late leader, Shaikh said, "...he would always talk about the issues concerning the people of Maharashtra...the farmers have lost their leader. He is not among us. I am speechless." Kadam described Satav as his "big brother and mentor". Satav was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Pune after testing coronavirus positive last month and was on ventilator support.

A media release by the Jehangir Hospital in Pune had said Satav succumbed to "secondary pneumonia with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome". He had become "RT-PCR swab negative" on May 9, it said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The CoWIN portal will be made available in Hindi and 14 regional languages by next week, while 17 more laboratories will be added to the INSACOG network to monitor the variants of COVID-19, the health ministry said on Monday.

According to a statement by the ministry, these decisions were announced at the 26th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19, chaired by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, on Monday.

Vardhan informed his colleagues that 17 new laboratories are going to be added to the INSACOG network to increase the number of samples screened and allow for more spatial analysis, the ministry said.

The network is presently served by 10 laboratories located at different corners of the country.

Speaking on their contribution to the country's achievements today, Vardhan said, "India's new COVID-19 cases have dropped to less than three lakh for the first time after 26 days.

Also, a net decline of 1,01,461 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in the last 24 hours.

" He lauded the efforts of defence scientists and the leadership of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the country's first indigenous anti-COVID drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG (developed by the DRDO in collaboration with the INMAS and the Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories), the ministry said.

The research efforts for the drug started in April last year and ended recently, when the DCGI gave it the emergency-use approval (EUA).

The minister informed the members that the drug can become a gamechanger in the country's response to the pandemic as it reduces the dependence of patients on oxygen administration and has the potential of getting absorbed differentially and in a selected manner.

In the COVID-infected cells, it inhibits virus synthesis and energy production for the process.

He noted that the Centre continues to help the states under a "whole of government" approach to tide over the pandemic.

Over 4.22 crore N95 masks, 1.76 crore PPE kits, 52.64 lakh Remdesivir injections and 45,066 ventilators were distributed among the states and Union territories, according to the statement.

The Union health secretary apprised the meeting that the CoWIN platform is being made available in Hindi and 14 regional languages by next week.

Dr Sujeet K Singh, Director, NCDC, presented a detailed report on the mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and the Variants of Concern (VoCs) being reported in India.

He showed figures related to the state-wise prevalence of VoCs like the B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.

The B.1.1.7 lineage (UK variant) was found predominant in the samples collected in Punjab and Chandigarh between February and March, the statement said.

Dr Balaram Bhargava, Secretary, Health Research and DG, ICMR, made a presentation on the innovative changes in testing policy that would widen its scope of application and help in mass screening for COVID, particularly in peri-urban and rural settings, where the health infrastructure is relatively weak.

Deployment of mobile RT-PCR testing vans and amplification of RAT tests were presented as the way forward.

While the present capacity is around 25 lakh (RTPCR 13 lakh, RAT 12 lakh), this is projected to exponentially increase to 45 lakh (RTPCR 18 lakh, RAT 27 lakh) under the new testing regimen.

The DG, ICMR also informed regarding the home-isolation guidelines, which have been converted into Hindi and other regional languages for a wider reach.

Warning signs for hospitalisation, admission to ICU and for potential administration of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab were also highlighted.

S Aparna, Secretary (Pharma) informed that a dedicated cell has been created to coordinate production and allocation of the drugs in demand to treat COVID-19.

Stress was laid on the procurement and allocation of Remdesivir, Tocilizumab and Amphotericin-B.

She notified that the demand for Favipiravir too has increased, although the drug is not recommended in COVID medical guidelines.

She suggested IEC campaigns for a judicious use of these drugs.

The secretary (pharma) also highlighted that Remdesivir production has more than tripled in the country with government intervention from around 39 lakh to 1.18 crore vials per month.

The demand for Amphotericin-B, which is used in the treatment of mucormycosis, has also increased.

Five suppliers have been identified and efforts are being made for an optimal allocation of the drug.

The states were given one lakh vials from May 1-14, while avenues for import are being actively explored, the statement said.

The secretary (pharma) further emphasised that the states must make an equitable distribution among the government and the private hospitals and keep the public informed on availability and shop details, help prevent unnecessary stockpiling and ensure timely payments to the manufacturers.

Vardhan expressed his appreciation to all COVID warriors who have remained steadfast in their duty during the pandemic, "without showing any signs of deprivation and fatigue".

He was joined by Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep S Puri, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (I/C) and Chemical and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health, joined the meet digitally.

Dr Vinod K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog was also present virtually.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The NDRF on Monday said it has evacuated thousands of stranded people in the last three days in Gujarat, Kerala and Daman and Diu in view of Cyclone Tauktae.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that Tauktae has now intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm".

It is likely to reach the Gujarat coast by Monday evening and cross the state coast between 8 pm and 11 pm.

"Teams are continuously cutting and clearing heavy trees and electric poles that have been uprooted and crashed on roads. Extensive efforts are being made to bring the situation to normal in the affected states."

"In the last three days, the force has evacuated thousands of stranded people to safer places in Gujarat, Kerala and Daman and Diu and it is assisting district administration in mass evacuation of the people from the coast line," an NDRF spokesperson said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has earmarked a total of 101 teams, with 47 personnel in each, for undertaking relief and rescue operations in the aftermath of the cyclone in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Twenty-two teams out of these have been kept as reserve at various NDRF bases in the country and can be airlifted at a short notice, a senior officer said.

The spokesperson added that a total of 44 teams "are deployed in Gujarat where the landfall of the cyclone is anticipated between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) during the night of May 17."

He added that the headquarters of the force here is closely monitoring the situation through its 24x7 control room and is in close touch with state authorities to tackle this "big challenge" that has come when the coronavirus pandemic is raging.

The Indian Navy on Monday night evacuated 60 people out of 400 onboard two barges off the Mumbai coast in a challenging sea condition as Cyclone Tauktae roared up the western coast, officials said.

The Navy deployed three of its frontline warships to rescue the people onboard the two barges.

Navy officials said 60 people from one of the two barges were rescued around 11 pm.

Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said search and rescue operations would continue through the night for the remaining people.

The ships deployed to extend assistance to the two barges are INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Talwar, Navy officials said.

"On receipt of a request for assistance for a barge 'P305' adrift off Heera oil fields in Bombay high area with 273 personnel onboard, INS Kochi was swiftly sailed with a despatch for search and rescue assistance," the spokesperson said.

He said INS Talwar had also been deployed for the search and rescue operation.

"In response to another SOS received from barge 'GAL Constructor' with 137 people onboard about 8 nautical miles from Mumbai, INS Kolkata has been sailed with despatch to render assistance," Commander Madhwal said.

He said several other ships and aircraft had also been readied for HARD (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) operations in the wake of Cyclone Tauktae.

Earlier in the day, a naval helicopter rescued four crew members of an Indian vessel named the crew of 'Coromondel Supporter IX' that was adrift in the Arabian sea, according to the spokesperson.

He said rough seas due to Cyclone Tauktae resulted in flooding of the vessel's machinery compartments, rendering it without propulsion and power supply.

"In a swift response to SOS by an Indian vessel adrift in the Arabian Sea, a naval helicopter was dispatched for rescuing the stranded crew of Indian flagged Tug 'Coromondel Supporter IX', which was adrift North West of Mangalore, Karnataka," he said.

He said the helicopter was sent after attempts to rescue the crew by a boat failed.

About the Navy's response to deal with the fallout of the cyclone, the Navy spokesperson said 11 diving teams had been kept on standby for deployment in case of any request from state authorities.

He said 12 flood rescue teams and medical teams had also been kept ready for immediate response and deployment.

"Repair and rescue teams have been formed to undertake urgent infrastructural repairs post-cyclone if required," he said.

"Various ships along the Western seaboard are standby with aid and relief material for immediate assistance to affected areas as required and to provide assistance to fishing boats/ small boats stranded due to rough weather," he said.

Commander Madhwal said the Navy's maritime reconnaissance aircraft on surveillance were continuously broadcasting cyclone warnings to the fisherfolk.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Six persons were killed in Maharashtra's Konkan region in separate incidents related to the severe cyclonic storm 'Tauktae' while three sailors remained missing after two boats sank in the sea, a statement and officials said on Monday.

Of the six, three persons died in Raigad district, a sailor in Sindhudurg district while two persons were killed in Navi Mumbai and Ulhasnagar after trees fell on them, in Thane district, officials said.

Two boats anchored at the Anandwadi harbour in Sindhudurg district capsized, an official statement said, adding seven sailors were on board the two vessels.

Of them, a sailor, identified as Rajaram Kadam hailing from Devgad taluka in the district, died in the incident, while three others went missing.

The other three sailors are safe, the statement said.

As of 2 pm on Monday, 1,886 houses in Raigad were partially damaged, while five houses were destroyed completely due to the cyclonic storm, the government said.

Earlier, minister of state Aditi Tatkare said 2,299 families (or 8,383 people) were shifted to safer places in view of the cyclonic storm in Raigad.

The district received 23.42 mm rainfall till 2 pm, the statement said.

ALSO READ | Tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea: Why are they increasing?

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said a large number of trees fell in the Konkan region due to the cyclonic storm.

The government will have to send additional teams of its personnel to the affected region to restore normalcy once the cyclone threat is over, he said.

Pawar also urged people to not step out of their homes without any reason.

Thane district resident deputy collector Shivaji Patil said two persons were killed in separate incidents in Navi Mumbai and Ulhasnagar after trees fell on them.

One Vishal Naralkar was killed when a tree fell on him while he was riding a motorcycle in Navi Mumbai in the morning.

In another incident, a huge tree fell on an autorickshaw in which two passengers got crushed in Ulhasnagar in Thane district.

One of the two injured passengers died in the Ulhasnagar central hospital, an official said.

Meanwhile, gusty winds uprooted many trees in Thane and Palghar districts neighbouring Mumbai during the day, leaving many houses damaged.

Hoardings fell at many places, officials said, adding that electricity poles were also uprooted.

In Kalyan, two persons travelling on a two-wheeler were injured after a huge hoarding fell on them.

At least 13 houses in Palghar district were partially damaged during the day.

Palghar collector Manik Gursal said the cyclone alert in the district will remain in force till 8 pm.

In Thane district, more than 24 structures were damaged.

Palghar district disaster control cell chief Vivekanand Kadam said a boat anchored at Mahim Tembe village sank in the sea due to tidal waves.

No casualty is reported as the boat was empty at the time of the incident, he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has extended the suspension of all air services to 8 pm from 6 pm announced earlier due to the cyclone 'Tauktae'.

This is the third time in the day, the private airport operator has extended the closure of operations after first announcing it for three hours, starting 11 am.

ALSO READ | Cyclone effect: Orange, yellow alerts declared for heavy rains in 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh

"The closure of the flight operations at CSMIA has been extended further till 2000 hours of May 17," the private airport operator said in the updated statement.

Mumbai airport, which is the second busiest aerodrome in the country, is reportedly operating around 250 flights in a day due to low passenger demand amid the deadly and more virulent second wave of the pandemic.

Further, three city-bound flights operated by budget carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet were diverted due to the closure of all services at the city airport in the morning.

A city-bound IndiGo flight was diverted to Hyderabad and a SpiceJet flight to Surat, while one IndiGo flight was sent back to Lucknow, as per the airport.

Gusty winds and heavy showers lashed Mumbai and its neighbouring areas on Monday as the "very severe cyclonic storm" Tauktae headed towards Gujarat, uprooting trees and disrupting local train services in the metropolis, according to officials.

The Indian Army said on Monday it has put 180 teams and nine engineer task forces on standby to face any contingency as Cyclone Tauktae is likely to hit the Gujarat coast on Monday evening.

"Sector commanders and Divisional HQ (headquarter) are in touch with District Collectors and the Revenue Commissioner who is the nodal agency for relief activities in Gujarat," the Army said in a statement.

The Army said it has identified likely areas -- talukas as well as districts -- where the impact could be higher and it has geared up its columns to react immediately.

"Focus is to save lives, speedy clearance of routes to ensure movement of oxygen and standby arrangements at COVID hospitals," it mentioned.

High-speed winds uproot trees, power poles in Thane, strong winds at 114 kmph strike Mumbai

High-speed winds uprooted many trees and electricity poles, partially damaged two buildings besides many houses and in Thane and Palghar districts neighbouring Mumbai on Monday as the very severe cyclonic storm Tauktae was barrelling towards Gujarat, officials said.

Hoardings fell on the ground at many places.

In Kalyan, two persons travelling on a two-wheeler were injured after a huge hoarding fell on them.

A water tank on the terrace of a hospital broke and fell in the afternoon.

Also, a power supply line broke and fell on road in Bazarpeth area.

No one was injured in these incidents.

In Thane city, part of a building located in Lokmanya Nagar collapsed in the afternoon following heavy rains, a senior civic official said.

In Mumbra, the slab of a building located in Bhoir Compound crumbled.

No casualty was reported in both incidents.

In Kalva, also in the Thane district, the main entrance archof the Chatrapati Shivaji Hospital collapsed following heavy rains, officials said.

In the neighbouring Palghar district, at least 13 houses were partially damaged during the day.

Winds blew at 114 kmph in Mumbai on Monday afternoon as the extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae was passing close to the Mumbai coast barrelling towards Gujarat, civic officials said.

ALSO READ | PM Narendra Modi calls up Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani to take stock of preparations for cyclone Tauktae

However, as per the Mumbai IMD, the highest wind speed of 108 km per hour was recorded at the Colaba observatory in the afternoon, said Shubhangi Bhute, senior director, IMD Mumbai.

Earlier in the day, the civic body said the wind speed of 114 kmph, the highest during the day, was recorded around 2 pm at its automatic weather station located at Afghan Church in south Mumbai's Colaba area.

At the same time, the Colaba observatory witnessed the wind speed of 108 kmph, the civic body had said.

Bhute said Colaba and Santacruz observatories recorded 184 mm and 186 mm rainfall, respectively, between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm.

Earlier on Monday, the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Mumbai centre said its Colaba observatory recorded a wind speed of 102 kmph around 11 am.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up 60 automatic weather stations across Mumbai for day-to-day monitoring of the climatic conditions in the metropolis.

The Bandra-Worli sea-link was closed for traffic in view of the strong winds and people were asked to take alternate routes, a BMC official said.

Due to the strong winds, some plastic sheets covering the roof of a common passenger area at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai were blown away in the morning, a railway official said.

The area was cordoned off and the railway staff immediately attended to it, he said.

Gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and high tidal waves swept the coastal belts of Maharashtra and Goa as Cyclone Tauktae hurtled northwards towards Gujarat.

The cyclonic storm will intensify further and reach the Gujarat coast by Monday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The Army said it is continuously monitoring the situation for likely intensity, maximum impact areas and anticipated relief effort in coordination with civil administration, IMD, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and other agencies.

The cyclone's maximum impact is likely to be in Saurashtra region, including Diu.

Ten integrated teams are poised to be employed for aid to the civil administration of Diu, the Army said.

It said 10 teams have already been positioned in the Junagadh area while others are ready to move on short notice of the state administration after analysis of situation as it builds up.

"GOC (General Officer Commanding) of the Army Division located at Ahmedabad attended a coordination meeting chaired by the Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat and has assured all support," the Army noted.

At this meeting, it was discussed that all efforts should be made to open the roads at the earliest as Gujarat is a critical supplier of oxygen from its ports to outside state destinations.

The Army said it is providing assistance in creating power back up and making preparations for other contingencies at COVID Hospitals in the affected region including Dhanvantri COVID Hospital in Ahmedabad.

"180 teams (three teams in each column) and 09 engineer task forces (ETFs) spread over the geographical area are on standby at short notice factoring in all possible contingencies and COVID situation," it noted.

The IMD said on Monday that over one lakh people have been shifted from low-lying coastal areas in Gujarat, while 54 teams of the NDRF and SDRF remained deployed after IMD's warning that Tauktae will reach the state coast by Monday evening and cross it between 8 pm and 11 pm.

Suburban train services on Central and Western Railways were affected on Monday due to heavy rains and gusty winds in the wake of cyclone Tauktae heading towards the coast of Gujarat, officials said.

Services between CSMT and Wadala on Central Railway's Harbour line were suspended on Monday from 1:20pm due to water-logging on the tracks near Masjid station.

CR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Shivaji Sutar said water-logging was observed on the Up (going towards CSMT) and Down (going towards Panvel) tracks at Masjid station after which services were suspended on the corridor from 1:20pm.

He tweeted that trains on CR's suburban mainline, trans-harbour, BSU (Uran) and Wadala-Panvel routes were operational.

A tree-fall was also reported on the overhead wire at Dombivali on the CSMT-Kalyan section in the afternoon though no train was passing through at the time, officials said.

Earlier in the day, a tree fell on the overhead wire between Ghatkopar and Vikhroli stations, while services on the Harbour line were affected for a while after a vinyl banner fell on the overhead wire due to gusty winds, they added.

The disruptions on WR were in the latter part of the day, officials said, due to a tree-fall and tin sheets falling on overhead wires amid gusty winds.

These incidents took place in Churchgate, Dahisar, Virar, Umroli and Palghar stations, an official said.

WR CPRO Sumit Thakur said train services were affected in Virar after a tin sheet from a mall fell on the overhead wire, and it had to be removed after switching off electricity in the section.

In Dahisar too, a plastic sheet fell on the tracks from outside, while in Umroli, a roof cover touched the overhead wire, he said.

A tree fell on the UP fast line between Churchgate and Marine Lines which led to the suspension of both fast lines between the two stations, Thakur said.

On CR, train services between Nilje and Taloja stations were affected at 7:30pm after a Maharashtra State Electricity Board transmission line wire touched the rail overhead wire, due to which an outstation train had to be regulated at Panvel station, an official said.

While close to eight million people use the suburban system of Central and Western Railways in Mumbai and its metropolitan region daily, the services currently are available only to those mandated by the Maharashtra government amid 'break the chain' restrictions in place for the COVID-19 outbreak.
By PTI

MUMBAI: As Cyclone Tauktae continues to impact several states on the Western Coast including Gujarat, damaging structures, electricity lines, and uprooting trees, the India Meteorological Department on Tuesday informed that the cyclone is continuing to show a weakening trend.

The entire eye of severe Cyclone Tauktae has now crossed the Gujarat coast and lies overland.

"Its eye is disorganising and wall cloud is weakening", as reported by IMD in a tweet.

THE VSCS TAUKTAE LAY CENTRED AT 0330 HRS IST OF 18TH MAY 2021 OVER SAURASHTRA, NEAR LAT. 21.35N AND LONG. 71.20E, ABOUT 80 KM NORTH-NORTHEAST OF DIU AND 25 KM SOUTH OF AMRELI.



THE CYCLONE CONTINUES TO SHOW WEAKENING TREND. EYE IS DISORGANISING, WALL CLOUD IS WEAKENING.  India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 17, 2021

A very severe cyclonic storm with winds gusting up to 185 km per hour began making landfall on the Gujarat coast Monday night, after dumping heavy rains on Mumbai, forcing the evacuation of over 1.5 lakh people in Gujarat and leaving two barges with 410 people on board adrift in the Arabian Sea.

Tropical storm 'Tauktae' (pronounced as Tau'Te) which had intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, lies close to the Gujarat coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

"The landfall process of extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae has started as forward sector of eye of the storm is entering the Saurashtra coast to the east of Diu," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in Ahmedabad.

Six persons were killed in Maharashtra's Konkan region in separate incidents related to the severe cyclonic storm and three sailors remained missing after two boats sank in the sea, officials said.

Three persons died in Raigad district, a sailor in Sindhudurg district and two persons were killed in Navi Mumbai and Ulhasnagar in Thane district after trees fell on them.

ALSO READ | Tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea: Why are they increasing?

Major airports in the state shutdown operations till Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

Barring the Rajkot airport, which will remain shut for flights till May 19, other three major airports - Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara - will remain closed for both domestic and international flights till Tuesday, officials said.

The Ahmedabad airport, which suspended its operations on Monday evening, will resume flights after 5 am on Tuesday.

"The Ahmedabad airport is fully prepared for cyclone Tauktae, and as a precautionary measure our operations will remain suspended from 19:30 hrs, 17th May to 05:00 hrs, 18th May 2021," the airport said in a statement.

Both Vadodara and Surat airports suspended take off and landing of flights at 11 am on Monday and will resume operations at 1 pm on Tuesday, the officials said.

The Rajkot airport has announced that its operations, which came to a halt at 4 pm on Monday, will remain suspended till 11:15 hours on May 19.

The tropical storm 'Tauktae' (pronounced as Tau'Te), which had intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, lies close to the Gujarat coast, the IMD said.

The wind speed at the Union Territory of Diu was 133 kmph when the cyclone started making its landfall at around 9.30 pm, the Met office said.

The ESCS (extremely severe cyclonic storm) TAUKTAE lies close to Gujarat coast.

The landfall process started and will continue during next 02 hours, IMD said in a Twitter post.

"The forward sector of eye is entering into the land. The centre of the cyclone will cross Saurashtra coast to the east of Diu within next 03 hours. Outer cloud band lies over Saurashtra," the IMD said in another tweet.

An IMD official said the eye of the storm is likely to cross the Gujarat coast in about two hours.

"We expect that the eye of the storm will cross the coast in about two hours," said Assistant Director of the Gujarat Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty.

She said Tauktae, potentially the most devastating cyclone to hit Gujarat in almost 23 years, would make a landfall anywhere between the Union Territory of Diu and Mahuva town of Bhavnagar district just near Diu.

Gujarat Chief Minister also confirmed that the process of landfall has started.

He said coastal districts of Amreli, Junagadh, Gir- Somnath and Bhavnagar will face the maximum brunt as the wind speed would go up to 150 kmph when the eye of the storm would make a landfall.

"It is predicted that the landfall would happen after around 2 hours. The effect continues even after the eye of the storm would pass. Thus, the effect of the cyclone will remain till 1 am," Rupani told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Mohanty said the place above which the eye of a cyclone crosses is designated as the "place of landfall".

The Gujarat government has shifted over 2 lakh people from low-lying areas in coastal towns to safer places and mobilised disaster response teams 44 from the NDRF and 10 from the SDRF - officials said.

Two boats with seven sailors on board, anchored in the Anandwadi harbour in Sindhudurg district capsized, an official statement said.

As the cyclone moved past the Maharashtra coast in the morning, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport initially announced the suspension of operations from 11 am to 2 pm and later decided to keep all operations shut till 8 pm.

Over 1.5 lakh people were shifted from low-lying coastal areas in Gujarat, while 54 teams of the NDRF and SDRF remained deployed, an official said.

At least 17 COVID-19 patients on ventilator support in the Porbandar Civil Hospital's ICU were shifted to other facilities on Monday as a precautionary measure because of cyclone Tauktae which is heading towards the Gujarat coast, an official said.

The Centre has offered all help to Gujarat to deal with the cyclone and asked the Army, Navy and the Air Force to remain on standby to assist the administration if the need arises, the Gujarat government said.

ALSO READ | Cyclone-induced rains have affected Konkan farmers: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are in touch with the state government and have extended all possible help, said Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani after holding a meeting with collectors of coastal districts which are likely to face the maximum brunt of the cyclone.

The PM called up Rupani and enquired about the state government's preparedness to deal with the cyclone, the CMO said.

A major cyclone in Gujarat on June 9, 1998 had brought widespread death and destruction in its wake, particularly in the port town of Kandla.

While official figures had then put the death toll at 1,173, adding 1,774 went missing, media reports, eyewitness and volunteer accounts suggested that this was grossly an understatement.

A leading news magazine had then claimed that at least 4,000 people had died and countless went missing as bodies were washed to the sea.

The Indian Navy on Monday deployed three of its frontline warships after receiving messages to rescue 410 people on board two barges off the Mumbai coast.

The ships deployed to extend assistance to the two barges were INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Talwar.

"On receipt of a request for assistance for a barge 'P305' adrift off Heera oil fields in Bombay high area with 273 personnel onboard, INS Kochi was swiftly sailed with a despatch for search and rescue assistance," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

The oil fields are around 70 km southwest of Mumbai.

"In response to another SOS received from barge 'GAL Constructor' with 137 people onboard about 8NM from Mumbai, INS Kolkata has been sailed to render assistance," the Navy officer said.

A Navy spokesperson in Mumbai said in the night that the rescue operations on Barge 305 were being undertaken amid extreme weather conditions.

The Indian Coast Guard said it rescued 12 fishermen stranded around 35 nautical miles off the Kochi coast amid rough seas due to the cyclone on the night of May 16.

Gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and high tidal waves swept the coastal belts of Maharashtra and Goa as Tauktae hurtled northwards towards Gujarat.

Winds blew at 114 kmph in Mumbai on Monday afternoon as the cyclonic storm passed close to the Mumbai coast, civic officials said.

ALSO READ | Cyclone effect: Orange, yellow alerts declared for heavy rains in 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh

The highest wind speed of 108 km per hour was recorded at the Colaba observatory in the afternoon, said Shubhangi Bhute, senior director, IMD Mumbai.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday took stock of the situation in Mumbai, Thane and other coastal districts of the state in the wake of the cyclonic storm.

As Mumbai and other coastal areas continued to be battered with heavy rains, over 12,000 people were relocated to safer places from the coastal areas.

These include 8,380 people in Raigad, 3,896 in Ratnagiri and 144 in Sindhudurg districts.

On Monday, Mumbaikars woke up witnessing gusty winds and heavy showers due to the cyclone.

Many Mumbaikars are enjoying the change in weather amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, eight people have lost their lives so far in the Cyclone-hit coastal and surrounding malnad districts of Karnataka, officials said on Monday.

According to a situation report by Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority officials, till this evening, 121 villages in seven districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Belagavi have been affected by the cyclone.

Among the 121 villages affected, a maximum of 48 are from Uttara Kannada district.

Among the eight deaths reported, two each are from Dakshina Kannada and Belagavi, and one each from Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga, officials said.

While two deaths have been reported in Dakshina Kannada because of drowning in sea due to a tug being adrift, two died in Belagavi due to house collapse.

A fisherman who went to tie his boat died in Uttara Kannada died as he got hit by another boat, while one person died of electric mishap in Udupi.

One death each were reported in Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga due to house collapse and lightning respectively.

Damage to 387 houses have been reported.

Among them, 57 houses are fully damaged and 330 are partially damaged, the report said.

One animal loss has been reported from Dakshina Kannada.

A total of 711 poles, 153 transformers, 9,203 metres of lines, 56.2 km of road, 57 nets and 116 boats have been damaged, it said, adding that agriculture and horticulture crop losses haave been estimated in about 30 hectares and in about 2.87 hectares, respectively.

The Met department has forecasted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning with light to moderate spells of rain and gusty winds speed reaching 30-40 kmph is likely to affect Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Belagavi, Dharwad, Chamarajanagara, Ramangara, Bengaluru Urban and Rural, Ballari, Chitradurga and Chikkaballapura districts.

Officials on Sunday had said as the cyclone system was moving further north, towards Maharashtra coast, the cyclone's impact was likely to come down from Monday over the State.

Around 1,000 trained personnel from fire force, police, coastal police, home guards, SDRF have been deployed in the three coastal and neighbouring districts for rescue and relief operations, and NDRF teams have also been roped in.

Meanwhile, officials said all 9 crew members stranded on tug 'Coromandel' have been rescued.

Indian Navy's ALH helicopter has rescued four seamen stranded onboard the Tug which had run aground close to the coast of New Mangalore, while 5 of them were rescued by boat, they said, adding that they are being provided medical treatment.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has thanked the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for the rescue operation.

Mumbai airport resumes flight operations after 11-hour hiatus

Flight operations at Mumbai airport resumed on Monday night after being suspended for 11 hours due to the cyclone Tauktae.

More than 55 flights, both incoming and outbound, were cancelled at the city's till around 7.30 pm due to the closure.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had announced suspension of all air services, initially for three hours from 11 am on Monday due to the cyclone.

This was later extended eventually to 10 pm in different phases.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has resumed operations with effect from 2200 hours of May 17," the private airport operator said in a statement.

The airport operator said it has registered the cancellations of 34 arrivals and 22 departures, adding that a few airlines have decided to cancel services to Mumbai.

CSMIA, however, did not provide specific details.

Mumbai airport, which is the second busiest aerodrome in the country, is reportedly handling around 250 flights in a day due to low passenger demand amid the deadly and more virulent second wave of the pandemic.

Pre-pandemic, the airport was handling close to 1,000 aircraft movements per day.

The airport has also so far witnessed seven diversions, it added.

Winds blew at 114 kmph in Mumbai on Monday afternoon, officials said.

Several parts of Mumbai and neighbouring areas witnessed heavy downpour coupled with high speed winds.

The civic body said its automatic weather stations recorded an average 105.44 mm rainfall in the island city till 5 pm, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 61.13 mm and 114.78 mm rainfall, respectively.

The Mumbai Met department recorded 189 mm rainfall at Colaba observatory while a rainfall of 194 mm was recorded at Santacruz till 5.30 pm.

The civic H-East ward in the Western suburbs received the highest 242 mm rainfall during the day.

Chincholi area in Malad and K-East ward that includes Marol and Andheri East areas recorded 236 mm and 231 mm rainfall, respectively.

The Bandra-Worli sea-link was closed for traffic in view of the strong winds and people were asked to take alternate routes, another senior official of the BMC said.

The Colaba area in south Mumbai recorded a wind speed of 102 km per hour around 11 am.

As per the Mumbai IMD, the highest wind speed of 108 km per hour was recorded at the Colaba observatory in the afternoon, said Shubhangi Bhute, senior director, IMD Mumbai.

The wind speed of 114 kmph, the highest during the day, was recorded around 2 pm at the BMC's automatic weather station located at Afghan Church in south Mumbai's Colaba area.

At the same time, the Colaba observatory witnessed the wind speed of 108 kmph, the civic body said.

Local trains services of the Central Railway were disrupted between suburban Ghatkopar and Vikhroli for about half-an-hour as a tree fell on an overhead wire while a train was heading towards neighbouring Thane, a railway spokesperson said.

Services on the harbour line, that provides rail connectivity to Navi Mumbai, were also affected after a vinyl banner fell on an overhead wire between Chunabhatti and Guru Tej Bahadur stations around 11.45 am.

The banner was removed after about half-an-hour and train services were resumed, he said.

Due to the strong winds, some plastic sheets covering the roof of the common passenger area between the suburban and main lines at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) were blown away in the morning, he said.

The area was cordoned off and the railway staff immediately attended to it, he said.

Despite the civic body's claims of drains having been cleaned as part of preparedness for the upcoming monsoon season, there was water-logging in several low-lying areas of the city.

The Mumbai police tweeted about water-logging in six low-lying areas, including the Hindmata junction, Andheri subway and Malad Subway, crucial for the east-west connectivity.

A citizen in a Twitter post claimed a temporary pandal erected for vaccination in Dahisar was partially damaged due to the heavy rain and high velocity winds.

However, civic officials did not confirm it.

As a precautionary measure, the monorail services in the city were suspended for the day, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said.

This was a "prompt decision" taken for the safety of commuters, the MMRDA said.

Flight operations at Mumbai airport remained suspended for 11 hours before resuming on Monday night.

More than 55 flights, both incoming and outbound, were cancelled at the city's airport till around 7.30 pm due to the closure.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had announced suspension of all air services, initially for three hours from 11 am on Monday due to the cyclone.

This was later extended eventually to 10 pm in different phases.

According to civic officials, around 34 incidents of tree fall were reported in Mumbai since Sunday, but there was no report of any injury to anyone.

The civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has deployed officers of its transport and power wings at various locations, including control rooms for disaster management.

According to civic officials, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Navy were on alert as Cyclone Tauktae intensified to a very severe cyclonic storm and was passing close to Mumbai.

Six flood rescue teams of the Mumbai fire brigade were deployed at chowpatties and five temporary shelters each were kept ready in 24 civic wards of the city to shift citizens there if required, they said.

The IMD has predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai and suburbs within the next 24 hours and the speed of winds could go up to 120 kmph.

(With inputs from ANI and IMD).
By PTI

KOLKATA: High voltage political drama was enacted here on Monday as TMC supporters held demonstrations defying lockdown norms in various places, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered to court arrest protesting detention of two West Bengal ministers in the Narada case by CBI.

Meanwhile, all the four leaders have been granted bail by the Court.

Special CBI court judge Anupam Mukherjee granted bail to senior ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former minister Sovan Chatterjee after hearing their lawyers and the counsel for the agency, lawyer Anindya Raut said.

The court directed that each of the four persons will have to pay two sureties of Rs 25,000 each as bail bonds.

The four leaders were also directed to meet the investigating officer in the case once a fortnight till further orders and to co-operate with him.

The CBI prayed before the special court for judicial remand of the four arrested, while their lawyers pleaded for bail to them.

They were produced before the court through the virtual mode and the hearing in the case was also held online.

The four were kept at the CBI office in Nizam Palace following their arrest in the morning from their homes in different parts of Kolkata.

The CBI counsel placed the charge sheet in the case before the court through the online mode.

The CBI claimed that the four arrested leaders were ministers in West Bengal when the alleged illegal gratification from the sting operator took place in 2014.

Praying for 14 days' judicial remand of the four, the CBI counsel submitted before the court that all the four arrested are very influential persons and the investigation process will be hampered if they are released on bail at this stage.

He also claimed that evidence may be tampered with and witnesses in the case may be influenced by the accused persons, of whom two are ministers, one is MLA and the fourth is a former minister.

Appearing for Mukherjee, Hakim and Mitra, senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, and Chatterjee's counsel Sudipta Maitra submitted that they have cooperated with the investigation all along and as such there is no requirement for their custody at this stage, when the charge sheet in the case has already been submitted.

Banerjee, also a TMC Lok Sabha MP, submitted before the court that in a bribery case, there has to be a demand and acceptance of gratification.

He claimed that in the video that was produced, it was not seen that there was any demand by any of them.

Claiming that Mukherjee and Mitra are senior citizens, Banerjee submitted that the Supreme Court has directed that the police will not make unnecessary arrests owing to the pandemic situation.

He further submitted that Hakim, is the head of the board of administrators running the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and his remaining in custody will seriously jeopardise COVID-19 management in the city.

Banerjee also questioned the governor's authority to accord sanction to prosecute the four leaders.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had on May 7 sanctioned the prosecution of Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and Chatterjee on a request by the CBI on the ground that all of them were holding positions of ministers in the state at the time of the alleged commission of the crime.

The Narada sting tapes, which were made public before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal, were claimed to have been shot in 2014, wherein people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were allegedly seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of promised favours.

The sting was conducted by Mathew Samuel of Narada News portal.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the Narada sting operation in March, 2017.

The CBI had registered cases against 12 TMC leaders, many of whom are now in BJP, and an IPS officer.

TMC party supporters raised slogans against the BJP- led NDA government, and hurled stones and bricks at security personnel outside Nizam Palace, which houses the Central Bureau of Investigation offices here, protesting the arrests.

The agitators also burnt tyres and blocked roads in several other parts of the state, including Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts.

The CBI on Monday morning arrested the Trinamool leaders, as well as former minister Sovan Chatterjee, in connection with the Narada sting case in which politicians were purportedly caught taking money on camera.

The chief minister, who arrived at the CBI office around 11 am, "told our officers that they have to arrest her if they want her to leave Nizam Palace," sources in the central probe agency said.

The sources said Banerjee's actions are akin to interference in the probe handed over to the agency by the Calcutta High Court.

Banerjee who sat in `dharna for a few hours, later left Nizam Palace, while her nephew and party leader Abhishek Banerjee advised party supporters to abide by the law and not to break lockdown norms.

West Bengal has gone into a 15-day lockdown from Sunday to tackle a rising surge in Corona cases.

Apart from the CM, Chatterjee's estranged wife Ratna, who is now an MLA from Behala Purba, Hakim's daughter and other senior leaders of the Trinamool Congress also reached the CBI office.

Reacting to the arrests, TMC spokesman Kunal Ghosh claimed that the CBI action was a vengeful act and a fallout of the BJP's loss in the West Bengal assembly elections.

"The BJP is still not able to accept defeat in the polls after having made an all-out attempt to win. This is a reprehensible act."

"When the state is fighting the Covid situation, they are trying to create disturbances in such a manner," he said.

The ruling party MP Sougata Roy said this was a "vengeful and vindictive" decision by the central government.

"The CBI action is politically motivated," said TMC MLA Tapas Roy.

West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee dubbed the arrests as illegal, contending that the CBI move on the basis of the governor's sanction was unlawful.

"I have not received any letter from the CBI nor has anybody sought any permission from me as per the protocol," he said.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had recently granted sanction to prosecute all the four leaders, following which the probe agency finalised its charge-sheet and moved to arrest them.

"I do not know for what unknown reason they went to the governor and sought his sanction. The chair of the speaker was not vacant at that time, I was very much in office."

"This sanction is absolutely illegal and arresting anyone on the basis of this sanction is also illegal," Banerjee claimed.

Taking note of the widespread protests across the state, Dhankhar urged the CM to contain the "explosive situation" and asked her to weigh the "repercussions of such lawlessness and failure of constitutional mechanism".

The Trinamool Congress on Monday also wrote to Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra seeking "necessary action" under the law against CBI officials who arrested three senior party leaders "illegally".

Minister and president of West Bengal Trinamool Mahila Congress Chandrima Bhattacharya wrote the letter on behalf of her party and urged the city police chief to treat it as an FIR.

She pointed out that Speakers permission should have been taken and warrants issued before the arrest.

Commenting on the arrests, Bishwajit Bhattacharyya, former Additional Solicitor General of India, told PTI, it was possible impute a malafide motive other than legal to the development.

"While not going into the technicalities, one would assume that a minister in a state government would obviously present himself for any questioning by the arms of law."

"Since this is a four-year-old case with the evidence on tape, there is no question of tampering with it. Under those circumstances and given the Supreme Court observations on arrests, one fails to understand why these ministers are being arrested," Bhattacharyya said.

Senior advocate Arunava Ghosh told PTI the Assembly Speaker has no authority to sanction arrests under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Hakim, Mukherjee and Mitra were re-elected as MLAs in the recently concluded West Bengal assembly polls, while Chatterjee, who left the TMC to join the BJP, has severed links with both parties.

The Narada tapes were made public just before the 2016 assembly elections in the state.

The party also wrote to Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra seeking "necessary action" under the law against the CBI officials.

Minister and president of West Bengal Trinamool Mahila Congress Chandrima Bhattacharya wrote the letter on behalf of her party and urged the city police chief to treat it as an FIR.

Senior ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and MLA Madan Mitra were arrested by the CBI in connection with the Narada sting operation.

She alleged that leaving its "independent character", the probe agency is acting at the behest of the Centre and arrested them at the "direction" of state Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who has no authority to give such an order.

Bhattacharya claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are behind the entire episode.

They want to "malign our leaders in some way or the other as the BJP has failed to win the assembly election, she alleged.

"The three leaders being members of the WB Assembly, the Hon'ble Speaker should have been consulted and permission should have been taken from him before arrest which also have not been done," the letter read.

No warrant was produced before arresting the leaders, Bhattacharya said.

Besides the three, former TMC leader and minister Sovan Chatterjee was also arrested in the same case.

West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee earlier in the day dubbed the arrests as illegal contending that the governor's sanction to prosecute them was unlawful.

Dhankhar had recently granted sanction to prosecute the four leaders, following which the CBI finalised its charge sheet and moved to arrest them.

"His (the governor's) biasness is writ large from the fact that no step has been taken against Mukul Roy, MLA or Suvendu Adhikari, MLA both of BJP although there severe charges of CBI against them," the TMC leader said in the letter.

Roy and Adhikari, who had joined the BJP from the TMC at different times, were also accused in the same case.

The sting operation was purportedly conducted by Mathew Samuel of Narada TV news channel in 2014 wherein some people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were allegedly seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.

The tapes were made public just before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March, 2017.

Bhattacharya also said in the letter that Hakim is also the chairman of the Board of Administrators of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and plays a key role in controlling the pandemic situation in the city.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: The health department has managed to vaccinate only 120 persons against Covid-19 in Srinagar, which is one of the worst-hit districts in Jammu and Kashmir in the last eight days. The summer capital has reported 5900 cases and 69 deaths due to Covid in the same period.

According to official data, no jabs were administered between May 9-16 except on May 11, when only 120 persons aged above 45 were given the vaccine.

In the last eight days, Srinagar has recorded 5816 Covid cases with highest 920 cases on May 9 and lowest 379 cases on May 14. During the same period, 69 people have died of Covid-19.

Of the 20 districts in Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar is the worst-hit district.

Of the total 244608 Covid cases in thr UT, Srinagar has recorded 58030 cases since the outbreak of coronavirus last year and accounts for 23.72 per cent of the total cases. Of the 51623 active Covid cases in J&K, Srinagar has 8425 active covid cases, highest in any of the 20 districts in the Union Territory. Srinagar has 16.32 per cent of the total active cases in J&K.

A senior government official said there has been very low vaccination in the Valley including in Srinagar due to shortage of doses. We dont have Covid vaccines. We had received 50,000 doses on May 6 and those have been exhausted and there is no intimation on further supplies, he said.

Flu expert and Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) president Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan said if this is the state of affairs then the government will not be able to vaccinate those living in J&K. Dr Nisar, who is posted at SMHS hospital Srinagar, said he could not get a second jab of Covid vaccine at his own hospital. A few days back, my second Covid jab was due and I was told that there are no Covid vaccines in the hospital. I then had to beg the BMO of Magam, Tangmarg in north Kashmir to finally get the second dose, said DAK president, who had also tested positive for Covid in August last year.
A local painter arranges display at his studio in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on May 5, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

On Wednesday, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and several international organizations held a videoconference in which they criticized the "human rights" situation in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

As always, they used such loaded terms as "genocide", "concentration camps" and "massacres" in their blame game against the anti-terrorism and de-radicalization measures being implemented in Xinjiang. These allegations have long been proven to be lies, and so are not worth refuting again here at any length. Suffice to say there is no credible support for their accusations.

However, their pick of such emotionally charged words offer some clues about their own pasts. They use these words because they have committed these crimes in their own history.

The US is a fine one to talk about "genocide", considering the plight of the native Americans that inhabited the land before European immigrants arrived and. Before 1500, the number of native Americans in North America might exceeded 30 million. In 1890, it had dropped as low as 380,000. Is there any other word that better describes the decimation of the natives American peoples than "genocide"?

The similar crimes were committed by British in Africa during the peak of slave trade, which is true of almost all the other major Western powers. A commonly reached consensus is that Africa lost a population of about 100 million due to the slave trade. Even those Africans who survived their trips to the US in the bowels off ships suffered a high fatality rate. This too was a form of "genocide".

"Concentration camps" are of course associated with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. A total of 6 million Jews died during World War II, the majority of whom died in the concentration camps and death camps.

And "massacres" are crimes done by all the colonial powers, more than once. From Namibia to India, from Africa to Asia, wherever their colonial armies arrived they killed the locals. They are veterans at killing as well as lying and blaming.

It is to be lamented that there should be a need to remind people of the crimes committed by certain Western powers. But it is rather absurd and shameless for them to proclaim themselves as "human rights defenders" while falsely accusing others of crimes they themselves are guilty of. They have absolutely no qualifications to teach others about "human rights", when their own records are so tainted.

On its part, China has long been committed to improving the livelihoods of its people and defending their human rights.

It is time the Western countries sought to make amends for their own human rights violations before pointing accusing fingers at China.
In Australia's collective mythology, the outback plays a significant role. For others, it's a mythical land of extreme beauty and adversity that shaped the Australian psyche. For some, though, this is a false myth - a tale that "Australia wished to tell itself and desired to believe, of a property that had been taken from Aboriginal people," as author Alexis Wright puts it.

Outback

What is certain is that the enormous country, which encompasses 5.6 million square kilometers and includes the Northern Territory, much of Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, and a corner of New South Wales, is one of the world's few great untamed regions.

Putting Focus

Calla Wahlquist, Josh Nicholas, and Nick Evershed attempted to discover who owns the outback. They find some intriguing answers after months of digging. According to the knowledge they gathered, outback Australia is increasingly concentrated in land ownership, with a growing Indigenous farm.

Alexis Wright writes an essay on what "the outback" means to Indigenous Australians and the meanings of the word. "The word outback is an unfamiliar idea for Aboriginal people, implying that somebody is a long way from home, and home is somewhere else," she writes. "Whether we are in the desert, the jungle, or by the sea, we consider our country to be our home. The continent as a whole is our birthplace and the source of our well-being and sense of belonging."

Related Article: Climate Change Concerns Make Funding Australia's Fossil Fuel Industry Projects Difficult



Protecting the Outback

Protecting the outback also appears to take a back seat to reap the benefits of its abundant wealth. Graham Readfearn, an environmental reporter, and David Maurice Smith, a photographer, travel to Queensland's channel country to explore gas companies' proposed proposals to frack the fragile flood plain area. Although environmentalists and conservative elders raise the alarm, the prospect divides the local community.

There are some viable options for living in peace with the environment. For more than 65,000 years, the ancestral owners of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory have looked after their land. Photojournalist David Hancock travels to the glorious stone country to see the work of the Warddeken rangers, who use burning to administer their lands using Indigenous experience and western technology. They minimize wildfire destruction and greenhouse gas pollution, increase habitat, and provide a source of income for conventional custodians and their children due to their efforts.

Others, such as a small number of Western Australian farmers who have banded together to combat climate change, have devised remedies. Agriculture has long been blamed for the greenhouse emissions and harming the atmosphere due to field clearance. Journalist Rob Baird interviews a pastoral couple from Western Australia who are "living and breathing climate change now" and take action to fight it. They're planting trees, using no-till cultivation to reduce deforestation, and taking other measures to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

Australian Biodiversity

Many rare plant and animal species can be found in the outback. One is the dingo, but as Adam Morton learns, surprisingly little is learned about the breed for such a charismatic breed. He writes that how to handle dingoes - and whether or not to accept their existence - is still a contentious topic among Australians. Some, however, claim they play an important role in maintaining the ecosystem's equilibrium and should be preserved rather than hunted.

It's not easy to live in the outback. Power, water, utilities, and other facilities are not the same as in the area, and digital access is spotty at best, making remote healthcare difficult. Just a hardy few are left to provide for the wildland as the population declines. As Denise Cullen learns when she visits the tiny village of Barcoo shire, many that survive appear bound by the suffering. For others, the outback is indeed a place of possibility.

Also Read: Mammal Extinction Capital of the World: 5 of Australia's Critically Endangered Mammal Species

For more Environmental news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Condemning the Israeli airstrike on a building in Gaza that houses offices of international media outlets, some of Indias leading press associations on Sunday demanded that the targeting of journalists in the conflict zones must stop.

The Indian Womens Press Corps, the Press Association, and the Press Club of India issued a joint statement condemning the attack in Gaza.

The building was also used for residential purpose by the journalists and their families. There can be no justification for bombing media houses and targeting their personnel and resources. It appears as a clear attempt to prevent media houses from reporting excesses that have become a routine affair in Gaza and the occupied parts of Palestine, the joint statement read.

We condemn such attacks. We demand that targeting of mediapersons, who are working in violence-hit conflict zones, be completely stopped immediately, it added.

The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has put out a separate statement.

Given the recent background of escalating conflict in this region, EGI sees this as a de facto attack on news media by the Israeli government, which can disrupt the flow of news from this highly volatile region and which has global security implications. The Guild demands that the Israeli government give a detailed justification of the decision-making behind this attack.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Prolonged duty shifts, watching patients die every day or family members pleading to save their lives, doctors on COVID duty in Delhi say they went through unimaginable mental agony during the worst phase of the second wave of the pandemic.

From government hospitals to private facilities, the calamitous second wave in Delhi not only strained healthcare infrastructure to its limits, but also affected the physical and psychological well-being of doctors and other healthcare workers.

Dr. Suranjit Chatterjee, a senior consultant at Apollo Hospitals here, said the daily cases count dropping in the last few days has come as breather as it was an "absolute nightmare" in the COVID wards before.

"We are trained as doctors to handle pain and deaths in front of us, but the sheer number of fatalities everyday, when you see your patients in unbearable pain or their relatives pleading to save their lives or when they are struggling on ventilators, one feels helpless against this raging virus," he told PTI.

Chatterjee, himself a COVID survivor who was infected last year, said the last 20-25 days of his job has "changed his life".

"We are hardened professionals but we are also humans at the end of the day, and to see our own colleagues and family friends suffering in pain and then die with such a severity and frequency, it became unbearable," he recalled.

The senior doctor at the Apollo facility in Sarita Vihar said his daughter was infected this year too despite testing positive last year, and his in-laws too were hit by the pandemic.

"With such heavy duty stretching to about 15 hours, in wards and over phones, and lately the SOS calls would just not end day and night, and also reading about beds and oxygen crisis, as a doctor, we were stretched both physically and mentally and these last couple of weeks have been very agonising," he said.

Dr Richa Sareen, consultant, pulmonology at Fortis hospital here, who recently lost her immediate family member to COVID, said mental health of doctors are at an "all-time low" due to what they have undergone in the last few weeks.

"However, strong we may be as professionals, the human side is a bit vulnerable, and when you know the virus is spreading with an ominous pace and claiming lives of even the youths, one gets worried," she said.

Sareen, also a COVID survivor from last year, said recently her husband and son also tested positive.

"No one is trained to handle the kind of stress particularly the second wave of the pandemic has brought. At work, as doctors we are worried for well-being of our patients, and at home for our family. It's agonising to see people suffer and die every day in the ICUs," she said.

A large number of doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers and frontline staff in Delhi have lost their lives since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Delhi has been reeling under a brutal second wave of the pandemic that is sweeping the country, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with the recent oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals, adding to the woes.

The wave which began late March, spiralled up with over 28,000 cases being recorded on April 20.

The national capital had reported a record 448 COVID-19 deaths in a day and 18,043 cases on May 3.

Medical experts say while lockdown majorly has brought down the count of daily cases, but the severity of cases is still the same.

On Sunday, 6,456 cases and 262 deaths were reported while the tally was 6,430 with 337 deaths on Saturday, and 4524 cases and 340 deaths on Monday.

While Fortis' doctor Sareen reads books and watches movies to de-stress herself, Apollo's Chatterjee says, he listens to music while driving from work to home close to midnight.

"I have a very positive frame of mind, so it helps, plus having been a COVID survivor myself, I understand my patients better and empathise with them," Chatterjee said.

But, not just doctors and nurses, who felt mentally agonised during the last few weeks, even laboratory technicians, collecting COVID samples have emotional tales to tell.

"I pick up samples in south Delhi, and up until last few days, it was mayhem in Delhi. We were picking 18-20 samples in a day, which has now reduced to about half of that number. Many families, I went to for collecting samples for mite tests or repeat tests, had their members struggling in hospitals or already dead," said Sanjeev Kumar Mishra, a city-based lab technician, who has a franchise for a leading private lab.

"Many of these families, I know them by faces and names. Life has been tough, but this pandemic also connected us humans," he said.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday released the first batch of the DRDO-developed anti-COVID drug 2DG here in the national capital. Singh expressed hope that the medicine would be beneficial in the fight against the pandemic.

I thank all those who are associated in the research and development of this drug, including DRDO. 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) drug would be helpful in containing the virus. This is an example of our countrys scientific prowess, Singh said after releasing the drug.

From Monday onwards, hospitals will receive the supplies. A total of 10,000 sachets of the drug will be supplied to several hospitals in Delhi.

Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the Anti-COVID drug 2DG to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan (in pic 1). Dr Harsh Vardhan handed over the Anti-COVID drug 2DG to Delhi AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria (in pic 2) pic.twitter.com/4Pl6aBxprw  ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2021

The drug comes in a powder form in a sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique.

Not only has the drug been found assisting in oxygen dependency, it also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients, said the Defence Minister.

I have been informed that people who have been treated with this drug got well two-and-a-half days earlier. We have got to see that dependency on oxygen is reduced by 40 per cent. The best thing is it is in powder form which people can easily mix with water and use, Rajnath said.

The drug 2-DG was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad. It was given approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on May 8 for emergency use in moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. It was put through three phases of trials.

While assuring that the government is doing its best in dealing with the crisis across the country, the Defence Minister said there would be no impact on the borders.



Our soldiers are full of energy and enthusiasm, guarding the borders. We all know how much bigger the challenges are, we will overcome them, he said.

DRDO Chairman G Sateesh Reddy and AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria were also present on the occasion.
By Express News Service

RANCHI: Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), a network of activists and eminent citizens, has demanded that Stan Swamy, currently lodged in Taloja jail in Mumbai, be shifted to a hospital for the proper medical treatment.

Writing a letter to Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, JJM pleaded that looking at his health conditions and rising Covid cases in Taloja jail, Stan should be shifted immediately to a hospital.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy in Bhima Koregaon case on October 8, in a case related to the violence which erupted at an event to mark the 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle on January 1 in 2018, leaving one dead and several others injured.

The letter further added that Stan, who is a Parkinsons disease patient with severe tremors in both hands, is currently having fever and cough. He was given antibiotics by the Ayurvedic doctors but it did not help him much.

Stan Swamy finds it difficult to drinking from a glass, taking bath and washing clothes on his own. He also has serious hearing problem and needs hearing aid for both ears. He was also operated twice for hernia in the recent past, the letter said.

On May 14, Stan called up his colleague and shared that he was unwell. For the first time since his arrest, he said that he was feeling very weak. He is not able to speak even over phone and his condition has to be described by others, stated the letter written to the Maharashtra government. added.

Stan, according to JJM, has not even received first shot of Covid vaccine and is yet to be tested for the virus. Therefore, there is an urgent need to shift Swamy to a good hospital, stated the letter.

The JJM further said it would be really helpful if he is shifted to the Holy Family Hospital or Holy Spirit Hospital where his Jesuit colleagues can take care of him. Stan is an elderly and ailing person, with limited mobility and no history of violence against others, the JMM said in the letter.

A copy of the letter has also been sent to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India got off the blocks slowly to make Bharat Biotechs Covaxin an open source vaccine within the country for its mass production, as any company that participates in it would need at least six months for the assembly line to start rolling.

For, jabs such as Covaxin need highly sophisticated Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) labs, which is only available with Bharat Biotech at the moment. BSL-3 labs work with agents that could cause serious or potentially lethal disease through inhalation to the personnel, and may contaminate the environment, hence the high safety parameters.

While India has just over a dozen such labs at present, most of them are with academic institutions for testing and research. Upgrading existing BSL-3 labs to produce Covaxin is a long term process, says a senior Bharat Biotech official.

ALSO READ | Covaxin for above 45 years to last only one day: Delhi government

Sudhanshu Vrati, a virologist, told The New Indian Express, The government laboratories we have at present across India is only meant for research and are not designed for production. Even if a pharma company starts work to set up a BSL-3 lab, it will take at least three to six months to do so, after which it will require certification.

Even if we assume that government does the certification in a weeks time, vaccine production and hitting the market will take more than 6 months. Eminent virologist Dr Jacob John concurred.

He said even if the Centre ropes in additional labs to produce vaccines, it may take from three to six months for the vaccine to be produced.By that time, the pandemic itself would be over. We must have done this by October 2020, so that there was enough vaccine by January this year, Dr John said.

Call to hold talks with vax makers to ramp up production

By that time, the pandemic itself would be over. We must have done this by October 2020, so that there was enough vaccine by January this year, Dr John said. Criticising the Centre for not acting with foresight even now, K Sujatha Rao, former secretary in the Union health ministry, said: It has to act immediately for the results to kick in at least four to five months from now. It is high time the government called all vaccine manufacturing companies, discussed with them the challenges the country is facing and help them with funds and the wherewithal to produce the vaccine in the required quantities, at least four to six months from now.

ALSO READ | COVAXIN effective against COVID strains found in India, UK: Bharat Biotech

R amping up vaccine production is easier said than done, she said, since extreme care has to be taken while producing it as the vaccine involves using the attenuated strain of the Covid-19 virus to generate antibodies in the host, the human being, when administered.

Though we have about 15 BSL-3 labs, all of them cannot produce vaccine overnight. They have to be custom-built for Covid-19. This throws up another challenge. If the companies make an investment, and make the vaccine, then the price might be high like Sputnik-V. If the government wants to control the price, then it should fund the necessary changes that had to be made to BSL-3 labs, Sujatha Rao added. Last week, the Department of Biotechnology said it has provided financial support to Maharashtras state-owned company Haffkine Institute for manufacturing Covaxin.

Haffkine does not have BSL-3, but the state government said it will provide Rs 94 crore for upgrading the plant. It is expected to start production of 20 million doses per month from November. While Haffkine said it needed 12 months to complete the ramp up, it was asked to cut duration by half. It is now is expected to start production of 20 million doses per month from November. Two other PSUs, too, will make Covaxin. Besides, Bharat Biotech is reportedly in talks with another company, Panacea Biotec, for contract manufacturing Covaxin.

Gujarat-based Hester Biosciences, too, has shown interest in its production. A suggesting to set up an experts committee to examine the status of existing labs came from Dr Tribhuban Mohan Mohapatra, chairman of the multi-disciplinary research unit and head of the Covid testing lab at Banaras Hindu University. He urged the Centre to immediately set up the panel to inspect the existing labs and approve those that fulfil the criteria for vaccine manufacturing instead of wasting time in setting up new labs.

However, Dr Jacob John said the Centre has no role to play on vaccines anymore as the private companies are directly handling production. Although Odisha does not have a BSL-3 lab for manufacturing vaccine, Bharat Biotech has recently started construction of its new production unit at Andharua on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. If everything goes as per plan, vaccine production will commence by June 2022.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: The police in Kashmir have sent a clear message that pro-Palestine protests will not be tolerated in the Valley by arresting 22 people, mostly youth, in the last few days.

The Israeli attack on Gaza, in response to rocket firing by Hamas militants, has angered many in the Kashmir Valley.

On Thursday, youths staged two protests in Srinagar. In one of them at Padshahi Bagh, a graffiti artist Mudasir Gul put up a pro-Palestine graffiti on a bridge that depicts a woman wearing a scarf made of Palestinian flag with tears trickling down from her eye.

The graffiti had the message, We are Palestine to express solidarity with the Palestinians.

The next day police launched a crackdown on those who participated in the two protests. As many as 21 people, including the graffiti artist Mudasir Gul, were detained.

Two protests were held in Srinagar Friday on Palestine issue. They were identified on the basis of videography done during the protests, the police said. In south Kashmirs Shopian district, the police arrested cleric Sarjan Barkati for holding a special prayer for Palestinians during Eid.

These arrests send a clear message that police wont be allowing any kind of dissent or protests in Valley.

A police spokesman said the police is keeping a close watch on those who are attempting to leverage the situation in Palestine to disturb public peace in Kashmir.

We wont allow cynical encashment of the public anger to trigger violence in Kashmirs streets, he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Scientists associated with INSACOG, the government panel that conducts research on different variants of the coronavirus, said they were surprised at noted virologist Shahid Jameel's decision to quit the group and wondered whether he was disillusioned with the government's handling of the pandemic.

He quit days after he had said that scientists were facing "stubborn resistance to evidence-based policy making".

Jameel announced his plan to step down in a meeting of INSACOG held on Friday, said four officials and scientists who were part of it.

Requesting anonymity, they said Jameel's decision was not anticipated.

Calls and messages to Jameel went unanswered.

A scientist said the virologist did not give any reason for his resignation.

"In a meeting on Friday, he simply said that he was stepping down as the head of INSACOG," said the scientist who attended the meeting.

Another scientist who attended the meeting said, "Maybe, he was upset with the government (over its handling of the pandemic)."

The third scientist said the reason behind his decision to quit is not clear and added that Jameel's exit would not have much effect on the working of the consortium.

"The decision was not anticipated," the fourth scientist said, adding that he did not have any idea about it before Jameel's announcement on Friday.

The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) is a grouping of 10 national laboratories that was established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on December 25 last year after the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus like the ones first detected in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

These labs are National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani; Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar; National Institute of Virology, Pune; National Centre For Cell Science, Pune; Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad; Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad; National Centre For Biological Sciences, Bengaluru; National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Bengaluru; Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi; and National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi.

INSACOG has been carrying out genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating COVID-19 viruses, and correlating epidemiological trends with genomic variants.

However, it came under criticism after the second wave of coronavirus swept the country.

Jameel's quitting also drew criticism from the Congress.

Targeting the government, the Congress alleged there is no place for professionals under this dispensation.

The opposition party alleged that the "Modi government's aversion for 'evidence-based policy-making' has pushed India into the current crisis."

"The resignation of Dr. Shahid Jameel, one of India's best virologists, is really sad. Modi Sarkar has no place for professionals who can speak their mind freely without fear or favour," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

"How much longer will India suffer due to their ignorance," the party asked on its official Twitter handle.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asked if he quit on his own or was "forced to quit".

Jameel had made his displeasure clear over the government's handling of the pandemic.

In a piece on the second wave of coronavirus in the New York Times last week, Jameel wrote, "All of these measures have wide support among my fellow scientists in India. But they are facing stubborn resistance to evidence-based policymaking. On April 30, over 800 Indian scientists appealed to the prime minister, demanding access to the data that could help them further study, predict and curb this virus."

"Decision-making based on data is yet another casualty, as the pandemic in India has spun out of control. The human cost we are enduring will leave a permanent scar," he added.

In a webinar held by the Department of Biotechnology on the work done by INSACOG, Jameel had a message for people "who are fighting this pandemic through science or through administrative means".

He stressed that for this, one has to follow the process of three Ts --- truth, transparency and trust.

"If we are truthful in what we see and what we report, that brings transparency, and if we are transparent, that brings public trust and this is something that is going to be a very powerful tool in our fight against this pandemic.

"Science is a process that calls for evidence-based policy making and not a policy based evidence making. And this is something that we must never forget," Jameel asserted.

In a panel discussion last month, Jameel had said the data "is completely skewed, the data is completely false".

He also choked while sharing the plight of his professor friend who passed away unable to get a hospital bed and oxygen.

"All our science is useless. Everything right at this point seems very numb and very difficult to understand. And this is when idiots are talking about how well the UP government is doing," he said.

He said the situation is "completely messed up. We have lost the plot completely. There is nothing else to say. Mutants, variants, you can justify all this. Nothing matters. It is a complete breakdown of the whole god damn system."

"If you look at the test positivity rate of India, the test positivity is roughly is 17 per cent. I think it is much more than that. New infection rate is rising than the test positivity. That simply tells you that enough good data is just not coming. It's all being manipulated, it's all being managed," he said.

When asked whether the coronavirus data is being fudged, he replied, "Big time".
By PTI

SRINAGAR: Two unidentified terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar district in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Khonmoh area, in the outskirts of the city, following information about the presence of terrorists there, the police said.

The search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists opened fire towards security forces positions, they said.

Two terrorists were killed in the ensuing gunfight, the police said, adding that the identity and group affiliation of the slain terrorists was being ascertained.
By PTI

JAIPUR: The Jaipur unit of the World Health Organisation (WHO) donated 100 oxygen concentrators to the Rajasthan government here on Monday. The concentrators were handed over to state Health Minister Raghu Sharma who thanked the WHO for its cooperation in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sharma said that every possible effort is being made by the state government to overcome the lack of oxygen in the state. The oxygen concentrators being provided through corporate social responsibility (CSR) are supporting the government's efforts to tackle the pandemic, he added.

WHO representative Rakesh Srivastava said these contractors, worth about Rs 15 crore, were manufactured in Germany. He said that the concentrators have the capacity to produce 8 litres of oxygen per minute which can be increased to 10 litres per minute as per the requirement.
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: The Congress and the CPI(M), who formed an alliance against the TMC in the Assembly polls, condemned arrests of two ministers and one MLA in Narada sting operation case and raised question -- why two other accused Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy, who are now in BJP fold, were left untouched.

They also accused the saffron camp of practicing "revenge politics" and described the arrests as an attempt to divert peoples focus from the BJP-led central governments mismanagement to combat Covid-19 pandemic.

"At a time when the country is facing unprecedented crisis triggered by Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre swung into action by arresting TMCs two ministers, one MLA and another former minister of Bengal ruling party. The time of the action was selected to divert peoples focus on the BJP-led central governments mismanagement to deal with Covid-19 pandemic. The arrests are politically motivated. BJP should remember that the people of Bengal rejected their ideology in the Assembly elections," said CPI(M)s state secretary Suryakanta Mishra.

ALSO READ | Mamata Banerjee creating hurdles for CBI in its Narada sting operations probe: BJP

CPI(M)s Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said the CBI should book Adhikari and Roy as they are also co-accused in this case.

In the video footage released by Narada, Adhikari was seen have received money and IPS officer SMH Mirza was seen saying he was accepting the money on behalf of Roy. Mirza was the only 13 accused in this case who was arrested before the CBIs action on Monday.

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chhowdhury said the arrests of TMC leaders were unfortunate. "The Bengal is battling against the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 infection and the state government imposed stringent lockdown from Sunday. The CBIs act is nothing but BJPs politics of revenge. If these ministers can be arrested why BJPs two heavyweights were left untouched," he said.

TMC MP and spokesperson Saugata Roy described the arrests as a BJP move to avenge its poll debacle in the Assembly elections. "The BJP still cannot accept the verdict that the people of Bengal," he said.
An earthquake event that destroyed nearly all the towns in Mediterranean region followed by a devasting tsunami some time in 365 CE, in historical data, was identified with a Hellenic subduction zone (HSZ) event with a magnitude of 8.0 or higher. Scientists stated otherwise, revealing in a new study that the 'giant quake' was all along caused by normal faults.

Surely it has been quite a revelation that evidence of region's largest historically documented earthquake suggests that the most common type of fault was behind the Holocene coseismic uplift in Greece.

The uplift was so vast it exposed 'fossil beach' along the Crete coastline by up to 9 m. The fossil beach provided a major source of data for scientists to record the event.

In addition, other areas uplifted at the time included Cephalonia and Zante in the Ionian Islands, Lechaion and the Perachora Peninsula in the Gulf of Corinth, the Pelion coast of Thessaly, Antikythira and the whole of western Crete, a coastal sector near Alanya in southern Turkey, and the entire Levant coast from Hatay (Turkey) to Syria and the Lebanon.

The Origin

Previous studies assumed that the fossil beach was uplifted during a single earthquake in 365 CE, based on radiocarbon ages and historical earthquake reports. However, new data from exposed fossil shorelines recorded a unique finding that the uplift originated on normal faults.

"Our findings collectively favor the interpretation that damaging earthquakes and tsunamis in the Eastern Mediterranean can originate on normal faults, highlighting the potential hazard from tsunamigenic upper plate normal fault earthquakes," researchers said.

The 365 CE earthquake and uplift of the Krios paleoshoreline was centered on the Phalasarna fault and Sfakia fault zone offshore Crete.

While it is known that previous evidence considered the epicenter lies above the Hellenic subduction zone (HSZ) the largest, fastest, and most seismically active plate boundary in Europe, dislocation modeling suggests that the HSZ megathrust is unable to reproduce the paleoshoreline uplift in a single event.

Researchers admit that there is no enough radiocarbon data, historical reports, and archeologic findings that can make them distinguish between single and multistage uplift of the Krios paleoshoreline. However, 32 new data points and computer modeling pointed out earthquake cluster on normal faults.

"Based on these findings and the better consistency with the longterm record of crustal extension in the region, we favor a normal faulting origin for the 365 CE and earlier earthquakes," researchers concluded.

Also read: 8 Most Disastrous and Deadliest Earthquakes From the Last Decade

Future direction for tectonics and seismic hazard and understanding

The 365 CE event has undeniably shaped our current understanding of tectonics and seismic hazard of the densely populated Eastern Mediterranean.

Little did we know that multiple normal faults can be more dangerous than the unpredictable Hellenic subduction zone more than we can imagine. A wise man once said, "Never judge a book by its cover."

New findings suggest reassessment in terms of earthquake predictions and modeling. Researchers believe that we need a more comprehensive hazard characterization and adequate understanding of Mediterranean tectonics and earthquake hazards.

Also read: Unstoppable Sinking of Mexico: City's Water Security, Infrastructure at Grave Risk
By PTI

KOLKATA: Senior journalist Mathew Samuel whose brainchild was the Narada sting operation, on Monday said he is satisfied after the CBI arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers, an MLA and a former party minister in connection with its probe into the scam.

Samuel, however, expressed surprise that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not arrest former TMC minister Suvendu Adhikari, another accused in the same case who has joined the BJP.

Senior ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and former ministers Madan Mitra, who is now an MLA, and Sovan Chatterjee, were arrested in the morning.

They secured bail later from a CBI court.

Samuel said that steps against corruption are needed and investigations should be fair.

The sting operation was conducted by Samuel of Narada News, a web portal, in 2014 wherein some people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.

At that time, the four were ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government which also had initiated a probe against Samuel.

The operation was made public ahead of the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March 2017.

"It's quite satisfying to see these leaders arrested. The CBI could not do anything even if it had the chargesheet ready three years ago. They could not touch them," Samuel said when PTI contacted him.

"But I feel bad that Suvendu Adhikaris name is not there on the list of those arrested," Samuel said.

When pointed out that the CBI also did not take any step against former TMC MP and now BJP MLA Mukul Roy, another accused in the case, Samuel said that his is a different matter as there is no video evidence against him.

The arrests were made after Governor Jagdeep Dhankar gave the CBI the go-ahead to prosecute the four leaders.

West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee dubbed the arrests as illegal, contending that the governor's sanction to prosecute them was unlawful.
Sumi Sukanya Dutta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday said that Indias Covid testing capacity is being projected to be raised to 45 lakh per day from the current 25 lakh in the wake of the pandemic now engulfing rural and peri-urban areas of the country.

Of the 25 lakh testing capacity in the country at present, 13 lakh tests are RT-PCR tests and the rest are rapid antigen tests. In India, the actual daily tests to detect fresh coronavirus cases, however, has not even touched the 20 lakh mark.

In a ministers' meeting on Covid, chaired by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, it was highlighted that 17 more laboratories will be added to the existing network of 10 labs under INSACOG, a consortium for genomic and epidemiological surveillance of Covid in India.

Balram Bhargava, Decretary (Health Research) & Director General, ICMR, assured of innovative changes in testing policy that would widen its scope of application and help in mass screening for Covid particularly in peri-urban and rural settings where health infrastructure is relatively weak.

Deployment of mobile RT-PCR testing vans and amplification of RAT tests was presented as the way forward, said the Union Health Ministry in a statement following the meeting.

ALSO READ | Minuscule risk of blood clots with Covishield, no clots yet with Covaxin: Expert panel

The projected capacity of Covid testing in India is 18 lakh daily RT-PCR tests and 27 lakh rapid antigen tests.

S Aparna, pharma secretary, said that a dedicated cell has been created to coordinate production and allocation of drugs in demand to treat Covid patients. Manufacturers have also been advised to increase production of drugs.

The three-pronged strategy undertaken to ensure better availability of Covid drugs include identification of new suppliers and addressing operative issues faced by suppliers exploring all the possible ways to meet the demand, rational distribution of drugs to states to avoid hoarding and enforcement against hoarding and black-marketing.

As per the details shared, remdesivir production has more than tripled in the country with government intervention from around 39 lakh to 118 lakh vials per month.

Demand for Amphotericin-B which is used for treatment of mucormycosis, being seen in Covid1 patients post recovery, has also increased, said authorities and five suppliers have been identified and efforts are being made for optimal allocation of the drug.

Between May 1 and 14, states have been given 1 lakh vial of this drug and avenues for import are being actively explored, according to the Centre.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Convalescent plasma therapy has been dropped from the national treatment protocol for coronavirus as a suggested experimental treatment option for patients, days after the evidence from the recovery trial in the US showed that it offers no benefit.

The decision to remove it from the guidelines comes in the backdrop of some clinicians and scientists writing to Principal Scientific Advisor K VijayRaghavan cautioning against the "irrational and non-scientific use" of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 in the country.

In the letter, which was also marked to ICMR chief Balram Bhargava and AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, public health professionals alleged that the current guidelines on plasma therapy are not based on existing evidence and pointed out some very early evidence that indicates a possible association between emergence of variants with "lower susceptibility to neutralising antibodies in immunosuppressed" people given plasma therapy.

This raises the possibility of more virulent strains developing due to irrational use of plasma therapy which can fuel the pandemic, according to the letter signed by vaccinologist Gagandeep Kang, surgeon Pramesh C S and others.

"We are writing to you as concerned clinicians, public health professionals and scientists from India about the irrational and non- scientific use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 in the country."

"This has stemmed from guidelines issued by government agencies, and we request your urgent intervention to address the issue which can prevent harassment of COVID-19 patients, their families, their clinicians and COVID-19 survivors," said the letter.

"The current research evidence unanimously indicates that there is no benefit offered by convalescent plasma for treatment of COVID-19. However, it continues to be prescribed rampantly in hospitals across India," the letter said.

The guidelines have been issued by the ICMR and AIIMS, Delhi joint monitoring group under the union ministry of health and family welfare.

The off label use of convalescent plasma, despite evidence earlier that it offered no benefit to Covid patients in reducing mortality or disease outcome, has been part of Indias coronavirus treatment guideline as an investigational therapy.

It has often led kin of serious Covid patients to scramble for plasma, sometimes even by paying exorbitantly, despite under the existing norms it cannot be sold and purchased, in the hope of saving the sick in the absence of any definitive treatment for the disease.

Results from the randomised evaluation of Covid-19 therapy (recovery) trial, whose results were published in The Lancet on Friday said that the use of plasma therapy on hospitalised Covid patients does not improve survival rate or any other pre-specified clinical outcomes.

Earlier, a trial by the ICMR too, in September last year, had shown that the therapy does not benefit either in reducing mortality or arresting progression of the disease.

The trial, called PLACID, was carried out in 39 hospitals across 14 states and Union Territories.

The government however, had not dropped this investigation therapy from the Covid19 treatment protocol, despite suggestions by researchers and scientists that its rampant use may be leading to unwanted mutation in SARS-CoV2, a fact publicly acknowledged by the ICMR chief several months ago.

We have to maintain judicious use of therapies which are going to benefit, if their benefit is not established, we should not use those therapies otherwise they would put tremendous immune pressure on the virus, and the virus will tend to mutate more, ICMR director general Balram Bhargava had said in December.

Therapies that are well established should be used, and those that are not well-established, their judicious use has to happen.

Many experts have been saying that rampant use of plasma therapy without prior testing for neutralizing antibodies will do more harm than good but a lot of treating doctors in several parts of the country routinely ask attendants to arrange it for hospitalised Covid patients.

(With PTI Inputs)
By Online Desk

KOLKATA: In late night hearing, amidst raging coronavirus pandemic, Kolkata High Court on Monday stayed order granting bail to the four accused, TMCs two ministers, one MLA and former TMC minister, after the CBI moved the higher platform of the states judiciary challenging the lower courts order.

The High Court said it would hear the matter on Wednesday and till then the four accused, Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukharkjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee, will be in judicial custody.

Sources said the four will be taken to Alipore Presidency jail.

Earlier, TMC supporters held demonstrations defying lockdown norms in various places, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered to court arrest protesting detention of two West Bengal ministers in the Narada case by CBI.

Later, Special CBI court judge Anupam Mukherjee granted bail to senior ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former minister Sovan Chatterjee after hearing their lawyers and the counsel for the agency, lawyer Anindya Raut said.

The high court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation on April 16, 2017.

The agency submitted its charge sheet in the special court against the four, besides IPS officer SMH Meerza who is already out on bail.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the BJP-run Centre of using the CBI for political vendetta due to the saffron party's recent loss in the assembly election, after the agency arrested the four leaders, who were allegedly caught on camera while taking bribes in the 2014 sting by a news channel.

The CBI office at Nizam Palace in Kolkata became the latest political battleground in the state as chief minister Mamata Banerjee arrived along with the kin of these politicians and demanded that she also be arrested while angry protestors gathered at the site, defying the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, and hurled stones and bricks at security personnel.

In New Delhi, the CBI spokesman, R C Joshi, said the agency "today arrested four then (former) ministers, the government of West Bengal in a case related to the Narada sting operation. it was alleged that then public servants were caught on camera while receiving illegal gratification from the sting operator".

During a virtual hearing, where the agency submitted its charge sheet, Special CBI judge Anupam Mukherjee granted bail to all four after hearing their lawyers and the counsel for the agency, lawyer Anindya Raut said.

Soon after, the central agency moved a division bench of Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta HC Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee seeking cancellation of the bail.

The division bench said it deemed it appropriate to stay the special court's order and direct that the "accused person shall be treated to be in judicial custody till further orders".

The CBI was represented in the high court by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta.

On a day of fast-paced events, Banerjee sat on a dharna from 11 AM to around 5 PM demanding the release of the TMC leaders, reminiscent of her protest against the CBI's move to question the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in 2019 in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.

The CBI officials said Banerjee's actions are akin to interference in the probe handed over to the agency by the Calcutta High Court.

As the news spread, hundreds of TMC supporters gathered defying the ongoing lockdown, raised slogans against the BJP-led NDA government and clashed with security personnel.

The agitators also burnt tyres and blocked roads in several other parts of the state, including Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts.

Taking note of the widespread protests across the state, state governor Jagdeep Dhankhar urged the chief minister to contain the "explosive situation" and asked her to weigh the "repercussions of such lawlessness and failure of constitutional mechanism".

The CBI had approached the West Bengal Governor seeking sanction to prosecute Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and Chatterjee, the officials said, adding the sanction was received on May 7, following which the CBI finalised its charge sheet and moved to arrest them.

The case pertains to a purported sting operation conducted by Mathew Samuel of Narada TV news channel in 2014 in which TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were purportedly seen receiving "illegal gratification" from representatives of a fictitious company for favours, the CBI has alleged.

The agency has alleged that Hakim was seen to have agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from the sting operator while Mitra and Mukherjee were caught on camera receiving Rs 5 lakh each.

Chatterjee was seen receiving Rs 4 lakh from the sting operator, it added.

The tapes became public just before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal but had no impact on the poll results and Banerjee returned as the chief minister of the state.

The CBI had named 13 persons in the FIR registered on April 16, 2017, which included four TMC leaders-Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and Chatterjee, who held the position of ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government in 2014.

Hakim, Mukherjee and Mitra were re-elected as MLAs in the recently concluded West Bengal assembly polls, while Chatterjee, who left the TMC to join the BJP, has severed links with both parties.

The sanction to prosecute the remaining eight FIR accused, all the then Members of Parliament, has not been accorded yet, officials said.

The sanction for prosecution by the governor was questioned by the West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee who contended that the arrests were illegal.

"I have not received any letter from the CBI nor has anybody sought any permission from me as per the protocol," he said.

"I do not know for what unknown reason they went to the governor and sought his sanction. This sanction is absolutely illegal and arresting anyone on the basis of this sanction is also illegal," Banerjee claimed.

Reacting to the arrests, TMC spokesman Kunal Ghosh claimed that the CBI action was a vengeful act and a fallout of the BJP's loss in the West Bengal assembly elections.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh condemned the protests by TMC workers and said the agitation, amid the COVID-19 lockdown, only shows that they have no respect for the law of the land.

Left Front Chairman Biman Bose in a statement also said the central investigating agency did not take any effective step in all these years and questioned why other politicians tainted in same Narada scam and currently in BJP were let off.

"The Narada issue could have been addressed much earlier, but that was not done. Instead at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented devastation, the CBI action is nothing but a cover up of colossal failure" of the ruling party at Centre, the CPIM-led front said.

Stating that tackling the Covid-19 pandemic remained the most important task before the country, before the state at present, Bose said "TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee should keep in mind she definitely got the anti-BJP mandate of the people of the state she should remember people did not support the corruption and autocratic practices of her party leaders."

"Left front believes to prevent a dangerous force like BJP coming to power, TMC should stop giving indulgence to corrupt people. We strongly oppose the conspiracy of BJP when fighting corona pandemic on an urgent basis should be our top priority," the statement said.

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Ashwani Kumar on Monday said, "The imprint of partisan politics is writ large in the blatant abuse of prosecutorial processes by the CBI against political adversaries of the ruling BJP."

Kumar said detention of the accused militates against recent judgments of the Supreme Court that scoffs at routine incarceration of political activists.

"The insistence by the CBI on detaining the accused who are public men of high standing and not expected to tamper with the course of justice, is clearly an abuse of authority," he asserted.

The former law minister added that depriving the citizens of their fundamental liberties is clearly against the first principles of the country's libertarian constitution.

"Bail and not jail is the fundamental tenet of our criminal and libertarian jurisprudence. The CBI's insistence on custody of the accused is therefore, wholly unsustainable in law. The manner of exercise of power of law enforcement in a democracy is accountable to constitutional imperatives. And it is important that justice is not only done but is also seen to be done," he said.

(With PTI and ENS inputs)
V Suryanarayan By

A matter of great concern for India since Independence has been the future of Burma, a country with which it shares land and maritime boundaries. Three years before Independence, Indias ambassador-historian Sardar K M Panikkar had underlined the strategic significance of Burma in the following words: The defence of Burma is, in fact, the defence of India and it is Indias primary concern, no less than Burmas, to see that its frontiers remain inviolate. In fact, no responsibility should be considered too heavy for India when it comes to the question of defending Burma.

In the early years of Independence, Jawaharlal Nehru played a significant role in bolstering Burma politically and militarily. In fact, like Indonesia, Burma and its leadership were very close to New Delhi. Professor Werner Levi, the distinguished political scientist, even remarked that Burma was Indias satellite.

Two snapshots would reveal how close Nehru was to the leaders of Burma. January 1948. It was an extremely cold winter. General Aung San came to New Delhi on his way to London to finalise the terms of the transfer of power. Seeing him clad in cotton suits, Nehru told Aung San that London would be extremely cold and he should have woollen suits. He took his woollen overcoat from the wardrobe and put it around Aung San. He also arranged two woollen suits to be made and gave them to him. Aung San Suu Kyi, delivering the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi in November 1994, reminisced about this incident to narrate the close camaraderie between her father and Nehru and how the Burmese nationalists always looked to him for guidance and support.

Soon after its independence, Burma was plunged into a civil war. The assassination of Aung San was followed by armed revolts led by the communists, Kachins and Karens. Even the security of Rangoon was threatened by rebel forces. Indian concern was naturally sharpened with the emergence of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949, which shared common borders with both India and Burma. Nehru persuaded the Commonwealth countries to provide military and economic aid to Burma. Indian assistance encompassed both military and economic assistance and also the bolstering of the U Nu regime. It aimed to have a friendly, non-aligned and non-communist buffer between India and China. It was also to prevent the destabilisation of northeast India, where the Nagas, Mizos, and Meities straddle the India-Burma border.

Indias principled stance continued for many years. But during the Rajiv Gandhi era, with J N Dixit as the foreign secretary, New Delhi began to get closer to the military regime. The change was dictated by strategic considerations. The rebels in the NortheastNagas and Mizos in particularwere supported by China with arms and they used Burmese territory to go to China. The military brass felt that if we got the Burmese armys support, we would be able to contain the threat posed by the rebels. There had been several occasions when the Indian Army, in hot pursuit, entered Burmese territory to carry out their fight against the rebels. The result was the betrayal of the democratic forces in Myanmar. In the course of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial lecture, Suu Kyi, more in sorrow than in anger, expressed her anguish over India letting them down. To quote: I was saddened to feel that we had drawn away from India, or rather that India has drawn away from us, during our very difficult days, but I always had faith in the lasting friendship between our peoples. She emphasised friendship between peoples, not friendship between governments because, she added, governments come and go, and that is what democracy is all about. A good friend of mine, who retired as secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, was present in the meeting. He told me that he felt ashamed when Suu Kyi expressed her innermost feelings about GoIs changed attitude.

Myanmar is now sitting on the top of a volcano. According to a recent report of the International Crisis Group, Myanmar is edging towards a state collapse. The Report adds the army has lost both trust and confidence. The political, social and economic turmoil is getting worse and unless the global community intervenes in a big way, refugees would start pouring into neighbouring countries. Media reports suggest there is every possibility that the ethnic rebels, for tactical reasons, may join forces with democratic forces.

The Myanmar Army is making exaggerated claims that it is consolidating power and the protests are fizzling out. On March 7, the Armed Forces Day, the military held a massive parade of troops and weapons. Elsewhere they were shooting down unarmed civilians, killing 158, including 14 children. All neighbouring countriesChina, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laosas also Pakistan, Russia, and Vietnam sent their representatives to witness the parade.

In its official statements, the GoI has stated it would work for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. But it sounds hollow in the context of Indias participation in the military parade on March 6, which implies providing legitimacy to the military establishment. The need of the hour is for New Delhi to mobilise international support for the restoration of democracy, raise the issue in the UN Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council; work for an arms embargo to the military; impose economic sanctions on military-owned business interests, and send special delegations to various countries to explain the true nature of the military regime. These suggestions are unlikely to find favour with the powers that be in New Delhi. What is more, the present military regime could count on Chinas strong support.

While advocating a pro-activist policy towards Myanmar, all sections of public opinionmedia, trade unions, human rights organizations and political partiesshould come together and express their solidarity with Suu Kyi and the voiceless people of Myanmar. Her stirring lecture, which I have referred to earlier, has raised the basic question: What should be Indias policy towards democratic struggles in neighbouring countries? Can we remain silent when democratic institutions are slowly facing extinction? We cannot adopt a policy of cynicism and opportunism as China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and few member states of ASEAN are pursuing today.

Pro-democracy forces in different parts of the world have occasionally suffered reverses. But the logic of history and the justness of the cause would surely bring about a turn for the better. Did not the dictatorial regimes in the Philippines and Indonesia crumble before the combined might of the people? India should not be caught utterly unprepared, a fate that befell the ASEAN governments when the detested regimes of Marcos and Suharto were flung into the dustbin of history.

Suu Kyi pointed out in the Joyce Memorial Lecture a few years ago: The dream of a society ruled by loving kindness, reason and justice is a dream as old as civilised man. Does it have to be an impossible dream? Karl Popper, explaining his abiding optimism in so troubled a world as ours, said that darkness had always been there, but the light was new. Because it is new, it has to be tended with love and diligence.

V Suryanarayan

Senior Professor (Retd), Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras

(suryageeth@gmail.com)
In a move aimed at reducing the pressure on the overburdened medical fraternity, the Chennai Corporation has recruited a group of final-year MBBS students as trainee medical officers for Covid duty in Tamil Nadu. This comes a fortnight after the Centres review meeting that decided to incentivise final-year medical and nursing students to help out.

These students will be tele-counselling and making data entries, but may also be roped in for hospital duty on a Rs 40,000 monthly stipend. They will have to make calls to home quarantined patients to enquire about their SPO2 levels, comorbidities, etc., ensure food distribution and garbage collection in their houses, and coordinate with hospital facilities for more serious cases. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi have already taken this step. Gujarat was the first, having made it compulsory in July last year for final years to report for pandemic duty on a stipend of Rs 500 per day. It threatened to debar them from examinations and invoked Section 188 of the IPC and the Disaster Management Act, 2005, if they did not report for work. A group of students had even moved court, citing exposure to the disease, but it was turned down, stating the medical profession warrants students to step in for service during such critical times. Internationally, too, the US and UK have roped in final-year students into the healthcare system. Italy deployed more than 10,000 students to general practitioner clinics and senior citizens institutes to help experienced doctors focus on hospital duty. But this has opened up a debate on whether it is right to get students into this risky duty. Questions have been raised about whether they would be provided with insurance cover. The Maharashtra government is the first to announce a Rs 50 lakh insurance cover, apart from the Rs 30,000 remuneration and free accommodation for them.

According to ethics in the medical profession, primum non nocere (do no harm in Latin) means a doctor has to be careful about not taking any step that may worsen the patients condition. The TN government must keep that in mind while tweaking its policy to induct students into the Covid fray.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently shared his concern over the acceleration of Covid infection in rural India. The situation is acute because the rural healthcare infrastructure is generally pathetic and certainly in no shape to handle the pandemic at a time when its urban counterpart is still struggling to arrange oxygen and ICU beds to save lives. A hint of the scale of the rural crisis came from the bodies floating on the Ganga and those buried in shallow pits on the rivers banks. Some estimates suggest at least 2,000 such bodies have been spotted along Uttar Pradeshs riverine districts. Whether or not those deaths are Covid-related and have been accounted for is a mystery. Just to understand the magnitude of the challenge, as many as 70% of India lives in villages. The State Bank of Indias economy bulletin Ecowrap on May 7 said the share of rural districts in new cases increased to 45.5% in April and 48.5% in May as compared to 36.8% in March.

The first wave created a false sense of security as home-bound migrants didnt seem to carry the infection, and the Bihar election in October-November was Covid-free though all norms were flouted. That added to the general overconfidence in rural India on their robust immunity. Lakhs of Punjab farmers had massed at Delhis gates protesting against the farm reform laws during the whole of winter, nonchalantly ignoring advisories that they could get infected. The virus struck as winter waned and has now ravaged the whole of Punjab.

Many villagers seem to be living in denial even if they develop symptoms, indicating an awareness deficit. To the urban mind, such awareness drives on the phone may be irritating, as the Delhi High Court sniped in a different context, but they ought to be pursued in the local dialect relentlessly in rural areas. Training and equipping panchayati raj institutions with materials like pulse oximeter and digital thermometer, collating basic data from each village daily, and arranging for isolation and doctor consultation for positive cases, is the bare minimum the state could do to protect rural lives. Prodding villagers to shed vaccine hesitancy is paramount if we are to successfully contain the virus.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the medical examination of rebel YSRC MP K Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju, who was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) for his alleged hate speeches, at the Army Hospital at Secunderabad in neighbouring Telangana. Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju had earlier told the Andhra Pradesh High Court that he was tortured in police

custody.

A division bench of the SC comprising Justice Vineet Saran and Justice BR Gavai passed the order on a Special Leave Petition filed by the MP against the Andhra Pradesh High Court refusing bail.

While passing the orders, the bench said the petitioner will be taken to the Army Hospital, Secunderabad, for examination and the same would be treated as judicial custody. The bench also said the High Court of Telangana will nominate a judicial officer who will be with the petitioner during the examination.

The bench also directed the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh as well as the Registrar General of the Telangana High Court to carry out its orders. The bench said that the MP's examination will be videographed and the medical reports should be submitted to the court in a sealed cover and posted the matter for further hearing to May 21.

According to the SC orders, the MP must be taken to the Army Hospital, Secunderabad, on Monday itself and the expenses of the treatment must be borne by the MP.

The AP High Court had on Sunday asked the CID to implement the lower court orders to shift Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju to a private hospital in Guntur. After the Medical Board constituted by the AP High Court examined the MP to check the veracity of the allegations that he was tortured in police custody, the CID officials shifted Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju to prison instead of a private hospital in Guntur for treatment.

The CID officials did so based on the earlier order of the High Court itself constituting the Medical Board. The court had left the matter of deciding whether to treat the MP as an in-patient to the Board. Since the Board found the MP to be in perfect health, the CID officials shifted him to the prison.

Reacting to the SC order, government sources pointed out that the government had nothing to do with his medical examination as it did not oppose this in the High Court.
By Express News Service

KURNOOL: Two suspected black fungus deaths were reported in a span of 48 hours in Kurnool. Both of the patients, said to be in their 30s and 60s, were undergoing treatment at the government general hospital in the city. Health authorities, however, said they could not confirm if the deaths were due to the fungal infection as no samples were collected from the deceased.

Meanwhile, a Covid patient suspected to be suffering from the severe fungal infection was sent to Hyderabad after his health deteriorated. Stating that the cause of the deaths was unclear as samples from the two patients were not collected, GGH superintendent Dr Narendranath Reddy said one of the two patients, from Guntur, was admitted to the hospital with severe proptosis, and the other was from Anantapur district.

The deaths were reported on Friday and Saturday, and the bodies were handed over to their relatives as per Covid protocol, the superintendent said. He, however, added the doctors who treated the duo suspected that they might be suffering from black fungus.

District medical and health officer Dr Rama Giddaiah said some physicians at Kurnool GGH and private hospitals suspected that the victims were suffering from black fungus without any medical confirmation.

If any doctor gets suspicious that a patient has the fungus, they must collect samples and send the to microbiology or virology labs. Only then should they announce the results based on facts, he added. Till now, no such samples were collected, he added.

Microbiology Head of the Department (HoD) of Kurnool GGH Dr Surekha said the hospital has not received any such samples from the physicians and doctors. The state reported its first suspected black fungus case in Kakinada on Saturday. A 55-year-old medical representative was reportedly infected with it after his recovery from Covid-19.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Rebel YSRC MP K Raghu Rama Krishnam Rajus wife Rama Devi has alleged that there is a conspiracy to eliminate her husband in the Guntur prison on Sunday night itself, where he was shifted from the Guntur General Hospital.

Rama Devi made these comments soon after the MP was shifted to the prison after the medical board constituted by the High Court examined him at the Guntur General Hospital. Later, the High Court asked the CID to shift the MP to Ramesh Hospital as per the orders of the CID court where Raju was produced on Saturday.

They are planning to kill him in jail tonight. I dont even know if they have caused some harm to him already, Rama Devi alleged and added that on Friday night itself, the CID sleuths resorted to third degree methods on her husband asking him to withdraw the plea filed by him in the CBI court in Hyderabad seeking cancellation of bail to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the alleged disproportionate assets case against the latter.

Rama Devi alleged that people from Kadapa have already been lodged in the Guntur prison and they might cause harm to her husband. CID chief PV Sunil Kumar and the Chief Minister would be responsible if anything happens to my husband, she said.

Is he a terrorist or a criminal (to be treated like this)? All the criminals are (let loose) in the city. Are we in a democracy? The Chief Minister has to answer. The CM and CID chief are the culprits, she said and added that the government and the investigation agency are not even following the orders of the High Court.

Uma Devi questioned as to how the CID can shift the MP to the prison even before the case was heard in the court. The case was supposed to come up for hearing at 12 noon today, but the medical report was not submitted to the court till evening and even before it was submitted, he was shifted to the prison, she said.

Meanwhile, Kanumuri Bharath, son of the MP, lodged a complaint with the Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla about the abduction of his father from their residence in Hyderabad on Friday without following the law. My father was tortured the whole night of Friday, he alleged.
The Supreme Court has ruled that Intratrek Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited, which is owned by Wicknell Chivayo, is trying to avoid trial and has something to hide that could be unearthed if the trial was proceed.

Justice Chinembiri Bhunus judgment comes after High Court judge, Justice Tawanda Chitapi, absolved Intratrek of any wrongdoing or causing delays in the implementation of the project and declared the contract valid, extant and enforceable.

But the Supreme Court, allowing Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC)s appeal, said the two parties should have first argued the matter in court.

Intratrek recently sued ZPC in the High Court when it applied for a declaration confirming that the contract for the Gwanda Solar Project was valid, coupled with an order for specific performance.

In default of that order, it wanted US$25 million in damages. The validity order was granted by the High Court.

Justice Chitapi had ordered that Intratrek must be paid when ZPC had said no work was done, but Justice Bhunu reversed this judgment.

In his recent judgment, Justice Bhunu observed that Chivayo tricked the High Court because ZPC would have revealed all underhand dealings that have taken place from the time the contract was awarded.

ZPC is being represented by Advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara.

The respondents endeavor to avoid trial in the face of glaring material disputes of facts gives the unmistaken impression that it had something to hide that could be unearthed in the course of trial proceedings.

Considering that the respondent was represented by a competent firm of legal practitioners, it is inconceivable and not in the least probable that it was ignorant of the proper procedure to adopt in the circumstances of this case, ruled Justice Bhunu.

He further stated that the respondent deliberately chose the wrong procedure to shield itself from the glare of a full-fledged trial to wood wink the court a quo, and it succeeded.

The respondent took a dive into the dark and deliberately threw all caution sounded by precedent to the wind. This, therefore, is a proper case where the court a quo should have expressed its displeasure by dismissing the application with costs, he said.

The Supreme Court ruled that a full hearing was required in the civil lawsuit between Intratrek Zimbabwe and ZPC, before the High Court three years ago, the Supreme Court has ruled in an appeal judgment is in the process of being overtaken by events.

ZPC and Intratrek had signed $172 million agreement for the construction of the Gwanda solar project as part of Government efforts to address crippling power shortages. ZPC claimed the contract failed to meet conditions within the agreed period of 24 months.

However, Intratrek filed a lawsuit disputing the claims and making a counter claim that ZPC, as contractor, had frustrated implementation of the project, hence breached the contract. Newsday
Ramu patil And Chetana Belagere By

Express News Service

BENGALURU : The clock is ticking away for Karnataka on the vaccine front even as the anticipated third wave looms large. Over 82 per cent of those eligible for Covid vaccinations are yet to be inoculated against the dreaded disease, while 66.4 lakh beneficiaries are waiting for their second dose.

In absolute numbers, those waiting to be vaccinated account for about 4.22 crore across the state among the vaccine-eligible population of about 5.11 crore people (above 18 years of age). The numbers show a grim picture. The Health Department may find it extremely difficult to speed up the vaccination even as it grapples with shortages.

From January 16 (when the vaccination programme was launched) till May 16, up to 1,11,88,143 people have been vaccinated. This includes those who have taken the first dose and those completing both doses.

As per data accessed by The New Indian Express, the states total target was to vaccinate 8.6 lakh Health Care Workers with both doses, but so far only 4,60,437 have completed both vaccines. At least 2.4 lakh health care workers are waiting for the second dose, while 1.6 lakh for their first dose. To vaccinate this segment, the government requires 5.6 lakh doses.

Frontline workers require 5.4 lakh vaccines in total

MEANWHILE, among frontline workers (FLWs), of the total six lakh target, 1.2 lakh are still due for their first dose and nearly 3 lakh for their second shot. A total of 5.4 lakh vaccines are needed for this group. The Health Department officials, however, confirmed that the state has only 1.5 lakh doses of Covaxin and 6.5 lakh of Covishield. The Centres decision to extend the interval between two doses of Covishield (which is the maximum number of vaccines administered in the State) from the existing sixeight weeks to 12-16 weeks will give a breather to 1.68 lakh people.

However, public health experts say the State still needs to vaccinate 4.40 lakh people waiting for the second dose of Covaxin and it cannot wait as they have already completed four weeks. The State Government lacked micro-planning when Covid vaccination drive first began, but at least now, this needs to be set in place, say experts.

According to Dr Giridhara R Babu, epidemiologist, Public Health Institute, and member of state Covid Technical Advisory Committee, The State Government needs to micro-plan. There is no other option. Procurement and supply of vaccines will surely happen. But if we dont have proper micro-level planning, well still end up not vaccinating even 50 per cent of our population with both doses.

Those who are due for the second dose will also keep waiting over many more months. Dr Manjunath CN of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases says, We will soon see the third wave. The idea was to vaccinate the entire population before that, which is by August or at least before October.

However, to vaccinate 4.22 crore people with the first dose and 66.4 lakh with the second dose, we require 9.12 crore vaccines. He points out that if the entire vaccination- eligible population is to be covered, 4 to 4.5 lakh vaccinations need to be carried out per day.
By Express News Service

KASARGOD: Central University of Kerala on Monday suspended an assistant professor who, in an online class on 'Fascism and Nazism', called the RSS and the BJP proto-fascist organisation.

Vice-chancellor H Venkateshwarlu suspended Dr Gilbert Sebastian, an assistant professor in the Department of International Relations and Politics, pending an enquiry.

Earlier, he had set up a three-member internal committee to look into the allegations of misconduct against the faculty member.

The committee members were Prof K P Suresh, dean (Academics), Prof M S John of the Department of IR and Politics and controller of examination Dr Muraleedharan Nambiar.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students' wing of the RSS, has threatened mass protest if the VC did not take action against the faculty member.

The university had also got a complaint from A Vinod Karuvarakundu, a member of the National Monitoring Committee on Education (SCs, STs, Persons with Special Needs and Minority Education) under the Ministry of Human Resource Development in connection with his online class.

He alleged Dr Sebastain tried to "instill hatred and poison" in the minds of the first-semester MA students against the democratically elected government headed by Narendra Modi.

In the online class held on April 19, Dr Sebastain said: "The RSS and its affiliate organisation, together called as the Sangh Parivar meaning the Sangh family (including the BJP) in India can also be considered proto-fascist".

Proto-fascist movements are those influenced by classical fascist organisations.

He added that, Spain under General Franco, Portugal under Salazar, Argentina under Juan Peron, Chile under Pinoche, the apartheid regime in South Africa, and the Hutu ultranationalist and supremacist movement of Rwanda in the early 1990s could be considered proto-fascist, and posed a question whether India under Narendra Modi since 2014 was one.

In the same class, the assistant professor also criticised the government for exporting vaccines at a time when the country's vaccine needs were not met. "That shows their patriotism," he said.

His PowerPoint slides and audio of the class were made public.

Student organisations such as the CPM's Students Federation of India and the Congress's National Students Union of India defended Dr Sebastian saying any action against him would amount to infringing on the academic freedom of teachers and students.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shadow Cabinet, a voluntary initiative to evaluate the state cabinet, has urged the new government to limit the number of ministers to 14 and to avoid political appointments in their personal staff.Keralas total public debt, including guarantees, would come to around Rs 3.26 lakh crore. Covid-19 has further strained the state finances and the new government could set a model in expenditure control by limiting the number of ministers to 14. Apparently, the LDF leadership has spoiled the opportunity, if reports on the new cabinet having 21 ministers are true, says John Joseph, a core committee member of Shadow Cabinet.

It blames coalition politics for the gradual rise in the number of ministers in Kerala. The number rose when all coalition partners, even those with a single MLA, were given ministership by both the LDF and the UDF. Considering the total number of MLAs, 140, a 14-member cabinet is sufficient for the state if the portfolios are divided judiciously, says the Shadow Cabinet committee.Another suggestion put forward by the committee is to avoid political appointments in ministers personal staff.

As per the prevailing norms, the chief minister, opposition leader and chief whip can appoint 30 personal staffers. Ministers and those with Cabinet ranks can appoint 20 each. Around 490 persons in total. A good majority of them would be party workers and relatives of ministers, says John Joseph. All of them are eligible for a salary and pension on par with government employees of the same rank.

The state could save a huge sum every year if these appointments are by way of deputation from government employees. The central government and many state governments are doing that. It is a sham for the state to follow an undemocratic and non-transparent system in these appointments, he adds. Dr J Prabhash, former pro-vice-chancellor of the Kerala University, says it is high time the state limited the number of ministers and Cabinet-rank appointments.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF government which will be sworn in on Thursday will be more inclusive in nature compared to the previous LDF government. Despite having a clear majority of their own, CPM and CPI have decided to accommodate almost all parties in the front. To facilitate that, four of the single-MLA parties have been asked to share two cabinet berths equally, it is learnt.

The strength of the cabinet will be 21, the maximum possible number, considering the total strength of the assembly. In the 2016 cabinet, the only member from the single-MLA parties was Ramachandran Kadannappally of Congress (S). The CPM will have 12 ministers including the chief minister; CPI will have four and Kerala Congress (M), NCP and JD(S) one each in the cabinet.

Loktantrik Janata Dal (S) will be the only LDF constituent that will be left out of the cabinet as the CPM still insists that they consider JD(S) and LJD as a single unit. The request by RSP(L) MLA Kovoor Kunjumon for a cabinet berth has also been turned down as the party is not a constituent of the LDF. On Sunday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior CPM leaders met representatives of all constituents separately.

The Kerala Congress (Mani) reiterated its demand for two cabinet berths, citing that they have five MLAs and they are the third largest constituent in the front. It is learnt that the CPM told party leader Jose K Mani that instead of the second minister, they would be given the chief whip post with cabinet rank.

The JD(S) and NCP couldnt name their nominees as the national leaderships of both parties havent made up their mind. K Krishnankutty and Mathew T Thomas have staked claim for the post in the JD(S) while A K Saseendran and Thomas K Thomas are fighting for the single berth allotted to NCP.

According to sources, the CPM and CPI have suggested KC(B) and Congress (S) to share one cabinet berth and DKC and INL to share one. That means K B Ganesh Kumar and Ramachandran Kadannappally will share a cabinet berth for 30 months each while Antony Raju and Ahamed Devarkovil will share the second berth for 30 months.

On Monday, the LDF state committee will meet to finalise the structure of the cabinet and the turns of rotation. The JD(S) national leadership will declare the partys nominee on Monday while NCP will declare its nominee on Tuesday.

The KC(M) is likely to assign Roshy Augustine as the minister while the chief whip post may be given to N Jayaraj. On Monday, the KC(M) parliamentary party elected Roshy Augustine as its leader and N Jayaraj as the deputy leader. The CPM and CPI state committees will meet on Tuesday to finalise their nominees in the cabinet.

The LDF leadership also decided to go ahead with the swearing-in ceremony scheduled at the Central Stadium here on May 20. Considering the Covid-19 situation and triple lockdown, the number of attendees will be limited to 200 to 300. All attendees need to carry the RT-PCR test negative certificates with then. N95 masks will also be mandatory to enter the venue. The LDF legislative party will meet on Wednesday to formally select Pinarayi Vijayan as its leader. Pinarayi will then visit Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to stake claim to form the government formally.
By Express News Service

KENDRAPARA: A pall of gloom descended on Durgadevipada village under Rajkanika police limits in Kendrapara after a 26-year-old man died of Covid-19 on Saturday, five days after his marriage.

Sanjay Kumar Nayak from the village worked in a private company in Bangalore and had returned home on May 7 as his wedding was scheduled on May 10 with a girl of nearby Deulasahi village.

Nayak experienced severe fever and cold before his wedding but the families went ahead with the ceremony fearing heavy financial losses upon cancellation of the same. Three days into the marriage, Nayak tested positive for the virus and was advised to be in-home isolation.

When his condition deteriorated on Saturday night, his family members decided to take him to Bhubaneswar but he succumbed on the way, informed Dr. Bibek Rout, medical officer of the CHC.

After his death, a medical team rushed to Durgadevipada on Sunday and collected samples of five family members. Contact tracing is on for other attendees of the wedding.

The village already has a medical camp to conduct Covid testing. Another migrant death in the district has raised questions on the efficacy of the administration that is unable to check the spread of infection among locals in such cases.

They live in small houses at their workplaces with poor sanitation and limited access to potable water and proper healthcare. They are the most vulnerable who are now suffering, said Jagajiban Das, a trade union leader.
Omjasvin MD By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: When the election results were declared on May 2, the subdued celebrations across the State belied the DMKs anxious 10-year wait to return to power. Unlike other governments, this DMK government took charge knowing fully well of the biggest adversity that it would face and must resolve in this term. The one-month delay in declaring the poll results had already hampered the States efforts to quell the pandemics second wave. More waves are in the offing, experts say.

In the first week of May, ambulances began queuing outside hospitals with beds being scarce and patients were left gasping for precious oxygen. The situation has not changed much even now. So, lets have a look a what the new government has actually accomplished in just a matter of days after coming to power.

Even before taking oath as the Chief Minister, MK Stalin convened a meeting of officials to discuss Covid-19 mitigation efforts. With bringing experienced and honest officials to top posts, and ramping up the number of oxygen beds in all hospitals, the DMK-led government has seemingly started the battle on a war-footing.

Seasoned politician and former Chennai Mayor Ma Subramanian was made the Health Minister, the hot seat at the moment. Immediately, he began inspection of city hospitals and ordered an addition of 12,500 oxygen beds. The Chennai Trade Centre was also soon upgraded to an 800-bed oxygen facility. About 360 beds were opened to patients on May 11, without much fanfare, and presently about 70 patients are being treated at the centre, officials said. Another 500 beds will be introduced by May 25.

The plan is to shift severe patients recovering in tertiary hospitals to this facility and make more beds available in bigger hospitals. Speaking to Express, Health Minister Subramanian said, We are enhancing the health services in suburban areas. In Avadi, we added 50 oxygen beds, and another 50 more at Velammal Surapet. A Siddha care centre too will be opened there. Apart from this, orders were given to ramp up at least 250 oxygen beds at Stanley GH, while Chennai Corporation too began distribution of oxygen concentrators to government hospitals for the benefit of patients waiting for admission.

) HR and CE Minister Shekhar Babu inspecting the Covid care centre at

Don Bosco school in Egmore on Sunday, as Corporation Commissioner

Gagandeep Singh Bedi and MP Dayanidhi Maran look on

Gagandeep Singh Bedi, a senior bureaucrat who handled the 2004 Tsunami and 2015 Cuddalore floods relief efforts, was recently appointed the Chennai Corporation Commissioner. The civic body will more strictly enforce the Covid treatment protocols. For symptomatic patients, we provide medicines during testing itself. We will also ramp up the vaccination drive and we aim to vaccinate one lakh people between May 15 and 18, the corporation commissioner said.

So far, the corporation has received over 900 oxygen concentrators and it has handed over 90 per cent of them to government hospitals. These concentrators will help patients who are in ambulances outside the hospitals waiting for beds to clear up. We have further given orders for 2,900 more oxygen concentrators. The Tondiarpet Communicable Diseases Hospital, Chennai Trade Centre and Injambakkam UPHC now have oxygen beds, Bedi added.

Apart from these measures, the civic body, in a first, recruited over 135 MBBS students for Covid containment efforts and also doubled its zonal enforcement teams to implement the lockdown, which was announced as the last option to control the massive spread. On the vaccine front, the Chief Minister has decided to call for global tenders to procure 3.5 crore doses of vaccine, as the State was not receiving enough supply of vaccine doses from the Central government and manufactures in the country. This move was lauded by many and the DMK had earlier written to the Central government, urging for a free-vaccination-for-all policy.

To integrate requests for oxygen and beds, the State set up an exclusive Covid-19 war room to monitor all calls. This war-room, which connects all calls from 104 helpline numbers, strengthened the containment measures and helped to streamline requests from across the State, at a single spot. On May 14, CM Stalin made a surprise visit here and helped in allotting bed for a grieving patient. With the government taking up the challenge head-on, the test positivity rate (TPR) in Chennai dipped from 26.6 per cent on May 9 to 21.7 per cent on May 14. Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan said that though the TPR is declining, people should not let their guard down.
Omjasvin MD By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Monday advised citizens against steam inhalation, saying it was not part of the guidelines for treatment of COVID-19.

The ministers caution comes a day after steam inhalation photos and videos went viral on social media.

Coimbatore Souths BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan had inaugurated a steam inhalation vehicle in her constituency and faced criticism from netizens. The Railway police too had installed about a dozen portable inhalation steamers at the Chennai Central Railway Station, receiving a similar feedback.

ALSO READ: Oxygen shortage: Private hospitals ask Covid patients to move out to govt facilities in Chennai

According to a statement from the health department, the Health Minister cautioned people against the use of steam inhalation on seeing videos from social media.

Videos of steam inhalation are being spread on social media. The steam may go through their mouth and also affect their lungs. Apart from this, when they open their mouth to inhale steam, chances of them spreading the virus to others also is high, the Minister cautioned.

He said that the state governments COVID-19 treatment protocol was formed based on the WHO guidelines and the steam inhalation technique cannot be considered as a treatment as per the guidelines.

Since COVID-19 is a virus that affects the lungs, people must not do steam inhalation by themselves without consulting a doctor, the Health Minister said.

He said that the Siddha treatment methods at the Covid Care Centres are being done under the supervision of a team of doctors and the Tamil Nadu government.
Harish Murali By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday ordered the suspension of all judicial work in subordinate courts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till further orders.

According to an official memorandum issued by the registrar general of the high court, except for remand purposes and other unavoidable matters, all judicial work in the subordinate courts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will remain suspended until further orders.

During the hearing on Monday, Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee said that the decision has been taken because of the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state and the death of a district principal sessions judge in Tirunelveli due to the virus.

ALSO READ: Chennai man arrested for misbehaving with staffer carrying out COVID-19 survey

All litigants and lawyers have been prohibited entry into the court complexes in all the subordinate courts unless unavoidable and with the permission of the judge in charge, the memorandum said.

The High Court on Monday extended all existing interim orders granted by the courts as of April 30 till June 30.

Since it may not be able to produce remand prisoners before courts all remands stand extended till June 30. This would apply without prejudice to rights of affected persons to be released on bail in the meantime, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said.

The judicial officers and staff members of all the subordinate courts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are instructed not to attend court except when necessary, added the memorandum.
B Anbuselvan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has dropped weddings from the emergency event category as the new inter-district travel restrictions came into force on Monday to contain COVID-19.

The site to register for inter-district travel (https://eregister.tnega.org) allows only three options for this using private vehicles. They are medical emergencies, elderly care and death and funeral rituals. The site mandates submission of documents in proof for the above reasons.

However, those who want to travel to other districts to attend weddings or for other non-emergency purposes can still do so via trains or flights.

ALSO READ: COVID-19: TN health minister advises against steam inhalation, says it's not part of guidelines

A senior state government official said, Those travelling for marriages or any other non-emergency purpose now have to choose either train or flight. While booking the tickets, travellers have to furnish their details, thus separate registration in the government portal is not needed."

Last year when the government imposed similar inter-district travel restrictions, weddings were categorised as an emergency event and people were allowed to travel using e-pass. The fresh curbs for attending weddings are imposed after reports that weddings resulted in family clusters in many districts. However, there are no restrictions for the general public for travelling within districts to attend weddings.

There is also no provision for e-registration for daily wage labourers working in fruit and vegetable markets which are allowed to function till 10 am. S Sathish Kumar, a resident of Chengalpattu who is a supervisor at Koyambedu market, said he had no option to register for the trip. I have to travel to and fro Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur and other places for ferrying fruits, but there was no option to register."

However, the government has enabled provision for e-registration for continuous process industries and those manufacturing essential commodities which had been exempted from the lockdown. The companies are allowed to register for employee vehicles under the category of MSME and large scale industry.

Similarly, suburban trains which receive travellers from Vellore, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts are also exempted from e-registration. Suburban tickets are given only to government staff who are engaged in essential services. As the general public are not allowed to travel by suburban specials, travellers from Chengalpattu, Arakkonam and Kancheepuram do not require

e-registration, explained the official.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government on Monday boycotted Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal's virtual meeting with the Education department secretaries of the States. This was in protest of the union minister directly interacting with the officials, rather than the state ministers.

The School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi told media persons that his department has received a communication from the union government that there would be a meeting with the Education Secretary on various subjects including implementation of New Education Policy 2020. In response, he wrote a letter to Centre underscoring the fact that it would be better if the discussions are held with the State Minister instead of doing that at the official level since a new government has assumed office in Tamil Nadu. But there has been no response to his letter.

"Despite our request to hold discussions at the Minister-level, the Centre has chosen to go ahead with its plan to hold discussions only with the officials. Protesting this, we have boycotted this meeting. We don't have any intention to confront the Centre but our protest is based on our principles," the Minister said.

The Minister said there are many issues in the NEP 2020 - three language policy, public examinations for the standards III, V and VIII, to be discussed at length, further pointing out that the DMK has already opposed many aspects of the NEP 2020. The Centre did not consider the views expressed by the party.

The key issues being discussed in the meeting chaired by the union education minister are online education during Covid-19 period, implementation of National Education Policy 2020 and whether class XII exams are feasible in the current scenario.

The Union Minister is also scheduled to interact with Vice Chancellors of Central Universities on Tuesday and is likely to hold a meeting with the Directors of IITs and IIMs later this week.
FORMER Deputy Drime Minister in the inclusive government, Arthur Mutambara has claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwas coup-based government was not yet ready to surrender power to civilians.

They committed treason in 2017, are they ready now to give up power? This is our dilemma in Zimbabwe, Mutambara said during a virtual public discussion hosted by the Southern Africa Political Economy Series (Sapes) Trust last Thursday which discussed the topic The Stampede towards 2023 Elections: is history about to repeat itself again in Zimbabwe.

They are now coup-proofing and consolidating power, hence the constitutional amendments. 2018 had to be won by any means necessary by the regime because it couldnt institute a coup and hand over power to the opposition. 2023, whats new? We are still in the context of a coup. Why would you think the junta is ready now to surrender power to civilians? That is our dilemma in Zimbabwe, he said.

Former Zanu PF politburo member and ex-Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo said the ruling party was in panic mode ahead of the 2023 elections and will use every trick in the book to win the polls.

Moyo said the 2023 elections would be won by cartels controlling fuel, foreign currency and food and who would come in handy for Zanu PF. He said cartels who were holding all the key economic fundamentals were linked to Zanu PF.

Now these are controlled by cartels which have emerged since the coup and all the cartels are very much connected with the State and Zanu PF, Moyo, who is in exile after allegedly fleeing from attempted assassination by the military during the 2017 coup, said.

He said Zanu PF and the Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC-T were afraid of elections and this was evident by the immobilisation of the opposition.

The judiciary has gone deeper into that crisis by its involvement in the party politics, the politics of major parties  the MDC Alliance and Zanu PF  notably through the controversial and dubious March 30 2020 Supreme Court judgment which had two implications that affect whether or not the next election will be history repeating itself, he said.

According to a report published by South African publication Daily Maverick in February, Zimbabwe is under the control of cartels across various economic sectors, including mining, energy, transport and agriculture.

Moyo said the ramifications of the Supreme Court in Parliament where Zanu PF, previously without a two-thirds majority, now had an upper hand courtesy of its alliance with Mwonzoras

MDC-T.

You cannot rationally project a free and fair election against the background of a demobilised and immobilised opposition and this is not being done by Zanu PF  it is the securocrats, in particular the CIOs, he said.

But Zanu PF immediately rubbished Moyos claims, with party national spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo saying the former government spin doctor was hallucinating.

Moyo said the former Higher Education minister should not be taken seriously, adding that the ruling party was preoccupied with nation-building and defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have no appetite to respond to Jonathan Moyos hallucinations. He can continue whistling in a graveyard wherever he is, Moyo said. Newsday
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: In the wake of second wave of Covid-19, the State government, on Sunday, constituted a consultative panel comprising 13 legislators from various political parties. The all-party panel, which also includes former health minister C Vijayabaskar, will meet at regular intervals to suggest measures to be taken to control the coronavirus spread. The public department secretary will act as member secretary for the all-party committee said the statement.

Remdesivir to be given directly to pvt hospitals

Following Warnings from health experts on overcrowding at the places that are designated for purchasing Remdesivir drug in Chennai, the State government announced that the anti-viral drug will directly be given to private hospitals from Tuesday.

A new portal would be launched soon through which private hospitals can buy Remdesivir directly from the sales centres, the government said. Referring to the WHO and medical experts, the government stated that Remdesivir should only be administered for patients who are under oxygen support.

The private hospitals will have to furnish all information related to the patients in soon-to-be-launched portal and should place requests online for Remdesivir. The new procedures will come into effect from May 18, said an official stateme

Pvt hosps to get Remdesivir directly: Govt

For patients undergoing treatment at government hospitals, Remdesivir will continue to be provided by the State-owned Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC). So far, Remdesivir for patients in private facilities was sold through the government sales centres in Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, and Tirunelveli.

The government said authorities would monitor if the drug was used by private hospitals only for eligible patients and also if it was sold to patients at the same price at which it was brought. The government also warned of punitive action for recommending Remdesivir without any necessity.

The 13-member panel includes: Arul Ezhilan (DMK), C Vijaya Baskar (AIADMK), AM Munirathinam (Congress), GK Mani (PMK), Nainar Nagendran (BJP), Sathan Thirumalaikumar (MDMK), SSSS Balaji (VCK), VP Nagai Mali (CPM), T Ramachandran (CPI), MH Jawahirullah (MNMK), ER Eswaran (KMDK), T Velmurugan (TVK), and Jagan Moorthy (Puratchi Bharatham).
By PTI

UNITED NATIONS: A UN spokesman says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply disturbed" by the Israeli airstrike that destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City housing offices of several international media organisations and residential apartments, and is "dismayed" by the increasing number of civilian casualties.

"The secretary-general reminds all sides that any indiscriminate targeting of civilian and media structures violates international law and must be avoided at all costs," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Saturday.

Earlier Saturday, an Israeli airstrike pulverized a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press, Al Jazeera and other media after warning that it was being targeted.

ALSO READ | Ensure reporters' safety: White House tells Israel after air raid flattens building that houses media in Gaza City

Guterres singled out the death of 10 members of the same family including children as a result of an Israeli airstrike Friday in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Saturday.
By Associated Press

CANBERRA: Australias oldest-ever man has included eating chicken brains among his secrets to living more than 111 years.

Retired cattle rancher Dexter Kruger on Monday marked 124 days since he turned 111, a day older than World War I veteran Jack Lockett was when he died in 2002.

Kruger told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview at his nursing home in the rural Queensland state town of Roma days before the milestone that a weekly poultry delicacy had contributed to his longevity.

Chicken brains. You know, chickens have a head. And in there, theres a brain. And they are delicious little things, Kruger said. Theres only one little bite.

Kruger's 74-year-old son Greg credits his fathers simple Outback lifestyle for his long life.

Nursing home manger Melanie Calvert said Kruger, who is writing his autobiography, was probably one of the sharpest residents here.

His memory is amazing for a 111-year-old, Calvert said.

John Taylor, a founder of The Australian Book of Records, confirmed that Kruger had become the oldest-ever Australian man.

The oldest-ever verified Australian was Christina Cook, who died in 2002 aged 114 years and 148 days.
By Associated Press

KABUL: He served as an interpreter alongside U.S. soldiers on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights in eastern Afghanistan, earning a glowing letter of recommendation from an American platoon commander and a medal of commendation.

Still, Ayazudin Hilal was turned down when he applied for one of the scarce special visas that would allow him to relocate to the U.S. with his family. Now, as American and NATO forces prepare to leave the country, he and thousands of others who aided the war effort fear they will be left stranded, facing the prospect of Taliban reprisals.

We are not safe, the 41-year-old father of six said of Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO. The Taliban is calling us and telling us, Your stepbrother is leaving the country soon, and we will kill all of you guys.'"

The fate of interpreters after the troop withdrawal is one of the looming uncertainties surrounding the withdrawal, including a possible resurgence of terrorist threats and a reversal of fragile gains for women if chaos, whether from competing Kabul-based warlords or the Taliban, follows the end of America's military engagement.

Interpreters and other civilians who worked for the U.S. government or NATO can get what is known as a special immigrant visa, or SIV, under a program created in 2009 and modeled after a similar program for Iraqis.

Both SIV programs have long been dogged by complaints about a lengthy and complicated application process for security vetting that grew more cumbersome with pandemic safety measures.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters last month that the U.S. is committed to helping interpreters and other Afghan civilians who aided the war effort, often at great personal risk. The Biden administration has also launched a review of the SIV programs, examining the delays and the ability of applicants to challenge a rejection. It will also be adding anti-fraud measures.

Amid the review, former interpreters, who typically seek to shield their identities and keep a low profile, are becoming increasingly public about what they fear will happen should the Taliban return to power.

They absolutely are going to kill us, Mohammad Shoaib Walizada, a former interpreter for the U.S. Army, said in an interview after joining others in a protest in Kabul.

At least 300 interpreters have been killed in Afghanistan since 2016, and the Taliban have made it clear they will continue to be targeted, said Matt Zeller, a co-founder of No One Left Behind, an organization that advocates on their behalf. He also served in the country as an Army officer.

The Taliban considers them to be literally enemies of Islam, said Zeller, now a fellow at the Truman National Security Project. Theres no mercy for them.

Members of Congress and former service members have also urged the U.S. government to expedite the application process, which now typically takes more than three years. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said May 10 that the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had temporarily increased staff to help process the visas.

In December, Congress added 4,000 visas, bringing the total number of Afghans who can come with their immediate family members to 26,500, with about half the allotted amount already used and about 18,000 applications pending.

Critics and refugee advocates said the need to relocate could swell dramatically if Afghanistan tumbles further into disarray. As it is, competing warlords financed and empowered by U.S. and NATO forces threaten the future along with a resurgent Taliban, which have been able to make substantive territorial gains against a poorly trained and poorly equipped Afghan security force largely financed by U.S. taxpayers.

While I applaud the Biden administrations review of the process, if they are not willing to sort of rethink the entire thing, they are not going to actually start helping those Afghans who are most at need, said Noah Coburn, a political anthropologist whose research focuses on Afghanistan.

Coburn estimates there could be as many as 300,000 Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO in some form over the past two decades.

There is a wide range of Afghans who would not be tolerated under the Talibans conception of what society should look like, said Adam Bates, policy counsel for the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Those fears have been heightened by recent targeted killings of journalists and other civilians as well as government workers. The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for several, while the Taliban and government blame each other.

Biden raised the nations overall cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 this month, weeks after facing bipartisan blowback for his delay in replacing the record low ceiling set by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

The U.S. is not planning to move civilians out en masse, for now at least. We are processing SIVs in Kabul and have no plans for evacuations at this time, a senior administration official said.

The White House is in the beginning stages of discussing its review with Congress and will work with lawmakers if changes in the SIV program are needed in order to process applications as quickly and efficiently as possible, while also ensuring the integrity of the program and safeguarding national security, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Former interpreters have support in Congress, in part because many also have former American troops vouching for them.

Walizada, for example, submitted a letter of support from an Army sergeant who supervised him in dozens of patrols, including one where the interpreter was wounded by Taliban gunfire. I cannot recall a linguist who had a greater dedication to his country or the coalition cause, the sergeant wrote.

Walizada was initially approved for a visa, but it was later revoked, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services telling him that it had adverse information you may be unaware of, in a letter he provided to The Associated Press. Walizada said he has appealed the decision and hasn't received a response.

Hilal, who translated from Dari and Pashto to English for the Army from June 2009 to December 2012, was rejected by the U.S. Embassy, which said he did not meet the requirement for faithful and valuable service, because he was fired by the contracting firm that hired him after 3 1/2 years of service.

It was a stinging response, considering the dangers he faced. If I havent done faithful and good service for the U.S. Army, why have they given me this medal? he says, holding the commendation, in an AP interview at an office in Kabul used by the former interpreters to meet with journalists.

Why he was fired by the U.S.-based contractor, Mission Essential, is unclear. Hilal said he had a conflict with supervisors that started with a dispute over a work assignment. The company says it does not discuss current or former employees and declined to comment.

But whatever happened eventually, a November 2019 letter of support from his platoon commander was highly complimentary of stellar service that rivals that of most deployed service members.

Hilal was by his side on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights, monitoring enemy radio traffic and interpreting during encounters with locals, Army Maj. Thomas Goodman said in the letter.

He was dependable and performed admirably, Goodman wrote. Even in firefights that lasted hours on end, he never lost his nerve, and I could always count him to be by my side.

As it happens, an AP journalist was embedded with the unit for a time, amid intense fighting in eastern Afghanistan, and captured images of Hilal and Goodman, surrounded by villagers as American forces competed with the Taliban for the support of the people.

Goodman said he stands by his recommendation but declined to comment further.

Coburn, who interviewed more than 150 special immigrant visa recipients and applicants for a recently released study of the program, said Hilal's denial reflects a rigid evaluation process. There is no nuance to the definition of service, he said. You either served or you didnt serve.

The special immigration visa program allows applicants to make one appeal, and many are successful. Nearly 80% of 243 Afghans who appealed in the first quarter of 2021 were subsequently approved after providing additional information, according to the State Department. Hilal says his appeal was rejected.

Bates, of the International Refugee Assistance Project, says the fact that there is a U.S. Army officer willing to support should count for something. Even if he doesnt qualify for the SIV program, this plainly seems like someone who is in need of protection, he said.
By Associated Press

JIDDAH: Vaccinated Saudis will be allowed to leave the kingdom for the first time in more than a year on Monday as the country eases a ban on international travel aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus and its new variants.

For the past 14 months, Saudi citizens have mostly been banned from travelling abroad out of concerns that international travel could fuel the outbreak of the virus within the country of more than 30 million people.

The ban, in place since March 2020, has impacted Saudi students who were studying abroad, among others.

In recent months, however, the kingdom has vaccinated close to 11.5 million residents with at least one jab of the COVID-19 vaccine, making them eligible to depart the country Monday under the new guidelines.

Authorities will also allow people who have recently recovered from the virus and minors under 18 years of age with travel insurance to travel abroad.

Saudi travellers are required to show their health statuses to airport officials through the government's health app, Tawakkalna.

Travellers returning from abroad will be required to quarantine at home and be tested for the virus.

The kingdom, which has covered coronavirus-related hospitalisations for citizens and residents, imposed some of the most sweeping measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus early on in the pandemic.

They include shuttering mosques and businesses for several weeks at a time, dramatically scaling down the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and sealing its borders to travellers.

A recent list of countries for which direct or indirect travel remains restricted, however, includes a number of high-risk nations, including Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey and India.

Saudis will, however, be able to once again cross into neighbouring Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway starting Monday as restrictions are eased, according to local media reports.

The tiny island nation where the sale of alcohol is legal under specific rules is a popular destination for Saudi residents and others seeking a short holiday.

The kingdom's flagship carrier Saudia will operate flights to 71 destinations, including 43 international destinations, starting Monday.

Among them are Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Athens, Frankfurt, Washington and New York.

With limited exception, foreigners from 20 countries, including the US, UK, UAE and France, remain banned from entering the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 430,000 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic, including more than 7,160 deaths.

Close to 1,400 people remain in critical condition with the virus.

Although tourist visa holders to Saudi Arabia remain barred from entry, the kingdom is aggressively marketing its sites to would-be visitors.

At Dubai's in-person Arabian Travel Market show this week, Saudi Arabia is heavily marketing its Red Sea coastline and heritage sites such as the desert Al-Ula ruins and the fort of Diriyah outside Riyadh.

The kingdom had opened up to international tourism in September 2019, just months before the coronavirus outbreak.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday and discussed various issues including the worsening situation in the Middle East.

The Foreign Office here said in a statement that the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and important regional developments.

Qureshi apprised Secretary Blinken of Pakistani people's deep concern and anguish on the worsening humanitarian situation in the Israeli and Palestinian territories and underscored the importance of US role in ensuring necessary steps to help address the dire situation, restore peace, and facilitate a just solution, it said.

He highlighted the salience of transformed Pakistan (Naya Pakistan), with its shifting focus on geo-economics.

He underscored that this vision rested on three central pillars of peace, development partnerships, and connectivity, the Foreign Office said.

Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan's steadfast support for the Afghan peace process while underscoring that achieving a peaceful political solution in Afghanistan was the shared responsibility of all Afghan parties, as well as the key international and regional stakeholders.

Underscoring the importance of responsible withdrawal, the foreign minister stressed that reduction in violence, permanent ceasefire, and seizing this historic opportunity to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement was indispensable.

He highlighted Pakistan's immense sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and the progress made in strengthening the anti-terrorist financing and anti-money laundering regimes, the statement said.

Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan's desire for a broad-based and comprehensive partnership with the US anchored in close economic cooperation, enhanced regional connectivity and common vision for a peaceful South Asia, it said.

Qureshi and Blinken agreed to stay in touch and work together on advancing the two countries' shared bilateral and regional interests, it added.
By PTI

MADRID: Spain is sending a plane to Nepal to pick up and bring home some 40 Spanish mountaineers, aid workers and others who have been affected by the travel bans imposed amid high coronavirus infection rates there.

Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Monday that the plane will also take ventilators and other medical supplies to Nepal to treat patients with COVID-19.

The mountaineers had called on authorities to repatriate them, a move met with criticism from those who said a pandemic is not a time to travel abroad to climb Mount Everest or other major peaks in the Himalayas.

Nepal is experiencing a coronavirus surge with record numbers of new infections and deaths. Authorities imposed a lockdown across most of the country last month and have extended it until the end of May.

China has also cancelled attempts to climb Mount Everest from its side of the world's highest peak because of fears of importing COVID-19 cases from neighbouring Nepal.
By PTI

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Monday lifted the three-day lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus but authorities asked people to stay indoors as over 2,000 daily new cases are being reported in the country.

The three-day lockdown without imposing a curfew was meant to force people to remain indoors during the long weekend which coincided with the festivities at the end of Ramadan fast.

A police spokesperson said the ending of the lockdown was only limited to the movements for essential work.

"People can move out of their homes for essential work based on the last digit of their national identity card," the spokesman said.

The odd number last digit identity card holders are allowed to step out on odd numbered days, while the even numbered are allowed on the even number days, he added.

State and private offices have been asked to operate with minimum staff under health regulations. Each day over 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 are being reported in the country, health officials said.

Sri Lanka currently has over 21,000 people receiving treatment for COVID-19 at hospitals, Shavendra Silva, the Army chief who heads the COVID-19 prevention operations, said.

The public transport and taxis would be in operation only until 11 pm Monday when a night travel ban comes into force until 4 am Tuesday. Travelling by taxis and three-wheelers are limited to two people.

The night travel ban will remain enforced till the end of the month. Dhammika Wijesinghe, Director General of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), last week announced that foreign tourists visiting the island will be able to travel under the Biosafety Bubble System according to health guidelines.

However, institutions and individuals who have taken steps to bring in tourists are strongly advised to follow the health guidelines when transporting tourists through the Tourism Bubble System and strict action will be taken against those who violate those guidelines.

Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which was badly hit by the pandemic, has been identified as an export industry and is included in the National Plan for Export Development.

Tourist arrivals to the country have been steadily increasing since the country reopened to tourists.

It was then that the third wave of Covid began in the country, which has reported 962 fatalities due to COVID-19.
By PTI

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities on Monday placed areas in Tamil-dominated Mullaithivu district under strict COVID-19 quarantine isolation, prohibiting commemorative activities of the 12th anniversary of the end of the bloody armed campaign waged by the LTTE against the government.

Army chief Shavendra Siliva, who heads the COVID-19 prevention operations, said that Mullaitivu, Pudukuduirippu and Mulliyawalai in the Mullaitivu district have been placed under isolation.

The isolation would continue until further notice, Silva said.

The decision came as the Tamil politicians claimed that police had taken action to ban the remembrance events organised by the Tamils to commemorate their dead.

However, a court in Mullaithivu had permitted some action, they added.

On May 18, 2009, the three decade-long bloody separatist campaign led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to establish a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern province of the island nation came to an end with the killing of the LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabakaran by the Sri Lankan Army in Mullaithviu's Vellamulivaikkal.

Every year on May 18, while the armed forces celebrate the war victory, the Tamils mourn their dead during the final phase of the conflict.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) - the main Tamil party - lawmaker Selvam Adaikkalanathan told reporters that several police stations in Mullaithivu district had obtained court orders preventing the commemoration.

He said the court in a new order issued on Monday permitted the commemoration of those killed in Mullivaikkal - the site of the last battle.

Accordingly, people have been permitted to only light lamps at the Mullivaikkal war memorial while adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines.

Last week, the Tamils complained that some group had destroyed the Mullivaikkal war memorial.

The monument was established in memory of the civilian Tamils killed in Mullivaikkal in one of the bloody episodes of the island nation's last leg of the three-decade old conflict in 2009.

Meanwhile, the government said on Monday that a total of 2,456 COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Sri Lanka, taking the total number of cases in the country to 145,202.

The country has also reported over 950 deaths.
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The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe has approached the High Court seeking to compel its former chief executive officer, Mr Nyasha Chizu, to surrender a Mercedes Benz ML vehicle that he got as part of his conditions of service.

Mr Chizu has declined to return the vehicle, arguing that a dispute on whether his contract was lawfully terminated or not was still pending before the same court.

He argued that the High Court ought to first rule on his initial application challenging termination of his contract on notice, saying it was invalid given that he was never heard in terms of the Constitution. Mr Chizu submitted that the Labour Act, which provides termination of contract on notice, was unconstitutional.

In her papers in the latest suit, PRAZ chairperson Mrs Vimbai Nyemba said Mr Chizu continues to hold on to the vehicle despite no longer being an employee of the institution.

This is an application for an order compelling Mr Chizu to return and restore possession to PRAZ of certain movable property owned by it, she said in the papers.

Despite demand, Mr Chizu has failed, neglected and/or refused to return possession of the property. The property consists of a Mercedes Benz ML registration number AEX 0509.

Mrs Nyemba said Mr Chizu had only surrendered other properties in the form of other vehicles and electrical gadgets.

I am advised, which advise I believe to be true and correct, that an owner of property cannot be deprived of its property without its consent, said Mrs Nyemba.

I am further advised that where such unlawful deprivation takes place, an owner of property is entitled to recover it from anyone in its possession. Such owner, I am advised is merely required to allege that it is the owner of the property and the property was in the possession of the respondent at the time of commencement of the action or application.

If there was any lawful possession at some earlier date by Mr Chizu, the contract giving rise to such possession has come to an end. In response, Mr Chizu opposed the application, saying the Labour Act allowing arbitrary termination of contracts was unconstitutional given that it did not afford an affected part the right to be heard.

It further goes without saying that I had an interest in my employment as it was my source of livelihood and the interest cannot be described as academic by any stretch of imagination, he said. I had a perfectly legitimate expectation to be treated fairly in terms of the Constitution of the land and at least to be heard before my contract of employment was arbitrarily terminated.

No reasons were given for the termination. Such conduct cannot be constitutional. In any event, even if reasons had been given, that would not cure the anomaly of arbitrary termination which fell foul of the Constitution.

Mr Chizu left PRAZ sometime in January this year after a unanimous board decision. Herald
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Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
A CHIRUNDU man is lucky to be alive after he was mauled by a lion in the border town last Thursday.

The victim, Isaiah Chitenje (48) from Chirundu town was saved from the lion by people who made noise while throwing stones until the lion released him. Kariba district police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Misheck Ngorima confirmed the incident.

A male adult was attacked by a lion on May 13 at around 1822hrs in the Chirundu area. The victim was coming from Chirundu business centre and proceeding to Tiger Safaris where he works. While on the way, about 500 metres from Chirundu Border Post, lions appeared and one of them attacked him.

He was assisted by locals who came to the scene and threw stones after hearing his screams. The lion ran away. The man was taken to Mutendere Hospital in Zambia where his condition is reported to be stable.

Human-wildlife conflicts are said to be on the increase despite efforts by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to curb them.

A fortnight ago, a man from Mahombekombe suburb in Kariba was lucky to survive after being attacked by an elephant. A child was recently attacked by a hyena in Masvingo and left severely injured.

He is currently admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare where he is battling for life. Newsday
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Mostly sunny skies. Hot. High 92F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Mentor Public Library is kicking off its Summer Reading program with an online Pirates & Princesses Party at 11 a.m., June 5.
Cuyahoga Community College students now have Cuyahoga County Public Library resources at their fingertips through a new partnership between th
The Blackbrook Audubon Society has taken on their own version of The Big Sit, which is a free, annual, international birding event open to any
The appeal to the Supreme Court against a High Court decision blocking sitting judges from holding office after attaining 70 is expected to be lodged today.

The Government is moving fast as the decision directly affects Chief Justice Luke Malaba as the first judge to reach 70 since the recent constitutional amendment was passed by Parliament and gazetted as law.

Chief Justice Malaba attained the age of 70 on Saturday but as the now amended section of the Constitution allows, he exercised his option before his birthday to continue until 75 and submitted the required medical certificate that he was in good mental and physical health.

However, this was challenged as a matter of urgency in the High Court, where a three-judge panel comprising lead judge Justice Happias Zhou and Justices Edith Mushore and Helena Jester Charewa on Saturday ruled that the particular clause changing the retirement ages of sitting judges required a referendum after passing through Parliament.

The Judicial Service Commission has since announced that Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza is now the acting Chief Justice, pending the outcome of the appeal.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi yesterday confirmed the Government decision to file the appeal today.

We want to file the appeal against the judgment, he said in response to a question from The Herald.

Under the Constitution, most amendments can become part of the Constitution once they have received the approval of two thirds of the membership of the National Assembly and of the Senate sitting separately. But amendments to the Declaration of Rights and to the chapter on Agricultural Land do require approval in a referendum within three months of passing the parliamentary votes along with the section that details how the Constitution can be amended,

High Court judges said the amendment relating to the retirement age of judges also required a referendum although the full reasons for their judgment are yet to be given. They ruled the amendment could not apply to sitting judges until a referendum is held.

It is understood that the three judges who heard the urgent application brought by prominent businessman Mr Frederick Mutanda, Young Lawyers Association of Zimbabwe and Human Rights lawyer Mr Musa Kika, need to give their reasons promptly to allow Government lawyers to analyse these and to avoid any delay in the hearing of the appeal and the final judicial decision.

While the three judges ruled against the extension of retirement ages, and so against Chief Justice Malabas tenure of office, some legal experts have expressed their views in support of the constitutionality of the recent constitutional amendment that got the signature of President Mnangagwa since retirement ages are not in the two chapters where amendments require a referendum in addition to the super majority in Parliament.

Commenting on the High Court ruling yesterday, legal expert Mr Obert Gutu criticised Justices Zhou, Mushore and Charewa for allegedly failing to make a distinction between a term limit and an age limit.

He said the Constitution Amendment (No.2) Act did not extend the term limit of judges of the superior courts, but merely extended the age limit by allowing them to continue occupying judicial office for another five years after attaining the age of 70, subject to them providing medical proof that they are still in sound physical and mental health.

This, to me, is the major weakness of the High Court judgment that was handed down on Saturday, May 15, 2021, said Mr Gutu. Because Constitution Amendment (No.2) Act does not extend the term limit of judges of the superior courts, there is, therefore, no need to go to a referendum.

Judges of the Constitutional Court have a term limit of 15 years and cannot be reappointed and even then would have to retire at 70 or, if they exercised their option to continue, at 75. Chief Justice Malaba had not yet served 15 years as a Constitutional Court judge and thus, his age limit could lawfully be extended to enable him to serve for another five-year period, subject, of course, to the requirements of providing a medical certificate.

I am absolutely convinced that the High Court judgment is challengeable in the Supreme Court with a significant degree of prospects of success of the appeal, he said.

Clearly, the High Court totally misdirected itself by failing to distinguish between a term limit and an age limit.

Prominent lawyer, Advocate Lewis Uriri, said by accepting the extension of his term of office, Chief Justice Malaba had further demonstrated his commitment to serving the nation and the justice system.

A law is a law because of the validity of its source from within the legal system. The learned Chief Justice has been appointed in terms of a law deriving from a valid source within the legal system, he said.

Adv Uriri was convinced that all Zimbabweans would benefit from Chief Justice Malabas continued service in his post.

The legal profession in particular, will no doubt be equipped to better serve the nation from his commitment to the teaching of Superior Court Practice and his immense passion for the study and logical application of legal principles.

I believe that under his leadership study and diligence will become the duty of all legal practitioners. This, so far, has been part of his legacy as Chief Justice, said Adv Uriri. Herald
Perry Village

Help is on the way

Perry Village PITCH In program schedules first official project
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., talks to reporters after House Republicans voted to remove her as conference chair in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on May 12, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Preliminary clinical trial results from an ongoing Phase 2/3 trial led by Laurent M. Humeau of Inovio Pharmaceuticals suggest the two-dose INO-4800 vaccine is safe for use in adults of varying ages. The results expand on phase 1 trial results that found the vaccine was safe and tolerable in 38 participants.

INO-4800 is a plasmid DNA vaccine delivered by electroporation and contains the S1 and S2 subunits of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein.

The findings suggest INO-4800 could be a potential vaccine candidate. Future work would focus on a phase 3 trial investigating the vaccine's effectiveness in protecting people against SARS-CoV-2.

The research "Safety and immunogenicity of INO-4800 DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, Phase 2 clinical trial in adults at high risk of viral exposure" is available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

Clinical trial design

The researchers designed a multicenter clinical trial testing the immunogenicity and efficacy of the two-dose DNA vaccine when delivered via electroporation. They also evaluated how safe and effective the vaccine was when given at 1.0 mg versus 2.0 mg.

Eligible participants included healthy, seronegative adults working in an environment where the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was high. Participants also had to have medically effective contraception, were postmenopausal, surgically sterile, or have a sterile partner.

A total of 401 participants enrolled in the study from November 30, 2020, and February 5, 2021.

201 participants were randomly assigned either one or two injections of the INO-4800 vaccine at a dose of 1.0 mg or one or two placebo injections. The first dose would be delivered on the first day of the trial. The second dose was injected on day 28.

Injections were given over the deltoid or anterolateral quadricep muscles, followed by electroporation. The second vaccine was injected in a different arm or leg from the first dose.

200 participants were randomly assigned two vaccine doses at 2.0 mg or a placebo in two different limbs.

The researchers measured for any immediate or delayed side-effects after the first dose, on day 7, on day 28 after the second dose, on day 45, day 56, day 210, and day 392. Participants were encouraged to record any local or systemic adverse events in a diary. Blood work and urine analysis were also performed on the first day, day 28, day 42, and day 392 after the first dose.

Participants that developed symptoms related to COVID-19 underwent diagnostic testing. If they had COVID-19 before receiving the second dose, they were not allowed to get it.

Cellular and humoral samples were collected before administering the first dose on day 0, day 42, day 210, and day 392.

Vaccine safety and reported adverse events

There were 1,679 adverse events reported in 300 participants after week 8, with 1,446 treatment-related adverse events in 281 participants. The most common adverse events observed in 5% of participants included injection site reactions, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and nausea.

Adverse Events occurring within 28 days of dose 1

Most adverse events were of Grade 1 and Grade 2 severity. These adverse events did not further increase after the second dose. There were three Grade 3 adverse events, including muscle pain but reported cervical dysplasia and skin laceration were not treatment-related.

Adverse Events occurring within 28 days of dose 2

Vaccine-induced immune response

After week 6, both the 1.0 mg and 2.0 mg dose groups showed humoral immune responses. Although, there was a greater humoral immune response associated with the higher dose.

When testing the participants' serum, the researchers found both dose groups produced neutralizing antibody responses specific to SARS-CoV-2. Again, the 2.0 mg dose group had statistically significantly higher antibody responses than the 1.0 mg dose group.

Antibody responses differed amongst age groups.

The researchers also observed an increase in T cell immune responses after week 6. The magnitude of IFN trended higher amongst the 1.0 mg vaccine group compared to the 1-injection placebo group. Participants given the 2.0 mg vaccine dose had higher T cell responses than the 2-injection placebo groups.

Based on the results, the researchers suggest the results further support the potential for INO-4800 in protecting against SARS-CoV-2. A planned Phase 3 trial can further confirm these results.

*Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Antibiotic resistance in E.coli has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s despite attempts to control it, a new study suggests. In the biggest genomic survey of E.coli to date, that took more than 16 years in Norway, researchers have successfully tracked the spread of antibiotic resistant genes and have shown that these genes are being transferred between E.coli strains.

Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of Oslo have tracked multidrug resistance in Norway and compared this to a previous study from the UK. They found that resistant strains developed around the same time, but increased more rapidly in the UK population.

The results, published today (10th May) in Lancet Microbe show that tracking these resistant strains is important in the surveillance and control of drug resistant E.coli, which poses a significant issue in hospitals where it can cause severe infection and mortality. In addition, understanding how these genes are transferred between strains, and what has caused them to acquire drug resistance can help prevent the growth of antibiotic resistance strains.

The bacterium, Escherichia coli is a common cause of bloodstream infections world-wide, which seem to be increasing over the last decade. E.coli is commonly found in the gut, where it does not cause harm, but if it gets into the bloodstream due to a weakened immune system it can cause severe and life threatening infections. As an added challenge for health care providers, multi-drug resistance (MDR) has become a frequent feature of such infections, and in a worrying number of cases the available treatment options are becoming limited.

In the largest study of its kind, and only the second systematic longitudinal genomic study of bacteremia E.coli, researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Oslo processed a nation-wide catalogue of samples from more than 3,200 patients to track antibiotic resistance over 16 years. By harnessing the power of large-scale DNA sequencing, they tracked the emergence of drug resistance and compared this to a similar study conducted in the UK.

The team found that MDR started to increase and show in more strains in the early 2000s due to antibiotic pressure, and now multiple MDR E.coli strains are present in Norway. However, MDR E.coli seems to be more widely present in the UK, despite similar policies in place around antibiotic use. The UK population however is considerably larger than Norway which could explain some of the differences. Further research is needed to allow for closer comparison and to identify the exact factors that cause rapid spread in some locations compared to others.

MDR is relatively rare in bacteria. However, this new study has identified that lineages that previously were not thought to have MDR have acquired drug-resistance genes, showing the increased ability of E.coli to share MDR genes that move horizontally between strains.

Professor Jukka Corander, co-author and Associate Faculty member at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: The high number of samples from the Norwegian population and the level of genomic detail on the strains of bacteria enabled us to make much more far-reaching conclusions than were ever possible before. This study demonstrates the power arising from a systematic national surveillance of resistant organisms, which both collects and makes the data available for in-depth analyses. Without these in place, it would have been impossible to approach the central research questions formulated in the study and find answers to them.

The researchers hope to conduct similar research in the UK to build on previous studies and gain a full data set of 16 years in the UK in order to more closely track MDR resistant E.coli.

Being able to estimate the expansion timelines of the MDR clones of E. coli and to identify multiple occasions of novel acquisition of resistance genes is particularly exciting as this is the first time that this has been possible. Understanding and tracking the movement of these drug resistance genes and the strains that carry them are necessary for controlling the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, which is a huge issue in healthcare. Dr Rebecca Gladstone, Study lead author and Bioinformatician, University of Oslo, Norway

Professor Julian Parkhill, co-author and Professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at University of Cambridge, said: Long-term studies such as this one provide in-depth understanding about the complex epidemiology underlying bloodstream infections. The next step would be further research to detail the factors determining the success of emerging pathogenic clones of these bacteria, to help find a way to control and possibly minimise the spread of multidrug resistance.
University of Dundee project investigating the role of inflammation in blood vessel damage in COVID-19 patients receives grant from Heart Research UK

Professor Faisel Khan. Image Credit: Heart Research UK

A research project at the University of Dundee investigating how COVID-19 damages blood vessels has been awarded a grant of 133,000 by national charity Heart Research UK.

Harmful effects of COVID-19 are excessively high in people who have pre-existing diseases of the heart and blood vessels. COVID-19 can also cause new damage to the heart and blood vessels in people who have no pre-existing disease.

The lining of blood vessels, called endothelium, acts as a barrier and first point of contact for the virus. From recent research studies, there is evidence that the virus causes damage to the endothelium which in turn leads to disease of the heart and blood vessels, particularly the very small blood vessels, called microvessels.

It is thought that inflammation in the body caused by COVID-19 might be responsible for some of the harmful effects on the blood vessels. Inflammation is a protective mechanism activated by the bodys immune system to fight infection, remove harmful toxins and help in the healing process. However, inflammation can also have detrimental effects on the human body, especially when it does not resolve and becomes persistent, as in COVID-19.

The project will be led by Professor Faisel Khan, Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Dundee. Professor Khan and his team believe that abnormal activation of a type of white blood cell, called the neutrophil, that is important in the bodys immune response, might be the link between COVID-19 and damage to the blood vessels.

Research has recently shown that a new drug, called brensocatib, reduces the abnormal activation of neutrophils and improve the symptoms of patients who have bronchiectasis, a lung disease that is caused by inflammation.

The aims of the project are to explore whether: -

abnormally high activation of neutrophils, caused by inflammation, is responsible for long term damage to the endothelium and small blood vessels in COVID-19 patients. reducing activation of neutrophils with the drug brensocatib reduces damage to the endothelium and improves the function of the blood vessels.

The team will assess the function of the small blood vessels over 12 months in 120 patients who have had COVID-19 to see if this is abnormal compared with healthy people who have not had COVID-19. They will apply small amounts of chemicals to the skin and use a laser machine, which measures blood flow in the microvessels, to assess how well the blood vessels are working. They will also take blood samples to measure the activation of neutrophils and see if high levels of activation are linked to blood vessel damage.

Also, they will use these methods in 100 patients who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, to compare the effects of the drug brensocatib against a placebo on the activation of neutrophils and function of the blood vessels. These measurements will be carried out before and after 28 days of treatment.

The study will show whether increased activation of neutrophils contributes to development of long-term disease of the blood vessels in COVID-19 patients and whether reducing their activation with drug treatment has beneficial effects. Targeting neutrophils in this way could be an important treatment option for reducing blood vessel and heart complications in people who have COVID-19.

As COVID-19 is still a relatively new disease, we are still trying to understand how it affects the body. We know that people with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions are more likely to suffer from serious complications, and that COVID-19 itself can damage the heart and blood vessels. With this project, we hope to be able to better understand why and how COVID-19 damages the cardiovascular system, and hope to find new ways to prevent or reduce that damage, improving outcomes and quality of life for patients. We are very grateful to Heart Research UK for supporting this exciting research. Faisel Khan, Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Dundee

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: We are delighted to be supporting the work of Professor Khan and his team, whose research is vital in understanding how we are being affected by one of biggest health challenges we have ever faced.

For some time, it has been known that COVID-19 can have long-lasting effects on the heart. Through this research, we hope to be able to better understand how this damage occurs, and how we can hopefully improve outcomes for patients.

Heart Research UK grants are all about helping patients. They aim to bring the latest developments to those who need them, as soon as possible.

The dedication we see from UK researchers is both encouraging and inspiring, and we at Heart Research UK are proud to be part of it.
In the continuing evolution of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), more information is emerging regarding how the virus affects the human body.

Studies have shown that COVID-19 is not exclusively a respiratory disorder, but may also affect the cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous systems.

In a new study, published in the journal JAMA Network, University of Pittsburgh researchers for the Global Consortium Study of Neurologic Dysfunction in COVID-19 found that neurological manifestations were prevalent among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The patients were also at a higher risk of in-hospital mortality.

The team revealed that 82 percent of the COVID-19 hospitalized patients developed neurologic complications and were six times more likely to die. While most of the conditions were mild to moderate, about half of the patients experienced altered brain function or structure, while approximately one in five patients was in a coma.

COVID-19 and neurological manifestations

As the pandemic continues, more and more reports of concomitant neurological manifestations of COVID-19 have emerged, including headache, anosmia or the loss of smell, ageusia or the loss of taste, and myalgia or muscle pain. Additionally, neurological disorders including encephalopathy, coma, and strokes were reported.

Since there is limited information regarding the extent of neurological symptoms and manifestations among COVID-19 patients, the current study was designed to analyze the incidence of COVID-19 neurological manifestations among global cohorts of hospitalized patients and identify possible risk factors associated with the onset of these manifestations.

The study population was derived from two large consortia. The first one is the Global Consortium Study of Neurologic Dysfunction in COVID-19 (GCS-NeuroCOVID), a large multicenter cohort study set up to establish the incidence, severity, and clinical outcomes of neurological manifestations among COVID-19 patients. Next, the team also derived study participants from the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Neuro-COVID Registry (ENERGY), a prospective registry created to assess the incidence of COVID-19 neurological manifestations and their outcomes six and 12 months.

Overall, the study included 3,744 hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients at 28 centers in 13 countries between March and October 2020.

Study results

The study results showed that across all cohorts, headache was the most common self-reported symptom, experienced by 38 percent of all COVID-19 cohort, 35 percent in the COVID-19 neurological cohort, and 27 percent in the ENERGY cohort, resulting in an average of 37 percent.

The other symptoms that followed included anosmia and ageusia, and syncope.

Among all the syndromes noted, acute encephalopathy was the most common neurological syndrome in all groups, with 50 percent of patients reporting it in the COVID-19 cohort, 53 percent in the COVID-19 neurological cohort, and 24 percent in the ENERGY cohort.

The incidence of acute encephalopathy increased with age, from 33 percent in younger than 40 patients to 74 percent in those who are older than 80.

Coma and stroke followed, with 17 percent and 3 percent of patients experiencing these, respectively. The least common neurological syndromes were meningitis and encephalitis.

The researchers emphasized that acute encephalopathy is the most common neurological complication among COVID-19 patients. Often, these patients manifest an altered sensory state, impaired consciousness, and they do not feel like themselves. These patients may also become confused, agitated, and delirious.

Further, the team explained that some people are at a higher risk of developing neurological symptoms and syndromes. Those who are at high risk include people with a preexisting neurological condition, such as Alzheimers disease, dementia, and brain, spinal cord, or nerve impairments.

This multicenter cohort study found that neurological manifestations in COVID-19 were highly prevalent and associated with premature mortality, the team explained. Using a global network with standardized protocols and common data elements is critical to facilitate further studies to understand COVID-19 neurological manifestations, including disease progression, associations with long-term outcomes, pathobiological mechanisms, and societal impact, they concluded.
The adverse impact of male factors in assisted reproductive treatments was brought into a clear and disturbing focus at the 10th Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE).

The ASPIRE Congress, originally to be held in the Philippines, is being presented in virtual format  https://aspire2021.cme-congresses.com  to on-line participants in more than 100 countries because of ongoing concerns about COVID-19.

Professor Peter Schlegel from the Centre of Reproductive Medicine at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College, cast new light on sperm quality, the source of sperm for assisted conception  either from testicular, epididymal or ejaculate  male obesity and paternal age in the success of fertility treatment.

He said knowledge about assisted conception was most often closely related to female factors, but the effects of male infertility had not been considered to the same extent. Globally, one in six couples experience infertility, which is defined as the failure to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse, or the inability to carry pregnancies to a live birth.

With increasing investigation and experience, it is now recognized that male factor issues can have substantial effects on assisted reproduction outcomes." Peter Schlegel, Professor, Centre of Reproductive Medicine at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College

He said sperm defects, including DNA fragmentation, affected multiple levels of reproductive function including fertilization, embryo development, implantation and maintenance of pregnancy.

"Intra-cytoplasmic, or single sperm injection in an egg for fertilization, known as ICSI, is widely practiced in assisted reproduction, and it has substantially overcome limitations in sperm numbers, motility and morphology in many men. But some sperm factors still affect the chances of fertilization and pregnancy.

"Sperm DNA fragmentation often occurs after leaving the testis due to obstructions, injury or medication use. One major study among couples who underwent repeat IVF cycles showed a clinical pregnancy rate of 28 per cent from testicular sourced sperm compared with 10 per cent for ejaculated sperm."

In his ASPIRE presentation, Professor Schlegel addressed research findings relating to male obesity and paternal age.

"Male obesity  independent of female weight or other identifiable factors  significantly reduces clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in assisted reproductive technology," he said.

He said a meta analysis of major studies to date showed this outcome progressively from normal male weight to being overweight, obese and morbidly obese.

Paternal age can substantially affect the health of offspring as well as having a role in IVF results. Although he noted variability from different studies, Professor Schlegel highlighted one major study that showed a two-fold increased risk of failed conception in assisted reproduction when the male partner was aged 40-plus.

Increased male age, especially over 40 years, is associated with up to 40 per cent increase in miscarriage risk and other adverse outcomes including birth defects, childhood cancer, autism and schizophrenia." Peter Schlegel

The ASPIRE Congress was also told that reducing the length of abstinence for sperm analysis for IVF treatment actually improved semen quality, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates.

"Longer abstinence is associated with increased sperm DNA fragmentation and lower pregnancy rates after IVF," Professor Schlegel said.

"Multiple identifiable male factors, some of which can be treated, can adversely affect the success of assisted reproductive technology. Knowledge of these conditions is vitally important for effective reproductive care."
The 10th Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) has provided exciting insights into likely developments and future possibilities in assisted reproductive technology including artificial intelligence.

Since the first IVF baby was born in 1978, more than eight million babies have been delivered as a result of the assisted reproductive technique.

In that time, there have been amazing advances in technology and treatment protocols to help the one in six couples living with infertility to fulfil their dreams of parenthood. One child in every 20 born today is an IVF baby, and another five per cent of babies around the world are conceived with the help of fertility drugs.

The Congress itself, which has just concluded, represented a quantum leap in information technology. Because of on-going concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress was presented in virtual format  https://aspire2021.cme-congresses.com  to 3,285 fertility specialists in over 100 countries to share information on addressing the growing demand for assisted conception.

Artificial intelligence (AI) was highlighted at the Congress as one of the emerging revolutions with the increasing likelihood of advanced machines playing vital roles in fertility treatment.

Dr Haroon Latif Khan, a sexual health specialist from Pakistan, provided fascinating details on how AI is being adopted in fertility clinics for more stringent quality control measures aimed at increasing pregnancy and live birth success rates.

Based at the Lahore Institute of Fertility and Endocrinology, Dr Haroon is also a founder member of the Pakistan Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine, General Secretary of the IVF Society of Pakistan and as Board member of ASPIRE.

As we are living through a technological revolution, AI is being integrated into all aspects of our lives. Dr Haroon, Lahore Institute of Fertility and Endocrinology

"The live birth rate is the ultimate key performance indicator in assisted reproductive technology, and we are seeing AI being embraced for management of performance, quality and risk," he said.

"The main targets of this total quality management are in the areas of ovarian stimulation, oocyte retrieval, sperm preparation, embryo development and grading, cryopreservation of gametes and embryos, and pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) of embryos.

"Computers as an adjunct in assisted reproduction have been in use for many years for techniques including quick and accurate sperm analysis and electronic monitoring of quality control procedures and protocols.

"PGT has become the norm in fertility clinics for testing embryos for any genetic abnormalities before they are implanted, and this is now fully automated for high accuracy. Vitrification also now relies on AI to enhance survival of gametes, embryos and reproductive tissue.

"In the future, I believe we will see AI increasingly applied to predict the viability of embryos for implantation and in the next generation of reproductive genetics.

"Eventually, every step of an assisted reproductive cycle will be automated resulting in reduced costs, greater work efficiency, and minimized human subjectivity and variability.

"This will result in assisted reproduction being more accessible and the number of IVF cycles will consequently skyrocket."

However, Dr Haroon insists that "robots" will not take over fertility clinics. "We will still need the human touch to run our laboratories, and the future looks very exciting as we all strive to ensure patient safety remains at the forefront of accessibility and treatment."

The Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) is a unique task force of clinicians and scientists involved in the management of fertility and assisted reproductive technology throughout the region.
A researcher at the University of Sydney is developing a printable device that acts like a retina and could one day restore sight to blind people.

Dr Matthew Griffith, from the Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis and the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, has created an electrical device from multi-coloured carbon-based semiconductors -that uses absorbed light to fire the neurons that transmit signals from the eyes to the brain, acting as an artificial retina for those who have lost this capacity.

The retina is the thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye which functions to receive light, convert it into neural signals, and send these signals to the brain for processing.

Worldwide, the number of people living with vision impairment is at least 2.2 billion. Our research aims to provide a biomedical solution to those experiencing blindness from retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the second being one of the leading causes of blindness in the world." Dr Matthew Griffith, Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis and School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering

Dr Griffith hopes to ultimately apply this technology, a type of neural interface, to restore sensory function to those with spinal cord injuries, and to treat people with neurodegenerative diseases. A neural interface is a device that interacts with an individual's nervous system to record or stimulate activity.

"Among other functions, neurons are the body's signal conductors. A missing neuron link, which can be caused by, for example, a spinal cord injury, can cause severe problems. It can also be debilitating if neurons misfire - this can cause blindness and deafness, as well as diseases like Parkinson's and epilepsy, for which there is no cure," he said.

"Neural interfaces can bridge this neuronal divide, or, in the case of misfiring, re-program the neurons."

Dr Griffith's device can be printed using the same, low-cost method as newspaper printing, with a high-speed roll to roll press.

"Similar technologies are being intensively developed, though our device differs in that it is made of carbon - the same building block as human cells," Dr Griffith said.

"Other devices tend to be rigid and usually made of silicon or metal, which can present problems integrating with the human body that is soft and flexible. Our organic device is designed with this issue in mind."

Dr Griffith has been awarded an NHMRC Ideas grant to continue work on the project together with colleagues from the University of Sydney and neurobiologists from the University of Newcastle.

How the device will work

It is intended that the device will be printed onto soft and flexible surfaces from water-based inks that contain nerve growth factors and then inserted into a patient's retina by a surgeon.

Once the relevant neurons reconnect to it, the retina will regain lost functionality when stimulated with light. At this stage, Dr Griffith and his team have conducted experiments using neurons from the spinal cord and eyes of mice.

Early experiments examined the growth of mice neuronal cells onto the semiconductors in a petri dish, after which the electrical activity of the neurons was tested.

"Not only did these cells survive - they grew and maintained neural functionality," Dr Griffith said.

"The next step is to control where they grow by printing nanopatterns. This is so in future, we can direct them to grow into specific bodily locations, like a spinal cord or retina."

How it differs to comparable, sight-restoring technology

Comparable technologies are attempting to replicate both the eye and the brain in an effort to restore sight. Yet, this method requires a more sophisticated approach.

"Patients do get some vision back, which is definitely life-changing for those without sight. However, it's not what you or I would think of as high-fidelity vision. Current state-of-the-art produces large blurry shapes in black and white," Dr Griffith said.

Another key difference is that Dr Griffith's device does not require any electricity - it is powered internally by light from the outside world.

"If successful, our device will help us progress towards solving one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st century; communicating with the human body's sensory network.

We hope to achieve this using nothing but light, which opens up some really exciting prospects for the future of bioelectronic technology."
No ocean is wide enough, no wall is high enough to keep us safe, Biden said. New variants could arise overseas that could put us at greater risk and we need to help fight the disease around the world to keep us safe here at home and to do the right thing of helping other people. Its the right thing to do.
The expansion of telehealth-supported access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic was roundly embraced by general practice patients, according to new Flinders University research.

The study  The experience of Australian general practice patients at high risk of poor health outcomes with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study, by Sara Javanparast, Leigh Roeger, Yuen Kwok and Richard Reed  has been published by BMC Family Practice (doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01408-w)

The study interviewed 30 patients from nine general practices in metropolitan Adelaide, who had been identified by their regular doctors as being at high risk of poor health outcomes as part of a larger study of general practice services.

The interviews were conducted between May and June 2020 during a period of considerable community concern about COVID-19.

Twenty-five out of the 30 patients in the study utilized (at least once) telehealth consultations. The telehealth consultations occurred by telephone as opposed to videoconferencing.

Telehealth consultations were viewed as a very important factor for patients being able to access general practice care according to participants in the study.

We found telehealth facilitated the continuity of care and health care management by timely access to their GPs during the pandemic, says researcher Dr Sara Javanparast from Flinders Universitys College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Overall, we found high levels of satisfaction with telehealth general practice consultations, particularly for issues that didnt need a physical examination. Patients liked that it saved travel time and its convenience. Dr Sara Javanparast, Researcher, Flinders Universitys College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Participants in the study emphasized the importance of having a good existing relationship with their regular doctor for telehealth consultations to be effective. The most common reasons for telehealth consultations were for prescription renewal, discussing test results and for follow-ups.

Participants in the study very much valued the combination of telehealth and face-to-face services with their regular GPs, with the flexibility to choose between the modes. The research participants also identified challenges with using telehealth services, including difficulties in expressing themselves and accessing physical exams.
While it has been said that the eyes are a window to the soul, a new study shows they could be a means for understanding diseases of the brain. According to new research by scientists at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, retinal scans can detect key changes in blood vessels that may provide an early sign of Alzheimer's, while offering important insights into how one of the most common Alzheimer's risk genes contributes to the disease.

The most prevalent genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease is a variant of the APOE gene, known as APOE4. We still don't fully understand how this variant increases risk of brain degeneration, we just know that it does, and that this risk is modified by sex, race, and lifestyle. "Our research provides new insights into how APOE4 impacts blood vessels and may provide a path forward for early detection of neurodegenerative disease." Fanny Elahi, MD, PhD., Study Lead Author

Studies in mice have explored the effect of APOE4 on capillaries in the brain. Elahi, an assistant professor of neurology and member of the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC), has long suspected these tiny blood vessels may play a significant role in Alzheimer's disease, since they deliver nutrients and oxygen, carry away waste, and police immune system responses through the protective shield known as the blood-brain barrier. Damage to these blood vessels could cause a host of problems, she says, including the protein buildup and cognitive decline seen in individuals affected by Alzheimer's disease.

Because the technology does not exist to visualize individual capillaries in living people's brains, Elahi and colleagues turned to the eye. In the new study, which published May 11, 2021, in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, Elahi and her team have shown that APOE4-associated capillary changes can be detected in humans through an easy, comfortable eye scan. As a light-penetrating tissue that shares biology with the brain, the retina, researchers believe, may help determine what APOE4 variants may be doing to similar capillaries inside the brain, even in those without dementia.

The team - which includes Ari Green, MD, a neuro-ophthalmologist, professor, and director of the UCSF Neurodiagnostics Center, and Amir Kashani, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute - used an advanced retinal imaging technique known as optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to peer into the eyes of aging people with and without APOE4 mutations to evaluate the smallest blood vessels at the back of the eye.

The team leveraged the well-characterized cohorts of people enrolled in ongoing studies of brain aging and neurodegenerative disease at the MAC. By adding OCTA scans to existing MRI and PET scan data, they gain comparative insights without putting volunteer participants through additional discomfort. "That's the beauty of this technique," Elahi said. "It's very easy, noninvasive and participant-friendly."

Analyzing the retinal scans, the researchers found reduced capillary density in APOE4 carriers, an effect that increased with participant age. To test whether those scans accurately reflected what was happening in the brain, the team then compared the abnormalities seen in OCTA scans of retinal capillaries to measurements of brain perfusion, or the flow of blood through the brain, as measured via MRI. They found that people with higher retinal capillary density also had greater blood flow in the brain.

Finally, the team looked to participants with prior PET scans of beta-amyloid, the protein associated with Alzheimer's disease, to see how their retinal capillary measurements related to the burden of amyloid plaques in the brain, which is the major focus of Alzheimer's disease diagnosis, research and treatment to date. They found that capillary density did not differ between groups with and without amyloid plaques, nor did it vary along with amyloid burden. According to Elahi, that independence suggests that capillary abnormalities are unlikely to be driven by amyloid pathology, or that their relation may at most be indirect.

"This is the first time that we have demonstrated in living, asymptomatic humans that the smallest blood vessels are affected in APOE4 gene carriers," said Elahi. That's important, she added, because it suggests that the increased risk of brain degeneration and Alzheimer's disease in APOE4 carriers may be through its effect on blood vessels.

Elahi and her colleagues plan to follow their study participants to better understand blood vessel dysfunction at a molecular level. That work could help detect the onset of Alzheimer's disease before significant damage occurs to the brain and identify new vascular targets for early treatment.

"This is just the beginning," Elahi said. "But the implications for early detection and possible intervention can be significant in combatting Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. It's much harder to regenerate neurons than to stop their degeneration from happening in the first place. Similar to cancer, early detection can save lives,"
The results of an extensive new study funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Ethnic-specific BMI cut-off points for obesity based on type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a cohort study of 1.5 million people in England, presented at this years European Congress on Obesity (ECO) and published simultaneously in the leading journal, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology reveal that inaccurate and outdated interpretations of the standard Body Mass Index (BMI) values for patients from BAME backgrounds in England could potentially be putting their health at risk.

Researchers from four leading institutions [the University of Warwick, the University of Oxford, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and UCL Institute of Health Informatics] came together in partnership with the Ethnic Health Forum to publish the pioneering study, analyzing data from over 1 million BAME people from England using both GP and hospital records. The study consisted of individuals aged 18 years and older and registered with a UK general practice between 1990 and 2018. 1,472,819 people with complete BMI and ethnicity data with at least one year follow up (1,333,816 White, 75,956 South Asian, 49,349 Black, 10,934 Chinese, 2,764 Arab) were included in the analysis. They used statistical models to confirm whether adults from BAME groups had an equivalent risk of type 2 diabetes at a lower BMI than the White European population.

For the equivalent age and sex adjusted incidence rate of type 2 diabetes at a BMI of 30 Kgm-2 in White populations, the BAME BMI cut-offs were much lower: for South Asians, 23.9; Chinese, 26.9; Black, 28.1; and Arab 26.6. The study therefore conclusively shows for the first time that people from BAME backgrounds are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes at much lower BMIs than people from White ethnic backgrounds.

BMI uses height and weight to work out if a persons weight is healthy (weight / height x height) and according to current NHS guidelines, an adult with a BMI of 30 Kgm-2 or above is obese.

However, this figure is traditionally based on the increased mortality risk for adults from White ethnic groups. Importantly, this new study has established that compared with the risk for development of type 2 diabetes at BMI 30 Kgm-2 in White people, the equivalent risk amongst BAME people occurred at much lower cut-offs than the current NHS recommended ethnic-specific BMI cut-offs.

In light of this new evidence, the research team recommends that it is now vital  more so than ever, given the increased focus on health inequalities affecting millions of people from BAME backgrounds as well as the link between obesity and COVID-19 (a condition also adversely affecting UK BAME people) to change BMI values than are currently used to trigger action to prevent type 2 diabetes among people from BAME backgrounds. As illustrated below, new obesity cut-offs developed during the study further emphasize how one size does not fit all when it comes to BMI.

The revised figures in the South Asian ethnic group are substantially lower than the current NHS recommended cut-off BMI of 27.5 Kgm-2, used to trigger action to prevent type 2 diabetes. This means that healthcare professionals may miss the opportunity to identify those at risk as well as a subsequent referral to vital weight management services, blood tests and screening for obesity-related co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes.

The studys Principal Investigator Dr Rishi Caleyachetty (Junior Doctor and Epidemiologist, University of Warwick), comments; As a doctor, Im extremely concerned that if the current BMI values are not amended to account for ethnicity, many BAME people will needlessly slip through the net, leaving them unknowingly at risk of type 2 diabetes.

I meet people from BAME backgrounds who tell me about the lack of information on what a healthy weight is for their community. Another person, who had been told they were at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes told me he was surprised because he was not fat. These are just two examples from many cases, indicating that a blanket set of BMI values could be disadvantaging BAME people from accessing services to prevent type 2 diabetes.

A co-investigator on the study, Dr Thomas M Barber (Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist at the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire [UHCW]), Clinical Lead of the Obesity service at UHCW comments; These data are very important and should inform future clinical guidance and policy regarding the management of obesity in BAME people. Our data also promote an individualized approach to the effective screening and management of obesity-related conditions (such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) in BAME people.

In the wake of these new findings, the research team hopes that GPs and other healthcare professionals will feel encouraged to use these ethnic-specific BMI cut-offs to trigger action to prevent type 2 diabetes in England.

Furthermore, with these new cut-offs allowing for a more personalized approach to BMI, GPs and primary care practitioners should also feel more confident about having well-informed, positive conversations with their patients about weight management. Obesity should not be a taboo subject, particularly given the risks associated with being obese in the current health climate.

An important outcome of this study is that BAME people from England will have a better, more personalized understanding of BMI cut-offs. Furthermore, the findings will help raise awareness within these groups of the increased risk of type 2 diabetes at much lower BMI values than previously recognized.

Critically, the research teams are now working closely with key organizations to share the findings with Department of Health & Social Care policy makers, NHS professionals and BAME people in England.

A co-investigator on the study, Dr Paramjit Gill (Professor of General Practice, GP, and Head of the Division of Health Sciences at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick), comments; This work highlights that we need evidence for all ethnic groups as they are at risk of diabetes at different levels of BMI. A blanket approach is not acceptable any longer.

This far-reaching, extensive study has shed light on a worrying generalization of BMI cut-offs for obesity, which comes at the expense of those from a range of ethnic backgrounds. A complete revision of ethnic-specific BMI cut-offs to trigger action to prevent type 2 diabetes is needed. This will ensure healthcare professionals provide appropriate recommendations for BAME patients regarding lifestyle changes, referrals to weight management services and investigations for type 2 diabetes. Dr Rishi Caleyachetty, Studys Principal Investigator

He adds; We hope that this study will swiftly kickstart a review of current BMI policy in the UK for BAME people, in order to prevent both type 2 diabetes, and facilitate early and effective treatment of type 2 diabetes. We all know the NHS was founded on the principles of fairness and that all patients regardless of their background should be cared for equally. But it is clear at the moment these principles may not be a reality for many BAME people.
Whether it's plankton exposed to parasites or people exposed to pathogens, a host's initial immune response plays an integral role in determining whether infection occurs and to what degree it spreads within a population, new University of Colorado Boulder research suggests.

The findings, published May 13 in The American Naturalist, provide valuable insight for understanding and preventing the transmission of disease within and between animal species. From parasitic flatworms transmitted by snails into humans in developing nations, to zoonotic spillover events from mammals and insects to humans--which have caused global pandemics like COVID-19 and West Nile virus--an infected creature's immune response is a vital variable to consider in calculating what happens next.

One of the biggest patterns that we're seeing in disease ecology and epidemiology is the fact that not all hosts are equal. In infectious disease research, we want to build host immunity into our understanding of how disease spreads." Tara Stewart Merrill, Study Lead Author and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Ecology, University of Colorado at Boulder

Invertebrates are common vectors for disease, which means they can transmit infectious pathogens between humans or from animals to humans. Vector-borne diseases, like malaria, account for almost 20% of all infectious diseases worldwide and are responsible for more than 700,000 deaths each year.

Yet epidemiological studies have rarely considered invertebrate immunity and recovery in creatures that are vectors for human disease. They assume that once exposed to a pathogen, the invertebrate host will become infected.

But what if it was possible for invertebrates to fight off these diseases, and break the link in the chain that passes them on to humans?

While observing a tiny species of zooplankton (Daphnia dentifera) throughout its lifecycle and exposure to a fungal parasite (Metschnikowia bicuspidata), the researchers saw this potential in action. Some of the plankton were good at stopping fungal spores from entering their bodies, and others cleared the infection within a limited window of time after ingesting the spores.

"Our results show that there are several defenses that invertebrates can use to reduce the likelihood of infection, and that we really need to understand those immune defenses to understand infection patterns," said Stewart Merrill.

Unexpected recovery

Stewart Merrill started this work in her first year as a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, studying this little plankton and its collection of defenses. It's a gruesome process if the plankton fails to ward off the parasite: Its fungal spores attack the plankton's gut, fill its body and grow until they are released when the host finally dies.

But she noticed something that had not been recorded before: Some of the doomed plankton recovered. Several years later, she has found that when faced with identical levels of exposure, the success or failure of these infections depends on the strength of the host's internal defenses during this early limited window of opportunity.

Based on their observations of these individual outcomes, the researchers developed a simple probabilistic model for measuring host immunity that can be applied across wildlife systems, with important applications for diseases transmitted to humans by invertebrates.

"When immune responses are good, they act as a filter that reduces transmission," said Stewart Merrill. "But any environmental change that degrades immunity can actually amplify transmission, because it will let all of that exposure go through and ultimately become infectious."

It's a model that can also apply to COVID-19, as research from CU Boulder has shown that not all hosts are the same in transmitting the coronavirus, and exposure does not directly determine infection.

COVID-19 is also believed to be the result of a zoonotic spillover, an infection that moved from animals into people, and similar probabilistic models could be advantageous in predicting the occurrence and spread of future spillover events, said Stewart Merrill.

Understanding prevention of infection

Stewart Merrill hopes that a better understanding of infections in a simple animal like plankton can be applied more broadly to invertebrates that matter for human health.

In Africa, Southeast Asia, as well as South and Central America, 200 million people suffer from infections caused by schistosomes--invertebrates more commonly known as parasitic flatworms. They cause illness and death, and significant economic and public health consequences, so much so that the World Health Organization considers them the second-most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria.

They're just one of many neglected tropical diseases transmitted to people by invertebrate hosts such as snails, mosquitoes and biting flies. These diseases infect a large portion of a population but occur in areas with low levels of sanitation that don't have the economic resources to address those diseases, said Stewart Merrill.

Schistosomes live in freshwater environments that people use for their drinking water, laundry and bathing. So even though there are treatments, the next day a person can easily get reinfected just by accessing the water they need. By better understanding how the flatworms themselves succumb to or fight off infection, scientists like Stewart Merrill help us get closer to stopping the chain of transmission into humans.

"We really need to work on understanding prevention of infection, and what that risk is in those aquatic systems, rather than just cures for infection," she said.

The good news is we can learn from the same invertebrates which infect us. In invertebrate hosts that suffer or die from their infections, there is a good incentive to learn how to build an immune response and fight it off. Some snails have even shown the ability to retain an immunological memory: If they get infected once and survive, then they might never get infected again.

"If we can better understand how the environment shapes those defenses, we could predict into the future how environmental changes might amplify or suppress risk of transmission to people," said Stewart Merrill.
Swedes' confidence in government officials varies greatly depending on their political leanings. Politicians are perceived as more in agreement when it comes to their views on how the corona pandemic is being handled in Sweden. These are some of the latest findings of a study being conducted by the non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science) to investigate communication about the coronavirus in Sweden.

In collaboration with researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Sodertorn University, VA (Public & Science) is conducting a study of how people are receiving and interpreting information about the coronavirus and the ongoing pandemic. Here are the findings from the 16th wave of the survey, carried out between 17-22 April 2021.

Among professional groups that comment on the coronavirus in the media, Swedes still have the greatest confidence in doctors and other healthcare professionals. Nine out of ten Swedes (90 percent) have fairly or very high confidence in this group. This is followed by researchers (84 percent), government officials (58 percent), politicians (23 percent) and journalists (21 percent). No significant changes can be seen since March.

When it comes to politicians and journalists, a larger proportion of Swedes say they have fairly or very low confidence in them, compared to those who have high confidence. Four out of ten (40 percent) have low confidence in politicians and the corresponding proportion for journalists is 37 percent. Men lack confidence in these groups to a greater extent than women, and supporters of the Sweden Democrats have the lowest confidence of all. Among these, 57 percent have fairly or very low confidence in journalists and 75 percent have low confidence in politicians.

Confidence in government officials varies markedly between people that support different political parties. Among those who support the Social Democrats, 82 percent have high confidence and four percent low confidence in government officials. Among supporters of the Sweden Democrats, only 18 percent have high confidence while 51 percent have low confidence.

Politicians are perceived to be more in agreement when it comes to how the pandemic is being handled in Sweden compared to in March. In April, one in three Swedes (34 percent) perceived politicians as fairly or very in agreement, which is an increase of six percentage points over the past month. However, it is still significantly lower than in November 2020, when the perception of agreement among politicians began to fall significantly. Perceived agreement among politicians is lowest among supporters of the Sweden Democrats, where the corresponding proportion is 23 percent.

However, compared with other professional groups, it is politicians that are still perceived to be the least in agreement. Greatest agreement is perceived among doctors and other healthcare professionals (86 percent of Swedes perceive these as fairly or very in agreement). This is followed by government officials (68 percent), researchers (67 percent) and journalists (41 percent).

Around half of Swedes (49 percent) perceive the tone of corona news reporting to be fairly or very hyped/alarmist, which does not differ significantly from in March. On the other hand, one in ten (10 percent) perceive the reporting as fairly or very cautious/watchful, while 37 percent perceive it as neither hyped nor cautious. People who are aged 65 years or older perceive the reporting as hyped/alarmist to a slightly greater extent than younger people.

Swedish Television (SVT) is still the news channel through which most Swedes access information about the coronavirus. In April, nearly two out of three (62 percent) got information about corona through SVT, with the corresponding proportion among people aged 65 or older being 83 percent. This is followed by TV4 (37 percent), Swedish Radio (37 percent), the tabloid Aftonbladet (35 percent) and local morning newspapers (34 percent).

Swedes with a university education consume news to a greater extent than others from Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet and foreign/international media. Instead, those who do not have a higher education are more likely to get information about the coronavirus through local morning newspapers, Aftonbladet and TV4.

Confidence in various media's reporting on the coronavirus has not changed since March. Swedish Television enjoys the greatest confidence (76 percent have fairly or very high confidence) together with Swedish Radio (74 percent). This is followed by TV4 (53 percent), Dagens Nyheter (48 percent), local morning newspapers (43 percent), Svenska Dagbladet (42 percent), foreign/international media (23 percent), Aftonbladet (19 percent) and Expressen (14 percent).

Men, to a greater extent than women, have fairly or very low confidence in all news channels apart from foreign/international media where no difference between the sexes is visible. The same pattern can be seen among supporters of the Sweden Democrats, who, to a greater extent than others, have low confidence in all media channels apart from Expressen and foreign/international media.
Jeffersonville, IN (47130)

Today

Showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 87F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
(Newser)  Dreading your eventual return to the office? The federal government is making available for free some waterfront workspaces with killer views that are sure to entice. But there's a catch. The General Services Administration says the U.S. Coast Guard has decided it no longer needs four of the nation's most picturesque lighthouses, and it's inviting certain types of organizations to take them over at no cost. The GSA, which has been getting rid of its large inventory of obsolete lighthouses, said Beavertail Lighthouse in Jamestown, Rhode IslandAmerica's third-oldest lighthouse, which the defeated British forces burned out of spite in 1779 as they withdrew from the new nationis up for grabs. So are Watch Hill Light in Westerly, Rhode Island; Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Light in Ohio; and Duluth Harbor North Pierhead Light in Minnesota.

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Conditionally, that is: The government says it'll make the historic lighthouses and their outbuildings available free of charge to federal, state, and local agencies; nonprofit organizations; educational and community development agencies; or groups devoted to parks, recreation, culture, or historic preservation, the AP reports. Beavertail Light "has been determined to be excess to the needs of the United States Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, GSA spokesperson Paul Hughes said in a statement. Beavertail Light has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. The 64-foot granite lighthouse faces south where Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound meet, offering drop-dead-gorgeous ocean vistas.

(Read more lighthouse stories.)
(Newser)  A Space Force commander is out of a job after his controversial appearance on The Steve Gruber Show, a conservative podcast. Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier alleges in his new self-published book, Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military, that Marxism is increasingly influential in the US military, a theory he discussed on the podcast, CNN reports. He also discussed the book on the Information Operation podcast, Military.com reports. In doing so, he decried what he called the "anti-American" 1619 Project, which investigates the ways in which slavery shaped American institutions, as well as critical race theory, which he said is "rooted in Marxism."

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A Defense Department official says Lohmeier was relieved of his command "due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead" after the podcast appearances; it's not clear what his temporary assignment is currently. An investigation will determine whether Lohmeier's comments were "prohibited partisan political activity," the official says. Another official says the probe will also look at the process by which Lohmeier published the book; Lohmeier says he consulted his chain of command, but that hasn't been officially confirmed. Rep. Matt Gaetz called Lohmeier "a Patriot telling the truth about the attempted wokeification of our military - and worse. His demotion is clearly retaliatory. I will be seeking action on this in the Armed Services Committee." (Read more Space Force stories.)
(Newser)  Reports of allegedly "questionable behavior," as the New York Times puts it, are piling up around Bill Gates in the wake of his divorce announcement. The Microsoft co-founder is accused of having a wandering eye going back years, according to the Times report, and in the Wall Street Journal, sources say it was a relationship with a Microsoft staffer dating back more than two decades that ultimately led to Gates stepping down from the company's board. Meanwhile, the Daily Beast speaks to sources who have more on the alleged relationship between Gates and Jeffrey Epstein that was reportedly integral in Melinda French Gates' decision to divorce. Highlights:

The Journal's sources say the Microsoft staffer with whom Gates initiated a romantic relationship in 2000 ultimately, in 2019, detailed an alleged sexual relationship with Gates that spanned years. The company's board hired a law firm to investigate the situation, and eventually decided Gates needed to step down, sources say. He did so in March 2020, but a rep, who acknowledges "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," says Gates' resignation had nothing to do with that relationship.

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The Times has other stories of Gates allegedly pursuing female colleagues, like an email he allegedly wrote after attending a presentation given by a female Microsoft employee in 2006 asking her to dinner, and, a year or two later, asking the same of a Gates Foundation employee with whom he was on a foundation trip. The paper spoke to six current and former employees of Microsoft, the foundation, and another company that manages the Gates money, who painted a picture of Gates making awkward advances that sometimes left women feeling uncomfortable. But some of them said it was not done in a predatory fashion.

The Times' sources also say Gates was often "dismissive" toward French Gates at foundation meetings in a way that could be uncomfortable.

In 2017, the Gateses learned of a sexual harassment complaint against Gates' longtime money manager, which, sources say, he helped to get settled. The accuser signed a nondisclosure agreement as part of the settlement in 2018, but French Gates was allegedly not happy with how her husband had handled it, and hired a law firm to conduct an independent probe. The money manager was put on leave during that probe, but was eventually reinstated and remains in his position.

It was the year after that that Gates' relationship with Epstein started making headlines and French Gates, reportedly, began looking into divorce after learning things about their relationship she had not previously known. Gates met Epstein in 2011, and sources say they got together dozens of times over the years; the Daily Beast's sources say Gates viewed his trips to Epstein's as a break from his marriage, which, they say, he described to Epstein as "toxic."

The word from Gates' rep, who says Gates only ever met Epstein to discuss philanthropy: "It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gatess divorce. ... The rumors and speculation surrounding Gatess divorce are becoming increasingly absurd, and its unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as sources.'"

(Read more Bill Gates stories.)
(Newser)  The massive Marilyn Monroe statue whose clearly visible undies have caused drama in the past is back at it. The 26-foot-tall "Forever Marilyn" is returning to Palm Springs, Calif., permanently, after a temporary stay in the city from 2012 to 2014, NPR reports. And while many are happy to have the tourist attraction back, some are most definitely not. The stainless steel and aluminum sculpture shows Monroe in her iconic Seven Year Itch pose, with air from a subway grate blowing up her skirt, and she'll be placed in front of the Palm Springs Art Museumwith her backside, and thus the aforementioned undies, facing visitors as they exit.

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The museum director complains that the thousands of students who visit the museum each year shouldn't be forced to look at that, and the person who started a Change.org petition objecting to the statue's placement agrees. "It forces people almost to upskirt," she says of the statue's location, referring to the (illegal in California) practice of sneakily taking a photo up someone's skirt. In addition to the petition, which has been signed by more than 40,000 so far, there's the Committee to Relocate Marilyn, which has raised nearly $70,000 so far toward its quest of having the statue placed elsewhere. Opponents staged a protest last month, KESQ reports. (Read more strange stuff stories.)
The pandemic-era benefit  which enhances an existing child tax credit and makes it payable in regular installments  will translate into eligible parents receiving $300 per month for every child under age 6 and $250 per month for every child older than 6, the Treasury Department said in a statement. For example, that means a family with a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old will receive $550 every month.
(Newser)  Shannon Keeler was enjoying a weekend getaway with her boyfriend last year when she checked her Facebook messages for the first time in ages. A name popped up that stopped her cold. "So I raped you," the person said in a burst of unread messages sent six months earlier. "I'll never do it to anyone ever again." The person added: "I need to hear your voice" and "I'll pray for you." The messages rocketed Keeler, 26, back to the life-shattering night in December 2013 when an upperclassman at Gettysburg College stalked her at a party, snuck into her dorm, and barged into her room while she pleaded with him and texted friends for help. Eight years later, she still hopes to persuade Pennsylvania authorities to make an arrest, armed now with his alleged confession, sent via social media, per the AP. Before and after the attack, Keeler followed protocols meant to prevent campus sex assaults or address them when they happen, including having a male friend walk her home from the party.

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She reported the rape that day, met with police, and endured a painful and intrusive rape exam. And she pushed for charges. Yet, at every turn, the justice system failed her, just as it fails most college rape victims. The suspect, IDed by other partygoers, left Gettysburg but denied any wrongdoing in an email to school officials, per records Keeler obtained. His withdrawal ended the school's Title IX investigation, she says. Two years later, just after the window to file a civil suit closed, then-District Attorney Scott Wagner said he wouldn't file charges. Keeler recalls him saying it was difficult to bring cases when alcohol is involved. She learned last year that her rape kit had been destroyed after the case was initially closed. Adams County authorities are looking anew at Keeler's case since she showed them the Facebook messages in June. Keeler says her anger is "more at the criminal justice system than what actually happened." More on her story here, including how very few campus rapes are ever prosecuted, per victim advocates and limited available crime data.

(Read more sexual assault stories.)
(Newser)  A Colorado man accused of storming the Capitol and who was banned from owning firearms is facing another arrest and new charges after feds say he killed a mountain lion near Denver. CBS Denver reports that Patrick Montgomery, 48, was already facing a series of counts linked to the Jan. 6 attack, including disorderly conduct, entry/remaining in a restricted building, and assault after he allegedly kicked a Metropolitan Police Department officer in the chest during the riot. He was released from custody and permitted to head home to Colorado to await trial, as long as he didn't possess firearms, among other conditions, per the Washington Post. The paper adds Montgomery was also barred from owning firearms due to being a convicted felon. Last week, however, federal prosecutors filed a motion to revoke his release and place him on house arrest with a GPS monitor after they say he shot and killed a 170-pound mountain lion on March 31 with a .357 handgun.

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A photo included in a Colorado Parks and Wildlife report shows Montgomery posing with the dead animal after the kill, holding it up for the camera. He reported the kill to CPW, as required by law, which is when it was discovered he wasn't supposed to have a firearm in the first place. "Montgomery has no respect for the Court's orders, just like he had no respect for law enforcement at the Capitol on January 6," the prosecutors' motion notes. Montgomery told Colorado wildlife officials that, as part of his plea deal in a previous robbery case, he'd been allowed to own and use guns for hunting, but so far, officials haven't been able to find proof of such an agreement. Prosecutors also note Montgomery illegally harvested a bobcat in late January, chasing it for 11 miles and allowing his dogs to maul it. Per the Denver Post, Montgomery is set to appear in court Monday, where a judge is expected to agree to prosecutors' request that he be placed on house arrest and banned from hunting. (Read more Capitol riot stories.)
(Newser)  Pigeons have been carrying things around for people for ages. Some kind humans got a chance to return the favor recently by banding together in a frantic relay race to carry an injured bird to safety. It all started when Mel Tillery saw someone trying to shoo a "really messed up" bird off a Maryland road on April 27. Tillery scooped him up, put him in an empty box, drove home to Towson, and posted a photo on Tumblr, drawing the attention of fellow animal lovers. The pigeon spent a couple days in a cage on Tillery's porch sipping water and eating seeds and showing a will to live. Rehabbing him seemed like a real possibility, but the best option, Ramsey Loft, was 600 miles away in Georgia, writes Natalie Wallington in a Washington Post exclusive.

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Tillery picked five people out of the 20 who volunteered to drive the bird, now called Passenger, to Georgia. Tillery drove Passenger, tucked in a cozy box labeled with a helpful note"are your doors and windows closed?"two hours south to Herndon, Virginia. Natalie Landsberg, 24, drove three more hours south to Richmond, where Rohan Maythe and Michael Dyess, both 27, took over. They passed Passenger along to Emily Orton in Chapel Hill, NC. Mae Kwong-Moses, a 26-year-old PhD student took the last leg. She got Passenger to Danielle Ramsey of Ramsey Loft at 2am on May 1just in time, says Ramsey, who described Passenger as near death. Two weeks later, he's able to stand and flutter his wings. Ramsey guesses hes about six months old and could live a long life. (Read more uplifting news stories.)
(Newser)  The pandemic getaway cruise was a bust. The ensuing lawsuits are a hoot. Back in December, the billionaire owner of the NHL's Ottawa Senators chartered a $500,000-a-week superyacht to sail around the Bahamas, reports CTV News. Now, two lawsuits from the girlfriend and the mother of Eugene Melnyk allege that the ship's captain deliberately subjected them to a miserable trip. They want a total of $10 million for what they call "negligence, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress," per SportsNet. The company that owns the yacht, however, says that's crazy, explaining that sometimes things get a little uncomfortable on the high seas. In the lawsuits, the captain is described "an odorous, ill-tempered man who was curt and dismissive with the guests and outright angry and abusive to the crew," per the CBC.

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The big tiff appears to center on a suggestion from Melnyk to the captain that they take a more inland route. The captain "appeared angry and resentful that a charterer would deem to intrude on his alleged specialized knowledge" and took revenge by "intentionally piloting the yacht into the open ocean," say both lawsuits. That resulted in vomiting, "panic attacks" and "trauma," all of it unnecessary, say the suits. Except that a lawyer for the yacht owner says the boat was simply too big to go where Melnyk wanted. "It's just a physical impossibility," says Chris Fertig of Fort Lauderdale. And the captain can hardly control the weather, he adds. "I understand that Mr. Melnyk was upset that the charter didn't go the way he envisioned, but every day there was 35-mile-an-hour winds." He also points to the ship's guest book, in which Melnyk's party expresses thanks for an "amazing trip." (Read more superyachts stories.)
(Newser)  AT&T will combine its massive media operations that include CNN, HBO, TNT, and TBS in a $43 billion deal with Discovery, the owner of lifestyle networks including the Food Network and HGTV. The deal reflects a new reality for the industry: Faced with cord-cutting and incursions by streaming services, major broadcast media companies have retrenched and sought strength through mergers, per the AP. The deal announced Monday would create a separate media company that would become what the Washington Post calls a "TV, film, and streaming behemoth." It would compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney, per CNBC. AT&T had previously pushed into the streaming sector through HBO Max. Discovery launched a standalone streaming service called Discovery Plus this year.

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The deal to give up its media business marks a major shift by AT&T, which fought hard to push a transaction through in 2018 to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion even as the Justice Department tried to block the deal for anti-competitive reasons. The Wall Street Journal calls it a "surprising U-turn" for the company. In the all-stock deal, AT&T will receive $43 billion in a combination of cash, debt securities, and WarnerMedias retention of certain debt. AT&T shareholders will receive stock representing 71% of the new company and Discovery stockholders will own 29% of the new company. The deal is expected to close by the middle of next year.

(Read more AT&T stories.)
(Newser)  Parler is set to make a reappearance in Apple's App Store on Monday, after the latter company reviewed changes that the social media platform made to address concerns of lax moderation. The news comes on the heels of reports last month that Apple had cleared the way for this reemergence, though the Hill notes it's not clear what exact changes were made, or how they guarantee Parler isn't violating the store's policies. "The entire Parler team has worked hard to address Apple's concerns without compromising our core mission," interim Parler CEO Mark Meckler said in a statement, which added the development came after "months of productive dialogue" with Apple, per the Verge.

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Parler, a conservative-leaning platform that's labeled itself a free-speech alternative to Facebook and Twitter, was bounced from the App Store and from Google Play in January, as well as dropped from Amazon's web hosting service, amid accusations that posts on the platform contained hateful content, with some serving as possible incitement to violence. Meckler says in his statement that any content on Parler that doesn't pass muster to make it onto Apple's iOS app, but that's still permitted on Parler itself, can be accessed through its web-based or Android apps. The Washington Post reports that those viewing hateful content on those latter apps will see a "hate" warning before clicking through. iPhone users won't see those posts at all, with Parler's chief policy officer, Amy Peikoff, deeming the iOS version "Parler Lite or Parler PG." Parler remains banned in Google Play. (Read more Parler stories.)
(Newser)  It's a bit of a Catch-22: COVID vaccinations are making it possible for more women to venture out and get mammograms after putting them off for a year or so. But those same vaccinations appear to be distorting results and leading to false positives on the exams, reports the Los Angeles Times. The reason, as laid out in the Times and in a post at Johns Hopkins Medicine, is fairly straightforward. The COVID shots trigger a response in the immune system, and that sometimes results in enlarged lymph nodes. If these show up on a mammogram, that raises a red flag and typically results in the women being called back for further tests. The enlargement would be temporary if caused by a vaccination, so a doctor might ask a woman to come back in a few weeks for a new exam.

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All of which means that women and their doctors need to weigh the risk of holding off on a mammogram even longer to avoid the stress of a possible false alarm. "It's a bit of a balancing act," Dr. Lisa Mullen of Johns Hopkins tells the Times. It's not clear how many women have been affected, but at least anecdotally doctors are seeing a spike in mammograms with enlarged lymph nodes. In her post at Johns Hopkins, Mullen suggests that women who already have had their shots wait four to six weeks after the last one before scheduling a mammogram. But if they're experiencing breast pain, detect a lump, or have any other abnormalities, they should get a mammogram without delay. "It's better to be safe than sorry," reads the post. (Generally, cancer diagnoses have increased of late because people delayed screenings during the pandemic.)
(Newser)  The Supreme Court caused people on both sides of the abortion debate to take notice on Mondaythe justices decided to hear a case later this year that is seen as a major challenge to Roe v. Wade. The details:

The case: Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is out of Mississippi, where the state law in question would outlaw nearly all abortions after 15 weeks, reports the New York Times. Lower courts have stopped the law from taking effect after citing principles in Roe v. Wade of 1973 and Planned Parenthood v. Casey nearly 20 years later.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is out of Mississippi, where the state law in question would outlaw nearly all abortions after 15 weeks, reports the New York Times. Lower courts have stopped the law from taking effect after citing principles in Roe v. Wade of 1973 and Planned Parenthood v. Casey nearly 20 years later. Key issue: A fetus is considered viable, meaning it could survive outside the womb, around 23 weeks. Roe and Planned Parenthood affirm a woman's right to have an abortion before the fetus is viable, and the Mississippi law challenges that. The court announced it would examine whether "all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional," per SCOTUSblog. That, writes Robert Barnes at the Washington Post, "has been a key component of the court's jurisprudence."

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Appeals judge: Here is how a lower court judge put it, per the AP: States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the woman's right, but they may not ban abortions," wrote Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals. In affirming a ruling against the Mississippi law, he described the legislation as a "ban." Mississippi argues that the viability standard is arbitrary and interferes with its right to regulate abortions.

Here is how a lower court judge put it, per the AP: States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the woman's right, but they may not ban abortions," wrote Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals. In affirming a ruling against the Mississippi law, he described the legislation as a "ban." Mississippi argues that the viability standard is arbitrary and interferes with its right to regulate abortions. The implications: It's "impossible to overstate" the threat to Roe v. Wade, law professor Mary Ziegler, who authored the book Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present, tells the Post. That's true even if the court doesn't actually overturn Roe, because eliminating the fetal viability standard would serve the same purpose. "Without viability, it is not clear whether the court will impose any limit on abortion bans," says Ziegler.

It's "impossible to overstate" the threat to Roe v. Wade, law professor Mary Ziegler, who authored the book Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present, tells the Post. That's true even if the court doesn't actually overturn Roe, because eliminating the fetal viability standard would serve the same purpose. "Without viability, it is not clear whether the court will impose any limit on abortion bans," says Ziegler. The votes: The court now has a 6-3 conservative majority with the final addition of Amy Coney Barrett, whose views in opposition to abortion were a concern to Democrats during her confirmation hearing. She replaced liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who voted with the majority last year in a 5-4 ruling to block a Louisiana abortion restriction, notes the Hill.

The court now has a 6-3 conservative majority with the final addition of Amy Coney Barrett, whose views in opposition to abortion were a concern to Democrats during her confirmation hearing. She replaced liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who voted with the majority last year in a 5-4 ruling to block a Louisiana abortion restriction, notes the Hill. Anti-abortion view: This is a landmark opportunity for the Supreme Court to recognize the right of states to protect unborn children from the horrors of painful late-term abortions, says Marjorie Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony List. Across the nation, state lawmakers acting on the will of the people have introduced 536 pro-life bills aimed at humanizing our laws and challenging the radical status quo imposed by Roe."

This is a landmark opportunity for the Supreme Court to recognize the right of states to protect unborn children from the horrors of painful late-term abortions, says Marjorie Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony List. Across the nation, state lawmakers acting on the will of the people have introduced 536 pro-life bills aimed at humanizing our laws and challenging the radical status quo imposed by Roe." The other side: The case sets off loud "alarm bells," says Nancy Northup of the Center for Reproductive Rights. The Supreme Court just agreed to review an abortion ban that unquestionably violates nearly 50 years of Supreme Court precedent and is a test case to overturn Roe v. Wade."

(Read more abortion debate stories.)
(Newser)  A prosecutor warned prospective jurors Monday that the trial of a Mexican national charged in the 2018 fatal stabbing of a University of Iowa student will include graphic evidence that will be emotionally difficult to see and hear. Prosecutor Scott Brown said the first-degree murder trial of Cristhian Bahena Rivera in the death of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts will feature testimony about the stab wounds she suffered after going for a run. "Its not going to be pleasant," he said. Brown spoke during jury selection at an events center in Davenport, where lawyers began working to whittle down a 175-person pool to 12 jurors and three alternates. Jury selection is expected to continue Tuesday before a two-week trial at the Scott County Courthouse.

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Legal experts say ensuring a fair trial for Rivera, a farm laborer who is suspected of entering the country illegally as a teenager, will be difficult given the circumstances of the case, per the AP. Riveras arrest inflamed anger over illegal immigration, with then-President Trump calling Rivera a killer who exploited lax immigration laws and Iowas governor calling him a predator. The case deepened anxieties about random violence against women, since Tibbetts was attacked while jogging in her small town of Brooklyn, Iowa. Rivera, 26, has been jailed since his arrest in August 2018. He wore a dress shirt and navy slacks Monday and listened through headphones as an interpreter translated the proceedings into Spanish. Hes likely to face a jury that will be predominantly white in a state that Trump carried in 2020. (Read what Tibbetts' dad said in a eulogy for her.)
(Newser)  A group of rich people laid their case on tax policy at the front door of the world's richest man on Monday. Patriotic Millionaires organized the Tax Day demonstration outside Bezos' homes in New York and Washington, DC, the Guardian reports. The group favors more progressive tax policies; its message to the Amazon chief executive was "Tax the rich." To belong, members have to make at least $1 million a year or have more than $5 million in assets. "We're ending up with a few rich people and a lot of poor people, and that doesn't work," said Morris Pearl, a former BlackRock executive who's the group's board chairman. "That's not a way you can run a sustainable society." Protests also were planned at the homes of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, per CNBC.

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President Biden has proposed raising corporate taxes to fund his $2 trillion infrastructure plan. Patriotic Millionaires supports Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren's plan for a 2% annual tax on wealth topping $50 million and 3% after $1 billion. Bezos' situation reflects "the total idiocy of the country's tax code," said Erica Payne, the group's president. Anyone spending a half-billion on a yacht probably should be paying more in taxes, she said. Forbes puts Bezos' wealth at more than $185 billion. He has said he favors higher taxes on the wealthy, but an Amazon spokesman did not comment on the demonstrations. An analysis last year found Amazon had paid an income tax rate of 9.4%, as opposed to the mandated 21%, per the Guardian. (Read more Jeff Bezos stories.)
Im excited about and attracted to the tropes of the genre, Snyder said. I think its funny and fun to push all those tropes as far as you possibly can to the ragged edge. ... Its trying to walk this razors edge of the slightly absurd and then also trying, the heart of the movie, just trying to keep the hooks in you with the emotion. Thats just a fun time. For me it is, anyway. Every day, the movie is going to take you somewhere else that you dont expect to go.
(Newser)  President Biden, maskless and fully vaccinated, announced Monday that COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients will be leading an effort to share US-made vaccines with the rest of the world. "We know America will never be fully safe until the pandemic thats raging globally is under control," Biden said, per the AP. The president said another 20 million doses will be shared with the world in the next six weeks including, for the first time, doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines approved for use in the US.

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Last month, the administration said it would release around 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not received FDA authorization. The administration has received more than four dozen requests for vaccine doses from countries around the world, including some struggling with surges in cases, Politico reports. "Our nations going to be the arsenal of vaccines for the rest of the world," Biden said Monday. He said that unlike countries including China and Russia, "we will not use our vaccines to secure favors from other countries." Officials say they are looking at factors including infection rates and existing vaccine supply when assessing country requests. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
The Chief Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the Department of Corrections which will examine how the agency has handled repeated calls for the improvement of prison conditions.

The systemic investigation was self-initiated by Peter Boshier after he found the same issues continued to be raised.

He said he has not seen "significant and sustained improvements to prisoners' welfare and rehabilitation" despite concerns being raised at all levels, so "I simply want to know why".

"I have become increasingly concerned about seeing the same issues coming up time and time again," he said.

"I now need to determine if there are any system-wide issues in the department that may be preventing it from making changes that I and other oversight agencies have been calling for."
Winter is just around the corner - and this week will bring the weather to match.

Unsettled conditions will kick off on Monday, with a flurry of heavy showers throughout the central North Island as a rain band moves in.

WeatherWatch says this is caused by the arrival of a number of fronts that will press into New Zealand over the next 48 hours, bringing severe weather and a windy, wet change.
"That's double-bunking with convicted murderers or rapists; often there's a lot of gang members involved, and asylum seekers are people who've come here looking for safety," he told Newshub.

An asylum seeker Newshub spoke to says he came to New Zealand at the age of 20 on a fake passport, having fled war in his country. He claimed asylum and was detained.

"I was crying day and night - I didn't know what to do," he told Newshub.

He did not want to be identified, saying he's afraid his family back home will be harmed if he is.

"It was very stressful thinking... it affects me a lot during that time I was there."

He spent seven months in Mt Eden while his asylum claim was considered.

"The cellmate I got was a very big man - bigger than me. He was shouting at me that I cannot pray."

One man spent 1178 days - more than three years - in Waikeria Prison. There are currently two asylum seekers behind bars.

"As a Kiwi I think that we would look after people coming here looking for safety rather than putting them in prison," says Maurice.

"The UN charter that we signed up for says that if people come here - however they come here - seeking asylum, we should look after them, and putting them in prison isn't looking after them."

Immigration NZ refused an interview but in a statement told Newshub the majority of asylum seekers are not detained. The reason some are is because there's a question about their identity.

"We understand that some of them will come on false documents - it's the only way they can escape from their country," says Maurice.

Amnesty International will release a report into the detention of asylum seekers on Tuesday.

"There are absolutely solutions for this so it's really just up to the will of the Government to ensure they're not breaking human rights law," says Meg de Ronde, executive director of Amnesty International NZ.

Advocates want asylum seekers to stay at the Mangere Refugee Centre instead of people locked up, and only for a maximum of 28 days - even if it takes officials longer to sort out their paperwork.

But Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi says he has no plans to change how asylum seeker cases are handled, and the Government complies with human rights conventions.
Morrison's visit to New Zealand will be his first since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The last time the pair shared a podium was in February 2020 in Sydney, where Ardern delivered a stern message to Australia about deportations.

Morrison said in a statement he looked forward to the trip and described it as "fitting" that his first visit overseas was to New Zealand.

"Australia and New Zealand are family - and we share deep historical bonds of friendship, trust and the ANZAC spirit," Morrison said.

"Both Australia and New Zealand have been world leaders in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this visit is a great illustration of the Trans-Tasman Safe Travel Zone in action.

"We have many shared challenges to discuss. We are key partners in delivering COVID-19 vaccines to our Pacific neighbours, we share common goals and values for the Indo-Pacific region, and we are major trading partners."

Ardern said her discussions with Morrison in Queenstown will centre on challenges both nations face, including COVID-19 and the recovery of tourism, as well as working together on key regional and security issues.

Ardern said the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting - which will be held over two days - will be a good opportunity to celebrate the resumption of two-way quarantine free travel and "welcome our trans-Tasman cousins back to Aotearoa".

"An in-person leaders' meeting reflects a significant achievement for both our countries and is highly unusual in the COVID-19 context. It's a significant achievement to be able to host Prime Minister Morrison and Mrs Morrison on our shores."

The two leaders will attend a Highlanders game. They will also engage with Australian and New Zealand business, tourism, and community leaders and lay a wreath at the Arrowtown War Memorial.

Last month, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne travelled to New Zealand to meet Ardern and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

Ardern said in a pre-Budget speech last week that she plans to visit several Australian states in July, leading a trade and promotional delegation.

"I will be looking to further strengthen business ties with our trans-Tasman partners."

Ardern also plans to lead delegations into Europe, the United States, China and the wider Asia-Pacific, when our key trading partners look to re-open their borders.

Trade Minister Damien O'Connor will next month travel to London and Brussels to progress negotiations for New Zealand's free trade agreements with the UK and EU.
Many observers believe that the Government - which is reviewing its skilled migrant policy - could use a 'wipe the slate clean' to clear the backlog, as it sets out its vision of which future residents and citizens New Zealand wants.

A spokesperson for the minister told RNZ the speech would not be announcing anything of that kind.

Focus on the border

Faafoi will be talking after a week of attention on immigration, with the Government signalling its thinking about reopening to the world - and allowing in more workers - while deflecting calls to help existing migrants.

Last Monday, the Government announced 2400 more RSE workers would be allowed into the country by March next year.

The new allocations also include specialised construction workers for infrastructure projects and MIQ spaces for 400 international students.

On Thursday, Faafoi was shouted down at a rally of unhappy migrants at Parliament as they asked for families to be let into the country, to have visa processing speeded up, and for residency visas for those on temporary work visas who would normally be eligible.

He has been working on reforms to temporary work visas and a review of the Skilled Migrant Category visa.

The Productivity Commission has been asked to look further into the effects of immigration, including its impact on the labour market, housing, infrastructure and the environment.

Also on Thursday, Ardern used a pre-Budget speech to set out the Government's view on immigration and under what circumstances border restrictions would be eased.

She followed that with hints on Friday that immigration changes to lure overseas investment and employment were due this week.

Speaking at the same 'Auckland's Future, Now' business conference, former chief science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman said New Zealand was rapidly losing the appeal it had won internationally for its COVID-19 response.

"The window of opportunity for New Zealand to attract talent is evaporating rather rapidly as the developed world becomes vaccinated.

"Many Asian countries are now on an aggressive hunt for that talent."

RNZ
When assessing applications, MFAT says it considers whether any equipment could be used to contribute to human rights abuses as well as any reputational risks by association with entities or countries.

At her post-Cabinet press conference on Monday afternoon, Jacinda Ardern said the technology won't make its way into the current conflict.

"[MFAT] have advised they had an application from a company to provide five samples to an Israeli company," Ardern said.

"The export order regime, of course, is built around the idea of products being provided for a commercial arrangement and an end-user. This arrangement did not include either because they were samples.

"MFAT rightly made it clear to the company in question they should not bother because approval would not be given for these to be used or sold to either private companies or the government for military purposes.

Under the Customs and Excise Act, the export of any "strategic goods" - which includes firearms, military goods and technologies - are prohibited unless a permit is obtained from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

"New Zealand's export control system is a significant thread in our commitment to restricting the ability of countries or terrorist groups to develop weapons of mass destruction, and to prevent the transfer of conventional weapons for undesirable purposes," MFAT says.

Ardern said on Monday that under the existing export regime, "they didn't have grounds to say you can't send the samples, but they did have grounds to say you will not be able to sell on a commercial arrangement to a private company, to the government, or to the military".

"It seems to me to be a pointless exercise for the company to engage with in the first place."

David Smol, the former chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, was appointed in April to review the export control regime for military and dual-use goods and technology.

"The review will examine whether the export controls regime remains fit for purpose," MFAT said at the time. "It will cover the legislative mandate for the export controls framework, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's implementation of the framework, and all associated policies, roles, delegations and business practice."

On the issue of the Israel-Gaza conflict, MFAT says New Zealand continues to call for "rapid de-escalation and for all sides to adhere to international law and international humanitarian law".

"It is imperative that all sides exercise restraint to prevent further civilian casualties and work towards a ceasefire," it says.

"New Zealand is committed to working with the international community to support efforts to bring about a ceasefire, and calls on the UN Security Council to take action."
Collins insists she's acting on behalf of all New Zealanders, who she says deserve to know the Government's entire 'co-governance' plans.

But it appears the country isn't behind her.

The latest Newshub-Reid Research Poll showed 44.5 percent of New Zealanders think National is being divisive, including one in five National voters - 23.5 percent.

Collins' personal popularity has also slipped, with just 5.6 percent, down 12.8 points - preferring her as Prime Minister. Her rating is even less than her predecessor Sir John Key on 6.7 percent - and he's not even a politician.

But Collins isn't showing any sign of backing down.

"There's a big chunk of people who are very pro the line we're taking," she told Magic Talk.

"And don't forget, this poll was started a couple of weeks back before some of the detail was coming out. We're getting detail from people who are leaking the detail to us because they are shocked by what they are seeing and they know we will take the issue up.

"So am I going to stop on it? No I'm not, absolutely not. This is crucial for our country, and this far out from an election, these are the times we should be talking about it, because otherwise it just gets pushed away in the rush of an election."

Collins said she's seen "no evidence whatsoever" of National MPs not supporting her.

"What I have seen, though, is huge support. Every one of our caucus members is turning up to our regional meetings. Every one of them will be seeing the enormous support from the party members and the delegates."

With National still sitting below 30 percent in Newshub's poll, speculation is growing that Collins will soon be ousted as leader. But Collins says she does not feel threatened and that her colleagues realise how tough the job is.

"I feel very strong and I know I have huge support. It's a tough job. There's a reason people say the leader of the Opposition's the toughest job in politics and that's because it is. Part of it is just fending off silly stories and things because people don't want to deal with the big issues.

"I just think most New Zealanders would be appalled if they realised what the Government is doing behind their backs. I will call them out, I won't stop, I'm going to keep on going, and the more that the Maori Party behaves like it does and the Labour Party does and Parliament gets all upset I ask the question, the more I'm going to do it."
The number of people crossing New Zealand's border has fallen by a record amount over the last year, new data shows.

StatsNZ on Monday released new data showing net migration gain of just 6,600 people in the year to March 2021, compared to 91,900 in the year to March 2020, which was the highest on record.

There were 36,400 migrant arrivals, the lowest since 1986, and 29,800 migrant departures, the lowest since 1969. A net gain of 15,500 New Zealand citizens was partially offset by a net loss of 8,900 non-New Zealand citizens, a reverse of the traditional pattern.

The number of overall border crossings has also been hit hard, with 319,700 in the year to March 2021 - made up of 127,600 arrivals and 192,100 departures - compared to 13.6 million border crossings in the year to March 2020.

A border crossing is an arrival or departure, either from short-term or long-term trips, including foreigners and Kiwis.
The question put to MPs as they arrived at the capital: is Judith Collins toast?

"Oh no, sorry, it's too close to breakfast to be talking about toast," said National MP Chris Penk.

"Ah look, I always support our leader," said National MP Paul Goldsmith.

A note to National MPs: the correct answer is always 'no'. But Collins has taken the biggest preferred Prime Minister tumble we've seen in our Newshub-Reid Research poll.

Only about 5 percent of New Zealanders can see Collins as Prime Minister.

"I know the feeling," said former leader Simon Bridges.

We all remember how that turned out - not well. The question is then, who should be the leader of the National Party?

"Look, I always support our leader," said Goldsmith.

"Judith Collins is the leader," said National MP Michael Woodhouse.

"Judith is the leader of the National Party," said National MP Mark Mitchell.

So we've established Collins is the leader.

Newshub asked voters the same question - unprompted - and looking where it counts, National voters, there was a sign of apathy within the party.

Most - 33.3 percent - don't know or don't care.

Judith Collins gets a less-than-resounding 30.6 percent, Christopher Luxon is next in line to the throne on 16 percent, and then there are the dregs - Simon Bridges on 4.3 percent and Chris Bishop on 1.8 percent.

Bishop wouldn't say if he's interested in the leadership when approached by Newshub.

"I'm just getting into my Uber, thanks."

Former leadership hopeful Mark Mitchell didn't even register on the radar. He told Newshub he's not interested anymore.

"No, absolutely not."

So, ex-Air New Zealand CEO Chris Luxon is shaping up to be the anointed one, but is unlikely to make any sudden movements - even though some of his colleagues think he could be quite good.

"Who knows? He did alright at Air New Zealand," said National MP Stuart Smith.

National MP Melissa Lee said Luxon "may one day" make a good leader, "but he's not the leader".

As for when he could be leader, Lee said: "When caucus elects him, I guess."

Collins' knock in the polls follows dogged questioning about Maori race relations, which began with the Government's announcement of a Maori Health Authority.

But unlike National, the country backs it.

The Newshub-Reid Research poll asked: Do you support the idea of a Maori Health Authority?

The answer was yes, with a 52.2 percent majority, while 37.7 percent said no, and 10.1 percent didn't know.

Most National voters - 65.3 percent - are opposed. But a third of them - 30.3 percent - support the Maori Health Authority, while 4.4 percent didn't know.

It begs the question: Do National MPs support Collins' race row?

There was silence from National MP Matt Doocey, while Todd McClay denied it was a race row.

National MP Andrew Bayly said he was "comfortable" with the dialogue and complemented Collins for "being careful with her wording".

But it was perhaps not careful enough for most New Zealanders.

Collins has completely misread the room on race relations. It might play well with some in the National Party base, it might entice back some National voters who went to ACT - but wider, centre New Zealand doesn't dig it, and that's where elections are won and lost.

Collins argues otherwise, though she might have better clarity if she had polling to rely on, but Newshub can reveal National hasn't done any internal polling since the election. It used to be weekly.

Remember, Bridges got so much grief for not showing his caucus the internal numbers when they got bad.

So how do you get around not showing your MPs terrible polls? Ensure there aren't any polls to show.

Collins refused to do an interview with Newshub on Monday, but we've heard from within her caucus that although unlikely, it's not impossible she'll be moved against by the end of the year.
By Nie Shuyi

The recent escalating conflicts between Palestine and Israel have raised international concerns over the situation getting out of control. The region, the most dangerous powder keg in the Middle East and the world, may explode again.

Several factors caused the conflicts. For one thing, during this years Ramadan, Israel broke the commitment to respecting religious belief and prohibited Palestinians from praying in the Al Aqsa Mosque, the sacred shrine of Muslims , while Israeli right-wing groups planned celebration on the so-called Jerusalem Day added fuel to the tension. For another, the Israeli government demanded Palestinians legally living in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem leave to make room for Jewish settlers, which dissatisfied the Palestinians both politically and legally. The combination of factors has escalated the Palestine-Israel tension into armed conflicts.

The fuse of this round of battles is still one of the key issues that have remained unresolved between the two sides, namely the attribution of Jerusalem, where Israels increasingly aggressive activities have everything to do with Americas strong backing over the past few years.

In December 2017, then US president Trump announced on a high profile his countrys recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the new capital, tearing off the veil of ostensible neutrality that America has been wearing on the Palestine-Israel issue for decades. Later Trump proposed the Middle East peace plan that he touted as a deal of the century, which is just a unilateral deal extremely partial to Israel. After the Trump administration announced the plan in January 2020, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his plan to expand the Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem. CNN commented that Trumps unconditional support to Israels demand struck the last nail on the coffin of the two-state solution that supports building an independent state for the Palestinians .

The current conflicts between Palestine and Israel are a continuation of the 100-plus-year-long struggles between the Jews and the Arabians for the claim of Jerusalem. Also, the result of the fermentation of piled-up crises after this issue has been marginalized in the Middle East over recent years. In the process, Americas seemingly neutral but actually pro-Israel practices have further complicated the issue.

Israel is Americas most staunch ally in the Middle East, and supporting Israel is one of the basic principles of American diplomacy. Since the latest conflicts broke out, the Biden administration has been slow in declaring its stance, and the US State Department didnt issue a statement until May 10 that, though urging relevant parties to chill down, stressed Israels right to defend itself from rocket projectiles and demanded Hamas stop attacking Israel immediately.

But the statement once again exposed Americas partiality to Israel. Previously after Israeli police raided the Al Aqsa Mosque and showered tear gas at hundreds of people protesting or praying there, American officials only called on both sides to avoid any unilateral action. Jinan Deena, a member of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) , said, Palestinians are under occupation, and the United States has systematically supported this  whether through funding Israels military with our tax dollars or narratives such as this where blame is placed on both sides . Washington Post sardonically titled its commentary with But its part of the problem .

For many years, geopolitics and major-power struggle have marginalized the Palestine-Israel issue in the Middle East. Still, it has a significant bearing on regional geopolitical stability, security, peace, and development. Some analysts held that the outburst of the current conflicts is closely linked with the dramatic geopolitical changes in the region.

The Biden administration has abandoned Trumps Middle East policy and tried to save the dying Iranian nuclear deal; Saudi Arabia begins to renew contacts with Qatar, Syria, and Egypt in hopes of mending ties; Saudi Arabia and Iran have restarted talks in Iraq about reopening bilateral relations, and Israel is trapped in domestic political turmoil. All these factors work together to put immense security and political pressure on Israel. Against such a backdrop, it is not entirely impossible that the reignition of Palestine-Israel conflicts is a dangerous move made by Israel to divert or mitigate all the pressure.

But innocent civilian lives of both sides are lost or wounded during the conflicts. History in the past more than 70 years has proved over and again that Americas consistent partiality will only aggravate the crisis, Israels military occupation and the two sides armed conflicts will only further poison their feud, and a laissez-faire attitude toward the current situation will only lead to an all-lose outcome. The only way to get the Palestine-Israel peace process out of its deadlock is through political negotiation and diplomatic efforts.

Disclaimer: This article is originally published on haiwainet.cn, which is the website of Overseas Edition of the People's Daily. The article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
This program is essential to the health and wellbeing of New York Muslim students, and we are happy to see it expand just as Eid passes, said Raja Abdulhaq, the Executive Director of Majlis Ash-Shura: Islamic Leadership Council of New York.
Excitement is building as the Cook Islands prepares for the first arrival of Kiwis in more than a year.

A quarantine-free travel bubble officially opened on Monday with the first flight from New Zealand landing on Tuesday afternoon.

Prime Minister Mark Brown told The AM Show this is the first step towards recovery for the island nation which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's been a while since we actually closed the arrivals into the country so we are really looking forward to today, and this first step towards our recovery.

"There is one flight today and another on Friday and it will slowly pick up. But we are looking at growing that over the next month or so."
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From The Alaska Post: Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed the problem of sexual assault in the military during a Pentagon press conference yesterday.
"Ive visited my states legal cannabis operations, and the fact is that these businesses contribute to our economy and create jobs for Alaskans," Rep. Don Young said in 2020 during a visit to a cannabis business in Alaska.
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Gov. Mike Parsons announcement last week that the state will no longer be federal dollars for enhanced unemployment payments may lead to a surge of people looking for work.

According to the latest data from the Missouri Department of Labor, Buchanan Countys unemployment rate was 4.3% in March. And initial unemployment claims are dropping significantly.

For those in the area who still are seeking employment, there are resources to help find that perfect job.

We represent at least 90% of the major employers in St. Joe, David Wegenka, managing partner at IMKO Workforce Solutions, said.

Wegenka has been working for IMKO for 23 years and said right now is when he has seen the most people looking for jobs, as well as the most employers looking to fill positions.

(This is) definitely the most openings we had since 2010 coming out of the recession, Wegenka said. Coming out of the recession was similar but we were not competing against our tax dollars at work. Right now we are competing against our own tax dollars until June 11.

IMKO has on average 150 to 180 job opportunities available on a weekly basis. Pre-pandemic, job options were more in the range of 50 to 80 jobs.

Missouris unemployment rate is 4.2% and it keeps declining along with initial unemployment claims.

The unemployment rate going down could also be attributed to vaccinations being distributed across the state. Wegenka said that in the past two weeks alone he has noticed a lot more people coming in applying for positions and thinks that could be one of the big factors.

We just started seeing an increase in the last two weeks. I would say with the vaccinations being rolled out, I think that is a big part of it, too. People are feeling more comfortable, Wegenka said.

The state is stopping extra federal unemployment benefits on June 12.
ATCHISON, Kan.  A priest and member of the Order of Saint Benedict has been removed from ministry over reported relations with adult women, including a student of Benedictine College.

Fr. Simon Baker, who served as chaplain of the college in Atchison, Kansas, revealed in April to his peers within the Order that he had engaged in inappropriate conduct with an adult woman who attends the college, per a Saturday announcement. Since that time, the Abbey has received reports that Baker crossed physical and emotional boundaries in pastoral relationships with other adult women. No minors are known to be involved in these instances, and no criminal offenses are known to have been committed.

According to St. Benedicts Abbey, after he declared his relationship, a internal review board found Baker had displayed inappropriate affection and favoritism toward the woman student, and imposed certain boundaries on Baker. The Abbey said it has arranged for counseling and support for the woman student, who has not been named.

St. Benedicts Abbey and Benedictine College remain committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment for all people who interact with our clergy ... the OSB said Saturday. We apologize to all those who have been affected by Fr. Simons inappropriate behavior.

The Benedictine Circuit, the student newspaper of the college, first reported this story.
The 28 graduates of St. Joseph Christian School are in many cases headed in different directions from here, but theyll always have God, and each other, in their hearts.

On Sunday at the Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church, Principal Danny Maggart read from Scripture on the meaning of this bond: The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (ESV Isaiah 40:8)

Youve shown yourselves to be an overcoming and a very positive class, he said in his address. In Lifetime Sports, I will never forget telling you that we were going to run the mile in five inches of snow and zero degree windchill. I probably lost a lot of your trust that day, but Ill never forget the looks on your faces ... By the way, we didnt actually do that.

As it is, the past year has presented plenty of real world challenges. Class of 2021 valedictorian Victoria Tori Cline cited her own faith as a source of strength in overcoming a year like no other. Only about a week overall of class time was disrupted by COVID-19, but the SJCS mission of service in the community, a greatly important religious calling for Cline, largely did not occur as normal in the last year. In addition to Cline, Jordan JoJo King and Grace Walker were honored as co-salutatorians.

Fortunately, graduation comes after the CDC advised vaccinated persons are now mostly able to resume normal practices, and the ceremony happened before a full-house crowd. As each graduate was formally announced to the public and a short video presentation about them played, per school tradition, they each retrieved a red rose and presented it to their loved ones in attendance.

I definitely think thats through Gods work and grace, Cline said.

Jozlin Bennett, a multi-athlete and National Honors Society inductee, said altogether the ceremony was a great time to look back at the personal growth each of her classmates have achieved, and the timeless memories theyve made.

We have made the most of it, she said. Ive been grateful that we can actually meet in person, and for what we do have, that we can actually go to school. Because, not everyone can have that opportunity.
Weber, who had two other older children attend the school, claims in the petition that the yeshiva offers only a brief period of English instruction at the end of the day and that her children received no education throughout school about American government.
A battle over expanding health care access in Missouri likely is headed to court.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, signed the states annual budget, which didnt include funding for expanding Medicaid as required by the state constitution.

Elad Gross, a former assistant attorney general and Democratic candidate, told News-Press NOW hell sue on behalf of people who should be eligible.

If what the governor is currently saying that he will do on July 1 and that he will not expand the number of folks who are eligible... we will absolutely be filing a lawsuit, Gross said.

After signing the budget, Parson said in a statement that even though he was opposed to Medicaid expansion, he honored the will of the people by including money to fund the program in his initial proposed budget.

When Missouris General Assembly formed its own budget, it didnt include money to fund expansion. Parson wrote to the federal government that Missouri would have to back out or the entire program could become insolvent.

The majority of Missouri voters supported it, and we included funds for the expansion in our budget proposal, Parson said in the statement. However, without a revenue source or funding authority from the General Assembly, we are unable to proceed with the expansion at this time and must withdraw our State Plan Amendments to ensure Missouris existing MO HealthNet program remains solvent.

Gross said he expects a Missouri court will order the state government to accept people for Medicaid who should be eligible, but that wont solve the funding issue.

I think that is a danger, Gross said. And if the legislature does not appropriate money for it, at the end of the day well have more people on the same amount of money.

Medicaid was expanded through a ballot initiative, not through the legislature, which caused a rift among Democrats and Republicans in the assembly.

Gross will rely on an appellate court decision, which allowed expansion language to remain on the ballot. Opponents to the language argued ballot initiatives cannot require the assembly to appropriate money.

Basically, the people of Missouri cant put something on the ballot that then tells the legislature, Hey, you have got to spend money, unless we give them new money to spend, Gross said. In this situation, we didnt give them any new money to spend. But we also didnt tell them to actually spend any money.

Reps. Bill Falkner, R-St. Joseph, and Brenda Shields, R-St. Joseph, both voted for a budget that wouldve included money for Medicaid expansion, though the measure failed by a wide margin.

About 53% of Missourians voted for expansion.
Some adults, who presumably spend their adult years showing up for work and getting paid for it, recoil at the thought of a financial incentive tied to good attendance at summer school.

That means students get paid, in the form of a gift card, if they spend the lazy days of summer in a classroom instead of playing video games, watching TV, going to the pool or doing whatever else kids do with their free time these days.

For some, this is too much to bear. Even the St. Joseph School District, which is not alone in offering this type of incentive, can appear sort of sheepish about it. In a summer school informational sheet, incentives are placed toward the bottom, after transportation but before information on breakfast.

Theyve got it all wrong. Put it at the top and put it in war type. Paying students to sit in a classroom is one of the better investments a school system will ever make, especially after a year when some may have fallen behind academically and socially due to remote learning.

This bridge was crossed years ago. As a society, we pay public funds to private businesses that locate or expand in St. Joseph. Developers claim tax credits for restoring historic buildings. Consumers willingly pay a premium to have a stranger deliver a Chipotle burrito to their door.

The district contracts with an entity called Catapult Missouri for its grade school Summer Journey program, which is different from credit recovery for high school students. Catapult provides materials, supplies and curriculum, and the district hires its own site directors and teachers. More than 40 Missouri school districts used Catapult for summer school programming in 2019, the year before the pandemic.

In St. Joseph, some see this as a questionable use of taxpayer funds, but the district has said Catapult pays the incentive to students. This might be true, but its also possible that some public funds make their way indirectly to Catapult. Missouri reimburses local districts for summer school expenses, based on enrollment. The St. Joseph district expects to have a surplus in state dollars after paying teachers and for Summer Journey.

The nitty-gritty of school funding tends to befuddle, and we wont belabor the reader with an attempt to follow the money from point A to point Z. Our only point is that theres no need to obfuscate.

The benefits of having kids in school is clear and tangible. At $100 a pop, regardless of where the money originates, this seems like an idea that pays a dividend when considering the long-term benefits for more students in school for more hours.

If not, what do you prefer to do with your education dollars? Money for administrators or drawings of new high schools?
From floating orbs and shadow people to possible cryptids and people fainting, the Ansonia Opera House has it all  at least according to a paranormal investigation team.

When I first rolled up there, it was 6:30 p.m. I went outside and I noticed that there were a few energies flying around, said Nick Grossman, lead investigator for Connecticut-based paranormal investigation Ghost Storm. Im clairvoyant so I can see this stuff.

Grossman and his team investigated the historic opera house on April 25 as part of a series of paranormal investigations that will lead up the first-ever paranormal convention in Connecticut, ParaConn.

Built in 1869 and abandoned since 1971, the 900-capacity opera house's alleged haunted history of the building has been debated at length over the years.

I didnt really expect it to be as haunted as it actually was, Grossman said about the opera house after concluding his investigation.

Grossman believes roughly 40 entities inhabit the opera house.

Most places have one or two  three the most, added Charles Rosenay of GHOSTours.com, who assisted Grossman with the investigation. Who knows how many people have died there or how many accidents there have been. Theres bound to be that energy in the walls

And when Nick says haunted, it is not in the connotation of [us] being there and theyre scaring [us] and there to disturb humans, Rosenay added.

Grossman reported seeing the most activity when he turned on some opera music in the venue.

When we turned on the opera music, all the anomalies were zooming around and we saw shadow people walking around, Grossman said. We used the music as a trigger object, and it obviously worked.

The investigation, which was conducted alongside East Coast Paranormal Photography, CT PASTS and Rosenay, was able to uncover numerous paranormal occurrences at the defunct opera house, Grossman said.

Using infrared technology and other ghost hunting equipment such as EVPs and a spirit box, Grossman and his team of investigators were able to report occurrences of phantom lights zooming around the opera house and in some instances, shadow people moving through walls.

At one point, Grossman said a member of the investigation team fainted after being overwhelmed by the energy near the stage.

READ MORE: Haunted Connecticut: A guide to the spookiest, most haunted places in the state

Grossman also reported that he placed a chair in the middle of the venue and once he started playing opera music, he reported seeing an orb fly out from the chair.

Music is a very magical phenomenon because it really alters your feelings [and] emotions. It changes your perception while that song is playing, Grossman said. Music and art are a very psychic phenomenon.

One of the most interesting finds during the investigation, Grossman said, was what he described as the presence of a red orb, which is an anomaly in the field of paranormal research.

When asked about its energy, Grossman weighed that the orb could be demonic in nature but more research would be required to prove that.

To be quite frank and honest, its a rare photo and the only time that Ive ever seen that was at Union Cemetery in Easton, Grossman said. He added that he is also not ruling out the possibility that the red orb at the opera house could somehow be connected to the Easton cemetery.

One of the other most notable discoveries was that of a supposed goat-humanoid creature that was photographed on the balcony.

Courtesy of Ghost Storm

Grossman said that cryptids, such as the possible humanoid creature, come through interdimensional portals and sometimes will only be visible for a few seconds at a time.

Whenever there is a paranormal portal, youre going to get all sorts of entities coming through, Grossman said. The opera house is definitely a large interdimensional portal considering the amount of entities we saw in there.

According to Grossman, the world of the paranormal is our next door neighbor.

Rosenay added that the appearance of this cryptid is similar to that of a hooded creature that the team captured when investigating Dudleytown in northern Connecticut. He also suggested that the appearance of these portals is why people may report seeing a bigfoot or yeti for a second, and then the next second, it disappears.

As for why the opera house is so haunted, Grossman attributed it to the residual energy left behind from these entities.

We try to come up with logical explanations for the evidence that we have, Grossman said. One of our secrets is that just about all of us are a group of psychics and when we go into a personal case at a residential house, the spirits will come right out for us. Were a shiny lure and the spirits are the fish.

Grossman also attributed the energy of the surrounding area as a reason why the area is haunted.

I like to think of the Valley as the Connecticut triangle, Grossman said.

Connecticut is probably one of the most haunted states out there.

Grossman traces the Connecticut triangle between Shelton, and Bethany or Oxford. He believes that approximately one in three neighbors in the area believe that something paranormal is occurring in their house.

Aside from the upcoming ParaConn, Grossman is currently filming a documentary entitled Ghost Expedition Valley, which will contain footage that will be shown at the convention in July.

Additionally, Grossman revealed that he will be doing another paranormal expedition in Ansonia ahead of ParaConn.
DANBURY  Getting the word out about the COVID-19 has been crucial, especially for those living in underserved communities. A recently approved grant is expected to allow an eight-member team to continue to do that in the Danbury area, as they have been instrumental in alerting the masses about the vaccine.

Stephanie Ferguson  one of the health workers reaching vulnerable populations  underlined the need for a group effort to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with essential community outreach as the pandemic evolves vaccine hesitancy surfaces.

Theres always more updates, more clinics being established and more information on the vaccine, she said, emphasizing the need to maintain fluid communication at this time is a critical aspect of the battle.

The city of Danburys a very strong city and were lucky to work with other community partners. Its all about collaborating with our community partners to achieve vaccine rollout and reaching everybody that is eligible for the vaccine, she added.

The grant, awarded to the health department in April, is meant to last through August 31 and is a chunk of the approximate $977,000 Danbury expects to collect in federal grant dollars for its ongoing vaccine promotion.

The departments team of eight health workers are tasked with distributing vaccine information via various channels and helping people obtain appointments, in addition to assisting with contact tracing.

Kara Prunty, acting health director, said the department is trying to reach community members that might have extra barriers to receiving the vaccine. These populations include people who might not have access to the internet or be able to use VAMS [vaccine administration management system], and those who English is their second language.

The team is collaborating with other organizations such as Americares, houses of worship and local businesses to ensure all Danburians have easy access with low barriers, Prunty said.

Ferguson noted there has been vaccine hesitancy, and the departments educational resources have been key to combating that reluctance.

In their mission to get information out to the public, the health workers tapped into these local hubs to gather contact information for those who have expressed an interest in being vaccinated. Ferguson said they use that information to call individuals, answer their questions about the vaccine and schedule appointments for them at Danbury vaccine sites.

The team has actively posted information about the vaccine on social media and offers the same resources on the citys website in three languages  English, Spanish and Portuguese  for Danburys diverse population.

Similarly, the department has paired up with Griffin Hospital, Community Health Center and the Connecticut Institute for Communities to launch mobile vaccination sites.

To date, the Danbury health department has administered over 18,000 COVID-19 shots to individuals and continues to see a need. City data shows approximately 89 percent of residents 65 and older, 48 percent of those aged 45-64 and 15 percent of residents in the 15-44 age bracket are fully vaccinated with several others having received at least their first dose.

Still roughly 62 percent of residents between the ages of 15 and 44 remain unvaccinated, as well as 33 percent of people in the 45 to 64 age range. These numbers indicate about 30 percent of the Danbury population is vaccinated and another 46 percent have been given at least one dose as of May 10.
DALLAS (AP)  A former Dallas County prosecutor has surrendered his law license after the State Bar of Texas said he withheld evidence that led to the wrongful convictions of two men who spent 14 years in prison in the fatal stabbing of a pastor.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Richard E. Rick Jackson surrendered his law license last month. The State Bar concluded that he failed to inform Dennis Allen and Stanley Mozee's defense attorneys about evidence that could have cleared them at their capital murder trials in 2000.

This case is not about someone disbarred for making a mistake or a prosecutor who accidentally or even sloppily failed to turn over favorable evidence, Nina Morrison, a lawyer with the Innocence Project in New York who worked to clear Allen and Mozee, told the newspaper.

This is someone who repeatedly and intentionally hid favorable evidence from two defendants who were on trial for their lives.

Allen and Mozee had been sentenced to life in prison in the slaying of the Rev. Jesse Borns Jr., who was stabbed 47 times at his leather and woodworking store in 1999.

Allen and Mozee were freed from prison in 2014 after the Dallas County district attorneys office said they were wrongfully convicted based on prosecutorial misconduct.

They were declared innocent five years later after DNA testing helped clear them.

The district attorneys office under former DA Craig Watkins had reopened the file and found evidence that defense lawyers said theyd never received, such as accounts from witnesses who saw two men argued with Borns outside the store the evening he was killed. Witnesses said one man was distinctly taller than the other and one had a noticeable scar across the side of his neck. Allen and Mozee are about the same height, around 6 feet. Neither had a scar.

The file also included previously undisclosed letters from people in jail who agreed to testify against Allen in exchange for favors in their cases.

Jackson was among prosecutors who were not invited to remain in the Dallas County district attorneys office after Watkins won the 2006 election. Jackson, who had spent 17 years as a Dallas County prosecutor, sued Watkins in federal court, claiming that his termination was race based. Jackson is white and Watkins is Black. A judge tossed the suit.

The Innocence Project in New York and the Innocence Project of Texas filed a 196-page grievance with the State Bar in 2018 against Jackson.

Jacksons lawyer, Bob Hinton, said Jackson has long maintained that he handed over the evidence to the defense and still believes that Allen and Mozee are guilty. Hinton said Jackson didnt want to comment.

Jackson retired from practicing law in 2013 after he was fired from the Denton County district attorneys office. Hinton said Jackson now spends his summers driving tour buses in Alaska.

Hinton said that against his advice, Jackson chose not to spend his retirement savings fighting the accusation at a disciplinary hearing where he faced losing his law license.

The person who killed Borns has not been caught.
AP

CULVER CITY, Calif. (AP)  A French bulldog puppy stolen at gunpoint was reunited with its owner after a suspect was arrested following a police chase near Los Angeles, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Times reported the suspect responded to an online advertisement listing the 10-month-old gray dog for sale. When the man met with the puppys owner last Wednesday in Culver City, he pulled a semiautomatic handgun from his waistband, grabbed the puppy and ran away, police said
NEW YORK (AP)  Attorneys for Rudy Giuliani say a covert warrant that prosecutors obtained for his Apple iCloud account in November 2019 and a raid last month by agents who seized his electronic devices show they are treating him more like a drug kingpin or terrorist than a personal lawyer to former President Donald Trump.

In a letter to a federal judge in Manhattan, the lawyers said that by secretly seizing Giuliani's cloud data files in 2019, investigators had improperly intruded on private communications with the president.

The seized files, they wrote, likely included material relating to the impending impeachment, the welfare of the country, and to national security.

They asked the judge to unseal affidavits in support of the Nov. 4, 2019, search warrant. Reviewing the affidavits, the lawyers said, will help them expand their argument that this unilateral, secret review was illegal" and that any evidence gathered from it should be suppressed.

The letter was sent to a Manhattan federal judge who is considering whether to appoint a special master to protect attorney-client privilege during a review of evidence gathered from raids on Giulianis residence and office in April.

It was initially sent last week. A redacted version was made public Monday.

A spokesperson for prosecutors declined comment.

Federal prosecutors in New York are examining Giulianis interactions with Ukrainian figures and whether he violated a federal law that governs lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities without registering with the U.S. government.

Any warrant issued in 2019 as part of that inquiry, or any other investigation, would have been approved by a neutral judge.

Giuliani, a Republican and former New York City mayor who represented Trump in the special counsel's Russia investigation, has not been charged with a crime.

He has said his activities in Ukraine were conducted on behalf of Trump. At the time, Giuliani was leading a campaign to press Ukraine for an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter before the Democrat was elected president.

Some Ukrainians who dealt with Giuliani as he campaigned against the Bidens were also looking for his help with matters of their own, including arranging meetings with U.S. officials or pressuring the Trump administration to oust the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Giulianis lawyers have argued that the early morning April raids on his home and office were not necessary because he had made clear in 2019 that he would answer any questions without restrictions, except for privileged matters, as long as his lawyers knew what subjects would be discussed.

They said prosecutors instead simply chose to treat a distinguished lawyer as if he was the head of a drug cartel or a terrorist, in order to create maximum prejudicial coverage of both Giuliani, and his most well known client  the former President of the United States.

In addition, the lawyers wrote, the original warrant for Giuliani's iCloud account contained a non-disclosure order based on an allegation made to a judge that Giuliani might destroy evidence or intimidate witnesses if he knew the warrant existed.

Such an allegation, on its face, strains credulity. It is not only false, but extremely damaging to Giulianis reputation. It is not supported by any credible facts and is contradicted by Giulianis efforts to provide information to the Government. We should be allowed to question the Government as to what basis it had, if any, to make that assertion, they said.

Giuliani attorney Robert Costello said prosecutors have another week to respond to the letter.

In a separate letter dated last week but filed publicly Monday, lawyers for Victoria Toensing  a Washington lawyer whose phone was seized last month as part of the same investigation  asked a judge to order the Justice Department to return her cell phone as well as information collected from her iCloud and Google accounts from what they described as covert warrants in 2019.

Given the breadth of the warrants, the lawyers wrote, it is virtually certain that the materials the Government received included substantial privileged and confidential information concerning clients and criminal matters that have nothing to do with this investigation, privileged and confidential information concerning unrelated other matters that are actively before the DOJ, and privileged and confidential information that is the subject of the warrants.

The defense lawyers said the government has so far declined to reveal what materials a specialized filter team has acquired, reviewed or turned over to the investigative team.

___

Associated Press Writer Eric Tucker reported from Washington.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court expressed appreciation to the Biden administration Monday for lifting sanctions against her and another ICC official, saying her office hopes to establish a new relationship with the United States rooted in mutual respect and constructive dialogue.

Fatou Bensouda told a virtual U.N. Security Council meeting at the end of her final briefing on Libya that she welcomed the reversal of the unprecedented measures against her and Phakiso Mochochoko, head of the ICCs Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division. Her term is nearing an end and she will be replaced as prosecutor June 15 by Karim Khan.
This book is a culmination of the people on this page. Its their book. And we wanted them to have the opportunity to put their story, their tributes, their dedication, their recipes, said Traci Cangiano. To us, this book is like an archival piece for the year 2020. I hope we never see anything like 2020 again but this book will serve as a nice reminder.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is declining to hear a case that would have let the justices decide whether a single use of the N-word in the workplace can create a hostile work environment.

The high court said Monday it would not take the case of a former Texas hospital employee who said he was subjected to a hostile work environment, including graffiti in one elevator that used the N-word. As is typical, the court did not comment in turning away the case. It was one of many the court rejected Monday.
DANBURY  Todd Henry Smith, who was found dead last month after being reported missing in January, is remembered by loved ones as a friendly, family-oriented man who loved making people laugh.

Todd never met a stranger. He loved people and to engage with people, said his sister, Kristina Lamparelli. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He was just a good all around person.

Smiths body was found submerged in a retention pond near the entrance to the Westwood Village Condominiums on Mill Plain Road the evening of April 8  nearly three months after he was reported missing and less than a mile away from where he had last been seen alive.

A preliminary police investigation and examination of Smiths body showed no apparent signs of trauma, and the state medical examiners office later ruled his death as an accidental drowning.

Smith was last seen alive pushing a red bicycle in the area of 93 Mill Plain Road on Jan. 16, according to police.

Lamparelli said her brother, who lived on Main Street, rode his bicycle to get from place to place.

His bike was how he got around. He would have been 58, and my brother was just so fit, she said, adding that to her knowledge, her brothers bicycle has not been located. Its been so long, theres no telling where it might be.

In addition to fitness and riding his bicycle, Smith loved his family and friends and making people laugh, according to his obituary.

Born in Colorado in February 1963, Smith moved with his family to Connecticut at a very early age and grew up in Brookfield and New Milford. He later settled in Danbury, where he lived for more than 35 years.

Although his siblings no longer live in Connecticut, Lamparelli  who lives in Tennessee  said they were all very close.

He loved his family, and we miss our brother tremendously, she said. Its hard. Its really hard.

Lamparelli said she talked to her brother over the phone all the time  including the evening he was last seen alive.

He was at a Chinese restaurant. He had worked that day and was enjoying his meal, she said.

Smith was reported missing by a friend he worked with, Lamparelli said.

He cleaned a church every Monday  Todd was devoted to doing that  and I guess he didnt show up so his friend reported him missing, she said. Thank God he did because none of us (siblings) thought anything.

There have been no updates from Danbury police regarding the circumstances surrounding Smiths death, but his sister suspects he may have accidentally fallen through ice while heading home from the restaurant he was at when she last spoke to him.

Lamparelli said she thinks her brother may have been walking along a path due to lack of sidewalks and didnt realize he was walking over a frozen body of water because it was dark outside.

My personal theory is that he was walking and broke through ice  it just came upon him, she said.

Lamparelli said she and her family appreciate the outpouring of support and concern from people  including complete strangers  following the news of her brothers disappearance, as well as his death.

She said shes also grateful for the work of the Danbury Police Department.

Danbury police detectives have been nothing but awesome. Theyve become family, and I cant thank them enough. My heart will always be with them, Lamparelli said. I also want to thank the news and everybody who tried to find my brother  and I want to thank all those at home who he loved and who loved him.

Lamparelli said a memorial service will be held for her brother in Tennessee, but shes still working on setting a date for it.

Were just trying to make sure that everybody can be here, she said. Todd would want us to all be there.
BRAMPTON, ON, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - The safety and well-being of Canadians are top priorities of the governments of Canada and Ontario. Investments in Ontario's infrastructure during this unprecedented time provide an opportunity to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and to make our communities more inclusive and resilient.

That is why, together, these governments are taking decisive action to help families, businesses and communities as they adapt to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Safe and reliable public transit is essential in ensuring Ontarians get to work and home, to appointments, to shop for essentials, and to conduct business. Important investments in public transportation infrastructure play a key role in delivering this service.

Today, Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for Brampton East, on behalf of The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; The Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction and Member of Provincial Parliament for Brampton South, on behalf of The Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure; and His Worship Patrick Brown, Mayor of the City of Brampton, announced joint funding for the replacement of new Computer Aided Dispatch and Automatic Vehicle Location systems on buses in the Brampton Transit fleet.

The Government of Canada is investing $4 million in this project through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing $3.3 million, and the City of Brampton is contributing $2.6 million.

The project includes the design, build, and installation of all supporting devices, operating systems, networking gear, and software for the Computer Aided Dispatch and Automatic Vehicle Location systems. These replacement systems will be installed on over 80 articulated buses and 370 conventional buses. Work also includes the implementation and integration of subsystems, including Interactive Voice Response, data radio network, over 131 electronic signs at terminals and station stops, and outfitting busses with automatic passenger counters.

The addition of these new systems will improve data reliability, operational tracking, system capacity, and performance, allowing for a better quality and a more safer public transit system for residents in the City of Brampton.

All orders of government continue to work together for the people of Ontario to make strategic infrastructure investments in communities across the province when needed most.

Quotes

"Today's investment will help improve Brampton's public transit infrastructure by upgrading data reliability and operational tracking and capabilities. This will ensure that residents have continued access to quality and safe public transit options for years to come. Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities."

Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for Brampton East, on behalf of The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"As a growing city, Brampton needs safe, smart, and accessible transit to keep our people moving across our community. This investment is about continuing to build modern, effective, and efficient transit for our communityso that hardworking Brampton families can seize every opportunity to get ahead."

The Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction and Member of Provincial Parliament for Brampton South, on behalf of The Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure

"The City of Brampton welcomes this significant investment in our public transit system. Brampton Transit is one of the fastest-growing transit networks in Canada, and the updated dispatch and vehicle location technologies will greatly enhance the real-time information, connectivity, quality and safety of public transit in Brampton. I look forward to continuing to work with all levels of government to bring investment to Brampton."

His Worship Patrick Brown, Mayor of the City of Brampton

Quick facts

Through the Investing in Canada plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.

plan, the Government of is investing more than over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities. Across Ontario , the Government of Canada has invested more than $9.8 billion in over 3,150 infrastructure projects.

, the Government of has invested more than in over 3,150 infrastructure projects. $28 .7 billion of this funding is supporting public transit projects.

.7 billion of this funding is supporting public transit projects. Ontario is investing over $10.2 billion under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to improve public transit; community, culture and recreation; green, and rural and northern community and other priority infrastructure.

is investing over under the Investing in Infrastructure Program to improve public transit; community, culture and recreation; green, and rural and northern community and other priority infrastructure. Across the province, Ontario is investing more than $7.3 billion in public transit infrastructure over 10 years through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Associated links

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Federal infrastructure investments in Ontario:

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-on-eng.html

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Ontario Builds Project Map: https://www.ontario.ca/page/building-ontario

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

For further information: Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, 613-941-0660, [email protected]; Christine Bujold, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure, 416-454-1782, [email protected]; Sofia Sousa-Dias, Communications Branch, Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure, 437-991-3391, [email protected]; Christine Sharma, Senior Advisor, Media Relations, City of Brampton, 647-242-4319, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca


OTTAWA, ON, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - From coast to coast to coast, Canadians have been making extraordinary sacrifices to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from COVID-19. These individual actions are strengthening our collective capacity to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As highly effective vaccines become available in greater numbers, everyone in Canada can be part of the solution to end the pandemic.

The Government of Canada is supporting Canadians to make informed COVID-19 vaccine choices. Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced the launch of a new national campaign to encourage vaccine uptake, which will appear on television, radio, print, out-of-home and online.

The campaign uses the concept of a ripple effect to underscore how one small, individual action can greatly influence outcomes for everyone. Getting vaccinated will help reduce infection rates, ease pressure on the health system and create the conditions that will allow us to get back to important social, economic and recreational activities. Choosing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 can have a cascading effect, culminating in a more vaccinated and protected Canada and eventual easing of public health restrictions.

The latest tracking polling shows that the number of people who have already had a shot or who will take one as soon as it is available to them is up from previous weeks and now stands at over 70%. More and more of our family members, friends, and neighbours in communities across Canada are getting vaccinated or say they intend to. This momentum to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible needs to continue. It is important that people know that their choice to vaccinate plays an important part in keeping them and their loved ones healthy.

Quotes

"Vaccines are one of the most important ways to protect the health of Canadians. The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for everyone and the COVID19 vaccines have provided us with hope for a return to what we miss most. This advertising campaign will help empower people to get vaccinated for their own health, and for the health of their families, loved ones and communities."

The Honourable Patty Hajdu

Minister of Health

"As vaccine availability expands, I urge all people in Canada to get vaccinated and support others to get vaccinated as soon as they can. Through campaigns such as the 'Ripple Effect,' we are reminding people that the individual choices we make will have a positive impact on our collective future. As more and more people in Canada get vaccinated, we move closer to getting back to the people, places, and activities we love. This is because getting vaccinated means you lower your personal risk of getting COVID-19 and you are less likely to transmit the virus to others."

Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer

Public Health Agency of Canada

Quick Facts

The Public Health Agency of Canada has launched the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign, called the "Ripple Effect," to remind Canadians about the collective vaccination effort required to see a reduction in restrictions and public health measures.

has launched the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign, called the "Ripple Effect," to remind Canadians about the collective vaccination effort required to see a reduction in restrictions and public health measures. The budget for this second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign is $11 million .

. This second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign runs from May 17, 2021 to July 4, 2021 . The ads will run on TV and radio (including multicultural and Indigenous channels), in print media, and out-of-home including on buses and digital signs. Additional, digital ads will run on web sites, social media and through search engine marketing.

to . The ads will run on TV and radio (including multicultural and Indigenous channels), in print media, and out-of-home including on buses and digital signs. Additional, digital ads will run on web sites, social media and through search engine marketing. The first phase of the advertising campaign, "COVID-19 Vaccines and You," ran from March 8 th , 2021, to May 16 th , 2021, to educate and build trust in the COVID-19 vaccines by answering key questions about the vaccines and providing Canadians with the information they need to make informed COVID-19 vaccine choices.

, 2021, to , 2021, to educate and build trust in the COVID-19 vaccines by answering key questions about the vaccines and providing Canadians with the information they need to make informed COVID-19 vaccine choices. These ads had more than 347 million impressions and resulted in over 3 million visits to Canada.ca/covid-vaccine.

Associated Links

COVID-19 vaccines: We can all help by getting vaccinated (canada.ca)

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Awareness resources

Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge

Immunization Partnership Fund

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

For further information: Cole Davidson, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709
MNP and DMK Chartered Professional Accountants Join Forces to Benefit Businesses in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

CALGARY, AB, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - MNP, one of Canada's largest national accounting, tax and business consulting firms, is pleased to announce that it will join forces with DMK Chartered Professional Accountants ('DMK'), effective July 1, 2021.

Based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, DMK is led by President Doug Kirby. Founded in 1989, DMK has grown to include 10 team members, providing a wide range of professional services to organizations in diverse industries throughout the province.

MNP entered the Newfoundland and Labrador marketplace in June 2020 through mergers with two St, John's based professional service firms (White + Abbott Chartered Professional Accountants and Winsor Coombs Chartered Professional Accountants). Robert Dean, MNP's incoming Regional Managing Partner for Atlantic Canada, said that MNP has been expanding its team in St. John's ever since.

"Newfoundland and Labrador is a hub of innovation, talent, and economic development, with a huge range of industries supporting its importance to Atlantic Canada's economy," said Dean. "We've been proud to play our part in the Newfoundland and Labrador community, helping clients of all shapes and sizes to achieve their goals. We are always looking for opportunities to further our commitment to the province and are very excited to welcome such a well-established firm in DMK  a firm that shares our values and client-centric approach - into the MNP fold."

Unprecedented and dynamic market conditions are impacting the way all businesses must operate. DMK President, Doug Kirby, says the merger strengthens his team's ability to support their clients in this challenging environment:

"We were looking for an opportunity to add more resources to our team, as well as more ways in which we can help give our clients the edge they need to stay competitive in what is a historically unusual time for all organizations," said Kirby. "MNP complements and enhances our current service offerings and brings greater bench strength that will help us to service our clients across St. John's and Newfoundland and Labrador."

Founded in 1958, MNP has grown to more than 125 locations across Canada and delivers a wide range of services and specialized expertise in every sector and area of business. In addition to tax and accounting, MNP delivers a diverse range of consulting and advisory services, including succession planning, estate planning, enterprise risk, corporate finance, valuation and litigation support, insolvency and restructuring, technology solutions, cross-border taxation, and much more.

While becoming the largest of the mid-market focused firms in Canada, MNP has continued to maintain its Canadian roots, helping Canadian businesses both at home and abroad. Since entering the Eastern Canada market in the summer of 2008, MNP has added more than 60 locations across Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada  including through its recent acquisition of several Deloitte offices - while continuing to look for like-minded firms and professionals who can help it build on its strategic plans for continued growth.

"We have grown quickly but we are absolutely committed to maintaining our culture and so have always been very strategic about who we invite to join our team," said Diana Render, MNP's Executive Vice President for Atlantic Canada and Ontario Outside of the GTA. "We are known across the communities we work with as being one of Canada's most-trusted accounting, tax and business consulting firms, so we are excited to welcome a very well-respected practice in DMK into the MNP family. Our cultures and values are well-aligned, and we share the same entrepreneurial, trusted approach to doing business."

Kirby says that one of the deciding factors in DMK deciding to join MNP was the culture:

"Although MNP is a large national firm, it's always been known for being local in focus with a small-firm culture and commitment to supporting the local communities that its teams live and work in. This is something that is very important to me, and to my team at DMK, and so the 'fit' had to be right. We couldn't be more excited about joining forces with MNP."

DMK will remain at their present location for the time being and will work closely with MNP's existing teams in St. John's to provide greater resources and services to business across the province. MNP plans to move the three teams (in addition to its Insolvency business) into a shared location as soon as suitable premises can be identified.

"The pandemic has created a unique environment in which we're experiencing growing demand from businesses looking for help navigating the challenges and opportunities they're facing" added Dean. "This merger truly is a win-win for both our firms and the Newfoundland and Labrador marketplace, as we will be able to reach and support more of those organizations with their journey. We're thrilled to welcome the DMK partners and professionals into the MNP team."

About MNP LLP

MNP is one of the largest national accounting and consulting firms in Canada, providing client-focused accounting, taxation and consulting advice. National in scope and local in focus, MNP has proudly served individuals and public and private companies for over 60 years. Through the development of strong relationships, MNP provides personalized strategies and a local perspective to help them succeed. For more information, visit www.mnp.ca .

SOURCE MNP LLP

For further information: Robin Ashford, Senior Director of Marketing, Eastern Canada, MNP at 416.263.6966 or [email protected]; Douglas M. Kirby, President, DMK Chartered Professional Accountant at 709.726.2555, or [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.mnp.ca


OTTAWA, ON, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to walking the shared path of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and remains focused on renewing this relationship. This includes protecting Indigenous peoples' right to self-determination, supporting the revitalization of Indigenous legal systems and traditions, as well as acknowledging the integral role that Indigenous communities and organizations play in the development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws.

Today, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, joined by the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, announced the Government of Canada's support for 21 projects that respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) Call to Action 50.

Call to Action 50 calls upon the federal government to collaborate with Indigenous organizations to fund Indigenous law institutes for the development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws and access to justice in accordance with the unique cultures of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

These projects are intended to foster positive impacts for Indigenous communities and provide support to renew legal relationships with Indigenous peoples in Canada. Indigenous peoples from coast-to-coast-to-coast have unique cultures and traditions. The revitalization of Indigenous legal systems is key in advancing reconciliation and supporting self-determination. These projects will be led by or delivered in partnership with Indigenous organizations and will support the development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws and access to justice.

Following a call for proposals, the Department is providing funding for a total of $9.5 million for 21 projects through its Justice Partnership and Innovation Program. This funding will help First Nations, Inuit, and Metis to respond effectively to the changing conditions affecting Canadian justice policy by supporting the revitalization of Indigenous law in all regions of Canada.

Quotes

"The Truth and Reconciliation Commission called on the federal government to work in collaboration with Indigenous organizations to support the development, use, and understanding of Indigenous laws in Canada. These investments will help to make a real difference for Indigenous communities doing the sometimes challenging but important work of revitalizing their legal systems. Our Government supports the revitalization of Indigenous law in all regions of Canada. We will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples to better understand and apply Indigenous laws to strengthen communities and increase access to justice."

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., Q.C., M.P.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

"Indigenous Peoples in Canada have unique laws and legal traditions. We recognize that our current legal system needs to expand and be revitalized in order to provide a greater representation of Indigenous legal practices. These 21 projects centered around Call to Action 50 will bring about much-needed change and help to amplify the Indigenous voice within Canada's Justice system. This is just one of the many ways the Government of Canada is responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett M.D., P.C., M.P.

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

"Canada's law and legal institutions will be strengthened by the inclusion of First Nations, Inuit and Metis knowledge and legal principles. The funding announced today will support Indigenous law institutes, responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 50. This also aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These 21 projects will have an important impact on communities as they support the development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws. Commitments and collaborations like these are increasing access to justice for Indigenous Peoples, which is critical to advancing reconciliation and supporting self-determination."

The Honourable Marc Miller

Minister of Indigenous Services

Quick Facts

In Budget 2019, the Government of Canada responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 50 by announcing $10 million over five years in support of Indigenous law initiatives across Canada .

responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 50 by announcing over five years in support of Indigenous law initiatives across . Supporting Call to Action 50 aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which sets out the right of Indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their distinct legal institutions.

To strengthen community-based justice systems and support self-determination, the 2020 Fall Economic Statement also proposed investments to support the development of Administration of Justice Agreements with Indigenous communities.

Through the release of Budget 2021, the Government of Canada announced investments of $18 million over 5 years, and $4 million ongoing to revive the Law Commission of Canada to support, among other things, the work to address systemic barriers in the justice system, including barriers to justice faced by Indigenous peoples.

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Backgrounder  Revitalization of Indigenous laws across Canada

Budget 2019 announced $10 million over five years to support renewed legal relationships with Indigenous peoples through the funding of Indigenous law initiatives across Canada. This announcement responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action (CTA) 50, which calls upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous organizations, to fund the establishment of Indigenous law institutes for the development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws and access to justice in accordance with the unique cultures of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

The Department of Justice Canada is highlighting 21 projects related to CTA 50. These projects will support renewed legal relationships with Indigenous peoples that will advance the development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws. Funding for this initiative is provided through Justice Canada's Justice Partnership and Innovation Program.

Heiltsuk Tribal Council, British Columbia

This project will explore the Heiltsuk Tribal Council's Heiltsuk Gvilas (traditional code of laws and legal order) to inform Heiltsuk laws, policies, and governance processes. The project activities will build the Nation's governance capacity while contributing to the field of Indigenous law and the greater Canadian legal framework.

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, British Columbia

The Nuu-chah-nulth Salmon Law Project will support the sustainable management of salmon in the Ha-houlthee (traditional territories) of the central northern Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. Sustainable resource management requires the revitalization of hishukish ts'awalk, an understanding that everything in the ecosystem is connected. Through this project, the organization will work with elders, traditional leadership, and knowledge holders to re-invigorate traditional fisheries laws into a modern format that conveys the community's vision for the management of fisheries to support the development of an indigenous law rationale for the creation of protected and conserved Salmon Parks in some Nuu-chah-nulth Nations.

Katzie First Nation, British Columbia

This project will support the revitalization and application of Katzie First Nation customary laws by working with Elders and Katzie knowledge holders to develop Indigenous laws through research into the customary laws embedded in Katzie territory management.

Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, British Columbia

The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, in partnership with the University of Victoria's Indigenous Law Research Unit, will develop training materials to increase community knowledge and understanding of Secwepemc traditional legal principles. The project is built on research and supports the implementation of Secwepemc Laws in the Secwepemc Nation. Activities include workshops, training and information sessions to community members about the practical application of Secwepemc legal traditions pertaining to lands, natural resources and citizenship. In addition, the project will create an online database to store, share and increase access to Secwepemc laws.

Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Northwest Territories

The Yellowknives Dene First Nation Rebuilding Project will establish the legal and governance infrastructure needed to shift to an Indigenous Dene system of law and governance. To reach this objective, the project will involve: 1) Consulting Dene Knowledge holders to record and distill knowledge on traditional laws, governance and legal traditions; 2) Developing a governance framework to shift to a traditional system of law and government, including legislative drafting; and 3) establishing a constitution for the Yellowknives Dene First Nations.

Behdzi Adha First Nation, Northwest Territories

The Dehla Got'ine Caribou Law Project will research and document ancient laws and traditions relating to caribou harvesting. The organization will conduct elder interviews and on-the-land community participatory research to inform the development of a written version of ancient laws related to caribou harvesting. This process will ensure that legal principles and practices in this area are accessible to community members, Indigenous and public governments and co-management authorities to guide and inform caribou co-management processes.

The Nu Ch'anie Society, Alberta

This project will advance the development, use and understanding of Denesuline laws by Cold Lake First Nations. In partnership with legal professionals and legal researchers, Cold Lake First Nations will conduct research into the customary traditions and practices that have governed the behavior of individuals and the community. This project will identify the traditional practices and modern legal instruments needed to revitalize and implement Indigenous Denesuline laws in the modern context.

University of Alberta, Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge, Alberta

This project aims to support the increased understanding, confidence and capacity to identify, articulate and implement Indigenous laws and governance principles among Indigenous communities. Law students, legal professionals and the judiciary will increase their understanding and ability to engage respectfully and productively with Indigenous laws. Method workshops will be conducted to develop accessible and clear language Indigenous law public legal education materials on specific topics, such as constitutionalism, citizenship, and child welfare. Train the trainer workshop will also be conducted to meet the high demand for the methods workshops.

Metis Nation of Alberta, Alberta

This project aims to develop a legal framework that will incorporate Metis cultural aspects and support the development of Metis child and family services laws. Specifically, this project will develop the legislation and policy instruments required to govern Metis Nation of Alberta role in overseeing Metis children and families in relation to provincial services.

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Saskatchewan

The project is to update the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) Framework for First Nations Justice System and revitalize Indigenous Laws of the Nehiyawak (Cree) Nation. Developed in 2013, the Framework was a response to 23 separate resolutions passed by the FSIN Chiefs-in-Assembly that mandate the establishment of First Nations justice system to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through the restoration of traditional Indigenous justice.

Sagkeeng Lawmakers Assembly, Manitoba

Through this four-year project, the Sagkeeng Lawmakers Assembly will work toward the implementation of the Dibaakonigewin (ratified "Justice Law"). The project will support the establishment of the Judicial Council and Secretariat to ensure that Sagkeeng's unique Anishinaabe laws and legal processes are revitalized in a sustainable way. The Judicial Council will be a mechanism for the people of Sagkeeng to be directly involved with their government and lawmaking.

Nishnawbe-Aski Nation, Ontario

The project will support the revitalization and implementation of traditional Indigenous laws and support communities to develop individual justice plans that suit the needs of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation communities.

Lakehead University, Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, Ontario

This project will lay the foundation for an Indigenous Law and Justice Institute at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University. The project will include three elements: growing relationships and partnering with regional First Nations communities, tribal councils and the Metis Nation of Ontario for the revitalization of Anishinaabe and Metis Law; land-based and partnered learning opportunities for community members and law students, and continuing legal education opportunities for the regional practicing bar and the judiciary; and research to support the project's revitalization and curriculum development initiatives.

Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, Ontario

Through this project, the organization will research, pilot and build the laws and institutions necessary to implement and build capacity among Association or Iroquois and Allied Indians member First Nations. A full-time researcher will study and report on the traditional laws and law-making processes of the Lenape, Mohawk, Oneida, and Anishinaabe nations. In phase two of the project, Batchewana First Nation and Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit (Delaware First Nation) will participate in pilot project to re-establish law-making institutions and begin the process of developing laws. The project will create the necessary capacity and community support for participating nations to maintain their law-making institutions in a sustainable manner.

Chiefs of Ontario, Ontario

The project is to provide First Nations in Ontario the expertise in law development within an Indigenous cultural context. Chiefs of Ontario will support the communities by providing the legal and cultural expertise in the development of First Nations Child Welfare laws through the creation and use of a cultural framework and customized tool kits for the legislative process.

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Ontario

The project will advance the development, use, and understanding of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) Laws and create the revitalization of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) legal systems. Chippewas of the Thames First Nation will revitalize Anishnaabe laws by developing a law-making process that is culturally appropriate and based on Anishnaabe traditional teachings.

Henvey Inlet First Nation, Ontario

Henvey Inlet First Nation (HIFN) will revitalize HIFN laws through the development of a curriculum rooted in community engagement between Elders, knowledge keepers, youth and leadership of HIFN. The goal is to establish a community-driven legal framework that preserves, transmits, and implements traditional approaches to justice. This project will support capacity building by increasing community members' knowledge on customary HIFN laws and will focus on traditional legal customs related to dispute resolutions, criminal laws, and environmental stewardship.

Universite Laval, Quebec

This project will strengthen Inuit capacity and governance in the area of justice in Nunavik by documenting, mobilizing and promoting Inuit legal practices and knowledge. Activities will include: documenting Inuit legal practices and knowledge; training Inuit justice service employees in both Inuit legal practices and knowledge, and promoting Inuit legal practices and services through awareness and information activities for communities, justice personnel and other public services, and Inuit from other regions of Canada.

Cree Nation of Mistissini, Quebec

This Mistissini Governance Project will create a series of fundamental governance laws for the Cree Nation of Mistissini. The three laws include: a Mistissini Governance Law, a Mistissini Hunting Law and a Mistissini Development Law. This project will support the integration of Cree legal principles and values into a series of fundamental governance laws and be applied across the entire traditional territory.

Conseil de la nation Atikamekw, Quebec

The purpose of this project is to develop and implement an Atikamekw law on child and family services in accordance wit the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families (S.C. 2019, c. 24).

Mi'gmawe'l Tplu'taqnn Inc, New Brunswick

This project will revitalize Indigenous laws through research on traditional Mi'gmaq harvesting. The research will support the development of resources to aid Mi'gmaq harvesters in carrying out respectful dialogue regarding Indigenous harvesting laws and rights, and to develop a community-based enforcement strategy on harvesting protocols.

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SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

For further information: For more information, media may contact: David Taylor, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-4621; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]; Adrienne Vaupshas, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, [email protected]; Media Relations, Indigenous Services Canada, 819-953-1160, [email protected]; Ani Dergalstanian, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, 819-997-0002; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-934-2302, [email protected]; Hadley Friedland, Wahkohtowin Lodge, 780-492-7147, [email protected]

Related Links

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The 26,000 new trees being planted in 2021 by Forests Ontario and partners will help restore riparian buffers and wetlands, improve habitat connectivity, fix carbon, and enrich agricultural soils in Rouge National Urban Park  the largest urban park of its kind in North America. Forests Ontario, Parks Canada, and TRCA have plans for further large-scale afforestation plantings at the park next year.

"Parks Canada is proud to work closely with Forests Ontario and the TRCA to plant 26,000 trees in Rouge National Urban Park this spring. These trees will create important forest and riparian habitat, support species-at-risk, protect farmland by enriching soil and creating windbreaks, help to reduce flooding by stabilizing the soil, and sequester carbon to mitigate the effects of climate change  all in support of our mandate to protect and celebrate the park's natural, cultural and agricultural heritage," says Omar McDadi, Superintendent of Rouge National Urban Park.

Forests Ontario is also planting an eight-kilometre-long windbreak along a section of the park's trail network through the organization's 50 Million Tree Program (50 MTP). This will also be undertaken in collaboration with Parks Canada and TRCA; together, the partners will establish 19 more kilometers of windbreak during the next several years.

These plantings will establish buffers between natural heritage features, reduce erosion, and improve wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Additionally, these trees will support Parks Canada in carrying out its 10-year Management Plan for Rouge National Urban Park, a primary goal of which is to create and restore 30 hectares of forest by 2022. Having planted 123,000 trees and shrubs across 28 hectares since 2015, Parks Canada is on track to well exceed this target.

"Forests Ontario's efforts at Rouge National Urban Park in Spring 2021 demonstrate the versatility of the 50 MTP and the types of planting it supports," said Rob Keen, RPF and CEO of Forests Ontario. The 50 MTP provides financial and technical assistance to a network of professional planting partners who work closely with landowners wishing to plant a minimum of 500 trees on their property.

Across Ontario, the 50 MTP supports many different types of plantings:

Riparian buffers involve planting along the edge of waterbodies and are useful for stabilizing shorelines and improving water quality.

involve planting along the edge of waterbodies and are useful for stabilizing shorelines and improving water quality. Windbreaks, the strategic planting of trees in rows, can reduce soil erosion and snowdrift, enhance productivity of farmland, and create habitat corridors for wildlife.

the strategic planting of trees in rows, can reduce soil erosion and snowdrift, enhance productivity of farmland, and create habitat corridors for wildlife. Restoration planting helps rehabilitate native forests impacted by climate change, wildfire, weather, pests, or invasive species.

planting helps rehabilitate native forests impacted by climate change, wildfire, weather, pests, or invasive species. Afforestation, or the creation of new forest on land that has had no previous tree cover.

In total, 34 million trees have been planted across Ontario through the 50 MTP since 2008.

"The 50 MTP benefits both human and wildlife communities immensely," explained Keen. "On top of improving soil and water quality, increasing wildlife habitat, and enhancing opportunities for recreation, it helps fight climate change. Plus, the 50 MTP pays for an average of 75 to 90 per cent of tree planting costs for eligible landowners  one of the best deals going for getting trees planted on your property."

Every year, Forests Ontario's network of province-wide planting partners works closely with local landowners to develop individual site plans and select native tree species that best satisfy their specific goals. This can include flood protection, creating a windbreak, helping pollinators, providing habitat and corridors for animals to travel between forested areas, boosting local ecosystems, and more.

The 50 MTP is currently supported by the Government of Canada, corporate sponsors, and donors.

It's never too early to think about planting for next spring! Apply now to be added to the waitlist for the 2022 planting season by visiting www.forestsontario.ca/en/program/50-million-tree-program. For more information about any of Forests Ontario's tree planting programs, contact Hayley Murray (Forestry Operations Coordinator) at 416-646-1193 ext. 222.

About Forests Ontario

Forests Ontario is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to re-greening the province through the support of tree planting, forest restoration, stewardship, education and awareness. Through our national division Forest Recovery Canada, we plant in other provinces and work to promote Canada's greatest natural resource  our forests  because healthy forests sustain healthy communities and healthy economies. Forests Ontario is the voice of our forests. Visit www.forestsontario.ca or follow us @Forests_Ontario to find out more.

SOURCE Forests Ontario

For further information: photos or to arrange an interview please contact: Augusta Lipscombe, Communications & Stakeholder Relations Manager, Forests Ontario / Forest Recovery Canada, W: 416.646.1193 ext. 235, E: [email protected]

Related Links

https://forestsontario.ca/


The ambitious five year goal of reaching 25 per cent BIPOC-owned brands by 2026 is driven by the insight that 22.3 per cent of Canadians identify as visible minorities (according to 2016 Census), making the demand for visible representation within brand offering more important than ever in Canada. As a result of continued brand diversification over the past year, Sephora Canada is currently sitting at 12 per cent BIPOC-owned prestige beauty brands, with a goal of reaching 15 per cent in 2022.

"We are proud to solidify our goal of reaching 25 per cent BIPOC-owned brands by 2026 as part of our new localized Fifteen Percent Pledge commitment," says Jane Nugent, Sephora Canada's Senior Vice President of Merchandising. "Ensuring greater representation within our prestige beauty brand offering that is reflective of Canada's rich diversity is central to our mission of creating a more inclusive retail experience and sense of belonging for all."

The Fifteen Percent Pledge is a non-profit organization based in the United States that advocates for the equitable and intentional distribution of wealth and opportunity for Black-owned businesses and people in the workforce, as well as urges retailers to commit at least 15 percent of their shelf-space to Black-owned businesses. In June 2020, Sephora was the first major retailer to take the pledge, which included evolving its 2021 Accelerate incubator programming to be dedicated exclusively to people of colour. Shortly after launching in the United States, The Fifteen Percent Pledge team's mission extended into Canada in support of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC)-owned businesses and BIPOC people in the workforce.

"As we approach the one year anniversary of the racial justice protests last summer, we could not be more thrilled that Sephora Canada is taking the Pledge and partnering with us to drive equity across retail," said Aurora James, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge. "Being a proud Canadian, it's exciting to see the Pledge continue to expand beyond the U.S. and have Sephora Canada be our newest partnership in my home country. Their commitment to increase their shelf space to 25 per cent BlPOC-owned brands is huge, and we are looking forward to working in lockstep with them to provide support and help them achieve this goal."

Sephora Canada's ongoing action plan for increasing BIPOC representation in its brands includes supporting BIPOC-owned brands in achieving Canadian compliancy, which has already played a crucial role in enabling expansion into Canada, and aiding Sephora's newest Accelerate brands with the resources and information they need to expand beyond the US.

Beyond its commitment to the Fifteen Percent Pledge, over the past year, Sephora Canada established a Diversity and Inclusion Council, geared towards identifying actionable solutions and galvanizing change.

Sephora Canada's BIPOC-owned beauty guide is currently available at Sephora.ca/bipoc-beauty-brands. Further details about Sephora Canada's ongoing Diversity and Inclusion journey and efforts will also be available on Sephora.ca in the coming weeks.

About Sephora Americas

Since its debut in North America over 20 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the purpose of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to explore 25,000 products from over 400 carefully curated brands, and safely engage with expertly trained beauty advisors in 80 stores across Canada. Clients can also visit Sephora online and through our mobile app, access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora's passionate clients. Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, "We Belong to Something Beautiful," to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in North America. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through our Sephora Stands social impact programs. For more information, visit https://www.sephora.ca/about-us and @SephoraCanada on social media.

About The Fifteen Percent Pledge

The Fifteen Percent Pledge is a 501c3 non-profit advocacy organization urging major retailers to commit 15 percent of their shelf-space to Black-owned businesses. It offers large corporations accountability, support and consulting services with the goal of advocating for and supporting Black-owned businesses. The Fifteen Percent Pledge seeks economic equality and prosperity for Black future founders, Black students, and Black people in the workforce. Launched in 2020 by Aurora James, the initiative was born from seeing multiple acts of social injustice and police brutality in the United States, with a lack of accountability for the systemic issues at play. Businesses including Sephora, Rent the Runway, West Elm, MedMen and now Vogue Magazine, have all committed to the Fifteen Percent Pledge. For more information, visit www.15percentpledge.org

SOURCE Sephora

For further information: For more information and interview requests, please contact: Laura Linden, The Colony Project, [email protected], 647-207-6608; Julie Forbes, Sephora Canada, [email protected], 647-262-7926; Fifteen Percent Pledge: Jessinia Brooks, [email protected]; Kindeya Chiaro, [email protected]
MONTREAL, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Valeo Pharma Inc. (CSE: VPH) (OTCQB: VPHIF) (FSE: VP2) ("Valeo" or the "Company"), a Canadian pharmaceutical company, today announced that Valeo has been accepted for admission into the Innovative Medicines Canada ("IMC") Association as a full member. IMC has represented Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry since 1914, with 47 members across the spectrum of small, mid-size and large national and multi-national companies. The association plays a central advocacy role in all major issues related to the pharmaceutical industry, including price reform. and the pan-canadian rare disease strategy, amongst others. IMC has also been playing an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic in supporting members and governments in the timely supply of vaccines and personal protective equipment. IMC has set guiding principles including its Code of Ethical Practices to promote ethics, respect and integrity in all interactions with stakeholders.

"We are proud to be admitted to Innovative Medicines Canada and we commend the tireless work of IMC in ensuring our industry thrives in Canada", said Steve Saviuk, CEO of Valeo Pharma. "Valeo's vision of building a foundational Canadian pharmaceutical company by driving therapeutic innovation to patients in need, is very well aligned with IMC's vision of ensuring that Canadians have access to the innovative treatments they need".

Commenting on joining IMC as a full member, Frederic Fasano, Valeo's President and COO said, "we believe it is important for the future development of Valeo to increase our involvement alongside recognized industry leaders to ensure key healthcare issues receive the attention they deserve. Joining IMC will allow us to participate with our peers, government, healthcare professionnals and other related stakeholders in building a stronger life sciences ecosystem for the benefit of all Canadians".

"We are pleased to welcome Valeo Pharma into the association and look forward to working with them on delivering better healthcare solutions", said Pamela Fralick, President of Innovative Medecines Canada,"Canadians deserve and should expect timely access to the latest inniovative medicines and treatment therapies, and Valeo will be an important IMC partner in achieving this goal".

About Innovative Medicines Canada

Innovative Medicines Canada is the national voice of Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry. We advocate for policies that enable the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines and vaccines that improve the lives of all Canadians. We support our members' commitment to being valued partners in the Canadian healthcare system.

About Valeo Pharma

Valeo Pharma is a Canadian pharmaceutical company dedicated to the commercialization of innovative prescription products in Canada with a focus on Respiratory diseases, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Oncology and Hospital Specialty Products. Headquartered in Kirkland, Quebec Valeo Pharma has all the required capabilities and the full infrastructure to register and properly manage its growing product portfolio through all stages of commercialization. For more information, please visit www.valeopharma.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Valeo's objectives, strategies and businesses that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are "forward-looking" because they are based on our current expectations about the markets we operate in and on various estimates and assumptions. Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements if known or unknown risks affect our business, or if our estimates or assumptions turn out to be inaccurate.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE Valeo Pharma Inc.

For further information: Steve Saviuk, Chief Executive Officer, 514-693-8830, [email protected] or Frederic Dumais, Director, Communications and Investor Relations, 514-782-8803, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.valeopharma.com


Giulianis attorney Robert Costello wrote that a review of materials seized during the raids April 28 cannot begin until he has more information on the feds secret seizure of his iCloud account in November 2019. Costello argues that much of the information is off-limits to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York due to attorney-client privilege. Giuliani represented former President Donald Trump, among many other high-profile clients.
Karnataka has recorded 31,531 new cases of COVID-19 and 403 fatalities. COVID-19 is moving at very high speed from large urban centres to the districts of Karnataka. Ballari and Uttara Kannada, are among Indias top five districts reporting the highest Covid-19 test positivity rate. Health and Family Welfare Department, indicated total number of samples tested has seen a noticeable drop during the last fortnight.

The Health Department on Sunday said, Karnataka has recorded 31,531 new cases of COVID-19 and 403 fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 22,03,462 and deaths to 21,837 so far.

Karnataka districts of which five recorded more than 40% positivity whereas 13 took a record of positivity between 30-39% according to the Union Health ministry of the state.

It has been observed that COVID-19 is moving at very high speed from large urban centres to the districts. As of now two Karnataka districts, Ballari and Uttara Kannada, are among Indias top five districts reporting the highest Covid-19 test positivity rate.

From the total of 403 deaths, 143 were from Bengaluru Urban, Ballari saw 26, Uttara Kannada 24, Hassan 18, Mandya 15, Shivamogga 14, followed by others.

Also read: Covid cases in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu on rise: States battle shortage of beds, oxygen



Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayana, head of the COVID Task Force has said that the State has received 4.25 lakh doses, which is enough for one week.

Bengaluru is yet to witness a clear recovery from the daily surge in Covid-19 cases, however, the record of 50,112 fresh infections on May 5, had dropped to 35,297 on May 13.

Additionally to have a closer look at the health bulletins shared by the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department, indicates that the total number of samples tested has also seen a noticeable drop during the last fortnight.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa of the state attributed the drop in fresh Covid cases to the success of lockdown in Karnataka saying, the drop in number of tests is hard to miss.
Ambassador T S Tirumurti, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, told the United Nations Security Council that the ongoing violence has caused widespread suffering and resulted in deaths, including of women and children.

There has been escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine for weeks with no possible solution soon. Israel strike Gaza with airstrikes into the early hours of Sunday, destroying a tower block that housed news media organizations, Al Jazeera and Associated Press while Palestinian militants launched rocket salvoes at Tel Aviv. Palestinian rescue services continued its efforts on Sunday afternoon to pull out of the rubble civilians who were killed. Israeli airstrikes on al-Wihda Street in al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City started before dawn on Sunday and continued until early hours of the morning.

According to the Health Ministry, most of the bodies that was pulled out of the rubble are children, bring the death toll to 37 killed among them 8 children and 13 women, 50 more were injured mostly women and children. Under such backdrop India on Sunday strongly condemned all acts of violence from both the sides. Ambassador T S Tirumurti, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, told the United Nations Security Council that the ongoing violence has caused widespread suffering and resulted in deaths, including of women and children.

The Indian representative urged both sides to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions, and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood. India also paid its tribute to 30-yr old Soumya Santosh who was living Israel and killed in a rocket attack by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.

Also Read: #CovidAsia2ndWave: As Covid engulfs South Asia, Xi claims normalcy; What is Chinas covid reality?

The Indian envoy supported resumption of dialogue between Israel and Palestinian authorities. Tirumurti asserted Indias strong support to the just Palestinian cause and its unwavering commitment to the two-State solution at the UNSC.
NEW YORK (AP)  A leg injury may keep Robert De Niro from celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival. The accident happened last week in Oklahoma while on location for the upcoming Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon.

The two-time Oscar-winner immediately flew back to New York to get it checked out.

My leg is fine  I ripped a ligament I guess in my quad, so I have to have it reattached to my knee. Buts its OK, De Niro said Saturday during an interview promoting this year's Tribeca events. Its all manageable. Thats all. All good.

The accident happened at his on-location home, and the actor was not due to shoot additional scenes for several weeks.

While his scenes for the film can be pushed back further to accommodate his recovery, he may not have the same luxury when the Tribeca Film Festival kicks off on June 9. De Niro co-founded the event with producer Jane Rosenthal.

Yeah, I dont know because I have (surgery on) my leg, I got the whole thing. Im not sure well have to figure that out," De Niro said. Well figure that out once we get closer.

Based on David Granns non-fiction novel, Scorsese's film tells the story of the 1920s investigation into the Osage Indian murders by the newly former Federal Bureau of Investigation.

De Niro stars as William Hale, a powerful Oklahoma rancher. Killers of the Flower Moon marks the 10th feature film collaboration between De Niro and Scorsese. The film also stars another Scorsese regular, Leonardo DiCaprio, as Ernest Burkhart, one of the key figures in the murders.
NEW HAVEN  Qinxuan Pan, charged in the death of Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang, remained in custody in Alabama as of Monday, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

James Stossel, deputy chief of the office of public affairs with the marshals, declined to discuss the next step in the adjudication of Pans case, saying in an email that it was against policy to talk about the future status of those in custody.

He confirmed Pan still was in custody in Alabama.

Stossel directed the request for information to the New Haven Police Department and the New Haven State Attorneys Office.

State Attorney Patrick Griffin said Monday that the details on extraditing Pan were still being worked out.

On Friday, asked whether Pan would be extradited to Connecticut, Stossel said the question will not be answered right now, because there are too many variables involved from many different sides.

Pan was arrested in the 400 block of Fairview Avenue in Montgomery, Ala. on Friday, according to the U.S. Marshals Office.

He previously last had been seen in the early morning hours of Feb. 11 driving with family members in Georgia.

I am extremely proud of the cooperation and efforts of the U.S. Marshals, the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, and our state and local partners in apprehending Pan, said U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Alabama Jesse Seroyer Jr., in a statement. Once we received information that Pan was in Montgomery, a plan was developed and executed. This is another example of hard work by federal and state partners to arrest violent fugitives.

City police obtained a warrant charging Pan with Jiangs slaying in late February. The department had named him as a person of interest in the case Feb. 10.

Jiang was shot to death on Lawrence Street in the citys East Rock neighborhood Feb. 6.

Those who knew Jiang have described him as a person of faith and energy, including his parents, speaking during his funeral at Trinity Baptist Church in New Haven.

Kevins life was short but colorful, and brought so much joy, happiness and positivity to those around him, said Linda Liu, his mother. As a mother, I will always miss Kevin, and treasure the blessings he brought me. Although Kevin is gone from us now, Kevin is the most wonderful gift God has ever given me on Earth. I look forward to being reunited with Kevin in heaven in the future.

More information about the case is available here.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Madison, Conn. native Bill Carbone felt a gravitational pull towards New York City since he was a child. College took him to Boston, and graduate school brought him to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., where he and his wife Amy Tate owned a house and started their family.

But when Carbone got a job in 2016 writing curriculum at the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation in New York, he and his wife took this crazy plunge and moved into New York.

Carbone and his family moved into the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, and five years later, Carbone is the executive director of the foundation. He and his family rode out the pandemic in Brooklyn and were pretty comfortable doing so. But with a pivot to a hybrid remote work schedule and an eye on the future, Carbone said he started thinking about moving his family back to their home state.

More than anything, living in New York is breathtakingly expensive, he said. There's a voice in the back of my head that I have to be more thoughtful about thatMy kids are getting older. More than anything, I want to make sure that I can help them the way my parents did  to always know that if something bad happens, I have a safety net  and I want to do that for them.

Wanting their kids to finish the school year in New York, Carbone said once he and his wife decided on their move back to Connecticut, they began house hunting in February 2021. After one false start in the process of purchasing a home, Carbone said it took several months before they purchased their kind of funky and unique home in Guilford. He saw it via FaceTime while Amy toured it.

While he and his family are ready to make the move, Carbone said he has mixed feelings about leaving behind the city he has always loved.

We're really excited to have our own space where we can make our decisions about it, he said. But were also nervous, because it's a big change. We live in a city community in which we walk outside and see our neighbors right awayWe live in this culture of people making the best of being right on top of each other, which I love. So I'm worried about what it's going to feel like to  have true distance from other people.

One thing making the move easier is the network of family and friends they will be returning to, which includes Carbones Connecticut band, Max Creek.

As a musician, I am going to get back to Connecticut and have lots of people to play with, he said. My wife teaches a course at Wesleyan and already picked up a course in Quinnipiac. We're returning to this place where theres great stuff waiting for us, and we're super excited.
MADISON  A small nonprofit founded in 2018 has already had a big impact on the lives of some breast cancer patients  many who were facing heartbreaking circumstances.

From paying the rent for a metastatic breast cancer patient so she would not be evicted, to paying for end-of-life medication for a woman with no health insurance, Infinite Strength stepped up.

Roberta Lombardi, of Madison, who was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 2016, was determined to help others who did not have her resources  good health insurance, financial means, family support and a good health team.

So from her home in Madison, the former event planner started Infinite Strength in 2018, primarily raising money from its gala, An Evening in Pink. But then COVID hit and the 2020 fundraiser was canceled.

And it changed her plans. So she pivoted.

At the same time, Lombardi discovered there was a large underserved group  single moms with breast cancer and women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

We were helping underserved and under-insured women  it didnt matter whether they were married or single. But what we found was that the majority of women were single moms that were in financial need, Lombardi said.

I mean really severely in need, she added.

But, Infinite Strength was already branching out before the pandemic.

Holiday wishes

In December 2019, Lombardi started Make a holiday wish for a breast cancer patient during Christmastime. Lombardis first recipient was a woman who lived in New Haven and whose name she received from a hospital.

She was living in her car and she had five children  three of which were younger  under 13 and she was dying of metastatic breast cancer, Lombardi recalled.

She was crying, I cant give my kids a holiday, Lombardi said. I said what can I do to grant you a wish?

The woman finally did receive a subsidy for an apartment and Infinite Strength paid her bills, bought her food and presents for her family.

The kids all wrote me a note and they gave me their Christmas lists  each one, Lombardi said. It was just heartbreaking.

Lombardi hired a professional photographer and did a photo shoot with the children at Christmas so the kids would have a lasting memory.

She (the patient) texted me, We havent smiled like that forever and she then passed, Lombardi said.

When Lombardi got home that day, I couldnt get out of my own way, I was crying, I was miserable, she said.

Imagining what its like for someone less fortunate is what spurred Lombardi to start Infinite Strength. She got the idea when her husband was going over the bills for her treatment  totaling about $80,000, which her insurance fortunately did cover. She wondered how other women who did not have insurance or financial resources coped.

While in treatment, getting chemo at the hospital it cemented the idea for her.

I could hear women talk about it with their caregivers  I cant afford this. I cant afford my medicine. I cant afford my co-pays. I cant afford to not work, Lombardi recalled.

Thats when she first came up with the idea for the gala. Last years cancellation only stiffened her resolve to continue her outreach.

Meeting everyday needs

This is when she decided that Infinite Strength would give recurring funds to single moms with metastatic cancer, who were in stage 4.

For single mothers of any age and in any stage of cancer, they will give up to $1,000 a year for rent, utilities or the mortgage.

Women with metastatic cancer, she said, their average life span is two to three years. They need help that entire time.

In the past three years, Lombardis modest nonprofit has raised more than $300,000.

And, once she narrowed her focus in 2020, it resonated with donors, she said.

Lombardi points to the fact that there are no administrative costs as she takes no salary, there is no overhead as she runs it out of her home and her board of directors are all volunteers.

I give the money directly to the patients.

Lombardi became directly involved and changed the application, which is now online.

You have a doctor submit a note, verifying her stage, a social worker puts a note in, she uploads it and I personally do every single one.

Donor Rachel Borelli, learned about Infinite strength through her late sisters oncologist, who also was Lombardis doctor.

My sister had just passed away from breast cancer when I met Roberta  it was literally not even a month my sister had been dead, she said.

We just hit it off, Borelli said. The first phone call was about an hour and a half and I told her the whole story  I was crying me eyes out.

Borelli said she believes in Lombardi and what the organization is trying to accomplish.

I believe in it. Shes focused directly on helping women with their needs, she said.

I know where my money is going  I have peace of mind knowing its in the hands of women who are fighting breast cancer.

Borelli has been involved with starting an online support group during COVID, through Infinite Strength for breast cancer patients and survivors called HOPE (healing, openhearted, patient, empowerment).

Borelli said this was what she was meant to do after she lost her sister.

Thats what God put me here to do  after my sister died  was to realize what a great need these women have, she said. These women dont have people fighting for them and my sister had a ton of people fighting for her.

During the quarantine, These cancer patients have nobody. And you cant go to chemo with anyone anymore, Borelli noted.

I think of my sister all the time because she had an army with her.

Lombardi can reel off story after story about connecting with women.

Not all of them have a happy ending though.

Lombardi was working against the clock to help get a womans two children under 10, airline tickets to see her before she died in a Philadelphia hospital.

It didnt happen in time: She died that day, Lombardi said quietly.

Her kids never got to see her  these are the kinds of things were seeing.

Lombardi has partnered with 24 hospitals and gives mostly in Connecticut, but will help patients in other states.

A special day

Lombardi decided to make the Make a Holiday Wish a tradition since the first one was so successful.

Cancer patient Robin Andrews, who is stage 4, felt she had her Christmas wishes answered this past holiday.

They made it so we could have Christmas, Andrews said.

If it wasnt for her, she said, crying softly over the phone. For us it was beyond help. I just dont think we could have had a nicer Christmas.

If it wasnt for all of them helping us  just to ease that burden  cancer is hard enough to go through.

A social worker recommended Andrews, who has two children, one 17 and one adult at home, 31.

They didnt even hesitate. If it wasnt for them helping us I wouldnt have been able to have Christmas for my kids. I cant thank them enough, she said.

For just a little bit, Andrews could forget about her diagnosis and enjoy her family on the holiday.

When youve got cancer and feel like how am I going to do this?

They really care about you. Even after the financial help  they dont stop there. They call you and see how you are doing.

These people to me are like heaven-sent angels.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Sunny along with a few clouds. High 82F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Little Allen Sebastian Urena, 2nd from right, was too short to reach the podium at the R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home Friday, so he knelt on a chair. Sebastians father, Allen Urena, 32, was killed by a gunman who pistol-whipped him May 9, 2021, then shot him in chest in the hallway of a building on Westchester Ave. near Faile St. in the Bronx. (Facebook)
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for an end to open grazing to tackle insecurity and address farmer-herder crisis in the coun...

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for an end to open grazing to tackle insecurity and address farmer-herder crisis in the country.





Audu Ogbe, ACF chairman, disclosed the forums position in a statement issued in Kaduna, on Monday.

Ogbe said the ACF does not see any reason to object to a decision taken in the best interest of all.

He said no society will continue to watch as herders invade farms, leading to a food security crisis.





The fact of the matter is that the crisis emanates from the belief by most herdsmen that they are free to enter any farm, eat up the crops and rape or kill any one raising objections. Nobody or society can accept that, he said.

The current high price of garri is one obvious reason of this behaviour. Few cassava farms cannot grow to maturity before it is harvested by the farmers. So, food security is already being threatened.

Ogbes remarks come a week after governors of the southern region resolved to ban open grazing and the movement of cattle by foot.





The governors said they observed that the incursion of armed herders, criminals and bandits in the southern part of the country has created a severe security challenge, such that citizens are not able to live their normal lives, including pursuing various productive activities, leading to threats to food supply and general security.

Consequently, they resolved that open grazing of cattle be banned across southern Nigeria.

While backing the call to end open grazing, ACF noted that the bulk of the violent herders are the ones marching in from neighbouring African countries in large numbers, thousands at a time, and showing no regards to boundaries whether state or regional. They have to be stopped.

The forum urged northern governors to also consider use of ranches as an alternative to open grazing in the region.





Therefore, the Umar Abdullahi Ganduje formula must be adopted to stop the entry into Nigeria of cattle from West Africa. The solution is for Nigeria to seek an amendment to Article 3 of the ECOWAS Protocol especially as regards the free movement of cattle and other livestock without special permits, the ACF statement reads.

If this is done, we have over 5 million hectatres of land in old grazing reserves left, enough to accommodate over 40 million cows if well grassed and watered.

Northern governors should immediately look into this and see the viability. Within those spaces, ranches can be developed for lease to Nigerian herders so that this matter can be brought to an end. Thereafter any herders found roaming can be penalised.

Our ECOWAS neighbours can find ways to deal with their own issues the way they deem fit. We can seek support from AfDB, the World Bank, EU or the Kuwait Fund or any source willing to support us in resolving this problem.





Hurling abuses, trading suspicion and threatening warfare as is currently the trend will only produce grief and disaster.
Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla Inc., says he will only go on to create his own cryptocurrency if dogecoin, the cryptocurrency w...

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla Inc., says he will only go on to create his own cryptocurrency if dogecoin, the cryptocurrency which started out as a joke, cannot do what he wants.

Musk has been blamed for multiple movements in the crypto market, following his companys decision to buy $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin earlier in 2021.

The billionaire, who calls himself the dogefather for supporting dogecoin, has called out bitcoin for contributing to the increasing use of fossil fuel and the consequences for the environment.

Cryptocurrency is a good idea on many levels and we believe it has a promising future, but this cannot come at great cost to the environment, Musk said in a fresh tweet. But his follow-up tweet could not uphold the price of bitcoin as the cryptocurrency dropped about 5 percent in few minutes after Musks announcement.

MUSK WILL CREATE HIS OWN CRYPTO?

Immediately after Teslas announcement, Musk came under fire for his position on cryptocurrency. In his response, the former co-founder of the global payment platform Paypal said he knows more about money than experts think.

Hey cryptocurrency experts, ever heard of PayPal? Its possible  maybe  that I know than you realize about how money works.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2021





In 1999, Musk founded an online bank, which merged with another company to become Paypal. He sold Paypal to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.

Musk was asked if he would start his own crypto to do all he wants, but he responded in favour of dogecoin.

Only if Doge cant do it. Big pain in the neck to create another one.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2021

Musks tweets have left the crypto market globally with mixed signals  dogecoin has seen some gain, while bitcoin has continued on a downward spiral, sinking below $46,000 as of Monday morning.

The Tesla boss has repeatedly said he wants a coin with very low transaction fees and great energy efficiency.
South Africas former President Jacob Zuma finally heeded court summons on Monday to appear for trial in a 20-year-old bribery case. Zuma is...





South Africas former President Jacob Zuma finally heeded court summons on Monday to appear for trial in a 20-year-old bribery case.

Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military gear from five European arms firms for 30 billion rand  equal to almost $5.0 billion at the time.

The 79-year-old Zuma, who was at the time serving as deputy president to Thabo Mbeki, is accused of accepting bribes amounting to four million rand from one of the firms, French defence giant Thales.

Over the years, the case has been postponed numerous times as Zuma lodged a string of motions to have the charges dropped.

In the latest snag last month, all of Zumas lawyers quit, without giving a reason.

It is unclear whether at Mondays hearing at Pietermaritzburg High Court, Zuma will ask for a new postponement to reorganize his defence.

Also not clear was whether he will choose to represent himself during the proceedings, which he has called a political witch hunt.

Dozens of people, including senior ruling ANC officials such as the recently suspended party secretary-general Ace Magashule, rallied in a show of support for the embattled former head of state at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

I am here to support president Zuma, Magashule told AFP, dismissing the trial as so political.

A crowd of supporters dressed in yellow party T-shirts and waving ANC flags, chanted outside the court house.

We should allow president Zuma, with grace and dignity, to rest at home, an ANC lawmaker and former North West provincial premier Supra Mahumapelo said.

He said Zuma has consistently maintained no one is above the law. He has always submitted himself to the law. But at his advanced age, he should be allowed to go into obscurity and we to move forward as a society.

In power between 2009 and 2018, Zuma was forced to resign by the African National Congress after a mounting series of scandals.

His successor Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to root out corruption.

Iol.co.za listed the scores of senior ANC members, both at provincial and national level, that came to court to support Zuma on Monday.

Among them were provincial executive committee members of the ruling party in KZN, Premier Sihle Zikalala, eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane Zulu.

From a national level, apart from suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule. others who came were ANC national executive committee members Tony Yengeni and Bongani Bongo.

Also in court was Carl Niehaus.

Outside the court, Zumas supporters, from as far as Mpumalanga, gathered in the hope that he would address them as soon as the matter was concluded for the day.
The Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has imposed a curfew on two communities following the communal clash that claimed three lives on ...





The Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has imposed a curfew on two communities following the communal clash that claimed three lives on Sunday.

No fewer than three houses were burnt and about nine persons, including a former Chief Judge in the state, were injured in the mayhem.

Announcing the curfew on Monday in a public service announcement, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, said the development was with immediate effect.

While stating that the curfew would run from 7pm to 6am until further notice, Obiano warned that security personnel were on strict orders to enforce the curfew.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ikenga Tochukwu, while stating that normalcy had returned in the area, said three persons died in the fracas.

The PPRO said, Normalcy has been restored in the area and our men are still on the ground to ensure the safety of life and property. So far, we have recovered three bodies that have been deposited at the morgue.

It was gathered that Anaku and Omor, have been having a protracted crisis over land.

A source said, Some of the affected persons in the renewed crisis include a former Chief Judge of Anambra and a former commissioner.

In a related development, the state government on Monday lifted the curfew imposed on six communities  Igbariam, Aguleri, Umueri, Nteje, Awkuzu And Umunya.

The Secretary to Anambra State Government, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu said the lifting of the curfew which began on Monday, 26th April 2021, was with immediate effect, as normalcy had returned to the communities.
Rochas Okorocha, former governor of Imo state, says he can create one million jobs from cattle rearing if provided with the financial capi...

Rochas Okorocha, former governor of Imo state, says he can create one million jobs from cattle rearing if provided with the financial capital.

In recent times, Nigeria has witnessed a spate of farmers-herders crisis in many parts of the country, which has led to the loss of lives and property.

As a result of the crisis, 17 southern governors, last Tuesday, resolved to ban open grazing in their region, after a meeting in Asaba, Delta state.

Speaking on the development in an interview on Sunday Politics, the senator representing Imo west said the country should look into the business of cattle rearing, noting that billions by not handling it well.

Let me talk to Nigerians for the first time as a businessman. Do you know how many billions of dollars this nation is losing by not handling this business of cattle well in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he said.

This business of cattle can create one million jobs for Nigerians, if well-managed. I wish Nigerians can call me or the government will call me and say Okorocha this seventy-six billion.

We want to give you, it is your share, take it and fix the cattle business. If I do not create one million jobs within the shortest time, just know Im not Rochas.

This is business. See money and people are just joking with it. We used to be exporters of leathers, skins. What about the dairy products and milk?

Assuming we have this business, do you know how many welders and fabricators will build body carriers for the cows, while we import the head from China and fix it.
Hurley, a surfing apparel and lifestyle brand, has opened its first shop in New Jersey.

The store is located at 1183 Main St. in Asbury Park. It opened on May 7, according to a store employee, and is Hurleys first East Coast location outside of Florida.

The store is in a new 2,500-square-foot building, according to the Asbury Park Press, at the corner of Main St. and Fourth Ave.

Hurley told The Asbury Park Press it was looking to open in a coastal town that has a history in surf, skate, music and art  the four pillars on which Hurley was founded.

Known for its surfing apparel, Hurley products previously could be found at local stores like PacSun and Tillys until its New Jersey arrival.

Hurley was founded in 1999 in Huntington Beach, California. Nike purchased the company in 2002 and then sold Hurley to Bluestar Alliance in 2019, according to the Asbury Park Press.

There are currently 37 Hurley stores worldwide, with many of them in California and Florida.

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How do I invest in bitcoin? What is the current price? Heres everything to know.

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Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisBurch856. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
Jasco Management, which owns dozens of small apartment houses in Jersey City, keeps a ledger that illustrates how New Jerseys coronavirus eviction moratorium has hammered landlords.

On one side of the register, there are expenses: utilities, insurance, trash pickup, mortgages and property taxes. Flip the page to revenues and theres a list of 50 tenants who havent paid rent for more than a year. They run the gamut from low income-families who clearly are struggling to make ends meet to well-heeled millennials, according to Dennis Branflick, vice president of Jasco.

Ive got someone who owes me $26,000 and it goes down from there, said Branflick, browsing a list that totals $500,000 in unpaid rents. I have a few tenants with large balances and they havent really paid anything since the start of the pandemic. They stopped answering calls and have not applied for rental assistance.

While New Jerseys moratorium on evictions has provided a desperately needed safety net for tens of thousands of renters, it also has created a perfect storm that potentially will ignite ticking time bombs when Gov. Phil Murphy lifts the coronavirus State of Emergency.

Ending the moratorium is expected to open the flood gates on eviction cases, utility shutoffs and property tax appeals by landlords, which could affect municipal services across New Jersey. A return to pre-pandemic policies also could be the only thing keeping a number of landlords from declaring bankruptcy, according to industry advocates who are working to call attention to their plight.

New Jersey tenants owe as much as $2 billion in back rent, according to the New Jersey Apartment Association estimates. Landlords, who still are required to make payments on their loans and financing, have been prohibited by state and federal mandates from evicting renters in arrears for more than a year now. They also point out that other businesses  grocers, drug stores, fast food restaurants, gas stations and mobile telephone providers to name a few  continued to bill customers for services during the pandemic.

Sandy Tuli, president of Livingston-based Tuli Realty, said the government unfairly prohibited landlords from collecting rents, and a handful of tenants are taking advantage.

We want to work with people. We have people who wont pay $200 or $300 a month and they owe me $20,000, said Tuli, who owns 3,000 rental units. If you dont give them an incentive to pay, some of these guys wont pay.

Lawyer Allen Hammer, who owns and manages thousands of apartments in New Jersey, New York and eastern Pennsylvania, said his investment company has the resources to manage non-payments by 10% of its tenants. Thats not the case for small landlords who depend on rents for their own monthly household income, he said.

The landlords who have been serving the poorer tenants, those landlords are being hit pretty hard. Many wont survive, he said. Anybody who believes all this money is going to be paid by tenants is mistaken. They are just going to move out at night and just disappear.

More than 50,000 eviction cases are pending statewide and another 194,000 filings are expected by 2022, New Jerseys judiciary said in a recent report. Separately, 489,000 residential electric and gas customers in arrears are ready for disconnections, according to data analyzed by the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel.

While any of the states 1.2 million tenants can voluntarily apply for grants from $700 million in federal rental assistance, there is no direct relief program for landlords. And without help on the horizon and their bills still due, landlords are expected to flood tax courts with appeals.

Commercial real estate taxes are based, in part, on net operating income. Losses from rents in arrears can figure in the calculation for reduced tax bills, according to the state Division of Taxations Handbook for New Jersey Assessors. Successful appeals by landlords would eventually shift some of the burden for unpaid rents to private homeowners.

The landlords with larger portfolios can reallocate resources to weather the storm from the lack of rent revenue, said David Brogan, the apartment associations president. If we dont address this in the right way, you will see a massive number of property tax appeals.

Brogan said the association supports a bill sponsored by Sen. Brian P. Stack (D-Union City) that would end the eviction moratorium on July 31 and set up a schedule for partial rent payments for poor and moderate renters, starting in August.

Under the proposal, landlords could attempt to collect back rent in civil court, but unlike housing court, tenants would not be evicted for past arrears accumulated during the state of emergency. In addition to federal rental assistance for back rent, the bill would create a $750 million state fund to subsidize tenants who face homelessness because they cannot afford future rents.

At the end of the day, it gives us a sense of certainty, it addresses the eviction tsunami and past non-payment of rent, it protects tenants and deals with rents going forward, Brogan said.

Arguably the most controversial part of the proposal blocks landlords from placing derogatory information from the state of emergency on a tenants credit report. That, landlords said, is one key incentive that could force renters with the income to actually pay their back rent. The legislation also would prevent landlords from screening future tenants based on non-payments or late payments during the pandemic.

Lawyer Charles X. Gormally of Brach Eichler in Roseland said the proposal turns landlord-tenant relations on its head, making landlords wait for months to collect civil judgments and encouraging too many tenants in deep debt to bolt.

The tenant doesnt need to do anything to get those benefits, Gormally said. The one gaping hole is it prevents somebody from dinging their (tenants) credit report. Its incredibly imbalanced.

Youre going to see a lot of tenants leave, he said. Theyre just going to walk away.

George E. Jordan writes a weekly column on business and development in New Jersey. He may be reached at george@griotmediaworks.com
The tax filing deadline, extended by the IRS because of the coronavirus pandemic, is here.

Taxpayers should file both their federal and New Jersey tax returns Monday, but if you need more time, you can file for an extension.

You can do this online through the IRS Free File before midnight, or you can mail an extension to the IRS as long as its postmarked by May 17. To do this, you need to complete Form 4868.

But its important to know an extension to file is not an extension to pay your taxes. On the form, you have to estimate your tax liability for the 2020 tax year and make the payment. Payments made after May 17 could incur penalties.

If youre due a refund, it could come later than usual, according to the independent Taxpayer Advocate Service.

It said there was already a backlog of about 31 million returns that were held for manual processing just ahead of the May 17 tax-filing deadline.

I was hoping it would go down, but Im not that optimistic, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins told CBS MoneyWatch about the backlog. Taxpayers will continue to experience unusually long delays. I dont think anyone wants to hear that, but that is the case.

The backlog is in partly from delays during the coronavirus pandemic but also because the IRS is processing millions of stimulus payments.

The IRS will continue to be busier than usual as it also starts to process the monthly expanded child tax credits from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill for about 39 million families.

The first monthly payment will go out on July 15, the IRS said Monday. Subsequent payments will be made on the 15th of every month through the end of 2021, unless the date falls on a weekend or holiday, it said.

The credits are part of the American Rescue Plan and will give up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child age 6 to 17. The maximum Child Tax Credit (CTC) is up to $3,600 for children under the age of 6 and up to to $3,000 per child for children between ages 6 and 17 for those who are eligible. When the monthly payments end, the rest of the credit can be claimed on your 2021 tax return.

Singles with adjusted gross income of up to $75,000 will get the full amount. For married couples who file a joint tax return, the income limit is up to $150,000 to get the maximum credit.

The credit will then phase out, lowered by $50 for every additional $1,000 of income.

Those who are not eligible for the higher amounts can still claim $2,000 per child  the previous amount available  if their adjusted gross income is below $200,000 for singles and $400,000 for married people who file joint returns.

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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.
He was starting to turn his life around  he had something better to live for, the victims mother, Jacqueline Thomas, told the Daily News. He fell in with the wrong crowd when he was younger but he was a good kid and he was never ever violent
Gov. Phil Murphy returns to the Trenton War Memorial at 1 p.m. Monday to hold another coronavirus press conference on New Jerseys vaccination progress and reopening plans after news last week that New Jersey will continue to require face coverings in indoor public places.

Murphy is scheduled to be joined by state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, state epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan and State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan. The press conference will be streamed live on the governors YouTube.com channel.

The state is two days away from doing away with indoor and outdoor gathering limits, though 6 feet of space will still be required between groups in restaurants, bars, theaters and houses of worship.

Murphy said last week that New Jersey residents who are vaccinated no longer need to wear masks outdoors, but the indoor mask requirements remain despite new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control saying anyone vaccinated doesnt need to wear a mask indoors or outdoors.

Officials said Sunday that 3,683,166 people who live, work or study in the state have been fully vaccinated at sites in New Jersey. In addition, 165,254 New Jersey residents have been vaccinated out-of-state.

The state has set a goal of having 70% of New Jerseys adults vaccinated by the end of June. More than 55% of the states 6.9 million adults have been fully vaccinated so far. At least 4.59 million people have received their first dose at a New Jersey site.

The states transmission rate declined to 0.66 on Sunday, down from 0.74 the day before. Any number under 1 indicates the outbreak is slowing and each new case is leading to less than one additional case.

On Sunday, Murphy disclosed 559 COVID-19 cases and nine additional deaths. The state health department hadnt updated its hospital data as of 10 a.m. Monday.

There were 827 COVID-19 patients hospitalized across the state as of 10 p.m. Sunday, down from 865 in the previous 24-hour period. Hospitalizations are at their lowest point since late October.

Murphy has no other scheduled public appearances Monday.

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NJ Advance Media staff writer Katie Kausch contributed to this report.

NJ Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
New Jersey will no longer require people returning to the state or visiting to quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday as the states numbers keep improving as vaccinations continue.

The new rule goes into effect immediately and after the governor had already dropped the quarantine period for people who are fully vaccinated.

However, we do encourage everyone to continue to exercise common sense when traveling domestically and to follow all local health and safety protocols wherever you are traveling to, Murphy said during his latest COVID-19 briefing in Trenton.

And if your goal is international travel, recognize that the COVID reality in many nations is much different than here, and adhere to the travel guidance and advisories posted by the United States Department of State, he added.

Currently, people coming to the United States from abroad have to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of their departure or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days, according to federal rules. The documentation needs to be provided to airlines prior to coming to the United States.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance last month to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for COVID-19 or going into quarantine afterward.

Previously, the agency had cautioned against unnecessary travel even for vaccinated people, but noted that it would update its guidance as more people got vaccinated and evidence mounted about the protection the shots provide.

Murphy changed the states travel restrictions after the CDC guidelines were announced.

Before the loosening of the restrictions, New Jerseyans returning from travel to any U.S. state or territory beyond the immediate region, which included New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, were required to self-quarantine at their home or hotel.

More than 3.7 million people who live, work, or study in the state have now been fully vaccinated at New Jersey sites, while another 165,000 residents have been vaccinated in other states.

The state has set a goal of having 70% of New Jerseys adults vaccinated by the end of June. A little more than 53% of the states 6.9 million adults have now been fully vaccinated.

New Jerseys seven-day average for new confirmed positive COVID-19 tests has fallen to 752  down 37% from a week ago and 73% from a month ago. Thats the lowest number since Oct. 12.

There were 827 COVID-19 patients hospitalized across the state as of Sunday night, the lowest number since Oct. 19. Overall, coronavirus hospitalizations are down 79% since the states second-wave peak of 3,873 patients on Dec. 22.

New Jersey, a state of 9.2 million people, has reported 25,975 residents have died from complications related to COVID-19  including 23,327 confirmed deaths and 2,648 fatalities considered probable.

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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
Gov. Phil Murphys executive order allowing for virtual school during the coronavirus pandemic will not be renewed after this academic year, officially ending the option for online learning, the governor said Monday.

Neatly stated, through this action, we are declaring that all students will be back in school for full-time, in-person instruction come the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Murphy said during a COVID-19 media briefing in Trenton.

Murphy previously announced schools must fully open for in-person instruction in the fall and virtual learning will not be an option in New Jersey. Allowing his executive order from August 2020 to expire at the conclusion of this school year will make that decision official, he said.

We are facing a much different world than one year ago, when we had to begin planning for this school year, the governor said. We know much more about this virus and how it spreads. We have much more on-the-ground experience in fighting it. And we have a robust vaccination program that now reaches adolescents as young as 12.

Students and teachers with health issues that could put them at greater risk of a serious COVID-19 case will have a virtual option, Murphy said in March. And schools need the right protocols in place, he said. The state will likely announce required safety measures for next school year over the summer, he said.

Of course, we will continue to follow the science, and should there be a localized outbreak or other emergency, we will act accordingly, Murphy said. Otherwise, buildings will be fully open.

The comments come as New Jerseys daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to decline and as the state prepares to take sweeping reopening steps this week.

More than 300 school districts are now offering full in-person instruction, but many families have decided to keep children learning remotely, even though they could attend classes in-person. The vast majority of other districts are offering hybrid instruction.

Only 12 school districts or charter schools remained in all-remote learning as of last week as they work through various challenges to reopening.

Murphys decision not to allow virtual learning will help school districts limit the scope of their planning for the fall.

Now we turn a corner, and students, educators and parents throughout New Jersey can look forward to the full return to safe, in-person instruction at the start of the 20212022 school year, said Angelica Allen-McMillan, the states acting commissioner of education.

Though the state is moving in the right direction, schools have more work to do before they can guarantee that every student and staff member is in a safe environment, said Marie Blistan, president of the New Jersey Education Association, the states largest teachers union. Districts need to use federal aid in the most targeted and effective ways to ensure safety, she said.

Unfortunately, there are still many school buildings throughout the state that dont meet minimum standards for the health and safety of students and educators, Blistan said.

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Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com. Have a news tip or a story idea about New Jersey schools? Send it here.
Chris Gadsden, a prominent voice in the Black community and a vocal critic of Mayor Steve Fulop, is looking to rejoin the Jersey City City Council as a councilman at large.

Gadsden, 46, has been planning to join the city council race, but he wasnt sure if he would run for the Ward B seat or one of the three at-large seats. In 2016, he became the first Black Ward B councilman when he won a special election, but he lost the seat to Mira Prinz-Arey in the 2017 election.

(The people) can expect me to continue to advocate for policy and programs that are going to make our city stronger and that is going to have this shared prosperity, Gadsden said. We talk a lot about how Jersey City is two worlds, but I think moving forward we got to start having a conversation on how everyone else can share in the prosperity of Jersey City.

Gadsden, who is also the Lincoln High School principal, said Monday he wants to see how hell fare city-wide since he has served the city in different capacities. He said he wants to leverage his over 20 years of service to the community and see how that translates into votes.

Every ounce of my being is dedicated to making sure somebody else is better, whether it be children, whether it be families, whether it be the downtrodden, whether it be someone who came to us and said I wasnt treated fairly, Gadsden said. With me serving on the council before, I already have a taste on how I could take social action, all the activism and I could see now how that translates into policy.

Gadsden has also served as the Political Action chairman for the Jersey City chapter of the NAACP. He has led several protests against police brutality and violence against the community, along with other prominent community members, including Frank Educational Gilmore, who has announced he is running for the Ward F council seat.

While Fulop still remains unopposed in the 2021 mayoral election race, his City Council slate of incumbents has seen numerous potential opponents throw their hats in the ring.

Besides Gilmore, other to announce their bids are Tom Zuppa (Ward C), Joel Brooks (Ward B), Danielle Freire (Ward D), Kevin Bing (Ward C) and Elvin Dominici (at large).

Incumbents Joyce Watterman and Daniel Rivera are running for re-election to the at-large seats, along with Hudson County Democratic Organization Chairwoman Amy DeGise. Councilmen Jermaine Robinson (Ward F), Denise Ridley (Ward A), Richard Boggiano (Ward C), Yousef Saleh (Ward D) and Prinz-Arey (Ward B) are running for re-election for their wards with Municipal Prosecutor Jake Hudnut challenging Ward E Councilman James Solomon.

The Team Fulop slate, as of April 14, has nearly $720,000 in its campaign account and has spent nearly $180,000, according to the state Election Law Enforcement Commission. Meanwhile, Fulop has already spent more than $500,000 and he has nearly $1 million still in his account.

All petitions to run in the Jersey City municipal elections must be submitted by Aug. 30, so there is a chance the field may get more crowded. Those running for mayor or councilmen at large will have to submit at least 1,680 petitions.

Candidates for the ward seats need less than a quarter of that number  with Ward E requiring the most at 369 petitions and Ward C requiring the least at 233 petitions.
On March 9, 2020, the congregation of Jersey Citys Temple Beth-El gathered to celebrate Purim, which commemorates the Jewish people being saved from persecution in ancient Persia. The holiday, which is often marked by carnivals, costumes and performances retelling the story, would be the last time the temple community would be gathered together in the synagogue for 15 months.

It was quaint, we did some minimal things like asking people to wash their hands or do fist bumps and thinking that we were taking precautions, said Rabbi Leana Moritt, who has been with the temple since July 2018.

Soon, like houses of worship around the world, Temple Beth-El was forced to close its doors as the Covid-19 pandemic spread.

Today, the 150-year-old congregation, which has occupied the property at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard for 95 years, was finally able to come together again in-person for a Welcome Back to Temple Beth-El Picnic. It was an opportunity to not only gather after more than a year apart, but to celebrate the temples Hebrew School students completing a full year of virtual learning.

Were delighted that were able to finally get the kids together to play outside and celebrate, said Moritt. For the children, five days a week on Zoom in their secular school is hard enough, and having kids come to Hebrew School on a sixth day has been a real challenge for some parents.

While enrollment in the Hebrew School was down during the pandemic, Moritt made clear to those in attendance that the children are remaining the temples top priority as they reopen, with a goal to welcome them back to in-person learning in the Fall. Temple leaders, community members and outside organizations are currently discussing plans to fund renovations which would turn the buildings social hall into a new learning space.

The picnic was also a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Its tradition to eat dairy on Shavuot and temple members Mark and Debi Kahn, owners of Jersey Citys Downtown Yogurt, donated frozen yogurt for the event, complete ten toppings to represent the Ten Commandments.

Its great to be here today, said Mark Kahn. Weve been members of the temple since we moved to Jersey City in 2013 and when we learned that this a holiday you celebrate with dairy, it made a lot sense to put something like frozen yogurt into the mix.

Although in-person events were not possible during the pandemic, Moritt noted that there was one that remained throughout. Were very proud that the one thing that didnt close was our food pantry, she said. Weve continued to feed our hungry, homeless and food-insecure neighbors and havent missed that once in the last 15 months.

The pantry, which operates Wednesdays 5:30-7:00, is fully run and stocked by volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering or donating food or funds can find more information at www.betheljc.org.

Temple Beth-El plans to continue adding more in-person events, including one monthly outdoor service per month beginning Friday, June 4, and one monthly indoor service for 25 fully vaccinated attendees beginning June 18. And while leading her congregation virtually has been a challenge, the rabbi noted that livestreaming will continue, as the capabilities they have developed over the last year will allow them to continue bringing programming to congregants who may otherwise have trouble making it to the temple in person.
The Jersey City Council has introduced an ordinance to adopt a redevelopment plan that is expected to revitalize a once-vibrant shopping district and bring in hundreds of additional public parking spaces.

The Central Avenue Block 2901 Redevelopment Plan, which covers a 2.67-acre plot along Central Avenue, calls for a city-owned parking lot to be redeveloped into a seven-story, mixed-use building with a multi-level parking garage. The redevelopment area is bounded by Central Avenue to the west, Cambridge Avenue to the east and Griffith Street to the south.

Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh acknowledged that parking is one of the biggest issues facing the Heights area. He said residents are always reaching out to him about their struggles to find parking along Central Avenue.

The plan will also include a 10,000-square-foot plaza for commercial use.

We are hoping that we are going to be able to see more parking spots added to the area, Saleh said Friday. A place for people to gather, eat and celebrate events, like a tree lighting or a holiday, for us to be able to do that along Central Avenue.

Mayor Steve Fulop proposed this plan back in August 2020 to help create a public parking deck through a public-private partnership. Now, it will come back to the city council for a vote to adopt the plan on May 26.

The late Heights Councilman Michael Yun, who died of COVID-19 in April 2020, and city officials have spent nearly two years engaging the neighborhood and business community to craft an improved parking plan.

Saleh said these plans may have started long before then, remembering a community meeting more than four years ago on the issue.

The Central Avenue redevelopment plan calls for a minimum of 400 public parking spaces and allows for developers to opt for mechanical public parking if it has 24-hour access for residents.

Saleh added the mechanical parking would cost more, but there is an upside.

It gives the ability to put in more parking spaces within an area than a big, large parking deck, Saleh said. We wanted to put that option in so that we can achieve the 400 spots.

The redevelopment plan would also allow for commercial-use buildings as tall as five stories and 2,500 square feet. And it would allow for a three-story residential building on the corner of Griffith Street and Cambridge Avenue.

If the community is happy with it and the businesses are happy with it, I think it will breathe new life into the area, Saleh said. It will help with the parking and attract more folks to come and shop here and dine here and be used by the residents in the evening.
A 36-year-old man was killed in a Trenton shooting Saturday night, the Mercer County Prosecutors Office said Sunday.

Police found the man, David Williams, shot inside a car while responding around 11 p.m. to a report of a shooting and motor vehicle crash in the area of North Hanover and Stockton streets, the office said.

The Trenton Fire Department extricated Williams from the vehicle and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the prosecutors office said. An adult female passenger, who was not injured, was also taken to a hospital for injuries from the accident.

The prosecutors office is asking anyone with information to contact the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at 609-989-6406. Information can also be emailed to mchtftips@mercercounty.org.

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Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
The Paterson mother charged in the stabbing death of her young son and wounding of another child was hospitalized for depression and had stopped taking medication months ago, her family members reportedly told police.

Iris Tolentino, 46, faces a first-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of her 7-year-old son and attempted murder in the wounding of his 17-year-old brother. A third brother, 15, was home at the time but not physically hurt, authorities said.

Tolentinos husband, Gerardo Batista Sr., told police he moved out of their apartment on North 6th Street in July and was living in The Bronx, New York. He stated (Tolentino) was a good mother but suffered from depression, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The 15-year-old told police his mother was hospitalized about eight months earlier and was on antidepressants but stopped taking them a few days after she got out of the hospital, the affidavit states.

The affidavit states the three brothers stayed up late Friday night watching television. Their mother was awake, too, but stayed inside her bedroom, the affidavit states.

The 17-year-old said he went to bed around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning and awoke about four hours later to his mother stabbing him in the right shoulder, according to the affidavit.

The wounded teenager said he grabbed the knife from his mother and she ran to her bedroom, then into the bathroom and shut the door, the affidavit states.

The affidavit states the 7-year-old child had been stabbed 20 to 30 times and was found in a bedroom. His brothers attempted CPR but were hindered because the boy was stuck between a bed and the wall.

When police arrived, they attempted to speak with Tolentino through the bathroom door but she did not respond. When they opened the door, she struck an officer in the mouth and bit another on the hand, the affidavit states.

The woman was handcuffed after a brief struggle and taken to St. Josephs Regional Medical Center for evaluation, where she remained on Monday. The 7-year-old was also taken to the hospital, where he died at 7:47 a.m., police said.

In addition to the murder charge, Tolentino faces a first-degree attempted murder charge, weapons offenses, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, resisting arrest and two counts of third-degree aggravated assault for allegedly attacking the officers.

Neighbors told reporters the family had moved into a third-floor apartment on North Sixth Street about two years ago. They said they saw nothing out of the ordinary about the mother, and noted she was devoutly religious.

Iris Tolentino, 46, is charged with the murder of her 7-year-old-son and attempted murder in the stabbing of her 17-year-old son at this property on North Sixth Street in Paterson, N.J. on May 16, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com.
A Catholic seminarian who was killed by an alleged drunk driver while crossing the street in Manhattan will be remembered at a funeral Mass in New Jersey before his body is returned to his family in Vietnam, church officials said Monday.

Ngu Quoc Tran, who was known as Peter, died May 11 shortly after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Manhattans East Side, police said. The alleged driver was arrested about 20 minutes later after his car broke down on the FDR Drive.

Tran, a 29-year-old who was training to be a priest in the Diocese of Metuchen, was well known at area parishes and at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, where he was a theology student.

His life will be celebrated at a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen at 7 p.m. Wednesday, church officials said. The public is invited to attend the Mass in person or to view it on the cathedrals livestream at www.stfranciscathedral.org.

Diocese of Metuchen Bishop James Checchio is expected to celebrate the funeral Mass before Trans body is returned to Vietnam for burial. A wake will also be held at the cathedral from 5 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

From every interaction with Peter, even from his application to become a seminarian for our diocese, it was evident that he had a strong friendship with Jesus Christ, a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and a love for our Blessed Mother, Checchio said in a letter to parishioners.

He was a prayerful and faithful man, so even through this challenging time, I know he would encourage prayer, Checchio said.

On May 11, Tran was walking across the FDR Drive service road near E. 26th Street by Waterside Plaza, an apartment complex along the East River, when he was hit by a car around 10:15 p.m., according to a report in the Daily News.

Witnesses said the black 2007 Honda Accord drove away. But police said they located the car and its driver a short time later after getting a 911 call about a disabled vehicle on the FDR near E. 53rd Street, the report said.

The driver  Jonathan Sutherland, 23  was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and refusing to take a breath test, the report said. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after his arrest.

Tran was also taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries, officials said.

He came to the U.S. in 2017 after growing up in the An Giang Province in southern Vietnam as one of six children of Khai Quang Tran and Bich Thi Ngoc, church officials said.

He earned a bachelors degree in English Literature and worked as an English teacher in Vietnam, but always felt a calling to be a priest, according to his application to be a seminarian.

Thanks to the mercy and grace of the Lord, I am called to proclaim His death and confess His resurrection, Tran wrote on his application.

After moving to the U.S., he lived at the Saint John Vianney House of Discernment in Highland Park, where men can live while deciding whether to enter the priesthood. He began pre-theology studies at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 2018. Then, he enrolled at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange as a theology student in the fall of 2019.

Tran had served summer assignments at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in South Plainfield; Saint James the Less Parish in Jamesburg; Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Parish in Bridgewater; and the Parish of the Visitation in New Brunswick.

Checchio, the head of the Diocese of Metuchen, asked for prayers for Tran, his family and fellow seminarians.

We pray too for the young man who killed Peter, invoking Gods mercy on all of us, Checchio wrote in his letter to parishioners.

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Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.
UPDATE: The KiNET-X mission aboard a Black Brant XII rocket blasted off from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 8:36 p.m. Sunday, after more than a week of delays.

***

Sunday evening marks NASAs eighth and last attempt to launch a rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, a day after cloudy skies over Bermuda canceled Saturdays scheduled launch.

NASA is attempting to launch its rocket and create two harmless vapor clouds as part of a mission to study energy and momentum in different regions of the atmosphere.

The agency warned Sunday afternoon that this will be its last attempt for this launch time frame, and if it had to scratch Sundays launch, it wouldnt have an opportunity for another attempt until later this year.

The moon will begin to be too high above the horizon at sunset, so it will be too bright to be able to see vapor tracers in the sky, NASA tweeted Sunday afternoon.

If the launch is a go, the rocket and the greenish-violet vapor clouds may be briefly visible from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and other eastern states, along with Bermuda  the area where the barium vapors are expected to be released into the sky, according to NASA.

The launch window opens at 8:04 p.m.

LIFTOFF A Black Brant XII carrying the KiNET-X mission launched at 8:36 pm ET. The mission is releasing vapor tracers 9-10 minutes after launch at about 217-249 miles altitude over the Atlantic Ocean and 540-560 miles downrange from Wallops, just north of Bermuda.  NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) May 17, 2021

 It's the final countdown 



We're on the last night to launch the Black Brant XII sounding rocket carrying the KiNET-X mission. Even though clouds were a concern in Bermuda, the scientist is optimistic the clouds will clear out for our launch.



: https://t.co/smUMQQ7FlF pic.twitter.com/tKHATLDM54  NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) May 16, 2021

NASA will begin live streaming coverage of the launch at 7:50 p.m., according to the NASA Wallops Twitter account.

The rocket launch was initially scheduled for May 7, but the launch was postponed hours in advance because of unfavorable weather conditions in eastern Virginia, where the Wallops Flight Facility is located.

Rescheduled launches last weekend on Saturday, Sunday and Monday were each scrubbed by upper-level winds that were deemed unsafe for the mission.

On Tuesday night, with the rocket on the launch pad and conditions looking favorable at first, the launch was called off with about 1 minute to go in the 40-minute launch window because skies in Bermuda and at the Wallops Flight Facility were deemed to be too cloudy.

NASA postponed the next scheduled launch, on Wednesday night, saying time was needed for inspections after the rocket came in contact with a metal piece of the launcher support structure during launch preparations at the agencys flight facility.

Another attempt was called off late Saturday because of cloud cover in Bermuda.

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com.
Effective immediately, NYC Pride will ban corrections and law enforcement exhibitors at NYC Pride events until 2025. At that time their participation will be reviewed by the Community Relations and Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion committees, as well as the executive board, Heritage of Pride, NYC Prides formal name, said in a statement Saturday.
Home buyers in todays sellers market are battling through low inventory and stiff competition by taking on huge risks  including an appraisal contingency waiver.

Mortgage lenders send an objective party, known as an appraiser, to look at the home and give it a value. And with the average price of a home in New Jersey rising $100,000 since last year, the appraised value is often coming in lower than the offer price.
By Rosemary Jeffries

As a nun who works with both New Jerseyans and Africans to combat the pandemics devastation, I urge Senators Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) to support large-scale global relief through the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This measure will not only help New Jerseys economy, but it will also allow poor countries to vaccinate and feed their people  at no cost to New Jerseyans or other U.S. taxpayers.

The senators commitment to people locally and globally is well-known. Not only did the duo help pass the American Rescue Plan, but they also ensured that the bill contained  in Menendezs words  a $10 billion down-payment on fighting COVID-19 worldwide.

Now, they should do something more heroic.

Sen. Menendez, the Foreign Relations Committee chair, and Sen. Booker, a senior member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, should champion legislation that would help as many as 150 million people worldwide who are being pushed into extreme poverty by the pandemic. This legislation would authorize Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to back a large allocation of IMF emergency reserve assets known as Special Drawing Rights or SDRs.

I am a Sister of Mercy whose religious order helps to provide pandemic relief to New Jerseyans through our schools and social service agencies. As executive director of the All-Africa Conference: Sister to Sister, I also work with African nuns seeking pandemic relief for their countries. I listen on Zoom as these sisters share their efforts to help desperate people get vaccines, food, and medical supplies. They cry when talking about the hunger they see and their nations increasing COVID-19 infections.

The IMFs reserve assets offer a surprisingly simple  and effective  solution.

These assets can provide a lifeline to poorer countries, as they did in 2009 after the Great Recession, and can boost New Jerseys economy at the same time. They would enable these countries to once again be strong trading partners of New Jersey, allowing our state to make up a nearly 5% loss of exports (excluding metal exports) during the pandemic.

In the coming weeks, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to support an allocation of up to $680 billion worth of reserve assets, which is as much as the Biden Administration can vote for at the IMF without congressional approval. While this will greatly help the world, it wont be nearly enough to meet the unprecedented public health and economic challenges faced by many countries.

With the help of Menendez and Booker, however, Congress can pass legislation, introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), that allows the Treasury Department to support the distribution of nearly $3 trillion worth of IMF reserve assets. (The IMFs 190 member countries each pay a quota relative to their position in the world economy. As the IMFs most powerful member nation, the U.S. has sole veto power over the amount of emergency assets that can be distributed in a crisis.)

These additional IMF resources can help low-income countries tackle the pandemic more effectively, enabling them to shore up food, vaccinate people, and strengthen their overwhelmed medical facilities. Lives will be saved in those countries and here in New Jersey, since this pandemic wont recede in our part of the world if it isnt brought under control around the globe.

Economists, faith-based leaders including the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops, business leaders, humanitarian organizations, and governments  including our closest allies  are calling for a large issuance of these emergency assets. In an encouraging move, Secretary Yellen met with religious leaders calling for an IMF allocation of $3 trillion on March 16, signaling the administrations openness to the distribution of these assets on the scale that is needed.

And there is growing congressional support. By moving the IMF legislation forward, Sen. Menendez will give teeth to his recent statement that the U.S. needs to reengage with our partners and allies to stamp out Covid-19 in every corner of the world. Sen. Booker, for his part, will demonstrate the leadership he is becoming known for in helping people in need everywhere.

Senators Menendez and Booker: for the good of the world and our state, I urge you to lead the way in passing this lifesaving legislation.

Sister Rosemary Jeffries, RSM, Ph.D., is a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, the largest order of Catholic nuns in the United States. She is also executive director of the All-Africa Conference: Sister to Sister and the former president of Georgian Court University in Lakewood Township.

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By David S. Foglesong

Last summers bombshell about Russian payments for the killing of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan turns out to have been a dud. That should stand as a warning against too readily believing stories about nefarious Russian actions. It also should serve as a caution about overreaction that is especially important amid high tensions with both Russia and China.

Day after day last June the New York Times blasted from its front pages sensational stories that Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, as the first headline screamed. While the stories recognized that the assertions were based primarily on interrogations of captured criminals, the Times reported that officials were said to be confident about the intelligence.

The stunning stories in Americas most influential newspaper provoked a furor in Washington. Senator Ben Sasse demanded a plan for revenge killings of Russian intelligence officers. Congressional committees held multiple hearings to investigate why the Donald Trump administration had not retaliated against Russia. Testifying before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, even a highly respected former Obama administration official, Celeste Wallander, assumed that the publicly reported details are accurate and suggested that irrational Russian thinking spurred a conspiracy to target and kill American and coalition soldiers.

Soon military leaders expressed doubts about the reports. General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the U.S. Central Command, repeatedly explained that his intelligence experts did not find evidence to confirm the allegations. Citing McKenzies statements, former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell called the media reports almost hysterical.

Yet even months later presidential candidate Joe Biden rebuked President Trump for being unwilling to take on (President Vladimir) Putin when hes actually paying bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan.

Now a senior Biden administration official has revealed that after a thorough review the intelligence community has only low to moderate confidence that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks against U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan. The stories were based on hearsay: the detainees who were the source of the information were not themselves in the room for conversations with Russian intelligence officials, the Times now reports. As a result, while the Biden administration expressed concern about the intelligence reports in diplomatic messages to Russia, it decided  as the Trump administration had  not to take any action based on the dubious claims.

The revelation of how poorly founded last summers uproar was should spur sober reflection on politicians temptation to exploit allegations about Russia for domestic political advantages and the inclination to see Russia as more rabidly malevolent than it is.

Putin and Russias security services are not angels. Putin lied about the presence of Russian soldiers in Crimea before the majority of people there voted for annexation to Russia in 2014. Russian agents poisoned Putin foe Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, recklessly tried to kill a traitorous ex-spy, Sergei Skripal, in England in 2018, and botched a poisoning of dissident Alexei Navalny in August 2020. Russia also interfered in the U.S. presidential election of 2016 (though the impact of that meddling was exaggerated) and Russian hackers penetrated U.S. government and private computer networks in 2020.

Consequently, there should be no need to invent additional misdeeds or to hype cases where the evidence is extremely weak. Yet the New York Times has done that repeatedly. In 2008, for example, when U.S. ally Georgia invaded neighboring South Ossetia, killing Russian peacekeepers, and Russia counterattacked, the Times denounced what it portrayed as Russian aggression. Initially, the Times gave high credence to Georgian claims that Russias military moved first. Only months later did the Times report serious challenges to the accuracy and honesty of Georgias accounts.

While Putin and Russias security services have done many deeply troubling things, Russia has also acted rationally and constructively in many cases. For example, Russia helped secure the removal of almost all of Syrias chemical weapons stocks in 2013, facilitated a deal with Iran on its nuclear program in 2015, and mediated an end to the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia last summer.

Now that President Biden has sensibly decided that he wants a stable, predictable relationship with Russia, and has proposed a summit meeting with Putin, there is an opportunity for cooler thinking in both countries. Yet the overreaction to the shaky story about Russian bounties last summer needs to be remembered to guard against easy acceptance of stories in the future that may be based on selective, misleading leaks by intelligence officials. More generally, awareness of the record of past distortion in depictions of Russia should inoculate us with a degree of skepticism about future demonic portrayals of other countries, including China.

David S. Foglesong is a professor of history at Rutgers University and the author of The American Mission and the Evil Empire (2007).

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Pro-Palestinian protestors gathered in a Paterson park Sunday and drove on city streets demanding an end to the recent deadly Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip and the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

They gathered at Gould Avenue Park carrying signs reading Free Palestine and No Annexation, No Occupation.

The latest fighting began last Monday when the Palestinian group Hamas launched rockets at Israel in response to a continuing attempt to evict Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, and in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near the citys Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.

The protest in Paterson was organized by the New Jersey chapter of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP-NJ) and a number of other grassroots groups. Leaders of the organization called for the end to the U.S. to providing around $3.8 billion annually to Israels military.

The United States first and foremost needs to end its funding to the Israeli military... We have communities here that are suffering from food insecurity, that need money for education, we have infrastructure issues. We need to prioritize where our money goes for Americans, primarily Black and brown communities, said AMP-NJ board member Wassim Kanaan.

The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Since fighting began last week, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 188 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Associated Press. Eight people have been killed in rocket assaults on Israel launched by Hamas, the group that rules Gaza and is considered a terror organization by the United States.

New Jerseys Muslims, though thousands of miles away, are connected to the conflict in Palestine, where Palestinians are treated like the other, Kanaan said. Israel has occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since the Six-Day War of 1967, and imposed a blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after Hamas took control of the territory.

The Palestinians are treated like the other and are overlooked. Our community is tied back to home... We dont forget where we come from. We dont forget who we are. When our brothers and sisters are hurting, were hurting also, Kanaan said.

Wassim Kanaan speaks to the crowd. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

On Saturday, Israel launched missiles at a residential and commercial high-rise tower in Gaza that housed media offices, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Israel gave warning to the occupants and there were no casualties. Israel officials claimed the building housed Hamas military intelligence in response to criticism from international press freedom groups.

Palestinian supporters in Paterson drove up and down Main Street waving flags and cheering. At one point during the rally, the speakers went silent. Dozens of protesters stopped to face Kaaba in Mecca for afternoon prayers.

Black Lives Matters Paterson chapter was among the groups that attended the protest in support of Palestinians.

Supporters drove up and down Main Street waving flags and cheering. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

There is a long legacy of Black folk who have stood in solidarity with the people of Palestine  from Malcolm X to Nelson Mandela. BLM Paterson continues that legacy by condemning acts of terror and apartheid on Palestinians, Zellie Thomas, an organizer of Black Lives Matter Paterson, said in a statement.

Jeff Hoey, of New Jersey Peace Action, also called on the U.S. to end support for Israel.

New Jersey Peace Action stands with the people of Palestine against the racist policies of Israel. It is urgent that the U.S. stop its support for the apartheid state of Israel and works toward an end to the violence against our brothers and sisters in Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza, and anywhere injustice is perpetrated, he said.

The rally was stopped for afternoon prayers and people moved to the back of the park to pray. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The rally was stopped for afternoon prayers and people moved to the back of the park to pray. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The rally was stopped for afternoon prayers and people moved to the back of the park to pray. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A reading from the Koran. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The rally was stopped for afternoon prayers and people moved to the back of the park to pray. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Supporters drive on Main Street. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Samer Aburoum waves the flag of Palestine. The group American Muslims for Palestine organized a rally in support of Palestine at Gould Avenue Park, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
It was a hard Sunday morning for Jewel Thomas and her neighbors on North 6th Street in Paterson.

Before breaking into tears as she sat with others on their stoop in the working-class neighborhood on the the citys sloping north side, Thomas and others said it was just Friday that theyd watched the sweet 7-year-old boy who lived next door playing on the sidewalk with his young friends.

He was out here the day before he was murdered, said Thomas, a 56-year-old home health aide. He was one of our neighborhood kids. Sweet little boy.

The boy died in a Saturday morning rampage that stunned the community and law enforcement and elected officials alike. Authorities have charged the boys mother with stabbing him to death and injuring his 17-year-old brother in an effort to kill him as well. Authorities say a third brother, 15, was also inside the third-floor apartment at the time but was not physically hurt.

The mother, Iris Tolentino, 46, is charged with murder and attempted murder, Passaic County Prosecutor Camilia Veldes announced on Saturday, hours after the 7 a.m. crime. The 17-year-old was treated and released from St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson, according to the prosecutors announcement. It was the same hospital where his brother was pronounced dead.

Their mother was taken into custody after authorities said she resisted arrest and caused minor injuries to two officers. She was also taken to St. Josephs  for a mental health evaluation  the prosecutors office said. No motive for the attack was given.

A spokesman for the prosecutors office did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday. Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale referred questions to the prosecutors office.

Iris Tolentino, 46, is also charged with murder of her 7-year-old-son and attempted murder in the stabbing of her 17-year-old son at this property on North Sixth Street in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Paterson Mayor Andrew Sayegh reiterated on Sunday that he and fellow officials were shocked and saddened by the attack. He said he could not recall a prior case in the city of a mother killing her child.

I went to see family at the hospital on Saturday, Sayegh said on Sunday morning, referring to two surviving brothers as well as their father, who did not live with them in the apartment. Theyre inconsolable.

The boys father was outside the apartment building on Sunday morning, when he and another person told a reporter they were not ready to say anything.

On the stoop of the building next door, just across a narrow ally, Thomas and other residents reflected on what had happened and recalled the boy they knew as Gabby, who was playing tag on the sidewalk Friday only feet away from where they sat two days later.

They said the Tolentino family moved into the building next door about two years ago, soon after it had been renovated. They said they saw nothing out of the ordinary about the mother and her three sons, though they noted the mother was devoutly religious.

She carried a Bible with her everywhere she went, Thomas said. She didnt say much. Anytime you talked to her she would say, Praise the Lord.

Thomas and others did not know what church the family belonged to, but they said that every Sunday the family and others in their building would drive off to church together. Thats where the family would have been that Sunday morning, they said, if Saturday had been different.

A boy looks at a memorial outside the property where a mother is charged with killing her son. Iris Tolentino, 46, is also charged with murder of her 7-year-old-son and attempted murder in the stabbing of her 17-year-old son, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Another neighbor, Ernesto Rodriguez, said his 8-year-old son Jayden was a friend of the slain boy. Rodriguez, 42, a handyman, said he told Jayden of his friends death  though not how he was killed or allegedly by whom  figuring it was better that he learn from his father than someone else.

It was tough, said Rodriquez. He was devastated. He didnt know what to do.

All three brothers were enrolled in Paterson public schools. And on Sunday the district superintendent, Eileen F. Shafer, released a statement saying that counseling would be available to students and teachers, both via an online platform set up by the guidance department and in-person at schools on Monday and Wednesday.

Everyone in the Paterson Public School District is shocked and saddened by the tragic incident on Saturday that led to a childs death and a teenagers injuries, Shafer stated. We pray for the family who has sustained such great tragedies in a single day, and for our own Paterson Public Schools family as all of the victims are enrolled in our schools.

Authorities said police were called to the apartment at 7:04 a.m., on Saturday, where they found two of the boys with stab wounds. The 7-year-old boy had been stabbed numerous times and was unresponsive, according the prosecutors office.

The office said the 17-year-old had a stab wound to the arm, but managed to keep their mother trapped in the apartments bathroom by holding the door closed until officers arrived.

Thomas and others said they watched the two teenage boys carry their younger brother out the front door and lay him on the buildings wooden porch. They said he was bleeding profusely, and they could see that his throat had been slit and he had been stabbed multiple times in his chest.

They tried to revive him, Thomas said of the EMTs who arrived minutes later. But he was dead already.

They did what they could, Rodriguez added.

Votive candles stood at the base of the porch on Sunday, where Thomas said she would ask the family if it would be alright to hang a memorial of some kind for the boy.

Its hard for the whole neighborhood, really, she said.

Memorial outside home where a mother is charged with killing her son. Iris Tolentino, 46, is also charged with murder of her 7-year-old-son and attempted murder in the stabbing of her 17-year-old son, in Paterson, N.J. May, 16, 2021Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Police urged anyone with information to call the prosecutors office tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120, or email tips@passaiccountynj.org.

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Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com
A South Jersey motorist died of his injuries over the weekend after his vehicle veered off Interstate 295 and struck a stopped SUV, authorities said.

Curtis Lockwood, 66, of Swedesboro, was driving southbound near milepost 8.2 in Oldmans Township in Salem County just before 2 p.m. Saturday when his SUV left the roadway and hit a vehicle parked on the right shoulder because of a mechanical issue, according to a New Jersey State Police spokesman.

Both vehicles overturned and Lockwood was killed, police said.

The driver of the stopped vehicle, a 29-year-old man from Wilmington, Delaware, who had remained in his SUV, suffered minor injuries.

Police said the cause of the crash remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.

The highways southbound lanes were shut down for four hours for the cleanup and investigation.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
A New Jersey State Police Hazmat Unit arrived and discovered meth lab tools and chemicals in the basement, as well as in a shed, authorities said. Investigators also found several books about making meth, explosives and poison in the house.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Cloudy early with showers for the afternoon hours. High 74F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Showers in the evening, then cloudy overnight. Low 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
In the brand-new Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, amid the photographs and maps and interactive exhibits, is a simple, understated object that embodies the purpose of the institution at 818 Howard Ave.

That object is a multicolored crazy quilt  thats the genuine name of the pattern  that the Jewish Ladies Sewing Circle of Canton, Mississippi, assembled in 1885. According to local lore, the finished product, which measures 76-by-72 inches, was raffled off to raise money for the citys Temple Bnai Israel.

To Anna E. Tucker, the museums curator, the quilt is more than just wildly colored bedding made from fabric each woman brought to the quilting sessions. The museum doesnt have the womens names, and no one knows about the background of the quilt fragments, but, Tucker said, thats not the point.

The power of the quilt is in the agency of the women sewing together their own individual identities into a larger community, she said. Each square is decorated with names, symbols and fabrics that hold a special meaning for the woman who quilted it. They then stitched together those identities into a community quilt, pulling together disparate threads to create a cohesive whole.

Nearly 150 years later, the symbols are now mysteries stitched into the fabric, like a diary written in another language, but the power of coming together to create something new  a quilt, a community crafted by these women  still resonates.

It is, Tucker said, an apt symbol of the goal of the museum, which is scheduled to open May 27. In its 13,000 square feet, the museum aims to do nothing less than use its holdings to trace the evolution of Jewish life in 13 states  Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky  starting in 1585, when Joachim Gans, believed to be the first practicing Jew in North America, landed on Roanoke Island.

Gathering threads

According to the 2020 edition of the American Jewish Year Book, about 1.24 million Jews  the museums primary audience  live in those states.

The museum itself is pulling together threads of meaning and memory, Tucker said, inviting visitors to look closely to see the individual as well as stepping back to examine the whole.

The quilt is one of about 4,000 exhibits that will be on display in the 13,000-square-foot museum, which occupies all of the ground floor and part of the second floor of a gray brick building that used to be a Goodyear tire depot. Getting everything ready for its opening cost about $5.5 million, said Kenneth Hoffman, the museums executive director.

His job is a natural fit, said Hoffman, who was, most recently, education director at the National World War II Museum in a 25-year museum career that also has included posts at the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Louisiana State Museum.

I grew up in the South, he said. Im Jewish; I was at Tulane University in graduate school (where) I studied Southern Jewish history.

Early days at Jacobs camp

The building near Lee Circle is the museums second home. It started in 1986 in Utica, Mississippi, about 35 miles southwest of Jackson, at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp for Jewish children.

The camp started receiving items such as menorahs, photographs and Torahs because small-town temples were closing as people moved away, and people didnt know what to do with objects that had played vital roles in their spiritual lives.

The camp became a repository, he said, so the decision was made to set up a museum where campers and their families could learn about their history and religion.

Macy B. Hart, the camps director, was the moving spirit behind the museums creation.

I built this as a sanctuary, a shrine to synagogues that were defunct, he said. Its all about the American story. This is our segment of it. This is our part of the fabric of the community we live in.

But by 2012, Hart said, the camp didnt want the museum, so its artifacts went into storage in Jackson while a committee started to decide where the museum should go.

Moving the museum

Finding a new home was vital because the museums outreach was expanding, and it needed to be in a city that attracted tourists and near universities that would complement the museums educational role, said Marcie Cohen Ferris, a professor emeritus of American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a longtime adviser to the museum.

In 2016, New Orleans was chosen. Gallagher & Associates designed the exhibits, and Cortina Productions designed the interactive material, which includes an electronic quilt where visitors can create their own squares that will be part of a big community quilt, which, Hoffman said, would be something larger than themselves.

A pushcart dominates a room, as does the weathered trunk that Rachmel Shapiro, who later changed his first name to Robert, brought with him in 1905 from Russia across Germany to Galveston, Texas, and, eventually, Massachusetts.

In this one single trunk are all these threads of history, Tucker said. This entire journey is encapsulated in this simple trunk.

Hanging from a ceiling are about 50 stained-glass reproductions of windows from 14 synagogues across the South. There are also bits of trivia, such as the fact that Coca-Cola and Girl Scout Cookies are kosher and that a Jewish family in New Orleans  the Karnofskys  helped a young Louis Armstrong buy his first cornet.

Not all the information is lighthearted. Racism, which Ferris calls the founding sin of this region, is a theme throughout the museum, with sections on such topics as the civil rights movement, lynching and slavery.

No pat answers

One of the more arresting displays is an 1862 bill of sale in which Mary McClure sold a woman known only as Harriet to Clara Wiseberg, who was Jewish, for $1,000 ($26,413 in todays dollars).

Thats powerful. Ferris said, because it speaks to the agency and the voice that White women had in the American South, as did Jewish women of a particular class.

Even though slave trading has traditionally been associated with men, women might have bought and owned slaves to support their domestic household, she said.

Slavery shaped the Jewish experience. Ferris said, and Jewish businessmen wound up supporting the slave economy.

This might not have been a simple matter of embracing slavery, said Mark Bauman, a member of museums historical advisory committee and the Southern Jewish Historical Society.

They were afraid of the effects on their businesses and their positions in society if they expressed contrary opinions, he said.

Jacob Cohen, who lived in New Orleans and North Carolina, was hardly silent about his views. A letter he wrote, which is on display at the museum, denounces Rabbi Max Lilienthal, of Cincinnati, for his abolitionist views. Cohen fought for the Confederacy and died in 1862 in the Second Battle of Bull Run.

His screed shows the diversity of the Jewish community, Tucker said.

Its also indicative of the depth and the complexity and the deep history of the Jewish South, Ferris said. These different pieces are like a puzzle, or like a quilt.

And there are no pat answers and no easy solutions, Tucker said.

One of the primary ways of going about this is that you just keep asking questions, she said. It never stops. Whats so exciting is that this museum is a living museum, and that we continue to ask questions. This is an ongoing conversation. Every panel in this museum, every artifact is a comma instead of a period.

******************

Museum officials encourage members of the public to consider donating relevant artifacts to the collection. Curators are especially interested in items from early Jewish history (1800s), items related to the stories of women and people of color and any item with a strong connection to a personal story of Southern Jewish life. Find out more about the artifact donation process at www.msje.org/our-collection.
It was, by all accounts, a triumph for Sarah Bernhardt. That wasnt unusual. Performances by the worlds most revered actress of the day were always declared triumphs.

But when The Divine Sarah stepped onto the stage of the Greenwall Theatre in the French Quarter, it was every bit the victory for the then-new theaters namesake, Henry Greenwall.

A German-born theater impresario who had been raised in New Orleans since the age of 5, Greenwall as a young man moved to east Texas, where he set about establishing his own theater circuit.

By 1888, he was back in New Orleans to run the Grand Opera House on Canal Street  and to lay the groundwork for his own masterpiece, on the site of a Legendre Drug Store at Iberville and Dauphine streets.

In a suitably theatrical flourish, Greenwall scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, 1903. Sweetly, he selected his wife to lay the first stone.

Ten months later, on Oct. 20, 1904, his eponymous Greenwall Theatre was ready for its first show, a performance of the play The Wife.

The real star of the show, however, was the building. Designed by the local Stone Bros. architects, it was described by The Daily Picayune as what is without a doubt one of the most complete, comfortable and perfectly-constructed theaters ever built in this country.

Among its amenities was a primitive air-conditioning system, whereby air was blown over ice, thus cooling it, and into the theater.

Declared to be as near fireproof as the art of man can devise, the theater was built on an iron frame coated with concrete. The walls were concrete clad in marble, the floors and stage were concrete covered with a thin wood veneer, and stairs were concrete covered in slate.

+5 Steamboat houses: Two of the city's most iconic homes recall builder's love for life on the Mississippi In a city filled with unique buildings, they are arguably among the most unusual, two handcrafted gems sitting along the river as if they had 

The stage curtains: asbestos.

Outside, the building was covered with pressed brick and terra cotta, with a grand, marble-lined entrance  covered by a large, glass canopy  opening onto the corner of Iberville and Dauphine streets.

Inside, through the swinging leather doors leading from the lobby to the auditorium, the theater boasted 2,300 seats, spread out between the ground level, a balcony, a gallery and 12 boxes. The walls of the auditorium were covered with detailed frescoes.

Just before the opening-night production, Greenwall himself was said to be on the verge of tears.

The people of the city had done so much for him that he wished to leave them a monument of art, The Picayune wrote.

A year and a half later, in March 1906, that monument of art would be graced by the worlds most famous actress as Bernhardt arrived for a seven-night stand. It was billed as the farewell tour of The Divine Sarah, but it would be a long farewell  it was the first of four such retirement tours she made.

In true New Orleans style, the affection for her locally was expressed in culinary fashion, with the Sarah Bernhardt Cake  ostensibly invented by the old Dixiana Bakery at North Broad and Bruxelles Street. It was popular for decades, available at bakeries well into the 1990s.

That cake would outlive the Greenwall.

Henry Greenwall  the dean of the Southern stage, as the Picayune called him  died at the age of 80 on Nov. 27, 1913, in the apartment he shared with his family over the theater lobby. Within months, the Greenwall went dark for what was described as poor business reasons.

In 1915, it was reopened by new owners and operated as a vaudeville venue known as The Triangle. Two years later, it was sold to the Orpheum chain and rebranded The Palace, which showed newfangled motion pictures as well as vaudeville acts.

By 1935, The Palace changed management and became a theater for Black audiences only. By the late 1950s, it had closed for good.

Thats around the time when reader Jimmy Anselmo remembers it. He also remembers its ultimate fate.

My dad had an apartment across the street in the mid-1950s, Anselmo wrote. As a little boy I would rummage through the old building, and it was in good shape. I'm perplexed as to why this beautiful old building was allowed to be torn down.

The reason, as it turns out: parking.

With parking at a premium throughout the French Quarter and CBD, the old theater met with the wrecking ball to make room for a five-level, $400,000 garage. Mayor Vic Schiro cut the ribbon on the new garage  declared New Orleans most modern and convenient to everything  in May 1963.

Today, that parking garage still stands at Iberville and Dauphine. It is 58 years old  exactly the age of the Greenwall when it was torn down.

Thanks to Jimmy Anselmo for suggesting the Greenwall Theatre as a topic. Do you know of a New Orleans building worth profiling in this column, or just curious about one? Contact Mike Scott at moviegoermike@gmail.com.

Sources: The Daily Picayune archives; American Heritage
NEW ORLEANS  NCIS New Orleans has solved its last fictional case, but is leaving behind a real-life mark on the city it has called home for seven seasons.

Its a bittersweet goodbye for the actors, the crew, and for the city itself  which became just as much a part of the cast.

In the show, New Orleans culture and notable facades were more than a set, but a character all their own.

Before the final credit roll, the stars sat down with CBS to talk about saying goodbye to the Crescent City.

You know, seven years is a long time to be anywhere away from home. And this was the big surprise with New Orleans. It's really grown on me, said CCH Pounder, who plays Dr. Loretta Wade. You know, I got a house here and I really decided to love the one you're with. So, while I'm in New Orleans, I'm going to settle in. It has been a great blessing for me.

Can't see the video above? Click here.

As a musician himself, Scott Bakula says his greatest memories are the New Orleans performers hes gotten to work with.

I've just had some amazing, amazing experiences down here with the music and with the musicians and that there's a deep resonating kind of gratitude for me from that, said Bakula, who plays Special Agent Dwayne Pride.

Having Dr. John on the show, having folks from The Meters and the Nevilles and the Marsalises, just all these different legendary groups of people and single people.

The cast says New Orleanians recognize them in everyday life, like at the grocery store.

Fans also have sought out the real-life places that make for TV magic.

Its every day, its every day, laughed Adam Boltuch.

Boltuch is the general manager of R Bar on Royal Street. NCIS fans will know it as local hang-out Tru Tone on the show.

Boltuch says fans stop by for photos daily.

Weve had fans come and ask the bartender to speak to the boss, and they go get me, and theyre expecting Scott Bakula, he said.

You can type in NCIS Tru Tone on Google Maps or Uber and it will take you to R Bar.

GPS will also pin-point NCIS headquarters on St. Ann Street. Youll also find a whole NCIS-inspired sight-seeing tour on NewOrleans.com.

The big-budget show has also become a staple in the New Orleans film industry.

NCIS has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in Louisiana since 2014.

And hundreds of Louisiana-based production crew employed by the show are now onto their next gig.

Weve been working with that crew for about six years I think. And most of the crew has you know, been the same crew, Boltuch said.

So weve gotten to know them, seen some of them grow through the ranks, dealt with all the people, and theyve just been fantastic. Its a great working relationship.

As far as the cast is concerned, the feeling is mutual.

+12 NCIS: New Orleans has a lot on its mind as the show comes to an end The CBS show is ending May 23, but it's tackling COVID-19, police brutality, cash bail, mental health care and a whole lot more in its final season.

Necar Zadegan, who plays Special Agent Hannah Khoury said,

I've gotten to know this city because of this show, which is one of our most beautiful cities in the country, and I'm just really just grateful for the experience," Zadegan said.

I'm ingrained in the city, you know, the city is in me now. I love this city like it's home. It's like I got to go home now and try to readjust because I have just adjusted to living here, said Daryl Mitchell, who plays Patton Plame.

For a show thats not just based in New Orleans, but part of it, its a bittersweet farewell.

I mean, the crew, the city, the friendships, it's just been it's been amazing. I can't believe it's been seven years, Bakula said.

You can catch the series finale of NCIS Sunday, May 23 on WWL-TV.
Peyton Barrell grew up in Houston but often visited New Orleans, where his father is from. He was in the first class of graduates of the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI). After the pandemic forced the shutdown of Batard, the French fine dining restaurant he worked at in New York, he and his partner Katie Grabach moved to New Orleans and started Gourmand New Orleans, which makes charcuterie to sell at local wine and food shops and farmers markets, as well as doing private catering events.

Gambit: How did you start Gourmand New Orleans?

Peyton Barrell: I spent 10 months (at Batard) while Katie was working in the events department of the Marriott Marquis. When we both got furloughed (because of the pandemic), we went from the fast-paced New York life, like 80 hours a week at work to zero. We got stir crazy. The city seemed doomed. We were like, OK, lets stop paying rent (here) and do something to get back in the groove of things. We wanted to come back to New Orleans at some point anyways. We came back (in June 2020), opened this up, and from day one to today, weve done about a hundred different things. But weve found our groove as a product wholesaler and private event company.

We walked into Vino Fine Wine & Spirits one day, and I was like, Hey, out of curiosity, why dont you have cheese and charcuterie? And they were like, Well, you have to get a health department license. You have to get a grease trap just to cut a piece of cheese. I was like, What if we provided you with cheese and charcuterie, and what if we offered it on consignment, so its no risk to the shop?

Basically, the light turned on. There was a huge need for that. So, if a wine shop has a refrigerator, we can provide them a full cheese and charcuterie selection. That was the basis. I am really passionate about French charcuterie. I did a lot of that in New York, mostly terrines and torchons. Weve expanded now. We have a huge product list now, over 40 items. Were hoping to open a brick-and-mortar this fall. But right now, were in 11 stores locally and one in North Carolina.

Gambit: At farmers markets, is it hard to sell terrines in clear shrunk-wrapped plastic?

Barrell: We do find that some of our products require some customer education. Sometimes you have to hold peoples hand and tell them that eating gelatin is not scary.

When I started this, I was alarmed that nobody was making this stuff. (Isaac) Toups does rillettes and foie gras, but there isnt a business that focuses just on classic French charcuterie  like head cheese, which people think is a coonass swamp creation. That is classic French and is served in Michelin-star restaurants.

A lot of people, especially people that have traveled internationally, are familiar with this stuff. Nobody has been able to travel for a year. I try to think, What are the things I wish I were eating in a park in France right now? Some duck rillettes, a little slice of a foie gras terrine, some head cheese, Dijon mustard, cornichons and a baguette. Thats what led me into the selection of those products. But definitely when you suspend confit beef tongue in aspic, some people are going to get weird about it.

At the beginning, we were struggling to sell this stuff. I think the Coffee Science market has been the biggest help for us. Because Katie, (sous chef) Danny (Levy) and I can stand out there and say its not scary. Its just meat gelatin and chicken stock thats been reduced really far. We are starting to get some noteworthy chefs buy our stuff, and its always the terrines.

Gambit: How is the business growing?

Barrell: We expanded our product list into everything and anything to see what was going to sell. Now we are fine-tuning it to what we love and what has been selling really well. The French charcuterie with the terrines, rillettes, pates and things like that are going to be the focus of the brick-and-mortar.

Were also trying to grow the wholesale business as much as possible, because thats the cushion and very consistent. Were trying to expand into bakeries and grocery stores, and were looking to get into Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

This summer, were doing a lot of charcuterie with game. We just did a rabbit and foie gras rillette. Its unbelievably decadent. Were also starting to do French-style bacon and duck confit. For summer, were trying to go with Provence-style French food for pop-ups. Pork and duck go really well in the winter, but its a harder sell when everyone is hanging out by the pool.

We also reached out to a couple different farms to do some co-branded product lines. Give me your products that you struggle to sell, like the ducks. Ill turn it into something presentable, and well co-brand it and well both sell it. We just announced a deal with Backwater Foie Gras, and were about to announce something with another farm. Were also going to do a whole line of meat pies. We want to highlight the farmer as well. When we start selling sausage to Coffee Science and you buy a breakfast burrito from them, you pay three local businesses. You pay them for the burrito, youll pay me for the sausage, youll pay the farmer for the pork. And it all happens within 50 miles of Mid-City. I am pretty excited about that.

For more information, visit gourmandneworleans.com.

T. Cole Newton talks about his new book 'Cocktail Dive Bar' 'Cocktail Dive Bar' includes classic, original and exotic drinks, observations on running a high-end cocktail program, some bar science and what bars can do to keep patrons safe.
Chef Chris Lusk had all his ducks in a row.

At the end of 2019, hed landed the job as executive chef at the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, a 202-room boutique hotel in the Warehouse District at the corner of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas streets. The company had flown him to its corporate headquarters in Denver, and he nailed the tasting, sending 20 dishes out at a brisk pace for the brands restaurant and bar management team.

Lusk started in early January last year, working on menu development and training for the hotels food and beverage program, which included the Peacock Room lounge and the casual Gospel Coffee and Boozy Treats, along with a still unnamed three-meals-a-day eatery. Gospel Coffee was set to open Monday, March 16, 2020.

The night before, however, everything changed. Just 12 hours ahead of the scheduled opening, the city went into lockdown because of COVID-19. The newly opened hotel soon closed, and the restaurants werent happening.

It was beyond surreal, Lusk recalls. Everything just came to a screeching halt.

Lusk, whose last job was as executive chef of The Steakhouse at Harrahs New Orleans casino, is well-versed in running hotel restaurants. The Texas native has earned his Louisiana cooking stripes working with the Brennan family at Commanders Palace and Cafe Adelaide. He also spent time at the Caribbean Room in the Pontchartrain Hotel and Restaurant Revolution in the Royal Sonesta.

Everything about this job clicked for me, he says.

Chef Peyton Barrell makes classic French charcuterie and more for Gourmand New Orleans Peyton Barrell grew up in Houston but often visited New Orleans, where his father is from. He was in the first class of graduates of the New O

When it became clear that the pandemic wasnt going away, the furloughed chef picked up odd jobs and side gigs when he could, which included working at Justine with his friends, chef Justin and Mia Devillier. He spent a lot of time with his family  he and his wife Ashley have two boys under 4.

That was the best part of this time, having a chance to connect with whats really important, he says.

But he was itching to get back to work.

Finally, 14 months later, the hotel reopened on May 11. The Peacock Room is drop-dead gorgeous, with gilded cages, feathered birds and retro wallpaper creating an opulent jewel menagerie of prints and patterns.

Lusks menu of elevated sharable dishes has its roots in the tasting he did in Denver. They liked what they had so much, they said I could just run with it, he says. Despite his fine dining chops, his food is not over-wrought composed fare. The dishes are meant to be labor intensive behind the scenes, but the guest doesnt need to worry about that, the chef says.

I wanted to have fun  we dont take ourselves too seriously, Lusk says. I want to cook food that Id want to eat if I was out having some drinks and got hungry at the bar.

Take the gizzards and greens for instance. Cured overnight in a salt and sugar brine, the chicken bits are cooked sous vide for 12 hours, then deep fried and placed in Lusks Southern take on a traditional French frissee lardon salad. He grew up eating pimiento cheese, but his version is made with creamy Port Salut cows milk cheese, a drizzle of sambal and blue crab meat.

Fruitti de mare gets a pho treatment with local fish crusted with house-made hoisin and cashews and served with ramen noodles made with dried shrimp and crab stock fragrant with herbs and spices, including a hint of star anise. Theres a duck and smoked oyster gumbo, served with pickled red bean potato salad, and one of the chefs personal favorites is Crawtator-crusted oysters fried with a panko and Zapp's potato chip coating.

There are fun, approachable, spirits-driven menus at both Gospel and the whimsical Peacock Room. Bar manager Paula Echevarria is behind the creative bar offerings, which include boozy milkshakes and frozen drinks at Gospel. Peacock has everything from the classics to hard-to-find spirits, with an impressive collection of rum and Madeira and an emphasis on drinks that are light and floral.

Gospel Coffee has a cafe menu as well as pastries and coffee drinks.

Although its different on a lot of levels, ramping up the hotel eateries reminds Lusk of what it was like re-opening a restaurant and finding staff after Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures. And although banquets and events arent happening yet at the hotel, they will be.

A hotel restaurant keeps you running  with a lot of balls in the air, Lusk says.

So far, he has been able to bring back three people who were on his original opening team.

We dont have a huge staff but its a good, passionate crew, he says. Were ready.

Kimpton Hotel Fontenot

501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073

Peacock Room: 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Wed.; 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Thu.-Sat.

Gospel Coffee: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Footage from a New York art gallery in 1974 shows Suzanne Ciani setting up three large electronic consoles with extruding connecting wires piled and looped like spaghetti. A well-dressed audience sits on the floor as she adjusts knobs to elicit electronic music from the equipment.

Director Lisa Rovners documentary Sisters with Transistors is narrated by veteran performance artist and experimental musician Laurie Anderson. While it is full of exotic sounds and early electronic music, it also is about quiet revolutions, as women battled sexism and resistance to new ideas about musical creation.

Almost all of the film concerns developments from the last century, and Cianis performance is decades after women developed their own machines and methods of making electronic music in Britain, France and the U.S. Sisters with Transistors is eye opening, but less about the concept of electronic music than about the little-known history of pioneering women in the field.

The timeline goes back to the 1930s to introduce Clara Rockmore, a classically trained musician who helped develop the theremin. Manipulated without direct contact, the device makes eerie sounds as an antenna picks up the musicians hand movements. She brought electronic music to classical music halls and listeners.

The film finds perfect illustration of the use of machines to build beats from two prescient British women. Daphne Oram was a classically trained musician who cofounded the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. While some wrote off her work as post-World War II experiments in surreal art, she created practical devices and techniques. She set up her own electronic music studio and now is remembered as a musical composer. Also credited and named for her, Oramics is based on her invention of turning drawings into sound via electronic readers. Delia Derbyshire also did groundbreaking work at the Radiophonic Workshop, where she would splice together magnetic tape to build loops that play repeating sounds, and by simultaneously playing several that run at different frequencies, creating music. She was fascinated by abstract sounds, though some dismissed her work as merely exercises in mathematics. Later, she created the original music for Doctor Who.

Using new technology to make music was taking hold elsewhere as well. In France, Eliane Radigue battled distrust of technology to make art. In New York, Bebe Barron and her husband Louis Barron built their own equipment for their own avant-garde recording projects. They recorded readings by writers such as Anais Nin and overloaded circuits to make musical sounds. They created the first entirely electronic score for a movie for the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet, though it was credited as electronic tonalities.

While much of the film features antiquated equipment  tape reels and what look like antique telephone operator panels  it makes the great leap forward to the first Macintosh. The film introduces many women who found different points of entry into the intersection of music and technology. In one of the films more recent clips, Cianis music seems to blow David Lettermans mind on a late-night TV segment.

'Punk the Capital' chronicles the early D.C. punk scene that produced Bad Brains and Henry Rollins The film pays attention to both the people who became more influential, like Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins, and those whose names are less commonly known outside of D.C.

Rovner also examines the contributions of composers Pauline Oliveros, Maryanne Amacher and Laurie Spiegel, who developed the early Mac music software Music Mouse.

The documentary does not attempt to bridge the gap to contemporary electronic music or its explosion in popularity. Its fascinating to hear women from the 1950s articulating ideas about making electronic music that would be resisted or misunderstood for decades. It seems that many people just werent listening, either to the music or women.

Sisters with Transistors opens at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge on May 21.
Hey Blake,

I recently saw an aerial photo on Twitter of the roof of the Newman Bandstand in Audubon Park. How long has it been there?

Dear reader,

The Newman Bandstand was named to honor Isidore Newman, the local businessman, financier and philanthropist. He is also the founder and namesake of Isidore Newman School, the private Pre-K-12 school established in 1903.

Born in Bavaria in 1837, Newman came to Louisiana as a young man. He settled in central Louisiana in Catahoula Parish before moving to New Orleans to work as a bookkeeper. By the time he died in 1909, Newman owned the Maison Blanche department store chain, helped establish the New Orleans Stock Exchange and had an ownership interest in street railway systems across the South.

Newman was known as a generous philanthropist. His obituary in The Daily Picayune said many of his donations were made anonymously and to institutions serving all faiths  Newman himself was Jewish  and races. He funded the Newman Manual Training School on Peters Avenue (renamed Jefferson Avenue in 1924). The school was renamed Isidore Newman School in 1931.

Newman, who served on the Audubon Park Commission, donated money for a bandstand in the park. He intended it to replace an older one which had fallen into disrepair. The new bandstand was dedicated in 1904.

After Newmans death, his wife and seven children donated $15,000 to build a more elaborate bandstand. Completed in 1921, the Newman Bandstand became a popular place for music concerts. In recent years, it has also been used for weddings and as a staging area for fundraising walks and runs.

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Kathie disappeared in early 1982 after leaving the couples South Salem home and was never seen or heard from again. She was pronounced dead in 1988, but her body was never found. Authorities have long considered Durst the prime suspect in Kathies presumed killing, though hes never been charged.
The Supreme Court announced Monday it would take up a Mississippi law banning nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, marking the first major abortion case the high court will hear since the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

The 2018 law, which only allows abortions after 15 weeks in the case of medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormalities, is not currently in effect. Judges in the federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit have ruled it unconstitutional because it restricts abortion before viability, or the point when a fetus would be able to survive outside the uterus.

The Supreme Court has said in taking up Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, it will review whether all pre-viability prohibitions on abortion are unconstitutional. Should the court uphold the law and determine some pre-viability restrictions are acceptable, that ruling could effectively gut Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision establishing a persons right to abortion.

Louisiana passed a similar 15-week abortion ban in 2018 that would go into effect if the Supreme Court upholds Mississippis law.

With former President Donald Trumps appointment of Justices Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court has a solid conservative  and anti-abortion rights  majority. Six of the nine judges are Republicans.

Last June, the Supreme Court  which also had a conservative majority then  struck down a Louisiana law that would have required physicians who provide abortions to obtain admitting privileges at a local hospital.

But in that decision, the swing vote was Chief Justice John Roberts, who said he only voted to strike down the law because it was nearly identical to a Texas law the court threw out in 2016. Roberts said in his opinion that he disagreed with the 2016 ruling but was deferring to precedence.

Losing that case alone cost Louisiana taxpayers millions, including between $8 million and more than $10 million to pay the cost of both sides lawyers.

Following narrow Supreme Court decision, Louisiana abortion rights advocates claim cautious victory The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling this morning, struck down a Louisiana law that would have placed strict limitations on a dwindling pop
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The Louisiana Public Broadcasting has announced its selection of 2021 "Young Heroes," and a pair of area seniors, Jackson Cantrell, of Mandeville, and Kathryn Lexie Davis, of Hammond, are among the winners.

An LPB Young Hero is defined as an exceptional high school student who has excelled in academics, given significantly of themselves through public service, overcome adversity, exhibited extraordinary heroism, or inspired others through their deeds and strength of character.

"Especially given the challenges of the past year, it is our honor to recognize these six deserving high school students, who continue to be role models in their communities, said Beth Courtney, president and CEO, of the broadcast company. Hats off to all six, including:

Cantrell, a Mandeville High School senior, is a National Merit Scholar who likes to cook, host book club and film nights, clear trails and participate in city council meetings. He also serves as co-president of his schools Youth & Government Club. Cantrell often uses the word sankofa, from Ghana, to describe his worldview that taking lessons from the past will better guide ones future. Believing that means he thinks in order to benefit society, all history must be remembered. His published research into the lives of enslaved and Native groups  a project spurred when he installed two historical markers at Fontainebleau State Park, a former 1800s sugar plantation turned up 153 names of family members held in bondage. He also compiled information on local indigenous nations, and state historians published both works online. His papers are also on file with Amistad Research Center, and he has spoken on the subjects at Tulanes Environmental Law and Policy Summit and at the College of William and Marys symposium entitled Four Centuries of Black Women in America. His will to stand up for others comes from a place close to his heart; he has spent years advocating for autistic older brother Cole. This Eagle Scout of the year has contributed more than 400 hours of public service by providing a range of services, from stocking shelves for Habitat for Humanitys resale store to sweeping area rivers of trash and scrubbing the headstones of veterans. He also actively recruits others to join him because those who know him say, there is no escaping Cantrell's enthusiasm.

Davis is an honor student at Ponchatoula High School where she is a member of the Key Club and Student Council. And her teachers depend on her to help mentor other students, they said. As a student in the ProStart and Culinary Arts food service management program, Davis established herself as a leader with a strong work ethic from the beginning. She facilitated improved communications and provided PPE for her colleagues. An aspiring restaurateur, she has thrived during the pandemic, pouring herself into her freelance catering work to continue the legacy of her late father, who cooked for others as a way to serve them. She contacted the North Oaks Dialysis Center to request recipes that would benefit their patients, including her aunt. Davis also volunteered with the Red Cross for a number of years and still volunteers with her church. With the onset of the pandemic, she decided to use her resources to help those in need. She volunteered with Meals for the Multitude, a program through a local funeral home, but decided she could do more. Davis then began her own community meals program she calls Food For The Souls. She also developed Blessing Bags containing masks, sanitizer and home cleaning products for senior citizens who otherwise would not have access to them due to high demand. She is a role model for all who encounter her.

Other awardees include Baton Rouge resident Ivory Gipson, a Northeast High School senior; New Orleans resident Elliott Gomes, a Benjamin Franklin High School freshman; DeRidder resident Hannah Lewis, a senior at the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts; and Elizabeth resident Michael Vizena, an Elizabeth High School sophomore.

For more info, visit Ylpb.org/heroes.
One of Louisianas oldest women serving a life sentence walked free after nearly four decades in prison on Wednesday when prosecutors and a judge agreed that she never should have been convicted of killing a man she said tried to rape her in her Irish Channel apartment.

Outside a womens prison near Baton Rouge, Betty Jean Broaden threw her arms around the 52-year-old son with a vase of flowers who waited 38 years for her release.

Broaden, 75, has long said she shot in self-defense, but her pleas fell upon deaf ears until they were heard by a legal clinic dedicated to women in her situation, a sympathetic judge and a new top prosecutor in New Orleans.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said the case against Broaden was tainted from the start because authorities discounted her sexual assault claim.

Even a very conservative prosecutor, if they looked at all of these facts, would not have charged her but for the sexism that permeated the initial investigation, he said. You dont see many stand your ground claims that are as clear as this one.

Yet even a few years ago, it seemed unlikely that Broaden would ever find relief from a sentence of life without parole. Broaden moved to New Orleans from Texas three months before the morning that came to define her life, on Aug. 25, 1983.

+3 Sentenced to 23 years after stealing two shirts, a New Orleans man just walked free Guy Frank wears a silver watch on his right arm. Its a memento from his brother Joe, who died of cancer last April during Frank's 20th year i

She was a single mother and a rare female carpenter who came to town in search of work to support her three children, according to her attorneys at the Womens Prison Project of Tulane University law school.

Sometime during her brief stint in New Orleans, Broaden crossed paths with a man named Lawrence Jefferson, 67. Broaden said that on the night of Aug. 24 Jefferson arrived at her apartment in the 500 block of Fourth Street and she allowed him inside.

Over the course of the night, Broaden told police, an armed Jefferson repeatedly attempted to rape her. He failed to get an erection but continued with the cussing and the fondling, along with the constant attempt at sex, Broaden said.

+2 New Tulane law clinic aims to aid incarcerated women who survived domestic violence Catina Curley spent 11 years in prison before a pivotal Louisiana Supreme Court decision led to her freedom.

Finally, Broaden said, she surreptitiously took Jeffersons gun out of his pants pocket and wrapped it in a rug. The next time he rolled over and straddled her, she shot him in the head.

Broaden didnt go straight to the police and first claimed she wasnt sure of how Jefferson was wounded. But eventually she gave them her account.

Williams says it is clear that Broaden was not taken seriously, and the pattern continued at her trial, despite a note on an internal District Attorneys Office screening form that there was plausibly a self-defense issue. Prosecutors attacked her for failing to run out of her own house. One questioned whether she was sort of asking for it when she got back into her own bed.

Broadens second-degree murder conviction was upheld by the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, which emphasized Broaden's initial deceit to police, the fact that she remained in her house and testimony from a pathologist that the fatal bullet traveled in a downward direction.

Broadens attorneys say that while theyve represented many women who used deadly force, Broadens case is unique in that its flaws were apparent on their face. Even in 1983, a woman subjected to a rape attempt had no obligation to flee her own house, said Becki Kondkar of the Womens Prison Project.

Shortly after Williams took office on Jan. 11, Broadens attorneys presented her case to his newly created civil rights division, which is tasked with ferreting out wrongful convictions or excessive sentences.

Bidish Sarma, the assistant district attorney on the case, said efforts to find Jefferson's surviving relatives were unsuccessful. There were indications that he may have been living on the street at the time of his death, and none of his relatives were contacted for trial. Meanwhile, the office concluded that the path of the bullet as described by the coroner didnt contradict Broadens account.

We didnt just take the defenses words, Williams said. We checked everything out  and it checked out.

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+7 In killing of Zelda Townsend in Mid-City, court deals a setback to case against 3 young defendants The Louisiana Supreme Court has dealt a blow to the case against three youths accused of killing a New Orleans woman during a botched auto bur

Last week, Williams office filed an unusual joint motion with Broadens attorneys laying out their interpretation of the case and seeking to have her conviction overturned. They said she may have been treated unfairly not only because she was a woman but because she was a Black woman.

On Wednesday, Broaden appeared via videoconference from prison before Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Robin Pittman, a former state prosecutor.

There was little suspense about the outcome, but Kondkar and another defense attorney, Katherine Maris Mattes, sat next to Broaden at a conference table to ease her nerves. Williams watched over Zoom.

Louisiana inmates convicted by split juries would get new trials, parole hearings under this bill While the U.S. Supreme Court considers handing new trials to about 1,500 Louisiana inmates who were convicted years ago by non-unanimous jurie

Of course we cant give you back all the years of freedom that you missed, Pittman said as she vacated the murder conviction. I hope that you have enjoyment for the rest of the years the Lord presents you with.

Hours later, Broaden was reunited with her son. A daughter was killed by an intimate partner while she was in prison. Despite her advanced age, she hopes to find a job.

Although attitudes around sexual assault have changed, Broadens attorneys said they believe more women like her are trapped in Louisiana prisons. On the front end, the states self-defense laws have been applied in discriminatory fashion against women like Broaden, Kondkar says.

"Its kind of inconceivable actually to imagine that these laws would be similarly applied to a White man defending property in his own home, let alone to protect himself against a physical attack," she said.

Jason Williams: Leon Cannizzaro hamstrung DA's office by spending hundreds of thousands When Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams gave a speech last month celebrating his first 100 days in office, he didnt mention his 

Meanwhile, Broadens attorneys say those injustices are exacerbated on the back end by Louisianas strict procedural bars on prisoner appeals and heavy use of life-without-parole sentences. The nations most incarcerated state also has the highest rate of such sentences.

By design, a life-without-parole sentence requires that we never examine their cases again, Kondkar said. People like Betty Jean Broaden kind of disappear from the public consciousness.

Supporters say those sentences give victims families closure, and the Louisiana District Attorneys Association has opposed efforts to expand parole eligibility for lifers.

But Williams, a former defense attorney and Innocence Project New Orleans board member, has taken an aggressive stance toward reviewing old cases.

He created the civil rights division and a new policy to waive procedural objections to innocence claims, which means prosecutors and defense attorneys skip straight to debating the merits instead of legal deadlines. Thus far during Williams short tenure, his office has agreed to reverse three convictions.

This is absolutely not a unique case, Williams said. Theres no doubt that there are other folks who did not get a fair shot just like Ms. Broaden, and many of them are probably in a pine box."

Editor's Note: This article was updated on May 17, 2021 to correct Broaden's release date.
The only city court judge in Denham Springs is facing misconduct charges from the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, and the only reason the public knows about it is that the states court system has been inching toward transparency in how misbehaving judges are disciplined.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers are pushing for Louisianas courts to reveal more about matters that have traditionally been handled in complete secrecy. A slate of bills this legislative session could open up court finances and require more clarity over judicial recusals.

Reforms adopted by the Supreme Court last year have brought the spotlight to the case of Judge Jerry Denton, months after he won a second term unopposed as Ward 2 judge. Denton is accused of striking up a personal connection with the maternal grandmother in a child custody case through Facebook, text messages and phone calls, then sparking chaos in the courtroom.

He should have recused himself from the case back in 2018, the commission alleges. Instead, Denton chatted over months with the woman, offered her legal advice and then lied to another judge to retain jurisdiction in the case, according to the allegations.

See how much the state paid to settle a sexual harassment suit against an ex-Orleans judge The state paid $52,500 last year to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against former Orleans Parish criminal court judge Byron C. Williams ov

Denton told the grandmother he would issue a special order for this one occasion if you would like, vented frustration at an attorney who was fighting us badly, and encouraged her not to fall apart because that wont help our position.

He went on to spin a tangled web of deceptive actions, commission special counsel Michelle Beaty wrote in a recent filing.

Judge Dentons words screamed bias and prejudice, she argued, describing his conduct as egregious on its face.

Denton has acknowledged that, without ill intent, he exercised poor judgment for which he is remorseful, according to his formal response to the allegations. He also has argued that he was new to the bench.

Denton declined to comment when reached by phone. His attorney, R. Gray Sexton, said the judge never intended to hurt anyone or help anyone.

All he ever intended to do was to give her some measure of comfort to let her understand what the process was, Sexton said. Im not trying to pin a medal on him, but I do think its important for everyone to recognize he got nothing from this  he sought nothing, he solicited nothing.

Only the Louisiana Supreme Court can discipline a judge, and only on the recommendation of the commission. Until lately, it was all kept secret until the commission forwarded its recommendation to the court. Last year, the high court announced that judicial misconduct cases would become public once a notice of hearing has been filed  a key break with previous practices. The Supreme Court took that action as state lawmakers mulled forcing the judiciary further into the sunlight.

Denton is among the first accused judges to face such public scrutiny.

In another nod to transparency, the Supreme Court also for the first time has released descriptions of the types of misconduct that have earned judges secret slaps on the wrist from the Judiciary Commission.

The commission issued two admonishments  the most serious disposition for a judge that can remain confidential  in the latter half of last year. One judge failed to ensure proper service of notice of court dates. The other wrote inaccurate statements in an opinion. Both judges also failed to follow proper recusal procedures.

Louisiana Supreme Court to make hearings public for judges accused of wrongdoing The Louisiana Supreme Court announced Monday that it will begin allowing members of the public to attend hearings against judges who have been

The commission also issued six cautions  a gentler form of secret chastisement  during the second half of last year. Jurists who received them made inappropriate campaign statements, delayed ruling on a recusal motion, delayed court proceedings on a child support issue, failed to follow proper notarial practices, wrongly modified a jury verdict and wrongly solicited charitable donations.

The breakdown is new, though the names of those judges  and the jurisdictions in which they operate  remain hidden. The court does not count those actions as discipline.

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The Supreme Courts self-imposed rule changes followed a series of stories on judicial secrecy from The Advocate | The Times-Picayune. State lawmakers are pressing on other aspects of the judiciary.

The legislation that largely funds courthouses and judges offices has an amendment this session that would require all courts to release itemized breakdowns of how they are spending the money they collect.

Louisiana Supreme Court publishes judges' financial disclosures online for first time The Louisiana Supreme Court began posting the current financial disclosures of state judges on its newly revamped web site this week, the late

The bill from state Rep. Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma, says that the Judicial Budgetary Control Board should develop a template for each court to fill out, and that the Supreme Court should publish the forms on its website once budgets are adopted.

Zeringues amended bill also calls for courts to hold public hearings on their annual budgets.

The push for openness in how courts budget has unlikely bedfellows behind it: both the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Southern Poverty Law Center are supporting the change.

Transparency is always valued when it comes to public money and public funds, said Lauren Chauvin, the director of LABIs judicial program. And so that we can properly fund the courts, the more information, the better.

Rodney Braxton, the lobbyist representing SPLC, said that the lack of transparency in how courts spend money makes them unusual.

Theres already transparency for the DAs, public defenders, the sheriffs, many other aspects of the criminal justice system, Braxton said. The only entity that doesnt have that is the judicial system.

Failures to follow recusal rules have led to many Judiciary Commission complaints, including Dentons, and lawmakers are also trying to address that problem with legislation.

House Speaker Pro Tempore Tanner Magee is pushing a bill that creates a more uniform recusal process and calls for judges to disclose more information about their reasons for stepping aside. Magees bill on recusals is scheduled for a committee hearing on May 18.

His bill would require judges to disclose to all parties certain connections to those trying cases before them, including if they are related to anyone involved in the case; if a family member has a substantial economic interest in its outcome; and if an attorney is also representing the judge in a personal matter while the case is ongoing.

If judges recuse themselves, they would also be required to file written reasons for doing so into the court record and with the Supreme Courts judicial administrator.

Its really just about improving the process and trying to make it where you get to the right result and youre not putting judges in complicated and difficult waters to make decisions on what is their conflict of interest, Magee said.

In Dentons case, the commission alleges that his duty to recuse himself was plain.

A city councilman and city marshal before he won a judgeship in 2016, Denton has applied for an agreement from the Judiciary Commission that would defer any public discipline  a kind of diversion program for judges. Beaty, the special counsel, opposes it.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to make its recent ban on non-unanimous juries retroactive, denying relief to as many as 1,500 Louisiana inmates who were found guilty by divided juries and have exhausted their appeals.

A 6-3 majority agreed that last year, when the high court ruled that the U.S. Constitution requires juries to be unanimous to convict a defendant of a crime, it wasnt the kind of fundamental ruling that warrants reopening long settled cases.

As a result, Louisiana district attorneys still have the power to review those old cases if they choose, as is happening in New Orleans, but none will be compelled to do so.

The decision came in the case of Thedrick Edwards, who is serving life in prison after being convicted by a split jury of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated kidnapping and five counts of armed robbery from a 2006 crime spree in Baton Rouge.

The ruling fell along ideological lines. Justice Brett Kavanaugh gave the majority opinion. He was joined in the majority by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett. The court's liberal wing, made up of Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, dissented.

The decision impacts Louisiana inmates like Edwards and hundreds more who were convicted by split juries in Oregon, the only other state to follow Louisianas lead in allowing such verdicts. Puerto Rico also has allowed them.

Louisiana came first in 1898, when delegates bent on restoring white supremacy in the state  primarily by removing Black people from voter rolls  agreed to allow felony convictions by as few as nine of 12 jurors. Oregon followed suit in 1934.

In 1972, the Supreme Court upheld the laws in both states in a peculiar decision. And a year later, Louisiana upped its valid verdict count from 9 jurors to 10 in a new state constitution.

+8 U.S. Supreme Court debates Louisiana split-jury law's impact as it weighs applying it retroactively Whether the verdicts rendered by non-unanimous juries are less accurate than ones built on consensus  and just what accuracy means with a rac

By the time the high court discarded that 1972 ruling last year in the case of Evangelisto Ramos of New Orleans  effectively granting new trials to about 100 recently convicted Louisiana inmates  state voters had already barred split verdicts in a political groundswell.

But that 2018 ballot measure, which voters approved nearly 2-to-1, specified that the change would only start with trials for crimes committed in 2019.

The Supreme Court also refused to go back to earlier cases Monday, basing its decision in part on a 1989 case that tightened the screws on what should be considered a "watershed" ruling that warrants being made retroactive. The legal bar hasn't been cleared since.

Louisiana Solicitor General Liz Murrill argued last year that it should stay that way. Murrill said the non-unanimous jury law was not a fundamentally unfair procedure, nor does the absence of unanimity seriously undermine the accuracy of the verdict.

The Advocate in 2018 published the results of research on six years of jury trial data from parishes across Louisiana, finding that 12-member juries ended with divided guilty verdicts 40% of the time.

Black defendants were 30% more likely than White defendants to be convicted by split juries. More limited data, from East Baton Rouge Parish and elsewhere, showed that Black jurors, while still far more likely to convict than not, were more than twice as likely to dissent from a guilty verdict as White jurors.

The East Baton Rouge Parish jury that convicted Edwards exemplified that pattern. The jury had only one Black member. On some counts, the vote was 10-2, and on others it was 11-1. The lone Black juror disagreed with the guilty verdict on every count.

Kavanaugh, who voted with the majority that overturned split verdicts last year, cited the courts refusal to apply watershed status to similar rulings incorporating the Bill of Rights to the states, including the right to a jury trial itself, in 1968.

The high court has refused to retroactively apply other momentous cases with similar attributes, he wrote. Kavanaugh called the standard for retroactivity an "empty promise" that cant be met.

In her dissent, Kagan noted the majoritys ruling last year in Ramos v. Louisiana that a verdict, taken from eleven, (i)s no verdict at all.

Kagan dissented in the Ramos decision because of its impact on the courts reliance on precedent, she wrote. She viewed that ruling as overturning a nearly 50-year precedent.

If you were scanning a thesaurus for a single word to describe the (Ramos) decision, you would stop when you came to watershed, Kagan wrote.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, whose office defended those older convictions after first trying to defend the state's non-unanimous jury law before the high court, praised the outcome.

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"Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed long-final convictions involving rape, murder, child molestation, and other violent crimes. It is a victory for Louisiana crime victims like the ones whom Thedrick Edwards confessed to raping, robbing, and kidnapping," Landry said.

JP Morrell, the former state senator who authored the ballot measure that ended split juries in Louisiana, called the ruling a blatant miscarriage of justice on Twitter.

How can we admit that non-unanimous juries are born from a crucible of racism and slavery, yet say that those convicted by (them) don't deserve a second look? he said.

Mondays decision leaves Edwards and other long-serving inmates who were convicted by split juries to hope now that Louisiana lawmakers or local district attorneys act on their own.

Defense advocates argue that the laws racist history, and its disparate impact on Black defendants and jurors more than a century later, warrants vacating those past convictions regardless of the Supreme Courts view.

This ruling fails to address historic wrongs and says to the men and women in Louisianas prisons that even amid a national reckoning against racial injustice, too many of our institutions still bow to Jim Crow, said Jamila Johnson, managing attorney for the Jim Crow Juries Project at the Promise of Justice Initiative.

A pending bill by Rep. Randal Gaines, D-LaPlace, would skirt Monday's ruling by allowing those inmates to apply for parole or receive new trials. Gaines shelved his bill last week but said Monday that it would be heard May 27.

Barring state legislation, the fate of those inmates could be drawn along parish lines.

Several inmates convicted long ago by split juries in Orleans Parish have won plea deals or new trials through an initiative recently launched by District Attorney Jason Williams.

More than 300 Louisiana inmates were convicted by split juries in Orleans Parish, according to the Promise of Justice Initiative, which led the campaign to upend the 120-year-old split-jury law.

Louisiana inmates convicted by split juries would get new trials, parole hearings under this bill While the U.S. Supreme Court considers handing new trials to about 1,500 Louisiana inmates who were convicted years ago by non-unanimous jurie

Prosecutors have warned of severe challenges, including dead witnesses and evidence gone missing or destroyed, should they be forced to retry those past cases.

Williams pledged to continue to correct the sins of the past to build trust in our city, while other district attorneys were more circumspect after Monday's ruling.

Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connicks office said it agreed with the Supreme Court and wouldnt change its approach. Connicks office noted that the ruling still allows states to apply the law retroactively if they wish.

Warren Montgomery, district attorney for St. Tammany and Washington parishes, said he isn't looking back after Monday's ruling.

"The Supreme Court decision is that Ramos is not retroactive, so therefore, it is improper for us to retroactively overturn those jury verdicts, he said.

In Lafayette, 15th Judicial District Attorney Don Landry said his office had been waiting on Mondays ruling and would review it. Meanwhile, Caddo Parish District Attorney James Stewart said a comprehensive review of past split-jury verdicts found some cases that we will be working with defense lawyers on in the interest of justice.

Inside Louisiana prisons, the ruling is a bitter pill. Sheila Earls said she broke the news to her son, who is nearing 10 years in Angola on a life prison term with no parole.

Brandon Earls admitted in 2009 that he had fired repeatedly at Terry Mr. T. Lewis. But Earls, then 23, claims he shot in self-defense at a notoriously violent tormenter who had "drawn down" on him with a gun.

Earls, 35, is Black, as were six of 39 prospective jurors for his trial in Jefferson Parish. A jury with one Black member convicted him 10-2 of second-degree murder, records show.

These people who just went to jail are going to get a chance to get out, Sheila Earls noted. But the people (whove) served 10, 20, 30 years they shouldnt have served, youre just going to leave them in the dungeon. Theyre done. That doesnt even logically make sense. Justice should not have a time limit.

Staff writers Blake Paterson and Matt Sledge contributed to this report.
New Orleans police are asking for help finding a 6-year-old boy who is missing from Algiers. He left with his guardian's friend on Saturday and has not returned home.

Update: The boy was found Monday and is in good health, New Orleans police said Tuesday. No other details were available about what happened.

The child was last seen by his guardian at 3:45 p.m. Saturday. The child, with the consent of his guardian, left with the guardian's friend in a black 2004 Ford Expedition with an Oklahoma license plate.

The guardian talked with their friend on Sunday, but the child still has not returned home, police said.

Authorities on Monday said the investigation was ongoing and no other details were immediately available, including a description of the guardian's friend or if they believe the child is still in New Orleans or if they believe the child is in danger.

Anyone with information is asked to call NOPD Fourth District detectives at 504-658-6040.

Editor's note: Since the child has been found, his name and photo have been removed from the story.
When Franck Labiche moved to Happy Jack in 1969, the houses, nestled on a strip of land between two canals, were built on the ground.

Back then, it never flooded, the 75-year-old business owner said, sitting around a table with other property owners ahead of a weekend crawfish boil.

Five decades later, most of the hamlets 80 houses reach toward the sky, elevated more than 10 feet. Thats because Louisianas coastal loss and rising sea levels have induced more routine flooding even on days without a storm. Water blown north by a strong southerly wind laps from canals over docks and roads, even gurgling up from the ground as the water table rises.

Now a $2 billion project pushed by the state government and nonprofits aims to rebuild part of the coast, by bolstering a natural barrier between the Gulf of Mexico and the 1.2 million people living in greater New Orleans. But its unlikely to protect Happy Jack and a string of five other small West Bank communities outside the federal hurricane protection levees of Plaquemines Parish; in fact, they would experience the opposite: more flooding.

Were the collateral damage, said Darlene McGarry, 62, who spends half the year with her husband, Scott, in their four-bedroom summer home in Happy Jack. "Were the ones [who] are going to suffer.

What worries the people of Happy Jack, Myrtle Grove, Grand Bayou, Lake Hermitage, Suzie Bayou and Woodpark is the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project. Louisiana wants to cut a hole in the Mississippi River levee 18 miles upriver from Happy Jack, install a weir and channel clay- and silt-laden water into Barataria Bay.

Its designed to build 21 square miles of storm surge-reducing land buffer over the next 50 years, as part of a larger effort to sustain some of the states rapidly degrading southern third.

As grand and ambitious as that plan is, it carries some downsides. For example, in especially high river years like that of 2011, Myrtle Grove Estates and Marina, 2 miles downriver from the diversion's outlet, would flood almost three times as often, according to modeling by The Water Institute of the Gulf.

Further downstream in Grand Bayou, a Native American settlement accessible only by boat, flooding would occur twice as often. The effect on communities such as Lake Hermitage, Suzie Bayou and Woodpark would fall somewhere in between.

Of the 532 parcels outside levee protection, a few contain peoples only houses. Others keep second homes and docks as an escape, a slice of paradise, despite days that they look out their window to see the road covered with water.

Beyond an increase in routine flooding, they expect their property values to decline as a result of the diversion project, reducing tax revenue for the parish government. Too, some canals that they use to get their boats to the bay or their fish to the docks will silt up without more maintenance dredging, according to the Army Corps of Engineers draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Mid-Barataria undertaking.

In an April community meeting with Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority officials, Myrtle Grove residents said neighbors have already had difficulty selling their properties due to talk surrounding the project. Its also created uncertainty for people who own lots and planned to build houses.

Full-time residents Cindy Kuehne, and her husband, Greg, have invested more than $750,000 in their two lots in Myrtle Grove, moving there in 2019. Others have spent more than $1 million in a community that is collectively worth more than $52 million, based on estimates from the Corps report. Kuehne said she and her husband didnt buy their property blindly; they were well-aware of the risks associated with hurricanes and rising tides.

We can accept that natural flooding. We agreed to take the hit with the natural storms, said Kuehne. The diversion is a manmade project.

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To compensate for the diversions threat, coastal authority officials propose spending $305 million on mitigation ranging from raising roads and septic systems to buyouts. Brad Barth, project manager for Mid-Barataria, said meetings have brought the communities problems to the forefront.

It's bringing to light that we already are experiencing troubles with our communities outside hurricane protection with these flooding events," he said. "This project has the opportunity to potentially help out with an existing situation."

Flooding will only worsen as the climate warms worldwide, causing the sea on the Louisiana coast to rise almost 2 feet by 2070; the diversion will just accelerate it.

McGarry and Kuehne recognize the realities of sea level rise. But they would rather it increase gradually increase than come all at once. The McGarrys have already raised their concrete slab and docks since building on their property in the early 2000s.

We keep up with it, McGarry said. This diversion is going to be a double whammy.

Should the Corps approve the Mid-Barataria project next year, construction would take another five to six years if it isnt halted by lawsuits, leaving time for the state to move forward on mitigation. Since March, the coastal authority has held public meetings targeting each area to solicit feedback on options such as raised roads, bulkheads, drainage improvements and buyouts.

Passions often ran hot. The distrust between residents and the state was palpable at times. Many residents wanted more specifics, which state officials were reluctant to commit without residents input - a mistake theyve made in the past.

The project has become a point of contention for coastal communities. Both the Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parish councils oppose the diversion, as does Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, a former Plaquemines president.

It wont be easy for both sides to come together, said Steve Cochran, campaign director for the nonprofit Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition. His coalition advocates for coastal restoration in Louisiana, including river diversions. He thinks it will take time to overcome the long history of disagreement between the state and some factions of Plaquemines, including its fishers.

There are people who make a living being facilitators to help opposing groups come to an agreement. Thats because its hard to do, Cochran said. Its essential that those communities be directly involved in coming up with these ideas, and its essential that the state remain sincere in what theyre offering.

The coastal authoritys executive director, Bren Haase, said his agency plans to return to lower Plaquemines West Bank communities in the summer with more detailed proposals. The agencys mitigation plan will likely be finalized in the fall, ahead of the Corps final environmental impact statement next spring.
After years of urging state and federal authorities to reduce harmful chemical emissions from the Denka Performance Elastomer manufacturing plant in Reserve, a St. John the Baptist Parish group is seeking help from an international human rights commission.

In a request filed Wednesday, the Concerned Citizens of St. John urged the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to investigate cancer risks, recommend air pollution limits and join the groups calls to shut down the plant.

Weve gone from agency to agency and to all the politicians to get help, said Robert Taylor, the local group's executive director. Everywhere the doors are slammed in our faces.

Denka spokesperson Jim Harris said the group has made extremely serious allegations that are disproven by real-world evidence.

The company points to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data that indicates recent steps taken at the plant have reduced potential cancer risks by 85%, based on 2019 emissions.

EPA in 2015 released an analysis saying the five census tracts near the plant had the country's highest airborne cancer risk.

The plant, owned by the Tokyo-based Denka Co., is the only one in the country that emits chloroprene, the main chemical used in the manufacture of neoprene, a rubber-like material used in beer koozies, laptop sleeves and wetsuits. The EPA determined chloroprene was a likely carcinogen more than a decade ago.

Early this month, Taylors group petitioned the EPA to take emergency measures to curb the plants emissions.

Weve heard nothing back from the EPA, but of course were accustomed to that, he said. Our government has given up on us. Thats why were reaching out [to the commission] for help.

The commission, part of the Washington, D.C.-based Organization of American States, investigates alleged human rights abuses in the Western Hemisphere.

Its last substantial action in Louisiana was 11 years ago when it granted a hearing to residents of Mossville, a mostly Black community west of Lake Charles. Mossville residents charged that the U.S. government violated their rights to privacy and racial equality by not forcing local chemical plants to stop polluting. The issue was mostly resolved and the investigation closed after buyouts were offered to residents living near the plants.

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The St. John group's request was filed by the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic. Devin Lowell, a clinic lawyer, said the commission doesnt have legal authority in the U.S. but that its investigations often bring attention and action.

This petition is a way to bring focus on what the government can do and what the government is failing to do, Lowell said.

Denka, however, says the EPA should reconsider its listing of chloroprene as a likely human carcinogen based on a company-sponsored study that concluded the chemical was much less cancer-causing than the EPA found.

This research shows clearly that there is no reason to suspect elevated risks of illness in the area near the facility at pre-emission reduction levels, Harris said.

The Denka plant and Reserve are in the heart of a major Louisiana industrial corridor that critics often call "Cancer Alley," an area that has some of the most toxic air pollution in the United States. A wave of new petrochemical plants is expected to worsen air quality in the corridor, according to a 2019 analysis by ProPublica, The Times-Picayune and The Advocate.

Reserve and many other communities in the corridor are mostly Black and low-income. Residents say premature death from cancer is common.

We suffer and die because they decided to dump poison into our air, Taylor said. "We live in the state's sacrifice zone."
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and the St. Bernard Parish Council have come out against the proposed $2 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, calling it a threat to commercial and recreational fishing, bottlenose dolphins and the economies and cultures of St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.

Councilwoman Kerri Callais said the estimated 21 square miles of new land created by the diversion over 50 years is not enough to offset the potential loss of revenue from fisheries or the effects on the area's heritage.

"We all know the consequences this diversion will have on both of our parishes, the economic consequences, the consequences to our culture, to our tourism thats so important to St. Bernard, Callais said. Its part of our identity. Its who we are."

The Parish Council's unanimous vote on Tuesday came a week after a similar vote of opposition by the Plaquemines Parish Council to the project, a key element in Louisiana's $50 billion to rebuild its fragile coast.

Chip Kline, chairman of the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said he was not notified in advance that the issue would come up during the St. Bernard meeting but sent a note urging the council to delay its opposition vote until after concerns raised by its members and the public are addressed in the final version of the project's environmental impact statement.

The diversion would send some Mississippi River water and sediment through a weir and channel at Myrtle Grove into Barataria Bay, rebuilding marsh there. But George Ricks, president of the Save Louisiana Coalition, said the damage caused to the fishing industry by the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway in 2019 was an example of the damage that could be expected from the diversion.

+4 Huge Louisiana coastal project receives positive report from the Corps of Engineers Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion could create 28 square miles of marsh in rapidly eroding Barataria Basin

Citing a discussion he had with a U.S. Navy dolphin trainer, Nungesser dismissed the Mid-Barataria draft environmental impact statements estimate that the diversion would kill 34% of the Barataria basins bottlenose dolphins. The dolphin trainer predicted close to 75%, he said.

And he questioned why state officials agreed to let Congress exempt the diversion from compliance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which forbids projects such as this from harming or killing dolphins. The exemption requires five years of dolphin monitoring after the diversion is completed; Nungesser called that inadequate.

Proposed diversion could kill 34% of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, new report says Up to a third of the bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay could die because of dangerously low salinity levels when the proposed Mid-Barataria

He also questioned how the diversion could be paid for with money from the BP Deepwater Horizon natural resources restoration settlement. He said that disaster's money was supposed to address its damage to dolphins and fisheries.

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The potential effects of the diversion on dolphins were the subject of several studies conducted in support of the environmental impact statement. They concluded that as much as 34% of the 2,000 dolphins living in the Barataria basin could die because of dangerously low salinity levels when the diversion begins operation.

Nungesser also charged that the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority was improperly spending money on a publicity campaign in support of the diversion, pointing to several full-page newspaper advertisements and opinion columns. The ads actually were listed as sponsored by Greater New Orleans Inc. and nonprofit environmental organizations.

He said his opposition began when he was president of Plaquemines Parish, a position he held from 2006 through 2014. He said he instead recommended building wetlands and ridge projects that used sediment pumped by pipeline from the Mississippi River into open water as ways to buffer sea level rise and rebuild coastal habitat.

Louisiana's current coastal Master Plan sets aside $17.8 billion for such dredge-and-pump projects, out of the $25 billion it proposes for coastal restoration.

In a Wednesday interview, Kline disagreed with almost everything Nungesser said at the meeting, including the allegations that coastal authority had coordinated recent publicity about the diversion.

"The information that was relayed to the St. Bernard Parish Council by Lt. Gov. Nungesser was blatantly false and is a grave disservice to the public," Kline said.

He said the ads and opinion pieces were not requested or arranged by state officials. A video that Nungesser played for council members and said was produced by the state was actually produced by the Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition, an organization of national and state environmental groups, Kline said.

Kline also said it was the state that requested the congressional change in the marine mammal law, that its request was publicized before the change occurred and that the state is still required to mitigate for any effects on the dolphins.

The restoration plan includes $40 million to fund programs aimed at other threats to dolphins, including fishing gear, illegal feeding, noise issues and human predators. And the state also is increasing the size and funding for a new statewide stranding network aimed at responding whenever a dolphin beaches or is identified as ill, and additional money for responding to dolphin die-offs.

The coastal authority contends that the diversion mimics the Mississippi Rivers historic construction of new wetlands before levees were built, and that it also will help preserve existing wetlands, including those built by mine-and-pump projects. Without the diversion, the amount of wetlands remaining in the Barataria basin in 50 years will be significantly less, said the impact statement, published by the Army Corps of Engineers.
We write to acknowledge and condemn a horrific incident that occurred last night at Tower House, the Frans House affinity residence and center of student life for out LGBTQ student community, and to state our unequivocal support for all LGBTQ Bucknellians, the statement said. We are both outraged and sorrowful that the residents endured this violation of the space that is so critically important to them as a community. These actions will not be tolerated.
The Treasury Department said Monday that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15.

The payments are part of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which expanded the child tax credit for one year and made it possible to pre-pay the benefits on a monthly basis. Nearly 88% of children are set to receive the benefits without their parents needing to take any additional action.

Families of nearly 260K Louisiana students expected to get debit cards for food this summer Families of nearly 260,000 students in Louisiana will soon receive a new debit card pre-filled with funds for groceries this summer, following

Qualified families will receive a payment of up to $300 per month for each child under 6 and up to $250 per month for children between the ages of 6 and 17. The child tax credit was previously capped at $2,000 and only paid out to families with income tax obligations after they filed with the IRS.

But for this year, couples earning $150,000 or less can receive the full payments on the 15th of each month, in most cases by direct deposit. The benefits total $3,600 annually for children under 6 and $3,000 for those who are older. The IRS will determine eligibility based on the 2019 and 2020 tax years, but people will also be able to update their status through an online portal. The administration is also setting up another online portal for non-filers who might be eligible for the child tax credit.

The president has proposed an extension of the increased child tax credit through 2025 as part of his $1.8 trillion families plan. Outside analysts estimate that the payments could essentially halve child poverty. The expanded credits could cost roughly $100 billion a year.

By JOSH BOAK, Associated Press.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider a major rollback of abortion rights, saying it will decide whether states can ban abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb.

The courts order sets up a showdown over abortion, probably in the fall, with a more conservative court seemingly ready to dramatically alter nearly 50 years of rulings on abortion rights.

The court first announced a womans constitutional right to an abortion in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and reaffirmed it 19 years later.

The case involves a Mississippi law that would prohibit abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. The states ban had been blocked by lower courts as inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent that protects a womans right to obtain an abortion before the fetus can survive outside her womb.

'Abortion pill reversal?': Controversial treatment promoted as Louisiana lawmakers advance bill A woman who chooses to undergo a two-pill regime to trigger a chemically-induced abortion would have to be notified of options to reverse her 

The justices had put off action on the case for several months. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an abortion-rights proponent, died just before the courts new term began in October. Her replacement, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, is the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades.

Barrett is one of three appointees of former President Donald Trump on the Supreme Court. The other two, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, voted in dissent last year to allow Louisiana to enforce restrictions on doctors that could have closed two of the states three abortion clinics.

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Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by Ginsburg and the other three liberal justices, said the restrictions were virtually identical to a Texas law the court struck down in 2016.

But that majority no longer exists, even if Roberts, hardly an abortion-rights supporter in his more than 15 years on the court, sides with the more liberal justices.

U.S. Supreme Court refuses to make Louisiana ban on non-unanimous juries retroactive The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to make its recent ban on non-unanimous juries retroactive, denying relief to as many as 1,500 Louisi

The Mississippi law was enacted in 2018, but was blocked after a federal court challenge. The states only abortion clinic remains open. The owner has said the clinic does abortions up to 16 weeks.

The case is separate from a fight over laws enacted by Mississippi and other states that would ban most abortions as early as six weeks  when a fetal heartbeat may be detected.

A central question in the case is about viability  whether a fetus can survive outside the woman at 15 weeks. The clinic presented evidence that viability is impossible at 15 weeks, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the state conceded that it had identified no medical evidence that a fetus would be viable at 15 weeks.

The Mississippi law would allow exceptions to the 15-week ban in cases of medical emergency or severe fetal abnormality. Doctors found in violation of the ban would face mandatory suspension or revocation of their medical license.
More rain is in the forecast this week for south Louisiana, with up to five inches possible in some places, forecasters said Monday.

The main threat for heavy rainfall is Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Slidell. The greatest risk is near and south of Interstate 10 from New Orleans to the west.

The rest of southeast Louisiana is still at risk for excessive rainfall, forecasters said, but the threat level is lower.

Rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected across much of southeast Louisiana, with a few places getting 3 to 5 inches, forecasters said. The rain could result in localized flash flooding, they said.

"There is quite a bit of uncertainty regarding rain amounts and area of highest impact," according to an alert from the National Weather Service. "However, there is enough of a threat of heavy rain to heighten awareness."

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Rain chances stick around through Thursday in southeast Louisiana.

See for forecast for New Orleans.

See the forecast for Mandeville.

See the forecast for Baton Rouge.

See live radar
Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission. The editorial staff of TheAdvocate.com/NOLA.com had no role in the creation of this post.

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Walter F. Huebner, age 93, renowned astrophysicist and lifelong traveler, passed away peacefully at his home in Norman, Oklahoma, on June 1, 2021, surrounded by family. No services at this time. View full obituary and share condolences online at www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com.
Pennsylvania's largest teacher union is making a push for students to fully return to school for the rest of the 2021-2022 school year.

"I know many of you want nothing more than to see your students every day in the classroom without worrying about your health and safety. I have been so proud of how you have adapted to virtual and hybrid learning over the past year," said a statement released today by Pennsylvania State Education Association President Rich Askey.

"But there is no doubt that these instructional approaches cannot replace teaching and serving Pennsylvanias students in person," Askey continued.

Related reading: Pennsylvania updates mask order to match CDC guidance for fully vaccinated individuals.

The Governor has said repeatedly he will end the state's mask order once 70 percent of Pa. residents are fully vaccinated.

A fully vaccinated person would be someone who has received their Pfizer and Moderna vaccine two weeks after the second dose; and two weeks after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Askey explained in order to expand in-person learning, vaccinations are a safe way to keep parents, students, teachers, and families free from COVID-19.

"PSEA remains grateful for the support and leadership of the COVID-19 Task Force for the key role its members played in getting this program up and running," Askey said.




Lewisburg, Pa.  Let us in! This isnt your home, shouted 20 former fraternity members as they allegedly attempted to force their way into the on-campus housing of LGBTQ+ students at Bucknell University.

While others were drinking and having fun under the sunset, the residents of Fran's House were locking our windows and securing our doors from nearly 20 former Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) members from breaking into our home, said Tyler Luong, a student at Bucknell University and the Residential Advisor (RA) of Frans House, in a letter addressed to the Universitys President, John Bravman.

Frans House is an on-campus housing which serves as a hub for the LGBTQ+ community at Bucknell University. The building, labeled as Tower House, was the former location of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity, until the fraternity was removed from campus due to disciplinary violations.

The LGBTQ+ community was moved to Tower House after the University demolished their former on campus residencean action which sparked controversy and protestsin order to build the new Management and Art History Building in 2018.

The fraternity members were slamming a metal bar into the flagpole where our pride flags hangs, banged on our doors and windows screaming to let them in because this not our house, pissed on our porch, and climbed on our roof attempting to get in through the bathroom window, said Carolyn Campbell, a resident of Frans House, in a public Instagram post.

Luong called Bucknells Public Safety and he and the other residents waited in anger and fear, for help to arrive. Upon arriving, the officers allegedly began reminiscing their college days with the fraternity members, shook their hands, referred to them handsome young men, and even promised to let them into the building after finals week, said Luong. The officers did not speak to a single resident of the house, said Campbell.

President Bravman, this isn't your typical incident on campus. One simple campus-wide email won't bring back the sense of safety that was stripped away from Fran's House, Luong states in the letterwhich Luong signed please help.

In response to the incident, Bucknell University released a statement of support for the LGBTQ+ community. It is clear from multiple accounts that the students violated the physical space and, far more importantly, the residents' sense of place and security. Further, it is equally clear that Bucknell Public Safety's response to the incident was lacking in myriad ways, said President Bravman in the statement.

According to the Bravman, the University has hired an outside firm to investigate the incident and submit a full report to the administration regarding the actions of the former fraternity members. An outside firm has been hired to investigate the response of the campus officers and the university plans to implement additional educational and professional development programs for Public Safety officers, according to the statement.

In response to the Universitys statement, the members of Frans House released a public statement asking for the University to establish Tower House the permanent location of the LGBTQ+ community and ensure the building is ADA-compliant. The statement also promises full compliance with the outside firms investigation, expressing a hope that Frans House residents will be adequately represented when the university makes decisions based on the outcome.

On Saturday, May 15, members of the campus and surrounding community took part in a March Against Toxic Masculinity in response to the incident. The event was, in large part, a demonstration meant to show support and solidarity with members of the LGBTQ+ community.

At this point, it is unknown what, if any, consequences the 20 former fraternity members and the public safety officers will face because of the incident.
Harrisburg, Pa. - First Lady Frances Wolf, alongside Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson, led a discussion about the COVID-19 vaccine and its effect on children during a Facebook Live event hosted by the Pennsylvania Commission for Women.

The event, entitled Vax Facts for Parents and Guardians, is the first in a series aimed at providing Pennsylvania communities with relevant and accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines and addressing the questions of concerned citizens.

The full event is available at Pa. Commission for Women

COVID-19 continues to affect us all, including our children, and if we truly want to see the other side of this pandemic, we have to keep making strides in vaccinating Pennsylvanians said First Lady Wolf.

A key piece to this, we know, is ensuring people have access to the best and most reliable information. Thats why this conversation is so important. We want parents to be informed, so that they can make the best decision for themselves, their families, and their communities.

The conversation comes on the heels of the Food and Drug Administrations announcement on Monday, May 10, that the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination meets its standards for 12- to 15-year-old children. A study of 2,260 adolescents found that the vaccine was 100 percent effective in protecting against symptomatic disease and did not present any major safety concerns.

On Wednesday, May 12, the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 14-0 (one member abstaining) to recommend the use of the vaccine for this age range. The CDCs director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, adopted the recommendation Wednesday evening.

A panel of Pennsylvania medical professionals joined Mrs. Wolf and Dr. Johnson to address various questions from citizens across the state. The panel included:

 The Philadelphia-based Twin Sister Docs, Dr. Delana Wardlaw, a Family Medicine Physician with Temple University Physicians, and Dr. Elana McDonald, a board-certified Pediatrician, and Chief Medical Officer and owner of three Philadelphia based outpatient practices;

 Dr. Nick Mulhearn, a pediatrician with Meadville Pediatrics;

 Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburghs Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine and Associate Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Dr. Johnson opened the discussion by explaining why it is important that children get vaccinated. She solidified her position by sharing why she got the COVID-19 vaccine and recommends it for adults and children.

I got the COVID-19 vaccine, because it protects me, my family and friends, and everyone around me, said Dr. Johnson.

Please strongly consider getting vaccinated if you have not already done so. If you have been vaccinated, encourage your loved ones to also take this step to protect themselves from COVID-19. Together, we are making tremendous progress in combating the virus.

Dr. Owusu-Ansah, who wrote about immunizing children for the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2016, pointed out that parents concerns then are the same concerns now.

She reiterated the usefulness of vaccines by expressing that, Immunizations only work if people get them. A pin-prick moment of discomfort, eased by a reassuring hug, can lead to a lifetime of well-being.

The conversation recognized vaccine hesitancy among parents who might not feel comfortable vaccinating their children, while also reassuring them of the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. The panelists broke down the approval process, explaining what Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is and how it applied to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Furthermore, the panel pointed to reliable sources of information and reiterated the importance of seeking guidance from credible medical professionals.

When looking at vaccine hesitancy, it is important to view how others interpret a situation and not try to cast judgement, but instead work towards a common understanding, said Dr. Mulhearn. So much of the COVID vaccine has been politicized, and the facts regarding the safety of the vaccine and the intent of the vaccine often get overlooked.

The Twin Sister Docs voiced their commitment to eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic, touting vaccinations as a key piece to the effort. In 2020, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States, said Dr. Wardlaw. With continued vaccination efforts, our goal is to eliminate COVID-19 from the list.

"Coronavirus continues to show us how deadly it can be, said Dr. McDonald. If we all get vaccinated, we can stop this disease.

Vax Facts panel discussions will continue to dive into topics around the COVID-19 vaccine, specifically highlighting vaccine hesitancy and the communities that it effects most.

The next conversation will be held on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 12 PM and will focus on vaccine safety related to fertility, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.

More details from todays event including the full video and information about the panelists can be found on Facebook. It will also be available on PAcast.
Bradford County, Pa.  Bradley Cordner, 35, of Monroeton was sentenced to 48 months to 108 months in a Pennsylvania State Correctional Facility, fines of $2,125, and court costs for a second-degree felony charge of theft by unlawful taking.

Cordner was also resentenced from his original sentence of State Intermediate Punishment for offenses of possession of a controlled substance, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession with intent to deliver.

Michael Harris, 33, of Canton was sentenced to incarceration in the Pennsylvania State Correctional Facility for four years to 20 years followed by probation supervision for a term of three years, and court costs. Harris will also have to register as a sexual offender for his lifetime for offenses of statutory sexual assault and indecent assault.

Mitch Johnson, 28, of Columbia Cross Roads, was sentenced to seven months 21 days to 60 months for a probation violation.

Johnsons probation was revoked. Johnsons offenses include flight to avoid apprehension, criminal trespassing, possession of drug paraphernalia, and flight to avoid apprehension.

John Johnson, 36, of Monroeton was sentenced to 36 months to 72 months incarceration in a Pennsylvania State Correctional Facility for the offense of person not to possess a firearm.

Tabitha S. Dunn, 36, of Monroeton was sentenced to three months to 24 months incarceration in the Bradford County Correctional Facility, fines of $1,000, and court costs for the offense of corruption of minors.

Sutin Schoonover was sentenced to 71 days to 12 months of incarceration in the Bradford County Correctional Facility for the charge of unlawful taking.
Rescuers from the Armed Police Yaan Detachment cut the steel rebar debris undeneath which a buried victim is located with a manual flame cutter in the Emergency Mission-2021 earthquake relief drill jointly organized by the earthquake relief headquarters office under the State Council, the Ministry of Emergency Management, and the Sichuan provincial government in Yucheng District, Ya'an City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 14, 2021. ( Photo by Li Xiaoshi)

CHENGDU, May16 -- On May 14, the Earthquake Relief Headquarters Office under the State Council, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), and the People's Government of Sichuan Province jointly held the Emergency Mission-2021 earthquake relief drill. The drill simulated a magnitude-7.5 earthquake strike in Yaan City, Sichuan Province, with the main piece of the drill taking place in Yaan and the rest in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, Panzhihua City, Leshan City, Aba Tibet and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Prefecture and Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

During the drill, the joint operations commanding center of the Central Military Commission and the joint operations commanding center under the PLA Western Theatre Command launched an emergency response in sync with the earthquake relief headquarters of Sichuan Province. The professional disaster relief troops of the PLA and the Peoples Armed Police (PAP) Force stationed in Sichuan, carrying heavy machinery, arrived at the drilling venues on motorized vehicles within two hours. At the same time, a Y-20 plane sent members of the China International Search and Rescue (CISAR) to Sichuan to conduct cross-region support.

At the simulated earthquake site with damaged roads and collapsed bridges, servicemen from a detachment of the PAP 2nd Mobile Contingent, with the help of driverless dozers, joined forces with workers from the Yaan Road & Bridge Company to conduct rush repair of the road; the surface relief detachment of an engineer brigade under the PLA 77th Group Army combined the 50-ton ferrying rafts at full speed to open a fast track for large machinery to join the relief work as soon as possible.

According to a leading official of the PLA Western Theater Command, the drill simulated scenarios on such subjects as real operational commanding, speedy delivery of troops, on-site force deployment and emergency management. The drill also witnessed participation of a large amount of new rescue equipment and coordination of different kinds of military and civil emergency rescue forces.

The drill highlighted ermergency response, force projection, search and rescue operations. The military and civil emergency planning systems, commanding and coordinating mechanisms, and rescue and relief capabilities got tested through the drill, said the official.
She claims that Cash was asleep in his bed when a suspect broke in through the back door and kidnapped her son.
Washington, DC - National President Patrick Yoes wrote a letter of support on behalf of the organizations 356,000 members for Erics Law, legislation introduced by Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) to bring justice to crime victims and their families.

Named for slain USP Canaan correctional officer, Eric Williams, Erics Law would amend current law to allow federal prosecutors to impanel a second jury for the sentencing phase of a federal death penalty case if the first jury fails to reach a unanimous decision.

When justice is not served in the murder of a Federal law enforcement officer, it sends a message throughout the ranks of law enforcement that their sacrifice, up to and including the loss of their own life, is meaningless, Yoes said in the letter.

At a time when law enforcement officers are being targeted with violence, I believe it is important that our nation's law enforcement officers have confidence that our criminal justice system will deliver justice to those who kill our officers. The bill you have proposed will do this," the letter continued.

US. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and US Reps. Glenn GT Thompson (PA-15), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Ralph Norman (SC-05), and Dan Crenshaw (TX-02) joined Keller in reintroducing Erics Law.

The legislation is also supported by the AFGE Council of Prison Locals 33, AFL-CIO and Voices of J.O.E.
Williamsport, Pa.  A Lycoming County Sheriff's deputy is accused in court records of seizing a backpack from a Williamsport man without a warrant.

In a recently filed motion, attorney Timothy Reitz argued that drug evidence seized from his client Abdul Ali Shuaib should be suppressed because it was illegally obtained.

Retiz's motion does not identify the deputy by name but Shuaib's docket sheet indicates that deputy Christopher Warden was the arresting officer.

Reitz said the unnamed deputy allegedly smelled marijuana on Shuaib while serving a Protection From Abuse order on him on Dec. 4.

The deputy ordered Shuaib to surrender the backpack, which contained marijuana and MDMA, according to the motion. Felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance charges were filed against Shuaib.

Shuaib claims the deputy had no probable cause to search him and seize his property in the first place.

"Defendant was not engaging in illegal activity and properly responded to Deputy," Reitz said. "Said search was illegal as there existed no exigent circumstances or warrant."

Reitz also argued that the Commonwealth had insufficient evidence to support the possession with intent to deliver charges against Shuaib.

The deputy testified that Shuaib did not possess multiple cell phones, any large quantity of money, any drug packaging materials or any scales, according to the motion.

"The Commonwealth failed to satisfy its burden and the charge of Possession with Intent to Deliver should be dismissed," Reitz said.

Arguments in the matter are scheduled for July 1 before President Judge Nancy L. Butts. Assistant District Attorney Eric Williams will represent the Commonwealth.

Docket sheet
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Rome, GA (30161)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 84F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely, especially in the evening. Low around 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Cedartown, GA (30125)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with scattered thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. High 84F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Hennessy the flying cat has not returned home yet, the fire department tweeted Friday. Neighbors near 65th and Lowe are out looking for the now famous feline. His owner says he is a house cat that did not go out. We will update if he is located.
None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin Hot test market, Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to the Times. That doesnt mean we dont celebrate Richard, but the facts do not support the urban legend. We value Richards many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers, but we do not credit the creation of Flamin Hot Cheetos or any Flamin Hot products to him.
Dell's XPS 13 version 9305 is currently the most affordable entry into the XPS universe. For just under 1,100 Euros (~$1,335), you get a Core i5, 512 GB of storage, and 8 GB of RAM. The main difference to the XPS 13 9310 is the 16:9 panel instead of a 16:10 one.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

Plenty of XPS for less money? We were eager to see how the latest 9305 with its 16:9 display would perform in the test. For this, we acquired the entry-level model for 999 Euros (~$1,212). At the moment, the price is 1,079 Euros (~$1,309), probably due to an increased demand.

And there's a good reason for that, because what comes across as a "low-cost XPS" is barely inferior to the "large" XPS 13 9310. The bright, vivid display shows colors excellently out of the box, but unfortunately, brightness is somewhat throttled on battery power. On the other hand, the case quality is identical to the 9310.

The performance of the Tiger Lake Core i5 is optimally utilized, something that can't be achieved by every test device with this SoC. The XPS 13 never really gets loud, not even in Dell's performance mode.

The M.2 SSD is upgradeable, but the RAM is not. This should be taken into account when buying the device, because the 8 GB of the review sample might become scarce in the foreseeable future. Especially when you go beyond office applications and web browsing. Unfortunately, a poor 720p webcam continues to be used.

All in all, the XPS 13 9305 is a well-rounded subnotebook that is only inferior to the 9310 in terms of its display size, which is ultimately a matter of taste.


Monday was Potters first court appearance since the day after she was charged. She has remained out of custody after posting bond in April. Potters second-degree manslaughter charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if the jury convicts. However, a plea deal would likely result in a lighter sentence.
A favorite of my late-spring trips is one I took a couple years ago to the northwest Chicago suburb of Woodstock, Illinois. Our accommodations were at an adorable bed and breakfast called the Cherry Tree Inn. I didnt realize it when the trip was first arranged, but we would be staying at a famous place  its wasnt just any bed and breakfast. It was a movie star.

The Cherry Tree Inn was featured in the 1993 movie "Groundhog Day," starring Bill Murray. I was staying with a group of fellow travel writers and one of them stayed in a room that appeared in the movie. Several other spots in Woodstock were also part of filming.

The community could just not be any more charming. It was absolutely the perfect Midwestern town for a feature film. Its one that would be an appropriate setting for every Hallmark holiday movie. Woodstock is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is recognized as a Distinctive Community Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and was named a Preserve America Community by the White House.

We spent one evening enjoying dinner at the Public House of Woodstock. It also happened to have made an appearance in "Groundhog Day" as the pub where the characters made a toast to world peace.
VALPARAISO  A jury awarded a Valparaiso woman $43.5 million after she was rear-ended by a semi-truck five years ago while waiting at a traffic light on Ind. 49 at Gateway Boulevard, according to her attorney, Kenneth J. Allen.

"The Krofts are a wonderful couple and the verdict recognized the enormity of their loss, although no amount of money is sufficient to compensate them for what theyve been through," Allen said.

The award came following last week's trial in Chicago, where the trucking firm, Viper Transportation, is located, he said.

Cynthia Kroft had just finished up a shift as an intensive care nurse on May 11, 2016 at what is now Northwest Health Porter hospital and was on her way to see her mother at a rehabilitation unit in Chesterton when the 11:40 p.m. crash occurred, Allen said. The crash resulted in Kroft returning to her hospital as a patient and then being transported to a Chicago-area hospital for further treatment.

Kroft, now 52, suffered injuries to her cervical spine, he said.

"We're thankful to the witnesses who were kind enough to travel from Indiana to testify," said attorney Otto Shragal, who tried the case with Allen.
Fire investigators were back at the home Monday, Escobedo said, later adding fire investigations usually take "a week or two."

Escobedo said he couldn't say for sure if the building is inhabitable, but no one will be allowed to enter the home at this time.

None of the children or staff from the home were injured in the fire. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, one to the ankle and the other to his wrist, but both are fine as of Monday, Escobedo said.

As of Sunday, children and staff from the Carmelite Home relocated to the Maria Teresa Tauscher Center along East 149th Street, behind the home.

In a Facebook post late Sunday, the Carmelite Home thanked the community for its "outpouring of love, support and prayers."

"Our hearts are heavy due to the devastation of our home today," the post read. "We are still assessing the damage and cause, but we are ever-grateful that no one was injured."

In wake of the fire, the Carmelite Home said it is "focused on providing for the children as we determine how to rebuild."
The Porter County Health Department stopped reporting case totals on weekends in March.

Statewide, 135,999 Hoosiers have tested positive for the virus, up 559 cases from the previous day.

Across the state line, Calumet City reported 3,857 cases, up five from the previous day. Lansing reported 3,439 cases, which was unchanged from the previous day, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Seven-day positivity rates in Northwest Indiana included 6.2% in Lake County, down from 6.4% the previous day; 6.5% in Porter County, up from 6.2%; 9.1% in LaPorte County, down from 10.7%; 4.7% in Newton County, up from 4.7%; and 9.1% in Jasper County, up from 7.6%.

Contact tracing can become difficult when the number exceeds 5%, and community spread is considered out of control when the positivity rate is greater than 10%.

A total of 39.6% of Indiana's total population have been fully vaccinated, up from 39.5% the previous day.

To date, 2,305,943 Hoosiers have been fully vaccinated, up by 6,707 from the day before, data showed.
That project could create 40 to 50 new jobs.

And more as the business grows, Reardon said.

He said the build-out work could start in June.

A $2.6 million build-out also has been planned for another manufacturing operation that could locate in that same facility.

Reardon said that company is estimated to invest about $3.5 million in equipment for the business.

That project could create about 30 new jobs, Reardon said.

Along the U.S. 30 corridor, an existing business is planning a more than $7 million redevelopment project. That initiative could create another 15 jobs at the business, Reardon said.

Representatives for each of the developments have gone before the towns Economic Development Committee asking for tax abatement, and the panel has been supportive of offering that incentive to them.

The matter now heads to the Town Council, which will consider granting initial approval to the abatement requests during the panels May 25 meeting.

The proposed industrial projects arent the only developments catching the councils attention.
Beth Cunningham, Park Place community manager, commented, Its really amazing to see the younger generation bring something to the older generation in a positive way and see the two generations connecting.

Rain, sleet, or snow, theyre out here praying, added Gena Ringo, Park Place activities director.

Among the residents outside during the students prayer service was Dorothy Van Zyl, who thought it was beautiful.

I cant explain how blessed they make me feel, Van Zyl said. Its a wonderful thing for these young children to learn about God and take it all in and see them grow into Christian boys and girls.

Heading to another section of Park Place, students were greeted by treats and handmade posters. One sign read: Your prayers help us get through.

Koontz, leading one of the prayers, said, Let us try to be encouraging in these difficult times. We hope people will be encouraged.

Students prayers really did mean a lot to staff and residents, said Ali Fuerstenberg, a director of life enrichment at Park Place.
Introduce your kids to mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the experience of being open and aware in the present moment, without passing judgment or letting the mind wander. Being more mindful is something that both grown-ups and children can practice, and it can help children identify and cope with tough emotions that they might experience during the first days of school or camp.

To get started, think about what your child is likely to be feeling during those initial days or weeks, then give them something they can do to make them feel better, advised Mary Louise Hemmeter, a professor of special education at Vanderbilt University.

For example, if you think your child might feel scared, tell them they can ask to sit with a friend or ask the teacher if they can sit near her in class. Just dont forget to give the teacher a heads-up.

Ann Densmore, an educational psychologist who has consulted at private and public schools for more than 25 years, said several kindergarten teachers she knows recommend parents show their kids a three-minute video titled Just Breathe, by Julie Bayer Salzman and Josh Salzman. It shows how some children use mindfulness when they get angry or anxious.

One little girl in the video compared these complex feelings to a jar full of glitter and water when its shaken. That would be how your mind looks, and its like spinning around and then you dont have any time to think, she said. After identifying these feelings, the kids describe how they try to find space to be alone and relax, and to take deep breaths, which helps them to calm down.

I think kids just need that mental downtime more than they did before the pandemic, Dr. Densmore said.

Establish a new routine.

If your children have been going to sleep later than usual during the pandemic and waking up late, start them on a new schedule at least a couple of weeks ahead of school or camp, the experts said.
A growing list of retailers, restaurants and theme parks will allow fully vaccinated customers and workers to go mask-free, following new coronavirus safety guidance from the federal government on May 13 that said vaccinated people rarely transmit the virus.

Heres the latest on companies that are changing their mask policies.

Amazon

Amazon, the e-commerce giant, said that starting on Monday, fully vaccinated warehouse workers would no longer be required to wear face coverings at work, unless mandated by state or local law. To be eligible to shed their masks, employees must be two weeks out from being fully vaccinated and show a copy of their vaccine card.

Costco

Costco, which has more than 500 U.S. stores, said it would allow fully vaccinated customers to go mask-free where state and local guidance allowed. The retailer said it would not require proof of vaccination but would ask for its customers responsible and respectful cooperation with this revised policy.

Disney parks

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida said that it was no longer requiring visitors to wear masks in most outdoor areas as of May 15, though masks are still required at indoor locations. Disneyland in California continues to require masks indoors and outdoors because of state mandates. Disneys chief executive, Bob Chapek, said on an earnings call that the company had begun to increase capacity and that the C.D.C.s new guidance is very big news for us, particularly if anybodys been in Florida in the middle of summer with a mask on. About 150 million people visited Disneys parks in 2019.
This interview contains major spoilers for Episode 5 of Mare of Easttown.

When Detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters) breezes into the grim, insular, working-class Pennsylvania community of Easttown, hes the young hot shot from county, sent to babysit the troubled detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) as she investigates the murder of a teenage mother.

But as the HBO limited series Mare of Easttown has unfolded, it has become clear in recent weeks that Colins instincts arent nearly as sharp as Mares. And for all of Mares embarrassing secrets, Colin has a few of his own  like the truth behind his role in the big case that made his reputation, and the sad revelation that he still lives with his mother.

He needs a win just as badly as Mare does.

So much for that win. In the shows shocking fifth episode, Colin and Mare near the end of the hour on the same redemptive arc, closing in on a suspect who may be responsible for the abduction and possible murder of several young local escorts. When they find their man, hes holed up in an abandoned corner tavern, where he has two of the missing women held under lock and key.

Just as things begin to get really tense: BAM! With one clean shot to the head, Colin is gone.

Fans of the show may still be reeling, but Peters seems perfectly happy to die for the cause.
The promotion of Richard Norland to be the Biden administrations special envoy for Libya may seem relatively insignificant when Israel is exploding and the Palestinians are dying and the administration is focusing most of its Middle East bandwidth on Iran and Yemen. But Libya has one distinct leg up on competing crises: Restoring some American credibility, leadership and sobriety could go a long way to stabilize the nation.

Thats why giving Mr. Norland, who is already our ambassador to Libya, added authority is an important sign that this administration is serious about supporting the political process intended to culminate in elections on Dec. 24.

After a decade of chaos, civil strife and foreign meddling following the downfall of the 42-year dictatorship of Muammar el-Qaddafi, theres now an actual chance to get the country back on its feet. The holy month of Ramadan passed without major incident, a single transitional government is in place, and most foreign and internal actors are at least nominally behind the process.

What could go wrong? Plenty. After so many years of upheaval and with a lot of oil under its seas of sand, any movement toward a political settlement in Libya is inherently fragile. Preparations for the elections are still mired in political maneuverings, and a troublesome array of outside powers  most notably Turkey, Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union  have put down markers on a say in any outcome, with a lot of foreign troops, weapons, drones and money sloshing around to back their claims.
He is actively working with community and city leadership to reinvest in and rebuild community safety systems, the mayors office said in a statement to WCCO. He is also working with Northside leadership on new targeted initiatives to interrupt and crack down on the gun violence that is devastating families and our community as a whole.
Officials at Bucknell University have ordered an investigation into what they described as a horrific episode of harassment targeting residents at a house for L.G.B.T.Q. students on its campus in Lewisburg, Pa., last week.

In a letter to students, the university said a group of men harassed and intimidated residents of Frans House, an affinity house for L.G.B.T.Q. students, and tried to break into the building on Thursday night. In interviews, residents said they were terrified and traumatized by the episode.

It is clear from multiple accounts that the students violated the physical space and, far more importantly, the residents sense of place and security, the universitys president, its provost and an associate provost wrote in the letter, dated Friday. We cannot erase the ugliness and subsequent trauma of last nights transgression against the students of Frans House and, implicitly, many others, but we can commit to addressing it in a way that protects L.G.B.T.Q. Bucknellians.

Tyler Luong, a junior who is a resident assistant, said he was in his room at Frans House studying for a final exam when someone texted a house group chat thread warning residents to lock their windows and doors.
About 80 people in a city in northwest Iowa were evacuated on Sunday afternoon after part of a Union Pacific train hauling hazardous materials, including fertilizer and asphalt, derailed and then caught fire, officials said.

The fire continued to burn on Monday morning.

The derailment of about 47 cars took place around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday in Sibley, said Robynn Tysver, a spokeswoman for Union Pacific. By 3 p.m., local officials had texted an evacuation order to people nearby, citing HAZMAT train derailment and fire.

There were no reports of injuries or fatalities, said Lucinda Parker, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The train was headed to North Platte, Neb., about 380 miles away, when it derailed, Ms. Tysver said on Monday. The affected cars were carrying asphalt, hydrochloric acid, which is often used to process steel, and potassium hydroxide  also known as lye. One of the cars had also been carrying liquid ammonia nitrate, a highly combustible fertilizer.
Jean Smart knows how to commit to a bit. Late into the shoot for Mare of Easttown, the grim HBO limited series in which Smart plays Helen, a plain-spoken great-grandmother with a Fruit Ninja habit, she had an idea. During a scene in which Helens daughter, Mare (Kate Winslet), leaves for a date, Smart thought that Helen should lean over the stair rail to spy on her.

The first take went well. So did the next few. Then Smart leaned out too far and tipped over the railing, tumbling down a flight of stairs and landing flat on her back. Winslet rushed to her side.

I thought shed broken every bone in her body, Winslet recalled in a recent phone interview. And all she could say on the floor was: This is a punishment because Im such a ham. Why do I [expletive] do it every time? Why I wont learn? Anything for a gag, anything for the laughs.

Winslet shushed her. But Smart had one more question: Did you get it on camera?

Smart, 69, isnt exactly an ingenue. I was never an ingenue, she said during a recent video call. During nearly four decades in the business, she has accumulated nine Emmy nominations  three for comedy, four for drama, two for limited series  and three wins, all of them for guest and supporting roles. But Hollywood seems to undervalue her for years at a time and then rediscover, with awe and pleasure, that she can really, truly, actually act.
Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, May 17-23. Details and times are subject to change.

Monday

THE NEST (2020) 5:20 p.m. on Showtime. Dont let the title fool you: The domestic setting of The Nest, the most recent feature from the writer-director Sean Durkin, is about the least snug home one could buy. And it would take more than a bundle of twigs to build. Set in the 1980s, the film casts Jude Law and Carrie Coon as a husband and wife who move from a relatively modest home in New York to a sprawling estate in the English countryside. Eventually, Allison (Coon), a horseback riding instructor, starts to realize that the familys new life is financially unsustainable, and that Rory (Law), a financier with lavish tastes, has been hiding key information about the new job that supposedly supports them. In technique, The Nest is severe but unimpeachable, from the carefully paralleled shots of Law awaking Coon at different houses to the Cesca chairs that subtly signify comfort (and time period) at family meals, Ben Kenigsberg wrote in his review for The New York Times. While Durkins writing doesnt always match his formal flair, Kenigsberg added, the film has a bracing economy, cramming a lot into tight quarters.

Tuesday

ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945) 5 p.m. on TCM. Atmospheric and terrifying are two adjectives one would traditionally use to describe this scary black-and-white movie produced by the horror impresario Val Lewton  but in 2021, relatable might also be a fitting word. The supernatural story, set during the Balkan wars that began in 1912, follows a group of people quarantined on a Greek island after a death apparently caused by a plague.

Wednesday

LIFE AT THE WATERHOLE 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Most nature documentaries chase down the creatures they cover; this one lets the animals come to it. The producers of Life at the Waterhole went to Tanzania and rigged a water hole in the savanna with a network of high-resolution cameras, recording the wildlife that used it during different times of the year. The conservation scientist M. Sanjayan hosts.
Just three weeks after W.W. Norton dropped its Philip Roth biography, following accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against its author, Blake Bailey, the book has found a new home.

On Monday, Skyhorse Publishing  an independent press that last year released Michael Cohens memoir as well as one by Woody Allen that had been dropped by his previous publisher  said that it acquired Philip Roth: The Biography. In a news release, it said it would publish the book in paperback on June 15, and would release e-book and audiobook versions as soon as possible, likely this week.

Tony Lyons, the president and publisher of Skyhorse, said in an email on Monday that a biography must be judged by the quality of the writing, the importance of the subject matter, and the value of the scholarship, and that Mr. Baileys book met those standards.

This is obviously an important and comprehensive book about an author The New Yorker called a literary genius, he said, adding, Im proud to publish it.
I didnt plan to review Jim Shepards new novel. I had another book in mind.

But then I picked up Phase Six on a whim and devoured the first 100 pages before I knew what was happening. If Id been in a bookstore, Id have sat on the floor. So I set the other book aside. This turned out to be a mistake: In its second half, alas, this one rolls over and expires.

Phase Six is a pandemic novel, one that Shepard wrote before the outbreak of Covid-19. Its about events that transpire after two boys trespass on a mining site in Greenland. They inhale something unholy in the thawing permafrost and unwittingly carry it back to their village. Within a few weeks, a new virus  or a very old one  has saturated the planet.

Like a lot of people, I have a sweet tooth for apocalyptic narratives. Shepard efficiently gets his off the ground. Things get dark quickly. He nails the scientific details, but also the cultural ones.

In Lawrence Wrights pandemic novel, The End of October, which came out a year ago, Taylor Swift and Brad Pitt die. In Shepards book, something more unimaginable happens: Amazon is unable to ship (though Alexa can still list where riots are happening in real time).
3. Families with young children

These are some of the hardest cases, because children under 12 seem to be months away from being vaccinated.

There are a few reassuring facts for these families. First, in many of the places where children spend time, Covid transmission is uncommon. It is extremely rare outdoors, and springtime is a good time to be outdoors. The number of outbreaks in schools has also been quite low worldwide, perhaps because children may be less likely to infect others even when they have Covid.

Most reassuring is the fact that Covid is no more serious for children on average than the flu. I have written an article, with charts, that goes into more detail. As I explain, some parents may still choose to be extremely cautious, while others will be more comfortable with normalcy. Both decisions are defensible. Heres an interview from that article:

Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins, told me that she viewed decisions about childrens activities as a matter of personal choice that different parents would make differently. In her family, she said she was worried about how a year of pandemic life had hurt her children, by making them less comfortable in social situations. Once all the adults are vaccinated, she plans to restart more activities. I can accept the risks of my kids getting Covid, in part because I compare it to the risk of them getting other infectious diseases and the risk seems very, very small, Dr. Nuzzo said. I feel that if my kids were to get Covid, they would be OK. I also see the direct harms of their not having a normal life.

4. The unvaccinated

About 40 percent of U.S. adults have not yet received a vaccine shot. For the country to reduce that number as rapidly as possible, its important to acknowledge reality: The vast majority are unvaccinated by choice.

They do not have health problems that prevent them from getting a shot, and they have not been stymied by the logistics of getting a shot. Yes, there are people in both of those groups, and they will need special help as society begins to reopen. Among other things, the Biden administration, state officials and employers will need to keep pushing to make vaccination even more convenient.

But the much larger issue is vaccine skepticism.

In the most recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 15 percent of adults said they did not want to get a shot until they knew more about how it affected other people. Another 6 percent said they would get a shot only if required (say, by their employer), and an additional 13 percent said they would definitely not get a shot. Put those three numbers together, and you get 34 percent  which, again, accounts for most of the unvaccinated 40 percent.

Unvaccinated people do face some additional risk from the hypothetical example that many people have been talking about since the C.D.C. changed its guidelines: the unvaccinated person who was wearing a mask in stores and avoiding restaurants until last week but no longer will.
Israel-Gaza diplomacy stalls

Israel pounded targets in Gaza overnight and Hamas continued to unleash a barrage of rockets at towns across southern Israel as the conflict settles into a steady routine, with levels of violence not seen since 2014  a seven-week conflict that claimed 2,200 lives, rendered large areas of the Gaza Strip uninhabitable and paralyzed Israels south.

On Sunday, diplomats and international leaders were unable to mediate a cease-fire, and the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a joint response to the bloodshed. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is trying to negotiate a humanitarian pause to help Palestinians who have been forced from their homes. Similar efforts in the past have been a key first step toward winding down hostilities.

Many of Israels military attacks are meant to destroy what it calls the Hamas metro system, an underground network of tunnels. It is also targeting a less-discussed and murkier threat: Hamass naval commando units.

For its part, Hamas has fired at least 160 rockets at Tel Aviv  a largely liberal and secular beachside city and financial hub  in retaliation for what the group said were Israeli airstrikes against civilian buildings.
When the pandemic started last spring, Di Fara, one of New York Citys storied pizza joints, had the same question as countless restaurants nationwide: How would it make any money when customers werent allowed through its doors?

One answer quickly emerged: Ship frozen (and slightly smaller) versions of its classic pies across the country in partnership with the eight-year-old e-commerce platform Goldbelly.

Sales picked up so much that Di Fara converted its two-year-old second location, in a food hall, to essentially be a Goldbelly production line. Margaret Mieles, the daughter of Di Faras founder, who had already struck an agreement with Goldbelly in December 2019, credits the platform with helping the pizzeria avoid layoffs.

It isnt just iconic pizzerias that have relied on Goldbelly to survive lockdown orders. More than 400 of the 850 restaurants that sell food on Goldbellys platform have joined since the start of the pandemic, an influx that the company says has more than quadrupled sales over the past 12 months.
It creates jobs connecting every American with high-speed internet, including 35 percent of the rural America that still doesnt have it, Mr. Biden said of his plan in an address to Congress last month. This is going to help our kids and our businesses succeed in the 21st-century economy.

Mr. Biden has received both criticism and praise for pushing to expand the scope of infrastructure to include investments in child care, health care and other priorities beyond the concrete-and-steel projects that the word normally calls to mind. But ensuring internet access is broadly popular. In a recent survey conducted for The New York Times by the online research platform SurveyMonkey, 78 percent of adults said they supported broadband investment, including 62 percent of Republicans.

Businesses, too, have consistently supported broadband investment. Major industry groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the National Association of Manufacturers have all released policy recommendations in the last year calling for federal spending to help close the digital divide.

Quantifying that divide, and its economic cost, is difficult, in part because there is no agreed-upon definition of broadband. The Federal Communications Commission in 2015 updated its standards to a minimum download speed of 25 megabits per second. The Department of Agriculture sets its standard lower, at 10 megabits per second. A bipartisan group of rural-state senators asked both agencies this year to raise their standards to 100 megabits per second. And speed-based definitions dont take into account other issues, like reliability and latency, a measure of how long a signal takes to travel between a computer and a remote server.
Beginning last August, either Blocton or someone working on her behalf used fake Facebook accounts to harass a litigant who complained about her behavior, according to the charges. One of the messages said: Because you have prophesied when I did not send you, and because you caused my people to believe in a lie, you and your descendants will be punished, the complaint said.
Jason Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive of WarnerMedia, according to two people briefed on the matter. AT&T, which owns WarnerMedia, said on Monday that it had agreed to spin off the division and merge it with a rival media company, Discovery Inc.

Mr. Kilar was kept in the dark about the deal until recent days, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

A spokeswoman for WarnerMedia declined to comment.

The new company will be run by David Zaslav, 60, a media veteran and the longtime chief executive of Discovery. Mr. Zaslav and AT&Ts chief executive, John Stankey, had met over the last few months secretly from my brownstone in Greenwich Village, Mr. Zaslav said on a call with reporters on Monday.

Mr. Kilar, 50, was hired to run AT&Ts media group only last year. He formerly held senior jobs at Hulu and Amazon.
Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical company, said on Monday that it would move the experimental Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with GlaxoSmithKline into a late-stage trial after the shot produced strong immune responses in volunteers in a midstage study.

The findings are encouraging for a vaccine that has fallen behind in development and has so far disappointed those expecting that it would be crucial in combating the pandemic. If the vaccine can become available in the last three months of this year, as its developers hope, it could still play a central role as a booster shot as well as an initial inoculation in the developing world, where the pace of vaccination is lagging.

The vaccine hit a major setback in December, when its developers announced that it did not appear to work well in older adults and that they would have to delay plans to test it in a Phase 3 trial, the crucial test that will assess the vaccines effectiveness.

But the companies modified the vaccine and in February began testing it in a Phase 2 study that included more than 700 volunteers in the United States and Honduras between 18 and 95 years old. Sanofi said the vaccine did not raise any safety concerns and produced a strong immune response across age groups, a finding suggesting it has been successfully tweaked.
Many of the European tariffs targeted the constituencies of powerful Republicans. The duties on whiskey hit makers of bourbon in Kentucky, home of Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader. The planned increases would have raised the tariff on whiskey to 50 percent, forcing many small producers out of the European market, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, an industry group.

Distillers across the United States are breathing a huge sigh of relief, Chris Swonger, the councils president, said in a statement. We greatly appreciate the Biden administrations ongoing efforts to resolve these longstanding trade disputes and reduce the economic pain felt by those industries unfairly caught in the middle.

The association that represents U.S. steel makers was more restrained, emphasizing that the talks should focus on the problem of subsidies that encourage companies to produce more steel than the market can absorb, pushing down prices.

While China is the single largest source of global steel oversupply, subsidies and other market distorting policies in many countries are contributing to the overcapacity crisis, Kevin Dempsey, president of the American Iron and Steel Institute, said in a statement. Injurious surges in imports have come from every region of the world.

The announcement Monday was the most recent sign of gradual improvement in trade relations since Mr. Biden took office, and comes ahead of a planned visit by the president to Europe in June.

In March, the United States and the European Union temporarily suspended tariffs on billions of dollars of each others aircraft, wine, food and other products as they worked to settle a long-running dispute involving Boeing and Airbus, the two leading airplane manufacturers. The United States also temporarily suspended retaliatory tariffs against British products like Scotch whisky that had been imposed as part of the dispute over aircraft subsidies.

Trade officials will discuss how to address a global supply glut that poses a serious threat to the market-oriented E.U. and U.S. steel and aluminum industries and the workers in those industries, Katherine Tai, the U.S. trade representative; Gina M. Raimondo, the secretary of commerce; and Mr. Dombrovskis said in a joint statement Monday.
Albanian cuisine  woven from threads of Balkan, Mediterranean and Ottoman traditions  features dishes like stuffed vegetables, phyllo pastries, meatballs and yogurt. For more details transmitted straight from Albania, the Museum of Food and Drink and the Greene Space have organized a virtual 90-minute talk and a cooking demonstration. Representatives from RRNO, a group of Albanian chefs with a mission to preserve and promote the cuisine, will discuss it and demonstrate two recipes at the end.

Albanian Gastronomy: From Identity Dilemma to Rural Renaissance, Museum of Food and Drink, 7 p.m., May 27, tickets, $20, mofad.org.
It is not yet clear what options parents who are not ready to return to classrooms will have. The mayor has vowed to end the logistical morass of hybrid learning, which required alternating sets of students to cycle in and out of school buildings to allow for distancing. But as the virus situation has improved and good news about vaccines has piled up, he and Ms. Porter have been vague about the scope of online learning come fall.

Its likely that there will be some kind of remote schooling, even if its limited to a small number of students who might be eligible because of vulnerable family members or medical or psychological reasons. The city might run such a program out of the Department of Educations central office, or group remote students and teachers geographically, rather than having individual schools create their own remote options. Most Democratic candidates for mayor indicated last week during their first official debate that they would not support a full-time remote option this fall.

Even if all students return to school buildings, most schools will be able to fit them in classrooms  though not necessarily cafeterias and other common spaces  despite guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to maintain at least three feet of distancing, according to city and union officials. Still, experts said distancing may not be necessary at all as long as other safety measures like masking, frequent testing and good air circulation are maintained.

The C.D.C. has advised that schools maintain masking and distancing protocols through at least the end of this school year, though its possible middle and high schools will be able to loosen some of those protocols this fall for vaccinated students.

Mr. de Blasio said recently that the city was not planning to require eligible students to get a vaccine, but officials said the city would work with schools and pediatricians to help with parental consent and other logistics.

But vaccines alone will not get schools back to normal. Roughly 28 percent of teachers have been granted medical accommodations to work from home through June, which has prompted some large high schools in particular to offer only remote learning, even from physical classrooms.

That phenomenon, a glaring symbol of the contortions that hybrid learning has forced on schools, has been especially pronounced at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, where in-person students, monitored by aides, are taking classes taught virtually by teachers who are not physically in the classroom with them. Roughly 40 percent of teachers at Murrow, where Ms. Gomess daughter is a sophomore, are currently out on accommodation, among the highest percentages of any city school.
Rudolph W. Giuliani on Monday opened a broad attack on the searches that federal investigators conducted of his home, his office and his iCloud account, asking a judge to block any review of the seized records while his lawyers determine whether there was a legitimate basis for the warrants, according a court filing made public on Monday.

Mr. Giulianis lawyers are seeking copies of the confidential government documents that detail the basis for the search warrants, a legal long shot that they hope could open the door for them to argue for the evidence to be suppressed. Typically, prosecutors only disclose such records after someone is indicted and before a trial, but Mr. Giuliani, who is under investigation for potential lobbying violations, has not been accused of wrongdoing.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment on Monday.

In a 17-page letter to the judge who authorized the searches, Mr. Giulianis lawyers argued that it would have been more appropriate  and less invasive  for the U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan to seek information through a subpoena, which, unlike a warrant, would have given him an opportunity to review the documents and respond.

Justice Department policy recommends that prosecutors use subpoenas when seeking information from lawyers, unless there is a concern about destruction of evidence.
When the pandemic reached Europe in the early months of 2020, it was every country for itself. France, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic rapidly introduced export bans on medical equipment. Italy, where the outbreak was most devastating, was forced to rely on supplies from China. Borders closed one after another.

That was not how the European Union was supposed to work. Dry, legalistic and technocratic, the union is not meant to be about politics at all  its supposed to be about competent policymaking, conducted above the narrow interests of national states. After the disarray of the first few months, the E.U. formulated plans for a continentwide Covid-19 vaccine strategy. If the initial response to the pandemic had been chaotic and partial, the route out would be coordinated and comprehensive.

It didnt work out that way. By the third week of May, the United States and Britain had administered over 80 doses per 100 inhabitants; the E.U. had managed 43.6 doses per 100 residents. Slow to start, subject to shortages in supply and in some cases poorly targeted, the continents vaccine rollout has been disastrous. The result has been a long and drawn-out third wave of the virus, leading to lockdowns, economic contraction and many deaths.

For the E.U.s supporters, the failure has been exceptional. Many, such as the blocs health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, blame AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish company whose jab has been held up by supply problems. (The E.U. itself has filed two lawsuits against AstraZeneca for alleged breach of contract.) But the truth is very different: The E.U., from agriculture to its single currency, does not specialize in policy success. In fact, a certain kind of failure is baked into its institutional DNA. The vaccine debacle is only the most recent and devastating example.
The framers of Israels Declaration of Independence defined Israel as both Jewish and democratic: the homeland of all Jews, whether or not they were Israeli citizens; the state of all its citizens, whether or not they were Jews. An Israel that would no longer regard itself as a continuity of the Jewish story and protector of the worlds vulnerable Jews would lose its soul; an Israel that would no longer aspire to fulfill democratic values would lose its mind.

Balancing those two increasingly contentious but foundational elements of our national identity defines my Israeli commitment. There are voices on the left and the right who call for abolishing either Israels Jewish identity or its democratic identity. I stand with the large, if embattled, camp of political centrists that insists on holding both. We know that Israels long-term viability depends on managing the tensions inherent in our identity and reality.

For Israelis to form a shared civic identity, Jews need to fulfill Israels founding promise to grant full equality to all citizens and reassure Arabs that Israeli is not a synonym for Jew. Arabs need to come to terms with the fact that Israel will not abandon its Jewish identity and commitments.

In my building in Jerusalems French Hill neighborhood, nearly half the families are Arab Israeli. They are lawyers, doctors, civil servants, who bought apartments here because they want their share of the Israeli dream. The violence that erupted in the poor mixed neighborhoods would be unthinkable in middle-class French Hill. When Arabs and Jews meet in the parking lot, we sigh and reassure each other that things will get better because they always do and we have no choice.

Most Israelis  Arabs and Jews  are practiced in the habit of decency. But we are also practiced in self-justification. We know the routines of neighborliness, but rarely consider the others reality. We avoid the hard questions that threaten our certainties, our insistence on the absolute justice of our side. What is it like to be a Palestinian citizen of a Jewish state that occupies your family? What is it like to be a Jew who has finally come home, only to live under constant siege?

The current violence wasnt triggered by any one event but, in part, by our inability to ask those questions. Perhaps we can begin building a better Israel from that place of shared brokenness.

Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is author, most recently, of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor.
Imagine an alternative universe in which an enlightened Israeli government did almost everything progressive America demanded of it.

An immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza. An end to Israeli controls over the movement of goods into the territory. A halt to settlement construction in the West Bank. Renunciation of Israels sovereign claims in East Jerusalem. Fast-track negotiations for Palestinian statehood, with the goal of restoring the June 4, 1967, lines as an internationally recognized border.

Oslo would be placing phone calls to Jerusalem and Ramallah in October, to bestow the Nobel Peace Prize on the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Arab states such as Saudi Arabia would establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel. The international community would agree on a multibillion-dollar aid package for the new state of Palestine.

But there would be flies in this ointment.

Damascus would refuse to recognize Israel until it agreed to return the Golan Heights, which even the most left-wing Israeli government would refuse to do, given Bashar al-Assads record of brutality and Irans extensive military presence in Syria.
So yes, Hamas is bad. Perhaps we in Israel should have been more careful. And especially now, we need to be.

Daniel Sherman

Modiin, Israel

The writer is a former senior general staff officer in the Israel Defense Forces who dealt with strategic planning issues and the peace process.

To the Editor:

Re The U.S. Should Condition Aid to Israel on Reducing Conflict (column, May 13):

Nicholas Kristof is right when he mentions that Israel once allowed the rise of Hamas as a counterweight to the Palestine Liberation Organization. But Israel did much more than allow.

In 1981, Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Segev, Israels military governor of Gaza, told me that he was giving money to the Muslim Brotherhood, the precursor of Hamas, on the instruction of the Israeli authorities. The funding was intended to tilt power away from both Communist and Palestinian nationalist movements in Gaza, which Israel considered more threatening than the fundamentalists.

Judging by a distressed phone call I got later from the army spokesman, General Segevs superiors were not happy with his disclosure of a practice that did not look very clever, even at the time. They thought incorrectly  but apparently wished  that he had made his comments off the record.
I heard two loud explosions, so I turned around and looked south because I was facing north, and I looked up and seen two big ole fireballs go in the air kind of like a mushroom-style when the big ole smoke got into the air, the resident told KRIS.
The company said in a statement that it followed the laws in China and did everything it could to keep the data of customers safe. We have never compromised the security of our users or their data in China or anywhere we operate, the company said.

An Apple spokesman said that the company still controlled the keys that protect the data of its Chinese customers and that Apple used its most advanced encryption technology in China  more advanced than what it used in other countries.

Apple added that it removed apps only to comply with Chinese laws. These decisions are not always easy, and we may not agree with the laws that shape them, the company said. But our priority remains creating the best user experience without violating the rules we are obligated to follow.

Mr. Cook declined an interview for this article. In public appearances, he has said that while he often disagrees with Chinas laws, the world is better off with Apple in China.

Your choice is: Do you participate? Or do you stand on the sideline and yell at how things should be? he said at a conference in China in 2017. My own view very strongly is: You show up and you participate. You get in the arena, because nothing ever changes from the sideline.

No Plan B

In 2014, Apple hired Doug Guthrie, the departing dean of the George Washington University business school, to help the company navigate China, a country he had spent decades studying.

One of his first research projects was Apples Chinese supply chain, which involved millions of workers, thousands of plants and hundreds of suppliers. The Chinese government made that operation possible by spending billions of dollars to pave roads, recruit workers, and construct factories, power plants and employee housing.
Over two decades, Apple built the worlds most valuable company on top of China. It now assembles nearly all of its products in the country and generates a fifth of its sales there. In turn, the Chinese government has pressured Apple executives to make compromises that flout the values they espouse.

An investigation by The New York Times revealed how Apple has risked its Chinese customers data and aided the Chinese governments censorship. Here are five takeaways:

Apple stores customer data on Chinese government servers.

In response to a 2017 Chinese law, Apple agreed to move its Chinese customers data to China and onto computers owned and run by a Chinese state-owned company.

Chinese government workers physically control and operate the data center. Apple agreed to store the digital keys that unlock its Chinese customers information in those data centers. And Apple abandoned the encryption technology it uses in other data centers after China wouldnt allow it.

Independent security experts and Apple engineers said Apples concessions would make it nearly impossible for the company to stop Chinese authorities from gaining access to the emails, photos, contacts, calendars and location data of Apples Chinese customers.
Anti-abortion activists across the country expressed optimism on Monday that they might be on the cusp of achieving a long-held goal of the movement: overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that extended federal protections for abortion.

The Supreme Court announced on Monday morning that it would consider in its next term a case from Mississippi that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of gestation, with narrow exceptions. The case is a direct challenge to the 1973 ruling, which prevents states from banning abortion before fetal viability  around 23 or 24 weeks of gestation.

It is the first abortion case under the courts new 6-3 conservative majority, and activists expressed hope that this case would be the one to remove federal protections for the procedure. Such a ruling would give the right to regulate abortions at any point in pregnancy back to the states, many of which in the South and Midwest have imposed tough restrictions.

Theres a great sense of inspiration across the country right now, said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life. This is the best court weve had in my lifetime, and we hope and pray that this is the case to do it.
The Maricopa supervisors had resisted the audit since its inception in December, asking a court to decide whether the State Senate could legally take control of election records and equipment governed by strict security safeguards. They had insisted throughout that the countys election  in which Joseph R. Biden Jr. earned a slim majority of 2.1 million total votes  had been among the most secure and smooth in the states history.

But they were pushed past the breaking point by a letter last week from State Senator Karen Fann, the Senate president, that implied that someone in the county had illegally removed critical election files from equipment and software that the Senate had subpoenaed for examination.

The supervisors learned of the claim when it was posted on a Twitter feed controlled by the review team. Ms. Fanns letter asked the supervisors to address that and other concerns in a meeting with state senators and a liaison to the firms conducting the review  a meeting that was to be livestreamed by the far-right cable channel One America News.

This board was going to be part of a political theater, one Republican supervisor and former chairman of the board, Bill Gates, said. The Arizona Senate is better than that. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is better than that. And I am not going to be a part of that.

Mr. Trump had seized on the deleted-file claim over the weekend, calling it devastating evidence of irregularities in the vote. That led the countys top election official, Stephen Richer, to call Mr. Trumps online comment unhinged.
Four years after winning the governorship, however, Mr. Roemer, by then running for re-election as a Republican, found himself boxed out of power in large part by the unsettling rise of David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader who was also running for governor as a Republican. Mr. Edwards and Mr. Duke placed first and second, respectively, in the states open primary system, advancing to a runoff and dealing Mr. Roemer a blow from which his political career never recovered. (Mr. Edwards defeated Mr. Duke in the runoff to capture a nonconsecutive fourth term.)

He never really fit in any party completely, Chas Roemer said of his father. It probably added to his downfall politically. But thats who he was.

Charles Elson Roemer III was born on Oct. 4, 1943, to Charles and Adeline (McDade) Roemer in the north Louisiana city of Shreveport. He grew up nearby, outside Bossier City, La., where his family owned a cotton plantation. He enrolled at Harvard University at age 16 and studied government and economics as an undergraduate. He later earned a masters in business administration there.

After college, he returned to north Louisiana to help run the family farming operation, but he was never too far from politics. He helped found a computer company that provided data analysis to companies and political campaigns and founded the first of a number of banks he would be involved with over the years.

Both Mr. Roemer and his father worked on Mr. Edwardss first successful campaign for governor, in 1971-72, in which Mr. Edwards presented himself as a reform candidate. (He would later push through a rewrite of the states cumbersome constitution.)
They waited more than 50 years to put on their caps and gowns: That rite of passage had been denied to the members of the Class of 1970 at what is now Jackson State University in Mississippi, after a deadly police shooting at the historically Black college that spring brought their college years to an abrupt end.

Their graduation was canceled.

But on Saturday, the group of more than 400 former students had the chance to hear their names called and to walk across a stage.

They received more than their diplomas: City and state officials apologized for the violence that had claimed the lives of two people and wounded a dozen others after local police and state highway patrol officers opened fire while responding to campus protests over racial injustice on the night of May 14, 1970.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba of Jackson said during the ceremony that it was long overdue for the city to accept responsibility for the bloodshed.
If the public sees judges as politicians in robes, he said, its confidence in the courts, and in the rule of law itself, can only diminish, diminishing the courts power.

Artemus Ward, the author of Deciding to Leave: The Politics of Retirement From the United States Supreme Court, said Justice Breyer might stay on to shield the court from charges of partisanship.

Breyer is a justice who is with the chief justice in trying to protect the institution, said Professor Ward, a political scientist at Northern Illinois University. Justices care about the court, and the court is arguably very vulnerable right now.

This is a guy who I believe is not going to retire, he said of Justice Breyer.

If judges were truly apolitical, they would not time their departures with politics in mind. But they do, at least on the lower federal courts, according to a new study that looked at retirements among federal judges before and after elections in which a president of a different political party gained control of the White House.

When the presidency changes from the opposite party of the president who appointed the judge to the same party, judges are substantially more likely to retire just after the election than just before the election, said Ross M. Stolzenberg, a demographer at the University of Chicago, who conducted the study with James T. Lindgren, a law professor at Northwestern. (The effect was somewhat stronger for judges appointed by Republican presidents.)

I was absolutely stunned by this, Professor Stolzenberg said. I guess I should be surprised that I was surprised. But Id like to think that judges are not political.

The Constitution grants federal judges life tenure to insulate them from politics. But it seems that politics plays a role at both the beginning and the end of their careers, not only during what has become a brutally partisan confirmation process but also in retirement decisions.
President Biden marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Monday by calling on dozens of countries  and half of the states in the union  to strengthen anti-discrimination protections for the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

Both Covid-19 and rising authoritarianism around the world continue to widen economic, social and safety gaps for LGBTQI+ people  and an epidemic of violence still rages, with a particular impact on the transgender community, Mr. Biden said in a statement commemorating the day, which takes place on the anniversary of the World Health Organizations move in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

Around the world, some 70 countries still criminalize same-sex relationships, he said. And here at home, LGBTQI+ Americans still lack basic protection in 25 states, and they continue to face discrimination in housing, education and public services.

The number cited by Mr. Biden refers to states that do not offer basic safeguards against discrimination, according to a report by the Movement Advancement Project, a nonpartisan think tank that analyzes local and state L.G.B.T.Q. laws.
Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver the keynote address on Wednesday at a virtual event intended to encourage a group of eight Democratic senators of color to work closer together on behalf of minority communities.

The event, hosted by the AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee focused on mobilizing Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters, comes amid a rise in reports of violence against Asian-Americans during the pandemic. Ms. Harris, whose mother was Indian, is the first vice president of Asian descent, and she is expected to address her heritage during her speech.

Event organizers also expect Ms. Harris to focus on the political power Asian-American voters wield  they turned out in record numbers during the last presidential election  as well as on the potential of minority lawmakers working together.

I imagine shell touch on the fact that in order to stay unified, we need to build an allyship with other people of color and other underrepresented groups, Varun Nikore, the president of the AAPI Victory Fund, said in an interview. We need the broader spirit of partnering with other communities in this country, because most of our issues are the same.
The mans identity has not been released as the investigation is still ongoing, but Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said authorities feel we have the right person in custody. The suspect was the second person to be questioned in the case after officers in a police helicopter reportedly spotted someone setting fires in the area Friday night.
But critics say that the exemptions to the travel ban are unevenly applied and still risk spreading the virus. American citizens and permanent residents, for instance, can travel freely, while people who are fully vaccinated, test negative or quarantine before and after flying cannot. The administration has not indicated when or under what circumstances it would lift the restrictions.

They just put the same blanket ban for India that they were using in the Trump administration, said Greg Siskind, an immigration lawyer who is suing the Biden administration over the State Departments inability to issue visas in countries experiencing lockdowns. This was the same style ban that President Biden said last March was ineffective and was a bad idea.

The United States has restricted entry from a number of countries, but the most recent ban has had a disproportionate effect on Indians in the United States given that Indian citizens claim more than two-thirds of H-1B visas issued each year. Including those on other kinds of nonimmigrant visas, immigration lawyers estimate that thousands of Indians living in the United States have been affected.

Some traveled to India when coronavirus case counts were low to renew their visas or see family. Others went to care for sick or dying relatives. Now some are unable to secure even emergency appointments to renew their visas at the embassy in New Delhi or any of the four U.S. consulates in India.

In late April, Gaurav Chauhan traveled to Agra to care for his father, who was hospitalized with the coronavirus. He is now separated from his wife and two children, who live in Atlanta.

Image Ms. Raj, who had traveled with her family to renew her visa, is one of thousands of immigrants to the United States stuck in India. Credit... Payal Raj

As a parent of American citizens who are minors, Mr. Chauhan is exempt from the ban, but he has been unable to make an emergency appointment on the State Departments website to renew his visa. His employer, a software company, has temporarily allowed Mr. Chauhan, who works in human resources, to do his job overseas. But others in similar situations say they have been asked to leave their jobs.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Native American Rights Fund filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging two new election laws in Montana as unconstitutional infringements on Native Americans right to vote.

Montana legislators enacted the laws  H.B. 176, which eliminated same-day voter registration, and H.B. 530, which restricted ballot collection  this spring, amid a national Republican push to tighten voting regulations in connection with President Donald J. Trumps false claims of election fraud.

The lawsuit argues that the measures in Montana, where an estimated 6.5 percent of the population is Native American and district courts struck down another ballot collection restriction last year, are part of a broader scheme to disenfranchise Native voters. It argues that the laws violate the right to vote, freedom of speech and equal protection under the Montana Constitution.

The legislature knows that Native Americans are very distant from registration opportunities, said Jacqueline De Leon, a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund. They know that they have a very limited window to register and vote on the reservation, and they know that so many homes dont receive residential mail delivery, and so they are again, I think, taking advantage of those barriers and amplifying them.
The exception had never been used, and on Monday the court did away with it.

It is time  probably long past time  to make explicit what has become increasingly apparent to bench and bar over the last 32 years: New procedural rules do not apply retroactively on federal collateral review, Justice Kavanaugh wrote. The watershed exception is moribund.

Justice Kavanaugh added: Continuing to articulate a theoretical exception that never actually applies in practice offers false hope to defendants, distorts the law, misleads judges and wastes the resources of defense counsel, prosecutors and courts.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Amy Coney Barrett joined the majority opinion.

In dissent, Justice Elena Kagan said last years decision in Ramos had insisted on a fundamental change in the law to ensure fair procedures and to address racial injustice. If you were scanning a thesaurus for a single word to describe the decision, she wrote, you would stop when you came to watershed.

Justice Kagan had dissented in Ramos, saying a 1972 precedent had required her to vote that way. On Monday, on similar grounds, she criticized the majority for its treatment of the Teague decision.

Seldom has this court so casually, so offhandedly, tossed aside precedent, she wrote. In its page of analysis, the majority offers just one ground for its decision  that since Teague, the court has not identified a new rule as watershed, and so the purported exception has become an empty promise.

But even viewed in the abstract, that argument does not fly, Justice Kagan wrote. That the court has not found a watershed rule since Teague does not mean it could or would not in the future.
Many of the liberals who say Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made a terrible miscalculation when she decided not to retire are now urging Justice Stephen G. Breyer to step down and let President Biden nominate his replacement.

The justice is 82 and has been on the court for nearly 27 years. In almost any other line of work, he would be well past retirement age. Justice Ginsburgs death in September allowed President Donald J. Trump to name her successor and shifted the Supreme Court to the right.

Breyers best chance at protecting his legacy and impact on the law is to resign now, clearing the way for a younger justice who shares his judicial outlook, Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote in The Washington Post this month.

But scholars who have studied justices decisions to leave the court said they had their doubts about the wisdom or effectiveness of such prodding.
Since the retirement in 2018 of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, a cautious supporter of abortion rights, state legislatures have enacted scores of restrictions and bans in the hope that personnel changes at the Supreme Court will spur it to reconsider its abortion jurisprudence.

President Donald J. Trump vowed to name justices who would overrule Roe, and three of his appointees now sit on the court. Two of them  Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh  dissented from the Louisiana decision last year.

The justices considered taking the Mississippi case more than a dozen times during their private conferences before deciding to do so, a possible indication of continued sharp divisions among the courts conservatives about how boldly to address the constitutional status of abortion rights.

The Supreme Courts next term now includes two blockbusters: the abortion case and one on whether the Second Amendment protects a constitutional right to carry guns outside the home.

The Republican-appointed justices appear to be moving even quicker than analysts predicted to make good on their supermajority status, Brian Fallon, the executive director of Demand Justice, a progressive advocacy group, said in a statement.

Responding to calls to expand the size of the Supreme Court to counteract recent conservative gains, President Biden has appointed a commission to consider ways to overhaul its structure and processes. Mr. Fallon said the courts docket reflected its lack of concern about the commissions eventual report.

In opting to hear major cases next term on guns and now abortion, he said, the Roberts court conservatives have issued their verdict on President Bidens commission: They consider it a complete nothing burger.
It makes sense, Mr. Hughes said, citing internal polling suggesting that Texas voters preferred standardized hours for early voting across the state. So theres some predictability and people are confident that the rules are being followed.

The conference committee will meet this week to start crafting a final version of the bill, which would then be sent for a final up-or-down vote in both chambers. The Senate announced its members  made up of four Republicans and one Democrat  on Monday, and the House will make its appointments when the chamber convenes on Tuesday.

The bill initially sought a host of new restrictions on voting that would have had an outsize impact on voters in cities, most notably in Harris County, the biggest county in the state and home to Houston.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Harris County introduced a drive-through voting option, which more than 127,000 voters used in the general election. It also had a single day of 24-hour voting, which more than 10,000 voters used to cast ballots. The original bill that passed the House would have banned both of those methods, as well as placed limitations on the allocation of voting machines in counties with a population of more than one million, which election officials had said could force the closure of some polling locations.

But as the bill made its way through the Legislature, most of those provisions were removed. The bill as it passed the House included provisions greatly expanding the autonomy and authority of partisan poll watchers, included new penalties for election officials and workers who violate the rules, and barred officials from sending out absentee ballots to voters who have not requested them.
Republican lawmakers in Texas, following in the footsteps of their counterparts across the country, are pressing forward with a voting bill that could impose harsh penalties on election officials or poll workers who are thought to have committed errors or violations. And the nationwide effort may be pushing poll workers to reconsider serving their communities.

The often thankless task of millions of workers who administer the countrys elections has quickly become a key target of Republicans who are propagating former President Donald J. Trumps lies about the 2020 election. In their hunt for nonexistent fraud, they have turned on those who work the polls as somehow suspect.

That attitude has seeped into new voting laws and bills put forward by Republican-controlled legislatures across the country. More than two dozen bills in nine states, either still making their way through legislatures or signed into law, have sought to establish harsh new penalties, elevated criminal classifications and five-figure fines for state and local election officials who are found to have made mistakes, oversteps or other violations of election codes, according to a review of voting legislation by The New York Times.

The infractions that could draw more severe punishment run the gamut from seemingly minor lapses in attention or innocent mistakes to more clearly willful actions in defiance of regulations.
On its way out the door in late 2016, the Obama administration sought to draw a line in the sand on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Rather than block a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the U.S. abstained. Days later, Secretary of State John Kerry warned in a parting address that the possibility for a two-state solution was dimming as Israeli settlers encroached further into Palestinian-held land.

We cannot properly defend and protect Israel if we allow a viable two-state solution to be destroyed before our own eyes, Mr. Kerry said.

But over the next four years, President Donald J. Trump showed basically no interest in challenging Israel on the settlements, or the conflict over all. Quite the contrary: He embraced Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing prime minister of Israel, as one of his favorite foreign leaders, and he took major steps to rubber-stamp Israels expansion into Palestinian-held territory.
Two districts in Afghanistans northwest offer a glimpse into life under the Taliban, who have completely cut off education for teenage girls.

May 17, 2021

SHEBERGHAN, Afghanistan  The order to shut down the girls schools was announced at the mosque, in a meeting with village elders. The news filtered through the teachers, in subdued meetings at students homes. Or came in a curt letter to the local schools chiefs.

Appeals to the Taliban, arguing and entreaties were useless. So three years ago, girls older than 12 stopped attending classes in the two rural districts just south of this low-slung provincial capital in Afghanistans northwest. Up to 6,000 girls were pushed out of school, overnight. Male teachers were abruptly fired: What they had done, provided an education to girls, was against Islam, the Taliban said.

All over Afghanistan the orders have been similar to those issued just 40 miles south of Jowzjan Provinces capital. In districts controlled by the Taliban, no more schooling for all but the youngest girls, with some few exceptions. The Talibans message: Teenage girls should be at home helping their mothers.
In Britain, normality seemed much closer on Monday, with indoor dining and socializing and visits to cinemas becoming options again in England, along with some international travel, and rules also easing in much of Scotland.

The English reopenings are the third step in a cautious plan by the British government to ease all restrictions by the summer. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson sounded a note of caution on Monday.

All the data shows were making great progress against this virus, Mr. Johnson said in an address to the public. But to ensure our progress is irreversible we must follow the rules.

In England as of Monday, outdoor gatherings of up to 30 people and indoor gatherings for up to six people or two households will be permitted. Hostels and hotels will reopen for overnight stays and some nonessential travel abroad without quarantine will return for countries with low caseloads.
FILE - In this March 10, 2020, file photo, real estate heir Robert Durst looks over during his murder trial in Los Angeles. Fourteen months after the murder trial of New York real estate heir Durst was put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, jurors are returning to court to see if they can finish the assignment they were given. A Los Angeles judge will question jurors Monday, May 17, to find out if they can continue to serve in the case that is expected to last four to five months. (Alex Gallardo/AP)
PARIS  Walking home one night several years ago in a suburb of Paris, Raphael Marre was horrified to see a group of migrants and asylum seekers sleeping on the street outside his home.

Why wasnt the government housing them? he wondered. After witnessing the same scene for several weeks, he and his wife decided to do it themselves, signing up with a nonprofit that links migrants with people in the Paris region willing to open up their homes for a few nights.

That was a triggering moment, Mr. Marre said. We thought, This cant be happening, we have to do something.

Five years after a migrant crisis that convulsed Europe, France is still struggling to accommodate the thousands of people who have applied for asylum in France. And Mr. Marre is still welcoming them into his home.
The worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting in years spilled into a ninth day on Tuesday as the Israeli military bombarded Gaza and southern Lebanon and Hamas militants fired rockets into southern Israeli towns, hours after President Biden expressed support for a cease-fire during a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Mr. Bidens carefully worded statement fell short of an immediate demand for an end to Israels bombing campaign in Gaza, which showed little sign of ending after Mr. Netanyahu said on Monday that his countrys armed forces would continue striking at the terrorist targets.

Despite growing concern in foreign capitals over the violence  and among some of Israels staunchest defenders in Washington  the regions heaviest clashes since a 2014 war threatened to escalate. Late Monday, the Israeli military fired artillery shells into Lebanon for the first time since the hostilities began, striking what it said were Palestinian militants who had attempted to fire rockets into Israel.

The Israeli Army said it believed that a small Palestinian faction in Lebanon  and not the militant group Hezbollah  had fired the rockets, most of which failed to reach Israeli territory. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon tweeted that it had intensified patrols in the area and that the situation on Tuesday morning was calm.
When it comes to Hamass military capabilities, much of the focus has been on the labyrinthine tunnels it uses to launch attacks against Israel or the arsenal of missiles it aims at Israeli cities.

But Israeli military experts and officials say there is another, less-discussed and murkier threat: clandestine naval commandoes entering or hitting Israel by sea.

It sounds like a scene from a Cold War thriller: An undercover commando unit infiltrating a country with underwater vessel in order to target an energy facility, a populated town, or wreak havoc in some other way.

But that was possibly the goal, according to the Israeli military, of a naval unit being directed by Hamas.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel live under different governments and have increasingly developed separate identities. But on Tuesday, Palestinian activists hope to unite people across the three territories in a general strike to protest Israels air campaign in Gaza and other measures targeting Palestinians.

The initiative also has the backing of both Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and Fatah, the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority that exercises limited self-autonomy in parts of the West Bank.

We want to send a clear message that we stand together in saying enough to the aggression on Gaza, said Essam Bakr, one of the organizers. But we are also saying enough to the attacks on the Aqsa Mosque, enough to the occupation and settlement building and enough to the unjust treatment of Palestinians.

Over the past week, militant groups in Gaza have fired thousands of rockets toward Israel, killing at least 10 Israeli residents, while Israel has pounded Gaza with airstrikes, which have claimed the lives of more than 200 Palestinians, including dozens of children, even though the army has said it means only to target Hamas military sites and personnel.
Though New York City is on the cusp of a major reopening, it cannot completely return to normal without restoring its school system, with roughly one million students, to its prepandemic state.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised that all students who want to be back in classrooms will have full-time, normal schooling this September.

Though schools in the city have been open for at least some in-person instruction for months, nearly two-thirds of the systems parents have chosen to keep their children learning from home, either because they fear the virus or are concerned about inconsistent school schedules.

It will fall largely to Mr. de Blasio and his schools chief to convince those parents that classrooms are safe, while also making sure the district has the staffing and space to bring all those children back.
CAPE TOWN  Facing a resurgent coronavirus and plagued by delays with vaccine supply, South Africa began the second phase of its public vaccination campaign on Monday, opening appointments for people aged 60 or older.

Only about 500,000 people in the country have been vaccinated to date, and most doses have gone to health care workers in a trial involving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. South Africa is aiming to open vaccinations for people aged 40 or older in July, followed by the rest of the adult population in November.

South Africa has obtained nearly a million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and anticipates receiving around 4.5 million doses by the end of June.

The country has also ordered 3 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but only plans to begin using these in the public rollout following a verification process by international regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The National Press Club has demanded that Israel stop attacking buildings in Gaza that house media organizations, saying such attacks raise the question of whether it is trying to impede coverage of its conflict with the Palestinians.

An Israeli missile destroyed a building that had the offices of the AP, Al Jazeera and other outlets, while its warplanes attacked other facilities that housed more than a dozen international and local media organizations.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 16 the bombed AP, Al Jazeera building was also used by an intelligence office of Hamas.

The Israeli airstrike on an office tower in Gaza Saturday is part of a pattern this week of Israeli forces destroying buildings in Gaza that house media organizations," said a joint statement from NPC president Lisa Nicole Matthews and NPC Journalist Institute president Angela Greiling Keane.

They called on Israeli authorities to halt strikes on facilities known to house press. Reliable media organizations are the best sources of accurate information about events in Gaza, and they must not be prevented from doing their vital job, said the statement.

Sally Buzbee, AP executive editor, called for an independent investigation of the attack on the 12-story al-Jalaa tower in Gaza City.

She noted that AP was a tenant in the building for 15 years and had no indication that Hamas shared the building.

Al Jazeera said the bombing was a clear sign of Israel trying to put an end to media coverage in the Gaza Strip.

The aim of this heinous crime is to silence the media and to hide the untold carnage and suffering of the people of Gaza, said Mostefa Souag, acting director general of Al Jazeera Media Network. The destruction of Al Jazeera offices and that of other media organizations in al-Jalaa tower in Gaza is a blatant violation of human rights and is internationally considered a war crime.
An incredible light display from Offaly artist Mick Murray will travel the Shannon this summer.

Light Ballet is presented as part of Brightening Air | Coisceim Coiligh, a nationwide, ten-day season of arts experiences brought to you by the Arts Council, this June.

Light Ballet will transform the skies and surrounding landscape of eight counties with a light installation floating down the River Shannon over eight days.

Created by Mick Murray and Lighting Designer Matthew Cregan, Light Ballet will be visible (13th to 20th June) from up to seven kilometres and covering almost two hundred kilometres, this installation will be accompanied by a newly composed soundscape by David Kitt.

Audiences will be able to access the soundscape via the Culture Works and Brightening Air websites. The light installation and soundscape are synchronised in real-time allowing audiences to experience the soundscape at home, along the edgelands or those in-between places through their phones, tablets or computers.

Produced by Culture Works, who create and produce exciting and unforgettable arts and cultural experiences, Light Ballet, through its powerful physical presence, will surprise and delight everyone who encounters this spectacle of light and sound.

The installation will dance through the skies of Clare, Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary and Westmeath

Through the River's embrace of summer, Light Ballet offers an opportunity for people to stay home, but look up and around them to experience a moment of hope, joy and togetherness.

From Offaly, Light Artist Mick Murray has over 20 years of experience working as a lighting designer and light artist. Mick has created a series of works and installations in the public realm. From large-scale public light installations to sculptures his work has been showcased throughout Ireland.

Matthew Cregan is a Lighting Designer from Belfast and has worked extensively in Theatre and Live Events over the last 20 years. Matt has worked on a number of outdoor lighting projects and large-scale public events including NYF Dublin, Star Wars Spire Installation, Lyric Theatre, RTE, Gaiety Theatre, and Olympia Theatre.

A major waterway in Ireland, the Shannon is home to a continuous thread of bustling harbours and peaceful bays, lively towns and villages and fascinating heritage and historical sites. Even though we can't be together right now, it will offer us the opportunity for collective connection, creating a shared experience. We want people from where they are to stop and look around, explained Mick.

Light Ballet and Culture Works are also inviting schools to engage in the creative process through provision of a bespoke education pack. Two primary schools from each of the eight counties will receive a pack with a worksheet and a set of instructions on how to create light movements. The artist will incorporate these into the final design. As the light installation passes through each of the locations on the River Shannon, the childrens lighting design will appear as part of the overall light installation.

For more information on the full programme for Brightening Air | Coisceim Coiligh visit www.brighteningair.com.

For more information on Light Ballet visit www.cultureworks.ie or get social on Instagram @Cultureworks.ie and @lightballeteu and on Twitter @cultureworksie and @BalletLight.
Two Offaly students have won a top award at the National Final of the Student Enterprise Programme.

Students from St. Brendans Community School in Birr have won the Natasha Lynch Commemorative Award for Excellence in Social Media award at the National Final of this years Student Enterprise Programme.

The Finals of the Local Enterprise Office initiative were broadcast virtually on Friday from Croke Park with An Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Ambassador Derval ORourke speaking with host RTEs Rick OShea, as students and teachers watched on from across the country.

Supported by Local Enterprise Office Offaly, the students won the inaugural Natasha Lynch Commemorative Award for Excellence in Social Media award. The winning students were: Damien Delaney and Alex Byrne, who worked under the guidance of their teacher, John McIntyre. Their student enterprise was called: Hology Photography which is a photography business selling pictures framed, unframed and on canvas of the local area and more. They also plan to become a service provider taking pictures in the local area and expanding to even more products when Covid-19 restrictions are eased.

There were 72 student enterprises competing in this years National Final in what is Irelands largest entrepreneurship programme for second level students. The initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw 29,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools across the country take part.

An Tanaiste, Leo Varadkar, who took part in the ceremony, congratulated the students.

Congratulations to not only the finalists being recognised here today, but to everyone who took part in the competition. To be a finalist in the Student Enterprise Programme is a fantastic achievement in normal times and its incredible given everything thats happened this past year. Everyone who took part should be very proud of all that they have achieved. Special mention to their teachers, parents and all those who helped them along the way. The ability to create an idea, turn it into a business and to run that business is a skill that will be invaluable later in life. Ireland has a proud history of entrepreneurship and no doubt those here today will all go on to achieve great things. Government will back you every step of the way.
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Residents not evacuating were encouraged to open their windows on both sides and position themselves in the middle of their homes as a preventative safety measure in case one of the rail cars on fire explodes, KIWA radio reported.
The Royal British Legion will recreate the moment of its creation at an event at the Cenotaph. "Since that moment in May 1921, the..

Euronews English 14 May 2021
President Joe Biden announced the US will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world in the coming six weeks. The doses would come from existing US production of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine stocks. It would mark the first time that US-controlled doses of vaccines authorized for use in the country will be shared overseas, as domestic demand for the shots has dropped significantly in recent weeks.
A police raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, was one of several actions that led, less than a month later, to the sudden resumption of war between Israel and Hamas.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has again rejected suggestions a quarantine facility should be built near Toowoomba in southeast Queensland, saying the plan lacks detail.
A Queensland pharmacist accused of setting a Brisbane house on fire with his partner inside will spend at least the next month behind bars.
Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea all flattened the curve with quarantine and contact-tracing. Now their sluggish vaccination programs are being questioned.
Six current and former employees of Gates and his endeavors told The New York Times he fostered an uncomfortable workplace.
Ready, reset, go: US President Joe Biden has little time to spare tackling an array of pressing issues at home and abroad. One of his most urgent tasks has been to rebuild trust in the trans-Atlantic relationship.
By Zhao Guojun

On May 14, a mosque in the northern suburb of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, was attacked, leaving at least 12 dead and more than 15 injured. Less than a week earlier, a series of bombings took place near a school in Kabul that left over 50 killed and 100 injured. Ever since the Biden administration announced on April 14 its plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, the overall security in the country has kept worsening with frequent attacks on civilians and civil facilities.

Generally speaking, Americas anti-terror strategy since it waged the Afghan War has proved a failure. It relies too heavily on military operations but does little to push economic and social development; its export of democracy has destroyed the stability of the traditional Afghan society, and its use of UAVs to replace ground forces has created new opportunities for terrorist activities even though it has reduced casualties of American soldiers.

Yet Washington has arbitrarily announced that it had basically achieved all its anti-terror goals and therefore insisted on pulling its troops out of Afghanistan regardless of the international communitys serious concerns that such a hurried decision may lead to a resurge of terrorism. Having neither uprooted terrorist organizations nor restored peace in Afghanistan, the US just packed up and pulled out, leaving all the mess and ruins to the regional countries and the Afghan people. This is highly irresponsible. Americas consistent pursuit of narrow-minded national interests and practicality is fully demonstrated in its attitude toward Afghanistan.

First of all, Biden has, to a large extent, continued his predecessors America first policy. American decision-makers find it unnecessary to keep a presence in Afghanistan because the terrorist forces there, though not eliminated thoroughly, are unable to launch any terrorist operation against the US homeland anymore. In their eyes, the national strategy is nothing but a cold and callous calculation of cost  they are withdrawing the troops because the US invests too much there and gets too little, making Afghanistan a lousy deal. Such calculations only consider American interests without the slightest concern for the security and welfare of the Afghanis.

Second, the US puts its counter-terror responsibility below the political interests of the so-called major-power competition. Biden said they should pull troops from Afghanistan to concentrate on other priorities, implying Russia and China, and US Secretary of State Blinken publicly linked the withdrawal with the so-called China-US strategic competition. This fully demonstrates that the US only considers counter-terrorism its responsibility when it directly concerns its own security. The only reason the American military carries out overseas operations is to maintain American hegemony  international humanism is never on their map.

Third, withdrawing troops from Afghanistan exposes Americas pseudo-multilateralism. When the UN Security Council adopted the resolution on combatting terrorism back in the years, the US sent troops to Afghanistan under the banner of counter-terrorism; but now it cannot wait to pull out to avoid getting mired in the Afghan War, fully proving that international multilateral mechanism is nothing but a tool to lend legitimacy to its sending of troops and waging of wars. The US unilaterally decided to pull the troops without consulting with regional countries, but those countries have to be responsible for Afghanistans stability and regional security after the American forces are gone. The US shows no respect at all for multilateralism.

At last, Americas post-withdrawal plan is equally irresponsible and perfunctory. The Biden administration promised to continue to aid the Afghan government, but such lip service, according to analysts, is far from enough to maintain stability in the country. Moreover, the US even expects the Taliban to sever ties with Al Qaeda and undertake anti-terror responsibilities. What ridiculous wishful thinking!

Americas hurried withdrawal of troops when terrorism is not completely cleared in Afghanistan is no different from giving free rein to terrorist forces in the region, and terrorist threats in Afghanistan may quickly spread to Central and Southern Asia and eventually come back to haunt the US itself. Right after Bidens announcement of the withdrawn, American media pointed out that although terrorist organizations in Afghanistan wont pose a severe threat to the US in the short term, its hard to predict their long-term development because the withdrawal will create a hotbed for their expansion.

(The author Zhao Guojun is with the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.)
This is a great reminder that vehicles may have autopilot to assist, but it cannot be relied upon to get you safely from one destination to the next, the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office said on social media.
As lawmakers look to crackdown on antisemitic groups participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Germany, a German police union has said officers need more information to target offenders.
The head of the UN agency urged rich countries to donate shots to the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme to bridge the gap in supplies caused by India's decision to curb vaccine exports.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with a new round of airstrikes, after Hamas shot rockets towards southern Israel. Diplomatic attempts for a cease-fire have failed to de-escalate tensions.
Eurasia Review 22 May 2021

The interview was infamous, made his name and was bound to enrage. It also received a viewing audience of 23 million people who..
The 1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany are to be celebrated throughout the year. How does the Israel-Gaza conflict affect the anniversary program?
The European Union says it will redouble efforts to end the violence between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants during a special meeting of its foreign ministers on Tuesday.
Israeli airstrikes have hammered the Gaza Strip after a week of violence that has killed more than 200 people, the large majority Palestinian, despite international calls for de-escalation.
Dunedin's mayor has accused Judith Collins of creating "fear and division" over her claims Ngai Tahu will be given co-ownership of the South Island's water infrastructure.The National Party leader told a party regional conference...
Several prominent GOP lawmakers threw their support behind Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier, the Space Force commanding officer who was relieved of duty Friday for denouncing Marxism and the highly controversial idea of critical race theory on a recent podcast.
Media offices reduced to rubble, alleged manipulation of the press to trick the enemy: Many are concerned truth could become yet another casualty of Israels military campaign in Gaza. On Saturday afternoon, the owner of the 13-storey Jala Tower housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera television and the US news agency The Associated Press received a troubling []
Last June, millions of New Yorkers were struggling to keep their families safe, and thousands of seniors were struggling to survive in the states nursing homes, while the Governor was having his staffers write a book that would make him millions off of the still-raging public health crisis, said Sochie Nnaemeka, the state director of the NY Working Families Party.
Israeli air strikes hammered the Gaza Strip pre-dawn Monday, after a week of violence between the Jewish state and Islamist militants left more than 200 people dead as international calls for de-escalation went unheeded. Overnight Sunday to Monday, Israel launched dozens of strikes in the space of a few minutes across the crowded coastal Palestinian []
Titusville FL (SPX) May 13, 2021



The U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Test Program Satellite - 6 space vehicle arrived at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, on May 6, 2021. STPSat-6 is the primary space vehicle on the Space Test Program - 3 mission, and was safely transported by Northrop Grumman from their facility in Dulles, Virginia where STPSat-6 was built and tested. STPSat-6 is on s
Israeli air strikes on schools, homes and media offices are deeply concerning, Downing Street said, as fighting continued in the Middle East.
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Just days after Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce, new reports have surfaced revealing that the Microsoft board of directors had been leaning towards removing Gates following an investigation into the billionaires prior romantic relationship with an employee at the tech company.



According to the Wall Street Journal, members of the Microsoft board launched an investigation in 2019 after receiving a letter from an employee saying that Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with her 19 years prior. Gates resigned from the company in March 2020 before the investigation was completed.



There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably, a Gates spokesperson told WSJ. [His] decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier.



The New York Times also reported on Sunday that Gates had pursued several women over the past 27 years, including one Microsoft employee who said that Gates asked her to dinner in 2006 in an email that also said If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened. Some years later, another woman who worked for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said she was also asked out by Gates.



Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates announced their divorce on May 3, agreeing to divide their $130 billion fortune while continuing to work together as co-chairs of their philanthropic foundation. The Times and WSJ report that the divorce was set in motion in October 2019 shortly after reports surfaced of Gates ties to Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of underage sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution from a minor. It is unclear exactly how much French Gates knew about Gates connection to Epstein, and Gates representatives have vehemently denied that Epsteins ties played a factor.



Your characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated, a spokesperson wrote to the Times. Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false. The claim of mistreatment of employees is also false. The rumors and speculation surrounding Gatess divorce are becoming increasingly absurd, and its unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as sources.



More to come
U.N. Security Council diplomats convened an emergency meeting to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed in the Mideast as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest attacks yet during nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes. (May 16)


The United States Concealed Carry Association was in John Olivers sights as he delved into stand-your-ground laws as the main topic of Last Week Tonight Sunday night.



Oliver said that the USCCA  a group with over 592,000 members that advocates for gun rights and provides legal assistance to people in stand-your-ground cases  is part of the reason that gun safety in America is so fundamentally flawed.



People who own guns dont need to pay upwards of $30 per month for a membership to USCCA to carry a concealed firearm legally if they already have a permit and states allow it. But Oliver pointed out that organizations like USCCA  part of a cottage industry that sprung up to advocate for gun rights in stand-your-ground states  also provide legal assistance to gun owners.



In particular, Oliver had issues with the USCCAs membership card, which has instructions on what someone should do after they shoot another person on the back. See here for a more detailed view of what that looks like.



25 states have stand-your-ground laws on file. California, perhaps unsurprisingly, is not one of them.



The USCCA insists its primarily concerned with teaching conflict avoidance, but it also gives you a wallet-sized card with tips on how to handle the call you make to police after youve shot someone, a handy feature that their founder proudly touts to its members, John Oliver said before cutting to a clip of USCCA founder Tim Schmidt gushing about the card at a membership meeting.



The card tells people whove just fired a gun at another human to say they were attacked, in fear for their life and advises compliance with the police. Since the other person likely isnt capable of talking, and the shooter has a readily rehearsed explanation for why the violence occurred, Oliver argued its basically a free pass for murder and called the instructions Rosetta Stone for justified homicides.



Theyve essentially created a get out of jail free card, Oliver angrily said. And that, mixed with that mans get out of jail free complexion, is a pretty awful combination, he added, talking about Schmidt, who is white.



John Oliver pointed to some examples where stand-your-ground laws essentially allowed someone to shoot another person with total impunity, like the case of Texan Joe Horn, who shot and killed two people breaking into his neighbors house even though 911 dispatchers told him almost half a dozen times not to go outside and intervene. Horn didnt face any legal challenges after the shootings, which took place in 2007 right after Texas had become a stand-your-ground state.



It seems all you have to do is memorize a few key phrases and you, too, could be free to shoot with impunity, Oliver joked.
FOX 4 Now Florida 19 May 2021

The hearing is to go over evidence and determine if there is probable cause for a case to proceed.
7News - The Denver Channel 10 Jun 2021

The U.S. is buying an additional 500 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine over the next year, which it will share with the..
Eurasia Review 17 May 2021

I lived as best I could, and then I died.

Be careful where you step: the grave is wide -- (Epitaph for a Palestinian..
Im going to tell you the truth and the facts about this entire situation that has been, I think, distorted in the press and manipulated, and when the time is right, I will tell you the truth and the facts and I am very much looking forward to it, Cuomo said.
Pope Francis met with U.S. President Joe Bidens climate envoy John Kerry on Saturday.



Kerry is in Europe to meet with government officials and business leaders ahead of the Nov. 1-12 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, the State Department said.



At the time of publication, the Vatican had...
(RFE/RL) -- Alyaksandr Lukashenka will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month as the Belarusian strongman faces growing isolation from the West over his crackdown on peaceful protesters.



The visit is scheduled for the end of May, Kommersant reported, and will be Lukashenkas third trip to Russia this...
The escalating situation in Israel and Palestine affirms once more what we South Africans know too well, that intractable conflicts can only be solved through peaceful negotiation, writes Cyril Ramaphosa.
Israeli air strikes have hammered the Gaza Strip, after a week of violence between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants left more than 200 people dead as international calls for de-escalation went unheeded.
Taiwan has imposed new restrictions including limits on gatherings in its capital as it battles its biggest coronavirus outbreak since...
Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa blesses the congregation at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 4, 2021. /..

CNA 18 May 2021
Sustained Israeli military airstrikes have destroyed nine miles (14km) of militant tunnels along the Gaza Strip, and the homes of nine Hamas commanders, it has been claimed.
By Sanchita Bhattacharya*



On May 8, 2021, terrorists carried out a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device attack in front of the Sayed Al-Shuhada School in the Afghan capital city, Kabul, killing at least 68 children and injuring 165 others.



On April 25, 2021, seven civilians including two children were killed in an...
Opalesque Industry Update - Emi Lorincz has been appointed as a Senior Advisor on Crypto markets. Ms Lorincz started her career at Morgan Stanley, then moved to aircraft financing at GE Capital and later to commodity trading at Eni. She is currently Director, Business Development for Ledger and a Board Member of the Crypto Valley Association. Bringing a wealth of experience from the traditional markets and a dedication to increasing the usage and adoption of cryptocurrencies, Ms Lorincz is also serving on the council of the Bancor Foundation. Andrew Threadgold has joined as a Senior Advisor on Risk Management. Mr Threadgold has 50 years' experience in Financial Markets, covering Structuring, Trading, Financing, Collateral Management, Settlements, Systems and Risk. His positions have included: CRO, Euroclear; CRO, JPMorgan; CRO Americas, RBS; and CRO Treasury, Deutsche Bank. He is a Mathematics graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge and has taught a Master's Course in Risk Management at Solvay Business School. David N Long has been appointed as a Senior Advisor on the Trading side. Mr Long has over 25 years' experience in cash and derivatives trading having spent over 20 years at JPMorgan in London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo. He has overseen flow derivatives, electronic trading, CBs, exotics, structured products and financing. Most recently he was EMEA Head of Equities for HSBC. Mr Long graduated with a technology degree from Durham University. Jerome Dupuy has joined as a Senior Advisor on Volatility. Mr Dupuy has over 30 years' experience in financial markets, with special expertise in Relative Value Trading. He started his career with SocGen and then moved to JPMorgan to run equity derivatives in APAC. After JPMorgan, he joined Lehman Brothers in Tokyo where he ran volatility trading across Asia Pacific. Mr Dupuy also developed the Global Relative Value Team at BIP in Paris, an in-house hedge fund later taken over by Dresdner Bank. He is an Engineering graduate of Ecole Centrale de Paris. Martin Bartlam has been appointed Senior Advisor on the Legal & Regulatory front. Mr Bartlam is a Partner and Global Co-Chair of the FinTech practice at global law firm DLA Piper. Previous experience in investment banking includes being head of structured products at Calyon, and a member of the debt structuring team of Greenwich Natwest (now RBS). Mr Bartlam is a mentor on the FCA Digital Sandbox programme and is external general counsel to Global Digital Finance one of the leading industry bodies for the digital asset industry. Mr Bartlam was an external examiner at, and has a Law Degree from, King's College, London and is a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales. Paul Frost-Smith, CEO of Argentium, commented: "I couldn't be more pleased with the people that have chosen to support us: it is a real pleasure to work with individuals of such a high calibre and their involvement with Argentium is testament to the integrity of our product. We have assembled professionals who are experts in the main areas which affect our business, including both crypto sceptics and prophets on our advisory board, to constantly question and challenge us in this fast-paced environment."
The insane birds in Almost Forty, by the always eloquent and emotionally generous poet Ada Limon, seem to be warning of the coming of winter, but it is time, really, and its passing, that they anthem. Yet, Limon finds strained but necessary comfort in the defiance that comes from desiring a long life and good health.

Almost Forty

By Ada Limon

The birds were being so bizarre today,

we stood static and listened to them insane

in their winter shock of sweet gum and ash.

We swallow what we wont say: Maybe

its a warning. Maybe theyre screaming

for us to take cover. Inside, your father

seems angry, and the soups grown cold

on the stove. Ive never been someone

to wish for too much, but now I say,

I want to live a long time. You look up

from your work and nod. Yes, but

in good health. We turn up the stove

again and eat what weve made together,

each bite an ordinary weapon we wield

against the shrinking of mouths.

***

We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2018 by Ada Limon, Almost Forty from The Carrying, (Milkweed Editions, 2018). Poem reprinted by permission of Permissions Company, LLC and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2021 by The Poetry Foundation. The introductions author, Kwame Dawes, is George W. Holmes Professor of English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner at the University of Nebraska.
Anyone who commits an offense on the subways will be found, will be prosecuted, will be held accountable, de Blasio said at a press conference, adding: Were going to take officers and put them in right places in the subways at the right time, particularly at peak times of ridership.
A federal appeals court has upheld a $25 million verdict against the maker of Roundup, a weed killer that thousands of litigants blame for causing their cancers.

The three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by Monsanto Co., the manufacturer of the herbicide, ruling 2-1 that $20 million in punitive damages, while close to the outer limits, was constitutional.

A jury in 2019 awarded cancer victim Edwin Hardeman $5.3 million in compensation for his illness and $75 million in punitive damages, which are intended to punish a defendant and deter future misconduct. The jury found that punitive damages were required because Monsanto had failed to warn users about its product. A judge later reduced the punitive award to $20 million.

The ruling stemmed from the first trial of about 5,000 lawsuits consolidated in federal court in Northern California against Monsanto. The suits blame glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, for causing non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Hardeman said his use of Roundup on his Sonoma County property from the 1980s to 2012 caused his disease. Monsanto said Hardemans non-Hodgkins lymphoma either stemmed from his Hepatitis C or was among the 70% of cases that develop for unknown reasons.

Monsanto, trying to overturn the punitive damages award, said it could not have have known that glyphosate caused cancer in 2012.

The 9th Circuit disagreed, noting that various independent scientific studies linking glyphosate and cancer were released by 2012. The court also cited internal emails by Monsanto toxicologists that indicated the company was aware of potential health risks.

Evidence of Monsantos conduct  downplaying concerns and failing to fully assess Roundups safety after being alerted to possible risks  supports that Monsanto acted with indifference to or a reckless disregard of the health or safety of others, grounds for punitive damages, wrote 9th Circuit Judge Ryan D. Nelson, a Trump appointee. He was joined by Judge Michael D. Hawkins, a Clinton appointee.

The jurys initial punitive award of $75 million was grossly excessive, Nelson wrote, but the reduced amount did not violate due process rights.

The court cautioned that its decision was based on evidence from Hardemans case and that other Roundup trials might involve different facts that could lead to other results.

Judge N. Randy Smith, appointed to the court by President George W. Bush, dissented, arguing that even the reduced punitive award was excessive.

Smith said it remained uncertain whether Roundup actually causes cancer. The punitive award, he contended, should not have exceeded the substantial $5.27 million the jury awarded to compensate Hardeman for his disease.

Monsantos conduct is not particularly reprehensible in light of the ongoing scientific debate, Smith wrote.

2021 Los Angeles Times
Oregon immigrants have received more than $60 million in pandemic relief through the Oregon Worker Relief Fund over the last year, according to the coalition of advocacy groups that pushed to establish the program.

That money has gone to help more than 37,000 people who were ineligible for other public programs because they are undocumented.

The fund has raised roughly $110 million since it launched last year, with roughly half that money coming from state funds allocated by the Oregon Legislature. The fund also received a $250,000 donation from the city of Portland last year and has received donations from individuals and foundations.

Immigrant Oregonians are a vital part of our state, but many were intentionally excluded from federal pandemic relief, Isa Pena, interim executive director of Causa Oregon, one of the community organizations operating the fund, said in a statement. Excluding immigrants from desperately-needed relief based on their legal status left Oregon families and communities at severe risk as folks have struggled to pay rent, put food on the table, pay for health care, and keep utilities on during the pandemic.

The Oregon Worker Relief Fund has offered relief funding for immigrant communities impacted by the pandemic, grants for agricultural workers who have had to quarantine due to COVID-19 and money to support immigrant-owned small businesses.

The money has gone to Oregonians in 34 of the states 36 counties, said Martha Sonato, president of Oregon Worker Relief. The majority of applicants work in the food industry or in food processing or farming, and over 80% have children.

However, organizations advocating for the fund say more money is needed to support immigrant communities across the state.

Individuals who have received relief from the fund were given a maximum of $1,720, which advocates say is not nearly enough to support those experiencing hardships from the pandemic.

Beneficiaries of the fund did not have access to unemployment insurance due to their immigration status, so theyve been unable to access the enhanced unemployment benefits the federal government has provided during the pandemic. They also didnt receive stimulus checks.

As the pandemic drags on, we must continue to invest in Oregon workers who continue to be left out of federal unemployment and stimulus programs, Jose Cruz, product manager and designer at Innovation Law Lab, which supports the fund, said in a statement. The scope of the extreme economic hardship caused by the pandemic and longstanding inequities is vast. The contributions to Oregon Worker Relief during its first year, while significant, are not sufficient to meet the need we face.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg
The Oregon Senate approved a bill Monday that would reinstate the states moratorium on residential foreclosures until at least June 30, but would offer homeowners less leeway to defer payments than an earlier version passed by the Oregon House.

The bill passed the Senate on a 19-9 vote mostly along party lines. Two Republicans joined Democrats in voting in favor of the bill, while one Democrat voted against the legislation.

Under the bill, the moratorium would be retroactive Dec. 31 and would run through at least June 30, protecting homeowners who attest to experiencing a loss of income due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the moratorium could be automatically extended in 90-day intervals to the end of September, or even the end of the year, if Gov. Kate Brown extends the statewide emergency period.

A previous version of the bill passed by the Oregon House would have given homeowners the right to delay payments on their mortgage until September, regardless of whether the moratorium was extended. However, under the Senates amended bill, Oregon homeowners would only have the right to put their mortgage in forbearance until the end of June unless the moratorium is extended.

Due to the amendment, the bill will need to be passed again by the House in a concurrence vote before going on to the governors desk for approval.

This is mainly directed at helping those who through no fault of their own were not able to keep up with their mortgages during the pandemic, said Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield. Perhaps, secondary, by having this in place, we keep all of those homes that could have been foreclosed on from going into the market all at one time and devaluing the rest of the properties.

Homeowners with federally backed mortgages are already protected by a federal moratorium on foreclosures, which runs until the end of June.

But 30% of single-family mortgages, or roughly 14.5 million loans nationwide, are not backed or owned by a federal agency and are not covered by the federal moratorium, according to a report from the National Housing Law Project.

Oregons legislation would give protections to those homeowners, who have been in a state of uncertainty since lawmakers allowed the states ban on foreclosures to expire at the end of December.

Along with reinstating the foreclosure moratorium, the bill would also require any lender that initiated more than 30 foreclosures last year to participate in a foreclosure avoidance meeting with borrowers during any foreclosure process. Under current state law, only lenders who initiated more than 175 foreclosures during a year must participate in mediation.

Unlike a bill passed by lawmakers last June, the new legislation would not protect commercial property owners. Oregonians who own more than five properties, or properties with more than four housing units, would not be covered, either.

The reinstatement of the moratorium could give the state time to get relief into the hands of struggling homeowners and potentially advert a wave of foreclosures stemming from the pandemic.

The Oregon Homeownership Stabilization Initiative has already been providing financial relief to help homeowners affected by the pandemic catch up with mortgage payments. Oregon is also receiving more than $90 million in federal assistance from the latest federal relief bill to help struggling homeowners pay their mortgage, home insurance and utility bills.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg
Demand for COVID-19 vaccine rebounded in a big way Sunday at the Oregon Convention Center, leaving clinic staff shorthanded and metro-area residents with long waits.

Sunday marked the first weekend day of operation at the Northeast Portland clinic since federal and state health officials approved vaccinations for kids age 12 to 15.

Demand was strong, with organizers expecting to administer about 7,200 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by days end.

Thats near the 8,000 daily doses that organizers said the site typically administered before demand began to wane, prompting a recent announcement that the clinic would shut down next month.

Sundays surge left vaccination lines sometimes extending outside the building, while some people waited more than an hour, said Michael Foley, a spokesman for the All4Oregon vaccination effort.

Foley did not directly respond to a question about specific staffing numbers Sunday compared to past days, but he acknowledged challenges, saying workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture left Thursday.

Their expertise and experience at the site was missed, he said in an email.

The site felt busier than normal, too, as many parents accompanied children receiving vaccinations. Expanding vaccinations Thursday to 12- to 15-year-olds added perhaps 200,000 people to the pool of eligible Oregonians, according to a very rough estimate of census data.

The site began inoculating some in that new wave of eligible Oregonians on Thursday but it was closed Friday and Saturday.

Its unclear if the demand seen Sunday will remain as strong during the workweek but organizers say theyve learned from the experience and hope to do better.

Appointments remain available Monday through Thursday. Walk-ins are also accepted at the clinic, which is operated by Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, Providence Health & Services and Oregon Health & Science University.

We will assess and make adjustments to reduce wait times, Foley said. Our goal is to make getting a COVID-19 vaccination as easy and convenient as possible.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
Last April, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toby Patrick hosted an Easter Day root feast at his home on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He knew there could be repercussions.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation had postponed its own annual Root Feast, a large celebration of traditional foods, to limit the spread of COVID-19. But Patrick didnt want to let the important time of year go unmarked. More than two dozen members of Patricks family gathered on April 18 to celebrate the coming of spring by honoring First Foods, such as the couse root, also known as biscuitroot, and camas.

A photo of Patricks gathering posted online drew attention from the Confederated Tribes Incident Command Team, set up to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Tribal police said the feast violated COVID-19 stay-home and social-distance restrictions on the reservation. An officer from the Umatilla Tribal Police contacted Patrick, and the ensuing investigation led to citations for 17 adults at the celebration.

Patrick and his guests could have faced criminal penalties of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 each. However, the charges were lowered to a civil citation, which, according to the tribal prosecutor, would not have been subject to jail time and carries with it a significantly lower fine.

When he appeared in Tribal Court, Patrick decided, as he put it, to stand on the foods, that is, to defend himself and the others using their traditional teachings. All 17 defendants pleaded not guilty at their arraignment last year, which set in motion the trial before a judge in March of this year.

At trial, Patrick argued that the cultural significance of the event at his home made it essential, and therefore not subject to the tribal governments COVID-19 restrictions on non-essential gatherings.

Patrick, the only defendant called to testify, told the Umatilla Tribal Court that those gathering did everything we could under the guidelines, but still be who we are and do what weve been taught. He said the gathering was held not to offend anybody, not to fight the government, or that we dont believe in coronavirus.

Associate Judge Dave Gallaher agreed, and acquitted the 17 men and women.

When the pandemic hit, tribal nations throughout Oregon put in place restrictions intended to limit the spread of COVID-19. Tribes are sovereign and can impose restrictions regardless of rules set by county and state governments. But the restrictions have resulted in a years loss of gathering for funerals, memorials, weddings, celebrations, and cultural events, including powwows, leaving many people feeling cut off from one another and from their traditions.

Thomas Morning Owl, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation who leads ceremonial events at Celilo Village on the Columbia River, said tribal governments reliance on social-distancing recommendations from the U.S. government doesnt take into account the cultural needs of Native Americans.

I feel that its been a steep learning curve for all communities within our tribal area that desire and want to continue with our traditional ways of practicing, and it is wrong to have non-Native-thinking people mandating and creating policy without regard to what tribal norms exist within each community, he said.

Morning Owl, a fluent Umatilla speaker and interpreter, was critical of the decision to prosecute the Patricks.

They were only following what theyve been taught as unwritten law, he said. They were following the tradition given to them in the teachings of their elders.

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Native Americans. In the Pacific Northwest, the virus has stricken prominent leaders and elders. Tribal governments are left trying to balance the need to protect their citizens, including older culture bearers who are among the most at risk, and letting people practice their traditions.

Two days after the verdict in Patricks case, N. Katherine Brigham, chair of the Confederated Tribes Board of Trustees, speaking on her own and not for the full board, told the Confederated Umatilla Journal that the restrictions were never meant to punish people for their religious beliefs. Brigham said restrictions are necessary to protect against COVID-19, but the rules should be flexible enough to allow for limited participation in cultural and ceremonial gatherings.

The resolution didnt stop that. It just asked people to be careful of numbers, Brigham told the newspaper. We didnt have a lot of information at the time, other than the need for social distancing, washing your hands, and wearing masks. We just wanted people to take seriously being careful, being safe, and being healthy.

A barrier to healing

Wilson Wewa, a longhouse leader and member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council, believes the psychological trauma, particularly regarding restricted funerals, has led to an increase in vandalism, break-ins, and violence within households.

When you dont go to a funeral, it creates high anxiety, said Wewa, who has worked many years in social services and public health. Any time there is trauma, history will show an increase in addictions to drugs and alcohol, and an increase in violence within the family and the community.

COVID-19 restrictions have limited the number of people who can attend funerals and has prohibited overnight Washat (Seven Drums) religious services, the traditional dressing ceremony, the community dinner, and the wake at the Longhouse.

Families have lacked what we call the crying ceremony. That is time when families and friends can begin to heal, said Armand Minthorn, a Longhouse leader as well as a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees. Lots of families are still hurting today.

At Warm Springs, Wewa is worried some young people are losing their connection to funeral traditions.

Lacking part of those traditions is hurting us, as individuals, as families, and as a community, he said. I heard a comment by a younger person in Warm Springs who said, I dont know why we dont have all of our funerals this way. We dont have to go broke to buy food and giveaway stuff. I thought wow. This is going to impact the survival of our culture because the songs with the different aspects will disappear. ... Its like endangering ourselves because we dont have that sense of belonging, the sense of culture to protect us now and nurture us into the future.

It is not only funeral services that have been curtailed. Lana Jack, a Celilo Village resident and activist, said that Native people are missing their weekly Washat services and First Foods celebrations that take place throughout the year.

Jack said Native people living along the Columbia River, perhaps even more than others who live on recognized reservations, are struggling in isolation. Thats in part because Jacks Celilo Wyam people are not federally recognized as a tribe and do not possess the same rights to hunt, fish, and gather.

Finding ways to adjust

COVID-19 arrived in Celilo, a 34-acre community that was for centuries a center of commerce for Native people, early in the pandemic. Construction of The Dalles Dam in 1957 flooded the iconic Celilo Falls and forced the relocation of the village. Currently, about 80-90 permanent and temporary residents live in the relocated village on Interstate 84 east of The Dalles. Bobby Begay, a village leader well regarded across the region, died from COVID-19 complications in April of last year.

The community, Morning Owl said, is still struggling with varying degrees of unfinished mourning.

They are waiting, though, for a time when well all be able to gather and complete the whole process, he said. He thinks memorials traditionally held one year after a loved ones death will take on greater importance.

Wewa, too, is hopeful about memorials, envisioning a large community event once COVID-19 restrictions have eased.

I think it would be nice if everybody that lost a family member could come together in the early morning and do a regular service, a giveaway and dinner, said Wewa. We would mention the people who have passed and that way there would be a sense of fulfillment of their traditional responsibilities.

Residents had to find ways to practice their traditions while taking precautions against the pandemic. Early in April this year, many Columbia River people took part in a spring feast at a Longhouse in Lyle. Unlike events usually open to all, this one was just for the Native people who live nearby.

Anybody from the outside cant come in to help, Jack said. We are isolated families that live together and want to carry on our way of life, the teachings our mothers gave to us.

Jack was unable to attend the Lyle gathering, choosing instead to host her own family members from Warm Springs who had not been together for more than a year.

In late March, two feasts were held at Warm Springs. People were served traditional foods in a buffet, rather than at tables where the different First Foods are typically placed and eaten in a particular order.

Also in March, Wewa was in Priest Rapids, Wash., where that village of perhaps 10 houses hosted a feast that filled the longhouse.

There were signs at the door to wear gloves and masks at all times. There was an abundance of hand sanitizer and people took it seriously, Wewa said.

I could see people happy to see their friends and relatives, he added. Priest Rapids is a little village, and the feast gives them a sense of pride, taking care of people. Having visitors there, at least in my opinion, was an exhilarating experience for the village.

At the end of April, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation held its Root Feast.

When we can congregate with each other in one place, theres no better feeling than that, Minthorn said.

Hes lost family members to COVID-19 and was unable to attend their funerals. Minthorn himself was knocked down for a whole week when he contracted the virus.

Yet, he said, were so fortunate to be alive. In our hearts and minds we understand how important our own life is and realize we should take care of each other. Being able to gather again, he said, is going to be medicine for everybody. We need ceremonies to uplift us. Its medicine to our heart and mind.

Underscore is a nonprofit collaborative reporting team in Portland focused on investigative reporting and Indian Country coverage. We are supported by foundations, corporate sponsors and donor contributions.
Police on Sunday arrested a 25-year-old man in the shooting death of a woman in North Portland.

Shane Michael Finnell is being held in jail on accusations of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.

Officers responded to a shooting report at about 8:30 a.m. in the 8000 block of North Newman Avenue. Court records from a dismissed speeding citation show Finnell listed a home address in that same block one month ago.

Information about the victim will be released after medical examiners determine the cause and manner of death, police said.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
Portland Public Schools is again delaying its plans to set new school boundaries across many southeast neighborhoods and determine which middle schools those students will attend.

The school board was supposed to vote this spring on schools that will feed to Mt. Tabor Middle School and to Harrison Park, a K-8 that will shed its lower grades and reopen as a middle school next fall.

Now, its likely those decisions will be made in early 2022, months before the transition.

District officials say they need more time to survey families with children in schools that will have their boundaries adjusted after parents said Portland Public Schools tried to do too much too quickly in the last round.

Parents at Creston School, which was initially supposed to remain a K-8 until next fall, felt left out of the process to draw the boundaries for the newly reopening Kellogg Middle School.

Families cried foul, saying their children would miss out on the rich array of electives at Kellogg if forced to remain in the tiny K-8 school.

The school board in January voted to move up Crestons transition into an elementary school so current fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders can attend Kellogg in September.

That led district leaders to push back their original timeline for setting the Harrison Park and Mt. Tabor boundaries and feeder patterns.

The thought was, How do we communicate things effectively so nobody feels blindsided? school board Chair Eilidh Lowery told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Families with children at other schools also denounced what they perceived as a lack of outreach.

A survey of more than 300 households in neighborhoods with schools up for a boundary revision or new middle school assignment showed fewer than one-third knew about the effort.

And about nearly two-thirds of the 900 parents who participated in town hall meetings held to discuss the possible reconfigurations were white, while many affected southeast schools are heavily Latino and Asian.

Only about 21% of children enrolled at Harrison Park and 23% at Lent School, two schools with new boundaries under consideration, are white.

That led school board members and district leaders alike to push for more input from Black, Indigenous and other families of color.

Portland Public Schools had to adjust southeast school attendance zones in order to open Kellogg. The effort is part the districts larger push to transition away from the K-8s, which disproportionately serve students of color and have proven to offer less robust educational experiences.

Basically, bigger schools can offer more courses, including more world languages, more art and music and the like.

By increasing enrollment in the schools, staffing allocations follow, Deputy Superintendent of Operations Claire Hertz told the school board. By balancing that out regionally, you have more equitable programs for our BIPOC students in these schools.

District officials last punted some southeast school configuration decisions in January, when board members opted to push off making choices on when dual language immersion programs will become exclusive to certain schools.

The latest shift means at least two new board members will make the final decision on Harrison Park.

Rita Moore and Scott Bailey declined to run for reelection. Four people are vying for Moores seat and two are competing for Baileys.

Julia Brim-Edwards, who is running for reelection, faces two competitors for her seat.

And on Tuesday, Moore addressed both her peers and the candidates vying to take hers and Baileys places, warning them of the inevitable pushback in the lead up to their final vote.

It is highly likely, probably inevitable, that some of the decisions that are going to have to be made  the recommendations that are going to be made  will involve changes that will not be universally applauded by everyone in southeast, she said. Change is going to be necessary here. It is in the nature of this beast.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano | Eder on Facebook

Eder is The Oregonians education reporter. Do you have a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email ecampuzano@oregonian.com.
The house on Broadway quickly filled up, leaving dozens of people unable to push through the door. The overflow crowd on this muggy summer night in 1945 trudged up the road so they could spy on the private homes terrace from afar.

Theyd all come to see Thelma Johnson Streat.

The Portland-raised artist stepped onto the balcony and began to dance. The theme of the performance, The Oregonian wrote, was Black Americans faith in an ultimate freedom.

In the 1940s and 50s, the Rose Citys newspapers regularly chronicled Streats many travels and projects. She also was well-known in the art world well beyond Oregon -- New Yorks Museum of Modern Art purchased one of her paintings in 1942, making her the first Black woman to have a piece in MoMAs permanent collection.

But Streats celebrity wouldnt last. She died suddenly of a heart attack in 1959, at just 47. The years that followed brought no retrospective exhibits, no published biographies. Her work came down off gallery walls and largely disappeared from public view.

Left: Thelma Johnson Streat with the portrait that won her honors at the Harmon Foundation Exhibition; right: a later portrait of Streat. (Courtesy of The Thelma Johnson Streat Project)

Local artist Intisar Abioto, who will be guest-curating the 2022 Portland Art Museum exhibit Black Artists of Oregon, learned of Streat from a man she met in passing while working on a street photography project in Northeast Portland. She didnt know what to make of what she was hearing.

It felt like lore, you know? she says. A Black woman in the 40s working as an artist.

Later that day, Abioto Googled the name the man had mentioned and found a beautiful young woman, in black-and-white, giving her a once-over though her screen.

I was struck by her presence, Abioto says. I was inspired by her existence.

Streats work also knocked her out, the emotional impact of it, how she tells a story.

Abioto wasnt the first art-scene habitue who was surprised to learn about Streat.

Art history professor Judy Bullington earned a Ph.D. in her field in 1997, but it wasnt until she moved to Oregon a few years later that she heard of Streat.

She was completely unknown to me, says Bullington, now a professor at Nashvilles Belmont University.

In this detail from "Medicine and Transportation," Streat shows Black Americans working in various endeavors. The results of these efforts -- innovations in flight, the rail system and more -- are pictured in the top section of the mural, which is on display at the Smithsonian. (Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture)

Bullington delved into the late artists life, eventually publishing the academic essay Thelma Johnson Streat and Cultural Synthesis on the West Coast. But she says there are many gaps left to be filled in.

I just hope at some point a big cache of information [about her] comes to the surface, she says.

That seems unlikely. Streats family has been working for 30 years to raise the artists profile and promote her legacy. If theres a big cache out there somewhere, its well hidden.

But we dont need more info to know Thelma Johnson Streat created memorable work -- and made an impact.

Abioto notes the appealing roundedness of her paintings: Theyre like figures of clay. She takes experiences and cultural meaning and our value as humans, and she kneads them into figures.

"Totem Pole," 1946, by Thelma Johnson Streat (Courtesy of The Thelma Johnson Streat Project)

Like her contemporaries Charles White and Rose Piper, Streat was teaching with her art, highlighting Black Americans lives and contributions through her work.

She was raising social consciousness, but there wasnt a strong direction toward protest art, Bullington says. She tended to keep it positive.

Maybe so, but she could be very direct when she wanted to be. Her 1943 work Death of a Black Sailor, created at the height of World War II, portrays how little had changed at home for Black American soldiers after they had taken up Americas fight for freedom overseas.

In a review, the Black newspaper The Chicago Defender described the work and its context:

The sailor sees defense plants with signs which say only whites need apply  separate army and navy barracks; black soldiers marching through restricted districts; restaurants where [Black] soldiers and sailors cannot eat.

An artist's rendering of the "Pan-American Unity" mural in a planned space at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Thelma Johnson Streat assisted Diego Rivera on the massive mural. (SFMOMA)

The Ku Klux Klan didnt like the challenge in the paintings message. The racist terrorist group may have decided to send its own message in return.

When Death of a Black Sailor appeared in a Los Angeles gallery, Streat received a crude letter, purportedly from the KKK, that threatened her life. The artist refused to buckle to fear, and the gallery backed her, keeping the piece on display.

***

Thelma Johnson Streat was born in Yakima, Wash., where her father worked in construction. The family frequently moved early in her and her four siblings lives, spending some time in Pendleton and Boise before landing in Portland.

I was a lonely child, Streat told a reporter in the 1940s. The Johnson family was always the only Black one in the neighborhood, she said, and in those days, they called you names, you know.

Streats talent revealed itself early. At 17, the Washington High School students portrait of a priest from Portlands Grotto sanctuary earned honors at the Harmon Foundation Exhibition of African American art in New York City, making her realize that a life as an artist actually might be possible.

Thelma Johnson Streat

She studied at Portland Art Museums school before setting off in the midst of the Great Depression to make her way in the world.

She worked quickly and sold her work cheaply, Bullington says.

The bargain-basement prices fooled no one. Collectors and fellow artists knew this wasnt a bargain-basement talent.

The acclaimed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera hand-picked Streat to assist him on the 22-foot-high mural Pan-American Unity, a key feature of the Art in Action exhibit at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition that showcased artists at work. Rivera and Streat, working together high up on scaffolding, attracted gawkers -- one of the aims of the collaboration.

By the early 1940s, Streats reputation had blossomed thanks to exhibits of her solo paintings in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Rivera bought a self-portrait of his Pan-American Unity assistant for his personal collection. Pioneering dancer Katherine Dunham, actor Vincent Price, author Langston Hughes and industrialist Walter Paepcke also would purchase Streats work.

In the 1940s, The Oregonian chronicled one of Thelma Johnson Streat's hybrid art performances. The caption offers quotes from a verse reading that accompanied the performance.

Thelma Johnson Streat and her husband Romaine Streat, a former boxer she met when he posed for her life-drawing class in Portland, began traveling extensively in Europe and Latin America. They spent months abroad, with the artist researching indigenous folklore and teaching at art schools.

The only way to portray a people is to live with them, Streat said.

This included six months or so in a small town in Ireland, where the local children had never seen a Black person before and their belief in leprechauns made it easy for them to think I might have sprung from a tree trunk, she related in an interview.

Ireland inspired in the artist a burst of productivity, with the results quickly proving popular. A gallery exhibition in New York saw Streat sell 40 paintings of Irish scenes in just a few days.

All that I had, she told a Portland reporter. They went faster than anything else.

By now Streat had made a significant name for herself in visual art. Irelands prime minister, Eamon De Valera, even hosted her during her time in the country.

But she felt it wasnt enough. She had more to say, and decided she needed a new way to say it. She had begun to create dance performances to go along with exhibitions of her paintings -- making her an early practitioner of performance art.

A Johnson family photograph, including Streat's nieces Carlene Johnson Jackson (back row, second from left) and Evelyn Johnson Cook (back row, second from the right). Thelma Johnson Streat is seated at far left, next to her second husband, Edgar Kline. (Courtesy of The Thelma John Streat Project)

I felt a great urge for movement, that I could do more with painting if I could say something with the body, Streat said about this evolution of her work.

As she danced, a narrator read accompanying verse: Is it not the hope that sang in my songs well sung? My children  then shall know freedom.

The dancing proved successful too, further broadening her appeal -- even earning her the opportunity to perform for Great Britains king and queen at Buckingham Palace. Many critics hailed these multimedia shows, with The Oregon Journal putting it succinctly: Thelma Johnson Streat has more talent than most people.

Portlanders in the know already recognized this. Streat was a full-fledged local celebrity.

Streat gave interviews to the citys newspapers and radio stations during her stopovers in Portland. When asked about the state of race relations, she answered diplomatically but pointedly.

Portland was a city without civil rights for all, she said, but that will come.  Portland to me means home.

Whenever she would return to the Rose City, it was always a huge thing for the family, says her niece, Carlene Jackson, who was a teenager when her aunt died. Shed come rolling in, like a movie star. We were in awe of her.

Jacksons sister, Evelyn Cook, says they viewed their aunt as larger than life. She was very animated and exuberant, Cook remembers. It was always exciting to be around her.

The late 1940s saw Streat at the pinnacle of her success -- and in the midst of change.

She suddenly divorced Romaine, and a month later, in Dec. 1948, married her manager, Edgar Kline.

The Oregonian said the romance had triumphed over racial barriers. Kline was white.

A whimsical piece, "Monstro the Whale," by Thelma Johnson Streat. The 1940 work is held by Portland Art Museum.

At around the same time, Streat began to focus on reaching the next generation. She created murals, designed specifically to appeal to children, that showed Black Americans contributions to the country. Prints were made and distributed in schools around the country.

In the early 1950s, she and her husband moved to Hawaii and opened Childrens City, a multicultural art school.

There were signs she was planning a next step in her career, a new path, when she unexpectedly collapsed.

There are probably many reasons why she disappeared into the cultural void after her death. In part it might be because she didnt quite fit into any school of art, Bullington says. Streat worked in Abstract Expressionisms distant exurbs, you might say, with art historian Ann Gibson writing that Streat sometimes deliberately parodied the movements idea of authenticity.

Then there was the mainstream tastemakers tendency to put Black artists in their own box, Abioto says, to not acknowledge their genius as a part of the whole.

Whatever the reasons, Abioto says its well past time for Thelma Johnson Streat to receive more attention.

We need to be heralding her everywhere, she says, but especially in Portland.

Streats family, still in Oregon, began that process in the 1990s, undertaking a concerted effort to re-elevate the artists profile.

Successes have come. Portland Art Museum produced a Streat retrospective in 2003, nearly 60 years after Portlanders had crowded into that private residence on Broadway to see the artist perform. And the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., recently put on display her 1940 mural study Medicine and Transportation.

But the push to return Streat to prominence has been difficult, her family members say.

One gallery, Jackson recalls, told her that Streat was not Black enough, and another said she was too Black.

Abioto, for her part, says that discovering Thelma Johnson Streat changed the course of her own artistic life.

I feel power from trying to understand her life, she says. Her efforts arent gone. Theyre here and felt in ways not even recognized.

-- Douglas Perry

dperry@oregonian.com

@douglasmperry
Oregonians who have yet to cast a vote in Tuesdays special election need to drop off ballots at designated locations because its too late to send them to county election offices via mail.

The special election includes a host of local school board races, among other contests. Metro-area residents have an assortment of options to drop off ballots depending on the county where you reside or work, with no requirement to return your ballot to your home county:

Voter turnout in Multnomah County, Oregons largest jurisdiction, stood at nearly 17% as of Saturday. Washington County reported ballots back from more than 15% of voters as of Friday. Nearly 18% of voters in Clackamas County returned ballots as of Friday.

Clarification: This post has been updated to make clear that ballots may be returned to an official drop site in a county other than the one where you reside, so long as they are submitted by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
A cold front moving south from the Gulf of Alaska will bring high temperature back down to near average, and usher in some drizzle to the coast Monday.

The National Weather Service says low pressure moving into the Pacific Northwest will deepen the marine layer and strengthen onshore flow throughout the day. Inland temps will cool to the high 60s in most areas. This is more in line with whats average for this time of year. Portlands average high for May 17 is 68 degrees. The weather service expects the airport to hit about 70 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.

Some light rain or drizzle is likely along the beaches. The valleys should remain dry until later in the evening when the cold front begins moving across the region.

Better chances of rain arrive Tuesday. But even with a 40% chance, most areas will see very little accumulated rainfall. The weather service is expecting as little as 0.10 inches will land in the metro area. Some higher terrain areas could see as much as a half an inch. Temperatures will cool to around 64 degrees under cloudy skies that may offer up some sun breaks in the afternoon.

The upper air mass will cool dramatically with this system. Its not often we talk about snow levels in mid May, but snow levels may dip near the Cascade passes Tuesday and Wednesday. The lowest snow level may reach about 2,700 feet. Strong solar heating and warm ground temperatures may keep snowfall from sticking, but early morning and late evening showers could bring some sticking snow to the roadways.

After a warm, dry, breezy/windy Mon, a large, meandering upper-level low will bring a prolonged period of cool temps and a good chance of precip. Best potential for beneficial rain will be over the eastern mountains/valleys. Some mtn snow looks like a possibility as well! pic.twitter.com/qhlWHMIvHU  NWS Pendleton (@NWSPendleton) May 16, 2021

Portland will see continued light showers Wednesday and some sun breaks. The high temperature will be about 63 degrees.

This cool and unsettled weather is likely to stick around much of the week. There are some chances of thunderstorms and hail later in the week as well. Keep an eye on the forecast.
Check out our special section for the latest news on the critical 2021 elections in NYC. And to have the essential news and analysis sent to your inbox, sign up for our Campaign Diaries newsletter.
AGENCY [mdash]MaryAnn Wanner, 75, of Agency, died at 4:45 a.m. June 9, 2021 at Ridgewood Specialty Care. She was born February 18, 1946 in Lake City, IA to Lubbert and Erma DeVries. She married Martin Joseph Wanner and he preceded her in death on March 18, 2021. MaryAnn had worked as a beaut
Michigans largest healthcare credit union has announced plans to open a new branch in Midland.

Health Advantage Credit Union has purchased three vacant lots on Eastman Avenue, north of Saginaw Road, on which to build a nearly 2,500-square-foot new branch.

The office, which will be across the street from McDonald's, will house four employees  three full-time and one part-time  with additional meeting space for appointments with the credit unions commercial and mortgage services professionals.

Officials said a full suite of financial services will be available at the branch to members of the local healthcare community. These include savings, checking and debit products, as well as all loan types including car, mortgage, and commercial loans.

Expanding into Midland County is part of the credit unions strategic growth plan and will help us better serve our continuously increasing healthcare community in Midland and the surrounding area, said President and CEO Laura Crase.

Health Advantage Credit Union is working with TSSF Architects, Inc. and Spence Brothers on the design and construction of the new Midland branch. Construction will begin later this month and the branch is expected to open in the summer of 2022.

The Midland branch will bring the total of Health Advantage branches in the region to three. The credit union has two branch locations in Saginaw that serve nearly 12,000 members.

Health Advantage offers financial services to employees, independent contractors, or self-employed persons who regularly work in the healthcare industry in Michigan.
A year later, victims of the 2020 mid-Michigan flood are still looking for compensation for flood relief from the state and federal governments.

Ven Johnson Law held a press conference Monday to provide updates on the litigation against the state of Michigan and the federal government regarding the 2020 Edenville Dam failure. A press release was also sent out that morning from the Midland Business Alliance about testimony provided to the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies.

Attorney Ven Johnson was there Monday with flood victims to urge Michigan residents to contact their lawmakers to have them push for legislation to help compensate the flood victims for their losses.

I saw what (the victims) all were going through in order to try to clean up this incredible fiasco, which should have been avoided and could have been avoided, Johnson said. Even if you're not from this area, make a call, send (your legislator) an email and demand in Washington and in Lansing that we do something to help these folks, and make sure that they are part of the solution.

The law firm has partnered with other law firms in a Plaintiff Steering Committee to help flood victims file lawsuits against the state and federal governments, claiming that they failed to regulate the Edenville Dams need fixes. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) revoked the dams license hydroelectric license in 2018, becoming fed up with Boyce Hydro Power LLC over the dams condition.

Michigans Attorney Generals office knew about the dams condition as well but pushed to stall FERC to not revoking the license because the state would become the supervising agency over the dam if it was, Johnson said. This led to the state pushing off needed maintenance to the dam once it was their responsibility and not FERCs, he said.

Ven Johnson Law has a lawsuit filed against the state in the state Court of Claims, while their partner law firms have two federal complaints filed against the federal government. Ven Johnson Law plans on a filing a federal lawsuit soon.

Johnson said they are currently waiting on a response from Judge Cynthia Stephens, who is currently writing an opinion on the case. He the state will appeal a decision that side with the flood victims. He said this would spiral into a year and a half long appeals process.

There was also a lawsuit filed against Boyce Hydro, but is dismissed from the litigation due to its bankruptcy filed last year that was approved in February. Johnson said the company has a $3 million insurance policy that will be distributed between not just the thousands of flood victims, but creditors too. This means flood victims will see next to nothing of that money, he said.

Carl Hamann, a member of the Sanford Village Council, said he lost his home, which sat a block from the dam. He said he has been rebuilding, but Sanford itself has lost 10% of residents and 78% of businesses within the last year.

The struggle is real, Hamann said. I'm fortunate because I am able to (rebuild), but there are a lot of people that cannot do it. Those are the people that are really struggling.

Tony Stamas, president of the MBA, sent out testimony explaining the levels of damage inflicted into the Midland County community. He praised Michigan legislators for their help asked the subcommittee to support more funding for the Corps of Engineers to help mitigate the severity of future floods in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Johnson is asking people to contact their legislators, so the legal process does not become a repeat of the Flint legal situation.

Not a single cent has been given to the victims in Flint yet six and a half years later, Johnson said. That is not what we want, that's not what the people of mid-Michigan need.

The full press conference can be viewed on the law firms website. Here is a sample language template from the firm that people can use to email their legislators:

In May 2020, the Edenville and Sanford dams overflowed, devastated many communities and upended the lives of thousands of Michiganders. To date, victims of the flood have received no justice, no compensation and are paying taxes on property plummeting in value. The case against the State of Michigan is currently in the Court of Claims and will not go to trial until 2024 at the earliest.

I urge you act to expediate the litigation and not allow this nightmare to drag on.

Our tax dollars should not be used to defend the government entities that failed thousands of mid-Michigan residents, but instead should be utilized to compensate the victims and rebuild the dams.

Respectfully,

(Your name)
Despite being in the grips of a business-crippling coronavirus pandemic, Bay Future, Inc. had some positive economic news to report at its recent annual meeting.

During the virtual meeting, the Bay County economic development organization provided an economic overview of a challenging 2020 and highlighted efforts that will continue to build on its mission to drive jobs and investment in the community.

Bay Future, Inc. executed 12 financial support programs last year for nearly 350 companies that were identified as being most in need. They received a total of over $2 million.

With a strategic outlook on how to best support our local economy in recovery, Bay Future worked quickly and aggressively to survey hundreds of businesses to get a sense of the economic damage throughout the county, said Kristen Wenzel, Bay Future chairperson and chief operating officer for Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works! They advocated for financial assistance with our local and state government entities to identify funds that could be allocated to small businesses.

Since the start of 2021, the $2 million in business-supporting funds has grown to over $3 million. Last year marked the kickoff of Bay Futures five-year economic growth plan entitled, "Bay Future: Drive. Forward."

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Bay Future assisted three businesses in expanding their current operations and was responsible for bringing two new businesses to Bay County.

Nearly 200 new jobs were created or retained from these five projects and the Bay Future team was responsible for securing over $89 million in capital investment through these efforts, officials said.

Trevor Keyes, Bay Future, Inc.s president and CEO, highlighted one of Bay Countys top business-related developments: Wilkinson Minerals $150 million-plus investment to build a brine extraction plant on vacant land it purchased along the Saginaw River in Bay City.

Were looking to bring over 80 new jobs to Bay City, said Chris Thoms, Engineering & Construction Manager for Texas-based Wilkinson Minerals.

Those jobs include chemical operators, chemists, and sales and marketing, among others. The 20-plus-acre riverfront site purchased by the company is one of the few places in North America where brine actively exists. Wilkinson Minerals extracts the brine to produce calcium chloride products. One of its chief uses is for ice melts on roads during winter months.

This will be the second largest (brine) producer in North America, said Rick Billings, President of Wilkinson Minerals.

This major investment increases the current total capital expenditure in Bay County for 2020 to $189 million and pushes the new job total to over 225.

Im very excited, said Bay City Manager Dana Muscott. Look around. We have this piece of property that is just sitting here next to the river which is one of our greatest resources. This company is coming in and building this beautiful plant.

Theres a natural formation under the property here called the Sylvania formation, Billings said. From that, well extract the brine out and process that into downstream products This will be a well-engineered process. The investment will be well over $150 million.

We just happen to sit on an underground ocean of the chemical that they (Wilkinson Minerals) are looking to process, Keyes said.

Bay Future anticipates the plant to be up and running by late 2023 or early 2024.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  A Colombian rebel group that has been fighting against the Venezuelan army since March, said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that it has captured eight Venezuelan soldiers and is trying to find a way to hand them over to human rights groups.

The Red Cross confirmed on Tuesday that it had received the letter, but said it cannot comment further because that would compromise its humanitarian work.

In the letter  which was also published online by Fundaredes, a Venezuelan human rights organization -- the group known as the Martin Villa 10th Front said that it captured the soldiers on April 23 during a battle in Venezuela's Apure state.

The communique lists the names of the soldiers and their ranks, which include sergeants and lieutenants, and asks the Red Cross to implement protocols so that the prisoners of war can be handed over to a commission that might also include members of the United Nations, the Venezuelan government and the rebel group.

Venezuelas government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Venezuelan army's army deployed tanks, fighter jets, soldiers and members of the ruling party's militia movement to Apure in March as clashes with the rebel groups increased.

According to Venezuelan officials 16 soldiers and at least nine rebels have been killed in the military offensive. The United Nations says that fighting around the town of La Victoria forced more than 5,000 people to flee their homes. Many are now staying in shelters in the Colombian border town of Arauquita.

Colombia has long accused Venezuelas socialist government of allowing leftist rebels to use its territory as a safe haven for attacks on Colombia, but in recent months Venezuela itself has reported clashing with such groups, which are widely accused of deep involvement in drug smuggling and illegal mining.

Colombias government says that the Venezuelan army and groups like the Martin Villa 10th Front are fighting over control of drug trafficking routes used to take cocaine to Europe and the United States.

The Venezuelan government says that Colombian rebel groups are terrorists trying to destabilize the country.

The Martin Villa Front is led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who refused to join a 2016 peace deal the larger group signed with Colombias government. The Martin Villa front has not said what it is doing in Venezuela. It is part of a larger structure of dissidents led by Gentil Duarte, a former FARC leader.

Colombian rebel groups have increased their operations in Venezuela recently, according to a report by the International Crisis Group think tank, exploiting illegal gold mines and drug trafficking routes and acting as de-facto law enforcement in some remote communities.

The rebel groups are present in all of Venezuelas border states, said Bram Ebus, an investigator for the International Crisis Group.
When many residents in the Meridian Public Schools district were told to evacuate from their homes ahead of the imminent breach of the Edenville and Sanford dams last May, Meridian Public Schools Superintendent Craig Carmoney and his staff knew that time was of the essence.

Residents needed to understand the urgent need to leave their homes.

And they needed to know where to go for shelter.

"We got as much information as we could out there as quickly as possible," Carmoney said.

And the Meridian schools  at that time devoid of students due to the statewide mandatory closure due to COVID-19  were about to become a focal point for flood relief throughout the school district, which includes Sanford, Hope and Edenville.

"It's our job (as a school district) to serve our students and families. We saw a call to duty and a call to action," Carmoney said.

For an approximately 24-hour period that included the night of Monday, May 18, Meridian Junior High School on M-18 was designated as an emergency shelter for people who had been ordered to evacuate in anticipation of the dam breaches, which happened around 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 19.

More than 100 cots were set up in the school, but most evacuees chose to sleep in their cars in the school parking lot because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19, Carmoney recalled.

"We only ran that (shelter) for a short period of time, and as soon as the dams failed, they evacuated our shelter because it was hard to know  would the impact (of the flooding) make this area unsafe, and this was part of the evacuation zone," Carmoney explained. "And the potential for roads and bridges to be out was a concern."

But as soon as the flood waters had receded and people began to return home to take stock of their homes and possessions, Meridian Junior High was converted into a donation and distribution center and a communications hub to connect the many residents in need to the many volunteers who were ready to help them.

Donations poured into the school  everything from bottled water to cleaning and disinfecting supplies to pet food, even several new bicycles.

Residents whose homes had been flooded drove into the school parking lot and told volunteers what they needed, and volunteers carried those items out to the cars.

Inside the junior high library, student volunteers took calls from flooded residents as well as those who wanted to help. And a volunteer check-in station was set up in Sanford, a couple of miles to the south.

"A tremendous number of people came into the community to help. So we saw a need to organize volunteers to send them into the community," Carmoney said. "And we used our school buses to transport volunteers to minimize traffic. That went on for several days as well.

"As schools, we are good at creating systems to serve our families and students," he added. "We saw that as an opportunity and a need where we could step into that role."

Meridian Junior High served continuously as a flood resource center for about three months, until mid-August, only about two weeks before school would be starting up again.

"It was an amazing thing to see the community collectively come together," Carmoney said. "So many people in the community stepped up into leadership roles to organize volunteer work."

In the immediate aftermath of the flooding, Meridian Public Schools also created a link where people could make monetary donations to help flooded residents in the school district. That link ended up raising $75,000 that supported over 140 families, Carmoney said.

While Meridian Junior High served as a temporary shelter for those living east of Sanford Lake, Coleman High School was designated as a shelter for those west of the lake.

About 47 people stayed in the CHS gym the night of May 18, Coleman Community Schools Superintendent Jen McCormack said at the time.

Midland High School served as shelter for four nights

About 12 miles southeast of Meridian Junior High, Midland High School was also pressed into use as an emergency shelter, lodging a total of about 150 people between Tuesday, May 19 and Saturday, May 23.

Many of those residents were from the Riverside Place senior apartments on Main Street, which underwent extensive flood-related repairs before reopening in early August.

The Midland High shelter closed once longer-term accommodations were found for everyone who was still displaced.

Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael Sharrow said it was initially an all-hands-on-deck scenario to make sure enough help was available to staff the emergency shelter, especially nurses to care for elderly and disabled residents.

"I called Jerry Wasserman, our former school board president. Knowing so many people in town, Jerry was able to call a couple of nurses he knew," Sharrow said.

Eventually, thanks to networking through the CMU College of Medicine, nurses from around the state, some of whom had been laid off from their jobs, signed up to work 24-hour shifts at the temporary shelter.

"What hit us was how fortunate we were. Without (the nurses who stepped up to volunteer), it would have been a totally different story," Sharrow said.

Cots didn't arrive at the school until 3 a.m. the first night of the shelter, so it was a challenging first night, he said. But by the next day, May 20, just like at Meridian, people began to bring an abundance of donations of food, water, and supplies to the high school. And more than 400 volunteers stepped up to staff the shelter.

"Within a 24-hour period, we had hundreds of people working shifts. What a great sign from our community," Sharrow said, adding that so many items were donated to the shelter that many of them were taken to other distribution centers. "When we shut the shelter down, it took another day of logistics in moving the food and supplies to the best spots where they were needed."

Bullock Creek also opened its doors to displaced residents

Yet another Midland County school, Bullock Creek High School, opened its doors as an emergency shelter the week of the dam failures.

Bullock Creek Superintendent Shawn Hale said within 20 minutes after the Edenville Dam was breached on May 19, he got a call from the Midland County Emergency Management office indicating that BCHS would be needed as a shelter.

"We gathered towels and toiletries. Our food service director, our business manager, our social worker, and several other people stepped up (to mobilize people and resources for the shelter)," Hale said.

About 18 people stayed in the high school gym that first night of May 19, with cots arriving around 2 a.m.

Just like at Meridian, many people slept in their cars in the parking lot rather than go inside the school, Hale said. The number of those staying inside the school steadily decreased each night.

"We continued to staff our shelter for about four days. By the fourth day, most people were able to return to their homes or they found an alternate place to stay," Hale said.

And donations of food, water and supplies came into the school throughout that week and into the next. On May 26, Dow and United Way took over the collection and distribution of donations.

"All of that supply was moved to (another location) and distributed out from there to people in need," Hale said, recalling that some people donated brand-new sheets and pillows that were still in their packaging.

Many Bullock Creek staff members also volunteered to help with crews that were cleaning out flooded homes throughout the region, Hale noted.

"You just do what you can do and just be open to serve however you can," he said. "I had people wiling to sign up for shifts. I didn't have to ask; people just stepped up and volunteered."

Amid all that, the temporary closing of parts of Poseyville Road and M-20 due to flooding left some Bullock Creek residents having to drive 90 minutes to get into the city of Midland, Hale noted.
Gaetz himself publicly announced that the feds were investigating him, which he claims is part of a so-called Deep State plot to punish him for backing Trump. The third-term lawmaker from a deep red district also claims he is the victim of a convoluted shakedown plot involving an effort to free an American who disappeared in Iran years ago.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A 73-year-old from Pakistan who is the oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center was notified on Monday that he has been approved for release after more than 16 years in custody at the U.S. base in Cuba, his lawyer said.

Saifullah Paracha, who has been held on suspicion of ties to al-Qaida but never charged with a crime, was cleared by the prisoner review board along with two other men, said Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, who represented him at his hearing in November.

As is customary, the notification did not provide detailed reasoning for the decision and concluded only that Paracha is not a continuing threat to the U.S., Sullivan-Bennis said.

It does not mean his release his imminent. But it is a crucial step before the U.S. government negotiates a repatriation agreement with Pakistan for his return. President Joe Biden's administration has said it intends to resume efforts to close the detention center, a process that former President Donald Trump halted.

Paracha's attorney said she thinks he will be returned home in the next several months.

The Pakistanis want him back, and our understanding is that there are no impediments to his return, she said.

A Pentagon spokesman had no immediate comment.

The prisoner review board also informed Uthman Abd al-Rahim Uthman, a Yemeni who has been held without charge at Guantanamo since it opened in January 2002, was also notified that he had been cleared, according to his attorney, Beth Jacob, who spoke to him by phone.

He was happy, relieved and hopeful that this will actually lead to his release, Jacob said.

Paracha, who lived in the U.S. and owned property in New York City, was a wealthy businessman in Pakistan. Authorities alleged he was an al-Qaida facilitator who helped two of the conspirators in the Sept. 11 plot with a financial transaction. He says he didnt know they were al-Qaida and denies any involvement in terrorism.

The U.S., which captured Paracha in Thailand in 2003 and has held him at Guantanamo since September 2004, has long asserted that it can hold detainees indefinitely without charge under the international laws of war.

In November, Paracha, who suffers from a number of ailments including diabetes and a heart condition, made his eighth appearance before the review board, which was established under President Barack Obama to try to prevent the release of prisoners who authorities believed might engage in anti-U.S. hostilities upon their release from Guantanamo.

At the time, his attorney said he was more optimistic about his prospects because of Biden's election, his ill health and developments in a legal case involving his son, Uzair.

Uzair Paracha was convicted in 2005 in federal court in New York of providing support to terrorism, based in part on testimony from the same witnesses held at Guantanamo whom the U.S. relied on to justify holding the father.

In March 2020, after a judge threw out those witness accounts and the government decided not to seek a new trial, Uzair Paracha was released and sent back to Pakistan.

Saifullah Paracha is one of 40 prisoners still held at Guantanamo, down from a peak of nearly 700 in 2003.

With this latest review board decision, there are now about nine men held at Guantanamo who have been cleared for release, including one who has been approved since 2010. Under Obama, the U.S. would not return men to Yemen because of the civil war there and often struggled to find third countries to accept former prisoners.

Given that history, Jacob was only cautiously optimistic about her client's release. Im just hoping that in 11 years hes not just still sitting there with his clearance still at Guantanamo," she said.

There are 10 facing trial by military commission and two who have been convicted, including one awaiting sentencing. Proceedings in the tribunals have been on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ATLANTA (AP)  People held in a Georgia jail are being denied access to pens, effectively eliminating their ability to communicate with their lawyers by mail, according to a filing in federal court.

Civil rights groups sued Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill and several of his high-ranking subordinates in July, alleging that overcrowding, a lack of personal protective equipment and limited access to cleaning and sanitation supplies were putting people in the county jail at risk of exposure to the coronavirus. A judge in December approved class-action status for the lawsuit, meaning it would include all current and future detainees.

After lawyers began communicating by mail with a large number of detainees, jail officials abruptly changed policy to declare pens contraband, confiscated all detainees' pens and stopped selling them through the commissary, according to a filing Thursday in federal court.

The unprecedented policy has no legitimate purpose, keeps people held in the jail from being able to communicate confidentially with their lawyers by mail and makes it difficult for the lawyers to gather necessary information from their clients, the filing says. It also violates the constitutional rights of the lawyers and their clients and supports an inference of unlawful retaliation for protected speech, the filing says.

COVID-19 has already substantially restricted the lawyers' access to their clients at the jail, and virtual legal visits last only 30 minutes and cost about $12, the filing says. Given that the class size is roughly 2,000 people, mail is also the most efficient way for the lawyers to communicate with their clients, the filing says.

The filing asks a judge to issue an order to ensure that people held in the jail can communicate with their lawyers by mail.

No one in the sheriff's office responded immediately Monday to a voicemail from The Associated Press seeking comment.

A lawyer with the Southern Center for Human Rights, which filed the class-action suit along with the American Civil Liberties Union, wrote two letters in April to the jail officials' lawyer asking him to investigate and remedy the situation.

In an email that was attached as an exhibit to the court filing, Jack Hancock, the lawyer for the jail officials, said detainees are no longer able to buy or keep pens as a result of the use of the pens as weapons. Hancock said detainees can get pens from jail staff but cannot keep them longer than necessary. He also noted that detainees have access to kiosks that allow them to email and text.

Sworn declarations from people held in the jail and attached to the court filing say the pens they used to get were short and extremely flexible, specifically to keep them from being used as weapons. They also say jail staff haven't let them access pens at all since the policy change.
HONG KONG (AP)  The Hong Kong stock exchange halted trading of Next Digital shares Monday at the media company's request after authorities froze assets belonging to its founder, Jimmy Lai, who has been a high-profile voice in the the territory's pro-democracy movement.

Later in the day, the media tycoon and nine other pro-democracy activists pleaded guilty to taking part in an unlawful assembly in 2019. Lai is already serving a 14-month sentence for his role in two other unauthorized assemblies during a period when Hong Kong residents were involved in mass anti-government protests.

Next Digital said in a filing that it requested the trading halt after authorities announced the freeze on Lais assets Friday under a national security law that critics say is meant to snuff out dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Next Digital publishes pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, and the company was founded by Lai, who owns a 71% stake and is its controlling shareholder.

The freezing of Lai's assets raises questions about Next Digital's survival as a company. Advertisers have become wary of Apple Daily's staunch, pro-democratic stance in Hong Kong, adversely impacting its revenue as authorities crack down on dissenting voices in the city at the urging of leaders in Beijing.

Hong Kong security minister John Lee dismissed concerns that the freezing of Lai's assets was an attack on press freedom and said that under the national security law, he is able to freeze assets if there are reasonable grounds to suspect they are related to offenses that endanger national security.

The action that we have taken is acting in accordance with the laws to tackle crimes that are endangering national security. Its not directly related to journalism, he said to reporters Monday.

It is illegal activities that we are dealing with. It is not press work. In regard to timing for my issuing of notices, I will issue it when I have reasonable suspicion that the power should be exercised, Lee said.

Last week, the Taiwan Apple Daily newspaper said it would stop publishing a print edition. The paper said it had been losing money, and Next Digital could no longer support it because pro-China forces had blocked access to advertising for its flagship Apple Daily newspaper and other publications in Hong Kong.

Lai and the nine others who pleaded guilty over an October 2019 demonstration can make mitigation pleas on May 24 and the sentences are to be handed down on May 28. They face up to five years' imprisonment.

The mass protests started over a proposed extradition bill that many saw as an infringement on the freedoms Hong Kong was promised when it was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997 and then evolved to include broader demands for democracy. After months of protests and sometimes-violent clashes between security forces and protesters, Beijing began tightening its control over the territory.

Last year it imposed a new national security law on the city that is widely seen as giving authorities a way to crack down on dissent that was previously legal. The law broadly criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, and police have arrested more than a hundred people under the legislation.

Lai is under investigation by the national security department for allegedly colluding with foreign powers and endangering national security.

In recent months, Hong Kong police have arrested most of the citys pro-democracy activists and have put prominent activists such as Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow behind bars. Most of the pro-democracy activists arrested are still in police custody.
Last year, our community experienced the worst flooding in our history. The Edenville and Sanford dams failed after days of heavy rainfall, sending water cascading down the Tittabawassee River. This flood destroyed the village of Sanford and damaged homes and businesses in Midland and other communities further downstream.

When this tragic event began, the first responders of our region acted quickly to evacuate 11,000 people and set up shelters for those who had nowhere to go. They did all of this while simultaneously facing a historic pandemic.

In October, I honored Gladwin County Sheriff Mike Shea and Gladwin County employee Marty Govitz for working through the night, in the pouring rain, to save the Wiggins Lake Dam and the culvert on Wildwood Road. Their work prevented further damage downstream and they both put the people of the community before themselves.

More recently, I recognized the outstanding work of the Billings Township Fire Department for what it did last May. I am also pleased to announce that the department received a $15,300 federal grant in March for a new rescue truck with medical and fire response equipment. All the first responders in our region did a terrific job and their courageous efforts will never be forgotten.

In the aftermath of the flood, we came together and worked with our friends and neighbors to clean out basements, rebuild homes, and re-open businesses. Local governments, community organizations, and businesses worked together to support the people of our region and provide relief for those who needed it most.

I know this community is still rebuilding and I have been working hard to help everyone who has been affected. In the immediate aftermath of the flooding, I led my colleagues in Congress in supporting a federal disaster declaration for our region. I took this issue to the White House last July and got the final approval, allowing FEMA relief to come to our region, along with support from other federal agencies and departments.

Since then, more than $100 million in federal funding has come to the region to rebuild homes, repair wells, fix roads and bridges, and reconstruct businesses. I have been in Sanford a number of times since the flood, and it has been inspiring to see how people there have rallied to help one another. Businesses have reopened and the community has rallied to support them. Earlier this year, my office was able to expedite IRS approval for the Sanford Strong organization to become a 501(c)(3), which will enable it to help more people in our community. My team and I helped a lot of people last year, and were always happy to help residents who need assistance with a federal agency. If you need assistance, you can call us at 989-631-2552.

There is also more work to do to help our community rebuild.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am working to have more additional federal resources directed to our community. This includes $750,000 for the City of Midland to help it make improvements to the sewer system. Last year, basements were flooded as the sewer system was unable to handle the water that came rushing downstream. The city hopes future improvements will protect residents and their homes.

I have also asked the committee for funding to support safety booms at the Smallwood and Secord dams. These dams are a vital part of the Tittabawassee River watershed, and I want to make sure they are safe for the public. Public safety is of the utmost importance at the dams, so increasing safety measures and awareness will prevent people from getting hurt.

Another piece of legislation that will help our region is the Rural Disaster Support and Relief Act. I introduced this legislation this week, and it will help our region by giving increased federal cost-sharing assistance to communities of 50,000 or fewer residents after a federal disaster. This legislation could save our region millions of dollars and I will be working to try and pass it in the months ahead.

I have also introduced legislation with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell called the National Dam and Hydropower Safety Act. Federal and state dam regulators, along with a negligent dam owner, failed our region last year and this legislation will increase accountability and help ensure something like that never happens again in our country.

As the recovery from this tragedy continues, I will be working with state and local leaders, and doing everything I can to bring additional federal support to our region. This has been a difficult year, but I am optimistic about the future and I know that when we work together, we can rebuild better than we did before.

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, of Midland, represents Michigans Fourth Congressional District, which is all of Clare, Clinton, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon, Shiawassee, and Wexford counties, and parts of Montcalm and Saginaw counties.
Living in a digital world, it is easy to feel like your personal data is not secure these days. Turn on the news, and you are likely to see another story about identity theft or financial fraud. Or, despite checking the no thanks box, your personal info has been sold to another sales team bombarding you with unwanted phone calls, emails and social media ads.

Now there is a new threat to your personal information and pocketbook brewing in the legislature that would make wide-scale data mining of your property records easier than ever. Better yet, youll get to pay for it!
Theres a stigma on Capitol Hill, Rubio said. Some of my colleagues...kinda, you know, giggle when you bring it up. But I dont think we can allow the stigma to keep us from having an answer to a very fundamental question.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - More than 650 illegal migrants were rescued Sunday at sea and brought back to the Libyan capital by coastal guards, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said here Monday
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - International financial experts and anti-corruption organisations drawn from Africa are gathering virtually to discuss strategies to stop illicit financial flows from Africa, organisers of the talks said on Monday
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  He served as an interpreter alongside U.S. soldiers on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights in eastern Afghanistan, earning a glowing letter of recommendation from an American platoon commander and a medal of commendation.

Still, Ayazudin Hilal was turned down when he applied for one of the scarce special visas that would allow him to relocate to the U.S. with his family. Now, as American and NATO forces prepare to leave the country, he and thousands of others who aided the war effort fear they will be left stranded, facing the prospect of Taliban reprisals.

We are not safe, the 41-year-old father of six said of Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO. The Taliban is calling us and telling us, Your stepbrother is leaving the country soon, and we will kill all of you guys.'"

The fate of interpreters after the troop withdrawal is one of the looming uncertainties surrounding the withdrawal, including a possible resurgence of terrorist threats and a reversal of fragile gains for women if chaos, whether from competing Kabul-based warlords or the Taliban, follows the end of America's military engagement.

Interpreters and other civilians who worked for the U.S. government or NATO can get what is known as a special immigrant visa, or SIV, under a program created in 2009 and modeled after a similar program for Iraqis.

Both SIV programs have long been dogged by complaints about a lengthy and complicated application process for security vetting that grew more cumbersome with pandemic safety measures.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters last month that the U.S. is committed to helping interpreters and other Afghan civilians who aided the war effort, often at great personal risk. The Biden administration has also launched a review of the SIV programs, examining the delays and the ability of applicants to challenge a rejection. It will also be adding anti-fraud measures.

Amid the review, former interpreters, who typically seek to shield their identities and keep a low profile, are becoming increasingly public about what they fear will happen should the Taliban return to power.

They absolutely are going to kill us, Mohammad Shoaib Walizada, a former interpreter for the U.S. Army, said in an interview after joining others in a protest in Kabul.

At least 300 interpreters have been killed in Afghanistan since 2016, and the Taliban have made it clear they will continue to be targeted, said Matt Zeller, a co-founder of No One Left Behind, an organization that advocates on their behalf. He also served in the country as an Army officer.

The Taliban considers them to be literally enemies of Islam, said Zeller, now a fellow at the Truman National Security Project. Theres no mercy for them.

Members of Congress and former service members have also urged the U.S. government to expedite the application process, which now typically takes more than three years. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said May 10 that the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had temporarily increased staff to help process the visas.

In December, Congress added 4,000 visas, bringing the total number of Afghans who can come with their immediate family members to 26,500, with about half the allotted amount already used and about 18,000 applications pending.

Critics and refugee advocates said the need to relocate could swell dramatically if Afghanistan tumbles further into disarray. As it is, competing warlords financed and empowered by U.S. and NATO forces threaten the future along with a resurgent Taliban, which have been able to make substantive territorial gains against a poorly trained and poorly equipped Afghan security force largely financed by U.S. taxpayers.

While I applaud the Biden administrations review of the process, if they are not willing to sort of rethink the entire thing, they are not going to actually start helping those Afghans who are most at need, said Noah Coburn, a political anthropologist whose research focuses on Afghanistan.

Coburn estimates there could be as many as 300,000 Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO in some form over the past two decades.

There is a wide range of Afghans who would not be tolerated under the Talibans conception of what society should look like, said Adam Bates, policy counsel for the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Those fears have been heightened by recent targeted killings of journalists and other civilians as well as government workers. The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for several, while the Taliban and government blame each other.

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Biden raised the nations overall cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 this month, weeks after facing bipartisan blowback for his delay in replacing the record low ceiling set by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

The U.S. is not planning to move civilians out en masse, for now at least. We are processing SIVs in Kabul and have no plans for evacuations at this time, a senior administration official said.

The White House is in the beginning stages of discussing its review with Congress and will work with lawmakers if changes in the SIV program are needed in order to process applications as quickly and efficiently as possible, while also ensuring the integrity of the program and safeguarding national security, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Former interpreters have support in Congress, in part because many also have former American troops vouching for them.

Walizada, for example, submitted a letter of support from an Army sergeant who supervised him in dozens of patrols, including one where the interpreter was wounded by Taliban gunfire. I cannot recall a linguist who had a greater dedication to his country or the coalition cause, the sergeant wrote.

Walizada was initially approved for a visa, but it was later revoked, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services telling him that it had adverse information you may be unaware of, in a letter he provided to The Associated Press. Walizada said he has appealed the decision and hasn't received a response.

Hilal, who translated from Dari and Pashto to English for the Army from June 2009 to December 2012, was rejected by the U.S. Embassy, which said he did not meet the requirement for faithful and valuable service, because he was fired by the contracting firm that hired him after 3 1/2 years of service.

It was a stinging response, considering the dangers he faced. If I havent done faithful and good service for the U.S. Army, why have they given me this medal? he says, holding the commendation, in an AP interview at an office in Kabul used by the former interpreters to meet with journalists.

Why he was fired by the U.S.-based contractor, Mission Essential, is unclear. Hilal said he had a conflict with supervisors that started with a dispute over a work assignment. The company says it does not discuss current or former employees and declined to comment.

But whatever happened eventually, a November 2019 letter of support from his platoon commander was highly complimentary of stellar service that rivals that of most deployed service members.

Hilal was by his side on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights, monitoring enemy radio traffic and interpreting during encounters with locals, Army Maj. Thomas Goodman said in the letter.

He was dependable and performed admirably, Goodman wrote. Even in firefights that lasted hours on end, he never lost his nerve, and I could always count him to be by my side.

As it happens, an AP journalist was embedded with the unit for a time, amid intense fighting in eastern Afghanistan, and captured images of Hilal and Goodman, surrounded by villagers as American forces competed with the Taliban for the support of the people.

Goodman said he stands by his recommendation but declined to comment further.

Coburn, who interviewed more than 150 special immigrant visa recipients and applicants for a recently released study of the program, said Hilal's denial reflects a rigid evaluation process. There is no nuance to the definition of service, he said. You either served or you didnt serve.

The special immigration visa program allows applicants to make one appeal, and many are successful. Nearly 80% of 243 Afghans who appealed in the first quarter of 2021 were subsequently approved after providing additional information, according to the State Department. Hilal says his appeal was rejected.

Bates, of the International Refugee Assistance Project, says the fact that there is a U.S. Army officer willing to support should count for something. Even if he doesnt qualify for the SIV program, this plainly seems like someone who is in need of protection, he said.



Fox reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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HOUSTON (AP)  A tiger that frightened residents after it was last seen briefly wandering around a Houston neighborhood was transported to a wildlife sanctuary on Sunday after police found the animal a day earlier following a nearly week-long search.

The 9-month-old male named India is now being cared for at the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, an animal sanctuary in Murchison, Texas, located southeast of Dallas, said Noelle Almrud, the sanctuary's senior director.

Black Beauty Ranch will provide safe sanctuary for him and give him a proper diet, enrichment, an expansive naturally wooded habitat where he can safely roam and will provide everything else he needs to be the healthy wild tiger he deserves to be," she said.

The sanctuary is home to nearly 800 domestic and exotic animals, including two other tigers who were found in recent years  one in Houston in 2019 and another in February in San Antonio.

Houston police announced Saturday night that India had been found safe and unharmed. In a short video tweeted by Houston police, Cmdr. Ron Borza was seen sitting next to the tiger, petting the animal.

The tiger was held at BARC, the city of Houstons animal shelter, until officials with the sanctuary picked him up Sunday morning.

Authorities had been searching for the tiger since it was spotted May 9 in a west Houston neighborhood. At the time, it was nearly shot by an off-duty deputy before being whisked away in a car by Victor Hugo Cuevas, who police allege is the owner.

At a news conference Saturday evening, Borza said that Cuevas' wife, Giorgiana, turned over the tiger to police on Saturday after a friend of hers reached out to officials at BARC.

It is Victors tiger. Thats what I was told by (Giorgiana Cuevas) ... She says theyve had that animal for nine months," Borza said. He alleged that the tiger was passed around to different people but that Cuevas' wife knew where the tiger was at all times this week as authorities searched for it.

Police are still trying to determine where exactly the tiger was held this week and if any charges related to having the tiger will be filed. Tigers are not allowed within Houston city limits under a city ordinance unless the handler, such as a zoo, is licensed to have exotic animals.

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But Cuevas attorney, Michael W. Elliott, on Saturday night continued to insist his client doesnt own the tiger.

Victor was not the primary owner of India nor did India stay with him the majority of the time," Elliott told The Associated Press. Victor was however involved in the caretaking of India often. Victor loves India as anyone else would love a favorite pet ... He treated India with love and fantastic treatment in all respects."

Cuevas was arrested Monday by Houston police and charged with evading arrest for allegedly fleeing his home with the tiger after officers had responded to a call about a dangerous animal.

At the time of his arrest by Houston police, Cuevas was already out on bond for a murder charge in a 2017 fatal shooting in neighboring Fort Bend County. Cuevas has maintained the shooting was self-defense, Elliott said.

Cuevas was released on a separate bond for the evading arrest charge on Wednesday. But prosecutors in Fort Bend County then sought to have him held with no bond on the murder charge. After an all-day hearing on Friday, a judge revoked Cuevas current $125,000 bond on the murder charge and issued a new bond for $300,000. He remains jailed.

During Fridays court hearing, Waller County Sheriffs Office Deputy Wes Manion, who lives in the Houston neighborhood where the tiger was seen, testified he interacted with the animal for about 10 minutes to make sure it didnt go after someone else. He said Cuevas came out of his house yelling, Dont kill it, grabbed the tiger by the collar and kissed its head before leading it back inside his home. Various videos of the tiger's encounter with Manion were posted on social media.

Elliott has said Cuevas did nothing illegal because Texas has no statewide law forbidding private ownership of tigers and other exotic animals.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, which runs the sanctuary, said Sunday while India might have appeared to be safe, Big cats like India express natural, unpredictable behaviors that can occur at any moment." Borza said India already weighs 175 pounds (79 kg), it can do a lot of damage and will only get bigger.

Situations like this are why we are working to pass federal legislation. The Big Cat Public Safety Act would prohibit keeping big cats as pets," Block said.



Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation that puts public schools and their districts at risk of losing civil lawsuits if they let transgender students or employees use multi-person bathrooms or locker rooms that do not reflect their gender at birth.

LGBTQ advocates have decried the legislation as discriminatory. It's the first bill restricting bathroom use by transgender people signed in any state in about five years, according to Wyatt Ronan, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.

The Republican governor signed the bill Friday, cementing another policy into law this year in Tennessee that targets the transgender community. Numerous anti-transgender measures have advanced recently in GOP-led statehouses across the country, including in Texas, Alabama and Arkansas.

Under the bathroom measure, a student, parent or employee could sue in an effort to claim monetary damages for all psychological, emotional, and physical harm suffered if school officials allow a transgender person into the bathroom or locker room when others are in there. They also could take legal action if required to stay in the same sleeping quarters as a member of the opposite sex at birth, unless that person is a family member.

The proposal says schools must try to offer a bathroom or changing facility that is single-occupancy or that is for employees if a student or employee desires greater privacy when using a multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility designated for their sex at birth.

Lee, who is up for reelection next year, has said the bill promotes "equality in bathrooms," despite the prohibition against transgender people using multi-person facilities that don't align with their sex at birth. The legislation takes effect July 1.

That bill provides equal access to every student. Its a reasonable accommodation, Lee told reporters last week. It allows for accommodation for every student regardless of their gender. I think thats a smart approach to the challenge.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has said the requirement would violate equal protection rights under the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act. The ACLU expects the law will be challenged in court.

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Transgender students should be treated with respect and dignity, just like everyone else," ACLU of Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg said in a statement. Governor Lees decision to sign this bill sends the opposite message - that students should be able to discriminate against a group of their classmates by avoiding sharing public spaces with them, and sue their schools if they are prevented from doing so.

Challenging a school policy currently presents procedural hurdles, including legal standing and immunity issues, said state ACLU spokesperson Lindsay Kee. The law presents a clear path to litigation about bathrooms and allows for attorneys' fees awards, Kee said.

Such measures have been met with opposition from LGBTQ advocates and prominent business interests. Nonetheless, it isn't the first  and won't be the last  proposed restriction affecting the transgender community to come before Lee this year. So far nationally, there has been no big, tangible repercussion where bills have passed targeting transgender people, unlike the swift backlash from the business community to North Carolina's 2016 bathroom bill.

The governor has already signed a different proposal this year that bars transgender athletes from playing girls public high school or middle school sports.

The NCAA recently picked three states  Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas  that ban interscholastic transgender athletes as host schools for softball regionals, with Arkansas' law also applying to college sports. The decision came after the organization reiterated support for transgender athletes in college sports, warning that future events should only be in places that are safe, healthy and free of discrimination.

Lee has also signed legislation to require school districts to alert parents 30 days in advance before students are taught about sexual orientation or gender identity. Parents could also opt their student out of the lesson. The requirement would not apply when a teacher is responding to a students question or referring to a historic figure or group.

Lee is still deciding whether to sign a different variety of bathroom bill" that passed this year. This one would require businesses or government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multi-person bathrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms with people of their gender identity, not just their gender at birth.

Another bill passed by lawmakers seeks to ban gender-affirming medical treatment for trans minors  including the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Lee has not acted on the legislation yet. Arkansas approved a similar version earlier this year over a veto from Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.



Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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CHICAGO  Two Chicago police officers responding to an alert from ShotSpotter, the citys gunshot detection system, were shot and wounded early Sunday on the West Side, authorities confirmed.

One officer had been in critical but stable condition and the other had been in good condition, officials said. Both officers were released from Mount Sinai Hospital around 10:45 a.m., police said. The man who allegedly shot the two male officers  a 45-year-old felon, according to Superintendent David Brown  also was shot in the leg, police said, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital.

Thankfully, none of the injuries are life-threatening to either the officers or the offender. But it just underscores the danger that our men and women in the Police Department face every single day. They run to danger to protect us. And we cant ever forget that, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Both injured officers were discharged less than four hours after the shooting, ceremoniously rolled out in wheelchairs in front of a line of about 50 waiting officers before getting in their families cars, police spokesman Tom Ahern said.

The group then gathered to pray after both injured officers were driven away, and Brown said a blessing for those who came to salute the officers out of the hospital to encourage them in a hypercritical time for police.

Both officers are expected to make a full recovery, Brown said.

He urged the silent majority in this city who fully support our police officers to be more vocal and said that officers need to hear from them.

The two officers had been working in Lawndale when they were dispatched to the ShotSpotter alert near the 1500 block of South Lawndale Avenue about 7:25 a.m., Brown said. When they saw a man in a vacant lot near the location the ShotSpotter alert indicated, they approached him and were immediately fired upon, Brown said.

They were in uniform, clearly Chicago police officers, and this offender had no regard for their position as police officers  no regard  and began trying to kill them. Lets be clear: This offender turned and immediately tried to kill these officers by firing a gun at them and hitting both of them. But for the good Lords grace that were not here talking about planning a funeral for our officers, Brown said.

Lightfoot reiterated many of the same points as Brown during a 9:15 a.m. joint news conference outside Mount Sinai, stressing that the officers were readily identifiable as police officers when they were fired upon. Brown also said there was no foot pursuit prior to the gunfire.

One officer was shot in the hand, and the other officer was shot in the hip and in the shoulder above his vest, Brown said.

Brown said there have been 16 Chicago police officers shot in the past 15 months. In the same time frame, 108 officers have been fired upon, he said.

Its just too early now to go into the details of this investigation, Brown said. He expects investigators will pull video from the area as well as body camera footage from the injured officers.

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I would just ask that we also put the same attention on this video with ... these two officers being shot, that we put on others. To just see how quickly these split-second incidents happen, Brown said. Officers oftentimes have no time to react, so lets make sure we put the same pressures on looking at this video to get a totality of the circumstances, a sense of how quickly our officers are put in danger on these calls that involve gunplay.

Repeating a common refrain, Lightfoot again called for an end to violence in the city.

Lets say a prayer for all involved. Lets pray for peace in our city, she said. Weve got to put these guns down. Weve got to stop the flow of illegal guns into our city.

These are at least the fifth and sixth Chicago police officers to be shot in the past two months, according to Tribune records.

On March 25, a Deering District officer was shot in the South Sides Brighton Park neighborhood while he and other officers went after a gunman who shot a security worker at a Home Depot. The gunman was shot and killed by another officer, and the wounded cop and the security worker survived their injuries.

That shooting came five days after an Austin District officer was shot in the hand on the West Side by a gunman who, authorities say, fired at several cops and three other people near Maypole and LaCrosse avenues in the Austin community. A 29-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

On March 15, an off-duty officer was shot while sitting in his vehicle at a traffic light in the 8900 block of South Stony Island Avenue in the Calumet Heights neighborhood on the South Side. That officer was shot in the abdomen and needed surgery. A $1,000 reward has been offered for the capture of at least two suspects wanted in that case.

The day before that shooting, on March 14, an on-duty sergeant was shot outside the Gresham District police station, 7808 S. Halsted St., on the South Side. That sergeant suffered a graze wound to his chin, and theres been no word of any arrests in that case.

Lightfoot, who attended a paramedic graduation ceremony two days ago, also praised the dedication and talent of the medical team at Mount Sinai and the paramedics who treated the officers at the scene and on the way to the hospital.

She noted one paramedic, Gerardo Casas, graduated Friday and, according to Chicago Fire Department officials, his first call was responding to the two officers who were shot.

I attended a graduation of paramedics from the Fire Department who were immediately put into action, and Im told that one of those paramedics that graduated on Friday was part of the team that carried these officers here to the hospital, she said.

In a statement released by email around 11 a.m., police said a comprehensive use of force investigation will be initiated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The two officers will be assigned to administrative duties for 30 days, as is routine.

Brown mentioned the shooting occurred during National Police Week, which was first celebrated as National Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, 1962, under President John F. Kennedy. Brown said that because of COVID-19 restrictions, the city has been unable to hold a local ceremony this week.

These are brave people. These are people who are sworn to protect all of the people of Chicago and they take this oath knowing they are putting their lives at risk to save other lives. They have recovered over 4,000 guns this year  4,000. Thats more than what is recovered in New York and LA combined, Brown said. And every gun recovery is a potential deadly force encounter. And so these officers bravery and courage is on display every day, every shift, every hour.

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JACKSONVILLE  Evil and innocence collided in the soft bluish glow of a cellphone.

Within seconds of hitting send, the photo she was dared to take became a weapon that would haunt the young teen's life.

She had been used, betrayed by someone she thought was a boy her own age. They had spent weeks chatting and texting about everything from school to problems at home.

He knew her well: She shared increasingly intimate details about who she was, where she lived, the fights with her parents.

But he was a mirage  empathetic stories contrived by an adult and carefully calculated to draw her into a world of exploitation that law enforcement authorities in west-central Illinois and across the nation see as a rising threat.

That single picture would be the genesis of increasingly graphic threats and demands.

Alarming growth

Online extortion is unfortunately nothing new, and has been growing in the wake of more people working from home and spending more time on computers, tablets and smartphones. Unlike quick-hit schemes that threaten to expose private details of adult users, the nature of child sexual exploitation is particularly heinous because it targets underage victims with threats that can last months or years.

The goal still can be financial gain, but the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says it can be even more nefarious  from creating child pornography to enticing children for sexual acts.

There are concentrated efforts by local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to attack the problem, but it is growing at an alarming pace. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recorded 19,174 reports of online enticement in 2019; that number jumped 97.5% in 2020, to 37,872.

Some 78% of the victims were girls. Some were as young as 8.

It isn't slowing, either. Dark recesses of the internet even serve as "training grounds" for those who hide behind the cloak of anonymity to discuss their methods and swap photos and videos like trading cards.

"Let's just say for the Springfield greater metropolitan area, if you threw every law enforcement entity that we have into addressing just this one violation, we wouldn't even scratch the surface," Springfield FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shannon Fontenot said.

Preying on fear

It is a manipulative game of degrees in many cases, which can start with contact from someone posing as another young person. From that initial communication, trust is established and built upon  authorities refer to it as "grooming"  with gifts, money, flattery, lies or other methods, according to the FBI.

"It's a crime that involves an adult coercing a minor to create or send explicit images or videos of themselves or others around their age. It can take place in many different ways, mostly through electronic mechanisms. As our society and our kids become more familiar with technology and we become more technologically dependent, it also trickles down to our children, and that's usually the avenue in which they use to coerce these minors," Fontenot said.

Predators are skilled at culling what authorities call P.I.I., personal identifying information, and using it against children without them realizing it.

"They present a falsehood, an online presence, that can mislead the child into believing that it is a trusted person, whether it's the same age, same sex, same demographic, whether it is race, or even whatever religion that they are, they'll use to create a false bond with this child, and then it progresses from there," Fontenot said. "The perpetrator will often use images from previous victims to lead the child into a false sense of security, 'hey, you and me are just alike, we're in the same situation, we're the same age, we are faced with the same struggles' and then it's kind of this you-and-me bond."

Eventually comes a request for a sexual photo or video.

The line of betrayal is crossed.

After the criminal has one or more videos or pictures comes a threat to share that content or the threat of violence to get the victim to produce more images.

Like the common thread of adult exploitation, there can be threats to send the photos or videos to family or friends. There may be a demand for money, but often the pressure is for more, and increasingly explicit, material. Sometimes the predators will claim, wrongly, that the victims will get in trouble for sharing the images.

Shame or fear can prevent the victim from telling anyone what is happening.

A teen trapped

Ashley Reynolds was 14 when she got the first message from someone claiming to have nude photos of her.

She ignored it. Her tormenter persisted, demanding she send more and more photos in exchange for protecting her reputation.

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She complied, hoping it would end. It didn't.

"I remember just lying in bed in silence and just thinking. I felt like God was so disappointed in me, and I didn't know what to do. I wouldn't get home until late at night and then I'd have to send him all these pictures. And as I'm doing this, he would be like, 'No this isn't right. This one is blurry.' or 'You didn't do this right, you weren't doing it right, you gotta do it again'," she said. "That's where being a slave to him comes in, because I had to make sure I complied and I sent him all this because, one, maybe tomorrow I'll get a break. I'll get a day off tomorrow if I just do all these right. I never wanted to send them or give him what he wanted, but I wanted my freedom, I guess. So I figured the only way to do that is if I do it right, but nothing was ever right."

Reynolds, now in her 20s, has gone public with her story in the hope of preventing someone else from being trapped.

In her case, it was months later that her parents found out what was happening.

She was embarrassed, but relieved.

They contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Eventually, investigators determined Reynolds was one of almost 600 boys and girls who had fallen into the trap of a man federal authorities identified as Michael Lucas Chansler. The St. Johns County, Florida, man was sentenced in 2015 to 105 years in prison for coercing about 590 children to send him pornographic pictures of themselves, using hundreds of aliases in what Jacksonville, Florida, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michelle Klimt at the time said was one of the largest sextortion cases ever prosecuted.

Chansler was 31 when he was sentenced.

Jacksonville, Florida, FBI Special Agent Larry Meyer, who led the investigation, said even those who had been investigating such cases for years had never experienced anything like it before.

"Several of the instances, I think in one Stickcam video, we have four girls all exposing their breasts. They were apparently having a sleepover and he contacted one of them and, again, these four young girls thought they were having a conversation, a video chat session ... with a 15-year-old boy they'd never see or hear from again. So they're all there exposing their breasts, not realizing he's doing a screen capture, and then he's coming back later  very often in a different persona  saying, 'hey, I've got these pictures of you, and if you don't want these sent to all your friends or posted on the internet, you are going to do all these poses for me'," Meyer said. "That's how a lot of times these young girls got on this slippery slope of what would be a relatively benign picture ... to fulfilling his perverted desires."

Chansler was an egregious example, but just one of dozens upon dozens of cases.

Many had fairly PG-13 beginnings.

"Usually, once they have the first image, even though it may not be as sexually explicit, it becomes a snowball effect until it gets out of control. And then (it's used to) manipulate the child, whether by threatening or blackmailing," Fontenot said.

No safe haven

There is no one app or online site that poses a risk.

There also is no truly safe haven. Law enforcement officials have seen victims from all social and economic walks of life, from troubled teens to straight-A students.

"Regardless of if you're talking about a $20,000 home income or a $1 million income, all children are in need of some kind of social connection, regardless of whether it's electronic or in person. So anybody can be a victim," Fontenot said.

And as the ability to communicate with almost anyone almost anywhere grows, the risk increases for younger and younger children. Law enforcement officials once geared their warnings to freshmen and sophomores in high school; now they are reaching into elementary schools.

"Every individual that is probably over 8 years old has access to some sort of electronic communication device. Especially over the past year, we've seen these younger children sitting in front of some type of screen longer," Fontenot said. "The more and more dependent our society gets on electronic communication and devices ... this is always going to be be a rising threat. It's an endless pool of victims for these predators, because there are always kids. Tomorrow there's gonna be another kid that gets online for the first time, the day after that, there's gonna be another, and another, and another," Fontenot said.

The best defense is for parents to be engaged about their child's online presence.

"You have to get your arms wrapped around it, your head wrapped around it, and understand what they are doing. A lot of parents don't understand what an avenue this communication is for children. ... This is where children get their self-worth," Fontenot said.

He said it is important to have discussions about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable and not be afraid to monitor what is going on.

That's even more important now because of the changes the pandemic has caused to the norm for children, parents and families.

Jack Turban, a fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, said in an article for Scientific American that the reality of being home during the pandemic is that adults are busy and sometimes distracted.

"They are struggling to balance the competing needs of managing their own mental health and supporting their children. Luckily there are simple ways they can protect their kids. Even one conversation can have an impact," he said. "Parents should have candid talks with their children and take a non-judgmental stance."

"Shame is a dangerous factor here and can lead kids to hide risky online interactions while they escalate," he writes. "Shame also thrives on silence."

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Former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias won the endorsement of Democratic county officials from 26 downstate counties in his bid for the Democratic nomination to replace Jesse White as secretary of state next year.

The 22-county Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association voted to endorse Giannoulias for the nomination in the March 2022 primary. In addition, Giannoulias said four other downstate counties gave their endorsement.

Im honored to have earned the endorsements of so many accomplished and dedicated leaders, and I look forward to working with them in fighting for whats important for Southern Illinois, Giannoulias said in a statement.

Our campaign continues to build a strong broad-based coalition heading into the primary and Southern Illinois voters will play an important role in determining who wins the race, he said.

While southern Illinois has turned deeply Republican in recent years, the endorsement of downstate Democratic leaders is still significant in a partisan primary contest, including the organization effort it brings to Giannoulias campaign.

Giannoulias is among five Democrats seeking to replace White, 86, who is the states longest serving secretary of state and has been in the post since 1999. White has said he will not seek reelection.

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Other Democrats in the race are Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, and Ald. David Moore, 17th, as well as Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia and state Sen. Michael Hastings of Frankfort.

Giannoulias, the unsuccessful Democratic contender for the U.S. Senate against Republican Mark Kirk in 2010, got the endorsements Sunday at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 318 Hall in Marion.

Ed Smith, an influential veteran downstate union leader, was among those endorsing Giannoulias.

Perry County Chair Calen Campanella, who leads the Southern Illinois Democratic county chairs, said, Alexi has a proven track record of standing with southern Illinois and has the passion, vision and ideas that will help restore trust and build confidence in our elected officials and government.

Giannoulias campaign noted that as treasurer, he administered one of the nations farm-loan programs that provided assistance to farmers and also backed college scholarships for high school students looking for agriculture-related careers.

The Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association is made up of Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Marion, Monroe, Moultrie, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Shelby, Washington, Wayne and White counties.

Giannoulias said he also received endorsements from Jackson, Johnson, Union and Williamson counties during the meeting.

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SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a new executive order Monday that allows fully vaccinated residents to not wear masks inside and outdoors.

The updated rules for mask wearing are nearly identical to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions updated guidance, which was released Thursday.

The CDC guidance permits fully vaccinated people to not wear masks or physically distance in any non-health care setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

The CDC still recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks in health care settings, as well as on planes, trains and other forms of public transportation.

The new executive order requires residents follow this recommendation regarding planes and public transportation. It also permits any entity to continue stricter masking requirements than are required by the state.

(B)usinesses are encouraged to prioritize the health and safety of their workers and customers, and may continue to require face coverings and social distancing, even for those who are fully vaccinated, the order states.

Pritzker said it will be up to private businesses to decide if they want to require patrons to provide proof of vaccinations.

We are relying on people to do the right thing, he said. We are relying upon people to recognize that they dont want to go infect other unvaccinated people and they dont themselves want to get sick and so its important for people to protect themselves and I think theres real motivation for people to go get that. Were not going to stop people and, you know, start checking a vaccine passport as part of some state mandate.

The mask mandate in Illinois took effect last May when Pritzker issued an executive order requiring anyone older than 2 years of age to cover their nose and mouth with a face-covering when in a public place and unable to maintain a six-foot social distance.

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A spokesperson for the secretary of state said the office is awaiting further direction from the governor and the Illinois Department of Public Health about mask rules for the state Capitol Complex.

Once we do, we will review the information and then will proceed accordingly. We will also consult with the Illinois General Assembly, spokesperson Henry Haupt said in an email.

The governors new order rolling back the mask mandate came as the state is reporting 37.7% of the population, or more than 4.8 million people, are fully vaccinated.

About 57% of Illinoisans between ages 16 and 64 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as have 81.3% of those 65 years of age or older.

The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations reported are decreasing, as the state moved into the bridge phase on Friday, increasing capacity limits for various indoor and outdoor venues.

If COVID metrics remain stable, the state is set to fully reopen without limitations on capacity on June 11.

Hospitalizations for the week ending May 16 fell by about 14% from the week prior. As of Sunday, there were 1,512 individuals in the hospital with COVID-19.

On Monday, IDPH reported 946 new confirmed and probable cases out of 33,148 tests, with a rolling case positivity rate of 2.4%, down from 2.8% last Monday.

The state reported six additional COVID-related deaths Monday, bringing the total death toll to 22,445.
The U.N. has warned that the territorys sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territorys electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days. Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the companys staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday the state will plan to phase out its moratorium on pandemic-related evictions by August and launched a new program to provide assistance to renters and homeowners financially impacted by COVID-19.

The announcement regarding the planned end of the eviction moratorium came as Pritzker signed House Bill 2877, a bill that expands the Illinois Rental Payment Program to a total of $1.5 billion, and requires the sealing of eviction records filed due to financial hardship through August of 2022.

Funding for the program, which has been made available by the federal government, will be administered through the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

The assistance is nearly four times the amount offered under the previous assistance program, which distributed more than $280 million to more than 260,000 households across the state that were financially impacted by COVID-19, officials said.

Through the bills signing, eligible tenants and landlords can apply to receive a one-time grant totaling up to $25,000 to cover a maximum of 15 months of missed rent from June 2020 through August 2021, or until funds are exhausted. Funds will be distributed directly to housing providers and landlords.

Speaking in a Monday news conference in Chicago, Pritzker called the launch of the new support program and bill signing momentous, as officials aim to provide additional assistance to over 120,000 households statewide.

The Illinois Rental Assistance Program is a testament to how good government can make a life-changing difference for people when our dollars follow our values, Pritzker said Monday. This program expansion will allow us to take that impact to new heights for tens of thousands of Illinoisians.

In order to receive assistance through the Illinois Rental Payment Program, tenants must be able to prove financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19, provide proof of housing instability due to missed rent, and have a household income below 80 percent of their area median income. Eligible tenants and landlords can apply to receive assistance at illinoishousinghelp.org.

Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, chief sponsor of HB 2877, said the legislation is a critical first step to avoiding a housing crisis as a result of the pandemic.

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The provisions in this bill will ensure that the federal rental assistance is administered effectively and efficiently while targeting those most in need, Ramirez said.

Ramirez said the sealed eviction record provision is key to providing a clean slate for renters who may have lost their homes and allow them to find stable housing in the future.

According to information from the Illinois Department of Human Services, an estimated 60,000 Illinois households are vulnerable for eviction in 2021 as a result of the pandemic.

Pritzker has issued monthly executive orders prohibiting evictions due to pandemic-related financial hardship since March of 2020.

According to Housing Action Illinois, the bill requires the sealing of all eviction records between March 2020 and March 2022 upon filing, with limited unsealing allowed if a judgment is entered and the case is unrelated to nonpayment of rent.

The bill also requires the sealing of older eviction records if the court finds that doing so is in the interests of justice, the case is dismissed, the tenant did not breach the lease, or the parties agree to seal the record. The provision sunsets on July 31, 2022.

Bob Palmer, policy director for Housing Action Illinois, said in a phone call that the governors announcement regarding the eviction moratorium was expected as the state has met adequate criteria to do so. But he also said his organization would continue to advocate for phasing out the moratorium in a responsible manner.

Palmer added the new round of assistance would be important to continue to support renters and homeowners facing financial challenges due to the pandemic.

We knew this was coming sooner rather than later, Palmer said. We look forward to IHDA and the Illinois Department of Human Services getting as much of that rent assistance out as possible between now and August.

We're going to be developing some recommendations for his office about how to responsibly (lift the moratorium), he added. We will ask his office continue to monitor the status of that pandemic and ask them to reevaluate that decision based on current public health needs and how well IHDA is able to get these rental assistance dollars out.

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MISSION, Kan. (AP)  Children are having their noses swabbed or saliva sampled at school to test for the coronavirus in cities such as Baltimore, New York and Chicago. In other parts of the U.S., school districts are reluctant to check even students showing signs of illness for COVID-19.

Education and health officials around the country have taken different approaches to testing students and staff members  and widely varying positions or whether to test them at all as more children give up virtual classrooms for in-person learning. Some states have rejected their share of the billions of dollars the Biden administration made available for conducting virus tests in schools.

Officials in districts that have embraced testing describe it as an important tool for making sure schools reopen safely and infections remain under control. They note that the virus might otherwise elude detection since young people with the virus often are asymptomatic and most teachers have been vaccinated.

But many school administrators and families, weary of pandemic-related disruptions, see little benefit in screening children, who tend not to become as sick from COVID-19 as adults. Meanwhile, each positive test that turns up at a school can trigger quarantine orders that force students back into learning from home.

In Nebraska, Superintendent Bryce Jorgenson said he doubts parents with children in the Southern Valley Public School District would embrace school-based virus tests. His rural, 370-student district eliminated its mandatory mask policy in March.

I can tell you right now, I would say that not just in our district, but in many districts around, there is not an appetite for that at all, he said of ongoing screening. I dont know as a leader, too, if I want to get into testing kids because we dont test kids for any other virus, really.

Elected officials in Iowa and Idaho made their opinions known by turning down millions in federal aid for voluntary COVID-19 testing in schools.

Heres your $95 million back, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, declared on Fox News after commenting that in her view, President Joe Biden thinks that COVID just started."

In Idaho, the state House of Representatives rejected $40.3 million in offered funding.

Schools are not medical facilities, and we shouldnt want to place that responsibility and liability on our schools," Republican state Rep. Tammy Nichols said in an email. "That is why we have medical facilities and staff who are licensed, certified and insured to handle those things.

Experts are divided about how worthwhile it is to test for the coronavirus inside schools as more people are vaccinated and confirmed cases decline.

Joshua Salomon, a professor of medicine at Stanford University who supports screening students, said the procedure could help curb outbreaks involving more contagious variants.

Basically, it gives you an insurance policy against things we may not be able to anticipate, Salomon said. The virus has really kind of caught us off guard in a few instances.

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But Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said the nation's vaccination program makes the tests less useful because immunized individuals are so much less likely to get infected. At the same time, she said, false positives in school settings carry significant consequences when they cause a return to online learning.

Screening tests have played a key role in reopening plans for schools in New York City and liberal-leaning states like California and Massachusetts.

Some districts, like Baltimore City Public Schools, use so-called pooled testing methods that combine multiple samples from students in kindergarten to eighth grade; a positive result leads to everyone in the pool being quarantined. The district is using individual saliva-based PCR tests to screen its high school students..

By doing this screening testing, you can actually catch the cases early, and that is really effective at preventing transmission, Cleo Hirsch, who oversees the testing in Baltimore's public schools, said.

In Chicago, surveillance testing for COVID-19 was part of the districts reopening agreement with the teachers union. For elementary students who are at least 10, the district tests a percentage at random, focusing on zip codes with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases. The district tests a sampling of high school students citywide. The tests require parental consent.

In Massachusetts, which also relies on pooled testing, the collected data indicates a positivity rate within schools of 2 cases for every 1,000 people, said Russell Johnston, a senior associate commissioner at the states Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

That just again gives us enormous confidence in the mitigation strategies that we have available in the schools, he said.

Oregon is beginning to pilot testing of unvaccinated school employees and plans to expand the health surveillance effort to children attending overnight summer camp before deciding how to proceed in the fall. Some school administrators have expressed trepidation about adding surveillance testing, state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said.

COVID has added 12 new challenges every hour for them on top of everything else they were already burdened with, Sidelinger said. So many of them just kind of, I think instinctively, said, No, you cannot ask us to do another thing.

In Minnesota, the 8,500-student Edina Public Schools has quarantined hundreds of close contacts of students with positive results. The district began a Test The Nest surveillance program at its high school and middle schools in mid-March in an attempt to identify individuals without symptoms who are carrying the virus, spokeswoman Mary Woitte said.

But Nicole Schnell, of the group Edina Parents 4 Progress, opposes the expanded testing, saying a single positive case can lead to massive disruptions.

Schnell said her daughters, age 15 and 18, spent two weeks quarantined in the fall and another two weeks in the spring despite testing negative because they were considered close contacts of people who were infected. Her 17-year-old son decided to keep attending classes virtually because he didnt want to risk a potential exposure that might force him to miss the spring baseball season.

I have seen firsthand effects of keeping kids out of society, Schnell said, adding that one of her children was diagnosed with depression after being quarantined. We are not just talking about out of school. We are talking about out of any sport that they play, out of any activity, out of anything outside, out of seeing their friends, because of a potential positive exposure.

-

Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
PEORIA  Though she's not originally from Peoria, Angie Ostaszewski has become one of the city's greatest cheerleaders.

Ostaszewski has been promoting Peoria online for a few years now, but it's only been in the past year, since she began using TikTok, that she's started seeing tangible results. She said she knows of more than 20 people who have moved to Peoria after learning about the city from her TikTok account, a social media platform that has grown in popularity over the past year or so.

Most of Ostaszewski's TikTok videos feature houses on the market in Peoria. Her cut-out head floats around the screen over photos from listings of homes.

"My name is Angie and I'm not a realtor, but I live in super-affordable Peoria, Illinois, and I think you should live here too," Ostaszewski says at the beginning of each 60-second-video. She goes on to take viewers on a virtual tour of each home while pointing out the assets.

"Pausing to appreciate this huge front porch ... I love these French doors just off the entryway. ... I also love these built-in entryway benches in older homes that usually have storage in the seat," Ostaszewski says while promoting a listing at 1318 E. Hillcrest Place in Peoria. Priced at $124,900, the house is typical of what Ostaszewski promotes  an older home in a neighborhood some central Illinois residents would snub.

Ostaszewski and her husband, Per Ellingson, are neighborhood activists who currently live in the Cottage District near Bradley University. Originally from Chicago, Ellingson came to Peoria to attend Bradley University, and Ostaszewski moved here from Bloomington.

"I moved to Peoria in my early 20s after meeting my husband," Ostaszewski said. "He is really involved in the bike co-op here, and he is the president of Renaissance Neighborhood Association. He got me plugged into the volunteer community. I just met so many people who have the same values and mindset as me. We want to come together and make this place better."

It's likely that the pandemic has contributed to the recent success of Ostaszewski's efforts. Remote work is allowing a lot of people to reimagine life outside of large city centers. Many of the people who have responded to Ostaszewski's videos were living in areas where the cost of housing is sky-high. A viewer in Massachusetts responded to Ostaszewski's posting on the Hillcrest house with a video of her own, showing two parking spots.

"That's super cool Angie, do you want to see what I found today? These two parking spots that are more expensive than that house," she said. "I'm going to end up leaving Massachusetts because of your page, thank you."

For former Seattle resident Mariela Munguia, Peoria offered an opportunity for her and her partner to create an intentional life. The pair moved here in December.

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"I was scrolling on TikTok one day when I saw one of Angie's listings where she was talking about affordable housing," Munguia said. "I told my partner, 'did you know there are houses in the U.S. that are under $100,000?' and she said 'no way.'"

Affordable housing wasn't the only thing that appealed to the couple, however. Peoria also offers a quick commute, something rare in the Seattle area. Munguia spent more than three hours each day just getting to and from work.

"That really drained our time more than what you can imagine," she said.

After seeing the video, Munguia started researching Central Illinois. She also got in touch with Ostaszewski, who told her more about the community, helping her connect with a real estate agent and suggesting potential employers. In October, Munguia, a board-certified behavior analyst who works with autistic children, visited Peoria to interview with Easter Seals. During that trip, she and her partner met with a realtor who took them on a tour of the area.

The pair decided to rent for a while before taking the leap into home ownership, but after a few months they decided Peoria was a place they could stay for a while. They are closing on a home in the Uplands in June.

"It was under $200,000. I sent the listing to one of my friends in Seattle, and her mom said that house would be like $580,000 in Seattle," Munguia said.

While the pair had always planned someday to own a house, the move to Peoria has allowed them to do it a good 10 years earlier, Munguia said.

While a large city can provide a lot of amenities, the pace of life was such that Munguia and her partner couldn't really enjoy those perks. Peoria offers everything they need, along with a wonderful sense of community. They have already made some good friends here.

"Our quality of life has improved," said Munguia. "I know it sounds weird, but we are not as tired. I get home from work at 5 p.m. and I can still have five hours to do things I really enjoy. I'm not coming home at 7, 7:30, cooking dinner and cleaning up around the house, and then going to bed. It feels like I can still exist in the weekdays, and not just be a weekend exister."

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CHICAGO  A couple of thousand people gathered Sunday afternoon in the Loop, waving Palestinian flags and donning kaffiyehs  Palestinian head scarves  calling for an end to bloodshed and ethnic cleansing in the Middle East.

Chicago justice activists  Palestinian, Puerto Rican, Black and others  called for an end of Jewish occupation of Palestinian land.

The violence and aggression over the past week display desperation and need for a just, two-state system, said U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia, D-Chicago.

One poster read: We havent been able to breathe since 1948, referencing the year when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were evicted from their homes during the Palestinian War, as well as the common protest refrain I cant breathe, the last words of George Floyd, Eric Garner and others who died at the hands of police.

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This is not a war between two armies, one of the organizers said, but an ethnic cleansing campaign that began in 1948 and continues today.

The crowd of attendees flooded Michigan Avenue at Van Buren Street as they began a slow march, chanting, Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go.

Sam Bakkak, of southwest suburban Plainfield, said his dad was Palestinian, born in Jerusalem. He and his family have been watching the news, but marching and showing support for Palestinians is the minimum we can do right now.

Palestine is under siege in Gaza, said Bakkak, 43. Support right now is the only thing we can do.

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When Barrington High School French teacher Kathryn Wolfkiels students returned to the classroom after months of COVID-19 remote learning, she quickly realized that mandatory mask-wearing would make speaking and comprehending the language tres difficile.

I ordered a bunch of masks online that have clear plastic over the mouth, so wed be able to see each other speaking, Wolfkiel, the head of the schools world languages department. I thought Id give it a shot, but the new masks didnt work, because the plastic got all steamed up, so they couldnt see my mouth, and I couldnt see theirs.

Despite the challenges, she has found one silver lining: Its very difficult to mumble if you have a mask on, she said, so everyone needs to speak up and be a little bit more attentive.

The pandemic doesnt seem to have dimmed students interest in learning a foreign language, several Chicago-area educators told the Tribune.

But some say it has illuminated struggles for world language programs that surfaced long before schools shutdown in March 2020, in particular, a failure to interest enough students to offer entry-level courses in languages like Latin, German, Mandarin and Japanese.

The pandemic also exposed what some describe as disparities in world language offerings, sometimes even within the same school district.

At Hinsdale South High School, Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp said only around five students signed up for Latin 1, and four students for German 1  an unsustainable level of enrollment that prompted the cancellation of the two classes for this coming fall.

The Latin and German programs are absolutely not being cut, and we have a thriving world language program at the high school, Pokorny Lyp said, adding that several upper-level course in Latin and German will still be offered in the fall.

Our belief is this was just an off year ... If we had enough students, obviously we would not have decided not to run the class, Pokorny Lyp said.

The tepid enrollment might be attributed in part to COVID-19 restrictions that have prohibited recruitment events at feeder middle schools, a practice that has helped enthusiastic teachers attract new crops students, Pokorny Lyp said.

While Hinsdale South students have the option to take Latin 1 and German 1 at the other District 86 high school, Hinsdale Central, Pokorny Lyp said all of the students seemed to be on the fence, and said theyd rather just change their class.

Still, Hinsdale South sophomore Anastasia Galinski, 16, said the cancellations are an example of what she described as a history of inequities between the two high schools.

Hinsdale Central enrolls around 2,700 students, just 5% who are categorized as low-income. Hinsdale South, located in Darien, has 1,400 students, and nearly a quarter are low-income.

To be clear, this is not about courses being cancelled because no students were enrolled. It is about students, including incoming freshmen, being denied courses because they were enrolled at Hinsdale South instead of Hinsdale Central, Galinski told the school board last month, adding: It seems we have crossed yet another threshold in District 86 of denying students access to curriculum based on where they live.

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The low level of participation in language programs at U.S. schools was underscored in a 2017 National K-12 Foreign Language Enrollment Survey Report, which found that only around 13% of Illinois students in kindergarten through 12th grade were enrolled in a language program.

At the time of the report, which looked at all 50 states and Washington, D.C., 11 states had foreign language graduation requirements, 16 had none and 24 had graduation requirements that could be fulfilled by several subjects, including a foreign language.

In Illinois, a foreign language requirement is scheduled to take effect for students entering ninth grade in the 2028-29 school year.

The expectation of many American travelers that English is spoken across the world  while many U.S. students are still monolingual when they graduate from high school  is troubling to Amanda Seewald, president of the Joint National Committee for Languages-National Council for Languages and International Studies.

Theres this twisted logic that language class is somehow extra or special, and its often ends up being the class where students are pulled from if they need extra help in another subject, said Seewald. Shes disheartened that some states, including Texas, have passed legislation in recent years allowing computer science classes like coding to count toward foreign language credits.

The tendency of school districts to cancel lower-enrolled programs, with some now limiting language offerings to Spanish and French, was happening well before the pandemic, Seewald said, but were shining a light on it now.

With the $190 billion federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Education Relief Fund earmarked to help schools recover from the pandemic, Seewald is hopeful that the moment has finally arrived to better support and expand world language programs.

Cutting back on language programs hinders our students abilities to become global citizens...it hurts national security, equity and social justice, said Seewald. We need our local school boards, parents, states and the federal government to understand the value of multi-lingual students, and that theyre an asset to our nation.

For Judy Sauri, a recently retired Chicago Public Schools principal, the popularity of dual language programs across the U.S. is not only encouraging, but evidence of a growing appreciation for the importance of bilingual education.

CPS should invest in dual language programs, because everyone wins, said Sauri, former principal at Edwards Dual Language Fine & Performing Arts IB School in Archer Heights and president of the Illinois affiliate of National Association for Bilingual Education.

Around 90% Edwards kindergartners are enrolled in the Spanish dual language program, Sauri said.

The beauty of learning any language is you can then navigate another language, because you learn the patterns, and a third language comes much easier, Sauri said. We have become a global society, and learning another language is part of education equity.

In Hinsdale District 86, Adolph and Elena Galinski of Burr Ridge said theyre proud that their daughter, Anastasia, who is studying Spanish at Hinsdale South, has become an advocate for world language equity at her school.

My parents were immigrants from Greece, so I was bilingual growing up, and I think it helped me have a better understanding of where people from the rest of the world were coming from, Elena Galinski said, adding: When you learn another language, you also can talk to and interact with people for whom English is not their first language, which shows respect.

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100 years ago

May 17, 1921: The body of McLean serviceman Auda Humble is being returned to the USA for burial here. He died in 1918 of pneumonia, which resulted from the flu that claimed so many lives during the World War. Humble was first buried in an American-French cemetery overseas.

75 years ago

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May 17, 1946: Waynesville Township High School will award diplomas to seven seniors on graduation night. They are Betty Gelsthorpe, Shirley Hammitt, Shirley Hawkins (salutatorian), Dorothy Shipley, Milton Brown (valedictorian), Wayne Nichols and Danny LaDew.

50 years ago

May 17, 1971: Dr. L. T. Fruin of Normal will become president of the Illinois State Medical Society. He said one of his first goals will be to give Illinois residents a chance to have their say about health care. Fruin envisions two committees to address complaints about medical care.

25 years ago

May 17, 1996: Former Will County Coroner Robert Tezak was found guilty of five counts of arson. It was a Joliet crime but the trial was moved to Bloomington. Tezak made millions marketing the card game Uno, but went broke. Insurance fraud was part of the arson case.

Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com.
The New York Times has published an in-depth report on Apple's willingness to work and comply with the Chinese government's censorship rules and more. The report focuses on a new facility that will store iPhone-cloud personal data on servers run by a state-owned Chinese firm.

Chinese state employees physically manage the computers. Apple abandoned the encryption technology it used elsewhere after China would not allow it. And the digital keys that unlock information on those computers are stored in the data centers theyre meant to secure.

Internal Apple documents reviewed by The New York Times, interviews with 17 current and former Apple employees and four security experts, and new filings made in a court case in the United States last week provide rare insight into the compromises Mr. Cook has made to do business in China.

The documents offer an extensive inside look  many aspects of which have never been reported before  at how Apple has given in to escalating demands from the Chinese authorities.

Mr. Cook often talks about Apples commitment to civil liberties and privacy. But to stay on the right side of Chinese regulators, his company has put the data of its Chinese customers at risk and has aided government censorship in the Chinese version of its App Store.

Chinese employees have complained that Apple even dropped the "Designed by Apple in California" slogan from the backs of iPhones because it offended Chinese officials who stated: "If the products were designed in California, they shouted, then what were they doing in China?" The next iPhone didn't include that phrase.





Nicholas Bequelin, Asia director for Amnesty International, the human rights group told the New York Times that "Apple has become a cog in the censorship machine that presents a government-controlled version of the internet. If you look at the behavior of the Chinese government, you dont see any resistance from Apple  no history of standing up for the principles that Apple claims to be so attached to."

Behind the scenes, Apple has constructed a bureaucracy that has become a powerful tool in Chinas vast censorship operation. It proactively censors its Chinese App Store, relying on software and employees to flag and block apps that Apple managers worry could run afoul of Chinese officials, according to interviews and court documents.

A Times analysis found that tens of thousands of apps have disappeared from Apples Chinese App Store over the past several years, more than previously known, including foreign news outlets, gay dating services and encrypted messaging apps. It also blocked tools for organizing pro-democracy protests and skirting internet restrictions, as well as apps about the Dalai Lama.

In 2014, Apple hired Doug Guthrie, the departing dean of the George Washington University business school, to help the company navigate China, a country he had spent decades studying.

Mr. Guthrie concluded that no other country could offer the scale, skills, infrastructure and government assistance that Apple required. Chinese workers assemble nearly every iPhone, iPad and Mac. Consumers in the region pay Apple more than $55 billion a year, by far the most of any American company in China.

Mr. Guthrie said in an interview: "This business model only really fits and works in China. But then youre married to China."

The Chinese government was starting to pass laws that gave the country greater leverage over Apple, and Mr. Guthrie said

Mr. Guthrie delivered his warning to Mr. Cooks top deputies, including Phil Schiller, a longtime marketing chief; Eddy Cue, head of internet software and services; Lisa Jackson, the companys government affairs chief; and Jeff Williams, its operations chief, who is widely viewed as Mr. Cooks right-hand man.

As Mr. Guthrie was delivering his warnings, Apple set about keeping the Chinese government happy.

An Unusual Arrangement

With the keys in China, the government has two avenues to the data, security experts said: demand it  or take it without asking.

U.S. law has long prohibited American companies from turning over data to Chinese law enforcement. But Apple and the Chinese government have made an unusual arrangement to get around American laws.

In China, Apple has ceded legal ownership of its customers data to Guizhou-Cloud Big Data, or GCBD, a company owned by the government of Guizhou Province, whose capital is Guiyang. Apple recently required its Chinese customers to accept new iCloud terms and conditions that list GCBD as the service provider and Apple as "an additional party."

Disturbing is the fact that "The terms and conditions included a new provision that does not appear in other countries: "Apple and GCBD will have access to all data that you store on this service" and can share that data "between each other under applicable law."

Under the new setup, Chinese authorities ask GCBD  not Apple  for Apple customers data, Apple said. Apple believes that gives it a legal shield from American law, according to a person who helped create the arrangement. GCBD declined to answer questions about its Apple partnership.

But Apple said that the documents reviewed by The NY Times included outdated information and that its Chinese data centers "feature our very latest and most sophisticated protections," which would eventually be used in other countries.

The Chinese government must approve any encryption technology that Apple uses in China, according to two current Apple employees.

Ross J. Anderson, a University of Cambridge cybersecurity researcher who reviewed the NY Times documents stated that "The Chinese are serial iPhone breakers. Im convinced that they will have the ability to break into those servers."

This is a long and winding report with many twist and turns that is worth the time reviewing when you have the time. Review the full NY Times report here.

With the report clearly stating that "Apple and the Chinese government have made an unusual arrangement to get around American laws," you have to wonder if the Biden administration will bother to dive deeper into this matter to see if Apple has indeed turned over data to Chinese law enforcement against U.S. laws.
When social media network Parler came back to life on Apples App Store Monday, it was designed to be a less offensive version than what users are able to see on Android devices.

Posts that are labeled "hate" by Parlers new artificial intelligence moderation system wont be visible on iPhones or iPads. Theres a different standard for people who look at Parler on Android smartphones or on the Web: Those individuals will be able to see posts marked as "hate," which includes racial slurs, and be able to click through to see them.

Parler has resisted placing limits on what appears on its social network, and its leaders have equated blocking hate speech to totalitarian censorship, according to Amy Peikoff, chief policy officer. But Peikoff, who leads Parlers content moderation, says she recognizes the importance of the Apple relationship to Parlers future and seeks to find common ground between them.

Peikoff stated that "At Parler we embrace the entire First Amendment meaning freedom of expression and conscience are protected. "We permit a maximum amount of legally protected speech."

Parler is still pressing Apple to allow a function where users can see a warning label for hate speech, then click through to see it on iPhones. But the banning of hate speech was a condition for reinstatement on the App Store.

Peikoff added that "Where Parler is different [from Apple], is where content is legal, we prefer to put the tools in the hands of users to decide what ends up in their feeds."

Parler's former CEO hired Hive back on January 18, an AI-based content moderation company that does work for Reddit and Chatroulette. It's based in San Francisco, employs more than 2.5 million contractors who are paid per task, often in bitcoin, and annotate images, video, text and audio content collected from the Web. That feeds into Hives machine learning and algorithms, allowing it to better police content.

Every post on Parler runs through Hives AI for analysis. The algorithms are the first filter for content. More than 99.5 percent of posts on Parler are deemed safe based on algorithmic review, according to Hive and Parler; the remaining 0.5 percent are flagged for Hives human moderators to evaluate.

Those using iPhones wont see anything deemed to be in that 'Hate' category. The default setting on Android devices and the website shows labels that warn, "trolling content detected," with the option to "show content anyway." Users have the option to change the setting and, like iOS users, never be exposed to posts flagged as hate.

Peikoff said the "hate" flag from the AI review will cue two different experiences for users, depending on the platform they use. Parlers tech team is continuing to run tests on the dual paths to make sure each runs consistently as intended. For more on this, read the full Washington Post report.
The National Teaching Council (NTC) yesterday began the licensing and registration of all professional teachers in the country.

The NTC is mandated by the Education Regulators Body Act 2020 (ACT 1023) to improve professional standing and status of teachers and ensure the licensing and registration of teachers in the country.



The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, at a ceremony in Accra to launch the policy, said to be legally recognised, a professional teacher in the country must be registered and licensed.



He said professional teachers must have undergone rigorous training and acquired specialised skills and knowledge to help them adhere to the professional code of conduct and standards.



This policy, therefore, seeks to guide the registration and licensing process of teachers in Ghana and is in fulfilment of clause 10 (d) of the Education Act 2008 (Act 778) which states that the functions of the Council include, to register teachers after they have satisfied the appropriate conditions for initial licensing and issue the appropriate licence, he said.



Recognised profession



He said the teacher had been the pillar in the countrys education but was not recognised as a professional.



The policy, he said, would reverse that notion and add a professional touch to teaching in the country.



There is this common knowledge out there that needs to be corrected; licensing of teachers is not to deprive teachers of their rightful role or job opportunities but rather make the profession very attractive and to meet global standards, he said.



He assured teachers of the governments commitment to the welfare of teachers, adding that it recognised the professional licence as a sure move to make the teacher feel proud of what he or she does.



Dr Adutwum said plans were far advanced towards the distribution of laptops to all teachers at the pre-tertiary level in all public schools in the country to ensure that they were able to make good use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to enhance effective teaching and learning.



The government is ready to put in place the right measures and resources to ensure effective teaching and learning in schools at all times, he said.



Qualified teachers



The Registrar of the NTC, Dr Christian Addai-Poku, said the registration and licensing which was launched was targeted at qualified teachers in the country.



By qualified teachers, we mean persons who have successfully acquired the required training from a recognised teacher education institution before September 1, 2018, he said.



That group of teachers, per the transitional arrangement, he said, was exempted from passing the Ghana Teacher Licensing Examination (GTLE) before getting their professional licence.



Another group of qualified teachers who could obtain the licence are those who have already passed the GTLE and completed their induction training.



He explained that those two groups of teachers were expected to first register on the Teacher Portal Ghana (TPG) and subsequently avail themselves personally at the registration centre to be issued their licence.



This exercise will not only help NTC issue licences to teachers but will also help build a credible database of teachers to properly inform policy, he said.

Dr Addai-Poku appealed to all stakeholders to support the exercise.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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Members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Akwapim South have registered their displeasure about the delay by the Ghana Education Service in providing the prescribed textbooks for the new curriculum for basic schools.

According to the teachers, it has been almost two years now since the new curriculum came into being, however, there were no textbooks for use.



The situation, the teachers said, was thwarting their efforts at providing quality education in the Akuapem South District.



The Akuapem South GNAT Chairman, Mr Samuel Manu, made this known in his address at the sixth quadrennial and 53rd District Delegates Conference held at Nsawam.



Resource pack



The conference was on the theme: GNAT @ 90 Surviving as a reliable and vibrant teachers union in the 21st century: The role of stakeholders and GNAT members.



Mr Manu noted that even though a resource pack was produced for the training section for primary school facilitators at a workshop when the new curriculum was introduced, the teachers did not know the content to deliver, as the textbooks which were the key to the teaching and learning process were not supplied to the schools.



GNAT will not accept this deficit because it undermines the gains so far made as a professional organisation, the chairman stated.



Social media



Mr Manu also mentioned directives and counter directives on social media platforms on the running of the school as one of the numerous major challenges we are confronted with in the line of duty.



He cited an example of directives from the GES which stipulates that students should not be made to repeat a class even if they did not attend school and the assessment of students with class tests if they did not write end of term exams as some of the confusing directives.



Promotion decentralisation



Mr Manu said the failure to decentralise promotions in GES below the rank of Principal Superintendent had become a major issue for the union.



Also, the current system of writing promotional examinations to the highest rank in the service has come with so many challenges which is no fault of theirs, and called for immediate action to be taken on what they referred to as an unfortunate trend.



Project Monitor



A former Regional GNAT Secretary, Mr John Gyimah Amamoo, who was the guest speaker, urged stakeholders in GNAT to monitor the progress of GNAT projects to ensure that their investments were not wasted.



The District GNAT Secretary, Mr Isaac Koranteng Aboagye, said GNAT was a democratic association that depended on resolutions from the local, district, regional to the national level.



New executives



The newly elected executive were Chairman, Samuel Manu; Vice Chairman, Benjamin Dziekpor; Treasurer, Anita Sakyi; and Trustee, Frederick Nana Mensah. The others were Youth Coordinator, Frank Dufie; SHS Representative; Beatrice Dotse; Municipal Administrative Representative, Nana Baah Forson; GNAT-LAS Coordinator; Christiana Abena Amissah and Basic Schools Representative, Maxwell Tay Caesar.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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Manhattan: Since February 2021, the Broome St. Project construction located at 64 Norfolk St. on the Lower East Side has been driving piles (literally sounds like they are fracking for oil) incessantly from 7:15 a.m. Monday through Friday, often going past 3:30 p.m. The noise is horrendous. Working from home has proved to be impossible and despite numerous 311 complaints, nothing has been done. Paying an already exorbitant amount of rent during the pandemic is already taxing enough, but compounded with not being able to open your windows or conduct tele-meetings and the like is beyond frustrating. New York is noisy, I am fully aware and accept it. This is absolutely beyond what anyone should be forced to deal with from the crack of dawn until near dusk. Please help. Where is the oversight? Are there any avenues neighborhood residents/businesses can explore for recompense due to lost wages, etc.? Tanya Orr
Education Minister, Yaw Osei Adutwum has pledged President Nana Akufo-Addo's commitment to his free Senior High School (SHS) policy in his second term.



According to him, the President is not backing down on the policy.



About a month ago, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) minority in Parliament called on the Akufo-Addo government to address the challenges associated with the 'Free SHS' policy.



The Minority claims the initiative is blighted by corruption due to the centralization of funds.



In a statement titled "Looming Crisis In Senior High Schools Under the FREE SHS Programme In The Country", the group catalogued a number of challenges that has bedevilled the policy and called on the government to decentralize the funding to make it work.



The over-centralization of the Free SHS program at the centre has accounted for the persistent challenges in the running of Senior High Schools in the country. Before the introduction of the program in 2017, school authorities were given free hands in the management of funds in their schools. Unfortunately, the centralization of the disbursement of funds and procurement has also led to a large scale of corruption that continues to compromise the quality and quantity of items supplied, the Minority asserted.



But speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi in an exclusive interview on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo', Hon Adutwum indicated contrary to grapevine reports that the free SHS may be discontinued, the President, in his second term, is equal to the task of ensuring no student is left out of the programme.



He stated that, aside the government absorbing all the school fees that parents and guardians of the students would have borne, it also pays all utility bills of the various schools and does much more to relieve the parents and guardians of any burdens to send his or her child to school.



Hon. Yaw Osei Adutwum stated emphatically that there are no challenges nor financial difficulties with the free SHS in the President's second term.



''It's not true that the government is short of money to enhance the free Senior High School. The government has provided us with requisite funds to continue the policy this year'', he stressed.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A driver of a hearse Benz bus with registration number BA 242 -18 carrying one dead body died on the spot when the car was involved in an accident last Friday at Botokrom near Berekum in the Bono Region.



The deceased, identified as Anthony Kwabena Obeng, 49, was driving the hearse from Drobo in the Jaman South Municipality towards Berekum when the accident occurred at Botokrom.



The Berekum Municipal Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Enerst Ankamah Addo confirmed the incident to Graphic Online Sunday, May 16, 2021.



He said the police is still conducting an investigation to ascertain what caused the accident.



He explained however that the hearse somersaulted and landed in a nearby bush, resulting in the death of Obeng.



DSP Addo said the body of Obeng as well as well the one he was carrying in the hearse had been deposited at the St Anthony Hospital at Drobo.

Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Somubi Dwumadie, a four-year programme that focuses on mental health, has awarded grants to nine civil society organisations (CSOs) to promote mental health and disability-inclusion in the country.

The CSOs include the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), Hope For Future Generation (HFFG), SANGTABA, Voice of People with Disability (Voice-Ghana), ABAK Foundation (ABAK), Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID).



The rest are Centre for Peoples Empowerment and Rights Initiatives (CPRI), Foundation for Community Empowerment Programme (FOCEP) and Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA).



Out of the nine organisations, four will receive large grants of up to GH600,000 each year for three years, while the remaining five will receive small grants of up to GH600,000 each for 12 months.



The programme, which is in its second year, is being funded by the United Kingdom government through the UK Aid.



Launch



At a ceremony to announce the recipients, the team leader of the Ghana Somubi Dwumadie, Ms Lydia Adwan-Kamara, explained that the funding support for disability and mental health was in line with calls in the country for better disability inclusion and greater investment in mental health.



The new grants is expected to support in removing the barriers, which prevent people with disabilities, including people with mental health conditions, from reaching their full potential, she said.



The awardees, she said, were expected to provide support and empower persons with disability, including mental health disabilities, to participate fully in their communities and have their voices heard and incorporated in policies and programmes that affected them directly.



Inclusion



The Social Development Advisor of the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), a supporting partner of the programme, Ms Susan Adjoa Mensah, said there was a need for the inclusion of people with disability for the effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nation (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), adding that the UK has a strong track record on leaving no one behind, and is a global leader on disability inclusion and mental health.



Ms Mensah further called on the government to increase investment and secure sustainable funding for mental health.



She said there was the need for government to scale up quality mental health services at the community level, while combating stigma and discrimination against people with mental health conditions.



Gratitude



The Executive Director of Voice Ghana, Mr Francis Asong, expressed gratitude for the funding support.



We promise to use our various grants for the intended purpose, and commit to value for money principles in our practices and dealings.



We shall learn and share among ourselves to better implement and sustain our projects for the benefit of people with disabilities, including mental health disabilities, he said.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, has said that the call on the government to fix roads in the country are belated, maintaining that the fixing of roads in Ghana started as far back as 2017.

Those who are calling on us specifically to fix the roads are to be updated, and they must be reminded that they are late. We started fixing the roads from January 2017, and a lot has been done. So, we have gone far, they are behind. They should run to catch up with us because we're miles and miles apart, he said.



The minister indicated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo reached unprecedented limits with regard to roads development in the country in his first term.



Roads are being tackled everywhere  highways, feeder and urban roads [and] asphalt overlays. Within the first term of Akufo-Addo's administration, 1,200 kilometres (km) of asphalt overlays were completed across the nation. It has never happened in the history of this country. Right from January 7, 2017, he (the President) started fixing the roads, he stressed.



Working tour



The minister said this when he led a delegation on a tour to inspect ongoing dualisation projects at the Buduburam and Mankessim sections of the AccraCape Coast Highway in the Central Region.



The projects are part of a nationwide agenda to address road issues and their attendant accidents and related fatalities, and to decongest traffic on those parts of the stretch.



The minister and his team first visited the Budumburam project where preparatory works had already begun to make way for the 11-km project, stretching from Sapato Junction to Akoti.



He later inspected the construction of a bypass from Akwakrom Junction to Mankessim, meant to ease the traffic situation in the main Mankessim township, while the dualisation projects proceeded in the long run.



The 20-km bypass, which has been broken into three different components  nine, six and five kilometres  under three separate contractors, is expected to be completed within the next 18 months.



He also visited a 105-metre steel bridge project over River Okyi at Saprudo-Amissah in Mankessim.



Mr Amoako-Atta was in the company of the Central Regional Minister, Ms Justina Marigold Assan, the Member of Parliament for Gomoa East, Mr Desmond Degraft Paitoo, as well as an entourage from the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Feeder Roads and Urban Roads.



Caution



The minister admonished engineers in charge of the projects to work with speed under emergency basis to remove the congestion from the road, describing the traffic situation as unacceptable.



He, however, warned that quality and efficiency should not be sacrificed in spite of the speed, stressing that he would not tolerate any wishy-washy treatment.



Mr Amoako Atta further indicated that the four-tier Pokuase Interchange was expected to be inaugurated and fully opened to traffic in the first week of July, this year.



He said the project, which was about 98 per cent complete, would see full completion by the end of June, 2021.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has begun an exercise to address heavy traffic congestion from Buduburam to Akoti Junction, in the Central Region.



For the interim, the Authority will stop all commercial activities on the service lanes along the road from Budumburam to Akoti Junction, to create extra space for motorists.



The Central Regional Director of the GHA, Samuel Kwesi Akuaku, disclosed this to the Minister of Roads and Highway, Mr Akwasi Amoako-Atta, at Akoti Junction, on Wednesday while on a duty tour to identify causes of traffic congestion in parts of the Central Region.



The tour was to afford the minister and his entourage the opportunity to critically access the traffic congestion being experienced by motorists on the Accra-Abidjan corridor road so that measures could be taken to address the situation.



According to Mr Akuaku, it has become necessary to clear every human activity, including commercial drivers and traders using portions of the road as trading centres and loading points.



He indicated that plans were far advanced for the dualisation of the 11-kilometre road from Kasoa to Akoti Junction.



Mr Akuaku said feasibility studies have been completed, and what was left to be done was the completion of design works after which the project will be tendered for work to begin.



He said after the creation of more access routes, security measures would be put in place to take care of the safety of pedestrians and other road users.



Mr Amoako-Atta urged the GHA to work expeditiously to address the problem of traffic congestion.



He said, We cannot allow our people to continue going through these problems, it is unacceptable, it is our duty as government officials to think outside the box and help government provide the necessary comfort for the people.



Mr Amoako urged the GHA regional team to liaise with the head office in Accra to get a contractor with the right capacity and technical ability to execute the project.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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On Wednesday, 12th May 2021, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), Dr. Ben K.D. Asante, in the company of his senior management paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.



Present with the CEO at this meeting were the following members of the management: Mr. Benjamin Baidoo, Procurement and Logistics, Mr. Albert Nanevie, Internal Audit, Ms. Augustina Asare Osei, Government Relations, Ms. Alma-Leigh Mensah, Human Resource and Administration as well as Mr. Stephen Donkor, Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility.



The purpose of the meeting was to formally inform the Asantehene and his traditional leaders of the company's plans to extend its gas pipeline network from the Western region to the Ashanti region in what is known as the Dawusaso-Kumasi pipeline and seek his support for the project.



In his remarks, the CEO indicated that when completed, the pipeline will serve various purposes. Notable among them is providing gas to power the Ameri Plant and help stabilise the national grid within the region and the northern part of the country. He assured the Asantehene and his traditional leaders that together with other industry players in the value chain, they will work towards a successful relocation of the Ameri plant to improve power generation to mitigate the current energy challenges in the region.



Equally, the gas pipeline will also provide a relatively cheaper source of power to feed industries such as the Boankra Inland Port, the Nyinahin Bauxite refinery and other industries within the Ashanti region.



The Asantehene welcomed the initiative of the company and pledged his full support. He was was optimistic that owing to the cost effectiveness of gas, making it readily available will contribute significantly to a cheaper cost of power for consumers in the region. He implored the CEO to ensure the gas pipeline project is competed per its timelines.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana (C-DAG), has cautioned commercial drivers in the various transport unions, retraining them from increasing transport fares.



The group has, however, urged them to wait until government and their respective transport unions, which includes the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of TUC, PROTOA and Cooperative among many others, to come out with the agreed adjustments in transport fares.



Adjustments in petroleum products coupled with increases in spare parts and many others, as a result of the introduction of new taxes, have necessitated increment in transport fares.



Even though discussions between government and its stakeholders regarding transport fare adjustments are still ongoing, some drivers have hurriedly announced a 20 percent increment on the fares.



In a joint press statement dated Monday, May 17, 2021, signed by the Ashanti, Central Regional and the Northern Regional Chairmen of the C-DAG, Akwadaa Nyame, Kwesi Arhin and Aminu Issifu, and released in Accra, the group said the move by some drivers to increase transport fares without recourse to the law and principles, is uncalled for, urging the general public to disregard any purported increment in transport fares as announced by the group.



We have noted with concern, a communique issued by another union urging drivers to increase transport fares by 20 per cent. The directive, according to that statement takes effect from today, Monday morning. But C-DAG would want to categorically state that even though the welfare of members of this association remains paramount and supreme over all other interests, we cannot allow our members to act in contravention of the law and principles, the statement in part read.



It added, We urge our members to wait on the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Cooperative and PROTOA executives as they continue to engage government through the Ministry of Transport on the favorable amount of percentage for the adjustment.



On May 12, 2021, a meeting was held with stakeholders in the transport business to continue negotiations on public transport fares but the said meeting was inclusive after realizing that there was no clarity in some of the provisions in the Income Tax Amendment Act, 2021.



The Act in its current form suspends the payment of Vehicle Income Tax (VIT) for taxis and trotro. However, its application has been shrouded with some ambiguities. The VIT constitutes part of the cost build-up for the determination of fares.



The Ministry of Transport has since commenced discussions with the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to bring clarity to the application of the VIT.



The group, commenting further, assured all its members that they shall not relent on their efforts until we gain just what would be appropriate to us and reflect actually in tandem with the increment of petroleum products, spare parts and other services.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Alfred Nobel University of Ukraine has awarded parallel honorary doctorate degrees to the Chief Executive Officer of the Zongo Development Fund (ZoDF), Alhaji Arafat Sulemana Abdulai, for his service to humanity.



The Doctor in Philosophy in Humanities and Science was conferred on Alhaji Arafat for his exemplary leadership in propelling socio-economic development of people in Zongo communities.



The convocation was held last Saturday by the representatives of the Alfred Nobel University at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research of the University of Ghana, Legon.



Reverend Professor Emeritus Edwin Korley, who represented the President of the university, Prof Borys Kholod, decorated Alhaji Arafat with the academic gown and presented the honorary doctorate degrees to him.



In a citation, Prof Emeritus Korley said the University had identified Alhaji Arafat as a very committed, hardworking and highly intelligent Ghanaian that has imparted so much to society through his social interaction with humanity both in Ghana and abroad.



These awards represent the recipients commitment in ensuring excellent service delivery in promoting Zongo Development Funds projects, thereby enhancing better life for the zongo dwellers nationwide, the citation reads.



Reverend Professor Emeritus Korley said it was in light of the achievements that the University had decided to confer the prestigious and meritorious parallel doctorate degrees in Humanities and in Science on Alhaji Arafat.



Under Alhaji Arafats leadership, ZoDF has completed about 200 projects, namely school blocks, toilet facilities, mechanised water systems, drains and roads, while about 500 others are at different stages of completion.



In his remarks, Dr Arafat said his decision to return to Ghana to work with ZoDF after several years abroad was a call to duty and a sacrifice.



He said he was doing his work to affect the lives of people in Zongo communities without noticing that the spotlight was on him.



Dr Arafat said the award would motivate him to continue to offer his best for Zongo communities.



It is a call to go beyond limit and a signal that whatever you are doing, people are watching you. By Allahs grace the satellite focused on ZoDF. It took hard work to do that.



We will not let you down. We will not relent on our course to make the Zongo a new place for humanity, he said,



Dr Arafat dedicated the award to the President for appointing him as the CEO of ZoDF, the former Minister of Inner-City and Zongo Development, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, for giving him the free hand to work and the management and staff of the Fund for their cooperation.



Dr Arafat is a graduate from the University of Ghana where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Sociology and a Masters Degree at the Alice Salomon University of Applied Science in Berlin, Germany. He is a specialist in social work and conflict management.



He was the Technical Advisor to the late CEO of ZoDF. He had worked as an advanced social worker for a decade in London and he is a member of the British Association of Social Work and Health Care Professional Council of United of United Kingdom.



He was the former Headmaster of Presbyterian Junior High School in Tamale.





Source: Emmanuel Akorli/Parliamentary Correspondent/Peace FM









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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While his departure from the boards of Microsoft Corp., which he founded, and Berkshire Hathaway Inc., was billed as a chance to devote himself more thoroughly to philanthropy, he was in reality pressured to leave due to a prior relationship with a staffer, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said that he will not allow the delayed general election to be used "to fulfil the interest of external forces", state-owned Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported.



"The election will be decided by Ethiopia and Ethiopians only, not to fulfil the interest of external forces," ENA quoted Abiy as saying while inaugurating an industrial park in Afar Regional State.



Mr Abiy accused unnamed powerful countries of waging a campaign against Ethiopia.



"Countries with strong economy or other entities are in a campaign against Ethiopia with the [aim being] to decide how Ethiopians should live," Mr Abiy was quoted as saying.



He added that "Ethiopians have never fallen under any forces and will never fall".



Ethiopia has come under pressure from the US and European Union over alleged human rights abuses and the humanitarian crisis in northern Tigray region, where federal forces ousted the rebellious former regional governing party, Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), in November 2020.

Source: BBC









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The Chiefs and people of Nungua last Sunday marked this years Djenten Nishwamo, a pre-Homowo rite performed to usher in the celebrations of the historical Homowo festival celebrated across the entire Ga state.

The Regent of the Nungua Mankralo Stool, Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, who played an active role in the performance of the rite, told the Daily Graphic in an interview last Wednesday that the rite was performed to feed the gods of the Ga state as a prerequisite for the celebration of the annual Homowo festival.



The celebrations do not begin until this rite and others are performed so now the way is clear for the celebrations to begin across the entire Ga state, he said.



According to Nii Frankwa, legend has it that the rite cleanses the Kpokpoi that would be prepared subsequently for the Homowo feast.



It ensures that the Kpokpoi that would be eaten during the festival was devoid of any interest of the gods aside their blessing, he said.



Cleansing



The people who prepare the dish, he said, were barred from talking but were permitted to use sign language to communicate during the entire cooking process.



He explained that when the dish was prepared and the all-important rite began, six elderly priestesses from the Oofu Wulomo shrine and the Gborba Shrine sat in a demarcated area which represented the Gborbu sacred groove where the rites begin.



No other person aside from those permitted by the Gborbu Wolomo-Shitse is allowed into the demarcated area, according to Nii Frankwa II.



He said the Oofu Wulomo would then carry the dish in a clay pot in his arms and the Gborbu Wulomo-Shitse would sprinkle it with his fingers at the shrines of all the 99 gods of Nungua.



Holy Corn



Nii Frankwa II noted that before the Djenten Nishwamo would be possible, there was a significant exercise that involved a pilgrimage to Oyibi from Nungua on foot that needed to be completed.



That exercise, he said, was known as the Abele Womor corn fetching journey.



Abele Womor (Holy Corn) depicts the journey our forefathers made when they were plagued by hunger and had to move from the land of the Hebrews in Israel to Egypt in search of food, he said.



Significance



The Homowo festival, which signifies hooting at hunger, is centred around this legend.



He said the people of Nungua were tasked to perform that significant exercise of carrying the holy corn (a generational crop believed to have been brought from Egypt), wrapped in a white calico, from Oyibi where it is sourced at 4 a.m. to Nungua for the preparation of the meal used for the rites.



There are 14 main participants in the exercise, one of them carries the corn while another carries the Shaamitso (a special wood used in the ritual in the Gborbu Grove where the corn is sourced) and a leaf is placed on the lips of the participants who are forbidden to look right, left or behind once they embark on the journey while they are followed by the 12 main disciples who keep them company, he said.



The 12 people, according to history, are believed to represent the 12 tribes of Israel from which the Ga people migrated to their present homeland.



They journey through the legendary Pinkwai forest in the historic town of Katamanso through Santeo, Borteyman and across the Tema Motorway and into Baatsonaa, Addo-Gonno and finally into the Nungua township.



Usually when the team arrives at Baatsonaa, they are thronged by the public, including traditional leaders, priests and priestesses who join the final lap of the pilgrimage into the Nungua township, he said.



He said the participants then proceeded to Kpowulonor, the original home of the founder of Nungua, Nuumo Borketey Larweh, where the Gborbu Wulomo-Shitse received the holy corn and the participants back home.



The Gborbu Wulomo-Shitse is assisted by the Nungua Mantse, Nungua Makralo, the Nungua Wuoleiatse and other traditional office holders to receive the holy corn before it is used to prepare the meal.



Centre of the world



Nii Frankwa II also indicated that long before the Greenwich Meridian was established by ageement as the point of zero longitude in 1884, the leader of the first Ga settelers in present day Ghana, Wo Kono Numo Bokete Lawweh, had identified the spot as a sacred place that divides the earth into two.



He initiated some rites for the Anum, the Meridian Rock at that spot in the 13th century and introduced other rites later, he said.



He said two of such rites are awhitsemo (invocation of all the deities in Ga land) and the Djenten.



Djenten Nishwamo is two Ga words put together and it means Sprinkling holy meal at the centre of the earth, he said.









Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The National Malaria Control Programme (NAMCOP) and its partners have organised a one-day training workshop for health workers in the control of mosquitoes known as Larval Source Management (LSM).

The LSM is a targeted management of mosquito breeding sites, with the objective of reducing the number of mosquito larvae and pupae. The workshop was held in Bogatanga in the Upper East Region.



The partners are the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL).



Training



The LSM training, which will be replicated across the country, brought together about 70 health workers from 10 districts in the region.



The participants were equipped with knowledge and techniques in LSM, a vector control tool targeted at mosquito breeding sites, with the aim of reducing mosquitoes in the country.



When appropriately implemented, the LSM can contribute to reducing the number of mosquitoes, and in malaria control it can be a useful addition to programme tools to reduce the mosquito population in remaining malaria hotspots.



At the opening session, a Senior Research Fellow at NMIMR, Dr Kwadwo Frempong, said it was not the first time his outfit was engaging in such an exercise.



Add-on



He said the exercise basically brought together health workers under the Malaria Control Programme, GHS staff members and Zoomlion workers to undergo training in LSM implementation.



It involves helping the participants to identify mosquito species and then helping them to know the sources where mosquitoes basically breed, he explained.



He noted that the training would be an add-on to the malaria control programmes in the country, which were the indoor residual spraying (IRS) and the use of long-lasting insecticide nets (LLINs).



This Larval Source Management is going to support these two major control programmes, the research fellow at NMIMR said.



Advantages



According to Dr Frempong, some of the advantages of the LSM included support to the insecticide resistant challenges and also helping to control mosquitoes at the larva stage.



The LSM also helps control behavioural issues/changes in adult mosquitoes, while the IRS and LLINs only target mosquitoes that rest and feed indoors, he added.



He said the LSM, when implemented well, would benefit communities, adding that we can have a community supporting the control of mosquitoes because we have one aspect of it, which is environmental management where the community is involved.



Speaking to journalists after the workshop, a Senior Vector Control Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Abel Djangmah, described the training as good and successful.



Weekly



Last year, we were using Bacillus thuringiensis substances israelensis (Bti). It works best when you put it into water bodies.



One challenge that we had with what we were using previously is that the chemical or the biological agent is able to last just within one week. So every week, you have to go and do reapplication, he said.



That process, Mr Djangmah indicated, was quite exhaustive and time consuming, which put a lot of financial constraints on the project.



Monthly



But thankfully, this time around, we are shifting from the one-week spraying to monthly larviciding, so instead of doing the spraying every week, the product is able to last within the environment for one month. So after the one-month duration, you go back again and do the reapplication, he said.



He insisted that this years product has a long lasting effect compared to what was being used previously.

Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The police have launched a manhunt for two suspected car snatchers for allegedly attacking the driver of a taxi at Abeka Lapaz in the Greater Accra Region.

One of them is suspected to have sustained bullet wounds during an exchange of gunshots with the police following the snatching of the taxi, a Toyota Yaris with registration number GW 8215-20.



The two suspects, who escaped arrest on May 9, 2021, have been declared wanted, with the police appealing to the public and health facilities to be on the lookout for persons with gunshot wounds.



Information



Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Mrs Effia Tenge, said a team of police officers on patrol within the Lapaz enclave received information from the police control room about the snatching of a taxi from its driver in the area.



She said the patrol team spotted the taxi cab at Kwashieman and gave it a hot chase.



During the chase, one of the suspected robbers in the stolen vehicle opened fire on the police who also returned fire through the rear screen of the vehicle.



Escape



During the shootout, one of the suspected robbers jumped out of the vehicle to escape police arrest, while the other suspect  then driving the stolen vehicle  managed to speed off



The patrol team later found the taxi cab parked at Busia Junction, a suburb of Odorkor, with the driver's seat soaked with blood.



Mrs Tenge said the police suspected that the driver was hit by a bullet from the police during the exchange of gunshots.



She, therefore, appealed to medical facilities in and around Odorkor to report persons with suspected gunshot wounds to the police for prompt action.



She said the vehicle had since been towed to the Odorkor Police Station.





Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Kpemka: Caleb Kudahs I lied about being an Ewe comment below the belt





Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, a former deputy attorney general has described assertions of Citi FMs Caleb Kudah that he lied about his tribal identity for his personal safety during his encounter with officials of the National Security as embellished.



Recounting his experience at the National Security, Kudah alleged that he lied about being Ewe to avoid being tortured after one of the operatives asked of his tribe.



One operative asked Which tribe is he? and another replied that He is an Ewe. There and then, I knew that if I confirmed it, my beatings would have doubled.



And for some reason I just said, I am from Cape Coast. Then one person amongst them said People from Cape Coast dont do that [film unauthorised places], he said.



On the back of that account, Kpemka speaking on Asaase Radios news analysis and current affairs show The Forum, described Kudahs denial of his tribe as unnecessary and further quizzed how he was able to ascertain no officer in the interrogation room was affiliated to his ethnic group.



Why must he deny his tribal identity when the constitution has provided for equal treatment for all? How was he able to determine none in the room had an ethnic affiliation with him? Kpemka asked.



According to the former deputy attorney general, Ghanaians should not entertain claims of tribal discrimination at the National Security Ministry as Kudahs misrepresentation of his tribe did not result in a preferential treatment.



If the alleged physical abuse of Kudah stopped after he mentioned he was from the Central Region then his earlier tribal assertions can be looked at, but according to him, he was still beaten and that makes nonsense of his tribal assertions, Kpemka explained.



On her party, Dr Ernestina Dentsi, a research fellow at the Centre for Social Policy Studies at the University of Ghana, disagreed with Kpemka.



She indicated that Kudah did exactly what he thought was the best for him under his situation and that should be respected.



He is the only person that understands what he went through and his experience informed his decision.







Source: asaaseradio.com









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President Akufo-Addo says as part of measures to ensure that passengers arriving at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) do not present fake COVID-19 test results, the countrys airport will now accept only COVID-19 test results bearing the trusted travel or biomars codes.



Delivering his 25th address to the nation on measures the government is taking to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, To prevent fake COVID-19 PCR certificates being used to enter our country, Government, through the Ministry of Health, has begun the process of digitising PCR test results to ensure ease of verification.



The technology platform being used at KIA is based on standards set by the Africa Trust Travel and ECOWAS Biomars. All travellers arriving in Ghana must have test results or certificates bearing the trusted travel or biomars codes to be acceptable at KIA President Akufo-Addo warned.



KIA testing regime

President Akufo-Addo indicated that the new arrangement is in direct response to recent increases in the number of positive COVID-19 cases recorded at KIA.



This phenomenon, the President says is because health officials believe some persons were arriving in the country with fake PCR test results from their various countries of origin. According to the President, health officials in Ghana have re-evaluated the testing regime in place at KIA and they are satisfied with same.



We have re-evaluated quality checks on testing at KIA, and we are satisfied with the sensitivity and specificity of the testing regime there. All arriving passengers who test positive will follow the laid down procedure. Those who test negative from designated COVID-19 hotspots, and testing negative at KIA, may be subjected to a repeat test on the third day of arrival President Akufo-Addo said.



President Akufo-Addo said beginning Wednesday 19 May 2021, the administering of the second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for all those who took their first jabs nearly 12 weeks ago will commence.



He added that health officials will in the coming days provide further details on the arrangements that have been put in place for the exercise.



Beginning Wednesday, 19 May, to Wednesday, 26 May, the deployment of the second dose of vaccines will take place across the designated vaccination centres in the 43 districts, approximately 12 weeks after the first jab, as the science prescribes. More details of the deployment will be communicated by the Ghana Health Service in the coming week President Akufo-Addo added.







Source: asaaseradio.com









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A 46-year-old man, Musilumu Mbwire, has been arrested for allegedly killing his two children for money ritual at Jiira Village in Bbaale Sub-county, Kayunga District, Uganda. The body of one of the two children, Latif Kamulasi, 7, was exhumed by police pathologists on Tuesday, May 13, but that of his sibling, 3-year-old Sahum Baizambona, could not be located after a long search.



The police say the father confessed to have slit his children's throats after his employer asked for their blood promising to pay him Shs4 million and a commercial building at Bbaale Trading Centre.



"My boss promised me Shs4m and a house if I sacrificed my children and gave him the blood, but he has so far paid me Shs100,000, the police quoted Mr Mbwire to have said.



His employer, however, has denied any involvement in the shocking killing. Both men are in custody at Kayunga Central Police Station to assist police with investigations into the outrageous deed.



The police say producing the suspects in court to be charged, has been delayed by public holidays for President Musevenis swearing-in on Wednesday and Idd-ul-Fitr on Thursday.



Spokesperson of the the Criminal Investigations Directorate spokesperson, Mr Charles Twine, said during a media briefing two weeks ago, the suspects brother, Mr Simon Kibubu, who lives in the same area, said he got concerned when he discovered that two of Mbwires children were missing.



"When Mr Kibubu asked his brother where the children were, he claimed he had taken them to their sister, Mary Kantono, who lives in the same parish, Mr Twine said.



But when Mr Kabubu asked Ms Kantono about the childrens whereabouts, she said she was unaware. This prompted Mr Kibubu to notify the area defence secretary, Mr Asuman Bagala, and lodge a complaint with the police at Bbaale. The police then promptly arrested Mbwire.



Mr Twine and his team combed the bushes in Jjiira Village as the childrens father walked them from one spot to another to locate his childrens remains.



Three locations that Mr Mbwire had pointed out as burial spots turned out false, enraging more the charged crowd and police investigators. The crowd, among whom were relatives and residents, hurled insults and curses at the father.



Mr Mbwire then led the group to a site where they had burnt charcoal several months ago. There he was given a hoe and dug out lumps of damp and loosened soil with the help of some area residents.



More scoops yielded the decomposed body as tears rolled down the cheeks of some of the bystanders, who demanded the police surrender the suspect to them.



But the police quickly stepped in to shield Mr Mbwire from attack, but handed him gloves which he wore to scoop out the body of his son. Mr Twine said the suspect told them he buried Kamulasi in late March.



After exhuming the first body, the suspect led them to a forest where he said he had buried the second child, Baizambona. But the police failed to locate the body after digging up at several sites he had led them to. At 7pm, the police called off the search and promised to return later.



Mr Twine said they would resume the search this week and castigated people who look for wealth through human sacrifice.



"Wealth is gotten through hard work, not human sacrifice, he warned.



The body of Kamulasi was taken to Mulago National Referral Hospital for a post-mortem as scene-of-crime officers and other detectives continue to gather more evidence.



Police said they plan to submit the case file to the resident state attorney soon for a decision on whether the preferred charge of murder against the suspects is sustainable.









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Remittances from Ghanaians grew by five per cent from $3.39 billion in 2019 to $5.57 billion in 2020, a World Bank report has said.

This was in spite of the grim economic outlook presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected peoples earnings and the economies of nations worldwide last year.



The growth in remittances is the first in two years after money sent home by migrant workers suffered consistent declines in 2018 and 2019.



After peaking at $3.54 billion in 2017, remittance flows to the country fell to $3.52 billion in 2018 before dropping further to $3.39 billion in 2019, according to the World Bank data.



The report, which was released this month alongside the country by country inflows, indicated that flows to Ghana in 2020 were equivalent to 5.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and the annual rise could mark the reversal of the drop in growth suffered in the last two years.



Already, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has expressed optimism that a global rebound in economic activities on the back of COVID-19 vaccine rollout would strengthen job prospects and boost migrants' incomes, resulting in increased flows in 2021, relative to last year.



Drivers of growth



The Head of Research at the BoG, Mr Philip Abradu-Otoo, told the Daily Graphic last Friday that last years growth in remittance was largely due to the frontloading of the flows and the ability of most Ghanaian migrant workers to retain their jobs amid the pandemic.



He said data showed that most workers sent home more money in the first months of the pandemic in what he described as a frontloading of remittances to help escape the grim from the pandemic on their ability to remit.



He added that information available to the bank showed that most Ghanaian migrant workers were in the health sectors of their countries of residence, making it easier for them not to have fallen victim to the job losses that were occasioned by the crises.



An expert in finance and economics, Mr Frederick Amissah, said the robust social networks in the Western world also helped to cushion the incomes of migrants, making it easier for them to keep to their remittance budgets.



The Fellow and Principal at the International Trade, Economics and Finance Research Group of the Institute of International Affairs (IIA), Ghana, said the strong growth in digital applications and financial services also boosted the remittances.



"In the comfort of their homes, people could send money. Also, the cost of remittance in sub-Saharan Africa has reduced considerably and that is a booster," Mr Amissah added.



Impact



At $5.57 billion for 2020, remittances have become the second largest foreign exchange earner for the country; trailing only revenue earned from gold exports while surpassing those from crude oil and cocoa.



Data from the BoG showed that the country realised about US$6.9 billion from gold exports and US$2.9 billion and US$2.3 billion from crude oil and cocoa exports respectively.



The Head of BoG's Research Department said the prospects for remittance flows to the country were bright this year, with COVID-19s impact on businesses and economies waning.



He said the bank was projecting a strong growth in 2021 on the back of the aggressive deployment of vaccines, the gradual recovery in economic activities and the opening up of companies in Asian and Western countries.



He said the central bank also expected migrants who lost their jobs to the pandemic to recover them or find new ones this year to boost their chances of sending funds back home to their families and loved ones.



Africas performance



Meanwhile, the World Bank report indicated that remittance flows into sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) were strong last year although a 27.7 per cent decline in flows into Nigeria dragged the regional total down by 12.2 per cent. Nigeria accounts for about 40 per cent of remittance flows to SSA.



Excluding Nigeria, remittance flows to SSA increased by 2.3 per cent, demonstrating resilience at a time of crisis. Indeed, strong remittance growth was reported in Zambia (37 per cent), Mozambique (16 per cent), Kenya (9 per cent), and Ghana (5 per cent). Data from the Central Bank of Somalia and Zimbabwe reported an increase of 16 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.



In Cape Verde, The Gambia and Senegal, remittance inflows fared better than projected, the report said.



Cost of remitting



It said SSA remained the highest remittance cost region, with the average cost of remittance transfers reaching 8.17 per cent in the last quarter of 2020.



Looking ahead, the report said remittance flows to the region were projected to rise by 2.6 per cent to US$43 billion and 1.6 per cent to US$44 billion in 2021 and 2022, respectively.



Remittances are expected to be supported by improving growth prospects in the United States and other high-income host countries. Remittances to Kenya for quarter one of 2021 increased by 17 per cent compared to quarter one of 2020, supported by a 40 per cent increase in remittances from North America, it said.

Source: graphiconline.com









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Reverend Leonard Kofi Aglomasa, the Biakoye District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on the citizenry to protect the countrys water sources from further pollution and degradation.



He said it was important to protect the nations environment, especially water bodies, as water was a finite resource and could be exhausted.



Water affects everything, when there is available water within the reach of people, it reduces the time spent by women and children looking for it, Rev. Aglomasa said.



He was addressing congregants of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church at Bowiri Amanfrom in the Biakoye District of the Oti Region as part of activities marking the 2021 Constitution Week Celebration.



God, in His own wisdom, created the heaven and the earth, the plants and rivers before human beings for the good of mankind, but now man is destroying what God has created to sustain him on earth, he said.



Rev. Aglomasa, who is also a Pastor of the EP Church, said Ghanaians must see the rivers, trees and the land as their neighbours and stop the destruction.



On the Constitution, he said the 1992 Constitution had survived for 29 years and been the longest after the 1960, 1969 and 1979 Republican Constitutions.



As such, Ghanaians must help protect, defend and safeguard it at all cost, he said.



Rev. Aglomasa said though democracy seemed expensive, it was better than military rule as one had the liberty to express his or her views on topical issues without intimidation and harassment.



He appealed to the people to promote the good name of Ghana and respect the symbols of the nation, foster national unity, live in harmony with others, and work conscientiously in their chosen professions since it was a civic duty.



Rev Aglomasa advised them to contribute to the development of the community where they lived because the state could not do it alone.



Mr Jonathan Sakyi, a Catechist, on behalf of the Church, commended the Commission for the educative programme.

Source: GNA









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"Everybody will suffer the consequences of this madness," Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has expressed anger over the ongoing controversial debate regarding the management of Wesley Girls' refusal of a Muslim student to fast in the school.



Wesley Girls' School explained they took such action in accordance with the school rules.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, speaking at a virtual national Eid-Ul-Fitr celebration in Accra on Thursday, 13th May 2021, touched on the issue.



He called on Ghanaians to ensure religious tolerance.



He said; Throughout the years, the schools have, by and large, managed to find a reasonable, balanced atmosphere to enable our young people to flourish, and this has served us well.



The schools have evolved and adopted their practices to suit the times, and I would urge that we do not turn them into the places to fight ideological and religious battles.



Our young people deserve a peaceful atmosphere to be able to deal with the many challenges of studying and acquiring knowledge, he further stated, adding parents, certainly, must have a keen interest in the schools into whose care they entrust their children''.



The President appealed to all Ghanaians to "keep to the tolerance that has served us so well in matters of religion".



"I am happy to state that in the specific case of the incident at one of our greatest schools, Wesley Girls High School, which has given rise to the recent discourse on religion, the authorities that is the Ministry of Education, leaders of the Christian and Muslim communities and the leadership of the school, are engaged in solemn discussions about the way forward, and I am very hopeful that a satisfactory solution will be found for one and all," he added.



Wading into discussions over the issue during Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' on Friday, Kwesi Pratt wondered why there should be any religious conflicts in the country stressing a person's worship should be his or her private affair.



To him, whether one will fast or not should be none of anybody's business, hence shouldn't become a problem to the nation.



"If you think what you're doing is what will send you to Heaven, do it and go to Heaven and leave us who are not doing it to go Hell," he fumed.



He called for an end to the religious tolerance asking, "what wrong have we committed to deserve this? You're a Christian, so what? Haven't we seen many Christians who are thieves in this country? Haven't we seen many Muslims who are thieves in this country? Haven't we seen many traditionalists or religious people who are thieves in this country? Are there no criminals who are Christians? You're all criminals. You all do what is wrong. We know what's going on in this country; why are you disturbing our ears like this?"



He further pleaded,"the State must take the lead and the State must be neutral, absolutely neutral, in religious affairs. That is only way forward."

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The largest U.S. union of registered nurses has condemned the Centers for Disease Control's recent announcement that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most settings.

"This newest CDC guidance is not based on science, does not protect public health, and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country," National Nurses United Executive Director Bonnie Castillo said in a statement. "Now is not the time to relax protective measures, and we are outraged that the CDC has done just that while we are still in the midst of the deadliest pandemic in a century."

NNU President Jean Ross said, "if the CDC had fully recognized the science on how this deadly virus is transmitted, this new guidance would never have been issued."

The union called on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue emergency temporary standard (ETS) on infectious diseases "without delay." "If OSHA does not issue a COVID ETS immediately, we will undoubtedly see more unnecessary, preventable infections and deaths, as well as long COVID cases among nurses and other frontline workers," said NNU President Zenei Triunfo-Cortez.

Saturday, the CDC also said it is refining its coronavirus guidelines and announced when schools open this fall, students from kindergarten through 12th grade should wear masks because all students will not be fully vaccinated. The agency said masks should be worn while riding buses and while inside schools. It also urged students and teachers to maintain 6 feet of social distancing.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved earlier this month for children, ages 12 and older.


The thought of those kids leaving our museum and having the first thing they see is the undergarments and underwear of this enormous Marilyn sculpture would be highly offensive, Grachos previously argued during a city council meeting to determine whether or not to welcome back the statue.
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has condemned a publication by The Informer Newspaper that sought to suggest former President John Dramani Mahama has failed in resolving the ongoing conflict in Somalia.



The Informer Newspaper has published that Somalia authorities have roundly rejected the mediating role to be undertaken by former Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, as an African Union (AU) representative.



The Newspaper publication explained that the Somalian authorities have said that former President John Dramani Mahama had a huge credibility crisis hanging around his neck citing his political romance with the Kenyan authorities, supporting a faction in the impasse in Somalia.



But according to lawyer Edudzi, former President John Mahama could not have failed the mediating role he was handed to when he was not given the chance to start the work in the first place.



Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Mr Edudzi Tamakloe noted that the demand of a faction in the Somalian impasse to reject former President John Mahama has nothing to do with his competence to deliver the responsibility given him but rather raised the concerns that he has some ties with Kenya government which will not make him neutral in the mediation.



He stressed that some of the rebel groups in Somalia have bad blood with the Kenyan government and the fact that former President John Mahama was sent by the African Union to observe the last Kenyan elections, made him appear to the rebel groups as someone who cannot act neutrally in his mediation role, hence the rejection.



He disclosed that another faction in the Somalia impasse welcomed former President John Dramani Mahama when his name came up to lead the mediation to end the conflict



What is critical is that there are various factions and one group says they are comfortable and the other group said that they are not comfortable with him because he was one of the observers in Kenyas last election and some of the rebel groups in Somalia have been fighting the government of Kenya and so there has been some bad blood between some of the rebel groups in Somalia and the government of Kenya, he explained.



He is yet to even start the mediation work before the other faction of the groups said that they dont like him and so I am surprised how anybody can even suggest that a work that has not been done, now someone has failed. I dont understand because he had not started the work; it was only his appointment to lead in the mediation effort that the other faction of the group has kicked against, he wondered.



Watch Video Below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC has taken a swipe at African Union and former President John Mahama following claims of Somalia rejection.



Somalia has 'rejected' the appointment of Mahama as the African Unions (AU) special envoy to help mediate its political impasse with Kenya.



Mohamed Abdirazak, Somalias Foreign and International Cooperation Minister, argues that the former President is closely associated with the leadership in Kenya, and can't be trusted to be impartial and deliver an acceptable solution.



Abronye DC reacting to this in a one-on-one interview on the Platform programme on Peace FM, backed the decision of Somalia saying: "Somalis have done well...Charles Taylor and Mahama are on the same level so why should the AU even leave the former and rather go for the latter; they are all rebel leaders".



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Professional Forum has called on the government to fix the enormous challenges confronting the country.

It mentioned some of the challenges such as unemployment, insecurity, irregular supply of electricity and economic hardships which were impacting on the lives of Ghanaians.



This was contained in a statement issued and signed by Dr S. Koma Jehu-Appiah of the Forum.



It urged the government not to trivialise the call to fix the country's economy and related challenges but to address those concerns.



Demonstration



The statement said the Forum associated itself with the concerns of some youths in the country in exercising their constitutional rights to demonstrate to bring their demands to the attention of the powers that be.



It alleged that the government was behind the frustration of the youth to demonstrate to draw attention to the ills they had observed in society.



The forum said it supported the Fix the Country demonstration march with the COVID-19 pandemic protocols in place.



Injunction



The police last week secured an injunction against the conveners of the demonstration who wanted to draw attention to some issues affecting them.



The reason, among others, was that some safety protocols against the COVID-19 pandemic could be breached with its attendant health implications.

Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has added its voice to the growing number of condemnations against the alleged arrest and assault on two journalists of Accra based Citi Fm/CitiTV by National Security Operatives.

In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the NDC said the alleged attack on Mr Caleb Kudah and the harassment of Mrs Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo formed part of what it described as a culture of impunity under the Akufo-Addo administration.



It mentioned the recent alleged attack on the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator by some persons believed to be part of a vigilante group and the presence of military men on the floor of Parliament during the election of a Speaker of Parliament to drive home its point.



The genesis of these trends is not hard to identify: the needless invasion by state-sponsored vigilantes of the voting process during the Ayawaso Bye-election in January 2019, the virtual militarisation of the registration of voters last year and the unprecedented violence that accompanied the election proper last December, culminating in the untimely death of eight innocent Ghanaian citizens, the NDC said.



Rule of law



In the estimation of the NDC, the attack on the two journalists showed that the Akufo-Addo led administration had failed to uphold the rule of law.



The continued presence of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Samuel Kojo Azugu, in the National Security apparatus and the brutish conduct of Lt Colonel Agyemang fly totally in the face of the solemn recommendations of the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry, the NDC said.



Dont be quiet



The largest opposition party urged Ghanaians not to keep quiet about happenings in the country.



It said keeping quiet would only embolden such persons to continue to defile the rights and freedoms of people in this country



Many were our citizens who erroneously decided to remain quiet because they assumed that we in the NDC were making unnecessary political noises, the party said.



It said Ghanaians had a right to live in safety and security and go about their lives without fear and intimidation



Call on President



The NDC also called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to perform his duties by protecting and promoting the rights and welfare of Ghanaians.



We urge the President to sit up and do the work for which he was elected to do. He must do that work with full respect for our rights and welfare, the NDC added.



Background



Recounting his ordeal, Mr Kudah told the Daily Graphic last Friday that on May 11, he entered the precincts of the Ministry of National Security to take photos of some abandoned cars belonging to the Micro Finance and Small Loan Centre (MASLOC) to help expose the misuse of national resources.



He said just as he was leaving the place after taking the photos, he was confronted by an official who inquired from him about his mission at the place.



After the confrontation, Mr Kudah alleged he was arrested and manhandled by both uniformed policemen and plain-clothes officials of the ministry.



Many groups, including OccupyGhana, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and Media Foundation for West Africa, have condemned the alleged action by the National Security operatives.



The Ministry of National Security has said it had initiated investigations into the alleged assault of Mr Kudah and Mrs Abu-Baidoo Addo during their arrest and interrogation.



In a statement signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Lt Col Ababio Serebour (retd), the ministry said: It takes with all seriousness the allegations of manhandling of the two journalists during the interrogations.



The Ministry of National Security assures the public that appropriate actions shall be taken if the allegations are found to be true, the statement assured.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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American comedian Michael Blackson, has revealed intentions to run for presidency in Ghana in the coming years. The Ghanaian born comedian stated that he is studying how affairs are run in the country so as to equip himself for this journey.



Micheal Blackson said he is keen on saving Ghanaians because of his passion for the country and how much he loves the people.

Tweet below"





Im going to clean up my act and run for president of Ghana in 4 yrs. No joke Im too passionate about my people. Who will vote for me? Let me know now so I wont waste my time



 Michael Blackson (@MichaelBlackson) May 15, 2021

















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Florida residents are shedding their masks and hugging their loved ones again. But for some, its a moment of confusion.

Even though the state has lifted all local orders related to COVID-19, there are mixed messages about masks and social distancing. Some places require masks; some dont. Some public spaces remain closed; others are as crowded as they were pre-COVID.

Many etiquette issues are confronting us as we wonder if the person next to us has gotten vaccinated and how to speak to the ones who havent.

Experts on ethics and manners say its permissible to ask questions (most of the time) about whether someone in your circle has been vaccinated; its all in the delivery. Explain your reasons, be polite and show some humility. We all have to make our way together through this uncertain transition time.

1. What is the best way to greet someone now? Are handshakes and hugs OK?

Before you make physical contact, make sure the other person is OK with being touched, said Yvonne Salas, owner of Etiqueta Excellence Manners in Pembroke Pines.

Handshakes and hugs are not OK until both parties agree that it is OK. Simply ask: Are you back to handshakes or would you rather we wave? May I give you a hug? "

She said not to be offended if the other person declines.

Maybe they have an underlying condition which is not visible. Maybe they lost a close relative to COVID and are extra sensitive about contagion, Salas said.

2. Is it OK to ask someone if they have been vaccinated?

The experts were split on this one. Salas said the best strategy is to share your own vaccination perspective before you ask.

It is certainly OK to ask, she said. It is also a good idea to start by sharing with them that you have been vaccinated. It makes the questions feel less intrusive as you are sharing with them your personal experience.

But Dannie Fowler, owner of The Etiquette School of Florida, said the question crosses a personal boundary if its asked randomly or just to make conversation.

You wouldnt say to someone, do you have cancer? Fowler said. That would be rude. You have the right to ask if it relates to you or your health. But dont be accusatory; the way you approach it is important.

3. What kinds of questions should I ask if Im invited to a dinner party and want to know about if guests will be vaccinated, how much social distancing will be required and whether food will be shared during the party?

Salas said theres nothing wrong with querying the host about safety measures. Will it be outdoors? How will the tables be laid out? Will food be individually served or will it be shared?

These are all valid questions because everyone must place their health and safety as their No. 1 priority, she said.

4. If my child is invited on a playdate, can I ask if the parents and other house members have been vaccinated?

The experts agreed this is a reasonable question.

In the same way I would ask a parent if there are nuts in their home or what kind of cake or ice cream would be served at a party to protect my nut-allergic child, I would ask about vaccine status or mask protocols at a party or a play date to protect my currently unvaccinated child, said Amanda Horelick, co-founder of Elementary Etiquette in Boca Raton.

5. Can I try to change the mind of a friend or relative who is vaccine-hesitant?

The experts split on this one, too. Salas discouraged the practice.

I think this is a very personal decision and would not try to change anyones mind regarding the vaccine, she said. The most that I would suggest is telling them of your own experience with the vaccine so they have a point of reference regarding the experience.

But Justin Bernstein, a bioethicist at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, said its acceptable, praiseworthy, even, to try to convince the undecided.

Nonetheless, its worth being careful and respectful when doing this. Vaccination has long been and remains a highly polarized issue, and people often double down when confronted about the issue in ways that make them feel uncomfortable or personally attacked. Id recommend acknowledging the hesitant persons concerns and indicating why you understand their reasons for hesitancy before trying to assuage the relevant worries, Bernstein said.

He suggested these talking points. 1. You can indicate that youve been vaccinated, that youve had no serious adverse side effects, and the same is true for everyone you know whos gotten vaccinated. 2. Emphasize how you feel less worried about interacting with vulnerable individuals  such as older relatives  since youve been vaccinated. 3. Point out that the chances of contracting COVID-19 and dying from it are exponentially higher than the chances of suffering a vaccine injury.

6. Is it OK to ask someone who isnt wearing a mask in a place that requires them, such as a grocery store, to put one on?

Yes, but do it gently and dont say you should be wearing a mask, say we, Salas said. She suggested these words: Please remember that for everyones safety we should all be wearing masks or Our way of caring for everyones health is by wearing a mask. Please join us.

7. What should I do if I cant hear someone who is speaking with a mask on?

If youre six feet apart, ask them to lower their mask so you may hear them better. If theyre closer, ask them to please repeat.

It is a normal occurrence to have difficulty hearing someone speak with a mask, especially if there is surrounding noise, so no one should be offended when asked to repeat what is being said, Salas said.

8. Whats the best way to decline an invitation to an event Im not comfortable going to?

A host sets the rules and should be explicit about what is expected  mask or no masks, indoors or outdoors, Horelick said. And a guest has the right to accept or decline an invitation  courteously and promptly  based on that information. Both parties should be gracious and accepting of these decisions.

A white lie could be acceptable in this situation, Bernstein said.

If youre really concerned not to offend the person or cant afford to offend the inviter because theyre your employer or something like that, Id argue its permissible to tell a white lie by offering some other excuse, he said.

---

Lois K. Solomon of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wrote this story

2021 South Florida Sun Sentinel. Visit at sun-sentinel.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Financial relief is on the way to Pennsylvania restaurants.

Hospitality related businesses in all 67 counties are receiving funding under Pennsylvanias COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program.

Here in central Pennsylvania more than $20 million has been awarded to businesses in Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.

The program, initiated by Gov. Tom Wolf, is allocating $145 million to businesses adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The block grants are given to counties based on population proportion. Grants are awarded in $5,000 increments with a $50,000 maximum.

The governor emphasized the program will provide immediate relief for small businesses impacted by the pandemic. The legislature approved the measure unanimously and it was enacted in February.

The CHIRP program is doing exactly what we intended: provide more than $100 million to our states hospitality industry to help these important businesses to recover and retain and create jobs, Wolf said in a statement.

State funding has already been provided to all 67 counties, and most recently in the following counties:

Cannot see the graphic above? Please click here.
Please note the following article contains explicit language.

Chrissy Teigens cookware line has been dropped from both the Macys and Target websites.

While Target claims the drop is unrelated, the unavailability of Teigens products on both has come just days after the revelations of the models consistent cyberbullying via Twitter.

Page Six of the New York Post reports how individual items from Teigens cookware line were simply marked unavailable on the Macys website starting Sunday. They appeared to have been completed pulled by Monday, as a search query for the products would give shoppers the message, We couldnt find a match for your search.

The disappearance of Teigens cookware has notably occurred only a short amount of time after allegations arose of her online harassment. Stories of her negative comments were thrown into the spotlight after media personality Courtney Stodden stated in a The Daily Beast interview how Teigen repeatedly encouraged them to commit suicide when they were just 16 years old.

She wouldnt just publicly tweet about wanting me to take a dirt nap but would privately DM me and tell me to kill myself, said Stodden to the publication. Things like I cant wait for you to die. And not only her, but Joy Behar had a field day with calling me a slut. Courtney Love told me I was a whore.

TMZ states that while Teigens products have disappeared from the Target website as well, the drop was simply a matter of bad timing and had nothing to do with the Stodden controversy.

Teigen responded to Stoddens commentsas well as the resulting backlashvia a Twitter thread a few days after the interview came out. Throughout the multiple posts, Teigen claims shes ashamed and completely embarrassed by her transgressions as she was an insecure, attention-seeking troll.

I have tried to connect with Courtney privately but since I publicly fueled all this, I want to publicly apologize, reads one of the tweets. I am so sorry, Courtney. I hope you can heal now knowing how deeply sorry I am of you.

A separate Page Six article states that Stodden reportedly never heard from Teigen after the interview came out.
McRitchie Winery & Cidery is located on nearly 30 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the heart of the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina, where it specializes in small lots of artisan wines and hard ciders.

Its one of more than 65 wineries that are now open for business across that part of the state, north-northwest of Winston-Salem and Charlotte.

Sean McRitchies father was a winemaker in California and Oregon, and those interests were transferred to him at an early age. In addition to working in wineries and vineyards in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Sean has worked at well-known wineries in many of the worlds premier wine regions including Alsace Lorraine, Napa Valley, and Australia.

It was in 1998 that he and Pat, who earlier in her career was a criminal attorney and judge, moved to North Carolina and became involved in the establishment of a large vineyard and winery in the Yadkin Valley. Later, they developed a winery and vineyard consulting business.

By 2004, they made the decision to join what was then a fledgling wine industry in the state, and they planted their first vines. The winery opened in 2006 and the tasting room a year after that.

Located at 315 Thurmond Post Office Road in Thurmond, the winery and cidery is open noon to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

Below is the latest in the 6 Questions series of interviews with winemakers and owners of East Coast wineries, which looks behind at what has been a turbulent year and, with optimism, looks ahead. Thanks to Pat McRitchie for taking these on.

Q, When did you plant the vineyard and when did your tasting room open? Whats the sort of experience you seek for visitors to your winery and cidery?

A, We planted our vineyard in 2004, our first vintage was in 2006, and our tasting room opened in 2007. Sean is a second-generation winemaker and grew up in Napa and Oregons Willamette Valley. Hes worked in wineries throughout the world including Napa, Oregon, Australia, Germany, and France so has a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience.

We have both worked in a number of large wineries and when we decided to branch out on our own we knew we wanted a small winery and tasting room that was warm, intimate, and inviting. Our focus is on our wines and ciders and providing an experience where the wines and ciders are serious but approachable and the quality is consistently high. We want a visit to our tasting room and grounds to be restful  where you can hear birdsong and the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees  and delicious. Picnics and enjoying your time with us is highly encouraged.

Q, How much do you source your vineyard for your wines?

A. Our vineyard is small  just over an acre of grapes and about the same in apples. Our model has been to source fruit from a number of local vineyards and orchards and to work with the best growers and sites in the area. Sean has grown grapes and made wine in many regions of the world and knew the challenges of a young growing region. We want to ensure consistency in our wines and ciders and think sourcing from a number of vineyards and orchards has helped us achieve that, especially in years when unpredictable growing conditions have impacted vineyards in ways that would be difficult if all our fruit was affected adversely. Not having all our production dependent on just one location has been a good one for us.

Q, I see you are making pet-nat. When did you start making it?

A, We will be releasing our fourth pet-nat later this month [May]. It is made with Muscat Blanc this time. In the past, weve used Petit Verdot, Petit Manseng, and Riesling. All were done using the old-school Methode Ancestral production process, usually requiring late-night bottling to ensure the timing was just right.

McRitchie Winery's Ring of Fire Red is largely a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese.

We try and do one per vintage in addition to the other sparkling wines we produce and our first was in 2017. Sean worked for Domaine Chandon in Napa for a number of years and sparkling wines have been something weve included in our wine list from the beginning. Experimenting with different production methods and varietals keeps it interesting and fun.

Q. I saw you collaborated on a wine with nearby JOLO Winery and Vineyards. How did that come about? Its not something you see very often on the East Coast.

A, We were friends with JW and Kristen Ray of JOLO before they opened their winery  really before they moved to NC. Collaborating on a wine was something JW and Sean talked about for many years. We enjoyed it and the wine was well-received so, while a follow-up isnt yet in the works, one could be coming in the future.

As far as collaborations in general go, we have a number of family members who are in the wine industry and we hope to work together on projects. Our youngest son, Asher, is an aspiring winemaker now working at a winery in Oregon, and a joint wine with him is on our short list.

Q, Tell me about the cider side of your operation.

A, We were the first cidery in N.C. and have made cider since we opened our doors in 2007. We knew N.C. was a state with apple growers that grew apples suitable for producing great ciders. Weve distributed our ciders broadly throughout N.C. in the past and are happy where we are at right now. We are dedicated to only using local apples and want to ensure that demand and our commitment to our vendors is aligned. We considered greatly increasing production but realized that wasnt the model we were comfortable with or wanted. Small and hands-on is our sweet spot.

Q. It has been quite the past 14 months for everyone. How did the pandemic affect your business and are there any changes you made that you think youll continue? On top of everything else, saw you had an earthquake last August.

A, The past 13 months have been challenging but they have also been an opportunity for reflection and assessing what works and is important in our business. Our wine club and other loyal customers kept us going through the first really tough months and we are dedicated to increasing the value to them of being such great supporters during this time. Good stuff on that front is coming up.

Says Sean and Pat McRitchie of the winery that that's now rolling into its15th year: 'Its been some ride. We hope you join us for the rest of the journey.'

Our inside tasting room is not yet open to the public but we are fortunate to have ample outside seating areas. We will continue to offer tasting flights that allow our customers to enjoy the wines and ciders at their own pace. We started recommending reservations after last years shutdown to ensure table space and we will continue to do this. Its helped with managing the flow and expectations of our visitors. We have new tasting experiences planned for our indoor tasting space when we are able to welcome visitors back inside that will focus on food and wine.

The earthquake was just another oddity in a year filled with the unusual.

ALSO READ: The grapes arent the only sun-worshippers that have found a home at this Delaware winery

ALSO READ: Md. winery reopens following a year blown up by the pandemic and then a tornados direct hit
Whistleout.com is looking to hire a Chief Adventure Officer to take photos at a scenic spot in their home state.

Whistleout will provide the officer with the cell phone of his or her choice and pay $1,000 for the job along with $500 for expenses.

The Chief Adventure Officer will plan a scenic outdoor trip in their own state to explore and choose a smartphone that is priced up to $1,000. WhistleOut will pay for the phone. The officer must take photos of that scenic location and share them on social media.

Applicants are not required to be professional photographers.

Instead, we are primarily looking for the adventurous at heartthe type of person whod rather be climbing a mountain than bingeing the latest Netflix hit (dont worry, we wont judge you if you still watch that show). You are a little more Indiana Jones and a lot less Scooby and Shaggy.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. PST on Friday, May 21 - thats 8 p.m. in EST.

The successful applicant will be announced on the companys YouTube channel on May 28.

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This award really belongs to many hundreds of creative people all over the world, and thank you so much to my fans for riding the wave with me and for supporting my career so I can continue to have the good fortune to pursue the job that is my passion, Johansson said during a virtual acceptance speech.
The National Pest Management Association has launched a new website to help spread the word about the serious health threats posed by ticks and methods to limit exposure to the disease-carrying pests.

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently increasing its estimate by more than 44 percent to about 476,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year  led the way by Pennsylvania, which is No. 1 in cases of the disease  the website is another welcome weapon to protect ourselves.

The website, TickTalk.org, includes:

A step-by-step visual guide on how to perform a tick check and properly remove a tick.

A map of the ticks and tickborne diseases found in each region of the U.S.

An infographic on how to protect your property from ticks,

A celebrity Lyme Light series on the stars battling Lyme disease.

A real-time heat map of tick-related Twitter conversations across the U.S.

A detailed depiction of the life cycle of a tick and the mechanics of a tick bite.

High-resolution videos and photography of various tick species.

This may be the most comprehensive resource on ticks and tickborne diseases available to the public, and we are so happy to provide consumers with this repository of relevant and much-needed information, said Cindy Mannes, senior vice president of public affairs for NPMA.

With tickborne Lyme disease now diagnosed in all 50 states and more common than previously thought, we felt it imperative to create a one-stop-shop for all things tick-related, and TickTalk.org will now serve as that crucial resource to educate and inform the public on the health risks associated with ticks and the steps they can take to protect themselves and their families.

READ MORE: Tick preparedness offered by Penn State Extension webinar series

In a recent survey among over 800 U.S. homeowners, commissioned by the NPMA and conducted online by The Harris Poll, 58 percent of Americans reported they have either seen a tick before or have had to remove one from themselves, someone else or a pet. Fully 19 percent of Americans reported they have only heard of ticks by name.

Despite the prevalence of ticks across the U.S., many people chalk them up to just a summertime pest and arent aware of the true threats they pose to our health. The goal of this project is to provide consumers with an up close and personal look at the different types of ticks, their habits and how to protect against them, said Mannes.

The NPMA, a non-profit organization with more than 5,500 members, was established in 1933 to support the pest management industrys commitment to the protection of public health, food and property from the diseases and dangers of pests.

For more outdoor coverage, subscribe to Marcus Schnecks free, weekly Outdoor Pennsylvania newsletter right here:

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You also can contact Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
A cybercriminal gang that breached the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Departments computer network in a ransomware attack published detailed information last week about nearly two dozen officers, including Social Security numbers and psychological assessments.

The group, Babuk, already had posted on the dark web lengthy dossiers of several officers. It claimed it stole more than 250 gigabytes of data late last month and is threatening to release more information as well as share files containing the names of confidential informants with criminal gangs if officials dont pay a ransom.

The most recently posted documents contain sensitive information about 22 officers, such as fingerprints, dates of birth, polygraph test results and residential, financial and marriage history, according to NBC News. The hackers claim that they demanded $4 million in ransom and the department countered with $100,000, which they deemed unacceptable.

This was the most serious incident involving a police department that weve seen to date. It doesnt get much worse, said Brett Callow, a threat analyst for cybersecurity company Emsisoft. The release of that information could put officers and civilians at risk.

A separate ransomware attack forced the recent shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, leading to panic buying and gas shortages on the East Coast. Cybercriminals also have launched ransomware attacks on school districts, health care systems, courts and local government offices.

But when the hackers have struck police departments, cybersecurity experts say, they pose a particularly serious threat to public safety.

Ransomware attacks have taken down 911 systems, prevented officers from checking suspects criminal histories during traffic stops and blocked access to investigative files or video, impeding investigations. In some cases, prosecutors have had to drop criminal cases.

We equate it to kidnapping, said Jonathan Thompson, executive director of the National Sheriffs Association. In this case, the victim is the data, but most importantly, its the community. Law enforcement has to be reliable and accessible in real time. Any time someone seeks to limit that, it puts the entire community at risk.

The District of Columbia police department is one of at least three in the United States that have been attacked so far this year, according to Callow. Ransomware hit at least 10 other departments last year.

Sometimes, the harm to police operations hasnt been too serious.

In El Dorado, Arkansas, cybercriminals struck the police department last May, but its computer network was restored within about an hour because it had a good backup system, said Capt. Michael Leveritt.

It was a big inconvenience, Leveritt said in an interview with Stateline. We lost all of our budget spreadsheets we had been working on. We had to rebuild every spreadsheet or go back to older archives and pull those templates. But it never hindered our daily operation.

But other ransomware attacks on police departments have posed more serious threats.

Among them:

In April, hackers hit the Presque Isle Police Department in Maine, claiming they had files that included victim statements, confidential information and employees personal data. They posted a 2019 domestic violence incident report that included the victims personal information and police notes. They gave officials 240 hours to cooperate and threatened to leak more information.

In July 2020, cybercriminals struck the Cooke County Sheriffs Office in Texas, posting screenshots they alleged were documents and data from the agency. Crime victims personal information may have been compromised.

In April 2020, hackers attacked the Trenton Police Department in New Jersey for the second time in six months. In the first attack, digitally stored evidence was affected, sources told The Trentonian, and officers in some cases were unable to access critical information during car stops.

In December 2019, criminals hit the St. Lucie County Sheriffs Office in Florida, demanding $1 million in bitcoin, a cryptocurrency. The county refused to pay. Many of the police agencys computer networks were taken down and phone calls, sheriffs office emails, fingerprinting and background checks, and criminal histories became inaccessible.

In May 2018, Baltimores 911 dispatch system had to be shut down for about a day after hackers hit the citys network. Details about calls couldnt be relayed to dispatchers electronically and had to be handled manually.



Ransomware typically spreads through phishing emails, in which victims unwittingly click on emailed links or attachments designed to get personal information, such as passwords. Ransomware hijacks a computer system and encrypts data and holds it hostage until officials either restore the system on their own or pay a ransom, usually in bitcoin, in exchange for a decryption key.

For years, hackers typically didnt steal the ransomed data or make it public. But that has changed, cybersecurity experts say.

A growing number of cybercriminals are downloading files and threatening to release sensitive information publicly as additional leverage if they dont get paid. Experts call it double extortion.

That happened in Pensacola, Florida, where hackers in December 2019 warned they would release files if the city didnt pay a $1 million ransom. When it didnt, they posted what they claimed was a 2-gigabyte archive of city files on a public website.

Hackers who struck Chatham County, North Carolina, in October 2020 later posted county employees personnel records and medical evaluations of children who were the subject of neglect investigations by child welfare workers.

In the District of Columbia, cybercriminals went even further by threatening to use stolen data to harm another partyconfidential informants.

This is taking it to another half step of evolution beyond what weve seen, said Sherrod DeGrippo, a senior director at Proofpoint, a global cybersecurity company. Those files in a police department are incredibly sensitive. They might contain confidential informant information, evidence, warrant executions, criminal raid plans. This could result in some real-world harm.

D.C. Metropolitan Police officials declined an interview but sent Stateline their initial April 26 public statement, which said the department was aware of unauthorized access to its server. While we determine the full impact and continue to review activity, we have engaged the FBI to fully investigate this matter, it said.

Two days later, Police Chief Robert Contee sent staffers a message confirming that the hackers had obtained personnel files with personally identifiable information. He wrote that the mechanism that allowed the unauthorized access had been blocked, and gave staffers information about credit monitoring options available to them.

Adam Scott Wandt, an assistant professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said the hack is one of the most serious hes seen.

Police need to be able to convince criminal informants that their identity will be kept confidential if they cooperate, he said. Getting a list and threatening to publish it puts the public at risk, because now informants will be more reluctant to cooperate with police.

If gang members involved in organized crime who are working secretly for police are discovered, they may be killed, Wandt added.



Ransomware attacks on police departments also can compromise criminal cases.

Even when data is restored, it could be hard to prove that it is the same as it originally was, said cybersecurity expert Callow. The chain of evidence could be screwed up.

That could pose a problem for prosecutors, said Wandt, who also is vice chair for technology at John Jays public management department.

The prosecution is going to have to prove the evidence wasnt tampered with, he said. Any good defense counsel will ask for that evidence to be excluded and say the chain of custody was tampered with.

Police and prosecutors face another potential headache when photos, videos and files get encrypted and frozen in computer systems and cant be accessed as evidence.

After a major ransomware attack on Atlanta that hobbled several city offices and interrupted services in 2018, then-Police Chief Erika Shields said that years of dashcam footage from before the attack was lost and cannot be recovered, and warned that DUI cases could be compromised.

After the Stuart Police Department in Florida was victimized in April 2019, prosecutors were forced to drop narcotics charges against 11 suspected drug dealers because the photo and video evidence was frozen in the computer server and was inaccessible, according to Master Sgt. Michael Gerwan.

Among the charges: the sale and delivery of crack cocaine and the drug ecstasy.

Those videos were encrypted so they were no good to us, and the cases had to be dropped, Gerwan said in an interview with Stateline. The majority of these dealers were not first-time offenders. They caught a break.

The ransomware attack also affected the departments communications and dispatch, and initially, officers were sent to calls blind because they couldnt access records on laptops in their cars, Gerwan said. Nor could they run license plate checks during traffic stops.

The hackers demanded $300,000 in ransom, but the city refused to pay, according to Gerwan. For weeks, officers reverted to pen and paper reports. They couldnt submit crash reports to the state electronically. It took nearly two months to fully restore the computer system and rebuild call logs from scratch. It was living hell, he said.

Police departments often are reluctant to disclose that theyve been victimized in ransomware attacks, but they should, he added.

Its embarrassing to have to say we had to have cases dropped. But law enforcement agencies need to start talking about this publicly, he said. The threat is out there and itll keep going. And now, with whats happening in D.C., all of this is escalating.

---

Jenni Bergal of Stateline.org wrote this story.

2021 The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Visit at stateline.org.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of mechanical ventilators as life-saving tools. But what happens when those tools are not available, or the supply runs out?

Japanese scientists have studied a new method of delivering oxygen to mammals that one day may be used on humans.

The New York Times reported that Dr. Caleb Kelly, a gastroenterology fellow at Yale University, laughed when he was recently asked to review a paper about the administering of lifesaving oxygen to mammals through their anuses, thinking it was a joke.

However, the authors of a new study, published Friday in the journal Med, are perfectly serious. The study showed that some mice or pigs when dangerously deprived of air, can be rescued with an enema of oxygen-carrying liquid. And, Dr. Kelly said in a commentary he wrote accompanying the new paper, It actually turns out it could be a feasible approach.

What motivated the study?

His fathers battle with lung disease motived Dr. Takanori Takebe, of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University and the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, to examine the unusual idea. While mechanical ventilators can keep patients alive when their lungs are failing, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, they arent always available, or supplies can run out.

Dr. Takebe said that studying the idea in human patients may be down the road a ways, but noted that there is a clear need for different strategies to help patients with severe lung failure.

The report said that Dr. Takebes original research had focused on growing miniature organs such as lungs using stem cells in dishes, but evolved into something totally different: the repurposing of mammals existing organs.

The study noted that Dr. Takebe was inspired by members of the animal kingdom, upon learning that many fish and other creatures have multitasking organs. An example being a fish called loaches, which typically use their gills to take oxygen from the water. When water oxygen levels get severely low, they can also pop their heads above the surface for a gulp of air, which travels through their digestive tract where the oxygen is absorbed by their intestines.

In the study, Dr. Takebe and his co-authors set out to determine whether a mammals intestines could also absorb oxygen. Using anesthetized, oxygen-deprived mice, researchers pumped oxygen gas up the mices rectums. The procedure did help the mice survive longer, but was most effective when researchers scraped the intestinal wall to thin it, a method not very appealing for treating sick human patients.

However, the study found that when scientists tried delivering oxygen in liquid form by squirting the oxygen-packed liquid into the rectums of mice and pigs dangerously deprived of oxygen, blood oxygen levels were boosted to the point where the mice started walking around again. The pale skin of the anesthetized pigs turned a healthy pink.

How successful was the experiment?

Dr. Takebe said the procedure worked better than he had expected, noting that the animals were completely recovering from the very, very severe hypoxia. He said. That was really astonishing to me.

Although a mammals colon is not used for breathing, the thin-walled organ is proficient at filtering substances into the body. What separates the environment from inside the body is a single layer of cells, Dr. Kelly said.

The report cited Dr. Kelly, who noted that while the concept is fascinating, he questions whether its ready for prime time yet. Its kind of a startling idea, to use that part of human anatomy for gas exchange, he said.

Still, he added, the weirdness doesnt mean we should dismiss it.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Israeli warplanes unleashed a series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City early Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gazas Hamas rulers would rage on.

Explosions rocked the city from north to south for 10 minutes in an attack that was heavier, on a wider area and lasted longer than a series of air raids 24 hours earlier in which 42 Palestinians were killed  the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence between Israel and the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza. The earlier Israeli airstrikes flattened three buildings.

Local media reports said the main coastal road west of the city, security compounds and open spaces were among the targets hit early Monday. The power distribution company said the airstrikes damaged a line feeding electricity from the only power plant to large parts of southern Gaza City.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

In a televised address on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israels attacks were continuing at full force and would take time. Israel wants to levy a heavy price on the Hamas militant group, he said, flanked by his defense minister and political rival, Benny Gantz, in a show of unity.

Hamas also pressed on, launching rockets from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel. One slammed into a synagogue in the southern city of Ashkelon hours before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli emergency services said. No injuries were reported.

In the Israeli air assault early Sunday, families were buried under piles of cement rubble and twisted rebar. A yellow canary lay crushed on the ground. Shards of glass and debris-covered streets blocks away from the major downtown thoroughfare where the three buildings were hit over the course of five minutes around 1 a.m.

The hostilities have repeatedly escalated over the past week, marking the worst fighting in the territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians since Israel and Hamas devastating 2014 war.

I have not seen this level of destruction through my 14 years of work, said Samir al-Khatib, an emergency rescue official in Gaza. Not even in the 2014 war.

Rescuers furiously dug through the rubble using excavators and bulldozers amid clouds of heavy dust. One shouted, Can you hear me? into a hole. Minutes later, first responders pulled a survivor out. The Gaza Health Ministry said 16 women and 10 children were among those killed, with more than 50 people wounded.

Haya Abdelal, 21, who lives in a building next to one that was destroyed, said she was sleeping when the airstrikes sent her fleeing into the street. She accused Israel of not giving its usual warning to residents to leave before launching such an attack.

We are tired, she said, We need a truce. We cant bear it anymore.

The Israeli army spokespersons office said the strike targeted Hamas underground military infrastructure.

As a result of the strike, the underground facility collapsed, causing the civilian houses foundations above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties, it said.

Among those reported killed was Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Ouf, the head of the internal medicine department at Shifa Hospital and a senior member of the hospitals coronavirus management committee. Two of Abu Al-Oufs teenage children and two other family members were also buried under the rubble.

The death of the 51-year-old physician was a huge loss at a very sensitive time, said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa.

Gazas health care system, already gutted by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed in 2007 after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces, had been struggling with a surge in coronavirus infections even before the latest conflict.

Israels airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Sally Buzbee, the APs executive editor, called for an independent investigation into the airstrike that destroyed the AP office on Saturday.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said Sunday any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any had been seen.

Its a perfectly legitimate target, Netanyahu told CBSs Face the Nation.

Asked if he had provided any evidence of Hamas presence in the building in a call Saturday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said: We pass it through our intelligence people.

Buzbee called for any such evidence to be laid out. We are in a conflict situation, Buzbee said. We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we dont know what that evidence is.

Meanwhile, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court on Sunday to investigate Israels bombing of the AP building and others housing media organizations as a possible war crime.

The Paris-based group said in a letter to the courts chief prosecutor that the offices of 23 international and local media organizations have been destroyed over the past six days. It said the attacks serve to reduce, if not neutralize, the medias capacity to inform the public.

The AP had operated from the building for 15 years, including through three previous wars between Israel and Hamas. The news agencys cameras, operating from its top floor office and roof terrace, offered 24-hour live shots as militant rockets arched toward Israel and Israeli airstrikes hammered the city and its surroundings.

We think its appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday  an independent investigation, Buzbee said.

The latest outbreak of violence began in east Jerusalem last month, when Palestinians clashed with police in response to Israeli police tactics during Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers. A focus of the clashes was the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a hilltop compound revered by both Muslims and Jews.

Hamas began firing rockets toward Jerusalem on Monday, triggering the Israeli assault on Gaza.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, including 55 children and 33 women, with 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in some of the 3,100 rocket attacks launched from Gaza, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group have acknowledged 20 fighters killed in the fighting. Israel says the real number is far higher and has released the names and photos of two dozen alleged operatives it says were eliminated.

The assault has displaced some 34,000 Palestinians from their homes, U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, where eight foreign ministers spoke about the conflict.

Efforts by China, Norway and Tunisia to get the U.N. body to issue a statement, including a call for the cessation of hostilities, have been blocked by the United States, which, according to diplomats, is concerned it could interfere with diplomatic efforts to stop the violence.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Malki urged the Security Council to take action to end Israeli attacks. Israels U.N. ambassador, Gilad Erdan, urged the council to condemn Hamas indiscriminate and unprovoked attacks.

The turmoil has also fueled protests in the occupied West Bank and stoked violence within Israel between its Jewish and Arab citizens, with clashes and vigilante attacks on people and property.

On Sunday, a driver rammed into an Israeli checkpoint in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where Palestinian families have been threatened with eviction , injuring six officers before police shot and killed the attacker, Israeli police said.

The violence also sparked pro-Palestinian protests in cities across Europe and the United States.

Israel appears to have stepped up strikes in recent days to inflict as much damage as possible on Hamas as international mediators work to end the fighting and stave off an Israeli ground invasion in Gaza.

The Israeli military said it destroyed the home Sunday of Gazas top Hamas leader, Yahiyeh Sinwar, in the southern town of Khan Younis. It was the third such attack in the last two days on the homes of senior Hamas leaders, who have gone underground.

___

Fares Akram and Ravi Nessman of The Associated Press wrote this story.

Nessman reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Joseph Krauss and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem, Edie Lederer at the United Nations and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed.
SALEM, Ore.  The first court test of whether local governments can ban police from enforcing certain gun laws is playing out in a rural Oregon county, one of a wave of U.S. counties declaring itself a Second Amendment sanctuary.

The measure that voters in the logging area of Columbia County narrowly approved last year forbids local officials from enforcing most federal and state gun laws and could impose thousands of dollars in fines on those who try.

Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions have been adopted by some 1,200 local governments in states around the U.S., including Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Illinois and Florida, according to Shawn Fields, an assistant professor of law at Campbell University who tracks them. Many are symbolic, but some, like in Columbia County, carry legal force.

The movement took off around 2018, as states considered stricter gun laws in the wake of mass shootings, including a high school shooting near Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people and made survivors into high-profile gun control activists.

After President Joe Biden took office, conservative lawmakers in several states proposed banning police from enforcing federal gun measures, and at least one proposal in Arizona has been signed into law.

The movement hasnt yet faced a major legal challenge. The Oregon case was filed by Columbia County under an unusual provision in state law that allows a judge to examine a measure before it goes into effect. No timeline has been set for a court hearing.

This will allow the court to tell us whether the county can actually decline to enforce certain state laws, and it will tell us how to abide by the will of the voters to the extent that we can, said Sarah Hanson, who serves as counsel in the conservative-leaning county in deep-blue Oregon.

Supporters of the ordinance include the Oregon Firearms Federation, which said in a November statement that extremists and big city radicals were trying to curtail gun rights.

The group referenced Portland protests opposing police brutality that occasionally turned violent last summer and called the ordinance a common sense step that would ensure your right and ability to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.

The ordinance would ban the enforcement of laws like background check requirements and restrictions on carrying a gun, though it would have exceptions for others, including keeping firearms from convicted felons.

The Oregon Firearms Federation didnt respond to a request for comment on the court case.

Sheriff Brian Pixley has expressed support, saying in a March statement that one of his responsibilities is to uphold peoples Second Amendment rights and that hes eager to move forward with the will of the voters.

The measure is divisive locally, though, and four residents filed court documents opposing it. One, Brandee Dudzic, referenced the strict gun safety drills she learned in military medic training, saying she values the right to own a gun but believes it should come with safety measures like background checks and secure storage.

A gun shop owner in Columbia County said he supports background checks and believes that state law trumps the county law. But he voted in favor of the Second Amendment measure on principle.

We need to make sure that people are safe. We need to make sure that people are responsible, he said. But as more rules are in place, we just need to make sure that were not overregulated.

He spoke on the condition he not be identified because some of his customers take a hard line against gun restrictions and he didnt want to lose their business.

Everytown Law, an affiliate of the group Everytown for Gun Safety, is pushing for the measure to be overturned. Managing Director Eric Tirschwell said it would be the nations first court test amid the current wave of Second Amendment sanctuary laws.

Everytown argues that the ordinance violates the U.S. Constitution, which says federal law supersedes state law, as well as the state Constitution and an Oregon law that gives the state power to regulate firearms.

The decision wont have a direct effect outside Oregon but could send a message.

This case is important and should send the message that where state or local jurisdictions attempt to unconstitutionally or unlawfully nullify gun safety laws, we are prepared to and will go to court, Tirschwell said.

Other laws trying to blunt the effect of federal gun restrictions havent fared well in court, including a 2009 Montana measure that made guns and ammunition manufactured in the state exempt from federal law and a similar 2013 measure in Kansas.

Many of the latest wave of measures, though, take a different tack by focusing on the actions of local police, including punishments like fines.

In terms of federal law, gun rights advocates may have a successful legal argument under the so-called anti-commandeering doctrine, which says the U.S. government cant make state and local officials enforce federal law, said Darrell Miller, a professor of law at Duke Law School and co-faculty director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law. He agreed that the Oregon case is the first of its kind.

Local enforcement of state law, meanwhile, is another matter. Most states dont have similar provisions in their own legal codes, and Oregons attorney general said in court documents that the Columbia County ordinance is incompatible with criminal law and the duties of county officials.

To the extent the local government is trying to say, Were also not going to enforce state law either .... thats a much more difficult and complicated position, Miller said. The authority of the state over localities is much, much stronger.

___

Lindsay Whitehurst and Andrew Selsky of The Associated Press wrote this story. Whitehurst reported from Salt Lake City.
BALTIMORE  Everton Brown believed that drones were following him. He thought the FBI was breaking into his house to feed his dog and worried the authorities were tampering with his computer.

Thats according to records kept by Baltimore County police, whom Brown called more than 100 times over the past 24 years. Neighbors, too, called police to the Woodlawn neighborhood. They say Brown harassed them and yelled from his porch through a bullhorn.

Despite decades of encounters with local authorities, Browns actions continued until they had tragic consequences. Last Saturday morning, police say, Brown, 56, set fire to his home, then shot and killed three neighbors.

Now the killings are prompting questions about how Maryland handles cases of people who may be in a mental health crisis.

This recent incident has been the fear and concern that Ive had for a long time, Republican Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford told members of a state commission on mental and behavioral health Tuesday.

The commission is among those who have been wrestling with Marylands law on involuntary psychiatric commitments, which has standards that are among the strictest in the nation.

Efforts to change the law, including a bill in this years General Assembly session that would have expanded the definition of who is dangerous enough to be forcibly hospitalized, have been opposed by critics worried about violating individual rights.

Its not clear what interventions police or those who knew Brown may have tried over the years or whether he was ever diagnosed with mental illness. Attempts to reach his family were unsuccessful.

But the shootings and fire came amid continuing debate in Maryland over how to get help for people who dont want treatment. Theres also discussion by the state and local governments about how to better connect people in crisis to mental health services rather than treating their needs as a police matter.

Authorities say Brown killed three people: Ismael Quintanilla, 41, Sara Alacote, 37, and Sagar Ghimire, 24. County police officers shot and killed Brown.

Little is publicly known about Brown. He was licensed as a commercial driver in Maryland until 2019 and had owned his home in the Parkview Crossing town house community since 1996, public records show.

County police say Brown had numerous contacts with law enforcement, including with the departments crisis team. Three peace orders had been filed against him since 2008, they said.

The police department did not answer questions from The Baltimore Sun about whether the officers ever took Brown to a hospital for an emergency psychiatric evaluation or how many times he interacted with the crisis team, citing state laws about the confidentiality of health records.

County police also have not said whether an extreme risk protective order was ever sought for Brown, telling The Sun that the investigation is continuing at this time. Such orders temporarily require someone who is a danger to themselves or others to surrender firearms and prohibits them from purchasing any.

One neighbor has said that Brown sometimes would walk up and down the sidewalk with a gun. Police said Brown used a handgun registered to him in the killings.

Legislation introduced this year in the General Assembly would have changed the standards for when someone can be admitted involuntarily to a mental health facility. Under current law, that can happen only if someone presents a danger to themselves or others and other treatment is not appropriate.

The measure introduced this year would have significantly broadened the definition of danger, allowing involuntary admission if a person is unable to care for their basic needs or if there is a major risk that they would suffer substantial deterioration without treatment. It also would have allowed involuntary admission for those reasonably expected to present a danger.

Critics of the current law say it often stops people who dont recognize they are ill from getting timely treatment. Others say making involuntary treatment easier could lead to unnecessary and traumatizing hospitalizations and infringe on patients autonomy.

Maryland Del. Nic Kipke, an Anne Arundel County Republican, introduced the unsuccessful 2021 bill. He said current state law offers no guidance on what danger means, so it is often interpreted to require overt threats or acts of violence or self-harm.

Under his bill, Kipke said, if Browns actions before the shooting showed he was deteriorating mentally, that could have provided a basis for hospitalization.

The bill followed a recommendation from the mental health commission chaired by Rutherford, the lieutenant governor. In a 2020 report, the group said Maryland should develop a clear and unambiguous standard for determining when individuals in crisis pose a danger to themselves and others.

As it turned out, the group had a previously scheduled meeting three days after the Woodlawn shootings, at which Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt and county health officer Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch were on the agenda to discuss the countys crisis response system. The horrific incident as Hyatt called it, made the presentation particularly timely.

We frequently, sadly, learn after a crisis that the community knew that an individual needed resources, and the police maybe attempted to assist, Hyatt said.

She advocated for a community referral system in which families or neighbors could call something other than 911 to report mental health concerns.

So, our goal is to build resources in place for increasing contacts with these individuals, making sure theyre going to appointments, taking medications, before they get to the crisis moment, she said. The hope is by being proactive, keeping them safe, that hopefully we can ultimately prevent that flashpoint crisis moment.

As cities and counties try to expand and improve their crisis response efforts, debate over state law for involuntary commitment is likely to continue.

Kipke said he withdrew his bill because it was highly controversial among groups that included the ACLU. He plans to introduce it again next session after working with all sides to address concerns, he said.

The state health department in a letter to lawmakers said it supported the intent of the legislation, but that the measure was too broad.

Adrienne Breidenstine, vice president of policy and communications for Behavioral Health System Baltimore, which oversees mental health treatment in the city, also said the bill overly broadened the definition of who can be involuntarily committed, an action that should be used sparingly and when other options have been exhausted.

A pile of rubble is all that remains of the Parkview Crossing townhome of Everton Brown in Woodlawn, a suburb of Baltimore. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/TNS)TNS

Theres a ton of resources in the community, she said.

Breidenstine said involuntary commitment can result in people being hospitalized unnecessarily or swept up into the criminal justice system. That, she said, only adds to an unfair perception that everyone with mental illness is violent or criminal.

One review of epidemiological research said that while some people with serious mental illness are somewhat more likely to commit violence, most are not violent. It found that only 4% of violence in a given year is associated with serious mental illness.

A lot of people with mental illness are not dangerous, Breidenstine said. Theyre not going to harm you. Theyre more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

And, she said, we do know that inpatient commitment is used disproportionately for people of color and Black people.

But some advocacy groups say Maryland sets the bar too high to involuntarily admit someone, and that without treatment, some people are more likely to engage in criminal behavior.

Many families are desperate because they cant get help for loved ones with severe mental illness who dont consent to treatment, said Evelyn Burton, advocacy chair for the Maryland chapter of the Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America.

It leaves them helpless, Burton said.

Psychiatric laws vary widely across the country.

We like to say that were running 50 different experiments with mental health care in this country, said Geoffrey Melada, spokesman for the Treatment Advocacy Center.

In a 2020 report, the center ranked Maryland the worst in the nation for its psychiatric laws, citing factors including the standard for involuntary admission and the lack of what is known as assisted outpatient treatment for severe mental illness, in which the court orders someone to undergo treatment in a community setting. Maryland is one of only three states that does not have that.

A Baltimore pilot program for assisted outpatient treatment started in 2018. It does not impose penalties on those who fail to adhere to the court-ordered treatment plan.

Efforts are underway in both the county and in Baltimore to connect more people with services by diverting some 911 calls to mental health professionals rather than police. Democratic County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. recently announced an expansion of the countys mobile crisis teams, which include mental health professionals and specially trained police officers.

Maryland law allows family, friends, neighbors and others to petition for an emergency psychiatric evaluation for someone. One neighbor whose family filed for a peace order against Brown said they did not know there was another option.

In addition, the states extreme risk protective order law, often referred to as a red flag law, lets police, family members, housemates, intimate partners and medical professionals petition a court for an order to temporarily seize someones guns and prevent them from buying firearms.

Raising awareness of these existing tools is crucial, said Dr. Arkaprava Deb, a psychiatrist in Baltimore.

We want the community to know about these interventions, said Deb, who also works on gun violence prevention issues with the advocacy group Doctors for America.

Deb said that he has seen people with severe mental illness who, with treatment, go on to graduate school, marriage, homebuying and otherwise thriving in life.

Recovery is a lot more attainable than the public believes, Deb said.

Deb said mental health providers and public health professionals hope to learn more from the investigation of the Woodlawn case. His key questions include whether Brown had a diagnosed mental illness and, if he did, whether he had any clinical interventions in the past year.

The case deserves a hard look, mental health advocates say.

Clearly, the system failed this individual, his neighbors, the people that he hurt and killed, said Dan Martin, senior director of public policy at the Mental Health Association of Maryland.



Alison Knezevich and Jean Marbella of the Baltimore Sun wrote this story.

(Baltimore Sun reporters Christine Condon and Taylor DeVille contributed to this report.)

2021 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An armed robber who is serving a life prison term for killing a man and wounding the victims wife and sister-in-law during a brutal central Pennsylvania home invasion wasnt poorly served by his lawyer, a state Superior Court panel ruled Monday.

That decision sinks the hopes for freedom of Scott M. Kirchner II, who was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery for the September 2017 crime in Lebanon.

Kirchner fatally shot Joseph Blanco, 54, three times in the chest after breaking into Blancos home in search of money and drugs, police said.
A former central Pennsylvania lawyer who embezzled $6.3 million from more than 30 clients doesnt need or deserve to be released from prison early due to medical issues and her fear of contracting COVID-19, federal prosecutors are contending.

Instead, Wendy Weikal-Beauchat should keep serving the remaining half of the 15-year federal prison sentence she received for her crimes in 2014, Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel S. Dalke argued in a recent filing in U.S. Middle District Court.
As airstrikes and bombings continue in Gaza, thousands of miles from Harrisburg, around 100 central Pennsylvania Muslims, Palestinians and supporters marched Sunday afternoon demanding justice.

The group of about 100 protesters included many Muslim members of the community, with the rally organized by the Central Pennsylvania Committee of Masajid, which represents most of the mosques in the region.

As the group marched down State Street, they were assisted with traffic by men in safety vests.

After reaching the riverfront, activists and community leaders spoke to the crowd for about an hour, even as a rainstorm came through the area.

According to AP reports, in the last month or so, at least 188 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes, with 1230 people wounded. Conversely, eight people in Israel have been killed by 3,100 rocket attacks launched from Gaza. On Sunday alone, reports of Israeli airstrikes have another 42 people dead, including 16 women and 10 children, the Gaza Health Ministry reported.

Elisa Thabateh, who was raised in Harrisburg but spends two months in Palestine every year visiting family, said she is thankful for those who are voicing their criticism of Israel.

Thabateh spoke during Sundays rally, calling on others to educate themselves and try to educate others. She, along with other advocates and community leaders prayed together and marched while chanting Free Palestine as they marched from the Capitol down State Street toward the river.

For years and years, weve been begging to be heard and finally [there are] protests all over the country- No one has ever talked about Palestine this much, Thabateh said.

She said it is a relief to see a different kind of acknowledgment of what is happening in her familys country.

Because this genocide, this ethnic cleansing, its been going on for so long, she said. The violence is not something that has been going on for just weeks but is a continuation of decades of conflict.

Thabateh blames the American education system and worldwide media for not telling the truth about the situation in Israel.

Decades of fighting were renewed this week as Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem were forcibly evicted recently from their homes in favor of Israelis.

Protests against these evictions began, which led to allegations of police brutality against protesters that Human Rights Watch said has involved firing teargas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets.

Thabateh said in talking with people recently, shes heard again and again that they didnt know what was happening there, and she tells them its not their fault that the country didnt educate them.

A lot of people think its Oh Israel has a right to defend themselves, Thabateh said. From what? Palestine has a right to defend themselves and theyre trying their best. But its really just children against military officers.

The area known as the Gaza Strip is under the control of Islamist military group Hamas, which has been the main fighting force since the mid-2000s and is currently engaged with Israel in the region.

The AP reports Hamas and other militant groups have fired some 2,900 rockets into Israel. The military said 450 of the rockets fell short or misfired while Israeli air defenses intercepted 1,150.

But to Thabateh, it feels much more one-sided.

Im tired of my mother crying every day to a video of a child dead in their parents arms, Thabateh said.

Another speaker at the event, Omar Mussa, said while he was working on his masters in Palestine he saw the violence first-hand. He also sees the greatest misconception from the states as the fight being equal.

We dont understand that the Israeli government, which is one of the most sophisticated armies in the world, thats funded by the largest imperial army in the world, is fighting against civilians, Mussa said.

So what can Americans do? Some have considered boycotting international companies that support Israel, but Mussa says its more important to persuade the U.S. government to withdraw funding from Israel.

Mussa said he believes it is time to vote people into office who will stand up and align themselves with the justice that he and advocates like him are standing up for.

This is one of the worst atrocities that has happened in the history of humanity, Mussa said. You dont have to be a Muslim, you dont have to be a Christian, you dont have to be Hindu or any other religion to know that this is a human issue.

And until that happens, Mussa and Thabateh will continue to try to educate others about the truth of whats happening because being in America allows them to do so.

We have the privilege of being able to actually speak, Thabateh said. Theyve been silenced. Theyve been silenced for 73 years.

Mussa said for a long time people have complicated the issue by saying that this is a conflict that has been going on for thousands of years. He argues all that does is push any potential solutions further down the line.

But in reality, while theyre pushing away the solutions that we need, we forget that hundreds and hundreds of people are dying, and children are losing their future and parents are losing their children, Mussa said. Its just a horrific situation.

Read more on PennLive:
Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President David Kennedy is demanding that Gov. Tom Wolf apologize for promoting what Kennedy insisted is a false narrative that police are racist murderers.

What Kennedy targeted in a statement released Monday were Wolfs comments in a letter sent to state employees Friday regarding the declaration of Friday June 18 as a state holiday.

June 19, also known as Juneteenth, is a celebration of the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. It has been an official observance in Pennsylvania since 2019.

Kennedy zeroed in on part of Wolfs letter that stated, Juneteenth is a celebration of the progress we have made as a nation towards equality and justice for all. Sadly, the continued death of African Americans at the hands of policeare painful reminders that racism and intolerance are still with us today.

The troopers association leader was especially incensed that Wolf made that comment during National Police Week. That, Kennedy said, was akin to symbolically spitting in the faces of all police officers.

Let me be clear: Pennsylvania state troopers support the Juneteenth holiday, Kennedy wrote. But for Gov. Wolf to use his platform to further push a false narrative that police are racist murderers is nothing less than the worst kind of political pandering. It only serves to further divide our nation at the expense of officers who already work incredibly dangerous jobs.

I wonder why Gov. Wolf never says anything about the explosion in gun violence in cities like Philadelphia. Media accounts detail how the city will set a new record for homicides this year. In the first three months of 2021, 380 people were shot, including 40 children. Projections show police will likely make 3,000 arrests for illegal guns, but people are far less likely to be convicted, Kennedy added. This creates what Philadelphia Police have said is a revolving door for repeat gun offenders. Bottom line, they arent afraid of being arrested.

Its clear Gov. Wolf would rather play politics. We wont, he wrote. Troopers want to have real conversations about moving forward together to benefit all residents of this great commonwealth. But we cannot have a real conversation as long as the leader of our commonwealth pits everyone against the police. This must end now.

Lyndsay Kensinger, a spokeswoman for the governor, issued the following statement in reply to Kennedys criticisms:

With the message, the commonwealth sought to invite participation in Juneteenth Day, a holiday that marks the emancipation from slavery for African-Americans. The intent of the email was to acknowledge that there is still work to be done across the nation towards equality and justice for all. We are sorry that this message was obscured, and we hope all Pennsylvanians can observe Juneteenth and recognize its importance. Law Enforcement officers play a vital role in protecting Pennsylvania citizens and supporting our communities, and we are sorry if anyone took offense to the message.

Kennedy previously lambasted the governor for not giving troopers priority to receive vaccinations against COVID-19. He said his association had to buy protective face masks to shield troopers from the virus because the state wouldnt provide them.
Thank you MTV, Cohen said. To the millions of fans out there who voted for me, I salute you. This is yours. Id be nothing without you. Im so humbled by this.
WILLIAMSPORT  A Lycoming County woman has been charged after her then 8-month-old daughter nearly died from a drug overdose in February.

State police Friday charged Alexandria Victoria Martinez, 31, with endangering the welfare of children and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Toxicology test results showed the infant had methamphetamine, fentanyl and hydrocodone in her system when hospitalized Feb. 16 and her condition was near-fatal, the arrest affidavit states.

Emergency personnel was dispatched to the trailer home on Back Street in Upper Fairfield Twp. east of Loyalsockville after Martinez called 911 saying the baby was unresponsive, police said.

The infant was provided oxygen, intubated and given Narcan, at which time she became responsive and was transported to UPMC Williamsport Regional Medical Center, they said.

Based on the arrest affidavit and a search warrant affidavit the following is what investigators said Martinez told them:

She had taken her daughter when she and another woman went to a friends about 9 a.m. Feb. 16 where they used heroin.

When they returned home she fed the infant some butternut squash and went into a bedroom and made a phone call. Her daughter remained with the other woman in the living room.

When she returned to the living room she picked up her daughter to change her, discovered she was unresponsive and called 911 at 2:19 p.m.

Martinez said she did not have any heroin left but was unsure if the other woman did. That woman has not been charged.

Bags suspected to contain fentanyl, six syringes and a pen and straw containing residue were found when a search warrant was executed at the home on Feb. 18, police said.

The Lycoming County Children and Youth Services has custody of the child and is involved in the investigation.

Martinez is in jail in lieu of $15,000 bail while her husband Robert E. Martinez, 43, is incarcerated in lieu of $25,000 bail.

He was arrested Friday for failing to notify state police of his address when he was released from prison on May 5 as required under Megans Law.

He had pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges that included statutory sexual assault and indecent assault in which the victim was a juvenile.

The same day Robert Martinez was taken into custody, a man who New York State police wanted to question about a homicide and kidnapping was located in the Back Street trailer.

Martinez told troopers the man had been living there for several months and that he had a firearm.

Details of the New York State case were not disclosed. No charges have been filed against the man in either Pennsylvania or New York State, police said.

ALSO READ: Leader of check-cashing scheme scammed banks out of $200,000, authorities say; suspect is jailed in Pa.
The head of Pennsylvanias largest teachers union is making it clear that he believes districts can return to in-person instruction safely in the 2021-22 school year.

With the end of the current school year approaching and thoughts turning to students return in the fall, Pennsylvania State Education Association President Rich Askey is encouraging districts to make face-to-face instruction a top priority in the next school year. Askey is asking school leaders to work in accordance with the health and safety recommendations of state and national health experts.

Getting COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of school employees and some students has played a major role in making our schools safer spaces for learning, Askey said in a statement. As more students are vaccinated over the summer, we believe that in-person instruction is achievable in a way that keeps everyone safe.

Further, he said the federal funding from the American Rescue Plan going to school districts should allow them to invest in bridging learning gaps and addressing the mental, social, and emotional needs of students.

The success of these efforts is predicated on being back in the classroom in person in the new school year, he said.

Askey earlier this year was critical of Gov. Tom Wolfs administrations push to have elementary students return to in-person learning as much as possible when COVID-19 cases were on the rise in places across the state, believing it was unsafe. However, he is now emphasizing that in fully returning to in-person instruction, districts must continue to follow all guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The safety of students and staff cannot be compromised, Askey said. The good news is we have an opportunity to return to in-person instruction while keeping everyone safe, as long as we follow the guidance of health experts. Educators and support professionals look forward to working with school district leaders, parents, and community members to get students on a pathway to achievement as we emerge from this pandemic.

According to the state Department of Health, 872 new COVID-19 infections were reported on Monday, continuing a major decline since late winter. The state reported 1,023 new infections last Monday. Additionally, hospitalizations have fallen to 1,499 as of early Monday, with 330 of those patients in intensive care.

About 49% of Pennsylvania adults  about 4.2 million  are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the health department. Further, about 5.9 million Pennsylvanians have received at least one dose, ranking ninth highest state in the nation in the proportion of residents who have received at least one dose.

Last week, federal regulators signed off on administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to kids 12 and up; the vaccine had previously been limited to those 16 years of age and older. Federal and state health officials are encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated.

More on PennLive: Which states have the most confirmed coronavirus cases (5/17/2021): Where does Pa. stand?

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
The leader of Pennsylvanias state university system made it clear to lawmakers on Monday that a final decision on whether to move forward with a proposed consolidation of six universities into two institutions cannot be delayed.

Pennsylvanias State System of Higher Education Chancellor Dan Greenstein was asked about the prospect of postponing a decision during a hearing held by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.
Utz plans to acquire Festida Foods, a manufacturer of tortilla and corn chips.

Utz has entered into an agreement with Great Lakes Festida Holdings Inc. for $41 million. The agreement includes all of the assets including the real estate located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, related to the operation of Festida Foods. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021

Festida is the largest manufacturer of tortilla chips for Utzs On The Border tortilla chip brand. Utz acquired Truco Enterprises, a portfolio company of Insignia Capital Group. that sells the products under the On the Border brand back in January.

We expect that this strategic acquisition will enable strong supply chain synergies for our On The Border brand and enhance our ability to expand both On The Border and other Utz Power Brands geographically in the Midwest, Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz said in a press release.

Hanover-based Utz Brands Inc. manufactures a number of brands including Utz, On The Border Chips & Dips, Golden Flake, Zapps, Good Health, Boulder Canyon, Hawaiian Brand, and Tortiyahs! among others. Utz operates 14 facilities in Pennsylvania, Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Washington, and Massachusetts.

Utz Quality Foods merged with Collier Creek Holdings, a special purpose acquisition company, last year to form Utz Brands Inc.

In addition to the acquisition of Truco enterprises, Utz has acquired a number of other companies in recent years. In 2017, Utz acquired Inventure Foods Inc., an Arizona snack food company. In 2019, Utz acquired Snyder of Berlin, a Somerset County-based producer of pretzels, potato chips, popcorn and other snacks from Conagra Foods. Last year, Utz acquired assets from peanut butter-filled pretzel brand H.K. Anderson business from Conagra Brands. And Utz also acquired Kitchen Cooked Inc. last year as well.

--Business Buzz

You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like him on Facebook.
A home improvement company based in Hampden Township has expanded to the Philadelphia area.

West Shore Home has opened an office and a training center at 2495-A Boulevard of the Generals in West Norriton Township, Montgomery County near Norristown. The office opened on Wednesday.

The office provides office space, sales training facilities and a warehouse for custom bath, window and door products.

The company specializes in window, door, and bath remodeling and replacement, with most projects completed in just one day.

With our Norristown location, we can now provide Philadelphia area homeowners with the convenience and efficiency of the West Shore Home experience, B.J. Werzyn, president and CEO of West Shore Home said in a press release.

The new office is the companys latest expansion. West Shore Home has expanded to a number of states in recent years mostly due to acquisitions. West Shore Home has acquired seven companies in the last two and a half years.

In April, West Shore Home acquired Tennessee-based home remodeling company Hullco Inc. In March, West Shore Home acquired Maryland-based home remodeling company, Herls Bath and Home Solutions Inc. In January, West Shore Home acquired Alabama-based bath remodeler, C&C Enterprises, which operated as New Bath Alabama. In July, West Shore Home expanded into Virginia when it acquired Advantage Home Products Inc., a bathroom remodeling company.

In November 2019, West Shore Home acquired Florida-based Fairbanks Construction, a window and bath company. West Shore Home acquired Kentucky-based Americas Window LLC, a window, bath and siding company in the summer of 2019. In November 2018, the company expanded into North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia when it acquired Brytons Home Improvement, a shower and bath remodeling company, based in North Carolina.

West Shore Home was founded in 2006 and has more than 20 locations in 12 states.

--Business Buzz

You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like him on Facebook.

.
By George Magakis

Rick Santorum said that there was nothing here to speak of when Europeans arrived on the continent. He said that we birthed a nation, meaning white people, preferably English.

When Europeans arrived on the continent for the first time in the 15th Century, there were 60 million indigenous peoples with rich cultures that have influenced American culture. At the same time, there were 55 million people in Europe. Where did all of these 60 million go? Genocide over the centuries by white colonists & the people who birthed a nation.

Santorums statements are part of the rights attempts to present a white sanitized version of American history. In the 1960s, William F. Buckley in his debate with James Baldwin about racism argued that it was necessary to lie about American history and focus on its exceptionalism and ideals. Nothing would be gained from looking at the ugliness in American history. This was needed to be done for future generations, for the kids. White kids that is.

As a result, myth making has been integral on the right. The genocide of indigenous peoples is downplayed. Andrew Jacksons expulsion of indigenous peoples from the eastern states in the 1830s is hardly ever mentioned. Commentators like Bill OReilly have argued that slaves were treated well. Others on the right claim that the Civil War was not about slavery, but attacks on southern culture by an industrialized north.

White violence against blacks by the KKK & other southerners, the epidemic of lynching , false imprisonment of Back people, segregation, and Jim Crow laws that existed into the late 20th Century are glossed over on the right. Lindsey Graham has argued that there is no systemic racism in America, because we elected a Black president. He fails to mention that Obama never got a majority of the white votes. No wonder Republicans want to suppress minority votes.

Draconian immigration laws that forbade Chinese from coming here and becoming citizens is swept under the rug even though the ones that were allowed here built the railroads. This country was built on the sweat and labor of slaves and imported labor. Cotton was king in the first half of the 19th Century. Slaves were worked 12-14 hours a day, often beaten, families were broken up, and wives and daughters of slaves were casually raped by white masters.

Slaves were treated as units of labor and mortgaged to buy more slaves. Northerners and Europeans were heavily invested in cotton industry, which was dominant at the time. In the early 20th Century, the eugenics movement became popular and many undesirables were sterilized. And there were the infamous medical experiments on Black people in Tuskegee in 1931.

During WWII, Japanese Americans were interned during the war & their property often stolen by white people. As a result of all this whitewashing of history, many white people have no understanding of what Black Lives Matter is really about for example.

Santorum and others of his ilk want to sweep this ugly history under the rug and talk about American greatness & exceptionalism. The audience that Santorum speaks to do not know much about American history, have little interest in delving deeper, and applaud people like Santorum, because he makes them feel good about themselves in living a lie.

George Magakis Jr. writes from Norristown, Pa.
A man wears a face mask as he walks by a sign for a COVID-19 vaccination site in Montreal, Sunday, May 16, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Pictured is Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, one of two candidates for the Corvallis School Board election for Position 1. The other candidate running is Dr. Bryce Cleary. The election takes place on Tuesday May 18.
Logansport, IN (46947)

Today

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High around 90F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
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A new cross-organisation campaign, #AgriLeadershipWeek, with the aim of raising awareness of pan-industry leadership training across the agricultural career spectrum has launched today.

Taking place between 17-21 May 2021, #AgriLeadershipWeek is a joint scheme by AHDB, Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, Institute for Agricultural Management (IAgrM), Worshipful Company of Farmers (WCF) and The Farmers Club Charitable Trust (FCCT).

The campaign is targeting current and aspiring leaders within agriculture who may be unaware of or are yet to make use of any leadership training.

It also wants to tackle the lack of formal agricultural education in the UK, when compared to its international partners, as only one-in-three agricultural workers in Britain have completed any form of proper training and schooling, compared with seven-in-ten in both the Netherlands and Germany.

Throughout the third week of May each year, there will be social media support from each partner involved in the scheme showcasing the great experiences of leadership training and signposting ways to get involved and further develop yourself.

Strong leadership within the sector has never been more important, said Amie Burke, skills development manager at AHDB. The agricultural industry is both large and complex and is moving into a period of rapid change driven by political and policy changes. Were thrilled to be working with our industry partners on such a key initiative.

Chris Graf Grote, Chairman at Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, said the initiative is: important step towards making agriculture more aware of the needs for good leadership and the comprehensive training that is already available.

Karen Mercer of the WCF said the courses have the potential to change your life, career and business in so many positive ways.

Victoria Bywater of IAgrM said the Institute of Agricultural Management was very pleased to be part of this important work.

And Stephen Fletcher, chair of the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, said: Investing in the future by developing our current and future agricultural leaders has never been so imperative. In a game changing collaboration, leading providers are coming together to provide a platform for the sharing of opportunities and pathways to support rural and agricultural leadership. The initiative will enable an individual to identify the most appropriate leader journey to suit their own needs at any given time during their career.

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Vermillion, SD (57069)

Today

Thunderstorms in the morning will give way to partly cloudy skies late. High around 85F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Clear. Low 56F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
The one-day job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be in the Intermodal Terminal Facility next to Garage C. Airport officials recommend bringing resumes, parking in the A or B garages, and taking a shuttle train to the terminal facility.
Workers, contractors and visitors at the Savannah River Site who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease the coronavirus causes, are no longer required to wear masks, according to a recent memo reviewed by the Aiken Standard.

Those not fully vaccinated, though, are still required to wear masks at the site and its nuclear facilities. Full vaccination is reached two weeks after a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after a single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The new masking rules, distributed May 14, coincide with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As vaccination rates rise and COVID-19 rates decline, the department has received updated mask guidance regarding fully vaccinated people, the Department of Energy dispatch states. It continues: In addition, the DOE COVID-19 Coordination Team is working very closely with the White House COVID-19 Task Force on what returning to the workplace and what the future of the workplace will look like post-pandemic, taking into account the lessons we have learned for the entire federal government.

Masks were made a requirement at a majority of Savannah River Site operations in late June 2020, when 52 cumulative cases of COVID-19 had been recorded among the thousands-strong workforce. The first case of COVID-19 at the site  where millions of gallons of radioactive waste are stored and where tritium for the nations nuclear weapons is handled and packaged  was logged in March 2020.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions President and CEO Stuart MacVean earlier this year predicted the rate at which Savannah River Site workers get COVID-19 vaccines would ratchet up. At the time, in March, hundreds of site employees had managed to get at least their first vaccination, MacVean said, and more than 1,000 other appointments had been booked.

Between Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale counties, which form a crescent around the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site, roughly 50,000 people have been fully vaccinated, state health data show. More broadly, 36% of South Carolina residents have been fully vaccinated. Pfizer vaccinations have proven most prevalent.

The City of Aiken repealed its mask mandate earlier this month, citing demonstrable progress in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Neither the city of North Augusta nor Aiken County have established a mask requirement.
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COLUMBIA  Teacher advocacy group SC for Ed says it dropped plans for Monday protests in Columbia amid threats of violence.

The group had scheduled an "Enough is Enough" protest to take place at the Statehouse, South Carolina Department of Education and Governor's Mansion, saying it wanted to protest the mistreatment of teachers by Gov Henry McMaster, the state superintendent of education and others.

The teachers group said its concerns ran deeper than McMaster's executive order, which attempted to let parents choose if their children would wear masks in schools or not. But some teachers said the Republican governor's action inflamed the situation.

"While governor McMaster's mask mandate wasn't the reason for it, it really was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back," SC for Ed founder Lisa Ellis told WLTX-TV.

But the association with masks brought threats, with SC for Ed announcing the event's cancellation Saturday, saying members had "received harassing and threatening messages from groups with extreme views about masking, who have falsely represented our event as being primarily mask-related."

"It just really got to a point where we felt very threatened and we did not feel safe at all to hold a protest in Columbia," Ellis said.

SC for Ed instead asked supporters to engage in advocacy locally on Monday, saying there's still time to make an impact on lawmakers who will finalize a state budget this summer.

"So now we've been silenced by a very small minority of people -- some of whom do not even have children in school," said Richland County teacher Kim Woods, who had planned to attend.

Sherry East, president of the South Carolina Education Association, told WYFF-TV that parental demands on masks have ruined efforts to maintain consistency for the last few days of the school year. The association is separate from SC for Ed.

"The teacher's in the middle of two parents that (are saying) well, my kid's not wearing a mask, my kid is wearing a mask so I don't want them together in your 12 by 14 classroom," East said. "So what you had was a seating chart, the nurses knew where people were sitting because the contract tracing, now it's all blown up, in a matter of days."
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High near 90F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 72F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
The Post and Courier Food section since August has been checking in weekly with four downtown Charleston restaurants coping with the coronavirus pandemic and recovering from restrictions designed to contain it. The following three restaurants are still finding their way back to normalcy.For previous installments of the series, as well as more information about the featured restaurants and their chosen strategies for success, click here.

Butcher & Bee: With reservations

Mothers Day is a holiday flush with expectations. Grandmothers await phone calls, mothers await greeting cards and Butcher & Bee awaits hundreds of guests.

The restaurant this year planned to welcome 375 people for brunch, lunch and dinner. Its reservation book had never borne so many names on a single day.

Close to half of them didnt show up.

According to chief of staff Tara Pate, 150 of the anticipated guests either cancelled with hours to spare, denying Butcher & Bee the chance to offer their tables to interested parties on its electronic waitlist, or skipped out with no warning.

We recovered with walk-ins, so it was still a great day, but it was an undue amount of pressure and stress, Pate said.

No-shows are a longstanding problem for downtown Charleston restaurants, but Butcher & Bee owner Michael Shemtov said the nuisance has grown to disruptive proportions in the past several weeks. He theorizes that a different kind of tourist is responsible for the spike.

While local diners book tables and then arrive to claim them, Shemtov described the primary culprit in the current reservation ruckus as an indecisive visitor determined to keep all options open. He suspects theyre double or triple booking because they dont want to miss out on dinner or feel restricted on vacation.

On May 7, Butcher & Bee sat 49 parties, amounting to 224 guests. Another 46 parties with reservations, or 161 guests, were late cancellations or no-shows.

Two days later, the pattern repeated itself. The restaurant sat 207 people and was stood up by 122 people.

Pate said such low yields overly complicate table assignments. The restaurant could overbook at certain hours, but that strategy would backfire badly if most guests upheld their end of the bargain and checked in for dinner.

Instead, Butcher & Bee is implementing a fee of $10 per person for no-shows and cancellations made within 24 hours of the reservation time. The restaurant will retain discretion to waive the fee when customers are caught up in unavoidable circumstances, but Shemtov said he hopes the risk of penalty will dissuade lookie-loos from booking.

Many Charleston area restaurants have adopted similar policies, as Shemtov realized when he recently tried to reserve a table at Jackrabbit Filly and was prompted for a credit card number. In fact, Butcher & Bee had a cancellation fee in place prior to the pandemic.

It drove no-shows down to zero.

Its going to dampen reservations, so its bittersweet, Shemtov said. But at least well have more confidence.

Up until now, Harolds Cabin owner John Schumacher had just two factors to weigh on a scale with reopening on one side and closing forever on the other.

His primary considerations were the pandemic landscape, meaning infection rates and case counts, and customers willingness to dine in a small space.

The latter concern might have lightened lately, since the percentage of people who say they feel comfortable eating in a restaurant last week hit a pandemic-era high. According to a new report issued by research firm Datassential, the share of people reporting they have no worries at all is greater than the combined group of people who have varying degrees of restaurant hesitation.

The numbers have finally inverted, Datassentials Mark Brandau said when he presented the findings in a Zoom call held hours before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its recommendations for vaccinated people. Its the one I was waiting for.

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As for the pandemic landscape, Schumacher was discouraged by reports showing that South Carolina wont reach herd immunity, and wary of the CDC announcement sparking a universal mask cast-off.

But now Schumacher has another significant factor to add to his assessment pile:

It looks like the staffing shortage will now be another litmus in our decision, he said.

And so the scale tilts.

Chasing Sage: Cocktail chart



Chasing Sages team last week didnt need an excuse for a drink. It was approved for a Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant on the afternoon of May 8 and received the money within days.

It really snuck up on us, owner Forrest Brunton said. We didnt have any Champagne so (general manager) Max (Clarke) just carbonated a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Although it was the right beverage for spontaneous celebration, jerry-rigged sparkling wine is surely not what Chasing Sage guests will seek when they come for dinner beginning next month. Many of them are bound to want a cocktail, so the Chasing Sage crew last week sipped their way through a dozen contenders created by Brunton and Clarke for the restaurants opening list.

Their goal was to come up with a selection of eight or nine drinks which would express the restaurants philosophy and satisfy most customers spirited desires.

As Clarke started mixing drinks for owners Cindy and Walter Edward, along with Brunton and Clarkes girlfriends, Brunton reminded everyone seated at the bar of the ground rules: Think about who this drink is for. What type of customer would order it?

Also, he added, it was important to keep in mind how many of them someone might drink: Although Brunton doesnt anticipate people partying at the Chasing Sage bar, hes also been warned that Charleston drinkers are apt to put away a fearsome number of approachable cocktails.

First up was a peach daquiri, reflecting Brunton and Edwards fondness for rum and preserved fruit.

You know that version that was too limey? Walter Edward said. It could be limier than this, but I dont want to taste the peach any less.

Balancing flavors was the main motif of the session. A carrot-based cocktail was judged turmeric heavy. A blueberry-based drink was offputtingly tannic.

Other drinks posed service conundrums. After aggressively shaking egg whites into an apricot rose fizz, Clarke shook his head: This is a bartender killer right here. When it turned out the taste of apricots was subdued, he began to wonder if the drink was worth the work.

A pet project of Brunton and Clarkes derived from loquat pits was the only disappointment in the bunch, since it didnt measure up to the version they concocted last year. Perhaps the loquats got too cold this spring, they said.

If it doesnt get better, its cut, Brunton ruled.

Yet it wasnt immediately obvious to the group which other drinks they ought to strike from the lineup. Nearly every cocktail just needed a tweak or two, or else seemed too special to axe.

Nobody wanted to do away with a mezcal cocktail garnished with a roasted green pepper threaded on a pick that Walter Edward originally bought for periwinkle service.

An old-fashioned riff made with cherry syrup, brandy and rye was clearly a keeper.

Maybe they should give up on a watermelon Last Word that refused to strain, Brunton suggested. The cocktail was undeniably delicious in slush form, everyone agreed. But with federal money in hand, Chasing Sage is ready to move past the makeshift.
MYRTLE BEACH  Attendance was particularly high this year at Myrtle Beach Bike Week despite the lingering pandemic cautions, authorities said.

In Georgetown County, Paul Taylor, 39, of Michigan, died shortly after 9:40 p.m. May 14 when his motorcycle crashed into a parked car on U.S. Business 17, according to the Georgetown County coroner's office. He was not wearing a helmet.

Between May 7-16, the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office handed out 556 tickets, 63 warnings and arrested nine people. Both counties primarily saw non-violent crimes, such as speeding, equipment violations, disregarding traffic signals and more.

Horry County data was not available.

A little more than half way through the week's festivities on May 13, the Centers for Disease Control said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except otherwise specified by other entities.

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Some attendees, though, had no concerns regarding COVID-19, mask wearing or the vaccine.

"I could care less for the masks," said Sheila Webster of Chesterfield County at Suck Bang Blow in Murrells Inlet. She repeated debunked claims that masks and the vaccine won't protect the public.

Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said attendance in his county was pretty consistent with previous years, and did not cause any stress on his officer count.

"We have a very large uniformed officer presence ... and it just sets the pace for what our county expectations are, and people pretty much abide by it and they just have a good time," Weaver said.
GREENVILLE  On its first day of operation, the Challenges Inc. mobile unit was parked in a disused lot between an extended stay motel and a gas station just south of Greenville. Tangles of weeds sprouted from fissures in the faded asphalt around the bus. Cars sped by a few yards away on Augusta Road.

The location struck the fine balance between visibility and discretion that founder Marc Burrows said is a constant consideration for the harm reduction nonprofit. Too noticeable and the drug users the organization serves may be wary of approaching. Too discreet and they won't be able to find it.

Boxes of clean syringes, cotton balls, fentanyl detection strips and the overdose reversal drug naloxone were in the back of the bus. Burrows and the volunteers who joined him hoped to get the lifesaving supplies into the hands of those in the throes of addiction.

The area where the bus sat is known as District 25, or simply the district. Challenges Inc. often delivers supplies to the nearby motel, one of many within a mile or two that serve as hotbeds for drug use.

Burrows said the mobile unit expands access to those who need it but are unable or unwilling to drive to the nonprofit's offices in Powdersville.

"The idea is just making it more accessible," he said.

The Phoenix Center, a Greenville-based addiction treatment center, donated the bus to Challenges Inc. earlier this year. Burrows hopes it will raise awareness for the organization, the largest community distributor of naloxone in the state and South Carolina's only harm reduction organization, focusing on making drug use as safe as possible. The bus will be used to offer a safe place for more people to seek help, and possibly open up partnership opportunities with other nonprofits such as food banks or recovery centers.

On the mobile unit's first day out, Maurice Adair of AID Upstate set up a table outside and offered instant testing for diseases associated with intravenous drug use, such as HIV and hepatitis C.

The inside of the bus is lined with the rows of black seats one would expect to find in a repurposed school bus. Burrows said he plans to replace them with seating areas and tables where Adair could do his tests or addiction counselors could meet with users. He might put a couch along one wall.

"I want to make like a little chill space," he said.

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Traffic was slow the first day as volunteers waited by the bus, but Burrows wasn't concerned. The bus will be in the same place, at the same time, every week for the foreseeable future. It will take time for users to learn that it is there, and likely longer to trust they can approach without fear of being arrested.

As one man walked away with a bag of naloxone and condoms, Burrows yelled: "We'll be here every Friday afternoon."

"I'm gonna let people know," the man yelled back.

Before the bus, Burrows and other volunteers distributed supplies out of the back of their cars. They learned that with a little patience and consistency the people will come.

When passersby approached the back of the bus, Kris Stepp talked to them and asked what they needed. He wore a bright orange T-shirt with the words "I Have Narcan" emblazoned on the front in bold letters. The bus is unofficially named Jessie May, after Stepp's daughter. She died of an overdose last year in a Columbia motel. He wishes someone with her had naloxone.

"You don't get a second chance if you're dead," he said. "If you overdose 40 times and you're saved 40 times, you might get clean that next time. It doesn't happen if you're dead."

By the end of the afternoon, Challenges Inc. had handed supplies to just a few people.

But it was a start.
TAYLORS  U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, in recent years an uneasy but vocal ally of former President Donald Trump, brushed off Trump's continued unfounded claims that the presidential election was rigged during a visit to an Upstate construction manufacturing plant.

Six months after the election, the questions still come even as the head of Arizona's elections operations called Trump "unhinged" and implored leaders to condemn "insane lies" alleging fraud in the swing state. When asked May 17 about the claims arising from an election audit pushed by Arizona's GOP-led Senate, Graham pushed for election reform and questioned the validity of mail-in voting in Georgia, which turned out to be a deciding state in President Joe Biden's victory.

"I accept the results of the election," Graham said. "I don't know what the audit is all about in Arizona. I don't know the details. But I am ready to move on."

When asked by The Post and Courier if continued claims of election fraud are harmful to the country, Graham, who said "2020 is over for me," suggested that "bad things happened in the election" but the time has come to focus on future elections.

"I think President Trump and the Republican Party needs to focus on election reform in the upcoming election," Graham said. "We're one senator away from taking over the Senate."

The former president's dogged obsession with election fraud boiled over this past weekend when he released a statement that claimed a GOP audit revealed that the Arizona elections office deleted voter databases, something he called an "unbelievable election crime."

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican in charge of the elections office, posted on Twitter on May 17 that the claims are meant for political fundraising and, in an earlier tweet, are "as readily falsifiable as 2+2=5."

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Graham's tour at the Mauldin Paving Products manufacturing facility in Taylors focused on his pitch for a bipartisan infrastructure bill less than half what the Biden administration has proposed. The bill would need to leave out items such as expanding broadband internet access, he said, and focus on "meat and potatoes" projects like roads, bridges and ports.

I met with some Democratic colleagues, and were not going to do $2 trillion, but I think we can find an $800 billion to $900 billion infrastructure package thats tailored toward infrastructure, Graham told a small collection of media inside the plant that he said would benefit from an investment in infrastructure.

Graham said there are enough Republicans willing to work with Democrats, though critics question whether the bipartisan overtures are sincere.

I am hopeful that well pass an infrastructure bill in the next 60 to 90 days," he said. "If its going to pass, its going to be bipartisan, and if it doesnt pass, it would be a great missed opportunity.

The pitch was part of a broader narrative that the nation's economy faces a worker shortage and doesn't need more federal involvement. Graham praised Gov. Henry McMaster's move to refuse an extension of federal jobless benefits.

"The economy is wanting to grow," Graham said. "The government needs to help it grow and get the hell out of the way."
All four members will wear their masks outside despite what the rest of the crowd is doing. She wonders if it will confuse Graydon or Riley, but Kincaid already has her answer planned if they ask why they have to cover up.
NORTH CHARLESTON  A long-anticipated library is finally underway on the city's southern end.

Charleston County officials broke ground May 17 on the Keith Summey North Charleston Library that will replace the recently closed Cooper River Memorial Library at 3503 Rivers Ave.

Mayor Keith Summey said at the ceremony he feels a little embarrassed the library is named after him, suggesting it should instead honor his wife, Debbie Summey, a former educator.

At the end of the day, the library is for the community, he said.

"This building is not in honor of me," Summey said. "It's in honor, I believe, of the people of North Charleston."

The $14 million facility on the same site will reuse a renovated portion of the old library.

The new building will include a 100-seat community room, outdoor reading areas, self-checkout, a community classroom and a study room.

The facility's computers will also be a great asset because a lot of North Charleston children lack access to that kind of technology, Summey said.

"I hopefully see my family, and others, get a lot of use out of it," he said.

The project comes several years after Charleston County residents approved a 2014 referendum to issue $108 million in bonds to build five new libraries and renovate 13 others.

The 20,000-square-foot facility is also larger than the originally promised 15,000-square-foot North Charleston building voters approved.

"Good things come to those who wait," said County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor.

Voters' also funded new facilities in Mount Pleasant, James Island, West Ashley and Hollywood.

The North Charleston site is the fifth and last of the new slate of libraries to be built, said Angela Craig, executive director of the Charleston County Public Library.

As the building undergoes construction, library operations have moved temporarily to 2036 Cherokee St.

"We are deeply committed to North Charleston," Craig said.

The new building is expected to help bring progress to the city's southern end, where many neighborhoods are poverty-stricken and have lacked investment.

The library will be in the vicinity of other development efforts expected to help revitalize the corridor, including the county's social services hub that is under construction. Also, across the street is the former Charleston Naval Hospital that will be transformed into apartments.

County Councilwoman Anna Johnson, whose district covers James Island, said the new project indicates North Charleston's southern end is not being "left out" of progress.

"Every library we've built has transformed the communities," Johnson said.

Charleston County anticipates the facility will be completed by late May or early June 2022.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
COLUMBIA  The U.S. Supreme Court decided May 17 to take up a lawsuit over Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, paving the way for a potential rollback of longstanding precedent that could have significant implications for South Carolina's more restrictive law.

If the increasingly conservative court sides with Mississippi by reversing or substantially amending the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that found women have a constitutional right to abortion access before a fetus can survive outside the womb, it could create an opening for South Carolina's law to eventually take effect.

"That could be huge for South Carolina," said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University who specializes in reproductive law and recently wrote a book on the history of abortion rulings.

Many legal experts, including Ziegler, say it's unlikely the court would have opted to hear arguments to the Mississippi law, which lawmakers passed in 2018 but lower courts blocked, unless a majority of the justices were open to the possibility of allowing the 15-week ban and setting a new standard for permissible abortion restrictions.

If that happens, they could either set a new standard for when states can limit abortion, such as when the fetus is capable of feeling pain, or they could leave that limit open and decide it in future cases.

"Then the question for South Carolina would be, if viability isn't the limit, what is the limit?" Ziegler said. "And South Carolina lawmakers are banking on the idea that it's a heartbeat. That's the alternative that they're proposing."

On the other hand, if the court sides with the lower courts that initially blocked Mississippi's law, it would further cement the existing limits on abortion restrictions, dooming South Carolina's chances of success.

Viability, the stage when a fetus could survive outside of the womb, has historically been considered to occur around 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

South Carolina already bans abortion at 20 weeks beyond fertilization  what doctors actually consider a gestational age of 22 weeks  under a law signed in 2016 that hasn't been challenged in court. The law provides exceptions only if the mothers life is in jeopardy or a doctor determines the fetus cant survive outside the womb.

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The ban only affected abortions in hospitals, since none of the three abortion clinics in South Carolina provided abortions beyond 15 weeks.

Earlier this year, South Carolina lawmakers approved a new law that would ban abortions after an ultrasound detects a "fetal heartbeat," which typically occurs around six to eight weeks into pregnancies. The bill included exceptions for cases of rape, incest, if the mother's life is in jeopardy or if the fetus has a fatal anomaly.

About a dozen states around the country have passed similar laws as part of a nationwide conservative movement against abortion access, boosting the odds that the Supreme Court may consider them.

All of those efforts, including South Carolina's, have been blocked by lower courts, which are bound to follow Supreme Court precedent. But if a new ruling from the high court changes the standard for Mississippi, it could have ripple effects for those other states around the country.

"It could mean that South Carolina's bill will be constitutional, but there are a lot of steps that would need to be taken for that to be the case," Ziegler said.

The vast majority of abortions in South Carolina occur in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, according to 2019 data from the state's health agency. About 46 percent are performed in the first six weeks of pregnancy and about 54 percent are performed between 7 to 13 weeks.

While South Carolina waits for a ruling in the Mississippi case, which is unlikely to come before the summer of 2022, state Attorney General Alan Wilson and Gov. Henry McMaster are appealing the decision of U.S. District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis blocking the law to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

While Wilson declined to directly comment on the potential impact of the Mississippi case on South Carolina's law, he called the Supreme Court's decision to take it up "a very positive development for the protection of the right to life."
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero's decision to waive quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday resulted in the release of 127 individuals from government quarantine this past weekend, based on Adelup data.

Based on their vaccination status, 100 people were released on Saturday and another 27 were released on Sunday, according to the governor's director of communications, Krystal Paco-San Agustin.

Only those fully vaccinated with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-authorized vaccine and who have proof of such vaccination are allowed to skip post-travel quarantine.

The Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are FDA-authorized for emergency use.

The release of 127 from quarantine leaves 474 travelers still in government quarantine at the Dusit Beach Resort Guam and the Dusit Thani Guam Resort in Tumon, as of Monday afternoon, Paco-San Agustin said.

"We anticipate to see fewer individuals in GovGuam quarantine as the COVID-19 vaccine is more accessible locally and nationally," Paco-San Agustin said.

On Sunday, the Department of Public Health and Social Services released a guidance memo granting another option for travelers to skip quarantine  if they come from areas with few to no new COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

The travelers who may skip quarantine are those coming from the Federated States of Micronesia's Pohnpei, Chuuk, Kosrae and Yap; Palau; the Marshall Islands; New Zealand; Fiji; and Singapore.

But they must complete their 10-day quarantine at their personal residence or rental lodging and must provide Public Health with their address and phone number and comply with symptom monitoring for 14 days after arrival via Sara Alert, among other things.

However, it's still too early to decide to reduce the required number of government quarantine rooms, Adelup said.

"While current policy allows for more exemptions from GovGuam quarantine, it may be too soon to scale down. As we know, this is a fluid situation. We will continually assess our needs and modify as needed," Paco-San Agustin said.

The governor said if conditions change, she would reinstate travel and social restrictions, including scaling back the maximum number of people that can socially gather, which has just been raised to 100.

GovGuam, using federal pandemic funds, pays for used and unused quarantine hotel rooms.

The government started placing incoming travelers in quarantine hotels when the first COVID-19 cases were linked to travel in March 2020.

Those who are not fully vaccinated still are required to go through government quarantine for up to 10 days, shorter than the prior maximum of 14.

The governor also maintains the policy of requiring wearing a mask in public, even as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said fully vaccinated people can do away with the mask in most situations.

Government officials, including the governor's Physicians Advisory Group and Public Health, continue to urge the public to get COVID-19 vaccination to keep the virus under control and further lift restrictions.

The governor's goal is to reach 80% herd immunity by July 21, when at least 109,081 residents are fully vaccinated. This includes children as young as 12 years old.
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What counts as culture? Is it simply the original culture, as we understand it, or should it include the cultural features introduced over time? Read more
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Reps. Tracy Pennycuick, right, and Jeanne McNeill, announced their introduction of House Bill 1299, known as Victorias Law, in the Pennsylvania House. The bill would prohibit the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores throughout Pennsylvania unless sourced from shelters and rescues.
As promised, below is the prepared text of my commencement address to the New Saint Andrews College class of 2021 from last Thursday. I think there will be a video posted to YouTube at some point, and Ill post it when it is available. In the meantime, youll have to suffer with my prepared text, which is not exactly as it was delivered. True to form, I improvised a bit and added several things, left out a few things, and tried to have (and give) a good time.

Anyway, here it is:

President Merkle, trustees, parents and guests, and especially the class of 2021: You do me an extraordinary honor with the invitation to address you today.

Preparing commencement remarks for New St. Andrews College presents a formidable challenge for a simple reason: New St. Andrews is one of the very rare colleges today that actually knows its purpose, and how to pursue that purpose. How refreshing to find such a place! As such, a guest trying to sum up or extend this purpose is superfluous. One of my favorite books is Albert Jay Nocks Memoirs of a Superfluous Man. I had no idea Id someday be re-enacting the theme of the book, and yet, here I am.

My scientific conclusion is that 98 percent of all college commencement addresses are banal, idiotic, cliche-ridden, and insulting to the intelligence. On the other hand, most colleges today are banal, idiotic, cliche-ridden, and insulting to the intelligence. Back when the Cold War with the Soviet Union was running at high tide (which was during my lifetime and the lifetime of your parents here today), the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan remarked that anyone who won the Lenin Prize, deserved it. And so, without mentioning any particular appalling celebrity commencement speakers, Ill just say that those other colleges deserve them. New St. Andrews deserves something better.

That may sound at first hearing to be a startling or grandiose proposition, but the plain fact is that the modern universitymirroring our larger cultureno longer knows its purpose with any clarity or confidence, or, at the very least, todays institutions of higher education have added new and contradictory purposes that make them incoherent, listless, and in some cases dangerous. I suspect many graduates today, along with the wider college community here, know this to one degree or another.

There have been at least three steps in the degradation of the modern colleges and universities relevant to the larger scene around us just now. First, our universities decided, more than a century ago, to emulate the Germans in supposing that higher education should be oriented primarily to new discoveries and to advancing knowledge, rather than conserving and passing along to succeeding generations the accumulated knowledge and moral sciences of the past. As John Henry Newman put it in his Idea of the University, If [the universitys] object were scientific and philosophical discovery, I do not see why a university should have students.

By the way, how much trouble could be avoided, if we simply ignored most ideas that come out of Germany. And herewith my first piece of obligatory commencement advice: A sage friend of mine [it was Mike Uhlmann] once suggested, that when you hear some nifty new idea to improve the world from some celebrated progressive thinker, you should slowly repeat the idea aloud, in a German accent, and see if it still sounds as good. Start with mandatory vaccine cards perhaps.

Then, second, there arose the contradictory idea that colleges should teach the practical and technical skills to enable the next generation to join the workforcein other words, colleges should be high-class job training centers. There has always been some element of this in higher education, going back to land-grant colleges aiming to help an agrarian society thrive, engineers build bridge and railroads, or the instruction in the law before there were dedicated law schools.

This emphasis came at a cost howeverthe liberal arts, properly understood as the means of the development or completion of the human soul, came under a shadow of being impractical, and as the cost of higher education has increased unreasonably, more and more studentsor their tuition-paying parentswonder sensibly about the value of the liberal arts. There are of course many other factors in the degradation of the liberal arts today, and I observe that most universities are unable to give a convincing account of the liberal arts, or why any student should take them seriously. Most encomia to the liberal arts these days have the stale sound of . . . commencement address cliches!

I have to confess that when I read, almost every week, of another liberal arts program or department shrinking or being abolished somewhere, I am unsure whether to be sad, or whether to celebrate the just deserts of colleges trying to be all things to all people, along with allowing too many liberal arts programs to be swallowed whole by nihilist ideology. In other words, it is hard to know what is worsethe neglect of the liberal arts, or their perversion.

Herewith my second piece of obligatory advice: whenever you hear the word modern attached to anything, it is wise to regard it with suspicion. This is especially true of most modern thinkers or writers. Unlike Dickens, or Jane Austen, is anyone going to read, for example, David Foster Wallace in a century? Does anyone actually read him now, or is everybody lyinga deep pun on Infinite Jest? I am starting to wonder whether Infinite Jest is just the ultimate coffee table book.

There are important exceptions, which the kind of classical education provided here equips people to discern. The late Sir Roger Scruton is one such; I got to know Sir Roger quite well in the decade before his recent passing. He was the author of 60six-zerobooks, a staggering achievement that is hard to get your head around. Yet he cut to the heart of the matter of our present scene with the succinct comment: A writer who says that there are no truths, or that all truth is merely relative, is asking you not to believe him. So dont. Ill add that not only should you not believe him; you should not pay him any tuition either. More and more students seem to be figuring this out.

Another obvious exception to modernist mediocrity and conformity is C.S. Lewis, undoubtedly well known to most or all of you. In fact, if you take in the story of his own education in Surprised by Joy, you could easily say he sounds like someone educated at New St. Andrews University. The role of classical education in his own path to faith is central. He foresaw, as early as the 1940s, the degradation of the liberal arts, decades before it came to pass so widely.

To restate and modify slightly his perception of the problem in summary form: the classical version of the liberal arts was connected to the virtue of liberalityunderstood as the striving for improvement or even perfection of the highest human capacities or potentialities. That classical view sits in tension to some extent with the Christian duty and virtue of humility, not to mention the problem of original sin, but that tension has been one of the great creative forces of Western Civilization for 2000 years.

Modern, post-Enlightenment liberalism is reduced to radical individualism and the quest for comfortable self-preservation, and this essentially selfish liberalism [nb: Leo Strauss called it the joyless quest for joy] is one of the reasons for the degradation of the liberal arts in recent times.

Among his many writings on the pathology of modern education and philosophy, there is the portrait he gives of the modern academic in his novel That Hideous Strength, which, on account of its deep subtlety, is to my mind a greater anti-utopian novel than Orwells 1984 or Arthur Koestlers Darkness at Noon. His target is a fellow named Witherthe name being no accidentwho is the deputy director of the National Institute for Controlled Experiments (NICE for short), though he could work for todays CDC. He describes Wither thus:

What had been in his far-off youth a merely aesthetic repugnance to realities that were crude or vulgar, had deepened and darkened, year after year, into a fixed refusal of everything that was in any degree other than himself. He had passed from Hegel into Hume, thence through Pragmatism, and thence through Logical Positivism, and out at last into the complete void.

That is a perfect description of many deans and provosts at most universities today, as well as senior administrators in our government.

The third trait of modern universities, accelerating over the past half-decade, is the decision to become conscious institutions or agents of social justice, while simultaneously abandoning, if not consciously rejecting, the ancient foundations of the idea of justice itself. And hence my third piece of practical advice: whenever you hear the rightly honored word justice prefaced by a qualifying modifier, you can be reasonably certain that what follows will be ideologically-driven nonsense, which is a disguise for a will to power.

Justice is hardly ever spoken of today in its classic singular form. How, exactly, does the adjective social modify the meaning of justice? Is there a such thing as anti-social justice? (If so, I think I might come out for it.) Of course, social justice is only one of the exploding species of specialized justice rampant in the land todayfeminist justice, climate justice, food justice, even, believe it or not, spatial justice, which, contrary to what you might imagine, seems not to mean a place for everything, and everything in its place.

Now, to be sure, the Roman Catholic Church, like Judaism, has had a rich teaching about social justice that is 1,000 years old (or even older in the Hebraic tradition), but it is rooted in our obligations to fellow man and to Goddecidedly not what 99 percent of the modern applications of social justice have in mind. And we know that Aristotle outlined four kinds of justice, but they are built on a foundation of objective truth and human naturethe unchanging ground of changing experiencewhich most contemporary ideologies of social justice deny or purposefully reject. In my limited recent experience at secular universities, I have found that most students have never heard of Aristotles categories of justice, nor have they grappled with the difficulties of abstract justice that impart the necessary humility and prudence that true justice requires.

And hence we have the modern university as a place of increasingly enforced conformity, in which the word diversity has come to mean its opposite: we all look different, but think the same thing. And at this point higher education no longer serves as a forum for inquiry, debate, and deliberation, where ideas are refined and error is corrected.

Let me therefore move toward a close with a summary of the significance of a New St. Andrews education by modifying the famous three-Rs, which used to mean reading, writing, rithmetic. I propose substituting in their place the way a sound liberal arts education plays out today: relevance, resistance, and the Remnant.

As already suggested, the liberal arts have long been under a cloud of doubt about their relevance to modern times. Can knowledge of Greek and Latin help you learn to code? No, but it can help equip you to do something much more importantit can help save or restore our tattered civilization. And here I assert, and will take on all comers, that an irrelevant education is the best kind of education.

We see why in my second R and third Rs. In very recent years it has been fashionable to talk of belonging to The Resistance, which is mostly understood in low political terms. To the contrary, the real resistance today are the people who do not conform, the people equipped to think beyond the narrow horizons of dominant opinion. Someone educated with an eye to eternal truths cannot be imprisoned by transient dogma.

Behold a striking irony of our present time: the so-called progressives who talk incessantly about the future and the side of history arent having any children. Who is having children: people of faith. There is some startling social science data on this, but I wouldnt want to sully New St. Andrews with such grubbiness. The point is: who are the real believers in the future? The people who believe in Gods providence. You are the real Resistance in our time.

Now, it may seem that you are graduating at an especially bleak timeinto a world grown ever more hostile to faith and truth, consumed with self-destructive agitations and increasingly bitter divisions.

I do not know what is ahead for us, for our country, or our culture. But our moment is not, I think, especially unique. The great British historian Paul Johnson once referred to the 1970s as Americas suicide attempt, and I wouldnt disagree with anyone who suggests we seem bent on jumping off a tall bridge once again. But in fact the lament for our fraying civilization goes back decades if not centuries in some ways.

For example, Whittaker Chambers, another of the few worthy modern authors, wrote the following in 1954:

The enemyhe is ourselves. That is why it is idle to talk about preventing the wreck of Western civilization. It is already a wreck from within. That is why we can hope to do little more now than snatch a fingernail of a saint from the rack or a handful of ashes from the faggots, and bury them secretly in a flower pot against the day, ages hence, when a few men begin again to dare to believe that there was once something else, that something else is thinkable, and need some evidence of what it was, and the fortifying knowledge that there were those who, at the great nightfall, took loving thought to preserve the tokens of hope and truth.

The peoplepeople such as come from here, keeping alive hope and truthconstitute a Remnant much as it is understood in the Old Testament. Like the Remnant in the Old Testament, we are outnumbered. And yet, it is precisely as people of faith that the disposition of resistancethough that disposition is much needed todaytransforms into a Remnant that renews, which is something different and more hopeful than mere resistance.

A slight re-telling of the story of the Prophet Elijah in 1st Kings makes the point. Elijah, despairing in the desert because, as he tells the voice of the Lord that came to him, the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. It is implied that if Elijah is killed, the True Faith would be killed along with himthat he is the last of The Remnant.

God instructs Elijah that, quite simply, he doesnt know what hes talking about. God said, Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. With a Remnant of seven thousand on his side, it is implied that Elijah should not feel lonesome or isolated or hopeless, even if that number is tiny in comparison to the population as a whole, even if he never meets or works in harness with many of those seven thousand.

The point is, the paradox of such times is that as things grow darker or more ominous, more and more people will be disposed to seeking out and listening to the Remnantto those people who have preserved the tokens of hope and truth. Why will you be sought out? Because the Roman poet Horace was right: you can try to expel nature with a pitchfork, but it will come back at you through the window. There are more of them out there than you may thinkdisposed to hear that something else is thinkable. They will find you; you will find them, though you may not always know it.

In the darkest days of 1940, Churchill said, No one can guarantee success in war, but only deserve it. Success always demands a greater effort. I bid it is fair to say that graduates of New St. Andrews have made the greater effort; you have done all that can be done to deserve success. You are ready.

And so, congratulations to the New St. Andrews class of 2021; good luck, and God bless.
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted the state of Mississippis certiorari petition in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. The petition concerns Mississippis Gestational Age Act, enacted in 2018, which allows abortions after 15 weeks of gestational age only in medical emergencies or in instances of severe fetal abnormality.

The question the Court agreed to review is: Whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional. The Court did not agree to review two other questions raised in Mississippis petition.

The first is whether the validity of a pre-viability law should be analyzed under [Planned Parenthood v.] Caseys undue burden standard or [Whole Womans Health v.] Hellerstedts balancing of benefits and burdens. Ed Whelan notes that after Mississippi filed its petition, Chief Justice Roberts, in a decisive concurring opinion, rejected the premise of this question  i.e., that Hellerstedt should be read to have deviated from Casey. (That case is June Medical Services v. Russo).

The other question the Court declined to hear is whether abortion providers have third-party standing to invalidate a law that protects womens health from the dangers of late-term abortions.

As to the question it agreed to hear, Ed points out that the Court has already ruled, in Gonzales v. Carhart, that the federal partial-birth abortion law could operate pre-viability. He adds, however, that the Courts ruling in that case expressly assume[d] that a state may not prohibit abortion [b]efore viability. Thus, the key in Gonzales v. Carhart was that the law in question did not prohibit the usual abortion method for second-trimester abortions.

The law now before the Court does. This means the Court will hear argument as to whether at least some pre-viability prohibitions are constitutionally permitted even outside the partial birth context.

I wont hazard a guess as to how the Court will rule in the Mississippi case. My general sense of how the current Court will handle the abortion issue is that it wont overturn Roe v. Wade, but might well uphold some statutory limits on abortions that it would have rejected, and maybe some it has rejected, in the past.
He has used this safety protocol for the past 14 months. It did not change after he contracted the coronavirus in November. It did not budge when, earlier this month, he became fully vaccinated. And even though President Joe Biden said on Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not have to wear a mask, Glickman said he planned to stay the course.
Until I wrote the adjacent post this morning I had forgotten the article I wrote for the February 4, 2008 issue of the Weekly Standard. In the article I took a look at widely circulated AP and Reuters photographs of Yasser Arafat allegedly donating blood to the United States in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. I titled the article He didnt give at the office.

Weekly Standard managing editor Richard Starr had asked me to examine remarks made by the prominent French journalist Charles Enderlin at Harvard University on January 17, 2008. In the article I summarized Enderlins statement as follows:

Enderlin told his Harvard audience that Yasser Arafat had faked his blood donation to the victims of the September 11th attacks. Enderlin said the event had been staged for the media to counteract the embarrassing television images of Palestinians celebrating in the streets after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. The story of Arafats blood donation was reported around the world in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, usually accompanied by photographs depicting Arafat in the apparent act of giving blood at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Enderlin elaborated on his contention that the scene depicted in the photographs was staged. According to [journalist Joel] Pollaks account of Enderlins remarks, Arafat didnt like needles, and so the doctor put a needle near his arm and agitated a bag of blood. The reporters took the requisite photographs.

I then took a look at the two photographs disseminated around the world by the Associated Press:

Two photographs of a reclining Arafat are credited to the APs Adel Hana. Both photos ran with a caption that reads like a press release: Arafat, along with hundreds of Palestinians, participated in a blood drive for the victims of the deadly airline hijackings in the United States, which he condemned as a horrible attack.  We all know how much Arafat disliked horrible attacks by Arab terrorists. In neither photo is a needle in evidence. In the first AP photo, Arafat is prostrate. His blood has not yet been drawn and no blood is in evidence. Rather, Arafat stares warily at the tourniquet placed around his bare arm. The donation is about to be made. A nurse with a head scarf is about to search for the chairmans vein, Arafat looking on at his arm. In the other AP photo, Arafat has apparently given his blood. The nurse with the head scarf is nowhere to be seen. In her place, a kneeling male medical official with his back to the camera jointly holds a nearly bursting bag of blood together with a uniformed security officer. With Enderlins gloss, the photo takes on a comic aspect. Heavy lifting is required; it takes two hands to hold all the blood donated by the chairman to the beloved American people!

Here is how I described the photograph disseminated by Reuters:

Reuters photographer Ahmed Jadallah also took a widely disseminated photograph of Arafat giving blood on September 12. Jadallahs photograph provides a wider view of the scene depicted in Hanas second photograph, with the male medical official displaying Arafats voluminous blood donation with the assistance of the uniformed security official. The Reuters caption also reads like a press release covering talking points: Palestinians said they sympathized with the victims of the attack in the United States despite their criticism of U.S. support for Israel during the Palestinian uprising.

The second of the two Adel Hana/AP photographs remains accessible online (below). The Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters photograph is accessible online here.

According to his Twitter account, Adel Hana has been a staff photographer for the Associated Press based in Gaza since 1993. According to me, the AP is still in the business of passing off terrorist propaganda as news.
Yesterday I rashly credited the Associated Press with cluelessness about holing up in the 12-story Gaza office building it shared with Hamas. I should not have done so.

Yesterday afternoon Tablet emailed readers former AP correspondent and editor Matti Friedmans 2014 column An Insiders Guide to the Most Important Story on Earth. Friedmans related 2014 Atlantic column What the media gets wrong about Israel reported:

The AP staff in Gaza City would witness a rocket launch right beside their office, endangering reporters and other civilians nearbyand the AP wouldnt report it, not even in AP articles about Israeli claims that Hamas was launching rockets from residential areas. (This happened.) Hamas fighters would burst into the APs Gaza bureau and threaten the staffand the AP wouldnt report it. (This also happened.) Cameramen waiting outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City would film the arrival of civilian casualties and then, at a signal from an official, turn off their cameras when wounded and dead fighters came in, helping Hamas maintain the illusion that only civilians were dying. (This too happened; the information comes from multiple sources with firsthand knowledge of these incidents.)

Yesterdays AP story on the IDF bombing of the office building is here (headline: Shocking and horrifying: Israel destroys AP office in Gaza). Todays is here (headline: APs top editor calls for probe into Israeli airstrike).

Contrast these with Alex Traimans JNS story. Headline: AP, Al Jazeera and the mainstream media are tools in Hamass war against Israel. Subhead: If Israel had targeted those outlets for their open and intentional support of its enemiesnot simply hit the Hamas building in which they were housedit may have been justified on those grounds alone. Im with Traiman.

Fares Akram is one of the 12 AP reporters and freelancers who reported from the office tower. One would never know that Akram is a reporter inside a terror state. His Twitter feed provides a steady stream of notes on Israeli strikes in Gaza. Here is Akrams May 15 account of an IDF strike on his family farm in northern Gaza. So far as I can tell, Akram maintains silence about Hamas.

Here is Akrams May 16 first-person account of the destruction of the office building. Here is Akrams May 16 account (with Ravi Nessman) of IDF strikes in Gaza City. The latter story is datelined Gaza City, but Nessman was obviously reporting his part from Israel.

As noted above, the AP itself reports that its top editor is calling for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP and other media organs, saying the public deserves to know the facts. Israeli authorities can be counted on to put their cards on the table in due course. Until that time, we can turn to Friedmans 2014 column.

By the same token, I am calling for an independent investigation of the AP as a Hamas collaborator. The public deserves to know the facts.

NOTE: I wrote about the APs collaboration with Palestinian terrorists in the 2008 Weekly Standard article He didnt give at the office.
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The headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State, was on Sunday night gutted by fire.

The latest incident occured barely one week after another INEC office in Obollo-Afor, Udenu, Enugu State, was razed.

The office affected by the latest incident is located at number 1 Achi Street by Agric Bank Bus stop in Independence Layout, Enugu.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mohammed Aliyu, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The commissioner, who did not respond to further questions, said that he was still at the scene of the incident.

NAN, however, gathered at the time of filing this report, that the Enugu State Fire Service, as well as the Federal Fire Service, were also doing everything possible to quench the fire.

The cause of the latest fire incident has not been established.

Several calls made to INEC officials especially the states Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Emeka Ononamadu, and the Public Relations Officer by NAN were not picked.

INEC recently lamented the series of attacks on its facilities in various states, mainly in the South-east and South-south regions of Nigeria.

The commission, in a statement issued last Monday, said its recently renovated office in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State was set ablaze by unidentified persons on Sunday night.

While no casualties were recorded, the commission said the incident led to the destruction of electoral materials and equipment which adversely means loss of millions of taxpayers funds.

There are no casualties on the part of our staff on guard duty but the building was virtually destroyed. Apart from furniture items, all electoral materials and office equipment were destroyed.

The matter has been reported to the police for investigation, the INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, said in the statement.

The latest disturbing incident is the first in the state in recent times. The commissions facilities in Arochukwu LGA and Aba South were ransacked, vandalised and completely burnt in October and December 2020 respectively.

A similar incident played out in its office in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, giving rise to figures of coordinated attacks on the commissions facilities in the South-east and south-south regions of the country.

It will be recalled that only last week, the Commission reported an attack on its office in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and expressed anxiety about the impact of such attacks on electoral activities, including the ongoing expansion of voter access to Polling Units, resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), pending bye-elections, end-of-tenure elections and ultimately the 2023 General Election, Mr Okoye said, alluding to damaging impacts of such attacks on Nigerias democratic exercise and electoral assets.

Meanwhile, the Commission wishes to reassure Nigerians that all activities in relation to the ongoing expansion of voter access to Polling Units and preparations for the resumption of CVR as well as all scheduled elections will proceed as planned, the commission said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but the police had blamed an outlawed secessionist group, IPOB, for attacks on public facilities and officials in the affected regions.
At least 1,603 people were killed in violent attacks across Nigeria between January and March 2021, a report by a non-governmental organisation, Nigeria Mourns, has shown.

The report titled Violent Incidents Report: January  March 2021 was published on Sunday.

The group said it gathered its figures through the use of newspaper reports and family sources to track violent killings.

The report also showed that 1,774 people were abducted within the three months under review.

In the Q1 of 2021, Nigeria continued to experience inordinately high incidents of armed violence with very high body counts. Our tracking shows that at least 1603 persons lost their lives in the country from January  March 2021, the group said on Twitter.

On the aspect of the perpetrators of the violence, the report revealed that 921 people were killed by suspected bandits, 207 people killed by persons suspected to be members of Boko Haram or its breakaway faction, ISWAP, 205 killed in isolated attacks and 106 lives were claimed by cult clashes.

Also, 79 people died through extra-judicial killings, communal crises led to the death of 53 people and 32 people killed by herdsmen.

A member of the Nigeria Mourns Coalition, Ier Jonathan, said the figures are worrying but not meant to criticise the government.

Rising insecurity

Nigeria has been battling with various forms of insecurity for years. This led to agitation by many citizens for state police.

As part of efforts to curb the challenges, South-west governors last year created a regional paramilitary outfit, Amotekun.

Also, the governors of the South-east states resolved to maintain a joint security outfit to be called Ebube Agu in April.

Aside from ordinary citizens, different state governors  Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Babagana Zulum of Borno, and Hope Uzodinma of Imo, among others, have been victims of violence as they or their properties were attacked.

Mr Ortom recently knocked the federal government for being complacent in the face of insecurity.

Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State in early May told journalists that Boko Haram terrorists have been occupying some communities in the state.

He claimed the terrorists have displaced over 3,000 residents of the affected communities.

Governors want Buhari to address nation

The 17 governors in southern states of Nigeria, on Tuesday, asked the federal government to convoke a national dialogue as a matter of urgency.

They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address Nigerians on the challenges of insecurity.

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The resolution was among 12 reached by the governors at their meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The National Assembly had also called for a national security summit with the House of Representatives already announcing modalities for one of such.

President Muhammadu Buhari has never shown support for such calls. He also did not endorse the establishment of state police.

Buharis aide blames evil forces

Amidst the security challenges, President Buharis media aide, Femi Adesina, blamed evil forces popularly referred to as Aiye in Yoruba as the reason for insecurity in Nigeria.

Just as some forces knew the record that was to be achieved by Muhammadu Buhari as Nigerian President, and which he had begun to show since 2015 when he got into office, they positioned themselves against the government

The lesson? When you are high-flying, the centrifugal forces will come against you, and it would only take the grace of God for you to attain.

Yoruba people call those forces Aiye. When Aiye is on your case, as it was against Man City, and it is against the Buhari government, you need God, and God alone. Aiye (meaning the world, if freely translated) is the negative part of mankind. The pernicious, baleful, sly and scheming part of humanity. If Aiye gets on your matter, you need God and God alone, his article published on Thursday partly read.

He, however, expressed optimism that Mr Buhari will conquer.

Who says Nigeria will not rise from its current travails? Who says Aiye will always win? Not where God is involved. And God is involved with Nigeria, our own dear na Under President Buhari, peace and security would be restored. The economy would rebound. Life would be abundant for the people, and Aiye would be left standing small, holding the rump of the flag of a country it thought had gone into oblivion, he wrote.
Despite repeated claims by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government that Boko Haram terrorists have been degraded and confined to the North-east alone, recent revelations by some Nigerian state governors give cause for worry.

The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, had said that the Boko Haram terrorist group had since been defeated but the Nigerian military is now fighting an international criminal gang known as Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

He then explained that what is currently playing out in the North-east is the metamorphosis of ISWAP which is an attempt by a group of international criminal organisations to explore the loopholes created by the breakdown of law and order in some neighbouring countries to perpetrate criminality in the West African sub-region.

He claimed that Boko Haram had been pursued out of the North-east, adding that the current band of international criminals gangs operating under the guise of ISWAP will also be chased and hunted down.

ISWAP is a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, the terror group in Nigeria whose activities have caused over 20,000 deaths since 2009.

Apart from the then army chief, other officials of the Buhari administration have made different claims about the group being defeated, technically defeated or decimated.

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed in 2019 said the military has successfully defeated Boko Haram insurgents. He said the country is now facing a fresh crisis, which is called a global insurgency.

Mr Mohammed also said Nigerian troops have successfully cleared the remnant of the home-grown insurgency called Boko Haram and are now being confronted by a fresh crisis, a global insurgency.

A faction of Boko Haram has aligned with the global terror group, ISIS, to form ISWAP, the Islamic States West African Province. In other words, ISIS now has a strong foothold in West Africa  with Nigeria at the forefront of the battle against them.

With ISIS largely dislodged from Iraq and Syria, there is undoubtedly a flush of fresh fighters and weapons to ISWAP. Therefore, our military is fighting a global insurgency, without the kind of global coalition, including the United States, that battled ISIS in Syria and Iraq, he said.

Strides by military, reversals

Although Nigerian forces had largely limited the terror group to three North-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the Boko Haram are still able to attack civilian and military targets killing hundreds of people.

President Buhari was first elected into office in 2015 majorly because of the past administrations inability to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency and end the insecurity in the country.

About six years into his administration, Nigerians have seen more attacks from the insurgents in more states outside the North-east. Also, banditry and other forms of crime and violence still remain huge challenges in other parts of the country.

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu; Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi and defence spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, did not respond to enquiries for comments as of the time of filing this report.

Disturbing revelations

Meanwhile, in the latest revelations by state governments, there is an indication that the terrorists now operate in other states apart from the troubled North-east.

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Most of these states such as Nasarawa, Benue and Niger do not share boundaries with the North-east states.

One could easily rule out the possibility of having Boko Haram elements in central states such as Nasarawa and Benue State, however, revelations from Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa have proven otherwise.

During a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari in January this year, Mr Sule revealed that the Boko Haram terrorists were now successfully carrying out attacks in his state.

He said the terrorists had regrouped along the Nasarawa/Benue border from where they launched attacks on residents, after they were initially displaced by soldiers from Toto, a local government in the state.

He said Boko Haram members in his state were those dislodged by security operatives from neighbouring Niger State.

On how he was sure the attackers were members of Boko Haram, Mr Sule said some of those captured in Niger said they are members of the terror group whose activities have caused tens of thousands of deaths across Nigeria.

I have come to see the leader of our party, the leader of the nation, and our father, Mr President, to brief him about some of the activities happening in my state, especially first in the area of security that we continue to have challenges with a team of Boko Haram who had settled at the border with the FCT, the governor said.

And we thank the security forces that they have been able to dislodge them. But now, they have gone back and gathered at our border with Benue. And they are causing a lot of havoc.

Therefore, it (this meeting) was an opportunity as Mr President wanted to know and I briefed him. I strongly believe that just like the decision was taken last time to take care of this issue, another decision will be taken.

When asked how he was able to confirm if it was Boko Haram and not bandits that have been operating in the state, the governor said members of the families of Boko Haram members recently dislodged by the army confirmed to the state.

Niger

To give credence to the claims by Governor Sule that the terrorists in his state migrated from Niger, Governor Abubakar Bello a week ago raised a similar alarm.

He revealed that Boko Haram had hoisted its flags in Kaure and Shiroro local government areas of Niger State.

He also confirmed the terrorists have displaced over 3,000 residents of the affected communities.

I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger State, here in Kaure, I am confirming that they have hoisted their flags here.

Their wives (of the villagers) have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members. I just heard that they have placed their flags at Kaure, meaning they have taken over the territory.

Mr Bello said he had earlier alerted the federal government but it (government) has not been proactive.

This is what I have been engaging the federal government on, unfortunately it has now got to this level. If care is not taken, even Abuja is not safe. We have been saying this for long. All our efforts have been in vain.

Mr Bello said he hoped for a more coordinated military activity to fight the terrorists.

Sambisa is several kilometers from Abuja but Kaure is less than two hours drive from Abuja. So nobody is safe anymore, not even those in Abuja.

This is the time to act. All hands must be on deck. It is not a fight for Niger State alone. I am not waiting for anyone anymore, I am going to take action, he said.

Telecommunications mast destroyed in Bauchi

Bauchi State, a Northeastern State recently raised an alarm following an attack on MTN communication mast in Gamawa local government area of the state by suspected terrorists.

The state government had since attributed the attack to a fallout of the recent attack on Geidam, Yobe State by members of Boko Haram.

According to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mohammed Sabiu-Baba, in a press conference on Monday, a meeting was held with heads of security agencies and traditional rulers to discuss the attack in Geidam, Yobe, and its implications in neighboring Bauchi State.

Today, we had a meeting to discuss the crisis caused by Boko Haram in Geidam and its implications in Bauchi. Bauchi State is sharing border in four local government areas, namely Zaki, Dambam, Gamawa and Darazo. The implication of what happened in Geidam is that there is a lot of influx people moving into Bauchi from Yobe.

Of course, that is putting a lot of strain on our facilities and considering the kind of movement from the outcome of Boko Haram activity, the security implication is also very high. The meeting today was to examine the implication of that (Boko Haram activity in Geidam), and plan for how to contain it from the Bauchi side.

Therefore, the government held a meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Director Department of State Service, Commandant of Civil Defence, Brigade Commander and the Head of Air Force in Bauchi.

They all assured to give maximum cooperation in our attempt to have a joint patrol. Of course, security is the responsibility of all of us. We do not expect that the security agencies alone will do the work, so all hands will be on deck, including our traditional institution and religious groups, he said.

Jigawa

Following the attack in Bauchi State, the Jigawa State Government on Tuesday urged residents of the state to be vigilant, following reports of suspicious movement of Boko Haram insurgents in the neighboring state.

Following the reports, the Jigawa governor, Mr Badaru held a meeting with traditional rulers, local government chairpersons and security agents where he urged residents to report any suspicious movement.

The meeting was about the security issue around the country. We believe everybody has to gear up and be vigilant and pray for Gods intervention to keep the country and Jigawa safe, Mr Badaru said.

Also, the states police commissioner, Usman Gomna, told journalists that the police received an intelligence report of alleged movement of suspected Boko Haram members around Gwaram, a local government in Jigawa.

The official, however, said the police are following up on the report and for now the reports are positive.

People are reporting the issues thinking that it will spill over to Jigawa, Mr Gomna said, assuring residents that the police were following up on the reports.

Jigawa shares boundaries with Yobe, Bauchi, and Kano.

However, one of the suspected strongholds of Boko Haram insurgents outside Sambisa forest is the Balmo forest, which straddles Bauchi and Jigawa states.

The insurgents are believed to be using the forest to coordinate their operations in Bauchi and Kano states.

Kano

The Nigerian Army on Sunday evening announced the arrest of 13 Boko Haram suspects in the Hotoro area of Kano State, North-west Nigeria.

The army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, who made the disclosure stated that the suspects were arrested by troops of the 3 brigade in Kano.

Kano shares boundaries with Jigawa and Bauchi states that have raised concerns on the activities and presence of Boko Haram in their territories.

In an ongoing effort to flush out all forms of criminality within its Area of Responsibility, troops of 3 Brigade Nigerian Army have arrested 13 suspected Boko Haram terrorists around Filin Lazio, Hotoro axis of Kano State on Saturday 8 May.

The ongoing operations is predicated on the need to apprehend criminals who may want to hibernate in any part of Kano State.

The general public especially residents of Filin Lazio Hotoro, are enjoined to go about their lawful businesses as security forces are on top of the situation, the Army said.
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The five-day warning strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Kaduna State kicked off Monday morning, with officials of the union picketing government ministries and parastatals and denying civil servants access to the state secretariat.

Civil servants, in their hundreds, stood at the gate of the state secretariat on the popular Independence Way on Monday morning after union officials picketed the facility.

The NLC had called on all unions to join in the warning strike from Monday in its effort to force the state government to rescind its plan to sack many civil servants and rightsize the states bureaucracy.

In letters of compliance seen by PREMIUM TIMES, organisations including banks and other financial institutions in Kaduna, pledged not to open their offices from Monday.

But early in the morning, workers gathered in groups outside the state secretariat, discussing the strike.

Many workers who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said they were in support of the strike, saying they want the government to soft-pedal on its plan that may lead to thousands of its workers being sacked.

I just got alert of half salary this morning, a female civil servant, who declined to give her name for fear of victimisation, said to our reporter at the secretariat.

And from the rumours going around, if you receive half salary, you will be among those to be retrenched. Im not sure but I am jittery.

Banks, fuel filling stations and public schools were all closed when PREMIUM TIMES reporter went around the city on Monday morning.
The governors under the banner of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have demanded devolution of power to states.

The governors, who met in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday, also endorsed the ban on open grazing and the call for restructuring.

The meeting took place at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

PREMIUM TIMES obtained a six-point resolution reached at the meeting.

Speaking on insecurity, the governors in the communique signed by their chairman, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, said President Muhammadu Buhari should summon an immediate meeting of the Nigerian Police Council, which comprises Mr President and all State Governors and other critical stakeholders to evolve and implement strategies to combat the present threats to our union, especially with respect to policing.

The meeting agreed that the Police Force still remains the appropriate institution to secure our democracy and should not be subjected to personal attacks. The welfare, training, equipment, funding of all security agencies should be given priority.

Read the full communique below:

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE PDP GOVERNORS FORUM AT THE END OF ITS MEETING IN IBADAN, OYO STATE ON MONDAY, 17TH MAY, 2021.

The PDP GOVERNORS FORUM met in Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday, 17th May 2021, further reviewed the State of the nation, particularly, practical next steps to take to advance the conversation on the worsening security situation and collapsing economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. At the end of the one-day consultative meeting, the Forum, issued the following Communique.

1. The meeting called on Mr President as the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria and Commander in Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces to immediately send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly to amend the Nigerian Constitution to devolve more powers to the States with respect to security arrangements culminating in some form of State Policing and the general security architecture.

2. In the interim, Mr President should summon an immediate meeting of the Nigerian Police Council, which comprises Mr President and all State Governors and other critical stakeholders to evolve and implement strategies to combat the present threats to our union, especially with respect to policing. The meeting agreed that the Police Force still remains the appropriate institution to secure our democracy and should not be subjected to personal attacks. The welfare, training, equipment, funding of all security agencies should be given priority.

3. The meeting supports the earlier position taken by the Nigeria Governors Forum, Northern Governors Forum and recently by the Southern Governors Forum to adopt ranching as the most viable solution to the herders / farmers clashes in Nigeria; the restructuring of the Nigerian federation to devolve more powers and functions to the States; and reform of various civil institutions to achieve efficiency and equity for all sections of Nigeria.

4. The meeting enjoins all Nigerians to work together to achieve peace and harmony with one another, devoid of discrimination based on ethnicity, religion and other cleavages. To this end, the meeting called on the incompetent and rudderless APC Government to take bold and deliberate steps to de-escalate and lower tensions in our country, and concentrate on projects and policies that will enhance and promote national unity and cohesion.

5. The meeting re-iterated our earlier call for the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Electoral Act that will ensure a free and fair election, including provisions for electronic accreditation and electronic transmission of votes.

6. The meeting thanked the Host Governor, His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for being a gracious and wonderful host, and congratulated him for the many landmark developmental projects he has executed, and urged him to continue to work with all stakeholders in the South West Zone to ensure that PDP takes over majority of the States in the Zone.

In attendance are:

Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, CFR  Sokoto State  Chairman

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Gov. Udom Emmanuel  Akwa Ibom State  Member

Gov. Sen. Douye Diri  Bayelsa State  Member

Gov. Samuel Ortom -Benue State -Member

Gov. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa  Delta State  Member

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi  Enugu State  Member

Gov. Nyesom Wike, CON  Rivers State  Member

Gov. Engr. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde  Oyo State  Member

Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri -Adamawa State -Member

Gov. Godwin Obaseki  Edo State -Member

Gov. Bala Mohammed -Bauchi State  Member

Deputy Gov. Mahdi Mohd -Zamfara State -Deputy Governor

RT. HON. AMINU WAZIRI TAMBUWAL, CFR

Chairman, PDP Governors Forum
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained the immediate-past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, over corruption allegations.

Sources said the former governor arrived the EFCC headquarters at Jabi, Abuja, at about 10a.m. on Monday in response to an invitation extended to him by the agency.

PREMIUM TIMES was reliably informed that the former governor was still being grilled by a crack team of the commission as of the time of filing this report at about 7p.m. on Monday.

And for the past seven hours, he has been in the interrogation room, writing statements, an EFCC top official informed our reporter.

Alleged N9 billion diversion

Although the details of the case are still sketchy as of press time, sources disclosed that it is connected to how funds to the tune of about N9billion were diverted from the coffers of Kwara state government during his tenure as governor of Kwara State between 2011 and 2019.

The administration of Mr Ahmed, a political godson of a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who is also a former governor of Kwara State, has been under the searchlight of the EFCC for some time.

In January, the commission arraigned the Commissioner for Finance under Mr Ahmeds administration on charges of N411million money laundering.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the ex-commissioner, Ademola Banu, committed the crime in 2018 by conspiring with others to launder the said sum belonging to the Kwara State Government.

EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed to our reporter that Mr Ahmed responded to the commissions invitation but declined further comment.

Mr Ahmeds spokesperson, Femi Akorede, did not respond to our correspodnents repeated calls and did not immediately respond to the text message asking for his comment about the detention of the former governor.

Mr Ahmed served as the commissioner for finance in the administration of Mr Saraki, who was also a subject of investigations of the EFCC.
The Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has dismissed as false, the claims by the state government that the union had mobilised a mob to disrupt peace during the ongoing five-day warning strike called by the union.

A statement by the state NLC Chairman, Ayuba Suleiman, on Sunday, assured workers and the general public of their commitment to maintain peace during the strike action.

It is not in the character of Labour to indulge in such uncivilised manner, it stressed, adding that only politicians use thugs to advance their cause.

The union, therefore, alerted the general public to watch out for thugs it alleged were recruited by the Kaduna State government to disrupt the peace in order to blame the NLC.

We are calling the attention of the general public to the alleged planned mobilisation of thugs by the State Government to discredit our peaceful protest of tomorrow.

Hence, we advocate that the people of Kaduna State should be vigilant and stand against this plan.

It also said: Earlier, we were misled to commend the State Government for being the first State to implement N30, 000 minimum wage to both civil servants and the retirees.

But, however, we noted with dismay that the government reverted to the old minimum wage of N18, 000 in the month of April.

It added that about 20, 000 state civil servants received half salary in April, which is even less than the former N18, 000 minimum wage.

The union also said the state government had denied health workers almost all allowances such as hazard, call duty, shifting and rural posting.

The NLC further said that the Kaduna state government has failed to pay the retirement benefits of 80 per cent of the 35, 000 civil servants it disengaged in 2017.

Its sad for the Kaduna State Government to claim its commitment to training of workers while those that are qualified for promotion remain stagnant for years.

On claims by the government of supporting civil servants to pay for houses through mortgages on a single digit interest, this claim is false.

The reality of this was that this mortgage was gotten by the joint effort of NLC and TUC.

The State Government in its ignorance failed to realize the obvious fact that payments of salaries have multiplying effects on the social welfare and economy.

In other words, when salaries are paid it reflects down the line.

The NLC stressed that its grouse with the government was that the disengagement of workers was not done in accordance with the law.

It said that over 50,000 workers were sacked by the state government from 2017 to date.

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These include over 21,000 teachers, 5,000 Local Government workers, 12,000 State civil servants and the recent sacking of over 7, 000 workers of local governments in April.

(NAN)
The remains of renowned cardiologist cum military historian, Nowamagbe Omoigui, was on Saturday interred at the Greenlawn Memorial Park, Columbia, USA.

As a part of his final obsequies, a double-headed funeral service was held at St. John Neumann Church, Columbia, USA as well as a traditional farewell at his ancestral home in Benin City, Edo State.

Mr Omoigui who excelled as a cardiologist was renowned for his ingenuity in documenting stories about the Nigerian military.

Born March 28, 1959, the cardiologist, who set records everywhere he went, died on April 18, aged 62.

Earlier on Thursday, both dates were set aside to mark an annual event in his memory at an event where friends and family paid tributes to him.

A memorial lecture will be held on April 18 every year to commemorate the day of his passing. Likewise, an annual art and history exhibition will be held on 28th March every year to mark the day of his birth.

As part of measures to preserve his legacy, an art and history centre was launched to immortalize his scholarly works and interest.

In an emotionally charged tribute, family, associates, friends, and admirers recalled moments they shared with the man who many called a man of many parts because of his versatility and insatiable thirst for knowledge.

A schoolmate and close friend of Mr Omoigui, Augustine Onwukwe, described him as a man with great wit and intelligence who it would be demeaning to call (just) a cardiologist because of how became famous and an authority on military history

Although a cardiologist by training, the late Mr Omoigui demonstrated how vast he was about the history of his country, particularly during the military era where coups, countercoups and a deadly civil war nearly tore the country apart.

A teary brother of the deceased, Nosa Omoigui, praised his siblings drive for knowledge by saying, Nowa reads and comprehends because he enjoys it. He was always loyal, recalling how the deceased paid attention to details as he could recall pages of books he read with the exact information on the page.

One of his schoolmates at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, Emil Mondoa, described him as a down-to-earth person, one who could interact with anyone below him without barriers.

He has lots of medical books, but even more military books, Mr Mondoa said in the virtual event. He connected with everyone at every level. He would do so many things that you wonder if he has time for medical work.

Godwin Odia, a retired captain, had planned to visit the late Mr Omoigui on May 15 but was shell shocked to hear of his passing.

Two to three weeks ago, he told me he was going for a second Covid-19 shot. We spoke with each other for more than 25 minutes. Never did I imagine that I was coming to his funeral on May 15.

Before becoming close family friends, no love was lost between the two men, the captain recalled.

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But we fought ourselves to brotherhood, he said, adding that when we meet, we discuss family, we discuss life, we discuss school.

Nowa is human. When you meet you will forget the academic excellence he has attained. No one was too small to talk to Nowa. He will come to your level.

Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, also paid tribute to the departed, saying when it comes to the history of the Nigerian military, he knew no one who had a mastery of it than Mr Omoigui.

Whether he was writing about the civil war or the military coup or about military personalities, you were never in doubt about the depth of his knowledge, Mr Fayemi said.

We will miss Nowa Omoigui. We will miss him for his knowledge, for his passion for a better Nigeria.

At a time that our military is confronted with the task to tackle insecurity in the country amidst the trend of violence, we could all imagine the contribution Mr Omoigui could have on the discourse, the governor noted.
While he still has the vision of opening more Pig Floyds locations, even after having to shut down the one in Lake Nona during the hardest month of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said having a variety of restaurants has always been his plan.
Pamela Ifejoku, the daughter of a community leader in Idumuje-Ugboko village in Delta State, has cried out over the continued detention of her father believed to be influenced by Ned Nwoko, a former federal lawmaker.

Her dad, who is the President of the Idumuje-Ugboko Development Union (IUDU), Okey Ifejoku, was re-arrested alongside his deputy, Godwin Aniemeke, on March 26 and has been in police detention since.

Ms Ifejoku begged Mr Nwoko to release her father.

My father has been arrested again because of Ned Nwoko. I dont know why Ned Nwoko is so bent on frustrating my family. I beg you all to lend me your voices, Miss Ifejoku tearfully begged in a viral video.

She continued;  I believe somebody somewhere will definitely hear us out. I believe there is someone who can actually do something about this. Ned Nwoko , please, release my daddy.

Whats all this wickedness for? What is all this injustice for, she said in tears.

Also, in an accompanying write up on Twitter, the Igbinedion University graduate questioned her dads continued detention.

My questions for Ned Nwoko are;

1. Ned Nwoko what do you really want?

2. Why do you insist on my father being detained indefinitely for the same offence he had earlier been discharged by the Magistrate Court, and is also standing trial at the Federal High court, having been granted bail?

3. Does it not amount to abuse of court process, cherry picking and forum shopping, for the state and the police, prompted by Ned Nwoko, to arrest several members of the Idumuje-Ugboko community and charge them in several different courts, for the same alleged offence?

4. What happens if the FHC and the High Court give different judgments on the same issue, same facts and same defendants? she asked.

The spokesperson of the police, Frank Mba, did not respond to calls put across to seek his reaction.

When contacted on Sunday, Mr Nwoko also declined comments, directing our reporter to speak with the complainants who are witness to the killings and destruction.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how police rearrested the two leaders who had been facing trial in Abuja over a crisis in the community.

Seven persons, including Messrs Ifejoku and Aniemeke, had been charged to court for allegedly killing one man, Cyprian Kumaorun, in 2017.

The five other defendants in the terrorism charge are Nonso Omefe, Dennis Nwoko, Light Nwochie, Aikhomu Omezi and Emeka Bidoku.

They were accused of conspiring with others now at large in May 2017 to unleash terror on the community by burning houses and killing Mr Kumaorun.

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However, the case is still pending before Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja when Messrs Ifejoku and Aniemeke were whisked away by the cops in March.

Legal experts who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES in March condemned such move since the case was already being treated in the terrorism charge.

This is just an attempt to frustrate justice. But you know this is Nigeria where what is abnormal is the norm. Since they have been charged in a competent court previously and its on the same case, there is no need for a new suit, Anthony Williams, a Lagos-based lawyer, said.

It should be noted that after spending two weeks at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) in Abuja, they were transferred to the Delta State police command in Asaba, where they are currently being held without trial.

This has also been worsened by the strike action embarked upon by the Judiciary workers which led to the shutdown of courts since April 6.

Despite several visits and a petition written to the Inspector General of Police explaining the illegality of their detention, nothing has ensued, their lawyer told PREMIUM TIMES.

Genesis

PREMIUM TIMES, in a two-part series published last year December, reported how Mr Nwoko dislodged poor farmers from their farmlands to build a private university in the village.

This newspaper reported how the billionaire, in 2015, grabbed 90 hectares of land in Idumuje-Ugboko and how he relentlessly used security officers to intimidate members of the community who challenged him, starting from 2015.

Mr Nwokos land grab later led to violence, kingship tussle and rights violations in his hometown when some members of the community including the IUDU president kicked against his demands for 90 hectares of land.

The opposition was led by Chukwunonso Nwoko, the former lawmakers kinsman from the royal family, who ascended the throne.

While there are pending lawsuits surrounding the approval of the land by the late monarch, Mr Nwoko had commenced the building of the proposed STARS University on the 90 hectares.

On May 23, 2017, about 30 hoodlums disrupted a meeting of the community leaders called to address the crisis over the land.

But the youth of the community repelled the thugs, the exchange leaving many injured and one Cyprian Koumaru, a motorcyclist from Benue State, suspected dead after going missing since the incident.

The police later arrested some persons over the violence, including the monarch of the community, his uncles and supporters.

Some were illegally detained before being charged to court while nine (including Mr Ifejoku) were taken into custody in Abuja on charges of terrorism.

Most of them were later granted bail after spending months in incarceration.

PREMIUM TIMES investigation revealed that the police are yet to provide evidence of the culpability of those arrested in connection with the death of Mr Kumaroun as two of them have been discharged and acquitted after spending three years in Asaba prison for want of evidence.

Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the incessant arrests are an attempt by the former lawmaker to punish those against the massive land grab for his university.

Mr Nwoko,on the other hand, had repeatedly denied this, saying all he is seeking is justice for Mr Kumaroun and other victims of the 2017 crisis.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Stacy-Dan Ekpenyong, the managing director of Stewardship Rural Investment Limited, for allegedly obtaining the sum of N11.5million by false pretence.

A statement by EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, Monday, said that Mr Ekpenyong, also known as Daniel Ekpenyong, was arrested by operatives of the Uyo Zonal Office of the commission on Friday.

Ekpenyong was arrested at Keystone Bank, University of Uyo branch, Akwa Ibom State, following a petition by one Titilayo Bolos Malgwi who alleged that the 36-year-old suspect tricked her into investing in his Micro Finance Company, the statement read in part.

It stated that Ms Malgwi claimed in her petition that she paid the sum of N11million into the suspects company account, after he convinced her that she would get 10 per cent interest on any amount invested after a period of three months.

When it was time for her to start reaping from her investment, the complainant severed communication with her and efforts made to get her money back, proved abortive, the statement also read.

It also stated that the commission had been on the trail of the suspect since December 18, 2020, when it first received a petition against him from one Amasi Ignatus whom the suspect allegedly defrauded of the sum of N500, 000 through the same scheme.

Mr Ekpenyong has made useful statements and will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded, the statement added.

Profile

The preponderance of economic and financial crimes like advance fee fraud (419), money laundering, among others has had severe negative consequences on Nigeria, the commission asserts in its profile published on its website.

It states that the impact of the crimes include decreased Foreign Direct Investments in the country and tainting of Nigerias national image.

The menace of these crimes and the recognition of the magnitude and gravity of the situation led to the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The legal instrument backing the Commission is the attached EFCC (Establishment) Act 2002 and the Commission has high-Ievel support from the Presidency, the Legislature and key security and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.
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Embattled Yoruba actor, Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha who is enmeshed in a rape allegation has been granted bail on health grounds.

His lawyer, Adesina Ogunlana, revealed this on Monday evening via a live broadcast on his Facebook page.

He said Baba Ijesha was granted bail by Chief Magistrate Oluwatoyin Oghre around 5 p.m. on Monday but his team is yet to perfect the bail conditions.

Mr Ogunlana, a former chair of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja branch, had raised an alarm on Baba Ijeshas deteriorating health in a letter addressed to the Lagos Commissioner of Police seeking the actors bail on Friday.

He also revealed that the actor was traumatised and walks with difficulties in police detention.

Baba Ijesha is under investigation by the Lagos State police command for allegedly raping a 14-year-old-girl in the home of comedienne Adekola Adekanya, popularly called Princess, since April 22.

The comic actor has been detailed for over three weeks without arraignment due to the ongoing strike by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

Bail

In his remarks on Monday evening, Mr Ogunlana said the approval of Baba Ijeshas bail application was a welcome development.

He also emphasised that the actor was yet to be released because his team was working to meet the bail conditions.

Our client, Olanrewaju James Omiyinka popularly known as Baba Ijesha, who has been in detention for more than 30 days has been granted bail at the facility of his detention.

The chief Magistrate Toyin Oghre of the Lagos state judiciary and the chief magistrate in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and in partnership with a private organisation led by a former NBA, Bayo Akinlade, Ikorodu (branch) visited Panti this afternoon, under the decongestion scheme.

They met Baba Ijesha. And the chief magistrate being very bold and experienced noticed something curious. Baba Ijeshas name was not even on the list of those whose case(s) would be intervened (sic), the chief magistrate demanded to see him, and as we have said before, bail was granted to him, when he was brought before them, he was limping, and bail was granted to him because of his deteriorating health condition.

He said the conditions of his bail including bringing two sureties with one being his relative and an N500,000 bond bail.

The idea of mob lynching, the idea of loop sided actions when it comes to rights of fellow citizens must be decried. On behalf of the counsels in this matter, I want to appreciate the chief magistrate, he said.

The Attorney-General of Lagos and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, recently revealed that the actor would be tried under five provisions of the criminal law of Lagos State based on the advice given by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
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President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Paris for the Financing Africa Summit.

The president left Abuja Sunday for the summit which is being hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France.

According to Mr Buharis spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the summit will draw major stakeholders in the global finance institutions and some Heads of Government, who will, collectively, discuss external funding and debt treatment for Africa, and private sector reforms.

During the visit, President Buhari will meet with the French President to discuss growing security threats in Sahel and Lake Chad region, political relations, economic ties, climate change and partnership in buoying the health sector, particularly in checking spread of Covid-19, with more research and vaccines.

Before returning to Nigeria, President Buhari will receive some key players in the oil and gas sector, engineering and telecommunications, European Council and European Union Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and Commission, and members of the Nigerian community, Mr Shehu said.

He said Mr Buhari would be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, and Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire.

Also on the trip are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mohammed Monguno and the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar.
Armed thugs loyal to self-styled Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho, on Saturday assaulted officials believed to be from the State Security Service (SSS) during the Yoruba nation rally in Osogbo, Osun State.

This newspaper obtained a 21 minutes video clip of the assault on the security operatives who were maintaining order at the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Jimoh Olanipekun.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the identities of the officials from the video and an SSS spokesperson did not immediately respond to enquiries.

However, the thugs who attacked the officials could be heard calling them DSS officials even as they assaulted them. The SSS is also known as DSS.

The incident occured when Mr Igboho (whose real name is Sunday Adeyemo) and thugs were leaving the palace of the monarch. The thugs accused the SSS officials of trailing Mr Igboho.

Assault

From the video, the thugs were seen attacking the security officials. They also manhandled at least two of them. Sources within the secret police told our correspondent that some of their operatives sustained injuries from the attack.

A security official was also seen holding tightly to his pistol while Mr Igbohos thugs mobbed him.

Residents, who said they also witnessed the incident, told PREMIUM TIMES that it took the maturity and professionalism of the SSS officials for a bloody confrontation to be averted.

The thugs later drove through the streets of Osogbo, shooting sporadically into the air and urging residents not to vote in 2023.

Peter Afunnaya, the SSS spokesperson, is yet to react to enquiries from PREMIUM TIMES requesting more information or clarification.

Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson in the state, said she was not aware of the assault.

I dont know what happened and I was not briefed about such, she said when contacted.

Mr Igboho did not respond to calls and a text message seeking information about what transpired on that day.

This newspaper reported how the self-styled activist on Saturday threatened to disrupt the 2023 general elections in South-west states of Nigeria.

Mr Igboho was evicted from Modakeke in Osun State in early 2000 following the crisis between the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) members and motorcycle riders.

He worked as a political thug for former Oyo State Governor, Rashidi Ladoja, and had in the past been accused of land grabbing.

In January, he led a group to Igangan in the Ibarapa axis of Oyo state to eject the Seriki Fulani of Igangan, Salihu Abdulkadir, triggering a face-off with the state and federal government.

He defied the authorities order and proceeded to Ogun State to reportedly evict herders resident there.

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Mr Igboho, on two different occasions, had claimed that security operatives tried to arrest him but the police and other security agencies denied this.

The spate of bloody clashes between herders and farmers, rising insecurity across the country and perceived injustice, have led to calls for secession from some regional groups in the country.
The police have arrested a dismissed army lance corporal allegedly responsible for training and recruiting people into the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant arm of the outlawed pro-Biafra group, IPOB, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

He was arrested a few days after a top commander of the terror group, Awurum Eze, was arrested in Aba, Abia State.

The group is alleged to have been responsible for killings of security agents and destruction of public properties in the South-east and South-south zones. They have, however, denied the allegations.

According to security sources, the 32 years old dismissed soldier, whose name was given as Livinus Owalum-Barnabas, was arrested on Sunday, at Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT by officials of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

The ex-soldier was said to have been recruited by some members of IPOB in Abuja and sent to train newly recruited IPOB/ESN members in two of their training Camps in Abia and Delta states.

Upon his arrest, the suspect allegedly confessed to having been employed by IPOB who, he said, promised to pay him double what he was receiving in the army.

He also allegedly said he trained at least 2,000 members of the ESN on combat operations, ambush and use of firearms, in the two camps between September and December last year.

The suspect reportedly told security operatives he was engaged by one Mr Ebere who paid him N100,000 before he proceeded to Abia State.

He said Mr Ebere was later arrested alongside 14 other suspected members of the group who were using a church environment for their meetings where they raised money to be sent to the South-east for the purchase of ammunition.

Items allegedly recovered from the ex-soldier were receipts, a list of contributors, a list of members and oaths of allegiance to Biafra and Nnamdi Kanu, police sources said.

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Attacks on security officials

Security operatives in the South-east and South-south regions have been targets of attacks by suspected members of the ESN.

The attackers have continued to kill police officers and destroy their facilities for the past two months.

The attacks in the two regions are separate from the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

Also, as part of the general insecurity across the country, several states in Nigeria have been struggling with kidnapping for ransom, banditry, frequent clashes between farmers and herders, and inter-communal conflicts.

Due to the regular attacks on security outfits in the South-east, the governors and heads of security agencies in the five states in the region held a summit on security where they agreed to establish a joint security outfit to check the insecurity in the region.

IPOB, an outlawed secessionist group, and its security network, ESN, has been accused of being responsible for some of the attacks against the police in the South-east, but the group has denied any involvement in the attacks.
An online newspaper, Newswire, has withdrawn its claim linking the Centre for Clinical Care and Clinical Research Nigeria (CCCRN), a non-governmental organisation, to the gruesome murder of a 26-year-old job seeker in Akwa-Ibom State, Iniubong Umoren.

Ms Umoren was raped and killed by Uduak Akpan, who invited her for a job interview at Oron, located in the outskirts of Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom State capital.

CCCR had denied any involvement in the murder case as alleged in the publication, demanding a retraction and an apology from the news organisation.

Retraction

However, in a report released on Monday, Newswire apologised for describing the organisation as a Ghost NGO and the allegations of engaging in organ trafficking.

Correction: An earlier version of our story, titled: Murder in Uyo: Who Killed Hiny Umoren? had incorrectly described the Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research (CCCRN) as a Ghost NGO and stated, that, Uduak Apkan, the self confessed killer of a job seeker, Iniobong Umoren met with one Kufre Effiong at the CCCRN premises.

That version has since been disputed by the CCCRN and we have corrected the story to remove this assertion. Using GPS and cellular geolocation, the telco call records placed the address in question at 58, Unit G Ewet Housing Estate, which is the address of CCCR Nigerias Uyo Office.

It further stated that the organisation was mentioned due to a mapping error.

The Center, located in Akwa Ibom State, provides health, protection, education, nutrition and household economic strengthening services (among others) to more than 100,000 orphans and vulnerable children and their households  a statement issued by the organisation reads in parts.

According to the statement of the CCCRN, the Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research has been in operation since 2010/ We therefore urge all members of the public to note that The Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research (CCCRN) is a responsible non-profit organization and has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Effiong, organ trafficking, harvesting.

Our story about the murder of Iniubong Umoren, whose alleged killer, Mr. Frank Uduak Ezekiel Akpan (Mr. Frank) has been arrested by the Police is to unmask persons behind the killing of the job seeker and not meant to discredit any group, individual or organisation, the news organisation stated.

Checks by PREMIUM TIMES also showed that the story has been updated to reflect the newspapers retraction of the CCCRN parts.

Murder of job seeker

Mr Akpan, who, according to the police, confessed to being a serial rapist, said he had raped six women by playing the same tricks on them in the past.

The police said he will be charged to court when judiciary workers call off the nationwide strike, the police assured.

Amid public outcry for justice for the deceased, Newswire published a report detailing the telephone numbers of some persons Mr Akpan contacted before his arrest.

The report suggested some might have colluded to kill Ms Umoren while some others might have engaged in a cover-up scheme to free the suspect.

But the police officer, Samuel Ezeugo and a relation of the murder suspect, Kufre Effiong, whose telephone numbers featured in the report, said the calls were put across to facilitate Mr Akpans arrest.

As of the time of this reporting, PREMIUM TIMES could not access the conversation records of the suspect and those he spoke with and was, therefore, unable to determine the culpability or otherwise of the individuals.

Aside from individuals, the report mentioned two corporate entities, the CCCR and a hotel, Davok Suites, as major players in the conspiracy due to their addresses.

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The first is that the Uyo Branch office of an organisation (CCCR Nigeria), which specifically offers supply chain management of health commodities, may have been commandeered by an illegal organ trafficking ring to feed the booming global black market organ trade. At the lower end of the operation would be Frank Akpan who would specialise in rape and murder of defenceless women so as to harvest their organs for onward delivery to those in charge of the operation.

The second possibility is more prosaic, but no less horrific. Due to the convoluted house numbering system in Uyo, the property labeled as 58, G Unit, Ewet Housing Estate is also. This would be the ideal location for a trusted associate of a politician  say, a senior civil servant  to lay his head while running a clandestine errand for his boss. An errand such as sourcing human parts for use in a ritual sacrifice ahead of the upcoming election season, the reporter, David Hundeyin, had conjectured.
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Two police officers were killed on Monday when some gunmen attacked yet another police station in Abia State, Nigerias South-east.

The station  the Ubakala Divisional Police Station in Umuahia South Local Government Area of the state  was also set ablaze in the attack which occurred in the early hours of the day, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The police spokesperson in Abia State, Godfrey Ogbonna, confirmed the incident to NAN in Umuahia.

Mr Ogbonna, a superintendent of police, said the gunmen attacked the station around 12.10 a.m., with explosives.

He said some operatives who were deployed to reinforce security at the station tried to repel the assailants.

In the process, we lost two of our men, he said, pointing out that the number of the attackers was yet to be ascertained.

A resident of the area said the midnight attack caused panic in the community.

We were asleep when suddenly we began to hear serious gunshots.

Everybody in my house was woken up by the sound and then came an explosion, followed by fire, the resident said.

Gunmen have recently carried out similar attacks on police stations in Aba, Isialangwa, Uzuakoli and Nkporo.

They have also attacked the offices of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and Independent National Electoral Commission in Ohafia.

Meanwhile, police said no arrest has been made but that full investigations were ongoing to get the perpetrators of the attacks.

Police officers and other security officials have remained the targets of deadly attacks in the countrys South-east and South-south regions.

(NAN)
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Governors of the 13 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled states are currently meeting at the International Conference Centre of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Oyo State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 13 governors are: Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue state, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.

Others are: Umar Fintiri of Adamawa, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Godwin Obaseki of Edo. the host governor Seyi Makinde and the deputy governor of Zamfara state  Aliyu Gusau who represented Governor Bello Matawalle.

It is expected that Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba and Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River would join others as the meeting progresses.

The governors, who arrived the conference centre at exactly 1:10 p.m. in a coaster bus, went into a closed door session.

Feelers from the venue revealed that the gathering of the governors was centered on the security challenges across the country.

The meeting, which is being presided over by the chairperson of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state, will also discuss issues relating to the progress of the party.

It is expected that a communique will be issued at the end of the meeting.

(NAN)
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A former board member of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Binta Garba, has accused the suspended NPA managing director, Hadiza Usman, of mismanaging the agencys finances.

Ms Masi, a former senator who represented Adamawa North Senatorial District between 2015 and 2019, claimed in a statement Sunday said she was unjustly removed as a NPA board member after she raised concerns about the discrepancies.

Ms Usman has denied the allegations, calling them spurious and improved.

Apart from the fact that Senator Binta Garba really said nothing substantial, making only spurious, unproved allegations in the statement she issued on Sunday, she also gave herself away as coming to the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) to lend herself to the agency of destabilisation rather than contribute to its development, she said.

Ms Usman was suspended last week by President Muhammadu Buhari based on a request from the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

The minister clashed with Ms Usman over contracts and alleged the NPA failed to make due payments to the federation account.

The president has authorised an independent audit of the accounts and remittances of the agency.

In her statement, Ms Garba said, I noted discrepancies, I raised observations, I asked questions but I was completely ignored and disregarded. Answers were never provided, until my removal was plotted.

She accused Ms Usman of removing some board members board without the permission of the supervising ministry.

I was appointed into the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) sometime in March 2020. In January 2021, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe and I were removed from the board and our removal was clearly orchestrated by the now suspended Managing Director (MD) of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, she said.

Before my removal, I was not comfortable with the way the board and authority were run. I consistently expressed my discomfort and displeasure with the way the MD was running the place and this, I have no iota of doubt in my mind (this) made her to orchestrate my removal from the board. Note, I was removed without the knowledge of the supervising ministry/Minister of Transportation, which was very uncommon.

She said her observations were more about the financial statements of NPA, and that she worried that if Ms Usman continued that way, there would certainly be trouble and her sudden removal would be inevitable.

She said, scrutinising the financial reports of the NPA is a very critical and very important aspect of my role and function as a member of its board, appointed by the president. I was not ready to abdicate that core responsibility. For me, my board membership of NPA, like every other public office I have held, was a call to serve my country and I was prepared to give it my all. But the suspended MD felt offended by my observations, questions, spotting obvious inconsistencies and acted like someone with a lot to hide. Answers were not forthcoming and, when they did, were less than satisfactory.

According to Ms Garba, she approached Mr Amaechi as she was no longer interested in being on the agencys board.

Instead of making amends, the suspended MDs next move was to go against the NPA Act by designing my removal from the board, she alleged.

Usman Responds

But Ms Usman in a statement on Monday said since 2016, the NPA has been transparent with all its activities. She mentioned steps taken by the agency to show its readiness for accountability.

She listed some of those steps as, Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Budgit Open Budget System Platform and Implementation of a Public Data Dissemination programme. Publishing the tariff regime of the Authority on the website for the whole world to see in line with the vision of transparency and accountability. Conducting the statutory Audit of the backlog of Authoritys financial statements for 2013-2016 and presenting same for approval and submission to the appropriate quarters.

Others are, Engaging international renowned auditing firms for the audit of NPAs financial statements up until 2019 with full compliance to all Nigerian laws and the International Financial Reporting Standards. The 2020 financial statement is currently being audited.

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Engaging international renowned auditing firms for the audit of NPAs financial statements up until 2019 with full compliance to all Nigerian laws and the International Financial Reporting Standards. The 2020 financial statement is currently being audited.

Ms Usman said: When the Auditors presented the financial statement to the finance committee of which she was a member, did she seek clarifications on areas that seemed opaqued or suspicious? If she did what happened? If she was not satisfied with the answers provided by the Auditors, why did she not consider withholding assent to the statement? Why did she not formally document her discontent? Why did she not issue a minority opinion on the statement, instead of now speaking after the fact?

All said and done, while I concede to Senator Binta Garbas right to whatever opinion she desires concerning our relationship when she was a board member, I remind her that those who allow themselves to be used to malign innocent people have their own days of reckoning waiting for them, she said.
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The Office of the Vice President says permutations around the 2023 presidential race are a distraction as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has not declared interest to contest.

Laolu Akande, spokesperson to Mr Osinbajo, said in a statement on Monday in Abuja that the Office of the Vice President had no connection with an online attempt to rally support for him (Osinbajo).

The attention of the Office of the Vice President has been drawn to a website: supportosinbajo.ng that is calling on Nigerians to join a volunteer group mobilising support for Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Details of this website and the solicitation of the group are currently trending on WhatsApp with a suggestion that Osinbajo has quietly declared interest in the 2023 election.

The Office of the Vice President is not in any way connected to this website or the group behind it and considers such an enterprise an unnecessary distraction.

Osinbajo has not declared any interest whatsoever in the 2023 election; but he is rather focused on working in his capacity as vice president in the current administration to address all the compelling issues in the country and concerns of Nigerians, including finding effective and lasting solutions to the security challenges.

Therefore, we ask that people desist from such unhelpful permutations while we all deal together with the challenges confronting us as Nigerians, and resolve them for the benefit of our people, peace, and prosperity in the land.

Mr Osinbajo was the running mate of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.

He had served as attorney general and commissioner for justice in the administration of former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, who is reputed to be his political ally.

There are indications that Mr Tinubu is warming up to run for president in 2023, though he is yet to confirm it.

(NAN)
The scheduled hearing in the money laundering case against a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, failed to hold on Monday due to the ongoing nationwide strike by judiciary workers.

The strike embarked upon by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) will be seven weeks old on Tuesday.

The case against Ms Alison-Madueke, who is believed to be in the United Kingdom (U.K.), last came up before Ijeoma Ojukwu, the trial judge at the Federal High Court in Abuja, on March 3.

Without anticipating the JUSUN strike would start on April 6, Mrs Ojukwu had adjourned the matter till May 17 (Monday) for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to appear and report on its effort to have the former minister extradited to Nigeria to face her charges.

The adjournment was the latest in the series of postponements the case has been suffering due to the absence of the former minister who is believed to have escaped to the U.K. shortly after leaving office in May 2015.

Background

EFCC had alleged that the former minister escaped to the U.K. shortly after the end of her tenure as minister in May 2015.

She served as the petroleum minister superintending over the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) during the administration of the former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The commission alleged that she fled after she got wind of the plan to charge her with various offences of corruption allegedly perpetrated by her and her allies while she presided over the Nigerian plum petroleum sector under Mr Jonathans administration.

On November 11, 2018, the commission filed 13 counts of money laundering charges against her before Mrs Ojukwu.

The former official was accused of, among other charges, unlawfully taking into her possession, $39.7 million and N3.32 billion when she reasonably ought to have known that the money formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activities.

She was also accused of purchasing choice landed assets with the alleged proceeds of fraud using different fronts as the owners.

Summons

Following an application by the EFCC, the court on July 24, 2020, issued a summons on Mrs Alison-Madueke to appear in court for arraignment.

The judge also ordered that the summons be advertised in a newspaper.

But despite that, the former minister refused to return to Nigeria to face the charges.

The commission, therefore, on October 28, 2020, urged the court to issue a warrant of arrest against the former minister.

But the judge refused the request, saying the summons she issued on July 24, 2020, ought to be sufficient for the commission to process the former ministers extradition to Nigeria to face her trial.

She then adjourned the matter till December 3 for EFCC to report on its efforts to bring the former minister to Nigeria.

On December 3, EFCCs prosecuting counsel, Farouk Abdullah, appeared before the judge pleading for more time to enable the anti-graft agency to enforce the court summons against Ms Alison-Madueke.

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The judge then adjourned till March 3, 2021 for possible arraignment of the defendant.

She further adjourned till May 17 due to the absence of the defendant from the March 3, 2021 proceedings.

Case against ex-minister not abandoned

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, recently assured that the case against the former minister had not been abandoned.

We are looking forward to the time when we will, maybe, have her in the country, and of course review things and see what will happen going forward. The case has certainly not been abandoned, Mr Bawa said.

While trying to have her extradited to Nigeria to face her trial, the anti-graft agency has been able to secure several court orders for the forfeiture of assets linked to her.

Mr Bawa said the commission had recovered $153 million and over 80 properties from the former minister.

There are several cases surrounding that. As you may have read, I was part of that investigation, and we have done quite a lot. In one of the cases, we recovered $153 million; we have secured the final forfeiture of over 80 properties in Nigeria valued at about $80million.

We have done quite a bit on that. The other cases as it relates to the $115 million INEC bribery as the media has sensationalised it, is also ongoing across the federation.
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Following repeated sea incursion at Ayetoro coastal community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, residents of the community staged a protest on Monday in Akure.

The protesters accused the state government of neglect.

Armed with placards of various inscriptions, the protesters said over 2000 people had been displaced and over 200 houses destroyed in the community.

For the past two years, we observed that NDDC has been up and doing in every other part of Ondo State but the mandated community, the oil-bearing community upon which it was established at the first instance is suffering untold hardship, the Moderator of Ilaje Advancement Forum, Daodu Juwon, said.

The commission has not been able to conduct any project but we observed that it has been up and doing as far as Akoko-North to implement projects in areas where they have never any economic impact or ecological disaster arising from oil exploration activities and we find this as the highest act of injustice on the people of Ilaje

We find out that the continuous peace and harmonious existence of Ilaje people have been taking for granted, we observed that the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on NNDC and Niger Delta Affairs has not done anything to assuage the sufferings of Ayetoro people that has been hard hit by perennial ocean attack.

We call upon our representative, Hon. Kolade Akinjo, to stop playing dumb in this instance. We expect that he should be up and doing beyond purchasing the JAMB form which is the job of a counselor. He should rise up to his responsibilities and hold contractors into account Mr Juwon was quoted by Nigerian Tribune.

The traditional ruler of the town, Olorunnimbe Ojagbohun, described the situation as devastating.

Half of the residential places has been swept away. Places that used to be buildings are now places where fishermen fish. We have lost count of houses.

It is devastation, many people have been rendered homeless and many have become refugees in their own community. We have nowhere to go, 98 percent of my people are fishermen, I want to appeal to the Federal Government, state government and well-meaning Nigerians to come to our aid, the monarch lamented.

The state Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo, did not answer PREMIUM TIMES calls and text messages seeking his comments on the matter.

This newspaper in November 2020, reported how over 2,000 people were displaced and 200 houses were destroyed in ocean surge in the community.

Before then, an investigation published in August 2020 exposed how the rise in sea level has led to repeated floods in the community, claiming many homes, a cemetery and the iconic worship centre of the town.

Our report revealed that a N6.4 billion shore protection project aimed at rescuing the community from ocean surge was awarded by the NDDC 16 years ago but nothing had been done.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has raised concerns over insufficient funds to procure arms for the countrys armed forces.

He lamented that 91 per cent of the budget for the military is for recurrent expenditure, leaving a meagre nine percent for equipment.

Mr Gbajabiamila stated this at the public hearing on A Bill to establish the Armed Forces Support Trust Fund, on Monday in Abuja.

I am sure many of you will wonder why the armed forces of Nigeria need an additional financial injection at this time, the speaker said.

The fact-based on appropriation records is that about 91 per cent of the current funding to the armed forces go on recurrent overhead, salaries and welfare, leaving only nine per cent for capital purchases.

He added that Nigeria was at war, and could not depend on the budgetary process to fight the ongoing war.

Nigeria is at war against insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping and all manner of insecurity hence the need to uplift the resources available to our armed services to enable them to procure the best tools to help win this war. So, what we seek to do in this bill is not new or unique to us as a nation, he said.

The bill, sponsored by Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), who is also the chairman of the House committee on defence, was passed for second reading on February 27.

According to the proposed legislation, the armed forces support fund will comprise one per cent of funds in the federation account, 0.5 per cent of the profit of investments made by the National Sovereign Wealth Fund, 0.5 per cent of Value Added Tax (VAT) remitted into the Consolidated Account.

The bill also states that One per cent of air ticket contract, charter and cargo sales charges to be collected by the airlines is to be sent to the fund.

Speaking at the hearing, Mr Benson said Nigeria ranked very low in terms of defence spending and that developed countries like the United States, Russia, United Kingdom and Poland have alternative sources of funding for defence.

He explained with $2.6 billion defence spending, Nigerian ranked fourth in Africa after Algeria, Morocco and South Africa which spent $9.7 billion, $4.8 billion and $3.1 billion, respectively.

Recurring issue

Equipping the Nigerian military has been a recurring issue.

In 2018, the withdrawal of $462 million from Excess Crude Account for procurement of 12 super Tucano aircraft caused friction between President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly.

However, despite the investments, there have been reports of armed forces personnel at war fronts lacking equipment to prosecute the war against insurgents and bandits.

In March, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, said funds for procurement of equipment under the immediate past service chiefs were missing.

..Funds are missing and the equipment is nowhere to be found, Mr Monguno said.

Mr Monguno later denied the statement, claiming he was misquoted.

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PREMIUMTIMES had in an analysis detailed the potential spread of insurgents to other parts of the country despite pronouncements by the Buhari administration of technically defeating the groups.
A defiant Kaduna State government has said the five-day warning strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), which began on Monday, will not distract it from its plan to rightsize the civil service of the state.

The state government dismissed the strike and street protests as an attempt by labour union leaders to sabotage its policy but said the first day of the strike has not affected the operations of the government.

The states Head of Service, Baraatu Mohammed, said this to journalists in Kaduna during a brief state executive council meeting on Monday.

Mrs Mohammed said the state government will not rescind the decison to sack civil servants that are not needed in the state.

She said the NLC strike and protest were an attempt to sabotage the policy of the government, vowing ,however, that the government will not be distracted.

What is happening in Kaduna is not an industrial action but a campaign of social and economic sabotage.

Kaduna State government is functioning despite the illegal attempt to block our offices, hospitals and schools. The schools are opened, our offices are opened, the hospitals are opened.

NLC are aware that inflicting pains on citizens by locking hospitals and shutting down electricity will not change the decision of Kaduna State government to rightsize and will not change our intention to use the Trade Union Act which prohibits strike by extension service workers.

Mrs Mohammed also said she received the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in hear office Monday morning who told the government they will not be part of the NLC strike.

The TUC met with us today and we had a fruitful discussion. It was a good discussion. They also promised us they will not be party to the NLC strike in the state.

NLC Strike

The five-day warning strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Kaduna State kicked off Monday morning, with officials of the union picketing government ministries and parastatals and denying civil servants access to the state secretariat.

Civil servants, in their hundreds, stood at the gate of the state secretariat on the popular Independence Way on Monday morning after union officials picketed the facility.

The NLC had called on all unions to join the warning strike it called to force the state government to rescind its plan to sack many civil servants and rightsize the states bureaucracy.

They marched from the state secretariat to the state House of Assembly complex before retiring at the Labour office in Kaduna.

However, the state government has described the action of the NLC as illegal and urged residents of the state to remain calm.

Muyiwa Adekeye, the spokesperson to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said in a statement that the conditions that compelled its decision to rightsize have not been altered by the NLCs campaign of economic and social sabotage.

KDSG remains firmly committed to using all the resources it can generate to serve the interests of the majority of its citizens, putting the many ahead of the few. The unlawful actions and reckless statements that define the NLCs assault on the rights of the people of Kaduna State, are a needless exercise in futility.

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Desperate actions undertaken by the NLC today include unlawful trespass on government facilities, and attempts to prevent officers from signing attendance registers.

Despite these actions, the state government has guaranteed access to the State Secretariat and other government offices. KDSG intends to continue running its operations in the service to the people, despite the futile efforts of the NLC to impede it.

The State Executive Council also held its regular weekly meeting to discuss policy matters germane to the progress of the state and the welfare of its people.

In addition to shutting down electricity, the NLC has also shut healthcare access for several of our citizens. They have closed several hospitals and chased away the patients. General hospitals in Kawo, Tudun-Wada, Kafanchan, Giwa, Rigasa, Kakuri and Sabon Tasha were illegally locked.

They also shut rural hospitals and primary health centres in Kwoi, Turunku and other locations across the state. Preventing patients from receiving treatment in public health facilities certainly does not qualify as a pro-people action.

The State Government is documenting all these violations of the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Trade Union Act. The government shares the pain of the people of Kaduna State amidst the avalanche of unlawful conduct by the NLC and appeals to all residents to remain calm and vigilant. It should be obvious that the resort to coercion and imposition of restraints on the personal freedom and comfort of citizens confirm that this is a campaign of sabotage, not an industrial action.

KDSG welcomes the visit by the leaders of the Trade Union Congress who met with our Head of Service, Bariatu Y. Mohammed, this morning. Hajiya Bariatu commended the constructive attitude of the TUC delegation led by Barrister Musa Lawal, its Secretary-General. The Head of Service also disclosed that all officers from GL 14 upwards are expected at their duty posts as usual.
The deplorable state of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway is a shame to the entire nation, Babatunde Adeyemi, Bishop, Diocese of Anglican Communion, Cathedral Church of St. Thomas, Badagry, Lagos, said on Monday.

Mr Adeyemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry that the expressway had become a deathtrap to the people plying the road.

When we saw the rehabilitation of the expressway between Igbo-Elerin junction and Agbara axis, we were happy thinking that the rehabilitation would get to Badagry.

But we were wrong. The rehabilitation stopped at Agbara.

Nothing is going on as of today between Agbara and Oko-Afo, while the pace of work between Oko-Afo and Ibereko is so slow. Only God knows when the work would be completed, he said.

The Bishop appealed to the Lagos State and Federal governments to help cover the potholes during the rainy season.

This will allow the users enjoy a little respite, he said.

Mr Adeyemi said the residents of Badagry had suffered so much neglect from successive governments of Lagos State as if the town was not part of the state.

The suffering of our people on Badagry Expressway is compounded by the number of checkpoints mounted by various security operatives which have become a lucrative source of pecuniary gains to officers.

They target various bad portions of the road and where that is not done they put used tyres and block the good parts of the road.

One could count as many as 30 checkpoints between Ibiye and Seme, yet their presence did not stop smugglers and robbers from operating without hindrance.

We appeal to the government at all levels to ameliorate our peoples suffering by rehabilitating the expressway in good time.

Badagry is a foremost gateway to Nigeria and the deplorable state of the expressway is a shame to the entire nation, he said.

NAN reports that on April 4, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, assured that the ongoing Lagos-Badagry Expressway rehabilitation/reconstruction project was not forgotten but on the 2021 Sukuk funding priority list.

Mr Fashola gave the assurance in Lagos during an inspection tour of road projects in the state.

He said major drainage works were ongoing and progressing to upgrade the highway from its old status to ensure durable construction, saying that funding challenges were being resolved.

Lagos-Badagry Expressway is the real challenge. Again it is funding.

We are owing the contractor. That is why I said if we can expand the Sukuk this year, we are going to look at a few more roads to add to it.

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If we succeed Lagos-Badagry Expressway is one of the top roads we are pencilling down for the Sukuk in 2021.

If that happens, then the contractor will do his work but I think it is important to help us communicate to the people who use that axis that they are not forgotten.

Work has started. There was a time when there was no contractor there, so, there is now a contractor, Mr Fashola said.

(NAN)
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Students of tertiary institutions in Ekiti State held a peaceful protest against cultism in Ado-Ekiti on Monday.

The protest was held under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Students/Joint Campus Committee (NANS/JCC).

Students of the Ekiti State University; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti; and those other affiliated schools were in attendance.

Dubbed Walk Against Cultism, the protest started at the popular Old Garage in Ado-Ekiti through Okeyinmi Area to Fajuyi Park, where the Chairman of NANS/JCC, Ekiti Axis, Felix Olanrewaju, addressed the students.

Mr Olanrewaju expressed regret at the carnage unleashed on some campuses by cult groups, especially the gruesome murder of six youths in Ikere- Ekiti, on April 18 during a cult clash.

The chairman said that NANS was battle-ready to stop the shedding of innocent blood on campuses and to restore sanity into the system.

Joining cultism seems to be a good option for some Nigerian students, but any student whose mindset is configured to achieving goals will shun that path, Mr Olanrewaju said.

He added that cultism has never been a good choice and that it adds no value to life but rather reduces the cultists quality of life.

The chairman stressed that one of the major disasters that should be avoided in a students life is cultism.

The consequences of cultism include threat to peace on campuses and society, sexual harassment like rape and all sorts of sexual crimes, incessant killings, drug abuse, kidnapping and all sorts of violence.

We are informing our parents to advise their children and we are giving students adequate information needed to desist from this ungodly groups that can truncate their lives at the prime, he said.

Today, NANS/JCC walks against the shedding of blood, brutal killings, sexual harassment and all sorts of violence, Mr Olanrewaju added.

In his remarks, General Secretary in the axis, Sikiru Aderibigbe, said the peaceful protest was part of NANS mandate to adding value to the lives of Ekiti students and to those of campuses.

We invite all Nigerian students in Ekiti State to join NANS to tackle and defeat cultism. Together we shall put an end to cultists brutality, the secretary said.

(NAN)
Some concerned members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State on Monday met with a party leader, Olabode George, and pleaded with him to help save the party.

The party members included former aspirants and candidates to the Houses of Assembly and Representatives. The meeting held in Mr Georges home in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Lagos State PDP is bleeding and we believe you will lead us right and get us out of this bondage, Lucy Otu, from Ibeju-Lekki, said.

The members said they have approached Mr George ahead of the elections because he has the capacity to save the party and Lagos state from the opposition party after 25 years of reign.

The PDP has not won the governorship seat in Lagos State since 1999. They have fared better in the parliamentary elections, winning several seats in both the state House of Assembly and the House of Representatives in 2015.

In the 2019 general election, however, they failed to win a single seat in the state assembly and won one in the House of Representatives.

Mr George, who was served as the partys deputy national chairman, south, is not known for winning his polling unit on election days.

We are grateful that despite the intimidation, the deep pocket, the commitment of funding, the bastardisation of the treasury of the state, you are still consistent, Adamoh-Faniyan Gbenga, a party member from Lagos Island, said at Mondays meeting.

We know that many that were with you from the beginning have left to the opposition party, but you remain consistent.

Response

Reacting to the concerns of the party members, Mr George said he would double his support for them in the coming elections.

Our representatives, I must thank you for your steadfastness, loyalty, and commitment to the party. The way the party was managed even during the primaries, despite all that, what you have done is part of your commitment.

Some persons have jumped ship, but you were never afraid, you stood your ground and followed your conscience and for me, there is no other measure to be a proud member than what you people did.

You were doing it because you believe that is the right thing to do and that is why PDP in the South-west today is getting back to normalcy. If not they would have sold the party, Mr George said.

The party leader assured the members that there would be a change in the political affairs of Lagos State in the coming elections.

When somebody said the party is bleeding, you are right. Where is the discipline?

I have a promise for you, personally for me remember I supported you, now I will double the support. There will be competition, anybody who wants to come out and compete with you, let them come out, he said.

Corruption and insecurity

Mr George also spoke on the level of corruption in Lagos State and the insecurity ravaging different parts of the state.

Although Mr George did not mention any name, he said the treasury of Lagos is being looted by those in power.

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Is this what Nigerians voted for, for this hardship, no direction, and somebody senselessly and openly stealing from the treasury of our state.

You went out supposedly campaigning for people to trust you, that you will manage the resources of the state for their benefit. Has he managed the resources for their benefits or for himself, his wife and his family? Is that what politics is all about? he said.

PREMIUM TIMES recently reported how since last year, the chairmanship of the PDP in Lagos has been a subject of litigation between two claimants, Adegbola Dominic and Deji Doherty.

While Mr George, is behind Mr Dominic, the national leadership of the party recognises Mr Doherty.
Muskellunge, a prized sportfish, are known as the fish of a thousand casts because of the difficulty many anglers have in catching them. Their movements and behaviors are shrouded in mystery, but a multiagency team of researchers is using state-of-the-art technology to reveal patterns of mus
When twelve Longwood police officers responded to the scene at around 3:26 p.m., Anderson was bleeding from the wound on his right hand, according to the report. When officers asked about the knife jutting out from Wests chest, they said Anderson laughed.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn on Saturday afternoon to show solidarity with Palestinians. The protest, organized by Palestinian Youth Movement, was held to commemorate 73 years since the Nakba, meaning catastrophe, in which Palestinians were expelled from their land following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

The event comes as the Israeli Supreme Court approved the evictions of Palestinian families living in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah earlier this month, which led to confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters. Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, followed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas responding by launching rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. The Israeli Air Force in turn launched ongoing airstrikes on Gaza leading to heavy civilian casualties.

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Speakers from various groups spoke passionately to the diverse group about what they called Israeli occupation and U.S. imperialism. After about half a dozen speakers, the crowd marched through residential neighborhoods in east Dearborn, as well as onto Michigan Avenue and Ford Road.

Free, Free, Palestine!, From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!, and Intifada!, were among slogans chanted by the crowd.

My grandfather was displaced in 1967 and thats how my family ended up here, said speaker Sahar Faraj of the Palestinian Youth Movement Detroit chapter. Today is May 15th, and 73 years ago, our people suffered the catastrophe. For those who dont know the history, the day of the Nakba was a day of bloodshed, rampage, and taking of Arab-Palestinian land, people, and resources. Through imperialism, Zionism colonized Palestine. The Nakba is not an event- its ongoing, its incremental, its pragmatic, its intentional.

Since 1948 and the wars following, Palestinians have joined other Arabs in immigrating to Dearborn. Some protesters could be seen waving flags of Yemen, Egypt, Iraq and other countries to show solidarity as Arab-Americans.

As people in living in the Arab diaspora, the effects of occupation are intimate, said Yara Beydoun of the Yemeni Liberation Movement. Occupation is not isolated. Our comrades in Palestine are facing violence and ethnic displacement from their land. Residents of Sheikh Jarrah are standing their ground and refuse to give up the homes where they have lived for generations, as military forces have escalated the situation. This would not be happening if the U.S. was not supporting these atrocities through financial backing and foreign aid.

Protesters carried signs calling for an end to apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and colonialism, many criticizing the more than $3 billion in military aid the U.S. sends to Israel annually.

Dearborn resident and Palestinian-American Tarek Bawardi attended the event, and said he is motivated by his family history to protest and spread awareness about Palestine whenever possible. Bawardi said he didnt know the gravity of the situation until the first time he visited Palestine.

The first time I visited I was about 6 or 7, sitting in the Israeli checkpoints and being told about the purpose they serve, he said. It feels like my duty to attend these events. I have the privilege as a U.S. citizen to make a difference. If I have a car and two moving legs, I should be coming out to protests like these to show my support for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Bawardi says he worries the situation could worsen for his family in Palestine.

My grandmother lives in the Shuafat neighborhood in East Jerusalem, which is safe from whats happening in Sheikh Jarrah right now, he said. Thankfully there are no evictions there currently, and the area is much less disputed for now. Thats what the protest surrounding Sheikh Jarrah is all about. We know it opens doors for further dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank.

Sign up for our daily morning newsletter Click here and then look to the right side for the sign up to the morning newsletter for The News Herald, and you can get the top headlines de

A similar but larger protest was held in Dearborn on Sunday, where thousands of people gathered and marched down Michigan Avenue.

Similar protests have sprung up in communities with large Middle Eastern populations across the world in recent weeks.

Israel at Seventy-three: Years of Conflict and Dispossession The birth of the state of Israel is seen by Israel supporters as a miracle. For the Palestinians, it was not a miracle. It was a Nakba, a cata

AHRC condemns Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem, calls for United Nations protection The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing Israeli suppression of civilian Palestinian protester

Man refills cash card with fake $100 bills A man filled one $250 card, and attempted to refill another with six fake $100 bills during a May 6 transaction at CVS, 2701 S. Telegraph Road.
ATLANTA, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, May 15, Clark Atlanta University received a total of $5 million in gifts and donations at its 2021 Commencement ceremonies. This day was a historic day for Clark Atlanta University as it's the first time in the institution's history that such donations were made in one day in addition to the university hosting two commencement ceremonies in a single day.

CAU received:

$3 million from the Tucker, GA based House of Cheatham to support the Robert H, "Bob "Bell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development.

from the based House of Cheatham to support the Robert H, "Bob "Bell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development. $1 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in support of the Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University . The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is an organization established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. The initiatives areas of focus include Science, Education, and Justice Opportunities.

from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in support of the Executive Leadership Institute at . The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is an organization established by Facebook founder and his wife to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. The initiatives areas of focus include Science, Education, and Justice Opportunities. $1 million from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation to establish the NCBCP Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. Southern Civic Engagement, Leadership & Social Justice Institute and Southern Regional Office at Clark Atlanta University .

"I am elated that our beloved Clark Atlanta University has been selected to be the recipient of these major gifts. Major funds like this will help CAU provide greater opportunities to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs, social justice advocates and civic leaders, and game changers in higher education," said Clark Atlanta University President George T. French Jr., Ph.D.

This year, Clark Atlanta University's Commencement Ceremonies were extremely unique in that the university conducted two graduation ceremonies on the same day. President French and the CAU administration delivered on its promise to the Class of 2020 to hold an on-ground celebration for the class who was unable to have a commencement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class of 2020's ceremony was held at 8:00 a.m. and the guest speaker was politician, attorney and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams.

Attorney, politician and political commentator Bakari Sellers, addressed the Class of 2021 during the 3:00 p.m. ceremony.

"We wanted to give our students the opportunity to walk across the stage, receive their diplomas and be recognized for their hard work in a traditional ceremony, it is a pivotal moment in their lives," said President French. "They have earned the right to experience that moment surrounded by their classmates, family and friends."

Guest speaker Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, who served as the Ga. House of Representatives Minority Leader from 2011 to 2017. In 2018, she launched Fair Fight Action, a national voting rights organization rooted in Georgia.

Sellers made history in 2006 as the youngest African-American elected official in the nation by winning a seat in the South Carolina State Legislature at age 22. Sellers, a CNN commentator and host of the Bakari Sellers Podcast, has been recognized as one of Time Magazine's 40 Under 40 and made "The Root 100" list of the most influential African-Americans.

"As an HBCU graduate myself, I can distinctly recall the pride and excitement I felt when I graduated," said Sellers. "I hope to share a sense of optimism with these remarkable students as we honor their great accomplishments and look ahead to their bright futures."

President French recognizes the importance of having two Black leaders who have profoundly affected American politics and civil rights.

"Our goal at Clark Atlanta University is to prepare our students to be globally competitive and to be successful contributors and trailblazers in their respective fields of study," said French. "Hearing from Ms. Abrams and Mr. Sellers -- two leaders who have already made a difference themselves -- is a fitting way to send our students off fully prepared to take on the world."

About Clark Atlanta University

Established in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark Atlanta University continues a more than 150-year legacy rooted in African-American tradition and focused on the future. Through global innovation, transformative educational experiences, and high-value engagement. CAU cultivates lifted lives that transform the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu .

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1341200/CAU_Logo.jpg

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www.cau.edu



SOURCE Clark Atlanta University
Chief Executive Officer of 247 Group, Reg Rix, welcomed the announcement of the deal, saying: "As a Group we continue to go from strength to strength serving customers efficiently through increasingly digital channels, our data-driven ecosystem, and the wider marketplace to provide first class car financing solutions. We are committed to driving innovation within the industry precipitating from our consumer-centric, digital first approach, and this securitisation propels 247 Money into a new league; availing us in the delivery of more options to more consumers. This has been a great effort by the team and our continued thanks goes to NatWest for their support over the years."

Since launching in 2018, 247 Money has become an innovative non-bank lender specialising in Hire Purchase contracts for used vehicles across the UK. It is a part of the 247 Group, which includes CarFinance 247, the UK's leading online car finance marketplace.

The 247 Group's mission and purpose is to help people improve their everyday lives. This additional funding will not only provide a springboard into an exciting new phase for 247 Money and the Group overall, but will also support the Group's mission of saying "yes" to more of the consumers who apply through the CarFinance 247 marketplace each day.

Commenting on the transaction, the Chief Financial Officer of 247 Group, David Miller, said: "Consumer demand for finance has been strong as the UK emerges from the pandemic and this securitisation is a significant step-change for the business. As a Group we have a long-standing relationship with NatWest and we also welcome the funding support of East Lodge Capital, the dedicated resources of EY's Corporate Finance Team, and Ashurst LLP's support as legal counsel."

About 247 Group

Founded by brothers Reg and Louis Rix, 247 Group operates in the United Kingdom through a number of consumer-facing brands including 247 Money and CarFinance 247.

Founded in 2018, 247 Money is a fast-growing car finance provider that leverages its data science capabilities and industry-leading technology to put consumers in control of their finance options. The highly skilled team is dedicated to providing a personalised service that supports consumers with open and honest communication throughout the loan life cycle.

CarFinance 247 is the UK's leading online car finance marketplace. The business has a laser-like focus on enhancing the digital consumer experience and has integrated with a panel of lenders to find the best rate for consumers nationwide. To date, CarFinance 247 has helped over 200,000 people find and finance their perfect vehicle, with the company employing over 450 industry professionals in Manchester.

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SOURCE 247 Money
"I am elated that our beloved Clark Atlanta University has been selected to be the recipient of these major gifts." - George T. French Jr., Ph.D. Tweet this

$3 million from the Tucker, GA based House of Cheatham to support the Robert H, "Bob "Bell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development.

from the based House of Cheatham to support the Robert H, "Bob "Bell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development. $1 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in support of the Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University . The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is an organization established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. The initiatives areas of focus include Science, Education, and Justice Opportunities.

from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in support of the Executive Leadership Institute at . The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is an organization established by Facebook founder and his wife to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. The initiatives areas of focus include Science, Education, and Justice Opportunities. $1 million from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation to establish the NCBCP Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. Southern Civic Engagement, Leadership & Social Justice Institute and Southern Regional Office at Clark Atlanta University .

"I am elated that our beloved Clark Atlanta University has been selected to be the recipient of these major gifts. Major funds like this will help CAU provide greater opportunities to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs, social justice advocates and civic leaders, and game changers in higher education," said Clark Atlanta University President George T. French Jr., Ph.D.

This year, Clark Atlanta University's Commencement Ceremonies were extremely unique in that the university conducted two graduation ceremonies on the same day. President French and the CAU administration delivered on its promise to the Class of 2020 to hold an on-ground celebration for the class who was unable to have a commencement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class of 2020's ceremony was held at 8:00 a.m. and the guest speaker was politician, attorney and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams.

Attorney, politician and political commentator Bakari Sellers, addressed the Class of 2021 during the 3:00 p.m. ceremony.

"We wanted to give our students the opportunity to walk across the stage, receive their diplomas and be recognized for their hard work in a traditional ceremony, it is a pivotal moment in their lives," said President French. "They have earned the right to experience that moment surrounded by their classmates, family and friends."

Guest speaker Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, who served as the Ga. House of Representatives Minority Leader from 2011 to 2017. In 2018, she launched Fair Fight Action, a national voting rights organization rooted in Georgia.

Sellers made history in 2006 as the youngest African-American elected official in the nation by winning a seat in the South Carolina State Legislature at age 22. Sellers, a CNN commentator and host of the Bakari Sellers Podcast, has been recognized as one of Time Magazine's 40 Under 40 and made "The Root 100" list of the most influential African-Americans.

"As an HBCU graduate myself, I can distinctly recall the pride and excitement I felt when I graduated," said Sellers. "I hope to share a sense of optimism with these remarkable students as we honor their great accomplishments and look ahead to their bright futures."

President French recognizes the importance of having two Black leaders who have profoundly affected American politics and civil rights.

"Our goal at Clark Atlanta University is to prepare our students to be globally competitive and to be successful contributors and trailblazers in their respective fields of study," said French. "Hearing from Ms. Abrams and Mr. Sellers -- two leaders who have already made a difference themselves -- is a fitting way to send our students off fully prepared to take on the world."

About Clark Atlanta University

Established in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark Atlanta University continues a more than 150-year legacy rooted in African-American tradition and focused on the future. Through global innovation, transformative educational experiences, and high-value engagement. CAU cultivates lifted lives that transform the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu .

SOURCE Clark Atlanta University

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www.cau.edu


SHANGHAI, May 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AffaMed Therapeutics ("AffaMed"), a global clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to addressing critical unmet medical needs in ophthalmic, neurological and psychiatric disorders, today announced the appointment of Vijay Karwal as Chief Financial Officer. Reporting to AffaMed's CEO Dr. Dayao Zhao, Mr. Karwal will be responsible for all aspects of financial management and will work closely with AffaMed's leadership team to support the company's advancement into a leading biopharmaceuticals company.

"We are extremely pleased to have Vijay join AffaMed at this critical juncture in our development," said Dr. Zhao, CEO of AffaMed. "His extensive global experience and track record in executing financial transactions and advising on corporate strategy in both operating and investment banking roles will be invaluable in supporting AffaMed as we enter our next phase of growth. We look forward to welcoming Vijay to the team."

Based in Hong Kong, Mr. Karwal joins AffaMed from Nomura International where he served as Managing Director and Head of Healthcare Investment Banking for the Asia (ex-Japan) region. Prior to Nomura, he was Chief Development Officer, Asia Pacific, as well as General Manager of China operations for DaVita Inc., the international provider of kidney care services. Mr. Karwal previously held several senior investment banking roles globally, including as Asia Pacific Head of Consumer, Retail & Healthcare coverage at RBS, and as Head of Healthcare Banking in North America at ABN AMRO. Throughout his 25-year career he has been involved in a wide variety of advisory and financing transactions in the healthcare sector globally. A native of the Netherlands, Mr. Karwal was educated at the University of Southampton, UK, and the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, holds a M.Sc. in Economics, and is also a CFA charterholder.

Vijay Karwal commented, "Since its inception in 2019, AffaMed has built an exceptional global platform to develop innovative therapeutics and solutions to serve patients in Greater China and worldwide. Under the leadership of Dr. Zhao and with the strong support of its shareholders, the company has assembled world-class capabilities in clinical development, regulatory affairs and business development. Joining AffaMed is an exciting opportunity to work with a highly committed and professional team to deliver transformational medicines addressing significant unmet and under-served needs in patients with ophthalmic, neurological and psychiatric disorders. I look forward to contributing to AffaMed's growth and helping the team advance their strategic and financial objectives."

In March 2021, AffaMed announced the successful completion of over US$170 million in series B financing. The company also recently announced it has entered into an agreement with SIFI S.p.A, a leading international ophthalmic company, to establish a Joint Venture to develop, manufacture and commercialize premium innovative intraocular lenses (IOLs) in the Greater China market, including Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong.

About AffaMed Therapeutics

AffaMed Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products that address critical unmet medical needs in ophthalmic, neurological and psychological disorders for patients in Greater China and around the world. The leadership team of AffaMed Therapeutics has gained deep industry expertise and an extensive track record in high-quality clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development and commercial operations at leading multi-national pharmaceutical companies in China and globally. AffaMed Therapeutics was founded and funded by the CBC Group in 2019.

SOURCE AffaMed Therapeutics
STAMFORD, Conn., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aircastle Limited ("Aircastle") announced today that it has delivered an Embraer E195-E2 aircraft to KLM Cityhopper. The aircraft is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney GTF Model PW1921G engines. This is the second of fifteen E195-E2 aircraft that Aircastle will deliver to KLM through 2024. The aircraft was delivered from Embraer's Sao Jose dos Campos facility in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

About Aircastle Limited

Aircastle Limited acquires, leases, and sells commercial jet aircraft to airlines throughout the world. As of February 28, 2021, Aircastle owned and managed on behalf of its joint ventures 261 aircraft leased to 75 customers located in 43 countries.

Contact:

Aircastle Advisor LLC

Frank Constantinople, SVP Investor Relations

Tel: +1-203-504-1063

[email protected]

SOURCE Aircastle Limited

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DENVER, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE: AR) ("Antero Resources") announced today that, subject to market conditions, it intends to offer $500 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2030 (the "Notes") in a private placement to eligible purchasers.

Antero Resources intends to use the net proceeds from the offering and borrowings under its revolving credit facility to fund the previously announced redemption of its 5.625% senior notes due 2023 (the "2023 Notes") outstanding on June 1, 2021 at par plus accrued interest. The offering of the Notes is not contingent upon the completion of such redemption.

The Notes to be offered have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes will be offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of, the Notes or any other securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful. This press release shall not constitute a notice of redemption of the 2023 Notes.

Antero Resources is an independent natural gas and natural gas liquids company engaged in the acquisition, development and production of unconventional properties located in the Appalachian Basin in West Virginia and Ohio. In conjunction with its affiliate, Antero Midstream (NYSE: AM), Antero is one of the most integrated natural gas producers in the U.S.

This release includes "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are not under Antero Resources' control. All statements, except for statements of historical fact, made in this release regarding activities, events or developments Antero Resources expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as statements regarding the proposed offering and the intended use of proceeds, including to fund the redemption of all 2023 Notes, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Although Antero Resources believes that the plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there is no assurance that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. Therefore, actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied or forecast in such statements. Except as required by law, Antero Resources expressly disclaims any obligation to and does not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Antero Resources cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties, incident to the exploration for and development, production, gathering and sale of natural gas, NGLs and oil most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Antero Resources' control. These risks include, but are not limited to, commodity price volatility, inflation, lack of availability of drilling and production equipment and services, environmental risks, drilling and other operating risks, regulatory changes, the uncertainty inherent in estimating natural gas and oil reserves and in projecting future rates of production, cash flows and access to capital, the timing of development expenditures, impacts of world health events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the other risks described under the heading "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Antero Resources' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in its subsequently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

SOURCE Antero Resources Corporation

Related Links

http://www.anteroresources.com


LARKSPUR, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aulos Bioscience, a biotechnology company developing highly differentiated interleukin-2 (IL-2)-binding monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics against solid tumors, announced today that Leo Redmond will join the company as chief financial officer. Redmond brings to Aulos nearly three decades of financial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He will be based in the company's new headquarters in Larkspur, California.

"We are pleased to welcome Leo to Aulos at a time when we are rapidly building out our operations in California, preparing to start our first human trial of AU-007, planning our next fundraising scenarios, and defining the corporate strategy. Leo is a wonderful addition to our leadership team. His knowledge and expertise in leading all aspects of financial management for both private and public biopharma companies is a great fit for us as we navigate through our next phases of growth," said Aron Knickerbocker, chief executive officer of Aulos.

Redmond most recently was chief financial officer for Allakos, a publicly-held antibody therapeutics company, where he played a key role in secondary stock offerings that closed in August 2019 and November 2020 for $402.5 million and $287.5 million, respectively. Beyond his leadership of the finance team, he also successfully led company-wide projects for Allakos in information systems and human resources. Prior to Allakos, Redmond was president, chief financial officer and secretary of Presidio Pharmaceuticals from 2013 to 2019 and was CFO and secretary from 2008 to 2013; he has also served as a member of Presidio's board of directors since 2011. At Genentech from 1992 to 2007, Redmond was senior director of finance from 2000 to 2007 and CFO and secretary for the Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences from 2004 to 2007. Before joining Genentech, he held various financial roles at the GTE Corporation. Redmond earned a BS in accounting and business administration from the University of Kansas and an MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

"I believe Aulos has tremendous potential to deliver a novel approach to IL-2 that could be a life-changing option for people with cancer, and I'm excited to join the team to help realize that potential," Redmond said.

Aulos was created in late 2020 by ATP, a leading life sciences venture capital firm, and Biolojic Design, the Tel Aviv-based computational antibody design company that designed the Aulos lead asset, AU-007.

About Aulos Bioscience

Aulos Bioscience, an ATP company, is dedicated to revolutionizing patient care in cancer with highly differentiated immuno-oncology therapeutics. Aulos is initially developing unique IL-2 targeting antibodies that it believes have the potential to become best-in-class treatments for solid tumors. The company's lead candidate is AU-007, a computationally designed, fully human antibody that is highly selective to the CD25-binding portion of IL-2. With a mechanism of action unlike any other IL-2 therapeutic in development, AU-007 reinforces anti-tumor immune effects at the site of endogenous IL-2 release by preventing the negative feedback to T regulatory cells, biasing towards immune activation over suppression. For more information, visit aulosbio.com.

Contact: [email protected]

Media inquiries: [email protected]

SOURCE Aulos Bioscience, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.aulosbio.com


STOCKHOLM, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bambuser today announced the acquisition of Relatable, a global marketing technology company, for approximately $24 million. The purchase will bring together significant core competencies and proprietary technologies for Live Video Shopping and creative influencer marketing campaigns, which will better enable brands and retailers to scale high-impact livestream shopping implementations and drive business results.

The acquisition of Relatable, whose proprietary technology facilitates searching for and booking influencers for creator marketing initiatives, follows a year of remarkable growth for Bambuser and widespread adoption of the company's SaaS solutions for interactive e-commerce. The two companies will operate and service customers independently, yet collaboratively. Relatable founder Martin Garbarczyk will join Bambuser's executive team as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), contributing his extensive experience building high-performing sales organizations to further accelerate Bambuser's global growth.

To date, both Relatable and Bambuser have partnered with hundreds of brands from around the world, including shared customers like Samsung, Ted Baker and Klarna.

"By joining forces with Relatable, we increase our market pole position with an unrivaled SaaS offering that clearly differentiates us from the competition," said Maryam Ghahremani, CEO of Bambuser.

The acquisition will add significant value to Bambuser and its shareholders by accelerating SaaS revenues and improving customer lifetime value. In addition, the acquisition will add key talent to predominantly Bambuser's global sales teams.

"Bambuser and Relatable are a match made in heaven. I'm excited to build a global sales organization that leverages the enormous market demand and fuels growth to our SaaS business," said Martin Garbarczyk, founder of Relatable and newly appointed CRO at Bambuser.

As a first step in the new relationship, Bambuser will add creative and strategic services from Relatable to its customers, enabling them to amplify campaigns before, during and after Live Video Shopping events. Teams will be co-located in Sweden, the U.S. and U.K., where each company has an established presence, to enhance synergies and drive opportunities for cross- and upselling.

Contact information

Sherry Smith

Corporate Communications

Bambuser AB

+46 8 400 160 00

[email protected]

Certified Adviser

Erik Penser Bank AB

+46 8 463 83 00

[email protected]

About Bambuser AB

Bambuser is a software company specializing in interactive live video streaming. The company's primary product, Live Video Shopping, is a cloud-based software solution that is used by customers such as global e-commerce and retail businesses to host live shopping experiences on websites, mobile apps and social media. Bambuser was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters in Stockholm.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bambuser/r/bambuser-acquires-martech-company-relatable-to-create-a-powerhouse-platform-for-livestream-social-co,c3347539

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/15749/3347539/1417876.pdf Release https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/martin-garbarczyk,c2913198 Martin Garbarczyk https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/maryam-ghahremani,c2913199 Maryam Ghahremani https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/maryam-ghahremani---martin-garbarczyk,c2913200 Maryam Ghahremani & Martin Garbarczyk

SOURCE Bambuser
FORT MYERS, Fla., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Women's specialty retailer Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS) (the "Company") will host a conference call with security analysts on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 beginning at 8:00 a.m. ET to review the operating results for the first quarter ended May 1, 2021.

The conference call is being webcast live over the Internet, which you may access in the Investors section of the Company's corporate website, www.chicosfas.com. A replay of the webcast will remain available online for one year at http://chicosfas.com/investors/events-and-presentations.

The phone number for the call is 1-877-883-0383. International callers should use 1-412-902-6506. The Elite Entry number, 9636050, is required to join the conference call. Interested participants should call 10-15 minutes prior to the 8:00 a.m. start to be placed in queue.

ABOUT CHICO'S FAS, INC .

Chico's FAS is a Florida-based fashion company founded in 1983 on Sanibel Island, Fla. The Company reinvented the fashion retail experience by creating fashion communities anchored by our Most Amazing Personal Service, which put the customer at the center of everything we do. As one of the leading fashion retailers in North America, Chico's FAS is a company of three unique brands  Chico's, White House Black Market and Soma  each thriving in their own white space, founded by women, led by women, providing solutions that millions of women say give them confidence and joy.

Our Company has a passion for fashion, and each day, we provide clothing, shoes and accessories, intimate apparel and expert styling in our brick-and-mortar boutiques, digital online boutiques and through Style Connect, the Company's proprietary digital styling tool that enables customers to conveniently shop wherever, whenever and however they prefer.

As of January 30, 2021, the Company operated 1,302 stores in the U.S. and sold merchandise through 68 international franchise locations in Mexico and 2 domestic franchise airport locations. The Company's merchandise also is available at www.chicos.com, www.chicosofftherack.com, www.whbm.com and www.soma.com as well as through third-party channels.

To learn more about Chico's FAS, visit www.chicosfas.com. The information on our corporate website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this press release or incorporated into our federal securities law filings.

Investor Relations Contact:

Tom Filandro

ICR, Inc.

(646) 2771235

[email protected]

Chico's FAS, Inc.  11215 Metro Parkway  Fort Myers, Florida 33966  (239) 277-6200

SOURCE Chico's FAS, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.chicos.com


Parts of Greenland may be on the verge of tipping: New early-warning signals detected

Scientists have detected new early-warning signals indicating that the central-western part of the Greenland Ice Sheet may undergo a critical transition relatively soon. Because of rising temperatures, a new study by researchers from Germany and Norway shows, the destabilization of the ice sheet has begun and the process of melting may escalate already at limited warming levels. A tipping of the ice sheet would substantially increase long-term global sea level rise.

"We have found evidence that the central-western part of the Greenland ice sheet has been destabilizing and is now close to a critical transition," explains lead author Niklas Boers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Free University, Berlin, Germany. "Our results suggest there will be substantially enhanced melting in the future - which is quite worrying."

A key mechanism determining the overall stability of the Greenland ice sheet is the melt-elevation feedback. Essentially, increasing temperatures causes melting, which reduces the ice sheet's height. On a mountain, it's cold on top and less cold at the bottom. Hence, as the ice sheet's surface is melting, it sinks into lower, warmer surrounding air - which in turn leads to accelerated melting and additional height loss - a vicious circle. "This mechanism is long known, and it is one of the prime suspects for the detected destabilization of the central-western parts of the Greenland ice sheet. But we cannot exclude that other feedbacks, for example related to the albedo of the ice sheet, play an important role too," Boers explains.

Unsettling warning signs

For their analysis Boers and his co-author Martin Rypdal from the Arctic University of Norway factored in sea-level temperatures from weather stations, melt intensities from ice cores in central-west Greenland, as well as corresponding computer model simulations - and found unsettling early warning signs in the fluctuations of ice sheet heights, suggesting that a tipping of this part of the ice sheet is approaching. "The warning signs are caused by characteristic changes in the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet, which reflect how well the ice sheet can resist against and recover from disruptions", Rypdal explains.

According to previous model results the melting of Greenland Ice Sheet is inevitable beyond a critical global mean temperature brink ranging from 0.8 to 3.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Once this threshold is crossed, the whole ice sheet could melt entirely over hundreds or thousands of years, potentially leading to a global sea-level rise of more than 7 meters and a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is responsible for the relative warmth in Europe and North America. But in addition to several positive feedbacks that accelerate melting, there exist negative feedbacks that might stabilize the Greenland ice sheet at intermediate heights levels, mostly via increasing accumulation. "We urgently need to better understand the interplay of the different positive and negative feedback mechanisms that determine the current stability and the future evolution of the ice sheet", says Boers.

The future of the ice sheet is uncertain

The study suggests that at least in the central-western part of the Greenland ice sheet a critical temperature threshold is close. Yet how this affects the ice sheet as a whole remains unclear: "Given the signs we detect in ice cores from the central-western part, we have to increase our efforts to gather more observation and to increase our understanding of the mechanisms at play, for more reliable estimates of the future evolution of the Greenland ice sheet," says Rypdal. "The main problem is the so-called hysteresis," Boers continues. "Regardless of the precise interplay of the different feedbacks, we would have to considerably reduce temperatures below pre-industrial to get back to the ice sheet height levels of the last centuries. So practically, the current and near-future mass loss will be largely irreversible. That's why it is high time we rapidly and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and re-stabilize the ice sheet and our climate."

###

Article: Niklas Boers & Martin Rypdal (2021): Critical slowing down suggests that the western Greenland ice sheet is close to a tipping point. PNAS. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024192118.

This story has been published on: 2021-05-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Members of a militia opposed to the coup by the Myanmar military on Sunday pulled back into the jungle of western Myanmar following days of fighting with the army, as the United States and Britain condemned military violence against civilians.

Mindat, a city of about 40,000 people in the western Chin state of Myanmar, has become a hotspot for the civilian movement against the military government, which seized power in a coup Feb. 1.

Some Mindat residents have formed the Chinland Defense Force (CDF), which said in a statement Sunday that six of its members had been killed by the junta. After three weeks of fighting, the army has battled local people. But fighters pulled back after days of assaults by army combat troops backed by artillery.

Some security forces were killed, and others were reported missing after attacks in Mindat, Myawaddy television, which is controlled by the army, said Saturday. The BBC reported that some of the Mindat population is believed to have fled, while others are trapped in the town.
The teens got into the cab when the driver pulled up but one of them asked the driver to stop after a short distance, claiming the need to retrieve a cellphone.
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite a global shutdown, CLOUDSUFI, a fast-growing AI product and services firm, announced it has more than tripled its growth over the past year, outpacing projections.

The impressive growth is attributed to the addition of several key hires, and the launch of a product roadmap that includes a portfolio of products that will offer the health and life sciences revolutionary tools to collect, analyze and monetize data.

CLOUDSUFI

"CLOUDSUFI is performing far beyond my expectations," said Irfan Khan, the company's President and CEO. "That's a testament to the outstanding team, a very loyal customer base and creative thinkers who are working extremely hard to transform the enterprise data landscape. Our values - passion, integrity, empathy, and boldness - played an important role in crystallizing the company's culture."

The new suite of products is grounded on Khan's core philosophy that CLOUDSUFI wants to "eliminate the gap" between "human intuition" and "data-backed decisions." SufiBrain, which is the foundation for its solutions, offers a health and life sciences specific analytics platform. SufiDox is a solution that accurately parses unstructured data to a structured data set. SufiTouchAssist will seamlessly enable pre and post-visit patient engagement to improve outcomes. SufiContactAI will leverage AI/ML to customize responses to customer needs. NerveAI will help improve a hospital workflow by utilizing AI drive command center.

"Our product roadmap represents how CLOUDSUFI is going beyond offering just off-the-shelf solutions," says Yuva Athur, CLOUDSUFI's Chief Technology Officer. "We have developed industry-specific products that are designed to help companies in the health and life sciences sector become more efficient and respond better to patients."

Athur, who previously worked at SAP for over two decades holding several leadership positions, explained that CLOUDSUFI has "embarked on a modernization of enterprises on the emerging complex hybrid cloud platforms." As CLOUDSUFI's Chief Technology Officer, Athur said the company takes a holistic view, ranging from infrastructure modernization to leveraging cloud platforms for creating next-generation platforms for enterprises.

Dipti Patel, CLOUDSUFI's Chief Data Officer, and an experienced data and analytics expert added, "Data is growing at an astonishing rate. Health and life sciences businesses have been at the center of this global pandemic. Companies within this sector are looking for ways to figure out what to do with all the data they've collected. The features we've developed within SufiBrain are designed to arm these leaders with smart, adaptable applications."

Patel, who was previously the Chief Data Officer at Vituity, says that data is key to CLOUDSUFI. "My role is to strategize about how we can leverage data to bring relevance and meaning to all who use our solutions," she said. "Now, more than ever, we are seeing widespread innovation and integration of data science in various industries - healthcare, finance, manufacturing, marketing, and cyber-security. CLOUDSUFI has assembled a stellar team and I am eager to work with them to build and deploy innovative products."

Zeba Vakil, CLOUDSUFI's Chief Operating Officer, and CFO said the company is positioned for continued growth. "We have a hands-on leadership team, specialists in their fields," said Vakil, who has held executive leadership roles at GE Capital, Genpact, Bank of America, and KPMG and has spent the last four years as a successful entrepreneur and serial investor in early-stage companies in fintech. "We're continuing to create products that will enable our customers to monetize their data."

For interviews with the executive team, contact Neil Foote, [email protected], 214-448-3765. Visit CLOUDSUFI.com to learn more about the company.

Related Images

cloudsufi-logo.jpg

CLOUDSUFI Logo

SOURCE CLOUDSUFI
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CSIOS Corporation announced today that Vice President (VP) of Cyberspace Operations, Mr. Clinton Hackney, was honored by Cyber Defense Magazine with the 2021 Cybersecurity Strategist of the Year Global Infosec Award.

This year, the Global InfoSec Awards ceremony was held virtually during the RSA Conference 2021. This is Cyber Defense Magazine's 9th year honoring the most innovative and valuable cyber defense companies from around the globe.

CSIOS VP Cyberspace Operations

"I am humbled and honored to be part of and to receive this award on behalf of the CSIOS family," said Clinton Hackney, VP of Cyberspace Operations at CSIOS Corporation. Mr. Hackney added, "I would like to congratulate all winners and participants; I also would like to thank everyone who participated, mentored, judged, and supported this prestigious event."

CSIOS was also recognized with 3 additional Global Infosec Awards including: "Hot Company in Continuous Improvement and Optimization Services," "Publisher's Choice in Defensive Cyberspace Operations Team of the Year," and "Chief Executive Officer of the Year." The latter award was presented to CSIOS President and CEO, Mr. Cesar Pie.

Details about the InfoSec Awards and the list of 2021 winners are available at www.cyberdefenseawards.com.

More Information:

For information regarding this news release, please contact: [email protected]

Related Images

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Mr. Clinton Hackney

CSIOS VP Cyberspace Operations

SOURCE CSIOS Corporation
Transaction provides Curaleaf one of the largest outdoor cannabis cultivation facilities in the U.S.

Highly efficient outdoor grow capabilities enhance Curaleaf's presence in multi-billion dollar Colorado cannabis market; builds on strategy of constructing low-cost supply chains that will be critical with eventual interstate commerce

WAKEFIELD, Mass., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA /OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf" or the "Company"), a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis, today signed definitive documents to acquire the Los Suenos Farms and its related entities ("Los Suenos"), the largest outdoor grow in Colorado. This will significantly expand Curaleaf's Colorado presence, vertically integrating in the state with large-scale outdoor cannabis cultivation. The proposed transaction includes three Pueblo, Colorado outdoor cannabis grow facilities covering 66 acres of cultivation capacity, including land, equipment and licensed operating entities, an 1,800 plant indoor grow and two retail cannabis dispensary locations serving adult use customers.

Total base consideration for the proposed acquisition is approximately $49 million for the Los Suenos operating companies and $18 million for the real estate and farm assets. Total consideration of $67 million to be paid 61% in Curaleaf subordinate voting shares, 29% in cash at closing, and 10% in assumed debt maturing in five years. Additional contingent consideration of up to $8 million in stock will be paid based upon operating cash flow-based targets for 2022.

Boris Jordan, Executive Chairman of Curaleaf, stated, "The acquisition of Los Suenos provides Curaleaf with outdoor cannabis cultivation expertise at commercial scale and establishes our foothold in the $2.2 billion Colorado market. This deal furthers our strategy of constructing low-cost supply chains that will secure healthy margins and position us for interstate commerce when it comes. Ultimately, our goal is to cultivate cannabis at less than $100 per pound, and this acquisition is a significant step in the right direction."

Today's announcement complements Curaleaf's existing Colorado presence through its Select brand. Select is known as America's #1 cannabis oil brand, with a variety of best-in-class cannabis products distributed to nearly 2,000 locations across 18 states.

Joseph Bayern, CEO of Curaleaf, commented, "The acquisition of Los Suenos will add over 50,000 pounds per year of low-cost wholesale capacity to Curaleaf's footprint in Colorado, which we intend to double to over 100,000 pounds, representing a significant market share. As the largest producer of biomass in the state, this facility will also fuel the further deployment of our Select product line, which can already be found in 230 independent dispensaries in the state."

The proposed transaction has been unanimously approved by the Curaleaf board of directors and is expected to close upon regulatory approvals.

About Curaleaf Holdings

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the Company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 106 dispensaries, 23 cultivation sites and over 30 processing sites, and employs over 4,800 team members. Curaleaf International, is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe with a unique supply and distribution network throughout the European market, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information, please visit https://ir.curaleaf.com .

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or, "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning the proposed acquisition of Los Suenos Farms and its related entities. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed April 28, 2021, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

Investor Contact:

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Carlos Madrazo, SVP Head of IR & Capital Markets

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.curaleaf.com


BOSTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In advance of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) May 20th, global technology strategy advisory company FrancesWestCo highlights the United Nations' recent release of "Leave No One Offline", the first primer on engaging companies on digital accessibility. The primer includes interviews with several leading global organizations during the height of the pandemic and reveals key gaps in visibility for digital accessibility despite accelerated momentum to embrace inclusion during the pandemic. Its timely release just prior to GAAD shines a light on the organization's focus on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people with disabilities around the world.

Initiated by the United Nations' International Labour Organization's (ILO) Global Business and Disability Network, "Leave No One Offline" is co-authored by both Frances West, founder of global technology strategy advisory company FrancesWestCo, and Kathleen Delgado, FWC's strategy director. Frances West is the former Chief Accessibility Officer for IBM, and author of "Authentic Inclusion Drives Disruptive Innovation," her timely, actionable book on digital inclusion.

Most of the organizations interviewed reported that while there is strong momentum to embrace diversity and inclusion among senior leadership, digital accessibility has not gained similar exposure, and is viewed often times as a compliance initiative. More importantly, despite the rising tide of global disability awareness and the convergence of the social justice movement and pandemic disruption, accessibility is still not proactively considered part of most company's overall digital transformation strategy.

"'Leave No One Offline' is not only a business-critical primer on the attitudes and status of corporate digital accessibility awareness, it is most definitely a call to action here in the US and around the world to eliminate barriers in technology," said Frances West, a pioneer in creating transformational initiatives for the next normal. She added, "It is imperative that our leaders recognize that authentic inclusion must encompass all people. Only when decision making is top-down can companies truly implement digital inclusion, which enriches both employee and customer experiences, and also creates genuine disruptive innovation because of diversity."

Stefan Tromel, Senior Disability Specialist at the United Nations' International Labour Organization in Geneva, added, "The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalization, one of the megatrends of the Future of Work, highlighting digital accessibility as a key prerequisite for inclusion of persons with disabilities in the modern workplace. With this impactful guide, the ILO Global Business and Disability Network aims to support enterprises in benefitting from digitally accessible work environments."

This primer leveraged the Authentic Inclusion in Action Framework developed by FrancesWestCo which aims to help leaders view digital inclusion from a transformation perspective and to help line management operationalize digital inclusion in measurable, sustainable and scalable ways. "Leave No One Offline" was made possible by participation from the global organizations including Accenture, Merck, Repsol, Standard Chartered Bank and Zain.

On May 19th, in observance of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, ILO will host an international webinar with Frances West presenting key insights and recommendations covered in the primer, along with Stephen Framil, Merck, and Yves Veulliet, IBM. Live captioning and International Sign interpretation will be provided. Register for webinar.

ABOUT FRANCES WEST

Frances West is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, advisor, and technology executive known globally for her work in digital inclusion, emerging markets and organizational transformation. An innovator for inclusion on a global scale, she works with industry, government, startups and nonprofits to ensure that human diversity is at the core of disruptive innovation. She has recently joined the board of directors at 3PlayMedia, the country's leading video services captioning company. www.franceswest.co

If interested in additional information about "Leave No One Offline" or to interview Frances West, please contact Robin Reibel. [email protected]

MEDIA FACT SHEET

United Nation International Labour Organization's

Leave No One Offline primer

What is the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Leave No One Offline Primer?

The primer reveals the insights of interviews conducted with global organizations during the pandemic on their journey, readiness, obstacles and best practices of implementing accessibility. Organizations included Merck, Standard Charter Bank, Repsol and Zain.

What is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GADD)

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is an awareness day focusing on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people with disabilities and impairments. It is marked annually on the third Thursday of May. This year is May 20th, 2021 and has a series of events and activities.

What is the primer's purpose?

The primer provides strategic recommendations and a roadmap on how to begin, scale and sustain accessibility for businesses and organizations.

Who should read this primer?

C-suite and senior executive leaders in various business functions such as Marketing, Sales, Technology, Product Development, Procurement, Legal and HR.

Why is this relevant?

Beyond providing access to people with disabilities or excluding 25% of customers or employees, the primer and topic of digital accessibility are also about a profitable path forward to a more diverse and inclusive workplace and marketplace.

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility is about making websites, mobile apps, and marketing content available to all people (whether they have a disability or not). Without a design for accessibility, a large segment of the global population, who could be customers and employees, will be excluded.

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, paving the way for accessible public spaces. A similar set of guidelines regulates the accessibility of websites and online documents. Accessibility benefits everyone as is serves more than just those who require assistive technologies to browse the web, it makes everyone's experience clearer, easier, and much richer.

Who is the ILO The Global Business Disability Network?

The Global Business Disability Network is the world's leading multinational companies working with the ILO  the United Nations agency for the world of work  to the benefit of business, persons with disabilities and economies and communities worldwide.

What is FrancesWestCo?

A global advisory company working with public, private and non-profit organizations including start-ups to operationalize inclusion as a core business imperative to drive disruptive innovation. Founded by Frances West, who was commissioned by ILO ad co-authored the primer along with Kathleen Delgado, FWC's Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Who Is Frances West?

Frances West is an internationally recognized thought leader, speaker, advisor, and technology executive known globally for her work in digital inclusion, emerging markets, and organizational transformation.

An innovator for inclusion on a global scale, she works with industry, government, startups, and nonprofits to operationalize digital inclusion as a business and technology imperative and ensure that diversity is at the core of disruptive innovation. A trail-blazing Asian American woman in tech pioneer, Frances' human-first thinking is rooted in her experience as a first-generation immigrant from Asia who rose to the C-suite at IBM. She is the author of "Authentic Inclusion Drives Disruptive innovation" and founder of FrancesWestCo, a global technology strategy advisory company.

SOURCE FrancesWestCo
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Forward Networks, the industry leader in network assurance and intent-based verification, today announced that it has been named a manufacturer on the Information Technology Enterprise Solutions  Software 2 (ITES-SW2) contract for the U.S. Army Computer Hardware Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS). This contract is held by Carahsoft Technology Corp. , The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, and is effective through August 30, 2025.

ITES-SW2 is a firm-fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract vehicle for commercial off-the-shelf software products and related services and hardware. The contract has no fees, and ordering is open to all Army, DoD, and Federal agencies and authorized systems integrators on a worldwide basis. Under this contract, Carahsoft provides software, software maintenance, and ancillary services from Forward Networks to support Federal agencies' enterprise software needs.

"We are honored to help the U.S. Army and other Federal Government agencies with their enterprise network management software needs with the goal of modernizing their networks to best enable and support the mission," said Zack Zimmerman, Director Federal Sales "The addition of Forward Enterprise on the ITES-SW2 contract will allow the U.S. Army and other Federal Government agencies to create software replicas (Digital Twins) of their network to analyze its entire behavior. This unique approach empowers network and security operators and engineers to quickly visualize and search complex networks, debug configuration problems, verify network-wide policy implementations, and predict network behavior prior to deploying changes."

The Forward Networks platform helps Army, DoD, and Federal Government customers make their networks more predictable, agile, and secure by creating an always accurate digital twin of the network. Based on years of Ph.D. and business research, the Forward Networks platform runs on a mathematical model that can map every possible traffic path in the network, deliver a complete device index including configuration and state information and predict how changes will impact the network before they are pushed live. Customers using the platform report saving hundreds of hours per week on troubleshooting, significantly reducing network outages and saving millions of dollars annually.

Security teams appreciate the comprehensive visibility the Forward Networks platform delivers. The verification functionality provides an always-on audit to ensure the network is behaving in accordance with security policies. Should an incident occur, the diff application within the platform allows security analysts to determine when the network was compromised, what change created the incident, and identify all affected hosts. The Forward Networks platform can be deployed as an on-premises solution or as SaaS.

Forward Networks software, software maintenance, and ancillary services are available through Carahsoft's ITES-SW2 Contract W52P1J-20-D-0042. For procurement information, contact Carahsoft's ITES-SW2 contract team at (703) 871-8681 or [email protected] ; or visit Carahsoft's dedicated ITES-SW2 contract resource center . To learn more about Forward Networks offerings under ITES-SW2, contact Forward Networks or Zack Zimmerman [email protected].

About Forward Networks

Forward Networks is revolutionizing the way large networks are managed. Forward's advanced software delivers a "digital twin" of the network, enabling network operators to verify intent, predict network behavior, and simplify network management. The platform supports devices from all major networking vendors and AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

Forward Networks was founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D. graduates and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Investors include Goldman Sachs, Andreessen Horowitz, Threshold Ventures, and A. Capital. For more information visit Forward Networks Federal Solutions .

SOURCE Forward Networks

Related Links

https://forwardnetworks.com/


ICHIKIKUSHIKINO, Japan, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hamada Syuzou Co., Ltd. proudly presents DAIYAME 40 (40% ABV), an addition to its multi-award winning DAIYAME series of imo (potato) shochu (distilled spirits). Shipments will start from July 2021. With punchy notes of lychee reminiscent of wines from the Alsace region, the super-versatile and multi-functional DAIYAME 40 is a type of spirit like nothing anyone has ever tasted before. DAIYAME 40 is the new must-have cocktail ingredient designed for bartenders, mixologists, and spirits lovers around the world.

- The Story Behind DAIYAME 40's Development

DAIYAME is a type of "honkaku shochu," Japan's single-distilled indigenous spirit, made with Satsuma-imo (sweet potato). The first product in the series, DAIYAME 25 (25% ABV), was launched in September 2018 to celebrate the company's 150th anniversary. The secret behind DAIYAME's unique lychee aroma is Hamada Syuzou's innovative koujuku (literally "aroma-amplifying") method. Satsuma-imo with amplified aroma (koujuku-imo), black koji (rice inoculated with black koji mould) and pristine water from Kagoshima Prefecture's Shirasu Daichi (pyroclastic plateau) is fermented into a mash, matured and then distilled once at low temperature. Finally, it is chill-filtered to extract and further enhance the aromas from the raw ingredients. DAIYAME 40 is DAIYAME 25 designed for a global audience with a richer aroma and flavor profile that is super-easy to use in cocktails.

In 2019, DAIYAME 25 scooped the top prize in the shochu distilled spirits category at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London before going on to win double gold at the International Spirits Challenge in 2020.

DAIYAME 40 (700ml)

ABV: 40%

Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M104785/202105124733/_prw_PI1fl_TP1bMB0i.jpg

- Shipments will commence to U.S., Europe and Asia, etc. from July 2021

With a bouquet of gorgeous, punchy lychee aromas, a firm structure and clean finish, DAIYAME provides the perfect flavor profile for creative cocktail making. DAIYAME also offers endless food-pairing possibilities. It pairs particularly well with French cuisine, Italian pasta and pizza, dishes seasoned with Mexican spices, BBQ, and tempura.

The bottle shape is inspired by the classic rocks glass, and black is a representative color of Kagoshima: the black armor that local heroic samurai warrior Yoshihiro Shimazu wore into battle, kurojoka (black kettle) and the black koji used to make this shochu.

The word "DAIYAME" is Kagoshima dialect for an evening drink following a day's hard work. The name embodies the distillery's desire to promote the local culture and traditions and establish honkaku shochu as a global spirit.

Visit this link for recommended cocktail recipes:

DAIYAME 40 Brand site: https://www.hamadasyuzou.co.jp/global/en/daiyame40/

- Gold Standard in Quality Assurance

Hamada Syuzou is constantly striving to deliver products more safely and securely and in 2018, its main production facility obtained FSSC 22000 certification, the gold standard for food safety management systems, the first shochu production facility in Kagoshima to do so.

Visit this link for FSSC22000: https://www.hamadasyuzou.co.jp/en/denzouin

- Protecting the Environment

At the main facility, Denzouin-gura, biogas from methane fermentation of lees is used as fuel in boilers and in fertilizer and live-stock feed. Furthermore, the company is cutting its energy emissions at a rate of 1% a year by switching to LED bulbs and from oil to LNG. The company also installed low-energy steaming equipment which consumes 40% less energy at the steaming stage than conventional apparatus.

- The Topography and Shochu of Kagoshima

Located in the southern part of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is an archipelago of several islands with a climate ranging from temperate to subtropical and average temperatures of 19 C, the perfect topography for growing high-quality agricultural products. The prefecture's proximity to volcanoes means that half the land is covered in ash and pyroclastic plateaus such as the Shirasu Daichi which spans almost half of the prefecture. Water flowing through the plateau is naturally filtered by the ash, providing some of the clearest water in Japan. Distilleries have been producing shochu here for over 500 years and received the "Satsuma Shochu" geographical indication from the WTO, joining the likes of Scotch Whiskey and Bordeaux Wine.

Satsuma Shochu Mark: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M104785/202105124733/_prw_PI6fl_KPN8cZ0z.jpg

Map: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M104785/202105124733/_prw_PI7fl_JHDG4F8U.jpg

- About the Distillery

Established in 1868, Hamada Syuzou is currently comprised of three production facilities: Denbee-gura, Denzouin-gura and Kinzan-gura, each representing a pillar of the company's shochu-production ethos: tradition, innovation, and heritage, respectively. Its production is not just honoring traditional flavor profiles but exploring new possibilities and constantly challenging the frontiers of production of Japan's traditional indigenous spirit.

Denbee-gura: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M104785/202105124733/_prw_PI3fl_3Z6F5GBZ.jpg

Denzouin-gura: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M104785/202105124733/_prw_PI4fl_aLn9QLWI.jpg

Kinzan-gura: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M104785/202105124733/_prw_PI5fl_Y3E2Grr5.jpg

Visit this link for Hamada Syuzou: https://www.hamadasyuzou.co.jp/en/business

SOURCE Hamada Syuzou Co., Ltd.
DUBLIN, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Hostels Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report focuses on the hostels market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the hostels market which will be shaping and changing our lives over the next ten years and beyond, including the market's response to the challenge of the global pandemic.



Major players in the hostels market are Hostelworld, Hostelling International, Green Tortoise Hostel, London Backpackers, Newquay Backpackers, Canada Hostels, WOKSEN, Cloudbeds, A&O Hotels and Hostels and OPERA Property Management System (PMS).



The global hostels market is expected to grow from $4.37 billion in 2020 to $5.2 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19%.

The growth is mainly due to the companies resuming their operations and adapting to the new normal while recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges.

The market is expected to reach $5.99 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 4%.



The hostels market consists of sales of hostels and related services. A hostel can be described as a kind of budget-friendly shared accommodation that has a common area. Hostels typically have dorm-style rooms for travelers, but private rooms and hotel-like facilities are also available nowadays. Hostels prefer to concentrate on building a sociable atmosphere and are much less costly than a hotel.



Misconceptions held by the population is the major factor restraining the hostels market. There are many misconceptions held about hostels globally, that often lead to people create a negative opinion on them. Generally, people assume hostels are only for young people, some feel that the hostels are unhygienic, and they're not safe. In addition, people who had bad experience in hostels have generalized the notion for all the hostels and refrain from using them. Such misconceptions limit the growth of the hostels market.



The introduction of hybrid hostels is a key trend in the hostels market. To satisfy young urban professional travelers, hybrid hostels combines the affordability and sociability of dorm-accommodation with the upscale facilities of traditional hotels.

For instance, Stay Hybrid Hostel is centrally located in Thessaloniki, near the Ladadika and Valaoritou areas. Every room at Stay Hybrid Hostel is air-conditioned, with exclusive music references. They offer personal rooms with personal facilities, tables for beds, a small desk, a wardrobe and a flat-screen TV.



The increased spending by millennials (aged 18-35) to travel is a key factor driving the growth of the hostels market. Due to low cost, good value, experience-based accommodation, convenient places, and opportunities to meet other travelers' millennials are opting hostels. More than 70% of hostel travelers are millennials, of whom 15% have spent the last 12 months in a hostel.

In the USA, 85% of millennial hostel travelers have taken a foreign trip in the past 12 months-compared to just 33% of all the USA leisure travelers. The hostel industry has seen strong growth driven by millennial travelers (aged 18-35) looking to spend more money on longer trips and see the world as much as possible.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Hostels Market Characteristics



3. Hostels Market Trends and Strategies



4. Impact of COVID-19 on Hostels



5. Hostels Market Size and Growth

5.1. Global Hostels Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion

5.1.1. Drivers of the Market

5.1.2. Restraints on The Market

5.2. Global Hostels Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

5.2.1. Drivers of the Market

5.2.2. Restraints on the Market



6. Hostels Market Segmentation

6.1. Global Hostels Market, Segmentation By Type, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Students

Workers

Others

6.2. Global Hostels Market, Segmentation By Price Point, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Economy

Mid-Range

Luxury

6.3. Global Hostels Market, Segmentation By Mode of Booking, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Online Bookings

Direct Bookings

Others

7. Hostels Market Regional and Country Analysis

7.1. Global Hostels Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

7.2. Global Hostels Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Companies Mentioned

Hostelworld

Hostelling International

Green Tortoise Hostel

London Backpackers

Newquay Backpackers

Canada Hostels

WOKSEN

Cloudbeds

A&O Hotels and Hostels

OPERA Property Management System (PMS)

Hotelogix PMS

Maestro PMS

MSI CloudPM

Frontdesk Anywhere

Rezlynx PMS

RoomMaster

Safestay plc

eZee Frontdesk

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/it56xq

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (GuideWell) today announced that Rasesh "Sesh" Thakkar has been named to the company's board of directors. Thakkar currently serves as Senior Managing Director of Tavistock Group where he has served for more than 25 years.

Thakkar's exceptional international business career spans several continents and multiple industries, including life sciences, financial services and real estate and leisure services. His areas of expertise include mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning and operations, and executive management.

He is regarded as one of the main visionaries behind Orlando's Lake Nona Medical City, a premier location for medical care, research and education and home to several health industry facilities including the GuideWell Innovation Center.

"Sesh is considered a trailblazer who has a passion for fueling innovation, collaboration and economic vitality," said John Ramil chair of GuideWell's board of directors. "His extensive experience in finance and corporate development will bring tremendous value to our board as we look toward the future and evolve as a health solutions company."

"We are pleased to have such an accomplished leader join our board, said Pat Geraghty, president and CEO of GuideWell and Florida Blue. "Sesh's creativity and forward-thinking vision combined with his collaborative leadership approach will serve us well as we continue to meet our customer's needs and deliver on our mission of helping people and communities achieve better health."

Thakkar's civic leadership includes serving on the Board and Governors Council of the Orlando Economic Partnership and on the Boards of Tavistock Foundation, Florida Council of 100 and Tampa Electric Company (TECO) which also owns Peoples Gas Company.

He is also a founding trustee of the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce and BioOrlando and was the Inaugural Chairman of the Governors Council of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando.

Thakkar was born in Africa (Kenya) and was raised there until the age of 13 when he moved to the U.S. as a first-generation immigrant to complete his education.

Thakkar was appointed to the board, effective May 10, 2021. He will stand for election to a three-year term at the annual meeting of members in December.

About GuideWell

GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (GuideWell) is a not-for-profit mutual holding company and the parent to a family of forward-thinking companies focused on transforming health care. The GuideWell organization includes Florida Blue, the leading health insurance company in Florida; GuideWell Health, a portfolio of clinical delivery organizations; GuideWell Connect, a health care consumer marketing, sales and engagement company; GuideWell Source, a provider of administrative services to state and federal health care programs; PopHealthCare, a leader in risk adjustment and population care management; and WebTPA, a market leading administrator of self-funded employer health plans. For more information, visit www.guidewell.com.

SOURCE GuideWell

Related Links

http://www.guidewell.com


MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Herzing University, an accredited, private nonprofit institution with locations in seven states and a nationally recognized online division, will begin enrollment today for a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) concentration in Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP).

Classes can begin as early as September 8, 2021 for the online program, which provides the educational foundation for registered nurses (RNs) to become nurse practitioners providing primary care for adult populations. Demand for advanced nursing positions is strong: The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 52% growth rate for employment of all nurse practitioners from 2019 through 2029.

Also, the focus on gerontology is important for the future of U.S. healthcare, as all baby boomers will reach 65 years old by 2030. That's why Herzing is also launching a Post Master Certificate (PMC) in Adult Gerontology Primary Care, which is an MSN Herzing started in March 2021.

"We want to prepare nurses for the dramatic demographic change that is occurring in the U.S., where we will need even more nurse practitioners to help our aging population," said Dr. Tricia Wagner, online nursing graduate department chair at Herzing University. "Our innovative program and tailored pathways can allow nurses across the country to pursue their advanced degree or certification."

The standard AGACNP program, which takes about 24 months to complete, is open to RNs with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. There are two additional pathway options:

The "Accelerated RN to MSN-AGACNP" pathway is for registered nurses who hold an associate degree and don't wish to earn their BSN. The program can be completed in as few as 28 months and is an ideal option for people looking to advance their careers quickly.

The "RN to BSN to MSN-AGACNP" pathway is designed to help students earn both their BSN and MSN degrees. It typically takes 36 months to complete.

Coursework for Herzing's AGACNP program is completed online, excluding the required clinicals. Herzing has a team of clinical coordinators dedicated to helping students secure their clinical as part of the school's Clinical Placement Pledge.

The program prepares students to sit for certification exams from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation.

The university also offers several other MSN concentrations, including Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner , in addition to post-graduate certificate, undergraduate and diploma programs.

The master's degree program in nursing at Herzing University - Madison is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education . Herzing University is approved to offer programs in an online learning modality through association with the main campus in Madison, Wisconsin.

Herzing is a transfer-friendly university specializing in nursing, healthcare, technology, business and public safety degree programs. The school's personalized approach to education, accelerated formats and flexible schedules have resonated with students across the country.

About Herzing University

Herzing University is an accredited, private nonprofit institution with ten campuses across seven states and an online division. Founded in Milwaukee in 1965, more than 40,000 students have graduated from the University's career-focused and flexible master's, bachelor's, and associate degree and diploma programs. Fields of study span nursing, healthcare, technology, business and public safety. From 2013 through 2021, U.S. News & World Report has continually recognized Herzing University as having some of the best online programs nationally. Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. More information about Herzing University is available at www.herzing.edu .

Contact:

Bob Musinski

312-661-1050

[email protected]

SOURCE Herzing University

Related Links

http://www.herzing.edu


PORTLAND, Ore., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IDX, the leading privacy platform and data breach services provider, announced their victory in Cyber Defense Magazine's Global InfoSec Awards as the Editor's Choice for Privacy Management Software. Founded in 2003, IDX has been protecting consumer data for over 15 years.

Cyber Defense Magazine has been honoring cybersecurity and cyber defense companies through their InfoSec Awards for executives, products, and services. With more than 30 award categories, judging was conducted by certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of an entry's submitted materials, including, but not limited to, datasheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables.

"It's an incredible honor to have IDX recognized by the InfoSec Awards. We are passionate about protecting the privacy of our clients and their customers, employees, and account holders, and offering comprehensive solutions to those who have experienced having their personal information compromised," said Tom Kelly, president and CEO of IDX. "As the leading provider of enterprise data breach response solutions, we are thrilled to be acknowledged as the Editor's Choice for Privacy Management Software."

Now in their ninth year, these awards help build buzz, customer awareness, sales and marketing, and growth and investment opportunities. Cyber Defense Magazine has a flexible philosophy and goal to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, rather than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. Cyber Defense Magazine is always asking "What's Next?" to ensure they are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions.

"IDX embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow's threats today; providing a cost-effective solution; and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

To learn more about IDX or to purchase IDX Privacy, visit www.idx.us.

About IDX:

IDX is the only privacy company built for agility in the digital age. Thousands of organizations trust their privacy platform to empower consumers to take back control of their privacy with their identity and privacy protection products. As the nation's largest provider of data breach response services, IDX is trusted by government and enterprise customers, as well as employee benefits and strategic partners, to protect more than 40 million consumers.

About CDM InfoSec Awards:

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space that believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com.



SOURCE IDX
Potter, who is charged with second-degree manslaughter, appeared at the hearing via videoconference with her attorney, Earl Gray, and sat some distance behind him in his office. She looked straight ahead at the video screen and had little reaction during the hearing, saying, Yes, your honor, when the judge asked if the hearing could go forward via videoconference. Potter did not enter a plea during the hearing.
This has led to the need to rebrand in the form of a new Interwest website ( www.interwestgrp.com ) and updated visual identity, both of which launched today. The legacy websites for Kutzmann, EsGil, and BroadSpec now automatically redirect to the new site.

The brands, logos, locations, and employees from Kutzmann, BroadSpec, and EsGil will all be completely integrated into Interwest, and will conduct business under one unified company brand in California.

"Over the past year, we met with our clients and determined that in California, the Interwest brand was the most recognizable and scalable," Paul Meschino, Interwest's vice president of operations in California, said. "We're confident that while Interwest is evolving to a single California brand, the people and service we deliver every day will remain the same. In fact, our clients will continue to work with the same people as before, and will also benefit from an expanded footprint, offering, and team."

Interwest is now able to fully realize the benefits of being a part of the SAFEbuilt family of companies, including enhanced technology, more scalable systems, and processes designed to improve quality and efficiency for all their California clients, he added.

SAFEbuilt Chief Revenue Officer, Joe DeRosa, echoes those sentiments and adds that integrating Interwest into the SAFEbuilt family is a natural fit.

"SAFEbuilt's mission is to help build better, safer communities," he said. "The addition of an industry leader, like Interwest, helps us fulfill that missionboth in California and from a national perspective."

By transitioning into one California brand, Interwestnow a SAFEbuilt companywill remain the leading provider of community development, building department, and professional services in the state.

About SAFEbuilt

SAFEbuilt is a leading outsourced building and professional services provider that improves flexibility, minimizes disruptions, and increases speed to revenue for more than 1,500 communities nationwide. Offering a breadth of professional services and support options, SAFEbuilt helps communities achieve their growth goals while meeting their budget needs. To learn more, visit SAFEbuilt.com .

About Interwest

With nearly 20 years of experience in the California market and the extended capabilities of its parent company, SAFEbuilt, Interwest is the leading provider of community development, building department, and professional services to a wide variety clients, municipalities, and sovereign nations throughout the state. To learn more, visit interwestgrp.com.

SOURCE SAFEbuilt

Related Links

safebuilt.com


DALLAS, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jamey Peters, partner and managing director at leading global communications consultancy Ketchum, has been promoted to the new role of chief client operations officer for North America, effective immediately.

Reporting to North America president Neera Chaudhary and working in partnership with global president of client experience Michael O'Brien, Peters will oversee client operations, the client experience and client excellence in the region. He will be tasked with elevating and optimizing the client experience, engaging the firm's industry and specialty communications services, and operationalizing the agency's proprietary consultancy framework to deliver consistently exceptional service and the high client satisfaction and long tenure Ketchum is known for in North America.

"Jamey is one of our most respected and experienced client counselors, who is equally adept at onboarding new engagements as he is nurturing our longest-standing client relationships. He speaks their language, he understands their pain points, he pinpoints unforeseen opportunities, and he expertly builds and develops teams to deliver the outstanding client service Ketchum is known for," said Chaudhary. "Jamey's commitment to client excellence reflects the high standards we set for ourselves as a firm, and I'm thrilled he'll be leading our focus on elevating the client experience across our largest region."

Peters joined Ketchum in 2004 as a VP of media relations and has since held a number of roles, including overseeing the firm's operations in Dallas, Atlanta and Raleigh prior to the firm's 2018 shift to a single P&L in North America. Since that time, Peters has served as a member of Ketchum's senior leadership team in North America as managing director overseeing the firm's Automotive, Energy & Manufacturing; Retail; Financial & Professional Services; and Travel, Hospitality & Leisure sectors  a role he will continue to hold as he assumes his new chief client operations officer responsibilities.

"I am regularly inspired by the drive of Ketchum teams to deliver astute counsel, award-winning creative thinking and true partnerships, which help our clients achieve their business goals," said Peters. "I look at this opportunity with a great deal of optimism as I work with fellow colleagues to develop new approaches to enhance and sustain Ketchum as the leading communications consultancy."

Prior to his nearly two decades with Ketchum, Peters worked in both corporate and not-for-profit settings. He spent seven years with energy giant Southern Company, first with Georgia Power, and later with Mirant. Peters covered Mirant's media, financial, issues management and internal communications in the U.S. as well as Caribbean, European and Asian operations. He began his career at the American Red Cross after receiving a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University.

About Ketchum

The winner of 105 Cannes Lions and PRovoke's Global Creative Agency of the Year, Ketchum is the most creatively awarded firm in our industry. We're equal parts human-centered and business-focused, empathetic and intelligent. As a global communications consultancy, we combine the deep industry and specialty expertise of boutique firms with global reach to find unexpected connections that lead to lasting relationships and work that matters. For more information on Ketchum, a part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, visit www.ketchum.com.

About Omnicom Public Relations Group

Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

SOURCE Ketchum

Related Links

http://www.ketchum.com


CHICAGO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After 12 years successfully leading the largest foodservice manufacturers association, the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) and the IFMA Education Foundation, President & CEO Larry Oberkfell announced today that he will be stepping down when his contract ends at the close of 2021. Until then, he will continue to lead the Association and Foundation, and assist the Board leadership in the search for a new CEO.

Lawrence Oberkfell, IFMA President & CEO, Returning to Industry at the Close of 2021

"I have made the decision to return to the industry that I love and to begin my path on a new journey," Oberkfell said. "Serving the foodservice manufacturer community for the last twelve years has been an extremely rewarding experience for me personally and professionally."

Oberkfell joined IFMA as President & CEO in 2008 after successful roles leading several food industry companies including Schwan Food Company, Anchor Food Products, and GESD Capital as Managing Director. Through his leadership and vision, he steered IFMA through unprecedented growth and navigated the association to success in service of the industry.

"I have had the great benefit of an extraordinarily active and committed board of directors that has made my journey both fun and rewarding," added Oberkfell. "Together since 2008, we have grown IFMA member value to a level that we could not have imagined. The IFMA team has successfully grown member value and overall membership even during 2020, when the pandemic was especially brutal to our industry. Rest assured, I will not leave until the transition occurs smoothly with the Board selected new CEO. I am confident that we will identify a new leader who will take IFMA to a new tomorrow."

IFMA Board leadership has selected Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), a leader in executive search and assessment, to partner with the search committee in conducting a nationwide search for Oberkfell's successor. For more information, contact Stephanie Tomaso and Andrew Hayes at RRA: [email protected].

"Larry has been our beacon for over a decade, leading us through a litany of industry challenges and a complete remaking of IFMA," said Hugh Roth, Chief Customer Officer at PepsiCo Foodservice and 2021 IFMA Board Chair. "Through his vision and leadership, the association's value proposition is stronger and positioned for further innovation and growth. We salute Larry for paving the way for the future of IFMA and our great industry."

In addition to serving as IFMA President & CEO, Oberkfell currently serves on the National Restaurant Association Board and is active in many industry related groups such as the GS-1 Executive Committee.

About International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) is an established trade association serving foodservice manufacturers for over 65 years to improve industry practices and relationships while equipping every foodservice manufacturer with the tools to navigate their future with confidence. By providing insights, developing best practices and fostering connectivity through events, we enlighten members and motivate change that leads to betterment for the individual member organization and the industry at large. For more information, visit IFMAworld.com.

SOURCE International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)
SEOUL, South Korea, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the advent of EdTech, a massive 95% of the world's curriculum is estimated to still be contained in textbooks. Until now, the cost of converting content from textbooks into E-Learning--and keeping that content updated in computerized learning systems--has been staggering. But what if the power of AI and Natural Language Processing could quickly adapt content from any textbook and dynamically turn it into creative lessons?

MagniLearn is engaged with South Korea's leading book publishers and EdTech companies to enrich their extensive content via MagniLearn's unique AI learning platform. MagniLearn's technology will transform the learning process to become smart, interactive and hyper-personalized.

In Korea, the textbook market is still an industry growing at a rate of 15% per year. But South Korean publishers are alarmed by declining revenues in the US market which amount to nearly a 30% reduction over five yearsa trend largely blamed on the advent of textbook rentals and online learning.

"Combining the massive content libraries owned by textbook publishers with our teaching algorithms is a win-win for South Korean students" said Lana Tockus, CEO of MagniLearn. "With our technology, students learn English up to three-times faster than with traditional methods" she continued.

"With MagniLearn, every school textbook can become a self-learning EdTech system that leverages existing content, making it available for online learning. Most importantly, we customize the content and create exercises for each student individually" Tockus said.

"MagniLearn is here to shape the future of education. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 age, we are on the edge of the fourth industrial revolution where AI transforms everything around us" said Hadar Abramovich VP of Business & Strategy located in Seoul, South Korea.

"Our AI algorithms enable book publishers to jump to the forefront of truly personalized, AI-based E-Learning, and help students with skills to empower them" she added.

In recognition of MagniLearn's groundbreaking technology, MagniLearn was invited to participate in Education Korea 2021, the largest education exhibition in Korea to be held at Coex in Seoul from May 17th to 19th, 2021. The event, which this year marks its 18th anniversary, is Korea's largest educational exhibition.



More information can be found at:

MagniLearn

Education Korea

MagniLearn at a glance

https://youtu.be/dPfDFnN96es

SOURCE MagniLEARN
MONTERREY, Mexico, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Metalsa, S.A. de C.V. (" Metalsa " or the " Company ") announced today the final tender results in connection with its previously announced cash tender offer (the " Tender Offer ") for any and all of the outstanding U.S.$300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.900% Senior Notes due 2023 (the " Notes ") and the related solicitation of consents (the " Consent Solicitation ") to certain proposed amendments to the Notes and the indenture governing the Notes (as amended, the " Indenture "). The Tender Offer expired at 11:59 p.m. (New York City time) on May 14, 2021 (such date and time, the " Expiration Time "). The Company has been advised that as of the Expiration Time, U.S.$183,120,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Notes, representing approximately 61.04% of the outstanding Notes, had been validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) pursuant to the Tender Offer, for which related consents have been delivered (and not validly revoked) pursuant to the Consent Solicitation. This amount includes U.S.$181,320,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Notes, representing approximately 60.44% of the outstanding Notes, that were validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on April 30, 2021 (such date and time, the " Early Tender Payment Deadline "), and which settled on May 4, 2021 (the " Early Settlement Date ").

The Company plans to accept for purchase all Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) after the Early Tender Payment Deadline and at or prior to the Expiration Time, pursuant to the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement, dated April 19, 2021 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the " Offer to Purchase "), previously distributed to holders of the Notes. As previously announced, on the Early Settlement Date, holders of Notes who validly tendered and did not validly withdraw their Notes at or prior to the Early Tender Payment Deadline received U.S.$1,065.00 for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes (the " Total Consideration "), which included an early tender payment of U.S.$30.00 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes (the " Early Tender Payment "), plus accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of Notes accepted for purchase, and additional amounts thereon, from the most recent interest payment date on the Notes to, but not including, the Early Settlement Date. In addition, as of the Early Tender Payment Deadline, the Company had obtained sufficient consents to approve the proposed amendments to the Notes and the Indenture. As a result, the Company executed a supplemental indenture to the Indenture dated as of the Early Tender Payment Deadline to (i) eliminate substantially all of the restrictive covenants, as well as various events of default and related provisions contained in the Indenture, (ii) reduce the minimum required notice period for the redemption of Notes from 30 days to three business days prior to the date fixed for redemption (maintaining the maximum notice period of 60 days) and (iii) amend the covenant in the Indenture with respect to consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance to allow the Company to effect a corporate reorganization, as described in the Offer to Purchase, which supplemental indenture became operative as of the Early Settlement Date.

Holders who validly tendered (and did not withdraw) their Notes after the Early Tender Payment Deadline but at or prior to the Expiration Time will receive U.S.$1,035.00 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes, which amount will be equal to the Total Consideration less the Early Tender Payment. In addition, the Company will pay accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of such Notes accepted for purchase, and additional amounts thereon, from the most recent interest payment date on the Notes to, but not including, May 18, 2021 (the " Final Settlement Date "). Payment for all Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) after the Early Tender Payment Deadline and at or prior to the Expiration Time will be made on the Final Settlement Date.

All conditions described in the Offer to Purchase for the acceptance for purchase and payment for the Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) pursuant to the Tender Offer were satisfied on or prior to the Expiration Time.

Following payment for the Notes accepted pursuant to the terms of the Tender Offer, Metalsa may, but is not obligated to, redeem all or a portion of the Notes that remain outstanding in accordance with the terms of the Indenture. Neither the Offer to Purchase nor this press release constitutes a notice of redemption or an obligation to issue a notice of redemption.

BofA Securities, Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. acted as dealer managers for the Tender Offer and as solicitation agents for the Consent Solicitation and can be contacted at their respective telephone numbers set forth on the back cover page of Offer to Purchase with questions regarding the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation.

To contact Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the information agent and the tender agent for the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation, banks and brokers may call (212) 430-3774, and others may call U.S. toll-free: (866) 470-3700 or email [email protected] Additional contact information is set forth below.

By Mail, Hand or Overnight Courier:



65 Broadway, Suite 404



New York, NY 10006



USA



Attention: Corporate Actions By Facsimile Transmission:



(for eligible institutions only)



+1 (212) 430-3775/3779



Confirmation by Telephone



+1 (212) 430-3774

Neither the Offer to Purchase nor any related documents have been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, nor have any such documents been filed with or reviewed by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority of any country. No authority has passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the Offer to Purchase or any related documents, and it is unlawful and may be a criminal offense to make any representation to the contrary.

About Metalsa

Metalsa is a sociedad anonima de capital variable (a variable capital corporation) organized under the laws of the United Mexican States involved in the production of structural components for automotive light vehicle and commercial vehicles, with more than 60 years of experience. Currently, Metalsa supplies the global market with manufacturing plants, offices and technology centers worldwide in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, India, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States. It also offers Just in Time services in sequencing centers located in strategic areas close to its customers. With this international presence, Metalsa can effectively fulfill and carry out locally the global customer strategies. The Company's main office is located in "Pabellon M" at Benito Juarez Street, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 64000. For additional information, visit http://www.metalsa.com/. The information on the Company's website is not a part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, the Offer to Purchase or this press release.

Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute estimates and forward-looking statements. These statements appear in a number of places in this press release and include statements regarding the Company's intent, belief or current expectations, and those of the Company's officers, with respect to (among other things) the Company's financial condition.

The Company's estimates and forward-looking statements are based mainly on current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect, or may affect, the Company's business and results of operations. Although the Company believes that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company.

The words "believe," "may," "may have," "would," "estimate," "continues," "anticipates," "intends," "hopes," and similar words are intended to identify estimates and forward-looking statements. Estimates and forward-looking statements refer only to the date when they were made, and neither Metalsa, the dealer managers and solicitation agents, the information agent and tender agent or any affiliate of any of them undertakes any obligation to update or review any estimate or forward-looking statement due to new information, future events or any other factors. Estimates and forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and do not guarantee future performance, as actual results or developments may be substantially different from the expectations described in the forward-looking statements. In light of the risks and uncertainties described above, the events referred to in the estimates and forward-looking statements included in this press release may or may not occur, and the Company's business performance and results of operation may differ materially from those expressed in its estimates and forward-looking statements, due to factors that include but are not limited to those mentioned above. The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance on any estimates or forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.

SOURCE Metalsa, S.A. de C.V.
- Q1 2021 Adjusted Total Revenue - $14.5 million -

- Q1 2021 Adjusted EBITDA - $4.4 million -

- Blexten Canadian Prescriptions Increased 22% Year-Over-Year -

- Cambia Canadian Prescriptions Increased 9% Year-Over-Year -

Miravo to Hold Virtual Annual Meeting May 17th at 9:00 a.m. ET

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX: MRV) (OTCQX: MRVFF) d/b/a Miravo Healthcare (Miravo or the Company), a Canadian-focused healthcare company with global reach and a diversified portfolio of commercial products, today announced its financial and operational results for the three months ended March 31, 2021. For further details on the results, please refer to Miravo's Management, Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements for the three months ended March 31, 2021, which are available on the Company's website (www.miravohealthcare.com). All figures are in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted.

Key Developments

Three months ended March 31, 2021 include the following:

Adjusted total revenue (1) was $14.5 million , a decrease of 23% compared to $18.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 .



was , a decrease of 23% compared to for the three months ended . Adjusted EBITDA (1) was $4.4 million , a decrease of 45% compared to $8.0 million for the three months ended March 31 , 2020.



was , a decrease of 45% compared to for the three months ended , 2020. Revenue related to Blexten  and Cambia  was $5.6 million , a decrease of 7% compared to revenue of $6.0 million for the three months ended March 31 , 2020. Total Canadian prescriptions of Blexten and Cambia increased by 22% and 9% compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020 .



and Cambia was , a decrease of 7% compared to revenue of for the three months ended , 2020. Total Canadian prescriptions of Blexten and Cambia increased by 22% and 9% compared to the three months ended . The Company repaid $3.6 million ( US$2.9 million ) of the Amortization Loan to Deerfield Management Company, L.P. ( Deerfield ).



( ) of the Amortization Loan to Deerfield Management Company, L.P. ( ). As at March 31, 2021 , cash and cash equivalents were $23.8 million .

(1) Non-International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) financial measure defined by the Company below.

Business Update

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has made changes to operations to promote a healthy and safe environment for its employees, while the business continues to supply global partners, wholesalers, pharmacies, and ultimately patients, with its healthcare products. The possibility of future supply disruptions resulted in forward buying linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased revenue in the three months ended March 31 , 2020. It is anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to impact the timing of revenue in future quarters and the Company will monitor market dynamics accordingly.



, 2020. It is anticipated that the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to impact the timing of revenue in future quarters and the Company will monitor market dynamics accordingly. In April 2021 , the Company filed and obtained a receipt for a final base shelf prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada (the Prospectus). The Company has filed the Prospectus to maintain financial flexibility and to have the ability to offer the securities on an accelerated basis pursuant to the filing of prospectus supplements. The Prospectus is valid for a 25-month period, during which time the Company may offer and issue, from time-to-time, common shares, preferred shares, debt securities, warrants and subscription receipts, or any combination thereof, having an aggregate offering value of up to $40 million .



, the Company filed and obtained a receipt for a final base shelf prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of (the Prospectus). The Company has filed the Prospectus to maintain financial flexibility and to have the ability to offer the securities on an accelerated basis pursuant to the filing of prospectus supplements. The Prospectus is valid for a 25-month period, during which time the Company may offer and issue, from time-to-time, common shares, preferred shares, debt securities, warrants and subscription receipts, or any combination thereof, having an aggregate offering value of up to . In February 2021 , Nuvo Pharmaceuticals ( Ireland ) DAC trading as Miravo Healthcare (Miravo Ireland) entered into an exclusive license and supply agreement (the License Agreement) with The Mentholatum Company for the right to commercialize the Resultz  formula and technology in the United States under the Mentholatum  brand. Miravo Ireland will earn revenue from The Mentholatum Company pursuant to the License Agreement. It is anticipated that The Mentholatum Company will launch Resultz during the summer of 2021. Resultz is currently manufactured by the Company's contract manufacturing partner in Europe .



, Nuvo Pharmaceuticals ( ) DAC trading as Miravo Healthcare (Miravo Ireland) entered into an exclusive license and supply agreement (the License Agreement) with The Mentholatum Company for the right to commercialize the Resultz formula and technology in under the Mentholatum brand. Miravo Ireland will earn revenue from The Mentholatum Company pursuant to the License Agreement. It is anticipated that The Mentholatum Company will launch Resultz during the summer of 2021. Resultz is currently manufactured by the Company's contract manufacturing partner in . In January 2021 , the Company launched NeoVisc  ONE 4 mL and NeoVisc  + 2 mL in Canada. Both NeoVisc+ and NeoVisc ONE were issued a Medical Device License by Health Canada in September 2020 for the treatment of pain and improvement of joint functionality in patients affected by degenerative (age-related changes) or mechanical arthropathy (related to overuse) of the knee.



, the Company launched NeoVisc ONE 4 mL and NeoVisc + 2 mL in Canada. Both NeoVisc+ and NeoVisc ONE were issued a Medical Device License by Health Canada in for the treatment of pain and improvement of joint functionality in patients affected by degenerative (age-related changes) or mechanical arthropathy (related to overuse) of the knee. In January 2021 , the Company's exclusive partner for Pennsaid 2% in Switzerland , Gebro Pharma AG (Gebro Pharma), launched the product into the Swiss market, generating net sales and related royalty revenue for Miravo.

"Our key promoted brands, Blexten and Cambia, continued their solid performance and demonstrated year-over-year gains in prescription growth. New prescriptions of Blexten (a measure of new patients to the product) grew by 17% compared to Q1 2020. Wholesaler and pharmacy buying patterns reverted to more traditional levels, as we did not see a repeat of the forward buying that occurred in Q1 2020 in response to the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic. Our recently launched Suvexx and NeoVisc brands are performing according to plan and are already achieving meaningful market share. Feedback from healthcare providers and patients in relation to both products has been encouraging. In a recent market research study conducted for our marketing team, 95% of physicians surveyed, expect to increase the number of Suvexx prescriptions for their migraine patients," said Jesse Ledger, Miravo's President & CEO. "We remain optimistic that with the accelerated roll out of COVID-19 vaccination programs across Canada and around the world, patients will gain improved access to healthcare providers during the remainder of the year and we anticipate this will result in demand for products across all our business segments."

First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Adjusted total revenue was $14.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to $18.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, the decrease in the Licensing and Royalty Business segment was primarily due to a $2.2 million decrease of the royalty earned on U.S. net sales of Vimovo due to a competitor launching a generic version of Vimovo in March 2020. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company received a royalty of 10% based on U.S. net sales of Vimovo. In subsequent quarters, this royalty is anticipated to decrease to 5% of U.S. net sales of Vimovo due to a royalty step-down provision in Miravo Ireland's license agreement with Horizon Therapeutics plc that is anticipated to be triggered as a result of continued generic competitor market share gains. Adjusted total revenue attributable to the Commercial Business segment declined during the three months ended March 31, 2021, as an increase in sales related to certain promoted products was more than offset by a decline in revenue from the segment's mature products. During the comparative quarter, the possibility of future supply disruptions resulted in forward buying linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased revenue in the Company's Commercial Business segment in the three months ended March 31, 2020. The Production and Service Business segment revenue decreased as a result of a decline in the Company's Resultz product sales.

Adjusted EBITDA was $4.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to $8.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The decrease in the current quarter was primarily attributable to a decrease in gross profit and an increase in sales and marketing expenses, slightly offset by a decrease in general and administrative expenses.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

The Company discloses non-IFRS measures (such as adjusted total revenue, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA per share and cash value of loans) that do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. The Company believes that shareholders, investment analysts and other readers find such measures helpful in understanding the Company's financial performance and in interpreting the effect of the Aralez Transaction and the Deerfield Financing on the Company. Non-IFRS financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not have been calculated in the same way as similarly named financial measures presented by other companies.

Adjusted Total Revenue

The Company defines adjusted total revenue as total revenue, plus amounts billed to customers for existing contract assets, less revenue recognized upon recognition of a contract asset. Management believes adjusted total revenue is a useful supplemental measure to determine the Company's ability to generate cash from its customer contracts used to fund its operations.

The following is a summary of how adjusted total revenue is calculated:



Three Months ended March 31, 2021 Three Months ended March 31, 2020 in thousands $ $ Total revenue 14,422 24,361 Add:



Amounts billed to customers for existing contract assets 127 48 Deduct:



Revenue recognized upon recognition of a contract asset - (5,496) Adjusted total revenue 14,549 18,913

Adjusted EBITDA

EBITDA refers to net income (loss) determined in accordance with IFRS, before depreciation and amortization, net interest expense (income) and income tax expense (recovery). The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA, plus amounts billed to customers for existing contract assets, inventory step-up expenses, stock-based compensation expense, Other Expenses (Income), less revenue recognized upon recognition of a contract asset and other income. Management believes adjusted EBITDA is a useful supplemental measure to determine the Company's ability to generate cash available for working capital, capital expenditures, debt repayments, interest expense and income taxes.

The following is a summary of how EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are calculated:



Three Months ended March 31, 2021 Three Months ended

March 31, 2020 in thousands $ $ Net income (loss) (17,989) (1,729) Add back:



Income tax expense 256 1,382 Net interest expense 2,586 3,100 Depreciation and amortization 2,076 2,349 EBITDA (13,071) 5,102 Add back:



Amounts billed to customers for existing contract assets 127 48 Stock-based compensation 105 105 Deduct:



Revenue recognized upon recognition of a contract asset - (5,496) Other Expenses (Income):



Change in fair value of derivative liabilities(1) 18,389 2,417 Change in fair value of contingent and variable consideration (gain) (616) 2,129





Foreign currency loss (gain) (714) 4,697 Inventory step-up 35 362 Other gains (losses) 96 (1,374) Adjusted EBITDA 4,351 7,990



(1) The Company's derivative liabilities are measured at fair value through profit or loss at each reporting date. As a result of the increase in the share price in the current quarter and an increase in the volatility of the Company's shares, amongst other inputs, the value of the Company's derivative liabilities increased and the Company recognized a net non-cash $18.4 million loss on the change in fair value of derivative liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Virtual Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Miravo's 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (Meeting) will be held as an online meeting only. The Meeting will take place on Monday, May 17, 2021 (today) at 9:00 a.m. Registered shareholders can attend the Meeting online, vote shares electronically if they have not voted by proxy in advance of the Meeting in accordance with the proxy instructions, and submit questions during the Meeting. You will need to have your 16-digit Control Number (the Control Number) to participate in the Meeting. If you are a shareholder and do not have a Control Number or if you are not a Miravo shareholder, you can attend the Meeting as a guest, but you will not be able to vote at the Meeting.

The link to participate in the Meeting is: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/mrv2021. If you encounter any difficulties accessing the virtual meeting during the check-in or meeting time, please call the technical support number that will be posted on the Virtual Shareholder Meeting log in page.

About Miravo Healthcare

Miravo is a Canadian focused, healthcare company with global reach and a diversified portfolio of commercial products. The Company's products target several therapeutic areas, including pain, allergy, neurology and dermatology. The Company's strategy is to in-license and acquire growth-oriented, complementary products for Canadian and international markets. Miravo's head office is located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, the international operations are located in Dublin, Ireland and the Company's manufacturing facility is located in Varennes, Quebec, Canada. The Varennes facility operates in a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) environment respecting the U.S, Canada and E.U. GMP regulations and is regularly inspected by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For additional information, please visit www.miravohealthcare.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" as defined under Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). The words "plans", "expects", "does not expect", "goals", "seek", "strategy", "future", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "projected", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements to the effect that certain actions, events or results "may", "will", "could", "would", "should", "might", "likely", "occur", "be achieved" or "continue" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances, including the anticipated receipt of certain milestone and royalty payments, the anticipated launch of certain products and the potential impact of COVID-19. Such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances surrounding future expectations which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management of the Company as of the date of this press release, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies and may prove to be incorrect. Material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements, and material risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, include but are not limited to, the outcome of ongoing patent litigation in relation to VIMOVO with respect to the '996 and '920 Patents, the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Company's operations, business and financial results and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Additional factors that could cause the Company's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the risk factors included in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form dated March 5, 2021 under the heading "Risks Factors", and as described from time to time in the reports and disclosure documents filed by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory agencies and commissions. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not the times at or by which such performance or results will be achieved.

All forward-looking statements are based only on information currently available to the Company and are made as of the date of this press release. Except as expressly required by applicable Canadian securities law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements.

SOURCE Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Related Links

nuvopharmaceuticals.com


HYANNIS, Mass. and FALMOUTH, Mass., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Registered nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association at Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital will hold informational pickets on May 19 and May 26 to call attention to Cape Cod Healthcare executives refusing to negotiate a new contract that creates safer patient care conditions and values the dedication of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Informational Picket Details

Attendees will don masks and maintain responsible social distances. Picket speakers will include nurses, elected official and community supporters.

Cape Cod Hospital, Wednesday, May 19

Outside Cape Cod Hospital from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Falmouth Hospital, Wednesday, May 26

Outside Falmouth Hospital from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

"Cape Cod Healthcare executives call us heroes in public and pass out candy as a thank you but are actually disrespecting the care nurses provide by not agreeing to basic patient safety improvements we are seeking as part of a fair contract," said Michelle Brum, RN, and member of the MNA Bargaining Committee at Cape Cod Hospital. "We are calling attention to unsafe conditions inside our hospital that are impacting patients and nurses, and which must be addressed in a lasting way."

"Falmouth Hospital nurses have put our own health and the safety of our families at risk during the pandemic to care for our patients. Cape Cod Healthcare executives are continuing to deny our contract proposals which would greatly improve safe staffing and patient care," said Lauren Seitz, RN, and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee at Falmouth Hospital. "Cape Cod Healthcare agreeing to a fair contract and thus providing us the support we need would mean we would be able to more safely care for our patients and our community."

Key Negotiation Issues

Charge Nurse without an assignment. This proposal by Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital nurses will contribute significantly to making patient care conditions safer at both hospital by ensuring charge nurses can coordinate the overall needs of patients, nurses, and the flow on each individual floor/unit. A charge nurse should also be available to assist less experienced nurses with more complex cases, while also picking up patient assignments when staff become overburdened.

This proposal by Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital nurses will contribute significantly to making patient care conditions safer at both hospital by ensuring charge nurses can coordinate the overall needs of patients, nurses, and the flow on each individual floor/unit. A charge nurse should also be available to assist less experienced nurses with more complex cases, while also picking up patient assignments when staff become overburdened. Value and support nurses. Cape Cod Healthcare must offer a fair wage increase that values the dedication of nurses throughout the pandemic and beyond. The hospitals are losing nurses and face challenges recruiting because of inadequate pay and poor working conditions. To retain the nurses CCH needs to provide safe care, it must reach a fair agreement.

Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospital Post Significant Profits

During fiscal year 2020, both Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital greatly exceeded the statewide hospital margin average of 3.1%. According to the state's Center for Health Information and Analysis, Cape Cod Hospital made $27.6 million in profit (4.7% margin) and received $152 million in COVID funding. Falmouth Hospital made $10.6 million in profit (6.1% margin) and received $41.3M in COVID funding.

During the three quarters ending on December 31, 2020, the hospital did even better financially. Cape Cod Hospital made $18.3 million in profit at an 11.2% margin and Falmouth Hospital made $10.2 million in profit at a 19.7% margin, according to CHIA.

MassNurses.org  Facebook.com/MassNurses  Twitter.com/MassNurses  Instagram.com/MassNurses

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association

Related Links

http://www.massnurses.org


"Now more than ever, the support that we are fortunate to provide to the military members and their families at Luke Air Force Base are so important," says Ron Sites, president, and chief executive officer at Fighter Country Foundation. "The support we receive from great partners like Mountain America Credit Union allows us to sustain and grow our programs and services to enhance the quality of life for those who are dedicated to serving our country. We are so thankful and appreciative"

During the May 5 Coyotes game, Mountain America presented Fighter Country Foundation with a check for $8,000, bringing total donations for Mountain America's Goal Program to $18,000.

"Mountain America is honored to continue our support of the brave men and women at Luke Air Force Base through our Arizona Coyotes Goals Program," says Sterling Nielsen, president and chief executive officer at Mountain America Credit Union. "We recognize the sacrifices made to protect our freedoms and thank Fighter Country Foundation for the incredible support they provide service members and their families."

SOURCE Mountain America Credit Union

Related Links

http://www.macu.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Shield Therapeutics PLC (LSE: STXS;OTCQX: SHIEF), a commercial stage pharmaceutical company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Shield Therapeutics PLC upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market.

Shield Therapeutics PLC begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "SHIEF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

Tim Watts, Chief Executive Officer of Shield Therapeutics, said: "We are delighted to be admitted to the OTCQX market, an important step which will greatly facilitate the ability for US investors to invest in Shield Therapeutics. As we approach the launch of our lead product Accrufer , our joining of the OTCQX reflects on our commitment to helping patients with iron deficiency in the United States and around the globe."

Shield Therapeutics has retained MCAP LLC to act as the Company's OTCQX advisor. MCAP is a US broker-dealer that provides institutional securities services and electronic market making. MCAP acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor.

About Shield Therapeutics PLC

Shield is a commercial stage, pharmaceutical company with a focus on addressing iron deficiency with its lead product Feraccru  /Accrufer  (ferric maltol), a novel, stable, non-salt based oral therapy for adults with iron deficiency with or without anaemia.

Shield's lead product, Feraccru/Accrufer, has been approved for use in the United States, European Union, UK and Switzerland and has exclusive IP rights until the mid-2030s. The Group plans to launch Accrufer in the US during 2021 through a highly experienced sales and marketing team. Feraccru is already being commercialised in the UK and European Union by Norgine B.V., who also have the marketing rights in Australia and New Zealand. Shield also has an exclusive licence agreement with Jiangsu Aosaikang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for the development and commercialisation of Feraccru/Accrufer in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

For more information, please visit www.shieldtherapeutics.com. Follow Shield on Twitter @ShieldTx

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Media Contact:

OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.otcmarkets.com


OXFORD, England and AUSTIN, Texas, May 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The emergence of more infectious variants of the COVID-19 virus is threatening to slow the global recovery and potentially thwart current vaccine immunity. To help governments and medical communities identify and act on these variants faster, Oxford University and Oracle have created a Global Pathogen Analysis System (GPAS) combining Oxford's Scalable Pathogen Pipeline Platform (SP3) with the power of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This initiative builds on the work of a Wellcome Trust-funded consortium including Public Health Wales, the University of Cardiff, and Public Health England.

"This powerful new tool will enable public health scientists in research establishments, public health agencies, healthcare services, and diagnostic companies around the world to help further understanding of infectious diseases, starting with the coronavirus," said Derrick Crook, Professor of Microbiology in the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford.

"The Global Pathogen Analysis System will help to establish a global common standard for assembling and analyzing this new virus, as well as other microbial threats to public health. This adds a new dimension in our ability to process pathogen data. We are excited to partner with Oracle to further our research using this cutting-edge technology platform," added Crook.

First used for tuberculosis, SP3 has been repurposed to unify, standardize, analyze, and compare sequence data of SARS-CoV-2, yielding annotated genomic sequences and identifying new variants and those of concern. SP3's processing capability has been enhanced with extensive new development work from Oracle, enabling high performance and security plus 7 by 24 worldwide availability of the SP3 system in the Oracle Cloud. The SP3 system will now deliver comprehensive and standardized results of COVID-19 analyses within minutes of submission on an international scale. The results will be shared with countries around the globe in a secure environment.

"The opportunity of applying systematic examination for genetic variants in a range of pathogens will have major benefits for global public health. This program, with Oracle as a partner, takes us a step closer to this goal," said Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford.

Coupled with the extensive machine learning capabilities in the Oracle Cloud, collaborating scientists, researchers, and governments worldwide can process, analyze, visualize, and act on a wide collection of COVID-19 pathogen data for the first time. This includes identifying variants of interest and their potential impact on vaccine and treatment effectiveness. For example, analytics dashboards in the system will show which specific strains are spreading more quickly than others and whether genetic features contribute to increased transmissibility and vaccine escape. Already, Oxford has processed half the world's SARS-CoV-2 sequences, more than 500,000 in total.

"There is a critical need for global cooperation on genomic sequencing and examination of COVID-19 and other pathogens," said Oracle Chairman and CTO, Larry Ellison. "The enhanced SP3 system will establish a global standard for pathogen data gathering and analysis, thus enabling medical researchers to better understand the COVID-19 virus and other microbial threats to public health."

The next step will be to extend this service to all pathogens while simultaneously collaborating with scientists from research establishments, public health agencies, and private companies to ensure this work can inform decision making on pandemic response strategies worldwide.

The platform will be free for researchers and non-profits to use worldwide.

What the healthcare community is saying:

"The SP3 platform has come out of engagement, design and testing activities that have been running over the past several years through close collaboration between researchers at Cardiff University and the University of Oxford, Public Health England and the European Bioinformatics Institute, along with other stakeholders from public health in the UK. This new Global Pathogen Analysis System will enable collaborating scientists to analyze a pool of worldwide data in new ways, providing better intelligence on virus variants of concern and their potential for spread," said Professor Thomas R Connor, School of Bioscience at Cardiff University.

Dr. Isabel Oliver, Director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England noted, "This donation is a welcome boost to the ability to share genomic sequencing data with colleagues all across the world. Not only are strong genomic examination and widely-available data crucial to our collective efforts to combat the current pandemic, but they will have ongoing benefits to the response to other pathogens in the future. This could potentially have a far-reaching positive impact on international public health and global health security. As new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge around the world, it requires a cooperative global effort to respond effectively. Partnerships like this one are absolutely vital to ensuring that we can mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the world's population, and that we can continue to strengthen our ability to confront emerging threats in the years to come."

About Oxford University

Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the fifth year running, and at the heart of this success is our ground-breaking research and innovation.

Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.

Through its research commercialization arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 200 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past three years.

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle, Java and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

SOURCE Oracle

Related Links

http://www.oracle.com


From 2016 to 2019, prior to my campaign, the state of Floridas oversight system was either complicit with or failed to monitor the Seminole County Tax Collector Office. Why? Who is responsible for this failure? Beute said. We do have an oversight issue in Florida, and it needs to be addressed.
TULSA, Okla., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A controversial book released by Yorkshire Publishing, "Guilty When Black," is raising eyebrows in nation where law enforcement and police unions have long been considered protectors of the people. The question is: which people are they protecting?

In Oklahoma, as many states, where police oversight and qualified immunity are staunchly guarded and where choke holds and racial injustice get nothing more than a passing nod, the book is a microcosm of life on the streets of the Black community.

Guilty When Black Miashah Moses high school graduation 2009

Author Carol Mersch follows the case of Miashah Moses, a 23-year-old Black girl in Tulsa. In 2013, Moses left her two nieces, 4-year-old Noni and 18-month-old Nylah, alone in their apartment for eight minutes while she took out the garbage. During that time, a fire broke out and killed the girls.

The tragedy sparked a fallacious criminal case against the distraught Moses. Held in jail for years on an unpayable $500,000 bond, she was charged at one point with second-degree murder by prosecutors who argued that she willfully neglected the girls by fleeing the apartment to buy drugs and started the fire by leaving a pan of grease on the stove.

The case was weak: The supposed drug dealer testified that Moses was not the woman he met that day, and copious evidence surfaced that the building's faulty wiring had caused similar fires. But Moses' pro bono attorney never told her about the defective wiring and instead pressured her into a plea bargain and a 15-year sentence in Mabel Bassett women's prison, a callous place.

Through Moses and her family, Mersch maps society's very uneven playing field: the benefit of the doubt and lenient sentencing that White defendants receive for actions similar to Moses'; the poverty that puts Black people more often in harm's way; police corruption that sent innocent defendants to prison, and cases such as the shooting of a black suspect, Eric Harris in 2015 by white Reserve Sherriff's deputy, Robert Bates, who mistakenly grabbed his Smith & Wesson instead of his Taser and shoots Harris point blank in the back while another officer had him pinned to the ground with a knee on his head.

The author sets these misfortunes against a history of racial injustice in Tulsa dating back to the 1921 Race Massacre, the largest slaughter of Blacks in US history. The animosity still lingers.

As a nonfiction expert, Mersch uses her mastery of journalistic storytelling to craft an authentic and compelling piece based on six years of painstaking research and interviews. The result is a troubling look at justice that is anything but colorblind.

"The nooses have long since left the trees," says Mersch, "but their specters hang like ghosts in the halls of justice."



The book is available at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Booksamillion.com and most major bookstores.

Media Contact:

Samantha Ryan

(918) 394-2665

[email protected]

SOURCE Yorkshire Publishing
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With many doctors still wanting the flexibility to attend meetings virtually, Review Group today announced an enhanced all-virtual event, New Technologies & Treatments (NT&T) in Eye Care Summer 2021 conference, offering an interactive format and numerous opportunities for attendees to gain clinical pearls and knowledge in areas critical to their practice.

The Review Group includes Review of Optometry, Review of Ophthalmology, Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses and Retina Specialist. Published by Jobson Healthcare Information, the journals provide the latest clinical insight and education to optometrists and ophthalmologists.

Scheduled June 11-12, the conference will feature "Grand Rounds in Retina, Glaucoma and Anterior Segment Disease," and additional talks on glaucoma, retinal disease, and ocular surface disease, especially in the area of new pharmaceutical agents and technologies.

The conference will be chaired by Paul Karpecki, OD, FAAO, Chief Clinical Editor for Review of Optometry, Clinical Director, Corneal Services and Advanced Ocular Surface Disease at Kentucky Eye Institute and a clinician for Gaddie Eye Centers.

"Attendees can still expect very practical, collaborative and speaker-approachable programs," Dr. Karpecki said. "We've just found a way to carry over the hallmarks of our live meetings to a virtual format. Also, there are so many new pharmaceutical agents and technologies that have been approved recently, and this has really lent itself to a much more 'New Tech and Treatments' approach, especially with new drugs."

In addition to gaining a greater understanding about conditions routinely encountered in daily practice, attendees will also learn about rare ocular cases and presentations, which will allow them to gain a better understanding and ability to recognize and effectively manage these unique conditions. NT&T's summer meeting will offer even more moderator-and-panel sessions and discussions than previous years.

ODs will be able to earn up to 12 live Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) credits. The long-running meeting series is known for its conversational tone and for the camaraderie that develops between lecturers and attendees, aspects which will remain an integral part of NT&T's summer conference virtual platform. Powered by MedscapeLIVE! the virtual event will deliver networking opportunities, gamification and other features to create a learning environment that is immersive and interactive.

Other experts who will share their experiences include Aaron Bronner OD, FAAO, Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute; Ami Halvorson, OD, FAAO, Clinic Director, Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute; Elise Kramer, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Miami and Weston Contact Lens Institutes and Public Education Chair for the Scleral Lens Education Society; Carolyn Majcher, OD, FAAO, FORS, Associate Professor Director of Residency Programs at Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry; Justin Schweitzer, OD, FAAO, Vance Thompson Vision; Jessica Steen, OD, FAAO, Associate Professor Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry; Walter Whitley, OD, MBA, FAAO, Director of Optometric Services, Residency Program Supervisor Virginia Eye Consultants; and Mary Beth Yackey, OD, FAAO, Partner/Owner Cincinnati Vision Partners.

Review Group partners with Salus University for those ODs who are licensed in states that require COPE-accredited CE.

For more information about New Technologies & Treatments in Eye Care Summer 2021, visit https://na.eventscloud.com/website/20642/.

About Review Group

The Review Group includes the titles Review of Optometry, Review of Ophthalmology, Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses and Retina Specialist--a series of printed publications, affiliated websites, e-newsletters and other digital products designed to provide robust clinical insight and education to optometrists and ophthalmologists.

About Jobson Healthcare Information

Jobson Healthcare Information (JHI) is a premier healthcare information, education and marketing services provider, with leading positions in a variety of growing healthcare markets such as pharmacy, eye care and clinician (physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants). Through its diversified, multi-channel portfolio of marketing services, information databases, publications, medical education programs, events, websites and other digital and traditional media services, JHI is uniquely positioned to inform and educate a highly targeted network of over one million healthcare professionals across multiple specialties.

JHI is comprised of three separate functional business groups organized to independently deliver comprehensive medical information and communications to the healthcare community: Marketing Services, Information Services and Education Services. Each group has a portfolio of trusted, well-recognized brands that are entrenched leaders in their respective industry specialties.

About MedscapeLIVE!

MedscapeLIVE! delivers live peer to peer experiences both in person and virtually. MedscapeLIVE! events create a community of collaboration and engagement for health care practitioners worldwide. With turn-key conference management services and support, including best-in-class technology platforms and production teams, MedscapeLIVE! produces over 400 events annually ranging from impactful intimate sessions to large multi-day proprietary conferences.

About Medscape

Medscape is the leading source of clinical news, health information, and point-of-care tools for health care professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care physicians, and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools.

SOURCE Medscape
DUBLIN, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Saudi Arabia Facility Management Market, By Service (Property, Cleaning, Security, Support, Catering & Others), By End User (Commercial, Industrial & Residential), Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2014 - 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Saudi Arabian Facility Management Market was valued USD 24.15 Billion in 2019 and is forecast to grow at 7.64% CAGR during the forecast period, to reach USD 31.48 Billion by 2025.



Saudi Arabia is the largest market for facility management services in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The market for facility management in Saudi Arabia grew at a healthy pace during 2015-2019 due to increasing investments in the country's construction sector.



The Construction sector in Saudi Arabia contributes about 8% to the country's total GDP. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is poised to become one of the largest construction markets in the Middle East, with more than USD800 billion investments originating from large scale infrastructure projects in the country by 2030.

Saudi Arabia has planned to emphasize on the greater participation of private sector for the development of its infrastructure, most likely through public private partnerships (PPPs). The rising involvement of private sector is expected to enable Saudi Arabia to realize its ambitious "Saudi Arabia's National Transformation Plan, 2020" and implement "Comprehensive Public Transportation Plans" to additional five cities during the same period.



Furthermore, Saudi Arabia government has allocated around USD43.8 billion for transportation, telecommunications, water, agriculture and other related infrastructure projects, besides several metro development projects in major cities. Infrastructure development in the country is anticipated to boost the need for facility management. The facility management market in Saudi Arabia has initiated the consolidation by inviting several Tier 1 companies to meet the expected increase in demand originating from various End-users.



The upcoming and ongoing infrastructural projects in Saudi Arabia are expected to bolster the demand for facility management services in the country. For instance, Jeddah Metro Project in Saudi Arabia is expected to be completed by end of 2020 and is anticipated to propel the demand for facility management services in the coming years.

The project is being developed by Metro Jeddah Project Company and Jeddah Municipality at a budget of around USD35 billion. The project includes a metro network and light rail transit system of 109 km with a bus transit system, marine transport line, Corniche tram systems and public transportation systems, which are likely to require facility management services for their upkeep and maintenance, thereby positively influencing the country's facility management market and giving it a further boost.

Leading companies operating in the Saudi Arabian Facility Management Market include Saudi EMCOR Company Ltd (EFS Facility Management), Khidmah LLC, Enova Facilities Management Services LLC, Muheel Services For Maintenance & Operations LLC, Musanadah Facilities Management Company Ltd., Al Mahmal Facilities Services, Al Khozama Facility Management Services, Five Moons Company Ltd., Takamul AlOula Facility Management, Al Borj Facility Management, Saudi Binladin Group Operation & Maintenance, and others.

Key Target Audience:

Facility management service providers and other stakeholders

Major End -users of facility management services in industrial, commercial and residential segments

-users of facility management services in industrial, commercial and residential segments Organizations, forums and alliances related to facility management market

Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers

Years Considered for this Report:

Historical Years: 2015-2018

Base Year: 2019

Estimated Year: 2020

Forecast Period: 2021-2025

Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Impact of COVID-19 on Saudi Arabia Facility Management Market



4. Executive Summary



5. Voice of Customer



6. Saudi Arabia Facility Management Market Outlook

6.1. Industry Structure & Stakeholders

6.2. Market Size & Forecast

6.2.1. By Value

6.3. Market Share & Forecast

6.3.1. By Service (Property, Cleaning, Security, Support, Catering & Others)

6.3.2. By End-user (Commercial, Residential & Industrial)

6.3.3. By Region (Makkah, Riyadh, Eastern Province & Rest of Saudi Arabia)

6.3.4. By Company

6.4. Saudi Arabia Facility Management Market Attractiveness Index

6.4.1. By Service

6.4.2. By End-user

6.4.3. By Region



7. Saudi Arabia Property Facility Management Service Market Outlook

7.1. Market Size & Forecast

7.1.1. By Value

7.2. Market Share & Forecast

7.2.1. By End-user

7.2.2. By Region



8. Saudi Arabia Cleaning Facility Management Service Market Outlook

8.1. Market Size & Forecast

8.1.1. By Value

8.2. Market Share & Forecast

8.2.1. By End-user

8.2.2. By Region



9. Saudi Arabia Security Facility Management Service Market Outlook

9.1. Market Size & Forecast

9.1.1. By Value

9.2. Market Share & Forecast

9.2.1. By End-user

9.2.2. By Region



10. Saudi Arabia Support Facility Management Service Market Outlook

10.1. Market Size & Forecast

10.1.1. By Value

10.2. Market Share & Forecast

10.2.1. By End-user

10.2.2. By Region



11. Saudi Arabia Catering Facility Management Service Market Outlook

11.1. Market Size & Forecast

11.1.1. By Value

11.2. Market Share & Forecast

11.2.1. By End-user

11.2.2. By Region



12. Price Point Analysis

12.1. Cost of Spending in Saudi Arabia

12.1.1. Plumbing

12.1.2. Painting

12.1.3. AC Service

12.1.4. Electrical Service

12.1.5. Pest Control

12.1.6. Masonry Service



13. Market Dynamics

13.1. Drivers

13.2. Challenges



14. Market Trends & Developments

14.1. Growing Focus on Sustainability

14.2. Technology Integration

14.3. Integration of Facility Management in Building Design

14.4. Increasing Focus on Outsourcing

14.5. Booming Internet of Things (IoT) Market



15. Policy & Regulatory Landscape



16. Saudi Arabia Economic Profile



17. Competitive Landscape

17.1. Company Profiles

17.1.1. Saudi EMCOR Company Ltd (EFS Facility Management)

17.1.2. Khidmah LLC

17.1.3. Enova Facilities Management Services LLC

17.1.4. Muheel Services For Maintenance & Operations LLC

17.1.5. Musanadah Facilities Management Company Ltd.

17.1.6. Al Mahmal Facilities Services

17.1.7. Al Khozama Facility Management Services

17.1.8. Five Moons Company Ltd.

17.1.9. Takamul AlOula Facility Management

17.1.10. Al Borj Facility Management

17.1.11. Saudi Binladin Group Operation & Maintenance



18. Strategic Recommendations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3233y8

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


Simpson joins Shipley from Panera Bread, where he most recently was senior vice president, chief development and franchise officer.

Founded in 1936, Shipley Do-Nuts is a leading quick-service restaurant franchisor with a diverse franchisee and consumer base and over 300 locations in nine states. Headquartered in Houston, the company has built a strong reputation for its do-nuts, kolaches, beverages and guest service. It was purchased in late 2020 by an affiliate of Peak Rock Capital, which announced plans to invest in the company's growth. The company has plans to double its store count over the next five years in existing and new geographic areas.

"Clifton and Hank bring to Shipley impressive track records across numerous restaurant industry leadership roles," said Robert Strauss, a Shipley board member. "Their experience and talent will help drive significant growth in the business through new unit expansion, same-store sales growth and enhanced operations."

"Our team is fully committed to the success of all of our current and future franchisees, guests and communities, and together, we will accelerate Shipley's growth trajectory by continuing to invest in our franchisees' success with industry-leading ingredients, equipment, technology and service," Rutledge said. "I look forward to building on the strong foundation established at Shipley over the last 85 years."

"We have a tremendous group of current franchisee partners, and I look forward to helping drive their success and bring new franchisees into the brand as we seek to further grow our footprint," added Simpson.

Current Shipley President Craig Lindberg remains in his role as a senior member of the leadership team.

Shipley is actively recruiting additional employees and franchisees. For more information, visit www.shipleydonuts.com.

ABOUT SHIPLEY DO-NUTS

Founded in 1936, Shipley Do-Nuts is a leading do-nut restaurant franchisor and manufacturer of specialty food products. Shipley franchises over 300 restaurants to a diverse group of operators across nine states. Shipley has served its do-nuts, kolaches and beverages to generations of guests who value the brand's do-nuts, kolaches, beverages, and guest service. For information on franchising, visit shipleydonuts.com/franchise.

Media Contact:

Ashley Lennington or Pam Hughes, SPM Communications

[email protected] or [email protected]

214-379-7000

SOURCE Shipley Do-Nuts

Related Links

http://www.shipleydonuts.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Siguler Guff, a leading multi-strategy private equity investment firm with $15 billion of assets under management, announced today that it has raised $240 million for its first direct investment emerging markets fund, GEMCo (or the "Fund").

Siguler Guff has a long and successful history investing in emerging markets, having deployed over $4.5 billion over the past decade, through private equity managers and direct investments in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

GEMCo has a flexible and opportunistic mandate across high-growth, expansion-stage businesses and has already made a number of investments in the e-commerce, internet marketplaces, organized retail, consumer mobility and enterprise software sectors. The Fund invests in companies with proven management teams that are establishing category leadership, with a primary focus on China, India and Southeast Asia.

GEMCo is backed by a global investor base that includes public and corporate pension plans, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations and family offices. Investors represent a broad geographic range including North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East.

Drew Guff, Founding Partner of Siguler Guff and Co-Portfolio Manager, said, "GEMCo, our first direct investment emerging markets fund, represents a strategic evolution and broadening of the firm's emerging markets strategy. We are pleased to have received such strong support and validation from our limited partners. We look forward to the continued success of our emerging markets platform, having invested more than $1.8 billion in over 100 direct investments over the past decade, creating significant value for our investors across multiple economic cycles."

Shaun Khubchandani, Managing Director at Siguler Guff and Co-Portfolio Manager of GEMCo, said, "Leveraging the unique deal flow generated by Siguler Guff's global network of relationships, GEMCo allows us to not only capitalize on the higher growth trajectory and attractive valuations presented by emerging markets, but to play a substantial role in the premier transactions taking place within each region. We have been extremely active over the last year, having more than doubled the size of our portfolio, and we continue to build and execute on a strong pipeline of opportunities."

About Siguler Guff

Siguler Guff is a multi-strategy private equity investment firm with $15 billion of assets under management and 25 years of investment experience. Siguler Guff seeks to generate strong, risk-adjusted returns by focusing opportunistically on market niches. Siguler Guff's core investment strategies include small business, opportunistic credit, distressed real estate and emerging markets. Siguler Guff's investment products include direct investment funds, multi-manager funds and customized separate accounts targeting specific areas of compelling opportunity. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in New York, Siguler Guff maintains offices in Boston, London, Moscow, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Houston, Texas. To learn more about Siguler Guff, please visit www.sigulerguff.com.

Media contacts:

Jeffrey Taufield / Daniel Yunger

Kekst CNC

212.521.4800



SOURCE Siguler Guff

Related Links

https://www.sigulerguff.com


Vaccination intent is especially prevalent in conversations about children returning to school. There is widespread support for making vaccines and information about them available at public schools (80%), and nearly three in five (59%) parents of children in school support requiring students to get vaccinated to attend school in person. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of parents with children in school would be more likely to vaccinate their own children if such a requirement were in place.

Parents least likely to say they will get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 include those who live in small towns and rural areas (42% will get all children vaccinated), those age 18 to 29 (46%), women 18 to 39 (51%), White mothers (51%), Black mothers (45%), women without a college education (47%), Independents (48%), and Republicans (53%); and most of these groups are among those least likely to say they have been or will get vaccinated themselves.

"Parents want to keep their children safe and in school," said John Bridgeland, CEO of COVID Collaborative. "This survey provides important insights to increase parent confidence in vaccination, which will enable children to be safe for in-person learning, on playgrounds, and for other activities that help them grow and thrive."

The research was conducted by Hart Research for the COVID Collaborative , a national assembly of experts across health, education, and the economy working to support local, state, tribal, and federal leaders in turning the tide against the pandemic. The Collaborative has partnered with the Ad Council to address vaccine hesitancy with a COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative and the "It's Up To You" campaign to ensure the American public has the latest and most accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccines. The Collaborative also has partnered with the Council of the Great City Schools on a range of education initiatives, including utilizing schools as vaccination sites.

"With COVID-19 vaccines now approved for children ages 12 and up, our vaccination education campaign with the COVID Collaborative will focus its efforts on getting good information to parents and their pediatricians," said Lisa Sherman, CEO of the Ad Council.

The survey shows that parents trust doctors and experts the most when it comes to recommendations about vaccinating their children. A recommendation from their child's pediatricians would earn trust from 83% of parents, and more than three in four say they are more likely to vaccinate their children upon hearing from top scientists and physicians that the vaccine is safe (76%) and 100% effective (77%) in children. Parents also fear the risk of the virus to their children. 70% of parents are worried that their children could get COVID-19 and view protecting their children as an important reason to vaccinate their children (83%) and themselves (77%). Nearly one in five (18%) parents have a child who is at high risk.

"Parents trust their pediatricians when it comes to their child's health, and that includes important questions they have about immunizations. I encourage all parents to talk with their pediatrician about the COVID-19 vaccine so they can get the information they need to make this decision," said Lee Savio Beers, MD, FAAP, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the COVID Collaborative. "Vaccinating children and teens will protect them and allow them to fully engage in the world again. That's why we are thrilled to partner with the Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative on the vaccine education campaign."

The Council of the Great City Schools has demonstrated the central role that school districts can play in COVID-19 response, including as vaccination sites for parents, children, and others in the community. "There are numerous examples across the country of school districts stepping up as vaccination sites," said Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools. "As the country works to vaccinate children and youth, we need to utilize more schools to help keep students and others in the community safe."

About the COVID Collaborative

COVID Collaborative, a project of UNITE, is a national assembly of experts, leaders and institutions in health, education and the economy and associations representing the diversity of the country to turn the tide on the pandemic by supporting federal, state and local COVID-19 response efforts.

The COVID Collaborative is co-chaired by former Governor and U.S. Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) and former Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) and led by Co-Founder and CEO John Bridgeland and President Gary Edson. COVID Collaborative includes expertise from across Republican and Democratic administrations at the federal, state and local levels, including former FDA Commissioners, CDC Directors, and U.S. Surgeon Generals; former U.S. Secretaries of Education, Homeland Security and Health and Human Secretaries; leading public health experts and institutions that span the country; the Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the NAACP, UnidosUS, National Urban League, and the National Congress of American Indians; the Skoll Foundation, The Allstate Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation; and associations representing those on the front lines, from the American Public Health Association and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of the Great City Schools. Tim Shriver is Chairman of UNITE.

To learn more, visit www.CovidCollaborative.us , and follow the COVID Collaborative on Twitter and LinkedIn .

About the Ad Council

The Ad Council has a long history of creating life-saving public service communications in times of national crisis, starting in the organization's earliest days during World War II to September 11th and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. Its deep relationships with media outlets, the creative community, issue experts and government leaders make the organization uniquely poised to quickly distribute life-saving information to millions of Americans. The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation's most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels. The Ad Council's innovative social good campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org , follow the Ad Council's communities on Facebook and Twitter and view the creative on YouTube .

SOURCE COVID Collaborative

Related Links

http://covidcollaborative.us


HOUSTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Alfa Romeo to showcase the 2021 model-year Stelvio and Giulia, both featuring best-in-class performance and seductive Italian style now coupled with premium interior enhancements

2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan offers unprecedented functionality and style for buyers

Dodge brand display showcases full lineup of muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance, including the Challenger, Charger and Durango

FIAT brand display features the fun-to-drive, small crossover 2021 Fiat 500X

Jeep brand showcases three new additions to its award-winning lineup, including the all-new 2021 Grand Cherokee L, Wrangler 4xe, Wrangler Rubicon 392 and Gladiator Texas Trail edition

Ram Truck display showcases the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, the apex predator of the truck world

Wagoneer returns as a premium extension of the Jeep brand while continuing its legacy as the original premium SUV

Stellantis rolls into the Houston Auto Show on May 19 with a variety of displays and interactive experiences, featuring Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge//SRT, FIAT, Jeep, Ram and Wagoneer brand vehicles.

Alfa Romeo Brand

The 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia midsize sedan and Stelvio SUV embody Alfa Romeo's "la meccanica delle emozioni" (the mechanics of emotion) spirit, delivering race-inspired performance with seductive Italian style, advanced technologies and available all-wheel-drive (AWD) systems. Both the Giulia and Stelvio set the benchmark for performance in their respective segments by providing an exhilarating driving experience. For 2021, both models include new standard equipment, such as dual-pane sunroof and navigation on Ti and Ti Sport trims, and a limited-slip differential and dark exhaust on Ti Sport.

Chrysler Brand

The reigning winner of the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) "Family Car of Texas," the Chrysler Pacifica and the Pacifica Hybrid reinvent the minivan segment with an unprecedented level of functionality, versatility, technology and bold styling. The Chrysler brand will showcase the Pacifica Hybrid, which is the segment's first and only plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, offering more than 80 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in electric-only mode, an electric range of more than 30 miles and a total range of more than 500 miles.

Dodge//SRT Brand

2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled into a pure performance brand with the Challenger, Charger and Durango. The 2021 Dodge Durango is the Charger of the three-row SUV segment and raises the bar this year with updated exterior styling, a new interior with a Challenger-inspired cockpit and more performance than ever with six distinct models  SXT, GT, Citadel, R/T, SRT 392 and the new 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat  the most powerful SUV ever. The 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is the reigning SUV of Texas, as well as Full-size SUV of Texas as awarded by TAWA, marking the sixth time the Durango has won the Full-size SUV category in the past eight years.

The 2021 Dodge Charger remains unrivaled when it comes to sheer power, with the new 797-horsepower SRT Hellcat Redeye, available all-weather capability on V-6 models, overall interior roominess, performance options and packages, and unique heritage design cues that Dodge//SRT customers count on in the world's only four-door muscle car. With the industry's most powerful and capable muscle car lineup, the 2021 Dodge Challenger is a true GT car, delivering nine distinct model options from the most powerful and fastest muscle car  the new 807-horsepower SRT Super Stock  to 303-horsepower, V-6 efficiency and class-exclusive AWD capability on SXT and GT models.

FIAT Brand

The Fiat display will include the 2021 Fiat 500X, which delivers the Italian design and engaging driving dynamics synonymous with the FIAT brand. The 500X offers an advanced AWD system standard and a full array of safety, comfort and convenience features. The fun-to-drive compact features a 1.3-liter direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder engine for improved performance and fuel economy. A standard nine-speed automatic transmission and AWD system contribute to fuel efficiency of 30 miles per gallon (mpg) highway.

Jeep Brand

The Jeep brand returns to the show with several all-new and award-winning vehicles. The Grand Cherokee expands into three-row form for the first time as the Grand Cherokee L, breaking new ground in exceptional performance, comfort and functionality while continuing its legacy as the most awarded and celebrated SUV ever, with legendary 4x4 capability, improved on-road refinement, and premium styling and craftsmanship inside and out.

The iconic Jeep Wrangler, the most capable and recognized vehicle in the world, adds two dynamic models for 2021:

the 375-horsepower 4xe plug-in hybrid that offers 49 MPGe and 21 miles of all-electric range for daily commutes while providing nearly silent, zero-emission, open-air freedom without range anxiety

the 470-horsepower Rubicon 392 that runs 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and marks the return of a V-8 to Wrangler after nearly 40 years.

Bolstering the 2021 Jeep Gladiator lineup, the new Texas Trail model marks the first time Jeep is offering a truck that pays homage to Texas, the largest truck market in the country. The Gladiator Texas Trail features 17-inch Mid-Gloss Black aluminum wheels wrapped in 32-inch mud-terrain tires. The unique Texas Trail hood and tailgate decals include the year 1836 as a nod to the Texas Declaration of Independence. The Sport S-based Gladiator Texas Trail also includes standard side steps, Trailer Tow Group, black hardtop, black leather seats embossed with the Texas Trail graphic, Technology Group with 7-inch radio and Convenience Group.

Camp Jeep

The Jeep brand is returning to the show with Camp Jeep, a unique, interactive, off-road experience for consumers. The 25,000-square-foot exhibit will give auto show attendees a chance to experience the extreme off-road capabilities of Jeep vehicles without leaving the auto show. Camp Jeep will be making its ninth appearance at the Houston Auto Show. Since 2013, more than 89,000 Houston Auto Show attendees have experienced Camp Jeep.

Wagoneer

Wagoneer returns as a premium extension of the Jeep brand while continuing its legacy as the original premium SUV. Building on a rich heritage of premium American craftsmanship while offering a new level of comfort, legendary 4x4 capability and customer service, Wagoneer forges a new path  one that defines the new standard of sophistication, authenticity and modern mobility. Offering a unique and premium customer service experience, Wagoneer delivers warm, capable, innovative and authentic vehicles with premium design cues and technology to a new, distinctive and successful array of customers. Combining these attributes with strong SUV credentials, the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer build on the original premium SUV by defining the next generation of an American icon.

Ram Truck Brand

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX takes center stage for the Ram Truck brand. Awarded the reigning Truck of Texas by TAWA, the TRX is the apex predator of the truck world, cementing Ram Truck as North America's off-road truck leader. Designed bolt by bolt to significantly outperform every other truck straight from the factory, the Ram 1500 TRX has been tested to handle the most punishing conditions with extreme durability. Class-leading, uncompromising performance in the harshest environments is achieved in part through the 702-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V-8 engine. Stratospheric power delivers a new level of performance: 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph and a top speed of 118 mph. The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX has been rigorously tested to handle the most punishing conditions with extreme capability and durability on its way to being the quickest, fastest and most powerful mass-produced half-ton pickup truck in the world.

Ram Truck Territory

The Ram Truck Territory course returns to the Houston Auto Show. This 30,000-square-foot, unique, truck-focused, interactive ride experience provides an in-truck adventure that demonstrates the power and capabilities of the Ram Truck brand vehicle lineup. Professional drivers navigate attendees through the interactive course in 2021 Ram 1500 Rebel, Limited and Longhorn models. Ram Heavy Duty trucks will include the Ram Power Wagon and Ram 2500 and 3500 Limited models.

Houston Automobile Dealers Association

The Houston Auto Show is produced annually by the Houston Automobile Dealers Association (HADA). Comprised of approximately 185 franchised new car and truck dealers, HADA serves as the local backbone for Houston's automotive industry. The organization is committed to promoting and maintaining a competitive automotive industry in Houston and the communities its members serve by providing legislative representation, community service programs and events that are designed to assist franchised new car and truck dealers. This special edition of the Houston Summer Auto Show, at the NRG Center, is a uniquely curated selection of the latest vehicles from a variety of automotive manufactures. Guests to the event have the opportunity get behind the wheel and experience the newest vehicles, high demand RVs, and luxury boats all under one roof. Learn more at HoustonAutoShow.com.

Stellantis

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world's leading automakers and a mobility provider, guided by a clear vision to offer freedom of movement with distinctive, affordable and reliable mobility solutions. In addition to the Group's rich heritage and broad geographic presence, its greatest strengths lie in its sustainable performance, depth of experience and the wide-ranging talents of employees working around the globe. Stellantis will leverage its broad and iconic brand portfolio, which was founded by visionaries who infused the brands with passion and a competitive spirit that speaks to employees and customers alike. Stellantis aspires to become the greatest, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders, as well as the communities in which it operates.

Follow company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Company website: www.stellantis.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/Stellantis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StellantisNA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellantisna

Twitter: @StellantisNA

YouTube: http://youtube.com/StellantisNA

SOURCE Stellantis
MILWAUKEE, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stowell Associates announced today that it is among the first two recipients of the Department of Workforce Development's new Workforce Equity Grants. The $63,460 grant is made possible by a donation from the IKEA U.S. Community Foundation and is intended to fund workforce training and skill development for individuals in traditionally underserved communities.

With this matching grant, Stowell Associates will continue the development of a comprehensive caregiver training program, Caregiver University, which will be available to new and existing Stowell caregivers. Participants who complete the program are guaranteed a pay increase. Stowell will design Caregiver University as a hybrid learning experience with asynchronous online courses paired with in-person or virtual group sessions, giving caregivers the flexibility to attend around their schedules.

"Training is an essential part of our business, and we place a high value on enrichment opportunities for our caregivers and care team," said Amy Mlot, Stowell's Director of Human Resources. "We are grateful to the DWD and the IKEA U.S. Community Foundation for this generous grant and are excited about the positive impact it will have on our caregivers and clients throughout Southeastern Wisconsin."

About Stowell Associates

Stowell Associates, LLC, provides caregiving services to elderly and disabled adults in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha, and surrounding communities. Stowell Associates was founded in Milwaukee in 1983 and was the first private professional care management company in Wisconsin. Stowell's unique care model tightly integrates care management with home care to help clients and their families with the challenges associated with aging and to help clients remain independent for as long as possible. For more information about Stowell Associates, visit www.stowellassociates.com or call (414) 963-2600.

Media Contact: Trevor Williams

Phone: (414) 963-2600

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Stowell Associates

Related Links

www.stowellassociates.com


GREENSBORO, N.C., May 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Volvo Trucks North America today announced that employees represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) rejected a new five-year labor agreement covering approximately 2,900 members of UAW Local #2069 at the New River Valley truck assembly operations in Dublin, Virginia.

The company has been informed that UAW-represented employees will report to work on May 17.

"We look forward to working with the UAW to resolve whatever the outstanding issues are, and we remain confident that we will be able to reach a mutually beneficial agreement," said NRV Vice President and General Manager Franky Marchand.

Negotiations began on February 8, 2021, and the negotiating teams reached a tentative agreement on April 30, 2021.

The NRV plant employs more than 3,300 people, about 2,900 of whom are UAW members. The plant is in the midst of a $400 million investment for advanced technology upgrades, site expansion and preparation for future products, including the innovative Volvo VNR Electric truck. The plant has added 1,100 jobs since the last union agreement was implemented in 2016, and is on track to have a net increase of approximately 600 positions in 2021.

Volvo Trucks provides complete transport solutions for professional and demanding customers, offering a full range of medium to heavy duty trucks. Customer support is secured via a global network of dealers with 2,300 service points in more than 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 13 countries across the globe. In 2020 approximately 94,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care.

For further information, please contact John Mies, Volvo Trucks, phone 336-543-9094, email [email protected]

www.volvotrucks.us www.volvotrucks.ca www.volvotrucks.mx

SOURCE Volvo Trucks North America
ROME, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Universita Europea di Roma (UER), a fast-growing international university founded in 2004, and Centro Studi Italia-Canada (CSIC) have signed a framework agreement for mutual collaboration in training, research and so called "third mission" activities.

The aim of the agreement is to carry out, in collaboration with UER Academy - the school of Continuing Education and Higher Education of UER  activities of common interest for the advancement of knowledge and dialogue between Italy and Canada. To this end, UER and CSIC propose to design, implement, support and promote courses, training sessions, workshops, events, research and recruiting activities.

Italy-Canada relations go back a long way and see in the large and active Italian-Canadian community the best expression of the feelings of friendship that bind the two countries. Over the past 75 years, Canada and Italy have followed parallel paths in every sector of civil, political and economic life.

With the entry into force of CETA, trade exchanges, which were already strong, have registered a constant growth in all sectors (the agri-food sector, for example, has registered an average annual growth of 7% in the last ten years, making our country the fourth supplier of Canada at a global level and the first among EU countries), as well as shared political choices in the international field.

Sustainable development in its broadest sense, represents the common trigger that will mark the route that Canada and Italy have committed to follow. In addition, there are exchanges in the fields of culture, art and society. As the extent and quality of relations grows, so does the mutual interest and therefore the need to study and deepen mutual understanding. Hence the interest of UER and Centro Studi Italia Canada to deepen and divulge the many aspects of the close relationship between the two countries.

Prof. Matilde Bini, Scientific Director and Head of UER Academy, says: "With this agreement we want to seize the opportunity to strengthen the international vocation of the University, and open new windows of knowledge and opportunities on the culture and economy of Canada and North America in general."

Paolo Quattrocchi, Director of Centro Studi Italia-Canada, underlines: "Our commitment to strengthening knowledge networks through dialogue with the academic world continues. We see this agreement as a further step in the development of synergies with academic partners, for further growth of teaching and research activities on topics of interest in relations between Canada and Italy."

Universita Europea di Roma (UER) is an Italian Non-State University that is part of the national public university system and issues degrees with legal value. It offers courses of study in: Economics, Law, Psychology, Primary Education Sciences and Tourism and Land Development. In 2020 it has more than 1,700 students with an annual growth of 20% and is positioned 2nd in Italy among small non-state universities in the Censis 2020 ranking of Italian universities.

Centro Studi Italia-Canada is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and apolitical association whose mission is to expand knowledge between the two countries and is committed to promoting study, research and cultural training.

Contacts for the Press:

[email protected]

SOURCE Centro Studi Italia-Canada
The fact is, Republicans have good ideas that ought to be considered, including on the topic that will be the biggest point of contention: how to pay for it all. Biden and Democrats want to roll back the 2017 tax cuts and raise other taxes. Thats a non-starter for most Republicans. Sen. Mitt Romney has worked with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and a group of 20 lawmakers on a counterproposal financed partly through user fees. As Romney said, The pay-for ought to come from people who are using it. So if its an airport, the people who are flying. If its a port, the people who are shipping into the port. If its a rail system, the people who are using the rails. If its highways, it ought to be gas if its a gasoline-powered vehicle.
PITTSBURGH, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway released the following statement after the United States and the European Union announced discussions about bilateral trade issues:

"It's no secret that the U.S. steel and aluminum sectors have been victimized by foreign unfair trade practices and global overcapacity. While China is the principal driver of the problems facing producers here in the United States, others also contributed to this injury.

"As the United States and European Union engage in bilateral consultations, we are supportive of efforts to resolve the threats to our producers and our members.

"However, we cannot support any approaches that do not provide measurable positive results. The EU is an important ally, but in the past, it has been part of the problem, not part of the solution.

"We have more than 40 unfair trade relief measures in place against EU steel and aluminum products that resulted from their dumping and subsidies targeted at our market. The USW supported addressing global overcapacity through the OECD and in the Global Steel Forum, but the EU did little to advance those talks.

"Bilateral discussions provide the opportunity to resolve the challenges in these sectors and align U.S. and EU actions on trade.

"The Biden administration consulted closely with the USW as they evaluated existing trade approaches and assessed long-term solutions, and we will be a willing and engaged partner moving forward.

"Steel and aluminum are crucial products for our national and economic security and our critical infrastructure. We are hopeful about reaching a solution, but we are equally determined to avoid any approaches that undermine the strength of our industry and the opportunities provided to U.S. workers."

The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, (412) 562-2444, [email protected]

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)

Related Links

http://www.usw.org


TSCA 5 PBTs and SNUR on perfluoroalkyl substances

OTTAWA, ON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - On 26 May 2021, Claigan Environmental Inc. (www.claigan.com) will present a webinar on managing the new EPA restrictions for Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) chemicals and perfluoroalkyl substances. The webinar will focus on the substances covered under each requirement, their high risk materials, and common approaches to comply with both requirements.

In January of 2021, the US EPA issued two sets of new US federal restricted materials requirements. Both of these requirements apply to physical products (articles).

The first was a final rule restricting five (5) PBT substances - decaBDE, 2,4,6-TTBP, PCTP, PIP 3:1, and HCBD. This is one of the first US restricted materials requirements applicable to consumer and professional physical products (articles). PIP, decaBDE, and PCTP, in particular, have uses in many products.

The second was a significant new use rule (SNUR) requiring importers of articles containing certain Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylates (LCPFAC) as a surface coating to submit a Significant New Use Notice (SNUN) to the EPA. A common LF-PFAC is the substance PFOA.

The main topics to be covered in this webinar are -

TSCA Final Rules (5 PBTs)

EPA SNUR (LC-PFAC)

Explanation of each chemical

High risk materials for each chemical

Compliance plan for each

Overlap in compliance plan for the two regulations

Due to the interest in these topics, two (2) webinars will be held on May 26 to accommodate a larger audience.

Webinars - Managing New US Federally Restricted Substances

Date: 26 May 2021

Time: 10am and 2pm EST

Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A

To Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4568218340712700430 or on Claigan Website at www.claigan.com/webinars

Register now or send an e-mail to [email protected]. For more information on Claigan Environmental's restricted materials services - see Claigan's services at www.claigan.com

About Claigan Environmental (www.claigan.com)

Claigan is a leading provider of regulatory consulting and ISO 17025 accredited laboratory testing for restricted materials legislation. Claigan analyses and tests hundreds of products a year for restricted materials compliance. Claigan is dedicated to providing practical solutions for supply chain due diligence and social responsibility. At Claigan, we believe in 'More Results. Less Journey.'

SOURCE Claigan Environmental Inc.
PLAINSBORO, N.J., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Nordisk today presented results from RESCUE, a phase 2 randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial assessing the effect of once-monthly, investigational ziltivekimab, an interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibitor, on biomarkers of inflammation. The trial showed a significant reduction of multiple inflammatory biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis in people with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), representing high cardiovascular risk. The data were announced today at the virtual American College of Cardiology's (ACC) 70th Annual Scientific Session1 and simultaneously published in The Lancet2.

Atherosclerosis is the major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attack and stroke3. Atherosclerosis is characterised by the build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in the artery walls that results in vessel narrowing and reduced blood flow3. Chronic inflammation contributes to the development and progression of atherosclerosis4, and biomarkers for inflammation, such as hsCRP, can be used to predict cardiovascular risk5.

The RESCUE trial met its primary endpoint, showing that after 12 weeks, median levels of hsCRP were significantly reduced with ziltivekimab compared with placebo (77%, 88% and 92% reduction in those receiving 7.5 mg, 15 mg and 30 mg of ziltivekimab, respectively, compared to 4% for placebo). The proportion of people achieving both a greater than 50% reduction in hsCRP and hsCRP levels of less than 2 mg/L, a secondary endpoint, was also significantly higher with ziltivekimab than placebo (66%, 80% and 93% in those receiving 7.5 mg, 15 mg and 30 mg of ziltivekimab, respectively, compared to 4% for placebo). Dose-dependent reductions were also observed for four additional inflammatory biomarkers (fibrinogen, serum amyloid A, haptoglobin and secretory phospholipase A2). Treatment emergent adverse events were considered to be mild, moderate, or severe and were similar between the placebo and ziltivekimab groups. Ziltivekimab was generally well tolerated, with no unexpected side effects2.

"In the RESCUE trial, ziltivekimab showed significant reductions in inflammatory biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis, including hsCRP," said Paul M. Ridker, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Brigham and Women's Hospital, US. "Chronic inflammation is common in people with chronic kidney disease and puts them at increased risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke."

CVD is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality globally6. It is responsible for one-third of all deaths worldwide, 85% of which are caused by heart attack and stroke3. Furthermore, approximately half of all deaths in people with CKD are due to CVD-related complications7, meaning those with CKD are more likely to die from CVD than progress to end-stage renal disease8.

"We are very encouraged by these promising phase 2 data, which is an important step towards a new potential anti-inflammatory treatment approach for people living with atherosclerotic CVD and CKD," said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for Development at Novo Nordisk. "Based on these results, we are planning to progress ziltivekimab to a large-scale phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trial to further assess its potential, as we continue to advance our commitment in cardiovascular disease."

About the RESCUE trial9

RESCUE is a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial assessing the effect of once-monthly subcutaneous ziltivekimab on biomarkers of inflammation in people with advanced CKD and elevated hsCRP. The study, which enrolled 264 participants, was designed to assess if ziltivekimab can safely and effectively reduce levels of inflammatory biomarkers relevant to atherosclerosis. The pre-specified primary endpoint was change in hsCRP after 12 weeks of treatment, with additional data on safety and other inflammatory biomarkers (fibrinogen, serum amyloid A, haptoglobin and secretory phospholipase A2) collected over 24 weeks of treatment.

About investigational ziltivekimab

Ziltivekimab is a fully human monoclonal antibody designed to lower systemic inflammation through inhibition of IL-6 (a pro-inflammatory cytokine with a causal role in atherosclerosis). With its extended half-life technology, ziltivekimab has been designed to enable once-monthly administration by subcutaneous (SC) injection. Ziltivekimab is being developed by Novo Nordisk following the acquisition of Corvidia Therapeutics, announced in June 2020.

About atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and CKD

Globally, 700 million people live with CKD, and this number is increasing6. Renal impairment is associated with chronic inflammation10, which is recognised as a critical driver of ASCVD11. Atherosclerosis, defined as the build-up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in artery walls in the form of plaques, can lead to obstruction of arterial blood flow3. Elevated hsCRP levels are a biomarker for inflammation and can be used to predict the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke4,12. Despite guideline-recommended cardiovascular risk factor management, a high risk for cardiovascular events remains4.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company that's been making innovative medicines to help people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for 95 years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat other serious diseases including obesity, hemophilia and growth disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term and do business in a financially, socially and environmentally responsible way. With U.S. headquarters in New Jersey and production and research facilities in six states, Novo Nordisk employs nearly 6,000 people throughout the country. For more information, visit novonordisk.us , Facebook , Instagram and Twitter.

References



1. Ridker P, Devalaraja M, Baeres F, et al. Effects Of Interleukin-6 Inhibition With Ziltivekimab On Biomarkers Of Inflammation Among Patients At High Risk For Atherosclerotic Events. Presented during the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific: Late-breaking abstract 21-LB-20783-ACC.



2. Paul M Ridker, Matt Devalaraja, et al. IL-6 inhibition with ziltivekimab in patients at high atherosclerotic risk (RESCUE): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. The Lancet, Published Online May 17, 2021 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00520-1/fulltext



3. Herrington W, Lacey B, Sherliker P, Armitage J, Lewington S. Epidemiology of Atherosclerosis and the Potential to Reduce the Global Burden of Atherothrombotic Disease. Circulation Research. 2016; 118(4): 535-546



4. Lawler PR, Bhatt DL, Godoy LC et al. Targeting cardiovascular inflammation: next steps in clinical translation. European Heart Journal. 2021. 42(1):113131.



5. Pfutzner A, Forst T. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein as cardiovascular risk marker in patients with diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. 2006; 8(1):28-36.



6. World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds). Last accessed: April 2021.



7. GBD Chronic Kidney Disease Collaboration. Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 19902017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 2020; 395:709-733.



8. Keith DS, Nichols GA, Cullion CM, Brown JB, Smith DH. Longitudinal follow-up and outcomes among a population with chronic kidney disease in a large managed care organization. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2004;164(6):659-663.



9. ClinicalTrials.gov. Trial to Evaluate Reduction in Inflammation in Patients With Advanced Chronic Renal Disease Utilizing Antibody Mediated IL-6 Inhibition (RESCUE). Available from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03926117. Last accessed: April 2021.



10. Oberg BP, McMenamin, Lucas FL, McMonagle E, Morrow J, Ikizler TA, Himmelfarb J. Increased prevalence of oxidant stress and inflammation in patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease. Kidney International. 2004; 65(3):1009-1016.



11. Alani H, Tamimi A, Tamimi N. Cardiovascular co-morbidity in chronic kidney disease: Current knowledge and future research needs. World Journal of Nephrology. 2014; 3(4):156-168.



12. Faxon DP, Fuster V, Libby P et al. Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease Conference: Writing Group III: pathophysiology. Circulation. 2004; 109:2617.

SOURCE Novo Nordisk

Related Links

http://www.novonordisk-us.com


PHOENIX, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) ("4Front" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, today announced it will report financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 on Monday, May 24, 2021 after market close. The Company will host a conference call to discuss the results and provide an update on current business trends at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

To join the call, dial 1-877-407-0792 toll free from the United States or Canada or 1-201-689-8263 if dialing from outside those countries. The webcast can be accessed at this link .

The call will be available for replay until Monday, May 31, 2021. To access the telephone replay, dial 1-844-512-2921 toll free from the United States and Canada, or 1-412-317-6671 if dialing from outside those countries, and use this replay pin number: 13719936.

To receive company updates and be added to the email distribution list please sign up for our newsletter here .

About 4Front Ventures Corp.

4Front (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) is a national multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, with a market advantage in mass-produced, low-cost quality branded cannabis products. 4Front manufactures and distributes a portfolio of over 25 cannabis brands including Marmas, Crystal Clear, Funky Monkey, Pebbles, and the Pure Ratios wellness collection, distributed through retail outlets and their chain of strategically positioned Mission branded dispensaries. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, 4Front has operations in Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Michigan, and Washington state. From plant genetics to the cannabis retail experience, 4Front's team applies expertise across the entire cannabis value chain. For more information, visit www.4frontventures.com .

SOURCE 4Front Ventures Corp.

Related Links

https://4frontventures.com/


Responsive Launch II is a multilateral effort between various DoD launch stakeholders, including DIU, the Space and Missile Systems Center Rocket Systems Launch Program, and the DoD Space Test Program. Within this Area of Interest, DIU sought solutions that increased flexibility to place payloads in their "mission-designated orbits" with minimal delay. This capability is key to achieving "responsive space access, mobility, and logistics" as outlined by the United States Space Force.

"ABL is proud to partner with the full team that has come together to meet this need," notes ABL President Dan Piemont. "We have designed our systems to provide responsive capabilities since day one, and this effort exemplifies how rapidly developed commercial capabilities can be leveraged to meet emerging DoD needs. Our systems will provide access to space when and where needed, without making any compromises on performance or cost."

ABL will utilize its purpose-built launch vehicle (RS1) and deployable ground systems (GS0) for the DIU Responsive Launch II mission. RS1 and GS0's rapid, flexible operations ensure that launch can respond to disruptions in the existing space architecture. ABL has focused on adaptive manufacturing and production and offers capabilities at low-cost. Together, this enables users to focus on the mission at-hand.

"We designed RS1 and GS0 to enable unique responsive launch missions," said ABL Chief Executive Officer, Harry O'Hanley. "We're excited to partner with DIU to demonstrate responsive launch operations and deliver new capabilities to the U.S. Government."

ABL is performing on multiple awards with partners across SMC, AFRL, and other groups within the US Government, national security community, and intelligence community. ABL's DIU Responsive Launch II award  one of multiple awards under the Responsive Launch II project  builds on a growing portfolio of responsive launch efforts, which center mission needs. Using RS1 and GS0, ABL's flexible approach can help to activate new launch capabilities globally.

About ABL Space Systems

Founded in 2017, ABL develops low-cost launch vehicles and launch systems for the small satellite industry. ABL is headquartered in El Segundo, California, U.S. To learn more, visit www.ablspacesystems.com .

SOURCE ABL Space Systems

Related Links

https://ablspacesystems.com


LAS VEGAS, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's ' Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market, Epidemiology and Market Forecast-2030 ' report presents a holistic picture of the epidemiological and market insights with a central focus on marketed therapies, Age-related Vision Dysfunction pipeline therapies, key pharmaceutical companies, collaborations, deals, clinical trials and other factors that shall shape the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market outlook in the coming decade in the 7MM (the US, EU5 (the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy and France) and Japan).

Focal points from the Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market report:

The total Age-related Vision Dysfunction prevalent cases were 374,306,439 in the 7MM.

in the 7MM. The total cases are further expected to increase in the study period 2018-30.

At present, several medications are available in the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market comprising anti-VEGF agents, anti-inflammatory agents, mitotic or cholinergic agents, prostaglandins, beta-blockers, alpha-adrenergic agonists, and rho-kinase inhibitors.

Anti-VEGF injections include ranibizumab , bevacizumab , and aflibercept .

, , and . New anti-VEGF treatments include Eylea , Lucentis , Avastin and Beovu . These have an advantage in the market over other approved anti-VEGF therapies because they do not require to be injected directly into the eye.

, , and . These have an advantage in the market over other approved anti-VEGF therapies because they do not require to be injected directly into the eye. Key companies setting the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market in the motion include Hoffman La Roche, Eyenovia, Allergan/AbbVie and Molecular Therapeutics, Regenxbio, Novartis, Santen, Nicox Ophthalmics, Kodiak Sciences, Opthea Limited, Ocular Therapeutix, Orasis Pharmaceuticals, IVERIC bio, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, Outlook Therapeutics, Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Limited , and so many others.

, and so many others. The pipeline therapies for the Age-related Vision Dysfunction treatment consists of AGN-190584, MicroLine(Pilocarpine Ophthalmic), PresbiDrops(CSF-1), Faricimab, Abicipar, RGX-314, STN1013001 /DE-130A, NCX 470, KSI-301, OPT-302, OTX-TP, AGN-190584, Zimura, ALK 001, ONS-5010/LYTENAVA, PDP  716, and several others.

and several others. Out of all the Age-related Vision Dysfunction emerging therapies, AGN-190584 (pilocarpine 1.25%) is expected to garner maximum market share owing to its target patient pool consisting of presbyopia patients. Moreover, the drug has an early mover advantage, dosing advantage (i.e. once daily), and maximum visibility around the phase III results.

Download report to understand which drug is going to capture the maximum market share @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Therapies, Emerging Trends

Age-related Vision Dysfunction: Overview

Visual impairment in people as they age is among one of the most common and major health problems. With aging, the human body goes through several changes; the normal functioning of the eye tissues gets hampered, leading to vision loss.

As per DelveInsight's epidemiological estimates, the United States reported maximum Age-related Vision Dysfunction prevalence, followed by Japan, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, with Spain contributing to the least Age-related Vision Dysfunction prevalence in 2020.

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology Segmentation

The Age-related Vision Dysfunction market report lays down a comprehensive analysis of epidemiology in the 7MM for the study period 2018-30 segmented into:

Total Age-related Vision Dysfunction Prevalent Cases

Total Diagnosed Age-related Vision Dysfunction Cases

Severity-specific Age-related Vision Dysfunction Cases

Treated cases of Age-related Vision Dysfunction

Visit for deep insights into the patient pool @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Insights

The Age-related Vision Dysfunction emerging therapies, which are under development, are expected to offer a new paradigm in the treatment of Age-related Vision Dysfunction. Availability of alternative options (such as a novel therapeutic agent) to anti-VEGF treatment for the treatment is expected to offer patients several options.

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Marketed Therapies

Rhopressa/Rhokiinsa (Netarsudil mesylate)

Vyzulta (Latanoprostene Bunod Ophthalmic Solution)

Glanatec (Ripasudil hydrochloride hydrate)

Tapcom/DE-111 (Tafluprost/ Timolol Maleate; Taptiqom)

Combigan (Brimonidine/timolol)

Rocklatan/Roclanda (Latanoprast; Netarsudil Dimesylate)

Eybelis Ophthalmic Solution (DE-117, Omidenepag isopropyl)

Xelpros (Latanoprost Ophthalmic Emulsion)

Simbrinza (Brinzolamide/Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Suspension)

Azarga/Azorga (Brinzolamide/Timolol)

Lucentis (Ranibizumab)

Eylea (Aflibercept)

Beovu (Brolucizumab)

Key players energetically working in the domain include, Novartis, Allergan (AbbVie), Bayer, Santen, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Eyenovia, Genentech, Roche, Regenxbio, Graybug Vision, Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Ocuphire Pharma, among several others.

The United States occupies the largest Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Share

DelveInsight's Age-related Vision Dysfunction market research analyzed that the US takes up the maximum market share, followed by Germany. Further, the United States Age-related Vision Dysfunction market share growth is expected to climb at a CAGR of 5.4% in the study period (20182030).

Reach out to us @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Marketed Therapies for more information on available treatment regimens

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Pipeline Therapies and Key Companies

AGN-190584: Allergan (acquired by AbbVie)

MicroLine/Pilocarpine Ophthalmic: Eyenovia

PresbiDrops/CSF-1: Orasis Pharmaceuticals

Zimura/ Avacincaptad pegol: IVERIC Bio

ALK-001: Alkeus Pharmaceuticals

ONS-5010/Lytenava/Bevacizumab-vikg: Outlook Therapeutics

KSI-301: Kodiak Sciences

Faricimab: Roche

Abicipar: Allergan

RGX-314: Regenxbio

Beovu/RTH258/Brolucizumab: Novartis

STN1013001/DE-130A/Catioprost and latanoprost emulsion: Santen SAS

NCX 470: Nicox Ophthalmics

OTX-TP/Travoprost ophthalmic insert: Ocular Therapeutix

PDP-716: Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Limited

OPT-302: Opthea

Lumitin/Conbercept: Chengdu Kanghong Pharmaceuticals

AKST4290/Lazucirnon: Alkahest

GT005: Gyroscope Therapeutics

ADVM-022: Adverum Biotechnologies

Emixustat hydrochloride: Kubota Vision

KVD001: KalVista Pharmaceuticals

Luminate/ALG-1001/Risuteganib: Allegro Ophthalmics and Bausch Health

GB-102: Graybug Vision

Razuprotafib/AKB-9778: Aerpio Pharmaceuticals

Nyxol/Phentolamine Mesylate: Ocuphire Pharma

STN1012600/DE-126: Santen Pharmaceutical

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Guiding Factors

The Age-related Vision Dysfunction market majorly comprises VEGF signalling pathways targeting drugs. This offers the patient pool limited therapy options, besides 30% of the total patients receiving treatment report loss of vision. Furthermore, Intravitreal injections require frequent and indefinite evaluations with no effective treatment options present for the refractory pool.

Therefore, there is a dire need for effective, safe and novel therapies that can help deliver more effective treatment. To address these unmet needs in the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market, several pharmaceutical companies are working to advance and cement the pipeline. A large number of Age-related Vision Dysfunction pipeline products in the offing like Faricimab, Brolucizumab, AGN-190584, KSI-301, RGX-314, among others, are expected to push the market growth further. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of vision dysfunction cases due to an increase in the geriatric population, rise in awareness, upsurge in the launch of products with readily adoption and lifestyle changes are further driving the growth of the Age-related Vision Dysfunction market size.

However, the high prices of therapies are bound to put pressure on the companies and drugmakers, especially on therapies with a high price (i.e. gene therapies) with no added significant benefits are expected to face hurdles.

Check out for more @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Forecast

Scope of the Report

Coverage: 7MM (the US, EU5, and Japan)

Study Period: 2018-30

Key Companies: Hoffman La Roche, Eyenovia, Allergan/AbbVie, Molecular Therapeutics, Regenxbio, Novartis, Santen, Nicox Ophthalmics, Kodiak Sciences, Opthea Limited, Ocular Therapeutix, Orasis Pharmaceuticals, IVERIC bio, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, Outlook Therapeutics, Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Limited, and many others.

Key Age-related Vision Dysfunction Pipeline Therapies: AGN-190584, MicroLine, PresbiDrops, Faricimab, MicroLine, Abicipar, RGX-314, STN1013001 /DE-130A, NCX 470, KSI-301, OPT-302, OTX-TP, AGN-190584, PresbiDrops, Zimura, ALK 001, ONS-5010/LYTENAVA, PDP  716, and several others.

Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Segmentation: By Geography, By Age-related Vision Dysfunction Therapies

Analysis: Comparative and conjoint analysis of Age-related Vision Dysfunction emerging therapies

Tools used: SWOT analysis, Conjoint Analysis, Porter's Five Forces, PESTLE analysis, BCG Matrix analysis methods.

Case Studies

KOL's Views

Analyst's Views

Drop by to learn more about the future market trends @ Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Landscape and Forecast

Table of Contents

1 Key Insights 2 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Report Introduction 3 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Overview at a Glance 4 Executive Summary of Age-related Vision Dysfunction 5 Disease Background and Overview 6 Algorithm for Diagnosis of Age-related Vision Dysfunction 7 Patient Journey 8 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology and Patient Population 9 Treatment Algorithm, Current Treatment, and Medical Practices 10 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Epidemiology and Patient Population 11 Country Wise-Epidemiology of Age-related Vision Dysfunction 10 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Treatment 12 Unmet Needs 13 Key Endpoints of Age-related Vision Dysfunction Treatment 14 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Emerging Therapies 15 Age-related Vision Dysfunction: 7 Major Market Analysis 16 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Unmet Needs 17 Case Reports 18 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Drivers 19 Age-related Vision Dysfunction Market Barriers 20 SWOT Analysis 21 KOL Reviews 21 Appendix 22 DelveInsight Capabilities 23 Disclaimer 24 About DelveInsight

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About DelveInsight

DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports Pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve .

For more insights, visit Pharma, Healthcare, and Biotech News

Contact Us

Shruti Thakur

[email protected]

+1(919)321-6187

www.delveinsight.com

SOURCE DelveInsight Business Research, LLP
The scale of the investment will allow Agile Analog to dramatically expand its technology offering and sales footprint, and is an endorsement of the disruptive potential of the company's process for generating configurable analog IP.

Driven by a mission to provide 'Analog IP the way you want it', Agile Analog makes it possible for ASIC or SoC manufacturers to configure analog IP to perfectly fit their application and chosen silicon process  a marked contrast with existing offerings, which require the customer to mould their chip design to fit a limited range of one-size-fits-all, standard analog IP products.

The new financial support recognises the potential for Agile Analog to take a large share of the existing analog IP market and to increase the availability, range and quality of analog IP to expand the total market size to $4bn by 2025.

Henry Gladwyn, Partner at OMERS Ventures, said: "What excites us about Agile Analog is the potential for scale. Every other analog IP supplier is restricted to selling a limited range of standard IP products. But because Agile Analog's unique technology enables it to create the IP that the customer wants, it can satisfy a wider range of customer requirements, and integrate more functionality into a chip design. As a result, the company is not limited by the size of today's analog IP market  Agile Analog's addressable market is potentially as big as the analog chip market. That is a huge opportunity which OMERS Ventures is pleased to help Agile Analog explore."

Major recruitment drive

Agile Analog will use the funding to accelerate the growth of its commercial and engineering support teams. In particular, Agile Analog will immediately move to expand its team in North America, and open a Taiwan office for sales and application engineering staff serving the Asian market. The company has also begun recruiting development engineers to be based at its Cambridge, UK headquarters and across Europe. It plans to double its headcount growing to over 100 people over the next 12 months.

Part of the funding will be used for technology development, to further enhance process support, and increase the range of analog IP supported. Agile Analog IP is already compatible with almost all analog CMOS processes, including advanced FINFET processes, and will expand the number of foundries supported. IP currently supported includes security, data conversion, power management, audio, signal processing and timing, and this functional coverage will be extended to satisfy increased customer demands.

Agile Analog's technology is well placed to remove critical bottlenecks in the semiconductor industry supply chain.

Pete Hutton, executive chairman of Agile Analog, said the backing of specialist technology investors was a welcome endorsement of the company's unique IP technology. He said: "The first chapter in Agile Analog's story was about developing an automated process for generating high quality configurable analog IP which can be verified at every stage up to right-first-time tape-out.

"This successful funding round marks the start of the next chapter: the technology and process are proven with a range of customers from OEMs to Tier 1 semiconductor companies. So now it's time to enable all semiconductor companies and the increasing number of OEMs who are designing their own silicon. Everyone is looking to shorten development cycles, increase integration, improve die area utilization and enhance system performance. By configuring analog IP the way the customer wants it and on any process node, we can enable them to gain all these benefits. With the funding to expand our engineering and commercial teams, we can now support a greater number of customers across a wider geographical footprint."

About Agile Analog

Analog IP needs to be different for each design. That is why Agile Analog has made a new way of doing things, conceived by some of the best minds in the industry. We provide a wide range of analog IP that is customised to your needs quickly, to a higher quality, and on any semiconductor process. Contact us at www.agileanalog.com to find out more.

About OMERS and OMERS Ventures

Founded in 1962, OMERS is one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans, with CAD$105 billion in net assets as at December 31, 2020. OMERS teams work in Toronto, London, New York, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe  serving members and employers and originating and managing a diversified portfolio of high-quality investments in public markets, private equity, infrastructure and real estate.

OMERS Ventures currently manages CAD$2 billion and has made more than 50 investments in disruptive technology companies across North America and Europe. www.omersventures.com.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1511610/Agile_Analog.jpg

SOURCE Agile Analog
PORTLAND, Ore., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Airport Retailing Market by Product Type (Liquor & Tobacco, Perfumes & Cosmetics, Fashion & Accessories, Food & Beverages, and Others), Airport Size (Large Airport, Medium Airport, and Small Airport), and Distribution Channel (Direct Retailer, Convenience Store, Specialty Retailer, and Departmental store): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2027." According to the report, the global airport retailing industry was projected at $27.5 billion in 2019, and is anticipated to hit $40.5 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 12.6% from 2021 to 2027.

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities-

Rise in inclination of people toward unique and exotic holiday experiences, surge in the income of middle- & upper-class people, and growing interest of people to spend more money on shopping fuel the growth of the global airport retailing market. On the other hand, stringent government regulations impede the growth to some extent. Nevertheless, upsurge in the tourism sector, affordable airfares, increased airport investment to expand retail spaces, and the introduction of new terminals are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/8307

Covid-19 scenario-

The outbreak of the pandemic led to ban on transportation across the world, especially during the first phase of the lockdown. This, in turn, impacted the airport retailing market negatively.

The distorted supply chain and lack of raw materials affected the market yet more.

However, several government bodies have initiated vaccination drives, and with this drift on board, the market is expected to recoup soon.

The perfumes and cosmetics segment to retain its dominance by 2027-

Based on product type, the perfumes and cosmetics segment accounted for nearly two-fifths of the global airport retailing market share in 2019, and is expected to rule the roost by the end of 2027. The same segment would also register the fastest CAGR of 13.7% from 2021 to 2027. Improvement in lifestyle along with increase in affluent population drives the segment growth.

The large airport segment to lead the trail-

Based on airport size, the large airport segment contributed to nearly three-fifths of the global airport retailing market revenue in 2019, and is anticipated to lead the trail by 2027. Large airports are located at the capital region of countries and are popular holiday destinations. These airports have a considerable number of business class travelers who notably contribute toward the sale of products through travel retail hubs. These factors propel the segment growth. The medium airport segment, on the other hand, would portray the fastest CAGR of 13.5% throughout the forecast period. Expansion of the retail businesses on medium airports is majorly driven by rise in spending capacity of the middle-income group.

Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe and North America, to dominate in terms of revenue-

Based on region, Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe and North America, held the major share in 2019, garnering nearly two-fifths of the global airport retailing market. The same region would also cite the fastest CAGR of 13.7% from 2021 to 2027. This is due to increase in number of new air routes and the introduction of low cost carrier (LCC) in the province.

For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/8307

Key players in the industry-

Dubai Duty Free

Flemingo International

Dufry AG

DFS Group Ltd.

the Shilla Duty Free

China Duty Free Group Co., Ltd.

Airport Retail Group LLC

Gebr

Heinemann SE & Co. KG

King Power International,Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd.

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About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
AnDAPT power solutions speed up development of power supplies for a variety of industrial and computing applications, including industrial, motor control, Programmable Logic Control, Internet of Things (IoT), medical, networking, and datacenter equipment. These ready-to-use reference designs provide easy and reliable solutions to power entire Xilinx Zynq family FPGAs/SoCs while taking care of all the involved complexity.

"These AnDAPT solutions can be used as-is or further modified with our software design tools to generate a customized PMIC solution. This provides the exact solution they are looking for," said Bill McLean, AnDAPT CEO. "AnDAPT solutions offer highly efficient systems that allow remarkable reduction in PCB area by allowing integration and flexibility to change power configuration and sequencing, during the design phase or after final assembly," Bill continued.

The Zynq platform devices require greater than 25 power rails among the PS (Processing System) and PL (Programmable Logic) domains. In addition, there are variations in the number and power requirements of each rail depending on the system and application requirements. AnDAPT reference designs meet or exceed Xilinx power performance specifications while achieving a reduction in solution PCB area by merging and reducing the number of devices used. All our power management solution PMICs use the same silicon which can be configured to support the customer's design requirements. Using one configurable device to support multiple designs at a customer also simplifies inventory management.

AnDAPT plans to release similar power solutions for the Xilinx Kintex, Artix, Virtex, Versal, and Spartan families and other FPGA/SoC vendors in the near future.

AnDAPT WebAmP R.D. (Reference Design) Software Tool

AnDAPT has created an intuitive software tool, WebAmp R.D., to provide ready-to-use PMIC solutions with optimum flexibility. These solutions are based on Xilinx FPGA family device part numbers and use cases that have been defined by Xilinx. Users can utilize these PMIC solutions as-is or modify rail sequencing, revise output voltages, alter maximum current per rail, or disable unused rails if desired. WebAmp R.D. provides all the necessary design documentation including design files, reference schematics, datasheets, BoM, and layout guides. If additional functionality is desired, such as system rails or glue logic, the generated design files can be used on WebAmP software tool for additional modifications.

AnDAPT Power Management Solutions

The AmP IC uses a compact 5mm x 5mm package and a high level of integration to provide a best-in-class system power solution. Each PMIC incorporates a single or two phase DrMOS controller (up to 70A), multiple buck converters (10A / 6A), high current LDOs (up to 2A) or load switches (LDSW), 4 general purpose LDOs (200mA) and power management features including fault protection and sequencing.

These PMIC solutions are available on the "Reference Design PMIC" page on the AnDAPT website. The designs make it remarkably simple for the designer to pick and choose a solution and get it up and running within minutes for evaluation. Further, the WebAmP R.D. tool allows designers to scale a solution both up and down quickly depending on the design requirements. In addition, these reference designs can be used in the WebAmP tool for further customization and addition of other systems rail requirements and other systems required integration. This makes the AnDAPT AmP IC solution ideal for Xilinx FPGA applications and other system power requirements.

About AnDAPT

A privately held fabless Power semiconductor company. AnDAPT Holdings Ltd, designs, manufactures and markets On-Demand and Reference Design Power Management solutions. Incorporated in 2014 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the Company is funded by Intel, Cisco, Atlantic Bridge Vanguard and has pioneered a new genre of adaptive analog technology. AnDAPT offers AmP Adaptive Multi-Rail Power Platforms, WebAmP and WebAmP R.D.TM cloud-based software tools and AmP Power Components targeting applications in Medical, Industrial, Enterprise, Server/Client, Storage, Communications, IoT, Drones and Telematics applications. Visit the company website (AnDAPT.com) or call for more information.

Contact:

Zaryab Hamavand,

AnDAPT, VP Marketing

+1 (408) 406-5669

[email protected]

SOURCE AnDAPT

Related Links

https://www.andapt.com/


ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) ("Gallagher") today announced the closing of its public offering of 10,350,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $142.00 per share, which includes the exercise in full of the underwriters' option to purchase an additional 1,350,000 shares of its common stock. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as sole book-running manager for the offering. BofA Securities, Deutsche Bank Securities, Keefe, Bruyette Woods, a Stifel Company, Truist Securities, Wells Fargo Securities, William Blair, Piper Sandler, RBC Capital Markets, Dowling & Partners Securities, LLC and Raymond James acted as co-managers for the offering.

The public offering was made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 dated March 8, 2021 that has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). A final prospectus supplement relating to the offering dated May 12, 2021 has been filed with the SEC and is available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, by mail at 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the common stock or any other security of Gallagher, nor shall there be any sale of the common stock in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, and is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher has operations in 56 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Investors: Ray Iardella

Media: Kelli Murray VP - Investor Relations

Director Global Public Relations (630) 285-3661/ [email protected]

(630) 277-0347/ [email protected]

SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Related Links

http://www.ajg.com


As a result, the police officers or sheriff deputies are sometimes forgotten or diminished in what I refer to as agency limbo, trapped in between two employers. I can personally relate to this feeling, as I was a combat medic with the Florida National Guard, but when deployed overseas in 2010, I was reassigned to another unit for the drawdown of equipment from Iraq to the ports of Kuwait. The ability to order medical supplies, adjust to new standard operating procedures, the wear of the uniform, and lack of camaraderie established with the new unit had me dealing with agency limbo, just as the SRO assigned to a school experiences while at work.
The arrival of Auntie Anne's first-ever drive-thru location is a significant step in the brand's commitment to move to real estate beyond the traditional mall location and is a direct response to consumer desire for greater brand accessibility. Strategically paired together in a co-brand location, Jamba's menu complements the fan-favorite pretzels and snacks offered at Auntie Anne's. Elements of both brands, including design and menu boards, will be fully and seamlessly integrated at the newest 1,200 square foot location.

"Consumer research shows that our guests want access to Auntie Anne's outside of the mall. While we were already underway with identifying ways to enhance our brands' accessibility, the study results confirmed our strategy to co-brand this location with Jamba," said Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer of Focus Brands. "Considering how the pandemic has changed consumer preferences, we recognize the importance of building our off-premise offerings and evolving our development capabilities to provide franchisees with additional opportunities, including co-brand locations that have potential for enhanced revenue. We're pleased to have an excited franchisee on-board to open the Wylie Jamba and Auntie Anne's co-brand location and look forward to adding more to our pipeline."

Currently, more than a quarter of Jamba's locations have a drive-thru and the brand is aggressively looking to add drive-thrus to 50 percent of new locations. Auntie Anne's continues to explore locations out of the mall, including drive-thru locations, co-brand locations, locations near colleges and universities as well as mobile food trucks. In addition, further acknowledging the power of co-brand locations, Jamba is already receiving interest from franchisees looking to add Auntie Anne's to their existing stores.

"Auntie Anne's has become synonymous with malls and airports, but for some time we've been looking for opportunities to grow outside of those traditional locations to give our guests greater access to a brand they love," said Kristen Hartman, Specialty Category President of Focus Brands. "Today, we have a number of Auntie Anne's streetside locations paired with Cinnabon and Carvel. The opportunities that become available when we leverage the power of our full portfolio are endless. I'm incredibly excited to see that through co-branding we are able to add the drive-thru experience to the Auntie Anne's portfolio and can't wait to see how guests respond to this enhanced accessibility."

Jamba and Auntie Anne's are aggressively seeking franchisees to open co-brand locations in target cities across the country. To learn more about all franchising opportunities with Focus Brands, visit https://www.focusbrands.com/franchising/.

About Focus Brands

Atlanta-based Focus Brands is a leading developer of global multi-channel foodservice brands. Focus Brands, through its affiliate brands, is the franchisor and operator of more than 6,000 restaurants, cafes, ice cream shoppes, and bakeries in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and over 50 foreign countries under the brand names Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli and Schlotzsky's, as well as Seattle's Best Coffee on certain military bases and in certain international markets. Please visit www.focusbrands.com to learn more.

About Jamba

Jamba is the global lifestyle brand leader serving on-the-go freshly blended fruit and vegetable smoothies, made-to-order bowls, fresh-squeezed juices and shots, boosts and bites. Jamba has more than 850 locations operating in 36 U.S. states, as well as the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Japan. For more information and to stay connected, follow @JambaJuice on Twitter and Instagram or visit jamba.com.

About Auntie Anne's

With locations in 49 states and more than 25 countries, Auntie Anne's mixes, twists and bakes pretzels to golden brown perfection all day long in full view of guests. Auntie Anne's stores can be found in malls and outlet centers, as well as in non-traditional spaces including universities, airports, Walmart's, travel plazas, military bases, and food trucks. Fans can now also order their favorite pretzel snacks for delivery, pickup and catering in the Pretzel Perks app. For more information, visit AuntieAnnes.com, or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Contact:

Abby Leary

Focus Brands

[email protected]

SOURCE Auntie Anne's; Jamba

Related Links

http://www.focusbrands.com


PORTLAND, Ore., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Automotive V2X Market by Communication (Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), Vehicle-to-grid (V2G), Vehicle-to-cloud (V2C), and Vehicle-to-device (V2D)), Connectivity (Dedicated Short-range Communication (DSRC), and Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) Communication) and Vehicle Type (Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027." According to the report, the global automotive V2X industry garnered $2.56 billion in 2019, and is projected to generate $11.71 billion by 2027, manifesting a CAGR of 28.4% from 2020 to 2027.

Download Report (268 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures) at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/7485

Prime determinants of growth

Surge in adoption of connected cars and rapid increase in urbanization and industrialization drive the growth of the global automotive V2X market. However, high cost of implementation and security concerns related to data communication restrain the market growth. On the contrary, future potential of 5G & AI technology coupled with the advancement in cellular-V2X (C-V2X) technology and growth in developments in semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles expected to provide new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

The lockdown imposed by the government during the initial phase of Covid-19 affected the manufacturing units across the globe.

The COVID-19 crisis have, furthermore, created uncertainty in the market, disruptions in the supply chain, decline in businesses, and increase in panic among customer segments. All these aspects impacted the market negatively, thereby affecting the sales.

Nevertheless, the industries are now continuing with their manufacturing processes, as the restrictions have been eased off. This is expected to support the market to recoup soon.

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The vehicle to vehicle segment to continue its lead position during the forecast period

By communication, the vehicle to vehicle segment accounted for the largest market share, contributing to nearly two-fifths of the global automotive V2X market in 2019, and will continue its lead position during the forecast period. This is due to changing infrastructural requirement for the connected cars. On the other hand, the Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) segment is expected to register the largest CAGR of 32.8% from 2020 to 2027. This is due to its ability to access the advisories from the infrastructure to the automotive which transfer the information regarding the mobility management, driver safety, and environmental conditions.

The passenger type segment to maintain its dominance in terms of revenue by 2027

By vehicle type, the passenger type segment contributed to the largest share in 2019, holding around 90% of the global automotive V2X market, and is projected to maintain its dominance in terms of revenue by 2027. In addition, this segment is expected to manifest at the fastest CAGR of 28.9% from 2020 to 2027, owing to high penetration of advanced technology in the passenger cars across the globe.

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Europe, followed by North America, to maintain its leadership status by 2027

By region, Europe, followed by North America, contributed to the highest market share in 2019, accounting for around one- third of the global automotive V2X market, and will maintain its leadership status by 2027. This is attributed to increasing penetration in digital technologies in this province.

However, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 32.4% during the forecast period, owing to increasing number of connected cars in the region.

Leading market players

Infineon Technologies AG

NXP Semiconductors

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Robert Bosch GmbH

Savari, Inc.

STMicroelectronics

Altran

Autotalks Ltd.

Continental AG

HARMAN International

Schedule a FREE Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/7485

Similar Reports We Have on Automotive Industry:

Automotive Telematics Market by Channel (OEM and Aftermarket), Vehicle Type (Commercial Vehicle, Passenger Car, and Two-Wheeler), Application (Fleet/Asset Management, Navigation & Location-Based System, Infotainment System, Insurance Telematic, Safety & Security, V2X, and Others), and Connectivity Solution (Embedded, Integrated Smartphones, and Tethered): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026.

Automotive RADAR Market by Application (Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Forward Collision Warning System, Intelligent Park Assist, and Other), Frequency (24 GHz, 77 GHz, and 79GHz), Range (Long Range RADAR (LRR) and Short and Medium Range RADAR (S&MRR)), and Vehicle Type (Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicles): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192026.

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About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
"This remarkable map reads like a three-act play," said Bruce Babbitt, former Arizona governor, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, and namesake of the Babbitt Center . "Climate sets the stage. The Colorado River flows through time, shaping the land and our lives. We are now entering the third act, using historical information to move toward a sustainable future."

One of the most significant changes reflected on the map is the inclusion of the full extent of the Basin in Mexico. Many conventional maps end at the U.S.-Mexico border, a legacy of administrative and engineering decisions made by the U.S. government in the 20th century. The map corrects two other common misunderstandings: that the River always flows to the sea, and that certain parts of Mexico and Southern California were never part of the Basin.

"For too long, many people thought the Colorado River ended at the border," said Paula Randolph, associate director of the Babbitt Center.

In the course of collaborating with partners throughout the Colorado River Basin, Randolph notes, the Babbitt Center observed that "experts on Colorado River Basin issues were bemoaning the arbitrary nature and perspective of existing maps. The Babbitt Center team reviewed the maps currently in circulation and chose to tackle those concerns."

The Babbitt Center produced the map in partnership with the Lincoln Institute's newly launched Center for Geospatial Solutions, which harnesses data to inform decision making related to land and water management.

The full-color, double-sided map highlights specific regions and issues of note in one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States. Features include:

- A physical and political map of the entire Colorado River Basin, including the location of the 30 federally recognized tribal nations in the basin; structures such as dams, reservoirs, transbasin diversions, and canals; protected areas; and indications of whether streams are perennial or intermittent.

- Inset maps spotlighting wildfire risk, the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, the shrinking Salton Sea, and the relationship between urban development, irrigated agriculture, and water management in major cities.

- Stunning photographs of the Colorado River headwaters and Delta, Lake Powell, the Imperial Valley, and other significant landmarks of the region.

- Narrative explorations of key issues in the Colorado River Basin, including climate change, tribal water rights, wildfire, development, agriculture, and biodiversity.

- Historical information on the division of water among the U.S. states and Mexico and the drought contingency negotiations that have occurred during the first two decades of the 21st century as climate change threatens significant streamflow losses.





"Maps are powerful and often unacknowledged tools shaping our perceptions of the landscape," said Michael Cohen, senior researcher at the Pacific Institute. "The Babbitt Center's new Colorado River Basin map greatly improves our understanding of the iconic river that sustains the West and of the many dynamic elements at play."



The Babbitt Center's goal was to create a comprehensive map that honored the natural history of the Colorado River Basin while reflecting the human-altered systems that power it today.

"The question 'Where is the Colorado River Basin?' is a seemingly simple one without an easy answer," Babbitt Center Senior Program Manager Zach Sugg said. "Because humans altered the course of the River so profoundly and quickly, many people might answer differently today than they would have a century ago. Even though there are places the river rarely, if ever flows today, to us they are still part of the Basin."



The Babbitt Center will provide this freely available resource to support the ongoing discourse about the region's future, Sugg said.

"We would love for this to become a widely used, gold standard map within the world of Colorado River Basin water management and the larger water management world as well."

The map is available at no cost as a downloadable pdf, and as a hard copy.

About the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy

The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy seeks to advance the integration of land and water management to meet the current and future water needs of Colorado River Basin communities, economies, and the environment. The Babbitt Center, a center of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, promotes innovative land and water conservation practices and policies, catalyzes these solutions at the local level, and nurtures research into integrated land and water management.

About the Center for Geospatial Solutions

The Center for Geospatial Solutions provides people and organizations with tools to advance equitable solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges. The center delivers geospatial data, conducts analysis, and performs specialized consulting services for organizations of all sizes in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors.

About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide.

SOURCE Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Related Links

http://www.lincolninst.edu


SYDNEY, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the completion of the sale of Boral Limited's (ASX:BLD) ("Boral") 50% share in the USG Boral Joint Venture, and in line with Boral's financial framework, the company will use sale proceeds of A$1.33 billion to reduce Boral's net debt position.

As part of this process, Boral Finance Pty Ltd (the "Company"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boral, has today commenced a tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to purchase for cash any and all of its outstanding 3.000% Guaranteed Senior Notes due 2022 (the "Notes").

The Tender Offer is being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase, dated May 17, 2021 (the "Offer to Purchase"), which sets forth a more detailed description of the Tender Offer and the related notice of guaranteed delivery (as the same may be amended or supplemented). Holders of the Notes are urged to read carefully the Offer to Purchase before making any decision with respect to the Tender Offer.

Any and All of the Outstanding Notes Listed Below:

Title of Security

CUSIP Nos.

ISIN

Principal Amount Outstanding

Purchase Price(1)

U.S. Treasury Reference Security

Bloomberg Reference Page



Fixed Spread 3.000% Guaranteed Senior Notes due 2022

144A: 09952AAA4 Reg S: Q1700EAA0

144A: US09952AAA43

Reg S: USQ1700EAA03

US$450,000,000

To be determined at the Price Determination Time

0.125% UST due April 30, 2023

FIT1



+40bps

________________________

(1) Per US$1,000 principal amount. The Purchase Price (as defined below) is calculated using the Fixed Spread (as defined below).

Tender offer details

The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 21, 2021, (such date and time, as it may be extended, the "Expiration Time") unless earlier terminated. To be eligible to receive the Purchase Price (as defined below), holders must (i) validly tender their Notes at or prior to the Expiration Time or (ii) deliver a properly completed and duly executed notice of guaranteed delivery and other required documents in accordance with the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the Offer to Purchase at or prior to the Expiration Time and deliver their Notes at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the second business day following the Expiration Time, which the Company anticipates to be May 25, 2021 (the "Guaranteed Delivery Deadline").

Consideration

The purchase price (the "Purchase Price") payable for each US$1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Tender Offer will be determined in the manner described in the Offer to Purchase by reference to the fixed spread for the Notes (the "Fixed Spread") specified in the table above plus the yield to maturity based on the bid-side price of the U.S. Treasury Reference Security specified in the table above, calculated as of 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on May 21, 2021, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company. In addition to the Purchase Price, the Company will also pay accrued and unpaid interest on Notes purchased from and including the interest payment date immediately preceding the initial settlement date up to, but not including, the initial settlement date. The Company anticipates that the initial settlement date for the Tender Offer will be May 24, 2021. The Company anticipates that the guaranteed delivery settlement date will be the first business day following the Guaranteed Delivery Deadline, or May 26, 2021. For the avoidance of doubt, accrued and unpaid interest will cease to accrue on the initial settlement date for all Notes accepted in the Tender Offer, including those tendered by the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the Offer to Purchase.

Withdrawal conditions

Notes tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 21, 2021, unless extended (such date and time, as it may be extended, the "Withdrawal Deadline"), but not thereafter.

After the Withdrawal Deadline, holders may not withdraw their tendered Notes unless the Company amends the Tender Offer in a manner that is materially adverse to the tendering holders, in which case withdrawal rights may be extended to the extent required by law, or as the Company otherwise determines is appropriate to allow tendering holders a reasonable opportunity to respond to such amendment. Additionally, the Company, in its sole discretion, may extend the Withdrawal Deadline for any purpose. If a holder holds their Notes through a custodian bank, broker, dealer or other nominee, such nominee may have an earlier deadline or deadlines for receiving instructions to withdraw tendered Notes.

The Company's obligation to accept for payment and to pay for the Notes validly tendered in the Tender Offer is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions described in the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offer may be terminated or withdrawn, subject to applicable law. The Company reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to (i) waive any and all conditions to the Tender Offer, (ii) extend or terminate the Tender Offer, or (iii) otherwise amend the Tender Offer in any respect.

Dealer Manager

The Company has appointed J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as dealer manager (the "Dealer Manager") for the Tender Offer. The Company has retained D.F. King & Co, Inc. as the tender and information agent for the Tender Offer. For additional information regarding the terms of the Tender Offer, please contact: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (866) 834-4087 (toll free) or (212) 834-4087 (collect). Requests for documents and questions regarding the tendering of securities may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. by telephone at (212) 269-5550 (for banks and brokers only) or (866) 796-1271 (for all others toll-free), by email at [email protected] or at www.dfking.com/boral or to the Dealer Manager at its telephone numbers.

This market release shall not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy or an offer to purchase or sell any securities. The Tender Offer is being made only pursuant to the Offer to Purchase and only in such jurisdictions as is permitted under applicable law.

Neither the Offer to Purchase nor any disclosure document (as defined in the Australian Corporations Act 2001) in relation to the Notes has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and in Australia, the Tender Offer is only available to persons to whom an offer or invitation can be made without disclosure under Parts 6D.2 or 7.9 of the Australian Corporations Act.

From time to time after completion of the Tender Offer, the Company or its affiliates may purchase additional Notes in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, through tender or exchange offers or other methods, or the Company may redeem Notes pursuant to their terms. Any future purchases may be on the same terms or on terms that are more or less favorable to Holders of the Notes than the terms of the Tender Offer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are information of a non-historical nature or which relate to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. No assurance can be given that the transactions described herein will be consummated or as to the ultimate terms of any such transactions. The Company and Boral undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events or for any other reason, except as required by applicable law.

About Boral

Founded in 1946, Boral is an international building products and construction materials group with two divisions: the leading integrated construction materials business of Boral Australia and Boral North America, a building products and fly ash business. Employing more than 17,000 employees and contractors, Boral's operations span 650 operating and distribution sites globally.

Boral Limited ABN 13 008 421 761  Level 18, 15 Blue Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 - www.boral.com

SOURCE Boral Limited
PARIS, France, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Boralex Inc. ("Boralex" or the "Company") (TSX: BLX) is pleased to announce that the Tribunal de Commerce de Lille [Lille commercial court] has rendered a decision in its favor, ordering Innovent SAS ("Innovent") and its president, Gregoire Verhaeghe to pay to Boralex 50.6 million for breach of contractual obligations.

The dispute arose in the context of a transaction between the parties that occurred in 2012 whereby Boralex acquired from Innovent construction-ready wind projects. As part of such transaction, the parties entered into a development services agreement pursuant to which Innovent and Mr. Verhaeghe had the obligation to offer Boralex the right to acquire certain wind projects under development.

In a well-reasoned judgement, the Court found that the defendants were in breach of their obligation with respect to the then under development Eplessier-Thieulloy-l'Abbaye and Buire-Le-Sec projects, thereby depriving Boralex of its right to acquire the projects at the agreed price and terms. Given such default, Innovent and Gregoire Verhaegue are ordered by the Court to pay to Boralex 50.6 million, which decision included a provisional order.

Innovent has indicated that it intends to appeal the decision, including the provisional order.

About Boralex

Boralex develops, builds and operates renewable energy power facilities in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. A leader in the Canadian market and France's first independent onshore wind power producer, the Corporation is recognized for its solid experience in optimizing its asset base in four power generation types  wind, hydroelectric, thermal and solar. Boralex ensures sustainable growth by leveraging the expertise and diversification developed for 30 years. Boralex's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.

More information is available at www.boralex.com or www.sedar.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements based on current expectations, within the meaning of securities legislation.

Boralex would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results or the measures it adopts could differ materially from those indicated by or underlying these statements or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular forward-looking statement.

Unless otherwise specified by the Corporation, the forward-looking statements do not take into account the possible impact on its activities of transactions, lawsuits, non-recurring items or other exceptional items announced or occurring after the statements are made. There can be no assurance as to the materialization of the results, performance or achievements as expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Unless required to do so under applicable securities legislation, management of Boralex does not assume any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or other changes.

SOURCE Boralex Inc.

Related Links

www.boralex.com


Babenzien will lead J.Crew Men's design, instilling the brand with the free-thinking point of view and visionary focus on responsible business models that have earned him critical acclaim throughout his impressive career. Babenzien's vision as Design Director at Supreme elevated a niche skate wear brand to the global stage, while his founding of Noah earned him further international renown for building a brand with a high standard of quality menswear while challenging the status quo by seeking to further positive change within the industry. As Creative Director of J.Crew Men's, Babenzien will for the first time turn his focus towards the evolution and reimagination of a true American classic.

"J.Crew has always been a part of my life - quietly, subtly in the background, slowly becoming the platform from which to build my personal style. I'm excited to join the team and build a positive future that meets the interests of the thoughtful consumers that exist today, satisfying not just their sophisticated taste level but their demands for responsible business practices," said Babenzien. "J.Crew is in the unique position to help men achieve the confidence we all seek both stylistically and as consumers. I look forward to working with Libby and the rest of the J.Crew family to achieve these goals."

"Brendon is a singular talent in the fashion world. He's a true storyteller, and it's that depth of vision and creativity that have led to his proven ability to build beloved brands that customers obsess over. His unique point of view, willingness to take risks and insider status will be invaluable to J.Crew's commitment to step outside ourselves and disrupt our brand and the industry in a progressive way," said Wadle. "Brendon has always had an innate ability to pursue meaningful creative with integrity and is obsessively engaged with what is happening in the industry. His authentic connection to the brand serves as a perfect foundation upon which to drive the future of J.Crew Men's, and I couldn't be more thrilled to welcome him to the team."

Babenzien will begin his work with J.Crew Men's effective immediately, reporting directly to Wadle. His first full collection for the brand is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2022.

About J.Crew Group

J.Crew Group is an internationally recognized omnichannel retailer of women's, men's, and children's apparel, shoes, and accessories. As of [May 17, 2021], the Company operates [151] J.Crew retail stores, [143] Madewell stores, and [147] J.Crew Factory stores in nearly every state in the United States, and also maintains J.Crew, Madewell, and J.Crew Factory websites. For more information visit jcrew.com, madewell.com and jcrewfactory.com.

Media Contacts

Gina Cannon/Amelia Lovaglio

Nike Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE J.Crew
TIVERTON, England and SALISBURY, Md., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A first-time English author has released the first biography of Henry Bagwell, an historically important early settler of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

The Henry Bagwell Story is the first biography of an early English settler on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, who survived shipwreck in Bermuda on his way to the Jamestown Colony in 1609. An English author, writing her first book, compiled his story from historical archives in Virginia and Devon, England.

Ten years ago, Margaret Rice set out to research the genealogy of her family, the Chappell family of Exeter, who were prominent during the reign of Elizabeth I. The trail took an unexpected turn. Rice's discovery of a marriage of Johane Chappell to a David Bagwell and the birth of Henry Bagwell in 1589 led to the previously untold story of Henry's voyage to the new colony of Virginia in 1609, on the Sea Venture, the flagship of the fleet called the "Third Supply."

The fleet was sent by the newly formed Virginia Company of London to bring aid to the beleaguered Jamestown settlers. But the Sea Venture, with most of the leaders for the new colony, ran aground on the reefs off Bermuda in a fierce storm. After nine months, the shipwrecked crew and passengers were able to construct two new vessels, and most of them reached Jamestown alive  long after they'd been given up for dead.

Henry Bagwell remained in Virginia. By 1630, he had left the mainland and travelled across the Chesapeake Bay to the Eastern Shore, settling in what was then known as Accomack Plantation. He became a substantial landowner, acquired a stepfamily through marriage to Alice Stratton, and had three more children with her. Henry served as a church warden, a burgess, the first clerk of court on the Eastern Shore, and a tobacco inspector.

In his Foreword, G. Ray Thompson, professor emeritus of history at Salisbury University, writes: "Although Rice started this project as a family history, it has turned into much more than just a genealogical record. I suspect Henry Bagwell, if he had had the opportunity to read this work, would recognize himself in the political, economic, and social interactions of the time."

The Henry Bagwell Story: English Adventurer, Virginia Planter 1589-1663, is $25.95 (hardcover) and $9.99 (ebook). It is available from independent bookstores on the Eastern Shore; all leading online retailers; and by direct order from Secant Publishing of Salisbury, Maryland at www.secantpublishing.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margaret A. "Maggie" Rice is a retired educator. She lives with her husband Ray in Tiverton, 11 miles from Exeter.

Contact:

Ron Sauder

4108453193

[email protected]

SOURCE Secant Publishing
NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) ("Broadridge") today announced the closing of its offering of $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 2.600% senior notes due 2031 (the "Notes"). As previously announced, Broadridge intends to use the net proceeds of this offering to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under its Term Credit Agreement and for general corporate purposes.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, BofA Securities, Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., TD Securities (USA) LLC., Truist Securities, Inc. and U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. acted as the joint book-running managers for the offering.

The Notes were offered pursuant to an effective registration statement only by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement, copies of which may be obtained from: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC collect at 212-834-4533, BofA Securities, Inc. toll-free at 800-294-1322, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC toll-free at 866-718-1649 and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC toll-free at 800-645-3751.

You may also visit www.sec.gov to obtain an electronic copy of the prospectus and related prospectus supplement.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any Notes, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $4.5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $10 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 12,000 associates in 17 countries.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and other written or oral statements made from time to time by representatives of Broadridge may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical in nature, and which may be identified by the use of words such as "expects," "assumes," "projects," "anticipates," "estimates," "we believe," "could be" and other words of similar meaning, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed. These risks and uncertainties include those risk factors discussed in Part I, "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020 (the "2020 Annual Report"), as they may be updated in any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, Broadridge's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (filed on May 4, 2021). All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed in the 2020 Annual Report and any such subsequent filings.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements include:

The potential impact and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic ("COVID -19") on the business of Broadridge, Broadridge's results of operations and financial performance, any measures Broadridge has and may take in response to COVID -19 and any expectations Broadridge may have with respect thereto;

the success of Broadridge in retaining and selling additional services to its existing clients and in obtaining new clients;

Broadridge's reliance on a relatively small number of clients, the continued financial health of those clients, and the continued use by such clients of Broadridge's services with favorable pricing terms;

a material security breach or cybersecurity attack affecting the information of Broadridge's clients;

changes in laws and regulations affecting Broadridge's clients or the services provided by Broadridge;

declines in participation and activity in the securities markets;

the failure of Broadridge's key service providers to provide the anticipated levels of service;

a disaster or other significant slowdown or failure of Broadridge's systems or error in the performance of Broadridge's services;

overall market and economic conditions and their impact on the securities markets;

Broadridge's failure to keep pace with changes in technology and the demands of its clients;

Broadridge's ability to attract and retain key personnel;

the impact of new acquisitions and divestitures; and

competitive conditions.

Broadridge disclaims any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, other than as required by law.

Contact Information





Investors: Media: Edings Thibault Linda Namias Head of Investor Relations Corporate Communications (516) 472-5129 (631) 254-7711 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.broadridge.com


ANAHEIM, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Channel Bakers, a global eCommerce and Retail Media advertising agency, today announced it will partner with Profitero, the leader in providing actionable eCommerce insights for the world's most successful consumer brands, to offer its clients access to best-in-class, enterprise-quality sales and market share analytics. According to Joshua Kreitzer, agency Founder and CEO, Profitero also has named Channel Bakers a "Certified Profitero Pro Partner" that can combine these analytics with advertising, content and supply chain optimization services to help more brands realize maximum ROI on their marketing efforts.

"The Profitero partnership will provide us a breadth of new tools enabling us to produce strong insights we can shape into comprehensive eCommerce and Advertising strategies" said Joshua Kreitzer, Founder and CEO of Channel Bakers."

"Profitero's pure-play technology business model offers tremendous synergy with Channel Bakers as a global full-service strategic eCommerce and Retail Media advertising agency," Kreitzer said.

Having expanded to over 185 employees worldwide, Channel Bakers' new relationship ensures the agency is fully 'tech-enabled' and represents a significant benchmark for continued growth.

Noting that the largest consumer brands have responded to a 44% growth in 2020 online sales with investments in sophisticated in-house data analytics teams, Kreitzer said smaller brands lacking such resources can now work with Channel Bakers plus Profitero to level the playing field within the eCommerce landscape.



"We partnered with Profitero because we have not seen any other retail benchmarking and market share tools available that deliver consistent accuracy for our clients," said Kreitzer, while adding that, on average, brands using Profitero grow their eCommerce sales 70 percent faster than category competitors.

According to Sarah LaVallee, Channel Bakers' Vice President of Client Success, the agency was chosen among a small list of best-in-breed agencies based on its understanding and servicing the needs of small teams, especially when it comes to Amazon.

"Our experience and knowledge of Amazon and its new products along with our global presence create a strong synergy for our relationship with Profitero and will have a huge impact on our client success," LaVallee said. "We believe that people, plus the right tech is what delivers the best eCommerce and retail media outcomes that brands are looking for from their agencies in today's retail landscape."

About Profitero:

Profitero is a leading global SaaS company providing eCommerce insights to 4,000 consumer brands, including large-size brands like Adidas, Kraft-Heinz and L'Oreal as well as small to medium-sized brands such as Califia Farms, Materne, Moroccan Oil and Popsockets. Using Profitero's daily data and analytics, brands can optimize their assortment, content, search placement, pricing and reviews across 600+ retailer websites spanning 50+ countries. News outlets, including Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal and Ad Age frequently cite and trust Profitero as a source of data for their stories.

About Channel Bakers:

Founded in 2015 as the first agency purely focused on Amazon Advertising by CEO Joshua Kreitzer, Channel Bakers is a full-service, global agency founded upon a core tenet to help innovative brands find the right audience at the right time and tell their story to drive sales. The agency utilizes its decades of experience leveraging data and analytics to grow revenue within specific retailers and verticals. With this strategy Channel Bakers has helped clients including Samsung become top brands on the Amazon platform. Channel Bakers is fully accredited and certified by Amazon as an advertising partner. For more information, visit www.channelbakers.com .





SOURCE Channel Bakers

Related Links

channelbakers.com


BEIJING, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- China Online Education Group ("51Talk" or the "Company") (NYSE:COE), a leading online education platform in China, with core expertise in English education, announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021.

First Quarter 2021 Financial and Operating Highlights

Net revenues were RMB600.4 million ( US$91.6 million ), a 23.3% increase from RMB487.1 million for the first quarter of 2020.

( ), a 23.3% increase from for the first quarter of 2020. Gross margin was 73.4%, compared with 70.4% for the first quarter of 2020.

GAAP net income was RMB8.0 million ( US$1.2 million ), compared with GAAP net income RMB50.8 million for the first quarter of 2020.

( ), compared with GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP net income [1] was RMB16.8 million ( US$2.6 million ), compared with non-GAAP net income RMB57.0 million for the first quarter of 2020.

was ( ), compared with non-GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2020. Operating cash inflow was RMB39.0 million ( US$6.0 million ), compared with RMB172.7 million cash inflow for the first quarter of 2020.

( ), compared with cash inflow for the first quarter of 2020. Cash, cash equivalents, time deposits and short-term investments balance reached RMB1,730.3 million ( US$264.1 million ) as of March 31, 2021 .

( ) as of . Gross billings[2] were RMB685.0million ( US$104.6 million ), a 14.8% increase from RMB596.9 million for the first quarter of 2020.

Key Financial and Operating Data For the three months ended





Mar. 31,

Mar. 31,

Y-o-Y

2020

2021

Change











Net Revenues (in RMB millions) 487.1

600.4

23.3% K-12 one-on-one mass market offering 404.2

549.6

36.0% K-12 small class offering 22.7

18.2

(19.8%) Others 60.2

32.6

(45.8%)











Gross billings (in RMB millions) 596.9

685.0

14.8% K-12 one-on-one mass market offering 563.5

660.1

17.1% K-12 small class offering 11.5

5.3

(53.9%) Others 21.9

19.6

(10.5%)











Active students[3] (in thousands) 286.6

392.7

37.0%













[1] For more information on non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section of "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the table captioned "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to the Most Comparable GAAP Measures" set forth in this press release. [2] Gross billings for a specific period, which is one of the Company's key operating data, is defined as the total amount of cash received for the sale of course packages and services in such period, net of the total amount of refunds in such period. [3] An "active student" for a specified period refers to a student who booked at least one paid lesson, excluding those students who only attended paid live broadcasting lessons or trial lessons.

"We are delighted to report another solid quarter as first quarter net revenue reached RMB600.4 million, a 23.3% year-over-year increase that once again beat the top end of our guidance," said Mr. Jack Jiajia Huang, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 51Talk. "Remarkably, our net revenues from K12 one-on-one mass market offering grew 36.0% compared to first quarter last year. This performance was mainly driven by an increase in the number of active students, which rose 37.0% year-over-year. These results illustrate the massive opportunity that exists in K12 one-on-one mass market with the growing acceptance of online education.

"In addition to organic growth through our existing strategies, we have also been pursuing external opportunities with our recent acquisition of Koala Reading. We are leveraging its expertise in Chinese reading assessments, and plan to further develop a trailblazing English reading skill evaluation system that allows us to improve our product offerings. Furthermore, this acquisition widens our course offerings with additional Chinese courses, which is in line with the long term strategy of diversifying our curriculum portfolio. Along with our efforts in enhancing teacher operations, optimizing curriculums and developing AI-powered robotic tutors, the acquisition of Koala Reading is a testament to our commitment in providing the best learning experience to our students.

"In order to solidify our leadership in K12 one-on-one mass market English education, we are focused on ramping up our branding and marketing efforts and improving student satisfaction while also investing in product development and upgrading course offerings and services. We are excited to announce the appointment of Ms. Maine Mendoza as our latest Brand Ambassador and 51Talk Guest Teacher. Ms. Maine Mendoza is a well-known Filipino actress and social media influencer. Her appointment instantly became the most tweeted event in the Philippines and further strengthens our brand recognition in the country. I look forward to continuing to execute our mission to deliver long term benefits to all stakeholders," concluded Mr. Huang.

"Starting off 2021 with such a solid financial and operating performance is well within our expectations," said Mr. Min Xu, Chief Financial Officer of 51Talk. "I am pleased to report that in addition to robust growth in net revenues, we delivered another profitable quarter with GAAP net income of RMB8.0 million and non-GAAP net income of RMB16.8 million, primarily resulting from significantly higher lesson consumption and improved operating efficiency. In order to keep the Company on track for healthy growth and profitability, we are proactively refining our operations to maintain high efficiency at all levels, ultimately stimulating student growth and brand awareness, as a leading and dependable online education platform in China."

Change in Segment Reporting

Effective as of March 31, 2021, the Company changed its segment disclosure and no longer separately reports the financial results of its small class business, as the operating decision maker ("CODM") no longer reviews the stand-alone operating information of the small class business. This is due to the immaterial contribution the small class business is expected to provide in the future, consistent with the Company's strategic decision to focus business development on the one-on-one mass market offering. The CODM has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer, who now reviews consolidated results when making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance of the Company as a whole, and hence, the Company has only one reportable segment. This change in segment presentation does not affect consolidated balance sheets or consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The Company retrospectively revised prior period segment information to conform to current period presentation.

First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Net Revenues

Net revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB600.4 million (US$91.6 million), a 23.3% increase from RMB487.1 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was primarily attributed to an increase in the number of active students, partially offset by a decrease in average revenue per active student. The number of active students in the first quarter of 2021 was 392,700, a 37.0% increase from 286,600 for the same quarter last year.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB159.7 million (US$24.4 million), a 10.9% increase from RMB144.0 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in total service fees paid to teachers, mainly due to an increased number of paid lessons.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB440.7 million (US$67.3 million), a 28.5% increase from RMB343.1 million for the same quarter last year.

Gross margin for the first quarter of 2021 was 73.4%, compared with 70.4% for the same quarter last year. The increase was mainly attributable to the increase of price per lesson.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB445.9 million (US$68.1 million), an 41.6% increase from RMB314.9 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was mainly due to an increase in sales and marketing expenses and product development expenses.

Sales and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB318.9 million (US$48.7 million), a 39.7% increase from RMB228.4 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was mainly due to higher sales personnel costs related to increases in the number of sales and marketing personnel and higher marketing and branding expenses. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB316.5 million (US$48.3 million), a 40.0% increase from RMB226.1 million for the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses, excluding branding expenses, were 39.6% of the gross billings for the first quarter of 2021, compared with 32.3% for the same quarter last year.

Product development expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB57.7 million (US$8.8 million), a 60.9% increase from RMB35.9 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was primarily due to higher product development personnel costs related to increases in both the number of personnel and average salary. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, non-GAAP product development expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB56.0 million (US$8.5 million), a 55.7% increase from RMB36.0 million for the same quarter last year.

General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB69.2 million (US$10.6 million), a 36.5% increase from RMB50.7 million for the same quarter last year. The increase was primarily due to higher general and administrative personnel costs related to increases in both the number of personnel and average salary. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, non-GAAP general and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB64.7 million (US$9.9 million), a 38.6% increase from RMB46.7 million for the same quarter last year.

Other income

As part of the Chinese government's effort to ease the burden of businesses affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the State Taxation Administration (STA) exempted a wide range of consumer services from value added tax (VAT) from January 2020 until March 2021. The income obtained by taxpayers from providing essential services shall be exempted from VAT. The favorable impact of such coronavirus relief policies was RMB10.7 million and RMB10.3 million in the first quarter of 2021 and 2020 respectively.

On September 30, 2019, the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration announced that from October 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, taxpayers engaging in the provision of essential services are allowed to deduct an extra 15% of the deductible input value-added tax for the current period from the payable value-added tax. The impact of the policy of additional value-added tax credit for the income generated by the essential services provided by enterprises was RMB0.4 million and RMB6.5 million in the first quarter of 2021 and 2020 respectively.

Income from Operations

Operating income for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB5.9 million (US$0.9 million), compared with operating income of RMB44.9 million for the same quarter last year. Operating margin for the first quarter was 1.0%, compared with operating margin of 9.2% for the same quarter last year.

Non-GAAP operating income for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB14.6 million (US$2.2 million), compared with non-GAAP operating income of RMB51.1 million for the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP operating margin for the first quarter was 2.4%, compared with non-GAAP operating margin of 10.5% for the same quarter last year.

The favorable impact of coronavirus relief policies was RMB10.7 million in the first quarter of 2021. Excluding the favorable impact, loss from operations and non-GAAP operating income for the first quarter would have been RMB4.8 million (US$0.7 million) and RMB3.9 million (US$0.6 million) respectively, representing negative 0.8% GAAP operating margin and 0.7% non-GAAP operating margin.

Net income

Net income for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB8.0 million (US$1.2 million), compared with net income of RMB 50.8 million for the same quarter last year. Net margin for the first quarter was 1.3%, compared with net margin of 10.4% for the same quarter last year.

Non-GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB16.8 million (US$2.6 million), compared with non-GAAP net income of RMB57.0 million for the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP net margin for the first quarter was 2.8%, compared with non-GAAP net margin of 11.7% for the same quarter last year.

The favorable impact of coronavirus relief policies was RMB10.7 million in the first quarter. Excluding the favorable impact, net loss and non-GAAP net income for the first quarter would have been RMB2.7 million (US$0.4 million) and RMB6.0 million (US$0.9 million) respectively, representing a margin of negative 0.5% and 1.0% respectively.

Income tax expense for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB6.1 million.

Basic net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.02 (US$0.00), compared with basic net income per share of RMB0.16 for the same quarter last year. Diluted net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.02 (US$0.00), compared with diluted net income per share of RMB0.15 for the same quarter last year.

Non-GAAP basic net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.05 (US$0.01), compared with non-GAAP basic net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB0.18 for the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP diluted net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.05 (US$0.01), compared with non-GAAP diluted net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB0.17 for the same quarter last year.

The favorable impact of coronavirus relief policies was RMB10.7 million in the first quarter. Excluding the favorable impact, basic net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.01 (US$0.00) and non-GAAP basic net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.02 (US$0.00), respectively. Excluding the favorable impact, diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.01 (US$0.00) and non-GAAP diluted net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.02 (US$0.00), respectively.

Basic net income per American depositary share ("ADS") attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.37 (US$0.06), compared with basic net income per ADS of RMB2.43 for the same quarter last year. Diluted net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.35 (US$0.05), compared with diluted net income per ADS of RMB2.26 for the same quarter last year. Each ADS represents 15 Class A ordinary shares.

Non-GAAP basic net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.78 (US$0.12), compared with non-GAAP basic net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB2.73 for the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.73 (US$0.11), compared with non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB2.54 for the same quarter last year.

The favorable impact of coronavirus relief policies was RMB10.7 million in the first quarter. Excluding the favorable impact, basic net loss per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.13 (US$0.02) and non-GAAP basic net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.28 (US$0.04), respectively. Excluding the favorable impact, diluted net loss per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.13 (US$0.02) and non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB0.26 (US$0.04), respectively.

Balance Sheet

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had total cash, cash equivalents, time deposits and short-term investments of RMB1,730.3 million (US$264.1 million), compared with RMB1,727.7 million as of December 31, 2020. As a part of cash, cash equivalents, time deposits and short-term investments, the Company had non-current time deposits of RMB512.0 million (US$78.1 million), compared with RMB414.0 million as of December 31, 2020.

The Company had advances from students[4] (current and non-current) of RMB2,762.0 million (US$421.6 million) as of March 31, 2021, compared with RMB2,721.0 million as of December 31, 2020.

[4] "Advances from students", which is defined as the amount of obligation to transfer good or service to students or business partners for which consideration has been received from students in advance. The deposits from students are also presented in the total amount of "advances from students".

Outlook

For the second quarter of 2021, the Company currently expects net revenues to be between RMB597 million and RMB603 million, which would represent an increase of approximately 21.0% to 22.2 % from RMB493.5 million for the same quarter last year.

The above outlook is based on current market conditions and reflects the Company's current and preliminary estimates of market and operating conditions and customer demand, which are all subject to change.

Share Repurchase Program

On September 8, 2020, 51Talk announced that its board of directors had authorized a share repurchase program of up to US$20.0 million between September 8, 2020 and September 7, 2021. As of May 17, 2021, the Company had repurchased 260,530 ADSs for approximately US$6.6 million under this program.

The Annual Report

On April 7, 2021, the Company filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The annual report can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.51talk.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Company will provide a hard copy of the annual report containing its audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be submitted to [email protected].

Conference Call

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on May 17, 2021 (8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong time on May 17, 2021).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States (toll free): 1-866-264-5888 International: 1-412-317-5226 Mainland China: 400-120-1203 Hong Kong (toll free): 800-905-945 Hong Kong: 852-3018-4992

Participants should dial-in at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "China Online Education Group."

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.51talk.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible until May 24, 2021, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States (toll free): 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10156395

About China Online Education Group

China Online Education Group (NYSE: COE) is a leading online education platform in China, with core expertise in English education. The Company's mission is to make quality education accessible and affordable. The Company's online and mobile education platforms enable students across China to take live interactive English lessons with overseas foreign teachers, on demand. The Company connects its students with a large pool of highly qualified foreign teachers that it assembled using a shared economy approach, and employs student and teacher feedback and data analytics to deliver a personalized learning experience to its students.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating its business, 51Talk considers and uses the following measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the SEC as supplemental metrics to review and assess its operating performance: non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses, non-GAAP product development expenses, non-GAAP general and administrative expenses, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders, and non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders per share and per ADS. To present each of these non-GAAP measures, the Company excludes share-based compensation expenses. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP measures" set forth at the end of this press release.

51Talk believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance by excluding share-based compensation expenses that may not be indicative of its operating performance from a cash perspective. 51Talk believes that both management and investors benefit from these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing its performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management's internal comparisons to 51Talk's historical performance. 51Talk computes its non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter and from period to period. 51Talk believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. A limitation of using non-GAAP measures is that these non-GAAP measures exclude share-based compensation expenses that have been and will continue to be for the foreseeable future a significant recurring expense in the 51Talk's business. Management compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying table at the end of this press release provides more details on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB6.5518 to US$1.00, the rate in effect as of March 31, 2021as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "aims", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "likely to" and similar statements. Among other things, 51Talk's business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as 51Talk's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. 51Talk may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about 51Talk's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: 51Talk's goals and strategies; 51Talk's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its brand and platform; 51Talk's ability to retain and increase its student enrollment; 51Talk's ability to offer new courses; 51Talk's ability to engage, train and retain new teachers; 51Talk's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; 51Talk's ability to maintain and improve infrastructure necessary to operate its education platform; competition in the online education industry in China; the expected growth of, and trends in, the markets for 51Talk's course offerings in China; relevant government policies and regulations relating to 51Talk's corporate structure, business and industry; general economic and business condition in China, the Philippines and elsewhere and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in 51Talk's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and 51Talk does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

CHINA ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands)























As of







Dec. 31,

Mar. 31

Mar. 31,







2020

2021

2021







RMB

RMB

US$

















ASSETS













Current assets















Cash and cash equivalents

326,647

293,358

44,775



Time deposits

477,408

475,938

72,642



Short-term investments

509,636

448,975

68,527



Inventory

1,935

1,051

160



Prepaid expenses and other current assets

302,057

314,682

48,030

Total current assets

1,617,683

1,534,004

234,134



















Non-current assets















Property and equipment, net

21,175

34,127

5,209



Intangible assets, net

20,302

18,742

2,861



Goodwill

4,223

4,223

645



Right-of-use assets

98,001

109,824

16,762



Time deposits

414,000

512,000

78,146



Deferred tax assets

10,268

6,544

999



Other non-current assets

23,896

25,053

3,824

Total non-current assets

591,865

710,513

108,446



















Total assets

2,209,548

2,244,517

342,580

















LIABILITIES













AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT





Current liabilities















Advances from students

2,718,776

2,760,021

421,261



Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

237,101

216,583

33,057



Lease liability

42,949

51,352

7,838



Taxes payable

19,288

22,209

3,390

Total current liabilities

3,018,114

3,050,165

465,546



















Non-current liabilities















Advances from students

2,270

1,957

299



Lease liability

53,594

58,136

8,873



Other non-current liabilities

2,508

2,593

396

Total non-current liabilities

58,372

62,686

9,568



















Total liabilities

3,076,486

3,112,851

475,114

















Total shareholders' deficit

(866,938)

(868,334)

(132,534)

















Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit

2,209,548

2,244,517

342,580



CHINA ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP



UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME



(In thousands except for number of shares and per share data)

























For the three months ended







Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Mar. 31,

Mar. 31,







2020

2020

2021

2021







RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

Net revenues

487,084

535,074

600,404

91,640

Cost of revenues

(144,031)

(146,134)

(159,713)

(24,377)

Gross profit

343,053

388,940

440,691

67,263

Operating expenses



















Sales and marketing expenses

(228,387)

(284,493)

(318,944)

(48,680)



Product development expenses

(35,867)

(44,577)

(57,726)

(8,811)



General and administrative expenses

(50,689)

(56,626)

(69,208)

(10,563)

Total operating expenses

(314,943)

(385,696)

(445,878)

(68,054)

Other income

16,761

7,766

11,094

1,693

Income from operations

44,871

11,010

5,907

902

Interest income

7,577

11,711

11,620

1,774

Interest expenses and other expenses, net

(209)

193

(3,408)

(520)

Income before income tax expenses

52,239

22,914

14,119

2,156

Income tax (expenses)/benefits

(1,447)

8,905

(6,097)

(931)

Net income, all attributable to the Company's ordinary shareholders

50,792

31,819

8,022

1,225























Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic

income per share

313,197,499

323,458,483

322,796,828

322,796,828























Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing diluted

income per share

336,903,081

344,354,904

342,150,096

342,150,096















































CHINA ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP



UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME



(In thousands except for number of shares and per share data)





























For the three months ended











Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Mar. 31,

Mar. 31,











2020

2020

2021

2021











RMB

RMB

RMB

US$































Net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders













Basic

0.16

0.10

0.02

0.00





Diluted

0.15

0.09

0.02

0.00



Net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders













Basic

2.43

1.48

0.37

0.06





Diluted

2.26

1.39

0.35

0.05



Comprehensive income:



















Net income

50,792

31,819

8,022

1,225



Other comprehensive income/(loss)





















Foreign currency translation adjustments

4,544

(14,319)

1,802

275



Total comprehensive income

55,336

17,500

9,824

1,500





























Share-based compensation expenses are included in the operating expenses as follows:





























Sales and marketing expenses

(2,302)

(1,875)

(2,487)

(380)





Product development expenses

101

(1,281)

(1,733)

(265)





General and administrative expenses

(4,000)

(3,636)

(4,516)

(689)







CHINA ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to the Most Comparable GAAP Measures (In thousands except for number of shares and per share data)



































For the three months ended





Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Mar. 31,

Mar. 31,







2020

2020

2021

2021







RMB

RMB

RMB

US$























Sales and marketing expenses

(228,387)

(284,493)

(318,944)

(48,680)

Less: Share-based compensation expenses

(2,302)

(1,875)

(2,487)

(380)

Non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses

(226,085)

(282,618)

(316,457)

(48,300)























Product development expenses

(35,867)

(44,577)

(57,726)

(8,811)

Less: Share-based compensation expenses

101

(1,281)

(1,733)

(265)

Non-GAAP product development expenses

(35,968)

(43,296)

(55,993)

(8,546)























General and administrative expenses

(50,689)

(56,626)

(69,208)

(10,563)

Less: Share-based compensation expenses

(4,000)

(3,636)

(4,516)

(689)

Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses

(46,689)

(52,990)

(64,692)

(9,874)























Operating expenses

(314,943)

(385,696)

(445,878)

(68,054)

Less: Share-based compensation expenses

(6,201)

(6,792)

(8,736)

(1,334)

Non-GAAP operating expenses

(308,742)

(378,904)

(437,142)

(66,720)























Income from operations

44,871

11,010

5,907

902

Less: Share-based compensation expenses

(6,201)

(6,792)

(8,736)

(1,334)

Non-GAAP income from operations

51,072

17,802

14,643

2,236



CHINA ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to the Most Comparable GAAP Measures

(In thousands except for number of shares and per share data)























For the three months ended







Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Mar. 31,

Mar. 31,







2020

2020

2021

2021







RMB

RMB

RMB

US$























Income tax (expenses)/benefits

(1,447)

8,905

(6,097)

(931)

Less: Tax impact of Share-based compensation expenses

-

-

-

-

Non-GAAP income tax (expenses)/benefits

(1,447)

8,905

(6,097)

(931)























Net income, all attributable to the Company's ordinary shareholders

50,792

31,819

8,022

1,225

Add back: Share-based compensation expenses

6,201

6,792

8,736

1,334

Non-GAAP net income, all attributable to the Company's ordinary shareholders

56,993

38,611

16,758

2,559























Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic income per

share

313,197,499

323,458,483

322,796,828

322,796,828























Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing diluted income per

share

336,903,081

344,354,904

342,150,096

342,150,096







































Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders















basic

0.18

0.12

0.05

0.01



diluted

0.17

0.11

0.05

0.01























Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders















basic

2.73

1.79

0.78

0.12



diluted

2.54

1.68

0.73

0.11



SOURCE China Online Education Group
For all of our brands, our highest responsibility and top priorities are always compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, our shipboard and shoreside employees, and the communities we visit, said Carnival Corp. Chief Communication Officer Roger Frizzell in a press release. We are excited to have the majority of our leading cruise line brands resume sailings this summer, as we are seeing strong pent-up demand from our past guests and consumers in general to get away on a cruise, one of the worlds most popular vacations.
CHICAGO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CNA today announced the appointment of Susan Stone as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, effective June 28, 2021. In this role, Stone will lead the Company's Law Department and serve as the principal counsel for CNA on all legal matters including legal consultation across domestic and international business operations, compliance, regulatory and government affairs, securities law, and company litigation. She will report to Dino E. Robusto, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at CNA.

"Susan is eminently skilled, bringing over three decades of extensive legal experience to the role," Robusto said. "In addition, her proven track record at leading varied teams, fostering collaborative relationships with government and industry trade organizations, and building collaborative business partnerships will ensure that we continue to profitably grow our business with full integrity."

Stone joins CNA with over 30 years of legal experience, in both the private sector and as a federal prosecutor. Most recently, she served as General Counsel and Executive Committee Member at Marsh LLC, and had oversight over litigation, transactional, regulatory, and compliance matters for a heavily regulated insurance broking and risk advisory business. Prior to Marsh, Stone was an Executive Committee Member, Practice Group Head, and Partner at Sidley Austin LLP.

Stone earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. She has served on multiple civic and philanthropic Boards of Directors, including WCCI/WTTW Public Television, Roosevelt University, Erikson Institute and the Women's Board of the Joffrey Ballet.

About CNA

CNA is one of the largest U.S. commercial property and casualty insurance companies. Backed by more than 120 years of experience, CNA provides a broad range of standard and specialized insurance products and services for businesses and professionals in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Media Contact:

Chris Stroisch

309.846.0929

[email protected]

Allyson Marcus

267.994.9052

[email protected]

SOURCE CNA

Related Links

http://www.cna.com


"Coming together with the National College Resources Foundation is a natural fit for Comerica Bank's continued commitment to helping young people and the communities they live in, especially in response to many challenges that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic." said Linda Nosegbe, Comerica Bank Southeast Michigan Market Manager. "Ensuring we provide the next generation of leaders opportunities to better themselves and further their education is critical, and this virtual Empowerment Weekend is a step in the right direction to make that happen."

The virtual Detroit Empowerment Weekend consists of:

STEAM Expo ( Thursday, May 20 , 2:30-4:30 p.m. )

( Features hands-on 3D-printing, coding, esports, programming activities and more for K-12 students and families.



From 2:30-4:30 p.m. , students can get an inside look at the history of Black aviators in flight, featuring The Tuskegee Airmen and presenter Chauncey Spencer, Jr.  son of Chauncey Spencer, Sr. Spencer, Sr. was a legendary Black aviator responsible for integration of the U.S. Air Force when he and Dale White convinced President Harry S. Truman to allow Black individuals to fly in the military in World War II  resulting in the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen, which later became known as the Red Tails. Games are also available for students to strengthen their math and life skills.

, students can get an inside look at the history of Black aviators in flight, featuring The Tuskegee Airmen and presenter  son of Spencer, Sr. was a legendary Black aviator responsible for integration of the U.S. Air Force when he and convinced President to allow Black individuals to fly in the military in World War II  resulting in the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen, which later became known as the Red Tails. Games are also available for students to strengthen their math and life skills. Empowerment Series ( Thursday, May 20 , 5-8 p.m. )

Comerica Bank executives and other professionals will be in attendance to share knowledge, wisdom and insights into entrepreneurship, growing your money and internship/employment opportunities.

Latino College Expo  ( Friday, May 21 , 4-6 p.m. )

Some colleges will be accepting students on the spot. In addition, students can receive information about college funding and planning, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and financial aid and scholarships from Dr. Gloria Ponce-Rodriguez , a national leader and advocate in college and career planning. Notably, Dr. Ponce-Rodriguez is a NCRF Executive Board member and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) committee member. Seminars include " Funding Your College Education and DACA " along with "Preparing for College During and Post-COVID-19."

, a national leader and advocate in college and career planning. Notably, Dr. Ponce-Rodriguez is a NCRF Executive Board member and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) committee member. Seminars include " " along with "Preparing for College During and Post-COVID-19." Black College Expo  ( Saturday, May 22 , 12-3 p.m. )

During this expo, colleges will waive application fees, as well as offer scholarships and accepts students on the spot. Seminars include "How to Find Money for College", "How to navigate College During and Post-COVID-19", "Why attend an HBCU" and "The 411 for the Student Athlete."

The virtual Empowerment Weekend is free to attend, and students throughout the Midwest are welcome to join. Those interested in attending can register here.

NCRF was founded in 1999  and one year later, the nonprofit hosted its inaugural Black College Expo, an event that highlights Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) and other postsecondary institutions to provide admissions and scholarship information to attendees. NCRF's mission is to curtail the high school dropout rate and increase degree and/or certificate enrollment among underserved, underrepresented, at-risk, low resource, homeless and foster students.

"We are excited to partner with Comerica Bank," said Dr. Theresa Price, founder and executive director of NCRF. "It so refreshing to work with corporations that share the same values and beliefs as NCRF  which is all about creating positive change for our communities. COVID-19 has hit our community hard, furthering the gap in educational achievement, workforce, and economic disparities. We know that events like the Detroit Empowerment Weekend bring hope to our community."

NCRF connects students to positive post-secondary pursuits  providing resources and services to help students prepare for, enroll in and graduate from a degree and/or certificate program. It continues to work toward its vision to close the gap in educational achievement, workforce, and economic disparities with the goal to end racism and racial inequality  and, to date, NCRF has:

Hosted more than 160 college expos nationwide, including 23 virtual events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Helped more than 500,000 students get into college.

Secured more than $1 billion in scholarships and grants for students.

in scholarships and grants for students. Yielded a 100% graduation rate among Black students (93% for all students) in the Movement Enrichment Program.

Secured a 95% success rate of its scholarship winners finishing college.

Comerica Bank's partnership with NCRF is the latest in a storied history of alliances with Black and minority-owned businesses and nonprofits nationwide, to provide financial education, small business support, COVID-19 relief and more. Most recently, Comerica Bank has:

Moved $10 million in deposits to Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) across the country, including $2.5 million in Michigan .

in deposits to Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) across the country, including in . Provided $1 million to the National Business League for financial resources and technical support.

to the National Business League for financial resources and technical support. Launched a collaboration with the Detroit Association of Black Organizations (DABO) and Mackenzie Noble Community Collaborative Drug Free Coalition (MNCC-DFC) to deliver Comerica's signature Money $ense Program.

Partnered with the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA) to host a Business $ense Boot Camp for immigrant and Latinx-owned businesses.

Committed $150,000 to Invest Detroit's Loan Relief Fund for small businesses.

to Invest Detroit's Loan Relief Fund for small businesses. Committed $5 billion nationwide over the next three years to support small business lending and growth.

"Comerica Bank looks forward to building upon this incredible partnership with the National College Resources Foundation and helping students achieve their goal of attending college after high school," Nosegbe added.

About Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $86.3 billion as of March 31, 2020.

About National College Resources Foundation

National College Resources Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit educational enhancement organization. Our mission is to curtail the high school dropout rate and increase degree and/or certificate enrollment among underserved, underrepresented, at risk, low resource, homeless and foster students. Our vision is to close the gap in educational achievement, workforce and economic disparities with the goal to end racism and racial inequality.

SOURCE Comerica Bank

Related Links

http://www.comerica.com


"We are thrilled to welcome Ibraheem to this important role," said Gene Simpson, vice president of Business Development and Operations for CompWest. "He brings more than eight years of strong underwriting expertise, valuable knowledge of the California marketplace and experience with many of our agent partners in the region."

Prior to joining CompWest, Mohammed was a senior underwriter with The Hartford in Walnut Creek, Calif. and held several underwriting positions with the ICW Group in Pleasanton, Calif. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Accounting from San Francisco State University.

Over the past several years, CompWest has continued its expansion in California and the West, showing continued growth in 2020 despite the myriad of challenges the insurance market faced, with more growth expected through 2021 and beyond.

CompWest specializes in workers' compensation insurance, servicing accounts in California and select Western states with consistent risk evaluation and pricing. CompWest's appetite focuses on businesses in healthcare, social services, hospitality, manufacturing, professional services, construction, retail and wholesale services. Dedicated loss control consultants help implement customized loss prevention strategies, and CompWest's Workers' Compensation with Care and Keep at Work strategies provide assistance to injured workers throughout the entire claims process.

About CompWest

CompWest Insurance Company is a member of AF Group. Insurance policies may be issued by any of the following companies within AF Group: Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Accident Fund National Insurance Company, Accident Fund General Insurance Company, United Wisconsin Insurance Company, Third Coast Insurance Company or CompWest Insurance Company.

Contact:

Bob Lapinski

(517) 331-4890

[email protected]

AFGroup.com

SOURCE AF Group; CompWest Insurance

Related Links

http://www.afgroup.com


In addition to Trieste, Costa Luminosa's one-week itinerary includes visits to Bari and four beautiful Greek destinations: Corfu , Athens , Mykonos and Katakolon/Olympia . It will be available throughout the coming summer season and part of the autumn until mid-November 2021 for a total of 27 cruises .

Costa Luminosa's restart was celebrated in Trieste by Costa Cruises President Mario Zanetti, together with several local authorities, including the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza; the Councilor of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Pierpaolo Roberti; the Captain of the Trieste Coast Guard, Vincenzo Vitale; and the CEO of Trieste Terminal Passeggeri, Francesco Mariani.

"With the restart of the Costa Luminosa, we are finally bringing cruises back to the Adriatic Sea and Greece, one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, and reviving a sector of great importance to the economy of many European countries, including Italy, as well as the eastern part of the Mediterranean," said Costa's Zanetti. "Just to illustrate the importance of this restart, before the pause caused by the pandemic, our company generated an annual economic impact of almost 13 billion in Europe, creating over 63,000 jobs. We are particularly pleased to be resuming from Trieste, a city that has always welcomed us warmly, and which will be the home port of Costa Luminosa not only this year, but also in 2022. We look to the future with optimism, and we are working to make Trieste even more strategic for cruises, promoting a sustainable development and a quality guest experience".

Health and safety procedures have been enhanced through the adoption of the Costa Safety Protocol, developed by the company together with scientific experts and Italian authorities, which contains operational measures related to all aspects of the cruise experience, both on board and ashore. The measures include a reduction in the number of guests; swab tests for all guests before embarkation and after half of the cruise; swab tests for the crew before embarkation and regularly during their stay on board; temperature checks every day, every time guests disembark and re-enter the ship, and every time they enter the restaurants; visits to destinations only with protected excursions; social distancing on board and in the terminals; new ways of using onboard services; enhanced sanitation and medical services; and the use of protective masks when necessary.

As for the holiday experience, guests will enjoy new features, including a renewed excursion program, which will allow them to discover off-the-beaten path destinations, exclusively for Costa guests. Guests will also enjoy new menu options that feature dishes specific to the locations that Costa Luminosa will visit.

Costa Luminosa is the second of four Costa ships that will operate in summer 2021, offering cruises in the Mediterranean. On May 1, the flagship Costa Smeralda departed from Savona with an itinerary exclusively dedicated to Italy. On June 26, Costa Deliziosa will restart with week-long cruises in Greece. July 4 will see the departure of the Costa Firenze, the new ship inspired by the Florentine Renaissance, with one-week cruises in Italy. In addition, from 3 July Costa Smeralda will begin sailing in international itineraries, with one-week cruises in Italy, France and Spain.

"Trieste welcomes the return of the Costa Cruises ships. In recent years we have developed a very important collaboration with the company that guaranteed a regular presence of Costa ships in our beautiful city. Trieste is a city with a tourist vocation and the return of Costa rewards us for the work we are doing, but above all it means that tourists are back," said the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza.

"The restart of Costa Cruises from Trieste is one of the many positive signs of recovery for our local economy. Trieste, as all the art cities in Italy, has been strongly affected by pandemic crisis. Now reservations are resuming and there is a gradual return to normality. Trieste and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region are ready to welcome back tourists, thanks also to the safety protocols we implemented"- said the Councilor of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Pierpaolo Roberti.

"The Trieste Cruise Terminal restarts together with the Costa Luminosa. We have done our utmost to ensure the restart of the cruises from Trieste, together with all the authorities and operators, because we are confident that it will support the tourist growth of the City and the Region" -stated Francesco Mariani, CEO of Trieste Terminal Passeggeri.

"We will contribute to implementing the Covid interdisciplinary protocol in 2021, as we did during the last year. I welcome back with great enthusiasm in my port the restart of the cruise service, which is highly strategic for the economy of our country, and I guarantee the absolute commitment of the Trieste Coast Guard Office in contributing to port operations that are strictly respectful of the special rules set up to guarantee safe cruises," - said the Captain of Trieste Coast Guard, Vincenzo Vitale.

SOURCE Costa Cruises
The CTEK CS FREE the world's first multi-functional portable charger, was commended for its revolutionary Adaptive Boost technology, that gets your car going from a flat battery within 15 minutes, its ability to top-up a little-used car stored away from mains power, and clever introduction of accessories to enable off-grid charging via solar power or a second 12V service battery.

Stefan Lind, Global Director, Aftermarket at CTEK commented: "We are absolutely delighted that the CS FREE has won such a prestigious award. When deciding on a winner for this award, Auto Express is looking for something that is innovative, breaks new ground and works well. It has to be something they want on their car or garage, and, according to Auto Express, the CS FREE is no exception. As vehicle technology continues to develop, charging your vehicle battery is more important than ever before, and with the CS FREE you actually have four cutting edge products in one portable unit. It's an adaptive Booster, battery charger, smart maintainer and hi-tech powerbank."

The CTEK CS FREE features revolutionary Adaptive Boost technology, that carefully works out the best way to safely give any 12V lead acid or lithium battery the right amount of power so you can charge your vehicle battery quickly. It gets your vehicle started from a flat battery within 15 minutes without the need to connect to a power outlet and simple LED displays show you when your battery has enough power to start your vehicle.

The CS FREE has an internal battery that can be charged via fast USB-C input and, when fully charged, it will hold its charge for up to a year, making it ideal for keeping stored in the vehicle for when you need it.

The CS FREE means you are free from being tied to a power outlet, it is truly portable. Whilst you can still charge your battery using traditional mains power, additional accessories mean you can also charge off-grid using solar panel kit or a separate service battery. And with USB-C and USB-A outputs for charging laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc., it's the ultimate 12V powerbank for your vehicle.

Click here to find out more about the CTEK CS FREE.

CTEK SWEDEN AB is a leading global brand in vehicle charging solutions. CTEK's unparalleled knowledge, and continuous investment in innovation, means they push the boundaries of research and development to bring new and unique battery charging technologies to the market.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1507653/CTEK_CS_FREE_Award.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1294898/CTEK_Logo.jpg

Press Enquiries:

Katharine Parker

PR & External Communication Manager

Tel.: +44 (0)7974 141266

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE CTEK

Related Links

https://www.ctek.com


ST. LOUIS, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- US cybersecurity experts have expressed concern over the efficacy of President Biden's Executive Order on Cybersecurity , and the Protecting Resources On The Electric grid with Cybersecurity Technology (PROTECT) Act in preventing damaging cyberattacks on the US Electrical grid.

"We applaud the swift action from President Biden following the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, and agree that our energy infrastructure underpins the economic and national security of the United States. We applaud Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK ), James Risch (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for recognizing this critical vulnerability", says cybersecurity expert Dr. Ron Indeck, former Das Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at Washington University, and CEO of Q-Net Security.

"However, the PROTECT Act risks ensuring that the US grid remains vulnerable to cybersecurity threats by providing incentives for US utilities to invest in obsolete software-based cybersecurity solutions".

Experts agree that software security programs have become obsolete in the era of sophisticated nation-state attacks.

"We already know that no cybersecurity software is secure," says Dr. Jerry Cox, founding chairman of the Department of Computer Science at Washington University in St. Louis .

"These flaws have been demonstrated time and again, through the countless damaging failures to prevent attacks on US interests, including the Colonial Pipeline, Accellion, Equifax, and Solarwinds attacks."

Yet some experts remain optimistic that the PROTECT Act could meet its objectives, provided specific conditions are met.

"The PROTECT Act must live up to its name and protect the American public by incentivizing modern secure solutions, not yesterday's best efforts. Hardware-based technologies are inherently more secure than software, and many of those solutions are developed here in the United States", states Dr. Johnathan Mell, Assistant Professor at University of Central Florida.

Hardware-based security - known as hardsec - has already been embraced by the US Air Force and a suite of US Government agencies, but has not yet been widely adopted by utilities.

"By investing in hardsec, the US has developed an unbeatable lead in the cybersecurity race. It is regrettable that the PROTECT Act has failed to mention our own, provably-secure homegrown solutions", states Dr. Indeck.

"Hardsec devices, such as the Q-Net Security Q-Box, are easy to implement, and because they run no software, they don't require patching or other standard maintenance. As such they're often cheaper for utilities than a software-based alternative."

Media Contact: Jayde Lovell, +13476983291, [email protected]

SOURCE Q-Net Security
"We are pleased to welcome H.E. Mr. Zulfiquar Z. Ghadiyali to the Centurion Invest Board ," said H.E. Ali Kassab, Chairman of Centurion Invest. " His Excellency's deep experience in global high-technology businesses with vigorous governance will be inestimable to Centurion Invest as we continue growing and pursue our universal mission to build a robust crypto ecosystem ."

Family office and institutional investment in the cryptocurrency world have significantly increased lately on a global scale. With the current economy in a sorry state, affluent investors have been expanding their horizons and opting for cryptocurrencies as alternatives for investment as the crypto market entered a bull market that skyrocketed the price of Bitcoin and other altcoins.

Since the announcement, bets are placed on Centurion Invest by the Royal Family Office of Abu Dhabi and First Wall Street Capital with over 30 years of investment banking and management experience, having executed deals worth 30 Billion USD across the world across in various sectors.

"Bitcoin has been gaining more mainstream adoption with interest from entities such as Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and BlackRock as well as payment giants like PayPal and Square's Cash App. I expect to see a deep dive into the crypto market from sophisticated investors in the next six months. And I believe Centurion Invest is the perfect vehicle for this," commented H.E. Mr. Zulfiquar Z. Ghadiyali.

H.E. also represents industry and society at large and has been a pioneer in supporting companies worldwide to establish in the Middle East, North Africa, and the USA with support of the highest levels through the Royal Family Office of Abu Dhabi.

About Centurion Invest

Centurion Invest Exchange CIEx offers its traders direct access to trading experts, user-friendly deposit and withdrawal process, copy trading, and highly profitable investment plans through the most advanced investment tools and dynamic technics such as Wallet Exchange Fiat & Crypto Trading Platform, Decentralized Cryptocurrency Trading Platform and Wealth Management.

CI Wallet is a multi-currency wallet with private keys to access traded cryptocurrencies. The wallet provides features such as Spot Trading, Futures, Margins and EFT.

Contact:

Mariett Ramm

0033626811849

SOURCE Centurion Invest

Related Links

https://www.centurioninvest.com/


Answers global demand for unified call recording and voice intelligence across any communications end-point with the world's most comprehensive and advanced product family

Creates seamless ability to enrich any conversation with AI and share with business applications

Simple, easy to deploy, flexible monthly and annual plans

New solutions designed specifically for compliance managers and teams

MELBOURNE, Australia, and DALLAS, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dubber Corporation Limited (ASX: DUB) (Dubber), today announced 12 new products and solutions, more than tripling its industry-leading voice intelligence offerings for service and solution providers, business and government. The new solutions are available today directly from Dubber on eligible networks and solutions. Dubber's existing solutions, CallDub and DubAI continue to be offered across all networks.

"Unified Call Recording is critical to achieving the compliance, revenue, and customer insights demanded by business and government today," said James Slaney, COO, Dubber.

"More than 80% of crucial conversations with customers and employees take place using voice. Not having access to accurate, compliant records in real-time puts leaders at a serious disadvantage. Dubber addresses that by unlocking the insights in every conversation."

"Dubber continues to transform the economics of call recording and voice data," said Matthew Townend, Executive Director, Cavell - a leading industry analyst firm. "The benefits of voice intelligence as a service are clear - both to the service providers that will build differentiation through offering it and to businesses and governments that will deploy it to address critical business needs."

Three new core Dubber solutions

At the heart of today's announcement are three new core solutions. They give business and government customers flexible, affordable options so that users or teams can capture and use voice intelligence - from recordings to transcriptions to sentiment analysis.





Dubber You delivers Unified Call Recording where individuals need to record, store and review crucial conversations. Dubber You automates the recording of calls, meetings and video without the need for hardware or software and comes with unlimited lifetime storage. Plans start at USD $14.95 per month per recording endpoint.

delivers Unified Call Recording where individuals need to record, store and review crucial conversations. Dubber You automates the recording of calls, meetings and video without the need for hardware or software and comes with unlimited lifetime storage. Plans start at USD per month per recording endpoint. Dubber Teams is ideal for managers and leaders needing central review and control over 100% accurate and enforced recordings and data for sales, service, and customer insights. Plans start at USD $19.95 per month per recording endpoint.

is ideal for managers and leaders needing central review and control over 100% accurate and enforced recordings and data for sales, service, and customer insights. Plans start at USD per month per recording endpoint. Dubber Premier unlocks all Dubber functionality delivering AI-enriched insights. Beautiful transcriptions, alerts and notifications and the ability to easily integrate Dubber with business intelligence and CRM applications. Plans start at USD $49.95 per month per recording endpoint.

All Dubber solutions include critical features such as unlimited storage, easy-to-use application for iOS, Android and Web, concierge set-up and training, data download and export and 24x7 online global support.

"Our new solutions make Unified Call Recording more flexible and available to businesses and teams of any size," said Slaney. "We founded Dubber to eliminate the cost and complexity of capturing any conversation. For too many, the value of that conversation is lost the moment it ends. We're making it simpler and easier than ever to end not knowing and comply."

Users can easily expand any package with simple to deploy add-ons including:



UCR Service Add-on Pack - easily add services with a click - review and manage recordings, transcriptions and data in one place

- easily add services with a click - review and manage recordings, transcriptions and data in one place Dubber API - easily connect Dubber recordings and data to applications, storage and dashboards

- easily connect Dubber recordings and data to applications, storage and dashboards Dubber Call Recording Archive - redundant and secure storage of all call recordings and data with Dubber Storage. Back up your valuable voice data in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud, including recordings and data from other sources

- redundant and secure storage of all call recordings and data with Dubber Storage. Back up your valuable voice data in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud, including recordings and data from other sources Dubber for Salesforce - add your Dubber recordings, metadata, transcriptions and sentiment insights to Salesforce records

Native to the world's networks and communications solutions

Dubber is native to the world's leading communications solutions, including Cisco, Microsoft, and Zoom. Its partners span more than 140+ of the world's leading networks, including AT&T, Verizon, Telstra and Cox Communications.

With Dubber's unique reach and Unified Call Recording (UCR), specifically for compliance, companies can capture recordings immediately in one location from all their voice, video and text services. Conversations, once automatically captured, are stored in Dubber Cloud Storage and then processed in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud - where AI creates real-time insights, alerts, and more.

This reach and the new solutions for compliance, make Dubber the world's leading and most flexible recording option for compliance.

Transforming how conversations are captured and used

Dubber solutions support continuous compliance and voice intelligence with critical features including:

Collect and integrate recordings and data in the manner required to meet compliance obligations appropriate to regional regulations

Real-time search of interactions based on communication-related metadata or conversational content. Common examples include:

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data

- Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data - Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions Analyze and interact with collected communications, including the ability to monitor interactions as they are being collected

Ensure security of collected communications and prevent tampering at all stages

Retention policies support retain and delete actions; and, legal hold and discovery on historical and real-time data

Dubber also announced today a full suite of solutions designed specifically for the demanding needs of compliance, legal, security, risk and audit teams.

Call Dub and Dub AI, Dubber's existing solutions, will continue to be provided by partners and service and solution providers globally for the foreseeable future.

Resources

Pricing information: https://www.dubber.net/pricing

Blog post: https://www.dubber.net/news

Brochures quick link: https://www.dubber.net/brochure

About Dubber:

Dubber is unlocking the potential of voice data from any call or conversation. Dubber is the world's most scalable Unified Call Recording service and Voice Intelligence Cloud adopted as core network infrastructure by multiple global leading telecommunications carriers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Dubber allows service providers to offer call recording for compliance, business intelligence, sentiment analysis, AI and more on any phone. Dubber is a disruptive innovator in the multi-billion dollar call recording industry, its Software as a Service offering removes the need for on-premise hardware, applications or costly and limited storage.

For more information, please contact:

Investors: Simon Hinsley UK Media: James Taylor | The PR Network [email protected] [email protected] +61 (0) 401 809 653 +44 (0)7796 138291



AU & NZ Media: Terry Alberstein US Media: Charlie Guyer, Guyer Group for Dubber [email protected] [email protected] +61 (0) 458 484 921 +1.617.599.8830

SOURCE Dubber
World's first voice intelligence solution embedded in major service provider networks and UC solutions like Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and Zoom - eliminates need for costly hardware and services

Purpose-built for compliance teams to specify, manage, record, store, and analyze all communications - voice calls, chat, presentations and more

Available today globally with immediate provisioning

MELBOURNE, Australia, and DALLAS, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dubber Corporation Limited (ASX: DUB) (Dubber), today announced new solutions designed to meet the exacting needs of compliance, risk, audit and security professionals.

"Compliance is driving significant demand for capturing conversational content - messaging, chat and video - across any application or end-point," said James Slaney, COO, Dubber. "Delivering an immutable record of every crucial conversation is essential and demanded by regulators globally. With COVID, the pressure to capture conversations across a multitude of endpoints - from existing Service Provider services through to Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and Zoom - has only accelerated. Unified Call Recording makes what used to be a complex task easy."

With Dubber's unique reach and Unified Call Recording (UCR), specifically for compliance, companies can capture recordings immediately in one location from all their voice, video and text services, including the 140+ Service Provider networks connected to the Dubber platform globally. This reach and the new solutions for compliance, make Dubber the world's leading recording option for compliance.

"Dubber continues to transform the economics of call recording and voice data," said Matthew Townend, Executive Director, Cavell - a leading industry analyst firm. "The benefits of voice intelligence as a service are clear - both to the service providers that will build differentiation through offering it and to businesses and governments that will deploy it to address critical business needs."

Three new cornerstone compliance solutions mean business and government clients can select flexible and affordable plans that best reflect their needs and compliance practices.

Dubber Compliance offerings enable voice data to be captured economically, at scale. They recognise a smaller number of people need to access the data and that data needs to be isolated from other voice data sets. Dubber allows data integration and portability so any data from any source can be unified on Dubber and connected to other compliance data sets, applications and business intelligence tools.





Dubber UCR Compliance Edition for compliance leaders with a need to manage, monitor, store and review conversations. Recordings and data from multiple sources can be captured, stored, searched, and reviewed in Dubber, in real-time, without the need for complex queries. Starting at USD $14.95 per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users.





for compliance leaders with a need to manage, monitor, store and review conversations. Recordings and data from multiple sources can be captured, stored, searched, and reviewed in Dubber, in real-time, without the need for complex queries. Starting at USD per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users. Dubber Premier Compliance Edition enables a compliance team of up to ten (with additional licenses available) to benefit from AI-enriched insights, alerts, search and sentiment analysis. Additional features include beautiful and insightful transcriptions, legal hold and discovery, and, smart keyword, team and customer search. Starting at USD $29.95 per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users.





enables a compliance team of up to ten (with additional licenses available) to benefit from AI-enriched insights, alerts, search and sentiment analysis. Additional features include beautiful and insightful transcriptions, legal hold and discovery, and, smart keyword, team and customer search. Starting at USD per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users. Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud Compliance Edition ideal for compliance teams who only seek to record calls with confidence, then storing and unifying data in a single easily accessible source of truth. All the features of Dubber Premier Compliance Edition. Plans start at USD $1,599.99 for 250 endpoints and one user access - with additional plans for more end-points and users.

All Dubber solutions include critical features such as unlimited storage, access to the easy to use Dubber application for IOS, Android and Web, concierge set-up and training, data download and export, 24x7 online global support -- and, seamless, high-quality media capture across devices and all supported endpoints for audio, video, screen share, and chat.

Critically, Dubber Compliance Solutions answer the need for policy-based recording. Organizations that adopt Dubber can easily implement compliance and administrative policies such as when calls and online meetings should be automatically recorded and captured for subsequent processing and retention as required by relevant corporate or regulatory policy.

Dubber solutions are native to the world's leading communications solutions, including Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, and the world's leading networks such as AT&T, Verizon, Tetstra and Cox Communications. Conversations, once captured, are stored in Dubber Cloud Storage and then processed in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud - where AI creates real-time insights, alerts, and more.

Public data from key regulators including the FCA in the United Kingdom and the CFTC and SEC in the United States show that fines levied for communication compliance monitoring topped $150,000,000 in 2019. Regulatory focus continues to increase with FINRA highlighting digital communications, including collaboration platforms, as a priority for its 2020 broker-dealer examinations.

Regulations and regulators requiring an accurate record of conversations to satisfy know-your-customer, data protection and privacy mandates include MiFID II, Dodd-Frank, ASIC, APRA, AUSTRAC, PCI, SOX, FCA, FINRA and regulators globally.

"Our new solutions make Unified Call Recording more flexible and available to businesses and teams of any size," said Slaney. "We founded Dubber to eliminate the cost and complexity of capturing any conversation. For too many, the value of that conversation is lost the moment it ends. We're making it simpler and easier than ever to end not knowing and comply."

Key compliance activities are made simple and easy with Dubber automating key tasks:

Collect and integrate recordings and data in the manner required to meet compliance obligations in appropriate regional boundaries

Real-time search for interactions based on communication-related metadata or interaction content. Common examples include:

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data

- Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data - Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions Analyze and interact with collected communications, including the ability to monitor interactions as they are being collected

Ensure security of collected communications and prevent tampering at all stages

Retention policies support retain and delete action,; and, legal hold and discovery on historical and real-time data

Resources

Pricing information: https://www.dubber.net/pricing

Blog post: https://www.dubber.net/news

Brochures quick link: https://www.dubber.net/brochure

About Dubber:

Dubber is unlocking the potential of voice data from any call or conversation. Dubber is the world's most scalable Unified Call Recording service and Voice Intelligence Cloud adopted as core network infrastructure by multiple global leading telecommunications carriers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Dubber allows service providers to offer call recording for compliance, business intelligence, sentiment analysis, AI and more on any phone. Dubber is a disruptive innovator in the multi-billion dollar call recording industry, its Software as a Service offering removes the need for on-premise hardware, applications or costly and limited storage.

For more information, please contact:

SOURCE Dubber
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Below is Duke Energy's (NYSE: DUK) statement in response to Elliott Management's announcement today:

Today's announcement by Elliott is the latest in a series of proposals that the hedge fund has offered to Duke Energy since July 2020. Throughout, Duke Energy's Board of Directors has reviewed their proposals in depth and determined that they are not in the best interests of the company, its shareholders and other stakeholders.

Duke Energy will review Elliott's latest proposals as well and the company is always open to new ideas to create growth and value. However, Duke Energy and its Board of Directors will always advocate for the best long-term interests of its shareholders and other stakeholders over any narrow special or short-term interest.

Strong operational performance

Guided by Duke Energy's management team and world-class Board of Directors, Duke Energy is performing at a high level by executing its clean energy strategy, delivering strong, sustainable value for shareholders, customers, communities and its employees, and outlining a clear vision for future growth, grounded in the largest clean energy transition in the country.

The company is poised to deploy over $125 billion of capital over the next decade and deliver 5% to 7% annual earnings growth along the way. As a result, Duke Energy has increased its long-term EPS growth rate and driven the company's share price to outperform the S&P Utility Index in both 2020 and year-to-date. Over the last 12 months, Duke Energy's stock price has increased 25.2% versus 18.7% for the S&P Utility Index.

Duke Energy's strategic goals are supported by its history of strong safety and operational performance, and excellent customer services, allowing it to consistently pay shareholders a dividend, which the company has increased for 15 consecutive years.

Elliott's proposals

Duke Energy and its Board have engaged in discussions and reviews with Elliott since July 2020. Elliott's specific proposals, some of which are outlined in its letter, are summarized here:

Preferential Equity Transaction . Elliott initially tried to induce Duke Energy to issue up to $7 billion of common equity securities to Elliott and its hedge fund allies at a material discount to the public market value of Duke Energy's equity, essentially transferring approximately 10% of the value of Duke Energy to Elliott. Instead, Duke Energy executed on its highly successful minority stake sale in Duke Energy Indiana at an attractive premium to Duke Energy's public market valuation satisfying Duke Energy's equity needs for the next five years. Duke Energy's share price has outperformed ever since.

. Elliott initially tried to induce Duke Energy to issue up to of common equity securities to Elliott and its hedge fund allies at a material discount to the public market value of Duke Energy's equity, essentially transferring approximately 10% of the value of Duke Energy to Elliott. Instead, Duke Energy executed on its highly successful minority stake sale in Duke Energy Indiana at an attractive premium to Duke Energy's public market valuation satisfying Duke Energy's equity needs for the next five years. Duke Energy's share price has outperformed ever since. Breaking Up the Company. Elliott then proposed a double-spin-off of Duke Energy's Midwest and Florida utilities. This "shrink-the company" strategy that underlies all of Elliott's proposals runs counter to the strategic direction of the entire industry at a time when scale is needed to efficiently finance the company's unprecedented capital investment and growth opportunities. It also ignores the obvious capital structure and credit issues, material equity issuance requirement, dis-synergies, dividend sustainability risk, regulatory issues and overall execution risks.

Elliott then proposed a double-spin-off of Duke Energy's Midwest and utilities. This "shrink-the company" strategy that underlies all of Elliott's proposals runs counter to the strategic direction of the entire industry at a time when scale is needed to efficiently finance the company's unprecedented capital investment and growth opportunities. It also ignores the obvious capital structure and credit issues, material equity issuance requirement, dis-synergies, dividend sustainability risk, regulatory issues and overall execution risks. Demand for Board Seats. Elliott has demanded to appoint new directors to Duke Energy's board despite the broad and deep experience of Duke Energy's current board, which has recently added several new members. In addition, Elliott has demanded that Duke Energy put in place a "strategic review," although Elliott refuses to share the details behind its myriad proposals with management.

Elliott's approach to Duke Energy thus far is reminiscent of Elliott's decidedly mixed results in the utility industry, as shown by recent activity with Sempra Energy, FirstEnergy and Evergy. These utilities' share prices have materially underperformed the sector to date since Elliott became involved, establishing an unenviable track record of shareholder value destruction.

Duke Energy's climate strategy and a clear financing strategy

Duke Energy has worked to clearly articulate its $59 billion five-year clean energy plan that drives its long-term strategy, and to transition to cleaner energy as the company aims to cut carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The five-year plan will deliver significant customer benefits and create jobs in its communities. Duke Energy is also committed to modernizing and strengthening the energy grid, generating cleaner energy, and expanding its smart energy infrastructure.

A series of accomplishments have positioned Duke Energy to successfully execute its clean energy transformation:

On Jan. 28 , the company announced the sale of 19.9% of Duke Energy Indiana to GIC, raising $2.05 billion at a 50% premium to its last-12-months' trading P/E valuation. Proceeds from this transaction will help fund Duke Energy's $59 billion capex plan and satisfy all equity capital raising needs for the next five years.

, the company announced the sale of 19.9% of Duke Energy Indiana to GIC, raising at a 50% premium to its last-12-months' trading P/E valuation. Proceeds from this transaction will help fund Duke Energy's capex plan and satisfy all equity capital raising needs for the next five years. As part of that announcement, the company increased its expected earnings growth rate to 5% to 7%, up from 4% to 6% through 2025.

The company received approval of a comprehensive settlement agreement with the North Carolina Attorney General's Office, North Carolina Public Staff and Sierra Club which resolved all remaining major coal ash issues, provided clarity on recovery treatment of coal ash costs for the next decade, and achieved a return of and on coal ash expenditures.

Attorney General's Office, North Carolina Public Staff and Sierra Club which resolved all remaining major coal ash issues, provided clarity on recovery treatment of coal ash costs for the next decade, and achieved a return of and on coal ash expenditures. On May 4 , the company received regulatory approval for a multi-year rate plan agreement with consumer and business groups in Florida that includes nearly $5 billion in investments to advance its clean energy vision. The Florida Public Service Commission noted in their ruling that the settlement was the culmination of extensive engagement with many interested parties, including the Office of Public Counsel, which demonstrated the company's strong collaborative relationships in that state. Florida's constructive regulatory framework and significant potential in renewables and clean energy make Florida a central element of Duke Energy's business and investment plans.

, the company received regulatory approval for a multi-year rate plan agreement with consumer and business groups in that includes nearly in investments to advance its clean energy vision. The Florida Public Service Commission noted in their ruling that the settlement was the culmination of extensive engagement with many interested parties, including the Office of Public Counsel, which demonstrated the company's strong collaborative relationships in that state. constructive regulatory framework and significant potential in renewables and clean energy make a central element of Duke Energy's business and investment plans. Last fall, the company submitted its integrated resource plans (IRPs) for the Carolinas, which outlined paths to providing cleaner, more sustainable energy to customers, and were positively received by customers, regulators and investors.

Over the last 12 months, Duke Energy's 2022E P/E multiple has increased from 14.5x to 18.9x, significantly outpacing the multiple expansion of the median UTY P/E multiple. This has improved the company's relative valuation from a P/E discount of (0.6)x to now trading at a premium of 1.0x compared to the UTY constituents median.

A consolidated company and balance sheet have clear benefits

Duke Energy's business is stronger and more impactful as a consolidated, standalone entity that remains as one. The company can better support its customers, employees, investors and their dividends, and other stakeholders by staying together.

All of its businesses play a critical role in Duke Energy's clean energy transformation, and the company has made crucial investments and built relationships in each region where it operates.

Duke Energy's size, scale and geographic diversity are recognized as credit attributes by the rating agencies and contribute to Duke Energy's strong credit quality and lower cost of capital.

A break-up would result in smaller entities, each allocated a proportional share of Duke Energy's parent-level debt, which would erode credit quality.

To avoid credit rating downgrades, each entity would be forced to recapitalize through dilutive equity issuances that have no benefit to customers or shareholders.

A consolidated company allows for a growing dividend to the company's shareholders, investments in its clean energy plan, and benefits from diversified cash flows.

Significant risk of incremental costs

Given the performance of the company, there is no strategic logic to breaking the company apart, and there is serious risk of dis-synergies that would weigh down the various spun-off entities and raise questions about the viability of the dividend to shareholders. For example:

A break-up would require extensive regulatory review at the state and federal level, introducing significant execution risk.

Standing up smaller, independent utilities would require considerable new costs and would reverse a decade of cost cutting efforts by integrating corporate functions of predecessor companies.

These unavoidable new costs would put pressure on utility rates without any tangible benefit to customers and would be highly unlikely to be recoverable from customers, impacting the credit and growth rate of the smaller utilities.

Employees and customers at the center

Duke Energy continues to be laser-focused on serving its communities during the pandemic. The company provided significant support for its customers by suspending disconnections and waiving late-payment and other fees. The company donated more than $8 million to various relief organizations to help support communities in need during the pandemic.

The company is also working to keep its employees safe and has navigated the pandemic while preserving jobs and avoiding furloughs and cuts to base salaries. The company remains committed to those objectives.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities  with goals of at least a 50 percent carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to operate or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company also is investing in major electric grid upgrades and expanded battery storage, and exploring zero-emitting power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2021 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Cautionary language concerning forward-looking statements

This document includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "continue," "should," "could," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "will," "potential," "forecast," "target," "outlook," "guidance," and similar expressions. Various factors may cause actual results to be materially different than the suggested outcomes within forward-looking statements; accordingly, there is no assurance that such results will be realized. These risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Duke Energy's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements might not occur or might occur to a different extent or at a different time than Duke Energy has described. Duke Energy expressly disclaims an obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media contact: Neil Nissan

800.559.3853

Analysts contact: Jack Sullivan

980.373.3564

SOURCE Duke Energy
Above, Oswego County Medical Director Dr. Christina Liepke speaks during a March 17, 2020 press conference as Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow looks on. Liepkes unrelenting commitment to public health in 2020 has earned her the Zonta Club of Oswegos Amelia Earhart Women of Achievement award.
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc. announced today the presentation of more than 25 abstracts across various types of cancer from its oncology portfolio during the virtual scientific program of the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting from June 4 to 8. Notable data from ongoing LEAP clinical trials evaluating investigational uses of the KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) plus LENVIMA (lenvatinib) combination will be presented, including two oral presentations: one on updated Phase 2 data from the LEAP-004 trial evaluating lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in advanced melanoma following prior PD-(L)1 therapy (NCT03776136; Abstract #9504) and the other on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data from the pivotal Phase 3 CLEAR (KEYNOTE-581/Study 307) trial evaluating lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab or everolimus versus sunitinib in the first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (NCT02811861; Abstract #4502).

Other data from the CLEAR study include a poster on a post hoc analysis of the effects of subsequent systemic therapy on survival outcomes in the lenvatinib plus everolimus and sunitinib arms (Abstract #4562), and a poster on the depth of response and efficacy in select subgroups in the lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab and sunitinib arms (Abstract #4560).

Key analyses on the lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab combination include a poster on the primary analysis of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) endpoint from the pivotal Phase 3 KEYNOTE-775/Study 309 trial in patients with advanced endometrial cancer (NCT03517449; Abstract #5570) and a poster featuring first-ever biomarker data on the investigational lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab combination in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (NCT03006926; Abstract #4084).

Additional lenvatinib data include an analysis on the impact of bodyweight-based starting doses of lenvatinib in patients with unresectable HCC (Abstract #e16119) and a comparative cost-effectiveness analysis evaluating lenvatinib versus other first-line therapies for patients with unresectable HCC in Canada (Abstract #4098).

In addition, posters featuring investigational data from three cohorts of the Phase 2 LEAP-005 basket trial  biliary tract, gastric and colorectal  will also be presented (NCT03797326; Abstracts #4080, #4030, #3564).

Eisai will also present results from a Phase 1 trial of E7389-LF (a novel liposomal formulation of eribulin) in patients with advanced gastric cancer (Abstract #4025), as well as real-world effectiveness data of HALAVEN (eribulin mesylate) injection in patients with metastatic breast cancer with visceral metastases in the U.S. (Abstract #e13058).

"We are proud to present data from across our oncology portfolio at ASCO 2021, sharing our unifying commitment to exploring the avenues available to usthrough molecules as monotherapies and in combination, in multiple formulations and cancer typesto potentially address the unmet needs of cancer patients," said Dr. Takashi Owa, Vice President, Chief Medicine Creation Officer and Chief Discovery Officer, Oncology Business Group at Eisai. "Additionally, the diversity of the lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab data at ASCO demonstrates the robust progress of the LEAP clinical program, which is exploring the potential of this combination to deliver clinical benefits to patients with advanced, metastatic, difficult-to-treat cancers in a variety of tumor types."

In March 2018, Eisai and Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada), through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of LENVIMA, both as monotherapy and in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA. To date, more than 20 trials have been initiated under the LEAP (LEnvatinib And Pembrolizumab) clinical program, which is evaluating the combination across 14 different tumor types. For more information on the LEAP program, please visit clinicaltrials.gov.

This release discusses investigational compounds and investigational uses for FDA-approved products. It is not intended to convey conclusions about efficacy and safety. There is no guarantee that any investigational compounds or investigational uses of FDA-approved products will successfully complete clinical development or gain FDA approval.

The list of Eisai abstracts is included below. All abstracts will be available on demand via ASCO's website on Wednesday, May 19 at 5:00 PM EDT.

Lenvatinib Combinations (Plus Pembrolizumab or Everolimus) Cancer Type Study/Trial Abstract Title Abstract Type & Details Skin Cancer LEAP-004 Lenvatinib (LEN) plus pembrolizumab (pembro) for patients (pts) with advanced melanoma and confirmed progression on a PD-1 or PD-L1 Inhibitor: Updated findings of LEAP-004 Virtual Oral Presentation Abstract #9504 June 6, 2021 8:00 AM  11:00 AM EDT Ana M. Arance Fernandez, MD, PhD, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona Genitourinary Cancer CLEAR study (KEYNOTE-581/ Study 307) Healthrelated qualityoflife (HRQoL) analysis from the phase 3 CLEAR trial of lenvatinib (LEN) plus pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) or everolimus (EVE) vs sunitinib (SUN) for patients (pts) with advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) Virtual Oral Presentation Abstract #4502 June 7, 2021 8:00 AM  11:00 AM EDT Robert J. Motzer, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center CLEAR study (KEYNOTE-581/ Study 307) Analysis of the CLEAR study in patients (pts) with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC): depth of response and efficacy for selected subgroups in the lenvatinib (LEN) + pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) and sunitinib (SUN) treatment arms Poster Session Abstract #4560 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Viktor Grunwald, MD, PhD, University-Hospital Essen CLEAR study (KEYNOTE-581/ Study 307) Post hoc analysis of the CLEAR study in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Effect of subsequent therapy on survival outcomes in the lenvatinib (LEN) + everolimus (EVE) vs sunitinib (SUN) treatment arms Poster Session Abstract #4562 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Thomas E. Hutson, DO, PharmD, Texas Oncology-Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center KEYNOTE-146/ Study 111 Lenvatinib (LEN) + pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) treatment in patients (pts) with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Final results of a phase 1b/2 trial Online Publication Abstract #e16542 Chung-Han Lee, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center MK-3475-U03A A phase 1b/2 umbrella study of investigational immune and targeted combination therapies as first-line therapy for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) Poster Session Abstract #TPS4594 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Elizabeth R. Plimack, MD, Temple Health Fox Chase Cancer Center KEYNOTE-B61 KEYNOTE-B61: Open-label phase 2 study of pembrolizumab in combination with lenvatinib as first-line treatment for non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nccRCC) Poster Session Abstract #TPS4595 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Chung-Han Lee, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Gastrointestinal Cancers Study 116 Exploratory circulating biomarker analyses: lenvatinib + pembrolizumab (L + P) in a phase 1b trial in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) Poster Session Abstract #4084 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Andrew X. Zhu, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital LEAP-005 LEAP-005: A phase 2 multicohort study of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated selected solid tumorsResults from the gastric cancer cohort Poster Session Abstract #4030 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Hyun Cheol C. Chung, MD, Yonsei Song-Dang Institute for Cancer Research LEAP-005 LEAP-005: A phase 2 multicohort study of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated selected solid tumorsResults from the colorectal cancer cohort Poster Session Abstract #3564 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Carlos A. Gomez-Roca, MD, Institut Universitaire du Cancer de Toulouse LEAP-005 Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab for patients with previously treated biliary tract cancers in the multicohort phase 2 LEAP-005 study Poster Session Abstract #4080 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Luis Villanueva, MD, Huntsville Hospital's Heart Center and Heart Institute Gynecologic Cancer KEYNOTE-775/ Study 309 Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in advanced endometrial cancer (aEC) patients (pts) treated with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab or treatment of physician's choice (TPC) Poster Session Abstract #5570 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, National Cancer Institute of Milan Systematic literature review Systematic literature review of the real-world burden and use of chemotherapies for treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma Online Publication Abstract #e17571 Qi Zhao, MD, Eisai Inc. ECHO-USA RWD Study Treatment patterns and outcomes among patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) advanced endometrial cancer in the United States: Endometrial Cancer Health Outcomes (ECHO) retrospective chart review Study Poster Session Abstract #5581 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Shelby Corman, PharmD, MS, BCPS, Pharmerit International Lenvatinib Cancer Type Study/Trial Abstract Title Abstract Type & Details Gastrointestinal Cancers Health Economics The cost effectiveness of lenvatinib versus atezolizumab and bevacizumab or sorafenib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) in Canada Poster Session Abstract #4098 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT David Trueman, MSc Source Health Economics Real-world data Real-world effectiveness of lenvatinib monotherapy among previously treated unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients in United States clinical practices Online Publication Abstract #e16129 Amit G. Singal, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center Study 202/304 Impact of bodyweight (BW)-based starting doses on safety and efficacy of lenvatinib (LEN) in patients (pts) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Online Publication Abstract #e16119 Takuji Okusaka, MD, PhD, National Cancer Center Hospital Indirect treatment comparison The comparative efficacy of atezolizumab and bevacizumab vs. lenvatinib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) Online Publication Abstract #e16151 David Trueman, MSc Source Health Economics PMS/504 A multicenter observational study of lenvatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan Online Publication Abstract #e16118 Masatoshi Kudo, MD, PhD Kindai University Eribulin & Pipeline Cancer Type Study/Trial Abstract Title Abstract Type & Details Breast Cancer Real-world data Real-world clinical effectiveness of eribulin in metastatic breast cancer patients with visceral metastases in the United States Online Publication Abstract #e13058 Sarah Schellhorn Mougalian, MD, Yale Cancer Center Gastrointestinal Cancers Study 114 Phase 1 study of the liposomal formulation of eribulin (E7389-LF): Results from the advanced gastric cancer expansion cohort Poster Session Abstract #4025 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Ken Yamaguchi, MD, PhD, Shizuoka Cancer Center Study 101 Phase I study of H3B-6527 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) Poster Session Abstract #4090 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 AM EDT Teresa Macarulla, MD, Vall D'Hebron University Hospital Breast cancer Study 102 Phase 1b study of H3B-6545 in combination with palbociclib in women with metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer Online Publication Abstract #e13025 Stephen R.D. Johnston, MD, PhD, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Study 101 Phase I/II study of H3B-6545, a novel selective estrogen receptor covalent antagonist (SERCA), in estrogen receptor positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer Poster Discussion Session Abstract #1018 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 A.M. EDT Erika P. Hamilton, MD, Sarah Cannon Institution of Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Program Bioavailability and Drug-Drug Interaction Relative bioavailability of H3B-6545 tablets versus capsules and drug-drug interaction between H3B-6545 and pantoprazole Online Publication Abstract #e13022 Jianjun Alan Xiao, PhD, Eisai Hematologic Cancers Cost analysis Health care cost impact associated with adverse events (AEs) among treatments in third-line+ (3L+) relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (R/R FL) Online Publication Abstract #e18836 Sameh Gaballa, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center Department of Malignant Hematology Additional Research Abstract Title Abstract Type & Details Impact of #ASCO Twitter impressions on the oncology community Poster Session Abstract #11039 Available on June 4, 2021 9:00 A.M. EDT Gilberto Morgan, MD, Skane University Hospital Perspectives on under-representation of minority patients (pts) in clinical trials Online Publication Abstract #e18521 Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, PhD, Winship Cancer Institute

About LENVIMA (lenvatinib) Capsules

LENVIMA is indicated:

For the treatment of patients with locally recurrent or metastatic, progressive, radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAI-refractory DTC)

In combination with everolimus, for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following one prior anti-angiogenic therapy

For the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

In combination with pembrolizumab, for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma (EC) that is not microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR), who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy, and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trial

LENVIMA, discovered and developed by Eisai, is a kinase inhibitor that inhibits the kinase activities of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors VEGFR1 (FLT1), VEGFR2 (KDR), and VEGFR3 (FLT4). LENVIMA inhibits other kinases that have been implicated in pathogenic angiogenesis, tumor growth, and cancer progression in addition to their normal cellular functions, including fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors FGFR1-4, platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR), KIT, and RET. Lenvatinib also exhibited antiproliferative activity in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines dependent on activated FGFR signaling with a concurrent inhibition of FGD-receptor substrate 2 (FRS2) phosphorylation. The combination of lenvatinib and everolimus showed increased anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activity as demonstrated by decreases in human endothelial cell proliferation, tube formation, and VEGF signaling in vitro and decreases in tumor volume in mouse xenograft models of human renal cell cancer greater than with either drug alone. In syngeneic mouse tumor models, lenvatinib decreased tumor-associated macrophages, increased activated cytotoxic T cells, and demonstrated greater antitumor activity in combination with an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody compared to either treatment alone.

Important Safety Information

Warnings and Precautions

Hypertension. In DTC, hypertension occurred in 73% of patients on LENVIMA (44% grade 3-4). In RCC, hypertension occurred in 42% of patients on LENVIMA + everolimus (13% grade 3). Systolic blood pressure 160 mmHg occurred in 29% of patients, and 21% had diastolic blood pressure 100 mmHg. In HCC, hypertension occurred in 45% of LENVIMA-treated patients (24% grade 3). Grade 4 hypertension was not reported in HCC.

Serious complications of poorly controlled hypertension have been reported. Control blood pressure prior to initiation. Monitor blood pressure after 1 week, then every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, and then at least monthly thereafter during treatment. Withhold and resume at reduced dose when hypertension is controlled or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Cardiac Dysfunction. Serious and fatal cardiac dysfunction can occur with LENVIMA. Across clinical trials in 799 patients with DTC, RCC, and HCC, grade 3 or higher cardiac dysfunction occurred in 3% of LENVIMA-treated patients. Monitor for clinical symptoms or signs of cardiac dysfunction. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Arterial Thromboembolic Events. Among patients receiving LENVIMA or LENVIMA + everolimus, arterial thromboembolic events of any severity occurred in 2% of patients in RCC and HCC and 5% in DTC. Grade 3-5 arterial thromboembolic events ranged from 2% to 3% across all clinical trials. Permanently discontinue following an arterial thrombotic event. The safety of resuming after an arterial thromboembolic event has not been established and LENVIMA has not been studied in patients who have had an arterial thromboembolic event within the previous 6 months.

Hepatotoxicity. Across clinical studies enrolling 1,327 LENVIMA-treated patients with malignancies other than HCC, serious hepatic adverse reactions occurred in 1.4% of patients. Fatal events, including hepatic failure, acute hepatitis and hepatorenal syndrome, occurred in 0.5% of patients. In HCC, hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 8% of LENVIMA-treated patients (5% grade 3-5). Grade 3-5 hepatic failure occurred in 3% of LENVIMA-treated patients. 2% of patients discontinued LENVIMA due to hepatic encephalopathy and 1% discontinued due to hepatic failure.

Monitor liver function prior to initiation, then every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, and at least monthly thereafter during treatment. Monitor patients with HCC closely for signs of hepatic failure, including hepatic encephalopathy. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Renal Failure or Impairment. Serious including fatal renal failure or impairment can occur with LENVIMA. Renal impairment was reported in 14% and 7% of LENVIMA-treated patients in DTC and HCC, respectively. Grade 3-5 renal failure or impairment occurred in 3% of patients with DTC and 2% of patients with HCC, including 1 fatal event in each study. In RCC, renal impairment or renal failure was reported in 18% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients (10% grade 3).

Initiate prompt management of diarrhea or dehydration/hypovolemia. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue for renal failure or impairment based on severity.

Proteinuria. In DTC and HCC, proteinuria was reported in 34% and 26% of LENVIMA-treated patients, respectively. Grade 3 proteinuria occurred in 11% and 6% in DTC and HCC, respectively. In RCC, proteinuria occurred in 31% of patients receiving LENVIMA + everolimus (8% grade 3). Monitor for proteinuria prior to initiation and periodically during treatment. If urine dipstick proteinuria 2+ is detected, obtain a 24-hour urine protein. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Diarrhea. Of the 737 LENVIMA-treated patients in DTC and HCC, diarrhea occurred in 49% (6% grade 3). In RCC, diarrhea occurred in 81% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients (19% grade 3). Diarrhea was the most frequent cause of dose interruption/reduction, and diarrhea recurred despite dose reduction. Promptly initiate management of diarrhea. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Fistula Formation and Gastrointestinal Perforation. Of the 799 patients treated with LENVIMA or LENVIMA + everolimus in DTC, RCC, and HCC, fistula or gastrointestinal perforation occurred in 2%. Permanently discontinue in patients who develop gastrointestinal perforation of any severity or grade 3-4 fistula.

QT Interval Prolongation. In DTC, QT/QTc interval prolongation occurred in 9% of LENVIMA-treated patients and QT interval prolongation of >500 ms occurred in 2%. In RCC, QTc interval increases of >60 ms occurred in 11% of patients receiving LENVIMA + everolimus and QTc interval >500 ms occurred in 6%. In HCC, QTc interval increases of >60 ms occurred in 8% of LENVIMA-treated patients and QTc interval >500 ms occurred in 2%.

Monitor and correct electrolyte abnormalities at baseline and periodically during treatment. Monitor electrocardiograms in patients with congenital long QT syndrome, congestive heart failure, bradyarrhythmias, or those who are taking drugs known to prolong the QT interval, including Class Ia and III antiarrhythmics. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery based on severity.

Hypocalcemia. In DTC, grade 3-4 hypocalcemia occurred in 9% of LENVIMA-treated patients. In 65% of cases, hypocalcemia improved or resolved following calcium supplementation with or without dose interruption or dose reduction. In RCC, grade 3-4 hypocalcemia occurred in 6% of LENVIMA + everolimus-treated patients. In HCC, grade 3 hypocalcemia occurred in 0.8% of LENVIMA-treated patients. Monitor blood calcium levels at least monthly and replace calcium as necessary during treatment. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue depending on severity.

Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome (RPLS). Across clinical studies of 1,823 patients who received LENVIMA as a single agent, RPLS occurred in 0.3%. Confirm diagnosis of RPLS with MRI. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue depending on severity and persistence of neurologic symptoms.

Hemorrhagic Events. Serious including fatal hemorrhagic events can occur with LENVIMA. In DTC, RCC, and HCC clinical trials, hemorrhagic events, of any grade, occurred in 29% of the 799 patients treated with LENVIMA as a single agent or in combination with everolimus. The most frequently reported hemorrhagic events (all grades and occurring in at least 5% of patients) were epistaxis and hematuria. In DTC, grade 3-5 hemorrhage occurred in 2% of LENVIMA-treated patients, including 1 fatal intracranial hemorrhage among 16 patients who received LENVIMA and had CNS metastases at baseline. In RCC, grade 3-5 hemorrhage occurred in 8% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients, including 1 fatal cerebral hemorrhage. In HCC, grade 3-5 hemorrhage occurred in 5% of LENVIMA-treated patients, including 7 fatal hemorrhagic events. Serious tumor-related bleeds, including fatal hemorrhagic events, occurred in LENVIMA-treated patients in clinical trials and in the postmarketing setting. In postmarketing surveillance, serious and fatal carotid artery hemorrhages were seen more frequently in patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) than other tumors. Safety and effectiveness of LENVIMA in patients with ATC have not been demonstrated in clinical trials.

Consider the risk of severe or fatal hemorrhage associated with tumor invasion or infiltration of major blood vessels (eg, carotid artery). Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Impairment of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Suppression/Thyroid Dysfunction. LENVIMA impairs exogenous thyroid suppression. In DTC, 88% of patients had baseline thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level 0.5 mU/L. In patients with normal TSH at baseline, elevation of TSH level >0.5 mU/L was observed post baseline in 57% of LENVIMA-treated patients. In RCC and HCC, grade 1 or 2 hypothyroidism occurred in 24% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients and 21% of LENVIMA-treated patients, respectively. In patients with normal or low TSH at baseline, elevation of TSH was observed post baseline in 70% of LENVIMA-treated patients in HCC and 60% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients in RCC.

Monitor thyroid function prior to initiation and at least monthly during treatment. Treat hypothyroidism according to standard medical practice.

Impaired Wound Healing. Impaired wound healing has been reported in patients who received LENVIMA. Withhold LENVIMA for at least 1 week prior to elective surgery. Do not administer for at least 2 weeks following major surgery and until adequate wound healing. The safety of resumption of LENVIMA after resolution of wound healing complications has not been established.

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ). ONJ has been reported in patients receiving LENVIMA. Concomitant exposure to other risk factors, such as bisphosphonates, denosumab, dental disease, or invasive dental procedures, may increase the risk of ONJ.

Perform an oral examination prior to treatment with LENVIMA and periodically during LENVIMA treatment. Advise patients regarding good oral hygiene practices and to consider having preventive dentistry performed prior to treatment with LENVIMA and throughout treatment with LENVIMA.

Avoid invasive dental procedures, if possible, while on LENVIMA treatment, particularly in patients at higher risk. Withhold LENVIMA for at least 1 week prior to scheduled dental surgery or invasive dental procedures, if possible. For patients requiring invasive dental procedures, discontinuation of bisphosphonate treatment may reduce the risk of ONJ.

Withhold LENVIMA if ONJ develops and restart based on clinical judgement of adequate resolution.

Embryo-fetal Toxicity. Based on its mechanism of action and data from animal reproduction studies, LENVIMA can cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women. In animal reproduction studies, oral administration of lenvatinib during organogenesis at doses below the recommended clinical doses resulted in embryotoxicity, fetotoxicity, and teratogenicity in rats and rabbits. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus; and advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with LENVIMA and for at least 30 days after the last dose.

Adverse Reactions

In DTC, the most common adverse reactions (30%) observed in LENVIMA-treated patients were hypertension (73%), fatigue (67%), diarrhea (67%), arthralgia/myalgia (62%), decreased appetite (54%), decreased weight (51%), nausea (47%), stomatitis (41%), headache (38%), vomiting (36%), proteinuria (34%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (32%), abdominal pain (31%), and dysphonia (31%). The most common serious adverse reactions (2%) were pneumonia (4%), hypertension (3%), and dehydration (3%). Adverse reactions led to dose reductions in 68% of LENVIMA-treated patients; 18% discontinued LENVIMA. The most common adverse reactions (10%) resulting in dose reductions were hypertension (13%), proteinuria (11%), decreased appetite (10%), and diarrhea (10%); the most common adverse reactions (1%) resulting in discontinuation of LENVIMA were hypertension (1%) and asthenia (1%).

In RCC, the most common adverse reactions (30%) observed in LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients were diarrhea (81%), fatigue (73%), arthralgia/myalgia (55%), decreased appetite (53%), vomiting (48%), nausea (45%), stomatitis (44%), hypertension (42%), peripheral edema (42%), cough (37%), abdominal pain (37%), dyspnea (35%), rash (35%), decreased weight (34%), hemorrhagic events (32%), and proteinuria (31%). The most common serious adverse reactions (5%) were renal failure (11%), dehydration (10%), anemia (6%), thrombocytopenia (5%), diarrhea (5%), vomiting (5%), and dyspnea (5%). Adverse reactions led to dose reductions or interruption in 89% of patients. The most common adverse reactions (5%) resulting in dose reductions were diarrhea (21%), fatigue (8%), thrombocytopenia (6%), vomiting (6%), nausea (5%), and proteinuria (5%). Treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction occurred in 29% of patients.

In HCC, the most common adverse reactions (20%) observed in LENVIMA-treated patients were hypertension (45%), fatigue (44%), diarrhea (39%), decreased appetite (34%), arthralgia/myalgia (31%), decreased weight (31%), abdominal pain (30%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (27%), proteinuria (26%), dysphonia (24%), hemorrhagic events (23%), hypothyroidism (21%), and nausea (20%). The most common serious adverse reactions (2%) were hepatic encephalopathy (5%), hepatic failure (3%), ascites (3%), and decreased appetite (2%). Adverse reactions led to dose reductions or interruption in 62% of patients. The most common adverse reactions (5%) resulting in dose reductions were fatigue (9%), decreased appetite (8%), diarrhea (8%), proteinuria (7%), hypertension (6%), and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (5%). Treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction occurred in 20% of patients. The most common adverse reactions (1%) resulting in discontinuation of LENVIMA were fatigue (1%), hepatic encephalopathy (2%), hyperbilirubinemia (1%), and hepatic failure (1%).

In EC, the most common adverse reactions (20%) observed in LENVIMA + pembrolizumab-treated patients were fatigue (65%), hypertension (65%), musculoskeletal pain (65%), diarrhea (64%), decreased appetite (52%), hypothyroidism (51%), nausea (48%), stomatitis (43%), vomiting (39%), decreased weight (36%), abdominal pain (33%), headache (33%), constipation (32%), urinary tract infection (31%), dysphonia (29%), hemorrhagic events (28%), hypomagnesemia (27%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (26%), dyspnea (24%), cough (21%) and rash (21%). Adverse reactions led to dose reduction or interruption in 88% of patients receiving LENVIMA. The most common adverse reactions (5%) resulting in dose reduction or interruption of LENVIMA were fatigue (32%), hypertension (26%), diarrhea (18%), nausea (13%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (13%), vomiting (13%), decreased appetite (12%), musculoskeletal pain (11%), stomatitis (9%), abdominal pain (7%), hemorrhages (7%), renal impairment (6%), decreased weight (6%), rash (5%), headache (5%), increased lipase (5%) and proteinuria (5%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 3% of patients receiving LENVIMA + pembrolizumab, including gastrointestinal perforation, RPLS with intraventricular hemorrhage, and intracranial hemorrhage. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 52% of patients receiving LENVIMA + pembrolizumab. Serious adverse reactions in 3% of patients were hypertension (9%), abdominal pain (6%), musculoskeletal pain (5%), hemorrhage (4%), fatigue (4%), nausea (4%), confusional state (4%), pleural effusion (4%), adrenal insufficiency (3%), colitis (3%), dyspnea (3%), and pyrexia (3%). Permanent discontinuation due to adverse reaction (Grade 1-4) occurred in 21% of patients who received LENVIMA + pembrolizumab. The most common adverse reactions (>2%) resulting in discontinuation of LENVIMA were gastrointestinal perforation or fistula (2%), muscular weakness (2%), and pancreatitis (2%).

Use in Specific Populations

Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants, advise women to discontinue breastfeeding during treatment and for at least 1 week after last dose. LENVIMA may impair fertility in males and females of reproductive potential.

No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with mild (CLcr 60-89 mL/min) or moderate (CLcr 30-59 mL/min) renal impairment. LENVIMA concentrations may increase in patients with DTC, RCC, or EC and severe (CLcr 15-29 mL/min) renal impairment. Reduce the dose for patients with DTC, RCC, or EC and severe renal impairment. There is no recommended dose for patients with HCC and severe renal impairment. LENVIMA has not been studied in patients with end stage renal disease. No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with HCC and mild hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh A). There is no recommended dose for patients with HCC with moderate (Child-Pugh B) or severe (Child-Pugh C) hepatic impairment.

No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with DTC, RCC, or EC and mild or moderate hepatic impairment. LENVIMA concentrations may increase in patients with DTC, RCC, or EC and severe hepatic impairment. Reduce the dose for patients with DTC, RCC, or EC and severe hepatic impairment.

LENVIMA (lenvatinib) is available as 10 mg and 4 mg capsules.

Please see Prescribing information for LENVIMA (lenvatinib) at http://www.lenvima.com/pdfs/prescribing-information.pdf.

About HALAVEN (eribulin mesylate) Injection

HALAVEN (eribulin mesylate) injection (0.5 mg/mL) is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) who have previously received at least 2 chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of metastatic disease. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting.

Discovered and developed by Eisai, eribulin is a synthetic analog of halichondrin B, a natural product that was isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai. First in the halichondrin class, eribulin is a microtubule dynamics inhibitor. Eribulin is believed to work primarily via a tubulin-based mechanism that causes prolonged and irreversible mitotic blockage, ultimately leading to apoptotic cell death. Additionally, in preclinical studies of human breast cancer, eribulin demonstrated complex effects on the tumor biology of surviving cancer cells, including increases in vascular perfusion resulting in reduced tumor hypoxia, and changes in the expression of genes in tumor specimens associated with a change in phenotype, promoting the epithelial phenotype, opposing the mesenchymal phenotype. Eribulin has also been shown to decrease the migration and invasiveness of human breast cancer cells.

Important Safety Information

Warnings and Precautions

Neutropenia: Severe neutropenia (ANC <500/mm3) lasting >1 week occurred in 12% of patients with mBC. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 5% of patients with mBC and 2 patients (0.4%) died from complications. Patients with mBC with elevated liver enzymes >3  ULN and bilirubin >1.5  ULN experienced a higher incidence of Grade 4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia than patients with normal levels. Monitor complete blood cell counts prior to each dose, and increase the frequency of monitoring in patients who develop Grade 3 or 4 cytopenias. Delay administration and reduce subsequent doses in patients who experience febrile neutropenia or Grade 4 neutropenia lasting >7 days.

Peripheral Neuropathy: Grade 3 peripheral neuropathy occurred in 8% of patients with mBC (Grade 4=0.4%) and 22% developed a new or worsening neuropathy that had not recovered within a median follow-up duration of 269 days (range 25-662 days). Neuropathy lasting >1 year occurred in 5% of patients with mBC. Patients should be monitored for signs of peripheral motor and sensory neuropathy. Withhold HALAVEN in patients who experience Grade 3 or 4 peripheral neuropathy until resolution to Grade 2 or less.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: HALAVEN can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with HALAVEN and for at least 2 weeks following the final dose. Advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with HALAVEN and for 3.5 months following the final dose.

QT Prolongation: Monitor for prolonged QT intervals in patients with congestive heart failure, bradyarrhythmias, drugs known to prolong the QT interval, and electrolyte abnormalities. Correct hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia prior to initiating HALAVEN and monitor these electrolytes periodically during therapy. Avoid in patients with congenital long QT syndrome.

Adverse Reactions

In patients with mBC receiving HALAVEN, the most common adverse reactions (25%) were neutropenia (82%), anemia (58%), asthenia/fatigue (54%), alopecia (45%), peripheral neuropathy (35%), nausea (35%), and constipation (25%). Febrile neutropenia (4%) and neutropenia (2%) were the most common serious adverse reactions. The most common adverse reaction resulting in discontinuation was peripheral neuropathy (5%).

Use in Specific Populations

Lactation: Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants from eribulin mesylate, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with HALAVEN and for 2 weeks after the final dose.

Hepatic and Renal Impairment: A reduction in starting dose is recommended for patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment and/or moderate or severe renal impairment.

For more information about HALAVEN, click here for the full Prescribing Information.

HALAVEN is a registered trademark used by Eisai Inc. under license from Eisai R&D Management Co., Ltd.

About the Eisai and Merck Strategic Collaboration

In March 2018, Eisai and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of LENVIMA. Under the agreement, the companies will jointly develop, manufacture and commercialize LENVIMA, both as monotherapy and in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA.

In addition to ongoing clinical studies evaluating the KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA combination across several different tumor types, the companies have jointly initiated new clinical studies through the LEAP (LEnvatinib And Pembrolizumab) clinical program and are evaluating the combination in 14 different tumor types (endometrial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, urothelial cancer, biliary tract cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, glioblastoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer) across more than 20 clinical trials.

About Eisai

Eisai is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, with approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. We strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology. In the spirit of hhc, we take that commitment even further by applying our scientific expertise, clinical capabilities and patient insights to discover and develop innovative solutions that help address society's toughest unmet needs, including neglected tropical diseases and the Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information about Eisai, please visit www.eisai.com (for global), us.eisai.com (for U.S.) or www.eisai.eu (for Europe, Middle East, Africa), and connect with us on Twitter (U.S . and global) and LinkedIn (for U.S.).

LENVIMA is a registered trademark used by Eisai Inc. under license from Eisai R&D Management Co., Ltd.

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A.

SOURCE Eisai Inc.

Related Links

http://www.eisai.com


BANGALORE, India, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The eLearning Industry is Segmented by Type (On-Premise eLearning, Cloud-Based eLearning), by Application (Academy, Corporate, Government). The report covers global opportunity analysis and industry forecasts from 2021 to 2026. It is published on Valuates Reports in the Education Category.

The global E-learning market size is projected to grow USD 370 Billion by 2026, from USD 226 Billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 8.56% during 2021-2026.

Based on e-learning industry analysis, themajor factors driving the growth of e-Learning market size are:

The rapid growth in internet connectivity in emerging economies, driven by the rising federal budgets, is likely to have a positive impact on market growth.

With the rise in digitization, public and private sectors are undertaking ambitious plans pertaining to online tutoring, digital content delivery, thereby boosting the e-learning market size.

The advent of cloud infrastructure, peer-to-peer problem solving, open content creation, and rapid expansion of the target audience.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-0C243/global-elearning

TRENDS INFLUENCING ELEARNING MARKET

Based on e-learning market statistics the adoption of e-learning for employee skill development is expected to drive the growth of the e-learning market. Many major multinational corporations have discovered that using online learning tools is the most effective way to ensure that all of their workers are trained to the same level. Online learning will assist in ensuring a consistent induction process for all global workers that is on-brand and managed centrally. It can be delivered in a single standard business language or, if necessary, translated for local teams.

Technological advancement due to large-scale investments is expected to drive the growth of the e-learning market. E-learning can naturally be much more cost-effective than classroom-based learning, as it does not require learners to travel to be in the same place or invest in special equipment and learning resources for each module of their course.

The increasing e-learning industry trend for gamification and incorporation of AR & VR are expected to increase the growth of the e-learning market. As gamification for learning offers a more engaging and immersive learning experience, this would translate to higher completion rates. Furthermore, the incorporation of AR and VR can provide an immersive learning experience to shape the future of gamification in the eLearning landscape.

With e-learning, students can take lessons online at their leisure. Students can be trained from any country, in any place, including remote areas or rural areas where education facilities are lacking. Furthermore, If students do not grasp the definition the first time around, the instructions given online, on audio-video courses, can be saved and rewound again and again. These advantages are expected to drive the growth of the e-learning market size.

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E-LEARNING MARKET SEGMENTATION

by Type

On-Premise E-Learning

Cloud-Based E-Learning

by Application

Academy

Corporate

Government

by Region

North America

United States

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

UK.

Italy

Russia

Nordic

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

South Korea

Southeast Asia

India

Australia

Rest of Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Mexico

Brazil

Middle East & Africa

Turkey

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Rest of Middle East & Africa

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List of companies covered in this report are:

Skillsoft

Adobe

SAI Global

Cornerstone

Oracle

NAVEX Global

John Wiley and Sons

Japan Foundation

SAP

Infor

Articulate

Udemy

Benesse

Justsystem

Pearson

EDX

Atama Plus

Smart Education

Schoo

StreetAcademy

CLEAR

Surala Net

Coursera

Udacity

Eden

Proseeds

NetLearning

Paiza

Skillshare

LinkedIn

Pluralsight

Uicommons

LIGHTWORKS.

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SIMILAR REPORTS

To see the full list of related reports on the eLearning Market

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ATLANTA, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax Workforce Solutions is deploying several new initiatives designed to accelerate its manual verification solutions which complement the services provided by The Work Number  database . Timely verifications of consumer income and employment are at the heart of most credit, employment and social service benefit decisions. In addition to streamlined service, new express options will help deliver market-leading turnaround time for manual verifications.

"With more than 25 years of experience completing verifications, we've built up quite a bit of expertise," said Scott Maxfield, Vice President of Operations at Equifax Workforce Solutions. "We have the advantage of our cloud-native infrastructure, and have made additional investments in our teams here in the U.S., as well as our processes and technology to further accelerate the completion of manual verification requests for employment and income - in some cases within a single business day."

The Work Number database from Equifax is the largest commercial digital resource for income and employment verifications with nearly two thirds of the U.S. non-farm payroll and relationships with more than one million contributing employers. In addition, on average, nearly 6,000 manual verification of income and employment requests are being fulfilled by Equifax Workforce Solutions teams every day. With the accelerated manual services complementing the real-time digital verifications, Equifax Workforce Solutions aims to provide the broadest and most efficient employment and income verification coverage available.

"Our verification services have always been comprehensive," continued Maxfield. "If the needed data is not on the instant database, our manual teams are able to step in and complete the request faster than ever before."

For more information on verification services available from Equifax Workforce Solutions, click here .

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.

At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 11,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com.

For more information

[email protected]

SOURCE Equifax Inc.

Related Links

http://www.equifax.com


WASHINGTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac;NYSE: AGM and AGM.A), the nation's secondary market provider that increases the availability and affordability of credit for the benefit of rural America, announced today that Roy H. Tiarks of Council Bluffs, Iowa has been elected as the newest member of the company's board of directors. He replaces Daniel L. Shaw, who did not stand for re-election to Farmer Mac's board.

Mr. Tiarks brings significant experience to his role, both from 47 years as an active self-employed farmer and with 36 years' experience serving on the boards of other organizations focused on agricultural finance. His considerable board experience includes serving on the board of directors of: Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation from 2001 to 2017; AgriBank, FCB from 2003 to 2017; AgAmerica, FCB from 1996 to 2003; PCA of the Midlands from 1986 to 1996; and Agriculture PCA from 1981 to 1985. He served as chairman of the board of all of those organizations. Mr. Tiarks graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in farm operations.

Commenting on Mr. Tiarks' election, Board Chair LaJuana S. Wilcher said, "Roy's passion for American agriculture has led him to devote his life's work as an active participant in and supporter of the industry. His experience as a board leader within the Farm Credit System and deep understanding of the needs of America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities will complement our board members' experience and insights. We welcome Roy and look forward to working with him as we carry out our mission to provide financial opportunities in rural America and support our vital agricultural communities." Ms. Wilcher added, "We also offer our sincere gratitude to Dan for his valuable contributions to Farmer Mac during his service on the board."

"It is an honor and a privilege to be able to serve on Farmer Mac's board," said Mr. Tiarks. "I remember when Farmer Mac was created in 1988, and I have watched with great interest and admiration as the company has grown and taken great strides in fulfilling its mission. From the beginning, Farmer Mac gave more farmers and ranchers a way to obtain credit when they needed it mosta goal as important today as it ever has been. As the owner of a fourth-generation family farm built with borrowed money, I understand the value of access to credit on favorable rates and terms that Farmer Mac helps provide. I look forward to working with the other board members in guiding the company to continue to deliver the capital and commitment rural America deserves."

Mr. Tiarks joins four other board members elected each year by holders of Class B voting common stock (not listed on any exchange). Five other members are elected each year by holders of Class A voting common stock (NYSE: AGM.A), and five are appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. More information about Mr. Tiarks and the other members of Farmer Mac's board is included in Farmer Mac's 2021 proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 7, 2021, which is available in the "Investors" section of Farmer Mac's website at www.farmermac.com.

About Farmer Mac

Farmer Mac is a vital part of the agricultural credit markets and was created to increase access to and reduce the cost of credit for the benefit of American agricultural and rural communities. As the nation's secondary market for agricultural credit, we provide financial solutions to a broad spectrum of the agricultural community, including agricultural lenders, agribusinesses, and other institutions that can benefit from access to flexible, low-cost financing and risk management tools. Farmer Mac's customers benefit from our low cost of funds, low overhead costs, and high operational efficiency. More information about Farmer Mac is available on Farmer Mac's website at www.farmermac.com.

SOURCE Farmer Mac

Related Links

www.farmermac.com


MEDINA, Ohio, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Slicker Trucking, Inc., a FedEx Independent Service Provider with 130 trucks and nearly 170 drivers, jumpers and managers serving both Linehaul and Local Pick-up and Delivery reaching Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, today announced the renewal of its annual sponsorship of Truckers Against Trafficking. The local contractor is again matching the FedEx Corporation gold sponsorship level in hopes to inspire like support from the large network of Contracted Service Providers nationwide.

Human Trafficking, a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise, denies freedom to an estimated 40.3 million individuals globally and has been reported in all 50 states. Through the support of corporate partners like Slicker Trucking, TAT is raising up a mobilized army of transportation professionals to assist law enforcement in recognizing and reporting this crime in order to assist victims and bring their perpetrators to justice.

Dave Byers, President of Slicker Trucking, Inc. explains, "Our company mission is Honesty, Integrity, and Commitment to People. All people not just those near to us. Though my team is not over-the-road, we frequent these rest stops and travel stations and we encounter potential situations every-day. We are growing in numbers and that means more education, more involvement and more awareness. We are committed to supporting the victims and survivors of human trafficking, understanding the signs of a prostituted person, and empowering our team to MAKE THE CALL."

As a continued effort of our 2020 safety initiative, Slicker Trucking, Inc. is committed to make TAT certification a priority of its nearly 170 employees in 2021. Amy Byers, COO of Slicker Trucking, added: "Everyone is feeling the financial burn of COVID, and though we are in an essential market, the costs of doing business have not seen much forgiveness. I can only imagine the sting non-profit networks may be feeling. We believe we are called to support and help others. Our support is just a small piece of the collaborative efforts TAT has in motion. We're incredibly proud of the company we keep. Not just FedEx, but many of our vendors and partners are also TAT sponsors. Side by side we are growing the number of trained eyes and ears on our roadways, each doing our part to fight this problem and bring awareness out of the darkness."

When asked about partner support during these uncertain times, Kendis Paris, executive director of Truckers Against Trafficking stated: "The generosity and commitment of Slicker Trucking to its counter-trafficking initiatives and support of TAT in the midst of these times is an inspiration. It's companies like Slicker who help to raise the bar ... demonstrating the power of industry to be a changemaker in the broader abolitionist movement."

About Slicker Trucking, Inc.

Since 2008, Slicker Trucking, Inc. has been a vendor to the FedEx Corporation. Slicker Trucking services FedEx Ground Contracted Linehaul routes covering transport to and from Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, as well as operates a large residential and business delivery operation in Northeast, Ohio. For more information, please visit www.slickertrucking.net . Slicker Trucking's core values of "Honesty, Integrity and Commitment to People" is front and center of their growth, and growth means more education, more involvement and more awareness!

About Truckers Against Trafficking

Truckers Against Trafficking is a grass roots, non-profit organization that seeks to educate, equip, empower, and mobilize members of the trucking and related industries to combat human trafficking as part of their everyday jobs.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Slicker Trucking, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.slickertrucking.net


CHICAGO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Judy VanArsdale's father told her if she worked hard and treated people fairly, she could do anything. She took that advice and applied it to her love for helping people set, achieve and maintain their goals. Her passion for this has been recognized by Forbes, ranking her as No. 84 in Illinois on their 2021 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list. VanArsdale is Co-Owner/Founder of Lakeview Wealth Management, and Co-Founder of 3rivers.

According to Forbes, the annual lists spotlight the nation's top-performing advisors, evaluated based on a methodology developed by SHOOK Research.

"On behalf of LPL Financial, we congratulate Judy for being recognized on this year's Forbes lists. This past year has demonstrated that strong financial advice cannot be underestimated, and that personalized financial advice is critical in helping clients work toward achieving their short and long-term financial goals," said Angela Xavier, LPL Executive Vice President, Independent Advisor Services. "We applaud Judy for continuing to raise the bar in our industry."

With offices in Deer Park, Downers Grove and St. Charles, IL, VanArsdale provides a full range of financial services, including retirement and financial planning, individual money management, individual stocks and bonds, mutual funds, annuities and more.

"I found a home in financial advising and to be able to directly connect with my clients and get them to their goals is a real honor," said VanArsdale. "This recognition is greatly appreciated and I take it as a sign that I'm doing right by my clients, though I know I can and will do more."

VanArsdale's latest venture is 3rivers, a tool created alongside LPL Financial Advisor Lisa VanArsdale and CFP, CFS Nancy Knous, that teaches advisors how to run a business vs. a practice. 3rivers focuses on commanding your finances, best practices for business ownership and personal and professional growth.

"The pandemic forced us to adapt, modify and change, just like everyone else," VanArsdale said. "I am able to help other advisors grow into exceptional business owners through the development of 3rivers. Admitting to the vulnerability we felt made us a standout in an industry that can be very emotionless and guarded. We need to teach advisors already in the industry how to be agents of change."

SOURCE Judy VanArsdale
-Earnings Call Scheduled for 8:00 a.m. ET on May 25, 2021-

SHANGHAI, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FinVolution Group ("FinVolution", or the "Company") (NYSE: FINV), a leading fintech platform in China, today announced that it will report its first quarter 2021 unaudited financial results, on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, before the open of U.S. markets.

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on May 25, 2021 (8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong time on May 25, 2021).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States (toll free): 1-888-346-8982 Canada (toll free): 1-855-669-9657 International: 1-412-902-4272 Hong Kong, China (toll free): 800-905-945 Hong Kong, China: 852-3018-4992 Mainland China: 400-120-1203

Participants should dial-in at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "FinVolution Group."

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.finvgroup.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call until June 1, 2021, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States (toll free): 1-877-344-7529 Canada (toll free): 1-855-669-9658 International: 1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10156736

About FinVolution Group

FinVolution Group is a leading fintech platform in China connecting underserved individual borrowers with financial institutions. Established in 2007, the Company is a pioneer in China's online consumer finance industry and has developed innovative technologies and has accumulated in-depth experience in the core areas of credit risk assessment, fraud detection, big data and artificial intelligence. The Company's platform, empowered by proprietary cutting-edge technologies, features a highly automated loan transaction process, which enables a superior user experience. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had over 116.1 million cumulative registered users.

For more information, please visit https://ir.finvgroup.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

FinVolution Group

Head of Investor Relations

Jimmy Tan

Tel: +86 (21) 8030 3200-8601

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc. Jenny Cai

Tel: +86 (10) 6508-0677

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE FinVolution Group

Related Links

https://ir.finvgroup.com


CHARLESTON, S.C., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First National Bank, the largest subsidiary of F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), announced its continued expansion in Charleston, SC, with an innovative branch at Freshfields Village, an open-air shopping and dining experience at the crossroads of Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island and Johns Island. FNB also deployed four ATMs in Charleston International Airport.

The new Freshfields Village location is FNB's third retail branch in the Charleston area. Along with the airport ATMs, the location builds on the Company's successful expansion strategy, which leverages a strong commercial banking presence and investments in technology to deliver a premium, full-service customer experience. By the end of 2021, FNB has plans to have five retail branch locations in the market in addition to its downtown regional hub.

"The exceptional team we have brought together in Charleston, coupled with prime retail locations, will enable us to continue to successfully execute on our expansion strategy in this dynamic market," said Vincent J. Delie Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of F.N.B. Corporation and First National Bank. "We have already experienced considerable growth in the Lowcountry over the last several years and are proud to further our commitment to the local community."

Since entering the region in 2017, FNB has established significant commercial banking and wealth management operations along with a retail network serving Charleston and upstate South Carolina. The Company was recently named a South Carolina Top Workplace based on employee feedback.

Leonard "Len" L. Hutchison, III, Regional Market Executive and President of FNB's Charleston and South Carolina markets, added, "FNB has established itself as a fixture in the Charleston community. The continued expansion of our physical network supplements our high-touch approach and even better equips our product specialists and bankers to deliver the full breadth of our comprehensive consumer banking, commercial banking and wealth management solutions."

Located at 398 Freshfields Drive, Johns Island, SC, FNB's new office utilizes a modern concept branch design. Branch features include an ATM with TellerChat, which allows clients to use video chat technology to conduct transactions with a representative during extended hours, as well as a remote drive up ATM for added convenience. In addition, customers are able to shop and learn more about products and services using touchscreens and FNB's interactive Solutions Center kiosk, which can also be explored online using the Solutions Center e-store.

Customers and community members are invited to visit the Freshfields Village branch to experience FNB's comprehensive products and solutions, including personal and business banking, wealth management, private banking and insurance services. Office hours are Monday to Thursday from 9:00 AM  5:00 PM and Friday from 9:00 AM  6:00 PM. Plans for a ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration will be communicated at a later date.

About F.N.B. Corporation

F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. FNB's market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina. The Company has total assets of more than $38 billion and nearly 340 banking offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

FNB provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking and wealth management solutions through its subsidiary network which is led by its largest affiliate, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, founded in 1864. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The consumer banking segment provides a full line of consumer banking products and services, including deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of mobile and online banking services. FNB's wealth management services include asset management, private banking and insurance.

The common stock of F.N.B. Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FNB" and is included in Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Regional Banks Sub-Industry Index. Customers, shareholders and investors can learn more about this regional financial institution by visiting the F.N.B. Corporation website at www.fnbcorporation.com .

SOURCE F.N.B. Corporation

Related Links

http://www.fnbcorporation.com


CANTON, Mass., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the success of last year's inaugural Dunkin' Joy Run, the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation today announced its second annual Dunkin' JOY Run to help bring some fun to staying active while fostering a community that seeks to help others. The 100-mile challenge takes place June 1 through June 30, and Dunkin' fans across the country are invited to participate by running or walking in their neighborhoods, home gyms, or wherever they choose. All funds raised will benefit the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation to bring joy to children battling hunger or illness.

Last year, with most people staying home due to the pandemic and health and hunger relief organizations needing funding more than ever, the Dunkin' Joy Run was a great opportunity for people to be active while supporting a good cause. Participants logged more than 49,000 miles collectively across 36 states raising more than $235,000 for the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation. Nearly 300 participants reached the challenge goal to complete at least 100 miles during the month-long run. Funding helped support health and hunger relief organizations across the country.

This year's Dunkin' Joy Run is as important as ever. Even while the country approaches its "new normal," funding needs remain at an all-time high for many health and hunger relief organizations.

Beginning today, runners and walkers can register for the Dunkin' JOY Run at www.bringjoy.org. People who register at the Dunkin' Runner level will receive a Dunkin' JOY Run t-shirt and for those participants looking for a challenge to achieve 100 miles, there is the opportunity to see their picture displayed on one of Dunkin's hometown billboards in Boston this year. In partnership with MoveSpring, a mileage tracking platform, participants will be able to easily track their miles throughout the month. All registrants will receive fun and colorful gifs and stickers to share their progress on social media during the month.

Dunkin' JOY Run participants can fundraise, with no minimum amount required, to support the Foundation and receive incentives for their fundraising achievements. Participants can create a personal fundraising page and fundraise as individuals, join a team, or start a team. As they hit fundraising levels, participants will become eligible to receive prizes including a running buff, water bottle, cooler bag, and long sleeve zip-up  with the top fundraising individual receiving a Dunkin' mini fridge.

"Last year, people across America really stepped up to enthusiastically support the Dunkin' JOY Run, our mission, and their fellow runners," said Karen Raskopf, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation. "All of this amazing support and funds raised made a big difference to health and hunger relief organizations across the country. We look forward to another successful year."

While registering for the Dunkin' Joy Run, runners and walkers can choose a running level and set a mileage goal based on their level of commitment.

Dunkin' Runner ($65) : For runners or walkers who set a goal of completing and tracking 100 miles. This group will be eligible for mileage and fundraising incentives and will receive a finisher medal if they complete mileage goals. Dunkin' runners will receive an event t-shirt.

For runners or walkers who set a goal of completing and tracking 100 miles. This group will be eligible for mileage and fundraising incentives and will receive a finisher medal if they complete mileage goals. Dunkin' runners will receive an event t-shirt. Dunkin' VIP Runner ($100) : For runners or walkers who set a goal of completing and tracking 100 miles. This group will be eligible for mileage and fundraising incentives and will receive a finisher medal if they complete mileage goals. All Dunkin' VIP runners will receive an event t-shirt and official Dunkin' Runner hat, as well as a surprise Dunkin' JOY Run gift at the end of the challenge.

For runners or walkers who set a goal of completing and tracking 100 miles. This group will be eligible for mileage and fundraising incentives and will receive a finisher medal if they complete mileage goals. All Dunkin' VIP runners will receive an event t-shirt and official Dunkin' Runner hat, as well as a surprise Dunkin' JOY Run gift at the end of the challenge. Original Brew Crew ($35) : For people of all abilities. This group is eligible for fundraising incentives.

For people of all abilities. This group is eligible for fundraising incentives. Munchkins Milers ($10) : For younger walkers and runners.

To learn more about the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, and find additional details about the Dunkin' JOY Run, visit www.bringjoy.org.

About the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation

The Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by Dunkin' and the generosity of its franchisees, guests, vendor partners and employees, provides the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness. The Foundation partners with food banks, children's hospitals and nonprofit organizations to fund joyful environments and joyful experiences for kids when they need it most. Since 2006, the Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted more than $30 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country. For more information, please visit www.bringjoy.org.



MEDIA CONTACT:

Caroline Medeiros

781-737-5200

[email protected]

SOURCE Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation

Related Links

http://www.bringjoy.org


DUBLIN, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Data Center Rack Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The data center rack market by investment is expected to grow at a CAGR of approx. 6% during 2020-2026.



The data center rack market is experiencing high innovation due to the increased demand from service providers to reduce CAPEX and OPEX. The adoption of OCP-based rack architecture is a significant boost to the growth of 42U and 48U. Also, open 19, 8U, and 12U rack cages are likely to witness growth among data center spaces during the forecast period, fueling growth for below 42U.

Moreover, the growing interest of operators toward open rack architecture is increasing opportunities for vendors. These innovative architectures are made to cope up with current infrastructure requirements. The increasing adoption of IT infrastructure at the rack level leads to complexity in cable and airflow management, prompting data center operators to procure deeper and wider rack architecture.

This scenario is likely to continue throughout the forecast period. The OCP community is currently working on the Rack & Power Project, focusing on standards designed for data centers, aiming to integrate the rack into the data center infrastructure itself, leading to the interdependence of data center infrastructure.



Data Center Rack Market Segmentation

The data center rack market research report includes a detailed segmentation by rack size, products, end-users, geography. In terms of investment, the global 42U rack market is likely to lead the market, accounting for over USD 613 million by 2026. The global 42U racks market expects to reach over 376 thousand units in 2026, growing at a CAGR of 8%.

The demand for 42U will continue to be high, with steady growth in revenue due to the construction of new facilities and increased renovations. 42U will continue to dominate the market as they are commonly applied industry-standard racks. With the growing demand for taller racks in North America, the ASP of 42U will decline slowly as colocation providers are likely to adopt units of several sizes depending on their operational requirements.

However, they are likely to be replaced by 45U, 47U, and 48U during the forecast period. The global 45U?47U racks market is likely to reach over 321 thousand units in 2026, growing at a CAGR of around 7%. The segment will continue to grow over the next few years as several operators are procuring these racks as they are like 42U in terms of pricing.



Enclosures & cabinets are likely to cross over USD 1.9 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of approx. 6%. The adoption of racks and their associated accessories varies from one facility to another. The cost will increase based on accessories adopted. Most facilities are developing hot/cold aisle containment systems, where racks are installed with cable and airflow management accessories.

Continuous innovations and advances in technology have led to the increased demand for performance-optimized data centers (POD). Western Europe witnessed a total investment of over 86,000 cabinets in 2020, wherein colocation service providers led market investments with over 85% of the total capacity in the region. In Nordic, the growth in edge data centers due to increasing penetration of 5G services and modular facilities will also increase cabinets and accessories investments.



In 2020, the colocation market witnessed the installation of 400,000 racks. The APAC region was the major contributor, with the addition of 180,000 in over 95 colocation facilities. North America follows it with the acquisition of over 100,000 in over 110 colocation facilities. The Middle East & Africa region witnessed the adoption of over 18,000 rack capacity in over 20 colocation data center facilities. In Europe, the total investment observed around 92,000 cabinets in over 100 colocation facilities in 2020.

INSIGHTS BY GEOGRAPHY

The North American data center rack market share is the largest, and is expected to reach USD 819 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of approx. 4%. Organizations in North America are currently building high-performance-computing data centers, which are likely to increase the demand for innovative and high-capacity racks. The digital economy in the US grows 10% YoY.

The market is the largest in the world in terms of rack infrastructure spending and support infrastructure investments. E-commerce, real estate, BFSI, healthcare, and government sectors are the major contributors toward digitalization in the region. In recent years, the demand for high-bandwidth data services and the increased usage of internet services worldwide have led to the increased adoption of high-capacity racks to hold several servers.

Virginia contributed the maximum number of racks, with over 44,000 being deployed between January 2020 and June 2021. This was followed by Texas, which contributed to over 29,000 racks. California, Oregon, Ohio, and Utah contributed to over 10,000 racks each.

INSIGHTS BY VENDORS

The global data center rack market is aided by partnerships between rack vendors and data center operators worldwide. Many support infrastructure providers such as Schneider Electric, Vertiv Group, Eaton, Rittal, and Legrand offer rack infrastructure solutions in the market.

IT infrastructure providers such as HPE, Dell Technologies, and IBM provide rack infrastructure solutions in partnership with other vendors supplying pre-installed IT infrastructure to data centers. The range of products, costs of the products, and the pre & post-installation services are significant factors for revenue generation for the vendors. The data center rack market has the presence of both local and global providers.

Prominent Data Center Rack Providers

Eaton

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Legrand

Schneider Electric

Rittal

Vertiv Group

Other Prominent Data Center Rack Providers

Austin Hughes Electronics

Beijing Finen Electronic Equipment

Belden

BLACKBOX

C&F Group

Cannon Technologies

Canovate

Chatsworth Products

Cisco Systems

Conteg

Crenlo (Emcor)

Cyber Power Systems

Dataracks

Delta Electronics

Enconnex

FUJITSU

Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets

IBM

Inspur

Oracle

Panduit

Prism Enclosures

Rack Solutions

Rahi Systems

Retex

Schroff (nVent)

com

Tripp Lite

USystems

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Rack Standards In Data Centers

7.1.1 NEMA Ratings

7.1.2 Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)

7.1.3 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

7.2 Growing Rack Power Density



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Increasing Deployments of Edge Data Centers

8.2 Adoption Of Open Rack Architecture



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Impact Of COVID-19

9.2 Rising Data Center Investments

9.3 Increasing Investments In Hyperscale Facilities

9.4 Growth In Adoption Of Modular Data Center

9.5 Growth In Taller, Deeper, And Wider Rack Procurement



10 Market Restraints

10.1 Availability of Low-Cost Solutions

10.2 Innovations In It Infrastructure

10.3 Rising Adoption Of Immersion Cooling Solutions



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Investments

11.3 Shipments

11.4 Five Forces Analysis



12 Product

12.1 Investment: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Enclosures & Cabinets

12.3 Accessories



13 End-User

13.1 Investment: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Shipments: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.3 Colocation Data Centers

13.4 ENTERPRISE DATA CENTERS



14 Rack Size

14.1 Investment: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Shipment: Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.3 ASP Of Data Center Racks By Rack Units

14.4 Global Data Center Rack Market By Rack Size (Investments)

14.5 Global Data Center Rack Market By Rack Size (Shipments)

14.6 Below 42U

14.7 42U

14.8 45U-47U

14.9 48U

14.10 Other Rack Units



15 Geography

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k1q0x1

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


But what she does have is hustle. The 27-year-old works two or maybe four jobs. Shes a night baker at Panera and runs the grills at Yorktown Pub during the day. And she sells her own wares via Instagram. Her trademark four-cheese mac, along with rotating dishes such as Caribbean-curried oxtails, can be had via her business Mones Mesa; she announces her menu each week via the app. She also sells her Hennessy-infused cupcakes and alkaline vegan muffins under the name Semones Sweets.
DUBLIN, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Next Generation Sequencing Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report focuses on next generation sequencing market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the next generation sequencing market which will be shaping and changing our lives over the next ten years and beyond, including the markets response to the challenge of the global pandemic.



Major players in the next generation sequencing market are Illumina Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., BGI Group, Agilent Technologies Inc., Qiagen N.V., Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Eurofins Scientific, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Pacific Biosciences, and 10x Genomics.



The global next generation sequencing market is expected to grow from $7.05 billion in 2020 to $9.04 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.2%.

The growth is mainly due to the companies resuming their operations and adapting to the new normal while recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges.

The market is expected to reach $23.15 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 27%.



The next generation sequencing market consists of sales of devices and equipment used in next generation sequencing and related services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that manufacture next generation sequencing equipment. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is the catch-all concept used to describe a variety of different advanced sequencing technologies. Such technologies allow DNA and RNA to be sequenced much faster and cheaper than traditionally used Sanger sequencing, revolutionizing the study of genomics and molecular biology.



The high cost associated with next generation sequencing technologies is a key factor hampering the growth of the next generation sequencing market. The next generation sequencing market is facing challenges as many people find it difficult to afford the test due to the high cost. Consumables used for sequencing are the costliest portion of testing (68-72% of total cost) as machinery prices are higher in instances of rare disease.

According to a review published in 2018 on economic evaluations of exome and genome sequencing, the cost of the next generation genome sequencing ranges from $1906 to $24,810 for a single test. Therefore, the high cost of next generation sequencing is anticipated to restrict market growth over the forecast period.



The growing number of cases with chronic conditions such as cancer, AIDS, and thalassemia contributed to the growth of the next generation sequencing market. Chronic illnesses and disorders are on the rise around the world, and aging population and shifts in social behavior lead to a gradual increase in these widespread and expensive long-term medical issues.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a versatile development tool utilized by researchers and clinicians across various cancer studies to recognize biomarkers that give guidance on treatments. The prevalence of chronic diseases is also expected to increase significantly, according to the World Health Organization. Hence, the increase in the number of chronic disease cases will increase the requirement for NGS sequencing and boosts revenues for the next generation sequencing market.



The technological advances are shaping the next generation sequencing market. Major companies operating in the sequencing industry are focusing on developing technologically advanced solutions for next generation sequencing.

For instance, in January 2018, Illumina, Inc. announced the launch of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) system - iSeq 100 Sequencing System. It delivers exceptional data accuracy with low capital cost expanding the reach to the maximum number of labs.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Next Generation Sequencing Market Characteristics



3. Next Generation Sequencing Market Trends And Strategies



4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Next Generation Sequencing



5. Next Generation Sequencing Market Size And Growth

5.1. Global Next Generation Sequencing Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion

5.1.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.1.2. Restraints On The Market

5.2. Global Next Generation Sequencing Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

5.2.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.2.2. Restraints On the Market



6. Next Generation Sequencing Market Segmentation

6.1. Global Next Generation Sequencing Market, Segmentation By Product, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

NextSeq Systems

MiniSeq Systems

NovaSeq Systems

iSeq 100 Systems

Ion PGM Systems

Ion Proton Systems

Ion GeneStudio S5 Systems

PacBio RS II Systems

Sequel Systems

Others

6.2. Global Next Generation Sequencing Market, Segmentation By Technology, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Sequencing by Synthesis

Ion Semiconductor Sequencing

Single-molecule Real-time Sequencing

Nanopore Sequencing

Other Sequencing Technologies

6.3. Global Next Generation Sequencing Market, Segmentation By Application, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

Diagnostics

Drug Discovery

Other Applications

7. Next Generation Sequencing Market Regional And Country Analysis

7.1. Global Next Generation Sequencing Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

7.2. Global Next Generation Sequencing Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion



Companies Mentioned

Illumina Inc.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc

BGI Group

Agilent Technologies Inc.

Qiagen N.V.

Hoffmann-La Roche AG

Eurofins Scientific

Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Pacific Biosciences

10x Genomics

Genomatix GmbH

PierianDx

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.

Roche Sequencing

NanoString

Genapsys

Long Read Solutions

LGC Limited

454 Life Sciences Corporation (Roche Holding AG)

Genewiz

Takara Bio

Nugen Technologies

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/p6iqii

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


AUSTIN, Texas, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Harte Hanks, Inc. (OTCQX: HRTH) ("Harte Hanks" or the "Company"), an industry leader in data-driven, omnichannel marketing, today announced that it has filed a definitive proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting") scheduled to be held on June 23, 2021 at 2:00 P.M. Eastern.

As detailed in Harte Hanks' proxy statement, the Board of Directors (the "Board") and management team took a number of important steps over the course of fiscal year 2020 to navigate the pandemic and strengthen the Company's long-term positioning. These steps include:

Improving the balance sheet and increasing liquidity.

Driving cost reductions and corporate restructuring initiatives that have offset revenue declines.

Maintaining the confidence and loyalty of top clients.

Keeping employees safe and operations intact during periods of uncertainty.

Appointing new, highly-qualified leaders to oversee Marketing Services, Fulfillment & Logistics and Customer Care.

Putting the Company in position to achieve growth and profitability in the future.

Harte Hanks is also maintaining its commitment to sound corporate governance and diversity practices by continuing to refresh its Board. The Company is nominating two new director candidates  Genni Combes and Bradley Radoff  to stand for election to the Board at the upcoming Annual Meeting. Ms. Combes is a proven c-level leader with significant capital markets, finance and operating experience, while Mr. Radoff is a sizable long-term shareholder with strong capital allocation and public company governance acumen. Evan Behrens is retiring from the Board and will not stand for reelection at the Annual Meeting.

Jack Griffin, Chairman of the Board of Harte Hanks, commented:

"Harte Hanks laid the foundation for recovery and future growth over the course of fiscal year 2020. In particular, the Board and management worked together to strengthen the Company's financial position, implement important cost containment and restructuring initiatives, and safeguard our employees amidst the pandemic. We believe Harte Hanks is well-positioned to build on this momentum now that new executive leaders are in place across key segments and two highly-qualified individuals are slated to join our Board. As we look ahead to exciting value creation opportunities in 2021 and beyond, I want to take the opportunity to express the Board's gratitude to Evan Behrens for his valuable service as a Director."

A copy of Harte Hanks' proxy statement can be found at https://investors.hartehanks.com/financial-information/annual-reports.

New director candidate bios are as follows:

Genni Combes is Chief Financial Officer of ApplePie Capital, where she leads the finance and financial operations teams. She has broad experience as a finance and operations executive at both public and private companies. Prior to joining ApplePie Capital, Genni was Vice President of Financial Operations at Sungevity. She previously served as a Senior Vice President at ZipRealty in various capacities, where she led the launch of the Company's award-winning Powered by Zip division in addition to leading the FP&A function. Earlier in her career, Genni served as a Managing Director at JP Morgan and Hambrecht & Quist, where she led the E-Commerce and Consumer Research Groups. Genni holds a BA in Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz .

Bradley Radoff has served as Principal of Fondren Management LP, a private investment management company, since January 2005 . Mr. Radoff previously served as a Portfolio Manager at Third Point LLC and as a Managing Director of Lonestar Capital Management LLC. Mr. Radoff currently serves as a director on the Board of Support.com and previously served on the Board of Pogo Producing Company from March 2007 to November 2007 prior to its sale to Plains Exploration. Mr. Radoff graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania .

About Harte Hanks

Harte Hanks is a global marketing services firm specializing in multi-channel marketing solutions that connect our clients with their customers in powerful ways. Experts in defining, executing and optimizing the customer journey, Harte Hanks offers end-to-end marketing services including consulting, strategic assessment, data, analytics, digital, social, mobile, print, direct mail and contact center. From visionary thinking to tactical execution, Harte Hanks delivers smarter customer interactions for some of the 'world's leading brands. Harte Hanks has approximately 2,500 employees located in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Contact

For more information, visit Harte Hanks at www.hartehanks.com, call 800-456-9748, or email us at [email protected].

SOURCE Harte Hanks

Related Links

http://www.hartehanks.com


Reflecting this relatively robust demand, 44% of the 830 respondents to a question on asset allocation said they would feel comfortable with over 5% of their investment portfolio invested in cryptocurrencies in 2021. This figure was over 10% for nearly one in five (18%) UAE residents.

"There is clearly growing demand for this new and enticing asset class, especially given the returns it can potentially offer investors," said Stefan Terry, Global Senior Partner in the UAE office of Holborn Assets.

"The survey results also highlight the strong interest locally in more education about cryptocurrencies as a precursor for making portfolio allocations," added Terry, who was the winner of the 'Emerging Talent' award from International Investment in 2020.

Holborn Assets plans to create local programmes to deliver this later in the year. These will leverage demand in the UAE and build on the efforts in the firm's South African office, which is hosting some events in the coming weeks to educate investors about the pros and cons of cryptocurrencies.

Age and nationality create demographic divide

The differences in survey responses across different sections of society in the UAE are particularly noteworthy.

For instance, 18-24 year olds are the most bullish on cryptocurrencies, with a third of respondents considering them to be 'exciting investment opportunities', compared with 17% in the 45+ age group. Meanwhile, only 10% of the youngest age group wants these assets to be heavily regulated, versus 17% for older investors. And while just 12% of young respondents consider crypto assets to be a fad, this rises to 20% among the 45 year olds and above.

There are also some striking trends in terms of nationality. For example, Emiratis are the keenest group to invest in cryptocurrencies, at 33%, compared with Arab expats (23%), Asian residents (24%) and Westerners (19%).

This is consistent at the other end of the spectrum; only 7% of Emirati want crypto assets to be heavily regulated, whereas nearly one in four Western expats (24%) who responded to the survey chose this option.

There is also a marked gap in comfort levels among UAE investors when buying crypto assets. A third of Emirati respondents, for instance, said a 5-10% allocation would suit them, with 19% opting for a 0-2% holding.

For Western expats, by contrast, 51% of respondents said they would only allocate 0-2% to cryptocurrencies, and just 14% would be comfortable with a 5-10% allocation.

About Holborn Assets

Established in 1998, Holborn Assets is a leading, award-winning global financial services company that provides quality financial advice and wealth management solutions to the discerning international expatriate. As a British, family-owned and run company we pride ourselves on delivering a superior experience to roughly 20,000 clients, via our 11 international offices, all supported by over 450 personnel, including 200 financial advisers.

SOURCE Holborn Assets
Crahan is a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist who has sold more than 30 million albums. Clown's signature HashBone pre-roll packs will mark the first co-branded release from the Hollister-Heavy Grass licensing agreement. The products will initially be launched on May 17th in select dispensaries in California and on DreamyDelivery.com.

VANCOUVER, BC, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Hollister Biosciences Inc. (CSE: HOLL) (OTC: HSTRF) (FRANKFURT: HOB) (the "Company", "Hollister Cannabis Co." or "Hollister") and Heavy Grass have partnered with Slipknot co-founder Shawn "Clown" Crahan for special-edition HashBone packs featuring six half-gram pre-rolls and matches in a soft-touch matte black case. The multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist has sold more than 30 million records with Slipknot, whose last three albums debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and the U.K. Albums Chart.

Branded with original artwork, Clown's signature HashBone line contains a potent uplifting blend of 75% indica flower and 25% Paradise Citrus bubble hash. The signature premium indica flower features an earthy citrus-rich flavor profile with sublime sedating effects. Paradise Citrus, made from crossing Tropicana Cookies and Tina, adds another layer of full-body relaxation with happy head highs and citrusy notes of orchard-fresh sour orange. Lab testing confirms the potency of these hash-infused pre-rolls with THC levels above 40%.

Shawn "Clown" Crahan is a multi-talented artist who co-founded Slipknot, directed most of its music videos and serves as one of the primary songwriters. Clown is also the creative force behind Slipknot's iconic visuals, originating the masks and uniforms, creating album covers, packaging, live staging and visuals, and all merchandise.

Heavy Grass is a California cannabis brand with deep roots in the hard rock and heavy metal music community. In 2020 (see press release dated July 28, 2020), Hollister entered into a licensing agreement with Heavy Grass to produce and sell co-branded cannabis products primarily through collaborations with its music partners. HashBone, a leading hash-infused pre-roll in California, is one of Hollister's signature products, and the Clown HashBone line represents the first collaborative release between Hollister, Heavy Grass and one of its artists.

"We are very excited to be launching our HashBone collaboration with Clown. We couldn't ask for a better partner and someone who is true to the plant. This partnership is our first step in combining hard rock/metal with cannabis in a truly authentic way," says Carl Saling, the Co-Founder, CEO and Director of Hollister Biosciences. "Additionally, we are happy that we get to bring Clown to market in tandem with our friends at Heavy Grass - leveraging their experience in music-inspired cannabis products will amplify our overall marketing efforts."

Clown, a long-time cannabis connoisseur, is also an advocate for its potential therapeutic benefits. He adds, "Just remember, it's medicine."

In celebration of the release of Clown Cannabis, Clown and Heavy Grass are offering a once in a lifetime Green Ticket experience. The winner of Clown's Green Ticket will receive unlimited entrance for two into any Slipknot shows in the world for the next three years. For entry details visit theheavygrass.com.

About Hollister Biosciences Inc.

Hollister Biosciences Inc. is a multi-state company with a portfolio of innovative, high-quality cannabis & hemp branded consumer products and white-labeling manufacturing. Our products are sold in 370 dispensaries across Arizona and California. Hollister Biosciences wholly-owned brand, Venom Extracts, is a category-leading brand that sold more than 4 million grams in 2020, accounting for up to 30 percent of category sales in Arizona.

Products from Hollister Biosciences Inc. include HashBone, the brand's premier artisanal hash-infused pre-roll, along with concentrates (shatter, budder, crumble), distillates, solvent-free bubble hash, pre-packaged flower, pre-rolls, tinctures, vape products and full-spectrum high CBD pet tinctures. Our wholly-owned California subsidiary Hollister Cannabis Co is the 1st state and locally licensed cannabis company in the city of Hollister, CA, birthplace of the "American Biker".

Website: www.hollisterbiosciences.co, www.hollistercannabisco.com

Instagram: @hashbones @hollistercannabisco

About Heavy Grass

Heavy Grass is a California cannabis brand that honors the legacy and lifestyle of heavy music by plugging in, getting loud and blazing up. We work with top California cultivators to provide both high quality and high potency products to our fans at an affordable price. We want fans to spend money on a good time, not overpriced weed. www.theheavygrass.com | @heavygrassofficial

The CSE, nor its regulation services provider, does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "would", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this News Release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com

SOURCE Hollister Biosciences Inc.
ATLANTA, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: IVR) announced today that it intends to redeem all 5,600,000 of the outstanding shares of the Company's 7.75% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Series A Preferred Stock") on June 16, 2021 (the "Redemption Date"). Shares of the Series A Preferred Stock are currently listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "IVR PrA.

All outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock will be redeemed at a cash redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends (whether or not declared) from April 26, 2021 up to, but not including, the Redemption Date (the "Redemption Price"). Dividends on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock will cease to accrue on the Redemption Date. Upon redemption, the shares of Series A Preferred Stock will no longer be deemed outstanding and all rights with respect to the shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall cease and terminate, except only the right of the holders thereof to receive the Redemption Price, without interest, from the redemption and payment agent.

All issued and outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock are held in book-entry form through the Depository Trust Company ("DTC"). The shares of Series A Preferred Stock will be redeemed in accordance with the procedures of DTC. Payment to DTC for the shares of Series A Preferred Stock will be made by Computershare Trust Company N.A., which is serving as redemption and payment agent (the "Redemption Agent"). The Redemption Agent's address is as follows:

Computershare Trust Company N.A.

150 Royall Street

Canton, MA 02021

Attn: Corporate Actions

This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption under the Company's Articles of Amendment and Restatement governing the shares of Series A Preferred Stock.

About Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. is a real estate investment trust that primarily focuses on investing in, financing and managing mortgage-backed securities and other mortgage-related assets. Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. is externally managed and advised by Invesco Advisers, Inc., a registered investment adviser and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd., a leading independent global investment management firm.

Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include statements and information that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. securities laws as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements include information about planned redemption of the Series A Preferred Stock and the Company's ability to complete such redemption, as well as any other statements other than statements of historical fact. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may" or similar expressions and future or conditional verbs such as "will," "may," "could," "should," and "would," and any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of the Company's future performance, taking into account all information currently available. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to the Company. For example, the redemption described above is contingent on the Company's continuing ability to pay the Redemption Price. If the Company is unable to pay the Redemption Price, the redemption may not occur as described above. Some of the other factors are described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, under the headings "Risk Factors," "Forward-Looking Statements," "Business" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible to predict those events or how they may affect the Company. Except as required by law, the Company is not obligated to, and does not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

Investor Relations Contact:

Jack Bateman, 404-439-3323

SOURCE Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.
ISMRM awards Gold Medals at Annual Meeting Tweet this

Frederik Barkhof, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neuroradiology, Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Imaging Computing, University College London, England, and Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands, for his seminal contributions to the understanding of various neurological diseases and conditions using MRI.

Douglas L. Rothman, Ph.D., Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and of Biomedical Engineering, Director of Yale MR Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA, for his seminal contributions to the study of brain, muscle, and liver metabolism using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging.

Clare Tempany-Afdhal, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, and Ferenc Jolesz Chair of Research, Radiology Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, for her seminal contributions to the advancement of diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer with MRI.



In addition, Tim Leiner, M.D., Ph.D., the 2020-21 ISMRM President, awarded and presented the 2021 school of Senior Fellows as well as Junior Fellows, both of which are listed on the ISMRM website.



In addition to the award presentations, the Annual Meeting is the time of the official transfer of leadership. Tim Leiner, M.D., Ph.D., the 2020-21 President, will hand over the gavel to Fernando Calamante, Ph.D., ISMRM President for 2021-22, on Wednesday, 19 May, at the annual business meeting, as well as welcome the incoming Board of Trustees members.

The ISMRM-SMRT Annual Meeting is being held virtually this year, with over 5,000 attendees dedicated to the field of magnetic resonance participating. The next Annual Meeting will be a joint meeting with the ESMRMB and will be held 7-12 May 2022 in London, England.

About ISMRM:

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine is a nonprofit, scientific association whose purpose is to promote communication, research, development, and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine and biology and to develop and provide channels and facilities for continuing education. Its multidisciplinary membership consists of clinicians, physicists, engineers, biochemists, and technologists. In addition to its large scientific meetings, the Society holds workshops and publishes two journals, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and a virtual newsletter, MR Pulse. It also sponsors 29 study groups on specific areas of scientific interest and chapters based on geographical location.

To find out more about the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), please call +1 510-841-1899, or visit our website at www.ismrm.org.

ISMRM, One Concord Center, 2300 Clayton Road, Suite 620, Concord, CA 94520 USA

SOURCE ISMRM International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Related Links

ismrm.org


BOSTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Business Hall of Fame, presented by JA Worldwide, features entrepreneurs and business leaders spanning the last two centuries. From the inventor of blue jeans to the co-founder of one of the world's leading biotech companies, visitors to the digital showcase find a diverse set of influencers to kindle their entrepreneurial spirit.

History of the Business Hall of Fame

From 1975 to 2009, the Business Hall of Fame inducted 247 laureates. Some were founders of successful companies. Others were CEOs, industry pioneers, or publishers. Each demonstrated a commitment to their communitieslocally and globallyand each inspired young people preparing for employment and entrepreneurship.

2020 Launch of the Global Business Hall of Fame

As JA and the landscape of business have evolved, so, too, has the Business Hall of Fame. In 2020, the initiative relaunched and rebranded as the "Global Business Hall of Fame, presented by JA Worldwide," creating an opportunity for communities and schools around the world to celebrate and recognize innovators and leaders in business.

Asheesh Advani, JA Worldwide CEO, believes the time is right for business role models to take center stage. "With so many halls of fame for athletes and entertainers, we need more and more role models that inspire young people who have an interest in entrepreneurship. This is especially true in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, South America, and other historically underrepresented regions of the world, where youth may have trouble seeing themselves as future global business leaders. We're bringing the stories of our laureates to life by creating a digital exhibit that is truly global in scope. The Global Business Hall of Fame has found a way to inspire young people as they develop an entrepreneurial mindset and begin to build their first businesses."

The Global Business Hall of Fame is reflective of JA's global reach, the diversity of JA students, and the wide range of industries and prioritizes nominees who are working toward the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs), reinforcing to JA students that they have the power to be a force for global good. In addition, nominees for new laureates are grouped into two categories:

Leader: Executive-level professional who inspires others, the Leader's contributions have advanced the landscape of business with a focus on improving lives. As a result, the Leader has led companies and initiatives toward the Global Goals and is a role model who exhibits social values, inclusivity, and a global point of view. The Leader is likely to have led ventures with a large scope of responsibility, resources, and talent.





Executive-level professional who inspires others, the Leader's contributions have advanced the landscape of business with a focus on improving lives. As a result, the Leader has led companies and initiatives toward the Global Goals and is a role model who exhibits social values, inclusivity, and a global point of view. The Leader is likely to have led ventures with a large scope of responsibility, resources, and talent. Innovator: Under 40 years of age, entrepreneurial in spirit, and community focused, the Innovator is changing the landscape globally or has recently emerged on the global stage. The Innovator is an inspiration, full of energy, passionate about work, courageous, and a promoter of change and innovation on behalf of the global good.

The Global Business Hall of Fame 2021 Laureates

We're pleased to announce four new laureates for 2021:

Melanie Perkins (innovator): Co-founder and CEO of Canva, Melanie is one of the world's youngest female tech-startup CEOs. Since launching the visual-communications platform in 2012, users in 190 countries have created over five billion designs on Canva. In December 2020 , a $71 million round led by investors including Dragoneer and T. Rowe Price , gave the company a valuation of US $15 billion . The company used the additional funding to expand the team, with more than 1,500 employees located in offices across Sydney , Beijing , Austin , and Manila .

Co-founder and CEO of Canva, Melanie is one of the world's youngest female tech-startup CEOs. Since launching the visual-communications platform in 2012, users in 190 countries have created over five billion designs on Canva. In , a round led by investors including Dragoneer and T. , gave the company a valuation of US . The company used the additional funding to expand the team, with more than 1,500 employees located in offices across , , , and . Divine Ndhlukula (leader): Divine is the Founder and Managing Director of DDNS Security Operations (Pvt) Ltd., the holding company for SECURICO Security Services, Canine Dog Services, and MULTI-LINK P/L, an electronic security systems company. From humble beginnings, she founded SECURICO Security Services in 1999, with only four employees. The company has now grown to over 4,000 staff, who are among the most respected and sought-after players in the Zimbabwean security industry.

Divine is the Founder and Managing Director of DDNS Security Operations (Pvt) Ltd., the holding company for SECURICO Security Services, Canine Dog Services, and MULTI-LINK P/L, an electronic security systems company. From humble beginnings, she founded SECURICO Security Services in 1999, with only four employees. The company has now grown to over 4,000 staff, who are among the most respected and sought-after players in the Zimbabwean security industry. Cornel Amariei (innovator): Born in Romania , Cornel was raised by parents with locomotor disabilities. His sister also lives with cerebral disability. Inspired by his family, Cornel founded .lumen in 2020, a startup that builds glasses that empower the sight-impaired to live better lives. With 40 million blind people and only 20,000 guide dogs, .lumen built the first system to mimic the features of a guide dog for the other 39,980,000 blind individuals.

Born in , Cornel was raised by parents with locomotor disabilities. His sister also lives with cerebral disability. Inspired by his family, Cornel founded .lumen in 2020, a startup that builds glasses that empower the sight-impaired to live better lives. With 40 million blind people and only 20,000 guide dogs, .lumen built the first system to mimic the features of a guide dog for the other 39,980,000 blind individuals. Alice Bentinck (leader): Alice is the co-founder of Entrepreneur First, a UK-headquartered talent investor and company builder that invests in ambitious individuals building technology startups across Europe , Asia , and North America . Alice is also the co-founder of Code First Girls, offering free coding courses for university women.

The Global Business Hall of Fame nomination process has been designedwith support from PwCto engage diverse stakeholders from around the world and to ensure protocols are followed in the selection of laureates. To ensure fairness and transparency, the annual process involves checking performed by PwC as the Global Process Integrity Partner of the Global Business Hall of Fame. PwC looks at JA Worldwide's processes for entry evaluation, manages the committee selection of the top eight finalists, and provides the Voting Jury platform.

Each of our new laureates joins a digital exhibit with interactive, aspirational content, designed for students who are learning at home, at school, or through JA programs. Learn more about our featured laureates at businesshalloffame.org . . . and prepare to be inspired!

About JA Worldwide

As one of the world's largest youth-serving NGOs, JA Worldwide prepares young people for employment and entrepreneurship. For 100 years, JA has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. Each year, our network of over 590,000 volunteers and teachers serves more than 10 million students in over 100 countries. Visit us at jaworldwide.org.

Contact

Tere Stouffer

Chief Marketing Officer, JA Worldwide

+1-212-641-0747

[email protected]

SOURCE JA Worldwide

Related Links

https://www.jaworldwide.org


PALO ALTO, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jerry Services Inc. (Jerry) today announced it raised more than $57 million in total funding as it closed out its $28 million Series B round. A mobile-first car ownership super app, Jerry launched in 2019 with its AI- and machine-learning-based car insurance comparison service and today serves nearly 1 million customers across the United States.

The No. 1 rated and most downloaded app in its category, Jerry customers save an average of $800 a year on car insurance. A mobile-first car ownership super app, Jerry launched in 2019 with its car insurance comparison service and today serves nearly 1 million customers across the United States.

In the insurance category alone, more than 70% of U.S. drivers renew their policies without comparing prices and miss out on potential savings. Jerry is removing existing time- and money-saving barriers by making insurance shopping effortless.

The fastest, easiest and only automated way to compare and save on car insurance, Jerry is the car insurance platform that gives you the best, customized quotes from more than 45 insurance carriers in 45 seconds. Jerry customers skip all the long forms and unwanted human interaction while Jerry hunts for better rates, completes the transaction, and even cancels former policies on their behalf.

"We're bringing the daily needs of car owners  insurance, loans, maintenance, repairs, warranties, parking, and more  in line with modern e-commerce expectations to create a frictionless cost-saving experience," said Art Agrawal, co-founder and CEO, Jerry. "Consumers demand access to any product or service with a few clicks, a text, or a swipe. And that's the experience we're creating at Jerry by redesigning and disrupting the processes of 100-year-old industries."

Available for free to customers in all 50 states, Jerry generated tremendous revenue and customer growth since its January 2019 launch. The company experienced 10x revenue growth in 2020 and is on track to continue robust growth in 2021. The No. 1 rated and most downloaded app in its category, Jerry customers save approximately $800 a year on car insurance.

The latest $28 million Series B funding round was led by Goodwater Capital. Other Series B investors include: Jay Vijayan, CEO of Tekion; Jon McNeill, CEO of DVx Ventures (former president of Tesla and COO of Lyft); Brandon Krieg, CEO of Stash; Ed Robinson, co-founder and president of Stash; Johnson Cook, president of Greenlight; and Timothy Sheehan, CEO of Greenlight.

The Series A funding round in 2018 was led by Bow Capital. Other investors include: Y Combinator; SV Angel; FundersClub; Joe Montana's Liquid 2 Ventures; Plug and Play Ventures; Zillionize; and Immad Akhund (CEO of Mercury).

Jerry was co-founded by the team who built YourMechanic, the largest nationwide on-demand car repair and maintenance service serving more than 2,000 U.S. cities: Agrawal, who serves as Jerry CEO; Lina Zhang, vice president of operations; and Musawir Shah, chief technology officer. The experienced leadership team is supported by board members and investors Chi-Hua Chien, co-founder of Goodwater Capital, and Rafi Syed, general partner at Bow Capital.

"What attracted us to Jerry is an automotive services marketplace for time-strapped and budget-minded consumers that offers a beautiful customer experience  significantly smarter, faster and more effortless in every way," said Chi-Hua Chien. "AI combined with machine learning and bots creates the purchase environment that today's customers expect. No others in the market can match the speed and agility that Jerry has built."

Based on the fundamental goal of making customers happy by saving them time and money, Jerry's recent funding supports rapid scaling of the car insurance product and hiring of the right talent to expand its marketplace into additional categories, removing friction from additional car ownership needs.

"The market opportunity for insurtech, fintech, and all car-ownership-related needs is large and growing." said Rafi Syed. "What differentiates Jerry is they've achieved in three years what has taken others nearly a decade. The Jerry platform and technology demonstrate previously unattainable speed and an effortless experience that is attracting and retaining customers at a fraction of the operating expenses of other comparison sites and traditional carriers."

Headquartered in Palo Alto, the company has offices in Toronto, and Lockport, NY, and has removed physical location from recruiting restraints to capture talent.

"Our talent and our balance sheet are strong," added Agrawal. "Our customer acquisition strategy is generating recurring revenue in the auto insurance category. This funding will accelerate expansion of our marketplace into new categories where we can serve our customers. Jerry will be the only app car owners need to save time and money on all their car expenses."

About Jerry Services, Inc.

Jerry saves you time and money on your car expenses. Jerry first launched its AI- and machine-learning-based car insurance comparison service in 2019 and today serves nearly 1 million customers across the United States as a licensed insurance broker. For more information or to save money on car insurance, visit getjerry.com.

SOURCE Jerry

Related Links

www.getjerry.com


WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Established in 1988, Jon Smith Subs, a South Florida-based sub sandwich franchise known for their over-stuffed grilled subs and fresh ingredients, is moving into 2021 with a refreshed brand. The rebranding, which entails the unveiling of a new "modern retro" design with a new logo, tagline and campaign promise is an integrated element of the franchise's current growth strategy.

Having been in business for over 33 years, the brand decided that it was time for a refresh, building on the solid history and performance over the last few years as a part of United Franchise Group's affiliated family of brands. The re-branding is accompanied by a bold new logo, refreshed interior design elements, a new tagline, an updated rewards program as well as a new website. Jon Smith Subs' refreshed brand is intended to reflect the commitment to sparking customers' curiosity as the franchise is rapidly growing across the country and with their first entry in Canada to open this June.

Jim Butler, President of Jon Smith Subs remarked, "We define ourselves as a curiosity brand. As we've opened in new markets, the excitement of 'something new' sparks our customers' interest and they stop in for a visit to find out exactly who we are." Butler added, "Our growth goals involve continuing to open throughout the USA and international locations and to continue driving our curiosity factor in target markets.

The new tagline, "Love Local, Eat Delicious", showcases Jon Smith Subs' culture of investing in their local communities and providing their customers with larger-than-life subs jam packed with flavor. The brand has created the unique experience of offering flexible menus that uniquely provide "local favorites" from their respective regions, including The Gator, The Cuban, Hot Pastrami, The Reuben, and Cajun Chicken; all offer something for the most discriminating sandwich lover. Additionally, they have highlighted how they uniquely offer a scratch-made concept that includes freshly baked bread, hand-grilled sandwich ingredients, and crispy french fries.

"We find it's important to emphasize that our subs are 'delicious', a word that is commonly under-used by brands. Our mouthwatering flavors accompany our messaging around our 'overstuffed subs', really emphasizing the hearty portions our patrons are receiving. " commented Butler, adding, "We find these are all unique factors about our brand that set us apart from our competitors. In the end we want your town to be a Jon Smith Subs town!"

Accompanying their new tagline is the introduction of Jon Smith Subs' new campaign "Bring Your Big Mouth!" The rewards program, referred to as BYBM, provides their customers with updates on special event, new menu items, menu reviews and more.

Currently Jon Smith Subs has franchise agreements in place for over 38 locations domestically and internationally. The brand continues to receive high interest in multi-unit franchise development deals.

To learn more, please visit: https://jonsmithsubsfranchise.com/

About Jon Smith Subs

Jon Smith Subs was founded in 1988 in Palm Beach County, Florida with the commitment to serve the absolute highest quality overstuffed, marinated grilled sirloin steak, real chicken breast and fresh giant deli subs. With a pledge to use the highest quality meats and ingredients and bake their bread fresh every day and offer made to order fries! Jon Smith Subs guarantees large-portioned, mouth-watering subs that are fresh and delicious

About United Franchise Group

Led by CEO Ray Titus, United Franchise Group is home to a variety of brands including Signarama, Fully Promoted, Experimax, Jon Smith Subs, Venture X, Transworld Business Advisors, Network Lead Exchange, Accurate Franchising, ROI and The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. With over three decades in the franchising industry and more than 1600 franchisees throughout the world, United Franchise Group offers unprecedented leadership and solid business opportunities for entrepreneurs.

SOURCE Jon Smith Subs

Related Links

http://www.jonsmithsubsfranchise.com


WASHINGTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has assigned Kayla Barron to serve as a mission specialist for the agency's SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station, which is targeted to launch as early as Oct. 23.

This will be the first spaceflight for Barron, who became a NASA astronaut in January 2020 after completing two years of training. She will join NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn, as the mission's commander and pilot, respectively, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, who also will serve as a mission specialist.

This will be the third crew rotation mission on SpaceX's human space transportation system and its fourth flight with astronauts, including the Demo-2 test flight, to the space station through NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Barron was born in Pocatello, Idaho, but considers Richland, Washington, her hometown. She earned a bachelor's degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2010. She earned a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Cambridge, in England, in 2011, as Gates Cambridge Scholar. Lt. Cmdr. Barron earned her submarine warfare officer qualification and deployed three times while serving aboard the USS Maine. At the time of her selection as an astronaut candidate in 2017, she was serving as the flag aide to the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

NASA previously assigned Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer to the mission in December 2020. This will be the first spaceflight for Chari and Maurer. It will be the third spaceflight for Marshburn, who previously served as a crew member of the space shuttle STS-127 mission in 2009 and Expedition 34/35 aboard the space station, which concluded in 2013.

When Barron, Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer arrive at the orbiting laboratory, they will become expedition crew members for the duration of their six-month science mission. The crew will have a slight overlap with the Crew-2 astronauts, who arrived April 24. This will mark the second time commercial crew missions have overlapped on the station. The Crew-1 astronauts, who ended their mission with a splashdown off the coast of Panama City, Florida, on Sunday, May 2, were aboard the station with the Crew-2 astronauts for a seven-day direct crew handover. Increasing the total number of astronauts aboard the station enables the agency to boost the number of science investigations conducted in the unique microgravity environment.

Follow the Crew-3 astronauts on social media:

Kayla Barron:

Instagram: @Astro_Kayla

Facebook: NASA Astronaut Kayla Barron

Raja Chari:

Twitter: @Astro_Raja

Instagram: @Astro_Raja

Facebook: NASA Astronaut Raja Chari

Tom Marshburn:

Twitter: @AstroMarshburn



Matthias Maurer:

Twitter: @Astro_Matthias

Instagram: @ESAMatthiasMaurer

Facebook: Matthias Maurer

Find more information on NASA's Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


Weve got great cities that are really working well together now, Kern said. Five years ago I wouldnt have been able to say that, but I think to the credit of division and city leaderships across the region, they are really starting to think more regionally and theyre starting to look at development initiatives and economic development more regionally; its badly needed.
RADNOR, Pa., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP announces that the firm has filed a securities fraud class action against Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) ("Emergent") on behalf investors who purchased or acquired Emergent common stock between April 24, 2020, and April 16, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action, captioned Roth v. Emergent BioSolutions Inc., et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-01189-CCB (the "Roth Action"), was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland (Southern Division). To view a copy of the Roth Action complaint, please click here.

There is one related class action case pending against Emergent in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland (Southern Division), and a published notice in that action triggered the deadline of June 18, 2021, for any investors who purchased Emergent common stock to seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. The filing of the Roth Action does not change the June 18, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline.

For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation, please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Adrienne Bell, Esq. (484) 270-1435; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at [email protected]; or visit: https://www.ktmc.com/emergent-biosolutions-class-action-lawsuit?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=emergent.

Emergent is a specialty biopharmaceutical company that develops vaccines and antibody therapeutics for infectious diseases. In response to the novel strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) causing COVID-19 disease ("COVID-19") pandemic, Emergent signed a series of deals with Johnson & Johnson ("J&J") and AstraZeneca worth a combined $876 million to provide contract development and manufacturing organization services to produce the companies' COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

The Class Period begins on April 24, 2020, the day after Emergent announced that it had entered into an agreement with J&J to manufacture J&J's COVID-19 vaccine candidate at Emergent's Baltimore facility. Under the deal, Emergent would provide drug substance manufacturing services and reserve large-scale manufacturing capacity for J&J. Then, on June 11, 2020 Emergent announced that it had signed another agreement to provide contract development and manufacturing services and secure large-scale manufacturing capacity to support AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The truth about Emergent began to be revealed on March 31, 2021 after the close of markets, when The New York Times published an article reporting on the accidental contamination of COVID-19 vaccines developed by J&J and AstraZeneca at Emergent's Baltimore facility. The New York Times article stated that in late February 2021, Emergent employees at the Baltimore facility mixed up ingredients of the two different COVID-19 vaccines, contaminating up to 15 million doses of J&J's vaccine and forcing regulators to delay authorization of the facility's production lines. Also, "[f]urther shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine  expected to total 24 million doses in the next month  were supposed to come from the giant plant in Baltimore" but "[t]hose deliveries are now in question while the quality control issues are sorted out."

The next morning, April 1, 2021, the Associated Press reported, based on documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, that the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") had "repeatedly . . . cited Emergent for problems such as poorly trained employees, cracked vials and problems managing mold and other contamination around one of its facilities." Following this news, Emergent's stock price substantially declined from a close of $92.91 per share on March 31, 2021, to $80.46 per share at the close of trading on April 1, 2021, a drop of $12.45, or over 13%, per share.

Then, on April 19, 2021, Emergent revealed that, "at the request of the FDA, Emergent agreed not to initiate the manufacturing of any new material at its Bayview facility and to quarantine existing material manufactured at the Bayview facility pending completion of the [FDA's] inspection and remediation of any resulting findings." Following this news, the price of Emergent's common stock declined $9.77 per share, or more than 12%, from a close of $77.64 per share on April 16, 2021, to close at $67.87 per share on April 19, 2021.

The Roth Action alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the defendants failed to disclose that: (1) Emergent's Baltimore facility had a history of manufacturing issues increasing the likelihood for massive contaminations; (2) the Baltimore facility had received a series of FDA citations as a result of these contamination risks and quality control issues; (3) Emergent had been forced to discard millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines after workers at the facility deviated from manufacturing standards; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, the defendants' public statements about Emergent's ability and capacity to mass manufacture multiple COVID-19 vaccines at its Baltimore facility were materially false and/or misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

Emergent investors may, no later than June 18, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com.

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

Adrienne Bell, Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500

[email protected]

SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

Related Links

http://www.ktmc.com


HOUSTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheers , a leading alcohol-related health brand, recently announced its intention to launch its first online public offering (OPO) through its crowdfunding partner StartEngine . With this SEC-regulated offering, Cheers is seeking $5 million in investments from accredited and non-accredited investors to support the growth of their increasingly popular product lines, which have generated more than $25 million in sales since the company's 2017 launch.

The OPO follows the launch of the company's "testing the waters" phase which debuted on May 4 and has so far resulted in significant interest. Assuming no launch delays, the offering is slated to go live tomorrow, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, giving family, friends, and their vast network of customers the exciting chance to invest in Cheers. The company elected to pursue this democratized form of fundraising after receiving years of feedback from brand loyalists who wanted to invest.

"We are thrilled to offer the opportunity for thousands of our most passionate supporters to share in Cheers' successes," said Brooks Powell, CEO and founder of Cheers. "It's genuinely humbling to have so many loyal fans who wholeheartedly stand by our mission of bringing people together by promoting fun, responsible and health-conscious alcohol consumption and who want to be an even bigger part of our successful startup journey. We look forward to continuing the disruption of the $250 billion alcohol industry, hand-in-hand with a large contingent of earnest and eager investors."

The potential OPO proceeds will be earmarked to fund several business initiatives, most notably the expansion of Cheers product offerings, including our recently launched, first-ever Cheers Restore beverage , and the development of a national retail program. The goal is for Cheers to be used any time someone consumes alcoholwhether it's a single drink or more.

Significant early bird bonuses are available to investors who act quickly. Outlined in detail on StartEngine, the three tiers are:

Earliest Early Bird Bonus (Days 1-3): This will occur during the first 3 days (72 hours) after our Online Public Offering officially goes live. This will be the best possible deal for the entire offering.

Super Early Bird Bonus (Days 4-7): This will occur during the first week after our Online Public Offering officially goes live after the conclusion of our Earliest Early Bird Bonus. This will be the second-best possible deal for the entire offering.

Early Bird Bonus (Days 8-14): This will occur during the second week after our Online Public Offering officially goes live after the conclusion of our Super Early Bird Bonus. This deal will be the third-best possible deal for the entire offering. We anticipate this bonus special to be available from May 25  May 31 , assuming we launch when we expect to.

"Cheers' mission to promote health-conscious alcohol consumption is working," said Powell. "More than 300,000 customers have already purchased our effective products repeatedly and are experiencing substantial returns on their health and wellness. Now, we are opening up an investment opportunity, allowing our customers to experience the potential benefits in our rapid growth."

The OPO comes on the heels of Cheers' latest product launch - an innovative DHM-based beverage called Cheers Restore that utilizes the company's new bioavailability-enhancing technology. The new product is a highly-effective drinkable version of the Cheers Restore capsules, taken either while drinking or following an individual's final drink of the day or night. The beverage's adaptable flavor profile even pairs well with alcohol as an added ingredient or mixer.

Cheers officially launched in 2017 after Powell, a graduate of Princeton University, spent years working with professors from fields ranging from neuroscience to biotechnology to understand the potential of dihydromyricetin (DHM) and its effects on alcohol. In 2018, Cheers made an appearance on ABC's "Shark Tank," and the company's growth has continued to climb with over $25 million in sales and 13 million doses sold since its inception. By utilizing a new patent-pending DHM permeabilizer technology in its products that Cheers co-invented with and exclusively licenses from a top-ranked Ivy League university, Cheers is uniquely positioned to differentiate itself from all other DHM-based products in the market. Using patented technology and singularly focusing on alcohol-related health, Cheers is poised to continue building substantial brand equity in the more than $250+ billion yearly U.S. alcohol industry.

For additional information, visit cheershealth.com . To invest in the future of Cheers, visit startengine.com/cheers .

Please note: No money or other consideration is being solicited, and if sent in response, will not be accepted. No offer to buy the securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received until the offering statement is filed and only through an intermediary's platform. An indication of interest involves no obligation or commitment of any kind. Reserving securities is simply an indication of interest and implies no commitment by either the buyer or seller. If and when this offering goes live on the anticipated date of May 18, 2021 (assuming there is sufficient investor interest), please read the full Form C offering statement filed with the SEC before choosing to invest, which will be available on our intermediary portal at startengine.com/cheers .

About Cheers

Cheers is a leading alcohol-related health brand focused on developing products that support your liver and help you feel better the next day. As a student at Princeton, Cheers' founder Brooks Powell discovered the potential advantage of incorporating the natural plant extract dihydromyricetin (DHM) into an after-alcohol consumption regimen and began working with professors to make products that addressed the unique challenges of alcohol-related health. Since its official launch in 2017, Cheers has sold more than 13 million doses to over 300,000 customers. The research-backed line of products includes three versions of supplemental pills and powdersRestore, Hydrate and Protect. Cheers is now releasing ready-to-drink versions of its productsstarting with Cheers Restore. Each product is equipped to meet different health needs such as rehydration, liver support, and acetaldehyde exposure. Cheers places a major emphasis on the responsibility and health aspects of its mission and vision. The brand's mission is to bring people together by promoting fun, responsible, and health-conscious alcohol consumption coupled with a vision where everyone can enjoy alcohol throughout a long, healthy, and happy lifetime. For more information, visit cheershealth.com or join the social conversation at @cheershealth .

SOURCE Cheers

Related Links

https://cheershealth.com


KANSAS CITY, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockton continues to add best-in-class talent to its industry-leading transaction liability team, today announcing key hires across the three transaction liability insurance product lines: Representations and Warranties (R&W) Insurance, Tax Liability Insurance and Contingent Liability and Litigation Insurance. These hires come on the heels of Lockton's addition of practice leaders Joshua Halpern, Eric Ziff, Gaurav Sud, and Matthew Heinz in the past six months, and exemplify Lockton's unwavering commitment to servicing its clients' M&A needs.

Industry veterans Eddie Kim, Paul Ahn, Emily Rosen and Nicole McCarthy join Lockton's R&W insurance practice. With backgrounds that span practice at major law firms and years of brokerage on complex and fast-moving R&W insurance placements, Lockton has further solidified its standing as the industry's premier broker in this segment.

Dan Berger joins Lockton from AIG, where he served as the lead tax insurance underwriter for North America and will now lead Lockton's tax liability insurance practice. Berger's prior experience as a tax attorney includes roles at Brookfield Asset Management, Moelis, and Proskauer Rose. Joining Berger in the tax insurance practice is Yonatan Tammam, a fellow tax lawyer who joins Lockton most recently from Kirkland & Ellis.

"We have witnessed a tremendous evolution in the tax insurance market in recent years." said Heinz. "Clearly, the time is now for this market to enjoy the same explosive growth as the R&W insurance market has seen, and Dan and Yoni will navigate that market on behalf of Lockton's clients to solve the most complex tax risks."

To head up its contingent liability and litigation insurance group, Lockton has hired Michael Perich. Perich joins the firm after spending most of his career in the litigation funding industry, where he held roles at Gerchen Keller, Burford Capital and most recently, Westfleet Advisors, a litigation finance advisor and broker.

Perich's hire illustrates Lockton's commitment and innovative approach to utilizing insurance capital to address its clients' contingent liability and litigation exposures. Sud says of Perich, "There is no one else in our industry with Michael's mix of litigation practice and litigation finance experience, and we can now offer our clients a perspective and capability that is wholly unique in our industry."

"These hires signal Lockton's unwavering commitment to addressing client needs and to building client-centric transaction liability insurance capacity for the long-term," said Devin Beresheim, EVP Lockton Specialties. "Lockton is committed to establishing a next generation transaction liability practice that will anticipate client needs and prepare the insurance market for every eventualitythese hires are yet another step towards realizing that goal."

About Lockton



What makes Lockton stand apart is also what makes us better: independence. Lockton's private ownership empowers its 8,000 Associates doing business in over 125 countries to focus solely on clients' risk and insurance needs. With expertise that reaches around the globe, Lockton delivers the deep understanding needed to accomplish remarkable results.



For 12 consecutive years, Business Insurance magazine has recognized Lockton as a "Best Place to Work in Insurance." In 2019, Lockton was named a top 50 company to work for in London by Best Companies. Most recently, Lockton was named among the 2021 Best Managed Companies by Deloitte and the Wall Street Journal, a program that recognizes excellence and honors private companies for their strategy, execution, culture, and financials.

SOURCE Lockton Companies
The values and goals of The Matthew Shepard Foundation are closely aligned to the brand. Through the MARCO DAL MASO x The Matthew Shepard partnership, the shared mission is to empower individuals to find their voice and end hate crimes against those in the LGBT+ community.

"I'm deeply honored to be working with The Matthew Shephard Foundation. They are the foremost leader dedicated to ending hate crimes and are passionate about their cause," says the founder Marco Dal Maso. "Our hope, is that this partnership will make an impact in the great work they are doing and support a shared mission to end hate crimes."

Marco Dal Maso, drew inspiration from his collection, Acies, formed of parallel lines that represent individuality that is ultimately unified.

The special edition ring showcases the Rainbow Pride flag colors which have been individually hand-painted with enamel by Italian artisans and made with 100% recycled silver.

Retailing at $290.00, MARCO DAL MASO will donate 10% to The Matthew Shepard Foundation for each ring sold.

Available at: Holt Renfrew, Neiman Marcus, Borsheims, Hyde Park and online at www.MARCODALMASO.com.

ABOUT MARCO DAL MASO:

MARCO DAL MASO is an Italian jewelry company founded in Vicenza by Marco Dal Maso after he combined inspiration from his world travels and artisan skills he learned from working in the family-run jewelry business. Today, the brand creates innovative and refined collections for both men and women, all handcrafted in Italy. MARCO DAL MASO collections are available in renowned stores worldwide.

ABOUT MATHEW SHEPARD FOUNDATION:

After their son was killed, Judy and Dennis Shepard set out to ensure people recognize the role that hate plays in society, and to ask people to do all they can to erase that hate. They founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation on that principle, and the Foundation continues to create open dialogues with a diverse range of people in order to erase hate. Learn more: https://www.matthewshepard.org

CONTACT:

MARK PASDON

[email protected]

+1 (914) 441 9876

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1511567/MARCO_DAL_MASO_x_Matthew_Shepard_Foundation.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1511569/MDM_Pride_Ring.jpg



SOURCE MARCO DAL MASO
Kate Friedewald celebrates her 100th birthday today, May 17th. Born in 1921, she grew up in a small farming town of Parkton, NC. Her parents were both farmers, growing cotton and tobacco.

Kate's dad died in his early 40's leaving her mother with a farm and 9 children to raise. Kate went on to become an RN and retired after 50 years of nursing in several different hospitals. Her greatest joy was being married for 63 years to her husband and raising two children. Kate loves being with her family and telling them stories about her childhood.

The Centennial birthday festivities will be held today at 1:30 PM at Wickshire of Tamarac ( Address : 7650 N University Dr, Tamarac, FL 33321).

Media is invited to attend.

WHO: Mayor Michelle J. Gomez for the city of Tamarac and Kate Friedewald

WHEN: Today May 17th at 1:30 PM.

WHERE: Wickshire Senior Living

7650 N University Dr, Tamarac, FL 33321

SOURCE Wickshire Senior Living
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Merge, the San Francisco and New York City-based API company which seeks to transform how B2B companies think about customer-facing integrations, today announced the close of a $4.5 million seed funding round. NEA led the round with Managing General Partner Scott Sandell joining Merge's board of directors.

Created in 2020, Merge provides a solution to the way B2B companies build and maintain an ever-growing number of integrations with other vendors in order to sell to and support their customers. Through its Unified API, Merge provides access to over 40+ HR, payroll, recruiting, and accounting platforms, effectively offering an integration layer for all business tools and applications.

"Gil and I saw first-hand how B2B companies need to build and maintain new integrations as their customers demand them. We built Merge to help our customers make integrations their competitive advantage," said co-founder Shensi Ding.

"The time and expense associated with building and maintaining myriad API integrations is a pain point we hear about consistently from our portfolio companies across all industries," said Scott Sandell. "Merge is tackling this ubiquitous problem head-on via their easy-to-use, unified API platform. Their platform has broad applicability and is a massive upgrade for any software company that needs to build, manage, and maintain multiple API integrations."

Given that reliable integrations are vital to B2B companies, Merge prioritized enterprise-level scope, security, and quality from the start. "Scalability and developer confidence were our objectives right out of the gate," said Gil Feig, co-founder of Merge. "Our customers feel confident using our product because we've built an enterprise experience. We see ourselves as a trusted partner through the entire integration lifecycle."

Merge's self-serve platform provides companies easy access to its Unified API. Since a public launch in March 2021, Merge has partnered with over 100 businesses to process over 67 million API requests.

Today also signals the release of Merge's new Accounting API. Rounding out its HRIS and ATS APIs, the introduction of accounting integrations further secures Merge's place as the expert on B2B integrations. The Accounting API unlocks an additional $7 billion in addressable market with both new and existing customers.

NEA Principal Andrew Schoen spoke of his firm's confidence in the leadership at Merge: "We had a fantastic experience working with Shensi Ding over the years at our portfolio company Expanse. We were thrilled when she told us she was considering founding a company, and we were lucky enough to get to know her co-founder Gil. We were immediately excited about the opportunity to work with the two of them: we were acutely aware of the market need for their envisioned product and knew right away that they would be amazing co-founders."

Looking forward, Merge plans to use this infusion of capital to grow its team, invest in its product experience, and expand into new markets. The current team of eight works in New York and San Francisco.

ABOUT MERGE

Merge provides the tools to transform how B2B companies realize customer-facing integrations. With Merge's Unified API, developers integrate just once and give their customers access to ~40 HR Information Systems (HRIS), Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and Accounting integrations. Merge takes charge of the entire lifecycle of integrations and adds new platforms every week.

Merge has raised $4.5 million led by NEA, with angel investments from Greg Schott (former CEO of Mulesoft), Matthew Prince (CEO of Cloudflare), Tim Junio and Matt Kraning (Co-Founders of Expanse), and Ben Herman (CEO of Jumpstart). Merge was founded in 2020 by Shensi Ding and Gil Feig and is proudly built in San Francisco and New York City.

ABOUT NEA

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With nearly $24 billion in cumulative committed capital since the firm's founding in 1977, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of successful investing includes more than 230 portfolio company IPOs and more than 390 mergers and acquisitions. www.nea.com .

SOURCE Merge
PITTSBURGH, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cannabis Risk Management Association (NCRMA) is filling a critical gap for licensed cannabis businesses with its new offering, the NCRMA Health Insurance Program powered by My Benefit Advisor. The program enables NCRMA members to build a competitive employee benefits program by leveraging expert advice and HR resources. It is part of the NCRMA's commitment to helping members improve through education, support and expertise.

"This will enable NCRMA members to attract and retain talented employees, better manage the costs of medical, dental, and vision benefits, and gain access to life and disability insurance," said Tamala McBath, CXO, NCRMA. "My Benefit Advisor provides immediate and ongoing personalized guidance."

My Benefit Advisor (MBA) was established to guide employers through the complexity of planning, communicating and managing a successful employee benefits program. MBA works exclusively with member-based organizations such as the NCRMA. MBA advisors drive average annual cost savings of 8% to 12% for employers by designing strong benefit programs, recommending the right benefits products in the marketplace, and providing compliance support. NCRMA members can speak with an MBA advisor, and access program components through MBA's user-friendly technology. Members will also have access to live HR support, training courses, a library of employee handbooks and other tools.

"In an emerging market like cannabis, an organization's employee base typically grows much faster than its internal HR resources can comfortably handle," said Brian McLaughlin, My Benefit Advisor Market Leader. "In addition to guidance on program design, we can help them scale their HR function quickly and provide support with employee education and enrollment, compliance, and benefits optimization."

Risk management is essential, and so is a solid employee benefits program, McBath said. "With the NCRMA Health Insurance Program, we're addressing members' challenges with health, life and disability insurance, and a strategy for managing HR well, so they can concentrate on their business."

About the National Cannabis Risk Management Association (NCRMA)

NCRMA provides a rapidly growing membership with innovative risk management and insurance solutions through its expansive list of service partners and offerings. Founded in 2018, the not-for-profit has established itself as the leader in providing cost effective and comprehensive non-traditional risk management services to the cannabis market through education, support, and expertise. To join, visit https://ncrma.net.

About My Benefit Advisor

My Benefit Advisor (MBA) is an employee benefits platform designed to guide employers through the complexity of planning, communicating and managing a successful employee benefits program.

To learn more about My Benefit Advisor, visit us online at www.mybenefitadvisor.com

SOURCE NCRMA

Related Links

http://ncrma.net


BINGHAMTON, N.Y., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Natrion, a leader in the research and development of next-generation battery technologies, announced today a new high-performance, flexible, and durable solid electrolyte thin film for the production of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). Called the Lithium Solid Ionic Composite (LISIC), this technology has been designed as a "plug and play" component that can be rapidly implemented by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to turn their existing product lines into ASSBs that mitigate fire risk, improve lifespan, and enable the construction of longer-range electric vehicles.

"This solution has great potential to make commercial solid state batteries a reality in the near term" said Russell Hoge, Ph.D., a former senior executive with Mobil Chemical Company (retired). "Enabling solid-state battery technologies like this will be critical in overcoming the safety and performance obstacles that are currently in the way of mass market grid energy storage and electric vehicles," added Hoge.

Efforts to commercialize ASSBs have been impeded by the modifications that must be made to well-established battery cell architectures, assembly machinery, and component chemistry. Typical battery production processes involve the sandwiching of porous plastic separator membranes soaked with liquid electrolyte between electrodes. Liquid electrolyte is the principal source of volatility and flammability in current LIBs. Natrion set out to create a solid electrolyte that could be substituted in the place of membranes to eliminate the use of liquid with minimal modification to manufacturing techniques. The LISIC technology that the company recently patented possesses some key value propositions as outlined below:

Flexible and mechanically durable dry polymer-ceramic composite of equivalent thickness to separator membranes and room temperature ionic conductivity of 0.3 mS/cm.

Thermal stability range of -60F to 500F and high voltage compatibility with lithium-metal anodes and nickel-rich cathodes utilized in chemistries of >1000Wh/L energy density.

Unique engineered surface interface facilitating cold pressing with electrodes without additional internal cell pressure and even electrodeposition for perturbing dendrite formation.

"The next step in LISIC's path to market is scale-up and use case validation. We are commencing commercial cell pilots this summer and are looking at ways to build out a pilot plant, all of which will demonstrate the unique scalability and ease-of-use of this technology," said Alex Kosyakov, Founder and CEO of Natrion.

About Natrion: Natrion is a battery research and development startup based in Binghamton, New York. It was started out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018 by founders Alex Kosyakov and Tom Rouffiac, and is currently based in the New York State-sponsored Southern Tier Clean Energy Incubator. The company prides itself on its unique application driven research approach and expertise in composite material systems. For more information, visit www.natrion.co

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.

SOURCE Natrion

Related Links

https://www.natrion.co


ENGIE will own and operate the battery unit, which is located on the site of NHEC's 2 MW solar array in Moultonborough, NH. The battery unit will charge from NHEC's distribution system during times of low demand and discharge during periods of peak regional electricity use. By discharging during hours of peak electric usage, the battery will save NHEC's members on regional market and delivery charges while reducing demand on the grid.

As part of the innovative partnership agreement with ENGIE, NHEC will discharge the battery to supply energy to its members up to 70 times per year. These discharges will be used to reduce NHECs transmission charges and regional capacity payments. The battery project will provide NHEC with insight and direct experience into how battery storage technologies respond to price signals and interact with its electrical system. NHEC estimates these discharges will save its members $2.3 million over the next 12 years.

"Energy storage is a rapidly evolving technology that has a key place in our strategic vision for our business model of the future. It's important for NHEC to gain firsthand experience with batteries so we can better understand the benefits they have to offer our members and the operation of our system," said Steve Camerino, President and CEO of NHEC. "As more Co-op members install their own batteries, NHEC needs to be ready to support them with a flexible, responsive grid. We are excited to make significant progress on our strategic vision through this innovative partnership with ENGIE, which will provide benefits to all NHEC's members."

"We are delighted to have completed this leading-edge storage project alongside NHEC," said Laura Beane, Chief Renewables Officer of ENGIE North America. "The addition of battery storage systems such as these are not only delivering real value to customers today, but also helping to accelerate the energy transition. NHEC's leadership in commissioning this project reflects their commitment to innovation in supporting cost effective, clean energy for their members," she continued.

The battery storage unit is the largest in New Hampshire and can fully charge or discharge within two hours. NHEC and ENGIE received all necessary approvals from the Town of Moultonborough. The battery is housed in a pre-fabricated 40 foot container located within the fence line of NHEC's solar facility in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. The battery unit has on-site fire suppression equipment and will be monitored 24 hours a day, year-round.

About New Hampshire Electric Cooperative

NHEC is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 85,000 homes and businesses in 118 New Hampshire communities. Headquartered in Plymouth, NH, our business is to maintain and service our 6,000 miles of energized line in order to provide our members with the highest level of service.

About ENGIE North America

ENGIE North America Inc. offers a range of capabilities in the United States and Canada to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals as we work together to shape a sustainable future. Our comprehensive services include helping run facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resource use and costs; clean power generation; energy storage; and retail energy supply that includes renewable, demand response, and on-bill financing options. Nearly 100% of the company's power generation portfolio is low-carbon or renewable. ENGIE S.A. is a global organization focused on low-carbon energy and services, that relies on its key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to its customers. With 170,000 employees, along with its customers, partners and stakeholders, the group is committed to accelerating the transition to a carbon-neutral world through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally-friendly solutions.

For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, https://www.engie-na.com/ and https://www.engie.com.

Media Contacts:

New Hampshire Electric Cooperative: Seth Wheeler, [email protected], (603) 536 8685

ENGIE North America: Sandrine Deparis, [email protected], (202) 855 3705

SOURCE ENGIE North America
"The stamps beautifully represent the priceless genetic diversity of heritage breeds in the United States," said dedicating official, Steve Monteith, U.S. Postal Service chief customer and marketing officer. "Understanding the history of heritage breeds and their abilities for survival and self-sufficiency  it's easy to see their value."

Joining Monteith at the historic venue for the first in-person stamp dedication ceremony of the year were Douglas Bradburn, president and CEO, George Washington's Mount Vernon; Alison Martin, executive director, and Jeannette Beranger, senior program manager, both from the Livestock Conservancy; and Aliza Eliazarov, whose photographs were used to design the stamps. Historical actor Dan Shippey was also on hand.

The pane of 20 stamps includes photographs of 10 heritage breeds: the Mulefoot hog, the Wyandotte chicken, the Milking Devon cow, the Narragansett turkey, the American Mammoth Jackstock donkey, (second row) the Cotton Patch goose, the San Clemente Island goat, the American Cream draft horse, the Cayuga duck and the Barbados Blackbelly sheep.

The stamps were designed by Zack Bryant using photographs by acclaimed heritage breeds photographer Aliza Eliazarov. Greg Breeding served as art director.

The Heritage Breeds Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. News of the Heritage Breeds stamps is being shared with the hashtag #HeritageBreedsStamps.

With the worldwide adoption of industrial farming, a few breeds of livestock were standardized for maximum productivity. As a result, many other breeds with different traits are now critically endangered, and several are extinct.

In addition to retaining genetic diversity to help farms adapt to changing conditions, heritage livestock are also a valuable cultural resource as the breeds demonstrate the farming practices of earlier periods in American history and illuminate ancient agricultural traditions. Across the country, living-history farms and historical sites are working with breeders to acquire and raise heritage breeds, not only to preserve these animals but also to provide a more authentic sense of the past.



Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.

Information for ordering first-day-of-issue postmarks and covers is at usps.com/shop.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

National: Martha Johnson

martha.s.johnson@usps.gov

Local: Felicia Lott

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service

Related Links

http://www.usps.com


According to a news release from the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs Office, the Navy spent more than $15.4 billion in Hampton Roads during the 2019 fiscal year. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which tracks regional economies, says the total value of goods and services produced in the region was $103 billion last year. That means 15 cents of every dollar spent in Hampton Roads is spent by the Navy.
VENTURA, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This press release is the official announcement of Meet Kevin Paffrath's run for California Governor in the 2021 recall election. Kevin Paffrath, who goes by "Meet Kevin" online, is a YouTuber, investor & real estate broker from Ventura, CA.

Meet Kevin Paffrath for Governor 2021

With over 1.6 million YouTube subscribers, Kevin focuses on financial education and news-related content. Kevin Paffrath has previously been featured in the New York Times, Business Insider, Forbes, and CNBC for his financial-education content. He also commonly interviews CEOs and other well-known people in the financial world such as the CEO of Robinhood, M1Finance, and BlockFi as well as billionaire Frank Giustra and Kevin O'Leary from Shark Tank.

Paffrath came to California with $1,000 at 17 years old. While working at Jamba Juice & Red Robin, he attended Buena High & Ventura College before graduating UCLA. At age 19, Paffrath became a Realtor & bought his first home and later numerous rental homes. 2 years later, he became a real estate broker & is now a self-made millionaire with a net worth of over $20 million. He now shares his knowledge through YouTube. Now, Meet Kevin Paffrath understands why people are fleeing California. Taxes are too high. Homelessness is endemic. Housing affordability is at an all-time low. And, our schools are failing our citizens, creating the largest Dependent State in the country. Meet Kevin has a new vision for California: Here's a preview of his 20-Part Plan:

1. No state-income tax for the first $250,000: Effectively an instant pay raise.

2. Ending Homelessness with Future Homes & Educational Reintegration.

3. Future Schools: Transforming high schools & colleges, combining 70% of them, & providing a path to become career & financially educated by 18 with ZERO debt.

4. Ending the Housing Shortage by reforming our over 482 building-and-safety departments into one, state-wide, streamlined building-and-development process. Hereby, encouraging the development of new communities through California and the redevelopment of abandoned/vacant malls, offices, and strip malls into homes.

5. Legalizing physical an online gambling, taxing revenues.

6. First state to implement a Carbon Tax, offsetting the need for the state-income tax.

7. Reforming the DMV & incentivizing tunnels & toll roads to end the traffic nightmare.

8. Community policing w/ non-violent inmates as supervised community workers.

9. Reforming our courts by increasing Small Claims limits to $100,000 and creating a new Small Claims BAR-style license.

10. Prioritizing legal immigration and local manufacturing.

View the full plan at https://www.meetkevin.com. Our announcement video airs at 8:00 a.m. Pacific, Monday May 17, 2021. Contact: [email protected].

Related Files

Meet Kevin Official Press Release .pdf

Related Images

image1.jpeg

Related Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e281oFww3A

SOURCE Meet Kevin Paffrath for Governor 2021
OUTFRONT's purpose to help people, places and businesses grow stronger, has become increasingly visible through a myriad of programs over the last year, and this partnership is an important piece of the company's continued commitment. OUTFRONT is providing billboard assets across the country to the Color Of Change which will showcase the first campaign, "Until Justice is Real". This creative highlights the need for people of all colors to do their part and demand accountability to end the practices that unfairly hold Black people back, while championing systematic solutions that move us all forward. The campaign will run in nine major cities across the country, each strategically chosen by Color Of Change.

OUTFRONT STUDIOS, OUTFRONT's in-house creative agency, collaborated with Color Of Change on the design and campaign execution. The powerful creative depicts different people of color with the words "Action Speaks" taped over their mouths; urging the public to join the movement and become a Color Of Change member and join this crucial fight to end injustice. The campaign is aimed to embolden all people to not remain silent against injustice and take a stand to protect communities from systemic bias ingrained in our institutions.

"The past year has brought the fight for racial justice into the forefront of American activism," said Amity Paye, Interim Chief Marketing Officer at Color Of Change, the largest online racial justice organization. "We're glad to be working with OUTFRONT to help even more people take action and find real racial justice solutions that will move our country forward. There is still so much work that still needs to be done for Black communities to have the justice, safety and protection we deserve. Awareness and statements of solidarity are just the first steps for anyone looking to change our country; what should always come next is action to implement practices and policies that combat systemic racism at all levels of society."

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Color Of Change on this initiative," said Jodi Senese, CMO of OUTFRONT. "Statements of support are a first step, but being able to use our assets for 'good' and in this case, awareness of the organization and their mission is a significant next step forward. Having a powerful, visual media platform allows us to give an amplified voice to important organizations."

For more information regarding this partnership, check out the Front Street episode , airing Tuesday, May 18. Special thanks to the production/printing companies who donated their services to this campaign: ABC Imaging, Circle Graphics, Direct Edge Denver, E.H. Teasley/Inkjet Printing International, Independent's Service, Kubin-Nicholson Corporation, Larger than Life (LTL), Midnight Oil, OAI Inc., and Vincent Printing.

About OUTFRONT Media Inc.

OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go.

Contact:

Investors: Media: Gregory Lundberg Courtney Richards Senior Vice President, Investor Relations Senior PR & Events Specialist (212) 297-6441 (646) 876-9404 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.

Related Links

http://www.outfrontmedia.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pareteum Corporation (OTC: TEUM), a global cloud Communications-Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) company, today announced preliminary revenue results for full year 2020 and provided a business update.

"Over the past 18 months Pareteum has focused on repositioning itself, including new Board leadership, new management, re-establishing a culture of integrity, emphasizing our customer-centric business model and focusing the business for future growth," commented Mary Beth Vitale, interim Chair of the Board of Directors. "Navigating through challenging business environments, both internally and externally, we believe we have come out of 2020 stronger. With the 2018 restatement and 2019 full year financial results completed, and today's reporting of preliminary 2020 revenue results, we now have a company that has grown revenue 244% over the past three years, and we believe is well positioned to address a large, rapidly growing global opportunity. We greatly appreciate the support of our customers, shareholders and employees through this period and look forward to reinvigorating our engagement with the investment community to broaden awareness of Pareteum."

Preliminary Full-Year 2020 Revenue Results:

Revenue : Preliminary total revenue was $69.6 million for the full year 2020, up 12% compared to $62.0 million in 2019.

: Preliminary total revenue was for the full year 2020, up 12% compared to in 2019. Gross Profit: Preliminary gross profit for the full year 2020 was $20.7 million , compared to $14.9 million for 2019.

As previously announced, the Company anticipated releasing full 2020 financial results today. However, the recent identification of a technical accounting matter necessitates additional review. The matter is related to a non-cash item that does not impact revenues or earnings before income, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

The Company anticipates net loss in 2020 will be substantially better than the net loss of $222.3 million in 2019 due to the one time impairment of goodwill and intangible assets charge of $156.8 million in 2019.

Key Business Metrics and Highlights:

Diversified business portfolio across MVNE, MVNO, Enterprise, Messaging and SMB customers

Surpassed 1,100 customers and partners globally, up from 533 in 2018, including key enterprise customers and MVNE/MNVOs Deployed 50 new customers in 2020 Renewed strategic deal with Vodafone

Connections grew to 4.6 million in 2020, up from 3.9 million in 2019, and 1.8 million in 2018

Operations in North America , Latin America , Europe , Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific Recent expansions in Brazil , Colombia and Tunisia

, , , and and 200 employees worldwide as of December 31, 2020

"Our mission is to empower Communications Service Providers, Enterprises and Developers simply to create and control their own wireless communications products and experiences through our powerful combination of software, services and global connectivity," said Bart Weijermars, Pareteum's interim Chief Executive Officer. "Global connectivity and collaboration are critical for our business customers across industry segments. Our cloud technology platform enables that global connectivity and provides one-stop communications solutions for our customers. As a result, we have seen higher levels of activity across our network in key areas including messaging and consumer mobile, and a significantly increased market demand for IoT. Our products and services have traction in the market despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past three years, our revenue has increased 244%, from $20.3 million for 2018 to a projected $69.6 million for 2020. Importantly, we have continued to grow our customer base among key enterprise customers and MVNE/MNVOs, providing us with a strong business foundation of over 1,100 clients and partners. With this diversified customer base and a global footprint, we believe we are well positioned to address the large, rapidly growing global opportunity to connect everyone, everywhere and have developed an enhanced and expanded corporate strategy to do so."

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Pareteum will hold a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. ET. The live audio webcast may be accessed through the "Events & Presentations" page on the "Investors" section of the Company's website at www.pareteum.com . Alternatively, participants may dial 877-545-0523 (toll free) or 973-528-0016 (international) and provide participant passcode 714005. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the live event.

About Pareteum Corporation

Pareteum is a global provider of Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) solutions with operations in North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions. Pareteum empowers enterprises, communications service providers, early-stage innovators, developers, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and telecommunications infrastructure providers with the freedom and control to create, deliver and scale innovative communications experiences. The Pareteum platform connects people and devices around the world using the secure, ubiquitous, and highly scalable solution to deliver data, voice, video, SMS/text messaging, media, and content enablement. For more information, please visit www.pareteum.com and follow the company on LinkedIn .

Cautionary Statement Regarding Preliminary Financial Information

The preliminary results set forth above are based on management's review of the company's results for the year ended December 31, 2020 and are subject to revision based upon the company's additional review and the completion and review by the company's external auditors of the company's year-end financial statements. Actual results may differ from these preliminary results as a result of the final adjustments and other developments arising between now and the time that the company's financial results are finalized. In addition, these preliminary results are not a comprehensive statement of the company's financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020, should not be viewed as a substitute for complete financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and are not necessarily indicative of the company's results for any future period. Financial results are preliminary until Pareteum's Form 10-K for 2020 is filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. With the exception of historical matters, the matters discussed in this release are forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "plan," "project," "should," "will," "would" and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. However, our actual results may differ materially from those contained in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: risks and uncertainties associated with the integration of the assets and operations we have acquired and may acquire in the future; our possible inability to raise additional capital that will be necessary to expand our operations; the substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern expressed in the most recent report on our audited financial statements; our potential lack of revenue growth; the length of our sales cycle; pending investigations by the SEC and other lawsuits; the outbreak and impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on the global economy and our business; our potential inability to add new products and services that will be necessary to generate increased sales; our potential inability to develop and successfully market platforms or services or our inability to obtain adequate funding to implement or develop our business; our ability to successfully remediate the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting within the time periods and in the manner currently anticipated; the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, including the identification of additional control deficiencies; risks related to restrictions and covenants in our convertible debt facility that may adversely affect our business; risks related to our current noncompliance with certain terms under our senior secured convertible indebtedness; our potential loss of key personnel and our ability to find qualified personnel; international, national regional and local economic political changes, political risks, and risks related to global tariffs and import/export regulations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; our potential inability to use and protect our intellectual property; risks related to our continued investment in research and development, product defects or software errors, or cybersecurity threats; general economic and market conditions; regulatory risks and the potential consequences of non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations; increases in operating expenses associated with the growth of our operations; risks related to our capital stock, including the potentially dilutive effect of issuing additional shares and the fact that shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market for our common stock; the possibility of telecommunications rate changes and technological changes; disruptions in our networks and infrastructure; the potential for increased competition and risks related to competing with major competitors who are larger than we are; our positioning in the marketplace as a smaller provider; risks resulting from the restatement of certain of our financial statements; and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Except to the extent required by applicable laws or rules, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Relations:

Investor Relations +1 (646) 975-0400

[email protected]

Media Inquiries:

[email protected]

SOURCE Pareteum Corporation

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MIAMI, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The company is a pioneer in the sector in carrying out this type of transaction with digital currency and expects a 40% growth with this payment method, reaching more than 1,400 customers this year. Prime Experiences' web and mobile platforms will be based on blockchain, a technology that provides more security for transactions than any other system.

Projections by IMARC Group, a leading market research firm, point to a 19% growth in the yachting sector between 2021 and 2026, for its part, PRIME Experiences expects to achieve earnings of USD 6.5 million in 2021, double the revenue it earned during 2020. The company seeks to attract cryptocurrency market users, to generate new business alliances and strategies to participate and connect with more users.



"With this type of currency many doors have opened, we are currently in talks with the Miami Mayor, who is interested in expanding bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in the city. Miami could be the next Silicon Valley as most of the large companies such as Tesla, Facebook and Google are looking to enter the city and even more so with this cryptocurrency which has an incredible projection for the next upcoming years," says Jose David Tobon, President of the company.

Tobon also adds that Prime Experiences is more than a yacht charter company since its added value consists of offering complete curated experiences.



"What makes us different is that we are leaders in the experience space. We not only charter yachts, but we also design experiences around events such as birthdays, corporate events, and special occasions for our clients.

About Prime Experiences:

A leading yacht charter company, creator of unique experiences, with more than 15 years of experience satisfying the needs of the most demanding clients in the North American territory. Prime Experiences, founded by two Colombians is revolutionizing the yacht charter market, using Blockchain technology, expanding its value offering to other countries such as Spain, Mexico, and Colombia.

www.primeluxuryexperiences.com

@primeluxuryexperiences

Media inquiries, please contact:

The Global Grid Agency

Antonio Caballero: 954 451 4040

SOURCE Prime Experiences Inc.

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RESTON, Va., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Raft, LLC, a full stack digital consulting firm specializing in modernizing federal agency operations and service capabilities, announced today that it has been awarded two U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct to Phase II contracts through AFWERX to deliver automated software development and Hardware-in-the-Loop pipelines across multiple Air Force departments. These pipelines will increase the availability and value of data generated by sensors and operational equipment in both connected and air-gapped environments. Raft's secure data streaming and digital twin expertise will accelerate delivery of new warfighter capabilities when and where they are needed most.

"Raft is proud to partner with the Air Force to provide support for integrated software and hardware development and building resilient data pipelines," said Shubhi Mishra, Founder & CEO of Raft. "We understand first-hand the challenges and importance of rapid, secure deployment of new capabilities in complex environments. Extending agile development processes and continuous delivery of new functionality to hardware in the field dramatically expands operational flexibility on top of existing infrastructure and agency resources."

AFWERX's mission is to solve problems and enhance the Air Force effectiveness by enabling thoughtful, deliberate, ground-up innovation across the Air Force. These awards will accelerate the goals of the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center's (AFLCMC/HNCP) Platform One team and increase capabilities for AFMC 309th Software Engineering Group (SkiCAMP) and AFLCMC Cryptologic and Cyber Systems Division (Black Label) Software Factories.

"Our team works hard every day to improve outcomes for federal agencies including Health & Human Services, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and across the Department of Defense," stated Raft CTO, Bhaarat Sharma. "Out of the 2300 submissions, we were honored to receive the invitation to pitch to Air Force stakeholders as part of the Digital Engineering pitch day to show clear and measurable impact on mission goals. We look forward to working with our stakeholders to bring Dr. Ropers' vision of the digital trinity to reality!"

About Raft:

Raft is a full stack digital consulting firm with niche expertise in rapid delivery of modern, user-first, scalable, and data-intensive containerized digital solutions. We accelerate the missions of our federal partners through human-centered design (HCD) and agile development practices, bringing deep technical expertise in DevSecOps, Kubernetes management, cloud-native microservice architectures, and secure, open source delivery. Learn more at https://goraft.tech.

SOURCE Raft LLC

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ATLANTA, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when businesses and leaders are increasingly focused on promoting racial equity and diversity and inclusion, Randstad will bring together company executives and Black business leaders for its first ever "Flourishing Under Fire: The Future of Black Men" symposium. The event, which will take place from May 24 to May 26, will include conversations between Black leaders and executives about challenges facing Black men in corporate America, including institutional racism, roadblocks to career advancement and the need for skilling and mentorship opportunities.

"After last summer's civil unrest, businesses can no longer afford to ignore the issue of racial injustice. Randstad's values are rooted in equity and we feel a responsibility to use our platform to convene these important conversations," said Keith Brown, Director, Community Impact, Randstad North America. "We hope this event will be a catalyst for encouraging actionable dialogue and strategies to create equal opportunities for Black men, including skilling and professional development opportunities."

The symposium will feature a holistic approach to racial inclusion and advancement, with panelists providing insight into the issues Black men face from the community level up to the C-suite. Leaders will also discuss initiatives and programs that are most effective at promoting an environment of inclusivity within organizations.

Speakers and panelists will include some of the country's most influential and successful executives and corporate leaders, including Nathaniel Smith, CEO, Partnership for Southern Equality; Dr. Jamie R. Riley, Director of Racial Equity, The Center for Law and Social Policy; Dr. Gregory Vincent, Executive Director, Civil Rights & Education, University of Kentucky; Otis Rolley, Senior Vice President of Equity & Economic Opportunity, The Rockefeller Foundation; Andre Dickens, Chief Development Officer, TechBridge, and At-Large City Council Member for the City of Atlanta; Alphonso David, President, Human Rights Campaign; Milton Little, President & Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Greater Atlanta; Andrew McCaskill, Career, Culture & Economics Expert at LinkedIn; Amri Johnson, CEO, Inclusion Wins; Sekou Kaalund, Head of Consumer Banking, Northeast, Chase; DK Bartley, Chief Diversity Officer, Moody's Corporation; Indy Adenaw, Managing Director, MLT Black Equity at Work; Andre Anderson, First Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Earnest DeLoach, Jr., Vice President, Legal, Balfour Beatty, US; Dr. Jarik Conrad, Vice President, Human Insights and HCM Advisory, Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG); Jamere Jackson, Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, AutoZone; Michael Bush, Chief Executive Officer, Great Place to Work; Craig Robinson, Tech Board Director & Former Global Head of Powered by We, WeWork; Bob Lopes, Chief Human Resources Officer, Randstad North America; Vincent Bennett, Chief Executive Officer/President, McCormack Baron Salazar, and Maurice Jones, Chief Executive Officer, OneTen.

The program will also feature Keith Brown, Director, Community Impact; Audra Jenkins, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer; Rebecca Henderson, Chief Executive Officer, Randstad Global Businesses, and Karen Fichuk, Chief Executive Officer from Randstad U.S.

More information about the Flourishing Under Fire program can be found here: https://rlc.randstadusa.com/flourishing-under-fire-forum .

About Randstad

Randstad North America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad N.V., a 23.7 billion global provider of flexible work and human resources services. As a trusted human partner in the technology-driven world of talent, we combine the expertise and passion of our employees, with some of the most innovative HR technologies on the market today, to advance the careers and business success of our candidates and clients.

Randstad's North American operations comprise nearly 5,700 associates and a deployed workforce of more than 94,000 in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to staffing and recruitment, Randstad offers outsourcing, consulting and workforce management solutions for generalist and specialist disciplines, including technology, engineering, accounting and finance, clinical and non-clinical healthcare, human resources, legal, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, office and administration and sales and marketing. Global concepts available to North American client companies include RPO, MSP, integrated talent solutions, payrolling and independent contractor management and career transition services. Learn more at www.randstadusa.com or www.randstad.ca.

SOURCE Randstad US

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois' nuclear plants are critical to meeting climate and economic objectives in the state, including the ambitious goal some have proposed of a 100% carbon-free power sector by 2030. But according to new research out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (NPRE) department, to meet this aggressive climate target and others, Illinois won't just have to maintain its existing nuclear energy capacity  the state must also expand it.

Keeping Illinois' existing nuclear plants open while investing in both advanced nuclear technology and renewable energy is the most economical path to zero-carbon that generates the "lowest lifecycle carbon emissions," says a study co-authored by Dr. Kathryn Huff, who was recently appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy, along with NPRE research scientist Dr. Madicken Munk and Sam Dotson, graduate researcher in NPRE's Advanced Reactors and Fuel Cycle Analysis group.

Key findings from the study include:

Keeping Illinois' existing nuclear plants open through 2050 avoids 25 million metric tons of life-cycle CO 2 emissions equivalent to taking 5.4 million cars off the road.

existing nuclear plants open through 2050 avoids 25 million metric tons of life-cycle CO emissions equivalent to taking 5.4 million cars off the road. Without existing nuclear power, reaching zero carbon would require solar deployments to displace 10,000km 2 of critical Illinois farmland, representing nearly 15% of the nation's corn and 14% of its soybean production.

of critical farmland, representing nearly 15% of the nation's corn and 14% of its soybean production. Deploying new advanced nuclear generation is the least expensive way to allow Illinois farmland to remain farmland while reaching zero-carbon by 2030.

farmland to remain farmland while reaching zero-carbon by 2030. Without the benefit of the reliable baseload provide by nuclear energy, extraordinary, possibly infeasible, grid-scale battery storage capacity is required to meet any zero-carbon target with significant renewable penetration.

Researchers simulated a range of potential economic and policy mixes for the state's energy system to identify the most economical path to achieving emissions targets. The report's findings add to the growing body of research demonstrating how decommissioning existing nuclear power plants endangers near-term zero-emissions targets.

Study co-authors Munk and Dotson added, "The economic and carbon implications of these findings are far-reaching for the state's zero-emissions goals. Optimistic deployment of renewable energy sources is insufficient to replace all existing coal and natural gas generation in the state, let alone replace the electricity generation that will be lost from retiring nuclear plants. To achieve these climate targets and ensure Illinois has reliable access to the scale of energy the state needs, Illinois will need to augment existing nuclear with renewables and next generation nuclear, while also expanding grid-scale battery storage. Even assuming significant cost overruns, the cost impact of advanced nuclear investment is marginal compared to all other reasonable projected approaches. In fact, this mix is the least expensive way to reach zero-carbon by 2030."

"In Illinois nuclear energy supports thousands of jobs, contributes millions of dollars to local and state economies and has significant potential to scale both areas with the advancement of next-generation technology, particularly in transitioning workers from emissions-heavy industries," said Lonnie Stephenson, President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Nuclear Matters Advocacy Council member. "As this research demonstrates, there is no disputing that Illinois' legislators must act in the near term to save the more than 1,500 full-time positions and 2,000+ supplemental jobs tied to the Dresden and Byron nuclear power plants  supporting workers in rural communities that cannot afford to lose these family-supporting union jobs. The study also illustrates advanced nuclear represents a significant opportunity to position Illinois and its workers as key players in the transition to an emissions-free economy. We should seize that opportunity."

Professor Bob Rosner, University of Chicago's William E. Wrather Distinguished Service Professor in the departments of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics, and Co-Founder of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC) adds: "This report is yet another careful scholarly addition to the growing consensus that existing and advanced nuclear generation must be cornerstones of a low-carbon future. Decarbonization strategies that, above all, reduce harmful emissions, but also retain and grow jobs, support communities, and ensure lower costs and reliable power for consumers, must be prioritized. The tech-inclusive approach outlined by this study clearly demonstrates that such strategies are feasible if nuclear power is part of our energy mix. Thus, the six nuclear energy power plants that produce the majority of our state's carbon-free electricity indeed critically underpin our clean energy future."

The paper is available here in full. Financial support for this study was provided by Nuclear Matters, a national coalition of over 600,000 grassroots advocates that supports solutions that properly value nuclear power and other carbon-free energy sources.

SOURCE Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DEERFIELD, Ill., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reedy Industries, a leader in commercial and industrial HVAC, plumbing and building controls services, has acquired Standard Plumbing & Heating / Sheet Metal Crafters (SPH/SMC) of Canton, Ohio. With this acquisition, Reedy Industries expands their services footprint in the Ohio region maintaining focus on their core end markets - commercial/ industrial, healthcare, education, government, and senior living.

Reedy Industries

SPH/SMC began serving the Ohio market in 1912 and from day one focused on quality, customer satisfaction and innovative solutions. SPH/SMC specializes in mechanical installation, sheet metal fabrication, maintenance, and service work on building systems. These solutions tend to be highly complex in nature for both new construction and renovation/retrofit projects of occupied facilities, both public and private. SPH/SMC's core staff collectively has over 250 years of experience in the industry and is regarded as subject matter experts within the market and by their loyal client base.

SPH/SMC believes in their ability to stabilize maintenance costs, maintain comfort and process conditions, extend equipment life, and protect the capital investments for its customers.

"Joe Kirmser, CEO of Reedy Industries, and I both strive to be the best performing contractors in our industry and seek the best solutions for all involved," says Dave Grabowsky, President of SPH/SMC. "Going forward, we anticipate more emphasis on infrastructure, clean air, and clean water as well as the expansion of our presence in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Standard is committed to its talented and strong team of employees across the organization. This acquisition will provide employees the opportunity for security and advancement."

"Dave and the entire SPH/SMC team are an outstanding fit with the expanding Reedy platform," says Kirmser. "SPH/SMC has built a differentiated position in Ohio and the surrounding area. The combination of the Reedy platform and resources with SPH/SMC's people and capabilities will create significant value and growth potential for vendor partners, employees, and customers. We are thrilled to expand Reedy's presence in the Ohio market through our partnerships with Dave and SPH/SMC."

SPH/SMC is the twelfth acquisition for Reedy Industries since 2019. Kirmser added, "We don't hide the fact that we seek to add significant growth and expansion through acquisition. But we pass on far more opportunities than we pursue. It takes a special and unique business for us to get to this point. SPH/SMC checks all the boxes. Now that we have established a larger presence in Ohio, we will absolutely look to add more density in the market through strategic add-on acquisitions."

With the acquisition complete, Grabowsky will stay on with SPH/SMC in his current role as President. "I love what I do and my employees are like family to me. I am enthusiastic about moving forward. This is a strategic partnership that enables us to serve more customers and brings together similar cultures and mindsets of two strong companies," Grabowsky said. Grabowsky is the third generation at the helm of Standard Plumbing and Heating. He was preceded by his father, Bob Grabowsky, and founder, Herman Grabowsky.

Reedy Industries serves critical environments in the commercial and industrial market spaces by focusing on HVAC, plumbing and building controls services and solutions. Reedy Industries is actively expanding the services it provides within the building envelope and is doing so through both organic growth and acquisitions. Reedy Industries is a 90-year-old company and is headquartered in Deerfield, IL, just outside Chicago.

Media Contact

Jamie Budy

Director of Marketing, Reedy Industries

2440 Ravine Way Ste 200, Glenview, IL 60025

[email protected]

(847) 832-2323

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SOURCE Reedy Industries
BEIJING and HANGZHOU, China, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Roan Holdings Group Co., Ltd. ("Roan" or the "Company") (OTC Pink Sheets: RAHGF and RONWF), a financial, insurance and healthcare related solutions company serving individuals and micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises in China that also provides health management, asset management, insurance technology, healthcare, and consumer financing services to employees of large institutions, today reported its financial results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.

Fiscal Year 2020 Highlights:

Net revenues of services, including revenues from services and healthcare service package net of cost, increased by $1.50 million, or 238%, from $0.63 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $2.13 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Revenues from services increased by $1.49 million, or 233%, from $0.64 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, to $2.13 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Consulting services relating to debt collection reported significant increase of $1.61 million or 327%, due to the Company's consolidation of the full year results of Lixin Financial Holdings Group Limited ("Lixin Cayman") and its subsidiaries (collectively "Lixin") operations in 2020. Roan completed the acquisition of Lixin on December 20, 2019 .

or 327%, due to the Company's consolidation of the full year results of Lixin Financial Holdings Group Limited ("Lixin Cayman") and its subsidiaries (collectively "Lixin") operations in 2020. Roan completed the acquisition of Lixin on . For similar reasons, commissions and fees on financial guarantee services increased by $0.37 million , or 4168%, for the year ended December 31, 2020 , as compared to the same period of 2019.

Interest expenses and fees on secured loans decreased by $2.22 million, or 100%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to $Nil for the year ended December 31, 2020, as all secured loans were repaid during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Operating income increased by $5.84 million, or 618%, to $4.90 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to a net operating loss of $0.95 million during the same period of 2019.

($ millions, except per share data, differences

due to rounding) 2020

2019

% Change Net revenues of services $2.13

$0.63

238% Total interest and fee income $2.48

$2.88

(14%) Operating (loss) income $4.90

($0.95)

618% Net loss from continuing operations ($0.85)

($2.56)

67% Net income (loss) ($0.85)

$24.29

(104%) Net earnings (loss) per share  Basic and

Diluted ($0.07)

$0.93

(108%)

Mr. Junfeng Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Roan, commented, "The Company's business has experienced substantial changes in recent years. We have modified our business models and reduced direct loan business. The Company disposed of the entire direct lending business in September 2020. For fiscal year 2020, the Company was primarily engaged in asset management and financial services, financial guarantee and financial consulting business. Roan also set up subsidiaries in the healthcare industry and started to build long-term relationships with insurance and medical services partners, as well as big data technology partners to provide services in innovative insurance, intelligent diagnosis and treatment and data management. At the same time, the company is developing tumor prevention, tumor adjuvant treatment, postoperative nutritional supplement and rehabilitation related products for patients with cancers, and has obtained the total distribution right of three products."

Mr. Wang continued, "Roan also aims to provide one-stop solutions in customized insurance and health management as the Company continues to bolster innovative applications of technologies in healthcare, artificial intelligence and blockchain within integrated medical, health management and insurance use cases through leveraging the strength of Lixin in sales and marketing channels. The Company is confident that our new business focus will drive new growth as we expand our cooperation with more established companies in other industries and enhance our competitiveness in innovative insurance services, which are expected to generate meaningful financial returns for our shareholders and partners going forward."

Ms. Lifang Lou, Acting Chief Financial Officer, commented, "We were able to deliver stable development momentum as our net revenues reached $2.13 million in 2020, despite the fact that the Company was undergoing major changes of business operations and that the COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on the economic activities in China and the world. The Company also repaid all external loans as we disposed of direct lending business. Looking ahead, we remain committed to maintaining the original scale of financial services, promoting new business development strategies, and further accelerating the integration of insurance and healthcare services, and we believe the above measures will lay a solid foundation for profitability in the long run."

Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Results

Revenues

Revenues from services increased by $1.49 million, or 233%, from $0.64 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, to $2.13 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The following table sets forth a breakdown of our revenue by services offered for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019:





For the years ended

December 31,



Variance

($ millions, differences due to rounding)

2020



2019



Amount



%

Management and assessment services

$ 0.02



$ 0.14



$ (0.12)





-86%

Consulting services relating to debt collection



2.11





0.49





1.61





327%

Consulting services relating to financial guarantee

services



-





0.01





(0.01)





-100%

Revenues from services

$ 2.13



$ 0.64



$ 1.49





233%



Management and assessment services

Revenues from management and assessment services decreased by $0.12 million, or 86%. The primary reason of the decrease was due to a majority of revenues from the contracts obtained in 2018 were recognized in the year ended December 31, 2019. In the year ended December 31, 2020, we did not engage in much management and assessment services due to the change of our business focus.

Consulting services relating to debt collection

The Company provides consulting services relating to debt collection with certain factoring companies, through Lixin which were acquired in late December 2019. The significant increase of $1.61 million, or 327%, was because we consolidated a full year of Lixin's operating results in 2020, whereas in 2019, we only consolidated Lixin's results of operations from December 20, 2019 to December 31, 2019.

Commissions and fees on financial guarantee services

Commissions and fees on financial guarantee services increased by $0.37 million, or 4168%, for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the same period of 2019. The reason for the increase was because we consolidated a full year of Lixin's results of operations in 2020, whereas in 2019, we only consolidated Lixin's results from December 20, 2019 to December 31, 2019.

Interest and fee income

Interest and fee income primarily consisted of interest and fee income generated from factoring business and from loans due from third parties. Interest and fee income decreased by $0.40 million, or 14%, for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the same period of 2019. The reason for the decrease was mainly because Zhiyuan Commercial Factoring (Guangzhou) Co., Limited ("Zhiyuan"), a former subsidiary engaged in factoring business which we sold in September 2020, did not conduct any factoring business during fiscal 2020 due to the Company's change of business plan. As a result, interest and fee income from factoring business decreased by $2.78 million. The decrease in interest income from factoring business was offset by the increase of $2.13 million in interest income from loans advanced to third parties through our Lixin's operations after our acquisition of Lixin in December 2019.

Interest expenses and fees on secured loans

Interest expenses and fees on secured loans decreased by $2.22 million, or 100%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to $Nil for the year ended December 31, 2020. The significant decrease of interest expenses and fees on secured loans was because all secured loans were repaid during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Provision for loan losses

The provisions for loan losses related to our direct loan and secured loan lending business conducted through Feng Hui Ding Xin (Beijing) Financial Consulting Co., Limited ("Ding Xin") before 2020. There were no new direct loans and secured loans issued in fiscal 2020 and we disposed of Ding Xing on September 30, 2020. Therefore, provisions for loan losses decreased by $2.24 million, or 100%, from the year ended December 31, 2019 to $Nil for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Operating expenses

Operating expenses in total increased by $2.74 million, or 200%, for year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $1.37 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to the increase of $0.60 million in salaries and employee surcharges and an increase of 1.61 million in other operating expenses. The increases in both of these expenses were primarily due to the consolidation of Lixin's operating expenses for the full year of 2020.

Income tax expenses

Total Income tax expense was a $0.23 million income tax recovery for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to a $0.24 million income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2019, representing an overall decrease of $0.47 million in income tax expenses. The change was due to an increase of $0.58 million in current income tax expenses in fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019. The increase in current income taxes was primarily attributable to the consolidation of Lixin's results of operations in 2020, as compared to the consolidation of Lixin's operating results for only a small stub period in 2019. The increase in current income tax expenses was offset by an increase in income tax recovery of $1.1 million in deferred income tax expense in fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019.

Net income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income tax

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the net income from discontinued corporation, net of income tax is $Nil. The Company, however, recorded a derecognition loss of $1.95 million from the disposition of Ding Xin in September 2020.

Net income

As a result of the foregoing, the Company had a net loss of $0.85 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to a net income of $24.29 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Basic and diluted net earnings (loss) per share

Basic and diluted net loss per share were $0.70 in 2020, compared to net earnings of $0.93 in the same period of 2019.

Cash and cash equivalents

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $4.93 million, compared to $6.91 million as of December 31, 2019.

Working capital

The working capital was $48.67 million and $39.45 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

Recent developments

Between January 2020 and January 2021, the Company has established long-term partnerships in the fields of innovative insurance services, smart health medical services, data mining, and operations with a variety of insurance service partners, medical service partners, and technology and big data partners, including Kunlun Health Insurance Co., Ltd. (Zhejiang Branch), Qidi Blockchain Technology Development Corporation, Ruixin Insurance Technology (Ningbo) Co., Ltd, and Yunxin Internet Hospital (Yinchuan) Co., Ltd.

On April 30, 2020, the Company officially launched a one-stop internet insurance and health care service platform after nearly eight months of preparation and systems development. The platform aims to provide modern households with one-stop systematic "customized insurance + health management + family doctor + home medical testing" health management service solutions. This platform enables households and employees of medium to large-sized enterprises to access highly cost-effective, customized health care and insurance solutions, customized insurance products, as well as data management and operational services.

On September 30, 2020, the Company entered into an agreement with Urumqi Fengxunhui Management Consulting Co., Ltd ("Fengxunhui") pursuant to which Fengxuanhui acquired a 100% equity interest in Ding Xin, with a consideration of $15,325 (RMB100,000). Upon closing of the disposition, the Company released all equity interests to Fengxunhui's shareholders.

About Roan Holdings Group Co., Ltd.

Founded in 2009, Roan Holdings Group Co., Ltd. ("Roan") is a financial, insurance and healthcare related solutions company serving individuals and micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises ("MSMEs") in China. Roan provides health management, assets management, and insurance, healthcare and consumer financing services to employees of large institutions. Roan has offices in Hangzhou and Beijing and subsidiaries in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Shaoxing, Urumqi and Tianjin. For more information, please visit: www.roanholdingsgroup.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to, among others, the consummation of the proposed transaction, and can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations of the consummation of the proposed transaction, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under law.

IR Contact:

At the Company:

Katrina Wu

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +86-571-8662 1775

Investor Relations:

Janice Wang

EverGreen Consulting Inc.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1 571-464-9470 (from U.S.)

+86 13811768559 (from China)

ROAN HOLDINGS GROUP CO., LTD. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS As of December 31, 2020 and 2019 (Expressed in U.S. dollar, except for the number of shares)





December 31,

2020



December 31,

2019

ASSETS











Current Assets











Cash and cash equivalents

$ 4,932,048



$ 6,911,592

Restricted cash



25,875,556





15,233,933

Short-term investments



-





8,610,796

Accounts receivable, net



6,939,352





3,727,017

Inventory



30,348





-

Loan receivable due from third parties



17,670,652





5,952,223

Due from related parties



94,023





2,906

Other current assets



3,502,550





2,305,642

Other receivables



3,545,753





-

Total Current Assets



62,590,282





42,744,109



















Pledged deposits



462,835





5,597,017

Property and equipment, net



65,073





852,525

Intangible assets, net



3,977,867





4,876,228

Right of use assets



346,017





400,720

Goodwill



261,087





-

Other noncurrent assets



-





918,683

Total Assets

$ 67,703,161



$ 55,389,282



















LIABILITIES AND EQUITY















Current Liabilities















Customer pledged deposits



7,664





7,176

Unearned income



130,772





114,615

Reserve for financial guarantee losses



579,364





453,489

Dividends payable



480,000





480,000

Tax payable



1,767,214





1,122,155

Due to related parties



281,369





280,714

Warrant liabilities



13,977





19,938

Operating lease liabilities, current portion



191,643





106,136

Accrued expenses and other liabilities



1,642,060





710,865

Bank loans



8,826,054





-

Total Current Liabilities



13,920,117





3,295,088



















Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent portion



102,767





265,797

Deferred tax liabilities



793,848





1,735,576

Total Liabilities



14,816,732





5,296,461



















Commitments and Contingencies

































Shareholders' Equity















Ordinary Share (no par value, unlimited shares authorized; 25,287,851 and

25,287,851 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and

2019, respectively)



-





-

Class A convertible preferred shares, no par value, unlimited shares

authorized; 715,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31,

2020 and 2019, respectively



11,025,327





10,338,927

Class B convertible preferred shares, no par value, unlimited shares

authorized; 291,795,150 and 291,795,150 shares issued and outstanding

as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively



31,087,732





31,087,732

Additional paid-in capital



3,312,189





3,312,189

Statutory reserve



202,592





658,662

Accumulated deficit



(14,330,288)





(12,407,304)

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)



2,310,369





(7,906)

Total Roan Holdings Group Co., Ltd.'s Shareholders' Equity



33,607,921





32,982,300



















Noncontrolling interests



19,278,508





17,110,521

Total Equity



52,886,429





50,092,821

Total Liabilities and Equity

$ 67,703,161



$ 55,389,282



ROAN HOLDINGS GROUP CO., LTD. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) For the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (Expressed in U.S. dollar, except for the number of shares)





For the Years Ended

December 31,







2020



2019



















Revenues from services

$ 2,128,153



$ 639,220



Revenues from healthcare service packages



55,301





-



Cost of revenues



(50,774)





(8,080)



Net revenues of services



2,132,680





631,140























Commissions and fees on financial guarantee services



375,471





8,797



Provision for financial guarantee services



(89,865)





(5,008)



Commission and fee income on guarantee services, net



285,606





3,789























Interest and fees income

















Interest and fees on direct loans



-





1,153



Interest income on loans due from third parties



2,131,447





34,707



Interest income from factoring business



-





2,782,332



Interest income on deposits with banks



348,389





64,636



Total interest and fee income



2,479,836





2,882,828























Interest expense

















Interest expenses and fees on secured loans



-





(2,218,815)























Net interest income



2,479,836





664,013























Provision for loan losses



-





(2,244,601)























Net interest (loss) income after provision for loan losses



2,479,836





(1,580,588)























Operating (loss) income



4,898,122





(945,659)























Total operating expenses

















Salaries and employee surcharges



(1,116,482)





(512,314)



Other operating expenses



(2,995,098)





(1,385,259)



Changes in fair value of warrant liabilities



5,961





530,863



Total operating expenses



(4,105,619)





(1,366,710)























Other income (expenses)

















Deconsolidation loss



(1,953,248)





-



Other income (expense), net



76,406





-



Total operating expenses



(1,876,842)





-























Loss before income taxes



(1,084,339)





(2,312,369)























Total income tax recovery (expenses)



229,733





(244,741)























Net loss from continuing operations



(854,606)





(2,557,110)























Net income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income tax



-





26,846,018























Net income (loss)



(854,606)





24,288,908



Dividend  convertible redeemable Class A preferred share



-





(686,400)



Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests



(838,048)





(76,108)



Net income (loss) attributable to Roan Holding Group Co., Ltd.'s

shareholders

$ (1,692,654)



$ 23,526,400



Other comprehensive (loss) income

















Foreign currency translation adjustment



3,461,980





1,435,262



Reclassified to net gain from discontinued operations



-





2,691,969









3,461,980





4,127,231























Comprehensive income (loss)



2,607,374





28,416,139























Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests



(1,334,101)





(97,733)



Dividend  convertible redeemable Class A preferred share



-





(686,400)



Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests



(838,048)





(76,108)



Total comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Roan Holdings

Group Co., Ltd.'s shareholders

$ 435,226



$ 27,555,898























Weighted average number of ordinary share outstanding

















Basic and Diluted*



25,287,887





25,287,887























Earnings (Loss) per share

















Net earnings (loss) per share  Basic and Diluted

$ (0.07)



$ 0.93



Net loss per share from continuing operations - Basic and Diluted

$ (0.07)



$ (0.13)



Net earnings (loss) per share from discontinued operations - Basic and

Diluted

$ -



$ 1.06





ROAN HOLDINGS GROUP CO., LTD. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS For the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (Expressed in U.S. dollar, except for the number of shares)





For the Years Ended

December 31,







2020



2019



Cash Flows from Operating Activities:













Net income (loss)

$ (854,606)



$ 24,288,908



Less: Net income (loss) from discontinued operations



-





26,846,018



Net loss from continuing operations



(854,606)





(2,557,110)



Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating

activities:

















Depreciation and amortization expenses



1,102,298





55,498



Provision for credit losses



316,014





-



Provision for loan losses



-





2,244,601



Provision for financial guarantee losses



89,865





5,008



Deferred tax expenses



(1,001,372)





57,674



Changes in fair value of warrant liabilities



(5,961)





(530,863)



Share-based compensation expenses



-





-



Net (gain)/loss from disposal of fixed assets



(136,682)





-



Gain from lease modification



22,257





-



Accretion of finance leases



14,757





-



Loss from deconsolidation of subsidiaries



1,953,248





-



Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

















Accounts receivable



(3,116,533)





(206,442)



Inventory



(30,348)





-



Interest and fees receivable



-





(149,013)



Other current assets



(3,215,702)





(289,694)



Other receivables



(3,268,571)





-



Pledged deposits and other non-current assets



359,202





-



Advances from customers



7,915





(6,702)



Tax payable



1,029,919





273,589



Accrued expenses and other liabilities



352,600





28,875



Other liabilities



(1,079,811)





-



Net Cash Used in Operating Activities from Continuing Operations



(7,461,511)





(1,074,579)



Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Operating Activities from

Discontinued Operations



-





(26,564)



Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Operating Activities



(7,461,511)





(1,101,143)























Cash Flows from Investing Activities:

















Loans disbursement to factoring customers



-





(43,422,881)



Repayment of loans from factoring customers



-





107,833,488



Loans disbursement to third parties



(3,467,607)





-



Repayment of loans from third parties



-





-



Purchases of property and equipment



-





(833)



Acquisition of a subsidiary



-





(427,318)



Acquisition of cash from acquired subsidiary



-





21,442,122



Proceeds from disposal of discontinued operations



-





504,713



Net inflow related to deconsolidation of subsidiaries



61,121





-



Investment (redemption) of short-term investment



8,690,374





-



Due from related party



210,774





-



Proceeds from sale of property and equipment



837,969





-



Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities from Continuing

Operations



6,332,631





85,929,291



Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities from

Discontinued Operations



-





35,765



Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities



6,332,631





85,965,056























Cash Flows from Financing Activities:

















Proceeds from private placement, net of issuance costs



-





-



Proceeds from private placements, deposited in escrow account



-





-



Proceeds from exercise of Series B Warrants



-





-



Borrowing from a related party



-





279,020



Proceeds from bank loans



8,341,311





-



Proceeds from secured loans



-





43,422,881



Repayment of secured loans











(107,833,488)



Repayment of third-party loans



(280,268)





-



Repayment of lease liabilities



(207,891)





-



Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities from Continuing

Operations



7,853,152





(64,131,587)



Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities from

Discontinued Operations



-





(7,251)



Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities



7,853,152





(64,138,838)























Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted

cash in banks



1,937,807





119,326























Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash in

banks



8,662,079





20,844,401



Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash in banks at beginning of year



22,145,525





1,301,124



Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash in banks at end of year

$ 30,807,604



$ 22,145,525























Supplemental Cash Flow Information

















Cash paid for interest expense

$ -



$ -



Cash paid for income tax

$ -



$ -























Noncash investing activities

















Acquisition of a subsidiary by issuance of Class B Preferred Shares

$ -



$ 31,087,732



Receivable from disposal of discontinued operations

$ -



$ 940,829



Right of use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations

$ -



$ 615,000





The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the statement of financial position that sum to the total of the same amounts shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows:





December 31,

2020



December 31,

2019

Cash and cash equivalents

$ 4,932,048



$ 6,911,592

Restricted cash in banks



25,875,556





15,233,933

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

$ 30,807,604



$ 22,145,525



SOURCE Roan Holdings Group Co., Ltd.
LONDON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced that its EcoStruxure Micro Data Center R-Series for rugged indoor environments will be available in Europe by June 2021. The new IP and NEMA rated micro data centres offer a resilient and quick-to-deploy solution to help manage edge computing infrastructure within challenging industrial and manufacturing environments. A virtual event for industrial professionals will take place on May 18th, 2021 exploring how edge computing is helping food & beverage companies accelerate business resilience, performance, and sustainability.

As more industrial operators deploy Industry 4.0 technologies to increase productivity, safety, and automation, micro data centres have become increasingly essential to address everything from the convergence of IT and OT to the enabling of IIoT applications  making IT on the factory floor more reliable and simple to deploy. As part of the launch, six new models are available in 16U, 24U, and 42U sizes to allow for flexibility and scalability.

"As Industry 4.0 and advanced automation technologies continue to drive transformation within industrial environments, IT must be deployed closer to the point of use, enabling increased productivity and efficiency," said Rob McKernan, SVP, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric, Europe. "The availability of our new IP and NEMA rated EcoStruxure Micro Data Center R-series solutions will help industrial manufacturers and distributors across the region truly reap the benefits of improved performance and reliability on the factory floor."

EcoStruxure Micro Data Center solutions get industrial systems to market faster, more efficiently and at a reduced cost



EcoStruxure Micro Data Center solutions are configurable, pre-packaged, enclosed rack systems that include power, cooling, security, and management. They can save up to 40 percent in field engineering costs, get systems to market 20 percent faster, and reduce maintenance costs by seven percent. Micro data centres take advantage of existing infrastructure and can potentially reduce capital expenses by 48 percent over a traditional build. The new R-series reinforces these benefits and helps customers alleviate difficulties because they are:

Built to withstand harsh indoor environments and applications with minimum ingress protection ratings of IP54 and NEMA 12. Industrial edge environments can be challenging with high levels of dust, moisture, and wide temperature variations.

Industrial edge environments can be challenging with high levels of dust, moisture, and wide temperature variations. Managed remotely with Schneider Electric's portfolio of software and digital services when there's limited-to-no on-site IT staff. EcoStruxure IT, an open, vendor-agnostic platform, provides the power and flexibility for users to manage critical infrastructure on their own, with a partner, or to allow Schneider Electric's service engineers to manage the assets for them.

with Schneider Electric's portfolio of software and digital services when there's limited-to-no on-site IT staff. EcoStruxure IT, an open, vendor-agnostic platform, provides the power and flexibility for users to manage critical infrastructure on their own, with a partner, or to allow Schneider Electric's service engineers to manage the assets for them. Equipped with security features, such as access control, intrusion detection and security camera that allow it to go in unsecured locations.

that allow it to go in unsecured locations. Able to standardise your design across multiple environments with a single, all-in-one-solution, which is easier to deploy and maintain than disparate systems.

Learn more about the new EcoStruxure Micro Data Center R-series

The new R-Series is available through mySchneider IT Solutions Partners and Schneider Electric sales representatives. Visit this page for more information about Schneider Electric's new IP and NEMA rated EcoStruxure Micro Data Center R-series for rugged indoor environments.

What is Industrial Edge Computing?

For industrial operators to capture the benefits of increased automation, they cannot rely on cloud-technology alone to bring the resiliency and speed demanded by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other Industry 4.0 technologies. Local edge data centres are IT infrastructure enclosures/spaces/facilities distributed geographically to enable endpoints on the network. When in industrial environments, such as a manufacturing plant or distribution centre, this application is referred to as "industrial edge computing." Analysts have identified the edge as becoming increasingly important.

Register for May 18 Food & Beverage industrial edge computing event

Industrial digitization brings new levels of visibility and traceability across the supply chain, as well as offering improved production, efficient operations, and enabling data-based decision-making. To learn how industrial edge computing is helping Food & Beverage companies accelerate business resilience, performance, and efficiency, join experts from Schneider Electric, ProLeit, and Stratus Technologies for a virtual event on May 18th, 2021, at 4pm CEST.

Visit the Schneider Electric website to register.

About EcoStruxure

EcoStruxure is our open, interoperable, IoT-enabled system architecture and platform. EcoStruxure delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability, and connectivity for our customers. EcoStruxure leverages advancements in IoT, mobility, sensing, cloud, analytics, and cybersecurity to deliver Innovation at Every Level. This includes Connected Products, Edge Control, and Apps, Analytics & Services which are supported by Customer Lifecycle Software. EcoStruxure has been deployed in almost 500,000 sites with the support of 20,000+ developers, 650,000 service providers and partners, 3,000 utilities and connects over 2 million assets under management.

From energy and sustainability consulting to optimizing the life cycle of your operational systems, we have world-wide services to meet your business needs. As a customer-centric organization, Schneider Electric is your trusted advisor to help increase asset reliability, improve total cost of ownership and drive your enterprise's digital transformation towards sustainability, efficiency and safety.

About Schneider Electric



Schneider's purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

www.se.com

Discover Life Is On

Related resources:

Follow us on: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Blog

Hashtags: #LifeIsOn #EcoStruxure #IndustrialEdge #EdgeComputing #IIoT #Industry40

SOURCE Schneider Electric UK
Hyundai last week announced a plan to start producing electric cars in the U.S. next year. The carmaker is going to turn some fuel-car assembly lines at its U.S. plants into production lines for electric vehicles.

"The U.S. economy is recovering fast and there's a great growth potential for environmentally-friendly futuristic vehicles," said a senior Hyundai executive. "We need to make inroads into this market quickly."

Market researcher IHS predicts that annual EV production in the U.S. will jump from 300,000 cars last year to 3.2 million by 2025.

Hyundai will invest US$7.4 billion in the U.S. by 2025 in EV, urban air mobility, hydrogen cars, robotics and self-driving vehicles. The decision came after Hyundai chairman Chung Eui-sun visited its plant in Alabama last month.

"Hyundai's announcement comes as U.S. President Joe Biden's administration prioritized a push toward electric cars, aiming to replace... vehicles in federal fleets with U.S.-made electric vehicles," Reuters reported. This invites "potential further investment in the United States by top battery makers," it added.


The setbacks also havent stopped Gold Key development in the Oceanfront, Thompson said. The developer has finished 42 Ocean  35 luxury condominiums next to the Marriot with an average price tag of $1.2 million. Thompson said he was shocked at the positive response to the properties  half of the condos already have sold. The company is also developing a 12-story Embassy Suites next to the Marriott.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or the "Company") (OSE:SDRL,OTCQX:SDRLF) announces that Seadrill New Finance Limited (the "Issuer"), a subsidiary of the Company, has agreed to extend the existing forbearance agreement announced on 19 April 2021, with respect to the 12.0% senior secured notes due 2025 (the "Notes") with certain holders of the Notes (the "Note Holders").

Pursuant to the forbearance agreement, as extended, the consenting Note Holders have agreed not to exercise any enforcement rights with respect to the Issuer and any subsidiary of the Issuer which is an obligor under the Notes to, or otherwise take actions in respect of, certain events of default that may arise under the Notes as a result of, amongst other things, the Issuer not making the semi-annual 4% cash interest payment due to the senior secured noteholders on 15 January 2021 in respect of their Notes and the filing of Chapter 11 cases in the Southern District of Texas by the Company and certain of its consolidated subsidiaries (excluding the Issuer and its consolidated subsidiaries) until and including the earlier of 28 May 2021 and any termination of the forbearance agreement.

The purpose of the forbearance agreement is to allow the Issuer and its stakeholders more time to negotiate on the heads of terms of a comprehensive restructuring of its balance sheet. Such a restructuring may involve the use of a court-supervised process.

About Seadrill

Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations across the globe. Seadrill's high quality, technologically advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct its operations from shallow to ultra-deep-water environments. The company operates 43 rigs, which includes drillships, jack-ups and semi-submersibles.

Seadrill is listed on the Oslo Brs and OTCQX. For more information, visit https://www.seadrill.com/

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes forward looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business, the markets in which it operates and its restructuring efforts. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's regulatory filings and periodical reporting. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward looking statement.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

CONTACT:

[email protected]

020 3745 4960

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

SOURCE Cision AB

Related Links

https://www.cision.com/


Gabrielle Ferrara, COO of Ferrara Manufacturing walked Senator Gillibrand through their full production line; introducing her to workers who have been with Ferrara for over two decades and showcasing the opportunities for American garment engineering. The tour showcased Ferrara Manufacturing team's notable outputs throughout the years including the U.S. Olympic Team uniforms and the masks worn by President Biden during the inauguration.

Also in attendance was leadership from Workers United, including Secretary Treasurer Edgar Romney. Ferrara Manufacturing's workers have been proud members of the Workers United union since 1995. On the heels of the Senator's visit, union and apparel industry leaders seek legislative support for long term federal contracts to stabilize and support an industry that has been disrupted by COVID-19.

ABOUT FERRARA SUPPLY COMPANY

Ferrara Supply Company is the division within Ferrara Manufacturing focused on personal protective garments. The division works directly with federal, state and local agencies as well as companies in the private sector producing over 8 million units to date.

ABOUT FERRARA MANUFACTURING

Ferrara Manufacturing is a high-end tailored garment production company in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 by the wife and husband team, Carolyn and Joseph Ferrara. The company's mission is to produce the highest quality garments with attention to detail, construction, and fit. Daughter and son, Gabrielle Ferrara and Angelo Ferrara, joined the business in 2016 to run the daily operations, invest in advanced technologies, and focus on growth.

ABOUT WORKERS UNITED

Workers United is affiliated with SEIU, representing 75,000 apparel, laundry, food service, warehouse distribution and manufacturing workers in the U.S. and Canada. Workers United is headquartered in Philadelphia.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Ferrara Manufacturing

Related Links

http://ferraramfg.com


PARK CITY, Utah, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Park City has a new startup, one whose mission extends far beyond Utah. ShePlace is the vision of Founder and CEO Jacki Zehner and it is the result of Zehner's decades of work championing the advancement of women and girls.

"I finally decided to try to build that which I wanted to see in the worlda place, a platform, a community, for women+ who wholeheartedly want to support other women+," Zehner explained.

Zehner was the first female and youngest woman to make partner at the legendary Wall Street firm, Goldman Sachs. Since she departed the firm in 2002, her focus has been mainly on philanthropy. Zehner is no stranger to community building, having led a global philanthropic network called Women Moving Millions, whose members have collectively given over $1 billion to women and girls' organizations.

"It was time to do more here, in Utah, as well as nationally," Zehner said. "Sadly, while the state is improving, Utah is middle of the pack* in this country in terms of living standards for women, and that is simply unacceptable to me. Together, we can do better."

ShePlace will offer virtual and in-person events, curated resources, educational opportunities and an online community. Close to 300 women have already joined. Content can also be accessed by subscribing to ShePlace's monthly newsletter, the first of which was sent last week. ShePlace has taken up residence at the recently opened Kiln workspace in Park City, which will be the site for many of the start-up's activities.

Joining ShePlace as COO is Utah native Madison Limansky, formerly Managing Partner at the fashion consulting company, Farasha. "As a gender studies graduate from the University of Utah,'' Limansky said, "the opportunity to take my experience in fashion and production into this new role where I can align my personal values with my professional endeavors is a dream come true."

ShePlace is all about Sistering Up, a term Zehner has coined to describe a mindset and a framework for action. The word sistering finds its roots in construction terminology and is used to describe the action of adding additional materials to strengthen a structure.

"If we want to have a hope of achieving gender equity in our lifetime," Zehner said, ''we have to support, amplify and champion for each other." The positive use of money will be a focus area of ShePlace, given Zehner's background and passion for women's financial empowerment, and each newsletter will feature content on how to spend, invest and give with impact.

ShePlace will host its first event on May 20th. The event is free to attend and is open to all in a virtual format. The event will feature two local women, Ze Min Xiao, the newly appointed Director for the Center for Equity and Belonging at the Economic Development Corporation of Utah and Nubia Pena, Senior Advisor on Equity and Opportunity and Director of the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs. The event will be hosted on Run the World , a woman-founded tech company.

"We are looking forward to hearing about the ways in which these two women have been sistering up over the course of the pandemic, and the work they do in our community to create inclusive spaces that have a focus on belonging," Zehner said.

Also of note, and in the theme of #sisteringup, ShePlace will collaborate with award-winning New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly, who will produce original sketches and cartoons for both the ShePlace Newsletter, and the SheInvests Newsletter, which Zehner produces via LinkedIn and has already amassed over 16,000 direct subscribers from her total following of nearly 700,000.

"Our intention is to do many collaborations with amazing women+ artists, creators, business owners, writers, and so much more. Stay tuned."

To find out more about ShePlace, visit www.sheplace.com . To register to attend this free event, please visit Run the World .

About ShePlace

ShePlace is an online platform and community where we seek to actualize a world where all women+ are valued, resourced, and thriving, and where we believe wholeheartedly that our individual prosperity is connected to the prosperity and well-being of all other women+. At ShePlace, we utilize women+ to welcome and include all self identifying women, including cis and transgender women, as well as non-binary and gender fluid individuals. While our community and offerings are catered to women+, we welcome the support of allies who share our values.

* Best and Worst States for Women https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-women/10728 Utah ranks 28th in the nation.

SOURCE ShePlace

Related Links

https://www.sheplace.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Signature Aviation US Holdings, Inc. (the "Offeror"), a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Signature Aviation plc ("Signature" or the "Company"), announces that it extends the expiration date of its previously announced offer to purchase and consent solicitation (the "Tender Offer") with respect to its 4.000% Senior Notes due 2028 (the "Notes") pursuant to the offer to purchase and consent solicitation statement dated April 8, 2021 (the "Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement"). As a result of this extension, the Tender Offer is now scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 4, 2021, unless further extended or earlier terminated (such date and time, as may be further extended, the "Expiration Date"). The Tender Offer was initially scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 17, 2021 (the "Initial Expiration Date"). The Offeror is not extending the Withdrawal Deadline for the Tender Offer, which was at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 21, 2021. Defined terms used but not defined in this announcement have the meanings set forth in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement.

The Offeror is extending the Initial Expiration Date of the Tender Offer, without extending the Withdrawal Deadline, in accordance with the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement.

All Notes previously tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Withdrawal Deadline will remain subject to the Tender Offer and all Consents previously delivered to the Tender Agent and not validly revoked at or prior to the Withdrawal Deadline will remain effective. Because the Offeror is not extending the Withdrawal Deadline, any Notes previously tendered or tendered at a future time may no longer be validly withdrawn (except as required by law).

Holders who validly tendered Notes on or prior to the Early Tender Date, which was at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 21, 2021, will be entitled to receive, if such Notes are accepted for purchase by the Offeror, the Total Consideration (which includes the Early Participation Premium and the Consent Fee) on the Settlement Date through The Depository Trust Company. Holders who validly tendered their Notes after the Early Tender Date and at or prior to the Expiration Date will receive only the Tender Consideration (which includes the Consent Fee but not the Early Participation Premium). In each case, Holders will also receive accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date applicable to the Notes up to, but not including, the Settlement Date for the Notes accepted for purchase. The Offeror's obligation to accept the Notes tendered for purchase and to make a cash payment in the amount of the Total Consideration or Tender Consideration, as applicable, is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions, including the consummation of the Acquisition, set forth in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement.

As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 14, 2021, the Offeror has been advised by the Tender Agent for the Tender Offer, that Notes were validly tendered and not withdrawn, and consents were validly delivered and not revoked, with respect to $536,208,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes, representing approximately 82.49% of the outstanding Notes (and, together with the consents received pursuant to the previously announced Standalone Consent Solicitation with respect to the Notes, which expired on 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 21, 2021, approximately 98.19% of the outstanding Notes).

Other than as stated above, the terms of the Tender Offer are unchanged from those stated in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement, and noteholders should read that document as supplemented by this announcement.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell any securities or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities. The Tender Offer is being made only pursuant to the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement. The Tender Offer is not being made to Holders in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities laws or blue sky laws require the Tender Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offer will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Offeror by one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.

RBC Capital Markets, LLC is acting as dealer manager and solicitation agent and Global Bondholder Services Corporation is acting as the tender agent and information agent for the Tender Offer.

Requests for documentation may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation at (212) 430-3774 (for brokers and banks) or (866) 807-2200 (for all others).

Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to RBC Capital Markets, LLC at (212) 618-7843 or Toll Free: (877) 381-2099.

About Signature Aviation plc

Signature is a leading global fixed-base operator ("FBO") network for business and general aviation ("B&GA") travelers and provides premium, full-service flight support, including fuel and non-fuel services, ground handling and technical support for passengers, crew and aircraft. Signature serves customers at more than 360 FBO locations covering key markets in North America, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Following the sale of Ontic on October 31, 2019 and with the ongoing process to sell its engine repair and overhaul business, the Board of Directors of Signature elected to rename the group from BBA Aviation plc to Signature Aviation plc to better align it with its most significant brand in its core market.

Complementary to the core Signature Flight Support FBO business, Signature also comprises EPIC and TECHNICAir. EPIC provides fuel and fuel related services at FBOs across North America including fuel purchasing cards and transaction processing. TECHNICAir provides aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul with locations throughout the United States and Europe, specialising in small to mid-size, turbine-powered business aircraft.

Signature is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Signature is a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales and is registered under company number 53688. Signature's registered office is located at 105 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 1QY, England.

The Offeror is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Signature and is the issuer of the Notes.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable federal securities laws. The forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements concerning the Tender Offer and the Acquisition. Forward-looking statements are prospective in nature and are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections of the management of the Offeror, Signature and Bidco about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. The Offeror, Signature and Bidco expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. You should also read "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement.

SOURCE Signature Aviation plc
BLUE BELL, Pa., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that Teresa Poggenpohl, who formerly served Accenture as chief marketing and communications officer for North America, has joined the company as chief marketing officer and senior vice president, Marketing and Communications. She reports directly to Unisys Chair and Chief Executive Officer Peter Altabef.

"Teresa is a recognized leader in IT services and an innovator in her field who will bring her deep experience to our marketing and communications efforts as we position our company and our solutions for future growth," said Altabef. "The Unisys story is both inspiring and evolving. Teresa will lead the way in working with teams throughout the company and beyond to communicate our compelling message."

IT Services Experience, Recognized Brand Leader

Poggenpohl's 33-year career with Accenture spanned a series of ever more senior roles, culminating in her serving for more than three years as chief marketing and communications officer for North America. In that role she helped drive a leading market position across the U.S. and Canada, contributing to revenue growth for the North America business to more than $20 billion annually and positioning the company as an inclusion and diversity leader.

Previously, Poggenpohl served as Accenture's global brand and image leader for nine years, with responsibility for brand strategy, advertising, research, digital marketing, trademark portfolio, agency management and support for acquisitions and joint ventures. Prior to that, Poggenpohl served Accenture as partner/director of global brand management and advertising.

Poggenpohl has received wide recognition for her achievements. She has been named five times as "Best Marketer" by B-to-B Magazine and selected twice for "100 Influential Marketers" by The Internationalist magazine, and she received the American Business Award for "Executive of the Year" and "Outstanding Role Model" from the Accenture Women's Mentoring Committee.

She serves several civic and community organizations, including the Dean's Business Council for the University of Illinois College of Business, the College of Business Dean's Advisory Board for the University of Nebraska and the Board of Directors for the Chicago Children's Museum. She has served as President of the Chicago Business Marketing Association and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

Poggenpohl holds a B.S. degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, from which she received the Alumni Master award, and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, from which she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

"Unisys is at a true inflection point. To be able to take a brand as revered as Unisys and tell its great stories is a once-in-a-career opportunity," said Poggenpohl. "I look forward to showcasing not only how far Unisys has come, but also how far it can go."

About Unisys

Unisys is a global IT solutions company that delivers successful outcomes for the most demanding businesses and governments. Unisys offerings include digital workplace services, cloud and infrastructure services, software operating environments for high-intensity enterprise computing, business process solutions and application development services. Unisys integrates security into all of its solutions. For more information on how Unisys delivers for its clients across the government, financial services and commercial markets, visit www.unisys.com.

Follow Unisys on Twitter and LinkedIn.

RELEASE NO.: 0517/9836

Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

UIS-C

SOURCE Unisys Corporation
"I don't see people as having disabilities or not  I see them as being good people or people devoid of human compassion. If we fail to make the investments required for children with special needs today, there will be tragic consequences in the future not only for Europe, but for the whole world." These were the words of Petar Mandjoukov, Ambassador of Goodwill of the Disability Movement in Bulgaria and recipient of the Order of Charity awarded by the U.S. Congress, expressing his high appreciation of the new EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, presented on March 3 of this year https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8376&furtherPubs=yes . The document opens the door to greater justice and more equal opportunities for people with psychosocial dysfunctions and mental problems by drawing the focus of the institutional efforts to their dignified inclusion in society. One of the causes to which the Bulgarian philanthropist and diplomat has dedicated himself; is the introduction of programmes for more tolerance and support of disabled people in the workplace.

For his generosity and altruism, Petar Mandjoukov received the well-deserved award of Ambassador of Goodwill of the Disability Movement in Bulgaria from the late Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad who was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mandjoukov also received an award on behalf of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy. The prize was first established by his distinguished relative, the 35th American President J. F. Kennedy who, apart from being the first Goodwill Ambassador, Is also the patron of all initiatives within and outside the United States of America helping disadvantaged people in their battle with disabilities. Today, this cause is supported by Patrick J. Kennedy, who is fighting his own battle and has been very open about his personal struggle.

The humanistic and humanitarian work of Petar Mandjoukov has been the reason for the honorary 'Humanity' prize conferred upon him, as well as the Order of Gratitude for Charity awarded by the U.S. Congress. The name of the Bulgarian diplomat is included in the European Book of Golden Corporate Donors. In 2007, he was awarded the esteemed prize personally by Donna Steiger, Chairwoman of the Tribunal for Crimes against Humanity.

One of the largest humanitarian projects undertaken by Mr. Mandjoukov was the establishment of a department for work with children at the Integration Resource Centre for People with Disabilities in his home country and the regular supply of equipment and medications for the department. It employs a team of highly qualified psychologists, physicians, rehabilitators, and lawyers consulting more than 10,000* children with physical, mental and sensory disabilities, as well as their families. There are rehabilitation exercise programmes and art therapy programmes with drawing and dancing activities for the youngest children. According to numerous global humanitarian organizations, Mr. Mandjoukov is one of the few Eastern European entrepreneurs who actively endorse the national and municipal initiatives supporting children and adults with disabilities. Thanks to his compassion and understanding, these children are raised in their own homes and not at social institutions, which is crucial for their future integration in a work environment, as commented by various activists. As a sign of appreciation, the Bulgarian government named the newly established department after Mr. Mandjoukov. The social and healthcare workers admit that thanks to the invaluable financial support provided by the honourable Goodwill Ambassador, the Mental Studies Centre is able to help people with disabilities and prioritize the most vulnerable among them, such as children from low-income families.

SOURCE Petar Mandjoukov
"These outstanding lawyers succeed every day in delivering top-notch client service in high stakes matters," said Philip T. Inglima, chair of Crowell & Moring. "We applaud them for this recognition and for helping make Crowell & Moring a better firm as we strive to create a more equitable environment for our diverse attorneys."

The National Black Lawyers is a professional honorary organization established to promote the nation's top black attorneys and to enhance the professional development of its members. The National Black Lawyers Top 100 and Top 40 Under 40 are recognitions that were "created to celebrate legal excellence by promoting attorneys as subject-matter experts [and to develop] a strong national network of top African American attorneys."

About Crowell & Moring LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with approximately 560 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Media Contact:

Andrew Loeb

Senior Coordinator, PR

+1 202.624.2792

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP

Related Links

http://www.crowell.com


TORONTO and NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Real Brokerage Inc. ("Real") (TSXV: REAX) (OTCQX: REAXF), a national, technology powered real estate brokerage in the United States, announced its launch of business in New Hampshire with the appointment of real estate broker Andy Armata as Real's principal broker in New Hampshire.

Armata, who also serves as New England growth leader for Real, has been a licensed real estate broker for two decades, has been licensed in seven states and has served as broker of record for over 25,000 transactions in New Hampshire and throughout New England. He prides himself on being a team builder and industry innovator and is thrilled with bringing the Real business model to the region.

"Real has put together a unique offering of agent incentives and compensation, branding, revenue sharing, training and a culture built around people who actually live our motto  'work hard, be kind'," Armata said.

"We are thrilled to open Real in New Hampshire and offer agents in The Granite State access to Andy's transaction and agent training expertise along with the financial opportunities that Real offers," said Real co-founder and CEO Tamir Poleg.

Normal Course Issuer Bid

Real announced today that the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") has accepted for filing Real's notice in respect of a normal course issuer bid (the "NCIB") to be transacted through the facilities of the TSXV.

Pursuant to the NCIB, Real may purchase up to 7,170,190 of its common shares (the "Shares") representing approximately 5% of the total 143,403,790 Shares of the Company's issued and outstanding as at April 30, 2021. Purchases will be made at prevailing market prices commencing on or about May 20, 2021 and ending on the earlier of: (i) one year from such commencement; or (ii) the date on which the Company has purchased the maximum number of Shares to be under the NCIB.

The Company has established a Restricted Share Unit Plan ("RSU Plan") for the benefit of designated participants. Designated participants are employees, officers or consultants of the Company or a related entity of the Company as the Board may designate from time to time as eligible to participate in the Plan. Under the Plan, vested RSUs are redeemable for Shares, a cash payment equivalent to the value of a Share or a combination of cash or Shares. The RSU Plan provides that Shares available to satisfy such redemption will be acquired on the market. The NCIB is being conducted to acquire the Shares for the purposes of the RSU Plan.

Real has appointed CWB Trust Services as the Trustee for the purposes of arranging for the acquisition of the Shares and to hold the shares in trust for the purposes of the RSU Plan as well as deal with other administration matters. Through the trustee, RBC Capital Markets ("RBCCM") has been engaged to undertake purchases under the NCIB for the purposes of the RSU Plan. RBCCM is required to comply with the TSXV NCIB rules in respect of the purchases of Shares as the Trustee is considered to be a non-independent trustee by the TSXV for the purposes of the NCIB rules.

The Shares acquired will be held by the Trustee until the same are sold in the market with the proceeds to be transferred to designated participants under the terms of the RSU Plan to satisfy the Company's obligations in respect of redemptions of vested RSUs held by such designated participants.

A copy of the Company's Notice filed with the TSXV may be obtained, by any shareholder without charge, by contacting Real's Corporate Secretary.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States.

The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Real

Real (www.joinreal.com) is a technology-powered real estate brokerage operating in 30 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Real is building the future, together with agents and their clients. Real creates financial opportunities for agents through better commission splits, best-in-class technology, revenue sharing and equity incentives.

Contact Information

Press, for more information, please contact:

The Real Brokerage Inc.

Ryan Birchmeier

[email protected]

201-564-4221

Investors, for more information, please contact:

Hayden IR

James Carbonara

[email protected]

646-755-7412

About CWB Trust Services

CWB Trust Services, a member of the CWB Financial Group, provides personalized trustee and custodial solutions for mid-sized pension plans, brokerage firms, investment managers, endowments, individual mortgage investors and other investment pools. Learn more at www.cwt.ca.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "likely" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, without limiting the foregoing, information relating to Real's expansion to New Hampshire, Armata's transaction and training expertise, and the business and strategic plans of Real.

Forward-looking information is based on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including but not limited to Real's business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. Real considers these assumptions to be reasonable in the circumstances. However, forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. These factors should be carefully considered and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, Real cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and Real assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE The Real Brokerage Inc.

Related Links

https://www.joinreal.com


TORONTO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc. ("Supreme", the "Company" or "we") (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) (FRA: 53S1) is pleased to announce that it has mailed a management information circular (the "Information Circular") and related proxy materials for the special meeting of Supreme shareholders ("Supreme Shareholders") to be held virtually on June 10, 2021 (the "Supreme Meeting") to obtain Supreme Shareholder approval of the plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") with Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy") pursuant to which, among other things, Canopy will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Supreme ("Supreme Shares"), which was previously announced on April 8, 2021 (the "Transaction").

The Arrangement

Under the terms of the Arrangement, Supreme shareholders will receive 0.01165872 of a Canopy common share and $0.0001 in cash in exchange for each Supreme Share held. The Transaction provides Supreme Shareholders with a premium per Supreme Share of approximately 66% based on the closing prices of the Supreme Shares and Canopy common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") as of April 7, 2021.

Recommendation of the Supreme Board

The Transaction was approved by the board of directors of Supreme and Supreme's board of directors recommends that Supreme Shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction. Each of BMO Capital Markets and Hyperion Capital provided the Supreme board of directors with an opinion, each dated April 7, 2021, to the effect that, as of the date of such opinion, the consideration payable pursuant to the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Supreme Shareholders, in each case, based upon and subject to the respective assumptions, limitations, qualifications and other matters set forth in such opinions.

The Supreme Meeting

The Supreme Meeting is scheduled to be held on June 10, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time). The record date for determining Supreme Shareholders eligible to vote at the Supreme Meeting was May 3, 2021 (the "Record Date").

Due to restrictions relating to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and to mitigate risks to the health and safety of our communities, Supreme Shareholders, employees and other stakeholders, Supreme is holding the Supreme Meeting as a completely virtual meeting, where all Supreme Shareholders, regardless of geographic location and equity ownership, will have an equal opportunity to participate and engage with Supreme as well as other Supreme Shareholders.

The Information Circular provides important and detailed instructions about how to participate at the virtual Supreme Meeting.

To become effective, the Arrangement must be approved at the Supreme Meeting by at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the votes cast by Supreme Shareholders on the resolution approving the Arrangement, present virtually or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Supreme Meeting. Canopy has entered into voting support agreements with certain of Supreme's directors and officers pursuant to which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their Supreme Shares in favour of the Transaction.

Your vote is important regardless of the number of Supreme Shares you own. Supreme encourages Supreme Shareholders to read the meeting materials in detail. A copy of the Information Circular and related proxy materials are available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) under Supreme's issuer profile and on Supreme's website at https://www.supreme.ca/canopy-growth-acquisition.

The Interim Order

Supreme is also pleased to announce that it has obtained the interim order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) dated May 11, 2021, with respect to the Arrangement. The interim order, among other things, authorizes Supreme to call and hold the Supreme Meeting to approve the Arrangement. A copy of the interim order is included in the Information Circular.

The hearing date for the application for the final order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) is scheduled for June 15, 2021. Assuming timely receipt of all necessary court, Supreme Shareholder, regulatory and third-party approvals and the satisfaction of all other conditions, closing of the Arrangement is expected to occur by the end of June 2021.

Voting your Supreme Shares

Registered Supreme Shareholders as of the Record Date (being Supreme Shareholders who hold their Supreme Shares directly, registered in their own names) and duly appointed proxyholders will be able to virtually attend, participate and vote at the Supreme Meeting online at https://web.lumiagm.com/470145771 using the Supreme Meeting ID: 470145771 and password "supreme2021" (case sensitive). Non-registered Supreme Shareholders (being Supreme Shareholders who hold their Supreme Shares through a bank, trust company, broker, dealer, custodian, nominee, administrator of a self-administered plan or other intermediary (each, an "Intermediary")) who have not duly appointed themselves as proxyholder will be able to virtually attend the Supreme Meeting as guests, however they will not be able to participate or vote at the Supreme Meeting.

If you are unable to virtually attend the Supreme Meeting, we encourage you to take the time now to complete, sign, date, and return the enclosed form of proxy or voting instruction form so your Supreme Shares can be voted at the Supreme Meeting in accordance with your instructions. Proxies must be received by Supreme's transfer agent no later than 10:00 a.m. on, June 8, 2021 or at least 48 hours prior to any adjournment or postponement of the Supreme Meeting. Voting instruction forms, which must be submitted to your Intermediary, may need to be submitted in advance of this deadline in order to be valid.

Shareholder Questions or Voting Assistance

If you have any questions or require more information with respect to the procedures for voting, please contact our strategic shareholder advisor and proxy solicitation agent, Kingsdale Advisors, by telephone at 1-877-659-1819 (416-867-2272 for collect calls outside of North America) or by email at [email protected].

ABOUT SUPREME CANNABIS

The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc., (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) (FRA: 53S1), is a global diversified portfolio of distinct cannabis companies, products and brands. Since 2014, the Company has emerged as one of the world's most premium producers of recreational, wholesale and medical cannabis products.

Supreme's portfolio of brands caters to diverse consumer and patient experiences, with brands and products that address recreational, wellness, medical and new consumer preferences. The Company's recreational brand portfolio includes, 7ACRES, 7ACRES Craft Collective, Blissco, sugarleaf, and Hiway. Supreme addresses national and international medical cannabis opportunities through its premium Truverra brand.

Supreme's brands are backed by a focused suite of world-class operating assets that serve key functions in the value chain, including, scaled cultivation, value-add processing, automated packaging and product testing and R&D. Follow the Company on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. We simply grow better.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Supreme or its respective subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release. Examples of such statements include statements with respect to the timing and outcome of the Arrangement, the anticipated timing of the Supreme Meeting and the closing of the Transaction. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including assumptions as to the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court and shareholder approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the Transaction; risks related to the value of the Canopy common shares to be issued pursuant to the Transaction; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial and stock markets; risks related to infectious diseases, including the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the cannabis industry, including the global regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis, political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws; compliance with extensive government regulation and the interpretation of various laws regulations and policies; public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry; and such other risks contained in the public filings of Supreme filed with Canadian securities regulators and available under Supreme's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, including the Information Circular and Supreme's annual information form for the year ended June 30, 2020.

In respect of the forward-looking statements and information concerning the anticipated timing for completion of the Transaction, Supreme has provided such statements and information in reliance on certain assumptions that they believe are reasonable at this time. Although Supreme beleives that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Should one or more of the foregoing risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Supreme has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and Supreme does not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information or forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.supreme.ca/


SUWANEE, Ga., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart Source is pleased to announce its acquisition of the majority of assets of Superior Business Solutions in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Superior Business Solutions was founded in 1924 by Robert English, and today, offers premier document management services, along with printed materials and promotional products, to its clients. The combination of Smart Source's industry leading technology and corporate footprint, and the highly regarded reputation of the third generation led Superior Business Solutions will provide synergistic benefit to both Companies.

Smart Source is a leading Brand Management Business Process Outsourcer ("BPO") and Technology provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia which sources printed materials and promotional products for both domestic and international customers. The Company has a reputation for successfully integrating and growing existing customer relationships by leveraging its Brand Sourcing Technology to optimize customer pricing. As a result of this effort, and the success of our many customers, Smart Source has seen substantial growth and expansion in recent years. The acquisition of Superior Business Solutions will allow Smart Source to further increase market share in the Midwest. The acquisition also allows SBS to access the tools necessary to be a market leader and grow its business in an industry that continues to undergo change.

Superior Business Solutions is a third generation, privately-owned company located in Kalamazoo, Michigan with locations throughout the Midwest. Bill English, Superior Business Solutions' third generation President commented "I am looking forward to helping make Smart Source an even stronger and more resourceful company. We will be looking for other strategic additions to Smart Source in terms of geography, capabilities and cultural fit." Tim English, Vice President stated "I am excited to see the next chapter of Superior Business Solutions. Being a 5-time winner of Best in Print and Digital (https://www.inkonit.com/bestofprint) proves our team is already very good at taking care of our customers. With the additional resources Smart Source brings to our team and customers, I know we can take this to a whole new level throughout the Midwest."

Tom D'Agostino, Jr. stated "This deal is very meaningful for us as well as our industry. While Tim English and his sales team will focus on organically growing their accounts, Bill English will be heading Smart Source's M&A effort, offering other distributors a path forward to greater enhance the value of their business." In announcing the acquisition, Scott Rich of Smart Source, stated "it is a pleasure to welcome Superior Business Solutions team to the Smart Source family. Their reputation in the industry is outstanding and compliments the Smart Source culture." And Sara Horn, Chief Operating Officer, is "looking forward to enhancing our combined resources, technology and operational efficiencies which will benefit our clients and continue to position Smart Source as an Industry Leader."

All inquiries should be directed to:

Jack D. Huber

President

770.449.6300

Scott Rich

Senior Vice President of Sales

770.449.6300

About Smart Source

Smart Source is a premiere branded communications provider dedicated to delivering comprehensive BPO solutions. Based in Atlanta, Smart Source offers a full suite of solutions including creative services, document management and fulfillment management encompassing inventory management, kitting and distribution. The Company takes pride in delivering high quality products, providing industry expertise, streamlining processes and utilizing best-in-class technology to clients in a diverse array of industries including healthcare, finance, retail, hospitality and manufacturing.

SOURCE Smart Source LLC

Related Links

www.smartsourcellc.com


Lawson said he is proud of the way his firm weathered the past year and has been heartened at how his employees pulled together to support one another to keep the business on track. He believes the culture and mindset of the construction industry, the ability to deal with disruption, helped the firm make it through the pandemic.
On November 19, 2020, the owners of Ambler Metals approved the 2021 program and budget of approximately US$27 million for the advancement of the UKMP. The entire amount is fully funded by Ambler Metals and will consist of approximately 14,600 meters of diamond drilling (Table 1).

The exploration program is aligned with a strategy developed by Trilogy Metals and South32 which prioritizes the exploration budget within the 172,636-hectare (426,600-acre) UKMP. The strategy defines a balanced and realistic program that advances the highest priority projects and exploration targets, both Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") and Carbonate-Hosted Copper ("CHC"), ranging from early-stage geophysical anomalies that were identified during the 2019 airborne Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic ("VTEM") survey to advanced VMS and CHC prospects with historical resources.

Priority 1  The Arctic Project. This will entail additional infill drilling to further improve the confidence of the mineral resources. In addition, there will be further metallurgical and targeted condemnation drilling to allow the partners to further de-risk the Arctic Project;





Priority 2A  Near Arctic (Arctic Hub) exploration, with the goal of discovering nearby copper-rich satellite deposits within a 3-5-kilometer radius of the Arctic deposit; and





Priority 2B  District exploration for both VMS deposits in the Ambler Belt and CHC deposits in the Cosmos Hills and the Ambler Lowlands.

Tony Giardini, President and CEO of Trilogy, commented, "I am extremely excited given that we will soon be opening camp with the expectation that we will commence drilling by early June, with the first assay results expected to be available in the fall. The proposed exploration program will be one of the biggest programs in the history of the Ambler Mining District and we have expectations that this program will eventually add to our mineral inventory within this emerging world-class mining district. While we will not be drilling at the Bornite Project this year, we believe in the potential of this project and plan to resume drilling there soon."

Ramzi Fawaz, President and CEO of Ambler Metals, commented, "We are looking forward to executing a safe and productive summer field season, expecting to hire approximately 60 personnel directly and an additional 75 through contractors working with us. We have an extensive drilling program planned at Arctic and in the Ambler district. We will of course prioritize hiring NANA shareholders from the Upper Kobuk villages followed by other shareholders in the NANA region and will be applying strict COVID protocols to protect our employees, contractors and the communities around us."

Preparations have already commenced with the mobilization of construction and camp maintenance crews. Mobilization of equipment is expected to commence on June 1st, with drilling to begin shortly thereafter.

Table 1. Summary of Proposed Summer Drilling Program at the UKMP



Estimated Drilling (meters) Drill Holes Arctic Drilling



Geotechnical 2,000 8 Conversion/Metallurgical 4,800 ~28 Condemnation 800 4 Total Arctic Drilling 7,600 ~40 Arctic East

2 Priority 2A- Near Arctic Targets



Arctic East 600 2 Southeast Arctic 650 1 Center of Universe 1,000 2





Priority 2B - District



Snow 900 2 Cliff-DH-Horse 1,600 5 Sunshine 400 2 Ambler Lowlands 500 1





Follow-Up Drilling 1,350 3-4 Total Exploration Drilling 7,000 18+ Total Drilling 14,600 58+

Arctic Work Plan

Exploration activities planned at the Arctic Project include geotechnical drilling (8 holes  2,000 meters), conversion/metallurgical drilling (28 holes  4,800 meters) and condemnation drilling (4 holes  800 meters). The condemnation drilling will target areas proximal to the Arctic Project that may host additional VMS-style mineralization but also provide condemnation information for the processing plant and tailings management facility. The goal of this summer campaign at Arctic is to advance and de-risk the project so the joint venture partners can make a future construction decision. It is expected that this drilling campaign will convert a portion of the Arctic resources from the indicated category to the measured category. Also, the additional metallurgical drilling will allow Ambler Metals to continue trade-off metallurgical studies. In total, there will be approximately 7,600 meters of drilling at Arctic during this summer campaign.

Near Arctic Exploration

Approximately 2,250 meters of drilling is planned within three high-priority target areas that are within 5 kilometers of Arctic (Figure 1):

East Arctic  the eastern projection of the three lowermost mineralized zones of the Arctic deposit, approximately 200 meters east of the existing resource, that is supported by the existence of a gossan on the eastern slope;





Southeast Arctic  a VTEM conductor with a coincident chlorite alteration hyperspectral response located on the projection of the Arctic mineralized horizon approximately 1,700 meters southeast of Arctic; and





Center of the Universe ("COU")  a large target area covering the catchment immediately northwest of Arctic Valley that has multiple fold/fault repeats of the Arctic stratigraphy that are coincident with VTEM and soil geochemical anomalies.

In addition, geological mapping and soil sampling is planned over several prospects and VTEM anomalies outside these target areas, including the Pipe VMS prospect located 4 kilometers northeast of Arctic. Detailed geological and structural mapping at Arctic and in the near Arctic area will be used to build a three-dimensional geological model of the favorable geological horizons for VMS mineralization. This model is expected to be used for future exploration.

District Exploration  Ambler VMS Belt

Along the Ambler VMS Belt, Ambler Metals will focus approximately 2,900 meters of drilling on the three drill-ready VMS prospects that have the best potential for shallow open-pit mineralization (Figure 2):

Sunshine - 13 kilometers to the west-northwest of Arctic. The planned drilling will test the west-southwest extension of high-grade intercepts in hole SC19-019 (8.06 meters at 3.28% Cu, 1.47% Zn, 0.27% Pb, 0.15 g/t Au and 25.64 g/t Ag, and 7.88 meters at 2.23% Cu, 5.62% Zn, 1.10% Pb, 0.18 g/t Au and 46.95 g/t Ag) that was drilled by Trilogy in 2019 (for more information, please see press release TMQ Bornite Sunshine Drilling September 10 2019);





2019); Snow  30 kilometers to the west-northwest of Arctic. Drilling is planned down dip of previously discovered silver and zinc-rich drill hole intercepts; and





Cliff-DH-Horse  19 kilometers northwest of Arctic. VMS mineralization was intersected in 12 of 18 holes over a strike length of 3 kilometers in the 1970s. Ambler Metals plans to drill test potential mineralization.

In addition, Ambler Metals plans to perform additional geological mapping and soil sampling at several other VMS prospects in the belt, including Ambler, Dead Creek, South Cliff and Nora, as well as at approximately 10 high-priority VTEM anomalies that were identified from the 2019 VTEM survey.

Cosmos Hills and the Ambler Lowlands

Exploration, including drilling, will also be carried out for carbonate-hosted copper-cobalt mineralization in the Cosmos Hills, host to the Bornite deposit, and along strike in the Ambler Lowlands. Outside of exploration work on the Bornite deposit itself, the Cosmos Hills have not been systematically explored since historical work was carried out by Kennecott in the 1990s. Mapping and soil sampling planned for 2021 cover an area approximately 10 kilometers in length, from the Aurora and Pardner Hill copper prospects in the west to Bornite East, and will be used to define drill targets for 2022.

The Ambler Lowlands form a 10-kilometer-wide glaciated valley separating Arctic and Bornite that is virtually unexplored despite its proximity to these deposits. Drill hole NANA-1 (Figure 2), one of only two drill holes in the valley, was completed in 1974 and believed to have intersected dolomitized carbonate and carbonate breccia like the carbonates that host the Bornite deposit approximately 14 kilometers along strike to the west. This drill hole indicates the potential for Bornite-style carbonate-hosted copper-cobalt mineralization concealed under shallow glacial cover in the lowlands and will be followed up with drilling in 2021.

COVID Protocols

To limit the spread of COVID-19 in the camp and neighboring communities, Ambler Metals has implemented a strict set of COVID-19 protocols that include requiring negative COVID-19 tests prior to traveling to site and prior to departing site. Additional protocols for social distancing, face masks, and sanitization have also been implemented. A medical service provider has been contracted to administer rapid COVID-19 tests at site and in Fairbanks.

Stakeholder Engagement

Ambler Metals is currently conducting a stakeholder engagement and outreach program with the NANA communities, which will be followed by an engagement process with key Doyon communities. The focus of the community engagements is Ambler Metals' summer field season and job opportunities, and also to socialize the permitting plans of the Arctic Project and the public process associated with it.

Ambler Metals Hiring Practices

Ambler Metals expects to employ approximately 60 personnel directly and an additional 75 contractor personnel for the field seasonal program. Ambler Metals prioritizes hiring NANA shareholders from the Upper Kobuk villages of Kobuk, Shungnak, and Ambler followed by other shareholders in the NANA region.

Qualified Persons

Richard Gosse, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration for Trilogy, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Gosse has reviewed the scientific and technical information in this news release and approves the disclosure contained herein.

About Trilogy Metals

Trilogy Metals Inc. is a metals exploration and development company which holds a 50 percent interest in Ambler Metals LLC which has a 100 percent interest in the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects ("UKMP") in northwestern Alaska. On December 19, 2019, South32, a globally diversified mining and metals company, exercised its option to form a 50/50 joint venture with Trilogy. The UKMP is located within the Ambler Mining District which is one of the richest and most-prospective known copper-dominant districts located in one of the safest geopolitical jurisdictions in the world. It hosts world-class polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") deposits that contain copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, and carbonate replacement deposits which have been found to host high-grade copper and cobalt mineralization. Exploration efforts have been focused on two deposits in the Ambler mining district  the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement deposit. Both deposits are located within a land package that spans approximately 172,636 hectares. Ambler Metals has an agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., a Regional Alaska Native Corporation that provides a framework for the exploration and potential development of the Ambler mining district in cooperation with local communities. Our vision is to develop the Ambler mining district into a premier North American copper producer.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to the proposed 2021 field exploration season, including the timing, cost, results and benefits thereof, and the conversion of indicated resources to measures resources, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the uncertainties involving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; success of exploration activities, permitting timelines, requirements for additional capital, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services, uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and geological tests, unexpected cost increases and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2020 filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and in other Company reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The Company's forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

SOURCE Trilogy Metals Inc.

Related Links

www.trilogymetals.com


LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trophy Automotive Dealer Group, a leading automotive dealer group operating in California, announces the launch of a groundbreaking mobile application available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store titled Trophy  Buy & Sell Cars.

Trophy  Buy & Sell Cars is the first mobile application to capture the full vehicle life cycle allowing customers to shop from thousands of new and used vehicles on the mobile application, manage service appointments, and even get an immediate estimate on the value of their vehicle. Trophy  Buy & Sell Cars is the latest in a series of innovative technologies that Trophy Automotive Dealer Group has produced to engage customers.

Users of Trophy  Buy & Sell Cars will shop new and used cars on the go and can apply for financing or leasing directly through the app. Trophy is currently focusing on the Southern California market. Commenting on the launch of the new app, Nasser Watar (Trophy's CEO) states, "We are very excited to launch the Trophy Buy & Sell Cars mobile app, our objective is to roll out our technology nationwide by the end of the year."

Download the Trophy  Buy & Sell Cars app today



Trophy Automotive Dealer Group is one of the largest non-public dealer groups in the State of California and also a leading Kia Dealer Group in the number of new car units sold in the US market.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JL8pOZDn2g

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12869504

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Trophy Automotive Dealer Group
DUBLIN, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "U.S. Telehealth Market - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The U.S. telehealth market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 28% during the period 2020-2026.

The introduction of telehealth has led to the availability of cost-effective treatment, adoption of home healthcare services, and low expenditure on infrastructure development. Telehealth is revolutionizing the healthcare industry as it minimizes hospital visits, reduces patient wait time, and decreases the physical discomfort caused to patients.

Further, in the US, the high expenditure on healthcare IT infrastructure by major stakeholders contributes to the market's growth. The telehealth market is observing increased investment for the integration of telecommunications with healthcare systems. COVID-19 further enhanced the adoption of telemedicine among physicians in the US. Every state Medicaid has some form of coverage to virtual care services and private payers.

Many hospitals started to provide services through platforms, which increase their adoption among healthcare providers. Hospitals started to adopt various new platforms to increase better access to end-users. Hence, the usage of information and communication technologies (ICT) has the capability to address critical challenges faced by the US in providing accessible, cost-effective, and high-quality healthcare services to patients.



U.S. Telehealth Market Segmentation

The U.S. telehealth market research report includes a detailed segmentation by modality, component, end-user, application, delivery mode. The real-time virtual health segment accounted for a significant share of 49% in 2020. The real-time virtual health segment is anticipated to retain its dominance during the forecast period. The usage of real-time virtual care in remote ICUs has increased in the US during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Telehealth is one of the valuable tools for monitoring health conditions and treatment. The adoption of telemedicine is expected to rise with advances in technology and the high penetration of smart gadgets across the US. The remote patient monitoring segment expects to reach over USD 13 billion by 2026.

The remote patient monitoring market is growing at a healthy rate and is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes, and respiratory diseases in the elderly population that requires regular monitoring and quality care.



The US telehealth services market is growing at a fast CAGR of over 32% due to the shift in focus to patient-centric, value-based care from conventional hospital-centric and fee-per-service models. The growing geriatric population is driving the connected medical devices market. Further, the growing need for affordable treatments is estimated to boost the demand for telehealth services. However, limited coverage of insurance, especially by Medicare, and issues related to the ambiguous regulatory framework adopted by different states and the US Federal government are anticipated to curtail the market growth during the forecast period.



In 2020, the web/app-based telehealth segment constituted over 77% of the U.S. telehealth market share. As the web-based delivery model requires minimal software and hardware components for delivering telehealth solutions, the demand is relatively high since they reduce upfront installation costs. Hence, the market is witnessing an increased adoption of web-based services. The segment is likely to grow at a healthy rate due to the growing demand from emerging economies embracing telehealth technology in most healthcare facilities in remote and rural areas.



In 2020, chronic care management accounted for approx. 36% of the U.S. telehealth market share. Chronic diseases are one of the major concerns for healthcare providers. Managing diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer has become a significant challenge for physicians. Around 40% of the US population suffers from chronic diseases. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, tele stroke usage to monitor COVID-19 infected patients has increased, which has driven the demand for tele stroke.



The healthcare providers segment expects to witness an incremental growth of over USD 13 billion by 2026. The segment accounted for a significant share of approx. 42% in 2020. The inclusion of telehealth services in disease management and post-acute-care management programs is increasing efficiency and effectiveness.

Several prestigious hospitals are implementing these services to improve profitability, attract and retain many patients, and reduce re-admissions. As telehealth services and remote patient monitoring devices are increasing, hospitals are focusing on enhancing telehealth infrastructure to meet the growing demand, thereby increasing market growth. Further, the increasing collaboration between hospitals and market vendors expects to boost the adoption of tele-ICUs.

INSIGHTS BY VENDORS

AMD Global Telehealth, American Well, GlobalMedia Group, Koninklijke Philips, Resideo Life Care Solutions, and Medtronic are the major players offering healthcare software/applications for remote healthcare.

The U.S. telehealth market is characterized by rapid technological change, changing end user's requirements, shorter product lifecycles, and increasing industry standards. Vendors focus on enhancing their solution with next-generation technologies and developing or acquiring new services to access a new set of consumers in the market. In the pre COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. telehealth market was in the early development stage, and it was competitive.

However, it has become highly competitive during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vendors are coming up with integrated technology platforms, high-quality provider networks, sophisticated consumer engagement strategies, and entrenched distribution channels. They are trying to create a strong brand image, establishing a solid relationship with clients to become a leading telehealth platform in the US.



Prominent Vendors

AMD Global Telemedicine

American Well

BioTelemetry

GlobalMedia Group

InTouch Health

Koninklijke Philips

Medtronic

Resideo Life Care Solutions

Teladoc Health

Vivify Health

Other Prominent Vendors

AirStrip Technologies

A&D Company

Abbott

AgaMatrix

AliveCor

AT&T

athenahealth

BIOTRONIK

Boston Scientific

Biotricity

CHI Health

Doctor on Demand

edgeMED Healthcare

eVisit

GE Healthcare

Genome Medical

Graham Healthcare Group

Harris Computer

HealthTap

INOVA

iHealth Labs

Integrity Urgent Care

iSelectMD

MedArrive

Masimo

MDLIVE

Medici

MeMD

MedXCom

Mercy Virtual

NextGen Healthcare

Nines

Omron Healthcare

PlushCare

98point6

SOC Telemed

Spacelabs Healthcare

THA Group

TytoCare

Vidyo

Vsee

virtuwell

Vida Health

ZIPNOSIS

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of The Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview

7.2 US Telehealth Market Snapshot



8 Recent Telehealth Reforms During COVID-19

8.1 Overview

8.2 Recent Medicare Telehealth Reimbursement Reforms

8.2.1 Key Changes in Reimbursement by CMS Enabling Telehealth Implementation



9 Telehealth in Outpatient Settings

9.1 Overview

9.1.1 Reasons for Physicians Adopting Telehealth in Outpatient Settings

9.1.2 Telehealth Usage Among Specialists



10 COVID-19 Impact on Telehealth

10.1 Overview



11 Market Opportunities & Trends

11.1 Reimbursement Expansion For Telehealth Services

11.2 Strategic Acquisitions & Collaborations

11.3 Emergence Of Telehealth Robots & Robotic Platforms

11.4 High Demand For Telehealth Due To COVID-19 Pandemic



12 Market Growth Enablers

12.1 Increasing Demand For Tele-ICUs

12.2 Rise In Telehealth Adoption Among Physicians

12.3 Growing Target Pool Of Patients Requiring Telehealth Services

12.4 Rising mHealth Applications Fueling Telehealth Adoption

12.5 Growing Demand For RPM Platforms & Connected Medical Devices



13 Market Restraints

13.1 Chances Of Misdiagnosis Due To Lack Of Physical Examination

13.2 Uncertainty Over Standard Regulatory Frameworks & Legal Barriers To Telehealth

13.3 Lack Of Standard Interoperability In Telehealth Infrastructure

13.4 Data Security & Privacy Risks Associated With Telehealth



14 Market Landscape

14.1 Market Overview

14.2 Market Size & Forecast

14.3 Five Forces Analysis



15 Modality

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Market Overview

15.3 Real-Time Virtual Health

15.3.1 Market Overview

15.3.2 Market Size & Forecast

15.3.3 Real-time Virtual Health: Segmentation

15.3.4 Video Communication: Market Size & Forecast

15.3.5 Audio Communication: Market Size & Forecast

15.3.6 Chat/E-mail Communication: Market Size & Forecast

15.4 Remote Patient Monitoring

15.5 Store & Forward



16 Component

16.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Market Overview

16.3 Telehealth Services

16.4 Hardware

16.5 Software



17 Delivery Mode

17.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

17.2 Market Overview

17.3 Web/App-Based Telehealth

17.4 Cloud-Based Telehealth

17.5 On-Premise Telehealth

18 Application

18.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

18.2 Market Overview

18.3 Chronic Care Management

18.4 Radiology

18.5 Mental Health/Neurology

18.6 Obstetrics/Gynecology (OB/GYN) Care

18.7 Urgent Care



19 End-User

19.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

19.2 Market Overview

19.3 Healthcare Providers

19.4 Patients

19.5 Employer Groups & Government Organizations

19.6 Payers

20 Competitive Landscape

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l2vzir

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


The awards recognized "Safe Care, Your Way", an advertising campaign highlighting the many options consumers have to receive the safe care they need, when and where they need it. The campaign showcases how the health and safety of patients, communities, and team members is at the center of everything UnityPoint Health does.

"It's truly an honor to receive this type of recognition," said Mallary McKinney, vice president, brand, marketing and communications at UnityPoint Health. "Health care organizations have a unique platform right now and it's been critical to do everything we can to communicate timely and relevant messages to our communities. This campaign was intentionally designed to breakthrough in a memorable way  and what better way to do that than through the honesty and pure authenticity of a child."

UnityPoint Health competed against more than 4,400 entries to win. A list of all winners can be found here. Below is a full list of award-winning entries from UnityPoint Health:

UnityPoint Health Healthcare Advertising Awards:



UnityPoint Health says its campaign is also resonating outside of the industry. They've been inundated with supportive letters, emails, phone calls and social media posts. People have even sent cards to the UnityPoint Health kid ambassador as a thank you for helping share such important messages.

"The response we've received to this campaign from our team and our communities has simply been incredible," continued McKinney. "At a time when there's so much information fatigue, it's extra rewarding to see our work is cutting through the noise and making a positive impact."

In February 2021, the American Advertising Federation (AAF) of Des Moines also recognized UnityPoint Health's campaign with three wins at the local 2021 American Advertising Awards (previously known as ADDYs). All three winning entries, two Gold Awards and one Silver, feature UnityPoint Health's kid ambassador. The awards honor creative excellence in the art of advertising.

About the Safe Care, Your Way Campaign

The Safe Care, Your Way campaign was launched in June 2020 to highlight patient safety and healthcare access during the pandemic with relatable, flexible and timely messaging. The campaign showcases the many options consumers have to access the safe care they need, when and where they need it.

The kid ambassador video series was introduced as part of the campaign in September 2020 to share important messages in a memorable and meaningful way. By leveraging the authenticity of a young boy, and through a multi-channel, integrated campaign, the kid ambassador video series has continued to evolve to effectively share messages that are most important to the communities UnityPoint Health serves.

UnityPoint health partnered with Trilix, a full service marketing agency based in Des Moines, Iowa, to create and execute the award-winning Safe Care, Your Way campaign.

About UnityPoint Health

UnityPoint Health provides care throughout Iowa, western Illinois and southern Wisconsin. As an industry leader in the Midwest, we put people first  they're our sweet spot, what we care about most, and why we do what we do. Our 33,000 team members are committed to giving each person the type of experience we'd want for our own loved ones. We believe everyday moments are worth celebrating, and as your partner in health care, we're dedicated to making it easier to live well. Through relationships with more than 400 physician clinics, 20 regional and 19 community network hospitals, 7 community mental health centers, 4 accredited colleges and home care services throughout our 9 regions, we provide easier, more personal care to patients and families. Because people are amazing, and we're here to help keep them that way. More at unitypoint.org.

SOURCE UnityPoint Health

Related Links

http://www.unitypoint.org


LUBBOCK, Texas, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vexus Fiber, a leading fiber service provider in Texas, announced that it is bringing its 100% fiber-to-the-home network to the city of Tyler, Tx. The network will connect over 40,000 homes and businesses in the area to Vexus' 100% pure fiber network.

"We are thrilled to announce our expansion into Tyler," says Jim Gleason, CEO of Vexus. "Vexus' fiber network will provide homes and businesses with a new, competitive choice for Internet, TV and phone services. Our network is built with future-proof technology that provides a reliable, world-class Internet connection, and fosters additional growth and economic development for Tyler. Given that we are a Texas-based provider we plan to bring our Texas hospitality and customer service to go along with our robust network."

With construction beginning in 2021, Vexus Fiber plans to have full-network completion within 24 months. Some neighborhoods and businesses in Tyler will see network availability in 2022.

This network extension is part of an ongoing construction plan financed by existing investors Pamlico Capital and Oak Hill Capital, who have agreed to invest an additional $50 million towards the expansion into Tyler, Tx. "We are extremely pleased with the progress the team at Vexus Fiber delivers. They continue to bring gigabit capacity to residents of cities in Texas and Louisiana," added Art Roselle of Pamlico Capital.

Fiber Internet service is more reliable because it has a higher data capacity and bandwidth, is less susceptible to outside interference, and has a much lower latency than a traditional copper connection. Vexus Fiber service will deliver up to 10 Gig Internet speeds, along with all-digital TV and phone service for residential customers. Business customers will have access to data connections scalable up to 10 Gigs, TeleCloud-hosted voice solutions as well as TV channel packages tailored for all business types.

Residents and businesses that are interested in Vexus Fiber services can visit connect.vexusfiber.com to express interest and receive updates on construction. Typically, residents will receive communication via email and mail about activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to construction.

Additionally, Vexus plans to hire local management, sales, technical and customer service professionals to support the area. For those interested in joining the Vexus Fiber team visit vexusfiber.com/jobs .

About Vexus

Vexus is a leading provider of fiber-based communications solutions for both residential and business customers across Texas and Louisiana. As a technology leader in the industry, Vexus Fiber offers an extensive range of Internet connectivity over a true fiber-to-the-premise network. Services also include a robust HD Video platform, Voice, TeleCloud-hosted services and more. For more information, please visit vexusfiber.com.

Vexus Fiber Contact: Kyle Alcorn 573-481-2732

For Inquiries email: [email protected]

Pamlico Contact: Stuart Christhilf 704-404-7150

Oak Hill Contact: Dawn Dover 917 349 5621



SOURCE Vexus Fiber

Related Links

https://www.vexusfiber.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Weber Shandwick, one of the world's leading global communications and marketing solutions firms, today announced that Jamie Dowd, North America Health lead, Weber Shandwick, and Sarah Mahoney, executive vice president, Digital Health, Weber Shandwick, have been named to PM360's 2021 ELITE 100 list in the PR Guru and Digital Crusader categories, respectively. Now in its seventh year, the PM360 ELITE list  which stands for "Exceptional  Leaders  Innovators  Transformers  Entrepreneurs"  recognizes the most influential people in the healthcare industry.

Dowd, who was recently appointed as Weber Shandwick's first North America Health lead, oversees the delivery of client solutions and services across the agency's Healthcare practice in the U.S. and Canada. She leads several of Weber Shandwick's largest and longest-tenured client relationships among the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Prior to her current role, Dowd led Healthcare teams across Weber Shandwick's East region (specifically New York, Boston and Philadelphia).

"Jamie has been a core driver of the Healthcare team's growth and success in recent years  expanding our range of services and bolstering our client roster, leading and nurturing our deep bench of talent and helping to develop a strong culture, which was more important than ever given the demands of the past year," said Laura Schoen, president, Global Healthcare, Weber Shandwick, and Chief Healthcare Officer, IPG DXTRA. "I'm thrilled Jamie is getting this much deserved recognition for her work and her leadership."

As a senior leader in Digital Health, Mahoney is responsible for developing digital and social engagement campaigns for pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and health institutes. She has extensive experience executing health campaigns that leverage emerging technologies, including spearheading a first-of-its-kind branded Rx social media program specifically for rheumatoid arthritis patients. In her time at Weber Shandwick, Mahoney has launched several award-winning digital and social communities focused on disease awareness, including multiple sclerosis and chronic eye conditions.

"Sarah is a true innovator and a seasoned client counselor who marries deep expertise in social and digital content strategy with a passion for patients' health and wellbeing," Dowd said. "Her talent for imagining and developing new and better methods and channels for pharmaceutical and healthcare brands to reach their stakeholders is unmatched. Her work has no doubt had a direct impact on many patients' lives, and we're so proud to have her on our team."

The PM360 ELITE Awards were established in 2015 to recognize individuals who have made a significant impact on the healthcare industry throughout their careers. More than 500 submissions were received IN 2021 and nominees were evaluated and selected by the PM360 editorial staff. The winners were profiled in PM360's May 2021 issue. You can read their profiles online at https://www.pm360online.com/the-2021-pm360-elite-100.

About Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications network that delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses and organizations in major markets around the world. Led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators, we have won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry. Weber Shandwick was named to Ad Age's Agency A-List in 2020 and Best Places to Work in 2019. Weber Shandwick was also honored as PRovoke's Global Agency of the Decade in 2020 and PRWeek's Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The firm earned 25 Lions at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Data-led, with earned ideas at the core, the agency deploys leading and emerging technologies to inform strategy, develop critical insights and heighten impact across sectors and specialty areas, including brand and B2B marketing, healthcare marketing, change management, employee engagement, corporate reputation, crisis management, data and analytics, technology, public affairs, social impact and financial communications. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com

About PM360

PM360 is the premier, must-read magazine for marketing decision makers in the pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostics, and medical device industries. Published monthly, PM360 is the only journal that focuses on delivering the full spectrum of practical information necessary for product managers and pharmaceutical marketing professionals to succeed in the complex and highly regulated healthcare environment.

The journal's targeted and insightful editorial focuses on issues that directly impact critical decision making, including: Planning and implementation of cutting-edge strategies, trends, the latest technological advances, branding/marketing, advertising/promotion, patient/professional education, sales, market research, PR, and leadership. Additionally, the "360" in the title signifies the span of this critical, how-to info with personal and career insights for an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

By providing the full circle of enriching content, PM360 is truly an indispensable tool for busy and

productive marketing professionals to stay at the top of their game.

Contact: Jill Tannenbaum

Company: Weber Shandwick

Phone: 212-546-7815

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Weber Shandwick

Related Links

http://www.webershandwick.com


VANCOUVER, BC, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Western Copper and Gold Corporation ("Western" or the "Company") (TSX: WRN) (NYSE American: WRN) announces a C$25.6 million strategic investment by Rio Tinto Canada Inc. ("Rio Tinto"), to advance the Company's copper-gold Casino Project in the Yukon.

Rio Tinto has agreed to subscribe for and purchase 11,808,490 common shares at a price of C$2.17 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$25.6 million, resulting in Rio Tinto owning approximately 8.0% of Western's outstanding common shares.

"We are pleased to welcome Rio Tinto as a strategic investor in the Company," said Paul West-Sells, President and CEO. "The investment by Rio Tinto, a leading global mining group which operates in 35 countries around the world, and whose purpose is to produce the materials essential to human progress is a strong endorsement of the Casino Project. We look forward to working with Rio Tinto to advance Casino."

Western remains the sole owner of the Casino Project and will continue to be the operator. The Company will use the proceeds of the strategic investment to fund specific areas of study, which will form part of the feasibility study and permitting with the aim of progressing to a development phase for the Casino Project. The investment represents an opportunity for Rio Tinto to better understand the potential of the Casino Project.

In connection with the strategic investment by Rio Tinto, the Company and Rio Tinto will enter into an investor rights agreement, whereby, subject to certain conditions, including time and ownership thresholds, Rio Tinto will have certain rights, including the right to appoint:

one member to a Casino Project Technical Committee

one non-voting observer to attend all meetings of the board of directors of the Company

one director of the Company, if Rio Tinto's ownership increases to at least 12.5%

up to three secondees to the Casino Project

In addition, Rio Tinto will have a right to participate in future equity issuances to maintain its ownership in the Company and will be provided with a one-time "demand registration right" and "piggy-back registration rights."

Under the investor rights agreement, for a period of 12 months, Rio Tinto has also agreed:

not to sell, transfer, offer or otherwise dispose of any shares without first notifying the Company

to vote any shares in favor of each director nominated by the board of directors of the Company for election by shareholders

not to acquire any securities of the Company, subject to certain exceptions

The closing of the strategic investment is expected to occur on or about May 31, 2021 and is subject to regulatory approval, including that of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American LLC. The common shares will be subject to a statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

RBC Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor to Western in connection with the strategic investment by Rio Tinto.

Western will host a conference call on May 17, 2021 at 1:00 pm (Pacific Time) for senior management to discuss this investment by Rio Tinto.

Toll-Free Number: 1-800-319-4610

International Callers: 1-604-638-5340

Conference ID: 10014814

Replay of the conference call is available at 1-800-319-6413 or 1-604-638-9010, access code 6977.

ABOUT WESTERN COPPER AND GOLD CORPORATION

Western Copper and Gold Corporation is developing the Casino Project, Canada's premier copper-gold mine in the Yukon Territory and one of the most economic greenfield copper-gold mining projects in the world. For more information, visit www.westerncopperandgold.com.

On behalf of the board,

"Paul West-Sells"

Dr. Paul West-Sells

President and CEO

Western Copper and Gold Corporation

Cautionary Disclaimer Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements with respect to the anticipated use of proceeds from the strategic investment, the rights to be provided to Rio Tinto and the restrictions imposed on Rio Tinto pursuant to the investor rights agreement, and the expected closing date for the strategic investment. Statements that are not historical fact are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward looking information" as that term is defined in National Instrument 51-102 ("NI 51-102") of the Canadian Securities Administrators (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "plans", "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible" and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. In making the forward-looking statements herein, the Company has applied certain material assumptions including, but not limited to, the assumption that general business conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner.

Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual results, performance or achievements of Western and its subsidiaries may differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks involved in fluctuations in gold, copper and other commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties related to raising sufficient financing in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in Western's AIF and Form 40-F, and other information released by Western and filed with the applicable regulatory agencies.

Western's forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and Western does not assume, and expressly disclaims, any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Western Copper and Gold Corporation

Related Links

www.westerncoppercorp.com


"The Global InfoSec Awards from Cyber Defense Magazine is one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in our industry and we are thrilled to be named the 'Best Product in Vulnerability Assessment, Remediation and Management,'"said Noam Erez, CEO of XM Cyber. "This accomplishment is a true testament to our team for building a great product and it is an honor to be recognized in this regard."

"We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cyber crime. XM Cyber is absolutely worthy of this coveted award and consideration for deployment in your environment," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

The full list of winners can be found at http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/

About XM Cyber

XM Cyber is the global leader in attack path management. The XM Cyber platform enables companies to rapidly respond to cyber risks affecting their business-sensitive systems by continuously finding new exposures, including exploitable vulnerabilities and credentials, misconfigurations, and user activities. XM Cyber constantly simulates and prioritizes the attack paths putting mission-critical systems at risk, providing context-sensitive remediation options. XM Cyber helps to eliminate 99% of the risk by allowing IT and Security Operations to focus on the 1% of the exposures before they get exploited to breach the organization's "crown jewels"  its critical assets. XM Cyber was founded by top executives from the Israeli cyber intelligence community and has offices in North America, Europe, and Israel.

For more information: www.xmcyber.com

Social Networks: Follow us on Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube

About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com

About the Judging

The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking "What's Next?" so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions.

About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power.

Media Contacts:

For XM Cyber:

Seth Menacker

Fusion PR

E: [email protected]

T: +1 (201) 638-7561

For Cyber Defense Magazine:

April Palanca

Director of Marketing

E: [email protected]

Toll Free (USA): 1-833-844-9468

International: 1-646-586-9545

www.cyberdefensemagazine.com

SOURCE XM Cyber

Related Links

www.xmcyber.com


BEIJING, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhihu Inc. ("Zhihu" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZH), the operator of Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021.

First Quarter 2021 Highlights

Average monthly active users (MAUs) [1] reached 85.0 million in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 37.7% over the first quarter of 2020.

reached 85.0 million in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 37.7% over the first quarter of 2020. Average monthly paying members [2] reached 4.0 million in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 137.8% over the first quarter of 2020.

reached 4.0 million in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 137.8% over the first quarter of 2020. Total revenues were RMB478.3 million ( US$73.0 million ) in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 154.2% over the first quarter of 2020.

were ( ) in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 154.2% over the first quarter of 2020. Gross Profit was RMB272.7 million ( US$41.6 million ) in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 248.5% over the first quarter of 2020.

was ( ) in the first quarter of 2021, representing a growth of 248.5% over the first quarter of 2020. Gross margin increased to 57.0% for the first quarter from 41.6% for the same period of last year.

"We started Zhihu ten years ago with the belief that everyone has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and insights, irrespective of background or education. We successfully completed our initial public offering and became a public company listed on the New York Stock exchange during the first quarter of 2021, which we believe is both a milestone and the starting point of a new journey for Zhihu." said Mr. Yuan Zhou, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Zhihu. "We booked strong growth and delivered a set of solid results in the first quarter of 2021, reflecting our firm commitment to executing our content-centric growth strategy and monetization approach. We also celebrated Zhihu's 10th anniversary as we continued to solidify and strengthen Zhihu's brand image. We also continued to execute our video-lization strategy, and expect that our community will further benefit from an enriching content portfolio coupled with enhanced content creation and user engagement. We are confident in our prospects and our strong capability to honor our commitment to our users, content creators, and business partners."

Mr. Wei Sun, Chief Financial Officer of Zhihu, added, "In the first quarter of 2021, we recorded a total revenue of RMB478.3 million, reflecting a 154.2% growth over the same period 2020. Our average MAUs reached 85.0 million, representing an increase of 37.7% over the same period of 2020, as our user base continued to rapidly grow. Our gross margin increased to 57.0% from 41.6% in the first quarter of 2020. We are very pleased with our achievements for the first quarter of 2021 and we expect to continue to successfully implement our content centric growth and monetization strategy with our further enhanced financial strengths after the completion of our IPO."

First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Total revenues were RMB478.3 million (US$73.0 million) for the first quarter of 2021, representing an increase of 154.2% from RMB188.2 million for the same period of 2020. The increase was due to increases from all of our business lines.

Advertising revenue was RMB213.7 million (US$32.6 million) for the first quarter of 2021, representing an increase of 70.1% from RMB125.6 million for the same period of 2020. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to the continued expansion of our user base coupled with an increase in average advertising revenue generated per MAU.

Paid membership revenue was RMB126.6 million (US$19.3 million) for the first quarter of 2021, representing an increase of 127.0% from RMB55.8 million for the same period of 2020. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to an increase in our overall user base coupled with an enhanced paying ratio.

Content-commerce solutions revenue was RMB120.8 million (US$18.4 million) for the first quarter of 2021, which increased from RMB1.1 million in the first quarter of 2020, demonstrating strong growth momentum in the business line. We formally launched our pioneering content-commerce solutions in early 2020. The year-over-year growth was primarily driven by the rapid increases of both our user base and average content-commerce solutions revenue per MAU.

Other revenues were RMB17.1 million (US$2.6 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB5.7 million for the same period of 2020. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to the continued growth of our online education and e-commerce services.

Cost of revenues increased to RMB205.6 million (US$31.4 million) for the first quarter of 2021 from RMB109.9 million for the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily due to increased execution costs for our advertising services and content-related costs. The rapid growth in user traffic in the quarter also resulted in increases in our cloud services and bandwidth costs.

Gross profit was RMB272.7 million (US$41.6 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with a gross profit of RMB78.3 million for the same period of 2020.

Gross margin for the first quarter of 2021 was 57.0%, compared to 41.6% for the same period of 2020.

Total operating expenses were RMB615.1 million (US$93.9 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB289.2 million for the same period of 2020.

Selling and marketing expenses were RMB346.6 million (US$52.9 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB125.4 million in the first quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to the increased expenses in promotion and advertising activities to strengthen our brand recognition.

Research and development expenses were RMB106.3 million (US$16.2 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB86.6 million for the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily due to the increased headcount in our research and development personnel as we continued to invest in technical infrastructure and development.

General and administrative expenses were RMB162.2 million (US$24.8 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB77.1 million for the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily due to the increased share-based compensation expenses.

Loss from operations was RMB342.5 million (US$52.3 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB210.9 million for the same period of 2020.

Net loss was RMB324.7 million (US$49.6 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB201.3 million for the same period of 2020.

Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP)[3] was RMB193.6 million (US$29.5 million) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB161.8 million for the same period of 2020.

Basic and diluted net loss per ADS was RMB3.46 (US$0.53) for the first quarter of 2021, compared with RMB2.87 in the same period of 2020.

Cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments of RMB7,960.4 million (US$1,215.0 million), compared with RMB3,096.7 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the net proceeds from the Company's initial public offering and the concurrent private placements completed in March 2021.

Recent Development

In March 2021, the Company completed its initial public offering (the "IPO") on the New York Stock Exchange. During the IPO, the Company sold a total of 55,000,000 ADSs, with two ADSs representing one Class A ordinary share of the Company with par value of US$0.000125 per share. In addition, the Company sold and issued 13,157,892 Class A ordinary shares in the concurrent private placements to certain investors based on the IPO price of US$9.50 per ADS. The Company received a total of approximately US$737.1 million of net proceeds after deducting the underwriter commissions and relevant offering expenses.

In April 2021, the underwriters exercised their option to purchase 259,904 additional ADSs and we received a total of approximately US$2.3 million of net proceeds after deducting the underwriter commissions.

Outlook

For the second quarter of 2021, the Company currently expects its total revenues to be between RMB622 million (US$94.9 million) and RMB627 million (US$95.7 million). The above outlook is based on the current market condition and reflects the Company's preliminary estimates, which are all subject to change.

[1] MAUs refers to the sum of the number of mobile devices that launch our mobile app at least once in a given month, or mobile MAUs, and the number of logged-in users who visit our PC or mobile website at least once in a given month, after eliminating duplicates. [2] Average monthly paying members for a period is calculated by dividing the sum of monthly paying members for each month during the specified period by the number of months in such period. [3]Adjusted net loss is a non-GAAP financial measure. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measure, please see the section of "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measure" and the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Conference Call

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on May 17, 2021 (8:00 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time on May 17, 2021).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States: +1-888-317-6003 International: +1-412-317-6061 Hong Kong, China: 800-963-976 Mainland China: 400-120-6115 Participant code: 7287305

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.zhihu.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call until May 24, 2021, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10155887

About Zhihu Inc.

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE: ZH) is the operator of Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, dedicated to empowering people to share knowledge, experience, and insights, and to find their own answers. Zhihu fosters a vibrant online community where users contribute and engage while respecting diversity and valuing constructiveness by promoting a culture of sincerity, expertise, and respect developed through years of cultivation. Zhihu is China's largest Q&A-inspired online community and one of the top five Chinese comprehensive online content communities, both in terms of average mobile monthly average users and revenue in 2020. Zhihu is also recognized as the most trustworthy online content community and widely regarded as offering the highest quality content in China, according to a survey conducted by CIC. For more information, please visit https://ir.zhihu.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measure

In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses adjusted net loss, a non-GAAP financial measure, to supplement the review and assessment of its operating performance. The Company defines adjusted net loss as net loss adjusted for the impact of share-based compensation expenses, which are non-cash expenses and are partially discretionary in nature. The Company believes that the non-GAAP measure facilitates comparisons of operating performance from period to period and company to company by adjusting for potential impacts of items, which the Company's management considers to be indicative of its operating performance. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measure provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating the Company's consolidated results of operations in the same manner as it helps the Company's management.

The non-GAAP financial measure is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The presentation of the non-GAAP financial measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measure presented by other companies. The use of the non-GAAP measure has limitations as an analytical tool, and investors should not consider it in isolation from, or as a substitute for analysis of, our results of operations or financial condition as reported under U.S. GAAP. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measure, please see the tables captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars were made at a rate of RMB6.5518 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of March 31, 2021 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to," or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Zhihu Inc.

Email: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Helen Wu

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

Email: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Phone: +1-212-481-2050

Email: [email protected]

ZHIHU INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)



For the Three Months Ended

March 31, 2020

December 31, 2020

March 31, 2021

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$ Revenues:













Advertising 125,629

319,172

213,730

32,621 Paid membership 55,759

104,372

126,572

19,319 Content-commerce solutions 1,067

76,485

120,845

18,445 Others 5,706

19,778

17,139

2,616 Total revenues 188,161

519,807

478,286

73,001 Cost of revenues (109,911)

(186,721)

(205,616)

(31,383) Gross profit 78,250

333,086

272,670

41,618















Selling and marketing expenses (125,423)

(242,937)

(346,633)

(52,907) Research and development expenses (86,618)

(82,359)

(106,302)

(16,225) General and administrative expenses (77,134)

(112,297)

(162,196)

(24,756) Total operating expenses (289,175)

(437,593)

(615,131)

(93,888)















Loss from operations (210,925)

(104,507)

(342,461)

(52,270)















Other income/(expenses):













Investment income 15,382

11,989

9,662

1,475 Interest income 9,870

4,135

3,327

508 Fair value change of financial instrument (381)

(49,246)

-

- Exchange (losses)/gains (15,281)

41,786

(693)

(106) Others, net 701

6,271

6,009

917















Loss before income tax (200,634)

(89,572)

(324,156)

(49,476) Income tax expense (703)

(485)

(537)

(82) Net loss (201,337)

(90,057)

(324,693)

(49,558) Accretions of convertible redeemable

preferred shares to redemption value (165,511)

(169,783)

(170,585)

(26,036) Net loss attributable to Zhihu Inc.'s

shareholders (366,848)

(259,840)

(495,278)

(75,594)















Net loss per share













Basic (5.73)

(3.94)

(6.93)

(1.06) Diluted (5.73)

(3.94)

(6.93)

(1.06)















Net loss per ADS (Two ADSs represent

one Class A ordinary share)













Basic (2.87)

(1.97)

(3.46)

(0.53) Diluted (2.87)

(1.97)

(3.46)

(0.53)















Weighted average number of ordinary

shares outstanding













Basic 63,984,168

65,948,861

71,493,738

71,493,738 Diluted 63,984,168

65,948,861

71,493,738

71,493,738

















ZHIHU INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (CONTINUED) (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)



For the Three Months Ended

March 31, 2020

December 31, 2020

March 31, 2021

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$ Share-based compensation expenses included in:













Cost of revenues 2,181

(441)

2,232

341 Selling and marketing expenses 5,652

2,044

4,803

733 Research and development expenses 7,449

4,613

7,608

1,161 General and administrative expenses 24,305

57,537

116,484

17,779

ZHIHU INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)



As of December 31, 2020

As of March 31, 2021

RMB

RMB

US$ ASSETS









Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents 957,820

6,005,655

916,642 Term deposits 1,092,921

716,272

109,324 Short-term investments 1,046,000

1,074,154

163,948 Trade receivables 486,046

487,942

74,475 Amounts due from related parties 13,843

17,053

2,603 Prepayments and other current assets 123,536

99,995

15,262 Total current assets 3,720,166

8,401,071

1,282,254 Non-current assets:









Property and equipment, net 8,105

6,820

1,041 Intangible assets, net 23,478

20,655

3,153 Long-term investments -

19,714

3,009 Term deposits -

164,282

25,074 Right-of-use assets 3,241

79,063

12,067 Other non-current assets 6,451

4,705

718 Total non-current assets 41,275

295,239

45,062 Total assets 3,761,441

8,696,310

1,327,316 LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND

SHAREHOLDERS' (DEFICIT)/EQUITY









Current liabilities









Accounts payables and accrued liabilities 501,848

601,376

91,788 Salary and welfare payables 231,847

253,457

38,685 Taxes payables 7,066

4,087

624 Contract liabilities 159,995

180,738

27,586 Amounts due to related parties 45,983

58,848

8,982 Short term lease liabilities 2,893

23,904

3,648 Other current liabilities 64,936

111,704

17,049 Total current liabilities 1,014,568

1,234,114

188,362 Non-current liabilities









Long term lease liabilities -

49,112

7,496 Total non-current liabilities -

49,112

7,496 Total liabilities 1,014,568

1,283,226

195,858











Total mezzanine equity 7,891,348

-

-











Total shareholders' (deficit)/equity (5,144,475)

7,413,084

1,131,458











Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders'

(deficit)/equity 3,761,441

8,696,310

1,327,316

ZHIHU INC. UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)



For the Three Months Ended

March 31, 2020

December 31, 2020

March 31, 2021

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$















Net loss (201,337)

(90,057)

(324,693)

(49,558) Add:













Share-based compensation expenses 39,587

63,753

131,127

20,014 Adjusted net loss (161,750)

(26,304)

(193,566)

(29,544)



































SOURCE Zhihu Inc.
New York, May 17 : Dr. Shoshana Zuboff, author of 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and Professor Emerita at Harvard Business School, is calling on lawmakers to criminalize Big Techs "secret extraction of behavioral data from our lives" and put their immunity from "crackpot" versions of free speech that flourish on online platforms firmly in the crosshairs, as governments around the world turn their attention to crafting new rules of the road to rein in technology giants.

"There is no such thing as cyberspace, there is no world that is somehow exempt from the charter of rights and laws that we live by in our societies," Dr. Zuboff told IANS during a wide ranging interview, days after Facebook's self-appointed 'Supreme Court' punted its decision on former US President Donald Trump's account, locked for the last four months.

After years of letting Trump's inflammatory rhetoric run its course, Facebook and Instagram locked his accounts on January 7, (only) when Trump was on his way out of the White House. Trump supporters planned their violent storming of the Capitol on internet platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Parler. Beyond the shiny object of Trump's account, urgent questions now loom in the US and elsewhere-about the ultimate currency of targeted online advertising which is the uninhibited collection and subsequent juicing of consumers' behavioural data.

In the US, pressure is also intensifying to strip online platforms of special immunity carved out for companies 25 years ago. Under Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, internet companies in the U.S. are generally exempt from liability for the material users post on their platforms. Section 230 states that "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." After chilling details emerged in the charging documents for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, hostility towards Big Tech's harms has increasingly become a bipartisan political phenomenon. Yet, America remains a "laggard" in Big Tech regulation, says Zuboff, echoing the broad consensus among tech policy mavens. Lawmakers in Europe and now increasingly other countries like Australia are outpacing their American counterparts.

Zuboff frames the current moment as an "opportunity" to construct a coherent vision of what a digital and democratic society and future would look like.

"And the first place we start is that we have to recognize that surveillance capitalism has really prosecuted the wholesale destruction of privacy," Zuboff said.

Through Zuboff's lens, all the work done till now on privacy is "not enough to keep us safe in this new world." The way to begin reclaiming lost ground, according to Zuboff, is to first identify "the goal state" of human rights in the digital public square and work "backwards" from there.

"Every conversation about data is already a conversation that has lost the war, because a lot of the data that we're arguing about shouldn't exist in the first place. Unless, individuals have decided that it should exist or unless democracy has," says Zuboff. "It's a downstream battle." Zuboff makes the case that the traditional objectives of capitalism cannot be realised without social relations surveillance which turns our lives into behavioural data, often in deviant ways.

Zuboff wants lawmakers to focus their legislative creativity on the "upstream" problem - the gap between "what we can know and what companies know about us, between what we can do and what can be done to us" through the knowledge that algorithms amass at population scale.

"This really has become a private surveillance state. It's not the surveillance state that (George) Orwell feared. It's a surveillance state owned and operated by private capital." Zuboff terms the mechanics of extraction a violation of "elemental epistemic rights." Asked about how Europe, Australia and India are wading into stronger regulatory roles at the intersection of media and tech platforms, Zuboff points to two regulatory proposals in Europe - the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act - "which shift the trajectory of the Titanic so we're no longer heading toward the anti-democratic iceberg of surveillance capitalism." "We need to be able to confront extraction head on. And we need to have laws that make this kind of secret extraction illegal, simply criminalise it," she said.

Zuboff describes targeted online advertising as the "first markets that traded human futures" via the foundational architecture of Google's "first globally successful predictive product" - the click through rate. "And that was the basis for online targeted advertising which is based on advertisers bidding on what ads we will click on and the likelihood that we will click through to their websites and buy their wares or services." On the demand side, markets that commodify human behaviour and trade in human behaviour should be "outlawed", says Zuboff.

"We never agreed to it. And there is almost no law to contain it, and yet if you fundamentally described this process to any child you say 'hey, somebody took from me without asking, now they're selling it and they're using it to make money for themselves, what should I do?', that child will say they stole something from you. You should call the police." (Nikhila Natarajan is on Twitter @byniknat)
Officers tried to stop the driver near the intersection of Liberty Street and Old Atlantic Avenue, but the driver did not stop. They followed the vehicle down Old Atlantic Avenue, then the vehicle turned onto Ohio Street and continued through neighborhoods in the area, police said.
Kathmandu, May 17 : Nepal received a second shipment of China-donated oxygen cylinders as the Himalayan country is continuing to face an acute shortage of medical oxygen supply for a growing number of Covid-19 patients.

A Nepal Airlines plane landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday with the oxygen cylinders and concentrators from China, Dim Prasad Poudel, managing director of the airline, told Xinhua news agency.

The first batch had arrived on May 10.

According to Nepal's Ministry of Finance, there is an agreement with China for the delivery of oxygen cylinders on a grant basis, and some of them will be brought by air while the rest will be sent through the land route with Tibet.

Poudel said the Nepal Airlines will send planes to get back the remaining oxygen cylinders from China.

"We are trying to communicate with the Chinese side to know when the cylinders would arrive at the border point," said Narad Gautam from the bordering Tatopani Customs Office in the Sindhupalchowk district.

Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Nepali Health Ministry, told Xinhua last week that China-donated oxygen cylinders would be distributed to large government-run hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley, and a few would be sent to the crisis-hit provinces.

A deadly new wave of the coronavirus has forced the Kathmandu Valley authorities to extend the restrictive measures in place for two more weeks till May 27.

On Sunday, Nepal recorded 7,316 new infections through the polymerase chain reaction test while 52 were tested positive for coronavirus through the antigen test.

Meanwhile, the country logged a total of 145 deaths in the past 24 hours.

Nepal's overall Covid caseload and death toll stood at 455,020 and 5,001.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Washington, May 17 : The new mask guidance for vaccinated individuals does not grant permission for widespread removal of masks, the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said.

"If they're vaccinated, they are safe. If they are not vaccinated, they are not safe. They should still be wearing a mask or better yet, get vaccinated," Xinhua news agency quoted Walensky as saying on ABC News on Sunday.

The CDC Director and other health officials have stressed that their guidance is up to individuals to follow and if vaccinated people wish to continue wearing their masks they can.

"We wanted to deliver the science of the individual level, but we also understand that these decisions have to be made at the community's level," she said.

Since the new mask guidance was announced on May 13, many states, local governments and businesses have updated their ordinances based on the CDC's recommendation that vaccinated individuals can be without face coverings indoors, outdoors or in large crowds.

The guidelines still call for masks to be worn on public transportation and in homeless shelters, hospitals and prisons.

Some states, including California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York, are keeping their universal mask mandates intact.

Meanwhile, schools should continue to require face masks "at all times, by all people in school facilities" for the rest of the academic year, according to updated CDC guidance issued on Saturday.

Strict rules requiring mask use and physical distancing should remain in schools nationwide "regardless of the level of community transmission" of coronavirus, the CDC insisted.

That's because "students will not be fully vaccinated by the end of the 2020-2021 school year", and school systems will need time to make "systems and policy adjustments" relating to their mask rules, t added.

"The challenge here is that not everybody is eligible for vaccination," Walensky told ABC on Sunday.

"We still have children under the age of 11 and they should obviously still be wearing masks. So, if you're unvaccinated, we are saying, wear a mask, contine to distance if you're unvaccinated and practice all of those mitigation strategies." "We are asking people to take their health into their own hands to get vaccinated, and if they don't, then they continue to be at risk," she added.

No coronavirus vaccine has yet been authorised for children under age 12, and the Pfizer two-dose jab won approval for 12-to-15-year-olds just days ago, but not enough time before the school year ends for full immunity to kick in.

The changes come as more than one-third of Americans are fully vaccinated, and also as the average number of new cases slipped below 35,000, the lowest since September 2020.
Mumbai, May 17 : Cyclone Tauktae hit Mumbai with full fury bringing heavy rains, strong gales of over 60-75 km/hr, which wreaked havoc by uprooting scores of trees, damaged some homes, and disrupted road traffic, though there are no human casualties, officials said.

Categorised now as 'Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm', its effects were felt shortly after midnight of Sunday-Monday with many areas lashed by heavy rains, accompanied by lightning and thunder in some places, aggravated by powerful winds, as it whirled northwards from Sindhudurg-Ratnagiri towards Raigad-Mumbai en route to the Gujarat coast.

As a major precautionary measure, the state authorities have already shifted out 7,866 people from vulnerable spots along the coast, besides another around 4,000 in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Thane, an official said.

Till Monday morning, the city had recorded 8.37 mm rains, 6.53 in eastern suburbs and 3.92 in western suburbs, substantially cooling the weather at the height of mid-summer when Mumbai swelters with the mercury remaining in the upper-30s-to-mid-40s.

Several roads were littered as at least 30 big and small trees got uprooted in different parts of Mumbai and Thane, during the night, besides minor damage to several homes.

The cyclone was hovering around 160 kms away from the Mumbai coast and is likely to reach Gujarat by midnight tonight, said the IMD's latest warning bulletin.

It is accompanied by strong winds of 180-190 kmph, gusting to 210 kmph, which is expected to drop gradually over the next 48 hours into a depression with 40-60 kmph windspeeds by Wednesday morning.

The IMD has warned of winds of upto 75-100 kmph in Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Thane and Palghar during the day and people have been asked not to venture outdoors.

The combined effect of the these have resulted in 'Phenomenal' waves in the frothy Arabian Sea with tidal waves to reach heights of upto 3 metres and the authorities have completely banned all fishing and other maritime activities for the next few days.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Gaza, May 17 : Tensions between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip have continued unabated for a seventh consecutive day, as the death toll in the coastal enclave climbed to 181, officials said.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said in a statement on Sunday that since the escalation began on May 10, 181 Palestinians have been killed, including 52 children and 31 women, and 1,225 others had different injuries, reports Xinhua news agency.

Militant groups, led by the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), fired barrages of rockets from the Gaza Strip at cities and towns in central and southern Israel.

Israeli fighter jets intensified its airstrikes on buildings, military posts and facilities affiliated with the militants all over the strip, according to security sources.

The sources said that the houses of Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip Yehya Sinwar and his brother were destroyed in the intensive Israeli airstrikes waged on the southern city of Khan Younis, adding that no injuries were reported.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Health Ninistry in Gaza, told reporters that late Saturday night and on Sunday morning, 23 Palestinians were killed and over 50 wounded in the airstrikes on Gaza.

An Israeli army spokesman said that in the last 24 hours, fighter jets struck 90 targets that belong to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, including the houses of Sinwar and his brother Mohammed.

The spokesman said that Gaza militants fired more than 120 rockets towards Israel, adding that the Iron Dome Air Defense System has intercepted most of them.

Since May 10, more than 2,300 have been fired by the Hamas, according to Israel's Army.

Israel has since responded with airstrikes and artillery shelling, striking more than 650 targets.

According to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service, 10 people were killed and 636 injured in the Jewish state as a result of the rocket fire.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said there were regional and international efforts to reach a humanitarian ceasefire between the two sides.

The sources told Xinhua that Egypt has been trying to pressure the two sides to declare a temporary humanitarian ceasefire to alleviate the suffering in Gaza until a permanent truce is reached.

They added that the Egyptian proposal "is under discussion by the Palestinian factions and will be on the table of Israeli cabinet for discussion on Sunday".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Barcelona, May 17 : Barcelona's Picasso Museum celebrated the 50th anniversary of the famed Spanish painter's donation of over a thousand works from his youth to the city in 1970.

Between May 20 and September 26, the museum will host an exhibition entitled "Picasso and Artist's Jewellery" "It's been 50 years since he gifted all the artworks that had remained in the house where his sister and mother lived on Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona: more than 1,400 pieces. It was a gesture of huge generosity towards the city he loved. This museum is one of Picasso's creations," Emmanuel Guigon, director of Barcelona's Picasso Museum, told Xinhua news agency on Sunday.

"This is a magnificent year, as it reveals the love and vital adoration that Pablo Picasso had for his adopted city of Barcelona," said Guigon, pointing out that although the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the rescheduling of several events, the museum remained determined to go ahead with the celebration.

The exhibition features many of the donated artworks, which date from Picasso's early years and which trace back his roots in Barcelona and his hometown of Malaga.

Future exhibitions will also explore his early works.

"In the autumn, we'll organise an exhibition about his sister, who was his main model at the end of the 19th century and the person who looked after the art treasures he left behind when he left Barcelona in 1904," said the director.

Between December 2020 and April 2021, the Picasso Museum already exhibited 17 sketchbooks that were part of the painter's donation.

Following a few months of pandemic shutdown, the museum reopened in June 2020 and has hosted exhibitions and events despite the absence of foreign tourists.

In a "normal" year, the Picasso Museum attracts a million visitors, but the pandemic has reduced their number by 89 per cent.

Now that the pandemic is easing, the museum is preparing for the "new normal" as it plans to keep the 50th anniversary exhibition open for the rest of this year.

Regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Picasso is known for co-founding the Cubist movement.

Some of the most well-known works include 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' (1907), and 'Guernica' (1937).
Chennai, May 17 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has said that the state has received liquid oxygen from Amsterdam.

The Chief Minister said this during a meet with journalists on Sunday. However Stalin did not give details on the quantum of liquid oxygen received by the state but mentioned that the oxygen came in Indian Air Force (IAF) flights.

However, Industries Minister Thangam Thenarasu had tweeted that the state has received four cryogenic containers of oxygen with a capacity of 20 tonnes each from Amsterdam.

The present medical requirement of medical oxygen in the state is 480 tonnes to 500 tonnes but the availability is only 440 to 470 tonnes. The union government had last week increased the volume of oxygen allotted to Tamil Nadu from 220 tonnes to 419 tonnes. This was after Stalin had sent a letter to the Prime minister requesting a minimum of 500 tonnes to the state. The Chief minister has also mentioned in his letter that the state may require oxygen to the tune of 840 tonnes in the days to come.

The Chief minister also told media persons that the state has received 500 cylinders of oxygen from Singapore.
Riyadh, May 17 : Saudi Arabia will lift the travel ban which was imposed last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic from Monday, with authorities saying that they were ready to operate international flights at full capacity.

In an announcement on Sunday, the Interior Ministry announced that May 17 will mark the full opening of all borders -- air, land and sea, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Kingdom will allow people who received Covid-19 vaccines to travel along with those who recovered from infection in less than six months, it said.

Citizens below 18 can travel if they have health insurance policy that covers coronavirus-related risks.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will impose institutional quarantine on arriving passengers starting from May 20, the Ministry announcemed.

The decision was based on the recommendations by the competent health authorities.

Some categories of passengers will be excluded from the quarantine, including Saudi citizens, their spouses and children.

Along with passengers who received Covid-19 vaccines, official delegations, as well as diplomats and their families residing with them will also be excluded from the institutional quarantine.

But the excluded categories, except for the vaccinated individuals, will be required to undergo home quarantine, with an emphasis on the need to obtain a valid health insurance policy to cover the risks of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian Airlines said in a statement that it has completed preparations to operate flights to 71 destinations from 95 airports, including 28 domestic and 43 international destinations, reports Arab News.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation said that around 385 flights are expected to operate throughout the Kingdom's airports on Monday.

The Interior Ministry however, added that said travel to a number of Covid-affected countries, directly or via another nation, is still banned without prior permission.

The countries are India, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Belarus.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 17 : The first batch of DRDO-developed anti-Covid drug 2-DG (2-deoxy-D-glucose) was launched on Monday to treat patients suffering from the deadly disease. The medicine comes in powder form and can be taken with water.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan released the first batch of the 2-DG, an anti-Covid-19 therapeutic application of the drug developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL).

Rajnath Singh handed over the anti-Covid drug to his cabinet colleague Harsh Vardhan who handed over it to Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Randeep Guleria at an event here.

The Defence Minister would be later distributing around 10,000 doses of the drug to a few hospitals in the national capital.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted emergency use nod for the drug last week. The drug could be a game-changer in the battle against pandemic as it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces oxygen dependence.

Clinical trial results have shown that the drug helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. Higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in Covid patients.

The medicine was found to be safe for Covid-19 patients in phase 2 trials, conducted between May and October last year. It was found to be effective in cutting short the hospital stays of Covid patients and reducing their supplemental oxygen dependence.

During the first wave of the pandemic in April last year, INMAS-DRDO scientists conducted laboratory experiments with the help of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and found that this molecule works effectively against SARS-CoV-2 virus and inhibits the viral growth.

Based on these results, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) permitted Phase-II clinical trial of 2- DG in Covid-19 patients in May 2020. The DRDO, along with its industry partner DRL, Hyderabad, started the clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of the drug in Covid-19 patients.

In Phase-II trials (including dose ranging) conducted during May-October 2020, the drug was found to be safe in Covid-19 patients and showed significant improvement in their recovery. Phase-II was conducted in six hospitals and Phase IIb (dose ranging) clinical trial was conducted at 11 hospitals all over the country. Phase-II trial was conducted on 110 patients.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kolkata, May 17 : Myanmar's military has finally taken control of the small town of Mindat in the country's western Chin state, after three weeks of savage fighting.

The local militia Mindat Defense Force (MDF) says its fighters have retreated from the town in nearby hills after three weeks of brave resistance.

MDF spokesman "John" told IANS that Myanmar military troops entered the town on Sunday evening using villagers as shields.

"How can we shoot at our own people? The Tatmadaw (military) had taken many villagers hostage from areas around Mindat and put them in front of their advancing columns. That is when our leaders decided to withdraw from the town," said John, who has refused to disclose his full name because his family was left behind at Mindat.

Nearly 300 to 350 local Chins had joined the MDF three weeks ago to stop the Tatmadaw from entering the town.

The army was forced to use helicopters to bring in troop reinforcements, as at least three of its road convoys were ambushed.

Later, it started pounding the town with artillery fire.

Local residents in Mindat set up what they called a People's Administration Team, stating that they did not recognise the authority of the military government.

Last week, the government declared martial law in the town. It has described those defying its authority there as terrorists, and says it will set up a military tribunal to put on trial those responsible for attacks on the security forces.

The defense at Mindat has become the symbol of resistance, initially peaceful but now armed as well to the February 1 military takeover.

The crisis caused by the takeover has now snowballed into a full scale civil war with large ethnic rebel armies like Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and Karen National Union (KNU) reneging on ceasefire they had maintained with Aung Saan Suu Kyi's NLD government.

Both groups are sheltering, training and arming ethnic Burmese hardliners who have organised themselves into urban insurgent groups like the Federal Army and United Defense Force.

Some of these insurgents have entered Burmese cities and attacked police informers and Chinese business interests including an offtake station on the 800 km oil-gas pipeline connecting Kyaukphyu on Myanmar's Rakhine coast with China's Yunnan province.

Last week, Burmese beauty queen Htar Htet Htet hit the social media, gun on shoulder and dressed in military fatigues, with an appeal to bring down the military junta.

Htar claimed that she was now a member of one of the insurgent groups.

MDF spokesman John said their fighters have braved massive artillery barrages and several infantry charges by the Tatmadaw troops.

Six of their fighters have died in the fighting against more than 25 Tatmadaw troops who were killed in ambushes.

The Chins are ethnic cousins of the Mizos in India and doughty hill fighters.

"Our fighters were armed with local hunting rifles. Our ammunition ran out and we decided to spare the town any more artillery bombardment," he told IANS.

Mindat is one of several towns where opponents of the military have armed themselves.

This happened after nearly 800 people were killed in indiscrimnate firing by troops and policemen during largely peaceful protests after the February coup which ousted the elected government of Suu Kyi.

"We will not stay any more in the town, but we will come back to attack soon," John told IANS.

"We only have homemade guns. This was not enough. We retreated out of concern over damage to the town. We will get proper weapons to assault the Tatmadaw." With fighting taking place so close to the India-Myanmar border, it is being feared that a large-scale migration of refugees from the neighbouring country into India's Mizoram state might take place.

Meanwhile, the US and the UK have condemned the violence. India has been silent.

"The military's use of weapons of war against civilians, including this week in Mindat, is a further demonstration of the depths the regime will sink to hold onto power," the US Embassy said in a statement.

"Attacks on civilians are illegal and cannot be justified," the British embassy said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, May 17: China is using social media giants like Twitter and Facebook to broadcast State propaganda to global audiences, which is further amplified by fake Twitter accounts. This was revealed by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) in a seven-month-long investigation of social media accounts held by Chinese State-run media and Chinese diplomats.

A global audit by the OII and the Associated Press says that Chinese diplomats and State media outlets are highly active on Twitter and Facebook but only 14 per cent of diplomat accounts on Twitter are labelled as State-run media by the micro-blogging site.

Marcel Schliebs, doctoral candidate and lead author of the paper at the OII, University of Oxford, said: "We find that the PRC (People's Republic of China) is increasingly seeking to use its diplomats to amplify the outward-facing propaganda dissemination of state-backed media outlets. Our analysis shows PRC diplomats are represented in at least 126 countries with active Twitter or Facebook accounts." The Chinese government is exploiting those very social media networks to influence foreign public opinion which it has banned for its own public. The study points out that "nearly half of all PRC diplomat retweets are from the 1% of most active amplifiers." For their study, the Oxford researchers examined every tweet and Facebook post produced by Chinese diplomats and ten of the largest state-controlled media outlets between June 2020 and February 2021.

Chinese diplomats and State-backed media accounts have been highly active on Twitter. Between June 2020 and February 2021, 189 diplomatic accounts tweeted 201,382 times and got nearly seven million likes, 1.3 million retweets and attracted a million comments. Interestingly, a large number of these retweets came from accounts that Twitter had suspended for violating its rules.

The researchers also found that despite the Twitter and Facebook policy of labelling official accounts to enhance transparency and accountability, only one in eight (14 per cent) of Chinese diplomatic accounts on Twitter were labelled clearly as government accounts.

Quoting another similar research, The Epoch Times says that two Twitter accounts -- those belonging to Liu Xiaoming, the former Chinese ambassador to the UK, and the Chinese Embassy in London, were scrutinised carefully. This research found that from June 2020 to January 2021, a coordinated network of 62 accounts was dedicated to amplifying messages from the two accounts.

Of the 62 accounts, 60 were eventually suspended by Twitter, with 29 of them for the reason of platform manipulation. The remaining two were deleted by their own users. The researchers say that these 62 accounts seemed to generate little interest from genuine users, but may have contributed to the amplification of official Chinese content "by manipulating platform algorithms", says The Epoch Times.

The research says that the Chinese government has an overwhelming presence on social media networks. The researchers found 176 Twitter and Facebook accounts representing Chinese State-controlled media outlets in English and other languages. These accounts posted over 700,000 times, with posts receiving a mammoth 355 million likes with over 27 million comments and re-shares.

However, nearly half of all Chinese official accounts are retweeted by the top 1 per cent most active accounts. These highly active accounts engage with PRC diplomats at a very high rate, often retweeting them thousands of times within just a few months.

Talking about the significance of the research, Professor Philip N. Howard, Senior Author of the study said: "By uncovering the scale and reach of the PRC's public diplomacy campaign, we can better understand how policy makers and social media firms should react to an increasingly assertive PRC propaganda strategy." (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
If you are a mainstream Democrat, you probably think the presidents agenda is moving in the right direction (though more programs to help the less affluent would always be welcomed). If you are a conservative, all you can see is more spending, more government programs and higher taxes on business, which, you think, will hurt economic growth.
New Delhi, May 17 : The Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) has written to the chief ministers of the states and union territories urging for the priority vaccination for the telecom infrastructure field engineers and technicians under frontline workers category.

In a statement the telecom infrastructure body said that the whole country is facing the second wave of Covid-19 which is more intense than the previous one.

In this regard, Taipa has written to the chief ministers addressing that the telecom infrastructure provider industry have huge manpower consisting of frontline workers (technicians and field engineers) who have been working tirelessly during lockdowns to maintain the telecom services.

T.R. Dua, Director General, TAIPA said: "It is crucial to note that even in absence of any vaccination, the frontline telecom workers have continued to perform their routine activities such as O&M of telecom infrastructure, diesel filling at sites, fault repairs etc, under duress, psychological pressure and also despite grave risks posed to them and their families." They have been working in the toughest of times across all types of zones including the Covid-19 hotspots, and it is essential that they are accorded 'frontline workers' status for priority in Covid-19 vaccination, he said.

Some of the states including Goa and Uttarakhand have already announced and started vaccination of telecom personnel on priority under frontline worker category.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 17: Japan and Sri Lanka have signed an agreement to enable the Indian Ocean nation battle the Covid-19 pandemic better. Under the agreement, Japan will provide essential equipment for Sri Lankan hospitals for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Under the 'Project for Strengthening COVID-19 Response' as the pact between the two nations is called, Japan will provide ventilators, ICU beds, ultrasound scanners, blood gas analyzers and similar medical equipment for hospitals. The equipment will be installed in four hospitals - Base Hospital Teldeniya, Base Hospital Warakapola, Base Hospital Walikanda, and Base Hospital Pimbura.

Sri Lankan newspaper Daily News reported that the agreement was signed between Secretary Health Major General Dr Sanjeewa Munasinghe and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) chief representative Yamada Tetsuya on Thursday.

Japan will also assist Sri Lanka in setting up a PCR laboratory at the Hambantota District General Hospital to strengthen diagnostic capability. Japan will also provide training to Sri Lankan medical staff over Covid-19 management. This will help improve testing numbers in the southern province.

Daily News said: "JICA believes this project will be able to significantly contribute to the Covid-19 testing, diagnosis, and treatment in Sri Lanka and to mitigate the difficult situation the country is facing now." In the last 24 hours, Sri Lanka had 2,289 Covid infections with the weekly average at 2,392 daily infections. The country is procuring additional vaccines from China and the defence forces are setting up more hospitals to deal with coronavirus emergencies.

The aid is worth approximately $1.8 million. Japan is one of the largest donors for Sri Lanka with financial and technical relations continuing since 1954. Over decades, relations between the two nations have graduated from religious and cultural to financial and political.

Last month Japan also approved another $3 million to support the cold chain in Sri Lanka and strengthen delivery of immunization services for preventing the coronavirus infection. The project will be implemented by UNICEF.

In April the two countries celebrated 69 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Sri Lanka and Japan diplomatic relations though bound by common religion have seen considerable ups and downs owing to China making inroads in South Asia. Sandwiched between two global ports of Dubai and Singapore, Sri Lanka straddles vital shipping lanes, making it an important country strategically. Owing to this location, China has pushed massive investment into the country through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Japan, along with India, has been making efforts to counter the Chinese influence in the island nation. The two are together developing a deep-sea port - the West Container Terminal (WCT), close to a Chinese port project at the Colombo port. Separately also India and Japan are working with Sri Lanka to strengthen relations and reduce Chinese influence.

In September 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa held their first-ever India-Sri Lanka virtual bilateral summit. Doordarshan News had reported that India extended a grant of $15 million to Sri Lanka to develop people-to-people linkages as well as develop Buddhist sites in the country. India is also working on the five-year High Impact Community Development projects in the island nation.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Wellington, May 17 : Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will visit New Zealand for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting on May 30-31, it was announced here on Monday.

Morrison and his wife will arrive in Queenstown on May 30 and the talks will take place on the next day, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in the announcement.

"I'm looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Morrison back to New Zealand following a difficult year for both our countries through the pandemic," Xinhua news agency quoted Ardern as saying.

According to Ardern, the two Prime Ministers will also engage with Australian and New Zealand business, tourism, and community leaders during the visit.
Kolkata, May 17 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers -- Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, apart from former Trinamool Minister and present MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Corporation Mayor Sovon Chattopadhyay in the Narada sting tapes cases where several politicians and a high-ranked police officer were allegedly found accepting cash bribes in exchange for providing unofficial favours to the company.

In a statement, the CBI said, "Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and Chatterjee have been arrested by CBI and are being produced in the jurisdictional court." The statement said that the chargesheet against the five persons against whom Prosecution sanction is received is being submitted in court.

The CBI had earlier arrested IPS officer SMH Meerza in connection with the case, who is presently out on bail. He is the fifth accused.

The CBI said that it has received the prosecution sanction against the four arrested leaders on May 7.

Meanwhile, State Transport Minister and former Kolkata Mayor Hakim told the media after he was arrested from his Chetla home in South Kolkata earlier in the day, "They have not given any notice and now they have arrested me. They didn't even seek the permission of the Speaker. We will fight it in the court." Along with Hakim three others were brought to the CBI regional office at Nizam Palace in the morning.

The CBI officers with large central forces went to the houses of the leaders and the ministers in the morning at around 9.30 a.m. and brought them to the regional office without even allowing them to speak to their lawyers.

Sources in the agency said that all of them were made to sit in separate rooms on the 15th floor of the office and they were allowed to consult their lawyers.

Though questions have been raised about the arrest of two cabinet ministers without the permission of the Speaker, the CBI officials said that they had sought the permission of the Governor and Jagdeep Dhankhar had given them the permission to prosecute.

"We will appeal for the bail," one of the lawyers said.

The arrests obviously attracted controversy because Governor Dhankhar has accorded sanction of prosecution to the premiere agency just few hours before the oath taking ceremony of the ministers.

"The plea for sanction was made a little before MCC came to an end. I thought it as an act of propriety that at that point of time I should not be giving attention to the matter.

"The moment the poll process was over, the matter engaged my attention because such issues should not be delayed and so I acted and you know the results.

"As coming to issues on people taking oath in respect of whom sanctions for prosecution has been accorded is a matter of propriety to be taken not by those who make a request to the governor to appoint them," the governor had said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the CBI regional office to speak to her cabinet ministers.

The chief minister appeared angry as she entered the CBI office and met her leaders.

Lawyers present on the floor said that the chief minister questioned the CBI officers about the legality of the arrests and even said that she would wait till the end until there is a proper conclusion to the whole incident.

"The BJP is taking a vindictive stance. Why are Suvendu and Mukul, who are also accused in the Narada case, not arrested? They are trying to take revenge for their defeat. We will fight the case in the court," senior Trinamool leader Saugata Roy said.

The arrests created huge controversy and protests all over the city as the Trinamool Congress supporters breaking the lockdown norms blocked the road in front of Nizam Palace and several other places in the city.

They demanded immediate release of the leaders. Large number of central forces cordoned off Nizam Palace and nobody was allowed to enter the area.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Chennai, May 17 : Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, have grown human brain tissues called 'organoids' with help of a 3D Printed Bioreactor that they developed.

The objective was to observe the brain tissues while they grow and develop, a technology that can potentially accelerate medical and therapeutic discoveries for diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The current cell culture protocols involve separate chambers for incubation and imaging, requiring that cells are physically transferred to the imaging chamber -- which poses the risk of false results and chances for contamination.

However, the scientists team have come up with a novel solution, which lets the cells grow uninterruptedly.

A 3D printed micro-incubator and imaging chamber was made into a single palm-sized platform, which was successfully demonstrated for long-term human brain cells culture and real-time imaging.

"The design from this research is a scalable microfluidic technology in which copies of an organoid can be grown simultaneously in different wells, for studies in basic and applied science," Professor Anil Prabhakar, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said in a statement on Monday.

"This bioreactor can be completely automated with different protocols, and used for drug discovery, thus drastically reducing labour costs, errors, and time to market. Different environmental sensors can be combined with this micro-incubator and our device fits with most of the microscopes for live-cell imaging," he added. The technology has been patented in India.

The findings of this research were recently published in the peer-reviewed international journal Biomicrofluidics.

Cell culture is one of the fundamental steps in validation of the human organ model, whether it may be a pre-clinical study for Covid-19, cancer medicine discovery or any medicine to be used on humans. There is an open challenge in growing cells for long durations and studying them in real-time to gain a better understanding of the effects of medicine.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Varanasi, May 17 : Scientists and medical experts from the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, working on Covid-19, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting some specific measures to tackle the projected third wave of the pandemic.

The experts have also requested the Prime Minister to set up a virus surveillance centre in BHU.

"Backed by our extensive study, we have some suggestions that can help tackle the expected third wave in India," the letter said.

The experts, including Prof Vijay Nath Mishra (neurology), Prof Gyaneshwer Chaubey (zoology, molecular anthropology) and Prof Abhishek Pathak (neurology), have been working on Covid-19 and claim to have published more than 10 international research papers on the subject.

"Our recent paper in the journal 'Science' conclusively shows that broken immunity wall was one of the main reasons for the surge of second wave," said Prof Mishra.

The experts have recommended monthly sero-surveillance in hotspot regions like Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, saying it reveals the vulnerability of population towards infection.

"In Varanasi, we noticed that as soon as the number of sampled people with antibodies dipped below 10 per cent, more cases started emerging," said Prof Mishra.

The experts further said their pilot study on patients who recovered from Covid showed that one dose of vaccine is enough to produce adequate number of antibodies, whereas those who were never infected need two doses.

"Therefore, we suggest a single dose of vaccination to those who have recovered from Covid. This will save approximately two crore doses of vaccine," the experts said.

Prof Chaubey said the studies conducted in Israel, UK and the USA showed that even a single dose of vaccination effectively cut short transmission by 50-80 per cent.

"Therefore, we propose that the ratio in India for next three months for the first and second dose should be 70:30 followed by 60:40 in the following months," he added.

The group also stressed on the importance of virus surveillance in combating the deadly pandemic.

"Virus surveillance is necessary and in north India, BHU can be a perfect centre for it. We have expertise but do not have the required instrumentation. Hence, we request you to set-up a virus surveillance centre in BHU," the experts said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
United Nations, May 17 : As tensions between Israeli troops and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip were continuing unabated, the UN Security Council (UNSC) has called for an immediate end to the bloodshed.

In his opening remarks during Sunday's open debate of the Council, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the conflict as "utterly appalling", calling for an immediate end to it, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery bombardments on the other must stop. I appeal to all parties to heed this call," he said.

Warning that the fighting has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, the UN chief said this senseless cycle of bloodshed, terror and destruction must stop immediately.

"The only way forward is to return to negotiations with the goal of a two-state solution, with two states living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, based on relevant UN resolutions, international law and prior agreements," Guterres added.

During the meeting, China put forward a four-point proposal regarding the escalating conflict.

According to Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the four points are: ceasefire and cessation of violence is the top priority; humanitarian assistance is an urgent need; international support is an obligation; and a "two-state solution" is the fundamental way out.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said "the human toll of this past week has been devastating. Hundreds have been killed and injured by rockets and airstrikes, including children".

"The United States calls on all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and to respect international humanitarian law. We also urge all parties to protect medical and other humanitarian facilities, as well as journalists and media organizations," said Thomas-Greenfield.

The armed confrontation must end, said Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Vershinin, who condemned the use of force and violence against civilians in Israel and Palestine.

Stressing that the priority is to cease fire and bloodshed, he denounced attempts to change the demographic character of East Jerusalem.

Parties must comply with international humanitarian law and protect civilians as well as infrastructure used by journalists and the media, he added.

During the open debate, senior officials from Palestine and Israel traded accusations against each other.

"Israel is killing Palestinians in Gaza, one family at a time," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said, adding there are no words to describe the horrors his people are enduring.

"We are not two neighbours living side by side in peace," said Malki, calling Israel an armed thief who has "entered our house and is terrorizing our family".

In response, Israel's Permanent Representative Gilad Erdan accused Hamas militants of being responsible for the escalation, saying: "What would you do if thousands of terrorist rockets were being fired at your country?" Describing Hamas' attacks as a "double war crime"he emphasized that Israel has always sought peace and continues to do so.

During the meeting, other countries, including France and the UK, also called for an immediate end to the rising tension, sounding alarm bells over the imminent potential for the violence to spill into the wider region.

Confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City have been intensified following a court ruling that tried to evict several Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem.

After hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in East Jerusalem last week, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched rocket attacks against Israel, which responded with intense airstrikes against targets in Gaza.

The fiercest fighting between the two sides since 2014 has killed nearly 200 Palestinians and about 10 Israelis.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, May 17 : Sanjay Kapoor has fond memories of shooting for his new web series "The Last Hour" in Sikkim.

"Not just the place, even the people of Sikkim are so good. They make the place special. They are kind and warm," the actor told IANS.

He has an interesting recall shooting for the show. "We shot amidst freezing cold weather in Sikkim and it was a tough shoot, but our shoot did not end there. After shooting under the freezing cold for 90 days in Sikkim, wearing multi-layered clothes including heavy jackets, we had to shoot under the scorching heat of Mumbai wearing the same clothes! I do not know which was more difficult, the extreme cold or the extreme heat. It was tough in Mumbai I guess because you do not sweat in Sikkim at all, and to maintain continuity we were not supposed to sweat on-screen! I remember how I felt those drops trickling down from my neck and back, but I had to keep a straight face! As long as it was not visible on-screen, all is fine with us actors," he said with a laugh In the show he plays investigating officer Arup Singh, who goes to Sikkim to probe a mysterious death. The show also features Karma Takapa as a man with supernatural power.

Being a Sikkimese who is excited about playing a pivotal role in a Hindi show and sharing screen space with multiple Bollywood actors, Karma shared he had more reasons than one to be part of the murder mystery.

"When I finished reading the entire screenplay at one go, what was very fascinating and intriguing was its characterisation. My character Shaman has a special power to see what happened to a dead human being, just one hour before his or her death, but he is also a real character with a real problem in life. He has his insecurities -- the fact that he jostles between fulfilling his duty and giving in to a desire he has. This makes the character complex and interesting at the same time," shared Karma.

Written and produced by Amit Kumar and Anupama Minz, and executive produced by Oscar-winning Asif Kapadia, the show also features Shahana Goswami, Karma Takapa, Robin Tamang and Shaylee Krishen. It streams on Amazon Prime Video

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, May 17 : Apollo Hospitals and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories on Monday announced the launch of a limited pilot programme for the Sputnik V vaccine as part of the soft launch by Dr. Reddy's in India.

The first phase of the programme will kick-off with vaccinations in Hyderabad on Monday (May 17, 2021) and in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday (May 18, 2021) at separate facilities at the Apollo Hospitals in those cities. The vaccinations would follow the SOPs as recommended by the government including registration on CoWIN.

K. Hari Prasad, President - Hospitals Division, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited said, "With the opening up of the vaccination programme for the private sector, we have intensified our efforts to accelerate the rate of vaccination through opening vaccination centres across our hospital network and are also in discussions with corporates to undertake vaccination on their premises. We are currently administering COVID vaccine at 60 locations across the country including Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Spectra hospitals and Apollo Clinics. This pilot phase will allow Dr. Reddy's and Apollo to test the arrangements and cold chain logistics and prepare for the launch. We are confident that with the Sputnik V vaccine, we will be able to make a significant contribution to ease availability and access to COVID vaccines to the community at large." M.V. Ramana, CEO - Branded Markets (India & Emerging Markets), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories said: "We are pleased to collaborate with Apollo Hospitals as part of our soft pilot launch of the Sputnik V vaccine in India. We are working to scale up the pilot and take the vaccine to other cities, and in the upcoming months we hope to inoculate as many Indians as possible." The Sputnik V vaccines for the pilot programme would be supplied by Dr. Reddy's from the first batch of 1,50,000 vaccine doses imported by them for the soft launch. After Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, the pilot programme will be extended to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, and Pune.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, May 17 : Sparking huge concerns, at least 273 persons have been stranded on a drifting barge near the Heera Oilfields at Bombay High Field, around 175 kms from Mumbai, an official said here on Monday.

Following an SOS from the Barge P305 which is adrift near the oilfields with the crew and passengers on board, the Indian Navy has despatched two ships INS Kochi and INS Talwar to render assistance.

The ships are expected to reach the venue by late afternoon, and other ships and aircraft also being prepared to go there for a search and rescue operation in the region clobbered by the passing Cyclone Tauktae.

The critical assets of Oil & Natural Gas Corporation's Bombay High Fields are falling in the direct path of the raging Cyclone Tauktae, now swirling towards the south Gujarat coast, after wreaking huge havoc in Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
( ) Michael Laurier explains to Proactive London the importance of receiving the defence documents from the Commission, Parliament, and Council of the European Union in their EU case.

They have brought the action because they believe EU institutions failed to make it clear that an intended ban on oxo-degradable plastic does not apply to oxo-biodegradable plastic.

If they are unsuccessful in their case and the EU is proved to be correct on the matter, Laurier says this will make 'no difference' to their operations, to focus on improving plastic by reducing its negative impact on the environment by making it biodegradable.
Hyderabad, May 17 : An 18-year-old youth in Telangana spent 11 days on a tree after testing positive for Covid-19 as he could not isolate himself in his small home.

Fearing that he might infect his parents and sister if he stays in the house, Ramawat Shiva Naik set up his own innovative 'isolation facility' on a tree near the house.

A resident of Kothanandikonda village in Adavidevulapally mandal of Nalgonda district, Shiva is an engineering student at college in Hyderabad. As the college was closed due to second wave of Covid-19 a few weeks ago, Shiva had returned home. To help his family, he started working as 'hamali' (porter) at a paddy procurement centre set up by the state government in the village to purchase paddy from farmers.

As he was suffering from fever and had other suspected symptoms of Covid-19, he underwent the test at a primary health centre (PHC) , located about five km from his village. He tested positive for Covid on May 4 but since he had mild symptoms, a health worker at PHC told him that there is no need for hospitalisation but advised him to isolate at home.

With four members of family sharing a one-room house with a single washroom, Shiva found that home isolation is not possible. With no government-run isolation facility in his village or in surrounding villages, the youth hit upon innovative idea.

"I had no other option. I did not want my family members to suffer because of me," said Shiva.

Since he had learnt that Covid-infected people are suffering from low saturation level, he chose the tree for his isolation hoping that this will help him maintain good oxygen levels.

He selected a tree in front of his house as the isolation facility. The tree, which is called 'Ganuga' in Telugu (Pongame tree), is also said to have some medicinal properties.

Using bamboo sticks, ropes and few other items, he made a cot and tied it to the tree branches. Shiva's parents used to keep his meals, water and other requirements in bucket and he used to pull up the same with a rope.

Shiva remained in touch with family and friends through his mobile phone, which also proved useful to kill the time. He sent a few messages calling up on local authorities to set up an isolation centre in the area.

Responding to his appeal and growing requests from people in his village and about a dozen other villages, the authorities set up an isolation centre late last week. They converted a hostel meant for students belonging to Scheduled Tribes into an isolation centre. They also persuaded Shiva to move to the centre. He will soon be completing his isolation period.

Shiva's incident highlighted the problems faced by Covid infected in villages. Living in small houses with no or single washroom, they can't isolate themselves.

In some instances, last year and also during the ongoing second wave, individuals who test positive were not allowed to enter into villages. At few places, Covid-infected patients are living in isolation either in huts outside the villages or in the fields.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 17 : Credit card expenses made by employees of an Indian subsidiary for furtherance of business here would come under the purview of Goods and Service Tax (GST) with applicable 18 per cent rate.

According to a recent ruling by Tamil Nadu Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling (AAAR), any expenses made by employees of an Indian subsidiary of a multinational corporation that is later reimbursed by the overseas holding company qualifies as service and hence needs to be taxed under GST here.

The AAAR termed reimbursement of credit card expenses made by employees of Indian subsidiary by the overseas holding company as advance for any such service extended by its Indian operations. As business services are taxable, so such expenses would attract 18 per cent tax.

The AAAR ruling came on case concerning ICU Medical India LLP, a subsidiary of ICU Medical Inc.

Apparently, the holding company had provided credit cards to the employees of its Indian subsidiary for business expenses that were required to be made in India and abroad. Any such expenses made was later reimbursed by the holding company.

The AAAR termed such transition to qualify as supply of service. Further, the said services qualify as import of services and therefore the subsidiary is liable to pay 18% GST.

The AAAR ruling would set the precedent for applicability of GST on all such similar transaction between the parent overseas entity and its Indian subsidiary.
Prague, May 17 : Czech President Milos Zeman has criticised Russia's decision to put his country on a new list of so-called unfriendly foreign states.

"The Russian side is committing stupidity because it is a mistake to turn former friends into enemies," dpa news agency quoted the President as saying to the radio station Frekvence 1 on Sunday.

He pleaded that if friendship was not possible, "at least correct relations" should be restored.

Under Moscow's decision, the Czech Republic may only employ 19 Russian citizens in its embassy in Russia.

This has very concrete consequences: From June on, hotel and restaurant operations in the Czech Cultural Centre in Moscow will be discontinued.

The large building complex in the middle of the city centre was built in 1986 and serves as a base for businessmen and exporters as well as an advertisement for the country.

The Czech Republic had blamed Russian intelligence services for explosions at an ammunition depot in the east of the country in 2014.

Moscow denied all accusations.

Both sides expelled diplomats as a result.

Only the Czech Republic and the US are on the new list of "unfriendly foreign states".
Wellington, May 17 : The Cook Islands has opened its border for the first time in more than a year, with New Zealanders able to visit the small Pacific nation from Monday.

The "travel bubble" allows New Zealanders and Cook Islanders to travel between both countries without the need to quarantine, reports dpa news agency.

While the bubble officially commenced on Monday, the first flight does not depart from New Zealand until Tuesday.

Air New Zealand will fly to the Cook Islands two to three times weekly but is expected to operate daily from July in time for the school holidays.

Both New Zealand and the Cook Islands closed their borders to all but citizens and residents in March 2020.

New Zealand has had a similar arrangement in place with Australia since mid-April, but the quarantine-free bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Islands does not include Australia.

Those wanting to travel to the islands must have been in New Zealand for 14 full days before continuing on to the Cook Islands or Australia.

The Cook Islands has never recorded a case of coronavirus, while New Zealand on Sunday reported one new case, detected at the border.

There are currently 19 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, which has seen a total of 2,290 cases and 26 deaths.
Guwahati, May 17 : Six persons have been arrested in Assam's Bongaigaon district for disrespecting the Indian national flag by using the Tricolour as a dining cloth on the occasion of Eid on Friday, the police said on Monday.

A police officer in Guwahati said the six detainees of Tengnamari village dishonoured the Indian national flag by using it on the dining table on Friday in the house of one Rejina Parvin Sultana.

Police arrested Rejina along with five others on Sunday after a video went viral on the social media. A case was registered by the police for taking necessary legal action.

In the video, the family was seen feasting by using the Indian flag as table cloth. Police are probing the case.
New Delhi, May 17 : In the backdrop of shortage of supply of Covid-19 medicines, the Delhi High Court on Monday said politicians have no business to hoard stocks of Covid-19 medicines and they should surrender these drugs.

A bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Sanghi expressed dissatisfaction on the Delhi Police status report in connection with the allegations of politicians involved in hoarding and distributing Covid-19 medicines, including Remdesivir, in the capital. The bench emphasized that political leaders have no business to hoard these medicines, especially at an hour when there is a shortage of supply and citizens are running around for these drugs.

"If their (politicians) intention is to do public good, then they should surrender the same to Director General of Health Services (DGHS) who will then distribute it to government hospitals", said the High Court.

The bench also observed that it is projected that these medicines were procured for public charity and not for political gains, political leaders are expected to surrender their stocks. The government can use these medicines for poor and needy persons at its hospitals, added the bench.

On the Delhi Police inquiry, the High Court said it expects the police to do a proper investigation and file a better status report in the court within a week.

The observations were made by the High Court during the hearing of a PIL seeking registration of an FIR on allegations that politicians are procuring large quantity of Covid-19 medicines even as patients were running around to get these medicines.

The Delhi police counsel submitted before the court that it will seize such hoarded drugs. The High Court told the Delhi police counsel that it owes a duty to people. When police asked for six weeks to conduct the probe, the bench replied, "This is not the way. By six weeks, this issue might not exist."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, May 17 : Actor-dancer Raghav Juyal has been working hard to help his state Uttarakhand battle the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. He has been actively campaigning on Instagram for international donations for the state.

"Guys We can also receive international donations! Please Donate!! Please Help #PLEASEHELPUTTARAKHAND. Please Donate. -- Raghav Juyal & Friends," wrote Raghav, in one of his many posts along with a G pay number.

The actor recently shared a video about the worsened Covid situation in Uttarakhand and how the administration was getting distress calls from remote villages of the state regarding medical needs in the pandemic. Raghav and his team who were eager to help in the crisis situation, subsequently stepped in.

Raghav, his friends and a team of over 100 volunteers across the country are helping citizens battle the second wave of Covid-19. The team is working to procure Oxygen cylinders, beds and medicines and repeatedly appealing for more support and aid.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, May 17 : Global technology leader Lenovo on Monday announced to appoint Dinesh Nair as Director, Consumer Business for the India region.

Nair succeeds Shailendra Katyal who has been elevated as Site Leader for Lenovo India and Managing Director of Lenovo's PC and smart device business in the country.

"I am proud to hand over the reins of the consumer business to Dinesh. At the same time, this is a demonstration of our commitment to developing talent internally. I am sure he, along with the consumer leadership team, will propel the business to new heights," said Katyal.

Nair has been an integral part of the Lenovo India consumer business for more than 11 years and has worked successfully across several roles, the company said.

He has handled leadership responsibilities across offline general trade retail, distribution management, field sales, eCommerce, large format retail and category management.

"During this difficult time in India, we are working hard to ensure the safety of our employees, partners and customers and I am grateful that we have excellent leaders in place to bring our team together and offer this support," Katyal added.

Katyal has succeeded Rahul Agarwal who decided to move on after 20 years at Lenovo.
Chennai, May 17 : Colleges in Chennai are opening their campuses for oxygen beds and isolation rooms and are preparing food for frontline workers and a majority of these colleges have handed over their buildings to the Greater Chennai Corporation. These colleges are being converted into Covid care centres.

Madras Christian College (MCC) has launched an ambulance service, a 15-bed isolation centre for patients with mild symptoms and a five-bed facility for primary contacts.

Paul Wilson, principal of the MCC told IANS: "The facility is open to the general public, our faculty, staff members, students and our alumni. The centre will also provide online medical consultation. Food and nursing services are also provided at the Covid care centre here." The ambulance service which the MCC has opened will be available upto a radius of 15 km from the college.

Loyola College, Chennai, is offering tele-counselling to Covid-19 patients according to its Principal, Thomas Amritham. He told IANS: "The college is offering tele-counselling service to the Covid patients and we have three dedicated phone lines for this. Social workers and counselors are providing counselling to the Covid patients." He said that the college has identified 200 community leaders to be trained in basic Covid awareness and each of these community leaders will be given a Corona home kit. Each kit will have an oximeter, masks, hand sanitizer and tablets and these people will act as Community healers.

Loyola College is planning to open a 50 bedded Covid care centre with Greater Chennai Corporation to cater for asymptomatic persons at the hostel.

DG Vaishnav college is conducting a vaccination drive for the general public along with the Rotaract club of Chennai. The college has already handed over a building to the GCC to be converted to a Covid care centre.

Alagappa College of Technology hostel functioning at Anna University campus in Chennai is maintaining a Covid care centre for the police personnel. The university has also handed over the Knowledge Park building to be converted as a Covid care centre.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, May 17 : Samsung Electronics may unveil its plan later this month to build a new chip factory in the United States, industry sources said on Monday, as the South Korean tech giant tries to cope with rivals' capacity expansions.

Speculation has run high that Samsung would reveal its US investment upon the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden to be held in Washington on Friday.

Samsung, the world's largest memory chip producer and No. 2 foundry firm, has been mulling building a $17 billion foundry factory in the US, with Texas, Arizona and New York mentioned as possible candidate sites, reports Yonhap news agency.

Kim Ki-nam, who heads Samsung's chip business, is expected to visit the U.S. as a member of President Moon's business delegation for the summit and may confirm the plan after meeting with U.S. officials, sources here said.

Samsung was the only South Korean firm to join a White House online meeting last month to discuss global semiconductor shortages. The company has reportedly been invited again to a virtual meeting to be hosted by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Thursday.

The tech giant already runs a chip facility in Austin, Texas, but the need for additional U.S. investment emerged after its rivals moved ahead for capacity expansions.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) recently announced that it will invest $100 billion over the next three years for capacity expansion.

The world's top contract chip maker already unveiled last year it would set up a $12 billion plant in Arizona, but speculation has been growing that the company may build five additional fabs with advanced nodes.

Intel, the world's leading semiconductor seller, also announced that it will invest $20 billion to expand its chipmaking capacity and teased its re-entry to the foundry business.

Samsung's US investment will also be in line with its vision of becoming the world's No. 1 player in the logic chip and foundry sectors by 2030.

The company last week said it will spend an additional 38 trillion won to expand its previous investment plan of 133 trillion won unveiled in 2019.
Regulator Ofwat invited English water companies to submit environmentally-friendly proposals in July 2020

PLC ( ), ( ) and ( ) have announced their plans to invest in the governments Green Recovery programme.

Severn Trent said it will invest 565mln that will create 2,500 new jobs in the Midlands.

The utility firm will improve river quality by upgrading sewage treatment works, treating and reducing spills from storm overflows, and installing river quality monitoring, while boosting water supplies with systems to cut pollution.

It will also trial the creation of two bathing rivers, including reducing harm from storm overflows by reducing spills into the area during the bathing season as well as enhancing protection for homes from flooding, repairing customer supply pipes and installing smart water meters.

Meanwhile, Pennon has pledged 81mln of extra investment for South West Water to upgrade the Knapp Mill water treatment works and increase water supply resilience by supporting water transfers.

It will also trial ways to help customers save water, use nature-based solutions to avoid flooding and reducing harm from storm overflows.

Finally, United Utilities has allocated 63mln to improve the river environment by increasing sewer capacity, to develop nature-based solutions through partnership working and to investigate ways to reduce harm from storm overflows.

The move comes after regulator Ofwat invited English water companies to submit environmentally-friendly proposals in July 2020.

Pennon and United Utilities dipped 1% to 1,040p and 981.82p respectively, while Severn Trent was flat at 2,504p.
Lucknow, May 17 : The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Uttar Pradesh have urged the state government to play the role of a facilitator in transferring the CSIR's indigenous oxygen concentrator technology to the state units.

Pankaj Kumar, national president, Indian Industries Association (IIA), said, "We have requested the state government to take up the issue with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for transferring oxygen concentrator technology to an MSME of UP." He said that "Due to a big gap in demand and supply of oxygen concentrators in the state, their price has skyrocketed taking them out of the reach of most people. Once we start manufacturing oxygen concentrators in the state, their price will come down and they will be easily available." "This is only possible after we get the technology from the CSIR," he added.

The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, a unit of the CSIR, has already transferred its technology to manufacture oxygen concentrators to three MSMEs, one each in Kota (Rajasthan), Guwahati (Assam) and Gurugram (Haryana).

However, despite the huge demand, companies are not able to ensure availability of concentrators in adequate numbers.

The majority of the oxygen concentrators were being imported from China before the pandemic.

Concentrators are helpful in mild to moderate cases of Covid-19.

The MSMEs are also helping the state government in setting up oxygen plants.

The DRDO has transferred its liquid oxygen plant technology to Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, Bengaluru, and Trident Pneumatics Pvt Ltd.

Trident Pneumatics Pvt Limited, Coimbatore, will install 21 oxygen plants in government hospitals in the state. These plants will be based on the DRDO's liquid oxygen plant technology.

The Union ministry of Petroleum will also install oxygen plants in government hospitals across the state.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 : Taking full credit for leading the ruling CPI-M led LDF to a second term, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ahead of the first meeting of the Left Democratic Front after the election results, celebrated the occasion by cutting a big cake here on Monday.

Left Democratic Front convenor A. Vijayaraghavan told the media that a 21-member cabinet will be sworn in on Thursday and including Vijayan there will be 12 cabinet ministers from the CPI-M.

In the 140-member Kerala Assembly the Left won 99 seats, while the Congress-led Opposition secured 41.

The others include four from the CPI, one each from the JD (S) and the NCP, while four single legislator parties will share two cabinet posts with each party getting a term of 2.5 years each.

Vijayan himself took the lead and after cutting the cake gave a piece to all the leaders who came for the meeting.

Among the decisions that have been agreed to is that the single party legislator parties which include the Kerala Congress (B), Nationalist Kerala Congress, Congress-S and the INL is that all of them will be given a cabinet post but they will have to share two cabinet ministers post between the four.

Antony Raju of the Nationalist Kerala Congress will get a term of 2.5 years and after that he will have to move out for present State Minister for Ports, Kadanapally Ramachandran of the Congress -S. Ahamed Devarcoil will take the first term and midway will make way for actor turned former State Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar.

Emerging out of the LDF meeting, Raju said as things stand he will be the one to get the first term and we as a party are extremely thankful to the CM for giving us this opportunity.

Kerala Congress (Mani) party which has 5 legislators, whose leader Jose K.Mani, son of late K.M. Mani, was looking downcast as he lost the election. He said that his party had wished to get two cabinet ministers posts, but due to limitations it has not happened.

"We have been given one Minister's post and the post of Chief Whip (which comes with cabinet status). We did ask for two ministerial posts, but there are limitations, so we settled for one," said Mani.

Nationalist Congress Party leader T.P. Peethambaran who has two legislators will get a cabinet minister. He said their national leader Praful Patel is arriving on Tuesday and the final decision will be made then on who will be their party nominee for the minister's post.

Likewise the national president of the Janata Dal (S) H.D. Deva Gowda will decide who of their two legislators will become a Minister.

Even though they have one legislator and are a full fledged ally of the Left, the Loktantrik Janata Dal (S) is the only one who failed to get a cabinet post.

Another unlucky legislator is five-time winner Kovoor Kunjumon. Though his faction of the RSP is not an ally, he has been a fellow traveller of the Left after coming out of the RSP faction which is presently in the Congress led Opposition. He also failed to get any post.

The CPI-M and the CPI are busy finalizing their ministers and are expected to announce the names in a day or two. Indications are barring K.K. Shailaja -- the outgoing popular Health Minister, all will be new faces. All eyes are on P.A. Mohammed Riyaz on whether he will find a slot in the CPI-M list.

Riyaz, the All India president of the DYFI (the youth wing of the CPI-M), is the son-in-law of Vijayan. He married Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan last year. It was the second marriage of both.

While the Speaker's post will be taken by the CPI-M, the deputy speaker will go to the CPI.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Rome, May 17 : The aid ship Sea-Eye 4 has rescued about 330 migrants attempting to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in the past few days, the private vessel's German operator announced on Monday.

The latest rescue operation conducted overnight brought 99 people on board, most of whom said they are from Syria, dpa news agency quoted Sea-Eye as saying on Twitter.

The crew was now nearing "the limit" of their capacities to care for the rescuees, Sea-Eye wrote.

The Sea-Eye 4 set out last last week and has been picking up migrants travelling on boats unfit for the high seas.

Among the people brought aboard the vessel at the weekend were children, an eight-month-old baby and a pregnant woman, the group said.

The ship, refitted in the northern German port city of Rostock and belonging to the association founded in Regensburg, Bavaria, in 2015, had started its mission to rescue distressed migrants in the central Mediterranean Sea at the beginning of the month.

The mission is supported by United4Rescue, the Alliance for Civilian Sea Rescue, and the aid organization German Doctors.

According to UN figures, more than 500 people have died so far this year until the beginning of May trying to cross the central Mediterranean to Europe, usually departing from Libya and Tunisia and aiming for Italy.

The private sea rescuers criticize the Libyan coast guard for intercepting boat migrants and bringing them back to the war-torn country, where they are threatened with human rights violations.

Politically, however, the rescue operations of the private organisations are controversial, with some claiming they encourage the illegal smuggling of people across the Mediterranean.
Mumbai, May 17 : Model and actor Milind Soman explained on Monday why he is unable to donate plasma despite recovering from Covid-19.

"Back to the jungle! Went to Mumbai to donate plasma but didn't have enough antibodies for donation. Even though plasma therapy is not proven effective 100%, there are opinions that it might help, so I guess we must do whatever we can," Milind wrote on Instagram along with a selfie.

"Low antibody count generally means I had mild symptoms and that I have enough to fight another infection but not enough that I can help other people. Felt a bit sad. #postcovid," he further explained.

In a recent Instagram post, the 55-year-year old, known for his fitness, shared a few tips with netizens to improve their strength and flexibility.

"Six finger pullups -- third set of 8 repetitions. Every part of your body and mind, organs and systems, muscles, focus, concentration, stamina, digestion, are getting weaker as you grow older, and by older I mean after mid-twenties, slowly at first, but then faster and faster .. UNLESS you make the effort to keep every part of your body and mind strong. It's upto us to understand our mental and physical weaknesses and make lifestyle and attitude choices to ensure we do not suffer due to them," he wrote recently.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Lucknow, May 17 : After dealing with the second Covid wave successfully, the Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to stop the third wave of the pandemic. For this, not only beds are being increased in hospitals, but oxygen concentrators have also been arranged in rural areas.

Apart from this, tests are being conducted door-to-door by sending teams, as a result of which UP overcame the second wave successfully and now preparations are afoot to tackle the third wave. Additional Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Information, Navneet Sehgal said this in an exclusive interview with IANS.

Sehgal said that dedicated hospitals for children are being set up in case they get infected. Our entire team is working day and night to ensure that children do not get infected or if they get infections, immediate treatment is made available, he added.

The senior IAS officer said, "Before the third wave comes, the government is all geared up to stop it. For this, dedicated hospitals for women and children are being set up in every district. Paediatric ICUs are being made available, 97,000 monitoring committees have been sent to all the villages which are doing door-to-door screening. For this, 10 lakh medical kits have also been provided. The number of beds has been increased everywhere depending on the instructions of the Chief Minister. Since March, more than 11,000 beds have been made available in the medical colleges and 18,000 in district hospitals, oxygen concentrators are also being arranged for each community health centre (CHC). At least 21,000 concentrators have been sent -- 20 each to each CHC. The state government is fully prepared to deal with any situation. We are recruiting staff, about 700 have been recruited this month only." Sehgal said, "the vaccination drive is going on at a fast pace. So far, 1,16,80,212 people have been given the first dose, and 32,66,076 were given the second dose of the vaccine. A total of 1,49,46,288 vaccines have already been administered. Vaccines have also been administered to 4,14,329 people in the age group of 18-44 years. UP has also floated a global tender for the vaccine".

Sehgal said that it is due to the efforts of the UP government that house-to-house survey was conducted to trace, test and treat Covid patients. It was because of this that the Covid cases which were 38,055 on April 24 have now come down to below 10,000. More than four and a half crore RT-PCR tests were done. Three lakh tests are carried out everyday to identify the infected persons, he said.

In response to a question, Sehgal said that a special drive was carried out to ensure that infections do not spread in rural areas. Members of the monitoring committees are going from village to village to identify persons with symptoms and are giving medical kits immediately. The RRT (Rapid Response Team) is also carrying out antigen tests if the symptoms persist.

On the question of the number of deaths not coming down despite a fall in the infection rate, Sehgal said that it takes a week or ten days for this to happen. Deaths will also come down in the days to come, he said.

When asked how the situation came to this pass and where the government failed, as compared to the first peak, Sehgal said that this time the infections are 30 to 50 times more. It came like a wildfire, more powerful this time engulfing the youths as well. People think of slight fever as a minor issue, that it will be cured soon. This is a misconception, he said. "People should not put their lives in danger by doing things like this. So, now people are being motivated to go to the hospital and get themselves examined. That is why teams have been sent in the rural areas." Sehgal said, "we are supplying 1000 tonnes of oxygen every day. The hospitals here have adequate medical gas. Initially there was a shortage, but the situation is under control now. Plants have been set up in 370 government hospitals which are producing oxygen."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Patna, May 17 : Four persons were arrested from Bihar's Nalanda district on Monday, for allegedly cheating people in Delhi on the pretext of selling oxygen cylinders, police said.

The accused were identified as Mithilesh Kumar, Pankaj Kumar, Deepak Kumar and Sharawan Mali. Both the Bihar and Delhi police have also seized a laptop, three mobile phones, SIM cards, cash and some objectionable documents from them.

Mohamad Sibli Nomani, DSP, Sadar said: "These conmen used to make random calls to the Delhi residents and offer them oxygen cylinders at a cheaper price. They had also shared their phone numbers and details of the oxygen cylinders on the social media platforms for patients to contact them. They also offered door step delivery of oxygen cylinders to the patients." After receiving complaints about the fraudulent acts, the Delhi police located the phone number from Nalanda. Delhi police informed us about the matter following which joint raids were conducted in the last one week in villages under Katrisarai police station and then the arrests were made," Nomani said.
Chennai, May 17 : Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Monday warned the people of the state not to inhale steam without following proper medical advice. The Minister said here that people in large numbers were inhaling steam as a preventive measure against Covid-19 infection, adding that inhaling steam without proper advice would damage the lungs.

There were several messages spread on the social media, saying that inhaling steam would help prevent the spread of the infection.

Subramanian said if people have Covid-19 symptoms they must consult a doctor rather than taking medication on their own.

The statement from the Health Minister's office said the treatment given to patients in Siddha Covid Care Centres is done under medical supervision and based on the guidance of a government medical committee.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
London, May 17 : People in England, Scotland and Wales can now sit indoors in pubs and restaurants and can hug each other again, in the biggest single lifting of coronavirus restrictions since the start of the UK's successful vaccination campaign.

While bars and restaurants in England and Wales are reopening their indoor seating areas for the first time in months on Monday, Scottish venues where this was already possible can now serve alcohol indoors again, reports dpa news agency.

Larger groups of people in the three nations can also meet socially: for indoors the limit in England is now up to six people or two households; for outdoors the maximum is 30.

After consistent guidance since spring last year to avoid direct contact with people not in their own family or so-called "support bubble", UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised citizens that they can now make their own "informed decisions" and be "cautious" when it comes to hugging loved ones.

Other recreational venues such as cinemas, museums, theatres and concert halls are also allowed to reopen in England, Scotland and Wales, although there are capacity limits on large events.

A highly anticipated lifting of the international travel ban has gone into effect in England and Wales, allowing people to travel based on a traffic light grading system.

For "green" countries, British travellers do not have to quarantine when they return home if they test negatively for coronavirus; "amber" or "red" countries mean people do have to quarantine, in the latter case in specific government-approved hotels.

Green list countries include Australia, Brunei and New Zealand, but also countries closer to home include Portugal and Iceland.

Two areas of Scotland, Glasgow and Moray, will maintain stricter restrictions, such as no meeting in private homes and maintaining social distancing, due to a rise in cases of the coronavirus.

Despite the lifting of restrictions, leaders in Scotland and England still urged people to be cautious in their behaviour following a rise in cases of the Indian variant of the coronavirus.

Northern Ireland will review its restrictions later this week with a view to easing similar restrictions from May 24.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Chennai, May 17 : Even as it is sorting out the teething problems in its oxygen production in Thoothukudi-based Sterlite Copper, Vedanta Ltd has called for Expressions of Interest (EoI) for a solution to transport about 800 ton per day (tpd) of gaseous oxygen to hospitals.

According to a company official, the oxygen plant again became operational on Sunday.

Vedanta said its oxygen unit at Sterlite Copper has a total installed capacity of 1,050 tpd and the existing infrastructure has the potential to transport 200-250 tpd medical oxygen to various hospitals.

To utilise the balance capacity of the unit for the medical usage, it is looking for business partners to study and provide a solution to transport 800 tpd oxygen which is available in gaseous form at 4.5 bar pressure to various hospitals in the state.

Vedanta had started oxygen production at Sterlite Copper recently to supply to hospitals to meet the needs due to the spread of Covid-19 pandemic across the country.

However, the oxygen plant got into technical problems and production was halted.

The Tamil Nadu government had ordered the closure of the copper smelter plant in 2018 following a violent protest that led to the death of 13 persons in police firing.

The Supreme Court had allowed the company to operate its oxygen plant alone recently.

The 400,000 ton Sterlite copper smelter plant that has been operating in Thoothukudi for over 25 years with a cumulative investment of about Rs 3,000 crore.
During the last week hundreds of Palestinian protesters have been wounded in clashes with Israeli police and more than 197 are dead in Gaza and 10 in Israel, 42 were killed in the early hours of 17 May only, after the Israeli rocket attacks and bombarding by Israeli planes on Palestinian settlements in the west Bank. Jerusalem has witnessed worst unrest in years with Arab communities inside Israel holding continuous demonstrations against the atrocities during the Holy month of Ramadan.

Events leading to the current crisis Tension had been brewing in the Old City of Jerusalem since the end of the last month, in addition to a series of events converging at once, reaching a crescendo last Monday (10 May).

On one hand Palestinians are frustrated by a decision of Mahmoud Abbas, the 85-year-old leader of the unpopular semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority, to postpone planned elections, PA's last parliamentary ballot was held in 2006. On the other hand, results of an election held in March earlier has further emboldened Israel's far right, bringing a party of Jewish ultra-nationalists allied with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to power.

In addition, since the beginning of the the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Palestinians have complained of what they term as unnecessarily severe restrictions by Israeli police, who prevented them from gathering on steps outside the Old City - an unofficial tradition after evening prayers.

Amid rising tensions, there was an increase in communal violence, with videos shared online of street harassment and several attacks between Jews and Palestinians. Events came to a head in late April when hundreds of far-right Israelis marched down city streets chanting "death to Arabs" and confronted Palestinians.

Added to this was the anger building over an Israeli court ruling, due on 10 May, on whether Israeli authorities would evict dozens of Palestinians from the majority-Arab East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah and give their homes to Jewish settlers.

On 10 May, thousands of flag-waving Israeli nationalists were due to march through Muslim neighbourhoods in the Old City in a provocative parade that celebrated Israel's capture of the city in 1967. Though, the court date was rescheduled and the march was rerouted, it has added to increased passions across both the parties.

Historical context Jewish families claim they lost land in Sheikh Jarrah during a war in 1948, when Israel was created, a conflict in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were also displaced.

Israel recaptured East Jerusalem from Jordanian forces in the 1967 war and later annexed it. Under Israeli law, Jews who can prove pre-1948 title can claim back their Jerusalem properties. But no similar law exists for Palestinians who lost homes in West Jerusalem.

Why is Jerusalem a flashpoint? Jerusalem has always been at the centre of the Israeli-Palestinian tensions, as several holy sites revered both by Jews and Muslims are situated in the city.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. The Palestinians want the eastern sector of the divided city to be recognised as the capital of their future state.

The Al-Aqsa mosque compound situated at the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem occupies a 35-acre rectangular esplanade. The area was seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, along with the rest of east Jerusalem, which was later, annexed in a move, which has never been internationally recognised.

Muslims revere this area as Al-Haram al-Sharif, and the compound houses the famous golden Dome of the Rock shrine, a seventh-century structure, believed to be where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ascended to heaven and the Al-Aqsa mosque, which used to be the mosque towards which Muslims used to turn while praying, before the Grand Mosque at Makkah was declared as the Kabbah, after it was cleared of the idols by the Holy Prophet. It is the third-holiest site in Islam after the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, both in Saudi Arabia.

The site is also revered as the holiest site in Judaism because it housed both the First and Second Temples. In Hebrew, it is referred to as Har Ha Bayit -- the Temple Mount.

Jews are allowed to visit the compound, but are forbidden from praying there for fear of sparking tensions with Muslim worshippers.

Israel has several times tried to change the status quo and annex the whole of Jerusalem. In 1996, an Israeli decision to open a new entrance to the west of the plaza sparked clashes that left more than 80 people dead in three days.

And a controversial visit to the plaza in September 2000 by the then right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon was one of the main triggers for the second Palestinian Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005.

In July 2017, the compound was temporarily closed after three Arab Israelis opened fire at Israeli police near the site, killing two of them, before fleeing into the sacred compound, where they were shot dead by security forces.

In 2020, access to the compound was closed to the public during the month of Ramadan due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the reopening was subject to strict sanitary conditions with a limit on the number of worshippers.

Arab countries' response The reaction and response by different Arab countries and organisations over the recent flare-up has been the same as always. They issued hollow statements and discussed the situation telephonically with each other. The UN also just expressed its desperation; the UN Secretary General has warned that the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict is heading for "an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis".

The response as expected has been muted and is more subdued because of the recent wave of establishing ties with Israel by different Arab countries, which are more guarded now due to the regional geo-politics or just political pressures. Though the Arab leadership has been found wanting the response of the public at large has been that of continued support to their Palestinian brethren.

Why the Indian Muslims support Palestine? The Indian Muslims and to a certain extent the Indian polity also, during the last 70 years has been supportive of the Palestinian cause. One reason for this was that they were experiencing the same troubles and repercussions, though not up to that level, after the partition of India at the hands of the British, who were also responsible for creating the state of Israel.

Thus, the colonialists are responsible for creating two permanent sores in the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, to safeguard their interests and submerge the populace in a continuous state of flux. In addition India being one of the leading promoters of the Non-Aligned Movement, its leaders always had good rapport with the Palestinian leaders and supported their cause to the maximum, a fact that was endorsed even by late Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he led the coalition Janata Party government.

In the given circumstances it seems too wishful to hope that this conflagration would die, as Israel to camouflage its military aggression, tries to give it religious colours to win its populace for support. And we know, once religion creeps into any political issue it becomes too difficult to solve it.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs. Email: asad.mirza.nd@gmail.com)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
's ( , OTCQX:SHIEF), Tim Watts talks to Proactive London about their new US stock market quote on the OTCQX Best Market.

This decision is to support the upcoming launch of Accrufer in the US with the aim to increase relevance to US-based investors.

Watts explains that they will face no additional reporting requirements as a result of the American listing, therefore the additional costs will be 'minimal'.

Watts believes the drug has the potential to reach the realm of '100mln worth of sales in the first three years and then on to 3-400mln by years five or six'.
Mumbai, May 17 : Amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, the Indian art community has united to raise funds to assist with the ongoing relief efforts through 'Art Rises for India', a 24-hour online fundraiser auction hosted by Saffronart from May 19-20.

According to a statement from the auction house, Art Rises for India features over 120 works of modern and contemporary South Asian art, all of which have been generously donated by artists, gallerists, collectors, and patrons to support the cause.

All the proceeds from the auction, including the reduced buyer's premium, will be donated to grassroots non-profit organisations such as Goonj, Hemkunt Foundation, YUVA, Dastkar, FICA, Khoj, Street Survivors, Aangan and Charaka, which are working on the ground to provide medical support and daily subsistence to those in need.

The highlights of the fundraiser auction include an untitled work by Amrita Sher-Gil, and a watercolour on paper by Ganesh Haloi, both estimated at Rs 8-10 lakh each; a 2015 oil on canvas by A. Ramachandran, estimated at Rs 7-9 lakh; Gieve Patel's bronze and wood sculpture Eklavya estimated at Rs 6-8 lakh; as well as significant works by Ram Kumar, Krishen Khanna, K.G. Subramanyan, Thota Vaikuntam and Sudhir Patwardhan, among other artists.

The contemporary section includes a 2017 work on paper by Imran Qureshi titled 'When I Thought of You', estimated at Ra 7-9 lakh; N.S. Harsha's 'Beginning' (2019), estimated at Rs 5-7 lakh; a set of two works by Rana Begum, estimated at Rs 3-5 lakh, as well as works by Vivan Sundaram, Alyssa Pheobus Mumtaz, Rathin Barman, Natessa Amin and Gigi Scaria, among others, said the auction house.

Saffronart CEO and Co-founder Dinesh Vazirani said, "We are living in unprecedented times. The harsh reality of the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 virus has compromised the lives of millions across India. All of us have been touched by this tragedy in some way.

"We, the Indian art community, have decided to join forces in raising funds to assist the NGOs doing critical work at the grassroots level, which includes providing medical support, basic amenities and sustenance to daily labourers, migrant workers, street survivors, artists, artisans, craftspeople, and anyone in need.

"This online fundraiser auction has come together thanks to the generous donations of several artists, gallerists, and collectors. As we did with our COVID-19 Relief Fundraiser Auction last year, we hope to raise a significant corpus of funds and do our small part in helping those in need." Saffronart had previously conducted a Covid-19 Relief Fundraiser Auction in April last year, a Kerala Flood Relief Fundraiser Auction in August 2018, and had partnered with the Kochi Biennale Foundation for an auction to support flood relief in January 2019.

In 2014, Saffronart hosted an auction on its sister website StoryLTD.com, which aimed to help rebuild homes and lives of those affected by the floods in Jammu and Kashmir, and a charity auction in 2008 in aid of victims of severe flooding in Eastern India.

The no reserve online auction will take place on saffronart.com from May 19-20.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Panaji, May 17 : The Congress on Monday filed a police complaint against Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Viswajit Rane, claiming that their "sheer incompetence, mismanagement and criminal negligence" led to the "deaths of hundreds of Covid patients due to oxygen shortage".

"This complaint reflects the pain and the anguish of all Goans, who have been completely failed and let down by the present state government on account of their sheer incompetence; criminal negligence; mismanagement and complete disregard to the lives of the peoples in handling the Covid-19 pandemic situation," the complaint filed by state Congress chief Girish Chodankar at the Agacaim police station said.

"Since the onslaught of the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic i.e somewhere since April 2021, hundreds of people have died at Goa Medical College (GMC) due to shortage and or failure of the Government to maintain uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen," it said.

Health Minister Rane on May 11 said that 26 Covid patients admitted to the hospital had died on the day due to lack of oxygen. Days after the admission, Goa Medical College Dean, Dr Shivanand Bandekar claimed that it was not possible to link the deaths to oxygen shortage.

In all, 75 patients have died at the hospital over four days beginning May 11, due to oxygen shortage, forcing even the Bombay High Court's Panaji bench to step in and attempt to streamline the oxygen supply procedure.

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Lucknow, May 17 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has launched a project to manufacture solar lamps and distribute them to children in rural areas of the state at a reasonably low cost.

With the help of the government and the CSR Fund, women of self-help groups are creating these solar lamps, which are being made available to the school children by the government for Rs 100 per piece against their market rate of a whopping Rs 500 per piece.

Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath government had distributed 28 lakh solar lamps made by 4,000 women to school children in 75 blocks spread over 30 districts of UP.

The initiative is part of the Prerna Ojas Programme of Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission (Rural Development Department) that helps women of self-help groups to become self-reliant and socially and economically empowered.

Kanpur Dehat District Magistrate, Jitendra Pratap Singh, said that this initiative would help children a great deal in pursuing education, adding that it is a matter of pride for the district that women have found a way to become self-reliant by making solar lamps.

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) of the district, Soumya Pandey said that a total of 978 self-help groups have been formed in the district to which 10,758 rural women are linked.

Pandey added that the solar lamps made by these women are far cheaper than those available in the market.

In the first phase of the Prerna Ojas programme, 35 women from 18 groups were selected to receive training in manufacturing cheaper solar lamps and selling them while a unit was set up at Paraunkh village of President Ram Nath Kovind.

Shailendra Dwiwedi, CEO of Prerna Ojas Programme, said that the women of the group are given Rs 12 for manufacturing and Rs 17 for sale per piece with their daily income reaching Rs 250-Rs 300.

The women also carry out the repair work if needed.

The warranty period of the lamp is till February 2022.

So far, 1000 solar lamps have been made and sold for Rs 100 per piece to the students of the Council's schools in the block and women group units have received Rs 1 lakh from the sale of solar lamps.

Dwiwedi said that as the delivery target of solar lamps is achieved, these women will have the golden chance to become entrepreneurs in future. They will be financed to open Prerna Solar Smart Shop in various towns and markets of the block.

Women will repair and sell various types of solar products such as lanterns, flashlights, lamps, solar fans, panels, LED bulbs at the solar shop. Women will also be trained to manufacture, sell, repair other solar products, including solar lamps.
Jaipur, May 17 : Cyclone Tauktae had its impact in Rajasthan as four people, including three kids in the age group of 10-12 years and a 46-year-old man lost their lives on Sunday night after lightning struck them when they were plucking mangoes from the mango trees, officials said on Monday.

A severe storm had left the town devastated on Sunday night with trees uprooted and power lines snapped due to Cyclone Tauktae.

The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for each victim's family, said Dungarpur district collector Suresh Kumar Ola who appealed to the residents of the city to stay indoors in the wake of the cyclone hitting the state and a forecast of heavy rainfall by the met department.

Officials said the weather in Dungarpur changed by Sunday evening and an intense storm lashed the city along with heavy rainfall.

Heavy rain was also recorded in Udaipur and Kota divisions in the last 24 hours while the heaviest rainfall was recorded in Dungarpur district at 21 mm, said the met department.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a tweet expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Aligarh, May 17 : The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has set up a help desk to assist the families of AMU's teaching and non-teaching employees, who lost their lives in the Covid pandemic.

In an official notice, AMU Registrar, Abdul Hamid said that the help desk will assist in processing the papers and documents for retirement benefits/family pension issues and appointment of dependent family members under the Compassionate Appointment Scheme in accordance with AMU rules with immediate effect.

"For retirement benefits/family pension issues, the dependent family members of the deceased employees are requested to contact the officer of the Registrar and also for appointments under the Compassionate Appointment Scheme," the notice said.

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Kolkata, May 17 : As protests and violence erupted in several parts of the city demanding the release of the Trinamool Congress leaders and the ministers arrested by the CBI in the Narada sting operation case, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to follow 'constitutional norms' and 'rule of law'.

Dhankhar also asked the Kolkata police to control the law-and-order situation in the city.

"Concerned about the alarming situation. Call upon @MamataOfficial to follow constitutional norms & rule of law. Police @WBPolice @KolkataPolice @HomeBengal must take all steps to maintain law & order. Sad -- situation is being allowed to drift with no tangible action by authorities," the governor tweeted after violence erupted in front of the gate of the CBI regional office at Nizam Palace on Monday morning.

The Governor was referring to the chief minister who reached few minutes after two ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrtata Mukherjee, one MLA Madan Mitra and former ex-mayor Sovan Chatterjee were arrested in Narada sting operation case in which the four along with some other TMC leaders and police officers were seen taking money.

The bribery case rocked the state politics just before the last assembly polls in 2016.

Reacting to the violence that erupted on the streets of the city where Trinamool supporters clashed with the central forces, the governor wrote, "Invited attention @MamataOfficial "On channels and in public domain I notice arson and pelting of stones at CBI office. Pathetic that Kolkata Police @KolkataPolice and West Bengal Police @WBPolice are just onlookers. Appeal to you to act and restore law and order." "Total lawlessness & anarchy. Police and administration in silence mode. Hope you realise the repercussions of such lawlessness and failure of constitutional mechanism. Time to reflect and contain this explosive situation that is worsening minute by minute," he added.

The CBI arrested Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee on Monday, in connection with the 2016 Narada sting operation case. Mamata Banerjee rushed to CBI's office at Nizam Palace where the four were held and demanded she be arrested too, a source within TMC told IANS. TMC workers and supporters took to the streets to protest the arrests.

The Narada sting case dates back to 2016 and featured many high-profile TMC leaders receiving money on camera for fictitious companies. Besides those arrested, leader of opposition in the legislative assembly Suvendu Adhikari and BJP leader Mukul Roy were also recorded by Mathew Samuel, the man behind the sting operation.

Both Hakim and Mukherjee are sitting ministers in Banerjee's cabinet. Mitra, a member of the legislative assembly, has been arrested before for his alleged role in the Sarada scandal. Chatterjee joined BJP but quit on being denied a party ticket for the recently concluded assembly elections.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, May 17 : Shilpa Shetty Kundra took to social media on Monday to remind netizens that they need to be gentle towards themselves at a time when the nation is battling the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"To be able to stay united and help each other, we need to be gentle with ourselves. Prioritise what needs and deserves your attention before everything else. Please don't neglect your health, your food, your sleep, or even your water intake," the actress tweeted.

"When you feel everything around you is overwhelming; straighten your back, release your tongue hitting the roof of your mouth, and loosen your shoulders. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. You can ensure everyone around you is okay only when you are okay. #MondayMotivation," she further wrote.

The actress is gearing up to return to the screen after over a decade. She will be seen in the films "Nikamma" and "Hungama 2" soon. Her last release in Bollywood was "Apne", in June 2007.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, May 17 : Tech Mahindra on Monday announced its support to #OxygenForIndia, a volunteer-run organisation, to deploy 3,000 oxygen concentrators and 40,000 oxygen cylinders to help resolve the oxygen crisis in India.

#OxygenForIndia is a campaign put together by the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), and is aimed at delivering oxygen cylinders to those in need, and especially those who may have difficulty in being admitted to a hospital due to financial constraints.

As part of the partnership, Tech Mahindra will provide its leading technological and functional expertise to digitally support the campaign by enabling their supply chain applications and streamlining operations with RFD ID (Radio-frequency identification) tracking. Additionally, the partnership will also utilise the operational capabilities of Mahindra Logistics and leverage the Mahindra ecosystem of suppliers, customers, partners, and associates for funding to aid the campaign.

Technology firm HCL has extended its Covid-19 mitigation efforts across the country to include Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other states.

These efforts include a 100 bedded Covid treatment facility (including 50 oxygen beds) at Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida. In Lucknow, HCL has provided six ICU ventilators, 20 oxygen beds and a mini oxygen generator plant (capacity of 45 LPM) to the Fatima Hospital.

In addition, HCL is also supporting essential equipment and consumables at an L-1 Covid Care Facility, as well as the District Hospital in Hardoi.

In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, HCL has provided 30 ICU beds at St John's Hospital in Bengaluru, safety gear and PPE for frontline workers in Madurai and Chennai, as well as essential medical and non-medical equipment for Covid treating institutions in Chennai.

HCL has also collaborated with local Municipal bodies to spearhead vaccination centres in cities and towns including Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Madurai, Lucknow, and J&K.

Global ICT solutions provider Huawei is also undertaking initiatives to provide care, support, and ensure the wellbeing of all employees. Huawei has set up an emergency team, a dedicated portal for Covid-19 care, as a one-stop solution for employees to address any related issue or clarification.

The company has arranged an exclusive 24x7 ambulance service available to all employees and their dependents in case of emergency. The company has also arranged for emergency beds with oxygen support in partnership with leading hospitals in case any employee or their dependents are unable to find a bed at the time of need.

Huawei is preparing to build a facility to administer vaccines onsite at the Bangalore R&D Centre. It has partnered with senior doctors and psychiatrists to conduct regular sessions to ensure mental wellness, while also regularly organising yoga and meditation sessions for improving physical health of its employees.

Besides tech companies, others have also come forward to help the country to fight the deadly and infectious disease.

Pharmaceutical company Mankind Pharma has allocated 40 crores from its CSR funds to help Covid patients and their families struggling for oxygen cylinders and concentrators.

The pharma giant has also set up a 70 bed isolation centre at Hotel New Destination, Civil Lines, Gurugram for Covid patients. It recently donated a sum of Rs 100 crores to support the families of all frontline workers, that includes doctors, police officers, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers.

Von Wellx Germany Group has pledged to gift 10,000 washable (easily sanitisable) and healthy shoes, to medical workers, across Covid-19 hospitals in India.

"Von Wellx shoes are based on an Internationally Patented 5 Zones Technology through Reflexology. It massages and stimulates the pressure points and muscles in your feet by 2.5 times with every step, thus providing you the benefit of 8000 steps with only 3000 steps. This stimulation increases the blood and oxygen supply to your organs and body, thus helping you to remain fit/active in Covid 19 times, a critical facet to win the fight over Covid 19," Ashish Jain, CEO - Von Wellx Germany, India shared in a statement.

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Bhopal, May 17 : Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal, Pragya Thakur has claimed that she was not infected with the coronavirus because she regularly drinks cow urine. She said she will continue to be safe as long as she consumes 'gomutra'. The Congress has taken a dig at the MP's statement.

Participating in an event in Bhopal, Pragya Thakur said that the urine of a desi cow prevents the lungs from being infected with the virus.

"I am in great pain. But I also consume cow urine every day. That is why I am safe from coronavirus. I don't have to take any other medicine as long as I drink cow urine. I am not affected by this virus and God forbid will never be because I am taking this medicine (cow urine) regularly," she said.

The MP's statement has sparked a huge controversy and has become a talking point in the city.

Narendra Saluja, media coordinator of Congress state president Kamal Nath said in a tweet, "The BJP should immediately hand over all the responsibilities of the fight against coronavirus to Usha Thakur, a minister in Shivraj Singh cabinet and Pragya Thakur, MP from Bhopal, as their advice, argument and ways of dealing with this virus will eradicate the pandemic not only in India but in the entire world." This is not the first time Pragya Thakur has claimed that cow urine will cure serious illnesses. She had earlier claimed that cow urine has cured her cancer.

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-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Aizawl, May 17 : Mizorams Power and Electricity Minister, R. Lalzirliana (71), has been captured in a video where he could be seen mopping floors at the Zoram Medical College and Hospital (ZMCH), where he, his wife and son are undergoing treatment for Covid-19 since last week.

The septuagenarian minister not only earned appreciation for cleaning the floor, but also received kudos for sharing his meal with other Covid infected patients undergoing treatment in the state's lone dedicated Covid-19 hospital.

Talking to IANS over phone from the ZMCH, the tribal leader said that washing clothes and mopping the floor are not new to him as he used to do such chores at his home and at other places, including during his visits outside the state.

Lalzirliana said due to the alarming spread of the contagious virus, the hospital's sweeping staff did not come last week, and that's why he did the job as he is now recovering from the disease.

Lalzirliana, who also holds Land Resources, Water Conservations, Arts and Culture and Minority Affairs portfolios, said: "My intention to clean the floor of my hospital ward was not to embarrass the doctors, nurses and other health workers. I want to inspire others by performing our responsibility." A senior leader of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), Lalzirliana said that first his son had tested positive for Covid-19 on May 8, then his 59-year-old wife turned positive on May 11 before he was detected with the virus on May 12.

After brief isolation at home, the minister and his family members were shifted to ZMCH on May 12 when Lalzirliana was found with sudden drop in his oxygen level.

The minister, as well as the doctors at ZMCH, told IANS that all the three are now out of danger and their all health parameters are stable.

"The doctors, nurses and medical staff of ZMCH are taking good care, not only of us, but every patient. I don't like to be treated as a VIP patient. I want every patient to be given equal treatment and care.

"I believe that during my stay at the hospital, I dirtied the hospital ward. There is a shortage of sufficient workers compared to the huge requirement of staff at this pandemic period. That's why I have tried to reduce some workload of our Covid warriors," Lalzirliana said.

The minister has become very popular among the patients and hospital staff and photos of his compassionate attitude are being circulated by the patients themselves.

VVIP or VIP culture is seldom witnessed in the Christian dominated northeastern state of Mizoram, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.

With a population of 1.1 million (2011 census), the second least for a state in India, Mizoram had earlier witnessed many instances of ministers, MLAs and top political leaders living like common men by performing household chores, traveling in public transport, participating in community works and serving as a cook during community feasts.

Last year, Mizoram's sitting legislator with gynaecological background, Z.R. Thiamsang, had helped a pregnant woman at the district hospital in Champhai, conducting a critical surgery to help her smoothly deliver a baby.

The only gynaecological doctor at the Champhai district hospital was on leave due to ill-health and the lawmaker volunteered to help the young woman deliver through a caesarean section.

Last week, over 410 unemployed doctors, nursing students, laboratory technicians and pharmacists in Mizoram had voluntarily agreed to assist the government in Covid management.

Around 8,829 positive cases have been detected in Mizoram so far, while the state's active caseload stood at 2,117 on Monday.

Out of Mizoram's 11 districts, only in three - Aizawl (23), Serchhip (1) and Saitual (1) - have reported deaths due to Covid-19.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)

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-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
PLC's ( ) Craig Moulton joins Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam with an update on the Wudinna gold project in South Australia.

The firm has completed 138 holes in its geochemistry sampling programme which will aid in confirming the orientation of known mineralisation at the Barns and White Tank prospects ahead of a reverse circulation drilling programme.

This fieldwork is expected to take up to six weeks to complete, with assays expected up to five weeks after the programme has been completed.
Bengaluru, May 17 : Putting an end to speculation about cancellation of class 10 and class 12 examinations conducted by state boards, Karnataka education minister, S. Suresh Kumar on Monday said that the state government has not decided yet to cancel examinations of Class 10 (Secondary School Leaving Certificate - SSLC) and Class 12 (II year pre-university) examinations.

In a statement released by the minister's office here, Kumar has appealed students who are appearing for SSLC (Class 10) and II year PU (Class 12) must not fall prey to any rumours or mischievous statements quoting him on any social media sites.

"I appeal to students preparing for these examinations SSLC and PU II year to continue to study and prepare well for their examinations," he said and added that the state government would soon make a decision on announcing fresh dates for these examinations.

Amid the ongoing onslaught of the pandemic, on May 13, Karnataka had decided to postpone the Class 10 (Secondary School Leaving Certificate - SSLC) state board examination.

Kumar had said in a statement released through his office that the fresh dates for SSLC examinations will be announced only after ongoing Covid second wave subsidies.

Kumar on April 20 had asserted that the examinations for SSLC were scheduled to begin on June 21 and this time these examinations would neither be cancelled nor be postponed and it will be held in the state as scheduled from June 21 to July5.

Karnataka had decided to postpone these examinations after parents, students and many school associations had raised red flag over holding these crucial examinations from June 21 onwards owing to a severe spike in Covid cases since the beginning of April.

Earlier, Karnataka had postponed the second year Pre-University Exam (PUC) or Class 12 final exams and promoted first-year students.

Given the circumstances, even the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) 2021, which is held for Engineering admission, was also postponed on May 12.

Karnataka schools are currently observing summer vacation, which will continue till June 14. The new academic year would begin on June 15.

However, high school teachers had been instructed to conduct revision classes for SSLC students. Summer vacation for high school teachers is till May 31.

With the second wave of the pandemic raising its head in April, several state boards and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) announced their decision to cancel the ICSE or class 10 board examinations in April itself, but Karnataka continues to 'maintain' that it wants to hold examinations for class 10 students.

Subsequently cancelling class 10 examinations, the CBSE even announced an alternative scheme for the evaluation of Class 10 students.

The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) - state's education board that holds class 10 examinations, about 8.5 lakh students appear for the SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate or Class 10) examination annually.

While the Karnataka pre-university Examination board (KPUEB) is responsible for conducting board examination for Class 12 or II year PU examinations in multiple streams - humanities, commerce and science. Every year, around 6 lakh students appear for examinations in these streams in over 1000 centres across the state.

The KSEEB which generally conducts examinations in March/April of every year but due to prolonged lockout in 2020, this year's annual examinations are being postponed multiple times already causing immense pressure on parents as well as students who appear for these examinations. After conducting annual examinations the Board also needs to re-conduct the same examination in the month of June for the benefit of the students who fail in main examinations and nearly 2.20 lakh students take the supplementary examination./Eom/600 words

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-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, May 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa and the Lt Governor of Daman and Diu over their preparedness to deal with severe cyclonic storm Tauktae.

In a telephonic conversation with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Daman and Diu Lt Governor Praful Patel, he took stock of situation and preparedness to deal with the cyclonic storm if it impacts these states and the UT, more than what was expected.

The Prime Minister also assured all possible Central assistance to these states and the UT, informing that the National Disaster Response Forces (NDRF) teams are also active in relief and rescue operations.

Thackeray told Modi that the administration in the state is fully alert.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra CM's Office tweeted, "CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray is closely monitoring the Cyclone Tauktae situation in the state." So far, 12,420 residents of the coastal areas were relocated to safer places, and Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts were on orange alert while Raigad district was on red alert.

Sawant said that the Prime Minister called to enquire about the impact of cyclone Tauktae on the state, and assured all possible assistance from the Central government.

The Gujarat Chief Minister's Office said that the Prime Minister, in a telephonic conversation with Rupani, discussed the preparations of the state to face cyclone Tauktae. "PM also expressed his readiness for all help from the Central government to the state," it said.

Cyclonic storm Tauktae is very likely to reach Gujarat coast on Monday evening and make landfall between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) during early hours on Tuesday as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained surface wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Hyderabad, May 17 : The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the state health authorities to ensure that there are no steroids in medicine kits being distributed among people with Covid-19 symptoms.

Stating that Mucormycorsis or Black Fungus is a matter of concern, the court observed that steroids should not be given without doctor's prescription.

Hearing a batch of public interest litigations on Covid-related matters, a bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy asked the health department to be cautious in view of the reports that misuse of steroids is causing Black Fungus among Covid-19 patients.

When the court wanted to know if the medicine kits being distributed contain steroids, Advocate General B. S. Prasad said he would check with the officials concerned and inform the court.

The bench also asked the government to submit a detailed report as to how it plans to tackle Black Fungus.

The court was also informed that Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Hospital at King Koti in Hyderabad has been designated to treat Black Fungus infected people.

The court also wanted to know from the government about its strategy to deal with the likely third wave of Covid. The court suggested that the government should prepare in advance for third wave.

It also directed the court to constitute a task force to look into complaints that private hospitals are fleecing patients. There should be a task force where an aggrieved patient could lodge the complaint.

It also wanted the government to fix maximum rates for Covid-related treatment in hospitals to stop them from overcharging patients. When the government brought to the notice of the court that it has already issued a GO in this regard, the court felt that a fresh GO is required in view of the changes in treatment modalities. It wanted to know why there is no capping for various medical investigations and rates for PPE kits and other items.

It asked the government to issue in 48 hours a GO fixing the maximum charges and display it on official website.

The court once again pulled up the state authorities for not doing enough tests. It wanted to know why the health department is not conducting one lakh tests daily despite repeated directions.

The court also expressed its unhappiness over the department not providing break up of RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen tests in the report submitted to it.

When the petitioners brought to the court's notice that 15 out of 500 teachers contracted Coronavirus while attending duties for recently held elections in the state and later died, the court directed the government to treat the deceased teachers as 'Covid warriors'. It wanted the government to extend all benefits to the families of these teachers which are being given to other 'Covid warriors'.

It also felt that community kitchens are the need of the hour. When the whole family is infected, someone has to reach to their door with food. It suggested that the resident welfare associations and various housing societies need to be roped in for Covid relief.

Some petitioners brought to the court's notice that 390 hospitals on Telangana dashboard don't treat Covid patients. The court remarked that this is misleading and asked the authorities to update the dashboard.

The Director General of Police also submitted a report on implementation of lockdown and the action taken against the violators.

The police also submitted to the court videos taken at different places in Hyderabad on the occasion of Eid to monitor any violations during lockdown. The bench expressed its satisfaction over the effective implementation of lockdown during the festival and patted the police commissioners of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda.

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Ghazipur, May 17 : Gujarat-based businessman Sanjay Rai has set up a firewood bank at the cremation grounds on the banks of the Ganga to help poor people perform the last rites of their kin, instead of dumping the bodies in the river.

Rai, who is a native of Sherpur village in Ghazipur district of UP, and now residing in Gujarat, decided to start the facility after dozens of bodies were washed up on the banks of the river last week.

The bodies were apparently immersed in water after the relatives could not afford the cost of cremation.

Rai was in his village when the bodies washed up, and decided to help out the poor.

"People from various parts of the country called me to know the facts. The dumping of bodies as well as floating corpses in the river was upsetting" Rai said.

He discussed the issue with his associates and family members and decided to launch a firewood bank on the nine cremation 'ghats' located near the river.

"We informed the district administration about the plan and transported firewood, procured from the timber merchants from various parts of the districts. On May 14, the firewood banks were launched near the nine cremation grounds," he said.

Rai has got a group of volunteers who ensure maintenance of stock at the cremation grounds where poor people are given wood for the last rites from the bank without any cost.

On an average, Rs 5,000 is spent on firewood for a single pyre. Rai has so far spent close to Rs 3 lakh to cremate 60 bodies. He has been helped by family and friends in generating resources for the cause.

Ghazipur District Magistrate Mangala Prasad Singh said that Rai's contribution was praiseworthy.

"His organization is also creating awareness among the villagers urging them not to dump the dead bodies in the river," Singh said.

The district administration has also started an awareness campaign while the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) is conducting patrols to dissuade villagers from dumping the bodies in the river.

The newly-elected gram pradhans have been asked to reach out to the district administration for assistance for the last rites if needed.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 : An employee in a Canara Bank branch in Kerala's Pathanamthitta, missing for months after allegedly conducting fraud to the tune of over Rs 8 crore, has been arrested from Bengaluru by a Crime Branch team, police said on Monday.

Vijesh Varghese, who hails from Kollam district, was missing for about three months before the police tracked him down from a rented flat in Bengaluru where he was staying in hiding with his wife and children, and arrested him on Sunday night.

After he went missing, bank officials had found out that he had been tinkering with accounts of customers and siphoning off money from them.

Initial probe revealed that Varghese was using the authorisation passwords of his colleagues in the branch where he worked to commit the fraud and allegedly used this money to play in the share market and also play online rummy.

With the bank taking a serious note of the fraud, four staff members of the branch were suspended from service.

The police team will now start questioning Varghese and for that, he will be brought to the branch where he worked.
Chandigarh, May 17 : Trouble seems brewing for Punjab Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who has been facing charges of sending "indecent" messages to an IAS officer on her mobile phone more than two years ago, with the state women panel issuing notice to the government on the issue.

The incident was of October 2018 when the #MeToo campaign came to light across the country. However, the issuance of the notice by the panel now has brought to the fore "differences" between the Chief Minister and the minister.

The woman officer, in a verbal complaint to her seniors, had alleged that the minister sent her indecent messages to which she objected but he did not stop. Then when one of the messages was sent late at night, she decided to complain.

Reacting swiftly after this development, the Punjab State Women Commission had said any sexual overtures during and after office hours would not be tolerated.

On Monday, it issued a notice to the Chief Secretary seeking a status report within a week in the allegations.

The commission issued the notice after taking cognisance of a media report.

Political observers say these days Channi is not having cordial relations with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Like former minister Navjot Sidhu, Channi is demanding action against perpetrators in sacrilege and police firing cases in 2015 when the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government was at the helm.
Srinagar, May 17 : The J&K students association on Monday appealed to Union Home Minister, Amit Shah and Karnataka Chief Minister, B.S. Yediyurappa to drop sedition charges on 3 Kashmiri students and revoke their suspension.

In a letter addressed to Shah and Yediyurappa, students association spokesman, Nasir Khuehami said the three Kashmiri students who were arrested in Hubbali city of Dharwad district on sedition charges after an alleged video went viral on the social media belong to financially poor families.

They were admitted in the K.L.E Institute of Technology, Hubbali (Karnataka), through Central government Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS), an initiative of AICTE.

"Whatever these students did was their mistake. The video uploaded on social media was spread widely resulting in their career assassination." He said sedition charge against students is an unacceptably harsh punishment that will ruin their futures and will further alienate them.

"The charges will have serious consequences on academic and future career of the students and should be withdrawn.

"The students should not be deprived of the Fundamental right to Education which the constitution of India upholds against all the odds," the spokesman added.

Secretary of the Association, Davood Ahmad requested Shah and Yediyurappa to give chance to the students to continue their studies and restore their faith in the ethical standing of your Institution and the fair constitution of India, so that the poor children will find some retrieve and their futures are preserved.

He said that, the students have no other source of income to continue their education except the scholarship provided by the Central government through PMSSS in their favour.

"We requested the Home Minister and Karnataka Chief Minister to drop the sedition charges against them, so that a safe environment is provided to them to heal their psychological trauma and to continue their education without any further hindrance," Ahmad said.
Chennai, May 17 : The Consul General of Israel to south India, Jonathan Zadka, has said that the people of Israel stand with the family of Soumya Santosh, a Kerala woman who lost her life during the Hamas strike in Israel.

Hailing from Idukki in Kerala, Santosh (30), who worked as a caregiver to an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor in Israel, was among those killed in a rocket attack by the Palestinian Islamist group on Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, the Israeli diplomat said that he had attended the funeral service of Santosh as a representative of the Israeli people.

Excerpts from the interview: Q: You had attended the funeral of Soumya Santosh, the Keralite woman who was killed in Israel in a missile attack by the Hamas group...

A: Yes, I had personally attended the funeral service of Soumya Santosh, who was a caregiver to an 83-year-old Israeli woman who happens to be a Holocaust survivor. I had represented the people of Israel and expressed my condolences on their behalf. We are with the family of Santosh at this moment of grief, especially for her nine-year-old son Adon.

Q: Santosh was killed on Israeli soil. Will her family receive any compensation? A: We will treat the family of Santosh as a victim of terror attack on foreign nationals and act accordingly.

Q: There are reports that the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is on a sticky wicket and hence these issues with the Hamas in Gaza...

A: I outrightly reject this argument. This is absolute rubbish. Israel is a democratic country and it's a vibrant democracy, for your information. The democratic process in our country is an ongoing process and it does not have anything to do with the Hamas terror attack.

These terrorists have fired their missiles on the people of Israel and I can say this categorically that any excuse Hamas uses for such a brutal attack against the civilians is not acceptable. At the end of the day, terror is terror and there is no way around it.

Q: Do you see the hand of Iran in supporting Hamas? A: Yes, Iran is of course directly involved in abetting and aiding all the Hamas and Hezbollah terror operatives. The Iranians are the major supporters of these terror groups which are creating mischief on Israeli soil, firing missiles indiscriminately against its people. The support base is definitely Iran, and it has been proved before the international media that they are directly supporting Islamic Jihadi organisations like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Q: Several Arab countries, including the UAE, have decried the Hamas attack on Israel. Your comment...

A: The UAE is a great nation and they have condemned the attack against the people of Israel by the Hamas terrorists. We have been into several relationships with the UAE and they know what we are and how we respect people and countries.

Hamas is a terror outfit and they are creating trouble for the people of Israel, which cannot be tolerated at any cost. We value the UAE and its responsible approach to the situation. We expect all those who oppose terror to condemn the attacks against Israel.

Q: The world at large is fighting against a major pandemic and Israel is in the forefront to support India. Can you explain us the support being extended by your country to India...

A: Yes, we have pitched in with support to India. We have already sent three flights to India with necessary equipment. This includes three oxygen generator plants, thousands of oxygen generators and ventilators. These oxygen plants are already functional and the others will soon be functional.

Other than this, several NGOs, Industrial groups and business houses of Israel have supported the people of India. I think we will be providing whatever we can to India in its fight against Covid.
Lucknow, May 17 : With a definite decline in Covid cases in Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Monday issued special directives to Team 9 (a high-powered panel of ministers and bureaucrats involved in Covid management that reports directly to the chief minister) to manage the pandemic situation.

According to additional chief secretary information, Navneet Sehgal, there were 3.10 lakh active Covid cases in the state on April 30 which was the peak of the pandemic till now since its onset in March last year.

In contrast, the active Covid cases have come down by 52 per cent in just one fortnight. Currently, there are 1.49 lakh active cases. While 14.62 lakh people in the state have won the battle with Covid.

"In the last 24 hours, 2.55 lakh tests were done, in which 9391 new cases were confirmed. During the same period, 23,045 people have recovered, or have been discharged. The state's recovery rate has increased to 89.8 per cent," he said.

Currently, more than one lakh people are undergoing home isolation. For their speedy recovery, the chief minister has said that the system of medical counselling should be further improved through tele-consultation.

There is a need to increase the number of doctors and the number of phone lines. Medical kits should be made available to patients of home isolation and their families as per the protocol through monitoring committees.

"The chief minister has said that communicate with patients through ICCC and CM Helpline and check the facilities available to them. As per the chief minister's directives, testing process is going on in more than 97,000 revenue villages of the state since May 5," said Sehgal.

The official said that Uttar Pradesh is the most Covid tested state and so far, more than 4.49 crore tests have been done here.

Apart from setting up Paediatric ICU wards of 100-100 beds in all medical colleges for the expected third wave of Covid, the chief minister has also directed training of doctors in handling such cases, especially in treating black fungus cases.

The Department of Health and Medical Education has been asked to ensure that every patient with black fungus receives appropriate treatment.

The availability of medicines should be ensured in its treatment.

The chief minister also took stock of the vaccination programme.

"Uttar Pradesh ranks first in providing Covid protection cover to people above 45 years and in the 18-44 age group. Today, 18-44 age group people are getting vaccinated in 23 districts. In 18 districts of the state, 4,14,329 people aged 18-44 have received first dose of vaccine cover," said Sehgal.

To ensure vaccination of illiterate, differently-abled, destitute, or other needy people, the facility of vaccination registration has been provided at the Common Service Centre. No fee will be charged for registration through CHC.

The chief minister has also issued directives regarding cremation/burial of bodies.

"The chief minister said that there should be a dialogue with the religious leaders in this regard and there is a need to make people aware. SDRF and PAC's Water Police should continue to patrol all the rivers of the state. It should be ensured that bodies do not find their way into the water bodies under any circumstances," he said.

Necessary financial assistance is also being provided by the state government for the smooth execution of the funeral/cremation.

Ventilators and oxygen concentrators have been provided in all districts. The chief minister has asked health officials to ensure that these devices are operational in every case.

Oxygen audit is also being conducted to balance the demand, supply, and use of oxygen which has yielded good results.

The chief minister further directed officials to send the necessary demand letter for the new drug launched by DRDO for Covid and ensure its supply to the state at the earliest.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 17 : A Jammu and Kashmir resident who was allegedly tasked to kill priest Swami Yati Narsinghanand for Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has been arrested from a hotel here, the Delhi Police's Special Cell said on Monday.

According to a Special Cell source, John aka Jaan Mohammad Dar, a resident of J&K's Pulwama, was held from his room at the Shiva Hotel in Paharganj area on Sunday evening.

A .30 bore pistol, two magazines, 15 live rounds, an orange-coloured kurta, a piece of 'kalawa' and several other religious items were recoverd from him.

A Special Cell officer said that Dar was arrested in connection with a case registered on April 28 this year. During questioning, he revealed that he has studied up to Class 12 and currently works as a carpenter. It was also found that he was booked by the Jammu and Kahsmir Police for stone pelting in 2016 at the time of death of terrorist Burhan Wani.

The officer said that Dar stated that he had met JeM terrorist named Aabid while roaming in his field in December 2020.

"Aabid informed him that he is from Pakistan-occupied Kashmie and that he is a 'Mujahid' of JeM. Over the period, Aabid and Dar grew a strong bonding as both wanted to fight against the Indian government," the officer said. Though hey again met in April this year, they were frequently in touch with eachother on WhatsApp, he said.

The officer said that in February this year, Dar had came to Delhi for treatment of his nephew who has some heart ailment, and on returning home, told Aabid about it.

"Upon hearing about Dar's visit to Delhi, Aabid assigned him with the task to assassinate Swami Narsinghanand as he committed 'Gustakh-e-Rasool' (insult of the Prophet).

"Aabid also gave weapon handling training to Dar for the purpose of target killing and Rs 6,500," he said, adding that Aabid promised him that he would be paid substantial amount for carrying out the action and also told him that a person, code named Umar would receive him in Delhi.

Revealing the plot, the officer said that Aabid had called Dar to meet in Sangam area of Anantnag in the second week of April and informed that he would have to go to Delhi to kill Yati Narsinghanand whose video were shown to him by Aabid.

"Dar left Jammu and Kashmir on April 23 and after arriving in Delhi, he was in touch with Umar through Telegram." A sum of Rs 35,000 was received in his account in J&K Bank on the day he left.

The officer said that Umar was to arrange his recce and stay in Delhi and also to provide access to Narsinghanand to carry out his killing.

"Dar met Umar in the Jama Masjid area as directed by Aabid. Umar took Dar to one of his hideouts for three days and later shifted him to Shiva Hotel in Paharganj," he said.

The officer further said that Umar also brought the puja items and the orange-coloured clothes as a cover to gain entry in temple.

"Further, he, along with Umar, received the arms consignment from another person on the flyover near his hotel," he added.

Another senior officer of the Special Cell said that the police is trying to arrest Umar and also arranged the gun and ammunition.
The consumer home-testing healthcare company, announces it has on 16 May signed a second contract with Boots UK Limited, the health and beauty retailer and pharmacy group, to supply the MyHealthChecked COVID-19 at-home nasal swab kit, laboratory testing service and logistics for day two and day eight (D2/D8) coronavirus testing for international arrivals.

17 May 2021

@HybridanLLP

*A corporate client of Hybridan LLP

Dish of the day

Kistos (LON:KIST) readmitted to AIM, following the Company's successful Equity Financing in connection with the Acquisition of Tulip Oil Netherlands. Tulip Oil has a portfolio of assets which include profitable, cash generative producing assets, plus exploration and appraisal assets. Tulip Oil has 19.5 mmboe of 2P reserves and has 102.1 mmboe contingent resources.

Boanerges Limited (AQSE:BNRG), admitted onto the Aquis Stock Exchange. The Directors believe that an opportunity exists to acquire and consolidate holdings in SMEs operating in the technology sector, with the intention of creating value for Shareholders. Technology company acquisitions may include those involved in Big Data, Machine Learning, Telematics and Internet of Things sectors. Early acquisition of these innovative technologies should provide maximum returns for Shareholders. 500k raised.

Off the menu

No Leavers Today.

Whats cooking in the IPO kitchen?

Elcogen Group has announced its intention to IPO on AIM. They are a manufacturer of ceramic anode-supported, low temperature solid oxide cell technology. Elcogen has two core product lines, ElcoCell and ElcoStack. Both product lines are used by customers to integrate into their own end products or systems either for distributed power generation (fuel cells), green hydrogen production (electrolysers) or syngas production (co-electrolysis). The Group operates in Estonia and Finland with headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia. Company financials and deal details TBC. Expected admission date early June 2021.

Pioneer Media Holdings Inc to join the Access Segment AQSE Growth Market. The Company is an investment company focused on the eSports and mobile gaming industries, and all business sectors related thereto. No funds being raised. Due 25 May.

Pharma C Investments to list as a SPAC on the Access Segment of the AQSE Growth Market. It is specifically seeking to take advantage of the dynamic regulatory environment surrounding legal Medicinal Cannabis. Raising 1m Due 26 May.

Clarify Pharma, an investment vehicle specialising in biotech and life sciences companies seeking to prove the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-based substances, announced its intention to apply for admission of its Ordinary Shares to trading on the Access Segment of the AQSE Growth Market. The flotation is expected to value Clarify Pharma at approximately 10.5m. The Company plans to raise approximately 5m.

Aquila Energy Efficiency Trust to admit its shares on the Main Market (Premium). Seeking raise of up to 150m. The Company will seek to generate attractive returns for Shareholders, principally in the form of income distributions by investing in a diversified portfolio of Energy Efficiency Investments. Due 2 June.

Taylor Maritime Investments to join the Main Market (Premium). The Company is an internally managed investment company with an Executive Team led by Edward Buttery. The Executive Team has to date worked closely together for the Commercial Manager, Taylor Maritime. Established in 2014 by Edward Buttery, Taylor Maritime is a privately owned ship-owning and management business with a seasoned team that includes the founders of dry bulk shipping company Pacific Basin Shipping (listed in Hong Kong 2343.HK) and gas shipping company BW Epic Kosan (formerly Epic Shipping) (listed in Oslo BWEK:NO). Taylor Maritime's team of experienced industry professionals is based in Hong Kong and London. Taylor Maritime's principals have been some of the most active buyers of Handysize and Supramax dry bulk ships having made over US$1.3b of asset purchases and sales since 1987. Seeking a $250m raise. Due 27 May 2021.

Kitwave Group, the independent, delivered wholesale business to join AIM. The Placing of the Placing Shares will raise gross proceeds of 64.0m for the Company and the Placing of the Secondary Placing Shares will raise gross proceeds of 17.6m for the Selling Shareholders. Mkt cap 105m. The management team, led by Paul Young, has overseen significant growth in both revenue and operating profit with revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growing to 592.0m and 27.6m respectively in FP20 (an 18-month period). In the 12 months to 30 April 2020, the Group's revenue and Adjusted EBITDA was 399.0m and 17.5m respectively. Due 24 May.

Belluscura to join AIM. The designer and manufacturer of FDA cleared, lightweight and portable oxygen concentrators to raise 15m, with an expected pre-money market capitalisation of 35-40m. Due late May.

Dianomi, the provider of native digital advertising services to premium clients in the Financial Services and Business sectors, announces its intention to seek admission of its shares to trading on AIM. Admission is expected to take place during May 2021. Offer details TBA. In FY 2020, revenue was 28.43m, representing growth of 58.8% compared to FY19. The majority of the Group's revenue is generated in the Americas (FY20: 76.6 %) followed by EMEA (FY20: 17.0%.), and APAC (FY20: 6.4%.) Earnings before interest and taxation was 2.02m in FY20 having grown from 0.25m in FY19.

Voyager Life, the health and wellness company established to supply high-quality Cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp seed oil products, announces the Company's intention to seek admission to trading on the Access Segment AQSE Growth Market. Admission is expected to occur before the end of June 2021. Voyager was incorporated in November 2020 as a health and wellness business focused on CBD and hemp seed oil products. The Company's directors believe that a significant opportunity exists in the CBD market due to the forecast growth and ongoing regulatory changes.

Thor Explorations (TSXV:THX) seeking a secondary listing on AIM. The Company is targeting Admission during Q2 21. Segun Lawson, President & CEO, stated: Thor Explorations has advanced significantly, in both project development and capitalisation since the acquisition of Segilola in 2016. This year, the Company is well positioned to achieve two major milestones with the commencement of gold production at Segilola in Nigeria and a maiden resource at Douta in Senegal, as well as continuing to progress our highly prospective Nigerian exploration portfolio on the Ilesha Schist belt.

Imperial X (AQSE:IMPP) to join the Main Market (Standard). It is also proposed that on Admission to the Official List, the Company will change its name to Cloudbreak Discovery Plc. With effect from Admission, Imperial X will hold equity positions and royalties in a variety of projects in the natural resources sector across multiple jurisdictions, primarily in the Americas and Africa. The Company is proposing to raise up to 1.5m by way of placing of new Ordinary Shares to support further prospect acquisitions. Due 3 June

Banquet Buffet

All Star Minerals 0.0525p 1.5m (AQSE:ASMO)

The Investing Company listed on the AQUIS Stock Exchange, has signed exclusive, non-binding Heads of Terms (HoT) with two separate companies, one with a suite of gemstone assets and one with a suite of diamond assets. The HoT outline the principal commercial terms upon which All Star proposes to acquire the entire issued share capital of either company.

4D pharma 94p 169m (LON:DDDD)

The pharmaceutical company leading the development of Live Biotherapeutic products (LBPs) - a novel class of drug derived from the microbiome, today announced that it will present data from its Phase II study of single strain LBP Blautix in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) subtypes IBS-C and IBS-D in a poster session at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2021, taking place virtually May 21-23, 2021.

Emmerson 5.7p 47m (LON:EML)

Emmerson Plc, focused on developing the low cost, high margin Khemisset Potash Project announced its audited results for the 12 months ended 31 December 2020. Highlights include significant operational, corporate and commercial progress made towards establishing Africa's first large-scale potash mine. Feasibility Study ("FS") published confirming Khemisset's ability to become a low capex, high margin potash mine with outstanding economic metrics. Grant of Mining Licence (post period end) providing the exclusive right to develop and mine Khemisset ahead of the anticipated initiation of construction by the end of 2021. Socio-economic study completed that demonstrated measurable and verifiable confirmation of the significant benefits that the Project will deliver at a local, regional and national level. Environmental and Social Impact Assessment completed to IFC standards. Conceptual, phased development plan completed post period end demonstrating major value enhancing opportunities including significantly reduced up-front capex of US$254.6m (pre-contingency) and potential for subsequent phases to be funded from internal cash flows. Appointment of CEO with demonstrable experience in taking large potash mines from concept through to construction. Appointment of new highly experienced Chairman on 27 April 2021 with 20 years of experience in the mining sector, particularly in the areas of corporate finance and financing strategy. Completion of AIM admission on 27 April 2021 and cancellation of the Company's ordinary shares on the Official List and from trading on the Main Market, providing Emmerson with a listing on the world's most successful growth market. Raised a total of 7.2m (during and post period end) in oversubscribed placings to fund the accelerated development of Khemisset.

EQTEC 1.65p 119m (LON:EQT)

The gasification technology solutions company for sustainable waste-to-energy projects announced the acquisition and planned recommissioning of a 1MWe waste-to-energy plant in Italy. Originally commissioned in 2015, the plant is built around EQTEC's proprietary and patented Advanced Gasification Technology. The Company has acquired, and will lead a consortium to repower, own and operate, the biomass-to-energy plant in Castiglione d'Orcia, Tuscany, Italy. Once operational, it is intended that the plant will transform straw and forestry wood waste from local farms and forests into green electricity and heat for use in the local community.

Invinity Energy Systems 165p 143m (LON:IES)

The manufacturer of vanadium flow batteries delivering renewable energy on demand, has concluded contracting on another project awarded funds by the California Energy Commission (CEC). This follows the Company's announcement in Q4 2020 that it has been selected for a number of projects funded by the CEC, California's primary energy policy and planning agency. Invinity has entered into a contract with Webcor, a leading Californian construction firm, to provide a vanadium flow battery (VFB) for a project developed by Indian Energy LLC, a 100% Native American-owned utility-scale and microgrid development and systems integration firm with approximately 4 GW of solar PV and wind and 6 GWh of energy storage projects under development. The 0.5 MWh system is expected to be delivered during Q4 2021 and to contribute revenue of approximately 450k to the Company, relating to the Invinity VS3 vanadium flow battery, ancillary components and associated services.

Kefi Gold and Copper 1.98p 43m (LON:KEFI)

The gold and copper exploration and development company with projects in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, notes the recent media commentary in Ethiopia regarding an Ethiopian Mines Ministry briefing held on 14 May 2021, at which it is understood reference was made to the cancellation of licences awarded to 27 mining and exploration companies and which included a verbal reference by a ministry official to an intention to issue warning letters to three other companies, including 'Tulu Kapi Gold Mines'. Neither KEFI nor its subsidiaries, KEFI Minerals (Ethiopia) Limited and Tulu Kapi Gold Mines Share Company (TKGM), nor any of their associate companies, are aware of any breach of any licence conditions and have not received any such warning letter nor had notice of such an intended letter flagged to them formally or informally. The Directors of KEFI believe they have an especially close working relationship with the Ethiopian Government, which is a shareholder in TKGM at both the Federal and Oromia Regional levels. Last week, formal meetings of the TKGM shareholders, board of directors and Project task force (comprising senior representatives of TKGM and all involving Ethiopian Government agencies) were held which agreed the tasks and timetable for development of the Company's Tulu Kapi gold project to commence in the coming months.

MyHealthChecked 4.85p 33.8m (LON:MHC)

The consumer home-testing healthcare company, announces it has on 16 May signed a second contract with Boots UK Limited, the health and beauty retailer and pharmacy group, to supply the MyHealthChecked COVID-19 at-home nasal swab kit, laboratory testing service and logistics for day two and day eight (D2/D8) coronavirus testing for international arrivals. The contract with Boots for the D2/D8 testing service will run parallel, and be complementary, to the Company's pre-existing agreement, announced on 6 April 2021. MyHealthChecked is currently the only at-home PCR testing kit provider within Boots for General Testing and Fit-to-Fly services, launched on 7 April, and now expands the offering within Boots to include D2/D8 tests that will be available to purchase online, via www.boots.com across the UK, from May 17.

Pelatro 51p 19.6m (LON:PTRO)

The telecom Customer Engagement Hub software specialist has secured several contracts for change requests, adding up to approximately $300k that will be delivered in 2021. With these, the total value of contracts in hand representing 2021 revenue is about $6.8m. Commenting on this increase, Subash Menon, Managing Director and CEO said, "Given that we have clear visibility with contracts secured for $6.8m of revenue for 2021 so early in the year, together with the momentum we are building in our business, we are looking forward to a successful outcome this year in line with expectations."

Rotala 36p 18m (LON:ROL)

Rotala welcomes the publication today of the latest paper from the Government on its plans for the reinvigoration of bus travel. This paper, called "National Bus Strategy: Bus Service Improvement Plans - Guidance to local authorities and bus operators", provides further detailed guidance on the National Bus Strategy for England set out in the paper called "Bus Back Better" published on 15 March 2021. A further guidance paper covering Enhanced Partnerships is expected to be published by the middle of the year. Both papers published so far emphasise the need for both local authorities and bus operators to build on the close working relationships which have arisen between the two groups during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver on the Government's vision for bus operation in England. The Government has enjoined local authorities and bus operators to move at speed in formulating Bus Service Improvement Plans, taking a lead from the planning lessons learned in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government has also promised 3b of new investment in buses to underpin its strategy. Rotala welcomes all these announcements and intends to be a keen participant in these initiatives. The ultimate aim is both better bus services for customers and better customer satisfaction with the services provided. This can only be good for the long term health of the bus industry.

Xtract Resources 5.45 45.8m (LON:XTR)

An Induced Polarisation (IP) geophysical survey has identified potential extensions to the Racecourse Mineral Resource on the Bushranger copper-gold exploration project, located in the Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) of New South Wales, Australia. The disseminated copper-gold mineralisation comprising the Racecourse Mineral Resource is associated with a strong IP chargeability response on the southwestern side of the central porphyry intrusion, which is evident on all survey lines, along 2.5km of strike length. The survey indicates that the Racecourse Mineral Resource has the potential to extend in several directions, including at least 800m to the northwest beyond the limit of the currently defined Mineral Resource. The deposit also appears to be open to the southeast and mineralisation previously detected by very limited drilling on the northeast side of the central porphyry body could be more extensive than currently known. The survey results will be fully processed and are expected to generate several drill targets for potential resource extensions and testing of possible new mineral zones as part of the planned Phase 2 drilling programme. An independent firm is being engaged to undertake technical and financial modelling for an initial open pit mine, examining several pit layout scenarios and economic parameters.

Head Chef

Derren Nathan

0203 764 2344

derren.nathan@hybridan.com

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New Delhi, May 17 : The newly-constituted Congress taskforce on Covid-19 under Ghulam Nabi Azad will meet virtually on Wednesday to prepare the party workers to help the people in distress.

Ahead of the meeting, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal told the party workers in a message, "We are starting the Vaccinate India programme from May 17. As Congress workers, please help the people to register themselves and get vaccinated in your areas." The party workers have been asked to report at the WhatsApp number 9625382045.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, "The party will help the people as much it can. The programme of the taskforce will be rolled out and made available to the public." The Congress has also been questioning the government on the issue of vaccination.

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday questioned the Narendra Modi-led government over the decline in the numbers of daily vaccination, while taking a jibe at Health Minister Harsh Vardhan over the shortage of vaccines.

"Why is the number of vaccinations administered going down every day? It was only 11,60,000 doses on Friday, bringing down significantly the daily average of May. It is a far cry from the 42 lakh doses administered on April 2.

"The only reason and explanation is shortage of vaccines. Of course, the loyal and obedient Union Health Minister will flatly deny any shortage of vaccines," Chidambaram had said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 17: Developed countries, in partnership with India, need to step up their game to support Nepal, which is staring at significant shortages of Covid-19 vaccines.

Having vaccinated a substantial number of their citizens, countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have surplus stocks of jabs. In fact, the WHO has appealed to the developed countries, not to begin vaccinating children. Instead, these jabs can be sent to help developing countries, such as Nepal, to make up for their shortfall.

India's massive and unexpected second wave of Covid-19 has upset previous plans. Countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal which were looking for Indian vaccines, are being forced to look elsewhere as the demand for jabs in India has exponentially surged. The Indian situation may ease only later this year. China, another vaccine maker is also finding it hard to step into the breach, because of its own prior commitments.

Confronting a major health crisis, Nepal has issued a worldwide appeal, including the United States and the United Kingdom-countries with whom India is in touch to define a global response to the ever-evolving pandemic.

An editorial in The Kathmandu Post titled, Help us, world, says that the daily infection rate remains around 7,300. With an increase in the number of cases, hospitals are flooded with patients leading to massive oxygen shortages. The editorial quoted the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, appealing to the international community to send vaccines to the country.

One of the biggest appeals has been made by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli through his opinion piece in the UK's The Guardian newspaper.

Oli's opinion piece published on May 10, says: "As I write this, my country is battling a new and brutal wave of the covid-19 pandemic. The rise in the number of infections poses a serious challenge to our brave doctors, nurses, other care providers, citizen volunteers and the entire health service system.

... But due to the constraints of resources and infrastructure, the pandemic is turning out to be an overwhelming burden. I have, therefore, appealed to the international community to help us with vaccines, diagnostic tools, oxygen kits, critical care medicines and equipment, to support our efforts to save lives. Our urgent goal is to stop preventable deaths occurring", says Oli in his opinion for the British newspaper.

Similar appeals have been made by a cross section of the Nepali community asking the world to help the country battle the surge in virus numbers.

Last week, people came together under the umbrella of Covid Alliance for Nepal and launched an online petition asking the US to provide vaccines after the US announced that it would release 60 million AstraZeneca doses globally. The petition is being led by resident Nepalis as well as Nepali citizens living in the US.

The alliance consists of 'influential people' - healthcare professionals in the US, journalists and activists. The Kathmandu Post quoted one of the activists, Sakar Pudasaini as saying: "The only effective solution is the vaccine. We cannot wait until the deaths are in thousands before we act." Pudasaini added that people will have to act now so that the virus does not reach villages where little infrastructure exists.

The activists are optimistic that the US will provide the medical help that Nepal needs as it has considerable resources.

In one such massive appeal, 83 members of the Nepalese civil society have written to China asking for vaccines, oxygen supplies and other Covid-19 related supplies. Nepali newspaper The Annapurna Express said: "This is perhaps the first instance of the Nepali civil society making such an appeal with China, even as there have been many instances of similar appeals to various western countries." Analysts say that control over vaccine patents by Big Pharma companies is largely to blame for the huge vaccine shortages in the Global South, including Nepal. But the first breakthrough has been achieved after US President Joe Biden earlier this month endorsed a joint filing in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by India and South Africa to suspend Big Pharma patents. Once that is done, the flow of vaccines, which can be locally manufactured, can be untapped.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed lifting the patent protections of coronavirus vaccines with Biden, so that vaccine shortfalls triggered by the deadly second wave of Covid-19 could be bridged.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi also informed President Biden about India's initiative at the WTO for a relaxation in the norms of the Agreement on TRIPS to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries," said the statement released after the talks. The relaxation would grant governments quicker and more affordable access to the life-saving doses.

"This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," US trade representative Katherine Tai said in a statement, endorsing India and South Africa's stand to uncork vaccine flows.

"The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines," she observed.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

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Gurugram, May 17 : The World Health Organization (WHO) in first phase provided 100 oxygen concentrators to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal through one of its top representatives -- National Profession Officer, Regional Team Leader, North India, Dr. Vishesh, here on Monday.

Khattar thanked the WHO for the assistance and said Haryana is following its guidelines to combat the pandemic.

He hoped that the WHO would keep on helping Haryana in terms of providing medical equipments and also continue guiding for tackling the pandemic in more effective ways.

While assuring the Haryana CM of all help , Dr. Vishesh said that WHO stands in solidarity with the people of India in this crisis and our sympathies are with the families that have lost their loved ones.

He said: "We will continue to work with the Union government and state governments to end the pandemic." He added that WHO is supporting India to fill critical gaps in the availability of oxygen, testing kits, and hospital beds and it procured 1.2 million respirator masks (KN95), 4,000 oxygen concentrators, 424 medical beds, 128 tents for auxiliary health facilities, 1.2 million reagents and 400,000 test and swab kits to support testing capacity across states and union territories.
New Delhi, May 17: China's attempt to bulldoze its influence in Bangladesh and Myanmar is raising an important question-should countries along the Bay of Bengal rim become part of an expanded Indo-Pacific Quad, which currently comprises India, Japan, Australia and the United States? During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the expansion of QUAD to QUAD-plus to include countries including South Korea, Vietnam and New Zealand to promote Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) is already on the radar. Should Bay of Bengal countries- home to about 1.4 billion people-- also become part of the QUAD-plus? The Chinese are already alarmed at such a prospect. The chances are that Beijing's pressure on countries such as Bangladesh is only going to mount. It is not inconceivable that the situation may reach an inflection point, forcing countries such as Bangladesh to make a geopolitical choice, as the scope for fence sitting may be drying up soon. Bangladesh already has a key strategic relationship with India, but given China's growing heft and ambition, it may like to look at the QUAD collective to ensure regional strategic balance.

Among the QUAD, India has huge stakes in a friendly Bay of Bengal community, connected through the BIMSTEC framework. Earlier, the development of the northeast is crucial so that it does not become the recipient of cheap goods. "Access to the Bay of Bengal and the rest of India with Bangladesh is also very essential for harnessing the unutilized economic capability in the northeastern states of India," Ambassador Anil Wadhwa, distinguished fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation, earlier said.

Early signs of an upcoming geopolitical contest brewing in the Bay of Bengal rim are already visible. Last week, China sternly warned Bangladesh not to flirt with the QUAD. "Bilateral relations with Bangladesh would be substantially damaged if it joins hand with [Quad] initiatives," Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said during a media event.

A proud Bangladesh lodged a strong protest, unveiling the new frictions that are developing in ties between Dhaka and Beijing. "It's very regrettable," Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said, in response to the Chinese envoy's remarks. He added: "We're an independent and sovereign state. We decide our [own] foreign policy. But yes, any country can uphold its position." Myanmar may become another battleground between China and the QUAD, if the ongoing civil war in the country is not arrested soon, through a dialogue between the military and the civilian stakeholders. Anti-China sentiment in Myanmar is growing as is evident from the attacks on Chinese factories in the country. Myanmar military's use of CH-3A Chinese drones to counter protests which are threatening to mutate into an armed struggle has futher hardened anti-China sentiments, which may open the door for a counterforce to emerge.

Two experts India Narrative spoke to said that the success of the QUAD would largely be determined by the co-operation and foreign policies of the countries dotting the Bay of Bengal region.

"There is no way countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and others can be left out even as QUAD becomes the epicentre of activities. The inclusion and co-operation of these countries are absolutely necessary and this must be kept in mind," an analyst said.

A recent study by the US based East West Center noted that despite several contradictory challenges to the region, "the need for a Bay of Bengal community will only further grow." The importance of Bay of Bengal region

Due to its strategic, integrated location, historically the Bay has been a connector for the diverse peoples of South and Southeast Asia via trade and cultural interactions, it added. In fact land-locked countries such as Nepal and Bhutan too depend on the Bay of Bengal for trade. Several transboundary rivers flowing across offer the necessary connectivity to these Himalayan nations.

Highlighting that after decades of neglect, the Bay of Bengal is reassuming strategic and economic salience, the study said that the region, if reconnected, could help address common economic, ecological, and security challenges.

"Today, the Bay of Bengal can be seen as a crucial part of the Indian Ocean with growing strategic interest and importance to global actors," it said.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
Mysuru, May 17 : An elephant calf, stuck in a mud puddle, was rescued by forest officials in the Maleyur range of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka.

A video of the rescue mission, tweeted by the Bandipur Tiger Reserve park's Twitter handle, is now making rounds on the internet, and garnering praise for the officials.

In the video, the female elephant calf can be seen rolling from side to side in an attempt to heave itself up. As the calf soon exhausts itself, trying to get out of the slush, the forest officials intervene and bring in an excavator to help the calf.

"One female elephant, stuck in the fresh mud puddle in Maleyur range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, rescued successfully," the national park wrote, sharing the rescue video on Twitter.

Many who came across the video lauded the forest officials for their prompt rescue efforts. "Heart wrenching. The heart warming rescue is amazing...Kudos to RFO and team," said one user, while another user said in reply that God bless the person who operated JCB to help the elephant to stand on its own, without harming it.

Uttar Pradesh cadre IFoS officer, Ramesh Pandey, who also tweeted the video, said: "Sometimes wrong posture coupled with heavy weight in a slushy ground can make an elephant helpless. Thanks to officials and staff of @Bandipur_TR for timely nudge to the female elephant. She was exhausted. Kudos to all involved in this rescue."
New Delhi, May 17 : Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batswoman Indrani Roy, picked for India's tour of England, says she would implement the tips former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has given her to make an impression in the upcoming series.

India will play a one-off Test from June 16-19, followed by a three-match ODI series and a three-match T20 series, culminating on July 15.

"During a training session in Ranchi sometime last year, I had a long conversation with Mahi sir, about how to improve my game and he had told me that I should ensure that I improve my reflexes and movement in the five-metre radius," the 23-year-old player told Sportstar.

"For wicketkeepers, that's a key thing, and he advised me that I should try and get better. That actually helped me," said Indrani, who shifted base from Howrah district of West Bengal to Jharkhand a few years ago.

Indrani, who has had a prolific season, scoring an unbeaten 103 against Chhattisgarh and 86 against Karnataka in the senior women's one-day trophy, said that getting advice from someone like Dhoni was a privilege.

"Learning a thing or two from a legend like Mahi sir is a privilege and his advice actually helped me improve my game. Every time I hit the ground, I try to remember his tips," she said.

Before signing with Jharkhand in 2014, Indrani represented the Bengal under-19 team for four years.
New Delhi, May 17 : A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking quashing of multiple FIRs registered by Delhi Police for putting up posters criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for exporting Covid-19 vaccines.

The petition, filed by advocate Pradeep Kumar Yadav, said that posters were found pasted on walls and boards with the message: "Modi ji humare bachon ka vaccine videsh kyon bhej diya?" (Why did you send our children's vaccines abroad?). Police, in all the districts where the posters were found, registered FIRs under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, the Delhi Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code, and arrets started late on May 12 after the Special Branch informed Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava about the posters.

At least 24 people were arrested but granted bail after initial questioning as provisions invoked in the matter were bailable. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP members dared the police to arrest them too, as they shared the posters on their social media posts.

The plea urged the top court to issue directions to Delhi Police to refrain from registering FIRs or act against those who put up the posters across the national capital over the past few days, contending that the apex court, in a number of cases, has held that freedom of speech and expression in connection with public cause was a fundamental right of every citizen, which was guaranteed under the Constitution.

The petitioner also cited the Shreya Singhal case where the top court set aside Section 66A of Information Technology (IT) Act, and held information sharing on the social media does not constitute any criminal offence under the IT Act.

"Recently this court in the case of suo motu WP (C) 3 of 2021 titled distribution of essential supplies and services during pandemic has passed a specific direction to the respondent state authorities not to register any criminal case over the public seeking medical help in the social media. In contrary to above decision of this court, the authorities are registering FIR against the innocent persons over their hate speech against the PM with regard to his official functions over the second wave of Covid-19 crises and Government vaccine policies," said the plea.

The plea cited that a 19-year-old school dropout, a 30-year-old e-rickshaw driver, and a 61-year-old maker of wooden frames were among the people arrested by Delhi Police, in the middle of the pandemic.

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Mumbai: Impact of Cyclone Tautkte can be seen in Mumbai city too. Heavy rains lashed Mumbai city as water logging happened in many low lying areas like Dadar TT, Parel hindmata, Marine Drive, Gate way of India and BMC Head Office Due to gusty winds m Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai: Impact of Cyclone Tautkte can be seen in Mumbai city too. Heavy rains lashed Mumbai city as water logging happened in many low lying areas like Dadar TT, Parel hindmata, Marine Drive, Gate way of India and BMC Head Office Due to gusty winds m Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai: Impact of Cyclone Tautkte can be seen in Mumbai city too. Heavy rains lashed Mumbai city as water logging happened in many low lying areas like Dadar TT, Parel hindmata, Marine Drive, Gate way of India and BMC Head Office Due to gusty winds m Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai: Impact of Cyclone Tautkte can be seen in Mumbai city too. Heavy rains lashed Mumbai city as water logging happened in many low lying areas like Dadar TT, Parel hindmata, Marine Drive, Gate way of India and BMC Head Office Due to gusty winds m Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai: Impact of Cyclone Tautkte can be seen in Mumbai city too. Heavy rains lashed Mumbai city as water logging happened in many low lying areas like Dadar TT, Parel hindmata, Marine Drive, Gate way of India and BMC Head Office Due to gusty winds m Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, May 17 : At least 6 persons were killed in Maharashtra as the fury of Cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc in the state, bringing heavy rains, strong gales of over 100 km/hr, uprooting scores of trees, damaging over 2,500 homes, disrupting road traffic, and forcing shutdown of Mumbai international airport for at least 9 hours, officials said.

In a worrisome development, the Indian Navy despatched two ships to rescue 410 personnel, including 273 of the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) stranded on a drifting barge near the Bombay High Fields, around 175 kms off Mumbai, in the direct path of the cyclone whirling towards Gujarat in the choppy Arabian Sea, and others on a barge around 15 kms near the city.

At least 6 persons were killed and 9 injured in various cyclone related incidents in the state, said an official from the CMO.

Categorised as 'Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm', its impact was felt shortly after midnight with many areas lashed heavy rains, with lightning and thunder in some places, aggravated by powerful winds upto 120 km/hr, as it cascaded northwards from Sindhudurg-Ratnagiri towards Raigad-Mumbai en route to the Gujarat coast.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who personally monitored the situation, orderd the state authorities to shift out 12,500 people from vulnerable coastal spots in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad, and he also apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the measures taken to minimise casualties and damage.

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was shut for all operations from 11am and the shutdown was extended till 8 pm at regular intervals owing to inclement weather conditions, while 3 private airlines flights were diverted to less turbulent locations.

By evening, the city had recorded an average of 120mm and the downpour continued in most areas, with the intensity moving northwards.

The pouring rains substantially cooled the weather at the height of mid-summer when Mumbai normally swelters with the mercury remaining in the upper-30s-to-mid-40s.

Several roads were littered as at least 30 big and small trees got uprooted in different parts of Mumbai and Thane, during the night, besides damage to homes, buildings, offices, factories, major subways in Malad, Kandivali, Dahisar, Andheri and Santacruz flooded and closed to traffic for hours, and many low-lying areas waterlogged, adding to the people's woes.

There was considerable damage in the form of roofs of hutments getting blown away in the city and suburbs, the name hoarding of the St. Francis D'Assissi School & College - the site for many Bollywood film shootings in Borivali, ripped and breaking down, signals, electric poles, hoardings, road signs, banners, etc getting uprooted or tossed away long distances, in different parts of the city, blocking roads, highways and railway tracks.

However, there was no disruption to any of the Covid-19 treatment centres or jumbo field hospitals which had been evacuated of patients by the BMC on Saturday evening, said the official.

The cyclone, hovering around 160 kms away from the Mumbai coast, is likely to make a landfall in south Gujarat coast by midnight tonight, said the IMD's latest warning bulletin.

Accompanied by strong winds of 180-190 kmph, gusting to 210 kmph, its ferocity is expected to reduce gradually over the next 48 hours into a depression with 40-60 kmph windspeeds by Wednesday morning, the IMD said.

The combined effect of the strong winds and rains resulted in 'Phenomenal' 3-metres tall waves building up in the frothy Arabian Sea alogn with tidal waves and the authorities have completely banned all fishing and other maritime activities for the next few days.

The huge waves lashed the iconic 97-year-old Gateway of India, waters smashed on the promenade onto the entrance of the imposing 118-year-old Hotel Taj Mahal, similar scenes were witnessed at the Marine Drive, Haji Ali, Worli, Mahim, Bandra, Juhu, Versova, Manori, Gorai and other beachfronts.

Most areas of the city wore a desolate look with people preferring to remain indoors, and a few who dared venture out despite the cyclone and the ongoing lockdown restrictions, were stuck either on blocked or waterlogged roads or in traffic snarls.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Kolkata, May 17 : Amid allegations and counter allegations being levelled against each other by the leaders of both the ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition BJP inn West Bengal, Trinamool Youth Congress President Abhishek Banerjee on Monday asked all the supporters and party workers to maintain peace and have faith in the judiciary.

The state has been witnessing high drama since Monday morning after the sleuths of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers -- Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee - along with present MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Corporation Mayor Sovon Chattopadhyay in connection with the Narada sting tapes cases, in which several politicians and a high-ranked police officer were allegedly found accepting cash for providing unofficial favours to the company.

Adding fuel to the fire, the main man behind the Narada sting operation of 2016, Mathew Samuel, said on Saturday that while he is happy with the arrests, he wondered why Suvendu Adhikari, who also featured in the sting, has been left out. Adhikari, who was a prominent face in the Trinamool camp then, jumped ship to the BJP in December last year.

While most top Trinamool leaders have voiced their anguish over the alleged 'illegal' arrests, Abhishek Banerjee has appealed everyone to maintain peace and have faith in the judicial system.

"I urge everyone to abide by the law and refrain from any activity that violates lockdown norms for the sake of the larger interest of Bengal and its people. We have utmost faith in the judiciary and the battle will be fought legally," he tweeted.

Though Banerjee has appealed for peace, many top Trinamool leaders have questioned the legality of the arrests.

Senior Trinamool leader and former MoS for Parliamentary Affairs, Tapas Roy, said, "The Governor doesn't have any jurisdiction to sanction prosecution. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Speaker from whom no permission was sought." Meanwhile, Speaker Biman Banerjee said, "In the Narada case, the Calcutta High Court clearly asked the CBI whether it had taken permission from the Speaker. The court directed the investigating agency to seek permission from the Speaker. But there has been no communication from the CBI. It is not that the post of Speaker was vacant. I was in my office.

"I don't know, for a reason unknown to me, they went to the Governor who gave them the permission. The Governor cannot give such permission. I think this permission is illegal and to arrest someone on the basis of it is also illegal. The court will take its decision, but as a lawyer I can say that the CBI has not worked legally." Following the arrests, the areas in and around the CBI regional office in Kolkata turned into a mini battleground with Trinamool supporters pelting bricks and burning tyres in protest against the detention of their leaders.

BJP's secretary in-charge for Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya, accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the 'lawlessness' in the state.

In a tweet, Vijayvargiya said, "CM of West Bengal @MamataOfficial who is under oath to maintain law and order in the state is sadly indulging in threatening law enforcing agencies and creating hurdles for the CBI. This is very unfortunate for the people of Bengal #NizamPalace." State BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, "This is an administrative issue and it has nothing to do with politics. The CBI is conducting its investigation and it is up to them to decide when and how they will make their arrests. It is useless to blame the BJP for all these things. We have no role to play. I saw many Trinamool leaders and supporters gathering in front of the Nizam Palace. Given the Covid situation, the leaders should appease the supporters and send them home." However, Mathew Samuel, the man behind the sting operation that unleashed this controversy, sounded happy with the arrests.

In a television interview, Samuel said, "It was in 2016 when the video came to the fore and from then it took CBI so many years to arrest the people. I was called so many times and I had not only recorded my statement, but also handed over the tapes to the investigating agency. I am happy that these people are arrested, but Suvendu Adhkari is not arrested. He had taken money from me in his office."
Mumbai, May 17 : The official Twitter account of the Collector and District Magistrate of Ganjam, Odisha, on Monday responded to a tweet by actor Sonu Sood where he claims he has arranged for a bed at Ganjam City Hospital in Brahmapur for a patient.

"We don't received any communication from @SoodFoundation or @SonuSood. Requested patient is in Home isolation and stable. No bed issues @BrahmapurCorp is monitoring it. @CMO_Odisha," the official Twitter account of the Collector and District Magistrate of Ganjam, tweeted on Monday tagging the Twitter handle of the Office of the Chief Minister of Odisha.

The tweet comes in response to Sonu Sood's tweet posted on May 15, which reads: "Not to worry. Bed has been arranged at GanjamCity Hospital, Berhampur (DCHC) @SoodFoundation." The tweet in response to which Sonu wrote this, has been deleted.

However, reacting to the District Magistrate's tweet on Monday, Sonu shared screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation saying he has arranged for the bed because the patient' family approached him for help.

Sonu tweeted on Monday: "Sir, We never claimed that we approached you, it's the needy who approached us and we arranged the bed for him, attached are the chats for your reference. Ur office is doing a great job & u can double check that we had helped him too. Have DM you his contact details. Jai hind."
The government may review its plans later than expected due to concerns over the Indian variant

Pubs and restaurants may have their hopes for a somewhat quick recovery dashed as the Indian variant may jeopardise the end of lockdown in June.

England plans to drop all restrictions on 21 June but the milestone may be postponed if the virus isnt kept under control.

Downing Street was scheduled to confirm the end of lockdown over the next two weeks but the review may now be delayed, Downing Street said on Monday.

"The Indian variant could pose a threat to this process - our decision will be based on latest data. We will set out plans as soon as the data allows, the prime minister's official spokesman was reported as saying by the BBC.

The government is looking to do everything possible to give people enough time to prepare," he added.

It is not clear yet how serious the Indian variant might be, but it is understood it spreads more quickly than other strains of COVID-19.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for young people who live in areas affected by the strain to get the vaccine earlier than planned, while Bolton has been offering the jab to "anyone who wants it" after recording a surge in cases.

However, Downing Street told local authorities to stick to current plans.

The UK has distributed 56mln doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, including 20mln second doses.

However, young people  those most likely to work or attend hospitality venues  are the last in line.

Delaying the end of lockdown will be yet another challenge for the hospitality sector, which struggles to trade at a profit with socially distanced indoor service and are pinning their hopes on pent-up demand.

A lot of consumers are in a strong position to spend big, having saved a lot of money during the pandemic, and many will be eager to splash the cash as they reclaim leisure experiences, commented Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

Therefore, takings could be strong for at least the next few weeks, assuming consumers arent put off from the threat of the Indian variant spreading fast, particularly among those not yet vaccinated.

Wagamama owner Restaurant Group ( ) tumbled 6% to 120.3p, while publicans PLC ( ) and PLC (LONL:JDW) dropped 3% to 1,313.5p and 306.8p respectively.
New Delhi, May 17 : Delhi will receive 3.83 lakh doses of vaccines in May but as on Monday, it has vaccines for the 45 and above age group categories for the next three days and for the 18 to 44 age group for only two days.

Vaccination centres for the 45 and above age groups in hospitals and other healthcare centres are now being shifted to government schools. At the schools vaccination centres, people aged 45 and above will be vaccinated even if they have not registered online for vaccination.

"Walk-in vaccination process has been started at schools for those in the 45 and above age group. Vaccination centres operating at government hospitals and other healthcare centres now are being shifted to the government schools. The process of shifting has started and in the next few days many other centres will be shifted to schools," said Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday.

The Minister told the press that the Centre has informed that Delhi would receive 3.83 lakh doses of vaccines in May. No vaccines will be supplied for the age group 18-44 years.

"We have requested the Centre to provide vaccines for the 18-44 age group at least the same amount being given for 45 and above age group so that both categories of people can be administered vaccines at the same time. If vaccines are not received in the next three days, all vaccination centres for the 18 to 44 age group will be shut," Sisodia said.

Sisodia, who is also Nodal Minister for Covid management in the national capital, said he has written to the Centre and has demanded that Delhi inform in advance how much vaccines will be provided in June and July so that the Delhi government can prepare the vaccination programmes in advance.

Sisodia also pointed out that like the Centre has fixed oxygen quotas for all States and Union Territories, similarly the Centre should maintain transparency in allocating vaccines to the States and UTs.

"The allocation of vaccines is being done under the supervision of the Centre and we have requested the Centre to make the system transparent. All States must be aware of how many vaccines they would be getting and how many vaccines other States would be receiving at the same time. The Centre should also direct vaccine manufacturing agencies to maintain transparency in allocating vaccines for the government (States and the Centre) and to the private agencies," Sisodia added.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 : Deflecting criticism of the arrangements of the swearing-in ceremony of his second government, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said it will be held at the Central Stadium on Thursday at 3 p.m. with only 500 attendees.

As ever since the makeshift, over 70,000 square feet pandal was coming up at the stadium, there was widespread criticism, especially on the social media, with verious people demanding that the rule of law should be applicable to all, as such a function, which had earlier indicated there would be 750 people present, is not fair when the capital district is under triple lockdown.

Justifying the move, Vijayan said: "The cabinet consists of 21 people and the invitees include 140 legislators, 29 MPs, the judiciary, media and top officials. All those who are coming should have a Covid negative test result taken 48 hours before or should have taken both doses of the vaccine." He contended that there is every reason to celebrate "as this is a historic win which was made possible because of the people".

"But given the Covid scenario, celebrations are not possible. We know what the mood of the people is because in 2016, at the same venue when the present government was sworn in, there were 40,000 and this time had it been normal times, the stadium would have been overflowing. We know the emotions and feelings of our supporters and it is there in our hearts. We will have to wait and as time passes, the present situation will also change and then we can (have such a celebration)," added Vijayan.

Incidentally, earlier in the day, there was a meeting of the Left Democratic Front leaders at the CPI-M party headquarters here and a picture of Vijayan cutting a cake was shared by the leaders and drew instant criticism on social media in view of the state government orders that there should be no political gatherings.

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I read the editorial in The Lancet titled 'Indias Covid-19 emergency published on May 8, 2021.

Let me quote from the article, "India will see a staggering 1 million deaths from COVID-19 by Aug 1. If that outcome were to happen, Modi's Government would be responsible for presiding over a self-inflicted national catastrophe." It is reminiscent of news reports in the British colonial era in India. To justify their forceful occupation of India, there was an orchestrated attempt of the western media and their political leadership to portray India as the country of fakirs and snake charmers that didn't deserve independence.

When India's Independence Bill was being debated in the British Parliament in 1947, Winston Churchill had angrily remarked, "Power will go into the hands of rascals, rogues, and freebooters." While the Covid crisis is indeed alarming in India, the article is suitable for a politically motivated tabloid rather than a reputed academic journal. As an Indian, I felt indignant with the vitriolic rant leading to poor portrayal of my country.

Being in the frontline for last one year in Mumbai, I have been witness to death, disability, disaster and despair. I have lost several of my own near and dear ones. However, the issue is much larger than what the editorial conveys. The solutions are much more complex than one can imagine. It is time for an end game and not the blame game.

In order to create a sensation, the editorial mentions statistics of mortality and morbidity to suit the purpose. Mark Twain had once described three grades of lies - "Lies, damned lies, and statistics"! Let me present the Indian statistics in a different manner. The USA with a population of 0.3 billion has lost 0.6 million citizens, Brazil with its 0.2 billion population has lost 1.5 million lives, the UK with its population of 0.06 billion lost 127,000 citizens and France with a population of 0.06 billion lost 106,493 of its citizens.

India, with its 1.3 billion population, has lost 262,000 Indians and I accept that the numbers are likely to rise further. One may argue about under reporting in India due to low Covid testing in many parts of the country. Therefore, let's look at the case fatality ratio (CFR) - the number of deaths divided by the number of confirmed cases.

India's CFR of 1.1 per cent is less than that of the US, France, Italy and Germany. India's Covid-19 recovery rate is among the highest in the world. However, this cannot be a reason for any complacency.

The US started vaccination on December 14, 2020 and vaccinated 256 million people to date. The UK started its vaccination drive on December 21 and vaccinated 53 million till now. Australia started on February 22 and vaccinated 2 million till today.

India started its vaccination drive on January 16, 2021 and has vaccinated 180 million citizens as of today, which is nearly 9 per cent of its entire population.

There are more reasons to appreciate the Indian government. It lifted the ban on export of HCQ and exported HCQ and Paracetamol during the height of the epidemic. Despite shortage of vaccines in India, our government had the magnanimity to export 66 million doses abroad on humanitarian grounds.

The editorial makes several contradictory remarks and one of them says that the "local governments have begun taking disease-containment measures, but the federal government has an essential role in explaining to the public covid appropriate behavior".

The fact is that the government has launched a massive multi-pronged Covid awareness campaign and developed a dedicated portal to share all the statistics - https://www.mygov.in/covid-19.

I am also surprised that the author is unaware of the several viral genome sequencing data published by the Indian labs. Needless to say, this virus keeps mutating very frequently just like any other influenza virus. Contrary to the claims in the editorial, the central and state governments regularly conduct press conferences to share the emerging data or newer information.

In India's federal structure, as per the Constitution, health care is a state subject. I do agree that dramatic reduction in the Covid case load during the winter led to a false belief that the pandemic was getting over.

I also agree that many states were not prepared for the second wave that turned out to be a Tsunami. Even if they had planned, it would be impossible to create an efficient system in less than six months.

States like Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi that have better healthcare systems suffered the most. If we take example of the worldwide mortality, the countries with the best health care infrastructure (the US, France, Italy etc.) seemed to have the highest mortality. In short, biology trumped technology and pharmacology.

With virtually no effective medical treatment currently available, state and central governments have resorted to lockdown multiple times in this entire pandemic. The arm chair critics may not realize that lockdowns are politically challenging decisions. Let us not forget that these measures have profound socio-economic impact that may turn out to be more hazardous than Covid itself especially among the impoverished groups.

I am appalled by the editor's statement that "government's attempts to stifle criticism and open discussion during the crisis are inexcusable".

I am confident that the editor has never watched the Indian television debates where such criticisms are made. In fact, the vehement criticism of the Indian vaccines by some political parties made some gullible citizens believe that the vaccines were useless, leading to lukewarm response in the beginning.

Now let's discuss about the large political rallies and failure of the Election Commission of India in deferring the polls. The editor blamed the Indian government for failing to heed the warning of the second wave of the pandemic. If that is the case, predictions are being made of a much larger third wave in India. Will the editor please let us know when India could have conducted the elections safely? Is the author aware of the consequences of indefinite postponement of elections in the politically sensitive states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala? I agree that the Kumbh Mela shouldn't have been held this year and it could have been the super spreader event. Kumbh Mela is one of the largest voluntary religious congregations of human beings on earth that happens every 12 years in the months of January to April. Let me share some more information to put things in perspective.

The entire Kumbha area was spread over 150 sq km and over 9 million people voluntarily visited it between January and April 2021. The maximum number of people visiting the Kumbh area on a single day was 3.5 million. On that day of peak foot fall, the population density in the Kumbh area was estimated as nearly 23,000 people per sq km.

With nearly 17 and 13 million population, respectively, Delhi and Mumbai are India's two largest cities. The population density of Mumbai is approximately 30,000 per sq km, of which nearly 40 per cent live in the slums. That means Mumbai and many metropolitan cities lives with Kumbh like situation every day. Dharavi, a locality in Mumbai, is Asia's largest slum that has a population density of nearly 277136 per sq km. Compare it to London that has a population density of 6000 people per sq km.

Mumbai's local trains, the life line of the city, carry 7.5 million people (population of Hong Kong) every day with nearly 6,000 passengers packed into a 12-car rake during the peak hour. When the lockdowns were lifted during the pandemic (February and March, 2021), nearly 4 million passengers travelled every day in the Mumbai local trains.

While the developed world may look down upon these as uncivilised conditions, it probably gave this population a distinct advantage. In August 2020, a seroprevalence study reported presence of antibody among 54 percent of the slum population and 16 percent of the non-slum population.

The study concluded that asymptomatic spread of the infection led to significantly lower infection fatality rate among slums compared to non-slums. The reasons why slum dogs fared better than the millionaires were because of the population density, poor hygiene and non-adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour.

Similar high prevalence of protective antibodies was reported in the other parts of India as well - Delhi (56 per cent), Mumbai (up to 75 per cent), Hyderabad (54 per cent) and Bengaluru (57.9 per cent).

In contrast, the highest level of antibody achieved in New York, London and Paris was 20 per cent, 13 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively. Is Indian's high level of herd immunity responsible for the low case fatality rate? Herd immunity (also called population immunity) is due to the presence of antibodies that occurs when a population acquires it through either the infection (asymptomatic or symptomatic) or vaccination. While I admit that allowing infection to ravage the population is not the best way to achieve Herd immunity, it is also true that long term safety and efficacy of the vaccine is presently unknown.

Murmurs are already happening in the scientific community that the concept of natural herd immunity is being actively suppressed to promote vaccine companies. Having said that, with vaccine as the only hope to combat the spread, it is time to make it more affordable and accessible.

Ironically, while thousands are dying every day, Word Trade Organization has failed to prevail upon member countries to waive patents and intellectual property rights linked to vaccines and technologies. The waiver is being fiercely opposed by many developed countries such as the UK and the European Union. Even an international association of pharmaceutical manufacturers warned WTO that waiving the patents and copyrights will be counterproductive and dangerous.

Politicians have become the favourite punching bags for the journalists who are desperate to hit the headlines. Bad journalists always scour through the speeches of politician and pick up the most sensational sentence to create a narrative that suits them.

With hopelessness all around, society tends to hold the political leadership as the ultimate cause of their miseries. I agree that political leaders are accountable and they cannot shift the blame for this failure. However, there are many stakeholders in this pandemic whose accountability needs to be questioned. How about those researchers whose misleading recommendations were later proven to be ineffective or even harmful? What about those journals who shortened the publication pipeline to improve citation index only to end up with substandard articles? We can't forget the retraction of an article from a reputed journal claiming effectiveness of HCQ.

We still remember the allegations of pharma industry - journal nexus in publishing pharma funded studies of questionable benefits. What about the pharma companies who failed to communicate about lack of efficacy or appropriate usage while selling lopinavir, ritonavir, oseltamivir, remdesivir, interferons, tocilizumab, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin etc? Will the scientists, institutions and the rich nations apologize to the world for holding on to the patents/copyrights of the lifesaving drugs and equipment while thousands die every day? The Lancet editorial made a ludicrous statement that the "government has seemed more intent on removing criticism on Twitter than trying to control the pandemic". It is obvious from my narration above that India has done the best it could do.

The Lancet editorial seemed to be solely for the media attention and trending on twitter while maligning India globally. In the word of German Scholar, Max Mueller, "If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India." Wait till India recovers, it will lead the world soon.

(Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi is a professor at the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. The views expressed are personal)

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Bhopal, May 17 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh launched a blistering attack on the Congress after the alleged suicide by a woman at the bungalow of Umang Singhar, a Congress MLA and former Minister in the Kamal Nath government, in Bhopal. It is being alleged that Singhar was about to marry this woman but the reason behind her death is being investigated by the police.

The 39-year-old Sonia Bhardwaj, hailing from Ambala in Haryana, befriended the Congress MLA and frequently visited his house. She was residing at his bungalow for the last few days but committed suicide on Sunday by hanging herself with a dupatta.

The woman was already married and lived with her son. The police have also recovered a suicide note from the spot holding blaming no one for her death. However, the name of Singhar has been cited many times in the note.

Police sources say that Singhar was friendly with Sonia for nearly two years and had met her through a matrimonial website. Sonia's mother reached Bhopal after receiving information about her death.

The ruling BJP tweeted, "A female friend of the former Congress minister committed suicide at his private bungalow and blamed him in the suicide note for her death. This incident is a minor issue for the Congress, is the former Congress minister responsible for inciting the woman to suicide?"
New Delhi, May 17 : A Delhi court on Monday sent businessman Navneet Kalra, who was arrested late on Sunday night, to three days' police custody in connection with oxygen concentrator hoarding case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Archana Beniwal at the Saket district court passed the order after hearing the arguments of Delhi Police and Kalra's lawyers.

The Delhi Police had sought a five-day custody of Kalra for interrogation in connection with alleged black-marketing and hoarding of oxygen concentrators.

Advocate Vineet Malhotra, representing Kalra, had argued that Kalra's custody was not required, as the police have already had his phone and bills of sale of the oxygen concentrators.

Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, however, submitted that Additional Sessions Judge at the Saket Court had earlier held custodial interrogation of Kalra was required, and also the Delhi High Court did not entertain his plea seeking anticipatory bail. He also submitted that the whole society is looking at the investigating agency and the judiciary in this case.

A Delhi High Court bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad had turned down Kalra's plea for anticipatory bail, remarking: "I'm persuaded by the trial court's order. Interim protection cannot be given at this stage." During the hearing before the magistrate, the Delhi Police said the details in connection with the system of procurement of the oxygen concentrators were yet to be unearthed. The police insisted that for this this purpose, it requires Kalra's custody.

The magistrate noted that the court was of the view that Kalra's custodial interrogation was required for recovery of electronic devices used for the purpose of commission of alleged offences, to recover remaining oxygen concentrators, and to identify victims exploited by him.

The court added that his interrogation is required for detailed investigation "regarding his involvement and connection with Matrix and Classic Metals, the manner of procurement of OCs, for detailed investigation of financial transactions from his firm as well as to identify the other co-accused/ associates involved in the present case".

The court said the accused should be medically examined before production as per rule and be produced on May 20, before the duty metropolitan magistrate concerned.

The south Delhi police arrested Kalra, who was absconding since May 7, from his brother-in-law's farmhouse in Gurugram late Sunday night and handed over him to the Crime Branch, which is probing the matter.

On May 5, a case was registered against Kalra under sections 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code as also under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.

This followed seizure of 524 oxygen concentrators from three restaurants -- Khan Chacha, Nega Ju and Town Hall - owned by Kalra. The case was later transferred to the Delhi Police's Crime Branch.
Gurugram, May 17 : A Covid vaccination campaign for media persons was organised at the John Hall premises in the Civil Lines area here on Monday.

As many as 70 mediapersons were administered the Covishield doses during the drive.

Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg said that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced a few days ago that the media persons also fall under the category of frontline workers, so they should be given the jabs on a priority basis.

"Media personnel have been vaccinated on a priority basis as per the announcement of the Chief Minister. He hoped that during this crisis, after getting vaccinated, media personnel will be safe and keep people aware in this way," Garg said.

Joint Director of Information Public Relations and Language Department (NCR) and District Information and Public Relations Officer R.S. Sangwan thanked Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg and Civil Surgeon Virender Yadav for organising the camp for journalists.

He also thanked all the members of the team of Health Department for carrying out the vaccination.

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Chennai, May 17 : Superstar Rajinikanth met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the state secretariat here on Monday and donated Rs 50 lakh to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (CMPRF).

The matinee idol also appealed to the people to follow the guidelines issued by the state government and adhere to all the Covid-19 protocols.

Stalin had appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to donate money to the CM's relief fund to fight the second wave of Covid-19.

Several organisations, political parties and individual businessmen have contributed to the fund following the Chief Minister's appeal.

Meanwhile, CPI General Secretary D. Raja said on Monday that two party MPs and two MLAs would donate their one month's salary to the CMPRF.

CPM state Secretary K. Balakrishnan has also handed over an amount of Rs 10 lakh to the Chief Minister at the secretariat.

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-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, May 17 : Late filmmaker Sumitra Bhave's final directorial, the Marathi film "Dithee", will release digitally on May 21.

Actress Amruta Subhash, who features in the cast, says the film chronicles a father's emotions as he mourns the death of his son.

"Dithee talks about the life of a simple ironsmith, undergoing the pain of his son's death, who experiences this principle of non-duality," she told IANS.

Talking about her experience of working with Bhave, she says: "Working with Sumitra Bhave was bliss -- always a learning experience. The film talks about how to come to terms with the loss of a loved one. Looking back, I think that that was the final lesson she taught me." She adds: "I made my debut with her and a beautiful journey of meaningful characters started, which is ending with her last film Dithee. I am grateful to her. In Dithee, she beautifully weaved in the conflict between knowledge and ignorance, life and death, which will leave the audience teary-eyed." Sumitra Bhave has won six international awards, 11 National Awards and more than 45 state awards. She has also won several individual awards for story, screenplay, lyrics, art direction, costume design and direction.

The film will stream on SonyLIV.
New Delhi, May 17 : Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh has moved the Supreme Court for transfer of all inquiries ordered against him outside the state of Maharashtra. Singh has alleged a witch-hunt after he accused then home minister Anil Deshmukh of adopting corrupt practices in posting or transfers in police in addition with extortion of Rs 100 crore per month from various establishments.

In a writ petition, Singh alleged that the inquiry officer of the state government is threatening him with false cases unless he withdraws the complaint against Deshmukh. Singh has asked the top court to transfer all investigations already initiated or contemplated against him to the CBI which is presently probing the charges against Deshmukh. He claims to have submitted to the CBI transcripts linked with alleged phone call conversations from the inquiry officer threatening him.

"issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ order or direction directing the Respondent no. 1, its officers and agencies to: (i) transfer all the enquiries already ordered for considering departmental actions the petition to any other state. (ii) transfer all the investigations already contemplated or initiated against the petitioner for any punitive prosecution to independent agency like the respondent no. 2 Central Bureau of Investigation, which is already the connected case or any other investigation agency outside the state of Maharashtra", said the Singh's plea.

On April 21, the CBI had lodged an FIR in the matter after the top court declined to interfere the Bombay High Court's order for preliminary investigation against Deshmukh. "Restrain from initiating or taking steps for commencing any further inquiries / investigations against the petitioner or taking any coercive steps against him in any of the pending investigations, without first taking leave of this court", the plea urged before the top court.

Within days of his transfer to home-guards department on March 17, Singh had accused Deskhmukh of setting a collection target of Rs 100 crore for Sachin Vaze of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai, arrested in the Antilia bomb scare case.
Delhi, May 17 : The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on a plea seeking to halt the construction of Central Vista redevelopment project against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing the petitioners, submitted they were only interested in the safety of the workers at the site and compared the project to "Auschwitz", a concentration camp of Nazi Germany. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, alleged that the plea was a "facade" to stall the work.

After a three-hour long hearing, a bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh reserved its judgement in the matter.

The petitioners had questioned terming the construction activities as essential services at a time when a curfew was in force in Delhi due to Covid-19.

Luthra said: "There was a curfew imposed and everything had to be closed. Suddenly we find very fascinating thing, a letter is written seeking permission be granted to Shapoorji Pallonji in view of stringent timeline of work." Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd, which has been awarded the tender, also opposed the PIL, stating that it lacks bona fide, and the construction firm was taking care of its workforce.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the firm, submitted there was no law under where he has to bring on record a worker's willingness to work.

Luthra contended the Centre's submissions in connection with availability of medical facilities, testing centre, etc on site were all falsehoods. He termed the ongoing Central Vista project work as "central fortress of death" and compared it to "Auschwitz" and cited empty tents have been erected with no beds for workers.

Mehta objected to the project being referred to as Auschwitz, saying that the criticism is fine, but one should not be venomous about the project, and such terms should not be used in court. Luthra argued that though Centre claimed workers stayed back willingly, but no proof of their willingness has been brought on record.

But Mehta countered this, saying: "Public interest is very selective (in the instant case) with regard to health of workmen.

Insisting that the court should dismiss the plea, Mehta cited that one of the petitioners has opposed the project before the top court gave it go ahead in January this year, and the petitioners were not concerned with the health and safety of workers at other sites where construction activity was ongoing.

He described the PIL as a "facade to disguise something they always wanted to stop under one pretext or the other." Singh, meanwhile, argued that the company had to finish it by November so that the Republic Day parade can be held on the Rajpath.

Petitioners Anya Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi had sought a stay on the construction activities of Central Vista against the backdrop of Covid-19 situation in the capital and the threat posed by the construction activities as a potential super spreader.

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Cross-border trade booms

From:ChinaDaily | 2021-05-17 10:24

The northeastern province of Heilongjiang will take full advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative and its own geographical position-with its far north bordering Russia-to form a new pattern of all-around opening-up with Russia and Northeast Asia.

That will further highlight the status of China's biggest province in cooperation with Russia, according to the provincial 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for Economic and Social Development and a policy paper called Long-Range Objectives Through to the Year 2035.

The province shares a border of almost 3,000 kilometers with the Russian regions of Primorsky Kray, Khabarovskiy Kray, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Amur Oblast and Lake Baikal.

Trade between Heilongjiang and Russia rose dramatically during the period of the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), accounting for 20 percent of China's trade volume with Russia and 60 percent of the province's total imports and exports.

In August 2019, the Heilongjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone, China's northernmost FTZ, was officially established.

Harbin, the provincial capital, became one of the three areas within the zone, along with the cities of Suifenhe and Heihe.

In 2014, Harbin Bank established an online payment platform for Sino-Russia cross-border e-commerce, the first such platform in China. It provides more than 10 payment and settlement methods, with over 60 different currencies, solving the problems of difficult online settlement, the high logistics cost for e-commerce exports to Russia and lengthy payment processes.

By the end of last year, the platform had dealt with more than 44 million transactions, with a total settlement amount of 15 billion yuan ($2.33 billion), and provided services for more than 6,000 cross-border e-commerce websites.

The border city of Heihe has been doing business with Russia for more than 130 years.

Heihe port, as a national first-class facility, plays an important role in China's economic and trade cooperation with Russia, according to the city government.

In 2011, Heihe and Russia's Amur Oblast started cooperative projects in sectors including transportation, resources, culture and tourism.

The first road bridge connecting China and Russia has been completed and prepared for traffic.

It spans 1,284 meters across the Heilong River, known as the Amur River in Russia, and connects Heihe with the Russian city of Nizhneleninskoye.

Construction began in December 2016. When it opens, the passenger flow between the two cities is expected to reach 1.4 million per year and the freight volume will reach 3 million metric tons.

Meanwhile, a cross-border cableway that will span the river is also under construction.

The project, which will link Heihe and Blagoveshchensk in Amur Oblast, started simultaneously on both sides of the river in July, and will be the world's first cross-border cableway when it is completed.

The facility, with total investment of 571 million yuan, is designed to be 972 meters long, according to the Heihe government. It is expected to be completed next year and have an annual transportation capacity of 2.5 million people.

Currently, visitors take ferries or hovercraft to cross the border on warmer days, while buses use a floating bridge built on the frozen river during winter.

"I have been to Blagoveshchensk several times," said Zhang Xun, a civil servant in Heihe. "The cableway will provide tourists with a new option, and I am looking forward to enjoying the wonderful view from up high."

About 190 kilometers from Vladivostok, one of the largest cities in Russia's Far East, Suifenhe has 150,000 residents. It is the biggest Sino-Russian trade hub in Heilongjiang.

On Aug 9, 2011, Harbin Customs officially approved the establishment of a free trade market in Suifenhe to promote cross-border trade in the city.

Under the policy, Suifenhe residents can buy duty-free commodities to the value of 8,000 yuan per day.

By the end of 2019, the city's free trade zone with Russia was open to businesses from 14 more countries, including Mongolia and the Republic of Korea, the city government said.

Last year, more than 174,000 tons of commodities were imported to the Suifenhe Free Trade Zone with a total value of 800 million yuan, the local government said.

The opening-up of the city has also attracted many Russians, who have started businesses.

In the autumn of 2016, Igor Gorshkov quit his job in Moscow and opened a Russian sausage factory in Suifenhe with a friend.

"During my first visit to Suifenhe in the summer of 2016, I found a favorable business environment and huge market potential for my products," the 53-year-old said.

"The city government established the 'Russian Startup Street' and provided premises free for three years, which greatly attracted us."

In May 2018, Gorshkov expanded his factory's area with investment from a Chinese entrepreneur.

Now, his products are sold in many parts of China, including the provinces of Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong and Guangdong.

"I feel proud to bring traditional Russian sausages to Suifenhe, which helps to spread Russian food culture," Gorshkov said.

"We believe there will be more China-Russia partners in the future and better cooperation."
( ) (FRA:1BHA) is gearing up for a productive June quarter, having recently completed drilling at its La Paz Scandium and Rare Earths Project in Arizona, in the US.

Nine core holes were drilled ranging from 68 metres to as deep as 122 metres and the company has detected encouraging geology up to four times deeper than the resource depth of 30 metres.

Notably, the original La Paz resource estimate used a cut-off grade of 300 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth elements (TREE) and the drilling campaign has indicated that there is potential to increase the grade and resource size.

Metallurgical test work pending

The drilling campaign produced about 4,500 kilograms of samples from 682 metres of core, which was transported from the site to an assay lab in Sparks, Nevada.

The test work will primarily focus on the use of proven, economically viable processing that is pivotal for the preparation of a preliminary economic assessment that the company expects to publish later in 2021.

The company will seek higher grades of the premium valued scandium, REE magnet metals and heavy REEs, which were identified in the surface sampling program averaging 552 parts per million REEs over the original resources.

Core drill results for La Paz are expected to be announced by the end of this month.

Potential second resource area

Notably, samples collected outside the resource area could point to the potential of the ore body to extend several kilometres to an area of alluvial cover over its centre, as indicated by the strong surface sample results similar to those in the resource area.

The pattern may alternatively represent a potential separate second resource area.

Drilling in areas southwest of the resource will assist to better understand which, if either, of these possible opportunities, may exist.

Location of La Paz Rare Earths Project in Arizona USA.

Maiden scandium resource

The drill core results will also be used by the company to determine if a maiden Scandium resource can be established, concomitant and in addition to the Rare Earths resource of 128.2 million tonnes.

ARR expects to be able to upgrade the Rare Earths resource and separately establish a maiden resource for scandium.

The development of a scandium resource in the US is especially attractive to the company for several reasons:

The US Geological Surveys 2021 Mineral Commodity Summaries publication states that Domestically, scandium was neither mined nor recovered from process streams or mine tailings in 2020. Limited capacity to produce ingot and distilled scandium metal existed at facilities in Ames, IA; Tolleson, AZ and the La Paz project is only 200 kilometres from Tolleson; and

The US Government identified Scandium along with Rare Earths on its Final List of Critical

Minerals in a 2017 Presidential Executive Order, which targets mineral commodities that are vital to the Nations security and economic prosperity.

A mine of national significance

The company is confident that the La Paz Project is a low-grade, critical mineral target with the extraordinary advantage of its sheer volume, and possible opportunity for:

Simple concentration via magnetics;

Ultra-low penalty element content (Thorium <7 parts per million); and

Low cost of open-pit production.

Currently, there is no other known hardrock mining, defined resource of record in North America with such a low Thorium penalty and that only the companys Wyoming asset even comes close with most competitors having 30-60X the Thorium concentration of the comparatively clean La Paz asset.

Additional benefits include the Projects close proximity to world-class infrastructure within a mining-friendly jurisdiction and the potential job creation opportunities associated with the mine.

The large-scale support of the La Paz Project, not only at the national level through the Biden Administration executive order, but also at the local level within the State of Arizona, gives the company further validation that the La Paz Project sits within a mining-friendly jurisdiction, and provides immense confidence in the potential of the Project to become a mine of national significance.
Patna, May 17 : Flagging discrepancy in the government's death toll, the Patna High Court on Monday directed the Chief Secretary and the Divisional Commissioner of Buxar to file a fresh affidavit on the bodies that were found in river Ganga last week.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Karol found inconsistency in the government's statistics of deaths during the hearing on Monday.

Karol had earlier asked both the Chief Secretary and the Divisional Commissioner to file affidavits on Saturday.

The Chief Justice has also asked the Bihar government to submit seperate data on the deaths caused by Covid-19 as well as other diseases in the state amid the pandemic.

The Buxar administration had detected 71 decomposed bodies on the banks of Ganga in Chausa last week. The Bihar government, however, alleged that the bodies had flown in from Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, Varanasi and Allahabad districts.

Besides Buxar, over two-dozen bodies were found in river Ganga near the Patna Gulabi Ghat in the Mahendru locality as well.
Hyderabad, May 17 : The Telangana High Court on Monday sought a report from the state government over the death of a pregnant woman, who passed away inside an ambulance after running around several private hospitals, which refused her admission suspecting her to be Covid positive.

The court took serious note of the incident which occurred in Hyderabad on May 14 and made it clear that hospitals can't insist on RT-PCR test report for admission of a patient.

Pavani, 22, died in the ambulance along with the unborn child near the government-run Women's Hospital in Koti, where she was heading after visiting around five hospitals.

Incidentally, Pavani, a resident of Mallapur in the city, was not Covid positive.

On May 14, the eight-month pregnant woman felt unwell and her parents took her to a hospital, which directed her to another hospital citing lack of beds.

The hapless woman visited at least five hospitals. While some insisted that she should produce a RT-PCR test report, others cited lack of beds or ventilators.

The ordeal of Pavani's family did not end with her death. Various crematoriums also refused to perform the last rites, telling her family members that cremating her without separating the unborn child will bring bad omen.

The last rites could be performed only the next day after the foetus was reportedly removed.

The in-charge collector of Medchal Malkajgiri district, Swetha Mohanty, had ordered an inquiry into the woman's death.

Health department officials conducted an inquiry and found that negligence by the private hospitals led to Pavani's death. Doctors at these hospitals did not even examine the patient.

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New Delhi, May 17 : A media outlet has moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of an FIR in a sedition case in Andhra Pradesh.

Shreya Broadcasting Pvt Ltd, which owns TV5 news channel, has contended, in its plea, that the state government "intends to silence" critics and the media by filing a "vague FIR" and abusing the process of law.

"It is humbly submitted that the continuance of the FIR is likely to cause a chilling effect on the media in such crucial times of the pandemic, when truthful and fearless reporting is the need of the hour," said the plea.

In the plea, filed through advocate Vipin Nair, the media outlet claimed the freedom of speech of media is of great importance and the FIR clearly intends to breach it.

"It is submitted that the attempt of the FIR is to create a chilling effect for news channels in the state so that every news channel is wary of hosting any content which is critical of the government. By filing a vague FIR and abusing the process of law, the state intends to silence its critiques and the media, which is discharging its duty." The FIR against the news channel is connected with the sedition case lodged against rebel YSR Congress parliamentarian K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, who was recently arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Police. The channel claimed the FIR was registered for airing programmes involving Raju, who has been critical of the state government. The CID which arrested Raju in the case, has also named two media houses and others as accused.

"It is clear from the FIR that the FIR intends to punish speech made against the Chief Minister. It is clear from the catena of judgments of the Supreme Court that sedition can, in no way, be applicable when the criticism is that of a person holding a post in the government," added the plea, seeking to quash the May 14 enquiry report which formed the basis of FIR.

The petitioner said it was constrained to move the top court in light of the fact that the main accused person Raju was reportedly arrested and has allegedly suffered custodial torture at the hands of the authorities. "The petitioners verily believe that if this Court does not interject on an urgent basis, the petitioners shall be meted out the same treatment," said the plea.

"It is humbly submitted that not only is the naming of the petitioners' channel in the FIR absolutely unconstitutional and legally unsustainable, based on the Government of Andhra Pradesh's views and past actions, the petitioners apprehend that illegal and coercive actions may be taken against them." The channel urged the top court to pass an ex-parte ad-interim order restraining the state government from taking any coercive action against its management and employees in pursuance of the FIR.
Kolkata, May 17 : The West Bengal cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday approved formation of the upper house of the state legislature, in its second meeting on Monday.

The setting up of the Legislative Council, to again make West Bengal one of the few states with a bicameral legislature, was one of the main manifesto points of the Trinamool Congress in the recent Assembly elections.

Chief Minister Banerjee, who spent most of her time at the Nizam Palace with her party leaders who were arrested by the CBI in the Narada case, attended the cabinet meeting where the proposal for the formation of the Council was approved. The Trinamool government had resolved to form the Council within the first 100 days of her government, as was reported by IANS earlier.

Sources in the cabinet said that the Legislative Council is likely to comprise eminent persons, who will play an active role in shaping the state's functions.

The Legislative Council, or Vidhan Parishad, is the upper house of the state legislature and plays a key role in legislation.

The state government is likely to pass a resolution in the Assembly after which it will be the constitutional mandate and obligation of the Parliament to complete the formality by passing a law to that effect.

"There are three steps before the formation of the Council. After the approval of the cabinet, it will be sent to the Governor for approval and once it is approved the intricate details of the formation of the Council will be discussed in the Assembly and then the law will be framed. The cabinet has already given the approval and so it will be sent for the Governor's consent," a senior cabinet minister said.

Six Indian states -- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Telengana -- have state Legislative Councils.

The West Bengal Legislative Council came into existence in 1952 but it was abolished by the legislature in March 1969.
Bengaluru, May 17 : Alarmed by the growing number of Covid patients contracting black fungus in the state, an expert panel has been set up to study the infection, state Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Monday.

"We have set up an expert panel to study black fungus infection in Covid patients after their recovery from the virus," Sudhakar said after opening a treatment facility at the state-run Bowring Hospital in the city.

Noting that black fungus or Mucormycosis has been recognised as a fungal infection, Sudhakar said measures would be taken to contain its spread after the panel submits its report with recommendations.

"The panel has been set up to ascertain the cause of the infection in patients post Covid treatment," said Sudhakar, a medical doctor by profession.

The fungal infection is caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes.

As black fungus is a post-Covid complication, those who are diabetic and use steroids are vulnerable to contract it.

"As patients undergoing organ transplantation or having immune-compromised conditions like HIV are prone to contract the fungal infection, they have to be careful to prevent themselves from getting infected," Sudhakar said.

The fungus enters the human body through a nasal cavity with low immunity and affects the eye-sight. Such patients should be treated immediately to prevent the spread of the fungus in the body.

"We have learnt that water used in humidifiers in hospitals where Covid patients are under treatment is causing the infection," noted the minister.

At Bowring hospital, patients with black fungus are given Amphotericin injection. A patient needs 40-60 vials to recover from it, the state health department said in a statement.

The health department is setting up a dedicated facility at the state-run hospitals in six cities, including Mysuru, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Belagavi, to treat patients with this fungal infection.

The minister also warned Covid patients under self-isolation at home against taking steroids on their own without a doctor's prescription, as they can cause fungal infection.

In a related development, Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said the state government is exploring collaboration with global alliance partners to procure critical drugs like Amphotericin B to treat black fungus, and Remdesivir and Tocilizumab for treating Covid patients.

"The need of the hour is to collaborate for procuring drugs to treat Covid patients amid the pandemic's second wave," Narayan said at a virtual interaction with global innovation alliance partner countries.

Narayan, also a medical doctor by profession who heads the state's Covid task force, said balancing health with social and economic concerns is a huge challenge amid lockdowns and other Covid-induced restrictions.

"Cross-country learning will help all the stakeholders to deal with the situation arising out of the once-in-a-century pandemic like Covid-19," he added.

Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and the US are among the global alliance partner countries.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, May 17 : The Bengaluru Police on Monday arrested an inter-state drug smuggler and seized 20 kg marijuana valued at around Rs 6 lakh from his possession, the police said.

According to the police, the accused has been identified as Subba Reddy aka Subbu (42), a resident of Nagawara in Bengaluru.

The police said in a statement that the accused had modified his Honda City car's backseat and the stepney wheel portion in the dickey to conceal and transport the banned substance.

Subbu originally hails from Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh and preliminary investigation suggests that he used to divide his time between his home in Nellore and Bengaluru.

"The accused has a well connected-network in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, from where he used to procure marijuana at Rs 10,000 per kg and sell them to peddlers in Bengaluru for around Rs 25,000 a kg," the police statement read.

It added that Subbu not only transported huge quantities of marijuana concealed in his car, but also used goods vehicles to transport the drug from Visakhapatnam.

"He was probably using the lacunae in the lockdown protocols. As per these protocols, inter-state borders are giving free passage to goods carrying vehicles and the checking is also not very strict. Therefore, he is suspected to have brought in huge quantities of this banned substance since the partial lock down was announced on April 27," the police said.
New Delhi, May 17 : The Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister in the Delhi government, Rajendra Pal Gautam, made a surprise visit to the Nirmal Chhaya childcare home on Jail Road on Monday.

According to the Delhi government, during his visit, the minister took stock of all the facilities at various children's homes on the campus.

Located in south-west Delhi, the Nirmal Chhaya campus has a total capacity of 290 where at present 90 girls are residing.

During the inspection, the minister also took stock of the kitchen and the quality of food being provided to the children on the campus. He stressed upon healthy nutrition for girl childs staying at the centre.

"I am happy to know that girls are not only given accommodation here, but the staff here is focussed on the all-round development of all the inmates. They are also given special training for seeking employment," the minister sadi after the inspection.
Hyderabad, May 17 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday directed the Medical and Health Department to set up 48 oxygen generation plants in government hospitals to produce 324 tonnes of oxygen required for Covid patients in the state.

Asking the officials to ensure that there would not be any shortage of oxygen in future, he also instructed the officials to set up an additional plant to produce 100 tonnes of the liquid oxygen in Hyderabad.

At a review meeting on Covid situation, KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, directed that six units of 16 tonne plants, 15 units of eight tonne plants and 27 units of four tonne plants should be set at Hyderabad, district and area hospitals.

KCR, who also hold the Health portfolio, asked the oxygen producers to hand over 11 tankers with each having the capacity of 20 tonnes within 10 days.

He said that in the coming days, Telangana should not face a situation where it is depended on other states for supply of oxygen.

He also appealed to people seeking Covid treatment to get admitted to government hospitals and take advantage of availability of beds, oxygen and free treatment, food, medicines and other facilities, instead of spending huge money in private hospitals.

Since the treatment is one and the same in private and government hospitals, people should prefer the government hospitals, he said, adding that as on Monday, there were 6,926 beds vacant in the government hospitals. Of these, 2,253 were oxygen beds, 533 ICU beds and 4,140 general beds.

KCR also instructed the officials concerned to make arrangments for the equipment and the required medicines in ENT Hospital in Koti, Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, and medical college hospitals in the districts to treat the black fungus disease that is spreading among treated patients. He said, if need be, 25 Microdebrider machines, and HD Endoscopic cameras be purchased immediately.

He asked the officials to immediately invite global tenders for the supply of the vaccines. He also wanted them to have continuous rapport with the Centre on the vaccination quota.

The officials informed the CM said that so far the state had received 57,30,220 doses of vaccine only and as on date there is a stock of 1,86,780 vaccine doses. Of this, 58,230 are of Covaxin and 1,28,550 doses are of Covishield.

The CM declared that the government is ready to spend any amount funds for improving medical and health infrastructure facilities. A decision has been taken to set up new medical colleges in Sangareddy, Jagtial, Kothagudem, Wanaparthy, Mancherial, and Mahabubabad. He also instructed that along with these medical colleges, colleges of nursing should also be formed.

The CM said in those medical colleges where there are no nursing colleges, they should be sanctioned. He said the proposals already submitted for the nursing colleges sanction should be examined immediately.

He said to give medical treatment facilities and medicines to the poor in the government hospitals, 12 regional sub centres should be formed at Siddipet, Wanaparthy, Mehboobabad, Kothagudem, Nagar Kurnool, Suryapet, Bhongir, Jagtial, Mancherial, Bhoopalpally, Vikarabad, and Gadwal.

To supply medicines on war footing to the several government hospitals from these Centres, vehicles should be arranged either own or on lease. Similarly, to store the medicines, cold storage facilities should be set up at the sub centres.

The CM instructed that the 200-bedded hospitals in Anantagiri in Vikarabad, Singareni, RTC, CISF, Railways, Army and ESI hospitals should be brought in for Covid treatment.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, May 17 : All the nine crew members of tugboat 'Coromandel', who were stranded in the Arabian Sea, were rescued after Cyclone Tauktae crossed over the Karnataka coast earlier in the day, an official said on Monday.

"Of the nine crew, four were airlifted from the stranded ship on the high sea in a naval helicopter and flown to Mangaluru, while five were brought to the shore in a rescue boat," Mohan Rajan, the Commissioner of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, said in a statement here.

The tugboat, belonging to the state-run Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), had drifted outside the port and ran aground Mulki rocks due to heavy rains and gusty winds triggered by the severe cyclonic storm.

"As the sea was rough and choppy, Indian Coast Guard vessel Varsha could not reach the ship. An ALH Druv helicopter from INS Garuda flew from Kochi on the Kerala coast and rescued the seamen by winching them from the stranded tugboat," Rajan said.

The state government has ordered an inquiry to ascertain why the ship did not return to the shore in time, as alerts were issued by the weather office about the cyclone approaching the west coast.

"Action will be taken against the authorities on the basis of the probe report," said state Revenue Minister R. Ashoka, who inspected the cyclone-hit areas in Dakshin Kannada and Udupi districts on the west coast.

The minister also directed MRPL to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to two crew members of another of its tugboat, Alliance, who drowned when it capsized in the rough sea on Sunday.

Ashoka announced Rs 5 lakh each to those whose houses have been destroyed in the cyclone and Rs 1 lakh to those whose houses have been partially damaged.

The minister also thanked the Western Naval Command and the Coast Guard for rescuing the stranded crew from both the tugboats.

Even as the cyclone drifted towards the northwest, moderate to heavy rains and gusty winds lashed the coastal areas and many parts of Malnad region in the state during the last 24 hours.

According to the weather office, 11 cm of rainfall was recorded at Kadra in Uttara Kannada district and 7 cm each at Honnavar in the same district and at Kollur in the adjacent Udupi district.

Meanwhile, the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) forecast moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms over the next 48 hours in most places in the coastal region, and several areas in the state's southern and northern areas due to favourable conditions and as a spillover of the cyclone.

In a related development, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service (INCOIS) warned of high waves in 3.5-5 metre range till Tuesday along the state's coast from Mangaluru to Karwar.

"Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea till Wednesday morning," the centre said in a statement here.

The state's disaster management authority said in a statement that in all, 121 villages spanning across eight districts in the state's coastal and central regions were affected by the cyclone havoc, which left behind a trail of destruction.

"In all, eight persons were killed, including two each in Dakshina Kannada and Belagavi and one each in Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru in isolated incidents due to heavy rains and gusty winds.
Ankara, May 18 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday condemned his US counterpart Joe Biden for approval of arms sales to Israel.

The US President was "writing history with bloody hands in this incident where Gaza was attacked disproportionately," Erdogan said at a press conference elaborating on recent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"You have forced us to say this. We can't stay silent on this anymore," he added.

"Palestinian lands are being washed with blood and cruelty. You are also supporting this," Erdogan noted.

Earlier in the day, the US government reportedly approved the sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel.
The UN Global Compact aims to accelerate and scale the collective global impact of business through its Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption and to take action on the issues embodied in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

As a member of UN Global Compact, Arafura will be required to complete detailed reporting against the governing principles and UN SDGs.

( ) (OTCMKTS:ARAFF) (FRA:REB) has committed to the sustainable supply of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) for global customers from the Nolans Project by applying for membership of the UN Global Compact and Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA).

The company is adopting a series of standards, targets and aspirations, culminating in the release of an up-to-date sustainability report on its world-class 100%-owned Nolans NdPr Project in the Northern Territory of Australia.

A mineral lease application has been submitted for the future installation of a solar farm to offset gas usage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of program to align Arafura with the Paris Agreement targeting net zero emissions by 2050.

A comprehensive up-to-date sustainability report is being prepared.

Striving to leave world a better place"

Managing director Gavin Lockyer said: Commitment to the sustainable development and operation of Nolans is a core principle and goal of the Arafura board of directors, our shareholders and all our employees.

This first step represents our commitment to an unending journey of striving to leave the world a better place than before we started.

The Nolans Project is a 'mine to oxide' project located on a single site in a jurisdiction with a strong regulatory framework and where all potential environmental issues are required to be fully investigated, managed and costed into all planning.

However, global external governance provides a further layer of oversight across the full range of activities and issues recognised by the companys customers and international stakeholders.

UN Global Compact aims to accelerate and scale the collective global impact of business through its Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption and to take action on the issues embodied in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As a member of the UN Global Compact, the company would be required to complete detailed reporting against the governing principles and UN SDGs.

ESG commitment

The company has set itself the following goal:

Arafuras ESG commitment is to be a trusted global leader and supplier of choice for sustainably mined rare earth products, helping our customers deliver clean and efficient technologies.

We are committed to delivering positive intergenerational economic, environmental and social benefits to our stakeholders.

The first step in achieving this goal was to map and assess Arafuras key material issues and their importance to the companys stakeholder group.

As it strives to meet its sustainability goal, Arafura will initially focus on:

Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change;

Water consumption and management;

Management of wastes and hazardous materials;

Health and safety of employees;

Indigenous people and local participation;

Supply chain management;

Diversity and employee engagement;

Governance, ethics and transparency; and

Economic viability and sustainability.

Climate change

Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are a critical global issue and in consideration of this, Arafura is committed to the ongoing development and operation of Nolans with the aim of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

As part of this commitment, Arafura has completed an independent greenhouse gas emissions audit of the proposed operation and is working with external consultants to develop greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies and goals toward reaching net zero by 2050.

An important first step in this carbon reduction journey has been made through the application for an ancillary mineral lease (MLA 32722) close to the process plant site for the construction of a substantial solar farm to offset power production from natural gas.

Further planning and design of this green power facility, and other similar measures, will be outlined in the greenhouse gas emissions reduction study that is currently underway.

This study will also set interim targets on Arafuras journey toward net zero carbon emissions.

Sustainability reporting

Working with Futureproof Consulting, a specialist sustainability consultant, the Company is currently in the process of developing an up-to-date sustainability report.

This comprehensive report will provide detailed communication on material ESG issues identified above along with considered actions plans, targets and aspirations across short, medium and long-term timeframes.

It is anticipated that this sustainability report will be made available publicly in mid-2021 and updated on an annual basis to provide transparency to all stakeholders on Arafura's progress and performance.
Access Garage Doors, an industry leader with more than 15 years of experience in residential and commercial garage door repair and installation, is growing its presence in the Midwest. The company is proud to welcome Mike Rustad as its newest franchise owner of Access Garage Doors of South St. Paul, in Minnesota.

Rustad is an experienced and savvy franchise owner whos already found success with his first business in the garage organization market. After 10 years of building that franchise, Rustad understands the needs of his community and is ready to offer customers new services and products with the Access Garage Door brand.

When were in customers homes, theyll ask us about garage door repair and replacement, said Rustad. I thought, were already in their homes, and theyre happy with the projects were doing, so why wouldnt we get into the garage door business? Access is the perfect next step for us to offer great customer service and products to new and existing customers.

Rustad grew up in an entrepreneurial family. He worked at his fathers automotive repair shop as a teenager.

He always saved the hardest projects for me because I have a lot of patience, said Rustad. The biggest lessons I learned from my dad were persistence and not to back down from a challenge. I know this is a competitive market, but Im impressed by the Access business plan and the fact that theyre growing quickly. Im excited to grow with this company.

Access Garage Doors President and CEO, Jesse Cox, is confident Rustad will be a tremendous asset to the Access Garage Doors franchise team.

Access is excited about this opportunity to establish a presence in Minnesota, said Cox. Mike has a knack for understanding the needs of his community and can take on any challenge that comes his way. Im confident he will thrive as the newest member of the Access family. I cant wait to see the growth of Access Garage Doors South St. Paul in the coming years.

Access Garage Doors offers homeowners a comprehensive selection of services on garage door opener systems and garage doors, as well as a wide selection of high-quality new garage doors and openers. Access Garage Doors is a Master Authorized Clopay dealer and an Authorized Service Provider for LiftMaster, Home Depot, Genie, Clopay, and Amarr.

To learn more about Access Garage Doors, please visit: https://accessdoorcompany.com/.

The Access Garage Doors franchise is a low-overhead business model for entrepreneurs who are searching for a recession-resistant business opportunity. For more information about franchise opportunities, please visit: https://accessdoorcompany.com/franchise/.

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ABOUT ACCESS GARAGE DOORS

Founded in 2005, Access Garage Doors provides service, installation, and sales of state-of-the-art residential and electric openers. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Access is a top-tier Master Authorized Dealer for one of the largest garage door manufacturers, Clopay, and is a top-tier LiftMaster ProVantage Dealer. Access also carries brands such as Amarr Doors, Genie, Craftsman, Chamberlain, Marantec, and Sommer, and also services Hormann, Wayne Dalton, CHI, Raynor, Sears, Linear, Lynx, Overhead Door, Ideal Door, Windsor Door, Stanley, Door Link, and Ryobi brands. Access is a long-term member of the International Door Association, as well as the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga.


We believe true loyalty can only be achieved by leveraging first-party data to deeply understand customers and deliver personalized, relevant, and timely experiences, said Al Lalani, Co-Founder & Chief Strategist, Annex Cloud.

Annex Cloud, a global, enterprise technical solutions provider of advanced personalized and experiential customer retention software and loyalty management solutions, announced today it has expanded its partner ecosystem with the addition of Pyxis, an SAP Silver Partner providing ecommerce, customer experience and digital marketing systems integration for almost 10 years. Together, Annex Cloud and Pyxis will provide enterprise organizations with a comprehensive suite of capabilities to foster improved customer loyalty through hyper-personalized, omnichannel customer experiencesall leveraging first-party loyalty data.

The Pyxis partnership announcement follows Annex Clouds recent unveiling of earning the highest possible scores in 15 criteria in the Forrester Wave: Loyalty Solutions, Q2 2021, including: loyalty management, user experience, execution and innovation roadmap, company performance, and integration and partnerships.

Organizations in LATAM are experiencing digital hyper-acceleration. The pandemic interrupted the natural speed of digitalization and created unprecedented demand for all things digital. The reduction of lead times and increased expectations are pushing companies to seek out new tools, strategies, and processes. And now, with third-party cookies going away, a basic ecommerce storefront is no longer sufficient to stay relevant and competitive.

Annex Cloud and Pyxis are uniquely positioned to help organizations build lasting customer bonds and accelerate growth. Together, they provide the most advanced loyalty experience platform along with highly skilled ecommerce, marketing, and data experts who understand regional specifics.

We believe true loyalty can only be achieved by leveraging first-party data to deeply understand customers and deliver personalized, relevant, and timely experiences, said Al Lalani, Co-Founder & Chief Strategist, Annex Cloud. By working together, we are building solutions that provide our customers with all the right features and functions to create more frequent and meaningful engagement, improve retention, and drive growth.

We value quality over quantity and invest in long-term partnerships, said Anna Habokyan, Director of Business Development, Pyxis. With Annex Cloud, we share the same commitment in helping clients achieve their customer loyalty and retention goals. Through the complete digital journey, from technology to securing highly sought-after emotional connections, together we position brands to succeed, she said.

Annex Clouds comprehensive Loyalty Experience Platform collects first-party data at scale and pushes it across an organizations tech stackincluding ecommerce, ERP, CRM, POS, and more - to enable meaningful, consistent, personalized interactions across the entire customer journey. Companies have the ability to capture and use that zero-and first-party data to seamlessly deliver hyper-personalized experiences across the entire customer journey - from awareness to purchase to retention, loyalty and advocacy.

Pyxis and Annex Cloud recently teamed up to host a webinar: How to Build Brand-to-Human Relationships in a Digital World, to help companies get actionable tips from two successful brands - TGI Fridays and Nadrothat have successfully navigated the accelerated digital shift while finding new, creative ways to engage and reward customers.

To watch the on-demand recording of the webinar visit:

How to build Human Relationships in Digital World - Webinar Recording

About Annex Cloud

For over 10 years, Annex Cloud has been the worldwide leader in technology and service solutions that transform customer loyalty experiences for organizations, extending valued customer engagements, ultimately making beloved brands. Powered by the comprehensive and scalable Loyalty Experience Platform solution suite, Annex Cloud customers capture and use zero- and first-party data to seamlessly deliver hyper-personalized experiences across the entire customer journeyfrom awareness to purchase to retention, loyalty and advocacy. Supporting its global enterprise clients, Annex Cloud has offices in the US, Germany and India. The company is recognized by industry respected organizations and integrates with over 100 market-leading technologies. Discover more at http://www.annexcloud.com.

About Pyxis

Headquartered in Uruguay, South America, Pyxis is a full-services technology firm that focuses on creating customer journeys together with clients. Since 2008, Pyxis teams worked on replacing old legacy systems with new state-of-the-art ecommerce platforms and configuring modern marketing tools, enabling clients to engage customers across all channels in meaningful ways. Pyxis is an ecosystem of 10 companies, with over 350 people and locations across the globe. Learn more at: https://pyxisportal.us/
Armed Forces Bank (AFB), founded and headquartered in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a full-service military bank committed to serving those who serve since 1907. Our partnership with A Million Thanks is a natural extension of our long-standing commitment to support the bravery and dedication of our military service members and their families.

Armed Forces Bank (AFB), a full-service military bank committed to serving those who serve since 1907, today announces a new partnership with A Million Thanks to send thank you letters to military members serving around the world. A Million Thanks is a national organization that collects and distributes letters of support and thanks directly to active duty, reserve and veteran military men and women. AFB was recently named the official financial services partner for A Million Thanks.

Beginning May 17 during National Military Appreciation Month, AFB branch locations will become official A Million Thanks Send A Letter collection sites with drop boxes available for bank clients and community members to send notes of appreciation. Drop boxes will be available in each of AFBs 26 locations across the country and in 80 branch locations of Academy Bank, AFBs sister bank.

Our partnership with A Million Thanks is a natural extension of our long-standing commitment to support the bravery and dedication of our military service members and their families, said Don Giles, President of Armed Forces Bank. Were honored to join forces with the inspiring mission of A Million Thanks by offering our clients and the communities we serve a convenient way to send notes of gratitude directly to those who are protecting and defending our country.

Armed Forces Bank will also offer an opportunity to send digital messages via its website at http://www.afbank.com/message-your-appreciation/a-million-thanks. Since 2004, A Million Thanks has collected and distributed nearly 11 million letters to military service members.

Now with the Armed Forces Bank partnership, we have the opportunity to significantly expand our efforts with our Send A Letter drop boxes in their branches across the country, said Shauna Fleming, founder and CEO of A Million Thanks. A handwritten letter is a simple, but powerful gesture that anyone can do to express his or her appreciation for our militarys courage, sacrifice and dedication. The response to the letters is often quite emotional. The letters provide a morale boost, not just to one service member, but often to the entire unit.

Armed Forces Banks Long-Standing Military Commitment

With its headquarters in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, AFB has been dedicated to serving military service members and their families for more than 110 years. Approximately 35% of AFB Associates have some type of military affiliation either by spouse, retired themselves or their children. AFBs dedication to the military has included many leadership initiatives and awards.



AFB was named Distinguished Bank of the Year by the Department of the Army and Navy in 2019 and has recently received nine nominations from the Army, Navy and Air Force for the 2020 award. Nominated by the Command Leadership at military installation around the country, the award recognizes AFBs leadership in serving military service members and their families with a vast array of banking services, installation support and financial education.

For the past eight consecutive years, AFB also has earned the Military Saves Designation of Savings Excellence by the Association of Military Banks. The program helps service members and their families save money, reduce debt and build wealth.

AFB is a founding partner of the Military Spouse Employment Partnership. MSEP connects military spouses with hundreds of partner employers committed to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses for long-term, portable careers with advancement opportunities.

At Armed Forces Bank, we celebrate the contributions and sacrifices made by military spouses. They are the backbone of military families. As a spouse of a 20-year Army retiree, that hits home, said Jodi Vickery, EVP and Director of Military Consumer Lending. Our partnership with A Million Thanks gives us another important way to actively express our gratitude for the many sacrifices military men and women endure.

In support of Military Appreciation Month in May, AFB associates around the country are embarking on Random Acts of Kindness to show appreciation to servicemembers, such as spontaneous help to pay for a fill-up at the gas pump or handing out gift cards to make groceries a little less expensive for service members and their families.

Every day, it is an honor to serve our active and retired military service members and their families in every way we can, Giles added. No matter where they are stationed or deployed around the world, AFB is dedicated to expressing our appreciation by making everything from banking solutions to financial advice valuable, convenient and personal.

About Armed Forces Bank

Armed Forces Bank (AFB), founded and headquartered in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a full-service military bank committed to serving those who serve since 1907. As part of a family of banks with over $1.2 billion in assets, AFB provides affordable, personal and convenient banking and financial services to both active and retired military and civilian clients in all 50 states and around the world. Armed Forces Bank has more on-base locations than any military bank in the country with 26 locations. Armed Forces Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dickinson Financial Corporation, a $3.5 billion bank holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. AFBs sister bank, Academy Bank, is a full-service community bank with over 80 branch locations in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. For more, visit http://www.afbank.com.

About A Million Thanks

Founded in 2004, A Million Thanks is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the U.S. Military. A Million Thanks provides support and appreciation to our active and veteran military men and women through sending letters and granting betterment of life wishes, as well as providing higher education scholarships to their children. For more, visit http://www.amillionthanks.org.

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In an effort to increase connectivity, security and data accessibility, ASUS Cloud has selected VPLS to migrate its existing Los Angeles-based data center to VPLSs downtown Los Angeles facility located at 600 W 7th Street.

As a trusted cloud-to-edge computing and solutions provider, VPLS has an extended global network of data centers and points of presence. The companys downtown Los Angeles data center, known as LA2, is a world-class facility with limitless reach to any carrier in the downtown Los Angeles Telecom Corridor. The 490,000 sq. ft. building offers 24/7 multi-layer security access, multiple colocation configurations, 27 MW of utility power, and connection to over 15 network carriers. Moving to VPLSs LA2 location enables ASUS Cloud to use a broad and deep portfolio of cloud and network services, including IP transit, 100% power availability guarantee, and improved bandwidth to gain seamless and secure access to their data.

VPLSs white-glove service approach in colocation management aims to simplify processes and enhance productivity by allowing customers to leverage VPLSs rapid response team to handle IT needs. Backed by an expert team of technical resources, VPLS ensures secure and compliant migration of ASUS Clouds existing data center and infrastructure. As a result, ASUS Cloud can continue critical business services throughout the migration with minimal to no disruption to their operations.

Migrating our colocation infrastructure is no easy feat and were very happy to partner with VPLS to make this happen, states Peter Wu, CEO at ASUS Cloud. Their team has been working diligently to ensure a smooth migration. They understand the importance of this move for our business and are dedicated to providing as little interruption to our business as possible. We are pleased with the efficiency and professionalism of the VPLS team as we plan this project to completion.

Jay Smith, VP & GM of Data Center Operations at VPLS adds, We are excited to enter into this partnership with ASUS Cloud and grateful that ASUS Cloud has entrusted such an important move to our team. Our experienced technicians are well-equipped to offer a smooth transition for ASUS Cloud and we look forward to having them join the VPLS family.

We are pleased to expand our partnership with a leader like ASUS Cloud," says VPLSs CEO, Arman Khalili. "VPLS has world-leading infrastructure with an unmatched portfolio of colocation services and are proud that global companies continue to trust VPLS to support their business and protect their data infrastructure."

About VPLS

VPLS is your trusted global provider for cloud-to-edge computing and technology services. For more information, please visit http://www.vpls.com.

About ASUS Cloud

ASUS Cloud is a subsidiary of ASUSTek Computer. With independent R&D technical capabilities, ASUS Cloud has created its own ASUS Digi Stack (ADS) including ASUS Cloud Infra, an AI cloud platform; OmniStor, an enterprise-grade cloud storage and content collaboration platform and OmniThings, an IoT data platform. It strives to build a competitive AI cloud platform through technology leadership of cloud storage, IoT as well as AI based on open source software such as OpenStack. ASUS Cloud is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, and also operates data centers located in Taiwan, US, and Luxembourg, serving 70 million users worldwide. It has continued expanding its highly secured cloud solutions, fulfilling the demands for customers to facilitate their digital transformation.
The Courage to Love in an Obscured World: a sincere look at the importance of love. The Courage to Love in an Obscured World is the creation of published author, Lorraine Quinonez, a devoted wife, mother, and minister.

Lorraine writes, In a world where you are in an attempt to the findings of who you are and whose you are the journey of life begins and one must find the momentum to learn how to deal with the obscurities one has encountered. Some would look into the inner-self and find many obscurities of guilt, shame, blames, lies, unforgiveness, fears, scars of tragedies, different types of abuse from feelings of infuriated and victimized in relationships. Relationships are the most social, humanistic, controversial, relatively, livelihood engagements we all are to encounter. Who we choose to have relationships with is sometimes not so much the choice of one, but the combination of choosing to have a healthy relationship. If you have ever encountered, through past relationships, emotional wounds and abuse in any form, you may have some difficulties to freely love. The question asked within oneself is, can I, or may I, really find love along with giving love freely? Still through lifes journey, this question relies on the choice of oneself. The reliance is a determined passion of dedication to a healing vibrancy within your heart, mind, and soul. The courage to love in an obscured world helps one to define of who you are and whose you are. The God-given creation of relationship with Him and others through awareness, evaluation, being true, and training oneself for the be-you-tiful you to come forth. In any form of courage, there will be obstacles to overcome, but these obstacles can be conquered to become a faith reliance to someone greater than yourself. This courage helps you leap over the obstacles and rely upon God in His divine supernatural strength to overcome so you may love freely in an obscured world.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Lorraine Quinonezs new book beckons readers to look inside themselves and embrace the love that is truly deserved.

Offering personal experience with encouraging hope for the future, Quinonez is an impassioned voice in the realm of self-reflection.

View a synopsis of The Courage to Love in an Obscured World on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The Courage to Love in an Obscured World at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Courage to Love in an Obscured World, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
"CallTrackingMetrics has seen incredible growth and development over the last few years in our company culture, and we are proud to be recognized as the best medium-sized workplace in our home state"

CallTrackingMetrics has been named to Inc. magazines annual list of the Best Workplaces for 2021. Hitting newsstands May 18 in the May/June 2021 issue, and as part of a prominent Inc.com feature, the list is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of American companies that have created exceptional workplaces and company culture whether teams are operating in person or remotely.

CallTrackingMetrics empowers businesses with innovative communication tools to unify their organizations and accelerate their growth. Founded in 2021 by husband and wife team Todd and Laure Fisher, CallTrackingMetrics now supports more than 100,000 users in over 90 countries.

Collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. singled out 429 honorees this year. Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, on topics including management effectiveness, perks and fostering employee growth. The organizations benefits were also audited to determine the companys overall score and ranking.

CallTrackingMetrics has seen incredible growth and development over the last few years in our company culture, and we are proud to be recognized as the best medium-sized workplace in our home state, said Shannon Duvall, Director of Human Resources of CallTrackingMetrics. Weve decided to focus on employee success as much as customer success. Our company culture and core values have become a clear business differentiator for us.

The definition of a positive workplace has changed drastically over the past year, says Inc. magazine editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. Stocked fridges and nap pods were no longer perks many companies could rely on once work went remote. So, this years list is even more important as it reveals organizations that continue to enrich the lives of its employees amid a pandemic.

This announcement comes off the heels of CallTrackingMetrics ranking No. 243 for Inc. Magazines List of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in the D.C. Metro Region and the expansion of their customer support team.

For more information about CallTrackingMetrics, please visit http://www.calltrackingmetrics.com.

CONTACT:

Alyssa Rinehart

BLASTmedia for CallTrackingMetrics

CallTrackingMetrics@blastmedia.com

317.806.1900

About CallTrackingMetrics

CallTrackingMetrics is the only digital platform that uses call tracking intelligence to inform contact center automation  resulting in a more personalized customer experience. Discover which marketing campaigns are generating leads and conversions, and use that data to automate call flows and power your contact center. More than 100,000 users around the globe trust CallTrackingMetrics to manage communications for their marketing, sales, and service teams.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.


CobbleStone Software is pleased to be ranked among the top three CLM software providers in the Current Offering category within Forresters report. Our purpose has always been to offer a user-friendly and innovative product.  Bradford Jones, Director of Sales & Marketing at CobbleStone Software

CobbleStone Software, a trusted contract lifecycle management software solution, is honored to announce that  in addition to being recognized as a Leader by Forrester Research, Inc. - they have received a ranking among the top three CLM software providers in the Current Offering category within that same Forrester evaluation: The Forrester Wave: Contract Lifecycle Management For All Contracts, Q1 2021.

Forrester states the following:

In our 32-criterion evaluation of contract lifecycle management (CLM) software providers, we identified the 11 most significant ones [including CobbleStone Software] and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report shows how each provider measures up and helps CIOs, general counsels, chief sales officers (CSOs), chief procurement officers (CPOs), and CFOs select the right one for their needs.

CobbleStone Contract Insight acquired the highest scores possible in the following criteria:

> Contract Approval

> Contract Negotiation With External Parties

> Contract Process Analysis

> Existing & Third-Party Contract Support

> Scalability & Security

> Mobile Support

> Integration

> Updates To Terms & Conditions Library

> Vendor Support

> Buy-Side Contracts

> Partner Ecosystem

> Performance & Financial Position

> Commercial Model

The Forrester Research, Inc. report acknowledges CobbleStone Contract Insight for its support of contract creation and contract optimization CobbleStone features that may reflect their ranking among the top providers in contract creation, optimization, repository, analytics, types, management, execution, and technology aspects may include:

> Simplified and Automated Contract Requests

> User-Friendly Contract Writing That Allows For Automated Authoring Of Contracts From a Playbook

> Centralized Contract Negotiation, Review, Collaboration, Approval Routing - Including Integration With Mission-Critical Applications, Like Microsoft 365 and Google Docs

> Integrated Digital and Electronic Signatures - Via CobbleStones Proprietary Electronic Signature Platform - IntelliSign

> Improved Contract Analytics and Contract Tracking

> Automated Key Date Alerts & Notifications  Including Task Alerts That Can Be Configured via Email for Contract Workflow Automation

> Risk Mitigation and Risk Analysis With the Assistance Of VISDOM AI, Cobblestones Proprietary Contract Intelligence Engine With Machine Learning  Including OFAC Search *(Forrester recognizes AI as a key differentiator in their report.)

> Seamless Process Configuration for Specific Contract Types in a Myriad of Industries

> Low-Friction Searching and Reporting  Including Quick Search and Ad Hoc Reports

CobbleStone Contract Insight obtained the highest possible score in the Vendor Support criterion. That score  as well as CobbleStone Contract Insights scoring among the second-highest in the client experience and references criterion - may be linked to the following offerings:

> Onboarding and Implementing New CLM Users With Implementation Experts

> Thorough Training With Caring Customer Service for Enhanced CLM Software ROI

> Continuous Free Group Training Opportunities

> Multiple Proven Case Studies Regarding Clients Satisfaction With CobbleStone Software

> Yearly User Conferences for Current and Potential CLM Software Users

> Consistent Video Content and Blog Content  Disseminiating CLM Software Best Practices

CobbleStones ongoing mission has been to offer contract management, legal, procurement, and other leading professionals the most robust, user-friendly, configurable, low-friction, and cost-effective contract management software platform on the market  decreasing CLM bottlenecks, saving organizations valuable resources and time, and increasing organizational accountability, productivity, compliance standards, and ROI.

CobbleStone is delighted to be acknowledged as a Leader and ranked among the top three CLM software solutiions in the Current Offering category within Forrester Research, Inc.s evaluation: The Forrester Wave: Contract Lifecycle Management For All Contracts, Q1 2021. We at CobbleStone Software are resolute in supplementing our established leadership as a contract lifecycle management software provider. We steadily deliver a growing expanse of valuable features and innovations for exceptional contract lifecycle governance to the myriad of industry professionals in our CobbleStone family, says Bradford Jones, Director of Sales & Marketing and CLM Futurist at CobbleStone Software.

From its inception in the mid-1990s, CobbleStones purpose has been to provide a user-friendly and continuously-innovative product. From our DevOps division to our implementation team to our motivated customer service representatives and beyond, CobbleStone is committed to serving clients in all of their various contract management, vendor management, procurement, and sourcing demands.

For continued education and awareness of industry news and trends, contract management and procurement professionals from a variety of industries globally are urged to read and subsribe to CobbleStones Contract Insights blog and subscribe to CobbleStone Softwares YouTube Channel.

Contact CobbleStone Software to schedule a free demo and acquire pricing information at Sales@CobbleStoneSoftware.com or call them at 866-330-0056.

CobbleStone Software is an innovator and a pioneer in enterprise contract management, vendor management, eProcurement, and eSourcing software solutions that thousands of users have trusted since the mid-1990s. CobbleStones contract management solutions offer contract management, vendor tracking, configurable email notifications, calendar alerts, contract workflow management, contract negotiations, robust security options, contract writing with templates and dynamic clauses, revenue/cost management, full-text searching and indexing, vendor/client rating and scoring, document version control, custom report designer, electronic signatures, digital signatures, smarter contracts with artificial intelligence and machine learning, and more.

Follow CobbleStone Software on social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
EVEREST GROUP COVID-19 has irrevocably disrupted the traditional way of delivering care. Payers are developing strategies to reimagine member satisfaction by addressing challenges around communication, care access, coordination and responsiveness.

COVID-19 acted as a forcing function for healthcare payers to future-proof their technology estate and enable more resilient care models, according to new research from Everest Group. The pandemic pushed healthcare payers to focus on modernization, automation, data and analytics and cloud.

The high-priority IT investments made by payers in 2020 included the following:



IT for operational efficiency: With the onset of COVID-19, payers had to face some serious operational challenges such as disruption of member service operations as well as multiple administrative inefficiencies around provider network management, member communication and claims management. As a result, payers are transitioning to intelligent operations built on the pillars of cloud, artificial intelligence, automation and data to support growth, improve the customer experience and increase quality of care.

IT for access to care: Telehealth and home care broke ground as a care channel in 2020. The pandemic pushed technology giants, governments and institutions from varied domains to pool their efforts to innovate to help fight the pandemic. As a result, the ecosystem introduced new applications, information guides, consumer wearables and other devices. Payers have heavily invested in this area through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.

IT for member engagement: COVID-19 has irrevocably disrupted the traditional way of delivering care. Payers are developing strategies to reimagine member satisfaction by addressing challenges around communication, care access, coordination and responsiveness. They are increasing members access to health information, creating next-generation service desktops, launching health applications, and building member engagement platforms.

These findings and more are shared in Everest Groups Healthcare Payer Enterprise Insights H2 2020 report. This report evaluates payer performance in H2 2020 and focuses on industry- and account-level financial and line-of-business performance, key business and IT investment themes, and the Global Business Services (GBS) landscape.

Additional key findings:



Most payers exhibited sustained revenue growth in 2020. At the onset of COVID-19, payers posted strong numbers due to a drop in non-COVID-19 claims. Most of the U.S. payers witnessed a growth in revenue on a sequential basis, attributed to a temporary reduction in operating expenses due to deferred surgeries and procedures as a result of stay-at-home orders across the U.S. However, operating and net income saw a dip in Q3 and Q4 2020, impacted by COVID-19 care costs.

The payer market experienced an uptick in the government membership enrollment along with a subsequent decline in commercial business. Large national plans with existing presence in Medicaid or exchange markets saw an increase in enrollees, while others looked to enter/expand into these lines of business through acquisitions and partnerships.

Payers response mechanism to the pandemic involved significant focus and strategic investments to improve clinical outcomes, increase operational efficiency, reduce cost of care, improve access to care, and enhance member experience.

Payers are investing in expanding their value-based care partnerships to enhance healthcare services for their high-growth Medicare Advantage member segment.

Mental/behavioral health innovation and technology is gaining significant traction in the healthcare payer industry.

***Download a complimentary abstract of the report here.***

About Everest Group

Everest Group is a research firm focused on strategic IT, business services, engineering services, and sourcing. Our clients include leading global companies, service providers, and investors. Clients use our services to guide their journeys to achieve heightened operational and financial performance, accelerated value delivery, and high-impact business outcomes. Details and in-depth content are available at http://www.everestgrp.com
Fedcap Executive Director Serena M. Powell accepts a $10,000 donation from CoWorx Staffing Services CEO Tim Hartnett, to help secure employment for the states growing New Mainer community. Fedcap and CoWorx have been instrumental in employing over 1,000 New Mainers since August, 2020.

CoWorx Staffing Services CEO Tim Hartnett donated $10,000 to Fedcap Inc. during a meeting at their offices in Biddeford, Maine last week. The contribution represents CoWorx Staffings continued investment in helping to secure employment for the states growing New Mainer community.

Our partnership with Fedcap has profoundly improved the lives of individuals in need of work, said Tim Hartnett, CEO of CoWorx Staffing Services. We proudly support their mission.

As Maine has become increasingly diverse with a growing immigrant population, New Mainers need help in developing skills and finding employment. Fedcap helps to provide vital resources and training to help marginalized communities begin careers or advance in the workplace. Through community partnerships with CoWorx Staffing Services and others, the organization is able to offer enhanced access to education and training and helps participants begin or advance their careers while also helping employers meet workforce needs.

Like CoWorx, we believe in the value of creating relationships and experiences so people are valued and fulfilled, said Serena M. Powell, Executive Director of Fedcap Inc. It's through relationships like ours that we're able to create sustainable differences for individuals in Maine. Thank you, Tim Hartnett and CoWorx for the generous donation and your continued partnership with Fedcap.

Fedcap and CoWorx have been instrumental in employing over 1,000 New Mainers since August, 2020. Many of the positions were entry level with on-the-job training.

Since opening its doors in January 2017, Fedcap has partnered with over 1,700 nonprofits throughout Maine, assisted over 5,000 Mainers with educational opportunities, and verified over 10,000 job placements.

About Fedcap Inc.

Fedcap Inc. makes high outcome, life-changing, sustainable differences for individuals and families in Maine to improve their economic well-being through access to education, employment and community resources. Serving Maine from 16 Opportunity Centers from Sanford to Fort Kent, Fedcap provides a variety of services from case management and counseling to job recruitment and retention. The Fedcap program serves individuals who are receiving or eligible to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, and is offered in partnership with the Office of Family Independence (OFI), Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Learn more at http://www.fedcapmaine.org

About CoWorx Staffing Services LLC

For 45 years, CoWorx Staffing Services has been helping job seekers grow their careers and employers build their workforces. CoWorx places candidates nationwide in administrative, light industrial, call center, and distribution and third-party logistics positions, with an additional luxury beauty and fragrance division. Dedicated to workplace safety, CoWorx consistently earns Safety Standard of Excellence marks from the American Staffing Association (ASA). With an ongoing commitment to diversity and partnership, CoWorx attracts top talent, retains long-term customers, and ranks among the largest staffing firms in the U.S., boasting more than 60 offices and 60,000 field employees nationwide. The CoWorx philosophy, Together were better, embodies the companys commitment to working collaboratively with clients, internal staff and field employees. Learn more at http://www.coworxstaffing.com
Our approach to audit has been well received by U.S. public companies and we feel smaller public companies in Canada will also find Frazier & Deeter to be an attractive option for an audit firm.

Frazier & Deeter, a Top 50 U.S. accounting and advisory firm, announced today the firm is now eligible to perform audits of companies traded on Canadian stock exchanges, having registered with the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB).

Frazier & Deeter is excited about this expansion of our audit capabilities, said Sean Lager, leader of the firms audit and assurance practice. As our audit practice has grown and expanded into the UK, it made sense to also be able to serve Canadian clients.

Frazier & Deeters Assurance Practice provides various attest and accounting advisory services to public and private clients around the globe. In the U.S. the firm is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

Our approach to audit has been well received by U.S. public companies and we feel smaller public companies in Canada will also find Frazier & Deeter to be an attractive option for an audit firm, said Bill Godshall, leader of Frazier & Deeters public company audit practice.

Achieving this milestone is an important step in Frazier & Deeters commitment to serving the needs of U.S. and international middle-market companies, both private and public, noted Seth McDaniel, National Managing Partner.

Godshall and McDaniel were both previously inspectors with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and they helped develop Frazier & Deeters audit methodology.

About Frazier & Deeter

Frazier & Deeter is an award-winning accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The firm provides a wide range of tax, audit, accounting and advisory services to serve the emerging needs of clients as they evolve. Frazier & Deeter and its FD family of brands have nine offices across the United States and one in the United Kingdom. The firm has been recognized repeatedly as a Best of the Best Accounting firm, a Best Firm to Work For in the U.S. and a Best Firm for Women in Leadership. Frazier & Deeters brand promise is Investing in Relationships to Make a Difference
C&D Group is a supply chain logistics focused company actively sourcing raw materials for sale within China and also for provision to other C&D Group companies.

Results of recent white sand only bulk metallurgical testing will underpin product and pricing discussions which are expected to be finalised in July. 2021.

( ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China-based C&D Group Co Ltd, which covers indicative interest to purchase 600,000 tonnes per annum of high-grade silica sand from the Beharra Project in Western Australia.

C&D Group is a wholly-owned division of Xiamen C&D Co and its core business is supply chain sourcing and operations, with activities in a broad array of business sectors, including:

Metals and minerals;

Pulp and paper;

Food and Textiles;

Agriculture; and

Energy and chemicals.

Market interest continues to grow

Silica sands have an extensive range of uses including lower purity and grade applications such as construction sand, proppant sand used in well fracturing and foundry sand.

With increasing purity (>99.5% SiO2) uses includes glass making including clear glass and uses for purity >99.8% includes semi-conductor fillers, LCD screens and optical glass.

PEC executive chairman Julian Babarczy said: After the announcement of our recent exciting metallurgical testing results, the market interest in Beharra silica sand continues to grow.

We are encouraged by the interest shown in the Beharra end product by major Chinese supply chain business C&D Group, which is part of the broader group of companies headed by Xiamen C&D Co Ltd, which is a significant supplier of raw materials to a vast array of industries throughout mainland China.

We look forward to working with C&D Group in the months ahead on details of a potential offtake agreement.

MOU details

The MOU with C&D contemplates the purchase of 600,000 tonnes per annum of high-grade silica sand from the Beharra Project.

Both parties have agreed to negotiate the terms of a legally binding offtake agreement, which will contain specific terms in respect of pricing and payment structure, by no later than June 30, 2022.

The MOU is also binding on both parties, although non-exclusive until such time as a definitive offtake agreement is entered into.

Looking forward

Negotiations around final product attributes, product pricing and payment terms will progress in coming months, with more definitive pricing discussions subject to the outcomes of the recently announced white-sand testing program, for which a drilling program is being finalised.

Results of the white sand only bulk metallurgical testing program that will underpin these product and pricing discussions is expected to be finalised in July 2021.
Groundworks Companies, the nations largest foundation services company, announced its 19th acquisition with the addition of Bakers Waterproofing, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Groundworks Companies, the nations largest foundation services company, announced its 19th acquisition with the addition of Bakers Waterproofing, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Groundworks footprint now spans 27 states, 40 offices, with over 3200 employees and 17 locally operated brand names. Groundworks is the industry-leading national company providing residential water management and displacement services including foundation repair, basement waterproofing, crawl space repair, and concrete lifting.

Bakers Waterproofing has been serving the Tri-State area of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio for over 46 years. The team of over 85 employees under the leadership of Brian Baker, have guided themselves by the motto Strong Reputation. Solid Foundation. This is evident by the countless customer testimonials and reviews. The company has received recognition from Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania for Ethics, Top Workplaces in Pittsburgh, and multiple Readers Choice Awards by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. As part of Groundworks, Bakers Waterproofing will retain its brand identity, local community involvement, and team.

We are excited about the addition of Bakers Waterproofing to the Groundworks Tribe of companies. Brian and his team have shown that the quality of service they provide is superior to all other brands in their region and that customer satisfaction is essential to their company beliefs. This aligns perfectly with the culture of Groundworks, stated Matt Malone, Founder and CEO of Groundworks Companies. "It is no coincidence we selected Bakers as our first partner to expand into the Northeast. As we solidify our reach across the nation, this region is one in which we see the opportunity for continued growth. We will continue to grow our national platform to provide industry-leading foundation repair and water management services along with career advancement opportunities and world-class training for our dedicated team of employees.

Im so proud of the business my family and team has built over the last 46 years at Bakers. said Brian Baker, Founder of Bakers Waterproofing. This partnership will ensure the legacy of serving our customers past and future will continue at the standard of excellence we are known to deliver, while our employees will now have new opportunities for their careers. I know that the next 50 years will prove to be even more exciting for our company as we are now part of Groundworks,

The transaction closed on May 14, 2021. Financial details were not disclosed.

About Groundworks

Groundworks is the nations largest and fastest-growing foundation services company. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA, the Company currently provides foundation repair, basement waterproofing, crawl space repair and encapsulation, and concrete lifting services across a number of local and regional brands. Groundworks is comprised of AFS Foundation & Waterproofing Specialists, AquaGuard Foundation Solutions, Bakers Waterproofing, Complete Basement Systems, Dry Pro Foundation & Crawlspace Specialists, Florida Foundation Authority, Foundation Recovery Systems, Foundation Repair of Western Colorado, Foundation Systems of Michigan, Indiana Foundation Service, Innovative Basement Authority, JES Foundation Repair, Mount Valley Foundation Services, Ohio Basement Authority, Ohio Basement Systems, Tar Heel Basement Systems, A-1 Sewer & Drain, Independence Materials Group, and Bizwiz Software. Since 1975, the combined companies have helped nearly 1.5 million homeowners protect and repair their most valuable asset, their home. Groundworks operates over 40 offices and has been named numerous times to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies, BBB integrity award, and Best Places to Work.

For more information, visit https://www.GroundworksCompanies.com.

Media Contact:

Occasio Gee

Public Relations Director

Phone: (800) 639-3307

Email: ogee@groundworks.co

Website: http://www.GroundworksCompanies.com/
Creating a culture of inclusion is a strategic choice when it comes to recruitment, training and designing patient services in healthcare systems. Treating everyone the same assumes all patients have the same resources or live in the same conditions and thats painfully not the case.

The pandemic has brought to light inequities in our health care system that are undeniable, but its a problem that has languished long before disaster struck. (1)Dr. Maria Hernandez, founder of Impact4Health, says healthcare organizations have a clear and present responsibility to improve, equity and inclusion efforts in order to better service patients and their families.

The Association of American Medical Colleges wrote as recently as 2019, To effectively enact institutional change at academic medical centers and leverage the promise of diversity, leaders must focus their efforts on developing inclusive, equity-minded environments. A shared desire for change, aided by a growing number of resources, will enable medical schools and academic health centers to assess their institutional culture and climate and improve their capacity for diversity and inclusion. (2)

However, each issue can cause different challenges, and measuring those differences presents a broad range of challenges, not only in collecting data but in taking action on that information.

In training physicians about unconscious bias, most will quickly say that they treat every patient the same, but thats a problem explains Dr. Hernandez. Treating everyone the same assumes all patients have the same resources or live in the same conditions and thats painfully not the case. Hospital services need to take into account different backgrounds, history, and issues related to our multicultural society. Inclusion is what you do about that diversity to ensure that this diverse population not only feels that they are welcomed and belong, but truly get the right care that meets their needs.

A culture of inclusion is also of value to diverse staff. Physicians of color have increasingly voiced concerns about how they experience the work environment. In every training session, we are hearing how often they are subjected to bias by patients or other staff. Left unaddressed, these experiences take their toll on professionals, say Hernandez.

The growing diversity of patients and staff is no longer a question. But creating a culture of inclusion is a strategic choice when it comes to recruitment, training and designing patient services in healthcare systems.

Diversity is being asked to the party, explains Dr. Hernandez. Inclusion is being asked to dance. The real-world examples of the benefits of inclusion are manifold, but to name just a few:



Higher levels of morale, largely due to a sense of being part of a larger community

Better care for diverse populations from an inclusive staff that includes team members who can identify patients, communicate with them, and better serve their unique needs

Better problem solving because staff have a better understanding where their patients are coming from, both physically and culturally.

Dr. Denis Nash, an epidemiologist and executive director of the City University of New York Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) says, We live in a country where your wealth and your socioeconomic status is a big determinant for how healthy you are, how long you will live, and whether you live with a higher burden of disease while youre alive. (3) This growing knowledge that diverse patients bring different health needs is at the heart of new initiatives to improve healthcare now.

Naturally, training and education are key to expanding the values of inclusion. Diversity in hiring practices goes a long way but nurturing inclusivity among all staff improves not only better health results, but better patient interaction and cooperation. Diversity training helps increase culturally effective care by teaching staff how to respond to cultural differences; identifying and mitigating personal, subconscious and unconscious bias, and acknowledging potential barriers to care based on cultural differences or access to key resources.

The goal, obviously, is better health outcomes and training and acknowledgement of the issues involved is a good place to start. Impact4Healths free Inclusion Scorecard for Population Health is a valuable tool that can serve as a powerful catalyst for a shift in a facilitys culture. The Scorecard is a key tool for health systems to assess where they are in this journey and target key activities for their health equity strategy, explains Dr. Hernandez. Its what we do about that diversity that matters, especially when it comes to inclusion and how we treat people, and really, just putting people at ease. If someone is your advocatewhether its a friend, family member, or a hospital employeewhen we put people at ease because theyre around people who either look like them, or understand their unique needs , healthcare outcomes improve.

This is important. If you talk about health equity, then you need to walk the talk, says Hernandez. This is a radical change in how healthcare actually works, so naturally its not going to be easy. This issue isnt solved behind a deskits in our waiting rooms, our exam spaces, and in every interaction that we have with patients, regardless of their cultural or racial background. The better we understand each other, the closer we are to real healthcare equity.

About Impact4Health

Impact4Health is a multidisciplinary team of community psychologists, public health researchers, physicians and health educators who promote health equity, working in partnership with hospitals, public health departments, and healthcare insurance providers. Strategies employed include training in cross-cultural health, inclusive leadership, and implementing the Inclusion Scorecard for Population Health. Impact4Health is also a leader in the development of health-related Pay For Success initiatives to address asthma-related emergencies for children living in vulnerable communities. For more information, please visit us as http://www.Impact4Health.com.

1. McKinskey & Company Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters Accessed May 2021

2. Association of American Medical Colleges Diversity in Medicine: Facts and Figures 2019 aamc.org/data-reports/workforce/interactive-data/fostering-diversity-and-inclusion Accessed May 2021

3. Diverse Issues in Higher Education COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights Need to Diversify Healthcare Workforce diverseeducation.com/article/183296/ Accessed May 2021
SIUE School of Pharmacy Dean Mark Luer has been named interim dean of the School of Nursing. There are tremendous opportunities to strengthen our health sciences collaborations and interprofessional education practices

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Denise Cobb, PhD, has appointed School of Pharmacy (SOP) Dean Mark Luer, PharmD, as interim dean of the School of Nursing (SON) effective June 1 after SON Dean Laura Bernaix, PhD, RN, retires. Luer will also continue his duties as SOP dean.

I am thrilled that Dr. Luer has agreed to serve in this dual role while we search for a new dean for the School of Nursing, Cobb said. His background in supporting our mission in the health sciences and his leadership approach will be assets to the School during this transition. He will build on the Schools momentum and be able to serve with a strong leadership team. His experience with faculty engaged in practice and basic research will also serve the School well, as we continue to build on their momentum.

There are tremendous opportunities to strengthen our health sciences collaborations and interprofessional education practices as we continue our planning for the new Health Sciences Annex. Dr. Luers knowledge and advocacy for the Health Sciences Annex is exemplary, and I look forward to working with him and the Schools leadership team as we build toward the future.

A search committee has been launched and is chaired by Sheri Compton-McBride, PhD, RN, director of the RN to BS program, and Kevin Stein, DNAP, CRNA, director of the nurse anesthesia program.

We are working on a contract with an external search firm, so the committee will soon have the benefit of a search firms full resources, Cobb said. Our goal is selection and appointment by early 2022, if possible.

Luer was named SOP dean in May 2019 after serving a year as interim dean. He is highly regarded as a collaborative and inclusive leader. Under Luers leadership, the SOP has continued to produce pharmacy candidates that are among the nations best in board pass rates and assessments, ranking number one among pharmacy programs in Illinois and Missouri for first attempt North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) board pass rates.

Luer is a professor of pharmacy practice, and previously served as chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and director of clinical programs. He completed the Academic Leadership Fellows Program in 2005-06 at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy in 2004, and is a current member of the Leadership Council of the American Cancer Society in Madison County.

Additionally, Cobb has appointed Becky Luebbert, PhD, RN, chair and professor of primary care and health systems nursing, as SON interim associate dean. She will temporarily assume the role of chief nurse administrator as required through the schools accrediting body, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). She will continue to serve as co-chair of the Department of Primary Care and Health Systems Nursing (PCHS), continuing to provide critical support for tenure-track and tenured faculty in that department. Compton-McBride will serve as interim co-chair for that department with attention to all other matters. Angela Andrews, PhD, RN, assistant professor, PCHS Nursing, will maintain her role as coordinator of undergraduate programs, and she will have an expanded role in faculty development to provide on-boarding support for clinical faculty throughout the School and other professional development activities. She will also provide assistance to both department chairs, as needed.

The SIUE School of Nursings programs are committed to creating excellence in nursing leadership through innovative teaching, evidence-based practice, quality research, patient advocacy and community service. Enrolling nearly 1,900 students in its baccalaureate, masters and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders in pursuit of shaping the nursing profession and impacting the health care environment. SIUEs undergraduate nursing programs help to solve the regions shortage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and enhance the quality of nursing practice within all patient service venues. The Schools graduate programs prepare nurses for advanced roles in clinical practice, administration and education.
Lindsey Carnett, CEO & President, Marketing Maven Were thrilled to have industry expert Lindsey Carnett share her marketing expertise at our free, monthly meetup event  this is just one of the many ways to support our local business owners, said WEV Marketing Manager Lysa Urban.

Bicoastal, award-winning integrated marketing and PR firm Marketing Maven has announced that its CEO and President, Lindsey Carnett, will be the special guest at this months Womens Economic Ventures (WEV) Strong Women, Strong Coffee Monthly Meet-Up.

The monthly meet-up/community empowerment group will take place at 9:00 am PT, Thursday, May 27, 2021.

Carnett will offer 5 Marketing Tips for Small Business Owners which will be especially useful and relevant as local business owners prepare for the next normal.

The Zoom event is free to attend. Please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqc--tqzorGNVsQnaplbP-d0jsVb-YTOr4.

Small business owners and their shops, restaurants, products and services have a significant impact on the stability and vibrancy of our local community, said WEV Marketing Manager Lysa Urban. Were thrilled to have industry expert Lindsey Carnett share her marketing expertise at our free, monthly meetup event  this is just one of the many ways to support our local business owners.

WEVs Strong Women, Strong Coffee monthly meet-up/community empowerment group is intended to connect likeminded business owners, inspire collaboration, and encourage learning from each other.

The format is a 30-minute conversational interview followed by 15-minute breakout rooms where participants get to connect with each other and share what they learned during the interview. At the end, all rejoin the group to go over any remaining questions and thank everyone for joining.

Carnett, who has been featured in Forbes Most Powerful Women Business Leader issue, has shared her business expertise globally to enlighten marketing peers, clients, and students about best practices in using PR, social media and influencer marketing to drive revenue, improve organic SEO and grow a positive online reputation.

Now in its eleventh year in business, her marketing and communications firm serves both domestic and international clients. Marketing Maven was named to the 2017 and 2018 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in America. Carnett is also a WEV Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award winner in the Communications & Media Category from 2019 and a 2020 Enterprising Women Award Honoree.

I am excited to present my marketing tips to a prestigious, important organization such as WEV, said Carnett. At isolating times like these, it is urgent for communicators to join together and share business wisdom and collaborate.

About Womens Economic Ventures (WEV), http://www.wevonline.org

Womens Economic Ventures is dedicated to creating an equitable and just society through the economic empowerment of women. WEV is a business resource network for anyone looking to start a business, grow a local business, or improve their business skills. WEV provides small business training, advisory services, financial literacy programs and small business loans in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. While WEV's focus is on women, it welcomes people of all gender identities into the WEV community. Business courses, programs and loans are provided in both English and Spanish.

Since 1991, WEV has provided business training and small business advisory services to more than 19,000 people throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. WEV has made more than $6.4 million in small business loans and helped more than 5,000 local businesses start or expand, generating an estimated $770 million in annual sales and creating nearly 12,000 local jobs. WEV is a U.S. Small Business Administrations Womens Business Center and Microlender, as well as a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

About Marketing Maven

With offices in Los Angeles and New York, Marketing Maven is a full-service marketing and communications agency. With origins in direct response public relations, Marketing Maven has developed into a premier voice in brand strategy, social media, innovative media relations, event marketing, tradeshow support, Hispanic marketing and search engine optimization. Marketing Maven leads the industry in utilizing advanced metrics to measure their clients marketing reach and providing competitive analysis unparalleled in the industry. For additional information about Marketing Maven, visit http://www.MarketingMaven.com.

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Creative Kids Playhouse Childrens Theatre of Orange County (CKP) will livestream a Telethon via YouTube on May 22 at 5:30pm. I assumed we would be back within 3-4 weeks. I had no idea that a year later, I would be sitting here in our theater location, still unable to have live audiences.

On May 22, 2021 at 5:30pm, Creative Kids Playhouse (CKP) a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides professional theater education to children throughout Orange County, California, will livestream a Telethon via YouTube to help their theater raise funds needed to survive the pandemic and continue providing quality arts education.

Pre-pandemic, Creative Kids Playhouse (CKP) produced over 35 shows a year, serving an estimated 1,400 students and 10,000 audience members. For the past 10 years, they have operated by renting theater spaces to perform; rehearsing in yoga studios and elementary school MPRs. In July 2019, Creative Kids Playhouse (CKP) signed a lease on a warehouse that they had finally fundraised enough money to remodel into their theater home.

Then the pandemic hit.

For the past year, Creative Kids Playhouse (CKP) has been forced to spend almost all of the remodel money they had saved on rent alone. Co-founder Michele Sheehy-Bowren said, I assumed we would be back within 3-4 weeks. I had no idea that a year later, I would be sitting here in our theater location, still unable to have live audiences.

In 2021, Creative Kids Playhouse (CKP) has been faced with the following choices:



Shut down the theater permanently

Move out and return to rental spaces (still obligated to pay three years of rent left on their lease)

Rely on the support of their community, fundraise, and figure out a way to remodel the Mission Viejo warehouse into their theater home.

Maryclare Ramirez has grown up inside the safety of Creative Kids Playhouse. She was recently accepted into Texas Christian Universitys Theatre Program. To shut down the theater permanently would impact thousands of childrens lives who have found passion and acceptance through Creative Kids Playhouse, states Ms. Ramirez. Closure is not an acceptable option to me, which is why I am donating a significant amount of my time to fundraise and help produce this Telethon. This organization, its work and the people matter. Performing arts is a way for children to express themselves and CKP gives children the same opportunity that I had to receive a high quality theater arts education in a safe, nonjudgmental atmosphere. Creative Kids Playhouse truly accepts every child just as they are. Anyone that walks through the doors of our theater can feel the love just bouncing off the walls. Thats what makes this theater company unique. The community is unparalleled, and the productions and the training each student receives are stellar. I would not be anywhere near close to where I am today, pursuing a professional career in theater arts, without the experience I received from Creative Kids," said Ms. Ramirez.

Lovers of the arts and supporters of arts education will not want to miss this fabulous event. Im really excited for the future that we have ahead of us. I feel like its there, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the doors are part way open and we are so close, said CKP Co-Founder Michele Sheehy-Bowren.

The Creative Kids Playhouse (CKP) Telethon will be entertaining for all ages; will star Broadway and off-Broadway performers in addition to some of their most talented students, teachers, and friends. Performers of all experience levels will be featured. Viewers of the Telethon will be able to call in and make personal contributions to the childrens theater.

To view and attend Creative Kids Playhouse Livestream Telethon on May 22, 2021 at 5:30pm, visit their YouTube channel on May 22, 2021 at 5:30pm.

For those interested in helping to financially support quality arts education, please contact Michele Sheehy-Bowren at 949-297-6257 via phone call or text message or visit CKP's donation webpage to learn more.

About Creative Kids Playhouse Childrens Theatre of Orange County

Creative Kids Playhouse is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality theater education in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. Their mission is to provide children the opportunity to experience the exhilaration and educational benefits of performing with an acting troupe. In February, 2019, they proudly produced their 200th production and in July 2021 they will celebrate their 10 year anniversary. CKP offers a variety of programs, both online and in their theater, including two-act productions, one-act musicals, workshops, Summer camps and classes. In January 2016, they held their first annual Children Achieving Theatre Excellence (C.A.T.E.) Awards to recognize the achievements of their students. As an education-based program, a childs experience is their highest priority. CKP ensures every child has a meaningful contribution to the show and a purpose on stage. They strive to ensure actors receive a balanced education through varying sized roles. And, all scripts are thoughtfully reviewed for age-appropriate, meaningful and character-building lessons for the actors. Every child is welcome to enroll. Actors are not expected to arrive at auditions with theater education, that is their job. CKP encourages creativity, teamwork, empathy, responsibility, kindness, inclusiveness and volunteering in their actors.

Timeline of CKPs History:


Carrot-Top Industries, Inc., is a trusted industry leader providing institutions and businesses with patriotic and customized solutions for over 40 years. In just the past 20 years, Carrot-Top has provided communities across America with over six million American flags made in the U.S.A. including outdoor, indoor, classroom, cemetery and parade U.S. flags. Carrot-Tops flags consistently receive five-star customer reviews. Here are just a few of the five-star reviews Carrot-Top has received for its American flags:



This outdoor U.S. flag is very durable, fairly priced and made in America. This one is replacing the exact same flag that has been flying for a long time and has faded some but shows no signs of fraying. William N., California

User friendly ordering, prompt delivery and quality indoor U.S. flags.  Mary F., Virginia

Exactly what I was hoping for when I ordered these for each classroom at our school. Our staff was very pleased with the replacement of the big 3 x 5 classroom U.S. flags.  Mr. R., Wisconsin

These cemetery U.S. flags are easy to install on graves or for patriotic displays because of the pointed staff. They will go into the driest soil easily.  Karen H., Wyoming

We use the small parade U.S. flag for our annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies and parades. I appreciate the fast service and the quality of the product. The flags are always shipped quickly and customer service is always attentive to our needs, so we will continue to use Carrot-Top for our flags as long as we can.  Ms. K., New York

Carrot-Top Industries provides the best quality and size selection of U.S. flags including outdoor U.S. flags, indoor U.S. flags and classroom U.S. flags as well as small parade U.S. flags and cemetery U.S. flags. Carrot-Top also offers an exclusive line of American outdoor flags, the Beacon Nylon and Patriarch Polyester brands backed by the flag industrys best six-month guarantee. This guarantee covers any defects, fading or tearing, starting on the date of purchase. Carrot-Tops exclusive brand flags are expertly crafted with unsurpassed quality by the most experienced flag makers in the industry and feature fade-resistant colors, durable fabric and fray-resistant stitching. Discounts on large-quantity American flag orders are available.

The outdoor Beacon Nylon American flag is tailored with tough, durable, lightweight nylon that dries quickly and waves beautifully in the air. This nylon flag is designed for low and moderate wind areas. The outdoor Patriarch Polyester American flag is built with a super strong, two-ply polyester that has the texture and the feel of cotton. This polyester flag is best for coastal zone locations and areas that frequently experience severe winds. Carrot-Top Industries also offers a great selection of American flags from other top brands in the industry, including Annin, Valley Forge and Eder Flag.

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About Carrot-Top Industries

Carrot-Top Industries, family owned and located in Hillsborough, N.C., is a trusted industry leader providing institutions and businesses with custom and patriotic solutions since 1980. As one of the largest, independent flag dealers in America, Carrot-Top offers additional product solutions for schools, government agencies, institutions and businesses across the United States. Carrot-Top continues to succeed by providing the highest quality products, a dedication to learning about customers needs, and unmatched flexibility in their shopping experience.
Transforming women's healthcare, one patient at a time

Square Care Medical Group, a multi-specialty group with a focus on womens healthcare, is excited to announce the new center for its existing maternal fetal medicine service as it opens the Square Care Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine and Advanced Womens Imaging. The suite will be located in the office building at 1615 Northern Boulevard in Manhasset, which currently houses multiple Square Care Medical Group offices, including the shared offices of Drs. Trongone and Petrocelli and Premier Women's Health, as well as one of our mammography sites, Square Care Breast Imaging at Manhasset. Dr. Michelle Smith-Levitin, director of the new center, has been the dedicated MFM specialist in Square Care Medical Group for four years, operating out of our care centers in Bayside, Woodbury, and Manhasset, NY. She is joined by Dr. Beth Gross, a radiologist specializing in OB/GYN ultrasounds, and Marie Frazzitta, a nurse practitioner specializing in diabetes education and management.

Kelli Vasquez, Market Leader for Unified Womens Healthcare Operations, New York, notes, This truly is an exciting time for Square Care as the Operations team continues to push forward and get prepared for the brand-new Square Care Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine and Advanced Womens Imaging Care Center! A big thank you to all of the teams across Square Care, Unified Operations, and our vendor partners for propelling our group forward and allowing us to cater to our patients needs in even bigger and better ways!

All patients of Square Cares Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine and Advanced Womens Imaging should expect to receive thorough, personalized, and convenient care in the following areas:



Obstetrical ultrasounds in all trimesters

Antepartum testing

Gynecological/pelvic ultrasound, including 3D and saline sonohysterograms

Consultation (preconception and during pregnancy) for co-management of maternal, obstetrical, or fetal conditions

Square Cares Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine and Advanced Womens Imaging

Michelle Smith-Levitin, MD, Director-MFM

Beth Gross, MD, OB/GYN Radiologist

Marie Frazzitta, FNP-C, CDCES

1615 Northern Boulevard, Suite GR3

Manhasset, NY 11030

Phone: 516-548-8190

Fax: 516-614-5090

About Square Care Medical Group

Square Care Medical Group is a value driven, multi-specialty group with locations throughout Long Island and expanding throughout the New York metropolitan area. We are a physician-owned and lead Medical Group whose vision is to fundamentally change the way care is delivered and provide the highest quality, most efficient and effective care possible to enable positive health outcomes for our population.

Square Care Medical Group is a proud affiliated medical practice of Unified Womens Healthcare. For more information, visit squarecarehealth.com.

About Unified Womens Healthcare

Unified Womens Healthcare is the leading physician practice management company that provides indispensable business knowledge, innovation and support to physicians and their teams. With a single-specialty focus on womens healthcare, Unified offers a complete suite of practice management services as well as ancillary services and diversified business strategies to help drive practice growth.

Working with industry leaders and the latest in technology affords the best experience for our valued patients. For more information, visit unifiedwomenshealthcare.com.
Whether you are curious about using eConsent or need tips to scale up, register for this free webinar to learn from some of the industrys top experts why eConsent is the future of clinical trial research.

If the recent pandemic taught us anything, it is that clinical research can deliver effective treatments quicker by adopting the right technology. Electronic informed consent (eConsent) is a digital solution that streamlines the entire consent process, supports large portfolios, and enables decentralized studies.

Register today for the webinar and discover:



How different models of eConsent enable effective and efficient scale up as well as accommodates different patient populations in both traditional and decentralized clinical trials

Solution properties that enable easy transition from pilot to use at scale

Best practices for managing global eConsent/reconsent for traditional, remote, or hybrid trials

Important regulatory considerations related to eConsent usage

Learn the rationale and approach to scaling up eConsent usage across an organization: Edwin Cohen from AstraZeneca will discuss the companys rationale for scaling up, their adopted processes and how eConsent fits within their eClinical technology infrastructure

Whether you are curious about using eConsent or need tips to scale up, register for this free webinar to learn from some of the industrys top experts why eConsent is the future of clinical trial research.

Join Edwin Cohen, Digital Health R&D at AstraZeneca and experts from Signant Health: Ryan Bowe, Head of Regulatory Compliance; Mika Lindroos, Director of Product Management; and Dr. Bill Byrom, Principal, eCOA Science for the live webinar on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 11am EDT (4pm BST/UK).

For more information, or to register for this event, visit Scaling Up eConsent in Traditional and Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs).

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com

For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/
As an industry leader, SecureData is committed to providing ultra-secure data solutions to our partners and customers worldwide by investing in ourselves, our products, and our technologies, says Ken Higgins, SecureData Director of Business Development.

SECUREDATA is proud to announce that we have won the following awards from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industrys leading electronic information security magazine:



Market Leader in Data Recovery: for Secure Data Recovery Services

Most Innovative in Encrypted Hardware: for SecureDrive product line

Secure Data Recovery Services started in 2007 and has become the #1 rated data recovery company in North America. We own and operate our own facilities and invest heavily in Research & Development and our engineers to create cutting-edge data recovery solutions. In addition to being a world class in-lab data recovery services provider, we also offer emergency onsite and remote data recovery options.

Secure Data Recovery Services operates out of state-of-the-art Class 10 ISO 4-Certified Cleanrooms, which let us safely work with delicate electronics. Our labs are SSAE 18 SOC 1, 2 & 3 audited. These allow us to be approved by all leading Hard Drive and SSD manufacturers to perform data recovery services.

In addition to the most advanced secure facilities, Secure Data Recovery Services boasts a 96 percent recovery success rate and offers an industry-leading no data, no fee guarantee, meaning there are no data recovery fees unless the data is recovered.

As an industry leader, SecureData is committed to providing ultra-secure data solutions to our partners and customers worldwide by investing in ourselves, our products, and our technologies, says Ken Higgins, SecureData Director of Business Development. We are thrilled to be recognized and honored by such a respected authority as Cyber Defense Magazine.

SECUREDATAs line of SecureDrive and SecureUSB products provide secure external portable data storage to protect digital content in transit. They were developed to meet the growing data security needs in both the public and private sectors. They provide a secure solution for regulated industries in areas such as financial services, military, law enforcement, legal, healthcare, and education.

SecureDrive BT and SecureUSB BT are the worlds first and only FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated, hardware-encrypted drives that are user-authenticated via a mobile app (Android/Apple). In addition to being wirelessly authenticated, the drives are Remote Management ready with unlock, remote wipe, and geo- and time-fencing via a cloud-based console. The entire SecureData hardware-encrypted product line is Host/OS-independent and works with and across all devices supporting USB ports.

The SecureData Lock apps (User, Admin, Managed) allow the user to authenticate via TouchID or FaceID (iOS devices only), making the user experience streamlined and modern. The SecureData Remote Management Web Console is a subscription- and web-based service that allows the company IT manager/administrator to control who can access the data, and where and when it can be accessed. It also can be used to remotely unlock the device, change the password, wipe the data, or disable access even if the user has set a password.

Both SecureDrive and SecureUSB products are manufactured by SECUREDATA and use patented DataLock KP/BT technology licensed from ClevX, LLC.

SECUREDATA embodies three major features that judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrows threats today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach, said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

Were thrilled to be among this coveted group of winners. For a full list of winners, please visit: http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/

Please join us virtually at the #RSAC RSA Conference 2021, https://www.rsaconference.com/usa today, as we share our red-carpet experience and proudly display our trophy online at our website, our blog, and our social media channels.

About SECUREDATA:

SecureData is a privately held company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. We provide ultra-secure and innovative data security solutions to our partners and customers worldwide through specialized services, software, and products. Our offerings include professional data recovery services, digital forensics, FIPS-validated and hardware-encrypted portable data storage, data backup solutions, and file repair software. SecureData has built a reputation as a trusted security solutions provider with the highest number of industry-specific certifications proving that our process, facilities, and products exceed industry standards.

Please visit https://www.securedata.com/ and https://www.securedrive.com/ for more information.

About Secure Data Recovery Services:

Secure Data Recovery Services provides professional data recovery and digital forensic services to customers worldwide on a wide range of storage media, including laptop and desktop computers, HDD, SSD, RAID arrays, mobile devices, and all other data storage types. Our secure labs in the United States and Canada are audited to meet SSAE 18 SOC 1, 2 & 3 standards and operate out of Class 10 ISO 4 Certified cleanrooms. Secure Data Recovery Services has a proven track record of success with a documented recovery rate of 96% to give data the best chance for recovery. Our data recovery services are approved by all leading storage manufacturers and offer free professional diagnostics and a no data, no recovery fee policy.

For more information, please visit https://www.securedatarecovery.com/

About ClevX:

ClevX is an information security technology company  Your Innovation Partner. It is focused on the Security/Mobility markets where ClevX pioneered its award-winning DATALOCK KP/BT

Secured USB and drives (OS-agnostic, hardware encrypted, PIN- or Phone-activated, bootable)

and easy-to-use portable software applications for secure drives for personal and business use.

ClevX differentiates itself by creating solutions that are simple, clever, and elegant.

For more information, please visit: https://www.clevx.com/

About Cyber Defense Magazine:

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online InfoSec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at:

https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that InfoSec knowledge is power.

SECUREDATA Media Inquiries:

pr@securedata.com
Sven Behrendt & Dr. John Bates The next steps will be to build on our cloud/SaaS business and solution portfolio, and, in particular, to further drive the internationalization of the SER Group.

SERgroup Holding International GmbH (SER Group) is pleased to announce that Sven Behrendt, previously Chief Operating Officer and member of the Management Board, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and thereby Chairman of the Management Board of the SER Group, effective May 1, 2021. He succeeds Kurt-Werner Sikora, who will focus exclusively on his work on the Advisory Board of the SER Group. Furthermore, Dr. John Bates has been appointed Executive Chairman of the Advisory Board of the SER Group as of May 1, 2021.

In his new role as Executive Chairman of the Advisory Board, John Bates will work in close cooperation with Sven Behrendt on driving the international growth and strategic development of the SER Group. Bates has many years of experience in the development of software companies and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge in Computer Science. Most recently, he was CEO of Eggplant, a leading UK-based provider of digital automation intelligence. He is also currently an Independent Non-Executive Director of Sage, the UKs largest listed tech company.

Sven Behrendt looks ahead confidently at the future of the SER Group and his new role: In the past two years weve already successfully effected changes in many areas. The next steps will be to build on our cloud/SaaS business and solution portfolio, and, in particular, to further drive the internationalization of the SER Group. John Bates, with his wealth of experience and expertise, will be a huge asset in supporting us. I look forward to achieving our goals together with John and the entire SER team.

Dr. Thorsten Dippel, Managing Director in the Advisory Team of Carlyle Group Europe Technology Partners, comments: Since our investment in December 2018, Sven Behrendt and the entire SER Group team have made continuous progress. We are very pleased that Sven has accepted the appointment as CEO. We would like to express our deep gratitude to Kurt-Werner Sikora for the close and trusting working relationship and his ongoing support. John Bates, as Executive Chairman of the Advisory Board, will work closely with CEO Sven Behrendt to accelerate SERs strategic development and internationalization. We look forward to working with John and wish him and Sven every success in their new roles.

About the SER Group

The SER Group is a leading software vendor of the international enterprise content management (ECM) and content services market. Over five million users work every day with the SER Groups Doxis4 ECM platform  whether on-premises, hybrid or in the cloud. Based on unified ECM, BPM, collaboration and cognitive services, large companies, corporations, public authorities and organizations design digital solutions for intelligent information and process management. With 35 years of experience, SERs team of 600 employees works from 22 locations around the globe.

You can obtain further information and images here:

SERgroup Holding International GmbH

Silvia Kunze-Kirschner

Press and Public Relations

Joseph-Schumpeter-Allee 19  53227 Bonn, Germany

Tel.: +49 40 27891-443

Fax: +49 40 27891-299

Email: Silvia.Kunze-Kirschner@ser.de

http://www.sergroup.com
In January 2021, Galan Lithium entered a sale and joint venture with Lithium Australia for an 80% interest in the Greenbushes South Lithium Project.

The project was originally acquired by Lithium Australia NL due to its proximity to the Greenbushes Lithium Mine

( ) ( ) (FRA:3MW) has welcomed the start of fieldwork by ( ) at Greenbushes South Lithium Project joint venture, 200 kilometres south of Perth in Western Australia.

The project is an unincorporated joint venture 20% owned by LIT with the remaining 80% held by Galan, which is the operator.

Galan's team has been granted initial private access to parts of the relevant geological areas of interest to proceed with fieldwork that includes soil and rock chip sampling as well as mapping.

Desktop geological work is also planned soon on the recently granted E70/4777 tenement around 25 kilometres north of the Greenbushes mine.

Another JV tenement, E70/5680, was also recently granted.

MD onsite at the project

Galan's managing director Juan Pablo Vargas de la Vega said: Initial geological fieldwork has commenced at the Greenbushes South JV project.

"I am currently on the ground supporting Galans team over the next week or so to expedite the field exploration work.

Lithium Australia will be watching closely as exploration gets underway.

Greenbushes history

Galan has an exploration licence application at Greenbushes (E70/4629) covering a total area of around 43 square kilometres.

It is around 15 kilometres to the south of the Greenbushes mine.

In January 2021, Galan entered a sale and joint venture with Lithium Australia NL ( ) for an 80% interest in the Greenbushes South Lithium project.

With an area of 353 square kilometres, the project was originally acquired by Lithium Australia NL due to its proximity to the Greenbushes Lithium Mine given that the project covers the southern strike projection of the geological structure that hosts Greenbushes.

The project area begins about three kilometres south of the current Greenbushes open pit mining operations.
The pandemic of COVID -19 is causing emotional distress along with teeth clenching issues, leading to an increase in jaw-joint problems.

According to various studies, teeth grinding has intensified since the pandemic. We have been impacted with COVID-19 for more than a year. Now, we understand more about the number of indirect impacts it's having on the community. We have seen how it affects our social, emotional, and physical fitness. According to research, the pandemic is also affecting certain people's oral health.

According to the American Dental Association, teeth clenching and grinding have increased by 60%. When people are nervous, it is normal for them to clench their teeth. Fortunately, teeth grinding is a simple problem that can be treated with a short trip to the dentist!

You may not even realize you are grinding your teeth. Some people grind their teeth while sleeping. It is one of the most popular types of sleep disorders. However, some people who do not have a history of teeth grinding may begin nighttime grinding if stressed more than usual.

In case you wake up with unexplained jaw pain or headaches in the morning, visit your dentist to see if you're grinding your teeth at night. Untreated teeth grinding can trigger premature deterioration of your smile as well as tooth and jaw discomfort. A dentist will diagnose symptoms of teeth grinding and devise a recovery strategy to preserve your teeth.

Teeth grinding is a typical problem that dentists address regularly. If you primarily grind your teeth at night, your dentist can advise you to wear a mouthguard while sleeping. These mouth guards are designed to fit snugly in your mouth. They are very good at preserving the teeth and might also be able to avoid grinding entirely.

If you clench your teeth throughout the day, you might want to take steps to reduce the stress levels. Exercise, yoga, and deep breathing are also simple stress-reduction techniques.

Sometimes, stress might not be the cause of an individual's teeth grinding. In that case, consider other reasons like whether you recently increased your coffee consumption? Caffeine use has been attributed to teeth grinding! Remember to keep the dental check-ups up to date, including after the pandemic! Your dental team is qualified to recognize symptoms of teeth grinding. They will repair any harm done and instruct you about securing your teeth from unwanted grinding in the future. Learn more visit https://bit.ly/3tPqeak

Advanced Dental Implant and TMJ Center provides personalized and specialized dental treatment for patients in Southaven, MS, and Memphis, TN. Dr. Pradeep Adatrow is a Specialist in TMJ Disorder Treatments, Dental Implants and Gum Diseases and provides patients with customized treatment plans to meet their oral health needs. Dr. Adatrow is a board-certified Periodontist and Prosthodontist. He has been a full-time Professor and Director at the University of Tennessee for 14 years prior to establishing this practice in Southaven, MS. To schedule a consultation please call 662-655-4868 or visit http://www.advanceddentaltmj.com
Wisconsin deserves quality long-term care facilities with convenient access across the state so Wisconsinites can readily visit their loved ones.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested our nation. For long-term care providers, including nursing facilities and assisted living centers, the pandemic has exacerbated our chronic challenges of a severe caregiver shortage, inadequate government payment, and for some, an antiquated building infrastructure. Through it all, our courageous, devoted, and hardworking caregivers showed up for work every day to provide lifesaving care to Wisconsins most vulnerable residents. "They deserve our enduring admiration and thanks," said leaders from LeadingAge Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Health Care Association and Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living.

The members of the Legislatures Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) are currently considering Governor Evers proposed 2021-23 state budget. Their job is a difficult one, but one that is vitally important to all Wisconsinites. We thank them for their service. While there are some provisions in the proposed budget on which the Governor and Legislature disagree, we hope that two provisions pertaining to long-term health care are not among them. On behalf of our facility residents, their families and loved ones, and caregiving staff, we ask the JFC and members of the State Legislature to support at a minimum, two long-term care proposals in the Governors budget:



A $241 million Medicaid payment increase for our nursing facilities,

A $77.8 million increase for the states Medicaid waiver managed care program, Family Care, via the Direct Care Workers Fund. This increase will provide great help to our assisted living centers and facilities that care for folks living with disabilities.

Our long-term care providers are at the forefront of serving the public good. They are also important contributors to the economic vitality of our local communities. Consider these facts:

Our facilities currently care for almost 100,000 Wisconsinites across our great state. The population age 85 and older is projected to increase by 110% by 2040. These individuals most often require the critical care provided in Wisconsins nursing homes and assisted living centers. They deserve the absolute best care and support that we can offer.

The long-term care community directly employs more than 85,000 people and is responsible for the employment of so many more people who provide goods and services to our facilities.

Our long-term care community generates at least $1.25 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue annually.

Despite these impressive human and economic contributions to Wisconsins quality of life, the long-term care profession faces unprecedented challenges. Since 2016, 42 Wisconsin nursing facilities have had to close their doors. Since January 1, 2019, more than 3,500 nursing facility beds have been taken out of service, representing a loss of more than 10% of the bed capacity in the state. At this rate, there will be a state-wide shortage of available beds by 2027.

We cannot allow this to happen. Wisconsin deserves quality long-term care facilities with convenient access across the state so Wisconsinites can readily visit their loved ones. Wisconsin desperately needs the jobs and economic contributions that our long-term care community provides.

Accordingly, we respectfully ask the members of the JFC to recommend and the State Legislature to approve, at a minimum, the nursing facility and Family Care funding increases that Governor Evers has proposed.

John Sauer

President & CEO

LeadingAge Wisconsin

204 S. Hamilton St.

Madison, WI 53703

608.255.7060

Rick Abrams

President & CEO

Wisconsin Health Care Association/ Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living

131 W. Wilson St., Ste 1001

Madison, WI 53703

608.257.0125
The firm has an unmatched reputation in the market for their delivery and service level on searches, and Im looking forward to enhancing the firms partnerships with some of the most cutting-edge companies in the world.

The Bowdoin Group, an award-winning executive search firm specializing in leadership search and strategic company build-outs, announced today the appointment of Erik Rocheford as Managing Director. Rocheford joins the firms established Life Sciences and Digital Health practices, and will help strengthen the firms executive search capabilities in the early-stage biotech market.

Rocheford brings extensive executive search and business development knowledge to The Bowdoin Group. With over 16 years of experience in the life sciences, Rocheford has spent his career working with and for biopharma companies across different therapeutic areas. Most recently, Rocheford focused on retained executive and board search at Perspective Group serving therapeutic, medical device, and diagnostic companies. Rocheford also spent a number of years at Stratacuity where he led business development activities for the firm in addition to recruiting talent at a range of levels for early-stage biotech companies. Prior to Stratacuity, he worked for Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) as a pharmacologist and Charles River Laboratories where he ran a discovery pharmacology team performing early screening for biopharma clients.

Dave Melville, CEO and Founder at The Bowdoin Group, commented, Erik is an incredible professional who truly understands the strategic talent acquisition needs of early-stage biotech companies. As we continue to focus our growth in the life sciences, healthcare, financial services, and technology industries, Eriks background further cements our commitment to the Innovation Economy and providing our clients and candidates a best-in-class service.

I am excited to hit the ground running at The Bowdoin Group, shared Rocheford. The firm has an unmatched reputation in the market for their delivery and service level on searches, and Im looking forward to enhancing the firms partnerships with some of the most cutting-edge companies in the world.

The Bowdoin Group also welcomes Kaye Stradal as a Senior Associate to the team. Stradal brings over seven years of experience in executive recruiting and candidate management to The Bowdoin Group. Most recently, Stradal worked for Isaacson, Miller, a boutique executive search firm, where she supported the companys social media, marketing, talent branding, and business development efforts. Stradal will support Bowdoins growing Team Expansions and RPO services under the leadership of Lindsey Potvin, a Vice President at Bowdoin.

Our clients and candidates look to us for a certain level of service, and both these individuals bring an incredible level of experience and expertise to Bowdoin, said Scott Aldsworth, President at The Bowdoin Group. Erik and Kaye are both great additions to our growing team, and I look forward to their growth with each of our client engagements.

In addition to these two strategic hires, last quarter The Bowdoin Group also welcomed Jordan Snyder as a Senior Consultant, Anastasia Swift as a Senior Associate, and Mikaela Alioto as a Marketing Associate to support the firms continued expansion as a top executive search firm serving the Innovation Economy across the U.S.

About The Bowdoin Group

The Bowdoin Group is an award-winning retained executive search firm that specializes in C-suite leadership and strategic roles, commercial team expansions, and recruitment process outsourcing for a wide range of companies, ranging from venture-backed startups and emerging growth companies building out their C-suites to larger organizations sourcing talent for rapid market expansion. With deep expertise in Life Sciences, Digital Health, Software & Technology, and FinTech, Bowdoin is uniquely situated to solve recruiting challenges and unmet talent needs more than any other search firm across the U.S. due to its cross-functional reach and domain understanding across healthcare and technology. The firm continuously ranks in the top 2% of the recruiting industry in the U.S. and Canada for client and candidate satisfaction as measured by ClearlyRateds annual NPS survey. The Bowdoin Group is also active in supporting the local entrepreneurial ecosystem as well as several non-profit causes, including Life Science Cares, NEVCA, Hack.Diversity, and FinTech Sandbox. For more information, visit us at https://www.bowdoingroup.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Federal lawmakers are hurting small businesses looking to fill positions essential to their day-to-day operations. The $300 weekly unemployment bonus traps too many Americans in dependency by paying them more to stay home than return to work, said Jonathan Ingram, FGA's VP of Policy & Research.

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the number of job openings reached a record high of 8.1 million in March. This report comes only days after BLS announced an increase in the median duration of unemployment.

In a new poll from the Foundation for Government Accountability, 73 percent of small businesses report they are having a difficult time hiring. FGA issued the following response:

Federal lawmakers are hurting small businesses looking to fill positions essential to their day-to-day operations. The $300 weekly unemployment bonus is trapping too many Americans in dependency by paying them more to stay home than return to work, said Jonathan Ingram, Vice President of Policy and Research. Its time for states and Congress to stop paying people not to work, help jumpstart the economy, and move millions back on the path to the American Dream.

Results for this poll are based on telephone interviews conducted among a nationwide sample of 503 small business owners between April 29-May 9, 2021. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.37 percentage points.

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The Foundation for Government Accountability is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that specializes in health care, welfare, work, and election reform. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
INC. MAGAZINE NAMES TGG BEST WORKPLACE FOR 2021 "This award means so much to us. Our goal has always been to create an environment where people would feel deeply engaged and thrive. Having our success recognized as a Best Workplace by Inc. magazine is quite an honor." Mike Gunter - Founder of The Gunter Group

The Gunter Group has been named to Inc. magazines annual list of the Best Workplaces for 2021. Hitting newsstands May 18 in the May/June 2021 issue, and as part of a prominent Inc.com feature, the list is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of American companies that have created exceptional workplaces and company culture whether teams are operating in person or remotely.

Collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. singled out 429 honorees this year. Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace on topics including management effectiveness, perks, and fostering employee growth. The organizations benefits were also audited to determine the companys overall score and ranking.

In response to the award, Mike Gunter, founder of The Gunter Group stated, "This award means so much to us. Our goal has always been to create an environment where people would feel deeply engaged and thrive. Having our success recognized as a Best Workplace by Inc. magazine is quite an honor."

The definition of a positive workplace has changed drastically over the past year, said Inc. magazine editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. Stocked fridges and nap pods were no longer perks many companies could rely on once work went remote. So, this years list is even more important as it reveals organizations that continue to enrich the lives of its employees amid a pandemic.

Founded in 2011, in Portland, OR, The Gunter Group features an experienced team of consultants serving clients across a variety of industries in the Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. The Gunter Group prides itself on providing consulting services to a broad range of organizations spanning Fortune 100 companies to locally-based businesses. The Inc. Magazine award is one of nine workplace awards The Gunter Group has received since its inception. The firm has been named one of the best companies to work for in Oregon by Oregon Business Magazine for seven consecutive years and named one of the best small firms to work for by Consulting Magazine two years in a row. The Gunter Group currently employs a team of 55 consultants with office hubs in Portland, OR and Reno, NV.

xxxxx

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.
In order to determine accurate insurance premiums, car insurance providers will analyze multiple factors. The age of the driver and the type of vehicle can significantly influence the price of insurance premiums, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Carinsuranceplan.org has launched a new blog post that presents several important factors that can affect the price of car insurance rates.

For more info and free quotes, please visit https://carinsuranceplan.org/how-do-car-insurance-companies-determine-rates/

In order to drive on the public roads of the US, drivers need to have car insurance. Many of them are curious and they wonder how their insurance rates are determined. Insurance companies will analyze multiple factors before offering an insurance deal to anyone.

The most important factors that can significantly influence the price of car insurance, are the following:



Location. The zip code of any potential customer is very important for a car insurance provider. Insurers can use the zip code in order to find out more info about the crime rates (especially car thefts and vandalism), population density, climate, road conditions, unemployment level, and how many claims are filled in the area where a future customer lives.

The type of vehicle. Drivers who own expensive cars like limousines, exotic cars, or muscle cars will pay more on their insurance premiums. These types of vehicles are expensive to repair or replace. Drivers that want a cheap car to insure should focus their attention on an SUV or a family van. These cars are cheap to repair or replace, and they also have high safety ratings.

Driving record. Drivers with clean driving records will pay less on their insurance premiums. On the other hand, drivers that have speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, or DUI accidents will pay more on car insurance. Depending on the severity of the incidents caused by a driver, his insurance company can decide to cancel his coverage.

Gender and age. Male teenagers pay more on their insurance when compared to female teenagers. The statistics show that male teenagers are involved in car accidents more often. However, old male drivers will pay less on their premiums when compared to old female drivers.

Marital status. Married people tend to have fewer accidents than single people. For this reason, married persons will pay less on their car insurance rates.

For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://carinsuranceplan.org/

Carinsuranceplan.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
US AEROSPACE & DEFENSE DIGITAL SERVICES 2021-2022 RADARVIEW Service providers are tightly integrated across their customers' value chain. A&D enterprises are leveraging service providers' digital transformation capabilities in engineering and product design, manufacturing, and cybersecurity to help them achieve their business objectives.

The aerospace and defense industry is facing pressure in two directions. The commercial side of aerospace is struggling with decreased demand from the impacts of COVID-19 while the defense and space segments are seeing growth as new technologies emerge. Regardless of the segment, however, the prescriptions are similar. Digital transformation and the adoption of technologies such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence, digital twin, and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) are an imperative.

These emerging trends are covered in Avasants new US Aerospace & Defense Digital Services 2021-2022 RadarView report. The report is a comprehensive study of digital service providers in the US aerospace and defense space, including top trends, analysis, recommendations, and a close look at the leaders, innovators, disruptors, and challengers in this market.

We evaluated 20 providers using three dimensions: practice maturity, partner ecosystem, and investments and innovation. Of those 20 providers, we recognize 15 that brought the most value to the market during the past 12 months.

The report recognizes service providers in four categories:



Leaders: Accenture, Capgemini, and HCL

Innovators: DXC, Leidos, Perspecta, and SAIC

Disruptors: CACI, Genpact, IBM, SAP NS2, and TCS

Challengers: CGI, Infosys, and Tech Mahindra

Naresh Lachmandas, Aerospace and Defense Vertical Head at Avasant, congratulated the winners noting, With increased confidence in enterprise-grade, secure cloud platforms and services, aerospace and defense industry leaders have started their journey to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives with a focus on Industry 4.0, supply chain, MRO, and cost reductions.

Some of the findings from the full report include the following:

Commercial segment companies should:

1. Explore different business sectors and models to drive revenue growth.



Consider making the long-term investments necessary to enter the defense and space segment to minimize exposure from a future financial crisis.

Invest in emerging business models, such as advanced air mobility (AAM) and zero-emission aircraft, to set a course for the industry's future, leveraging strong product design and engineering capabilities.

2. Accelerate digitalization of manufacturing processes to become agile and expedite delivery.



Scale up the adoption of emerging digital technologies like robotic process automation to reduce dependency on the human workforce, 3D printing to design lightweight aircraft, and analytics to integrate real-time applications in the supply chain, reducing time to market.

Build smart manufacturing facilities by expediting the journey to Industry 4.0, integrating next-gen technologies like digital twin that can virtually simulate the impact of production changes.

Defense segment companies should:

1. Accelerate digitization with the maturity of ITAR-compliant cloud platforms.



Align the strategy to leverage modernization initiatives, replacing aging processes and systems by deploying industry-leading solutions on International Traffic in Arms Regulations-compliant platforms.

Assess, prioritize, and invest in Industry 4.0 across the value chain. Leverage technologies like 3D printing for product design, AI-led military drones for surveillance, AR/VR for medical aid training, and blockchain for supply chain communication to stay ahead of the competition.

2. Evaluate enterprise-level cybersecurity strategy to combat rising cyber threats.



Invest or partner with cybersecurity companies to transition from the old-school, preventive mode to a cyber-resilient mode of operation, enhancing the enterprises cybersecurity capabilities.

Define a road map, aligning and complying with the Cybersecurity Maturing Model Certification (CMMC) as defined by the DOD. Develop cybersecurity capabilities, focusing on identity and access management, zero trust, threat hunting, detection and response, and cloud workload protection.

Service providers are tightly integrated across their customers' value chain, said Avasants Principal Analyst, Parinita Singh. A&D enterprises are leveraging service providers' digital transformation capabilities in engineering and product design, manufacturing, and cybersecurity to help them achieve their business objectives.

The full report also features detailed RadarView profiles of the 15 service providers, along with their solutions, offerings, and experience in assisting aerospace and defense companies in digital transformation.

This Research Byte is a brief overview of the US Aerospace & Defense Digital Services 2021-2022 RadarView report.
Advancements with Ted Danson is scheduled to broadcast a new episode on Saturday, May 22, 2021 via CNBC. Check local listings for more information.

In this episode, Advancements will explore Human Appeals dedication to changing lives for the better. Using sustainable technologies  like solar energy  to provide water, power, and light to people near the Indian-Pakistan border, spectators will see how the company helps people during devastating events, relieving victims and providing a number of services, including trauma clinics and rebuilding houses.

Highlighting the importance of industrial cleaning throughout the production chain, the show will also educate about innovations in sustainable industrial cleaning applications. Viewers will see how P-Lasers industrial ablation laser cleaning equipment is being used to treat and clean surfaces in a simple and environmentally friendly way, and how it is helping companies to reduce waste and production time, while increasing efficiency and eliminating the use of consumables.

Advancements will also explore how BECK Strategies Inc. (BECK) is moving I.T. operations from a reactive team to a proactive team via its ServiceNow platform. Helping businesses achieve goals, create more efficient processes, and move forward within their industries, the show will discover how the platform is driving businesses into the future.

Finally, with a look at LEVEL, audiences will hear from experts in the field of biomolecular medicine to learn how science is fostering research and innovation, and how it continues to uncover the untapped potential of cannabinoids.

With each new episode there is more opportunity for discovery, said Sarah McBrayer, creative director for DMG Productions and Advancements. We look forward to enlightening viewers and sharing this information with the public.

###

About Advancements and DMG Productions:

The Advancements television series is an information-based educational program, targeting recent advances across a number of industries and economies. Featuring state-of-the-art solutions and important issues facing todays consumers and business professionals, Advancements focuses on cutting-edge developments, and brings this information to the public with the vision to enlighten about how technology and innovation continue to transform our world.

Backed by experts in various fields, and a team dedicated to education and advancement, DMG Productions consistently produces commercial-free, educational programming on which both viewers and networks depend.

For more information visit http://www.AdvancementsTV.com or call (866) 496-4065.
When we form the TEEM, we are well on our way to show that no weapon formed against us will prosper. When we can put aside trivial bickering and display unity, we are truly a force to be reckoned with.

In male-dominated fields such as the military, it is crucial that women have access to female mentorship so that they too can rise through the ranks, receive development opportunities, and go on to have successful, confident careers. In Teach Encourage Empower Mentor (TEEM): Sisters in Arms: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder, author and decorated U.S. Army veteran Yolanda J. Lomax provides a powerful leadership resource that teaches women in the Armed Forces how to build rapport and sisterhood with their fellow service members and advocate for and elevate each other as they grow professionally.

Throughout her 32-year career in the Army, Lomax longed for the mentorship of her sisters in arms. She yearned for the opportunity to seek their professional advice as well as to have another woman to go to, even if just to share a personal moment. Lomax was inspired to write Teach Encourage Empower Mentor (TEEM) after being tasked with creating a mentorship program for women during her last duty assignment in Korea. At that time, she was a command sergeant major of one of the battalions, and women were beginning to trickle into a previously male-dominated brigade. Ultimately, Lomaxs efforts were focused on mitigating sexual harassment and assault of female service members while also giving them leadership and development opportunities.

Early in Lomaxs career she also experienced military sexual trauma. At that time, Lomax did not feel comfortable coming forward with what had happened to her  she feared it would put an end to her future in the military. But Lomaxs experience is not unlike that of other women who have been assaulted or harassed while serving their country, and she knew that cultivating an environment with more female leadership and strengthened bonds of sisterhood would provide outlets for subordinate female service members to seek help and receive support when they need it.

My prayer and hope is for this book to be a motivational catalyst that will encourage sisters in arms to plant seeds and watch over them as their roots take hold, emerge, and break through to reveal strong sequoia trees with branches that are ready to take on the responsibility to teach, encourage, empower and mentor  form a TEEM for our present and future military forces, Lomax wrote in the introduction to her book. When we form the TEEM, we are well on our way to show that no weapon formed against us will prosper. When we can put aside trivial bickering and display unity, we are truly a force to be reckoned with. We can show everyone that we are average females, capable of achieving exceptional results.

Ultimately, Teach Encourage Empower Mentor (TEEM) provides a roadmap to effective leadership through mentorship, encourages female service members to network while in-service and after separation, and reminds them that they are not alone and can and should depend upon each other.

Teach Encourage Empower Mentor (TEEM)

Sisters in Arms: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder

By Yolanda J. Lomax

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0273-7 (sc); ISBN: 978-1-6657-0274-4 (e)

Available through Archway Publishing, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

About the author

Yolanda J. Lomax is a wife, mother, poet, praise dancer, retired command sergeants major, and sci-fi fanatic. Lomax entered the U.S. Army in 1979 as a reservist, transitioned to active duty in 1980, served 32 years in an array of stateside and overseas assignments, and earned a host of awards and decorations. Lomax earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Trident University. She and her husband, Davie, have two children, and in her free time, she seeks out any available opportunity to assist veterans. Lomax currently resides in Elgin, S.C. To learn more, please connect with the author on Facebook.

General Inquiries, Review Copies & Interview Requests:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Danielle Grobmeier

480-648-7557

dgrobmeier@lavidge.com
Dr. Dennis Liotta and Dr. Paul Atkins They are both innovative, life science veterans that have taken impactful technologies from the earliest stage to highly successful exits and we are fortunate to have them on our team. said Calvin Goforth, Chief Executive Officer of VIC.

VIC Technology Venture Development, which creates and develops high impact life science companies based on technologies exclusively licensed from top research institutions worldwide, announced today two new distinguished additions to their Strategic Advisory Board from across the life science industry.

"I am excited to announce that Dr. Dennis Liotta and Dr. Paul Atkins are joining VICs Strategic Advisory Board," said Calvin Goforth, Chief Executive Officer of VIC. They are both innovative, life science veterans that have taken impactful technologies from the earliest stage to highly successful exits and we are fortunate to have them on our team.

Dr. Dennis Liotta joins VIC with an extensive academic background; he has been a member of the Emory faculty for more than 45 years and has published approximately 300 peer-reviewed research publications and holds approximately 100 issued US patents.

In addition to these academic achievements, Liotta is most noted for his invention of emtricitabine, along with Drs. Raymond F. Schinazi and Woo-Baeg Choi. This breakthrough HIV drug, currently marketed under Emtriva (emtricitaibine), is a component of several combination therapies used to treat HIV.

Liotta was also one of the founders of Pharmasset, Inc., which developed the breakthrough anti-hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), and was subsequently acquired by Gilead Sciences. Currently, he is the director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development and co-founder of DRIVE (Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory) and the founding editor-in-chief of the American Chemical Society journal, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.

Dr. Paul Atkins joins VIC's Strategic Advisory Board with more than 35 years of experience in global pharmaceuticals, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing inhaled medicines. He previously served as CEO of Oriel Therapeutics, a start-up company utilizing unique technology to facilitate inhaled drug delivery and powder movement. During Dr. Atkins's tenure at Oriel, the company raised over $35M in venture and angel funding.

Atkins has consulted for the United Nations on developing inhaled medicines for many years and is currently a member of the United Nations Medical and Chemical Technical Options Committee. He was part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (along with Vice President Al Gore) in 2007.

Atkins also recently joined VIC portfolio company Nob Hill Therapeutics as Executive Chairman to focus on commercializing the first dry-powder nebulizer to treat severe respiratory diseases.

About VIC Technology Venture Development

VICs unique investment model sources innovation directly from universities across the nation, offering funding to form new start-up companies and advance these technologies. In addition to the initial capital, VIC provides its portfolio companies with business and scientific resources, including interim management, accounting, marketing, engineering support and more. For more information, please visit https://victech.com
The company aims to complete drilling program comprising infill, extensional and exploration drilling, targeting multi-million-ounce deposits across its Guinea landholdings.

The placement was focused on several tier-1 North American funds with a track record of strong success investing in emerging West African gold companies.

( ) has received commitments of A$26.5 million in a placement to institutional, sophisticated and professional investors to help drive growth in resources at the Bankan Gold Project.

The placement was narrowly focused on several tier-1 North American funds with a track record of strong success investing in emerging West African gold companies as well as targeting highly accomplished ultra-high net worth resource investors.

The placement price of A$0.08 represents an 8.38% discount to the 5-day VWAP prior to the placement.

Euroz Hartleys Limited and Sprott Capital Partners LP were joint lead managers and bookrunners to the placement.

Very long runway of growth

PDI managing director Paul Roberts said: We have received overwhelming support for this placement.

The strong participation by tier-1 international and domestic institutional investors, many of which have a strong track record of investing in the West African sector, reinforces our conviction that we have found a truly remarkable project at Bankan  one with a very long runway of growth ahead of it.

The placement will enable us to commence by far the largest program that we have undertaken to date to deliver key project milestones at NE Bankan and Bankan Creek as well as test the numerous potentially high impact exploration targets in the broader Bankan project, beginning with Argo where we already have high grades in the auger over good intercepts.

Drilling program planned

Placement proceeds will be applied to around 110,000 metres of drilling planned over the next 12 months at the project and will also be used to deliver metallurgical test-work, the commencement of technical studies and baseline studies required for project development including social and environmental studies, and for general working capital.

The company plans to begin with testing nine high order near-regional targets on interpreted ENE-WSW faults, crosscutting a newly recognised major 35 kilometre-long NNW structural corridor with the potential to host numerous NE Bankan-style discoveries.

These potentially high-impact targets may now be immediately followed-up, commencing with the companys recent regional exploration success only 17 kilometres north of NE Bankan, at Argo where numerous high-value targets are already yielding widespread high-grade gold  including 12 metres at 9.8 g/t and 16 metres at 2 g/t.

Two tranche placement

The placement will be issued in two tranches:

The first tranche of 249,669,873 shares (around A$19.97 million) is not subject to shareholder approval and will fall within the companys placement capacity under ASX Listing Rules 7.1 (148,190,533 shares) and 7.1A (101,479,340 shares) and is scheduled to complete on Tuesday, May 25, 2021;

The second tranche, consisting of 81,580,127 shares (around A$6.53 million), will be issued subject to shareholder approval at a meeting of shareholders scheduled to take place in late June 2021.

In addition, directors of the company have committed to subscribe to A$45,000 in Tranche 2 of the placement subject to receipt of shareholder approval.

Looking forward

Roberts said: Consistent with our focus on advancing Bankan and commitment to our 100%-owned portfolio in Guinea, the company is also progressing its divestment strategy for non-core assets, with opportunities for its Burkina Faso and Cote DIvoire licences being progressed to minimise ongoing costs on those projects, whilst maintaining some exposure for shareholders.

We welcome new investors to the company as part of the placement and, once again, acknowledge the strong support received from many of our existing shareholders.
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Books by and about Indigenous people have been around for decades, but only in the last few years have these books drawn serious attention from all parts of the North American book business.

For instance, Rosemary Brosnan has published works by Indigenous authors for years, but it wasnt until this January that she had a permanent home when she and Cynthia Leitich Smith, who is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, cofounded Heartdrum, a new imprint of HarperCollins. Small presses that have published Indigenous books in the past have been able to add new subject areas to their lists as interest and saleshave grown.

These types of publishing initiatives have increased the overall title output of Indigenous works and given authors more opportunities to explore topics of particular interest to them.

The authors profiled below have something in commontheir books are about kids and teens finding, exploring, and coming to terms with their Native identities: coming-of-age journeys that will resonates with readers of many different backgrounds. And in another encouraging sign for the future of Indigenous publishing, the titles highlighted here come from major publishers. In addition to Heartdrum, these releases were published by Henry Holt, Puffin Canada, and Simon & Schuster. The marketing muscle of the big houses can only help spread the interest in Native works.

Cynthia Leitich Smith: Finding the Beat at Heartdrum

A citizen of Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma, Cynthia Leitich Smith is a prizewinning childrens and YA author whos been opening doorsand holding them openfor Indigenous writers for more than 20 years. Shes taking the next step this year as the author-curator of Heartdrum, a new imprint of HarperCollins Childrens Books focusing on Native and First Nation stories for kids and teens.

Published between 2000 and 2002, Smiths first three booksJingle Dancer, Indian Shoes, and Rain Is Not My Indian Namewere, she says, all quintessentially what youd call Native fiction for young readers. But following the advice of an early mentor who suggested she write what she loves to read, Smith shifted gears to speculative fiction, penning the successful Tantalize series and Feral trilogy. That allowed my inner geek to write magic and monsters, she says, while still integrating my core themes of social justice and gender empowerment.

The prolific author and teacher then returned to realistic fiction with her acclaimed young adult novel Hearts Unbroken and a middle grade anthology titled Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, one of Heartdrums inaugural titles. However, her love for fantasy still shines through in this summers Sisters of the Neversea, an Indigenous, girl-centered reinvention of Peter Pan.

When We Need Diverse Books cofounder Ellen Oh approached Smith about the possibility of establishing a childrens and YA Native imprint, she mulled it over and took the idea to Rosemary Brosnan at HarperCollins. Smith marvels: She was enthusiastic about the idea, and here we are!

Over the course of the next year, Smith laid the groundwork by choosing Heartdrums first listwhich includes The Sea in Winter by Christine Day (Upper Skagit)developing a logo with Inupiaq illustrator Nasugraq Rainey Hopson, and coming up with the imprints mission statement: to offer a wide range of innovative, unexpected, and heartfelt stories by Native creators, informed and inspired by lived experience, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes.

With Heartdrum up and running, Smith has hope for the future: I look forward, she says, to the day when new Native literary voices say that, growing up, they looked for the Heartdrum logo because it was a signal that they belonged in the world of books.

Angeline Boulley: Firekeepers Daughter Brings the Heat

Michigan-based Indigenous author Angeline Boulley brings an informed perspective and a clear goal to her writing for YA readers, after serving as the director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.

Too many schools rely on outdated and inaccurate resources that treat Indigenous peoples as a monolith of the past and without regard to specific tribes in the region, she says. I hope that my book, and others, provide educators with contemporary and tribal-specific stories that increase awareness and understanding of the lives of our Native students.

An enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians whose work features her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Boulley published her first YA novel, Firekeepers Daughter, in 2021.

I decided to write the Indigenous Nancy Drew novel that Id wanted to read, she says, a twisty thriller set in my tribal community.

Her decision paid off. The story of a perceptive Native teen who goes undercover to expose corruption in her town became a New York Times bestseller and a YA pick for Reese Witherspoons Hello Sunshine Book Club. Its also set to be turned into a Netflix project by former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground Productions.

A fan of Indigenous writer Louise Erdrichs intricate storytelling interwoven between families, communities, and generations, Boulley acknowledges that her main characters journey to find the truest version of herself and her place in the world is a common YA theme. But she admits to being surprised by the reaction of non-Native people who find familiarity within the identity struggles presented in the book.

And amid all her success, Boulley has a wish for her Native readers as well: I hope they feel seen and that I got a lot right in terms of representation.

David A. Robertson: Indigenous-Inspired YA Fantasy

I like to challenge myself, says prolific and versatile Canadian author David A. Robertson, whose works are aimed at a wide range of young readers. Ive gone from graphic novels to literary fiction to picture books to more graphic novels to young adult fiction to middle grade fiction to memoir and so on.

Storytelling seems to come naturally to Robertson, a Winnipeg resident and member of the Norway House Cree Nation. Its how he explored his Indigenous heritage. I learned through stories. Stories I heard and stories I read and people I met, he says. But mostly, it was just sitting down with my father and talking to him for an hour. And doing that a thousand times.

Robertson pays that knowledge forward through picture books like When We Were Alone, a gentle story about a young girl who learns that her grandmother was sent away to an Indian residential school as a child. The recipient of a 2017 Governor Generals Literary Award for that effort, Robertson decided to delve into a different genre in 2020, with The Barren Grounds, featuring a pair of Indigenous foster kids who find a secret portal into an icy land. Named a best book by Kirkus Reviews, NPR, the CBC, and the Centre for the Study

of Multicultural Childrens Literature, the middle grade Misewa Saga was inspired by Indigenous constellation and sky stories. Theres this rich, beautiful, powerful quality to our traditional stories, and the messages they share, says Robertson, who continues his novel series with the soon-to-be-released The Great Bear.

For Robertson, though, nothing beats the pure reaction he gets from his readers, Its been really humbling, and thrilling, to hear a few kids say that The Barren Grounds was their favorite book, he says. That means a lot, and it warms my heart. Reactions like that will stay with me forever.

Jesse Thistle: From the Ashes to Literary Success

Released in 2019, Jesse Thistles prizewinning memoir, From the Ashes, turned into a surprise hit, becoming the bestselling Canadian book by a Canadian author in 2020 and sending the Metis-Cree-Scot author on a wholly different path. Atria Books will be publishing the U.S. edition of From the Ashes on June 8. Change is too soft a word to describe how my life has been revolutionized, Thistle says. Hes now become an in-demand speaker, lecturer, and consultant on a variety of social issues. I guess thats the greatest thing thats happened: Im heard and valued. Rarities for Indigenous people.

His story is that much more remarkable for the challenges he faced, which include homelessness, addiction, and incarceration. Thistle discovered a love of reading during a 2007 stint in jail and began to soak up writing techniques by greats like Hemingway and Voltaire. I focused on how they told their stories, he says, and how, through simple language, they captured the readers mind with the fewest words.

He was later introduced to Metis authors. I discovered that they had similar stories to my family, Thistle says. Maria Campbells Halfbreed was the book that changed everything for me. It details how our Michif people have been dispossessed since 1885, when Canada went to war with us and stole our lands after the Northwest Resistance.

They say great writing always involves tension and drama, Thistle says. I cannot think of a more resistant and dramatic story than an Indigenous person whos been stripped of everythingfamily, love, safety, well-being, connection, land, home, cultureliving and dreaming and loving their way back to their people.

His research as a PhD candidate in the history program at York University in Toronto focuses on intergenerational and historic trauma among the Metis people, and he recognizes the themes of grief, destruction, cultural conditioning, dispossession, racism, and more in works by Native authors. But, he says, alongside those run the concurrent realities of joy, belonging, fellowship, reconnection, reclamation, Indigenous sovereignty, andmost importantlylove.

Christine Day: Inaugural Heartdrum Author

Inspired by her own family history, Christine Days debut novel, I Can Make This Promise, about a young girl coming to terms with her Indigenous heritage, was met with wide praise. Kirkus Reviews called it enlightening and a must-read for anyone interested in issues surrounding identity and adoption... Day (Upper Skagit) handles family separation in Native America with insight and grace.

Day says she made a deliberate choice to write her first book for a middle grade audience. I think of Madeleine L'Engle's iconic quote, she says.  You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.  That advice seems to have worked well, as I Can Make This Promise is not only an American Indian Youth Literature Award honoree but was named a best book of the year by the Chicago Public Library, Kirkus, NPR, and School Library Journal.

Day is also an accomplished historical storyteller whose thesis on Coast Salish weaving traditions earned her a master's degree from the University of Washington, and whose latest book, a biography of Osage ballerina Maria Tallchief, is part of a new series inspired by Chelsea Clintons New York Times bestseller, She Persisted. Day says, I would love to do more biographical and nonfiction work. I had a lot of fun writing and researching Marias life story. That said, shes excited that her sophomore novel happens to be one of Heartdrums inaugural titles. The Sea in Winter is an emotional and engaging story of a Native American girl facing tough times after an injury ends her dream of being a dancer. This imprint is an example of Indigenous leadership and creativity in action, Day says. And the joy and solidarity between Heartdrum authors is a palpable force. We are all so nerdy and passionate about kids' books. It's awesome.
Reconciling the Past with the Present: Spotlight on Andrew Aydin

The National Book Awardwinning team behind March, the bestselling graphic history of the civil rights struggle told from the perspective of the late Georgia congressman John Lewis, is back with a sequel.

In Run: Book One, which publishes in August from Abrams ComicArts, New York Timesbestselling author Andrew Aydin and celebrated illustrator Nate Powelljoined by illustrator L. Fury continue the story of Lewiss life and the backlash seen across the United States after the voting rights campaign in Selma, Ala.

We decided to make Run because of what we saw happening in the world, says Aydin, who is a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award honoree, a Printz Award winner, a Sibert Medal winner, a Walter Dean Myers Award winner, a two-time Eisner Award winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. The backlash to change can too easily be forgotten. To read March and see it through todays lens, its important to understand how strong and how fast the backlash was to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. We are still living through that backlash today.

Aydin says the team titled the book Run because of Lewiss life. First you march, then you run, Aydin says. First he was

a dedicated young activist putting his life on the line, then he became a public servant. But in that time, John Lewis had to pick himself back up and rebuild his life. Its a book about loss, and change, and what happened after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law. Its a guide for young people, and necessary history for everyone struggling to reconcile our past with where we are today.

Perhaps no one can sum up the books mission better than Lewis. In sharing my story, Lewis said in a statement about the book before his death in 2020, it is my hope that a new generation will be inspired by Run to actively participate in the democratic process and help build a more perfect union here in America.

Pulp Fiction: Spotlight on Ed Brubaker

To say that Ed Brubaker is on a roll lately would be something of an understatement. The acclaimed comics writer has nabbed five best writer Eisner and Harvey Awards in the last 10 years. Working with his longtime collaborator, the artist Sean Phillips, Brubaker has released bestsellers such as Criminal, Incognito, Fatale, The Fade Out, and the Reckless series.

The second volume in that series, Friend of the Devil, published in May from Image Comics and follows ex-FBI agent and current private eye Ethan Reckless as he mourns his father, investigates the disappearance of a missing woman, and exposes a seedy and sinister side of Hollywood.

The book received a glowing review from PW, which praised the bruising second entry in Brubaker and Phillipss bloody-knuckled

L.A. noir series for its sharp cultural references, bone-deep knowledge of the Southland, and pulsing through line of righteous heroism [that] will make readers eager for Ethans next reluctant adventure.

Of all the characters hes created, Brubaker lists Ethan Reckless in the top three. Ethan is one part private eye, one part repo man, and one part wrecking ball, Brubaker told PW earlier this year. Hes a surf bum in Venice Beach who lives and works out of an old movie theater a client paid him with. And he only takes cases that are interesting to him, or appeal to his sense of justice, regardless of how much money is being offered.

When asked how he creates the atmosphere of a vintage crime story in his work, Brubaker told PW that the idea for the Reckless books sprang from the 1960s and 70s pulp paperback era, with its lurid painted covers. I wanted to try our hand at that kind of recurring pulp hero character, he says. I also wanted to lean into the pulp somewhat and let the violence be a bit more over-the-top. Above all, it was about trying to have more fun and create a character that would live through the times I grew up in, as this kind of troublemaker for hire.

Empowering African Creatives and Storytelling: Spotlight on Roye Okupe

In 2012, Roye Okupe, an award-winning filmmaker, author, speaker, and entrepreneur originally from Lagos, Nigeria, leveraged his passion for comics and animation to create YouNeek Studios. Under that umbrella, Okupe wrote, produced, and directed several animated productions including the critically acclaimed animated short MalikaWarrior Queen.

Now Okupe, whose work has been featured on CNN and NBC and in Forbes, the New York Times, and the Guardian, is teaming with Dark Horse Comics to create the YouNeek YouNiverse, a connected world of African-inspired superhero and fantasy stories.

What we are trying to do over the next few years is create a compelling and immersive universe with our own twist, Okupe said in a statement. The YouNeek YouNiverse is a massive, interconnected universe of sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero content spread across multiple timelines with stories told from an African perspective.

This fall, Okupe is releasing a trio of graphic novels. In September, YouNeek will publish Malika: Warrior Queen, which follows the adventures of queen and military commander Malika, who struggles to keep the peace in the empire of Azzaz. The book was written by Okupe and illustrated by Chima Kalu. Also publishing in September is Iyanu: Child of Wonderwritten by Okupe and illustrated by Godwin Akpanabout a teenage orphan who discovers she has abilities that rival those of ancient deities and will save a world on the brink of destruction. And in October, YouNeek will publish E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams. Written by Okupe and illustrated by Sunkanmi Akinboye, the book tells the story of Wale Williams, the son of a famous scientistand a tech-savvy superhero known as E.X.O.who must try to save Lagoon City from extremists.

Okupe admits his goals for YouNeek Studios are ambitious, but he stresses they certainly arent impossible. With this monumental partnership with Dark Horse and the impeccable history, support, and infrastructure they bring to the table, he said in a statement, we will finally be able to achieve our ultimate goal: create, for a global audience, content that empowers African creatives and storytelling.

A Different Kind of Fantasy: Spotlight on Brandon Sanderson

For his fans, Brandon Sanderson is synonymous with the fantasy genre. A #1 New York Times bestseller and Hugo Award winner, Sanderson is an acclaimed fantasy author whose books have been translated into more than 35 languages. He is best known for such classic works as the Mistborn trilogy, the epic fantasy saga The Stormlight Archive, and The Reckoners trilogy.

But in May, Sanderson stepped out of his comfort zone and published his debut graphic novel, Dark One, with Vault Comics. The book, written with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, illustrated by Nathan C. Gooden, and colored by Kurt Michael Russell, follows the adventures of Paul Tanasin, a 17-year-old haunted by dark visions he initially believes to be hallucinations. But soon Paul discovers that his visions are prophecies from a world called Mirandus, and that he is destined to become a fearsome destroyer and rise up as the Dark One.

According to Sanderson, Dark One, which Kirkus hailed as a dramatically dark fantasy that will leave readers eager for the sequel, was his first book that didnt want to be a prose novel. After five false starts, it came to life when I imagined how it would be if the pictures I had in my mind were actual pictures, Sanderson said in a statement in 2018. And then all of a sudden, in a couple weeks, a full and rich outline came together.

And Sanderson says one of the things he enjoys most about being an author is experiencing the vision and beauty that artists apply to his work when interpreting it for a visual medium. Dark One is the culmination of years of work on my part to create something new, different, and interesting in the fantasy spaceand Im extremely pleased at how it turned out, he says. Its a melding of my worldbuilding and the storytelling skill of a talented team over at Vault Comics. It turned out better than I ever hoped, and I am extremely proud of the project as a whole. I hope everyone will enjoy seeing into one of my worlds in a new and interesting way.
Magic, Mischief, and Heartbreak: Spotlight on Dhonielle Clayton

Dhonielle Clayton has been very busy. The New York Timesbestselling author of The Belles series, Clayton is coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, which was adapted as a hit Netflix original series, and author of the forthcoming middle grade fantasy series The Marvellers.

Clayton is also the COO of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, a grassroots organization working for increased racial diversity in books for children and young readers, and the owner of CAKE Literary, a creative kitchen specializing in decadent literary confections.

And if that werent enough, Clayton is preparing for the October release of Shattered Midnight (Disney Hyperion), the second novel in the Mirror series, an innovative four-book fairy tale that follows one familyand the curse that plagues itover several generations. The series starter, Broken Wish, was written by Julie C. Dao. The final two books in the series are forthcoming from J.C. Cervantes and L. L. McKinney.

In Shattered Midnight, Zora Broussard finds herself in 1920s New Orleans with a beautiful singing voice, a pair of enchanted red shoes, and otherwise little more than the clothes on her back. Zora is on the run from a tragic accident caused by her magic and wants nothing more than to blend in and be rid of the powers that make her a targetespecially as a Black woman in the South.

Shattered Midnight is one piece of a unique story puzzle with the Mirror series following behind the uber-talented Julie C. Daos Broken Wish, Clayton says. The 1920s in New Orleans was a peculiar place to write a fantasy story full of magic, mischief, and heartbreak, but it provided an interesting and exciting challenge to dive into history not often seen and infuse it with magic.

Dismantling Racial Oppression: Spotlight on Crystal Marie Fleming

Crystal Marie Fleming never planned on becoming a YA author. A critical race sociologist, internationally recognized expert on racism and anti-racism, and professor of sociology and Africana studies at SUNY Stony Brook, Flemings first two books were Resurrecting Slavery: Racial Legacies and White Supremacy in France and the primer How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide.

And while her third book, the YA title Rise Up! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy (Oct.), may seem like a bit of a departure, Fleming says her agent, Michael Bourret, probably had in mind something for young readers when they started working together.

The project is really the brainchild of Brian Geffen, my editor at Henry Holt for Young Readers, who asked me to consider writing a book about racism and anti-racism for teens, Fleming says. He knew about my scholarship and writing on white supremacy and envisioned a primer on the history and ongoing realities of racial oppression that would also highlight the work of organizations and advocates who have been working toward justice and equity for centuries.

Fleming says shes excited to bring scholarly insights about racism to young audiences and to inspire young readers to view themselves as change agents. I think whats unique about Rise Up! is that it presents youth with a very honest appraisal of our nations history as well as an in-depth understanding of white supremacy as a system of power, she says. That structural understandingwhich combines historical and sociological analysisis really key to dismantling racial oppression.

Another of the books unique features is the depth of research and further reading thats integrated into the text. There are nearly 80 endnotes, Fleming says. I took the research very seriously, not only because Im an academic, but because I want readers to have a plethora of resources to sustain their anti-racism journey for the long haul.

Plague Does Not Play Favorites: Spotlight on Makiia Lucier

Makiia Lucier didnt plan on writing a plague novel during a global pandemic. It just sort of happened that way.

I have always been fascinated by plaguewhich is a strange thing to admit, I knowmostly because plague does not play favorites, says Lucier, whose novels have appeared on best-book lists from IndieBound, the American Booksellers Association, and the American Library Association. Plague does not care if youre rich or poor, Black or white, a nice person or a rotten person. Plague can happen to anyone.

The result of Luciers fascination is the romantic standalone fantasy Year of the Reaperout in November from HMH Books for Young Readerswhich was written before the Covid-19 pandemic. I found myself curious about the aftermath of plague, and the Black Death of the 14th century in particular, says Lucier, who grew up on the Pacific island of Guam. What happened to the survivors, to those forced to carry on?

In Year of the Reaper, enemy soldiers ambush Lord Cassia, an engineers apprentice on a royal mission. And when a plague devastates the kingdom, Cas winds up in a prison cell at the mercy of an unrelenting illness. When Cas finally returns home, three long years later, everything has changed. But when an assassin begins targeting allies of the queen, Cas must hunt down the killer before its too late.

Lucier, who lives with her family in North Carolina, is also the author of A Death-Struck Year, a novel set in Portland Ore., during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918; Isle of Blood and Stone, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly; and Song of the Abyss, which Kirkus calls a delightful romantic adventure flavored with ancient legends and salty ocean lore.

And given the prepublication buzz for Year of the Reaper, Luciers fans should be delighted. Juliet Marillier, author of the popular Blackthorn & Grim and Warrior Bards series, calls the book a beautifully crafted novel containing everything I love in an epic fantasy: complex characters and relationships,excellent worldbuilding, and a compelling story full of twists and turns.

The Book of My Heart: Spotlight on Shanna Miles

Shanna Miles calls her debut novel, For All Time (Sept.), the book of her heart because it blends genre and history, two things the author loves to experiment with. Through the lens of a teen romance, Miles says, readers follow two kids of color as they meet and fall for one another across multiple lifetimes and periods in history.

In the genre-bending YA novel, Tamar and Fayard relive their tragic love story again and again. The pair has lived thousands of liveswatching the world rise and falland with each new life, there is a single constant: their love and fight to be together. Despite innumerable lives, Tamar and Fayard never learn how their story ends. But, when they finally learn how to break their cycle, will they be able to make the sacrifice?

Miles, who holds a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina and a masters degree in library media from Georgia State University, feels the novel will help bring much-needed diversity to books for young adult readers. As a school librarian Ive been searching for more teen romance featuring kids of color, she says. And theres nothing more exciting than discussing history and diversity in YA with readers, writers, and librarians.

And Krista Vitola, a senior editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, says that For All Time will appeal to fans of the Outlander series, The Sun Is Also a Star, and An Ember in the Ashes. Part romance, part historical fiction, part speculative, this teen novel is an epic story about two young adults whose love knows no bounds, Vitola said in a statement. Its unlike any novel Ive read before, and we are certain Tamar and Fayards relationship across the ages will sweep readers away.
The Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research (CILMAR) has chosen the 2021 recipients of its Vision Award. The honorees are Laura Starr, director for experiential learning and student success in the College of Science, and Virginia Cabrera, assistant director of orientation programs for Student Success Programs.

The vision of CILMAR is an inclusive and interculturally proficient Purdue community that moves the world forward," says CILMAR director Kris Acheson-Clair. "Our staff strives to support intercultural learning, inclusive teaching, and belongingness across campus, especially with innovations in the curriculum and co-curriculum. Each year as we celebrate the history of our center, we pause to honor visionaries whose collaborative efforts make our mission possible. These Boilermakers not only share our vision, they embody it in all that they do.

According to her nominators, Starr was chosen for her long-term efforts with innovative study abroad and co-curricular programs in the College of Science, as well as more recent success incorporating intercultural learning and assessment into the new Learn-to-Be first-year course. Acheson-Clair said that Starrs course serves as a model of intercultural learning and assessment for other colleges wanting to embed intercultural learning into their curricula.

Starr has been recognized for her work with innovative study abroad programs such as Science, Invention and Culture in Spain and Morocco and peer learning opportunities such as the Global Science Partnerships Learning Community and the Global Dialogues group she mentors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved programs online and was even able to expand her reach by embedding virtual intercultural learning modules and the Beliefs, Events and Values Inventory into the first-year science courses this past year.

Cabrera was chosen for her long-term commitment to CILMAR's mission as well as large-scale impact. Several years ago, Cabrera began to integrate formative assessment and personal development plans using the Intercultural Development Inventory into Boiler Gold Rush leader training.

In higher education, we tend to focus on the classroom more so than the important ways that Student Success and Student Life contribute to the belongingness and skill-building of the campus community, said Acheson-Clair. The award committee wanted to honor Cabrera's accomplishments in this area, but even more so to acknowledge her passion and belief in the possibility of a more inclusive and interculturally competent Purdue.

Her nominators noted that Cabrera has exercised responsiveness to times that challenge students' resilience. In the past year, she organized online focus groups and spaces where more than 700 students reflected on their identities and reacted to current events such as the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others. Meanwhile, her work embedding intercultural learning and assessment at all levels of support programs for incoming students continues despite the move to virtual spaces for many peer interactions. Cabrera also has exhibited visionary leadership within the Steps to Leaps program by pursuing and then sharing new expertise.
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels and Nathan Peercy from Cupertino, California, who graduated Saturday (May 15) from the College of Science, drive around Ross-Ade Stadium on the couch cart. The cart delivered Daniels to the speakers platform for Saturdays commencement ceremony. (Purdue University photo/Rebecca McElhoe)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University celebrated the Class of 2021 with a special in-person ceremony on Saturday (May 15) at Ross-Ade Stadium.

The ceremony was for all undergraduate candidates (all schools and colleges), professional candidates (Doctor of Audiology, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Doctor of Pharmacy) and masters degree candidates. There were 4,679 undergraduate candidates, 213 professional candidates and 612 masters candidates who can now call themselves Purdue alumni.

In his keynote address to graduates, Purdue President Mitch Daniels talked about Boilermakers place as bold leaders and how their experiences at Purdue, particularly in navigating the pandemic as they completed their education, prepared them.

The Graduate School will have its Ph.D. ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday (May 16) at Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music for 198 doctoral candidates. Purdue Provost Jay Akridge will speak at that ceremony.

During Saturdays event in Ross-Ade, Purdue awarded two honorary doctorates. Greg Hayes, chief executive officer of Raytheon Technologies Corp., and Jack Calhoun, senior advisor at McKinsey & Co., were the two recipients.

Hayes received his honorary degree from the Krannert School of Management. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management from the School of Management in 1982.

Calhoun received his honorary from the College of Health and Human Sciences. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in technology from Purdue in 1987. He serves as chair of the Student Life Advisory Council at Purdue.

Purdue also recognized several top students who were recipients of the universitys highest awards during the 2020-21 academic year. Alexandra Sasha Kipnis was this years recipient of the Flora Roberts Award. Zachary Marshall received this years G.A. Ross Award.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 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 https://purdue.edu/.

Writers, media contacts: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), @mo_oates; Jim Bush, 765-366-1909 (cell), @PurdueUnivNews

Source: Chris Pass

Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines:

Campus is open, but the number of people in spaces may be limited. We will be as accommodating as possible, but you may be asked to step out or report from another location.

To enable access, particularly to campus buildings, we recommend you contact the Purdue News Service media contact listed on the release to let them know the nature of the visit and where you will be visiting. A News Service representative can facilitate safe access and may escort you on campus.

Correctly wear face masks inside any campus building, and correctly wear face masks outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible.

Photos to come

Related stories:

Planning for Purdues commencement: Additional details released for upcoming ceremonies

Purdues top students to be recognized during 2021 commencement

Purdue to bestow 2 honorary doctorates during spring commencement

Purdue commencement team releases initial details for May ceremonies
A visitor holds an American flag as he drives past Mitchell Hall at the Indiana Veterans' Home in the 2020 Indiana Veterans' Home Parade.
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Craft designation is an important achievement for the company and is for a select few craft cannabis products that meet the criteria to qualify and are available for Ontario consumers.

s ( ) (FRA:1X8) wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary Mernova Medicinal Inc has become one of a select group of cannabis producers to be awarded Craft Designation by the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS).

Craft designation is for a select few craft cannabis products that meet the criteria to qualify and are available for Ontario consumers.

This designation is an important achievement for Mernova and will provide broader visibility in a competitive market while also highlighting the quality of Mernovas products.

The OCS is a crown agency solely owned by the Ontario province and it reports directly to the Ministry of Finance.

It is the provinces only retailer and wholesaler of legal recreational cannabis and has created a specific category for craft cannabis products available to consumers in Ontario.

Validation of hard work

Mernovas managing director Jack Yu said: Our focus has always been on quality over all else and being awarded OCS Craft Designation is a direct result of this strategy.

To be one of the only companies to be awarded OCS Craft Designation in Ontario is a major validation of the hard work and effort put in by our operations team, and the resulting artisanal quality of our products.

We do things the right way, combining science and artisanal methods to produce some of the finest cannabis available.

Strong sales growth

The company continues to achieve strong sales growth across Ontario and currently its HPG13, Lemon Haze and Clementine Punch strains are sold out across multiple dispensaries in the province.

Ontario represents a large addressable market for Creso Pharma as the province is one of the largest recreational cannabis markets in Canada and Mernova expects ongoing growth through the region.

Yu said: We are continuing to witness strong sales growth across all provinces, which is a testament to the quality of our products.

We will continue to work with dispensaries and distributors on a province-by-province basis, in a push to maximise sales.

Ritual Green products

Ritual Green products are available to more than 600 stores in Ontario and available to the public directly through the OCS online sales platform (https://ocs.ca/).

The companys management is continuing to monitor potential patterns and shifts in the distribution of cannabis in Ontario and is ready to adjust as necessary.

Yu said: We are confident that this new category will help further differentiate us from the competition, enhance our brand, and provide increased brand exposure and brand awareness, which should result in much broader visibility within the market.

We dont compromise on quality, and were becoming recognized within the industry because of it.
Inspired by Helene Turstens best-selling novels, the series (5 x 90, 10 x 45), centres around Katarina Huss, an ambitious new graduate of Swedens police academy, who is drawn into a tangled web of corruption and betrayal.Based in Gothenburg where Katarinas mother, Irene Huss, is the deputy Chief of Police, the young police officer struggles to be accepted by her colleagues. As she familiarises herself with the surrounding tough neighbourhoods, Katerina soon realises that the squad she has been assigned to harbours a secret, something to do with the violent riots that occurred in the city. The underlying discontent with the leadership and her temporary promotion creates further tension that escalates as the young police officer finds out her mother is part of the cover-up.The series is produced by Daniel Gylling (BBCs Wallander) and directed by Jorgen Bergmark (Grey Zone, Beck) who is also the co-writer with Peter Lindblom, whose work includes the Swedish Wallander series. Katarina Huss is played by Swedish actress, playwright and director, Karin Franz Korlof (The Wife, The Restaurant), who was honoured by the Berlinale with the European Shooting Star award (2017). ZDF Enterprises is a co-producer of the series along with leading Nordic drama firm Viaplay , Discovery and German broadcaster ZDF. ZDF Enterprises retaining international distribution rights. Commenting on the production, Robert Franke, vice president ZDFE.drama, ZDF Enterprises, said: We are excited to be part of this major new drama, a complex thriller that has a fantastic array of talent behind it. There is a huge appetite in the market for procedural crime series which makes HUSS a key title in our scripted slate.
Today

Periods of rain. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.

Tonight

Rain likely. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.

Tomorrow

Showers in the morning, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. High around 80F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Berks County

Masking guidance requires balancing

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The company is targeting development of the West Kalkaroo gold open pit this year, subject to a final investment decision, obtaining financing and final South Australian Government approvals.

The company has initiated discussions with possible mining contractors and project financiers.

( ) (FRA:FWL) is progressing towards near-term gold production at its large-scale Kalkaroo copper-gold-cobalt deposit in north-eastern South Australia, near Broken Hill.

The companys priority focus has been on advancing several key tasks required to commence production from the West Kalkaroo open pit gold mine, including:

Infill drilling which intersected widespread copper and gold mineralisation;

Progressing the program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR) document;

Advancing the design of the process flow sheet; and

Generating a preliminary financial model.

Advancing towards development in 2021

Havilah technical director Dr Chris Giles said: The Kalkaroo project has progressed considerably since the beginning of the year in accordance with our indicative timeline for West Kalkaroo project activities.

Infill resource drilling continues to demonstrate good continuity of mineralisation at consistent copper and gold grades.

We have engaged with several possible contractors and project financiers with the view to seeking suitable arrangements while waiting for PEPR document feedback and approval.

Preliminary financial modelling for the West Kalkaroo gold open pit indicates robust returns for a modest capital outlay and should allow a substantial debt financing component.

Our priority objective remains advancing the West Kalkaroo gold open pit towards development during 2021, subject to a final investment decision by the Havilah board, obtaining financing and final South Australian Government approvals.

Infill drilling

Several infill reverse circulation (RC) drill holes have been completed along strike of the proposed West Kalkaroo open pit to improve confidence in the continuity of mineralisation with the results to be used in future mine planning studies.

Widespread copper and gold mineralisation was intersected in most drill holes, with grades and widths of mineralisation very typical of the Kalkaroo deposit, including 17 metres at 2.24 g/t gold from 110-127 metres (native copper zone) and 46 metres of 0.49% copper from 110-156 metres (native copper zone and chalcocite zone).

The low-grade base of tertiary gold mineralisation was also extended by shallow aircore drilling within or adjacent to the proposed West Kalkaroo open pit.

In addition, six sterilisation holes have been completed in the vicinity of the planned locations of key infrastructure, including the processing plant, tailings storage facility and waste dump, to ensure that they will not be built too close to potentially economic mineralisation.

PEPR progress

The PEPR document, which is the final permitting approval required for commencement of mining, was submitted to the Department for Energy and Mining (DEM) during March 2021.

To date, Havilah has had no feedback other than in relation to the calculation methodology of the rehabilitation bond, which the company is in the process of addressing.

Location of drillhole cross-section line A-B and the planned West Kalkaroo gold open pit outline (blue) which is being advanced towards development (if feasible) during 2021, subject to receipt of required approvals and financing.

Process flow sheet

A process flow sheet design is well advanced, with further refinement in equipment selection.

The process plant has been designed to treat the soft oxidised and clayey ore material and would recover coarser gold and native copper (greater than 50 microns grain size) by gravity methods.

The finer gold would be recovered via a conventional cyanide leach circuit.

Notably, a positive feature of the Kalkaroo deposit is that while there is a high proportion of sub-10 micron saprolite gold ore material, there is very little gold in this size fraction which raises the possibility of rejection of a large mass of the very fine clayey material prior to leaching - effectively increasing the leaching circuit ore throughput.

The process flow sheet is currently being validated by laboratory tests.

Robust financial model

The preliminary financial model for the West Kalkaroo gold open pit is based on detailed open pit designs and ore mining schedules developed by Havilahs experienced senior mine planning engineer Richard Buckley.

This model is being integrated with the projected extensions of the initial gold open pit designs that will merge with the eventual large-scale copper sulphide mining operation.

A financial model will be released in the near term when more precise mining and plant construction costs have been obtained and the model has been reviewed.

Given the preliminary indicated robust economics of the gold mining operation at current spot gold prices, the company intends to seek maximum project debt financing to avoid dilution of its 100% Kalkaroo project equity (and currently free of external non-government royalty or streaming obligations) and also to minimise shareholder dilution via a large capital raising.

Forecast copper demand

The Kalkaroo copper-gold-cobalt deposit contains JORC mineral resources of 1.1 million tonnes of copper, 3.1 million ounces of gold and 23,200 tonnes of cobalt and has an open pit JORC ore reserve of 100.1 million tonnes at a 0.89% copper equivalent - of which 90% is in the proved category.

This makes it one of the largest undeveloped open pit copper-gold deposits in Australia on a copper equivalent ore reserve basis.

The Kalkaroo project pre-feasibility study (PFS) results released almost two years ago showed an estimated pre-tax NPV7.5% of A$564 million and IRR of 26% at USD2.89/pound copper, US$1,200/ounce gold, A$:US$0.75  with the Kalkaroo projects net present value (NPV) highly sensitive to copper and gold metal prices.

Notably, the spot copper price has had a remarkable rise of over 30% since December 2020 which has resulted in an upward adjustment to the long-term consensus copper price to USD3.50/pound (according to Consensus Economics Inc).

With low sovereign risk, advanced, large-scale open pit copper-gold development opportunities like Kalkaroo are rare at a time when renewable energy and electric vehicles are adding to the demand for copper and with copper prices breaching US$10,000/tonne (USD4.53/pound).

In addition, South Australias mining-friendly government and enforcement of worlds best practice ESG (environmental, social and governance) regulations means the Kalkaroo project ticks all boxes as a potential future source of ethical copper (and potentially cobalt).
There are three and only three ways to organize an economy. All others are merely combinations and permutations of the big three.

One of them is socialism, defined as complete government ownership of the means of production. The state owns, controls and manages the airlines, steel mills, factories, farms, mines, schools, media, etc. Oh, you can keep your toothbrush, underwear and maybe even a bicycle and possibly a private vehicle, but cannot use any of these possessions for commercial purposes. The USSR, Cuba, North Korea, Eastern Europe, China, all tried that system, and we all know how that worked out.

Another is economic fascism. Here, there is a veneer of private ownership. Krupp, Stuka, BMW, Volkswagon were all privately owned under Nazism, but that was in name only. These means of production were so heavily regulated that for all intents and purposes they might as well have been owned by government instead of indirectly managed by this institution. The U.S. economy is more fascist than socialist, since apart from roads, parks, waterways, schools, libraries, museums, vast tracts of land, it directly owns little else. Rather, it engages in heavy and intrusive regulation.

The third is of course laissez faire capitalism, where the marketplace reigns supreme. In moderate versions thereof, there is some government ownership and control, but very little. The closest examples include the five Tigers in general, Hong Kong (pre-Chinese takeover), and Singapore in particular, and elements of past U.K and U.S. experience. Greed is good is celebrated. Empirical correlations of economic freedom and prosperity demonstrate that the wealth of nations can best be maximized under such a system.

There are several combinations of the aforementioned that are of interest. For example, Bernie Sanders is not really a socialist. He does not call for massive nationalizations of industry. Rather, he is an economic fascist and combines that with a strong emphasis on redistributing everything not fully tied down, and even that, from rich to poor. He thinks the Scandinavian countries exemplars of socialism, but they are amongst the nations most closely associated with free enterprise. They are in the top quintile, and often even in the top decile, of those with the greatest amount of economic freedom in empirical measures.

Yet another permutation is the public-private partnership. This unholy alliance combines, wait for it, out and out socialism with fascism. One commentator goes so far as to call for the building of governmental infrastructure with private cash. Advocates of PPP do not seem to realize that this is a variety of economic fascism coupled with elements of socialism. The public part of this amalgamation of course exemplifies government ownership. But the private part is by no means an aspect of capitalism. Rather, the private investors are acting in the role of junior partners of the state apparatus, to be regulated and controlled. The true free marketeer does not move in the direction of government. He takes exactly the opposite route, as does the vampire flee from the cross.

Unhappily, even some who favor economic freedom have fallen for the snare and delusion of PPP. Instead of calling for the privatization of infrastructure, the Bipartisan Policy Center advocates cooperation between these two very different institutions, one based on compulsion, the other not. The National Highway Traffic Administration and the Department of Transportation preside over a road system that kills some 40,000 people per year. Are we to encourage private interests to pour money down that particular rate hole? Far better would be a radical restructuring of this entire system.
The more we learn about the true dimensions of the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, the worse it is. Now, a new report says that in the last few months U.S. authorities have encountered illegal border crossers not just from Mexico, or the Northern Triangle countries, but from 160 nations around the globe. People are coming to Mexico from the most distant spots on the planet in order to cross illegally into the United States, confident that President Joe Biden will let them stay. And Biden is doing just that.
Good morning, its Monday, May 17, 2021. Forty-eight years ago today, the American people were riveted by a spectacle that would result in the end of a presidency. With North Carolina Democrat Samuel J. Ervin Jr. presiding and Tennessee Republican Howard H. Baker Jr. serving as co-chairman, the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities commenced its much-anticipated public hearings.

Sam Ervins record on race relations wouldnt fully pass muster today: 76 years old at the time of the Watergate hearings, he was a product of his time in a segregated South. But Ervin had served his country nobly in World War I and had the combat citations and Purple Heart to prove it. He had been among the leaders in the 1954 Senate move to censure Joseph McCarthy.

The televised hearings he chaired, complemented by a special prosecutors investigation, the sentencing of a cast of burglars by Judge John J. Sirica, the work of a Washington grand jury, and reporting by the Washington Post and other news organizations -- along with a probe by the House Judiciary Committee -- all would culminate in the resignation of Richard M. Nixon.

In a moment, Ill have a brief word on one enduring lesson from that national crucible. First, Id point you to RCPs front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors:

* * *

Infrastructure Isnt a Partisan Issue -- Its an American Issue. Chris Spear and Ian Jefferies argue that a user-funded pay-for could breach the divide in Congress over President Bidens proposal.

Wolf Politicizes PA Amendment Process Ahead of Primary. Kyle Sammin spotlights the lack of neutral language the governors administration has used in referendum questions that would curb his emergency powers.

Pat McCrorys N.C. Resurgence a Loss for Cancel Culture. Erich J. Prince outlines the former governors strategy in running for Senate.

RCP Takeaway. In the latest podcast episode, Greg Orman joins Andy Walworth, Tom Bevan and me in discussing the implications of CDC guidance on mask wearing and Bidens economic relief efforts.

Securing Freedom by Multiplying Associations. Peter Berkowitz considers a call for microlateralism in foreign policy to address Chinas aggressive actions.

Convicted Former Congressman Gets $55K Annual Pension. At RealClearPolicy, Adam Andrzejewski of OpenTheBooks reports on the legal loopholes that allow Chaka Fattah to retire on the government dime despite being sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016.

Socialism Is Not What You Think. Neither Is Fascism. At RealClearMarkets, Walter Block offers a short course on the three basic ways to organize an economy.

Can Americans Remain Both Ignorant and Free? RealClearScience editor Ross Pomeroy reminds readers of Thomas Jeffersons admonition regarding freedom, which he called the first-born daughter of science.

Wesleyan Cracks Down on Single-Sex Greek Life. At RealClearEducation, John Hirschauer has the story.

When Students Cheat. Also at RCEd, former congressman Todd Tiahrt examines the impact of online cheating tools such as the website Chegg.

* * *

We are beginning these hearings today in an atmosphere of utmost gravity, Senate committee Chairman Sam Ervin intoned on this date 48 years ago. The questions that have been raised in the wake of the June 17 break-in strike at the very undergirding of our democracy. If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate were in effect breaking into the home of every citizen of the United States. If these allegations prove to be true, what they were seeking to steal was not the jewels, money or other property of American citizens, but something much more valuable -- their most precious heritage, the right to vote in a free election.

When it was his turn to speak, Howard Baker was less dramatic (although he was flanked by a Republican committee lawyer with a theatrical flair: future actor and senator Fred Thompson). Acknowledging Ervins main point -- that the integrity of the political process had been called into question -- the Tennessee Republican emphasized that the committee was not a court or a jury and was not impaneled to pass judgment on the guilt, or innocence of anyone. Its task, Baker said, was to find the facts and assemble those facts into a coherent and intelligible presentation and to make recommendations to the Congress for any changes in statute law or the basic charter document of the United States, that may seem indicated.

Today, Baker isnt remembered for that anodyne opening statement, but rather for a question he posed to former White House counsel John Dean during the proceedings: What did the president know and when did he know it?

Initially, it seemed that this was as much of a defense of Nixon as it was a damning line of inquiry. At the outset of the hearings, Baker was considered by the White House to be an ally, and not without reason: Three months earlier, he had met privately with Nixon and advised the president on how the hearings would unfold.

But Bakers searing question is remembered today because it underscores two essential traits of any congressional oversight that are in short supply on Capitol Hill today. The first is a willingness to follow the facts wherever they lead, irrespective of which political party stands to gain. The second, a condition of the first, is that the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities was truly bipartisan, in both the letter and spirit of that concept.

Carl M. Cannon

Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics

@CarlCannon (Twitter)

ccannon@realclearpolitics.com
Preparations for the spud of the Kurrajong 1 conventional oil exploration well are well advanced with the construction of the drilling pad nearing completion.

Buru Energy and partner Origin Energy will drill two major exploration wells in the Canning Basin this year.

Buru Energy Limited ( ) (OTCMKTS:BRNGF) (FRA:BUD) directors have demonstrated their confidence in the companys oil & gas strategy with the purchase of shares in on-market transactions.

Non-executive director Malcolm King acquired 66,600 shares at 15 cents per share on May 14 in an indirect interest, marking his first purchase in the company.

Executive chairman Eric Streitberg purchased 200,000 shares on May 14 at the same price, increasing the number of securities held to more than 21.42 million shares.

On May 17 independent non-executive director Robert Willes acquired 60,000 shares at 15.5 cents per share in an indirect interest, increasing the total of securities in that interest to 192,000.

Exploration program set for mid-June

The company is on track to begin a major exploration drilling program at the Canning Basin joint venture with ( ) targeting total mean prospective resources of 97 million barrels of conventional oil.

Drill site preparations for the Kurrajong 1 well are expected to be completed later this week with the drilling pad nearing completion.

The Ensign 963 rig will be used for the well with the first rig loads scheduled to leave its current drilling site in the Northern Territory on May 24.

JV with Origin Energy

Buru Energy is operating two major exploration wells in the Canning Basin this year - Kurrajong 1 and Rafael 1 - in a 50/50 joint venture with Origin Energy.

The company will be carried by Origin for the first $16 million of the associated well costs.

Kurrajong 1 is the first well to be drilled in the program and is about 30 kilometres west of the Ungani Oilfield.

It is expected to have similar geology to Ungani with mean prospective resources of some 28 million barrels of recoverable oil.
Traverse City, MI (49684)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 83F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early. Thunderstorms likely late. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Greenville, NC (27833)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 86F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
John Koopmann, a Lake Host at Spofford Lake, in Spofford, N.H., talks with Michael Collier, from Walpole, N.H., about places the boat has been before the boat goes into the water on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
FILE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks to reporters Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. Lee has signed legislation putting public schools and districts at risk of losing civil lawsuits if they let transgender students or employees use multi-person bathrooms that do not reflect their gender at birth. Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill Friday, May 14, 2021 cementing another policy into law in Tennessee that LGBTQ advocates say discriminates against their community.
The equipment is the last step in the refining process and takes cobalt concentrated in an aqueous solution into a powder called cobalt sulfate

First Cobalt and Ausenco Engineering are now working on detailed engineering and procurement of the last two long lead equipment orders

Corp ( ) ( ) (FRA:18P) updated on its path to bring North Americas only permitted cobalt refinery back into production, saying it had awarded the contract to build the cobalt sulfate crystallizer.

This equipment, which includes pumps and dryers, is the last step in the refining process and takes cobalt concentrated in an aqueous solution into a powder called cobalt sulfate.

It will be built in the US and be shipped to site in less than 44 weeks, the company said, adding that it remains on track to recommission the facility in 4Q, 2022.

"Thanks to the focus and hard work of the First Cobalt team, we continue to execute our strategic business plan and remain on schedule for 2022 commissioning," said Mark Trevisiol, the vice-president (VP) of project development.

"Ordering the cobalt crystallizer in a timely manner was an important step on the construction schedule and the focus now shifts to the solvent extraction vendor package."

The formerly operating cobalt refinery sits north of Toronto and could produce over 25,000 tonnes of cobalt sulfate per year from third-party feed.

First Cobalt and Ausenco Engineering are now working on detailed engineering and procurement of the last two long lead equipment orders, namely solvent extraction tanks and filters.

Lender discussions for a US$45 million debt facility are also advancing, supplemented by C$18 million in working capital plus an additional C$10 million investment by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario towards the refinery capital costs, the company added.

The relevant Ontario Ministry, on May 10, has also issued a new permit to take water from Lake Timiskaming covering potable water supply and industrial use.

Two other permit applications for air and noise and industrial sewage are expected in the coming months.

First Cobalt's owner's team also continues to grow with the appointment of a site services superintendent and environmental superintendent - Hayden Fiset and Cristy Knott respectively - the company added.

First Cobalt is committed to an ongoing dialogue with local stakeholders, First Nations and indigenous communities that will continue through permitting and construction and into operations, it added.

Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com
BRATTLEBORO  Mask mandates from municipalities and businesses still apply until rescinded.

Theres quite a bit of understandable buzz about Brattleboros mask order, now that the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the state of Vermont have lifted that requirement from their guidance, Select Board member Tim Wessel said in a Facebook post on his page for town-related information. Our order remains in place until either we, your Select Board, lift the order or the governor declares an end to the State of Emergency. (Which has not yet happened.)

Wessel said he believes outdoor masking is unnecessary and has been for a while, but indoor masking ... still feels like a reasonable precaution, given that some Vermonters are still waiting to be fully vaccinated. The town does not require outdoor masking; its mandated inside establishments where business is conducted or services are provided.

Nancy Braus, co-owner of Everyones Books in Brattleboro, is unsure whether she supports changing the local order right now. Staff at her downtown shop are all vaccinated and there arent many anti-vaxxers among their clientele, she said, but she wonders if someone might lie about being vaccinated in order not to wear a mask.

Are there going to be official documents that someone has been vaccinated? Braus said. The paper card I have from Walgreens would be simple to copy.

Brattleboro-based Vermont Country Deli General Manager Tracey John said, We are so happy that our customers and staff are on their way to being fully vaccinated and look forward to July when the official restrictions will lift. Until then, well continue to follow the guidance for businesses until its safe to remove our masks."

Last May, the Select Board voted unanimously to approve an emergency order requiring masks inside establishments. The states mandate came in August.

Masks required in Brattleboro establishments BRATTLEBORO  In an effort to contain the spread of germs during the coronavirus pandemic, the Select Board approved an emergency order requiring facial coverings inside Brattleboro 

On Thursday, the federal government issued new guidance. Gov. Phil Scott followed suit the next day.

Select Board Chairwoman Elizabeth McLoughlin said the board will briefly discuss the issue Tuesday, only to put it on the next meetings agenda.

I would like more information about local vaccination rates and local number of cases prior to our Select Board discussion, she said.

According to a news release from Town Manager Peter Elwell, the updated guidance says that fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

Lets try and have a little patience in the next few weeks, and celebrate that both locally and nationally, we are coming out of a long haul of isolation for many, and look forward to re-establishing connections with so many neighbors in our community, Elwell stated.

Wilmington Town Manager Scott Tucker said masks are still required in establishments as part of the mandate in Wilmington. The Select Board will discuss updating its order under COVID-related business at its Tuesday meeting.

Wilmington Select Board Vice Chairman John Gannon, who also serves as a state representative for the Windham-6 district, said he wants to find out what local businesses want.

"Supporting our businesses was the primary reason we put into place a mask mandate," he said.

In a news release, Gov. Scott cited Vermont having more than 60 percent of its population receive at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in his decision to move to the third step of his Vermont Forward Plan for reopening the economy. He said the move comes more than two weeks ahead of the anticipated schedule.

Step 3 of the plan removes a testing requirement for travel. It also increases event and gathering capacity.

Now, gatherings can have one unvaccinated person per 50 square feet, as many as 300, and any number of vaccinated people for indoor events. For outdoor events, 900 unvaccinated people can gather with any number of vaccinated people.

State and federal guidelines still call for masking at health care and long-term care facilities, correctional centers, homeless shelters and on public transportation.

This story was updated at May 17 to include comments from Wilmington Select Board Vice Chairman John Gannon and Vermont Country Deli General Manager Tracey John.
Beckley, WV (25801)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 74F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
NEW MILFORD  Ted Hine has approximately 25,000 images of New Milford history stored on his computer. There are black and white photos of women walking to church, old prints of the library, original sketches for the firehouse, a picture of the town hall decorated for the towns bi-centennial in 1907. Each has a unique name and folder so he can find it easily.

Hine is one of the towns unofficial historians, with a breadth of knowledge that has taken years of research to build. The resident has been collecting New Milford memorabilia for decades, but he said he does this work not for the current moment, but for posterity.

One hundred years from now, hopefully theyll think, God, Im interested in this, and thank God they documented it, Hine said.

Hine is a descendant of one of the first families in New Milford and has spent years learning everything he can about the town and his familys place there. He can tell you how much the town hall cost when it was build in 1875 and about the architect who built the Water Witch firehouse that is still used today. He knows which concerts took place at the bandstand and all about the Doublemint Gum commercial filmed on the town green in 1973.

He is also the keeper of many a salacious New Milford secret thanks, in part, to a young womans diary from 1896 and other items found or passed along through the years. A mothers head bashed in. Marriages and non-marriages. Murder cases.

If it happened in New Milford, chances are, Hine knows about it.

Photo courtesy of Ted Hine

A lifetime in town

Hine, who has been hooked on family history ever since he completed a Boy Scouts genealogy project as a kid, spends several hours a day researching, cataloguing, and writing about the towns history and his familys place in it. And you dont have to look far to see evidence of that.

For one, theres Hine Road and Hine Hill Road. Theres also an extensive record of family members on the New Milford Historical Society website.

The Hine family has lived in the town continuously for the past three centuries. The first members moved from Milford to New Milford in the 1700s (They didnt have a great imagination, Hine joked). One of the first to arrive was the towns first blacksmith. Eventually the family would found the Fire Brick Company and a textile company..

But his interest extends far beyond his own family.

There is such rich history in New Milford, he said, between Rodger Sherman and Elijah Boardman and our involvement in the war. Its amazing and a lot of people just dont know.

Sherman was a resident and Founding Father, and Boardman, born in New Milford, was a senator and is known for being the largest slave owner in the town.

Over the years, Ive just continued to collect New Milford memorabilia, Hine said.

Hine was born and raised in New Milford, attending New Milford High School before heading to Western Connecticut State for college. He has since retired from his job at G.E. Capital in Danbury, but has held a residence in the town throughout his life. Hine currently lives in a house that is just a block away from the one he grew up in.

The history buff is active with the New Milford Historical Society, even serving as its president from 2015 to 2018.

Despite their vast historical footprint, Hine said family history wasnt always something his relatives talked about in great depth. His grandfather, who lived with his family growing up, would tell some stories, but Hine wanted more. And hes learned a lot on his own through archives and sites like Ancestry.com.

When he runs across a name he isnt familiar with or doesnt know much about, he plugs it into the genealogy database where he can find photos and other interesting information about his ancestors.

Im learning things that no one ever talked about, he said. Its really why I put all these things out there.

Hines main project is a family history book that he and a cousin have started working on together. As some of their family members pass away, they want to make sure the history is recorded its history, genealogy, and photos. Working on the project during the pandemic also provided him something to do, Hine said.

They havent decided on a title yet.

Weve always talked about it and shes the other person in the family that has interest in history, Hine said.

History for all

Hine originally started posting New Milford historical facts on Facebook last year, but put a pause on the postings at the start of the pandemic.

Sporadically, he posts a new series in various New Milford Facebook groups with extensive photos and a long caption on the subjects history.

I always have a project that Im sharing, Hine said. I like the interaction of Facebook. Thats where questions come in.

The response to Hines posts is strong. Sometimes the photos revive residents own memories, and they comment to that effect.

I went to that school, wrote a profile called Bruce Morsey on the Facebook post series relating to New Milford High School. I remember the last day of school we would have picnics in the front yard underneath the big trees that are no longer there.

Another wrote: Fond memories of doing third grade twice there.

A woman with the profile name Doris Terhune commented on the photo, noting that she graduated from the school in 1947.

Is this you? Hine responded, attaching a class picture of a woman named Doris from that year.

The Facebook user corrected him, writing that her last name was Chase.

Here you are. Stunningly beautiful. I see you have your Sunday School pin on. I still have mine as well, Hine commented, with the photo of the correct Doris.

Hines involvement also extends to the New Milford Historical Society.

His dedication to the society is apparent. When they were unable to host their annual Tag Sale after the Village Fair Days was canceled last year, Hine offered to match donations up to $1,200, using his own stimulus check.

In his will, Hine is giving his family first dibs on his extensive private collections, but the rest is up for the grabs for the Historical Society.

They can come in and they can take anything they want to be part of the collection, Hine said.

Photo courtesy of Ted Hine

One of Hines greatest contributions to the society during his tenure as president was saving and restoring the 251-year-old Knapp House, according to Kathy Kelly, first vice president at the society.

Kelly has known Hine for more than a decade and said hes always thinking of ways to support and promote the museum, while also increasing their records with pictures and personal stories.

We are the keepers of the New Milford history, Kelly said.

And the 25,000 photos on Hines computer are a testament to that.
TORRINGTON  The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory has changed a planned ballet following objections from a Nevada-based Hindu group.

The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatorys upcoming graduation performances were to include dances from La Bayadere, Don Quixote and Coppelia as well as new contemporary works by choreographers Kate St. Amand and Thel Moore, a Nutmeg graduate.

But the Universal Society of Hinduism objected to the school performing La Bayadere, which relates the drama of a temple dancer (bayadere), Nikiya, who is loved by Solor, a noble warrior, according to the American Ballet Theatre.

Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, spearheaded the protest against the ballet, saying, La Bayadere seriously trivializes Eastern religious and other traditions.

He said the Hindu community felt La Bayadere was just a blatant belittling of a rich civilization and exhibited 19th-century orientalist attitudes.

Nutmegs Artistic Director Victoria Mazzarelli said the conservatory was changing the name and the presentation of the ballet. Our students will perform with no scenery and minimal costumes.  As such, the excerpts are devoid of context and convey no story to the audience. Our performance  includes nothing that could be construed as stereotyping or orientalist depiction. As a result, and with full sensitivity to the problem of insensitive depiction of other cultures, we are comfortable with our decision to present them.  We have chosen to rename the students work as a celebration of Petipas choreography. We will continue to encourage perspective, sensitivity, and awareness as we educate ourselves on current social conversations.

According to the American Ballet Theatre, La Bayadere was choreographed by Marius Petipa, born in Marseilles, France, in 1819. He was educated at Grand College in Brussels and also attended the conservatoire, where he studied music. Although he disliked dancing in those early years, his progress was so great that he made his debut in 1831 in his fathers production of Gardels La Dansomanie, according to the ABT.

Zed suggested Nutmeg should reevaluate its systems and procedures and send its executives for cultural sensitivity training so that such an inappropriate stuff did not slip through in the future.

A renowned ballet conservatory like NBC, whose sponsors reportedly include State of Connecticut, should not be in the business of callously promoting appropriation of traditions, elements and concepts of others; and ridiculing entire communities, he said. NBC, which claims to be committed to creating world-class artists, should have shown some maturity before selecting a ballet like La Bayadere (The Temple Dancer) displaying Western caricaturing of Eastern heritage and abetting ethnic stereotyping, Zed had noted.

Like many others, Zed said, Hindus also consider ballet as one of the revered art forms which offers richness and depth. But we are well into 21st century now, and La Bayadere, which first was presented in St. Petersburg (Russia) in 1877, is outdated and long overdue for permanent retirement from the world stage, he said.

The Graduation Performance Series performances at the Warner are May 18-21. All performances are at 6:30 p.m. Performances will shown online for those unable to join in person. To purchase tickets, visit warnertheatre.org.
Connecticut is on the back end of the COVID pandemic, but with mixed signals from federal and state officials on mask requirements, residents are balancing their own judgments on public health and face-covering etiquette.

Ellen Guion said shes glad the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its guidance on mask wearing last week. Shes been fully vaccinated since February, but still intends to wear a mask inside for the foreseeable future.

I'm not in any store for that long and I believe its better to be safe than sorry, the Stratford resident said.

The CDC said last week that masks are no longer necessary if youve been fully vaccinated, a guidance Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said the state would be following as of Wednesday, when restaurants expand capacity and bars reopen for the first time in 14 months.

Guion is not alone. Many residents say theyll continue to wear masks, at least indoors, even if theyve been inoculated, even after most restrictions end on Wednesday.

I'm fully vaccinated but plan to continue wearing a mask in public places indoors  supermarkets and other retail stores, said Reddings Brian Sharlach. Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont, said that starting the 19th, vaccinated people dont need to wear masks inside, although the unvaccinated should wear face coverings.

And of course, consistent eith Lamonts philospphy throughout the pandemic, Connecticut is on the honor system to determine whos vaccinated. Schools will continue to maintain masking, as most students have not been vaccinated.

Gordon Kirkman, who called Old Saybrook home for 25 years, said hes received both Moderna shots but will continue to mask in all indoor spaces and also in crowded outdoor spaces. Kirkman suspects a motive behind the abrupt announcement from the CDC on May 13 that vaccinated people could remove their masks indoors.

I do posit that perhaps this abrupt reversal of common sense was politically concocted to scare people into getting vaccinated, he said.

Lamont, during a news conference from the State Capitol on Monday, admitted surprise to last weeks announcement lifting mask recommendations.

If youre in a big group, a crowd, I would probably wear my mask a little bit longer, Lamont said of outdoor gatherings. Indoors, youve got to wear a mask if you are unvaccinated. Thats the rule. If youre vaccinated, if youre able to keep your distance, youre not worried about it. Thats okay. Businesses, state and local government, universities, restaurants, theyre going to make up their own mind, a little bit, based on what their customers are telling them. What makes them feel comfortable. What makes their employees feel comfortable.

Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of the small family owned chain of landmark supermarkets in Norwalk, Newington, Danbury and Yonkers, N.Y. said about half his employees are comfortable removing masks, but he wants to see how the Memorial Day holiday weekend goes before possible changing store policy.

Lamont, who invited Leonard to his virtual news conference on Monday, said individual owners will respond to conditions.

I think Stew is handling it right, Lamont said. Lets try it out to Memorial Day, see where people feel comfortable. I think than me dictating it, though, Id like to leave it up to smart people like Stew Leonard.

The state Department of Public Health on Monday reported 21 new fatalities over the weekend, bringing the statewide total in the pandemic to 8,194. There was a net reduction of 28 hospitalized patients, for a total of 170. The infection rate was 1.3 percent, and 1.4 percent over seven days, which Lamont was happy with.

Tom Balcezak, chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Hospital, believes the CDCs goal was to Hang a carrot out there for those who are not yet vaccinated.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, told FOX News Sunday that the decision to revise the national mask mandate was based on medical data.

Im delivering the science as the science is delivered to the medical journals. And it evolved, she said. I deliver it as soon as I can when we have that information available.

According to Balcezak, the decision to revise the mandate, and using science as a basis, is not always straightforward.

We are struggling as a country and as a world to try to get the science right and try and get the timing right, he said. This is a very difficult thing to do and the decisions we need to make are hard decisions.

Masks will still be required in some locations. Only vaccinated adults can remove their masks according to the CDC guidance, and people in schools, public transportation and medical facilities, including nursing homes must continue to wear masks.

When asked if a simpler message would have been more effective, Balcezak said that was not necessarily true.

We can always message things better, he said. Even with a clearer message it will still be politicized. None of us have experienced a global pandemic with a respiratory virus like this.

Not every Connecticut resident will continue to wear a mask. Some, like, Guion, will feel free to go unmasked in small groups, outdoors.

Visiting a friend whose entire family has been vaccinated and sitting in their yard -- no, I don't think a mask would be necessary there, she said.

Gail Wiggin of Darien said she and her husband will be ditching their masks as soon as possible.

Hubby and I are fully vaccinated and do not plan to wear masks unless it is required, she said. End of story.

Schools will require students to remain masked, particularly those too young to become vaccinated.

The mask mandate remains in effect indoors for the remainder of the school year, wrote Bridgeport School Superintendent Michael J. Testani on the systems website. With only four weeks left in school, and the vast majority of students statewide not yet vaccinated, it is not anticipated that the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut state Department of Education (DOE) will change the mask mandate for this school year.

Peter Yazbak, spokesperson for the DOE, said Friday that the agency is working closely with the DPH, especially as the CDC updates its guidance, such as the recent approval of inoculating 12-to-15-year-olds.

At this time, Connecticuts 2020-21 back to school guidance requires universal mask wearing and is binding/required in light of the Governors Executive Orders, Yazbak said.

We are working one-on-one with school and local health leaders to share materials (in multiple languages) that will help with their outreach; additionally, we are encouraging more tailored outreach tactics, Yazbak said. We know from experience with the 16-18 age group that school-run efforts can be very effective, particularly when held on-site at a school. This helps to reduce logistical barriers for students.

Vaccinations are not mandatory, although private institutions such as The Taft School in Watertown, are requiring their students to take the COVID vaccine.

Staff writer Cayla Bamberger contributed to this report.
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The drink is being carried in all 15 PCC stores, bolstering Else Nutrition's Pacific Northwest retail footprint

Seattle-based PCC Community Markets is the largest consumer-owned food cooperative in the US with more than 58,000 household members

( ) (OTCMKTS:BABY) (FRA:0YL) has announced that its plant-based Complete Nutrition drink for toddlers has launched at all 15 PCC Community Markets locations in Washington State.

PCC is America's largest consumer-owned food cooperative and places an emphasis on organic and natural products, the company said.

"Launching at PCC further strengthens our presence in the Pacific Northwest, and is directly on strategy, partnering with like-minded partners who support sustainability, organic and better-for-health food options," said Hamutal Yitzhak, CEO and co-founder of Else Nutrition, said in a statement.

The company noted that Seattle-based PCC Community Markets has more than 58,000 household members and advocates public policies that support sustainable food and agricultural systems.

Else Nutrition is an Israel-based food and nutrition company focused on developing innovative, clean, and plant-based food and nutrition products for infants, toddlers, children, and adults. Its revolutionary, plant-based, non-soy, formula is a clean-ingredient alternative to dairy-based formula.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
FRACKVILLE  Heather Donati wants to reinvigorate American Legion Post 398 in the borough, and she spent much of Sunday using her styling talents doing just that.

The post was closed for a little while during the (COVID-19) pandemic, and we had some other financial issues, she said while making the customers look fashionable.

A member of the posts Ladies Auxiliary, Donati staged Locks for the Legion as a fundraiser for the 40 S. Mahanoy St. post. All proceeds from the event went to the post.

I thought it would be a good idea, said Donati, who has been a beautician for 25 years.

She said they gave 19 or 20 haircuts and raised $252. The post will use the money to help veterans, according to Donati.

All that money goes to supplies for the vets in the nursing homes, she said.

Post Commander Walter Hummel, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War and also an Army reserve member for 16 years, said the event will help them try to revive the 177-member post just a block from the intersection of routes 61 and 924 in the center of town.

We own this building, he said while Donati and her friend and fellow beautician Christine Obzut styled hair. Were trying our hardest to get the place reopened.

Donati said all veterans deserve a nice place to gather. She said half of all veterans are on some form of Social Security and have little income.

The auxiliary tries to help the post as much as it can, Donati said.

We try to do a fundraiser each month, although that also proved difficult to do during the pandemic, she said.

Obzut also said she wants to help the post resume regular activity.

I grew up coming to the Legion, she said. Id like to see the place get open.

First Vice Commander Brian Russell, an Army veteran and a Legionnaire like his father, said the post has a proud history of helping not just Frackville, but all veterans.

The greatest thing about this place is the community organization, he said. The vets here are family. It doesnt matter what branch you served in.

Russell said the post once had 489 members and was the largest in Pennsylvania.

He said the next step in the posts comeback is the Memorial Day ceremony at 1 p.m. May 31. It will begin at the memorial outside the building and conclude inside with a family-friendly public party, Russell said.

All veterans and the public are always welcome, he said.

Donati said she wants to have another hair-styling event in August, when youngsters are going back to school.

Hummel said they also want to revive the custom of serving food at the post.

Were going to hire a chef, he said.
100 years ago  1921

NEW YORK  Consolidation of the forces of the anthracite and bituminous mine workers of the country in order that they may put up a solid front of the coal operators in the wage negotiations this winter was the purpose of a conference today between district leaders of the hard coal mines and John L. Lewis, international president, and Philip Murray, international vice president, of the United Mine Workers of America.

75 years ago  1946

The Womens Guild, Orwigsburg, were guests of the Girls Guild at a meeting held in St. Johns Evangelical & Reformed Church.

50 years ago  1971

MAHANOY CITY  Forty new and used automobiles and trucks were destroyed by fire late Sunday night at the John P. Scharr Co. garages on East Vine Street. Damage was reported in excess of $200,000.

25 years ago  1996

In June 1994, things looked bleak at Penn State Schuylkill and at many other Penn State satellite campuses. A $12 million budget rollback and the loss of 121 jobs was announced. Penn State administrators blamed declining enrollment. Seventeen of those jobs were lost at the Schuylkill Campus, and so was its four-year liberal arts degree program. Two years and a Penn State president later, its a different story. Dr. Graham B. Spanier, who led a group of 70 faculty members on a tour that went through Schuylkill County Thursday, has made the satellite campuses a priority.
A man lost his life during a one-vehicle, pre-dawn crash on Interstate 81 north in Kline Township on Monday morning.

Jody Moffett, 52, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was already deceased when first responders arrived at the mile marker 138.8 crash scene. The Schuylkill County Coroners Office was called.

State police at Frackville said Moffett was driving a Ford Explorer in the right northbound lane when the vehicle moved into the left. He attempted to reenter the right lane but overcompensated, causing the vehicle to roll several times, police said. The heavily damaged vehicle stopped across the right lane and shoulder at a guiderail.

Moffett wasnt wearing a seat belt and was ejected, police said.

He was found 25 to 30 feet down an embankment, McAdoo Fire Chief Robert Leshko said. Firefighters climbed the embankment to recover him.

First responders were sent to the crash site around 1:30 a.m. and remained on scene until about 4:45 a.m. until the crash investigation and cleanup was completed. There was a large debris field left from the crash, which crews had to clean up.

The man was driving the vehicle alone but he was following his wife, who was in a rental truck. Leshko said firefighters were told she looked behind her at one point and noticed his headlights were no longer behind her, so she turned around and went looking for him, finding the crash site.

In addition to state police and McAdoo firefighters, McAdoo Ambulance, Lehigh Valley EMS, Mahanoy City West End firefighters, Hometown and Delano fire police and the PennDOT, assisted.
State legislators trying to strip the executive branch of much of its discretion regarding emergency management have complained that the Wolf administration has been insufficiently transparent in its handling of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

There is some truth to that. But legislators would have more credibility on matters of transparency if they were transparent themselves about their own spending and legislative operations.

Instead, they have exempted the Legislature from the state Right to Know Law, which applies to executive branch agencies and every local government and school district.

And most of them have rejected the use of modern tools to ensure easy public access to records of their own spending.

Spotlight PA, a news organization that covers state government, reported this week that it encountered an array of barriers to public disclosure when it attempted to analyze $203 million of legislators expense spending from 2017 through 2020.

Lawmakers and their caucus machinery released partial information, redacted legitimate public information, released data in unsearchable formats and used an appeals process for rejected records requests in which lawmakers picked their own caucus lawyers to act as judges.

Following a statewide grand jury report in 2010 that exposed an array of expense spending abuses by multiple legislators, many lawmakers vowed to post their expenses online in real time rather than hiding them within the Legislatures convoluted reporting process.

Spotlight PA, however, found that only 18 of 203 representatives and 11 of 50 senators have such reporting sites, and some of those post only partial records. And it noted that one of the sites, that of Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman of Centre County, has not been updated in six years.

Pennsylvania has the largest full-time and second most expensive state legislature. Taxpayers simply have the right to know how those 253 legislators and 3,000 staffers spend hundreds of millions of public dollars every year.

Congress requires members to post their expenses online on a regular schedule. There is no reason in 2021 that Pennsylvania cannot do likewise.

Lawmakers should spend a fraction of the hundreds of millions of dollars that they appropriate to themselves each year on a comprehensive reporting system, and then require all members to use it, by law.
Professor in HBT Medical College and Consultant at Hinduja Healthcare Hospital Dr. Samir Bhargava explained what causes Mucormycosis or 'Black Fungus' and talks about the importance to control the fungal infection at an early stage.

'It is an opportunistic fungal infection': Dr. Samir Bhargava

Dr. Bhargava said, "COVID-19 has been in center stage for the last more than one year but, in the last two to three weeks, we have been hearing of an infection by the name of Mucormycosis or 'Black Fungus'. Friends, Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection. Fungal spores are all over the place, it could be in the soil, construction sites, AC ducts, but, if your immunity is good then you will not get this infection."

He added, "In COVID, the immunity does go down, and we know now that steroids are the ones that can help the patients to recover, but if the patient also has diabetes, then this is a trio of coronavirus, with sugar, with steroids. These opportunistic infections sometimes are leading to this infection called Mucormycosis. It is very important that the sugar be maintained correctly."

#StayStrongIndia | Dr. Samir Bhargava, Professor in HBT Medical College and Consultant at Hinduja Healthcare Hospital, explains what causes Mucormycosis or 'Black Fungus' and talks about the importance to control the fungal infection at an early stage. Watch - pic.twitter.com/VGsHFax68l  Republic (@republic) May 16, 2021

"The dose of steroids that are been given judiciously, which means the correct dose, the correct time, and the correct judiciary. Today, we also need to give sometimes Immunomodulatory medicines. If good sugar control is maintained, then these opportunistic infections would not come up. Even after you are discharged, whether it be from a mild infection or severe infection. It is very important that when you go home, you maintain your sugar levels well. It should not go up beyond 200. Also, please keep a close watch on some of these that I have mentioned," he further said.

Talking of the medical help and medication process, Dr. Bhargava explained, "If you develop fever or dryness in the nose or sometimes discharge from the nose, numbness in the cheek, pain in the eye, or loosening of the teeth, you must immediately contact your local physicians or the DNG doctors and some immediate studies like CT Scan or MRI to determine if there is any such infection. If there is an infection then some anti-fungal medications like Amphotericin B and some surgeries to remove the dead tissue will be required. It is important to control the infection at the early stages before it can reach the eye or the brain. "
Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has ramped up its efforts to modernise ground units in the Xinjiang Military District, according to abundant evidence cited by news agency ANI from online social media releases of the Chinese military and state-controlled media. In the latest signs of Chinese Communist Partys clampdown on religious minorities including Uyghurs living in the northwestern region, reportedly, the Xinjiang Military District boasts around 90,000-120,000 ground troops, principally divided into the 76th and 77th Group Armies (headquartered in the interior cities of Chongqing and Baoji respectively).

The Xinjiang Military District is one part of the Western Theatre Command. The statistics were revealed in research by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University in the United States. However, the Western theatre Command does not possess direct ground operational authority in the restive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. Instead, both the high-altitude regions in China have their own army-directed military districts to monitor the security situation. According to Dennis Blasko, a former US Army attache to Beijing and Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Military District itself has nearly 50,000-60,000 army troops.

What could be the reasons?

Other analysis such as the one by Belfer Center states that the PLA has 70,000 ground troops in the district. Even though the true figures remain uncertain, the fact still indicates that the Xinjiang Military District owns way more troops than Tibet does which is an estimated 40,000 soldiers. Notably, the Xinjiang Military District in China has perpetually been something of a pauper in regards to receiving the latest military equipment, for various reasons.

The main reason, as per ANI is that the PLA is geared primarily for a conflict with Taiwan and hence, the units near the self-ruled island as prioritised for the modern combat gear. Additionally, the heightened number of ground soldiers could also be due to the security of Xinjiangs borders with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan that have no direct threat of intrusion. Reportedly, until last year, these units were mainly equipped with older gears as well as elderly artillery pieces.

IMAGE: AP
French and African leaders and international organizations were holding a conference Monday in Paris to negotiate debt relief and raise global support for Sudans transitional leadership.

French President Emmanuel Macron was hosting the event in the presence General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudans ruling sovereign council, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, in charge of making changes in the African nation after a popular uprising led to the militarys overthrow of Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

The conference is taking place along with the heads of state of neighboring Egypt and Ethiopia as well as the International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat.

Macrons office said the event aims at having talks on how to boost investment in Sudan and negotiate debt relief.

Sudan's transitional government has taken a set of measures in recent months to transform the country's economy and rejoin the international community after over two decades of isolation.

That measures included a managed flotation of the Sudanese pound in an unprecedented step that led to hikes in the price of fuel and other essential goods.

The flotation was a key demand by the International Monetary Fund.

Sudan should conclude a 12-month Staff Monitoring Program with the IMF to win relief on its foreign debt, which is at $70 billion.

That program is set to end in September.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Denmark late Sunday at the start of a tour of Nordic countries.

The US State Department said Friday that Blinken will travel on to Iceland and Greenland, ending the trip on May 20.

The State Department said that while in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, Blinken will attend the Arctic Council meeting from May 19-20.

On his official twitter feed, Blinken said that the trip will focus on "strengthening NATO, partnering in the Arctic, confronting the climate crisis, and addressing other global challenges..."

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said his government is working to "urgently" end the violence between Israel and Palestinian factions.

He said that "we are working clearly and urgently for the return of calm and the end of the killing that are taking place."

Egypt, which borders Gaza and Israel, has played a central role in the cease-fires brokered after previous rounds of fighting.

el-Sissi spoke late Sunday from Paris where he is attending economic summits on Sudan and Africa, both hosted by France.

The Israeli military unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip early Monday, saying it destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders.

That earlier attack was the deadliest in the current round of hostilities between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

There was no immediate word on the casualties from the latest strikes.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, including 55 children and 33 women, with 1,230 people wounded.

Eight people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks launched from Gaza, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier.

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Pakistans Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has submitted a report before the Supreme Court unveiling a web of mismanagement, irregularities and even corruption in the process of pilot exams. As per news agency ANI, the report by the CAA said that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had provided incorrect information to at least 30 pilots. As per the Express Tribune report, it also revealed that several pilots send someone else to take the exams instead of themselves. While two pilots were not present in the country, 28 pilots took their test on a closed weekly holiday.

Additionally, the licenses of two senior joint directors had the involvement of corruption by providing the pilots with illegal access to the examination system. The licenses have now been revoked, as per the report with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registering criminal cases against both of them. Reportedly, CAA has informed about the shortcomings in the system to Pakistans Supreme Court along with the suspension of the licenses of at least 32 out of 54 pilots for being involved in the practice.

As per the report, the issue was first flagged after May 22, 2020, PIA plane crash that took place in Karachi that killed at least 97 passengers along with the crew on board. The cause of the accident was called human error until it was revealed in June that 262 pilots had fake licenses. "People with fake degrees were appointed on a political basis, ignoring merit," Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar had told the National Assembly on June 22, 2020, as per ANI.

Two pilots of the Havelian crash had dubious licence

The Pakistani media outlet reported last week that the two PIA pilots that were on board during December 2016 Havelian crash had dubious licences, as per the airline report to Supre Court. In the incident, at least 47 people were killed on the plane PK-661 that crashed in Havelian while travelling from Chitral to Islamabad in December 2016. Further, the PIA has also said that around 141 pilots had fake licences and have been identified. In the 2020 investigation report, the Civil Aviation Authority had reportedly stated that the Havelian crash took place due to technical faults.

IMAGE: Unsplash/AP
Innovation key to a prosperous future

From:ChinaDaily | 2021-05-17 10:23

The province has been working hard to upgrade its industrial structure, develop new technologies and impress global market players

During the past five years, Heilongjiang province has optimized and upgraded its industrial structure and continuously improved its innovation ability to develop a strong regional presence.

The province has seen its annual large-scale industrial added value rise by 2.8 percent, 0.8 percent higher than the target. Moreover, the manufacturing sector's added value grew by an average annual rate of 5.1 percent, 2.1 percent higher than planned. Industrial fixed asset investment saw an average annual rise of 5.4 percent, higher than the national average, for five consecutive years.

Once a major part of the nation's heavy industrial hub in Northeast China, traditional sectors account for a large part of Heilongjiang's industrial structure, and in recent years the province has paid great attention to upgrading and readjusting those bases.

During a September 2018 visit to Qiqihar, Heilongjiang's old industrial base, President Xi Jinping said equipment manufacturing is a pillar of the nation and a significant component of the real economy.

He encouraged manufacturers to make greater efforts to step up innovation, develop new technologies and products and further explore global markets.

Employing marketing strategies overseas, Harbin Electric, China's largest producer and exporter of power generation equipment, has built power plants in more than 50 countries and regions including Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Turkey, and in the Middle East and South America.

On May 3, Harbin Electric's second 600-megawatt generator unit for the Hassyan Clean Coal Project in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was completed, marking a major step in the construction of the Middle East's first power plant fired by clean coal.

The project started in September 2016 and all four 600-megawatt generator units are expected to be completed by 2023.

The company said the plant will produce 20 percent of Dubai's electricity, which will significantly reduce the cost of electricity when it is completed.

"We will continue to focus on high-quality development, including reinforcing and optimizing the strength of innovation, brand influence and management expertise during the country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25)," said Si Zefu, chairman of the company and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"Our goal is to build a first-class, globally competitive enterprise."

During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), the province focused on large-scale project construction, accelerating the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.

In the past two years, the province has provided investment of nearly 400 billion yuan ($62 billion) in 100 large-scale projects, creating more than 1 million job opportunities.

In early spring, a section of the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang's capital, was covered by ice, but projects were still underway on both sides of the river. The weather made no difference.

On April 1, at the construction site of the Shenzhen-Harbin Industrial Park, about 400 workers were busy installing curtain wall glass and lifting steel structural materials.

"As construction continues, there will be up to 3,500 workers on-site at peak times," Chen Yugang, the park's deputy general manager, said. "So far, the park has attracted 153 businesses that will settle there when the first stage is completed in October."

Construction of the park, located in Harbin New Area, started in September 2019, with investment of 3.92 billion yuan from the governments of Harbin and Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

Under a market-oriented management system, it is expected to be developed into an intelligent, low-carbon park and create a complete industry chain from innovation and entrepreneurship to science and technology innovation headquarters to smart manufacturing.

"Furthermore, we hope the park will be a pioneer in the area that will help us learn from Shenzhen's successful reform and opening-up experience in the past 40 years and promote it to the whole city," Chen said.

Innovation and technological improvements have also helped Heilongjiang's revitalization process and promoted economic development.

Higher vision

In recent years, the province has vigorously promoted the development of its aerospace industry, building important dedicated industrial clusters and bases around the country.

China's first domestically produced single-aisle passenger jet, the C919, successfully undertook its maiden flight on May 5, 2017, from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, marking a significant breakthrough.

Harbin Hafei Industry, an aviation manufacturer, is mainly responsible for the manufacture of some parts of the jet that use composite materials, including the hatch door for the front and main landing gear, and the plane's vertical tail.

As an important base for theoretical research, new technology research and development and training of high-quality personnel, the Harbin Institute of Technology has successfully launched a number of microsatellites.

Relying on the advantages the institute provides, Heilongjiang is focusing on developing core businesses in microsatellite manufacturing via companies like HIT Satellite Technology.

The company has the ability for low-cost design and manufacturing and has accepted orders for 89 microsatellites. "We will make efforts to develop our own core competitiveness in the satellite equipment manufacturing industry," said Qu Chenggang, the company's general manager.

"We plan to build an equipment manufacturing base and a 5G-based smart factory in Harbin."

According to an outline of goals released by the provincial government earlier this year, Heilongjiang plans to build itself into a powerful industrial province by 2035.

"We will build a new industrial system and layout to make a leap forward in economic development," said Guan Yingmin, deputy director of the Heilongjiang Department of Industrial and Information Technology.

"It is expected that the proportion industry will contribute to provincial GDP will reach 30 percent, and there will be more than 5,000 large-scale industrial enterprises."
Visitors to the Slim Winkel e-commerce site will be treated to informative blogs and educational tips that will allow them to easily integrate the mushrooms into their lifestyle

PharmaDrug Inc ( ) (OTCPINK:LMLLF) says its Super Smart division has launched a Slim Winkel-branded online retail platform in the US that will focus on functional mushrooms.

The company noted that the introduction of a specialty online shop featuring a carefully curated selection of functional mushrooms is a first for the category. The product offering is an initial curated assortment that will continuously grow as the team sources new products that meet the company's stringent guidelines.

PharmaDrug said visitors to the Slim Winkel e-commerce site (slimwinkel.com) which launched May 17 will be treated to informative blogs and educational tips that will allow them to easily integrate the mushrooms into their lifestyle.

It said its Super Smart division believes these educational resources are the backbone of the Slim Winkel concept. And by providing these additional services, its customers will have a deeper understanding of the benefits of Super Smart's product offering.

"This store is the culmination of over two decades of personal experience with plant medicine, including superfoods and functional mushrooms, and I couldn't be more excited to launch," said Harry Resin, president of Super Smart, in a statement. "My life has been positively impacted through the consumption of these products and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share them with the world."

PharmaDrug said the decision to build and launch the online store is a result of the shift in Super Smart's short-term strategy to establish an online presence while the pandemic lockdowns remained in effect.

Although much of the US has opened, The Netherlands has experienced a longer and stricter lockdown that is similar to or even stricter than lockdowns in Canada. As a result, the company said it has decided that the development of its brick-and-mortar strategy will have to be put on hold. The strategy will resume once management is confident the lockdowns have subsided.

In the meantime, management believes that Super Smart is better off developing its brand and business by establishing an online retail strategy under its Slim Winkel brand, the company said. To that end, the strategy lent itself to also launching a platform in the US where brand building and distribution could extend an even further reach. The platform in the US will also enable Super Smart to capitalize on an already established distribution model should psychedelics legalize in the US.

PharmaDrug said the European Slim Winkel online store will be launched in the next two weeks. The website will sell psilocybin truffles as well as functional mushrooms in The Netherlands. The website will also service other parts of Europe, but without access to psilocybin truffles.

As previously mentioned, the company has located several premium locations in Amsterdam for the building of a major flagship store. The buildout of that store is a core focus and management will move immediately to sign a lease and commence the build-out as soon as the country opens up on a seemingly permanent basis. Management also still intends to follow through on a build-out or acquisition of stores in five other identified cities in The Netherlands.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
Amid oxygen shortage, Nepal Mountaineering Association has requested climbers of the ongoing Spring Expedition to bring back their canisters so that they can be refilled to supply the medical gas to COVID-19 patients. According to ANI, the NMA urged climbers to bring back their empty or unused oxygen cylinders as coronavirus infection in Nepal is surging and patients are gasping for oxygen. In recent weeks, Nepals daily case trajectory has shot up with two out of five people testing positive.

Santa Bir Lama, President of NMA, told the media agency, We now are facing the second wave of infection which has created grave kind of situation and crisis, matter is going out of hand. Cylinders (Oxygen) which arrived back from the expedition can be used at this hour of crisis. We are lending our hands to government, various associations and those who are working on it.

Lama added, In the ongoing expedition all the climbers are on base camp, they possess ample number of cylinders. We have requested owners and operators to bring back cylinders immediately after completion of expedition to use it for the benefit of people.

COVID-19 outbreak in Nepal

Usually, oxygen canisters are left on slopes and ridges of mountains, however, with rising cases, the NMA has communicated with the expedition organisers and agents requesting them to bring back the cylinders for refilling. As per reports, hospitals in the capital city, Kathmandu, are flooded with coronavirus patients who are lying on the ground gasping for life-saving gas due to the limited number of oxygen gas cylinders available. Dozens of patients in recent weeks have already lost their lives due to the shortage of oxygen cylinders.

ANI reported that Kathmandu on average needs 15,000 oxygen gas cylinders on daily basis at the current time. It is also expected that the number might run high in the coming days as the peak of the ongoing pandemic is expected in the coming month. Even though empty oxygen gas cylinders are being outsourced from various countries, the gap between available cylinders and their demand on a daily basis is widening.

Expedition agencies, on the other hand, have welcomed the decision of NMA and said, We have a lot of oxygen for mountaineering so we neither face shortage nor have any problems. The public are now facing the problem with the wide-spreading coronavirus outbreak and are having problem in the supply of oxygen. Seven Summit Treks have around one thousands bottles (of oxygen), when the empty cylinders come back here we can provide them to government which they can refill with the medical oxygen and use it for patients of COVID-19.

(With inputs from ANI)




Ibrahima Mbaye and Waly Sarr found no other way but to come to Europe.

They had no other means of sustaining their families back home in Senegal.

They are among the few lucky ones who arrived legally.

They both came to Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island closer to Africa than to Europe, where thousands of migrants arrive every year at the end of a perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea.

Mbaye and Sarr see their fellow citizens landing on the island almost everyday in the summer, when weather conditions allow for the sea crossing from Libyan and Tunisian shores.

"I wouldn't believe it, if somebody would have told me that in Lampedusa everyday 30 or 25 boats arrive, I would not have believed it. But now that I came here I saw it with my own eyes," says Mbaye.

He arrived in Lampedusa a year and a half ago, by plane via France.

After spending four years in Milan he finally settled here when he was hired as part of the mixed Italian-Senegalese crew of the 'Vincenzo Padre' of which Sarr was already part.

30-year-old Sarr from Dakar has been living on the island for almost ten years now.

In 2012 he joined his father who had been already working on the Vincenzo Padre.

He too, came by plane with the papers in order.

Something very hard to obtain for most migrants.

"I think that if I hadn't got that possibility, I would have done like them," Sarr says referring to the many migrants he sees arriving to Lampedusa.

Attempting a journey that could mean to die drowned into the unknown is what is left as the only option for many poor people in Africa, both Sarr and Mbaye say.

If no other way to reach Europe legally was there, that is what they would have done too, in order to find a job and send money back home.

"There is a risk, but you don't see the it, you don't want to risk, but the only thing you see is that you want to come to find work. If you take that risk it's because you want people back home to survive," Sarr says.

Mbaye and Sarr say they are one family on the boat with the other two Italian crew members and the captain.

They work next to each other for days out at sea and in the harbour of Lampedusa when they do maintenance work to the boat.

They feel the local community on the island is also mostly welcoming with them, as they see they both are hard-workers.

Sarr and Mbaye say they feel they have become full citizens on the island.

With many days spent at sea, the job is hard but they can send money to their relatives in Senegal, where they both have children and wives.

With his regular job as fisherman, Sarr can support his wife, his 7-month-old daughter and his extended family back home, including his father's two wives and children.

Mbaye, who graduated in accounting at the university in Dakar, left his wife and three children because despite his education he could not find any job.

Leaving Senegal was painful, Mbaye says.

He says Africa is rich, and there should be plenty of opportunities for the younger generation, but governments do not do enough to prevent people from leaving.

"The young people they have to stay there, our government must help people to remain in Africa, and develop Africa," he says.

Seeing young people arriving on Lampedusa without papers hoping for a better future in Italy is also painful.

Italy is the main point of arrival for migrants crossing the sea from Africa.

As of May 11, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates that about 25 thousand migrants have reached Southern Europe this year, more than 23,000 by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Of that number, more than 13,000 arrived at Italy, according to the UNHCR.

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Dhaka, May 16 (PTI) A senior leader of the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami group has been arrested in Bangladesh for allegedly instigating violence in March during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the country, police said on Sunday.

Shahjahan Chowdhury, who is also a former lawmaker, was arrested from Chatttogram's Hathazari area on Saturday and was later sent on three-day police remand by Senior Judicial Magistrate Shahriar Iqbal of the Chittagong Court.

"Police yesterday (Saturday) arrested Jamaat leader and ex-MP Shahjahan Chowdhury in (southeastern) Chatttogram finding his links to the mayhem and obtained the court order to interrogate him in the custody," a police spokesman said.

He said Chowdhury, who was elected to parliament during the previous Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led four-party alliance with Jamaat being its crucial partner, was charged with instigating the violence unleashed by radical outfit Hefazat-e-Islam on March 26 during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bangladesh.

"We have evidence of Shahjahans involvement with the violence and vandalism done by Hefazat men on March 26 and 27 during the protests against Indian Prime Minister Modi's visit. He was arrested in the cases filed with the Hathazari police station, the Chittagong district police chief was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.

On March 26, at least four people were killed and several others were injured in clashes among Hefazat supporters, police, and ruling party activists in Chittagong.

Modi was in Dhaka then on a two-day visit to join the celebrations of the golden jubilee of Bangladeshs independence and the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hefazat activists were involved in widespread violence and vandalism in Hathazari around Modis visit, including an attack on the local police station. Members of the Qawmi madrasa-based radical organisation were also involved in acts of vandalism and arson of the government offices.

Over the past few weeks, Bangladesh has arrested dozens of leaders belonging to the Hefazat outfit. On March 30, police filed a total of six cases over the violence, accusing several thousand unnamed suspects.

Chowdhury is a former chief of the Chattogram Metropolitan branch of Jamaat and a member of the groups Central Majlish-e-Shura. He was elected a member of parliament from the Satkania-Lohagara seat during the BNP-Jamaat alliance government.

The Jamaat leader has been accused in nearly 20 cases related to violence at different times. He was previously arrested in 2018 for instigation during the student road protest movement, bdnews24.com reported. PTI AR MRJ MRJ

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The second day of voting in a much-anticipated election to choose 155 people to draft a new constitution continued in Chile on Sunday.

Nearly 80% of voters in a plebiscite last year chose to draft a new charter for the nation following a year of protests, though there is much less consistent agreement over what it should contain.

Activist groups have mobilised in hopes of enshrining equality for women, protections for the environment, for Indigenous people, for or against the right to abortion.

Conservatives hope to maintain a dominant private sector and rules making it hard to pass major reforms in the legislature.

Their ability to get any strong clauses may be limited, though: Two-thirds agreement is required, so any bloc that can muster a third of the votes in the constitutional convention can block any clause.

The governing center-right coalition and other conservative parties are running a single slate in the two-day voting, while the left and center-left are divided.

The document that emerges from the wrangling will go to a public vote in mid-2022.

If rejected, the current constitution will remain in force.

The makeup of the body reflects a wave of revulsion against the current political system that was obvious during unrest that spread across the nation in late 2019, with a grab-bag of protests against increased taxi fares, inadequate pensions and health care, poor schools and general inequality in one of Latin America's richest nations.

Members of Congress are barred from the convention, and by law, half of the body must consist of women  the first time any constitution has been drafted in conditions of gender parity, according to the United Nations.

Seventeen seats are reserved for Indigenous peoples, who are not mentioned in the existing constitution.

The left, especially, has long detested Chile's current constitution, which was written and imposed under the 1973-1990 military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

That document, which created a strong presidency and guarantees protections for private property, has guided the nation through a period of overall prosperity but also of intense inequality.

It also gives broad powers to security forces that civil libertarians see as excessive.

The old constitution was amended over the years, notably with the 2005 repeal of an article that had allowed appointed senators and senators for life in Congress.

The vote originally was scheduled for April but was delayed by an upsurge of COVID-19 cases.

Overall, Chile has been among the countries most successful at vaccinating its population, with nearly 60% of Chileans getting at least one dose, though most of the country's districts remain under some sort of pandemic restrictions.

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Whether it is to flee war, religious persecution, poverty or the effects of climate change, migrants and refugees worldwide routinely find themselves in great danger. However, Darien Gap may perhaps hold the unique distinction of being the most hazardous migrant trail of all.

What is the Darien Gap?

The Darien Gap is a section on the southern border of Panama often referred to as one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. It is a part of the 19,000-mile Pan-American highway road route from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina.

The Darien Gap is 66 miles of dense mountainous jungles that has no roads and is swamped with armed guerillas such as FARC, drug traffickers and more importantly deadly venomous creatures covering the border of Panama and Colombia.

The Darien Gap is often referred to as the lawless wilderness in pop culture and is situated on the border of Colombia and Panama, teeming with everything from deadly snakes to antigovernment guerrilla organisations. The Gap also sees a regular flow of migrants from Cuba, Africa and Asia, whose desperation sends them on perilous journeys to reach, where they risk robbery, kidnapping and even death to document one of the worlds most harrowing treks.

The Darien Gap is a break across the North and South American continents within Central America, consisting of a large watershed, forest, and mountains in the northern portion of Colombia's Choco Department and Panama's Darien Province. https://t.co/1fF599uj4P pic.twitter.com/k4vRYHOvhd    (@Artstrada) May 15, 2021

Despite multiple attempts to connect the missing 66-mile gap with the rest of the highway network, serious environmental implications and the enormous cost of building a road through it have thwarted all attempts so far. There is also a section of activists concerned that the Gap acts as a natural barrier against the inflow of drugs and disease flowing freely into North America and the U.S.

The first-ever and only known successful vehicle expedition through the Darien Gap were led by a British Army officer Gavin Thompson. His team reportedly started in Alaska and drove all the way to Panama in a Range Rover. His team of six was assisted by 64 other engineers and scientists who helped them "hack" their way through the jungles and float the Range Rovers across the rivers. In the expeditions that followed, Thompson famously listed several things that could kill you in the Darian Gap

The dangers that lie within the Darien Gap

From pit vipers to drug traffickers, FARC (Revolutionary Amed Forces of Colombia) Guerillas, to wandering venomous spiders and the blistering jungle heat, which according to reports, can reach a balmy 35-degree Celsius with 95% humidity, meaning if someone runs out of water, it could take anywhere between 20-50 days to find replenishment.

The dense jungle also packs other surprises such as water bodies that are completely undrinkable with a host of viruses and parasites in every sip. Chunga palm trees with 80 inches-long spikes covered in an array of bacteria, ticks, trench foot, bot flies, and more uncommon but still active Cold War-era bombs lying deceptively smattered throughout the jungle. While most of the bombs are detonated, some remain waiting for someone to step off the trail and step on one to explode.

Cold War-era bombs

During the heights of Cold War, American troops launched bombs into the dense jungle to practice and prepare for the "real" war that presumably laid ahead. Although most of the bombs were detonated, and the forest regrew, some of the live bombs still lie there idle on the forest floor, covered in moss and poison ivy, waiting for someone to trip over them and cause a massive explosion.

Who are the FARC?

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARCEP) is a MarxistLeninist revolutionary guerrilla organisation based in Colombia and is known for being involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict. Founded in 1964, their original leaders were small farmers and land workers who had banded together to fight against inequality in Colombia. While the FARC have some presence in urban pockets, they have always been an overwhelmingly rural guerrilla organisation. FATC has anywhere between 6,000 and 7,000 active fighters within the ranks with another 8,500 civilians also forming the organisation's support network. It is estimated that the organisation's strength has subsided considerably from 20,000 active fighters they are believed to have had in the early 2000s.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera admitted on Sunday that the country's government was not "tuning adequately with the demands and hopes of citizens" as the results of an election which could help shape a new constitution continued trickling in.

Voters in the nation had cast their ballot for two-days from Saturday to elect 155 representatives of a Constitutional Convention.

The members of the convention will have at least nine months to draft a new constitution which could replace the country's existing one which was written during the 1973-1990 military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

With 80% of the votes counted as of late on Sunday, independent candidates who contested a spot on the convention secured more votes than those who contested with traditional parties.

Speaking in Santiago, Pinera believed that the results showed that voters had given the government and "traditional political forces" a "clear and strong message."

However, no political party managed to secure the two-thirds of votes required to control the Constitutional Convention, paving the way for new alliances to be formed.

Once the convention is formed and the new constitution is drafted, Chileans will approve or reject the document in a mandatory plebiscite in the second half of 2022.

If rejected, the current constitution will remain in force.

Mayors, governors and city councillors were also elected in the weekend's poll.

The results of those polls were expected to be counted after the votes for the convention were tallied.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing questions over their global partnership with Procter & Gamble (P&G), which is an American cosmetics firm that sells skin-whitening creams. According to DailyMail, the Archewell Foundation last week had announced their partnership with P&G to build more compassionate communities. However, their deal has thrown a spotlight on the companys hugely controversial sale in Asia and Africa of skin-lightening creams, and campaigners have demanded P&G and other major firms stop selling such creams.

As per reports, Alex Malouf, who is a former P&G executive, said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will come under pressure to say whether they support the sale of skin lightening products. Malouf noted that Meghan has talked a lot about the issue of race and racism, so the deal with P&G does stick out like a sore thumb. He also went on to note that Prince Harry has been outspoken on environmental and wildlife issues and P&G, on the other hand, has been lambasted for its role in the destruction of large swathes of forest to make loo roll and other products.

It is worth noting that one of P&Gs biggest suppliers of palm oil - FGV Holdings  has reportedly been accused of exploiting and abusing workers in Malaysia. The US firm also buys an estimated 490,000 tons of wood pulp a year from Canadas boreal forest. A study by an environmental organisation also found that the suppliers of wood pulp from the forest were cutting down the habitat of the woodland caribou, which is an at-risk species of reindeer.

Following the Black Lives Matter movement, several cosmetics firms had faced mounting pressure to drop skin lightening products. Johnson & Johnson said it was dropping its Fine Fairness line. The L'Oreal Group announced plans to remove 'white/whitening', 'fair/fairness' and 'light/lightening' from the names of its products. Unilever also announced plans to rename Fair & Lovely - a popular brand in India.

Several internet users also criticised the Duke and Duchess for partnering with a company that causes significant harm to climate-critical forests and makes skin whitening cream. One user wrote, What a pair of turncoats P & G, do their testing on animals!! Shame on all of them. Another added, I haven't bought P&G products due to issues in the past but this only confirms my resolve to continue to purchase competitive brands. Duke and Duchess are the biggest hypocrites and liars.....as the old saying goes, birds of a feather.

Duke and Duchess have responsibility to voice concerns

However, P&G has continued to sell the popular White Radiance and Natural White products via its Olay brand. Therefore, Joanne Rondilla, a professor at San Jose State University who has researched skin-lightening in the Philippines, said Prince Harry and Meghan had a responsibility to voice concerns about these products with P&G. Rondilla said that it was important for Meghan to bring up the issues of colourism and the partnership with P&G does not advance that conversation.

Robin Averbeck, of the Rainforest Action Network, a US environment organisation, also called on the Duke and Duchess to end their relationship with P&G because of the firm's links with FGV Holdings. Averbeck said that the fact P&G has continued to be complicit in human rights abuses, in environmental devastation, is reason enough why this partnership shouldn't be formed or shouldn't continue. But the Archewell Foundation has said its partnership with P&G will focus on 'gender equality, more inclusive online spaces, and resilience and impact through sport'.

IMAGE: AP
The United States on May 16 told the United Nations Security Council that it has relayed it to Israel, Palestinians, and others that it is "ready to offer" its help if the parties involved seek a ceasefire. On Sunday, the United Nations Security Council convened for its first open session to discuss the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict that began with Palestinian militants, Hamas attacking Israel with rockets and triggering strong retaliation. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the 15-member council said that the US has been working tirelessly through the diplomatic challenge to end the crisis.

The United States has been working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to try to bring an end to this conflict, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said. Because we believe Israelis and Palestinians equally have a right to live in safety and security.

 Tune in LIVE for @UN Security Council Open Debate chaired by @Chinamission2un on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Followed by media stakeouts.@UNDPPA #Gaza #UNSC #Israel #Palestine



 16 May  10am, New York, EDT https://t.co/6b9viwzNSl  UN Web TV (@UNWebTV) May 16, 2021

The first open UNSC meeting followed two closed-door sessions on Israel and Palestine conflict. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Israels campaign in Hamas Islamist-run Gaza was continuing at full force. The US, which is a strong ally of Israel, has been corned at the UN over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on one of the worst instances of violence in the decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict because it fears the repercussions in behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

Prompting reaction from China, UNSC President for May, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, We call upon the US to shoulder its responsibilities, take a just position, and together with most of the international community support the Security Council in easing the situation. china also said on May 16 that it would again push the council to try and agree on a statement.

UN Sec-Gen on Israel-Palestine conflict

The calls raising concerns about spiking civilian death toll in the Israel-Palestine conflict came as on May 16 the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council that the hostilities in Israel and Gaza were utterly appalling. While opening the 15-member councils first public meeting on the conflict that has now been going on for several weeks, Guterres also reiterated his calls for an immediate end to the fighting.

The truce efforts are still being made by Egypt, Qatar and the UN. earlier, the United States also sent an envoy to the region and US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday.

Image credits: AP/Twitter
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Since acquiring PlantX Living Squamish Inc on January 7, the company has realized year-over-year revenue increases of 62% in January, 34% in February, 127% in March, and 119% in April

PlantX Life said the Squamish, British Columbia store is an essential component of its targeted growth strategy

PlantX Life Inc ( ) ( ) ( ) announced the opening of its first Canadian brick-and-mortar store under the PlantX brand in Squamish, British Columbia.

The company said since acquiring PlantX Living Squamish Inc on January 7, it has realized year-over-year revenue increases of 62% in January, 34% in February, 127% in March, and 119% in April.

We are extremely pleased to announce the opening of PlantX's first brick-and-mortar store in beautiful Squamish, British Columbia, PlantX CEO Julia Frank said in a statement.

Squamish is a health-oriented town with a thriving vegan community and it is a very popular destination for locals or tourists in search of adventure or travelling between Vancouver and Whistler  two of the most famous locations on Canada's west coast. The store is an essential component of our targeted growth strategy, Frank added.

The newly-renovated location will feature 1,700 square feet of retail space with a PlantX design within the Locavore Bar & Grill restaurant area in Squamish.

PlantX also noted its Squamish flagship location showcases a variety of carefully curated grocery and wellness items by popular Canadian and US plant-based brands and aims to increase public engagement and plant-based education.

It added that with the opening it estimates an average of 1,000 customers per day will soon be exposed to the PlantX brand.

The Squamish store will also feature several vertical farm walls stacked with a watering system and lights, which will grow herbs and leafy greens that will be used by the PlantX team as fresh ingredients to make plant-based meals as part of the Locavore Bar & Grill's evolving plant-based menu.

Vancouver-based PlantX Life styles itself as the digital face of the plant-based community with a one-stop destination for all things plant-based, like an online shop and meal delivery services. The online shop houses over 5,000 vegan products, and its recently-added meal service delivers chef-created dishes straight to the doors of Western Canada. All in all, the company offers more than 10,000 plant-based products.

Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com
The Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China could see half its leadership in jail by the end of the month.

Former lawmaker Albert Ho (center) leaves West Kowloon Court in Hong Kong after being found guilty on April 16, 2021 of organizing an unauthorized assembly held on Aug. 18, 2019.

A Hong Kong rights group that has organized candlelight vigils marking the 1989 Tiananmen massacre for the past three decades says several of its key members could soon face jail, as a further 10 veteran activists plead guilty to "illegal assembly" charges.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China said it would keep going with its human rights work despite the fact that around half of its leadership are currently facing jail terms under a city-wide crackdown on public dissent and peaceful opposition under a national security law imposed by Beijing.

Many of those facing jail are veteran leaders of the Alliance, who have been actively involved with organizing annual vigils marking the June 4, 1989 bloodshed, as well as running a museum dedicated to the mass, student-led democracy movement that saw hundreds of thousands occupy Tiananmen Square in the weeks leading up to the massacre.

But Alliance secretary-general Richard Choi said that those who still have their liberty won't give up, and are mentally prepared to be arrested at any time.

"We won't forget our original mission, and we will keep the faith and bear this risk calmly," Choi said.

Vice chairman and veteran human rights lawyer Albert Ho said he had no regrets about participating in "illegal assemblies," charges that are increasingly being brought against pro-democracy politicians and peaceful activists in Hong Kong's courts since the 2019 protest movement.

"We won't have any regrets," Ho said. "Our loss of liberty will [eventually] mean that more people can exercise their civil rights and speak their minds in a peaceful manner."

"We will have no hesitation whatsoever," he said.

'Illegal assembly'

Their comments came as Choi, along with Alliance chairman and former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan pleaded guilty to "organizing an illegal assembly" on Oct. 1, 2019.

Former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Albert Ho, Yeung Sum, and Cyd Ho also pleaded guilty at the District Court on Monday, as did pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai and activists Figo Chan and Avery Ng.

Chan, Lee, Leung, and Albert Ho also pleaded guilty to "inciting others" to take part in an "illegal assembly" on Sept. 30, 2019.

Judge Amanda Woodcock will deliver their sentences on May 28, after hearing mitigation pleas.

Chan told reporters on Monday: "I hope other people will carry on finding ways to speak out, whether it's on June 4, July 1, or other dates, to defend our freedoms, democracy, and justice."

Earlier this month, the District Court handed jail terms to jailed democracy activist Joshua Wong and three opposition members of the city's District Council for attending last year's Tiananmen massacre vigil in defiance of a ban that was ostensibly linked to coronavirus restrictions.

City-wide crackdown

The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has presided over a city-wide crackdown on peaceful protest and political opposition since imposing a draconian national security law on Hong Kong from July 1, 2020.

The law, which saw China's feared state security police set up a headquarters in Hong Kong to oversee "serious" cases, has been widely criticized by governments, rights groups, and lawyers as an assault on Hong Kong's traditional freedoms of speech, association, and political participation.

In December, 27 opposition politicians and democracy activists were arrested for "subversion" under the law after they held a democratic primary designed to maximize their chances of winning seats in the Legislative Council (LegCo).

The authorities responded by postponing the election and arresting those who took part in the primary.

Civil servants have been resigning at record rates since the law took effect, while a recent survey of expats found that around 40 percent had definite plans to leave Hong Kong.

More than 1,800 civil servants resigned during the year ending April 2021, the Civil Service Bureau said in documents submitted to LegCo, around one percent of the entire government payroll, government broadcaster RTHK reported.

A further 6,000 civil servants retired during the same period, three percent of the total payroll, including nearly 150 department heads, around 10 percent of the total at that pay grade, according to the Economic Times newspaper.



Reported by Gigi Lee and Cheng Yut Yiu for RFA's Cantonese and Mandarin Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has canceled a conference of prominent Maoist ideologists ahead of its 100th centenary, suggesting that CCP leader Xi Jinping is unwilling to allow the faction to increase its power base in a possible challenge to his "core" leadership.



While many commentators have noted an apparent shift towards political practises and ideological tropes that echo the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) under late supreme leader Mao Zedong in recent years, it appears that Xi is unwilling to allow actual Maoists free rein under his rule.



A conference titled "Commemorating the 55th Anniversary of the Proletarian Cultural Revolution" had been scheduled for Sunday, marking the May 16 directive that launched a decade of street fighting, violent "struggle sessions" and arbitrary denunciation in kangaroo courts on Mao's China.



However, it was suddenly canceled at short notice, and with scant explanation, according to Chinese scholar Li Gang.



"The activities that had been planned by the Maoist left to commemorate the Cultural Revolution have been stopped," Li told RFA. "Judging from various indicators, it is likely that the CCP ordered this."



Maoist, leftist websites and groups like Hongzhan, Practical Communism, Utopia, the Mao Zedong Thought Banner, Mao Zedong Research Institute, the Protagonist, The Red Song Society had all said they would take part in the canceled conference.



But sources said that Zhang Zhang, one of the organizers, was contacted by police on Saturday and told to call it off.

Rounding up people

Zhang told Hong Kong's pro-China Singtao Daily newspaper on Sunday that all offline meetings had been canceled, as it was "inconvenient" to go ahead, owing to poor attendance.



Asked if he had been ordered to cancel, he told the paper: "Either way, it's canceled, so what does it matter?"



Beijing-based political journalist Gao Yu said via Twitter that a wider crackdown is under way on any face-to-face meetings linked to the Cultural Revolution.



"They have rounded up and prevented people from attending around a dozen different meetings and dinner gatherings," Gao wrote.



According to Li Gang, the Cultural Revolution is still contested political ground, with the party under Xi recently changing the official description of the era to minimize Mao's responsibility for the bloodshed and social chaos.



"Does this cancelation mean that the authorities have changed course and stopped trying to reverse the official verdict on the Cultural Revolution?" Li said. "I don't think it does."



"Actually, everything [Xi's administration] has been doing in the past few years has mimicked what happened in the Cultural Revolution," he said. "The leadership is actually taking us backwards, and traveling the same old road once more."



Factional strife

The cancelation came after photos of a 30th anniversary party marking the death of Mao's wife and Gang of Four leader Jiang Qing, featuring a young women in red apparently representing Jiang.



China's Maoist left straddles the established party and unofficial activism alike, and, as such, isn't an entirely controllable quantity.



Leftists, including dozens of young labor activists who tried to set up an independent labor union at the Jasic Technology factory in Shenzhen in 2018, have been detained, placed under house arrest, and silenced as part of the CCP's "stability maintenance" regime.



A media worker surnamed Tang said the CCP actually has plenty to gain from allowing a certain amount of factional strife, however.



"They are actually inciting the struggle between the so-called left and right-wing factions, and adding fuel to the flames," Tang said. "Actually they are allowing history to repeat itself."



"They are allowing [this struggle] to do their dirty work for them, the work of those in power, so as to terrorize the population into staying silent," he said.



The website of Hongzhan.org was inaccessible from the U.K. on Monday, returning the message "This website is temporarily unavailable for failing to file an application in accordance with relevant laws of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology."



Reported by Qiao Long and Man Hoi Yan for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
With government pay so low, employees of a machinery factory skip work to harvest clams and crabs.

A machinery factory in a North Korean border city has sent agents to track down workers who abandoned their government-assigned jobs when coronavirus idled their plant and headed to the coast to harvest seafood for higher wages, sources in the country told RFA.

The workers fled the Ragwon Machine Complex  a state-of-the-art maker of drills, excavators and pumps in the city of Sinuiju  to work on boats or at aquaculture farms on the Yellow Sea, where picking clams and catching crabs for export to China pays better than state factory jobs.

Even at the showcase factory in Sinuiju, a major city on North Koreas Yalu River border with China, workers needed side jobs to because paltry government salaries are not enough to feed families.

Hundreds of workers rushed away to another region of the country without getting factory approval, saying they had to earn money for food, a resident of Uiju county in North Pyongan provinces told RFAs Korean Service last week.

The reason why they are looking for work far away from here is because a limited amount of maritime trade with China has resumed since April, and they are hiring a lot of daily workers for the foreign-currency-earning clam and flower crab farms on the West Sea, said the source, using the Korean term for the Yellow Sea.

The complex, estimated to have 4,000-5,000 workers, appeared willing to look the other way when hungry workers drifted off last year when production was nearly idled for lack of raw materials brought on by international nuclear sanctions and the closure of Sino-North Korean border during the coronavirus pandemic.

But now that it plans to restart operations with an easing of border closures, workers are ignoring calls to return because they cant afford to go back to their government-salaried jobs, sources told RFA.

According to the Uiju resident, the factorys management has organized a task force to search the West Sea aquacultural sites for its missing workers.

Only some of the workers were caught and forced to come back to work at the factory, but they couldnt find the rest. Its not going to be easy to find them either, because they can hide their identities while they go make money at sea, said the source.

Another source, a Sinuiju resident, told RFA that the Ragwon machinery complex is an example of the regimes purported shift toward tech since 2011, when Kim Jong Un came to power.

They say the factory has computers controlling a lot of the manufacturing process, which workers complete using heavy equipment and machine tools, but the surrounding Ragwon-dong is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Sinuiju -- its all propaganda, said the second source, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

It looks good from the outside, but because of sanctions against North Korea and the pandemic, steel imports arent coming in and factory operation has stopped. They cannot even give food rations to their workers, the second source said.

The second source said that some of the families of the men who work at the factory live in squalor.

Their wives make tofu to sell at the local marketplace and the family will only eat the leftover pulp. They are struggling to make ends meet right now, the second source said.

But since some maritime trade has resumed, the trading companies and foreign-currency-earning seafood industries are hiring men to man fish with nets and fix and maintain boats, the second source said.

North Korean exports of seafood, which were banned in 2017 by U.N. Security Council sanctions aimed at cutting funds for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, used to earn the country an estimated US$300 million a year.

The factory workers have no choice but to abandon their posts for the opportunities at sea, even in the face the harsh punishment of having their membership in the ruling Korean Workers Party revoked.

Membership in the ruling Korean Workers Party is seen as a status symbol that can also be a gateway to better housing, employment, education and food in the impoverished country.

However, workers are preparing for punishment and continue trying to make money, saying that it is far more terrifying to starve than to be forced to leave the party.

Food shortages are affecting labor in many different industries all over the country. RFA reported earlier this month that hungry construction workers in Pyongyang had begun robbing and murdering residents to try to find money to buy food.

U.N Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights Tomas Ojea Quintana warned in a report in March that the closure of the Sino-Korean border and restrictions on the movement of people could bring on a serious food crisis.

Deaths by starvation have been reported, as has an increase in the number of children and elderly people who have resorted to begging as families are unable to support them, said the report.

RFA reported earlier this month that North Korean authorities were warning residents to prepare for economic difficulties as bad as the 1994-1998 famine which killed millions, as much as 10 percent of the population by some estimates.

Kim Jong Un was quoted in state media in April as saying the country faced grim challenges.

Improving the peoples living standards ... even in the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges depends on the role played by the cells, the grassroots organizations of the party, Kim said during an opening speech at a meeting of cell secretaries of the ruling Workers Party.

Reported by RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Refugees also face hardship in camps in Rakhine, where shelters need major repairs ahead of the rainy season.

Protesters march in support of Myanmar's opposition National Unity Government (NUG) in a demonstration in Hpakant, Kachin state, against the military coup, May 8, 2021.

More than 3,000 refugees have fled their villages in northern Myanmar to escape fighting between junta military forces and the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) during the last three months, filling refugee camps in Kachin states five townships, sources in the region say.

Fighting in the northern state bordering China has intensified since the Feb. 1 military coup that overthrew the democratically elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and food aid to the refugees has been largely cut off by moves by the State Administration Council, Myanmars military rulers, to block roads leading to the camps.

The most difficult thing is the military blockade of our food transport routes, said Klem Samson, chairman of the Kachin Baptist Church (KBC), which is working to send help to villagers displaced by the fighting.

Secondly, it is difficult to send money even if there are people who want to help financially, he said, referring to nationwide limits now in place to the amounts of cash allowed for withdrawals from the countrys banks.

These are the two major challenges we currently face, he said.

A total of 166 refugee camps are currently operating in Myanmars Kachin and northern Shan states, with the daily cost to provide food, clothing, and medicine to the camps population of nearly 150,000 amounting to around 150,000,000 kyats (U.S.$96,000) a day, the KBCs Human Resource Development Department said.

Thirteen new camps in Kachins Hpakant, Waingmaw, Momauk, Bhamo, and Ingyanyan townships are taking in the 3,000 Kachin refugees displaced in the last three months. At the same time, more than 6,000 mostly ethnic Shan refugees from Momauk have taken shelter in eight monasteries in nearby villages after fighting flared in their area beginning April 10.

There are about 6,000 at the Bhamo Tagun Daing monastery [alone], a resident of Momauks Zee Kaw village said, adding, Currently, only farmers and those people who have jobs are now left [in their home villages.]

Speaking to RFA, Abbot Waushang, a Buddhist monk, called on Myanmars military, referred to as the Tatmadaw, to lift its blockade on Kachin state roads so that donations can flow freely to the refugees, since this war was started by the Tatmadaw itself.

This would alleviate a lot of pain and suffering, and none of the young people who are doing this humanitarian work are concerned about politics, he said.

KIA information officer Col. Naw Bu acknowledged the work being done by religious groups to help those displaced by the fighting in Kachin, adding, It is a bit inconvenient for us to go into the [townships] to help them ourselves.

In any case, the KIA is an organization that stands with the people, and if there are problems, we will do everything we possibly can to help them," he said.

Camps need major repairs

In western Myanmars Rakhine state, where war raged for about two years until a November 2020 ceasefire, more than 46,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in refugee camps with most of their shelters needing major repairs as the monsoon season approaches, state officials and humanitarian groups say.

When we made a survey, we found that around 70 percent of the camps were in extremely poor shape, with roofs and shelters badly damaged, and about 30 percent of them in a state of near collapse, Zaw Zaw Tun, secretary of the Rakhine Nationalities Association (REC), told RFA.

The tents in around 40 of Rakhines 141 camps are now damaged, Zaw Zaw Tun said.

More than 2,000 people in 400 families live in the Zaydi Byin camp for internally displaced persons in Rakhines Rathedaung township, said Moung Saw Win, who works in the camp.

[But] this camp was originally built as a temporary measure, so it will surely be in very bad shape this year, he said.

In the Nyaung Chaung IDP camp in Kyauktaw township, where more than 3,000 refugees are now sheltering, buildings are also damaged, said camp administrator Khine Myo Aung.

In the past, I have seen families sitting huddled in one corner when it rains at night because the roofs and siding are damaged, and were facing the same situation again now, he said.

More than 800 of the camps shelters were built in with bamboo and tarpaulins by civil society organizations using funds from private donors and the U.N. refugee agency in February 2019 following fighting between the Tatmadaw and the ethnic Arakan Army, and are now in disrepair, he said.

The Ann Thar IDP camp in Rakhines Minbya townshiphome to over 700 people coming from more than 140 households in Phar Pyo and Thalu Chaung villagesis also in need of major repairs and is not ready for the coming rainy season, said camp official Ann Thar Gyi.

The shelters were already not strong when they were first built, and so it is unthinkable for them to go through another rainy season, he said. When it rains, you cant stay inside.

REC Secretary Zaw Zaw Tun told RFA that Myanmars military, working in cooperation with international organizations and civil society groups, should take a key role in repairing the houses in the camps.

Asked whether the militarys ruling State Administration Council in Rakhine will provide assistance to the states refugee camps, Rakhine State Attorney General Hla Thein said that help will be provided if the refugees ask for it.

We have a full budget for essential items for the refugees, Hla Thein said. For example, if their roofs are blown away by wind, the camp will not have to spend its own money. We can help them right away.

Its the same with the sidings and other things. We have no need to hold back, he said.

Camp officials said however that their requests for help in last years rainy season were never met, and that they wont be asking again.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Memet Abdulla, the former chief of the forestry bureau of Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), was detained by national security officers on April 29, 2017, shortly after the launch of a campaign of mass extralegal incarceration that has since seen up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities held in a vast network of internment camps in the region. Abdulla is one of the highest-ranking officials whose detention and subsequent arrest in the campaign have been confirmed. Last year, RFAs Uyghur Service confirmed details of his disappearance and sentencing to life in prison last year for being two-faceda term regularly used by authorities to refer to Uyghur cadres who they say pay lip service to Communist Party rule in the XUAR, but secretly chafe against state repression of members of their ethnic group.

Abdullas U.S.-based daughter Subhi Memet recently told RFA that her father was detained the very day he was set to visit her and her brother, along with their families. Since then, she has been unable to obtain information about her fathers situation and only recently was allowed to speak to her mother and sister, who both remain in the XUAR. In an interview, she said she found herself unable to believe her mothers claims that her father was still alive when they first spoke on the phone after many months of silence.

After Memet began testifying about her father in the international press last year, Chinese officials and state media accused her of lying and denied her claim that her father had been detained and arrested for being two-faced. An official statement says Abdulla was sentenced for bribery and embezzlement. Recently, Memet saw a video of her father shackled and chained to a chair in what appears to be a courtroom. It was her first sight of him in years. In her interview with RFA, she called on anyone with disappeared family members to break their silence and speak out about their loved ones.

Memet: In October 2020, out of the blue my sister got a phone call from a number she didnt recognize. She took the call, and it was my fathers voice. My father said they were holding him in Cell 11 of the No. 3 prison. She and my mother [who remain in the XUAR] werent able to ask about how he was doing on the phone. My mother told me she had heard my fathers voice, that he was alive, but I found I couldnt believe her. I couldnt believe what my own mother was saying. She said that they were going to let her see him six months later. On April 29, 2021in other words, four years after they detained my fatherthey allowed my parents to see one another via video chat.

In April 2020, Voice of America did a video interview with me. After the video came out, in June of 2020, the Global Times said that I was spreading fake news, that I fabricated falsehoods when I said my fathers crime was being two-faced and a splittist, and that they had arrested him for the crime of bribery. They took my father away via the public security bureau. They never took him for investigation. There was never any talk of an investigation, and I heard nothing about bribery.  They have claimed that we, their children, are lying in order to discredit the work that we are doing internationally, in order to claim that were fooling people and to [try to] put an end to the cause that were working for. Governments around the world already know that the Chinese government is a straight-up liar, so we will not turn back, and we will continue moving forward.

Iskender Memet (L) and his father, Memet Abdulla (R), at the White House in Washington, in an undated photo. Iskender Memet

My heart was shattered

My heart was shattered when I saw the pillar of our family wearing the clothing of a prisoner, when I saw him older in age, close to 80 years old, his feet chained up. No child wants to see such a sight of their own father in such a state of abuse. I will never be able to get this sight out of my mind. My father has liver problems and high blood pressure. He also has diabetes. How can a nearly 80-year-old person live well in a dark, cold prison? Does giving a life sentence to someone so old not show how cruel and bloodthirsty the Chinese government is, its lack of justice?

What Ive felt, based on my own experience, is that we can never be silent. The longer we stay silent, they will continue to oppress us such that, ultimately, it is still us who will be hurt. The longer we stay silent, the more they oppress us  Our staying silent is the greatest harm we could do to our parents and our relatives.

Reported by Nuriman for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen in Copenhagen at the start of a diplomatic tour that includes a meeting in Iceland of the Arctic Council and his first face-to-face talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov since President Joe Biden started his term in January.

During his May 17 meeting with Fredriksen, Blinken "emphasized the importance of advancing our mutual goals of combating the climate crisis, developing green technology, and continuing common efforts with the Kingdom of Denmark on the Arctic," the State Department said in a statement.

The two also discussed "strengthening the NATO Alliance and cooperating to address other challenges, including energy security," it said.

Blinken is also due to hold talks with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod in Copenhagen to discuss "combating the climate crisis" and "shared interest in strengthening the transatlantic relationship," the State Department said.

Blinken will stress the U.S. commitment to green technology and preserving environmental stability in the Arctic with the Danish leaders, the department said in a statement.

After those talks, he plans to travel on May 17 to Iceland for meetings with President Gudni Johannesson, Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, and Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thordarson ahead of a meeting of the eight-member Arctic Council in Reykjavik beginning on May 19.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken will "advance efforts to sustain the Arctic as a region of peace, free of conflict, where Arctic Council members collaborate on shared priorities to protect the well-being of Arctic communities and address the ever-growing threat and impacts of the climate crisis."

The meeting with Lavrov is scheduled to take place on May 20. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said the two will discuss "key issues of mutual relations and the international agenda."

Ahead of the meeting, Lavrov on May 17 warned Western countries against staking claims in the Arctic.

"It has been absolutely clear for everyone for a long time that this is our territory, this is our land," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow. "We are responsible for ensuring our Arctic coast is safe."

A U.S. intelligence report in April said Moscow is looking to increase its economic and military footprint in the Arctic, taking advantage of global warming's impact on the vast northern region.

Blinken and Lavrov will test the Biden administration's proposition of working on areas where Washington and Moscow have mutual interests, a senior State Department official told reporters en route to Copenhagen.

"We've made very clear from the first day of the administration that we seek a more stable relationship, a more predictable relationship with Russia," the official said.

The meeting comes amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia's military buildup in and around Ukraine, Russian meddling in U.S. elections, and recent cyberattacks blamed on cybercriminals in Russia, and the official indicated that those matters would be addressed.

"We're not going to stand idly by," he said.

At the end of his trip, Blinken plans to stop in Greenland to meet with the new head of government, Mute Bourup Egede.

The two are expected to discuss their countries' shared commitment to increased cooperation in the Arctic.

With reporting by AFP and AP
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Bosnia-Herzegovina's predominantly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, and neighboring Serbia have launched the construction of a hydropower plant on the Drina River despite opposition from environmental organizations and Bosnia's central government.

The prime ministers of Republika Srpska and Serbia, Radovan Viskovic and Ana Brnabic, on May 17 laid the foundation stone for the construction of the at least 93-megawatt (MW) Buk Bijela dam and plant, near the eastern Bosnian town of Foca.

The project is expected to take four years to complete and cost 200 million euros ($243 million). It is the first phase of a larger joint project that would include building two more hydropower plants on the upper stretch of the Drina in Bosnia.

Buk Bijela will be the largest and most important of the three planned power plants, with a dam length of nearly 200 meters.

"We are proud that we are building it with Serbia...it means life, connection, survival, and prosperity," Viskovic told reporters.

The Bosnian War ended in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in 1995 that divided Bosnia into two entities -- the Muslim and Croat federation and Republika Srpska -- held together by joint central institutions.

Bosnian Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic warned Serbia that its role in the Buk Bijela project, which has not been approved by Bosnia's central authorities, could damage bilateral ties.

"The Serbian authorities must know that, by entering the Buk Bijela project...they risk not only economic damage but also do not contribute to good neighborly relations," Turkovic tweeted.

Environmentalists from Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro, which all have borders on the Drina, have also opposed the project, saying it would damage the environment.

Brnabic defended the project, saying it would generate electricity using renewable resources and that thermal power plants need replacing.

"Everything has an impact on the environment and I think that care should be taken to keep that impact as small as possible," she said.

In December 2020, members of Bosnia's parliament launched a Constitutional Court case against Republika Srpska's decision to issue a concession for the construction of the three hydropower plants, saying decisions on state property such as rivers on international borders can only be made at the state level.

A case about the Buk Bijela dam is also pending at the Espoo Convention Implementation Committee due to Bosnia's failure to consult Montenegro about the environmental impact of the plants.

Bosnia's energy production capacity consists of 2,083 MW from larger hydropower plants and 2,065 MW in coal-fired thermal power plants, according to Reuters. Small hydropower plants, wind, solar, and biomass accounts for a further 112.15 MW.

With reporting by Reuters and Balkan Insight
Amnesty International has marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex-phobia, and Transphobia by renewing its calls on Iran to repeal laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations.

The London-based human rights watchdog said in an analysis published on May 17 that the recent "horrifying" killing of a 20-year-old gay man in Iran "has shed new light on how the criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual conduct and gender nonconformity perpetuates systemic violence and discrimination" against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBT).

The killing also "highlights the urgent need for the Iranian authorities to enact and implement laws to protect the human rights" of LGBT people from discrimination, harassment, assaults, and other abuses from state and nonstate actors. it said.

Alireza Fazeli Monfared was reportedly killed on May 4 by his half-brother and cousins who dumped his body under a tree near Ahvaz the capital of the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

Authorities said that Fazeli Monfared's throat was slit and announced an investigation, but no suspect has been arrested so far.

Amnesty International urged the authorities to "promptly conduct an independent, impartial and effective criminal investigation into the murder" and "bring those responsible to account in fair trials and without recourse to the death penalty."

"Investigations must examine whether the crime was motivated by hostility and prejudice on the grounds of his gender identity and sexual orientation."

Amnesty quoted individuals who had known Fazeli Monfared as saying he had faced "years of homophobic and transphobic harassment and death threats by several male relatives."

The sources said he had never reported such incidents to the police "out of a fear of facing violence and prosecution at the hands of the authorities."

Iranian laws criminalize consensual same-sex relations, including through the application of the death penalty, and flogging, and ban clothing, hairstyles, and other forms of gender expression that do not conform to strict gender "norms" enforced by the establishment, according to Amnesty International.

"These laws foster a permissive climate for homophobic and transphobic hate crimes and legitimize violent, including deadly, attacks against people on the grounds of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity," Diana Eltahawy, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at the group, said in a statement.

"The Iranian authorities' brazen disregard for the lives and safety of LGBT people and the prevailing climate of impunity for such crimes raise the alarm that his murder could go unpunished."
ORAL CITY, Kazakhstan -- At 13, Asan is at least three years older than his fourth-grade classmates. But age isn't the biggest difference between Asan and the others at his Russian-language public school in Oral, in northwest Kazakhstan.

Asan was repatriated from Syria two years ago and is still making a gradual transition to life in peacetime, under the watchful eyes of relatives, teachers, and the Kazakh government.

Both of Asans parents were recruits of the Islamic State (IS) militant group and are thought to have died in Syria along with Asan's older brother, Amza.

Asan is still haunted by the horrors of his life in Syria -- death, violence, and air strikes -- the boys grandmother says.

But Asan doesnt tell classmates about his parents or the gap in his Kazakh life. His teachers have decided that the boys past must be kept secret, at least for now, to protect him from being bullied or ostracized at school.

At the familys request and to protect their privacy, RFE/RL is using pseudonyms for Asan and his relatives in this article.

His 60-year-old maternal grandmother, Asel, was made his legal guardian when the boy was flown home to Central Asia from a Kurdish-controlled refugee camp in Syria in 2019.

Kazakhstan has repatriated hundreds of its citizens -- minors and adults -- from Syria under a five-stage operation called Zhusan that ended earlier this year.

The number of returned children is estimated at between 400 and 600, including dozens of orphans. In a separate operation, at least 14 more Kazakh children were brought back from Iraq, where their mothers have been jailed for being IS members.

Kazakhstan has since launched a complex effort to reintegrate returnees and otherwise help them adjust to their new lives.

Specialists involved in the process say the rehabilitation of children in Asans age group -- old enough to remember the mayhem they witnessed -- has been particularly challenging.

The government has recruited psychologists, doctors, teachers, and other experts to work with the returnees at special rehabilitation facilities, before allowing them to reunite with relatives.

Building Trust

Asan spent nearly a year at such a rehabilitation center, where psychologists are embedded to help the children overcome their mental traumas.

Its been quite difficult to build trust with the children, as a majority of them behaved aggressively because of [their exposure to war and IS atrocities], says Saule Mukanova, a psychologist who has worked with the returnees.

The [older] children were hostile toward us in the beginning. They would call us infidels' and even threw stones at us, Mukanova tells RFE/RL.

Mukanova says that some children have used self-harm as a form of expression, if they didnt like something.

Despite the initial hesitation, however, it usually takes just a few days for most of the children to start accepting their new surroundings, Mukanova says.

In the beginning, the children would draw tanks, weapons, bombings, using dark colors. Some of them drew limbs detached from bodies. But later, they started drawing different things; they turned to happy, bright colors, she says.

Mukanova says the older returnees have usually been taught IS ideology and undergone basic military training, including the use of weapons, and assembling and reassembling guns.

Reports from the ground suggest that in some IS-controlled areas, it was obligatory for people, including children, to watch videos of beheadings by the group.

Many have also experienced hunger, illnesses, and injuries, Mukanova adds.

The Surviving Child

Asan could neither read nor write properly when he returned from Syria. He was given special classes at the rehabilitation center to prepare him for school.

He spent a year within the state-run facility's fences, where programs focus on helping younger returnees become carefree children again: playing, swimming, drawing, doing homework, and watching TV -- things they were deprived of in Syria.

When I tell him that Im not going to give him to anyone, he asks me, Are you sure?

Two years on, Asan's grandmother says he still gets nightmares sometimes. He hides under the table when he hears an aircraft. And he panics when he sees men with serious faces, thinking they might "beat him."

Asan needs constant reassurance that he's now safe in a permanent home, one where he'll be cared for, Asel says.

When I tell him that Im not going to give him to anyone, he asks me, Are you sure?

The boys mother, Aigul, was Asels only child. She dropped out of a state university to get married, and went on to have two children.

Reportedly radicalized online, Aigul and her family traveled to Syria to join IS in 2014 despite warnings from relatives. Asan was 6 when he was taken to the war zone.

In 2017, Asel heard that her daughter, son-in-law, and their firstborn son had been killed in air strikes.

Then, thanks to occasional WhatsApp messages from strangers, the grandmother learned that Asan -- the surviving child -- had been moving from family to family, from shelter to shelter, for nearly two years.

Some of the families who looked after Asan were Russian speakers; others were foreigners who sent messages in Arabic, the grandmother recalls.

Asan finally ended up at a refugee camp, where he was picked up by Kazakh authorities. He became one of the first Kazakhs to be returned home from Syria.

Closely Monitored

The Kazakh governments decision to repatriate its citizens from Syria and Iraq and help them reintegrate to society has divided the public in this post-Soviet republic of around 18 million.

According to the state Committee for National Security, at least 870 Kazakhs  a majority of them children accompanying older family members -- had gone to IS-controlled areas in Syria and Iraq since 2013. But the exact number still is unknown.

Some Kazakhs believe that those who joined IS shouldnt be trusted again. One Kazakh returnee has described people referring to her as a ticking time bomb and questioning whether she abandoned extremist ideology.

Others support the repatriation program, saying Kazakh citizens left stranded in Syria will create major security threats in the long run, with children potentially getting caught up in a new generation of extremism.

But most everyone agrees that Kazakhstan has a long, difficult, and unfamiliar task ahead as it seeks to rehabilitate and assist returnees so they can successfully navigate their new lives.

Ikbalzhan Mirsaitov, an expert on extremism issues, says that child rehabilitation is a particularly delicate process that involves not only families and teachers but also requires the support of their classmates parents.

One woman told me that she was against her child being in the same classroom with the children of former terrorists and extremists. She is afraid, Mirsaitov says.

I do understand her concerns as a parent. But isolation ultimately leads to radicalization again. Instead, whats needed here is to help pull the children out of isolation and self-isolation, Mirsaitov tells RFE/RL. Its an enormous task, but it must be done. There's no way around it.

At Asans former rehabilitation center, specialists are under no illusions that reintegration is simple and straightforward.

Psychologists keep in touch with Asan, his grandmother, and teachers to make sure Asan gets all the support he needs. They regularly monitor Asans progress and are mindful of relapses.

Asel hopes that her grandson will catch up on his studies and maybe one day join his own age group at school.

Asel has also changed her own plan of early retirement and now works as a contractor renovating homes to provide for her grandson.

In the meantime, no decision has been made by the school about whether to tell Asans classmates about his life in Syria.

The grandmother says theyre taking it one step at a time and keeping all options open.

Written by Farangis Najibullah based on interviews conducted by RFE/RL Kazakh Service correspondents Yelena Veber and Asylkhan Mamashuly
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's parliament has backed a plan to temporarily seize the country's largest gold mine after its Canadian operator, Centerra Gold, announced it was taking the government to an international court.

Bishkek has regularly accused the Canadian mining company of cheating on the money it owes the government for gold production at the giant Kumtor mine.

But the dispute escalated on May 14 when President Sadyr Japarov signed a law allowing the government to temporarily take over the mine's operations. Japarov says the move is necessary to remedy environmental and safety violations.

According to the new law, the government can take control for up to three months of any company that operates under a concession agreement in Kyrgyzstan if that firm violates environmental regulations, endangers the local environment or lives of people, or causes other significant damage.

Centerra's Kyrgyz subsidiary Kumtor Gold Company (KGC), Kyrgyzstan's biggest taxpayer, is the only firm in the former Soviet republic that operates under a concession agreement.

The head of a Kyrgyz state commission investigating alleged wrongdoing at the Kumtor mine said on May 17 that his group concluded that the agreement on giving the mining concession to Centerra Gold must be revoked, due to what he called "corruption" and "violations of safety and environmental regulations."

Japarov suggested a temporary "external management" period of the mining operations could last three months -- a proposal that parliament unanimously supported in a nonbinding vote later in the day.

In a joint statement, Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau and International Trade Minister Mary Ng said they were "very concerned" by Kyrgyzstan's move, and warned it could have far-reaching consequences on trade and foreign investment in the Central Asian country.



"Measures such as this that have the potential to reduce trade and foreign direct investment will further undermine the economic livelihoods of the Kyrgyz people."



Kyrgyzstan's move comes after a court fined KGC more than $3 billion for dumping mining waste on glaciers near the mine 4,000 meters above sea level. A state commission also recently alleged that KGC owes more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes.

Centerra has called Kyrgyzstan's actions "wrongful and illegal." On May 16, the Canadian firm said it had "initiated binding arbitration to enforce its rights under long-standing investment agreements with the government."

It also accused Kyrgyz law enforcement of intimidation -- including police visits to the homes of several senior KGC managers and a May 15 raid of KGC's office in Bishkek.

Japarov's sudden rise to power in October 2020 after being freed from jail in the midst of a political crisis was particularly bad news for Centerra.

As an opposition politician during the past decade, Japarov had led an unsuccessful bid in parliament and on the streets to nationalize the mine.

He oversaw several chaotic rallies against the company -- including a 2013 rally in which a provincial governor was kidnapped, the basis of Japarov's 2017 arrest and 11-year prison sentence on hostage-taking charges.

Canada, Britain, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have all criticized Kyrgyzstan's moves against Centerra.

The EBRD, which has provided financing to the Kumtor project, said on May 16 that the potential takeover of the mine "would put in doubt the commitment of the Kyrgyz Republic to stand by its obligations to its international partners and foreign investors."

The London-based bank said the takeover of the Kumtor mine by Bishkek "risks the country's economic recovery and its reputation as a secure place for investors to operate."

With reporting by AFP
It is undertaking a $50 million strategic investment and 10-year biomass offtake and retail partnership agreement with Glass House Group to secure access to greenhouse-grown cannabis and retail shelf space

It signs a definitive agreement to acquire four acres of outdoor cultivation located in Sonoma County, California from Mosaic.Ag, an affiliate of Soma Rosa Farms

TPCO Holding Corp ( ) (NEO:GRAM) (OTCQX:GRAMF) announced a $50 million strategic investment in GH Group Inc through a private placement offering by Mercer Park Brand Acquisition Corp (NEO:BRND.A.U) (OTCQX: MRCQF), a special purpose acquisition company, which has struck a definitive agreement to merge with Glass House.

The San Jose, California-based company said the strategic investment is expected to close concurrently with the closing of Mercer Park Brands qualifying transaction. Parent Company has also struck a non-binding letter of intent with Mercer Park Brand for a cannabis biomass offtake and retail distribution agreement, which will enable Parent Companys products to be sold in Glass House retail locations. The qualifying transaction is expected to close by the third quarter of 2021.

Glass House has a California greenhouse cultivation footprint of over 500,000 square feet, producing over 110,000 pounds of dry flower biomass per year. It also operates four dispensaries, and just announced two additional retail licenses in Santa Barbara county. Glass House has struck a deal to merge with 17 in-process retail licenses from Element 7, which is expected to bring Glass Houses retail footprint to 23 locations by the end of the first half of 2022.

READ: The Parent Company partners with Omura to launch new cannabis pre-filled paper cartridges, Caliva Flowersticks

Parent Companys retail partnership with Glass House will secure shelf space in all stores for its house of brands, said the company.

In addition, the firm has signed a definitive binding agreement to acquire four acres of outdoor cannabis cultivation in Californias Sonoma County from a group of cannabis farmers, Mosaic.Ag, an affiliate of Soma Rosa Farms, for up to $17 million in cash and shares. The acquisition is expected to close in 2Q 2022.

These partnerships are a fantastic opportunity to secure long-term access to over 900,000 pounds of high-quality, low-cost, California-grown cannabis for use across our expanding portfolio of branded products, said Parent Company CEO Steve Allan in a statement.

Our focus over the last 100 days has been to continue to scale up our supply chain. Our strategic investment accomplishes two important components, gaining access to Glass Houses greenhouse-grown cannabis at attractive pricing and expanding the distribution of our products to their network of retail stores.

Allan noted that the companys vertical integration strategy is aimed at locking up long-term, low-cost cultivation to meet demand for branded products in its wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels.

With Glass House and Mosaic.Ag added onto to our existing large scale indoor grow, we will have successfully grown our cultivation foundation, setting us up to have a scale and margin advantage for years to come, added Allan. A retail partnership with Glass House is expected to continue to enable our brands to maximize consumer awareness and availability in California.

Transaction details

Parent Company has struck an agreement to acquire 6.2% of subordinate voting shares of Mercer Park Brand on closing of its qualifying transaction with Glass House for $50 million in cash. In addition, Parent Company has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Glass House to negotiate a 10-year, half-a-million pounds of cannabis biomass offtake agreement, and a nearly $25 million retail partnership deal over six years that enables Parent Companys products to be sold across Glass House locations.

Parent Company has also agreed to acquire four acres of licensed high-quality outdoor cultivation from Mosaic.Ag for up to $17 million in cash and shares. On executing the definitive agreement, the company advanced around $6 million in cash to the sellers, less a mutually agreed upon holdback amount, which amount will be repaid to the company if the acquisition does not close, said the company.

When the transaction is completed, the company will pay the sellers $2.5 million in shares. An additional share consideration of up to $8.5 million in aggregate may be paid to the sellers based on the sellers achieving certain specified revenue and profitability targets, said the company.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
BATKEN, Kyrgyzstan -- Several Kyrgyz and Tajik nationals were briefly detained along a disputed segment of the border between the two Central Asian states as tensions in the area continue to simmer.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan's southern region of Batken said that residents in the Kyrgyz village of Ak-Sai on May 17 stopped three Tajik nationals and turned them over to local police to investigate whether they were legally in the country.

Meanwhile, authorities said that three Kyrgyz citizens were detained on the territory of Tajikistan's Vorukh exclave within Kyrgyz territory the same day.

However, Zubaidullo Shomadov, a spokesman for the government of the nearby Tajik city of Isfara, told RFE/RL that two, not three Kyrgyz were detained.

According to the Batken regional officials, several hours later all of the detained individuals were released on both sides of the border. Shomadov also confirmed that all of the detained individuals had been released after talks between officials.

The deputy chief physician of the Batken regional hospital, Ulukbek Aijigitov, told RFE/RL that the three Kyrgyz nationals released from Tajik custody had been beaten in custody, were diagnosed with injuries such as concussions and sustained multiple bruises.

The incident took place about three weeks after deadly clashes in areas between Kyrgyz and Tajik military left scores of casualties on both sides.

The conflict broke out on April 28 and lasted for almost three days after the Tajiks tried to install security cameras on disputed territory.

Many border areas in Central Asia have been restive since the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the volatile Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan meet.

In recent decades, there have been many incidents along the border, which in some cases involved gunfire.
DUSHANBE -- Hundreds of travelers have been stranded for several days at airports in Tajikistan's two largest cities after flights to Russia on the Nordwind airline were put on hold.

Miroj Azizov, a representative for the airline in the Central Asian nation, told RFE/RL on May 16 that the Tajik State Agency of Civil Aviation had withdrawn the Moscow-based company's license to carry out flights on large planes to and from international airports in Dushanbe, the capital, and the country's second-largest city, Khujand.

Officials from the aviation regulator were not available for immediate comment.

Azizov told RFE/RL that the air company had complied with all regulations and requests by the State Agency of Civil Aviation, including a request to lower prices.

Several clients of the company complained to RFE/RL that they had spent many days at the airport waiting for their flights without decent food or access to proper facilities.

About 1 million labor migrants from Tajikistan permanently reside in Russia and regularly visit their homeland.

As a consequence of flights between Tajikistan and Russia being restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of migrant workers have been unable to return to Russia for work.

WATCH: The Struggling Parents Of Tajikistan's First Quintuplets

The restrictions were lifted on April 1, sparking a rush to return to Russia to resume employment.

The restrictions have also had a major impact on Tajik students enrolled at Russian universities.

Nordwind flies to 75 cities in 17 countries. Many of its routes are to popular Russian holiday destinations around the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
BUCHAREST -- In late April, the Washington National Cathedral unveiled a stone carving of Holocaust survivor and longtime political activist Elie Wiesel to honor his legacy as an international human rights defender.

But in the Nobel laureate's birthplace of Romania, Nazi-allied leader Marshal Ion Antonescu -- a man who sent hundreds of thousands of Jews to their deaths -- has streets named after him.

There are, in fact, at least 17 places in the country with streets, busts, or institutions named after war criminals, according to the Elie Wiesel Institute for the Study of the Holocaust.

They include Antonescu, a Holocaust perpetrator who was executed in 1946 after his conviction by a People's Tribunal for war crimes and treason, among other crimes; Radu Gyr, a poet who supported a fascist paramilitary group known as the Iron Guard; and far-right philosopher and politician Mircea Vulcanescu, who served in Antonescu's government.

The streets and busts exist despite a 2002 law making it illegal to honor war criminals or people connected to the country's fascist regime during World War II, when Antonescu ruled and hundreds of thousands of Romanian and Ukrainian Jews living in areas controlled by Bucharest were killed.

"The Antonescu regime...killed the highest number of Jews in Europe after Nazi Germany," Alexandru Muraru, the Romanian government's adviser on anti-Semitism, told RFE/RL. "Romania wasn't merely a Nazi ally, it was the most important ally and was involved on a significant scale -- compared to other Nazi allies -- in the plan to exterminate the Jewish population in Europe."

'Antonescu Avenue'

Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta has had a Ion Antonescu Street since 2000.

Mayor Vergil Chitac was asked about the controversial figure in February, and he replied that there were "various contradictory evaluations" of Antonescu, who, he said, had "a mixed record." The remark was perhaps a reference to Antonescu's ban on the deportation of Jews to concentration camps after 1942 -- to the displeasure of Nazi officials -- after the reported intervention of Romania's royal family.

The Elie Wiesel Institute said it was "disturbing that the [Constanta] mayor...considers the law that makes it illegal to name streets after war criminals merely optional," local media reported.

Chitac later said his comments had been distorted and insisted he wanted to change the name of the street, though it's a complicated process. Constanta city spokesman Alin Vintila told RFE/RL on May 5 that steps were in fact being taken to change the street's label and it was just "a matter of time."

Vintila added, however, that "the locals are more interested in getting their street asphalted than changing its name."

Israeli Ambassador to Romania David Saranga said he was "shocked and disappointed" by Chitac's comments. "These kinds of statements minimize the suffering of the victims of the pogrom in Iasi, the death trains, and the deportations," Saranga added.

Denying The Holocaust

A 2015 law makes denial of the systematic murder of Jews by Nazi Germany a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. But many say the law is rarely enforced and toothless.

"We have a single case of a former intelligence officer who got a suspended sentence for publicly denying the Holocaust," said Muraru, who advises the prime minister on ways to fight anti-Semitism and preserve the memory of the Holocaust and the communist era after World War II.

"There are 40 cases in all [of Holocaust denial], of which 15 are classified or won't be prosecuted," he added. "Prosecutors don't have the necessary skills [to try these crimes]. They are lacking in what we call good practice in preventing and combating anti-Semitism in an EU state."

Societal Anti-Semitism?

The emergence during the December parliamentary elections of a far-right populist party as a major political force in Romania brought anti-Semitism, homophobia, and nationalism to the fore, and has seemingly provided political cover for such views.

After a poor showing in the fall 2020 local elections, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (whose acronym, AUR, means "gold" in Romanian) placed a surprising fourth in the nationwide vote for parliament.

The AUR capitalized on frustration with the government's handling of the pandemic and tapped into latent populism and xenophobia that hadn't been represented in parliament for many years. "The ongoing health and medical crisis brought an extremist, radical right-wing party into the public space with maximum visibility," Alexandru Florian, director of the Elie Wiesel Institute office in Bucharest, told RFE/RL on May 12.

The AUR currently holds about 10 percent of the seats in each house of Romania's parliament.

Jewish Theater Incident

On March 27, Maia Morgenstern, a well-known Romanian actress and the director of Bucharest's Jewish State Theater, received an e-mail with anti-Semitic content that included death threats to her and others. The message threatened to kill her and her children "by throwing her into a gas chamber" and to set fire to the Jewish theater.

It was signed "on behalf of the AUR," although party leader George Simion rejected such a link and urged officials to find and punish its author while stating his support for Morgenstern.

Some have suggested that the letter was an effort to smear the AUR. One man has been detained in connection with an investigation into the case.

The 59-year-old actress, who is internationally known for playing Mary in Mel Gibson's 2004 biblical epic The Passion Of The Christ, declined to comment on the case for RFE/RL, citing the ongoing investigation.

Bucharest district Mayor Radu Mihaiu said: "This is not primitive evil, it's elaborated evil. It's evil with historic and cultural references. An educated evil."

Romania's parliament also condemned the incident and other anti-Semitic acts in a March 31 vote, according to RFE/RL's Romanian Service.

Maximillian Marco Katz, an activist, said it took someone of Morgenstern's notoriety to open people's eyes to the issue. "It takes a public person for society to be shocked. When it happens to the [unknown] Jew, nobody says anything," said Katz, who heads the Center for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism in Romania. "There are fewer than 2,000 Jews in Romania, and you have plenty of anti-Semitism," he told RFE/RL.

Morgenstern also condemned another anti-Semitic incident that had upset her in recent months. She said that on March 19 a public official addressed her using a pejorative term for Jews during a meeting between the theater director and local officials that week.

Morgenstern said an unnamed individual turned to her and said, "Let's do that, jid," using a racial slur in Romanian. She said she was shocked and the person later brushed it off as a "joke."

"I froze. 'What did you say?' The response that came immediately was relaxed. 'Hey, don't get upset. I said it as a joke.'"

She said she was especially upset that such a comment came at an official meeting and from someone "who works in the field of culture."

No one else present seemed bothered by the comment, she wrote on Facebook.

Romanian director Victor Ioan Frunza called it "an unacceptable racist remark," while actor Marius Manole said he had no tolerance "for any form of racism."

Holocaust: Optional Subject

The Holocaust is an optional subject in Romanian schools, contributing to a hazy and incomplete knowledge of the horrific event, Muraru and Katz say.

"Most of the parents say, 'Why should my kids learn about the Jews? Let them learn math and physics,'" Katz said. "The Holocaust is a big issue, treated in a superficial matter," he added. "Many [students] learn that the Holocaust was done by Nazi Germany and that's it. They don't learn about Antonescu, the pogroms, the trains of death. This is not shocking, this is reality."

"The government can make 20 strategies [for learning about the Holocaust], but if judges, lawyers, and teachers know nothing about it, how can you expect them to teach kids what they don't know about?"

Muraru, who was appointed to the newly created post of special representative for promoting the policies of memory, combating anti-Semitism and xenophobia in January, also said it was concerning that many Romanians don't know how deeply implicated their country was in Nazi-era genocide.

In a survey on the Holocaust released on May 12, one-fourth of respondents said they didn't know or couldn't say exactly what the Holocaust was. Another 35 percent said they couldn't identify the Holocaust's significance for Romania.

"Romania has the moral, political, and historical duty to be vigilant.... This doesn't mean today's population should be blamed, but it does bring into the discussion a certain moral culpability," Muraru said.

Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany until August 1944, when it changed sides. Under Marshall Antonescu, an estimated 120,000 Jews were deported from Romania to Transdniester in the Soviet Union. Many of the Romanian Jews eventually killed in Nazi concentration camps were deported in 1944 by the Hungarian government, which had annexed northwestern Romania four years earlier.

The Elie Wiesel International Committee for the Study of the Holocaust published a report in 2004 saying that Romanian authorities were directly responsible for the deaths of 280,000-380,000 Jews and about 11,000 Roma from 1940 to 1944.

Many of them were victims of pogroms such as the 1941 killing of almost 15,000 Jews in and around the city of Iasi. Many others died in labor camps or on death trains.

A survey by the Avangarde market-research institute carried out in April-May showed that just 3 percent of respondents mentioned pogroms and 4 percent knew of the deportations of Jews to the Soviet Union. About one-fourth said the Holocaust in Romania only meant the deportation of Jews to camps in Nazi Germany.

Some 72 percent said Nazi Germany was responsible for the Holocaust in Romania, while 57 percent acknowledged Antonescu was also to blame.

Romania's Jewish population plummeted from 800,000 before World War II to fewer than 10,000 today. Muraru said there were now just 3,500 Jews in the country.

Neo-Fascism Again?

The AUR routinely rejects accusations that it is anti-Semitic. But Muraru called it "a neo-fascist party that is neo-Legionnaire and anti-Semitic," and said it should be isolated. "For weeks, this political group tried to rehabilitate war criminals and crimes against humanity.... Unfortunately, a number of [political] leaders had a weak reaction."

The AUR announced on May 5 that it would run in the July 11 parliamentary elections in the former Soviet republic of Moldova.

The party posted a picture of Muraru on May 9 on Facebook, saying that "he is a foreign agent infiltrated into the structures of the state systems." The post asked readers to decide "whose interests" Muraru was serving, in what some saw as a veiled reference to Jews.

Claudiu Tarziu, the joint chairman of AUR, did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

Widespread Problem

Wiesel's family was sent to camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, where his father, mother, and younger sister were killed. After the camps were liberated, Wiesel went on to author 57 books, including Night, about his experiences during the Holocaust.

He became a human rights champion and was the founding chairman of the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and died in 2016, aged 87. In August 2018, anti-Semitic graffiti appeared outside the house in the town of Sighetu Marmatiei where Wiesel was born. One message said that Wiesel was "in hell with Hitler."

But a bust of Wiesel was unveiled in Bucharest two months later, on national Holocaust Remembrance Day. And anti-Semitic incidents are certainly not limited to Romania.

A senior EU official on May 14 condemned what he said had been an outbreak of anti-Semitic attacks against European Jewish communities and buildings in the 27-country bloc. Margaritis Schinas, the vice president of the European Commission charged with promoting a European way of life and fighting anti-Semitism, urged EU member states to take action. "Deeply concerned by the recent attacks against Jewish communities and premises in the EU," he tweeted. "These are clear manifestations of anti-Semitism which need to be loudly condemned."

Schinas told AFP he was responding to reports of hostility targeting Jewish communities in Germany, Austria, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The European Union has called on Russia to repeal its controversial "foreign agent" law, which has been used to target a growing number of Russian-language media outlets, including Radio FreeEurope/Radio Liberty.

The call, made on May 17 by a spokesman for EU foreign-affairs chief Josep Borrell, comes as Russian authorities both expand their targets of the 9-year-old law, as well their enforcement of it.

Last week, court bailiffs moved to begin seizing property from RFE/RL's Moscow bureau, requesting a list of equipment that potentially could be seized. Bailiffs also obtained a court order freezing the Moscow bank accounts used by RFE/RL.

Days earlier, Russia's media regulator said it was adding VTimes, an online news site founded by ex-staffers of the newspaper Vedomosti, to its "foreign agent" list. The regulator had added another online news site, Meduza, previously.

"The EU has consistently urged the Russian authorities to repeal this stifling legislation and to respect their international obligations on freedom of association, assembly and expression," said Peter Stano, the spokesman for EU foreign-affairs chief Josep Borrell.

Russia's so-called "foreign agent" legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly.

It requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as "foreign agents," and to submit to audits.

Later modifications of the law targeted foreign-funded media, including RFE/RL's Russian Service, six other RFE/RL Russian-language news services, and Current Time.

The law, which has been further expanded to include individual reporters, is one of several Kremlin-backed measures aimed at restricting foreign-funded activities in Russia.

A parallel measure known as the "undesirable organizations" law has forced the shutdown of a number of nongovernmental civil society groups in Russia, mainly from Europe and the United States.

"Such actions have the clear intention to hamper RFE/RL's operations in Russia as part of a wider trend to stifle independent media and critical voices in the country," Stano said.

Separately, the new York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Russia to unfreeze the bank accounts used by RFE/RL and cease labeling outlets as "foreign agents."

Russian authorities "should cease fining and harassing news outlets for alleged violations of its foreign agents law -- an unjust piece of legislation that should be repealed," said Gulnoza Said, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a statement.

"Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty should be able to access its resources freely, and websites such as VTimes should not be forced to jump through hoops and risk large fines due to their ownership structures."

To date, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has presented RFE/RL with 520 violations of its labeling restrictions, which are expected to result -- once all are adjudicated by Russian courts -- in fines of $2.4 million.

All of the appeals of these fines filed so far by RFE/RL have been summarily rejected in Russian courts.

In addition, appeals by three RFE/RL freelancers designated in December 2020 as individual media "foreign agents" have been rejected by courts in northwestern Russia, forcing them to begin filing detailed financial declarations with the authorities and to identify themselves in all electronic communications as a "foreign agent."
A Moscow court has upheld a fine imposed on Twitter over its refusal to remove posts related to unsanctioned rallies at which demonstrators expressed their support for jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.

The Taganka district court on May 17 ruled that a decision last month to fine Twitter 3.2 million rubles ($43,200) for leaving the posts, which urged teenagers to take part in pro-Navalny rallies in January, was correct and that Twitter's complaint against the ruling "was not satisfied."

On April 2, an arm of the court also ordered Twitter to pay two other fines -- one of 3.3 million rubles and one of 2.4 million rubles -- bringing the total penalty imposed on Twitter at 8.9 million rubles ($126,150). Twitter has appealed the two other fines as well, with rulings still pending.

The court also said on May 17 that it had registered four new protocols against Facebook on similar accusations. Fines for those protocols could total 16 million rubles, which along with the previous protocols against the social network would bring the total amount to 56 million rubles ($750,000).

Russian officials said earlier in May that they had also filed similar protocols against Google.

The moves are the latest in a major dispute Moscow has with global social-media platforms over content allegedly related to political protests.

Russian critics of the Kremlin routinely use international social networks to get around state control of the media and reach tens of millions of citizens with their anti-government messages.

Navalny in January used U.S. social-media networks to organize some of the largest anti-government protests in almost a decade.

Russian authorities have gone as far as to threaten to ban social-media networks. Even though they have recently backed away from such threats, Russian regulators have punitively slowed user connections.

However, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor said on May 17 that Twitter had started removing some of the banned content and therefore restrictions on its access across Russia had been partially lifted.

"It was decided not to block Twitter services and remove restrictions to access it in fixed networks, while continuing to keep Twitter traffic slow on mobile devices," Roskomnadzor said in its statement, adding that Twitter must remove all content declared by the regulator as banned for a full cancellation of all of the restrictions imposed on the social network.

With reporting by Interfax, TASS, and RIA Novosti
Two Turkmen nationals have been found dead in their apartment in Istanbul after apparently consuming large amounts of bootleg alcohol.

Turkish media reports said over the weekend that the men, identified as Umytjan Charyev, 35, and Zafarjan Charyev, 37, were found dead by their neighbor on May 15.

According to preliminary investigations, the men, who were brothers, were found among a large number of empty vials, which appeared to have been filled with bootleg alcohol made with a base of perfume.

Many Turkmen labor migrants in Turkey have faced hardships since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

They are unable to return home and receive no support from Turkmenistan's diplomatic missions in Turkey.

In the wake of pandemic in March last year, some 58 Turkmen citizens died in Istanbul after they drank bootleg alcohol.

Turkish police arrested 11 people at the time, including Turkmen nationals, suspected of selling the counterfeit alcohol.

Some reports said that Turkmen citizens drank bootleg alcohol amid rumors saying that alcohol can help the human body combat the coronavirus.

With reporting by NTV, Istiklal, and CNN Turk
The East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce celebrated the grand opening of Graze on Main earlier this month with a ribbon cutting. PICTURED: Pictured above are (from l to r): Main Street Coordinator Amy Moore; Owner Geza Tanner of Graze on Main; Harry Waterman of Cartridge World, Owner Elyse Tanner of Graze on Main; Mick Tedesco of Silver Spoon Bakery; EG Chamber Executive Director Steve Lombardi; Thomas Stencel of T Stencel Jewelers; Patricia Raskin of Raskin Resources Productions and Donna Jennings of the EG Chamber.
Benchmark Metals (CVE: BNCH  OTCQX: BNCHF) President Jim Greig joined Steve Darling from Proactive to bring news the company has released an initial bulk-tonnage Mineral Resource Estimate for the Lawyers Gold-Silver Project in British Columbia. This after a total of 696 drill holes totalling 123,101 metres.

Greig telling Proactive Indicated Mineral Resource of 2.1 million ounces grading 1.62 grams per tonne and Inferred Mineral Resource of 821,000 ounces grading 1.58 g/t AuEq. That Resource can be both use open pit or underground mining methods. Greig also said they company is expecting 100,000 metres of drilling this year for mineral resource definition
SHELBY  Susan Snyder is coming home.

The Shelby native will return to the district next year as the principal of Dowds Elementary School.

Im really grateful for the opportunity to serve the community in this way, said Snyder, a 1985 graduate of Shelby High School. I know it's a big responsibility and I'm looking forward to it.

Snyder has spent the last two years as the director of special education at Plymouth Shiloh Local Schools. She said shes excited to work directly with students, teachers and families in her new role.

Im really looking forward to getting to know the kids and their parents. In the position Im in right now, I dont really get to be with kids at all and I really miss that, she said. Im very much committed to providing a really safe and positive environment where all the kids feel that theyre valued and teachers are supported.

I want it to be a place where kids enjoy being there.

Snyder holds a bachelors in education from Bowling Green State University, a masters in education, curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Mary and administrative licensure and building principal license from Ashland University.

Snyder decided to go into education after seeing a close family member struggle in school due to a learning disability.

Special education has always been my passion, she said. I saw what an impact a good teacher makes. That really made an impact on my decision to be a teacher and help kids who struggled in school.

Snyder began her education career in Marietta, Georgia, where she worked as an elementary intervention specialist. After six years, she returned to north central Ohio and spent four years at Plymouth Middle School.

Then an opportunity opened up in her hometown. She spent the next 16 years as an intervention specialist at Dowds Elementary.

We are very excited to have Sue Snyder back in the district, said Supt. Tim Tarvin. She was a tremendous staff member when she was here and shell be equally tremendous in her new position.

"She brings a unique perspective with her background in special education and we look forward to her getting started with us.

Snyder will replace Kristin Kaple-Jones, who has led Dowds Elementary for the last eight years.

Kristin was my principal for six years and she was actually the one who encouraged me to go back and get my administrators license, Snyder said. She was the first person to call me after it was announced. Shes already offered to sit down with me in June and help me get ready.

Kaple-Jones said shes confident Snyder will do well in the role.

Im excited to have her back because she knows our school and she knows the Shelby community very well, Kaple-Jones said. Shes compassionate for students and teachers alike.

"She's a great communicator. She has a very kind heart and she's an advocate for all kids.

Kaple-Jones will leave the district at the end of the school year to take a position as superintendent of Monroeville Local Schools.

Im grateful for all the experiences that I've had here and everything Shelby has given me, she said. I wish them nothing but great success in the future.
MANSFIELD  The Renaissance Theatre will host the first of two outdoor Teddy Bear Concerts on Sunday, May 23 at 2:30 p.m. in Shelby.

A part of the 2020-2021 Mechanics Bank Education Series, the outdoor concerts mark the return of the popular live concert experiences for young audiences and their families, which were put on hold due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The performance features the story of Aladdins Lamp, adapted by Artistic Director Michael Thomas in an engaging musical adaptation which features audience participation, interactive storytelling with local actors, and an array of fun music provided by the String Trio featuring Mansfield Symphony musicians.

The Aladdins Lamp concert will be held at Shelbys Black Fork Commons Amphitheater venue, with audience members sitting in appropriately physically-distanced proximity to performers. Geared to children ages 2 through 10, each Teddy Bear concert offers an interactive element as well as a relaxed environment.

Small audience sizes, and low sound levels as well as safe, open outdoor spaces allow audience members with autism to be accommodated at this performance.

Families are encouraged to bring their favorite teddy bears, their own lawn chairs, or other seating, and to be mindful of weather conditions in the area on the day of the concert.

Tickets are free for the two 2021 concerts, with donations accepted at each venue, and are available on the day of the concert. The second concert, Jack and the Beanstalk will be held at the Renaissance Theatres Backlot on June 6.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Renaissance via phone at 419-522-2726, and online at rentickets.org.

Additional support for the Rens Teddy Bear concerts comes from Nationwide Childrens, the Ohio Arts Council, and from Sharon Granter, in memory of her late husband, Don.

The Renaissance Theatre is a performing arts theater located at 138 Park Avenue West, Mansfield, Ohio.

For more information about the Ren, visit rentickets.org or contact renaissance@mansfieldtickets.com. View behind the scenes videos and more on YouTube.
Hello Ashland. If we havent met yet, my name is Dillon Carr.

Having grown up in Mansfield, and graduated in 2010 from Ontario High School, our paths likely havent crossed yet. But Im happy to be back in these parts and eager to get rolling on coverage youve come to expect from Ashland Source.

A little about me:

My debut as a journalist actually began with Richland Source way back in 2013. I was a sophomore in college at the time and decided to whet my appetite a bit in local news gathering. It didnt take long for me to get hooked to the craft.

Upon graduation in 2015 from The Ohio State University, I began full-time work with Richland Source. I covered all sorts of stories and events.

I launched After Hours, the newsrooms version of NPRs Tiny Desk Concert series. I tramped local woodlands with an herbalist and forager to produce weekly videos on dishes made entirely of edible stuff we found. I covered the streets of Cleveland during the 2016 Republican National Convention. I wrote a five-part series on flooding in the area that got the company started with Solutions Journalism.

In 2017, I ventured to the Pittsburgh area to write and report for the Tribune-Review  the newspaper that competes with the Post-Gazette. I covered the environmental beat for a while and eventually moved on to more general topics covering the citys suburbs. I covered local government, police, school boards, breaking news, etc. etc.

It was a great learning experience and Im grateful for the people out there that took a chance on me.

The opportunity to move back to the area presented itself last summer, at the height of the covid-19 pandemic. After much consideration, my wife, Caitlin, and I decided to move our family (we have two wonderful, young tots) back in order to take ownership of a womens clothing boutique. And it just so happened Ashland Source was in need of a reporter to lead the effort here.

So here we are and here we go. Im excited to get started.

Please reach out to say hello or to pitch me story ideas. Email me at dillon@richlandsource.com.

Call me at 419-960-4288. Tweet me @dillonswriting. There is an open-door policy here, so feel free to introduce yourself. I'm ready to learn more about the community.
COLUMBUS  Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is leading a group of 20 other attorneys general in demanding the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services not break the law as it considers a rule change that would allow for federal funding of abortions.

Title X  a federal law that funds family-planning services  expressly prohibits its funds from being used to support elective abortions. But in April, HHS proposed to overturn a policy by the previous administration robustly enforcing this legal requirement. The existing policy, issued in 2019, requires federally funded Title X family planning clinics to be physically and financially independent from abortion clinics.

Yost's letter comes as HHS is weighing the new proposal that would allow the commingling of funds and undercut the purpose of the Title X law.

It is the law that Title X money cannot be used to support entities that provide elective abortions, Yost said. Anytime someone tries to circumvent this law I will be standing in their way.

Earlier this year, 18 states joined a motion led by Ohio and AG Yost filed in the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the 2019 rules and protect funding limitations that Congress imposed when it enacted Title X.

The Supreme Court Monday dismissed that lawsuit, in anticipation of HHS considering comments on its proposed rule.

Joining AG Yost in signing onto the letter to HHS are attorneys general from the states of: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Richmond, KY (40475)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Editor

I have been editor of the Rockdale Citizen since 1996 and editor of the Newton Citizen since it began publication in 2004. I am also currently executive editor of the Clayton News Daily, Henry Daily Herald and Jackson Progress-Argus.
(CVE: UGD  OTCQX: UGDIF) CEO Joseph Hamilton joined Steve Darling from Proactive to bring news the company has updated mineral resource estimate for the Candelones Project at the 100% owned Neita Concession in the Dominican Republic.

Hamilton telling Proactive the Measured and Indicated Resource contains 2.5 million ounces of silver and 65.7 million pounds of copper; Inferred resource contains and additional 1.97 million ounces of silver and 45.9 million pounds of copper with a 66% conversion of historic inferred resource to M&I.
Roanoke Rapids, NC (27870)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
"Our posture's gonna be that we're posted outside of DC, awaiting the president's orders. We hope he will give us the orders. We want him to declare an insurrection, and to call us up as the militia."

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, in November, looking ahead to Jan. 6
FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, file photo, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani pauses while addressing supporters of President Donald Trump during a Columbus Day gathering at a Trump campaign field office in Philadelphia. According to court records unsealed Tuesday, May 4, 2021, federal prosecutors have asked a Manhattan federal judge to appoint a special master to oversee the review of materials seized the week before from Giuliani's home.
For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
On Mercer Island and in areas of Sammamish, people can expect the vast majority of those they see are vaccinated  close to 90% of people 16 and older in the 98075 and 98040 ZIP codes have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

But in areas of the Industrial District and Pacific, that number is significantly lower. Less than 50% of people in the 98134 and 98047 ZIP codes have had a dose of the vaccine.

In total in King County, 71.1% of people 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. The county last week surpassed the 70% threshold for people who have received a vaccine dose. So far, about 53.4% of residents 16 and older are fully vaccinated in the county. But, the discrepancies are significant across different neighborhoods of the county as officials continue to work to bridge those gaps and distribute the vaccines equitably.

In areas of South King County, the rates of vaccination are lower than in parts of North King County and the Eastside  a trend that has persisted since the county starting distributing the vaccines months ago. Among people 65 and older, that gap has been getting smaller as more people have been vaccinated and officials have been taking steps to make it easier for people to get their shots.

Many vaccine clinics across the county have opened up for walk-in appointments, meaning people don't need to book a slot ahead of time to get their shots. Albertsons and Safeway pharmacies, along with CVS stores in Washington, are also not requiring people make appointments before coming for vaccines.

Officials have also setup a number of popup vaccine clinics to make it more convenient for people, and are using mobile teams to go to different areas of the county and reach those who may not have reliable transportation, or may face language or other barriers to getting the vaccine. Combating misinformation about the vaccine has also been a priority for officials and community groups as they work to provide accurate information about the safety and effectiveness of all three vaccine options.

skaman306/Getty Images

So, where have the vast majority of people 16 and older been vaccinated in King County, and which neighborhoods are lagging behind? Here are the top 10 and bottom 10 ZIP codes in King County by their rates of vaccination, according to Public Health  Seattle & King County.

King County ZIP codes with highest percentage of people who have had at least one vaccine dose:

98075, Sammamish: 90% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98040, Mercer Island: 89.6% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98074, Sammamish: 89.4% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98117, Loyal Heights/Ballard: 87.3% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98112, central Seattle: 85.1% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98177, Broadview/Shoreline: 85.1% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98115, Greenlake, Bryant: 84.2% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98070, Vashon Island: 83.9% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98136, West Seattle: 83.8% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98004, Bellevue: 83% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

ZIP codes with lowest percentage of people who have had at least one vaccine dose:

98134, Industrial District: 46.6% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This ZIP code has a small population.

98047, Pacific/Algona: 47.1% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98288, Skykomish: 50.2% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This ZIP code has a small population.

98051, Ravensdale: 50.3% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98022, Enumclaw: 51.8% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98002, Auburn: 52.4% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98003, Federal Way: 54.9% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98057, Renton: 56.6% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98105, University District: 56.6% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

98023, Federal Way: 57.1% of people 16 and older in this ZIP code have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Some of the ZIP codes with lower percentages of people vaccinated were also hit disproportionately throughout the pandemic. That's particularly true of areas of South King County, which saw case and hospitalization rates far higher than other areas of the county.

People are being encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as they can to help slow the spread of the virus and protect the community. Kids 12 to 15 also recently became eligible to get the vaccine and parents are being urged to take their kids in for the shots.

Even though some neighborhoods have lower rates of vaccination, King County as a whole is pacing ahead of the state in terms of the percentage of people vaccinated.

Across Washington, about 57.98% of people 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose and about 44.87% are fully vaccinated.

Earlier this week, Gov. Jay Inslee announced plans for the state to reopen by June 30  or sooner, if at least 70% of people across the state 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine before that date. That means by the end of June, most businesses will likely be able to up their capacity to 100% and people will be able to safely gather together.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also announced new guidelines saying people who are fully vaccinated can forgo masks in most settings  with some exceptions, such as hospitals. Inslee said Washington plans to adopt those guidelines.

But, even as the state makes plans to full reopen, demand for vaccines has been softening in recent weeks, something officials have said they are concerned about.

"We have been seeing a softening of demand in not just certain parts of Washington, but in communities throughout Washington and we want to do everything we can to encourage and incentivize Washingtonians to be vaccinated," Secretary of Health Umair Shah said during a news briefing. "We want the vaccine choice to be the default choice."

Earlier this month, Michele Roberts, who leads the COVID-19 vaccine planning and distribution team, asked bluntly: "If you haven't been vaccinated yet, what are you waiting for?"

Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have been declining in recent weeks, but they are still high and people are still being asked to follow certain safety protocols  especially if they are not yet fully vaccinated.

For people who still need to get their vaccine, they can find open appointments and other resources from the Washington State Department of Health here.
For the first time in half a century, Washington wildlife officials reported the first wild fishers born in the North Cascades, a sign that the long-threatened species is rebounding with the help of the state's restoration efforts.

The female fisher, labeled F105, was detected earlier in April on a trail camera moving four kits (babies) from at her den in western Chelan County.

"Seeing these fishers find their place and thrive brings so much hope to this ecosystem," said National Park Service Wildlife Biologist Dr. Jason Ransom in a statement Monday. "It is a product of the kind of collaborative conservation we need to steward a healthy ecosystem, across boundaries."

The house-cat sized species is a member of the weasel family and are related to minks, otters and wolverines. An elusive carnivore, fishers prey on other small mammals like beavers, squirrels and snowshoe hares, and are one of the few natural predators of porcupines.

NPS camera

Native to the forests of North America, fisher populations dwindled in the 20th century due to habitat loss and over trapping, and the species was listed as endangered in 1998.

Since then, a coalition of wildlife and conservation agencies in both the United States and north of the border in Canada have worked on reintroduction efforts. Releases in Washington began in 2008 around Olympic National Park, and over 250 fishers have been reintroduced since then.

A total of 89 fishers have been released into the North Cascades National Park Service Complex and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest since 2018. The fisher spotted with her kits in April was released in December 2018 near Darrington.

Scientists and conservationists alike were overjoyed at the news and hopeful for sightings of other viable females and their kits.

"Seeing her and her kits is a wonderful first indication that the North Cascades Ecosystem can support a reproductive population of fishers, and its a great sign for fisher recovery in Washington," said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist Dr. Jeff Lewis. "We have high hopes that we will find additional females in the North Cascades having kits this spring."

NPS camera

Last fall, a female wolverine and two offspring were captured on camera in Mount Rainier National Park, marking the first known reproductive female in the park in over 100 years. The species  a stocky carnivore with a bushy tail  has become extremely rare in the U.S. due to habitat loss, climate change and predator trapping that devastated the population in the 20th century.

One report estimated that there are only 300-1000 wolverines present in the entire country.
One shuttered prison in Connecticut has been repurposed for document storage. Another is used to process and train newly hired correction officers. A third that was emptied of prisoners within the last decade remains unused.

With the state's inmate population down by more than half from its peak of almost 20,000 in 2008, decisions will need to be made about what to do with three more prisons slated for closure, including the Northern Correctional Institution that once housed death row, which is scheduled to be shuttered next month.

Its a predicament and opportunity facing many states around the country as declining crime rates, and an emphasis on alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenses, especially drug crimes, allow them to explore new uses for prisons.

Since 2009, the percentage of U.S. residents who are in prison has dropped 17%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. That was helped along during the last year by the pandemic as many prisons furloughed at-risk inmates. The number of people incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails declined from bout 2.1 million in 2019 to about 1.8 million in late 2020, according to the non-profit Vera Institute of Justice.

While some new prisons have been built, many states are downsizing. Between 2011 and 2016, 94 state prisons and juvenile facilities across the U.S. closed, according to the nonprofit Sentencing Project, which tracks prison closures.

Given the dropping crime rates, COVID and state budget crises, there have been discussions to close prisons in several other states as well, said Nicole Porter, the director of advocacy for the Sentencing Project.

Around the country prisons have been converted into homeless shelters, centers for troubled teens and in at least one case, a movie studio.

Not all serve entirely different purposes. Owners of many private prisons have filled beds by entering into contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold immigrant detainees, said Eunice Cho, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Unions National Prison Project.

The danger in having prisons that are not either repurposed or, to be honest, torn down, is that there will always be an incentive to lock more people up, she said.

Here are some uses communities have found for emptied prisons:

HOMELESS SHELTERS

Nine years ago, community leaders in Gainesville, Florida, were searching for a solution to the areas homeless problem just as the state was closing the Gainesville Correctional Institution as part of budget cuts.

The opportunity met the need. The city acquired the former correctional institution. The razor wire was removed, trees were planted and the walls were painted bright colors. It is now GRACE Marketplace, a 135-bed center providing dormitory-style temporary housing and other services for the homeless.

Were the only homeless shelter in the universe that improved the property values when we moved in, said Jon DeCarmine, the executive director of GRACE. There were adaptations that were required to make it something that worked. But, overall the benefits for the community and people we serve have far outweighed any hassles of moving into a facility that had been used in a different way previously."

The Haywood Correctional Center in Waynesville, North Carolina, also now serves the homeless after advocates for the project won a contest to have the property flipped in 2014 with the help of TV renovation guru Ty Pennington.

We inherited an already-there commercial kitchen, so thats a really huge expense that we just didnt have, said Mandy Haithcox, the executive director of what is now the Haywood Pathways Center. Basically, we had to buy some furniture and move people in. I think its a really good use of space and I wish more people would do it.

___

MOVIE STUDIO

The former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island in New York was purchased by Broadway Stages in 2017 and has been transformed into a film and television studio.

Much of the prison was preserved as a set, lending authenticity to scenes in productions including Orange is the New Black" and Oceans Eight. Five other sound stages are being built on the 69-acre site, giving production companies the ability to shoot entire projects on there, said Samara Schaum, a spokeswoman for Broadway Stages.

The studio has created about 40 permanent jobs and each production that comes in brings between 200-300 people, she said.

And to the extent that they can, they like to use local restaurants for food, local businesses for craft services anything that they need, she said. That's part of the identity of Broadway Stages. I know that it has had a positive impact on local businesses there.

___

EDUCATIONAL FARM

Work continues to transform the former Scotland Correctional Center in Wagram, North Carolina, which was abandoned in 2001, into an sustainable educational farm called GrowingChange, which serves troubled teens and veterans.

The project that began in 2011 as a partnership among charitable organizations, local government and universities provides training in such things as beekeeping and vermicomposting, with cells being turned into aquaponic tanks. The farm sells its products, such as eggs, compost and livestock in the local community.

The youth leaders of the project also envision a recreational component, turning the guard tower, for example, into a climbing wall and zip line, said Noran Sanford, the founder of GrowingChange.

The organization has created a blueprint, called the Prison Flip Toolkit, a partnership with North Carolina A&T and the Kellogg Foundation to help other communities with similar projects, he said.

I believe we should take these rusting tools of injustice and smartly shape them into tools of justice, Sanford said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  In Georgia, school bus-maker Blue Bird has visions of going from selling a few hundred electric buses annually to 15,000. In Michigan, Ford plans to produce an all-electric version of its F-150 pickup truck.

Both companies are looking to President Joe Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal to help transform the automotive sector as electric vehicles shift from a luxury niche to mainstream America. The plan reflects an effort by Biden to accelerate certain sectors of the economy with the belief they'll become the engines for growth in the decades to come.

You need someone to give you a real jumpstart, Blue Bird CEO Phil Horlock said. This is actually changing the landscape.

Biden will visit Ford's electric vehicle plant in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday, returning to an industrial state that contributed to his election victory and is the center of an auto sector that'll likely need some government help to move away from gas guzzlers.

The Democratic president wants the government to accept the risk of investing in a series of industries such as electric vehicles and semiconductors that he believes will become the backbone of the U.S. economy. It's a sharp philosophical divide from Republican lawmakers who would rather the federal government focus more on the steel, concrete and asphalt of conventional infrastructure projects.

He has an industrial policy -- which weve always had but never admitted, said Brett Smith, director of technology at the Center for Automotive Research. Our industrial policy had been that low-cost energy wins. Hes shifting that to carbon-free energy is the industrial policy.

Biden said in a speech last week that his proposed new tranche of government spending is required to keep the U.S. economy competitive and fair on top of the coronavirus relief that's already flowing. Besides infrastructure, Biden is asking for another $1.8 trillion  putting the combined total spending at roughly $4 trillion  to devote to education and families.

Biden said his infrastructure plan is an eight-year investment strategy to make sure working people of this country get to share in the benefits of a rising economy and to put us in a position to win the competition with China and the rest of the world for the 21st century."

The infrastructure package would be paid for by higher corporate taxes. Leading business groups such as the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce have opposed raising the corporate rate from 21% to 28%. But some of the companies that could benefit directly from the spending appear willing to make that trade, and that complicates the politics of the moment because there are clear winners and clear losers, such as the fossil fuel sector.

Biden is openly saying government dollars should seed new opportunities for businesses. It's an effort to steer where private investors direct their money and a response to other nations like China that have backed favored industries such as electrical vehicles and semiconductors that could threaten America's own preeminence.

A White House official said that some businesses briefed on the infrastructure proposal have also seen it as having the qualities of an industrial policy in which government works in concert with companies.

One element of Biden's plan that draws companies' attention is the $50 billion proposed for the Commerce Department to monitor U.S. manufacturing capacity and fund investments to support production of critical goods. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal internal discussions, said companies interpret it as a new way of thinking about supply chains when supplies of computer chips, lumber and other goods are squeezed.

But the risks are that industrial policies can misspend dollars that would be better directed by the private sector. That can come at the expense of jobs as the initiatives often go through a political prism instead of an economic one.

The problem with industrial policy is that it quickly becomes highly political," said Thomas Duesterberg, a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute. The administration's focus on promoting green technology is important but will result in a substantial net loss of manufacturing jobs by reducing production of domestic oil and gas, and in turn chemicals, while subsidizing wind and solar products whose production is dominated by Chinese and European manufacturers."

Some businesses insist the types of government investment in Biden's plan are necessary.

The major hurdle for moving U.S. drivers away from internal combustion engines is the lack of charging stations. Biden proposes $174 billion for electric vehicles, including funds to construct 500,000 charging stations by 2030. Their presence would help to overcome drivers' fears of being stranded in a powerless car, one of the challenges confronting Ford and General Motors as they seek to go electric.

The Center for Automotive Research's Smith stressed that automakers would like to command the same premium on their stock that Tesla  a pioneer of electric vehicles  enjoys. But doing so requires the government to shoulder some of the risk to transition to a new infrastructure for powering vehicles.

You dont sell the cars without the charging stations at this point, Smith said. "It makes or breaks the technology.

Presidents have long relied on businesses to push their messages to voters. Biden's predecessors Donald Trump and Barack Obama touted an Intel chip factory in Arizona as proof of economic gains, yet the U.S. semiconductor industry declined relative to the rest of the world. Biden proposes a $50 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing and research, one of the publicly bipartisan pieces of his infrastructure package.

Intel's chief government affairs officer, Jeff Rittener, said the company supports the investment, though it still wants to know more details about the potential increases in corporate taxes. He warned that without the government investment the country would lose out to other global competitors on what has become a building block of the modern economy.

Only 12% of worldwide semiconductor manufacturing is done in the U.S., whereas if you go back a number of years it used to be greater than 35%," he said. We anticipate, and studies have shown, that if nothing is done this percentage is going to drop further.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  The murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst resumed Monday without the defendant present and with arguments about whether the case should continue after a rare 14-month recess.

Judge Mark Windham questioned jurors in Los Angeles County Superior Court to see if they can complete their assignment that was interrupted in March 2020 during the pandemic. If so, it could be a first for the U.S. legal system.

So, where did we leave off? Windham said as jurors laughed.

The length of the stoppage is unprecedented and its the highest-profile U.S. case postponed because of the pandemic, Dursts lawyers say. They have repeatedly  and unsuccessfully  sought a mistrial because they argued the delay harmed his chance of a fair trial.

Durst, 78, an heir to a New York commercial real estate empire, has pleaded not guilty in the killing of his best friend, Susan Berman, at her Los Angeles home in 2000.

Windham, wearing a black mask, approached the 22 jurors  one fewer than before the recess  and addressed the many losses of the pandemic.

Youve likely had losses or like me know people that have lost loved ones, he said.

He asked jurors if they had seen stories about the case or discussed it with anyone during the break and if they had any health concerns or hardships that would prevent them from serving another four to five months.

After speaking in chambers with nine jurors, Windham dismissed one from service, leaving 21 on the panel that is scheduled to hear a new round of opening statements Tuesday.

Before the jurors returned to court, Windham denied a defense request to suspend the case further because Durst has bladder cancer and myriad other health problems that require hospitalization.

The question isn't whether he can endure the rigors of the trial," attorney Dick DeGuerin said. "Its whether he can survive at all.

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin scoffed at claims Durst needed to be released to a hospital for treatment, saying he was getting high-quality care at the jail, where he is being held without bail.

Its a get out of jail free card, Lewin said. The goal here is simply to have this trial go away.

Durst was not in court because he refused to leave the Los Angeles County jail, Windham said. DeGuerin questioned that account, saying jailers had previously failed to get Durst and inaccurately reported he was willfully absent.

DeGuerin said measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus would harm Dursts defense by keeping his lawyers scattered throughout the courtroom and unable to confer. Windham said the measures were required to keep everyone safe, though he and all the lawyers have been vaccinated.

Windham moved the case to a larger courtroom in Inglewood to accommodate the distancing needed to resume.

The lead lawyers were seated alone in the front of the courtroom and their co-counsel were spread throughout jury boxes on both sides of the courtroom. Plexiglas panels were placed between the lawyers and a court stenographer.

Jurors were handed zip-lock bags with note pads, a mask and tissues as they entered the courtroom and took seats in the gallery.

Prosecutors say Durst silenced Berman before she could tell police she helped him cover up the killing of his wife, Kathie, in New York in 1982.

Durst, who is worth more than an estimated $100 million, is only charged with Berman's killing but prosecutors are using his wife's disappearance and a neighbor's slaying in Texas to build their case against him.

He was acquitted in the Texas case after he testified he shot the man in self-defense. Prosecutors say he killed Morris Black because Durst was in hiding and the elderly neighbor discovered his identity.

He has never been charged in his wife's suspected killing and has denied any role in her disappearance.

Prosecutors in Westchester County, New York, said Monday that they were reviewing the killing of Kathie Durst as one of several unsolved homicides.

During opening statements in Los Angeles last year, defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin, who defended Durst in Texas, said Durst didnt kill Berman and doesnt know who did. But he said his client had found her body, panicked and bolted.

Durst sent police a cryptic note alerting them to a cadaver in the house only to ensure she would be found, DeGuerin said. Durst had long denied penning the note.

Durst was arrested in New Orleans in 2015 on the eve of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, an HBO documentary in which he was confronted with the cadaver note and a letter he once sent Berman with the same block print handwriting and the city of Beverly Hills similarly misspelled Beverley.

Before being shown the letter he had written to Berman, Durst told the filmmakers that only the killer could have written the cadaver note.

After the gotcha moment on camera, he was caught on a hot mic saying to himself in a bathroom, Youre caught! What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.

___

Associated Press reporter Karen Matthews contributed to this story from New York.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A Minnesota judge ruled Monday that the manslaughter case can proceed against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright, and she set a trial date for December.

Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is white, will stand trial Dec. 6, barring any future scheduling conflicts, Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu said during a pretrial hearing.

"I do find that theres probable cause to support the charge against the defendant, Ms. Potter," Chu said.

Potter, who is charged with second-degree manslaughter, appeared at the hearing via videoconference with her attorney, Earl Gray, and sat some distance behind him in his office. She looked straight ahead at the video screen and had little reaction during the hearing, saying, Yes, your honor, when the judge asked if the hearing could go forward via videoconference. Potter did not enter a plea during the hearing.

Wright was killed April 11 during a struggle with police after a traffic stop. The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said he believes Potter meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun. Body camera video shows her shouting Taser! multiple times before firing. Protesters and Wright's family have disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun. They had wanted prosecutors to file murder charges.

The shooting, which ignited days of unrest, happened amid the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murder for pressing his knee against George Floyds neck as the Black man said he couldnt breathe.

Police have said Wright was pulled over for expired tags, but they sought to arrest him after discovering an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and had a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Intent isnt a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge  which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison  can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by culpable negligence that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause a death.

As Monday's hearing began, Chu acknowledged that Wright's family and friends were listening and extended her condolences to them. After finding there was probable cause for the case to continue, she set deadlines for court filings, saying it would benefit everyone to expedite the case.

Prosecutor Imran Ali said the Dec. 6 trial date works for now, but there may be conflicts with the schedules of expert witnesses, once they are determined.

My goal is to try to keep that Dec. 6 trial date if we at all possibly can, Chu said, adding: If you need to schedule any type of plea hearing  if that should happen  Im always available for that.

Ali said the state wants audio and video coverage of the trial be allowed, while Gray objects to that. Unlike many states, cameras are not routinely allowed during most Minnesota court proceedings. Chauvin's murder trial was the first Minnesota criminal trial to be broadcast live on television, with the judge allowing the broadcast due to high interest and pandemic restrictions that limited courtroom space. The trial of Chauvin's three-co-defendants is also going to be broadcast.

Brooklyn Center was moving toward firing Potter when she resigned shortly after the shooting. The citys police chief also resigned, after the City Council fired the city manager.

On Saturday, Brooklyn Center's City Council approved a resolution that calls for sweeping changes in policing, including creating a new division of unarmed civilian employees to handle non-moving traffic violations and limiting situations in which officers can make arrests. The city attorney and mayor have said that adopting the resolution commits the city to change, but it is not a final action.

___

Find APs full coverage of the death of Daunte Wright at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  The University of Minnesota will form a new task force to address abusive faculty after the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) created a petition to address what it calls a long-standing problem in graduate higher education.

The petition calls for the formation of a University body composed of graduate students, faculty, staff and administrators to address the pedestrian, every day harassment that has characterized much of graduate education for decades, if not centuries.

Abusive faculty behavior can include expecting students to work unpaid hours, asking students for personal favors, leaning on students for emotional support, commenting on a students physical appearance and threatening or exploiting a students position as an advisee.

Unlike sex- and gender-based discrimination, which triggers a mandatory Title IX investigation under federal civil rights law, instances of abusive faculty behavior can fall outside of existing frameworks.

The COGS speaker, president and vice president submitted the petition to University Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson on April 14 with signatures from over 290 graduate students, The Minnesota Daily reported.

The petition also includes the anonymous personal experiences of 13 University graduate students with instances of abusive faculty.

It is actually helpful to have a petition like this, said Scott Lanyon, the vice provost and dean of graduate education at the University. While we have been working on this in the Graduate School, addressing this issue really requires interaction from multiple offices and an institutional commitment to a solution. It helps to have students who say that this is a priority, and students will definitely be on that task force.

The student-adviser relationship for graduate students differs from that of undergraduate students.

(Advisers) are the gatekeeper, said Mattea Allert, the speaker of COGS. They hold a potential ticket to your next job. If you are in graduate school, they can hold the ticket to your next step in graduate school or your next postdoctoral opportunity.

Even if a graduate student is paying their own tuition, the adviser is still a pivotal part of the students ability to advance in their degree, said Richard Gonigam, a COGS executive committee member. A students ability to secure funding for their program of study can be solely in the hands of their adviser.

If you are in a situation that ends in a severed relationship with a faculty member, there is no guarantee that you will get another adviser and be able to finish your program, Gonigam said.

The power dynamics of such a relationship have the potential to create difficult situations for students, Lanyon said.

The adviser has a lot of influence, usually for good, over their student, Lanyon said. But there is the potential for that influence to get out of control, and that is why it is a real concern. Students are really dependent on their adviser, and if that relationship goes south, it can be pretty bad.

The Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (gradSERU) is an annual survey of graduate and professional students conducted by the University.

A department at Washington State University hosts the optional survey to ensure that the University of Minnesota cannot access identifiable response data.

GradSERU shows us that the majority of our students are actually really happy with their advisers, Lanyon said. But it has long been true in graduate education that there are relatively rare graduate faculty who are really not good at being advisers or are actively abusive.

Results from the 2019 gradSERU show that 97% of graduate students agree or strongly agree that their advisers respect them as individuals, and 83% said they would probably or definitely choose the same adviser again.

Thirteen percent of graduate students said that to either a moderate, large or very large extent, a poor relationship with their adviser was an obstacle to their degree process.

Although some institutions put decision-making controls in the hands of the deans office, the University opts for a decentralized approach and gives power to individual colleges or programs.

COGS President Scott Petty said that the Universitys decentralized approach, coupled with the Universitys size, can make students feel that accountability is lacking.

Lanyon said that the Universitys decentralized nature makes systemic change more difficult, but he added that the COGS petition and proposed task force would be an advantage.

I think a variety of central offices assisting colleges will lead to more systemic change, Lanyon said. Multiple central offices will provide guidance and support to the academic colleges where the work will happen.

The power imbalance between graduate students and their advisers can make students less likely to report instances of misconduct, Gonigam said.

Existing frameworks allow students to use the Student Conflict Resolution Center and file formal grievances when problems arise. However, many students may see these resources as last resorts and only utilize them in dire situations, Lanyon said.

He added that the University must build trust with students to encourage them to report misconduct early on and without fear of retaliation.

Raising concerns early on in a grievance would prevent things from getting really out of hand, Lanyon said. There has to be confidence that (a student) will not face retaliation for coming forward. We need to find a way to ensure that we define what retaliation is and articulate all the ways in which retaliation is unacceptable.

Lanyon also said that as more people are aware of and educated about all types of abusive behavior, he would not be surprised to see reports of such behavior increase.

What I want to see are reporting percentage increases from people who witness or experience this type of behavior, Lanyon said. If that happens, that means we have done more to establish that students feel more confident that something will happen as a result of reporting such behavior.

Now that Croson has received the petition and agreed to form a task force, Allert said she hopes the University will make notable strides for graduate students.

She said, Our hope is that the University is able to acknowledge the experiences of graduate students and then that the University is able to actually get something done, and that must include input from graduate students.
Rafe Swan/Getty Image

The College of San Mateos director of marketing and community relations turned himself in to San Jose police after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest for allegedly engaging in sexual acts with two teenage girls.

According to police, Richard Rojo, 52, met one of the victims on social media in November of 2020. He then engaged in sexual activity with that victim and an additional victim. The girls were 14 and 15 years old at the time. San Jose police were made aware of the incidents in December of 2020.
Jim Clendenen, the boisterous, rebellious founder of Au Bon Climat winery, who carved a path for subtler, European-inspired Pinot Noirs in California, has died. The winery confirmed his death, which occurred in his sleep on Saturday night, but said a cause was not yet known. He was 68.

With his unruly, curly hair and his freewheeling style of speech, Clendenen was not a quiet presence. But the Santa Barbara County vintners wines, made under the Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family labels, often had a quietness about them. His North Star was Burgundy, the French wine region thats home to the Pinot Noir grape. In an era when California winemakers were turning out bigger-flavored, higher-alcohol Pinot Noirs, Clendenen strived to make Pinots that were more Burgundian in nature, with restrained alcohol levels and balanced fruit flavors.

He stayed true to that style even when it meant forgoing critical acclaim and wider commercial success.

He got the whole ripeness thing better than anybody else, said Adam Tolmach, who co-founded Au Bon Climat with Clendenen in 1982 and later split off to found his own winery, the Ojai Vineyard. He understood what Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were supposed to be and was completely unswayed by ever-riper grapes being grown in California.

Craig Lee/The Chronicle 2005

But Clendenen was also competitive and craved recognition, said his longtime friend Randall Grahm, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyards. Jim wanted to be understood, Grahm said. I think he remembered every Wine Spectator review hes gotten in 40 years. The scores werent always flattering, and the American wine market didnt always favor his countercultural style.

Europe understood him better than America did, Grahm said. Au Bon Climat often found a more rapt audience in the United Kingdom, as well as places like Australia and Japan, than on its home turf.

Hell always be remembered for carrying the Santa Barbara County flag around the world, said Bob Lindquist, his longtime business partner. He was one of those personalities  everywhere he went, he knew everyone and everyone knew him.

Clendenen was born in 1953 and grew up in Akron, Ohio. He came to California to attend UC Santa Barbara, where he was a pre-law major. A trip to France during his junior year, followed by a pilgrimage to Burgundy and Champagne after his graduation, compelled him to reorient his career toward wine. He would return to Burgundy in 1981 to work the harvest season.

In Burgundy that season, Clendenen developed a fondness not only for the great Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, but also for the simple pleasures of so-called lesser grapes like Aligote, which was quaffed like water in the Burgundian cellars. I can tell you that when youre thirsty, the thing that can pick you up is a 9 to 11% Aligote, he told The Chronicle during a phone interview in March. He eventually planted Aligote grapes in Santa Maria and remained one of the few American producers to work with the variety.

Craig Lee/Special to The Chronicle 2009

Clendenen got a job in 1978 at Zaca Mesa, a pioneering Santa Barbara County winery. It was then a small, family operation, and Clendenen was among the first employees. Two other young winemakers soon joined Zaca Mesa who would change the course of Clendenens career: Tolmach and Lindquist. In 1982, Clendenen and Tolmach decided to go out on their own and found their own winery, with the goal of producing Burgundian Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the Santa Barbara area. That same year, Lindquist founded his own winery, Qupe, and in 1989 the three of them built a winery together adjacent to the famous Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria.

Au Bon Climat quickly developed an ardent following, and Clendenens ambitious grew. Jim wanted to be big and famous, and he became big and famous, Tolmach said. Tolmach wanted to stay smaller and craftier, and the two clashed. Within a decade they acrimoniously ended their business relationship. They eventually reconciled, and by the end of Clendenens life they saw each other occasionally.

Jim was a difficult person to get along with sometimes, but he had a really big heart, Tolmach said. Thats what I always appreciated about him.

His partnership with Lindquist, however, lasted until his death. Under one roof, with a shared staff, Lindquist and Clendenen each ran their own winery, making their own separate wines. Clendenens children, Isabelle and Knox, will now inherit the Au Bon Climat business, Lindquist said, so it will be up to them what they want to do. Isabelle Clendenen already works for the company in sales, he added.

Over time, Clendenen and his winery evolved. In the 1990s he planted a vineyard called Hildegard, intended to mimic the way that Burgundys famous Charlemagne vineyard was planted in A.D. 800, divided between 55% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc and 5% Aligote. (Hildegard was King Charlemagnes wife.)

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Erick Madrid/Special to The Chronicle 2019

His interests wandered beyond Burgundy, and he created the Clendenen Family Vineyards label to accommodate his wines that werent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. His efforts were especially successful with Nebbiolo, the red grape that forms the basis of Italian wines like Barolo.

The goal with all of these wines, he said, was longevity. Our wines age really well, he said in March. Doesnt matter if its Pinot Noir or Riesling or Gewurztraminer or Tocai. They age. I like a little age on the wines, that extra texture.

Clendenens imprint on the younger generation of California winemakers is clear. Beginning in 2011, he was part of In Pursuit of Balance, an organization of California wineries focused on promoting lower-alcohol, higher-acid, Burgundian-inspired Pinot Noir. The creation of that group was proof that decades of sticking to his convictions had paid off  there was finally a movement, a passionate group of people who understood him.

He was a hungry man, Grahm said. He had a deep hunger. He seemed to need people. He had a big appetite for everything  certainly a big appetite for an audience. He had a lot to say.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
By 9 a.m. Monday, the front-end loaders and dump trucks were lined up outside the abandoned state-owned parking lot under Highway 101 in SoMa. A few weary residents who lived there in tents, trucks and a half-built tiny home dragged their belongings onto a nearby sidewalk as social workers and California Highway Patrol officers made their final rounds.

Overhead, traffic thundered as San Francisco continued to reawaken from a year in pandemic-induced limbo. Slowly, the tents and tarps and other makeshift structures started to come down.

Theyre acting like this is a dictatorship, said Ashante Jones, a 44-year-old Oakland native whos lived in the Merlin Street lot for the past six months. Where are people going to go?

Until the coronavirus paralyzed daily life, the lot had been one of many in the Bay Area catering to a mix of daily commuters and people living in vehicles, some for as many as five years. But on Monday, after the operator that the state leased the lot to went out of business and more people moved in during the pandemic, officials descended to clear the encampment despite resistance from remaining residents and homeless advocates.

To those still there when the heavy equipment rolled in, the Merlin Street lot symbolized all thats wrong with the citys reliance on short-term Band-Aids like sanctioned camps and motel rooms while thousands still lack stable housing. But to city officials and social workers who said they spent the past six weeks urging residents to accept alternative shelter, it was a sign of progress.

This is one of the citys last big encampments, said Jeff Kositsky, who heads Mayor London Breeds Healthy Streets Operation Center, a coordinated group of city agencies tasked with responding to homeless encampments. Its not perfect, but we do the best that we can to offer everybody services.

By late Monday morning, Kositsky said 10 out of the lots few dozen residents had accepted city offers to move to either sanctioned safe sleeping parking lots or temporary shelter-in-place hotel rooms. Others lingered just outside a chain-link fence with their packed-up clothes, instruments and tools. Those still inside rushed to dismantle tents, pack up anything left and figure out what to do with large items.

Similar scenes have played out many times in San Francisco and surrounding cities, where a housing affordability crisis has collided in recent years with chronic homelessness and staunch resistance to building new shelters. But the stakes are particularly high right now, with homeless advocates pursuing several lawsuits over encampment sweeps and Gov. Gavin Newsom last week proposing $12 billion to address the states more than 160,000 homeless residents.

While politicians debate how much money to spend and where to spend it, those outside say they still often struggle to access basic services. They feel forgotten in a familiar shuffle between shelters, encampments and other precarious temporary homes.

People dont just disappear, said Kelley Cutler, a human rights organizer with San Franciscos Coalition on Homelessness. They call them resolutions, but these are sweeps.

The showdown at Merlin Street escalated last week, when Cutler and other activists took to social media to urge the public to demand that Caltrans stop the eviction. A verified Twitter account for the Bay Area office of the transportation agency last week responded that the encampment poses a fire risk to the highway overhead, and that Caltrans had been working with the city to offer housing options to residents.

State guidance on encampment clearings has not yet changed as cities ease pandemic health restrictions, said Caltrans Bay Area spokesman Bart Ney. The agency has carried out 54 removals this year of encampments that posed immediate threats to infrastructure or safety  double the total for all of 2020. At the Merlin Street lot, Caltrans previously paused the removal in February to allow local health officials to offer COVID-19 vaccines to people living there.

It was around 7 a.m. on Monday when the first city and public works crews began to filter into the fenced, 41,000-square-foot lot previously operated under the name Delta Parking Management LLC. Though officials said encampment residents usually have their hands zip-tied to avoid altercations with police, those at Merlin Street were permitted to keep packing.

Greg Smith couldnt bear to watch it all play out, so he sat in his blue van just down the block while social workers tried to convince him to move into a hotel room. Smith still has the brightly colored monthly parking passes that he used to buy for about $400 a month to rent two spaces at the lot over the past five years.

If they got new owners, I would stay, said Smith, whos lived in San Francisco since 1973 and spent many years moving around different lots. Its my place, you know?

Kositsky said the rate of encampment residents accepting housing services has dropped from around 85% to 30% in recent months. Activists and some residents say the problem is more the type of services being offered. Safe Sleeping can seem like just another encampment with more rules. Shelters are operating at reduced capacity during the pandemic. And it can still take months to find a landlord willing to accept a permanent housing voucher.

Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, is among those advocating for the city to convert 1,000 motel rooms to studio apartments with a coming influx of state and federal stimulus funds. San Franciscos own funds from 2018 homeless tax measure Proposition C should provide additional housing  if and when city officials move forward with more concrete plans.

Weve got the money. Weve got the property, Friedenbach said. We need the political will.

In the meantime, Merlin Street neighbors Dominic Russo and Lakrisha Harper scrambled on Monday morning to figure out where to go before their own longer-term plans play out.

Russo, a former San Francisco music teacher, frantically dialed a tow truck to move the tiny house hed been building in the front corner of the Merlin Street lot. Harper and her boyfriend of 13 years were trying to track down a missing iPhone while they debated where to go, since the studio apartment she hopes to rent with a housing voucher wasnt yet ready.

Its hectic and its frustrating and its tiring, said Harper, who grew up in the citys Sunnydale neighborhood. It makes you want to say, I give up.

From San Francisco to Santa Cruz, cities all around Northern California are debating how to handle encampments like the one on Merlin Street as public spaces reopen. Meanwhile, lawsuits are flying against cities that activists say have failed to provide alternative shelter as required by a landmark 2018 court ruling, and against Caltrans for destroying residents belongings in East Bay sweeps in recent years.

Newsom also earmarked $1.5 billion in his homeless budget to clean up public spaces and $50 million for cities to move people out of encampments. The governors office declined to answer specific questions from The Chronicle about whether its orders to Caltrans and local agencies related to encampment clearings have changed since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year advised governments across the country to leave homeless people where they are if no alternative is available.

In the meantime, advocates worry that cities will continue to focus on symptoms of the homeless crisis, rather than the causes.

The displacement process is focused more on the removal of tents, said Francisco Herrera, chair of the Latino Task Force Street Needs Assessment Committee. All they do is create a carousel effect.

By late Monday morning, Russos tiny house was loaded onto a tow truck, to try one of the last-chance lots he had in mind. Around the perimeter of the littered parking lot, stragglers kept filling up suitcases, and Jones still wasnt sure where to go.

Im really panicking right now, he said. I just got a good poker face.

Around 1 p.m., the bright yellow loader started up. It came down hard on a blue and gray tent whose owner had already left.

Lauren Hepler is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LAHepler
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Monday, May 17, and the Bay Area has seen a stunning reversal in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

With his political career on the brink of ruin amid allegations of sexual assault, Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli turned to an old friend who had parlayed early loyalty and slight ties to Donald Trump into a multimillion-dollar lobbying business in Washington.

With the help of Robert Stryk, Foppoli has waged an aggressive campaign to save his job that has alarmed many residents and local officials already upset over the allegations revealed in a Chronicle investigation last month.

The campaign hinges on an apparent attempt to shift the conversation away from the original Foppoli accusers by fiercely attacking Esther Lemus, a Windsor Town Council colleague and Sonoma County deputy district attorney.

Across Sonoma County, elected officials have denounced Foppolis response to the scandal, though many details of his tactics have not been publicly revealed until now. Read more.

Californias water woes

Rachel Bujalski/Special to The Chronicle

State regulators plan to order more drought restrictions, ensuring those with the most senior water rights as well as fish and wildlife have enough supply from Californias waterways. But the state still doesnt have accurate data showing how much is being taken from watersheds and who exactly is taking it. Read more from Kurtis Alexander.

Related:

 A Chronicle analysis of 2020 data from statewide water suppliers shows that residential per capita water use varies wildly depending on region.

 The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit that alleges state regulators tried to take away the citys Sierra Nevada water supplies.

What will change June 15 when state reopens?

Jungho Kim/Special to The Chronicle

On June 15, California is planning to reopen the economy, but it is still unclear what exactly that will mean. While state officials say that many businesses should be able to mostly return to pre-pandemic operations, questions remain about mask-wearing and social distancing. Reporters Carolyn Said and Erin Allday talk to business owners about what the reopening might look like for them.

More coronavirus updates:

 The Bay Area continues to make progress against the coronavirus, with ICU admissions back at an all-time pandemic low.

 A Stanford study shows that two-thirds of people in Californias 35 state prisons have had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

 The CDCs sudden relaxed mask guidance announced last week came as a shock to many, but heres the data behind the decision.

 Heather Knight writes about the latest in the fight over whether to keep JFK Drive in San Francisco car-free after the pandemic.

Around the Bay

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

 Landmark status? On Wednesday, San Franciscos historic preservation commission will address an application from the SF Eagle, which is the first leather bar in the city expected to be named a city landmark.

 Perfect pairings: Bay Area residents in certain professions are most likely to be married to each other, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

 A promising program: San Franciscos new street crisis teams will be fully initiated this summer, but it might not be enough to handle the overwhelming demand of the thousands who live on the streets.

 Ongoing investigation: What we know so far about the illness complaints at House of Prime Rib after the restaurant voluntarily shuttered for 24 hours.

 Second NBA scoring title: Stephen Curry racked up 46 points in Sundays game against the Grizzlies, placing the Warriors in the crucial No. 8 spot.

Creating joy in small ways

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

A fun and inspiring trend across the country has made its way to the Bay Area: mini art galleries.

Several neighborhoods set up galleries that usually consist of display boxes filled with artwork made by neighbors, kids and local artists, and sit in front of someones house. Much like the Little Free Library movement, people are encouraged to take a piece and leave another one for the next person.

Jessica Flores writes about the trend, which has been found in neighborhoods in Berkeley, Oakland, San Carlos and San Anselmo.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown, Anna Buchmann and Kellie Hwang and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com, anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com and kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com.
A 17 year-old male was arrested as a suspect in the killing of a man Friday evening in the Excelsior District, San Francisco police said Sunday.

Police were called to a reported shooting near Vienna Street and Persia Avenue about 6:39 p.m. Friday, and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Los Angeles officials arrested a person suspected of sparking a fire near Pacific Palisades in Southern California that forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate and burned more than 1,000 acres of land.

The Palisades Fire in the Topanga State Park region marks the second blaze of more than 1,000 acres in California this month as the start of wildfire season continues edging earlier in the year. Due to the steep terrain, firefighters were battling the blaze primarily from the air, said spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

Right now, theres not a very rapid spread, Stewart said late Sunday afternoon. Winds had died down and a damp marine layer calmed flames, she said, but firefighters had no containment of the blaze and worried that onshore winds might align with the canyons and push the fire anew.

Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said as of Monday morning, no lives or homes have been lost. One firefighter suffered a minor injury to his eye. More than 500 personnel are currently fighting the fire.

The brush fire was first reported Friday evening in a canyon with steep terrain, making it almost impossible to access for foot crews. By Saturday evening, the fire grew to 750 acres, and by 2 p.m. Sunday, an estimated 1,325 acres, Stewart said. Terrazas said that as of Sunday afternoon, the fire was 0% contained, but officials expect updated numbers Monday afternoon. Fire officials ordered evacuation of about 1,000 residents. Another 130 were warned to be prepared to evacuate. If everything goes our way today, that warning will remain a warning, Terrazas said.

Investigators determined the fire had a suspicious start, Stewart said. Fire department arson investigators and Los Angeles police detectives detained and released one person. Terrazas announced that the departments had arrested a second person Sunday afternoon who is currently in custody and being treated for smoke inhalation. While the investigation is active, he added, we feel we have the right person.

Fire season in California and the West has been starting earlier and extending longer in recent years, in what Cal Fire says is a trend driven by climate change. Warmer temperatures, reduced snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt foster longer dry seasons that make vegetation and forests more vulnerable to severe wildfire. Terrazas encouraged residents to clear their brush, and to sign up for alerts at notifyla.org.

Chronicle staff writer Emma Talley contributed to this report.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni
The Bay Area is home to more than 100,000 software developers and, as it turns out, they really like to marry each other. So much, in fact, that almost one out of every 100 marriages in the Bay is between two software developers.

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau asks a set of Americans about their occupation and the occupation of their spouse. The Chronicle analyzed the responses collected from 2015 to 2019 to determine which types of Bay Area professionals were most likely to wed each other. We excluded marriages in which one of the spouses listed themselves as unemployed.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most common union between two professionals here is between a computer programmer and ... another computer programmer. Our estimates show that an estimated 1% of all marriages in the region are between two software developers  specifically developers of applications and systems software. For the U.S. overall, software developer unions make up less than one-tenth of a percent of all marriages.

This discrepancy isnt just because the Bay Area has so many programmers, though. Software developers in the region are way more likely to marry each other than even their large numbers would predict.

In fact, local software developers are six times more likely to wed each other than their share of the married population would suggest. Put another way, software developers would make up about 15 out of every 10,000 married couples if Bay Area residents wed each other at random. But actually, they make up an estimated 90 in 10,000 couples, or close to 1%.

Another common pairing: housekeepers and construction laborers, who were almost 20 times more likely to marry than the numbers predict, given both groups share of the married population. Perhaps the least surprising common partnership (at least to any Greys Anatomy viewer) involved people from the physician and surgeon category, who were about 25 times more likely to get hitched than their share of the married population would predict.

The professional pairings above, while among the most common, still capture only a small fraction of marriages in the Bay Area. Thats likely for two major reasons: one, a decent percentage of marriages have one formally unemployed member; and two, the census has many professional categories that split couples into small segments. For instance, health care professionals dont just fall into the physician and surgeon category; they also fall into the registered nurse category and less obvious categories like managers. (There are 426 occupations in the data.)

Even so, Lucy Moore, a licensed marriage and family therapist at the Well Clinic in San Francisco, said the most common couples match up with her real-world observations.

The majority of couples I see both do work in tech-adjacent roles, she told The Chronicle. She also sees a lot of couples who both work as doctors, or in the broader health care industry.

They can understand each others hours, and have similar helper personalities, she said.

Proximity doesnt hurt, either: People in medicine and tech often work long hours in close quarters. This leaves less time for dating outside of work and more time for getting to know colleagues.

Other factors help explain why couples often share similar jobs, Moore said. Entrepreneurial spirits often attract, and people in similar professions often run in similar social circles. Perhaps most important, Moore said, was shared socioeconomic background.

Being from poverty ... or a lower socioeconomic status, and being with someone with a masters degree or access to (privilege), there can be a lot of misunderstanding and not a lot of common ground, she said. Even just vacation days, if youre working for a company where if you take time off you lose money ... and your partner can take three weeks a year off for free, how do you make that work?

Moore said that theres a potential dark side to spouses cohabiting career paths.

I havent seen the competitive side personally  you can imagine in the same field theres this drive to be better than one another, a power struggle, but by chance the people I do see I havent run into that, she said.

Still, for the most part, couples with shared professions can relate to each other in these sort of day-to-day ways that can reinforce bonding, she said.

Data Spotlight The Chronicle this year hired five journalists who use data-driven techniques to cover news stories across the Bay Area. See more of their stories, analyses and interactive features at sfchronicle.com/data. See More Collapse

Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susie.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson
California will lift its mask mandate for fully vaccinated people June 15, giving the state nearly a month to get vaccination rates higher, virus levels lower and businesses more time to figure out how to handle vaccine verification.

The guidance that state health officials announced Monday aligns with recommendations issued last week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  but will take effect later in California than in many other states, some of which have already lifted mask mandates. The CDCs guidance says people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may abandon their masks in most indoor and outdoor spaces.

Until June 15, current masking rules will remain in place in California: Masks are required in indoor settings outside the home, whether a person is vaccinated or not. Fully vaccinated people  those who had their final shot at least two weeks earlier  do not have to wear masks outdoors except in crowded settings.

This four-week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change, Dr. Mark Ghaly, California health and human services secretary, said during a news briefing. Four weeks between now and June 15 allows a number of Californians who may be eligible to get vaccinated but were considering waiting a little longer  now that they see there will be less masking in our communities, they may decide this is the week to get vaccinated.

June 15 is also the target date for Californias economy to reopen. Assuming COVID-19 hospitalizations remain low and vaccines are available to all who want them, most business sectors will be allowed to operate at higher capacity.

California has one of the lowest case rates and lowest hospitalization rates in the country. It is around the middle of the pack in vaccination rates.

Adopting federal mask guidance in a month, rather than immediately, will give the state and businesses time to determine how to verify whether people going into public settings are in fact vaccinated.

The state has said it will not oversee vaccine verification. But on Monday, Ghaly appeared to leave the door open to the idea, saying California is tracking New Yorks digital vaccine verification system Excelsior Pass and is continuing to watch and see how these technologies can be used to help support public health in our state.

Californias decision to wait until June 15 to lift mask mandates for the vaccinated is in line with the states overall COVID pandemic policies, which have generally been more cautious than those of other states and the federal government. This pattern is holding true with masking, as many other states have already lifted their indoor mandates for vaccinated residents or have announced plans to do so sooner than June 15.

New York and Massachusetts, for instance, will lift mask mandates for vaccinated residents on Wednesday and May 29, respectively. Oregon and Washington state have already done so. And about half of states never had indoor mask requirements, nor did the federal government.

California is not alone, however. Both Hawaii and New Jersey are keeping their indoor mandates in place indefinitely.

I think (June 15 is) a reasonable date. Looking at the vaccination rates in different states, California is one of the better states, so by June 15 more people will have been vaccinated by that time, said Dr. Lee Riley, a professor of epidemiology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Some other states may have been premature. They were doing this even before CDC came out with the guidelines. So I think its in keeping with California policy ever since the pandemic began.

There are some exceptions to the looser mask restrictions. Masks will be required at California schools until the end of 2021, Ghaly said. And they will still be mandatory in some public spaces including hospitals, nursing homes, public transit, jails and prisons, and homeless shelters, under CDC guidelines.

As is the case with most COVID regulations, counties and businesses can choose to be stricter than the state and keep mask mandates in place after June 15 or pick a later date to lift them.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health said it supported the June 15 target date. The city has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, with 53% of residents fully vaccinated as of Monday. Statewide, about 39% of the population is fully vaccinated.

We just need to hang in there a little longer and for every eligible person to get vaccinated as soon as possible, the department tweeted.

Supporters of the CDC mask-lifting guidance said it was reasonable, based on how effective the coronavirus vaccines are proving to be and how many Americans have already gotten them. But others worry that unvaccinated people will also drop their masks and put themselves and others at risk of infection.

Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of UCSFs Department of Medicine, said Californias move is a good call and that the CDCs recommendations were premature. Simply too much virus and too many unvaxxed folks who wont mask for no-mask indoor spaces to be safe now, he tweeted Monday.

The CDC and state public health officials have come under increasing pressure to relax rules for what fully vaccinated people are allowed to do. Some experts had criticized health officials for being overly cautious, saying they were sending a message that the vaccines couldnt be trusted.

The vaccines are up to 95% effective at preventing moderate illness, and close to 100% effective at preventing hospitalization and death. For a while, experts worried that vaccinated people could still become infected with no obvious signs of illness and unwittingly infect others, but the vaccines appear to be strongly protective against transmission, too.

UCSFs Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician, said it became clear after the CDC announced mask guidelines that many Californians were not ready for the change just yet. She said state officials giving businesses and residents a month to adjust is perfectly reasonable. Still, she urged Californians to view the changes coming June 15 as a positive turning point.

Instead of feeling trepidation about it, which I know a lot of people do, people should embrace it, she said. We have these astounding vaccines and have given access to all Californians since April 15. Any model will tell us cases and hospitalizations are going to stay low, and that our immunity as a population in California is high. This is something to embrace as a wonderful thing. Im looking forward to June 15.

Catherine Ho and Erin Allday are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com, eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho, @erinallday
When William Hanrahan decided to take a job managing the San Francisco immigration court last year, he hoped he could do some good by bringing his expertise to resolving the legal morass many U.S. migrants must navigate to stay in the country.

He knew the justice system well. He had spent 20 years as a prosecutor and more than a decade as a state judge, including two years as a chief judge, and taught law on the side for 13 of those years. Hed worked in both criminal and civil law.

But Hanrahan said he encountered a soul-crushing bureaucracy that he found shockingly unlike the regular American legal system. After little more than a year in the job, he called it quits this month, frustrated, he said, with a system run by the U.S. Department of Justice and subject to its political whims, a top-down management style that throttled innovation and slow-walked modernizing reforms, and a disconcerting proximity to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys who act as the courts prosecutors.

There needs to be a wholesale reform, Hanrahan said. On a daily basis, I really felt I was being forced to rearrange the deck chairs on a ship that was going down.

Hanrahans last day as assistant chief immigration judge was May 7, capping a 14-month tenure as the top manager overseeing the 25 immigration judges and dozens of staff at the San Francisco court. Before that, he was a county assistant district attorney, state assistant attorney general, state circuit court judge and chief circuit court judge during a 30-year career in Wisconsin. He also taught law as an adjunct professor at three Wisconsin colleges and universities.

He spoke with The Chronicle in an exclusive interview about what he said were perplexing management decisions and failures of court administration, exacerbated by seemingly daily absurdities. Sitting immigration judges are prohibited by the Justice Department from talking to the press, so Hanrahans insights provide a rare account from inside the courts into dysfunction that has long been described by the immigrant advocacy community.

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The Department of Justice did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Hanrahans concerns, but has defended the system against longtime criticism from outside critics.

In the courts agencys most recent testimony before Congress in 2019, the previous director James McHenry acknowledged shortcomings but said the agency under the Trump administration made considerable progress ... in restoring its reputation as a fully-functioning, efficient, and impartial administrative court system capable of rendering timely decisions consistent with due process.

Ultimately, Hanrahan said, its the immigrants seeking a chance to stay in the U.S. who are left bearing the burden of the disorganization. The unusual management of the immigration courts by the Justice Department means judges are ultimately hired by and answerable to the attorney general, who is the nations top prosecutor and a political appointee, usually with a policy agenda.

Under former President Donald Trump, who had a hard-line agenda to restrict immigration, the attorneys general exercised this authority, imposing case completion requirements on the judges and reducing their discretion  which their union decried as jeopardizing due process  and issuing policy decisions to limit asylum.

The rules of the court are also unlike the typical proceedings many Americans have witnessed in trials, including an expectation that the immigration judge will conduct his or her own cross-examination of those testifying.

The judges and prosecutors work for sister agencies in the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security, an arrangement that made Hanrahan uncomfortable. He said he was encouraged to speak freely with the ICE prosecutors office about daily operations and, under President Biden, to work together to identify cases that could be closed, but he was mostly forbidden from any similar communications with private attorneys who represented immigrants, an imbalance that would be improper in a normal court.

I just thought I was going to actually be a judge, Hanrahan said. Theyre not real courts. When I first started, I truly felt like a stranger in a strange land. ... It was not consistent with my training and experience as a judge.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Hanrahan took particular issue with managements arbitrary closures of courts during the pandemic, sometimes in the middle of the day, with no warning, and said leadership at the agency headquarters refused several of his requests to provide clear guidance to immigration attorneys trying to prepare their clients. As a result, some people who had waited years to have their time in court would suddenly have their hearings canceled and rescheduled for years later.

Every day that the case is pending is a cloud of uncertainty over their futures, Hanrahan said. You cant make plans, you cant buy a house, you might not be able to get married. Having children, all the kind of the daily decisions of life, the future is just held in abeyance, its got to be really distressing. And then of course the effect on the children, the children who are American citizens, not knowing whether Dads going to be deported.

Complaints about the immigration courts have abounded in recent years. Advocates say the backlog of cases  numbering more than 1.3 million across the nearly 70 courts nationwide, according to a nonprofit tracker, and more than 70,000 in San Francisco alone  is a major factor in the nations broken immigration system, even as applicants try to build lives in the U.S. during the years it takes their cases to work through the system.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, has been working on legislation to make the courts independent from the Justice Department, something advocated by the immigration judges union and by the major organizations that represent immigration attorneys and advocate for immigrants.

For years we have seen the detrimental effects of a politicized immigration court system, wrote the American Immigration Lawyers Association in a 2020 policy brief on the subject. Administrations have repeatedly made policy decisions not because theyre efficient or legally sound, but because theyre politically expedient. ... Americas immigration court system has been pushed to its breaking point; Band-aid fixes and short-term solutions are no longer enough to reverse course.

Hanrahans account is backed up by an inspector generals report into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the courts, which documented several shortcomings in management that made the impact of coronavirus on the court worse, and by a journal and files he kept to document his experience in the job. The Chronicle has also documented sexual harassment and misconduct within the courts, and a system that allowed such problems to fester for years.

While Hanrahan admits that ideologically he did not align with the Trump administration, his concerns with the immigration court were not necessarily about policy but structure  though he believes some of that administrations positions made the disorganization worse. Biden has changed the courts top leadership, but the political control and micromanaging policies that confoundingly tie judges hands remain intact, Hanrahan says.

I did hold out hope that there would be some change with the Biden administration, but ... I did not see any indication whatsoever of the fundamental organization of the agency changing, he said.

Hanrahan detailed many absurdities throughout his time. The San Francisco immigration court still uses exclusively paper filings, he said, and has run out of places to put them, so workers stack boxes anywhere they can. He put in a request for filing cabinets, he said, and was asked a series of detailed questions by management including where exactly the cabinets would be placed and whether the building had the structural integrity to hold them.

I ordered 215 file cabinets nine months ago, and I guarantee you theyre still not there, Hanrahan said.

On a trip back to Wisconsin in October 2020, he found a starkly different situation. A state courthouse he visited there had plexiglass, air filtration, personal protective equipment and technology to conduct remote hearings. Hanrahan was astonished to discover the Wisconsin state court had gotten federal money to purchase the supplies  even as the federally run San Francisco immigration courts still lack similar protections and capabilities.

I should have known what level of idiocy I was dealing with from the get-go, but I didnt put it together, Hanrahan said, recalling his byzantine hiring process. He had been enticed by interviews that asked detailed questions about his approach to leadership, management and handling of sensitive situations  talents he felt he was never allowed to use.

I assumed that since I was being asked these questions, I would get to deploy my skills in a fashion that fit the need, Hanrahan said. When I arrived, I encountered a staff that appears to have grown accustomed to a rather tyrannical management style. It kept them off balance, it kept them in fear, it quashed all innovation and initiative and, again, did not effectively deploy their skills and talents in a way that furthered the mission of the agency.

Hanrahan was also discouraged by the nature of the work, where often judges have no choice under the law but to order even sympathetic and vulnerable people deported due to the limited number of circumstances that permit migrants to stay.

Hanrahan says he was reminded of his first day as a prosecutor, decades earlier, where he saw the people he was prosecuting being brought in and out of court in chains. I said to myself that day, if there ever comes a time that seeing the image of people in chains doesnt disturb me, thats the time that I need to call it quits, he recalled.

That same feeling came back to him when he started overseeing immigration cases. I thought I could do some good here, and ultimately it really does take a toll on you, he said.

These are not the people I was dealing with in my criminal rotation in the circuit court, these are not people doing bad things to other people, by and large, he continued. These were people out in the hallway cuddling their children and reading stories to them waiting for their cases to be called. There are people that were working long hard days at really tough jobs, jobs that most Americans wouldnt take for low wages  they were paying taxes but getting very little in return.

Hanrahan doesnt blame the employees of the court  he characterizes them as heroic in their efforts to make sense of a byzantine system. He argues the problem lies with the fact that the court is managed by the Justice Department, rather than being an independent and autonomous organization.

As long as its going to remain subject to the changing winds of a political landscape, youre going to have a mess here, Hanrahan said. Its a strange place that bears little relation to what occurs in a truly independent court. ... I dont know how (the employees) hang in there. Im glad they do, but somethings got to change.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
Like most good stories, this one starts inside of a dive bar.

It was 2019, I was in Oakland for a happenstance trip, and there was this girl, Brandon Hinke tells me over the phone. I kind of knew her through a friend of a friend, so we agreed to meet up at this dive bar called The Avenue, a Halloween-themed bar in Oakland. And when I walked in, they had John Carpenters The Thing on one TV, and John Carpenters Halloween on the other, and I just thought, this place is perfect.

The date went well enough that they decided to keep it going long-distance, taking turns flying between Hinkes place in Washington, D.C., and his girlfriends home in Oakland, before ultimately deciding to meet kinda-halfway in Chicago and move in together. That was March 2020, and you probably know what happened next.

So we moved to Chicago, and we just assumed there wont be any problems or A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, but then there was and the job I had lined up fell through immediately, and I was in a city I hadnt spent a lot of time in, he says. So I started driving around aimlessly, and I came across this place, Windy City Lounge.

He tweeted out a picture of it on a Monday in June 2020, with this: Saw this spot while out today and this is like the platonic idea [sic] of what a bar should look like.

The photo went almost immediately viral, and then something unexpected started happening  everyone started replying with pictures of other dives.

I just knew I should do something with this, he says. Were not homesick, were barsick.

So he created a Twitter account: Pictures of Dives (@PicturesofDives).

I made the account the same day.

:::

I found Pictures of Dives sometime last fall.

Midnite Mine - Fairbanks, Alaska, the tweet read, with two accompanying pictures.

The first is an exterior shot of a stucco and brick building with an awning that simply says Cocktails on the side of it, and a billboard that directs people to park off the perfectly named Dunkel Street. The one window on the exterior is protected by a grid of rebar.

The second is an interior shot of grey concrete walls covered in chalk messages with an Old No. 7 neon sign on the back wall and two blurry dogs running by a row of bar stools. Theres a longneck on the corner of the bar that Id bet didnt cost more than a couple of bucks, and the lighting in the place could best be described as poor.

I go deep down an internet rabbit hole and find its been there since the 1960s, was owned by a guy named Bob Maloney for 45 years, and catered to pipeline workers and coal miners. Its exactly the kind of bar Id like to have a beer in right now.

Ive scrolled through Pictures of Dives for hours since then, thumbing through hundreds of bars and stopping at the really special looking ones  in cities I never thought Id want to visit  to do similar internet investigations. Some of them have closed for good, some have sold to new ownership, but most of them are still around  their sticky floors, and sticker-covered bathrooms waiting for us to return.

And for the past 14 months, thats been enough for me.

:::

Since Hinke started the account, people have sent him almost 900 photos of beloved neighborhood dives from across the world. His follower count is now above 35,000 and he even has a makeshift website that maps out every dive. More importantly, though, he has more stories than he knows what to do with.

Its been fun, people love to send me stuff and tell me stories about the old crusty guy at the end of the bar or about a bar in Philadelphia where they had their wallet stolen the day the Eagles made the playoffs, and the guy who stole it felt bad, so he mailed it back and the owner got it the day the Eagles made the Super Bowl, Hinke says.

Virtually every bar thats been sent to him goes up on Pictures of Dives, save the one where he could clearly see a waiter wearing a tie (come on) or some sort of blurry nonsense.

My standards are pretty low, he jokes.

The pinned tweet atop the account spells things out pretty well:

Lots of conversations in the @s about if certain bars are *really* dives and while we encourage discussion and debate, we do have an intense and robust vetting process to ensure the authenticity of every dive posted (You DM us a picture and say it's a dive and we believe you)

Hinke found a job as a part-time janitor in Chicagos Hyde Park during the pandemic (If anyone wants to have a cheap beer its someone who does physical, cheap labor and doesnt get paid well, he says with a laugh), and made all kinds of friends while running the account.

His biggest fan though? His mom Nancy, who likes and comments on virtually every Instagram post (yes, Picture of Dives is on Instagram, too) usually with her dive seal of approval.

Even as the world gets vaccinated and bars start to reopen, the Virginia native says hes still going to keep running the account, which is great news for my favorite new internet obsession.

:::

Ive only visited my brother-in-law in Sacramento twice since he moved there a few years ago. Once to see an apartment he doesnt live in anymore, and a second time to visit a different apartment he doesnt live in anymore.

But one of my pandemic resolutions is to head back up for a third visit 1) to see his new new NEW place, 2) because hes about to have a baby, but also 3) because of a couple Sacramento dives I found on Hinkes feed.

Some of my favorite bars in America were dives I found in other cities: Snake and Jakes in New Orleans (a loosely Christmas-themed bar far away from the French Quarter where I felt like there was a solid chance I might get stabbed, but in good way), or Santas Pub in Nashville, Tenn., (another loosely Christmas-themed bar inside of a double-wide trailer with really phenomenal karaoke), or Jumbos Clown Room in LA (a burlesque club with tatted-up dancers of every size and build where I once ran into Blake Anderson from Workaholics). Just great, cheap bars full of awesome memories and fun times.

If theres one thing Ive always loved about San Francisco, its the dive bars, which is why I write about them so often. I miss singing at Bow Bow, miss pinball at Molotovs, miss beer and a shots at The Tempest, miss the dog wall at Kilowatt, miss the dice jar at Clooneys, miss playing dice with The Big Dog at Black Horse London Pub, miss making rock puns at Rock Bar, miss listening to live music at Hotel Utah.

Theres something special about SFs dives. Theyre all totally and utterly unique, but also always make you feel the same. Theyre part of what makes the city the city, and I couldnt be happier to finally do more than just look at pictures of them.

Check out Pictures of Dives on Twitter here, and if you're feeling generous, buy Brandon a beer here.
LATEST May 17, 11:30 a.m. California health officials said Monday that the state will not align its rules for mask wearing with the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until June 15, when the state is expected to fully reopen.

Read more on SFGATE.

May 17, 10:45 a.m. The California Department of Public Health is expected to update the state's mask mandate as early as Monday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for face coverings last week. It's unknown whether California will adopt the CDC guidance, and states do have the authority to be more strict in their guidance than the federal government.

The CDC announced Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors or out in most cases, but while many states immediately fell in line with the new guidelines, California's mandate remains in place until further notice.

In the Golden Sate, people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask outdoors unless at crowded events. But they still have to wear a mask indoors unless meeting with other vaccinated people. (See the California mask guidelines here.)

What's more, the state has a number of other rules for businesses and other public places that vary by county based on the prevalence of the virus. California residents should ultimately turn to their county leaders for the rules in their region.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that his office is weighing issues of enforcement and workplace safety in considering whether and when to adopt the latest federal guidelines around masking.

Newsom said his office has been talking with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local health officers and other states since the CDC's announcement Thursday that fully vaccinated people can skip face coverings and social distancing in most situations.

Newsom said he doesn't know what the federal guidelines would look like in schools, where younger children are not yet able to get vaccinated, and what happens if businesses want to require masks.

The state is on track to fully reopen its economy on June 15, signaling an end to most pandemic restrictions, with infection rates at record lows and more people inoculated against the coronavirus. On Thursday, the state began allowing children 12 to 15 to receive the vaccine.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sent a letter to the governor Friday, urging him to adopt federal guidelines as the county of 10 million has made tremendous progress in inoculating residents.

Some people expressed glee at the thought of shedding their masks. But others, including business owners, were more hesitant, worried over enforcement.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
LATEST May 17, 11 a.m. More than 500 homes  many of them mansions worth millions of dollars  remain threatened in Topanga Canyon as a smoky wildfire churns in the dry brush of the Santa Monica Mountains, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a Monday press conference.

The department said the so-called Palisades Fire stands at 1,325 acres and there is no containment as of Monday morning. New numbers are expected to be released later Monday.

Firefighters are on the ground battling flames in steep, rugged terrain, and air tankers and helicopters are dropping water and fire retardant over remote areas.

This is very challenging terrain," a spokesperson from the department said in the press conference. "It has been about 75 years since we've had a fire in this area. Some of the brush is 20 to 30 feet high."

The fire is burning about 18 miles west of Los Angeles.

May 17, 7:30 a.m. A wildfire burning in the parched brush of the Santa Monica Mountains grew to 1,325 acres overnight, while about a thousand residents remained under mandatory evacuation orders and others prepared to leave under a warning, authorities said. There is no containment, as of Monday morning.

The blaze that the Los Angeles County Fire Department has named the Palisades Fire sparked at 10 p.m. Friday near Topanga State Park in the mountains behind the community of Pacific Palisades. It smoldered for much of Saturday before erupting in the afternoon and flaring up again Sunday.

"We're trying to keep it up out of the old growth, which is 50-60 years [old] that hasn't burned," Los Angeles City Fire Public Information Officer David Ortiz said Sunday, according to ABC 7. "So there's a lot of dense, thick material there  oily plants that have died out because of the drought. So that's our objective today is to try to keep it out of that and protect the communities and neighborhoods to the west of this fire because that's what's closest to it."

Los Angeles City Fire Public Information Officer David Ortiz told ABC 7 that firefighters are trying to keep the blaze out of an area that hasn't burned in 50 to 60 years. "So there's a lot of dense, thick material there -- oily plants that have died out because of the drought," Ortiz said on Sunday. "So that's our objective today is to try to keep it out of that and protect the communities and neighborhoods to the west of this fire because that's what's closest to it."

The cause of the fire has been deemed suspicious and is under investigation, the fire department said.

Arson investigators with the fire department and the Los Angeles Police Department identified one individual who was detained and released. Investigators then detained a second suspect and were questioning them Sunday evening, according to a statement from fire department spokesperson Margaret Stewart.

Cool, moist weather early Sunday gave firefighters a break, but by the afternoon flames starting moving again in steep terrain where tinder-dry vegetation hasn't burned in a half-century, the fire department said.

We're definitely seeing increased fire activity, said Stewart.

As of Monday morning, no structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

An update is expected from the fire department at 10 a.m. Monday. A live stream is available on the department's Facebook page.

On Sunday night, the department said evacuation orders would remain in effect overnight with about a thousand residents of the Topanga Canyon area fleeing their homes. The order is in effect for residents located east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Topanga Community Center and Viewridge Road, as well as those north of Entrada Road, south of Oakwood Drive and east of Henry Ridge Mountain Way. An area of Michael Lane is under an evacuation warning.

Los Angeles has seen very little rain in recent months, making for extremely parched conditions and high fire risk.

Crews relied on aircraft making drops of water and retardant because the terrain is very steep and extremely difficult to navigate which hinders ground based firefighting operations, a fire department statement said.

Topanga Canyon is a remote, wooded community with some ranch homes about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles, on the border with Malibu.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Matthew Hinton / AFP via Getty Images

A JetBlue flight en route from New York to San Francisco on Sunday was diverted to Minneapolis because of an unruly passenger who reportedly sniffed a white substance and touched at least one woman on board, according to ABC 7 News, which broke the story.

JetBlue confirmed in a statement the flight rerouted in Minneapolis when a passenger "began acting erratically and aggressively toward crewmembers and other customers."
NEW YORK (AP)  In many downtown areas where companies closed their offices and commuting ground to a halt, sandwich shops, bakeries and other small businesses are waiting with guarded optimism for their customers to return.

Teresa Ging could count on a steady stream of office workers coming to Sugar Bliss Bakery for muffins and cupcakes before COVID-19. They all but disappeared when the Loop, Chicagos downtown area, became deserted amid government stay-at-home orders.

In March, a local business group, the Chicago Loop Alliance, found in a survey that a year into the pandemic the number of people coming downtown for work was still below 20% of normal. But Ging is optimistic; some of her regular customers have returned to their office one or two days a week.

I definitely think the Loop will return back to normal at some point, she says, although she doesnt expect that to happen before 2022.

The next few months will be an uneasy time in business districts across the country. With cities reopening and more people vaccinated, office workers are expected to return  especially with big companies like Goldman Sachs and Bank of America notifying staffers that they'll need to return to work. But many businesses are expected to give their employees the flexibility to work from home. And some companies have permanently closed their offices and gone fully remote.

That will keep small business owners waiting and wondering, with varying degrees of optimism. When people began working at home, early-morning and lunchtime crowds turned into a trickle. Many restaurants and stores went out of business, and those that survived relied on government help, concessions from landlords and, when possible, selling online to shore up their revenue.

The downtown Philadelphia bakery owned by Edna Cruz and Michael Caro has just a fraction of its usual customers. Before the pandemic, office workers accounted for about 70% of their business. Now, Cruz worries that Nook Bakery & Coffee Bars customers may never return in force.

The couple have kept going thanks to a Paycheck Protection Program loan, leniency from their landlord and sales of their roasted coffee and custom cakes. But they still see a lot of juggling ahead.

If the rent stays the same and the foot traffic declines, its going to be very, very difficult for us, Cruz says.

But Cruz will likely see more people on the streets  Philadelphia officials announced last week that all restrictions on office capacity would be lifted starting this Friday.

Downtown Atlanta is filled with office towers and businesses typically expect to get a boost from visitors to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the citys convention center and tourist attractions. There is just a fraction of that traffic nowadays and city officials have yet to say when Atlanta will fully reopen.

Kwans Deli lost about 80% of its business, reduced its hours and laid off its two full-time employees as well as its handful of part-timers. But co-owner Andrew Song is optimistic  even if the number of office workers doesnt return to pre-pandemic levels, the deli will be able to survive as hotel guests, convention goers and tourists come back.

As we in our personal lives return to normal, theres sort of an understanding that the rest of the country will as well, he said. Theres definitely some hopefulness.

Claudio Furgiuele, who owns nearby sandwich shop Reubens Deli, is less upbeat. His business has rebounded from the pandemics worst days, but he doesnt expect workers to commute to downtown offices as regularly as they did before. And he needs their business.

If youre your anticipation is normalcy in the fall, theres a good chance youre not going to be here in the winter, he said. Because its not business as usual.

Salons, dry cleaners and other service providers are also waiting to see how many customers return. Beret Loncars massage therapy office in midtown Manhattan is serving just half its usual number of clients, and many commute from other parts of the city or the suburbs because theyre not in the office. Her company, Body Mechanics, is actually busier on the weekends than it is during the week.

Normally theyd come over on lunch hours or after work and that is not the case anymore, Loncar says. My sense is theyre coming to us to get out of the house.

Many of Loncars clients are mothers who cant come back to work until they have childcare options. Shes advertising for new clients for the short term but is optimistic her business will return to normal.

I think were going to be OK. Im hopeful, she says. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the city will reopen fully by July 1, but many New Yorkers are expected to continue working from home.

Michael Edwards, who heads the business group Chicago Loop Alliance, is also optimistic. Downtown Chicago pedestrian traffic at its worst was 25% of normal, encompassing only local residents and essential workers. Now, that number is up to 60%.

It was been trickling upwards, Edwards says. Hes hoping office building occupancy will reach 50% during the summer, up from the current 20%. While Illinois aims to fully reopen on June 11, Chicago officials have not said when theyll follow suit.

Although many people would rather work at home, Edwards believes theyll want to come back when they realize their co-workers are socializing without them.

Theres the fear of missing out  if enough people are coming back, then theyre missing out on the cocktails after work, he says.

In downtown Dallas, Keith Fluellen is seeing incremental signs of office life.

It seems like a few more people are coming back slowly, says Fluellen, who has a cupcake shop bearing his name. Customer traffic at his shop is down about 35% although there arent restrictions on offices.

Fluellen knows a complete recovery is a long way off: Were around the corner from AT&T headquarters, and we did business every day, all day, with different meetings, group walkovers with their teammates. And were not seeing that yet.

Fluellen closed two other stores during the pandemic, but if business is good enough, he might consider opening another.

You dont want to make any plans until you have a good half a year of solid sales, until everythings back to normal, he says.

_____

AP Writers Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia, Kathleen Foody in Chicago and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report.
By the time Melinda French Gates decided to end her 27-year marriage, her husband was known globally as a software pioneer, a billionaire and a leading philanthropist.

But in some circles, Bill Gates had also developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings. That is attracting new scrutiny amid the breakup of one of the worlds richest, most powerful couples.

In 2018, French Gates was not satisfied with her husbands handling of a previously undisclosed sexual harassment claim against his longtime money manager, according to two people familiar with the matter. After Gates moved to settle the matter confidentially, French Gates insisted on an outside investigation. The money manager, Michael Larson, remains in his job.

On at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to people with direct knowledge of his overtures. In meetings at the foundation, he was at times dismissive toward his wife, witnesses said.

And then there was Jeffrey Epstein, whom Gates got to know beginning in 2011, three years after Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls, pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. French Gates had expressed discomfort with her husband spending time with the sex offender, but Gates continued doing so, according to people who were at or briefed on gatherings with the two men.

So, in October 2019, when the relationship between Gates and Epstein burst into public view, French Gates was unhappy. She hired divorce lawyers, setting in motion a process that culminated this month with the announcement that their marriage was ending.

It is not clear how much French Gates knew about her husbands behavior or to what degree it contributed to their split.

The announcement of their divorce has brought attention to a marriage whose dissolution has large social and financial implications. Multiple people said that during their marriage, Gates engaged in work-related behavior that they said was inappropriate for a person at the helm of a major publicly traded company and one of the worlds most influential philanthropies.

Bridgitt Arnold, a spokeswoman for Gates, disputed the characterization of his conduct and the couples divorce.

It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates divorce, Arnold said.

Your characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated, she continued. Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false. The claim of mistreatment of employees is also false. The rumors and speculation surrounding Gates divorce are becoming increasingly absurd, and its unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as sources.

Gates and French Gates met at work. He was technically her boss. He ran Microsoft, and she began working there in 1987 as a product manager the year after she graduated from college.

Throughout their relationship, the two have played up the cute aspects of their office romance. He flirted with her when they sat together at a conference, then asked her out when they ran into each other in a company parking lot, according to French Gates, who described their relationships beginnings during a public appearance in 2016.

Long after they married in 1994, Gates would on occasion pursue women in the office.

In 2006, for example, he attended a presentation by a female Microsoft employee. Gates, who at the time was the companys chairman, left the meeting and immediately emailed the woman to ask her out to dinner, according to two people familiar with the exchange.

If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened, Gates wrote in an email, according to a person who read it to The New York Times.

The woman was indeed uncomfortable, the two people said. She decided to pretend it had never happened.

A year or two later, Gates was on a trip to New York on behalf of the Gates Foundation. He was traveling with a woman who worked for the foundation. Standing with her at a cocktail party, Gates lowered his voice and said: I want to see you. Will you have dinner with me? according to the woman.

The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she did not want the public attention associated with describing an unwanted advance, said she felt uncomfortable but laughed to avoid responding.

Six current and former employees of Microsoft, the foundation and the firm that manages the Gates fortune said those incidents, and others more recently, at times created an uncomfortable workplace environment. Gates was known for making clumsy approaches to women in and out of the office. His behavior fueled widespread chatter among employees about his personal life.

Some of the employees said that while they disapproved of Gates behavior, they did not perceive it to be predatory. They said he did not pressure the women to submit to his advances for the sake of their careers, and he seemed to feel that he was giving the women the space to refuse his advances.

Gates actions ran counter to the agenda of female empowerment that French Gates was promoting on a global stage. On Oct. 2, 2019, for example, she said she would spend $1 billion promoting womens power and influence in the United States.

Even though most women now work full-time (or more), we still shoulder the majority of caregiving responsibilities; we face pervasive sexual harassment and discrimination; we are surrounded by biased and stereotypical representations that perpetuate harmful gender norms, she wrote in a column in Time magazine announcing the pledge.

At the foundation, Gates made sure his voice was dominant and could be dismissive toward French Gates, causing some foundation employees to cringe, according to people who attended foundation meetings with the Gateses.

In 2017, the couple confronted a sexual harassment allegation against a close associate.

For nearly 30 years, Larson had served as Gates money manager, earning solid returns on the Gateses and the foundations combined $174 billion investment portfolio through a secretive operation called Cascade Investment. Cascade owned assets like stocks, bonds, hotels and vast tracts of farmland, and it also put the Gateses money in other investment vehicles. One was a venture capital firm called Rally Capital, which is in the same building that Cascade occupies in Kirkland, Washington.

Rally Capital had an ownership stake in a nearby bicycle shop. In 2017, the woman who managed the bike shop hired a lawyer, who wrote a letter to Gates and French Gates.

The letter said that Larson had been sexually harassing the manager of the bike shop, according to three people familiar with the claim. The letter said the woman had tried to handle the situation on her own, without success, and she asked the Gateses for help. If they did not resolve the situation, the letter said, she might pursue legal action.

The woman reached a settlement in 2018 in which she signed a nondisclosure agreement in exchange for a payment, the three people said.

While Gates thought that brought the matter to an end, French Gates was not satisfied with the outcome, two of the people said. She called for a law firm to conduct an independent review of the womans allegations, and of Cascades culture. Larson was put on leave while the investigation was underway, but he was eventually reinstated. (It is unclear whether the investigation exonerated Larson.) He remains in charge of Cascade.

A spokesman for Larson had no comment.

About a year after the settlement  and less than two weeks after French Gates column in Time  The New York Times published an article detailing Gates relationship with Epstein. The article reported that the two men had spent time together on multiple occasions, flying on Epsteins private jet and attending a late-night gathering at his New York City town house. His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me, Gates emailed colleagues in 2011, after he first met Epstein.

On at least one occasion, Gates remarked in Epsteins presence that he was unhappy in his marriage, according to people who heard the comments.

Epstein pitched his tax-advisory and fundraising services to Gates, although there is no indication that Gates did business with him, according to people familiar with Epsteins pitch and finances.

Sometime after 2013, Epstein brought Gates to meet Leon Black, the head of Apollo Investments who had a multifaceted business and personal relationship with Epstein, according to two people familiar with the meeting. The meeting was held at Apollos New York offices.

It is unclear whether French Gates was aware of the latest meetings with Epstein. A person who recently spoke to her said that she decided that it was best for her to leave her marriage as she moved into the next phase of her life.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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MOSCOW (AP)  Russian authorities on Monday backed away from threats to block Twitter, saying that the social media platform deleted most of the banned content identified by Moscow and expressed readiness and interest in building a constructive dialogue.

Russia's state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said it decided not to block Twitter in light of these developments, an announcement that seemingly ends the most recent standoff between the Russian government and the platform that has played a role in amplifying dissent in Russia.

Two months ago, Roskomnadzor accused Twitter of failing to remove content encouraging suicide among children, as well as information about drugs and child pornography. The agency announced on March 10 it was slowing down the speed of uploading photos and videos to the platform, both on desktops and mobile devices, and less then a week later threatened to block it if it continues to not comply with the demands.

In response to the accusations, Twitter has emphasized its policy of zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation, the promotion of suicide and drug sales.

Roskomnadzor said in an online statement Monday that Twitter has taken down 91% of prohibited content, with only 563 posts containing child pornography, information about drugs and suicide, calls for minors to take part in protests and extremist materials out of roughly 5,900 remaining available.

Since the platform confirmed that it fully shares the agencys endeavors to combat socially dangerous content and will take all necessary measures to remove it," and "expressed its readiness and interest in building a constructive dialogue, Roskomnadzor said it decided not to block it.

But it will continue to slow Twitter down on mobile devices until all of the banned content is removed and the platform starts taking down prohibited content within 24 hours of being notified in accordance with the Russian laws.

The agency appreciates the efforts of Twitter to comply with the requirements of Russian laws, Roskomnadzor said.

Twitter said in a statement Monday it welcomed Russia's decision not to block it.

Access to a free and open Internet is an essential right for all citizens, which also protects free expression and promotes fair competition, the statement said. We remain deeply committed to offering a safe service to account holders around the world  including those in Russia. As part of this endeavor, we will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with Roskomnadzor into the future.

According to Twitter, it has removed or restricted access to all content that Roskomnadzor flagged up and that falls under the platforms existing policies.

Russian authorities criticized social media platforms earlier this year for bringing tens of thousands of people into the streets across the country in January to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putins most well-known critic. The wave of demonstrations was the largest in years and posed a major challenge to the Kremlin.

The authorities alleged that social media platforms failed to remove calls for children to join the protests. Putin has urged police to act more to monitor social media platforms and to track down those who draw children into illegal and unsanctioned street actions.

The Russian governments efforts to tighten control of the internet and social media date back to 2012, when a law allowing authorities to blacklist and block certain online content was adopted. Since then, a growing number of restrictions targeting messaging apps, websites and social media platforms have been introduced in Russia.

The government has repeatedly aired threats to block Facebook and Twitter, but stopped short of outright bans  probably fearing the move would elicit too much public outrage. Only the social network LinkedIn, which wasnt very popular in Russia, has been banned by authorities for the failure to store its user data in Russia.

__

Associated Press writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal regulators are continuing to pursue large penalties against a few airline passengers accused of disrupting flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it will seek fines totaling more than $100,000 against four passengers on recent flights, including a penalty of $52,500 against a man who was arrested after trying to open the cockpit door and striking a flight attendant in the face.

Airlines have reported a spate of troubling incidents in recent months, many of them involving passengers who appear intoxicated or refuse to wear face masks  that's still a federal requirement even after health officials relaxed guidelines around mask wearing last week.

The FAA says it has received more than 1,300 complaints from airlines about disruptive passengers this year. The agency says it is taking a zero-tolerance stance against unruly passengers  instead of counseling them, it is going straight to enforcement actions including civil penalties.

In the most recent cases, the most egregious occurred on a Delta Air Lines flight in December from Honolulu to Seattle. The FAA said a man tried to open the cockpit door and assaulted a flight attendant, striking him twice  the second time after he broke free from plastic handcuffs. The FAA said police boarded the plane in Seattle and took him into custody.

The FAA proposed a $27,000 penalty against a man on a New Year's Day flight aboard Southwest Airlines who yelled and said he had a bomb and would blow up the plane. The pilots made an unplanned landing in Oklahoma City, where the man was arrested.

Two passengers on other flights face potential fines for not covering their mouth and nose with a mask. The FAA has announced more than a dozen instances of large potentials for misbehaving passengers in recent weeks.

None of the passengers were identified. They have 30 days to protest to the FAA.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

I hadnt heard of the grandparent scam when my father called me a few years ago to report that my son was in jail, out of state. My dad had been asked to wire bail money and not tell me. Dad was all but unshakable in his belief that he had actually talked to my son. Alarmed, I called my son, who was safe at his home.

What happened to my father is not uncommon. Fortunately, he did not wire any money.

The grandparent scam exploits loving concern and uses a sense of urgency to get a victim to pay, thinking he or she is helping in an emergency. In a twist, now a courier will come and pick up your cash, due to COVID-19 concerns.

There are a million variations, says Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy for the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America, but the common thread is that someone you know has an urgent problem and needs your financial help.

How it works

Youre contacted by someone posing as a panicked family member or friend  or perhaps a lawyer or law enforcement officer calling on their behalf. The claim involves an emergency such as a car accident, arrest or car breakdown. But they need money, quickly. They may beg that the incident be kept secret or claim that there is a gag order.

It used to be that the scammer would start out saying, Grandma? or Grandpa? hoping to elicit an emotional response. Now criminals may check social media sites for names, locations and other information to make the call seem legitimate.

Whatever the situation, youll be asked for money, says Cristina Miranda, a consumer education specialist with the Federal Trade Commission.

Thats when you should break contact, Miranda says. You can say that you need to verify some information or you can simply hang up (or stop responding to email or texts).

If you hand over money, its highly unlikely youll get it back.

The latest twists

While the scam is old, scammers are skilled at changing messages and tactics.

Some recent examples:

The FBI in Buffalo, New York, put out an alert earlier this month about a scam that has cost victims tens of thousands of dollars. Scammers pretend to be lawyers and send a courier  sometimes a ride-share driver  to pick up bail money.

A Virginia grandmother, suspicious because her grandsons voice didnt sound quite right, was assured it was because he broke his nose in a car accident. He said hed been arrested for driving under the influence and knew he could trust her. She lost $6,500.

A 21-year-old assistant manager at a restaurant in Iowa lost $2,000 in April. She thought she was paying bail for a teenage part-time employee who had been charged with a DUI.

What families can do

The best thing to do is to make family members aware, says Grant. Its much easier to resist an emergency plea for help when family members have asked you to be skeptical.

Other tips, suggested by the Consumer Federation of America and FTC:

Do not rely on Caller ID  scammers can make a call look as if its coming from someone you trust.

Consider having a family password or asking a caller a question about a family event that you dont think a criminal could guess or find online.

Verify the story with a friend or family member, regardless of the hour. Scammers will call in the wee hours of the morning to take advantage of people who are less alert and primed to believe that an unexpected call could be an emergency. You can try to verify the story, such as calling the jail to see if your loved one is actually an inmate.

Check privacy settings on social media. You typically can restrict who can see your posts and photos.

Recognize that a request for untraceable payment forms  cash, peer-to-peer payment services, prepaid debit cards, gift cards or wire transfers  is a red flag.

If youre a victim

If you believe you were contacted by a scammer, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or by calling 877-FTC-HELP, Miranda says.

If youve agreed to pay someone whos coming to your home, lock the doors and call the police, she says.

Even if youve already paid, its still worth trying to recoup your money. Its a long shot, but you may be able to undo some transactions if you act quickly.

Bev O'Shea writes for NerdWallet. Email: boshea@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @BeverlyOShea.

The article Scam Alert: Be Skeptical of That Emergency originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Californias leading nurses union is vehemently opposing the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions reversal on mask-wearing policies.

The California Nurses Association expressed concern over the federal agencys decision last week to loosen mask-wearing in all situations once vaccinated.

"We are going to be there for our patients, Sandy Reding, the president of the California Nurses Association, told KGO Monday. We always have been, but it was really a challenge caring for so many patients that were so sick with the COVID virus and having 0% capacity sometimes. We don't want to go through that again.

Redings comments fall in line with those made by leaders of National Nurses United (NNU), the national organization affiliated with the state Nurses Association.

NNUs executive director, Bonnie Castillo, said in a statement that the federal directive is not based on science, does not protect public health and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country.

Now is not the time to relax protective measures, and we are outraged that the CDC has done just that while we are still in the midst of the deadliest pandemic in a century, Castillo said.

The unions statements are among doubts expressed by some medical experts, who have expressed concerns on the honor system approach given the prevalence of anti-vaccine sentiments in some communities. Other medical experts, however, have supported the finding  specifically in California, where vaccination rates are high.

UCSFs Dr. Monica Gandhi told SFGATE that schools and businesses would be subject to immense collateral damage if mask mandates for the vaccinated are not loosened up.

"If you signal in California that it's too soon to lift these restrictions, or that it's too scary still when the state has one of the highest vaccination rates and lowest case rates, it signals to the populations that there's something we dont know, she said Friday.

The Nurses' Association could not immediately provide a comment to SFGATE.

SFGATE reporter Eric Ting contributed to this report.
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Richard Montanez has touted his role in inventing Flamin Hot Cheetos for over a decade, sharing the story of how he went from a janitor at the Frito-Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. to the creator of one of Americas most beloved snacks.

His story has even led to the production of an upcoming Searchlight Pictures biopic titled Flamin Hot, directed by Eva Longoria and produced by DeVon Franklin. But, according to a new article in the Los Angeles Times, Montanez may be telling a tall tale.

None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin Hot test market, Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to the Times. We have interviewed multiple personnel who were involved in the test market, and all of them indicate that Richard was not involved in any capacity in the test market. That doesnt mean we dont celebrate Richard, but the facts do not support the urban legend.

Instead, the Times article reports that a junior employee at Frito-Lays corporate office in Texas named Lynne Greenfeld was assigned to develop the Flamin Hot brand in 1989. Greenfeld came up with the name, and helped bring the product to markets all over the U.S.

Montanez began to publicly tell his success story in the late 2000s, and Greenfeld contacted Frito-Lay in 2018 after hearing about his claims. This triggered an internal investigation into the creation of Flamin Hot Cheetos, with the conclusion alleging that Montanez is not the inventor.

We value Richards many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers, but we do not credit the creation of Flamin Hot Cheetos or any Flamin Hot products to him, Frito-Lay said in a statement to the Times.

According to Montanezs story  which is documented in an upcoming memoir  he felt empowered to pitch his Flamin Hot idea to corporate after watching a motivational video from then-PepsiCo CEO, Roger Enrico, who encouraged all employees to act like owners.

But, the Times reports that Enrico did not yet work for the company when the Flamin Hot brand was developed. According to the Times, Enricos move to Frito-Lay was announced in December 1990, and he took over control at the beginning of 1991  nearly six months after Flamin Hots were already out in the test market.

However, another former Frito-Lay executive, Al Carey, insisted to the Times that Montanez is the true creator of Flamin Hot Cheetos. Carey said that Flamin Hot Cheetos were definitely not out in the market before he met with Montanez in 1992, who pitched him the idea. The product was developed by those guys in the plant, Carey added.

Frito-Lays statement to the Times contradicts Careys recollection: According to our records, McCormick, Frito-Lays longtime seasoning supplier, developed the Flamin Hot seasoning and sent initial samples to Frito-Lay on Dec. 15, 1989. This is essentially the same seasoning Frito-Lay uses today.

In response to Frito-Lays statement regarding the ingredients, Carey offered, They may have not invented the ingredient, but they invented the energy that goes behind this thing and the positioning, and then it becomes successful.

Frito-Lay records given to the Times did confirm that Montanez was instrumental in the rollout of Flamin Hot Popcorn, as well as a line of spicy products called Sabrositas.

As for the upcoming film centered on Montanez, the Times said that its producers were informed of the results of the Frito-Lay investigation in 2019, but decided to move forward. On May 4, the lead cast members of the biopic were announced, Jessie Garcia and Annie Gonzalez. In a statement to Variety regarding the casting announcement, Longoria said: My biggest priority to make sure we are telling Richard Montanezs story authentically. I am so happy to have two extremely talented and fellow Mexican Americans on board in these pivotal roles. Jesse and Annie have a deep understanding of our community and will be able to help tell this story of great importance for our culture.

Representatives for Montanez, Franklin, Searchlight Pictures and Frito-Lay did not immediately respond to Varietys request for comment. Representatives for Longoria had no comment.

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NEW YORK (AP)  A long-awaited book about Philip Roth that was pulled last month amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment against biographer Blake Bailey has a new publisher.

Skyhorse Publishing told The Associated Press on Monday that it will have Philip Roth: The Biography available in paperback June 15, and hopes to have the e-book and audio editions ready by Wednesday.

Bailey's 900-page biography was begun in 2012 and written with the participation of Roth, who died in 2018. Released in early April by W.W. Norton & Company, Philip Roth received mostly positive reviews, although critics for The New York Times and The New Republic found Bailey too indulgent of Roth's behavior towards women. The book reached the Times bestseller list among others.

But two weeks after publication, reports from the Los Angeles Times, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and The AP among others featured extensive, on-the-record quotes from former students of Bailey while he was a middle-grade teacher in New Orleans in the 1990s. The students alleged a pattern of inappropriate behavior while he was a teacher, and that he later pursued sexual relationships. Two former students and book publishing executive Valentina Rice have alleged he assaulted them. Rice's account first appeared in The New York Times and was confirmed by Rice to the AP.

Norton initially paused the book's printing and promotion, then withdrew it altogether, along with a Bailey memoir released in 2014, The Splendid Things We Planned. As of Monday morning, hardcover copies of Philip Roth were still available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.

Financial terms for the Skyhorse deal were not disclosed. Bailey, who has written acclaimed biographies of the authors John Cheever and Richard Yates, has denied any wrongdoing.

Bailey has been widely condemned, but not everyone agreed with Norton's decision. PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel issued a statement at the time worrying that by Norton's standard, thousands of books by bigots, misogynists and miscreants . . . could be removed from circulation. The Nation columnist Katha Pollitt thought Bailey complicit in Roth's view of women, but believed that readers should have the chance to buy the book and come to their own conclusions."

For book industry watchers, the Skyhorse announcement was not a major surprise. Last year, Skyhorse published Woody Allen's memoir Apropos of Nothing after it was pulled by Hachette Book Group, where employees staged a walkout in protest. Allen's daughter Dylan Farrow has alleged he molested her when she was 7, an allegation Allen has denied.

More recently, Skyhorse reached a two-book deal with the author, columnist and radio host Garrison Keillor, dropped by Minnesota Public Radio and The Washington Post in 2017-18 over harassment allegations. The books include the memoir That Time of Year, a late fall release in which Keillor is expected to address the allegations.

Skyhorse books are distributed by Simon & Schuster, which has been involved with numerous controversial works recently. They are the publisher of an upcoming memoir by former Vice President Mike Pence and the distributor of Sen. Josh Hawley's The Tyranny of Big Tech, which Simon & Schuster declined to publish after Hawley's support for the Jan. 6 rally in Washington that led to the siege of the US Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

Distributors are not involved in editorial decision making, though last month Simon & Schuster took the rare step of declining to distribute a memoir  to be published this fall by Post Hill Press  by a Louisville police officer who fired at Breonna Taylor after being shot during the deadly raid on Taylors apartment.

On Monday, a Simon & Schuster spokesman declined comment on the Roth biography. Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp has said he considered the decision on the Post Hill Press book an outlier and that Simon & Schuster had no plans to withdraw from other works its distribution clients acquire.
NEW YORK (AP)  Poet Carl Phillips has received a $75,000 honor for a body of work which displays exceptional talent.

On Monday, Poets & Writers announced that the 61-year-old Phillips has won the Jackson Prize, which in previous years has gone to Elizabeth Alexander, Claudia Rankine and current U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo, among others. Phillips' 15 books of poetry include Wild Is the Wind, Pale Colors In a Tall Field and In the Blood.

Phillips, 61, is a native of Everett, Washington, and currently a professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis. His previous awards include the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Kenyon Review Award.

Phillips is a love poet; he wants to know what one human has to do with another, what one owes another, and how all of this translates into desire and the capacity to inspire moral or immoral reactions," prize judges Jericho Brown, Carolyn Forche and Juan Felipe Herrera wrote in their citation.

Poets & Writers, founded in 1970, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public.
It all started with a tweet.

Or at least, thats what many in the tech community think.

"okay guys hear me out, what if we move silicon valley to miami," tweeted Founders Fund venture capitalist Delian Asparouhov in December.

The question probably would have garnered discussion from Asparouhovs thousands of followers no matter what, but it was Miami Mayor Francis Suarezs response that made the thread go viral: "How can I help?"

But Suarez wasnt joking. Since then, prominent investors erected a billboard in San Francisco mimicking the tweet, Suarez appointed a VC-in-Residence and an adviser of innovation and technology and the mayor has personally invested in cryptocurrency. But is his quest to lure techies from Silicon Valley to Miami working?

For Ari Falkner, a 25-year-old engineer at DoorDash, it was an easy decision. Hed spent four years living in San Francisco working for different tech companies over the years when the pandemic hit. He jumped around to a few different cities temporarily while working remotely, but after hearing about the tech momentum in Miami he decided to put down roots there.

When hed first moved to San Francisco, seasoned techies had told him about how vibrant and innovative the tech community was in the city around 2009/2010. The buzz around the growing Miami tech community reminded him of those stories and he was ready to take a risk. The primary motivating factor was want of adventure, Falkner said. ... I was looking for that energy and that type of optimism that anything can happen, without hostility from local politicians or weirdness between the locals and the transients and Miami kind of had all that.

While taxes and cost of living also played a role in his decision, he said he also believes that there are less fundamental problems in Miami than in the Bay Area. Miami is not devoid of problems by any means, but I think the difference at least from what I've noticed so far is that when there are problems, they are approached, Falkner said. The leadership of the city and county acknowledge that the problems exist, listens to different perspectives from different groups of people and generally executes.

He said hell miss the quality of the Asian food in San Francisco and even Karl the Fog, but right now, hes enjoying his new city, including an apartment that costs much less than his apartment in Nob Hill did. The ocean is the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night, Falkner said.

For Farmville creator Zao Yang, mid-career tech employees like Falkner are exactly the type of people he sees moving to Miami. He said he thinks the Twitter thread and the idea of an exodus has been a bit overblown, but that people like the mayor and vocal investor Keith Rabois, who also moved from San Francisco, have helped magnify the trend. Yang moved to Miami in April, but he thinks theres a big misconception around tech people fleeing California for tax purposes  he said people are actually leaving due to a rise in crime. He said his car was broken into five times, he said another friends home was robbed, and that others have been harassed on the streets. Yang said its just not safe anymore, especially when he thinks ahead to having kids. The Bay Area was what I considered my home and I was going to stay there for the next 40 years, Yang said. And I never ever considered Miami, but its because of all these issues, I decided I cant stay here.

While certain types of crime have increased in San Francisco, such as burglary (up 23.6%) and motor vehicle theft (up 11.1%), overall crime is down 15.7% when comparing Jan. 1, 2021, through May 9, 2021, to the same time period in 2020. Crime was also down year over year when comparing the same time period in Miami, with a 19.24% overall decline.

Yang had narrowed down the list of places hed consider moving and decided to take a trip to Miami to see what it was like. It had everything he was looking for, with the added bonus of a welcoming tech community. The signal [we got in San Francisco] was we dont want you technology, he said. By condemning the Zuckerberg Hospital they don't just signal to Zuckerburg, they signal to everyone who wants to donate back to the community that their contributions are not appreciated.

In the past few years, Yang had noticed that not everyone was heading to Silicon Valley to start their company anymore. He realized he could be an investor without being in Silicon Valley.

But none of this would have happened if not for the pandemic, he said, and the acceptance of digital work. While some of his friends remain in the Bay Area, several have taken the opportunity to move, and many of them have ended up in Austin or Miami.

Many people took the freedom of working remotely as an opportunity to try out different cities across the U.S. Adam Nathan, a 32-year-old tech company founder, spent time in Breckenridge, Colorado; Winter Park, Colorado, and Hawaii over the past 14 months. While the former San Francisco resident said he loves the city, he said he wanted to take advantage of this unique time when he could move around.

Nathan arrived in Miami in mid-April and plans to spend at least the next few months seeing what the city is like and if hed like to move there permanently. So far, hes not sure. Twitter isn't real life. I think the demise of San Francisco is greatly exaggerated. I'm not sure how real Miami is yet, Nathan said. I do think the idea that Silicon Valley has uploaded to the cloud is real. Youre seeing the rise of people in tech being able to work anywhere, and thats a good thing.

A month into his move, Nathan said he appreciates the diversity of Miami, but he misses the community in San Francisco. Both San Francisco or New York feel like they have a buzz of energy and when you're in certain neighborhoods it feels like everyone is working on something, he said. I don't get that sense in Miami. ... Thats probably good and bad. Its less of a one-company town.

Max Tuchman, CEO of educational technology startup Caribu, co-founded a different startup in Silicon Valley in 2012 and said it was a horrible experience. She said she felt unsafe as a woman in tech, especially as a Latina woman, and was sick of being the only woman in the room everywhere she went. The company quickly folded and since then, shes had numerous roles in and out of the tech ecosystem. When she had the opportunity to start another company in 2017, she said moving back to her native Miami was a no-brainer, largely because of how welcoming it is to female founders.

In a Seek Capital study from 2019 that analyzed the largest metro areas in the U.S. in terms of the percentage of startups owned by women, Miami didnt make the top 20 list of cities with the most female entrepreneurs. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area ranked No. 11, with 28.2% of startups being female-owned and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ranked at No. 19, with 25.8% of startups female-owned.

Shes happy to see the influx of new techies moving into Miami, and for the most part, people have been gracious and seem genuinely excited to integrate into the community, Tuchman said. It's been amazing to see how our mayor has bent over backwards to welcome people and make it a place where business thrives. When you're in an immigrant-based community, we just always had to hustle. This is just what we do. she said. ... Were excited to make that community bigger.

Still, she said the tech community in Miami isnt new. That's been the trickiest part about the new people coming in. Youre not Columbus, you did not discover Miami tech. ... Were thriving. If you want to work with us, were here and were so happy to have you. If you want to think of this as a colonization situation or you discovered us, thats not happening, Tuchman said.

The new influx of people from across the country moving to Miami hasnt made an impact on other areas of life, she said. Rents are slowly rising month over month, according to Zumper, but are still down more than 8% in both Miami and Miami Beach when compared to this time last year.

Even as Miami grows, the amount of people coming from the Bay Area is certainly smaller than Twitter makes it seem. Its not even on the list of top 20 cities most people moved to from the Bay Area (but Denver and Austin are), according to USPS data. Miami was the destination for less than 2% of people leaving the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020, a MoveBuddha analysis showed, making it only the 15th most common destination for moving. Already-established tech hubs Austin (18%), Seattle (10%) and New York (10%) were far more popular destinations for those leaving San Francisco in 2020.

For Bay Area early transplants like Nathan, its too soon to tell if Miami is the next big tech hub.

It just still feels like the early days of something, Nathan said.
On June 5, 2020 the iconic bridge found its voice, and it wasn't pretty.

It's been almost a year to the day that the Golden Gate Bridge started its ''screeching that sounds like torture," but a fix could be on the way.

The sound has been described by locals as everything from "making music," to "eerie," to "huge and all encompassing."

This writer heard the unearthly hum from the Memorial for Peace at Land's End this weekend, and can confirm that the sound, piercing through the fog combined with the eucalyptus branches cracking overhead, is a truly strange phenomenon.

The humming can be heard clearly in this tweet from last June, showing a video from the bridge itself:

The cause of the noise was reportedly a retrofit of the sidewalk safety railing on the western side, where the wind sweeps in from the Pacific. Twelve thousand slats were replaced with narrower ones to give the bridge a slimmer profile and make it safer in high winds, according to the Golden Gate Bridge District.

Tweets with videos capturing the eerie humming all the way from the Presidio to the Marin Headlands went viral as one of the most photographed things in America started to sing.

At the time, bridge spokesman Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz told KQED that the noise was not unexpected.

As part of the design process, the District did extensive studies on the impacts of the project, including wind tunnel testing of a scale model of the Golden Gate Bridge under high winds ... The new musical tones coming from the bridge are a known and inevitable phenomenon." Cosulich-Schwartz said.

But after receiving dozens of complaints, the Golden Gate Bridge District announced in July it would be studying the noise in the hope of finding a way to muffle it. Engineers in Canada are now hard at work figuring out how to silence the racket, reports the San Francisco Chronicle, though there are still few details on when or how the fix may happen.

The work is being done by expert aeronautical engineers in a warehouse in Ontario, within which sections of the railing are being tested inside a wind tunnel.

Well have more to say this summer, Cosulich-Schwartz told the Chronicle. Its a tricky business. We want to be absolutely sure we get it right. We will never sacrifice the structural integrity of the bridge but we want to be responsive to our neighbors.

And while most residents  especially those living within earshot who cannot escape the noise  have voiced a strong dislike for the wind-fueled howl, some "have found it to be meditative and angelic, said Cosulich-Schwartz.

If you don't get the chance to hear it for yourself before the engineers come up with a fix, here's the "angelic" sound in all its glory:
GRANDVIEW, Mo. (AP)  A 17-year-old who was shot by police in Missouri after confronting officers with a gun has died, authorities said.

Lantz Stephenson Jr., of Grandview, was shot about 6:45 a.m. Sunday at a park in the Kansas City suburb of Grandview, and died later that day at a hospital, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
The official Twitter account of the Collector and District Magistrate of Ganjam, Odisha, on Monday responded to a tweet by actor Sonu Sood where he claims he has arranged for a bed at Ganjam City Hospital in Brahmapur for a patient.

"We don't received any communication from @SoodFoundation or @SonuSood. Requested patient is in Home isolation and stable. No bed issues @BrahmapurCorp is monitoring it. @CMO_Odisha," the official Twitter account of the Collector and District Magistrate of Ganjam, tweeted on Monday tagging the Twitter handle of the Office of the Chief Minister of Odisha.

The tweet comes in response to Sonu Sood's tweet posted on May 15, which reads: "Not to worry. Bed has been arranged at GanjamCity Hospital, Berhampur (DCHC) @SoodFoundation."

The tweet in response to which Sonu Sood wrote this, has been deleted.

However, reacting to the District Magistrate's tweet on Monday, Sonu shared screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation saying he has arranged for the bed because the patient' family approached him for help.

Sonu tweeted on Monday: "Sir, We never claimed that we approached you, it's the needy who approached us and we arranged the bed for him, attached are the chats for your reference. Ur office is doing a great job & u can double check that we had helped him too. Have DM you his contact details. Jai hind."
BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP)  The father of two young children found dead in his eastern Nebraska home, where they had been staying for a court-ordered visitation with him, was charged Monday with child abuse resulting in death, authorities said.

Adam Price, 35, was charged after the bodies of his children, 5-year-old Emily Price and 3-year-old Theodore Price, were found Sunday morning at a home in Bellevue, south of Omaha.

Price was arrested Sunday in Pacifica, California, near San Francisco. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Police have not said how the children died. The charges do not specify how Price allegedly caused the children's death, The Omaha World-Herald reported.

The childrens mother, Mary Nielsen, told reporters that she and Price are in the process of getting divorced and the children were at their fathers home for court-ordered visitation.

Nielsen, who had moved to Illinois with the children, called police more than once and went on social media to plead for information on her children's whereabouts after not hearing from them since Thursday. Nielsen said her husband was under court order to provide her daily communication with the children during his visits.

Bellevue police twice went to Adam Price's home  late Saturday night and early Sunday morning  at Nielsen's request to check on the children, but left when no one answered the door. Bellevue police spokesman Capt. Andy Jashinske said in a news release that officers didnt have sufficient reason to force an entry into the home.

A friend of Nielsen's went to Price's home around 11 a.m. Sunday at her request and went inside after finding the door unlocked. The friend called police after finding the children's bodies.

Nielsen told the Omaha World-Herald that her children had been happy, sweet, loving," and described Emily as exceptionally smart and Theodore as a typical little boy who liked playing with superheroes.

I wish I could hold you one more time and tell you how much I love you, she said in a Facebook post Monday. Rest easy, my sweet babies.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Advocates for over 200 people found guilty of crimes by Oregon juries that werent unanimous said Monday that they will keep fighting to have the convictions vacated after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that those people dont need to be retried.

The high court made that decision Monday after barring convictions by non-unanimous juries a year ago. Oregon and Louisiana were the only two states that had allowed such convictions.

Now, juries everywhere must vote unanimously to convict. The high court's 2020 decision affected defendants who were still appealing their convictions but not those who had exhausted their appeals.

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland has been leading efforts in Oregon on behalf of prisoners with no appeals left. Its director, Aliza Kaplan, said the clinic will keep at it despite the new Supreme Court ruling.

So we just keep proceeding as we were, which is through our state court system. Our state courts ... are not bound by any federal test, Kaplan said in a telephone interview.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said her office is carefully reviewing the high court's Monday decision.

My office remains committed to reviewing every case presented to us that involves a request for a new trial ... and will be working expeditiously on a plan for addressing these cases going forward, Rosenblum said.

Kaplan said the non-unanimous jury system was based on Oregons racist past and that such convictions disproportionately affected people of color.

Of the 226 cases with no appeal remaining that the law clinic knows about, 17% involved Black petitioners in a state where Black people make up only 2% of the population.

In 1934, voters decided to amend the state Constitution to allow split-jury verdicts  a decision fueled by white supremacy and anti-minority sentiment. First-degree murder convictions still required a unanimous verdict.

Digging back into old cases will often be problematic.

One of the oldest Oregon cases with a non-unanimous conviction and no appeals remaining is a defendant who was tried in 1983, according to Laney Ellisor, staff attorney with the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic.

All the attorneys on his trial case have passed away, Ellisor said.

The judge and court reporter are both in their 70s and don't remember it, Ellisor said. All the transcripts have been destroyed.

___

Follow Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  He served as an interpreter alongside U.S. soldiers on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights in eastern Afghanistan, earning a glowing letter of recommendation from an American platoon commander and a medal of commendation.

Still, Ayazudin Hilal was turned down when he applied for one of the scarce special visas that would allow him to relocate to the United States with his family. Now, as American and NATO forces prepare to leave the country, he and thousands of others who aided the war effort fear they will be left stranded, facing the prospect of Taliban reprisals.

We are not safe, the 41-year-old father of six said of Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO. The Taliban is calling us and telling us, Your stepbrother is leaving the country soon, and we will kill all of you guys.

The fate of interpreters after the troop withdrawal is one of the looming uncertainties surrounding the pullout, including a possible resurgence of terrorist threats and a reversal of fragile gains for women if chaos, whether from competing Kabul-based warlords or the Taliban, follows the end of Americas military engagement.

Interpreters and other civilians who worked for the U.S. government or NATO can get what is known as a special immigrant visa under a program created in 2009 and modeled after a similar program for Iraqis.

Both programs have been dogged by complaints about a lengthy and complicated application process for security screening that grew more cumbersome with pandemic safety measures.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that the U.S. is committed to helping interpreters and other Afghan civilians who aided the war effort, often at great personal risk. The Biden administration is reviewing the visas programs, examining the delays and the ability of applicants to challenge a rejection.

Former interpreters, who typically seek to shield their identities and keep a low profile, are becoming increasingly public about what they fear will happen should the Taliban return to power.

They absolutely are going to kill us, Mohammad Shoaib Walizada, a former interpreter for the U.S. Army, said in an interview after joining others in a protest in Kabul.

At least 300 interpreters have been killed in Afghanistan since 2016, and the Taliban have made it clear they will continue to be targeted, said Matt Zeller, a co-founder of No One Left Behind, an organization that advocates on behalf of the interpreters. He also served in Afghanistan as a U.S. Army officer.

The Taliban considers them to be literally enemies of Islam, said Zeller, now a fellow at the Truman National Security Project. Theres no mercy for them.

In December, Congress added 4,000 visas, bringing the total number of Afghans who can come with their immediate family members to 26,500, with about half the allotted amount already used and about 18,000 applications pending. The application process now typically takes more than three years.

Noah Coburn, a political anthropologist whose research focuses on Afghanistan, estimates there could be as many as 300,000 Afghan civilians who worked for the U.S. or NATO in some form over the past two decades.

Adam Bates, policy counsel for the International Refugee Assistance Project, said that there is a wide range of Afghans who would not be tolerated under the Talibans conception of what society should look like.

Former interpreters have support in Congress, in part because many also have former American troops vouching for them.

Walizada, for example, submitted a letter of support from a U.S. Army sergeant who supervised him in dozens of patrols, including one where the interpreter was wounded by Taliban gunfire. I cannot recall a linguist who had a greater dedication to his country or the coalition cause, the sergeant wrote.

Walizada was initially approved for a visa, but it was later revoked. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told him that it had adverse information you may be unaware of, according to a letter he provided to The Associated Press. Walizada said he has appealed the decision and hasnt received a response.

Hilal, who translated from Dari and Pashto to English for the U.S. Army from June 2009 to December 2012, was rejected by the U.S. Embassy, which said he did not meet the requirement for faithful and valuable service, because he was fired by the contracting firm that hired him after 3 1/2 years of service.

If I havent done faithful and good service for the U.S. Army, why have they given me this medal? he said, holding the commendation, in an interview at an office in Kabul used by the former interpreters to meet with journalists.

Why he was fired by the U.S.-based contractor, Mission Essential, is unclear. Hilal said he had a conflict with supervisors that started with a dispute over a work assignment. The company says it does not discuss current or former employees and declined to comment.

But whatever happened, a November 2019 letter of support from his platoon commander was highly complimentary of stellar service that rivals that of most deployed service members.

Hilal was by the commanders side on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights, monitoring enemy radio traffic and interpreting during encounters with locals, U.S. Army Maj. Thomas Goodman said in the letter.

He was dependable and performed admirably, Goodman wrote. Even in firefights that lasted hours on end, he never lost his nerve, and I could always count him to be by my side.

As it happens, an AP journalist was embedded with the unit for a time, amid intense fighting in eastern Afghanistan, and captured images of Hilal and Goodman, surrounded by villagers as American forces competed with the Taliban for the support of the people.

Goodman said he stands by his recommendation but declined to comment further.

The special immigration visa program allows applicants to make one appeal, and many are successful. Nearly 80% of 243 Afghans who appealed in the first quarter of 2021 were subsequently approved after providing additional information, according to the State Department. Hilal said his appeal was rejected.

___

Fox reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
BEULAH, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama man has been convicted of killing of a 72-year-old acquaintance whose body was found shot, stabbed and dumped in a well on the suspect's property.

A Lee County grand jury on Friday found Hubert Timothy Sprayberry, 59, guilty of intentional murder in the December 2019 slaying of James Edmund Clarke, The Opelika Auburn news reported.
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SAN JOSE (AP)  Federal officials say an American Airlines plane returned to the main San Jose airport shortly after takeoff on Monday after pilots reported an issue with one of the planes two engines.

The airline said the pilots shut down the engine after an indicator light came on.
PHOENIX (AP)  An Arizona woman accused in the grisly slayings of her two children with a meat cleaver made her first court appearance Monday, where she denied harming them.

I did not kill anybody, Yui Inoue, 40, said through a Japanese interpreter before a Maricopa County Superior Court commissioner in Phoenix told her not to talk about the case except with an attorney.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit and a face mask in front of a podium, Inoue otherwise spoke little during her initial appearance, where prosecutor Jay Rademacher asked that she be held on a $2 million cash bond.

Rademacher described how the bodies of Inoue's 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son were found in their suburban Phoenix apartment lacerated, mutilated and almost completely decapitated.

These children were helpless, Your Honor, and did everything they could to fight their mother, Rademacher said.

Upon hearing the prosecutor's description of the children's injuries, Inoue put her head down on the podium.

Inoue is facing two counts of first-degree murder. The commissioner ordered she be held on the requested bond, surrender her passport and wear an electronic monitoring device. He also ordered her a court-appointed defense attorney. It was not immediately known if one had been assigned.

Inoue went to a Tempe police station Saturday morning and told officers that she was hearing voices telling her to kill her children, according to charging documents.

Police called Inoue's husband. He said the couple, who filed for divorce in April, had fought the night before over money she wanted to move to Japan. He said she threatened to stab him so he left around 12:30 a.m.

Police said they had been called to the woman's apartment earlier Saturday morning because of a domestic dispute involving a husband and wife.

Her husband told investigators he slept in his car in a parking lot. He told authorities he did not think she would harm their children.

Police also said there was no apparent reason at the time to call child welfare authorities.

Later that morning, different officers went to the apartment and discovered the bodies of both children under a blanket and boxes, as well as a large amount of blood.

The children, who had numerous wounds, were immediately pronounced dead. Their names have not been released.

Police arrested the mother after noticing bloodstains on her heel, superficial cuts on her fingers, and bruising on her hands and knees. They also noticed blood spatter on suitcases in her car.

When questioned by police through a Japanese interpreter, Inoue said she woke up around 4:30 a.m. with blood on her hands and arms. She found her children dead but said she had no memory of doing anything to them. She said she took a bath before heading to the police station.

Tempe police recovered a meat cleaver with a 6-inch (15-centimeter) blade from her car. It was in a bag containing clothes with bloodstains.

Inoue's next preliminary court hearing is scheduled for May 25.
PHOENIX (AP)  The top Republicans in Arizona's largest county gave an impassioned defense of their handling of the 2020 election Monday, calling on fellow members of the GOP and business leaders to speak out against an unprecedented partisan election audit.

The GOP-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors cast the audit as a sham that's spun out of the control of the state Senate leader who's ostensibly overseeing it. Board Chairman Jack Sellers said Senate President Karen Fann is making an attempt at legitimatizing a grift disguised as an audit.

After former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that his loss was marred by fraud, Fann used the Senate's subpoena power to take possession of ballots and voting machines from Maricopa County, a longtime Republican stronghold that was won by Democrat Joe Biden last year. She turned all of it over to Cyber Ninjas, a small Florida-based cybersecurity firm owned by a Trump supporter who has promoted election conspiracies, to conduct an audit along with several subcontractors.

Last week, Fann sent a letter to Sellers questioning records that document the chain of custody of the ballots and accusing county officials of deleting data. The county on Monday sent a 12-page response vehemently denying wrongdoing, explaining its processes and accusing Cyber Ninjas of incompetence.

They cant find the files because they dont know what they're doing," Sellers said during a public meeting held to refute Fann's allegations. We wouldn't be asked to do this on-the-job training if qualified auditors had been hired to do this work.

Fann did not immediately comment but sent a tweet saying the media was given the county's letter before she was. She has said the audit is an effort to address concerns raised by many Trump supporters who worry the election was not conducted fairly and to find out whether the Legislature should change election laws.

Fann's accusations touched a nerve with county officials, who have grown increasingly exasperated with the audit. They said they won't appear in the Senate on Tuesday, as requested by Fann, to answer questions, and would not give in to Fann's demands for the county's internet routers, which county officials say would compromise sensitive data unrelated to elections.

Fann has also demanded an administrative password for vote-counting machines, but county officials say those are maintained by the system's manufacturer, Dominion Voting Systems Inc., which says it will only give such access to certified election vendors. None of the firms involved in the audit is certified.

On Monday, county Republicans threatened to sue if senators or auditors accuse them of breaking the law. And they implored elected officials who have doubts about the audit to stop keeping their criticisms to themselves.

Elected Republicans, I think, are afraid of the next election and they cant be, said Bill Gates, the vice chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Theyve got to stand for what is right. Otherwise, why did they run for office in the first place?

Later, he lamented silence from business leaders and urged them to contact those elected officials who they donate money to."

This is creating a black eye to Arizona and I would think that those business leaders would want this to stop, Gates said.

County officials also highlighted the backlash they've experienced for speaking out, including death threats and protests at their homes.

Promoted heavily in right-wing media, the audit has become a cause celebre among some of Trumps most loyal fans, who believe it will uncover evidence of the former presidents claim that he was the rightful winner of the election.

Trump sent a statement saying, in part, that the entire Database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED! This is illegal and the Arizona State Senate, who is leading the Forensic Audit, is up in arms.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, one of the countys top election officials, on Saturday called the statement unhinged and called on other Republicans to stop the unfounded accusations.

Richer was elected in the same election many in his party are now questioning, defeating an incumbent Democrat. As recorder, he oversees the voter registration database and the mail voting operation, including signature verification, while the county board oversees the team charged with election-day operations and counting ballots.

On Monday, he said he hoped that he and other county officials were making it easier for others to speak out against the narrative of election fraud.

Were out here now. Weve moved, Richer said. I think youre going to see others joining. The waters warm. Come in.
ANDALUSIA, Ala. (AP)  A man wanted for murder in Atlanta has been caught in south Alabama.

Officials said Andre Thomas was arrested on Friday in Covington County, south of Montgomery.

Last week, officials had said they were expanding the search for the 40-year-old Thomas to Alabama, saying they believed he was hiding among friends and relatives there.

Thomas is wanted in the Feb. 17 shooting of Cornelius Morgan at a store on Atlantas west side.

In March, Atlanta police arrested 32-year-old Johnathan Coleman in Morgan's death.

Thomas is jailed in Covington County extradition to Atlanta.

Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta was offering a $2,000 reward for information that leads the capture of Thomas.
The health authorities in on Sunday announced that they are suspending distribution of Covaxin in view of inadequate stock of the vaccine.

Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao said that in view of inadequate stocks and non-receipt of fresh stocks from Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the second dose drive for persons above 45 years of age is postponed.

Details regarding resumption of vaccination drive will be made available subsequently, he said.

The suspension comes at a time when the state has been focusing on second dose for people above 45 years for over two weeks.

The state has stopped administering of first dose for beneficiaries and has also not taken up vaccination for those above 18 years of age due to lack of sufficient supplies from the Centre.

Telangana, which claims to have capacity to give 10 lakh vaccines every day, is administering 30,000 to 40,000 vaccines daily due to the shortage. On May 14, the health authorities administered about 34,000 vaccines.

The state has so far given 56,25,920 doses. A total of 11.37 lakh beneficiaries received the second dose.

The state government had revealed on Saturday that the Centre decided to increase the quota of Oxygen, Remdesivir injections and supply of vaccines to the state.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal informed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao about the decision to increase the quota. The central Minister also responded positively on the demand made by the CM to increase the vaccinations quota.

The state has already conveyed to the Centre that to vaccinate people above 45 years of age, the state requires 1.29 crore doses.

The Chief Minister requested the Centre to supply 2 to 2.5 lakh doses per day. There is an urgent need of 13 lakh vaccines till end of May, the state told the Centre.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  Authorities have released the name of a man who was shot to death in a confrontation that left four Birmingham police officers wounded.

The Jefferson County coroners office said Brian Timothy Dunne, 39, of Birmingham was killed on Sunday, news outlets reported. The four officers who were hurt are all recovering at home.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Gov. Andy Beshear predicted Monday that Kentucky's children will return to a very normal setting when the next school year begins as the state rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic.

That should include a return to life at school without facial coverings, he said.

I do not think there will be a mask mandate for schools in the fall," the Democratic governor said at a news conference. "I dont expect it based on what we are seeing with COVID.

The past two academic years were dramatically disrupted by the coronavirus, but the governor sounded upbeat Monday about schools returning to normal in the fall.

Right now, I think kids will be back in a very, very normal setting," Beshear said. "That does include information where we believe there will the opportunity for kids younger than 12 to be vaccinated by the time they go back. Im very much looking forward to a full, normal school year for my kids and for everybody elses.

The governor reported that more than 6,300 Kentucky youngsters ages 12 to 15 have received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the first few days since they became eligible for the shots. Beshear called that a good start and said efforts are ramping up to vaccinate that age group.

We have a whole lot of school systems setting up vaccination clinics, he said.

Beshear announced last week that Kentuckys coronavirus-related capacity restrictions, as well as the states mask mandate, will largely end on June 11.

More than 1.9 million Kentuckians have gotten at least one shot of the vaccine, he said Monday. That represents 54% of the state's adult population, including 80% of Kentuckians 65 and older, the governor said. Nearly 60% of Kentuckians ages 50-64 have gotten the shots. The percentage drops off among younger adults, with just 29% of Kentuckians ages 18-29 having received the shots.

Folks, get vaccinated," Beshear said. "Weve lost 6,600 Kentuckians. We need you to protect yourself and those around you.

Meanwhile, the incidence rate for new COVID-19 cases reported Monday was much higher among Kentucky youngsters and adults ages 20 to 49.

This virus is shifting  who is getting infected  because of who is, but I guess more importantly, who is not getting the vaccine, Beshear said.

The state reported 285 new coronavirus cases and six more virus-related deaths Monday. The statewide rate of positive cases was 2.78%.

___

Find APs full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
DICKINSON, N.D. (AP)  A bicyclist was killed and a woman who came to his aid was seriously injured in a crash in Dickinson Sunday night, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.

A 26-year-old man was riding his bike on South Main Street about 6 p.m. and fell into the southbound lane of traffic.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The district attorney in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties wants state lawmakers to decriminalize prostitution.

It's time to acknowledge that "people who are caught up in the nightmare circumstances of human trafficking and sexual exploitation are victims rather than criminals, Andrew Robinson told lawmakers.

The bill that went before a committee last week would put the focus on targeting human traffickers and those who pay for sex instead of those who engage in prostitution, the Sun Journal reported.

The people who create the victims are the ones paying for sex and they are the ones who should be subjected to the criminal justice system, Robinson told Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

The bills lead sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Lois Galgay Reckitt, of South Portland, said the bill would keep prostitution on the books while creating defenses for the seller and more penalties for the buyer with the crime redefined as commercial sexual exploitation.

Prostitution therefore is redefined as a buyer problem and a demand issue, she said. The prostituted person is a victim."

The bill also would establish a pilot program in Androscoggin County.

Not everyone thinks it's a good idea. Dee Clarke, executive director of Survivor Speak USA, said it could encourage out-of-state pimps to bring prostitutes to Maine, where they would not face prosecution.

The bill has not faced any votes. A work session on the proposal will be held in coming weeks.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP)  An investigation is underway after a person was found dead in a burning home near Colorado Springs.

KKTV reports a neighbor called 911 at about 2:30 a.m. Monday after seeing flames shooting out of the roof of the Security home. It took firefighters about 45 minutes to get the blaze under control, and smoke was still pouring out of the home three hours later.
LONDON (AP)  Britains Brexit minister predicted Monday that relations between the U.K. and the European Union would continue to be bumpy amid tensions over post-Brexit trading arrangements.

David Frost said talks with the EU on ironing out the problems were not hugely productive so far.

I think it will be a bit bumpy for a time, but there is a lot of business to be done, he told the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee.

Since Britain made its final economic break from the 27-nation bloc at the end of 2020, the two sides have sparred over EU boats fishing rights in U.K. waters and new trade arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Post-Brexit trade rules have imposed customs and border checks on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. The arrangement was designed to avoid checks between Northern Ireland and Ireland, an EU member, because an open Irish border has helped underpin the peace process that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland.

But the new arrangements have angered Northern Irelands British unionists, who say they weaken ties with the rest of the U.K. and impose a heavy burden on businesses.

Britain has unilaterally decided to delay bringing in some of the checks on agri-food products, and the EU has launched legal action in response.

Frost said there was a degree of unsettledness in Northern Ireland about the arrangements, and urged the EU to show "pragmatism."

The bloc argues that Britain must abide by the legally binding treaty  negotiated by Frost  that it agreed to just last year.

Frost said the U.K. and the EU needed to make progress before the summer, traditionally a time of heightened tension in Northern Ireland, when Protestant groups hold large marches.

Tensions over the new trade rules were a contributing factor to a week of street violence in Northern Ireland cities last month that saw youths pelt police with bricks, fireworks and firebombs.

Coronavirus restrictions are coming to an end, we all know that the late spring and summer in Northern Ireland can sometimes be turbulent  so we have to take that reality into account, Frost said.

I would like to feel that we were making progress with the EU in good time.
GAZA CITY - Sana'a al-Kulak spent the night under the rubble. It was hard to breathe; her leg was trapped. Her son, stuck beside her, managed to get out his phone and call for help.

"We tried to hold out," she said.

It was about five hours after Israeli airstrikes flattened their home before al-Kulak, 56, and her 24-year-old son, Mohammed, were pulled out by rescuers. It was not until she got to the hospital that she learned the shattering news.

Her husband, their two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law and a 1-year-old grandchild had been killed, alongside at least 11 other members of her extended clan that had lived across two four-story buildings in Gaza's Wehda Street.

Both buildings and another in the neighborhood were reduced to rubble early Sunday. Forty-two people, including 16 women and 10 children, were killed in the predawn strikes, according to Gaza health authorities, the deadliest incident in the current round of violence between Israel and Hamas. A list of 30 of the dead released by the Mezan Center for Human Rights, a local advocacy group, included 17 members of the al-Kulak family.

The Israeli military said an initial investigation showed that the casualties had been "unintended." The aim of the strike, it said, was Hamas "military infrastructure" under the street outside. The seven-day conflict, during which Hamas has fired more than 3,100 rockets toward Israel, has seen airstrikes in Gaza of a ferocity that people here say surpasses that of previous conflicts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the Israeli military had carried out attacks on more than 1,500 targets in seven days. The strikes in the center of the city have struck terror in Gaza.

Gaza's health ministry says 192 residents, including 58 children and 34 women, have died in the past week. In Israel, 10 people have died as Hamas has fired of intense barrages of rockets and missiles toward cities in an attempt to overwhelm air defenses.

Sana'a al-Kulak said she awoke about 1 a.m. Sunday to the sound of bombing. The house was full. A son who ordinarily lives in northern Gaza had brought his wife home to stay with his parents in central Gaza, thinking it would be safer.

The bombardment was so frightening that some family members began to leave their third-floor apartment for lower floors. Mohammed said his mother was at the door while others were on the stairs. "They didn't reach the first floor," he said.

The Israeli military says it was an indirect building collapse. Mohammed said the building suffered a direct hit. It collapsed around Mohammed and his mother.

"I tried to call the police, but the connection was very bad," he said. He called a friend and told him they were trapped. "I didn't know about the rest of the family," he said. He was dragged out at 6 a.m.; his mother was rescued half an hour later.

Mohammed Abu Mughaiseeb, deputy medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, lives half a mile away but thought the strike was right outside. "My house was completely shaking," he said. "It was about 15 minutes - intense bombing, continuous duh-duh-duh-duh-duh."

One of the group's trauma and burn treatment clinics nearer to Wehda Street was damaged. For Mughaiseeb, as for most Gazans, it's his fourth war. "In 2014, the bombing was at the edges and then, at the end, inside," he said. "But not in the same way it's happening now. Now even the streets are bombed."

Israeli commanders say their targets have included what it terms the "Gaza Metro" - Hamas's extensive network of tunnels that snake under the city. The military has struck to degrade the group's rocket launching capacity; some attacks have been in the heart of Gaza City. Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.

The operation is the first test of a new "victory concept" espoused by Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Israel's chief of staff. It aims to turn the Israeli military into what one Israeli Defense Forces document describes as a "significantly more lethal, networked war machine that can destroy enemy capabilities in record time and with the lowest possible casualties," and to shift away from the old methods known as "mowing the lawn" - military campaigns that buy a little respite - to more decisive victories. Part of it is adapting to more quickly identify targets in dense urban areas such as Gaza.

"This," Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said in a recent briefing, "is the doctrine and concept being applied."

For those in the city, it has felt as if there is no escape.

Aya Aloul's building partially collapsed. The 25-year-old had pulled her mattress into her parents' room to sleep at the beginning of the conflict last week. She was lying in bed, chatting on WhatsApp early Sunday when the bombing started. "Within a second, it was black. I couldn't see anything, and I found myself on the ground in the street," she said.

She was covered in rubble. "I didn't know how I could bring the strength to remove all the rubble on me," she said. She could not free her mother, who was later pulled out by rescuers. Her father, a doctor, did not survive.

Civil defense rescue workers in orange vests were still pulling bodies out of the rubble on Sunday afternoon and loading them into white body bags. Yellow diggers pulled up concrete and twisted metal to get to families trapped underneath.

Parts of Wehba Street were collapsed and cracked. One rescuer, pulling out a newly discovered body, said he had been working since about 1 a.m. He said he had rescued 10 people and retrieved four bodies.

Maryam al-Kulak, a daughter of Sana'a, rushed to the nearby Shifa Hospital when she heard that her family home was destroyed. "There were bodies and some injured people," she said. "I waited, crying."

The bodies of her father and one brother arrived first. Then her mother and Mohammed were brought in alive. "They bombed the house without warning, and without any reason," she said. "There were civilians in it who do not deserve what happened to them."

Sana'a said she does not feel a sense of revenge. "I just want the war to end," she said.

She thanks God that she's alive. "But now there is no sense in life without my husband and children."
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A Philadelphia judge has dismissed charges against a former police officer seen on video lowering the mask of at least one protester before dousing a group with pepper spray as they knelt on a city interstate during a demonstration last summer.

Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan ruled Monday that ex-SWAT officer Richard Paul Nicoletti had been authorized by his commanders to clear the highway during protests over the death of George Floyd and had been given pepper spray as a tool to do so, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

You may not like their methods, that doesnt criminalize their method, Meehan said. When the prosecutor cited Nicoletti's termination for violating department protocols, the judge said officials couldn't put officers in charge of maintaining order, and then tie their hands on how theyre going to do it."

District Attorney Larry Krasner vowed to vigorously pursue charges" in the case.

The people want and deserve justice and change, including police accountability, even though some institutional players are in denial. We will stay the course, Krasner said in a statement on the eve of a closely watched primary in his re-election bid.

Nicoletti had faced charges including simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and official oppression in the case. A video of him dressed in riot gear approaching three protesters kneeling on Interstate 676 on June 1, 2020, pulling down at least one protesters mask or goggles, then pepper-spraying them, was circulated widely on social media and was included in several news stories about the national police response to demonstrations.

In January, a judge dismissed charges against another officer charged over his actions during the protests, ruling that prosecutors had failed to provide evidence that Staff Inspector Joseph Bologna's use of a baton constituted a crime. Krasner re-filed charges the following month and the case is pending.

The dismissal of the charges against Nicoletti came after a preliminary hearing featuring testimony from three people doused with the spray. After the ruling, defense attorney Fortunato Perri Jr. called it another example of the district attorneys office charging a police officer with a crime that is not supported by the facts or the law.

After the city and state police use of tear gas against demonstrators who had made their way onto the expressway gained national attention, Mayor Jim Kenney and Commissioner Danielle Outlaw apologized, calling the use of force that day unjustifiable.

Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby, however, said the Philadelphia police union would help Nicoletti with his defense. The union has had a confrontational relationship with Krasners office, and McNesby accused the prosecutor of an anti-police agenda.
YUKON, Okla. (AP)  A company with a Yukon, Oklahoma, facility has agreed to pay $395,000 in back wages under a settlement of allegations that it discriminated against Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander job applicants, the U.S. Labor Department announced Monday.

Under the deal, Conduent Inc. will pay the settlement to 1,624 applicants, although they deny any violations.
MINOT, N.D. (AP)  Four years ago, 64 rigs were actively drilling in the oil field in North Dakota. As of earlier this month, 17 rigs were actively drilling.

The current downturn has had an impact on North Dakotas oil patch but yet the state produced 1.083 million barrels of oil a day in February, the most recent numbers released by the state last month.

Right now its all about staying within cash flow and staying within trying to survive and trying to restore some economic strength, said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council in Bismarck.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council provides governmental relations support to more than 525 companies involved in all aspects of the oil and gas industry including oil and gas production, refining, pipeline, mineral leasing, consulting, legal work, and oil field service activities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and the Rocky Mountain region.

When an earlier downturn occurred, Ness said companies were financially strong. But in the more current downturn, he said there have been a lot of bankruptcies, the Minot Daily News reported.

Service companies that have survived are here  theyre focusing on production, he said, adding that no one is building a gas plant or pipeline.

Yet, the Williston Basin is an area to be showcased, according to Ness.

What its really all about is showcasing that our asset here is still a top asset anywhere you go in the world, Ness said. The Bakken is going to be developed and were going to have to survive these upturns and downturns.

Waking up every day knowing the federal government is trying to crush you doesnt help. But as a state weve got to stand up and be stronger, Ness said.

Ness noted a motion by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes) standing up strongly with the State of North Dakota to continue the use of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), which flows north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation that straddles the Dakotas.

Mark Fox, tribal chairman, in a sworn statement for documents filed in court last month, stated he opposed any shutdown of the pipeline which transports to market more than 60% of oil produced on the Fort Berthold Reservation. A shutdown would be a loss in revenue to the tribe exceeding $160 million in a year and $250 million in two years. A large percentage of the tribes budget comes from oil and gas revenues and royalties.

Progress in the state in regard to the oil field is the state has a lot of great technology, Ness said.

Ness said efforts are being done in the state to inform students about opportunities in the energy industry. He said he was in Watford City for T4  Tools, Trades, Torque, Tech, a conference that brought together 900 students from across western North Dakota to talk to them about technical-type career opportunities.

But, he said, he has been hearing from hotel and apartment developers, and others saying, Hey, were starving up here. Whats going on? When are we going to see something happening?

What were seeing now is were seeing a lot of resistance, he said. McKenzie County is taking a little bit of heat. Its been a very progressive supportive county and all of a sudden theyre rejecting projects at the zoning level and some resistance from the county commission.

There are some frustrations creeping in, he said, but adding, Weve had some changeover in terms of assets, which is good.

Weve got to get through these downturns, he continued.

But when one looks at the big picture, he said they can say, Wow, were still at it.

What weve been through the past year was drilled 1.1 million barrels a day. We still employed 55,000 workers in northwestern North Dakota, Ness said.

He said North Dakotas Legacy Fund is all about oil and theres now about $8 billion in the Legacy Fund.

The Legacy Fund is a perpetual source of state revenue derived from oil and natural gas tax revenue.

Theres a lot coming back to North Dakota, he said, referring to the state oil tax distributions.
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers -- Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, apart from former Trinamool Minister and present MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Corporation Mayor Sovon Chattopadhyay in the Narada sting tapes cases where several politicians and a high-ranked police officer were allegedly found accepting cash bribes in exchange for providing unofficial favours to the company.

The premiere agency that has already prepared the chargesheet in the case is likely to produce all four before the court on Monday.

"They have not given any notice and now they have arrested me. They didn't even seek the permission of the Speaker. We will fight it in the court," State Transport Minister and former Kolkata Mayor Firhad hakim told the media after he was arrested from his Chetla home in South Kolkata earlier in the day.

Along with Hakim three others were brought to the CBI regional office at Nizam Palace in the morning. Sources in CBI said that they were also arrested.

The CBI officers with large central forces went to the houses of the leaders and the ministers in the morning at around 9.30 a.m. and brought to the regional office without even allowing them to speak to their lawyers.

Sources in the agency said that all of them were made to sit in separate rooms on the 15th floor of the office and they were allowed to consult their lawyers.

Though questions have been raised about the arrest of two cabinet ministers without the permission of the Speaker, the CBI officials said that they had sought the permission of the Governor and Jagdeep Dhankar had given them the permission to prosecute.

"We will appeal for the bail," one of the lawyers said.

The arrests obviously attracted controversy because Governor Dhankar has accorded sanction of prosecution to the premiere agency just few hours before the oath taking ceremony of the ministers.

"The plea for sanction was made a little before MCC came into being. I thought it as an act of propriety that at that point of time I should not be giving attention to the matter.

"The moment the poll process was over, the matter engaged my attention because such issues should not be delayed and so I acted and you know the results.

"As coming to issues on people taking oath in respect of whom sanctions for prosecution has been afforded is a matter of propriety to be taken not by those who make a request to the governor to appoint them," the governor had said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the CBI regional office to speak to her cabinet ministers.

The chief minister appeared angry as she entered the CBI office and met her leaders.

Lawyers present on the floor said that the chief minister questioned the CBI officers about the legality of the arrests of the ministers and even said that she would wait till the end until there is a proper conclusion to the whole incident.

"The BJP is taking a vindictive stance. Why are Suvendu and Mukul, who are also accused in the Narada case, not arrested? They are trying to take revenge for their defeat. We will fight the case in the court," senior Trinamool leader Saugata Roy said.

The arrests created huge controversy and protests all over the city as the Trinamool Congress supporters breaking the lockdown norms blocked the road in front of Nizam Palace and several other places in the city.

They demanded immediate release of the leaders. Large number of central forces cordoned off Nizam Palace and nobody was allowed to enter the area.
A 22-year-old man who was shot and killed by Denver police last week fired at two people and also shot at officers in four separate shootings before nine officers fired at him, police said Monday.

According to police's preliminary investigation, Cedrick Vick fired at a woman during a car jacking and another person before that after witnesses said he was acting erratically and waving a handgun near a park on Friday, Commander Matt Clark said. After speeding away in the stolen car, Vick fired at officers following him and then, after crashing the car following a chase, refused to get out and show his hands, Clark said.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  The district attorney for New Mexico's largest metro area is seeking the Democratic nomination for state attorney general in the 2022 election, emphasizing his hands-on experience in Albuquerque as the city grapples with stubborn rates of violent crime.

Announcing his candidacy for statewide office Monday, Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez said hes been an aggressive and innovative prosecutor in the midst of a crime crisis in the Albuquerque area, where homicides are being reported this year at a record pace.

State Auditor Brian Colon also is seeking the Democratic nomination. Hector Balderas is wrapping up his second term as New Mexicos top prosecutor and consumer advocate.

The state Republican Party says it is in discussions with potential candidates for attorney general. Republicans have held the office only three times in the states nearly 110-year history.

Torrez currently oversees about 115 attorneys at the largest law office in the state. He highlighted initiatives he pioneered to track police misconduct, take on an insurgent local militia and safeguard elections by providing rapid legal advice to police contending with possible political protests and interference at polls.

New Mexicans are looking for somebody whos a fighter in the attorney generals office and someone who has real experience to take on the job, he told The Associated Press. If you look at the work that weve done inside the district attorneys office, weve been able to secure additional resources, modernize that office, transform how it operates, bringing frankly new capabilities that no one had ever envisioned.

Last year President Donald Trump dispatched federal agents to Albuquerque while denouncing crime rates in several Democrat-led cities. The Albuquerque Police Department has struggled for years to address allegations of excessive force in policing, under supervision of the U.S. Justice Department through a consent decree.

Torrez said his primary focus as district attorney is in providing resources to combat violent crime.

Its undeniable that weve got a very serious public safety challenge in Albuquerque, Torrez said. "Violent crime is unacceptably high, murders are extraordinarily high. But what we need right now are individuals with experience in different systems, and who have worked as as prosecutors and police leaders, who can draw on ideas from around the nation and try and move this community in a new direction. And I think I bring that to the table.

As a contender for attorney general, Torrez said he wants to expand the state's capacity to handle consumer-rights litigation and address concerns about the reach and influence of technology companies.

One of the things Id like to see is the development of a greater and more experienced core of civil litigators inside the attorney general's office, he said.

On his campaign website, Torrez is highlighting his support for recently enacted state gun safety laws and efforts as district attorney to eliminate a backlog for processing rape-test kits, as well as efforts to publish and analyze demographic trends in policing and prosecution.

Torrez previously served as as a federal prosecutor and senior adviser at the U.S. Justice Department under under Attorney General Eric Holder during Barack Obama's presidency.

Reports of overall crime and property crime in Albuquerque declined in 2020 while the pandemic kept many people at home, as reports of personal and violent crime increased slightly.

Homicides in Albuquerque are setting a record pace this year with 42 reported so far. The deadliest year for homicides was 2019 with 80, and there were 76 in 2020.

As district attorney, Torrez last year filed suit against a self-described civilian militia group known as the New Mexico Civil Guard that he accuses of usurping police authority and acting as an unlawful military unit.

The group's armed members showed up at a demonstration in July 2020 that devolved in a melee as protesters pulled down a statue of Spanish conqueror Juan de Onate.

Torrez says his office is partnering with a local law firm and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center to pursue the case.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A former Louisiana sheriffs deputy has been convicted of sex crimes against girls.

Kevin Rickmon, 32, of Chalmette was found guilty Friday of sexual battery of a minor and attempted third degree rape, state Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a news release Monday.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany said Monday it is close to an agreement with Namibia on the killings of tens of thousands of people when Germany was the southern African country's colonial ruler over a century ago.

Germany opened talks with the Namibian government in 2015 on a future-oriented reappraisal of German colonial rule. It has signaled its readiness to make compensation payments.

We are in the home stretch on this issue, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse told reporters in Berlin.

Sasse said another round of talks was held in Berlin last week and negotiations have been very constructive recently, but said she couldn't give further details because both sides have agreed to maintain confidentiality until the process is complete.

Historians say German Gen. Lothar von Trotha, who was sent to what was then German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Hereros in 1904, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. The order also affected smaller tribes.

Historians say that about 65,000 Herero people were killed and at least 10,000 Nama people.

In 2004, then-Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul traveled to Namibia and offered Germanys first apology for the killings, which she said was what today would be labeled as genocide. Germanys Foreign Ministry has described the killings as genocide in recent years.

Sasse said representatives of the Herero and Nama have been involved in the negotiations, though Germany's direct dealings have been with the Namibian government.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A 6-year-old girl was wounded in the leg by gunfire in west Philadelphia, police said.

Police said the girl was wounded in the Mantua neighborhood shortly after 3:30 p.m. Monday. She was taken to Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and listed in stable condition, police said.
BENGALURU, India (AP)  For the first time in months, Izhaar Hussain Shaikh is feeling somewhat optimistic.

The 30-year-old ambulance driver in Indias metropolis of Mumbai has been working tirelessly ever since the city became the epicenter of another catastrophic COVID-19 surge slashing through the country. Last month, he drove about 70 patients to the hospital, his cellphone constantly vibrating with calls.

But two weeks into May, hes only carried 10 patients. Cases are falling and so are the phone calls.

We used to be so busy before, we didnt even have time to eat, he said.

In the last week, the number of new cases plunged by nearly 70% in Indias financial capital, home to 22 million people. After a peak of 11,000 daily cases, the city is now seeing fewer than 2,000 a day.

The turnaround represents a glimmer of hope for India, still in the clutches of a devastating coronavirus surge that has raised public anger at the government.

A well-enforced lockdown and vigilant authorities are being credited for Mumbai's burgeoning success. Even the capital of New Delhi is seeing faint signs of improvement as infections slacken after weeks of tragedy and desperation playing out in overcrowded hospitals and crematoriums and on the streets.

With over 24 million confirmed cases and 270,000 deaths, Indias caseload is the second highest after the U.S. But experts believe that the countrys steeply rising curve may finally be flattening  even if the plateau is a high one, with an average of 340,000 confirmed daily cases last week. On Monday, reported infections continued to decline as cases dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks.

It is still too early to say things are improving, with Mumbai and New Delhi representing only a sliver of the overall situation.

For one, drops in the national caseload, however marginal, largely reflect falling infections in a handful of states with big populations and/or high rates of testing. So the nationwide trends represent an incomplete and misleading picture of how things are faring across India as a whole, experts say.

There will always be smaller states or cities where things are getting worse, but this wont be as clear in the national caseload numbers, said Murad Banaji, a mathematician modeling Indias cases.

Given Indias size and population of nearly 1.4 billion, whats more important to track is a cascade of peaks at different times instead of a single national one, experts said.

It seems like we are getting desensitized by the numbers, having gotten used to such high ones, said Bhramar Mukherjee, a University of Michigan biostatistician tracking the virus in India. But a relative change or drop in overall cases does not diminish the magnitude of the crisis by any means."

With active cases over 3.6 million, hospitals are still swamped by patients.

Experts also warn that another reason for an apparent peak or plateau in cases could be that the virus has outrun India's testing capabilities. As the virus jumps from cities to towns to villages, testing has struggled to keep pace, stirring fears that a rural surge is unfurling even as data lags far behind.

Combating the spread in the countryside, where health infrastructure is scarce and where most Indians live, will be the biggest challenge. The transmission will be slower and lower, but it can still exact a big toll, said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Even in big cities, testing has become increasingly harder to access. Labs are inundated and results are taking days, leading many to start treating symptoms before confirming a coronavirus infection. In the last month, cases have more than tripled and reported deaths have gone up six times  but testing has only increased by 1.6 times, said Mukherjee. Meanwhile, vaccinations have plummeted by 40%.

One of the biggest concerns for experts is that India may never know the full death toll from the virus, with fatalities undercounted on such a scale that reporters are finding more answers at crematoriums than official state tallies.

But while authorities previously appeared to struggle to even acknowledge the scale, theyre now taking action. Before, there just wasnt a focused attention. But now everyone is focused on containing it as much as possible, Reddy said.

Hit by a staggering shortage of beds, oxygen and other medical supplies, many states are now adding thousands of beds a week, converting stadiums into COVID-19 hospitals, and procuring as much equipment as possible. States across India are preparing to be hit by another torrent of infections and even courts have intervened to help untangle oxygen supplies.

Aid from overseas, while still facing bureaucratic hurdles, is starting to trickle in. More than 11,000 oxygen concentrators, nearly 13,000 oxygen cylinders and 34 million vials of antivirals have been sent to different states.

Still, help is arriving too slowly in many districts as new infections surface in every single region, even the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean.

Even though Mumbai looks as if it might have turned a corner, surrounding Maharashtra state is still seeing around 40,000 daily cases. You have a really, really complicated and mixed picture, said Banaji, the mathematician.

But in at least one Mumbai hospital, the burden is 30% to 40% less than before, said Dr. Om Shrivastav, a doctor and member of Maharashtras COVID-19 task force.

Already, the city and state are bracing for more infections. A court told Maharashtra this week to continue updating and ramping up measures as authorities look into getting vaccines from abroad to fill a domestic shortage.

We are making sure were not caught napping. In the event this happens again, were going to do better, Shrivastav said.

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Ghosal reported from New Delhi. Associated Press journalist Rafiq Maqbool in Mumbai, India, contributed.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
HILO, Hawaii (AP)  The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources fined a man more than $600,000 on accusations of poisoning a stream, killing an estimated 6,250 Tahitian prawns.

It was the largest fine to date for an aquatic resource violation in the state, West Hawaii Today reported.

Wayne Keaulana Spatz, 54, allegedly poured ant poison into Paaheehee Stream in North Hilo on the northeastern side of the Big Island. Efforts by The Associated Press to reach Spatz for comment on Monday were unsuccessful. Phone numbers and an email associated with him were no longer in service.

Officials indicated its unlikely that Spatz, who they said has no known address, would be able to pay the penalties and that they were unable to contact him to inform him of the impending fine, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

Spatz's alleged activity was discovered after Edwin Shishido, an official with the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources, received a tip from a person living nearby of someone pouring Home Defense liquid ant poison into the stream last July. Thousands of dead Tahitian prawns flowed downstream.

In the following months, Shishido conducted an investigation and found that soil and prawn samples from the stream tested positive for bifenthrin, an insect repellent ingredient.

Bifenthrin is extremely toxic that has been shown to cause long-lasting harm to aquatic ecosystems, said Troy Sakihara, a biologist who joined the investigation. Using pesticides is understood to be a terrible method of collecting fish," harming the fish and potentially the people who consume them.

Authorities have warned people not to eat freshwater Tahitian prawns without knowing where they came from because of similar cases in which pesticides were used to collect the delicacy.

In addition to $100 fines for each of the 6,250 prawns that Spratz allegedly took, he was fined $200 for alleged unlawful use of poisonous substances and $8,640 for research and overtime by Department of Land and Natural Resources investigators  amounting to $633,840.

The action sends a strong and clear message to anyone else who is endangering peoples health and killing life in our streams, said Suzanne Case, chair of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Over the last week, officials have received more reports of people using pesticides in streams to collect prawns so they can sell them, Case said.

It is illegal and morally indefensible, and anyone caught will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, she said.
Putting an end to speculation about cancellation of class 10 and class 12 examinations conducted by state boards, Karnataka education minister, S. Suresh Kumar on Monday said that the state government has not decided yet to cancel examinations of Class 10 (Secondary School Leaving Certificate - SSLC) and Class 12 (II year pre-university) examinations.

In a statement released by the minister's office here, Kumar has appealed students who are appearing for SSLC (Class 10) and II year PU (Class 12) must not fall prey to any rumours or mischievous statements quoting him on any social media sites.

"I appeal to students preparing for these examinations SSLC and PU II year to continue to study and prepare well for their examinations," he said and added that the state government would soon make a decision on announcing fresh dates for these examinations.

Amid the ongoing onslaught of the pandemic, on May 13, Karnataka had decided to postpone the Class 10 (Secondary School Leaving Certificate - SSLC) state board examination.

Kumar had said in a statement released through his office that the fresh dates for SSLC examinations will be announced only after ongoing Covid second wave subsidies.

Kumar on April 20 had asserted that the examinations for SSLC were scheduled to begin on June 21 and this time these examinations would neither be cancelled nor be postponed and it will be held in the state as scheduled from June 21 to July5.

Karnataka had decided to postpone these examinations after parents, students and many school associations had raised red flag over holding these crucial examinations from June 21 onwards owing to a severe spike in Covid cases since the beginning of April.

Earlier, Karnataka had postponed the second year Pre-University Exam (PUC) or Class 12 final exams and promoted first-year students.

Given the circumstances, even the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) 2021, which is held for Engineering admission, was also postponed on May 12.

Karnataka schools are currently observing summer vacation, which will continue till June 14. The new academic year would begin on June 15.

However, high school teachers had been instructed to conduct revision classes for SSLC students. Summer vacation for high school teachers is till May 31.

With the second wave of the pandemic raising its head in April, several state boards and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) announced their decision to cancel the ICSE or class 10 board examinations in April itself, but Karnataka continues to 'maintain' that it wants to hold examinations for class 10 students.

Subsequently cancelling class 10 examinations, the CBSE even announced an alternative scheme for the evaluation of Class 10 students.

The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) - state's education board that holds class 10 examinations, about 8.5 lakh students appear for the SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate or Class 10) examination annually.

While the Karnataka pre-university Examination board (KPUEB) is responsible for conducting board examination for Class 12 or II year PU examinations in multiple streams - humanities, commerce and science. Every year, around 6 lakh students appear for examinations in these streams in over 1000 centres across the state.

The KSEEB which generally conducts examinations in March/April of every year but due to prolonged lockout in 2020, this year's annual examinations are being postponed multiple times already causing immense pressure on parents as well as students who appear for these examinations. After conducting annual examinations the Board also needs to re-conduct the same examination in the month of June for the benefit of the students who fail in main examinations and nearly 2.20 lakh students take the supplementary examination./Eom/600 words
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idaho Gov. Brad Little has appointed Lori McCann of Lewiston to the Legislature to fill a seat left empty after the previous lawmaker resigned amid a rape investigation.

Little made the announcement Monday, saying the retired Lewis-Clark State College professor will begin serving in the House of Representatives immediately, and continue until the next general election.

The former District 6 representative, Aaron von Ehlinger, resigned last month after a 19-year-old intern reported that he raped her and an ethics committee unanimously found he engaged in unbecoming conduct. Von Ehlinger has denied any wrongdoing and maintains the sexual encounter was consensual. The Boise Police Department is investigating the allegations, and von Ehlinger has not been charged.

The legislative ethics committee found after a public hearing that von Ehlinger had behaved unbecomingly and recommended that the full House vote to kick him out of the statehouse without pay or benefits until his term expired. But before the House could vote on the matter, von Ehlinger resigned, saying that he would no longer be able to effectively represent his constituents but maintaining his innocence.

His departure triggered a process  outlined by state law and party rules  to select a successor. The 6th District Republic Central Committee nominated and voted on eight people to replace von Ehlinger, counted up the ballots and sent a list of three names to the governor's office: Glen Baldwin, Robert Blair and Hannah Liedke.

However, after that list was sent, it was discovered that there was an error in the way the ballots were tabulated, The Lewiston Tribune reported earlier this month. The list should have included Baldwin, Blair and McCann. The error wasn't discovered until after the deadline for submitting the list had already passed, however.

The governor's office said McCann is extensively involved in the community, including serving as a board member for Idaho Business for Education and the Idaho Community foundation. She's also the incoming president for the Lewis-Clark State College Foundation board of directors.
FRANKLIN, Ind. (AP)  A 16-year-old suburban Indianapolis boy charged as an adult in another teen's fatal shooting has been sentenced to more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal recklessness and a weapons charge.

A Johnson County judge sentenced Marcus Salatin on Friday to 825 days at a juvenile detention facility on the criminal recklessness charge, and 180 days to be served concurrently on a charge of carrying a handgun without a license.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  A judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block Alabama Gov. Kay Iveys plan to lease prisons that would be owned by private companies and operated by the state.

Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin granted the state's motion to dismiss the lawsuit after rejecting plaintiffs' claims that the leases are unconstitutional. Among other grounds, the lawsuit contended the leases violate state law because the massive $3 billion expenditure was not approved by the Alabama Legislature and is an unconstitutional debt.

"Specifically, this Court finds that the Leases do not constitute a debt to the state, and therefore are not unconstitutional," Griffin wrote.

A spokeswoman for Ivey praised the decision and said the governor is committed to getting the facilities built.

Todays ruling confirms what we knew all along  this was a frivolous lawsuit with political motivations. The governor continues to pursue solutions to this decades-old problem, and she remains focused on ensuring these facilities are built, Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said.

Attorney Kenny Mendelson, a Montgomery lawyer representing plaintiffs, said he is reviewing the order. Those who filed the lawsuit are Republican State Auditor Jim Zeigler; Democratic state Rep. John Rogers of Birmingham; Leslie Ogburn, a homeowner near the proposed prison site outside Tallassee; and prisoner rights activist Rev. Kenny Glasgow of Dothan.

The state's plan also has faced other setbacks, such as the withdrawal of finance companies.

Zeigler said he and other plaintiffs will review the decision and decide this week whether to appeal.

We will continue our fight to block the prison plan by raising issues that would cause potential investors to withdraw. We believe that investors see the fatal flaws in this plan and will not touch it with a 10-foot pole, Zeigler said.

The governor agreed in February to lease two mammoth prisons that would house 3,000 inmates each as a partial solution to the states troubled correction system. The two 30-year lease agreements are with separate entities of CoreCivic, one of the nations largest private prison companies. The governors office is negotiating with another company to build a third prison in Bibb County.

The proposed prisons would be owned by the private companies but staffed and run by the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Ivey has said new prisons are a crucial first step to overhauling the states troubled and aging prison system and that new facilities will be safer and enable more training and rehabilitative efforts. Critics said the $3 billion plan is unnecessarily expensive and does not address critical issues of training, violence and understaffing.
CAMDENTON, Mo. (AP)  A Louisiana man has been charged with second-degree murder in the 1984 killing of a woman in Missouri,

Larry G. Hicks, 78, of Franklin, Louisiana, was charged on Friday in the Dec. 15, 1984, beating death of Diana Lukosius, of Camdenton. Prosecutors said Lukosius was driving home from a party when her car was forced off a road. She was found near her vehicle and died two days later from her injuries.
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky authorities were able to take into custody a man clocked driving more than twice the speed limit, but only after his Ford Mustang ran out of gas on the Bluegrass Parkway.

Steven Alford, 47, was determined to be driving 143 mph (230 kph) in a 70 mph (113 kph) zone on the stretch of highway Saturday afternoon, according to the Nelson County Sheriffs Office.
LANSING, Mich (AP)  A lawsuit that accuses the state of Michigan of failing to regulate and enforce safety regulations on a dam that failed, causing an estimated $200 million in damages and destroying 2,500 structures, may not be resolved soon, an attorney representing nearly 300 clients said Monday.

Attorney Ven Johnson joined affected residents for an update on litigation over the Edenville Dam in Midland County days before the one-year anniversary of its failure. The Edenville dam's failure caused another dam to fail just two hours later, and damage was widespread.

No lives were lost, but the small village of Sanford lost 10% of its residents and 78% of its businesses, Village Councilman Carl Hamann said.

Some of them are coming back and some of them aren't," Hamann said. Its been very passionate for me because Ive got a lot of people that I see that went through some real horrendous situations and I just want people to know that were coming back, and well have a celebration this week to commemorate the losses we've seen from one year ago.

Johnson's law firm in June 2020 sued the ownership of the Edenville Dam, which had a history of safety violations, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Owner Boyce Hydro's license for the nearly century-old dam was revoked in 2018 for continued failure to address safety regulations, including some measures to withstand floods. The state then took over regulation of the dam.

Boyce Hydro was fined $15 million for safety violations by FERC in April, but Boyce was approved for bankruptcy earlier this year. Johnson said he isn't hopeful for much of a payout from Boyce.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) which was granted regulatory authority of the dam, said in a 2018 report that though there were concerns about the dam's spillway capacity, the dam was in fair structural condition and it found no deficiencies that would be expected to cause immediate failure.

Johnson said with all the warnings dam regulators gave Boyce, the state ultimately did not properly regulate the dam to ensure the safety of nearby residents and their properties.

What we should have done is we should have pushed that button and gone to court and... forced a sale to get somebody in there whos going to make the fix, but in 2018 when the state of Michigan took over, they knew all this, they knew they had a bad actor, they had already gone through this stuff with FERC because the state of Michigan was involved, Johnson said. We should have been on this, and we blew it.

EGLE did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Johnson argued his case against the state in Michigan's Court of Claims last November. He said he expects the state to appeal if he prevails, a process that could extend litigation into 2024, he said.

Johnsons clients represent just a fraction of those affected by the flood. Several lawsuits have been filed against Boyce Hydro and the state seeking compensation for some 3,000 claimants.

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Anna Liz Nichols is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri judge said the state unconstitutionally used a 2018 law to ignore union-negotiated protections for public employees and make unions impotent.

Cole County Presiding Judge Jon Beetem ruled state departments wrongly cited the law to negate union-negotiated protections against unfair firings and discipline.

The law, proposed by Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe during his time as a state senator, made most state workers at-will employees. That meant departments fired and disciplined employees without reason or warning.

State agencies, citing the law, started ignoring grievances filed by workers who said they were disciplined or fired unfairly.

The state also refused to negotiate with unions on new rules that dealt with firing and discipline.

Unions sued, and Beetem ultimately agreed with them.

He wrote that state agencies rendered the Unions impotent to enforce existing contracts or bargain any meaningful protections going forward.

Beetem ordered the state to start processing the grievances it ignored and negotiate with unions over new contracts.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, which represented the state in the case, didn't immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday.

But Beetem indicated in his ruling that he expects his decision to be appealed.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  The North Dakota Department of Health on Monday issued new guidance on wearing coronavirus masks.

State health officer Nizar Wehbi says the department is aligning with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that fully vaccinated individuals can resume activities without wearing a mask indoors and outdoors.

"COVID-19 vaccines have a very high level of effectiveness. This is encouraging news. North Dakotans are slowing and can stop the spread of COVID-19 by continued and expanded participation in vaccination efforts, said the department's chief of disease control, Kirby Kruger.

The risk of being infected or spreading COVID-19 once fully vaccinated is very low, and therefore wearing a mask if you are fully vaccinated is no longer a recommendation, the health department said in a statement.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A recommendation remains that everyone wears masks when they are in a health care setting, when they are traveling on public transportation, including airplanes, and when they are in a business or employer that require masks, health officials said.

North Dakotans have come together throughout this pandemic to keep our communities safe, first through mitigation and now through vaccination, said Wehbi. More than 50% of adults in the state have already been vaccinated and this number continues to grow. We are grateful for all the hard work and sacrifices made to get us to this point.
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Gov. Greg Gianforte signed two bills changing the way Montana responds to how grizzly bears are managed, saying the animal should lose federal Endangered Species Act protections and shifting responsibility for conflicts to the U.S. government.

The measures are two of several controversial wildlife bills recently pushed by Montana Republicans, the Independent Record reported Sunday.

Senate Bills 98 and 337 follow an assessment of grizzly populations that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published in late April, saying their population has increased but protections under the Endangered Species Act are still warranted.

SB 98 expands the circumstances in which a person can kill a grizzly to protect life or property. It also says that because grizzly numbers have recovered, the animal should be removed from the federal endangered species list.

Opponents take issue with a provision saying a person who kills a grizzly that is threatening to kill a person or livestock has absolute defense against being charged with a crime. They say it could conflict with federal law and give ranchers a false impression of when they can shoot bears in self-defense.

SB 337 changes the role of the state in relocating bears captured in conflicts. If the bear is captured outside of a federal recovery zone, the law prohibits Montana from relocating the animal, meaning federal authorities would be responsible for moving or euthanizing it.

Opponents say the bill also will result in more grizzlies being killed. Less cooperation between state and federal authorities means that captured bears are more likely to be euthanized, they say.

The Republican governor signed SB 98 on Wednesday and SB 337 last month.

How grizzlies are managed has long been an issue in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Previous federal efforts to remove the animal from the endangered species list have been overturned in U.S. court.
Delhi Police have finally managed to trace and arrest Navneet Kalra, the owner of the famous 'Khan Chacha' restaurant, who was absconding in the Oxygen concentrators black-marketing case.

The South Delhi police arrested Kalra from Gurugram on Sunday late night and handed over him to the Crime Branch, sources said. Navneet Kalra was absconding since May 7.

His alleged involvement in the black-marketing of Oxygen concentrators has also triggered a political blame game. The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused him of being close to the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.

Kalra had also approached the High Court for anticipatory bail after the raids. However, the court had rejected his plea.

On May 6, the Delhi Police had received information about black-marketing of Oxygen concentrator in some restaurants. Acting on the information, the police raided the Nege & Ju Bar, located at the Lodhi Road Central Market and recovered three dozen concentrators.

After the arrest of four people present in the restaurant, it was revealed that it is a big nexus and the matter is connected to the famous 'Khan Chacha' restaurant that Kalra owns.

Thereafter, on May 7, the police raided 'Khan Chacha' restaurant in Khan Market. Navneet Kalra had switched off his mobile phones as soon as he got the information about raids. The police had also raided his farmhouse in Chhatarpur, but Navneet Kalra had managed to escape and since then he was evading the arrest.

According to the police, the black-marketing of Oxygen concentrator also has a connection in London. Gagan Duggal, the owner of Matrix Cellular Company, was running this racket. He used to buy Oxygen concentrators for Rs 20,000 per unit from China and send them to India. Here in India, these concentrators were being sold between Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 per unit. The CEO of Duggal's company in India, Gaurav Khanna, was involved in the black-marketing. The police have already arrested Khanna from Gurugram.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina police officer was injured late Sunday when his cruiser was hit by a man who was driving while impaired and fled the scene of the accident, authorities said.

Winston-Salem police Cpl. James B. Pleasant was driving his marked patrol car at an intersection near Interstate 40 and was going through the intersection when someone driving an SUV ran a red light and hit the passenger side of the cruiser, news outlets reported. Police said the impact caused a can of pepper spray to burst, and Pleasant was taken to the hospital for treatment.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP)  An off-duty Chicago police officer who was killed when the SUV he was driving slammed into a power pole early Monday was fleeing from police who had tried to make a traffic stop shortly before the crash, authorities said.

In a news release, Arlington Heights Police said the 29-year-old man was speeding when he was spotted by an officer in nearby Rolling Meadows, but fled when the officer attempted to make a traffic stop. According to the release, the officer stopped chasing the SUV after a short time.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahoma will end a $300-a-week supplemental unemployment benefit next month, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Monday.

To incentivize unemployed people to return to the work, Stitt said the state will offer a $1,200 stipend for the first 20,000 workers who get off unemployment and work at least 32 hours per week at a qualifying job. Claimants can begin applying on June 28.

As Ronald Reagan once said, the best social program is a job," Stitt said at a trucking company in Oklahoma City, flanked by several employers who said they are having a hard time finding workers to fill jobs. These Oklahoma companies are open for business and ready to grow."

The additional $300-a-week federal supplement, along with pandemic unemployment assistance for gig workers and contractors, will end June 26, Stitt said. About 90,000 Oklahomans currently receive the additional benefit, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

Oklahoma is just the latest state to end the extra benefits.

Chad Warmington, the head of The State Chamber, an association of businesses and industries in Oklahoma, said many of his members complain that some unemployed workers are making more in unemployment benefits than they would at a job.

We need the government to get out of the way and stop disincentivizing work," Warmington said.

The announcement was bad news for Gilbert Cruz and his wife, Marrissa Enloe-Cruz, whose graphic design company in Tulsa has essentially been shuttered since business tanked after the pandemic. The two, who both receive the extra $300 benefit, said they're not sure what they're going to do, especially since they're uneasy about sending their 7-year-old son back to school before being vaccinated.

It's going to mean picking and choosing what bills to pay, or getting behind on things," Enloe-Cruz said. It will mean whether or not we're able to put food on the table."

Democrats in the Oklahoma Legislature quickly panned Stitt's idea, which comes on the heels of an announcement by Stitt and Republican legislative leaders that they plan to reduce the state's corporate and top individual income tax rate.

This reality has made it clear that the number one priority of the GOP is to remove money and benefits from working Oklahomans and increase the profitability of corporations and their out-of-state shareholders," House Minority Leader Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, said in a statement.
RICHWOOD, W.Va. (AP)  Two juveniles have been killed in an all-terrain vehicle crash in West Virginia, State Police said.

The crash happened Saturday along the South Fork of the Cherry River in Greenbrier County, State Police said in a news release.
CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. (AP)  A 6-year-old boy was shot and wounded Sunday night when a bullet struck an apartment building in Maryland, police said.

News outlets reported that Prince George's County police said officers called to the building on Brooks Drive in Capitol Heights found the little boy shot in the stomach.
EDWARDSBURG, Mich. (AP)  A 15-year-old girl was fatally shot by a 12-year-old boy in southern Michigan in what appears to have been an accidental shooting, police said.

The girl died at the scene Sunday afternoon after she was shot by the boy at a home in Edwardsburg, the Ontwa Township Edwardsburg Police Department said.
WILMINGTON, Del (AP)  A Newark woman is facing drunken driving charges after Delaware State Police said she crashed into a police SUV stopped along Interstate 95.

Police said in a news release that troopers were called early Sunday to southbound I-95 in the Wilmington area to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked partially in the roadway. While troopers tried to remove the traffic hazard, a trooper positioned a patrol SUV in the right lane with emergency lights activated to warn approaching motorists.
WARWICK, R.I. (AP)  Rhode Island regulators have opened up an area in the lower Providence River to quahogging for the first time in decades.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced Friday that improvements in water quality in the Bay will gradually allow for more shellfishing further up the Bay, the Providence Journal reported.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Rhode Island is launching a $150,000 study to figure out ways to support and promote the growth of minority-owned businesses in the state, authorities announced Monday.

The study is a partnership between the nonprofit Rhode Island Foundation and the administration of Gov. Daniel KcKee.
While mourning the death of an Indian nurse in Israel, India's Permanent Representative T. S. Tirumurti on Sunday condemned the rocket attacks from Gaza that killed her.

Speaking at a rare Security Council meeting held on a Sunday, he, however, also reiterated India's support for the Palestinian cause and condemned the retaliatory attacks by Israel.

Soumya Santosh, who is from Kerala, was killed in Ashkelon inside Israel by the rocket launched reportedly by the Iran-backed Hamas organisation from Gaza last week. She was working as a caregiver for the elderly.

The Council met in a virtual session as the situation in the Israel-Palestine-Gaza region spiralled into a violent crisis, with reports that before the session, Israeli air strikes had killed at least 40 people, some of them children.

At least four people were killed in Israel as some Hamas rockets pierced Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile defence system.

Referring to Santosh, Tirumurti said: "India has also lost one of her nationals living in Israel in this rocket fire -- a caregiver in Ashkelon. We deeply mourn her demise along with all other civilians who have lost their lives in the current cycle of violence."

"The indiscriminate rocket firings from Gaza targeting the civilian population in Israel, which we condemn, and the retaliatory strikes into Gaza, have caused immense suffering, and resulted in deaths," he said.

While reiterating New Delhi's "strong support to the just Palestinian cause and its unwavering commitment to the two-State solution", Tirumurti also expressed "strong condemnation of all acts of violence, provocation, incitement, and destruction".

He called for an immediate de-escalation of the situation to stop "any further slide to the brink" and the resumption of dialogue between the parties to the conflict.

He said that Jerusalem has a special place in the hearts of Indians and added that attempts should not be made to change the status quo in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood.

He mentioned the presence of an India-associated in Jerusalem's old city. New Delhi had restored the Al Zawiyya Al Hindiyya, the Indian hospice associated with Indian Sufi saint Baba Farid, he said.

The holy places in Jersualem, including the Haram al-Sharif, also known as the Temple Mount, that is sacred to Muslims, should be protected, he added.

The triggers for the current wave of violence is the attempt by some Israelis to evict Arabs from homes in East Jerusalem and the entry of Israeli security forces into the Temple Mount.

At the UNSC session presided over China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: "Fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery bombardments on the other must stop. I appeal to all parties to heed this call."

"It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole," he warned.

He drew attention to the Israeli bombing of the offices of the US news agency Associated Press and Qatari TV network Al Jazeera in Gaza City and said: "Journalists must be allowed to work free of fear and harassment."

"I am appalled by the attack on a refugee camp in Gaza, in which 10 members of one family were killed. Humanitarian installations must be protected," he said, but added: "Israeli civilians live in fear of rockets launched from Gaza."

Holding the meeting on a Sunday itself showed the isolation of the administration of US President Joe Biden which had vainly tried to stop the Council from discussing the situation. After blocking a session on Friday, it was forced by other members to agree to the meeting on Sunday.

Biden is facing a split in his party over his Israel policy with a vociferous group of Democrats condemning his backing for that country, even as many in the party continue their strong support for Israel.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that "the United States has been working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to try to bring an end to this conflict" and is "intensively engaged with Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials, as well as the Special Coordinator (of the UN, Tor Wennesland) and his team -- all of whom are working to define and establish conditions for a sustainable calm".

In a break from the four years of former President Donald Trump, she, however, called for an end to "evictions" - including in East Jerusalem - demolitions, and settlement construction east of the 1967 lines".

"Critically, all parties need to uphold and respect the historic status quo at the holy sites," she added.

Without condemning any of the attacks by either side, Thomas-Greenfield said: "We've also been alarmed by violence impacting journalists and medical personnel, whose roles are crucial and must be protected and respected."

"It's time to end the cycle of violence. The United States calls on Hamas and other Palestinian groups in Gaza to immediately halt rocket attacks and other provocations. We also are deeply concerned about the ongoing intercommunal violence within mixed communities in Israel. We urge all parties to avoid actions that undermine a peaceful future."
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  Teacher advocacy group SC for Ed says teachers met privately on Monday after the group dropped plans for public protests in Columbia amid threats of violence.

The group had scheduled an Enough is Enough protest to take place at the Statehouse, South Carolina Department of Education and governor's mansion, saying it wanted to protest the mistreatment of teachers by Gov. Henry McMaster, the state superintendent of education and others.

The teacher group said its concerns ran deeper than McMaster's executive order, which attempted to let parents choose if their children would wear masks in schools or not. But some teachers said the Republican governor's action inflamed the situation.

While governor McMasters mask mandate wasnt the reason for it, it really was the straw that broke the proverbial camels back, SC for Ed founder Lisa Ellis told WLTX-TV.

But the association with masks brought threats, with SC for Ed announcing the events cancellation Saturday, saying members had received harassing and threatening messages from groups with extreme views about masking, who have falsely represented our event as being primarily mask-related.

It just really got to a point where we felt very threatened and we did not feel safe at all to hold a protest in Columbia, Ellis said.

Ellis told WIS-TV on Monday that the group reported the threats to police, but were told investigators were already aware of the group making the threats.

She said teachers gathered privately on Monday wearing their trademark red T-shirts. She said they wrote letters to McMaster to demand better work environments.

We can collaborate share ideas and build each other up, Ellis said.

SC for Ed says there's still time to make an impact on lawmakers who will finalize a state budget this summer.

"So now weve been silenced by a very small minority of people -- some of whom do not even have children in school, said Richland County teacher Kim Woods, who had planned to attend.

Sherry East, president of the South Carolina Education Association, told WYFF-TV that parental demands on masks have ruined efforts to maintain consistency for the last few days of the school year. The association is separate from SC for Ed.

The teachers in the middle of two parents that (are saying) well, my kids not wearing a mask, my kid is wearing a mask so I dont want them together in your 12 by 14 classroom," East said. "So what you had was a seating chart, the nurses knew where people were sitting because the contract tracing, now its all blown up, in a matter of days.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A Savannah police officer has been arrested and charged with cruelty to children.

The Savannah Police Department said officers were called Saturday to a house where Cpl. Vincent Miller was accused by a parent of suspicious acts against a two-year-old child. Video showed the 32-year-old Miller, who was off duty and at a neighbor's house, punctured the child with an unknown object.

Miller was arrested Sunday and charged with one count of cruelty to children. Online records show he remains jailed Monday without bail. It's unclear if Miller has a lawyer to speak for him.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal inquiry, with the Chatham County district attorney deciding later whether to prosecute. The police department's internal affairs unit is also investigating.

Miller is a detective with Savannah's special victims unit, which investigates crimes of sex and abuse. The seven-year veteran of the Savannah Police Department has been placed on leave while the internal affairs inquiry is ongoing.
WINTERSET, Iowa (AP)  No one was seriously injured early Monday when a school bus carrying 10 students overturned into a ditch in rural south-central Iowa, authorities said.

The accident happened on a rural road near the Hanson Prairie Preserve north of Winterset, officials said. Television station KCCI showed video on its website of the Winterset School District bus lying on its side off a dirt road before a tow truck pulled it upright.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  Former South African President Jacob Zuma says he is ready for his trial on charges of corruption, racketeering, and money laundering.

Zuma appeared at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday where the trial was adjourned to May 26 when he will announce his plea.

He is accused of receiving bribes from French arms manufacturer Thales through his then financial advisor Schabir Shaik, who was convicted of related corruption charges in 2005.

The first witness in the trial will be Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille, who was among the first to allege that the 1999 arms sale was tainted by corruption.

De Lille compiled a dossier that she says has documents that prove influential members of the ruling party, the African National Congress, corruptly benefitted from the governments lucrative contracts with international arms manufacturers and suppliers.

De Lille was in court Monday and has been asked to appear when the trial resumes next week.

Several ANC leaders and a crowd of Zuma's supporters dressed in colorful ANC outfits showed up at the courthouse to demonstrate their backing for the former president.

Zumas trial starts as the ANC party is torn between President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has pledged to root out corruption, and a faction supporting Zuma and others accused of graft. One of Zuma's most prominent supporters is Ace Magashule, who has been suspended as the party's secretary-general because he is also facing criminal corruption charges.

A defiant Magashule told supporters in front of the courthouse that he would not be silenced even though the terms of his suspension specify that he may not publicly mobilize or address ANC supporters.

Nobody under a democracy will ban me, nobody will remove the ANC from me," he said.

Former ANC member of parliament Tony Yengeni, who was found guilty of corruption in 2003 and served a prison sentence, also attended the opening of the trial and voiced his support for Zuma.

This is nothing else but a political trial. President Zuma is being persecuted. No trial in South Africa has ever taken this long, where a person has been coming to court for 20 years, Yengeni told supporters outside court.
ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP)  A project to turn a former armory into a police station and emergency dispatch center in St. Johnsbury has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The money will be used to clean up environmental contamination at the site on Main Street, the Caledonian Record reported.
OPELIKA, Ala. (AP)  A former Alabama prosecutor set for trial on ethics charges next month repeatedly failed to handle office finances properly and should have to repay money, a state audit found.

Suspended Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes did not have procedures for handling cash or credit card transactions and failed to ensure money was being spent only for proper, law enforcement-related needs, according to a report by the Examiners of Public Accounts that cited failures in seven areas.

While an office manager was able to avoid paying $3,406 in questioned charges following a hearing, Hughes failed to appear for a hearing and is still liable for an unspecified amount of money related to a unit that collects money from worthless checks, the report said.

The state attorney general's office, which already is prosecuting Hughes on the other charges, will be asked to collect the money, auditors said in the report, which was released Friday.

Hughes' successor as Lee County district attorney, Jessica Ventiere, requested the audit after taking over the job in November, the Opelika-Auburn News reported.

Obviously, the results of this audit have added to an already difficult situation within the district attorneys office, Ventiere said in a statement.

Hughes, 46, was charged in November with illegally hiring his three children to work for his office and paying private lawyers with public funds to settle a matter that helped him and his wife, authorities said. He also was charged with issuing a subpoena to a company to gather evidence for his own potential defense and perjury.

A defense lawyer has said Hughes, who was elected in 2016, maintains his innocence. With Hughes's trial set for June 21, Judge Pamela Baschab agreed earlier this month to bar the defense from telling jurors Hughes did not know his actions were illegal.

Hughes's lawyers also can't claim his prosecution was politically motivated, the judge ruled.
When Carol Coulther's husband, Rich, had a stroke, her teacher instincts kicked in immediately. She began writing down everything his doctors said to make sense of what happened and what he would need in his recovery.

Coulther's instinct to document everything was spot on, according to advice from Dr. Amytis Towfighi, director of neurological services and innovation for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Towfighi, who has written a book about how to recover from and prevent strokes, suggested asking questions about the type and cause of your loved one's stroke, as well as their risk factors and special equipment needs when they return home.

"The stroke survivor should feel empowered to manage his or her condition  learn how it happened, what to do to prevent it from recurring, and how to set realistic short-term goals," Towfighi said.

Feeling encouraged is crucial. In addition to keeping track of doctor conversations, Coulther took photos and videos of Rich's progress and kept notes their daughter left in his hospital room.

Having those records allowed her to show him how far he had come when he felt frustrated.

"My husband's physical disabilities were huge. It legit was three weeks before he could move one finger, so you lose track and you think, "My gosh, I can't do anything,'" Coulther said. "If he was discouraged, I could say, 'No, look, this is what you did. Now you can actually stand, and now you can do this.'"

Documenting everything gave her something to focus on, too.

"It helps you feel like you have some control over something you don't have any control over," Coulther said.

The stressful aftermath of a stroke can cause connections to fray. A review of 78 studies published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke in 2009 found up to 54% of families said stroke had a negative impact on their relationship.

The risk of depression also is high. Stroke survivors are 50% more likely to develop depression during their recovery than heart attack survivors, according to research published earlier this year in Stroke. Not only is depression correlated with other health troubles  including anxiety, insomnia and fatigue  it is associated with worse outcomes and increased risk of death among stroke survivors. It also adds more strain to families.

Towfighi, who led a 2016 AHA scientific statement on post-stroke depression, advises caregivers to look out for signs of depression in their loved one and notify the patient's doctor if they believe their loved one is at risk. Therapy and medication can help stroke survivors overcome depression and alleviate the pressure it puts on relationships.

Taking the process one step at a time helps manage stress levels as well.

"It's got to be one day at a time, one week at a time, and not, 'How will he be a year from now?'" Coulther said.

One of the biggest mistakes Towfighi sees caregivers make is "trying to do everything for their loved one and letting their loved one assume the sick role and stay in bed."

While rest and patience are important, exercise repetition and setting short-term goals are also important to regaining strength and independence.

Families who have local support systems  as the Coulthers did in their Rockaway, New Jersey, community  should be honest about what they need, Coulther advised.

When she explained what she and her daughter really needed while her husband was in the hospital, whether that was potato chips and wine or someone to help out with yard work, people were happy to pitch in.

"People were like, 'Oh gosh, there's something I can do,'" Coulther said.

She also recommended looking for support groups through local hospitals and social media groups. These provide a place to get advice and connect with families who are going through similar experiences.

Self-care and boundaries also are critical.

"I think a really important thing for caregivers, especially in the beginning, is you have to not listen to people that say, 'You have to take care of yourself, go get a pedicure, go do this.' Maybe you're not ready," Coulther said. "Maybe it is taking care of myself to read a book on the couch, as opposed to me stressing about leaving. People have to do what's right for them."

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CAIRO (AP)  Sudan announced the resignation of the countrys chief prosecutor and the firing of the top judge Monday, without giving any reasons for the changes.

The development came amid growing criticism by activists of the justice system for purported delays in trials related to the crackdown on protesters during and after a popular uprising that led to the militarys overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Sudan has since been on a fragile path to democracy and is ruled by a joint military-civilian government, which includes a sovereign council and an executive Cabinet.

The Sovereign Council accepted the resignation of Public Prosecutor Taj al-Ser Ali al-Hebr and removed Neamat Abdullah Mohamed Kheir from her job as chief of the judiciary, said Mohammed al-Feki Suliman, a spokesman for the council.

Suliman did not give reasons for the changes, nor say whether the changes were related. He said al-Haber had submitted his resignation several times, and this time he insisted on stepping down.

No replacements were announced.

Kheir, a veteran judge, and al-Haber, a lawyer, were appointed to their posts In October 2019, less than two months after the military and the protest movement reached a deal to form a joint transitional government following al-Bashirs ouster. Kheir, who has served in the judiciary since the 1980s, was the first woman to rise to the highest judicial post in Sudans history.

The changes came a week after a protest in Khartoum demanding justice for the dozens killed in a 2019 crackdown on protesters.

In dispersing last weeks protest outside the militarys headquarters, troops killed two people and wounded three dozen. The military handed over around 100 suspects in the killing to prosecutors to investigate.

The June 2019 clearing of the Khartoum protest camp coincided with the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Over 120 people were killed in that dayslong crackdown, according to protest groups.

The government established an independent committee in 2019 to probe the crackdown, but the panel repeatedly missed its deadlines for reporting, angering the victims families and protest groups.

Mondays development came as the countrys leader, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok are in Paris to attend an economic conference on Sudan hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A swastika was found scratched into the door of a Jewish community center in Salt Lake City Sunday morning.

Salt Lake City police received a call reporting the vandalism at the Chabad Jewish Community Center Synagogue around 8:30 a.m., according to the department.

In a tweet posted that morning, Chabad Rabbi Avremi Zippel shared photos of the swastika and wrote, We will not cower in fear.

A swastika is not a political statement; a swastika is an image of hate, Zippel told KSL-TV. A swastika represents one thing, and one thing only: that is, death to the Jews.

Police said surveillance footage of the front of the building shows a person scratching the symbol into the synagogue's door around 2 a.m. The video is dark and making out details of the suspect is difficult, police said.

Authorities were investigating the incident as a hate crime, which would act as a sentencing enhancement on a vandalism charge.

The defacement occurred days after the FBI issued a warning to all local synagogues about potential threats in light of current escalations in violence in Palestine and Israel.

The email told synagogues to remain vigilant of suspicious or threatening activities at Jewish affiliated houses of worship, businesses, or within your respective organizations and to consider extra patrols during services.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney voiced his support to the Utah Jewish community and said, "Those who commit acts of vandalism against Jews or their places of worship in Salt Lake City or anywhere else only disgrace their own souls.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas on Monday joined the growing number of states that will stop paying the federally funded $300 in extra pandemic-related weekly unemployment aid as businesses that scaled back or shuttered during the pandemic are reopening.

The extra benefits in Texas will end June 26, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a letter to the Biden administration. He joins at least a dozen other governors, all Republicans, who are opting out of the additional federal unemployment benefits this summer.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to the ongoing fighting between the Palestinians and Israelis in the Gaza Strip, the worst since 2014.

"Fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery bombardments on the other must stop. I appeal to all parties to heed this call," Guterres told a Security Council meeting on Sunday.

"I am appalled by the increasingly large numbers of Palestinian civilian casualties, including many women and children, from Israeli strikes in Gaza. I also deplore Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza," he said.

The fighting risks dragging Palestinians and Israelis into a spiral of violence with devastating consequences for both communities and for the entire region, he said.

Guterres also warned that the fighting has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, potentially creating a new locus of dangerous instability.

The UN remains deeply committed to working with Palestinians and Israelis and with international and regional partners, including the Middle East Quartet, to realise a lasting and just peace, he said, calling on the parties to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed.

"The only way forward is to return to negotiations with the goal of a two-state solution, with two states living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, based on relevant UN resolutions, international law and prior agreements," Guterres added.

Tensions between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement have continued unabated in the Gaza Strip with no sign of any ceasefire between the two sides to end the violence.

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, about 145 Palestinians have been killed and 1,100 injured since fighting escalated on May 10.

According to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service, 10 people were killed and 636 injured in the Jewish state as a result of the rocket fire.

More than 2,300 have been fired by the Hamas, according to Israel's Army, although about 20 per cent go down over Gaza without reaching Israeli territory.

Israel has responded with airstrikes and artillery shelling, striking more than 650 targets.
Whenever Joe Glickman heads out for groceries, he places an N95 mask over his face and tugs a cloth mask on top of it. He then pulls on a pair of goggles.

He has used this safety protocol for the past 14 months. It did not change after he contracted the coronavirus in November. It did not budge when, earlier this month, he became fully vaccinated. And even though President Joe Biden said on Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not have to wear a mask, Glickman said he planned to stay the course.

In fact, he said, he plans to do his grocery run double-masked and goggled for at least the next five years.

Even as a combination of evolving public health recommendations and pandemic fatigue lead more Americans to toss the masks they have worn for more than a year, Glickman is among those who say they plan to keep their faces covered in public indefinitely.

For people like Glickman, a combination of anxiety, murky information about new virus variants and the emergence of an obdurate and sizable faction of vaccine holdouts means mask-free life is on hold  possibly forever.

I have no problem being one of the only people, said Glickman, a professional photographer and musician from Albany, New York. But I dont think Im going to be the only one.

Whether made of bedazzled cloth or polypropylene, masks have emerged as a dystopian political flashpoint during the pandemic. A map of states that enforced mask mandates corresponds closely with how people in those states voted for president.

Last year, protesters staged rallies against official requirements to wear masks, built pyres to burn them in protest and touched off wild screaming matches when confronted about not wearing them inside supermarkets.

But as more Americans become vaccinated and virus restrictions loosen, masks are at the center of a second round in the countrys culture brawl. This time, people who choose to continue to cover their faces have become targets of public ire.

In interviews, vaccinated people who continue to wear masks said they are increasingly under pressure, especially in recent days; friends and family have urged them to relax, or even have suggested that they are paranoid. On a recent trip to the grocery store, Glickman said he was stared down by a man who entered, unmasked.

Im confused, the retired news anchor Dan Rather wrote on Twitter last week as backlash mounted on the platform to those still masked. Why should people care if someone wants to wear a mask outside?

Following the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 20 states repealed mask mandates or issued orders that gave vaccinated people exemptions from wearing masks. Other states, including New York, said they were reviewing their rules.

But for some people, no newfound freedom will persuade them to reveal their faces just yet. After a year, they say they have grown accustomed to the masks and glad for the extra safety they provide.

A day after the CDCs announcement, George Jones, 82, a retired mail carrier, stood in the sunshine outside of the General Grant Houses where he lives in Harlem in New York City and said his blue surgical mask  though uncomfortable and inconvenient  would stay put for at least another year.

Im in no hurry; why should I be in a hurry? said Jones, who became fully vaccinated about a month and a half ago. Until New York City reaches a higher level of vaccination  just 40% are completely vaccinated  he believes it is too risky to unmask. Being around is more important. Thats what counts. Im an old man  Id like to be around as long as I can.

On Broadway, a group of young men walked past him, with not a mask in sight. Jones said he understood: Young people, they figure theyre invulnerable  and I hope they are.

Public health data shows that masking and social distancing have most likely had far-reaching positive impacts, beyond slowing the spread of COVID-19. While over 34,000 adults died from influenza in the 2018-19 season, this year deaths are on track to remain in the hundreds, according to CDC data.

Leni Cohen, 51, a retired kindergarten teacher from New York City who has a compromised immune system, said she planned to continue wearing a mask when she helped out as a substitute teacher. But what she would like more is for her students to stay masked.

Kindergartners, while adorable, are quick to share their secretions, Cohen wrote in an email listing the illnesses, including colds, strep throat, pneumonia, influenza and parvovirus, that she has caught from her students over the years.

This year is so different! she continued. The kids are not sucking on their hair or putting classroom objects or thumbs in their mouths. Their mouths and noses are covered, so Im (mostly) protected from their sneezes and coughs. I can see keeping up with masks. It is the safest Ive ever felt in a classroom full of 5- and 6-year-olds.

Barry J. Neely, 41, a composer from Los Angeles, fell ill with the coronavirus in March 2020 and battled symptoms for months. He has also struggled with guilt over whether he had inadvertently infected people he came in contact with before his diagnosis  which came at a time when the government discouraged mask use.

He now plans to wear a mask whenever he feels under the weather, in perpetuity.

Its not hard to wear a mask, Neely said. Its not hard in the least.

He is taking his cue from several East Asian countries, he added, where wearing a mask when you are feeling sick is not just socially acceptable but seen as considerate.

If I possibly spread a virus a year ago, and then learned that wearing a mask is important to prevent spreading this virus, then whats the harm in wearing it if I have the common cold? he said.

For a number of so-called perma-maskers, the decision is informed by trauma: They endured the coronavirus or witnessed loved ones die, and they say taking off their mask makes them feel terrifyingly vulnerable.

After contracting the coronavirus, Glickman fell ill with pneumonia. He still experiences gastrointestinal problems and neurological symptoms, including extreme lightheadedness and problems with his sight. Floaters swim in his field of vision, and on one occasion, he said, everything turned yellow.

Post-coronavirus trauma appears to be common: A survey of nearly 400 COVID patients by doctors at Agostino Gemelli hospital in Italy showed 30% developed post-traumatic stress disorder after a severe illness.

There is an element of precaution that is brought on by the emotional and psychological impact with what I went through, Glickman said of his masking. I dont think it is necessarily unjustified. I think it is somewhere in the middle.

Cohen also said she recognized possible downsides: At first, I thought, This is great, Im never going to get sick again! she said, of her plan to wear a mask to teach kindergarten going forward. Then I realized when Im trying to teach vowels they cant see my mouth.

A few say they have been surprised to find that they have grown to enjoy being hidden behind a mask, expressionless and anonymous.

As a woman, we feel like we have to, when we go out in public, put on a little bit of makeup, eyeliner, blush, said Keela Samis, 57, an attorney from St. Petersburg, Florida, who is vaccinated and does not plan to stop wearing a mask. With a mask I dont have to. It simplified my life.

Samis added: Even if Im the only person on planet Earth that continues to wear the mask, if thats what makes me feel comfortable, Ill wear the mask.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

A plane from Manchester, England, disembarked the first of more than 5,000 tourists expected to arrive on 17 U.K. flights in Portugals southern Algarve region on the first day nonessential travel was allowed.

As local temperatures climbed toward a forecast high of 32 C (90 F), the tourists were met at Faro airport by workers handing out COVID-19 welcome kits containing masks and disinfectant, and by the head of the Algarve tourist authority.

The arrivals brightened the outlook for Portugals crucial tourism sector, especially the sun and surf resorts along the Algarve coast which relies heavily on the U.K. market and where hotels shut down for most of the past year.

Arriving tourists needed to show a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken within the previous 72 hours.

Both Portugal and the United Kingdom have reduced their seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people to between three and four. Authorities said that rate was low enough to relax restrictions.

The Portuguese government on Saturday announced that people from European countries with COVID-19 incidence rates below 500 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days can now also make nonessential trips to Portugal. That means most Europeans can travel to Portugal, as long as they can show a negative test.

The U.K. government has put Portugal and 11 other countries on a so-called green list of low-risk territories. British people returning home from those areas don't need to go into quarantine.

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Follow APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  The state of Virginia is expecting a half-billion-dollar budget surplus by the end of June, blunting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, and officials are awaiting a $4.3 billion federal deposit in the states coffers any day.

Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne told legislators on Monday that he expects state revenues to exceed expenses by more than $500 million in the fiscal year that ends June 30, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported.

Layne also expects Virginia to receive its share of federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act in one lump sum soon, leading to a special legislative session which will determine how to spend it. That federal money doesnt include $6.6 billion that the federal government is sending to the state for specific categories of programs, such as support for K-12 schools and higher education, child care, transportation and public health.

I dont think anyone 14 months ago would have thought wed be in as good a position as we are, Layne told the House Appropriations Committee on Monday.

The American Rescue Plan Act, which President Joe Biden signed on March 11, is sending $7.2 billion to Virginia and its local governments. The state will receive $4.3 billion and localities $2.9 billion, almost all of it directly from the federal government. The state will allocate about $633 million of the local money among towns.

A year ago, state revenues plunged by $700 million in April, compared with the same month a year earlier, as Northam and the assembly froze more than $2 billion in new spending in the two-year budget they had adopted on March 12, 2020, the same day the governor declared a public health emergency.

Last week, Northam announced that state revenues grew by 42% this April and, for the first 10 months of the fiscal year, were ahead of the most recent forecast by more than $1.7 billion. Revenues are likely to fall next month, in comparison with a year ago, because of differences in the filing dates for income taxes, but the expected surplus is fueled by steady growth in high-wage professional jobs, a surge in consumer spending over the internet and a booming housing market.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A top Wisconsin Department of Justice administrator filed a federal complaint alleging that she's being underpaid and harassed at work because she's a Black woman.

DOJ Division of Law Enforcement Services Administrator Tina Virgil filed the complaint on April 16 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seeking an unspecified amount of lost wages, damages and legal fees.

This ongoing harassment and the DOJ's unwillingness to put a stop to it has caused me emotional distress, anxiety, and other health challenges, Virgil wrote in the complaint.

Virgil has worked at the Justice Department for 28 years, serving as the state fire marshal and director of the department's Special Investigations Bureau. Attorney General Josh Kaul appointed her as law enforcement services division administrator in January 2019. The division oversees criminal records, firearm background checks and officer training.

According to her complaint, Virgil is the only Black administrator in the DOJ. Her salary when she began her new position in 2019 was less than her white predecessor's pay and she remains the second-lowest paid administrator at the agency, the complaint alleges. She's also paid less than some deputy administrators and directors who are white but rank beneath her.

Virgil goes on to allege that since she took over the position, she has encountered a hostile work environment marked by Deputy Attorney General Eric Wilson's angry outbursts whenever she or another woman disagrees with him. She says Wilson also micro-manages her and other female employees, has accused her of maintaining special relationships with other female employees and circumvented her authority as an administrator by sending orders through her male subordinates.

Other white male administrators also have harassed her, Virgil alleges. For instance, Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Brian O'Keefe recorded phone calls with her as part of what she called an unsuccessful attempt to initiate an adverse employment action against me.

The complaint notes that an unidentified whistleblower brought the pay inequities and harassment to Kaul's attention, resulting in an investigation by an outside attorney. A report was finished in May 2020, but Virgil says her open records requests for it have been unsuccessful and the department hasn't taken any action.

Department spokeswoman Gillian Drummond told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Virgil is currently the sixth-highest paid of Kaul's 10 appointees, at $116,022 per year, up $4,500 from the start of 2019.

Drummond told the newspaper that Virgil makes less than her predecessor because the DOJ moved the state crime lab out of the Division of Law Enforcement Services Division when she was appointed to the administrator post in 2019. The move reduced the number of division employees by 60%, Drummond said.

We are confident that the salary is appropriate, Drummond said in an email to The Associated Press on Monday. She added that DOJ officials have offered to have an outside agency perform a salary review, but Virgil hasn't accepted that offer.

Asked for comment on the offer, Virgil's attorney, Lester Pines, responded with a one-sentence email: The Attorney General has the authority to set the salaries of the division administrators he appoints.

As for the hostile work environment claims, Drummond said in her email to the AP that the department has addressed some managerial issues, but that most of the evidence didn't support Virgil's claims.

The complaint comes as Kaul, a Democrat, is gearing up for reelection next year. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney and law professor Ryan Owens are vying for the Republican nomination.

Toney issued a statement Monday saying the alleged harassment and discrimination represent a troubling example of Kaul's failed leadership. Owens' campaign didn't immediately respond to a message.

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Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter: https://twitter.com/trichmond1
PICKENS, S.C. (AP)  A woman accused of fleeing from law enforcement in South Carolina caught fire when she crashed the car she was hauling several containers of fuel inside, according to authorities.

Deputies with the Pickens County Sheriffs Office were trying to pull the car over Thursday after finding it was reported stolen, the agency said in a statement.
By Astrid Casimire

Bay City News Foundation

Earlier this month, a traffic stop led Morgan Hill police to discover drugs and illegal weapons at a storage unit.

On May 6 around 9 a.m., police stopped a driver for suspected driving under the influence near the intersection of Monterey Road and Jarvis Drive.

Police arrested the driver, 45-year-old Alaska resident William Regallo, on suspicion of DUI and searched the car. They found a large sum of cash that led them to believe the suspect was possibly involved in illegal activity.

After learning that the suspect was coming from a nearby storage facility, police obtained a search warrant. They found about 44 pounds of marijuana, a large amount of ammunition and seven illegal firearms inside a storage unit.

Regallo was booked into the Santa Clara Main Jail on suspicion of DUI and crimes related to possession of illegal drugs for sale, being a felon in possession of a firearm and multiple illegal weapons violations.

For more information, people can contact Sgt. Bill Norman at (669) 253-4982 or the anonymous tip line (408) 947-STOP (7867).

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization to expand Pfizer/BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12-15.

Additionally, travel guidelines are being updated as vacation planning takes place, and some routine testing requirements have also been removed because of the number of older Americans who are now fully vaccinated.

Vaccines safe for young people

FDA is taking steps to reassure parents and guardians of the Pfizer vaccines safety for younger people.

Vaccinating younger people will not only reduce the probability that they will become infected with COVID-19, but will also help those with whom they come in contact who may be more at risk for severe cases.

Young people can be asymptomatic and still spread the virus to each other, older people, and those with chronic conditions that result in dangerous symptoms and hospitalization.

According to Pfizer, in Phase Three of clinical trials with the 12-15 age group, the vaccine was generally well-tolerated. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that the vaccine is to be given to that age group in two doses three weeks apart, the same schedule used for adults.

In Michigan, 4,393,499, or 54%, of those age 16 and older have been vaccinated.

New travel guidelines

With the summer vacation season approaching, many people are considering domestic and international travel. Business travel is also taking place, with meetings, conventions and other functions being rescheduled with COVID-19 safety measures in place. There is concern regarding travel, especially after the suspension of allowing people from India to enter the United States due to India's high number of COVID-19 infections.

Domestic travel guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers in the United States were updated April 27. International travel recommendations were updated on the same day.

Domestic travel for fully vaccinated people is now considered safe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During travel, masks are still required on public transportation such as airplanes, buses or trains, as well as in airports and terminals. Social distancing and hand washing should still be practiced.

After travel, testing and self-quarantine are no longer necessary for those who are fully vaccinated, but if symptoms occur, testing and isolation should take place.

For unvaccinated individuals, COVID-19 testing should take place one to three days before travel. After travel, a test should be taken three to five days following one's return, and self-quarantine should take place even if test results are negative.

For non-domestic travel for fully vaccinated people, the regulations of the destination country should be reviewed before departure. All fully vaccinated people, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test no more than three days before travel. Proof of the negative test result must be shown to airline representatives before a passenger is allowed onboard an aircraft. After international travel, tests should be taken three to five days following one's return, and travelers should be aware of any symptoms that may appear.

The same guidelines apply for non-vaccinated international travelers with the requirement to self-quarantine for seven days after return.

Additionally, new guidance has been authorized for cruise ships to undertake simulated voyages with volunteer passengers as part of a COVID-19 Conditional Sailing Certificate application. While vacation cruises are still restricted, operators now have all the necessary requirements and recommendations to start simulated voyages before resuming restricted passenger voyages.

Changes in COVID-19 testing requirements

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced that at skilled nursing facilities, homes for the aged, and adult foster care facilities, the requirement for fully vaccinated staff to be routinely tested for COVID-19 has been removed.

Testing will still be required if a resident or staff member shows symptoms or has been exposed to someone who has been infected. Tests for those individuals will be required regardless of their vaccination status. Newly hired staff will be tested and unvaccinated long-term care workers will be tested weekly.

More than 289,000 doses of vaccines have been administered to Michigans long-term care residents and staff. First-dose clinics have been completed in all facilities and second-dose clinics have been completed in 98% of the states facilities. Nationally, 83.7% of those over age 65 have received one vaccine dose and 71.5% are fully vaccinated.

To learn more about a variety of health conditions, management and treatment, log on to vascularhealthclinics.org.

Do you have questions about your heart health? Ask Dr. Haqqani.

If you have questions about your cardiovascular health, including heart, blood pressure, stroke lifestyle and other issues, we want to answer them. Please submit your questions to Dr. Haqqani by e-mail at questions@vascularhealthclinics.org .

Omar P. Haqqani is the Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Vascular Health Clinics in Midland.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

It seems California Gov. Gavin Newsom can't please anyone these days.

After the state announced Monday it will wait until June 15 to adopt the new CDC guidance that individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear masks in most instances, his former chief of staff, Ann O'Leary, took to Twitter to chide her former boss.
NBC

"Saturday Night Live" is no stranger to dunking on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On the latest episode, Michael Che had a bit of fun with the California representative's relatively moderate reputation in one of the stronger "Weekend Update" sketches in recent memory.

The segment included some of the anchors' favorite targets. There was a dig at the height of Hollywood leading man Tom Cruise, who recently pledged to return his Golden Globes due to a lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press. Of course, there were the requisite Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk gags having to do with how filthy rich they are, and another classic reference to the unsafe conditions on New York subways.
As I was raised in Northern California in the 1980s, seaweed has been a part of my diet since childhood. At a time when my rural Mendocino County hometown didnt yet have a sushi restaurant, my mom would stock up on crispy, nearly translucent sheets of paper-like nori for us to roll our own maki sushi at home. And my favorite part of the miso soup wed get on our trips to San Franciscos Japantown was the chewy, slippery pieces of wakame that Id slurp down with rich, salty umami broth and tiny cubes of tofu.

As a white kid growing up in a largely white community three hours from the nearest airport, mine was not a sophisticated understanding of seaweed as a culinary ingredient. But I also have no memory of thinking of it as significantly different from, say, spinach or broccoli. At the time, it never occurred to me that these ingredients, so familiar to me, were wild foods that, very possibly, could be found in the same tide pools my brother and I scoured for mussels to pry off the rocks and eat or abalone shells to add to our seashell collection. While I had long since understood that to be true, I knew very little about the wide world of culinary seaweed. So when I saw a sea foraging trip listed on Airbnbs Experiences platform, I signed up.

Freda Moon

Part class, part farm dinner, the trip was hosted by Spencer Marley, a former journalist turned merchant marine turned seaweed entrepreneur, who has the kind of easy warmth that makes it hard to imagine him without a smile or some enthusiastic seaweed-related trivia springing from his lips.

I arrived at our 2 p.m. class a bit harried after being led astray by a particularly odd Google Maps glitch, but Marley immediately set me at ease, cracking a self-deprecating joke and assuring me my timing was just fine.

He was in no rush, he said. The seaweed wasnt going anywhere.

The address of our meetup at Estero Bluffs State Park, north of Cayucos, had somehow been swapped with another, more famous park just up the coast: San Simeon, where Hearst Castle sits high on the hill and elephant seals make a scene down by the shoreline. By the time I realized the inexplicable mislabeling, Id overshot the roadside parking lot where Marley had, accurately, directed us to look for his gold Dodge pickup and had to backtrack by 20 minutes. While Im generally loathe to be late, I was particularly frantic because Id paid $125 to spend two hours on a beach with a stranger. This was a date I didnt want to miss.

Freda Moon

When I pulled up, jumping out of my car and awkwardly speed-walking to meet my group, I found Marley huddled with just two other would-be foragers, Emma and Henry, a couple from the Bay Area. They were making small talk about shoes  nobody seemed quite certain what to wear  and casually discussing their respective interests in harvesting wild seaweed. Marley's, like mine, went back to a childhood in Northern California (hes from the South Bay). Henry and Emma, meanwhile, were transitioning to vegetarianism and trying to incorporate more environmental sustainability into their meals. (Though Henry, who worked for Apple, confessed, with dry humor, to being more or less content to live on packaged ramen when Emma isnt cooking.)

Marley grabbed some plastic buckets from the back of his truck, along with a large blue backpack he hoisted onto his shoulders while cracking a joke about how he had almost certainly forgotten something. Im the most forgetful person on the planet, he said, before handing out the mesh seaweed collection baskets and red-handled pruning shears  Swiss-made, rust-proof and popular, Marley said, among the vineyard workers just over the hill in inland San Luis Obispo Countys wine country. Hed tried other tools but nothing has compared.

As we set off behind him, down the dusty dirt path through coastal shrubs to the nearby bluffs, he told us about the history of the property that was now a state park. It was once owned by a prominent local ranching and wine-making family who, a century before, had leased the tide pools to Cantonese seaweed harvesters.

Freda Moon

When we got to the beach, I stashed my things on a large rock far enough from the waters edge to hopefully keep them dry, rolled up the legs of my pants, and changed into the water shoes Id bought that morning before wading from the gray sand into the tide pools with the others.

Marley started out with Phycology 101, explaining the intriguing biology of kelp, which is not a plant and not quite a fungus. Instead, its an oversized algae that reproduces by dropping spores, like mushrooms, and grows on every continent. For novice sea foragers, Marleys point was to reassure: Unlike mushrooms, where one bad call could zap your liver, he said, there are no toxic seaweeds in the world. The biggest danger from harvesting seaweed isnt the kelp itself, but the water  the runoff and the potential pollutants  its in. Freshwater algae, Marley explains, are another story: Almost all, he said, are deadly toxic.

Until recently, Marley had been operating a family-run seaweed business, harvesting prized kelp like kombu from the local shoreline with his three kids (twin 13-year-old boys and a daughter, 10) and selling it at weekend farmers markets for $10 per ounce. Marley now has a day job at Cal Poly and offers his foraging tours on the weekends.

Freda Moon

This particular Saturday started out gray and chilly, as it often does along the Central Coast, where the marine layer can mean a 30-degree difference between the ocean and the inland area along Highway 101. But by the time of our excursion, the sun was out, which not only made for a more comfortable afternoon of trudging through the chilly Pacific, but had the practical advantage of helping to see the various seaweeds Marley was instructing us to spot.

He picks up a large piece of pyropia, a particular species of red algae that, Marley explains, is what nori is made from. Its a slow-growing seaweed thats found in the upper tidal areas of the rocky shoreline. Most of what we eat, however, is farmed and heavily processed. After its harvested, its pulverized in a large vat, pressed and rolled into the paper-like sheets that are then dried or baked. Because it grows so slowly, and is constantly being bombarded by the decidedly nonpeaceful waves of the Pacific, most of the pyropia we found was short, shaggy leaf-like pieces of translucent brownish-green algae that coated the rocks like a head of hair.

Marley showed us another seaweed, ulva, which he said was his second favorite to eat after kombu. Historically, it was a delicacy in what was then Canton (now Guangzhou), he says, in part because of its color, which resembles jade. He points to the hold fast, which is what connects the algae to the rock and the lamina, the leafy part of the organism, and talks about how even when the tide is high or the surf is big, its possible to forage along the beach without any equipment at all.

Freda Moon

The ocean, he says, is constantly gleaning  ripping pieces of kelp from the rock  and tossing it ashore. It is, he said, as if a tornado went through a cornfield and you went and picked up the corn after. Kombu, the Japanese word for kelp (though it also refers to a particular variety of seaweed with the unwieldy name laminariaceae), which grows in deeper water, is most easily harvested this way. Its also, he says, often mistaken for a lookalike species, ilaria. It wont hurt you to eat it, said Marley, but it tastes like nothing. But once you learn to spot the difference between the square edge of true kombu and the sharp, wavy blade of ilaria, you can easily find $100 of kombu in just an hour of foraging along the shore, said Marley.

As we hunted and learned, Marley had us taste the various seaweeds raw. The fan-shaped rock weed, or fucus, has a distinctive olivey, briny flavor, he noted, that is particularly satisfying raw but doesnt hold up well to cooking. Other marine algae, he explained, is traditionally used in bathing and health treatments  as scrubs for exfoliating or seaweed wraps for hydrating the skin, for example  in places like Greece and Ireland.

Freda Moon

Marleys main reason for loving seaweed, though, is that its a sustainable source of nutrition and, from a foodie perspective, theres so much we havent done with it. He eats miso soup many mornings for breakfast, but he also has seen his seaweed used in high-end restaurants in much less traditional preparations, tossed with vegetables in a salad, for example, or in an oyster Rockefeller-like dish in place of spinach, or cut into noodle-like strands and stir-fried.

Freda Moon

By this point, each of our baskets were increasingly full, and it was time to rinse the seaweed, which was sandy from churning in the beachfront tide pools, and for Marley to make us lunch. He searched out a relatively level rock on which to set up his camp stove, pulled a large metal pot, a knife, an onion, and a couple of large cooking chopsticks from his bag along with a package of dried ramen noodles and a mild-flavored soy sauce. Those last two ingredients, he said, are the result of years of experimentation. Hes tried many dried noodles and varieties of soy sauce and these, he said, best highlight the sometimes subtle flavors of the fresh seaweeds.

Its a simple soup, but thats the point. He wants us to taste the flavor of the seaweed itself, which can easily be overpowered by too many other ingredients. And the soup, which Marley is happy to admit is exceedingly easy to prepare  a quick harvest meal, he calls it  was refreshing but satisfying, with layers of flavor that taste of the sea but are also surprisingly earthy. It had a depth of flavor, often called umami, that I dont know if Ive ever experienced in such a pure form. Sitting on the beach, sipping the broth from the small soup bowls Marley handed out, I thought about those little rectangular boxes of crispy, salty nori that are now ubiquitous playground snacks and how much bigger and richer the world of seaweed is than I had known.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2021 -- Advance Market Analytics recently introduced Artificial Intelligence in Retail Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2025. Artificial Intelligence in Retail Market effective study on varied sections of Industry like opportunities, size, growth, technology, demand and trend of high leading players. It also provides market key statistics on the status of manufacturers, a valuable source of guidance, direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.



Major Players in This Report Include:

IBM (United States) , Accenture plc (Ireland) , Amazon Web Services (United States), SAP SE (Germany), Oracle (United States), Google (United States), Intel (United States), Apple Inc. (United States), Salesforce (United States), People.Ai (United States),



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AMA released a new market study covering the current COVID-19 impact on the Global Artificial Intelligence in Retail Market with detailed insights on latest scenario, economic slowdown on overall industry. This report will help you to identify which types of companies could potentially benefit from the impact of COVID-19, as well as those business segments that are set to lose out.



The competition is expected to become even more intense in the coming years with the entry of several new players in the market. To help clients improve their revenue shares in the market, this research study provides an in-depth analysis of the market's competitive landscape and offers information on the products offered by various leading companies. Additionally, this Artificial Intelligence in Retail market analysis report suggests strategies Vendors can follow and recommends key areas they should focus on, in order to take maximum benefits of growth opportunities.



Brief Overview on Artificial Intelligence in Retail:

Artificial Intelligence in Retail is basically use of smart computing power enabled machines and robots in retail which enhances efficiency and productivity, which indirectly help in increase profit margins. The use of artificial intelligence involves use of tools such as Machine learning, big data analytics, etc. along with complex algorithms which are made to aid humans or even work without human supervision. The use of artificial intelligence also enhances customer experience with voice search, virtual trial rooms and cash free counters like mechanisms. Application of A.I. in logistics and transport along with warehouse management would also increase pace of delivery and reduce the wastage which naturally occurs due to human aid. The Market of Artificial Intelligence is currently dominated by North America with Major Players too coming from North America. Though because the industry is still in its early age, it has lot of developments to carry out.



Artificial Intelligence in Retail Market Segmentation:

by Application (Supply Chain and Logistics, Chatbots, Data Analytics, Customer Relationship Management, Price Adjustments and Predictions, Others), Deployment Mode (Cloud-Based, On-Premise), Algorithm Types (Supervised, Unsupervised), Offerings (Software, Services)



Market Drivers:

- Increased Efficiency and Productivity

- Reduction in Loss due to Better Prediction Mechanism

-



Market Trends:

- Cashless Counters are Gaining Popularity

- Use of Artificial Intelligence Powered Robots in Retail

-



Market Challenges:

- Uncertainties or Doubts about Artificial Intelligence among Many Retail Stakeholders

- Difficulty in Adopting with New Technology for Traditional Retail Workers

-



Market Opportunities:

- Countries with Low Working Group Populations such as Japan or South Korea Present Excellent Opportunities

- Increasing Adoption in Less Developed Countries with Increased Democratization of Technology

-



Competitive Landscape:

Mergers & Acquisitions, Agreements & Collaborations, New Product Developments & Launches, Business overview & Product Specification for each player listed in the study.



For Early Buyers | Get Up to 20% Discount on This Premium @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/12455-global-artificial-intelligence-in-retail-market-1



Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Artificial Intelligence in Retail Market are as follows:

History Year: 2013-2017

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2020

Forecast Year 2020 to 2025



What benefits does AMA research studies provides?

- Supporting company financial and cash flow planning

- Open up New Markets

- To Seize powerful market opportunities

- Key decision in planning and to further expand market share

- Identify Key Business Segments, Market proposition & Gap Analysis

- Assisting in allocating marketing investments



Get More Information: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/12455-global-artificial-intelligence-in-retail-market-1



Key questions answered

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Artificial Intelligence in Retail market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Artificial Intelligence in Retail market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Artificial Intelligence in Retail market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

**Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.



Completely, this report will give you an undeniable point of view on each and every truth of the market without a need to suggest some other research report or a data source. Our report will give every one of you the real factors about the past, present, and possible destiny of the concerned Market.

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short.
To the Editor:

Fourteen months into the COVID-19 global pandemic, its clear nearly every aspect of life has been impacted. This has been put on full display for our small businesses and eateries whose operations were rocked in March of 2020 and continued to operate in a state of uncertainty. Consumers, mindful of in-person interactions during the height of the pandemic, took to the internet for purchases.

According to Digital Commerce 360 analysis, consumers spent $861 billion online with U.S. retailers in 2020, up 44 percent from $598 billion in 2019. Online spending represented 21.3 percent of total retail sales last year compared with 15.8 percent the year prior.

COVID-19 accelerated a trend we were already seeing  more people are shopping online rather than in store. This should be noted by localities as we approve new developments including retail, when the future of box stores is uncertain. In the last year, many large-scale stores buckled under the challenges of COVID-19, closed and filed for bankruptcy.

Small businesses took a hit from the pandemic, too, and while the federal government stepped up in a significant way with the Paycheck Protection Program, shuttered venue program and restaurant relief program, one thing will continue to support small businesses in their future  you.

As we re-emerge from the pandemic, it's more important than ever before to shop local and support area eateries and businesses. Local small businesses are owned by our friends and neighbors and hire locally. The funds you spend at a nearby shop are reinvested in our local economy. Small shops often feature goods from Connecticut artisans which support our nearby suppliers and even agriculture businesses.

Seven years ago, I started Celebrate Shelton with my sister, Nicole Mikula, and our friend, Michael Skritc, to highlight small businesses in and around the Naugatuck Valley. As the pandemic restrictions are lifted, we are eager to once again highlight small businesses in-person and encourage people to shop local.

I believe in  and have been working towards  a vibrant downtown Shelton where we take pride in our streets, with welcoming sidewalks and safe parking. With smart public and private partnerships, we can revitalize downtown with more shops to visit and cafes to enjoy. Downtown Shelton can be a destination that makes Shelton and our Naugatuck Valley proud  but we only get one shot at developing it right. In the meantime, let us support existing businesses who have made it through a challenging year that impacted our lives and livelihoods.

Shopping online from home may be easy, but nothing beats an in-person experience at a local shop. After a year of "stay-at-home," we can all benefit from a stroll into our favorite local stores.

Jimmy Tickey

Planning & Zoning Commissioner

Co-Founder of Celebrate Shelton
RK Selvamani, the President of the Film Employees Federation of South India has said in a media interaction that they have suspended all film and TV serial shoots till May 31 after 26 members of a TV serial crew tested positive for the COVID19.

Selvamani said that most of their members don't have multiple rooms in their residences, so they can't even isolate if infected. Selvamani also said that as their members shift from one set to the other, the producers are not taking responsibility.

Only after inspecting the situation on May 31, FEFSI will take a final call on whether to send their members to film shoots.

Meanwhile, actor Ajith has donated 10 lakhs to the Film employees Federation of South India. The actor has transferred the amount through an online transaction. Selvamani has confirmed the news at the press meet.
Over 15,000 military personnel, 300 tanks and other armoured vehicles, 400 missiles and artillery systems and 50 military aircraft will involve in the drills, which will last till May 20, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement on Sunday.

Baku, May 17 (IANS) Azerbaijan has launched a large-scale military exercise as the country was in a border tension with Armenia, according to the Defence Ministry here.

The exercise, in accordance with a plan approved by the president of Azerbaijan, aims to improve the army's combat readiness, coordination and interoperability among different units, said the statement.

Earlier this week, Armenia accused Azerbaijani troops of crossing the southern border and advancing more than 3 km into Armenia's Syunik region.

Azerbaijan denied the allegations, saying Azerbaijan was enforcing its own border and is committed to easing tensions in the region.

Both countries said peaceful negotiations to de-escalate the tension were underway.

--IANS

ksk/
Dhaka, May 17 (IANS) Bangladesh has again extended the ongoing lockdown to May 23 in light of the current Covid-19 situation in the country and neighbouring India, which is battling a devastating second wave of the pandemic.

To combat the spread of the disease, Bangladesh declared an eight-day lockdown effective from April 14-21, which was later extended in phases to May 16.

According to the latest circular, offices and organisations related to revenue collection have been kept out of the purview of the restrictions.

Hotels and restaurants will be allowed to provide takeaway or online services during the period, it said.

On Saturday night, Bangladesh extended the closure of all secondary and higher secondary educational institutions following the surge of Covid-19 cases and deaths since March.

On Sunday, the country's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported 363 new Covid-19 cases and 25 deaths, which increased the overall infection tally and fatalities to 780,159 and 12,149.

--IANS

ksk/
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2021 -- Advance Market Analytics recently introduced Enterprise Mobility Security Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2025. Enterprise Mobility Security Market effective study on varied sections of Industry like opportunities, size, growth, technology, demand and trend of high leading players. It also provides market key statistics on the status of manufacturers, a valuable source of guidance, direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.



Major Players in This Report Include:

Symantec (United States), Mobile Iron (United States), VMware (United States), Air Watch (United States), Blackberry Limited (Canada), Citrix Systems (United States), Microsoft (United States), Cisco Systems (United States), IBM (United States), McAfee (United States),



Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/71639-global-enterprise-mobility-security-market-1



AMA released a new market study covering the current COVID-19 impact on the Global Enterprise Mobility Security Market with detailed insights on latest scenario, economic slowdown on overall industry. This report will help you to identify which types of companies could potentially benefit from the impact of COVID-19, as well as those business segments that are set to lose out.



The competition is expected to become even more intense in the coming years with the entry of several new players in the market. To help clients improve their revenue shares in the market, this research study provides an in-depth analysis of the market's competitive landscape and offers information on the products offered by various leading companies. Additionally, this Enterprise Mobility Security market analysis report suggests strategies Vendors can follow and recommends key areas they should focus on, in order to take maximum benefits of growth opportunities.



Brief Overview on Enterprise Mobility Security:

Enterprise mobility security protects the information as it safeguards the resources at the front door. It secures business from threats by detecting the attacks before causing damage and enables easy access to the resources. Also, it combines standalone solutions and integrates mobile application, and access management solutions. Furthermore, the security solutions offered by companies play an important role in defining enterprise mobility strategies. The challenges that are arising between the best possible user and productivity is increasing the demand of enterprise mobility security.



Enterprise Mobility Security Market Segmentation:

by End Users (Banking/Insurance, Healthcare, IT & Telecom, Government), Device (Smartphones, Laptops, Tablets), Deployment (Cloud, On-premises), Software (Mobile Device Management, Mobile Content Management), Security (Device security, Network security, Identity and Access Management)



Market Drivers:

- Changing Workforce Management

- Need to Improve Decision Making Speed of Enterprises

-



Market Trends:

- Bring your own Device is leading to Adoption of Security Systems

- Adoption of Cloud Infrastructure

-



Market Challenges:

- Unable to Switch Vendor Owing to Compliance Related Issues



Market Opportunities:

- Increasing Adoption of Cloud Based Technology

- Growing Demand for Digital Advancements across Enterprise Infrastructure

-



Competitive Landscape:

Mergers & Acquisitions, Agreements & Collaborations, New Product Developments & Launches, Business overview & Product Specification for each player listed in the study.



For Early Buyers | Get Up to 20% Discount on This Premium @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/71639-global-enterprise-mobility-security-market-1



Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.



In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Enterprise Mobility Security Market are as follows:

History Year: 2013-2017

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2020

Forecast Year 2020 to 2025



What benefits does AMA research studies provides?

- Supporting company financial and cash flow planning

- Open up New Markets

- To Seize powerful market opportunities

- Key decision in planning and to further expand market share

- Identify Key Business Segments, Market proposition & Gap Analysis

- Assisting in allocating marketing investments



Get More Information: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/71639-global-enterprise-mobility-security-market-1



Key questions answered

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Enterprise Mobility Security market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Enterprise Mobility Security market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Enterprise Mobility Security market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

**Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.



Completely, this report will give you an undeniable point of view on each and every truth of the market without a need to suggest some other research report or a data source. Our report will give every one of you the real factors about the past, present, and possible destiny of the concerned Market.

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
Jerusalem: The death toll in Palestine due to Israeli airstrikes has reached 188 as the conflict entered its seventh day on Sunday.

Among those killed were 55 children, the the Gaza Health Ministry said.

Another 1,230 Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli attacks, reported The Times of Israel citing the ministry.



According to the Israeli military, most of those killed in Gaza since the start of the current round of violence were either members of terror groups or were killed by errant Palestinian rockets.

On the other hand, more than 2,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israel since Monday, killing 10 people in the Jewish nation, including an Indian national, The Times of Israel reported citing the country's military.

This comes as Israel launched the latest round of airstrikes on Gaza earlier on Sunday, which have killed 33 Palestinians including two toddlers, while numerous buildings were destroyed.

Palestinian doctor Ahmad Abu al-Aouf, who served as director of internal medicine at Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital, was reportedly killed in the bombing.

Israeli officials have, however, indicated that a ceasefire could be coming after mounting pressure from United States President Joe Biden and other American lawmakers following the recent airstrikes on Gaza that have killed over 20 Palestinians and destroyed several buildings, reported The Times of Israel.

Senior Israeli officials told local media, ahead of a security cabinet meeting today, that calls for de-escalation are being heard and the Jewish country will move towards a ceasefire now that a number of military objectives have been accomplished against Hamas, as well as in response to the mounting international pressure.

The situation on the border between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip has been deteriorating for the last week.

Earlier this month, the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict started when the unrest began in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area.

A day before, Israeli warplanes on Saturday destroyed a building in Gaza City with offices of various media groups, including Al Jazeera and the American Associated Press.

Al-Jala Tower is the fourth multi-storey building targeted by Israeli warplanes since Monday, reported Anadolu News Agency.

The offices of Mayadeen Company for media services, radio station of Voice of Prisoners, and Doha Media Center were among the media offices destroyed by the shelling.


London, May 17 (IANS) Israel-based researchers have found an online market of fake vaccine and test certificates with over 1,200 vendors in the UK and worldwide on dark web and on instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram and Jabber. The vendors on these platforms sell false documents for $25, the media reported.

Researchers from the cybersecurity firm Check Point found evidence of forgeries of vaccine cards issued by the UK National Health Service and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fake test certificates and products claimed to be Covid vaccines, the Guardian reported on Sunday.

From about 20 dark web vendors in November last year, the number grew to 600 in January and more than 1,200 by March, the researchers found.

The majority of people caught in the UK with fake negative Covid test certificates were from poorer nations, including African, South American and Asian countries, a Border Force official was quoted as saying to the Guardian.

Besides, anti-vaxxers -- individuals who refuse to take the vaccine on the grounds of baseless conspiracy theories and spread dangerous disinformation - also buy the forged certificates, Liad Mizrachi, senior researcher at Check Point, said.

The researchers noted that in the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, darknet produced the masks, the protective equipment, and later drugs were also on sale. Initially the Chinese-made Sinovac and Russian-produced Sputnik jabs were offered, later Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were also offered in the darknet.

"As at March, vendors were supplying from all the countries in Europe -- Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden a (plus) Mexico, Australia," said Oded Vanunu, head of product vulnerability research at Check Point.

"After vaccinations, the next step was the certificates and negative tests," he added.

The researchers said individuals who proudly post images of themselves holding the cards on social media unwittingly provide the source for forgeries. Without an official global database recording individuals' vaccination status, the system will be open to fakes and forgery, Vanunu said.

--IANS

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The Pakistan Meteorological Department on Sunday issued the sixth consecutive alert for the cyclone, poised to affect part of the Sindh province, especially its coastal areas with heavy rainfall and gusty winds, reports Xinhua news agency.

Karachi, May 17 (IANS) Authorities in Pakistan's Sindh province have adopted a high alert mode after the country's meteorological department issued warnings over cyclone Tauktae.

According to the alert, the cyclone has intensified into a "very severe cyclonic storm" and lay centres near 15.3 degrees north latitude and 72.5 degrees east longitude, at a distance of about 1,210 km south-southeast of Karachi.

"Maximum sustained winds around the system center are 100-120 kph gusting to 140 kph," said the alert, adding that the system is likely to move further northwestward and reach the Indian state of Gujarat by Tuesday morning.

The Department said in an alert issued Saturday night that "based on the existing meteorological conditions, dust/thunderstorm-rain with few moderate to heavy falls with gusty winds of 60-80 kph" are likely to occur in different parts of Sindh, especially its coastal areas.

Fishermen have also been advised not to venture in the sea till May 20 because the sea conditions will be rough to very rough.

In a separate notification, the department has also issued a heatwave warning for Karachi until Monday forecasting the rise in temperature to 42 degrees Celsius.

Following the alerts, Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah had declared an emergency in all districts located along the coastal belt.

Local authorities in Karachi have started removing all billboards and safeguarding under-construction buildings besides cleaning drains and making alternate arrangements for accommodation.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi has also asked the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency to deploy fast response boats to track and guide all fishing vessels back towards the shore especially in the eastern sector.

--IANS

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In an announcement on Sunday, the Interior Ministry announced that May 17 will mark the full opening of all borders -- air, land and sea, reports Xinhua news agency.

Riyadh, May 17 (IANS) Saudi Arabia will lift the travel ban which was imposed last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic from Monday, with authorities saying that they were ready to operate international flights at full capacity.

The Kingdom will allow people who received Covid-19 vaccines to travel along with those who recovered from infection in less than six months, it said.

Citizens below 18 can travel if they have health insurance policy that covers coronavirus-related risks.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will impose institutional quarantine on arriving passengers starting from May 20, the Ministry announcemed.

The decision was based on the recommendations by the competent health authorities.

Some categories of passengers will be excluded from the quarantine, including Saudi citizens, their spouses and children.

Along with passengers who received Covid-19 vaccines, official delegations, as well as diplomats and their families residing with them will also be excluded from the institutional quarantine.

But the excluded categories, except for the vaccinated individuals, will be required to undergo home quarantine, with an emphasis on the need to obtain a valid health insurance policy to cover the risks of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian Airlines said in a statement that it has completed preparations to operate flights to 71 destinations from 95 airports, including 28 domestic and 43 international destinations, reports Arab News.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation said that around 385 flights are expected to operate throughout the Kingdom's airports on Monday.

The Interior Ministry however, added that said travel to a number of Covid-affected countries, directly or via another nation, is still banned without prior permission.

The countries are India, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Belarus.

--IANS

ksk/
Footwear manufacturer Bata India names Gunjan Shah, the former chief commercial officer of Britannia Industries, as its new CEO. Gunjan would now take over from Sandeep Kataria, who was elevated as the Global CEO of Bata Brands in November last year. Gunjan Shah is expected to join Bata in June 2021 and be based in Gurugram. He is expected to lead the brand's operations in India, according to a statement released by Bata India.

Sandeep Kataria, Global CEO, Bata Brands, states, India has always been a significant market for us from a global perspective. A dynamic leader like Gunjan will spearhead the company's operations in India and given his extensive experience and track record, I am confident that he will take the Bata brand to even greater heights and deliver strong growth.



Before moving to Britannia in 2007, Shah worked with brands such as Asian Paints and Motorola. An alumnus of IIM Kolkata, he has experience working across varied sectors such as consumer durables, telecom, and FMCG.

Gunjan Shah says, "I am excited about the journey ahead. As an iconic brand, Bata has become an integral part of the Indian fabric. I realize that I have big shoes to fill in and I am thrilled about working with the talented & experienced Bata team. I look forward to building on the legacy of my predecessors in taking the Bata brand to new heights."

Gunjan has held crucial position in mounting the Britannia business and has led numerous of the firm's business divisions for over a decade. It is these decades of deep proficiency and his considerate of the complex Indian market and its nuances that Gunjan would bring in his new role at Bata India.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2021 -- The Asia-Pacific Smart Hospital Market outlook survey highlights the dynamics at play in each of the subsegments of Smart Hospital Industry to better elaborate current state, emerging trends and potential areas of focus. Discerning stakeholders in the Smart Hospital market will be able to use this study to evaluate opportunities and challenges in the context of an increasingly complex healthcare and life sciences marketplace. To understand big picture lot of industry players were analysed and some of them are Microsoft, GE Healthcare, Qualcomm Life, Philips, SAP, Siemens, Medtronic, STANLEY Healthcare, Cerner Corporation, Honeywell Life Care Solution etc.



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Summary

Asia-Pacific smart hospital market 2021-2026



Being the fastest growing region, Asia-Pacific has the major concern about medical services. The smart hospital brings the medical treatments in comparatively cheap expenses in the long run. The Asia-Pacific region has the potential to grow in smart hospital market, having a lot of companies and hospitals taking initiatives to install e-Health concept in their services. According to Research, the Asia-Pacific smart hospital market is expected to have a significant compound annual growth rate of 28.40% and reach a market size of USD 14.59 Bn by 2023.

The increased use of mobile devices in the Asia-Pacific region has caused the growth of the market. It helps them to stay connected to the doctors on a real time basis and the patient's health can be monitored quickly. Tele-consultation have become popular in countries like China and India, having a huge population and comparatively less number of doctors. It is easier for doctors to follow up and remotely supervise patients using the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) which is growing in this region. Also, countries like India and Taiwan are becoming popular in Europe, North America and rest of the world for outbound medical tourism because of affordable medical expenses.



The Asia-Pacific smart hospital market is bifurcated on the basis of product (smart pills, mHealth, telemedicine, electronic health record and others), application (remote medicine management, electronic health record and clinical workflow, outpatient vigilance, medical connected imaging and medical assistance), artificial intelligence (offering and technology). The technologies used are AI, cloud computing, radio frequencies identification, wearable technologies, zigbee technologies, IoT and others. This region includes Japan, China, India and South Korea as majorly contributing countries.



Key growth factors



In the Asia-Pacific region, due to the collaborative working of the government and the private organizations, the smart hospital implementation has become easier. As the mobile devices have become popular, execution of IoT is at its peak. The concept of smart city is pushing the need for having smart hospitals and similar infrastructure in developing countries like India.



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Threats and key players



As many countries in this region are in the stage of development, the smart hospital concept is still unaffordable for them. Also, cyber-security is one of the major issues to be concerned about. Cyber-attack is a major threat to smart hospitals.

The major players in the smart hospital market are Microsoft, GE Healthcare, Qualcomm Life, Philips, SAP, Siemens, Medtronic, STANLEY Healthcare, Cerner Corporation, Honeywell Life Care Solution etc.



What's covered in the report?



1. Overview of the Asia-Pacific smart hospital market.

2. Historical, current and forecasted market size data for smart pills, mHealth, telemedicine, electronic health record and others.

3. Historical, current and forecasted market size data for remote medicine management, electronic health record and clinical workflow, outpatient vigilance, medical connected imaging and medical assistance.

4. Historical, current and forecasted market size data for offering and technology.

5. Historical, current and forecasted country wise (Japan, China, India and South Korea) market size data for Japan, China, India and South Korea smart hospital market segmentations by product (smart pills, mHealth, telemedicine, electronic health record and others), by application (remote medicine management, electronic health record and clinical workflow, outpatient vigilance, medical connected imaging and medical assistance), by artificial intelligence (offering and technology).

6. Market trends in the Asia-Pacific smart hospital market.

7. Qualitative analysis of the key drivers and challenges affecting the Asia-Pacific smart hospital market and its segments by product (smart pills, mHealth, telemedicine, electronic health record and others), by application (remote medicine management, electronic health record and clinical workflow, outpatient vigilance, medical connected imaging and medical assistance), by artificial intelligence (offering and technology)

8. Analysis of the competitive landscape and profiles of major players operating in the market



Why buy?



1. Get a broad understanding of the Asia-Pacific smart hospital market.

2. Get country-specific market size and observations for the Asia-Pacific smart hospital market and its segments by product (smart pills, mHealth, telemedicine, electronic health record and others), by application (remote medicine management, electronic health record and clinical workflow, outpatient vigilance, medical connected imaging and medical assistance), by artificial intelligence (offering and technology)

3. Get specific trends, drivers and challenges for the Asia-Pacific smart hospital market and its segments by product (smart pills, mHealth, telemedicine, electronic health record and others), by application (remote medicine management, electronic health record and clinical workflow, outpatient vigilance, medical connected imaging and medical assistance), by artificial intelligence (offering and technology)

4. Recognize major competitors' business and market dynamics, and respond accordingly



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Chapter 1: Executive summary



1.1. Market scope and segmentation

1.2. Key questions answered

1.3. Executive summary



Chapter 2: Asia-Pacific smart hospital market - overview



2.1. Asia-Pacific market overview - market trends, drivers and challenges, market attractiveness analysis, market revenue (USD Bn)

2.2. Value chain analysis

2.3. Porter's five forces analysis

2.4. Market size - by product (smart pills, mHealth, telemedicine, electronic health record and others)

2.4. a. Revenue from smart pills - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.4. b. Revenue from mHealth - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.4. c. Revenue from telemedicine - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.4. d. Revenue from electronic health record - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.4. e. Revenue from others - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.5. Market size - by application (remote medicine management, electronic health record and clinical workflow, outpatient vigilance, medical connected imaging and medical assistance)

2.5. a. Revenue from remote medicine management - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.5. b. Revenue from electronic health record and clinical workflow - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.5. c. Revenue from outpatient vigilance - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.5. c. Revenue from medical connected imaging - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.5. c. Revenue from medical assistance - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.6. Market size - by artificial Intelligence (offering and technology)

2.6. a. Revenue from offering - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations

2.6. b. Revenue from technology - Historical (2015-2017) and forecasted 2021-2026 market size (USD Bn), key observations



Chapter 3: Asia-Pacific smart hospital market  by countries



3.1. China

3.1.1. China market overview - market trends, market drivers and challenges, market attractiveness analysis,



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Thanks for reading Smart Hospital Industry research publication; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like USA, China, Southeast Asia, LATAM, APAC etc.
An expert team from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday visited Vedanta Ltd's copper smelter plant Sterlite Copper and suggested measures to set right the technical snag that halted oxygen production, the company said.

Oxygen production at Sterlite Copper located in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu was stopped on Friday due to a technical snag.

According to Vedanta, an expert team from ISRO came to the smelter plant to support the ongoing efforts and collaborate with the company's technical team.

"They have suggested some measures to help rectify the production snag. This has helped fastrack the repair process for which we are thankful to the local administration, who was instrumental in facilitating this cooperative effort to recommence our oxygen production," Vedanta said.

On Friday the company said a technical snag had developed in the cold box in the oxygen plant, leading to a temporary pause in production.

"The possibility of minor technical fluctuations was anticipated given that the plant has been unattended for three years," the company said in a statement.

On Thursday the company said one of its oxygen plants commenced production from May 12.

"The first tanker carrying 4.8 tons of liquid oxygen is going to Tirunelveli/Thoothukudi. We will be dispatching two oxygen tankers on a daily basis to begin with, and gradually scale this up as we expand production," Vedanta had said.

Vedanta had earlier said it has about 1,050 ton oxygen plant at Sterlite Copper and it is committed to make the entire capacity available for producing medical grade oxygen.

The company had approached the Supreme Court to allow it to protect and maintain its important assets in the smelter plant and permit it to produce 1,050 tonnes of oxygen and supply freely to nearby hospitals and to other states.

The Tamil Nadu government had ordered the closure of the copper smelter plant in 2018 following a violent protest that led to the death of 13 persons in police firing.

The 400,000 ton Sterlite copper smelter plant that has been operating in Thoothukudi for over 25 years with a cumulative investment of about Rs 3,000 crore.
A few weeks ago, Organicell Regenerative Medicine published some really big news. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which is dedicated to the development of regenerative therapies, has been testing its Zofin in India on Covid 19 patients, and the first 10 had positive reactions. CWI India is also a part of this trial.

What happened?

Given that the first ten patients all recovered from their symptoms and have been discharged from the hospital they plan to expand the trial on additional six five patients with moderate to severe symptoms.

The treatments are expected to be completed by the end of June 2021, and if they continue to have positive results Organicell and CWI India, intend to file with the ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) for Emergency Use Approval to use Zofin in India as a therapeutic for treating COVID-19.

Zofin is obtained from perinatal sources. It is manufactured to preserve naturally occurring microRNAs, without adding any other substance or diluent. The therapeutic contains over 300 growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines, along with other extracellular vesicles/nanoparticles obtained from perinatal tissues. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase I/II randomised, double blinded, placebo trial.

Organicell is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the referral of cellular therapies for treating neurodegenerative, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions for patients across the world. Based in South Florida, the company was founded in 2008 by Albert Mitrani, Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Mari Mitrani, Chief Scientific Officer.

Since the trial yielded positive results, it should come as no surprise why doctors are so excited about using Zofin. This is especially important given the COVID-19 outbreak in India doesnt seem to be subsiding. With over 350,000 new COVID infections and over 2,500 deaths per day, India holds the world record.

The explosive spread of COVID-19 in India, and the lack of treatment that is available to help these millions of people is quite alarming and tragic. We are hopeful that Zofin can continue to help these patients, and we will do everything we can to expedite this process, said Albert Mitrani, CEO of Organicell.

We are very encouraged with the results shown by patients using Zofin and are hopeful that the remaining trial patients will show similar results. These trials could set the stage for a very quick Emergency Use Approval to be able to use Zofin for all of our patients, added Dr. Matthew Roshan of CWI India.

How did the stock react?

As one can expect from a biotech company that just released positive results of their treatment, shares of Organicell absolutely exploded at the end of April. The stock went from about $0.05 per share to trade above the $0.60 per share just a day later.

Positive catalysts like this are exactly why some traders watch these penny stocks and closely monitor developments related to their companies as any positive event results in a sharp move higher.

Ultimately, the Organicell stock closed over 530% higher in April before rotating lower on profit-taking. The stock price action is now moving lower to trade near the $0.22 handle.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to mask up in nearly all situations come Wednesday, it has been left up to individual businesses if they will drop the mandate for those who have gotten the coronavirus (COVID-19) shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines last week, stating that fully vaccinated persons would no longer need to wear masks indoor or outdoors regardless of crowd size. Since then, politicians and residents alike have been calling on the governor to adopt the updated guidelines for New York state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the state would begin adopting this policy Wednesday.

If you are vaccinated, you are safe. No masks, no social distancing, Cuomo said, adding that businesses and private locations are able to keep the mask requirement if they choose, but it is no longer a state mandate.

Most chains that have announced they will lift mask mandates for vaccinated people said they wont be asking for proof of the COVID-19 shot, but hope people will be honest.

Here are five chain stores that have already announced they will abide by the new CDC guidelines allowing vaccinated people to not wear masks.

Target: Target announced Monday that it will no longer require fully vaccinated customers and employees to wear face coverings in its stores, except where its required by local ordinances. Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated, and well continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores, said the company in a statement.

Starbucks: The popular coffee chain also The popular coffee chain also lifted its mask requirements on Monday for those who are vaccinated. ...facial coverings will be optional for vaccinated customers beginning Monday, May 17, unless local regulations require them by law, said the company on its website.

Costco: As of May 14, Costco announced it would be modifying its policy regarding face coverings in some U.S. Costco locations. As of May 14, Costco announced it would be modifying its policy regarding face coverings in some U.S. Costco locations. Craig Jelinek, president and CEO Costco Wholesale, stated on the company website that Costco will not require proof of vaccination, but we ask for members responsible and respectful cooperation with this revised policy. Face coverings will still be required in health-care settings, including Pharmacy, Optical, Hearing Aid. Costco continues to recommend that all members and guests, especially those who are at higher risk, wear a mask or shield.

Trader Joes: The supermarket retailer The supermarket retailer was among the first chains to announce it would follow the CDCs guidance, according to published reports. But the company noted that store employees would still be mandated to wear a mask.

Walmart: The company The company said in a blog post it would be easing mask restrictions based on the CDC guidance. Vaccinated customers and members are welcome to shop without a mask, and we will continue to request that non-vaccinated customers and members wear face coverings in our stores and clubs. We will update the signage in our facilities to reflect this, the company stated.

NEW MASK GUIDANCE

The new guidance will still call for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.

The new CDC guidance comes as the aggressive U.S. vaccination campaign begins to pay off.

U.S. virus cases are at their lowest rate since September, deaths are at their lowest point since last April and the test positivity rate is at the lowest point since the pandemic began.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to mask up in nearly all situations according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC updated its guidelines last week stating that fully vaccinated persons would no longer need to wear masks both in- and outdoors regardless of crowd size. Since then, politicians and residents alike have been calling on the governor to adopt the updated guidelines for New York state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the state would begin adopting this policy Wednesday.

If you are vaccinated, you are safe. No masks, no social distancing, Cuomo said, adding that businesses and private locations are able to keep the mask requirement if they choose but it is no longer a state mandate.

The new guidance will still call for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but could ease restrictions for reopening workplaces, schools, and other venues  even removing the need for masks or social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.

The new guidance comes as the aggressive U.S. vaccination campaign begins to pay off. U.S. virus cases are at their lowest rate since September, deaths are at their lowest point since last April and the test positivity rate is at the lowest point since the pandemic began.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said, Probably the most important thing that businesses could do right now, is to work to ensure that its easy for their own employees to get vaccinated, and to give them the time that they need so that they can make those appointments and get themselves vaccinated so those people in those businesses are safe.

Walensky said people will have to be honest with themselves about their vaccination status.

If they are vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are safe. If they are not vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are not safe, said Walensky on NBCs Meet the Press, which aired Sunday.

I expect there are going to be a lot of people who are not just going to flick a switch and be done with this, Cuomo continued. I think theres going to be lingering concern. I think youre going to see a lot of people wearing masks going forward.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed new mask-wearing guidance that signaled fully vaccinated people could safely stop wearing masks in most situations, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the agency, said people will have to be honest with themselves when deciding when to wear a mask.

We are asking people to be honest with themselves, said Walensky on NBCs Meet the Press, which aired Sunday. If they are vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are safe. If they are not vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are not safe.

The new CDC guidance indicates that people still need to wear masks if they are not vaccinated and also calls for face coverings in crowded indoor settings, including buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.

The surprising shift in CDC guidance, which came just after Walensky defended the decision to keep mask-wearing guidelines in place for vaccinated people, has caused widespread confusion as some states have moved to begin lifting mask mandates.

Questions have also been raised concerning how businesses can confidently be sure people going without a mask have been vaccinated.

Probably the most important thing that businesses could do right now, is to work to ensure that its easy for their own employees to get vaccinated, and to give them the time that they need so that they can make those appointments and get themselves vaccinated so those people in those businesses are safe, said Walensky.

She acknowledged Sunday that mask mandates are decided by localities, not the federal government. That is going to be locally driven and not federally driven, she said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously said the state is reviewing the latest CDC guidelines before making a decision on changing guidelines for New York.

And, despite the shift in guidance, Walensky said, theres no need for everybody to start ripping off their masks.

We have been told for 16 months to keep ourselves and our family safe by putting a mask on, she said. Those behaviors are going to be really hard to change, and there is no mandate to take it off.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said on CBSs Face the Nation that vaccines currently granted emergency use authorization have shown real-world effectiveness.

Theres been an accumulation of data showing the real world effectiveness of the vaccines, said Fauci. Its even better than in the clinical trials, well over 90% protecting you against the disease.

Still, some have pushed back against the CDCs guidance.

National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the United States, released a statement Friday condemning the move, saying, This newest CDC guidance is not based on science, does not protect public health, and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country.

CDC data indicates that 47.2% of adults in the U.S. are considered fully vaccinated, with 59.8% of people 18-years and older having received at least one dose. Borough officials have expressed concerns over diminishing vaccination rates that could widen the possibility of another surge later this year.

COVID-19 has killed more than 585,000 people in the U.S. as of Sunday afternoon, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University, and Staten Islands suspected death toll recently surpassed 1,800.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y  A 31-year-old man had heroin in his pants when he was caught joyriding a couple of blocks from his home in Great Kills, authorities allege.

Robert Vignapiano of Fieldway Avenue was apprehended behind the wheel of a white 2008 Toyota Avalon on May 12 at about 9 p.m. at the intersection of OGorman Avenue and Keegans Lane, according to the criminal complaint and police.

Police recovered 24 glassine envelopes of heroin and a plastic bag containing methamphetamine from his pants pocket, the complaint alleges.

The suspect allegedly did not have permission to drive the car, which was owned by a woman known to him, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

The woman reported to police that Vignapiano punched her multiple times on the hand and shoulder, causing bruising and swelling, several days before he was arrested in her car, the complaint states.

Keegans Lane and O'Gorman Avenue in Great Kills. (Google Maps)

The suspect has been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, criminal possession of stolen property for the motor vehicle, criminal possession of a controlled substance, unauthorized use of a vehicle, assault and harassment.

Vignapiano has been released under supervision and a temporary order of protection has been issued for the alleged victim.

He is scheduled to appear in Criminal Court on Aug. 13.

Mark Geisser, an attorney for the defendant, declined to comment.



RELATED COVERAGE: Crime on Staten Island
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 21-year-old man walked into Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) in West Brighton Sunday night with stab wounds, according to police.

The man told police he was stabbed in the vicinity of Walker Street, according to an NYPD spokesman, but the circumstances surrounding the incident were not immediately clear.

The victim suffered stab wounds to the arm and leg, police said, and is considered to be in stable condition.

Emergency radio transmissions indicated the man walked into RUMC around 8 p.m.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Prospective students applying for a City University of New York (CUNY) college wont be required to submit SAT or ACT exam scores to be admitted through the spring of 2023, according to a recent report by The New York Post.

The Post reported that CUNY would temporarily remove the entrance exam requirement for students applying to CUNY colleges, which includes the College of Staten Island (CSI) in Willowbrook, under a proposal that will be voted on by CUNYs board on May 24.

According to the board resolution, the suspension should be extended due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that continues to pose a threat to the continuity of business and education, challenge prospective students to effectively plan, and has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable communities in the City, the Post reported.

The city Department of Education (DOE), the media outlet reported, asked for an extension of the suspension of required SAT and ACT exam scores because of the negative impact the pandemic has had on students taking these college entrance tests.

A DOE spokesperson told The Post that the agency in February supported CUNYs temporary extension of the testing suspension for the 2021-2022 school year because high schools were fully remote at the time. With a full reopening slated for September, the DOE told the media outlet its evaluating what makes sense for 2022-23 and beyond.

CUNY said it plans to maintain its admissions standard through different practices like more information from high school transcripts, with a focus on performance in key subjects and expanded use of student essays and letters of recommendation, according to the resolution, The New York Port reported.

According to FairTest: the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, at least 1,400 four-year colleges and universities in the United States wont require the SAT or ACT college entrance exams for fall 2022.

Thats more than 60% of the 2,330 undergraduate colleges across the country.

You can see the list here of bachelor-degree granting institutions that dont require recent high school graduates applying to school for fall 2022 to submit ACT and SAT results. Some schools only exempt students who meet minimum grade or class rank criteria, while others use test scores solely for placement purposes.

You should check with your prospective schools admissions office for more information.

School Zone: A new newsletter with the updates you need as our schools try to get back to normal. Enter your email address here and hit "subscribe" to receive this weekly newsletter:



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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York City is adding 11 public schools certified to serve meals as part of the city Department of Education (DOE) halal in schools pilot program, bringing the total to 43 schools across the five boroughs, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter announced Monday.

The additional schools offering halal options were certified by the imams working with Majlis Ash-Shura, Islamic Leadership Council of New York.

As we come off the holy month of Ramadan, I am excited to celebrate the expansion of our program that certifies public school kitchens to serve halal meals, said Porter. Our incredible food service team continues to find ways to innovate and provide our students with healthy, nutritious and culturally responsive meals, and Im proud we are able to expand our meal service to meet the needs of even more observant students across the city.

The expansion builds on an in-school halal meal service pilot program that was launched during the 2019-2020 school year in 32 schools across the city. It was launched in partnership with the New York City Council to provide meals in the schools and neighborhoods with high demand for halal meals.

The 11-school expansion announced Monday did not include any additional schools on Staten Island.

Three schools on Staten Island currently offer halal meals, including: Curtis High School in St. George; PS 22 in Graniteville; CSI High School for International Studies in New Springville.

To offer halal service in DOE kitchens, the Office of Food & Nutrition Services (OFNS) menus and products were reviewed and identified by a panel of imams hired by the halal consultant Ash-Shura. Each school offering these options was inspected and certified by imams, and kitchen staff members were trained to prepare food in compliance with halal rules.

These steps are taken in close collaboration with the imams and the DOEs halal consultant to ensure that standards are met.

At the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the DOE opened over 500 Meal Hub locations across the city -- all of those sites served halal meals.

During last years holy month of Ramadan, OFNS expanded operations to meet the needs of observant New Yorkers in areas with high demand. The schools included in the expansion will serve takeout meals to both students and the general public, and provide ongoing halal meal service to students beyond emergency meal service.

More information on how to access halal meals can be found at schools.nyc.gov/FreeMeals.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  With sunshine and balmy weather as a backdrop, the Forest Avenue Stroll served as a day for catching up between sampling West Brighton eats. Attendees could walk between Jodys Club Forest at Oakwood Avenue to Pastosa Ravioli near Broadway with food and drink along the way.

The Forest Avenue Stroll featured foods from various cuisines and genres. Cafe Milano offered pizza and pasta. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

The event attracted several hundred revelers, according to a rep from the Forest Avenue Business Improvement District (BID). The family-friendly event saw a few new businesses open, such as Northside Coffee. Co-owner Juan Becerra set out two yellow bar stools to welcome guests to a free cup of Joe. He said the gourmet shops grand opening day is May 30 and a jazz band will play to celebrate.

The former Fab Cup is now Northside Coffee and is open for business. (Courtesy of Juan Becerra)Pamela Silvestri

The On Your Mark crew stood outside the store to share smiles with passersby. The cafe is staffed by special needs Staten Islanders and recently reopened with hours as 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. The new manager of the location is John Djonbalaj. There is no official opening date yet set for On Your Marks chocolate operation.

Better Health Gourmet offered a spinning wheel for giveaways and The Mustard Seed presented their signature breakfast empanadas and lavender lemonade. These two operations normally do not open on a Sunday.

The Mustard Seed is a Christian cafe normally closed on Sundays. But on this day they offered empanadas and lemonade. (Courtesy of Vanessa Alayon)Pamela Silvestri

Food ran the gamut on cuisines. HoBrah served guacamole with plaintain chips, Santinos Deli little hot dogs and Sallys Southern mac n cheese. On the same block Beans n Leaves presented a fruity tea, Baya Bar shots of ginger and citrus juices and Cafe Milano its pasta and signature New York slices. Panini Grill offered tastes of pizza and the news that its expanding next door.

Sally's Southern served beverages and mac 'n' cheese. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Pastosas Vincent DAntuono personally handed strollers miniature mozzarella balls. The freshly made cheese was custom-made for the day and shared in a gift bag with bread sticks plus a coupon for one pound of cavatelli.

Pastosa's staff and owner Vincent D'Antuono presented passersby with fresh mozzarella and a special gift bag. (Courtesy of Pastosa)Pamela Silvestri

The Forest Avenue BID Spring Stroll was a success. The weather was beautiful and it was great to see families strolling up and down the district, enthused Nina Flores, Executive Director of the Forest Avenue BID.

She said, The small businesses were happy to be outside, promoting their businesses and meeting new customers. Thank you to the merchants and all whove participated. By supporting local small businesses you are contributing to our local economy and supporting local jobs.

The scene at Gateway Arms (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Community activist Neil Anastasio and his fellow volunteers from the Forest Regional Residents Civic Association (FRRCA) parked a table in front of CVS at Bard Avenue. They encouraged drivers to honk to say hello.

Anastasio talked up the recent projects of FRRCA like the annual Litter Walk which happened earlier this month.

Honk for Forest Avenue folks! The Forest Regional Residents Civic Association (FRRCA) set up a table to encourage community activities like a "Litter Walk." (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

He shared, The focus of the community event is to pick up litter along the Forest Avenue and Castleton avenue corridor as well as surrounding residential blocks. Over 50 community-minded individuals participated including Girl Scouts, elementary and high school students as well as local political figures. He said he was thankful for the Department of Sanitations help in the neighborhood.

He encouraged other communities to do as West Brighton does on such efforts. He said, Just get some folks together, contact DSNY, and pick up supplies they provide free of charge. Its really easy and it is a great way to meet neighbors while keeping YOUR community cleaner.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.

Outside with Gateway Arms on Forest Avenue. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Beans 'n' Leaves outside its recently expanded coffee shop. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Communion dresses and pretty outfits are on display at Country Mouse. The store served cookies and juice at the stroll. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Baya Bar presented juices and smoothies as shots. (Courtesy of Priscilla Marco)Pamela Silvestri

Santino's served hot dogs. (Courtesy of Priscilla Marco)Pamela Silvestri

Ho'Brah dished out California-Tex Mex eats. (Courtesy of Priscilla Marco)Pamela Silvestri
Salk researchers and collaborators show how the protein damages cells, confirming COVID-19 as a primarily vascular disease

The following statement issued by the Salk Institute

Scientists have known for a while that SARS-CoV-2s distinctive spike proteins help the virus infect its host by latching on to healthy cells. Now, a major new study shows that the virus spike proteins (which behave very differently than those safely encoded by vaccines) also play a key role in the disease itself.

The paper, published on April 30, 2021, in Circulation Research, also shows conclusively that COVID-19 is a vascular disease, demonstrating exactly how the SARS-CoV-2 virus damages and attacks the vascular system on a cellular level. The findings help explain COVID-19s wide variety of seemingly unconnected complications, and could open the door for new research into more effective therapies.





Representative images of vascular endothelial control cells (left) and cells treated with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (right) show that the spike protein causes increased mitochondrial fragmentation in vascular cells. Credit: Salk Institute

A lot of people think of it as a respiratory disease, but its really a vascular disease, says Assistant Research Professor Uri Manor, who is co-senior author of the study. That could explain why some people have strokes, and why some people have issues in other parts of the body. The commonality between them is that they all have vascular underpinnings.

Salk researchers collaborated with scientists at the University of California San Diego on the paper, including co-first author Jiao Zhang and co-senior author John Shyy, among others.

While the findings themselves arent entirely a surprise, the paper provides clear confirmation and a detailed explanation of the mechanism through which the protein damages vascular cells for the first time. Theres been a growing consensus that SARS-CoV-2 affects the vascular system, but exactly how it did so was not understood. Similarly, scientists studying other coronaviruses have long suspected that the spike protein contributed to damaging vascular endothelial cells, but this is the first time the process has been documented.

In the new study, the researchers created a pseudovirus that was surrounded by SARS-CoV-2 classic crown of spike proteins, but did not contain any actual virus. Exposure to this pseudovirus resulted in damage to the lungs and arteries of an animal modelproving that the spike protein alone was enough to cause disease. Tissue samples showed inflammation in endothelial cells lining the pulmonary artery walls.

The team then replicated this process in the lab, exposing healthy endothelial cells (which line arteries) to the spike protein. They showed that the spike protein damaged the cells by binding ACE2. This binding disrupted ACE2s molecular signaling to mitochondria (organelles that generate energy for cells), causing the mitochondria to become damaged and fragmented.

Previous studies have shown a similar effect when cells were exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but this is the first study to show that the damage occurs when cells are exposed to the spike protein on its own.

If you remove the replicating capabilities of the virus, it still has a major damaging effect on the vascular cells, simply by virtue of its ability to bind to this ACE2 receptor, the S protein receptor, now famous thanks to COVID, Manor explains. Further studies with mutant spike proteins will also provide new insight towards the infectivity and severity of mutant SARS CoV-2 viruses.

The researchers next hope to take a closer look at the mechanism by which the disrupted ACE2 protein damages mitochondria and causes them to change shape.

Other authors on the study are Yuyang Lei and Zu-Yi Yuan of Jiaotong University in Xian, China; Cara R. Schiavon, Leonardo Andrade, and Gerald S. Shadel of Salk; Ming He, Hui Shen, Yichi Zhang, Yoshitake Cho, Mark Hepokoski, Jason X.-J. Yuan, Atul Malhotra, Jin Zhang of the University of California San Diego; Lili Chen, Qian Yin, Ting Lei, Hongliang Wang and Shengpeng Wang of Xian Jiatong University Health Science Center in Xian, China.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shaanxi Natural Science Fund, the National Key Research and Development Program, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xian Jiaotong University; and Xian Jiaotong University.
Word is Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is bowing out of Jersey Shore  and hes listed his own mental health as the reason, according to the New York Posts Page Six. Ronnie Ortiz-Magro stepping away from Jersey Shore over mental health (pagesix.com)

After talking to the team at MTV, we have mutually agreed that I will step away from the show while I seek medical treatment for mental health issues that Ive ignored for too long, he wrote via his Instagram account.

Ortiz-Magro says his number one priority right now, is facing his struggles head on, getting healthy and being the best man and the best father that he can be for his daughter, Ariana, 3.

Ortiz-Magro, 35, made the announcement the very same day it was revealed hes dodged charges related to an April arrest for alleged domestic violence.

But he still remains on a three-year probation related to a 2019 DV charge tied to his ex, Jen Harley, with whom he shares their 3-year-old daughter.

We are very happy that after further investigation both the LA County District Attorneys office and the LA City Attorneys office determined that criminal charges were not warranted against Ronnie related to the incident that occurred in April, his lawyers said in a statement issued to People Magazine. The charge had previously been downgraded from a felony to a potential misdemeanor.

Thursdays statement was the second time the Jersey Shore star mentioned his mental health as of late.

Last week, he posted an unsourced quote to his Instagram account that read Its okay to feel unstable. Its okay to disassociate. Its okay to hide from the world. Its okay to need help. Its okay to not be okay. Your mental illness is not a personal failure.

Ronnie and I are fine, said Saffire Matos, Ortiz-Magros current flame, via Instagram in April.

There is a lot of misleading information floating around out there. With anybody who reached out with concern I appreciate it with all my heart, but everything thats being portrayed out there are not facts.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- One person was injured Sunday afternoon in a crash on the Bayonne Bridge, authorities said.

The crash occurred at approximately 5:31 p.m. in the New York bound lanes of the span, according to officials from the FDNY and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey press offices, and drew emergency personnel to the scene.

All lanes of the bridge were temporarily held, said Abigail Goldring, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The incident was completely cleared by emergency personnel by around 8 p.m., the Port Authority said.

The injured person was handled by New Jersey EMS, according to the FDNY.
Its been alleged that Bill Gates had an affair with a Microsoft employee and the rendezvous was scrutinized by the companys board last year when Gates stepped down, a report said Sunday according to Page Six. https://nypost.com/2021/05/16/bill-gates-allegedly-had-affair-with-microsoft-employee/

The company was apprised in 2019 that a Microsoft engineer penned a letter alleging that she and Gates had a sexual relationship over the years, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The woman made demands at her Microsoft job and asked that Gates wife, Melinda, read her letter though it wasnt revealed if that actually happened. And members of the board in turn hired a law firm to conduct an investigation, the Journal said.

As a result, board members became concerned about the charges and decided that Gates, who founded the tech firm in 1975, should step down as director of the board.

However, the billionaire was nonetheless re-elected to Microsofts board at the annual shareholder meeting, but resigned before the investigation could be completed, saying he wanted to focus on his charitable endeavors.

Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000, a Microsoft spokesman said.

A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern.

A spokeswoman for Gates stated: There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably, and she denied that his decision to step down from the board was related to the affair, adding, In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier.

GATES FORTUNE

Gates said his children will get a minuscule portion of his vast wealth.

Worth $130 billion, the Microsoft magnate plans leave just $10 million to each of his kids  Jennifer, 25, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18.

During a past Reddit talk, the billionaire stated, I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them, and, Some people disagree with this but Melinda and I feel good about it. https://pagesix.com/2021/05/17/melinda-gates-may-be-angling-to-change-kids-10m-inheritance/

Said Harriet Newman Cohen, Gates high profile divorce attorney: Bill Gates proudly announced to the world he was leaving $10 million to each of his three children, and that the rest of the billions will be left to charity now that Melinda has control  maybe she wanted to leave more to her children than $10 million each. Maybe she didnt agree. She added that the fraction of funds to be left to the kids is tantamount to disinheriting the children.

She also said that, We see divorces for the reason that the mother wants to protect the children. She may be like every other woman protecting her children.

Melinda said in her divorce filing that a separation agreement was in place, and sources say that if the parameters of the couples inheritance are not detailed in the pact, either party could change the amount their kids inherit. Inheritance is not usually addressed in such separation agreements.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  For the last few years the city has been expanding bike lanes and protections for cyclists as more and more New York City residents turn to bikes as transportation.

Just this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan, in partnership with the city Department of Transportation (DOT), to increase the number of protected bike lanes installed throughout the five boroughs.

The citys goal for the year? The installation of 30 miles of bike lanes by the years end.

Bike Boulevards will also be installed in each borough  on Staten Island, Nertherland Avenue, which runs for less than a mile from South Avenue to Simonson Avenue in Mariners Harbor, will be one of five streets citywide chosen for the program.

These bike boulevards, theyre going to come with a variety of measures to make it a safe environment for bicyclists and connect key bike lanes to each other, de Blasio said. This is all about creating a bicyclist friendly, pedestrian friendly environment, making it easier for folks to get around from one part of the city to the other.

The push towards bikes prompted one Staten Islander to ask #fyiSI, Is there a plan to add more bike racks to the buses?

Right now, only like four bus lines have bike racks, two of which travel to Staten Island. Bikes are not allowed on buses at all. Maybe more people would bike the city if there were more racks on buses, the resident said.

WHAT BUS LINES HAVE BIKE RACKS?

Four city bus routes currently have bike racks:

S53

S93

Q50

Bx23

According to the MTA, you can take bikes on the subway, but you cant bring your bike on the bus unless its foldable (did you know there was a such thing as foldable bikes? Because I didnt).

However, you cant bring a foldable bike on an express bus.

You can also bring your bikes on NYC Ferry boats  it only costs $1 and there are bike racks onboard.

DOES THE CITY PLAN ON ADDING ADDITIONAL BIKE RACKS?

The MTAs bike rack equipped bus routes help bike riders on Staten Island connect to the citys bike network in Brooklyn, as well as the subway system which can accommodate bikes at times when they dont block passenger flow, an MTA spokesperson told the Advance/SILive.com.

The spokesperson said the agency will continue to monitor bike rack usage, which is relatively low, and make adjustments as necessary but made no mention of plans to add additional racks in the future.

According to the city, during the summer months bus routes with bike racks see an average of seven to 10 bikes per day and zero to two bikes per day during the winter months.

#fyiSI -- HERES THE POINT

When #fyiSI launched in October 2018, the Advance received dozens of questions from readers about all things Staten Island.

Now, were continuing to provide answers and are asking you again to ask us anything, Staten Island -- and we mean anything.

Through #fyiSI, Im going to answer all of your burning questions  with the occasional help of my coworkers  about the borough with 479,458 residents that we all call home.

Some of the questions weve received so far include:

How can we ask for a stop sign to be added?

What happened to my favorite restaurant?

Is that a mobile speed camera?

Why is the Department of Transportation doing construction on my block?

Now I ready to tackle them all, and Im looking for more questions, Whatever it is, Ill answer it.

You might be wondering how #fyiSI differs from the average story you already read in the Staten Island Advance or on SILive.com.

Were not stepping away from the traditional news article, but instead adding social media elements like Facebook live, Instagram stories, Twitter polls, and other multimedia to help us reach you.

Well also do a lot of reporting on site.

Questions should include your name, neighborhood of residence and contact information, and can be emailed to fyi@siadvance.com or kdalton@siadvance.com.

#fyiSI questions weve answered so far

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The FDNY responded Monday to a fire on the upper floors of a house in Princes Bay.

Two civilians suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident, according to an FDNY spokesman.

A neighbor described seeing smoke and flames emanating from 144 Commodore Drive at about 10:30 a.m. as emergency crews arrived at the three-story, private dwelling.

The FDNY responded Monday to a report of a fire on the upper floors of a private dwelling in Prince's Bay. (Google Maps)

I heard the fire engines, so I took a look outside, the neighbor said. I saw the smoke and ran over there.

Firefighters placed the incident under control at about 11:15 a.m., the spokesman said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were seen vacationing together on May 10 in Montana at the uber-exclusive Yellowstone Club  a favorite retreat for A-list celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Tom Brady  insiders thought they were just friends, according to the Post. Even people close to Ben were taken by surprise.

But Bennifer 2.0 is now underway, and insiders are not surprised. A source who knows both Affleck and Lopez told the Post: She was always obsessed with Ben. They have always loved each other.

Jen really enjoyed her trip to Montana and is really loving Bens friendship, a source told Us Weekly exclusively. They are taking it slowly, but things are moving in a romantic direction, the source continued. She is focused on her kids and shes working in Miami.

Lopez was still married to her second husband, dancer Cris Judd, when she met Affleck. Months later, the couple split and J-Lo and Affleck stepped out together, to the delight of the paparazzi, who dubbed them Bennifer.

Affleck proposed in November of 2002 with 6.1-carat pink diamond ring. J-Lo said yes. By September 2003, however, they called off their wedding engagement before confirming a permanent split at the beginning of 2004.

J-Lo and Affleck have worked together on films, including Jersey Girl and Gigli. However, their wedding was called off a mere few days before the big day in January 2004, when the couple called it quits after hitting rocky roads. J-Lo has said it was her first big heartbreak.

Fast forward to 2021. Lopez, 51, and former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, released a joint statement on April 15, announcing the end of their wedding engagement. Multiple sources previously confirmed to PEOPLE that Lopez ultimately broke up with Rodriguez, 45.

In February 2021, the couples romance was rekindled with emails from Affleck to J-Lo while she was in the Dominican Republic, working on a film.




By Professor Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi



The country is on the brink of a total collapse in its losing war against COVID-19.

The enemy is not the virus per se. The enemy is a perceived ineffective cabinet working in a political survival against the onslaught of mistrust of the citizens and the attacks of the opposition members.

Muhyiddin's cabinet is balancing the war against his faltering image of an economic and political leadership and a losing control of the virus. He cannot win, but the losers will be all of us, not him alone.

In this article, I, as a citizen of Malaysia, would like to call upon all Malaysians and opposition members for a one-month ceasefire so that the country can go on an MCO 1.0 total lockdown.

I will also call for a War Committee that does not have any cabinet member except the PM as the commander-in-chief.

We are losing the war, dear fellow citizens, and we must give 100% backing to Muhyiddin and the War Committee to do the necessary steps to defeat this enemy, or we will lose more than lives but our ways of life and our children's future!

The country, I think, must go on a one-month lockdown as in the MCO 1.0 with all schools, all businesses except the very essential, all offices, all religious houses of worship and all inter-district travels to cease for one month.

The loan moratorium shall take effect for six month while wages of workers be maintained at least at 60% for one month.

We are in an absolute dire situation with the public and private frontliners bearing the full brunt of the war. It is time we, as citizens, do out bit and tighten our belts for one month. There is no other choices that I can see.

I call for a political ceasefire to be in effect immediately for one month. What does this mean? It means that everyone including the oppositions must give 100% trust to the War Committee that can be set up.

There is too much politicking by government MPs, cabinet members and opposition MPs. If the opposition feel that there are serious issues concerning a cabinet member, put in a diary for one month and call for account after that ceasefire period.

Please also stop calling for resignations of cabinet members as I think this is a childish thing to do. Only the PM can sack cabinet members and none of the country's politicians would ever resign except for high integrity individuals like Zaid Ibrahim and Maszlee Malik.

Civil society and netizens should cease any 'kerajaan gagal' campaign during the ceasefire. We will have a reckoning with this administration when the virus is realistically tamed and controlled, and our hospital beds empty with a well-rested battalion of nurses and doctors.

I am with the majority of rakyat who never voted for this government, but our day of reckoning with them is not now but after we have successfully kept the virus at bay.

This, in one sense, is a good strategy to help the PM fight the virus and then he will no longer have any excuse to close parliament and prolong the emergency once we win the battle against COVID-19.

At the moment, no one is winning and everyone is suffering.

Next, I call for a War Committee to be set up. This committee will be chaired by the PM as the only politician in the committee. I do not want any other politicians or cabinet members in the committee because more than half the rakyat do not trust or support these people.

All cabinet members shall take a one-month leave from their offices and spend that time reading books, doing extra prayers, catching up with their Facebook accounts or helping their children with their online learning.

The War Committee should comprise heads of the essential departments like the police, army, health office, treasury, Sabah and Sarawak civil service heads and a few others.

I would also like to increase the trust deficit of the War Committee by having well-known and respected civil society members like Ambiga, Terence Gomez, Dr. KJohn and Dennis Ignatius. These civil society leaders have shown their courage and proven their integrity for the last decade and will command the trust of the majority of the population.

There should not be more than 20 members to move quickly, decisively and most importantly command the trust and respect of the people who must be moved as soldiers in a battlefield against the enemy-virus.

Trust is an item of utmost importance in this crisis, and the PM at this moment has none among the people. He must draw that trust from efficient civil servants and civil society members or else our battle will be lost.

If there ever was a moment that Muhyiddin could earn the trust of the rakyat, it is in doing something different, something courageous and something unselfish to prove his commitment to be the leader for all the people in Malaysia.

In summary, our enemy is not with the virus alone, but it is also with the element of trust between the captain and the crew of a sinking ship battling a storm of epic proportion.

We will prevail together with our PM or we will all 'die' together in more ways than one.

(Professor Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor at a local university.)
This is an intro to some bloggylike posts Ive got planned on why I ride what I ride. Ive hesitated on this because, why should you care? Im just like you; I have tastes like you; and Im no better qualified to know what saddle is comfortable or what gearing is appropriate for me than you are for you. But



I always have to remind myself that not all of you have been riding road bikes since 5 was the number of gears on a cogset and one luxury of a long historic arc is the discipline one develops in how to select equipment. What equipment Ive chosen is not the important thing, rather my decision-making process. My lists of imperatives, product-by-product, may inform your thought processes when it comes time for you to choose a product, regardless of the product you choose.

Over days and weeks Im going to write installments on wheels & tires; on handlebars and cockpit; on the groupset I chose; on electronics, mounts & safety; on saddles & comfort. Im testing saddles right now. (I think Ive hit on my new saddle, but Im not 100 percent sure yet.) Im going to tell you why and how I chose what I chose but also what I both like and dislike about what Im riding. For example, theres a SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset on this bike, and obviously I like it or I wouldnt have chosen it; but Ill be honest and fulsome about what is wrong with each part in this groupset (and there is a fair bit of that to write).



This current series will be all about my road bike and Ill be honest with you: for a while there I considered whether to even own a road bike. My last road bike was a Cannondale SuperSix EVO, which I bought new in 2013. It had mechanical shifting  Campagnolo Chorus  and I tend not to change things until they need changing and that bike didnt need changing. What did cause me to eventually need to change was that bikes inability to accept a tire larger than 25mm; and it just wasnt geared low enough. So I offloaded the bike, and thought, I dont need a road bike; Im on my gravel bike every time I hike my leg over the top tube of a drop bar bike.

But life intervenes, as it will do, and  for unanticipated personal and lifestyle reasons  I found myself road riding almost exclusively over the winter when I wasnt Zwifting. (I was riding with a set of road wheels on my gravel bike: doable but not ideal.)



So I decided to invest in a road bike and I started to think about which frame to buy, and frame because I wanted some skin in this game. I dont much like working on bikes but, every now and then, when my connection to the bike is going to be intensely personal, individual, and long lasting, I want to be the one who hangs the parts.

Why I Chose a Quintana Roo SRsix

Lets start with this choice. The SRsix is an aero frame. We wrote about it here . Whoopee. Why do I care if its aero? Im not going to be riding the sorts of rides where aeroness is a requirement. But heres the thing about bikes these days: the lines between aero and endurance road and gravel are blurring . The new Cervelo Aspero-5 is a gravel bike. Its more aero than a lot of aero road bikes. All the hydraulic housing is hidden inside the stem and the frame. Same sort of attention to aerodynamics with 3Ts gravel bikes.Todays aero bikes are, therefore, not aero to the exclusion (necessarily) of other features I need. As you might guess, tire width is an imperative, because it (and gearing) are what finally got me off my SuperSix.

Incidentally, the SuperSix had a frame redesign some years back that fixed the tire width limitation, which included the new SystemSix into my decision matrix, because that frame worked for me, both for handling and fit. It had a frame stack/reach of 577mm x 399mm in size-58cm, and that is about right for me. But getting a SystemSix has a bare frame turned out to be a challenge and, look, This is the business weve chosen. The bike industry is not like it was when I began, where you choose your frame, and then you choose your parts.



Except getting a bare frameset was  is  possible with the Quintana Roo SRsix, and I have a relationship with that brand (and some history with it), and that SRsix in size-L has a stack/reach of 580mm x 400mm, almost a dupe of the last road bike I was on. And, to be accurate about the Cannondale, the SuperSix EVO actually has moved a bit away from that geometry I liked, however the SystemSix is now made in that same geometry (580mm x 400mm in size-58cm).



The other thing about the SRsix, it can take a tire up to 32mm wide. This is important to me, because I just flat refuse to ride anything smaller than 28mm on my road bike, and 30mm is more my preference. I guess Im surprised that an aero road bike would take a tire this large, because youd think that one of the ways it stays aero is by hugging a tire pretty tightly. But, there you go, thats this bike, and the expansive tire range is one of my drop-dead needs.



The frame might have been a disqualifier for me had I not had the Formula SpeedLock in-line hydraulic quick connect available to me. I bury this connection under the handlebar tape along the tops. (Heres a short video of me doing that when building up this frame.) This allows me to change a stem pretty quickly. The hydraulic lines run through the handlebar and the FSA ACR stem. That is a special stem this frame is designed to accept, and is designed for aero road bikes. Lucky that I installed that SpeedLock, because I did have to change the stem after I got the frame (I miscalculated the stem length Id need by 10mm).

I needed a 2x crankset on this bike because my road riding is largely about climbing. I believe I have  and Im serious now  a personality disorder of some type, that requires me to be engaged all the time. Im either a very bad candidate for meditation (because Im not meditative), or Im a good candidate (because I need to be more meditative). Point being, I cant just ride along. I have to be mentally engaged all the time. This is one reason gravel appeals to me (because if youre not mentally engaged youre a good candidate for a faceplant). Climbing is like that. The input on a long road ascent is constant. Therefore, for me, a road ride is almost not worth riding unless the bike points uphill. As you might imagine, Ive had to construct an elaborate mental system for keeping myself engaged while swimming.



Anyway, this is the long explanation behind why my frame needs two chain rings in the front. I need low gears on this bike. Ill talk about how I go about choosing gearing in a future installment. The SRsix has a T47 bottom bracket shell, and this was almost an irreconcilable difference with SRAM. SRAM does not make a bottom bracket for this bike. Fortunately, Wheels Manufacturing does (and perhaps one or two others, Cane Creek or Chris King, I dont know). I like T47, because its threaded, and if you want the value of oversized bearings but you want it back into a threaded motif, thats what T47 gives you.

My one concern about the SRsix was in the handling. The steering geometry. The bike uses a pretty slack head angle  72 in my size  and Im okay with that, but I would have expected something like 50mm of offset in the fork. Not so in this bikes fork; its a 45mm offset; and that gave me a bunch of trail (60mm). Too much trail for a road bike. This bike was going to steer like (surfing) a longboard, not a shortboard, but one can get used to anything, right? To my surprise, the bike does not handle like that. I dont know why. Maybe Ill dive into that in a future installment, if I can think up a better, and reasonable, answer for you. I have been on bikes with 55mm of trail that steer like paddleboards, and this bike  with 60mm of trail  should steer slower yet. But its quick, and I have an idea why, but Ill defer on that for now.



There is a configurator on QRs website; this brand does its painting in-house, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The SRfive and SRsix frames cost around $2,400 and $3,200 respectively, and I probably would have been just as happy with an SRfive. But I could not live with any of the spec options QR offers for its complete bike build kits: not the wheels, the handlebars, or the groupsets. Its not that the spec options were bad; just that I needed something different in every category, and neither QR nor any other brand can inventory for our wide breadth of needs; hence my need to buy the bare frameset (which was high-priced, but not ridiculously-priced, and after all I only do this once every 8 years).

So thats it. Thats the frame. Admittedly this analogy is imperfect, but, the process for choosing a road bike is not unlike the process for choosing a spouse, in this sense: there isnt only one possible candidate out there for you in the whole world. However, the number of those who arent candidates is legion. So, I could have ended up with a different bike than this one. Just, there were a lot of disqualifiers. I was not a good candidate for an integrated front-end. Im way too picky about the exact, precise, fit. In fact, I almost chose against the SRsix because I only had stems available in one pitch. (But that -6 stem pitch happened to work for me, on this frame with its particular frame stack.)



Fit geometry, expansive tire width capacity, BB style, 2x, the ability to put on the stem (length) and bar (shape, geometry and cable routing) of my election, and the ability to buy it as a bare frame (without spending a fortune). That was my calculus. Seems it shouldnt be that hard to find. But when it I put it all into Match.coms filters, this is the one that came up. More on the other choices in a future installment.
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Australias two remaining oil refineries will continue operating for at least another six years, saving the jobs of more than 1200 workers, after fuel suppliers Ampol and Viva Energy reached a deal with the federal government.

The companies had been assessing whether to shut down their refineries in Brisbane and Geelong, which process crude oil into refined fuel products, following the closure of ExxonMobils refinery in Melbournes Altona and BPs refinery in Perth.

Australian refineries have been battered by a slump in demand and margins during the pandemic. Credit:

On Monday, the chief executives of Ampol and Viva said they intended to keep their plants running until at least mid-2027, safeguarding at-risk jobs and ensuring the nation does not lose the capacity to produce its own transport fuels.

Ampol is pleased that todays outcome delivers value for shareholders and provides clarity and a path forward for our valued employees at Lytton, supporting the continued employment of 550 Australian manufacturing jobs and the indirect employment of hundreds more, Ampol chief Matthew Halliday said.
The Star has taken an early lead in the Crown Resorts ownership race while the other two contenders have effectively been told to pull out their money whip or risk being left behind.

Blackstones $12.35 conditional proposal to acquire Crown shares has been firmly rejected by the Crown board. If Blackstone wants back in the race it will need to sharpen its pencil and improve its prospects of regulatory certainty.

(And yes, this is the same Crown that has been the subject of no less than three public inquiries into its own regulatory scandals - including two royal commissions that got underway this week.)

Crown has finally rejected one of the offers - Blackstones $12.35 bid. Credit:Will Willitts.

The other private equity player in the mix, Oaktree, has offered to provide finance to Crown to buy back James Packers 37 per cent stake at what appears to be around $12 per share. At that price it is hard to imagine its proposal would be occupying any of the Crown boards time.
A compliance officer at Victorias gambling regulator has told the Crown Resorts royal commission that the casino group lied to him while he tried to investigate how and why 19 of its staff were arrested in China in 2016.

Timothy Bryant, a compliance officer at the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, told the first day of Victorias inquiry into the James Packer-backed groups Melbourne casino licence he was frustrated in his efforts to get to the bottom of the incident.

Crown has formally rejected a takeover offer from US private equity outfit Blackstone Credit:Chris Hopkins

Chinese police arrested 19 Crown employees in October 2016, of whom 16 were later jailed for illegally promoting gambling in the country, prompting an immediate investigation by the VCGLR which only produced a confidential final report in February this year.

The royal commission heard the VCGLR ordered Crown to produce internal documents relevant to the arrests and interviewed senior Crown executives, who denied there had been warning signs its staff were at risk in China ahead of the co-ordinated arrests.
DRUGS

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

Patrick Radden Keefe

Picador, $34.99

The Sackler name is everywhere  on galleries from the Louvre to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and research institutes and medical schools in New York and Tel Aviv. Everywhere, that is, except on the name of the company that gave us OxyContin, the addictive pain killer that for many is heroin in a pill. Purdue Pharma was wholly owned by the Sacklers. High-priced PR ensured the Sackler name was in any story about philanthropy, and out of any about the opioid crises and Purdue.

The Sacklers name was kept away from any critical stories about Purdue, the maker of OxyContin. Credit:Douglas Healey

Through the lens of three brothers and their multiple heirs, Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Say Nothing, the Orwell Prize-winning account of an IRA killing in Northern Ireland, tells a sordid story of American capitalism, the amorality of big law firms and corporations, the corruption of wealth and much more.

Arthur Sackler, the eldest of the brothers, created the advertising of prescription drugs as we know it today, adopting the same jazzy campaigns as for selling cars, beer, swimwear or insurance. First came Librium and Valium, chemically essentially the same drug, manufactured by Roche. Arthurs agency  it didnt bear his name  promoted Librium for anxiety, Valium for tension. Along with other drugs made by Arthurs clients, they were advertised in The Medical Journal. He founded, but his name was absent from the masthead.
The eminent American playwright Tracy Letts agreed to adapt the book. There was Oscar talk, even before the cameras rolled. What could go wrong? Lets see: how about everything?

It looked promising three years ago when Amy Adams agreed to star alongside Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Gary Oldman. Englishman Joe Wright would direct, after a string of sparkling adaptations: Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina. After the Churchill-in-the-bunker movie, Darkest Hour, he said he was looking forward to adapting the best-selling novel by A. J. Finn, the pen name of Dan Mallory.

Two years after it was scheduled to debut, The Woman in the Window has arrived quietly on Netflix, like an unwanted party guest. The film was not previewed to critics, and now we know why.

Mallorys thriller is about an agoraphobic psychologist, Dr Anna Fox, cooped up in a big house in New York. She spends her days marinating in red wine and pills. She also spies on the new people across the street, the Russells  a Boston couple with a 15-year-old son called Ethan. Her haze of consciousness makes it hard for her to trust her own eyes.

In the film, first Ethan (Fred Hechinger), then his mother Jane (Julianne Moore) visits Anna, just long enough for her to realise that the man of the house (Gary Oldman) is bad news. Anna talks often to her ex-husband (Anthony Mackie) on the phone, although we do not see him. She misses their daughter, whos with her father. A young man who rents her basement apartment (Wyatt Russell) helps out with chores, since Anna faints at the front door.

The trouble begins when Anna witnesses the murder of Jane Russell, in the apartment opposite. Theres blood, a knife in the guts, cries for help  but the police find nothing. Anna wonders if she is losing her mind.

If you have noticed a similarity to Hitchcocks Rear Window  incapacitated man with camera sees murder in building opposite  you would be correct. Even if you hadnt, Joe Wright makes it explicit with a shot of Jimmy Stewart in that movie. We also get clips from at least two other Hitchcock thrillers, and one of Bogart and Bacall in one of their early adventures. This is true to the book because Anna takes solace in old movies (dont we all?), but its a risky thing for the film.
It only takes a quick Google search to find lists of celebrities who age gracefully. Whats interesting, though, is that these lists are almost always overwhelmingly dominated by men: George Clooney, Patrick Dempsey, Hugh Jackman, Bruce Willis, and so on. And while there werent too many images of Ben Affleck going around, that could be about to change, thanks to his rumoured romantic reunion with Jennifer Lopez.

Has Affleck had a glow up, or is he benefiting from the so-called JLo halo? Either way, many of the men on the better with age lists have several characteristics in common.

Will Ben Affleck (bottom right) join the ranks of the celebrities who age well club? (Clockwise from top left) Brad Pitt, Patrick Dempsey, Hugh Grant, George Clooney, Hugh Jackman. Credit:Getty

Most, if not all the men on the list have embraced their natural hair, and by that, we mean greys. In Clooneys case, hes practically made it his brand. Ditto the men sporting laissez-faire stubble (see Brad Pitt), and nailing the Im cool but I am not raiding my teenage sons wardrobe dress code.

With so much (acres!) copy devoted to women ageing gracefully, and much of it through thinly veiled threats of invisibility and fear mongering to buy product X (only $399!), it seems only fair the experts share their advice on how men can bridge that gap between their 40s and middle age with aplomb.
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The university system in this country is dying. The government used the pandemic to destroy the places for critical conversations; and university management mostly rolled over. Mass redundancies, both voluntary and forced across the sector, have left big gaps in teaching staff. In some places that led to decisions to close down subjects, courses, departments. Right now, nearly every university is considering merging faculties.

It is hard to pin down exactly why this government decided to sacrifice public universities (all excluded from JobKeeper unlike private universities). I can only guess, it must be because the concept of critical thinking is anathema to the Coalition, which resents criticism of any kind. But it became clear in last Tuesdays budget that universities were not going to be saved, not by this government, not any time soon and maybe never.

Foreign students who graduate from Australian universities are unlikely to be replaced in the same numbers. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The National Tertiary Education Unions president Alison Barnes says funding for the sector in the budget was reduced by nearly 10 per cent; and of course that sugar hit of a billion dollars to save research, the pandemic panacea issued last year, will not be extended. No hope either of the return of international students. Borders still clamped shut. We wont let Indian students in and its unlikely Chinese students will be encouraged to return to disrespectful Australia.

Barnes says the sector is devastated. The Centre for Future Works Dan Nahum calculates 35,000 jobs lost in education to November 2020 and estimates most were in the tertiary sector. And ANUs professor in the practice of higher education policy Andrew Norton says the impacts of the lack of international students will only multiply: the ones who never came as well as the ones completing who will never be replaced.
Chris Homer, Peter Moran and John Davey went to Macquarie Street to save the farm.

Representing a disparate group of surfers, Shellharbour residents and the wider NSW beachgoer community, they descended on NSW Parliament on Thursday, determined to stop a multimillion-dollar tourism development at the Killalea State Park, popularly known as The Farm.

Shellharbour MP Anna Watson with protest leaders Peter Moran, John Davey and Chris Homer outside NSW Parliament House. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Nearly 700 surfers earlier this month took to the water in an unofficial world-record paddle out protest against the development. After meeting with the protest leaders last Thursday, the NSW government appeared to go to water over the development. It refused to guarantee the tourism centre, near Shellharbour south of Wollongong, would proceed.

In October 2019, the government announced a $6.5 million grant for the proposed centre, including a 200-seat function room, 15 luxury cabins, 53 camping sites, fitness facilities and a second access road, inside the park. The manager of the crown land site, Reflections Holiday Parks, also promised to plough $4 million into the project.
A horse breeder accused of sexual and indecent assaults against female volunteers had a consistent grooming method that he used, with differing degrees of success, to get what he wanted from the women, a Sydney court has been told.

Gregory Douglas is on trial in the NSW District Court accused of 15 sexual and indecent assaults against the women, five of whom were foreign backpackers, most of whom volunteered on his farm between 2014 and 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of indecent assault, five counts of sexual intercourse without consent, and six counts of sexual touching without consent.

Greg Douglas is accused of a string of assaults against six women volunteering on his Peelwood horse stud. Credit:Facebook

On Monday, the jury heard closing arguments from Crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson, who said Mr Douglas employed a modus operandi against the volunteers that amounted to grooming.

Going through the allegations and evidence from each complainant, as well as Mr Douglas testimony, Mr Robertson said the accuseds modus operandi involved raising the idea of a massage within days of the respective womans arrival on the farm, convincing them to accept a massage from him, during which he would convince them to remove some clothing, then more clothing, before moving to the areas he wanted to touch.
A man has been flown to hospital in a serious condition after a hard landing while skydiving at Toogoolawah, north-west of Brisbane.

The man had multiple lower-body injuries after he reportedly suffered a rough landing in the Brisbane Valley Highway at Toogoolawah, about 120 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, about 11.15am.

The man was flown to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a serious condition.
Country airline Regional Express will begin flying between Melbourne and Canberra, as it continues its effort to take a slice of Qantas and Virgins market share by raising its profile in Australias capital cities.

From June 10, the airline will operate a twice-daily return service on a Boeing 737-800 NG jet.

A Rex flight takes off from Melbourne in March. Credit:Sam DAgostino

Tickets will cost $69 one-way for economy fares, which is more than $120 cheaper than the lowest available airfare in May, according to official federal government data.

It follows the launch of a Melbourne-Sydney route, which has undercut even its budget competitor Jetstar with $39 tickets and the airline is also now flying Sydney to Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney to the Gold Coast and Melbourne to Adelaide.
Even if Scott Brandon could find enough casual workers to fill all the vacant shifts at his Bright Brewery restaurant business, he expects they would struggle to secure affordable housing locally anyway.

He is just now beginning to recoup the losses from the Black Summer bushfires and last years coronavirus lockdown, but the recovery is being hampered by the difficulty in finding staff.

Bright Brewery owner Scott Brandon. Credit:Matt Hull (supplied)

There are some places in town that are closed a couple of nights a week because they cant get enough staff, Mr Brandon said. Its definitely having a massive economic impact on the town.

He said housing shortages in the north-east Victorian town had been exacerbated by tree-changers and holiday home buyers.
Following these mega-mergers, evidence provided to the royal commission painted the picture of an important regulatory function becoming lost in a massive government department. Director general Duncan Ord said it now counts more than 800 staff, reports to five ministers, and has a vast range of portfolios to manage. In an entertaining exchange, senior counsel assisting Patricia Cahill outlined some of Mr Ords many responsibilities, including the states cat and dog ownership legislation. Mr Ord also acts as the chair of the GWC and said he would spend 10 to 20 hours a month on matters relating to it. He explained the GWC had no dedicated staff, no office, no printers or phones. The other members of the GWC are paid $16,000 a year and provided with an iPad each.

There are also no longer any dedicated casino inspectors, with inspectors also required to monitor other gaming, racing, and liquor matters. Blurred lines Mr Ord is both the director general of the department and the chair of the GWC. Similarly, deputy director general Michael Connolly was also the deputy chair GWC and, until recently, the states chief casino officer, making him the bureaucrat responsible for regulating Crown. The witnesses defended questions about the challenges of navigating their various roles within the department and were often asked which hat they were wearing in given moments.

Mr Ord pointed to tension that occurred between his roles when it came to resourcing, being torn between advocating for more resources for the GWC while also overseeing the broader departmental budget. In a meeting with the Minister for Racing and Gaming, for example, Mr Ord said he might have to wear both hats. Well, if Im talking about GWC, I have my GWC hat on, he said. If Im talking around general matters of the nature of the department or its resourcing or something, I will talk to him as the director general. Loading

The best way to resolve these blurred roles would be to make the chair of the GWC an independent role, filled by someone with particular expertise in casino regulation, he said. Mr Ord also recommended the role of chief casino officer become a standalone position. Mr Connolly explained he primarily saw himself acting as the deputy director general and considered his former role as chief casino officer to be a very limited one, primarily related to licensing. This is despite the role having the power to issue directions to Crown under the Casino Control Act. Mr Connolly said he spent half an hour in any given day at best on matters related to being chief casino officer, and roughly 20 per cent of his total time on casino regulation generally. GWC member Katy Hodson-Thomas recommended WA create a totally independent regulator, noting the lack of independence made it very difficult to have perhaps some of those robust questioning and probing that should occur across the board table.

Conflicts of interest Among the most stunning revelations in week one were those about potential conflicts of interest, real or perceived, within the department. Barry Sargeant, a former, long-standing director general, defended questions about a potential conflict of interest over a trip he took to Macau in 2013, which was paid for by Crown. Mr Connolly was questioned at length about friendships he had sustained for years with members of Crown Perths legal and compliance team Claude Marais and Paul Hume. He spoke of regular dinners, fishing trips, and even the sale of a boat to Mr Marais in about 2016 for $13,000, which netted Mr Connolly a $116 profit.

When the friendships were discovered by the media in February, Mr Connolly stood down as chief casino officer because he felt he could not continue under such duress. The friendships and the sale of the boat were known to Mr Sargeant, Mr Connolly boss at the time, from at least 2014 or 2015, Mr Sargaent said. It appears both men considered this sufficient, until recently. I thought they were sufficiently declared and known but certainly hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think that I would agree now that there could be a perception of that, Mr Connolly told the royal commission last week. Lack of experience With the position of chief casino officer vacant, Mr Ord directed Mark Beecroft to step in. The role was not advertised and no one else appears to have been considered by the GWC.

Mr Beecroft is the departments director of strategic regulation and a racing specialist, according to Mr Ord. Mr Beecroft told the royal commission he had limited casino regulation exposure, was far from being any form of an expert on the role of the CCO and considered someone in that role required a far greater knowledge of casino regulation. The revelations followed extensive questioning of the expertise and experience of Mr Ord and other GWC members. Mr Ord  who is a former theatre lighting designer  told the royal commission he had no relevant experience and had not completed any training in casino regulation even though it required extremely complex and technical skills. GWC members are also not offered any training but do have access to briefings from department staff. The growing complexity of casino operations in Australia into the future meant such experience and training were a necessity for the GWC chair role, Mr Ord said.

On Thursday, Premier Mark McGowan announced Mr Ords retirement as part of sweeping changes to the leadership of eight government departments. Lanie Chopping, a social worker by profession who is currently the Commissioner for Consumer Protection, will act in the role from 31 May. Reactive approach And then there are the allegations of criminal activity at Crown. What were the department and GWC doing to prevent that, the royal commission asked? Evidence last week suggested the GWC was aware there were risks of criminal activity but did not take a proactive approach.

Loading The GWC does not have any formal procedures that related to money laundering and criminals infiltrating casino operations, Mr Sargeant said in his witness statement. The GWC relies upon the appropriate agencies such as AUSTRAC, WA Police Force, the Australian Federal Police, and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to deal with these type of criminal matters and inform the GWC if there were any such issues at the Perth Casino. Asked what inquiries he made to those entities about their work on casinos, Mr Sargeant said he didnt make any formal ones. I did rely on them to raise issues with us rather than the other way around, he told the royal commission.
Emergency department staff scored Aishwarya Aswaths parents concern at zero on the night the seven-year-old died, despite the desperate pleading of both of her parents to have her seen to as she deteriorated.

The state government gave Aishwaryas parents the internal hospital report after tabling its recommendations in Parliament. On Sunday they decided to reveal this further detail.

The report into the tragic death of the Morley Primary School student found she succumbed to a bacterial infection on April 3.

Health Minister Roger Cook conceded in Parliament that Aishwarya and her parents did not receive adequate care from the Perth Childrens Hospital. He apologised unreservedly for the failures and since a coronial inquest and external inquiry has been announced as well as the hospital report.
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A two-day court hearing into an appeal brought by Witness Ks former lawyer Bernard Collaery challenging a secrecy order is being held behind closed doors after his lawyer didnt challenge holding the appeal in secret.

The barrister and former ACT attorney-general is facing the prospect of jail for allegedly helping his client, the ex-spy known as Witness K, reveal information about Australias bugging operation of East Timors government during commercial negotiations to carve up the oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea.

Bernard Collaery is being prosecuted for allegedly helping his client reveal aspects of the secret bugging operation against East Timor. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Collaery is challenging a ruling to hold his trial largely in secret under national security laws.

The hearing in the ACT Court of Appeal was open to the public for about three minutes on Monday morning. ACT Chief Justice Helen Murrell noted there was an application by Mr Collaerys legal team to lead further evidence and then asked if there was any challenge to the hearing being held in secret.
Early last year, when it became clear a mysterious new virus in China would spread to every corner of the globe, most nations were quick to put up the walls. In the week after the World Health Organisation declared a pandemic, scores of countries either completely or partially closed their borders.

Australia joined the rush, slamming the door shut from 9pm on March 20, with exemptions only for citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family. While the move stunned many  Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave one days notice  there was little protest. Combined with the hotel quarantine program, which started a week after the borders were shut, closed borders have been the main reason Australia has stayed relatively free from COVID-19.

As the federal budget made clear last week, the Morrison government is not planning a reversal any time soon. Inbound and outbound international travel is expected to remain low through to mid-2022, it declared. For a government that had often criticised the states for shutting their borders, the delay to opening Australia up was surprising.

While it was reported this week that most Australians support the border restrictions, the debate has nonetheless intensified. If vaccinating a critical mass of people is not a trigger to opening our borders, then what is?

With most low and middle-income nations not expected to get widespread access to a vaccine until 2023, it will be a very long wait before the world contains COVID-19. In any event, completely eradicating COVID-19 will be near impossible. Despite the best efforts of global health campaigns, the only infectious disease that has been entirely eradicated is smallpox. All other deadly viruses are contained to various degrees, but its an ongoing battle.
Perth Childrens Hospital staff who dealt with Aishwarya Aswath and her family the night the seven-year-old girl died are no longer working in the hospitals emergency department, the hospitals boss has revealed.

Fronting media on Monday after the release of the complete report into Aishwaryas death, Child and Adolescent Health Service chief executive Aresh Anwar said some of the staff present at the emergency department on April 3 were not working there but refused to reveal where they had been moved on to.

WA Health Minister Roger Cook is forced to explain the shocking details of a report into the death of Aishwarya Aswath on May 17, 2021. Credit:Hamish Hastie

The full root cause analysis report revealed by Nine News Perth and WAtoday on Monday showed a litany of mistakes from staff treating Aishwarya, including ignoring her high temperature, her changing eye colour, an increased respiratory rate and high blood pressure.

The report also showed her parents requested help five times, telling staff her condition was deteriorating and that they were increasingly worried.
Brussels: The European Union on Monday (Tuesday AEST) reached a provisional agreement that could make it easier for highly skilled workers from outside the EU to live and work in the 27-country bloc.

The draft deal between the European Parliament and the Council, which is acting on behalf of member states, is designed to update the existing Blue Card work permit system that was introduced in 2009.

The stars of the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. Credit:Bloomberg

It would see the required salary threshold lowered and the minimum duration of a work contract reduced. The recognition of professional skills in the IT sector would be facilitated.

The EUs executive Commission welcomed the draft deal.
Officials from the US, Egypt, Qatar and United Nations are working around the clock to broker a truce in Gaza after more than a week of deadly fighting left more than 200 people dead but Israels leader signalled hes not yet ready to let up.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday (Monday AEST) hell do whatever it takes to restore order after persistent rocket attacks from Gaza sparked Israeli jet strikes in retaliation. He said his goal is to degrade the ability of Hamas, which governs the densely populated Gaza strip, to threaten Israel.

Palestinian civil defence members search for people in the rubble of a destroyed building after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on May 16. Credit:Getty

I hope it wont take long, but its not immediate, Netanyahu told CBS News Face the Nation.

We are targeting a terrorist organisation that is targeting our civilians and hiding behind their civilians - using them as human shields.
A car in the street that witnesses said was hit by an airstrike was bent and torn, its roof ripped back and what was left of the drivers side door smeared with blood. A beachside cafe the car had just left was splintered and on fire. Rescue workers tried to put out the blaze with a small fire extinguisher. Gaza Citys mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said that the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. He said water supplies to hundreds of households in the city were disrupted. We are trying hard to provide water, but the situation remains difficult, he said. The UN has warned that the territorys sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the territorys electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days. Loading The war broke out on May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

More protests were expected across the region on Tuesday in response to a call by Palestinian citizens of Israel for a general strike. The protest has the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party. Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of air strikes it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3200 rockets into Israel. Israeli military officials said Hamas had stockpiled about 15,000 rockets before the war started. Rocket attacks continued on Monday, with one hitting a building in the city of Ashdod that caused injuries, the Israeli police said. US diplomat Hady Amr met with a delegation from the Palestinian Authority on Monday, a day after meeting senior Israeli leaders. But the Biden administration has declined so far to publicly criticise Israels part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. Speaking to reporters during a trip to Denmark, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would support any initiative to stop the fighting, but signalled the country did not intend to put pressure on the two sides to accept a cease-fire. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video

Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire, he said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasised her countrys solidarity with Israel, condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza, and expressed hope for a swift end to the fighting, according to her office. Loading Hamas top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people. In an interview with the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, he blamed the war on Israels actions in Jerusalem and boasted that the rockets were paralysing the usurping entity (Israel).

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said his government is working to urgently end the violence, in his first comments since the war broke out. Egypt, which borders Gaza and Israel, has played a central role in the cease-fires brokered after previous rounds of fighting. The Israeli military, meanwhile, said it struck 35 terror targets on Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the Metro, used by fighters to take cover from air strikes. The tunnels extend for hundreds of kilometres, with some more than 20 metres deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just choke points and major junctions. Loading The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to high-ranking commanders in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant groups commander for the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were eliminated. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many of the casualties it reports were militants or civilians. Israels air strikes have levelled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets. The Israeli military alerted staff and residents before the strike, and all were able to evacuate safely. Sally Buzbee, the APs executive editor, has called for an independent investigation into the airstrike. Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said on Sunday any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Blinken said he hasnt yet seen any evidence supporting Israels claim.
That deterioration has been far more devastating, far-reaching and fast-paced than anyone imagined. It has led to the worst violence between Israelis and Palestinians in years  not only in the conflict with Hamas, which has killed at least 139 people in Gaza and eight in Israel, but in a wave of mob attacks in mixed Arab-Jewish cities in Israel. Loading It has spawned unrest in cities across the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians on Friday. And it has resulted in the firing of rockets toward Israel from a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, prompted Jordanians to march toward Israel in protest, and led Lebanese protesters to briefly cross their southern border with Israel. The crisis came as the Israeli government was struggling for its survival; as Hamas  which Israel views as a terrorist group  was seeking to expand its role within the Palestinian movement; and as a new generation of Palestinians was asserting its own values and goals. And it was the outgrowth of years of blockades and restrictions in Gaza, decades of occupation in the West Bank, and decades more of discrimination against Arabs within the state of Israel, said Avraham Burg, a former speaker of the Israeli parliament and former chair of the World Zionist Organisation.

All the enriched uranium was already in place, he said. But you needed a trigger. And the trigger was the Aqsa Mosque. Two months ago, few in the Israeli military establishment were expecting anything like this. In private briefings, military officials said the biggest threat to Israel was 1000 kilometres away in Iran, or across the northern border in Lebanon. Loading When diplomats met in March with the two generals who oversee administrative aspects of Israeli military affairs in Gaza and the West Bank, they found the pair relaxed about the possibility of significant violence and celebrating an extended period of relative quiet, according to a senior foreign diplomat who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely. Gaza was struggling to overcome a wave of coronavirus infections. Most major Palestinian political factions, including Hamas, were looking toward Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for March, the first in 15 years. And in Gaza, where the Israeli blockade has contributed to an unemployment rate of about 50 per cent, Hamas popularity was dwindling as Palestinians spoke increasingly of the need to prioritise the economy over war.

The mood began to shift in April. The prayers at Al-Aqsa for the first night of Ramadan on April 13 occurred as the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin, was making his speech nearby. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The mosque leadership, which is overseen by the Jordanian government, had rejected an Israeli request to avoid broadcasting prayers during the speech, viewing the request as disrespectful, a public affairs officer at the mosque said. So that night, the police raided the mosque and disconnected the speakers. Without a doubt, said Sabri, it was clear to us that the Israeli police wanted to desecrate the Aqsa Mosque and the holy month of Ramadan.

A spokesman for the President denied that the speakers had been turned off, but later said they would double-check. Cross-border air war: a fire north of Gaza City, along with rockets shot from from Gaza toward Israel. Credit:Getty In another year, the episode might have been quickly forgotten. But last month, several factors suddenly and unexpectedly aligned that allowed this slight to snowball into a major showdown. A resurgent sense of national identity among young Palestinians found expression not only in resistance to a series of raids on Al-Aqsa, but also in protesting the plight of six Palestinian families facing expulsion from their homes. The perceived need to placate an increasingly assertive far right gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel little incentive to calm the waters. A sudden Palestinian political vacuum, and a grassroots protest that it could adopt, gave Hamas an opportunity to flex its muscles.

These shifts in the Palestinian dynamics caught Israel unawares. Israelis had been complacent, nurtured by more than a decade of right-wing governments that treated Palestinian demands for equality and statehood as a problem to be contained, not resolved. Israeli riot police try to block a Jewish right-wing man as clashes erupted between Arabs, police and Jews, in the mixed town of Lod, Israel. Credit:AP We have to wake up, said Ami Ayalon, a former director of the Israeli domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet. We have to change the way we understand all this, starting with the concept that the status quo is stable. The loudspeaker incident was followed almost immediately by a police decision to close off a popular plaza outside the Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem. Young Palestinians typically gather there at night during Ramadan. A police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said the plaza was closed to prevent dangerously large crowds from forming there, and to head off the possibility of violence.

To Palestinians, it was another insult. It led to protests, which led to nightly clashes between the police and young men trying to reclaim the space. To the police, the protests were disorder to be controlled. But to many Palestinians, being pushed out of the square was a slight, beneath which were much deeper grievances. Palestinians evacuate a wounded protester during clashes with Israeli security forces at the Lions Gate in Jerusalems Old City on May 10. Credit:AP It made it feel as though they were trying to eliminate our presence from the city, said Majed al-Qeimari, a 27-year-old butcher from East Jerusalem. We felt the need to stand up in their faces and make a point that we are here. The clashes at the Damascus Gate had repercussions. Later that week, Palestinian youths began attacking Jews. Some posted videos on TikTok, a social media site, garnering public attention. And that soon led to organised Jewish reprisals. On April 21, just a week after the police raid, a few hundred members of a far-right Jewish group, Lehava, marched through central Jerusalem, chanting Death to Arabs and attacking Palestinian passersby. A group of Jews was filmed attacking a Palestinian home, and others assaulted drivers who were perceived to be Palestinian.

Foreign diplomats and community leaders tried to persuade the Israeli government to lower the temperature in Jerusalem, at least by reopening the square outside Damascus Gate. But they found the government distracted and uninterested, said a person involved in the discussions, who was not authorised to speak publicly. Netanyahu was in the middle of coalition negotiations after an election in March  the fourth in two years  that ended without a clear winner. To form a coalition, he needed to persuade several far-right lawmakers to join him. Netanyahu didnt invent the tensions between Jews and Arabs, said Anshel Pfeffer, a political commentator and biographer of the Prime Minister. Theyve been here since before Israel was founded. But over his long years in power, hes stoked and exploited these tensions for political gain time and again and has now miserably failed as a leader to put out the fires when it boiled over. Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Netanyahu, rejected that analysis. Exactly the opposite is true, Regev said. He has done everything he can to try to make calm prevail.

On April 25, the government relented on allowing Palestinians to gather outside the Damascus Gate. But then came a brace of developments that significantly worsened the trajectory of events. Fighting in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Credit:AP First was the looming eviction of the six families from Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. With a final court decision on their case due in the first half of May, regular protests were held throughout April  demonstrations that accelerated after Palestinians drew a connection between the events at Damascus Gate and the plight of the residents. What you see now at Sheikh Jarrah or at Al-Aqsa or at Damascus Gate is about pushing us out of Jerusalem, said Salah Diab, a community leader in Sheikh Jarrah, whose leg was broken during a recent police raid on his house. My neighbourhood is just the beginning. Police said they were responding to violence by demonstrators in Sheikh Jarrah, but video and images showed they engaged in violence themselves. As the images began to circulate online, the neighbourhood turned into a rallying point for Palestinians not just across the occupied territories and Israel, but among the diaspora.

Israeli police officers deploy during clashes with Palestinian protesters next to Damascus Gate in Jerusalems Old City on Friday. Credit:AP The experience of the families, who had already been displaced from what became Israel in 1948, was something every single Palestinian in the diaspora can relate to, said Jehan Bseiso, a Palestinian poet living in Lebanon. On April 29, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority cancelled the Palestinian elections, fearing a humiliating result. The decision made Abbas look weak. Hamas saw an opportunity, and began to reposition itself as a militant defender of Jerusalem. Hamas thought that by doing so, they were showing that they were a more capable leadership for the Palestinians, said Mkhaimar Abusada, a political expert at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City. On May 4, six days before the war began, the head of the Hamas military, Muhammed Deif, issued a rare public statement. This is our final warning, Deif said. If the aggression against our people in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood does not stop immediately, we will not stand idly by.

War nevertheless seemed unlikely. An Israeli soldier stands guard next to an Iron Dome air defence system as smoke rises from an oil tank that was hit by rocket fire from Gaza. Credit:AP But then came the most dramatic escalation of all: a police raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, May 7. Police officers armed with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-tipped bullets burst into the mosque compound shortly after 8pm, setting off hours of clashes with stone-throwing protesters in which hundreds were injured, medics said. Police said the stone throwers started it; several worshippers said the opposite. Whoever struck first, the sight of stun grenades and bullets inside the prayer hall of one of the holiest sites in Islam  on the last Friday of Ramadan, one of its holiest nights  was seen as a grievous insult to all Muslims.

This is about the Judaisation of the city of Jerusalem, Sheikh Omar al-Kisswani, another leader at the mosque, said in an interview hours after the raid. Its about deterring people from going to Al-Aqsa. That set the stage for a dramatic showdown on Monday, May 10. A final court hearing on Sheikh Jarrah was set to coincide with Jerusalem Day, when Jews celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem by dint of the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967. Jewish nationalists typically mark the day by marching through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and trying to visit Temple Mount, the site on which the Al-Aqsa Mosque is built. The looming combination of that march, tensions over Al-Aqsa and the possibility of an eviction order in Sheikh Jarrah seemed to be building toward something dangerous. The Israeli government scrambled to tamp down tensions. The Supreme Court hearing in the eviction case was postponed. An order barred Jews from entering the mosque compound. But police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque again, early on Monday morning, after Palestinians stockpiled stones in anticipation of clashes with police and far-right Jews. For the second time in three days, stun grenades and rubber-tipped bullets were fired across the compound, in scenes that were broadcast across the world.
Washington: A commander in the still-new Space Force has been relieved of duty after publicly espousing a number of conspiracy theories, including that Marxists had infiltrated leadership in all branches of military, while promoting a self-published book.

Since taking command as a commander about 10 months ago, I saw what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Lohmeier said on a podcast.

A US Space Force Guardian emblem. Credit:AP

That wasnt just prolific in social media, or throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the United States military. And I had recognised those narratives as being Marxist in nature.

According to the book, a new-Marxist agenda has taken hold in the military.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs sent a terse response to State Secretary Raymond Knops letter of May 12th, with regards to the delays of the 5th tranche NAf 39 million liquidity support expected by St. Maarten since the week following the decision made on April 23rd in the Kingdom Council. In responding to the May 12th letter, Prime Minister Jacobs drew reference to the events leading to the delays.

Prime Minister Jacobs indicates that in the Kingdom Council of Ministers (RMR) decision on March 26th, Knops was given the authority together with Prime Minister, Mr. Mark Rutte, Minister of Finance Mr. Wopke Hoekstra and the Minister Plenipotentiary Mr. Rene Violenus to enter into discussion to clarify the position of the Parliament of Sint Maarten on the trajectory for the COHO law. Additionally, Knops was also given the authority to give approval if the clarification which was given was sufficient. On April 15th this clarification was given by the Parliament of Sint Maarten and on April 16th approval was given, on behalf of the above-mentioned Ministers. In addition, the RMR decided in the meeting of April 23rd (after 1 month delay) to provide the liquidity support of ANG 39 million to Sint Maarten and St. Maarten received notice from BZK staff that the loan agreement would follow within short. To date, BZK has not lived up to its responsibility to do so.



Knowing that the decision was finally taken in the RMR after a full month delay, which the government felt was also unwarranted and not related to the agreements made, Sint Maarten had no reason to doubt Knops execution of the decision in his capacity as State Secretary of Kingdom Relations. However, on May 12, 2021, the very insulting and overreaching letter was sent to the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten and made public, informing that once again the requested liquidity support granted on his advice to the RMR, would be further delayed, or suspended on the indication of Knops citing reasons not based in facts, and easily refutable. This letter continues to fuel negative feelings within the St. Maarten community.



Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs highlighted that it was inconceivable that the demissionair State secretary could take it upon himself to make such an arbitrary decision without proper authority. It is clear that the RMR closely follows his advice as well as that of the CFT in all financial matters related to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. It is also evident that as such the State secretary feels empowered to make these decisions, however, it is not behoorlijk behavior and serves to further erode the trust and deteriorate the relationship between St. Maarten and the Netherlands.

St. Maarten reached out repeatedly for two weeks to the State Secretary before forwarding concerns to the RMR. That the RMR chose to send St. Maarten back to BZK for the long-awaited response shows that the democratic deficit continues to be flagrantly demonstrated. Without a dispute regulation, and without a willingness on the side of the RMR and BZK to listen to the reality of the St. Maarten situation, even after the technical agreement, and take consideration for the SIDS status these islands have, we continue to struggle in this Kingdom to be treated with some level of equity and respect as self-governing countries.

Facts are, Prime Minister Jacobs and State Secretary Knops have already signed the implementation agenda which was the condition for the 5th tranche liquidity support. These delayed actions by Knops are disrupting the vital processes of government and making it difficult for government to live up to its obligations. Government started its process to address concerns at the airport before the May 6th letter of the Schiphol group and before the May 12th letter of BZK. The government of St. Maarten strongly believes that these two separate agreements should not be thrown together. It is clear that Mr. Knops is very well aware that he has no authority to make such decisions on his own.

Your letter shows that you are attempting to suspend the liquidity support provided without a mandate until you can once again submit it for decision making to the RMR. This confirms that you were not legally authorized to do so. It is also clear that you want to attach additional conditions to the 39 million already granted, which was requested to cover the costs that are currently not covered, while this has not been discussed or decided in the RMR. It is a disturbing fact that you once again link the agreements made via the trust fund to this country package, while the country package does not cover these agreements, stated Prime Minister Jacobs emphatically.

The letter further elucidated the facts as related to some of the allegations and accusations being made towards the government of St. Maarten. The technical teams, civil servants within Government organization have been working diligently on the agreements to achieve necessary reforms in order to ensure St. Maarten is able to receive liquidity support until we are able to sustain ourselves, even as they accepted that they too had to give up a little. It is an insult to them, to come with new conditions after they have worked so hard and the agreed-upon conditions have been met.

Seeing the current work being done to adjust the COHO law, as it was very heavily criticized by the Council of State for usurping government and parliaments authorities, as well as going too far, it is uncanny that BZK continues to behave in this same manner every time there is a dispute in order to push their agenda.

The government of St. Maarten expects to have further discussions with the teams including the State Secretary in the coming week aimed at ensuring that St. Maarten is treated equitably and that the livelihood of the people who are depending on the government of St. Maarten to meet their needs are not put in jeopardy based on the heavy-handed moves in The Hague. St. Maarten also looks forward to BZK State Secretary Knops living up to agreements made in RMR of April 23rd and expects this to be resolved by May 21st, 2021.
A Spy in Every Embassy

'The intelligence coup of the century'. The extraordinary story of the longest running and most successful secret intelligence operation of the 20th Century.



For more than half a century, governments all over the world trusted a single company, Swiss-based Crypto AG, to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers and diplomats secret. But what none of its customers ever knew was that Crypto AG was owned for over 20 Cold War years by the CIA in partnership with the BND, the German Intelligence Service. The machines that many customers bought had deliberately weakened security  a window through which the CIA and BND could read the diplomatic traffic between their embassies, their trade negotiators and their own spies.



The BND sold out its share in 1993 for a tidy profit while the CIA continued until the company was broken up in 2018.



Crypto AGs own secret was only cracked last year in a combined investigation by German ZDF television, Swiss SRF and the Washington Post following the discovery of a secret history, Operation Rubicon, that had been assembled by some of the operatives who had been involved in the deception.



A Spy in Every Embassy is the story of the story, presented by German intelligence journalist Peter F Muller, who produced last years television programme for ZDF, and British journalist David Ridd.



It gives the chronology of the manoeuvrings, arguments, successes and deceptions of the partnership that remained secret for a quarter of a century. Its revelations offer a new perspective on some of the landmark events of those decades - the Falklands War, the US bombing of Libya from British airfields, the negotiations that lead to the Camp David Accords and the Iranian Hostage crisis, as well as the daily churn of intelligence information from around the world about both friends and opponents.



The programme considers the collateral damage of deception on a grand scale. Most employees of Crypto AG knew nothing of the built-in weaknesses of the machinery they were building or trying to sell to governments in some very dangerous parts of the world.



Produced by John Forsyth

Assistant Producer: Alexandra Quinn

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w499



Extracts read by Lanna Joffrey, Annette Kossow, Blanca Belenguer, Mike Christofferson and Thilo Buergel.

Archive by kind permission of ZDF Television, Crypto Museum, Harry S Truman Library, National Security Agency Archive and Bletchley Park podcast.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w499
Somerset, KY (42501)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening, with fog developing late. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Secure access control is helping to shape the post-pandemic world

With the continued rolling back of COVID restrictions in the UK, there is a palpable sense of relief. A mixture of mass vaccinations, widespread testing, and track and tracing of the infection is helping to enable a healthy bounce back for businesses  with secure access control taking an important role in facilitating this. However, rather than just being a reaction to the wake of the pandemic, there is every sign that the economy, and consequently the security sector as well, are both rebuilding and reshaping for the long-term new normal. Prioritising Safety Already deemed an essential service even during the first wave of the pandemic, the security industry has of course taken a vital role in protecting people and property throughout the crisis. Now that venues in the UK are starting to reopen again, our services are key to occupancy management and ensuring that disease transmission is limited as far as possible. Access control is also key in reassuring people that their safety is a priority. Making the upgrade Its all been about choosing the most suitable components and technology that already existed with a few tweaks Businesses and organisations have a duty of care to their employees and the safety of visitors  so controlling access, employing lateral flow testing, and deploying suitable Track & Trace mechanisms are all key components. I think those outside our industry are surprised to learn that most of the technology being deployed and used hasnt just magically developed since COVID appeared  its all been about choosing the most suitable components and technology that already existed albeit with a few development tweaks or adjustments for the situation at hand. This includes using or installing facial recognition readers rather than using fingerprint or contact tokens, it is swapping to automatic request to exit sensors instead of buttons; it is using powered secure doors rather than having people all grab the same handle. Using mobile credentials is also a key technology choice  why not use the highly secure, easy to manage, cost-effective, and of course contact-free benefits of this approach? Touchless solutions We have seen a clear shift in organisations looking to protect their staff and visitors. For instance, we have a big utility customer in Southeast Asia that has just replaced close to 200 sites using fingerprint readers with an additional facial recognition capability. We have also seen a big rise in demand for touchless request to exit sensors and Bluetooth Low Energy Readers for use with smartphone authentication. Working together Integration of security systems is of course nothing new, but in the post-pandemic or endemic age, it has perhaps never been more important. Installations need to be simple, straightforward, and rapid to help maintain safe distancing but also to ensure systems can be deployed as soon as they are needed. The world is changing and developing rapidly and there is simply no place for systems that dont work with others or cause the end-user considerable cost and inconvenience to upgrade. This flexible delivery of security solutions perfectly matches the evolving and increasing demands of the market. Its clear that end-users want systems that work well and can easily integrate with their existing systems  not only security but all the other business components which work in unison with each other over a shared network. Great opportunities ahead The recent work-from-home trend is also clearly changing the way organisations and businesses interact with the built environment. Lots of companies are downsizing, offices are being split up, there is lots of revitalisation and reuse of existing office space  all of which creates considerable opportunities for security providers. UK inflation more than doubled in April 2021 with unemployment figures dropping and the Pound rising in value There are also, in the UK at least, clear signs that the construction industry is rapidly growing again -with a forecast of 8% rebound and growth this year. UK inflation more than doubled in April 2021 with unemployment figures dropping and the Pound rising in value  all positive signs for UK-based security providers. Undoubtedly the highly successful UK vaccination rollout has helped considerably, but there are signs that the Eurozone looks set to improve considerably over the next few months as well. Using integrated access control Undoubtedly the pandemic has made security markets around the world more aware of the benefits of integrated access control in managing the needs of the new normal COVID endemic environment. For example, as a business, we have always had keen interest from the UK healthcare sector, but over the last 12 months, we have seen a big growth in previously modest international markets including Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand  all of which are very keen to adopt improved access control solutions. Learning the lessons Nobody would deny the last year or so has been unprecedentedly tough on everyone, as a society we have had to make huge changes and sacrifices. Governments, organisations, and businesses all need to be better prepared in the future, to understand the things that went wrong and those that were successful. However, there is a world beyond the immediate pandemic and its effects. Flexible working practices and the changes these will have to the way we live and work will undoubtedly present great opportunities for the security sector in helping the world evolve. The pandemic has been a wake-up call for many organisations with regards to their duty of care to employees  particularly when it comes to mental health and providing a sensible work/life balance. Where we work and the safety of these facilities has received far more scrutiny than before. Flexible security systems Integrated security solutions have a vital role to play in not only protecting the safety of people during the post-lockdown return to work but also in the evolution of the built environment and move towards smart cities - which inevitably will now need to consider greater flexibility in securing home working spaces rather than just traditional places of work. Importantly, powerful access control and integrated security systems need to be flexible to the uncertainties ahead. The COVID pandemic has shown that nothing can be considered certain, except the need for greater flexibility and resilience in the way we operate our professional and personal interactions.
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'Ham' it up for hurricane season Southwest Floridians are all too familiar with power loss during hurricanes and storms, but whos there to communicate for us in a state of emergency?



Port Charlotte's the Sun newspaper says:



On Saturday morning [May 8] in Punta Gorda, the Charlotte Amateur Radio Society collaborated with the Burnt Store Lakes Homeowners Association Community Emergency Response Team to demonstrate how Ham Radio operators can send and receive messages without electricity, cell phone service or wifi.



Its not really a hobby, but more a way of life, said CARS President David Weinstein K3FHP, who has worked with amateur radio operation for roughly 60 years.



Were a very vulnerable society because of our reliance on the internet and communications, said Weinstein.



In the event of an emergency, Weinstein said amateur radio operators team up with Emergency Management to assist those injured by getting the word out.



Read the full story at

https://www.yoursun.com/charlotte/news/ham-it-up-for-hurricane-season/article_a68082c0-b5a7-11eb-af8c-7fbf6b400b7f.html
Fox channel is to close in the UK after 17 years as Disney continues to withdraw from traditional television and shift its focus to Disney+.Fox will stop broadcasting on Sky and Virgin Media from June 30, with many of its titles making the jump to Star on Disney+. This will include originals such as War Of The Worlds, which is about to enter its second season, and tentpole third-party shows like The Walking Dead.
STAMFORD  Chief Vincent Mann offered up a prayer, spoke briefly and sang a song in Mill River Park on Sunday as residents and local officials looked on during the citys second-ever Stamford Day celebration.

Mann, the Turtle Clan chief of the Ramapough Lunaape Nation, explained to the attendees of the event, aimed at recognizing Stamfords diversity, that he and members of his community are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the area.

Mann said he wanted the moment to serve as the reintroduction of his people to Stamford.

I think that it is time right now for us to reengage the communities, which were our communities, our villages, prior to the settlers coming here, Mann told the Stamford Advocate. We really look forward to creating relationships and building that trust or respect and honor for each other. And thats whats really important to us.

Mann, who lives in New Jersey, said he and his wife have been researching deed signings and the movement of their ancestors going back to the 1600s. As Katonah, a Ramapough chief, sold land to European settlers, their people gradually moved toward what are today known as the Ramapo Mountains, Mann said.

Mann said they traced from Katonah all the way back to a chief named Ponus  who, along with another chief, signed the original deed of Stamford in 1640.

It was the first transaction between the representatives of the New Haven Colony and the Indians of this area, said Ron Marcus of the Stamford History Center. The purchase included land covering what today is Stamford, Darien and a western part of New Canaan as well as Pound Ridge and Bedford, N.Y.

Later on, further documents were issued to reaffirm the claims of the English settlers, Marcus said, and eventually, Stamford was whittled down to what it is today.

Lyda Ruijter, Stamfords city and town clerk, said the original deed is now at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Mass., where it is being restored and preserved. The work will cost about $15,000.

My office produces $7 million in revenue every year, and a very small part of that is dedicated to historical preservation, Ruijter said. And I decided to tap into that, and I got approval for that.

Ruijter said she expects the deed to return to Stamford in the fall, and then there will be a proper ceremony with the Manns.

The original document will go into a vault, Ruijter said. She has also asked for two copies to be made. One will be framed and put on display, and the other will be given to the Manns.

The deed is a kind of document that appeals to everybodys imagination, Ruijter said. And it is timely in the sense that everybody is re-evaluating where we come from.

Turtle Clan Mother Michaeline Picaro Mann said she took a trip to Stamford before Sundays event to meet Ruijter, who showed her a book of historical documents.

For us, it was everything that we knew and everything that we heard orally. [It] was something that we could look at. It was tangible, Picaro Mann said.

The Board of Representatives approved a resolution in 2019 declaring May 16 Stamford Day. It noted that May 16, 1641 is considered the date of Stamfords founding.

The holiday was the brainchild of then-Rep. Steve Kolenberg and Rep. Bob Lion, D-19. The first-ever Stamford Day was marked by a small event at the government center. Last year, no event took place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, the Mayors Multicultural Council and the Mill River Park Collaborative sponsored an about three-hour event at the park that included music and dance performances, among other activities.

The purpose of this event is to sort of celebrate the history and the diversity of the city today, so were doing that through demonstrations and presentations and visuals and activities, said Eva Weller, who chairs the Mayors Multicultural Council, ahead of Sundays event. Were very excited about it because its our first in-person event since COVID started.
STAMFORD  Members of the state carpenters union, carrying banners and passing out flyers to passersby, Monday urged legislators and Stamford officials to stop wage theft, to stand up to tax fraud and to take a closer look at the citys booming construction economy.

A dozen members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners rallied in front of the Stamford Government Center  in company with a giant inflatable pig and a fat cat holding a worker in a neck grip  to publicize what they said were deliberate ploys of some contractors to underpay their taxes by misclassifying their workers.

Stamford, they said, is among the worst offenders.

Part of that is because of Stamfords growth, said Miguel Fuentes, a member of the unions local chapter. But part of that is because it has been accepted as a business practice.

The carpenters union has made what it describes as construction industry tax fraud into one of its cornerstone issues. Local chapters across the country have protested to ask for greater government accountability on certain construction practices. But the union says it thinks Stamford  a city that often touts its growth  should hold a magnifying glass to itself in particular.

They point to data that show that nearly half of Department of Labor violations in the state since January were for Stamford worksites.

Connecticut enforces labor laws in part by issuing Stop Work Orders, also called SWOs. If the department finds that workplaces, like construction sites, violate labor laws, it can force the employer to stop business operations entirely.

About half of all SWOs issued by the state Department of Labor from 2021s first months were for Stamford worksites, according to Department of Labor spokeswoman Juliet Manalan. The state gave out 41 SWOs during the first quarter of the year, and 21 of those sites are in the city.

A request for comment from the mayors office was not returned as of press time.

The Department of Labor can serve a business a SWO for misrepresenting employees or providing false information to insurance companies, among other reasons.

Sometimes, businesses fail to secure workers compensation insurance or count workers as independent contractors rather than employees. Or companies pay workers under the table to understate the number of employees on their payrolls, according to the Department of Labor website.

Some employment and labor laws do not apply to independent contractors, which loops them out of certain legal protections typically given to workers.

If youre told what to do and how to do it, youre an employee, and you should get a W-2, said Matthew Capece from the national Brotherhood of Carpenters. Construction employers with employees tell them what to do and how to do it. But to save money on their labor costs, they treat them as independent contractors and pay them off the books.

He pointed to the Internal Revenue Services attempted to charge FedEx $319 million in back taxes in 2007 for misclassifying its more than 13,000 drivers as independent contractors.

All those costs that should have been paid but were not are piled onto the legitimate employers, the good construction employers that are paying everyone as they should, Capece said. Their costs go up, and they lose work to the people who break the law. Thats how you have the growth of these illegal practices taking over construction markets.

By Capreces estimates, 20 percent of the construction workforce is either inappropriately classified or outside of the payroll. Companies do not have to pay employment taxes for independent contractors, and the workers arent eligible for overtime pay, hence the unions wage theft slogan, he said.

A 2020 study completed by economists at Allegheny College, Michigan State University, and Harvard University estimated that the federal government loses $1.83 billion in income tax through construction worker misclassifications. Workers lost another $946 million in overtime pay.

Ernest Pagan, a member of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said he is most concerned about what wage theft means for local workers. Misclassifying workers means they earn less money, money that some families depend on to survive, he said.

In a lot of situations, this is the ladder to the middle class, Pagan said.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
Jacom Stephens / Getty Images

MIDDLETOWN  City police are investigating a shooting that killed one man and injured a 17-year-old boy Sunday morning in the West Lake area, officials said.

Officers were called to Highlands Crescent and Stirling Court around 11 a.m. for reports of an altercation, police said.
DARIEN  Relief, excitement and cautious optimism combined Sunday as COVID-19 vaccinations were administered to young people ages 12 to 15 at Griebs Pharmacy.

Im just happy to see it getting done, said Sandra Smeriglio, a pharmacist at Griebs Pharmacy, which has been administering shots since the vaccine became available.

Its a big turnout, she said, with the vaccination becoming available this week to those age 12 and up. I think everyone is aware.

Along with early walk-ins, there were 250 people scheduled for the approved Pfizer shots Sunday afternoon, most of which were ages 12 to 15, coming from Darien, Norwalk and surrounding towns.

I guess Im just glad to get it, said Dylan Payne, 12, of Norwalk, noting it brings freedom to travel and more comfortably allows engagement with friends.

For school and people who do sports, they can feel more comfortable, said Brooke Sassa, 14, of Darien, who also got her first shot at Griebs on Sunday. Ive been looking forward to it.

Its an opportunity for life to get back to normal and for school getting back to what it was, and for them to be more comfortable in social situations, said her mother, Allison Sassa.

Its no secret that a rift has developed between people in favor of the vaccine and those opposed to it, with arguments on both sides touching high emotion.

I think its stupid, Dylan said of those who are not getting vaccinated, because theyre like the same people who are refusing to wear masks.

I dont know if youre making the right decision, said parent Melissa Stein, of Wilton, who brought her 12-year-old son, Harrison in for his shot, but she added shes also not completely convinced theres enough research on young people regarding it.

Im here doing what I think is best, she said. If I can keep him safe, this is what Im going to do.

Its just scary that this is whats happened to our world, she said, noting it all amounts to a pivotal point in history that this generations children will be telling their own children about.

It feels good, Harrison said of getting his first shot. Then I wont have to worry about it.

Im thrilled, just thrilled, said Colette Sovak of Norwalk, whose son Jack, 15, got the shot on Sunday. As soon as it became available for 12 and up, we called right away.

Everybody has to do what they feel is right for them, she said, but I think the world is so anxious to get back to normal (and) we need to get to that 70 or 80 percent of the country.

Im hoping with this new push thatll happen, she said.

I get their concern, teen Jack Sovak said of those opposed to the vaccination, but I think you should just be responsible and do the right thing.

Registered nurse Kimberly Hibben is in apparent agreement. The daughter of Griebs longtime owners Deb and Chuck Hibben, she began giving the vaccines at the store on Sunday.

From a nursing end, its nice to feel they can get vaccinated, she said of the 12-15 age group. It feels like finally were coming to an end of a terrible year for everybody.
GREENWICH  Cindy Boucard has been named assistant principal at Parkway School, effective July 1, the district announced Monday.

Boucard has been interim assistant principal at Parkway and will take on the position permanently following the retirement of Jeffrey Libby. She will support supervision and evaluation of staff, facilitation of the special education process, maintain a safe and welcoming school climate, and advocate on behalf of all students, according to a district statement.

We are thrilled that Cindy will be joining the Parkway School community permanently, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones said. Given her background in special education and her leadership roles both in our Central Office and at our schools, coupled with the relationships and connections that she has already forged at Parkway, we know she will continue to be a great leader for the school.

Boucard has previously served as interim assistant principal at New Lebanon School from February to April 2018 and again from March to May 2019. She was a maternity leave replacement for a special education coordinator at Central Office and also worked in the the districts summer school program both as a teacher and as a site coordinator.

Before joining Greenwich Schools in 2012 as a special education teacher at New Lebanon School, Boucard taught special education in Bridgeport.

I am honored and excited to be permanently joining the Parkway School community, Boucard said. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with our students, faculty, and families over the past year and feel that Parkway has truly become my home. I will continue to support the great work that has been accomplished at Parkway for the remainder of this year and in future years to come.

Boucard holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a concentration in mental health from Albertus Magnus College; a Master of Arts in teaching with a concentration in autism special education, and an Intermediate Administration and Supervision Certification from Sacred Heart University.
BRDO, Slovenia (AP)  Serbia and Kosovo clashed Monday at a summit of Western Balkan nations over state border changes, a thorny issue in a region that is still recuperating from bloody civil wars in the 1990s.

The largely ceremonial annual gathering in Slovenia of the presidents of two EU-member states, Slovenia and Croatia, with leaders of six Balkan nations that formally seek membership in the bloc was to adopt a resolution that calls for unchangeability of the existing borders in the region.

However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rejected such a wording in the resolution because it would indirectly mean that Serbia recognizes the borders of its former breakaway province of Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence in 2008.

He has proposed that only the borders recognized by the United Nations be declared as fixed. Kosovo, which is not an UN member, has been recognized by the United States and most of the West, while Serbia and its allies Russia and China refuse to do that.

Kosovo would like to interpret the borders as it wishes, or like a part of the world has already done, Vucic told reporters after the meeting in the Slovenian resort of Brdo.

Kosovo did not want to talk about the U.N. at any price  for us to accept anything like that is absolutely impossible, he said.

In her speech at the summit, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said she wants to be loud and clear: The Republic of Kosovo as a sovereign and independent country is a permanent project.

There is nothing and no one that can reverse this reality. Dangerous adventures on border changes should be resolutely rejected by all of us, if we truly desire peace and stability in our region, she said.

The clash at the summit came several weeks after the publishing of a document allegedly drafted by the Slovenia's populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa, which proposed border changes across the Western Balkans. That is something highly controversial, because such attempts to forcefully change borders between former Yugoslav nations triggered the worst carnage in Europe since World War II.

Jansa reluctantly denied that he was the author of the document handed over to the EU that triggered the political storm. The alleged non-paper was reportedly intended to settle lingering ethnic tensions by forming nearly ethnically pure states and thus help the Western Balkan nations in their long-term goal of joining the 27-nation European Union.

The summit's hosts, Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, said a compromise wording was adopted in a joint statement by the participants that reaffirmed their commitment to EU enlargement.

There were many differences, voices were raised, Pahor said. But in the end we signed a document with which Im very happy.

The meeting, marking the 10th anniversary of the initiative, was attended by the leaders of Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia.

The in-person gathering was postponed twice last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

___

Dusan Stojanovic and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, and Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania contributed.
Sri Lankas foreign policy dilemmas include the risk of being ensnared by Chinas debt-trap diplomacy and the need to manage larger states competing for regional dominance.

by Rajni Gamage

Facing unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, mounting public debt and international condemnation of human rights violations, Sri Lankas foreign policy straddles conflicting domestic and international demands. At home and abroad, the countrys leadership has adopted strongman politics associated with the ruling Rajapaksa family.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena looks at a copy of the result of the UNHRC (UN Human Rights Council) resolution to document Sri Lankan war crimes as he leaves the media conference at the ministry in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 23 March, 2021 (Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte).

This type of strongman politics appeals to sections of the majority Sinhala Buddhist population, especially after the national security negligence of the previous government during the 2019 Easter bombings. Yet despite claiming its foreign policy upholds Sri Lankan sovereignty and independence, the government has paradoxically become more dependent on external forces to achieve its foreign policy goals.

Sri Lankas foreign policy dilemmas include the risk of being ensnared by Chinas debt-trap diplomacy and the need to manage larger states competing for regional dominance. The alleged debt-trap diplomacy refers to China funding white elephant infrastructure in poorer countries with high interest loans so that recipient states, like Sri Lanka, acquiesce to Beijings strategic objectives.

Yet this narrative has been debunked by several reports, citing Sri Lankas relatively low percentage of debt owed to China. Incompetence and ad hoc decision making  within both the Chinese and Sri Lankan governments  better explain the poor performance of joint ChineseSri Lankan development initiatives.

Sri Lankas ballooning foreign debt stems from global changes to international commercial borrowing. Since attaining middle-income country status in 1997, it is much easier for Colombo to obtain financing through bilateral loans than from traditional lenders like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which often require politicaleconomic restructuring as conditionalities to their loans.

Last year, the IMF prematurely ended its US$1.5 billion loan program to Sri Lanka. Difficulty in repaying large amounts of commercial foreign debt has driven Sri Lankas deepening reliance on countries like China to tide-over its balance of payments problems.

This dependence includes the well-known 99-year lease of the southern Hambantota Port to the Chinese state-controlled China Merchant Port Holdings, which holds a 70 per cent stake in a joint venture with Sri Lanka Ports Authority. In March 2021, Sri Lanka announced a US$1.5 billion currency swap with the Chinese central bank and that it would partner with China in developing two irrigation reservoirs in a UNESCO-protected heritage site, the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. Now a proposed Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, pertaining to the single largest private-sector development on the island, is facing contestations within government and civil society over concerns it could become a Chinese colony.

China also extended economic and medical assistance to Colombo as part of its pandemic diplomacy, after COVID-19 dealt a major blow to the islands tourism industry and foreign remittances from the Middle East. These foreign policy overtures have triggered regional anxieties over Beijings role in Sri Lanka. These anxieties are foremost among members of the Quad  an informal alliance of India, Japan, the United States and Australia  who see China as competing for dominance in the Indian Ocean Region.

The Quad completed its first summit in March this year. But the Chinese government sees it as an exclusive cliquesowing regional division by playing up the China threat narrative. While many Quad states provided pandemic-related assistance, especially India as part of Operation Maitri and its Neighbourhood First Policy, subsequent foreign policy moves by the Rajapaksa administration weakened the island-states so-called non-alignment stance.

Such moves include cancelling the US$480 million United States Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Agreement and Colombo Ports East Container Terminal (ECT) development project, finalised in partnership with India and Japan. Although the Sri Lankan government subsequently finalised an agreement with Indias Adani group to develop the West Container Terminal of Colombo Port, the Indian government distanced itself from the deal.

The official Sri Lankan discourse that accompanies backtracking on these development agreements is particularly interesting. The decision to unilaterally call off the ECT agreement was portrayed as the result of unrelenting trade union and civil society group protests against privatisation of state-owned corporations. Meanwhile, a turnaround on the MCC Agreement was framed by the government in terms of upholding the countrys sovereignty against foreign interference.

Despite official pronouncements about independence and sovereignty, the countrys economic and political trajectory is increasingly dependent on finding alternative sources of financial and development assistance from abroad. This dependence is sustained by a militarised form of neoliberal development supported by key sections of Sri Lankas ruling elite. The local patronage networks they sustain are essential for managing domestic unrest over increasing living costs, political rights and environmental destruction.

Yet this discourse has considerable purchase with a government under pressure to introduce a new constitution  a reform that would limit the devolution of power through the existing Provincial Council system. It also lends domestic legitimacy to a government facing international pressure over human rights violations, especially after the UN received a mandate to investigate war crimes committed during Sri Lankas civil war that ended in 2009.

The UN resolution was criticised by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena as a Western-backed move to dominate the Global South, with China being among those states who voted against the resolution.

Given the combination of the domestic and international demands the Sri Lankan government faces, a truly independent foreign policy seems increasingly unlikely in the foreseeable future.

Rajni Gamage is a PhD candidate in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland (UQ). Views expressed in this article are the author's own
Coronavirus developments around New England:

MAINE

Maine might extend the ability of its residents to use telehealth services beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

Many people in Maine and around the country have transitioned to telehealth during the pandemic, in part to avoid crowded doctors offices. Democratic Sen. Heather Sanborn of Portland has proposed a bill to guarantee Maine health care providers have a right to provide telehealth services in the future.

Sanborns proposal would also allow health care licensing boards to create rules and practices for health care workers. She said its time for the state to make it clear that telehealth is a proper form of health care delivery, and ensure that people across our state can continue accessing these critical services no matter where they live or what the circumstances are.

The proposal would add language to health care licensing board statutes to guarantee providers have a right to provide it, Sanborn said.

The proposal is expected to be considered in committee.

___

MASSACHUSETTS

More than 656,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Massachusetts, including nearly 660 cases announced Saturday. Five new deaths were announced, bringing the totalsince the pandemic began to 17,389.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Massachusetts has decreased over the past two weeks, going from 1,244 new cases per day on April 30 to 707 new cases per day on May 14.

___

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshires courts are continuing to ease restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Tuesday, the Supreme Court building will be open to the public during normal business hours permitting full access to the clerks office and public kiosk. The law library also will be open.

All superior and circuit court courthouses and clerks offices also will be open to the public during normal business hours, but public kiosks will not be available. In the superior court, grand jury and jury trials will continue to be conducted on an in-person basis and will be expanded to include more than one trial at a time in the same courthouse.

The superior and circuit courts will be issuing administrative orders that make telephonic and video hearings a normal feature of their ongoing operations.

___

RHODE ISLAND

The amount of quahogs harvested in Rhode Island dropped by about 35% last year because of the pandemic, but officials expect landings to bounce back this year, aided by the opening of new shellfishing waters in the lower Providence River.

Quahogs are the states fifth most valuable marine fishery, behind squid, scallops, lobster and summer flounder.

The local clams will be celebrated May 17-23 during the 5th annual Rhode Island Quahog Week.

___

VERMONT

More than 23,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Vermont, including 28 new cases announced Sunday. Deaths stood at 252.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has decreased over the past two weeks, going from 79 new cases per day on April 30 to 57 new cases per day on May 14.
DALLAS (AP)  About two hours before a 4-year-old boy was found dead on a Dallas street, a man lifted the sleeping boy from his bed and carried him away, court documents say, citing home surveillance video.

The boy, whom authorities identified Monday as Cash Gernon, was being taken care of by the girlfriend of Cash's father, police said. The girlfriend, who said Cash's father had been absent since March, identified the person who took Cash from his bed at 5 a.m. Saturday as 18-year-old Darriynn Brown, police said.
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP)  A man was killed and a teenager was wounded in a shooting in Middletown on Sunday, police said.

A dispute escalated into gunfire near Highlands Crescent and Stirling Court just before 11 a.m., Lt. Brian Hubbs, a spokesperson for the Middletown Police Department, said in a news release.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  The first court test of whether local governments can ban police from enforcing certain gun laws is playing out in a rural Oregon county, one of a wave of U.S. counties declaring itself a Second Amendment sanctuary.

The measure that voters in the logging area of Columbia County narrowly approved last year forbids local officials from enforcing most federal and state gun laws and could impose thousands of dollars in fines on those who try.

Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions have been adopted by some 1,200 local governments in states around the U.S., including Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Illinois and Florida, according to Shawn Fields, an assistant professor of law at Campbell University who tracks them. Many are symbolic, but some, like in Columbia County, carry legal force.

The movement took off around 2018, as states considered stricter gun laws in the wake of mass shootings, including a high school shooting near Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people and made survivors into high-profile gun control activists.

After President Joe Biden took office, conservative lawmakers in several states proposed banning police from enforcing federal gun measures, and at least one proposal in Arizona has been signed into law.

The movement hasnt yet faced a major legal challenge. The Oregon case was filed by Columbia County under an unusual provision in state law that allows a judge to examine a measure before it goes into effect. No timeline has been set for a court hearing.

This will allow the court to tell us whether the county can actually decline to enforce certain state laws, and it will tell us how to abide by the will of the voters to the extent that we can, said Sarah Hanson, who serves as counsel in the conservative-leaning county in deep-blue Oregon.

Supporters of the ordinance include the Oregon Firearms Federation, which said in a November statement that extremists and big city radicals" were trying to curtail gun rights.

The group referenced Portland protests opposing police brutality that occasionally turned violent last summer and called the ordinance a common sense step that would ensure your right and ability to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.

The ordinance would ban the enforcement of laws like background check requirements and restrictions on carrying a gun, though it would have exceptions for others, including keeping firearms from convicted felons.

The Oregon Firearms Federation didnt respond to a request for comment on the court case.

Sheriff Brian Pixley has expressed support, saying in a March statement that one of his responsibilities is to uphold people's Second Amendment rights and that he's eager to move forward with the will of the voters.

The measure is divisive locally, though, and four residents filed court documents opposing it. One, Brandee Dudzic, referenced the strict gun safety drills she learned in military medic training, saying she values the right to own a gun but believes it should come with safety measures like background checks and secure storage.

A gun shop owner in Columbia County said he supports background checks and believes that state law trumps the county law." But he voted in favor of the Second Amendment measure on principle.

We need to make sure that people are safe. We need to make sure that people are responsible," he said. But as more rules are in place, we just need to make sure that were not overregulated.

He spoke on the condition he not be identified because some of his customers take a hard line against gun restrictions and he didn't want to lose their business.

Everytown Law, an affiliate of the group Everytown for Gun Safety, is pushing for the measure to be overturned. Managing Director Eric Tirschwell said it would be the nations first court test amid the current wave of Second Amendment sanctuary laws.

Everytown argues that the ordinance violates the U.S. Constitution, which says federal law supersedes state law, as well as the state Constitution and an Oregon law that gives the state power to regulate firearms.

The decision won't have a direct effect outside Oregon but could send a message.

This case is important and should send the message that where state or local jurisdictions attempt to unconstitutionally or unlawfully nullify gun safety laws, we are prepared to and will go to court, Tirschwell said.

Other laws trying to blunt the effect of federal gun restrictions havent fared well in court, including a 2009 Montana measure that made guns and ammunition manufactured in the state exempt from federal law and a similar 2013 measure in Kansas.

Many of the latest wave of measures, though, take a different tack by focusing on the actions of local police, including punishments like fines.

In terms of federal law, gun rights advocates may have a successful legal argument under the so-called anti-commandeering doctrine, which says the U.S. government cant make state and local officials enforce federal law, said Darrell Miller, a professor of law at Duke Law School and co-faculty director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law. He agreed that the Oregon case is the first of its kind.

Local enforcement of state law, meanwhile, is another matter. Most states don't have similar provisions in their own legal codes, and Oregon's attorney general said in court documents that the Columbia County ordinance is incompatible with criminal law and the duties of county officials.

To the extent the local government is trying to say, Were also not going to enforce state law either .... thats a much more difficult and complicated position, Miller said. The authority of the state over localities is much, much stronger.

___

Whitehurst reported from Salt Lake City.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Rep. Liz Cheney, newly ousted from House Republican leadership for challenging former President Donald Trump, criticized GOP colleagues Sunday for downplaying the Jan. 6 riot and condoning Trumps lies that the 2020 election was stolen, saying they were complicit in undermining democracy.

In television interviews, the Wyoming Republican said there was no question an attack like Jan. 6 could happen again if Trump's claims go unchecked.

I think its dangerous, Cheney said. I think that we have to recognize how quickly things can unravel. We have to recognize what it means for the nation to have a former president who has not conceded and who continues to suggest that our electoral system cannot function, cannot do the will of the people.

Weve seen not only his provocation of the attack, but his refusal to send help when it was needed, his refusal to immediately say, Stop,'" she added.

Asked in a separate interview if she believes House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Rep. Elise Stefanik, who replaced Cheney in the No. 3 leadership job, are complicit by embracing Trump, Cheney responded: They are.

Im not willing to do that, she said. We all have an obligation to stand up against that.

Stefanik, a Trump stalwart from upstate New York, was elected Friday to the leadership post by House Republicans after they voted to remove Cheney on Wednesday. Stefanik has a moderate voting record but had strong backing from Trump and other party leaders.

Speaking Sunday, Stefanik described Republicans as now unified in their goal of beating Democrats, with Trump playing a key role in the GOPs future success.

He is the leader of the Republican Party, Stefanik said. Voters determine the leader of the Republican Party. And they continue to look to President Trump for his vision.

Cheney on Sunday called it indefensible that some GOP colleagues, such as Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Louie Gohmert of Texas, suggested last week that the breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6 posed no real threat, with Clyde likening it to a normal tourist visit.

The notion that this was somehow a tourist event is disgraceful and despicable, Cheney said. And, you know, I wont be part of whitewashing what happened on Jan. 6. Nobody should be part of it. And people ought to be held accountable.

She also said McCarthy should testify before a bipartisan commission that is investigating the riot because he has key facts about Trumps state of mind on that day, including whether the former president knew the proceedings were turning violent and did nothing to stop it.

He clearly has facts about that day, that an investigation into what happened, into the presidents actions, ought to get to the bottom of," Cheney said. "And I think that he has important information that needs to be part of any investigation, whether its the FBI, the Department of Justice, or this commission.

Speaking about her future, Cheney said she now regrets voting for Trump last November and did not expressly rule out a presidential bid of her own in 2024, admitting that her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, would like to see her run though hes not objective.

At this moment, the majority of the Republican Party is not where I am, she said.

Cheney appeared on ABCs This Week and Fox News Sunday and Stefanik spoke on Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures.
Terry Mattingly leads GetReligion.org and lives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He is a senior fellow at the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi.
T he reopening of the high streets in England has been a key step forward in the Governments roadmap out of the pandemic, not only because it brings the country closer to normality, but also because of the boost to the economy.

Preventing the transmission of Covid-19 remains paramount, and businesses are continuing to employ rigorous practices to help protect staff and customers, following Hands Face Space Fresh Air guidelines. These include limiting the number of people in store, putting up signs to remind customers of the importance of social distancing and wearing face masks, keeping spaces well-ventilated, testing staff regularly, and plenty more.

Thanks to these robust safety measures, customers can feel more secure to visit the places theyve missed, whether thats browsing in a much-loved vintage shop or dining out for a special occasion.

Here, five small businesses based in and around London explain how theyre keeping their customers and staff safe, and what the reopening means to them

Surge Fitness, Bank, west London

Holly Isaacs, 29, a specialist in Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) training, and the team at Surge Fitness, pictured above, have been planning reopening for many months. Several changes have been made, including all staff taking regular lateral flow tests twice a week. These tests are so easy to do and the results only take 30 minutes to appear, she says.

How you can help We can all play our part in keeping each other safe. Take these steps to help ensure your favourite businesses can stay open: Follow the one-way system and adhere to any limitations of store entry

Maintain 2m distance and wear a face covering when moving around

Wash or sanitise hands regularly

Have your phone ready prior to entry to check in using the app (or provide details if you do not have the app)

Be prepared to pay via contactless

Surge has also reduced capacity in the studios, so each member works on an individual basis with their personal trainer, and enhanced cleaning procedures. All equipment is sanitised between every client use, says Isaacs. The studio space is decontaminated several times throughout the day and all electrode vests that members wear are cleaned with manufacturer-recommended alcohol spray between each use. These changes have given our members extra confidence to jump straight back into their training.

Isaacs also understands that everyone feels differently about lockdown ending and returning to the gym for some people may still feel a little intimidating.

Were all just so pleased to be able to be back in the studios, offering our unique Surge workout in a Covid-secure way, she says.

Pop London, Wood Green

Pop London

Loungewear has its place, but boutique owner and designer Shazia Saleem, 43, has had enough of yoga pants. Shes delighted to welcome back shoppers to her Pop London boutique in Wood Greens Blue House Yard  and hopes theyll let their hair down. Weve got some popping colours on the rails, she says. We need to rediscover the joy of clothes you can wear to go to work  or to a bar or on holiday.

Feted for her sustainability, Saleem, who used to work in luxury fashion, uses only deadstock and surplus fabrics and yarns that would usually be sent to landfill or burned. Id rather use whats already out there rather than add to the waste of the industry, she explains.

Weekends have been busy since Saleem reopened on 12 April, and she wants her customers to have the full hands-on experience. Theyre excited to be allowed back into the shops, and Im so happy to see them. During lockdown, theyd become fed up with their only shopping experience being a trip to the supermarket.

Saleem limits numbers in her shop and has invested in a steam cleaner to sterilise clothes and rails. Browsing is part of the joy of shopping, she adds.

Whats more, everyone wears a mask and theres hand sanitiser at the shop entrance.

Shes also flexible with returns and refunds if customers prefer to try things on at home. It gives them options  its not fair to pressure people.

Lavolio, Fulham

Geoff Pugh

Lavolio, Lavinia Davolios pretty shop in Parsons Green, is once again open and selling handmade sugar-coated Italian sweets that have won the hearts of Londoners.

While online sales saved her business during lockdown, Davolio, 37, has been delighted to welcome customers back in person  albeit one at a time. Its quieter than before, but sales pick up around lunchtime, she explains.

Her small store must limit numbers, and she encourages click and collect orders rather than browsing, for now. Weve been able to change our business model, Davolio says. We used to offer advice and tastings in person, but now one member of staff works from home. Shes emailing and replying to queries, rather than being in the shop. If someone has a question about our flavours, we can get back to them via videochat. Its good to keep that personal connection going.

The former investment banker opened her shop in 2017, after training as a patissier and chef. All her chocolates are made by artisans in her native Italy, and shes in charge of the flavours and recipes.

Chocolate has been my passion forever, Davolio says. Ive been inspired by flavours from my travels around the world. Her confectionery has even made it through the doors of Buckingham Palace.

Support from customers is amazing, she adds. I think people realise when they choose to buy from independent shops, they are supporting livelihoods and jobs.

Sindhu, Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Jodi Hinds Photography

Sindhu is an award-winning Indian restaurant at the Macdonald Compleat Angler hotel, overlooking the River Thames in Marlow.

Restaurateur Atul Kochhar, 51, not only spent months during lockdown planning new menus and ideas for Sindhu, but has also increased hygiene and safety protocols, including lateral flow testing for all staff, in and out of the kitchen.

On the terrace, socially distanced seating, staggered dining times and extra cleaning measures are also in place.

Every guest can rest assured that their dining experience will always be a secure one  face masks, hand sanitiser and contact-free service all help to ensure continued safety, he says. All Covid practices are recorded and overseen by our management team.

Reopening has motivated everyone in the Sindhu team to do more as the high streets open up. We cant wait to invite people back to rediscover our indoor dining experiences too, Kochhar says. We already have private parties and special occasion dinners booked, so I feel our customers trust us to help to keep everyone safe.

He adds: Shopping and eating local are critical to the survival of our high streets  now more so than ever. We all need to help local businesses to survive and thrive.

Le Colonel, Shoreditch

Alice Pinato

For two weeks before French accessories store Le Colonel reopened in Shoreditch, manager Alice Pinato, 30, was busy: a former professional window dresser, shed made dozens of eye-catching paper flowers to adorn the windows and entice customers back.

Whats more, the weekends since opening have been hectic. Its been insanely busy, she says. Im so happy to see so many people again. Its lovely to be back in crazy Brick Lane.

Were launching a new ladies range, and thats going well. Its lovely to see couples come in and plan their wedding. Thats one of the best experiences  engaging with customers; advising them on the best accessories. It makes me feel full of joy to see them back.

Pinato regularly takes a lateral flow test to ensure she is free from Covid-19. She also limits customers to four at a time. I want to ensure the safety of my customers, she adds. I want them to feel comfortable.

Pinato steams items that shoppers have touched and sets them aside for 72 hours: People need to touch our products. Its an important part of the business, she explains. For her, online shopping is no substitute: I like to go in and feel the vibes. Our shop does that very well.


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Annsara Watson shares a moment with her mother, Karen Jones. Watson will graduate from St. Louis Community College with an associate degree in general studies this month.
Frankfort, KY (40601)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 84F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
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The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) is expanding its support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Romania, through a leasing facility worth 20 million Euro towards Garanti BBVA Leasing, according to a press release from the bank.

The financing will allow the company to honor the request of Romanian SMEs regarding the acquisition of equipment, machinery and vehicles. The new loan is the third agreement inked by Garanti BBVA Leasing and BSTDB, Garanti BBVA Leasing being a trustworthy partner of the bank since 2014.

"BSTDB is keeping its commitment in supporting the Romanian leasing market and we are delighted to continue our partnership with Garanti BBVA Leasing. This new financing highlights the role of leasing as a flexible alternative to financing SMEs, helping them to overcome the economic slowing down and helping them recover, during a moment where the implications of a loan are still serious because of the pandemic. Moreover, this financing is a strong testimony of the bank's role in supporting regional cross-border investments and we are proud to join forces with the Garanti group during these times of economic instability", Hasan Demirhan declared, the deputy chairman of BSTDB.

BSTDB estimates that the granted financing will reach over 200 companies, thus contributing to generating new jobs and to an increase in competitiveness and increasing the export capacity of the Romanian economy.

Founded in 1998, Garanti BBVA Leasing (brand under which the Motoractive IFN SA company is carrying out its activity) is a financial leasing supplier, specialized on SME's, with its headquarters in Bucharest and 6 leasing offices throughout the country. The company has granted financing worth over one billion Euro in the leasing system, since it was established.

Garanti BBVA Leasing is part of the Garanti BBVA Romania financial group, which gathers Garanti BBVA and Garanti BBVA Consumer Finance. Garanti BBVA Group is held by Garanti BBVA Turkey (TBB), whose majority shareholder is the Spanish financial group Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA).
The General Mayor of the Capital City, Nicusor Dan, on Monday discussed with representatives of the DA Platform about possible joint projects between Bucharest and Chisinau in the fields of culture, education and urban development, agerpres reports.

"Today, at the City Hall, we had guests from Chisinau - deputies of the DA Platform in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and advisers of this party in the Chisinau Municipal Council. I discussed with Andrei Nastase and his colleagues from the DA Platform about possible joint projects between Bucharest and Chisinau in the fields of culture, education and urban development," the General Mayor wrote on Facebook.

He underscored the importance of strengthening relations between the two capitals," with the shared goal of bringing both Chisinau and the Republic of Moldova closer to Romania and Europe.""I remembered with pleasure the visit I made to Chisinau (including on the occasion of the mathematics congress) and I told the guests from the Republic of Moldova that I wish to return there soon. Good luck to all those who feel Romanian at Chisinau and in the Republic of Moldova," said Nicusor Dan.
Bucharest's Prefect Alin Stoica announced on Monday that other drive-through vaccination centers against COVID-19 will open, agerpres reports.

"Mall Vitan is a location, Cora Pantelimon is another location and the day after tomorrow one will open at Metro Metalurgiei in Sector 4", Alin Stoica said in a video posted on his Facebook page, on the occasion of his participation, together with the mayor Ciprian Ciucu, at the inauguration of the second drive-through vaccination center in Sector 6, in the Plaza Romania parking lot.

In his view, Sector 6 is an example of good practice, as it is the second open drive-through in a fairly short period of time."We have received support from the private sector and from state institutions, we have Anchor, which has helped us not only here, but also for Sector 3. Another drive-through center will open there and I thank the big traders again, at least in this area, the Gendarmerie, which also helps us with tents and other tools", Alin Stoica said.Stoica noted that the pace of vaccination has slowed slightly this weekend, but expressed hope that it will recover through drive-through centers.In other news, he said schools could reopen on Wednesday for all pupils in Bucharest, if the COVID-19 infection rate per thousand inhabitants remains on a downward trend on Tuesday.
Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu said that he "sees it possible" for all Bucharest primary and secondary students to attend school in person as of Wednesday with no more differentiations according to grades, provided that the Bucharest Municipality Committee for Emergency Situations (CMBSU) decides so.

"The joint amendment order can be published in the Official Journal this evening at the earliest. It would not be reasonable for CMBSU to hold a meeting on Monday night to announce changes for Tuesday morning. A meeting will be probably held tomorrow, after we also have tomorrow's infection rate and the confirmation of the downward trend. Under these conditions I see it possible for all Bucharest students to go to school as of Wednesday without differentiation according to grades, if the Municipality Committee for Emergency Situations decides so. The amendment of the joint Education and Health Ministers' Order sets the framework in place for the County Committee for Emergency Situations/the Bucharest Municipality Committee for Emergency Situations to decide in agreement with the County School Inspectorate/the Bucharest Municipality School Inspectorate and the Public Health Directorate," the Minister said on Monday.

According to Cimpeanu, online access to the educational process must be ensured for the students who show typical COVID-19 symptoms, for those with medical vulnerabilities or with any other well-grounded reasons to not attend in person.
Health Minister of Health Ioana Mihaila said on Monday she would argue easing COVID-19 restrictions in Romania should be done gradually, and if all the employees in an office are vaccinated wearing a mask indoors can be limited. agerpres reports.

"I would argue that for cases and instances where there is a low risk, a risk that is documented by the occupational physician, such measures can be taken, such as limiting the wearing of the mask indoors. But I would also argue that easing the restrictions should be done gradually so that each of the relaxation measures can be assessed as having an impact on the incidence," Mihaila said at the Parliament House in response to whether or not shoe would recommend that the employees of an office where everyone is vaccinated take off their mask.

She added that at this time, according to data on the incidence of new cases of COVID-19, "we are at a time in the unfolding of the pandemic that allows us to ease off.""It has not happened that we take measures of total relaxation. As per the government decision and the National Emergency Management Committee (CNSU) decision, these measures are gradual, precisely in order to be able to assess the impact of each measure in this package on the unfolding of the pandemic," Mihaila said.
Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu participated on Monday in a debate on "Seeking resolution to the protracted conflicts in Eastern Europe: How can the EU be more active?," organized by the European Institute of Peace, where he called for greater EU involvement in protracted conflicts, emphasising that "the challenges facing the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood countries affect the security of the entire EU, NATO and OSCE space.

According to a press statement released by Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE), the debate, which was also attended by Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ann Linde, took place amidst discussions on protracted conflicts that the foreign ministers of the EU member states will have at a Gymnich-type informal meeting to be held in Portugal on May 27, 2021 under the aegis of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In his remarks, Aurescu emphasised that "the challenges facing the countries in the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood affect the security of the entire EU, NATO, and OSCE space, as protracted conflicts are the main source of regional risk and instability."

"Advocating for an increased involvement of the EU in prolonged conflicts, the head of Romanian diplomacy pointed out a series of defining aspects of them. He insisted that the conflicts are not frozen, as evidenced by recent developments in eastern Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, but their settlement is. The persistence of conflicts creates artificial divisions in the societies of the affected states and prevents their normal conduct of decision-making in various strategic areas, while providing fertile ground for corruption, organised crime and a source of instability in the domestic policy of the respective countries," reads the statement.

At the same time, Aurescu underscored the need for the EU to intensify its efforts to contribute to the lasting settlement of protracted conflicts and to develop case-by-case tools, including co-operation and complementariness with OSCE, as more consistent involvement of the EU is needed to give a stronger impetus to the conflict resolution process.

The Romanian foreign minister also pointed out that, given the evolving challenges posed by protracted conflicts, they can easily spread to other EU and OSCE member states, and it is essential that the EU use all existing mechanisms and instruments in a systemic approach to drive their settlement.

"He mentioned the role of OSCE in the process of resolving protracted conflicts, as well as the complementariness between the EU and OSCE on this dimension, welcoming the priority attached to the issue by the Swedish OSCE Chairmanship," according to MAE.

MAE also says that in order to increase the EU's contribution to the resolution of protracted conflicts, Aurescu mentioned some concrete ideas and points of reflection that could be taken into account: "the need for better coordination between the EU institutions and member states involved in various negotiating formats; making effective use of the opportunities offered by the European Peace Facility; improving strategic communication; strengthening and energising the Eastern Partnership, including by adding a dimension of security and societal resilience to co-operation with Eastern Neighbourhood partners; establishing an EU special representative to manage at EU level protracted conflicts in the Black Sea region."

Aurescu also used this opportunity to reiterate Romania's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia within the internationally recognized borders, emphasising the importance of meeting international commitments, following principles of international law and democratic values.
President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday that Earth has finite resources and that astronomy gives us hope for a future of discoveries that will deepen our knowledge of the world, agerpres reports.

"Astronomy is not only one of the oldest sciences of mankind, but it is also one of the most challenging fields of thinking and research. Our planet has finite resources and we are always in a race against ourselves to manage them as efficiently as possible. Astronomy, however, gives us hope for a future of discoveries that will deepen our knowledge of the universe and, implicitly, of our world, as in the last decades European and international approaches of the peaceful exploration of space multiplied," Iohannis told an Astronomy Day event hosted by the Cotroceni Presidential Palace as part of the AstroFest Festival held by the "Stiinta and Tehnica" magazine.

He said that education and research were and remain the path to progress and evolution, congratulating the students competing in the international Olympiads in astronomy and astrophysics in attendance."Behind your excellent results is a passion that I encourage you to continue to nurture. The performances of the young Gabriel Cristian Neagu, who has discovered several variable stars, are remarkable evidence of the connection between passion and research performance. (...) Dear students, you have in this room examples that can inspire you to dedicate yourself with passion to the field of astronomy and astrophysics. I want you to continue the journey started in Romania and get results that will make us proud," said Iohannis.He congratulated Professor Alexandru Mironov and the team of the "Stiinta and Tehnica" magazine on their efforts and dedication in support of scientific literacy."The 'Educated Romania' project pays special attention to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in short STEM. Therefore, events such as the Astrofest Festival, which promotes space science, technology and space engineering, deserve support and encouragement," added Iohannis.He also congratulated Dumitru Prunariu, the first and only Romanian to fly to space."You are a genuine pioneer, the first Romanian to fly in space. Happy 40th anniversary of that historic moment! It is admirable the perseverance to dedicate your entire career to both space research and exploration, and the mission to help young people and society as a whole to become aware of the importance of this area. Your contributions to the development of Romania's collaborations with international partners are of special significance," said Iohannis.Prunariu showed that Romania has been a member of the European Space Agency since 2012, but that in the last four years it did not pay its membership dues to this organization through which it is connected to major international programmes, including the US Artemis programme to return humans to the Moon."Romania is a part of these great projects. We hope that the problems overdue for four years by not paying our contribution to this international organization in which now, unfortunately, we no longer have the right to vote will be solved; I am convinced that, with some explanations and on these issues, to the incumbent government we will be able to overcome this stage, and the new selections of astronaut recruits that are taking place now - registrations ends on May 28 - will bring to the fore the possibility for a new Romanian to fly to space and walks in my steps. The past represents a landmark against which we are build the present and thinking about the future. We have great chances to develop ourselves technically and industrially through the institutions we belong to, coupled with international institutions," he said.Mironov said Prunariu pushed Romania into the "first league of lights," adding that in Romania there are over 40 astronomy clubs.Student Gabriel Cristian Neagu gave a presentation of the variable star "Romania" which is among approximately 100 variable stars discovered by him.
AT&T first sought to acquire Time Warner, now WarnerMedia, in a bid to control both sides of the entertainment process: the broadband and wireless services that help deliver entertainment to homes, and the entertainment itself. It was able to bundle free HBO Max subscriptions with its phone service, for example. But the cost of maintaining a competitive streaming service became a burden.
Chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Ludovic Orban said on Monday that putting up the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for parliamentary debate would be "very complicated" and that he doesn't understand why the Social Democrats are pushing to link the PNRR debate in Parliament with the ratification of the Council Decision amending the EURATOM Treaty.

"This is about a discussion the Prime Minister announced he will have with the Social Democrat leader. As far as I am concerned, I believe that the PNRR is the result of an extensive consultation held in the Romanian society. (...) PNRR cannot be submitted for Parliament approval. It is under discussion, under negotiation, about to be completed. Subjecting it to parliamentary debate would be very complicated. I don't understand why the Social Democrats are trying to link the parliamentary debate on the PNRR with the ratification of the amendment to the EURATOM Treaty. As we know very well, according to constitutional provisions, amending the treaty in Romania requires a qualified two-thirds majority of the joint chambers' plenum and as such, I urge all MPs to understand that they cannot mock all the EU citizens, Romanian citizens included, by a blackmail attempt, by threatening to not attend the vote for the treaty's ratification. The ratification of the treaty is absolutely necessary, without this ratification in all countries the program cannot start. The European Commission cannot carry out the loan launching procedures and cannot provide support funding to all EU countries," Orban said at the end of the meeting of the PNL Executive Bureau.

He remarked that a parliamentary strike by the Social Democrats would allow the easier passage of laws that are beneficial for Romania.

Orban also stressed that he is not aware of any statement by a European official on the need for the PNRR to be debated in Parliament.
Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Monday that he wants a position in the leadership of the National Liberal Party (PNL), given the experience he has gained as a parliamentarian, finance minister and prime minister.

He was asked during a press statement if he wanted a position in the PNL leadership, his answer being affirmative.

"Of course. (...) I have always said that I believe that the experience I have gained as a parliamentarian, finance minister and prime minister is an experience that can help the party in the next period," the prime minister said.On the other hand, Citu was also asked who he supports for the party leadership, his answer being that he wants to see first who the candidates will be in this regard."Let's have a congress first and we will discuss, we will see who the candidates are and then you can also see the support", said Florin Citu.The head of the Government also specified that at this moment his relationship with the PNL leader, Ludovic Orban, is a "very good" one.Prime Minister Citu confirmed that he had a meeting with the mayor of Cluj, Emil Boc, but did not provide details about what was discussed. "Mr. Boc is in Bucharest these days and we see each other every time he comes to Bucharest," Florin Citu also mentioned.
Prime Minister Florin Citu says he has extended an official invitation to national chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolanu to a discussion on Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) at the government headquarters, agerpres reports.

"I spoke on the phone with Marcel Ciolacu last week, and we will see each other, I think, this week at the government. I am inviting him to discuss the PNRR a little. (...) That is not yet on the agenda; it also depends on Mr Ciolacu's schedule. We will have a discussion if not this then next week," Citu told journalists on Monday.

On the other hand, when asked to comment on remarks by Minister of European Investment and Projects Cristian Ghinea that Romania has a very big problem with collecting government revenues, Citu reiterated that there is an increase in voluntary compliance and that there is higher government revenue collected."I was in Brussels and I also talked to Vice President Dombrovskis, and the developments or what we are showing this year and what we will be showing you in the coming years in the tax and budget strategy is what the European Commission is using for the next years when analysing Romania. Although slapped with an excessive deficit procedure, Romania has not received any corrections or such observations. What I said is without any doubt: we had an increase in voluntary compliance last year in Romania in a time of crisis. We still see higher government revenues. Those are the real data. I don't know exactly what the minister meant, but in the tax and budget strategy, the convergence plan, I have said very clearly how we will narrow the government deficit throughout 2024. That is a strategy that the European Commission also accepted," said Citu.
The chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Marcel Ciolacu, stated, on Sunday evening, at private broadcaster Antena 3, that he will discuss on Monday with Prime Minister Florin Citu on the topic of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

He added that the meeting was established the past days, during a discussion with the Prime Minister on the PNRR, after the latter called the former on the phone.

"With Mr. Citu, it was a very brief discussion, that I will be contacted and we will have a discussion this coming week. The call came following the demands of the European commissioners and the President of the Commission. (...) It was decided that we will see each other to talk about the PNRR. It was decided that we will talk tomorrow and set the date and location to meet," said Ciolacu.

The PSD leader mentioned that it's out of the question for the Prime Minister to not come with the PNRR in Parliament before going to Brussels.

"I have announced very clearly, if the PNRR goes straight to Brussels, without being presented and without having a serious discussion on principles and on the access mechanisms for these funds, the PSD will enter a parliamentary strike. The discussion held in Brussels was a very clear one, once the presentation and once the discussion on the PNRR on points, to see which are the reforms. We have also, in what regards the administration and the national gas infrastructure program [PSD proposals to the PNRR - e.n.]. It's out of the question for Moldova's Motorway to not be included in the PNRR," said the PSD head.
PSD (Social Democratic Party) on Monday said that it's in Romania's interest that the government representatives work together with those who can help saving the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), as the Social Democrats have renewed their offer to provide all party specialists and experts to get involved so that our country has a final document as soon as possible.

"It is unfortunate that the internal political struggle facing the PNL [National Liberal Party - editor's note] endangers the implementation of Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan. PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu showed his full readiness to have a constructive dialogue with Prime Minister Florin Citu on the PNRR, in the context in which the European Commission has already twice rejected the plan sent by the Government. It's in Romania's and the citizens' interest that the representatives of the government work together with all those who can contribute to saving the PNRR in the last minute," reads a press release sent by the PSD to AGERPRES.

According to this source, the Social Democrats have renewed their offer to make available all the party's specialists and experts to get involved so that Romania would have a final document that meets the requirements of the European Commission as soon as possible.

"Unfortunately, we find that Ludovic Orban [leader of PNL - editor's note] and Florin Citu continue to behave politically and irresponsibly in this critical situation for Romania. PSD continues to support the need for dialogue with employers, unions and the Opposition, as well as the presentation of the PNRR in Parliament, according to the exact recommendations made by the European Commission to Prime Minister Citu," PSD added.
Romania's Chief of Defence Daniel Petrescu will participate, May 17 -19, in the meetings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Committee (NATO MC) and the European Union Military Committee (EU MC), organised in Brussels in the format of the chiefs of defence to discuss perspectives on NATO 2030, agerpres reports.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defence (MApN) says in a press statement that the NATO MC meeting on May 18 will address perspectives on NATO 2030, current operational commitments and planning of operations and missions, focusing efforts on boosting the implementation of insurance measures, as well as current security environment challenges.

Featuring on the agenda of the EU MC meeting on May 19 are defence guidelines in the process of implementing the Strategic Compass, progress with EU security and defence, including the contribution of member countries to the force structure and the continuation of missions under the EU mandate.This year, the meeting coincides with the 20th anniversary of EU MC.The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Committee is NATO's highest military authority. In one year, meetings of the chiefs of defence are usually held twice at NATO Headquarters in Brussels and once in a NATO member country.The European Union Military Committee is the highest forum of the Council of the European Union in the field of the Common Defence and Security Policy and is made up of the chiefs of defence of the member states. Military leaders harmonise their national positions and offer courses of action in the area of common European security.
Social Democratic Party (PSD) MP Sorin Grindeanu said on Monday that his trip to the United States, when he was prime minister, along with Liviu Dragnea, was paid for by the PSD, agerpres reports.

He claimed that he did not know information about the new case against the former PSD leader Liviu Dragnea regarding the trip to the USA.

"I don't know anything at all, I have not seen the news. If the case was sent to court, it means that the defendants were informed. (...) I don't comment. I was together [with Dragnea] in the United States then. I have been twice heard as a witness in this case. I know that the party paid for my trip, the plane and the accommodation and everything else," Grindeanu said at Parliament.The PSD deputy added that he refused to go to the USA on the Government's money."Although I had then the official quality of prime minister, all the travel expenses were not paid by the Government, I refused that. They were paid by the PSD, whose member I was. ( ...) I cannot tell you [where the money came from], I was not the party's treasurer. I received the invitation from Liviu Dragnea, asking me to go with him to the United States," Grindeanu explained.The former prime minister also said that he traveled to the USA "a day or even two days" after Liviu Dragnea, who had had meetings before his arrival."There were the events that you know - the ones related to oath taking. What was the purpose of Mr. Iohannis' visit a year before? To put a cap on his head? It was a matter related to an important moment, when the new US President took the oath," the social democrat MP added.Asked if the visit to the United States was official, he said: "Semi-official."Grindeanu denied that Liviu Dragnea had asked him to intervene for certain contracts in the military field: "Never". "I will probably be heard in court," he added.Former speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea has been sent to court by prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate in a new case, in which he is accused of influence peddling and of using influence or authority in connection with his presence at the then US President Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony at the beginning of 2017.
Twelve citizens from Afghanistan, who were attempting to illegally cross the border to Hungary, were discovered in hiding by border police officers from Border Crossing Point Nadlac II (PTF Nadlac II), this weekend, hidden in two trucks.

On May 14, border police officers with the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point conducted a detailed search on two road trucks driven by two Bulgarian citizens. The drivers were transporting, according to the documentation accompanying freight, various goods for companies in Germany, the Oradea Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police.

On the occasion of the control, within the freight compartment, twelve foreign citizens were discovered hiding among the transported freight.

During preliminary checks, border police officers established that the persons are citizens from Afghanistan with ages between 15 and 25 years, asylum seekers in Romania.

In both cases, border police officers are conducting an investigation in view of establishing the entire criminal activity, with the legal measures imposed to be taken upon its end.
Business is good at Homeyer Precision Manufacturing, but it could be better if raw materials werent so hard to come by.

Gretchen Homeyer, director of business operations at the 50-employee precision machining shop in Marthasville, said the company waits as long as 24 weeks for delivery of aluminum billets that it turns into electrical parts. Until recently, the lead time was eight weeks.

Stainless steel, tool-grade steel and other materials are harder to obtain too, and prices are rising rapidly. Part of the problem is the unpredictability of the coronavirus pandemic: Some mills shut down last year in expectation of a long slump, and then booming sales of cars and appliances caused metal demand to quickly outstrip supply.

Homeyer, though, also blames its supply headaches on a policy that was in place long before the pandemic: The tariffs President Donald Trump imposed in 2018 on imported steel and aluminum.

It needs to be corrected, said Tim Wetzel, Homeyers president. Our whole industry is stuck in a process that is detrimental.
"Our findings align with the idea that worse sleep may contribute to the accumulation of Alzheimer's-related proteins in the brain," Barbara Bendlin of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center told CNN in a prior interview about the 2017 study.

"The fact that we can find these effects in people who are cognitively healthy and close to middle age suggest that these relationships appear early, perhaps providing a window of opportunity for intervention," Bendlin said.

'New information' on link with sleep deprivation

Because the new study followed a large population over an extended period of time, it adds "new information to the emerging picture" on the link between sleep deprivation and dementia, said Elizabeth Coulthard, an associate professor in dementia neurology at the University of Bristol in the UK, in a statement.

"This means that at least some of the people who went on to develop dementia probably did not already have it at the start of the study when their sleep was first assessed," said Coulthard, who was not involved in the study.

"It strengthens the evidence that poor sleep in middle age could cause or worsen dementia in later life," she said.
While associations are seen as business entities in certain circumstances, they dont have the patrons or customers referenced in the governors order unless you are dealing with a mixed-use condominium. However, even had the governor not issued his order, I would not be in favor of relying upon proof of vaccination as the means to enforce safety protocols in a residential community. Vaccines may not be possible for everyone. They do not provide 100% protection, particularly when it comes to possible virus variants and they may convey a false sense of security.
JEFFERSON CITY  A Cole County judge has ordered Gov. Mike Parsons administration to resume contract talks with three labor unions representing some of the lowest-paid government workers in the nation.

Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled last week that a 2018 law, signed by former Gov. Eric Greitens on his final day in office, was unconstitutional and does not restrict collective bargaining.

Beetem directed the state to resume contract talks in good faith with the unions. He also ordered state agencies to begin processing grievances workers have filed over the past three years.

The judge said the state must abide by the terms of the now-expired contracts until a new agreement is reached or an impasse occurs.

The ruling is the latest court win for workers who have fought against Republican-led attempts to weaken their power.

The decision affects an estimated 13,465 state employees covered by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the Communications Workers of America Local 6355; and Service Employees International Union, Local 1.
The state agency where he had worked since it was formed in 1989, helps arrange and package financing for building and infrastructure projects.

In recent months, the department had offered loans to small cities needing assistance during the pandemic.

Bob is one of those guys who is literally a lifelong public servant, said Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon, who sits on the finance board. He was a quiet, unassuming guy who got things done for the people of Missouri. His legacy will live on for generations.

MDFB Chairwoman Marie Carmichael said Miserez's passing is a significant loss to the agency and the state.

"He put together financial packages that literally created thousands of jobs. And he did it all under the radar screen," Carmichael said.

The board, which has 12 voting members, has scheduled a meeting Tuesday to begin discussing a replacement for the agencys first and only director.

Miserez was born October 13, 1954, in West Point, Nebraska, the son of Virgil H. and Marjorie F. Miserez, and he grew up in Dodge, Nebraska.

He was married April 27, 1996, to Irma Rene Bagnull, and they recently celebrated their 25th anniversary.
Kwans Deli lost about 80% of its business, reduced its hours and laid off its two full-time employees as well as its handful of part-timers. But co-owner Andrew Song is optimistic  even if the number of office workers doesnt return to pre-pandemic levels, the deli will be able to survive as hotel guests, convention goers and tourists come back.

As we in our personal lives return to normal, theres sort of an understanding that the rest of the country will as well, he said. Theres definitely some hopefulness.

Claudio Furgiuele, who owns nearby sandwich shop Reubens Deli, is less upbeat. His business has rebounded from the pandemics worst days, but he doesnt expect workers to commute to downtown offices as regularly as they did before. And he needs their business.

If youre your anticipation is normalcy in the fall, theres a good chance youre not going to be here in the winter, he said. Because its not business as usual.
As the most challenging school year to-date for educators, students, parents and all of us who work in education comes to an end, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity last week to be in Alton for a surprise celebration honoring the 2021 winner of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The surprise visit took place in the elementary school gymnasium, where award recipient and music teacher Zebulon Holder was holding classes for his kindergarten, first-, and second-grade students in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines. With Holders students there to cheer, celebrate and thank him for his unwavering commitment to being the best educator possible, the joyful scene served as a reminder to all of us at the event of the incredible power, influence and impact a great teacher can have. Teachers can inspire us, encourage us to follow our strengths and our passions, and set us up with the skills for a lifetime of success.

Inspiring scenes like this one also serve as reminders of the fact that we do not have enough educators like Holder teaching students in cities like Alton, East St. Louis and elsewhere in the Southwest region of Illinois.
The mob did that and more. They overwhelmed and assaulted Capitol security, scaled walls, broke windows, broke furniture and searched the halls inside for hiding lawmakers. In the end, five people were dead and more than 100 police officers were injured. The damage to the Capitol was estimated at $30 million.

This what Rep. Clyde said was akin to a tourist visit. These are the un-American goons who numerous Republican members of Congress have called patriots.

What is wrong with these people? Not the insurrectionists  their pathologies are obvious  but the Republican politicians who are now busily whitewashing one of the most egregious attacks on democracy from within that America has ever seen. Toward that end, they have long stymied attempts to create an independent commission to review the attack by initially insisting it also encompass last years Black Lives Matter protests  as if mostly peaceful protests against police violence are comparable to a thoroughly violent attack on the nations Capitol in an attempt to overturn a valid election.

A bipartisan agreement to create a review commission was finally announced last week, and without the Black Lives Matter red herring attached to it. Good. But the fact that this obvious step took this long is another indication that Republicans wont willingly acknowledge the seriousness of this dark moment in the nations history, and their own indefensible role in it. The rest of America must.
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Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
For over a decade Japan has had a growing problem with Russian and Chinese military aircraft approaching Japanese airspace and triggering an interception by Japanese fighters. The number of intrusions kept increasing and Japan tried to adapt by sending up fewer aircraft for each intercept. That was still not sufficient to deal with the problem and it was becoming a very serious problem because Japan was retiring older fighters and introducing F-35s. It was more important to devote flying time to training than responding to every instance of Chinese or Russian warplanes showing up. In early 2020 a new tactic was employed for the next fiscal year (ending in March 2021) and Japan now only sends up fighters if the Chinese or Russian military aircraft were about to enter Japanese airspace. Otherwise, Japan depended on ground-based air surveillance radar and the changing patterns of intrusions over the years to determine which approaching aircraft were a potential threat. This seemed to work, as during the last year fighters had to go up 23 percent less than during 2019, when there were 947 interceptions.

These intrusions have been increasing sharply since 2008. In 2011, the 355 Japanese anti-intrusion sorties were up 17 percent over the previous year, while in 2010, sorties were up 29 percent. They have continued to climb to Cold War levels.

Initially the Japanese launched many aircraft for each intrusion. For example, in 2008 a Russian Tu-95 entered Japanese airspace near an uninhabited island about 600 kilometers south of Tokyo. Although the Russian aircraft was in Japanese airspace for only about three minutes the Japanese launched 22 aircraft to intercept. This force included two AWACs aircraft and twenty fighters. No Russian aircraft entered Japanese airspace without permission again until 2013 and the Russians apologized for that one. But as the intrusions increased, the number of interceptors sent out for each incident decreased but were told to be more aggressive. This got a response from the Chinese, who publicly complained about how Japanese warplanes were turning on their targeting radars when Chinese military aircraft approached Japanese air space during 2016. The Chinese considered this unfriendly and unnecessary. What China did not mention was that Chinese warplanes have been coming close to Japanese airspace about 65 times a month in 2016, which is 76 percent more than in 2015. Another trend was that, while Chinese warplanes are not the only ones coming too close to Japanese air space for the last few years, they have accounted for the majority of intrusions. In 2015 Chinese warplanes were responsible for about two-thirds of the incidents and in 2016 they accounted for an even higher proportion. Most of the remaining intrusions are usually Russian. These intrusions are part propaganda; showing the Chinese people that their Air Force is out there confronting traditional enemies and partly partly needed training. This was quite a threat in itself because until the 1990s China did not believe in lots of air time for its military pilots and their aircraft. There was also a political angle, as in intimidating Japan into allowing China to claim territory currently considered Japanese.

China became the major culprit in 2013 when Chinese intrusions exceeded Russian ones. This has been coming for several years. In 2011 nearly 43 percent of the sorties were for Chinese aircraft. That's almost three times as many Chinese intrusions as in 2010. Russian aerial activity has been declining for years and this is believed due to the difficulty and expense of keeping elderly Russian aircraft operational. Russia cannot afford to replace its Cold War era aircraft, China can and is. Lots of new fighters require lots of new pilots to be trained and flying close enough to Japanese or South Korean air space appears to be another form of pilot training,

This is in sharp contrast to the Russian aircraft, which continue to be a nuisance off the coast Japan but in a much less threatening manner. The Russian aircraft are flying more training missions in the Pacific and the Japanese have come to understand how it is nearly impossible for Russian pilots getting out to sea without showing up on a Japanese radar or coming close to Japanese air space. Thats because there is a lot of Japanese airspace off the east coast of Eurasia, so Russian warplanes out there cannot avoid passing close to Japanese air defense radars. China does not have this problem and are obviously getting close on purpose.

The Japanese believe another one cause for this increased activity was more electronic and maritime patrol aircraft were available to the Chinese who have a desire to gather as much information as possible about their strongest potential foe in the area. But the main reason is the dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands near Okinawa. China and Japan both claim these uninhabited islets, which are 320 kilometers southeast of the Chinese mainland, 167 kilometers northeast of Taiwan, and 426 kilometers southwest of Japan (Okinawa, which China also has claims on). The Senkaku Islands and have a total area of 6.3 square kilometers. Taiwan also claims the Senkakus, which were discovered by Chinese fishermen in the 16th century and taken over by Japan in 1879. They are valuable now because of the 360-kilometer economic zone nations can claim in their coastal waters. This includes fishing and possible underwater oil and gas fields.
Since mid-2020 Somalia has been unable to organize national elections for parliament and parliament. In 2021 the deadlock turned violent and threatens to escalate into another civil war. Since early April president Farmajo has been using Turkish trained-troops and loyal (to him) police to control Mogadishu, and continues blocking serious efforts to hold the long-delayed elections. Farjamo persuaded parliament to extend his current term, which expired in February, two more years. That was something parliament did not have the power to do and Farmajo used the Turkish-trained troops to stage a coup against police and any other armed, or unarmed groups in Mogadishu that opposed him. Farmajo underestimated the resistance in Mogadishu and the rest of the country and has now agreed that the two-year term extension was illegal and is trying to negotiate a settlement.

Farmajor still has foreign support, but not enough. The Turks are joined by Qatar and Iran in providing Farmajo with enough foreign aid to keep the election resistance going, but not enough to assure success. Farmajos resistance to elections has long been funded by cash from Iranian ally Qatar and 4,000 Somali troops trained by Turkey, another Iranian ally. While the Qataris moved their cash to Farmajo quietly, the Turkish effort was more public. A growing number of Somalis believe the Turks are more of a threat than a benefit.

Foreign donors are threatening to stop supplying the cash that enables the national government to exist at all. The UN is caught in the middle as they are desperate to retain whatever national unity has been achieved since 2011 when a UN backed (and paid for) AU (African Union) peacekeeping force drove al Shabaab out of Mogadishu and other urban areas the Islamic terror group had taken control of. Al Shabaab had itself started with good intentions. The tribal/clan rivalries that were tearing the country apart since 1991 resulted in some clan and religious leaders organizing a "clean government" coalition (the Islamic Courts) after 2001. The Islamic Courts formed a militia that pacified some areas, but their goal of installing a religious dictatorship was taken over by al Qaeda-backed Islamic terrorists and turned into another warlord group called al Shabaab.

Farmajo insists that with another two years he will be able organize the long-delayed elections. He has been making promises like that for years and most Somalis dont believe him. Farmajo believes he can successfully bluff the donors and UN to stick around for a least another two years. Thats what happened in the 1990s and led to a disastrous American intervention that ended with the Blackhawk Down incident and the Americans left, as did other foreign peacekeepers.

The Northern Exception

Some parts of Somalia are ready for the national elections. In the north, the autonomous regions of Puntland (2.5 million people) and Somaliland (3.5 million) have been able to meet the election deadlines that most of Somalia is still not ready for. The north contains about a third of the Somali population and these Somalis have less poverty, a longer life expectancy and higher literacy rates that the rest of the country. The only other exception is the southern region along the Kenyan border that, in 2013, declared itself the independent state of Jubbaland. That independence effort did not succeed as it did earlier in Puntland and Somaliland. The problem in Jubbaland was than although all the clans favored autonomy, they could not agree on how the new statelet would be ruled. In the north the clans were willing to hold elections and let the vote determine who would run the local government. Another problem was that Kenya backed the Ras Kamboni clan militia, the most powerful one in Jubbland and often allied with al Shabaab. But Ras Kamboni was not powerful to force all the other clans to submit, even with Kenya backing Ras Kamboni. While the other Jubbaland clans would not accept Ras Kamboni as their leader, they did not see any point in continued fighting over the issue and agreed to a ceasefire. Ras Kamboni controlled the port city of Kismayo, the second largest port in Somalia and was forced by the other clans and the Somali government to share the wealth gained from fees charged businesses to use the port and market places. Ras Kamboni remains the most powerful armed force down there and continues to prevent a unified and autonomous Jubbland. There is enough order down there to complete election preparations but for the rest of Somalia, between Jubbland and the autonomous north, there is al Shabaab, feuding clans, 22,000 peacekeepers and a central government in Mogadishu dominated by a president who refuses to support free elections.

Since the 1990s the two northern regions have enjoyed relative peace and prosperity, along with regular elections recognized by foreign observers as free, fair and including all adult voters to register and vote. There are still some problems in the north with clan feuds and warlords as well as attempts by al Shabaab and ISIL to establish themselves. The two statelets have had some political problems but much less so than the rest of Somalia. In contrast the other two-thirds of the Somali population to the south has been in perpetual chaos since 1990, and the establishment of a lasting central government and regular elections there is still a work-in-progress. The two statelets are willing to rejoin a united Somalia once there the rest of Somalia is united and as safe as Puntland and Somaliland.

While the UN has refused to recognize the independence of the north, there have been no serious efforts to interfere with the northern governments. One reason for this was the ability of Puntland to help suppress the pirate gangs that still operate in Puntland. The international community found the two northern governments willing to help act to deal with the pirates. This was especially true after 2008 with the deployment of the international anti-piracy patrol off the Somali coast. This made it possible for Puntland to establish, with European aid and assistance, a new coast guard to deal with illegal foreign fishing trawlers as well as the pirates. Many northern fishermen were willing to abandon piracy and return to fishing if the illegal foreign trawlers were kept out. In the 1990s the illegal fishing had put Somali fishermen out of business and led to the growth of people smuggling and piracy. At its peak, between 2005 to 2012, the pirates took over 3,600 hostages from captured ships, which were anchored off port towns the pirates controlled. Over $300 million in ransom cash was paid to free most of them. Within four years the piracy threat was much reduced because of the anti-piracy patrol, the new coast guard and pressure from the rest of Puntland to shut down the major pirate gangs. Some of the pirate hostages remained captives because Puntland was unwilling to fight the local clans to get those last hostages freed. That would have created long-term animosity between the Puntland government and some coastal clans. The last of these hostages was finally released in mid-2020 and the piracy threat has been reduced to the nuisance level that existed before the 1990s. The piracy threat still exists because there are still local fishermen/smugglers who are armed and willing to take risks for the chance of a major payday. There has been impossible since 2012 and the most active pirates now appear to be operating out of port towns in southeast Yemen.

ran has tried to take advantage of this by basing its smuggling efforts in northern Somalia rather than sending the smuggler boats all the way from Iranian ports. Smuggling has been a sideline for Somali fishermen for centuries, and flourished in the late 20th century as more Africans were willing to pay Somali and Yemeni smugglers cash to get from Somalia to Yemen and then north to the Gulf oil states and Europe. The small port towns that serve as bases for the smugglers, and later the pirates, were controlled by gangs that paid local clan leaders for basing rights. Puntland convinced the nations comprising the anti-piracy patrol that the Puntland approach was more certain and longer lasting than threats of a blockade and raids by foreign troops. Puntland gained international respect for doing its part to suppress the piracy and keep it in check ever since. Some of the piracy gangs tried to move operations to Somali port towns south of Puntland but that did not work because the peacekeeper force was available to shut down any efforts to establish new pirate sanctuaries for captured ships off in Somalia.

The Somali Curse

The elections deadlock is also history repeating itself. In 1960 all the colonial powers were gone from Somalia but the newly established Somali government began to come apart, a process that was complete by 1991 and no one has been able to get all the clans to agree on a new central government since. To make matters worse, most of the educated Somalis fled in the 1990s and not a lot have come back. In part that is because a number of returnees were murdered. Meanwhile public education has been absent in most of Somalia for decades and the literacy rate is under 40 percent (and under 30 percent for women). Public health has been largely missing for two decades and life expectancy is about 52 years. Outside of Somaliland and Puntland its under 50 years.

The electoral crisis began in June 2020 when the National Independent Electoral Commission told parliament that it was impossible to hold elections for parliament and a new president as scheduled on November 27 2020. The delay was blamed on the usual suspects; political deadlocks, poor security (bandits and Islamic terrorists), bad weather (floods this time) and covid19. To assure a minimum level of legitimacy the six million eligible Somali voters must be registered biometrically and that requires special equipment that had not yet been obtained because the Electoral Commission lacked the money and needed at least $70 million to set up 5,000 polling stations and carry out the biometric registration. More time was also required but it was never going to be enough. None of this is a surprise.

The first parliamentary elections finally took place in 2016 and the new legislature was installed at the end of 2016. This was supposed to have taken place months earlier but did not because too many of the current politicians regarded elections as a threat to their income from corruption. Some foreign donors correctly saw the 2016 delays as a ploy so the interim government could stay in power longer and steal more aid money. This led to threats to halt aid if elections for parliament and president were not held. That worked, sort of, and the electoral process lurched forward, if only to keep the free money coming.

The presidential election (or selection, by the parliament) was supposed to take place by the end of January 2017 but took a lot longer. Part of the problem was political, with many of the clans (tribes) maintaining armed militias and refusing to abide by a one man, one vote system. That is, some clans demand more (foreign aid and other resources) than their numbers justify. This is not the case in the north and a major reason for the relative peace, prosperity and continued autonomy in the north.

In 2016 a compromise was worked out to accommodate clan resistance to one-man/one-vote. In effect the 2016 parliament was created by a selection rather than a national election. The national parliament had 275 members who were elected by 14,025 voters selected by 135 clan elders. The 54 members of the upper house of parliament are selected by local (state or regional) assemblies.

A Western style election, in which all adult citizens can vote, was not expected until the early 2020s, if ever. The current president was selected by the 2016 parliament, which meant all manner of deals were made in return for support of one candidate or another. The major aid donors quietly made it clear that if the new government did not curb the rampant theft of foreign aid, there would be a lot less of it and thus the new president was expected to be more effective in curbing corruption. The current government did not do much to reduce the corruption and foreign aid declined.

Somalia has a hard time pleading poverty because so much foreign aid gets stolen by Somalis before it can reach the people who need it, and whose desperate plight caused foreign donors to donate in the first place. The failed, so far, election preparations can be expected to continue failing with or without additional time and money. No one wants to admit that Somalia is a failed state, but fewer and fewer donors want to keep sending aid to Somalia only to find that most, or all of it was stolen. There are many other needy areas where most of the aid gets to those who need it.

May 13, 2021: The UN/AU (African Union) has agreed to extend the presence of its 22,000 peacekeepers in Somalia until the end of 2021. Previously the AU was going to start withdrawing the African peacekeepers in 2021 but the current election crises changed that.

May 10, 2021: North of Mogadishu (Mudug province) al Shabaab released photos showing off its continued control (since April) of the town of Bacaadweyne. This town has been occupied by the Islamic terrorists several times since 2011 and the peacekeepers, Somali army or local militias always took it back. In April Somali troops withdrew because of the election crises in Mogadishu and al Shabaab moved in. This time they arranged to stay by making a deal with the local clans to keep the peace and not retaliate for losses inflicted by clan militias in the past. The government is trying to assemble a force of soldiers and peacekeepers to take the town back but that is proving difficult with the current crisis in Mogadishu.

Mudug consists of territory stretching from Ethiopia to the Indian Ocean and from Puntland south to the by Hirshabelle region. During the 1990s clan wars in Mudug caused the province to be divided. The northern part joined Puntland while the southern half, which is 750 kilometers north of Mogadishu did not. Somalia wants to reunite Mudug and Puntland saw that as aggression and has so far retained its portion of Mudug.

May 9, 2021: In Mogadishu an al Shabaab suicide bomber attacked a police station, killing six policemen. There has been less al Shabaab violence since April as most Somalis turned on Turkey and Iranian efforts to keep an illegitimate Somali president in power. The Somali army is taking sides with various clans rather than a national government. Al Shabaab sees an opportunity and attacked the police in Mogadishu, who are working with the Turkish trained troops. If the chaos grows al Shabaab will have more opportunities to expand its power. There is still a lot of violence in Somalia, but mostly because of the normal banditry and clan warfare violence.

May 8, 2021: In Puntland the new biometric voter registration equipment arrived, along with the computer software for tallying the biometrically identified voters and their votes in the upcoming national elections. Somaliland and Puntland have been holding elections for two decades and have no problems with biometric registration of their existing voters registered without it. If the rest of Somali can also use the biometric registration equipment and participate in national elections, Puntland and Somaliland will become part of a new united and democratic Somalia.

May 6, 2021: Somalia and Kenya restored diplomatic relations and thanked Qatar for mediating the dispute that caused ambassadors to be withdrawn at the end of 2020 because of a maritime border dispute. The border dispute is still unresolved, as is the dispute over Kenyan plans to expel several hundred thousand Somali refugees currenting living in northern Kenya. Both countries were persuaded to resume diplomatic ties to make it easier to continue negotiations. In 1994 Kenya closed its embassy in Mogadishu and withdrew diplomatic personnel from Somalia. Diplomatic ties were not resumed until 2019.

May 3, 2021: In the south (Jubbland) three American soldiers, representing Africom (Africa Command) were photographed with the Jubbland president. While all American troops were withdrawn from Somalia in January, some still visit as part of joint counter-terrorism operations and successful cooperation with some parts of Somalia (Somaliland, Puntland and Jubbland) where those operations continue to make progress. While American troops are no longer based in Somalia they are allowed to visit on official business. Details of these visits are not publicized, to minimize Islamic terrorist attacks against Americans. Africom is supporting parts of Somalia that are working to hold national elections.

April 28, 2021: In Mogadishu an al Shabaab suicide car bomb exploded near a police headquarters compound, after being stopped short of the compound itself. Seven people were killed and eleven wounded. One of the dead was a woman who had been living in the United States but returned to Somalia. Since early April thousands of Mogadishu residents have fled their homes to escape the growing number of raids by Turkish trained troops and police loyal to president Farmajo.
How to Simplify Complex Remote Productions With NDI, Microsoft Teams, and vMix

Network Device Interface (NDI) is a standard developed by NewTek that enables compatible video products to deliver HD video over a computer network. NDI is royalty-free software and is suitable for use in a live production environment. As part of my Streaming Media University "Live Production With vMix" session, I explained how producers can use NDI in the context of a vMix workflow. The same principles apply in workflows with NewTeks NDI switchers and other software switchers that support NDI, like OBS.

Using vMix in Remote Productions

vMix software plays many roles as an all-in-one video switcher, recorder, and streaming encoder. In addition to these three main functions, it is also a very capable audio mixer, graphics generator, and media playback program. As the owner of SLV Live (slvlive.ca), I have the choice of which hardware and software solutions I use in my productions. Our work varies, as we collaborate with more than 100 clients a year, all of whom have different sets of needs. vMix is the solution we build most of our solutions around, although sometimes we pair it with external hardware solutions when we need features like auto-mixing on a soundboard or the low latency of a hardware SDI switcher.

These days, we rely a lot on videoconferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams (Figure 1, below), Google Meet, and vMix Call. These four services are used to bring in remote presenters in a real-time production. Then, we use vMix to switch the production and stream it.

Figure 1. Broadcasting over NDI in Microsoft Teams

We typically use IBM (formerly Ustream) for our live streams, and Vimeo Live is our backup. If all we did was webcast the videoconference services default gallery views, we wouldnt be adding much value for our clients. So we treat each participant as a discrete video source, akin to a traditional dedicated video camera feed, and composite our own multiview looks. NDI is one of the tools we use to build out our offeringsbut it didnt start that way for us.

Leveraging NDI

The first job that required us to deploy our big remote production workflow was a court case in which the judge, counsel, witnesses, experts, and court registrar were all communicating in real time over Zoom. We used our equipment to remix and stream, to the public and press, a video feed in which our producer could control who was visible at all times. Typically, there were between two to six participants who needed to be seen at the same time.

Our solution required the client to dedicate eight computers to connect to Zoom and to pin one participant each. We duplicated the signal via HDMI to a vMix system that had an eight-input video capture card, and the producer created a set of looks for all of the countless combinations of participants who needed to appear simultaneously at any given time. This workflow performs well for the clients and has been extremely stable for several months of daily use. But I discovered a simpler approach using NDI.

Instead of connecting an SDI cable or an HDMI cable, you can connect multiple computers and NDI-supported devices together over an Ethernet connection. Ethernet and network switches are very inexpensive compared to SDI cables.

In this alternative approach, you use free NDI tools or vMix Desktop Capture to send the signal from one computer to NDI-capable video switching software such as vMix or OBS. You can repeat this process on multiple devices and turn each computer on your network into an NDI video source. This solution works great for videoconference services that dont natively support NDI and for when you want to capture multiple participants fullscreen on their own screens and send the feed to your video switcher.

Working With Microsoft Teams and NDI

The downside of using this workflow with a videoconference service that doesnt support NDI natively is that your signal isnt a clean feed. The name that identifies each participant is part of the signal that is sent to you, along with any pop-ups that enter the screen, including the chat. A bit of cropping of your input can cut off the name, but pop-ups are a real hazard that can be difficult to deal with. Whats more, working with multiple computers at the same time in order to isolate individual speakers requires, of course, multiple computers.

So, while consumers like the ease of use of Zoom, video producers prefer using videoconference services that natively support the NDI protocol, because it allows them to input each of the participants as a clean, isolated NDI input in their software.

At present, Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business are the only two apps that support NDI. We have built our solutions around Teams (Figure 2, below).

Figure 2. Adding an NDI Microsoft Teams source as an input in vMix

As I write this article, my assistant is recording a panel discussion over Teams. There are five panelists, and on one monitor, he has the Teams session open so he can communicate with the panelists. On the laptop, he has vMix open, and each of the five panelists has his or her own clean, isolated video input. Then he switches the video among one, two, and all five panelists at a time, depending on who is speaking. For this workflow, our production gear is a single laptop with a single second monitor, vMix software, and a Teams subscription with NDI enabled.

A lot of our clients may already have their own Teams subscription. But as a producer, I want control, so I have my own subscription to send the meeting invites, manage the recording, and enable NDI. Many client accounts will not have NDI enabled by their administrators (see Figure 3 on the next page), so you dont want to assume that it is going to automatically be available just because you are on a Teams call. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is only $5 per month and includes online video meetings of up to 24 hours as well as cloud recordings.

One of the best parts about bringing a Teams call into vMix over NDI is that the audio is very easy to manage. If you had a Zoom call on your same system, you would need to use virtual cables software to patch your audio (go2sm.com/vac).

With Teams and NDI, the audio from all of the participants, except for yourself, is embedded in each Teams feed. So I normally just turn off the Teams speaker and monitor my audio through vMix. I can still speak with the participants using my headset mic, and my audio is available over NDI as a local input. Having my audio separated from the general mix is a nice feature, because if needed, I can speak with the participants while they are live, and my voice wont be heard on the recording or live stream.

Once you have an NDI connection with Teamswhich sometimes requires toggling the start of the recording, starting the NDI broadcast, and re-enabling the NDI setting in the Teams app settings (Figure 3, below)you can switch which participant is coming in on a specific input (Figure 4, below Figure 3). I typically establish one connection for each of the participants, but having the ability to switch a connection on-the-fly can come in handy too. You can even add an NDI input that is tied to the active speaker.

Figure 3. Microsoft Teams Administrator settings to enable NDI to be available in individual meetings

Figure 4. This shows a shared-screen Microsoft Teams input and the ability to switch which source is coming into a specific NDI input in vMix.

The quality of the Teams signal varies, just as it does with all videoconference services that use WebRTC. Once, I had a connection that was 1920x1080, but typically, the highest-quality signal is 1280x720. Having more participants on a call tends to result in a lower individual resolution. I can see this in vMix by clicking on the cog on an individual input that displays the resolution.

The resolution can and does change during calls as internet connections fluctuate. Normally, this isnt a big issue on a larger panel discussion where no one is shown fullscreen and they are resized to smaller video signals within a multiview display, but it does leave something to be desired when we want a higher-quality fullscreen signal. To be fair, this is a Teams restriction and not a limitation with the NDI protocol.

Sharing PowerPoints in This Workflow

One other workflow consideration that you need to be aware of with Teams is that there are three share options for presenters (Figure 5, below). The Desktop share option allows the presenter to select which screen to share, if the user has multiple connected monitors. It can also generate an NDI signal, but depending on the users desktop settings, it may or may not show the Windows taskbar and runs the risk of accidentally showing whatever content ends up in the screen that is selected.

Figure 5. Available share options

I prefer to instruct my presenters to share the second option, a Window, and to select the specific application they want to share. For PowerPoint, this would be the fullscreen PowerPoint Slide Show, and it would still allow the presenters to see their presenter view notes. This workflow generates a clean NDI signal, but presenters first need to launch their PowerPoint presentation before they toggle the Teams share function for it to be available. This can also get a bit tricky for users to manage if they only have a single computer monitor and arent comfortable using the ALT+ Tab Windows shortcut to move between applications.

The third option is named PowerPoint, and it allows the presenter to upload a PPTX file. Unfortunately, this workflow does not generate an NDI signal, and thus is to be avoided.

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GREENWICH, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gabelli Funds introduced the 2021 inductees to the GAMCO Management Hall of Fame at its thirty-sixth annual client conference which was held on Friday, May 14 at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. The inductees to the Hall of Fame are Nick A. Caporella of National Beverage Corp., Troy A. Clarke of Navistar International Corporation, Patricia K. Collawn of PNM Resources Inc., Eileen P. Drake of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. and John J. Legere, formerly of T-Mobile US, Inc.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005657/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

In 1990, Gabelli Funds established the GAMCO Management Hall of Fame to honor corporate executives for their outstanding contributions in enhancing shareholder value. With this years inductees, there are 108 inductees in our management hall of fame. The selection process starts with the firms research on the company. Each inductee has passed rigorous criteria, including:

creating shareholder wealth

earning a superior rate of return over the long term

practicing the virtues of capital accumulation

enhancing our clients investment success

This Hall of Fame follows the philosophical underpinnings of Gabelli Funds fundamental research, as presented in Security Analysis (1934) by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd. It is the investment bible, the key to unlocking values in the stock market. In Security Analysis, Graham and Dodd presented principles and techniques to measure asset value and cash flows in a methodology to evaluate individual companies. They created the profession of security analysis using an investment process that is known today as value investing.

GAMCO Investors, Inc. (NYSE: GBL), through its subsidiaries, manages assets of private advisory accounts (GAMCO), mutual funds and closed-end funds (Gabelli Funds, LLC) and is known for its Private Market Value with a Catalyst style of investment.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005657/en/

Douglas R. Jamieson

President & Chief Operating Officer

(914) 921-5020

For further information please visit

www.gabelli.com

Source: Gabelli Funds
WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granite (NYSE: GVA) has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, underscoring its focus on sustainability and environmental, social, and governance issues. With this commitment, Granite demonstrates its long-term support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Global Compact principles.

The UN Global Compact is a corporate initiative that encourages organizations to establish and define strategies, policies, and procedures aligned with the Ten Principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.

"We are committed to making the UN Global Compact and its principles part of Granite's strategy, culture, and day-to-day operations," said Granite President Kyle Larkin. "Granite is dedicated to engaging in collaborative projects which advance the broader development goals of the UN, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals."

The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals are designed as a "blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for all." Adopted by the United Nations in 2015, the goals serve as a universal call to action to end poverty and protect the planet.

"Aligning Granite's sustainability strategy with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals puts our efforts in the context of global sustainable development," Granite Sustainability Specialist Raven Adams explained. "As a provider of infrastructure solutions, Granite plays an important role in developing more sustainable and resilient communities for future generations."

"The UN Global Compact is pleased to welcome a commitment from Granite Construction to the Secretary-General endorsing the Ten Principles and the ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals and to do their part to create the world that we all wanta sustainable and equitable world for all," said Engagement Director for UN Global Compact Network USA Adam Roy Gordon.

About Granite

Granite is America's Infrastructure Company. Incorporated since 1922, Granite (NYSE: GVA) is one of the largest diversified construction and construction materials companies in the United States as well as a full-suite provider in the transportation, water infrastructure, and mineral exploration markets. Granite's Code of Conduct and strong Core Values guide the company and its employees to uphold the highest ethical standards. Granite is an industry leader in safety and an award-winning firm in quality and sustainability. For more information, visit graniteconstruction.com, and connect with Granite on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005939/en/

Granite Contacts

Media

Erin Kuhlman 831-768-4111

Investors

Wenjun Xu - 831-761-7861

Source: Granite
SANTERAMO IN COLLE, Bari, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Natuzzi S.p.A. (NYSE: NTZ) (Natuzzi or the Company) will disclose first quarter 2021 financial results on Friday May 21, 2021, after the market closes.

The Company will host a conference call on Monday May 24, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (4.00 p.m. Italy time, or 3.00 p.m. UK time) to discuss financial results.

To join the live conference call, interested persons will need to click on the following link: https://www.c-meeting.com/web3/join/3PQUFXRW48XTKQ

Once the meeting is officially opened on the day of the event, participants will be given the option to join by web or by telephone.

A replay of the call will be available shortly after the end of the conference call until Thursday June 24, 2021. To access the replay of the conference call, interested persons need to dial +1-844-512-2921 (toll-free) for calls from U.S. and Canada, and 1-412-317-6671 for calls from other countries. The access code for the replay is: 13719984.

About Natuzzi S.p.A.

Founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, Natuzzi S.p.A., Natuzzi is one of the most renewed brands in the production and distribution of design and luxury furniture. With a global retail network of 550 mono-brand stores, in addition to galleries, Natuzzi distributes its collections worldwide. Natuzzi products embed the finest spirit of Italian design and the unique craftmanship details of the Made in Italy, where a predominant part of its production takes place. Natuzzi has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May 13, 1993. Always committed to social responsibility and environmental sustainability, Natuzzi S.p.A. is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified (Quality and Environment), ISO 45001 certified (Safety on the Workplace) and FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005921/en/

NATUZZI INVESTOR RELATIONS

Piero Direnzo | tel. +39.080.8820.812 | pdirenzo@natuzzi.com

NATUZZI CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

Vito Basile (Press Office) | tel. +39.080.8820.676 | vbasile@natuzzi.com

Source: Natuzzi S.p.A.
Endocrinology testing specialist expands PerkinElmers immunodiagnostics segment

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI) (PerkinElmer) and Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings PLC (LSE: IHS) (IDS) are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended all cash offer whereby PerkinElmer will acquire IDS for approximately $155 million (110 Million). The transaction has a total enterprise value of approximately $124 million (88 Million) and is expected to close early in the third quarter of 2021, subject to approvals from the shareholders of IDS, sanction by the High Court of Justice in England and Wales and other customary closing conditions for a public takeover in the United Kingdom.

Through this acquisition, PerkinElmer will be able to grow its overall Diagnostics business and specifically its immunodiagnostics segment. Moreover, the deal will enable PerkinElmer to combine its channel expertise and testing capabilities with IDSs best-in-class chemiluminescence products in endocrinology, autoimmunity and infectious diseases to better serve customers around the world.

IDSs portfolio and expertise will seamlessly integrate within EUROIMMUN, a PerkinElmer company since 2017. EUROIMMUN is a global leader in autoimmune testing and an emerging force in infectious disease, allergy and molecular genetic testing.

Wolfgang Schlumberger, CEO of EUROIMMUN, remarked, This proposed transaction is highly valuable for both parties as the respective product lines are to a large extent complementary. The cooperation of our global distribution channels, the expansion of the immunoassay portfolio in closely related indication fields and IDS's fully automated random access chemiluminescence platform strengthens our presence in immunodiagnostics. Our customers will benefit from a broader range of assays and laboratory diagnostic workflows. We are excited about these new opportunities and we look forward to welcoming Immunodiagnostic Systems into the PerkinElmer family following the completion of the transaction.

Headquartered in Boldon, the United Kingdom, IDS is a leading in-vitro diagnostic solution provider to the clinical laboratory market. IDS develops, manufactures, and markets innovative immunoassays and automated immunoanalyzer technologies to provide improved diagnostic outcomes for patients. IDSs immunoassay portfolio is a combination of an endocrinology specialty testing menu and assay panels in complementary fields. IDS has approximately 300 global employees.

PerkinElmer's comprehensive global diagnostics portfolio includes solutions focused on: reproductive health; autoimmune, infectious disease and allergy testing; gene analyses; and genomics offerings for oncology and other molecular tests through its wide range of instruments, reagents, assay platforms and software offerings.

In terms of financial impact, PerkinElmer expects the acquisition to be modestly accretive to non-GAAP earnings in year-one following the close, and PerkinElmer forecasts IDSs business to be attractively positioned in markets that are projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of high-single digits over the next few years.

About PerkinElmer

PerkinElmer enables scientists, researchers, and clinicians to address their most critical challenges across science and healthcare. With a mission focused on innovating for a healthier world, we deliver unique solutions to serve the diagnostics, life sciences, food, and applied markets. We strategically partner with customers to enable earlier and more accurate insights supported by deep market knowledge and technical expertise. Our dedicated team of about 14,000 employees worldwide is passionate about helping customers work to create healthier families, improve the quality of life, and sustain the wellbeing and longevity of people globally. The Company reported revenue of approximately $3.8 billion in 2020, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com.

About Immunodiagnostic Systems

IDS engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of in-vitro diagnostic tests (IVD) to the clinical laboratory market. It operates through the following business units: Automated IVD Business, Manual IVD Business, and Licensing and Technology. The Automated IVD Business unit offers an analyzer which automates nearly all steps required for performing a test using their kits. The Manual IVD Business unit sells assay kits whereby the testing is performed by laboratory technicians. The Licensing and Technology unit monetizes the technology and know-how that the company owns through original equipment manufacturer partners. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Boldon, the United Kingdom.

Factors Affecting Future Performance

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements relating to estimates and projections of future earnings per share, cash flow and revenue growth and other financial results, developments relating to our customers and end-markets, and plans concerning business development opportunities, acquisitions and divestitures. Words such as "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "projects," "forecasts," "will" and similar expressions, and references to guidance, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current assumptions and expectations and no assurances can be given that our assumptions or expectations will prove to be correct. A number of important risk factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, without limitation: (1) markets into which we sell our products declining or not growing as anticipated; (2) the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our sales and operations; (3) fluctuations in the global economic and political environments; (4) our failure to introduce new products in a timely manner; (5) our ability to execute acquisitions and license technologies, or to successfully integrate acquired businesses and licensed technologies into our existing business or to make them profitable, or successfully divest businesses; (6) our ability to compete effectively; (7) fluctuation in our quarterly operating results and our ability to adjust our operations to address unexpected changes; (8) significant disruption in third-party package delivery and import/export services or significant increases in prices for those services; (9) disruptions in the supply of raw materials and supplies; (10) our ability to retain key personnel; (11) significant disruption in our information technology systems, or cybercrime; (12) our ability to realize the full value of our intangible assets; (13) our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property; (14) the loss of any of our licenses or licensed rights; (15) the manufacture and sale of products exposing us to product liability claims; (16) our failure to maintain compliance with applicable government regulations; (17) regulatory changes; (18) our failure to comply with healthcare industry regulations; (19) economic, political and other risks associated with foreign operations; (20) the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union; (21) our ability to obtain future financing; (22) restrictions in our credit agreements; (23) discontinuation or replacement of LIBOR; (24) significant fluctuations in our stock price; (25) reduction or elimination of dividends on our common stock; and (26) other factors which we describe under the caption "Risk Factors" in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We report our financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, management believe that, in order to more fully understand our short-term and long-term financial and operating trends, investors may wish to consider the impact of certain non-cash, non-recurring or other items, which result from facts and circumstances that vary in frequency and impact on continuing operations. Accordingly, we present non-GAAP financial measures as a supplement to the financial measures we present in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures provide management with additional means to understand and evaluate the operating results and trends in our ongoing business by adjusting for certain non-cash expenses and other items that management believes might otherwise make comparisons of our ongoing business with prior periods more difficult, obscure trends in ongoing operations, or reduce management's ability to make useful forecasts. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide additional means of evaluating period-over-period operating performance. In addition, management understands that some investors and financial analysts find this information helpful in analyzing our financial and operational performance and comparing this performance to our peers and competitors.

We use the term adjusted earnings per share, or adjusted EPS, to refer to GAAP earnings per share, including revenue from contracts acquired in acquisitions that will not be fully recognized due to accounting rules, and excluding discontinued operations, amortization of intangible assets, debt extinguishment costs, other purchase accounting adjustments, acquisition and divestiture-related expenses, acceleration of executive compensation, significant litigation matters and settlements, significant environmental charges, changes in the value of financial securities, disposition of businesses and assets, net, asset impairments and restructuring and other charges. We also exclude adjustments for mark-to-market accounting on post-retirement benefits, therefore only our projected costs have been used to calculate this non-GAAP measure. We also adjust for any tax impact related to the above items and exclude the impact of significant tax events.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210516005059/en/

Media Relations:

Chet Murray

(781) 663-5728

chet.murray@perkinelmer.com

Investor Relations:

Steve Willoughby

(781) 663-5677

steve.willoughby@perkinelmer.com

Source: PerkinElmer, Inc.
LONDON & PARIS & HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TechnipFMC (NYSE: FTI) (Paris: FTI) (ISIN:GB00BDSFG982) today announced that it has been awarded a significant(1) Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) contract from Ithaca Energy (UK) Limited for the Captain Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Project in the UK North Sea.

TechnipFMC will design, manufacture, deliver and install subsea equipment including a rigid riser caisson, water injection flexible flowline, umbilicals and associated equipment.

Jonathan Landes, President Subsea at TechnipFMC, stated: We are delighted to support Ithaca Energy on this important EOR expansion of the Captain field, utilizing our innovative design and installation technologies and solutions to unlock and maximize the recovery of hydrocarbons from the UK Continental Shelf. We look forward to helping Ithaca improve project economics, enhance performance and reduce emissions.

The Captain field lies approximately 145 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland, in the Outer Moray Firth area of the UK North Sea, in water depths of around 105.5 meters (346 feet).

(1) For TechnipFMC, a significant contract ranges between $75 million and $250 million.

Important Information for Investors and Securityholders

Forward-Looking Statement

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words believe, estimated and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. For information regarding known material factors that could cause actual results to differ from projected results, please see our risk factors set forth in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which include our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

About TechnipFMC

TechnipFMC is a leading technology provider to the traditional and new energy industries; delivering fully integrated projects, products, and services.

With our proprietary technologies and comprehensive solutions, we are transforming our clients project economics, helping them unlock new possibilities to develop energy resources while reducing carbon intensity and supporting their energy transition ambitions.

Organized in two business segments  Subsea and Surface Technologies  we will continue to advance the industry with our pioneering integrated ecosystems (such as iEPCI, iFEED and iComplete), technology leadership and digital innovation.

Each of our approximately 20,000 employees is driven by a commitment to our clients success, and a culture of strong execution, purposeful innovation, and challenging industry conventions.

TechnipFMC uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. To learn more about how we are driving change in the industry, go to www.TechnipFMC.com and follow us on Twitter @TechnipFMC.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005896/en/

Investor relations

Matt Seinsheimer

Vice President Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: Matt Seinsheimer

James Davis

Senior Manager Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: James Davis

Media relations

Nicola Cameron

Vice President Corporate Communications

Tel: +44 1383 742297

Email: Nicola Cameron

Brooke Robertson

Public Relations Director

Tel: +1 281 591 4108

Email: Brooke Robertson

Source: TechnipFMC plc
Below is Duke Energy's (NYSE: DUK) statement in response to Elliott Management's announcement today:

Today's announcement by Elliott is the latest in a series of proposals that the hedge fund has offered to Duke Energy since July 2020. Throughout, Duke Energy's Board of Directors has reviewed their proposals in depth and determined that they are not in the best interests of the company, its shareholders and other stakeholders.

Duke Energy will review Elliott's latest proposals as well and the company is always open to new ideas to create growth and value. However, Duke Energy and its Board of Directors will always advocate for the best long-term interests of its shareholders and other stakeholders over any narrow special or short-term interest.

Strong operational performance

Guided by Duke Energy's management team and world-class Board of Directors, Duke Energy is performing at a high level by executing its clean energy strategy, delivering strong, sustainable value for shareholders, customers, communities and its employees, and outlining a clear vision for future growth, grounded in the largest clean energy transition in the country.

The company is poised to deploy over $125 billion of capital over the next decade and deliver 5% to 7% annual earnings growth along the way. As a result, Duke Energy has increased its long-term EPS growth rate and driven the company's share price to outperform the S&P Utility Index in both 2020 and year-to-date. Over the last 12 months, Duke Energy's stock price has increased 25.2% versus 18.7% for the S&P Utility Index.

Duke Energy's strategic goals are supported by its history of strong safety and operational performance, and excellent customer services, allowing it to consistently pay shareholders a dividend, which the company has increased for 15 consecutive years.

Elliott's proposals

Duke Energy and its Board have engaged in discussions and reviews with Elliott since July 2020. Elliott's specific proposals, some of which are outlined in its letter, are summarized here:

Preferential Equity Transaction . Elliott initially tried to induce Duke Energy to issue up to $7 billion of common equity securities to Elliott and its hedge fund allies at a material discount to the public market value of Duke Energy's equity, essentially transferring approximately 10% of the value of Duke Energy to Elliott. Instead, Duke Energy executed on its highly successful minority stake sale in Duke Energy Indiana at an attractive premium to Duke Energy's public market valuation satisfying Duke Energy's equity needs for the next five years. Duke Energy's share price has outperformed ever since.

. Elliott initially tried to induce Duke Energy to issue up to of common equity securities to Elliott and its hedge fund allies at a material discount to the public market value of Duke Energy's equity, essentially transferring approximately 10% of the value of Duke Energy to Elliott. Instead, Duke Energy executed on its highly successful minority stake sale in Duke Energy Indiana at an attractive premium to Duke Energy's public market valuation satisfying Duke Energy's equity needs for the next five years. Duke Energy's share price has outperformed ever since. Breaking Up the Company. Elliott then proposed a double-spin-off of Duke Energy's Midwest and Florida utilities. This "shrink-the company" strategy that underlies all of Elliott's proposals runs counter to the strategic direction of the entire industry at a time when scale is needed to efficiently finance the company's unprecedented capital investment and growth opportunities. It also ignores the obvious capital structure and credit issues, material equity issuance requirement, dis-synergies, dividend sustainability risk, regulatory issues and overall execution risks.

Elliott then proposed a double-spin-off of Duke Energy's Midwest and Florida utilities. This "shrink-the company" strategy that underlies all of Elliott's proposals runs counter to the strategic direction of the entire industry at a time when scale is needed to efficiently finance the company's unprecedented capital investment and growth opportunities. It also ignores the obvious capital structure and credit issues, material equity issuance requirement, dis-synergies, dividend sustainability risk, regulatory issues and overall execution risks. Demand for Board Seats. Elliott has demanded to appoint new directors to Duke Energy's board despite the broad and deep experience of Duke Energy's current board, which has recently added several new members. In addition, Elliott has demanded that Duke Energy put in place a "strategic review," although Elliott refuses to share the details behind its myriad proposals with management.

Elliott's approach to Duke Energy thus far is reminiscent of Elliott's decidedly mixed results in the utility industry, as shown by recent activity with Sempra Energy, FirstEnergy and Evergy. These utilities' share prices have materially underperformed the sector to date since Elliott became involved, establishing an unenviable track record of shareholder value destruction.

Duke Energy's climate strategy and a clear financing strategy

Duke Energy has worked to clearly articulate its $59 billion five-year clean energy plan that drives its long-term strategy, and to transition to cleaner energy as the company aims to cut carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The five-year plan will deliver significant customer benefits and create jobs in its communities. Duke Energy is also committed to modernizing and strengthening the energy grid, generating cleaner energy, and expanding its smart energy infrastructure.

A series of accomplishments have positioned Duke Energy to successfully execute its clean energy transformation:

On Jan. 28, the company announced the sale of 19.9% of Duke Energy Indiana to GIC, raising $2.05 billion at a 50% premium to its last-12-months' trading P/E valuation. Proceeds from this transaction will help fund Duke Energy's $59 billion capex plan and satisfy all equity capital raising needs for the next five years.

As part of that announcement, the company increased its expected earnings growth rate to 5% to 7%, up from 4% to 6% through 2025.

The company received approval of a comprehensive settlement agreement with the North Carolina Attorney General's Office, North Carolina Public Staff and Sierra Club which resolved all remaining major coal ash issues, provided clarity on recovery treatment of coal ash costs for the next decade, and achieved a return of and on coal ash expenditures.

On May 4, the company received regulatory approval for a multi-year rate plan agreement with consumer and business groups in Florida that includes nearly $5 billion in investments to advance its clean energy vision. The Florida Public Service Commission noted in their ruling that the settlement was the culmination of extensive engagement with many interested parties, including the Office of Public Counsel, which demonstrated the company's strong collaborative relationships in that state. Florida's constructive regulatory framework and significant potential in renewables and clean energy make Florida a central element of Duke Energy's business and investment plans.

Last fall, the company submitted its integrated resource plans (IRPs) for the Carolinas, which outlined paths to providing cleaner, more sustainable energy to customers, and were positively received by customers, regulators and investors.

Over the last 12 months, Duke Energy's 2022E P/E multiple has increased from 14.5x to 18.9x, significantly outpacing the multiple expansion of the median UTY P/E multiple. This has improved the company's relative valuation from a P/E discount of (0.6)x to now trading at a premium of 1.0x compared to the UTY constituents median.

A consolidated company and balance sheet have clear benefits

Duke Energy's business is stronger and more impactful as a consolidated, standalone entity that remains as one. The company can better support its customers, employees, investors and their dividends, and other stakeholders by staying together.

All of its businesses play a critical role in Duke Energy's clean energy transformation, and the company has made crucial investments and built relationships in each region where it operates.

Duke Energy's size, scale and geographic diversity are recognized as credit attributes by the rating agencies and contribute to Duke Energy's strong credit quality and lower cost of capital.

A break-up would result in smaller entities, each allocated a proportional share of Duke Energy's parent-level debt, which would erode credit quality.

To avoid credit rating downgrades, each entity would be forced to recapitalize through dilutive equity issuances that have no benefit to customers or shareholders.

A consolidated company allows for a growing dividend to the company's shareholders, investments in its clean energy plan, and benefits from diversified cash flows.

Significant risk of incremental costs

Given the performance of the company, there is no strategic logic to breaking the company apart, and there is serious risk of dis-synergies that would weigh down the various spun-off entities and raise questions about the viability of the dividend to shareholders. For example:

A break-up would require extensive regulatory review at the state and federal level, introducing significant execution risk.

Standing up smaller, independent utilities would require considerable new costs and would reverse a decade of cost cutting efforts by integrating corporate functions of predecessor companies.

These unavoidable new costs would put pressure on utility rates without any tangible benefit to customers and would be highly unlikely to be recoverable from customers, impacting the credit and growth rate of the smaller utilities.

Employees and customers at the center

Duke Energy continues to be laser-focused on serving its communities during the pandemic. The company provided significant support for its customers by suspending disconnections and waiving late-payment and other fees. The company donated more than $8 million to various relief organizations to help support communities in need during the pandemic.

The company is also working to keep its employees safe and has navigated the pandemic while preserving jobs and avoiding furloughs and cuts to base salaries. The company remains committed to those objectives.
First Student, the largest student transportation provider in North America, and the Lion Electric Company (NYSE: LEV) (TSX: LEV) ("Lion" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, today jointly announced that First Student is ordering 260 all-electric LionC school buses.

This is the largest order of school buses by a single customer in Lion's history. The order will make First Student the largest operator of zero-emission school buses in North America. Deliveries will take place beginning in the second half of 2021 through the first half of 2023. The buses will be used by Transco, First Student's subsidiary that operates in Quebec.

"Today marks a new step in the adoption of zero-emission school buses," said Marc Bedard, CEO and Founder of Lion. "First Student's leadership demonstrates that zero-emission technology is here to meet the needs of the market at scale, as is our production capacity  we are not talking about pilot programs, but rather entire bus fleets going electric, with vehicles that meet the daily requirements of the industry's largest operators."

The company already operates a number of Lion all-electric school buses. As part of the purchase, the LionEnergy team will strategically work with First Student for the selection and installation of necessary infrastructure so that the operator can adequately scale its zero-emission operations.

"We are proud to take this significant step to improve the environmental health of our student passengers and the communities we serve," said First Student President Paul Osland. "First Student embraces the importance that electrification and zero-emission technologies will play in the future of student transportation. The electrification of school buses has already started and is poised to accelerate rapidly. This work with Lion Electric is an important step to position First Student as North America's leading owner and operator of electric school buses."

"At First Student, we long have been at the forefront of developing and implementing innovations in transportation," said First Student's Senior Vice President of Strategy, Business Development, Marketing and Communications, Claire Miller. "Now, as the largest operator of zero-emission school buses in North America, we will play a critical role in helping communities improve air quality and environmental health for passengers and the community. With the purchase of 260 buses, everyone wins. We cannot wait to start bringing them online soon."

"We are very excited to be putting the buses into operation in our own backyard here in Quebec, where soon an electric school bus will be a common sight," said Benoit Morin, Vice President of Sales, Canada, at Lion. "Getting children excited about zero-emission technologies today sets them up for a lifetime of climate advocacy, to the benefit of their communities and the planet."

Over the last decade, Lion has established itself as a leader in the zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle industry, having delivered over 390 all-electric heavy-duty vehicles in North America with over 7 million miles driven since 2016. All of Lion's vehicles are purpose-built for electric propulsion from the ground up, and are manufactured at Lion's North American facility, which has a current capacity to produce 2,500 electric trucks per year.
LONDON, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OMERS Private Equity and Alberta Investment Management Corporation, on behalf of certain of its clients (AIMCo), today announced that they have signed an agreement to sell their majority stake in Environmental Resources Management (ERM, or the Company) to KKR.

UK headquartered ERM is the worlds largest pure-play sustainability consultancy, operating in over 40 countries with over 5,500 partners and employees globally. ERM partners with the worlds leading organizations to create innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlock commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

Since investing in ERM in 2015, OMERS Private Equity and AIMCo have worked closely with the Company and its management to support the business continued growth and development. This growth has been both organic and M&A-driven, with ERM having acquired and successfully integrated 14 highly complementary businesses during OMERS and AIMCos investment period.

During this period of sustained financial and operational success, ERMs management team has been led by CEO Keryn James.

Jonathan Mussellwhite, Senior Managing Director and Head of OMERS European Private Equity, said:

When OMERS invested alongside the management and AIMCo in 2015, we saw an opportunity to back the market leader in an industry with considerable long-term growth potential, led by a proven, highly-capable and ambitious management team. ERM has been a perfect match for OMERS Private Equity, our partnership approach and our substantial, evergreen capital base.

The sale of ERM is OMERS Private Equitys fourth realisation in Europe and our fifth successful exit globally in the past three years. Each sale has resulted in strong income, supporting OMERS core commitment of delivering sustainable, affordable and meaningful pensions for our members. We continue to look for opportunities to deploy capital across Europe as we build our European Private Equity business.

James Frankish, Director, OMERS Private Equity, said:

Since 2015, we have supported the Company and its management in ERMs ambitious growth strategy with great results. As ERM has expanded into new focus sectors such as power, chemicals, and technology, and media and telecoms, ERM has also reinforced its leadership position in corporate sustainability and climate change. ERM moves on from our period of investment significantly enhanced in scale and capability, and well-placed to further deliver critical services to its customers around the world. We wish the business, its management and its employees the very best for the future.

Peter Teti, Senior Vice President, Private Equity, AIMCo said:

AIMCo, on behalf of its clients, is proud to have been part of ERMs journey to be the leading environmental and sustainability advisor globally. Our partnership with the management team and employees of ERM has helped position the Company to grow to new heights with the support of an investment from KKR. We would like to thank the management team and employees of ERM for their unwavering commitment to the Company and its purpose. AIMCo will continue to seek opportunities to partner with great management teams and companies as we continue to grow our global Private Equity platform.

Keryn James, CEO, ERM said:

We are thrilled to announce this new partnership with KKR, which will drive a long-term path for growth for ERM - broadening the scope of our client service and deepening our impact on sustainability. Im so proud of the strong, well-regarded company that we have built, with the support of OMERS Private Equity and AIMCo in recent years. It is our performance working alongside clients to address their most pressing challenges and opportunities that helped position ERM as the right fit for KKRs investment philosophy.

The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2021 subject to certain conditions, including regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Notes for Editors

Contact

Neil HrabOMERS Manager, Global Media Relations+14163692418nhrab@omers.com

Denes Nemeth Vice-President, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs+17809324013denes.nemeth@aimco.ca

About OMERS and OMERS Private Equity:

Founded in 1962, OMERS is one of Canadas largest defined benefit pension plans, with C$105 billion in net assets as at December 31, 2020. OMERS invests and administers pensions for more than half a million members through originating and managing a diversified portfolio of investments in public markets, private equity, infrastructure and real estate.

OMERS had private equity net investment asset exposure of C$14.8 billion as at December 31, 2020. OMERS Private Equity, the private equity investment arm of OMERS with a team of investment professionals in London, New York, Singapore and Toronto, seeks to use its significant and differentiated capital base to partner with management teams of industry leading businesses.

For more information, please visit www.omersprivateequity.comAbout Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)

AIMCo is one of Canadas largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than C$120 billion of assets under management. AIMCo was established on January 1, 2008 with a mandate to provide superior long-term investment results for its clients. AIMCo operates at arms-length from the Government of Alberta and invests globally on behalf of 32 pension, endowment and government funds in the Province of Alberta. AIMCos head office is located in Edmonton, Alberta, with additional offices located in Toronto, London, and Luxembourg.

AIMCos Private Equity team is comprised of a dedicated group of experienced investment professionals and manages a private equity allocation of approximately C$8.0 billion.

More information is available at www.aimco.ca

About ERMERM is the business of sustainability. As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, ERM partners with the worlds leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

ERMs diverse team of over 5,500 world-class experts in over 150 offices in 40 countries supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability. Through ERMs deep technical expertise. clients are well positioned to address their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. ERM calls this capability its boots to boardroom approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

For more information, please visit www.erm.com

Source: OMERS
Why: Where do we start? (Its a lot.) Health inspectors first shut down Thai Thai on May 13 after spotting 40 dead roaches in an empty bucket by the exit, inside a chest freezer and on storage racks; 50 live roaches on prep tables, under the rice cooker, in clean and sanitized food containers on storage shelf, next to the hot water heater and inside the kitchen. One live roach was seen inside a rice bin, which inspectors later ordered the restaurant to throw out. Finally, there were 26 rodent droppings underneath a dish drain and dead roaches under counters in sushi bar.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2021) - CARLYLE COMMODITIES CORP. (CSE: CCC) (FSE: 1OZA) (OTC Pink: DLRYF) ("Carlyle" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a 5-year Notice of Work application was filed this past February under the Mines Act for a Permit which, once granted, will allow for the commencement of a drilling campaign on the 100% owned Newton Gold-Silver Project. The Permit will initially allow for 50 drill site locations and can be expanded upon as work progresses. Newton covers approximately 24,000 contiguous hectares of generally flat-lying topography, located approximately 100 km west-southwest of Williams Lake in south-central British Columbia, Canada. The area is accessible year-round.

The Newton Gold-Silver Project contains an historical mineral resource estimated at the inferred confidence level of 1.6 million ounces gold, and 7.7 million ounces silver, as reported in a NI 43-101 technical report effective dated December 19, 2012, entitled "Technical Report on the Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the Newton Project, Central British Columbia, Canada", prepared by Reno Pressacco, M.Sc.(A), P.Geo., of Roscoe Postle and Associates Ltd (see description below).

Morgan Good, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carlyle, commented, "The summer field season is nearly here, and we can feel the excitement building as we prepare for our initial exploration and drilling program on the 100% owned Newton Gold-Silver Project. We are fully committed towards this as our flagship asset and the expansion of the bulk tonnage, open-pitable historical mineral resource outlined and estimated at the inferred confidence level of 1.6 million ounces gold, and 7.7 million ounces silver. The Blackwater Gold Project owned by Artemis Gold Inc. is approximately 185 km's northeast of Newton, and boasts and incredible measured + indicated resource estimated at 11.7 million ounces gold and 122 million ounces of silver. Carlyle and its team believe there are many similarities between both projects and is extremely bullish that 2021 will be a year of immense opportunity and success for the Company, particularly as we see the precious metals sector improving and various investment sectors flocking into the space."

Highlights

The Newton Project is a large, bulk tonnage, low - to intermediate-sulphidation, epithermal gold deposit that has had nearly 30,000 m of drilling exploring and developing the historical resource, mostly between 2009-2012.

exploring and developing the historical resource, mostly between 2009-2012. Newton encompasses more than 24,000 Ha and contains 1.6 million oz Au & 7.7 million oz Ag ( Table 1 ) estimated at the inferred confidence level (see description below). Carlyle believes Newton represents an outstanding development project.

) estimated at the inferred confidence level (see description below). Carlyle believes Newton represents an outstanding development project. Mineralization occurs within an 800 x 400 m area defined by drilling to depths of 560 m , but primarily of depths only down to 300 m.

, but primarily of depths only down to 300 m. Underlying the deposit, a large IP anomaly measures 4 km x 2 km and covers an area greater than 7 sq/km - yet the historical resource occupies slightly over 0.5 sq/km or just 7% of the anomaly.

Gold and associated base metal mineralization precipitated in extensive zones of strong quartz-sericite alteration as well as in mafic volcanic and clastic sedimentary rocks and along fault and fracture zones.

The alteration types and metal associations at Newton are similar to large epithermal gold deposits elsewhere in British Columbia including Blackwater (Artemis Gold Inc), New Prosperity (Taseko Mines Ltd) and Brucejack (Pretium Resources Inc) deposits. The very large Blackwater Gold Project is the most proximal of those deposits located approximately 185 km to the northeast of Newton, where it is one of Canada's largest open-pit gold deposits and one of the world's largest environmental assessment (EA) approved gold development projects. Blackwater has a measured+indicated resource estimated at 11.7 million ounces gold and 122 million ounces of silver (Blackwater Gold Project British Columbia NI 43-101 Technical Report on Pre-Feasibility Study: authored by Sue Bird, Daniel Fontaine, Tracy Meintjes, Marc Schulte and John Thomas, August 26, 2020; www.artemisgoldinc.com).





Table 1

To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6130/84273_09a41ec984d94853_001full.jpg

Newton Gold-Silver Project - Historical Resource

The Newton Gold Project includes more than 30,000 m of drilling, and a 2012 historic mineral resource estimated at the inferred confidence level for 1.6 million ounces gold (Au), and 7.7 million ounces silver (Ag), as reported in a NI 43-101 technical report effective dated December 19, 2012 entitled "Technical Report on the Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the New Project, Central British Columbia, Canada", prepared by Reno Pressacco, M.Sc.(A), P.Geo., for Amarc and filed under Amarc's profile on www.sedar.com (the "Newton Technical Report"). This inferred mineral resource estimates a grade of 0.44 g/t Au and 2.1 g/t Ag. at a cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t Au. The mineralization is typical of bulk-tonnage, low to intermediate sulphidation, disseminated epithermal gold-silver deposit. Mineralization occurs within an 800 x 400 m area defined by drilling to depths of 560 m, but primarily of depths only down to 300 m, representing a fraction within a larger 7 square kilometer hydrothermal system as defined by an induced polarity chargeability anomaly. Drill results reported in the Newton Technical Report suggest that the gold and silver mineralization may be expandable with additional possibilities to discover structurally controlled zones of higher-grade gold.

The Newton Technical Report historic estimate is the most recent mineral resource estimate for the Newton Gold-Silver Project and was prepared by Amarc. No qualified person ("QP") (as such term is defined in NI 43-101) working for the Company has done sufficient work to classify the historic estimate as a current mineral resource, and the Company is treating the estimate as historical mineral resources. The Company also does not imply that information or results from the Newton Gold-Silver Project, either at present or in the future, will be similar to that of Artemis' Blackwater project or other large epithermal projects. The Company's planned drilling campaign is in part designed to determine what work needs to be done to upgrade or verify the historical estimate.

Amarc has retained a 2.0% of the net smelter returns royalty from all products that are mined or extracted from, or that otherwise originate from the mineral claims which comprise the Newton Gold-Silver Project. There is also a 2.0% of the net smelter returns royalty on certain mineral claims at the Newton Gold-Silver Project in favour of two underlying owners, which can be purchased at any time for $2,000,000.

Qualified person

Harrison Cookenboo Ph.D., P.Geo., and a QP by the standards of Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein.

About Carlyle

Carlyle is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties. Carlyle owns 100% of the Newton Gold-Silver Project in the Clinton Mining Division of B.C, as well has formed a strategic partnership with HDI (The Hunter Dickinson Group) and has formed a 50-50 joint venture with HDI affiliate United Mineral Services Ltd. on the Mack Project located in B.C. The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Cecilia Gold-Silver Project located in the State of Sonora, Mexico as well also holds an option to earn a 100% interest in the promising Sunset property located in the Vancouver Mining Division near Pemberton, B.C. Carlyle is based in Vancouver, B.C., and is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the symbol "CCC".

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

CARLYLE COMMODITIES CORP.

"Morgan Good"

Morgan Good

Chief Executive Officer

For more information regarding this news release, please contact:

Morgan Good, CEO and Director

T: 604-715-4751

E: morgan@carlylecommodities.com

W: www.carlylecommodities.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian legislation. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, the exercise of the Company's option on Cecilia Project, the expected results of the Program, and any plans for further exploration of the Cecilia Project. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable and reflect expectations of future developments and other factors which management believes to be reasonable and relevant, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will exercise its option on the Mack Project and form the joint venture with UMS (or its assigns), that the results of the work to be conducted on the Cecilia Project will be satisfactory to warrant further exploration, that market fundamentals will support the viability of gold and other precious mineral exploration of the Cecilia Project, the availability of the financing required for the Company to carry out its planned future activities, and the Company's ability to retain and attract qualified personnel.

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 differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include the inability of the Company to exercise its option on the Cecilia Project, execute its proposed business plans, and carry out planned future activities. The novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, also poses new risks that are currently indescribable and immeasurable. Other factors may also adversely affect the future results or performance of the Company, including general economic, market or business conditions, future prices of gold or other precious metals, changes in the financial markets and in the demand for gold or other precious metals, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the mineral exploration industry, and risks related to the Company's investments and operations in the mineral exploration sector, as well as the risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and other filings made by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly, are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements.

These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements.

Historical information contained in this news release cannot be relied upon as the Company's Qualified Person, as defined under NI 43-101 has not prepared nor verified the historical information.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release).

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84273
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2021) - Ophir Gold Corp.(TSXV: OPHR) (FSE: 80M) (OTCQB: KPZIF)("Ophir" or the "Company")is pleased to announce that it has submitted the necessary documentation to the United States Forest Service (the "USFS") in support a five-year Plan of Operations ("Plan of Operations") for extended exploration of the Breccia Gold Property (the "Property"). The Property is located approximately 40 km southwest of Salmon, Idaho, and may be accessed directly by road.

The Plan of Operations is a comprehensive five-year outline of anticipated mineral exploration activities to be carried out on the Property, including diamond drilling. The permit, once received, will allow the Company to explore the Property for five consecutive years, under the same authorization, providing significant advantages and flexibility for follow-up work on the Property. The Company's principal geological consultant, Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., with offices in Denver, Colorado and Edmonton, Alberta, drafted the Plan of Operations and will continue to liaison with the USFS through to permit receipt. In addition, the Company has engaged Sundance Consulting Inc. of Pocatello, Idaho, to complete the cultural survey component of the assessment, while the remaining fish, wildlife, and environmental surveys are to be completed in-house by the USFS.

The Company expects to complete the 5-year Plan of Operations permit process for the spring/summer of 2022. Once the permit is received, the Company will be positioned for five years of extensive mineral exploration at the Property, which will include:

All-season access to the Property;

Ground and helicopter supported diamond drilling; and

Construction of 143 drilling sites and associated ground access.

"Completion and submission of the Plan of Operations to the USFS is a significant milestone for the Company," comments Shawn Westcott, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company. "It is a comprehensive plan that will allow Ophir to perform successive and informed exploration drilling in an efficient, predictable, and long-term manner, and moreover, will position the Company for an aggressive follow-up drill campaign to our maiden drill program scheduled to begin in only a few weeks time."

The Company recently completed its bond payment for the forthcoming 2021 diamond drill program at the Property and is fully permitted for up to 45,900 ft (~13,900 m). The Company is in the final stages of planning the drill program with the roadwork and diamond drilling contractors ready to mobilize as soon as the snow has fully receded from the site, which is anticipated to be only a few weeks away.

QP Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P. Geo., Director and Vice President of Exploration for the Company, and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About the Breccia Gold Property

The Breccia Gold Property consists of 98 claims covering approximately 1,973 acres (798 ha) within the Blackbird Mining District, in Lemhi County, approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Salmon, Idaho, USA. The Property is accessible by paved highway and a network of well-maintained gravel roads and is host to the historical Gahsmith Gold Mine. Exploration and development activity on the Property dates back to the 1930's and has been exploited by at least eight adits, with several thousand tons of mineralized quartz veined material extracted. In the 1980s, a bulk sample of 4,621 tons was completed with an average grade of 0.335 oz/t Au reported. The current Property includes the Meadows Fault Zone and the lesser explored, parallel Musgrove Mine Trend. Recent exploration carried out in 2018, 2019, and 2020 included the remapping and sampling of the Meadows Fault Zone and the results are suggestive of the existence of a significant low-sulfidation, epithermal gold system. Surface results include 57.6 g/t Au and 19.6 g/t Ag in outcrop, and 69 g/t Au and 27.5 g/t Ag in float.

About the Company

Ophir Gold Corp. is a gold exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its flagship property, the past producing Breccia Gold Property located in Lemhi County, Idaho. The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Property over a three-year period from Canarc Resource Corp. and DG Resource Management Ltd.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Shawn Westcott"

Ophir Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

Shawn Westcott, CEO

Phone 1 (604) 365 6681

swestcott@ophirgoldcorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84268
-Earnings Call Scheduled for 8:00 a.m. ET on May 25, 2021-

SHANGHAI, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FinVolution Group ("FinVolution", or the "Company") (NYSE: FINV), a leading fintech platform in China, today announced that it will report its first quarter 2021 unaudited financial results, on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, before the open of U.S. markets.

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on May 25, 2021 (8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong time on May 25, 2021).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States (toll free): 1-888-346-8982 Canada (toll free): 1-855-669-9657 International: 1-412-902-4272 Hong Kong, China (toll free): 800-905-945 Hong Kong, China: 852-3018-4992 Mainland China: 400-120-1203

Participants should dial-in at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "FinVolution Group."

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.finvgroup.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call until June 1, 2021, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States (toll free): 1-877-344-7529 Canada (toll free): 1-855-669-9658 International: 1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10156736

About FinVolution Group

FinVolution Group is a leading fintech platform in China connecting underserved individual borrowers with financial institutions. Established in 2007, the Company is a pioneer in China's online consumer finance industry and has developed innovative technologies and has accumulated in-depth experience in the core areas of credit risk assessment, fraud detection, big data and artificial intelligence. The Company's platform, empowered by proprietary cutting-edge technologies, features a highly automated loan transaction process, which enables a superior user experience. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had over 116.1 million cumulative registered users.

For more information, please visit https://ir.finvgroup.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:FinVolution GroupHead of Investor RelationsJimmy TanTel: +86 (21) 8030 3200-8601E-mail: ir@xinye.com

The Piacente Group, Inc. Jenny CaiTel: +86 (10) 6508-0677E-mail: finv@tpg-ir.com

In the United States:The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi PiacenteTel: +1-212-481-2050E-mail: finv@tpg-ir.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finvolution-group-to-report-first-quarter-2021-financial-results-on-tuesday-may-25-2021-301292261.html

SOURCE FinVolution Group
A YouGov survey of over 1,000 UAE residents highlights notable appetite for cryptocurrencies as part of the portfolio mix

Younger Emirati are much more bullish about the opportunities from exposure to crypto assets than Western expats

DUBAI, UAE, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The relatively volatile history of cryptocurrencies to date has not dampened appetite in the UAE for these assets, based on the results of a Holborn Assets-sponsored YouGov survey.

In particular, roughly one in four (26%) of the 1,000-plus respondents view these assets as offering 'exciting investment opportunities', and 45% seeking more education before they invest.

Reflecting this relatively robust demand, 44% of the 830 respondents to a question on asset allocation said they would feel comfortable with over 5% of their investment portfolio invested in cryptocurrencies in 2021. This figure was over 10% for nearly one in five (18%) UAE residents.

"There is clearly growing demand for this new and enticing asset class, especially given the returns it can potentially offer investors," said Stefan Terry, Global Senior Partner in the UAE office of Holborn Assets.

"The survey results also highlight the strong interest locally in more education about cryptocurrencies as a precursor for making portfolio allocations," added Terry, who was the winner of the 'Emerging Talent' award from International Investment in 2020.

Holborn Assets plans to create local programmes to deliver this later in the year. These will leverage demand in the UAE and build on the efforts in the firm's South African office, which is hosting some events in the coming weeks to educate investors about the pros and cons of cryptocurrencies.

Age and nationality create demographic divide

The differences in survey responses across different sections of society in the UAE are particularly noteworthy.

For instance, 18-24 year olds are the most bullish on cryptocurrencies, with a third of respondents considering them to be 'exciting investment opportunities', compared with 17% in the 45+ age group. Meanwhile, only 10% of the youngest age group wants these assets to be heavily regulated, versus 17% for older investors. And while just 12% of young respondents consider crypto assets to be a fad, this rises to 20% among the 45 year olds and above.

There are also some striking trends in terms of nationality. For example, Emiratis are the keenest group to invest in cryptocurrencies, at 33%, compared with Arab expats (23%), Asian residents (24%) and Westerners (19%).

This is consistent at the other end of the spectrum; only 7% of Emirati want crypto assets to be heavily regulated, whereas nearly one in four Western expats (24%) who responded to the survey chose this option.

There is also a marked gap in comfort levels among UAE investors when buying crypto assets. A third of Emirati respondents, for instance, said a 5-10% allocation would suit them, with 19% opting for a 0-2% holding.

For Western expats, by contrast, 51% of respondents said they would only allocate 0-2% to cryptocurrencies, and just 14% would be comfortable with a 5-10% allocation.

About Holborn Assets

Established in 1998, Holborn Assets is a leading, award-winning global financial services company that provides quality financial advice and wealth management solutions to the discerning international expatriate. As a British, family-owned and run company we pride ourselves on delivering a superior experience to roughly 20,000 clients, via our 11 international offices, all supported by over 450 personnel, including 200 financial advisers.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holborn-assets-survey-reveals-robust-cryptocurrency-demand-in-uae-301292397.html

SOURCE Holborn Assets
MOUNT VERNON, Va., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Heritage breeds of livestock are pre-industrial farm animals whose unusual appearances and remarkable qualities take us back to our nation's agrarian roots  and may show the way to a more sustainable future. Their value as agricultural and cultural resources was honored by the U.S. Postal Service on stamps dedicated today at a ceremony at George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia.

"The stamps beautifully represent the priceless genetic diversity of heritage breeds in the United States," said dedicating official, Steve Monteith, U.S. Postal Service chief customer and marketing officer. "Understanding the history of heritage breeds and their abilities for survival and self-sufficiency  it's easy to see their value."

Joining Monteith at the historic venue for the first in-person stamp dedication ceremony of the year were Douglas Bradburn, president and CEO, George Washington's Mount Vernon; Alison Martin, executive director, and Jeannette Beranger, senior program manager, both from the Livestock Conservancy; and Aliza Eliazarov, whose photographs were used to design the stamps. Historical actor Dan Shippey was also on hand.

The pane of 20 stamps includes photographs of 10 heritage breeds: the Mulefoot hog, the Wyandotte chicken, the Milking Devon cow, the Narragansett turkey, the American Mammoth Jackstock donkey, (second row) the Cotton Patch goose, the San Clemente Island goat, the American Cream draft horse, the Cayuga duck and the Barbados Blackbelly sheep.

The stamps were designed by Zack Bryant using photographs by acclaimed heritage breeds photographer Aliza Eliazarov. Greg Breeding served as art director.

The Heritage Breeds Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. News of the Heritage Breeds stamps is being shared with the hashtag #HeritageBreedsStamps.

With the worldwide adoption of industrial farming, a few breeds of livestock were standardized for maximum productivity. As a result, many other breeds with different traits are now critically endangered, and several are extinct.

In addition to retaining genetic diversity to help farms adapt to changing conditions, heritage livestock are also a valuable cultural resource as the breeds demonstrate the farming practices of earlier periods in American history and illuminate ancient agricultural traditions. Across the country, living-history farms and historical sites are working with breeders to acquire and raise heritage breeds, not only to preserve these animals but also to provide a more authentic sense of the past.

Postal Products Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.

Information for ordering first-day-of-issue postmarks and covers is at usps.com/shop.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

National: Martha Johnsonmartha.s.johnson@usps.gov

Local: Felicia Lottfelicia.m.lott@usps.gov usps.com/news

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-heritage-breeds-forever-stamps-honor-genetic-diversity-in-farm-animals-301292638.html

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
BENGALURU, India and LOS ALTOS, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wadhwani Foundation (WF) announced today that it would donate $1 million in grants to ten charities and NGOs to help alleviate the devastating impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in India. These grants provide medical resources and assistance to COVID-19 patients and their families.

"Combatting the severe rise in COVID-19 cases and the tremendous burden on Indian families requires a comprehensive approach from as many organizations as possible. Wadhwani Foundation can help alleviate some of the suffering Indian families are enduring through aid to charities and organizations providing 'last mile" immediate relief in areas of most need, said Padma Shri Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, Founder and Chairman of Wadhwani Foundation.

For phase 1 of these grants, Wadhwani Foundation has selected the following charities and partners:

Wadhwani Foundation established a set of criteria to select charities/NGOs based on the ability to deliver immediate impact to patients and families and measure the impact of the relief. These include:

The ability to immediately reduce the devastating impact and slow COVID-19 spread in India over the next month by providing medical resources to clinics or homes

Deliver direct relief benefits, including medical assistance, food, and loans/grants to affected patients and families

Organizations with more than five years of experience in the healthcare, basic-needs support space with highly developed existing infrastructure to immediately deploy to target groups

The ability to provide high transparency, reporting, and governance and quantify the impact of assistance

Be recognized as a registered charity in the country of operation

Employee Sourced and Supported The selection of charities and NGOs based on these criteria was aided by employees at both Wadhwani Foundation and SymphonyAI, the U.S.-based enterprise AI company founded by Dr. Wadhwani. The initial five recipients were selected after review and analysis by Wadhwani Foundation leaders. The additional charity/NGO recipients will be determined within days. In addition to these grants, Wadhwani Foundation will match donations to any of the supported charities/NGOs by any SymphonyAI or Wadhwani Foundation employees through September 1, 2021.

This grant program follow the Sahayata initiative by Wadhwani Foundation to deliver skilling and innovation programs to help small and medium enterprises and public health workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sahayata initiative was announced in July 2020 in India and November 2020 in Mexico.

About Wadhwani FoundationWadhwani Foundation was founded in 2000 by Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, with the primary mission of accelerating job creation in India and other emerging economies through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, small business growth, innovation, and skilling. The Wadhwani Foundation operates in 20 countries, including India, South East Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines), East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda), Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia), West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana), Egypt, and Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile). The Wadhwani Foundation works in partnership with governments, foundations, corporations, and educational institutes. For more details on Wadhwani Foundation, please visit https://www.wfglobal.org/

Press contactChris Galechris@galestrategies.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wadhwani-foundation-announces-1-million-in-grants-to-immediately-help-indian-families-impacted-by-covid-19-301292236.html

SOURCE Wadhwani Foundation
FILE PHOTO: Sandra Cervantes, 14, receives a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination at a vaccine clinic for newly eligible 12 to 15-year-olds in Pasadena, California, U.S., May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

(Reuters) - The United States has administered 273,545,207 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Sunday morning and distributed 344,503,495 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

Those figures are up from the 270,832,342 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Saturday out of 344,503,395 doses delivered.

The agency said 157,485,596 people had received at least one dose, while 123,282,685 people are fully vaccinated.

The CDC tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech as well as Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine as of 6 a.m. ET (1000 GMT) on Sunday.

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Mathew Z. Rosiere, 37, of Fond du Lac, unexpectedly passed away on Friday, June 4, 2021. He was born on May 18, 1984, in Pawnee, OK, the son of Michael Z. Rosiere and Sandra K. Kennedy. While he was in high school, he was active in football and wrestling. Mathew loved hard rock music, played
Plans are in place to construct the countrys largest network of solar power generating stations.

New Zealand generation company Lodestone Energy will initially develop five solar farms built across the upper North Island, delivering enough electricity to power a city the size of Hamilton.

The $300 million development will provide solar energy to Whakatane, Edgecumbe, Whitianga, Dargaville and Kaitaia.

The Whakatane site is located in the Waiotahe Valley. The 85 GWh solar farm is in one of the sunniest locations in New Zealand and will contain up to 115,000 solar panels.

The Edgecumbe site is a 52 GWh solar plant, the farm will include up to 70,000 panels and will supply electricity to 1700 residents and other nearby commercial and industrial users.

These farms are a game changer for the electricity market and will increase New Zealands current solar generation eightfold, says Lodestone Energy managing director Gary Holden.

The first phase of development will see more than half a million solar panels built over 500 hectares of land.

Together, the five solar farms will act as one giant generation plant, using the power of the sun to inject sustainable renewable power into our electricity grid during the daytime and helping reduce the countrys reliance on fossil fuels.

Solar costs have fallen sharply in recent years and we are now at the point where grid-scale solar power, if well-located, is the most economic form of new electricity generation. Also, because it delivers power during the daytime period, it has the highest value to the market.

Combined, the five farms will generate approximately 400 GWh of clean renewable energy, enough to power 55,000 homes or the equivalent of more than 150,000 electric vehicles.

The company, which is privately funded, has attracted the financial backing from some of New Zealands most well-known investors and entrepreneurs.

Lodestone Energy hope to advance New Zealands national energy goals, contribute to lower power prices for consumers and help address climate change.

Solar energy needs to play an increasingly important role in delivering New Zealands renewable electricity, says Gary.

This is how well meet our future energy needs, as well as complement the countrys hydro, geothermal and wind resources to help achieve the Governments goal of 100 per cent renewable generation by 2030.

Each of the solar farms will contain between 70,000 and 170,000 solar panels.

The panels move to track the sun across the sky and electricity will be produced from both sides of the panel, capturing light from both the sky and reflected from the ground.

While the farms are designed to meet morning and late afternoon peaks in electricity demand, rapid developments in battery technology mean that in the near future the farms should be able to store electricity generated during the day for distribution in the evening peak.

We have selected each site so that it is located in the countrys sunbelt, between the 34th and 39th parallel, placing them at the equivalent latitude of the Mediterranean and Southern California, where solar generation is common, says Gary.

The Kaitaia site will be consented first. Construction is scheduled to start by late 2021.
Lawton, OK (73501)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. Hot and humid. High 98F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
Schroder then launched into an anti-mask rant, saying: Oh if they allow us? If they grant us that, our kings? The people in power? Youre going to listen to these people? Theyve destroyed our economy. Theyre destroying our culture. Theyre destroying our state. And youre just going to listen to their rules? Im getting my refund. Im getting my refund from Costco. I suggest everybody in California get their refund from Costco. Give up your membership to Costco until they remove this.
Syracuse, N.Y.  When it comes to enforcing mask-wearing among unvaccinated people in stores, movie theaters or churches, even Onondaga Countys top official says this next chapter of the coronavirus pandemic could prove confusing and even frustrating for some.

Consider a store owner in Skaneateles. If she wants customers to wear masks, but some maskless people enter the store and decline to show a white vaccination card, what happens next?

Im not exactly sure how that would play out, is the honest answer, County Executive Ryan McMahon said.

McMahon and many other business owners, religious leaders and community leaders are sorting through those issues now. Should businesses refuse service? Create designated spaces for vaccinated people at work? Call 911 if tempers rise?

I dont know how this is going to play out, McMahon said. This is the challenge of this. Weve never been here yet.

The county executive said his staff is working through the newly emerging guidelines. Please reach out to our office, he said. If we dont have the answer, well find it for you. That number is 315-435-3516.

After more than a year of urging  and often requiring  people to wear masks in places outside of their home, health officials are saying that its ok for fully vaccinated people to go maskless in most indoor areas. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York would adopt that guidance starting Wednesday -- something McMahon called for earlier today.

That sets up a two-tiered system that relies on people without vaccinations to continue masking up in most indoor spaces. It also could put the onus of enforcement on workers and business owners, many of whom want to welcome back their customers.

Can businesses actually require customers and clients to wear masks or show proof of vaccine?

I think so, McMahon said. This is still new, but I think they can. I dont know if they will.

But the time is right to relax the rules, he said. The growing number of vaccinated people has diminished the viruss spread.

Today, the county confirmed 31 new cases. On Jan. 1, there were 499. Today, there are 31 people hospitalized. During the holidays, hospitalizations were 10 times as high.

No one has died in Onondaga County from Covid-19 in the past six days.

Currently, about 57% to 58% of Onondaga County residents are fully vaccinated, McMahon said. When looking just at the people who are currently eligible, the portion of county residents fully vaccinated rises to about 70%.

The reality is we have a very effective vaccine, he said.

And that gives vaccinated individuals the power to decide what steps to take next, he said. Those who are vaccinated can keep wearing masks if they choose. Those who want to should be able to take them off.

McMahon is fully vaccinated and is planning to do a bit of both. When he goes to work on Wednesday, hes planning to ride the elevator up 14 floors without wearing a mask. In other spaces where there may be more people, he said, he might put it back on.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Syracuse University said today it will begin relaxing its face mask and social distancing policies Monday, May 24.

SU will continue to require face masks and social distancing on campus through next weekend when the school expects an influx of visitors for commencement ceremonies Saturday and Sunday. SUs current policy requires students, staff and visitors to wear masks and maintain social distancing at all times while on campus.

SU did not specify how mask and social distancing rules will change next week. But the school said it will begin a phased implementation of its amended policy May 24 that will be generally consistent with new federal recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those recommendations say fully vaccinated people do not have to wear masks indoors or outdoors or maintain social distance.

Gov. Cuomo announced today the state is adopting the CDC guidance. However, the states announcement leaves in place masking and distancing requirements on public transportation, in schools and some other communal settings.

SU said it expects to receive implementation guidance from the state soon that applies to higher education.

Additional information related to our plans to ease masking and social distancing restrictions on campus will be shared in the coming days, Mike Haynie, SUs vice chancellor, said in a prepared statement.

James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
More businesses are joining the list of stores dropping mask requirements for customers and employees if theyre fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Target announced Monday that its stores will no longer require fully vaccinated guests and team members to wear face coverings in our stores, except where its required by local ordinances. Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated and well continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores.

USA Today reports CVS and Starbucks have also eased their mask policies, following the CDCs recommendation that fully vaccinated people can stop wearing face masks outdoors and inside most places. Walmart, Costco and Trader Joes also said they would stop requiring face coverings in states without a mask mandate last week.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that New York state would adopt the CDCs guidance, allowing people fully vaccinated against coronavirus to stop wearing masks in nearly all settings starting Wednesday.

If you are vaccinated, you are safe, Cuomo said during a press conference in New York City. No masks. No social distancing.

Businesses and other private entities will continue to be allowed to set their own rules, Cuomo added. Home Depot and Kroger said Friday they would continue requiring masks; Wegmans said it would continue requiring face coverings for now. Walgreens, Ulta and the Gap are reviewing their mask policies.

People with compromised immune systems and unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks, Cuomo said. Masks will also still be required for all people in schools, nursing homes, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, health care facilities, and on public transportation.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their final dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. According to the CDC, 47% of U.S. adults have been fully vaccinated and 56% of all Americans ages 12 and up have received at least one dose.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

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Actor Ricky Schroder harasses Costco worker over mask rule in California

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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
Syracuse, NY  A convicted child rapist will spend 5 to 10 years in prison after admitting that he recklessly killed his friend in a car crash, fled the scene and later attacked a jail deputy after his arrest.

Shayne Copes, 21, took a plea Monday offered by state Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy, who noted that Copes never meant to kill his friend and had unspecified issues that the judge said needed to be addressed.

Still, Cuffy knew he was going to hear a protest from prosecutors Chris Bednarski and John Centra. So the judge cut to the chase himself: the district attorneys office strenuously objected to his offer, he noted.

Thats true, Bednarski confirmed. The prosecutor also noted that the family of man killed in the crash -- Jarrett Wells -- who attended Mondays plea -- wanted Copes to spend longer in prison, too.

Copes was already on probation for having sex with a 14-year-old girl in 2018 when he sped through two stop signs on Syracuses North Side in March 2020, resulting in a crash that killed his 18-year-old friend, Wells.

Copes fled on foot from the intersection of Carbon and Court streets, before being caught while seeking treatment at Upstate University Hospital.

Jailed after his arrest, he kneed a custody deputy in the head during an incident in July 2020.

Under law, Copes could have had punishment added up for each of four incidents: the reckless fatal crash, fleeing the scene, attacking the jail deputy and violation probation on the prior rape conviction. All told, that could have resulted in two decades or more in prison.

Instead, Cuffy promised to sentence Copes to 5-to-10 years for the reckless crash, with his fleeing charges, jail attack and probation violation sentences being served at the same time.

To circumvent prosecutors, Copes had to plead guilty to four separate felonies covering two indictments: thats to reckless manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal crash and two counts of assault (stemming from the same kneeing of the jail deputy). Because Copes pleaded guilty to all of the charges, sentencing was left to the sole discretion of the judge.

Defense lawyer Graeme Spicer noted that Copes never meant to kill his friend and there was no evidence he was high or drunk at the time, only speeding and running stop signs.

This is a young man who ran a couple of stop signs while driving a high rate of speed; he did not intend to cause a death in this case, the judge noted, while acknowledging that Copes did flee the scene.

Spicer asked if the judge would release Copes from jail for two months until sentencing. Bednarski responded with another objection.

Absolutely nothing good can come of that, the prosecutor said. He (kneed) a cop and killed his friend while on probation for a sexual assault.

Cuffy wasnt willing to go that far.

Mr. Copes has some issues and releasing him.Im not going to release him given the circumstances, he said.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.
Fulton, N.Y.  People reporting gun fire near a Fulton school caused officers from three police agencies to rush to the schools today.

Fairgrieve Elementary School and the Fourth Street School went into lockdown this morning, according to the Fulton Police Department.

The first dispatches earlier today reported multiple shots fired with people yelling near Fairgrieve, police said. That drew a large police presence from the Fulton police, State police and Oswego County Sheriffs Office.

Fulton police said the noises which were reported as gunshots were a chemical reaction of pool chemicals.

Officers on scene reported the chemicals continued to react producing sounds similar to small-caliber gun fire, police said.

Police said a pool chlorinator explosion was reported at a nearby residence, injuring a person working on the pool.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Six fires in three days damaged houses and apartments this weekend in Syracuse.

Four of the fires, including two on Glenwood Avenue, happened in vacant homes no more than half a mile apart near Strathmore and the South Side.

The fires sent at least three people, including a firefighter, to hospitals.

One of the fires  a blaze at Trinity Park West apartments  left the building badly damaged. Two days after the fire, the 41-unit complex was encircled by yellow caution tape and covered in boarded-up windows.

Firefighters are working to determine what caused the fires. The department did not say if the fires are related or considered suspicious. Firefighters did not respond to a request for comment.

The fires

Heres a map of showing the location of each fire followed by a description of the fire and photos.

First fire: Trinity Park West

The apartment building at 615 W. Onondaga St. sits boarded up and encircled by yellow police tape on Monday, May 17, 2021  two days after a fire ripped through the structure, damaging the building and sending at least to people to the hospital. The fire was the first of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com

Syracuse firefighters rushed to Trinity Park West, an apartment building at 615 W. Onondaga St., at 1:33 a.m. Saturday after a caller reported the building was on fire. When firefighters arrived, the first floor was engulfed in flames.

Trapped tenants hung out of windows, fire officials said. Using ladders, firefighters rescued at least five people from the building.

Two people were transported to a hospital. Others were evaluated by firefighters and American Medical Response crews at the scene.

Over 50 firefighters responded to the blaze.

Second fire: 145 Lakeview Ave.

Firefighters had just returned from the blaze on West Onondaga Street when crews were called to another fire.

The fire at 145 Lakeview Ave., a two-family home, was reported to 911 around 6:30 a.m. Firefighters rushed to the burning house and found thick smoke billowing from the second story.

The people inside safely escaped from the home, which had working smoke detectors, the department said. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters quickly put out the fire, containing most of the damage to part of the second-story apartment, the department said.

On Monday, the damage to the home was not visible from the street.

Third fire: 217 May Ave.

A fire was discovered at 217 May Ave., a vacant Syracuse home, just before 4 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, 2021. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the blazes happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com

Firefighters responded to 217 May Ave., a vacant home, at 3:58 a.m. Sunday after a caller reported the house was on fire. When firefighters arrived, the second floor was engulfed in flames.

Crews rushed into the burning home to fight the fire. But the flames grew and quickly became too intense for firefighters to remain inside, the department said.

Firefighters left the home and battled the fire from outside, using equipment capable of spraying over 1,000 gallons of water a minute to douse the flames, the department said. Once the fire was dampened, firefighters went back into the home to finish stamping out the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

Syracuse firefighters return to 1304 South Ave., a vacant home, on Monday, May 17, 2021, hours after a fire damaged the house. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com

Fire four: 1304 South Ave.

The fire at 1304 South Ave., another vacant home, was reported at 12:47 a.m. Monday.

When firefighters arrived, heavy flames were coming from the 2 1/2-story house. It marked the second time the home caught fire within five months.

It took over 30 minutes to put out the fire. One firefighter was treated at Upstate University Hospital for minor burns, the department said.

Firefighters returned to the scene Monday morning, parking outside the damaged home.

A blaze that started around 2:23 a.m on Monday, May 17, 2021, left 146 Glenwood Ave., a vacant Syracuse home, charred and damaged. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com

Fifth fire: 146 Glenwood Ave.

A passerby called 911 at 2:23 a.m. Monday and reported 146 Glenwood Ave., a vacant home, was on fire. The home is half a mile away from the South Avenue house that caught fire less than two hours earlier.

When firefighters arrived on Glenwood Avenue, the entire front of the residence was engulfed in flames, the department said. Some of the firefighters who responded to the fire had also worked to put out the blaze on South Avenue less than two hours earlier.

Hours after the fire, the smell of smoke lingered in the air outside of the charred home.

A fire was discovered at the above home, 131 Glenwood Ave., around 2:45 a.m. Monday, May 12, 2021, while Syracuse firefighters were battling a fire at a home across the street. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com

Sixth fire: 131 Glenwood Ave.

Crews were working to put out the fire at 146 Glenwood Ave. when they spotted flames coming from 131 Glenwood Ave.  a home across the street, the department said. It took firefighters 15 minutes to put out the second.

A for sale sign outside of 131 Glenwood Ave. marked the home as sold.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
Syracuse, NY  A Syracuse man was sentenced Monday to at least 20 years and up to life in prison for shooting a man during a high-stakes poker game in 2015.

Charquan Edwards, now 29, had earlier been found guilty of first-degree attempted murder and several other charges by a jury. Each of the other charges will carry a sentence of 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release, but Edwards will serve the sentences concurrently.

Edwards was accused of shooting an 83-year-old man while fleeing a Tallman Street residence with $9,000 in wagers that had been laid out on a table, prosecutor Lauren Phelps told the jury.

The victim, George Smith, has since died of unrelated causes, as have three other witnesses who were there that night. A fifth witness was hospitalized during last weeks retrial in Onondaga County.

Edwards had previously been convicted in a 2015 trial immediately following the shooting. That trials verdict was overturned after procedural errors in 2019.

Multiple witnesses, including Smith, who testified in the first trial have died in the nearly six years since the shooting.

State Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy allowed the testimony of those who died after the first trial to be read back for the jury. Much of the most recent trial was spent with someone at the witness stand reading from a transcript from Edwards 2015 trial.

Defense lawyer Patrick Hennessy argued that Edwards and Smith fought over Smiths gun and Edwards gained control of the gun before shooting Smith in self-defense.

In finding Edwards guilty, the jury found for the prosecutions theory. Edwards became angry after his winning streak had been snapped, grabbed the cash and ran, the prosecution contended. He shot Smith on the way from the Tallman Street home.

In 2015, Edwards was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison by since retired Judge John Brunetti.

Cuffy said to Edwards Monday that he was one of the few people who had appeared before him who he believed, had circumstances been different, would have lived a productive life.

Youre an intelligent young man, Cuffy said to Edwards. But I agree with Judge Brunettis original sentence.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
A group of Central New York foodies have rescheduled their plan to create the worlds largest charcuterie board, which was put on hold in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions.

The 315-foot-long platter of meats, cheeses and other finger foods will be unveiled on Sept. 26 at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls.

Thats more than twice as long as the current record, which was set in September 2019 in Chicago, Ill., according to the Guinness Book of World Records. That charcuterie board was sponsored by Boars Head and filled with more than 400 lbs. of meat, cheese and other items. The board was 150 feet long and took two people more than 24 hours to produce.

The record-breaking project is spearheaded by the 315 Foodies, a Facebook group with thousands of followers devoted to food in and around Central New York. Members from the group will fill half of the gigantic platter.

More than 50 restaurants and other food businesses will also participate, sponsoring a three-foot section of the board. Participation is open to any restaurant or food business that operates in the 315 area code.

Organizer Preston Moore, co-founder the 315 Foodies Facebook group, said he hopes to highlight the culinary excellence of Central New York, make a significant impact on local economies and promote the areas restaurants.

Tickets to the event will be $25 at the door, kids ages 12 and under are free. The ticket includes a plate sample from the board. People can also purchase a premium 315 Foodies app membership for $25 which comes with a ticket along with other discounts on food in Central New York.

Guinness specifies that the charcuterie board must include five types of meat, two types of cheese, two types of fruit and two types of fruit spreads. While the record-setting board is limited to traditional charcuterie board components, organizers said they plan to surround the board with half-moon cookies, Utica greens, tomato pie and other CNY staples.

The massive board itself is being built by North Hudson Woodcraft in Dolgeville. Its another one of a laundry list of requirements given by Guinness - the board itself must be a scaled-up replica of one that is available commercially. North Hudson will be selling its own boards after the event, Moore said.

Guinness also requires that health inspectors oversee the assembly of the charcuterie board and that all leftovers are given to a local food bank.

Mike Cassella, the other founder of 315 Foodies, encouraged others to join the event.

I think its important to note that to achieve this feat it will truly take a village, he said. Were looking for hundreds of volunteers and business partners who want to be a part of setting a world record.

To sign up to volunteer, help fill the charcuterie board - or even just eat - visit 315.foodies.com/world-record.

More on food and dining in Central New York:

Best subs in CNY: Syracuse expert Matt Roe shows us 10 spots for a great grinder

A Syracuse pub is becoming the Tom Brady of New York state burger joints

Rides and games coming to the NY State Fair Food Fest starting this week

First Look: Popular Marshall Street restaurant reemerges in Fairmount with a fresh approach
New Yorkers can generally count on almost every type of state tax to be among the highest in the country. And many things the state does are often pretty complicated.

Take New Yorks scheme for taxing recreational marijuana, which became legal month but probably wont become available for legal sale until some time next year. The states proposed marijuana tax is above the average for the 15 or so states that have legalized it so far, many experts say, but its not the highest. (Washington state currently takes that honor.)

New York, like many states that have legalized marijuana, will combine retail (excise/sales) taxes with some sort of wholesale (production/distribution) tax. The retail marijuana tax will be 13% (thats down from the 20% initially proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo).

But what really sets New York apart is a plan to tie the wholesale tax to the amount of the psychoactive compound THC in the product. Other states have based the wholesale tax on factors like weight or volume.

New York will be the first to tax THC levels in this way, making it hard to say exactly where it will rank in overall marijuana taxes when sales begin. It is likely to end up with higher overall tax than neighboring states.

And critics say thats not the only problem.

Its just an unbelievably complicated way of doing it, said Kaelan Castetter, of the Castetter Cannabis Group and partner in Empire Standard, a Binghamton area hemp/CBD processor. I mean its great that we finally have marijuana legalization, but this THC-based tax is something that could create a lot of problems.

Castetter is the co-author of a report called THC Tax? The Unintended Consequences of a Novel Tax Structure. It argues there are too many questions, such as who pays the THC tax, when it is assessed, how the level of THC is measured in the first place and more.

And the report includes a concern that the tax will favor larger producers at the expense of smaller ones.

Overall, the THC based tax proposal could spell disaster for a nascent industry in a state reeling from historic economic losses by adding a layer of unnecessary complexity and costs, the report states.

On the other hand, the THC tax may be smart, according to Rob DiPisa, a cannabis law specialist for the Cole Schotz firm in New Jersey. Thats because THC levels are becoming more important as the cannabis industry moves more into concentrates (rather than flower) and edible products become more popular.

It is an interesting approach, DiPisa said. Clearly New York is paying attention to the way that THC now drives the value and the growth in the industry. It may be the first, but I can see this becoming a trend in other states.

After several years of trying, New York made the possession of small amounts of marijuana by those 21 and over legal on April 1. But the legal retail market to buy and sell weed isnt likely to start here until next year, after the state writes the regulations and issues the licenses for it.

The THC-based wholesale tax is written into the law, but without specific regulations to look at its hard to see how it will work, Castetter and other experts say.

This is the first time (marijuana) is taxed on the amount of THC in the product, said Kim Stuck, who was one of the first cannnabis regulators in the country when she worked for the Denver city health department in Colorado. She now runs Allay, a consulting firm that provides advice and assistance to those in cannabis industry. I cant tell if its going to work or not. It sounds like a total pain.

New Yorks marijuana plan calls for a 13% tax on retail sales  with 9% going to the state and 4% to local governments where the sales take place. Washington state has the highest such tax, called an excise tax, at 37%. States like California and Oregon also have high retail taxes.

On the wholesale side, New Yorks plan calls for marijuana to be taxed 0.005 cents (half a cent) per milligram for marijuana flower, 0.008 cents (8/10 of a cent) per milligram for concentrated cannabis and 3 cents per milligram for edible products.

Castetter said the specifics arent clear. Will the tax be assessed when farmers sell to processors, or when processors sell to the distributors? he asked.

Theres also the issue of when and where the THC levels will be tested, he said. And, he said, the testing can be imprecise.

The results can range from plus-or-minus 12% to 35%, he said. Thats a pretty big window. And that means the state may be getting more or less tax revenue than its supposed to. We could be talking millions, or tens of millions, of dollars in incorrect taxes.

The New York law also allows the ten existing medical marijuana vendors, most of which are large national companies, to retain vertical monopolies in growing, processing and retailing. Such monopolies would not be granted to newer, smaller vendors except for those with separate specific licenses.

With a tax structure like this, that just builds in an advantage for the larger players in the market, Castetter said.

Then, of course, there is the worry that New Yorks overall marijuana tax, when its all added up, will be relatively high.

Thats especially important when its compared to neighboring states, said DiPisa of the Cole Schotz law firm.

Its not like people from New York are going to go to California (for marijuana) because the tax is lower, he said. But New Jersey is probably going to have a lower tax, and that would be a problem.

And theres the black market  the illegal drug trade that is likely to exist side-by-side with the authorized sale of marijuana. Critics of high taxes for legal marijuana point out taxes may keep buyers using the existing black market.

California has had some issues with this, said Heather Trela, a fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany and an expert in marijuana policy. High marijuana fees and taxes leaves a strong, thriving black market. California has not done an effective job of dampening that, and is falling short of its revenue projections as a result.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his aides have said they expect legal marijuana to create up to 60,000 jobs, generate $3.5 billion of economic activity provide more than $350 million in annual tax revenue once it is fully up and running.

Castetter, also a board member of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association, has been a fan of New Yorks approach to other cannabis issues. That includes the states Hemp Extracts law, approved last year, that gives New York what are likely the strictest standards in the country for the production and sale of hemp products.

Dont get me wrong  I like that we finally have legalization, he said. But now we have to get it right. And we need to fix the things that we can to make sure we have the best and strongest legal market we can.

Read more on marijuana and cannabis at syracuse.com/marijuana:

Business, policy, social equity experts to lead NY Cannabis Insider virtual networking event

Legal marijuana in NY: What you need to know about possession, growing, business opportunities

Syracuse University launches cannabis education program for emerging marijuana industry

Recreational marijuana is legal in NY: Could the feds still arrest you?

Will your New York marijuana conviction be expunged? The simple numbers to know

What is Delta 8 THC? Its not marijuana, but it is creating a buzz in New York state

EDITORS NOTE: On May 20, NJ Cannabis Insider in collaboration with Advance Media New York hosts a virtual business networking event, featuring some of New York states most prominent industry leaders. Tickets are limited.

Got questions about marijuana in New York and what legalization means? Send them to Don Cazentre at dcazentre@syracuse.com or Kevin Tampone at ktampone@syracuse.com. Were going to spend the next few months (years?) trying to answer as many as we can.

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
Syracuse, N.Y.  The Columbus Monument Corporation sued the city of Syracuse over the weekend in its latest effort to block the planned removal of the Columbus statue downtown.

The group filed a petition in state Supreme Court on Sunday, claiming Mayor Ben Walsh does not have the legal authority to remove the statue.

The petition says Walsh acted unilaterally, and without Common Council approval, in his decision to remove and relocate the statue in front of the Onondaga County Courthouse. It claims the statue is covered by preservation laws and was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The city has a legal duty to preserve the Monument, not destroy it, said Anthony Pietrafesa, an attorney for the Columbus Monument Corporation. This action reminds the mayor that political expediency and personal antipathies are not supported by the preservation laws or city charter.

The lawsuit also notes that the city accepted state and private money in 1992 to restore the statue. Along with the money, the city agreed in writing to preserve the statue, according to the lawsuit.

The suit lists 29 people as petitioners, including former Onondaga County Executive Nick Pirro, Onondaga County Legislator Bill Kinne and Syracuse Republican Committee Chairman Randy Potter.

Pirro, the Monument Corporations vice president, has been vocal in his opposition to Walshs decision. He was part of the mayors original committee formed to make a recommendation on what to do at the site.

Hes said that he and other Italian Americans on the committee argued for keeping the statue and adding a heritage site and educational component about what it means to the local Italian community. That plan, he said, was rejected.

The statue was erected in 1934, paid for mostly by Italian-American immigrants and given to the city. Many Italian-Americans at the time had been subjected to persecution and the statue was a point of pride among the community.

More recently, however, its come under scrutiny as the legacy of Christopher Columbus has been dissected. Some Native American groups and others have called for its removal citing Columbus role in enslaving indigenous populations upon his arrival in the Americas.

On Oct. 9, 2020, Walsh announced he planned to remove the Columbus statue from the circle and redevelop the site into a heritage site that honored Italian-Americans as well as the contributions of Native Americans and other traditionally marginalized groups. That came after months of deliberation by a committee he appointed to discuss the issue.

The decision drew immediate backlash from the Columbus Monument Corporation. The group lambasted Walsh and the decision at its annual wreath-laying ceremony on Columbus Day, and pledged action to save the monument.

Since then, the group has started a public marketing campaign targeting Walsh, who is up for reelection this year.

In recent weeks, theyve purchased at least two billboards in the city telling Walsh to save the statue. Theyve produced three separate video ads attacking Walsh and distributed lawn signs. Theyve organized a social media campaign asking people not to sign Walshs political petitions, which he needs to collect to get on the ballot. And they wrote letters to political parties asking them not to back Walshs bid for re-election (Walsh is running as an independent but had sought the Working Families Party endorsement).

In a statement Monday, Corporation Counsel Kristen Smith said the city would respond to the lawsuit in court.

The city has and will follow the process set forth in local and state law regarding the relocation and preservation of the statue, she said. As we do that, we will focus on creating unity.

Walsh has maintained he is within his legal bounds to remove the statue.

Last week, he announced hes formed a new advisory group to guide the creation of the new heritage park at the site of the statue. He also appointed a Columbus Statue Italian American Task Force to work on details for relocating the statue.

The advisory group is expected to offer design plans by the end of the year.

Walsh has not given a specific timeline for the removal of the statue.
On Wednesday, June 8, reports started coming in that the Israeli Army had entered the old city of Jerusalem, and were engaged in hand to hand combat with the Jordanian Army. Because of the time difference of seven hours, and the delay in news reporting, the information we got kept changing every half hour. I remember standing on top of the Isaiah Wall with the late Shlomo Carlebach singing his composition of Am Yisrael Chai over and over again, with a choir of 1,000 people. Late Wednesday night, we got word that there was to be a rally in Washington, D.C. the next day. Busses were arranged almost magically to transport what was reported to be more than a million people to the rally, from all over the East Coast. I was on one of the more than a dozen busses hired by Bnei Akiva to join the rally. Bu the time we arrived, the rally was well underway.
Syracuse, N.Y.  More than 3,000 people have asked for help with back rent since Onondaga County began accepting applications for the money less than a month ago.

About 3,200 tenants and landlords have put in applications for the rent help, asking for $13 million in back rent. The fund, paid for with federal American Rescue Act dollars, has about $24.5 million here. A recent survey found that landlords in Onondaga County are owed more than $26 million in back rent, but the number is likely several times that because only 10% of the nearly 12,000 landlords responded.

Advocates are scrambling to get that money into landlords hands before Aug. 31. Thats when the eviction moratorium is scheduled to end in New York and the millions in back rents come due.

The first round of checks is expected to go out at the end of this month; the money goes directly to landlords.

The county crisis hotline, 211, has taken 334 calls about the rent relief program in the past month.

People are panicked, said Katie Lemery-White, who oversees the 211 hotline.

She said call-takers have been filling out applications with renters over the phone, then submitting them on the renters behalf. They have done about 60 applications.

211 is one of 36 different community organizations helping people fill out the online-only applications. They also include the Salvation Army, PEACE Inc., Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County, Hiscock Legal Aid and InterFaith Works.

In an average year, there are 5,000 eviction cases in Syracuse alone. This year, there have been 227 cases filed. When the moratorium ends in August and the millions in rent are due, the courts likely will be swamped and thousands of tenants could face the delayed evictions.

LaDeena Curry, who works at PEACE, is encouraging clients to apply for the rent relief before they get served with eviction notices.

It seems like people dont want to get the help until the red tag is on the door, Curry said. Were going to be flooded. Then people are going to come out.

Laurie Rolnick, who runs the Eviction Defense Program at the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County, usually has between 30 and 40 eviction court cases open. The cases usually close in a matter of weeks: the tenant and landlord work out a solution or the tenant gets evicted. But because of the moratorium, most eviction cant be resolved until after Aug. 31.

Rolnick said the county rent assistance money could prevent a disaster in August.

Im cautiously optimistic, she said. Her organization is encouraging landlords and tenants to apply.

Housing Visions has 500 units in Syracuse. In a usual year, the organization is owed about $60,000 in back rent. That bill now is $300,000, said Ben Lockwood, president and CEO of the organization. Tenants across the state owe Housing Visions $700,000 in back rent, he said.

Thats why staff went door-to-door at all of the units in Onondaga County to tell people about the rent relief program and help them apply. The money goes directly to the landlord, but the tenants must assist with the application.

Lockwood said about 60 households have done the applications; 157 are behind on their rent.

He said the organization, a nonprofit affordable housing provider, wants to avoid evictions. They also are offering loans to help people pay back rent: up to $1,000, of which $500 will be forgiven. Lockwood said Housing Visions is trying to come up with other strategies to help people pay what is sometimes a years worth of back rent or more.

Its going to be a battle for landlords across the board, Lockwood said.

Reporter Patrick Lohmann contributed to this story.

Marnie Eisenstadt writes about people, public affairs and the Syracuse City School District. Contact her anytime email | Twitter| cell 315-470-2246.
East Syracuse, N.Y.  The Grimaldi name, which has been associated with Italian restaurants in Syracuse, Utica, and Albany since 1943, will soon disappear from the Central New York culinary landscape.

The family is selling Grimaldis Ristorante near Carrier Circle, the last remaining location for the business founded by Fred and Rita Grimaldi on Bleecker Street in Utica in the midst of World War II.

Their grandchildren, also named Rita and Freddie, will continue to operate the restaurant at 6430 Yorktown Circle through the end of June. Then the new owners take over, Rita Grimaldi said today.

The new owners, who she would not identify, will give it a new name and add a new focus of seafood and steaks to the Italian cuisine Grimaldis has always been known for. But she expects the new operators, who have restaurant experience in the Syracuse area, to keep some legacy menu items on as an homage to the Grimaldis name and history.

They will also keep some of the Grimaldis staff.

They (the new owners) didnt buy the name, because they want to do their own thing, Rita Grimaldi said. But I think the intent is to pay respects and keep a bit of Grimaldis in the place.

Rita, who is 62 and her brother, who is 63 and runs the kitchen, will spend much of June saying goodbye to their long-time customers.

Im going to have to pull myself together to gear up for that, Rita Grimaldi said. Its going to be tough.

Read more: Grimaldis restaurants: A 75-year tradition of Italian dining in Upstate NY (photo essay)

Rita Grimaldi and her brother opened the restaurant on Yorktown Circle in 2005, becoming the third generation in the family business. It was initially known as Grimaldis Luna Park, with traditional and modern Italian influences, then changed to Grimaldis Ristorante with a more nostalgic turn.

In 2018, syracuse.com reporter Teri Weaver posted a story and photo essay about the Grimaldi family and its legacy.

Fred and Rita Grimaldi opened a small restaurant on Bleecker Street in Utica in 1943, the story began. They were young newlyweds, married with one child. They lived over the restaurant, which served lunches and dinner, and gave away pieces of garlic pizza.

During the next seven decades, three generations of Grimaldis opened and ran restaurants across Upstate New York. The scallopini, linguini with clams and house-cut chops became a part of family celebrations and wedding receptions for loyal customers from Syracuse to Albany. Stars like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra stopped by. In Syracuse, the Grimaldi kitchen trained future restaurateurs who went on to open Ricos Ristorante, Casa di Copani and Joeys Classic Italian Dining.

Among the familys restaurants was a Grimaldis on Erie Boulevard East in Syracuse, run by another Fred (Ritas father,) and a Grimaldis Chop House on Carrier Circle.

Ritas brother Freddie still has a lot of the recipes in his head, Rita said. So hes been doing a lot of training of people in the kitchen to make sure they never get lost.

Rita Grimaldi posted this message on Facebook today:

To all our loved loyal customers and friends, Grimaldis Luna Park and Grimaldis Restaurant will be saying arrivederci. This will be our 78th year in business. I was given the opportunity to continue with the Grimaldi legacy in 2005 and have had a wonderful career and experience in running the restaurant. Our customers and friends and family have been our focus and in turn have shown us how much they love us at Grimaldis. We take pride in knowing that all of our dedication and hard work has been noticed and appreciated. My Grandparents started out with Grimaldis Restaurant in 1943 and have created excellence in food and service. I take with me such great memories of them. My Father who grew the business and its great name to many establishments and accomplishments has guided me through out my time here at Grimaldis.

With that said we will be open through the month of June. We have sold the restaurant ( building) to a local restaurateur who has been very successful in the area with all of their endeavors. They are very excited to take on a new location and create their own version of a unique restaurant that you will surely love. The owners will be transitioning slowly while keeping many of the same menu items you have come to love at Grimaldis. The new owners have also retained all of our staff. Please join me in welcoming the new owners and wishing them every success.

We will be bringing back many of the old menu items and a few surprises in the month of June. Please come in and use your gift certificates. The new owners will also be honoring the full value of each gift certificate sold thus far.

More on restaurants and dining in CNY:

Strong Hearts vegan cafe to close on Marshall Street, focus on primary location

Syracuses Rosamond Gifford Zoo ramps up catering business, hires noted local chef

A Syracuse pub is becoming the Tom Brady of New York state burger joints

First Look: Popular Marshall Street restaurant reemerges in Fairmount with a fresh approach

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is receiving more than $5 million from his coronavirus pandemic book deal, The New York Times reported Monday.

Figures obtained by the newspaper show Cuomo reported earning $3.12 million last year from his memoir about leading New Yorks response to the Covid-19 crisis. State officials told the Times that his contract for the book included another $2 million to be paid out over the next two years.

The news comes as Cuomo was set to release his tax records Monday. Cuomos salary as New York state governor was $225,000 in 2020.

Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi told the Times that Cuomo netted $1,537,508 from the book last year, after expenses and taxes, and donated a third of it to the United Way of New York State for statewide Covid-19 relief and vaccination efforts. Cuomo is putting the remainder in a trust for his three daughters, divided equally, Azzopardi said.

Cuomo published American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic in October and landed on the New York Times bestseller list, selling more than 45,000 copies as the governor became a national celebrity for his response to the pandemic. However, publisher Crown Publishing Group said it would stop promoting the book in March and canceled plans for a paperback version as Cuomo faced a wave of scandals, including sexual harassment accusations and an investigation into the states reporting of Covid-related deaths in nursing homes.

The book could also lead to a criminal investigation. Last month, NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli asked NYS Attorney General Letitia James to investigate whether Cuomo used public resources, including his taxpayer-supported staff, to work on the book last year.

Cuomo denied wrongdoing, saying his staffers worked on the book voluntarily. Some current and former staffers, or people speaking for them, told the Times Union in April that work on the book was expected within the culture of Cuomos office, disputing claims it was truly voluntary.
TAHLEQUAH [mdash] Louis Allen Bohanon, age 61, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 31, 2021, at his home in Gideon, Oklahoma with his family by his side. He was born October 15, 1959, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to Louis Cain Bohanon and Beulah Mae Ryals. He was raised by his stepfather, Leon 
The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime.
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Re: A day out in the home of Kawasaki - Kobe, Japan! An evening walk in the park:



After I came down the Port Tower, I spent some time walking around there in the evening hour, before saying goodbye to that area and going to airport in the night to catch my flight to Tokyo. I was going to fly to Tokyo that night, where the next week full of hectic work awaited me. So this was my last chance to enjoy some free time before the hectic work week started.



There was this picturesque walkway that went around all the way from the Kawasaki World to the Port Tower, to this iconic Oriental Hotel, connecting all buildings and tourist spots there. Walking on this path was a joy, and it offered great views all around:







A close-up view of the Oriental Hotel:







The Oriental Hotel area is an architectural masterpiece. One of the structures that was part of the hotel complex:







A beautiful small building adjacent to the hotel. I am not sure what this was, but it looked nice for sure:







While I was there nearer to the port side, a closer look of the Kawasaki buildings in the commercial port area:







Another view of the Port Tower and the Kawasaki World area, in the golden evening light:







I spent some time walking around on this picturesque walkway:







Various types of tourist buses were making rounds. These open top red buses looked nice:







Finally, the only car picture in this travelogue. Toyota FJ Cruiser is one of my favorite SUVs. Could not resist taking a photo when I spotted this iconic Toyota SUV here in the parking lot:







Another architectural beauty. This structure looked great, but unfortunately, I could not figure out what this depicted as the description was written only in Japanese:







Starbucks Coffee. It was anyway coffee time and I had a great cup of coffee here:







Another view of the Starbucks on backdrop of the Port Tower:







People were lining up the take photos next to the BE KOBE letters. Another example of Japanese civic sense. Nobody was crowding there or photobombing each other even though many people wanted to take photos. They all stood patiently in a line, and only one group went there at a time to take quick photos, then moved out, and the next group came from the line. There was no board or no security person asking people to form lines. The people did this on their own. This civic sense is what I admire the most when I travel in foreign countries:







And finally, a parting shot of that grand hotel in the evening light:







With that, I ended my day out in Kobe. It was a sudden time off from busy work schedule, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a totally spontaneous, unplanned, solo exploration - the kind that I love the most! The only tool I used, and the only tool I needed, was my phone. I used my phone to research the places, to navigate around the city using Google Maps, to find train schedules and train connectivity, to find bus info, and even to find eating places. And of course, I used the phone camera for all the pictures above. It is amazing how powerful and useful the smartphones have become. You can be alone in a foreign country with no knowledge of the local language, and yet with a phone, you can manage it all.



Oops! I realized I went off-topic in that last note. Therefore, before I go any more off-topic, let me end this travelogue. Thank you for reading! After I came down the Port Tower, I spent some time walking around there in the evening hour, before saying goodbye to that area and going to airport in the night to catch my flight to Tokyo. I was going to fly to Tokyo that night, where the next week full of hectic work awaited me. So this was my last chance to enjoy some free time before the hectic work week started.There was this picturesque walkway that went around all the way from the Kawasaki World to the Port Tower, to this iconic Oriental Hotel, connecting all buildings and tourist spots there. Walking on this path was a joy, and it offered great views all around:A close-up view of the Oriental Hotel:The Oriental Hotel area is an architectural masterpiece. One of the structures that was part of the hotel complex:A beautiful small building adjacent to the hotel. I am not sure what this was, but it looked nice for sure:While I was there nearer to the port side, a closer look of the Kawasaki buildings in the commercial port area:Another view of the Port Tower and the Kawasaki World area, in the golden evening light:I spent some time walking around on this picturesque walkway:Various types of tourist buses were making rounds. These open top red buses looked nice:Finally, the only car picture in this travelogue. Toyota FJ Cruiser is one of my favorite SUVs. Could not resist taking a photo when I spotted this iconic Toyota SUV here in the parking lot:Another architectural beauty. This structure looked great, but unfortunately, I could not figure out what this depicted as the description was written only in Japanese:Starbucks Coffee. It was anyway coffee time and I had a great cup of coffee here:Another view of the Starbucks on backdrop of the Port Tower:People were lining up the take photos next to the BE KOBE letters. Another example of Japanese civic sense. Nobody was crowding there or photobombing each other even though many people wanted to take photos. They all stood patiently in a line, and only one group went there at a time to take quick photos, then moved out, and the next group came from the line. There was no board or no security person asking people to form lines. The people did this on their own. This civic sense is what I admire the most when I travel in foreign countries:And finally, a parting shot of that grand hotel in the evening light:With that, I ended my day out in Kobe. It was a sudden time off from busy work schedule, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a totally spontaneous, unplanned, solo exploration - the kind that I love the most! The only tool I used, and the only tool I needed, was my phone. I used my phone to research the places, to navigate around the city using Google Maps, to find train schedules and train connectivity, to find bus info, and even to find eating places. And of course, I used the phone camera for all the pictures above. It is amazing how powerful and useful the smartphones have become. You can be alone in a foreign country with no knowledge of the local language, and yet with a phone, you can manage it all.Oops! I realized I went off-topic in that last note. Therefore, before I go any more off-topic, let me end this travelogue. Thank you for reading! Last edited by Dr.AD : 15th May 2021 at 23:52 .


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Creating a smooth functioning interface for smart glasses that allows its wearers to operate in an augmented reality world has proven to be a challenging task, but Facebook believes it may have a solution on the human wrist.

In a blog published last week, the company revealed it has been working on a wrist controller for its AR glasses.

Facebook explained that the wrist is a traditional place to wear a watch, meaning the controller could reasonably fit into everyday life and social contexts.

It's a comfortable location for all-day wear, Facebook noted. It's located right next to the primary instruments used to interact with the world -- the hands. That proximity can bring rich control capabilities of the hands into AR, enabling intuitive, powerful, and satisfying interaction.

In addition, Facebook pointed out that a wrist-based wearable has the additional benefit of easily serving as a platform for compute, battery, and antennas while supporting a broad array of sensors.

Reading Nerve Signals

To produce input for the wrist controller, Facebook chose to use EMG -- electromyography -- which uses sensors to translate electrical motor nerve signals that travel through the wrist, to the hand, into digital commands that can be used to control the functions of a device.

Facebook explained that those signals can communicate crisp one-bit commands to a device. The signals are so clear that EMG can understand finger motion of just a millimeter. Input can be effortless. Ultimately, it may even be possible to sense just the intention to move a finger.

Initially, EMG will provide just one or two bits of control -- the equivalent of tapping on a button -- but eventually the controls will become richer. A person will be able to "touch" and move virtual UIs and objects and control virtual objects at a distance.

Facebook maintained that ultimately a person will be able to type at high speed with EMG on a table or their lap -- maybe even at a higher speed than is possible with a keyboard today.

"What we're trying to do with neural interfaces is to let you control the machine directly, using the output of the peripheral nervous system -- specifically the nerves outside the brain that animate your hand and finger muscles," Facebook Reality Labs Director of Neuromotor Interfaces Thomas Reardon stated in the blog.

Socially Acceptable Experience

Eleftheria Kouri, a research analyst with ABI Research, explained that the wrist controller will be able to address some of the challenges that exist with other user interface and input methods like voice commands or built-in buttons on the glasses.

"For example, voice control is the primarily UI in the majority of commercially available AR smart glasses that allows hands-free interaction," she told TechNewsWorld. "However, sometimes voice engines fail to accurately understand and process a user's commands, especially in noisy environments."

"At the same time," she continued, "voice commands are not considered 'socially acceptable' in public places, which is a challenge for consumer AR smart glasses that target outdoor usage."

"The wrist band controller and neural interface enables seamless and more natural and realistic interaction with digital content -- similar to gesture control -- something that plays an important role in creating user friendly and 'socially acceptable' experiences," she said.

"Also, this interaction method is more accurate and responsive, minimizing the risk of error and delays," she added.

Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City, explained that the idea behind the wristband is to provide feedback for a range of touching scenarios from simple interface elements, like pressing buttons, to sensing textures in a virtual world.

"Even though you're not feeling the sensation at the point of contact -- the sensation is on your wrist, not your fingers -- it's certainly a richer experience than feeling nothing and getting no tactile feedback from interacting with objects," he told TechNewsWorld.

Transitional Device

However, efforts in the past to use EMG have been disappointing, maintained George Jijiashvili, a senior analyst with Omdia, a research and consulting firm in London.

"The ill-fated Myo armband by Thalmic Labs/North highlighted the complexities involved in making a device that can accurately track and translate the human body's EMG signals," he told TechNewsWorld.

Nevertheless, he added: "Facebook is laser-focused on AR and VR, and its growing Reality Labs team and abundant finances suggest that it has a much higher chance of success where others have failed."

David MacQueen, executive director for the global wireless practice at Strategy Analytics, maintained that voice and gesture are better than any solution that requires an additional piece of hardware.

The exception to that may be integration with existing hardware. "If Facebook can integrate with, say, Apple Watch or Android Wear devices, then those users aren't carrying yet more hardware with them beyond the glasses themselves," he told TechNewsWorld.

He speculated that Facebook may be having trouble making a pair of AR glasses that can support the requirements for gesture recognition -- front facing cameras and a lot of computational overhead. "If they want to go to market with a simpler and cheaper device, then a wrist controller may be a sensible option," he reasoned.

"The wristband is a creative way to hack away at some of the issues involved with navigation and physical feedback from artificial stimulus, but leaves a lot to be desired," added Josh Crandall, CEO and cofounder of NetPop Research, a market research and strategy consulting firm in San Francisco.

"It's really a transitional R&D device rather than a deployable consumer technology," he told TechNewsWorld.

"I don't think that Facebook really believes that the wristband will unlock a new world of possibilities either, but rather an effort to be recognized as an innovator," he said. "After all, they need to show some success for the investments they have made in the space."

It's a VR World

Crandall noted that while research has been progressing with AR and VR for at least a decade now, the technologies are still at the very beginning of their development phase.

"Creating a 'reality' that can be controlled effectively is a really hard goal to accomplish," he observed. "Facebook has invested significantly in the dream of this technology with the purchase of Oculus and other companies, and as such is looking for any way to prove its position as a leader in the space."

As for the market for VR and AR devices, it's mostly a VR world. "It's more of a VR market than an AR one at this point, especially for consumers," said Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager at IDC.

"The VR market recently received a big boost thanks to the launch of the Quest 2 and so far shipments have been growing," he told TechNewsWorld.

"On the AR side," he continued, "overall volumes still remain relatively small and mainly focus on the enterprise segment."

"Most AR headsets are used by businesses; and as a result they tend to have designs that are OK to use in a workplace but not outside it," he said. "The few AR headsets that are aimed at consumers still face some design challenges and often lack a credible use case."

"We're a few years away from AR glasses reaching consumers, as there are many technical challenges to overcome," he added. "The AR glasses need to be lighter and look more like traditional glasses in order to gain consumer acceptance and on the software side, they need to offer experiences that cannot be replicated anywhere else."

However, Ben Arnold, an industry analyst with the NPD Group, was more optimistic about a consumer AR glasses offering. "The noise around smart glasses continues to get louder," he told TechNewsWorld. "I would expect to see a pair of AI glasses by this time next year."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.


Witnesses told authorities that Burgess tried to drive off after the crash, but couldnt because of the damages to his F-150, the release said. As deputies arrived, Burgess got out of the pickup and took off running south, the release said. Deputies caught up to him not far from the crash site and took him into custody.
SpaceX has proven that Starlink-26's launch on Saturday, May 15 was a massive success for the space agency. In the next six weeks, the aerospace company will be preparing to release eight more Falcon 9 rockets for another Starlink mission.

SpaceX Engages in Historic Space Flight with Falcon 9

The bad weather was a sign of stoppage for the astronomers and space experts, but for SpaceX, this serves as a motivation for its Starlink launch on April 23. At the time, the company had unleashed the Falcon 9 booster which carried four astronauts aboard. Moreover, the Dragon capsule was also involved in the majestic space adventure.

SpaceX has notched another successful release of its Starlink, its 24th release after six days. The next moment, the aerospace manufacturer has carried out its accomplishment of freeing a Falcon 9 booster en route to its ten orbital-class launch completions on May 9.

Read Also: SpaceX: Falcon 9 Rocket's 10th Launch to Send 60 Starlink Satellites into Orbit

Before that, SpaceX managed to deliver 60-satellite Starlink endeavors on May 4. Five days later, another 60 Starlink satellites were released in space.

The latest Starlink launch involving the Falcon on May 15 is said to fly with 52 internet satellites, as well as two third-party payloads to finish the fourth Starlink flight of Space X, Teslarati reported.

While SpaceX's mission seems to be nearing its end, it's actually far from over at this period. Even though it managed to recover its five boosters, and even delivered 234 satellites, five Falcon 9 rockets, and four astronauts into space in 22 days, there's still a long way to go for Elon Musk's crew.

Space Says Starlink v1.0 L28 Mission to Star No Earlier than May 26

According to a report by NASA Space Flight, Starlink-26 will be succeeded by a Starlink-28 launch no earlier than May 26 at 2:59 EDT (18:59 UTC)-- a matter of 11-day difference.

For this flight, the Falcon 9 booster B1063 will be used to finish this mission. The said booster has been previously used at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California last November. The Starlink-28 will mark its second release.

 @SpaceX's 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission is targeted to launch from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, June 3!



 The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will deliver science investigations, supplies and equipment to the @Space_Station: https://t.co/CJJ1VAQHcm pic.twitter.com/lICKFS3Hha  NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) May 16, 2021

Meanwhile, the seven-ton SXM-8 radio satellite of SiriusXM will be coming this May for its June 1st flight at 12:25 AM EDT (4:25 UTC).

An upcoming new Falcon 9 booster may be arriving with the revamped Cargo Dragon which underwent an upgrade for the resupply mission of NASA's CRS-22 space station. The international space agency said that it would happen on June 3 at 1 PM EDT (15:00 UTC).

In less than six weeks or 41 days, SpaceX is now readying for the next Falcon 9 rocket launch which conveys 300 orbiting satellites, four astronauts, and two Dragon spacecraft.

This means that if SpaceX succeeds in its average space launch every five days, there will be an undisputed improvement for its 2021 flight--a pattern of 45% alone. Currently, the company manages to finish 26% of its flights.

Related Article: Rocket Lab, a New Zealand, US Startup Company, Loses Two Satellites During First Stage Booster

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Cupertino giant Apple proves that it is not following the norm of diverting the wearing of face masks anywhere upon the implementation of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.

The severity of COVID-19 is continuously felt around the world despite the US deciding to set the mask requirement as voluntary. Well, this does not suit the tech titan's protocols when it comes to people who come to the Apple stores.

Apple Maintains Mandatory Mask Wearing in the Stores

According to Bloomberg's latest report, Apple is still going with the old trend of wearing a mask. While this may sound outdated for others, this could be one of the reasons that the electronics company is not complacent despite the "no mask" policy guideline.

Over the past few days, the implementation suggested that those people who have received their second dose of vaccine are now free to roam everywhere even without wearing a mask. Of course, this won't work for other people, as others are still skeptical and have trust issues when it comes to their health safety.

Read Also: Apple Re-Opens Stores in the U.S.; Social Distancing, Masks, And Other Safety Rules Highly-Followed

Earlier this week, Apple said that for those who want to enter its US stores, there would be an ongoing mask mandate, as well as the previously acknowledged COVID-19 safety and health protocols. The announcement came after CDC's recommendation to lift the mandatory mask wearing for the fully-vaccinated persons on Thursday, May 20.

At the time of the report, Apple has been keen on its policies that people should still undergo strict measures concerning the recent health crisis. For now, if you like to enter an Apple Store, ready your mask and remember to follow proper social distancing.

Apple Values Consumer and Employee Safety

In the same interview with the news outlet, Apple stated that it only prioritized the safety of its employees and consumers that's why it is not removing its former mask mandate.

We could remember that the tech giant was one of the biggest companies hit by the pandemic. To cope up with the escalating COVID-19 cases, it ordered all its stores to shut down while people were required to follow the usual safety measures.

Gizmodo reported that what Apple did is far different from other major retailers which include Starbucks, Costco, Walmart, Publix, and Trader Joe's which have all stopped mandatory face mask-wearing by the state. Even if the policy was now effective, it still varies from region to region whether they would adopt the guidance.

On the other hand, stores such as Kroger, Target, and Walgreens shared the same track with Apple when it comes to their mask mandates, despite CDC's call to the public, USA Today reported.

Apple's thorough evaluation of its protocols is not a surprise anymore since some experts still doubt CDC's newly-administered strategy. The relaxed situation could also cause others to lie about their real vaccination status which could expose the health care workers and frontline personnel to a high risk of acquiring coronavirus.

Related Article: Apple Treats Employees with Customized Face Masks Suitable for 5 Uses Along With First FDA-Approved Clear Masks

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
We would love to make the 2023 boat show, Ladd said. Lets say youre at the performing arts center and all dressed up Friday night and want to go for a drink. You dont have a place to go right now. Were going to try to create that at this hotel. We just dont have those upscale places like that in our city and its needed. Fort Lauderdale needs an upscale hotel in the worst way.
A federal appeals court has dashed the hopes of 900 investors from Louisiana and 36 other states who were defrauded by former Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford's massive Ponzi scheme.

The retiree victims, including dozens from the Baton Rouge area, were hoping the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans would resuscitate their 12-year-old class-action lawsuit that a federal district judge in Baton Rouge dismissed in mid-2019.

+2 Louisiana victims of R. Allen Stanford's Ponzi scheme asking court to revive their federal lawsuit Attorneys for 900 people across 37 states, including Louisiana, who invested and lost their life savings to former Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanf

But on Friday, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit affirmed U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson's ruling that dismissed the lone remaining defendant, Pennsylvania-based SEI Investments Co., in the federal lawsuit.

Baton Rouge lawyer Phil Preis, one of the investors' attorneys, said Monday he is "obviously disappointed" with the appellate court ruling given the 10-year fight to have the lawsuit certified as a class-action.

When asked if the ruling will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Preis said, "It's something we're going to look at."

Stanford Trust was based in Baton Rouge, and the Stanford Group  another Stanford entity  had offices in downtown Baton Rouge. Victims of the Ponzi scheme invested their retirement savings as rollover IRAs in fraudulent certificates of deposit (CDs) that Stanford Trust sold in Baton Rouge.

Financial advisers for Stanford told investors their money was safely held in CDs at Stanford International Bank in the Caribbean island of Antigua. The money for the CDs, however, funded the lavish lifestyle of Allen Stanford, who took more than $7 billion from victims worldwide.

Preis has said local victims, many of them retirees from Exxon and other plants along the Mississippi River, lost $250 million in the scheme.

Allen Stanford was convicted of fraud in 2012 and is serving a 110-year prison sentence for the Ponzi scheme.

The lawsuit alleged that SEI, an international financial services firm that administered the Stanford Group Co. investments, performed the accounting and reporting of the IRA investments and "actively and materially aided" Stanford Trust Co. and the Stanford Group to "perpetuate the massive Ponzi scheme."

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SEI denied those allegations.

In his 2019 ruling, Jackson stated that SEI's liability under the "control-person" provision of Louisiana Securities Law was the issue. He said SEI did not control Stanford Trust's primary violations.

Baton Rouge federal judge asked to rethink dismissal of Ponzi scheme class-action lawsuit A Baton Rouge federal judge is being asked to rethink his dismissal of a major portion of a decade-old class-action lawsuit by local victims o

The 5th Circuit panel agreed Friday. It said SEI's contract made Stanford Trust responsible for pricing the CDs, providing SEI with complete and accurate data, reviewing monthly statements, and distributing those statements to investors.

Circuit Judge Jerry Smith wrote for the panel that "STC could instruct SEI to do certain things, but that authority was not reciprocal."

"Moreover, SEI never had custody of the CDs, and it did not price CDs for any bank (let alone STC), sell or market them, or audit the data that it prepared for STC's accounts," he added. "SEI also lacked an ownership stake in STC and had no representative on its board: SEI could not direct STC's management or policies."

Preis said Monday the 5th Circuit disagreed with the investors' argument that SEI had the ability to stop the violation since it controlled the distribution of information on Stanford International Bank CDs to investors.

"In my world, the power to stop a violation when an entity like SEI controls the communication process with the investors, is the same as the power to control the violation," he said.
The Advocate has hired a veteran reporter to cover the recovery of Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana from last years twin hurricanes.

Mike Smith, 46, joins the newspaper from Agence France-Presse, the French wire service with operations all over the world. Smith had worked for AFP for more than 14 years, including stints as the bureau chief in Lagos, Nigeria; and deputy bureau chief in Jerusalem. He is also the author of a 2015 book about Boko Haram, the jihadist group that has terrorized Nigeria.

+8 Tired of crying: Lake Charles residents say insurance companies delaying storm recovery SULPHUR - Robin Baudoin rode out Hurricane Laura in her house, taking cover in a bathroom with her daughter and two others, along with nine ca

Before moving to France, Smith interned at The Times-Picayune and covered the night police beat at The Advertiser in Lafayette. He then left Louisiana for a job at the Associated Press and from there went to the Providence Journal before moving to France. Smith is a native of Kenner and a graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Smith, who will live in Lake Charles, began his newest posting May 3, arriving just in time to cover President Joe Bidens visit. His assignment is to chronicle the city and regions effort to build back after the devastation of Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

Laura, a Category 4 storm, was the strongest hurricane to strike Louisiana in more than a century and a half. Delta, which packed Category 2 winds and substantial rainfall, exacerbated the damage caused by Laura, and took a nearly identical path onshore. A catastrophic winter storm in February wreaked further havoc, busting pipes and leaving city residents without water for days.

Lake Charles news in your inbox Once a week we'll send you the top stories we find in the Lake Area e-mail address * Sign Up

While The Advocate is not home-delivered in the Lake Charles region, the newspapers editors believed it was important as a public service that the recovery of the states fifth-largest city be covered by media outside the immediate area. This was a lesson borne in part of Hurricane Katrina, which was covered by news outlets around the world, helping Americans to understand the needs of southeast Louisiana at a low moment.

+6 Storm-weary Lake Charles residents eager to show President Joe Biden that challenges remain LAKE CHARLES  Standing near the empty lot where his house once stood, Ron Thomas said his message for President Joe Biden when he arrives for

Americans have a short attention span when it comes to news, but we are committed to keep up with the turmoil and triumphs of Southwest Louisiana as it recovers from these cruel storms, said Peter Kovacs, editor of The Advocate.

In addition to filing regular dispatches about Lake Charles for the newspaper and the internet, Smith will write a weekly newsletter from Southwest Louisiana that will include summaries of and links to his own reporting as well as highlights of other reporting from the region. To subscribe to the newsletter, enter your email address below.
Aerial mapping provider Nearmap has been forced by the ASX to explain its disclosure of a legal battle with US rival Eagleview that sent its share price sharply lower this month.

Nearmap shares crashed more than 23 per cent to a low of $1.79 earlier this month on the news that Eagleview, which dominates the US market for aerial mapping, had started legal action alleging it infringed its patents relating to aerial roof reports - a lucrative market in the US.

Nearmap boss Dr Rob Newman believes the business will be able to successfully defend the patent infringement suit filed by two of its competitors. Credit:Trevor Collens

Nearmap, whose shares rose sharply higher on May 4 with the announcement of an increase to its revenue guidance, said it was first made aware of the legal action at 9.58am on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

The email, from lawyers in the United States, attached a 96-page complaint which was filed in the United States District Court (District of Utah, Northern Division) ... This was the first [Nearmap] became aware of the information, it said in reply to a query from the ASX.
Members of Sydneys Sikh community have defended their childrens right to bring ceremonial daggers to school, saying a ban would compromise their ability to observe their faith.

They said bullying was behind an incident in which a 14-year-old was accused of stabbing a 16-year-old with a kirpan  which symbolises a Sikhs duty to defend themselves or aid those in peril  at Glenwood High almost two weeks ago, and thats the issue the government should be focused on.

A Kirpan, or ceremonial dagger, is one of five things a baptised Sikh is required to carry on their body. Credit:Harisingh

The NSW government is reconsidering an exemption to laws that allow students to carry knives to school for genuine religious purposes. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday she was taken aback to learn students could take knives to school. Students shouldnt be allowed to take knives to school under any circumstances and I think it doesnt pass the commonsense test, she said.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she and Attorney-General Mark Speakman were urgently reviewing the operation of laws relating to children carrying knives for genuine religious reasons.
During the investigation, Roccisano and his attorney made it clear they felt the department should not have opened an Internal Affairs case, citing the fact that he was off duty and not in uniform at the time of the incident.
About 400 anti-uranium protesters pitched tents and then crawled and staggered across the main road outside Parliament House in a mock enactment of a nuclear holocaust.

CANBERRA  They tried to top Melbournes caravan and camping show in Canberra yesterday and there was no doubt the attempt was very non-U.

First published in The Age on May 19, 1976

The demonstrators, wearing gas masks and painted faces, blocked the road for about 10 minutes in the climax to a day of offbeat protests against uranium mining proposals.

They had put up about 100 tents on the lawns and were preparing to spend last night, complete with a lifesize symbolic windmill, in near zero temperatures.

The protests, organised by the environmental group Friends of the Earth, came at the end of a week-long Ride Against Uranium by separate contingents from Melbourne and Sydney.

A spokesman for the group, Mr. David Clarke, of Adelaide, said the protest was part of a worldwide campaign against the use of all forms of nuclear power and the mining of international uranium resources.

Five representatives of the group met the Minister for National Resources, Mr Anthony, for about an hour in his office during the afternoon.
A Queensland pharmacist accused of setting a Brisbane house on fire with his partner inside will spend at least the next month behind bars after his case was mentioned briefly in court.

Curtis Shea Mickan, 34, did not appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday morning and did not apply for bail. He was remanded in custody until his case returns to court on June 14.

According to court documents, Mr Mickan lived at the Wooloowin home he allegedly set alight on Sunday and the women who narrowly escaped were his partner and one of her family members.

Mr Mickan is also accused of committing several domestic violence offences against his partner on Saturday, including damaging a lamp, TV and a wall at their house.
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have identified at least five recent Victorian cases of child homicide or serious assault where police or prosecutors have relied on the triad to run prosecutions. Three of the young men convicted, Joby Rowe, Jesse Vinaccia and Jesse Harvey, each of whom has been sentenced to eight or nine years in prison, are intending to appeal against their convictions. But the challenge to shaken baby syndrome has been rejected by police, child abuse experts and medical and forensic specialists, who insist there remains strong evidence to substantiate convictions beyond a reasonable doubt. The controversy has polarised the forensic, medical and legal communities in the emotive context of babies who have died, amid fears that casting doubt on past convictions could re-traumatise families and potentially allow some abusers to escape detection. Incredibly dangerous Last year, Vinaccia became the first person to file an appeal challenging his shaken baby syndrome conviction.

In 2019 he was found guilty of child homicide over the death of his girlfriends 3-month-old son. Under questioning, Vinaccia told police he might have put the boy, Kaleb, down into his cot pretty rough and his treatment could have been a bit bouncy and stuff. The appeal claims the confession was unreliable, the conviction unsupported by medical evidence, and that police and experts failed to consider that the injuries could be accounted for by Kalebs pre-existing medical condition, which had led to him being hospitalised with swelling in his brain. Rowe was found guilty of child homicide in 2018 over the death of his three-month-old daughter, Alanah. Violent shaking with or without impact on a soft surface was found to be the cause of death based on her internal injuries, with experts testifying there was no other reasonable explanation. Rowe denied mistreating the child. Harvey was convicted of recklessly causing serious injury to his seven-week-old son Casey in 2019. He claimed he did not shake or hit Casey, but said the baby bumped his head on the edge of a couch as Harvey sat down. The medical evidence held the childs internal injuries were equivalent to a 10-metre fall or high-velocity motor vehicle collision. The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine is the independent agency whose expert testimony has been used by law enforcement authorities to launch a spate of recent prosecutions. Its deputy director, Professor Ranson, told The Age and the Herald that the science underpinning the shaken baby diagnosis was now more contested than it was a decade ago, raising questions about the reliability of prosecuting triad-only cases. That reliance on a single piece of evidence is always dangerous. Whether you like the triad issues or dont like the triad issues, its not the be-all and the end-all. It behoves the entire legal system to say giving weight and relying solely on a single piece of evidence is incredibly dangerous, Professor Ranson said.

Professor David Ranson of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine. Credit:Eddie Jim Dr Linda Iles, head of the institutes forensic pathology services department, is one of two key experts in Victoria who have been called by the prosecution to testify in numerous baby shaking trials. Her evidence has helped secure a number of convictions. However, she told The Age and the Herald that triad-only cases were weak because the evidence is only indirect. Despite this, the three symptoms together were the accepted medical and forensic basis for concluding that a baby had been abused and were being used increasingly to secure convictions. For a long time, fatal triad-only cases werent taken to criminal prosecution. I dont know what has changed for that to start up again. But Im only privy to the medical evidence in these cases, Dr Iles said. While the validity of shaken baby syndrome has been contested in the medical, scientific and forensic communities internationally for decades, this is the first time the highly regarded Victorian forensic medicine institute has publicly called into question the way the diagnosis is being used in criminal cases in Victoria.

Dr Linda Iles says triad-only cases are weak because the evidence is indirect. Credit:Eddie Jim Another expert who has given evidence in criminal trials, Jo Tully, the deputy director of the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service at the Royal Childrens and Monash Childrens hospitals, declined to be interviewed. Dr Tullys evidence helped convict Vinaccia and Rowe, and outside court she has been critical of those who question the diagnosis, saying in a 2019 presentation that high-quality evidence exists but the area is also plagued by non-believers. The consensus Most cases of child abuse where the triad appears are obvious  examinations by paediatricians and pathologists find other indicators of abusive handling such as bruises, lacerations or broken bones.

These cases are often corroborated by a history of abuse in the family, testimony or confessions by offenders. The controversy arises in cases where triad injuries are found without any other evidence of trauma. In these cases the main evidence base is a series of international studies drawn from the confessions of convicted abusers describing how they injured or killed a child. In criminal prosecutions, Dr Tully has described this confessional data as the gold standard. One particular [study] questioned obviously a number of individuals who had said theyd done this and whod been convicted of doing this, and all of those said that the forces applied would be described as violent, she testified in a 2019 trial. The American Academy of Paediatrics said there was no legitimate medical debate among the majority of practising physicians as to the validity of shaken baby syndrome, also known as abusive head trauma. The controversy appears to be in the legal system and the media.

Dr Jo Tully, deputy director of the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service at the Royal Childrens and Monash Childrens hospitals. In Australia, many forensic paediatricians and pathologists broadly support the 2018 consensus statement of an international consortium of experts that said there was no controversy concerning the medical validity of the existence of [abusive head trauma]. Theory of the crime But a growing number of scientific and legal critics argue this confidence is misplaced. They say shaken baby syndrome has been effectively reverse engineered from confessions to injuries in a way that cannot be tested or assessed for accuracy. Gary Edmond, director of the University of NSWs expertise, evidence and law program, said the fact there was no requirement in the criminal law system that expert opinion be valid or reliable meant juries were routinely exposed to speculative, unproven opinions that had the veneer of science but are not actually scientific. Professor Edmonds comment did not refer to any specific baby shaking prosecutions.

People shouldnt be able to express opinions in criminal cases, especially experts testifying on behalf of the state, unless the underlying techniques have been demonstrated through rigorous evaluation to actually work, he said. You need to have validation studies, you need to have indications of error or statistics to support the claims. How often do these experts make mistakes? Is it one in five or one in 100? That matters. If you cant tell us that, we cant evaluate your evidence rationally. A highly influential 2016 study by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment found there was limited scientific evidence that the triad and therefore its components can be associated with traumatic shaking. Asked about the lack of reliable validation studies in this area, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine pathologist Dr Iles conceded to The Age and the Herald: There is a problem here. Because those things [shaking baby experiments] cant be done, the evidence base is going to be indirect. All I can say is it has to be something in excess of normal handling because we dont see children with this catastrophic presentation very often. And thats really the limit of what we can say because we dont have any other modelling to go by.

Dr Iles, who for legal reasons has refused to discuss individual cases in which she has been involved, acknowledges these limitations make triad-only cases weak. But it is my responsibility that if Ive seen this pattern of injuries as inflicted head trauma, and I can find no other cause for this childs brain injury, then I have to call it based on what I have. I cant say that its undetermined. Thats essentially how the diagnostic paradigm works. If you know that this is a pattern of traumatic brain injury and you cannot find an alternative cause, then youre obliged to say what the diagnostic paradigm allows you to say. In terms of the weakness behind the evidence base, Im very clear about that. Ultimately its for

the court to decide. However, this raises serious concerns among some in the justice system who fear it is not clear that juries understand the distinction between reasonable medical certainty and beyond reasonable doubt. One senior Victorian judge, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said using the triad to infer guilt beyond reasonable doubt was a really dangerous exercise.

Solicitor Michael Nott said it would be extremely difficult for the average juror or member of the public to assess complex medical evidence, especially for a highly emotive crime such as the murder of a child. His client, Nicholas Baxter, was convicted of manslaughter in a shaken baby case by a Queensland jury in 2017  a decision that was overturned on appeal in 2019. In April Mr Baxter was acquitted in a judge-only trial where the medical evidence was found to be circumstantial and based on a chain of inferences that could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt. As soon as the community, or a jury, sees a baby has died, there could be a thought that someone has to be held responsible ... Youve got to have cogent, proper evidence. If youve got no more than a basic theory about the triad, then what have you really got? Mr Nott said. Beyond reasonable doubt Victoria Polices homicide squad declined to comment on how it investigates suspected shaken baby cases or decides which are strong enough to refer to the Office of Public Prosecutions. But disquiet has been growing inside the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine over recent decisions by police to run criminal cases that rely heavily on triad-only medical findings.

Professor Ranson, who declined to speak about individual cases, said the institute provided information and analysis but it was not the decision-maker when it comes to whether to prosecute. He acknowledged there had been tension between its experts and the police. There are heaps of cases where we stand up and say to the police, Im sorry, were never going to be able to say that. I know youd like us to, but were not going to do it,  he said. Dr Lydia Garside, a child protection paediatrician at Sydney Childrens Hospital, Randwick, said communicating the diagnosis in legal settings could be tricky but there was no doubt about its validity from a medical perspective. Loading We do have to make assumptions and presumptions in clinical medicine. You can apply pure science principles to clinical medicine but youre always going to be disappointed because there are so many variables. But there is a lot of clinical medicine that cant be pure science. If there was doubt we wouldnt call it abusive head trauma.
The Morrison government has pulled the pin on more than $50 million in train station car parking projects it had promised in largely Liberal marginal seats before the last federal election after underestimating the cost of some of the upgrades.

Five commuter car parks in Melbournes south-east and a planned road extension that were funded under the $4 billion Urban Congestion Fund ahead of the 2019 election will no longer go ahead, amid a $90 million budget blowout and allegations that political tribalism has caused delays.

No matter how big they are, railway station car parks are usually full. Credit:Pat Scala

Car parks have been cancelled at Brighton Beach, Balaclava, Mitcham, Kananook and Seaford, while a planned $70 million Thompsons Road extension was also cut.

The withdrawal of a total $115 million in federal cash follows advice from the state government and local councils that planned multi-level car parks at train stations in inner Melbourne would either blow the federal governments allocated budget or there was no feasible site or design options.
A Victorian man has been arrested and 14 children, including toddlers, have been rescued in the Philippines as part of a federal police operation into alleged child sex abuse.

Six girls and eight boys, aged between two and 17, were rescued on May 7 and placed in the care of a local social welfare office after intelligence was provided by Australian police to Philippine authorities.

Some of the children were as young as two. Credit:AFP

The information also led to the arrest of three women and a man by Philippine National Police in Bombom, Camarines Sur, for their alleged roles as facilitators of online child sexual abuse.

The intelligence stemmed from an investigation into a 68-year-old man from regional Victoria, who was arrested and charged with the possession of child abuse material in March.
Virgin Australias chief executive has called for the countrys borders to be reopened before the stated goal of mid-2022, saying it made long-term sense, even if some people may die.

Speaking at a business lunch in Brisbane on Monday, Jayne Hrdlicka said she did not agree with the current stated reopening date of mid-2022 put forward by the federal government in last weeks federal budget.

Jayne Hrdlicka, chief executive of Virgin Australia. Credit:Ben Searcy

Ms Hrdlicka said she believed, with a viable vaccine in place for a large enough portion of Australias population, the country needed to reopen its borders or risk being left behind by the rest of the world.

The airline boss said as long as vaccination levels were high enough and vulnerable people were protected, the country should take the risk of fully opening again sooner than June 2022.
Two police officers who escorted an accused man on a flight from London to Perth have avoided hotel quarantine, instead being put up in a private apartment to complete their two weeks isolation.

The men returned from the United Kingdom on Saturday, along with a 60-year-old man who was extradited to Australia on historical child sex offences.

The two WA Police officers escorting an accused man on a flight from London to Perth on Saturday. Credit:WA Police

The accused allegedly indecently assaulted three siblings aged 5, 9, and 10, in the mid 1980s. He will quarantine in custody, or if granted bail before his 14 day period is complete, in hotel quarantine.

However, instead of entering one of Perths seven designated quarantine hotels, the police officers who escorted the man were granted an exemption by WA Police to quarantine at Quest South Perth Foreshore apartments.
One of the biggest difficulties with [the Queensland government] proposal [is] its not near a major capital city where theres a major hospital, Mr Morrison said. The idea you can put it in the desert somewhere  I know that Toowoomba isnt a desert  but they need to be close to major capital city airports. Theyre coming to Brisbane. Thats a very long trek to Toowoomba. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian called on Monday for an ambitious plan to vaccinate Australians and open the borders but has expressed frustration that other states are not doing more to expand quarantine. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said long-term prosperity was more important than the political popularity of border controls.

Lockdowns have proved incredibly popular but thats popular in the short-term, and were not here to govern in the short-term, he told Sky News. Loading Whats most important is the judgement in 10 years time. Its not about the 24-hour news cycle and rocking up and being successful at a news conference, its about making sure we have a strategy to open up the economy. Federal ministers dismissed the Victorian proposal at first, with Defence Minister Peter Dutton saying it was political smoke and mirrors, but the Prime Minister has warmed to the idea in recent weeks. Victoria wants $200 million in federal funding to build a centre with 500 beds, rising to $700 million to expand to 3000 beds.

While Toowoomba has a hospital and a workforce as well as a private airport that could take large aircraft, federal sources said it was different to the Victorian plan and did not satisfy the key criteria to gain funding. But Senator Hanson backed the proposal and said she did not understand why Mr Morrison did not do the same. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video If its not going to cost the taxpayers any money  not one dollar  then why doesnt he just open it up? If we open up the borders next year, facilities have to be operating and working, she told Sky News. When they want to set up this structure, put it there at no cost to the federal government, why would he knock it? I cant see any problem with it. Why is he so bloody-minded?

The Toowoomba proposal, aired by the local Wagner family to use its Wellcamp Airport near the regional city, requires federal approval to route large commercial flights to the airfield. Loading Local Liberals and Nationals are opposed to the idea and the community is divided, but proponents doubt it could work if travellers have to transfer to Toowoomba on a two-hour bus ride from Brisbane Airport. While Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk did not respond to Mr Morrisons remarks, federal Labor MPs in nearby electorates said the Prime Minister should negotiate with the state to expand quarantine. Scott Morrison is trying to avoid responsibility for quarantine but it is a federal responsibility. If national cabinet means anything he should be taking up the Queensland state governments proposal, said Shayne Neumann, who represents Blair, north of Toowoomba.

Milton Dick, the MP for Oxley in Brisbanes south-west, said Mr Morrison should come up with a solution if he did not think Toowoomba suitable. Loading Hes abrogating his responsibility and seems to want to pick a fight with the Queensland government, he said. Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox said there would be an economic cost to longer border closures when the country should instead prepare to live with the coronavirus. Investment, students, tourists  theyll all go elsewhere, and thats going to be a big danger for us as we emerge from this, he said.
There used to be a time when you couldnt speak out against the state of Israel, Abuznaid said. It used to be political suicide. It would quickly get you labeled anti-Semitic. And at this point in time, people are unafraid and I think part of it is that weve seen passionate, unapologetic movements develop in the U.S. over the past few years, like the movement for Black lives, where a lot of people in this country had to come to grips with a reality they did not know. And thats the case with Israel and Palestine.
Good morning, brothers and sisters, God loves you. It does not matter what anyone says, it is because of Jesus we are alive today. You may think you woke up on your own strength or that the kids, the dog, or the cat caused you to wake up. No, no, it was God who allowed you to wake up. It is 
Van Buren, AR (72956)

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This photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Phoenix Division shows some of the 30,000 fentanyl pills the agency seized in one of its bigger busts, in Tempe, Ariz., in August 2017.
She killed somebody because she drank alcohol, the judge said. That is extremely serious. And if that was me, it would haunt me forever. And she needs to appreciate and make sure she does what shes supposed to do. Because the other hammer, which is going to be a lot more than five years, could drop in the future. He asked if she understood.
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Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom.

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Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have officially become Mr and Mrs in a private wedding ceremony over the weekend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNNylVVFmrG/

A rep for Ariana Grande told People,

"It was tiny and intimate  less than 20 people. The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn't be happier."
All ten Aussie and Kiwi queens in the competition will take to the stage.

Vodafone customers can nab pre-sale tickets for RuPauls Drag Race Down Under: Live on Stage from 1pm on Wednesday, May 19.

General release tickets are available from 1pm on Monday, May 24.

This is your chance to see some of our best local queens live, so get amongst fam!
A 15-year-old receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic at the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA in Los Angeles on May 14, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

223 People Have Died With COVID-19 After Getting Fully Vaccinated: CDC

Over 1,100 people in the United States have been hospitalized with COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated against the virus that causes it, and more than 220 have died, according to new figures from a top U.S. health agency.

The number of hospitalizations among the fully vaccinated is up to 1,136, and the number of deaths among the same population is 223 as of May 10, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The statistics published by the CDC are an accumulation of reports from 46 U.S. states and territories. Which locations havent shared breakthrough numbers isnt clear.

The numbers could also be undercounted because national surveillance relies on passive and voluntary reporting, and data might not be complete or representative, according to the CDC.

Breakthrough metrics refer to cases, hospitalizations, or deaths among people who have seen two or more weeks elapse since receiving the final dose of a COVID-19 vaccinethe single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second shot of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.

Of the people who died after being fully vaccinated, 42 were asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19, according to the CDC. Additionally, 342 of the hospitalizations were asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19.

Many, many hospitals are screening people for COVID when they come in, so not all of those 223 cases who had COVID actually died of COVID. They may have had mild disease, but died, for example, of a heart attack, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on CNNs State of the Union on May 16.

Under the usual counting program, people who havent been vaccinated but who die of heart attacks or other causes while testing positive for the CCP virus are typically listed as a COVID-19 death.

The death rate among the fully vaccinated is extraordinarily low when taking into consideration the death rate of COVID-19 itself, Walensky said.

Some 115 million people had been fully vaccinated as of May 10.

People line up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, on May 14, 2021. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

The CDC had been sharing the number of so-called breakthrough COVID-19 cases, but is no longer. The agency had said that 9,245 people as of April 16 tested positive for the disease at least two weeks after getting their final shot. The numbers were again from 46 U.S. states and territories and said to be a likely undercount.

COVID-19 is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Clinical trials showed the Pfizer vaccine to have a 95 percent efficacy rate in preventing infection by the virus; the Moderna shot to have 94 percent; and the Johnson & Johnson shot to have 66.9 percent.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was studied later than the others.

No other shots are currently authorized for use in the United States.

The CDC last week dramatically altered previous masking guidance, saying fully vaccinated people can go without masks in many indoor settings.

We now have science that has really just evolved even in the last two weeks that demonstrates that these vaccines are safe, they are effective, they are working in the population, just as they did in the clinical trials, that they are working against our variants that we have here circulating in the United States, and that, if you were to develop an infection even if you got vaccinated, you cant transmit that infection to other people, Walensky said on ABCs This Week.

If people are vaccinated, theyre safe, she said.

She also said health officials are trying to figure out how a COVID-19 outbreak occurred among the New York Yankees, who were mostly vaccinated.

I would consider that, when you look at the details that Im aware of, seven of those eight were completely asymptomatic. The eighth was a mild case. They were detected on routine testing that generally doesnt happen in many other populations. This is the vaccine working, she said. This means that you didnt get infectedor you didnt get a severe infection. You didnt require hospitalization. You didnt require death [sic], and most likely those people were not transmitting to other people.

A ninth team member has tested positive, an official said on May 16.

Were just doing the best we can with it, manager Aaron Boone said. Fortunately, hes another one that feels good. So well just continue to try and be vigilant and handle it as best we can.
Blood is seen splattered on the front door of the former residence of retired police officer Barry Brodd in Santa Rosa, Calif., on April 17, 2021. (Santa Rosa Police Department)

3 Women Arrested After Pigs Head Left at Former Home of Witness in Chauvin Trial

Three women have been arrested after a severed pigs head was left at the Santa Rosa, California home that once belonged to a policing expert who testified for the defense in Derek Chauvins trial.

Rowan Dalbey, 20, Kristen Aumoithe, 34, and Amber Lucas, 35, all of Santa Rosa, were arrested and booked into jail on conspiracy and felony vandalism charges, according to the citys police department.

The women allegedly smeared blood in April on the exterior of a home and left the pigs head on the doorstep. The house once belonged to Barry Brodd, a retired police officer who testified for the defense in the trial of Chauvin.

Brodd told the court that he believed the force Chauvin, a former Minneapolis cop, used against George Floyd last year was justified.

Barry Brodd, a use-of-force expert, testifies during the trial of Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 13, 2021. (Court TV via AP/Pool)

Chauvin was later convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

Police said that the vandalism to the home inflicted over $400 in damage. It also said that vandalism at the Santa Rosa Plaza mall appeared to be related.

This investigation is still ongoing, and there are still additional leads and information that detectives are following up on. We believe there are additional suspects that were involved and are asking for our communitys help in identifying them, the Santa Rosa Police Department said in a statement.

It was not clear if the women who were arrested have retained lawyers. They could not be reached.

According to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, Lucas is a social media influencer who sits on the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women. Lucas has helped organize multiple demonstrations, while Dalbey and Aumoithe have attended protests against police violence.
An American Airlines plane lands at LaGuardia airport in New York, N.Y., on Dec. 29, 2020. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

American Airlines Investigating Pilot Who Opposes School Districts Critical Race Theory Plan

American Airlines says its investigating a Texas-based pilot who spoke against an effort by his local school district to implement elements of critical race theory.

Guy Midkiff of Southlake, Texas, has been flying for American Airlines for more than 30 years, according to the Dallas Morning News. His job remains uncertain, however, after he criticized a Cultural Competence Action Plan (CCAP) proposed by Carroll Independent School District online and in podcasts.

The plan, which was developed by Carrolls diversity council after white students were caught on video singing a rap song that contains a racial slur, called for the district to hire equity and inclusion officials, encourage students to report each other for microaggressions, and impose mandatory diversity training on students and staff.

The critical race theory-inspired CCAP has sparked intense pushback from members of Southlake community, including Midkiff, who used social media and a podcast to document to criticize the CCAP and its proponents, reported the Morning News. This made him a target of pro-CCAP activists, who repeatedly sought American Airlines attention, calling on the company to fire Midkiff for alleged online harassment.

Critical race theory is a quasi-Marxist ideology that holds that racism is ingrained in the United States.

In a May 10 post on Twitter, Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition (SARC) claimed Midkiff had been harassing people online, although none of Midkiffs posts the group cited as evidence actually tagged any individual.

Your employee has been harassing students and community members relentlessly for months for speaking out against the racism they experience in our town. From targeting individual minors and accosting our organization, here are just some of his most recent unprofessional comments, the SARC said.

Another Twitter account stated, Hey [American Airlines], why is this man saying he is a pilot for your airline? He is consistently harassing minority females in Southlake and now is going after our students!

In response, American Airlines official account said the allegations are concerning, and asked the accusers to provide the link to Midkiffs comments for us to take a closer look.

The company later told the the Morning News that it is investigating Midkiff, saying, We are troubled by the allegations made and have launched an investigation into the matter.

Midkiff did not back down on his criticisms of the CCAP. Instead, he blasted the activists for allegedly using teenage students as a shield so that they can accuse anyone who doesnt agree with them of harassing minors.

A tactic of the left is to push kids out front to lead their cause, he wrote on Twitter. They do this to insulate themselves from attacks by adults that fear being called a grown man harassing students for challenging their false narrative.

Never give in to the bully tactics of the leftists, he added.
Then-Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg talks to the Orlando Sentinel during an interview at his office in Lake Mary, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2019. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Associate of Rep. Gaetz Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Trafficking, Agrees to Cooperate With Feds

An associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking and other charges on May 17, agreeing to cooperate fully with U.S. prosecutors in a larger-scale investigation.

Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman accepted the guilty plea from Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector for Seminole County in Florida, at federal court in Orlando.

The court found the facts sufficient to allow the defendant to plead guilty after Greenberg acknowledged that he signed an 86-page plea agreement and admitted to the facts set forth in the document.

Greenberg, who was placed in the custody of U.S. Marshals pending sentencing, was associated with Gaetz. In 2017, the congressman promoted Greenberg as a potential congressional nominee. Greenberg, Gaetz said, had been a disruptor at the Seminole County Tax Collectors Office.

Gaetzs office didnt respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times. The congressman has said in response to news reports about the federal probe that he has done nothing wrong. A spokesman told news outlets that Gaetz didnt seem to be named or referenced in the plea agreement.

Congressman Gaetz has never had sex with a minor and has never paid for sex, the spokesperson said. Mr. Greenberg was first indicted for falsely accusing someone else of sex with a minor. That person was innocent. So is Congressman Gaetz.

Fritz Schiller, Greenbergs attorney, told reporters in April, after suggesting his client would plead guilty, that Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today.

The emphasis in the last few days is on the Matt Gaetz-Joel Greenberg relationship, right? Wouldnt it be obvious to assume that he would be concerned? Schiller said.

Greenberg pleaded guilty to six out of the 33 counts filed against him by prosecutors. According to the lengthy plea agreement, Greenberg used at least four accountsincluding a Venmo accountto pay for commercial sex acts.

From December 2016 to December 2018, Greenberg conducted more than 150 transactions totaling over $70,000. All of the transactions involved Greenberg paying women for sex.

Greenberg often portrayed the spending from his Venmo as going toward everyday expenses, such as school or food.

Brian Beute (L), a teacher at Trinity Preparatory School, appears with his attorney David Bear outside of the United States Federal Court House before Joel Greenberg, an associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking and other charges, in Orlando, Fla., on May 17, 2021. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

One of the girls whom Greenberg paid was a minor under the age of 18, according to the plea document. The minor, who was not named, had an account on a website representing her as an adult. Greenberg introduced the minor to other adult men who engaged in sex acts with her.

Greenberg abused his office by using a state database to look up and investigate sexual partners, authorities said. On Sept. 4, 2017, he looked up the minor because he suspected she was underage.

When Greenberg learned last year that he was charged with crimes, he contacted the girl and asked her to lie.

Greenberg was initially indicted with stalking and illegally using someone elses identity as part of a scheme to smear a political opponent, Brian Breute, last year. Greenberg allegedly wrote letters to Breutes place of employment, a school, representing himself as an anonymous concerned student who knew of Breute engaging in sexual misconduct with another student. The probe later widened to include other allegations.

Breute told reporters on May 17 outside of the federal courthouse where Greenberg later pleaded guilty that he endured an eight-month long string of attacks on his character just one week after he announced his run for tax collector.

The developments in the Greenberg case, he said, have left him heartened.

I have personally a renewed hope and satisfaction with our federal system, Breute said. Id like to say the same thing about our state system, frankly.

Breute called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to initiate an investigation into all state agencies that are responsible for overseeing the Seminole County Tax Collectors Office.
A worker waters a lawn near an Afghan national flag flying at half-mast in Kabul on May 11, 2021 during a national day of mourning announced by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to condemn the recent terrorist attacks. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijings Anti-US Remark Backfires as Spokeswoman Blames US for Terrorist Attacks in Afghanistan

A recent bombing in the Afghan capital of Kabul killed 85 people and injured 147. It is suspected that the Taliban was behind the attack. However, instead of condemning the terrorists, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed the United States, claiming that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is causing successive violent attacks in Afghanistan.

On the afternoon of May 8, a bomb exploded near a girls school in Dasht-e-Barchi, a major Shiite community in Kabul, and two more bombs exploded when students rushed out in panic. It was the worst among the recent string of deadly bombings in Kabul in months, targeting schoolgirls between 11 and 15 years old.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the Taliban terrorist group condemned the school bombings on Twitter, accusing ISIS terrorists of being behind it. According to the Wall Street Journal, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, however, blamed the Taliban, saying that by intensifying their illegitimate war and violence, showed that they have no interest in a peaceful solution to the current crisis.

On the same day as the school bombing, the U.S. Department of State condemned the attack, calling for an immediate end to violence and the senseless targeting of innocent civilians.

President Joe Biden announced on April 14 that the U.S. military will begin to withdraw from Afghanistan on May 1 and complete its withdrawal before Sept. 11, to focus on countering the China threat in the Indo-Pacific region.

However, in a Twitter post on May 1, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid wrote, As withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan by agreed upon May 1st deadline has passed, this violation in principle has opened the way for [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] Mujahidin to take every counteraction it deems appropriate against the occupying forces.

May 1 is the U.S. troop withdrawal deadline that was negotiated under President Donald Trump.

Talibans Secret and Open Interactions with Beijing

On June 20, 2019, Chinas foreign affairs spokesperson Lu Kang revealed that a Taliban delegation had met with Chinas special representative for Afghanistan in Beijing to discuss the groups peace talks with the United States. It was the first time Chinese authorities openly admitted the Talibans visit to China.

According to a report by Tencent.com on July 25, 2019, the Taliban sent a delegation to visit China in 2014; Abbas Stanakzai, Director of the Taliban Political Office in Qatar, visited China in July 2016; and from 2017 to 2018, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials met with Taliban members several times.

The report cited Zhang Jinping, a professor of Law and Political Science from the Anti-Terrorism Research Institute of Northwest University, who said, The Taliban is the main political and armed force in Afghanistan. The long-term turbulence and setbacks in the Afghan peace process indicate that it is difficult to achieve peace in Afghanistan if the Taliban is excluded from the process.

Lu, the spokesperson who announced the Talibans official visit, concluded that the two sides had positive and beneficial exchanges, and they would continue the partnership to find a solution for Afghanistans political problems and to crack down on terrorism, according to the Tencent report.

Sheng Xue, a Chinese writer and China expert living in Canada, told NTD that the CCP is actually working closely with international terrorist organizations, as its the most important backstage supporter of all authoritarian regimes and terrorist organizations in the world, who provide funds, arms, and technological support.

In July 2011, the CCP violated the United Nations ban and provided $200 million worth of supplies and weapons to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi who was at his last extremity via Algeria and South Africa.

Moreover, many terrorists have received military training at Chinas training bases. For instance, after the outbreak of the Iraq War, many members of the Iraqi guerrillas who were receiving training in China returned to Iraq to fight with the United States.

The CCP has long been engaged in arms deals with Iran. The CIA confirmed that in August 1996, the CCP and Iran signed an agreement worth $3 billion, including the sale of ballistic missiles, missile guidance technology, and production of military equipment. On March 27 this year, the CCP and Iran signed a 25-year cooperation agreement. The two sides will have comprehensive cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, energy, and security, including military exercises, weapon research and development, and sharing of intelligence.

U.S.-based China expert Li Yanming said the CCP is confusing right from wrong and covering up for the Taliban when it attributed the Kabul bombing to the U.S. withdrawal.

It once again proved that the CCP is in fact the backstage boss of terrorist organizations and totalitarian regimes such as the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Iran, and Myanmar military government. They join forces and have committed countless crimes together, he said.

Some Chinese netizens share similar views.

Netizen Wang Xin wrote, The CCP is a rogue in nature, and a rogue can do anything, even if its extremely shameless.

Another one wrote, It was the CCP who arranged the Taliban to launch the bombing attacks, to divide U.S. military powers by keeping U.S. troops from withdrawing from Afghanistan. Of course, the CCP will not condemn the Taliban.

Several other netizens commented that the Taliban and the CCP are good friends, as they both have evil genes.

The CCP itself is a terrorist organization. How can you expect the CCP to condemn the Taliban? netizen Dandan wrote.
Biden Defense Boss Boots Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier From Space Force Command

Purge of conservatives and Trump supporters will divide military, weaken the nation against foreign attacks

Commentary

Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of Space Operations Command, has removed Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier from his command post at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado. According to a May 15 Military.com report by Oriana Pawlyk, Gen. Whiting made the move because of a loss of confidence in his (Lohmeiers) ability to lead. A more likely scenario is that Lt. Col. Lohmeier was dismissed for the things he had written and said.

Lohmeier is a 2006 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a masters degree in military operational art and science and a masters of philosophy in military strategy. Lohmeier began his career as a pilot flying the T-38 and F15-C fighters. He transferred to the United States Space Force in October of 2020 tasked with detecting enemy ballistic missile launches.

President Donald Trump stands as Chief of Space Operations as U.S. Space Force Gen. John Raymond, second from left, and Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman, second from right, hold the United States Space Force flag as it is presented in the Oval Office of the White House on May 15, 2020. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett stands to the far left. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Lt. Col. Lohmeier represented the Space Force in former President Donald Trumps Nov. 26, 2020, video conference with officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force.

You keep watch around the world to detect missile launches, space launches, and nuclear detonations while providing critical intelligence. Trump said of Lohmeier. The Lt. Col. thanked the president for his advocacy for an independent Space Force, and said were making great progress.

Pawlyk contends that Lt. Col. Lohmeier was fired for comments made during a podcast promoting his new book, which claims Marxist ideologies are becoming prevalent in the United States military. The book is Irresistible Revolution: Marxisms Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military, which Lohmeier recently discussed on the Information Operation podcast with L. Todd Wood.

A Space Force statement claimed the decision to remove Lt. Col. Lohmeier was based on public comments he made that are now being investigated for prohibited partisan political activity. Lohmeier argued that Biden Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is promoting critical race theory, rooted in Marxism, and which in Lohmeiers view will divide us.

It will not unify us, Lohmeier warned.

In the U.S. military, according to Lohmeier, if youre a conservative, then youre lumped into a group of people who are labeled extremists if youre willing to voice your views. On the other hand, for those aligned with the left, Its OK to be an activist online because no ones gonna hold you accountable.

As it happens, hostility to conservatives was the policy of the composite character and president that David Garrow described in Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama.

Consider Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding Americas Far-Right, written by Arie Perliger, an associate professor at the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2013, who charted groups that espouse strong convictions regarding the federal government, believing it to be corrupt and tyrannical, with a natural tendency to intrude on individuals civil and constitutional rights.

As journalist Mark Tapson noted in 2013 in an article titled Demonizing Americas Mainstream Right, that pretty much describes every conservative I know. Joe Bidens campaign against domestic terrorism now targets the same people.

On Feb. 5, Austin ordered the military to observe a one-day stand-down on extremism in the ranks. Lt. Col. Lohmeier said he was given a booklet citing the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol, referred to as the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, as an example of extremism, while ignoring the widespread rioting across the country last year.

The action against Lohmeier echoes the targeting of Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps pick for National Security Advisor. Gen. Flynn had been unmasked by members of the Obama administration, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, thus exposing Flynn to surveillance and hostile action by the FBI. Joe Biden never served in the military and opposed the plan to kill 9/11 terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. Biden also criticized Trumps action to take out Iranian terrorist Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Created by President Trump, the United States Space Force is a convenient bulls-eye for Biden. Lt. Col. Lohmeier could be forgiven for perceiving the action against him to be part of Bidens purge of conservatives in general and Trump supporters in particular. Such a purge would further divide the nation and weaken the ability of the U.S. military to protect the nation from foreign threats while caught up in domestic disputes.

Lt. Col. Lohmeier flies the F-15C, a version of the F-15 Eagle fighter, which can hit speeds of 1,875 mph (Mach 2.4) and boasts a range of 3,450 miles. With its M-16AI cannon and Sidewinder missiles, the Eagle is designed strictly for air-to-air combat. At least one politician thought the fighter might come in handy against peaceful protesters on the home front.

Four California National Guard whistleblowers told the Los Angeles Times that the California National Guard put an F-15C fighter on standby to buzz any crowds daring to resist stay-at-home orders at the outset of the pandemic last year. Embattled Americans might wonder what kind of leadership would deployment a supersonic fighter jet against civilian protesters.

Any order to deploy the F-15C would have had to come through Gov. Gavin Newsom, commander-in-chief of the California National Guard. According to the National Guard whistleblowers, the orders were allegedly handed down orally or through text messages rather than in an official manner. An official investigation into the F-15C matter has yet to be announced.

Gov. Newsom is being touted as 2024 presidential contender but faces a recall election in his home state this year.

Lloyd Billingsley is the author of Yes I Con: United Fakes of America, Barack em Up: A Literary Investigation, Hollywood Party, and other books. His articles have appeared in many publications, including Frontpage Magazine, City Journal, The Wall Street Journal, and American Greatness. Billingsley serves as a policy fellow with the Independent Institute.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media in Gaza City collapses after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike on May 15, 2021. (Hatem Moussa/AP Photo)

Blinken Says He Hasnt Seen Evidence of Hamas Presence in Destroyed Gaza Tower, Calls on Hamas to End Attacks

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 17 that he hasnt seen any proof so far that would corroborate the Israeli governments assertion that the Hamas terrorist group was operating in a Gaza building where the Associated Press and other media outlets were accommodated.

An Israeli airstrike knocked down the building known as the Jala Tower on Saturday, which according to top Israeli leaders, was being used by Hamas.

Other media organizations, such as Qatar-backed media outlet Al Jazeera, also had a presence in the tower.

Blinken spoke in Copenhagen, Denmark, at a news conference, where he stated that hes not aware of evidence that Hamas had been operating in the building and that he asked for justification from Israel.

Shortly after the strike we did request additional details regarding the justification for it, Blinken said at the conference, declining to talk about specific intelligence according to The Associated Press.

Blinken said that he will leave it to others to characterize if any information has been shared and our assessment that information.

I have not seen any information provided, he said.

A day prior, an Associated Press editor requested an independent investigation into the airstrike.

The Secretary of State spoke with AP CEO Gary Pruitt on Saturday after the building was destroyed and according to spokesperson Ned Price, Blinken offered his unwavering support for independent journalists and media organizations around the world and noted the indispensability of their reporting in conflict zones. He expressed relief that the Associated Press team on the ground in Gaza remains safe.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said that they are organizing evidence for the United States, declining to pledge presentation of it in the next two days.

Were in the middle of fighting. Thats in process and Im sure in due time that information will be presented, he said on Sunday.

Over the weekend, The Associated Press denied knowledge of the terrorist group operating in the building.

Pruitt said that they didnt have any knowledge of Hamas being in the tower, and its something that they actively check to the best of our ability. We would never knowingly put our journalists at risk.

Pruitt issued a statement that We received a warning that the building would be hit.

AP said that their employees and freelancers were evacuated before the building was shot down.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) told local media that the building had Hamas military assets hidden in it and accused them of using AP, Al Jazeera, and other media in the building as human shields.

The IDF claimed that the Hamas terror group intentionally locates its military assets in the hearts of civil populations in the Gaza Strip.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that they would present any evidence of Hamas being in the 12-story Jala Tower via intelligence channels.

Sally Buzbee, APs executive editor, said that their organization has been operating in the building for 15 years and never saw indication that the terrorist group might be present there.

We are in a conflict situation, she said. We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we dont know what that evidence is.

We think its appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterdayan independent investigation, Buzbee added.

In addition, Blinken said on Monday that the United States is working intensively to end the conflict in the Middle East, negating the idea that Washington was obstructing diplomacy at the United Nations.

Blinken also called for Hamas to end the rocket attacks.

There is no equivalence between a terrorist group indiscriminately firing rockets at civilians and a country defending its people from those attacks, so we call on Hamas and other groups in Gaza to end the rocket attacks immediately, Blinken said.
President Joe Biden speaks at a press conference at the White House on May 7, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Cafe Owner Seeks to Temporarily Block Biden Admin From Prioritizing Certain Groups for Grants

A Texas cafe owner is asking a federal court to temporarily block the Small Business Administration (SBA) from prioritizing its grants for certain business owners.

Philip Greer, the owner of Greers Ranch Cafe, has filed a temporary restraining order seeking to immediately stop the SBA from prioritizing women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged business owners for its $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

Greer argued in a motion, filed by America First Legal (AFL), the SBA has already received 147,000 applications from women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged business owners who requested a total of $29 billion in relief funds. This means the funds will be depleted before other groups can be considered for relief.

Mr. Greer and his restaurant respectfully seek a temporary restraining order to bring an immediate halt to these unconstitutional race and sex preferences, the AFL attorneys wrote (pdf).

According to SBA regulations, socially disadvantaged individuals are those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias within American society because of their identities as members of groups and without regard to their individual qualities. The social disadvantage must stem from circumstances beyond their control.

Meanwhile, economically disadvantaged individuals are those whose ability to compete in the free enterprise system has been impaired due to diminished capital and credit opportunities as compared to others in the same or similar line of business who are not socially disadvantaged.

Greer, who is represented by America First Legal and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, argued that such a policy actively excludes entire classes of Americans not mentioned in the priority group who are also suffering significant financial losses caused by the pandemic. He claimed that the SBA is in fact prioritizing women and racial minority groups through its regulations.

The Small Business Administration lurches America dangerously backward, reversing the clock on American progress, and violating our most sacred and revered principles by actively and invidiously discriminating against American citizens solely based upon their race and sex. This is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it is wrong, and it must stop, the lawsuit states (pdf).

The lawsuit, which was filed last week, calls on the court to block the enforcement of any policy that would discriminate against certain classes of Americans, arguing that this would be necessary to promote equal rights under the law for all American citizens and promote efforts to stop racial discrimination.

In a statement, AFL President Stephen Miller argued that the decision on which an individual receives relief shouldnt be decided on race, as it compounds injustice for all.

This egregious violation of civil rights must be stopped. The pandemic, and the closures that followed, caused extraordinary harms to bar and restaurant owners of all backgrounds, Miller said.

The SBA previously told The Epoch Times that the agency doesnt comment on pending litigation.
Marijuana grows at an indoor cannabis farm in Gardena, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2019. (Richard Vogel/AP Photo)

California Lawmakers Demand Action on Illegal Cannabis Operations

Elected officials in California are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to address the states illegal marijuana growing operations.

In a May 11 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the lawmakers said the abundance of marijuana grow operations in the state make the surrounding areas untenable and dangerous for the residents in the surrounding neighborhoods.

We have heard from our constituents of heinous incidents of intimidation, coercion, and violence being used by illegal growers to ensure that their operations continue unimpeded, the letter said.

About a dozen California representatives signed the letter, including Orange County congresswomen Michelle Steele and Young Kim.

The letter said the grow sites have been the scene of multiple homicides; in September 2020, seven bodies were discovered at an illegal grow operation in Riverside County.

As well, the illegal operations are stealing water from California residents, the representatives said.

Its estimated that at the end of 2020, illegal marijuana grows were illegally consuming between 3 and 9.5 million gallons of water daily, the letter said. Water is already a precious resource in California, we cannot allow these illegal operations to exacerbate the problem further.

Illegal grow operations increased as much as 300 percent in some areas last year, the letter said. The politicians attributed the growth to lax consequences, accusing prosecutors of failing to charge offenders unless they commit additional more serious crimes as well.

Without intervention, the letter said, the problem will only worsen.

The group of California representatives urged Garland to do more to address the issue.

We request that you utilize whatever authority is available to you to address this growing crisis in our communities, including prosecuting these criminals to the fullest extent allowable under the law to cut off the escalating fear and violence in our districts, the letter said. Decisive action is needed now. Every day these criminals continue to operate with impunity hurts our constituents and California as a whole.
Cheney Says Replacing Her With Stefanik Is Dangerous

Stefanik: Cheney is 'looking backwards'

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and her recent replacement as the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House made their cases for their brands of conservatism during interviews broadcast on May 17.

Cheney claimed the move by House Republicans to vote her out and install Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as House GOP Conference chair is dangerous.

I think that we have to recognize how quickly things can unravel. We have to recognize what it means for the nation to have a former president who has not conceded and who continues to suggest that our electoral system cannot function, cannot do the will of the people, she said.

Cheney was ousted on May 12 because of her increasingly critical comments about former President Donald Trump and the Republican Partys messaging; House Republicans said she was distracting from their effort to flip the House and the Senate in 2022. Among other things, Cheney has said the party needs to move away from Trump following his claims about the 2020 election, while calling the former commander-in-chief dangerous and anti-democratic.

Two days later, the caucus voted in Stefanik, who served on Trumps impeachment defense team.

Stefanik thanked Trump in her remarks after being voted a part of the House GOP leadership team, calling him a critical part of our Republican team.

In new interviews, Cheney denounced Stefanik as wrong and accused her of being complicit with Trumps election claims. Stefanik responded by saying Cheney is looking backward while Republicans are looking forward.

President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 24, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

We are unified and we are talking about conservative principles. President Trump is an important voice in the Republican Party. We are working as one team and voters across America, certainly voters in my district in upstate New York, we believe that President Trumps results, whether it was the economic growth, whether it was the historic accords in the Middle East, whether it was being tough on China, or the bipartisan coronavirus relief packagesthese were significant results that helped everyday Americans, Stefanik said.

We are focused on moving forward but also the stakes are so high. Look at how radical Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosis policies have been. Joe Biden promised bipartisanship, we have yet to see any bipartisan legislation coming out of the Oval Office or the House. So Im proud to represent the vast majority of Republicans. And thats why we needed to make a change of House Conference chair.

Moving forward, Stefaniks support of Trump suggests she would back him if he chooses to run in 2024. Cheney, on the other hand, said she will do everything she can to make sure hes not the GOP nominee for the third time.

I will not support him and will do everything I can to make sure that doesnt happen, she said.

Cheney was speaking on ABCs This Week and Fox News Sunday, while Stefanik spoke on Fox Businesss Sunday Morning Futures.
The logo of China's digital payments firm Alipay is pictured outside the office block of its parent company Ant Group in Shanghai on Nov. 4, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Regulators on Mission to Rule Over Technology Giants

From digital yuan to regulating tech, Beijing seeks control over data

Commentary

Beijing has begun to rein in Chinas technology companies, issuing fines and instructing firms to change their corporate structure due to anti-competitive behavior and other transgressions.

But a common thread across recent regulatory actions against the technology sector, regardless of the allegations on the surface, is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s desire to control them and their data.

Theres been increased scrutiny over Chinas technology industry. It materially kicked off last year with the halting of Ant Groups IPO. Then Beijing regulators announced guidance around regulating financial tech companies, to prevent any from becoming too powerful and to protect the interests and business models of the countrys commercial banks.

Then in January, the CCP announced that its engaging with many technology firms to prevent monopolies, to promote healthy competition, and to make sure the technology firms growth is in alignment with the interests of the CCP. How these regulations benefit the end consumer is still unclear.

In March, the State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) handed out fines of 500,000 yuan ($80,000) eachthe highest permissible under existing lawsto 12 companies over completing acquisitions without notifying or getting sign-off from the proper authorities. The companies disciplined included internet giants Baidu and Tencent and ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing. While the fines were small, their significance is not.

In April, after months of friction between the CCP and Alibaba, as well its founder Jack Ma, regulators handed out a $2.75 billion finethats dollars, not yuanagainst Alibaba for engaging in monopolistic practices by locking their customers into the firms ecosystem. Thats the largest fine ever issued by a government to a corporation in East Asia.

Reuters reported in late April that a massive fine is also being planned for WeChat owner and mobile gaming giant Tencent. The SAMR fine is expected to be in the $1.5 billion range, much smaller than Alibabas, but a significant amount nonetheless. The fine is expected to be related to alleged monopolistic practices by Tencents music-streaming business.

The sudden crackdown on Chinas homegrown technology sector has been heavy-handed, and is another way for CCP regime leader Xi Jinping to remind the powerful industry that the CCP is in charge and their past and continued successes remain at the pleasure of the Party.

On the surface, the CCP wanted to rein in Jack Ma, whose larger-than-life stature and criticisms of regulators had become a thorn in Beijings side. But Beijing authorities actually want something far more useful.

Back to Ant, which is in negotiations with regulators to reorganize the company after calling off its IPO last year. As part of the restructuring, the Peoples Bank of China wants Ant to hand over its user datathe most valuable asset of any internet companyto a state-controlled credit monitoring firm to be managed by the central bank, according to a recent Financial Times report, citing people close to ongoing negotiations.

As a reminder, Chinese consumers have adopted mobile payments at a much higher rate than almost any other country. WeChat and Alipay can be used to pay for many goods and services. Chinas tech giants have treasure troves of user data on the countrys consumers.

Alibaba and Tencent do share user data with Beijing authorities when asked, and they have set up internal monitors to the specifications of the regulators. But ultimately the companies still own and control the data. And if data is the ultimate weapon of the information age, then the power of these tech giants could rival that of the CCP. Then if their corporate leaders ever go rogue, thats bad news for Beijing. So the CCP has sought to lessen the influence and power of these platforms.

Chinas recently tested digital yuan is a major step to compete with these platforms and increase the level of surveillance and data harvesting of consumers.

Legacy payment solutions, even digital ones, dont quite give the CCP the level of control and data it desires. But Chinas digital yuan could create unprecedented opportunities for surveillance, according to a 2020 study published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institutes International Cyber Policy Centre.

Its still too early to tell what type of conflict will result between the digital yuan and Chinas consumer tech platforms. But the CCPs roadmap for control is quite clear.

Beijing will soon roll out its digital currency. It has already implemented the social credit system introduced in 2018. It is putting collars around Chinese internet and payment giants Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu, all of which are forced to integrate government trackers into consumer behavioral data. The CCPs recent scrutiny and fines over nonfinancial tech companies are another warning that they must cooperate with the governmentDidi for taxi and location-related data, Meituan for dining and grocery data, JD.com for online shopping data, and so on.

In other words, when the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said in January that it wasnt targeting Jack Ma or Ant Group specifically, the regulator actually meant that it is in fact targeting everyone.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A general view shows the stage during a walk-through before a Democratic presidential debate sponsored by CNN and Facebook at Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 13, 2015. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

CNN Fires Contributor Who Praised Hitler

A CNN contributor who had a history of praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler saw the broadcaster cut ties with him after his latest missives.

Adeel Raja on Sunday posted on Twitter, The world today needs a Hitler. He later deleted the post.

Adeel Raja has never been a CNN employee. As a freelancer, his reporting contributed to some newsgathering efforts from Islamabad, a CNN spokesperson told news outlets in a statement. However, in light of these abhorrent statements, he will not be working with CNN again in any capacity.

The spokesperson initially said he had never heard of Raja, the Washington Examiner reported.

A review of Rajas Twitter history showed he has posted positively about Hitler, who oversaw the Holocaust, multiple times.

In 2014, Raja wrote, My support for Germany is due to what Hitler did with Jews!

Hail Hitler! he also said.

Raja defended himself on Monday, responding to a tweet that claimed he lost his job because of other missives about fighting between Israel and Palestinians in the Middle East.

Glad a single tweet contributed to the #Palestine cause and brought it to limelight with me loosing [sic] my job and the Wests claim of Freedom of expression and human rights! he wrote.

Raja has since altered his LinkedIn profile to say that his employment with CNN ended in May after nearly eight years. He is listed as an executive producer with ARY News.

Raja has written or contributed to 54 articles for CNN, with the latest running in the fall of 2020.
A man stands in a room in a house church in Puyang, in China's central Henan Province on Aug. 13, 2018. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Communist Ideology Delivered in Chinas Christian Churches

Pastors in Chinas Christian churches are preaching the Chinese Communist Partys ideology following the removal of Bible-related apps and major Christian social media accounts, leading some to claim that there is an effort to communize religious organizations on CCP-controlled land.

On May 8, the two state-sanctioned Protestant organizations in Beijingthe Beijing Municipal Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and the China Christian Councilheld a forum to celebrate the CCPs 100th anniversary, according to a report on the organizations combined official website.

Pastors and church staff are required to study the CCPs history, guide believers to follow the Party, and follow the sinicization of Christianity, said Cai Kui, the chair of the two organizations.

Two other official organizations in Shandong Provinces Jining city held a praise concert at Huajiajie Church in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the CCP, according to another report on the website.

The Chinese regime has tightened its control on the official churches, said Father Francis Liu from the San Francisco-based Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness, a nonprofit organization concerned about Christianity in China.

Thoughts from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, along with the CCPs propagandalike claims that the pandemic originated in the United Statesare delivered in state-approved churches, Liu told The Epoch Times.

On May 2, Liu posted photos and videos on Twitter of a church in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang Province, where a pastor was teaching the founding mission of the CCP.

In China, the official Christian church is the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Church, supervised by the United Front Work Department.

State security police and religious affairs bureau officials frequently raid unofficial house churches that arent members of the CCP-backed Three-Self Patriotic Association, although member churches have also been targeted at times.

It is quite normal, a human rights lawyer in China, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Epoch Times.

Pastors ordained into the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Church are approved by the authorities, so they, of course, will study Xis ideology and prioritize reading the Partys documents, the lawyer said in a phone interview.

Some pastors teach the Bibleit is no problembut they talk about the CCP leaders thoughts first, the lawyer said. They are not Christians.

The CCP is actually sinicizing all home churches, communizing themin other words, turning them into Three-Self churches. The so-called sinicization of Christianity is communization, [because] it must follow the leadership of the CCP. But it wont be a church if it does so  it would become a deceptive organization.

On May 1, Chinas new religious regulation, Measures on the Management of Religious Professionals, came into effect. It requires those who hold any formal role in a religious group to pledge allegiance to the CCP and double down on the sinicization of religion.

The communization of religion was also written into religious school administrative measures, which will come into effect on Sept. 1, 2021.

Bibles Taken Down From Shelves

On April 29, subscribers of Christian public accounts on WeChat, such as the Gospel Coalition and the Great Christian, were greeted with the message, the account is suspended and blocked.

Popular Bible apps were taken down from the Chinese App Store, according to the International Christian Concern.

Several websites promoting religious thoughts were shut down or blocked in China, including state-authorized online bookshops that sell Buddhist sutras, according to Liu.

It is not limited to mainland China, because it is already reaching Hong Kong. So, for example, the Taiwan-based Presbyterian Churchs website is blocked in Hong Kong, Liu said.

Following this trend, copies of the Bible itself are rarely found for general sale in China anymore. It was pulled from Chinese online shopping platforms, including the dominant Taobao, JD.com, and Amazon in March 2018.

The physical versions are only available for sale in the state-approved Three-Self churches, along with books promoting Xis ideology.

Illegal Repression

Many people no longer believe the CCPs propaganda, and they hope to find solace and support from religion. So all religions are deemed as disadvantageous and unstable factors to [the control of] the CCP, Liu said.

The pillar of a demolished Catholic church is seen in Puyang, in Chinas central Henan Province on Aug. 13, 2018. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)

The CCP embraces atheism and communizing all religions using revised religious regulations to ban anything it deems as unauthorized religious teachings in China, including Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, and Christianity, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its 2021 annual report.

However, the regulation itself violates the Chinese Constitution, Chinese human rights lawyer Sui Muqing told The Epoch Times on May 11.

Article 36 of the Constitution explicitly states that Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief and prevents state organs, organizations, and individuals from compelling people to believe or not believe in any religion.

Sui pointed out that lodging an administrative appeal against the revised regulation was impossible because an abstract administration cannot be appealed.

In similar cases, such as detained house church member Chen Jianguo, the court refused to register his appeal, so there is no chance to debate the legitimacy of such wrong rules, Sui said.

Chen was arrested and given a three-day administrative detention for attending a worship service in a home church in southwestern Chinas Guizhou Province in March.

On April 25, a house church in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen was raided by Chinese police, national security agents, and religious affairs officials.

The USCIRF report listed the Chinese regime as a country of particular concern for its persistent and severe violations of religious freedom.

Luo Ya contributed to this report.
A statue of George Washington is seen near the New York Stock Exchange building along Wall Street in New York City on Aug. 1, 2018. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Defending the Constitution: Limits on Federal Authority

Commentary

One of the Constitutions most important featureslimits on the central governmenthas been the target of a propaganda campaign for many decades.

Progressive commentators in politics, academia, and the media claim these limits impede creative and effective solutions to social problems. Over the years, theyve enlisted many issues to promote their cause:

We can end poverty only through bold federal initiatives!

To save the planet, we need more federal regulation!

The path to college affordability is for the federal government to pay full tuition!

The way to jump-start the economy is through massive federal stimulus spending!

Other issues on the list have included civil rights, consumer protection, inequality, K-12 education, climate change, racism, and crumbling infrastructure. Whatever the malady, the prescriptionfederal action beyond what the Constitution authorizesis always the same.

Just for once, Id like to hear one of the propagandists admit that, in retrospect, too much federal intervention made a problem worse. They would have a lot of examples to choose from, but I dont ever expect to hear it.

Unfortunately, the campaign to persuade Americans that the federal government is and should be omnipotent has enjoyed great success. One reason is that public school civics education often misrepresents the Constitutions meaning and the reasons behind that meaning. This essay helps fill the gap by explaining how the Constitution confines federal power and why it does so.

The Constitution limits the federal government in four general ways:

First: The Constitution is the legal document by which the American people granted authority to certain public officials, mostly (but not exclusively) federal officials. The Constitution specifically enumerates (lists) all powers granted. The list is long but finite. The items enumerated include, among others, national defense, coining money, creating and operating the post office, building and maintaining post roads (intercity highways) (pdf), regulating foreign and interstate trade and some activities associated with trade, and control of immigration.

A longstanding legal rule tells us that because the Constitution lists the federal governments powers, any power not on the list is denied.

Second: The Constitution specifically prohibits some federal activities. The prohibitions appear mostly, but not entirely, in the first eight amendments of the Bill of Rights. For example, the government is barred from discriminating among religions, restricting freedom of speech, infringing the right to keep and bear arms, or adopting those retroactive measures called ex post facto laws. We often refer to prohibitions on government action as creating or recognizing rights.

Third: The 10th Amendment reinforces the rule that the only powers granted to the federal government are those the Constitution enumerates.

Fourth: The enumeration of exceptions to federal power (rights) might suggest that the government has authority over everything outside the exceptions. So the Ninth Amendment rules out any such suggestion. It reinforces the rule that federal powers stop when enumerated powers stop. As one of my law students once remarked, the Ninth Amendment is an exclamation point.

All these constitutional restrictions are anathema to progressives. So they alternate frontal attacks on the Constitution with claims that the document doesnt mean what the document clearly says. They also launched the decades-long propaganda campaign to convince us that all power should flow from the center.

But why shouldnt it? Why didnt the Founders establish an omnipotent central authority?

History provides part of the answer. Before 1763, the founding generation lived happily within the British Empire. The empire was governed as an informal federation, leaving individual colonies with a great deal of local control. But when British political functionaries decided to centralize power in London, the founding generation rebelled. Once independence was achieved, Americans were disinclined to adopt a constitution granting the national government the omnipotence they had denied to the imperial government.

On a broader level, the Founders understood that limits on the federal government, especially when checked by potent states, would help preserve human freedom. In New York v. United States (1992) the Supreme Court explained it this way:

The Constitution does not protect the sovereignty of States for the benefit of the States or state governments as abstract political entities, or even for the benefit of the public officials governing the States. To the contrary, the Constitution divides authority between federal and state governments for the protection of individuals. State sovereignty is not just an end in itself: Rather, federalism secures to citizens the liberties that derive from the diffusion of sovereign power.  Just as the separation and independence of the coordinate branches of the Federal Government serve to prevent the accumulation of excessive power in anyone branch, a healthy balance of power between the States and the Federal Government will reduce the risk of tyranny and abuse from either front.'

Moreover, the Founders understood that decentralization usually improves governance. A decentralized system allows states to tailor local policies to local preferences, local culture, and local needs. For example, one reason the COVID-19/CCP virus response should be executed at the state and local levels is that health restrictions that make sense in densely populated New York City would be ridiculous in the wide-open spaces of Montana or South Dakota.

A final reason for decentralization is much less widely understood: Political decentralization promotes human progress.

Recall some of the greatest moments in the advance of civilization: The awakening of human intellect in ancient Greece. The quickening of trade and culture, rule of law, and rise in living standards in the early Roman Empire. The flowering of arts and commerce in Renaissance Italy and Germany, the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in England, and the economic and technological takeoffs in 19th-century Europe and America.

You may have been taught about these events in school, but you almost certainly werent taught what they all have in common: They all occurred in environments of political decentralization. Sometimes, the decentralization was so extreme that the central authorities (if, indeed, there were any) couldnt even keep the peace. Yet society leaped ahead anyway.

Decentralization permitted the Aristotles and Galileos to move to neighboring jurisdictions more hospitable to their work. It permitted ethnic and religious groups, such as the Jews and Huguenots, to escape persecution and continue productive lives in relatively tolerant Holland and England. It allowed the Ptolemies, Bacons, and Edisons to carry out scientific and technological research in comparative freedom.

Decentralization also encouraged competition among sovereignties and semi-sovereignties for people and for talent. The most welcoming places were rewarded with the most progress.

Political centralizers call themselves progressives. But the name embodies a falsehood. Decentralization, not centralization, is more consistent with rapid human progress.

Americans built modern society in an explosion of progress during the period when the Constitutions constraints on federal authority were still honored. During that period, Americans, along with those living in a politically fragmented Europe, tamed electricity, developed modern medicine, and invented the telegraph, telephone, radio, television, railroad, automobile, and airplane. We still depend heavily on basic technology created during the era of decentralization.

Certainly, progress has continued since that time, but the rate is slower. If you doubt it, ask yourself this: If two bicycle shop owners tried to invent the airplane in the current regulatory state, how far do you think they would get?

Or weigh the issue from another perspective: Automobiles, then called road locomotives, were invented more than 200 years ago. They were first mass-produced more than a century ago. Why are we still driving them instead of using more exotic modes of personal transportationsuch as household flying vehicles? Why have so many of the advances predicted by 20th-century science authors failed to come true? In 1940, speculative writers thought wed have colonies on the moon by now. Based on the pace of progress over the preceding 150 years, they had every reason to think so. But under government pressure, progress slows.

Centralized power, not the Constitution, impedes creative and effective solutions to social problems. The propagandists are wrong. The Founders were right.

Robert G. Natelson is a former constitutional law professor and historian who serves as senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver. He is the author of The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant (3rd ed., 2014).

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Emboldening the Enemy

Commentary

Once again, a Democrat is in the White House, and once again, the Middle East is on fire. This might seem like an odd, even tendentious, statement. But its supported by the past half-century of history.

Granted, the region has long simmered with ethnic and religious hatreds. And certainly there has been periodic flare-ups during periods of Republican controlsuch as the Beirut bombing of 1982, when Ronald Reagan was president. But Democratic control of the U.S. government seems to virtually guarantee a regional upheaval, and already were seeing this under the Biden administration.

Under Trump, the Middle East was relatively placid for four years. Indeed, against conventional expectations, Trump engineered a truce between Israel and some of its longtime antagonists. Longtime Democratic stalwart John Kerry, now climate czar under Biden, warned that no agreements were possible in the Middle East without involving the Palestinians. Trump showed the ludicrousness of this assertion. Israel now has working relationships with Bahrain, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and even Saudi Arabia.

Ironically, its this dramatic shift of power in the Middle East that has partly provoked Palestinian rage. The triggering incident is a dispute between Palestinian refugees who refuse to relocate and Israeli settlers who claim to have the title deeds to the homes those refugees are living in. What normally would be a real estate dispute has escalated into major clashes between the Israeli military and the Hamas terrorists who control Gaza.

Hamass confidence in firing rockets into civilian centers in Israelrockets that would do far more damage were it not for Israeli interceptor technologyis partly driven by the expectation that Israel can no longer count on its traditional ally America. Why? Because the Muslim radicals in the Middle East know that the Biden administration is beholden to its progressive or leftist faction, one led by such figures as Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

These leftists are openly on the Palestinian side. They view Israel as a colonial occupier of Palestinian land. In itself this is ironic. The very people who say Native Americans own the title deeds to the United States because they were its original inhabitants refuse to grant the Jews the title deeds to the land on which they were the original inhabitants. In any event, the Biden administrations refusal to unequivocally back Israel, as Trump did, encourages and emboldens the Hamas terrorists.

But this is not a new story. It was the Carter administration that brought Islamic radicalism onto the world stage, by helping to bring about the downfall of the Shah of Iran. With the Shahs abdication in 1979 and the Ayatollah Khomeinis ascent to power, radical Islam for the first time got control of a major state. Khomeini was the first Islamic leader to call America the Great Satan and to encourage suicide attacks against America in the name of religious martyrdom, and death to America continues to be the guiding slogan of the Iranian revolution even four decades into its malevolent tenure.

Carter regarded the Shah as a dictator with a secret police and declared he could not, in good conscience, support him. By withdrawing American supportby pulling the Persian rug out from under the ShahCarter guaranteed his downfall and replacement by someone far more hostile to American interests, namely Khomeini. Emboldened by Carters behavior, Iranian radicals seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took its employees as hostages. Tellingly, the hostages were only released on the day of Reagans inauguration, some say out of fear of what Reagan might do to Iran if the hostage crisis persisted.

Fast-forward to the Clinton years, during which we now know the seeds of 9/11 were sown. In 1996, Osama bin Laden declared war against America and, that same year, radical Muslims detonated a massive bomb at the Khobar Towers military installation in Saudi Arabia. Clinton denounced the action but did nothing. Two years later, Al Qaeda launched bomb attacks against the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, causing hundreds of deaths. Clinton ordered a halfhearted counterstrike against an installation in the Sudan and a raid on an Al Qaeda facility in Afghanistan that turned out to be largely unoccupied. Even when, in October 2000, Al Qaeda orchestrated a suicide attack on the U.S.S. Cole, blasting a 40-foot hole in the ships hull and killing 17 sailors, Clinton basically did nothing.

Absurdly, Clinton would later contend he made every effort to get bin Laden. Yet from 1996, when bin Laden moved from Sudan to Afghanistan, until 2000, the year preceding the 9/11 attack, bin Laden was not in deep hiding. He gave sermons in the Kandahar mosque. He spoke openly on his satellite phone. He even did media interviews, including one with CNNs Peter Arnett and one with John Miller of ABC News. Isnt it strange that these media figures could find bin Laden but not the Clinton administration? No wonder bin Laden felt emboldened to strike so lethally and catastrophically against America.

Fast-forward again to Obama, who had his own Middle East crisis in 2011, the so-called Arab Spring. This was an indigenous revolution, a response to repression and corruption that are unfortunately endemic in the Muslim countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Yet the most telling result of the Arab Spring was the collapse of a major U.S. ally, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, who was replaced by the candidate of the radical Islamic group the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime had its own internal upheaval but emerged intact and unscathed.

Obama played an active role not only in encouraging the Muslim Brotherhood but also in withdrawing American support for Mubarak. As with Carter, Obama did it for supposedly moral reasons. Obama said he had to support the democratic process in Egypt, even if it produced a result harmful to U.S. interests. Yet in 2009 when there were equally massive demonstrations in favor of democracy in Iran, Obama fell silent. He refused to support the democracy movement, which was eventually crushed by the mullahs. Bottom line: Obama, like Carter and Clinton, pursued policies that undermined Americas allies and American interests and strengthened Americas declared adversaries.

So what can we expect, this time, from the Biden administration? Surely not a reckoning with the lessons of the past. What we can expect, Im afraid, is that this crew will behave like Democrats. They will dither and stall in a manner that demoralizes our Israeli ally and encourages the radical Muslims affiliated with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. Israel will likely survive, and perhaps even prevail, but if it does it will be no thanks to the feckless foreign policy team running the show while Biden sits motionless and stares aimlessly into the distance.

Dinesh DSouza is an author, filmmaker, and daily host of the Dinesh DSouza podcast.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Film Review: Wrath of Man: Guy Ritchie Film Gets Lost in Translation

R | 1h 58min | Action, Thriller | 7 May 2021 (USA)

What makes a Guy Ritchie movie unique? They tend to star world-class cinematic butt-kicker Jason Statham. Ritchie and Stathams extended collaboration kicked off in 1998 with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, followed by Snatch and Revolver.

What else is unique? They tend to be about the seedy, seamy, low-class, British crime underworld. And theyre very funny. Its a brutally hilarious genre; its not the upper-class twits portrayed by Monty Python, but its related by way of Americans enjoying thuggish-looking Brit actors saying funny things in Cockney accents.

These are movies that tough guys (make that: guys with no inclination whatsoever to question their gender identity) like to watch; spit beer through their noses, and slap their knees. Im all for itbig Ritchie fan hereforgoing, of course (and conceding), the argument that all such violent, wacky tales about the rancid London underbelly are pretty much useless in terms of having any kind of a positive effect on society.

2019s gangster caper The Gentlemen saw Ritchie return to his wheelhouse after a run of genre-hopping fails with Aladdin, King Arthur, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. So one had hoped that Wrath of Man, the fourth Statham-Ritchie collaboration (in theaters Friday May 7th), would reveal a honing of the craft, an evolution, be funnier, be cleverer, be something new and improved.

But No

What happens if you take away the unique and exotic British humor, transpose the setting from London to America, and add some stupifyingly bad dialogue? Its suddenly just not funny anymore. How else has Ritchie trashed his own wheelhouse? By casting a couple of actors as heavies who are Just. Not. Heavy. More on that in a bit.

In the truck: Jason Statham (L) and Holt McCallany in Wrath of Man. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Statham plays Patrick Hill, known simply as H. Hes the latest employee at a Los Angeles Brinks truck type security firm, now hiring to increase staff after a recent robbery of one its armored trucks killed two guards.

H phones in his fitness test, but we know better. He is, after all, ripped, concrete-headed, stubble-bearded, lantern-jawed Jason Statham who can flying-kick down a hardwood front door, thereby knocking the house-owner out in one fell swoop. So when hes finally out on a money-run in the truck, and it gets hit by automatic-weapon-toting robbers, he bloweth them all away with a mere handgun and does not sweat even slightly.

Jason Statham in Wrath of Man. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

This is, of course, a tale of revenge. Turns out, Hs teenage son was a victim of collateral damage; killed for being a witness to previous crimes perpetrated by this same crew of baddies. H intends to rain down immediate retribution and send them all to hell.

That Was the Synopsis

What else oh yeahbad acting. The most egregious mistake is casting Scott, son of Clint, Eastwood, as a heavy. Heres a rule of thumb in showbiz: the tall, statuesque, male-model-y looking guystheyre cant believably play heavies. They would like to be heavy, and mean, and intimidating, but they mostly carry something a little too noble in their souls to be able to pull it off. They can do romantic, and funny, and sarcastic  but theyre not scary.

Heck, Clint is twice the actor his son is, and even hes not heavy. He can play mean, but its always leavened by humor. Scott Eastwood, even with a scary-looking facial battle-scar is just not good casting for a psychotic ex-special forces operator-turned-hardened-criminal.

Scott Eastwood plays a bad guy in Wrath of Man. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Josh Hartnett, another tall, dark, handsome fellow, plays a fellow guard, and while hes been doing some laudable work in the weight room, hes not believable in the role.

Jason Statham (L) and Josh Hartnett in Wrath of Man. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Lastly, many of the supporting roles go to Europeans trying to be American and failing, such as Brit character actor Eddie Marsan, who, it must be said, has been believably American elsewhere. If you want dead-on American accents from male Brits, you get Bob Hoskins, Christian Bale, or Gary Oldman.

(LR) Holt McCallany, Jason Statham, Josh Hartnett, and Rocci Williams in Wrath of Man. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Its understandable that artists want to branch out and do something different. It gets stifling in the wheelhouse. But it becomes clearer with each new movie, that Ritichie might want to just, you know, stay in there, maybe bring in some plants, an air purifier, paint the place, and buy some new furniture.

Jason Statham in Wrath of Man. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Wrath of Man

Director: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Jason Statham, Andy Garcia, Josh Hartnett, Scott Eastwood, Jeffrey Donovan, Holt McCallany, Eddie Marson, Rocci Williams

Running Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: May 7, 2021

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Mark Jackson is the senior film critic for The Epoch Times. Mark has 20 years experience as a professional New York actor, a classical theater training, a BA in philosophy, and recently narrated the Epoch Times audiobook, How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World: https://www.thespecterofcommunism.com/en/audiobook/

Rotten Tomatoes page: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/mark-jackson/movies
U.S. Border Patrol agents detain illegal immigrants after they crossed the border from Mexico into the United States in McAllen, Texas, on Aug. 7, 2015. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Former CBP Agent Admits to Bringing Mexican National Into US Illegally: DOJ

A former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has pleaded guilty to illegally bringing a Mexican woman into the United States, according to the Justice Department.

Rhonda Lee Walker, 40, of Laredo, Texas, admitted to federal prosecutors that she helped the illegal immigrant enter the country so that she could work for Walker as a housekeeper and nanny.

The department said in a statement that on Jan. 2 that Walker used a colleagues computer login to help the woman, who has no legal status to reside or work in the United States, pass through the Laredo Port of Entry in Texas by scanning her immigration documents before entry. When questioned by authorities, Walker falsely stated that the woman, identified as Yadira Yesenia Trevino-SanMiguel, was her biological aunt and denied implementing the scheme to help her enter the country.

According to the criminal complaint, Walker, who initially denied paying Trevino, admitted that she had paid Trevino for child care and housekeeping duties and that Trevino would stay at her residence for several days to take care of her children.

As a part of the plea deal, the charges of illegally transporting the woman into the United States and lying to investigators will be dismissed, according to The Associated Press. Walker faces 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine; her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 9.

A CBP spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a statement that: As the nations largest federal law enforcement agency, CBP takes all allegations of employee misconduct seriously. Under uniform procedures designed to promote transparency and accountability, allegations of criminal or serious misconduct are recorded and investigated independently or jointly by the DHS Office of Inspector General, the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Appropriate corrective action is taken against CBP agents, officers, or other employees and contractors determined to have violated law or agency policy, including referral for prosecution when appropriate, the statement said.

In the 2019 fiscal year, 223 CBP employees were arrested for violating state or federal laws. Among those arrested, drug- and alcohol-related offenses make up about half of the arrests, while about 20 percent were related to domestic or family offenses. There were 10 arrests made in relation to corruption. CBP had about 61,000 employees in 2019.

The number of employees arrested continues to be a concern, the CBP stated in its report.

CBP is addressing employee arrests through its ongoing efforts promoting education and resilience services to employees and their families, reducing the use of administrative leave or indefinite suspension when employees are subject to a criminal proceeding, and by ensuring appropriate discipline is applied.

Article updated with a statement from CBP.
The German national flag is seen in front of the Reichstag building housing the German parliament Bundestag on Dec. 16, 2013. (John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images)

Germany Demands Hamas End Terror Attacks Against Israel, Condemns Anti-Semitism

The German government has said that the Hamas terrorist group must stop its rocket attacks on Israel, and that Germany stands by Israels side and supports its right to defend itself.

Berlin also condemned anti-Semitic attacks in Germany, calling it a disgrace for all of us.

The rocket attacks by Hamas must stop, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a press conference on Monday. It is terror aimed at haphazardly killing people. If Israels air defence system didnt intercept so many of them or if many hadnt crashed inside Gaza, the number of victims in Israeli cities would be even higher. Precisely that is the goal of Hamas.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert speaks to the media following a virtual meeting between Merkel and the leaders of Germanys 16 states in Berlin, on Nov. 16, 2020. (Andreas Gora  Pool / Getty Images)

Germany stands by Israels side in this situation and by its right to protect its population and to defend itself, he added.

Seibert blamed Hamas for the casualties on both sides, accusing it of taking the Palestinian people hostage.

Its tragic that so many lives must be mourned on both sides. And its cynical that Hamas, with this rocket terror committed from densely populated areas, from residential areas, is taking hostage the Palestinian population from Gaza.

Hamas knows that the rocket war against the people in Israel surely will not solve the Middle East conflict, a solution which so many people on both sides hope for so much. That will only be possible with a return to the negotiating table.

Also addressing the press briefing, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said: Hamas is listed as a terror organisation in the European Union and events in recent days have again shown why. This is why we will not speak to Hamas and we will not change our policy now.

Commenting on the spike in anti-Semitic attacks in Germany since the Middle East conflict began earlier this month, Seibert said, The hatred against Jews and the anti-Semitism in recent days is a disgrace.

Police officers detain a person after riots during a protest in support of Palestinians, in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2021. (Christian Mang/Reuters)

It is especially outrageous that an Israeli reporter was attacked on the sidelines of a demonstration here in Berlin. I believe that was on Saturday.

This is not just a very severe attack on the freedom of the press but it also shows that Jewish people in Germany in certain areas and under certain circumstances cannot move around as freely as is the right of every person in Germany. This makes us angry and its a disgrace for all of us.

On May 12, German police detained more than a dozen men in three cities suspected of damaging a synagogue, burning Israeli flags, and starting a fire at a Jewish memorial site.

Germanys Interior Ministry said on the following day that security agencies were expecting intensifying protest activities by Palestinians in Germany as well as parts of the leftist movement.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Gwyn Morgan: Canada Harming Own Economy With Carbon Tax While Importing High Carbon Footprint Chinese Products

Canada is crippling its economy and damaging its own competitiveness by imposing carbon taxes on Canadian manufacturing while importing products with massive carbon footprints from China without imposing similar taxes, says Gwyn Morgan, one of Canadas foremost business executives.

If youre taxing something thats already as clean as it could get, all youre doing is increasing the price and the cost to consumers, industry, businesses, and manufacturing, and making the country less competitive, said Morgan, founder of Canadas largest energy company EnCana Corp., now Ovintiv Inc.

Morgan notes that Canada already produces 75 percent of its power from renewable sourceswith hydro accounting for 60 percent followed by nuclear for the restand its therefore unreasonable to further tax the other portion produced by natural gas-fired power.

Carbon Taxes on Chinese Imports

Morgan says China has tricked Canada and other Western countries into believing that its reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and by urging others to fall in line, it has effectively undermined their competitiveness.

The whole charade is that [Chinese leader Xi Jinping] and his compatriots have come to these meetings in Paris  and [they] say We are already doing a lot of things. Weve got more green power than any other country. We are on track to lower emissions, Morgan said. Theyre saying, You guys have to catch up to us, which is so laughable. It would be funny if it wasnt so serious.

While Canadian manufacturers, who cannot further reduce carbon emissions, are heavily taxed, products imported from China that carry massive carbon footprints are still getting a free ride.

If you buy anything [from China], the intrinsic carbon emissions content of that is astronomically higher than the emissions content intrinsically if it was produced here. And yet were taxing ourselves and we are letting China off free to send their carbon intensive products here.

To remedy this, Morgan suggests imposing the same amount of carbon tariffs on Chinese products as the carbon taxes placed on Canadian manufacturing.

If youre going to apply that [carbon] tax, while doing it, apply the same tax rate to Chinas stuff, and youre going to be finding that their taxes are 10 times higher than ours, Morgan said.

So rather than taxing our stuff and putting our manufacturers even more out of business, why arent we taxing the intrinsic carbon content of the products from China? he said, Theres no basic logic for not doing that.

Winning Through Deception

Another example Morgan gave was Chinas coal consumption. He said that while Xi has recently promised to strictly limit and phase down its coal consumption, one needs to look at the data. The Global Energy Monitor reports that, based on January 2021 figures, China has 1,082 operating coal-fired power stations, which is about 44 percent of the world total of around 2,450, and it has 227 other coal plants either under construction or in the pre-construction phase, which is about 43 percent of the world total of around 530.

A recent report by Rhodium Group also showed that Chinas GHG emissions surpassed that of all developed countries combined in 2019. According to the report, China alone produced over 27 percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions, far exceeding the United States, the second-highest emitter, which is responsible for 11 percent of global emissions.

Morgan said the Chinese regime is using strategic deception in its efforts to subdue rival states without outright military confrontations, taking a chapter right out of The Art of War, a classic work by sixth-century B.C. Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu.

Theyre winning because theyre using the art of deception, and its being bought by Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau and other people, Morgan said.
An Israeli artillery unit fires toward targets in Gaza Strip, at the Israeli Gaza border, on May 16, 2021. (Heidi Levine/AP Photo)

Israel Says Over 9 Miles of Gaza Terror Tunnel Destroyed in Airstrikes

The Israeli military has announced the destruction of 9.3 miles of a so-called terror tunnel network used by Hamas forces as part of its effort to degrade the ability of terror groups to launch strikes against Israel.

Our fighter jets neutralized 9.3 miles of the Hamas Metro terror tunnel system overnight. Thats 9.3 miles that can no longer be used for terror, according to a statement on the official Twitter account of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on May 17.

Hostilities broke out on May 10, when Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Islamist terrorist groups fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. Hamas said its rocket assault was in response to weeks of tensions over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and in retaliation for Israeli police responding to Palestinian protests.

In response, Israel has launched more than 1,000 precision air and artillery strikes aimed at Hamas and other targets that are often built close to civilian landmarks in the densely populated coastal strip.

Since May 10, 192 people, including 58 children and 34 women, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. In Israel, 10 people, including one child, have been killed, according to Israels emergency response service.

In a May 17 update on Operation Guardian of the Walls, launched May 10 by the IDF in response to what it characterized as non-stop rocket fire on Israeli civilians, the Israeli military stated that more than 820 terror targets had been struck and at least 130 terrorists had been neutralized, while more than 3,150 rockets had been fired at Israel.

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on May 15, reiterating his strong support for Israels right to defend itself against missile attacks.

He condemned these indiscriminate attacks against towns and cities across Israel and encouraged continued steps to hold violent extremists accountable and to establish calm, according to a readout of the call released by the White House.

Netanyahu told CBS News on May 16 that Israel would act decisively to protect its people and restore calm.

Well do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet, and on the security of our people in deterrence. Were trying to degrade Hamass terrorist abilities, and to degrade their will to do this again, the longtime prime minister said, adding that he hopes the conflict doesnt last long.

Besides destroying miles of the terror tunnels, the Israeli military also stated it had struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to high-ranking commanders in Hamas.

Meanwhile, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) led a group of 29 senators in calling for an immediate cease-fire agreement.

To prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories, we urge an immediate ceasefire, the senators said in a joint statement.
Israel's then-Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan is seen as he receives Italy's interior minister at a hotel in Jerusalem on Dec. 11, 2018. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel Tells UN Security Council Hamas Attacks Part of Ploy to Gain Political Power in West Bank

The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations claimed during an emergency Security Council meeting on Sunday that the recent attacks by Hamas had been premeditated in order to improve its political standing, as he called on the U.N. body to unequivocally condemn the terrorist group for firing rockets at Israeli civilians.

The latest wave of violence was premeditated by Hamas in order to gain political power at the Palestinian Authoritys (PA) expense, Israels Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan told the 15-member council in a virtual session to discuss the worst outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence in years.

Erdan claimed that Hamaswhich was designated a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department in the 1990sis attempting to spike tensions in the West Bank after PA President Mahmoud Abbas delayed the first parliamentary elections in over a decade.

The terrorist group looked for another way to seize power. It escalated tensions in Jerusalem as a pretext to launch this war, he said.

This is not the first time Hamas has indiscriminately fired deadly missiles at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians, but this time its different. This time it was completely premeditated by Hamas in order to gain political power.  Ambassador Gilad Erdan   (@giladerdan1) May 16, 2021

Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups have fired around 2,300 rockets from Gaza into Israel since Monday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday.

The Israeli military said that Hamas, an Islamist terror group, and other armed factions have fired more than 2,800 rockets from Gaza over the past week.

That is more than half the number fired during 51 days in a 2014 war between Hamas and Israel, the military said, and more intensive even than Hezbollahs bombardment from Lebanon during the 2006 war between Israel and the Iran-backed Shiite group.

Do you really believe that this property dispute is what caused Hamas to launch these large-scale attacks on the people of Israel? the envoy added, referring to the pending evictions of a number of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem that Hamas argues validates its rocket attacks on Israel.

Under a 1950 law, Jews are allowed to reclaim property they lost in East Jerusalem during Israels War of Independence from 1948 to 1949.

Erdan told Jake Tapper on CNNs The Lead on May 12 that as a democracy, the government does not and cannot control the courts decision.

Israels ambassador to the US accuses Hamas of committing dual war crimes amid the worst Israeli-Palestinian violence since 2014. They are using their civilians as human shields, and they are deliberately launching their missiles and rockets at our cities, on our civilians. pic.twitter.com/cejRJ44nvf  The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) May 12, 2021

Israel is a country of law, with a robust and independent judiciary, he said again on Sunday.

Erdan called on the U.N. Security Council to condemn Hamas, warning that the terrorist group may be further emboldened if the world body doesnt do so.

Today, you can choose a different path, he urged members.

A Palestinian boy walks past the remains of a tower building which was destroyed in Israeli air strikes, amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence, in Gaza City, on May 12, 2021. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters)

Hamas targets civilians; Israel targets terrorists, Erdan added. Israel makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties; Hamas makes every effort to increase civilian casualties.

Hamas has also said its rocket assault on Monday was in retaliation for Israeli police responding to Palestinian rioters who Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said planned the unrest near the citys Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islams third holiest site, on May 10 during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Erdan claimed Sunday that Hamas used the place of worship as a stockpile for weapons.

Do you really believe these peaceful prayers is what caused Hamas to launch this large-scale attack on the people of Israel? the envoy said. Israel will continue to uphold the rights of all believers to practice their religion in freedom and security, in the holy city of Jerusalem.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, said the violence between Israel and Hamas is utterly appalling as he called for hostilities to come to an end.

This latest round of violence only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction, and despair and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace, he said.

Fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side, aerial bombardments on the other, must stop. The United Nations is actively engaging all sides towards an immediate ceasefire, Guterres added.

Tor Wennesland, U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the session Sunday that, according to preliminary numbers, 177 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have been killed by Israeli air strikes and Palestinian militant rockets in the past weekmarking the deadliest escalation between Israeli military forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza in seven years.

Janita Kan and Reuters contributed to this report.
LA-Funded Homeless Housing Is Still Slow and Expensive

Commentary

Between Gov. Gavin Newsoms recent pre-budget media blitz, President Joe Bidens infrastructure plan, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettis recent State of the City speech, politicians have been making a lot of big claims recently.

In an original economic analysis conducted for The Epoch Times, I analyzed Garcettis claims that housing funded by the citys 2016 HHH bond measure had turned the corner and beat the hype. He also claimed during the same April 19 speech that HHH-funded housing is set to come in at an average of $15,000 cheaper for one thousand units more than originally promisedtwo years ahead of schedule.

Indeed, after two to three years of almost no activity, there were 489 housing units built by the end of 2020a vast improvement from the 62 built by the end of 2019.

Maybe some would agree that the program had finally turned the corner.

Whether the program had beat the hype, though, would probably rely on whether the mayors other claims were true.

For his part, in an op-ed article published March 14just a few weeks before the mayors State of the City speechL.A. Controller Ron Galperin shared his own assessment.

Galperin said: The City of Los Angeles would do well to heed this with Proposition HHH, the $1.2 billion voter-approved, taxpayer-funded bond measure that promised to provide 10,000 units of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. More than four years later, some City Hall officials still refuse to acknowledge the programs flaws and insist that staying the course is the only option. But it isnt. We must do better than that.

The hype of the HHH bond measure was that the city of Los Angeles would help fund 10,000 new housing units for homeless people within 10 years. The bond measure allowed the city to issue up to $1.2 billion in bonds to subsidize the cost of building those units, which would have been an average cost of $120,000 each.

Competing Views

After weeks of trying to get clarification from the mayors office and attempting to understand the differences between the two officials public statements, The Epoch Times conducted its own analysis.

For the mayors claims to be true, the city would be building 11,000 units within eight years of the bond measure being passed, at a cost to the city of just $105,000 per unit.

However, according The Epoch Times analysis and shown in the nearby table, the city is only helping build 7,306 housing units within eight years of the bond measure being passed in November 2016.

And within that number, 123 units will be occupied by house managers, meaning just 7,183 will be used to house the homeless.

Furthermore, at a projected cost of $973.4 million, those housing units will cost the city an average of $133,000 per unit, including the units needed to house managers. If we exclude the units to house the managers, each unit to house a homeless person will cost the city an average of $135,500 per unitthats $15,500 more than what city voters could have reasonably expected when they voted for the HHH bond measure 4 1/2 years ago.

That $15,500 average cost overrun is substantially different than the $15,000 cheaper claim by the mayor during his State of the City speech.

And of course, 7,183 units is about 2,800 units fewer than the 10,000 promised, and about 3,800 units fewer than the mayor claimed on April 19 when he effectively said the city will have helped build 11,000 housing units by the end of 2024.

In his March 14, op-ed article, Galperin got to some of the root causes of the issues. He wrote about the total cost a developer must pay to build housing units for people struggling with homelessness, not just the portion funded by the city.

Spools of red tape and excessive development costs contributed to this mess, Galperin wrote. Having to cobble together money from multiple funding sources and a serpentine permitting process made it so that developers couldnt get their projects approved quickly. Instead of churning out units at $350,000 each as originally predicted, the average per unit cost is now $531,000with some eclipsing $700,000.

Defenders of the status quo assert that the city puts in only a quarter of each units cost and the rest comes from other sources. But this ignores the programs root problem. Higher overall costs means less homeless housing gets built. If the city worked harder to bring costs down, it could use more money to fund additional housing units and extend HHHs reach.

The independent Epoch Times analysis cannot speak to all the issues raised by the city controller, but it does show that the HHH program is slow to build, is costing more than should have been expected, and is producing fewer units than promised.

The controllers most recent full report on the HHH program is online.

The HHH program has improved since 2019, so maybe it has turned the corner, but it is still slow, expensive, and not keeping pace with the need.

Tim Shaler is a professional investor and economist based in Southern California. He is a regular columnist for The Epoch Times, where he exclusively provides some of his original economic analysis.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Man Accosting Strangers Is Shot Dead by Armed Citizen in Washington State

A shooting that took place in Washington state last week involved a person pulling a gun and firing on a man harassing strangers, authorities said.

Police officers in Everett responded on May 11 to a report of an assault with a weapon and found an adult male had been shot. The man, who has not been named, in his early 30s, was rushed to a hospital but was soon pronounced dead.

Initial reports indicate the man was walking his dog when he started shouting and acting aggressively towards people walking on sidewalks around Silver Lake, including a grandmother and her young granddaughter.

When several men nearby moved to intervene, they were hit with pepper spray and struck with a metal baton.

One of the men was armed. He shot the aggressor twice.

Officers detained the shooter and he was interviewed by detectives.

The incident was witnessed by numerous people, the Everett Police Department said, and detectives are continuing to investigate.

Police did not respond to a request for updated information.

Its kind of unheard of, folks running around chasing old women holding grandbabies, Howard Rohdy, one witness, told Q13 Fox.

A companion of Rohdys snapped a picture showing the aggressive man holding a baton.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiners Office is working to confirm the identity, cause of death, and manner of death of the deceased. Animal control took possession of the dog.
Its time that Broward leaders take control of this spiraling situation impacting our residents and businesses. There is already a broad consensus in Broward that affordable housing is a top issue. We have already seen the benefits of previous local investments and land use policy changes that encourage affordable housing development. We acknowledge that the commitment to reallocate expiring Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) dollars in the future is a step in the right direction and the long-term solution. However, to be truly competitive in our region and nationally, we need a dedicated annual funding source for affordable housing that is significant enough to make an impact immediately, not in a decade when the CRA funds are substantial enough to make an impact.
Mom Canceled Abortion After Receiving Sign From God, Now Her Daughter Is 10 Years Old

'The night before my appointment, God worked a miracle in my life.'

A woman who once believed abortion was the only way to cope with her unplanned pregnancy changed her mind after a perceived sign from God.

As her daughter turns 10, proud mom Desiree Burgess Alford, of Black Diamond, Washington, says that her baby wrecked her life without a doubt, but wrecked it for the better.

Recently, Desiree took pause to share an emotional flashback into her story on social media.

Sometimes our pain wrecks us for good, Desiree wrote. Who knew that this sweet angel would be exactly what I needed. She would be the inspiration behind my business and God would use her life to transform mine.

Desiree Burgess Alford with her daughter, Hartley. (Courtesy of Desiree Alford)

Valentines Day 2011 was almost the day her unborn babys heart would have stopped beating as it was the day Desiree was scheduled for an abortion.

I was a struggling single woman, she wrote. I was scared and decided to terminate my pregnancy.

The night before my appointment, God worked a miracle in my life. Not a day goes by that I dont think about all that I almost missed out on.

Desiree became pregnant at 28nine months sober after beating an alcohol addiction, yet without work. Devastated, she felt the pregnancy was yet another setback.

Raised in a church-going, conservative family, Desiree had strong opinions about abortion. Painfully conflicted at six weeks pregnant, she scheduled an abortion for a week and a half later, wanting to get it over with, reported Live Action News.

Financially I was in a horrible place, she told the pro-life organization. I knew Id be [parenting] solo, and that put a lot of pressure on me.

Yet while her parents pledged their support for whatever their daughter chose, they felt Desiree needed more guidance.

They were working behind the scenes, getting people to pray for me and setting things up to help me, Desiree recalled.

When her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor suggested she take a break to reflect before committing to a decision, Desiree headed out to her parents lake house. It was the day before the scheduled abortion, reported Live Action News.

Driving under clear blue skies, Desiree glanced heavenwards. I told God that if I was supposed to keep this baby, He needed to send me a sign as clear as that sky, she recalled.

Little did she know, two people were already at the lake house waiting to meet her. Desirees parents had invited a middle-aged couple to talk to Desiree about their own painful abortion experience shortly after getting married. Desiree listened willingly.

They handed me an 8-week fetal model and they called me a mom for the first time, she told the outlet.

The couple even offered to adopt Desirees baby.

Attending church that same evening, the signs mounted: the topic of the sermon was the miracle of life. Yet the biggest sign of all, for Desiree, was a voicemail from Planned Parenthood. Her appointment had been delayed by two days.

At that, Desiree changed her mind. The pregnancy with my daughter Hartley was one of the most peaceful times of my life, she said.

Finding peace in pregnancy, Desiree even resolved to cope with her solo parenting and financial worries.

When her daughter, Hartley, was born, she could barely imagine life being any other way.

I thought that it was going to ruin my life, she said, and it was the exact opposite.

Hartley even brought with her a brand-new business venture. After handcrafting headbands for her baby, interest grew, and Desiree started a business: Harts and Pearls. Through this work, she met her now-husband, Ron.

The business eventually became lucrative enough for Desiree to secure her first home.

It felt like Gods answer to my dreams of staying home with my kids, like He was saying, Im taking care of you, she told Live Action News.

Ten years on, Desiree is a thriving working mom, and still sober. Third grader, Hartley, is a chip off the old block: during the 2020 lockdown, she started a dog walking business named Harts and Tails.

Shes even making personalized dog and cat bandanas.

(Courtesy of Breonna Barrette Photography)

Since building a decade of precious memories with her daughter, Desiree hopes that their story will inspire others to ask for advice, and listen to the answers.

This sweet angel would be my only child I give birth to, she wrote. In the middle of my pain, I thought I had my entire life ahead of me and Id have plenty of opportunities to have children  at a better time.

I truly believe my life has been blessed not for me but to now help others that desperately need it like I once did.

No matter your situation, God can, and will, use it for good.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Mom Risks Her Life Refusing to Abort Unborn Baby With Spina BifidaNow a Thriving 1-Year-Old

A mom who risked her life to bear a child with spina bifida looks back on a road riddled with uncertainty and knows she made the right choicein the face of pressure, and ridicule from doctors urging her to abort.

Her beloved baby girl, now 1 year old, continues to defy the odds.

Surviving heart failure after giving birth to her third baby, then-25-year-old Victoria Pampanin Reyes was warned that she couldnt bear children again: the risk of relapse was too high.

It took Victoria two years to recover. I was in remission, she wrote, sharing her story with Love What Matters. I had the second chance at life that I begged, pleaded, and went to war for.

Yet the brief calm heralded another storm when Victoria fell pregnant again.

I felt as though I had swallowed a brick, she shared. I had promised myself if I ever got pregnant again I would terminate. It wouldnt even be a question, but there I was questioning everything.

Fearing for Victorias life, her husband Carlos, her family, and doctors implored her to end the pregnancy. The mom-to-be recalled feeling intensely ridiculed by her cardiologist; she left his office in tears.

She booked an abortion but found herself unable to attend, immobilized by a thought, Its a girl, and all will be okay.

Despite immense anxiety, Victoria continued with the pregnancy. But at their first anatomy scan, Victoria and Carlos, who had lost their very first child to stillbirth, were delivered more heartbreaking news: their baby had spina bifida.

Our daughters back had not closed, Victoria explained, the nerve endings of her spine were exposed and she was leaking spinal fluid, causing her brain to herniate. We were told she would likely never walk, she would need a shunt, and she may have brain damage. The list went on and on.

Shocked but steadfast, the couple rejected termination again in favor of exploring options, reaching out to other parents of children with spina bifida for support. They agreed to raise their baby to be strong and confident, no matter what.

Then, Victorias high-risk obstetrician invited her to take part in a trial in-utero surgery. After undergoing numerous tests and being told they qualified, Victoria and her baby became the fourth mom and baby in the United States ever to receive the procedure.

Terrified yet hopeful, Victoria went into surgery at 25 weeks.

Both mom and baby made it through.

Victorias recovery was challenging; she had suffered a collapsed lung and was in immense pain. But an ultrasound confirmed that the procedure had helped her unborn baby. Victoria and Carlos returned home, ecstatic.

Just three weeks later, on July 9, 2019, Victoria woke with contractions and bleeding. She and Carlos rushed through L.A. traffic to the hospital where the laboring mom was sent for an emergency caesarean section. Her placenta had detached and she was losing blood fast.

Being only 28 weeks pregnant, the doctor warned me the baby may not survive, Victoria recalled. But baby Amelie Lucca announced her arrival when her cries filled the operating room. Weighing just 2 pounds (0.9 kg), she was whisked off to the NICU.

Needing multiple blood transfusions, Victoria met her baby girl for the first time at the local childrens hospital four days later.

I could hardly contain my excitement  I could not believe how small she was, she recalled. We made the drive back and forth each day for three very long months  I cried both tears of heartbreak and of joy.

Weathering triumphs and setbacks, Victoria and Carlos watched their daughter consistently beat the odds stacked against her. The day before Amelies initial due date, they were finally able to bring her home.

One year on, Amelie is thriving.

To help cover medical equipment, bills, and therapies not covered by insurance, the family started a GoFundMe page. Victoria also posts updates on family life and Amelies progress on Instagram @our.exquisite.normality.

Using a walker and support sling, Amelie is exploring her mobility as she grows.

I know we made the right choices, her mom reflected. Our once two-pound baby is now a strong-willed, beautiful, and charismatic one-year-old.

Despite being three months premature and having spina bifida, she is right on track for her age and has even begun taking steps, she continued. The little girl they said would never walk has full movement down to each and every one of her 10 tiny toes.

Amelie, said her mother, is the little girl she imagined from the very beginning.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
More Than 150 People Arrested at Go Topless Jeep Weekend Event in Texas

More than 150 people were taken into custody during the annual Go Topless Jeep Weekend event in Bolivar Peninsula, Texas, authorities said.

Officials confirmed most of the 151 arrests were related to minor misdemeanor charges, though 12 people got DUIs, as a large crowd gathered for the four-day event that started on May 13, ABC13 reported.

The minor offenses were mostly for public intoxication, and 87 of the arrests were reported within the first 24 hours of the launch of the event, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said.

Besides the dozens of people that were charged with disorderly conduct, a man was also taken into custody after being accused of breaking into homes and vehicles.

On Friday, one woman also sustained a severe head injury at a beach house in the area after falling from an electric lift. She was transported to the hospital, where she later died.

The accident was not directly believed to be related to the weekend event, authorities said.

During that same accident, a second woman was also transported to the hospital after suffering from a broken leg, Trochesset told ABC13.

This years numbers top those at the event two years ago, when police arrested about 120 partygoers, Breitbart News reported. The weekend-long event also led to six people being hospitalized from injuries received during the party.

More than 21,000 people have since signed a petition calling for an end to the event, saying the partygoers irresponsibility has pushed the event over the edge and allowed it to become a deadly event.

Go Topless weekend in Crystal Beach has become more and more dangerous over the years, the petition claims. It has become a danger for the people attending and for the residents of Crystal Beach.

Last year, the event ended with two people getting hospitalized after a shooting, Trochesset told reporters at the time. The men were airlifted for surgery after both of them were shot in the torso when a fight erupted at the party.

To date, officials havent announced any suspects or arrests related to the 2020 shooting.

From NTD News
A Long March-5 rocket, carrying an orbiter, lander, and rover as part of the Tianwen-1 mission to Mars, lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center in southern China's Hainan Province on July 23, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

NASA Director Nelson Was Correct to Criticize China

Commentary

After days of mounting frustration with Chinas refusal to account for its out-of-control 21-ton Long March-5 booster stage, newly confirmed NASA Director Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and senator, called out the Chinese regime with some needed criticism.

In a press release posted on the NASA webpage on May 8, Nelson stated: Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximize transparency regarding those operations. It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris.

Since its launch into orbit on April 29, the Long March-5 booster stage had been in an uncontrolled descent.

But keeping in character, neither the Chinese space program nor Beijing made any effort to brief foreign governments on its errant space debris, offering no explanation until criticism emerged from the West.

The Long March-5 booster, or first stage, had to reach orbit because the size of the payload meant there was no second stage, thus requiring it to burn longer to reach orbital velocity. However, it had no thrusters to assist deorbiting.

Three-stage space launch vehicles dont usually require the larger first stage to reach orbit, meaning they return to Earth more rapidly, usually to an ocean impact.

There was mounting global concern about this latest Long March-5 mission for three main reasons:

First, the Long March-5 booster stage was a large object, about 21 tons, or the sixth- or seventh-largest body ever to reenter from space, according to a May 6 webpage interview with Marlon Sorge of the Aerospace Corporations Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies. He also estimated that 20 to 40 percent of its mass could reach the ground, or 5 to 10 tonsroughly a city bus, but traveling at 17,000 miles (27,359 km) an hour.

Second, the Long March-5 booster stage wasnt designed to have the ability to conduct a controlled descent that would enable avoidance of populated areas.

Third, the Long March-5 booster was orbiting at an inclination of 41.5 degrees, meaning it would pass over most of the populated regions on the Earth, raising the chance, if even slight, that it could impact onto people or property in more than a dozen nations, including the United States.

A previous Long March-5 launch in May 2020, to test Chinas second-generation manned space capsule, saw the booster stage pass over New York City just prior to spreading space debris in populated areas in the African country of Ivory Coast.

Chinas heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center in southern Chinas Hainan Province on Dec. 27, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

As it turned out, this latest Long March-5 booster stage impacted on May 9, just to the west of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

But illustrating Chinas lack of understanding about its own space debris, earlier on May 9 (May 8 Eastern Time) the China Manned Space Engineering Office issued a press release, stating the Long March-5 debris would impact in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

This theater of absurdities may play out another six times this decade, being the number of Long March-5 missions required to support Chinese Space Station construction and future unmanned Chinese probes to the moon.

At first, the Biden administration tried to play down the concern. In the course of a May 5 press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked, Does the White House condemn this kind of repeated reckless behavior from Chinas space program?

Psaki acknowledged the concern but didnt offer any criticism of China. But on May 6, U.S. Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin, responding to reporters, had to say that the United States didnt have any plans to shoot down the Long March-5 debris.

Another danger was revealed by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, on May 10 in his Twitter feed. About six minutes after Chinas Tianhe space station module separated from the Long March-5 booster on April 29, it passed within 186 miles (300 km) of the International Space Station (ISS).

While this news didnt generate as much concern, its reminiscent of Chinas September 2008 Shenzhou-7 manned spacecraft mission that passed within 28 miles (45 km) of the ISS. In both cases, the Chinese close-proximity pass to the ISS was likely preplanned, but there was no warning conveyed to the ISS partners.

But when concern was finally noted by the Biden administration on May 5, China responded with defensive propaganda. On the same day, the Chinese Communist Party organ the Global Times quoted a Chinese space expert saying, It is another hyping of the so-called China space threat.

Yet, China has long demonstrated that its a threat in space, from its January 2007 anti-satellite interception that created a huge cloud of space debris, to its September 2008 mock interception of the ISS, to its dual-use space station and future moonbase, all under the aegis of the Peoples Liberation Army.

The Chinese regimes cavalier disregard for the danger posed by its uncontrolled Long March-5 booster stage follows its more monstrous disregard for its role in creating and spreading the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) which has now killed nearly 3.3 million people globally and nearly 600,000 Americans.

Now that Nelson has spoken the truth about Chinas failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris, lets hope he doesnt reward China with cooperative space programs as favored by others in the Biden administration.

Nelson has also set an appropriate broader example. Whether its space junk that could fall on our heads, a refusal to account for COVID-19, its illegal military occupations in the South China Sea, or its near-daily military threats to democracies such as Taiwan and Australia, its time to call out the Chinese Communist Party for its serial depredations.

Rick Fisher is a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, arrives the Court of Final Appeal by prison van in Hong Kong, China Feb. 9, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Next Digital Shares Halted, Jailed Owner Lai Pleads Guilty to Hong Kong Assembly

Next Digital Ltd. shares were suspended on Monday after authorities froze assets of its jailed owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law in Hong Kong, while the tycoon pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal protest in October 2019.

The shares will remain on a trading halt ahead of a company announcement regarding the freeze in Lais assets, including his majority stake in the pro-democracy media publisher, Next Digital said.

The move on Lais assets has raised worries about the future of Next Digital, which he has been keeping afloat with loans, although the companys CEO has said that the frozen assets have no link with its bank accounts.

Given this is the first time a listed firm has been targeted under the new security law imposed by the Chinese regime in 2020, it also fuels concerns about the broader investment environment in the Asian financial hub.

Lai, a democracy activist and staunch critic of Chinas ruling communist party, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for taking part in unauthorized assemblies during pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019, and is among the most high-profile arrests made under the security law. He faces three charges under the new law, including collusion with a foreign country.

Lai and nine other activists pleaded guilty in the District Court to charges of organizing an unauthorized assembly on Oct. 1, 2019, as a trial began on Monday.

Lais guilty plea was widely expected after a similar plea in his previous illegal assembly trial.

Sentencing is expected on May 28.

Lai has a 71.26 percent stake in Next Digital worth around HK$350 million ($45 million) based on Fridays closing share price.

But the freeze of assets belonging to the major shareholder will not affect company operations as the frozen assets have nothing to do with Next Digitals bank accounts, CEO Cheung Kim-hung told the Apple Daily newspaper.

Next Digital runs Apple Daily, Hong Kongs most influential pro-democracy newspaper that has long been a thorn in the side of Hong Kong and Chinese communist authorities.

A senior management source at Apple Daily told Reuters last week, before the asset freeze was announced, that the group had tried to firewall its media operations from Lais other businesses, but they believed authorities still had ways to neuter the paper, without elaborating.

Its simply a matter of if they want to do it. If they want to move (on us), theyll move, the source said.

Cash-Strapped

Without fresh cash injections, Next Digital can only survive another nine or 10 months, Apple Daily cautioned on Saturday, a day after authorities announced they had frozen Lais assets.

A shareholders loan of HK$756 million, of which HK$500 million had been drawn as of end-September, was an important source of funding and may not be available anymore given the freeze, the paper added.

The groups bank borrowings amounted to HK$262.3 million as of end-September, repayable within three years. Its net cash position was HK$228.7 million at the time.

Apple Daily said revenue for the group had also come under pressure with pro-China forces in Hong Kong boycotting various advertising resources, making its operation extremely difficult.

The paper reported on Friday its Taiwan arm, set up in 2003, would stop publishing its print version given declining advertising revenue and more difficult business conditions in Hong Kong linked to politics.

Authorities say media freedom in the city is intact but have warned Chinas national security is a red line.

Senior Hong Kong officials have warned Apple Daily about its coverage and flagged the introduction of a fake news law.

I just hope that you know our friends outside can withstand the continuing oppression that we are witnessing in Hong Kong, especially with the media, Avery Ng, one of the 10 defendants in Mondays illegal assembly trial, said before entering court.

By Donny Kwok and James Pomfret. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, a combined formation of aircraft from pass in formation above the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. (Lt. Steve Smith/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

On the World Stage, America Is Being Tested

Commentary

It has not taken long for Americas rivals and enemies to test the new American regime.

In the Obama years, China had suborned the World Health Organization, ignored many of the requirements of the World Trade Organization, manipulated its currency, dumped cheap goods despite various trade agreements, flexed its muscles in purporting to turn shoals into Chinese islands staking out the South China Sea as national rather than international waters, and began saber-rattling in respect of Taiwan.

In focusing on Chinese industrial and scientific espionage, the abuse of the Confucius Institutes and of many Chinese student activities at American universities, and on its abusive trade practices, President Trump on this one issue rallied bipartisan support and gained substantial international agreement, especially from Chinas neighbors, led by Japan, India, Australia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Iran had eagerly accepted Obamas end of sanctions and a ten-year period in which it would not deploy nuclear warheads on missiles but would continue to conduct research to do so, according to an unrigorous schedule of inspection. And North Korea regularly fired missiles over Japan and loudly and randomly threatened the use of nuclear weapons.

Trump withdrew from the shameful nuclear agreement with Iran (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action-JCPOA), and almost strangled that country with renewed sanctions. It ran out of funding for its terrorist proteges: Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi in Yemen.

Trumps two meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un certainly improved the atmosphere and ended North Korean provocations and appeared to slow its nuclear program, but the goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and a permanent and verifiable renunciation of nuclear weapons by North Korea has not occurred, and will not in these circumstances.

Now China is jubilantly buying Iranian oil and thumbing its nose at American sanctions, and the Iranians have responded by resuming ample funding to their terrorist proteges in the Middle East, most conspicuously the Iranian-sponsored Hamas attack on Israel paid for by Chinese purchases of oil from Iran.

The American reaction so far, has been the traditional Democratic practice of perfectly even-handed treatment, as if the parties were of equal legitimacy and moral weight, while the Jewish state of Israel is responding to an unprovoked hail of thousands of rockets on populated areas from the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Particularly worrisome is the computer hacking of the major southeastern oil pipeline that left 80 percent of the gas stations in the District of Columbia and about 60 percent of those in Atlanta closed for a week.

President Biden has acknowledged that it was a Russian hacker but has credulously accepted Russian President Putins assertion that his government knew nothing about it, and has acquiesced in a blackmail bribe paid by that company to the cyber-terrorists.

No serious person could believe that the Russian government had no knowledge of hackers within Russia striking such a heavy blow at the United States.

In the Middle East, the Trump administration managed greater progress toward peace between Israel and the Arab powers than any administration since that of President Carter and the Camp David agreement of 1978.

As the ancient foes of the Arabs, the Turks and the Persians (Iran), encroached simultaneously upon the Arab world, there was a general recognition that Israel was now more naturally an Arab ally than an enemy. The Arab world was never particularly fond of the Palestinians. But it was convenient for decades for the Arab governments to distract the Arab masses, the so-called Arab street, from the misgovernment inflicted upon them by whipping up sentiment about the heinous treatment of the Palestinians by the Israelis.

In these changed circumstances, which the Trump administration exploited very effectively, the Jews and Arabs were natural co-resisters against the Turks and the Iranians.

To an extent, the Trump administration, in championing the opening of relations between Israel and the Gulf states and a remarkable warming of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, was making the most out of the difficulties created by the European Unions mindless and prolonged snub of Turkey, and the Carter administration easing the way for the Khomeini revolution in Iran by, in the words of Carters national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, throwing the Shah out like a dead mouse.

The West is paying for both those policy disasters, but at least the Trump administration managed to patch together Israeli-Arab relations in consequence of them.

There have only been half-hearted demonstrations on behalf of the Palestinians in Jordan (where there is a Palestinian majority), and in Morocco and a few other places.

But the Palestinian leadership have overplayed their hand for years. They never wanted peace because that would have resulted in their leading just another dusty little country with no oil and ceasing to be among the most prominent personalities in the world, which the odious Yasser Arafat, PLO leader, was for decades.

The mistaken Democratic concept of treating them equally with Israel transformed routine terrorists into megalomaniacs deemed to be of equivalent stature to the State of Israel, who did not understand that they were not being supported for the virtue of their cause but for domestic reasons within the Arab countries and that these reasons evaporated when the Arab powers became less comfortable with Turkey and Iran than they were with Israel, which seeks nothing from the Arabs except peace. Trump ceased to lavish upon the corrupt Palestinian leadership attention it did not deserve.

We will presumably hear a bit more of the pompous liberal nonsense about asymmetrical responses, as if countries when attacked have a duty to respond with equal, rather than greater, force to the attack. On that basis no war would ever reach a victorious conclusion.

The Biden administration has supported Israels right to self-defense but is making tedious noises of equal moral relativity: an echo of past Democratic Middle East failures. (Camp David was an agreement with Egyptian president Sadat, not the PLO.)

Of greater interest is what the administration does, in upgrading its own security and in response to Russia, to reduce Americas current seeming vulnerability to a cyber-Pearl Harbor. Israeli premier Netanyahu has promised, with apparently broad support in Israel, to eliminate Irans nuclear military capability if the United States does not do so.

Unless Biden and his entourage manage to squander all credibility, the Israelis will flatten Hamas and the Iranian leaders will compromise to renew the JCPOA.

Biden will presumably equip the American Nimitz class carrier task forces with adequate defenses against Russian and Chinese hypersonic missiles and improve air defenses at Guam and other bases as the armed forces have urgently requested. If he does that and remains quietly firm, there is nothing Beijing can do about Taiwan except huff and puff.

The United States hasnt ceased to be the worlds greatest power in the last four months; it has just ceased to have a credible and coherent administration capable of convincing anyone that it would use its power.

It will not continue in this torpor of woke moral self-mutilation indefinitely, and most countries in the world are already hoping for America to be America, again, if not necessarily in precisely Trumpian terms.

This frail and quavering president who used to muse about beating up Donald Trump in the schoolyard should stop using his bully pulpit to mumble self-deprecations and carry a twig, and start thinking and acting like a president of the United States.

Conrad Black has been one of Canadas most prominent financiers for 40 years, and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world. Hes the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most recently, Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other, which has been republished in updated form. You can hear more of Conrads thoughts on his podcast Scholars & Sense alongside his co-hosts Bill Bennett and Victor Davis Hanson at ScholarsAndSense.buzzsprout.com

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Parler social media website is displayed on a cell phone in New York City on March 5, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Parler Returns to Apples App Store After Months-Long Ban

Social media platform Parler has announced that its app has returned to Apples App Store following months of productive dialogue between the companies.

Millions of Parler and Apple customers may once again exercise their right to freely exchange ideas and opinions on social media, without viewpoint discrimination, Parler said in a May 17 statement.

The dialogue was complemented by a backdrop of important revelations about Parlers cooperation with law enforcement in the weeks leading up to January 6, as well as the prevalence of violent and inciting content on competing social media networks during that period, Parler said, adding that these revelations show that Parler was unjustly scapegoated and deplatformed shortly after January 6, the day of the U.S. Capitol breach.

Version 2.39 of Parlers iOS app, which features enhanced threat and incitement reporting tools, was available for download on Apples App Store.

Adhering to Apples requirements, Parlers iOS app excludes some content that Parler otherwise allows, the company said. However, that content is still visible, at the users discretion, on the web-based and Android versions of the platform.

Parler added that it plans to continue its discussions with Apple about the optimal way to handle this content.

Apple and Google removed Parler from its app stores, while Amazon removed the platform from its web hosting service following the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. All three companies took issue with the companys alleged lax approach to removing violent content posted by its users and repeated violations of their terms of service related to such violent content.

Parler denied the allegations and argued that the Big Tech companies had colluded against it while not taking any action against competitors such as Twitter and Facebook, which had similar content on their platforms regarding the Capitol breach.

In late March, Parler revealed that it had referred violent content and incitement from its platform to the FBI over 50 times before Jan. 6. It also warned the bureau about specific threats of violence being planned about the Jan. 6 incident.

Parler has sued Amazon for breach of contract, defamation, and anticompetitive behavior.

Google, in an April 20 statement to The Associated Press, said that Parler is welcome back in the Play store once it submits an app that complies with our policies, although that hasnt yet happened.

Parlers interim CEO Mark Meckler said in a statement on May 17 that the entire Parler team has worked hard to address Apples concerns without compromising our core mission, calling the reinstatement a win-win for Parler, its users, and free speech.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
Pentagon: UFO Footage From US Navy Is Under Investigation

The Pentagon has confirmed that images and footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) released to the public last month were taken by U.S. Navy personnel, and are currently under investigation by its UAP Task Force.

It comes after documentary filmmaker Jeremy Corbell shared media on YouTube, writing that the U.S. Navy photographed and filmed pyramid shaped UFOs and spherical advanced transmedium vehicles.

In one clip, footage of what the Pentagon calls a transmedium vehicle appears to hover from side to side, before dipping below sea level.

This footage was filmed in the CIC (Combat Information Center) of the USS Omaha on July 15th 2019 in a warning area off San Diego, Corbell wrote. This footage depicts a UAP event series that reached a crescendo with one of the unknown targets entering the water. No wreckage found. None of the unknown craft were recovered.

Confirming the authenticity of the clip, Susan Gough, a Pentagon spokesperson, told the Daily Caller that it was captured by U.S. Navy personnel.

I can confirm that the video was taken by Navy personnel, and that the UAPTF included it in their ongoing examinations.

Corbell said intelligence reports note that the spherical craft could not be found upon entry to the water, and that a submarine was used in the search but nothing was recovered.

The Pentagons Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, which was established last year, is scheduled to release a report on its findings in June. The countdown was triggered by the passing of the December 2020 stimulus bill.

The Pentagon said the task force was established to improve its understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAPs.

The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze, and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security, it said.

The authenticity of additional night-vision footage shared online by the investigative filmmaker that shows a pyramid-shaped flying object moving at a constant speed and blinking irregularly, was also confirmed by Gough last month.

That footage is also under review by the UAP Task Force, she said, declining to elaborate further for security reasons.

Since the release of the U.S. Navy images and footage, the Pentagons inspector general said it plans to begin a probe next month into how the Pentagon has responded to unidentified aerial phenomena, including UFOs.

The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the DoD has taken actions regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, Randolph Stone, assistant inspector general, wrote to top officials, including the secretaries of the military departments.

We may revise the objective as the evaluation proceeds, and we will consider suggestions from management for additional or revised objectives, he added.

John Ratcliffe, the former director of National Intelligence, said UAP Task Forces report would detail more information than has been released before.

There are a lot more sightings than have been made public, he said on Fox News in March.

Some of those have been declassified. And when we talk about sightings, we are talking about objects that have been seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that frankly engages in actions that are difficult to explain. Movements that are hard to replicate that we dont have the technology for. Or traveling at speeds that exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom, he added.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
PM Urges Heavy Dose of Caution as Restrictions Ease in England

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked people to exercise a heavy dose of caution as indoor socialising resumes on Monday.

From Monday, up to six people or people from two households are allowed to meet indoors, and 30 people can gather outdoors; indoor hospitality businesses can reopen, and the new guidance on meeting friends and family emphasises personal responsibility rather than government rules, according to the government.

This third step of the governments road map to exit the lockdown has been overshadowed by concerns of the Indian variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, prompting Johnson and his ministers to urge caution.

Easing the lockdown in England. (PA Graphics)

Together we have reached another milestone in our road map out of lockdown, but we must take this next step with a heavy dose of caution, the prime minister said in a statement.

We are keeping the spread of the variant first identified in India under close observation and taking swift action where infection rates are rising, he said.

Johnson said the current data do not indicate unsustainable pressure on the NHS, and that second vaccine doses are being accelerated to give the greatest protection to the most vulnerable.

But now everyone must play their partby getting tested twice a week, coming forward for your vaccine when called, and remembering hands, face, space, and fresh air, he added.

Former Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Mark Walport has said that he thought it was extremely important that the government has added fresh air to its mantra of hands, face, space.

People have got to be sensibly cautious so I think, Walport told Sky News on Sunday.

My advice is that just because you can do something, doesnt necessarily mean you should. As far as possible, socialize outside, maintain social distancing, if youre going to hug, hug cautiously, he said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday said there are more than 1,300 cases of the Indian variant of concern, which is relatively widespread in small numbers and is becoming the dominant strain in Bolton and Blackburn.

He did not rule out the possibility of delaying the final phase of the road map, or imposing local lockdowns in areas such as Bolton to tackle the Indian variant, which he warned could spread like wildfire.

But early lab data indicated that the CCP virus vaccines do work against the Indian variant, according to Hancock. Ministers are hoping surge testing and vaccines will allow a safe opening up of the nation, with jabs due to be extended to people over the age of 35 this week.

PA contributed to this report.
Then Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) addresses supporters for his Senate bid, in Hazleton, Pa., on May 15, 2018. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Republican Lou Barletta Launches Bid for Pennsylvania Governorship

Lou Barletta, a Republican who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump for a U.S. Senate seat in 2018, has announced that hes running for governor of Pennsylvania.

Im in! Im running for Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Barletta, 65, said in a tweet on May 17. We need bold leadership to help get Pennsylvanians back to work, our students back in the classroom, and our businesses booming again!

Barletta, who represented the state in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2019, lost his Senate bid to incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). Previously, he had served as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvanias governor, Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is barred from running for reelection in 2022 due to term limits.

In a campaign launch video, Barletta touted his record as a successful businessman, vowed to boost the states economy, oppose efforts to suppress fossil fuels, fight illegal immigration, take measures to shore up election integrity, and make neighborhoods safer.

We grew our company to the largest of its kind in the Commonwealth, he said, referring to the pavement marking company that he founded in 1984.

We created good-paying jobs for hardworking Pennsylvanians, Barletta said, highlighting his service as mayor and member of the U.S. House.

But the Pennsylvania we all grew up with, the one we all knew just a few years ago, its slipping away from us, he said.

Our way of life changed dramatically during the pandemic, Barletta added, blaming the states Democratic governor for a heavy-handed approach to COVID-19 restrictions that he said made things so much worse.

They had a disastrous response to the pandemic. Wolf squeezed our small business owners and put hardworking Pennsylvanians on the unemployment line. These politicians kept our kids out of school for far too long. And who knows the long-term damage of that? Barletta said.

Falling COVID-19 infection and death counts, along with updated public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have fueled calls for states to roll back restrictions.

Wolf recently defended his decision not to lift all COVID-19 restrictions until Memorial Day, May 31, after some Republicans argued they should be lifted on May 28 to boost Pennsylvanias economy and help the hospitality industry, which has been hit especially hard by the pandemic.

Im not trying to play games. Maybe we should have done it May 15. Maybe we should wait until Sept. 1. I dont know. What is the right time? Im trying to do the best that I can, Wolf said at a press conference last week, according to local outlet News 8.

Barletta also accused Wolf and his liberal friends in DC of trying to end the production of coal, oil, and natural gas, which Barletta said would destroy thousands of jobs.

We need to take back our natural resources from the elites and turn on the energy powerhouse that Pennsylvania can be, Barletta said.

Wolfs administration in early May solidified its intention to begin imposing a price on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, a move that could make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy. The regulatory scheme is a key part of Wolfs climate change agenda. Opponents say the move would devastate coal and natural gas jobs and hurt local businesses.

In his campaign video, Barletta also vowed to oppose efforts to defund the police or put sanctuary cities in our hometowns, while promising to fight for election integrity.

So far, Barlettas only declared opponent in the Republican primary is Joe Gale, a Montgomery County commissioner.

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro will be seeking the Democratic Partys nomination.
Sen. Ron Johnson Says Green New Deal Would Make US Grid More Vulnerable to Cyberattacks

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) says the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack and ensuing shutdown have exposed existential vulnerabilities in the United States fuel and electrical grid.

The senator called vulnerabilities a devil of a problem for which theres no easy fix, while arguing that the Democrats Green New Deal would make the problem worse.

Colonial Pipeline, which delivers approximately 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing it had been targeted by hackers. The shutdown affected gasoline supplies, with some people waiting for hours at gas stationsa situation made worse by panic buying.

Colonial Pipeline announced on May 15 that it has returned its systems to normal operations.

Johnson was asked by John Catsimatidis, host of the radio program The Cats Roundtable about the possibility of future attacks on the nations critical infrastructure systems in a May 16 interview.

Cybersecurity is a devil of a problem, Johnson replied. There are no easy solutions.

The Wisconsin Republican said part of the solution is holding cyberattackers accountable.

The United States should make them pay for these types of intrusions, Johnson said, though he acknowledged that identifying the hackers behind such attacks is difficult.

The FBI and administration officials have blamed a criminal syndicate named DarkSide for the Colonial Pipeline attack.

President Joe Biden said at a May 13 press briefing that while the administration does not believe the Russian government was involved in the intrusion, we do have strong reason to believe that criminals who did the attack are living in Russia.

We have been in direct communication with Moscow about the imperative for responsible countries to take decisive action against these ransomware networks, Biden said, adding that the administration would pursue a measure to disrupt their ability to operate and the Department of Justice (DOJ) had launched a new task force for prosecuting ransomware hackers.

Johnson said a key lesson from the Colonial attack is how incredibly vulnerable our fuel grid is, our electrical grid is.

We are very vulnerable, Johnson said, and called for more investment to shore up grid resiliency. Were spending all these trillions of dollars in infrastructure, let us spend a couple of billion and pre-purchase backup, large power transformers in case theres an EMP or a GMD issue with our electrical grid.

Johnson has long advocated for enhanced measures to protect the electric grid from threats of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) disruptions, nuclear weapons, and geomagnetic disturbances (GMD) such as solar storms.

We are a fossil fuel-based economy and will be a fossil fuel-based economy for decades, Johnson said in the interview. We need to recognize that, harden our grid under that reality, and dont make ourselves more vulnerable with the Green New Deal.

Progressive Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), reintroduced their signature blueprint to address climate change, the Green New Deal, in late Aprilthis time in the form of a Senate resolution.

Republicans have denounced it as a socialist super-package.

Johnson said Bidens plan to adopt proposals in the Green New Deal could make the countrys power grid more vulnerable.

With everybody hooking up their solar panels and hooking into the grid so they can get a few shekels for the electricity theyre selling into the grid, we become more and more vulnerable, he said, arguing that it will create more points of contact that cyberattackers can exploit.

We really need to change the direction were headed in here. No administration has paid sufficient attention to the vulnerabilities of our electrical grid.

This could be existential.

Republicans have repeatedly opposed the Green New Deal, dismissing it as a costly and extreme proposal that would cost jobs and reduce American energy independence.

True to its name, the Green New Deal is the most amateurish resolution in recent memory, Environment Subcommittee ranking Republican Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said in a statement following the deals reintroduction.

This legislation would change every aspect of American life: what we eat, how we travel, how we stay warm, and even what jobs we can take. This is no way to govern. Simply put, the Green New Deal is an attempt to disguise socialism in the name of environmental protections.

Markey stated at a press event in Washington on April 20 that the Green New Deal isnt just a resolution, it is a revolution, adding that the proposal provides the framework we need to confront the intersecting crises our country facesclimate change, a public health pandemic, racial injustice, and economic inequality.

We can transform our economy and our democracy for all Americans by addressing the generational challenge of climate change, he said.

Ocasio-Cortez, who joined Markey at the reboot, reinforced the plans sweeping and revolutionary zest.

Were going to transition to a 100 percent carbon-free economy that is more unionized, more just, more dignified, and guarantees more health care and housing than we ever have before, Ocasio-Cortez said. Do we intend on sending a message to the Biden administration that we need to go bigger and bolder? The answer is absolutely yes.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 16, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Sen. Rubio: Some Lawmakers Are Very Interested in UFO Sightings, Should Be Taken Seriously

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says that members of Congress and other officials need to seriously investigate UFOs and the potential threat they pose.

Speaking to CBS News 60 Minutes, the Florida Republican described a stigma on Capitol Hill, in which some lawmakers are very interested in this topic, but some kind of giggle when you bring it up. However, he cautioned, I dont think we can allow the stigma to keep us from having an answer to a very fundamental question.

The senator said he wants the Pentagon to come up with a process to take UFOs, or unidentified flying objects, seriously.

I want us to have a process to analyze the data every time it comes in, Rubio said. That there be a place where this is cataloged and constantly analyzed, until we get some answers. Maybe it has a very simple answer. Maybe it doesnt.

The U.S. government is reportedly planning to release a report regarding UFO sightings to Congress next month.

The CBS News program also interviewed former Navy Lt. Ryan Graves, who claimed he witnessed unidentified aerial phenomena over restricted areas every day for several years. Graves added that hes worried they could pose a security threat.

If these were tactical jets from another country that were hanging out up there, it would be a massive issue, Graves said. But because it looks slightly different, were not willing to actually look at the problem in the face.

Were happy to just ignore the fact that these are out there, watching us every day.

Although the thought of UFOs conjures up images of aliens or saucer-shaped spacecraft, Graves suggested that these objects could be technology developed by Russia or the Chinese regime.

A UFO captured in declassified military footage. (Department of Defense/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Another former official, Luis Elizondo, who previously headed the Pentagons Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, told 60 Minutes that there were often simple explanations for UFO sightings. However, he noted, others werent so simple, also questioning whether China was involved.

Is it some sort of new type of cruise missile technology that China has developed? Is it some sort of high-altitude balloon thats conducting reconnaissance? Elizondo asked. Ultimately, when you have exhausted all those what-ifs and youre still left with the fact that this is in our airspace and its real, thats when it becomes compelling, and thats when it becomes problematic.

The comments come as the Pentagon confirmed that recent images of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), which is the term the Pentagon uses for UFOs, were taken by U.S. Navy personnel.

I can confirm that the video was taken by Navy personnel, and that the UAPTF included it in their ongoing examinations, Pentagon spokeswoman Susan Gough told the Daily Caller on May 14 about footage that appeared to show an object appearing to defy the laws of physics.
Son of Fallen Officer Pursues His Dads Legacy, Joins Police Academy 4 Months After Fatal Shooting

With his father and uncle in law enforcement, Carlos Herrera always knew he wanted to join the force. When his father, Investigator Mario Herrera, was shot in the line of duty last year and died days later, Carloss goal gained a new imperative: he would continue the fallen officers legacy.

Carlos enrolled in Police Academy at the Lincoln Police Department, Nebraska, in January, four months after his fathers passing.

Carlos with his late father, Mario Herrera. (Courtesy of Lincoln Police Department)

Mario served with LPD for 23 years. Donning his uniform and badge each morning, the investigator made a huge impression on his young son, Carlos.

Just getting to hear how much he was able to help people and make a positive impact in their life just truly made a profound impact on me, Carlos told KLKN-TV.

Carlos then attended the Univeristy of Nebraska-Lincoln for a short period of time before joining the U.S. Marine Corps for a period of four years. Along with Carlos, a lot of his fellow marines also enrolled in law enforcement, reports Lincoln Journal Star.

Carloss proud mother, Carrie Herrera, said it would be a pretty good deal if her son could follow in her late husbands footsteps. The Herreras have regular meals together, keeping Marios memory alive by sharing stories from the family archives.

Besides the support of his mom, three sisters, and his fiancee, Tasha Bredvick, Carlos has made a number of lasting friendships through the Academy. But perhaps most poignantly of all, he feels his studies have helped with the grieving process, and that his father has been beside him every step of the way.

On Aug. 26, 2020, police were serving a warrant at a house near 33rd and Vine streets when Carloss father was shot. After a few days at the hospital, Mario passed away.

My dad just motivates me and keeps me going, even when stuff gets rough, he reflected. [He] keeps me going and keeps pushing me forward to do my best every day.

Carlos and his fiancee, Tasha Bredvick. (Courtesy of Lincoln Police Department)

The Police Academy cadet hopes to qualify as a narcotics investigator for LPD, wanting to help those whose lives have been impacted. His biggest goal, he claimed, is simply to go out and help people every day, as best he can.

Carlos is set to graduate and begin his new life in law enforcement in June.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on May 28, 2020. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Speaking of the Possibility of Ousting Xi Jinping

Commentary

On April 30, Roger Garside, who served as a British diplomat in China twice, wrote an opinion article in the Globe and Mail, titled Regime change in China is not only possible, it is imperative, in which he posits his views on how to change the course of Chinese leader Xi Jinpings China.

Garside wrote, Much of the Chinese elite is deeply opposed to the course to which Mr. Xi is committed. They recognize that economic reform without political change has created problems that damage China as a nation and pose a risk to their own interests.

However, at present, due to Xis totalitarian rule, political reform will not happen. What to do? Garside believes that there are two possible options: one is to overthrow Xi through a coup detatthe strained U.S.-China relationship could play a key role in launching a coup against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The second is to prevent Xi from becoming the Party leader again at the 20th National Congress. Xis opponents can use this opportunity to push China onto the path of change. The United States and its allies can take advantage of economic, financial, and technological advances to engineer conditions to facilitate regime change in China.

Garsides views seem reasonable on the surface. However, I believe theres a lack of thorough understanding of the current state of the CCP and the crux of its problems.

Garsides two proposed options are essentially the sameto oust Xi. For now, Xi has indeed turned to the left, and many of his practices at home and abroad have sickened many people. The idea of expelling Xi is very compelling to some people. For example, Cai Xia, the former professor of the CCPs Central Party School, has repeatedly claimed that Xi must step down.

However, based on my observations of the CCP, the Party members are unlikely to stage a coup against Xi.

The CCP worships the phrase coined by Mao Zedong, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. The one who owns the gun (military power) is the true boss.

Now, Xi has military power.

Xi replaced all key positions in the Security Bureau of the Central Office (Security Bureau) with his own confidants. The Security Bureau is responsible for the security of the CCPs General Secretary, the Chairman of the State, the Chairman of the National Peoples Congress, the Premier, and members of the Politburo Standing Committee.

Xis confidant, Wang Xiaohong, executive vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security, concurrently serves as the director of the Secret Service of the Ministry of Public Security (Secret Service). The Secret Service is responsible for the security of the Vice Chairmen of the State, the Vice-Chairmen of the National Peoples Congress, the Vice Premiers, State Councilors, the Vice-Chairmen of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, the President of the Supreme Court, and the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Procuratorate.

Chinese soldiers from the Peoples Liberation Army wear protective masks as they march after a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Chinas entry into the Korean War, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Oct. 23, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

As for preventing Xi from being reelected as the Party leader next year, it is also unlikely. The CCP has never conducted a real election. The candidates for the 20th National Congress leadership team are all predetermined. Who is leading the election of the 20th National Congress? It is Xi, not his political opponents.

Judging from the CCPs history, in 27 years of dictatorship under Mao Zedong until his death on Sept. 9, 1976, there was no successful coup. After Maos death, the highest level of the CCP had four power changes similar to coups: The first time was on Oct. 6, 1976, when Hua Guofeng, then the first vice chairman of the CCP Central Committee, arrested Maos wife Jiang Qing with the support of the CCPs marshal Ye Jianying. After that, Hua became the CCP leader. The second time was when General Secretary Hua was ousted in 1981. The third time was when General Secretary Hu Yaobang was ousted in 1987. Finally, the fourth was when General Secretary Zhao Ziyang was ousted in 1989.

The key reason for the last three abnormal power changes lies in the fact that there was a strong man in the CCP, Deng Xiaoping, and Deng had the support of the military.

Currently, many high-level CCP members are dissatisfied with Xi, and they want to remove him from office. But, they all have the same major weaknessthey are all seriously corrupt elements and have no righteousness.

The CCP Is Rotten to the Core

In my opinion, the CCPs fundamental problems do not lie in Xis personal qualities, but in that the CCP is a Party guided by Marxism. Marxism is the soul of the CCP, and all of the CCPs problems in internal affairs and foreign diplomacy originate from it.

On June 24 last year, when the then-U.S. National Security Adviser Robert C. OBrien delivered a speech in Arizona, he reflected on how over the years the United States had tried to expand economic and technological cooperation with the CCP in an effort to democratize it, but the result has been just the opposite.

He said, We could not have been more wrongand this miscalculation is the greatest failure of American foreign policy since the 1930s. How did we make such a mistake? How did we fail to understand the nature of the Chinese Communist Party?

The answer is simple: because we did not pay heed to the CCPs ideology.

Let us be clear, the Chinese Communist Party is a Marxist-Leninist organization. The Party General Secretary Xi Jinping sees himself as Josef Stalins successor, said OBrien.

This view captures the crux of the CCP issue. Marxism, no matter how fascinating it sounds on the surface, is essentially falsehood, wickedness, and struggle. These three words are the golden key that unlock the mysteries of 170 years of international communist movement history, 100 years of the history of the CCP, and 72 years of the history of the Peoples Republic of China.

The so-called falsehood is to tell lies, the so-called wickedness is to achieve the goal unscrupulously, crossing the moral and legal bottom line; the so-called struggle is to fight against the heavens, the earth, and the people. The CCP has been engaged in falsehood, wickedness, and struggle for 100 years and it has turned the CCP into the most corrupt Party in the world.

Many Western scholars are trapped in the false hope that political reform would occur with new leadership. They fail to see that the CCP is rotten to the core. In fact, its a fatal and common error of several Western scholars with the unilaterally emotional and naive ideal of wanting to treat the CCP as an ordinary and normal Partyone that has not even a trace of humanity.

Take Xu Caihou, a former member of the Politburo and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, as an example.

On March 15, 2014, Xus mansion in Beijing was searched after the CCP suspected him of taking bribes. The basement of his 21,528-square-foot mansion was filled with the following: more than one ton of cash, including U.S. dollars, euros, and yuan; countless gold and silver jewelry, famous Hetian jade stones, known as the Chinese national stone, some of which were as heavy as 220 pounds and others more than 440 pounds; precious hardwoods and rare jadeite artifacts, and various antique utensils, calligraphy, and paintings from the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. The confiscated property took more than a dozen military trucks to transport.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) greets the Peoples Republic of China Central Military Commission Vice Chairman General Xu Caihou (R) at the Pentagon in Washington, on Oct. 27, 2009. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

This was only Xus wealth in one mansion. The CCP has never dared to publicly disclose the total illegal assets Xu collected. I believe that the CCP is worried the amount could be high enough to cause a rebellion in the military.

Xi has been fighting corruption for over eight years since coming into power, but as his leadership continues, the corruption only gets more and more serious. Just this year, for example, Lai Xiaomin, a corrupt official who was executed on Jan. 29, received $270 million in bribes. On Feb. 27, the CCPs media reported that the corrupt official Li Jianping accepted more than $460 million in bribes. On March 28, the state-owned media reported that Xu Changyuan, a corrupt official, illegally obtained a huge profit of more than $1.55 billion.

The CCPs corruption has grown like an advanced stage of cancer. Nothing will cure it, be it surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or any other remedies.

The Disintegration of the CCP Is the Only Option

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist regimes was a catastrophic failure for Marxism.

Mikhail Gorbachev, former head of the Soviet Union and the key player during the dissolution of the republic in 1991, was asked in an interview with The Guardian in 2011 to name the things he most regretted 20 years later. He replied without hesitation, The fact that I went on too long in trying to reform the Communist Party.

In a public speech to students at Columbia University in 2002, Gorbachev also admitted that Soviet politicians operated with lies.

We, including I, were saying, Capitalism is moving toward a catastrophe, whereas we are developing well. Of course, that was pure propaganda. In fact, our country was lagging behind, Gorbachev said.

He told the students that by the time he rose to power, with Soviet satellites in space, the ruling politicians were discussing the problem of toothpaste, the problem of detergent, and they had to create a commission of the Politburo to make sure that women have pantyhose, according to the report.

It took the Soviet Union 69 years to demonstrate the failure and lies of Marxism-Leninism. The collapse of the Soviet Union is only a historical trend and destiny.

After all, prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin, the former first president of Russia, along with 2.7 million Party members, had already left the Party in 1990.

In the first six months of 1991, more than 4 million members, or nearly a quarter of the total, either left the Communist Party of the Soviet Union or were expelled from it for holding anti-Party positions, refusing to obey Party orders, or refusing to pay Party dues.

A similar pattern is happening in China today. As of May 14, more than 377 million Chinese have declared their withdrawal from the CCP and its associated organizations, as recorded by the Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party.

It is only a matter of days until the collapse of the CCP regime.

Wang Youqun graduated with a Ph.D. in Law from the Renmin University of China. He once worked as an aide and copywriter for Wei Jianxing (19312015), a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee from 1997 to 2002.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Seated from (L): Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, standing from (L): Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett pose during a group photo of the justices at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff / POOL / AFP)

Supreme Court Agrees to Take on Major Abortion Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take a major abortion case and would consider Mississippis appeal of a lower court ruling that reversed a ban on most abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The case will grant the Supreme Court the opportunity to reconsider landmark abortion rulings including Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. With Roe v. Wade, in a ruling that was derided by conservatives and religious adherents, the high court in 1973 ruled that a woman had a right to an abortion and reaffirmed it about 20 years later.

In a single-line order, the court wrote, The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted limited to Question 1 presented by the petition.

The announcement Monday is being seen as a boon for opponents to abortion, who have long sought to overturn Roe v. Wade, and who are pinning their hopes on a more conservative Supreme Court after Justice Amy Coney Barrettwho some have said would be more receptive to overturning the rulingwas appointed last year.

The Supreme Court will start hearing arguments in the case in October, and it will be the first abortion-related case since Barrett was confirmed. The other two justices nominated by former President Donald Trump, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, voted in dissent last year to allow Louisiana to enforce restrictions on doctors that could have closed two of the states three abortion clinics.

The case stems from the 2018 Gestational Age Act that was passed in Mississippi, which allowed abortions after 15 weeks only in medical emergencies or in cases involving severe fetal abnormality.

Later, Federal District Court Judge Carlton Reeves struck the law down and said that Mississippi chose to pass a law it knew was unconstitutional to enforce a decades-long campaign, fueled by interest groups, to ask the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling by Reeves, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

But Mississippi in its appeal argued that the ban was intended to protect the mothers health as well as the life of the fetus.

America cannot be a humane, civilized society if its courts preclude lawmakers from imposing reasonable limits on the taking of innocent life, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said.

Mississippi has a separate law that bars abortions after 20 weeks, which is not included in the Supreme Court petition.

The case is Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization 19-1392.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Supreme Court to Consider Mississippis 15-Week Abortion Ban

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a Mississippi case that could allow states to ban abortions after 15 weeks of gestation.

The case will probably be heard in the fall of this year. It comes as Democrats and President Joe Biden intensify their push to expand the Supreme Court from its current nine members, in part to protect abortion rights.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves hailed the courts decision, saying a review of the nations abortion laws was long past due.

The sanctity of life. The future of our children. Mississippi is at the forefront of protecting both. And that is what is at stake in the case we have been praying the U.S. Supreme Court would decide to hear, the Republican governor said on social media.

It is the second abortion-related case the high court has decided to take up since Justice Amy Coney Barretts arrival on the bench last fall gave the conservative bloc a 63 majority on the court, giving pro-life activists hope.

The first was Cameron v. EMW Womens Surgical Center, as The Epoch Times reported on March 29. The case revolves around Kentuckys 2018 ban on dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortions on unborn, living children.

Then-Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, signed the law, the Human Rights of Unborn Children Act, which stopped D&E abortions after 11 weeks of pregnancy and was subsequently enjoined by federal courts. After the succeeding administration of Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, refused to defend the statute in court, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, indicated that he wanted to do so.

The legal issue to be examined isnt the constitutionality of the Kentucky statute as such, but standingthat is, whether a state attorney general vested with the power to defend state law should be permitted to intervene after a federal court of appeals invalidates a state statute when no other state actor will defend the law.

In theory, the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion lawful throughout the United States, but narrowing its reach seems more likely. The court could also take aim at the Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) ruling, which held that states cant impose significant restrictions on abortion before a fetus becomes viable for life outside the womb. The Casey ruling didnt specify when viability occurs but suggested it was at about the 24-week gestation mark.

The Supreme Court took its time deciding whether to hear the appeal of the case from Mississippi, known as Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, court file 19-1392, which was filed with the court in April 2020.

The court indicated that it will limit the scope of the appeal and consider only Question 1 as stated in the petition for certiorari, or review, that the state filed with the court. That question is, whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.

No justices stated in the unsigned order that they disagreed with the decision to hear the case.

Mississippis petition to the Supreme Court notes that the state enacted H.B. 1510, the Gestational Age Act in 2018, which protects the health of mothers, the dignity of unborn children, and the integrity of the medical profession and society by allowing abortions after 15 weeks gestational age only in medical emergencies or for severe fetal abnormality.

The petition states that surgical abortion after 15 weeks carries inherent medical threats to the mother. The risk of the mother dying is 35 times more likely at 16 to 20 weeks than at 8 weeks, and the relative risk of mortality increases by 38 percent for each additional week at higher gestations.

It is undisputed in the medical literature that a human fetus develops neural circuitry capable of detecting and responding to pain by 1012 weeks after the last menstrual period, it states.

At 1420 weeks, spinothalamic circuitry develops that can support a conscious awareness of pain.

During the time period covered by the law, the human fetus is likely capable of conscious pain perception in a manner that becomes increasingly complex over time.

We know so much more about the development of unborn children today than 1993much less 1972, Reeves said in an apparent reference to Roe v. Wade, after the Supreme Court decided to hear the Mississippi case.

Honestly, the abortion debate has divided our country for over 50 years, and many of us believe the decision to review is long past due.

Mississippi argues that viability is not an appropriate standard for assessing the constitutionality of a law regulating abortion. The state says its ban is intended to safeguard the health of the mother and baby.

America cannot be a humane, civilized society if its courts preclude lawmakers from imposing reasonable limits on the taking of innocent life, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, has argued.

The federal district court that found against Mississippi excoriated state lawmakers for passing the law at issue, H.B. 1510.

The Mississippi Legislatures professed interest in womens health is pure gaslighting, the district court stated in its ruling. No, legislation like H.B. 1510 is closer to the old Mississippithe Mississippi bent on controlling women and minorities. The Mississippi that, just a few decades ago, barred women from serving on juries so they may continue their service as mothers, wives, and homemakersa reference to a Mississippi legal precedent from 1966.

The Mississippi that, in Fannie Lou Hamers reporting, sterilized six out of ten black women in Sunflower County at the local hospitalagainst their will.  And the Mississippi that, in the early 1980s, was the last State to ratify the 19th Amendmentthe authority guaranteeing women the right to vote.

The lawyer representing the clinic said in court filings that there was no reason for the Supreme Court to consider the case.

In an unbroken line of decisions over the last fifty years, this Court has held that the Constitution guarantees each person the right to decide whether to continue a pre-viability pregnancy, lawyer Hillary Schneller wrote.

Mississippis argument was based on a misunderstanding of the core principle of prior Supreme Court rulings, she said.

While the State has interests throughout pregnancy, before viability, the States interests are not strong enough to support a prohibition of abortion, she said.
The Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on May 7, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Supreme Court Unanimously Rebuffs Biden Administration on Warrantless Searches for Handguns

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected Biden administration arguments in a case from Rhode Island that police should be allowed to enter homes without a warrant to seize handguns.

The ruling in the case, Caniglia v. Strom, court file 20-157, came May 17.

Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America and the affiliated Gun Owners Foundation, praised the decision.

The Supreme Court today smacked down the hopes of gun-grabbers across the nation, he said.

The Michael Bloombergs of the world would have loved to see the Supreme Court grant police the authority to confiscate firearms without a warrant. But the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Fourth Amendment protections in the Bill of Rights protect gun owners from such invasions into their homes.

Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York mayor, is an activist and major funder of gun-control groups.

The case came before the high court for oral argument two months ago as President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats began pressing for aggressive new restrictions on Second Amendment gun ownership rights, including controversial red flag laws, which allow gun seizures from law-abiding gun owners with limited due process, in the wake of highly publicized deadly mass shootings in March at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket and at Atlanta-area spas.

Police generally cannot conduct searches of private property without consent or a warrant.

In Cady v. Dombrowski, the Supreme Court held in 1973 that police may conduct warrantless searches related to community caretaking functions, but only for vehicle accidents. Since then, the principle has become a catchall for a wide range of responsibilities that police officers must discharge aside from their criminal enforcement activities, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals stated in the Caniglia case.

The community caretaking doctrine holds that police dont always operate as law enforcement officials investigating wrongdoing, but sometimes as caretakers to prevent harm in emergency situations.

Edward Caniglia has no criminal history and no record of violence. He had been married to his wife for 22 years when, on Aug. 20, 2015, they had a disagreement inside their Cranston, Rhode Island, home.

The argument escalated. He produced an unloaded gun and said, Why dont you just shoot me and get me out of my misery?

Worried he might be suicidal, his wife asked police to conduct a welfare check. The husband went to a local hospital briefly after police assured him they wouldnt take his two handguns.

After he left, they seized his guns without a warrant, telling the wife his life and others could be in danger if they left the guns in the home. The police refused to return the weapons and Caniglia sued, arguing the community caretaking exception shouldnt apply inside the homethe most protected of all private spaces.

During telephonic oral arguments on March 24, Department of Justice lawyer Morgan Ratner supported the city of Cranstons position, arguing police have to be free to act in potential emergencies.

Although there have been a lot of questions this morning about whether this is emergency aid or exigent circumstances or community caretaking or something else, the label you give it is not nearly as important as the principle. And the key principle is if someone is at risk of serious harm and its reasonable for officials to intervene now, that is enough, Ratner said.

Writing the Supreme Courts four-page opinion in the case, Justice Clarence Thomas noted the Cady v. Dombrowski precedent, which he indicated applied to police responding to disabled vehicles or investigating accidents.

The question today is whether Cadys acknowledgment of these caretaking duties creates a standalone doctrine that justifies warrantless searches and seizures in the home, Thomas wrote.

It does not.

Thomas wrote that the federal district court ruled in favor of the police and the 1st Circuit expanded on this, stating that police often have noncriminal reasons to interact with motorists on public highways. The appeals court extrapolated from the Cady ruling a freestanding community-caretaking exception that applies to both cars and homes.

The appeals courts community caretaking rule goes beyond anything this Court has recognized, Thomas wrote.

The acknowledgment that police officers perform many civic tasks in modern society was just thata recognition that these tasks exist, and not an open-ended license to perform them anywhere.

In a separate concurring opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the Supreme Court is properly reject[ing] the broad community caretaking theory.

At the same time, he noted that the case implicates another body of law that petitioner glossed over: the so-called red flag laws that some States are now enacting.

Such laws, he wrote, enable the police to seize guns pursuant to a court order to prevent their use for suicide or the infliction of harm on innocent persons.

Although this particular decision doesnt address those issues, provisions of red flag laws may be challenged under the Fourth Amendment, and those cases may come before us.

Acting U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar and Marc DeSisto, attorney for Cranston, didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment.
A Target store is shown in San Diego, Calif., on May 17, 2016. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Target Joins List of Retailers That Will Not Require Fully Vaccinated Customers to Wear a Mask

Target announced Monday that they will no longer require face coverings for those who are fully vaccinated but will ask guests who have not complied with CDC vaccination requests to wear a mask in accordance with their new guidelines.

Target will no longer require fully vaccinated guests and team members to wear face coverings in our stores, except where its required by local ordinances, stated a press release.

Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated and well continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores.

The CDC first announced Thursday and issued a statement Sunday saying that those who are fully vaccinated can stop wearing a face covering.

Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance, the CDC declared.

Target provides incentives and encourages staff and customers to get vaccinated if they have not yet done so.

Target is offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments at nearly all CVS at Target locations for guests and team members. Were also providing paid time to U.S. hourly team members when they get their vaccines and free Lyft rides, up to $15 each way, for our team to get to and from their appointments, stated the press release.

Fully vaccinated means a person has received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or both doses of vaccines from Moderna or Pfizer, and two weeks have elapsed.

Over 120 million Americans, or 36 percent of the population, had been fully vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus as of May 14.

Besides Target, other large retailers also followed the CDCs lead.

Walmart, Costco, Sams Club, Publix, and Trader Joes all announced that they would not force customers who are fully vaccinated to wear masks in states that do not require the coverings.

In a similar update to the other retailers, Costco said that they will not check for proof of vaccination but hope that customers abide by the revised policy.

Walmart told associates in a note that they would also not need to wear masks unless they are not vaccinated.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee gives the command to start engines prior to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., on July 15, 2020. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Tennessee Governor Signs Bathroom Bill Protecting Access to Biological Sex

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a law to protect access to gender-specific bathrooms on Friday, triggering many progressive groups to claim the law will discriminate against the LGBTQ community.

The legislation, called The Tennessee Accommodations for All Children Act (pdf), mandates that a public school has to provide a reasonable accommodation to a person who submits a written request: For any reason, is unwilling or unable to use a multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility designated for the persons sex and located within a public-school building, or multi-occupancy sleeping quarters while attending a public school-sponsored activity.

The law also states that a persons sex is a persons immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth. It defines reasonable accommodation as access to a single-occupancy restroom or changing facility, or use of an employee restroom or changing facility.

A reasonable accommodation does not include access to a restroom or changing facility that is designated for use by members of the opposite sex while persons of the opposite sex are present or could be present, the law continues.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) criticized the governors signing of the bill in a statement issued on Friday, calling it discriminatory.

These anti-equality pieces of legislation are being pushed by national extremist groups and peddled by lawmakers in Tennessee in an effort to sow fear and division, the HRC said. The bill further discriminates against transgender students and opens up schools to legal consequences if a student believes they have shared a sex-segregated space  bathrooms, locker rooms or another changing facility  with a transgender student. This bill is squarely in defiance of federal law and flagrantly discriminatory.

Governor Lees office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill.

However, prior to signing the legislation, Lee told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the bill provides equal access to every student, he said after touring a Nashville public charter school last week. Its a reasonable accommodation, it allows for accommodation for every student regardless of their gender. I think thats a smart approach to the challenge. And Ill be signing that, the governor added.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, whose mission is to strengthen the independence and integrity of state legislatures, recorded that as of 2019, 16 states have considered bathroom bills that would restrict access to multiuser restrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-segregated facilities on the basis biological sex.

To counter bills like the Tennessee one, the HRC is pushing for the Democrats to pass the Equality Act, saying that it will ensure future administrations fully enforce non-discrimination laws.

Democrats in the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in late February, claiming it will prevent discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the legislation in their respective chambers.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) questions Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt during his confirmation hearing to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on his nomination to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, on Jan. 18, 2017. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said in a statement, With the reintroduction of the Equality Act, Congressional Democrats are making a resounding commitment to this truth: that all Americans must be treated equally under the law, not just in the workplace, but in every place.

While Democrats say their bill will prevent discrimination against transgender people, conservatives say it will create new forms of discrimination against those who do not agree with the law and or have religious beliefs about gender and biological sex, including employers, medical professionals, parents, and women.

Emilie Kao, director of Heritages Devos Center, explained in a March interview the ways in which the Equality Act would affect life for everyday people who believe in biological sex.

It really is important for Americans to understand that disagreement is not discrimination. We should be able to disagree about things like gender identity and same-sex marriage, and that should not be treated as discrimination, said Kao.

About half the States have added sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes to their Civil Rights Law, and activists have weaponized those laws to punish people who disagree with them about marriage and about gender identity, Kao added. So, theyve not only punished people in the wedding industry like bakers, florists, and photographers, and they have punished these agencies that serve foster children and families that want to care for them. Theyve also used these laws in the States to punish a womens homeless shelter that did not want to admit a biological man.
A worker cleans the statue of former prime minister Winston Churchill in Londons Parliament Square that had been spray painted with graffiti during a Black Lives Matter protest on June 8, 2020. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

The End of Whig History and the Twilight of Nations

Commentary

From the 17th to the 20th century, Whigs shaped an Anglo-American culture based on the universal principles of the European Enlightenmentindividual liberty, free speech, property rights, rule of law, free enterprise, and democratic governance.

Whig histories were affirmative accounts of national origins that celebrated a progression from troubled or divided beginnings to more just and democratic stages of shared civic development. Whig historians told stories of people and institutions that strived to become better over time.

Up to the late 1960s, Whig history was commonly taught in schools throughout the nations of the free world. The development of the nation was regarded as something citizens could be proud of.

Academic Contempt for the Whig Interpretation

Some 90 years ago, Cambridge professor Herbert Butterfield published a short book entitled The Whig Interpretation of History. At first, the book went largely unnoticed, but after 1950, it became required reading for history majors in English-speaking universities.

Butterfield argued that Whig historians focused too much on events that ratified, if not glorified, a nations status. He reserved his strongest criticism for those who described the development of individual liberty and representative democracy as landmark achievements of freedom-loving, Anglo-American nations.

Despite being a practicing Christian, Butterfield deemphasized the value of moral conclusions: If history can do anything, he wrote, it is to remind us that all our judgments are merely relative to time and circumstance.

His contempt for the traditional canons of national histories led to the deconstruction of our past and the development of a moral equivalence between liberal-democratic philosophy and Marxist dogma. At the height of the Cold War, he implied that the conflict between Eastern totalitarianism and Western democracy amounted to nothing more than a competition between equally self-righteous value systems.

Over the remainder of the 20th century, the rejection of the Whig interpretation opened the door for the deconstruction of national histories and the development of cultural relativism. Fashionable academics suggested that theres no objective distinction between good and bad forms of civic development. At the same time, they imagined a global political order that would bring peace and prosperity by uniting mankind around a more progressive narrative.

Butterfield contended that the Whig interpretation warped our perception of the past. As a result, expressing pride in the historical achievements of nations such as Great Britain, Canada, and the United States came to be regarded as a misguided and shameful disposition held only by rubes and illiterates. Self-loathing became the order of the day.

By the late 1980s, privileged professors and students at Stanford University were chanting, Hey hey, ho ho, Western Civ has got to go and the suicide of our nations was well underway.

Butterfield had set out to refine history and expose flaws in the conventional wisdom, but his academic vanity devalued the history of English-speaking peoples and ushered in a dangerous alternative.

Woke History Replaces Whig History

History, like nature, abhors a vacuum, and soon after Whig history was discredited, a subdivision of the Communist Party of Great Britain, the Communist Party Historians Group, formed an influential group of British Marxist historians. Over several decades, British and American Marxists set out to develop a popular revolutionary tradition that would inspire activists and fellow travelers. Scholarly militants called for an end to the study of great leaders and inspirational ideas in favor of something they called history from below.

In the mid-20th century, leading Marxist academics such as Christopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm, Raphael Samuel, and E.P. Thompson led the way. In 1952, several of them founded the social history journal Past and Present, and the long march of Anglo-American Marxists through our schools and universities picked up the pace. Ultimately, the left spawned its own version of Whiggery in the form of a progressive mega-narrative that demonizes our nationhood and looks forward to a borderless global order.

By the turn of the 21st century, Whig history, once the bond that held free nations together, was almost entirely removed from our schools. Neo-Marxists installed their own versions of the past into the mainstream of Western culture. The widespread introduction of the American 1619 Project is a prominent example of our educational establishments surrender to the left.

The Whig interpretation that once tugged at the heartstrings of young patriots is now considered racist and xenophobic even by the president of the United States. Whig history has been replaced by Woke history.

Are We in the Twilight of Nations?

Severing people from the bonds of tradition threatens to destroy our social capital and usher in the twilight of free nations.

Over the past century, in Great Britain and the United States, leaders such as Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump occasionally restored our forbidden sense of national pride. Churchill wrote his own Whig History of the English-Speaking Peoples, and a brilliant 20th-century sequel was produced by English historian Andrew Roberts. But unless things change, its highly unlikely that books celebrating the achievements of liberal democratic nations will ever be read again by Anglo-American students of history.

In his 2018 book The Virtue of Nationalism, Israeli scholar Yoram Hazony pointed out the universal value of nationhood. He argued that a world made up of independent nations leaves room for diverse forms of self-government, religious practice, and cultural experimentation that stand to benefit all of mankind.

Whig forms of nationalism have produced independence, self-determination, political sovereignty, and equal justice for all. Whig principles ultimately freed enslaved peoples in independent nations throughout the world. Giving up on the Whig legacy and the lessons of history is tantamount to giving up on ourselves.

Some have cynically claimed that history is nothing more than a set of lies agreed upon. But enduring nations have always required a shared narrative to celebrate and build on. Otherwise, theyve descended into fractious collections of selfish tribal interests and eventually succumbed to the power of a predatory empire.

In the 21st century, that may well be what Beijing is counting on.

William Brooks is a Montreal writer and educator. He currently serves as editor of The Civil Conversation for Canadas Civitas Society and is an Epoch Times contributor.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
She had started her search in the Boca Raton-Delray Beach area, where she co-owned a condo with her grandmother. But the mandatory country club fees in many neighborhoods made Palm Beach County too expensive, so she searched farther north and landed in the PGA Village neighborhood. Remote work and easy access to the highway made the transition easier, she said.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) talks to reporters after House Republicans voted to remove her as conference chair in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington on May 12, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)

The Republican Dilemma

Commentary

Observing the ouster of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her House leadership position and her criticism of former president Donald Trump, reminded me of a 70s TV ad for Listerine mouthwash. The company attempted to use the products bad taste to its advantage. The ad said, Its got the taste people hatetwice a day.

The Republican establishment may hate Donald Trump, but they would be hard-pressed to deny how effective his policies were, pre-COVID-19. The 74 million people who voted for him is a formidable number. Whatever some may think of his personalityand I deplore how he demeans othersno one can credibly deny he was more successful than any modern Republican president. The question is, can he do it again? Last years election was unique due to the pandemic with many using mail-in ballots, fearful of going to the polls. That appeared to drive up the number of voters.

Cheneys main distaste for Trump is that he continues to claim the 2020 election was fraudulent and that he should have been declared the winner. I wont go down that dead-end road again. I will point out that people have short memories, especially when the major media do not report that contesting election outcomes is not unique to Donald Trump.

An exception was a New York Times opinion column in January 2020. University of Iowa law professor Derek T. Muller, who specializes in election law, wrote: After Republican victories in 2000, 2004 and 2016.  Democrats in Congress used the formal counting of electoral votes as an opportunity to challenge election results.

How soon we forget.

Liz Cheney appeared last week on Fox News Special Report with Bret Baier. She berated the network for what she said was their enabling of Trumps election fraud narrative and for promoting The Big Lie. Cheney failed to mention four years of claims by Democratsaugmented by the major mediathat Russia helped Trump steal the 2016 election. Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed by former Attorney General William Barr, has spent two years investigating the source of that hoax but has not issued a report.

Trump could help himself not only with Republican leaders, but also voters, especially should he choose to run again in 2024, by focusing on the future, not the past. Joe Biden will not be removed from office, but if Trump stopped reliving 2020 and started concentrating on congressional races next year (while also continuing to attack President Bidens failed policies), Republicans would be in a far stronger position to retake the House and possibly the Senate. This would set the stage for a Republican presidential victory in 2024, assuming the issues and not Trumps personality are the focus.

Cheney is obsessed with Trump. She cant let him go and he wont let her go. Without his Facebook and Twitter accounts, Trump still issues statementssometimes several a daypromoting people who support and praise him and calling people names who oppose him.

Name-calling doesnt persuade or win issues. Perhaps his rants, directed at people he dislikes, as well as his praise for those he admires is not his main goal. It is meant to keep his base engaged. Trump followers hate the Washington Establishment (aka The Swamp) and are preparing for the next battle with Trump as their leader. Trumps planned resumption of rallies next month may show how strongly he retains his base. He must also attract swing voters who largely abandoned him last year because they were turned off by his denunciation of others.

Like that old Listerine ad, some Republicans and a lot of Democrats and the media may hate him, but they are using him more than twice a day. He is also using them.

John Calvin Thomas has been a syndicated columnist, author, and radio commentator for more than 35 years. His latest book is Americas Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the Future of the United States.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The king and his family sat in the center of the upper level of the chapel, while the ladies of court sat in the side galleries. The remainder of the court and the public sat in the nave below. (Thomas Garnier/Chateau de Versailles)

The Royal Chapel at Chateau de Versailles: A Divine Beacon Fit for a Sun King

Larger Than Life: Art that inspires us through the ages

A renewed sense of grandeur has returned to the Royal Chapel at Versailles, after a three-year restoration project.

In the 17th century, the Sun King, Louis XIV, personally directed the creation of this grand chapel. In doing so, he established a conduit between the heavens, the French monarchy, and hence the people of France for generations to come.

In 1687, the kings architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart began work on the chapel, and after he died, the building was completed in 1710 by his brother-in-law, the architect Robert de Cotte.

The chapel stands taller than the surrounding palace buildings, reminding everyone that the divine rules even the king.

The main walls, ornamented with Corinthian pilasters (architectural facade features that give the appearance of columns), form the body of the building and support the upper level, which is lined by a balustrade and 30 statues. Sixteen different sculptors carved these statues, depicting Christian figures or allegories of Christian virtuesall to inspire man.

Behind the statues, Gothic-style buttresses, topped with eternal torches, arch upward to the heavens. The buttresses support the steep, hipped slate roof typically seen in French architecture. And touches of gold leaf highlight the ornate leadwork on the chapel roof.

Sunlight pours into the chapel through large Gothic-style windows that are a combination of clear and stained glass.

Inside the chapel, the soft vertical lines of the arches and columns gently allure the eye, leading ones attention from the chapel floor through the mid-level columns, before settling on the spectacular vaulted ceiling covered with paintings portraying the Holy Trinity.

To find out more about the restoration of the Royal Chapel at the Chateau de Versailles, visit ChateauVersailles.fr

Inside the newly restored Royal Chapel at the Chateau de Versailles on April 20, 2021. The restoration started in Autumn 2017. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The Royal Chapel before its three-year restoration. (Didier Saulnier/Chateau de Versailles)

The newly restored Royal Chapel at Versailles. The chapel is taller than the surrounding buildings to highlight the importance of the church and the divine rule of the king. Indeed, the gold-trimmed roof shimmers as if it were the crown of Versailles and of France. (Christian Milet/Chateau de Versailles)

Craftsmen gilded the ornate lead work back to its original state. (Didier Saulnier/Chateau de Versailles)

An artist attentively gilds the lead sculptures as part of the Royal Chapel restoration project.

(Thomas Garnier/Chateau de Versailles)

The south side of the restored chapel. Eternal torches can be seen at the top, and beneath them are statues: Christian figures and allegories of Christian virtues. (Thomas Garnier/Chateau de Versailles)

Restored statues of St. Gregory the Great (L) and St. Ambrose. (Thomas Garnier/Chateau de Versailles)

A stone carver restores the stonework to its former glory. (Didier Saulnier/Chateau de Versailles)

The harmonious interior of the Royal Chapel is created by a combination of colonnades and the many windows that fill the sacred space with an almost heavenly light. (Thomas Garnier/Chateau de Versailles)

A detail of the ornate gilding inside the Royal Chapel. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The dove representing the Holy Trinity and the golden Fleur dLis of the French monarchy are some of the rich motifs seen throughout the stained glass windows of the Royal Chapel as a reminder that the right to rule is a gift bestowed by God. (Didier Saulnier/Chateau de Versailles)

A detail of one of the elegant stained glass windows, surrounded by splendid golden frescoes. (Didier Saulnier/Chateau de Versailles)

The king and his family sat in the center of the upper level of the chapel, while the ladies of court sat in the side galleries. The remainder of the court and the public sat in the nave below. (Thomas Garnier/Chateau de Versailles)

Colonnades of Corinthian columns stretch up to the incredible painted ceiling that portrays the Holy Trinity. In the center is God the Father in His Glory by Antoine Coypel, in the apse is The Resurrection by Charles de La Fosse, and above the Royal Gallery is The Descent of the Holy Ghost by Jean Jouvenet. (Thomas Garnier/Chateau de Versailles)
President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Trump to Speak at North Carolina GOP Convention on June 5

Former President Donald Trump is going to speak at the North Carolina Republican Partys 2021 State Convention on June 5, the state GOP announced Monday.

We are honored to welcome President Trump to our convention as the Republican Party launches our campaign to retake Congress and the Senate in the 2022 midterms, North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley said in a written statement.

Trump will speak at the Convention Dinner, which begins at 6 p.m. on June 5. This will be Trumps first public speech since he addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, in late February.

However, Trumps speech will be closed to the media, according to Livy Polen, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina GOP.

President Trump won North Carolina in 2016 by promising to put America First, and he won North Carolina in 2020 by keeping that promise, said Whatley. President Trump delivered real results for North Carolina by rebuilding the military, standing strong against China, and unleashing the American Economy.

Trump won North Carolina in 2016 and 2020, both with a slim margin. As a swing state, North Carolina is essential for the Republican Party to retake Congress.

Trumps daughter-in-law Lara Trump has not ruled out a 2022 U.S. Senate run for the seat to be vacated by the retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

Lara Trump speaks at President Donald Trumps Make America Great Again rally in Tampa, Fla., on July 31, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Burr is one of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump for the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. He was censured by the North Carolina GOP unanimously in February.

Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), former Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), and former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory announced their entry into the race. A former Department of Defense intelligence analyst Jennifer Banwart also announced her bid for the seat.

Trump hasnt endorsed any of the candidates for the Senate run yet.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will also speak at the convention. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), and other House Representatives will attend the convention.

The convention will be held at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville from June 4 to 6. It will elect the chair and vice-chair of the North Carolina GOP, adopt a plan of organization, Party platform, and resolutions, among other actions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
UK Farmer Unearths WWII Amphibious Assault Tank That Disappeared 74 Years Ago

A Crowland, UK, farmer recently dug up an amphibious WWII military vehicle that was buried under 30 feet of earth. Now, he is working to restore the Buffalo LVT-4once thought to be lost to history.

An excavation involving 50 men to exhume the tank in Lincolnshire Fens has afforded farmer Daniel Abbott the opportunity to restore and display the vehicle, which, for him, has become a passion.

Daniel Abbott (L) and company stand in front of the Buffalo LVT (Courtesy of Daniel Abbott and the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association).

It was a very emotional moment, Abbott told The Lincolnite. I was nervous all day as this has all been a big part of my life.

For the past three years, Abbott has been searching for the 20-ton amphibious assault vehicle, which itself has been buried for the last 74 years.

There were a lot of rumors flying around about the Buffaloes not being there. People told me that theyd all been recovered, he said. But I remember as a young child my great-grandparents telling me there were amphibious vehicles around the site.

Cranes pull the Buffalo LVT from the excavation site. (Courtesy of Daniel Abbott and the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association)

The Buffalo LVT being exhumed by an excavation crew. (Courtesy of Daniel Abbott and the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association)

Abbott studied WWII records, scoured the area, and eventually found the machinewhich once had been part of a 30-vehicle operation to build a temporary dam. But in 1947, the Buffalo was washed away along with 14 other vehicles in a flood, and has been missing ever since.

With the help of Crowland Cranes, North Level Internal Drainage Board, and Tears Recovery, Abbott started the 5-day excavation to disentomb the amphibious vehicle from under 30 feet of earth.

The Herculean operation involved removing 4,500 tons of clay to uncover the vehicle.

Abbott told the BBC that he was over the moon to see it in such good condition.

Closeup of the Buffalo LVT amphibious assault vehicle. (Courtesy of Daniel Abbott and the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association)

Detail of the Buffalo LVT. (Courtesy of Daniel Abbott and the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association)

This is something I have been working on for three years, and I never dreamt in five days we would have one out above ground for people to see, he said. Its in fantastic condition for its age.

The Buffalo LVTonce ferociously armed with two functioning Browning machine guns and a Polsten cannonwill remain in Crowland, at Abbotts insistence.

Its believed the vehicle may have been used in the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945, a key event in WWII, making the find a truly momentous discovery.

Even more remarkable, the historic amphibious vehicle was discovered just in time for the 75th anniversary of its vanishment.

(Courtesy of Daniel Abbott and the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association)

(Courtesy of Daniel Abbott and the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association)

Ive always said I wanted to get one out in time for the 75th anniversary and we are ahead of schedule now, said the farmer.

Crowland Buffalo Restoration & Museumchaired by Abbottold The Epoch Times they are really wanting Buffalo 47 restored and preserved, so that everyone from nations afar will be able to see her for years to come.

The farmer has started a GoFundMe and Facebook fundraiser to help furnish the vehicles restoration and preservation and hopes to one day have it displayed somewhere in town as a memorial.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Brett Sutton the Chief Health Officer of Victoria speaks to the media in Melbourne, Australia, on June 22, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Victorian CHO Says Australia Cant Pursue CCP Virus Elimination

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has told healthcare workers at a private seminar that Australia should not pursue a CCP virus elimination strategy but instead prepare the public to accept that community transmission will occur even when enough are vaccinated, and international borders reopen.

Sutton believes Australians may not feel an urgency about the virus because of the countrys almost zero rates of community transmission, but he warned that it could change one day.

We need to somehow communicate to the public that weve gotten to a place of complacency because weve driven transmission to zero, but we will face newly emerging transmission and a critical juncture where we need to make a call on letting it run, Sutton said at a seminar held in April, according to leaked audio obtained by The Age.

This may happen when Australia has enough of the adult population immunised, and confidence in vaccines is high, Sutton said, according to The Age.

Sutton spoke to the need to open up the country for the economic and social benefit of international travellers wanting to do business in, learn, and visit Australia.

We all need to step up to get vaccinated in order to open up Australia to world travel and arrivals so that our education sector, tourism sector, and all of the other kinds of compassionate reasons for us to see family and friends overseas can come to the fore, he said.

Suttons comments were echoed by Australias former deputy chief medical officer, Dr Nick Coatsworth, who last week warned that Australians have to come to terms with the fact the nation cannot ride out the pandemic in an eliminationist bunker, likening an elimination strategy as the pursuit of a false idol.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Coatsworth told the Australasian College of Surgeons on May 13 that once a significant majority of the community is vaccinated, there will be pressure to open borders without resistance.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he agreed with Coatsworth that Australia should not pursue the false idol of eradicating COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

We are not pursuing a [COVID-19] elimination strategy  you cant eliminate the virus, Frydenberg said on May 15.

The treasurers comments come after he described Victorias $200 million plan for a purpose-built quarantine facility as the most comprehensive, while the prime minister said it was fair dinkum.

The state last month proposed the 500-bed facility at Mickleham, north of Melbourne, and wants the federal government to fund and build it. Frydenberg confirmed on May 12 that the federal government was still considering the Victorian plan.

Last year, Victoria went into a prolonged lockdown that lasted 112 days due to failures in the states hotel quarantine program. The majority of Australias CCP virus deaths (920) were in Victoria (820), followed by New South Wales (54).

The federal government doesnt expect Australias international borders to open until mid-2022.
From sourdough to feta pasta, much of the last year at home has been food-focused. And one driver of these delectable fads is the social media platform TikTok.

Many people have embraced cooking during the pandemic, when theyve been home, bored, looking to try something new. TikTok was ready to fill the gap as a foodie paradise, and has seen more than 15 billion food posts.

Its my bedtime routine, Lori Jackson, 54, of Lynn, Massachusetts, said of watching TikTok cooking videos. Ive taken ideas Ive seen on there and made them.

One of the burgeoning TikTok celebrity chefs is Harry Heal, a 26-year-old who lives in Dubai.

Heal has a distinct baritone, an English accent, and has garnered about a million followers in the six months hes been posting cooking videos. He isnt a chef by trade, though he learned some cooking skills when working in the French Alps as a teen.

From then on, I have been a huge cooking enthusiast and loved being in the kitchen, Heal said.

His most viral video  13.3 million views  is a Valentines Day dish with seared chicken breast, roasted garlic, sliced mushrooms and cream. Like most TikTok videos, its set to music and has the feel of something professionally crafted.

Tri Phan of Arlington, Virginia, has amassed 1.5 million followers since he began posting workout and healthy cooking videos in November. The 23-year-old, who is working on his masters degree in data and business analytics at American University, often does two versions of his content, one in English and one in Vietnamese; about 60 percent of his followers are Vietnamese, he says.

When I first started, it was me wanting to share with the world Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese food, he said. Now I want to take this TikTok further to really help people learn to cook healthy meals that they could eat and they could eat for the rest of their lives.

Phans love of cooking came despite being told by his traditional mother to stay out of the kitchen. My mom never wanted the only boy in the family to be in the kitchen, he said.

And because of that, I always wanted to cook.

Now that hes TikTok famous, he says his mother doesnt quite grasp what that means. "Shes like, Oh, good job, son. Very good. But your finance major, hows that going?

About one year ago  somewhere near the Tiger King phase of the pandemic  a whipped coffee drink made the rounds on the internet, starting its viral journey on TikTok. The drink originated in South Korea, where its called a dalgona coffee. All it required was instant coffee, sugar and hot water to construct a luscious-looking beverage resembling a soft-serve ice cream cone. The hashtag #whippedcoffee has amassed more than 2.3 billion views.

Theres a lot of variety on food TikTok. You can learn to perfect a hamburger or ferment kimchee, make old-fashioned Japanese candy or fry frog legs.

The video-only platform lends itself to cooking demonstrations, said Crystal King, a social media professor at Boston-based marketing software firm Hubspot. Other social media platforms have multiple features  lots of text or static photos  that can divide a users attention. TikTok, however, "sucks people in really easily, she said. The format is simple, easily understood and it connects people into a global understanding of food really quickly.

The vast array of content is a leading attraction of food TikTok, fans say. Many people, like Julie Vick, a 44-year-old writer and college instructor in the Denver area, look there for new ideas.

The videos are a little mesmerizing at times, Vick said. Ive liked watching the tortilla ones, where people put four different ingredients in different sections of a tortilla and then fold it up and cook it in a skillet.

Although they're generally not hands-on, TikTok's short videos do create interest in cooking skills, says Geeti Gangle, co-owner of Create a Cook culinary school in Newton, Massachusetts.

If we engage younger people in learning to cook, they will start making food for themselves one day, Gangle said. And they might become interested in learning the skills later on.

The link between good nutrition and knowing how to cook has been well established. But until the pandemic, cooking skills were on the decline for young people and not frequently taught in school.

Camden Allard, a 21-year-old student in Seattle, has made several recipes from TikTok: bread recipes, the feta tomato pasta that recently broke the internet, trifles, cinnamon rolls and the quarter quesadilla.

TikTok videos are great to watch because I am able to get the overall information about a recipe  like what it makes, the ingredients, how you cook it  in about a minute, he said. I can quickly determine if its something that I would be interested in doing.

Allard, who has been cooking for about eight years, said he enjoys making meals with his girlfriend and family, and TikTok has made it easy for them to expand their repertoire.

Quarantine has made life bland and repetitive with us staying at home, and having new meals to try out has added some excitement, he said. That has made making dinners less of a chore and more an exciting thing.

___

Amanda Lee Myers in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
PHOENIX (AP)  The costs to taxpayers from a racial profiling lawsuit stemming from former Sheriff Joe Arpaios immigration patrols in metro Phoenix a decade ago are expected to reach $202 million by summer 2022.

Officials approved a tentative county budget Monday that provides $31 million for the cost of complying with court orders in the fiscal year that begins on July 1. No one can say exactly when the costs from the 13-year-old lawsuit will start to decline.

The growth in spending is enough to make any of us cry as were trying to be fiscal stewards of the county taxpayer money, Supervisor Clint Hickman said.

Taxpayers in Arizona's most populated county are on the hook for lawyer bills and the costs of complying with massive court-ordered overhauls of the sheriffs office after a 2013 verdict concluded Arpaios officers had profiled Latinos in traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Arpaio, known for a tough-on-crime approach in his 24 years as sheriff that included forcing jail inmates to wear pink underwear and housing them in tents in triple-digit desert heat, targeted illegal immigration and was convicted of criminal contempt for disobeying a court order to stop his immigration patrols. His misdemeanor conviction was later pardoned by then-President Donald Trump.

The taxpayer spending is expected to continue until the Maricopa County sheriffs office has fully complied with overhauling its traffic enforcement and internal affairs operations for three straight years.

Although some of the agencys numbers are near or at 100%, the sheriffs office hasnt yet been deemed fully compliant.

Attorneys who pressed the case against the sheriffs office have criticized the agency for traffic-stop studies since the profiling verdict showing deputies often treat drivers who are Hispanic and Black differently than other drivers, though the reports stopped short of saying Latinos were still being profiled.

The lawyers also have asked a judge to hold civil contempt-of-court hearings against Arpaios successor, Sheriff Paul Penzone, over a backlog of more than 1,700 internal affairs cases, each taking an average of 500 days to complete.

Penzone's office said the funding and employees hired as part of the overhaul effort will need to remain in place once the agency is deemed fully compliant.

Effectively, this is the new standard of policing and the majority of this funding will need to remain in the MCSO budget, the sheriff's office said. MCSO is working diligently to come into full compliance with the Court orders.

Raul Pina, who serves on a community advisory board set up to help improve trust in the sheriffs office, said the funding is necessary so the agency can respect the constitutional rights of Hispanic people.

Of course, we are tired of paying, but if you are a Hispanic vehicle operator, you are tired of being racially profiled at the same time  and the agency isnt in a rush to stop that, Pina said.

Arpaios immigration patrols, known as sweeps, involved large numbers of sheriffs deputies converging on an area of metro Phoenix  including some Latino neighborhoods  over the course of several days to stop traffic violators and arrest other offenders.

Arpaio led 20 of the large-scale patrols from January 2008 through October 2011. Under Arpaios leadership, the agency continued doing immigration enforcement in smaller, more routine traffic patrols until spring 2013, leading to his criminal conviction.

On Monday, Arpaio said he doesnt regret carrying out the immigration patrols and contends his crackdowns still helped reduce taxpayer costs for providing education and health care to immigrants in the United States illegally.

As for the financial costs of the profiling lawsuit, Arpaio said the spending on equipment and additional employees was needed anyway to modernize the agency.

Its a one-side type of story they (his critics) want to push out, Arpaio said. Dont blame me for the money being spent.

Over the years, taxpayers have paid a combined $18 million in legal fees to lawyers on both sides of the case and about $20 million for a team of experts that monitors the sheriffs office.

The overwhelming majority of the spending goes toward hiring employees to help meet the courts requirements. Penzone's office said there are 192 positions budgeted for compliance, though 42 of them are vacant.

The court-ordered changes also include new training for deputies on making constitutional traffic stops, establishing a warning system to identify problematic behavior, equipping deputies with body-worn cameras and interventions for deputies flagged for having statistical differences from their peers in how they have treated Latinos.

The sheriffs office was deemed 98% compliant in a first set of requirements for reforming its traffic patrol operations and 79% compliant in meeting a second set of requirements.

The agency is faring better with an overhaul that the judge ordered for its internal affairs operations, which under Arpaio had been criticized for biased decision-making aimed at protecting officials from accountability. It met 100% of a first set of requirements and 92% of a second set.
The nation's top public health official on Sunday defended her agency's abrupt reversal on wide-ranging mask recommendations, saying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had weighed new data before announcing that Americans who had been vaccinated could go without masks.

"[W]e now have science that has really just evolved even in the last two weeks," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on ABC's "This Week," citing new data that coronavirus vaccines are curbing spread of the disease and offering protection against virus variants. Walensky, who appeared on four separate Sunday morning news shows to explain her agency's new guidelines, also touted widespread access to those vaccines and called on tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans to go get shots.

"We also need to say that this is not permission for widespread removal of masks," she added on ABC.

Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, acknowledged that there was "some merit" to questions about whether CDC could have better laid the groundwork for its messaging shift.

"I would imagine within a period of just a couple of weeks, you're going to start to see significant clarification of some of the actually understandable and reasonable questions that people are asking," Fauci said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Thursday's announcement that CDC was changing almost all masking and distancing recommendations for fully vaccinated Americans caught physicians, state and local leaders and even some White House officials off guard. The Washington Post on Saturday reported that Walensky first signed off on changing her agency's mask guidance on Monday but continued to defend CDC's sweeping guidance that Americans wear masks in public, including in a Senate hearing on Tuesday before CDC narrowed its recommendations.

Pressed by "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace about whether the CDC was pressured to roll back its call for widespread masking, Walensky insisted that the shift was driven by public health, not politics.

"It certainly would've been easier if the science had evolved a week earlier, and I didn't have to go to Congress making those statements," Walensky said. "I delivered it as soon as I can [sic.] when we have the information," she added, citing new research and falling case numbers.

Walensky also disputed Wallace's question about whether the CDC was relying on Americans to now follow a "honor system" on masks. The Biden administration has repeatedly said that it will not impose requirements for people to prove they've gotten shots, like mandating so-called vaccine passports.

"The honor system is to be honest with yourself," said Walensky, warning that Americans who weren't vaccinated and chose to go without masks were putting themselves at risk.

Public health experts have warned that the CDC's shift on mask-wearing could force grocery stores, restaurants and other businesses into the uncomfortable position of checking whether patrons have been vaccinated.

Walmart, Costco and Trader Joe's have dropped mask requirements for the vaccinated in recent days. Other major retailers, including Target, Home Depot and CVS, said they will continue to require masks in stores as they review CDC guidance and company policies.

Only 36.7% of Americans are fully vaccinated, according to a Washington Post analysis of CDC data, and 47.1% have received at least one shot.

"Probably the most important thing that businesses could do right now . . . is to work to ensure that it's easy for their own employees to get vaccinated," Walensky said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Walensky told reporters that CDC is "actively working" to update the agency's guidance on safety protections at schools, camps and child care settings. She added that she's hopeful about the state of the outbreak in the United States, as cases continue to fall.

"I am really cautiously optimistic that we are in a good place right now," Walensky said on "Fox News Sunday."

Walensky also sidestepped a question by CNN's Dana Bash about whether she would continue to wear a mask if she was a pregnant woman.

"That's going to really be an individual by individual decision . . . it really just depends on how much risk you're willing to tolerate," Walensky said.

Fauci also said that he understood questions about why the United States was prioritizing vaccines for teenagers, who are at lower risk for serious complications, even as coronavirus continues to spread abroad. The Biden administration has been under pressure to produce its promised plan to help vaccinate the world, as global virus cases hit new records this month and many developing countries say they do not expect to reach sufficient immunity for months or years. Only 10% of people in India have been vaccinated, according to the University of Oxford's Our World in Data project, even as the country deals with a raging coronavirus outbreak.

"I feel we do have a moral responsibility as a rich nation to make sure that others in poorer nations are not deprived of interventions that would be lifesaving. But I think we can do both," Fauci told "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson.
NORWALK  Two people died from gunshot wounds Sunday, according to Norwalk Police.

Police blocked off a portion of Chatham Drive Sunday, with some officers on the scene with their guns drawn. A spokesperson for the police department said late Sunday afternoon that they were dealing with a report of an armed subject, but did not provide additional details about the situation at the time.

There is no longer any threat to the public, an updated social media post from Norwalk Police read. Investigators will be on scene to determine the events leading up to the deaths. The identities of the deceased are being respectfully withheld until family members have been contacted.

Norwalk police referred to the incident as an active and dangerous situation in an earlier version of the post. In an update Sunday evening, police said it was safe for residents to go home.

Chatham Drive remain[s] closed to traffic as the investigation is still active, an update read.

Police had been on a speaker asking for the person inside one of the homes to call them. Please answer your phone, we are trying to reach you, police were heard saying the person in one of the homes.

Officers wearing tactical gear and holding shields had ushered residents from their homes on Chatham Drive.

Check back for updates.
The first return of cruise shops to Malaga since the start of the coronavirus crisis has a date.

It will be 15 June when the largest leisure, travel and tourism company in the world, TUI, has requested to operate this first voyage with a Spanish itinerary, Malagas Port Authority has just announced.

The cruise ship, Mein Schiff2, will make a stopover in the capital of the Costa del Sol after departing from Gran Canaria and ending the tour in Palma de Mallorca.

The TUI shipping company has developed a 'bubble' cruise experience, in which it transports its passengers in its own planes, and only allows excursions organised by the company itself, which guarantees that the anti-Covid-19 health security measures are respected in at all times," the Port Authority points out.

Following the TUI proposal, the Andalusian regional governments Health department will analyse the request for approval, based on the protocols approved a few weeks ago for national routes with stopovers in the region to resume, so that Malaga could become the first mainland port to welcome a cruise ship in the post-Covid era.

The Port Authority considers that "the choice of Malaga reinforces the company's commitment to the destination and consolidates the importance of cruise traffic in Andalucia".

The president of the Port Authority, Carlos Rubio, considers that "this is truly important news, because we have been working for months to reach this moment with the application of all security measures".

From now on we hope to gradually recover the number of cruise passengers, who are a source of wealth and employment, that we had in the past. It is a sector that in the future will continue to grow and contribute to the Malaga economy, he said. "The primary objective is to guarantee maximum safety in operations and scheduled excursions, which will be controlled by distributing passengers into 'bubble groups'.

The authority also reminds that the crew and passengers of the ships must have a negative PCR test before boarding. Once onboard the ship, they will be given a talk on prevention measures and will be informed about the protocols that they must comply with.
Richard Chumney / Hearst Connecticut Media

NORWALK  The states chief medical examiner said Monday a couple died in a murder-suicide from gunshot wounds in their Chatham Drive home Sunday.

The Norwalk Police Department on Monday identified the couple as Rajneesh Misra, 56, and Divya Misra, 55. Police said they were found in their home after officers responded to reports of gunshots shortly after 4 p.m Sunday.
STAMFORD  A Norwalk man was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison Monday, about a month after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage girl multiple times over two years.

Judge John Blawie sentenced Efrain Saravia-Cruz, 30, to a 10-year prison sentence that will be suspended after 42 months.

Last month, Saravia-Cruz pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor - both Class B felonies - as part of a plea bargain with the state.

Prior to the sentencing, Blawie commented that the only reason the court was accepting the disposition was because the victim in the case had agreed to it. He said the victim wanted to move on with her life and did not want to testify.

The court finds this behavior absolutely unacceptable and predatory. Young women do not have the ability to consent to intimacy like this, and it should never be forced upon them by someone at the age of 24, Blawie said.

Under the deal, Saravia-Cruz will serve 10 years of probation following his prison sentence and will be required to register as a sex offender.

There is also the possibility that Saravia-Cruz, an El Salvadorian native, may be deported upon his release from prison.

Saravia-Cruz has been imprisoned since October 2016, when he was arrested by Norwalk police after a then-15-year-old family member came forward and accused him of repeated sexual assaults.

According to a warrant, the victim told police that Saravia-Cruz had been making advances toward her when she was 7 years old and lived in El Salvador.

When the victim moved to the United States, Saravia-Cruz aggressively continued to fondle her and try to have sex with her, the warrant said.

The victim told police she had been raped by Saravia-Cruz at least three times from 2014 to 2016.

Speaking on behalf of Saravia-Cruz on Monday, attorney Mark Phillips said his client is deeply remorseful for his actions.

He is deeply sympathetic to everyone involved, and he is grateful to the court for its consideration in light of all the circumstances, Phillips said. He wants nothing more than to put this episode and this chapter far in the past, and live as productive and beneficial and charitable and successful a life as God has left for him on this planet.
A lack of precipitation this past winter plus an abnormally dry April have combined to create drought conditions across most of the Lower Peninsula. So far, that's helped farmer, but ag officials are keeping an eye on the long term.

Over the last three months, much of the state has received only half to three-quarters of its expected precipitation, said Marty Baxter, a professor of meteorology at Central Michigan University.

In mid-Michigan, April was even worse. Normally, the CMU weather station records 2.81 inches of precipitation. This year, it was .92 inches. This year currently ranks as the sixth-driest going back to 1895, he said.

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Currently, mid-Michigan and much of the Lower Peninsula are in a moderate drought, he said.

That hasn't affected farmers, said Paul Gross, Isabella County MSU Extension educator. In fact, the dry fields have helped farmers get their crops in quickly.

This year's primary hindrance has been cool, frosty mornings that have slowed germination and emergence of seedlings, he said.

But farmers are keeping an eye on the skies, because if the drought persists it could pose trouble.

"We are in need some nice warm rains," he said.

Drought conditions are expected to persist for much of May, Baxter said. Over the weekend, some rain did fall, but the National Weather Service's Grand Rapids office reported on social media that only .04 inches fell in Mt. Pleasant.

Michigan's long-term forecast does provide some reason to hope, however.

One- and three-month forecasts suggest that it will more likely produce greater rainfall than an average year, and currently the drought is so moderate that just a little could end it, Baxter said.

The sooner the better.

The longer the drought persists, the more precipitation it will take to break it, Baxter said. That's because it'll require more rain to properly saturate the soil.

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Isabella and Clare counties are no longer in a category for the highest risk of COVID-19 spread.

Both counties have slipped below the threshold for highest risk on a county-level dashboard hosted by the Brown University School of Public Health. The dashboard measures confirmed and probable cases per 100,000 people using a seven-day average.

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On the dashboard, the state of Michigan -- last week the state with the second-worst outbreak in the nation -- has fallen to fourth with a seven-day average of 20.5 confirmed and probable cases per 100,000 people.

Clare was below that to 17.5 and Isabella was at 23.9 based on Saturday's data. That category is the second-highest risk category.

Gratiot remains in the highest risk category at 31.6. The threshold to move down in categories is at 25.

All three counties, as well as Michigan as a whole, have also shown improvement in seven-day averages of diagnostic test result rates.

Clare County was the lowest at 6.89 percent, based on Sunday's data. Gratiot County was 8.67 percent. Isabella County was 11.23 percent. Michigan as a whole had a seven-day average of 6.73.

When the percentage of diagnostic tests returning a positive result is low, it is assume that most of the virus is getting detected by testing. When the percentage is high, it is assumed that the virus is spreading undetected and that more testing is required.

Although the outbreak appears to be in recession, people continue to die. Deaths from COVID-19 often lag infections by two or three weeks.

Two new deaths were reported over the weekend, one each in Isabella and Clare counties. No information was immediately available about the people. Isabella's death toll is 88; it is 78 in Clare County. Gratiot County's death toll remains at 110.

An additional 33 cases were reported in Isabella County over the weekend, an average of 11 each day. It brings the county's cumulative total to 5,227.

An additional 14 cases were reported in Gratiot County over the weekend for a daily average of just less than five. They bring Gratiot's cumulative total to 3,158.

An additional five cases -- or less than two per day -- were reported in Clare County, bringing its cumulative total to 2,001.

Elsewhere in mid-Michigan, one new death was reported over the weekend, with new and cumulative cases and deaths as follows:

In Gladwin County, an additional four cases were reported for a cumulative total of 1,884, with 53 deaths;

In Mecosta County, an additional eight cases were reported for a cumulative total of 2,945, with 30 deaths;

In Midland County, an additional 28 new cases for a cumulative total of 6,663, with 80 deaths; and,

In Montcalm County, one death was reported for a total to 105 and an additional 43 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 5,244.

Statewide, 77 new deaths were reported over the weekend for a total of 18,627 and another 3,519 cases were reported for a cumulative total of 876,854.

READ MORE:

Lack of precipitation could spell trouble for farmers A lack of precipitation this past winter plus an abnormally dry April have combined to create drought conditions across most of the Lower Peni

Showers expected for the end of the week A chance of showers is expected for the end of the week while the rest should be sunny.

Mid Michigan College, a national leader in industry-recognized certifications Since joining the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), a 501(c3) non-profit organization dedicated to national skills training and industry-recognized certifications, Mid Michigan College has evolved into a career and technical education front-runner in the state of Michigan and across the nation by offering NC3 certifications from Snap-on, Starrett, and Festo.

David Patterson retires after 30 years at the Isabella County Sheriff's Office More than 30 years after being hired at the Isabella County Sheriff's Office and spots on two national true crime television shows, Detective Sgt. David Patterson has turned in his badge.
Isabella and Clare counties are no longer in a category for the highest risk of COVID-19 spread.
There are promising signs that things are starting to pick up for businesses on the Costa del Sol as thousands of tourists headed to the beaches for the sea and the sun at the weekend.

Hotels and restaurants reported bumper trade as the fully booked signs had to be dusted off after months with restricted national mobility.

Extra trains and flights were laid on over the weekend and there was a feeling of normality in Malaga.

As the first high-speed train of Saturday morning appeared at the citys Maria Zambrano station with a new barrage of tourists from Madrid and inalnd areas, a common question that could be heard was, "Where is the sea?"

Some tourists were already getting off the AVE trains equipped with beach chairs and umbrellas that still had the tag on.

For the vast majority, the Costa was the first getaway in a pandemic. I couldn't take it anymore. I made the reservation in advance knowing that the state of alarm was going to end in case it was booked up, said Sara Lassa from Madrid. And she was not wrong.

Several hotels reached 100 per cent occupancy for the first time since the start of the pandemic, although the Aehcos hotel association pointed out that across Malaga province only 38 per cent of the establishments were open.

"It was the best weekend by far," said Ignacio Lazare, of the Barcelo in Malaga. The hotel was at more than 80 per cent occupancy, a figure that last summer was reached only occasionally by group events. The Room Mate Valeria, at 93 per cent, reported a lot of national tourists and "some French, Dutch and Swiss".

The arrival of the national and some international tourists is being noticed. The weekend occupancy is rising a lot," confirmed Jorge Gonzalez, director of AC Malaga Palacio.

At the Hotel Molina Lario they ran out of rooms for the first time in more than a year with tourists from the centre and north of the country and "many more French than usual at this time."

The Malagueta beach in the city was busy with rows of umbrellas and even the grass covered with towels, although the safety distance between groups was always respected.

We come for the beach, explained Raul still with his suitcases while his wife bought sunscreen in a shop.

"We are looking forward to seeing the sea," said Nuria Merino, from Caceres, who, with friends, on Wednesday organised a lightning trip to the coast. "We were fed up with being locked down," said Isabel Rivera who was with her.

Eli Badin, from Lyon in France, could not believe it. They had travelled from a city with "everything closed" and a 7pm curfew.

But on the coast life seemed normal. It gives hope that everything is soon going to get better.
Time ticked down in the Division 4, Region 14 championship game on Thursday night at Riverview Gabriel Richard. When the clock hit zero, Royal Oak Shrine players rushed the field in celebration, as the team shut out Allen Park Inter-City Baptist 3-0 to secure the title
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Too often, we hear reports of young people taking their own lives and we find ourselves asking what could have been done to avert these self-destructive acts. Across Nigeria there is need for schools at all levels to have a comprehensive approach to preventing a tragedy like suicide.

The inadequate attention given to suicide by the government and educational institutions is alarming, as it continues to happen on a frequent basis. Even as Nigeria has one of the highest suicide rates in Africa.

The latest being a 200 level Political Science student of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Feranmi Fasunle Omowumi, who reportedly committed suicide by swallowing a poisonous content with food in her room.

Just before the suicide of Ms. Omowumi, was that of AdedejiEmmanuel a 200-level student of Management and Accounting at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife who reportedly committed suicide after swallowing a pesticide.

There is the March incident, involving a 300-level student, Daniel Mba of Biochemistry Department, at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, who was caught cheating with his phone during an examination, reportedly jumped from the third floor of a story to end his life. Before he jumped for suicide purpose a check of his room reportedly showed rat poison, bleach containers and syringes that he had supposedly injected into his body but failed to result to immediate death. He died from his injuries.

Then there is the February incident, Abdullahi Bashir, a final year Mathematics student of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State committed suicide by reportedly ingesting an insecticide after accusing his girlfriend of cheating on him on Valentines Day. Many others have followed before these ones as seen below:

https://www.google.com/search?q=suicide+in+Nigeria,+student&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS913US913&tbm=isch&sxsrf=ALeKk00Vs0CVe3kP0KkkQlgCUbAqQDYZzQ:1621177043134&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOlZiOu87wAhVCVc0KHdZqCF4Q_AUIECgC&biw=1366&bih=657&dpr=1

Yet suicide often remain a low priority for institutions, governments, and policymakers.

Suicide is a complicated human behavior. There are various risk factors for suicide as they relate to youths. Feeling suicidal can result from personal conditions that combine to make a person feel hopeless, believe that it is impossible to change a situation, a significant personal loss or number of losses and defeats taken personally, and low self-esteem.

Financial difficulties, parental illness or death, been bullied or ridiculed, trying to escape feelings of rejection, hurt, or loss, a history of untreated or treated trauma, depression, anxiety, emotional outburst, bipolar disorder, or other mental illness, social isolation, lack of support, inability to cope with gender identity issues, national disorderliness and restlessness,situational crises like traumatic death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse, believing there is no hope for feeling better, alcohol or other drug use, and having easy access to the means for dying, such as hanging tools, knives, guns, and insecticides.

Amongst persons and youths at risk there are clear warning signs of suicide such as talking or writing about suicide or death, giving direct verbal cues, such as I wish I were dead and Im going to end it all, isolating him-or herself from friends and family, exhibiting a sudden and unexplained improvement in mood after being depressed or withdrawn, neglecting his or her appearance and hygiene, obtaining a means (such as an insecticide or another methods of hurting him- or herself such as prescriptions or medications.

To better respond to the warning signs in student such as acting out, withdrawing, committing destructive or aggressive acts toward him- or herself or others, schools should have knowledgeable counselor, nurse or physician, psychologist, or social worker to ensure appropriate, confidential, and quick assessment, and treatment. In most cases many persons that talk or plan suicide do not want to die. As such a troubled student is more likely to open to you about self-destructive thoughts or actions, so having a trained counselor or peer listener can counter the persons sense of hopelessness and helplessness.

When a school counselor, nurse, physician, psychologist, social worker, peer, or other concerned persons observe behavior that indicates there is a peculiar problem, it is okay to say something like, Ive noticed that you are going through some rough times. Are you feeling so bad that you are thinking about suicide? or Sometimes when people feel sad, they have thoughts of harming or killing themselves. Have you had such thoughts? If the student says yes, it is important to not non-judgmental, do not debate whether suicide is right or wrong, do not lecture on the value of life. Do not ever swear to secrecy, do not act shocked, this will put distance between you. The helper should show interest and support. Be persistent, consistent, and firm, and make sure that the student gets the help that he or she may need.

Be prepared to act if you believe that a student is in danger of harming him- or herself such as taking the student to the counseling office, reassuring him/her that counseling staff know what needs to be done to get the professional help needed to deal with these feelings safely. Do not leave a student at imminent risk of suicide alone If you have any reason to suspect that a student may attempt suicide or otherwise engage in self-harm, it is important to remain with the student or see that the student is in a secure environment, supervised by caring adult until professional help can be obtained. Let the student know that you care that he or she is not alone, and that you are there to help.

Universities and other schools need to have mental health counseling services, and suicide and depression awareness programs, including training dormitory resident assistants, custodians, security guards and peers to be on the lookout for troubled students. Off campus students should gain from these preventive services. There is need for increased stress-reduction programs to help students manage various types of stress, so it does not become unbearable.

Students, teachers, instructors, staff, administrators, and families need to be educated about stigma attached to mental health often cause students not to seek help. Educational institutions should create systems of accommodations that may include allowing the student to take a reduced course load or complete alternative assignments and allowing the student to postpone assignments and exams; especially those having difficulties managing stress.

Schools should establish policies and procedures that permits students to take voluntary leaves of absence for mental health reasons.

Establish policies that promote enjoyable, lifelong physical, social and wellness activities among young people.

There is immediate need for national, State, Municipal and schools to have Suicide Prevention Lifeline that is a free, 24/7 confidential service that can provide people and students in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, information, support, and resources. Crisis Text Line can be developed in form of a free text-message service with a trained crisis counselor any time.

Nigeria remains one of the few nations with anti-suicide law, instead of continuing with this colonial type of law, suicide attempt should be decriminalized. Persons with suicidal behaviors must be seen as in need of psychological and medical help rather than legal punishment.

Very often suicidal behavior is a cry for help. As such suicide is often preventable among students (and staff) if schools and administrators just do that which is right.

Prof. John Egbeazien Oshodi, an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government Consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult/child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional and Career Development. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African settings especially. In 2011, he introduced the State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and the Nasarawa State University where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. The Development Professor and International Liaison Consultant at the African University of Benin, and a Virtual Faculty at the ISCOM University, Benin of Republic. Author of over 36 academic publications/creations, at least 200 public opinion writeups on African issues, and various books.

Prof. Oshodi was born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria to parents with almost 40 years of police/corrections service, respectively. Periodically visits home for scholastic and humanitarian works. [email protected]
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Expansionist Fulani elders and "youths" are throwing tantrums, pleading, killing, maiming, kidnaping, and waiting for the Federal Government to allot them land in Southern and Middle-Belt Nigeria for "ranching."

Many of them are leeches and lizards, reaping the rewards of nepotism that makes recipients, lazy and useless.

Indigenous Nigerians, Southerners and Middle-Belters alike, struggle and hustle assiduously, sometimes, and regrettably, even negatively and dishonestly, to escape poverty.

Expansionist Fulani on the other hand, parasitic vectors that they are, never struggle like other Nigerians.

Their only struggle is for power to latch themselves onto unsuspecting fellow citizen hosts, to milk them dry, and suck them like a dry sponge draws water.

Now not all Fulani are expansionists, but all expansionists in Nigeria are Fulani, although an increasing number of non-Fulani from the Kanuri axis near Lake Chad seem to be catching on.

God does not reward laziness. During Creation he worked for six days straight, and rested on the seventh, not the other way around.

Expansionist Fulani however do the exact opposite. Not only do they reward laziness, but they are also boastful about it as a divine right.

No wonder under their rule, Nigeria quickly emerged as the global capital of world poverty.

The economies of Southern Nigerian states are relatively booming, because of the sheer industry and application of Southerners, not because of Federal Government initiatives. The Federal Government would rather invest in neighboring La Republique du Niger than in Southern and Middle-Belt Nigeria.

Shamelessly, Fulani expansionists want to latch onto the South like leeches to destroy it like they did in their own neck of the woods despite all the resources the nepotism driven Federal Government splashes down there.

Nothing has unsettled the leech like expansionists like the recent Asaba Declaration of Southern Nigeria State Governors where they unanimously resolved to ban open grazing of cattle among other things.

Random, aimless wandering of Fulani cattle herdsmen has been the Fulani preferred mode of expansionism.

Uninvited, they encroach and trespass into other peoples ancestral lands and farmlands and set up settlements. They then invite their armed non-Nigerian cousins from across Africa and set upon terrorizing and massacring natives in the name of their never-ending Fulani Jihad.

This is not about grazing. All the Fulani want is land for resettlement in the South. Period.

If the Fulani are serious about ranching, with their current stranglehold on the Nigerian Treasury, let they gather their monies, look for willing land sellers, and buy lands put up for sale, anywhere of their choice.

Southerners who do business in Northern Nigeria, borrow money from banks at ruinous rates to buy land in the North and set up shop. They then proceed to work their asses off to build thriving businesses, which northern youths periodically raze down in their episodic fits of blasphemy induced rampages and riots.

There is a message from Southern and Middle Belt Nigerians to the expansionist Fulani.

If you do not have money, to buy land for ranching, swallow your pride, and go work for others, especially big-time ranchers, as ranch hands. 

Or you may consider learning other trades as apprentices.

Many wealthy Southerners whose wealth you envy today, started off just like that. Common apprentices.

Today some of those common apprentices, by dint of hard work, in several cases by hook or by crook, are uncommon millionaires and billionaires.

But y'all are too proud to learn anything, because you deceive yourselves that you are born to rule.

Hell No!

Y'all lazy lizards cannot even rule yourselves. 

If you could, you would subdue and swallow your pride, and go learn a trade, considering that there is dignity in labor.

That is what Southern businesspeople do. They either go to school or learn some trade.

They don't go about throwing tantrums, kidnapping and killing innocent people, and then asking the Federal Government to rob other people of their ancestral lands to resettle them.

If y'all want free land, go to your various states or countries of origin, if you have any.

FYI, all Southern and Middle Belt lands are ancestral lands, owned by families, villages and ethnicities. They are reserved for their hardworking children and their hardworking children's children, for farming and other industrial uses, not for free allocation to outsiders.

Even at that communal ancestral lands are not given out freely, even to native sons- and daughters-of-the soil. Being very scarce assets, communal lands are only allocated to people who can utilize them productively. 

Allottees in turn must prove their productive capacities by paying considerably and substantially for those lands.

Free land in Southern and Middle-Belt Nigeria?

Yall don't know what you are asking for.

Y'all are like James and John Zebedee who asked Jah, Jesus Christus, the One Creator, for the opportunity to be seated, one at his left and the other at his right in Zion, the heavenly Kingdom.

That was an impossible request, because the right to seat at Jahs right and left hands, are not allocated via nepotism, but by those who demonstrate divine merit as pre-ordained by the One Creator.

Yall should realize that many Southerners and Middle-Belters would rather gladly see the break-up of Nigeria than give away their cultural and ancestral patrimony for nothing to bloody-thirsty leeches and lazy lizards.

Ancestral lands are sacred and when allocated, must be paid for, even by family blood members.

Not distributed as tokens of nepotism to nomadic wanderers steeped in Jihad and multiple other deadly expansionist tendencies.

The expansionist Fulani drive for Southern and Middle-Belt lands therefore is nothing but a fruitless, unrealizable, and unachievable, Zebedee Request.

Anthony Chuka Konwea, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, MNSE, FNIStructE, MNICE.
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Nigeria,s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has denied announcing interest to contest the 2023 presidential election.

His office today disowned a website calling on Nigerians to join a volunteer organization mobilizing support.

A statement by Presidential Aide, Laolu Akande, said solicitation by the group is trending on WhatsApp with a suggestion that the Vice President quietly declared intention to run.

Akande said the VP was not in any way connected to the said website or the group behind it and considers such an enterprise an unnecessary distraction.

Prof. Osinbajo has not declared any interest whatsoever in the 2023 election, the spokesman noted.

He is rather focused on working in his capacity as Vice President in the current administration to address all the compelling issues in the country and concerns of Nigerians, including finding effective and lasting solutions to the security challenges.

We ask that people desist from such unhelpful permutations while we all deal together with the challenges confronting us as Nigerians, and resolve them for the benefit of our people, peace and prosperity in the land, the statement read
Trial has been rescheduled for a Pontiac woman charged with murdering her childs father in 2019.

Jury selection is set to start Sept. 13 in Oakland County Circuit Court for the case against Solana Cervantes, 25, who allegedly shot Rolando Rosario, Jr., killing him, at her home on Cherry Hill Drive in Pontiac on Nov. 3, 2019. Rosario was 23.

Cervantes made the call to police to report the shooting, initially telling authorities that Rosario had been assaulting her, according to the Oakland County Sheriffs Office. But an investigator on the case, Det. Michael Miller, testified at a preliminary exam in 2020 that her story changed in subsequent interviews  with Cervantes at one point saying the strangulation and blows to the head she had claimed were imagined.

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Miller further testified that Cervantes told him that on the night of the shooting, she had arrived home at around 3 a.m. with her boyfriend and other friends who had been out together, and that Rosario was there to babysit their daughter, age 3 at the time. An argument reportedly began over the daughters care, awakening the child, and as Rosario tended to her, Cervantes shot him, Miller said.

Miller also testified that Cervantes had no physical signs of being injured. Cervantes attorney, Paulette Loftin, has indicated that may not be accurate and it's possibly a self-defense case.

Cervantes earlier trial date of April 12, 2021 was changed due to COVID-19 restrictions at the courthouse.

The case is assigned to Judge Leo Bowman.

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Foreigners scatter as officials raid Rawai restaurant for serving alcohol

PHUKET: Police are attempting to track down several foreigners who fled a small restaurant in Rawai where they were sitting drinking beers when district officials arrived yesterday afternoon (May 16).

alcoholcrimeCOVID-19Coronaviruspolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 17 May 2021, 09:30AM

The operator of the restaurant has been charged for breach of the provincial order banning the sale of alcohol and allowing the consumption of alcohol on the premises.

Chongmas Sakulpradit of the Muang District Office explained that she was at Baan Yanui carrying out a campaign for local people to wear face masks when she was notified that foreigners were sitting in a pub/bar in Moo 2, Rawai.

Ms Chongmas said she notified the Chalong Police and moved to investigate. A team of at least 10 people, including officers from the Muang District Office and Rawai Municipality as well as local community leaders, arrived to carry out the raid, at the Roxanne restaurant in Moo 2 Rawai, at about 5:30pm.

As the raid party arrived, several foreigners were seen promptly leaving on motorcycles.

Officers from the Chalong Police arrived soon after, and had the situation explained to them.

The officers took the bar operator and four staff to Chalong Police Station, where the bar operator was presented photos and a video showing a group of four foreign men and two Thai women sitting at a table at the restaurant.

The group had been served beer in glasses, which were still on the table when the police arrived.

The officers reported that they were still looking for the foreign men and Thai women restaurant customers involved in the incident.
Moderna jabs to be imported by October

THAILAND: Modernas COVID-19 vaccine, which will be offered as an alternative to AstraZeneca and Sinovac, is expected to be available in Thailand by October while 2 million doses of Sinovacs COVID-19 vaccine will add to the countrys stockpile this month.

CoronavirusCOVID-19Vaccine

By Bangkok Post

Monday 17 May 2021, 08:42AM

Photo: AFP.

Paiboon Aeksaengsri, secretary-general of the Private Hospital Association, said the association is coordinating with Zuellig Pharma Co, which is authorised to export the vaccine. He expects 5-6 million doses will be shipped to Thailand in the second half of this year.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved the registration of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from ROVI Pharma Industrial Services S A, based in Spains Madrid. It is the fourth vaccine to be approved by the FDA, after the AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Mr Paiboon said the price of Moderna shots will be set by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) which will procure the alternative vaccine supplies for distribution. He said recipients will be charged the standard price for the jabs and service fees, insisting private hospitals will not seek profits from distributing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Uachart Kanchanapitak, chairman of Ramkhamhaeng Hospital, said private hospitals are surveying demand for the alternative vaccine and will inform the GPO. He said demand ranges from 10,000 doses to 1 million doses.

However, he advised people to get their shots as soon as possible so the country can achieve herd immunity.

He also cited research findings that after people are fully vaccinated, their third or booster shot can come from any manufacturer. He likened it to vaccines against influenza which require a booster shot every year.

Meanwhile, GPO deputy director Sirinuch Cheewanpisalnukul said on Saturday (May 15) a total of 4.5 million doses of Sinovacs vaccine have been delivered to Thailand, including 500,000 doses donated by China that arrived on Friday.

She said the GPO received another 500,000 doses of the Chinese-made vaccine on Saturday and another 1.5 million doses will be delivered later this month.

The first batch of 200,000 doses of Sinovacs vaccine arrived in February, followed by 800,000 doses on March 22, 1.5 million doses on April 10, and two million doses this month so far.

As of Friday, a total of 2,218,420 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given to select people across the country.
Space junk fuel tank safely recovered off Phuket

PHUKET: Officers from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command successfully recovered a metal sphere from the seabed off Phuket today (May 17) that has now been confirmed to be a discarded fuel tank for a rocket, satellite or other object heading for, or already in, orbit.

environmentpollutionmarine

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 17 May 2021, 05:53PM

Vice Admiral Cherngchai Chomcherngpat, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, explained to the press today that local fisherman first spotted the object in the shallows off Koh Ael earlier this month.

The Third Regional Operation Center of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center [ThaiMECC3] was informed by local fishermen on May 1 that they found a suspicious object which looked like a bomb near Koh Ael, he said.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers went to examine and assured that the item was not a bomb or contained toxic substances, he added.

The EOD officers send photos [of the object] to the Naval Ordnance Department, which later confirmed that the item is a part of a space shuttle,

Later, ThaiMECC3 sent photos of the object to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency [GISTDA] to check, and they confirmed that the item is a fuel tank for an object heading for space.

The fuel tank was believed to have previously contained hydrazine (NH2NH2).

GISTDA staff and officers of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources have examined the tank and found that all of the hydrazine (NH2NH2) had been used. The tank has not had any effect on the natural resources in the surrounding area, V/Adm Cherngchai said.

While collecting the tank, all officers wore proper suits and equipment, so I am sure that the work [salvage operation] had no effect on the sea. We care about our officers and the impact on the marine environment, he added.

The tank will be examined again for studying and displayed in the museum of GISTDA, V/Adm Cherngchai said.
Trio nabbed over Bangkok kidnapping

THAILAND: Two Americans and a Thai have been arrested by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police over their alleged role in the kidnapping of a Taiwanese businessman over a business conflict.

crime

By Bangkok Post

Monday 17 May 2021, 12:34PM

Jiraphop: Clash linked to business. Photo: Bangkok Post.

Their arrest was revealed by deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) Pol Maj Gen Jiraphop Phuridet on Saturday night (May 15), at a press briefing also attended by CSD commander Pol Maj Gen Suwat Saengnoom among other senior officers.

The Americans were identified as Jeremy Hughes Manchester, 41, and Louis William Ziskin, 52, while the Thai national was identified as Ekbodin Prasitnarit. The trio faces charges which include illegal assembly, abduction, attempted murder, and extortion.

According to Pol Maj Gen Jiraphop, the conflict began late last year, when Mr Ziskin appointed Collection Company Limited - run by a woman he identified only as Mrs Emily - to negotiate with the Paddy The Room Trading Company Limited for the purchase of nitrile gloves.

A business conflict ensued between the two sides, causing Mr Ziskin to suffer more than B93 million in damages, Pol Maj Gen Jiraphop said, without giving details about the dispute.

Mr Ziskin hired Michael Greenberg, an Israeli man who runs a private detective service in Thailand, to retrieve the money. Mr Greenberg and his Thai and foreign collaborators allegedly planned the abduction.

Pol Maj Gen Jiraphop said they contacted Wen Yu Chung, 60, a Taiwanese representative of the Collection Company in Thailand, under the pretext of wanting to buy rubber gloves from the Paddy The Room Trading Company. They made a time to meet at LOliva, a restaurant in Bangkoks Sukhumvit Soi 36, on March 28.

As Mr Chung was waiting at the restaurant, the deputy commissioner said, Mr Greenberg and friends arrived, grabbed him and put him in handcuffs. They took him from the restaurant to a room at NT Place about 200 metres away on Soi Sukhumvit 36, where several people were waiting.

The abductors assaulted Mr Chung and used his telephone to call Mrs Emily to demand US$2mn (about B62.7mn) from her.

They also called his relatives, demanding another $1 million in return for Mr Chungs safe release.

Neither Mrs Emily nor the relatives yielded to the demand, but instead contacted police.

Their ransom demands rebuffed, the abductors took Mr Chung to Nadimos restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 24 to talk to Mr Ziskin.

Eventually, Mr Chung was released and went to a hospital for treatment. He later went to Thong Lor police station to file a complaint against those who conspired to hold him for ransom.

Following a police investigation, arrest warrants were issued for eight people - seven foreigners and a Thai national.

Police arrested Mr Manchester, Mr Ziskin and Mr Ekbodin in Bangkok, Pol Maj Gen Jiraphop said.

All three denied the charges. They were handed over to Thong Lor police for further legal proceedings.
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced this Monday (17 May) that the "mass" vaccination of those under 50 years of age will begin in June.

"Once the vast majority of people between 70 and 79 years of age have received their full number of doses, I can announce that June will see the beginning of the massive vaccination of those under 50 years of age," Sanchez said during his speech at the Ibero-American Business Council congress.

The regions have already started to prepare the immunisation schedule for the age groups under 50 years old and some, such as Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, calculate that they will be able to start vaccinating people between 30 and 39 years of age from end of June.

Sanchez also detailed that there are "93 days" left to achieve herd immunity in Spain (with more than 70 per cent of the population vaccinated) and has congratulated himself on the fact that the cumulative incidence rate for the country has fallen 35 points in the last week.

Spain's PM, Sanchez, also explained that the first technical tests of the European digital health certificate are "very positive", which is why he is convinced that it can be implemented before the end of June.

"It will be excellent news for tourism," he added.

Spain is one of the countries that is testing the certificate in the "issuing and reading" phases, he said.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 86F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Low 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
MAHN distributes food boxes to the community at Willow Grove Park Mall in collaboration with Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, and RSVP Montgomery County in May, 2020.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  A judge has ruled that three men charged in the shooting death of three Des Moines teens will be tried together.

Emmanuel Totaye Jr., Daishawn Gills and Leontreal Jones had all filed motions seeking separate trials for first-degree murder in the January 2020 deaths of two brothers and their friend. Polk County Judge David Porter last week granted prosecutors motion to try the mens cases together, the Des Moines Register reported.
PARIS (AP)  Cybercriminals have hit four Asian subsidiaries of the Paris-based insurance company AXA with a ransomware attack, impacting operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines, the insurer said.

The criminals claimed to have stolen 3 terabytes of data including medical records and communications with doctors and hospitals.

In Ireland, meanwhile, the national healthcare system struggled to restore IT systems that were all but paralyzed in a cyberattack last week by a different Russian-speaking ransomware group. That group is demanding $20 million, according to the ransom negotiation page on its darknet site, which The Associated Press viewed.

The gang threatened Monday to start publishing and selling your private information very soon.

The Irish government's decision not to pay the criminals means hospitals won't have access to patient records  and must resort mostly to handwritten notes  until painstaking efforts are complete to restore thousands of computer servers from backups.

AXA Partners, the Paris insurer's international arm, offered few details of the Asia attacks. It said in a brief statement Sunday that their full impact was being investigated and that steps would be "taken to notify and support all corporate clients and individuals impacted. It said the attack was recent, but did not specify when exactly. It said data in Thailand was accessed and that regulators and business partners have been informed.

News of the Asia attack was first reported by the Financial Times. The attackers used a ransomware variant called Avaddon. In a post on their darknet leak site including some document samples, they claim to have stolen 3 terabytes of data including medical records, customer IDs and privileged communications with hospitals and doctors. Avaddon threatened to leak valuable company documents in 10 days if the company did not pay an unspecified ransom.

AXA, among Europes top five insurers, said this month that it will stop writing cyber-insurance policies in France that reimburse customers for extortion payments made to ransomware criminals.

The insurer said at the time that it was suspending the option in France only in response to growing concern that such reimbursements encourage cyber criminals to demand ransom from companies they prey on, crippling them with malware. Once victims of ransomware pay up, criminals provide software keys to decode the data. Last year, ransomware reached epidemic levels as criminals increasingly turned to double extortion, stealing sensitive data before activating the encryption software that paralyzes networks and threatening to dump it online if they don't get paid.

It appears that's exactly what happened to the AXA subsidiaries and Ireland's health care system. In the latter case, the criminals claim to have stolen more than 700 gigabytes of personal data on patients and employees  including home addresses and phone numbers  as well as customer databases, payroll and other financial information. The criminals claimed to have spent two weeks in the network before executing the ransomware.

The top victims of ransomware are in the United States, followed by France, experts say. The extent of damage, and payouts, in Asian countries was not immediately clear. Like most top ransomware purveyors, Avaddon's ransomware is programmed not to target computers with Russian-language keyboards and enjoys safe harbor in former Soviet states.

The group that attacked Ireland's Health Service Executive, Conti, similarly enjoys Kremlin tolerance and is among the most prolific such gangs, recently attacking such high-profile targets as the school system in Broward County, Florida, which serves Fort Lauderdale and is among the U.S.'s largest school districts.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has refused to pay ransom despite an attack announced Friday that caused the country of 5 million to shut down and rebuild its public health care system's IT network.

The system's chief operations officer, Anne O'Connor, told a local radio reporter on Sunday that many cancer treatment sessions, X-rays and other radiology appointments had been canceled, describing perhaps the worst impact to date on a healthcare system from ransomware.

Theres not much back up and running, yet, O'Connor said of the IT network, adding that data on thousands of servers would need to be rebuilt from backups. It's going to be a slow process.

All of our diagnostic capability in terms of radiology have gone, she said. "We have no capability now to look back at any previous tests, any previous scans. We cant order lab tests or radiology electronically.

She said hospitals had resorted to "handwritten notes. We have people in hospitals delivering pieces of paper around with lab results, et cetera."

Ransomware attacks returned to headlines this month after hackers struck the United States largest fuel pipeline, the Colonial Pipeline, and the company shut it down for days to contain the damage.

The ransomware syndicates that have had the biggest impact are so-called big-game hunters like Avaddon and Conti that identify and target lucrative victims. They lease their ransomware-as-a-service to affiliates they recruit who do most of the heavy-lifting  taking more risk and a higher share of the profits.

___

Bajak reported from Boston.
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West Islanders were looking forward to the arrival of 119 rescued dogs that arrived at Trude
CHICAGO (AP)  Two Chicago police officers were shot and wounded Sunday after they responded to reports of gunfire and someone immediately fired at them, authorities said.

Both officers were released from the hospital late Sunday morning.

The suspect also was shot in the leg and taken to a Chicago hospital, police said. His injuries were not life-threatening.

The shooting occurred around 7:20 a.m. in an alley on the city's West Side. Police said the officers were responding to gunfire identified by ShotSpotter, the city's gunshot detection system, and to multiple calls about shots fired. The officers were in full uniform and readily identifiable as police, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said during a news conference with Police Superintendent David Brown.

This offender had no regard for their position as police officers. No regard. And began trying to kill them, Brown said.

One officer was shot in the shoulder above his protective vest and in the hip. He was hospitalized in critical but stable condition prior to his release, Brown said. The other officer was shot in the hand and was in good condition, police said early Sunday.

According to Brown, 16 Chicago police officers have been shot in the past 15 months and 108 officers have been fired upon.

Lightfoot said Sunday's shooting underscores the danger that our men and women in the Police Department face every single day. They run to danger to protect us. And we cant ever forget that.

She also called for an end to the flow of illegal guns and gun violence in Chicago.

Lets say a prayer for all involved, she said. Lets pray for peace in our city.
WOOD RIVER  Illinois will not mandate proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday.

Thats going to be up to private businesses and to individuals if they want to carry something like that with them, he said in Chicago before flying to East St. Louis to announce $1.5 billion for renters and landlords hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state will provide the data and information for private solutions for that, if people want to use something like that, Pritzker said. Theres no requirement, however.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance that fully vaccinated people can do most things without a mask. The CDCs guidance still recommends face coverings in places providing health care, public transportation and schools.

On Monday, Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health aligned state executive orders with the latest CDC guidance and rescinded IDPH emergency rules enforcing masking and distance.

The CDC continues to require masks for everyone in healthcare settings, in congregate settings and on transit. In line with CDC guidance, the Illinois State Board of Education and IDPH require masks in schools, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services requires masks in daycare.

Getting vaccinated is the ultimate protection from COVID-19 and the quickest ticket back to normal life, said Pritzker. With public health experts now saying fully vaccinated people can safely remove their masks in most settings, Im pleased to follow the science and align Illinois policies with the CDCs guidance.

I also support the choice of individuals and businesses to continue to mask out of an abundance of caution as this pandemic isnt over yet, he said.

More Information Vaccinations Total: 168,353 Fully: 85,799 (32.44%) Source: MCHD COVID-19 cases by county Madison - 30,095 (499 deaths) Jersey - 2,689 (49 deaths) Calhoun - 524 (5 deaths) Greene - 1,378 (48 deaths) Macoupin - 4,886 (112 deaths) Montgomery - 3,734 (74 deaths) St. Clair - 27,915 (514 deaths) Clinton - 5,765 (90 deaths) Bond - 2,055 (24 deaths) Monroe - 4,357 (93 deaths) Randolph - 4,134 (84 deaths) Washington - 1,644 (25 deaths) Source: IDPH & MCHD See More Collapse

More than 64% of adults in Illinois have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose, the IDPH reported Monday.

According to the IDPH, as of midnight Saturday 10,407,841 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 61,275 doses.

The Madison County Health Department on Sunday reported 168,353 total COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered in the county so far.

MCHD officials said 85,799 county residents  or 32.44% of the countys population  are now fully vaccinated for COVID-19. That number is expected to grow as the MCHD offers COVID-19 vaccination clinics at three locations this week and will now vaccinate children as young as 12.

Vaccination clinics are planned May 18 and May 20 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville; May 18 in Wood River; and May 22 in Granite City. Walk-ins will be accepted, but appointments are requested.

The COVID-19 Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines are only approved for those who are 18 and older. Minors 12-17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. They do not need an ID or birth certificate; however, a parent or guardian will be asked to show their ID.

Minors who are 16-17 years old are only eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, must show a photo ID (e.g. drivers license, school ID, etc.), proof of age, and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to their appointment.

To schedule an appointment, people can click the green appointment link at www.madisonchd.org. People needing help scheduling appointments can call 618-692-8954 ext. 2 on Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

On Monday the IDPH reported 34.93% of the residents in Jersey County were fully vaccinated according to the IDPH. Other fully vaccinated rates were 29.8% in Calhoun County, 33.6% in Macoupin County and 25.56% in Greene County.

A drive-through vaccination clinic is planned Friday, May 21, in Jerseyville. For details visit http://jerseycountyhealth.org/.

No COVID-19 related deaths were reported by the MCHD, leaving the county total at 499. On Monday the IDPH also listed no additional COVID-19 related deaths in Madison County.

There are sometimes discrepancies in the number of cases and deaths reported at the state and local levels, in part because of the volume of cases, and also as each local department forwards the information and it is verified. Local health officials have said the cases eventually reconcile as the reporting catches up.

On Sunday the MCHD reported 19 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, as well as 520 new tests. To date, Madison County has recorded 30,095 cases and 320,999 tests. There were 11 COVID-19 patients in Madison County hospitals Sunday, with one on a ventilator.

The IDPH on Monday reported 946 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and just six additional COVID-19 related deaths statewide. To date, the IDPH has reported 1,367,214 cases, including 22,445 deaths.

Statewide there were 1,512 COVID-19 patients in hospitals on Saturday night, including 398 in intensive care units and 220 on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 10-16 was 2.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity for the same period was 2.9%.

The MCHD on Sunday reported a three-day positivity rate of 3.18%, a seven-day rate of 3.3% and a 10-day rate of 3.5%.

For more COVID-19 information, visit https://coronavirus-response-madcoil.hub.arcgis.com/, www.madisonchd.org or Facebook @madisonchd. Also visit www.co.madison.il.us or Facebook @madisoncountyil for more vaccination news and daily updates.

For The Telegraphs online vaccine tracker, visit https://www.thetelegraph.com/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker-alton-illinois/. For additional vaccine locations visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/vaccination-location.

Local and statewide information also is available at www.dph.illinois.gov. Click the coronavirus banner.

For health-related questions about COVID-19, people also can call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
EDWARDSVILLE  A Venice man was charged with felony weapon and drug violations Friday.

Frank E. Brown, 24, of Venice, was charged May 14 with unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, and unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, both Class 3 felonies.

The case was presented by the Venice Police Department.

According to court documents, on May 13 Brown allegedly was found to be in possession of more than 30 grams of cannabis with intent to deliver, and a Taurus 9 mm handgun.

Brown has a prior conviction for possession with intent to deliver out of Madison County in 2019, making him ineligible to possess weapons.

Bail was set at $20,000.

Other felony charges filed May 14 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Devin A. Krueger, 25, of Jerseyville, was charged with burglary, a Class 3 felony; and unlawful use of a debit card, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Bethalto Police Department. On Oct. 7, Krueger allegedly broke into a vehicle in the 900 block of N. Prairie Street, Bethalto, to commit theft; and possessed a debit card taken from the owner of the vehicle. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Katlynn R. Hartman, 23, of Alton, was charged with burglary, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Bethalto Police Department. On April 5 Hartman allegedly broke into a building in the 300 block of E. Main Street, Bethalto, to commit theft. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Johnny T. Carter, 43, of St. Louis, was charged with burglary, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. On May 13 Carter allegedly entered the Collinsville Walmart, 1040 Collinsville Crossing, to commit theft. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Vernysha E. Johnson, 33, of Glen Carbon, was charged with theft of labor or services or use of property, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Glen Carbon Police Department. On April 15 Johnson allegedly failed to return a rental car to Enterprise, 4521 Illinois 159. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Joseph T. Noonan, 27, of Edwardsville, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Glen Carbon Police Department. On April 15 Noonan allegedly took two bottles of UV Blue Vodka, valued at less than $300, from the Glen Carbon Walmart, 400 Junction Drive. It was noted he has a prior felony conviction for stealing out of St. Charles County, Missouri in 2019. Bail was set at $15,000.
Lets review one of many elements that comprise the Truly-Local mindset.

Truly-Local shopping isnt just a nice thing to do to show local spirit. In the future it may be the difference between whether a community grows economically or withers on the economic vine.

Shopping Truly-Local isnt the same as just shopping local; all shopping isnt created equal. Truly-Local is described as locally owned and operated; this can in rare cases include national chains that are locally owned.

With the increase of out-of-town owned businesses and online shopping opportunities, many local governments are finding it increasingly more difficult to make their local fiscal budgets stretch to cover their basic needs. In fact, many are already in severe financial straits. The term unintended consequences could very well have been coined to convey the situation many communities find themselves in today or will find themselves in the near future.

The courtship of big boxes and chains might be viewed as a necessary evil that communities must attract to appear viable. But might this strategy in reality be a trojan horse allowed to enter your community, under-cutting the financial fabric of our community?

By bringing these big boxes and chains to the community, it can initially create some low-paying service sector jobs. It might help increase the quality of life for some residents and it can provide a greater variety of goods and services we all enjoy. But is the price worth it over the long haul? While the benefits can be great, we must realize this also comes with high risk. The greater the saturation of big boxes and chains, the greater long term economic risk to our communities. One might ask, how can this be?

Very simply, the more money each of us spends with these out-of-town owners, the bigger the drain on our local budgets. A greater percentage of those dollars we are spending leave our community, never again to return. Studies show dollars spent at locally owned businesses are 3-7X more valuable as they are re-circulated multiple times throughout the community in lieu of being sent to some far-off corporate headquarters.

Those same dollars spent with non-local businesses leave our community and no longer are able to fund our police, fire departments, city government, water department, road department, parks & recreation, and so forth. Bottom line, fewer locally spent dollars equate to fewer or less than desirable services. How can communities move forward sending their dollars to Wall Street in lieu of growing their own Main Streets?

As is the case with most things in life, it is all about balance.

Having these big boxes, chains, Wall Street, and out-of-town owned businesses can initially be beneficial to the overall growth of a community. The bigger issue arises when communities in their haste vigorously court these big boxes, chains, and Wall Street organizations at the expense of organically growing their local business base from within. We must not forget that small businesses, mostly locally owned, employ the majority of all workers across the country. We must attend to that base as well.

Communities must find the resolve to expend equal attention and resources on their local business, innovation and entrepreneur base. Nurturing their startups will ultimately create the balance to weather the pending economic storm clouds of retail, along with the rapidly shifting shopping habits that are changing right before our eyes.

With the rapidly shifting retail and consumer habits, it is imperative that communities have these critical conversations. It is also critical they find ways to stimulate local entrepreneurship and innovation. It is imperative they find ways to keep a greater percentage of their consumer spending Truly-Local. Additionally, while we will discuss this in future columns, the younger generations have a whole new mindset. This mindset leans toward a more experiential economy where it isnt about sameness, but about making dining and shopping a unique experience. The fastest way to being unique is to avoid the sea of sameness that comes with National chains and embrace the uniqueness of local. This spells Truly-Local in every sense of the meaning.

These arent just nice discussions to have; the economic and vital future of every community under 50,000 is in danger of slowly being dismantled by the winds of economic change. While the answers may vary by community, we can be sure of one thing. Wall Street cares little about our communities unless of course, when it can extract more local dollars that boost their bottom lines.

The future of our communities are certainly in our hands, and our hands only. Whether we win or lose tomorrow will be determined by the hard decisions we make today. Hopefully our communities will make those decisions based on long-term growth and not just short-term satisfaction.

John A. Newby is author of the Building Main Street, Not Wall Street column. His email is john@360MediaAlliance.net.
Here they come.

Periodical cicadas belonging to what is known as Brood X have started emerging after 17 years underground across a broad swath of their 15-state range, raising the prospect the scary-looking but harmless insects will appear in Northeast Pennsylvania in the coming weeks or possibly days.

Cicada watchers say cooler spring temperatures seem to have delayed the broods expected emergence in some areas, but their arrival is nonetheless inevitable.

In Pennsylvania, the cicadas will probably still emerge sometime in late May and maybe into early June, Michael Skvarla, an assistant research professor and head of the Insect Identification Laboratory at Penn State University, said in an email. Since its temperature dependent, its difficult to predict even when were close.

Although experts say Brood X populations can and will vary by location, some people will have no choice but to notice the large bugs with their red eyes and orange-veined wings.

Warming temperatures trigger the emergence of the cicada nymphs from their underground burrows. Typically, when the soil 6 to 8 inches below the surface hits around 64 degrees, and sometimes after a rainfall, the nymphs migrate above ground, often en masse in a matter of hours.

With daytime highs in the 70s to low 80s forecast in the region this week, conditions will start turning more in favor of the cicadas, said Tony Santoli, Scrantons city forester.

Even so, its hard to say if that will be enough to get the nymphs moving, he said.

Its been too cold at night, Santoli said. Well need some warm nights to go along with those warm days.

Once above ground, the nymphs will shed their exoskeletons and complete their transformation into adults. The males then begin their distinctive singing to attract a mate.

As of late last week, there were scattered sightings of Brood X cicadas in southeastern and south central Pennsylvania, along with confirmed emergences in several states from Alabama to Maryland.

Cicada Safari, a free smartphone mapping app that lets users follow and participate in tracking the Brood X emergence, had been downloaded more than 110,000 times through Friday, said Gene Kritsky, a researcher at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio, who created it.

We developed the app to help generate the most complete map of a Brood X emergence to date, Kritsky, author of The Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition, said in email. This will provide valuable data on the overall status of the brood.

Once in the app, which works on Android and Apple devices, users can view photographs of cicadas others have uploaded and upload photos of their own.

Santoli pointed out that local bug enthusiasts who have been anxiously anticipating the Brood X emergence for months could end up disappointed.

During the broods last appearance in 2004, state officials described its presence in Pennsylvania as spotty. Lackawanna and Luzerne counties lie at the northern tip of the broods range in the state.

Theyre not going to be everywhere, just in certain spots, Santoli said, singling out woodlots and parks as the most likely locations to find cicadas in Scranton. But who know where they are going to come out from? No one knows where they put their eggs in the ground 17 years ago. It will be a surprise for everybody.
The home-buying market this spring is not for the faint of heart.

The main challenge is that the supply of homes for sale in most parts of the country continues to fall far short of demand. That is pushing up prices to heart-stopping levels in many markets. A lack of construction over the past decade, plus pent-up demand from pandemic shutdowns, has unleashed a national sellers market. The median price for a single-family home rose about 18% in March to almost $335,000, a record high, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Daryl Fairweather, chief economist for the Redfin online brokerage, said homes being listed for sale are selling quickly. About half sell in less than a week, usually after multiple offers.

The usual tips  like getting preapproved for a mortgage  apply more than ever. But competition in many cities is leading potential buyers to take steps they may not have considered even a few months ago, including offering tens of thousands of dollars above the asking price; agreeing to let the seller live, rent-free, in the house for several months after the closing; and waiving certain contingencies, like the right to inspect the house before buying.

Waiving inspections has long been common in competitive housing cities like Seattle, but it is becoming more frequent elsewhere, real estate professionals say.

Buyers will sometimes send personal notes to sellers to distinguish themselves from others vying for the same property, though some Realtors discourage the practice. Such Dear Seller letters include an introduction to the buyers and copious compliments about the house.

Mark Strub, a real estate agent in Austin, Texas, sometimes invites buyers to write the letters, he said: It never hurts. He said he once had a seller with a strong sentimental attachment to the house pass over the highest offer because the potential buyer failed to write a letter, while the others vying for the home had all done so.

But agents often discourage sellers from reviewing such letters out of concern that the letters may reveal details about a buyers family status, race or religion that could inadvertently cause sellers to run afoul of fair-housing laws in their decision-making.

It can actually backfire, said Francine Viola, an agent in Olympia, Washington.

Buyers may note, for instance, that they look forward to gathering around the fireplace on Christmas, or that they find the home attractive because it is near a mosque. Should the seller be influenced by those details, the thinking goes, other buyers whose offers were rejected could potentially challenge the sale, claiming that they were victims of religious bias.

The Realtors association issued guidance last fall recommending that agents avoid using love letters. Seemingly harmless, the association said, these letters actually raise fair-housing concerns.

Bryan Greene, the associations vice president of policy advocacy, said the practice had been flagged out of an abundance of caution and that he knew of no specific lawsuits resulting from the use of seller letters. Still, he said, its an area where agents should tread carefully.

In some states, buyers may offer direct incentives to sellers outside of the purchase price, sometimes called option money, said Maura Neill, an agent with Re/Max Around Atlanta. It works like a bonus, she said, noting that the practice is allowed, although not necessarily widely used, in Georgia.

She cautioned that buyers and their agents should clarify their states laws, but if you can make it work, she said, its a very strong tactic.

Shoppers need patience, plus a willingness to move fast, Neill said. Kim Secia, a technical support director for an online education company, said she began working with Neill in January to find a home in Atlantas midtown district. She was preapproved for a loan with a local lender and found a property she loved, but she hesitated when Neill urged her to make an offer immediately.

It was the first one I saw, Secia said, and she wanted to look around. That, she learned, was a mistake. The house sold quickly, and weeks passed before another suitable property became available. This time, she was ready, and agreed to offer above the asking price.

I knew I had to pull the trigger, Secia said. She lost out to another buyer, however  probably someone making an all-cash offer, she said.

At the end of April, a condominium near Piedmont Park went on the market. Secia offered a quick closing, which was important to the sellers, and agreed to waive the appraisal  also an increasingly common practice in competitive markets. That means that if a buyer is financing the purchase with a mortgage and offers more than the property appraises for, the buyer agrees to pay the difference in cash at closing. That didnt happen, Secia said, but it added another level of stress.

In the end, the sellers accepted her offer, and she closed on the condo on May 7. She learned that the sellers liked that she had shown up promptly to an appointment, which helped seal the deal. Be on time, she said. And, she advised, use an experienced real estate agent. The current competitive market moves too quickly for do-it-yourself shopping.

In Nashville, Tennessee, buyers are getting creative. Brian Copeland, president of Greater Nashville Realtors, said he had recently learned of an offer that promised the seller a VIP meet-and-greet with a celebrity musician as an inducement. In another sale, a buyer offered to pay for a party with a bounce house for the sellers children. And in a third, the buyer saw a Peloton bike in the house and offered to pay for a years subscription to online classes.

Were seeing all kinds of weird perks, Copeland said, noting, I am not condoning any of these practices.

Angelica Olmsted, an agent in Denver, said tight markets demanded creative thinking. She tracks listings that have expired to see if the owner might still be interested in selling. It may have been overpriced eight months ago, she said, but now its a steal.

Here are some questions and answers about home shopping:

Q: What are current mortgage rates?

A: A bright spot for homebuyers is that mortgage rates have remained low  below 3%, on average, for the past month for a 30-year fixed-rate home loan, according to Freddie Macs weekly survey. Rates for fixed-rate 15-year loans averaged 2.26% last week.

Q: I cant pay above the asking price. Is there any hope for me?

A: Yes  if youre willing to compromise, agents say. Copeland, in Nashville, said the majority of homes in Davidson County were still selling at or below the asking price. The most extreme competition, he said, is in a few ZIP codes in the citys urban core. If you can live a bit farther away, he said, theres probably a home you can afford.

Q: How long is this going to last?

A: It is going to take time for construction to catch up to demand, especially for entry-level homes, economists say. But there are some reasons for optimism. A recent survey from Realtor.com suggests that more owners will be putting homes on the market in the next 12 months as the effects of the pandemic wane.
Scranton is looking for a bank in which to deposit $68.7 million from the federal governments American Rescue Plan.

The city issued a public notice in the May 9-10 editions of The Times-Tribune seeking qualifications from banks or financial institutions to serve as a depository for the citys ARP funds from July 4 through Dec. 30, 2024.

The deadline for submission of proposals to the city controllers office is June 2, when any received would be opened at 10 a.m. at City Hall, according to the public notice.

While the city has discretion in deciding which bank to choose, using a public process to receive and vet offers is a good management practice and promotes competitiveness among banks that would benefit the city, said Gerald Cross, senior research fellow with the Pennsylvania Economy League, the citys Act 47 recovery coordinator.

Its just good practice when you anticipate a large sum of a deposit to shop around for the least expensive banking services, Cross said.

The city routinely publicly seeks requests for proposals or qualifications, called RFPs or RFQs, in retaining professional services.

As always, we are being transparent about the process about seeking a bank where we need to hold the (ARP) funds, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said. Well make sure the funds that come in are segregated. We need a separate account and need to be very, very clear about how were spending those funds.

In general, the city seeks the most advantageous interest earned on deposits and fees paid for transactions, city Business Administrator Carl Deeley said.

Youre going to have a healthy cash balance and a lot of expenses as funds are tapped for projects, Deeley said. Weve got to look for the best (depository banking) structure we can get.

The city typically has 10-15 infrastructure-type projects underway simultaneously and the large ARP infusion will double or triple that amount, Deeley said.

Were going to come out swinging on this one, Deeley said.

Congress passed the American Rescue Plan in March . On May 10, the U.S. Treasury Department issued guidance on how states, counties and cities can use and access ARP coronavirus recovery funds.

Local governments now can apply to receive their ARP allotments. The funding would come in two disbursements, including half starting this month and the balance about a year later. Scranton received one of the largest ARP amounts in NEPA.

The city will create a rubric for side-by-side comparisons of any banking qualifications received toward evaluating various features that banks and financial institutions may propose, Deeley said.

The federal government also will require tracking of ARP funds and reporting to the Treasury Department.

Weve got reporting that we have to do for this, so Im also looking for reporting services and ease of tracking, Deeley said.

Under the federal guidelines, ARP funds may be used for the following:

Support of public health expenditures, such as funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral health care and certain public health and safety staff.

Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, industries and the public sector.

Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic.

Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors.

Invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure, by making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and expand access to broadband internet.

ARP funds may not be used to offset tax cuts, reduce pension liabilities, pay for debt service, legal settlements or judgments, or as deposits into rainy day funds or financial reserves.
May 17, 1921

Mine cave-in sends families into streets

An early morning mine cave-in along the 1100 block of West Locust Street forced 10 families from their homes due to gas fumes and property damage.

It was believed that the Edwin Wilkes family, who lived at 1119 W. Locust St., would have died from the fumes if it wasnt for Mrs. Wilkes. Mrs. Wilkes awoke from her sleep by noises caused by the mine cave-in. She woke up her family and rushed them all out of the West Locust Street house into the fresh air. One daughter, Ethel, was ill from the fumes but after a few hours was feeling better.

After the family was safely outside, Mr. Wilkes went down into the homes basement and found the homes gas service pipe and meter were broken. He told a Times reporter, If we had slept for five or 10 minutes more, we would all have been asphyxiated. The gas was coming in through the cellar wall like the wind.

The cave-in caused basement walls to crumble, and other basements were flooded due to broken water lines.

The home with the heaviest damage was that of Brindely Evans at 1118 W. Locust St. The foundation walls fell in, crushing everything in the basement including the furnace. Evans home was damaged two years prior by a settling but was repaired. Evans then was told there was no further danger from caves.

Lightnin  a hit in city

Scrantonians turned out the night of May 16 to watch Lightnin.  No, not the discharge caused by an imbalance between storm clouds and the ground, but the smash Broadway comedy that opened at the Majestic Theater.

The play written by Winchell Smith and Frank Bacon starred veteran stage actor Milton Nobles as Lightnin Bill Jones. The play centered around a mountain hotel located on the border of California and Nevada.

Attendees leaving the sold-out performance gave extravagant praise for the play.

The Times reviewer said the play is the most satisfying theatrical offering that Scranton has been favored with for many, many years and it will doubtless pack the rather small Majestic theater all this week.
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Last year, for the first time in more than a quarter-century, Democrats in Virginia took control of the statehouse and the governors mansion. Since then, one priority has become clear: expanding voting rights.

Once home to the capital of the Confederacy, Virginia has made Election Day a state holiday, repealed a voter identification law and allowed no-excuse absentee voting. Earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam approved a sweeping voting rights act, reinstating election rules once required by federal law to prevent racial discrimination.

Other Democratic states also are acting to remove restrictions to the ballot  in marked contrast to many Republican-controlled states that are moving in the opposite direction. Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Iowa have already passed restrictive voting laws; Ohio and Texas are considering their own.

It was kind of surreal to know that we had the power to change something in 2021 that we had been working on for my entire lifetime, said Del. Marcia Price, a Virginia Democrat who sponsored the Voting Rights Act of Virginia. I think the contrast is becoming so clear of what democracy looks like and what impeding democracy looks like.

More than 800 bills have been filed in 47 states this year with provisions that would expand voting rights, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a public policy group that advocates for voting access. A majority of the proposals focus on absentee voting, while others are meant to make it easier to register to vote or restore voting rights for those with prior criminal convictions.

At the same time, congressional Democrats in Washington are pushing an overhaul of elections through a proposal that would compel states to offer no-excuse absentee voting, require 15 days of early voting, mandate greater disclosure from political donors and more.

The Voting Rights Act of Virginia requires local election officials to get public feedback or approval from the attorney general before making changes to voting procedures. It also empowers voters and the state to sue in cases of voter suppression at the local level and forbids discrimination in election administration.

The law mirrors parts of the federal Voting Rights Act, in which states and counties with a history of discrimination in voting, including Virginia and some other Southern states, had to receive federal approval before making changes to election law. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 threw out that requirement, known as preclearance, effectively gutting the Voting Rights Act.

Democratic states also are introducing legislation to make permanent or build upon procedures that were expanded in 2020, when officials relaxed rules to make voting easier and safer during the pandemic. Elections officials of both parties have said the election ran smoothly, and former President Donald Trumps attorney general said the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread fraud that would have altered the results.

Similar to Virginia, Connecticut is considering a proposal to create its own voting rights act. A separate bill would make ballot drop boxes a permanent fixture of elections. In Colorado, Democrats are pushing numerous elections bills, including measures to expand ranked-choice voting, encourage colleges and universities to inform students about registering to vote, and put polling centers in low-turnout areas.

The Vermont Legislature is moving a bill that would send general election ballots to all active voters, making permanent a policy used last year during the pandemic. Nevada Democrats are trying to do the same for all elections, with state Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson saying mailed ballots made voting more convenient and accessible.

The more options that we give our voters, the better off we are as states and the more were advancing democracy, he said.

Democrats in Maryland have passed several bills aimed at making voting easier this year. One wide-ranging bill created a permanent list that any voter can join to automatically get an absentee ballot before each election. It also requires election officials to send absentee ballot applications to all eligible voters before the states primary elections in 2022 and 2024 and approve ballot drop box locations.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan did not act on the bill, instead letting it become law without his signature. He said it would result in ballots being incorrectly mailed to ineligible voters.

I think the 2020 election was really a game-changer, said Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, a Democrat who sponsored the bill. We had vote-by-mail in unprecedented numbers in 2020, and I think also the climate of the 2020 election really showed us how important it is to expand this fundamental aspect of our democracy and to protect the right to vote and reduce any barriers that might be present in terms of freedom to vote.

Dale Ho, who oversees voting rights for the American Civil Liberties Union, said states should be trying to come up with ways to facilitate voting, not diminish it.

A lot of the analysis and conversation is, Is this going to help Republicans, is this going to help Democrats? Why arent we talking about whats going to help voters? Whats better for voters? he said. Thats what we should be talking about as a country. Thats what these politicians should be talking about.



Izaguirre reported from Lindenhurst, New York. Associated Press writers Sam Metz in Carson City, Nevada; Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, contributed.



Associated Press coverage of voting rights receives support in part from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
A Black Brant XII carrying the KiNET-X mission launched at 8:36 pm ET. The mission is releasing vapor tracers 9-10 minutes after launch at about 217-249 miles altitude over the Atlantic Ocean and 540-560 miles downrange from Wallops, just north of Bermuda.

Due to rain and cloud cover most of NEPA could not see the launch.

LIFTOFF A Black Brant XII carrying the KiNET-X mission launched at 8:36 pm ET. The mission is releasing vapor tracers 9-10 minutes after launch at about 217-249 miles altitude over the Atlantic Ocean and 540-560 miles downrange from Wallops, just north of Bermuda.  NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) May 17, 2021

---------

Update, Sunday 5/15, 10:20 a.m. After six scrubbed launch attempts NASA has one more chance to launch its Black Brant XII rocket tonight. The launch window opens at 8:04 p.m.

If NASA fails to launch tonight the mission will be moved to later this year.

While weather in Virginia and Bermuda may cooperate, weather in NEPA is more questionable. AccuWeather is predicting cloudy skies with 91% cloud cover and a chance of rain.

------------

LAUNCH SCRUBBED! Tonight's launch of the Black Brant XII rocket for the KiNET-X mission has been scrubbed due to cloudy skies in Bermuda. The next launch opportunity will be no earlier than May 16, at 8:04 p.m. EDT. This will be the last launch opportunity for our mission.

After five scrubbed launch attempts NASA will try again tonight to launch a rocket that may be visible in NEPA and much of the east coast.

LAUNCH UPDATE Saturday, 5/15, 4:15 p.m. The Black Brant XII launch carrying the KiNET-X payload is a GO for tonight. Weather is looking great for Wallops, but we'll still be keeping an eye on those pesky clouds in Bermuda. Our window opens at 8:03 pm ET. Live coverage will begin at 7:40 pm.

AccuWeather predicts Intermittent clouds with 26% cloud cover and 10 mile visibility. Get their latest update here.

If clouds spoil our view, you can watch the launch on this NASA video feed. The feed will go live a7 7:40 p.m.

LAUNCH UPDATE 7:10 p.m. The Black Brant XII launch scheduled for May 12 has been postponed to provide time for inspection of the rocket after the vehicle came in contact with a launcher support during todays preparations. The next launch opportunity is NET 8:02 pm ET, Friday, May 14.

LAUNCH UPDATE 4:15 p.m. We're extending tonight's launch window, which now opens at 7:59 pm ET and runs through 8:53 pm. Clouds in Bermuda are a concern, but we're hoping for a break in the weather for our vapor tracer experiment. Live stream begins at 7:40 pm.

Clear skies in NEPA are expected in NEPA for tonight's 8:06 launch of the KiNET-X sounding rocket, which should be visible by looking east/southeast.

This will be the fifth night in a row NASA will attempt to treat the eastern United States from the coast to the Mississippi River and Bermuda to a light show.

Update 8:50 p.m. LAUNCH SCRUBBED: Tonight's launch of the KiNET-X sounding rocket has been scrubbed due to cloudy skies in Bermuda and Wallops. The next launch opportunity will be no earlier than May 12, at 8:06 p.m. EDT. Backup days run through May 16.

UPDATE 5/11: After a string of scrubbed launches over the past three days, NASAs rocket launch has been rescheduled to tonight from the Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia and could be visible along the East Coast - including NEPA, as long as clouds dont get in the way.

AccuWeather predicts less-than-ideal viewing conditions during tonight's launch window with 70% cloud cover and 10 mile visibility. Get their latest update here.

If clouds spoil our view, you can watch the launch on this NASA video feed. The feed will go live about 20 minutes before the scheduled launch time.

For most people, the rocket is going to look like a small dot moving quickly through the sky, similar to the International Space Station passing over, but much faster, NASA noted on its Wallops Flight Facility Twitter page.

UPDATE 8:23 p.m. :Tonight's Black Brant XII sounding rocket carrying the KiNET-X payload has been postponed to no earlier than Tuesday, May 11, at 8:05 p.m. The launch has been postponed due to upper level winds not being within the required limits for a safe launch.

UPDATE 5/10: The launch of the Black Brant XII sounding rocket carrying the KiNET-X payload has been postponed to no earlier than 8:04 p.m., tonight (Monday), May 10. The launch has been postponed twice due to upper level winds not being within the required limits for a safe launch.

Cloudy skies in the region could continue to hamper the view from NEPA. AccuWeather predicts 11% cloud cover and 10 mile visibility for the launch window.

If NASA does launch Black Brant XII and the skies are clear space-geeks will want to look east/southeast.

UPDATE 5/9: The launch of the Black Brant XII sounding rocket carrying the KiNET-X payload has been postponed to no earlier than 8:03 p.m., Sunday, May 9. The launch has been postponed due to upper level winds not being within the required limits for a safe launch. The launch window for Sunday runs until 8:43 p.m.

Weather remains a concern with rain expected by this afternoon.

Earlier we reported:

A mission to explore energy transport in space using a NASA suborbital sounding rocket launching May 8, 2021, from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia may provide a brief light show for residents of the eastern United States and Bermuda.

The mission is scheduled for no earlier than 8:02 p.m. EDT with a 40-minute launch window, Saturday, May 8. Backup launch days run through May 16. The launch may be visible, weather permitting, in much of the eastern United States from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.

A four-stage Black Brant XII rocket will be used for the mission that includes the release of barium vapor that will form two green-violet clouds that may be visible for about 30 seconds. The barium vapor is not harmful to the environment or public health

The mission, called the KiNETic-scale energy and momentum transport eXperiment, or KiNet-X, is designed to study a very fundamental problem in space plasmas, namely, how are energy and momentum transported between different regions of space that are magnetically connected?

The vapor will be released approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds to around 10 minutes after launch at about 217-249 miles altitude over the Atlantic Ocean and 540-560 miles downrange from Wallops and just north of Bermuda.

Immediately after release of the vapor, the spherical clouds are a mixture of green and violet, but that phase only lasts about 30 seconds when the un-ionized component of the cloud has diffused away. After exposure to sunlight the vapor clouds quickly ionize and take on a violet color.

The ionized portion of the cloud becomes tied to the magnetic field lines and diffuses parallel to the field lines but not perpendicular to it. In the mid-Atlantic region latitudes, the field lines are inclined by about 45 degrees to the horizontal, so the violet clouds stretch out in a slanted orientation and look more like short trails than a cloud. Because the motion of the neutral portion of the clouds is not constrained by the magnetic field lines, they spread out more quickly and become too thin to see with the naked eye much sooner than the ionized component.

In general, the human eye does not see violet colors very well in darkness. The KiNET-X clouds will therefore be more difficult for the casual observer to see than some of the previous vapor missions launched from Wallops.

Live coverage of the mission will be available on the Wallops IBM video site (previously Ustream) beginning at 7:40 p.m. on launch day. Launch status updates can be found on the Wallops Facebook and Twitter sites.

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will not be open for launch viewing.

Header image: KiNet-X Visibility Map.

Keith Koehler

NASAs Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia

757-894-4152

keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov
To Dalton officials, new welcome signs are a step toward bringing the borough back to its prime.

More than a year ago, the borough invited residents to submit designs as it sought to replace two Welcome to Dalton signs on Routes 6 and 11 that had fallen into disrepair with dry rot and faded paint. The new signs were put up last month after delays from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It starts with the simple things, borough Councilman Albert Propst said. They seem mundane to most people, but little things like that make a big mental impact on the image of the town.

The borough received around 30 design submissions, Propst said. A committee eventually selected a design from Jess Gard, who moved to Dalton in 2006, and makes digital illustrations in her spare time.

Gard aimed for a bright and fresh design and said shes glad her four children could see something she created on display in their hometown. Theres excitement throughout Dalton for community revitalization, she said.

I think Dalton is going in a great direction and its just neat to be able to be a part of that, Gard said. I hope the sign represents our community well.

Next, the borough plans to install solar lights that could illuminate the signs in the evenings.

Its just literally a night-and-day difference from the original ones, Propst said.

Council and the planning commission want to stay productive with other projects that improve the borough, including similar signs for Platt Park, he said.

Dalton also increased its online presence with an upgraded website and an active Facebook page, Propst said. Hopefully, the borough can have the history of Dalton written out and shared online, he said.

Recently, the borough asked residents to sponsor hanging flower baskets for poles downtown. Propst said residents answered the call and covered all 18 baskets, showing their willingness to invest in the betterment of the borough.

There are a lot of people in this town that are waiting for Dalton to make its comeback, he said. Dalton is really changing. COVID threw a damper on it. It shut us down for a little while, but people have a super bright outlook for sure.
WYOMING  Exterior renovations are complete at the historic Swetland Homestead in Wyoming, which will reopen for tours and events this summer.

The Luzerne County Historical Society owns and operates the 218-year-old homestead off Wyoming Avenue. The first phase of a long-planned renovation project started last fall, after being delayed several months by the coronavirus pandemic.

With exterior renovations complete, plans call for a soft reopening of the homestead on July 3, said Mark Riccetti Jr., director of operations and programs for the historical society.

The reopening will follow the annual ceremony at the nearby Wyoming Monument, Riccetti said.

Tours of the Swetland Homestead, by appointment only, will resume by late summer or early fall, and the historical society will hold its annual harvest festival there in early October, Riccetti said.

Return visitors will find the homestead  one of the oldest houses in Luzerne County  has gotten a major makeover.

Crews repaired the homes leaking roof, installed new gutters and spouts, replaced deteriorated wood, restored windows and repaired the chimney.

Also, a new wheelchair ramp was installed to improve accessibility, and the lawn was seeded, Riccetti said.

The renovation project cost slightly less than $500,000, most of which was paid by a trust fund of which the historical society is a beneficiary, Riccetti said.

The society plans to renovate the interior of the historic home as the next phase of the project, he said.

The Swetland Homestead is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Generations of the Swetland family lived there until 1958, when the homestead was given to the historical society.

For information, visit luzernehistory.org/visit/swetland-homestead/
Editor: I ask the people of Dunmore to vote against the failed policies of the past that have left us with enormous debt and the highest tax millage of any town in Lackawanna County except Scranton.

Instead, please vote for a new era in Dunmore of honest, enthusiastic government and for candidates who will put the town and its people ahead of special interests. Please vote for Max Conway for mayor, William Trip OMalley and Katherine Mackrell Oven for borough council, Andy Genovese for controller and write in Michael Ruddy for tax collector.

Cast your vote for Dunmores future.

JANET BRIER

DUNMORE

Editor: In response to Scranton School Director Ro Humes May 10 guest column (And a pretty pony, too!), I ask this: If Hume, Scranton School Board President Katie Gilmartin and the current board majority follow all of Chief Recovery Officer Candis Finans recommendations, arent we, for all intents and purposes, in receivership already?

As a teacher in the district, I prefer a new majority that will vote based on the current financial circumstances, not what was the case when the plan was adopted. Perhaps a new majority could work with the recovery officer to determine ways that the recently received millions of dollars can best be allocated to restore programs, maintain existing buildings and attract and retain employees.

Vote accordingly this election season.

GEORGE SKIP ROSKOS

SCRANTON

Editor: Tuesday, primary election voters across Pennsylvania will have the opportunity to select candidates for very important seats on our appellate courts.

Democratic voters will have the great opportunity to vote for Jill Beck as a nominee for a seat on the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Beck is a lawyers lawyer and will be a peoples judge. She has spent more than a decade working within the Superior Court and more time than that in practice before that court. She has represented clients in cases covering every single area of law that the Superior Court considers.

Beck is no politician. She is a working lawyer for her clients and will be a working Superior Court judge for all Pennsylvanians. I urge Pennsylvanians to select Beck as the Democratic nominee for a seat on Pennsylvanias Superior Court.

MELINDA C. GHILARDI

DUNMORE

Editor: Progressive Women of NEPA endorses three candidates on the state and regional levels.

On the statewide level, we endorse Democrat Maria McLaughlin for the open seat on the Supreme Court. McLaughlin is a Superior Court justice and unopposed in the Democratic primary. Also statewide, we endorse Democrat Jill Beck for the open seat on the Superior Court. Beck is from Allegheny County and has two Democratic opponents in the primary.

Regionally, we endorse Green Party candidate Marlene Sebastianelli for the Senate seat in the 22nd District, which encompasses all of Lackawanna and parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties. Four candidates seek the seat previously held by Sen. John Blake in this special election and balloting is open to all registered voters.

As a political action committee, our sole purpose is to improve government by working to recruit, train, fund and elect qualified, progressive women to political leadership at the state and local levels.

WENDY JONES

JEANNE KERNOSCHAK

PROGRESSIVE WOMEN OF NEPA

Editor: Id like to express some positivity about Scranton School Director Katie Gilmartin, my cousin.

She is dedicated, extremely hard-working, intelligent and loyal. She is a Scranton business owner who understands finances. She is the daughter of two teachers who value education. She is an active member of the Scranton community and a wonderful public servant.

She puts thought and long hours of preparation into every decision she makes and is transparent in doing so. Every decision she makes is backed up by facts, figures and policies. She cares about every student in the district. We need this capable and selfless woman on the school board.

She works tirelessly to resolve problems, most of which preceded her tenure on the board. She is capable and reliable, well-deserving of the support she receives from citizens.

I am proud of her for the decisions she has made and the work she has done on the school board.

MICHELE JACQUINOT DITCHKUS

SCRANTON

Editor: The Democratic Party believes the public is rather naive and can be bought.

Maybe they are right. Congress gives you nothing. Government can only provide a fair playing field, equality can only guarantee opportunities, not guarantee results. Thats up to you.

So instead of allowing the private sector to drive our wellbeing they push big government for their own reasons, power.

Since we are on this headlong dive over the economic cliff lets abandon federal income taxes altogether. Get it over with and let the government printing press drive us to insolvency. Really, you dont need taxes to pay bills if you have a limitless credit card.

Thats what is happening, ridiculous handouts to anyone who can breathe and more important, anyone that can vote.

So let Democrats get guaranteed income, kill the filibuster, pack the court, give Washington, D.C. statehood, allow the illegal invasion, and most of all crush right-to-work laws. They would stop voter ID, which polls indicate an overwhelming majority support.

The hypocrisy in Washington is beyond comprehension.

Democrats fear they may lose the 2022 election and control of Congress. Since they have no platform giving money away is their strategy. They could be right if people dont wake up.

J.P. DURKIN

PITTSON
MARISSA BERGEL, Wheeler softball, senior: Bergel hit a two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning to lift Wheeler past Holy Cross, 9-7, in the Class S state tournament. The hit was part of a five-run rally in the inning.

JOEY GUARNIERI, Westerly track & field, senior: Guarnieri placed first in two sprints at the Southern Division championships. He won the 100 (11.19) and the 200 (22.73).

JOSH MOONEY, Stonington track & field, sophomore: Mooney placed first in the 110 hurdles at the Class M state meet in 14.65. He also finished second in the 300 hurdles (39.87) and second in the javelin (160-0).

MARGARET WEEDEN, Chariho track & field, junior: Weeden finished first in the high jump at the Southern Division championships. Weeden cleared 5-1 and also placed sixth in the triple jump at 31-5.

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The closure of the very last Debenhams stores at the weekend, after 240 years of trading, provides vivid testimony to the ravages of unsafe ownership.

Navigating the choppy retail waters is hard enough with Covid, the challenge of online, business rates and much else. But when solid enterprises are starved of investment by private equity sharks, underlying enterprises don't stand a chance.

Weak post-Brexit valuations among FTSE350 companies, pusillanimous boards and flaccid commitment by supposed principled long-only investment funds have made London a hunting ground for private equity groups. The pandemic has left unaccountable financiers sitting on around 720billion of cash. No sector of the economy is safe from their attention.

Victim: The closure of the very last Debenhams stores, after 240 years of trading, provides vivid testimony to the ravages of unsafe ownership

Despite government efforts to create safe space, with the recent passage of the National Security & Investment Act, the bidding is relentless. The future of our aerospace sector has been jeopardised by opportunist private equity deals. Victims include flight refuelling pioneer Cobham, satellite innovator Inmarsat, private jet specialists Signature and GKN Aerospace.

Melrose's buy, improve and sell model means that the GKN Aerospace arm (like air conditioning company Nortel) will be flogged to the highest bidder when opportunity knocks. Meggitt is the latest UK aerospace firm being eyed up by an overseas bidder. The rash of deals is disrupting supply chains, denuding R&D and allows intellectual property to flow overseas.

The bout of private equity assaults is so fast and furious it is hard to keep up. Latest to come under fire is the fund administration firm Sanne, which has rejected a 1.35billion initial approach from Cinven. This is par for the course. Boards rarely submit at the first whiff of cordite. Typically, they defend only to raise the offer price and to enrich their own executives.

A proposed deal for Sanne is the latest in Britain's leading edge financial sector. It has witnessed Esure and Royal Victoria bought by Bain, and Royal Sun Alliance gobbled up by smaller overseas insurers. It always comes down to price.

The world's largest security group, G4S, made a pretence of resisting the attentions of private equity ghouls before falling to a heavily indebted, private equity-backed bid from Allied Universal. As a consequence, UK nuclear facilities and private prisons are now in the hands of foreign owners.

Britain's pharmaceutical firms have done heroic service in the pandemic. But that did not stop UDG Healthcare, which provides services to the industry, being swallowed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in a 2.6billion deal. St Modwen Property has revealed it has received a 1.2billion bid from Blackstone.

The UK's corporate landscape is littered with the victims of debt-fuelled private equity predators. The objective is rarely honourable. It is to break-up the enterprises and sell them on piece by piece as quickly as possible and make a profit for their super-rich investors.

The same UK long-fund investors who shout environment, governance and social (ESG) investing from the rooftops consent to unprincipled marauders taking charge of good UK firms with scarcely a bleat. The insouciance in the face of private equity gunfire is unadulterated hypocrisy.
GlaxoSmithKline boss Emma Walmsley is preparing for battle with Elliott Management after the activist investor warned that 'change is coming'.

Walmsley, who is leading a turnaround of the British drug-maker, has been under the spotlight since feared hedge fund Elliott snapped up a stake in GSK last month.

Preparing for battle: Elliott Management is understood to be weighing up an attack on Emma Walmsley

The New York-based firm is understood to be weighing an attack on Walmsley, who is preparing to split GSK into a pharmaceuticals firm and a consumer business making products such as Aquafresh toothpaste and Nicorette patches.

Walmsley, 51, has declared her intention to lead the more prestigious pharma arm  but some investors were worried about her lack of medical experience and slow progress in drug development.

One investor with knowledge of Elliott's plans told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Change is coming and it's going to be action-orientated. People changing could be part of it. [Their ideas] are plausible in some cases but less so in others.'

Elliott could push for an even more drastic overhaul. Walmsley will set out her business blueprint in June.
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Graveside services for Johnny Rack Whiddon, 76 of Thomasville will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Rev. Gerald Horne will officiate. Mr. Whiddon passed away June 5, 2021 at his residence. Born February 3, 1945 in Cairo, he was the son of the late J.C. Wh
The Rev. Gus Puleo is pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown and served as an adjunct professor of Spanish at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has masters degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania.
Tulsa Attorney Clark Brewster, right, poses for a picture with Amr Zedan, owner of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, before the Preakness on Saturday. Brewster, a longtime horse racing enthusiast, is representing Zedan in his legal battle to retain Medina Spirits Kentucky Derby victory.
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Israel pummeled Gaza with air strikes on Monday and Palestinian militants launched rockets at Israeli cities despite a flurry of U.S. and regional diplomacy that has so far failed to halt more than a week of deadly fighting.

Israels missile attacks on the densely populated Palestinian enclave killed a top Islamic Jihad commander and left a crater in a seven-storey office building that Israels military said was used by Gazas Islamist rulers Hamas.

The directive is to continue to strike at terror targets, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a meeting with military chiefs. We will continue to act as necessary to restore peace and security to all residents of Israel.

The armed wing of Hamas promised more rockets in return: The criminal Zionist enemy intensified its bombing of homes and residential apartments in the recent hours, and therefore, we warn the enemy that if it did not stop that immediately, we would resume rocketing Tel Aviv, said spokesman Abu Ubaida.

Rocket barrages, some of them launched in response to the killing of Islamic Jihads Hussam Abu Harbeed, sent Israelis dashing for bomb shelters. A synagogue was hit in Ashkelon and an apartment building in Ashdod.

Gaza health officials put the Palestinian death toll since hostilities flared up last week at least 212, including 61 children and 36 women. Ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children.

The Israeli military said militants had fired about 3,350 rockets from Gaza, and that Israeli air and artillery strikes had killed least 130 Palestinian combatants.

With the fiercest regional hostilities in years showing no sign of abating, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged all sides to protect civilians.

Israel had the right to defend itself, Blinken said. He also said he had not seen any evidence provided by Israel on suggestions that Hamas was operating out of a building housing media outlets  including the U.S.-based Associated Press  which was destroyed in an Israeli missile strike at the weekend.

Late on Monday Hamas denied that it had offices in the building, known as al-Jala: These are false allegations and an attempt to justify the crime of targeting a civilian tower, said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum in a statement.

Blinken and other U.S. officials put in calls to Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates on Monday, and a U.S. envoy to the region met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt and U.N. mediators also stepped up diplomatic efforts, while the U.N. General Assembly will meet to discuss the violence on Thursday.

Despite the flurry of U.S. mediation, the U.S. administration approved the potential sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel, and Congressional sources said on Monday that U.S. lawmakers were not expected to object to the deal.

ISLAMIC JIHAD

As Islamic Jihad mourned Harbeeds death, Israels military said he had been behind several anti-tank missile terror attacks against Israeli civilians. An Israeli general said the country could carry on the fight forever.

At least seven Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Monday by evening. Two died in the missile attack on the office building, which Israels military said was used by Hamas internal security.

My children couldnt sleep all night even after the wave of intensive bombing stopped, said Umm Naeem, 50, a mother of five, as she shopped for bread in Gaza City.

Earlier on Monday, Israel bombed what its military called 15 km (nine miles) of underground tunnels used by Hamas. Nine residences belonging to high-ranking Hamas commanders in Gaza were also hit, it said.

We have to continue the war until there is long-term ceasefire  (one) that is not temporary, Osher Bugam, a resident of the Israel coastal city of Ashkelon, said after a rocket fired from Gaza hit the synagogue there.

Medics said seven people were injured in the rocket strike that hit the apartment building in Ashdod.

COMMUNAL VIOLENCE

Hamas began its rocket assault last Monday after weeks of tensions over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near the citys al-Aqsa Mosque, Islams third holiest site, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Palestinians have also become frustrated by setbacks to their aspirations for an independent state and an end to Israeli occupation in recent years.

World concern deepened after an Israeli air strike in Gaza that destroyed several homes on Sunday and which Palestinian health officials said killed 42 people, including 10 children, and persistent rocket attacks on Israeli towns.

The hostilities between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza have been accompanied by an uptick of violence in the West Bank, where the Palestinians have limited self-rule. Alarmingly for Israelis, there have also been riots involving both Arab and Jewish mobs within Israel itself, and clashes in towns populated both by Jews and members of Israels 21% Arab minority.

Police said an Israeli man died in hospital on Monday after being attacked by Arab rioters last week.

Israels president has warned that tension between Jewish and Arab Israelis could devolve into civil war.

General strikes are planned for Tuesday in Arab towns within Israel and Palestinian towns in the West Bank, with posts on social media urging solidarity from the sea to the river.

While the devastation in Gaza was likely to make it harder for Israel to expand its ties with Arab countries, Gulf states that opened ties with Israel last year are showing no public sign of second thoughts.

SOURCE: REUTERS
ALBANY  New Yorkers will go the polls in November to decide if a "green amendment" should be added to the state constitution. But if it passes, the net result probably won't be clear for years because such an amendment will likely be shaped through a series of court cases.

That's what happened in the two states that already have green amendments, Pennsylvania and Montana, according to a Rockefeller Institute panel that is looking at the issue.

Until more states pass the green amendment we wont quite know how it plays out, said Azania Maitland, a Rockefeller Institute intern who is working on a report on what a green amendment may look like if approved by voters.

New York's proposed amendment says that "Each person shall have a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment. That right would be added to New Yorks bill of rights, a move that supporters say would expand environmental protections but opponents say is unnecessary given existing regulations.

In light of what could prove to be this important ballot issue, Rockefeller Institute has assigned a group of interns to prepare a report on the ins and outs of such a plan.

On Friday, they laid out in a Zoom conference what they have found so far.

For one thing, New York is not alone in considering a green amendment: Nine other states are also. (The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, which has model amendment language, says Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, Washington and West Virginia are all looking at such amendments.

In Montana, the power of the state's decades-old amendment - which has acted as a brake on overdevelopment and to enforce pollution laws - has waxed and waned with court decisions, the researchers found. And that took time.



After some decisions favoring developers and miners after the amendment took effect in the early 1970s, the states high court in 1999 reaffirmed the idea that regulations can be forward-looking and preventive rather than just be retrospective.

That case involved a controversial gold mining project that environmentalists believed would endanger fish in the Blackfoot River.

Our constitution does not require that dead fish float on the surface of our states rivers and streams before its farsighted environmental protections can be invoked [] the delegates intention was to provide language and protections which are both anticipatory and preventative, ruled one of the judges in the case.

Montanas green amendment could be viewed as a reaction to years of gold and copper mining in the state, which left a legacy of pollution.

In Pennsylvania, the 1971 amendment had its roots in the states history of coal mining, That law has also been refined in court decisions.

A major change came in 2017 when judges determined that revenues from hydrofracking should go to environmental restoration rather than the states general fund.

Unlike New York, Pennsylvania has allowed hydrofracking, in which high-pressure fluids are used to extract pockets of gas located deep in underground rock formations. The industry has brought in millions of dollars but opponents say it has tainted irreplaceable groundwater supplies.

Pennsylvanias constitution is also unique in that it puts a high value on the aesthetics of the natural environment.

New York laws tend to focus on the environment as it relates to health and safety, researchers found.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Leaders in the Minneapolis suburb where a police officer fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April are expected to vote Saturday on a resolution that would put the city on track to major changes to its policing practices.

The resolution, backed by Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott, would create new divisions of unarmed civilian employees to handle non-moving traffic violations and respond to mental health crises. It would also limit situations in which officers can make arrests.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota called the proposed changes an important first move" in changing policing. But several police groups raised concerns, saying parts of the resolution conflict with state law and will put public safety at risk.

The city attorney said in a Friday memo to City Council members that adopting the resolution wouldn't be a final action, but would commit the city to change.

Elliott introduced the resolution last week, less than a month after then-Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is white, fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, setting off protests in the city. The citys police chief, who has since stepped down, said at the time he believed Potter meant to use her Taser on Wright during the April 11 stop instead of her handgun. Shes charged with second-degree manslaughter and has also resigned.

Some City Council members in Minneapolis failed last year to overhaul that city's police department in the wake of George Floyd's death, and are mounting another effort this year. The move in Brooklyn Center, an inner-ring suburb of just 30,000 people, echoes some of the ideas in the Minneapolis plan.

On Twitter last week, Elliott called the plan a common sense approach to public safety that would make police not the only option when our community is in need.

Wright's death came after he was pulled over for what police said was expired tags  the kind of traffic stop that many community members say often unfairly targets people of color. It escalated when, according to police, they realized Wright was wanted on a gross misdemeanor warrant.

The Brooklyn Center resolution would put enforcement of non-moving traffic violations  such as Wright's expired tags  in the hands of unarmed civilians.

It would also create a department of unarmed workers trained to respond to medical and mental health calls, addressing another frequent criticism that 911 calls can end in the death of someone in crisis when confronted by armed officers.

And it would create a new Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention to oversee efforts on community health and public safety, led by a director with public health expertise.

The resolution would also require more de-escalation efforts by police before using deadly force; ban deadly force in some situations, such as firing on moving cars; and bar arrests or searches of people during non-moving traffic violations, non-felony offenses or warrants.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the Law Enforcement Labor Services, the Minnesota Sheriffs Association and the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association wrote to the City Council urging them to reject the resolution, saying parts of it conflict with several state statutes. And they said it would be dangerous to have civilians take over certain policing situations, both for the public and the civilian workers, and would likely lead to criminals fleeing.

The resolution is named for Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler, a 21-year-old man with autism and mental illness who was fatally shot by officers in June. Officers in that incident were not charged.

___

Find APs full coverage of the death of Daunte Wright at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright

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This story was first published on May 15, 2021. It was updated on May 17, 2021, to correct that the warrant for Wright was for a gross misdemeanor, not a felony.
5 1 of 5 Thomas Heffernan Sr. / Special to the Times Union Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Thomas Heffernan Sr. / Special to the Times Union Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Thomas Heffernan Sr. / Special to the Times Union Show More Show Less 5 of 5









WESTERLO  A 42-year-old local man was charged with drunken driving  and could face other charges  after a head-on collision Sunday that critically injured the driver of an oncoming minivan and sent three passengers and a motorcyclist to the hospital with injuries, State Police said.

Troopers said Andrew R. Gibson of Westerlo was driving north on County Route 401 when he passed another vehicle in a no-passing zone and lost control on a curve, his car sideswiping a motorcycle before colliding with the oncoming car.
Former Army Sgt. David O. Barnum of Averill Park, a Vietnam War veteran, has been selected to receive the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution's highest award for community and military service.

Kristen Moore, regent of the Gen. Peter Gansevoort Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, will present the DAR Medal of Honor to Barnum at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 29 on the grounds of the Van Schaick Mansion in Cohoes.

The chapter owns the mansion where the Battle of Saratoga was planned.

Dave is certainly most deserving of this great honor and tribute, says John Mullen, co-chairman of The Rev. Francis Kelley Society, a military honor society. Barnum is one of the societys seven Rensselaer County Home Town Heroes.

After Barnum graduated from Averill Park High School in 1965 he enlisted in the Army.

He did his basic combat training at Fort Dix, N.J. and advanced infantry training at Fort Gordon, Ga. After he graduated from a 16-week Army Aviation Avionics School at Fort Gordon, he was assigned as a medevac helicopter crewman and door gunner with the 15th Medical Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division.

While on missions to evacuate wounded soldiers from battle sites he was wounded twice.

North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong wounded many American soldiers during a mortar and ground attack on Landing Zone English on June 6, 1967. Barnum and other medevac crew members and their helicopters were on the ground when the attack was launched.

After the enemy struck an ammunition dump, Barnum and a medevac pilot, Warrant Officer William Barnsider took cover in a communication bunker. Moments later, they head cries from wounded fellow soldiers. The pair left the bunker despite heavy enemy fire to locate and give battlefield first aid to the wounded soldiers. They then carried both wounded soldiers to the safety of the bunker before being extracted by a medevac helicopter.

Barnum and the warrant officer left the bunker again to help another wounded soldier. Barnum and the pilot were wounded from a large explosion. Despite their wounds they helped the casualty to get to a safe area where medics treated the wounds of all three before being put on a medevac helicopter. While under heavy enemy fire, despite Barnums wounds he jumped from the helicopter to help other soldiers put the wounded on the helicopter.

Barnum earned a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart for helping with the rescue and recovery of those wounded soldiers.

During the attack four medevac helicopters were destroyed and a total of 12 medevac crew members were wounded.

During another mission in the Bong Son Providence, his helicopter was sent to extract two seriously wounded soldiers at a landing zone that was under heavy enemy fire. After the two wounded soldiers were aboard the aircraft, Barnum noticed other soldiers were struggling to get a third wounded soldier on the aircraft. Despite heavy enemy fire, Barnum jumped out of the helicopter and assisted in getting the third wounded soldier aboard. For that action, Barnum earned an Air Medal for Valor.

After the war, he earned degrees from the Junior College of Albany, and the University at Albany. He helped operate Barnum and Sons Construction Company. He served as vice president and later, president of the Board of Directors of the Rensselaer County Vietnam War Memorial Committee. He also served as a veterans advocate for The Rev. Francis A. Kelley Society.

More Information News of your troops and units can be sent to Times Union, Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or brownt@timesunion.com.

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Wildfire training

Four New York Army National Guard UH-60 helicopter crews from Latham and three Connecticut Army National Guard crews honed their wild firefighting skills during an exercise over the Mohawk River in Colonie.

The air crews teamed up with state Department of Environmental Conservation rangers.

The soldiers are all assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment based at the Albany International Airport passed qualification tests, according to Eric Durr, a spokesman for the state Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

The aviators used the Colonie Town Park swimming pool lot as their base of operations.

Each helicopter crew used a 660-gallon bucket to draw water from the river and displaced the water over a buoy target in the water that simulated a wildfire.

The crews dropped 120 buckets of water on the target as DEC rangers helped guide the aviators. The rangers along the river bank used a radio to practiced adjusting water drops.



Helicopters make fighting wildfires easier and faster, according to Ranger Lt. David Kallen of the rangers' Division of Forest Protections. Helicopters all us as fire managers to expedite water delivery to the fire line, accessing locations that otherwise would be difficult or impossible to get to, he said.




COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed into law a bill that forces death row inmates for now to choose between the electric chair or a newly formed firing squad in hopes the state can restart executions after an involuntary 10-year pause.

Two inmates who have exhausted their appeals immediately sued, saying they can't be electrocuted or shot since they were sentenced under a prior law that made lethal injection the default execution method.

South Carolina had been one of the most prolific states of its size in putting inmates to death. But a lack of lethal injection drugs brought executions to a halt.

McMaster signed the bill Friday with no ceremony or fanfare, according to the state Legislature's website. It's the first bill the governor decided to deal with after nearly 50 hit his desk Thursday.

The families and loved ones of victims are owed closure and justice by law. Now, we can provide it," McMaster said on Twitter on Monday.

Last week state lawmakers gave their final sign offs to the bill, which retains lethal injection as the primary method of execution if the state has the drugs, but requires prison officials to use the electric chair or firing squad if it doesnt.

Prosecutors said three inmates have exhausted all their normal appeals, but can't be killed because under the previous law, inmates who don't choose the state's 109-year-old electric chair automatically are scheduled to die by lethal injection. They have all chosen the method that can't be carried out.

How soon executions can begin is up in the air. The electric chair is ready to use. Prison officials have been doing preliminary research into how firing squads carry out executions in other states, but are not sure how long it will take to have one in place in South Carolina. The other three states that allow a firing squad are Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Three inmates, all in Utah, have been killed by firing squad since the U.S. reinstated the death penalty in 1977. Nineteen inmates have died in the electric chair this century, and South Carolina is one of eight states that can still electrocute inmates, according to the center.

These are execution methods that previously were replaced by lethal injection, which is considered more humane, and it makes South Carolina the only state going back to the less humane execution methods," said Lindsey Vann of Justice 360, a nonprofit that represents many of the men on South Carolinas death row.

Two of the three inmates with no more traditional appeals sued Monday to stop any attempts to make them face the electric chair or a firing squad.

Lawyers for Freddie Owens said he chose lethal injection under the old law and he can't be resentenced to a different execution method without violating his constitutional rights.

Lawyers for Brad Sigmon made similar arguments. He did not choose between lethal injection and the electric chair and under the old law would have been given lethal injection by default.

Legal arguments by both inmates in state court said the new execution law is so vague that the process and consequences of the election decision are unclear to a person of ordinary intelligence."

From 1996 to 2009, South Carolina executed about three inmates a year on average. But a lull in death row inmates reaching the end of their appeals coincided a few years later with pharmaceutical companies refusing to sell states the drugs needed to sedate inmates, relax their muscles and stop their hearts.

South Carolina's last execution took place in May 2011, and its batch of lethal injection drugs expired in 2013.

Supporters of the bill said the death penalty remains legal in South Carolina, and the state owes it to the family of the victims to find a way to carry out the punishment.

Opponents brought up the case of 14-year-old George Stinney, who South Carolina sent to the electric chair in 1944 after a one-day trial in the deaths of two white girls. He was the youngest person executed in the U.S. in the 20th century. A judge threw out the Black teens conviction in 2014.

Stinney's case is a reminder the death penalty in South Carolina has always been racist, arbitrary, and error-prone" and continues to be, said Frank Knaack, executive director of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

In the midst of a national reckoning around systemic racism, our Governor ensured that South Carolinas death penalty  a system rooted in racial terror and lynchings  is maintained," Knaack said in a statement.

Nineteen of the 37 inmates currently on the state's death row are Black.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

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Michelle Liu contributed to this report.

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An earlier version of this report incorrectly said South Carolinas last execution took place in May 2010, instead of May 2011.
ALBANY  Lily Mercogliano Easton awoke in horror as tear gas crept into her home in the dead of night last spring following a volatile night of activism that devolved into violence.

The mist coated her bedroom and shrouded everything inside, including her sleeping six-year-old daughter.

I didnt know that the alarming smell that woke us up in the middle of the night was tear gas, Easton said.

Easton was among the dozen-or-so speakers Monday night who implored the Albany Common Council to wholly ban police use of the chemical weapon.

Common Council voted late Monday night 9 to 6 to table an outright ban - but left the door open on legislation that would severely curtail its usage.

Lawmakers continued to wrestle with the details late Monday and tussled over last-minute amendments that would have diluted an original proposal to all-out ban its usage.

The debate, which has been simmering for two months, cleaved lawmakers as they struggled with how to be responsive to calls to reduce the use of chemical irritants while also ensuring officers feel they have the ability to control volatile situations.

A bill introduced by Councilwoman Judy Doesschate earlier this spring would have prohibited its deployment entirely. But amended legislation that is planned to be introduced by Councilwoman Joyce Love, who herself inhaled some of the gas last year and continues to suffer lingering heath effects, would issue tight parameters for its usage.

If adopted, officers will be permitted to release tear gas in situations involving hostages  but only if nearby residents were given time to evacuate and the police chief decided officers had no other options.

And the deployment would be prohibited in residential areas unless its use is "absolutely necessary" to protect lives.

Additional amendments proposed by City Hall last week folded into the bill include ensuring medical staff are on site and that advance notice is given.

Love said shes not in favor of tear gas, but wondered what police would resort to to control crowds under life-threatening situations.

When something happens in the community, what are they going to do - use real bullets on our people? Love said. Im against tear gas, but you got to come up with another solution.

Lawmakers sparred Monday night over parliamentary procedure, with Doesschate calling for a straight up-or-down vote on her original bill  not an amended document she said lawmakers were given scant time to review and went against public sentiment.

Im once again stunned throughout this entire process, Doesschate said, noting she was blindsided by the series of amendments and perceived lack of transparency.

Documents were submitted four minutes after the meeting started. City Corporation Counsel Brett Williams countered that only the date had been revised since last week  not policy details.

The Common Council also tabled a vote last month after lawmakers said they needed more time to determine when tear gas can be utilized.

Dozens of city residents and activists spoke in favor of the ban last month, with the latter pushing back against any amendments, citing the need for the police to instead de-escalate tense situations.

Many more spoke on Monday, several of whom criticized the often-contentious session.

"I felt like I was watching a legislative body that never met before," said Mark Mishler, who said he's been involved in local government for 40 years.

Several lawmakers also lamented the process, noting the public has already delivered a clear mandate to ban the irritant.

This is just a piss-poor example of us listening to the people and us doing what we want to do," said City Councilman Derek Johnson.

Others said a consensus remained unclear.

It wasnt a unified voice for one piece of legislation, said Councilman Mike OBrien.

Despite the acrimony, the final reform plan adopted by lawmakers as part of the state-mandated police process does call for the usage of tear gas to be curtailed.

The final draft of the reform plan penned by Sheehans office recommended restricting the use of chemical weapons in heavily populated neighborhoods and called for the department to find additional safe crowd control measures.

Rubber bullets will also be banned, while pepper spray, which is typically used to target specific individuals as opposed to larger crowds, would still be permitted but limited to canisters of .75 ounces.

City police have deployed tear gas twice in the past year.

The police used the irritant last May at South Station on Arch Street when a peaceful protest turned violent and again at police headquarters on Henry Johnson Boulevard two nights later.

If adopted, city police will be required to submit a use of force report within five business days of the use of any chemical weapons.

Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of days that separated the spring 2020 protest at South Station and the one on Henry Johnson Boulevard.
Those who never interact with the criminal legal system often assume that once your sentence is over you return home, live freely and have the same opportunities for advancement as everyone else.

This could not be further from the truth. Just ask the more than two million New Yorkers who struggle every day because of their conviction record. Rather than being able to move forward with their lives, they face decades of inescapable punishment. Employers refuse to hire them, landlords reject their housing applications and the government denies them the ability to collect public benefits that help so many of us.

We need to transform this punitive system into one that asserts human dignity and enables all people to thrive. If prison is the penalty for committing a crime, there must be some way for that sentence to eventually end. We can make it so.

The passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act is a great example of such transformative change. Thanks to its automatic expungement provision, more than 100,000 New Yorkers will now be able to secure gainful employment, stable housing, and benefits to support themselves and their families, meaningfully contributing to our shared communities.

But we must not stop there.

It is time for New York to take the next logical step by passing the Clean Slate legislation that we have introduced (S1553A / A6399 ) to automatically clear more convictions for more New Yorkers. Our proposed two-step process would allow misdemeanor and felony records to first be automatically sealed a period of time after a person completes their sentence, including all terms of community supervision. Complete expungement would then occur several years later and only if the person is not re-convicted.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are arrested. Those who are ultimately convicted exit the legal system to find themselves unable to attain basic necessities like jobs or housing. This perpetuates a devastating cycle of poverty, homelessness, and reincarceration. People with conviction histories have much higher rates of homelessness and unemployment than the national average, and can lose nearly $500,000 in lifetime earnings.

Despite these significant impacts, New York provides no meaningful opportunity for people to move beyond their conviction records. Our process for clearing convictions places the burden on individuals to navigate a lengthy and difficult application process that is riddled with hurdles and often requires paying for legal assistance. Far from a viable pathway to a fresh start, less than one percent of eligible individuals have benefitted from this law since it went into effect more than three years ago.

This is not just an individual problem, but a collective one that affects our whole state. Homelessness and unemployment destabilize neighborhoods and entire communities. It ignores the potential of people to change and prevents us all from achieving shared economic growth. And condemning those who have served their time for past offenses to a lifetime of punishment flies in the face of our notion of justice.

It also deepens racial inequalities. Our history of racist overpolicing and excessive prosecution has ensured that Black and brown individuals are far more likely to suffer the burden of a conviction. A recent report found that in New York City, people of color represent 80 percent of those with conviction records, a pattern that holds true across our state.

There is no reason to delay change any longer. Other states that have implemented measures similar to our proposed legislation have seen incredible success in helping people get back on their feet. Research from Michigan shows that those who had their records expunged saw significantly higher wages and were less likely to commit a crime than the general population.

Enabling people to get back on their feet after serving a criminal sentence would be life-changing for millions of our friends, family members, and neighbors. All we have to do is pass it.

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, represents the 20th Senate District. Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, D-Queens, represents the 39th Assembly District.
Sadly, this is progress: An Albany police officer who beat a man during an arrest on First Street has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and resigned from the force.

And in a year, if Luke Deer meets stipulations, he can withdraw his plea and take a disorderly conduct violation.

Disorderly conduct? This officer was seen on body camera beating a man with his baton. This officer was charged with felony assault and official misconduct. And it took two years since the First Street debacle  which also involved other officers, multiple use-of-force violations, lying to investigators, and failures of leadership, as determined by an internal APD probe  for the case to reach even this disappointing conclusion.

Too often police officers face no consequences for their misdeeds. So, yes, its right that he never work as an Albany police officer again. But its not worth taking a victory lap over. Especially since the plea deal says nothing about seeking a job on another force.

500,000 square feet of dreams

Over the decades that Albanys Central Warehouse has sat empty, people have imagined many futures for it: apartments, a retail/office complex, a rail station, space for artists, a canvas for murals, an architectural salvage warehouse, a fortified zombie apocalypse safehouse. OK, one of those is made up.

If you have a great idea and a boatload of cash, you can add your proposal to the list: The building Albany loves to hate is up for auction.

That apparently was news to Evan Blum, its current owner, who tells the Times Unions Chris Churchill that hes not happy about it. But Mr. Blum, who bought the hulking pile for $1 in 2017, made a lot of promises but no progress. Albany Countys tired of waiting for his dollar-and-a-dream plans to materialize, and theyre  rightly  moving on.

One popular suggestion  that the structure be replaced with a hole in the ground  is not considered a viable option. The former refrigerated warehouse is 11 stories of reinforced concrete. Its full of asbestos. It has been described as built like Fort Knox.

The county says it will hold out for a viable proposal from someone with the wherewithal to make it happen. Good. Lets not waste any more years on hope. So if youve got an idea, heres your chance to be a hero. Or just the latest in a long line of dreamers.

Bankruptcy? Not so fast.

A judge has, pardon the expression, shot down the National Rifle Associations bankruptcy case, saying it cant use bankruptcy as a ploy to reorganize in Texas and dodge scrutiny from New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Its a big win for Ms. James, who is determined to make the NRA answer for questionable expenditures like no-show contracts, vacations and other personal extravagances.

Wayne LaPierre, the chief executive, admitted hed kept the filing a secret from the nonprofits chief financial officer and most of its board members. He also explained that his trips to hide out on a borrowed yacht in the Bahamas were for his own security  because public outrage over school shootings made him fear for his life. Even the NRAs own attorney called Mr. LaPierres actions cringeworthy.

The bankruptcy filing was a long shot, and it didnt just miss, but backfired, with Mr. LaPierre left looking even worse. Theres an expression for that, too: shooting oneself in the foot. Couldnt happen to a nicer guy.
Farmington, WV (26555)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 62F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
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Arrow Business Communications Acquires Network Security Provider UK-tec Limited

Todays workforce is more mobile and geographically diverse than ever before. While the workplace mobility trend was already quite advanced before the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to distributed workforces accelerated with global lockdowns, and many companies are in the midst of a permanent shift in how their employees work, and how they work with their partners. Preparation for this new work environment has sent many organizations looking for help from their communications suppliers to ensure their organizations are ready for the shift.

UK-based Arrow Business Communications, one of the companies helping steer that shift, recently announced the acquisition of UK-tec Limited. Uk-tec offers a range of network and security products and services, including SD-WAN and managed services, and provides extensive experience in the delivery of services via the UK channel. One of its most prominent clients is TalkTalk Business, a business broadband, telephone, mobile phone and IT support provider owned by TalkTalk Group.

Thanks to the acquisition, Arrow will acquire access to a range of network and security products and services including SD-WAN and managed services and provides extensive experience in the delivery of services via the UK Channel.

The acquisition advances our strategy by at least two years, commented Ian Jackson, cofounder and managing director of UK-tec. Being part of the Arrow group provides us with the structure and capability to support the UK Channel with a range of services allowing them to flex and react to the needs of their customers as lockdown restrictions are relaxed. We are extremely pleased to be a part of the Arrow Group and excited about the future.

According to Richard Burke, CEO of Arrow Business Communications, the company had been seeking to accelerate the development of its SD-WAN, complex networking, and wider channel offerings, and found what it was looking for in UK-tec Limited.

Bringing the UK-tec business into the Group significantly enhances our capability in all of these areas, with the team providing strong technical leadership and experience that will benefit both the Arrow group and its channel partners, said Burke. I am excited about what we can achieve together with our combined product portfolio in the coming years and delighted to complete the acquisition."

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Edited by Luke Bellos
May 17, 2021





COVID-19 forced more businesses around the world to go remote. This meant more people working from home, more daily usage of online software - and an increased risk of online attacks.







Cybercrime increased so much (as much as 31% in the UK) that some commentators labeled 2020 a cyber pandemic. And while some jobs and sectors were vulnerable during the COVID pandemic, cybersecurity jobs were actually more in demand than ever before.

But what does the future hold for cybersecurity jobs in the wake of COVID-19? Will there still be a demand for security roles once things return back to normal? This article is here to find out.

What Will The Business World Look Like Post-Pandemic?

One of the best ways to start answering this question is to, first of all, take a look at what the business world (and to the same degree, the digital world) will look like in the wake of COVID-19.

Post-pandemic, its expected that more and more businesses will switch to mobile devices, as well as cloud-based and offsite technologies, to help run their operations and teams. This is because several organizations are expected to stay remote, despite the loosening of lockdown.

As such, virtual activities - such as Zoom calls and remote sharing of documents and data - will increase.

The problem is that one of the reasons we saw such an increase in cybercrime was due to the fact that millions of individuals were working from home for the first time. This made them incredibly vulnerable to online attackers. And because many businesses are planning to stay remote, security breaches will continue to happen.

What does this mean for cybersecurity jobs?

Cybersecurity Specialist Skills Will Remain In Demand

Organizations around the world will continue to experience security threats for as long as their digital landscape remains vulnerable. This is exacerbated by remote work. As such, they will continue to require cybersecurity skills that only trained cybersecurity professionals possess. These include:

Network Security

A business's IT network is vulnerable to hacker attacks and malware. Cybersecurity skills required to deal with such threats and attacks include remote access, VPNs, firewalls, and wireless network security knowledge.

Information Security

Businesses that dont possess the skills needed to prevent hackers from accessing their electronic data will have to turn to trained cybersecurity professionals. Skills required here include incident response, data recovery, risk management, and malware analysis.

Cloud Security Services

A number of businesses are using hybrid and cloud platforms, such as Azure, to support their remote working environments. However, adopting such platforms comes with increased cybersecurity risk. Skills in demand here include the implementation of technologies, procedures, controls, and policies that will reduce the threat of cloud-based systems and infrastructure being attacked.

Security Architecture

Now that millions of employees are still working from home, businesses need to build IT security into absolutely everything. This includes customer products, processes, company policies, and even the entire organizational structure. Its a lot of work, and usually, an organization will pass responsibility onto trained cybersecurity professionals.

Skills required include analysis of business needs and knowledge of security software and hardware.

New Threats, New Opportunities

Businesses going remote is one of the reasons why cybersecurity skills - and thus jobs - are in demand.

Another reason is that threats, including malware, phishing, and ransomware are adapting to this new remote world quicker than anyone expected. Theyre outstripping employees in terms of adoption, with FBI estimates backing this up. Indeed, over the last few months, Google (News - Alert) had to block almost 20,000,000 malware emails in a single week.

This means that businesses are now prioritizing security. And because they dont necessarily have the skills in-house, theyre turning to individuals who are trained in baseline cybersecurity.

The demand for the best talent, then, has rocketed over the last 12 months and is showing no signs of slowing down. Coupled with the fact that IT departments all over the world have had to either furlough or let go of several positions, and you have the perfect storm for a cybersecurity revolution. There is the demand, the talent - and the constant supply of employees.

Moreover, people from different sectors who have also been furloughed or laid off as a result of the pandemic have more time on their hands than ever before. This has given them the chance to learn new skills, such as cybersecurity, with the UK government launching an initiative in the autumn of 2020 aimed at helping people from all walks of life learn more about this in-demand skill.

And theres no need to worry that therell be too many cybersecurity professionals. There is still a cybersecurity skills gap, with businesses struggling to detect and remove malware, store or transfer personal data and even configure firewalls without help.

Final Thoughts

In short, the future of cybersecurity jobs in the wake of COVID-19 is promising. Online attacks arent going away any time soon - in fact, data suggests they are going to increase. Cybersecurity indeed could be the safest job there is for years to come.

If this is a career youre considering, the next step is to decide which area you wish to specialize in (there are many, including cybersecurity engineer, software security officer, and SOC analyst) before taking an online course to level up your skills, gain qualifications - and land work.

__________________________________________________________________

Sam Meenasian is the Operations Director of USA Business Insurance and BISU Insurance and an expert in commercial lines insurance products. With over 10 years of experience and knowledge in the commercial insurance industry, Meenasian contributes his level of expertise as a leader and an agent to educate and secure online business insurance for thousands of clients within the Insurance family.
By Eva Hill

hilleva@grinnell.edu

In spite of a locally and globally tumultuous year, Grinnell College continues to focus on visions for the future. One of them, the Downtown Student Residence project, or DSR, will have a significant impact on how students and community members experience Grinnell in a few years time.

The College began investigating the need for additional student housing in 2014 as enrollment rose, straining space in existing dorms in North, South and East Campus. But the solution the school came to was not to build another traditional dorm complex on campus; in fact, it wasnt even on campus.

Instead, the project currently under design is a new residential building in Grinnells downtown.

In a residential hall on campus, you know the shared network of programs you can have on campus, said Russell Crader, associate principal architect at Adjaye Associates, the firm partnering with the College on the DSR project. But, he continued, If you have a downtown student residence, can you have programs shared with small businesses or other community moments?

Crader emphasized the importance of these symbiotic relationships between College and community in the design concept for the project. Residents of the building will have easier access to downtown Grinnell than students who live in dorms, while still being in an institutional living space owned and operated by the College. The living spaces themselves wont be traditional dorm rooms, either; Crader described them as more designed for independent student living in the downtown setting. Further supporting the cross-traffic of school and local business will be the buildings first floor, intended to house community-oriented multi-use spaces as well as including a Residence Life Coordinator living suite and two suites for faculty members as well.

And despite the off-campus location, Crader says the building will include nods to elements of the currently existing dorms. One example is the loggias, the covered walkways that connect the individual dorm entrances on campus. The loggias serve as this  threshold between very private dwelling to the quad, the green space, he said. Likewise [with the DSR project] were looking at that threshold again.

Adjaye Associates is known for its innovative, thematic buildings, the most famous being the National Museum of African-American History & Culture in Washington, D.C., finished in 2016 and designed in partnership with the Freelon Group and Davis Brody Bond, two other major firms. The College announced that administrators were meeting with Adjaye in the fall of 2019, and shortly afterward the projects listening phase opened to students. Adjaye representatives, including Crader, met with students to discuss their individual ideas of home and residence in and outside the College during this period, which lasted into 2020.

Usually, Crader said, an architectural design project has three major phases. First is schematic design, where the architects and clients determine the fundamentals of the building project and the goals of the final physical structure. Then comes design development, where architects fine-tune the design of the building and determine physical qualities of the space, like building materials, access to natural light and airflow between rooms. The third and final phase is the creation of construction documents for the project, where exact measurements of the building itself are finalized.

However, for the College project, Adjaye Associates added on two more phases to the beginning of the project: the listening phase discussed above, and an additional programming phase, where Crader and others from the firm investigated an existing dorm to consider the potential for events and student interaction in the new space.

The project is currently in the schematic design phase, Crader said, with the expectation of moving to design development at the start of the summer.

We put the concept out, and were now testing it to see if what we heard and whats being put to paper is meeting expectations, he said.

There are no exact dates in place for the actual construction of the project, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made any existing timelines more uncertain, but Adjaye Associates indicated in an open meeting on the building design that ground may be broken within the next few years.
80% of CX Professionals Believe AI Will Provide a Better Contact Center Experience

Talkdesk, Inc., the global customer experience leader for customer-obsessed companies, today released its new research report, "The Future of AI in the Contact Center," revealing 80% of CX professionals believe AI will provide a better contact center experience. The report explores the key drivers, challenges and expectations of AI growth and adoption in the coming years.

Talkdesk found an overwhelming majority (89%) of CX professionals believe in the importance of leveraging AI in the contact center, with another 82% saying AI is increasingly necessary for business success. However, organizations still struggle to advance along the AI maturity curve. The research highlights that only 14% of businesses label themselves as "transformational" in the way they use AI currently, and of the 69% of organizations that have invested in AI and automation for customer self-service features, half (48%) have yet to use it. This reveals a large gap between organizations' desire to leverage AI in the contact center and their ability to effectively manage it.

"Companies today are under immense pressure to deliver stellar customer experiences. They know artificial intelligence can help them better serve customers but many struggle to implement it properly," said David Gardner, vice president of research and insights, Talkdesk. "Our research shows that automation can and should become an integral component of contact centers if professionals develop and commit to a comprehensive strategy."

The Talkdesk report shows that AI is well-positioned to improve not only customer experiences but the employee experience as well. With streamlined workflows and processes across functions to expedite innovation and go-to-market plans, many enterprises can transform their contact centers to provide more than just traditional customer service.

The biggest obstacles keeping companies from progressing on the AI maturity curve are often perceived challenges. Talkdesk's report found three major myths amongst CX professionals in contact centers:

Perception 1: 55% of CX professionals believe AI will have a short-term negative impact on customer satisfaction (CSAT). Reality: Customer satisfaction is the top contact center KPI, making it easy to understand why CX leaders worry about short-term CSAT dips. However, these dips are often recovered in the long run and can be mitigated with a strategic approach to implementation.

55% of CX professionals believe AI will have a short-term negative impact on customer satisfaction (CSAT). Perception 2: 43% of CX professionals see the cost of AI tools as a barrier to implementation. Reality : The efficiencies gained from AI may far outweigh the costs as AI analyzes mountains of data in a fraction of the time it takes agents to do so, freeing them up to focus on higher-value initiatives.

43% of CX professionals see the cost of AI tools as a barrier to implementation. Perception 3: 30% of CX professionals believe reliance on the IT department will impede progress in implementing AI. Reality: With IT teams on board, they will have access to broader visibility across tech stacks and solutions, making them a valuable partner in identifying where maturity is lacking. Additionally, AI tools are becoming more accessible to employees outside of IT.

30% of CX professionals believe reliance on the IT department will impede progress in implementing AI.

To break down these perceived obstacles, organizations must consider a cross-functional AI strategy that addresses technological gaps, promotes transparency and focuses on long-term success.

What Lies Ahead in AI and Contact Centers

Talkdesk Research also examined the role AI plays in the future of contact centers and outlined four key predictions:

Organizations will invest more in AI capabilities, with 64% of respondents citing deeper investment in AI functionality as a priority for their contact center. Automation will drive operational efficiency and CX, as 84% of prfessionals expect their company's total spend on AI and automation to increase through 2025. Humans will rise in the AI-enabled contact center. In fact, 79% of CX professionals see AI as an assistant, providing agents more tools to help with customer interactions - and with these tools come new expectations and desired skills. AI will enhance the customer journey, securely, as 79% of CX professionals believe AI will be more secure than interacting with human agents.







Articulating a bold CX vision, Talkdesk plans to automate 80 percent of customer contact center interactions over the next three years, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning. The company recently launched Talkdesk AI TrainerTM, the first human-in-the-loop (HITL) tool for contact centers. While most artificial intelligence systems require the employment of highly specialized data scientists, the powerful simplicity of Talkdesk AI Trainer allows agents with domain knowledge to improve the AI models autonomously. As a result, enterprises can successfully resolve more cases through automation, which, in turn, improves accuracy, decreases the cost per case and increases customer satisfaction.

Methodology

Talkdesk's quantitative online survey research was conducted in March 2021 among qualified CX professionals and target audiences across 11 different global markets including: US and Canada (North America); Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore (Asia-Pacific); France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK (Europe); and Brazil (Latin America). In total, 916 global interviews were collected among CX professionals employed by organizations with more than 200 full-time employees, spanning all major industries including healthcare, financial services and insurance, retail and eCommerce. CX professionals include leadership and management for customer service, customer experience, CX operations, IT and contact center agents.

Additional Resources:

Social Networks

About Talkdesk

Talkdesk is a global customer experience leader for customer-obsessed companies. Our contact center solution provides a better way for businesses and customers to engage with one another. Our speed of innovation and global footprint reflect our commitment to ensure businesses everywhere can deliver better customer experiences through any channel, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, cost savings and profitability. Talkdesk CX CloudTM is an end-to-end customer experience solution that combines enterprise scale with consumer simplicity. Over 1,800 innovative companies around the world, including IBM, Acxiom (News - Alert) , Trivago, and Fujitsu partner with Talkdesk to deliver a better way to great customer experience. Learn more and request a demo at www.talkdesk.com.

Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks  or registered  trademarks of their respective holders. Use of the does not imply any affiliation or endorsement by them.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005100/en/
[May 17, 2021] Arabesque S-Ray Partners with Seneca ESG to Deliver Best-in-class Climate & ESG Data Analytics and Workflow Automation Tools for Investment Firms

Arabesque S-Ray and Seneca ESG will collaborate to integrate Arabesque S-Ray's climate-focused Temperature Score and Emissions data into Seneca ESG's ZENO software platform.

The integration will enable investment firm users of ZENO to gain immediate access to underlying and abstracted climate data on thousands of companies globally, for use in their custom scenario analyses and scoring & assessment frameworks.

This marks the first step in the strategic partnership, with plans for future collaboration on overall sustainability data. SINGAPORE and FRANKFURT, Germany, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arabesque S-Ray and Seneca ESG have today jointly announced their strategic partnership to deliver climate, sustainability, and ESG data analytics and workflow automation tools to financial market participants. Using ESG big data and machine learning models, Arabesque S-Ray provides technology that is used by many of the world's largest institutional investors, corporations, and consultancies to assess the sustainability performance of over 8,000 companies globally. Seneca ESG specializes in building software solutions for both investment management firms and corporates, enabling them to more robustly integrate ESG data and analytics into their business deisions and workflows. The partnership will initially focus on integrating Arabesque S-Ray Temperature Scores and Emissions Data on publicly listed companies globally into Seneca ESG ZENO platform for investment managers. The partnership also aims to expand into overall sustainability data in the near future.



With this integration, users of the ZENO platform will have immediate access to climate data that can be easily used to build climate scenario analyses across unlimited portfolios, with adjustable parameters including but not limited to: indicator weightings, sector-specific materiality, degrees Celsius change, optimistic/standard/pessimistic cases, breakeven & threshold points, and comparison with other publicly available ratings. "We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with Arabesque S-Ray, one of the foremost pioneers in employing big data and AI methodologies to extract climate and sustainability data and insights from public information sources", said Jonathan Ha, CEO at Seneca ESG. "Critical partnerships such as these allows us at Seneca ESG to focus on what we do best: delivering data-agnostic software tools that unlock greater value from raw and abstracted data, while allowing the end-user to decide which data to use and how".

About Seneca ESG Seneca ESG is a business intelligence company delivering solutions for corporate sustainability assessment, reporting, and integration with financial services. The company's flagship ZENO (for investment firms) & EPIC (for corporates) platforms facilitate ESG data management, sustainability-driven analyses, and workflow automation, for both corporate and investment manager clients. ZENO & EPIC allow for complete customization of the ESG data collection, ingestion, analyses, scoring, and assessment process, while taking into consideration the entire range of data sources, reporting standards, and assessment frameworks that currently exist today. These standards include SASB, GRI, TCFD, CDP, CDSB, IIRC, PRI, GRESB, UN SDGs, UN GC, WEF Guidelines, and more. About Arabesque S-Ray GmbH Arabesque S-Ray is a leading provider of sustainability data and insights services, with a quantitative algorithmic approach that combines big data and ESG metrics to assess the performance of listed companies worldwide. Arabesque S-Ray's services are used by a range of leading financial institutions, investors, corporations and consultants, together with media organisations and other stakeholder groups. SOURCE Seneca ESG; Arabesque S-Ray

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[May 17, 2021] Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy Releases Comprehensive Colorado River Basin Map

PHOENIX, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a center of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, has released a comprehensive, peer-reviewed map of the Colorado River Basin that showcases the area's geography and hydrography while addressing inconsistencies found among current maps of the region. The map also includes a narrative history of the basin, and it highlights crucial concerns facing the region. It will provide an updated resource to stakeholders in the Colorado River Basin as they chart a sustainable path forward for the Colorado River, which supports over 40 million people across the United States and Mexico and irrigates 4.5 million acres of agriculture. "This remarkable map reads like a three-act play," said Bruce Babbitt, former Arizona governor, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, and namesake of the Babbitt Center. "Climate sets the stage. The Colorado River flows through time, shaping the land and our lives. We are now entering the third act, using historical information to move toward a sustainable future." One of the most significant changes reflected on the map is the inclusion of the full extent of the Basin in Mexico. Many conventional maps end at the U.S.-Mexico border, a legacy of administrative and engineering decisions made by the U.S. government in the 20th century. The map corrects two other common misunderstandings: that the River always flows to the sea, and that certain parts of Mexico and Southern California were never part of the Basin. "For too long, many people thought the Colorado River ended at the border," said Paula Randolph, associate director of the Babbitt Center. In the course of collaborating with partners throughout the Colorado River Basin, Randolph notes, the Babbitt Center observed that "experts on Colorado River Basin issues were bemoaning the arbitrary nature and perspective of existing maps. The Babbitt Center team reviewed the maps currently in circulation and chose to tackle those concerns." The Babbitt Cente produced the map in partnership with the Lincoln Institute's newly launched Center for Geospatial Solutions, which harnesses data to inform decision making related to land and water management.



The full-color, double-sided map highlights specific regions and issues of note in one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States. Features include: - A physical and political map of the entire Colorado River Basin, including the location of the 30 federally recognized tribal nations in the basin; structures such as dams, reservoirs, transbasin diversions, and canals; protected areas; and indications of whether streams are perennial or intermittent.

- Inset maps spotlighting wildfire risk, the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, the shrinking Salton Sea, and the relationship between urban development, irrigated agriculture, and water management in major cities. - Stunning photographs of the Colorado River headwaters and Delta, Lake Powell, the Imperial Valley, and other significant landmarks of the region. - Narrative explorations of key issues in the Colorado River Basin, including climate change, tribal water rights, wildfire, development, agriculture, and biodiversity. - Historical information on the division of water among the U.S. states and Mexico and the drought contingency negotiations that have occurred during the first two decades of the 21st century as climate change threatens significant streamflow losses.



"Maps are powerful and often unacknowledged tools shaping our perceptions of the landscape," said Michael Cohen, senior researcher at the Pacific Institute. "The Babbitt Center's new Colorado River Basin map greatly improves our understanding of the iconic river that sustains the West and of the many dynamic elements at play."

The Babbitt Center's goal was to create a comprehensive map that honored the natural history of the Colorado River Basin while reflecting the human-altered systems that power it today. "The question 'Where is the Colorado River Basin?' is a seemingly simple one without an easy answer," Babbitt Center Senior Program Manager Zach Sugg said. "Because humans altered the course of the River so profoundly and quickly, many people might answer differently today than they would have a century ago. Even though there are places the river rarely, if ever flows today, to us they are still part of the Basin."

The Babbitt Center will provide this freely available resource to support the ongoing discourse about the region's future, Sugg said. "We would love for this to become a widely used, gold standard map within the world of Colorado River Basin water management and the larger water management world as well." The map is available at no cost as a downloadable pdf, and as a hard copy. About the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy

The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy seeks to advance the integration of land and water management to meet the current and future water needs of Colorado River Basin communities, economies, and the environment. The Babbitt Center, a center of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, promotes innovative land and water conservation practices and policies, catalyzes these solutions at the local level, and nurtures research into integrated land and water management. About the Center for Geospatial Solutions

The Center for Geospatial Solutions provides people and organizations with tools to advance equitable solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges. The center delivers geospatial data, conducts analysis, and performs specialized consulting services for organizations of all sizes in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/babbitt-center-for-land-and-water-policy-releases-comprehensive-colorado-river-basin-map-301292994.html SOURCE Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

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[May 17, 2021] Broker One to provide digital mortgage capabilities through Filogix Expert Pro

TORONTO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Filogix, a Finastra company, announced that Real Mortgage Associates (RMA) & Broker One, Eastern Canada's leading network for independent mortgage brokerages, has selected Filogix Expert Pro to provide its members with digital mortgage capabilities. The digital mortgage platform will empower brokers and other mortgage professionals within RMA and the Broker One network to run their businesses their way, from anywhere, with an improved digital customer experience, enhanced workflow optimization and the ability to manage new opportunities and fund deals more rapidly. "Digital tools are the future of brokerage and we are excited to offer these capabilities to our members through Filogix," said Ron De Silva, President & CEO, Broker One. "As long-term partners, we know Filogix's commitment to the Canadian mortgagemarket, and are excited to join them on their journey to push the industry into the future."



"Digital interactions are increasingly crucial throughout the mortgage process," said Siobhan Byron, Senior Vice President and Head of Finastra's Technology Enabled Managed Services. "With Filogix Expert Pro, Broker One's members will be able to unlock their potential, with robust capabilities across devices to best serve their customers and not miss a deal." Filogix Expert Plus and Filogix Expert Pro were launched in February 2021 to digitize the full end-to-end mortgage process. Both Filogix Expert Plus and Filogix Expert Pro are built on the cloud-based point-of-sale mortgage capabilities obtained through the acquisition of Doorr. Filogix Expert Plus is available for free to Canadian mortgage professionals, while Filogix Expert Pro integrates additional value-add services at a fee.

finastra.com About Finastra Finastra is building an open platform that accelerates collaboration and innovation in financial services, creating better experiences for people, businesses and communities. Supported by the broadest and deepest portfolio of financial services software, Finastra delivers this vitally important technology to financial institutions of all sizes across the globe, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks. Our open architecture approach brings together a number of partners and innovators. Together we are leading the way in which applications are written, deployed and consumed in financial services to evolve with the changing needs of customers. Learn more at finastra.com LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Corporate headquarters

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[May 17, 2021] Canada Investing $10 million to Create Jobs for New Energy Advisors

OTTAWA, ON, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadians across the country want to reduce their home energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint by improving energy efficiency in their homes. The Government of Canada is helping them do that. Today, the Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, launched a call for proposals to create good middle-class jobs through the federal government's $2.6 billion green retrofit program. This call for proposals is a $10 million commitment to recruit, train, and mentor up to 2,000 new energy advisors across the country to support the Canada Greener Homes Grant, which will provide as many as 700,000 grants of up to $5,000 each to help homeowners make energy-efficient improvements to their homes, supported by an EnerGuide evaluation. An EnerGuide home evaluation gives homeowners a better understanding of how their home uses energy now  and identifies retrofits to help improve energy efficiency. This initiative also provides the opportunity to build an energy efficiency workforce that more closely reflects Canada's population. Today's call for proposals underscores the need for diversity and inclusion by specifically targeting under-represented groups such as women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2 communities, and racialized Canadians. Newenergy advisors will help meet demand for and provide access to timely EnerGuide evaluations for all Canadians, regardless of location. They will help Canadians make changes to their homes that deliver the greatest return for their investment with advice tailored to their specific situations.



Proposals must be received by July 8, 2021 and Natural Resources Canada will schedule webinars with potential applicants to answer any questions and provide additional support. Canadians with limited internet access can contact the dedicated call centre line at 1-833-674-8282.

According to the International Energy Agency, energy efficiency measures could get the world one-third of the way toward its Paris 2030 targets and help us reach net-zero emissions by 2050. With buildings, including our homes, accounting for 18 percent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, retrofitting existing homes  with the help of highly trained energy advisors  is one of the most effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Quotes

"Improving the energy efficiency of our homes is good for our wallets, good for the economy, and good for the planet. Today's call for proposals will help Canadians get the EnerGuide evaluations they need to make their homes more energy efficient." The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr.

Minister of Natural Resources "Today's announcement is about creating good quality job opportunities that help us build back a stronger, more resilient and inclusive economy. I am proud of the impact that this investment will have in getting more women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized Canadians into the workforce. This investment takes an inclusive approach in helping us get closer to our climate goals and ensuring that all Canadians have access to the skills training they need to succeed in the labour market."

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

Associated Links Greener Homes

How to make your home energy efficient?

Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy

Budget 2021

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: Interest-free loans program Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[May 17, 2021] Carbon Streaming Announces First Carbon Credit Stream Investment Into a Blue Carbon Project

Carbon Streaming Corporation (" CSC (News - Alert)" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its first carbon credit streaming investment. CSC has agreed to invest US$6 million to implement the proposed MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project in Magdalena Bay in Baja California Sur, Mexico which is focused on the conservation of mangrove forests and their associated marine habitat. The project is anticipated to be one of the largest blue carbon conservation projects in the world and once implemented will reduce estimated emissions by 26 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) over 30 years by conserving and sustainably managing approximately 22,000 hectares of mangroves and 137,000 hectares of its marine environment across Baja's largest mangrove forest. Magdalena Bay is home to Baja's largest mangrove forest which creates an incredibly diverse and unique ecosystem. It is known for its pristine habitat and is home to a large diversity of sharks, whales and a variety of other species, including multiple species which are listed as endangered. The Mexican State of Sinaloa has undergone significant deforestation of mangroves due to intensive shrimp farming and the MarVivo project intends to prevent the same from occurring in Magdalena Bay. The project plans to limit deforestation, promote wildlife conservation and generate unique benefits for the local communities. The REDD+ framework developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be used to define the project and it is anticipated to be certified through the Verified Carbon Standards (VCS) administered by Verra, an international institution based in Washington D.C. that manages carbon credit standards, so that "blue carbon" credits may be generated. Blue carbon refers to carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, major sources for sequestering and storing carbon. According to the National Oceanic (News - Alert) and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA), mangroves and coastal wetlands annually sequester carbon at a rate of up to ten times greater than mature tropical forests. They also tend to store carbon for a longer period of time as much of the carbon is stored below water in organic-rich sediment or peat, which is why investment in innovative blue carbon projects like the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project represent a critical step in solving the climate emergency. MarVivo Stream Investment Highlights: US$2.0 million initial investment into MarVivo Corporation, paid in cash on closing, followed by four separate US$1.0 million investments at specific project milestones during development, implementation, validation and verification by Verra. These investments will be funded by the Company's cash-on-hand. Closing is conditional on completion of customary conditions precedent.

Each year, CSC will have the right to purchase the greater of 200,000 credits or 20% of the annual verified carbon credits from the MarVivo Blue Carbon Project.

CSC will make ongoing payments to MarVivo Corporation equal to 40% of CSC's net revenue from the sale of the carbon credits from the project.

The MarVivo Stream agreement will run for a term of 30 years starting on date of the first delivery of carbon credits, which is expected to occur in H1 2023. The total investent of US$6.0 million into the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is expected to fully fund initial project development and implementation costs, which include a significant investment by MarVivo Corporation into the local community to support local businesses, provide employment opportunities and develop a local eco-tourism management plan with the local communities. In addition, the project developers, Mexico's National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP), government partners and local communities have committed to seek World Heritage Status for the area due to its unique nature.



Once the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is fully validated and verified, it is expected to provide approximately US$2 million in direct annual benefits to the local communities. These funds will provide much needed support to address poverty, one of the main drivers of deforestation, and create new economic opportunities like eco-tourism and sustainable sea scallop farming. The project will further support conservation efforts in Magdalena Bay, a global diversity hotspot known for its pristine habitat and significant bio-diversity. Justin Cochrane, President & CEO of the Company stated, "We couldn't be more excited to announce our first carbon credit streaming investment into a blue carbon project that we anticipate will protect one of North America's largest mangrove forests and its associated marine environment while also supporting the local communities of San Carlos and Lopez Mateos. This carbon credit stream investment perfectly aligns with our investment philosophy of being a true impact investment while also having the potential to generate significant returns for our shareholders." Mr. Cochrane continued, "The MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is being developed by a highly-experienced team, led by Todd Lemons and Jim Procanik who also developed the world-class Rimba Raya carbon and biodiversity project in Borneo, Indonesia which is one of the largest and oldest REDD+ carbon projects in the world."

More information on the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project can be found on the project's website at https://marvivo.earth. CSC was advised by Carbon Advisors LLC and Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as legal counsel to CSC. Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP acted as legal counsel to MarVivo Corporation. About the MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project The MarVivo Blue Carbon Conservation Project is being developed by Fundacion MarVivo Mexico, A.C. and MarVivo Corporation in partnership with Mexico's National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). The non-profit groups Fins Attached, NAKAWE Project and Migamar, as well as the local communities of San Carlos (population ~5,000) and Lopez Mateos (population ~3,000), are also involved in the project. It is anticipated that the project will be certified through the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standard (CCB) and the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta), all of which are administered by Verra. About Carbon Streaming Corporation Carbon Streaming Corporation is a unique ESG principled investment vehicle that will offer investors exposure to carbon credits, a key instrument being used by both governments and corporations to achieve their carbon neutral and net-zero climate goals. The Company intends to invest capital through carbon credit streaming arrangements with project developers and owners to accelerate the creation of carbon offset projects by bringing capital to projects that might not otherwise be developed. Many of these projects will have significant social and economic co-benefits in addition to their carbon reduction or removal potential. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain information which constitutes 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements regarding closing of the carbon credit stream transaction, statements and figures with respect to the development, implementation, validation and verification of carbon projects; statements and figures with respect to the generation of local community benefits; statements with respect to the conservation and protection of mangroves, forestry and marine environments; statements with respect to the annual creation of carbon credits; and, statements with respect to the business and assets of the Company and its strategy going forward. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the Company's control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties underlying these forward-looking statements materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005852/en/

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[May 17, 2021] CGI to continue modernization of Department of Interior's mission-critical National Trust Information System for Title and Land Resource Management

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www.cgi.com/newsroom Enhancements to enable Bureau of Indian Affairs to more effectively manage fiduciary responsibilities to Native Americans FAIRFAX, VA, May 17, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) announced an award from the Department of Interior's (DOI) Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for continued enhancement of its Trust Asset Accounting Management System (TAAMS). Developed through a partnership between CGI and BIA, TAAMS has been central to BIA's management of its fiduciary responsibilities to Native Americans for over 20 years. Building on two decades of re-engineering business processes at the Bureau, this five-year single-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) $60 million ceiling-contract will enable BIA to better serve Indian Country through enhanced information sharing and extended TAAMS functionality. BIA leverages TAAMS to administer and manage natural resources on 55 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface minerals estates held in trust by the United States for American Indians, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives. With a user base of 3,000, TAAMS also enables BIA to accurately distribute more than $2 billion in revenue annually to Native Americans and tribes. As BIA looks to evolve TAAMS to support these mission-critical functions, CGI will introduce more functionality to the system, enhance reporting/dashboards, and increase data sharing with other federal agencies within and outside DOI. "CGI's long history and deep understanding of BIA's mission and business processes helps us deliver on this critical system," stated Stefan Becker, Senior Vice-President at CGI. "As we add more new functionality to TAAMS, CGI will proudly continue to help BIA support two million indigenous Americans across 574 federally recognized tribes." About CGI Federal

CGI Federal Inc. is a wholly-owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Inc., dedicated to partnering with federal agencies to provide solutions for defense, civilian, healthcare and intelligence missions. Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 77,000 consultants and other professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CG works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With Fiscal 2020 reported revenue of C$12.16 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.



Forward-looking information and statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States safe harbors. All such forward-looking information and statements are made and disclosed in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking information and statements include all information and statements regarding CGI's intentions, plans, expectations, beliefs, objectives, future performance, and strategy, as well as any other information or statements that relate to future events or circumstances and which do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts. Forward-looking information and statements often but not always use words such as "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", "predict", "project", "aim", "seek", "strive", "potential", "continue", "target", "may", "might", "could", "should", and similar expressions and variations thereof. These information and statements are based on our perception of historic trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other assumptions, both general and specific, that we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Such information and statements are, however, by their very nature, subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, of which many are beyond the control of CGI, and which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from our expectations expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not restricted to: risks related to the market such as the level of business activity of our clients, which is affected by economic conditions, and our ability to negotiate new contracts; risks related to our industry such as competition and our ability to attract and retain qualified employees, to develop and expand our services, to penetrate new markets, and to protect our intellectual property rights; risks related to our business such as risks associated with our growth strategy, including the integration of new operations, financial and operational risks inherent in worldwide operations, foreign exchange risks, income tax laws, our ability to negotiate favorable contractual terms, to deliver our services and to collect receivables, and the reputational and financial risks attendant to cybersecurity breaches and other incidents; as well as other risks identified or incorporated by reference in this press release, in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and in other documents that we make public, including our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (on SEDAR at www.sedar.com) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (on EDGAR at www.sec.gov). Unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. While we believe that our assumptions on which these forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are based were reasonable as at the date of this press release, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking information or statements. Furthermore, readers are reminded that forward-looking information and statements are presented for the sole purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding our objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook as well as our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Further information on the risks that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations may be found in the section titled "Risk Environment" of CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A, which is incorporated by reference in this cautionary statement. We also caution readers that the above-mentioned risks and the risks disclosed in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and other documents and filings are not the only ones that could affect us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a material adverse effect on our financial position, financial performance, cash flows, business or reputation. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgi-to-continue-modernization-of-department-of-interiors-mission-critical-national-trust-information-system-for-title-and-land-resource-management-301292078.html

SOURCE CGI Inc.

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[May 17, 2021] CGTN: China's promises matter - it delivers on its commitments

BEIJING, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ -- More than 2,000 years ago, Confucius said "Yan Bi Xin Xing Bi Guo," which means "one must be true to their word and determined in their work." "The Chinese civilization emphasizes 'Word must be kept, promise must be delivered,' and 'With dishonest people, reliability becomes questionable," said Chinese President Xi Jinping. China has remained true to the phrase throughout its development process, and the country's five-year plan serves as a vivid example of how commitments are delivered. Promises kept Created every five years since 1953, the five-year plan, a major feature of China's governance system, sets growth targets and defines development policies. Except for the period between 1963 and 1965, a total of 13 of these plans have been made and, more significantly, implemented. For instance, the country's battle against poverty. Lifting all rural residents out of poverty by 2020 was in China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). After eight years of work, all of China's nearly 100 million impoverished rural residents had risen above the current poverty line in 2020. China has also kept its commitments in global affairs. >



China's 2020 target of non-fossil energy consumption at 15 percent and entailed a 40 to 45 percent reduction of carbon intensity compared with 2005. China's statistics for 2019 were 15.3 percent and 48.1 percent, respectively, meaning the country exceeded and fulfilled those targets ahead of schedule. Compared with 2005, the greenhouse emissions per unit of GDP had dropped 48 percent by 2019 in China, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, achieving ahead of schedule China's commitment to the 2020 targets.

China's 14th Five-Year Plan, new promises to be kept In 2021, China embarks on a new journey toward socialist modernization via the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). Concrete targets to be achieved during the coming years include keeping the surveyed urban unemployment rate under 5.5 percent and hitting 7 percent annual growth in research & development spending. The country also promised to slash energy consumption per unit of GDP by 13.5 percent and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18 percent to build a green economy and pave the way for achieving its long-term carbon emission goal by 2030. "China will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060," Xi said, at the Leaders Summit on Climate in April. With such ambitious plans, hard work will be needed to deliver on the promise. "During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we must adhere to a people-centered philosophy, that enables them to enjoy the fruits of development. We should make solid efforts to improve people's livelihood while promoting high-quality development. And we must focus more on livelihood issues that people are generally more concerned about by adopting more targeted measures, push them forward one by one, and work hard year after year, so that our people will always have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security," said Xi. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-05-17/China-s-promises-matter-it-delivers-on-its-commitments--10kQinMPMD6/index.html View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgtn-chinas-promises-matter---it-delivers-on-its-commitments-301292441.html SOURCE CGTN

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[May 17, 2021] Cohesity Backup as a Service Adds Microsoft 365 Support at a Time When Many Organizations Struggle To Successfully Recover Microsoft 365 Data

At a time when more organizations are adopting Microsoft (News - Alert) 365 than ever before, Cohesity today announced new protection capabilities -- via its DataProtect delivered as a Service offering -- for Microsoft Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint Online, and Teams. This Backup as a Service (BaaS) offering provides data protection and retention that goes well beyond the default 30-day native backup capabilities included with a Microsoft 365 subscription. Cohesity's (News - Alert) BaaS offering gives organizations even more choice in how they can back up and recover Microsoft 365 application data. With Cohesity, customers can choose to: Take advantage of this new BaaS offering where the infrastructure is managed by Cohesity, allowing IT teams to spend more time on other business critical tasks.

Rely on a traditional on-premises Cohesity cluster to back up Microsoft 365.

Protect their data with a Cohesity cluster running on other clouds.

Utilize a combination of these options in a hybrid model. Research suggests there is a critical need for this type of simplicity and choice when backing up and recovering Microsoft 365 data. Recent ESG research* queried IT professionals on Microsoft 365 and found that 78 percent of respondents reported using Microsoft 365. Of those respondents: 74 percent stated they rely on native Microsoft 365 services for backup.

81 percent reported having to recover Microsoft 365 data.

Only 15 percent were able to recover 100 percent of that data. This data also pinpoints why it is essential that customers utilizing Microsoft 365 applications consider third-party options to help ensure data can easily be backed up and recovered. While cloud providers commit to offering service availability, it is customers' responsibility to make sure their data is appropriately protected. "Our research shows there is a growing need for robust data backup and protection for SaaS (News - Alert) data," said Christophe Bertrand, senior analyst, ESG Research. "The native, default backup features provided by cloud vendors are typically not sufficient, especially given the increased threat to data security, data deletion risks, and rapidly evolving compliance requirements. We believe giving customers an 'as a Service' option to backup and recover this data makes complete sense, as it gives organizations more flexibility, improves operational efficiency of IT teams, and helps ensure data is protected." "Simplicity and flexibility are why we chose Cohesity DataProtect delivered as a Service to protect our Microsoft 365 data," said John Sroka, CIO, Duane Morris LLP. "We use Cohesity to back up our on-premises databases and extending protection to Microsoft 365 through the DataProtect service is simple and easy. With Cohesity we have a single backup solution that covers hybrid and multicloud workloads." "Cohesity's support for Microsoft 365 is phenomenal. We currently backup our Microsoft 365 data to our on-premises Cohesity cluster, the addition of a Backup as a Srvice option that protects cloud-to-cloud gives us the hybrid flexibility we need to store Microsoft 365 backups and offload infrastructure management," said Ken Watt, senior infrastructure specialist, Ridgeback Resources. "With Cohesity's constant innovation, we are getting a solution that's simple yet more robust with each update."



Protection for Amazon EC2 Cloud Compute and Amazon RDS Cloud Databases In addition to protecting Microsoft 365, Cohesity's BaaS offering also includes support for Amazon EC2 Virtual Instances and Compute Infrastructure, and Amazon RDS Cloud Databases.**

Building on Cohesity's strategic collaboration with AWS, SaaS backup support for these workloads helps to protect both homegrown cloud-native applications and refactored legacy applications built on these cloud compute and database services. Customers get unified protection across multiple AWS accounts and services, providing better visibility on cloud data utilization while making it easier to meet their enterprise-grade service level agreements. The Cohesity Difference: Simplifying Data Management Through a Single, Unified Experience Customers want flexibility to manage data their way. Some want Cohesity to operate underlying infrastructure for them via an "as a service" offering while others want to manage their own environments directly -- or a combination of both in true hybrid fashion. The Cohesity Helios multicloud data platform makes that easier than ever. With Helios, customers can uniquely manage everything from a single user interface. This reduces complexity, can lower costs, and helps eliminate mass data fragmentation. And as customers wish to expand utilization to file and object services, disaster recovery and more, they can use the same platform with the same simple interface whether consuming from the cloud or deploying into their own self-managed environments. "Gone are the days of needing to be an expert at operating 10 different tools and user interfaces while trying to manage tedious procurement processes and keep up with constant hardware and software upgrades just to attempt to manage your data," said Matt Waxman, vice president of product management, Cohesity. "With Cohesity, that's all a thing of the past. It's one user interface and one unified experience regardless of the model you choose. That's modern data management." "Offering DataProtect as a Service is a welcome and exciting evolution in data management to help our clients better meet the demands of their hybrid-cloud and multicloud challenges," said David Olzak, senior vice president, Stratascale. "With more and more of our clients using SaaS applications, they are realizing how important it is to have enterprise-class data protection flexibility with an attractive consumption model; this is a welcome addition to our Cloud Ascension approach." DataProtect delivered as a Service is the first offering from Cohesity's comprehensive Data Management as a Service portfolio. Additional service offerings will be made available in the coming months. For more information on Cohesity Microsoft 365 support read this blog. In addition to this news, Cohesity also announced today the global expansion of the Data Management as a Service portfolio with a launch in Australia and New Zealand. Read about it here. *ESG conducted a comprehensive online survey of IT professionals from private- and public-sector organizations in North America (United States and Canada) between January 22, 2021 and January 30, 2021. Respondents' organizations were required to be using a cloud-based data protection service and/or protecting public cloud-resident applications or data. The final total sample included 381 IT professionals.

The Evolution of Data Protection Cloud Strategies, Christophe Bertrand, Senior Analyst, April 2021 **Support for Amazon RDS workloads will be available in Summer 2021 About Cohesity Cohesity radically simplifies data management. We make it easy to protect, manage, and derive value from data -- across the data center, edge, and cloud. We offer a full suite of services consolidated on one multicloud data platform: backup and recovery, disaster recovery, file and object services, dev/test, and data compliance, security, and analytics -- reducing complexity and eliminating mass data fragmentation. Cohesity can be delivered as a service, self-managed, or provided by a Cohesity-powered partner.  2021 Cohesity, Inc. All rights reserved. Cohesity, the Cohesity logo, Helios, and other Cohesity marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cohesity, Inc. in the US and/or internationally. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005513/en/

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[May 17, 2021] CTEK CS FREE awarded Auto Express product of the year

VIKMANSHYTTAN, Sweden, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CTEK, a leading global brand in vehicle charging solutions, is celebrating after being awarded the Auto Express product of the year for its groundbreaking new product the CS FREE. The CTEK CS FREE the world's first multi-functional portable charger, was commended for its revolutionary Adaptive Boost technology, that gets your car going from a flat battery within 15 minutes, its ability to top-up a little-used car stored away from mains power, and clever introduction of accessories to enable off-grid charging via solar power or a second 12V service battery. Stefan Lind, Global Director, Aftermarket at CTEK commented: "We are absolutely delighted that the CS FREE has won such a prestigious award. When deciding on a winner for this award, Auto Express is looing for something that is innovative, breaks new ground and works well. It has to be something they want on their car or garage, and, according to Auto Express, the CS FREE is no exception. As vehicle technology continues to develop, charging your vehicle battery is more important than ever before, and with the CS FREE you actually have four cutting edge products in one portable unit. It's an adaptive Booster, battery charger, smart maintainer and hi-tech powerbank."



The CTEK CS FREE features revolutionary Adaptive Boost technology, that carefully works out the best way to safely give any 12V lead acid or lithium battery the right amount of power so you can charge your vehicle battery quickly. It gets your vehicle started from a flat battery within 15 minutes without the need to connect to a power outlet and simple LED displays show you when your battery has enough power to start your vehicle. The CS FREE has an internal battery that can be charged via fast USB-C input and, when fully charged, it will hold its charge for up to a year, making it ideal for keeping stored in the vehicle for when you need it.

The CS FREE means you are free from being tied to a power outlet, it is truly portable. Whilst you can still charge your battery using traditional mains power, additional accessories mean you can also charge off-grid using solar panel kit or a separate service battery. And with USB-C and USB-A outputs for charging laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc., it's the ultimate 12V powerbank for your vehicle. Click here to find out more about the CTEK CS FREE. CTEK SWEDEN AB is a leading global brand in vehicle charging solutions. CTEK's unparalleled knowledge, and continuous investment in innovation, means they push the boundaries of research and development to bring new and unique battery charging technologies to the market. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1507653/CTEK_CS_FREE_Award.jpg

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By Mary Ann Schwindt

schwindt@grinnell.edu

Members of the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) have until May 21 to vote on whether the union should move forward with affiliating with United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE).

UE is an independent union  a union not associated with a larger organization  that operates on the national level, often referred to in short interchangeably as a national or international. Their operation is a rank-and-file union which emphasizes its members to be the force behind democracy in collective business. Member unions set polices of the larger UE and make all decisions on the local level as well.

According to UEs website, UE is the national center for independent unionism.

Some of the largest gains from affiliating with a larger international union are the access to a staffer  an advisor for the UGSDW that aids in maintaining organization in documents and more  and having a lawyer available for the UGSDW when needed. Some hesitancy to propose affiliation stems from the fear of shifting the self-driven dynamic of the UGSDW and losing the title of being the only independent undergraduate student union in the United States.

Multiple unions are involved in the proposal for affiliation, including unions at Vanderbilt University, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, the University of Maryland and Washington University in St. Louis. While there are no formal agreements with the group, the multitude of the combined forces  numbering 15,000 student-workers strong if all unions decide to enter together  is an effort to appeal to the international union when they approach as a group. The probability for consideration and acceptance increases with the size of the interested party. Trent McDonald, executive chair at WashU Undergraduate & Graduate Workers Union (WUGWU), rounded up the group in the fall 2020 semester after multiple unsuccessful attempts to affiliate. However, due to there being no binding contracts between the student unions, any union is permitted to drop out of the affiliation process at any time.

One advantage of the student unions getting in touch with one another is for further solidarity. They plan to band together and to show support for one another when called upon, a strength that UGSDW Co-president Sofia Carr `22 highlighted as power seen in large-scale, cross-union solidarity.

Additionally, the UGSDW is the only independent  legally seen as separate from the College  undergraduate student union in the proposal group, which makes a few members of the UGSDW hesitant to affiliate. Carr said she understands some members hesitation but is confident in the ability to maintain autonomy within UGSDW.

We are really proud of being an independent union, said Carr. I think that people that have made up our union have been really incredibly hard workers, really smart people and also dedicated to labor organizing. But it doesnt hurt to have the extra support.

After reflecting on the strains the pandemic put on UGSDWs spread-out membership, Co-president Ryland Rich `22 thought the timing was right as students needed reassurance and decided to join McDonalds request.

Selecting an international union to affiliate with was difficult, the co-presidents said. UGSDW wanted to ensure that no law enforcement unions were associated with the international. Carr and Rich also researched the organizations thoroughly in order to avoid horror stories theyve heard, such as unions that were victimized through the high due demands (monthly membership costs) and unresponsive staffers.

In any kind of agreement that you enter, there are going to be stories of people who have entered that agreement and it did not turn out the way they wanted to be. You never know what kind of staffer you will get, said Carr. UGSDW reached out to Kenyon Colleges union, which is affiliated with UE, to hear more about their experience and was reassured by their positive outcomes. Rich said she was confident UE could provide the resources needed to reinforce the UGSDW.

The UGSDW has particular demands as it is the only undergraduate union in the proposal. Some of the benefits that made the UGSDW confident that UE is the right international union for them, according to Carr, is the freedom to maintain a flexible due system and local autonomy, as well as access to timely legal advice.

UE is so small already; they are really sort of the scrappy underdogs of the labor movement anyway and they are fighting for cool things, so I think joining in on that just adds to our power and does not detract from the image of being cool activists, said Rich.

Emily Wunsch `22, dining hall leader and dining hall executive board member, said there is a definite lack of technical knowledge in legal issues, such as the limitations on international student workers, due to the members of UGSDW being undergraduates who are only around for four years instead of professionals. She said she believes that joining UE would alleviate the strains that hindered past actions, like the unsuccessful bid for expansion, and could aid future endeavors.

We need access to a lawyer because of the huge resources Grinnell has and the vulnerabilities of international students. When we are at the bargaining table trying to fight for these really niches things, they can support us and give us more power in our demands, said Rich.

Rich said the demand for non-mandatory dues has been an issue weighing heavily upon the question of which union to create an affiliation with. Instead of the $2 dues in place at UGSDW, there may be a shift to a percentage due system. For instance, a significant contract win for pay increase could induce solidarity dues which would allot 1.44% of the effected workers paycheck per month to dues.

UGSDW only has power to negotiate contracts for the dining workers, thus, would not need to call upon UE for negotiations. However, if the union were to help a student worker outside of the dining field, the dues may be put into place.

This will probably have the most impact on those outside of dining, said Rich, because right now we already have recognition for dining.

According to Rich, the benefits vastly outweigh the cost of the due that would be paid but also ensures that if the due cannot be made, then that member does not have to pay it. Rich and Carr said they are confident they can maintain a flexible due structure with UE.

If affiliation occurs, Carr said they may eventually revisit expansion as the Biden administration is expected to shift the power of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to be in favor of undergraduate student unions which would aid in traversing the legal battles that could ensue.

UGSDW will only continue to the negotiation stage if there are over 150 votes and there is a 75% approval rate. Any member of the UGSDW may vote in this process. Once the contract is finalized over the summer, members will also vote on officially affiliating with UE. At any point in the timeline, UGSDW could voluntarily pull out of the talks and drop out of the affiliation process.

For members to learn more, go to UGSDWs cheat sheet and proposal to read additional resources to decide which way to vote.
[May 17, 2021] Dubber launches three new compliance solutions

World's first voice intelligence solution embedded in major service provider networks and UC solutions like Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and Zoom - eliminates need for costly hardware and services

Purpose-built for compliance teams to specify, manage, record, store, and analyze all communications - voice calls, chat, presentations and more

Available today globally with immediate provisioning MELBOURNE, Australia, and DALLAS, May 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dubber Corporation Limited (ASX: DUB) (Dubber), today announced new solutions designed to meet the exacting needs of compliance, risk, audit and security professionals. "Compliance is driving significant demand for capturing conversational content - messaging, chat and video - across any application or end-point," said James Slaney, COO, Dubber. "Delivering an immutable record of every crucial conversation is essential and demanded by regulators globally. With COVID, the pressure to capture conversations across a multitude of endpoints - from existing Service Provider services through to Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and Zoom - has only accelerated. Unified Call Recording makes what used to be a complex task easy." With Dubber's unique reach and Unified Call Recording (UCR), specifically for compliance, companies can capture recordings immediately in one location from all their voice, video and text services, including the 140+ Service Provider networks connected to the Dubber platform globally. This reach and the new solutions for compliance, make Dubber the world's leading recording option for compliance. "Dubber continues to transform the economics of call recording and voice data," said Matthew Townend, Executive Director, Cavell - a leading industry analyst firm. "The benefits of voice intelligence as a service are clear - both to the service providers that will build differentiation through offering it and to businesses and governments that will deploy it to address critical business needs." Three new cornerstone compliance solutions mean business and government clients can select flexible and affordable plans that best reflect their needs and compliance practices. Dubber Compliance offerings enable voice data to be captured economically, at scale. They recognise a smaller number of people need to access the data and that data needs to be isolated from other voice data sets. Dubber allows data integration and portability so any data from any source can be unified on Dubber and connected to other compliance data sets, applications and business intelligence tools.



Dubber UCR Compliance Edition for compliance leaders with a need to manage, monitor, store and review conversations. Recordings and data from multiple sources can be captured, stored, searched, and reviewed in Dubber, in real-time, without the need for complex queries. Starting at USD $14.95 per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users.





for compliance leaders with a need to manage, monitor, store and review conversations. Recordings and data from multiple sources can be captured, stored, searched, and reviewed in Dubber, in real-time, without the need for complex queries. Starting at USD per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users. Dubber Premier Compliance Edition enables a compliance team of up to ten (with additional licenses available) to benefit from AI-enriched insights, alerts, search and sentiment analysis. Additional features include beautiful and insightful transcriptions, legal hold and discovery, and, smart keyword, team and customer search. Starting at USD $29.95 per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users.





enables a compliance team of up to ten (with additional licenses available) to benefit from AI-enriched insights, alerts, search and sentiment analysis. Additional features include beautiful and insightful transcriptions, legal hold and discovery, and, smart keyword, team and customer search. Starting at USD per month per end-point and up to ten compliance users. Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud Compliance Edition ideal for compliance teams who only seek to record calls with confidence, then storing and unifying data in a single easily accessible source of truth. All the features of Dubber Premier Compliance Edition. Plans start at USD $1,599.99 for 250 endpoints and one user access - with additional plans for more end-points and users. All Dubber solutions include critical features such as unlimited storage, access to the easy to use Dubber application for IOS, Android and Web, concierge set-up and training, data download and export, 24x7 online global support -- and, seamless, high-quality media capture across devices and all supported endpoints for audio, video, screen share, and chat. Critically, Dubber Compliance Solutions answer the need for policy-based recording. Organizations that adopt Dubber can easily implement compliance and administrative policies such as when calls and online meetings should be automatically recorded and captured for subsequent processing and retention as required by relevant corporate or regulatory policy. Dubber solutions are native to the world's leading communications solutions, including Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, and the world's leading networks such as AT&T, Verizon, Tetstra and Cox Communications. Conversations, once captured, are stored in Dubber Cloud Storage and then processed in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud - where AI creates real-time insights, alerts, and more. Public data from key regulators including the FCA in the United Kingdom and the CFTC and SEC in the United States show that fines levied for communication compliance monitoring topped $150,000,000 in 2019. Regulatory focus continues to increase with FINRA highlighting digital communications, including collaboration platforms, as a priority for its 2020 broker-dealer examinations. Regulations and regulators requiring an accurate record of conversations to satisfy know-your-customer, data protection and privacy mandates include MiFID II, Dodd-Frank, ASIC, APRA, AUSTRAC, PCI, SOX, FCA, FINRA and regulators globally. "Our new solutions make Unified Call Recording more flexible and available to businesses and teams of any size," said Slaney. "We founded Dubber to eliminate the cost and complexity of capturing any conversation. For too many, the value of that conversation is lost the moment it ends. We're making it simpler and easier than ever to end not knowing and comply." Key compliance activities are made simple and easy with Dubber automating key tasks: Collect and integrate recordings and data in the manner required to meet compliance obligations in appropriate regional boundaries

Real-time search for interactions based on communication-related metadata or interaction content. Common examples include:

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data

- Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data - Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions Analyze and interact with collected communications, including the ability to monitor interactions as they are being collected

Ensure security of collected communications and prevent tampering at all stages

Retention policies support retain and delete action,; and, legal hold and discovery on historical and real-time data Resources Pricing information: https://www.dubber.net/pricing

Blog post: https://www.dubber.net/news

Brochures quick link: https://www.dubber.net/brochure About Dubber: Dubber is unlocking the potential of voice data from any call or conversation. Dubber is the world's most scalable Unified Call Recording service and Voice Intelligence Cloud adopted as core network infrastructure by multiple global leading telecommunications carriers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Dubber allows service providers to offer call recording for compliance, business intelligence, sentiment analysis, AI and more on any phone. Dubber is a disruptive innovator in the multi-billion dollar call recording industry, its Software as a Service offering removes the need for on-premise hardware, applications or costly and limited storage. For more information, please contact:







Investors: Simon Hinsley UK Media: James Taylor | The PR Network simon.hinsley@dubber.net james.taylor@thepr.network +61 (0)-401-809 653 +44 (0)7796-138291



AU & NZ Media: Terry Alberstein US Media: Charlie Guyer, Guyer Group for Dubber terry@navigatecommunication.com.au charlie@guyergroup.com +61 (0) 458-484-921 +1.617.599.8830

SOURCE Dubber

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[May 17, 2021] Dye & Durham Acquires Future Climate Info for $94 million

The acquisition expands Dye & Durham's capabilities in the U.K. real estate value chain, adding products which are already utilized by Dye & Durham's customer base and accessed through its platform today

Through its proprietary cloud based technology, Future Climate Info provides access to critical intelligence information that enables smarter insights for mission critical decisions on most real estate transactions TORONTO, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Dye & Durham Limited ("Dye & Durham" or the "Company") (TSX: DND), a leading provider of cloud-based software and technology solutions designed to improve efficiency and increase productivity for legal and business professionals, today announced it has acquired Future Climate Info Limited and certain assets from CLS Property Insights Limited (together "FCI") for approximately $94 million (55 million). Through its cloud-based technology, FCI provides access to critical intelligence needed in assessing environmental risk in a property transaction by analyzing proprietary data. The acquisition will enhance Dye & Durham's offerings to its U.K. based clients, providing seamless integration with a product that is already accessed through Dye & Durham's workflow platform today and used on most real estate transactions. "This acquisition is consistent with our stated objective of expanding within the ecosystems in which we operate, and in this case, brings into our ownership mission critical aspects of the U.K. property transaction process," said Matt Proud, CEO of Dye & Durham. "Through our Platform, our customers are, by far, one of the largest consumers of environmental, ground risk and liability reports in the United Kingdom. The acquisition of FCI, along with the recently announced acquisition f Terrafirma, will allow us to drive significant revenue synergies as we provide a far more efficient and integrated offering."



While the acquisition multiple is not disclosed, the Company believes that it will be able to achieve post-synergy returns that are consistent with the Company's targeted return model. About Dye & Durham

Dye & Durham Limited is a leading provider of cloud-based software and technology solutions designed to improve efficiency and increase productivity for legal and business professionals. Dye & Durham provides critical information services and workflows, which clients use to manage their process, information and regulatory requirements. The Company has operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, and has a strong blue-chip customer base that includes law firms, financial service institutions, and government organizations. Additional information can be found at www.dyedurham.com. About FCI Future Climate Info (FCI) produces a range of environmental search reports for the residential and commercial property markets. An innovative creator of comprehensive, high quality products and services, since launching in 2014, FCI has delivered many firsts for the industry and prides itself in making positive change which drives the industry forward. Forward-looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future events. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "plans", "targets", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "an opportunity exists", "is positioned", "estimates", "intends", "assumes", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, nor guarantees or assurances of future performance but instead represent management's current beliefs, expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events and operating performance. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the prospectus supplement of the Company dated November 18, 2020 to the short-form base shelf prospectus (including the documents incorporate therein) of the Company dated November 18, 2020. Dye & Durham does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law. SOURCE Dye & Durham Limited

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[May 17, 2021] Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Agreement to Acquire Fungal Platform Technology Company Dutch DNA

BOSTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks , Inc. ("Ginkgo"), the organism company, today announced it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Dutch DNA Biotech B.V. ("Dutch DNA"), a company based in Utrecht, Netherlands with a proprietary platform technology focused on the development of fungal strains and fermentation processes for the production of proteins and organic acids. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Ginkgo will acquire 100% of Dutch DNA shares via a combination of both cash and equity. In addition, certain stakeholders of Dutch DNA will also receive earn-out payments upon achievement of one or more technical and commercialization milestones. With this acquisition, Ginkgo will integrate Dutch DNA's team, assets, and operations into the broader Ginkgo platform for cell programming, and will, for the first time, expand Ginkgo operations internationally. The acquisition is expected to close in July. Ginkgo's mission is to make biology easier to engineer, so that someday it will be possible to program cells as easily as it is to program computers. Ginkgo's growing "Codebase" of biological knowledge, strains, and processes for cell programming enable its customers to develop complex cell programs more effectively, by drawing on previously characterized DNA code and organisms that have been optimized for production. Dutch DNA's significant expertise and assets for the large-scale production of proteins would add a valuable set of tools to the platform for Ginkgo's customers across markets to access. Dutch DNA, created in 2015 as a management buy-out from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), has a 30 year track record of developing and supplying fungal biotechnology processes for the industrial production of enzymes, proteins and organic acids. It has deep expertise in an important class of microbes  filamentous fungi  that are incredibly efficient and used to make everything from the enzymes in laundry detergent to proteins for food. Dutch DNA has developed unique filamentous fungal host strains that can be developed into highly efficient producers of various proteins and enzymes.



"Where software platforms lean on a codebase of Software Development Kits (SDKs), you can think of cell programming platforms using Cell Development Kits (CDKs) to enable new applications. Dutch DNA has the most exciting fungal "CDK" we have seen, and their work with filamentous fungi is truly differentiating. We believe their expertise in developing and engineering these strains, combined with Ginkgo's automated and high-throughput Foundry, will help us provide best-in-class production hosts to our customers developing protein and enzyme products unlike anything currently available on the market. This technology could have applications across a wide range of industries, including more efficient and sustainable production of plant-based foods, low-energy laundry detergents, pharmaceutical manufacturing and more," said Jason Kelly, CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. "We are thrilled to welcome Dutch DNA and its talented team, and excited about what we can accomplish together." "This step creates an amazing opportunity to deploy Dutch DNA's technology platform in a variety of market segments. We hope the combination of 'conventional' biotechnology with artificial intelligence and high throughput technologies will boost developments significantly. As founders we are extremely proud of our team which proved our technology is compatible with the foundry of Ginkgo," said Art de Boo, Founder of Dutch DNA. "Further we are pleased that our company may serve as a stepping stone for Ginkgo to come to Europe and the Netherlands."

This news follows a period of momentum and growth for Ginkgo. Companies across numerous industries use Ginkgo's cell programming platform to find more effective, environmentally friendly ways to create products including food ingredients, fragrances, cosmetics, medicines, and more. By enabling the design of organisms that can produce valuable biological products, Ginkgo helps accelerate the development of innovative, bio-based solutions to the world's most pressing environmental challenges. About Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo is building a platform to program cells as easily as we can program computers. The company's platform is enabling the growth of biotechnology across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to industrial chemicals to pharmaceuticals. Ginkgo is also actively supporting a number of COVID-19 response efforts, including community testing, epidemiological tracing, vaccine development and therapeutics discovery. For more information, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com . About Dutch DNA

Dutch DNA is a technology provider for leading innovators in the food, feed and enzyme industry. The company started in 2015 as a management buy-out from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) with founders Peter Punt PhD, Art de Boo and Cornelis Mijnders. The company is based at the Science Park in Utrecht, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.ddna-biotech.com . Contact: press@ginkgobioworks.com; ginkgobioworks@missionnorth.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ginkgo-bioworks-announces-agreement-to-acquire-fungal-platform-technology-company-dutch-dna-301292117.html SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

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[May 17, 2021] Halliburton Presents Major Software Grant to Three Algerian Universities

Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) today announced it awarded three multimillion-dollar educational software grants to Algerian public universities to train and prepare the next generation of Algerian oil and gas engineers and geoscientists. The schools include the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB), University of Boumerdes (UMBB), and University of Ouargla (UKMO). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005138/en/ Halliburton leadership present University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB) Professor Djamal-Eddine Akretche with a plaque and certificate of donation (first row, from left: Samir Aggoune, Halliburton Landmark country manager; USTHB Professor Djamal-Eddine Akretche; Halliburton Vice President of Algeria Ahmed Helmy; and Halliburton Algeria Business Development Manager Mahmoud Moussa). They are joined by Deputy Chief of Mission from the U.S. Embassy in Algeria Gautam A. Rana; Seifeddine Amara, a representative from the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research; and Amine Remini, a representative from the Ministry of Energy an Mines (second row, from left). (Photo: Business Wire)



The three-year license provides students and faculty with access to Landmark's DecisionSpace enterprise software platform including seismic processing, geophysics and geosciences, drilling and production, and data management. Students will gain hands-on experience by applying their scientific coursework to real-world applications.

"We are proud to support these universities and to provide students with the opportunity to develop their skills using the industry's latest technology," said Ahmed Helmy, vice president of the Algeria Area. "The grants demonstrate our commitment to growing local talent and in-country employment." Many esteemed guests attended the ceremony including the honorable Egyptian Ambassador to Algeria Ayman Mousharafa, UMBB Dean of Faculty of Hydrocarbons & Chemistry Boujema Hamada, UKMO Professor Halilat Mohammed Tahar, Economic Attache of the U.S. Embassy in Algeria Andrew Lederman, and Cultural Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Algeria Adam Sigelman. Halliburton made the contributions through the Halliburton Landmark University Grants Program, which contributes renewable software licenses to qualified academic institutions. Through this program, Landmark, a Halliburton business line, contributes software to more than 200 universities worldwide to support teaching and research. About Halliburton Founded in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With approximately 40,000 employees, representing 130 nationalities in more than 70 countries, the company helps its customers maximize value throughout the lifecycle of the reservoir - from locating hydrocarbons and managing geological data, to drilling and formation evaluation, well construction and completion, and optimizing production throughout the life of the asset. Visit the company's website at www.halliburton.com. Connect with Halliburton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005138/en/

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[May 17, 2021] HDT Bio Awarded $2.9M NIH Grant to Develop RNA Vaccine for HIV-1

HDT Bio Corp., a developer of immunotherapies for oncology and infectious diseases, announced today the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the company a three-year, $2.9 million grant to develop an HIV-1 RNA vaccine with its proprietary Lipid InOrganic Nanoparticle (LION) delivery system. "HIV/AIDS remains a major global health challenge and is still an epidemic in some developing nations," said Steve Reed, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of HDT (News - Alert) Bio. "While AIDS can be treated as a chronic condition, the best way to counteract a potential resurgence of the disease is the development of a preventive vaccine that is robust, low cost and easy to manufacture." In 2019, there were approximately 36.2 million adults and 1.8 million children across the globe with HIV/AIDS and nearly 700,000 deaths. The vast majority of people with the deadly virus are in low- and middle-income nations. HDT Bio's HIV vaccine research will use the same self-replicating RNA technology employed with its COVID-19 RNA vaccine, HDT-301, which is in clinical trials in India in collaboration with Gennova Biopharmaceuticals of Pune. HDT-301 also is expected to enter clinical trials this spring in the US, China, Korea, and Brazil.



For the HIV vaccine, HDT Bio will use its LION system to deliver into cells RNA encoding recombinant mimics of HIV envelope spike proteins. When expressed by cells the spike proteins are designed to stimulate an immune response that generates broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) to prevent HIV infection. The strategy recently produced positive results in a Phase 1 clinical trial conducted by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and Scripps Research. HDT Bio's HIV vaccine research will be conducted in collaboration with Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington.

The company's proprietary RNA technology differs from other approaches in that it employs self-replicating RNA, which is aimed at improving immune activation against infectious diseases at lower doses, enhancing safety and reducing costs. In addition, the LION system, which is manufactured separately from the RNA, makes the vaccine less expensive to scale-up to commercialization and easier to distribute and administer. HDT Bio's RNA vaccine for COVID-19 uses RNA encoding the spike protein of SARS-CoV- 2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In addition to generating a stronger immune response at lower doses, HDT Bio's COVID-19 vaccine production process is more efficient and deployment is more straightforward. The vaccine also doesn't require extreme cold storage. ABOUT HDT BIO CORP. HDT Bio is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to providing immunotherapies to people around the world, including those in historically underserved areas. The company seeks to harness the body's immune system to deliver therapies that narrowly target the specific areas of the body where they are needed. HDT Bio's work focuses on oncological and infectious disease applications. HDT Bio's founders are world leaders in the development of immune stimulants, including both therapeutics and therapy-enhancing adjuvants. One of the company's core technologies, RNA/LION, combines formulation and adjuvant ingredients to stabilize and deliver RNA to the immune system to stimulate responses for therapy or vaccination. http://hdt.bio View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005014/en/

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[May 17, 2021] It's Time to Celebrate the Students! Idaho Virtual Academy Class of 2021 Are Ready to Move Forward

After a school year like no other, Idaho Virtual Academy (IDVA), an online public school serving K-12 students throughout the state since 2002, will celebrate its graduates with one virtual commencement ceremony and three regional in-person ceremonies throughout the state for students and families that would like to attend. One of the ceremonies is a unique "Drive-In" theatre style experience, held at the MotorVu Drive In, in Idaho Falls on May 18th at 8pm. In the age of COVID, note that these drive-thru ceremonies provide a safe, socially distant way for students to be recognized by staff in-person. There is no requirement or obligation to attend. Students will have the option of taking photos at the photo booth set-up for them and to mingle with other graduates in a safe way. "While other schools may have struggled with online learning throughout the year, IDVA never missed a day of instruction, which kept our students motivated, excited, and moving forward," said IDVA Head of School Kelly Edginton. "Their achievements deserve to be shouted from the top of Borah Peak, and we're so happy to have provided a range of solutions to help all our IDVA families." This year, IDVA will graduate over 200 students. Approximately 50 students will graduate with a cumulative GPA above 3.5 and nearly $700,000 worth of college scholarships have reportedly been awarded to the Class of 2021. Six students will graduate high school with an associate degree through one of the local Idaho colleges and universities. Collectively, the graduating class reports it has been accepted to colleges and universities across Idaho and beyond including Gonzaga University, Utah State University, Montana State University, University of Arizona, the University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, and several others. Hyrum "Scott" Smith, from Preston, Idaho, is IDVA's 2021 highest ranking tudent and plans to attend Utah State University in the fall of 2023, after serving a two-year mission. Scott will graduate high school with an Associate of Arts Degree in Business through College of Western Idaho.



Trennon Talbot, from Boise, is IDVA's 2021 second highest ranking student. Trennon plans to attend Boise State University in the fall of 2021. He will major in Games Interactive Media and Design and has been accepted into the honors college, a selective program for high achieving students. Trennon will be entering college as a sophomore after graduating high school with 41 college credits. "I'm so grateful for IDVA and the life lessons I've learned from the teachers and counselors here," said Hyrum. "It was so nice that I didn't have to worry about what would happen to my education during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were fortunate enough to continue school without any interruptions and that was such a relief for me."

Prior to the pandemic, students enrolled in virtual school for a number of reasons- some were looking for a safe and healthy environment to school, and others were looking for more of a personalized and challenging academic experience. IDVA students access a robust and rigorous online curriculum and attend live virtual classes taught by state-certified teachers. IDVA works with students to utilize their state Advanced Opportunities funding, offers a variety of dual credit courses, and opportunities for students to receive certifications in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and programs within Adobe (News - Alert) Suite. IDVA is inviting all families and friends worldwide to join the celebration. Details of the graduation ceremonies are as follows: WHAT: In-Person Idaho Virtual Academy 2021 Graduation Ceremonies WHEN: Tuesday, May 18 th , 8 PM, Motor Vu Drive-in Theatre, Idaho Falls, SE Idaho Drive-In Style

, 8 PM, Motor Vu Drive-in Theatre, Idaho Falls, SE Idaho Monday, May 24 th ,, 4 PM, NNU Brandt Center, SW Idaho Traditional auditorium style with social distance seating per family

,, 4 PM, NNU Brandt Center, SW Idaho Monday, May 24 th , 2PM and 4 PM, Kroc Center, North Idaho Traditional auditorium style with social distance seating per family

, 2PM and 4 PM, Kroc Center, North Idaho WHAT: Virtual Idaho Virtual Academy 2021 Graduation Ceremony WHEN: Thursday, May 26th, 2021, 4:00 PM, link will be posted to IDVA's Facebook Page CONTACT: For any questions about the celebrations, please contact Cheri Pearson at cpearson@idahova.org. For media inquiries, please contact Ken Schwartz at kschwartz@k12.com. About Idaho Virtual Academy Idaho Virtual Academy (IDVA) is an online public charter school serving students statewide in kindergarten through 12th grade. As part of the Idaho public school system, IDVA is tuition-free and provides families the choice to access the curriculum and tools provided by K12, a Stride Company (NYSE: LRN). Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build skills for their future. Learn more at idva.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005006/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Let's Give it Up to the Students! Miami Virtual Program, Arizona 8th Grade Class of 2021 Ready For the Next Steps in Their Lives

Miami Virtual Program, Arizona (MVPAZ), a full-time, online public district program, will celebrate its Kindergarten, fifth-grade, and eighth-grade promotion during virtual ceremonies on the week of May 17th. "While other schools may have struggled with online learning throughout the year, MVPAZ never missed a day of instruction, which kept our students motivated, excited, and moving forward," said MVPAZ Head of School Bouchra Bouanani. "We're so happy to have provided a range of solutions to help all our MVPAZ families." This year, MVPAZ will promote 71 students who will enter ninth grade after completing the 2020-2021 school year. MVPAZ is available to students in grades K-8 who are residents of Arizona. By combining personalized online instruction, hands-on curriculum and the support of highly qualified Arizona certified teachers, MVPAZ helps students discover and reach their full potential. Students ho enroll at MVPAZ follow an academic program that includes engaging online lessons coupled with age-appropriate instructional materials and hands-on tools and resources - all of which are shipped directly to each student's home. The rigorous and engaging curriculum includes courses in language arts/English, math, science, history, world languages, art and music. Students can also choose to participate in dozens of extracurricular activities and clubs that cover a wide variety of interests.



Students enroll in MVPAZ for a number of reasons-some are looking to escape bullying, some may have fallen academically off track, and others are looking for an alternative to the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom setting. CONTACT: For any questions about the celebrations, please contact Ms. Bouchra Bouanani at bbouanani@k12.com. For media inquiries, please contact Ken Schwartz at kschwartz@k12.com.

About Miami Virtual Program, Arizona Miami Virtual Program, Arizona (MVPAZ) is an online public-school program of the Miami, AZ Unified School District that serves students in grades K-10. MVPAZ is tuition-free and provides families the choice to access the curriculum and tools provided by K12, a Stride Company (NYSE: LRN). MVPAZ's individualized approach gives Arizona students the chance to learn in the ways that are right for them. Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build skills for their future. For more about MVPAZ, visit https://mvpaz.k12.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005005/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Makana Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Dr. Kurt Dasse to its Board of Directors

EAGAN, Minn., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Makana Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Recombinetics Inc., a leading gene editing company with platform technology applied to biomedicine and animal agriculture, announced today the appointment of Kurt A. Dasse, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Dasse will join current Board Members Dr. Joe Tector, Dr. David Largaespada, Peter Hajas and Mark Platt. "We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kurt Dasse as a new director to the Makana Therapeutics' board and especially value the dialogue we have had thus far. Dr. Dasse joins Makana Therapeutics at an inspiring time, as we continue to develop and facilitate the future of organ transplantation," said Mark Platt, Makana Therapeutics CEO. In addition, we are confident that our board of directors' skills and experiences, will provide strong guidance as we continue to drive the science and technology forward, and enhance the organization for shareholders and patients alike. We look forward to Dr. Dasse's contribution." Makana Therapeutics' Board regularly evaluates the company's strategy in bringing to market organ transplantation alternative for human donors. The individuals who comprise the board have been operating in the space for many years and carry the experience necessary to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Dasse replaces Dr. Cathy Thut, who stepped down from the Makana Therapeutics Board to pursue a new opportunity in the biotech market. "We appreciate Cathy's collaborative approach and are pleased to have worked together to enhance the company's position," said Joe Tector, MD, Ph.D., Founder at Makana Therapeutics. "Makana Therapeutics has immense opportunity to impact the world, and we believe the new Board of Directors will be a significant asset to us. The board and the management team are committed to achieving the goals we have set out for ourselves and look forward to reaching our milestone First in Human Trial as early as the late 2022." About?Kurt Dasse, Ph.D.

Dr. Dasse has spent over thirty years developing and commercializing medical devices and drugs to treat cardiac, respiratory and kidney disorders. He received his doctorate in physiology from Boston University. Dr. Dasse held academic positions at Boston University and Tufts University Schools of Medicine and is currently Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Bioengineering at the University of LouisvilleLouisville, Kentucky. He has written more than 100 journal articles and multiple book chapters and holds 14 issued and 3 pending patents.



He began his commercial experience at Thermedics in 1985 where he conducted research on percutaneous access devices, vascular access devices, vascular grafts and peritoneal dialysis catheters. He was one of the founding officers of the publicly traded company, Thermo Cardioystems (TCI), and played a key role in commercializing the first implantable left ventricular assist systems (HeartMate IP and XVE) for end-stage heart-failure patients. The company went on to develop HeartMate II and HeartMate 3, the market leading left ventricular assist devices used as a bridge to cardiac transplantation and destination therapy. The Company was sold to Thoratec in 2001. Dr. Dasse was Chief Scientist and Vice President of Thermo Electron Corporation's $700-million Biomedical Group. Thermo Electron held twenty medical companies that focused on developing products for the respiratory, neurodiagnostic, cardiovascular and imaging markets.

He served as Cofounder, President and CEO of Levitronix, a developer and manufacturer of the first generation of MagLev blood pumps for the medical industry including the CentriMag and PediMag devices for adult and pediatric patients. The company also co-developed the MagLev system for HeartMate III (Abbott Laboratories). The medical division of Levitronix was sold to Thoratec Corporation in 2011. He recently served as CEO of GeNO LLC, developing a combination of products (device and drug) to deliver inhaled nitric oxide for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. He is a member of the National Institutes of Health Executive Committee for the PumpKIN program in overseeing the development of mechanical circulatory support devices for pediatric patients. Dr. Dasse served as President of ASAIO, a society focused on the development of artificial heart, lung, kidney, and tissue engineering technology, and as a board member of the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps. He also served on the Technology Advisory Board for Battelle Memorial Institute, and the Scientific Advisory Board of Cardeon with a focus on developing a hypothermia product. He previously served on the boards of Given Imaging, Afferent Corporation, Levitronix, Endovalve and GeNO LLC. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of BiVACOR and CH Biomedical and as a Director of VADovations, Inspired Therapeutics and Artio specializing in cardiac and renal products. Dr. Dasse is a cofounder and CEO of Inspired Therapeutics and President and Chief Operating Officer of VADovations located in Oklahoma City, OK. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Dasse and look forward to applying his vast experience in catapulting xenotransplantation forward. About?Makana Therapeutics

Founded in 2009, Makana Therapeutics is focused on developing swine with reduced xenoantigen expression, making human transplantation of cells, tissues, and organs from these animals possible. Makana's focus on simplified genetics, optimized pig cloning techniques, and careful patient selection is expected to streamline product development and result in safer more efficacious products. Under the scientific leadership of Dr. Joe Tector, Makana Therapeutics has achieved the world's most compelling pre-clinical results in the field of xenotransplantation. About Recombinetics

Founded in 2008, Recombinetics Inc. is a recognized global leader in the development, deployment, and commercialization of genetically engineered large animals. Its four subsidiaries, Regenevida, Surrogen, Makana, and Acceligen, have delivered hundreds of animals to enable drug, device and therapeutic discovery, generate transplantable cells, tissues and organs, and provide improved health, well-being and productivity in agricultural animals. Contact:

Nikki Rockstroh,

612.727.2000,

309623@email4pr.com,

https://recombinetics.com/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/makana-therapeutics-announces-the-appointment-of-dr-kurt-dasse-to-its-board-of-directors-301292043.html SOURCE Recombinetics Inc

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[May 17, 2021] MetLife Announces Full Redemption of Series C Preferred Stock

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) today announced that it will redeem all outstanding shares of its 5.250% fixed-to-floating rate non-cumulative preferred stock, Series C, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share ("Series C Preferred Stock"), at a redemption price of $1,000 per share. All outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock will be redeemed on the dividend payment date of June 15, 2021. Regular quarterly dividends on the outstanding shares of the Series C Preferred Stock of $9.60602666 per share will be paid separately on June 15, 2021, to shareholders of record as of Friday, May 28, 2021, due to the record date occurring on the holiday on Monday, May 31, 2021, in the customary manner. Accordingly, the redemption price for the Series C Preferred Stock will not include any accrued and unpaid dividends. On and after the redemption date, all dividends on the shares of Series C Preferred Stock will cease to accrue. The Series C Preferred Stock is held through The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") an will be redeemed in accordance with the procedures of DTC. Payment to DTC for the Series C Preferred Stock will be made by Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as redemption agent. The address for the redemption agent is as follows:



Computershare, Inc.

462 South Fourth Street

Suite 1600

Louisville, KY 40202 About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("MetLife"), is one of the world's leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements in this news release, such as "will," are based on assumptions and expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, including the "Risk Factors" MetLife, Inc. describes in its U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings. MetLife's future results could differ, and it has no obligation to correct or update any of these statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005802/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Michelle Jarrard named Non-Executive Board Chair of Crawford & Company

Crawford & Company (NYSE: CRD-A and CRD-B), the world's largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions has announced that Michelle Jarrard, a current Company Board member, has been named non-executive chair of the Board of Directors, effective May 14, 2021. Michelle Jarrard was elected to the Crawford Board in August 2018, bringing with her a combination of experience with innovation, technology and people. These skills will continue to prove invaluable to Crawford as it builds on its 80-year legacy and financial strength to become the embedded partner of choice for carriers and corporations. Rohit Verma, Crawford's chief executive officer, said "I am delighted that Michelle has been named our new Board chair. Since she joined two years ago, her unique perspective has added depth and strength to the Board as a whole. Her expertise has been and will continue to be pivotal as we navigate the extraordinary challenges posed by the pandemic and strive to achieve our envisioned future and purpose to restore and enhance lives, businesses and communities. I am proud that our Board is one of the most diverse in our sector. I firmly believe that diversity fosters innovation, collaboration and creativity." Michelle is a former senior partner of McKinsey & Company (News - Alert) , where she held multiple senior leadership roles during her 25-year career, most recently as global chief human resources and talent officer from 2007 until her retirement from the firm in January 2016. "Michelle's intelligence, energy and determnation are assets to our Board, and as chair, she will serve our company and shareholders well. The fact that she is the first woman to chair Crawford's Board follows the proud legacy of Virginia Crawford, the company's first woman director, and adds to our pride and excitement," said Charles H. Ogburn, current non-executive chair of the Crawford & Company board. Ogburn will remain on the Board and will chair the Compensation Committee.



"I am honored to be elected Crawford's Board chair and thank the entire Board for its vote of confidence," said Michelle Jarrard. "This is an exciting time for Crawford as it celebrates its 80th anniversary and continues to successfully execute through the pandemic while retaining focus on its strategic pillars, financial performance and people development. I want to thank Charlie Ogburn for his exemplary leadership of our Board, which has set the standard, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside him on the Crawford Board." In addition to Crawford & Company, Michelle is the CEO of BioCircuit Technologies, Inc. and a Board member of Lazard Ltd and Inspire Brands. She was a Trustee of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (2012-2019) and a Trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board (2014-2019). Michelle has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (News - Alert) . Michelle has resided in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. She and her husband Jimmy currently live in Atlanta and have two grown children.

About Crawford

Based in Atlanta, Crawford & Company (NYSE: CRD-A and CRD-B) is the world's largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions to carriers, brokers and corporations with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70 countries. The Company's two classes of stock are substantially identical, except with respect to voting rights and the Company's ability to pay greater cash dividends on the non-voting Class A Common Stock (CRD-A) than on the voting Class B Common Stock (CRD-B), subject to certain limitations. In addition, with respect to mergers or similar transactions, holders of CRD-A must receive the same type and amount of consideration as holders of CRD-B, unless different consideration is approved by the holders of 75 percent of CRD-A, voting as a class. More information is available at www.crawco.com. Tag: Crawford-Corporate View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005085/en/

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MBABANE  While SACU member States, especially Eswatini, have raised concerns about South Africas master plans affecting mainly the sugar and textile industries, the neighbouring country is being pressured to go ahead with the implementation.

Eswatini is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) alongside Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. As the Government of South Africa produces a string of masterplans designed to focus policy and effort into selected (and to be protected) industries, the other SACU countries are protesting that the regional body is being made irrelevant. The South African sugar cane industry claims to have experienced a sharp decline in revenue in recent years because of cheap sugar imports reportedly flooding their market. In response to this challenge, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a value chain master plan for the industry to address transformation, job protection and product diversification.

Meeting

Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo in a recent SACU Council of Ministers meeting had raised concern regarding the tone of the sectoral master plans and the implementation of trade policy directives that are coming from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in South Africa. What we are observing from the tone of these sectoral master plans is the manner a local or domestic industry is now being defined. In our view a local or domestic industry is a SACU industry, whether that industry is found in one member State, in some or in all, minister Khumalo recently shared.

While SACU members are waiting for a review of the neighbouring countrys plans, fresh reports from South Africa suggest that the Committee on Trade and Industry is currently engaging stakeholders on implementing the sugar industry master plan. According a latest report from All-Africa, the departments Chief Director of Agro-Processing Ncumisa Mcata-Mhlauli is said to have presented the broad objectives of the master plan. The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry received briefings recently from a range of key stakeholders in the sugar sector on their progress with implementing the master plan.

According to the report, the committee also asked the department about Eswatinis dumping of large amounts of sugar onto the local market. Mhlauli responded that political engagements were taking place with the country (Eswatini) to resolve this matter. Mcata-Mhlauli noted that the plan should be commended for contributing towards the 15 per cent increase in local sales; 22 per cent increase in direct market penetration; and the seven per cent increase in soft-drink manufacturing and the procurement of local sugar.
[May 17, 2021] Morneau Shepell rebrands to LifeWorks, reflecting company's purpose of improving lives and business

Morneau Shepell Inc., a leading provider of technology-enabled total wellbeing solutions, today announced its global rebrand to LifeWorks Inc. The rebrand initiates a new chapter for the company and supports the organization's commitment to delivering a continuum of care that improves lives and improves business on a global scale. This also represents a significant milestone in the company's growth strategy to support the wellbeing of employees across the world. Since its inception, the company has grown to deliver services to approximately 24,000 client organizations in more than 160 countries. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005146/en/ Combining technology and talent, LifeWorks provides personalized, digital health solutions that feature the level of support employees need, when nd how they need it. This name change recognizes the values that have made the brand successful from day one, which continue to propel the organization today. LifeWorks remains driven by the principle that happy, healthy and empowered employees are the key to high-performing and resilient organizations. This also speaks to LifeWorks' commitment to making a difference in employees' lives across the entirety of the wellbeing spectrum (mental, physical, financial and social) and acknowledges the fact that by improving a person's life, their performance at work will also improve.



"As we all navigate an ever-evolving remote and hybrid work landscape and the uncertainties that accompany change, our dedication and commitment to supporting more than 26 million employees has never been stronger or more critical to organizations' bottom lines," said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer. "By connecting the two words - life and work - the purpose of our organization is made abundantly clear. We are incredibly excited to begin this new chapter as LifeWorks and we eagerly look forward to continuing to lead and provide innovative total wellbeing solutions for employees and organizations around the world." The LifeWorks name was selected following an in-depth name evaluation process and extensive market research with clients and prospects in Canada, United States, United Kingdom and Australia. The rebrand was officially announced at the company's annual and special meeting of shareholders, held on May 14, 2021.

About LifeWorks LifeWorks is a global leader in delivering technology-enabled solutions that help clients support the total wellbeing of their people and build organizational resiliency. By improving lives, we improve business. Our solutions span employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement and financial consulting, actuarial and investment services. LifeWorks employs over 6,000 employees who work with some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in more than 160 countries. For more information, visit lifeworks.com. ID-CORP View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005146/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Nation's First Civility Research Center Jointly Launched by National Conflict Resolution Center and UC San Diego

The National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) and University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) have jointly launched the nation's first-ever center for research on civility. The Applied Research Center for Civility at UC San Diego, which officially opened on May 1, 2021, draws from NCRC's groundbreaking work in this area to conduct cutting-edge research into the dynamics of society's most pressing issues, including racial injustice and mass incarceration, workplace harassment, and freedom of expression on college campuses. "Hatred and intolerance are at the heart of many societal issues, from racial injustice to mass incarceration," said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "But NCRC and UC San Diego are here to help. As one of the nation's top 15 research universities, we consider it our responsibility to partner with the top conflict resolution practitioner in the nation to create a more just, humane future for America." "Civility in our public life as we know it is on life support," said Steven Dinkin, president of the National Conflict Resolution Center. "The breakdown of civil discourse has exacerbated our country's deep political polarization and incited violence. We care less about our neighbors today, even as the pandemic continues, literally costing people their lives. The collaboration with UC San Diego will look at best practices for navigating entrenched divides, synthesizing them into comprehensive models for national distribution and discussion." Dinkin will serve as co-chair of the new Center for Civility, along with UC San Diego Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Simmons. The launch was announced by Chancellor Khosla at NCRC's 2021 Peacemaker Awards, which took place on May 15, 2021. Since 2014, the two institutions have collaborated on the Galinson/Glickman Campus Civility Initiative, also known as Tritons Together. The program provides training for student club leaders in inclusive communications and conflict resolution, and since its inception has trained nearly 10,000 students.



The Center for Civility will draw on faculty and researchers throughout the UC San Diego system and across the nation to design studies, collect data and conduct quantitative analysis on how we can foster connection in divisive times. It will focus on the work that NCRC is doing today to find a path forward that enables our society to overcome hatred, intolerance and incivility. The center will report these findings in various formats, including white paper reports, conference proceedings and academic journal publications. The center's first project will focus on juvenile justice reform, to be funded through a generous $400,000 grant to NCRC by The Conrad Prebys Foundation. UC San Diego's Extension Center for Research and Evaluation will lead the project, which will examine best practices from around the nation to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately impacts youth of color and fuels mass incarceration. The Extension's work will be peer-reviewed by other UC San Diego faculty. Prospectively, Center for Civility operations will be funded through joint fundraising efforts, to include an anticipated mix of permanent endowment contributions, research grants and annual donations to both entities.

For more information about the Applied Research Center for Civility, please visit: https://evc.ucsd.edu/about/ARCC.html ABOUT THE NATIONAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION CENTER National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) provides the resources, training and expertise to help people, organizations and communities around the world manage and solve conflicts, with civility. Built on the principle that every dispute has a solution, NCRC serves a variety of communities in both the public and private sectors - regionally, nationally and internationally. The organization's mission is to resolve issues with the highest possible degree of civility and equitability to all parties involved. NCRC was founded in 1983 by the University of San Diego Law Center and the San Diego County Bar Association. With more than 35 years of experience and over 20,000 cases managed, NCRC is recognized as an international leader in mediation instruction and conflict resolution. Learn more at www.ncrconline.com or call 619-238-2400. Connect with NCRC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO At the University of California San Diego, we embrace an inclusive culture of exploration and experimentation. Established in 1960, UC San Diego has been shaped by exceptional scholars who are not afraid to look deeper, challenge expectations and redefine conventional wisdom. As one of the top 20 research universities in the world and the only academic medical center in San Diego, we are driving innovation and change to advance society, improve the health of our community, propel economic growth and make our world a better place. Learn more at www.ucsd.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005177/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Planon wins Frost & Sullivan's 2020 Technology Innovation Leadership Award in India

NIJMEGEN, Netherlands, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- During its Best Practices Awards banquet, business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan announced that it has appointed Planon as the winner of the 2020 Indian Facility Management Software Technology Innovation Leadership Award. In its extensive report, Frost & Sullivan states that "Planon has achieved a top market position in the country's Facility Management (FM) software area for provision of innovative products, adoption of new technology, and forging of strategic partnerships. In a time of digital transformation and increasing concern towards facility services, Planon has a strong focus on the future, delivering more customised products to serve various sectors than any of its industry peers are able to match." In an industry where companies with large and diverse real estate portfolios are struggling to optimise their site monitoring and workplace efficiency, FM software is an excellent enabler of building operations management. The Frost & Sullivan report describes a growing demand for tools that support excellence in service delivery, energy savings, and smart workplace concepts. The full report can be downloaded here. The report highlights Planon's commitment to innovation and its open platform capabilities to operate as a 'single pane of glass,' through which all building, assets, workplaces, and service-related data are viewed. Frost & Sullivan finds that, "the Planon solutions demonstrate the company's innovation leadership considering optimisation in workplace, customised solutions, and regular updates including customer feedback. The integrated software is the best-in-class solution available in the market."



"This Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan confirms that Planon is on track to reach our ambitious goals to accelerate our future growth," says Pierre Guelen, founder and CEO of Planon. "Our position as a global market leader in providing rich functionality combined with cloud-based open platform capabilities has also been reinforced by the IDC MarketScape for IWMS* where Planon was evaluated for its future strategy and how well it aligns with its customers' requirements for the coming years." *IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Integrated Workplace Management System 20202021 Vendor Assessment, Doc # US46261420, December 2020

About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation, and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages more than 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses, and the investment community from 45 offices on six continents. To join Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com. About Planon Planon is the leading global provider of real estate and facility management software that enables building and service digitalisation by integrating the diverse landscape of smart building technology, business solutions, and data into one source of truth and then turning that into value for building owners, building users, and service providers. With over 35 years of experience, Planon has a proven track record of delivering innovative software and proven best practices and professional services for both multinational organisations and local businesses. planonsoftware.com

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[May 17, 2021] Pluribus Technologies Inc. acquires Claymore Inc. and SkilSure Limited

TORONTO, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Pluribus Technologies Inc. announced today the completion of the acquisition of the assets of Claymore Inc. and SkilSure Limited in Toronto, ON. Claymore Inc brought to market the SkilSure product specializing in solutions for continuing professional development, competency-based training, e-Portfolios, e-Learning, apprentice tracking and quizzing/testing. Richard Adair, CEO of Pluribus said, "This represents our third acquisition in the eLearning space as we continue to execute on a roll-up strategy within that vertical. Claymore Inc. deepens our expertise in the regulated healthcare segment of the Canadian market by supporting professional associations of pharmacists, nurses, dental hygienists, and other extended healthcare providers. We are also excited to enter the U.K. market where Claymore's SkilSure solution provides competency testing and assessment software to support apprenticeship programs." SkilSure is the pre-eminent online solution for planning, mentoring, and supporting development; tracking development progress against competence requiremets; building and maintaining e-portfolios to support accomplishment; and allowing controlled access to review, appraise and comment on evidence of accomplishment.



QuizBase, a web enabled testing application, can be provided standalone or as an integral part of the SkilSure competency management package. It has been designed to write test results directly to the SkilSure e-portfolio database. QuizBase is a state-of-the-art e-assessment tool. "We are pleased to be a part of the Pluribus group of companies. Their capabilities will enhance Claymore's offerings in the UK and Canada," said Terry Ogle, President of Claymore Inc. "This move strengthens Claymore and SkilSure and future-proofs their technologies."

About Claymore Inc.

Claymore Inc, founded in 1989, provides customized professional development and competence assurance software and services. With more than 500,000 users across North America and the United Kingdom, Claymore Inc has vast experience in tracking the progress of job-specific competency-based training. Services include automated training needs analyses, continuing professional development solutions, online testing, mentoring solutions, e-learning and competence tracking and verification systems and e-portfolio systems. About Pluribus Technologies Inc.

Pluribus Technologies Inc. specializes in acquiring small, profitable software companies from owners and investors that are seeking a succession plan. Pluribus helps entrepreneurs exit their businesses by providing them with a liquidity event when there are often few other reasonable options. The management team of former owner-operators builds upon the legacy created with loyal customers and employees, taking businesses to the next level of success. For Further Information:

Diane Pedreira, Chief Operating Officer, Pluribus Technologies Inc.

Email: info@pluribustechnologies.com SOURCE Pluribus Technologies Inc.

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[May 17, 2021] Reflect Scientific Inc. Letter to Shareholders

OREM, Utah, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reflect Scientific, Inc. (Symbol: RSCF), a provider of diverse products and services for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and transportation industries, announces a shareholder message from the CEO.

A shareholder message from Kim Boyce, CEO of Reflect Scientific Inc.: As mentioned in my previous press release, Reflect Scientific Inc. started developing cryogenic temperature control systems based on liquid nitrogen over ten years ago. Over time many improvements have been made and a large body of intellectual property created. We have also allied with a manufacturing facility capable of producing our systems in large volume. There continues to be growing interest in our product lines due to their unique capabilities to support the processing, storage, and transportation needs of a wide range of life science sectors, including Biologics/CGT, Blood, and Vaccines. Several factors essentially drive customer interest: Non-mechanical systems, exceptional reliability, cost-effectiveness

Superior temperature control anywhere from ambient to  160 deg C

Cryometrix S-90 cryogenic shipper can run off the grid for long periods of time

Green technology In processing applications, we continue to receive orders for our B-90 blast freezing system and now have many units in operation, the performance of which has met or exceeded expectations. Feedback has shown customers have realized a significant benefit from their use. In the Storage arena, we continue to sell our T-90 and T-160 products. We have recently received an inquiry from a major government agency looking for non-mechanical freezers to supplant many of their existing mechanical units. In the transportatio/cold chain area, we continue to receive inquiries for the following applications:



Vaccine management

Air freight temperature-controlled containers

Use of our CB 40 system for TRU reefers  a recent message from CARB indicates we are the leading choice of technology for California markets

In addition, we have received inquiries for broader applications for our L-80 chiller systems from Boeing and NASA. Our outlook for Reflect Scientific continues to remain bullish. The Company continues to be debt-free.

On March 30, 2021, Reflect Scientific filed a Form 10 Registration Statement with the SEC. Upon effectiveness of Form 10, Reflect will become a fully-reporting issuer with the SEC. Among other things, this means that we will resume filing Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on 10-Q with the SEC regularly. Our year-end financial results are available for review in Form 10, which is available on the SECs website, and they are also available on the OTC Markets website. For more announcements, keep an eye on our website www.reflectscientific.com and www.finance.yahoo.com, ticker symbol RSCF. About Reflect Scientific, Inc.

Reflect Scientific, Inc., based in Orem, Utah, develops and markets innovative, proprietary technologies in cryogenic cooling for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical, and transportation markets. Among Reflect Scientifics products are low-temperature freezers and refrigerated systems for laboratory, transportation, and computer server room uses. Visit www.reflectscientific.com for more information. See us on Twitter @ReflectSci and LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/reflect-scientific . Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release should be considered in light of the disclosures contained in the filings of the Company that are contained in the OTC Markets Group, LLC under the trading symbol RSCF and related prior filings by the Company that are referenced therein and contained in the EDGAR Archives of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the heading Disclosure, including those identified in such filings as forward-looking statements.

Contact Thomas Tait 801-607-1039 investor_relations@reflectscientific.com

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[May 17, 2021] Road to Recover Class Action Proceeds Grows More Complex for Investors, Broadridge 2021 Global Class Action Annual Report Highlights

NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New worldwide class action laws brought on by globalization and increased participation in opt-in litigation have led to increased complexity in class action asset recovery opportunities. As a result of these developments, institutional investors, wealth managers and lawyers are shifting their approach to class action asset recovery to better meet the growing opportunities for their clients. Global asset recovery opportunities rose from $4 billion in 2019 to $6 billion in 2020a 50% increaseand the average settlement amount (excluding ongoing litigation) doubled compared to 2019, according to a new comprehensive annual report released today by global Fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR). The 10 most complex cases from 2020 accounted for more than half of the total settlements from 2020, according to the latest Broadridge Global Class Action Annual Report. "The trends in securities litigation are creating greater challenges for investors and lawyers to track and convert asset recovery opportunities because the cases are significantly more complex, global in nature and shifting to event-driven litigation," said Steve Cirami, Head of Corporate Actions & Class Actions at Broadridge. "Derived from Broadridge's comprehensive class actions database, this report highlights the trends and lessons learned from the most complex investor settlements of the year, providing perspective on recoveries that are possible." The Broadridge Global Class Action Annual Report offers an in-depth analysis of the 10 most complex class action recovery opportunities from 2020 involving financial instruments. Collectively, these settlements, excluding two cases currently pending, total over $3.4 billion. In all, Broadridge identified more than 450 newly filed class or collective actions worldwide related to investments in publicly traded securities, bringing the total number of active cases that have not settled to more than 1,000. In 2020 only 140 new settlements were reached to achieve that $6 billion in total recoveries. To read the study, please visit: Global Class Action 2nd Annual Report | Broadridge Top 10 Most Complicated Cases For each of the top 10 class actions, the report contains an in-depth analysis, including an overview of the allegations, administrative challenges, court, participants, settlement information and relevant dates. Valeant Pharmaceuticals Securities Litigation: $1.21 Billion USD and $94 Million CAD USD LIBOR Eurodollar Futures Settlement: $187 Million ARCP Securities Litigation: $1.025 Billion Canadian FX Price-Fixing Class Action: $109 Million CAD Wirecard AG: Pending Litigation First Solar Securities Litigation: $350 Million PG&E Corporations Securities Litigation: Pending Litigation Bondholder LIBOR Settlements: $68.625 Million Zimmer Biomet Holdings Securities Litigation: $50 Million GSE Bonds Antitrust Litigation: $386.5 Million



Report Methodology The report covers important global securities and antitrust cases that involve both publicly traded financial instruments and recovery via a class action or collective redress mechanism. Broadridge evaluated cases in this report from the standpoint of a financial institution's ability to recover its funds, or those of its investors or clients.

Complexity of the case is measured from a claim submission and administration standpoint based on these required tasks: the lift required to track and monitor the case; the challenges in housing, scrubbing and preparing the right data to make the claim; complexities in jurisdictional, judicial and/or filing requirements; complex or conflicting deadlines (e.g., more than one settlement, with different legal rights and deadlines); sophistication of the security/product at issue and the related underlying data needed to prove the claim; complexities in the loss calculation formula(s); competing litigations (multiple law firm/funder groups); and other factors influencing the expertise and work required to file a complete and accurate claim to recover assets. This study is for informational purposes only and does not, and is not intended to, constitute investment, legal or any other advice of any kind. Broadridge Class Action Services Broadridge's Global Securities Class Action Services anticipate and manage the class action recovery needs of financial services entities, providing industry-leading relationship management, technology, and data protection to support end-to-end class action claims recovery services. Services include: Accurate Identification  Broadridge built the only complete record date file for proxy, regulatory and corporate action events and added global reach, infrastructure, and technology to identify and capture all global securities class action cases.

Broadridge tracks U.S. and international securities fraud class actions; antitrust class actions involving securities and complex financial products; international collective actions; U.S. SEC and DOJ enforcement actions and other "mass redress" cases that involve financial instruments.

Industry Leading Technology  Technology platform analyzes and matches investment positions to identify recovery opportunities for each security relevant to each case and each investor.

Filing Standards  Leveraging financial industry experts, data analysts, former securities litigators and administrators, and long-standing relationships with the leading claims administrators around the globe, Broadridge delivers accurate reporting of positions, trades and data customized to meet the requirements of every case and every settlement.

Precise Allocation and Distribution  Process includes complete and accurate loss calculations for each claim, followed by a thorough reconciliation process through distribution of funds from the claim's administrator ensuring accurate allocation and subsequent distribution to our clients. About Broadridge Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $4.5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance, and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $10 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 12,000 associates in 17 countries. For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com. Media:

Gregg Rosenberg

+1 212-918-6966

Gregg.rosenberg@broadridge.com Tatjana Kulkarni

+1 203-285-0766

Tatjana.kulkarni@broadridge.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/road-to-recover-class-action-proceeds-grows-more-complex-for-investors-broadridge-2021-global-class-action-annual-report-highlights-301292119.html SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

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[May 17, 2021] Salt Security Recognized by Cyber Defense Magazine as "Most Innovative in API Security" in 2021 Global InfoSec Awards

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtual RSA Conference -- Salt Security, the leading API security company, today announced that the Salt Security API Protection Platform has been named Most Innovative in API Security in the 2021 Global InfoSec Awards from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM). Salt Security was also named a Hot Company in the Best Cybersecurity Startup category. The Salt Security API Protection platform provides API-first companies with unparalleled capabilities in API security, including continuous discovery of APIs and exposed sensitive data, attack detection and prevention, and remediation details to eliminate API vulnerabilities. "APIs sit at the core of today's modern enterprise, making them incredibly rich treasure troves of data that are increasingly targeted by cyber attackers," said Roey Eliyahu, CEO and co-founder of Salt Security. "Traditional solutions, such as WAFs or API Gateways, use rules and signatures to block known attacks, but API attacks are different  they leverage the unique business of each API. So companies need the power of big data, combined with ML and AI, to pinpoint these attacks. Our platform provides complete coverage across all application environments, and our patented AI-based attack prevention keeps data and services safe. These awards from Cyber Defense Magazine recognize our unique technical leadership and our commitment to protect enterprises from the growing threat of API-related attacks." The Salt platform deploys in minutes to provide users with a comprehensive and dynamic protection of APIs across build and runtime. The proprietary Salt C-3A Context-based API Analysis Architecture delivers the rich context needed to protect APIs, and the platform enables the broadest set of API security use cases and ecosystem integrations available. Since 91% of organizations in the Salt Security State of API Security Report, Q1 2021 suffered an API security incident in 2020, it's clear organizations need better protection.



"Salt Security embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow's threats today, providing a cost-effective solution, and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. Now in its ninth year, Cyber Defense Magazine's Global InfoSec Awards honor startups, early stage, later stage, and public companies in the information security space who have unique and compelling products and services. This year's Global InfoSec Awards were judged by a panel of esteemed CISSP, FMDHS and CEH certified security professionals who have decades of experience in the cybersecurity industry and are continually on the hunt for Next Generation InfoSec solutions.

To learn more about the Salt Security API Protection Platform and request a demo, please visit: https://salt.security/ . About Salt Security Salt Security protects the APIs that form the core of every modern application. Its API Protection Platform is the industry's first patented solution to prevent the next generation of API attacks, using machine learning and AI to automatically and continuously identify and protect APIs. Deployed in minutes, the Salt Security platform learns the granular behavior of a company's APIs and requires no configuration or customization to pinpoint and block API attackers. Salt Security was founded in 2016 by alumni of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and serial entrepreneur executives in the cybersecurity field and is based in Silicon Valley and Israel. For more information, please visit: https://salt.security . About Cyber Defense Magazine With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power. Press Contact

Dex Polizzi

Lumina Communications

646-741-8358

Salt@luminapr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/salt-security-recognized-by-cyber-defense-magazine-as-most-innovative-in-api-security-in-2021-global-infosec-awards-301292474.html SOURCE Salt Security

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[May 17, 2021] Starboard Delivers Open Letter to Box Stockholders

NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Starboard Value LP (together with its affiliates, "Starboard"), one of the largest stockholders of Box, Inc. ("Box" or the "Company") (NYSE: BOX), with an ownership interest of approximately 8% of the Company's outstanding shares, today delivered an open letter to Box stockholders reiterating its significant concerns with the Company's $500 million convertible preferred equity financing and the Board's continued refusal to engage constructively with Starboard. In the letter, Starboard also disclosed its intention to submit a Books and Records request, pursuant to Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, to inspect books and records relating to the Company's review of strategic options, including the financing and the proposed upcoming "Dutch auction" self-tender. The full text of Starboard's open letter to Box stockholders follows and can also be viewed at the following link:

https://www.starboardvalue.com/wp-content/uploads/Starboard_Value_LP_Books_and_Records_Request_Letter_to_BOX_Stockholders_05.17.2021.pdf A LETTER TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF BOX, INC. May 17, 2021 Dear Fellow Stockholders, Starboard Value LP (together with its affiliates, "Starboard" or "we") currently owns approximately 8.0% of the outstanding common stock of Box, Inc. ("Box" or the "Company"), making us one of the Company's largest stockholders. As you know, on May 10, 2021, we nominated four highly qualified director candidates for election to the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Box at the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. We chose to take this action after two years of engaging privately with the Company because, unfortunately, Box continues to deliver subpar financial results and stock price performance. This poor performance is further exacerbated by egregious corporate governance, highlighted by the Company's most recent action to complete a $500 million convertible preferred equity financing (the "Financing") that we believe has no bona fide business purpose and was done solely to entrench the Board and "buy the vote" ahead of a potential election contest with Starboard. We believe the Board's intent in consummating the Financing is clear and simple: to dilute the vote of common stockholders who have suffered through years of poor returns by placing more than 10% of the vote in the hands of new preferred investors who are contractually obligated to vote in accordance with the Board's recommendations. These preferred investors were given a preferential instrument with better terms than the common shares we all own in exchange for providing their guaranteed vote of support for the Board. With regard to the Financing, we recently became aware of the class action lawsuit filed in Delaware Chancery Court against the Board by the Building Trades Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania (the "Complaint"). To be extremely clear, neither we, nor our advisors, had any role in initiating, encouraging, or effecting the lawsuit, and we had no knowledge of the lawsuit until after it was filed. We have reviewed the Complaint and related Motion to Expedite and believe there is merit in their concerns. In particular, we would highlight the below points from the Complaint as particularly noteworthy: "The "strategic partnership," however, is a sham designed to lock up a significant portion of the vote in favor of the Board's recommended slate of directors. Specifically, simultaneous with the announcement of the Investment Agreement, the Board announced plans to use the proceeds to launch a "Dutch Auction" self-tender to purchase $500 million of common stock in the open market, indicating the Company had no operational need to raise capital." "Thus, the Board used the corporate apparatus to displace a diffuse group of stockholders free to vote against the Board's recommended slate of directors with a bloc of shares required to vote in the Board's favor. These series of transactions are bereft any bona fide strategic rationale and represent a pretext to buy the vote of a significant portion of the common stock eligible to vote in director elections." "However, through the Investment Agreement and planned share repurchase, the Board has inequitably and disloyally used corporate shares and resources to impede the stockholder base's ability to effect change. The Board is actively working to undermine an anticipated proxy contest by using the corporate machinery to buy and secure the votes of well over 10% of the Company's outstanding shares." It is important to note that the filing of this Complaint is a rather extraordinary action involving serious allegations against directors who appear to have acted out of an entrenchment motive in completing the ill-advised Financing. We are concerned that these directors approved such a clear and egregious, defensive-minded course of action without seeming to hav fully contemplated its highly problematic implications. From what we understand, the corporate governance community has been abuzz about this overt entrenchment attempt since the Financing was first announced. It should have come as no surprise to the Board that the Financing would draw such heavy scrutiny and that a class action lawsuit would ultimately be filed.



We are not a party to the lawsuit, and we were not asked to participate. Our views are based solely on our own knowledge of the events and our review of the publicly filed Complaint and Motion to Expedite. We would encourage our fellow stockholders to read these filings for themselves. After considering the allegations in the Complaint, we would ask our fellow stockholders to consider a simple question  was there any valid business purpose or material benefit to common stockholders in completing the Financing?

We believe the answer is clearly no and should highlight the true motive of this egregious and entirely unnecessary Financing. In fact, just a few months earlier, in January 2021, Box raised $345 million in gross proceeds through the issuance of convertible debt. We had communicated privately to the Board at that time that even the convertible debt financing was unnecessary, as the Company already had $225 million of net cash on its balance sheet, available capacity on its revolving credit facility, access to debt markets on an as-needed basis, and was generating positive free cash flow every quarter. Box stated that the purpose of such financing was for acquisitions and since that time has completed two small acquisitions for an aggregate cash purchase price of $60 million1. Following the $345 million convertible debt issuance and the subsequent acquisitions but prior to the Financing, Box had approximately $535 million of cash on its balance sheet and also publicly disclosed that it expected to generate approximately $170 million of free cash flow in FY20222. This should have provided plenty of available liquidity for both acquisitions and buybacks; however, despite this significant and growing cash position, Box still chose to execute the Financing, which now leaves the Company with an estimated cash balance of greater than $1 billion, representing more than 25% of the Company's current market capitalization. Recognizing there could be no valid business rationale for maintaining such a high cash balance, Box stated its intention to use the proceeds from the Financing to conduct a "Dutch auction" self-tender to repurchase $500 million of common stock. We believe it is transparently obvious that its goal in completing the Financing was simply to substitute common stockholders who have the ability to vote as they wish with preferred investors who are legally bound to vote in accordance with the Board's recommendations. Given these facts and circumstances, we have major concerns around the Board's decision making process and independence, and we question whether members of the Board may have breached their fiduciary duties to common stockholders. Therefore, we are taking steps to prepare and submit a books and records request, pursuant to Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, to inspect certain books and records relating to the Company's disclosed review of strategic options, including the Financing and the proposed upcoming "Dutch auction" self-tender. This request will allow us, on behalf of common stockholders, to gather more information and investigate the actions and motivations of the Company's management team and Board as it relates to these transactions. Clearly, the Company's recent actions are emblematic of a Board that is not focused on the best interests of common stockholders. Unfortunately, while certain board members of Box may seem qualified individually, we believe it is clear that the Board as a whole is unable to uphold its duty to represent the best interest of the stockholders. When coupled with years of financial, operational, and stock price underperformance, as well as other significant governance deficiencies, we believe this is clear evidence of a need for change and, in particular, of a need for direct representation on the Board for common stockholders, truly and actively representing our collective best interests. As we stated in our prior letters, we have attempted to engage with the Board in good faith to reach an acceptable outcome so that we can work together to represent the best interests of all stockholders. While the Board has thus far refused our attempts and appears to be unwilling to engage constructively, we remain open-minded about reaching a mutually agreeable solution. We look forward to continuing to engage with our fellow stockholders and will keep you apprised of our findings following our review of information received through the books and records request. We also look forward to sharing our detailed views on, and plans for, Box in the coming weeks. Thank you for your consideration and support. Respectfully, Peter A. Feld

Managing Member

Starboard Value LP About Starboard Value LP

Starboard Value LP is a New York-based investment adviser with a focused and fundamental approach to investing in publicly traded U.S. companies. Starboard seeks to invest in deeply undervalued companies and actively engage with management teams and boards of directors to identify and execute on opportunities to unlock value for the benefit of all shareholders. Investor contacts:

Peter Feld, (212) 201-4878

Gavin Molinelli, (212) 201-4828

www.starboardvalue.com CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS Starboard Value LP, together with the other participants named herein (collectively, "Starboard"), intends to file a preliminary proxy statement and accompanying WHITE proxy card with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to be used to solicit votes for the election of its slate of highly-qualified director nominees at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders of Box, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"). STARBOARD STRONGLY ADVISES ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC'S WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROXY SOLICITATION WILL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE PROXY STATEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE, WHEN AVAILABLE, UPON REQUEST. REQUESTS FOR COPIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' PROXY SOLICITOR. The participants in the proxy solicitation are anticipated to be Starboard Value and Opportunity Master Fund Ltd ("Starboard V&O Fund"), Starboard Value and Opportunity S LLC ("Starboard S LLC"), Starboard Value and Opportunity C LP ("Starboard C LP"), Starboard Value and Opportunity Master Fund L LP ("Starboard L Master"), Starboard Value L LP ("Starboard L GP"), Starboard Value R LP ("Starboard R LP"), Starboard Value R GP LLC ("Starboard R GP"), Starboard X Master Fund Ltd ("Starboard X Master"), Starboard Value LP, Starboard Value GP LLC ("Starboard Value GP"), Starboard Principal Co LP ("Principal Co"), Starboard Principal Co GP LLC ("Principal GP"), Jeffrey C. Smith, Peter A. Feld, Deborah S. Conrad, John R. McCormack and Xavier D. Williams. As of the date hereof, Starboard V&O Fund beneficially owns directly 6,872,443 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the "Common Stock"). As of the date hereof, Starboard S LLC directly owns 1,275,334 shares of Common Stock. As of the date hereof, Starboard C LP directly owns 746,496 shares of Common Stock. As of the date hereof, Starboard L Master directly owns 652,637 shares of Common Stock. Starboard L GP, as the general partner of Starboard L Master, may be deemed the beneficial owner of the 652,637 shares of Common Stock owned by Starboard L Master. Starboard R LP, as the general partner of Starboard C LP, may be deemed the beneficial owner of the 746,496 shares of Common Stock owned by Starboard C LP. Starboard R GP, as the general partner of Starboard R LP and Starboard L GP, may be deemed the beneficial owner of an aggregate of 1,399,133 shares of Common Stock owned by Starboard C LP and Starboard L Master. As of the date hereof, Starboard X Master directly owns 1,336,220 shares of Common Stock. As of the date hereof, 2,130,533 of Common Stock were held in an account managed by Starboard Value LP (the "Starboard Value LP Account"). Starboard Value LP, as the investment manager of each of Starboard V&O Fund, Starboard C LP, Starboard L Master and Starboard X Master and the Starboard Value LP Account and the manager of Starboard S LLC, may be deemed the beneficial owner of an aggregate of 13,013,663 shares of Common Stock directly owned by Starboard V&O Fund, Starboard S LLC, Starboard C LP, Starboard L Master, Starboard X Master and held in the Starboard Value LP Account. Each of Starboard Value GP, as the general partner of Starboard Value LP, Principal Co, as a member of Starboard Value GP, Principal GP, as the general partner of Principal Co and Messrs. Smith and Feld, as members of Principal GP and as members of each of the Management Committee of Starboard Value GP and the Management Committee of Principal GP, may be deemed the beneficial owner of 13,013,663 shares of Common Stock directly owned by Starboard V&O Fund, Starboard S LLC, Starboard C LP, Starboard L Master, Starboard X Master and held in the Starboard Value LP Account. As of the date hereof, Mr. McCormack directly beneficially owns 1,150 shares of Common Stock. As of the date hereof, Mr. Williams and Ms. Conrad do not own any shares of Common Stock. 1 Source: Company filings.

2 Source: Company filings. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/starboard-delivers-open-letter-to-box-stockholders-301292402.html SOURCE Starboard Value LP

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[May 17, 2021] TrueNorth Supports Hockessin Colored School Mission

TrueNorth, a global fintech software development company, is proud to announce the release of Hockessin Colored School #107's new website. The historic school that ended segregation, Delaware-based HCS #107, has been transformed into a community Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Equity. Software developers and designers from TrueNorth worked with David J. Wilk, Board Chair for Friends of Hockessin Colored School 107, a 509(a)(2) Public Charity, to build a new website that showcases the school's vision for the future. The building and grounds will be used as a living history for K-12 students, offer Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) workshops focused on promoting inclusion & social equity awareness, and provide a community meeting space for social infrastructure strategies. Mr. Wilk states, "The magnitude of this school's significance in our country's history cannot be overstated. Our young Black heroine, eight-year-old Shirley Bulah who merely wanted to ride the bus to school, was the catalyst for Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. So, we are delighted to introduce our vision today, May 17th, the anniversary of this historic case. "We are beyond grateful to partner with TrueNorth who helped us introduce our mission of reimagining this school as a Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Equity, which could not be more timely or important in today's world. We thank the amazing TrueNorth team led by Chris Del, Annette Ring, Jennifer Basteiro, Rodolfo Justoni, and Mariano Rivas for their invaluabe contribution to our future success with our new beautiful website."



Alex Gonikman, CEO of TrueNorth said, "What a history and what a future this building brings to the community. We can't wait to see their vision become reality. So, to be able to lend our software development services to a project like this makes us extremely proud." In a concerted effort to support DEI ideas and policies, TrueNorth donates its services to organizations that stand for social justice and which promote equality and education. The company believes it is especially important to help organizations making a difference in their community.

About TrueNorth TrueNorth.co is one of the most successful fintech software development companies in the world having built three fintech unicorns from scratch--LendingClub, Upgrade and Dianrong. The company specializes in building digital solutions, including 45 original enterprises, 120 digital transformations and has helped secure over $40 billion in client funding. CEO Alex Gonikman, a veteran software architect, leads a staff of more than 80 employees from the company's headquarters in San Francisco, a development center in Buenos Aires, Argentina and strategic offices in Hong Kong, New York City and Austin, Texas. For more information about TrueNorth, visit www.TrueNorth.co About Friends of Hockessin Colored School #107 Friends of Hockessin Colored School #107 Inc. is a 509(a)(2) Public Charity under (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). The nineteen member Board includes Board Chair David J. Wilk, Asst. Professor & Director of Real Estate Program, Temple University Fox School of Business; Dr. Tony Allen, President, Delaware State University & Founding Member; and, Robert G. Fleming, Former Hockessin Community Center Board Member & FOHCS Board Member. The organization's mission is to transform the historic Hockessin Colored School that ended segregation into a Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Equity. For more information, visit HockessinColoredSchool107.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005026/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Universita Europea di Roma and Centro Studi Italia-Canada sign a partnership agreement

ROME, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Universita Europea di Roma (UER), a fast-growing international university founded in 2004, and Centro Studi Italia-Canada (CSIC) have signed a framework agreement for mutual collaboration in training, research and so called "third mission" activities. The aim of the agreement is to carry out, in collaboration with UER Academy - the school of Continuing Education and Higher Education of UER  activities of common interest for the advancement of knowledge and dialogue between Italy and Canada. To this end, UER and CSIC propose to design, implement, support and promote courses, training sessions, workshops, events, research and recruiting activities. Italy-Canada relations go back a long way and see in the large and active Italian-Canadian community the best expression of the feelings of friendship that bind the two countries. Over the past 75 years, Canada and Italy have followed parallel paths in every sector of civil, political and economic life. With the entry into force of CETA, trade exchanges, which were already strong, have registered a constant growth in all sectors (the agri-food sector, for example, has registered an average annual groth of 7% in the last ten years, making our country the fourth supplier of Canada at a global level and the first among EU countries), as well as shared political choices in the international field.



Sustainable development in its broadest sense, represents the common trigger that will mark the route that Canada and Italy have committed to follow. In addition, there are exchanges in the fields of culture, art and society. As the extent and quality of relations grows, so does the mutual interest and therefore the need to study and deepen mutual understanding. Hence the interest of UER and Centro Studi Italia Canada to deepen and divulge the many aspects of the close relationship between the two countries. Prof. Matilde Bini, Scientific Director and Head of UER Academy, says: "With this agreement we want to seize the opportunity to strengthen the international vocation of the University, and open new windows of knowledge and opportunities on the culture and economy of Canada and North America in general."

Paolo Quattrocchi, Director of Centro Studi Italia-Canada, underlines: "Our commitment to strengthening knowledge networks through dialogue with the academic world continues. We see this agreement as a further step in the development of synergies with academic partners, for further growth of teaching and research activities on topics of interest in relations between Canada and Italy." Universita Europea di Roma (UER) is an Italian Non-State University that is part of the national public university system and issues degrees with legal value. It offers courses of study in: Economics, Law, Psychology, Primary Education Sciences and Tourism and Land Development. In 2020 it has more than 1,700 students with an annual growth of 20% and is positioned 2nd in Italy among small non-state universities in the Censis 2020 ranking of Italian universities. Centro Studi Italia-Canada is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and apolitical association whose mission is to expand knowledge between the two countries and is committed to promoting study, research and cultural training. Contacts for the Press: mediarelations@centrostudi-italiacanada.it

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MANZINI  After being insulted and bashed by police officers in full view of members of the public using open hands, kicks and a gun, he now fears for his life.

This is what Sanele Shiba, the kombi conductor, who appears in a video clip being insulted and brutally assaulted by three uniformed police officers from the Traffic Department, said in an interview. The incident took place last Monday at Mhlaleni, Matsapha in the Manzini Region and it was during the strike action by public transport workers, which turned violent. Speaking to this publication over the weekend, the kombi conductor, said on the aforesaid day, they were walking towards Mhlaleni along the MR3 Highway and a police van found them asking for lunch donations from their colleagues who were on duty on the day. Shiba was found at his home, in a location known to this publication but will not be revealed because he fears for his safety.

Chase

He said when the police van stopped, they ran away and some of the police officers gave chase. However, he said after outpacing them, the law enforcers returned to their car and left. Thereafter, he said they continued with their journey. When they arrived at Mhlaleni, he said they saw the police van coming from New Village direction and he saw one police officer pointing at them. Thereafter, he said the police officer jumped out of the car and ran towards them. Seeing that the law enforcers intention was to catch them, he claimed that even though they did not know what wrong they had done, they ran away again. However, he said, while they were fleeing from the police officer, they came across two others, whom he suspected had alighted from the same car and waited for them along the way. I then bolted into a nearby homestead for safety, but the two officers entered the home, grabbed me and hurled all sorts of insults at me before beating me up, while dragging me out of the residence, Shiba alleged.

He alleged that when they got out of the home, the third police officer arrived and he was carrying a gun (pistol), which he allegedly used to assault him on the head and face. While insulting and assaulting me, they said they wanted to teach me a lesson. They also grabbed me with my manhood and I suffered injuries, Shiba alleged. He also claimed that in his pockets, he had E270 and a cellphone, but when he arrived at the police station, he had only E20 in his pockets. On top of that, he purported that after the police officers had allegedly satisfied themselves in assaulting him, he became partially deaf and his left hand, which was tightly fastened with handcuffs, was not functioning properly.
[May 17, 2021] U.S. International Trade Commission Is Investigating the Industrial Espionage and Patent Infringement of Samsung

Acting on a complaint filed by Pictos Technologies Inc., The United States International Trade Commission ("Commission") has launched a probe into industrial espionage and patent infringement by Samsung (News - Alert) relating to digital imaging technology. This investigation by the Commission could result in an embargo of Samsung's smartphone imports from South Korea and other countries into the United States. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005156/en/ The Commission's decision to investigate South Korean-based Samsung, which is led by the billionaire Lee family, was prompted by a complaint filed by Pictos on October 22, 2020, under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (insert hot link to the Pictos Complaint). The complaint alleges that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., and Samsung Semiconductor Inc. ("Samsung") have stolen trade secrets related to the digital imaging technology used in camers on smartphones through industrial espionage and have continued to infringe the Pictos' patents. These actions, Pictos alleges, destroyed its business.



The remedies sought by Pictos from the Commission are cease and desist orders and an exclusion order that would protect its intellectual property rights by prohibiting the importation of Samsung consumer electronic and mobile devices with infringing digital imaging components such as mobile phone handsets, tablet computers, laptop computers, digital cameras, and web-based cameras that are designed, operated, distributed, sold, or offered for sale by or for Samsung. Such an exclusion order, if fully implemented, would stop over $16 billion in imports of infringing Samsung products. The Commission is now investigating Samsung's behavior, and a decision should be made by the end of 2021. "In this case Pictos took every reasonable precaution to protect its trade secrets from Samsung, including non-disclosure agreements," said Vince Capone, General Counsel of Pictos. "While other major corporations such as Apple, Kyocera, LG, and Nokia (News - Alert) have all resolved their disputes with Pictos, Samsung has refused to do so, reaping billions of dollars from its wrongdoing. The Commission must not permit the patents of U.S. Companies and their trade secrets to be wantonly stolen by foreign interests. We urge the Commission to check Samsung's predatory behavior," he said.

About Pictos Pictos Technologies Inc. is a U.S. owned company based in San Jose CA (News - Alert) and organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. Pictos is the successor in interest to ESS Technologies, which, along with its predecessors, developed and patented the technology relying on significant trade secrets. Pictos is the owner of all right, title, and interest in those trade secrets. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005156/en/

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[May 16, 2021] Electrocomponents partners with The Washing Machine Project to improve the lives of 100,000 people worldwide

SHANGHAI, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrocomponents plc (LSE: ECM), a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers, and trading as RS Components in Asia Pacific, has chosen The Washing Machine Project Foundation as its first global charity partner , pledging to support the project for three years. Support will extend to encouraging the Group's employees, customers and suppliers to contribute through fundraising and volunteering activities. The Washing Machine Project was set up in 2018 by British engineer Nav Sawhney following a sabbatical in South India, where he witnessed women and children enduring many backbreaking hours washing clothes by hand. He discovered that 70% of the world's population do not have access to an electric washing machine and for many washing clothes in rivers, lakes and buckets is the only solution. Handwashing clothes is recognised as being a major barrier to education for low-income and displaced people around the world. This repetitive, demanding task, which can take upwards of 20 hours per week, often also leads to chronic back and joint pain. This experience led Nav to develop a prototype for an affordable off-grid manual crank washing machine, the Divya. It is the only machine of its kind to be developed for humanitarian purposes and requires no electricity to operate. It uses a flywheel mechanism with drum-in-drum technology and combines washing and spin-dry functionality. Designed to be made from reusable off-the-shelf components and easily maintainable, it can be operated and fixed anywhere, by anyone. Using the Divya reduces the time spent handwashing clothes by 75% and requires 50% less water. It can handle loads up to 5 kg, despite weighing just 12 kg. Nav and hi team at The Washing Machine Project are working to further improve the design and to broaden its humanitarian, sustainable and educational impact. With multiple modes of activation, such as push, pull and foot, the Divya Two will be easier to use by people with disabilities. It has also been modified to be used while seated, to reduce muscle and joint strain and promote better posture.



Following trials last year, 50 Divyas are now in use in the Jeddah 5 refugee camp in Mosul, Federal Iraq. By 2023, the plan is to have at least 7,500 machines available to disadvantaged families and communities in 10 countries, providing relief to around 100,000 people. To continue its work the project requires essential funding. The three-year partnership with Electrocomponents will enable the charity to alleviate the burden of washing clothes for thousands of hard-hit families and communities. With an innovative engineering solution at its heart, the mission of The Washing Machine Project resonated with Electrocomponents' own, as both organisations share the ambition of creating a more sustainable world.

"Electrocomponents' support will provide critical funding and components to develop our future machine and build the capacity of our organisation so that we can reach many more people in need," commented Nav Sawhney, Founder, The Washing Machine Project. "At Electrocomponents we are committed to inspiring a more sustainable world through education and innovative solutions that improve lives," said Lindsley Ruth, Electrocomponents CEO. "That's why we've chosen the Washing Machine Project Foundation as our first global charity partner and will mobilise our people, customers and suppliers in support of this fantastic cause." Support The Washing Machine Project by making a donation at https://electrocomponents.blackbaud-sites.com . About The Washing Machine Project The Washing Machine Project is a registered social enterprise dedicated to designing, developing and distributing low-cost, water-saving, manual washing machines to provide displaced and low-income people with an alternative to handwashing clothes. The Washing Machine Project is supported by The Washing Machine Project Foundation which is a registered charity in England & Wales (No.1193480) About Electrocomponents Electrocomponents plc is a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers who are involved in designing, building or maintaining industrial equipment and facilities. We aim to offer our customers unrivalled choice of product technologies, solve problems with innovative solutions and deliver a world-class customer experience, making it easy to do business with us. We stock more than 500,000 industrial and electronic products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers. We solve problems and provide a wide range of value-added solutions to over one million customers. With operations in 32 countries, we trade through multiple channels and ship over 50,000 parcels a day. Electrocomponents plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2020 reported revenue of GBP 1.95 billion. Electrocomponents plc has nine operating brands: RS Components, Allied Electronics & Automation, RS PRO, OKdo, DesignSpark, IESA, Synovos, Needlers and Liscombe. For more information, please visit www.electrocomponents.com . SOURCE RS Components

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[May 16, 2021] ISMRM-SMRT Annual Meeting Features Distinguished Speaker Program

CONCORD, Calif., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) is holding its Annual Meeting this week and the program features several well-known speakers. This year, the ISMRM Presidential Lecture will be given by Simon Singh, Ph.D. The title of Singh's presentation is "From the Big Bang to Homer's Last Theorem." Singh became a TV producer and director working on BBC programs including "Tomorrow's World" and "Horizon" before winning a BAFTA for his award-winning documentary, "Fermat's Last Theorem," which was followed by his book on the same subject. Singh, one of the world's most popular science and math writers, will lead listeners on a tour through his bestselling books and talk about how he has taken some difficult topics and explained them to a large general audience. In addition to Simon Singh, this year's ISMRM keynote speakers are Pia C. Maly Sundren, M.D., Ph.D., the Mansfield Lecturer, speaking on Viribus Unitis; John Gore, Ph.D., the Lauterbur Lecturer, speaking on Adventures in Contrast; and Katja Pinker-Domenig, M.D., Ph.D., the NIBIB New Horizons Lecturer, speaking on Precision MRI of the Breast: Reality or Utopia? The SMRT keynote speakers are Thomas Grist, M.D., the President's Lecturer, speaking on Go with the Flow: Lessons Learned About the Importance of Radiologist-Technologist Teamwork in the Development of MR Angiography, and Donald McRobbie, Ph.D., who will conduct the SMRT Masterclass on MR Safety: From Folklore to Physics.



The ISMRM-SMRT Annual Meeting will be held virtually this year, with over 5,000 attendees dedicated to the field of magnetic resonance participating. The next ISMRM Annual Meeting will be a joint meeting with the ESMRMB and will be held 7-12 May 2022 in London, England. About ISMRM:

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine is an international, nonprofit, scientific association whose purpose is to promote communication, research, development, and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine and biology and other related topics and to develop and provide channels and facilities for continuing education in the field. Its multidisciplinary membership consists of clinicians, physicists, engineers, biochemists, and technologists. In addition to its large scientific meetings, the Society holds workshops and publishes two journals, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and a virtual newsletter, MR Pulse. It also sponsors 29 study groups on specific areas of scientific interest and chapters based on geographical location. To find out more about the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), please call +1 510-841-1899, or visit our website at www.ismrm.org. ISMRM, One Concord Center, 2300 Clayton Road, Suite 620, Concord, CA 94520 USA Contact: Sharon Taplin, ISMRM

Phone: 510-841-1899

Email: Sharon@ismrm.org SOURCE ISMRM International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

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[May 16, 2021] KKR Invests US$95 million in Lenskart

Lenskart, a leading omni-channel eyewear retailer in India, and KKR, a global investment firm, today announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will invest US$95 million in Lenskart ("the Company") via a secondary stake acquisition. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210516005045/en/ Upon the completion of the transaction, KKR will look to leverage its experience working with leading technology and eyewear companies globally to support Lenskart in expanding its presence in India, scaling its growing operations overseas, and enhancing its digital offerings to augment customers' virtual and omni-store experience. As part of the transaction, existing investors TPG Growth and TR Capital, who first invested in Lenskart in late 2014, will each divest a portion of their holding in the Company. Lenskart was launched with a vision to revolutionize eyewear in India and now globally. Established in 2010, the Company today is the largest service provider for eyewear in India, serving over 7 million customers annually through its omni-channel shopping experience, which spans online, mobile application, and 730 omni-channel stores in 175 cities across the country. In 2019, Lenskart also expanded to Singapore - marking its foray into Southeast Asia - where it is now a key service provider for optical. Lenskart integrates technology into all aspects of its operations to enhance customers' browsing, shopping and purchasing experience, in addition to manufacturing and supply chain optimization. Among Lenskart's digital offerings is a virtual 3D try-on tool; AI-powered facial mapping and frame recommendation features; smart physical stores with seamless omni-channel experience; and footfall tracking beacons, heat maps and demographic analytics; and intelligent supply-chain and inventory-management solutions. Peyush Bansal, CEO of Lenskart, said, "At Lenskart, we are obsessed with our customers, technology, and making world a better place through easily accessible, best-quality eyewear.More than 600 million people in India and 4.5 billion people globally need vision correction, but only a fraction of them use it due to a lack of access, awareness, and high-quality, affordable solutions. Lenskart was founded to address this gap by leveraging technology to make eyewear accessible to everyone - first in India, and now worldwide. We are also working on the larger human agenda of improving people's quality of life by allowing them to 'Be More and Do More' with their eyewear through our innovative products such as Lenskart Airflex, E-lock, Neuro-science lenses, and Lenskart BLU."



"I feel we are still scratching the surface and have a lot of work to do over next 10 years in India and globally," Mr. Bansal added. "In the next five years, we aspire to have 50% of India wearing our specs. Today's announcement is a milestone and a step towards that goal. We are thrilled to welcome KKR as an investor given their significant experience working with leading global eyewear retailers such as National Vision and 1-800 Contacts as well as technology-focused businesses globally. We look forward to working alongside KKR to elevate Lenskart to its next phase of growth." Gaurav Trehan, Partner at KKR, said, "As a technology-driven business, Lenskart is a strong, homegrown disruptor in India's rapidly expanding eyewear industry. We are truly excited to work with Peyush and Lenskart's impressive management team to support Lenskart's growth and innovation in India and internationally, in addition to advancing its mission to provide affordable, accessible eyewear products for everyone."

KKR is making its investment from its Asian private equity fund. Lenskart is KKR's latest investment that supports industry-leading consumer companies enabled by technology. Recent technology-focused investments for KKR in Asia include Adopt A Cow, a digitalized, direct-to-consumer dairy company in China, NetStars, the operator of Japan's largest QR code payment gateway, and Walnut Programming, a children's programming education company in China. Avendus Capital advised Lenskart on the transaction. Additional details of the transaction are not disclosed. About Lenskart "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning," said Bill Gates (News - Alert) , Peyush Bansal's long-time hero and ex-employer. Inspired by this lesson, Lenskart was founded. Lenskart, since then, has revolutionized the eye care market in India. Lenskart is India's fastest growing eyewear business serving over 7 million customers every year. Lenskart is relentlessly pursuing its goal of revolutionizing the eye-wear industry by investing in technology and innovation that will make high quality affordable eyewear accessible to all. Lenskart is backed by Softbank (News - Alert) , Kedaara Capital, Premji Invest, Steadview Capital among other key investors. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @KKR_Co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210516005045/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Videocall Your Favourite Story Characters with the Ring Ring Story App

Endearing young children to storybooks by connecting them to the story characters via "face-time calls" SINGAPORE, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine being able to chat with your favourite storybook characters on your mobile  Ring Ring Story is an app that brings your child's favourite storybook characters to life. It allows your child to "call" the main character of the storybook he/she is reading through a special coded number. The character "picks up" the call, says "hi" and then goes on to "chat" about the book and other topics, including educational facts or fun crafts, to promote a love for reading and learning that extends beyond the words on a page. Naturally, these videocalls are not at all real but rather a series of intuitive pre-recorded videos that our young callers are watching on replay when they dial in. Through this process, Ring Ring Story aims to deepen the relationship between young children and books by imitating that real-life experience of making videocalls to the people who inspire them. Available on both IOS and Android devices, children will also be able to create their personal videos using its rule-based engine. This unique rule-based engine within the Ring Ring Story app is used to sequence the videos played. Each book will feature a unique sequence of pre-recorded videos depending on the rules set for each title. Think of these rules as a good lesson plan that builds up from each level to open up a world of knowledge from which the book s merely the starting point. Children may also receive a certificate of completion at the end of the programme to encourage them to push through each video to completion.



As part of this immersive experience, when children call the character on their birthday, they will be sung the happy birthday song. Parents who are concerned about device dependency will be pleased to note that should the child call the story character past bedtime, he or she will be automatically directed to a recorded message telling him or her to go to bed and to stop using the phone. Ring Ring Story is now officially launched with book-related content adapted from the "Abbie Rose and the Magic Suitcase" eco-adventure picture book series published by Marshall Cavendish International (Asia). Targeted at children aged 3 to 7, the main character, Abbie Rose, travels to faraway places and goes on many adventures with her friend, Billy the bear, through a magic suitcase. This popular series exposes children to new destinations and environmental themes, and expand their imagination and creativity to understand the world around them.

The real Abbie Rose and her best-selling author father, Neil Humphreys, will then "chat" with young callers to help them to learn more about the endangered animals they met in the books. As part of a bigger eco movement to help endangered wildlife, she further encourages children to make a pledge to save these animals by being more environmentally responsible. At the end of the call, the child will receive a digital "friend-of-the-animal" poster. The Ring Ring Story adaptation of "Abbie Rose and the Magic Suitcase" is now also available as a gift set, which includes all six print books from the series, and can be purchased at www.ringringstory.tv. Like us on Facebook

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Benson Loo

Director

Teevers Pte. Ltd

67779041 This release was issued through WebWire. For more information, visit http://www.webwire.com." SOURCE Teevers Pte. Ltd

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[May 17, 2021] Google Canada Commits $2 Million to Reskill Job Seekers for New Careers in Technology in Under Six Months

Support includes three-year Google.org grant to NPower Canada, distributing 5,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships to underserved communities and providing funding to four Canadian nonprofits to support job training programs TORONTO, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Today Google Canada announced a $2 million commitment in digital skills to train job seekers in Canada for new careers in technology in under six months. The support includes a three-year Google.org grant to NPower Canada to deliver Google Career Certificate programs and to deploy 5,000 need-based scholarships to access the program. Unemployment rates among visible minority groups and youth ages 15-24 continue to be some of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Google Career Certificate scholarships will be distributed by NPower Canada, in collaboration with youth and workforce development nonprofits like Pathways to Education, Toronto Public Library and the YMCA, focusing on young Canadian adults from these underserved communities. To further support these initiatives, Google Canada will provide these nonprofits with additional funds to improve existing job training programs. Google Career Certificates prepare job seekers for new, high-demand careers in growing sectors, with no degree or relevant experience required. The certificates were developed by Google employees as part of Grow with Google , a global initiative designed to create economic opportunities for all. The certificate programs are available in Data Analytics, Project Management, UX Design and IT Support. Outside of NPower Canada's programming, the certificates are delivered through the online learning platform Coursera and are available in English, with select programs available in French starting in 2022. Every certificate equips learners with theoretical and practical knowledge, and real-life problem-solving skills to be successful in an entry-level technology job. "To help job seekers that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, we need to invest in skills training in jobs with demonstrable demand," says Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Director, Google Canada. "Google Career Certificates build an onramp to great jobs with no degree or experience required, which helps break down barriers and create opportunities for underserved groups entering the tech workforce." "Last year we began offering Google's IT Support Certificate, and currently 83% of youth who graduated in September 2020 are employed or in a new education post completion of the program," says Andrew Reddin, Chief Development Officer, NPower Canada. "These programs are filling a demand in the job market; according to Glassdoor, the fields supported by the Google Career Certificates currently have more than 22,000 job openings across the country today. The support from Google provides more opportunities for young adults to start their careers and participate in Canada's digital economy."



Since economic opportunity is all about access to jobs, Google Canada is also introducing a Google Career Certificate Employer Consortium for scholarship graduates. The Employer Consortium is a group of employers, including KPMG, TELUS, Google and Loblaw, who will consider graduates of NPower Canada's Google Career Certificate programs for eligible jobs. Employers interested in connecting with skilled candidates and growing their talent pipeline can join the Google Career Certificate Employer Consortium by visiting grow.google/employerform . For more information on the Google Career Certificates visit g.co/certificates-canada. To find out more information about the scholarships visit NPower Canada's website .

About Google Canada

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. As a global technology leader, Google's innovations in web search and advertising have made its website a top internet property and its brand one of the most recognized in the world. Google Canada has offices in Waterloo, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa with over 2,000 Canadian Google employees working on teams across Engineering, AI Research, Sales and Marketing. About Google Career Certificates:

The Google Career Certificates were developed by Googlers as part of Grow with Google , a global initiative designed to create economic opportunities. The certificate programs are available in Data Analytics, Project Management, UX Design, IT Support. Outside of NPower Canada's programming, the certificates are delivered through the online learning platform Coursera and are available in English, with select availability in French starting in 2022. Supporting Quotes "For 20 years, Pathways to Education has been supporting students from low-income communities across Canada to overcome barriers to high school graduation and lay the foundation for long-term success. We're excited for this opportunity to work alongside Google and other non-profits to provide our community of students with another avenue to continue on their path to becoming future leaders in Canada's workforce." - Sue Gillespie, President and CEO, Pathways to Education "Preparing people for the workforce and supporting them throughout their careers is a priority for TPL, particularly in these challenging times. We do this by offering equitable access to services and programs that help people achieve their professional goals, and this partnership with NPower Canada and Google Canada will allow us to offer more workplace development opportunities to our young adult customers."  Vickery Bowles, City Librarian, Toronto Public Library "YMCA Canada is delighted to be partnering with Google Canada and NPower Canada on this critical investment. The opportunity for underserved young adults to have access to the latest digital skills training programs available will undoubtedly bring them one step closer to securing meaningful careers in technology as soon as possible." - Peter Dinsdale, President & CEO, YMCA Canada "The pandemic has had a profound impact on Canada  technology is rapidly changing our economy and we require employees with new and advanced digital skills. But the pandemic has also further highlighted the social inequity that exists in our country. The Google Career Certificates program is an important initiative that will help reduce both the skills gap and social inequity by providing underserved Canadians access to quality, highly-valued education. KPMG is thrilled to be an Employer Partner on an initiative that advances inclusion and will help the country come back from this pandemic stronger and more resilient. We look forward to meeting with the next generation of Canadian tech talent." - Robert Davis, KPMG in Canada's Chair of the Board and Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer "Technology continues to change the nature of the work done in our offices and our stores. In recent years, we have created more than 1,000 roles in our digital businesses, including hundreds in analytics and thousands more that support them in-store. We understand the importance of training people, including our colleagues, to make a more future-ready workforce. We're excited about the opportunity to work with Google on this program, and the pipeline of tech talent we're continuing to build in Canada." - David Markwell, Senior Vice President, Loblaw Technology "By supporting Google's important job training program for underserved communities and youth, we want to help form the next generation of leaders in science and technology, while building Canada's digital future. TELUS offers great opportunities to develop skills and expertise across many high-growth fields and technologies, including 5G, cloud, and Internet of Things. We look forward to giving the next cohort of graduates the agility and speed they need to bring innovation to life." - Steven Banick, TELUS Vice-president, Technology Strategy Transformation Office "Science, technology and innovation play a major role in our daily lives and, as we transition from pandemic response to recovery, they will form the backbone of our new economy. We're proud to support Google Canada, a founding member of CILAR, as it creates more pathways for underserved youth to help shape this new economy. This initiative advances CILAR's youth development work as we activate our coalition, making a difference for diverse communities at the grassroots level and inspiring further action across the innovation ecosystem. We are excited to see the impact our young talent will have on Canada's future." - Yung Wu, CEO, MaRS and co-founder, Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR) SOURCE Google Canada

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[May 17, 2021] AUTOCRYPT partners with University of Windsor's SHIELD Automotive Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence

TORONTO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle cybersecurity provider AUTOCRYPT announced that the company had officially partnered with the SHIELD Automotive Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, hosted by the University of Windsor, to prioritize research and development in securing connected and autonomous vehicles. As automotive technology evolves to become more autonomous and electrified, threats to the technology have seen exponential increase. Awareness of the threats, however, is limited as futuristic technology can be sensationalized. AUTOCRYPT is a leading automotive security provider, focused on not only raising awareness of the need to prioritize security, but also providing award-winning, comprehensive security solutions to mitigate those risks. AUTOCRYPT has thus far secured over 5000 kilometres of smart highways and roadways throughout the peninsula, winning C-ITS contracts for the entire nation. Its security operations center (SOC) provides complete security coverage of the internal vehicle system and V2X communications, the core technology allowing for seamless autonomous driving. By actively detecting and prevening unwanted access, AUTOCRYPT offerings ensure a secure vehicular environment for electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles.



SHIELD focuses on research and innovation of automotive cybersecurity technology as well as education and training for students and corporations in order to raise awareness for the need to prioritize cybersecurity preparedness. "The goals of SHIELD and AUTOCRYPT align together exceptionally well," said AUTOCRYPT's Director of Business Development, Sean HJ Cho. He continued, "This partnership will allow us to work more closely with the connected and autonomous vehicle security landscape in Canada, as the country advances in cutting-edge technologies for electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles and begins to implement necessary changes following the UNECE's WP.29 regulations. Our existing technology and real-world use cases will allow us to contribute to the shift that needs to take place in the minds of both corporations and consumers: that security should not be taken for granted, and vehicles and mobility infrastructure need to be secured before drivers hit the road." The partnership with SHIELD follows AUTOCRYPT's recent expansion into the North America region with the opening of its first North American office in Toronto. The company most recently raised $15M USD in its Series A funding. For more information regarding AUTOCRYPT offerings or partnerships, contact global@autocrypt.io.

--- AUTOCRYPT is the leading player in transportation security technologies. Beginning in 2007 as an in-house venture at Penta Security Systems Inc., AUTOCRYPT spun off as a separate entity in 2019 as its presence expanded worldwide. Recognized by TU-Automotive as the Best Auto Cybersecurity Product/Solution of 2019, AUTOCRYPT continues to pave the way in transportation and mobility security through a multi-layered, holistic approach. Through security solutions for V2X/C-V2X, V2G (including PnC security), in-vehicle security, and Fleet Management, AUTOCRYPT ensures that security is prioritized before vehicles hit the road.

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[May 17, 2021] Genenta Appoints Four Renowned Oncology Experts to Scientific Advisory Board

MILAN, Italy and NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genenta Science, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for cancer (Temferon), announced the appointment of four renowned experts in oncology as new members of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

Miriam Merad MD, PhD, Richard Flavell, PhD, FRS, Wolf Herve Fridman, MD and Patrick Y. Wen, MD will join the SAB, expanding its size to seven. The existing members of the SAB are Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, of Harvard Medical School, Michele de Palma, PhD of the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), and Lisa Coussens, PhD, of Knight Cancer Institute and Oregon Health & Science University, who was recently nominated President Elect of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Luigi Naldini, Chairman of the SAB and Co-Founder of Genenta, said: I am delighted to welcome Miriam, Richard, Wolf and Patrick as new members of the Genenta Scientific Advisory Board. Our four new colleagues bring extensive and international oncology experience, particularly in the US. Their combined expertise will be invaluable as we develop our Temferon technology platform in the treatment of solid cancers with a novel immuno-gene therapy approach. About the new SAB members Dr Merad is Professor in Cancer Immunology and the Director of the Precision Immunology Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Her laboratory has made seminal discoveries on the mechanisms that control the development and functional identity of tissue resident dendritic cells and macrophages during homeostasis,and how these regulations are changed in cancer and inflammatory diseases.



Dr Flavell is Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He specializes in using transgenic and gene-targeted mice to study innate and adaptive immunity, T cell tolerance and activation in immunity and autoimmunity, apoptosis and regulation of T cell differentiation. Dr Fridman is Professor Emeritus of Immunology at the Paris Descartes University Medical School in Paris, France. Professor Fridman is a pioneer in immunotherapy, and received the William B. Coley Award in 2010 for his work on the major role of the immune response, in particular T lymphocytes, in the defense against cancers.

Dr Wen is Professor, Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology Professor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His research is focused on novel treatments of brain tumors, especially targeted molecular agents, and his other clinical interests include neurologic complications of cancer. About Genenta Science Genenta (www.genenta.com) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a proprietary hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for the treatment of a variety of cancers. Temferon is based on ex-vivo gene transfer into autologous hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to deliver immunomodulatory molecules directly via tumor-infiltrating monocytes/macrophages (Tie2 Expressing Monocytes  TEMs). Temferon, which is under investigation in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme patients, is not restricted to pre-selected tumor antigens nor type and has been designed to reach solid tumors, one of the main unresolved challenges in immuno-oncology. Genenta is based in Milan, Italy, and New York, USA. Investor Relator - LifeSci Advisors :

Mary-Ann Chang, CFA

+44 7483 28.48.53

mchang@lifesciadvisors.com Genenta Media/Investor Contact

Stefania Mazzoleni, PhD

+39 339 709.59.31

stefania.mazzoleni@genenta.com GENENTA SCIENCE Srl

OSR - DiBit 1 - Via Olgettina, 58 - 20132 Milan (Italy)

LaunchLabs - Alexandria Center, 14th Floor

430 East 29th Street - New York, NY 10016 (USA)



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[May 17, 2021] MUFG Bank, Ltd. : Notice Regarding Changes of Representatives of the Board of Directors

MUFG Bank announced the following changes in Representatives of the Board of Directors decided at today's meeting of the Board of Directors. 1. Reasons for the Changes Changes of Representatives of the Board of Directors due to regular changes in corporate executives. 2. Changes effective June 28, 2021







Name New Position Former Position Atsushi

Miyata* Member of the Board of Directors

Senior Managing Executive Officer (Representative of the Board of Directors) Senior Managing Executive Officer Teruyuki

Sasaki* Member of the Board of Directors

Managing Executive Officer (Representative of the Board of Directors) Managing Executive Officer Keitaro

Tsukiyama* Member of the Board of Directors

Managing Executive Officer (Representative of the Board of Directors) Managing Executive Officer

*Please note that these changes are subject to approvals at the annual general meeting of shareholders and board meeting which are scheduled to be held on June 28, 2021. About MUFG Bank MUFG Bank, Ltd. is Japan's premier bank, with a global network spanning around 50 countries. Outside of Japan, the bank offers an extensive scope of commercial and investment banking products and services to businesses, governments and individuals worldwide.

MUFG Bank's parent, Mitsubishi (News - Alert) UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is one of the world's leading financial groups. Headquartered in Tokyo and with over 360 years of history, MUFG has a global network with around 2,600 locations in more than 50 countries. The Group has over 180,000 employees and offers services including commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, and leasing. The Group aims to "be the world's most trusted financial group" through close collaboration among our operating companies and flexibly respond to all of the financial needs of our customers, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world. MUFG's shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York stock exchanges.

For more information, visit https://www.mufg.jp/english. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005379/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Latest Large Screen Display, AV System, Signs and LED Technologies On Show at ISLE 2021

SHENZHEN, China, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Large Screen Display, Audio-visual System, Signs and LED Exhibition ("ISLE 2021"), the world's top platform for trade, networking & cooperation of the whole LED industry chain, has wrapped up a successful event at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Shenzhen World). The expo took place between May 10-13, and welcomed over 160,000 visits and 1,200 exhibitors in an 80,000sqm exhibition space. The next ISLE event is scheduled to be held in February 2022. ISLE 2021 brought together a clustering of high-quality exhibitors across the entire industry chain, including large-screen display, audio and video system integration, lighting, and signage. By gathering industry-leading experts and academics in one space, the event not only brought together new technologies and new products in related fields, but also delivered a visual spectacle through digital creativity and immersive experiences. The smooth and seamless exhibition reinforces ISLE's powerful brand strength and industry influence, and demonstrates the market's strong vitality and development potential, both now and in the future.



Over the 4-day exhibition, a raft of well-known global brands showcased their products and solutions, including Leyard, Unilumin, Absen, Ledman, AOTO, LianTronics, Gloshine, LG, Cedar and MAXHUB. Hundreds of new trendy and innovative products made their debut in ISLE 2021  showcasing the future of LED display and AV system technologies.

Most notably, Leyard showcased its latest micro-pitch LED display TX series, MG series, MG012, TXP all-in-one video conferencing equipment and other products. At the same time, Ledman exhibited its new 8K Micro LED and 4K COB ultra-high-definition display, and Unilumin caught the attention of attendees with its 5G + 8K solutions, naked-eye 3D, stadiums and venue displays, and one-stop event display solutions. Absen, LianTronics and MAXHUB displayed their smart retail creative solutions. The rental giant Gloshine brought CL display series for stage performance. The event also saw the debut of some world-leading products: LG's world's first AI Micro LED, LG MAGNIT, with full black coating and chip on board technology; Cedar Electronics' P0.4 fine pitch COB splicing display; AOTO's high-terminal brand X-MAX 4K micro-pitch display. During the 20 industry forums, ISLE 2021 focused on new national policy directions and hotspots to build an efficient communication platform that integrates production, learning, research, and usage. The event invited experts under Chinese Hospital Association (CHA) to discuss the application of virtual simulation technology in the training and assessment of a physician's practical skill. ISLE team also partnered with Beijing Normal University to host the China Digital Creativity and Multimedia Audiovisual Application Summit Forum, which aims to open up the VR talent, equipment, innovation, technology, and value chain to cultivate the rapid development of VR industry  providing strong support for high-quality economic and social development. With its host of global exhibitors and thought-provoking industrial forums, ISLE 2021 is not only a platform for commerce, but also a global stage for the industry to explore the future and integrate development. https://www.isle.org.cn/?lang=en View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latest-large-screen-display-av-system-signs-and-led-technologies-on-show-at-isle-2021-301292374.html SOURCE ISLE

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MANZINI  The mystery deepens on how the police and others who had combed the area where aspiring lawyer, Thabani Nkomonye is said to have been involved in an accident, missed his corpse.

A resident of Nhlambeni, *Mandla claimed that on Wednesday, he scouted the area where Nkomonyes car was involved in an accident. He said he did not see any corpse despite that he went around the scene and picked up various scraps from the accident. Nkomonyes body was discovered on Thursday afternoon, a few metres from the accident scene and main road. Mandla said picking up debris from accident scenes was part of his routine exercise of collecting scrap metal usually littered by motorists. He said on the Wednesday, he found debris of a motor vehicle depicting that there was an accident and among them were eyewear, which he left as it would not give him much money. The resident of Nhlambeni gave the interview under anonymity. Mandla claimed that while searching for the material which he could sell for a quick buck at a scrapyard, there was no stench or anything that depicted that there was a body lying around. There was no foul smell and I did not see him in the thicket where his body was found a day later, he said.

Suspect

However, he was quick to note that he was not looking for a body and did not suspect that there was one lying around. The distance between where the body of the deceased University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Law student and where the vehicle supposedly landed after it veered off the MhlaleniNhlangano Road is about 25 metres apart. Mandla said when he moved about the thicket, which was about 15 metres from the main road, he did not see anything that would have made him suspect that there was a body lying around. He said shock engulfed him when a day later, news made the rounds that a body had been found where he had walked by, looking for scrap material. In fact, the resident had more questions than answers as he wondered why he had not seen a trail of blood from where the vehicle was found to where Nkomonyes body was eventually discovered last Thursday.

Nkomonye was last seen last Saturday while at Ngwane Park and his body was discovered by the police on the fifth day of his disappearance. Worth noting is that despite his body being found five days later, the sedan he was driving, a Mazda Demio, was discovered and towed by the police on the Saturday night he was last seen. Despite that a week has lapsed since the vehicle was towed from the accident scene; skid marks were still visible when reporters from the publication visited. Also found were debris of the motor vehicle which were supposedly dismantled upon impact as the vehicle is said to have overturned before landing in the thicket.
[May 17, 2021] Clarivate to Acquire ProQuest, Creating a Leading Global Provider of Mission Critical Information and Data-Driven Solutions for Science and Research

- Establishing a premier provider of end-to-end research intelligence - Combination opens a gateway to one of the world's largest information sources serving education, science and intellectual property professionals worldwide - Acquisition brings more than $875 million in revenue and more than $350 million of Adjusted EBITDA after cost synergies to Clarivate - Accretive to adjusted diluted earnings in 2022 with significant revenue and cost synergies. Clarivate reaffirms standalone 2021 financial outlook - Clarivate to host conference call today at 8:00 AM ET to discuss transaction LONDON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire ProQuest, a leading global software, data and analytics provider to academic, research and national institutions, from Cambridge Information Group, a family-owned investment firm, and other partners including Atairos, for $5.3 billion, including refinancing of ProQuest debt. The consideration for the acquisition is approximately $4.0 billion in cash and $1.3 billion of equity. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021. With a mission to accelerate and improve education, research and innovation, ProQuest delivers content and technology solutions to over 25,000 academic, corporate and research organizations in more than 150 countries. The acquisition will establish Clarivate as a premier provider of end-to-end research intelligence solutions and significantly expand its content and data offerings as the addition of ProQuest will materially complement the Clarivate Research Intelligence Cloud. By bringing together these two customer-focused businesses with a purpose to accelerate innovation at their core, we will create a world-leading software and information provider for research-focused organizations to fuel scientific discovery and innovation into the future. Jerre Stead, Executive Chairman and CEO, Clarivate, said: "Clarivate and ProQuest are highly complementary businesses, each with a rich and storied heritage. We share the goal to accelerate innovation through research and knowledge sharing and together we will enable our customers to solve the world's most complex challenges with content dating back centuries, and technologies that address the needs of 21st century customers." Andy Snyder, Chairman of ProQuest and CEO of Cambridge Information Group, said: "I have seen ProQuest evolve to meet our customers' ever-changing needs over the last several decades and fully understand that the challenges and opportunities they face have never been greater. I am confident that the company will continue to have the resources required to maintain the impressive track record of innovation that our customers count on  to create a world leading organization in research and innovation." Upon completion of the transaction, two members of the ProQuest Board will join the Clarivate Board, including Andy Snyder, who will have the position of Vice Chairman of the Clarivate Board, and Michael Angelakis, Chairman and CEO of Atairos. Compelling strategic benefits to drive future growth Creates a world-leading software and content information provider for academia, governments, public libraries and corporations: Content aggregation, along with software solutions to connect and filter disparate information, is critical in today's world of information overload. The combination of these two gold-standard organizations will provide a gateway to the world's largest collection of interoperable, expertly curated content, including journal content, primary sources, dissertations, news, streaming video and more across multiple academic disciplines. Clarivate will continue to expand its market-leading software to enhance its discovery, sharing and management capabilities.

Content aggregation, along with software solutions to connect and filter disparate information, is critical in today's world of information overload. The combination of these two gold-standard organizations will provide a gateway to the world's largest collection of interoperable, expertly curated content, including journal content, primary sources, dissertations, news, streaming video and more across multiple academic disciplines. Clarivate will continue to expand its market-leading software to enhance its discovery, sharing and management capabilities. Opens new sales opportunities to drive growth in existing and complementary markets: Enterprise software is the fastest growing library market segment and has high customer loyalty due to workflows integrated in core library operations. This acquisition will provide Clarivate with access to complementary markets and varied users, including public libraries, research libraries, school districts and community colleges, with the opportunity to deliver new campus-wide platforms to provide a unified source of knowledge discovery.

Enterprise software is the fastest growing library market segment and has high customer loyalty due to workflows integrated in core library operations. This acquisition will provide Clarivate with access to complementary markets and varied users, including public libraries, research libraries, school districts and community colleges, with the opportunity to deliver new campus-wide platforms to provide a unified source of knowledge discovery. Broadens our analytical offerings: The addition of ProQuest moves the academic analytical capabilities of Clarivate beyond its traditional realm of journal publication data and citations into a much wider range of information sources. There will be long-term predictive and prescriptive analytics opportunities from the enhanced combination of ProQuest's data cloud with the billions of harmonized data points in the Clarivate Research Intelligence Cloud. Financially compelling transaction Accretive to Clarivate earnings per share: The transaction is expected to be double-digit accretive to Clarivate earnings in 2022 and mid-teens accretive in 2023.

The transaction is expected to be double-digit accretive to Clarivate earnings in 2022 and mid-teens accretive in 2023. Value-enhancing acquisition with significant opportunities to accelerate growth, create efficiencies and enhance margins: For 2020, ProQuest generated $876 million of revenue, 4% from organic growth, and $250 million of Adjusted EBITDA. The acquisition is expected to provide significant cost synergies, which, in addition to revenue synergies, is expected to drive both ProQuest and Clarivate Adjusted EBITDA growth and expand ProQuest's Adjusted EBITDA margin.

For 2020, ProQuest generated of revenue, 4% from organic growth, and of Adjusted EBITDA. The acquisition is expected to provide significant cost synergies, which, in addition to revenue synergies, is expected to drive both ProQuest and Clarivate Adjusted EBITDA growth and expand ProQuest's Adjusted EBITDA margin. Significant cost and tax savings opportunities: Clarivate expects to benefit from more than $100 million of cost synergies across the organization within the 15 - 18 months after the close of the transaction. Clarivate also expects to benefit from approximately $65 million in annual cash tax savings from the transaction structure.

Clarivate expects to benefit from more than of cost synergies across the organization within the 15 - 18 months after the close of the transaction. Clarivate also expects to benefit from approximately in annual cash tax savings from the transaction structure. Enhanced free cash flow generation: The acquisition is expected to generate strong cash flow that will enable Clarivate to reduce its debt, continue investing in product development and pursue additional business development opportunities. Mukhtar Ahmed, President, Science at Clarivate, said: "Clarivate is building a globally connected and highly personalized experience for researchers, academic institutes and funders across the entire digital research value-chain, from ideation through to outcome. With this acquisition we will be able to further empower both present and future generations of academic and corporate researchers as they each pursue their journey of innovation." Matti Shem Tov, CEO, ProQuest, said: "Through this combination, ProQuest will be enabled to better serve the evolving needs of our customers by providing end-to-end solutions to our customers faster than we could on our own as well as expanding our global reach beyond our current capabilities. We look forward to a bright and exciting future for ProQuest and our customers." Financing In connection with the transaction, Clarivate has secured a backstop consisting of a $4 billion fully committed bridge facility from Citi and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. Clarivate intends to obtain long-term financing from debt and equity markets before the closing of the transaction. Advisors Evercore is serving as lead financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is serving as legal advisor to Clarivate. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as lead financial advisor to ProQuest with support from UBS Investment Bank and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is serving as legal advisor to ProQuest. Clarivate reaffirming standalone 2021 outlook For the year ending December 31, 2021, excluding the combination with ProQuest, Clarivate continues to expect: Adjusted Revenues in a range of $1.79 billion to $1.84 billion 1

to Adjusted EBITDA in a range of $790 million to $825 million 1

to Adjusted EBITDA margins in a range of 44% to 45% 1

Adjusted diluted EPS in a range of $0.74 to $0.79 1

to Adjusted Free Cash Flow in a range of $450 million to $500 million 1 Clarivate will provide an updated 2021 outlook to include the acquisition of ProQuest after closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021. 1See Reconciliation to Certain Non-GAAP measures" presented below for important disclosure and reconciliations of these financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. These terms are defined elsewhere in this press release. Conference call details Clarivate will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the strategic and operating aspects of the ProQuest combination on Monday, May 17th at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call will be simultaneously webcast on the Investor Relations section of the company's website. Interested parties may access the live audio broadcast by dialing 1-888-317-6003 in the United States, 1-412-317-6061 for international, and 1-866-284-3684 in Canada. The conference ID number is 5893138. An audio replay will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the call at 1-877-344-7529 in the United States, 1-412-317-0088 for international, and 1-855-669-9658 in Canada. The Replay Conference ID number is 10156753. The recording will be available for replay through May 31, 2021. The webcast can be accessed at https://services.choruscall.com/links/clvt210517.html and will be available for replay. About Clarivate Clarivate is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit?clarivate.com. About ProQuest ProQuest supports critical work in the world's research and learning communities. The company curates six centuries of content  the world's largest collection of journals, eBooks, primary sources, dissertations, news, and video  and builds powerful workflow solutions to help libraries acquire and grow collections that inspire extraordinary outcomes. ProQuest products and solutions are used in academic, K-12, public, corporate and government libraries in 150 countries. ProQuest helps its customers achieve better research, better learning and better insights. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Non-GAAP results are not presentations made in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). Non-GAAP financial information is provided to enhance the reader's understanding of our financial performance, but none of these non-GAAP financial measures are recognized terms under GAAP. They are not measures of financial condition or liquidity, and should not be considered as an alternative to profit or loss for the period determined in accordance with GAAP or operating cash flows determined in accordance with GAAP. As a result, you should not consider such measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial measures or results of operations calculated or determined in accordance with GAAP. We use non-GAAP measures in our operational and financial decision-making. We believe that such measures allow us to focus on what we deem to be a more reliable indicator of ongoing operating performance and our ability to generate cash flow from operations and we also believe that investors may find these non-GAAP financial measures useful for the same reasons. Non-GAAP measures are frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties in their evaluation of companies comparable to us, many of which present non-GAAP measures when reporting their results. These measures can be useful in evaluating our performance against our peer companies because we believe the measures provide users with valuable insight into key components of GAAP financial disclosures. However, non-GAAP measures have limitations as analytical tools and because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Definitions and reconciliations of non-GAAP measures, such as Adjusted Revenues, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Adjusted Diluted EPS, Free Cash Flow, and Adjusted Free Cash Flow to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are provided within the schedules attached to this release. Our presentation of non-GAAP measures should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by any of the adjusted items, or that any projections and estimates will be realized in their entirety or at all. Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, which express management's current views concerning future business, events, trends, contingencies, financial performance, or financial condition, appear at various places in this communication and may use words like "aim," "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "future," "goal," "intend," "likely," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "see," "seek," "should," "strategy," "strive," "target," "will," and "would" and similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding: guidance outlook and predictions relating to expected operating results, such as revenue growth and earnings; strategic actions such as acquisitions, joint ventures, and dispositions, including the anticipated benefits therefrom, and our success in integrating acquired businesses; anticipated levels of capital expenditures in future periods; our ability to successfully realize cost savings initiatives and transition services expenses; our belief that we have sufficiently liquidity to fund our ongoing business operations; expectations of the effect on our financial condition of claims, litigation, environmental costs, the COVID-19 pandemic and governmental responses thereto, contingent liabilities, and governmental and regulatory investigations and proceedings; and our strategy for customer retention, growth, product development, market position, financial results, and reserves. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on management's current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include those factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as amended, along with our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). However, those factors should not be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Additional risks and uncertainties not known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. Forward-looking statements are based only on information currently available to our management and speak only as of the date of this communication. We do not assume any obligation to publicly provide revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws. Please consult our public filings with the SEC or on our website at www.clarivate.com. Reconciliation to Certain Non-GAAP Measures

(Amounts in tables may not sum due to rounding) Adjusted Revenues Adjusted Revenues excludes the impact of the deferred revenues purchase accounting adjustment (primarily recorded in connection with recent acquisitions). The following table presents our calculation of Adjusted Revenues for the Outlook for 2021 and reconciles this measure to our Revenues, net for the same period:









Year Ending December 31, 2021 (Forecasted) (in millions) Low

High Revenues, net $ 1,786.4



$ 1,836.4

Deferred revenues adjustment(1) 3.6



3.6

Adjusted revenues, net $ 1,790.0



$ 1,840.0

(1) Reflects the deferred revenues adjustment made as a result of purchase accounting.

Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA is calculated using net (loss) income before provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization and interest income and expense adjusted to exclude acquisition or disposal-related transaction costs (such costs include net income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization and interest income), share-based compensation, unrealized foreign currency gains/(losses), transition services agreement costs entered into with Thomson Reuters in 2016 ("Transition Services Agreement"), separation and integration costs, transformational and restructuring expenses, acquisition-related adjustments to deferred revenues, non-cash income/(loss) on equity and cost method investments, non-operating income or expense, the impact of certain non-cash and other items that are included in net income for the period that the Company does not consider indicative of its ongoing operating performance, and certain unusual items impacting results in a particular period. The following table presents our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA for the Outlook for 2021 and reconciles this measure to our Net (loss) income for the same period:

Year Ending December 31, 2021

(Forecasted) (in millions) Low

High Net (loss) income $ (2.5)



$ 32.5

Provision for income taxes 29.4



29.4

Depreciation and amortization 545.8



545.8

Interest, net 151.3



151.3

Transition, transition services agreement, and integration expense(1) 40.3



40.3

Share-based compensation expense 26.0



26.0

Other (0.3)



(0.3)

Adjusted EBITDA $ 790.0



$ 825.0

Adjusted EBITDA margin 44 %

45 % (1) Includes restructuring costs, other cost optimization activities, and payments and receipts under transition service agreements. Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Diluted EPS Adjusted Net Income (Loss) is calculated using net income (loss), adjusted to exclude acquisition or disposal-related transaction costs (such costs include net income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization and interest income and expense from the divested business), amortization related to acquired intangible assets, share-based compensation, unrealized foreign currency gains/(losses), Transition Services Agreement costs, separation and integration costs, transformational and restructuring expenses, acquisition-related adjustments to deferred revenues, debt extinguishment costs and refinancing related costs, non-cash income (loss) on equity and cost method investments, non-operating income or expense, the impact of certain non-cash and other items that are included in net income for the period that the Company does not consider indicative of its ongoing operating performance, certain unusual items impacting results in a particular period, and the income tax impact of any adjustments. We calculate Adjusted Diluted EPS by using Adjusted Net Income divided by diluted weighted average shares for the period. The following table presents our calculation of Adjusted Diluted EPS for the Outlook for 2021 and reconciles these measures to our Net income per share for the same period:

Year Ending December 31, 2021

(Forecasted)

Low

High

Per Share

Per Share Net income $ 0.00

$ 0.05

Transition, transition services agreement, and integration expense(1)

0.07

0.07

Share-based compensation expense

0.04

0.04

Amortization related to acquired intangible assets

0.68

0.68

Income tax impact of related adjustments

(0.05)

(0.05)

Adjusted Diluted EPS $ 0.74

$ 0.79

Weighted average ordinary shares (Diluted)

631,043,005

(1) Includes restructuring costs, other cost optimization activities, and payments and receipts under transition service agreements. Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow Free cash flow is calculated using net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. Adjusted free cash flow is calculated as free cash flow, less cash paid for transition services agreement, transition, transformation and integration expenses, transaction related costs and debt issuance costs offset by cash received for hedge accounting transactions. The following table presents our calculation of Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow for the Outlook for 2021 and reconciles this measure to our Net cash provided by operating activities for the same period:

Year Ending December 31, 2021 (Forecasted) (in millions) Low

High Net cash provided by operating activities $ 559.7



$ 609.7

Capital expenditures (151.7)



(151.7)

Free Cash Flow 408.0



458.0

Transition, transition services agreement, and integration expense(1) 42.0



42.0

Adjusted free cash flow $ 450.0



$ 500.0

(1) Includes cash payments related to restructuring and other cost optimization activities. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1159266/Clarivate_Analytics.jpg

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[May 17, 2021] New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and ENGIE North America Announces the Completion of Battery Storage Project

HOUSTON and PLYMOUTH, N.H., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) announced the completion of its first utility scale energy storage project. The 2.45 megawatt (MW) battery project was developed in partnership with ENGIE North America (ENGIE), a leading provider of energy storage services. ENGIE will own and operate the battery unit, which is located on the site of NHEC's 2 MW solar array in Moultonborough, NH. The battery unit will charge from NHEC's distribution system during times of low demand and discharge during periods of peak regional electricity use. By discharging during hours of peak electric usage, the battery will save NHEC's members money on regional market and delivery charges while reducing demand on the grid. As part of the innovative partnership agreement with ENGIE, NHEC will discharge the battery to supply energy to its members up to 70 times per year. The battery project will provide NHEC with insight and direct experience into how battery storage technologies interact with its electrical system and respond to price signals, and will be used to reduce NHEC's transmission charges and regional capacity payments. NHEC estimates these discharges will save its members $2.3 million over the next 12 years. "Energy storage is a rapidly evolving technology that has a key place in our strategic vision for our business model of the future. It's important for NHEC to gain firsthand experience with batteries so we can better understand the benefits they have to offer our members and the operation of our system," said Steve Camerino, President and CEO of NHEC. "As more Co-op members install their own batteries, NHEC needs to be ready to support them wit a flexible, responsive grid. We are excited to make significant progress on our strategic vision through this innovative partnership with ENGIE, which will provide benefits to all NHEC's members."



"We are delighted to have completed this leading-edge storage project alongside NHEC," said Laura Beane, Chief Renewables Officer of ENGIE North America. "The addition of battery storage systems such as these are not only delivering real value to customers today, but also helping to accelerate the energy transition. NHEC's leadership in commissioning this project reflects their commitment to innovation in supporting cost effective, clean energy for their members," she continued. The battery storage unit is the largest in New Hampshire and can fully charge or discharge within two hours. NHEC and ENGIE received all necessary approvals from the Town of Moultonborough. The battery is housed in a pre-fabricated 40 foot container located within the fence line of NHEC's solar facility in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. The battery unit has on-site fire suppression equipment and will be monitored 24 hours a day, year-round.

About New Hampshire Electric Cooperative

NHEC is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 85,000 homes and businesses in 118 New Hampshire communities. Headquartered in Plymouth, NH, our business is to maintain and service our 6,000 miles of energized line in order to provide our members with the highest level of service. About ENGIE North America

ENGIE North America Inc. offers a range of capabilities in the United States and Canada to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals as we work together to shape a sustainable future. Our comprehensive services include helping run facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resource use and costs; clean power generation; energy storage; and retail energy supply that includes renewable, demand response, and on-bill financing options. Nearly 100% of the company's power generation portfolio is low-carbon or renewable. ENGIE S.A. is a global organization focused on low-carbon energy and services, that relies on its key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to its customers. With 170,000 employees, along with its customers, partners and stakeholders, the group is committed to accelerating the transition to a carbon-neutral world through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally-friendly solutions. For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, https://www.engie-na.com/ and https://www.engie.com. Media Contacts:

New Hampshire Electric Cooperative: Seth Wheeler, wheelers@nhec.com, (603) 536 8685

ENGIE North America: Sandrine Deparis, sandrine.deparis@engie.com, (202) 855 3705 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-hampshire-electric-cooperative-and-engie-north-america-announces-the-completion-of-battery-storage-project-301292225.html SOURCE ENGIE North America

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[May 17, 2021] YR Media Presents "Beyond Self-Care," a Virtual Summit on Mental Health, Media and More

YR Media: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005013/en/ YR Media Presents "Beyond Self-Care," a Virtual Summit on Mental Health, Media and More (Graphic: Business Wire) What: As we pass the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic and enter Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2021, we're all feeling the effects of anxiety, isolation, depression, uncertainty, change and injustice. For those working in media, the impact is compounded. Not only are journalists and producers taking in these stories every day, they also are reporting on it all. Mental health has proven to be just as important as any topic in mainstream news, but not much has been done to address how those in media can care for their own wellbeing while covering mental health stories. YR Media, a national network of diverse young journalists and artists, is presenting a multi-day series titled "Beyond Self-Care" about all things mental health, media and more. The goal of the summit is to provide young writers, producers and artists with the tools to report on mental health and wellbeing stories while caring for their own.



Who: This virtual multi-day summit will feature candid conversations with special guests and subject matter experts, including Zikora Akanegbu, founder of GenZHER; Thanasi Dilos, co-founder of Civics Unplugged; Primo Lagso Goldberg, multimedia creative and DEI advocate; Aiyana Ishmael, student representative for the Online News Association's Board of Directors; Zoe Jenkins, founder and executive producer of Get Schooled Podcast, and more. When & Where: Tuesday, May 18 - Thursday, May 20, 2021 from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm PT (6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ET) each day.

To register for the free "Beyond Self-Care" virtual summit, please visit https://www.beyondselfcare.yr.media/about. About YR Media YR Media, formerly Youth Radio, is an award-winning national network of diverse young journalists and artists from underrepresented communities who create content for this generation. Headquartered in downtown Oakland, California, our non-profit has spent 25 years helping future generations build crucial skills in journalism, arts and media. We produce journalism, music, graphic design, podcasts and documentaries that disrupt and shape the mainstream narrative. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005013/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Stem, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Stem, Inc. ("Stem" or the "Company") (NYSE:STEM), a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven clean energy storage services, announced today the financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021. All financial and operating results included in this release are for the Stem business prior to the closing of the business combination with Star Peak Energy Transition Corp. ("Star Peak"). Based on the timing of the transaction close, the Company will not host an earnings call related to the first quarter results but will hold quarterly earnings calls starting with its second quarter 2021 results. First Quarter 2021 Financial and Operating Highlights Revenues of $15.4 million vs. $4.1 million in the same quarter last year

Gross Margin (GAAP) of (1)% vs. (34)% in the same quarter last year

Non-GAAP Gross Margin of 19% vs. 1% in the same quarter last year

Net Loss of $(82.6) million vs. $(17.5) million in the same quarter last year, which included a $66 million non-cash charge from the revaluation of warrants

Adjusted EBITDA of $(4.1) million vs. $(9.7) million in the same quarter last year

Contracted AUM of 1.10 gigawatt hours (GWh)

12-month Pipeline of $1.43 billion

Contracted Backlog increased to $221 million driven by strong year-over-year bookings growth of 150% John Carrington, Chief Executive Officer of Stem, commented, "We are excited to announce strong first quarter results following the recent completion of our business combination with Star Peak. Revenue exceeded the high end of our guidance range, coupled with strong gross margin and Adjusted EBITDA performance. Our contracted backlog grew more than 20% sequentially, reflecting strong commercial momentum particularly in the Front of the Meter ("FTM") segment and a quickly growing end market. Looking forward, our sales, product development and operations teams continue to drive toward achieving our 2021 guidance and building momentum into 2022 and beyond. As the first publicly traded pure-play smart storage company, our experience, industry-leading software, robust service offerings, and strong balance sheet will continue to differentiate Stem in this rapidly expanding market."







Key metrics $ millions unless otherwise noted Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Financial metrics Revenue $15.4 $4.1 Gross Margin (GAAP) ($0.1) ($1.4) Gross Margin (GAAP, %) -1% -34% Non-GAAP Gross Margin $2.9 $0.0 Non-GAAP Gross Margin (%) 19% 1% Net Loss ($82.6) ($17.5) Adjusted EBITDA ($4.1) ($9.7) Operating metrics* Contracted AUM (GWh) 1.10 0.48 12 Month Pipeline ($ billions) $1.43 ** Contracted Backlog $221 ** * at period end ** not available

First Quarter 2021 Financial and Operating Results Financial Results For the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, revenues increased 275% to $15.4 million versus $4.1 million in the same quarter last year. Higher hardware revenue from FTM partnership agreements, and more services revenue from host customer arrangements, drove the year-over year increase. Gross Margin (GAAP) was $(0.1) million or (1)% versus $(1.4) million or (34)% in the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP Gross Margin was $2.9 million or 19% versus $0.0 million or 1% in the same quarter last year. The year-over-year increase in Non-GAAP Gross Margin resulted from an increased mix of software service revenues and higher-margin hardware deliveries. Net Loss increased to $(82.6) million versus $(17.5) million in the same period last year. The larger loss was primarily due to a $66 million non-cash charge from the revaluation of warrants tied to an increase in the value of the underlying stock, partially offset by higher margins and lower operating expenses. Adjusted EBITDA was $(4.1) million compared to $(9.7) million in the same quarter last year. The improved Adjusted EBITDA results were driven by higher gross margins and lower operating expenses, reflecting the success in Stem's channel strategy driving lower customer acquisition costs. Operating Results Contracted Assets Under Management ("AUM") more than doubled year-over-year to 1.10 GWh, driven by increased commercial activity and the addition of the 345 megawatt hour (MWh) Electrodes Holdings, LLC portfolio. Contracted AUM increased by 10% sequentially as new systems came in service. The Company's 12-month forward Pipeline was $1.43 billion as of March 31, 2021 representing significant year-over-year growth. The Gross Pipeline was $1.27 billion as of March 31, 2020. The Company updated its definition of Pipeline from "Gross" to "12-month forward" during 2020. Contracted Backlog increased 20% sequentially, from $184 million as of December 31, 2020 to $221 million as of March 31, 2021. The increase in contracted backlog resulted from strong bookings of $51 million tied to increased commercial activity, particularly in the FTM market, which more than offset recognized revenue. The growth in bookings represents a 150% year over year increase from the $20M recorded in the quarter ended March 31, 2020. Business Highlights On April 28, 2021, Stem completed its business combination with Star Peak, and on April 29, 2021 began trading under the ticker symbol "STEM" on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). All prior Stem shareholders rolled 100% of their equity holdings into the new public company. On April 14, 2021, Stem announced it had completed six months of successful operation of the 345 MWh energy storage portfolio owned by Electrodes. Customers in the 86-site portfolio realized more than 30% greater monthly energy savings compared to the previous software provider. Stem seamlessly onboarded the portfolio to its AthenaTM smart energy storage software within two months of being awarded the exclusive contract. On March 2, 2021, Stem announced the installation of its largest Massachusetts "solar plus storage" site. Located in Haverhill, MA, the 9 MWh battery will generate revenues from multiple value streams by enabling Stem's partner Kearsarge Energy's storage system to participate in the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, New England wholesale energy markets, and Massachusetts's Clean Peak Energy Standard program. Outlook The Company reaffirms its previously issued guidance, which includes revenue of $147 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $(25) million for the full year 2021. Consistent with prior guidance, Stem reaffirms the remaining expected 2021 quarterly revenue as follows: 2Q 5-15%, 3Q 20-30%, 4Q 50-60%. The Company has contracted for sufficient supply chain commitments to meet its 2021 revenue goal and will continue to diversify its supply chain, adopt alternative technologies, and utilize its balance sheet to meet the significant growth in customer demand. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures The Company has presented certain non-GAAP financial measures in this release, such as Non-GAAP Gross Margin and Adjusted EBITDA. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position, or cash flows that either exclude or include amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP. Reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure can be found in the accompanying tables to this release. These non-GAAP financial measures do not reflect a comprehensive system of accounting, differ from GAAP measures with the same captions, and may differ from non-GAAP financial measures with the same or similar captions that are used by other companies. As such, these non-GAAP measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures to analyze its operating performance and future prospects, develop internal budgets and financial goals, and facilitate period-to-period comparisons. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of its operations that, when viewed with its GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting its business. About Stem, Inc. Stem, Inc. (NYSE: STEM) provides solutions that address the challenges of today's dynamic energy market. By combining advanced energy storage solutions with Athena, a world-class AI-powered analytics platform, Stem enables customers and partners to optimize energy use by automatically switching between battery power, onsite generation and grid power. Stem's solutions help enterprise customers benefit from a clean, adaptive energy infrastructure and achieve a wide variety of goals, including expense reduction, resilience, sustainability, environmental and corporate responsibility and innovation. Stem also offers full support for solar partners interested in adding storage to standalone, community or commercial solar projects - both behind and in front of the meter. For more information, visit www.stem.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For example, projections of future revenue and other metrics are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "should," "expect," "intend," "will," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "predict," or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Stem and its management, depend upon inherently uncertain factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to: Stem's ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of Stem to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; risks relating to the development and performance of Stem's energy storage systems and software-enabled services; the possibility that Stem may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; the ability to maintain the listing of Stem's securities on the NYSE following the consummation of the business combination; the risk that the business combination disrupts current plans and operations of Stem; changes in applicable laws or regulations; Stem's estimates of its financial performance; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Stem or others following the consummation of the business combination; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on Stem's business, financial condition and results of operations; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the definitive proxy statement relating to the business combination filed by Star Peak on March 30, 2021 and other documents Stem files with the SEC in the future. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward looking statements will be achieved. We caution you that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive, and readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Stem does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. STEM, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands, except share and per share amounts) March 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 9,873 $ 6,942 Accounts receivable, net 14,567 13,572 Inventory, net 22,309 20,843 Other current assets (includes $1,485 and $123 due from related parties as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively) 6,587 7,920 Total current assets 53,336 49,277 Energy storage systems, net 119,842 123,703 Contract origination costs, net 10,981 10,404 Goodwill 1,666 1,739 Intangible assets, net 12,170 12,087 Other noncurrent assets 14,395 8,640 Total assets $ 212,390 $ 205,850 LIABILITIES, CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 21,721 $ 13,749 Accrued liabilities 17,084 16,072 Accrued payroll 6,512 5,976 Notes payable, current portion 36,182 33,683 Convertible promissory notes (includes $45,385 and $45,271 due to related parties as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively) 68,868 67,590 Financing obligation, current portion 18,052 14,914 Deferred revenue, current 38,762 36,942 Other current liabilities (includes $321 and $399 due to related parties as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively) 1,069 1,589 Total current liabilities 208,250 190,515 Deferred revenue, noncurrent 16,640 15,468 Asset retirement obligation 4,150 4,137 Notes payable, noncurrent 6,418 4,612 Financing obligation, noncurrent 70,059 73,128 Warrant liabilities 161,486 95,342 Lease liability, noncurrent 41 57 Total liabilities 467,044 383,259 Commitments and contingencies (Note 13) Convertible preferred stock, $0.00001 par value; 409,351,021 shares authorized as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020; 175,528,225 and 175,437,783 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively; (liquidation preference of $258,084 and $257,947 as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively) 220,955 220,563 Stockholders' Deficit: Series 1 convertible preferred stock, $0.00001 par value; 4,305 shares authorized as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020; 2,961 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 - - Common stock, $0.000001 par value; 474,728,323 shares authorized as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020; 17,694,228 and 11,228,371 issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively - - Additional paid-in capital 14,726 10,061 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 59 (192 ) Accumulated deficit (490,394 ) (407,841 ) Total stockholders' deficit (475,609 ) (397,972 ) Total liabilities, convertible preferred stock and stockholders' deficit $ 212,390 $ 205,850 STEM, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands, except share and per share amounts) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Services revenue $ 4,881 $ 3,393 Hardware revenue 10,539 718 Total revenue 15,420 4,111 Cost of service revenue 6,905 4,762 Cost of hardware revenue 8,632 751 Total cost of revenue 15,537 5,513 Gross margin (117 ) (1,402 ) Operating expenses: Sales and marketing 2,667 4,397 Research and development 4,407 3,395 General and administrative 2,692 3,004 Total operating expenses 9,766 10,796 Loss from operations (9,883 ) (12,198 ) Other income (expense), net: Interest expense (6,233 ) (4,369 ) Change in fair value of warrants and embedded derivative (66,397 ) 1,009 Other expenses, net (40 ) (1,913 ) Total other income (expense) (72,670 ) (5,273 ) Loss before income taxes (82,553 ) (17,471 ) Income tax expense - - Net loss $ (82,553 ) $ (17,471 ) Net loss per share attributable to common shareholders, basic and diluted $ (6.73 ) $ (2.97 ) Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted 12,263,160 9,075,646 STEM, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands) Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net loss $ (82,553 ) $ (17,471 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation and amortization expense 5,079 3,994 Non-cash interest expense, including interest expenses associated with debt issuance costs 3,902 2,116 Stock-based compensation 760 456 Change in fair value of warrant liability and embedded derivative 66,397 (1,009 ) Noncash lease expense 160 141 Accretion expense 50 114 Impairment of energy storage systems 613 237 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (955 ) 206 Inventory (1,466 ) (5,104 ) Other assets (4,690 ) (2,660 ) Contract origination costs (779 ) (742 ) Accounts payable and accrued expenses 8,640 1,081 Deferred revenue 2,992 8,016 Lease liabilities (176 ) (152 ) Other liabilities 199 107 Net cash used in operating activities (1,827 ) (10,670 ) INVESTING ACTIVITIES Purchase of energy storage systems (1,525 ) (1,911 ) Capital expenditures on internally-developed software (1,238 ) (1,399 ) Net cash used in investing activities (2,763 ) (3,310 ) FINANCING ACTIVITIES Proceeds from exercise of stock options and warrants 2,894 21 Proceeds from financing obligations 2,732 3,912 Repayment of financing obligations (3,369 ) (1,860 ) Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes, net of issuance costs of $8 and $238 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively 1,118 14,050 Proceeds from issuance of notes payable 3,879 - Repayment of notes payable (161 ) (3,968 ) Net cash provided by financing activities 7,093 12,155 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 428 (184 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 2,931 (2,009 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 6,942 12,889 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 9,873 $ 10,880 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION Cash paid for interest $ 1,480 $ 1,895 Cash paid for taxes $ - $ - NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES Change in asset retirement costs and asset retirement obligation $ 37 $ 4 Purchases of energy storage systems in accounts payable $ 1,260 $ 66 Conversion of accrued interest into outstanding note payable $ 256 $ - Settlement of warrant liability into preferred stock due to exercise $ 253 $ - Stock-based compensation capitalized to internal-use software $ 24 $ - STEM, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(in thousands, except percentages; unaudited) The following table provides a reconciliation of Net loss to Adjusted EBITDA: Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 (in thousands) Net loss $ (82,553 ) $ (17,471 ) Adjusted to exclude the following: Depreciation and amortization 5,079 3,994 Interest expense 6,233 4,369 Stock-based compensation 760 456 Change in fair value of warrants and embedded derivative 66,397 (1,009 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ (4,084 ) $ (9,661 ) The following table provides a reconciliation of Gross Margin (GAAP) to Non-GAAP Gross Margin: $ millions unless otherwise noted Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 Revenue $15.4 $4.1 Cost of Good Sold ($15.5) ($5.5) Gross Margin (GAAP) ($0.1) ($1.4) Gross Margin (GAAP) (%) -1% -34% Adjustments to Gross Margin Amortization of Capitalized Software $1.2 $0.9 Impairments $0.9 $0.5 Other Adjustments $0.9 $0.0 Non-GAAP Gross Margin $2.9 $0.0 Non-GAAP Gross Margin (%) 19% 1% The following table provides a reconciliation of current backlog to prior quarter backlog: $ millions Period ending 4Q20 $184 Add: Bookings $51 Less: Revenue ($15) Other $1 Period ending 1Q21 $221 Key Definitions: Item Definition 12-Month Pipeline Total value of uncontracted, potential hardware and software revenue from opportunities currently in process by Stem direct salesforce and channel partners which have a reasonable likelihood of contract execution within 12 months Market participation revenue is excluded from pipeline Gross Pipeline Total value of uncontracted, potential hardware and software revenue from opportunities currently in process by Stem direct salesforce and channel partners Market participation revenue is excluded from pipeline Bookings Total value of executed customer agreements, as measured during a given period (e.g. quarterly booking or annual booking) Customer contracts are typically executed 6-12 months ahead of installation

Booking amount typically includes: Hardware revenue, which is typically recognized at delivery of system to customer, Software revenue, which represents total nominal software contract value recognized ratably over the contract period, Market participation revenue is excluded from booking value

Contracted Backlog Total value of bookings in dollars, as reflected on a specific date Backlog increases as new contracts are executed (bookings)

Backlog decreases as integrated storage systems are delivered and recognized as revenue Contracted AUM Total MWh of systems in operation or under contract Source: Stem, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005404/en/

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[May 17, 2021] First Student and Lion Electric Announce Largest Zero-Emission School Bus Order of 260 Buses

MONTREAL, May 17, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - First Student, the largest student transportation provider in North America, and the Lion Electric Company (NYSE: LEV) (TSX: LEV) ("Lion" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, today jointly announced that First Student is ordering 260 all-electric LionC school buses. This is the largest order of school buses by a single customer in Lion's history. The order will make First Student the largest operator of zero-emission school buses in North America. Deliveries will take place beginning in the second half of 2021 through the first half of 2023. The buses will be used by Transco, First Student's subsidiary that operates in Quebec. "Today marks a new step in the adoption of zero-emission school buses," said Marc Bedard, CEO and Founder of Lion. "First Student's leadership demonstrates that zero-emission technology is here to meet the needs of the market at scale, as is our production capacity  we are not talking about pilot programs, but rather entire bus fleets going electric, with vehicles that meet the daily requirements of the industry's largest operators." The company already operates a number of Lion all-electric school buses. As part of the purchase, the LionEnergy team will strategically work with First Student for the selection and installation of necessary infrastructure so that the operator can adequately scale its zero-emission operations. "We are proud to take this significant step to improve the environmental health of our student passengers and the communities we serve," said First Student President Paul Osland. "First Student embraces the importance that electrification and zero-emission technologies will play in the future of student transportation. The electrification of school buses has already started and is poised to accelerate rapidly. This work with Lion Electric is an important step to position First Student as North America's leading owner and operator of electric school buses." "At First Student, we long have been at the forefront of developing and implementing innovations in transportation," said First Student's Senior Vice President of Strategy, Business Development, Marketing and Communications, Claire Miller. "Now, as the largest operator of zero-emission school buses in North America, we will play a critical role in helping communities improve air quality and environmental health for passengers and the community. With the purchase of 260 buses, everyone wins. We cannot wait to start bringing them online soon." "We are very excited to be putting the buses into operation in our own backyard here in Quebec, where soon an electric school bus will be a common sight," said Benoit Morin, Vice President of Sales, Canada, at Lion. "Getting children excited about zero-emission technoloies today sets them up for a lifetime of climate advocacy, to the benefit of their communities and the planet."



Over the last decade, Lion has established itself as a leader in the zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle industry, having delivered over 390 all-electric heavy-duty vehicles in North America with over 7 million miles driven since 2016. All of Lion's vehicles are purpose-built for electric propulsion from the ground up, and are manufactured at Lion's North American facility, which has a current capacity to produce 2,500 electric trucks per year. About Lion Electric

Lion Electric is an innovative manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles. The company creates, designs and manufactures all-electric class 5 to class 8 commercial urban trucks and all-electric buses and minibuses for the school, paratransit and mass transit segments. Lion is a North American leader in electric transportation and designs, builds and assembles many of its vehicles' components, including chassis, battery packs, truck cabins and bus bodies. Always actively seeking new and reliable technologies, Lion vehicles have unique features that are specifically adapted to its users and their everyday needs. Lion believes that transitioning to all-electric vehicles will lead to major improvements in our society, environment and overall quality of life. Lion shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol LEV. Lion Electric, The Bright Move Thelionelectric.com About First Student

As the leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. First Student completes five million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry's strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of about 40,000 buses. For more information, please visit firststudentinc.com. Forward-Looking Statements All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" (which shall include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws) within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, including statements relating to the planned construction and the commencement of operations of Lion's manufacturing facility and its projected production capacity. Forward-looking statements may generally be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "may," "will," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "could," "plan," "potential," "future," "target" or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Lion's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding certain key elements of Lion's current objectives, goals, targets, strategic priorities, expectations and plans, and in obtaining a better understanding of Lion's business and anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes and is not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on, by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of Lion, and are based on a number of assumptions, as well as other factors that Lion believes are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances, but there can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct or that Lion's vision, business, objectives, plans and strategies will be achieved. Many risks and uncertainties could cause Lion's actual results, performance or achievements or future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Lion's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Lion anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Lion's assessments to change. However, while Lion may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Lion has no intention and undertakes no obligation to do so, except as required by applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Lion's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Lion's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The complete version of the cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements as well as a description of the relevant assumptions and risk factors likely to affect Lion's actual results, performance or achievements or future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements are included in the registration statement on Form F-4 filed by Lion under its profile on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-student-and-lion-electric-announce-largest-zero-emission-school-bus-order-of-260-buses-301292234.html SOURCE Lion Electric

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[May 17, 2021] UtmoLight Leaps Ahead in Trillion-Yuan Photovoltaic Market with Launch of 3 Game-changing Techniques

WUXI, China, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wuxi UtmoLight Technology Company ("UtmoLight" or "the Company"), a world-leading perovskite photovoltaic module company, held a press conference on May 13 in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province to launch its innovative perovskite photovoltaic technology. The integrated solutions, named Utmorigin, can ensure large-area preparation, high efficiency and high stability of perovskite solar cells and include three novel techniques. During the conference, UtmoLight signed strategic cooperation agreements with partners including SVOLT, an emerging force in lithium batteries, FTXT who specializes in hydrogen energy and fuel cell technology, as well as Greatwall Estate. Together they will explore the application of perovskite solar technology in hydrogen production, energy storage, green construction and estabilish an ecological circle of green energy. According to Dr. Zheng Ce, co-founder and deputy general manager of UtmoLight, "Methylamine-free perovskite solar cells wrrant higher efficiency and better stability in theory, but large-area preparation of methylamine-free perovskite film has been a challenge for the industry. In addition to the optimal precursor proportions from theoretical calculations, the UtmoLight formulation contains phase stabilizer and passivation agents which guarantee the stability, high efficiency and large-area preparation of perovskite solar cells."



"In-situ film crystalization" is an innovative preparation technique for large-area, high-quality and high-stability perovskite film layer. The technique ensures satisfying conformity and yield, and is compatible with perovskite-silicon tandem cells. The nanoparticle conductive ink for the charge transport layer is made from a unique formulation by UtmoLight. The charge transport layer made from the ink is highly conductive, dense and protects the perovskite layer, thus improves the conversion efficiency and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells," added Dr. Zheng. Adopting these techniques, UtmoLight perovskite solar modules achieve a certified efficiency of 20.5% with an area of 63.98cm. This efficiency record leads the industry by a wide margin. Presently, the team is also applying the same techniques to 30*30cm perovskite modules and expects to exceed 19% efficiency soon. Meanwhile, construction of a pilot line of one-square-meter size perovskite modules is commencing in the third quarter of 2021 with the product expected to reach market next year.

UtmoLight is invested by Great Wall Holdings, and is engaged in the commercialisation of perovksite photovoltaics, optoelectronics and materials. UtmoLight takes innovation as its driving force, industrialization as its propulsion, and endeavors to transform energy and build a green ecology. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/utmolight-leaps-ahead-in-trillion-yuan-photovoltaic-market-with-launch-of-3-game-changing-techniques-301292392.html SOURCE Utmolight

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[May 17, 2021] Logiq Reports Q1 2021 Results; Revenue Up 23% Sequentially to $8.1 Million

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA

NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Logiq, Inc. (OTCQX: LGIQ), a global provider of award-winning e-commerce and fintech solutions, reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021. The company will hold a conference call at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time today to discuss the results (see dial-in information below). Q1 2021 Financial Highlights Revenue for the first quarter increased 23% sequentially to $8.1 million, driven by a $1.1 million increase to a record $5.6 million in revenue by DataLogiq due to strong growth in data monetization, and $328,000 increase in revenue by AppLogiq as a shift to higher margin direct sales gained traction.

Consolidated gross profit as a percentage of revenue in the first quarter increased to 27.6%, up 647 basis points sequentially and up 990 basis points from the year-ago quarter.

Gross margins for AppLogiq, the companys mobile commerce platform-as-a-service, improved from the low of 11.8% in Q2 2020 to 30.1% in Q1 2021  a record level gross margin for this business segment as it turned focus on direct sales.

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $2.9 million as of March 31, 2021. Q1 2021 Operational Highlights Acquired Rebel AI, an innovator in digital marketing solutions that delivers e-commerce growth to brands and agencies, and launched it as Logiq Digital Marketing that enables small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to more effectively compete against companies of any size.

Launched Fixels AI-powered digital marketing technology in the Shopify e-commerce marketplace and in WordPress.

Partnered with Comviva, a global leader in digital financial solutions, to offer digital wallet and payment services in Indonesia.

Appointed industry-leading technology product strategist, Leah Hickman, to the companys board of directors. Management Commentary In Q1, we increased revenue sequentially by 23% to $8.1 million primarily due to accelerating growth of our DataLogiq subsidiary, commented Logiq president, Brent Suen. Consolidated gross profit for the quarter also improved 990 basis points to 27.6% of consolidated revenue. We also saw gross margins for our AppLogiq business improve as a result of our shift to higher-margin direct sales, from 11.8% in Q2 2020, to 12.4% in Q3 2020, and then from 25.6% in Q4 2020, to 30.1% in Q1 of this year. This was the result of our continued execution on eliminating low margin, white label partnerships that were impacted by the pandemic, as well as our continued focus on the most profitable segments we serve with our mobile app business enablement platform. Over the last year, we have become more than an e-commerce services company. Through the integration of Fixel and Rebel AI-powered technology, we have become a serious option for SMB businesses in need of data-driven, consumer intelligence, and automated marketing technology. In Q1, we launched Fixels digital marketing solutions in the Shopify e-commerce marketplace and in WordPress. This offering has been gaining traction with smaller brands who do not readily have access to this type of advanced AI technology. The global market for marketing automation software is expected to exceed $14.1 billion by 2024, climbing at a compound annual growth rate of more than 19%. As global e-commerce sales now reach upwards of $4.9 trillion in a more than $27 trillion retail industry, its mainly the largest brands who are capitalizing on their fullest potential. In the U.S. alone, the top 10 e-commerce players account for 63.2% of online sales. The SMB segment is largely unrepresented and requires better technology and services. We are addressing this market by providing SMBs powerful e-commerce solutions, so they can compete against even the top players in the industry. As we look ahead in 2021, we will continue to increase customer activity across all of our business segments, and take advantage of the strong market trends driving the phenomenal growth of e-commerce worldwide. Q1 2021 Financial Summary Revenue increased 23% sequentially to $8.1 million in the first quarter of 2021, and decreased 46.1% as compared to $15.0 million in the same year-ago quarter. The decrease from the year-ago period was primarily due to the companys transition away from low-margin, bulk white label distributors with its AppLogiq business, and the lingering impact that COVID-19 has had on the company. The sequential increase was driven by a $1.1 million increase in DataLogiqs revenue and $328,000 in AppLogiqs revenue. The companys AppLogiq m-commerce platform-as-as-service (PaaS) contributed $2.4 million or 30% of consolidated revenue in Q1 2021, which decreased 79.3% from $11.8 million or 78.7% of consolidated revenue in the same year-ago period. The decrease was primarily due to the company eliminating low margin sales to bulk white label distributors and focus on higher margin direct sales to end users. The decrease was also due to subscription cancellations, loss of customers, and provision of complementary services as the result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Gross profit increased 60% sequentially to $2.2 million or 27.6% of revenue in Q1 2021, and decreased 16% from $2.6 million or 17.7% of revenue in the same year-ago period. The decrease in gross profit from the year-ago period resulted primarily from lower revenues. The improvement in gross margin percentage was the result of eliminating AppLogiq bulk white label distributors to focus on marketing directly to end users. Total operating expenses decreased 26% sequentially to $6.3 million in Q1 2021, and increased 15% compared to $5.5 million in the same year-ago period. The increase in operating expenses was mainly due to an increase in general and administrative expense and sales and marketing expense, which was partially offset by a decrease in research and development expense. Net loss improved sequentially by $3.3 million to a loss of $4.1 million or $(0.25) per basic and fully diluted share in Q1 2021. This compared to net loss of $2.8 million or $(0.24) per basic and fully diluted share in the first quarter of 2020. As of March 31, 2021, cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $2.9 million, compared to cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash of $3.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Conference Call Later today, Logiq management will host a conference call, followed by a question-and-answer period. Date: Monday, May 17, 2021

Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time (10:00 a.m. Pacific time)

Toll-free dial-in number: 1-866-548-4713

International dial-in number: 1-323-794-2093

Conference ID: 5852958 Please call the conference telephone number five minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact CMA at 1-949-432-7566. A replay of the call will be available after 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through Monday, May 31, 2021, as well as available for replay via the Investors section of the Logiqs website at www.logiq.com/ir. Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921

International replay number: 1-412-317-6671

Replay ID: 5852958 About Logiq Logiq, Inc. (OTCQX: LGIQ) is a U.S.-based leading global provider of eCommerce, mCommerce, and fintech business enablement solutions. Its DataLogiq subsidiary provides a data-driven, end-to-end eCommerce marketing solution. Its AI-powered LogiqX data engine delivers valuable consumer insights that enhance the ROI of online marketing spend. The companys Fixel technology offers simplified online marketing with critical privacy features. Logiqs AppLogiq PaaS enables SMBs worldwide to easily create and deploy a native mobile app for their business without technical knowledge or background. AppLogiq empowers businesses to reach more customers, increase sales, manage logistics, and promote their products and services in an easy, affordable, and highly efficient way. AppLogiq is offered in 14 languages across 10 countries and three continents, including some of the fastest-growing emerging markets in Southeast Asia. The companys PayLogiq offers mobile payments, and GoLogiq offers hyper-local food delivery services. For more information about Logiq, go to Logiq.com. Forward-Looking Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This press release also contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation that relate to Logiqs current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "expects", "will continue", "is anticipated", "anticipates", "believes", "estimated", "intends", "plans", "forecast", "projection", "strategy", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Logiqs control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. In particular and without limitation, this press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our products and services, use of PaaS platform, the use and/or ongoing demand for the Company's products and services from SMBs, the expectations of future revenue growth may not be realized, the impact of global pandemics (including COVID-19) on the demand for our products and services, and other risks described in the Companys prior press releases and in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings with the SEC. Logiq undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Logiq to predict all of them, or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Company Contact

Brent Suen, President

Logiq, Inc.

Email contact Media & Investor Contact

Ronald Both or Grant Stude

CMA Investor & Media Relations

Tel (949) 432-7566

Email contact

LOGIQ INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets March 31 December 31 2021 2020 (Unaudited) (Audited) Assets Non-current assets Intangible assets, net 17,848,804 11,736,540 Property and equipment, net 195,156 178,561 Goodwill 5,577,926 5,078,090 Total non-current assets 23,621,886 16,993,191 Current assets Amount due from associate 6,173,700 5,673,700 Accounts receivable 3,327,714 2,618,494 Right to use assets  operating lease 273,687 364,234 Prepayment, deposit and other receivables 251,405 206,443 Financial assets held for resale 547,201 594,263 Restricted cash 21,344 10,889 Cash and cash equivalents 2,845,295 3,478,889 Total current assets 13,440,346 12,946,912 Total assets $ 37,062,232 $ 29,940,103 Liabilities and Stockholders Equity Current liabilities Accounts payable 1,582,575 1,009,204 Accruals and other payables 2,705,213 1,110,732 Deferred revenue 33,043 46,857 Lease liability  operating lease 273,687 364,234 Convertible promissory 2,911,000 2,911,000 Amount due to director 77,500 77,500 Total current liabilities 7,583,018 5,519,527 Non-current liabilities Other loan 10,000 10,000 Notes payable 508,599 507,068 Total non-current liabilities 518,599 517,068 Total liabilities $ 8,101,617 $ 6,036,595 Stockholders Equity Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 250,000,000 shares authorized, 17,826,644 and 15,557,439 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively* 1,783 1,556 Additional paid-in capital 69,686,188 66,739,895 Capital reserves 25,477,719 19,285,383 Accumulated (deficit) (66,205,075 ) (62,123,326 ) Total stockholders equity 28,960,615 23,903,508 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 37,062,232 $ 29,940,103





* The number of shares of common stock has been retroactively restated to reflect the 1 for 13 reverse stock-split on February 25, 2020.



LOGIQ INC.

Consolidated Statements of Operations For the three months

ended March 31, 2021 2020 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Service revenue $ 8,080,312 $ 14,981,394 Cost of service 5,854,056 12,336,262 Gross profit 2,226,256 2,645,132 Operating expenses Depreciation and amortization 689,345 449,624 General and administrative 4,144,365 3,202,042 Sales and marketing 369,261 53,015 Research and development 1,103,137 1,757,351 Total operating expenses 6,306,108 5,462,032 (Loss) from operations (4,079,852 ) (2,816,900 ) Other (expenses)/income, net (1,897 ) 3,808 Net (loss) before income tax (4,081,749 ) (2,813,092 ) Income tax (Corporate tax) - - Net (loss) $ (4,081,749 ) $ (2,813,092 ) Net (loss) profit per common share  basic and fully diluted: (0.2497 ) (0.2430 ) Weighted average number of basic and fully diluted common shares outstanding* 16,345,439 11,577,069 * The weighted average number of shares of common stock has been retroactively restated to reflect the 1 for 13 reverse stock-split on February 25, 2020.



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[May 17, 2021] eGlobalDoctors, AAPI, and Sewa International Provide Free Telehealth Services to COVID-19 Patients in India

HOUSTON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To relieve the strain placed on the Indian healthcare system by the current surge in coronavirus cases, the American Association of Physicians of Indian-Origin (AAPI) and Sewa International have partnered with eGlobalDoctors (https://eglobaldoctors.com/#/) to provide medical advice for COVID-19 patients from India via telehealth. This online platform gives patients an opportunity to meet privately with volunteer medical professionals, who offer counseling with the aim of identifying those with mild or severe cases of infection. According to the Chairman and Co-founder of eGlobalDoctors, Dr. Sreeni Gangasani, over 100 volunteer physicians from AAPI and "Doctors for Sewa" have been registered on the platform in the past ten days. In that time, the website has been visited more than 100,000 times, at least 2,000 patients have filled out the COVID-19 Registration Form, and 500 patients have already received medical counseling. More than 200 volunteers from the US and India are working together to follow-up with those who filled out the online form but ere unable to show up at their scheduled consultation time.



Sewa volunteers have been instrumental in facilitating these one-on-one sessions, matching patients to doctors who speak the same language and placing them in a private breakout consultation room. "The Sewa team is helping connect volunteer physicians and patients by phone, especially those who do not have video access or capabilities of smart phones or access to the internet. Sewa's work on the ground is streamlining the process by reaching the people who are most in needeven those from smaller, rural areas," said Dr. Gangasani. "Indeed, patients have been logging on from all across Indiafrom Jammu to Kolkata to Tamil Nadu," he added. According to Dr. Anupama Gotimukala, AAPI President-elect, teleconsultations began in Whatsapp groups and Zoom webinars before moving to the eGlobalDoctors platform, where over 1,000 patients are being counseled per day. Dr. Gotimukala said, "Doctors must guide patients daily for a week to ten days. In the system, a patient is registered and then they can offer timings and meet with the same physician on multiple dates, allowing us to follow-up with close care. The goal of telehealth is to treat patients remotely, using technology to help us. Doctors and patients can be at home, rendering services very efficiently. In some cases, an entire family can receive counseling at once."

Through online counseling, physicians offer medical advice regarding triage, prognosis, and management protocol. Dr. Prasad Garimella said, "Our objective is to keep patients with mild symptoms out of the ER and identify those who need to go to the hospital sooner. Decreasing the burden on hospitals involves lowering panic and decreasing misinformation about the pandemic that patients might have." CONTACT:

Vidyasagar Tontalapur  1 - 720-526-9939

Viswanath Koppaka  1- 404-304-0563

Email: 310017@email4pr.com

Web: http://www.sewausa.org View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eglobaldoctors-aapi-and-sewa-international-provide-free-telehealth-services-to-covid-19-patients-in-india-301292127.html SOURCE Sewa International

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[May 17, 2021] Cardea Bio Partners with Scentian Bio to Power Insect Odorant Receptor-Enabled Flavor Profiling Product

Cardea Bio, a Tech+Bio company integrating molecular biology with semiconductor electronics, has signed a commercial partnership with Scentian Bio. Scentian is an expert in synthetic insect odorant receptors (iORs), one of nature's most powerful ways of detecting and interpreting smells. The "Powered by Cardea" partnership empowers Scentian with a customized Cardean chipset, built with graphene-based biology-gated transistors, which allows Scentian to manufacture a bio-electronic tongue/nose tech platform. This platform is instantly making Scentian a world leader in the electronic detection of liquid and air-borne chemical biomarkers. Across the food supply chain, flavor and fragrance quality control currently relies on legacy methods, including so-called "taste testers" or slow, bulky, expensive lab instruments. Cardea and Scentian's partnership will produce a "bio-electronic tongue/nose" that speeds up testing, that is small enough to fit in a handheld device, and that is simple enough to use anywhere by anyone. "More than 30 years of combined scientific diligence are going into what we are building with Cardea," said Dr. Andrew Kralicek, Chief Technology Officer at Scentian Bio. "The combination of Cardea's technology with our insect odorant receptors enables us to translate the language of chemical compounds into digital signals to analyze food components, detect airborne and liquid-based toxins, and diagnose disease in almost real-time on a massive scale." Every flavor and fragrance has a unique combination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be read by the system. Scentian's platform will house 40-50 receptors and will be able to detect thousands of chemical signals at the push of a button. With the support of Cardea, Scentian plans to expand its offerings to broader food quality testing, as well as animal and human disease diagnostics. This collaboration aims to resolve the challenges associated with standard detection methods, which are typically slow and expensive, as tey can only be run with the help of complex scientific personnel, laboratories, and techniques. Further product generations will include developing next-generation diagnostic tools that could bypass complex chemical assays and detect the presence of diseases based on their distinctive VOC profiles from, for example, a patient's breath.



"Our Cardean chipsets enable Scentian to mass-produce a new generation of products that can livestream liquid and airborne biological signals," said Michael Heltzen, Chief Executive Officer at Cardea. "It is fascinating to see the world class team at Scentian make synthetic insect odor receptors and integrate them with our technology, so that together, we can link smells and tastes up to the digital world. The idea of electronic noses that are based on biological receptors has been dreamed and theorized for generations, but now we have them running in our labs thanks to this innovation partnership, which we are truly thankful and happy about." Cardea is continuing to explore and develop applications for its Cardean Transistors in industries ranging from human health to agriculture to national defense.

The company is open to new partnerships via its "Powered by Cardea" Innovation Partnership Program. Learn how the Cardea Innovation Partnership Program works here: https://cardeabio.com/partnership-program/ About Cardea Bio Cardea is linking computers to the LIVE molecular signals running biology. Its multi-omics technology consists of a Tech+Bio Infrastructure (hardware, software and wetware) and Chipsets manufactured with proprietary Graphene-based Biology-gated Transistors, or Cardean Transistors for short. Cardean Transistors leverage graphene, a nanomaterial that is biocompatible and a near perfect conductor due to only being one atom thick, in contrast to the common semiconductor material silicon. Cardea thereby gains a signal resolution high enough to listen into the live molecular signals and that way replaces optical and static measurements with interactive live-streams of multi-omics signal analysis. Cardea is on a long-term mission they call "Linking up to Life" to empower its "Powered by Cardea" partners with Tech+Bio solutions that will enable them to make significant positive impacts on the world via innovative applications, that are Linking up to Life. For more information about Cardea Bio Inc. visit www.cardeabio.com About Scentian Bio Scentian Bio is the first company in the world to combine insect olfactory receptors with nanotechnology to taste and smell chemical compounds ultrasensitively. Scentian Bio is developing portable biosensor devices for the real-time interpretation of complex chemical signatures. This biosensor platform is exclusively licensed from Plant & Food Research based in New Zealand and is backed by almost 20 years of fundamental research. This disruptive technology will improve the precision and speed of QC and new product development for the flavour & fragrance, and food & beverage industries. It also has the potential to impact human & animal health diagnostics, food safety monitoring, and water & air quality analysis. For more information visit www.scentianbio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005023/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Storyblocks Launches "Queer Spaces and Faces" Campaign to Drive Visibility of LGBTQIA+ Lived Experiences in Advertising and Media

ARLINGTON, Va., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Storyblocks, the first and largest subscription-based platform providing unlimited stock content and tools for creators to keep up with the growing demand for video, today announced the launch of "Queer Spaces and Faces", a campaign geared toward increasing visibility of underrepresented communities in media through the curation and production of inclusive content that accurately reflects today's world. The new media collections featured in Re: Stock will focus on adding authentic representation of LGBTQIA+ communities in media, while also remaining true to the intersectional foundation of the community by exploring robust race and gender themes. Following the success of the first installment of Storyblocks' Webby-nominated Re: Stock campaign, which announced the campaign's goal of quadrupling the amount of diverse content in Storyblocks' library by the end of 2022, the company is further expanding the pipeline of its stock contributors to include directors, filmmakers and cinematographers who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. To build the collections, Storyblocks commissioned a cohort of six LGBTQIA+ filmmakers to each create collections of 50+ videos that portray people, places and communities who are underrepresented in digital media today. Supporting intersectionality within the creative community, and ensuring that all creators are understood and celebrated, whether it be in relation to social or political identities, is at the forefront of this campaign. "Through our "Queer Spaces and Faces" campaign, we're setting the standard for the industry at large to ensure that diverse and represented stories are not simply met or produced as a quota, but provided as a necessity for telling real and impactful stories," said Sydney Carlton, Senior Director of Brand and Creative at Storyblocks. "By changing the face of stock media, our goal is to equip everyonefrom advertisers and filmmakers to emerging creators and freelancers with the tools they need to accurately depict not only the world we live in, but the world we want to build for future generations." According to an annual report released earlier this year by LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD, LGBTQ representation on television decreased during the 2020-21 season for the first time in five years. However, a recent Gallup poll found that the number of adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has steadily increased over the past four years, with one in six adults in Generation Z identifying as LGBTQIA+.



To kick off the second iteration of the Re: Stock initiative, Storyblocks is introducing collections from Daisy Gaston, Ryan McLendon, Sannchia Gaston, Aiden Korotkin and Shannon Beveridge. An additional collection will be released in June 2021 by Sav Rodgers, Founder and Executive of the Transgender Film Center. These collections represent a wide range of the community's demography and will dive into themes such as black male love, queer artists, and the idea of "chosen families" or nonbiological bonds that are forged by folks within the LGBTQIA+ community for the purpose of authentic love and support. When asked to comment on his involvement in the "Queer Spaces and Faces" campagin, Cinematographer Aiden Korotkin said: "Having the opportunity to show the vastness of society in a media format that has been historically behind the times was a huge honor. Re: Stock allowed me to turn the mirror to represent  through my art form  what exists in society, and create a collection that reflects that true nature of the modern world."

For more information about Storyblocks' "Queer Spaces and Faces" campaign, and to check out the new collections, please visit www.storyblocks.com/restock. About Storyblocks: Storyblocks is a different kind of content company delivering a fresh approach to meet the creative needs of a new generation of storytellers. Built on the belief that all stories deserve a chance to be told, Storyblocks provides video, audio and images through its unique subscription model. By offering unlimited downloads and continually adding fresh content, Storyblocks challenges the paradigm that your ambitious creative vision requires deep pockets. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Storyblocks has been recognized by the Inc 5000 list seven consecutive years and was recently named as one of Washington D.C.'s Top Workplaces by The Washington Post, and among the Best Places to Work by the Washington Business Journal. To find out more about how Storyblocks is changing the future of content creation, go to www.storyblocks.com and follow Storyblocks on Twitter (@storyblocksco) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/StoryblocksCo) View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/storyblocks-launches-queer-spaces-and-faces-campaign-to-drive-visibility-of-lgbtqia-lived-experiences-in-advertising-and-media-301292344.html SOURCE Storyblocks

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Egis, in JV with SSH International, has recently signed a new contract with its longtime client, the Ministry of Public Works of Kuwait.

The contract, involves the supervision services for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of Al Ghouse Road from 7th Ring Road till Fahaheel Ahmadi (RA 265), one of Kuwait's major collector road distributing local traffic and running parallel to roads 30 and 40.

The project is set to start mid-June 2021 with a duration of 39 months.

Egis has been involved in two previous sections of this major project since 2012. The project targets to make a complete free flow road starting from 5th RR until Fahaheel Ahmadi road.

This section RA265 includes the rehabilitation and widening of 11 km of Al Ghouse road, the construction of 9 intersections (3 Elevated) and 3 footbridges, creation of road services, and relocation of all existing utilities. -- TradeArabia News Service
[May 17, 2021] MIC's "Scale to Serve" Program Improves Hospitals' Ability to Deliver Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Intel and Medical Informatics (News - Alert) Corp. (MIC), an Intel Capital portfolio company, are continuing to enable broader deployments of MIC's FDA-cleared Sickbay platform via their Scale to Serve program. The goal is to not only support demands of the current pandemic but also provide the foundational architecture hospitals need to create a new standard of data-driven care. "The pandemic related to the novel coronavirus has been overwhelming," noted Emma Fauss, CEO and co-founder of MIC, the Houston-based technology company. "We are honored to have had the opportunity to help hospitals and healthcare workers on the front lines get access to the bedside data they needed to provide remote care and protect them from exposure. However, implementing a virtual care solution goes far beyond a stop-gap measure to get us through the pandemic," noted Fauss. "Hospitals with Sickbay can finally get access to data that has never been available before in a way that healthcare has needed for years to advance the state of care, streamline their architecture, and directly impact the bottom line. It's time for healthcare to have the advantage of today's technology to create tomorrow's standard of care." Last year, fifteen facilities, including Houston Methodist, expanded their capabilities to incorporate MIC's Sickbay platform in vendor-agnostic, scalable and flexible virtual ICUs and remote monitoring workflows through a "Scale to Serve" program, funded in part by Intel (News - Alert) Corporation. All told, Sickbay users are currently accessing the system and gaining actionable insights more than 2,000,000 times per month, a milestone that underscores the desperate need for real-time patient waveform data from all devices at the bedside to be accessible to every member of the care team from any location. Sickbay is also enabling hospitals to further expand remote monitoring of pulse oximetry and telemetry patients, create real-time acuity scores for patients to support virtual rounding, and develop patient-centered, real-time analytics to get ahead of patient deterioration and rik.



"Prior to the pandemic, we launched our new virtual ICU with 45 beds and quickly expanded to over 350 beds across 8 facilities, including COVID care units and surge areas like the emergency departments," noted Roberta Schwartz, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief innovation officer of Houston Methodist. "Integrated data available within the vICU includes real-time and retrospective waveform data from cardiac monitors, ventilators, pulse oximetry and other biomonitoring devices as well as labs and medications from the EMR. We also leveraged Sickbay to create 15 near real-time acuity scoring algorithms that are combined to create an aggregate measure of risk through the vICU patient list to improve virtual rounding of the most at-risk patients, and we are now in process of expanding our Virtual Operations Center functionality to other areas throughout the hospital system, to support multiple telemedicine service lines and additional monitoring initiatives such as central telemetry and tele-sitting to improve patient outcomes," Schwartz concluded. Hospitals utilizing Sickbay are able to remotely monitor up to 100 patients in a single "virtual ICU" interface across facilities and view real-time and unlimited retrospective data from multiple medical devices including ventilators, cardiac monitors, NIRS and more, even if the devices are made by different vendors. All data can also be accessed on any web-enabled device to enable virtual rounding and monitoring from offices, conference rooms and homes to more efficiently use employee resources and improve care and team collaboration. Since Sickbay is built on a dedicated SaaS (News - Alert) -based platform, fueled by Intel Xeon Scalable processors with hardware-enhanced security, hospitals are also able to simplify their IT architecture and to reduce costs, increase revenue, improve operational efficiencies, while protecting patient data privacy.

For more information or to apply, hospitals are encouraged to visit www.michealthcare.com. ABOUT MIC Medical Informatics Corp. (MIC) is empowering a new standard of healthcare by accessing, synthesizing, and delivering patient-specific data to clinicians to save and improve lives. Through the company's FDA-cleared Sickbay virtual care and analytics platform, MIC provides a singular, interconnected architecture that helps hospitals solve clinical needs to reduce costs, increase revenue, and improve operational efficiencies. MIC's flexible, software-based solution enables rapid scaling of vendor-neutral remote patient monitoring across any inpatient setting and the ability to accelerate the development and deployment of patient-centered AI at scale. Fueled by innovative engineers, mathematicians, clinicians, researchers, and entrepreneurs whose work with clinicians at the bedside led to groundbreaking discoveries, MIC is based in Houston, Texas, and works alongside hospitals and healthcare systems across the country to create a new standard of care driven by unprecedented access to patient data. More information is available at michealthcare.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005243/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Mollenhour Gross, LLC Announces New Subsidiary CEO

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mollenhour Gross, LLC (MG) announced today that Dusty Holcomb has been hired as the new CEO of its subsidiary, Red Stag Fulfillment, LLC (RSF). Mr. Holcomb is moving to Knoxville, TN from Charlotte, NC following an executive search that MG commenced in February 2021. "This search was exhaustive and involved the evaluation of over 400 candidates from all over the globe, some from the biggest and most respected brands in the world," said MG co-CEO, Jordan Mollenhour. "As a decentralized holding company, we must know that we can trust the integrity and judgment of the person we install in this role  they will be calling the shots. We believe that Dusty has the intelligence, character, passion for leadership and culture, curiosity, humility, and wisdom to lead Red Stag well." Eric McCollom has served as RSF's top executive since 2013 and will now assume the role of Chief Operating Officer. No service disruptions are expected following this transition. "Red Stag has been growing quickly for the last several years and we are very grateful to Eric and his team, who have built something remarkable," added MG co-CEO, Dustin Gross. "We are excited for Dusty to join theteam and we look forward to seeing where they take the enterprise in the future."



About Red Stag Fulfillment, LLC

Red Stag Fulfillment, LLC, founded in 2013, is an ecommerce order fulfillment provider headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. The firm serves clients in a wide variety of industries from its facilities in Knoxville and Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit https://redstagfulfillment.com/. About Mollenhour Gross, LLC

Established in 2004, Mollenhour Gross is a private holding company with permanent capital based in Knoxville, TN. Its decentralized and autonomous portfolio companies are engaged in a variety of industries, including online retail, hospitality, e-commerce order fulfillment, real estate, software, aerospace parts, and more. For more information, visit https://www.mollenhourgross.com/

Related Links https://redstagfulfillment.com/

https://www.mollenhourgross.com/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mollenhour-gross-llc-announces-new-subsidiary-ceo-301292465.html SOURCE Mollenhour Gross, LLC

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[May 17, 2021] American Century Investments Announces New Heads of Talent, Development & Diversity and Employee Experience

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to further strengthen its commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility by growing and nurturing talent to best serve its clients while striving to impact society in a positive way, American Century Investments, a $228 billion* global investment manager, announces two senior additions to its Human Resources department. Deidre Boulware has been named vice president, head of talent, development & diversity, and Diane Gallagher is appointed vice president, head of employee experience. Boulware, who joins the firm May 24 and Gallagher, who assumes her new position May 17, will report directly to Chief Human Resources Officer Shannon Hobbs. "At American Century, we approach diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) as a journey to learn, unlearn and relearn. I'm very pleased to announce Deidre and Diane's appointments, which will maintain and enhance our corporate culture by continuing to embed our DE&I agenda in our progressive talent processes and bringing focus to our employee experience," said Hobbs. "Deidre has proven expertise in people and diversity strategy implementation, developing metrics-driven equity and accountability platforms, change management, organizational design, talent and succession management and leadership development. Diane's significant experience with clients will provide a unique perspective on how we enhance our employee experience and engagement, and her current and past community involvement will enable us to maximize our employee engagement as it relates to our community investments. The combination of Deidre's deep human resources and business experiences and Diane's extensive client and community experiences will bring significant impact to the human capital strategies for our firm." Deidre Boulware In her new role, Boulware will coordinate the recruiting, talent management, development and DE&I function globally, leading those teams and ensuring that aligned initiatives advance the firm'smission and culture and drive organizational and employee effectiveness and efficiency. With respect to DE&I, Boulware will particularly focus on the firm's diversity strategy aligned to employee engagement, talent development and community partnerships.



Boulware joins American Century with 20 years of business and HR experience in financial services most recently at Willis Towers Watson, where she served as global human resources senior leader for Global Investments and Asset Management Exchange. Prior to that, she held senior human resources roles at major financial services firms including Capital One, Ally Financial and Wachovia Securities. Previously, she served as a vice president in energy and power corporate finance at Banc of America Securities, LLC. Boulware holds a master's in business administration the University of Michigan and a bachelor's in science from Hampton University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Diane Gallagher

In her new role, Gallagher will lead employee relations, employee engagement, employee experience, recognition and community investment. She also will work closely with the firm's marketing and communications teams on how employee policies and practices are communicated internally and externally. Gallagher originally joined American Century Investments in 1995, most recently serving as vice president, Value-Add programs and vice president, Defined Contribution Investment Only Practice Management prior to that. Previously, she led product marketing for J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services and directed the participant communications and education department and earlier held positions with the Mutual Fund Education Alliance (MFEA) and Sinai Health Care System. She holds a bachelor's in Communication Studies from University of Detroit Mercy, where she graduated magna cum laude. She currently serves as president of the Children's Mercy Hospital Hands & Hearts Auxiliary, is a board member of both the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Practical Bioethics and is past president and current advisory board member of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City. For more information on American Century's sustainability practices and ways it makes an impact through how it manages?money, develops its workforce and lifts its communities, you can read its Corporate Responsibility Report. About American Century Investments American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting research that can improve human health and save lives. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments' 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Mountain View, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan S. Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40 percent of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, non-profit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40 percent of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.7 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com. *Assets under supervision as of 4/30/21.

2021 American Century Proprietary Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact:

Laura Kouri

(816) 516-7729 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-century-investments-announces-new-heads-of-talent-development--diversity-and-employee-experience-301292395.html SOURCE American Century Investments

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[May 17, 2021] Flex Seal, Awareness Ties and Operation Ramp It Up Join Forces to Support Veterans

OWOSSO, Mich., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For Military Appreciation Month, The Flex Seal Family of Products , Awareness Ties and Operation Ramp It Up are launching 'Selfie to Support Veterans' - a social media campaign to support the installation of ramps for wheelchair bound veterans, offering them the gift of mobility. "So often there are cracks in the service and benefits offered to our veterans," says Greg Schneider, CEO and Founder of Operation Ramp It Up. "Flex Seal is helping us keep our veterans from falling through the cracks by donating funds through Selfie to Support so we can build and install ramps for those who have sacrificed so much for so many." Selfie to Support is a cause campaign platform designed and developed by Awareness Ties inviting users to post a selfie with a custom cause filter "tying" them to the cause they care about. Selfies can be posted to social media along with a personal message of support. Each selfie can be 'boosted' with a donation, providing additional funds to support the cause. "With Memorial Dayand May being Military Appreciation Month, we wanted to show our support for those who have served and invite others to show their appreciation simply by sharing a selfie. For each selfie shared, we'll donate $5 to support Operation Ramp It Up, who are doing great things for our veterans," stated Phil Swift, CEO, Inventor and Spokesperson of Flex Seal. "Supporting our vets is very, very important to us."



Flex Seal will donate $5 per selfie posted at veterans.selfietosupport.com up to $10,000. "Being a veteran myself, it's an honor to work with both Flex Seal and Operation Ramp It Up to not only raise awareness for the needs of veterans but to also take action in raising funds to do the work to support veterans in need," says Jack McGuire, Co-Founder of Awareness Ties. About Flex Seal

Swift Response, LLC is the distributor and marketer of The Flex Seal Family of Products. Founded in 2011, the company provides a variety of DIY home repair and maintenance products specializing in waterproofing, adhesive, bonding and sealing. www.flexseal.com About Awareness Ties Awareness Ties is a multimedia platform supporting multiple causes by elevating awareness and providing resources for positive social impact. Through AwareNow Magazine, Podcast and Talk Show, they raise awareness for causes one story at a time. With Selfie To Support, nonprofits receive funds through audience engagement & empowerment. www.IamAwareNow.com About Operation Ramp It Up Founded by Greg Schneider, a 42 year full-time UPS driver, Operation Ramp It Up installs ramps for those who gave up their freedom so that we can have ours. To date, they've installed over 100 ramps in 26 states. www.operationrampitup.com Contact

Allie McGuire, Co-Founder, Awareness Ties

(231) 414-2052

310059@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flex-seal-awareness-ties-and-operation-ramp-it-up-join-forces-to-support-veterans-301292571.html SOURCE Awareness Ties

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[May 17, 2021] USRA Names Rochelle Ford Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance

COLUMBIA, Md., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Universities Space Research Association today announced the appointment of Rochelle Ford as Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance. In her new role, Ms. Ford will have executive responsibility for corporate legal matters, congressional advocacy, external communications, and management of corporate governance, including support to the Board of Trustees and the USRA Council of Institutions, which includes representatives from each of USRA's 113 member universities. She will also serve as USRA's Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO) and Chair of USRA's Executive Compliance Committee (ECC). Dr. Jeffrey A. Isaacson, President and CEO at USRA said, "We are delighted that Rochelle is joining our organization. She brings a wealth of experience to USRA, spanning service in all three branches of the government, the private sector, and the District of Columbia. The leadership team at USRA is looking forward to working with her." Prior to joining USRA, Ms. Ford served as the Director of Government Ethics at the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability in Washington, D.C. She is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional. In previous positions, she served as an Attorney-Advisor with the Department of Justice's Departmental Ethics Office, where she advised senior agency officials on compliance with federal ethics laws and regulations, among other duties. Before she joined the DOJ, she served as non-partisan Counsel to the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics, where she investigated allegations of ethical misconduct, advised Senate Members and staff on compliance with federal ethics and political laws and regulations, and regularly provided ethics training to the Senate community.



Ms. Ford began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Gregory M. Sleet, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, and then practiced at a Washington D.C. law firm, WilmerHale, for several years, where she represented clients in complex litigation matters and conducted investigations in response to regulatory inquiries. In addition, Ms. Ford teaches law students and undergraduates ethics and accountability at the University of Pennsylvania Law school and at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Ms. Ford holds an A.B. from Duke University, a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

ABOUT USRA

Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs, under Federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu. PR Contact:

Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D.

sfarukhi@usra.edu; 443-812-6945 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/usra-names-rochelle-ford-vice-president-corporate-affairs-and-governance-301292436.html SOURCE Universities Space Research Association

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[May 17, 2021] The Small Exchange Introduces Small US Crude Oil Futures

The Small Exchange, a futures exchange offering smaller, simpler products aimed toward retail customers, has launched Small US Crude Oil Futures (SMO) - a trading product presenting a small, efficient line to one of the most consumed energy sources in the world. SMO allows smaller investors and traders access to the US Crude Oil market with the same institutional quality instruments as larger traders. SMO contracts are less expensive than most existing futures and more capitally efficient than comparable exchange-traded oil funds all while providing pure exposure to one of the most actively traded commodities in the world. "Small investors and traders now have a crude oil product that meets their risk tolerance, allows for easier access with lower margin requirements, and encourages portfolio diversification," said Don Roberts, the Small Exchange President and CEO. "We strive to create products that will give the smaller investor equal footing with larger institutions." The Small US Crude Oil Futures Contract is a cash-settled future whose underlying is a United States-referenced blend of domestic light sweet crude oils having an API gravity between 38 and 43 and a Sulfur content of less than 0.4%, and it will be available to trade through a number of brokerage firms including Edge Clear, Interactive Brokers, and tastyworks, among others.



"At Edge Clear, we have been pushing for a small-sized crude oil product for a long time. With the existing contracts, the independent online trader is having to use a lot of leverage, and the risk of physical delivery is too high," said Morad Askar, the founder of Edge Clear LLC. A Chicago-based futures brokerage firm. "We are thrilled to see the Small Exchange step up and fill this demand. We believe this will be a popular product, and I personally can't wait to trade it myself." The Small Exchange started trading in May of 2020, and, as of May 17, has 21 partners including some of the world's largest trading firms and market markets. It has launched eight products covering everything from stocks and bonds to commodities and currencies and traded more than $2.4 billion in notional value. To learn more about the Small Exchange's offering, visit www.thesmallexchange.com.

About Small Exchange: Based in Chicago, the Small Exchange - backed by award-winning industry innovators and powered by a proprietary trade matching engine - is a registered Designated Contract Market ( DCM (News - Alert) ) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The Small Exchange's mission is to become the world's largest customer-centric futures exchange, bringing products that bridge the product gap for investors of all sizes by providing futures products that are smaller, more capital efficient, simple to use, and easy to understand for all participants. The company will facilitate the trading of exchange-created proprietary products for all types of market participants including, but not limited to market-makers/liquidity providers, Introducing Brokers (IBs), Futures Commission Merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading firms and hedge funds, all with a primary focus on the public retail customer. Please visit www.thesmallexchange.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005670/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Service Above Self Defined Installation Tells Story of Pandemic Crisis Through Eyes of F&M Bank Employees

Farmers & Merchants Bank (F&M Bank) (OTCQB: FMBL) is hosting a pandemic-related artistic display, Service Above Self Defined, in the lobby of its Orange County headquarters at 4695 MacArthur Court in Newport Beach through May 21st. The installation includes 16 empty take-out containers on a desk, each representing 1,000 meals (16,000 total) consumed by F&M employees while they worked long nights, weekends and holidays, away from their families, processing PPP loans; a stack of 4,200 papers on a desk, representing the number of PPP loans processed by F&M Bank last year; and 83 aprons across 8 garment racks, each representing 1,000 local jobs (83,267 total) saved by F&M's PPP efforts. When California issued a mandatory stay-at-home order in March of 2020, banks were exempted as providers of essential services. While not first responders, bankers are frontline workers who provide an essential service to people: access to their money. F&M's Service Above Self Defined tells this story through the eyes of its employees. F&M Bank did not close any locations or reduce office hurs, and communication to clients increased regarding the safety and cleanliness of branches and alternative ways to bank.



When the SBA launched the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), 179 F&M employees processed PPP loan applications and implemented new technology to make the application and forgiveness process simple and efficient for clients. Often going to clients' homes and places of business to obtain signatures and documents, F&M employees ensured clients that there was a real person who cared and was fighting for their business. During 2020, F&M Bank processed 4,198 loans for the first round of PPP, totaling $713 million, saving 83,267 local jobs. After obtaining PPP loans for clients, F&M employees quickly shifted to obtaining PPP loan forgiveness on behalf of their clients. Today, 88% of F&M's PPP borrowers have applied for loan forgiveness. By comparison, the SBA has received 63% of forgiveness applications as of May 10, 2021. $425 million of forgiveness funds have been received by F&M Bank as of May 13, 2021, and 99.9% of F&M's forgiveness applicants are applying for and receiving full loan forgiveness.

"Difficult times bring out the best in people," said Daniel K. Walker, F&M Bank Chairman and CEO. "We are extremely proud of the outstanding job the entire F&M Bank team has shown, with tremendous resiliency to keep our clients safe and provide the service and attention they have come to expect." About Farmers & Merchants Bank Founded in Long Beach in 1907 by C.J. Walker, Farmers & Merchants Bank provides white-glove service to clients at 25 branches across Orange (News - Alert) County, Long Beach, the South Bay and Santa Barbara, as well as through its Online and Mobile Banking platforms. The Bank offers commercial and small business banking, business loan programs, home loans, and consumer banking products, including checking, savings and youth accounts. Farmers & Merchants Bank is a California state-chartered bank with deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Member FDIC) and an Equal Housing Lender. For more information about F&M, please visit the Bank's website, www.fmb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005112/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Accion Labs and Company.com enter strategic partnership to Enhance Digital Experience Platform Offerings

PITTSBURGH, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Accion Labs and Company.com LLC have entered into a strategic partnership resulting in the ability to deliver a scalable, turnkey Digital Experience Platform (DXP) solution for accelerating digital transformation. "With DXP, we have an end-to-end digital transformation practice that can shave months or years off of a DX timeline." Pursuant to the agreement, Accion Labs ("Accion"), an innovation engineering company specializing in emerging technologies and digital transformation, will be designated as a preferred partner in the implementation and customization of the Company.com DXP to all current and future clients. To support this role, Accion will have direct access to developer resources and support from the Company.com team in bringing implementations to market for its customers. The resulting center of excellence will make the Company.com DXP the solution of choice for Accion's international digital transformation practice spanning 22 countries and supported by more than 3000 employees. "As we continue to focus on providing speed to market for our customers, the Company.com DXP provides a means of accelerating digital transformation, creating connected experiences without re-engineering legacy tech stacks. With the Company.com DXP, we have an end-to-end digital transformation practice that can shave months or years off of a DX timeline. A platform such as DXP has become even more relevant in the current post-pandemic world," said Kinesh Doshi, Founder & CEO of Accio Labs.



"We couldn't be more excited about this partnership," said Bill Wade, founder and CEO of Company.com. "Accion's global footprint and broad expertise makes them an ideal partner for enterprise implementations. Add their years of experience developing on our platform, and we have a match made in heaven." This partnership will also allow Company.com to instantly bring the scale and expertise of a blue-chip engineering partner to their enterprise clients and prospects.

"Our teams have been working closely together for several years now, and no group of engineers knows our platform, or has earned our respect, more than our friends at Accion," said David Kramer, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product at Company.com. "Operationally, this allows us to focus on building out our platform, with the peace of mind of knowing that we have delivery experts standing by for implementations of all sizes." Accion President Anand Raja expressed similar optimism. "We expect our current customers and prospects to be very excited about this new capability. By leveraging the DXP Platform, we can offer greatly increased speed to market, lower cost, and in the long run, much lower total cost of ownership." The Company.com DXP has been field-tested in multiple engagements and several additional engagements are underway or planned, with joint development efforts to begin immediately. About Accion Labs Accion Labs, founded in 2011, is a Pittsburgh-headquartered global technology firm specializing in working with technology firms and IT organizations in the emerging technologies such as Rich Internet Applications, Service-Oriented Architecture, SaaS, Cloud, Open-Source, BI/DW, Mobility, Automation, DevOps and Big Data. Spread over 12 global offices, Accion has an engineering headcount of more than 2,250 employees. Accion clients include software product firms, e-SaaS firms, e-commerce organizations and e-business organizations. Accion engages with its clients in a range of collaborative, white-box engagement models that include extended teams, turn-key projects and professional staffing. Accion specializes in building new products and re-engineering legacy products to leverage emerging technologies and best practices. Led by an entrepreneurial management team that believes in execution, outcome and continuous learning, Accion Labs has been recognized as one of Pittsburgh's fastest growing companies by the Pittsburgh Business Times and one of America's fastest growing companies by Inc. magazine. For more information, please visit www.accionlabs.com. About Company.com Founded in 2008, Company.com offers a unique Digital Experience Platform (DXP) that specializes in reducing time-to-value of integration, modernization and digital transformation initiatives. By building connected experiences that are technology-agnostic via micro-architecture and developer-friendly tools, the Company.com DXP allows businesses to deliver the value of a modern digital platform regardless of the challenges they face with their legacy infrastructure. Implementation use-cases include B2B ecommerce; customer and partner portals; intranets; headless APIs; and more. For more information on Company.com, please visit www.company.com or email media@company.com. Contact:

Amy Halter

amy.halter@accionlabs.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/accion-labs-and-companycom-enter-strategic-partnership-to-enhance-digital-experience-platform-offerings-301292647.html SOURCE Accion Labs US, Inc.

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[May 17, 2021] Axis Security Named An Editor's Choice Winner of the Coveted Global InfoSec Awards during RSA Conference 2021

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Axis Security, the leader in Zero Trust Network Access, is proud to announce winning the Editor's Choice in SaaS/Cloud Security award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information security magazine. "We're thrilled to receive this recognition from Cyber Defense Magazine. This award further validates the innovation behind our SaaS solution and the rapid growth and adoption we are seeing as Axis Security sets the standard for Zero Trust Network Access," said Dor Knafo, co-founder and CEO of Axis Security. "We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cyber crime. Axis Security is absolutely worthy of this [these] coveted award[s] and consideration for deployment in your environment," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. We're thrilled to be a member on this coveted group of winners, located here: http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/ Please join us virtually at the #RSAC RSA Conference 2021, https://www.rsaconference.com/usa today, as we share our red carpet experience and proudly display our trophy online at our website, our blog and our social media channels



About Axis Security

Axis Security's Application Access Cloud is a purpose-built cloud-based solution that makes application access amazingly simple. Built on a zero-trust approach, the solution offers a new agentless model that delivers the easiest and safest way to connect users anywhere on any device, to enterprise apps, without ever touching the network or the apps themselves. Axis Security is a privately-held company backed by Spark Capital, Canaan Partners, Ten Eleven Ventures and Cyberstarts. It is headquartered in San Mateo, California with research and development in Tel Aviv, Israel. For more information, visit www.axissecurity.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com

About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/axis-security-named-an-editors-choice-winner-of-the-coveted-global-infosec-awards-during-rsa-conference-2021-301292686.html SOURCE Axis Security

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[May 17, 2021] Mission Secure Named Winner of the Coveted Global InfoSec Awards during RSA Conference 2021

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Secure is proud to announce we have won the following award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information security magazine: HOT COMPANY IN ICS/SCADA SECURITY "We're thrilled to receive one of the most prestigious and coveted cybersecurity awards in the world from Cyber Defense Magazine. We knew the competition would be tough and with top judges who are leading infosec experts from around the globe, we couldn't be more pleased," said John Adams, CEO, Mission Secure. "We scoured the globe looking for ICS/SCADA cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in operational technology (OT) cyber crime. Mission Secure is absolutely worthy of this coveted award and also consideration for deployment in your OT/ICS/SCADA environment," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. We're thrilled to be a member of this coveted group of winners, located here: http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/. Please join us virtually at the RSA Conference 2021, https://www.rsaconference.com/usa today, as we share our experience and proudly display our trophy online at our website, our blog and our social media channels. About Mission Secure:

Mission Secure, an OT cybersecurity leader, is setting a new standard in OT cyber-protection stopping OT cyber threats head-on. The Mission Secure Platform backed by 24/7 Managed Services is the first to seamlessly integrate OT visibility, segmentation, protection, threat hunting, and incident response delivering military strength, industrial grade OT protection. With Mission Secure, customers keep critical operations up and running and safe from harm. Learn more at https://www.missionsecure.com. Blog LinkedIn Twitter



About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com. About the Judging

The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking "What's Next?" so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions.

About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power. Mission Secure Media Contact:

Roslyn Sakaguchi

309920@email4pr.com

832.925.8748 x 305 CDM Media Inquiries:

Contact: April Palanca, Director of Marketing

Email: marketing@cyberdefensemagazine.com

Toll Free (USA): 1-833-844-9468

International: 1-646-586-9545

Website: www.cyberdefensemagazine.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mission-secure-named-winner-of-the-coveted-global-infosec-awards-during-rsa-conference-2021-301292060.html SOURCE Mission Secure, Inc.

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Long working hours led to 745 000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization.

In a first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours published in Environment International today, WHO and ILO estimate that, in 2016, 398 000 people died from stroke and 347 000 from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week.

Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased by 42%, and from stroke by 19%.

This work-related disease burden is particularly significant in men (72% of deaths occurred among males), people living in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, and middle-aged or older workers.

Most of the deaths recorded were among people dying aged 60-79 years, who had worked for 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74 years.

With working long hours now known to be responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease, it is established as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden. This shifts thinking towards a relatively new and more psychosocial occupational risk factor to human health.

The study concludes that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week.

Further, the number of people working long hours is increasing, and currently stands at 9% of the total population globally. This trend puts even more people at risk of work-related disability and early death.

The new analysis comes as the Covid-19 pandemic shines a spotlight on managing working hours; the pandemic is accelerating developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time.

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours. No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers.

Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard, added Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization. Its time that we all, governments, employers, and employees wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death.

Governments, employers and workers can take the following actions to protect workers health:

Governments can introduce, implement and enforce laws, regulations and policies that ban mandatory overtime and ensure maximum limits on working time;

Bipartite or collective bargaining agreements between employers and workers associations can arrange working time to be more flexible, while at the same time agreeing on a maximum number of working hours;

Employees could share working hours to ensure that numbers of hours worked do not climb above 55 or more per week. -- TradeArabia News Service
TrueFort Wins Global InfoSec Award at RSA Conference 2021

TrueFort, the application and cloud workload protection company, today announced it has received the Global InfoSec Award from Cyber Defense Magazine for Cutting Edge Vendor in Cloud Workload Protection. In its ninth year, the Global InfoSec Awards recognizes innovative companies and products that provide a unique and compelling value proposition. Winners were selected by a panel of CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals.

"Being recognized as a leader and innovator in cloud workload protection by Cyber Defense Magazine at the RSA (News - Alert) Conference is a true honor," said Sameer Malhotra, co-founder and CEO of TrueFort. "Our unique zero trust and adaptive approach to security empowers companies to prevent, detect and respon to a wide range of cloud and application threats before they impact their business."







"TrueFort understands tomorrow's threats, today, and is helping turn the tide against cyber crime by innovating in unexpected ways to stop the next breach," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

TrueFort Fortress is an innovative, application-centric security solution that provides unparalleled visibility and protection for complex, dynamic, modern application workloads that span multi-cloud, hybrid and data centers. The platform automates self-protection of applications and the overall application environment, helping organizations avoid compromise, undetected lateral movement and data exfiltration.

About TrueFort

TrueFort powers zero trust application environments. We're a leader in application and cloud workload protection and the innovator of TrueFort Fortress, a real-time enterprise security platform that defends high-value cloud, hybrid, and legacy environments from hidden risks using a unique application-centric approach. TrueFort was founded by former IT executives from JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. For more information visit https://truefort.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005079/en/
[May 17, 2021] Cybersecurity Trailblazer Keyavi Data Wins Three Coveted Global InfoSec Awards During RSA Conference 2021

Keyavi Data Corp., a cybersecurity innovator whose game-changing technology is transforming the very nature of the data security industry, announced today at RSA's 2021 virtual conference that it swept three prestigious Cyber Defense Magazine Global InfoSec Awards categories: Cybersecurity Startup of the Year, Hot Company in Data Security and Self-Protecting Data Security. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005548/en/ The magazine's 9th annual awards recognize global infosec companies at the forefront of security technology innovation. Keyavi was honored for creating breakthrough, one-of-a-kind technology that infuses every piece of data with self-protection, intelligence and self-awareness by embedding multilayered security into the actual data itself. It is the only company in the world to have not only reached, but surpassed, a previously unattainable goal for universal data security. Under development for years before launching last year, the company's API platform and a full suite of applications riding on that platform enable Keyavi-infused data to think for itself, secure itself, continually report its whereabouts and refuse access to unauthorized users. It also allows data to stay under its owner's control - forever - no matter who has it, where it's stored or how many copies were made. "The first reaction I usually get from IT professionals is an incredulous, 'You can't possibly have done this,'" said Elliot Lewis, CEO of Keyavi Data. "While it's one thing to encrypt data, it's a massive paradigm shift to make data itself enabled to be the centerpoint of all security. Up until now, the entire basis of the cybersecurity market is that 'data cannot protect itself.' Now it can. This is the panacea that the world has dreamed about for a long time. As a long-standing chief Information security officer (CISO) and chief cyber architect myself, this is the toolset I always needed. Now it's reality. And it changes everything! "I'd like to personally thank the Global InfoSec judges, on behalf of everyone at Keyavi, for recognizing the enormous, evolutionay step our technology represents for the entire cybersecurity industry in fighting cyber crime and enabling people to control their own data's destiny," Lewis added.



The judges - a panel of CISSP, FMDHS and CEH-certified security professionals - based their independent votes on the relevancy, ingenuity and potential global impact of all entries. "We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the massive growth in cyber crime," said Gary S. Miliefsky, publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. "Keyavi Data embodies three major characteristics judges look for in winners: understanding tomorrow's threats today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach. Keyavi Data is absolutely worthy of these three prestigious awards," he added.

To learn more about Keyavi's revolutionary technology, visit https://keyavidata.com/our-technology/. About Keyavi Data Corp. Headquartered in Denver, Keyavi Data's transformative cybersecurity technology makes any type of data self-protecting by infusing multilayered protections into the actual data itself. This innovative technology - now available as an API, client software product, mobile apps and web client - makes data intelligent and self-aware of where it is, who has it and what device it is on to determine whether it is authorized by its owner at that time to allow access. Launched in 2020, Keyavi already has multiple families of patents. For companies and the public sector that need to control confidential and intellectual property from accidental loss or a cyber attack, Keyavi's easy-to-use yet robust security delivers the ultimate peace of mind. In today's growing locations of disparate workforces and partner ecosystems, Keyavi plays a critical role in making data leaks and breaches irrelevant. Follow Keyavi on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter using the @KeyaviData handle and hashtags #Keyavi #CybersecResilience. Keyavi Data is a trademark of Keyavi Data Corp. All rights reserved. About Cyber Defense Magazine With over 5 million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA (News - Alert) Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com, visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Note to Editors: A video of Keyavi CEO Elliot Lewis thanking Cyber Defense magazine judges is available for download from Keyavi's YouTube channel. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005548/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Omada Named Winner of the Coveted Global InfoSec Awards During RSA Conference 2021

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Omada A/S ("Omada"), a global leader of Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), has won the following award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information security magazine: Publisher's Choice in Identity & Access Management. Omada was recognized for Omada Identity Cloud, a SaaS solution for modern identity governance and administration (IGA). Omada Identity Cloud meets the needs of businesses worldwide for secure, compliant and efficient administration of all users', employees', partners' customers' and contractors' access across systems and applications. Omada Identity Cloud is a full-featured solution that offers the same IGA capabilities that are available on-premises with the highest governance and audit standards in the industry. Michael Garrett, CEO, Omada, said: "We're thrilled to receive one of the most prestigious and coveted cybersecurity awards in the world from Cyber Defense Magazine. We knew the competition would be tough and with top judges who are leading infosec experts from around the globe, we couldn't be more delighted." Gary S. Miliefsky, publisher, Cyber Defense Magazine, said: "We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cyber crime. Omada is absolutely worthy of this coveted award and consideration for deployment in your environment." Omada is thrilled to be a member of this coveted group of winners, located here: http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com. Please join the company virtually at the #RSAC RSA Conference 2021 today as the company shares its red carpet experience and proudly displays its trophy online. https://www.rsaconference.com/usa



About Omada

Omada, a global market leader in Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), offers a full-featured, enterprise-grade, cloud native IGA solution that enables organizations to achieve compliance, reduce risk, and maximize efficiency. Founded in 2000, Omada delivers innovative identity management to complex hybrid environments based on our proven best practice process framework and deployment approach.?For more information, go to omada.net . About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com

About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over five million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at Cyber Defense Magazine and visit Cyber Defense TV and Cyber Defense Radio to see and hear some of the most information interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at Cyber Defense Webinars and realize that infosec knowledge is power. Media Contact:?

Corey Eldridge

831-440-2414

corey.eldridge@nadelphelan.com CDM Media Inquiries:

Contact: April Palanca, Director of Marketing

Email: marketing@cyberdefensemagazine.com

Toll Free (USA): 1-833-844-9468

International: 1-646-586-9545

Website: www.cyberdefensemagazine.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omada-named-winner-of-the-coveted-global-infosec-awards-during-rsa-conference-2021-301292691.html SOURCE Omada

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[May 17, 2021] Coviant Software Diplomat MFT Wins Coveted Global InfoSec Award During RSA Conference 2021

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Coviant Software, the San Antonio developer of secure, managed file transfer (MFT) technology, was named winner of the Next-Gen in IT Automation and Cybersecurity Award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information security magazine: "The security of sensitive and regulated data, and especially of data that is transferred between organizations and across borders, is a top priority for businesses of every size and description. To be named a winner in the next-gen in IT automation and cybersecurity category by Cyber Defense Magazine affirms our essential role in an effective data management strategy," said Gregory Hoffer, CEO, Coviant Software. "Coviant Software's Diplomat MFT platform embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow's threats, today; providing a cost-effective solution; and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. A complete list of 9th Annual Global InfoSec Award winners can be found here.



Coviant Software makes the award-winning secure, managed file transfer platform Diplomat MFT, recognized as the industry's value-leader. Diplomat MFT is a cross-platform software solution that runs on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid deployment. Diplomat MFT takes less than an hour for customers to install and configure for their first automated file transfer. If you are interested in obtaining a free license for Diplomat MFT, you can visit us at www.coviantsoftware.com/contact, send an email to info@coviantsoftware.com, or call us at 781-210-3310 x100. About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com

Contact:

Mike Spinney

309984@email4pr.com

978 660 4053 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/coviant-software-diplomat-mft-wins-coveted-global-infosec-award-during-rsa-conference-2021-301292061.html SOURCE Coviant Software

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[May 17, 2021] Western National chooses Milliman Datalytics-Defense as legal spend management solution, launching them to the forefront of AI for claims

SEATTLE, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Milliman, Inc., the premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today announced that Western National Insurance has chosen Milliman Datalytics-Defense as its platform for processing its defense cost invoices. Datalytics-Defense employs powerful data mining algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to help insurers detect patterns in attorney billing practices, delivering better understanding of both costs and defense strategies. "When we decided to re-evaluate our e-billing needs, we wanted to find a solution that did more than simply audit our invoices. We wanted a solution that was going to provide greater insights into our legal spend, and we believe we found that in Datalytics," says John Buckley, SVP of Claims at Western National. Milliman Datalytics-Defense provides real-time, actionable intelligence through responsive reporting dashboards that are built upon a robust data warehouse. The web-based tool is available on a subscription basis and can perform peer comparisons, allowing insurers to credibly benchmark their defense costs. The tool's predictive analytic engine helps insurers develop best practices of claims defense. "Leading companies like Western National recognize the importance of implementing cutting-edge technology to effectively mitigate risk and lower claimsdefense costs," says Chad C. Karls, Milliman principal and consulting actuary. "Western National has a reputation as a forward-thinking organization and understands how using a tool like Datalytics-Defense will launch them to the forefront of AI for claims."



To learn more about Milliman Datalytics-Defense, go to milliman.com/datalytics About Milliman

Milliman is among the world's largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services, and employee benefits. Founded in 1947, Milliman is an independent firm with offices in major cities around the globe. For further information, visit milliman.com.

About Western National

Western National Insurance Group is a private mutual insurance company with 115 years of experience serving policyholders' property-and-casualty insurance needs. From our roots as a St. Paul-based fire insurance company for Minnesota's creameries and cheese factories to our current role as a super-regional insurance company for individuals, families, and businesses all over the Midwestern, Northwestern, and Southwestern United States, our company has always defined success as a measure of the relationships we've built over time. We believe it's this commitment to relationships that explains our stability and growth over the past century, and that will help us continue to grow in the years to come. For more information, visit www.wnins.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/western-national-chooses-milliman-datalytics-defense-as-legal-spend-management-solution-launching-them-to-the-forefront-of-ai-for-claims-301292694.html SOURCE Milliman, Inc.

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[May 17, 2021] Helix Enters Into Defintive Agreement With UK Digital Asset Brokerage Company, GlobalBlock Limited, To Complete Business Combination

TSX-V Symbol: HELX TORONTO, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Helix Applications Inc. (TSXV: HELX) (the "Company" or "Helix") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding definitive share exchange agreement dated May 15, 2021 (the "Definitive Agreement") with GlobalBlock Limited ("GlobalBlock"), to provide for the completion of a business combination with the Company (the "Transaction"), as more particularly described below. The combined entity (the "Resulting Company") will continue the business of GlobalBlock, being an established UK based digital asset broker providing trading services via its dedicated digital asset trading platform, its mobile app and on the telephone to individuals and institutions. Rufus Round, Helix CEO said: "Helix continues to build momentum in blockchain technology and digital assets. Having successfully signed the definitive agreement with GlobalBlock, we are excited about our future growth. GlobalBlock has a highly experienced team with proven track records of building profitable financial and investment businesses. I look forward to working with them in building a successful business." David Thomas, Co-Founder of GlobalBlock said: "Ever since we established GlobalBlock in 2018 we have been serving individuals and businesses with a secure platform to trade cryptocurrencies via our personalized telephone service, digital asset trading platform and mobile app. We believe that we are still at the beginning of the evolution of the digital asset industry. With our already established brokerage business and this business combination with Helix, we are very well placed to capitalize on a rapidly growing sector." The Transaction is subject to a number of terms and conditions as set forth in the Definitive Agreement, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). If complete, the Transaction will constitute a "Fundamental Acquisition" transaction pursuant to Policy 5.3  Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets of the Exchange. About GlobalBlock and its Business GlobalBlock is a UK based digital asset broker that provides a personalised telephone broking service, dedicated digital asset trading platform and mobile app. Established in 2018 by an experienced team of financial services professionals, GlobalBlock acts as a trusted agent serving the cryptocurrency needs of individuals, corporates, institutional financial firms and intermediaries, providing best execution trading and safe custody of digital assets. GlobalBlock has obtained temporary registration under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLRs) as a digital asset firm, pending the determination of its formal application by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom. Selected financial information for GlobalBlock is as follows: (i) as at February 28, 2021, GlobalBlock had assets of 9,893,547 (of which 8,612,498 is comprised of cryptocurrencies held for clients) and liabilities of 9,630,006 (of which 9,467,412 represents amounts due to clients in respect of their trades); and (ii) for the period from March 31, 2020 to February 28, 2021, GlobalBlock had revenues of 869,550, cost of services and expenses of 416,610 and a profit of 404,024. The Transaction Pursuant to the Definitive Agreement, the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of GlobalBlock from its four (4) shareholders in exchange for an aggregate of 48,450,000 common shares of Helix at the closing of the Transaction. Upon completion of the Transaction, GlobalBlock will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Helix. In addition, subject to Exchange approval, the Company will issue 2,550,000 common shares as finders fees. Upon completion of the Transaction, it is expected that the Resulting Company will have 104,648,741 common shares issued and outstanding, approximately 51.27% of which will be held by current Helix shareholders. The aggregate deemed consideration for the Transaction is CAD$55.233 million (based on the price of CAD$1.14 per share, being the last closing price of the common shares of the Company prior to the announcement of the Transaction, and not taking into account the finders fees shares). The Transaction is conditional upon, among other things:







(i) the confirmation of representations and warranties of each of the Company and GlobalBlock as set out in the Definitive Agreement being true and correct at the closing of the Transaction;



(ii) the absence of any material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), of the assets of each of the parties;



(iii) the parties receiving all requisite regulatory approval, including the approval of the Exchange; and



(iv) the parties obtaining requisite board approvals for the Transaction.

It has been agreed that the 48,450,000 common shares of the Company to be issued to the GlobalBlock shareholders will be deposited into a 24 month escrow, wherein 15% of those shares will be released from escrow six months after closing of the Transaction, and an additional 15% will be released every three months thereafter. The Transaction is an arm's length transaction, and it is not expected that Helix shareholder approval is required or that the Exchange will impose sponsorship requirements pursuant to the policies of the Exchange. About the Resulting Company Management The Company's current management is anticipated to remain in place as senior management of the Resulting Company, except that David Thomas, who is one of the shareholders of GlobalBlock, is to be appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the Resulting Company upon closing of the Transaction. At this time, the four shareholders of GlobalBlock, serve as management of GlobalBlock, and will continue to manage and operate GlobalBlock from the United Kingdom. The following is information on each of these individuals: David Thomas , Director and Co-Founder of GlobalBlock : Before founding London based digital asset broker GlobalBlock, David was a partner at the FCA regulated foreign exchange business GlobalReach Group, where he spent fourteen years and was responsible for the business's corporate and private client relationships, helping grow the business into a leader in the international payments space. In 2018, David co-founded GlobalBlock to serve the growing demands of both retail and institutional investors in trading, clearing, and settling cryptocurrency transactions.





: Before founding based digital asset broker GlobalBlock, David was a partner at the FCA regulated foreign exchange business GlobalReach Group, where he spent fourteen years and was responsible for the business's corporate and private client relationships, helping grow the business into a leader in the international payments space. In 2018, David co-founded GlobalBlock to serve the growing demands of both retail and institutional investors in trading, clearing, and settling cryptocurrency transactions. Karl Thompson , Co-Founder of GlobalBlock : Karl has been in financial services for over twenty years, working in the equity trading and brokerage space. In 2012 Karl set up Peregrine & Black Capital, offering bespoke stockbroking services to professional and institutional clients. Karl went on to co-found Peregrine & Black Investment Management in 2015, offering discretionary investment management services to individuals, trusts and charities and later P&B Wealth, a full financial advice firm. The Peregrine & Black Group has offices in London and Bermuda and is correspondingly regulated by the FCA and BMA. Karl co-founded GlobalBlock in 2018 to meet the demands from clients looking to trade in digital assets.





: Karl has been in financial services for over twenty years, working in the equity trading and brokerage space. In 2012 Karl set up Peregrine & Black Capital, offering bespoke stockbroking services to professional and institutional clients. Karl went on to co-found Peregrine & Black Investment Management in 2015, offering discretionary investment management services to individuals, trusts and charities and later P&B Wealth, a full financial advice firm. The Peregrine & Black Group has offices in and and is correspondingly regulated by the FCA and BMA. Karl co-founded GlobalBlock in 2018 to meet the demands from clients looking to trade in digital assets. Patrick Bullman , Co-Founder of GlobalBlock : Patrick commenced his career as a broker at Tullett Prebon before moving to BGC Partners in 2009. In 2013 he established Peregrine & Black capital with co-founder Karl Thompson and then set up the firm's investment management arm. In 2018, he established GlobalBlock along with David Thomas and Karl Thompson .





Patrick commenced his career as a broker at Tullett Prebon before moving to BGC Partners in 2009. In 2013 he established Peregrine & Black capital with co-founder and then set up the firm's investment management arm. In 2018, he established GlobalBlock along with and . Tim Bullman , Director and Co-Founder of GlobalBlock : Tim Bullman co-founded GlobalBlock in 2018. Prior to that he founded institutional agency broker Mint Partners in 2005 and in his role as CEO guided it from a start up to revenues of over $100 million per annum with offices in London , New York , Paris and Dubai . His previous roles included Head of Sovereign Debt at ICAP, MD Europe at Investor Select Advisors fund of hedge fund group and Senior Managing Director at BGC Partners. Board of Directors Current directors of the Company, Rufus Round and Trevor Gabriel, are anticipated to remain in place as directors of the Resulting Company. It is anticipated that Jay Sujir will resign upon closing of the Transaction and be replaced by Stuart Olley. In addition, David Thomas will be added as a director of the Resulting Company. Stuart Olley : Stuart is a senior partner with the law firm Gowling WLG ( Canada ) LLP practicing in the Capital Markets, M&A and Private Equity groups in Calgary . Stuart is a past member of the Securities Advisory Council of the Alberta Securities Commission. He holds a master's degree in law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University (securities speciality), a LLB and MBA from the University of Alberta , and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Toronto . Stuart has been consistently identified by Canadian Legal Lexpert directory as a leading Canadian lawyer in the corporate mid market sector and by Best Lawyers as one of Canada's leading lawyers in Securities Law and Mining Law. Stuart has advised and served on the board of directors of various public companies and has extensive experience in corporate governance, public company finance and mergers and acquisitions. New Shareholder Insiders Upon closing of the Transaction, it is expected that each of David Thomas, Tim Bullman, Karl Thompson and Patrick Bullman will hold 12,112,500 common shares of the Resulting Company, each of which represent approximately 11.57% of the outstanding common shares of the Resulting Company. Proposed Name Change The Company will this week issue a notice of meeting to hold a shareholder meeting, wherein shareholders of the Company will be asked to approve a name change for Helix to "GlobalBlock Digital Ltd.", or such other name as the parties may reasonably agree upon. Trading Halt Trading in the common shares of the Company are currently halted. While there is no certainty that the common shares of the Company will resume trading until the Transaction is completed and approved by the Exchange, the Exchange may allow trading to resume after it has reviewed initial filings by the Company with respect to the Transaction. Other Information The Company has provided a 750,000 loan facility to GlobalBlock. Please see the Company's April 12, 2021 press release for additional information. The Company will issue additional press releases related to lifting of the trading halt, the completion of the Transaction and other material information as it becomes available. ABOUT HELIX Helix is a blockchain application and technologies developer, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX Venture: HELX). Investors are cautioned that there can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed, or at all. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain information set out in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements or information. Forward looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements in respect of among other things, the ability to obtain regulatory approval (including TSX Venture Exchange approval) for the Transaction, the ability of the parties to complete the Transaction, the ability to receive shareholder and other regulatory approvals to change the name of the Company, the continued and successful development of the businesses of each of Helix and GlobalBlock, the ability of GlobalBlock to obtain the applicable regulatory approvals (including permanent registration with the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom) to continue to conduct its business, and other information concerning the intentions, plans, future action and future successes of the Company, and GlobalBlock and the Resulting Company and their businesses, technologies and products described herein. Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements and, in certain cases, information provided or disseminated by third parties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, and that information obtained from third party sources is reliable, they can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements included in this document, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risk factors set forth in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis, a copy of which is filed on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com , and readers are cautioned that the risk factors disclosed therein should not be construed as exhaustive. These statements are made as at the date hereof and unless otherwise required by law, the Company does not intend, or assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Helix Applications Inc.

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[May 17, 2021] Swift Shield Foldable Origami Ballistic Shield Now Available in Compact Version that Weighs Less Than 5 lbs.

AEGIX Global and ATCS today introduced a new compact version of the award-winning Swift (News - Alert) Shield at the Western States Sheriff's Association (WSSA) Annual Conference. Manufactured by ATCS (Advanced Technology Compliant Solutions), Swift Shied Compact is a lighter-weight and smaller version of the patent-pending, origami-inspired foldable ballistic shield. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and departments may now order the original Pro version and new Compact version of Swift Shield. Swift Shield has been designed so every officer and every vehicle can have immediately available increased protection. Both versions of the shield will be on display this week during the WSSA Annual Conference at the Peppermill Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV at the AEGIX booth #420; see more at https://www.aegixglobal.com/shield. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005785/en/ Swift Shield Foldable Origami Ballistic Shiel is now available in Compact Version that weighs less than five lbs. and folds down to the size of a notebook computer. Now every officer can have the protection of an easily deployable ballistic shield right by their side. (Photo: Business Wire)



The award-winning Swift Shield Pro, which only weighs 8.1 lbs. (3.6 kg), has enabled law enforcement officers around the country to drop their many-times heavier and bulkier traditional ballistic shields for this light-weight alternative. The new Swift Shield Compact version is about 80 percent the size of the original Pro version and weighs only 4.8 lbs. (2.1 kg). It is only 3/8" thick, yet when fully deployed still provides 3.1 square-feet of NIJ level IIIa (NIJ-STD-0108.01) ballistic protection, which means it is certified to stop traditional pistol rounds such as 9mm, 40cal, 45cal and 357magnum.

When folded down to carry or store, the Swift Shield Compact version is only 9.2" x 14.8", which is about the same length and width as a notebook computer. This makes it even easier to store within arm's reach in a vehicle, backpack, duffle bag or briefcase. "Because Swift Shield Compact is so lightweight, it gives agents and officers more practical and effective protection in more tactical situations than ever," said Chet Linton, CEO of AEGIX Global. "This new version can be stowed more easily than even the original version. Because of its light weight, it can be carried and used for extended periods of time-on foot pursuits for example-and can easily be held above the head in scenarios where protection from above is needed such as when climbing hills or staircases." Swift Shield Compact employs the same unique origami folding design as the Pro version and provides new levels of personal protection to professionals in law enforcement, military/defense, and corporate security. "When we first introduced Swift Shield, many officers called it a game-changer because of its use of advanced materials coupled with its lightweight and foldable nature," said William Benz, CEO of ATCS. "Since that time, we have had additional feedback and requests for a slightly smaller version that could be more readily used by those on bicycle, horseback or motorcycle patrol. Those officers do not have the added benefit of a cruiser vehicle to use as a barrier when they are in the line of duty facing life-threatening situations involving firearms. Our Swift Shield Compact helps provide protection to all those officers when and where they need it." To order, visit https://www.aegixglobal.com/shield. About ATCS ATCS (Advanced Technology Compliant Solutions) is headquartered in Utah, and its core mission is to develop innovative ballistic products that help save lives. The experts at ATCS leverage advanced materials technologies, state-of-the-art product designs, and leading-edge manufacturing techniques to bring to market the first truly breakthrough products for personal body protection in decades. For more, please visit https://atcompliantsolutions.com/. About AEGIX Global, LLC AEGIX is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is focused on making a positive global impact by providing mission-specific resources, leading technology, equipment and practical and tactical training to those who are first on scene, in combat or gathering intelligence. These resources, products and services result in safeguarding lives, enabling justice and improving communities. AEGIX serves local, tribal, state and federal law enforcement departments and agencies, humanitarian groups, militaries, NATO and major non-NATO allied governments worldwide. For more, please visit https://aegixglobal.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005785/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Weave Unveils New Features to Help Small Businesses Streamline Customer Onboarding

LEHI, Utah, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Weave, the all-in-one customer communications platform for small business, announced the launch of two products to make it easier and faster for businesses to add new customers. Digital Forms and Web Assistant are available today to new and existing Weave customers. The new features simplify the way small businesses can schedule appointments and collect necessary information  making the journey from the first conversation to the first appointment a modern experience for the office and their customer. "Whenever small businesses can make it easier and faster for a potential customer to take the first step into their business, it's a better experience all around," said Weave CEO Roy Banks. "Features like Digital Forms and Web Assistant revolutionize how small businesses bring on new customers and give them a huge advantage against their competitors by offering personalized and technology-driven experiences." Digital Forms are fully customizable, paperless forms that can be completed by customers and patients at their convenience and on their device of choice, modernizing small business operations whilecreating a better customer experience. Forms are easy to build and create, and the business owner and staff can monitor whether forms have been completed and follow up with patients and customers via text or email.



Web Assistant brings a unique and pain-free alternative to web chat into the Weave unified communications ecosystem and helps new and existing customers schedule appointments or get personalized responses to quick questions, even when the office is busy or closed for the day. Requesting an appointment is easy for the customer, and they don't have to worry about waiting at their desktop with a tab open for a response or getting an impersonal chatbot answer. Weave's Text Connect tool collects a name and phone number from the customer and creates an SMS conversation thread, allowing the busy customer and business owner to chat asynchronously and at their convenience. Customers can close their window and move on to their next to-do list item knowing they'll get an actual response from a real human directly to their phone. Web Assistant and Digital Forms are not the first new features added to Weave's all-in-one communication platform in 2021. Earlier in the year, Weave expanded its services to multi-office small businesses with the launch of Unify, allowing growing businesses to provide meaningful customer interactions across multiple locations, while streamlining internal operations and staffing.

Weave's focus on supporting small business growth takes center stage this week at the free digital Business Growth Summit on May 19, where businesses can gather unique insights on how to attract new customers from comedian and actor Ken Jeong, YouTube phenom Lindsey Stirling and Weave CEO Roy Banks. To learn more about Weave's newest products, business owners can schedule a demo at getweave.com . About Weave

Weave is the all-in-one customer communications platform for small business. From the first phone call to the final invoice and every touchpoint in between, Weave connects the entire customer journey. Weave's software solutions transform how local businesses attract, communicate with and engage customers to grow their business. The first Utah company to join Y Combinator, Weave has set the bar for Utah startup achievement & work culture. In the past year, Weave has been included in the Forbes Cloud 100, Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in America, and Glassdoor Best Places to Work. To learn more, visit www.getweave.com/newsroom/ Contact:

Kali Geldis

Director of Communications, Weave

pr@getweave.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/weave-unveils-new-features-to-help-small-businesses-streamline-customer-onboarding-301292762.html SOURCE Weave

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[May 17, 2021] Clever Digital Marketing: Toronto's Full-Force Marketing Agency

Toronto, Canada, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clever Digital Marketing, co-founded by Daniel Rahmon and based in Toronto, Canada, specializes in Facebook and Google AdWords campaigns that lead to stronger brands, the retention of new clients, and increases in revenue. Their strategies are so effective that since 2020 alone, they have generated $8.9 million in sales through Google, Facebook, and Instagram as well as 22,000 leads for their clients. By focusing on a well-rounded, holistic approach to their clients marketing strategies, Clever Digital Marketing ensures that all bases are covered and that all clients have the tools necessary to succeed. By being committed to their clients success, Clever Digital Marketing ensures that their clients customer base grows rapidly and across different industries. One of the most important aspects of our business is our new customer onboarding series, explains Daniel Rahmon. He continues to express that before considering any new business that would like to incorporate a marketing system with s, we carefully analyze the industry and competitive landscape and deeply understand the client's goal for their campaign. Rahmon continues on to say that building out a timeline for the client, carefully documenting the comprehensive marketing plan, and setting expectations are some of the factors that I believe have contributed to the great retention of our clients and have definitely helped set us apart from our competitors.





Photo Available Here

With six years of experience in paid advertising, Clever Digital Marketing knows before the marketing campaign is implemented how to ensure it will be successful. That ability has led to profitable campaigns for some of the biggest names in retail, ecommerce, and service based businesses. By utilizing such a multifaceted approach, Clever Digital Marketing ensures that their clients marketing systems focus on understanding their direct client avatar and creating an omni presence for the brands that work with Clever Digital Marketing. Daniel Rahmon says, Here at CDM, we collaborate with our clients, respond quickly to inquiries, and provide excellent strategizing solutions. Most importantly, we are good listeners and take the time to understand our clients needs and visions. Clever Digital Marketing knows exactly how to lower the cost of Facebooks digital ads by implementing extensive testing that finds and targets every clients ideal audience, resulting in a higher number of leads and purchases for the clients business than they had experienced on their own. Clever Digital Marketings strategies also target audiences who are highly interested in the clients products and services as well as those who might be in the future, a strategy that maximizes the companys customer acquisition, retention, and revenue on an ongoing basis. Clever Digital Marketing has mastered the art of the retargeting segment in their system, ensuring that no lead or sale is lost after the initial interaction with the clients brand. We dont think of our clients as a standard customer service provider relationship; instead, we treat every one of our clients like partners and ensure the highest level of satisfaction and transparency through every interaction says Daniel Rahmon.

Daniel Rahmon from Clever Digital Marketing is offering a complimentary marketing audit to interested business owners: he will compare your digital presence to your competitors, understand your goals for the business, and be able to make direct suggestions about how a digital marketing strategy can be integrated into your business.

Contact:

Daniel Rahmon

Clever Digital Marketing

Digital@cleverdigitalmarketing.ca

Phone: 647-261-7983





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[May 17, 2021] Black & Veatch Management Consulting Names New Leaders to Accelerate Growth in Transactions and Infrastructure Modernization

As organizations around the globe work to modernize aging infrastructure, embrace decarbonization and adopt advanced technologies, Black & Veatch (News - Alert) Management Consulting, LLC, announces today that it has promoted three leaders to expand its strategic services for new and existing clients. Deepa Poduval has been named Vice President and Chris Klausner and M. Joe Zhou have each been named Associate Vice President in the management consulting business. These professional serve in key roles delivering financial, operations and technology consulting services across the power, water, oil & gas and communications sectors. These promotions come as clients across the globe plan, fund and modernize aging utility infrastructure; plan, execute and fund decarbonization strategies; and adopt and implement advanced operational technologies at accelerating rates. Black & Veatch management consulting leader services respond to the surging need to apply targeted solutions, including integrated strategy, transaction advisory, business operations, regulatory and technology solutions for the global power, water, oil and gas, telecommunications and other industries. "These three experts each have unique skill sets that expand our ability to deliver high-value full life cycle services to our clients," said Martin Travers, group president with Black & Veatch. "Backed by extensive consulting experience, these professionals enable our clients to achieve their business-critical goals." As Vice President, Poduval leads the company's Strategic Advisory practice. She provides executive management for transactions advisory, regulatory, financial advisory and energy market planning services for global clients spanning the electric, water, oil & gas, commercial and industrial (C&I) and financial sectors. She brings substantial finance, utility and energy industry knowledge, and is invested in supporting a strategic portfolio approach to progress decarbonization and sustainability.

Klausner, Associate Vice President, leads the Transactions Advisory practice and is responsible for execution and oversight of independent engineering assessments for project lenders, private equity investors, developers, energy companies, and other institutional investors pursuing infrastructure mergers and acquisitions and investments. He also provides market insights for Black & Veatch's Energy Market Perspective (EMP) 25-year market price forecast for North American energy markets.

As Associate Vice President, Zhou leads the Infrastructure Modernization and Connected Customer practices, which help drive the modernization of energy infrastructure through advanced asset management tools and strategies, operational technology management expertise, smart grid technologies and asset investment planning for utilities and large C&I clients. As a thought leader in advocating industry standards and best practices for grid modernization, Zhou brings extensive consulting and executive management experience to our clients. Zhou has led technology transformation efforts for more than 35 utilities across North America and worldwide.



Editor's Notes: Last month, Women Engineering magazine recognized Black & Veatch as a Top 50 employer for providing a positive working environment for women.

magazine recognized Black & Veatch as a Top 50 employer for providing a positive working environment for women. Earlier this year, Black & Veatch Management Consulting announced it was adding regulatory and strategic leaders Kristie Deiuliis and Ralph Zarumba to help expand its energy and infrastructure service offerings.

Download a headshot of Deepa Poduval, Chris Klausner and Joe Zhou. About Black & Veatch Management Consulting, LLC

Black & Veatch Management Consulting, LLC provides integrated strategy, transaction advisory, business operations, regulatory and technology solutions for the global power, water, oil and gas, telecommunications and non-traditional industries. Our highly experienced team of professional consultants bring together combined expertise in advanced analytics and practical business sense with extensive technology and engineering capabilities. We deliver solutions that work best for your transformation, program needs, organization, assets and customers. About Black & Veatch Black & Veatch is an employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2020 exceeded US$3.0 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005634/en/

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Vale, one of the worlds largest mining companies, situated at Sohar Port and Freezone, is celebrating this month, its tenth year of operations in Oman.



Vale launched the initial stages of its industrial complex at Sohar in April 2011, marking a high point in an era of big-ticket industrial investments. The project highlighted the Sultanate's strategic geopolitical location in the Middle East and the distinctive advantages of Sohar as a logistics hub and maritime gateway, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).



Sohar, a unique deep-water port in Oman, is one of the very few ports in the Middle East capable of receiving even Vale's Largest 'Valemax' Vessels, which have a 400,000-ton transportation capacity. In addition to making a sizable contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product, the venture has also delivered significant benefits in jobs, value addition opportunities, in-country value initiatives, and community development projects.



Vale's investment in Oman is a paradigm of the successful convergence of Vale's strategic goals, the Omani government (represented by OQ Company), and Sohar Port and Freezone.



Adriano Mansk, Vale Oman CEO, stated: Vales operations in Oman are a result of a dynamic partnership with OQ and Sohar. Thanks to these key partners, Vale is meeting and surpassing its operations and business targets. The Omani government is a strategic partner that has contributed to its success by facilitating a smooth transition into the country and allowing Vale to develop its business operations seamlessly. Besides that, SIPC has acted as an efficient and logistical partner helping to connect our maritime terminals in Brazil to customers in the region."



Over the course of 10 years, Vale has invested over $380 million with local companies during the project phase (2009-2011), which cost $2 Billion and more than $1.2 billion investments with local companies from 2012  2020 as part of supply chain development. In addition, it has invested over $10 million in sustainable and social responsibility projects between 2013 and 2020, as well as more than $85 million in ensuring environmentally friendly operations.






[May 17, 2021] Airport of the Future: Houston's Hobby Airport Uses Artificial Intelligence to Provide a Next Gen Travel Experience

With the help of next generation technology, passengers at William P. Hobby Airport HOU, will get an upgrade to their travel experience, which includes live journey and wait times for passenger and social distance monitoring. "We want our passengers to feel empowered by the technology we implement throughout their travel experience," Houston Airport Director IT Program Management Diego Parra said. "This technology not only helps passenger know what to expect at certain points in their journey, but it also provides us with valuable information to keep them safe. When we see a congested area that needs greater social distancing, we can respond." The technology is powered by advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning through LiveReach Media (LRM), a comprehensive motion analytics and digital out-of-home marketing platform. The motion analytics system integrates into Houston Airports existing technology infrastructure to measure passenger throughput and provide accurate live wait times at TSA and immigration checkpoints. Existing or new onitors can also display live journey times to restaurants and retail locations inside the airport.



"Airports, especially award-winning ones such as Houston, clearly see the need of becoming more data driven but widespread adoption of motion analytics has been limited due to the lack of scalability or the large upfront capital investment associated with traditional solutions. We've democratized analytics for all airports, large and small, with our single-click integration or our easy-to-deploy sensing options." - Abhi Jain, Co-Founder of LiveReach Media Airports across the United States, including Des Moines International and El Paso International, have selected LiveReach Media's system due to its premium performance and simple deployment and most recently, in April of 2021, LiveReach Media was selected by Philadelphia International to provide Queue Management and Content Management Services via a public bidding process.

"This is just the start," Parra said. "Houston Airports is looking to expand LiveReach Media's comprehensive analytics and advanced artificial intelligence to become the airport system of the future." About Houston Airports Houston Airports is the City of Houston's Department of Aviation. Comprised of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Airport (EFD) / Houston Spaceport, Houston Airports served nearly 25 million passengers in 2020 and nearly 60 million passengers in 2019. Houston Airports forms one of North America's largest public airport systems and positions Houston as the international passenger and cargo gateway to the South-Central United States and as a primary gateway to Latin America. Houston is proud to be the only city in the Western Hemisphere with two Skytrax rated 4-star airports. About LiveReach Media Trusted by large grocery chains, transportation hubs, and retail stores around the world, LiveReach Media's comprehensive motion analytics and digital out-of-home marketing platform helps venues operate more effectively, engage with their customers at scale, and create better and safer customer experiences. LiveReach Media is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with several offices globally. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005909/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Endace Honored with Four Global InfoSec Awards During RSA Conference 2021

Leading packet capture company Endace today announced that it had won the following four Global InfoSec Awards from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information security magazine: Most Innovative in Incident Response

Next-Gen in Network Security and Management

Market Leader in Packet Capture Platform

Next-Gen in Security Investigation Platform "The Global InfoSec Awards are a sound validation of Endace's innovation and leadership in packet capture and cybersecurity," said Stuart Wilson, CEO of Endace. "We appreciate that the judges, all global infosec experts, have recognized the EndaceProbe Analytics Platform and enterprise-class packet capture as a key element in next-generation security architecture - delivering reliable forensics for security investigations, threat hunting or network performance issues." "Endace embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow's threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. Join Endace by first registering for #RSAC and then visiting our booth at RSA (News - Alert) Conference 2021 Marketplace by clicking here. About Endace

Endace specializes in hgh-speed, scalable packet capture for cybersecurity, network and application performance. The open EndaceProbe Analytics Platform lets customers record a 100% accurate history of activity on their network and can host network security and performance monitoring tools that need to analyze real-time or historical traffic. Endace's Fusion Partners provide pre-built integration with the EndaceProbe platform to accelerate and streamline incident investigation and resolution.



For more information see www.endace.com or follow Endace on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives. Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005925/en/

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[May 17, 2021] Dubber launches 12 next-generation Unified Call Recording Solutions

Answers global demand for unified call recording and voice intelligence across any communications end-point with the world's most comprehensive and advanced product family

Creates seamless ability to enrich any conversation with AI and share with business applications

Simple, easy to deploy, flexible monthly and annual plans

New solutions designed specifically for compliance managers and teams MELBOURNE, Australia, and DALLAS, May 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dubber Corporation Limited (ASX: DUB) (Dubber), today announced 12 new products and solutions, more than tripling its industry-leading voice intelligence offerings for service and solution providers, business and government. The new solutions are available today directly from Dubber on eligible networks and solutions. Dubber's existing solutions, CallDub and DubAI continue to be offered across all networks. "Unified Call Recording is critical to achieving the compliance, revenue, and customer insights demanded by business and government today," said James Slaney, COO, Dubber. "More than 80% of crucial conversations with customers and employees take place using voice. Not having access to accurate, compliant records in real-time puts leaders at a serious disadvantage. Dubber addresses that by unlocking the insights in every conversation." "Dubber continues to transform the economics of call recording and voice data," said Matthew Townend, Executive Director, Cavell - a leading industry analyst firm. "The benefits of voice intelligence as a service are clear - both to the service providers that will build differentiation through offering it and to businesses and governments that will deploy it to address critical business needs." Three new core Dubber solutions At the heart of today's announcement are three new core solutions. They give business and government customers flexible, affordable options so that users or teams can capture and use voice intelligence - from recordings to transcriptions to sentiment analysis.



Dubber You delivers Unified Call Recording where individuals need to record, store and review crucial conversations. Dubber You automates the recording of calls, meetings and video without the need for hardware or software and comes with unlimited lifetime storage. Plans start at USD $14.95 per month per recording endpoint.

delivers Unified Call Recording where individuals need to record, store and review crucial conversations. Dubber You automates the recording of calls, meetings and video without the need for hardware or software and comes with unlimited lifetime storage. Plans start at USD per month per recording endpoint. Dubber Teams is ideal for managers and leaders needing central review and control over 100% accurate and enforced recordings and data for sales, service, and customer insights. Plans start at USD $19.95 per month per recording endpoint.

is ideal for managers and leaders needing central review and control over 100% accurate and enforced recordings and data for sales, service, and customer insights. Plans start at USD per month per recording endpoint. Dubber Premier unlocks all Dubber functionality delivering AI-enriched insights. Beautiful transcriptions, alerts and notifications and the ability to easily integrate Dubber with business intelligence and CRM applications. Plans start at USD $49.95 per month per recording endpoint. All Dubber solutions include critical features such as unlimited storage, easy-to-use application for iOS, Android and Web, concierge set-up and training, data download and export and 24x7 online global support. "Our new solutions make Unified Call Recording more flexible and available to businesses and teams of any size," said Slaney. "We founded Dubber to eliminate the cost and complexity of capturing any conversation. For too many, the value of that conversation is lost the moment it ends. We're making it simpler and easier than ever to end not knowing and comply." Users can easily expand any package with simple to deploy add-ons including:

UCR Service Add-on Pack - easily add services with a click - review and manage recordings, transcriptions and data in one place

- easily add services with a click - review and manage recordings, transcriptions and data in one place Dubber API - easily connect Dubber recordings and data to applications, storage and dashboards

- easily connect Dubber recordings and data to applications, storage and dashboards Dubber Call Recording Archive - redundant and secure storage of all call recordings and data with Dubber Storage. Back up your valuable voice data in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud, including recordings and data from other sources

- redundant and secure storage of all call recordings and data with Dubber Storage. Back up your valuable voice data in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud, including recordings and data from other sources Dubber for Salesforce - add your Dubber recordings, metadata, transcriptions and sentiment insights to Salesforce records Native to the world's networks and communications solutions Dubber is native to the world's leading communications solutions, including Cisco, Microsoft, and Zoom. Its partners span more than 140+ of the world's leading networks, including AT&T, Verizon, Telstra and Cox Communications. With Dubber's unique reach and Unified Call Recording (UCR), specifically for compliance, companies can capture recordings immediately in one location from all their voice, video and text services. Conversations, once automatically captured, are stored in Dubber Cloud Storage and then processed in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud - where AI creates real-time insights, alerts, and more. This reach and the new solutions for compliance, make Dubber the world's leading and most flexible recording option for compliance. Transforming how conversations are captured and used Dubber solutions support continuous compliance and voice intelligence with critical features including: Collect and integrate recordings and data in the manner required to meet compliance obligations appropriate to regional regulations

Real-time search of interactions based on communication-related metadata or conversational content. Common examples include:

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data

- Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data - Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions Analyze and interact with collected communications, including the ability to monitor interactions as they are being collected

Ensure security of collected communications and prevent tampering at all stages

Retention policies support retain and delete actions; and, legal hold and discovery on historical and real-time data Dubber also announced today a full suite of solutions designed specifically for the demanding needs of compliance, legal, security, risk and audit teams. Call Dub and Dub AI, Dubber's existing solutions, will continue to be provided by partners and service and solution providers globally for the foreseeable future. Resources Pricing information: https://www.dubber.net/pricing

Blog post: https://www.dubber.net/news

Brochures quick link: https://www.dubber.net/brochure About Dubber: Dubber is unlocking the potential of voice data from any call or conversation. Dubber is the world's most scalable Unified Call Recording service and Voice Intelligence Cloud adopted as core network infrastructure by multiple global leading telecommunications carriers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Dubber allows service providers to offer call recording for compliance, business intelligence, sentiment analysis, AI and more on any phone. Dubber is a disruptive innovator in the multi-billion dollar call recording industry, its Software as a Service offering removes the need for on-premise hardware, applications or costly and limited storage. For more information, please contact:







Investors: Simon Hinsley UK Media: James Taylor | The PR Network simon.hinsley@dubber.net james.taylor@thepr.network +61 (0) 401 809 653 +44 (0)7796 138291



AU & NZ Media: Terry Alberstein US Media: Charlie Guyer, Guyer Group for Dubber terry@navigatecommunication.com.au charlie@guyergroup.com +61 (0) 458 484 921 +1.617.599.8830

SOURCE Dubber

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Steel building manufacturer will invest more than $10 million in Portland

Project will create more than 120 new jobs over next two years

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Ascent Buildings, LLC officials announced today that the company will establish new operations in Sumner County.

Ascent Buildings will invest more than $10 million and create more than 120 jobs over the next two years.

Founded in 2020, Ascent Buildings is a full service, pre-engineered steel building manufacturer with headquarters and manufacturing operations in Portland, Tenn. The company specializes in manufacturing structural systems, roof systems, wall panels and additional architectural and commercial grade products.

Ascent Buildings will host a job fair on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT at 214 Fountainhead Road in Portland. Positions range from plant positions such as welders, fitters, machine operators and material handlers to maintenance and management positions. Those interested in available positions can visit https://www.ascentbuildings.net/team/careers to learn more.

Over the last five years, TNECD has supported more than 10 economic development projects in Sumner County, resulting in approximately 2,100 job commitments and $1 billion in capital investment.

QUOTES

Tennessees thriving advanced manufacturing sector is fueled by companies like Ascent Buildings, and we are proud that this newly-formed company is establishing operations in our state. Ascent Buildings will benefit from Tennessees highly-skilled workforce and central location, and I wish the company a long and successful partnership with Tennessee.  Gov. Bill Lee

Ascent Buildings decision to invest in Tennessee and create 120 family-wage job opportunities reinforces our states pro-business climate and skilled workforce. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this company will have on the residents of Portland and Sumner County.  TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe

After many months of planning and preparation, we are excited to start producing steel buildings at our Portland, Tennessee facility. We are proud to revitalize a long-standing plant in the Portland area and offer new and exciting job opportunities within this outstanding community. Our goal is to create and maintain an excellent workplace environment with a customer focused approach to our business driven by quality and service.  Kimball Wells, Ascent Buildings president

We are so excited to launch Ascent Buildings here in Tennessee and to open our first manufacturing facility in Portland. We are looking forward to building a great company and contributing to a wonderful community as we grow into an industry leading enterprise.  Mark Fritz, Ascent Buildings vice president of Manufacturing

TVA and Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation congratulate Ascent Buildings on its decision to locate operations and create new job opportunities in Portland. Helping to foster job creation and investment in the region is fundamental to TVAs mission of service. We are proud to partner with Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and the city of Portland to help further that mission and support Ascent Buildings business success in the Valley.  John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development

This is great news for Sumner County. We continue to see the job market strengthening in our area which is a tremendous boost to our local economy. I congratulate Governor Lee and all state and local officials for their efforts in bringing these jobs home to Portland.  Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin)

We are fortunate to have great local partners throughout Sumner County who work hard to help our industries succeed and create new job opportunities for our residents here at home. We welcome Ascent Buildings to Tennessee and thank them for choosing Portland for their company headquarters."  House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland)

TNECD Media Contact

Molly Hair

Public Information Officer

(615) 878-0063

molly.hair@tn.gov

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Developments mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment to the state and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.

###
Check today's confirmation of rising crime concern and local violence impacting the entire metro, not just one neighborhood.



Read more . . .

by: Travis Meier Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City man has been charged in the deadly shooting near Plymouth Lane and Hawthorne Avenue in Raytown over the weekend. 32-year-old Rodney D. Byrd is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
The 28th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the regions largest travel and tourism showcase, returned to Dubai in-person on May 16 to shine the spotlight on Tourism For a Brighter Future during the opening session at ATMs Global Stage.

With 2021 ushering in a new dawn for travel and tourism, leading industry figureheads from around the world kicked off the discussion on the ATM Global Stage as they explored factors delivering the sectors fast-paced recovery. Vaccinations, market segmentation and innovations in tech, travel corridors, marketing and product diversification were all highlighted as drivers for significant recovery by 2023.

Addressing the audience in the morning, Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said: To see true recovery in travel and tourism, countries need to accept that Covid-19 exists and that we need to learn to live the new Covid-19 normal."

Since the beginning, Dubai has shown remarkable resilience in dealing with the pandemic. Taking decisive action at the right time, using all the data available to us as a smart city to make decisions, and opening the economy sector by sector, with the right precautions being taken at each stage, has enabled the gradual recovery of the travel and tourism industry and allowed the city to open its borders to both domestic and international travel."

With the number of Covid-19 cases stabilising, due to high vaccination rates and some of the highest testing rates in the world, we can expect to see further easing of restrictions in Dubai in the near future, he added.

Other notable speakers on the panel were Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC & Former Secretary General United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Scott Livermore, Chief Economist of Oxford Economics Middle East, Dubai; and Mr Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Tourism Board.

Elsewhere on the agenda on the ATM Global Stage, tourism ministers and key industry stakeholders from the Gulf and Southern Europe convened during the Tourism Beyond Covid Recovery session to discuss the vast opportunities for travel, tourism and hospitality presented by the potential return of mass leisure tourism, medical and educational travel, business events and beyond that, cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.

This was followed by the ATM China Tourism Forum, which highlighted the continuing importance of China as a major source market for many MENA destinations, and examined the imminent return of inbound tourism from China as destinations including Dubai near Covid-19 safe status due to the success of their domestic vaccination drives.

Meanwhile, delegates at the ATM Travel Forward theatre heard from world-class technology experts discussing industry-leading insights about the role of technology in the future of travel.

Technology plays a critical role in facilitating the restart of global travel and tourism in the wake of the Covid-19 bounce back, said Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market. The discussions taking place at ATM Travel Forward highlight the readiness of travel businesses to face the new realities of the industry and provides a valuable forum for identifying the new technologies and innovations essential to restore travel confidence.

Throughout the four-day event, ATM 2021 will feature 67 conference sessions with over 145 local, regional and international speakers. On the Global Stage, attendees will also be able to attend the hotel industry summit, the ATM Saudi Arabia Tourism Summit: Transformation through tourism, an International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC), as well as an aviation panel, and a special session on lessons learned leading to recovery and on-going resilience in world travel.

ATM 2021, which was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, CEO and Founder of Emirates Group and Chairman of Dubai World, continues on May 17 to 19 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). - TradeArabia News Service
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 70F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Canton, GA (30114)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 82F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms in the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Barcelo Hotel Group has announced its partnership with Accion Cultural Espana (AC/E) to support Spanish travellers and organisations arriving in Dubai for the Expo 2020 Dubai.

The company has signed a significant agreement with the Spanish governmental organisation, responsible for Spains presence in international and universal exhibitions, to become a key collaborator of the Spanish Pavilion at the World Expo, scheduled to commence in October 2021.

The historical agreement strengthens Barcelo Hotel Groups commitment to representing the Spanish flair and image on the international level, offering its 90-year hospitality legacy to leisure and corporate travellers, including delegates from the Spanish government and private institutions arriving in the UAE on the occasion of Expo 2020 Dubai. The leading Spanish hospitality group previously partnered with AC/E to collaborate on the Spanish Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo held in Milan, Italy.

Raul Gonzalez, CEO EMEA of Barcelo Hotel Group, stated: We are extremely honoured to collaborate with AC/E for Expo 2020 Dubai and the signing of this agreement emphasizes Barcelo Hotel Groups commitment to promoting the image of Spain and continued support for the recognition of our country at international level.

Barcelo Hotel Group has rapidly grown as the leader in Spanish hospitality in the UAE, successfully launching three of their four iconic brands in the country  Royal Hideaway, Barcelo, and Occidental. The groups diversified UAE brand portfolio includes five operating properties and 1,600 keys across Dukes The Palm, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, Barcelo Residences Dubai Marina, Occidental Sharjah Grand, Occidental Dubai Production City, and the recent launch of Occidental Al Jaddaf in the vibrant commercial district of Al Jaddaf in Dubai.

Jose Canals, Managing Director Middle East and Asia Barcelo Hotel Group, said: We have always been focused on enhancing our presence in the Middle East source markets and this agreement has allowed us to collaborate with AC/E and support them in representing the Spanish culture and heritage at the highest international level.

Business and corporate travellers looking for the convenience of proximity to Expo 2020 Dubai can stay at Occidental Dubai Production City, located only minutes away from the Expo site.

Guests seeking long stay options or to spend time with family can opt for Barcelo Residences Dubai Marina, with spacious and elegantly designed serviced apartments located in the lively district of Dubai Marina. Travellers looking for a luxurious experience by the beach can visit the iconic urban resort Dukes The Palm, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, located in the exclusive The Palm Jumeirah with a private beach and spectacular views of the citys skyline.

Those looking for a home away from home experience and close to the citys famous cultural and leisure attractions can stay at the recently launched Occidental Al Jaddaf, which offer the perfect infusion of Arabic culture and Spanish hospitality, conveniently located in the up-and-coming commercial district of Al Jaddaf in Dubai and only minutes away from Dubai International Airport.

Guests interested in exploring the cultural heritage of the UAE, while relaxing in peace and tranquillity by the sandy shores of the Arabian Gulf can visit Occidental Sharjah Grand. - TradeArabia News Service
The cruise ships (and they are fairly small because of the way the harbor entry is) come into Errol Flynn marina. Right outside the marina gate is the main market for Port A, so there is plenty of shopping for food as well as clothes and stuff. Mostly not geared to tourists, I bet there is more there when ships are there. I enjoyed looking at fruits and veggies and jewelry and shirts and bras and...it's on of those places that has everything ;)

The beach there is quite nice, and there is a Norma's right at the marina, really good food and prices not bad, lovely setting. I ate there 3x when I was last in Port A.

If you want to see things but are not that into beaches, hire a driver to take you to Somerset Falls or Blue Lagoon for a boat ride, or hire your own little boat to take you to Navy Island, right there by the marina.

For coffee, should you not want it at Norma's, there is a great little place in the "mall" building on the first floor. I can't remember the name but it's owned by an ex-pat woman and her Jamaican husband, and really does have all kinds of good coffee and pastry and all that. The "mall" is a beautiful older 2-3 story building just outside the marina...I'll have to see if I have a photo of it from when i was there.....
I'm sure most of you know this, but my friend almost took the wrong CVS Covid test for our trip to Kauai this coming week. She scheduled the CVS Rapid Test for results within hours. I double checked:

Potential travelers should also be aware of what one reader recently shared with us, "Even though CVS is a trusted partner, Hawaii does NOT accept the CVS Health Rapid Test." The CVS rapid test is a 'Lumiradx Sars-Cov-2-AG' test, and it is not an acceptable NAAT test currently required by the state of Hawaii.

She is now scheduling a Walgreens Rapid (ID NOW) test which is an acceptable NAAT test.

Just wanted to put this out there as i just read here on the forum someone's relative and friends are in the mandatory quarantine for taking the wrong test or something of that nature. I've scheduled the CVS NAAT Test for Wed., 5/19th at 5:20pm. My flight leaves for Lihue at 1:40pm 5/22. I should have my test results by Friday but just in case, am checking into a back up plan.

Edited: 17 May 2021, 03:00
If you need to stick with SA and Botswana only, you could look into SA private game reserves of Pilansberg and Madikwe which are within reasonable distances to Joburg Two and half hours and four and a half hours

by car respectively.You could easily fill a day sightseeing Joburg with a private guide for your group visiting Soweto, Apartheid Museum and Cradle of Humankind, for example.
You've picked quite an intense route for first timer self-drivers, but it is very special and an incredible place and I am sure you will have a great time no matter what. Because you are self driving in the public places you might want to avoid the peak South African travel times like the June school holidays (though many SA families won't afford the National Park / GR fees in Botswana), it's not busy in the same sense as other places in peak season. We found it very quite, which we loved, but as a result you do need to be self sufficient and know how to get yourself out of deep sand and whether or not to drive through water. As an example we had several 4+ hours drives where we saw 1-2 other vehicles. I am aware sometimes there can be queues of vehicles in areas like Khwai but you can just drive away from those. Even if you are having to put your RTT down every morning, by moving camps all the time some of which have 6+ hours travel time because of the sand/tracks, you might feel you've rushed through an area and you might find you miss out on getting to know good spots / seek out good light etc for your photos. Just a note on the practicality of mixing (expensive) guided and self-drive camps - you have paid for the activities, so you won't want to leave before they are done and then you have to get to the next place for check in to make the afternoon activity. So you may not have as much time for photography as you want because you have to keep moving to meet deadlines, you can't drive at 'game drive' spotting speeds (like 15 kph). e.g. You won't check out of Pangolin Chobe Lodge until mid morning, then do your shopping and fuel, drive yourself through Chobe NP during the heat of the day. You'll still see lots in the day but perhaps under trees etc. Then from Muchenje you could spend the morning driving back towards Chobe riverfront but it's better to do the sand road to Savuti in the morning, so that does give you more time in Savuti, which is good. Savuti to Khwai can take 4-6 hours just driving time, similarly Khwai area to Third Bridge is at least 4 hours just driving, with lots of nice loops and photo opportunities like the Hippo Pools between them. It is another 1+ hours to Mboma boat station, or do you travel from Xakanaka boat station to Xobega? I would swap the nights in the public campsite so you aren't on a deadline there. We left Mababe area first thing and it took us over 9 hours to get to Third Bridge. Like anywhere, you will have times when you don't spot much wildlife but the sightings you have are special and particularly keep your eyes open and keep scanning the campsites, lots of wildlife comes right through.

"Khwai community area as I think this area has the benefit for photography of not having to stick to the roads?" You must stick to the tracks in the community concession, you damage the ecosystem if you go off-road. But it looks like you are paying for a lodge here anyway? Only in the private concession can the guides go off-road and only when they feel it is a very special sighting. Hiring a Tracks4Africa GPS will show you the tracks, there are lots of them. When moving between camps, do ask the Parks gate staff and camp staff which routes are passable, particularly in e.g. April there can still be water/mud.

For me, I would take an extra day on arrival (any lodge in Kasane can help you recover from the travel and you can do guided trips etc), and an extra night in Savuti, Khwai or Third Bridge/Xakanaka, if you can make the logistics of carrying fuel, food and water for the time you need. And then the other extra night at Planet Baobab to consider other excursions if you like the idea of being guided. You can arrange a visit to Kubu yourself via the community website.
Well there was an official announcement from SLTDA and they copied it. But the announcement simply confirmed the going policy, never heard of an L1 tourist where police questioned their cross-province transfer...

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(The Center Square)  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been embroiled in a series of controversies this year, some relating to his personal behavior and others to his performance as governor.
Drug peddler from Andhra nabbed; ganja worth Rs 6 lakhs, car seized

Bengaluru, May 17 (UNI) Police have nabbed a drug peddler hailing from Andhra Pradesh and seized 20 kg ganja worth about Rs 6 lakhs and a car worth about Rs 4 lakhs from him.

Police said on Monday that the arrested was identified as Subbareddy, native of Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused was purchasing the banned drug from Visakhapatnam and selling it at a higher price. He had modified his car seat to store the ganja.
Keri Rosher was appointed as the new Principal at West Sand Lake Elementary School.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  An inspector who failed to discover a crack in the Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee that prompted the span's closure has been fired, Arkansas transportation officials said Monday.

Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Lorie Tudor said the inspector was fired after drone video showed the crack o n the bridge spanning the Mississippi River in May 2019. Tudor said the crack was not noted by the inspector in his reports that fall or the following year.

This is unacceptable," Tudor said at a news conference. The department did not immediately name the employee and said the incident is also being referred to federal investigators.

Arkansas DOT on Monday released an image and video from the drone, which showed the crack. The drone footage was taken by a consultant inspecting the bridge's cables.

Traffic on the six-lane bridge was shut down last Tuesday after inspectors found a significant fracture in one of two 900-foot (274-meter) horizontal steel beams that are critical for the bridges integrity. River traffic under the span was closed Tuesday but reopened on Friday.

The closure has impacted a heavily used corridor and raised concerns about shipping and delivery costs. The Arkansas Trucking Association on Friday estimated the closure would cost the trucking industry at least $2.4 million a day.

Traffic was being rerouted to Interstate 55 and the 71-year-old Memphis & Arkansas Bridge, about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south.

Arkansas and Tennessee authorities have not given a timeline for when the bridge will reopen. The Tennessee Department of Transportation said Monday that the I-40 bridge repair will be conducted in two phases, and both steps must be completed before the bridge can be reopened for road traffic.

The first step is installing steel plates on each side of the fractured beam to provide stability for crews to permanently replace the damaged parts, TDOT said in a statement. The plates are being made and fabrication should be completed by Wednesday, TDOT said. The second phase involves removal and replacement of the damaged piece of the bridge.

Nebraska-based Kiewit Corporation was selected Monday afternoon for the bridge repair work, Arkansas DOT spokesman Dave Parker said. Tennessee transportation officials said Kiewit could start work as early as Wednesday.

Tennessee's DOT also said it will review the condition of the I-55 bridge out of an abundance of caution. The drone review is expected to occur Tuesday or Wednesday.

Tudor said all fracture critical" bridges that had been inspected by the fired employee will be re-inspected. She said the fired employee, who had worked for the department for about 15 years, did not follow proper protocol in the bridge's inspection.

The way were supposed to inspect the bridge is you literally go inch by inch along that beam and physically inspect every inch of the beam," she said. That did not happen."

Tudor said the department is making changes to its inspection program to add additional checks, including the use of a new drone to aid in inspecting bridges. Tudor said last week that the bridge's damage could have led to a catastrophic" event had it not been discovered.

The bridge's closure comes as the White House is negotiating with a group of Senate Republicans on an infrastructure package. Democrats have called the I-40 bridge damage an example of the urgent need for additional funding to fix the nation's bridges and roads.

Republicans have called for a infrastructure plan with a smaller price tag than President Joe Bidens and with a narrower definition of public works.

___

Sainz reported from Memphis, Tenn.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos president presented an apology Monday for a 1911 massacre in which over 300 Chinese people were slaughtered by revolutionary troops in the northern city of Torreon.

The apology is the latest in a series of ceremonies in which President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has sought to make amends for the mistreatment of Indigenous and minority people in Mexico in past centuries.

Lopez Obrador said the point of the apology was to ensure that this never, ever happens again, noting that during the period, Chinese were mutilated or hung from telegraph poles.

The discrimination was based on the most vile and offensive stereotypes, Lopez Obrador said, adding these stupid ideas were transferred to Mexico, where extermination was added to exclusion and mistreatment.

Many Chinese laborers had emigrated to Mexico in the 1800s, in some cases to work on the expansion of the nations rail network. But many set up businesses, farms and in Torreon, even a bank.

The 1911 killings of 303 Chinese men, women and children occurred during the chaotic period of the Mexican Revolution, when revolutionary troops overran Torreon, sealing the fate of long-time ruler Porfirio Diaz. The loss of the city led Diaz to resign and leave for exile.

Like most racial killings, it was fed by suspicion, hatred, fear, envy and lies. Torreon was a booming railway town, and control of it was key to rail lines north to the United States. Some Mexicans grumbled that Chinese were taking jobs or depressing wage rates; others were envious of the Chinese community's economic success.

Between May 13-15, 1911, the revolutionary troops took control of the city from Diaz's army and once inside the city, slaughtered many of it Chinese inhabitants, though some others hid or were saved by local residents.

The victorious revolutionary government of President Francisco I. Madero agreed to pay reparations for the massacre, but Madero himself was overthrown in 1913 and the payment was never made.

It is during the most convulsive moments of history when these (racist ideas) get twisted into genocidal killings," said Coahuila Gov. Miguel Angel Riquelme. Lopez Obrador, who usually lavishes praise on the 1910-1917 revolutionary movement noted that the movement also expressed anti-Chinese sentiments.

Historian Monica Cinco Basurto said the massacre was far from the only anti-Chinese act in Mexico. Looting of Chinese-owned businesses and the expulsion or forced departure of Chinese  often without recognizing their Mexican citizenship or that of their children or wives  extended throughout northern Mexico into the 1930s.

Lopez Obrador was accompanied during the apology ceremony by Chinese Ambassador Zhu Qingqiao.

Mexico has relied on Chinese brands for about 10.5 million of the 29.1 million coronavirus vaccine doses received so far, or about 36% of all shots. Zhu said the vaccines and medical equipment from China have left a strong imprint on the history of relations between our two countries.

Lopez Obrador said we will never forget the brotherhood of the Chinese during the bitter and anguishing months of the pandemic.

As in the United States, racism against Asian Americans has been an ugly thread of Mexican history. In fact, many Chinese came to Mexico because they could not get into the United States.

In the U.S., the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was designed to prevent Chinese American laborers from entering the U.S. as a result of widespread xenophobia. That law made it illegal for Chinese laborers to immigrate to America and limited the Chinese population in the U.S. for more than 60 years.

It is part of a series of apologies by the Mexican president to those wronged in the past.

In early May, Lopez Obrador apologized to the Maya Indigenous group that inhabits Mexico's southeast, mainly on the Yucatan peninsula.

During the 1800s, Mayas were forced to work in serf-like conditions on sisal plantations. Sisal and henequen were fibers used in making rope. Some were even tricked into virtual slavery in sugar cane fields in Cuba.

Weary of taxation and exploitation, the Mayas fought an 1847-1901 rebellion against Mexican settlers and the government known as the War of the Castes. The rebellion was put down brutally by government troops.

Lopez Obrador said he plans to offer a similar apology to the Yaqui Indigenous group of the northern state of Sonora.

Perhaps best known abroad for the mystical and visionary powers ascribed to them by writer Carlos Castaneda, the Yaquis stubbornly fought the Mexican governments brutal campaign to eliminate the tribe in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

But they were largely defeated by 1900, and Diaz began moving them off their fertile farmland to less valuable territory or to virtual enslavement on haciendas as far away as the far eastern state of Yucatan.
One Opposition MP says this country has become the Covid capital of the Caribbean.

A Government Minister says if Covid had a face it would be that of the UNC.
Over the past day, May 13, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine 19 times.

"In particular, the Russian occupation forces fired 120mm mortars at Ukrainian positions near Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol), Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol), and Pavlopil (25km north-west of Mariupol); 82mm mortars, heavy machine guns, and automatic easel grenade launchers  outside Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk); heavy machine guns, hand-held and mounted antitank grenade launchers  not far from Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk) and Novoselivka (16km west of Luhansk); tanks, 122mm artillery, 120mm mortars, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers of various systems, and small arms  near Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk)," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

The invaders also opened fire from small arms and automatic easel and hand-held antitank grenade launchers in the area of the village of Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk); easel antitank grenade launchers  outside Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns  near Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and hand-held antitank grenade launchers  in the area of Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk).

As a result of the enemy shelling, a soldier of the Joint Forces received a fatal gunshot wound.

Ukrainian soldiers returned fire in response to the shelling by Russian occupation forces.

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) informed the OSCE SMM about the violations committed by the armed formations of the Russian Federation.

As of 07:00 on May 14, no ceasefire violations were recorded. Ukrainian military continue to monitor the situation in the JFO area.

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Over the past day, 15 ceasefire violations were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine sustained no losses.

Over the past day, May 16, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire in the JFO area 15 times Our defenders sustained no losses, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

Russian mercenaries opened fire from 82mm mortars near Novoselivka (16km west of Luhansk); 82mm mortars and heavy machine guns  outside Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); infantry rocket flamethrowers, hand-held antitank grenade launchers, and small arms  in the area of Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk); different grenade launchers and small arms  near Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk); heavy machine guns, grenade machine guns, tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns  outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers  in the area of Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns  near Troitske (69km west of Luhansk); grenade machine guns  in the area of Starohnativka (51km south of Donetsk); grenade machine guns, small arms, hand-held antitank and under-barrel grenade launchers  near Prychepylivka (50km north-west of Luhansk).

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) informed the OSCE SMM about the violations. Ukrainian defender fired back in response to enemy shelling.

As of 7 a.m. on May 17, one ceasefire violation was reported.

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by Shafique Khokhar - Sumon Corraya

Some voices rise from Asia calling for a stop to the conflict between the Israeli army and Hamas. Pakistan Archbishop Benny Mario Travas calls for an end to the loss of innocent lives. The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh, Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze urges help to achieve a fair solution.

Karachi (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh have been praying for peace in Gaza and Israel, hit by death and destruction over the past few days. Like Pope Francis, they appeal to political leaders to stop the violence and follow the path of dialogue.

Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi, together with other Pakistani Christian communities, condemned the violent attacks on the people in Gaza and the State of Israel and the loss of innocent lives in the various brutal attacks.

Archbishop Travas stressed the need for peace and an end to the conflict between Palestinians and Israels security forces, offering his prayers for the victims and for the healing of those wounded in the conflict.

In a statement jointly signed yesterday by his vicar general, Father Edward Joseph, the Archbishop asked priests, men and women religious, and all the faithful to pray for an end to the conflict and for peace in Jerusalem.

Archbishop Travas also expressed hope that the United Nations and the international community will undertake every effort to bring peace and protect the lives and property of all peoples living in the region.

The archbishop's appeal came as people took to the streets of Pakistan in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Samson Salamat, head of Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan, a movement for pluralism, appealed to Pope Francis and worlds top leaders to stop the bombing of Gaza and save many human lives because Palestine is an issue that must be of concern to all humanity.

In Bangladesh Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze of Dhaka also called for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking to AsiaNews, the prelate, said that The conflict solves nothing.

Archbishop Bejoy, who is president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh and heads the Episcopal Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, notes that Hamas is a group of militiamen and this arouses fear in other people.

In this situation, dialogue between the two countries is more urgent than ever. If they fail to do so directly, it is urgent that organisations like the UN  or any country that can help achieve a fair solution  make its contribution.

For the Archbishop of Dhaka, Bombs, destruction and killings will never bring a peaceful solution; instead, they will make the problems even worse. For this reason, together with my priests, men and women religious, and all the faithful, we are praying that the nations of Israel and Palestine may soon be friends rather than enemies.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba says there has been no large-scale withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraines border, so the threat of Russias invasion remains.

"We do not see a withdrawal of Russian troops that would be adequate to the number of troops concentrated along Ukraines border and occupied territories. What is happening cannot be called a withdrawal of troops. Russian troops in their mass remained in place. What has really changed is the transfer of military units. This is true, but the threat has not passed," Kuleba said in an interview with DW.

He compared Russia's withdrawal of troops to show trials in the Soviet Union  trials without any justice.

"And what we are seeing today is the withdrawal of troops without a withdrawal of troops. And we should remain vigilant in this matter," the foreign minister stressed.

On April 22, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the General Staff of the Russian Federation and commanders to withdraw troops, which have recently been moved to Ukraine's borders, to their permanent bases.

As reported, Russia announced the withdrawal of its troops from Ukraines borders under the pretext of successful completion of exercises, but at the same time leaves its military presence and technical equipment near Ukraines borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

Earlier, the Russian Federation amassed a group of about 110,000 troops near the eastern borders of Ukraine and in the occupied Crimea, raising concerns of the Ukrainian authorities and Western partners.

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Ukraine and Britain plan to hold the first large-scale exercise Cossack Mace this summer, the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service has reported.

According to the report, military personnel from the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, Sweden and Canada will take part in this year's drills. Units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the State Border Guard Service will represent Ukraine at the exercises.

Last week, representatives of the State Border Guard Service took part in the final planning conference "COSSACK MACE  2021."

Participants in the conference discussed scenarios for the use of forces and means involved in the exercises. They also considered the procedure for organizing and implementing communication between Ukrainian units and units of NATO countries.

The organizers of the Cossack Mace exercise are Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The aim of the joint multinational project is to improve the compatibility between British and Ukrainian military formations, strengthen mutual relations, joint planning and perform battalion and tactical operations.

The exercises will be held in the summer at a training center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service said.

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The number of Ukrainian entrepreneurs, who start their business via online services, has increased tenfold and now stands at 50%.

While only 5% of Ukrainian entrepreneurs started a business online last year, now this figure is 50%. Its very cool, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said during the Diia Summit Spring 2021 within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Forum Ukraine 30. Digitalization, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In addition, he noted that Ukraine had launched an innovative online service to help businesses during quarantine which "can be signed up for in a few minutes." The Head of State informed that more than 800,000 entrepreneurs have already used this service.

The President stressed that dozens of online services, portal and application Diia had been launched. According to him, more than 10 million citizens of Ukraine already use them.

We have already made, so to speak, a digital revolution. Earlier, one had to pay bribes to obtain a number of permits, there were such cases. Now one only has to pay for the Internet. It used to be ten offices, now there is one website. Earlier, one had to stand in line to get 50 certificates, now it is a matter of three or four clicks on a smartphone. Earlier, people had to wait weeks and months to register as an individual entrepreneur or open a limited liability company, and now it takes 10 or 20 minutes online, Zelensky assured.

As reported, the brand and the concept of portal and application Diia were presented in Kyiv on September 27, 2019. In the first version of the application, 33 online services and a number of electronic documents were available.

In October 2020, the Ministry of Digital Transformation presented an updated application Diia 2.0 and launched a number of new administrative services on the portal Diia.

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Ukraine and the European Union continue to work towards political association and economic integration, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas has said.

"We continue to work to fulfill the aspirations for political association and economic integration as set out in the Association Agreement. The Agreement is our joint commitment to bring Ukraine and the EU closer together," Maasikas said at the opening of Europe Day, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that the European Union is Ukraine's largest donor, and the coronavirus pandemic has made it possible to realize the importance of solidarity and cooperation. The ambassador recalled that since the beginning of 2020, the EU has supported the healthcare system of Ukraine. The European Union is also a donor under the COVAX Facility.

"The pandemic will not destroy our values and will not stop us from moving forward," Maasikas emphasized.

Ukraine annually celebrates Europe Day on the third Saturday of May.

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Ukraine is of great importance as a country with great potential, which plays a key role in Europe's security due to its size, population, geopolitical and economic significance.

Ex-foreign minister of Poland Jacek Czaputowicz said this during an online discussion of the Kyiv Security Forum dedicated to Europe Day in Ukraine, according to the KSF website.

Ukraine plays a key role in ensuring stability in Europe. It is a kind of buffer separating the West from Russia, he said.

Czaputowicz stressed that Ukraine is holding back the further expansion of Russia in the western direction.

The next is Poland. It is very important for us that Ukraine remains strong and sovereign. A sovereign Ukraine also makes it impossible for Russia to return to the superpower status it had as the Soviet Union during the Cold War, he stressed.

Europe needs a strong, stable, and prosperous Ukraine as an important element of the European security architecture, Polands former foreign minister summed up.

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The Ukrainian authorities intend to work on the development of digital literacy of the population, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

He stated this at the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. Digitalization" in Kyiv on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"There is a lot of work ahead. Ahead is the development of digital literacy among our people so that not only ten million people, but tens of millions could be able to really enjoy the benefits that digitalization gives to our country," Shmyhal said.

According to him, now efforts are being made to make public services for people simple, fast and transparent, so that everyone can quickly register a business and solve a number of other issues.

He also added that during a conversation with his European colleagues, it was nice to see their surprise at how fast Ukraine is developing in the area of digitalization. "We have something to share, namely our experience in digitalization, because we have really become leaders not only in digital passports, but also in other fairly fast digital services that are available today in our country," he said.

Shmyhal stressed that the government did not plan to stop on this path, because there was a lot of work to be done in the field of digitalization.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova Aureliu Ciocoi signed a memorandum on the establishment of the Associated Trio for the joint successful European integration of the three countries.

As an Ukrinform correspondent reports, the signing ceremony of the memorandum took place during a joint visit of the foreign ministers of Moldova and Georgia to Kyiv.

"We have done a very important thing today. We signed a document to establish the Associated Trio. This will be enhanced cooperation between our three countries on the issues of European integration. This is a new initiative, it is very timely, and this decision is very timely, which will help our countries to move forward more efficiently together on the path of European integration," Kuleba said after the signing ceremony.

As noted, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have a special status of associate partners in relations with the EU and have made their choice in favor of future EU membership.

"Today we have agreed to formalize this status and together continue to move towards European integration. The Associated Trio includes three main elements: structured consultations on European integration between the three ministries of foreign affairs, joint engagement in dialogue with European institutions, as well as coordination of positions within the Eastern Partnership," Kuleba explained.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani said that based on the memorandum, the foreign ministries of the three countries would determine concrete steps and work together to strengthen political dialogue with the EU, as well as economic and sectoral integration with the European Union.

Acting Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova Aureliu Ciocoi noted that signing of the memorandum was a logical continuation of the cooperation started earlier.

"Of course, each of the three countries has its own specific interests and specific issues on the agenda of cooperation with the EU. We will discuss them bilaterally, but we will also cooperate on issues in which we see the added value of our tripartite efforts," Ciocoi said.

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The support of the Republic of Latvia is crucial for the struggle for the return of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov said this during a joint briefing with Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Inara Murniece, who is on a visit to Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"During today's talks, we raised many important issues for our states. First of all, one of the key issues for Ukraine is the struggle for its territorial integrity and independence. Latvia's support is key and important in the struggle for the return of our territories, the struggle for the people who are now in the temporarily occupied territories, whose rights and freedoms are being suppressed," Razumkov said.

The speaker noted that for the parliaments of Ukraine and Latvia, an important issue is the deepening of inter-parliamentary relations, which, according to him, are now active at the level of friendship groups, specialized committees, and communication between the leadership of parliaments.

Razumkov also said that the visit of the speaker of the Saeima to Ukraine is taking place on the eve of Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide. He thanked Murniece for the fact that the Latvian parliament recognized the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people as genocide.

As Ukrinform reported, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Inara Murniece is on an official visit to Ukraine on May 17-20, 2021.

On Wednesday, May 19, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov and Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia Inara Murniece will visit the frontline territories.

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Ukraine and Georgia should combine efforts to promote joint initiatives on international platforms.

"Georgia is an important strategic partner and ally of Ukraine, and our state consistently supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders," Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Government portal.

The parties also discussed the development of trade and economic cooperation. The Prime Minister of Ukraine noted the importance of holding the tenth session of the Joint Ukrainian-Georgian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

Shmyhal welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Enhanced Cooperation on European integration by Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.

"EU and NATO membership are key priorities for the Government. Today, Ukraine is determined to make progress on the reforms already underway and continues to implement the Association Agreement effectively," the Prime Minister said.

Denys Shmyhal and David Zalkaliani also raised the issue of counteracting COVID-19 and providing the population of both countries with the necessary number of vaccines.

The Prime Minister supported the idea of signing a joint letter by Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova to the European Union on the possible establishment of a support scheme for the Eastern Partnership countries like that recently applied to the Western Balkans.

"We have approved the draft letter, and I am ready to sign it as soon as possible," he said.

Shmyhal also thanked Georgia for its firm support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Latvia strongly condemns Russia's provocative actions in eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea region, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Latvia Inara Murniece has said at a joint briefing with Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov.

"We are closely monitoring the development of the security situation and strongly condemn Russia's provocative actions in eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea region, which are aimed at destabilizing the situation," Murniece said, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

She also stressed that Latvia fully supports Ukraine's aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration. "Ukraine has chosen its path - to the European Union and NATO and has also chosen a path that envisages democratic values. I would like to say that you should always remember that you have real friends in Latvia. I would like to wish the Ukrainian people all the best on this path," the speaker said.

Murniece noted that Latvia and Ukraine have very close and fruitful relations. In particular, an active parliamentary dialogue has been established between the countries.

"Latvia and other Baltic countries strongly support Ukraine's aspirations for EU and NATO integration, and we, the delegation of the Latvian Parliament, came to express our solidarity with Ukraine," she said.

The Latvian speaker added that tomorrow, on the anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars, she will discuss the human rights situation in occupied Crimea with representatives of this people at a meeting in Kyiv.

As reported, the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Latvia Inara Murniece is on an official visit to Ukraine on May 17-20.

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Kolkata, May 17 (UNI) Spice Money, Indias leading rural fintech, extends financial services



in Chitkul, Indias last inhabited village in Himachal Pradesh with no ATM facility till date, by



introducing Spice Money Mini-ATM services.



The company has converted one of the only two Kirana Stores in the village into a Spice



Money Digital Dukaan to offer cash-in cash-out services to the residents and tourists.



This move furthers Spice Moneys vision of financial inclusion and strengthening Indias



ATM network, which has seen a staggered growth for the last few years.



Tucked away from the hustle-bustle of cities in the Kinnaur-Kailash region of Himachal



Pradesh, the picturesque village of Chitkul has a population of about 900 people along with



20-25 holiday resorts catering to international and Indian tourists.



With the closest ATM being 25 km away in Sangla and non-availability of e-banking due



to poor internet connectivity, the village had historically been facing a challenge of accessing



cash or payment services, causing a lot of inconveniences which eventually impacted the



economic growth of the village.



Spice Money, with its digitally-enabled financial services, addresses this problem by



empowering the kirana store owner to become a Spice Money Adhikari and open his



Digital Dukaan with zero cost. This Digital Dukaan now act as an ATM center providing



basic cash withdrawal and deposit services.



The Spice Money Mini ATM accepts debit and credit cards from all major banks.



Rural India continues to be a cash-driven economy but grapples with cash shortage,



mostly due to lack of ATM and banking infrastructure. At Spice Money, our mission is to



empower the smallest towns and villages in the remotest corner of India and bring ATM



services to their doorstep," said Sanjeev Kumar, CEO of Spice Money.



"The mini ATM service in Chitkul is a step towards bettering the ATM infra in the



country and thus moving towards our objective of creating the largest ATM network in



India. Locals and tourists traveling to Chitkul have always been struggling with access



to cash. We are confident that these issues will now cease to exist, with the first



Digital Dukaan from Spice Money, Mr Kumar added.



Spice Money has plans to expand the Spice Money Adhikari network in the Kinnaur



district of Himachal Pradesh by onboarding more distributors to offer mini-ATM services,



payment and tours & travel services to the community. Currently, over 5,00,000 Adhikaris



(merchants / entrepreneurs) are a part of Spice Money network and nearly 90% of them



are present in the semi urban and rural India. With this network, Spice Money is covering



18,000+ pin codes, 700+ districts and 5000+ blocks in India.



UNI BM
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia poses a threat to Europe due to the recent military build-up near Ukraines border.

He said this at a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Jeppe Kofod on May 17, Ukrinform reports.

"We also share concerns about the threat that Russia poses to Europe in light of the recent military build-up on the border with Ukraine," Blinken said.

He also added that the United States believes that Russia also poses a threat to European energy security due to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

As reported, Russia announced the withdrawal of its troops from Ukraines borders under the pretext of successful completion of exercises, but at the same time leaves its military presence and technical equipment near Ukraines borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

Earlier, the Russian Federation amassed a group of about 110,000 troops near the eastern borders of Ukraine and in the occupied Crimea, raising concerns of the Ukrainian authorities and Western partners.

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On the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions on May 16, a basket of flowers was put at the memorial sign at the entrance to the Bykivnia Graves National Historical and Memorial Reserve on behalf of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Flowers were also laid at the mass grave and the memorial sign of Polish burials in the reserve, the press service of the Head of State informs.

"The totalitarian system used barbaric methods of reprisal, ruining thousands of destinies and turning thousands of people into camp dust. The notorious symbol of these crimes is the Bykivnia Forest on the outskirts of Kyiv. During 1937-1941, it was the place of secret burial of victims of political repressions, tortured and shot by the NKVD in Kyiv prisons," the press service quotes Zelensky as saying.

According to historians, the number of people buried in the Bykivnia Forest may reach 100,000.

"With this in mind, the current generation of independent Ukrainians and the Ukrainian state will always consider the protection of life, health, freedom, and dignity of every person as the highest value," the President stressed.

In accordance with the Presidential Decree of May 21, 2007, the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression is marked annually on the third Sunday of May in order to honor the memory of victims of political repression and to draw public attention to tragic events in Ukraine's history caused by the forcible imposition of communist ideology.

Photo credit: President's Office

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The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) have asked Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson to provide representation to Ukraine at the 2021 G7 Summit.

This was said in a statement posted on the UWC website.

"Considering Russias unpredictable and provocative actions on Ukraines borders, Moscows blatant disregard for international law and contempt for the values of the rules-based democratic world, its hostile activities in the United Kingdom and in other European states, which pose a real threat to the stability and security of the whole European continent, the UWC, and the AUGB have requested Prime Minister Johnson to provide representation to Ukraine at the forthcoming G7 summit, the statement reads.

In the light of these threats and Ukraines position on the front line of Russian aggression, the UWC and the AUGB called upon the British PM to provide representation to Ukraine at the forthcoming G7 summit, by inviting President Volodymyr Zelensky to take part in the summits outreach sessions and special events.

"Since Ukraine has continually demonstrated its intention to settle the conflict in Eastern Ukraine by diplomatic and political means, such a step would ensure a proper and fair discussion regarding the current security situation in Europe," reads the official letter.

On behalf of both organizations, UWC President Paul Grod and AUGB Chairman Petro Rewko thanked the Prime Minister for his governments unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and for the G7 countries continuous support for Ukraines chosen path of pro-Western reforms.

The 2021 G7 Summit is scheduled for June 11-13 in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, England.

In March, the UWC called on Germany, the United States, and the international community to take all necessary measures to immediately terminate Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which is nearing completion.

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The opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 took place in the Netherlands on Sunday, May 16. The event took place at the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal. The participants in the song contest walked on a turquoise carpet. Among them is the Ukrainian band Go_A, which will appear on the stage with their song "Shum" ("Noise") in the first semifinal on May 18.

Kateryna Pavlenko, the soloist of the Ukrainian band Go_A, told Ukrinform in an interview about how the team is preparing for their performance, about her mascot - a black bird, how she feels, and how she terrified the fans when she fell ill and did not appear on stage during the second rehearsal.

CORONA BONUSES AND EXPECTATIONS OF PCR TEST RESULT

Question: Congratulations! Thank you for being able to meet in such a busy schedule. How are you? What are your impressions of the organization of the event and numerous tests for coronavirus? What are the conditions for contestants?

Answer: We do tests every 48 hours, but today another rule has been added. We all take PCR tests. We can't breathe in a tube. We all have sore noses, because we took tests when we left Ukraine and when we flew here, and now we do that every 48 hours. So we got such bonuses this year.

Question: Last week you skipped the second rehearsal and the press conference due to ill health, thus terrifying your team and fans. It emerged later that the PCR test for coronavirus was negative. How do you feel now and what happened that morning?

Answer: I felt very bad. It was not a cold, but more like an allergic reaction, and I had a really bad headache. So we were all very scared. I was driven to take a test. We were told that until the results are known, I had to stay in my room so as not to threaten others if the test was positive. But then the results came out...

EXCURSION WITH VIEW FROM A BUS WINDOW

Question: How did the team support you while you were waiting for the result?

Answer: We had to go on an excursion to Amsterdam the next day, but the guys did not go there as a sign of solidarity. So we stayed at the hotel and then I received a negative test. Everything is fine! I feel much better now. I have constant irritation in the nose due to the fact that we are constantly doing tests.

Question: You are very carefully protected from catching the coronavirus. What are the Eurovision participants allowed to do? Did you manage to get acquainted with Rotterdam?

Answer: We are delighted with the port, with how Rotterdam is surrounded by water, and with the architecture. This is despite the fact that after the war the city was destroyed, but it was rebuilt.

We are allowed to jog and look at Rotterdam from the bus window. What we saw were the coolest architectural ensembles and very interesting design solutions, some kind of modernity combined with nature. We are delighted with a phenomenon like Rotterdam.

FANS' SUPPORT AND A BLACK BIRD

Question: How do your fans support you?

Answer: They support us in different ways. When I got sick, my social media have just exploded. I started receiving words of support.

We feel a lot of support. In general, a lot of people from Ukraine write to us. They keep their fingers crossed for us and they believe in our victory.

Question: How are you preparing for your performance in the first semifinal on May 18?

Answer: I skipped one rehearsal, so we have to catch up on everything in the hotel room, but we will have a few more rehearsals.

Question: Do you have any superstitions, for example, walking on stage with your left foot first? Maybe you have something special that you always bring with you?

Answer: I have a black bird in my room and, in general, it is always with me. It reminds me that you should always stay calm and that everything will be fine.

'SHUM' INSPIRES FANS TO LEARN UKRAINIAN

Question: For the first time in 15 years at Eurovision the song will be sung in Ukrainian. What does this mean to you?

Answer: This is a very important event for us, personally for each of us, because we all care about Ukraine. And we want the Ukrainian language to be heard not only within our country, but also abroad, because it is beautiful! We have a great culture, we have great music, great folklore, and we want to convey that to other people. And we see that people need it, as we analyze the reaction of foreign fans to our music, and they really like it, because it's unusual. We have some uniqueness, some kind of authenticity and originality, which we have to show to the world and share it with the world.

Question: Isn't there a feeling that due to the fact that the song will be sung entirely in Ukrainian, not all Eurovision viewers will be able to understand what you are singing about?

Answer: We are very pleased that on social media, people from many countries, including Britain and Iceland, write to us in Ukrainian. They greet us in Ukrainian. We are very pleased that they are trying to communicate with us in our native language. People are interested in what is happening to us. They start looking for texts, wondering who we are and what we are, and why we are in a green coat. Many people write to me that they have started learning the Ukrainian language. Even today, they sent screenshots to me, because they downloaded a special program to learn the Ukrainian language - just as we have similar programs to learn English.

Taras Shevchenko (Go_A band member): In fact, a few days ago we encountered a situation on social media when people from Sweden explained to people from Britain what our song was about in English. That is, due to the fact that we do not publish press releases on what our song is about, they themselves begin to study it and immerse themselves in Ukrainian culture. We think it's great. Yesterday we received a message from a guy from Mexico who studies Ukrainian philology in Poland.

Question: What emotions do you have from the fact that you represent Ukraine at Eurovision?

Kateryna Pavlenko: There are a lot of incredible stories. In general, what is happening to us is a kind of magic. We are very pleased to be part of this story.

Iryna Drabok, The Hague

Photo credit: Go_A
An elderly refugee woman who recently received her COVID-19 vaccination in Uzbekistan.  UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, commends the governments of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for having included asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless persons in national COVID-19 vaccination plans on par with citizens.

When I was invited for vaccination, I decided to do it immediately because I want to be protected. I feel good, and when my friends ask me about vaccination, I advise them to do it too, reported a 86-year-old refugee woman living in Uzbekistan.

UNHCR also commends all local authorities in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan, who provided asylum-seekers, refugees, or stateless persons with access to voluntary free-of-charge vaccinations, and calls on more to follow suit.

We greatly appreciate the dedication and foresight of governments and authorities in Central Asia to address the vaccination needs of all people living on their territory. Only if everyone is protected will we all be protected, said Hans Friedrich Schodder, UNHCR Representative for Central Asia.

The UN Refugee Agency continues to offer support to the development and implementation of vaccination plans which will help to protect everyone  leaving no one behind, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless persons.

Central Asia is home to over 95,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons who face additional challenges during the pandemic due to limited access to employment and social services. UNHCR has been working closely with governments, authorities, UN Resident Coordinators, UN sister agencies, and other partners in Central Asia to support global efforts on equitable vaccine distribution and to ensure that vaccines reach those in greatest need, following the overarching principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T. Clements speaks with a young Honduran asylum-seeker.  UNHCR/Jeoffrey Guillemard

UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T. Clements is concluding today an extended mission to Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, where she met people forced to flee, heard about the risks families faced on their journeys to find protection and learned how, once safe, many have begun to rebuild their lives.

In Central America, she visited communities forced to live under the threat of criminal gangs, and met families who fled their homes due to violence and persecution, compounded by extreme poverty, climate and the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the trip, Clements also met with senior government officials, civil society partners and business leaders, with whom UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has joined forces to find effective ways to help people on the move.

I had a chance to talk to people who were literally fleeing for their lives, escaping violence, extortion, recruitment and rape by gangs and other criminal groups, Clements said. Gender-based violence is particularly serious in the region where so many women and children are suffering unspeakable violence.

Clements also heard from community organizations which, together with UNHCR, help to counter the effects of violence. I was so impressed with the work these groups do and the passion and commitment they show to their communities, she said.

Clements was also able to see efforts to provide protection and solutions to people who cross international borders, and the network of civil society-run shelters that welcome them. Mexico and, to a lesser extent Guatemala, are home to a growing number of asylum-seekers and refugees. UNHCR has redoubled support to the asylum and child protection authorities in both countries. In Mexico, which is on track to surpass the 70,000 asylum claims it received in 2019, UNHCR has also expanded its refugee integration programme, which includes relocation and job matching that has benefitted close to 10,000 people since 2016. Guatemala, which has seen an 88% increase in asylum applications, has expanded its reception and processing capacity with UNHCR support.

But more international support is needed, Clements said.

Up to a million people in Central America have been forcibly displaced. It is the responsibility of the world community and of all of us to help those people rebuild their lives, she said. The first step for all countries is to guarantee access to asylum for the people whose lives depend on it.

Clements also stressed the importance and need for greater financial and technical support to those governments and organizations working together to provide humanitarian aid and protection to people on the move in Central America and Mexico. This need has never been more urgent, she said.

Seven countries of origin, transit and asylum from the region: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama, are working together to address these challenges under the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework, known as MIRPS, a solutions-oriented, state-led initiative. Next month, Spain will host a solidarity event to garner international support of these countries and their efforts.



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Faruque Mohammed, 33, is a Rohingya refugee and co-founder of Omars Film School in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. The informal school trains young Rohingya refugees on photography and videography so they can tell their own stories. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the school has also dedicated itself to informing the refugee community about the virus. We talked to Faruque about how the film school came about and his hopes for the future.

I have been living in refugee camps [in Coxs Bazar] since 1992  Ive spent almost my entire life in different camps. I cannot remember how my own family fled Myanmar because I was a little kid when my parents fled to Bangladesh.

I only studied to Grade 5 in a refugee camp school. I did not have proper schooling. But we felt like we needed to know English to let the world know how we are surviving here  our expectations, and how we should solve our problems. I used to read whatever I had, and I used to watch English movies. I learned by speaking to foreigners and to the people around me. I worked as a teacher in the refugee camp and interpreted sometimes for UN staff.

The vision and the inspiration to have this kind of film school started in 2017 when my brother, Omar, and I were working with media during the influx of Rohingya refugees. We saw a lot of journalists, a lot of people came with cameras and we approached them, we said: I can speak English, I am a Rohingya, I know the situation. I can help you. My brother and I worked as fixers for many international news organizations.

Omar worked a lot with Reuters photojournalists and his passion for photography and video grew and grew. He started learning from those he was working with, and Reuters also wanted to give him a camera to take photos in their absence. We taught ourselves from YouTube too, and later had online training from international photographers.

We were helping the Rohingya settle in the camp, and also interpreting for media interviews. I would introduce myself and say, I am a Rohingya, I am your fellow brother, I am your son. Then they expressed their real suffering to me. It was another kind of emotion they were expressing [in Rohingya] to what they could say in English.

What I felt and understood was that if a Rohingya delivered a message to another Rohingya, its very easy for them to understand; its very convincing. The idea was Rohingya delivering messages for Rohingya, to Rohingya. This is how we dreamed to have a film school for them.

We hope to be the number one platform in the refugee camps working for refugees by refugees. By showing Rohingya culture through photos and videos and social media, we are preserving our heritage and giving public importance to it. We want to document our day-to-day lives, but also our struggles.

In March 2020, the first COVID-positive patient was identified in Bangladesh. Before that, there was news from around the world that COVID-19 was becoming a global pandemic and that people were dying. We were very frightened because we are living in a densely populated area. We do not have any scope for social distancing here.

We thought we should share the real up-to-date information with our fellow Rohingyas. So, we took some information from WHO and we made some videos. We tried to share it by mobile-to-mobile, and we asked people to watch with their families.

Our friend Usman made a video and composed a song about COVID-19. It was really well received.

Not long after we started the film school, and started helping with COVID awareness, my brother Omar suddenly died. We still dont know the cause. We renamed the school from the Rohingya Film School to Omars Film School to pay tribute to him and keep him alive in our activities.

When we see that people are watching our videos, maintaining social distance because of the information we tried to deliver to them, we feel very proud. When we see that youth, who took training from us, are taking photos and publishing on Facebook, Twitter, and some international news, we feel really proud of them. They are using their potential, using their skills.

I hope that one day we will be able to go back to our country in safety and dignity, and that we will no longer be discriminated against based on our religious and racial identity. We will be able to live in peace and contribute to our countrys development.

I want to do social work in Myanmar and promote peace between communities.
In the hardscrabble neighbourhood where her family lived in Honduras, criminal gang members took note when Paulas daughter reached adolescence.

They said of my daughter, soon shell be weighed in pounds, Paula said, explaining that the phrase is used by members of the gang to describe young girls they deem ready for sexual exploitation. They said, were going to take her.

Paula lived with her partner, Ana, also a mother. Days later, the gang turned its attention to Anas son, Oscar, who was about to turn 13.

A gang member said, Paula, Im going to deal drugs here on the block  Im going to need your stepson, she said. Ill be back tomorrow.

The gang, known as a mara, began in Los Angeles in the 1980s and has since spread its criminal activity across two continents,reigning with characteristic violence in Ana and Paulas hillside neighbourhood. It practiced extortion, operated drug and prostitution rings and forcibly recruited members.

Ana would never give her son to the gangs, but she knew what that refusal would mean for her and Paula. I knew they would kill us both, she said.

Their only option was to escape. Paula sold her one asset, a motorbike. The couple gathered their childrens birth certificates, and the family slipped out of the house with a plan to seek safety abroad.

"I knew they would kill us both."

Around the world, many people who are LGBTIQ+  lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (born with sex characteristics that do not necessarily fit into binary notions of male or female), or queer  are forced to run for their lives. Many flee persecution because of their gender or sexuality or perceived sexuality. Others, like Paula, 32, and Ana, 40, are trapped in deadly violence in their home countries but also face particular difficulties both at home and after they flee due to their sexual or gender identity.

Their plight is shared by a growing number of people in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, where brutal gang violence  exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters  has made life nearly impossible.

The overland journey to seek safety is fraught with danger. Asylum-seekers face robbery, sexual assault and kidnapping, and some drown trying to cross border rivers or die in traffic accidents. Paula and Anas family was robbed in Guatemala. Without bus fare, they walked for three days, finally reaching southern Mexico.

Paulas feet were covered in cuts and were bleeding after walking across Guatemala, Ana said.

In Mexico, they slept on the street and at a shelter  where Paula was accosted by a man demanding to know if she was a man or a woman. Finally, a few days after that incident, a Mexican family in a rural community welcomed the family, offering them water and a mole stew made with iguana.

They are very good people. They dont have much, and they opened up their house to us, Paula said. She and Ana and the children have stayed in the tin-roofed, single-roomed house for the past three months.

After a dip in the rate of asylum claims in Mexico in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people fleeing Central America  mainly El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras  is rising again. In the first four months of 2021, Mexicos Commission for Refugee Assistance, COMAR, registered over 30,000 new asylum applications, nearly a third higher than the same period last year. April 2021 marked an all-time high for monthly asylum claims, as they reached over 9,100.

Mexico recognizes gender as a standalone reason for a person to claim asylum. Within gender, COMAR very often recognizes those who have fled because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and have a high chance of receiving protection.

Flight for LGBTIQ+ asylum-seekers often follows a lifetime marked by violence, harassment and discrimination in their homelands, said Sofia Cardona, a senior protection associate with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Mexico.

"We didn't have anything...but we were together."

In Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, LGBTIQ+ people face a great deal of generalized homophobia and transphobia. This can be from the churches, from the authorities and particularly from their families, she said. This experience of cumulative discrimination can make their lives intolerable and follow them into exile..

Ana recalled a violent upbringing in Honduras, where she was beaten by her mother for kissing a girl and expelled from school. Later, she was raped by a boyfriend and forced into a marriage she did not want, to another man.

Paula refused to conform to standard gender roles, despite her familys pressure, she said.

Spurned by their families and subjected to violence and abuse because of their sexuality or the way they look, LGBTIQ+ people are often driven to the margins of society, Cardona said.

And there is where Ana and Paula met, having been forced into a daily struggle for survival.

We didnt have anything  no money, nothing to cook on, but we were together, Ana said.

Ana and Paula have lodged a claim for asylum in Mexico and are planning for the future. UNHCR has supported them, explaining their rights to them under international law and helping to determine what they will need should they stay in Mexico  including shelter, medical attention, counseling and cash assistance as well as help finding schools for their children.

See also: 5 things to know today for IDAHOTB

The family shares the aid they receive from UNHCR with their Mexican hosts. They are content for now to live in peace in the countryside, with a yard shaded by a mango tree, with some hens, a duck and a pig.

We like it here. This village is healthy, our children can play, nobody bothers them. You can leave the door unlocked  its a better place to bring up our children, Ana said.

Ana and Paula hope to get married in Mexico City, one of 18 of Mexicos 31 states where same-sex couples can wed. They are hopeful for the future.

Our kids say we have two mothers. They dont discriminate, Ana said.

*Names have been changed and some details omitted for protection reasons.
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Finalists Prepare for MECSL Competition at UW

Finalists have been named in the Microbial Ecology Collaborative Startup Launchpad (MECSL), a competition focused on innovative Wyoming-based startups in the fields of microbial ecology, environmental sustainability, natural resource management or data science.

Pitch Day for MECSL will be Wednesday, May 19, where finalists will compete for a $25,000 award pool.

MECSL is administered by IMPACT 307, the University of Wyomings business incubator network, and funded by Wyomings Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The launchpad has brought in a series of teams that have been working to create functioning businesses in areas concerning the relationships between microorganisms as well as their environments.

IMPACT 307 is a network of innovation-driven business incubators committed to growing and strengthening Wyomings entrepreneurial community by providing resources and support for founders to thrive.

The two finalists competing for funding are:

-- Frostyflake is a weather-monitoring service that works particularly with snowplow companies, allowing them to access cameras in 20,000 different locations that display weather in real time as opposed to making these firms rely on often inaccurate meteorology broadcasts. Frostyflake was founded and is currently run by CEO Marcus Curley.

-- LifeGlass is a company focused on revolutionizing the way pharmaceuticals are transported and stored, hoping to make the process easier and more efficient. LifeGlass was created by Ryan Bettcher, a UW Ph.D. student from Brighton, Colo., majoring in molecular biology, and Thomas Boothby, a UW assistant professor of molecular biology.

Im excited to meet the other competitors, Curley says. The way I look at it is, obviously, we are competing for a lot of money. But I think there is a ton of value in getting to network with the other teams and learning from how they run their businesses.

For information on how to view the presentations, RSVP to laramie@uwyo.edu.
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Tyler Kerr Named UW Staff Employee of the Year

Tyler Kerr, makerspace coordinator in the Innovation Wyrkshop, recently was named UW staff employee of the year. (UW Photo)

Tyler Kerr, the University of Wyoming makerspace coordinator in the Innovation Wyrkshop, recently was named UW staff employee of the year.

Because of COVID-19 concerns, this years in-person Staff Recognition Day was canceled. The annual event honors the hard-working staff of UW. It provides an opportunity to show all staff members how much they are appreciated for everything they do to keep the main UW campus, and throughout the state, functioning and providing a top-notch educational experience to thousands of students.

Staff Senate posted a video of this years award winners. To view all of the nominees and winners, click here.

Due to COVID-19, things have operated a little differently this year, a time where our staff deserves more recognition than ever. Staff Senate would like to acknowledge the grit, resilience and patience that staff has exuded throughout this challenging year. Despite the fear, frustration and uncertainty, they kept going, they showed up, and they did whatever they could to make this year a success, Staff Senate posted in announcing the winners through the video.

The video featured special thank-you messages from UW President Ed Seidel; Interim Provost Anne Alexander; Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Neil Theobald; Associated Students of UW President Riley Talamantes; Staff Senate Vice President Elizabeth Traver; and Faculty Senate Chair Rudi Michalak.

Kerr was named the UW Staff Employee of the Second Quarter last year. The recognition honored Kerr, who led a student team in the UW College of Engineering and Applied Sciences makerspace, in printing nearly 5,000 protective masks and face shields for more than 40 medical centers and schools throughout the state. Kerr and his team also produced small protective face shields for children.

Originally from Massachusetts, Kerr has been at UW since August 2013, initially as a masters degree student in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. He received his undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., where he majored in geosciences.

Other staff members honored for their contributions to UW are:

Jodi K. Humphrey Inspirational Staff Award: Cheyenne Niemi, Financial and Administrative Support Team financial affairs associate.

E.G. Meyer Family Award: Cassandra Jenkins, Washakie Dining Center custodial supervisor, and Sally Quade, Academic Technology Services, Desktop Support Team supervisor.

All-Star Team Staff Award: Elizabeth Butkus, Hally Killion, Jenn McKenna, Madison Vance and Marce Vasquez, all Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory lab technicians.

Custodian of the Year Award: Mary Nottage, Custodial Services.

Skilled Trades Award: James Bartush, Preventive Maintenance technician.

Off-Campus Award: Brandi Roesener and Melisa Valtierra, both Student Educational Opportunity project coordinators.

Supervisor of the Year Award: Richard Bazan, Electrical Shop manager.

Unsung Hero Award: Jack Chapman, Department of Theatre and Dance senior office associate; Jenn McKenna, Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory lab technician; Shannon Plumb, Department of Botany senior office associate; and Tammy Rompola, Cowboy Joe Club accountant.

True Grit Award: Jeannie Czech, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology business manager, and Shaun Ziegler, Department of Psychology business manager.

Pete Simpson Golden Gloves Award: Emily Edgar, Institutional Marketing creative services associate director.

This year, in lieu of an in-person event and release time, Seidel has authorized four hours that will be added to the Comp Bank of full-time and part-time classified staff employees in recognition of their hard work and dedication to UW. This time must be used in a single four-hour block before Aug. 1.

For more information, call the Staff Senate office at 766-5300.
State police say they clocked three drivers going more than 115 mph  among 46 traveling at speeds in excess of 90 mph  in the span of a few 
In the history of the world there have been some very bad ideas: Screen doors on submarines. New Coke. Eliminating nearly 22 child protective social worker positions at the NH Division for Children, Youth and Families. While the first idea is a joke and the second idea a marketing failure, t
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DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 17th May, 2021) This years celebration by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) of the International Museum Day (IMD) that falls annually on 18th May, is on the theme "The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine".

This year, the authority is providing free entry to its museums across Dubai, affirming their importance as important cultural edifices that connect society members with the rich history and heritage of the UAE, consolidating their connection with the countrys past, and enriching them with its inherent values and traditions.

The world annually celebrates International Museum Day to celebrate the importance of these edifices in spreading knowledge, science and human heritage.

Muna Faisal Algurg, Director of the Museums Department and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Culture and Heritage Sector at Dubai Culture, affirmed the importance of commemorating the day to raise awareness among society members of the importance of museums as pioneering cultural and educational destinations.

Algurg stressed the authoritys commitment to the continuous development of the emirate's museums and upgrading the visitor experience by providing quality services, following the best international practices, and developing various programmes aimed at strengthening the position of museums as vital hubs for the exchange of knowledge and cultural dialogue for the Emirati community and global audiences.

She affirmed that the authoritys initiative to grant the public free access to Dubai Cultures museums will provide visitors with the opportunity to enjoy unique tours that would enrich their knowledge of the UAEs rich heritage.

Dubai Culture celebrates the emirates rich heritage and ancient past, preserving, protecting and transmitting it across generations and granting everyone access to it. By celebrating the emirate's rich cultural heritage, the authority also seeks to consolidate Dubai's position as the largest intellectual meeting place for various cultures in the region.

With the theme "The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine", International Museum Day 2021 invites museums, their professionals and communities to create, imagine and share new practices of (co-)creation of value, new business models for cultural institutions and innovative solutions for the social, economic and environmental challenges of the present.

The objective of International Museum Day (IMD) is to raise awareness about the fact that, "Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.

Last year, more than 37,000 museums participated in the event in about 158 countries and territories.
Bunia, DR Congo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2021 ) :At least 10 civilians were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive east this week, a local administrator and a rights group said, blaming the violence on the ADF militia.

The killings happened "on Wednesday, May 12, in the villages of Ngaka and Mangundu" in Ituri province, the Kivu Security Tracker group posted on Twitter.

"Local sources suspect the ADF, possibly in coalition with a local group," the KST added.

Idriss Koma Kukodila, the administrator of the Mambasa territory where the attacks took place, told AFP that "young people found 15 decomposing bodies near Ngaka village on Saturday".

"They appear to have been killed in attacks on Thursday and Friday in the village, as well as in neighbouring Lukaya and Makumo," Koma added, saying the Red Cross had buried the remains.

He blamed the ADF for the killings, which took place a few kilometres north of the fighters' usual haunts around the city of Beni in neighbouring North Kivu province.

Citing local civil society sources, UN-run Okapi radio put the toll at 21 since the beginning of last week, with the ADF taking around 50 hostages.

"The military presence in the Mambasa region is weak, and the attackers are capitalising on that," Koma said, calling for reinforcements and voicing alarm about people fleeing the violence.

A historically Ugandan Islamist group, the ADF is the bloodiest of scores of armed militias that roam the eastern DRC, many of them a legacy of two regional wars in the 1990s.

Violence in North Kivu and Ituri prompted the government in Kinshasa to declare a "state of siege" in the two provinces, placing them under military rule from last week.

Linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) group according to Washington, the KST says the ADF has killed more than 1,200 civilians in the Beni area alone since 2017.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday said Pakistan valued its relations with the European Union (EU) and earnestly looked forward to enhance mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interests

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2021 ) :Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday said Pakistan valued its relations with the European Union (EU) and earnestly looked forward to enhance mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interests.

The Army Chief was talking to EU Ambassador Androulla Kaminara, who called on him here at the General Headquarters (GHQ), an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release said.

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest and regional security situation, including recent developments in the Afghan peace process were discussed.

The EU envoy appreciated Pakistan's sincere efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region, especially the Afghan peace process.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2021) Ecuador gave Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine emergency use authorization, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said Saturday.

"The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces the approval of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus in the Republic of Ecuador. Sputnik V was granted an emergency use authorization," the RDIF said.
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Moldovan President Maia Sandu will embark on her working trip to Germany on Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation, trade and economic ties, as well as regional developments with senior German officials, the presidential press service said on Monday

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) Moldovan President Maia Sandu will embark on her working trip to Germany on Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation, trade and economic ties, as well as regional developments with senior German officials, the presidential press service said on Monday.

"Sandu will pay an official visit to Berlin on May 19-20 at the invitation of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to give an impetus to bilateral relations between the countries," the press service said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Sandu will hold talks with Steinmeier and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

She will also take part in hearings on Moldova at the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and meet with members of the Bundestag along with other senior officials.

Sandu intends to discuss the issues of bilateral relations, the political and security situation in the country and in the region, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and economic cooperation, in her first visit to Germany since she won the November presidential election.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) The Estonian Defense Forces will start large-scale military drills of the Spring Storm series, with the participation of the NATO military, in Estonia on Monday.

This year's edition is smaller in the number of troops due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some 2,000 military personnel from NATO member states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, France, Italy, Latvia and Poland, are expected to join the 5,000 Estonians in the military exercises, which will last through June 5.

The same drills during the pre-pandemic times involved as many as 10,000 NATO servicemen.
UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) Dozens of people have gathered at the UN headquarters in New York City, calling on the United Nations to take some action and support Palestine amid the sharp escalation of the conflict with Israel, a Sputnik correspondent reports.

"Speak out and help Palestine," the demonstrators are shouting, saying that Palestinians need aid, shelter, food and medicine amid the Israel-Gaza violence.

The demonstrators are holding Palestinian flags and calling for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

An emergency UN Security Council meeting was held on Sunday to discuss the ongoing hostilities between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Most of the countries participating in the virtual meeting urged both sides to agree to a ceasefire.

The current escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict started earlier this month, when unrest began in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area. The situation on the border between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip has been deteriorating for the past week amid heavy rocket exchanges that have resulted in the death of nearly 200 Palestinians, including 58 children. Israel has reported 10 people killed and 50 others seriously injured, while the Palestinian Red Crescent says that more than 1,300 Palestinians have been injured amid tensions with Israel.
Russia delivered a third batch of small arms, including 5,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, to the Central African Republic (CAR), Russian Ambassador to Bangui Vladimir Titorenko told Sputnik

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) Russia delivered a third batch of small arms, including 5,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, to the Central African Republic (CAR), Russian Ambassador to Bangui Vladimir Titorenko told Sputnik.

"Russia supplied the car with a third batch of weapons free of charge. These are small arms - machine guns, light machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, RPGs, hand grenades and ammunition," the ambassador said.

This delivery is the largest to date, the ambassador said, adding that there are 5,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles among the supplied weapons. The ceremony of transferring weapons and ammunition was held at Bangui airport in the presence of the CAR president and defense minister, as well as the representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Maj.

Gen. Oleg Polguyev.

Titorenko explained that permission from the UN Security Council for the transfer of small arms was not required, only notification was needed.

In October 2020, Russia supplied the CAR with 20 armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicles BRDM-2. In 2019, Russia handed over to the country's authorities Kalashnikov assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, pistols and sniper rifles. All deliveries are free of charge.
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Russian Defense Minister Gen. of the Army Sergei Shoigu discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation in Karabakh by phone with his Armenian counterpart, Vagharshak Harutyunyan on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) Russian Defense Minister Gen. of the Army Sergei Shoigu discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation in Karabakh by phone with his Armenian counterpart, Vagharshak Harutyunyan on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters.

"On May 17, Russian Defense Minister Gen.

of the Army Sergei Shoigu held phone talks with Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan. During the conversation, issues of bilateral cooperation, the situation in the region and areas where the tasks of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh are being fulfilled were discussed," the ministry said.

No further details were disclosed.
The UN Security Council is currently working on a draft statement on the Israeli-Palestinian escalation that entered its second week, a diplomatic source at the Security Council told Sputnik on Monday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) The UN Security Council is currently working on a draft statement on the Israeli-Palestinian escalation that entered its second week, a diplomatic source at the Security Council told Sputnik on Monday.

On Sunday, the council met for an emergency meeting over the deadly fighting in Gaza and Jerusalem. However, at the end of the session, the UN's global body for ensuring international peace failed to speak in one voice for the necessity of ending the confrontation.

"The work at the Security Council on the draft statement is ongoing," the source said.

In the draft, seen by Sputnik, the UN Security Council expresses "grave concern" regarding the tensions in Gaza and deaths among the civilian population. It calls for a cessation of violence and stresses the need to provide aid to the Palestinians immediately.

The council also welcomes all diplomatic efforts to lower tensions and to reach a ceasefire deal, including from the middle East Quartet.

The UN Security Council last week held three meetings on the current situation in the Middle East.

All previous attempts by the council to conclude the meetings with a concrete result - a statement - were blocked by the United States.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington has been working hard through its diplomatic channels behind closed doors to end the hostilities.

The current escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began earlier this month when unrest began in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area. The situation on the border between Israel and the Palestinian enclave Gaza Strip has been deteriorating for the past week amid heavy rocket exchanges that have resulted in the death of nearly 200 Palestinians, including 58 children. Israel has reported 10 people killed and 50 others seriously injured, while the Palestinian Red Crescent says that more than 1,300 Palestinians have been injured amid tensions with Israel.
The United States has imposed sanctions on 19 individuals and two entities from Myanmar, the Treasury Department announced Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) The United States has imposed sanctions on 19 individuals and two entities from Myanmar, the Treasury Department announced Monday.

The military government-linked people were placed on the US Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN).

The SDN List, managed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, is designed to place sanctions or embargo measures on designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, and international criminals.

The announcement comes amid controversial actions taken by the military government of Myanmar against its own civilian population. At least 774 civilians have been killed in crackdowns against pro-democracy protesters following the February 1 coup.
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WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th May, 2021) The US government has raised its level of advisory warnings against citizens traveling to Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand, the State Department announced on Monday.

"This week, the following travel advisories have been assessed and reissued with updates, raised to a Level 4 - Do Not Travel: Cambodia [and] Kyrgyzstan," the State Department said in a media note.

The Travel Advisory updates were primarily on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notices and secondary factors such as commercial flight availability, restrictions on US citizen entry and impediments to obtaining coronavirus test results within three Calendar days, the note explained.

The US government's travel advisory for Thailand has also been raised this week to Level 3 - signifying reconsidering travel, the State Department added.
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World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to bring forward deliveries to global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to bring forward deliveries to global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX.

"We need doses right now and call on them [vaccine manufacturers] to bring forward deliveries as soon as possible," WHO's Tedros said at a press briefing.

"Moderna has signed a deal for 500 million doses with COVAX but the majority have been promised only for 2022. We need Moderna to bring hundreds of millions of these forward into 2021 due to the acute moment of this pandemic," Tedros added.

Tedros also expressed his hope that the Serum Institute of India would "catch up" on its delivery commitments to COVAX once the recent COVID-19 surge in India has passed.
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 73F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
The logo of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Preparations are underway in Hungary for the International Eucharistic Congress, where Pope Francis is due to preside at the closing Mass in September. Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo spoke with the Vatican about the gathering, which he views as a sign of hope for Hungary amid human misery.

By Stefan J. Bos

The head of Hungary's Catholic Church said the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest attended by Pope Francis this September is a symbol of life after the coronavirus pandemic.

Cardinal Erdo made the comments when his nation mourned with more than 29,000 reported Covid-19-related deaths out of a population of nearly 10 million. Hungary is among the nations with the highest reported coronavirus death tolls per capita in the world.

Cardinal Erdo said in a statement that he spoke about the Pope's participation in the International Eucharistic Congress with the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The Cardinal stressed that his talks focused on organizational matters about the upcoming Congress, which was postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Cardinal added that a Vatican delegation inspected the Budapest venue of the Congress last week.

With Hungary slowly reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, the event is to include the September 12 closing Mass held at Budapest's majestic Heroes Square.

Pope Francis is expected to preside at the Mass in the heart of Hungary's capital. Organizers say the ceremony will feature the 120-member orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera with a choir of 2,000.

Cardinal celebrating Mass

Cardinal Erdo, who will also celebrate Mass, followed by a procession to Heroes' Square, said the Pope's visit is historic. He noted that the International Eucharistic Congress closing Mass would be the first in 20 years to be attended by the Pope.

He added that the Pope would also have separate meetings with the faithful. Hungarian Bishop Gabor Mohos, who heads the Congress secretariat, suggests that the gathering means an encouragement to those suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. "We are thrilled to be able to announce the organizing of this event again," he told reporters in Budapest.

"We did not give up hope, despite the ongoing pandemic," added the Bishop, who himself recovered from Covid-19. "And we are happy to organize offline in person again."

The Congress, held 5-12 September, is also expected to see the attendance of other Church leaders and religious representatives. Among them are Greek and Eastern Catholic Bishops, as well as Orthodox and Protestant guests and representatives of the Jewish community and civil society.
Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) plans to mobilise 32 billion kWh of renewable energy. (Photo: thanhnien.vn)

Hanoi - Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) plans to mobilise 32 billion kWh of renewable energy, including 26.3 billion kWh of solar power, meaning the output of coal-fuelled and hydro-power plants will be reduced.

As of the end of April, 17,000 MW of solar power had been generated.

Nguyen Duc Ninh, Director of the National Power System Moderation Center (A0), said that thanks to the Governments policy of prioritising renewable energy, especially solar power, the focus in recent years has changed towards reducing the generation of traditional electricity despite its low cost and stable quality.

Ninh said that, by 2025, EVN will cease importing electricity from China and reduce imports from Laos.

According to the EVN, however, the mobilisation at high levels of renewable energy at a common price of 9.35 per kWh will not optimise production costs and will create difficulties in operations due to the instability of such sources.

Reductions in thermal power generation will also cause economic losses, as investors have already signed power contracts with the State.

Nguyen Tien Thoa, former Director of Price Management under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), said that EVN should advise the ministry on mechanisms for power mobilisation with varying scenarios.

At a recent meeting on the planning of national power development in the 2021-2030 period and vision to 2045, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh asked MoIT to gather ideas from ministries and sectors in the field.

EVN Deputy General Director Ngo Son Hai said it has proposed MoIT decide the percentage of solar power mobilised in the system to ensure safety in operations.

Economists Pham Chi Lan and Tran Dinh Thien also expressed concern about the mass transfer of solar power projects, saying that along with economic issues this may hit power security in the country as many projects are located in sensitive areas.
My Phuoc 4 Industrial Park will cover around 240,000 square metres in Binh Duong province

ESR will work with BW on the leasing of the park, leveraging its strong roster of customers.

My Phuoc 4 Industrial Park, which will boast approximately 240,000 square metres of logistics and light industrial facilities upon completion, is located north of Ho Chi Minh City in the strategic Binh Duong market, a leading hub of industrial development in the south.

We are excited to cooperate with BW on the development and management of high-quality logistics and light industrial facilities in this prime location, given BWs leading presence and reputation in the market. We view Vietnam as an important market in ESRs strategy and we look forward to welcoming our customers to My Phuoc 4, said Dr. Michael de Jong-Douglas, senior managing director of ESR.

Lance Li, CEO of BW said, E-commerce is a very important positive tailwind that drives the demand for logistics real estate in Vietnam. We are very delighted to work hand-in-hand with ESR, leveraging our collective relationships, experience, and track record in development and management to capitalise on the opportunity for this project.

ESR is the largest logistics real estate platform by gross floor area (GFA) focused on Asia-Pacific and by value of the assets owned directly and by the funds and investment vehicles it manages. The ESR platform spans major economies across Asia-Pacific, including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and India.

As of the end of last year, the fair value of the properties directly held by ESR and the assets under management with respect to the funds and investment vehicles managed by ESR recorded approximately $30 billion, and GFA of properties completed and under development as well as GFA to be built on land held for future development comprised over 20 million sq.m in total.

Meanwhile at the beginning of 2021, BW announced its hyper-growth strategy to roll out institutional-grade factories and warehouses for lease in Vietnam, pillared on a strong belief in the countrys tremendous consumption growth, modern retail, and e-commerce growth, combined with growing trade activities with considerably higher growth versus other countries within the region.

Development wise, the product mix includes ready-built factories, logistics warehouses, or both, tailored to tenant demand in each region, combined with large-scale multi-storey products to maximise GFA in core locations.

At present, BW employs a tried-and-true development formula that has proven successfully across Asia-Pacific. The development cycle is from 12-18 months, including land sourcing, design, construction and project management, leasing, and stabilisation.

Jeffrey Shen, ESR co-founder and co-CEO said, Vietnams industrial and logistics real estate is coming of age. It is one of the most promising markets within Southeast Asia, benefitting from a range of favourable macroeconomic factors. We are most pleased to make our first foray into the Vietnamese market with this meaningful joint venture with BW, which sets a strong foundation for our growth plans in the country.

Li also expressed excitement about the joint venture. As the Vietnamese industrial and logistics property sector is entering a strong cycle of growth, BW is focused on continuing to be a pioneer in the market and accelerating our growth trajectory on the back of both greenfield developments, acquisitions, and joint ventures. We believe that the firm is well positioned to capture the increasing opportunities as the demand for industrial spaces continues to grow.

With its best-in-class response to the pandemic and strong economic growth in comparison to elsewhere last year, Vietnam is embracing global supply chain movements following the footsteps of many major investment brands. Furthermore, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership gives Vietnam advantageous access to a market of 2.2 billion consumers and a total GDP of $26.2 trillion  accounting for around 30 per cent of global GDP.
BDIP, the ideal address for today's industries. Masterplan aerial view artist's impression.

Located in southern economic hub of Binh Duong province, well connected to the National Road No.13 and main seaport, Binh Duong Industrial Park (BDIP) is set to be the ideal industrial and logistic hub for foreign direct investment and leading national enterprises.

According to Lim Hua Tiong, CEO of Frasers Property Vietnam, harnessing the groups strong capabilities and experiences in industrial property development and deep understanding of the Vietnamese market has been built through decades of in-market experience.

Global manufacturers are flocking to Vietnam as the effective control of the pandemic and the effect of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement leverages the opportunity of strong macro conditions. We are set to build modern and sustainable industrial development to extend our presence in the Vietnam industrial sector, said Lim.

Being modern, dynamic, and sustainable is the unique concept allowing the conceptualisation and merging of related, inter-dependent industrial activities with business operations.

We are leveraging our expertise in design and master planning to ensure BDIP contributes to the wellbeing of the local community, as well as a work-and-live balance environment with recreations and amenities that will target to fill the current market gap, he added. Particularly, Binh Duongs location attractiveness and maturity is well-known to both domestic and foreign industrial players.

Especially BDIP will be developed in line with Groups strategy on setting a goal to green-certify 80 per cent of all its owned and managed assets by 2024 and to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050.

BDIP will focus on target customers in logistics and distribution, light and supporting industries, high-tech industries, and other non-polluted manufacturing industries.

It offers built-to-suit solutions with one-stop design and builds fit for customers looking for bespoke facilities.

Meanwhile ready-built facilities (RBF) with standard and high-quality specifications are suitable for investors looking for quick production startup. Over 200,000 square metres of completed facilities are expected to be delivered in the next 6-7 years. For the first phase of development, BDIP will develop 40,000sq.m of RBF and schedule to hand over to tenants by Q2 of 2022.

After many years of investment in the country, Frasers Property Vietnam has been focusing on the development of residential and commercial properties as well as hospitality. With BDIP, Frasers Property Vietnam is expanding its portfolio into a segment of high potential in the property market.

Besides that, Frasers Property Vietnams presence includes Melinh Point, a Grade A boutique office building in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, and Q2 Thao Dien  a luxury mixed-use development in District 2. Frasers Propertys hospitality business also has a presence in Vietnam, with Fraser Suites Hanoi and Capri by Fraser.

Building a sustainable platform and focusing on its people and the community, Frasers Property Vietnam is poised to achieve growth and become one of the key players in the country with a fully integrated real estate platform.

Headquartered in Singapore, Frasers Property trades on the main board of the Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX). The group has total assets of approximately S$39.2 billion as of March 31 It also sponsors real estate investment trusts including one stapled trust, two of which are also listed on the SGX.

Frasers Propertys multinational businesses operate across the asset classes of residential, retail, commercial and business parks, and industrial and logistics as well as hospitality. The group has businesses in Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, and China, and its well-established hospitality business owns and/or operates serviced apartments and hotels in over 70 cities and 20 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

For BDIP leasing enquiries, please email the sales team at sales.bdip@frasersproperty.com
Legal bottlenecks will be removed this year, the real estate industry believes. Photo: VNA

Last month the Ho Chi Minh Real Estate Association (HoREA) proposed ideas of higher land and house taxation which could reduce land speculation and encourage business production, as well as yield higher revenues for the government.

The association suggested imposing higher income tax on the sale or transfer of houses and land rights after establishment to combat land speculation. Furthermore, setting a high tax rate for selling or transferring houses and land in the first year and keeping a high tax rate in the second and third years onwards was also consideration.

Moreover, the association noted that owners of property used for living are subject to the lowest tax rate, while people who own more underutilised houses and land that are not used for living or for businesses will be subject to progressive tax rates.

HoREA also suggested that the State Bank of Vietnam and other commercial banks implement stricter tightening of real estate-related credit.

However, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) believed that tax policies for the real estate sector must be more carefully studied and only introduced at an appropriate time to ensure feasibility.

In order to contribute to improving the efficiency of state management on real estate, the study and completion of related tax policies is necessary. However, the sector makes up for the majority part of the whole economy, and its massive impact requires a wide range and collaboration of various relevant parties, ministries, and localities, the MoF noted in a response to the proposals.

The MoF is continuing to study and synthesise international experiences, as well as identify problems and shortcomings in the implementation of tax laws related to real estate for better implementation of the National Tax system reform for the period of 2021-2030, the ministry added.

Tax policy can be an appropriate tool to monitor and control efficient transactions in the economy, for instance, high tax collection on transactions can lead to higher market sales or rent price, but limit transactions of real estate. The impact of such policies would therefore be significant to the real estate market, and affect buyers and sellers.

Nguyen Tan Tai, tax and corporate services manager at Grant Thornton Vietnam said, Vietnam has regulations on personal income tax (PIT) on investment gain, specifically for real estate. The local authorities can consider appropriate tax rates periodically.

Tai noted that some countries have specific rules on tax on real estate, such as fixed rate on second homes in China and Canada; and progressive rate on house value and additional tax on second homes in the United Kingdom.

Last month, the New Zealand government also announced they would remove tax incentives for investors to make speculation less attractive. The moves come as surging house prices keep first-time buyers and people on lower incomes out of the market, raising concerns about growing societal inequality.

Tai explained, Fixed tax rates on purchase of the second or the third house has been applied by many countries. This is an easy solution to apply and has been proposed in Vietnam the past. The increase in tax rate on property would be a major source of income and would come mainly from the rich, with little impact on those who do not own a house.

On the other hand, Tai added, instead of a progressive tax based on the number of owned houses starting with the second home, a progressive tax rate can be applied based on the value of following ones. This would not depend too much on the time of real estate ownership, Tai said, but would depend on the value of those following houses.

In the UK, anyone buying a second property would pay an additional 3 per cent on top of the relevant standard rate band.

Regarding PIT from the transfer of the second property, the current PIT from real estate transfer is 2 per cent. We are of the view that the current Vietnamese tax policy is correctly and appropriately applied, Tai said.
The building where the Hacinco director is quarantined

Leaders of Hanoi Housing Development and Investment Corporation (Handico) decided following the direction of Hanoi Party Committee and Hanoi Peoples Committee on disciplinary action against Thanh for his violations that caused serious consequences in the community, forcing many offices and buildings in Hanoi to be put under lockdown. Hacinco is an affiliate of Handico.

The lockdowns at the Center Point building in Thanh Xuan, Block C of Ho Guom Plaza, and CT7 Booyoung in Hadong have disrupted the lives of about 3,100 people in 770 apartments, along with racking up expenses for testing and security, while creating extra tasks for task forces and medical personnel.

About 200 people have already been reported to have come into direct contact with Thanh. The city has confirmed that three of them were infected with the novel coronavirus after their encounter.

Handico claimed Thanh's violations were very serious, greatly affecting the city's pandemic prevention and public security, causing public outrage and damaging the prestige and business activities of the company.

He was found to be dishonest in his health declaration when he and his wife returned home from the central coastal city of Danang, which is currently dealing with a coronavirus outbreak. He and his wife travelled to many places. They tested positive for the coronavirus on May 12, several days after returning home from Danang.
In Laos (Photo: thestar.com.my)

Vientiane  The COVID-19 pandemic in Laos has been gradually controlled with new infection cases falling, especially in major cities.

The Lao Health Ministry on May 11 announced that there were 35 new infections in the past 24 hours, including nine in Vientiane, five imported in Champasak and 20 in Tonpheung district of Bokeo province bordering China.

So far, Laos has recorded 1,362 infections, 297 of them have recovered and one death.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian Health Ministry reported that the number of new cases decreased on the third consecutive day, reaching 480 on May 11, raising the total to 20,223. Of which, 8,170 have been given all-clear from the virus.

Earlier on May 10, Australia signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to provide an additional aid of 3.15 million USD to help Cambodia mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

Also on May 11, Cambodia received the third batch of Sinovac vaccine with 500,000 doses from China.

The nation has so far received more than 4 million doses of vaccines, including 1.7 million doses of Sinopharm aided by the Chinese Government, 2 million Sinovac doses bought from China and 324,000 AstraZenica through COVAX Facility.

To date, more than 1.8 million Cambodians have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Inside a bag factory of the An Phat Bioplastics JSC. (Photo the courtesy of the An Phat Bioplastics JSC)

Hanoi - Paper and packaging enterprises are optimistic about their prospects this year thanks to Vietnam's stable business situation.

The An Phat Bioplastics JSC (AAA) aims to achieve consolidated revenue of 9.5 trillion VND (412.8 million USD), up 28 percent. Post-tax profit is expected at 550 billion VND, nearly double that of 2020.

The Dong Hai Joint Stock Company of Bentre (DHC) aims to achieve 3.5 trillion VND in revenue and 399 billion VND in post-tax profit.

At the end of 2020, DHC had very impressive business results when it recorded a profit after tax 2.15 times higher than the previous year, reaching nearly 392 billion VND.

In addition, the Thuan Duc JSC (TDP) has set a revenue target of 1.97 trillion VND and a post-tax profit goal of 88 billion VND.

TDP is one of the leading enterprises in manufacturing environmentally friendly polypropylene (PP plastic) packaging products in Vietnam, with revenue and profit increasing in recent years.

The enterprise has a product line of shopping bags, mainly for export, accounting for half of the company's annual revenue, besides animal feed packaging product line and packaging agricultural products and the fertiliser packaging line.

The enterprise's 1A factory and 1B factory have a combined capacity of 25,000 tonnes of seeds per year and 8,000 tonnes of packages per year.

Its No 2 factory has an export capacity of 150 million packages per year, while its No 3 factory has a capacity of 8,000 tonnes of packages per year.

Q1 results

The An Phat Bioplastics JSC (AAA) announced its Q1 revenue at 2.28 trillion VND, up 45.04 percent over the same period last year, an increase of 708 billion VND. Post-tax profit reached 89 billion VND, up 41.27 percent from the same period last year.

The Dong Hai Joint Stock Company of Bentre (DHC) had net revenue of 1 trillion VND in Q1, up 51.7 percent year-on-year. This was also the first time DHC hit the milestone of 1 trillion VND in quarterly revenue.

DHC reported a post-tax profit of nearly 173 billion VND, up 138 percent over the same period last year, equivalent to earnings per share of 3,027 VND.

The Thuan Duc JSC (TDP) achieved Q1 net revenue of 467 billion VND, up 52 percent compared to the first quarter of 2020. Its post-tax profit reached more than 30 billion VND, more than two times higher than that of the first quarter of 2020.

TDP said in the first quarter of 2021, the domestic business market had stable and high revenue growth and domestic packaging sales of animal feed and agricultural products grew. The export market of supermarket shopping bags has recovered quite well from the same period of 2020.

According to SSI Securities Joint Stock Company (SSI), paper packaging consumption in Vietnam is expected to increase by 12 percent in 2021-2025 thanks to continuing urbanisation.

SSI forecasts the urbanisation rate, the proportion of the urban population to the total population, in the country will hit 40 percent in 2024 compared to 37 percent in 2019. The paper packaging segment also benefits from the rapid growth of Vietnam's e-commerce.

Analysts forecast that the growth of the plastic packaging segment in 2021 in Vietnam will depend on spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages.

As for the Asian market, according to analysts, the demand for packaging products will continue to grow and be the main growth driver for the packaging segment in Vietnam when it comes to exports.

Although packaging is an auxiliary industry for many manufacturing industries, it plays an important role and contributes significantly to the development of the economy.
Nguyen Vu Quan, trademark and copyright manager at KENFOX IP & Law Office

Well-known Vietnamese brands registered by overseas competitors are largely seen nowadays. Some typical examples are Trung Nguyen coffee, Vinataba tobacco, Vifon instant noodles, Ben Tre coconut candy, Duy Loi foldable hammocks, Sa Giang shrimp chips, and Phu Quoc fish sauce, all of which have been illegally registered in foreign countries.

Most recently, the code ST25, the name of a Vietnamese rice variety, is known as a delectable and premium rice product that garnered international recognition and has even received the Worlds Best Rice award, but it has since been registered as a trademark by four US companies and one Australian one. This has rightly accelerated the need for a strategy for brand protection for Vietnamese business.

Although this is an old story, the lesson is always fresh and relevant: you will pay a high price sooner or later if you do not have a proper brand protection strategy in place. Though government assistance is critical, Vietnamese companies must raise awareness and strengthen their capacity to defend themselves in order to survive and thrive.

Vietnam has always been ranked as one of the worlds leading rice-exporting countries. In 2020 alone, Vietnam exported 6.15 million tonnes of rice to the rest of the world, with a value of $3.07 billion.

ST25 rice was developed and successfully bred by Ho Quang Cua and his associates, a group of agricultural engineers in Soc Trang province, but Cua failed to apply for trademark registration, opening the door for the US and Australian groups to do so.

While the ST25 mark is still pending in Australia, a substantive examination for the said mark has been completed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). But the trademark examination outcomes for marks containing the same element ST25 provided by USPTO examiners appear to be inconsistent.

Under Nonfinal Office Actions against two marks  Vietnams ST25 Rice, Dac San Soc Trang and Vietnams ST25 Rice: The Worlds Best Rice and also for rice in Class 30 in the name of Transworld Foods, Inc.  the USPTO concluded that ST25 refers to a particular strain or varietal of rice. Varietal or cultivar names are designations used to identify cultivated varieties or subspecies of live plants or agricultural seeds. They are generic and cannot be registered as trademarks because they are the common descriptive names of plants or seeds by which such varieties are known to the US consumer.

As such, the USPTO noted to Transworld Foods, Inc. that no claim is made to the exclusive right to use ST25 RICE apart from the mark as shown.

Similarly, in a Nonfinal Office Action against another mark in Class 30 in the name of Ngon Fish Sauce, Inc., the USPTO concluded that the applicant must disclaim the wording GAO THOM ST25 which translates to fragrant rice ST25. The evidence shows that the wording fragrant rice is used to describe a characteristic of Vietnamese rice and ST25 is a variety of rice.

In the above Office Actions, the USPTOs examiners cited various online documents as grounds to determine ST25 as a name of a rice variety in Vietnam or a plant variety originating from Vietnam for a refusal of exclusive protection to the element ST25 contained in the above marks based on Trademark Manual of Examining Procedures.

Further, if the examiner determines that wording sought to be registered as a mark for live plants, agricultural seeds, fresh fruit, or fresh vegetables comprises a varietal or cultivar name, then the examiner must refuse registration or require a disclaimer on the grounds that the matter is the varietal name of the goods and does not function as a trademark.

From the foregoing, the element ST25 in the aforementioned three marks is deemed a designation of a particular strain or varietal of rice. Such a designation is generic and is not eligible for registration as a mark because it is the common descriptive name of a plant or a seed by which consumers in the United States are familiar therewith.

What can be done

There are still opportunities for Vietnamese ST25 rice products to be safely commercialised in the United States if the USPTO refuses protection for the trademark in the name of California-based I&T Enterprise, Inc.

In the context that the USPTO examiner did not rely on the provisions of a conflict between the cultivar name and the mark to refuse protection for the ST25 mark in the name of I&T Enterprise, Inc., at this time, it is required to file a Notice of Opposition under the opposition proceedings to challenge a trademark application in the United States. The opposition process opened on May 4 and Ho Quang Cua and his sons company have filed a notice of opposition.

Since an opposition must be submitted within 30 days of a trademark application being published, the urgency of the timing of a trademark opposition in the United States must be given special consideration. Otherwise, the trademark will be matured into registration.

Trademark conflicts with varietal or cultivar names are not uncommon. When a breeder selects and breeds a plant variety, the variety is frequently given a name. Varietal names are frequently made-up terms. During commercialisation, the varietal designation/name is frequently used as a trademark to imply that the products originated from that variety, thereby making a varietal name be considered as a trademark. This makes it difficult for examiners of intellectual property offices in a number of countries to obtain reliable evidence to determine whether the sign/element sought for registration is a varietal name or a trademark for the purpose of rejecting or approving protection.

The above case, establishing that the sign ST25 is the name of a rice variety selected and bred by Ho Quang Cua and his associates in Soc Trang province is not difficult. The designation ST25 denotes rice that has been processed from paddy harvested from the ST25 variety of rice. The initials "ST" stand for Soc Trang province, a Mekong Delta province where the variety is developed and bred. The code falls within the scope of protection for the plant variety rights. As a result, it is necessary to invoke the plant variety regulations to oppose I&T Enterprise, Inc.s registration of the ST25 mark.

Key takeaways

There are two central questions thus far. Why was the element ST25 contained in three trademark applications filed refused for protection, but I&T Enterprise Incs attempt has not yet been rejected? And what are the legal consequences if Vietnamese ST25 rice products are exported to the United States if the ST25 mark is registered in the name of I&T Enterprise, Inc.?

The name proposed/given to a plant variety selected and developed by the breeder is referred to as a varietal name or a denomination or a commodity designation. Common names in any language of goods or services that have been widely and regularly used and known to many people will be deemed indistinguishable, failing to perform the trademark's distinguishing function, and thus not protected as a trademark.

ST25 is the name given by Ho Quang Cua for the rice variety that he chooses to create and develop, and thus does not meet the criteria for trademark protection, as it is the name of a variety of rice or a name of a plant variety. But every rule has its exceptions. The USPTOs examiner refused protection for the element contained in the three other trademark applications due to the plant variety name in Vietnam but did not issue a similar notice of refusal to the mark in another application was confusing and resulted in the conclusion that the USPTOs trademark assessment principles were inconsistent.

However, this inconsistency is understandable because trademark applications are examined by different examiners, and it is likely that some examiners found grounds for refusal while others did not.

Whether or not ST25 is considered the designation of the rice variety, and whether or not it legally fails to meet the requirements for trademark monopoly protection, the delay in intellectual property rights (IPR) registration in large markets where Vietnamese rice products are heavily exported may cost IPR holders dearly. Allowing your brand/IP to fall into the hands of a competitor is the equivalent of losing a tool that could protect you effectively.

Trademark ownership has evolved into a potent weapon in the hands of competitors. It forces you to sit at the negotiating table, accept to buy back your own brand at whatever price your competitor would offer, or else your branded products will be seized and/or destroyed by the law enforcement authorities and you risk of being sued and ordered to pay damages by a court, etc. Our recommendation is as follows: along with business development, Vietnamese businesses must place a premium on brand creation, management, and development, all of which must adhere to a meticulous and methodical roadmap.

Consult with relevant attorneys at each stage of market approach and legalities to avoid becoming embroiled in increasingly complex, costly, and protracted IP proceedings without knowing what the outcome will be and in some scenarios, spending money and seeing things only get worse.
While South Korean companies are showing growing interest in Vietnam, they need to be made aware of the risks

According to the latest report by Korea International Trade Association (KITA), a growing number of South Korean companies are relocating to Vietnam in a bid to diversify supply post pandemic and reduce impact from the US-China trade disputes. However, the market also poses trade and market risks as an alternative production base to China.

There has been a growing trend of South Korean investments and exports to Vietnam. Vietnam has been the third-largest export market for South Korea behind China and the United States. In 2020, around 3,324 and 2,233 South Korean companies were doing business in Vietnam and China, respectively.

In Vietnam, South Korea was the second-largest foreign investor in Vietnam last year with the total registered capital of over $3.95 billion, behind Singapore, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

However, Vietnam is now subject to the growing number of import regulations targeting "Made in Vietnam" products. In 2020 alone, 21 anti-dumping and six countervailing duty investigations were initiated against Vietnam.

The report also points another burden for Vietnam is its non-market economy status (NME), which means it is more vulnerable to dumping determinations and subject to higher dumping margins. The US and the EU have designated NMEs in accordance with their laws and applied Adverse Facts Available and NME rates to NME companies that have failed to prove their independence in relation to their governments.

The US have conducted eight countervailing duty investigations against Vietnam to impose countervailing duties in six cases. With more and more products made in China being exported via third countries in order to avoid trade restrictions, Vietnam had to face US and EU investigations.

Furthermore, the relocation wave has put more pressure on infrastructure like growing rent prices at industrial zones and overloaded container traffic.

South Korean companies in Vietnam need to work more closely together with local partner firms, formulate raw material and component procurement plans against anti-dumping investigations, and prepare to prove their independence in relation to the Vietnamese government with regard to the NME rates, KITA advised.
Techcombank figures pointing to strategic victories (photo baodautu.vn)

Drawing on its expertise as one of the most reputable lenders with deep local knowledge and international expertise, the Hanoi-based lender is continuously innovating and executing new propositions that upholds Techcombanks role as the top commercial bank in the country.

The bank has released its financial results for Q1, which had it beating analyst expectations with reported profits in the period reaching VND4.4 trillion ($191.3 million), up 79 per cent year-on-year and an increase of 11 per cent quarter-on-quarter.

The bank has continued to be supported by world-class investors, and top analyst expectations, with JP Morgan, UBS, Morgan Stanley, SSI, Maybank among others noting Techcombanks deep knowledge of the local market, wide range of networks, product diversification, and high-calibre management team.

Techcombank is now enjoying a boost in its popularity and becoming the top pick among Vietnams listed lenders according to multiple indicators.

Most recently, JP Morgan reiterated its overweight rating on Techcombank. The banks pre-provision operating profit witnessed a 58-per-cent increase year-on-year which was 26 per cent above JP Morgans forecast thanks to the banks strength across net interest income (NII) and non-interest income (non-II).

NII grew 45 per cent year-on-year and 12 per cent quarter-on-quarter, on robust 5.7 per cent quarter-on-quarter loan growth and lower cost of funds which led to net interest margin (NIM) expansion.

While treasury gains contributed to non-II, fee income grew 54 per cent year-on-year led by settlement and cash services, suggesting a degree of sustainability, JP Morgan noted. Further, asset quality held up well, with the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio declining 8 basis points quarter-on-quarter to 0.38 per cent, while credit costs were broadly in-line. Costs were up 20 per cent year-on-year, which is in line with estimates. The broad-based revenue strength suggests potential upward revisions from our forecasts for this year.

These upbeat results indicate the banks robust operating trends and also reaffirms its agility to expand its business scale given its capital of 16.1 per cent. JP Morgan also noted the case for a re-rating, on top of 20 per cent earnings-per-share in compound annual growth rate from 2020-2023.

UBS, a Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services company, also named Techcombank as their top pick, with a strong buy recommendation. Techcombank reported its Q1 pre-tax profit of VND5.5 trillion ($240 million), up 77 per cent year-on-year and 16 per cent ahead of UBS expectations, respectively driven by NIM expansion, a solid loan growth, and robust non-interest income on the back of solid fee growth and gain from bad debt recovery, noted UBS analyst Worawat Saisuphatphol.

Although NPL formation increased, the ratio fell further to a record low of just 0.38 per cent helped largely by provision of loans sold. This effort to contain the detrimental impact of potential problem loans has brought about an all-time-high NPL coverage ratio of 219 per cent, as the bank has successfully built a solid provision buffer.

We see some upside risk to our earnings estimates and expect the market to react positively. Techcombank is our top pick, and we maintain our opinion to buy for this leading, most active Vietnamese lender, Saisuphatphol added.

According to JP Morgan, Techcombank is one of the rare banks across the region that is making money on both sides of the balance sheet, as well as on fee income, adjusted for all allocated costs, allowing for longer-term visibility on returns.

Techcombank has proven its vast potential as the most profitable bank in the country on return on assets despite having a low deposit market share of 3 per cent.

The bank has the distinctive ability to manage its loan growth within a system that regulates total credit. This is due to a large corporate bond book and a 63-per-cent loan/asset ratio. Further, high capital and low NPLs allow for credit quotas in the 20 per cent range for the next three years, JP Morgan noted.

The banks zero-fee programme and 1-per-cent cashback debit card have led to sharp improvement in current account saving accounts, to 44 per cent of deposits in 2020 from 22 per cent in 2017.

We expect further improvement to 50 per cent by 2023, leading to higher NIM. Moreover, we expect Techcombank to be on a self-sustained capital level, given its return on equity/growth combination, JP Morgan said.

Techcombank CEO Jens Lottner told VIR, Techcombanks ultimate goal is to become a top 10 bank in the Southeast Asian region, to have scale and capacity to deliver the best customer journey. In order to get there, Lottner asserted that Techcombank will focus on sustaining its current account/savings account growth, and investing into its tech and data infrastructure as well as its people.

Previously, Maybank Kim Eng Securities (MKE) applauded the lenders strategy to focus on top private sector companies, upper small- and medium-sized enterprises, and affluent retailers. Similar to analysts from JP Morgan and UBS, MKE analyst Thanh Quan reiterated his strong conviction in Techcombank citing more room for further re-rating as the stock as of May 4 traded below the local peer average despite its banking platform, earnings power, and quality being superior as revealed in industry-top operating metrics.
The two projects will pour more than $27 million of foreign capital to Khanh Hoa province

According to the proposal of Millennium Energy, the investor will build an LNG plant with a capacity of 4,800MW, divided into two construction phases with an investment capital of $4.7 billion. The commercial operation of phase 1 is expected in 2027-2030 and phase 2 after 2030.

Besides, Millennium Energy proposed building a storage system with a total capacity of 17 million square metres for Van Phong LNG terminal warehouse. The total investment capital for this project is expected to reach $22.5 billion. The project aims to supply LNG for the project's plant and other domestic projects, and export LNG to countries in Asia.

These two projects are worth over $27 billion, funded entirely from foreign investment capital.

The corporation has requested Khanh Hoa People's Committee to submit the proposal to the prime minister for support. The two projects are proposed to be added to the Draft National Power Development Plan for 2021-2030 and the national energy master plan for 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050.

According to the provincial People's Committee, Millennium Energy has surveyed Van Phong EZ since July 2020. The corporation signed an MoU with the management board of this EZ to receive support for its survey, research, and make an investment dossier for the two projects on a land area of about 360ha.
Kasikornbank is interested in the US lenders business in Southeast Asias second-biggest economy and will study the details as soon as the process is open. Citigroups retail business here has a very large and good customer base, Kattiya Indaravijaya, CEO of the bank told Bloomberg.

Acquisitions and regional expansion are key for Kasikornbank, said Indaravijaya, as it fends off rising competition from new entrants into the industry, especially financial technology firms. Any bid for Citis retail business assets would only happen if an acquisition creates synergy and adds value to the banks existing businesses.

In January, Pattarapong Kanhasuwan, Kasikornbank executive vice president said that Kasikornbank was granted a license to open a branch in Ho Chi Minh City. The branch is scheduled to open its doors within the third quarter of this year in order to provide services to local customers, including Thai and foreign businesses investing in Vietnam.

Attention is now focused on Vietnam as a regional investment hub that has attracted the worlds leading companies  including those from Thailand  thanks to its strong economy. As evidenced, Vietnam is the only ASEAN country that is presently enjoying positive growth, the Kasikornbank representative noted.

Citigroup follows the footsteps of other global lenders such as Standard Chartered and HSBC in shutting down their retail arms in Thailand. HSBC offloaded its Thai retail business in 2012, while Standard Chartered divested its business in 2017, Bloomberg noted.

Interim Citi country officer in Vietnam Lai Minh Thuy told VIR, Citi has been in Vietnam for several decades and the global announcement about strategic actions in consumer banking across 13 of our markets does not in any way dilute our long-term commitment to Vietnam or the Asia-Pacific region. With this strategic re-positioning, we will be able to further invest our resources in significantly growing our institutional business in Vietnam."

Citi Vietnam assures customers that consumer business operations and offices will continue to operate as normal with the same dedication and passion to serve and support clients.

"We would like to convey to all credit card and bank account holders, as well as our customers in loans, that all our existing products and services will continue normally and there will be no change in our high level of service," Thuy said.

In Vietnam, ANZ quit its retail banking business in 2017, selling it to Shinhan Bank Vietnam. The sale of its retail business was in line with ANZs strategy to improve its capital efficiency, allowing the bank to focus on institutional clients.

Kasikornbank plans to expand its operations in Indonesia and Vietnam, particularly in retail, to tap rising demand from growing populations. Kasikornbank is partnering with PT Bank Maspion Indonesia, in which it owns about a 10 per cent stake. In Vietnam, Kasikornbank has a banking license and is cooperating with e-commerce providers, Indaravijaya added.

According to Bloomberg, Kasikornbank joins counterparts such as Singapores DBS Group Holdings Ltd. and United Overseas Bank Ltd. in expressing an interest in Citigroups regional assets. Citibank could receive around $6 billion from offloading its retail business in 13 markets, including Vietnam.

At the same time, Japanese banks MUFG and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, along with UK-based Standard Chartered, are mentioned as other potential bidders. In South Korea, financial institutions OK Financial Group and DGB Financial Group are strong candidates if a bidding war to acquire Citibanks retail subsidiary takes place.

Specifically, DBS  the Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation  is reportedly mulling over buying Citibanks retail business in India, according to The Hindu Times.
A former professor living in Ohio has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for appropriating federal research grants to aid Chinas scientific pursuits, the U.S. Department of Justice announced May 14.

Song Guo Zheng, 58, a former rheumatology professor and researcher at Ohio State University (OSU), was arrested last May in Anchorage, Alaska as he prepared to board a chartered flight to China in an attempt to flee the United States.

Authorities had confiscated two laptops, three cell phones, several USB drives, several silver bars, expired Chinese passports for his family, deeds for property in China and other items off Zheng at the time of his arrest, according to the DOJ.

Zheng pleaded guilty in November 2020, and admitted to lying on NIH grant applications to secure approximately $4.1 million dollars in order to help China develop its expertise in the areas of rheumatology and immunology.

In addition to his prison time, Zheng has been ordered to pay restitution of more than $3.4 million to the National Institute of Health (NIH) as well as approximately $413,000 to OSU.

In yet another case involving the Chinese governments Thousand Talents program, Song Guo Zheng will spend the next 37 months in a federal prison because he chose to lie and hide his involvement in this program from U.S. research funding agencies, stated Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Departments National Security Division.

Zheng managed a team of scientists conducting autoimmune research at the OSU as well as the Pennsylvania State University.

Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBIs Counterintelligence Division said, For years the defendant concealed his participation in Chinese government talent recruitment programs, hiding his affiliations with at least five research institutions in China.

Stealing is stealing but stealing at the behest of a foreign governments concerted effort to pilfer our nations innovations and technology takes things to a new and significantly worse level. said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio.

The Thousand Talents Plan

The Thousand Talents Plan is the Chinese Communist Partys drive to recruit science talent for its own technological advancement, as well as to steal intellectual property from rival countries and research institutions.

Court documents state that while employed at OSU, Zheng was also working at the Third Affiliated Hospital at Sun Yat-Sen University, a state-controlled school in southern Chinas Guangdong Province, as reported by The Epoch Times. The universitys now defunct homepage named him as an expert under the Thousand Talents Plan.

Zheng failed to disclose this conflict of interest, among others, to his U.S. employers as well as the NIH.

Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General stated that Reporting potential conflicts of interest when seeking grant funding from the National Institutes of Health is imperative in ensuring the publics trust in the research being conducted and how it is utilized. He continued, Making false statements to conceal potential conflicts violates that trust and the law.

This case is but one among numerous federal actions targeting CCP affiliates who covertly collaborate with Chinese institutions while receiving research funding from U.S. taxpayers.

You Xiaorong, a Chinese-born American citizen, was recently convicted for stealing $120 million worth of U.S. trade secrets from Coca-Cola as well as other companies.

U.S. officials say that the Thousand Talents Plan serves as an illegal conduit for the transfer of U.S. research and expertise to Chinese entities.

Prosecutors stated that Zheng had been participating in the Plan since 2013 and used research conducted in the U.S. to benefit the Chinese governments own research ambitions.

Sources state that before residing in Ohio, Zheng also worked at the University of Southern California as well as Penn State University.
Members of a militia opposed to the coup by the Myanmar military on Sunday pulled back into the jungle of western Myanmar following days of fighting with the army, as the United States and Britain condemned military violence against civilians.

Mindat, a city of about 40,000 people in the western Chin state of Myanmar, has become a hotspot for the civilian movement against the military government, which seized power in a coup February 1.

Some Mindat residents have formed the Chinland Defense Force (CDF), which said in a statement Sunday that six of its members had been killed by the junta. After three weeks of fighting, the army has battled local people. But fighters pulled back after days of assaults by army combat troops backed by artillery.



Some security forces were killed, and others were reported missing after attacks in Mindat, Myawaddy television, which is controlled by the army, said Saturday. The BBC reported that some of the Mindat population is believed to have fled, while others are trapped in the town.

The United Nations has estimated that the military has killed more than 780 people since the coup. The military disputes that number. Since the coup that ousted the elected government, the military has shut down internet and mobile phone services periodically throughout the country, making it difficult for human rights organizations and media to confirm death tolls.

The U.S. and British embassies in Myanmar issued statements raising concerns about civilians in Mindat.

The militarys use of weapons of war against civilians, including this week in Mindat, is a further demonstration of the depths the regime will sink to to hold onto power, the U.S. embassy in Myanmar wrote on Twitter Sunday.

The militarys use of weapons of war against civilians, including this week in Mindat, is a further demonstration of the depths the regime will sink to to hold onto power. We call on the military to cease violence against civilians.  U.S. Embassy Burma (@USEmbassyBurma) May 15, 2021

Attacks on civilians are illegal and cannot be justified, the British embassy in Myanmar said Sunday.

We are aware of increasing violence in Mindat, including reports of the military shooting civilians. Attacks on civilians are illegal and cannot be justified. Evidence of atrocities should be sent to the @UN IIMM so perpetrators can be held to account.https://t.co/cdsUd2Hkz3  UK in Myanmar  (@ukinmyanmar) May 15, 2021

Pope Francis, who has been outspoken in condemning violence in Myanmar, delivered a special message devoted to the country from Italy Sunday.

Do not lose hope, he said. Even today, Jesus is interceding before the Father for all of us, praying that he keep us from the evil one and set us free from evils power.
The Hong Kong stock exchange suspended trading in shares of Next Digital media company Monday, just days after authorities froze assets of founder and owner Jimmy Lai.

The government froze Lais assets last Friday under the citys national security law, which was imposed by China in 2020 in response to massive and often violent anti-government demonstrations the year before.

The 73-year-old media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate was in court with nine other activists Monday, where they all entered guilty pleas on charges of taking part in an unauthorized assembly in October 2019. He is currently serving a 14-month prison sentence for taking part in separate unauthorized assemblies in 2019.

Officials with Next Digital, which publishes the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, said the company has a few months of operating capital remaining. The newspapers sister publication in Taiwan announced last week that it would stop publishing a print edition due to declining advertising revenue and difficult business decisions in Hong Kong.

Lai was first arrested under the new law on suspicion of foreign collusion in August. Hours after his arrest, more than 100 police officers raided Next Digitals headquarters.

The newspaper live streamed the raid on its website, showing officers roaming the newsroom as they rummaged through reporters files, while Lai was led through the newsroom in handcuffs.

The owner of Next Digital media company was initially arrested and charged with fraud, with prosecutors accusing him of violating terms of the companys lease of its office space. Lai has since been charged under Hong Kongs new national security law for colluding with foreign forces, allegedly for advocating for foreign sanctions.
Police are reaching out to villagers in northern India to investigate the recovery of bodies buried in shallow sand graves or washing up on the Ganges River banks, prompting speculation on social media that they were the remains of COVID-19 victims.

In jeeps and boats, the police used portable loudspeakers with microphones asking people not to dispose of the bodies in rivers. "We are here to help you perform the last rites, police said.

On Friday, rains exposed the cloth coverings of bodies buried in shallow sand graves on the riverbank in Prayagraj, a city in Uttar Pradesh state.

Navneet Sehgal, a state government spokesman, on Sunday denied local media reports that more than 1,000 corpses of COVID-19 victims had been recovered from rivers in the past two weeks. I bet these bodies have nothing to do with COVID-19, he said.

He said some villagers did not cremate their dead, as is customary, due to a Hindu tradition during some periods of religious significance and disposed of them in rivers or digging graves on riverbanks.

K.P. Singh, a senior police officer, said authorities had earmarked a cremation ground for those who died of COVID-19 on the Prayagraj riverbank and the police were no longer allowing any burials on the riverfront.

Sehgal state authorities have found a small number of bodies on the riverbanks, he said, but didnt give a figure.

Ramesh Kumar Singh, a member of Bondhu Mahal Samiti, a philanthropic organization that helps cremate bodies, said the number of deaths is very high in rural areas, and poor people have been disposing of the bodies in the river because of the exorbitant cost of performing the last rites and a shortage of wood. The cremation cost has tripled up to 15,000 rupees ($210).

Health authorities last week retrieved 71 bodies that washed up on the Ganges River bank in neighboring Bihar state.

Authorities performed post mortems but said they could not confirm the cause of death due to decomposition.

A dozen corpses were also found last week buried in sand at two locations on the riverbank in Unnao district, 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh state capital. District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said an investigation is underway to identify the cause of death.

Indias two big states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with nearly 358 million people in total, are among the worst hit in the surge sweeping through the country with devastating death tolls. Hapless villagers have been rushing the sick to nearby towns and cities for treatment, many of them dying on the way, victims of India's crumbling health care.

After hitting record highs for weeks, the number of new cases was stabilizing, said Dr. V.K. Paul, a government health expert.

The Health Ministry on Sunday reported 311,170 confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, down from 326,098 on Saturday.

It also reported 4,077 additional deaths, taking the total fatalities to 270,284. Both figures are almost certainly a vast undercount, experts say.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he is not planning any immediate end to deadly airstrikes Sunday on Gaza, hours after his militarys jet fighters flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people.

Since the fighting began Monday, more than 192 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 58 children and 22 women, according to Gazas Health Ministry. At least 10 Israelis have been killed in the rocket attacks, including a six-year-old.

In a televised address, Netanyahu told the Jewish state that the attacks were continuing at full force and will take time.

I hope it wont take long, Netanyahu told CBSs Face the Nation show in the United States. But he said the end of the attacks was not immediate despite international efforts to broker a case-fire in the week-long exchange of missile fire between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

We were attacked by Hamas...unprovoked attacks on Jerusalem, the Israeli capital, Netanyahu said.

Well do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet, he said in the television interview. Were trying to degrade Hamass terrorist ability and to degrade their will to do this again.

Netanyahu spoke after the deadliest attacks since the devastating war in Gaza in 2014. The Israeli airstrikes targeted a major downtown street of residential buildings and store fronts over a five-minute period after midnight, flattening two adjacent buildings and another about 50 meters away.

Early Sunday, Israel bombed the house of Yehya Al-Sinwar, the top Hamas Leader in Gaza, on the seventh straight day of hostilities. It was not immediately clear if Sinwar was home. An Associated Press report said he was likely in hiding along with the rest of the groups upper echelon.

Netanyahu defended the destruction Saturday of a 12-story building in Gaza City where the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera news organizations were based, as well as apartments and other offices.

The buildings owner received a warning by telephone from the Israeli military an hour before the attack and AP staffers and other building occupants evacuated the building immediately. Netanyahu said no one was injured in the attack. Al-Jazeera continued to broadcast the airstrikes as the building collapsed.

The Israeli leader said the building, in addition to housing the media offices, was home to the intelligence office for the Palestinian terrorist organization.

It is a perfectly legitimate target, he contended.

AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said in a statement the news organization was shocked and horrified by Israels attack on the building, while noting it had received a warning from Israel.

The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today, Pruitt warned.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Pruitt and offered his unwavering support for independent journalists and media organizations around the world and noted the indispensability of their reporting in conflict zones, according to spokesman Ned Price. He expressed relief that the Associated Press team on the ground in Gaza remains safe.

The Israeli military said, without evidence, that it destroyed the building because intelligence operatives within the Islamist militant group, Hamas, were using media offices as human shields.

APs bureau has been in this building for 15 years. We have had no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building, the news organization responded. We would never knowingly put our journalists at risk.

Separately, hundreds of people took to the streets in Lebanon Sunday to protest the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Thousands Rally in N.America in Solidarity with Palestinians Gatherings took place in cities including New York, Boston, Washington, Montreal and Dearborn, Michigan

The U.N. Security Council met Sunday to try to figure out how to quell the violence and the United States dispatched a diplomat to the region to try to broker a cease-fire.

The latest outbreak of fighting began last Monday after conflicts in east Jerusalem last month. Palestinian clashes with police erupted in response to Israeli police tactics during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish settlers threatening to evict dozens of Palestinian families. A focal point of the unrest was the Al-Aqsa Mosque, located on a hilltop compound that is revered by both Muslims and Jews.

On Saturday, Netanyahu said the air bombardment will continue as long as needed.

You cannot hide  not above ground, and not underground. Nobody is immune, he said, speaking to the leaders of Hamas in Gaza, and he thanked U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders for their support.

Biden called Netanyahu on Saturday and said he condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas and reaffirmed his support for Israels right to defend itself from Hamas and other terrorist groups. The U.S. leader also expressed concern for the safety of journalists and the need to ensure their protection, according to a White House readout of the call.

Biden also spoke by phone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, their first conversation since Biden assumed the U.S. presidency in January.

He updated Abbas on U.S. diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict, stressing that Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel. Biden also underscored his commitment to a negotiated two-state solution as the best path to reach a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the White House said.

Hady Amr, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Israel and Palestinian affairs.

Hady Amr, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Israel and Palestinian affairs, was in Israel and set to meet with Israeli leaders Sunday, then with Palestinian officials in the West Bank to find a sustainable calm, the State Department said.

European Union foreign ministers will have a videoconference Tuesday about the escalating fighting between Israel and the Palestinians. Josep Borrell, the EUs foreign policy chief, said on Twitter Sunday that the ministers will discuss how the EU can best contribute to end the current violence.
Gibraltar Nurses Receive Their Own Florence Nightingale Medal

The Gibraltar Florence Nightingale medal is the highest international distinction that can be awarded to a nurse. It recognises exceptional courage and devotion to caring, or exemplary services and a pioneering spirit in healthcare delivery, it brings with it a sense of belonging, achievement and history.

In crisis situations, it is nurses who are on the frontline often providing care in conditions not unlike those that existed in Florence Nightingales day. In practice, nurses are challenged on a day to day basis as they respond to the needs of people sick or well.

The Director of Nursing and Gibraltar Ambulance Services, Ms Sandie Gracia felt it was important to ensure that nurses receive the recognition and respect they deserve, as it takes strong commitment, courage and determination to deal with situations for which few people are prepared for. The medal is unique and personally special to each nurse. Ms Gracia designed and commissioned the Gibraltar Florence Nightingale medal that depicts the face of the leading reformer and pioneer of modern nursing and the castle and key insignia of Gibraltar.

Nurses were awarded their medal in a ceremony on Monday 10th May 2021 at St Bernards Hospital. The Director of Nursing and the Honourable Minister Sacramento MP made the presentations to those nurses present.

Wearing the medal provides an outward display of their contribution and efforts concerning the nursing response to COVID-19 said Ms Gracia. At the ceremony, nurses were proud and touched to receive their medals pinning them on to their uniform as they returned to their various wards and departments.
The Zimbabwean government has filed a notice of appeal against a High Court ruling forcing Chief Justice Luke Malaba to retire.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Attorney General Prince Machaya filed the application to annul the decision on Monday amid tensions between the government, non-governmental organizations and opposition parties over Malabas retirement.

High Court justices Happias Zhou, Edith Mushore and Justice Jester Charewa erred on Saturday when they blocked the extension of Malabas term of office.

The state-controlled Herald newspaper reports that the government is appealing against the entire judgment.

Malaba ceased to be the chief justice following the High Court order in which 16 judges are cited as respondents. Malaba turned 70 on Saturday.

Independent human rights lawyer, Nqobani Sithole, said Zimbabwe has been plunged into a constitutional crisis following the High Court ruling.

The justice minister said the government wont accept the High Court ruling, claiming that the judiciary has been captured by unkown hostile foreigners.

Advocate Mpofu claimed that Ziyambis remarks undermined the authority of the judiciary.

He said, "Owing to the gravity of the matter we wish to advise that we have firm instructions from our consultant to take the necessary action, including the institution of proceedings for contempt of court should the law not be faithfully and scrupulously adhered to.

"A letter has been written to the Registrar of the High Court, the Judge President, and the honorable justices who dealt with the matter requesting the issuance of a citation for contempt of court against the minister. The legal issues that arise from this matter must, therefore, be dealt with in the High Court. We believe the minister must show cause, why the High Court must not hold him to be in contempt of court."

He noted that the High Court order still stands despite the governments appeal.

"Whilst an appeal can, all things being equal, be lodged against a declaratur, the position in law is that an appeal does not suspend the operation of the declaratur.
HARARE, May 16 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's justice minister accused the country's judiciary of being "captured" by foreign forces seeking to destabilise the government after the High Court ruled it was illegal to extend the tenure of the chief justice by five more years.

Three judges of the High Court said in a judgment on Saturday that Luke Malaba had ceased being a judge and chief justice after he turned 70 years old.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said in a strongly worded statement late on Saturday that the ruling was "a typical case of overreach and as government we cannot accept that."

The ruling was a rare setback for President Emmerson Mnangagwa whom the opposition accuses of seeking to influence the judiciary. Mnangagwa denies the charge.

Ziyambi said the government would appeal the "baseless and meaningless" decision as early as Monday.

"I want to make it clear that we do not accept the decision of the High Court. We have a serious situation of a judiciary that has been captured by foreign forces in this country," Ziyambi said without providing evidence or naming anyone.

His comments were a throwback to the era of Robert Mugabe, where the government often publicly criticised judges. The timing of Ziyambi's comments ahead of the appeal hearing by the Supreme Court could be viewed as a threat to judges.

Ziyambi also said a certain group of judges always passed judgments that sought to tarnish the image of the government. He did not name such judges.

Over the last year there has been an increase in the arrest and prosecution of government opponents, which critics say is a sign that Mnangagwa is reverting to the authoritarian tendencies seen under his predecessor Mugabe. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  Charles Avery had barely started marching when police arrested him, forced him into a police vehicle and took him to jail for participating in landmark civil rights protests that helped change the nation in 1963. He spent days in custody and then lived decades haunted by a conviction for the most innocuous of offenses  parading without a permit  that he saw as noble yet others questioned with suspicion.

I had to explain what it was, that it was from Birmingham," said Avery, 76. "It always came up.

Yet Avery said he'd do it again all these years later, and he has a message for the thousands of demonstrators who have been arrested nationwide during the months-long uprising over police violence and racism: Keep going. A lifelong mark in the name of justice is worth the trouble.

Veterans of the campaign that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead to eradicate racial segregation in Birmingham nearly 60 years ago remain firmly in the corner of racial justice now that they're old and gray, with some joining in protests that followed George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police last year and others watching at home on TV.

Nonviolence was King's way, and some are put off by scenes of burning buildings and rioting that accompanied some protests, including one in Birmingham. But foot soldiers who first advocated for the idea that Black lives matter decades ago now support the movement of the same name; The Associated Press interviewed some of them ahead of an online commemoration of the 63 Childrens Crusade protests held Friday that focused on challenges facing young people today.

The Rev. Jonathan McPherson was walking just a few feet behind King when both were arrested in downtown Birmingham. He spent a night in jail and sees his conviction for illegal parading as a badge of honor.

It was worth it, every bit of it. Ive even told my wife I cant move like I used to but Ill be glad to join those young people today in these protests that we have," said McPherson, 87. He once served as a bodyguard for King and other movement leaders in Birmingham, which came to be known as Bombingham for the frequency of attacks on Black churches, homes and leaders.

Arrested the same day as McPherson, Myrna Jackson recently had a stroke and spends most of her time at home. But she stays up to date on the Black Lives Matter movement and mourns every time someone else dies at the hands of law enforcement.

People are fed up. A lot of times these things are happening so close together it doesnt give you breathing room, she said.

More than 10,000 people were arrested nationwide last year during protests for offenses including curfew violations and failure to disperse; hundreds also were were arrested on burglary and looting charges. Protesters often were restrained in plastic zip-ties and taken away in buses, and many times charges were dropped.

Demonstrations continued recently in places including Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where Daunte Wright was fatally shot by police, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where deputies fatally shot Andrew Brown Jr. Both Wright and Brown were Black men, and both died last month.

In Birmingham, local activists including the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth had been confronting racism and legalized segregation of schools, businesses and public accommodations for years by the time King's Southern Christian Leadership Campaign launched the Birmingham Campaign in the spring of '63 with weeks of marches, selective buying campaigns and pickets.

More than 1,600 demonstrators, many of them Black students from area schools, were arrested from March through May, city records show, and authorities used police dogs and firehoses to break up marches. Scenes of the mayhem, broadcast on black-and-white TVs worldwide, and a racist church bombing that killed four Black girls in Birmingham months later helped build support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The youngest protesters that year included Paulette Roby, who was arrested as a 13-year-old girl. She didn't face charges and now chairs the Civil Rights Activist Committee, which documents the stories of participants and tells their stories in tours, workshops and seminars that help tie the past together with demonstrations today.

I didnt realize that things I did at 13 would still be important now," said Roby, 71.

Older teens and adults often were charged with parading without a permit. While some went to city court, others say they never did and wound up with misdemeanor convictions on their record despite never having a chance to defend themselves.

Then-Mayor Larry Langford issued a blanket pardon for the convicted protesters in 2009, and many including Avery accepted. While serving both in the Army in Vietnam and later in the civilian workforce, Avery said he'd been singled out for scrutiny because of the conviction and forced to explain his record for years.

Avery, who served as senior class president at Hooper City High School and led fellow students to the demonstration that day in 1963, was allowed to graduate but never received his diploma, which he said the principal refused out of fear of appearing to endorse the protests. Just 18 at the time, Avery soon relocated to Chicago because his mother feared for his safety in Birmingham.

Attending a rally last year in a park near where he was arrested in 1963, Avery was happy to see nearly as many white people and Hispanic people as Black people demonstrating on behalf of racial justice. I thought, This is what its about, bringing people together,' he said.

McPherson was among dozens of demonstrators who refused a pardon to wipe away a 1963 conviction. A minister for more than 50 years, he said the case never presented a problem, and it's something he remains proud of decades later.

The only time I have been in jail was when I went to jail with Martin Luther King on Good Friday, 1963, he said. "So I dont mind anybody seeing that if they want to see it anywhere.

Years from now, he said, perhaps today's demonstrators facing arrest and convictions will look back on their experiences similarly.

As long as you know what you are doing is right and is for a good cause, keep on keeping on. Keep on protesting because youll never get anything without some sacrifice being made, said McPherson.



Reeves is a member of APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayReeves.
Bella Hadid Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Supermodel Bella Hadid spent her Saturday in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, voicing her support for Palestinians in Gaza. Bella, whose father is Palestinian, joined a crowd of thousands, wearing a keffiyeh and waving a Palestinian flag. She posted photos and footage from the march  which stretched over hours, and eventually stopped traffic on Interstate 278  with the caption, Its free Palestine til Palestine is free!!!

The way my heart feels, she wrote. To be around this many beautiful, smart, respectful, loving, kind and generous Palestinians all in one place  it feels whole! We are a rare breed!!!

Over the weekend, Israeli forces carried out what the New York Times called the single deadliest airstrike yet on Gaza in the past seven days of bombings. Palestinian health authorities report that at least 33 people died in Sunday mornings attacks on Gaza City, while 50 more sustained injuries. So far, 12 Israeli people have reportedly died in the rocket fire. Among Palestinians, however, the death toll has reached at least 192 people (including 58 children) since Monday, when long-standing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians boiled over. The recent escalation followed Israeli police raids on al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, protests against the impending eviction of six Palestinian families from their homes, and increasingly violent policing of Palestinian Muslims during Ramadan. Hamas  the militant group that controls Gaza and that Israel and the U.S., among others, view as a terrorist organization  threatened action if the aggression did not abate and, after particularly brutal police clashes last weekend, began firing rockets at Israel on Monday. The Israeli Defense Forces then responded with bombs of their own.

This weekend saw protests in support of Palestinians in cities across the world, massive crowds gathering in London, Paris, and Mexico City, and in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and other parts of the U.S., to demand an end to the violence. Ahead of New York Citys march, Bella, a vocal proponent of Palestinian rights, also posted a throwback photo from a protest in London she attended four years ago.

This is not about religion. This is not about spewing hate on one or the other, she wrote in the caption, having previously clarified that she will not tolerate people talk[ing] badly about Jewish people through all of this.

I stand with my Palestinian brothers and sisters, she wrote. I will protect and support you as best as I can.
Photo: HBO

John Oliver began his Sunday Last Week Tonight episode not by debuting a bunch of mascots but rather by giving a concise recap of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as it goes into its second week of horror in the Gaza Strip. One side has suffered over ten times the casualties, Oliver began, something which speaks to both the severe power imbalance at play here and how that often gets obscured by how we choose to talk about it. Recent New York Times reports suggest that nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed in the past week, with more than 50 of them children. Over the weekend, separate Israeli air strikes targeted a refugee camp and a high-rise building in Gaza City, the latter of which housed media organizations such as the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. The Israel Defense Forces have also taken to memeing their bombings, which stuns Oliver: You should probably never meme a war crime.

WATCH: John Oliver calls out Israeli war crimes. pic.twitter.com/yNJXgSlaCp  Alex Kane (@alexbkane) May 17, 2021

This isnt tit for tat. There is a massive imbalance when it comes to the two sides weaponry and capabilities. While most of the rockets aimed toward Israeli citizens this week were intercepted, Israels air strikes were not, he continued. They hit their targets, including a house in a refugee camp, a building housing the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, and a 13-story office and apartment building. And while Israel insisted that there were military targets in that building and they destroyed it as humanely as possible, even warning people to evacuate it beforehand, destroying a civilian residence sure seems like a war crime, regardless of whether you send a courtesy heads-up text. Oliver added, remarking at Americas support, Life in Gaza is hard even when theyre not being bombed, and the U.S. government has implicitly co-signed on the brutally hard line Israels been taking.
Huntsville Fire and Rescue responded to a house fire early Sunday morning.

It happened off 9th Avenue SW around 5 a.m.

Two adults are displaced but are not injured. The Red Cross is assisting them.

Fire Marshal Daniel Wilkerson said it was accidental and caused by electrical issues.
Police in Alabamas largest city shot and killed a man who wounded four officers as they tried to carry out a search warrant at his apartment.

Birmingham Police Sgt. Rod Mauldin says it happened Sunday.

The man was suspected of killing a man and a woman during an argument about a dog earlier in the day.

Mauldin says two officers were shot and and two were grazed by bullets.

He said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, and all of the officers are expected to recover. Investigators did not immediately release the name of the man who was killed by police.
Sunday, one mother and daughter duo are on their way to being fully vaccinated, together.

This comes after the FDA approved the use of the Pfizer vaccination shot for kids ages 12 to 15.

Right now, you can go to Huntsville Hospital, CVS and Walgreens to schedule an appointment.

The mom and daughter we spoke with told us their decision to do this is solely on their own and wanting to be apart of history.

The 14-year-old has received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Sunday and she says she feels good knowing now she'll be protected from the virus.

"I'm just excited to go do stuff without all those restrictions and stuff," said Mila Shields.

Mila may only be 14-years-old but she's taking this pandemic seriously.

The Federal Drug Administration authorized the use of Pfizer for children between the ages of 12 and 15.

Mila's mom, Noelle Shields, says this is the beginning to a new life for them both.

"We feel like we're a lot safer and we're not going to inadvertently transmit to anyone else," she said.

Noelle has a compromised immune system but got vaccinated herself after speaking with her doctor.

The Alabama Department of Public Health is urging more people to get vaccinated...even kids.

That's because studies show kids can spread viruses easily to others and right now, data is showing kids may experience mild symptoms after the shot.

"I'm a little nervous about it because I'm already tired as it is and I don't want to make it worse. But I'm also really excited because I think I'm very lucky to be getting this," said Mila.

For the Shields, getting vaccinated means being reunited with Mila's grandmother and protecting others.

"I felt so much more confident. Even though I still wear my mask, but confident about not getting it from someone who doesn't care if I get it," said Noelle.

Shields told WAAY-31 as a mother. she will never tell you what you should do with your child...but to do the research on your own and speak with a doctor on what's best for you and your child.

She knows as a parent, they'll do whatever they feel is best and right for their child.
Gov. Kay Ivey met with Sen. Tim Melson of Florence on Monday to officially sign Senate Bill 46 into law, according to a news release from her office.

This is more commonly referred to as the medical marijuana bill, which allows patients with qualifying conditions to get prescriptions for marijuana.

Signing SB 46 is an important first step. I would like to again thank Sen. Tim Melson and Rep. Mike Ball for their hard work over the last few years and their willingness to address the legitimate concerns, Ivey said in a prepared statement.

This is certainly a sensitive and emotional issue and something that is continually being studied. On the state level, we have had a study group that has looked closely at this issue, and I am interested in the potential good medical cannabis can have for those with chronic illnesses or what it can do to improve the quality of life of those in their final days.

As research evolves, Sen. Melson and I discussed how critical it is to continue finding ways to work on this to ensure we have a productive, safe and responsible operation in Alabama.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project: To legally use and access medical cannabis, patients must apply for and receive a medical cannabis card. To qualify, they must have a qualifying condition and a physicians certification. A fee of up to $65 will apply.

The qualifying conditions are autism; cancer-related pain, nausea, or weight loss; Crohns; epilepsy; HIV/AIDS-related nausea; persistent nausea that has not significantly responded to other treatments, with exceptions; PTSD; sickle cell anemia; panic disorder; Tourettes; Parkinson's disease; spasticity related to multiple sclerosis, a motor neuron disease, or spinal cord injury; terminal illness; or a condition causing intractable or chronic pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or has proved ineffective.

The Senate-passed version includes anxiety, menopause, premenstrual syndrome, and fibromyalgia. The House-passed version includes depression.

Patients under 19 would need a parent or guardian to pick up their cannabis.

See more HERE
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Drop in number of deaths and new covid-19 infections comes as Italy opens up to international tourists.

Italy reported 93 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday 16 May, compared to 136 the day before, the health ministry announced, in what is the nation's lowest daily covid death toll in seven months.

The last time that Italy recorded fewer than 100 deaths on a single day was on 23 October last year, when 91 people died, reports Italian newspaper La Stampa.

New covid-19 infections registered on 16 May fell to 5,753 - down from 6,659 the day before - while there was also a decrease in hospitalisations.

The number of people in hospital for covid - not counting those in intensive care - dropped to 12,134 on Sunday (down from 12,493 the day before), reports news agency ANSA.

There were 26 fewer patients in intensive care, with the total number falling to 1,779 (down from 1,805 the day before), the health ministry said.

The fall in the number of fatalities and new covid infections coincides with Italy opening to international tourists, with covid-tested flights from the US and the lifting of quarantine restrictions for visitors from the EU, Israel and the UK.

Writing on Facebook, Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said the "clearly improving" data "tells us that now is the time to overcome the curfew."

Italy's nightly curfew, in place nationwide from 22.00 until 05.00, is widely expected to be reduced or scrapped in the coming weeks.

Di Maio said the move is required to make Italy "truly attractive to foreign tourists and allow restaurateurs and traders to work at their best, to exploit the potential of summer and restart the country's economy."

For official information relating to the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see the health ministry website.

Photo credit: Sara Sette / Shutterstock.com.
Driver Injured in Lyon County Semi Wreck on I-24

By West Kentucky Star Staff

LYON COUNTY - An overnight semi truck crash in Lyon County injured the driver and restricted I-24 traffic for several hours Monday morning.The truck reportedly blew a tire and overturned near the 47 mile marker, in a construction work zone just east of the KY 293 exit.The driver was transported to Caldwell County Medical Center for treatment of injuries.Cleanup efforts began about 2 a.m. that included offloading the truck's cargo of instant potatoes.Traffic was restored around 9 a.m. Monday morning.
Key's Robbery, Kidnapping Case Continued to July

By West Kentucky Star Staff

BENTON - A man facing multiple charges from an October incident in Calvert City was in court Thursday.Court records show 54-year-old Douglas Key appeared in Marshall Circuit Court for a status hearing that was continued to July 27.Key was arrested October 7 after a resident on Lone Valley Road reported they had been held against their will. The victim said Key approached them, saying he was a reporter. He allegedly pulled out a gun, zip tied the victim's hands and discharged his weapon, nearly striking the victim. As Key tried to bind their feet, the victim struggled and was eventually able to disarm Key and call authorities.Key faces charges of first degree robbery, kidnapping, fourth degree assault, first degree burglary and first degree wanton endangerment.On the Net:
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It was, as one of the lawyers put it, titillating. Another described it as bizarre.

But a defamation battle between two former lovers over allegations of sex addiction, drug use and other seedy behaviour looks likely to play out in court all week, after an offer to settle at the last minute was rebuffed.

Selina Holder outside court on Monday. Credit:Justin McManus

The defendant, Selina Holder, 39, walked into the County Court on Monday morning for the first day of an eight-day, judge-only trial over damaging correspondence she allegedly sent to her former partners new love interest. And there was no way she was backing down.

Just before lunch, Ms Holders former partner, Constantine Arvanitis, 48, made his offer to Ms Holder through his barrister, Paul Hayes, QC. Not in a back room where such negotiations usually take place, but in open court: pay $5000 and agree to never repeat the claims she is alleged to have made about Mr Arvanitis.
The federal government has appointed a former News Corp executive who once proposed a back-office merger of Australias two public broadcasters as a new member of the ABC board.

Former News Corp and Foxtel boss Peter Tonagh, who led the governments 2018 ABC and SBS efficiency review, former Seven executive and Australia Post board member Mario DOrazio, and Fiona Balfour, a former chief information officer at Qantas and Telstra, will join the board.

The five-year appointments are effective immediately and put an end to a lengthy process that was scrutinised by the ABC for its delays.

ABC new board directors: Peter Tonagh, Fiona Balfour and Mario DOrazio.

I congratulate Mr DOrazio, Mr Tonagh and Ms Balfour on their appointment and look forward to the valuable contribution they will make to the ABC Board, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said.
The record gulf between the wealth and wellbeing of the oldest and youngest Australians is shrinking for the first time in seven years despite the coronavirus pandemic, but some of the improvement has been at the expense of retirees who are increasingly needing help for homelessness.

In the past 12 months there has been a reduction in inequality between age groups on the 2021 Australian Actuaries Intergenerational Equity Index. This is the second year the index has been produced but a back series shows this is the first decrease in the divide in financial, social and health outcomes between those 25 to 34 years old and 65 to 74 years old since 2013.

The gulf between the wealth and wellbeing of the oldest and youngest Australians has shrunk but the improvement has been at the expense of retirees. Credit:Louie Douvis

Older Australians typically outperform on financial measurements due to overall higher levels of wealth, including the value of their homes and savings, but changes in relative equality help policymakers determine whether additional government assistance is needed for some groups. Since 2013, the gap has been rising at a fast pace and remains at high levels.

The improvement in the index in 2020 was partly due to better outcomes for young people, including longer life expectancies, a lift in first home buyers getting into the property market and ramped up federal government assistance for workers.
Simonich Sentencing Delayed to July

By West Kentucky Star Staff

BENTON - A Marshall County man's sentencing on child pornography charges has been pushed back.Fifty-six-year-old Peter Simonich pleaded guilty March 11 to twelve counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor. His sentencing on Thursday was continued to July 27.Marshall County deputies arrested Simonich in September of last year after they got a complaint about him. An investigation revealed that he was in possession of child pornography.On the Net:
Victorias Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton. Credit:Eddie Jim The Central Epidemic Command Centre urges individuals in the priority groups under the government-funded vaccination program to get vaccinations as early as possible to build protection, the governments health body pleaded on Saturday. The latest outbreak could help the vaccine rollout. The CDC reported that vaccination spots have now been booked out for the rest of May. Victorias Chief Health Officer, Professor Brett Sutton, does not want Australia to wait to find out what happens if, like Taiwan, it one day loses its no COVID-19 transmission status. On Monday, he also singled out Mongolia, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Laos and Singapore, which had for months secured the same level of freedom that Australia enjoys today.

Loading They are now all experiencing outbreaks or established community transmission. Singapore and Taiwan are now going into restrictions or lockdown to get on top of it. Why does this matter? Because we cant take being free of COVID for granted  especially as variants emerge, he said on Twitter. He said it was time for Australia to be more ambitious with its vaccination program. Only high levels of vaccination coverage can really help to protect us  something none of these countries have yet to achieve. Singapore is now stepping up vaccination, with a million doses just in the last week. We could do the same if were willing. But local production in Australia remains elusive as other countries in the region, including South Korea and Singapore, move closer to deals with Moderna and Pfizer.

Loading South Korean President Moon Jae-in is expected to announce a deal to produce Moderna when he visits Washington on Friday. So far only 4 million of the countrys target of 100 million shots have been administered due to supply constraints. Pfizers vaccine partner BioNTech last week announced it would build a huge vaccine plant in Singapore. Both are mRNA vaccines, which Australia still does not have the capacity to produce despite an undisclosed funding commitment in last weeks federal budget. Singapore added 38 new cases of community transmission on Sunday, the highest number since it was named as the best place in the world to be during COVID-19 less than three weeks ago. Early on Tuesday morning, World Economic Forum organisers said they had decided to cancel their 2021 annual meeting scheduled to take place in Singapore in three months time, saying it was not possible to hold such a large, global event due to the COVID-19 situation.

Loading Organisers had already pushed back its special meeting in Singapore, initially scheduled for mid-May, following the announcement last year that the meeting was moving from its usual home in Davos in the Swiss alps due to the pandemic situation in Europe. Regretfully, the tragic circumstances unfolding across geographies, an uncertain travel outlook, differing speeds of vaccination rollout and the uncertainty around new variants combine to make it impossible to realise a global meeting with business, government and civil society leaders from all over the world at the scale which was planned, the organisation said in a statement. On Monday, Singapores long-awaited quarantine-free travel bubble with Hong Kong, which was to launch on May 26, was again deferred. Both sides remain strongly committed to launching the ATB [air travel bubble] safely, Singapores ministry of transport said. However, in the light of the recent increase in unlinked community cases, Singapore is unable to meet the criteria to start the Singapore-Hong Kong ATB.
London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday (Monday AEST) there was no place for anti-Semitism in society and that British Jews should not have to endure shameful racism, after a video online appeared to show people shouting anti-Semitic abuse from a car in London.

Johnson was responding in part to the video, posted earlier on Sunday, showing a convoy of cars bearing Palestinian flags driving through a Jewish community in north London and broadcasting anti-Semitic messages from a megaphone.

Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Credit:AP

Police investigating the incident later said they had made four arrests.

There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society, Johnson said on Twitter. Ahead of Shavuot, I stand with Britains Jews who should not have to endure the type of shameful racism we have seen today.
Dubai: Despite Israeli air strikes on Gaza City killing dozens of people, it was business as usual for a senior Israeli tourism official in Dubai on Sunday as she promoted the country as a must-see destination for Muslim visitors.

Its an odd proposition at an odd time given that major airlines have suspended flights to Israel amid the deadly violence.

The Israel stand on the opening day of the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai on Sunday. Credit:AP

However, at Dubais Arabian Travel Market, billed as the first travel and tourism event to happen in person since the global coronavirus outbreak, a small Israeli booth  tucked behind Slovenias  marketed the country as the Land of Creation. Promotional videos advertised Israels vegan culinary scene, its beaches and urged: Book Your Trip Now to Tel Aviv.

And the devastating air strikes on Gaza leading the worlds television news?
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

A steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High 68F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Showers in the evening, then cloudy overnight. Low near 60F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Three Appear in Marshall Court on Robbery Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

BENTON - Three men facing multiple charges, including robbery, appeared in Marshall County court on Thursday.The Circuit Court Clerk said Dalton Brown, Devin Brown and Ethan Harrison had status hearings, but they were continued.Hearings for Devin and Dalton Brown are now set for July 15, and the hearing for Harrison will be on July 27.All three men face charges of robbery, possession of meth, possession of marijuana, and fleeing or evading police. The Browns also face a charge each of wanton endangerment, and Harrison faces a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. They entered not guilty pleas on January 26.The charges stem from an October 14 pursuit that began in a business parking lot after Marshall County deputies responded to an attempted armed robbery. The suspects drove through yards and almost struck another vehicle before attempting to flee on foot.Deputies said they recovered guns and drugs during a search.On the Net:
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FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2020, file photo, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian gestures as he speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing. China on Monday, May 17, 2021 renewed calls for the U.S. to play a constructive role in ending the conflict in Gaza and stop blocking efforts at the United Nations to demand an end to the bloodshed. Zhao said China, as rotating head of the Security Council, has urged a cease-fire and the provision of humanitarian assistance, among other proposals, but that obstruction by one country has prevented the council from speaking with one voice. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
An Associated Press photojournalist estimated there were at least 300 shallow riverside graves on a sand bar near near Prayagraj.
Bill Burt and George Bremer discuss the NFL schedule and Tom Brady's return to New England; Elton Hayes and Kevin Brockway reflect on Coach K's retirement; and Clay Horning breaks down the worst defensive play in baseball in recent memory.
FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2014 file photo, people pass an AT&T store in New York's Times Square. AT&T will combine its media operations that include CNN HBO, TNT and TBS in a $43 billion deal with Discovery, the owner of lifestyle networks including the Food Network and HGTV. The deal announced Monday, May 17, 2021, would create a separate media company as households increasingly abandon cable and satellite TV, looking instead at Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) PHOTO:AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

AT&T, Discovery Join Media Brands

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK - AT&T will combine its massive media operations that include CNN, HBO, TNT and TBS in a $43 billion deal with Discovery, the owner of lifestyle networks including the Food Network and HGTV.

It is a major directional shift for AT&T which squared off with the Justice Department less than three years ago in an antitrust fight when it wanted to acquire Time Warner Inc. for more than $80 billion. That was a fight that AT&T won.

It's not immediately clear what the new company would mean for customers, but it likely allow the bundling of streaming services. For example, Disney offers its viewers Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.

A standalone streaming service for CNN is also a possibility.

AT&T operates HBO Max, and Discovery created its own streaming service. HBO Max and HBO have a combined U.S. subscriber base of about 44 million, and Discovery+ has about 15 million subscribers.

The new company will be able to join the upper tier of global (streaming) players: Netflix, Disney and Amazon, Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson told investors.

However, Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers worldwide, and Disney+ has over 100 million.

In the all-stock deal, AT&T will receive $43 billion in a combination of cash, debt securities, and WarnerMedias retention of certain debt. AT&T shareholders will receive stock representing 71% of the new company and Discovery stockholders will own 29% of the new company.

The new company will be in direct competition with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney and Comcast, which are assembling a growing arsenal of original media content.

The combination announced Monday, the companies said, will able to invest more in original streaming content. It will house almost 200,000 hours of programming and bring together more than 100 brands under one global portfolio, including: DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC and Animal Planet.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav will lead the new company. The new companys board will have 13 members, seven will initially appointed by AT&T, including the chairperson. Discovery will initially appoint six directors, including Zaslav.

The deal is expected to close by the middle of next year. It still needs approval from Discovery shareholders. AT&T stockholders don't need to vote on the transaction.
WESTPORT  A stretch of Hillspoint Road is closed Monday morning because of a gas leak, police said.

Just before 8:30 a.m., police said Hillspoint Road was closed between Compo Hill Avenue and Soundview Drive.

The closure was prompted by a gas leak, police said.

At 9:45 a.m., police said Hillspoint Road was open to alternating traffic between Compo Hill Avenue and Soundview Drive. Police said drivers should expect delays through the area.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana will drop out of the federal program providing an extra $300 in weekly payments to unemployed workers and other programs that expanded unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor announced Monday.

The changes taking effect June 19 could cut off or reduce unemployment benefits to more than 220,000 people. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order last week that reinstates a requirement that those receiving unemployment benefits will again have to show they are actively searching for work as of June 1.

The changes come as many businesses blame the extra $300 weekly payment and the ease of obtaining unemployment benefits with making it more difficult to fill job openings.

At least a dozen other states led by Republican governors have already announced they will stop paying the extra $300 benefit as soon as June or July.

Indiana is also ending its participation in a federal program that made gig workers and the self-employed eligible for assistance for the first time and another that provides extra weeks of aid.

Holcomb said jobs are available around the state and pointed to Indianas 3.9% unemployment rate for April, which was down from the pandemic peak of 16.9% a year earlier.

I am hearing from multiple sector employers that they want and need to hire more Hoosiers to grow, Holcomb said in a statement.

The $300 payments have more than doubled Indianas average $280 weekly unemployment payment, which has a maximum of $390 a week. Indiana has had nearly 170,000 people collecting the extra $300 payments, according to the states Department of Workforce Development.

As of late April, about 123,000 Indiana residents were receiving payments from the federal program for gig workers and the self-employed who lost income during the pandemic, according to federal reports. About 67,000 people from Indiana were collecting benefits under the federal program extending payments beyond the previous 26-week limit of unemployment benefits.

Republican legislative leaders have urged Holcomb to withdraw Indiana from those federal programs.

The governors order from last week means that those seeking unemployment benefits must submit a weekly report on their job-seeking efforts, which can include applying for work, attending job fairs or participating in state workshops.

An analysis by Bank of America economists found that people who had earned up to $32,000 in their previous jobs can receive as much or more income from jobless aid. Some unemployed people say the extra benefit allows them to take more time to look for work, which can make hiring harder.

The Indiana Democratic Party said state officials need to help those in low-paying jobs, including the estimated nearly 900,000 people working for the $7.25 hourly minimum wage. The Republican-dominated Legislature has refused for several years to increase the states minimum wage beyond the federal requirement.

The Indiana Republican Party understands that Hoosier wages must increase  but theyd rather abide by a partisan litmus test, said Lauren Ganapini, the state Democratic Partys executive director.
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A pump at a gas station in Silver Spring, Md., is out of service, notifying customers they are out of fuel, Thursday, May 13, 2021. Motorists found gas pumps shrouded in plastic bags at tapped-out service stations across more than a dozen U.S. states Thursday while the operator of the nation's largest gasoline pipeline reported making "substantial progress" in resolving the computer hack-induced shutdown responsible for the empty tanks. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) PHOTO:AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Normal Gasoline Pipeline Operations Restored

By The Associated Press

ATLANTA - The operator of the nation's largest gasoline pipeline  hit on May 7th by a ransomware attack  announced Saturday that it has resumed normal operations," delivering fuel to its markets, including a large swath of the East Coast.

Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline had begun the process of restarting the pipeline's operations on Wednesday evening, warning it could take several days for the supply chain to return to normal.

Since that time, we have returned the system to normal operations, delivering millions of gallons per hour to the markets we serve, Colonial Pipeline said in a tweet Saturday. Those markets include Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

All of these markets are now receiving product from our pipeline, the company said, noting how its employees across the pipeline worked safely and tirelessly around the clock to get our lines up and running.

Gas shortages, which spread from the South, all but emptying stations in Washington, D.C., have been improving since a peak on Thursday night. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told The Associated Press on Friday that the nation is over the hump on gas shortages, with about 200 stations returning to service every hour.

Its still going to work its way through the system over the next few days, but we should be back to normal fairly soon," she said.

Some stations were still out of gas in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday. Driver Jermaine Barnes told CBS17 the shortage has made him more conservative with his trips.

Im not going places I dont need to go, he said. Im not visiting people. Im watching where Im driving. Im doing everything different right now.

Some drivers responded angrily on Facebook Saturday to a post by ABC-13 in Asheville, North Carolina, about the pipeline resuming normal operations. Several said the majority of gas stations still did not have fuel and those that did receive deliveries were quickly selling out.

Martha Meade, manager for public and government relations at AAA Mid-Atlantic, said many gas stations in the Virginia area still did not have gas on Saturday. But she said lines have diminished from the height of the crisis and panic buying has subsided.

Multiple sources confirmed to The Associated Press that Colonial Pipeline had paid the criminals who committed the cyberattack a ransom of nearly $5 million in cryptocurrency for the software decryption key required to unscramble their data network.

The ransom  75 Bitcoin  was paid last Saturday, a day after the criminals locked up Colonials corporate network, according to Tom Robinson, co-founder of the cryptocurrency-tracking firm Elliptic. Prior to Robinsons blog post, two people briefed on the case had confirmed the payment amount to AP.

The pipeline system delivers about 45% of the gasoline consumed on the East Coast.
'Cover the Cruiser' In Murray Today

By The Associated Press

MURRAY - Kentucky State Police continue to conduct their statewide fundraiser for Special Olympics this week.Post 1's cruiser will be parked at Casey's in Murray today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.People are encouraged to cover the cruiser with custom stickers for a minimum donation of $1.The Cover the Cruiser donations will go directly to Special Olympics Kentucky. Their annual state summer games are coming up June 5 at Eastern Kentucky University.Kentucky State Police raised $16,200 for Special Olympics athletes last year.
Quincy, IL (62301)

Today

Sunny along with a few clouds. Hot. High 94F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
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Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy late. High around 85F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 57F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Today

Thunderstorms likely. High near 85F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
KY Woman Killed After Leaving Car on Highway

By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE - A Kentucky woman was struck and killed on a Tennessee interstate after exiting her car.Nashville police say the car Jazmin Swain was traveling in was stopped on Interstate 40.It had struck the center dividing wall and was in the middle of the interstate.An oncoming car hit Swain and her brother after they got out of the car at around 2 a.m. Saturday.The driver who hit Swain told police he could not avoid the crash.Swains brother was taken to a hospital.


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Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

Rain. High 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

A steady rain in the evening. Showers continuing late. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  The Israeli military unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed 15 kilometers (9 miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders as international diplomats worked to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds of people.

Israelis take cover as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Heidi Levine)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  The Israeli military unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed 15 kilometers (9 miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders as international diplomats worked to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds of people.

Israel has said it intends to press on for now with its attacks against Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the United States signaled it would not pressure the two sides for a cease-fire.

The latest attacks destroyed the five-story building housing the Hamas-run Religious Affairs Ministry and killed a top Gaza leader of Islamic Jihad, another militant group whom the Israeli military blamed for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel in recent days.

At least 200 Palestinians have been killed in the week of airstrikes, including 59 children and 35 women, with some 1,300 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Ten people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier, have been killed in the ongoing rocket attacks launched from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel.

Violence has also erupted between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, an Israeli man attacked last week by a group of Arab citizens in the central city of Lod died of his wounds, according to police.

People take pictures of a damaged synagogue after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

The new airstrikes, which hit Gaza overnight Monday and again in the evening, hollowed out one floor of a multistory concrete building and have killed five people. A woman picked through clothing, rubble and splintered furniture in a room that had been destroyed. One strike demolished the wall of one room, leaving untouched an open cabinet filled with bedding inside. Children walked over debris in the road.

A car in the street that witnesses said was hit by an airstrike was bent and torn, its roof ripped back and what was left of the driver's side door smeared with blood. A beachside cafe the car had just left was splintered and on fire. Rescue workers tried to put out the blaze with a small fire extinguisher.

Gaza Citys mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said that the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. He said water supplies to hundreds of households in the city were disrupted. "We are trying hard to provide water, but the situation remains difficult," he said.

Mourners carry the the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes that hit their homes, during their funeral in Gaza City, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The U.N. has warned that the territory's sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the territory's electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days.

The war broke out May 10, when Hamas long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

More protests were expected across the region Tuesday in response to a call by Palestinian citizens of Israel for a general strike. The protest has the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party.

A injured Palestinian man mourns over the body of his young son, who was killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Sanad Latifa)

Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas' militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,200 rockets into Israel. Israeli military officials said Hamas had stockpiled about 15,000 rockets before the war started. Rocket attacks continued Monday, with one hitting a building in the city of Ashdod that caused injuries, the Israeli police said.

U.S. diplomat Hady Amr met with a delegation from the Palestinian Authority on Monday, a day after meeting senior Israeli leaders. But the Biden administration has declined so far to publicly criticize Israels part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Denmark, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would support any initiative to stop the fighting, but signaled the country did not intend to put pressure on the two sides to accept a cease-fire.

Mourners pray over the bodies of 17 Palestinians who were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Sanad Latifa)

"Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized her country's solidarity with Israel, condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza, and expressed hope for a swift end to the fighting, according to her office.

Hamas top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but "will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people."

A woman reacts while standing near the rubble of a building that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike on Saturday that housed The Associated Press, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media outlets, in Gaza City, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

In an interview with the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, he blamed the war on Israels actions in Jerusalem and boasted that the rockets were "paralyzing the usurping entity (Israel)."

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said his government is working to "urgently" end the violence, in his first comments since the war broke out. Egypt, which borders Gaza and Israel, has played a central role in the cease-fires brokered after previous rounds of fighting.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, said it struck 35 "terror targets" Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the "Metro," used by fighters to take cover from airstrikes.

Palestinian rescue workers carry the remains of a man found next to a beachside cafe after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

The tunnels extend for hundreds of kilometers (miles), with some more than 20 meters (yards) deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just chokepoints and major junctions.

The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to "high-ranking commanders" in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant groups commander for the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were "eliminated." The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many of the casualties it reports were militants or civilians.

Israels airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets. The Israeli military alerted staff and residents before the strike, and all were able to evacuate safely.

Sally Buzbee, the APs executive editor, has called for an independent investigation into the airstrike.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said Sunday any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Blinken said he hasnt yet seen any evidence supporting Israels claim.

This story has been updated to correct that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, not the United States.

Krauss reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Matthew Lee in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
Halifax police are defending their ticketing of Palestinian solidarity protesters Saturday, saying the measures were needed to protect the health of the wider community.

A Halifax Regional Police emblem is seen on a police officer in Halifax on July 2, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Halifax police are defending their ticketing of Palestinian solidarity protesters Saturday, saying the measures were needed to protect the health of the wider community.

In a news release Monday, the police service refers to the 500-person car rally to protest Israel's treatment of Palestinians as "illegal," the same term it uses to describe a protest Saturday on the city's Citadel Hill of about 50 people opposed to some public health restrictions.

Organizers have said they informed police in advance of what was billed as a "COVID-safe" pro-Palestinian car rally, and that it occurred in family bubbles and inside cars.

Rana Zaman, a participant in the rally who supports the Palestinian cause, said in an interview Monday that people who participated in the car rally took necessary precautions to avoid spread of the virus. She took exception to police linking the action with an anti-mask demonstration.

"This rally was following protocols, it wasn't the same at all," she said. "The rally was protesting ... human rights violations (by Israel) that resulted in deaths." The procession started in the area of Inglis Street and Tower Road, with about 200 vehicles attending.

Halifax police say they arrested one person in the group who was subsequently issued multiple summary offence tickets for offences under the Health Protection Act, Emergency Management Act and Motor Vehicle Act.

They say a total of 17 summary offence tickets were issued during the solidarity protest, with nine for alleged offences under the Health Protection Act, two for offences under the Emergency Management Act and six for offences under the Motor Vehicle Act.

The release says police contacted organizers of both events in advance to make them aware of the current public health restrictions, including a court order issued on Friday aimed at organizers of the Citadel Hill protest.

Last Friday, Premier Iain Rankin's Liberal government obtained an injunction to stop planned protests in the province. The injunction, granted by Supreme Court of Nova Scotia Justice Scott Norton, prohibits any rally that would contravene the province's public health directives.

It also prohibits organizers from continuing to promote the rallies on social media and authorizes police to ensure compliance with the Health Protection Act.

"Given the serious circumstances we are currently facing with the pandemic, officers took the difficult but necessary actions to protect the community at large," the release said.

The force cites outdoor gathering limits, which are set at "no more than your household ... without social distancing." There is no exemption for demonstrations on the government website.

Under the Health Protection Act, fines can be $2,000 per person.

Asked about the car rally during a news conference Monday, chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang noted all gatherings are forbidden under the public health order.

Even people getting together in a group in a parking lot together in cars is technically a gathering. And as we saw, not everybody was in their cars, unfortunately, he said. We need to stay in very small groups . We cannot, right now, have large numbers of people getting together.

A spokesman for the Halifax police said the chief was unavailable for comment on Monday and that the force couldn't answer further questions by the end of Monday about whether discussions were held in advance with organizers about the Palestinian solidarity rally.

Halifax police said that during the protest on Citadel Hill, they arrested five people who were subsequently released. They issued a total of 11 summary offence tickets, nine for offences under the Health Protection Act and two for offences under the Emergency Management Act.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2021.

 With files from Keith Doucette
Canadian provinces continued to take steps towards hitting their COVID-19 vaccination targets on Sunday even as questions linger after the departure of the senior military officer in charge of the national immunization drive.

People wear face masks as they walk by a sign for a COVID-19 vaccination site in Montreal, Sunday, May 16, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Canadian provinces continued to take steps towards hitting their COVID-19 vaccination targets on Sunday even as questions linger after the departure of the senior military officer in charge of the national immunization drive.

Ontario administered its seven millionth vaccine dose over the weekend, which saw several hot spots trying to scale up their efforts to reach more residents.

One vaccine clinic in Peel region west of Toronto operated for at least 32 hours straight in a bid to reach essential workers logging non-traditional hours as well as younger people.

Ontario officials are set to expand vaccine eligibility to all residents 30 and older this week, though many younger adults have been able to secure shots in virus hot spots.

Quebec began opening walk-in clinics for those 18 and up a few days ago, and announced Sunday that it had surpassed the four million vaccine mark.

The provinces are expected to be able to further expand their vaccine rollouts this week thanks to large scheduled deliveries from key suppliers.

Pfizer and BioNTech had been scheduled to deliver around two million doses this week, but the federal government has said the two companies will ship an additional 1.4 million shots to Canada ahead of the upcoming holiday weekend.

Federal figures show Canada is expected to receive about 4.5 million total doses this week, including 1.1 million jabs from Moderna.

The provinces are pushing ahead amid questions about who will lead Canada's vaccine rollout following the abrupt departure of Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, who left the post late last week pending the results of a military investigation.

The federal government has not said why Fortin was reassigned nor who will replace him, insisting his departure will not hamper the vaccination campaign.

Canada's chief public health officer has suggested the country could begin easing health restrictions to allow small outdoor gatherings once 75 per cent of adults receive at least one shot and 20 per cent are fully vaccinated.

On Sunday, Dr. Theresa Tam once again urged patience to get vaccinated, saying disease levels in Canada were still too high to allow a return to normal.

"Until vaccine coverage is sufficiently high to impact disease transmission more broadly in the community, we must maintain a high degree of caution with public health and individual measures and not ease restrictions too soon or too quickly where infection rates are high," she wrote in a statement.

While some provinces have seen a slow decline in cases, others are still in the midst of a punishing third wave.

Nova Scotia reported 126 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, a day after dropping below 100 for the first time since May 1.

"Today's numbers are a clear reminder that while we are on the right track, we cannot let down our guard," Premier Iain Rankin said in a statement.

"It is crucial that we all continue to follow the public health protocols and get tested regularly. Stay in your community, stay positive and stay safe."

Manitoba reported 534 new COVID-19 infections, four deaths and a test positivity rate of 12.3 per cent provincially and 14.1 per cent in Winnipeg.

Newfoundland and Labrador, which has reported low case counts throughout most of the pandemic, logged nine new diagnoses on Sunday.

The provincial government said that while the recent increase in cases is concerning, it's also "not unexpected" given the disease rates elsewhere in the country.

Those rates ticked downward in Ontario, which reported 2,199 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday along with 30 new deaths.

Quebec added 716 cases and two new deaths to its overall count, while officials in New Brunswick recorded 11 new infections.

Further west, health authorities in Saskatchewan logged 167 cases and one new death.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2021
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court agreed Monday to a showdown over abortion in a case that could dramatically alter nearly 50 years of rulings on abortion rights.

In this June 29, 2020 file photo, the Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court agreed Monday to a showdown over abortion in a case that could dramatically alter nearly 50 years of rulings on abortion rights.

With three justices appointed by President Donald Trump part of a 6-3 conservative majority, the court is taking on a case about whether states can ban abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb.

Mississippi, which is asking to be allowed to enforce an abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, is not asking the court to overrule the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision confirming a woman's right to an abortion, or a decision 19 years later that reaffirmed it.

But abortion rights supporters said the case is a clear threat to abortion rights. The court cannot uphold this law without overturning the principal protections of Roe v. Wade, Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a call with reporters.

Even if the court does not explicitly overrule earlier cases, a decision favorable to the state could lay the groundwork for allowing even more restrictions on abortion, including state bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks.

The case probably will be argued in the fall, with a decision likely in the spring of 2022 during the campaign for congressional midterm elections.

Mississippis ban had been blocked by lower courts as inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent that protects a womans right to obtain an abortion before the fetus can survive outside her womb.

States may regulate abortion procedures prior to viability so long as they do not impose an undue burden on the woman's right, but they may not ban abortions. The law at issue is a ban, Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in affirming a lower-court ruling that invalidated the law.

The Supreme Court had previously turned down state appeals over previability abortion bans.

More than 90% of abortions take place in the first 13 weeks of a womans pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

John Bursch, vice president of the anti-abortion Alliance Defending Freedom, said the high court has repeatedly held that states can regulate abortions later in pregnancy.

Viability has never been a legitimate way to determine a developing infants dignity or to decide anybodys legal existence, Bursch said.

The justices had put off action on the case for several months. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an abortion rights proponent, died just before the courts new term began in October. Her replacement, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, is the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades.

Barrett is one of three Trump appointees on the Supreme Court. The other two, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, voted in dissent last year to allow Louisiana to enforce restrictions on doctors that could have closed two of the states three abortion clinics.

Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by Ginsburg and the other three liberal justices, said the restrictions were virtually identical to a Texas law the court struck down in 2016.

But that majority no longer exists, even if Roberts, hardly an abortion rights supporter in his more than 15 years on the court, sides with the more liberal justices.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration backs legislation that would write the Roe decision into federal law, regardless of the outcome of the Supreme Court case. The legislation would put an end to state efforts to ban abortion, Northup said.

The Mississippi law was enacted in 2018, but was blocked after a federal court challenge. The state's only abortion clinic remains open. About 10% of its abortions are done after the 15th week, said Shannon Brewer, the clinic director at Jackson Womens Health Organization.

The case is separate from a fight over laws enacted by Mississippi and other states that would ban most abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected. Mississippi also is among 11 states with a total abortion ban waiting to take effect if the Supreme Court overturns its Roe decision, according to NARAL Pro-Choice America.

A central question in the case is about viability  whether a fetus can survive on its own at 15 weeks. The clinic presented evidence that viability is impossible at 15 weeks, and the appeals court said that the state conceded that it had identified no medical evidence that a fetus would be viable at 15 weeks. Viability occurs roughly at 24 weeks, the point at which babies are more likely to survive.

But the state argues that viability is an arbitrary standard that doesn't take sufficient account of the state's interest in regulating abortion.

The Mississippi law would allow exceptions to the 15-week ban in cases of medical emergency or severe fetal abnormality. Doctors found in violation of the ban would face mandatory suspension or revocation of their medical license.

Also on Monday the Supreme Court:

 Split 6-3 along conservative-liberal lines to rule that prisoners who were convicted by non-unanimous juries before the high court barred the practice a year ago dont need to be retried. The decision affects prisoners who were convicted in Louisiana and Oregon as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the few places that had allowed criminal convictions based on divided jury votes.

 Sided unanimously with a man who sued after police entered his home without a warrant and seized his guns. Police said that the man was potentially suicidal and that they were performing a community caretaking function. The justices said authorities cant use that justification to enter a home without a warrant.

 Ruled 7-1 that an appeals court should take another look at a lawsuit involving global warming that is in its early stages. Lawyers have been arguing over whether the case belongs in state or federal court.

Associated Press writer Jessica Gresko contributed to this report.
OTTAWA - The Liberal government is enlisting another military officer to take over from Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, who was abruptly sidelined last week from his role overseeing Canada's COVID-19 vaccination campaign because of a military investigation.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole holds a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, May 13, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - The Liberal government is enlisting another military officer to take over from Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, who was abruptly sidelined last week from his role overseeing Canada's COVID-19 vaccination campaign because of a military investigation.

Brig.-Gen. Krista Brodie will now be responsible for managing the countrys vaccine distribution and rollout efforts, which are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks as millions of shots arrive in the country ahead of summer.

The Public Health Agency announced Brodie's appointment on Monday as the Liberal government was scrambling to reassure Canadians that the vaccination campaign would not be hurt by Fortin's sudden departure, while also remaining tight-lipped over why he had been removed.

A 30-year veteran of the military with extensive logistics experience, Brodie is no stranger to the vaccine campaign. She had been working with Fortin since the latter was appointed in November to receive and distribute millions of vaccine doses from overseas to different provinces and territories.

Major General Dany Fortin responds to a question on COVID-19 vaccines during a news conference, Thursday, January 14, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The Department of National Defence issued a terse three-line statement on Friday evening that Fortin was leaving his role as head of the government's vaccine distribution efforts because of an unspecified "military investigation."

Some experts have expressed worry over the lack of information about the nature of the investigation given the importance of Fortin's role and recent concerns about a lack of transparency and accountability from the military.

They had also questioned why it was taking the government so long to identify a replacement to lead the vaccination rollout.

The Canadian Press has confirmed via a source who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly that the investigation relates to an allegation of sexual misconduct.

CTV News reported on Sunday that Fortin is being investigated for having allegedly exposed himself to a woman while he was an officer cadet at the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean, Que., in 1989.

Brig.-Gen. Krista Brodie is seen in an undated handout image. The federal Liberal government is enlisting another military officer to oversee Canada's COVID-19 vaccination campaign.The Public Health Agency of Canada says Brig.-Gen. Brodie will lead the campaign after Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin was forced to step aside due to a military investigation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Public Health Agency of Canada, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Fortin declined to comment in an email to The Canadian Press on Monday, but his military lawyer denied the general had done anything wrong.

"It is a news reporter who informed Maj.-Gen. Fortin of the allegation against him," Cmdr. Mark Letourneau said in a statement. "This took him completely by surprise. He vigorously and categorically denies this allegation.

Hours before Brodie's appointment, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole called on the government to provide Canadians with more information, and suggested its failure to do so represented a threat to public confidence in the military and the vaccine campaign.

"Justin Trudeau must be transparent with Canadians, who deserve confidence in our system, and that starts with providing information," O'Toole said in a statement.

"The government released a statement late Friday announcing that Maj.-Gen. Fortin would no longer be in charge of the vaccine rollout while an investigation was ongoing, but have yet to confirm the nature of the investigation."

O'Toole also demanded the government announce who will be taking over from Fortin, whose appointment to manage the vaccination campaign came after he'd overseen the NATO training mission in Iraq.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a brief public appearance on Monday to announce federal funding for the hiring of auditors for home-energy retrofits, but he did not stick around to take any questions.

It instead fell to Natural Resources Minister Seamus ORegan and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough to answer questions about Fortin's removal and what it would mean for the vaccination campaign.

The ministers played down any significant impact on the campaign, suggesting it is well underway and that other Canadian Armed Forces members are continuing to play an important role in the effort.

But both remained otherwise mum on the nature of the investigation, and when the government first learned about it.

"The mission is ongoing," Qualtrough said at one point. We keep delivering, we are keeping the operation going ... so ultimately, at the end of the day, Canadians get the vaccines that we have to deliver to them."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2021.
NEW YORK (AP)  The merger of Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia operations, marrying the likes of HBO and CNN with HGTV and Oprah Winfrey, is another illustration of the head-spinning speed in which streaming has transformed the media world.

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2014 file photo, people pass an AT&T store in New York's Times Square. AT&T will combine its media operations that include CNN HBO, TNT and TBS in a $43 billion deal with Discovery, the owner of lifestyle networks including the Food Network and HGTV. The deal announced Monday, May 17, 2021, would create a separate media company as households increasingly abandon cable and satellite TV, looking instead at Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK (AP)  The merger of Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia operations, marrying the likes of HBO and CNN with HGTV and Oprah Winfrey, is another illustration of the head-spinning speed in which streaming has transformed the media world.

The companies are essentially placing a $43 billion bet that they'll still be in the mix when consumers decide how to spend their monthly entertainment budgets.

The agreement was announced Monday after AT&T CEO John Stankey and his Discovery counterpart, David Zaslav, worked out the details in Zaslav's Manhattan brownstone over the past two months.

I think, together, the combination makes us the best media company in the world, said Zaslav, who will run the new company if approvals are granted, probably sometime next year.

The deal also represents a strategic retreat for AT&T.

The hope for the newly merged company is that, with a wider array of material than either can offer on its own, it can join Netflix, Amazon and Disney in the widely acknowledged top tier of streamers.

Analysts say it also makes it imperative that services below that tier  think Paramount+ or Peacock  find some way to ramp up or risk being left behind.

WarnerMedia and Discovery both launched their own streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+, within the past two years. It's still not clear whether the merger will result in a single streaming service or several bundled together, but it will have a vast array of content to offer: scripted and reality TV, movies, sports including the NBA and NCAA men's basketball tournament, and news with CNN.

With consumers figuring out which streaming services they use regularly and which they can give up, that depth means a better chance they will use this new one regularly, said Raj Venkatesan, professor of business administration at the University of Virginia. The average U.S. household spends $40 a month on streaming services.

It either has something for everyone in the family, or is so diverse that it is hard to explain, said Jim Nail, an analyst for Forrester Research.

David Schweidel, a business professor at Emory University, questioned whether consumers will be better off with the deal.

If I do decide to cut the cord and I need three to five services to get what I had before, that bill could easily approach what I was paying for cable before, Schweidel said. This may end up hurting consumers.

HBO Max and HBO have a combined global subscriber base of about 63.9 million, and Discovery+ has about 15 million subscribers. That compares with Netflix, which has more than 200 million subscribers worldwide, and Disney+, which counts over 100 million.

In a call with investors, Zaslav said he believes that the standalone company could garner 200, 300, 400 million subscribers at some point in the future, but there were no details regarding a timeline.

The deal is a stark reminder of how much the entertainment world has changed, said Tim Hanlon, CEO of the media consultants Vertere Group.

I think most consumers now look at live television as being something of an anachronism, he said.

While it increases the pressure on smaller streaming services like Peacock or Paramount+ to find partners, those two are affiliated with the NBC and CBS television networks  so doing so would require a rethinking of the broadcast industry regulatory process, Hanlon said.

Its the second time this year that AT&T has calved off a major acquisition as it navigates a rapidly evolving media landscape. In February, the company spun off satellite TV service DirecTV for a fraction of the $48.5 billion it paid in 2015.

Dallas-based AT&T acquired the former company Time Warner for more than $80 billion less than five years ago in a bid to control both sides of the entertainment process: the broadband and wireless services that help deliver entertainment to homes, and the entertainment itself. But the costs involved in trying to do both became a burden.

That vision clearly has not panned out, said CFRA analyst Tuna Amobi.

The new company will be able to cut costs by $3 billion annually, the companies said, money that could go toward original streaming content. It will house almost 200,000 hours of programming and bring together more than 100 brands under one global portfolio, including DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC and Animal Planet.

That likely means layoffs as the companies consolidate.

The deal is also likely to force major decisions on familiar brands. For instance, CNN Chief Executive Jeff Zucker said he expected to leave at the end of the year. But with the new company being led by Zaslav  who worked with Zucker at NBC in the 1990s  that equation could change.

Zaslav called Zucker an extraordinary talent. It's all about the talent, and so we'll be figuring out how do we get the best people to stay, he said.

Shares of Discovery Inc., which is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, fell $1.80, or 5%, to close Monday at $33.85 after initially jumping to $39.70. AT&Ts shares finished the day down 87 cents, or 2.7%, at $31.37, down from a session high of $33.88.

AP business writers Tali Arbel, Anne D'Innocenzio and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world in the coming six weeks as domestic demand for shots drops and global disparities in distribution have grown more evident.

President Joe Biden arrives at the White House after spending the weekend at his Delaware home, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. will share an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the world in the coming six weeks as domestic demand for shots drops and global disparities in distribution have grown more evident.

The doses will come from existing production of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine stocks, marking the first time that U.S.-controlled doses of vaccines authorized for use in the country will be shared overseas. It will boost the global vaccine sharing commitment from the U.S. to 80 million.

"We know America will never be fully safe until the pandemic thats raging globally is under control," Biden said at the White House.

The announcement comes on top of the Biden's administrations prior commitment to share about 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet authorized for use in the U.S., by the end of June. The AstraZeneca doses will be available to ship once they clear a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.

Biden also tapped COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients to lead the administration's efforts to share doses with the world.

Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Joe Biden speaks about distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, in the East Room of the White House, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Our nations going to be the arsenal of vaccines for the rest of the world," Biden said. He added that, compared to other countries like Russia and China that have sought to leverage their domestically produced doses, "we will not use our vaccines to secure favors from other countries."

The Biden administration hasn't yet said how the new commitment of vaccines will be shared or which countries will receive them.

To date, the U.S. has shared about 4.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine with Canada and Mexico. Additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine manufactured in the U.S. have begun to be exported as the company has met its initial contract commitments to the federal government.

President Joe Biden arrives to speak about distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, in the East Room of the White House, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The U.S. has faced growing pressure to share more of its vaccine stockpile with the world as interest in vaccines has waned domestically.

"While wealthy countries continue ramping up vaccinations, less than 1 percent of COVID-19 vaccine doses globally have been administered to people in low-income countries," said Tom Hart the acting CEO of the ONE Campaign. "The sooner the US and other wealthy countries develop a coordinated strategy for sharing vaccine doses with the worlds most vulnerable, the faster we will end the global pandemic for all."

More than 157 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 123 million are full vaccinated against the virus. Biden hopes the U.S. will have 160 million people fully vaccinated by July Fourth.

Globally, more than 3.3 million people are confirmed to have died from the coronavirus. The U.S. has seen the largest confirmed loss of life from COVID-19, at more than 586,000 people.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he hasn't yet seen any evidence supporting Israel's claim that Hamas operated in a Gaza building housing The Associated Press and other media outlets that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. Blinken said he has pressed Israel for justification.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, following their meeting at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eigtveds Pakhus, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday, May 17, 2021. Blinken is seeing Danish leaders as well as top officials from Greenland and the Faeroe Islands in Copenhagen on Monday before he heads to Iceland for an Arctic Council meeting that will be marked by his first face-to-face talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a time of significantly heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he hasn't yet seen any evidence supporting Israel's claim that Hamas operated in a Gaza building housing The Associated Press and other media outlets that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. Blinken said he has pressed Israel for justification.

Blinken spoke at a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, a day after The Associated Press top editor called for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike over the weekend that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts.

Israel destroyed a building housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera and claimed that Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office.

Separately, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Israels bombing of a building housing the media organizations as a possible war crime.

Sally Buzbee, APs executive editor, said that the Israeli government has yet to provide clear evidence supporting its attack, which leveled the 12-story al-Jalaa tower.

The Israeli military, which gave AP journalists and other tenants about an hour to evacuate, claimed Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office and weapons development. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israel was compiling evidence for the U.S. but declined to commit to providing it within the next two days.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, following their meeting at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eigtveds Pakhus, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday, May 17, 2021. Blinken is seeing Danish leaders as well as top officials from Greenland and the Faeroe Islands in Copenhagen on Monday before he heads to Iceland for an Arctic Council meeting that will be marked by his first face-to-face talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a time of significantly heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

Blinken said he personally has not seen any Israeli evidence of Hamas operating in the building and has asked Israel for justification for the strike.

Shortly after the strike we did request additional details regarding the justification for it, Blinken said from Copenhagen, Denmark. He declined to discuss specific intelligence, saying he will leave it to others to characterize if any information has been shared and our assessment that information.

But he said, I have not seen any information provided.

On Sunday, Conricus, the Israeli military spokesman said, "Were in the middle of fighting. Thats in process and Im sure in due time that information will be presented.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would share any evidence of Hamas presence in the targeted building through intelligence channels. But neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any American official had seen it.

Buzbee said the AP has had offices in al-Jalaa tower for 15 years and never was informed or had any indication that Hamas might be in the building. She said the facts must be laid out.

We are in a conflict situation, Buzbee said. We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we dont know what that evidence is.

We think its appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday  an independent investigation," she added.

In remarks Sunday, Netanyahu repeated Israels claim that the building housed an intelligence office of Hamas. Asked if he had relayed supporting evidence of that in a call with President Joe Biden on Saturday, Netanyahu said that we pass it through our intelligence people.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, said in a letter to the courts chief prosecutor that the offices of 23 international and local media organizations have been destroyed over the past six days.

RSF said it had strong reason to believe that the Israeli militarys intentional targeting of media organizations and intentional destruction of their equipment could violate one of the courts statutes. It said the attacks serve to reduce, if not neutralize, the medias capacity to inform the public.

RSF asked the international court, based in the Dutch city of The Hague, to include the recent attacks in a war crimes probe opened in March into Israels practices in Palestinian territories.

Buzbee said the AP journalists were rattled after the airstrike but are doing fine and reporting the news. She expressed concern about the impact on news coverage.

This does impact the worlds right to know what is happening on both sides of the conflict in real time, she said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone Saturday with APs president and CEO, Gary Pruitt. The State Department said Blinken offered his unwavering support for independent journalists and media organizations around the world and noted the indispensability of their reporting in conflict zones."

Buzbee and Conricus spoke on CNNs Reliable Sources and Netanyahu was on CBS Face the Nation.
TORONTO - The Liberal government's troubled Bill C-10 got staunch support from several experts on Monday but one of the bill's most vocal critics insisted the legislation is too flawed to be salvaged.

This combination of images shows logos for companies from left, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photos

TORONTO - The Liberal government's troubled Bill C-10 got staunch support from several experts on Monday but one of the bill's most vocal critics insisted the legislation is too flawed to be salvaged.

Law professor Michael Geist told the Heritage committee that he remains unswayed by repeated government assurances that Bill C-10 won't pose a risk to Canadians' freedom of speech rights.

It's "absurd" to suggest user content that's uploaded on social media platform won't be affected if the CRTC is empowered to regulate the platforms as proposed, Geist said.

He pointed to recent amendments to the legislation that would limit the CRTC's authority but allow it to judge whether Canadian content is discoverable on platforms like YouTube.

"What you're saying is that the government, through its regulator, gets to determine what gets priortized. Not a specific piece of content, per se, but it's going to make choices. Elevating some, deprioritizing others," Geist said.

"That clearly has an impact on individual Canadians' expressive rights."

Not so, said Janet Yale, a former telecom executive who headed a government-appointed panel of experts who proposed sweeping updates for Canada's broadcasting and telecommunication laws.

"No one is going to police that content, tell them what they can say, or compel them to pay dues," Yale said.

"What Bill C-10 does require  is that the YouTubes, the Disney Pluses and Netflixes of the world who share that content, make money from distributing (that) content, must operate by a set of rules and contribute some amount of the revenues they're harvesting from Canadians to the production of Canadian content."

She said further amendments proposed last week make it even more clear that the Broadcasting Act, as amended by Bill C-10, won't apply to users who share their content on the big platforms.

Yale said the principle of discoverability of Canadian content that Geist sees as a threat is about promoting Canadian choices, not restricting what users post or choose to see.

"To persist in creating this illusory scare against freedom of expression is either to misunderstand the legislation, in my view, or to intentionally seek to mislead people for some other purpose," Yale said.

The committee's work is scheduled to continue Tuesday with an hour-long session that includes Justice Minister David Lametti.

Earlier Monday, a union representing professional on-screen actors, voice performers and others who earn their living from recorded media, called for MPs to finish work on Bill C-10.

David Sparrow, national president of ACTRA, said in an interview after the committee's hearing that his fear is that the minority Liberal government will call an election or be forced to call an election before Bill C-10 becomes law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2021.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Passenger levels for the Middle East's largest airlines plummeted by 70% last year and it furloughed more than a quarter of its staff due to the coronavirus pandemic, Emirates' chairman and chief executive said Monday.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Department of Civil Aviation, CEO and chairman of The Emirates Group speaks with journalists at the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, May 17, 2021. The Middle East's largest airlines saw its passenger levels plummet by 70% last year and furloughed more than 25% of its staff due to the coronavirus pandemic, Al Maktoum said Monday. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Passenger levels for the Middle East's largest airlines plummeted by 70% last year and it furloughed more than a quarter of its staff due to the coronavirus pandemic, Emirates' chairman and chief executive said Monday.

Despite the turbulence of last year and the continued uncertainty around global travel, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said he expects passenger levels for Dubai's flagship carrier to climb back to nearly three-fourths of what they were before the COVID-19 outbreak by the end of the year.

Its been a very tough year, Al Maktoum said. Our focus today is more on really putting back Emirates on the map the way it used to be."

Al Maktoum acknowledged, though, it's been difficult to get approvals and wade through the myriad of regulations and other health authority rules of every country.

People visit the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, May 16, 2021. The Middle East's largest airlines saw its passenger levels plummet by 70% last year and furloughed more than 25% of its staff due to the coronavirus pandemic, Emirates' chairman and chief executive said Monday. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

"And sometimes its a nightmare," he said.

He spoke to reporters at Dubais Arabian Travel Market, billed as the world's first travel and tourism event to take place in person since the global outbreak. The event highlights Dubais open embrace of tourists amid the pandemic still roiling parts of the world. Visitors to Dubai are not required to quarantine upon arrival or prove theyve been vaccinated. In most cases, only a negative PCR test is required.

The United Arab Emirates, which is home to the city-state of Dubai, has been aggressive in inoculating its population of more than 9 million people against COVID-19. As a major transit point, however, the UAE remains on the U.K.s red list and the U.S. do not travel list.

Al Maktoum said the carrier has been engaged in explaining to various countries the measures the UAE has taken to keep its population and visitors safe. He said Emirates is ready to return to its full schedule of routes once governments give it the green light.

We have to remain optimistic that the world will open. No government will be able to sustain that forever, he said, referring to lockdowns and border closures.

He expressed support for an electronic travel passport or certificate for passengers who've been vaccinated from the coronavirus, saying it should be something that is easy and simple and available on people's mobile phones. Emirates is experimenting with trials of the International Air Transport Association Travel Pass. The association says its mobile app aims to help passengers manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information.

Although Emirates is expected to announce the past years fiscal results soon, Al Maktoum said the carriers passenger levels fell to 30% of what they were in the previous year. The airline carried around 58 million passengers in 2019.

The long-haul carrier, which is state-owned, was thrown a $2 billion lifeline from Dubais government to stave off a liquidity crunch last year a clear indication of how dire the situation had become for one of the world's leading airlines.

The airline was forced to ground all passenger flights in March 2020 amid a temporary closure of the UAE's airports, including transit flights through Dubai - the hub for Emirates. The airline resumed limited passenger services within weeks. It continued to deploy its fleet of Boeing 777 freighters for the transport of air cargo and vital goods throughout the pandemic.

Al Maktoum did not rule out the possibility of more government assistance to the airline, but said cash on reserve is good so far and added that the company's liquidity is assessed monthly.

The carrier is essential to keeping Dubais airport in the lead as the worlds busiest for international travel. Emirates success is also seen as a bellwether for Dubais economy, which draws heavily from tourism and visitor traffic. Dubai's leadership has described Emirates as strategically important to the national economy.

Dubai is looking to Expo 2020, the Worlds Fair, to attract new visitors and ignite its economy. It was set to host the six-month-long fair last fall, but like other major events around the world, it was delayed for a year. It is set to kick off this October.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's environmentalist Greens party wants to boost rail travel at the expense of domestic flights to help the country achieve its goal of sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

BERLIN (AP)  Germany's environmentalist Greens party wants to boost rail travel at the expense of domestic flights to help the country achieve its goal of sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Greens' candidate for chancellorship in this year's national election, Annalena Baerbock, said Monday that her party would reduce government subsidies for air travel, specifically tax exemptions on kerosene fuel, to create a level playing field for rail companies.

The plans drew criticism from her conservative rival, Armin Laschet, who accused her of populist demands," and from tabloid newspapers, which suggested that Germans won't be able to fly to Mallorca on holiday anymore if the Greens get their way.

Baerbock, whose party is leading in recent polls ahead of the country's Sept. 26 election, said she isn't seeking an outright ban and that everyone will continue to be able to fly on holiday. Still, she said public money should no longer support rock-bottom airline ticket prices.

Train travel could be encouraged by increasing the frequency of long-distance rail connections and expanding night train services, she said.

Baerbock praised the French government's decision last year to order Air France to drop all domestic flights on routes that could be traveled by train in less than 2 1/2 hours as a condition for a multibillion-euro bailout during the pandemic.

Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/Climate.
TORONTO - Human resources services and technology company Morneau Shepell has changed its name to LifeWorks Inc. in an effort to highlight its focus on business and wellness.

TORONTO - Human resources services and technology company Morneau Shepell has changed its name to LifeWorks Inc. in an effort to highlight its focus on business and wellness.

The name change announced earlier this year takes effect after shareholders on Friday approved the move at the company's annual meeting.

The Toronto-based company says the rebrand supports the organizations commitment to delivering "total well-being solutions" to businesses and represents a significant milestone in its growth strategy.

President and CEO Stephen Liptrap says that by connecting the two words  life and work  the companys purpose is made clear.

Former finance minister Bill Morneau led the multinational firm his father founded until he was elected MP for Toronto Centre in 2015.

Morneau served as finance minister before resigning and leaving federal politics in August 2020.

The federal ethics commissioner last week ruled that Morneau broke the Conflict of Interest Act last spring by failing to recuse himself last spring in the decision to have WE Charity administer a since-cancelled student services grant program.

Morneau said in a statement after the ruling that in retrospect, he should have recused himself from the discussion.

Lifeworks says it is in the process of changing its stock ticker on the Toronto Stock Exchange to LWRK from MSI.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2021.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Companies in this story: (TSX:MSI)
LANSING, Mich (AP)  A lawsuit that accuses the state of Michigan of failing to regulate and enforce safety regulations on a dam that failed, causing an estimated $200 million in damages and destroying 2,500 structures, may not be resolved soon, an attorney representing nearly 300 clients said Monday.

LANSING, Mich (AP)  A lawsuit that accuses the state of Michigan of failing to regulate and enforce safety regulations on a dam that failed, causing an estimated $200 million in damages and destroying 2,500 structures, may not be resolved soon, an attorney representing nearly 300 clients said Monday.

Attorney Ven Johnson joined affected residents for an update on litigation over the Edenville Dam in Midland County days before the one-year anniversary of its failure. The Edenville dam's failure caused another dam to fail just two hours later, and damage was widespread.

No lives were lost, but the small village of Sanford lost 10% of its residents and 78% of its businesses, Village Councilman Carl Hamann said.

Some of them are coming back and some of them aren't," Hamann said. Its been very passionate for me because Ive got a lot of people that I see that went through some real horrendous situations and I just want people to know that were coming back, and well have a celebration this week to commemorate the losses we've seen from one year ago.

Johnson's law firm in June 2020 sued the ownership of the Edenville Dam, which had a history of safety violations, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Owner Boyce Hydro's license for the nearly century-old dam was revoked in 2018 for continued failure to address safety regulations, including some measures to withstand floods. The state then took over regulation of the dam.

Boyce Hydro was fined $15 million for safety violations by FERC in April, but Boyce was approved for bankruptcy earlier this year. Johnson said he isn't hopeful for much of a payout from Boyce.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) which was granted regulatory authority of the dam, said in a 2018 report that though there were concerns about the dam's spillway capacity, the dam was in fair structural condition and it found no deficiencies that would be expected to cause immediate failure.

Johnson said with all the warnings dam regulators gave Boyce, the state ultimately did not properly regulate the dam to ensure the safety of nearby residents and their properties.

What we should have done is we should have pushed that button and gone to court and... forced a sale to get somebody in there whos going to make the fix, but in 2018 when the state of Michigan took over, they knew all this, they knew they had a bad actor, they had already gone through this stuff with FERC because the state of Michigan was involved, Johnson said. We should have been on this, and we blew it.

EGLE did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Johnson argued his case against the state in Michigan's Court of Claims last November. He said he expects the state to appeal if he prevails, a process that could extend litigation into 2024, he said.

Johnsons clients represent just a fraction of those affected by the flood. Several lawsuits have been filed against Boyce Hydro and the state seeking compensation for some 3,000 claimants.

Anna Liz Nichols is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
HONG KONG (AP)  The Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday halted the trading of Next Digital shares, days after authorities froze assets belonging to its founder Jimmy Lai.

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2021, file photo, democracy advocate Jimmy Lai leaves Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal where the government is arguing against allowing him bail in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday, May 17, 2021, halted the trading of Next Digital shares, days after authorities froze assets belonging to its founder Jimmy Lai.(AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

HONG KONG (AP)  The Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday halted the trading of Next Digital shares, days after authorities froze assets belonging to its founder Jimmy Lai.

Next Digital said in a filing that it requested the halt after authorities announced that it had frozen Lais assets Friday. Next Digital publishes pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, and the company was founded by Lai, its controlling shareholder.

The freeze comes as Lai and nine other pro-democracy activists appeared in court Monday, facing charges related to inciting others to take part in an unauthorized assembly in October 2019.

Lai is currently serving a 14-month prison sentence for his role in two separate unauthorized assemblies in 2019, during a period where massive anti-government protests took place as Hong Kong residents protested a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kongers to be extradited to mainland China to stand trial. The bill was later withdrawn, although protests evolved to include broader demands for democracy in the city.

Months of anti-government protests led Beijing to tighten its control over Hong Kong, and last year it imposed a national security law on the city that is widely seen as a crackdown on dissent. The law criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, and police have so far arrested over a hundred people under the legislation.

Lai is under investigation by the national security department for allegedly colluding with foreign powers and endangering national security.

His assets were frozen under the national security law, which states that if there are reasonable grounds to believe that property is related to a national security offense, then relevant persons and organizations must not, directly or indirectly, deal with certain property which is reasonably suspected to be related to offences endangering national security," the government said in a statement Friday.

In recent months, Hong Kong police have arrested most of the citys pro-democracy activists, and have put prominent activists such as Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow behind bars. Most of the pro-democracy activists arrested are still in police custody.

Last week, the Taiwan Apple Daily newspaper said it would stop publishing a print edition. The paper said it had been losing money, and Next Digital could no longer support it because pro-China forces had blocked access to advertising for its flagship Apple Daily newspaper and other publications in Hong Kong.
A major rehabilitation was exactly what the doctor ordered for Winnipegs Medical Arts Building.

A recent multimillion-dollar retrofit has completely transformed the 15-storey former office building on Kennedy Street into 104 high-quality apartment units, with more than 14,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space, along with a fitness centre, yoga room and social lounge for residents. The renovation, led by local firm Number TEN Architectural Group, included a complete upgrade of the 1970s-built structure to meet modern code requirements, including the elevators, the heating and cooling systems, the parkade and more, and took more than two years to complete.

The expensive and complicated cosmetic and reconstructive surgery paid off earlier this month: the building began leasing, and in recognition of the revitalization of the property, it was given the title of Renovation of the Year by the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations.

"We were really pleased to win this award," said Colleen Krempulec, an executive at Hazelview Investments, which bought the building in 2017 for $15.5 million when the company was known as Timbercreek Asset Management. "It does in some way remind us of the opportunity we saw here many years ago, and it feels like were right at the finish line. People will soon call the Arts Residences home."

Constructed in 1974, the building at 233 Kennedy St. was a focal point of the local medical and dental community, with as many as 200 professionals practising there, along with two pharmacies and two optical dispensaries. At the time, its 160,000 square feet made it the largest medical office complex in the city.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Historical views of Winnipeg line a hallway.

The current building replaced the original Medical Arts Building, built in 1922 at the intersection of Graham and Kennedy streets. That building was the first to be erected and controlled by members of the medical profession in North America, owned by a co-operative called the Medical Arts Building Ltd. (MABL). Beginning in 1988, the MABL became a publicly traded entity, with all shares held by doctors operating in the building.

In 2005, the building became privately owned, and the number of doctors working in the building steadily decreased. In 2002, there were 150 tenants, and by 2018, after a few changes of ownership and continual frustration with their uncertain tenancy, fewer than 30 remained.

The building was once slated to become the headquarters for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, with the Crown corporation buying it for $7.9 million in 2015 under the leadership of the NDP government. After the Progressive Conservatives were elected in 2016, that decision was reviewed and nixed by a newly installed board of directors, and the building was sold to Timbercreek the following year. By July 2019, with renovations several months underway, only two doctors remained as tenants, with over 20 either retiring or forced to move their practices elsewhere, some after decades on Kennedy Street.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The renovation of the former Medical Arts Building, led by local firm Number TEN Architectural Group, included a complete upgrade of the 1970s-built structure to meet modern code requirements.

"At the time of the acquisition, it was an underutilized medical office building right downtown," said Krempulec, who wouldnt say how much money was spent on the renovation, but did say it was in the "multi, multi, multi" million-dollar range. Thats at least three multis for those keeping track at home.

Now, she hopes that the apartments, with one-bedroom units starting at $1,530 and two-bed suites as high as $2,050, will start to fill up and give the building a new jolt of life.

Project architect Trent Piazzoni said the renovation was a complicated one that required phasing and reimagining a building for a purpose vastly different than its built intent, as well as a total upgrade of all mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. But for whatever challenges existed with the project and working within an existing shell, he and Number TEN partner Dave Lalama agreed that the value and condition of the existing structure was a critical component in completing a successful renovation.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS One-bedroom units in the Arts Residences will start at $1,530 per month and two-bed suites (pictured) will rent for as much as $2,050.

"Its a great example of building in a very sustainable and responsible way, with much lower impact on the environment and the climate," said Lalama. He said its a credit to the developer for looking at the building, doing due diligence and seeing its potential for reuse. With expanded windows and a reconfigured floor plan, young professionals will be able to eat, sleep, and watch television where Dr. Lyle Stronger once practised cardiology or pediatric dentist R.Y. Cantin gave out toothbrushes.

"Its a totally different experience there now," laughed Lalama, who used to go to the Medical Arts Building to see his ophthalmologist.

And while the building will no longer be medical, Krempulec said there will be no shortage of art.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The redevelopment project features a large gym and workout rooms.

Each of the 13 residential floors will have their hallways decorated by custom artwork representing the 13 moons of the Ojibwe lunar calendar, with creative direction by Oji-Cree artist Jordan Stranger. Stranger worked with mural artist Senkoe and local graphic designer Jonato Dalayoan to create vibrant artworks to adorn the walls and the common spaces.

"Our intention is to continue to seek out and work with local artists and seek out their work," Krempulec said. One plan is for an exterior sign at street level to feature rotating work by local artists, and another is to commission a large mural for one of the exterior walls.

With the opening of the Arts Residences, Hazelview now manages seven buildings in Winnipeg, six of which are in the downtown area. The companys investments division manages more than $9.7 billion in global real estate assets.

Rental units are available for lease, and the company is seeking out value-adding commercial tenants, said Krempulec.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
BOSTON - The maker of Samuel Adams beer and Truly Hard seltzer is moving into Canada's cannabis beverages market.

Master brewer Bob Cannon, of the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, pours a pitcher of their "80-Miles of Helles" beer, which is made using water from Boston's Charles River, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in Boston. The maker of Samuel Adams beer is moving into the Canadian cannabis beverages market. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Charles Krupa

BOSTON - The maker of Samuel Adams beer and Truly Hard seltzer is moving into Canada's cannabis beverages market.

The Boston Beer Co. says it will create a subsidiary to serve as a Canadian research and innovation hub for non-alcoholic cannabis beverages.

The subsidiary will help the company develop and pilot pot drinks ahead of the possible federal legalization of cannabis in the U.S. and other countries.

Boston Beer says the subsidiary will be led by Paul Weaver, who previously worked for Canopy Growth Corp. and Molson Coors.

Beer companies have become increasingly interested in cannabis beverages in recent years with Molson and Hexo Corp. starting a joint venture called Truss Beverage Co. and Constellation Brands Inc. investing in Canopy.

In the third-quarter of 2020, Ontario consumers bought $3.6 million in cannabis beverages from retailers and $555,000 through the provincial pot distribution website.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2021

Companies in this story: (TSX:WEED, TSX:HEXO)
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is declining to hear a case that would have let the justices decide whether a single use of the N-word in the workplace can create a hostile work environment.

In this Nov. 6, 2020 photo, The Supreme Court is seen as sundown in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is declining to hear a case that would have let the justices decide whether a single use of the N-word in the workplace can create a hostile work environment.

The high court said Monday it would not take the case of a former Texas hospital employee who said he was subjected to a hostile work environment, including graffiti in one elevator that used the N-word. As is typical, the court did not comment in turning away the case. It was one of many the court rejected Monday.

Robert Collier said that during the seven years he worked as an operating room aide at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, white nurses called him and other Black employees boy. He also said management ignored two large swastikas painted on a storage room wall. He sued the hospital after he was fired in 2016.

The hospitals lawyers had urged the court not to take Colliers case. In a statement to The Associated Press, hospital spokesman Michael Malaise noted that there is no evidence that any Parkland employee was responsible for the alleged graffiti or that it was directed specifically at Mr. Collier.

Parkland is the hospital where President John F. Kennedy was taken in 1963 after he was fatally shot.
LONDON  The British government says Israel must ensure that its military activities against Hamas are proportionate, and it is deeply concerned by the destruction of media offices and other civilian targets in Gaza.

People insect the the rubble of the Yazegi residential building that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Sunday, May 16, 2021. The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation held an emergency virtual meeting Sunday over the situation in Gaza calling for an end to Israels military attacks on the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

LONDON  The British government says Israel must ensure that its military activities against Hamas are proportionate, and it is deeply concerned by the destruction of media offices and other civilian targets in Gaza.

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said Britain is in contact with our U.S and U.N. counterparts and urgently seeking more information from the Israeli government on Saturdays attack, which destroyed a high-rise building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media organizations.

We are deeply concerned by U.N. reports that 23 schools and 500 homes, as well as medical facilities and media offices, have been destroyed or damaged in Gaza, Blain said. He added that Israel must make every effort to avoid civilian casualties and military activity must be proportionate.

Blain also said the U.K. was concerned about Hamas using civilian areas as cover. Israel says the media building was also being used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.

CAIRO  Egypts chief diplomat has warned against expanding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, urging all parties to strike a cease-fire.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said in televised comments that Egypt is working with international partners to reach a truce and embark on political negations aiming at achieving a permanent, comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian cause.

He said Egypt hopes the U.S. administration will engage in such an effort to relaunch the political process in order to avert war and destruction in the region.

He called for Israels government to reduce tensions in Jerusalem and stop efforts by extremist settlers to change the nature of the city.

BERLIN  German officials have condemned the ongoing rocket fire by Hamas on Israel and demanded that the militant group immediately end those attacks.

This is terror, which is intended to kill people indiscriminately, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reportes in Berlin. The German government stands by Israel and its right to protect its population and defend itself.

Seibert added that it was tragic that so many human lives need to be lamented on both sides but accused Hamas of holding the Palestinian population in Gaza hostage by launching its rockets from densely populated civilian areas.

Palestinian rescue workers carry the remains of a man found next to a beachside cafe after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Asked about the destruction of a Gaza building housing several media outlets, including AP, by Israel over the weekend, Seibert said it was important that journalists should be able to report from war zones, but again cited Israels right to self-defense. Israel has claimed the building was also used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The ambassador of the Czech Republic to Kuwait is apologizing over an image posted online of him draped in the Israeli flag, amid anger in the small, oil-rich nation over the death of Palestinians.

Martin Dvorak wrote an open letter posted on the embassys Twitter account on Monday after Kuwaitis posted angry messages to his Instagram account.

Dvorak wrote that his post inspired understandable outrage and indignation among many people with regards to the current, deeply dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip.

He added: It was absolutely not my intention to express any manner of disrespect towards the innocent Palestinian victims and casualties whose loss we are currently witnessing.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry summoned Dvorak on Monday over the post to express its categorical rejection and strong disapproval.

While some Gulf Arab nations now recognize Israel, Kuwait has not done so in a decades-long support of the Palestinians efforts to have an independent state.

MOSCOW  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia is extremely concerned about Israel's destruction of a building in Gaza City that housed the APs longtime Gaza bureau and offices of other media organizations.

We are extremely concerned about the growing number of human casualties, Peskov added during a conference call with reporters.

Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't had any contacts with either side of the conflict in recent days, but such contacts can be organized, if necessary.

The Kremlin spokesman added that very energetic efforts are now being made both through the Quartet (of Middle East mediators, which comprises the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia), and various countries are now in constant contact through bilateral channels with both the Israelis and the Palestinians in order to stop the exchange of strikes.

ROME  The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis met with the Iranian foreign minister and spoke by telephone with the Turkish president amid the spiral of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Vatican said Francis spoke by phone around 9 a.m. Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later, he met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Rome on a previously announced visit. The Vatican provided no comment on the content of the talks.

On Sunday, Francis appealed for calm and international help to open a path of dialogue. Speaking during his Sunday blessing, Francis said the deaths of children in the latest surge of violence was a sign that they dont want to build the future but want to destroy it.

ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Pope Francis to support sanctions against Israel, saying Palestinians will continue to be massacred as long as the international community does not punish Israel.

During a telephone telephone call Monday with the pope, Erdogan also said that continued messages and reactions from Francis in support of Palestinians would be of great importance for the mobilization of the Christian world and of the international community, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications directorate.

During their conversation, Erdogan also renewed a call for the international community to take concrete steps to show Israel the dissuasive reaction and lesson it deserves, according to the statement. The Turkish leader has been engaged in a telephone diplomacy bid to end Israels use of force.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Gazas mayor says Israeli airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip have caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure, while the Israeli military says they destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse, mayor Yahya Sarraj told Al-Jazeera TV.

The U.N. has warned that the territorys sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel, and Sarraj said Gaza was also low on spare parts. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the the territorys electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days. Airstrikes have damaged supply lines and the companys staff cannot reach areas that were hit because of continued Israeli shelling, he added.

The war broke out last Monday, when the Hamas militant group fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

Since then, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says are targeting Hamas militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,100 rockets into Israel.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes and 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks from Gaza.

JERUSALEM  The Israeli military says its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have destroyed 15 kilometers (nine miles) of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.

Residents of Gaza awakened early Monday by the overnight barrage described it as the heaviest since the war began a week ago, and even more powerful than a wave of airstrikes in Gaza City the day before that left 42 dead and flattened three buildings.

There was no immediate word Monday on the casualties from the latest strikes. A three-story building in Gaza City was heavily damaged, but residents said the military warned them 10 minutes before the strike and everyone cleared out. They said many of the airstrikes hit nearby farmland.
HARTFORD, Conn.  As some states set plans to a pandemic $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit as a way to encourage people to find work, Connecticut is offering a much different incentive  a $1,000 signing bonus for taking a job.

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk by a worker browsing her smartphone outside a restaurant in Beijing, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

HARTFORD, Conn.  As some states set plans to a pandemic $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit as a way to encourage people to find work, Connecticut is offering a much different incentive  a $1,000 signing bonus for taking a job.

Starting May 24, up to 10,000 people in Connecticut considered to have been unemployed for the long-term will be able to sign up for the program with the state Department of Labor. Ultimately, they would be paid the bonus after spending eight weeks in their new full-time job.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that the state will also retain the $300 benefit before some people are still afraid to work because of the coronavirus.

THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

People wear face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus and walk past Taipei 101 building after the COVID-19 alert raise to level 3 in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, May 15, 2021. Taiwan, which has had enviable success in containing COVID-19, imposed new restrictions in its capital city on Saturday as it battled its worst outbreak since the pandemic began. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

 A dip in cases is bringing a glimmer of hope in India, but shortage of beds, oxygen show virus crisis isn't over yet

 Joy in UK as pubs, restaurants and museums reopen but new variant sparks worry

 Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKlines vaccine candidate triggered strong immune responses; production to begin soon

 Eurovision song contest gears up in Rotterdam for 1st time since the pandemic began, hopes virus bubbles will ensure safety

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

Libby Jones, right, with her colleague Shannon Maiden, both nurses from Great Ormond Street hospital who have just finished an overnight shift, have a pint of cider at the Shakespeare's Head pub, which will be reopening for the first time to serve indoor customers since the end of the latest coronavirus lockdown, in London, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  The Biden Administration is putting a fresh wave of funding toward its stated goal of making a serious dent in homelessness across the country.

Despite a wave of public support and a nationwide eviction moratorium, Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge said as many of 580,000 people experienced homelessness in the middle of the pandemic.

Fudge, who heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Monday that an extra $5 billion would be allocated toward keeping families off the streets. Thats in addition to the $5 billion in funds for preventing homelessness previously announced as part of the American Rescue Plan.

The aid will come in the form of 17,000 emergency housing vouchers that will be distributed to housing authorities across the country. Fudge said the vouchers were expected to help provide shelter for up to 130,000 people and called the new money, an important milestone in our effort to end homelessness in the United States.

Visitors pose for photographs on the glass walkway at the Tower Bridge Visitor Attraction, in London, on the first day it was allowed to reopen as the British government relaxes its third coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

WARSAW, Poland  Poland-based molecular diagnostics firm Genomtec says it has registered for use in European Union a pioneer, high-reliability COVID-19 test from saliva.

The test, Genomtec SARS-CoV-2 EvaGreen Direct-RT-LAMP CE-IVD Kit spares those tested the discomfort of having swabs pushed up their noses and down their throats. Instead, they only need to produce a sample of saliva in a small test tube, Genomtec, a Polish-British firm, said Monday.

The result is obtained within one hour, because the technology does not require special preparatory procedures on the sample. Its reliability is pegged at over 92%, according to the Genomtec. The test detects various mutations of the coronavirus, said the company that is listed on the Warsaws Stock Exchange NewConnect market.,

Genomtec said the test has been registered and approved for use in the European Union by Polands Office of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products. First tests on the general public using the kit will be done still this month in Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, where Genomtec is based.

PRAGUE  The Czech government has announced a new wave of easing coronavirus restrictions amid falling numbers of infected people.

A medic waits to administer Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine shots, at the Iran Mall shopping center in Tehran, Iran, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Starting May 24, all hotels are allowed to return to business. The guests will need to present a negative coronavirus test or be vaccinated or recover from COVID-19. If they want to stay longer than seven days, an additional test will be required.

At the same time, all elementary schools and high schools will fully reopen. Schoolchildren and students will be tested once a week.

The same applies for universities where, however, the spring term in many cases ends next week.

It will be also possible for up to 1,000 people to attend outdoor cultural events, while up to 500 are allowed at such events indoor.

Mondays announcement comes on the day when Czech bars and restaurants are reopening for outdoor dining.

The National Youth Choir of Scotland, with founder and conductor Christopher Bell meet on Calton Hill, to sing, in Edinburgh, Monday May 17, 2021. Most of Scotland moves to Level 2 restrictions enabling up to 30 people to meet outside. The choir last met and performed together in March 2020 which is when the choir last met and performed together. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

The number of people infected per 100,000 inhabitants in last seven days has dropped to 71 in the Czech Republic.

BERLIN  Germanys health minister says the country will open up coronavirus vaccinations to everyone starting on June 7. Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters on Monday that the current system of prioritization in which the most vulnerable groups are to be vaccinated first will no longer be valid then.

The minister said, this does not mean that everyone will get an appointment within days, but ... everyone who wants to get vaccinated will get an offer.

Spahn said that the vaccination campaign has picked up speed in recent weeks and that by the end of May about 40 percent of all people in Germany will have received at least one shot. He said 70 percent of those above the age of 60 have received one shot, about one-quarter of them are fully vaccinated. All in all, 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given and around nine million people are fully vaccinated, in this country of 83 million.

After months of lockdown, the infection rate has been dropping in Germany and some states are slowly starting to open up outdoor dining and various shopping possibilities.

Visitors pose for photographs on the glass walkway at the Tower Bridge Visitor Attraction, in London, on the first day it was allowed to reopen as the British government relaxes its third coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

NEW YORK  Vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks or social distance in New York starting Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

The governor said the state is adopting the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week.

Lets get back to life, Cuomo said. If you are vaccinated, you are safe, no masks, no social distancing.

Cuomo urged people who are unvaccinated and immunocompromised to continue to wear a mask and social distance.

BISMARCK, N.D.  The North Dakota Department of Health on Monday issued new guidance on coronavirus masks.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, second right attempts to prepare dumplings with head chef Ling Bing, during a visit to Dumplings Legend in China Town central London, Monday, May 17, 2021. Pubs and restaurants across much of the U.K. are opening for indoor service for the first time since early January even as the prime minister urged people to be cautious amid the spread of a more contagious COVID-19 variant. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

State health officer Nizar Wehbi says the department is aligning with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that fully vaccinated individuals can resume activities without wearing a mask indoors and outdoors.

The risk of being infected or spreading COVID-19 once fully vaccinated is very low, and therefore wearing a mask if you are fully vaccinated is no longer a recommendation, the health department said in a statement.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A recommendation remains that everyone wears masks when they are in a health care setting, when they are traveling on public transportation, including airplanes, and when they are in a business or employer that requires masks, health officials said.

BRATTLEBORO, Vt.  Vermont is preparing to hold its first jury trials since the coronavirus pandemic hit last year.

A view of the beach of Mondello, Sicily, crowded with sunbathers after the slowdown of the diffusion of Covid-19 virus allowed the reopening of beaches in Sicily. (Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse via AP)

Jury draws were planned Monday for a number of cases in Windham County criminal court. Among them are cases involving drug crimes. According to court documents, social distancing and masking will be part of the proceedings.

Vermont Chief Superior Judge Brian Grearson told the Brattleboro Reformer that the judiciary picked cases that were not very complicated, meaning they did not involve a large number of witnesses and could be tried within a couple of days because of the virus-related protocols.

An upgrade to the buildings heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system for proper airflow could lead to fluctuating temperatures, according to a court flyer sent to jurors.

The trial arrangements were planned in consultation with an infectious disease expert to comply with virus guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Vermont Health Department, the newspaper reported.

GENEVA  The head of the World Health Organization is calling on some of the worlds top COVID-19 vaccine makers to do more to get doses to needy people around the world, especially in the developing world -- and more quickly.

Eighth grader at Robinson Middle School, Jasic Helvey, 12, hears information about her COVID-19 vaccine Monday, May 17, 2021, at Topeka High School with by Shaunee Darrough, registered nurse with TrueCare Nursing, with her mom, Brandi Snyder, nearby. (Evert Nelson/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed in particular to U.S.-based Moderna to accelerate its planned timetable for doses of its vaccine to be available to the U.N.-backed COVAX program, which aims to get vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

Moderna has signed a deal for 500 million doses with COVAX, but the majority has been promised only for 2021, Tedros said Monday. We need Moderna to bring hundreds of millions of this forward into 2021 due to the acute moment of this pandemic.

The WHO chief also said COVAX was working toward a deal with U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson that could get doses to the program by the second half of this year, but this has not been finalized and we do not know when they will arrive.

Tedros said we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca  the British-Swedish manufacturer that has been the main pillar so far of COVAX and the source of the vast majority of doses in the program that has now deployed some 65 million doses.

U.S.-based Pfizer, along with German partner BioNTech, has committed to 40 million doses this year to COVAX, but the majority of this would be in the second half of 2021, he said.

Tedros cited figures from UNICEF, which is helping the deployment, that COVAX is facing a huge shortfall of 190 million doses in its planned rollout because of tight supplies and a surge in cases.

TORONTO  All adults in Canadas most populous province will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine starting Tuesday.

The Ontario government says those turning 18 this year will be allowed to book shots. The provincial government had initially said it would lower the vaccine eligibility age to 30 this week.

The province will also now send shots to regions on a per-capita basis, after two weeks of sending half the vaccine supply to COVID-19 hot spots.

Canada expects to get 3.5 million Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. More than 55% of the population in Ontario aged 18 and over have received at least one dose.

AMSTERDAM  The European medicines regulator says it is safe to store thawed Pfizer vaccines in a regular fridge for up to 31 days, a ruling that will make handling the vaccine easier around the European Union.

The European Medicines Agency said Monday that its human medicines committee has recommended changing the storage guidelines for unopened, thawed vials of the Pfizer vaccine from five days to a month at normal fridge temperatures after they have been taken out of deep freeze.

The change came after Pfizer and BioNTech submitted additional stability study data to the Amsterdam-based agency.

The European Union agreed a massive contract extension for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this month for a potential 1.8 billion doses through 2023.

ROME  The number of calls placed to Italys national domestic violence hotline increased nearly 80% last year in a sign that coronavirus-induced lockdowns created a detonator effect in already violent homes.

Italys national statistics agency issued a comprehensive report Monday on the requests for help last year to the hotline and shelters.

The report said the number of calls to the toll-free 1522 number and related texting option hit a peak in April and May, during the first wave of COVID-19, which hit Italy first in Europe. Another peak came around Nov. 25.

ISTAT said the data confirmed it was accurate to speak of a double pandemic  one that was epidemiological and one fueled by domestic violence.

NEW YORK  Target and CVS are the latest retailers to no longer require vaccinated shoppers to wear a mask in its stores. Targets said vaccinated workers can also stop wearing masks, but at CVS, the company said workers will be required to wear them even if theyve been inoculated.

The announcements come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people last week, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. On Friday, Walmart, Costco and several other large retailers said that those who have been vaccinated dont need to wear masks.

Target and CVS said Monday that they will still recommend those who arent vaccinated to wear masks in its stores. Target said it is offering paid time off to workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

Passengers of a flight from the United Kingdom arrive at Faro airport, outside Faro, in Portugal's southern Algarve region, Monday, May 17, 2021. British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

LISBON, Portugal (AP)  British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

A plane from Manchester, England, disembarked the first of more than 5,000 tourists expected to arrive on 17 U.K. flights in Portugals southern Algarve region on the first day nonessential travel was allowed.

As local temperatures climbed toward a forecast high of 32 C (90 F), the tourists were met at Faro airport by workers handing out COVID-19 welcome kits containing masks and disinfectant, and by the head of the Algarve tourist authority.

The arrivals brightened the outlook for Portugals crucial tourism sector, especially the sun and surf resorts along the Algarve coast which relies heavily on the U.K. market and where hotels shut down for most of the past year.

Arriving tourists needed to show a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken within the previous 72 hours.

A passenger of a flight arriving at Faro leaves the airport, outside Faro, in Portugal's southern Algarve region, Monday, May 17, 2021. British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Both Portugal and the United Kingdom have reduced their seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people to between three and four. Authorities said that rate was low enough to relax restrictions.

The Portuguese government on Saturday announced that people from European countries with COVID-19 incidence rates below 500 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days can now also make nonessential trips to Portugal. That means most Europeans can travel to Portugal, as long as they can show a negative test.

The U.K. government has put Portugal and 11 other countries on a so-called green list of low-risk territories. British people returning home from those areas don't need to go into quarantine.

Tourism workers wait for passengers of a flight arriving from the United Kingdom at Faro airport, outside Faro, in Portugal's southern Algarve region, Monday, May 17, 2021. British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Follow APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
A Saskatchewan man who brutally attacked a woman and set her on fire has been denied parole.

Marlene Bird is shown in this undated handout provided by radio station CKBI. A Saskatchewan man who brutally attacked a woman and set her on fire has been denied parole. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-CKBI **MANDATORY CREDIT**

A Saskatchewan man who brutally attacked a woman and set her on fire has been denied parole.

Leslie Black, 35, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the beating, burning and sexual assault of Marlene Bird in Prince Albert, Sask., in 2014.

Bird's injuries resulted in the amputation of both of her legs and the Indigenous woman also lost much of her eyesight.

She died in 2017 at the age of 50 from heart, liver and kidney failure.

Her death was only a few months after Black was sentenced to 16 years for the vicious assault. He was given credit of four years, eight months for time already served, so faced just over 11 years in prison.

Your actions were unpredictable, brutal and indifferent, said a decision released Monday by the Parole Board of Canada.

Black told a parole board hearing last week that the attack on Bird happened around the anniversary of his own mothers murder and hed been drinking more frequently. He didnt know Bird and told the board the sexual assault was out of the blue.

After setting Birds shirt on fire, Black left the woman in flames and went to a store to get candy. He walked past Bird again, who was still on fire, and ignored her.

Bird was found several hours later with burns so severe her facial bones were exposed.

Black told the hearing that the decision to light Bird on fire just happened because he had a lighter in his coat pocket.

He told the parole board that he prayed with an elder for Bird and her family when he learned of her death.

The boards decision said Black still shows limited insight into the underlying factors that allowed (him) to engage in this level of violence.

Black has continued to have issues with violence behind bars, including fights with other inmates and weapons found in his cell, the board said.

Your inability to follow institutional rules raises concerns for the board about your ability and willingness to abide by conditions in the community."

Psychological assessments presented at the hearing said Black presents a risk for future sexual offences and suggested any form of conditional release would be premature.

After Black was sentenced, Bird, a member of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation, said she thought she could forgive him but friends said she was upset by the length of his incarceration.

Im doing my best, because my mom told me to forgive people that do wrong, Bird said at the time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2021.
A Rossburn man has been charged with impersonating a police officer, after allegedly talking his way past a First Nations checkpoint behind the wheel of a retired RCMP cruiser.

A Rossburn man has been charged with impersonating a police officer, after allegedly talking his way past a First Nations checkpoint behind the wheel of a retired RCMP cruiser.

"Its incredible how he picked up that vehicle and made it look like an undercover RCMP car," Manitoba First Nation Police Service Insp. Dave Scott said Monday.

Police said, on May 8, a male suspect driving a 2014 white Ford Taurus approached a checkpoint on Waywayseecappo First Nation, where access is restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The man told a woman monitoring the checkpoint he was a police officer and had business on the First Nation, located some 120 kilometres northwest of Brandon, police said.

The suspect exited the First Nation at the same checkpoint a short time later, telling the same woman he wanted to search her before saying, "Just kidding" and driving away.

"Its very concerning," Scott said. "We dont know what his intentions were. You wonder how many other people he may have approached in this manner."

Police were able to identify a suspect through the vehicles licence plate, Scott said.

Police arrested the 45-year-old suspect at his Rossburn home, where they also sized the decommissioned cruiser.

Scott said the vehicle had been equipped with red and blue flashing lights, bars on the rear windows and police decals.

He said the man likely bought the vehicle at auction, at which time all regulation police gear would have been removed.

"Usually, they are stripped of all road equipment," he said. "He probably refabricated (the parts)."

Scott said police are investigating a report the same vehicle may have been spotted recently in Brandon.

"We got a call from a citizen in Brandon who says he may have seen the same vehicle with its lights flashing," Scott said. "The citizen pulled over and it just drove past him."

The suspect, who has not been identified, has been released on an undertaking and will appear in Rossburn court at a later date.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
OTTAWA  The oldest Manitobans are most likely to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and have fewer years of life left than the average person.

OTTAWA  The oldest Manitobans are most likely to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and have fewer years of life left than the average person.

Yet they wont be exempted from any pandemic restrictions for the coming weeks.

"Its not so much about what (people) do with one or two doses, its more about the vulnerable, remaining part of the community," Dr. Howard Njoo, Canadas deputy chief public health officer, told reporters Thursday.

Njoo said there was consensus among provincial top doctors that there are not enough vaccinations yet to consider peeling back restrictions for the 3.5 per cent of Canadians who are fully vaccinated.

"Its just a very prudent approach that we keep at it. That we dont create  I think in my mind, anyway  a situation of the haves and have-nots," Njoo said.

He argued Canada is still far off from the United States, where 36 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 is deadlier to older people, whom most provinces have prioritized for receiving both vaccine doses because they have weaker immune responses to the coronavirus.

As of Friday, Manitoba had administered just under 80,000 second shots, mostly for older Manitobans, as well as those working in health care and younger people with severe conditions.

There have been enough second shots administered to cover everyone over age 99, as well as 72 per cent of Manitobans aged 90 to 99, and 19 per cent of those aged 80 to 89.

Many of those people live in personal care homes, which have been skittish about allowing fully vaccinated residents to mingle with other people.

Dr. Michelle Porter, director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba, said that makes sense when the province is posting record-high COVID-19 numbers.

"Were still in a precarious situation, particularly considering whats happening in hospitals," she said.

She noted officials have said Manitobans took on riskier activities than what was allowed each time restrictions were loosened.

"I think weve seen here that when you give people an inch they take a mile, in terms of what theyre doing," she said.

Porter added there is still vaccine hesitancy in the population, including among care-home staff.

Vaccines offer great protection against severe illness, but theyre not infallible. Some experts use the analogy of a fire-proof suit, which is meant to limit the risk of injury but doesnt remove all risk of entering a burning home.

Porter said communal-living residences should consider stop-gap measures to boost quality of life until society can return to normal, such as improved Wi-Fi to allow people to connect virtually.

She was particularly concerned about older people who are newly admitted into nursing homes and sometimes have to isolate for two weeks in a single room. Thats during a transition that would have already been disruptive in pre-pandemic times.

"Anything that can be done to make sure those residents are getting as much engagement as possible within the restrictions is important."

At the Convalescent Home, Sherry Heppner says residents have a mix of opinions, with some pleading for more freedoms and others worried about more contagious variants.

"Its a tough call, and we really have to get the percentage of vaccinated people up (in the general population) before I personally can (be comfortable)," Heppner said.

Of about 75 residents, only a handful havent been vaccinated, some on the advice of doctors, due to existing health conditions.

Convalescent has 84 beds, many in shared rooms, and lost more than 20 residents during a COVID-19 outbreak she calls traumatic.

"We just cant open our doors up yet, because the group that we are caring for, and love so much, are just so vulnerable," Heppner said.

She hopes that when Manitobas current third wave recedes, enough people will be immunized inside and outside the care home, allowing fully vaccinated people to come indoors and hug their loved ones.

Heppner and Porter both said that in-person social interaction is crucial for older populations.

Porter said its clear from other countries with higher vaccination rates that nursing homes will be able to loosen up in a few months.

"A few more weeks is going to make a big difference, in this whole pandemic trajectory," she said.

In any case, Heppners staff are planning outdoor, distanced visits this summer, including in converted trailers, officially called pods. She said regular internal events with resident tamp down on the loneliness.

"Its small things; it doesnt have to be grandiose."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
I HAVE concerns about the recent editorial headlined Replica weapons ban is a life-saving measure (May 11), which supports a ban because police killed two Manitoba men who were brandishing replica weapons.

Opinion

I HAVE concerns about the recent editorial headlined "Replica weapons ban is a life-saving measure" (May 11), which supports a ban because police killed two Manitoba men who were brandishing replica weapons.

By no means do I represent the whole airsoft community that uses replica firearms; however, I would like to dispute points of misinformation regarding our sport.

As many have read from news reports, airsoft replicas have been subject to misuse in various situations. However, simply banning the tool used within these scenarios will only attack the symptoms of the issue, while the underlying disease will continue to persist in its current state.

The causes of replica misuse can broken into three categories: 1. Poor education on replicas; 2. Lack of proper mental-health resources; 3. Socioeconomic inequality that leads to criminal misuse.

Under the current legislation, airsoft is classified as an "uncontrolled firearm," which puts the onus of regulation on airsoft retailers themselves. While most retailers do properly regulate purchases, there are instances in which minors are able to purchase airsoft toys. Making it a legal requirement for adults to hold responsibility for the toys will drastically decrease the cases of negligence we see within our communities.

In cases involving self-harm, some individuals use airsoft replicas to threaten responding police officers in order to accomplish their goal of "suicide by cop." However, banning airsoft replicas does not address the underlying problem of these cases, which is severe mental-health distress. As proposed by numerous Canadian civil rights groups, sending social workers to mental-health crises rather than armed police officers will yield more positive outcomes. Mental-health issues are the driving factor of such scenarios, not replica guns.

Regarding criminal misuse, the banning of replicas will only follow the trend of previous failed prohibitions. Those with criminal intent will still achieve their goals, regardless of the restrictions emplaced. A University of Toronto associate professor of sociology, Jooyoung Lee, states that banning firearms  in this case airsoft  does not address the underlying issues that lead to criminal misuse.

He states the main driver of criminal activity is the socio-economic situation of those involved in crimes. A much more appropriate, effective and cost-efficient approach would be to invest in impoverished communities to address the socioeconomic imbalance.

Every airsoft business within Canada is a small business. There are about 200 airsoft-related businesses, which employ an estimated 2,000 workers. The changes in the proposed firearms legislation, Bill C-21, will devastate this industry  in fact, the bills mere presence has already impacted the crippled airsoft scene. Businesses such as Devil Dogs Airsoft and Flagswipe Airsoft Fields had to close their doors completely, citing Bill C-21 as a primary driver.

Should the bill be implemented, all available inventory will be rendered worthless, as the bill not only prohibits sales and distribution of replicas, it will also make it illegal to destroy the replicas as they will be labelled a prohibited device. Associated stock, such as BBs and protective equipment, will also become useless, as they function with the replicas.

Discussions about airsoft and its place in society are not unique to this country. Other democratic nations, such as Japan, the United States and the entirety of Europe, all recognize that airsoft must be regulated. However, what all these jurisdictions also realize is that realistic airsoft replicas do have a place in the hands of the participating hobbyists.

There are those within Canada who believe these realistic replicas do not have a place within Canadian society. That position is respectfully opposed by the Canadian airsoft community. In addition to their use in the hobbyist community, airsoft replicas are widely used as movie props in the Canadian movie and film industry, and as alternatives to real firearm possession by some in the Canadian firearms community.

Further regulation may be needed to avoid further dangerous misuse; however, simply banning the replicas will cause much more harm than good to Canadian society. All of Canadas opposition political parties have recognized that a ban is a poor approach to public safety.

Simply banning airsoft replicas will have little to no impact on the underlying issues discussed here. However, it will end thousands of livelihoods for those who engage in and depend on the sport.

Bill Chung is an airsoft enthusiast in Vaughan, Ont. Before the pandemic restrictions on group size and distancing, he used to play three or four times a week.
Last Wednesday marked the first day in the latest round of remote learning for most Manitoba students, as part of a planned three-week measure intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. While many people are relieved by the move, others are rightfully questioning how and why we got here, again.

Editorial

Last Wednesday marked the first day in the latest round of remote learning for most Manitoba students, as part of a planned three-week measure intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. While many people are relieved by the move, others are rightfully questioning how and why we got here, again.

That the school announcement came on Mothers Day  thrusting teachers/mothers into planning mode on a day when they should have been in a more R&R frame of mind  felt galling, considering that on the home front, its working mothers in particular who have borne the brunt of this pandemic and its working mothers who were once again scrambling to find child care.

But whats more distressing is the nagging inclination that this could have been avoided.

For many teachers, this latest lockdown amounts to too little, too late  a decision that should have been made earlier, when they first began sounding the alarm. And the current crisis might have been mitigated if Manitoba had prioritized vaccinating teachers, instead of debating whether or not to send them to North Dakota for their shots.

Shutting down in-person learning could have happened when virus variants began taking over, and when it became apparent young people were making up the majority of new infections. It could have occurred when April 2021 started resembling October 2020 on the COVID-19 graph.

Keeping kids in schools is desirable and necessary for a host of socio-economic reasons. But Manitoba fumbled its opportunity to keep students in classrooms by not being more aggressive in controlling community spread. The continuing nip-and-tuck approach to restrictions didnt work last fall, so there was little reason to believe it would be more successful now.

Throughout the pandemic, health officials have been adamant that significant virus transmission was not occurring in the school setting. But as increasing case numbers forced numerous schools to shut down in-person learning, the provinces steadfast insistence that schools were not experiencing virus spread became harder to accept.

Of course, people in other settings have also clearly been shown to be contributing to the current record-breaking surge. To that end, its not just teachers or schools or the government that share the responsibility for the current school-closure situation. The fact contact tracers were pointing to sleepovers, parties and playdates in April, just as cases began a steady upward climb, is evidence of embarrassing and reckless behaviour outside school walls.

A cursory social-media scroll or a stroll through any neighbourhood will also reveal smaller infractions, involving people who likely believe they are following the spirit of the public-health orders but are still allowing groups of kids to congregate  outside, but unmasked and not distanced.

Children have been asked to sacrifice more than enough during these many hard months. But the pandemic has also been an ongoing teachable moment: ones birthday slumber party is not more important than the safety of your community; ones graduation party is not more important than the safety of your community. Everyone is missing things; everyone is frustrated and exhausted. Remote learning is frustrating and exhausting.

And the frustration and exhaustion are compounded the longer it drags out  which is why priority vaccination for teachers and early childhood educators, coupled with much earlier consideration of a targeted, sharp, short school lockdown, might have prevented what seems destined, despite the provinces stated desire to have students back in class in June, to be another unsatisfactory ending to another interrupted school year in Manitoba.
Demand on Manitobas overburdened health-care system continued to escalate Monday as Canada's COVID-19 hot spot announced 430 new infections.

Demand on Manitobas overburdened health-care system continued to escalate Monday as Canada's COVID-19 hot spot announced 430 new infections.

The province also announced the death of a man in his 60s from the Southern Health region.

"We need to ensure were all still familiar with how severe COVID-19 is," chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin told a news conference.

As of Sunday, Manitoba had the highest rate of COVID-19 infections per capita in Canada, surpassing Alberta, with 232 cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days.

Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa asked Manitobans to continue to be cautious and follow public-health measures in the weeks after being vaccinated.

Siragusa said out of more than 300 COVID-19 patients who have been admitted to intensive care since Jan. 1, 34 were vaccinated, and almost all of them caught the virus within three weeks of receiving their first dose.

It takes at least two weeks after vaccination for the body to develop a substantial immune response.

"When you get your immunization, you need to still be cautious for about three weeks," Siragusa said.

On Monday, 265 patients were being treated in hospital for COVID-19, including 73 in intensive care, an increase of two from Sunday, setting a new record. Nine are under the age of 40.

Across the health-care system, there were 120 total people in intensive care, as of midnight. Siragusa said 73 patients were on ventilators as of Monday morning, including 50 COVID-19 patients.

The demand on the provinces critical-care program has surpassed the peak of the second COVID-19 wave and public-health officials anticipate the number of patients requiring intensive care to continue to increase over the coming weeks.

Siragusa said Shared Health and the hospitals that have critical-care programs will be facilitating transfers of lower-risk patients to other locations.

Additional non-urgent and elective surgeries have been postponed to free up space and staff in hospitals; about 100 staff have been redeployed, including 82 nurses, she said.

An outbreak has been declared at Steinbach's Bethesda Regional Health Centre on the medical unit.

A new Fast Pass testing site opens in Brandon Wednesday for eligible school staff and those working in licensed child-care centres.

The site will be co-located with the existing Brandon Keystone Centre site at 1175 18th St. Appointments are required and can be booked starting Tuesday by calling 1-888-986-8152.

New infections were reported in all health regions, including 313 in Winnipeg, 44 in Southern Health, 37 in the North, and 18 cases each in Interlake-Eastern and the Prairie Mountain Health region.

The five day test positivity rate across the province was 12.7 per cent and 14.3 per cent in Winnipeg.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
The long road to vaccination is complete for Charlene Halletts children.

The mother of three has already gotten the jab herself.

Monday morning, she joined her children and her niece as they were vaccinated at the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, surrounded by the sounds of singing, drumming and praying. The atmosphere brought comfort to Hallett as a Metis woman.

"Just the whole energy in being in that space, with the staff, and the feeling of how well it was running, and how welcoming it was, and the signs in different languages, and the music  Indigenous music  to hear that, its a very welcoming space," she said.

The centre began vaccinations for Manitobans 12 years old and older on Monday morning, following the provinces Friday announcement that youth were now eligible to receive their first dose. A line of parents and children with appointments, or seeking a walk-up vaccine at the centre, had already formed early Monday. The clinic is currently only accepting appointments and walk-ins from Indigenous Manitobans.

Dr. Barry Lavallee, CEO of Indigenous-led health task force Keewatinowi Inniniw Minoayawin, administered the first vaccines of the morning and called it a "profound" day.

"This is a really important time for all of us to come together, Indigenous, non-Indigenous people, to make sure that we can get all Manitobans vaccinated," Lavallee said. "And specifically people who are ending up sick in the hospital, and thats predominantly First Nations people from urban, remote and urban areas."

Mike Deal / Pool / The Canadian Press Dr. Barry Lavallee, CEO of Indigenous-led health task force Keewatinowi Inniniw Minoayawin, administered the first vaccines of the morning and called it a profound day.

Lavallee said collaboration with the provincial and federal government is unlike anything he's seen in his decades-long career and hoped more Indigenous youth will join others in getting vaccinated.

Hallett, who is studying community health sciences at the University of Manitoba, was critical of the provinces vaccine rollout.

She credited the creation of the inviting space at the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre to the community around the Higgins Avenue clinic  not the provincial government.

"When you say Manitoba, Im thinking of the provincial conservatives, and I dont see that theyve done enough at all."

Embedding Indigenous cultural practices into health care helps combat vaccine hesitancy within a community over-represented in Manitobas COVID-19 case count, Hallett said, and could be a blueprint for future public health initiatives.

"Specifically for Indigenous people, I think more and more people are starting to come to understand the serious harms that have been done, and specifically through research in medical realms on Indigenous people... there hasnt always been a safe feeling," she said.

"By having different languages, by having songs, by having different staff come out, it really sets the tone for a welcoming space. That might be enough to get someone in the door."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
Raising awareness and creating understanding is one way we can stand up for the rights and dignity of our Asian sisters and brothers, he wrote. It is critically important for Christians to oppose racism in all its forms, but more importantly to stand up for the human rights of all people. While it is important to be against that which is evil, it is critical that we fight for all that is good and right and just.

Olson has seen Jung speak on multiple occasions and met him personally, she said, adding that she appreciated his positivity and efforts to recognize and overcome differences.

Im looking for that kind of inspirational message from him but also a message that will give us something tangible in our community to be hanging onto so that we become even more inclusive, that we promote even more equity in our community, Olson said.

Partnering with the coalition to plan the event are the village of West Baraboo, UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County, Sauk Countys UW-Extension, the Baraboo School District and the First United Methodist Church, according to a news release.

Follow Susan Endres on Twitter @EndresSusan or call her at 745-3506.

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Bob Baffert has been temporarily suspended from entering horses at New York racetracks pending an investigation of the failed drug test of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.

Baffert's ban in New York includes races at Belmont Park with the Belmont Stakes being run on June 5. The New York Racing Association made the announcement Monday.

Baffert had not committed to entering any horses in the third leg of the Triple Crown but had many in consideration for other races on Belmont Stakes day.

Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone in post-race testing and faces disqualification unless a second test comes back negative. Medina Spirit finished third in the Preakness on Saturday.
For the first time since COVID-19 vaccinations began, children age 12-15 were able to get their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine today at SUNY Poly's vaccine pod. The Pfizer shot became the first vaccine to be approved for kids younger than 16 earlier this week.

"We've been watching the news, and every day we would be searching to see if it had been approved yet for that age range," said Beth Jones, a Sherrill resident who brought her 15-year-old daughter to get vaccinated. "So as soon as they approved it and New York gave the go-ahead, we jumped online immediately to get the girls scheduled." Appointments are not required to get vaccinated at SUNY Poly.

A key motivation for parents to get their children vaccinated are concerns about going back to school. Almost all of the kids getting their shots today were forced to learn remotely for much of the past year, leading to mental health concerns.

"I think the biggest downfall and the biggest problem with COVID for children has been more mental issues and difficulty being locked up in their homes," said New Hartford parent Erin Gall. "So if this changes that and allows the kids to get back to normal life, I'm 100%. behind it."

The Pfizer vaccine would allow that to happen safely. The pharmaceutical giants extensive three-phase trial showed that its two dose vaccine was 100% effective for kids against illness from COVID-19, even more effective than with adults. The shots have also been proven to be safe, with no long term side effects lasting more than a day. Despite some skepticism and misinformation spreading about the vaccine, the parents at SUNY Poly today say they believe in the facts.

"I don't really see it as a political issue," Gall said. "I personally think it's just another thing like the polio vaccine many years ago. It's just something we all have to do, and something that we all have to address."

SUNY Poly's vaccine pod is open seven days a week for walk-in vaccinations. More information on vaccine locations in Oneida County can be found at ocgov.net.
ROME, N.Y.  A Rome man is facing several charges after a teen girl reported enduring sexual abuse for a decade.

The girl, now 15, reported the abuse to the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center in December of 2020. She told investigators she had been abused by the same man since she was 5 years old.

The investigation led to the arrest of 35-year-old Richard J. Meier, who was indicted by a grand jury on the following charges:

Predatory sexual assault against a child, a felony

Course of sexual conduct against a child, a felony

Endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor

Meier was taken into custody on Saturday, May 15, and was remanded to the Oneida County jail without bail.

An order of protection has also been requested on behalf of the teen victim.
UTICA, N.Y. ---Utica Police have received numerous complaint calls over the past several weeks relating to paintball guns. It's been reported that individuals have been firing paintball guns at people and cars driving by.

On Saturday night, Police received information about a car that was involved in these incidents. When police attempted to stop the vehicle, the car fled. Police said the car was eventually stopped a short time later. When officers approached the vehicle, police said it was covered in paintball marks from being shot at. Police said several other vehicles that were also covered in paint showed up to the scene.

Police later determined that the individuals in the cars were firing the paintball guns out of the windows at other cars and people walking by.

Officers then spoke to those individuals and seized a total of 5 paintball guns. and numerous paintballs. The investigation into the nature of the injuries and damage as a result of the paintball guns is ongoing. No arrests have been made at this point.
The current explosion of violence between Palestinians and the state of Israel is yet to inflict as many casualties as the devastating 2014 Gaza conflict, but in many ways is a bleaker and more foreboding episode. Confrontation is not confined to aerial bombardment and rocket fire over Gaza and southern Israel but has spread to the streets of Israeli towns, to neighborhoods of Jerusalem and across the West Bank.

Ominously it is fueled by deepening polarization, where the voices of militancy on both sides are the loudest, and those calling for coexistence are scarcely a whisper.

On the lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993, then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin stood alongside PLO leader Yasser Arafat and declared: "We who have fought against you the Palestinians, we say to you today in a loud and clear voice, enough of blood and tears, enough."

It was the closest the two sides have come to breaking a cycle of violence that is now a century old. The holy grail of a two-state solution seemed within reach. If that moment in 1993 was the high water mark of dialogue, the region now seems trapped in a vortex of enmity -- while the international community falls back on calls for "restraint" but is bereft of fresh ideas to attack the roots of the conflict.

Perhaps the most alarming feature this time round is that Israeli towns with Arab populations, like Lod and Haifa, have been sucked into this spiral. Arabs make up about 20% of the population of Israel proper.

Even in 2014, and during the Palestinian intifadas, the peace largely held in these towns. But in the last week Palestinian and Jewish youth have fought street battles, places of worship and homes have been torched, curfews have been imposed.

"We have completely lost control of the city, and the streets are witnessing a civil war between Arabs and Jews," said the mayor of Lod Yair Revivo last Wednesday.

The daily discrimination felt by many Arabs living in Israel is heaped on other grievances that are part of this latest spasm of conflict. It began with attempts by Jewish nationalists to have Palestinian families evicted from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem -- and was fueled by clashes between police and Palestinians around the Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount during Ramadan, always an incendiary time of year.

Enter Hamas -- and notably not the Palestinian Authority -- setting itself up as the defender of all Palestinians -- demanding Israel withdraw its forces from the al Aqsa mosque and Sheikh Jarrah or pay a "heavy price."

And so the extremes hold sway: confrontation is the only currency.

In some ways this suits both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas. Through confrontation they reinforce their respective bases and hollow out voices of moderation. Hamas can claim it is the true representative of Palestinians -- just as the aging President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, postpones elections. Were negotiations -- promoted by the international community -- to restart, Hamas would be the loser as its modus vivendi is armed resistance to the Jewish state.

Emma Ashford, from the New American Engagement Initiative think tank, argues that the "recent cancellation of Palestinian elections means Hamas is desperate for a chance to prove itself, hence the rocket attacks and its attempt to tie its cause more closely to what's happening in East Jerusalem."

For his part, Netanyahu depends on ultra-nationalists to remain in office and has successfully moved the terms of debate during his long tenure as Prime Minister. Two years ago his more centrist rival Benny Gantz promised to "strengthen the settlement blocs and Golan [Heights], where we won't leave ever. The Jordan valley will be our border, but we won't let millions of Palestinians living beyond the fence endanger our identity as a Jewish state." The once-mighty left wing of Israeli politics now seems bereft of energy and ideas.

Perversely, to some analysts, Netanyahu needs Hamas. The alternatives are reassuming control over the teeming open prison that is Gaza, at enormous cost -- or seeing even more militant groups such as Islamic Jihad or ISIS-inspired Salafi groups -- gain sway among a young population radicalized by every chapter of violence.

Beyond the political opportunism, the cause of the conflict -- what it means to belong -- grows ever deeper roots. In 2018, Netanyahu's government enacted a law that enshrined the right of national self-determination as "unique to the Jewish people" -- not all citizens of Israel. It demoted Arabic from an official language to one with "special status."

It has also promoted further Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. As of last year, more than 440,000 Jews lived in the West Bank, according to Israeli human rights group Peace Now. The current attempts to evict Palestinian families in East Jerusalem fit this pattern.

Exactly 100 years ago this month, long before the state of Israel came into existence, riots broke out in what was then Jaffa. Dozens of Palestinians and Jews were killed. A British commission of inquiry (the UK controlled Palestine and was given a League of Nations mandate to administer the territory in 1922) concluded the riots stemmed from "a feeling among the Arabs of discontent with, and hostility to, the Jews, due to political and economic causes, and connected with Jewish immigration."

Those underlying causes have never been erased, through 1948, when the Jewish state was born in what Palestinians call al-Nakba, or "the catastrophe;" the war of 1967 when Israel took control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza; the Palestinian uprisings at the turn of this century and the Gaza conflicts since.

As CNN's Ben Wedeman trenchantly observed in Bethlehem last week: "The young Palestinians throwing rocks, their fathers probably threw rocks too. And these Israeli soldiers firing off tear gas, their fathers probably did the same."

The two-state solution that was the bedrock of international diplomacy and enshrined by UN resolutions has become less and less viable as the West Bank has morphed into a patchwork of Palestinian towns and Jewish settlement, where occupation has begun to look like annexation. An in-depth report for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last month described a two-state solution as the "scaffolding [that] sustains occupation and is structurally incapable of delivering peace and human security."

A one-state solution that would include full citizenry for the inhabitants of West Bank and Gaza is demographic poison to many Israelis and inconceivable in the current atmosphere.

This cycle, like that in 2014, will likely be ended when both sides feel they can claim "victory" despite the destruction and the deaths of civilians, and when Egypt and the United States can fashion the terms of a truce. But it will be no more than a truce.

After the 2014 conflict, Hamas set about rebuilding its inventory of rockets and its tunnel complexes while tightening its grip on Gaza. It is difficult to see anything other than this process repeating itself.

In the words of Martin Indyk, who has decades of experience in the Middle East as a US diplomat, "the Biden administration's approach so far suggests that Washington will be comfortable accepting this unhappy ending."
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - West Lafayette At-Large City Councilman James Blanco is calling for Wabash Township Trustee Jennifer Teising's resignation. Trustee Teising said she is looking to take legal action against the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor.

In a written statement sent to News 18, Councilman Blanco said he has "witnessed controversy after controversy concerning increasingly erratic and harmful behavior" of Trustee Teising.

He voiced concern for how she has allegedly treated employees of the township including former Fire Chief Ed Ward and former officer worker Maxwell Starkey. Both Ward and Starkey shared their stories of working with Trustee Teising with News 18.

Councilman Blanco said that the state filing 20 charges for theft of wages against Trustee Teising is the final nail in the coffin for him.

Read his full statement here:

"As an elected official residing in Wabash Township, I feel compelled to make the following statement on behalf of the constituents I represent and serve:

Over the past several months, I have witnessed controversy after controversy concerning increasingly erratic and harmful behavior of our trustee towards the community at large. The trustee fired the township fire chief without the sufficient notice required under Indiana law. Chief Ward and his family deserve our support as they challenge this abuse of power. The trustees moves to close the Wabash Township Fire Department are concerning, and not in the interests of either the City of West Lafayette or Wabash Township. Her treatment of staff, paid and volunteer alike, is a poor reflection of my progressive values and those of our community. Her treatment of Maxwell Starkey in particular is unacceptable.

Furthermore, I have also witnessed need for aid grow dramatically in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to one of the worst economic downturns in recent memory. The township board set aside thousands of dollars in aid that remained dormant because the trustee would not disperse it. Many of my constituents felt real economic pain because of her inaction.

Any of these actions on its own calls into question whether her continued service as trustee is in the best interests of our community and her constituents. The concern only grows with the news that she has been indicted on 20 counts of theft of salary, and that she has been absent from the community in a time of great need. Given all of this, it is clear that she cannot effectively serve her constituents. As such, I ask that Ms. Teising tender her resignation as Wabash Township Trustee."

As we've previously reported, the Wabash Township Board and the Wabash Township Firefighters Association have also called for her resignation.

Trustee Teising said she is interviewing lawyers about a malicious prosecution lawsuit against Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Patrick Harrington.

"This misuse of public funds for political purposes is disgusting and he should be held accountable," she said in an email sent to News 18. "Im going to do everything I can to make sure that happens."

As we previously reported, Trustee Teising has claimed from the beginning her innocence against accusations that she did not live in the township during most of the year of 2020.

Despite all the calls for her resignation, Trustee Teising previously told News 18: "Lots of things in life are hard, but that doesn't mean I'm going to quit. I never quit, I keep fighting. I'm going to keep fighting for the people who put me in office, I'm going to make sure we get done what we set out to get done in Wabash Township."
Honoring values in action

In recognition of exemplary values-driven leadership, four William & Mary faculty and staff members have been selected as the inaugural recipients of the Values in Action Award: Natoya Haskins Ph.D. '11 (School of Education), Mariellynn Maurer '95 (Conference Services), Kathleen Mazzitti (Advancement) and Corinne Picataggi (Information Technology).

The award, established this spring by two anonymous donors, recognizes William & Mary faculty and staff who exemplify the universitys values of belonging, curiosity, excellence, flourishing, integrity, respect and service.

Natoya, Mariellynn, Kathleen and Corinne set a high bar for values-centered leadership. They have held fast to our values  our north star  to navigate some of the toughest challenges we have faced over the past year, said President Katherine A. Rowe. Their actions make a tangible and positive difference for our community. I am delighted we can recognize them in this way.

The Presidents Cabinet nominated more than 20 staff and faculty members for this award. Rowe appointed a 12-member Values in Action Committee, chaired by DaNika Robinson, chief financial officer for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and David Trichler, associate director for the Global Research Institute, to select four recipients from the nominees.

The committee considered five criteria:

Did the nominee exemplify , in depth, one or more W&M values? If so, which ones?

Did the nominee exceed duties of their job in order to support the university and its people, in a way that exemplifies W&M values?

Did the nominee demonstrate leadership of an initiative that exemplifies W&M's values?

Does the nominee bring visibility to an overlooked effort/initiative?

Does the collective set of your four selections represent a diversity of values and the campus community?

One of the joys of participating in this process was seeing the embodiment of the W&M values across campus. During an exceptionally challenging year, it was inspiring to learn just how our colleagues rose to the call. Im grateful to these awardees, as well as to the rest of the nominees, for helping point us to a rich life of service to our campus and to each other, said Trichler.

Natoya Haskins Ph.D. 11

Haskins is the director of diversity and inclusion and an associate professor of counselor education at W&Ms School of Education. She is honored for living the W&M values of flourishing, belonging and respect by leading diversity and equity initiatives (DEI), helping to partner with organizations across the local community to improve inclusion efforts, as well as establishing a new campus statement of values related to recruitment, tenure and promotion.

Haskins founded and co-directs the Social Justice & Diversity Research Fellows Program, which brings together researchers throughout the university, and established the Social Justice and Equity Research Symposium in partnership with the Center for Racial and Society Justice at W&M Law School. She has been the leading voice and organizer for the Courageous Conversations series, which provides a safe space to for faculty, staff and students to discuss issues of race, culture, diversity and inclusion. Among other accomplishments, she created a weekly DEI newsletter for faculty and students and partners in school divisions about creating a more inclusive community and was instrumental in creating an anti-racist statement for the School of Education and a statement of DEI civility for the schools syllabi.

She is adept at communicating with her peers about difficult and sensitive issues and she encourages the rest of the School leadership team to expand their thinking and to reflect on how our policies and procedures maintain privilege or advance the cause of inclusion, said Dean Robert Knoeppel. There is no question in my mind that this leadership has improved the culture of the School of Education for the better and that Dr. Haskins leadership has been valued by her colleagues.

Mariellynn Maurer

Maurer is the director of conference and event services and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She is honored for living the W&M values of belonging and respect while building a supportive quarantine housing option at Richmond Hall. Though housing like this had never been done before, she worked cooperatively with colleagues throughout campus to create a plan for best serving students physical and mental health needs during this stressful time. Working with the Health Logistics Team, she provided a guidebook to students on how to order meals, medication or other items during quarantine, often hand-delivering necessities  and occasionally niceties  to ensure students felt welcome and comfortable. She was also a case manager for students who tested positive for COVID-19 or were identified as a close contact, personally overseeing 134 cases and often working 80-plus hours per week with minimal days off to serve students and their families.

Meanwhile, she also served as the president of the Professionals and Professional Faculty Assembly, leading this key employee group and serving as counsel to the president and executive leadership team.

William & Marys ability to remain open during case surges this past year can be attributed to the dedication, excellence and flexibility of Mariellynn and her team. Mariellynns commitment to service has allowed our students and community to thrive during pandemic, said Amy Sebring, chief operations officer.

K athleen Mazzitti

Mazzitti is the director of advancement events. She is honored for living the W&M values of service and integrity while managing and developing comprehensive testing systems to permit students to return  and remain  on campus. When she was asked to help coordinate the testing and then the vaccination process, she enthusiastically jumped in and rapidly developed expertise in a new field with little room for error. She successfully managed the complex logistics of coordinating volunteers, communicating with students, faculty and staff, delivering and administering test kits and setting up testing locations on campus, demonstrating strong leadership skills and work ethic. The process she developed became the model for others, including that of the Coast Guard, who consulted with her on their own protocols. She was constantly on call, responding to students, parents and colleagues at all hours, gracefully and calmly guiding them through challenging situations to successful resolution.

In her regular duties for university advancement, she and her team pivoted quickly from in-person events to virtual, developing contingency plans for key signature events including W&M Weekend, Homecoming and Charter Day.

Under Kathleens leadership, because of her curious nature that ensures excellence and her outstanding commitment to service, she has allowed the W&M community to flourish this past year. She took President Rowes charge to heart last spring to safeguard the health and wellness of this community as our number one priority, said Matthew T. Lambert, vice president for university advancement.

Corinne Picataggi

Picataggi is W&Ms chief technology officer. She is honored for living the W&M values of curiosity and excellence in creating innovative technology solutions, leading to, among others, the development of the Daily Health Check, the COVID-19 dashboard and case management systems. She led the group that created W&Ms COVID-19 dashboard, actively seeking and incorporating feedback from students, parents, faculty, staff and community members to continually improve this important public-health tool. Her Daily Health Check system, the first of its kind, was distributed to other universities in Virginia, and she provided technological support for Kallaco Health & Technology, W&Ms logistics partner for testing and proof of vaccination. She developed the systems necessary for pre-arrival, prevalence, at-will, census, wastewater and exit testing, as well as troubleshooting vaccination distribution and communication. She ably partnered with University Communications to speak with the media as a key representative of William & Mary during this challenging time.

Picataggi recognized the need for a robust case management system that ensured privacy while providing essential communication and carefully tracking each positive case and their close contacts. The system she created using existing resources is highly personalized and provides the high level of care that distinguishes William & Mary.

Corinnes selfless dedication and friendly style serves to improve the lives of students through software and technical innovations at William & Mary, said S. Mark Sikes Ph.D. 15, vice dean for student success. Corinnes record of accomplishments runs the gamut, from winning design, to outstanding leadership, to creative and innovative service.

Each recipient was personally notified by Rowe, and a $2,500 cash prize will accompany each award. A similar award for student organizations will launch in fall 2021. At least two Values in Action awards will be given each semester to faculty and staff through fall 2022, with student organization awards continuing through spring 2023, reflecting an ongoing annual commitment by the donors.
Police appeal for witnesses after Rhosnesni Lane crash left occupant of car with serious life threatening injuries

UPDATE 10:20PM: Police are appealing for witnesses following the road traffic collision on Rhosnesni Lane / The Beeches this evening.

Sergeant Jason Diamond, said: We are appealing to anybody who was in the area or may have witnessed the collision that occurred at approximately 7.20pm this evening to contact us.

The driver of an X registered, silver Vauxhall Astra lost control of the vehicle. The collision caused serious life threatening injuries to an occupant of the car.

Witnesses or anybody with information or dash cam footage that could assist the investigation are asked to contact North Wales Police on 101 quoting reference Z068200.

Update 9:15PM: The air ambulance has left the incident, returning to its Welshpool base. No further information is currently available.

Roads remain closed nearby.

Original information below:

The Air Ambulance landed on the 9 Acre field just after 8pm this evening to assist emergency services with an incident nearby.

Several roads in Acton / Rhosnesni are closed by police towards the west end of Oak Drive, with the Fire and Ambulance services also responding.

Rhosnesni Lane is closed.

A vehicle has collided with a wall on The Beeches, a road that runs alongside Rhosnesni Lane.

A gap was created in the fence on the 9 Acre to allow access from the usually closed off field to Rhosnesni Lane  visible in the below image:

@wrexham

Multiple police cars/vans blocking rhosnesni lane along with fire engines and air ambulance Parts of area are taped off

And people who are walking are being asking to turn around and walk alternative route same with driving  Sam (@Sam13861490) May 16, 2021

@wrexham avoid Bromfield grove, rhosnesni lane and the beeches, all closed off by police due to a very big accident. Fire, police and air ambulance on scene.  Carley Edwards (@CarleyEdwardsx) May 16, 2021

@wrexham A lot of Police activity on Rhosnesni lane-several police vehicles in attendance. Also yellow helicopter also in the 9 acre field close to Rhosnesni lane too. pic.twitter.com/UefmmsMI6L  Mark Riley (@Prisonervi) May 16, 2021

Emergency services were called around 7:45PM.

More shortly.
The Supreme Court on May 17 agreed to take up a major abortion case next term concerning a controversial Mississippi law that banned most abortions after 15 weeks, rekindling a potentially major challenge to Roe v. Wade at the majority conservative court.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Tennessee state Rep. Mike Carter died Saturday night after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 67.

Carter, R-Ooltewah, had served in the Tennessee House since 2013. He was previously a general sessions judge in Hamilton County from 1997 to 2005.

Carters family announced his death in a post on social media.

Mike lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer late last night, surrounded by his family. Well miss him very much. We appreciate your prayers during this difficult time, the family said.

Mike lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer late last night, surrounded by his family. Well miss him very much. We appreciate your prayers during this difficult time.  Mike Carter (@RepMikeCarter) May 16, 2021

Carter spent time in the hospital in August after testing positive for COVID-19.

+2 TN House Minority Leader tests positive for COVID-19 Tennessee House Minority Leader Karen Camper has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesman for the House Democrats said in a statement.

In November, he said he had been dealing with lingering symptoms to COVID-19 and the doctors believed those symptoms were a result of the cancer.

Because I was in good health prior to contracting COVID-19, my doctors tell me they likely wouldnt have found the cancer otherwise, so even that was a blessing in some ways, Carter said in a statement posted Nov. 19, 2020.

Carter served as the chairman of the House Civil Justice Committee and served on the Calendar and Rules Committee, Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee, Civil Justice Subcommittee, Local Government Committee and Property and Planning Subcommittee.

Tennessees political leaders issued statements about Carter.

I will miss Mike Carter who was a leader, friend and brother in Christ, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in a social media post. Maria and I pray for the Carter family and we give thanks for his life.

I will miss Mike Carter who was a leader, friend and brother in Christ. Maria and I pray for the Carter family and we give thanks for his life.  Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) May 16, 2021

"It is with great sadness that our friend and colleague Chairman Mike Carter has left this life, but it is with great comfort that he was a man of faith and now has God's greatest gift - eternal life," House Speaker Cameron Sexton said in a social media post. "Chairman Carter was an effective and dedicated public servant. His love of service to his community and to Tennessee was surpassed only by his love for God."

It is with great sadness that our friend and colleague Chairman Mike Carter has left this life, but it is with great comfort that he was a man of faith and now has Gods greatest gift - eternal life. pic.twitter.com/Woq9RqcbTQ  Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) May 16, 2021

"Rep. Carter had strong ethical and moral convictions that guided him through his service," said Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville.

"Judge Carter was an excellent public and a great man," Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said in a social media post. "He provided wise counsel to his colleagues and displayed fierce loyalty to his friends. My deep condolences to his family on this tremendous loss.

Judge Carter was an excellent public servant and a great man. He provided wise counsel to his colleagues and displayed fierce loyalty to his friends. My deep condolences to his family on this tremendous loss. https://t.co/hsXmX5RL5e  Randy McNally (@ltgovmcnally) May 16, 2021

A true public servant, both as a judge and a legislator, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said in a social media post. He earned tremendous respect and when he talked people listened. Please pray for his wife, Joan, and their family.

Sad to hear of @RepMikeCarters passing. A true public servant both as a judge & a legislator. He was a brilliant legislator & a great advocate for Hamilton County. He earned tremendous respect & when he talked people listened. Please pray for his wife, Joan & their family. https://t.co/ZwWuORHApD  Tre Hargett (@sectrehargett) May 16, 2021

"Brenda and I would like to offer our heartfelt condolences at the passing of Rep. Mike Carter. Mike was an outstanding judge, great state representative, and a tremendous leader in the community," U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleishchmann, R-TN, who represents the Chattanooga area, said in a social media post. "I enjoyed working with him over the years and I will greatly miss his friendship. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike's family during this difficult time."
LEBANON, TN (WSMV) - Lebanon has announced that Whataburger has submitted site plans to bring a restaurant to the area.

Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell announced on Facebook Friday that the iconic Texas burger development plans for review. The sitE would include a new 3700 square foot building and feature a double lane drive-thru.

"I think the residents and community of Lebanon will be excited to welcome Whataburger. People throughout Texas consider this to be the best hamburger ever! Lebanon residents tell me all the time we need more restaurant choices and I promise I am working very hard to make that happen. We have made new restaurant recruitment and economic development a priority. I am excited about Whataburger wanting to be in Lebanon and I believe if you are looking at expanding in Middle Tennessee, then I think you should consider our city." Mayor Rick Bell.

This isn't the first Whataburger to submits plans to come to the Midstate. In November last year, Whataburger announced it would install a Whataburger restaurant just outside of Nashville in Hermitage. The construction is planned for 2022.
Last weekend, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron hosted an online meeting of world leaders and technology company executives, for the second anniversary summit of the Christchurch Call to Action.

The initiative is portrayed as the response by Arderns Labour Party government, and governments throughout the world, to the massacre of 51 people by fascist terrorist Brenton Tarrant, at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. Ardern declared at the summit: My hope is that the work we do will prevent others from suffering the same impacts.

Its real aim is to promote mechanisms for governments and tech companies to increase their ability to censor online content that they deem to be promoting terrorism or violent extremism. What counts as extremism is determined by the state.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, left, gestures during a press conference with Stacey Kirk, moderator of the Christchurch Call in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, May 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

The real target is not the far-right, but left-wing and socialist organisations and individuals. In every country, the ruling class is building up police state powers in preparation for suppressing mass opposition from the working class to austerity, war preparations, and the murderous policies that have allowed the COVID-19 pandemic to spread, killing millions of people.

There are now 55 countries supporting the Christchurch Call, including the United States, India, Australia, Japan and the UK. In a joint statement on May 8, Ardern and Macron welcomed the recent decision by US President Joe Bidens administration to officially endorse the initiative. Ardern declared that having the US government on board will further strengthen actions to reduce the risk of the internet being used as a tool for terrorists It also recognises the importance of protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms online.

Biden administration spokesperson Jen Psaki told the media: Countering the use of the internet by terrorists and violent extremists to radicalise and recruit is a significant priority for the US.

The hypocrisy of these statements is underscored by Bidens defence of the Israeli militarys murderous assault on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, on the bogus grounds that Israel has a right to self-defence against terrorism.

Macron described the US as a critically important ally in shared efforts against terrorism and violent extremism. In fact, the former Trump administration actively encouraged right-wing extremists, who stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the election result. Military leaders and law enforcement agencies took no action to prevent the violent rampage, which was openly planned through social media. The Biden administration is continuing to work collaboratively with the right-wing and fascistic Republican Party members who backed the assault.

Moreover, for the past two decades, the US and its allies have waged a series of criminal imperialist wars, including the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, accompanied by widespread torture, mass surveillance and other attacks on democratic rights, using the pretext of a war on terror.

The leading role played by France in the Christchurch Call further exposes the fraud that the initiative has anything to do with protecting minorities from far-right violence. The Macron government is inciting anti-Muslim bigotry, by campaigning against mosques and promoting anti-separatism laws that will ban the use of headscarves by government employees, and make it easier for the state to ban religious or political organisations. Significant sections of the French military, emboldened by the governments actions, are threatening to carry out a coup to stop the Islamisation of the country.

Despite the events of January 6 and other far-right and racist attacks internationally since 2019many inspired by Trump and other capitalist politiciansArdern declared that the Christchurch Call has been a success, saying: I have no doubt that progress to date has already made it harder for those pushing terrorist or violent extremist content online.

Ardern and Macron both praised the US-based tech giants that are part of the Christchurch Call, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter. These corporations, which are working together in the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), are engaged in sweeping censorship, primarily targeting left-wing, socialist and anti-war publicationsespecially the World Socialist Web Site. Last October, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Googles parent company Alphabet, admitted to censoring the WSWS by burying its articles in search results.

In January this year, Facebook carried out a purge of accounts linked to the Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS, and other left-wing pages. The social media giant has also taken down WSWS articles exposing the US medias propaganda blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic.

Ardern said the biggest focus for the Christchurch Call, at present, was the ethical use of algorithms how they can be used in a positive way and for positive interventions. Speaking to Radio NZ, she said a royal commission of inquiry into the 2019 terror attack found that Tarrant accessed content that led to what you could assume would be further radicalisation, meaning that social media and YouTube algorithms steered him towards extremist material.

YouTubes chief executive Susan Wojcicki tweeted in response that YouTube would continue to restrict borderline contenta euphemism for anything which goes against the US corporate medias narrative.

The Christchurch royal commissions report falsely portrayed the attack as the work of an isolated individual, radicalised via the internet. It downplayed his extensive links with fascist groups in Australia and Europe, and failed to explain how Tarrant was able to spend two years planning his attack and then carry it out without being stopped. The report whitewashed the role of intelligence agencies and the police, in New Zealand and Australia. At the very least, these agencies turned a blind eye to the threat posed by violent fascists, and specific warnings that should have led to Tarrants arrest.

The royal commissions findings also covered up the political responsibility of Trumpwhom Tarrant idolisedand successive Australian and New Zealand governments, which have stoked xenophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment, including to justify participation in the US war on terror. The Ardern government is scapegoating foreigners for the social crisis and whipping up nationalism to prepare the population for future wars, all of which fuel the growth of the far-right.

In the week before the Christchurch Call summit, thousands of migrants protested across New Zealand against the governments brutal anti-immigrant policies, which have been largely adopted from Labour and the Greens former coalition partner, the right-wing nationalist NZ First Party. Australia recently followed New Zealand in imposing a discriminatory ban on any inbound flights from India, leaving thousands of Australian citizens stranded and unable to return home.

Over the past two years, New Zealand and Australia have passed anti-democratic laws, aimed at boosting the powers of the state to force social media companies to take down online content more rapidly. These measures, like all those advocated by the Christchurch Call, are intended to crack down on growing working-class opposition to attacks on their rights and living standards.
Workers and young people joined protests across Europe Saturday, including in London, Paris, Berlin and Madrid, to oppose Israels bombardment of the Palestinian population in Gaza.

The demonstrations coincided with Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe Day)marking the founding of the state of Israel, through the forced expulsion of 760,000 Palestinians from their villages and homes in 1948.

The largest protest took place in London where tens of thousands gathered at Hyde Park and marched to the Israeli embassy in Kensington. Protesters chanted slogans including Stop Bombing Gaza, Israel is a terror state and Free, Free, Palestine. Many brought many homemade placards. Police arrested 13 people during the day including several outside Israels embassy. One arrested woman was set on by at least six police officers in full riot gear.

People hold placards and Palestinian flags as they march in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, during a demonstration in London, Saturday, May 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Protests were held in at least 30 towns and cities in the UK over the weekend.

In Germany, more than 3,000 people protested in Berlin, with marches in the Neukoelln southern district of the city, which includes a large Turkish and Arabic community. There were also protests in Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Hamburg and elsewhere.

In France, the interior ministry, which regularly undercounts protests numbers, claimed that 22,000 people protested across the country, including more than 3,000 in Paris. The Macron government banned demonstrations in the lead-up to Saturday and ordered a violent police crackdown on the Paris protest. Parisian police chief Didier Lallement ordered more than 4,200 police onto the streets. Pariss northern 18th arrondissement, home to a large working-class and Arabic community, saw riot officers stationed at most street corners, and the main avenue where the march was planned was closed.

Tear gas and water cannons were used throughout the afternoon. At La Chapelle metro station, riot police charged and a 22-year-old protester was hospitalised after she was hit in the back by a sting-ball grenade.

Thousands joined a protest at Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, Spain. Hundreds protested in cities in the Netherlands, including outside the parliament building in The Hague.

Protesters on Wilmslow Road in Manchester. The placard reads "Israel is killing children. Silence is a war crime"(credit: WSWS media)

WSWS reporters spoke with protesters in Britain.

In Manchester, several thousand gathered in Platt Fields park in the Rusholme district which has a large Arabic and Indian sub-continent population and marched through the main thoroughfares of Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road.

Karim (left) and Khalid (second left) in Platt Fields park, Manchester (credit: WSWS media)

Karim, who brought a placard reading Israel is a terrorist State-Free Palestine, said, There is a siege going on in Gaza and its been going on for years. The whole world is watching and not doing anything about it. Its our humanitarian duty to come out and demonstrate that there is no justice. People like [US President] Joe Biden and [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu are the cause of all this.

It is a kind of ethnic cleansing and it started in 1947. Gradually they want to kill, murder or physically remove people from the territory. They have carried out a deliberate provocation at the al-Aqsa mosque, a deliberate provocation of a land grab.

Everyone could have lived together in peace. Israels fascist stance today, supported by America is very unfortunate.

Karim said he did not agree with slanders that opposing Israels war crimes was anti-Semitism. They [Israel] want it be like that because they dont want criticism of all the nasty things they are doing. They said the same about [not criticising apartheid] South Africa.

Khalid, who works in the aircraft industry, held a placard reading Lift the siege of Palestine-Stop bombing Palestine. He said, Israel should know better. They know how it feels to be exterminated. They had no homeland and came to Palestine as guests and now they have taken the Palestinians homes and are trying to throw them out. The Palestinians have no water, they have no food. You have got people like [UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson and presidents colluding with Israel and giving them money to destroy human life.

Mizak, from Iran, said, There are no human rights when it comes to Palestinians. People should have their freedom to be able to just live their lives in their houses. But whenever you talk about freedom, they make it like, are you going against the Jews? That's not right, because if it was happening to the Jews, I would be with them as well, even if it was against my own people. We literally just see the videos of Israel bombing Gaza and just cry. They can't protect themselves or defend themselves.

I was telling my friend yesterday if Jewish people carried on supporting the rights of Palestinians, they would kill them as well because they don't care if it's Jews or Muslims.

Faryal (centre) and and Annabella (right) in Platt Fields park, Manchester (credit: WSWS media)

Student Faryal and Annabella attended together with a friend.

Faryal said, I have always supported Palestine. Its been oppressed for so many years and the West doesnt even look at it. They know they cant condemn this because theyve done things just like it. They give Israel military support, aid, money.

Annabella said, People dying anywhere is not OK. This isnt the only place it is happening, but if its happening over years, like in Gaza, then its easier to let it slide. It doesnt matter what your ethnic background or religion is, we are humans and killing is never OK. And any kind of militaristic government will never be OK.

In Sheffield, hundreds participated in a protest at the citys City Hall.

Shekha (left) and April (credit: WSWS media)

Shekha, a journalism student at Sheffield University, said, Ive been following whats happening in Palestine for a while. It really angers me what Israel is doing to them. Its ethnic cleansing.

If you criticise Israel, youre called anti-Semitic. Its so clearly not anti-Semitism to criticise what they are doing to the Palestinians. Its not anything to do with their religion, its the actions they are committing. There are millions of Jews around the world who oppose what the Israeli state is doing.

Coverage in the media is awful, its so biased. Its basically a mouthpiece for Israel. Calling people terrorists who are defending their homes, its ridiculous.

Shekha added, I think socialism is definitely the way forward. Capitalism is so ingrained. It is going to take a lot to change it. People need to become aware of what capitalism is really about. I think revolution is really the only way to get out of capitalism, I dont see any other way.

Dekhra and her children at the protest in Sheffield (credit: WSWS media)

Dekhras family is originally from Yemen. She said, We are here to show support for our brothers and sisters in Palestine and show they are not alone. What is happening to them should not go on any longer; 73 years is enough.

Its Palestinian kids today, but one day it could be my kids and that is something Im totally against. Any decent human being should stand up and say No to what is happening in Palestine.

People are divided because of nationalism but we are here to say we are against war, in opposition to the crimes being committed against innocent people. The people should be allowed to live peacefully together.

Harris, originally from Greece, said, The key to this is the occupation. The freedom of the Palestinians is not respected. The BBC is just propaganda, it presents a distorted picture. It talks about terrorism, but the opposing sides are not equal. The Palestinians are not free, they are under occupation.

We all know who rules the world, America. The Palestinians have been abandoned by the Arab countries who claimed to speak up for them, they are all doing deals with Israel.

In Leeds, protests were held outside the BBCs offices and at the Briggate shopping precinct.

The protest outside the BBC in Leeds (credit: WSWS media)

Outside the BBC, Lewis, a city centre worker, said, I think the Israeli governments actions against the people of Palestine is disgusting. The US and UK governments support of it is despicable. I dont think we as a western free country should be encouraging this kind of colonialism and land grabs and killing innocent civilians. I just cant stand by my governments support of this militarized nationalism in Palestine.

We have to be careful that were not condemning the people of Israel. We are condemning the Israeli government. At the end of the day this isnt a war to do with religion. Its a war to do with settlers and the victims of the settlements.

Civil servant Imran said, These evictions are thefts, that they [Israels government] say are legal. They are calling them settlers, but they are not. If people from abroad came to your house and kicked you out of your house, what would you call that?

We came to demonstrate outside the BBC because we want our media to report the news equally not to be biased. To use the correct terminology, this is genocide. They need to use the words persecution, theft and genocide because thats whats happening.

The BBC is something we pay for. Report the news as it is, not the constant bias towards Israel. They say how many rockets fell on Tel Aviv, etc., but do not report the other side. They say so many people have been killed but do not say they are Palestinian people We have come to stand up for people around the world who cant speak up for themselves.

In Glasgow, hundreds protested in the citys main George Square. IT worker Daniel said, Every day innocent children are being bombed. Of the sentiment in the population, he said On Thursday we saw some kind heartedness with people stopping a deportation [of an asylum seeker] in Glasgow. There was a protest in Edinburgh yesterday, Glasgow today, we just need to keep at it.

Daniel

Danielle, studying for her masters, said, 'I am from Lebanon. Yesterday was the anniversary of the Nakba and for 73 years the Palestinian people have been oppressed, have been silenced, have been murdered, no matter if they are children, women, men, it doesn't matter.

Danielle

When things like this happen, there are protests like this, but then, after a while, things die down. But I feel the problem now is much more serious and Israel is not stopping, obviously, and is becoming more and more violent, so maybe this time it will be different.'

Teacher Cathal said, 'It seems pretty much to me as if Israel are the aggressors in this situation. The US came out and backed Israel, they are quite close allies. The UK has sold weapons to Israel. There is distinct possibility that these weapons are being used right now on the Palestinian people.'

Cathal

Shaz said, 'The mainstream media is not showing a balanced view of what is happening. You get a better idea of this from people that are on the ground, posting on Instagram and Facebook, you can see what is happening in real time. It is quite heartbreaking This is the reason we are here to voice our concerns and anger at what is happening right now, the world needs to come together.
An estimated 10,000 people joined rallies and marches in Sydney and Melbourne last Saturday to protest against the barbaric bombing of Gaza by the Israeli Defence Force and the repression of Palestinians on the occupied West Bank.

About 2,000 demonstrators also gathered and marched in Brisbane on Friday night, and protests or vigils were held across Australia, including in Hobart, Adelaide and Canberra.

As well as denouncing the latest atrocities committed by the Zionist regime in Israel, they commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba, also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe, when more than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes following the creation of Israel in 1948.

FreePalestine protest in Sydney, Australia. (Image credit: Twitter/faizan0008)

Protesters outside Sydneys Town Hall carried Palestinian flags and placards demanding Free Palestine and block weapons to Israel. A young girl attended the rally with her parents holding a sign that said: Israel is killing children like me.

The protests were held in the face of a bipartisan front in the political establishment backing Israel.

On Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison effectively legitimised the devastating bombardment of the Gaza Strip and the killing of hundreds of civilians, including children. He again declared that Israel had the right to defend itself from attacks by Palestinians, closely echoing similar comments earlier from US President Joe Biden.

The opposition Labor Party underscored the unanimity. Labors shadow foreign minister Penny Wong backed her Liberal-National counterpart, Foreign Minister Marise Payne, in condemning the limited retaliatory Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel while refusing to denounce the Zionist crimes.

Speakers from the Greens were featured at the rallies despite effectively lining up with the government. At the Melbourne rally, Greens Senator Janet Rice commended Marise Paynes comments in calling on all leaders to take immediate steps to halt violence, to maintain restraint, and to restore calm.

Rice urged people to try to pressure the government to take action accordingly to end the conflict. Such calls equate the Israeli offensive with the Palestinian resistance, and mask the decades of backing by US imperialism and its allies for the Zionist state.

The WSWS interviewed people attending the rallies in Sydney and Melbourne.

Firas

In Sydney, Firas, a 43-year-old accountant, said: This has been happening since 1948. My grandfather was killed in 1948. My grandmother was shot in her arm trying to retrieve her toddler. Unfortunately, I cannot see the international community doing anything. A truce was reached in previous wars but has been broken in every aspect.

Firas said the Biden White House was following the same policy as previous US administrations, which was not a surprise. He denounced the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying its only policy was war. Netanyahu is trying to gain votes at the expense of the Palestinian people and their misery. It is a dirty trick they are playing.

Ayoub, 19, a civil engineering student, said Israel was provoking Palestinians to attack to justify continuing the war against Palestinians. Their war is so unjustified that they are not even united... Israelis are protesting against this in Israel. A large part of the population in Israel doesnt want it.

Ayoub continued: We can live side by side with the Jewish people. You cant kick 20 million people out of their homes. That would be hypocrisy because thats what they did to us. All we want is our homes to be given back.

Adna, 22, whose family is from Bosnia, said she came to support Palestinian people and make sure people are aware basic human rights are being violated by the Israeli state, that Israel is supported by Western countries like Australia, and that this is unacceptable.

Adna and Hanna

Commenting on the media coverage, Adna said that when she sees a child being pulled out of rubble, limp and dead, then I see it reported as an attack on Hamas, its revolting, its disturbing. She added: Obviously the United Nations is not effective at all. You would expect the UN would stop them.

Asked about the role the danger of a wider war triggered by Israel and the US in the Middle East, she said: I think they [the US] are doing this to ensure they are the biggest power, and to hold that power.

Hanna, 21, whose family also came from Bosnia, commented: I think the West has become desensitised to war in the Middle East. Weve all grown up with the understanding that its an unpeaceful place. Some people think its normal for that to happen over there, but it shouldnt be normal anywhere.

When asked who would stop the violence, Hanna said she was not very optimistic that it will be stopped, because this has been happening for such a long time. Even if they [the governments] cannot be stopped, we still have to put our foot down and say this is wrong.

Damoon

At the Melbourne rally, Damoon, an archaeology student, said he supported the Palestinians against apartheid and ethnic cleansing. He explained: It is typical of the US imperialist state. They have supplied money and their budget goes toward Israels military and its criminals. At the end, there is a power struggle for resources and we are the pawns in their power struggle.

Damoon warned of the danger that Israel could launch an intervention against Iran, which they have wanted for some time, as has the United States.

Erika

Erika, an artist, said: History is repeating itself. Im here to show my solidarity with the Palestinian people. I remember hearing about the war in the Gaza in 2014. We are back there again. Its in the news online. You feel you have to do something about it.

Erika drew a connection with rising popular discontent globally. In Chile there were protests two years ago as things are very hard. There is such a divide between rich and poor. Someone can be on $20 a week and then there are those who live in mansions.

Nina

Nina, an unemployed receptionist, explained: Im here because no one should have their homes taken away so violently. Its just a basic human right. I know the land was originally with the Palestinians and it has been taken away by the Israeli government, which has been so violent.

Nina commented: Obviously Biden has a bias towards Israel. I think I heard the US gives $4 billion every year to Israel. Im here to support the Palestinians. Their homeland is being colonised. I think we should spread this information to a lot of people, as they dont know what is happening.
While more men have died from the [COVID-19] virus, women have suffered more due to the impact of policies introduced to prevent disease transmission. (emphasis added).

It is difficult to conceive of a more inane, contemptible statement, which would draw a storm of protest were the outcomes reversed. But such is the conclusion of a study by researchers from the London School of Economics (LSE), promoted by the Guardian newspaper.

Officially, nearly 3.4 million people have died from COVID internationally. This is a vast underestimation due to under-reporting. The Economist magazine estimates this is at best less than half the total, and at worst one-quarter. Using the total of excess deaths globally, it puts the probable real figure at 10.2 million.

This is unprecedented outside of war, and most of these deaths are the result of wilful government inaction.

The Conservative government in Britain, like its counterparts the world over, has pursued a policy of herd immunity encapsulated in Prime Minister Boris Johnsons insistence, last October, No more f***ing lockdowns, let the bodies pile high in their thousands. As a result, the UK has among the highest death rates from COVID-19 in Europe.

The suffering of those who have perished, and those they left behind, is immense. According to clinicians cited by Nature on how does coronavirus kill?, for those most severely impacted, the virus goes on a ferocious rampage through the body, from brain to toes.

[The disease] can attack almost anything in the body with devastating consequences, cardiologist Harlan Krumholz of Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital told the magazine. Its ferocity is breath-taking and humbling. Not only are the lungs likely to become overwhelmed, so that patients are unable to breathe, but, Blood vessels leak, blood pressure drops, clots form, and catastrophic organ failure can ensue.

The scale of deaths is not referenced in the LSE study, produced by Dr Clare Wenham (Assistant Professor of Global Health Policy) and PhD candidate Asha Herten-Crabb, nor in the Guardian's accompanying article.

This is not accidental. From Europe to Asia and the Americas, working people have made the experience that it is their class positiondetermined by their relationship to ownership and control of the means of productionthat is the common feature of the homicidal indifference to their fate taken by the powers-that-be. Nothing antagonises the upper middle-class purveyors of identity politics more than this fundamental truthhence the efforts by sections of academia and the liberal establishment to insist on a racial and/or gendered perspective on the pandemic.

According to the Office of National Statistics, in England and Wales there has been an almost 18 percent difference in the total number of coronavirus-related deaths for men. But the LSE study and the Guardian are indifferent to such figures. What they want to focus on is the governments failure to consider gender in its response to the pandemic.

To this end, the LSE researchers combed through minutes and background documents from 73 meetings of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), to understand whether the gendered implications of [pandemic] policy were considered.

It found that of the total only 13 made explicit reference to gender terminology with further analysis showing these mentions all related to biological sexfor example that more men were dying and the risks posed by COVID-19 to pregnant women.

Having dismissed such risks a priori, the research presents what it claims are the distinct ways in which women have been more affectedthrough job losses, furlough and/or increased childcare responsibilities.

Worldwide more than 100 million people suffer extreme impoverishment due to the pandemic, and millions more are on the edge. In Britain, more than four million are still furloughed, while applications for Universal Credit (jobless) benefit have risen by 113.2 percent since March 2020. Thousands more are ineligible for any assistance.

Here also, workers are suffering as a class. The figures available show that female redundancies in the UK hit 178,000 between September and November 2020, and 217,000 men over the same period. Between March 2020 and the end of February 2021, 2,337,900 women were furloughed compared with 2,144,700 men.

At any rate, the campaign for a gendered perspective on the pandemic is not really concerned with the plight of working class women. Its objective is baldly stated in the LSE study title, Why we Need a Gender Advisor on SAGE.

We find that the acknowledgement of the gendered dynamics of particular issues, such as school closures and feminised (or masculinised) employment sectors, were largely absent in SAGE meeting minutes and that explicit references to women were largely of a biological (sex) nature, rather than social (gender), they write.

The presence of women in SAGE (approximately 44 percent) did not lead to greater awareness of gender issues, they write. Thus, whilst increasing the participation of women is important for the normative goal of gender parity in public life and leadership, this should not be seen as a synonym for gender advice. Being a woman doesnt make you an expert in gender, no more than being French would make you an expert in French politics.

No doubt, a position as gender advisor on SAGE would be a significant career advance for the successful applicant. It would change nothing for working class womenlet alone the working class as a wholewho are now being forced into unsafe workplaces and education facilities, while facing cuts in jobs, pay and unsafe conditions.

This is underscored by the study's attack on the government's narrow epidemiological approach towards the pandemic, which excluded broader social considerations, including gender, from SAGEs ambit.

Government policy was not driven by epidemiology but the profit interests of the financial oligarchy. The study makes just one reference to the policy of herd immunity, and not critically. Its main complaint is the impact of policies introduced to prevent disease transmission by the government, foremost of which was limiting school places.

It complains, Most detail of school closures within SAGE minutes focuses narrowly on its epidemiological aspect and the impact this would have on reducing NHS [National Health Service] capacity, or on analysing the risks of severe coronavirus infection amongst children. No consideration was given to the effects of school closures on women generally, who had to pick up much of the resulting childcare responsibilities, it says.

The study, however, gives no consideration to the impact on the health of children, teachers (most of whom are women) and the wider community from keeping schools open. Indeed, in April 2020, just after the government was forced into announcing the first lockdown, Wenham presented a written submission together with Professor Sophie Harman, Queen Mary University of London, to the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee. Arguing that Gender analysis must be factored into any future decision on extended school closures and openings, the paper called to Ensure one of the first industries to re-open as part of the exit strategy is childcare providers to facilitate women being able to return to work

This was at the time a major offensive began to insist on the full re-opening of schools as essential to driving parents back into unsafe workplaces. Against opposition from educators and many parents, it was forced through due to the role of the Labour Party and the trade unions, with the likes of the Guardian supplying justification from a gendered perspective.

This perspective is little more than a feminist twist on the cure must not be worse than the disease mantra of the ruling elite. Which is why it has been embraced by the government. The Women and Equalities Committee investigation into gendered economic inequalities during the pandemic has been endorsed by the Johnson government, which portrays its efforts to keep schools open as motivated by protecting women's rights.
As part of our coverage of this years San Francisco film festival, we commented on Radiograph of a Family, a film by Iranian director Firouzeh Khosrovani. We suggested the film was a sensitive, semi-autobiographical and semi-fictionalized portrait, albeit with significant questions left unanswered, of one familys experience of Iranian life over the course of a half century or more.

The film documents the relationship between Khosrovanis parents, Tayi, her traditional, devout Muslim mother, and Hossein, her Western-leaning radiologist father, who met and married in the 1960s. They first lived in Geneva where Hossein was studying, until his wifes unhappiness in Switzerland obliged the couple to return to Iran.

Khosrovani adopts an intriguing formatan invented dialogue between the parents (based on her memories and performed by actors) that plays out over a series of still photographs, home movies and news footage.

Radiograph of a Family

The critical events in the familys life are the Iranian revolution of 1979 and, secondarily, the bloody, eight-year 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. Khosrovanis mother became swept up by Islamic fundamentalism at the time of the revolution. She was influenced in particular by Ali Shariati, the Paris-educated sociologist, as the World Socialist Web Site explained in 2018, who sought to recast traditional Shia theology by incorporating pseudo-socialist phrases and iconography.

The establishment of the Islamic Republic and the accompanying events divided Khosrovanis parents. While her father retreated to his study and listened to classical music, her devout mother, bolstered by her connection to the regime, increasingly took over. Paintings and art objects disappeared. As the director explains in a note, Religion began to creep in through the cracks. Wine, music and dance  were forbidden.  The revolution gave my mother the role of an Islamic combatant.

Born in Tehran, Firouzeh Khosrovani attended the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, a fine arts academy in Milan, Italy. After graduation, she returned to Iran and acquired a Masters degree in journalism. Since 2004 she has directed numerous documentary and short films. She splits her time between Tehran and Rome.

We recently conducted a video interview.

* * * * *

David Walsh: Why did you choose to make this autobiographical work, Radiograph of a Family, at this moment? Was it a personal choice, or did it have something to do with the political situation in Europe, for example?

Firouzeh Khosrovani: It was more a personal question than a political or global one. Its a personal essay. I wanted to transform my familys life materials into cinematographic language.

I needed to have enough distance from my past so I could be more balanced, and I wouldnt be so judgmental. The choice to have myself as narrator as a child was again to give the work equilibrium. A child makes no judgment between parents.

I explain in the film that Im between two poles. I wanted to use my mother as a representative of a way of life, my father, too. My mother became very religious and revolutionary, and I wanted to explain why. I wanted to give her a voice too.

DW: You say you wanted to reach a balance. Was it more difficult to be objective, balanced in relation to your mothers positions?

FK: Yes. My mother represents a system, the values and ideals of a revolution. Its obvious Im closer to my fathers values and lifestyle. I do, however, respect my mothers choices. If I had done this film 20 years ago, it would have been totally different.

DW: Its your personal story, but obviously it has a broader significance.

FK: Yes, otherwise there would be no point. I knew that when a story is so intimate it could also narrate a collective story, I think. I was aware of which materials and patterns to use so that it would connect to other peoples lives, so that my individual experience would reach the collective experience, of a country, of a time, of a society, of a history.

Also, I chose the metaphor of radiology so I could scan the family past, scan history, scan my home.

DW: Do you see, in a sense, the entire population in your position, torn between these poles?

FK: I simplify it to create this metaphor. Its not just these two choices, theres a range of tendencies, ideologies. But I had to minimize things in the framework of an 80-minute film. My familys life might represent concretely what has been happening in Iranian society for a century, not just in recent years. Traditionalism and religion, on the one hand, and secularism, Western-leaning people, on the other.

Firouzeh Khosrovani

DW: How did your parents meet?

FK: They met at a family gathering in Iran, during the summer when my father had come back for vacation from studying in Europe. At that time, in the 1960s, traveling was not so easy for a student taking his final exams. So he had to wait until the next summer to marry my mother. In fact, they had to arrange a wedding without my father. This is a central metaphor of the film: my mother literally married my fathers photograph. He was not there.

DW: Could you tell me something about their different families?

FK: My mothers family was a traditionalist, religious and middle class family. My fathers family was very cultured, very Westernized, very modern family. My paternal grandfather traveled a lot, he spoke various languages and he was involved in commerce between Iran and Europe. So he sent his son, my father, very early on to the US, to Springfield, Massachusetts to study medicine. After two years, my father went to study in Switzerland.

DW: Do you know what the attitude or attitudes of the families or your parents were toward the 1953 coup or the Shahs regime?

FK: My father was pro-Mossadegh and very nationalist, he gave no support to either the Shah or the Ayatollah Khomeini. He was very patriotic.

DW: Why do you think your mother was so unhappy in Geneva? Was it just religion and tradition, or was she also homesick and lonely in a strange, cold city?

FK: All of that, I think. But she noticed signs of sin everywhere. She was not at her ease. She felt really out of place. I describe her uneasiness in the streets when she saw women with revealing dresses. She hadnt experienced this before.

Also, at the time, there were not many Muslim women in Switzerland, and certainly not wearing a headscarf. So my father used this as a means of convincing her to take off the hijab. He argued that she was more at the center of attention with the hijab, mens attention, and it could create more problems for her.

DW: Do you think that insistence was a mistake?

FK: I know that my father was not someone who imposed himself on other people. But I think he really wished my mother would take off her hijab, he didnt like it at all. He was a little bit hard on this aspect of religiosity.

DW: It tends to have the opposite effect from what you want, it strengthens the religious feelings, which are under attack.

FK: When people put pressure like this, as we see today, there is a reaction. It doesnt help.

DW: I agree. These are reactionary laws in Europe now.

FK: They produce resentment, bitterness.

DW: Do you remember the events of the 1979 revolution?

FK: Very vaguely, because I was only six years old at the time. I remember going with my mother to demonstrations. It was terrifying, because there were large numbers of people and I was afraid of getting lost in the ocean of black chadors, everyone was dressed like my mother.

Radiograph of a Family (directed by Firouzeh Khosrovani)

DW: You mentioned in Radiograph that there were religious, nationalist and leftist elements in the revolution. Its a big question, I know, but why, in your opinion, did the clerical-religious element triumph?

FK: This is a complicated issue. At that time it was the reaction of a society that was in the majority traditionalist and religious. It was their turn in the history of Iran, so to speak. For centuries they felt out of power. At least for 50 years or more, during the time of the Shah and his father, the majority of the people felt they had no place in the modernization of Iran that was taking place. The revolution was their revenge, against all the forces associated with the West and so forth. Now they are in full power.

DW: I think there was a tremendous political vacuum, or a vacuum on the left, created by the rotten policies of the Tudeh Party and various forces. The religious element took advantage of that vacuum.

In the film, you mention Ali Shariati, the figure who claimed to be reconciling Islam and socialism or populism, and that your mother was a follower of his.

FK: He was a pioneer of the revolution. He was a very important figure in Iran. He was very charismatic for a certain generation, because he represented both sides, being religious but having a modernistic appearance, wearing a suit and tie, and so forth. He lived in France, influencing the intellectuals of his time. He introduced a modern interpretation of Islam. He tried to create a new ideology. He died one year before the revolution.

Like many other young Iranians, my mother was attracted to Shariatis ideas. The revolution could not have happened without this preparation. Khomeini did not come out of the blue. If Shariati had lived, I dont know what his position would have been in relation to the establishment of the Islamic Republic. He put forward a mixture of Marxism and Islam, socialism and Islam. That was very important for Iranian young people, especially the educated ones.

DW: I would say, also very deceptive and damaging. What is your view of the present situation in Iran?

FK: Im not a very political person. On the other hand, the personal is always political. Im doing what I can do like many other people involved in cultural and artistic work. Our task is do what we can do for the culture, for solidarity among the Iranian people. There are many good things happening within this sphere, unofficially, unrecognized. There are many important developments, relations between artists, between visual arts and filmmaking and theater and music. Im happy to take part in this effort, this ferment, this dynamic culture.

DW: Inside the country, outside, or both?

FK: Both, but mostly inside. I make all my films inside Iran.

DW: Has Radiograph been shown in Iran?

FK: Not yet, because of the pandemic. The film is respectful toward the various layers of society. I think its very fair. I make no judgments. Others, of course, are free to judge.

DW: And we do! But it is an objective film.

Were you influenced by, or did you follow Iranian cinema in the 1980s and 1990s in particular?

FK: The work in those decades was amazing. Im very happy that we had masters like Abbas Kiarostami, Bahram Beyzai, Darius Mehrjui, Sohrab Shahid-Saless and many others.

DW: What is the state of Iranian cinema today?

FK: It is growing and getting more varied. We have different genres in Iranian cinema today. The sort of films that give an image of nothing but pressure and tension are not my favorites. I feel its time to go beyond that. Outside Iran for many years they wanted to see a black reality, to present a one-sided picture, a picture of only censorship, despotism and a hard situation.

I think perhaps European and American audiences are a little bit irritated by the repetition of subject matter in Iranian cinema, which was very successful at many film festivals for many years. Its time to return to the poetry of Iranian cinema, a more varied and independent cinema.

DW: Living here, in the US, we experience the continual provocations and aggression of the American government and media against Iran. The propaganda against Iran, Russia and China never stops for a second. Its horrible. They want a war. Its very dangerous. Not just Trump, but Biden also.

FK: Im sorry to hear that. I was very optimistic because of Bidens victory.

DW: The difference is very small, there are tactical differences, cosmetic differences, but the policy is essentially the same. The Democrats may be more warlike. The American people dont want war, but the American establishment is doing everything it can to provoke a war. Thats the reality. Theyre always looking for excuses, pretexts.

What are your film plans?

FK: Its early, but Im thinking of a new project, which is a continuation of the Radiograph of a Family .

DW: Bringing that up to date? A documentary or fiction film?

FK: Somewhere between fact and fiction, like Radiograph. I want to maintain this style, this combination, of a personal essay and more.

DW: In developing your aesthetic approach, what were your influences or inspirations?

FK: There are many inspirations, like the works of Chris Marker, and in terms of the dialogue, I was reading and watching the films of Marguerite Duras, especially Hiroshima Mon Amour [1959, directed by Alain Resnais, written by Duras], and Agnes Varda. So my influences came more from the French tradition of experimental cinema but also from directors like Patricio Guzman from Chile. I wanted to write the narration in the first-person, then I added the dialogue, the staged dialogue.

DW: The dialogue is very convincing, it feels like life. I congratulate you.

FK: Im happy to hear that. Thank you!
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-16 22:56:32|Editor: huaxia

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Israeli police inspect the site of a car-ramming attack in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem on May 16, 2021. A Palestinian carried out a car-ramming attack in East Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, injuring seven police officers, Israel's authorities said. The incident took place in Nablus Road, near Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, where the planned eviction of Palestinians from their homes has sparked weeks-long violent clashes. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian carried out a car-ramming attack in East Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, injuring seven police officers, Israel's authorities said.

The incident took place in Nablus Road, near Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, where the planned eviction of Palestinians from their homes has sparked weeks-long violent clashes.

According to a police statement, the suspect rammed his car at a group of policemen and paramilitary Border Police officers before the police shot and "neutralized" him.

Israel's Magen David Adom said that five officers were lightly injured and two others sustained medium-to-serious injuries. One of them was wounded by a bullet that a policeman fired at the suspect, according to Channel 12 TV news.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that the suspect was killed by the police fire.

The incident came amid one of the worst flare-ups between Israel and the Palestinians. Enditem
The weekend saw no let-up in Israels bombardment of Gaza, even as security forces cracked down on Nakba Day protests across the occupied West Bank.

In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked Hamas and other militant groups, assassinated senior Hamas personnel and terrorised the defenceless population in Gaza with merciless air strikes. Among the targets was the home of Yehya al-Sinwar, Hamass most senior official in Gaza, who heads the groups political and military wingsthe third such attack on the home of a senior Hamas official. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have confirmed that 20 of their members have been killed. The IDF has sought approval for further attacks on Hamas, including assassinations.

A single bombing in Gaza City overnight Saturdaythe deadliest since Mondaykilled at least 42 people, including 12 women and eight children, and wounded 50 others, numbers likely to rise as rescuers bring out victims from under the rubble. Another airstrike hit a house in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing at least 10 members of an extended family, mostly children, while at least eight people were killed and 45 wounded on Saturday night, mostly civilians, including two doctors.

Mourners pray over the bodies of 17 Palestinians who were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Sanad Latifa)

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that at least 192 Palestinians have been killed, including 58 children, and about 1,200 wounded since Israel started its bombardment of the besieged enclave Monday evening. Around 220 homes have been destroyed or damaged, rendering 20,000 homeless.

Indicating the one-sided nature of the slaughter, Israel has reported 10 deaths, including two children and a soldier as 3,000 projectiles were launched from Gaza, most of which either landed inside Gaza or were intercepted by Israels sophisticated Iron Dome systemfunded by US aid to the tune of $1.5 billion.

On Saturday afternoon, the IDF downed the media tower in Gaza housing the offices of Al Jazeera, the Associated Press (AP) and other outlets after giving the occupants less than an hour to evacuate. It follows the bombing of two other buildings housing media outlets earlier in the week in a deliberate attempt to silence the reporting of Israels crimes.

While the IDF claimed that the building was used by Hamas, it has failed to produce any evidence. Gary Pruitt, the head of AP, said that despite using the building for 15 years, AP had never seen any indication that the building was used by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded the air raid as a successful attack on terrorist organisations.

The near-destitute Palestinians now have to cope with a shortage of electricity as Israel halted the supply of diesel fuel to Gazas power station days ago and power lines from Israel to Gaza have been hit.

The IDF mounted a brutal crackdown on demonstrations all over the West Bank marking Nakba Day, also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe. It is usually commemorated on or around May 15, marking Britains official departure from Palestine in 1948 and the establishment of the State of Israel. This saw the start of the first Arab-Israeli war, the destruction of Palestinian society, and the permanent displacement of the vast majority of the Palestinian people. Between 750,000 and 900,000 Palestinians became refugees or internally displaced persons after fleeing the war or being forced to leave their homes, in a campaign of ethnic cleansing, the necessary corollary of establishing a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, where they were a minority.

Today, the Palestinians and their descendants around the world number around 13 million, of whom five million live in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, 1.5 million live in Israel and a further 6.5 million either live as refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria or are scattered throughout the world. They have been denied the right to return to their homeland, despite in many cases still holding the title deeds to their property, while Jews who have never lived in Palestine are entitled to claim Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.

However, while their dispossession has been maintained through numerous wars and repression, their number in Israel/Palestine will soon outstrip that of the Jews. It is the realisation that Israels Palestinian residents in occupied East Jerusalem and its citizens in Israel itself will now be subject to ethnic cleansing that has brought so many Palestinians onto the streets. In East Jerusalem, families in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan face court-ordered evictions to make way for Jewish homes. In Israel, ultra-nationalist and fascistic parties have for years been calling for population transfers and far right forces have moved into mixed population towns like Lod, which saw forced evictions in 1948 and is now subject to emergency rule and curfews, with the explicit aim of judaicising them.

The IDF dispersed angry protesters in the West Bank with rubber tipped bullets, stun grenades and tear gas, killing nine. Soldiers killed a further two protesters, allegedly because they were attempting to carry out a terrorist attack, who turned out to be unarmed, making it the deadliest day since the military invasion of the West Bank in April 2002. It brings to 14 the number killed in the West Bank since the start of the week. The army has deployed additional troops to the West Bank, nearly doubling the usual number, including both regular units and reservists to replace the Border Police sent to crush the Palestinian protests within Israel.

Minister of Defence Benny Gantz, who earlier in the week pledged that Gaza will burn, declared that Israel was seeing an escalation of tension and conflict in the West Bank and was ready for any scenario. He threatened that if the Palestinians did not submit to Israeli rule quietly and without resistance, Well be forced to cancel steps that are meant to help the Palestinian economy and society after the year of coronavirus.

Israel has rejected Hamas attempts to reach a cease-fire, along with Egypts efforts to broker an agreement to end the fighting. On Saturday evening, reassured by the unquestioning support of US President Joe Biden, who only sent mid-tier diplomat Hady Amr, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Israel and Palestinian affairs, to Israel to work on a ceasefire, Netanyahu declared there would be no let-up in the onslaught on Gaza. He said Israel was still in the midst of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary.

He warned Hamas that Israel had a list of assassination targets, declaring, You cant hide, not above land or below it. No one is immune, and thanked the US president for his clear and unequivocal support.

Netanyahu condemned the recent riots in Israeli towns and cities provoked by vigilante groups belonging to his far right, Jewish supremacist allies that have left mixed population towns and cities looking like war zones while the police turned a blind eye. A dozen people have died and nearly 1,000 have been arrested, mostly Palestinians. He said, The Jewish state will not tolerate pogroms against our citizens. We will not allow our Jewish citizens to be lynched or live in fear of murderous Arab gangs. We will not tolerate the torching of synagogues and the torching of property. Whoever incites will pay a very heavy price.
On May 10, the AFL-CIO bureaucracy in the United States asked the Biden administration to file the first labor complaint under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal.

The AFL-CIO document states that the management of the Tridonex auto parts plant in Matamoros, Mexico, has violated the right of its employees to leave the local branch of the corrupt Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM) and join the Independent National Union of Industry and Service Workers (SNITIS), led by labor lawyer Susana Prieto Terrazas.

The letter notes that Tridonex, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Cardone Industries, fired more than 600 supporters of the independent union SNITIS, which was created after 2019 labor protests forced the maquiladoras in Matamoros to raise wages.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico City, Friday, April 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

The same week that the AFL-CIO called on the US to intervene in Matamoros, the Biden administration decided to file a separate labor complaint, also under the USMCA. It requested that the Mexican government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (known as AMLO) review a fraudulent union recognition vote involving threats and ballot-stuffing by CTM gangsters, known as charros, aimed at maintaining the CTMs control over the contract at the General Motors factory in Silao, in the central state of Guanajuato.

Workers in Mexico should be highly suspicious of these efforts. The same government in Washington is currently backing the massacre of Palestinian workers and children by Israeli bombs and the killing and disappearing of hundreds of Colombian workers and youth by that countrys police, who are trained and armed by the United States.

The request by the Biden administration follows an earlier letter signed by US Representatives Dan Kildee, Bill Pascrell and Earl Blumenauer asking GM itself to speak out against violations of labor and human rights abuses at the Silao GM plant.

The Canadian trade union Unifor and the so-called IndustriAll Global Union also released letters to GM and Mexican government authorities denouncing the fraudulent vote at Silao.

On May 11, the Mexican Labor Ministry acknowledged that it had found serious irregularities in the vote at Silao and would order the CTM affiliate to hold a new vote within 30 days to legitimize its contract with GM. The ministry also filed a complaint with state prosecutors, setting the stage for a possible criminal investigation.

GM said it would hire a firm to conduct an independent review of the allegations, but insisted that Labor Ministry inspectors had supervised the vote and conditions at the plant. However, according to workers at the plant who spoke to the WSWS, the Labor Ministry inspectors would meet only CTM union officials and workers that had been threatened and/or bribed.

Having ignored numerous previous complaints by GM workers at Silao, Lopez Obrador himself said last Wednesday that the US government is right, adding that We had confirmed it and it had been condemned. He then promised to respond to the US request immediately.

In a statement pledging to cooperate with the inquiry, the CTM directly addressed the real concerns of the ruling class. The CTM does not generate conflicts, it declared, nor is it an obstacle for the development of industry and trade.

It remains to be seen whether the AMLO government will assist the CTM and GM in carrying out another fraudulent vote fraud to renew their contract. That would require demonstrating majority support for the contract, with yes votes representing at least 30 percent of the total workforce. Alternately, AMLO might allow another registered trade union to negotiate and compete against the CTM for a separate contract.

This validation process is a new requirement for all contracts under AMLOs labor reform, which incorporates the labor provisions of the USMCA. However, in the two years since the reform took effect, AMLO has not only given a free hand to the CTM, but has continued, like past governments, to rely on its violent harassment and policing of workers to suppress their struggles.

Moreover, Mexican Labor Minister Luisa Alcalde has insisted that it is acting in daily coordination with US labor authorities, and that the 500,000 contracts in the country will most likely not be revalidated before the May 2023 deadline. Nor has the ministry given any sign that it intends to invest in the enforcement resources required to oversee all these procedures. When asked about the lack of enforcement of the labor reform, AMLO has simply said that he will not interfere in internal union affairs.

Far from the dawn of union democracy in Mexico, or the crusade against CTM corruption that AMLO promised, the USMCA and his governments labor reform program are aimed at extinguishing the fires of socialist internationalism wherever they erupt among Mexican workers influenced by the World Socialist Web Site. In addition to belonging to the one-million-strong auto workforce in Mexico, what the workers at Tridonex and Matamoros have in common is precisely their connection to the WSWS.

The labor reform was rushed into law in May 2019 after tens of thousands of maquiladora workers organized wildcat strikes in opposition to the CTM. As analyzed by the WSWS in articles widely shared by Matamoros workers, Susana Prieto worked with US-aligned independent unions to sideline the democratic strike committees and mass assemblies set up by the workers themselves. During a mass march to the nearby US border at Brownsville, Texas, the Matamoros strikers called on American workers to join their struggle and made numerous appeals to workers internationally, through the WSWS.

After initially insisting that workers had to rely on the hated CTM union locals at Tridonex and other plants, Prieto and the Electricians Union (SME)both long-time collaborators of the AFL-CIOformed the SNITIS independent union to channel and suppress the ongoing unrest.

With billions of dollars in auto parts, electronics and defense products on the line in Matamoros, Prieto subsequently worked to contain new waves of wildcat strikes in 2020 by workers demanding shutdowns with full compensation when workers began falling ill with COVID-19. Prieto and SNITIS subordinated this struggle to AMLOs May 2020 decrees declaring all manufacturing to be essential.

Then, in January 2021, SNITIS called on Matamoros plants to strike for a 15 percent wage increase. No plant won the full increase and dozens of workers were fired.

Thousands more workers have been fired in reprisals for the strikes in 2019 and 2020. SNITIS, however, has refused to organize any struggle against the layoffs and firings. Instead, Prieto used the 2021 strikes as a stunt to announce her entry as a candidate of AMLOs Morena party in congressional elections to be held next month.

A worker at the sugar processing factory Batory, who remained anonymous for fear of reprisal, told the WSWS that a group of workers fired in January sought help from Prieto, and she told them that they knew what they were getting into and refused to help them. The worker continued: Now they are sad and regret having listened to her. The activist Susana Prieto ended up being more charra than the [CTM] charros.

At the GM plant in Silao, a group of rank-and-file workers called the Generating Movement, who had been fighting for years to rid themselves of the CTM, joined online calls organized by the WSWS with American autoworkers ahead of and during the September 2019 strike at GM in the United States. The Generating Movement workers acted courageously and in a principled manner to support the GM strikers in the US by refusing to go along with demands by GM at Silao for speedup and mandatory overtime. The company retaliated by carrying out numerous firings.

Since this brave intervention, the AFL-CIO, the SME and other unions have sought to pressure the Generating Movement into organizing within one of the independent unions vetted by the Mexican government and sponsored by US imperialism.

In sum, the Mexican and US authorities, with the help of pseudo-left outfits, are employing the prospect of replacing the CTM goons by independent charros sponsored by Washington to head off the struggle of workers to unite with their class brothers and sisters to the north and oppose capitalist exploitation.

Within the United States, the complaints over union votes in Mexico coincide with an ongoing campaign by the Biden administration to prop up the existing trade unions, most recently by officially backing the unionization drive of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) at Amazons Bessemer, Alabama, plant. Less than 13 percent voted for the union.

This expression of opposition to the pro-corporate unions in the US coincides with the sentiments of workers at the Silao plant, who have voted by similar percentages to reject the CTM.

For his part, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement: The USMCA requires Mexico to end the reign of protection unions and their corrupt deals with employers. As Trumka himself well knows, if such a policy were enforced in the US, the AFL-CIO would be dissolved. As he was issuing this statement, a federal judge was sentencing Dennis Williams, former president of the United Auto Workers, to 21 months in jail for having stolen millions in union dues.

Just as workers in Mexico face corruption, sellout contracts and harassment and violence by CTM charro officials, American workers confront similar conditions at the hands of the unions in the US. Nor is it any different for workers around the world.

Promoting the myth being advanced around the USMCA labor provisions and Mexicos labor reform, the New York Times wrote: The trade deal seeks to improve labor conditions and pay for workers in Mexico, which proponents say would benefit American workers by deterring factory owners from moving their operations to Mexico from the United States in search of cheaper labor.

This narrative, while professing concern for workers, is based on the same reactionary and nationalist claims used by the AFL-CIO to divide American workers from their class brothers and sisters across the border, blaming Mexican workers for taking American jobs. American workers, according to this narrative, must accept endless concessions in wages, pensions, health care and working conditions to prevent jobs from going abroad.

By pitting workers against each other, the capitalist rulers have been able to slash real wages for workers on both sides of the border over the past four decades, as the maquiladoras in Mexico grew dramatically.

Within the US, the Democratic Party is seeking to breathe new life into the rotten corpse of the AFL-CIO, which is entirely integrated into the state. Its foreign policy arm, the Solidarity Center, receives 96 percent of its funding from the State Department. Bidens point person for International Labor Affairs is Thea Lee, who was deputy chief of staff of the AFL-CIO between 1997 and 2017.

The strategy of the US foreign policy establishment to promote independent unions in Mexico dates back to 1997, when these unions first organized within the National Workers Union (UNT). A few weeks after its foundation, the UNT and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo hosted the first trip of an AFL-CIO president, John Sweeney, to Mexico, with the aim of changing the fossilized labor system, as reported at the time by the New York Times.

The International Committee of the Fourth International calls on workers to build the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees to consciously break from the nationalist and pro-capitalist framework of the trade unions and unify their struggles internationally on the basis the perspective of world socialist revolution.
In an article published Saturday by the New York Times, a survey of 723 epidemiologists made clear the central role that children play in spreading COVID-19. The findings contradict claims made throughout the pandemic by the entire political establishment of supposedly minimal dangers posed to children and society as a whole by the policy of reopening schools.

The report also exposes the reckless and anti-scientific decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the direction of the Biden administration, to end guidelines that call for all individuals to wear masks indoors and socially distance. A central aim of this change is to facilitate the reopening of schools for in-person learning before it is safe.

The Times article, titled 723 Epidemiologists on When and How the U.S. Can Fully Return to Normal, begins, Covid-19 cases are decreasing in the United States, and masks are no longer required everywhere, but the pandemic is not overand wont be until younger children can also be vaccinated.

In this Dec. 7, 2020, file photo, students enter P.S. 134 Henrietta Szold Elementary School in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

The Times writes, Half of respondents said at least 80 percent of Americans, including children, would need to be vaccinated before it would be safe to do most activities without precautions. Though children are less likely than adults to develop severe cases of Covid-19, the scientists said their immunity was important because they could be hosts for the virus and a way for it to continue to circulate or develop new variants.

Corinne McDaniels-Davidson, the director of the San Diego State University Institute for Public Health, told the Times, Children cannot be left out of the equation as we reopen. She added, The ideas that they cannot transmit Covid or are immune from disease are pervasive among the lay public. We need education here.

The lie that children do not readily transmit the coronavirusdisproved by multiple studies at the very beginning of the pandemicwas promoted by the Trump administration and continued under Biden. Upon his election, Biden pledged to resume in-person learning at all schools where children were still learning safely from home, with his top economic advisor Brian Deese bluntly stating that this was so that parents  can get back to work.

In February, Biden lied directly to a second-grade student at a CNN town hall event, stating, Kids dont get  COVID very often. Its unusual for that to happen. On April 30, he reiterated this lie in an NBC News interview, saying, Theres not overwhelming evidence that theres much of a transmission among these people, young people, concluding that schools should probably all be open.

The Times survey demonstrates that the single most destructive decision that could be made in February and March was to open the schools and allow the virus to spread, which is exactly what was done. This has been a major reason that daily new cases and deaths have declined so slowly in the US. Over 30,000 people continue to become infected each day despite the fact that nearly 37 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated. Roughly 1.5 million people have been infected and 20,853 have died from COVID-19 in the past month alone. Since Bidens inauguration, more than 175,000 people have succumbed to the virus, with the seven-day average now standing at 613 deaths each day.

The drive to reopen schools has never been based on science, but rather aimed at compelling parents to return to work in order to expand corporate profits and the stock market, which has risen astronomically during the pandemic.

A critical aspect of the Times survey of epidemiologists is their consensus on the scientific need to maintain mask-wearing and other measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The article notes, In particular, they say that masks are a norm that should continue, even if that view puts them at odds with the new CDC guidance. More than 80 percent of them say people should continue to wear masks when indoors with strangers for at least another year, and outdoors in crowds.

In direct opposition to these experts, last Thursday the CDC encouraged vaccinated people to stop wearing masks indoors, absurdly using the honor system under conditions where millions of Americans deny that the virus is even real. Numerous major retailers and large businessesincluding Walmart, Costco, Publix, Trader Joes and Starbuckshave immediately dropped their mask mandates.

On Sunday, CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta said the CDC made a critical error here in surprising basically everyone with a very significant change. Gupta told CNN that when he spoke to leading CDC officials earlier last week, they had told him that indoor masking would likely be one of the last mitigation measures lifted, because it is so effective and its not that hard to do in most situationsjust to put a mask on.

While the CDC claim that their decision is based on science, one of the studies they cite from Israel found that 14 percent of individuals who were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine had asymptomatic infections. Following the new guidelines, millions of vaccinated people could continue to unknowingly spread COVID-19.

The unexpected shift in CDC guidelines was driven by political calculations and profit interests. Underscoring the calculated character of the decision is the fact that it was announced hours after American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten gave a speech in which she declared, There is no doubt: Schools must be open. In person. Five days a week.

Over the past year, Weingarten and the AFT, as well as the National Education Association (NEA) and their state and local affiliates, have been the linchpin of the school reopening campaign. In February, Weingarten told the Times that she spends upwards of 15 hours each day on the phone with the White House, the CDC and local union officials, orchestrating the reopening of every major Democrat-led school district that had remained closed under Trump.

As a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Weingarten is a political operative who personifies the corporatist character of all the trade unions, which over the past 40 years have been integrated with the state and serve the interests of the capitalist class. Weingarten has a base salary of roughly $500,000, which places her in the top one percent of income earners in the US.

Weingarten and the unions hostility to rank-and-file educators, whom they have allowed to become infected en masse over the past year, has been extended to tens of millions of children increasingly herded back into unsafe classrooms. The CDC itself has estimated that nearly 26.7 million children under 18 have been infected with COVID-19. A recent study found that roughly 1015 percent of all infected children develop long COVID, meaning that up to 4 million children may already be suffering from long-term complications, the majority undoubtedly infected in reopened schools.

The pandemic is a global medical and social crisis, in which developments in any country affect all other countries. New infections are now at their high point globally, fueled by more infectious and lethal variants that can become resistant to existing vaccines. In Brazil, where the P.1 variant has decimated the country and surrounding region, one study estimates that more than 2,200 children under five have died from COVID-19.

The premature reopening of all schools and nonessential workplaces under these conditions, which can only lead to a major surge of new infections and deaths, is a monumental social crime that must be prevented. Alarm bells must be raised in every school, workplace and neighborhood, with every effort made to scientifically educate workers in order to counter the bourgeois propaganda that saturates all aspects of society.

There is enormous opposition to the ruling class response to the pandemic and the prioritization of profits over lives. To carry out a successful fightback, the working class must unify on a global scale through the development of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees, wholly independent of the corporatist trade unions and the capitalist parties. Above all, a revolutionary socialist leadership must be built to arm the working class with a Marxist understanding of society and to guide the coming struggles to a successful conclusion.
The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) published a significant report on May 11 that details the rigging of executive compensation plans by corporate boards during the pandemic, so that vast sums could be funneled into the pockets of millionaire executives while workers suffered unemployment, reduced wages, exposure to COVID-19 and death.

Under the title Pandemic Pay Plunder, the top finding of the IPS 27th Annual Executive Excess report is that among the top US corporations with the lowest paid workforces, CEOs received a 29 percent increase in compensation, while workers wages fell by 2 percent on average last year.

The IPS research shows that 51 out of the 100 corporations on the S&P 500 list with the lowest median worker wages bent corporate rules during the pandemic to ensure that their CEOs increased their compensation by an average of $4 million, to a total of $15.3 million, while workers wages fell by more than $550 to $28,187. The CEO-to-worker pay ratio for these corporations reached 830 to 1.

Carnival Cruise CEO Arnold Donald made $13.3 million while his company lost $10.2 billion. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In introducing the report, IPS authors Sarah Anderson, director of the Global Economy Project and co-editor of Inequality.org, and Sam Pizzigati, IPS associate fellow and co-editor of Inequality.org, write: American families have been simply unable, on their own, to bear the COVID crisis. Meanwhile, corporate chief executives in the United States have continued to score the sorts of windfalls that have ballooned billionaire wealth.

In explaining how corporate boards modified compensation rules to ensure a windfall for executives, the report says that the companies engaged in various rigging maneuvers such as (1) lowering the performance numbers so executives could meet their bonus targets, (2) awarding special retention bonuses, (3) excluding poor second-quarter (March-May 2020) results from performance evaluations and (4) replacing performance-based awards with time-based awards.

The IPS report says that an army of independent compensation consultants was retained by the corporate boards in order to give all this rule-rigging a veneer of legitimacy. For example, Carnivalthe largest international cruise line companypaid Frederick W. Cook & Co. $423,274 to give its CEO bonus a stamp of fiscal probity as the companys profits cratered and workers suffered.

In relation to the Carnival compensation scam, the report notes that the company stranded employees at sea for months while it scrambled to get customers back home. But after securing $6 billion in low-cost financing from the US Federal Reserve, it gave CEO Arnold Donald special pandemic retention and incentive stock grants valued at more than $5 million. Arnolds total 2020 compensation came to $13.3 million, 490 times the companys $27,151 median worker pay the report states.

The IPS study does not mention reports that nearly a dozen cruise line workers died in suicides committed during the lengthy period of forced isolation without pay on ships, or as a result of mental health problems after they came ashore.

Other specific examples given by IPS of corporate manipulation of executive compensation in the midst of the pandemic include the meatpacking, poultry and automotive industries. In the case of $30 billion Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, the report says that executives didnt meet their cash bonus targets last year, but the board gave them stock awards to make up the difference.

Tyson CEO Noel White earned $11 million, which is 294 times Tysons $37,444 median worker pay. The report states, Another recipient of those special stock awards was company chair John Tyson, a billionaire hardly in dire need of special support. The heir and grandson of the company founder, Tyson has watched his personal wealth increase 72 percent during the pandemicto $2.6 billion.

Tyson workers, like all poultry and meatpacking employees, were declared essential workers during the pandemic and forced to stay on the job. The report says the Tyson workers suffered the most COVID-19 infections and deaths in the industry, noting: As of February 2021, more than 12,000 Tyson workers had been infected by the virus and at least 38 had lost their lives to it.

The automotive supplier Aptivone of the spin-offs from Delphi Automotive, itself a spin-off from GMhas the widest pay gap (5,294 to 1) on the IPS list of 51 low wage corporations. Aptiv CEO Kevin Clark was paid $31.3 million while the median wage earner made $5,906 in 2020. The report says, The Aptiv board inflated Clarks paycheck by moving bonus goalposts and excluding 2020 results from the 2018-2020 performance period for long-term executive incentive awards.

The report also explains that the company justified the massive payout to Clarktotaling an additional $18 millionas nothing more than the product of accounting adjustments related to 2019 and 2020 stock awards.

Aptiv operates in 44 countries and did not disclose to IPS where the workers earning a median wage of a little less than $6,000 are employed. The global corporationwhich specializes in automotive cooling systemswas the product of the multi-billion-dollar July 2015 merger of Delphi Thermal with the German-based Mahle-Behr GmbH and British-based HellermannTyton.

Some of the other companies highlighted in the IPS report for extreme CEO-worker pay ratios in 2020 are:

* Hospitality corporation Hilton Worldwide, where CEO Christopher Nassetta pocketed the largest rigged pay-package adjustments, for a total compensation of $55.9 million in 2020.

*Apparel corporation Under Armour, where half the workforce earns less than $6,669 per year. There, the company board altered bonus metrics and replaced performance-based with time-based stock awards for CEO Patrik Frisk, so as to pay him $7.4 million.

* Chipotle Mexican Grill, where CEO Brian Niccol received $38 million in 2020 compensation, 2,898 times the restaurant chains median worker pay. The firms board of directors inflated his bonus by tossing out the companys poor financial results from the peak shutdown period and excluding COVID-related costs.

While the political conclusions of the IPS editors are for tax reform that will force companies to pay increased taxes for CEO-worker wage gaps of more than 50-1which is itself a defense of social inequalitythe facts and figures presented in the report are a devastating exposure of the criminality of the ruling class under conditions of the worst public health crisis in a century.

The IPS report was published just as the US political establishment was launching a campaign to eliminate weekly supplemental unemployment benefits for millions of workers who remain unemployed as a result of the economic crisis and deadly health conditions caused by the response of the corporate and financial elite to the pandemic.

Already more than half of US states have revived their work search requirements in an effort to force workers back to work at low-paying jobs. As reported by the New York Times on Sunday, Arkansas and Louisiana brought back these requirements months ago and others such as Vermont and Kentucky have done so in the last few weeks.

Laying bare the economic interests that lie behind the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision to lift the mask requirement for anyone who is fully vaccinated last Thursday, President Biden ordered the Labor Department four days before to pressure state governments to put the job search requirements back into place.

The IPS report is a further confirmation of the analysis made by the World Socialist Web Site that the capitalist ruling class lives by the motto, Never let a good crisis go to waste, and has used the pandemic to intensify the exploitation of the working class, further enrich itself and expand social inequality to unprecedented levels.
Global automaker Stellantis announced Friday that it will cut production from two shifts down to one at its Belvidere Jeep Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois, by July 26. The move will result in the permanent layoff of 1,641 workers at the plant, formerly under Fiat Chrysler, slashing the plants current workforce nearly in half.

Stellantis cited the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage in the auto industry as the basis for its decision to sacrifice the livelihoods of workers and their families. While production at auto plants across the US and around the world has been impacted by the chip shortage, it is also well known that Stellantis is considering the closure of the Belvidere plant.

In a statement reported in the Detroit News, Stellantis spokesperson Jodi Tinson said the job cuts are aimed to balance sales with production, meaning that as auto sales have dropped, likely due in large part to the fall in living standards during the pandemic, the corporation is seeking to make workers suffer the consequences. According to Bloomberg, While demand for vehicles has been outstripping supply as the U.S. emerges from pandemic lockdowns and people opt for private transportation, the Cherokee hasnt been a major beneficiary. Sales tumbled 29% last year to 191,397, while deliveries at the Jeep brand fell 14% amid pandemic shutdowns.

Exterior of Belvidere Assembly

The News added that according to Tinson, The Company will make every effort to place laid off hourly employees in open full-time positions as they become available based on seniority, which remains to be seen as auto industry analysts predict the impact of the chip shortage in the auto industry will continue to impact production into 2022.

The semiconductor chips that are used in vehicles automated driver systems, infotainment systems and heated seats are also used in consumer electronics. The computer chip makers, facing a surge in demand, were unable to maintain production to meet demand after the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep across the globe. Due to the chip shortage Ford has extended plant shutdowns by an additional two weeks at its Chicago Assembly Plant, Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan, and Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, through at least May 30.

General Motors extended its shutdown of the CAMI Ontario SUV assembly plant through July 4 as well as extending the shutdown of the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas through July 8. The fate of both plants hangs in the balance, as both have been shut down since February 8 and GM is eyeing the possibility of closing them entirely. GM has also closed its assembly plants in San Luis Potosi and Ramos, Mexico, through the end of May.

Automakers Toyota and Honda also reported production disruptions at their plants in North America beginning in March.

Stellantis has shut down production at its Windsor, Ontario, minivan plant in Canada through May 23. Stellantis has idled the Belvidere Assembly Plant off and on since February citing the chip shortage. In addition to the announcement of the layoffs, production will be halted through the end of May at the Belvidere plant, along with Stellantis Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan.

Stellantis has also extended furloughs of workers at its Kokomo and Tipton, Indiana, transmission plant complex as a result of the shortage of chips as well as falling auto sales. According to the Kokomo Tribune, 1,000 workers that build nine-speed transmissions at the complex who have been laid off since April will be laid off through the first week of June. Another shift of workers who build eight-speed transmissions at the Kokomo plant are furloughed through June 14.

The drastic job cuts at Belvidere Assembly have heightened concerns that Stellantis is setting its sights on closing the plant for good as part of consolidation following the merger between French-owned PSA group and Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler earlier this year. In February, one month after the merger, the newly formed Stellantis moved to lay off 150 workers from the plant indefinitely.

In 2020, 3,900 workers were laid off permanently at the Belvidere plant shortly after the United Auto Workers union pushed through a series of concessions contracts following the unions isolation and betrayal of the strike of 48,000 GM workers. The UAW went on to force the same givebacks on workers at Ford and Fiat Chrysler. In the recent period Fiat Chrysler/Stellantis has been making efforts to consolidate its US operations in Michigan in order to squeeze out as much profit as possible from fewer and fewer workers.

Considerable resources had been invested in the remodeling and expansion of the Mack Avenue complex in Detroit prior to the Belvidere layoffs. Significantly, Stellantis has also imposed a grueling 12 hour per day, 7 day per week schedule on skilled trades workers at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant north of Detroit. This schedule, which faced immense opposition from workers, was implemented with the approval of the UAW using revised language relating to the Alternative Work Schedule slipped into the 2019 national auto contract..

The job cuts at Belvidere Assembly Plant will have a devastating impact on the working class in the area. The cuts once again demonstrate the complete bankruptcy of the UAWs claims that the 2019 contract as well as its support for the Fiat Chrysler-PSA merger would ensure job security.

For its part, UAW Local 1268 at Belvidere has said almost nothing about the layoffs despite their devastating scope. Meanwhile, UAW Local 685 President Matt Jarvis said of the layoffs in Kokomo, I think this is going to be our normal through the end of the year, showing the complacent attitude of the UAW toward the destruction of the livelihoods of workers and their families.

According to one Belvidere autoworker, who spoke anonymously to the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, many workers had expected another mass layoff due to the critical parts shortage. They take 50 to 100 chips per vehicle, and its a process to make those.

Workers at the plant on layoff reported to local news outlets that they had also had problems getting unemployment pay. Illinois Republican Representative Joe Sosnowski told local station WREX News at the end of April that his office had ten or twenty phone calls a day from Belvidere Assembly workers who were struggling to get their unemployment claims fulfilled through an unresponsive system.

The Belvidere worker, citing her own experiences, said, I let a paycheck go because I was tired of dealing with them. They dont call you back.

Denouncing the UAWs role in letting workers go without needed benefits, she continued, 74 percent sub pay [supplemental unemployment benefits]the paycheck that I let go I was supposed to get six hundred dollars for unemployment. I was screwed over. We pay our union dues, and they [the union] say cant help with that.

The job cuts will also pose a significant safety risk to workers who are already working on skeleton crews. The worker detailed the daily reality workers face of unsafe conditions. In addition to working in close contact indoors during a deadly pandemic, she noted that deaths have gone unreported at the plant.

[We have] no air conditioning, it stinks. Its a tin can, standing out in the sun with aluminum all around and having the sun beat down on it. Weve had several people die. They wont [declare someone dead until theyre out of the plant]. An electrician, he was sitting down on the chair, stayed there sitting there so long, and he was dead. This was about a year and a half ago.

Workers who are looking for a way to fight the jobs bloodbath in the auto industry and oppose deadly working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic must fight to break free from the corporatist unions and build their own rank-and-file committees by and for the workers themselves to draw up their own demands. In particular, workers must reject the attempts of the UAW to pose the defense of jobs in nationalist terms as a battle against brother workers in Mexico or China.

Workers around the globe are exploited for the benefit of the same corporations. Indeed the impact from the chip shortage is not limited to North America, but has also affected workers in Europe and Asia.

The job cuts stem from the fact that under capitalism production is based on private profit, not human need. This raises the necessity of workers forging international bonds of unity in a common struggle against the transnational automakers to demand jobs and decent conditions for all.

Stellantis Belvidere Assembly workers must oppose the claim that there is no alternative to job cuts. To organize a fightback workers must mobilize independently of the pro-company UAW and forge links with Volvo truck workers in Virginia, who voted down the UAWs sellout contract by 91 percent, graduate students in New York City, Warrior Met coal miners in Alabama, and their brothers and sisters worldwide who are part of an emerging wave of working class struggle against the capitalist system. We encourage Belvidere Assembly workers who want to join this struggle to build the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees to go to wsws.org/auto today.
25 years ago: Strike wave in western Europe

Striking German workers in the 1990s.

On May 20-22, 1996, nearly two weeks of protest strikes against German Chancellor Helmut Kohls plans for $32 billion in cuts in the welfare state culminated in three days of mass action.

Involving over 100,000 public sector workers in the OTV union and 60,000 members of IG Metall, the strikes hit postal services, refuse collection and public transport in many major citiesCologne, Bonn, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Leverkusen, Bochum, Hanover, Leipzig, Weimar, Magdeburg and others. Hospital workers cut back services in Thuringia and Saxony. In Brandenburg, traffic on rivers and canals was disrupted by striking lock operators.

The OTV union rejected a government offer of a 1 percent wage increase, demanding more, as well as guarantees that the budget cuts would not eliminate jobs. The Kohl government responded to the strikes with threats and further attacks. On May 28, the German Employers Association vetoed a minimum wage agreement negotiated the previous month in the construction industry.

This action was part of a broader movement of strike actions across Europe in the aftermath of the French general strike the previous fall. The European ruling class relied heavily on the trade unions to suppress workers struggles and keep them within the narrowest channels.

In France, the public service trade union movement UNSA called a national demonstration in Paris on May 23, after conservative Prime Minister Alain Juppe said he wanted to shed layers of fat from the civil service in order to impose cuts of over $13 billion and 25,000 jobs. Protesters stopped trains to Brussels, Belgium, and London, while all services were halted in Toulouse. Thousands marched in Paris, while 3,000 demonstrated in Bordeaux and another 1,000 in Lyon.

In Norway, the countrys two most important industries, oil and metal manufacturing, were hit by major strikes at the same time. In Britain, public service workers were on the brink of strike action in many areas, including Liverpool, Derbyshire and Essex.

Moves to eliminate 30,000 government jobs in Germany were matched by plans to destroy 25,000 jobs in France. Similar austerity measures were being imposed in Spain and Italy, as well as all the countries in the former Soviet bloc.

50 years ago: Signalmens strike halts entire US rail network

Striking railroad workers

On the morning of Monday May 17, 1971, railroad signal workers walked off the job and began a national strike that paralyzed virtually all railroads in the United States. The workers demanded a pay increase of $2.40 per hour over the next three years. The average signalmans wage at the time was around $3.78 per hour.

A worker interviewed in the Bulletin newspaper, a forerunner of the World Socialist Web Site, spoke out saying, The cost of living has skyrocketed but signalmens pay hasnt. In order to pay your bills, you have to have another job besides this one, and we get no sick pay.

While officially only the signalmen were on strike, virtually all other railway workers supported the strike and refused to cross picket lines, stopping nearly all railway activity.

The workers, organized in the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen, had been in contract negotiations since 1969. The railroad companies, enjoying the support of the federal government, continually refused to meet any of the workers demands and aimed to use the Railway Labor Act to force workers back on the job without an agreement.

The previous December, railway workers began a strike action after it finally became possible under the onerous legal framework. Congress immediately called an emergency session and passed new legislation ordering the rail workers back on the job.

Since then, many of the railroad worker unions had already accepted the terms set by federal mediators for a wage increase of 42 cents per hour spread over the next three and a half years. However, the Signalmen, often considered the most skilled and critical of railway workers, did not accept the mediated terms ,which would have placed them at the bottom of the pay scale compared to the other sections of workers.

Assured that Nixon and the Democratic-controlled Congress were in their corner, the railroad owners maintained their refusal to meet the workers demands, even after the Signalmens Union lowered the wage demand to an increase of just $1.99 per hour. After the strike continued through Tuesday the government intervened to again pass strikebreaking legislation.

A bill similar to the legislation from December was passed and signed by Nixon by the early morning of Wednesday, May 19, 1971. The law gave signalmen a 13.5 percent interim raise and ordered them back on the job, banning any strike action until October. The president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, C.J. Chamberlain, fully accepted the strikebreaking action and ordered all workers to end their pickets saying, we will abide by the law.

75 years ago: British Labour government nationalizes the coal industry

Clement Attlee

On May 20, 1946, the British House of Commons passed the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, placing the key mining sector under state ownership. The bill would be passed by the House of Lords and given Royal Assent on July 12, becoming law.

The legislation was among the first of a series of nationalizations carried out by the Labour government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee at the conclusion of World War II. The bill was drafted in December 1945, barely six months after the conclusion of the conflict in Europe. It followed a government declaration in August 1945 calling for an extension of public ownership that our industries and services shall make their maximum contribution to the national well-being.

After the coal act was passed, a series of other bills were advanced by the Labour government along similar lines. Among those that placed key sectors of the economy under state control were the Electricity Act 1947, the Transport Act 1947, the Gas Act 1948, and the Iron and Steel Act 1949.

While it was opposed by sections of the Tory Party, the Coal Act provided compensation to the mining barons, in the form of stock issued by a Coal Board. This ensured their continuing influence within the sector, and was directed against any conception that the nationalizations were aimed at placing the industry under the control of the mining workers, a powerful and militant section of the working class.

The Labour government had been swept to power in a general election of July 1945. While Prime Minister Winston Churchill had primarily run on his war record, Attlee had promised various social reforms, including several nationalizations and the establishment of a publicly-funded health care system. Labour secured 393 parliamentary seats, an increase of 239 seats, while the Tories were reduced to 197 seats, down 189.

The result reflected a growing political radicalization of the working class throughout Europe after the defeat of fascism, and a determination to prevent a return to the poverty-level conditions of the 1930s. The nationalizations were aimed at placating this emerging movement, but did not in any way constitute the establishment of socialism in Britain. On the contrary, they received the support of powerful sections of the ruling class, and also served to revive critical sections of national industry, under the direction of the capitalist state.

100 years ago: Mingo County, West Virginia under martial law

Armed miners in West Virginia

On May 20,1921, West Virginia Governor Ephraim Morgan issued a proclamation that put Mingo County, on the southwest border of the state with Kentucky, under martial law to suppress insurgent coal miners.

The governors proclamation noted, Large bodies of armed men have assembled in the mountains of Mingo County. According to the New York Times, the proclamation forbade the carrying or keeping of arms, ammunition and explosives except by the authorities, and banned public gatherings. Publication of material critical of the federal and state government was made an offense. State police armed and deputized vigilantes to carry out this order.

Coal miners had been battling coal company hired thugs and the state police all along the Tug River Valley bordering Kentucky. Since May 12 ,when state police and mine company thugs shot up a tent colony of striking miners, some areas had been under continuous fire. In a letter to President Harding, a leading coal operator noted that on May 17 that striking miners had erected barricades and breastworks along the mountain ridges.

May 19, 1921 marked the first anniversary of the bloody Battle of Matewan, in which hired agents from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency had fired on armed miners after Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield attempted to arrest the detectives for evicting mining families from company housing. The battle at the train station resulted in 10 fatalities, including the mayor, two miners and seven Baldwin-Felts thugs. Hatfield and 16 other men, mostly miners, were subsequently acquitted of murder charges by a Mingo County jury. Hatfield was assassinated by Baldwin-Felts men before another hearing on August 1, 1921.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) in Victoria is currently negotiating a new industrial agreement with the state Labor government covering the wages and working conditions of public school teachers and Education Support (ES) staff for the next three years.

A long-standing issue among educators is their intolerable workload. In 2017, Victorian AEU president Meredith Peace said the agreement then negotiated between the union and the state government would begin to overcome what she acknowledged as crushing workloads. She urged teachers and ES staff to vote for the deal because it was a great win for members.

In reality, in the last four years the crisis has only worsened. The 2021 State of our Schools survey found that working conditions continue to deteriorate, with teachers working at least 15 hours of extra unpaid work, while principals worked 60 hours a week. Work-related stresses are at such an unsustainable level for teachers that more than 40 percent of the thousands surveyed said that they often think of quitting the profession.

Shepparton community protest against the school amalgamation in 2019 (Photo source: Facebook)

Nearly 60 percent of ES staff reported increasing work-related activities, with no time to collaborate with teachers, parents, and guardians, and support students within paid working hours.

A recent online meeting convened by the AEU indicated the unions willingness to again ram through an agreement that does nothing to address the workload crisis and the deterioration of the public education system (see: Australian Education Unions anti-democratic town hall meeting underscores danger of new sell-out industrial agreement).

The Committee for Public Education recently interviewed several primary and secondary teachers about their working conditions and on the role of the AEU.

Mark, a secondary Arts teacher in Melbourne, said, I feel like a lot of Art teachers make a lot of lunchtime and after school commitments for their students. We put in a lot of effort with extra-curricular activities that are enriching.

As a teacher of year 11 and 12 students I come in at least three times during the holidays for a whole day each time. With productions, I have noticed that other staff who have previously helped out are less inspired to do so simply because they are overworked and tired.

Leading up to the show time of a performance we will come in for three weekends in a row working from morning until 6pm. A lot of these kids may not be going that well in school but they will be at rehearsals until 6-7pm. It is one place they can achieve something, whether its backstage work, working on costumes, honing their skills on stage.

We dont get any recompense for this, we cant complain because we are apparently easily replaced. We feel undervalued as staff members and the union just doesnt represent us.

Susan, a primary teacher explained: I have worked in two schools and while the pressures at each school are different, the workload and the type of work has continued to become unmanageable.

She elaborated on the impact that increased class sizes are having on both teachers and students:

Meredith Peace recently announced that Victorian class sizes are the best in the country with an average of 25. One wonders how this average was calculated, given the number of teachers reporting class sizes closer to 30. What is not mentioned is the amount of class-splitting that is happening in schools. Almost every day, we have a class split due to teacher absences not being covered. Coverage for absences is severely underfunded and sometimes emergency teachers are not available.

At my first school, the class sizes have continued to rise, with some classes having 30 students. On top of this, often, our non-face-to-face teaching time is lost due to specialist classes not being covered for the same reasons. While the AEU claims they do not support the practice of grade splitting, they do very little to curb it!

Susan described how teachers are having to deliver pre-packaged programs in a one size fits all manner. We also have lost a lot of autonomy. We now have to all plan in the same way. Im expected to deliver lessons differently to suit this model. Im no longer able to enjoy the craft of teaching, to attend to the needs of my students as I see it. The curriculum is so jam packed that I have heard discussions about whether to drop a reading session or a child-centred inquiry session. Ive heard new young teachers say that they do not have time for foundation students to enjoy free or directed play sessions. No wonder our kids are stressed!

We plan out each part of the session according to our instructional model. Some schools have introduced continuous reporting. Instead of writing reports twice a year we were now asked to upload assessment pieces on a fortnightly basis this includes commentary and rubrics to inform parents of where their children are at. I work from eight till six most nights and still bringing work home of an evening and on weekends. This was the only way to get it all done.

Penelope , a secondary year 11 and 12 teacher in Melbourne, also spoke about class sizes and the impossibility of catering for mixed ability levels in schools: There is no way there is enough time to do what you have to do. Differentiation within the classroom is essential in teaching. But who gets time to prepare different things for different students? It means that I dont get around to the groups. The better kids tend to get neglected. The students can even lose confidence because you are constantly trying to make something work for everyone.

Some students are reading at year four or five level and there are other learning difficulties, anxieties etc and even a lack of confidence within students. A significant proportion of my class I would estimate are unable to work with the program that the majority is using.

Mark condemned the AEU for its role during the COVID outbreaks in 2020, saying, I felt disillusioned everyday last year during COVID when the union president Meredith Peace never addressed the concerns we had. I felt like saying, Why are you being so complicit with the government? You simply copy and pasted the government website during 2020 with the coronavirus threatening us. It was teachers rather than the union who did anything to protect safety.

Penelope in speaking about the AEU said: The union agrees with the education department. They arent fighting for anything much. If I was in strife, I would go to a lawyer. I dont feel I could trust the union.

On the AEU campaign, Susan concluded: Ive been following the AEU negotiations, attending regional meetings for updates and as far as I can tell the only work the union is doing is agreeing with and collaborating with the department for very little! Their campaign centres around lobbying Labor MPs. Much of our working conditions, including NAPLAN, increases in so-called productivity, have been introduced under Labor governments. I think this shows once again the true nature of the unions work, which is to work with the government. There is no evidence whatsoever that the union is fighting for better conditions for us.

The planned actions are an absolute joke. They include wearing red, posting on Facebook what were doing out of hours and joining hubs to express our concerns to local MPs. Despite a push to have the agreement signed off before the end of May, there is no discussion of any type of strike action, mass meetings or even small meetings to allow members to raise their concerns or to force any sort of improvements to our abysmal conditions.
The Green Party has agreed to continue its coalition with the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. The two parties presented their 162-page coalition agreement last week. The coalition is a continuation of the governing alliance headed by Premier Winfried Kretschmann (Greens), which has ruled the state since May 2016. The coalition agreement is a declaration of war on the working class.

On the one hand, the billions paid out as Corona aid to Germanys big corporations and banks are to be recouped at the expense of the population. The preface to the coalition agreement states that financial leeway in the budget ... is very small. We will have to weigh things up much more carefully in the coming years: Which expenditures do we have to, and want to make? And which ones can we no longer afford for the time being?

Winfried Kretschmann (right) and CDU coalition partner Thomas Strobl (Photo: Ministry of State Baden-Wurttemberg / CC BY-SA 2.0)

On the other hand, the state government, in close cooperation with corporate executives and the trade unions, plans to press ahead with the transformation of the German auto industry and wipe out tens of thousands of jobs. Baden-Wurttemberg, with its 11 million inhabitants, is home to the German auto industry, with about 235,000 employed directly by auto manufacturers or suppliers.

The coalition of the Greens and the CDU in Baden-Wurttemberg is regarded as a role model for a possible federal government. In order to suppress the growing opposition to planned social cuts and the official profits-before-life policy during the coronavirus pandemic, the state government plans to further increase spending on police and the judiciary.

The police and the judiciary will be further strengthened in terms of personnel and technology, and public places will be subject to more extensive surveillance. The use of police body-cams is to be expanded and the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Germanys domestic intelligence service) is to be reinforced. The coalition document states that inter-agency exchange of information at a state and federal level will be intensified and the observation of organisations that endanger the free democratic constitutional order will be expanded.

The anti-working class orientation is evident in various sections of the coalition agreement and is laid out already at the beginning of the chapter Economy and Labour. The coalition relies on the power of free competition and a broad alliance drawn from business, science, trade unions and society.

The agreements Strategic dialogueauto industry is aimed at involving the trade unions, the scientific community, professional associations and users to a greater extent in order to avoid compulsory redundancies via alternative work time arrangements and drive forward the transformation process in companies based on a retraining offensive ... The coalition will support with all the means at its disposal the ambitious plans of auto manufacturers to convert their production to battery-driven electric cars.

In plain language this means thousands of well-paid jobs in the auto and supply industry will be slashed and workers condemned to unemployment.

Following 10 years in office, Premier Winfried Kretschmann is a regarded as the sweetheart of auto bosses in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. His alliance with auto executives is intent on exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to push ahead with long-planned restructuring and mass redundancies.

Last year alone, it was announced that tens of thousands of jobs would be cut in the car industry, including up to 15,000 at the auto supplier ZF. At Daimler, up to 30,000 jobs are to be axed and experts assume that in the next 18 months about 15 percent of all jobs in the German car industry are at risk, around 130,000. According to another recent study, by the Ifo Institute, up to 221,000 jobs are threatened.

With regard to refugees, the coalition agreement proclaims it will tighten up the states already very restrictive policy. For example, asylum seekers are to receive rapid clarification about their further whereabouts in Germany. This involves expanding the existing system of reception (anchor) centres in order to conclude asylum procedures in the initial reception stage. The aim is to isolate, monitor and intimidate refugees to force them to leave the country voluntarily.

Kretschmann's government has already deported a total of 2,648 asylum seekers in 2019 and even deported 1,383 refugees in 2020 during the pandemic. The coronavirus has spread rapidly in the cramped and unhygienic accommodation made available for refugees. Instead of dismantling the camps, the state has locked away migrants under guard by the German army (Bundeswehr).

The coalition agreement also pledges to expand the activities of the Bundeswehr, which is to expand its operations domestically and become a more visible presence.

The massive build-up of state forces is not designed to fight right-wing extremist terrorist networks, as the Greens suggest in several places in their election programme. In reality, the Greens and the affluent middle class the party represents fear growing social opposition on the part of workers and youth and a political reckoning with their reactionary policies. This is behind the partys repeated demand for a powerful, heavily-armed police force.

In the state elections held on March 14, the CDU recorded its worst ever result. Its electoral setback was due to the right-wing policies of the outgoing Green-conservative coalition, which had pursued a policy of social cuts, strengthening state forces and infiltration. The fact that the Greens are continuing their collaboration with the conservatives, despite the miserable result for the CDU, is a signal for federal politics. The Greens are preparing to head the next German government following the federal election due this autumn.

According to current state polls, the Greens could form a federal coalition with the CDU/CSU with Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock as chancellor, or even a coalition with the Social Democratic Party and the neo-liberal Free Democratic Party, also under Green leadership.
A crowdfund appeal for London bus driver David OSullivan, victimised and sacked for defending workers rights to health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic, had raised more than 4,000 by yesterday evening.

The appeal, launched on the CrowdJustice platform, must raise 20,000 to cover legal costs associated with an unfair dismissal claim against bus company Metroline.

David O'Sullivan

OSullivan states in his crowdfund appeal, In January, I asserted my rights to a safe workplace under Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act (1996). I was sacked after warning my colleagues about the spread of COVID-19 at the garage and informing them of their rights under the Act.

He explained the background, The London Bus Rank-and-File Committee had already reported serious COVID-19 safety breaches by management in September. We wrote to Metroline Managing Director Steven Harris, London Deputy Mayor for Transport Heidi Alexander and Unite the union officials John Murphy and Peter Kavanaghbut our calls for protection were ignored.

The case has broad political significance. My claim against Metroline is a test case for the rights of key workers during the pandemic, OSullivan stated.

OSullivans appeal struck a powerful chord. As a key worker, I wholeheartedly support David OSullivan in his fight against unfair dismissal for standing up for workers health and safety rights during a global pandemic, wrote a donor named James.

A bus driver who donated wrote, Dave stood up for the drivers and this is a test of us vs them. Metroline managers are crooks and bullies. Drivers are overworked, forced to work extra hours, called constantly by the garage managers while they are off sick to come back to work and help them out. Dave, we back you up.

Another donor wrote, London Bus Drivers deserve medals for bravery for their service to London during the Covid-19 pandemic not persecution by their Transport for London-contracted employer.

Readers of the World Socialist Web Site from Australia, Germany, France and the United States were among those giving generously.

OSullivan told the World Socialist Web Site, Id like to extend a very deep, heartfelt thank you to everybody who has donated on the first day of our legal fundraiser. It is a fantastic result so far, especially knowing that a lot of contributors dont have much money. These are difficult times. The pandemic is not just a medical emergency but a huge social, economic and political disaster for working people around the world.

Metroline will fight tooth and nail to uphold my victimisation and sacking, and they have the resources. ComfortDelGro, the parent company, is worth more than 1 billion.

But we have truth on our side. Id like to thank my colleagues particularly for the messages of support I have received today and urge fellow drivers and key workers everywhere to support the campaign.

OSullivans legal challenge has significance for the entire working class. Infections due to the highly transmissible and more deadly B.1.617.2 variant, that has taken a catastrophic toll on the workers and toilers of India, is set to become dominant in the UK within days according to scientists.

Professor of medicine Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia told the Guardian yesterday that Indias variant would, become the dominant variant in the UK in the next few days if it hasnt already done so.

Yet the Johnson government, backed by Labour and the trade unions, is proceeding with its homicidal plans to lift all social distancing and lockdown measures, opening pubs, restaurants, sporting venues, hotels, bingo halls and casinos. Once again, workers are to be left defenceless.

Measures announced last week by Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Transport for London came into effect yesterday on London buses, lifting passenger limits and dramatically increasing the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19. 60 passengers are now allowed on double-deckers, 28 on single-deckers (10 metres and longer) and 22 passengers on a single-decker (less than 10 metres).

The Socialist Equality Party and the London Bus Rank-and-File Committee urge drivers to support the campaign for OSullivans reinstatement and to help spearhead a fightback by workers against capitalisms deliberate, reckless and barbaric subordination of lives to profit.

Please donate here and visit the campaign page here.
Norwegian Air Shuttle has announced plans to lay off 1,191 workers in Spain, affecting 85 percent of its workforce in the country. In parallel, it will close its bases in Barcelona, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, following the closure of its bases in Madrid and Mallorca prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is just the latest redundancy scheme announced by large corporations in Spain. Over 30,000 workers are expected to be laid off in the coming months, including in factories, offices, shops and shopping centres. The trade unions are collaborating with management, as in Corte Ingles where over 8,000 workers will be made redundant.

A Norwegian Air jet taking off from Manchester Airport (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Norwegian ceased its operations in Spain in March 2020 when lockdowns, confinements and travel restrictions began. Since then, it has kept its entire staff furloughed, which will now give way to the redundancy scheme. The only exception is for 215 pilots and cabin crew members at its two operational bases in Malaga and Alicante for the summer season.

The two main unions at the company, the United Workers Union (Union Sindical ObreraUSO) and Spanish Union of Airline Pilots (Sindicato Espanol de Pilotos de Lineas AereasSEPLA) feigned surprise at the announcement. In what is now a refrain of Spains trade unions each time a mass redundancy scheme is announced, a union source at Norwegian told La Vanguardia, we knew an ERE [redundancy scheme] was coming, but we did not imagine this size.

These statements reveal the reactionary role of the trade unions as appendages of management. The redundancy scheme was anticipated and SEPLA and USO did nothing to defend jobs. Instead, they met with the company last November to try to calm the furloughed workers. Norwegian official sources told the press, there are regular meetings [with the trade unions] with a certain periodicity since the pandemic began.

In January, Norwegian proposed to lay off 485 workers by cancelling their long-haul flights. USO made clear they were prepared to accept this. Its representative Ernesto Iglesias told the press he hope[d] that in the next few days the airline will present its redundancy scheme proposal and detail its plans for the short-haul fleet where they also announce layoffs. The unions did not even call token protests or short duration stoppages, waiting for the company to formalise the layoffs on April 26.

The magnitude of the redundancy scheme was predictable. Norwegian is in a global restructuring process and in recent months has been carrying out similar actions in all the countries it operates in. The trade unions in those countries have, like USO and SEPLA, done nothing to defend jobs.

In the UK, after eliminating long-haul flights, Norwegian laid off 1,100 pilots and cabin crew members at London Gatwick (LGW) airport. The Unite union, which represented 700 of those workers, said only that they were not consulted about the job losses and that workers were owed outstanding wages and redundancy pay.

Beyond offering to provide legal support to workers, Unite did nothing more than appeal to the Tory government while launching a nationalist campaign to prevent workers from waging a necessary united struggle across borders. Unite has warned ministers that the kind of support for the industry seen in competitor nations is desperately needed here. It is now absolutely imperative that government steps in, said its regional officer Jamie Major.

Facing no opposition, Norwegian management went on the offensive. In February, the companys bailed-out UK branch told over 1,000 laid-off employees that it could not afford to pay them their final wages or other redundancy payments. In a final insult, Norwegian told the workers they could hold on to their uniforms and branded cabin bags as a keepsake of their time with the airline.

In Italy, Norwegian's 322 employees were fired in mid-February, again without notice, after its Italian subsidiary went into liquidation. The company did not even bother to activate the public aid that workers can benefit from in the event of dismissal.

The Italian Federation of Transport Workers (Federazione Italiana Lavoratori TrasportiFILT), the Italian Confederation of Trade Unions (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori CISL) and Italian Union of Transport Workers (Unione Italiana dei Lavoratori dei TrasportiUILT), issued a statement of surprise: Norwegian, unexpectedly and without even consulting with the unions, has decided to leave hundreds of its Italian-based employees on the street, along with their families, in the midst of a global pandemic. Their only response was to hold a rally in front of the Norwegian embassy.

The following day, Norwegian laid off 286 employees in France, when its French subsidiary declared bankruptcy. The unions again claimed to be caught unawares. Workers were informed in a simple text message. As in the Italian case, the company virtually disappeared, still owing salaries and compensation to its workers. To this day they remain unpaid, despite the firm receiving 8 million in aid from the French state.

The trade unions limited themselves to taking the company to court. According to Alexandra Lafargue, union representative of the UNAC cabin crew union in France, they were unable to even apply for unemployment insurance because the liquidators in Irelandwhere Norwegian based its French and Italian subsidiariesdid not give us any documents.

In the United States, Norwegian laid off 514 employees. The airlines subsidiary in the US had been widely criticized for using an agency based in Singapore, OSM Aviation, to hire employees with low-salaries and on short-term contracts.

In Finland, the company has fired 283 workers in similar fashion. In Sweden, it has reduced the workforce from 733 to 59 employees, and in Denmark, from 734 to 55. In Norway, where the airline has received financial aid from the government worth hundreds of millions of euros, it is for now maintaining its structure and some 2,000 jobs.

Norwegian co-founder Bjorn Kjos and OSM Aviation owner Bjorn Tore Larsen plan to operate with a new low-cost airline in the US by December, Norse Atlantic. Reflecting the mass desperation in the industry due to the huge number of layoffs worldwide, the Wall Street Journal reported that on its first day Norse received 20 job applications a minute. In one week, it received 8,000 applications.

Norse has already received the approval of Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA)-CWA, AFL-CIO. Despite the mass redundancies imposed by Norwegian in many of its global bases. Nelson said of Norse Atlantic, We believe that Norse can provide good jobs as flight attendants to respect labour rights in the US and Europe. Nelson added that the airline was happy to work with the AFA.

No wonder. The AFA has presided over tens of thousands of job cuts in America, including American Airlines (25,000), United Airlines (36,000), and Delta Air Lines (17,000). Their only response has been to plead for another government-backed corporate bailout for the airlines, like its European counterparts.

The mass and global jobs cull at Norwegian Air Shuttle reveals the complete inability of the trade unions to defend jobs, salaries and conditions. To fight back, workers must turn to the only allies they havetheir colleagues in other airlines and airports, including the tens of thousands of other workers under redundancy schemes, and the wider international working class.

Workers need new combat organisations independent of the trade unions. The International Committee of the Fourth International is calling for the building of an International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC). The IWA-RFC will bring together workers from all over the world to confront the attacks of the corporations and carry out an offensive based on the needs of workers not the accumulation of profits for the super-rich.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 02:48:46|Editor: huaxia

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and other organizations jointly organized a rally on Saturday in Chinatown in Oakland, the U.S. state of California, against racial discrimination and hate crimes.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, attended the event.

Schaaf greeted the demonstrators in Chinese, saying that she was glad to see individuals and communities have stepped forward to wrap arms around Chinatown to support those who had been subjected to hate and discrimination.

"This is our moment to say no longer," Schaaf said.

According to Rob Bonta, the California attorney general's office and the California Department Of Justice were taking action against hate crimes. "We fight side by side. That does not just be an issue for the API community, because so many communities have faced and suffered the sting of hate in California and throughout this nation's history," he noted.

"Too many times in too many places, people have been hurt and targeted and attacked because of who they are, where they're from, or who they love. And we know that is wrong," Bonta added.

Daniel Wu, an actor growing up in Oakland, participated in the rally and delivered a speech.

"We are clearly seeing a result of the hatred that was spread over the last eight years has disseminated down to the street level and we're seeing it now. And so we need to fight against that," Wu said.

He argued that the solutions would not be short-term. "This is a great moment, but we need to keep pushing and get that door open and keep pushing through against hate against racism and unite together."

During a press conference for the Asian community and media on Thursday in the city, Craig Fair, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of San Francisco field office, said that over the past year, the FBI had seen an increase in the number of reported hate incidents and hate crimes across the United States in California, and in the San Francisco bay area, particularly in Oakland. Enditem
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

Latin America

Puerto Rican electrical workers strike over COVID-19 demands, government contract

The Puerto Rican Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers Union (UTIER) union called a walkout May 12 over inadequate anti-COVID-19 measures. UTIER representatives had visited a number of work sites and found rampant lack of compliance with safety protocols. Among them were the taking of temperatures, social distancing, disinfection of work areas, provision of personal protective equipment and available soap and hand sanitizer.

UTIER also repeated its demand that the government cancel its contract with LUMA Energy to provide electricity to the island. The union says that the contract will raise rates and take away workers rights and pensions, while giving LUMA the right to leave if a hurricane, earthquake or other disaster occurs. It called on the legislature to override Governor Pedro Pierluisis recent veto of a resolution that postpones the contract.

Belizean public service workers, teachers strike over pay cut

Members of the Belize National Teachers Union and the Public Service Union struck last week to demand the rescission of a 10 percent pay cut and a freeze on raises for public sector workers approved by the nations legislators. In Belize City, picketers marched to and gathered outside the House of Culture, site of a meeting of cabinet ministers. Protests also took place in Belmopan, Benque Viejo del Carmen and other cities.

Union officials, meanwhile, have been in negotiations with government representatives. They have characterized the nations fiscal crisis as the result of corruption and inefficiency and claim that it can be alleviated by various good governance legislative measures.

Dominica: college educators and staff strike over long-festering grievances

Faculty and staff at Dominica State College (DSC) on the island of Dominica went on strike May 10 over demands that have been ignored by the administration for years. Among their grievances, some of which date back to 2014, are poor working conditions, discrepancies in contracts and a decrease in their monthly base pay from 4,000 to 3,200 East Caribbean dollars (US$1,480 to 1,184).

Workers point to the lamentable state of infrastructure: lack of furniture and doors in classrooms, no electricity in some rooms, no library, auditorium, computer rooms, or technical/vocational workshops. Other complaints regard the actions of the college president, who unilaterally imposed a three- to five-year probation period before eligibility for permanent employment and has yet to pay a three percent raise dating to the 2017-18 school year.

When the workers gathered at the DSC compound that day to hold a protest, the Commonwealth Police Force and security personnel prevented the action and escorted them off the campus. They were informed that they had been fired as well. They then held a protest outside the DSC grounds, displaying placards and chanting. Both Prime Minister Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit and the minister of Housing and Urban Development berated the protesters, alleging that they had callous disregard for the students and were driven by political motives. Since then, meetings involving the cabinet secretary, the administration and the Dominica Public Service Union have been scheduled. DSC staff have resolved to stay on strike until there is a resolution.

Venezuelan nurses protest for national vaccination plan, better pay and conditions

Nurses across Venezuela held protests on May 12 to demand that the government come up with a national vaccination plan. They also demanded a salary raise and better working conditions, including improvements in infrastructure and provision of medicine and supplies.

The protests, which coincided with National Nurses Day, were held in at least 15 states, according to the national nurses union.

Argentine public transport workers strike for overdue wages

The UTA public transport workers union in Rosario, Argentina began an indefinite strike May 15, following the citys lack of response to its demand for the payment of 50 percent of April wages on May 13. Since the stoppage encompassed urban, interurban and medium-distance transport, it impacted bus and rail services in a radius of about 200 km (125 mi.) around the city.

The main demand is for payment of wages for April, but also includes travel expenses and a quota agreed to during parity talks last year. In the case of some medium-distance firms, wages are four months overdue.

United States

Sunbury, Pennsylvania school staff strike against concessions

The 63 support staff for the Shikellamy School District in Sunbury, Pennsylvania began a strike May 14 to protest the districts plan to impose $600,000 in annual cuts on secretaries and aides for classrooms and lunch rooms. The Shikellamy Education Support Professionals Association and the district have been in negotiations since January 2020 and have failed to reach an agreement.

The district has now asked a professional service company to submit proposals to replace school support personnel. Meanwhile, the district has reassigned staff members to fill positions vacated by strikers.

Union President Jodie Kovaschetz calculated that the districts concession demands will amount to almost $3 million in wages and benefits in the course of the next five years.

Food processing company locks out Fresno, California workers

Some 45 workers were ordered off the premises of the Stratas Foods processing plant in Fresno, California on May 4 after contract negotiations broke down. Management escorted workers out of the plant after members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 6 voted down the companys final offer.

Stratas is trying to claim the union is on strike, while the ILWU charges the company with locking workers out. Union Business Agent Corey Tacconi said workers had put up with too many low-ball offers and the membership decided were not taking it.

The original contract expired back in March of 2020 and was extended for one year. Both sides confirm that wages are the sticking point, but no other details are available. Currently, the company is attempting to maintain production with management personnel.

Stratas Foods has nine plants in six states. The company asserts it is the leading supplier of fats, oils, mayonnaise, dressings and sauces to the Foodservice, Food Ingredients and Retail Private Label markets in North America.

Nurses picket Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California

About 40 nurses picketed outside the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California on May 14 to draw attention to a number of safety issues that contrast poorly when compared to surrounding hospitals. Members of the California Nurses Association (CNA) complain that their facemasks are not medical grade, and other protective equipment is of poor quality.

They are also concerned over infection control protocols and safe staffing levels.

Referring to past regional disasters such as the Camp Fire of 2018, registered nurse Lisa Seynowa told KRCR TV, We live in an area thats been affected by natural disasters too many times recently. So as a rule of thumb we should have three months of PPE on hand.

Besides these issues, the CNA has been negotiating for six months on a new contract on behalf of 1,000 Enloe nurses. The old agreement expired in March. Management is currently offering a wage package that freezes wages in the first year, followed by three percent increases in the second and third years.

Canada

Federal Liberal government subsidizes strikebreaking operations

The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been providing special pandemic relief funds for private corporations to subsidize expenses companies have incurred to impose lockouts and break strikes. Analysis of payouts provided to corporations under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program shows that monies were used by companies to pay for strikebreaking operations.

The CEWS program allows for companies reporting a drop in revenues over the course of the pandemic to receive government relief to cover a large portion of wage outlays. Companies do not need to explain how or even if the reduction in profits was related to COVID-19 impacts. Already a number of companies who experienced labour stoppages due to strikes or lockouts have collected funds. To date, over 1,200 complaints over the use of CEWS funds have been filed with the federal government.

One of the most egregious cases is that of the Federated Cooperatives Ltd. (FCL) oil refinery in Regina, Saskatchewan. FCL locked out about 750 workers in December 2019 in a power play designed to wrest massive contract concessions. That lockout spanned almost seven months with the dispute settled at the end of June 2020. Over the course of the dispute, FCL operated a scab camp inside the facility that housed hundreds of replacement workers. It regularly used helicopters to fly scabs and supplies in and out of the compound.

To oversee its scab-herding operation, FCL acquired the services of several companies, including the notorious anti-worker, anti-strike international security firm AFIMAC. In addition, the company used right-wing independent truckers to break blockades and leaned heavily on the police, the courts and the Saskatchewan government of Scott Moe to smash worker resistance. In the end, with Unifor, the union organizing the locked out workers utterly prostrate before FCL, a contract was rammed through that eviscerated pensions, benefits, jobs, and work rules across the board.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Organizations have been hit hard over the last year. On Tuesday, one of those organizations needs your help.

Catholic Charities in Terre Haute will kick off a fundraiser called 'A Day of Giving.'

The organization received a challenge grant from the Wabash Valley Community Foundation.

Organizers say for every dollar collected by Catholic Charities, the grant will match it with $2.

Catholic Charities told us they need you to step up and help.

There are three ways you can give for the Day of Giving.

You can give online here. You stop into Federal Coffee and Fine Foods, and you can go to the Soup Kitchen at Catholic Charities to donate in person from 11:30 am until 1:30 pm.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) -- The 12 Points area of Terre Haute continues to see improvements. Those new and renovated businesses we've told you about aren't the only changes the area is undergoing. Now, old houses are getting a brand new life.

Jennifer Mullen-Perry is the Co-Founder of Mullen Renovations.

She said she, and her sister, started their company as a way to invest back in the community.

Mullen-Perry is also the Co-Founder of 12 Points Revitalization. 12 Points Revitalization is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing new life back into the 12 Points area.

So when it came to choosing where to kick start the sister's new business, Mullen-Perry told News 10 it was a no-brainer.

She said, "We've been trying to help revitalize the 12-points community for two and a half years now. We started out picking trash, and now here we are buying some real estate and trying to make the houses nicer for the entire community."

Mullen-Perry says originally the sisters bought three different properties to renovate. One of those properties sold, and now their next project is the other two homes.

Mullen-Perry said she just wants to see her community thrive. Mullen-Perry said, "There are so many assets here it's crazy not to invest in this community. I think the sky is the limit for bringing people here and growing the local economy, and bringing people back to Terre Haute because there are so many cool things to do."

Mullen-perry told us her renovation projects would not have been possible without the efforts of many.

She said, "So I'm just thankful for all the angels in the community who have banded together to make all of this stuff happen. Because you can't do it alone, but we have partnered with the doers and the dreamers and we couldn't be more excited."

Mullen-Perry said this will be a long process, but in the end, it will all be worth it.

Mullen-Perry told News 10 improving these old homes will help bring life back to the area.

As the 12 Points area changes, Mullen-Perry believes the houses need to grow with it.

She said many people right now are looking to move back to Terre Haute.

She said she wants to help those people come to our community by creating homes where people will want to raise their families.

Mullen-Perry said, "But I really think if we do this and grow the economy, and make Terre Haute an attractive town those jobs will come. They really will. Then people will stay here and flourish in Terre Haute and enjoy all of the assets that are here already."

Mullen-Perry said she hopes by doing this that many people will come to call Terre Haute home.
ROBINSON, Ill. (WTHI) - A janitor was the first person to find the suspicious package around 7:20 Monday morning. In response law enforcement put all downtown activity on hold. That included a reverse 911 call to people in the area.

Two blocks in each direction were blocked off to traffic. That included Route 33.

The Secretary of State Police hazardous device unit was called in. One member of that unit investigated the package. After around 10 minutes of working crews were given the all-clear.

Police discovered that the package was empty. But the story doesn't stop there. Police then began investigating the box once it was deemed safe.

Crawford County Sheriff William Rutan explains, "It doesn't look like it's just an empty box. There's some glue, there's two boxes involved. It just seems like it was intentional to disrupt the flow of the court system."
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The Terre Haute Regional Airport is developing some leads to bring businesses to Terre Haute. The airports team did this at the recent MRO Conference. That stands for maintenance, repair, and overhaul. News 10 spoke with the airport's Executive Director Jeff Hauser for more information.

Hauser says these businesses that they met with deal with anything that has to do with airplanes. It could be aircraft interiors, engine repair, or painting for example. He spoke about how the airport ties in, and how his team can bring in new business to Terre Haute.

For many of these companies, they need a runway there because the airplanes land and taxi to their facility to be worked on, Hauser explained, So having that runway and sitting close to a runway and taxiway really helps them out.

Hauser says it was the first in-person meeting in over a year due to COVID, and it was a little different. Typically, there are about 900 vendors at the conference. This year there was around 380. Hauser says the airport team met with five different companies, and it hopes to bring a couple to the area in about three years.

Were hoping that we can bring one or two of those companies to Terre Haute. Most of them are in the south now or the southwest and theyre looking for something in the Midwest where they can get closer to Chicago, Louisville, St. Louisthose areas, Hauser said, Three years is almost perfect for us because that gives us time to get the ground preppedthings liked thatand for them, they can let us know what type of facilities that they want that we can start on.

Hauser says this is setting the groundwork to bring potential economic development to Terre Haute. He says having a large FedEx facility right down the road in Indianapolis certainly makes the Terre Haute Regional Airport attractive.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  Authorities have released the name of a man who was shot to death in a confrontation that left four Birmingham police officers wounded.

The county coroner's office says 39-year-old Brian Timothy Dunne of Birmingham was killed on Sunday.

The four officers who were hurt are all recovering at home.

Police say Dunne shot and wounded four officers as they tried to carry out a search warrant at his apartment.

Dunne was suspected of killing two people during an argument over a dog.

Court records dont show any criminal record for Dunne in Alabama other than a traffic ticket.
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - A mother and father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against an Oxford daycare following the death of their infant daughter in November 2020.

The incident happened at the daycare on Nov. 17, 2020.



Oxford police arrested Amy Rogers of Grenada. | Source: Oxford Police Department Oxford police arrested Amy Rogers of Grenada. | Source: Oxford Police Department

The infant, Brynlee Hastings, later died at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

The death resulted in the arrest of daycare worker Amy Rogers. Oxford police investigators charged her with culpable negligence manslaughter.

Read More - Manslaughter arrest made in Oxford following infant death

The lawsuit claims Rogers flipped the infant onto her stomach and pushed the child's head into the cushioned mat she was lying on.

Brynlee Hastings suffocated, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says the daycare's management knew about Rogers' alleged history of negligence and did nothing.

The parents are seeking compensatory and punitive damages in an amount determined by a jury.

Open this link to view the lawsuit.
Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 04:51:29|Editor: huaxia

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A Palestinian firefighter puts out a fire that broke out on a house after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, May 16, 2021. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since Monday reached 188, including 55 children and 33 women, in addition to more than 1,000 injuries. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

by Sanaa Kamal

GAZA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have left dozens of people dead and more than 1,000 others injured, leaving the government-run hospitals in the Palestinian enclave overburdened due to the sudden rise of patients.

Hospitals there are operating under a state of emergency, amid a severe shortage of capabilities and supplies due to the tight Israeli blockade that has been in place for nearly 15 years.

In western Gaza city, the Shifa Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, is constantly busy as ambulances and private cars keep bringing in the Palestinian injured by the Israeli attacks.

Marwan Abu Saada, director of the Shifa hospital for surgery, said the complex receives more than 50 percent of the Palestinian victims of the Israeli attacks.

"The vast majority of those wounded in the Israeli attacks suffer from serious complications due to the explosions caused by missile shrapnel inside the body," he told Xinhua.

Abu Saada added that such injuries cause severe bleeding and tissue laceration, which require complex surgical interventions.

He pointed out that more than 25 percent of the injured cases are children, and a number of them underwent amputations due to the severity of their injuries.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since Monday reached 188, including 55 children and 33 women, in addition to more than 1,000 injuries.

Over the past six days, the armed conflict between Israel and the Hamas-led militant groups has kept escalating, marking the fiercest fighting between the two sides since 2014.

The ongoing conflict showed the extent of the burdens that the Palestinian doctors and paramedics have endure, as they have been working around the clock to save peoples' lives.

"Doctors and nurses face very difficult conditions...they work for long hours, which eats up hospital's capacity," Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Health Ministry in Gaza, told Xinhua.

He added that the military escalation increased pressure on the health system, which was already exhausted by the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic as well as the tight Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.

He warned that hospitals suffer from a significant shortage of capabilities, medicines and medical supplies, adding that hospitals' warehouses have run out of 256 types of drugs.

"The health system in Gaza is near collapse due to the ongoing Israeli escalation," al-Qedra said.

Iyad Abu Zahir, director-general of the health ministry's ambulance and emergency department, said that the number of injured Palestinians is rapidly climbing.

"We recorded 65 injuries during the first day of the attacks...more than 950 people were injured until this morning," Abu Zahir told reporters in Gaza.

He warned that the medical system in the Gaza Strip will not be able to provide adequate health services as the number of the injured keeps increasing.

As conflict broke out last week, Israel shut down the Erez Crossing, the only pedestrian passage between the Gaza Strip and Israel, which impedes the transfer of injured to hospitals in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The Health Ministry in Gaza complained about the repeated Israeli attacks on hospitals, primary care clinics, and ambulances, in addition to the prolonged blackouts.

Yousef Abu al-Reesh, undersecretary of the Gaza health ministry, told Xinhua that the Israeli army intends to bomb the main roads in the Gaza Strip to prevent medical staff from rescuing the victims injured during the clashes with Israel.

"The health situation is horrible in the coastal enclave, especially it has been suffering from the spread of the novel coronavirus," Ahmed al-Naji, a surgeon at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis city, told Xinhua.

Al-Naji could not leave the hospital since the start of the fighting between the Palestinian armed militants in Gaza and the Israeli army.

The 42-year-old father of four told Xinhua that all hospitals and medical centers have declared a state of emergency in a bid to provide treatment for the wounded people.

"Unfortunately, we (doctors) have been challenging the most dangerous period, not only because of the ongoing military tension, but also because of the spread of the novel coronavirus," the doctor said.

Ahead of the start of the fighting on Monday, the health sector has already been suffering from the lack of medical staff, medicines, as well as equipment to treat the COVID-19 patients.

On potential danger is the possible of resurgence in COVID-19 infections in Gaza, as many people refuse to obey anti-coronavirus measures.

Even though the current conflict ends, "we will challenge the most dangerous wave of the virus spreading among people, especially as they react with each other without wearing the medical facemasks," Al-Naji warned. Enditem
Charleston, WV (25311)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening - fog may develop overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Clarksburg, WV (26301)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with numerous thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 76F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms before midnight. Low 61F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Weather Alert

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM MDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...West to northwest winds 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 65 mph expected. * WHERE...Southeast Wyoming along and east of the Laramie Range. This includes but is not limited to Douglas, Esterbrook, Lusk, Wheatland, Torrington, Cheyenne and Vedauwoo. * WHEN...6 PM this evening until 6 AM MDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Mainly to transportation. Strong crosswinds will be hazardous to light weight and high profile vehicles, including campers and tractor trailers. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A High Wind Warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more can lead to property damage. &&
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 05:35:15|Editor: huaxia

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A new batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrive at the Carthage International Airport in Tunis, Tunisia, May 16, 2021. Earlier on Sunday, Tunisia received the third batch of 158,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, as part of the global COVAX initiative, after having received, through the same initiative, 98,400 doses of the same vaccine in April. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

TUNIS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia reported on Sunday 740 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total cases to 326,572, the Tunisian Ministry of Health said.

The death toll in Tunisia rose by 70 to 11,849, while the tally of recoveries reached 287,644, the ministry said in a statement.

A total of 1,387,361 lab tests have been carried out in Tunisia so far, said the ministry.

Earlier on Sunday, Tunisia received the third batch of 158,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, as part of the global COVAX initiative, after having received, through the same initiative, 98,400 doses of the same vaccine in April.

So far, 570,553 people have been vaccinated, among them 392,067 with their first dose and 178,486 with the second, according to the health ministry's latest report. Enditem
Weather Alert

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT... * WHAT...West to southwest winds 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 65 mph expected. * WHERE...Lower elevations of Carbon and Albany counties. This includes but is not limited to Rawlins, Saratoga, Elk Mountain, Laramie, and Shirley Basin. * WHEN...Until Midnight MDT tonight. * IMPACTS...Mainly to transportation. Strong crosswinds will be hazardous to light weight and high profile vehicles, including campers and tractor trailers. In addition, strong winds combined with very warm and dry conditions will lead to extreme fire danger. Any new fires could spread rapidly. Burning of any kind of strongly discouraged. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A High Wind Warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more can lead to property damage. &&
Leslie Jones stole the show at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday night in Los Angeles. The comedian and actress was host for the evening, and she had multiple outfit changes.

To start, the 53-year-old hit the stage in a casual look, sporting a graphic T-shirt and shimmering pants. Jones completed the look in Air Jordan 1s. She wore the Air Jordan 1 Retro High Volt Gold sneakers, which featured contrasting hues of neon yellow and metallic gold-tone.



More from Footwear News

The kicks are currently available on Farfetch.com and retail for $285.

During the show, she took home the award for Best Comedic Performance for her role in Coming 2 America. In the film, Jones starred alongside Eddie Murphy as Mary, the mother Prince Akeem never knew he had.

Later on at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, Jones made a quick change wearing a bold, statement-making zebra-print suit and classic black pumps.

Earlier in the night, the SNL alum hit the red carpet in a coral-colored strapless, high-slit gown, with matching strappy platform sandals.

Other winners at the MTV Movie & TV Awards included Scarlett Johansson, who received the Generation Award, Sacha Baron Cohen with the Comedic Genius Award, as well as Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn.

To see all the red carpet arrivals at the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards, click through the gallery.

Launch Gallery: All the Celebrity Red Carpet Arrivals at the MTV Movie & TV Awards 2021

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Three contestants from the 2021 Miss Universe competition used the national costume contest to make political statements. Rodrigo Varela / Stringer / Getty Images / Benjamin Askinas / Miss Universe

The national costume show gives Miss Universe contestants the chance to celebrate their countries.

Three contestants from the 2021 competition used the show to make political statements.

Miss Myanmar won the competition with her powerful outfit.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Miss Universe competition came to a close on Sunday night, with Miss Mexico being crowned the 69th Miss Universe.

But before the final night of the competition, the 74 Miss Universe contestants participated in the national costume show, where each contestant was able to wear an outfit that celebrates and honors their home country.

The Miss Universe candidates wore a myriad of daring outfits during the show, but three contestants took their ensembles to the next level by embedding political messages into them.

Miss Myanmar won the national costume show with a 'Pray for Myanmar' sign

Thuzar Wint Lwin, Miss Myanmar, addressed Myanmar's political climate as she walked in the national costume show.

The country's military overthrew its democracy and detained its leader in February, and it has used violence to quash protesters. The Myanmar military has killed over 700 protesters to date.

During the national costume show, Lwin, who has participated in protests and donated money to people who have lost family members in the protests, carried a sign that said "Pray for Myanmar" to bring awareness to the situation in her country.

Miss Myanmar won the national costume show. Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe

"They are killing our people like animals," Lwin told The New York Times. "Where is the humanity? We are helpless here."

"The soldiers patrol the city every day and sometimes they set up roadblocks to harass the people coming through," she also told The Times. "In some cases, they fire without hesitation. We are scared of our own soldiers. Whenever we see one, all we feel is anger and fear."

Her powerful costume led Lwin to win the national costume show - even though she wasn't wearing the outfit she originally planned to sport for the competition because her luggage got lost on her way to the competition.

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Lwin thinks she will be unsafe in Myanmar because of her actions, and she does not plan to return to her home country after the competition.

Miss Singapore and Miss Uruguay also wore political outfits

Lwin wasn't the only Miss Universe contestant to make a political statement with her costume.

Miss Singapore, Bernadette Belle Ong, wore a sparkly leotard with a cape that read "Stop Asian Hate."

Miss Singapore's cape read "Stop Asian Hate." Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe

"I wanted to make sure that representation for Asians will be brought to light, especially given the situation," Ong, 26, told Insider, nodding to the uptick in violence against Asian Americans.

"It's difficult now with the prejudice and the violence," she went on to say. "I wanted to be able to shake up the movement by putting it in my dress."

Similarly, Tania Lola De Los Santos, who represented Uruguay and identifies as a lesbian, celebrated her country's LGBTQ community with her outfit.

Like Ong, De Los Santos wore a leotard with a cape. The rainbow cape read, "No more hate, violence, rejection, discrimination."

Miss Uruguay advocated for the LGBTQ+ community with her outfit. Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe

"It's important for me to use this platform for my message and not only to look beautiful," De Los Santos told Insider.

"We need more equality, not more hate and discrimination," she added.

You can see more looks from the Miss Universe national costume show here.

Read the original article on Insider
David Frost said the EU was enforcing strict checks on goods moving from Britain to NI, perpetuating risks to supply chains despite "no evidence that goods are not meeting EU standards." Photo: Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images

Britain's Brexit minister has warned Brussels to stop "point-scoring" and cooperate with the UK to see the Brexit deal through.

David Frost urged European officials to work with Britain to solve problems arising from the so-called Northern Ireland (NI) protocol, which draws a trade border in the Irish Sea.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said the overriding aim of the protocol is to "protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement", adding the protocol "is not working" if it fails to do so.

Frost also acknowledged the UK government did not anticipate the extra checks and paperwork, which resulted from the agreement he negotiated.

Northern Irelands position in the UK remained under threat and the "new relationship with the EU wont be right," until those issues are settled, he said.

"Northern Ireland is fully part of our UK union," Frost wrote. "If the protocol operates so as to damage the political, social or economic fabric of life in Northern Ireland, then that situation cannot be sustained for long."

The NI protocol  part of the UK-EU deal designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland  keeps the country in the EUs single market for goods, meaning new rules and restrictions on trade between Great Britain and NI.

Read more: UK missing out on global trade upswing due to Brexit

The minister mentioned several issues arising between the pair following Brexit as examples of a lack of "enthusiasm to make things work."

He listed, attempts to block vaccine exports to the UK, threats to cut electricity to the British island of Jersey over fishing rights as well as whether to retaliate over finance companies' access to the EU single market.

Frost added that the EU was enforcing strict checks on goods moving from Britain to NI, perpetuating risks to supply chains despite "no evidence that goods are not meeting EU standards."

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It comes after a separate research showed Britain is missing out on the global trade upswing since exiting the EU.

Figures showed, while the UK trade deficit came in at just 2.7bn ($3.8bn) in the first quarter of 2020, compared to a 6.6bn average in the 2010s, exports to the EU have fallen sharply.

According to Pantheon Macro, the deficit highlighted the fact that UK exporters have lost market share, rather than the lacklustre EU economy.

The value of goods exports to the EU fell to 32.2bn in Q1, down from 39.9bn in the last three months of the year. In contrast, exports to non-EU countries rose to 41.3bn from 40.9bn over the period.

Watch: 10 ways to Brexit-proof your finances
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday harshly criticized Ukrainian authorities for what he described as their crackdown on the Moscow-friendly opposition amid simmering tensions between the two neighbors.

Putin's statement comes a day after Viktor Medvedchuk, who heads the Opposition Platform for Life party, the largest opposition force in parliament, was placed under house arrest on treason charges that he denied. Medvedchuk has close personal ties with Putin, the godfather of his daughter.

Without mentioning Medvedchuk by name, Putin lamented what he described as the ongoing cleansing of Ukraine's political arena, saying that those who favor cooperation with Russia face political reprisals.

Those selective, politically motivated decisions are aimed at cleansing the political field from those forces which advocate a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine's southeast and good-neighborly ties with Russia, Putin said at a meeting of his Security Council.

Medvedchuk, 66, is accused of transferring oil and gas production licenses from one of the fields in Crimea to Russian authorities.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014 following the ouster of Ukraine's former Moscow-friendly president and also threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. More than 14,000 people have been killed in seven years of fighting that has devastated the country's eastern industrial heartland, called the Donbas.

The treason accusations is the latest part of a broad campaign against Medvedchuk launched by Ukrainian authorities in February, when his financial assets were frozen for three years. In February, authorities also shut down three pro-Russian TV channels, 112, Zik and NewsOne, which Medvedchuk controlled.

In an article published Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the moves against Medvedchuk's assets as a legitimate effort to prevent him from damaging the country and eroding its security.
Pre-COVID, Ryanair had consistently been making over 1bn in profit. Photo: Zheng Huansong/Xinhua via Getty

Following what Ryanair (RYA.L) has called the "most challenging year in its 35-year history", the airline's final results on Monday showed it suffered a full-year 815m (701m, $989.3m) loss.

Pre-COVID, the budget carrier had consistently been making over 1bn in operating profit.

This was a result of COVID restrictions causing traffic to plummet 81% from 149 million passengers to 27.5 million. Alongside this there was an "unprecedented" backlog of cancellation refunds.

The company said that it has reduced its costs across all group airlines and job losses were minimised via engagement with staff and unions.

Read more: EasyJet C-suite due for shakeup amid recovery hopes

Ryanair stock moved 2.3% higher at the opening bell in London following the report.

Ryanair five-day look. Chart: Yahoo Finance UK

"Ryanair, like its ultra-low-cost peer Wizz Air, weathered the crisis far better than its legacy counterparts. It also stands ready to hoover up the pent-up demand for foreign holidays we're about to see as rules on international travel finally ease," said Jack Winchester, analyst at Third Bridge.

Watch: Ryanair predicts strong recovery in travel

"While Lufthansa, IAG and Air France KLM all struggled under the weight of huge hub-and-spoke airline operations, Ryanairs point-to-point model meant it was able to adapt faster and more fully to a historic year of low demand."

Winchester notes that legacy flag carriers received more robust state support during the coronavirus crisis.

Read more: Britons to spend 2.5bn as indoor hospitality reopens

As for its outlook, Ryanair expects next year to continue to be challenging "with uncertainty around when and where Covid lockdowns and travel restrictions will be eased."

It predicts a "strong rebound in end up demand" in air travel as restrictions lift.

As of Monday in England, people will be allowed to travel to a limited selection of "green list" countries where the virus case loads have been assessed to pose less of a threat.

Story continues

This should mean a more upbeat outlook in the travel and tourism market as a whole going forward, providing borders don't shut again and variants of the virus are kept in check.

Watch: Should I book a holiday in 2021?
Note: This article discusses topics including drug addiction and depression.



Former EastEnders star Paul Nicholls has spoken candidly about his drug addiction.

Known for playing Joe Wicks on the soap between 1996 and 1997, Paul recently sat down with The Sun to discuss everything from relapsing to recovery.

"I've had addiction issues before and relapsed last year," Paul began. "The rabbit hole I went down led to places that I never thought I'd end up in  in flats with people that I didn't know.

Photo credit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

"I was taking lots of dihydrocodeine, a very strong opiate painkiller and on top of that, cocaine... every time I relapsed cocaine is always present," he further recalled.

"At certain points I'd be gone for three or four days and not sleep at all. I stopped caring, I pressed the 'f**k it' button."

After suffering a stroke in 2018, Paul became severely depressed, and he relapsed in 2020.

"Once I take any substance, judgment goes out the window," he said. "In the places I ended up, people knew who I was. I know there's people out there with pictures and that's why I'm kind of saying all this stuff.

"It was horrendous. I didn't care about myself. I wasn't well at all."

Photo credit: Steve Meddle/ITV - Shutterstock

Paul also reflected on his serious accident in 2017 on holiday in Thailand, in which he broke both his legs and was rescued by emergency services after becoming trapped.

He confirmed that he spent six months in hospital and added that "it was an incredibly hard thing to come back from".

Since relapsing, the actor has attended Narcotics Anonymous sessions, fighting hard to stay clean for the last few months.

"If I don't stop, I will die," Paul added.

"There is a bit of hope now, though. I mean, I'm back in recovery. I have fear, which most addicts do. But I can get to a year clean again and work again."

For more on drug addiction and dependency, including information and support, please visit FRANK or Action on Addiction.

Story continues

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WASHINGTON  In a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, President Joe Biden "expressed his support for a cease-fire," according to a White House readout of the conversation.

The shift came after 29 Democratic and independent senators issued a joint statement on the issue earlier Monday.

To prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories, we urge an immediate cease-fire, said the group led by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.

At least 200 Palestinians have been killed in a week of airstrikes, including 59 children and 35 women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Ten people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier, have been killed in the rocket attacks launched from Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel.

Democrats split on Israel

The deadly violence isnt just an urgent foreign policy crisis for Biden. Its also a fraught political debate in Washington, with Democrats increasingly divided over the consistent economic and military support the U.S. has provided Israel since its founding.

"The movement for a more balanced U.S. policy that is pro-Israel, pro-peace, anti-occupation  has grown significantly over the past few years, and its become a major force in the Democratic Party," said Logan Bayroff, communications director for J Street, a left-leaning Jewish advocacy group.

Biden is under mounting pressure from progressives to offer stronger support for the Palestinians, who were sidelined during much of the Trump administration.

Tensions among Democrats were heightened Monday after The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration approved $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel. Members of Congress were notified of the sale nearly two weeks ago. It makes up just a fraction of the more than $3 billion in annual security assistance the United States sends to Israel.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and some Democrats have criticized the aid, saying it needs to come with strings attached.

Story continues

"We can no longer be apologists for the right-wing Netanyahu government and its undemocratic and racist behavior," Sanders wrote in a New York Times opinion piece, saying it's illegal for U.S. aid to support human rights violations.

"For years we have seen a deepening Israeli occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and a continuing blockade on Gaza that make life increasingly intolerable for Palestinians," Sanders wrote.

Bayroff said J Street wants the White House to ensure none of the U.S. security assistance to Israel is used to fund equipment or other items that Israel deploys for settlement expansion, home demolitions or other activities "that are entrenching occupation and making this conflict worse."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has repeatedly noted that Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group, is firing rockets at Israeli civilians. He has not given as much rhetorical attention to the spark that ignited the conflict: an effort by Jewish settlers to evict Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem.

Biden's support for a ceasefire on Monday came in a private call with Netanyahu, not a public demand for an end to the violence. And in that conversation, Biden also reiterated his "firm support for Israels right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks," the White House said.

Ilan Goldenberg, who worked on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at the State Department during the Obama administration, said Israel has become a more partisan issue  in part because of Netanyahus full-throated embrace of the GOP and his hostile relations with the White House during the Obama administration.

There is also, he said, a growing and increasingly vocal minority within the Democratic Party that wants the U.S. to play a different role in the conflict.

It becomes a very tough sort of political balance for the administration to strike for a Democratic administration to strike on an issue that's increasingly divisive inside the party itself.

He said there is still a very strong pro-Israel contingent in the Democratic Party, but theres a sense that lawmakers can be pro-Israel and oppose Netanyahus aggressive settlement policies, which have squeezed the Palestinians into ever-shrinking territory.

Some Democrats say Biden's handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict undermines his pledge to put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy.

"You arent prioritizing human rights. Youre siding with an oppressive occupation," Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., posted in a tweet last week after the White House issued the readout of Biden's call with Netanyahu.

And even some stalwart pro-Israel lawmakers are starting to shift as the death toll spirals with no resolution in sight.

On Friday, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a rare condemnation of Israel's attacks on a building that housed the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera.

"I am deeply troubled by reports of Israeli military actions that resulted in the death of innocent civilians in Gaza as well as Israeli targeting of buildings housing international media outlets," Menendez said.

The ideological makeup of the caucus has also shifted in recent years, with newly elected progressives often being more willing to criticize bedrock U.S. policy positions on Israel and the Palestinian territories.

"The Palestinians are an occupied people. They are an oppressed people. Innocent people and children are suffering as America supports the occupation and denies Palestinians freedom," Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., tweeted.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who is Palestinian American, has condemned fellow lawmakers for continuing "unconditional support" for Israel that "has enabled the erasure of Palestinian life."

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., explicitly connected the conflict between Israel and Palestinians to issues of police brutality and racial justice in the U.S. "The fight for Black lives and the fight for Palestinian liberation are interconnected. We oppose our money going to fund militarized policing, occupation, and systems of violent oppression and trauma," Bush wrote in a tweet.

In a House floor speech, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who is Palestinian American, said she was "a reminder to colleagues that Palestinians do indeed exist, that we are human." Tlaib then condemned her colleagues for continuing "unconditional support" for Israel that "has enabled the erasure of Palestinian life."

But many Democrats in Washingtonsee Israel's alliance as crucial to American interests.

"Firing rockets at civilians in Israel is an act of terrorism, period. The latest rocket fire underscores the need for missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, which protects Israeli civilians  both Arabs and Jews  from the terrorism of Hamas," Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., tweeted.

Others also spoke out against the terrorist group.

Please dont be fooled by false choices. Israel and Hamas? If I am asked (to choose) between a terrorist organization and our democratic ally, I will stand with Israel every day of the week, Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., chair of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism, said in a floor speech Thursday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden supports Israel, Gaza cease-fire in call with Netanyahu
May 17West Virginia University faculty members and graduate students have put together an activity guide that includes games, trivia and crafts designed to aid in dementia caregiving.

The Appalachian Activities for Dementia Manual was created using psychology, social work and neuroscience research. The manual is designed especially for individuals with dementia and other cognitive disorders who grew up in the Appalachian region. It incorporates Appalachian culture to support the ability of those individuals to remember past experiences, as well as to connect with the senses of those individuals.

Michaela Clark, a fourth-year graduate student in WVU's Life-Span Developmental Ph.D. program, developed a lot of the material in the manual and worked with Professor of Social Work Kristina Hash to put the manual together.

Clark said dementia is an umbrella term for several different medical conditions that are characterized by abnormal brain changes, resulting in the decline of many cognitive abilities. Those observing individuals with dementia may also notice changes in behavior or emotions.

The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for about two-thirds of all dementia cases in the United States.

The overall goal of the manual is to improve the lives of older adults with dementia, Clark said.

"Not only do we want to develop activities that people can do with their loved ones, but also find activities that are appropriate for long-term-care-facility-type settings to help nursing home staff as well, " she said.

The manual is designed predominantly for interactive use by caregivers attending to individuals who have dementia.

Clark said caregiving is a tough job, not only for those who provide care in the aforementioned facilities, but also for those who care for their loved ones at home.

Clark created the sections of the manual that include matching games, foods that would have been well-known to adults in the Appalachian region and famous adultsmostly musicianswho would have been particularly popular with older people in the Appalachian region, like Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton.

Story continues

Lab assistants and other graduate students helped pull together information to contribute to other sections to the manual, including researching sounds recognizable in the Appalachian region such as train whistles, as well as games and crafts popular in the area.

These activities and sensory stimuli support dementia caregiving by encouraging individuals with dementia to recall memories of previous experiences with such activities.

"What happens with dementia is generally the last things that are learned are the first things that go. So, what we want to do is pull on some of those early memories. That's why we use stimuli they would have been really, really familiar with, " Clark said.

The stimuli included in the manual are designed to evoke happy memories, start conversations and get individuals with dementia engaged so they can adequately relive the memories they're experiencing.

Though the manual is complete and available for free use, Clark's work regarding individuals with dementia and the people who care for them is far from done. She plans to continue researching and expand the manual for her dissertation.

Clark's dissertation work will examine the differences between traditional Montessori activities with older adults and the Montessori-styled but Appalachian-themed activities presented in the WVU manual.

There is a small body of research that suggests there is a benefit to using culturally sensitive materials over generic ones in dementia caregiving.

"[I'll be ] looking at differences in affect and engagement to see if there's an improvement for those culturally specific type of materials, " Clark said.

Her dissertation is still in the early stages, as she is working on obtaining Institutional Review Board approval for data collection.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 05:55:36|Editor: huaxia

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Video: "For all of that, the Security Council shoulders heavy responsibilities. We must act to seek immediate de-escalation of the tension, halt hostilities, protect civilians and provide humanitarian assistance to those in desperate need," says Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, on May 16, 2021. (Xinhua)

"We must act to bring the Middle East peace process back to the right track, implement relevant United Nations resolutions and reconfirm our support to the two-state solution," says Zhang Jun.



UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Sunday vowed to push for UN Security Council action to defuse Israeli-Palestinian tension.

As the Security Council president for the month of May, China will continue to push the council to take prompt action and to speak in one voice, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We must take action in ending the current crisis, especially through political dialogue," he told reporters after a Security Council open debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was requested by China, Norway and Tunisia.

China will continue to work closely with Norway, Tunisia and other members of the Security Council to seek the adoption of a statement by the council, he said. "We sincerely hope that all members will join our efforts for that."

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Tareq Snobar, 24, who was killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers, during his funeral in Yetma village, east of the West Bank city of Nablus, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

China is very much concerned about the alarming, worrisome situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired Sunday's open debate and comprehensively elaborated on China's position at the meeting, said Zhang.

The most urgent and pressing task at this moment is to cease fire and stop violence. What is equally important is to advance a just settlement of the Palestinian question on the basis of the two-state solution, he said.

"For all of that, the Security Council shoulders heavy responsibilities. We must act to seek immediate de-escalation of the tension, halt hostilities, protect civilians and provide humanitarian assistance to those in desperate need. We must act to bring the Middle East peace process back to the right track, implement relevant United Nations resolutions and reconfirm our support to the two-state solution," said Zhang.

It's obvious that without a just settlement of the Palestinian question, there will be no true peace in Palestine, Israel or the wider Middle East region, he added.

After the Security Council open debate, China, Norway and Tunisia issued a joint statement to demand an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Relatives of Palestinian Yassin Hamad, 25, who was killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers, mourn over his body during his funeral in Seida village, north of the West Bank city of Nablus, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)

The three countries expressed deep concern about the situation in Gaza and the rising number of civilian casualties, and called for an immediate end to hostilities, full respect for international law, including international humanitarian law, and the protection of civilians, especially children, says the joint statement.

"We demanded an immediate cessation of all acts of violence, provocation, incitement, destruction, and eviction plans. Furthermore, we expressed concern about the tensions and violence in East Jerusalem, especially in and around the holy sites, including at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and urged the exercise of maximum restraint and (called) for the respect of the historic status quo at the holy sites," says the statement.

The three countries reiterated their support for a negotiated two-state solution and called for the intensification and acceleration of diplomatic efforts and support toward that goal.

Sunday's open debate was the first Security Council public event to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the escalation. Previously, the three countries managed to push for two rounds of closed-door consultations of the Security Council. 
International

AP

Israel stages new round of heavy airstrikes on Gaza City

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Israeli warplanes unleashed a series of heavy airstrikes at several locations in Gaza City early Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gazas Hamas rulers would rage on.

Explosions rocked the city from north to south for 10 minutes in an attack that was heavier, in a wider area and lasted longer than a series of air raids 24 hours earlier in which 42 Palestinians were killed  the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence between Israel and the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza. The earlier Israeli airstrikes flattened three buildings.

Local media reports said the main coastal road west of the city, security compounds and open spaces were among the targets hit early Monday. The power distribution company said the airstrikes damaged a line feeding electricity from the only power plant to large parts of southern Gaza City.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

In a televised address Sunday, Netanyahu said Israels attacks were continuing at full-force and would take time. Israel wants to levy a heavy price on the Hamas militant group, he said, flanked by his defense minister and political rival, Benny Gantz, in a show of unity.

Hamas also pressed on, launching rockets from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel. One slammed into a synagogue in the southern city of Ashkelon hours before evening services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Israeli emergency services said. No injuries were reported.

In the Israeli air assault early Sunday, families were buried under piles of cement rubble and twisted rebar. A yellow canary lay crushed on the ground. Shards of glass and debris covered streets blocks away from the major downtown thoroughfare where the three buildings were hit over the course of five minutes around 1 a.m.

The hostilities have repeatedly escalated over the past week, marking the worst fighting in the territory  home to 2 million Palestinians  since Israel and Hamas devastating 2014 war.

I have not seen this level of destruction through my 14 years of work, said Samir al-Khatib, an emergency rescue official in Gaza. Not even in the 2014 war.

Rescuers furiously dug through the rubble using excavators and bulldozers amid clouds of heavy dust. One shouted, Can you hear me? into a hole. Minutes later, first responders pulled a survivor out. The Gaza Health Ministry said 16 women and 10 children were among those killed, with more than 50 people wounded.

Haya Abdelal, 21, who lives in a building next to one that was destroyed, said she was sleeping when the airstrikes sent her fleeing into the street. She accused Israel of not giving its usual warning to residents to leave before launching such an attack.

We are tired, she said, We need a truce. We cant bear it anymore.

The Israeli army spokespersons office said the strike targeted Hamas underground military infrastructure.

As a result of the strike, the underground facility collapsed, causing the civilian houses foundations above them to collapse as well, leading to unintended casualties, it said.

Among those reported killed was Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Ouf, the head of the internal medicine department at Shifa Hospital and a senior member of the hospitals coronavirus management committee. Two of Abu Al-Oufs teenage children and two other family members were also buried under the rubble.

The death of the 51-year-old physician was a huge loss at a very sensitive time, said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa.

Gazas health care system, already gutted by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed in 2007 after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces, had been struggling with a surge in coronavirus infections even before the latest conflict.

Israels airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza Citys tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Sally Buzbee, the APs executive editor, called for an independent investigation into the airstrike that destroyed the AP office on Saturday.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said Sunday any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Neither the White House nor the State Department would say if any had been seen.

Its a perfectly legitimate target, Netanyahu told CBSs Face the Nation.

Asked if he had provided any evidence of Hamas presence in the building in a call Saturday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said: We pass it through our intelligence people.

Buzbee called for any such evidence to be laid out. We are in a conflict situation, Buzbee said. We do not take sides in that conflict. We heard Israelis say they have evidence; we dont know what that evidence is.

Meanwhile, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court on Sunday to investigate Israels bombing of the AP building and others housing media organizations as a possible war crime.

The Paris-based group said in a letter to the courts chief prosecutor that the offices of 23 international and local media organizations have been destroyed over the past six days. It said the attacks serve to reduce, if not neutralize, the medias capacity to inform the public.

The AP had operated from the building for 15 years, including through three previous wars between Israel and Hamas. The news agencys cameras, operating from its top floor office and roof terrace, offered 24-hour live shots as militant rockets arched toward Israel and Israeli airstrikes hammered the city and its surroundings.

We think its appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened yesterday  an independent investigation, Buzbee said.

The latest outbreak of violence began in east Jerusalem last month, when Palestinians clashed with police in response to Israeli police tactics during Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers. A focus of the clashes was the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a hilltop compound revered by both Muslims and Jews.

Hamas began firing rockets toward Jerusalem on Monday, triggering the Israeli assault on Gaza.

At least 188 Palestinians have been killed in hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, including 55 children and 33 women, with 1,230 people wounded. Eight people in Israel have been killed in some of the 3,100 rocket attacks launched from Gaza, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group have acknowledged 20 fighters killed in the fighting.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation that puts public schools and their districts at risk of losing civil lawsuits if they let transgender students or employees use multi-person bathrooms or locker rooms that do not reflect their gender at birth.

LGBTQ advocates have decried the legislation as discriminatory.

The Republican governor signed the bill Friday, cementing another policy into law this year in Tennessee that targets the transgender community. Numerous anti-transgender measures have advanced recently in GOP-led statehouses across the country, including in Texas, Alabama and Arkansas.

Under the bathroom measure, a student or employee could sue in an effort to claim monetary damages for all psychological, emotional, and physical harm suffered if school officials allow a transgender person into the bathroom or locker room when others are in there. They also could take legal action if required to stay in the same sleeping quarters as a member of the opposite sex at birth, unless that person is a family member.

The proposal says schools must try to offer a bathroom or changing facility that is single-occupancy or that is for employees if a student or employee desires greater privacy when using a multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility designated for their sex at birth.

Lee, who is up for reelection next year, has said the bill promotes "equality in bathrooms," despite the prohibition against transgender people using multi-person facilities that don't align with their sex at birth. The legislation takes effect July 1.

That bill provides equal access to every student. Its a reasonable accommodation, Lee told reporters last week. It allows for accommodation for every student regardless of their gender. I think thats a smart approach to the challenge.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has said the requirement would violate equal protection rights under the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act. The ACLU expects the law will be challenged in court.

Transgender students should be treated with respect and dignity, just like everyone else," ACLU of Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg said in a statement. "Governor Lees decision to sign this bill sends the opposite message - that students should be able to discriminate against a group of their classmates by avoiding sharing public spaces with them, and sue their schools if they are prevented from doing so."

Such measures have met with opposition from LGBTQ advocates and prominent business interests. Nonetheless, it isn't the first  and won't be the last  proposed restriction affecting the transgender community to come before Lee this year. So far nationally, there has been no big, tangible repercussion where bills have passed targeting transgender people, unlike the swift backlash from the business community to North Carolina's 2016 bathroom bill.

The governor has already signed a different proposal this year that bars transgender athletes from playing girls public high school or middle school sports.

The NCAA recently picked three states  Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas  that ban interscholastic transgender athletes as host schools for softball regionals, with Arkansas' law also applying to college sports. The decision came after the organization reiterated support for transgender athletes in college sports, warning that future events should only be in places that are safe, healthy and free of discrimination.

Lee has also signed legislation to require school districts to alert parents 30 days in advance before students are taught about sexual orientation or gender identity. Parents could also opt their student out of the lesson. The requirement would not apply when a teacher is responding to a students question or referring to a historic figure or group.

Lee is still deciding whether to sign a different variety of bathroom bill" that passed this year. This one would require businesses or government facilities open to the public to post a sign if they let transgender people use multi-person bathrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms with people of their gender identity, not just their gender at birth.

Another bill passed by lawmakers seeks to ban gender-affirming medical treatment for trans minors  including the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Lee has not acted on the legislation yet. Arkansas approved a similar version earlier this year over a veto from Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.



Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee contributed to this report.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Confronting multiple unrelated international crises, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought Monday to revive strained ties with Denmark, pledging renewed cooperation with the country over climate change, Arctic policy and Russia.

As calls in Washington and around the world grew for the Biden administration to take a tougher, more active stance on increasing Israeli-Palestinian violence, Blinken largely held to his initial agenda in meetings with Danish leaders and officials from Greenland and the Faeroe Islands. He cancelled only one scheduled event to make calls on the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

Blinken's talks in Copenhagen came ahead of his first face-to-face encounter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a time of significantly heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. That meeting is set for Wednesday in Iceland on the sidelines of a meeting of the Arctic Council. It will set the stage for a planned summit next month between President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

While the deteriorating situation in the Middle East cast a shadow over his trip, Blinken brought a message of renewed U.S. cooperation to Denmark. Denmark was one of several European countries that felt slighted by former President Donald Trump and expressed clear relief at the change in administrations.

Today America is back, and in more ways than one," said Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. And, let me tell you, America has been missed.

At a joint news conference with Blinken, Kofod rattled off a litany issues on which the Biden administration has reversed course from the Trump era to Denmarks delight. Those included rejoining the Paris climate accord and World Health Organization and re-engaging with the UN Human Rights Council and the World Trade Organization.

Kofod had met less than a year ago with Blinkens predecessor, Mike Pompeo, amid lingering mistrust created by Trumps desire to buy the Danish territory of Greenland and his cancellation of a state visit to Denmark in 2019 after his suggestions were flatly rejected.

I am resolutely focused on today and tomorrow, not yesterday," Blinken said, adding that the United States would pursue new partnerships with Denmark and other countries on climate change and work more closely with like-minded nations to confront threats posed by an increasingly assertive Russia and China.

But, he said that: "Across the board, I think you've seen a few short months a determination by the United States to reinvigorate its alliances and partnerships and also our engagement with international institutions. And, he appealed for Europeans to embrace the Biden administration's policy shifts. Judge us not by what we say, but by what we do, Blinken said.

Climate change dominated the discussions. The Biden administration is seeking to restore U.S. credibility with allies on the topic after four years during which the Trump administration either downplayed the threat posed by climate change or urged other nations to take advantage of the commercial possibilities resulting from a loss of sea ice and melting glaciers.

After her meeting with Blinken, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also noted the change.

Its a different approach," Frederiksen told reporters. "That means a desire for cooperation around the Arctic region, where changes are taking place.

In a statement, the State Department said Blinken had emphasized the importance of advancing our mutual goals of combating the climate crisis, developing green technology, and continuing common efforts with the Kingdom of Denmark on the Arctic.

Former President Donald Trump had also created a stir when he proposed purchasing Greenland from Denmark, an offer roundly rejected by both. Trump then canceled a scheduled state visit to Denmark in 2019, creating more ill feelings.

A senior U.S. official said Blinken hoped to get beyond any lingering doubts on Greenland by highlighting all of the things that were doing with Greenland as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.



Jan M. Olsen contributed.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 08:17:53|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

SAO PAULO -- Brazil on Sunday reported 1,036 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the national count to 435,751, the Ministry of Health said.

Meanwhile, 40,941 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 15,627,475.

- - - -

SANTIAGO -- Chile reported 6,320 new cases of COVID-19 and 98 more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 1,286,548 and the death toll to 27,832, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.

Minister of Health Enrique Paris said that this week, there has been a "slight drop" in cases and a lower number of patients with the disease in hospitals.

- - - -

QUITO -- Ecuador registered 609 cases of COVID-19 and seven more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 410,129 and the death toll to 14,415, the Ministry of Public Health reported on Sunday.

The ministry said that over the last week, another 11,621 people recovered from the disease, for a total of 54,499, or 86.44 percent of the cumulative infections in the country.

- - - -

TUNIS -- Tunisia reported on Sunday 740 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total cases to 326,572, the Tunisian Ministry of Health said.

The death toll in Tunisia rose by 70 to 11,849, while the tally of recoveries reached 287,644, the ministry said in a statement.

- - - -

ALGIERS -- The Algerian government on Sunday approved a plan to partially reopen its borders next month, following 14 months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Council of Ministers said in a statement after holding a meeting, chaired by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, that a set of proposals, including the partial reopening of land, air and sea borders, were approved at the meeting.

- - - -

TEHRAN -- Iran reported on Sunday 11,291 new COVID-19 cases, taking the country's total infections to 2,751,166.

The pandemic has so far claimed 76,936 lives in Iran, up by 303 in the past 24 hours, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education said in a written briefing on its official website.

- - - -

LONDON -- Another 1,926 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,450,777, according to official figures released Sunday.

The country also reported another four coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,679. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test. Enditem
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YORK  A case involving the alleged possession of a large quantity of high grade marijuana and THC products has been bound over to York County District Court.

Dalvon L. Robinson, 31, of High Point, N.C., waived his preliminary hearing in York County Court and arraignment proceedings are pending in District Court at this time.

According to court documents, a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol was on regular duty on Interstate 80, in York County, when he initiated a stop of a vehicle due to a traffic violation.

Robinson was the driver of that vehicle.

According to the troopers affidavit filed with the court, Robinson said he was traveling from Oregon to Ohio and then to North Carolina.

The trooper was advised there was an active arrest warrant for Robinson out of Florida.

A service dog with the patrol alerted to the presence of narcotics and a search was conducted.
New Delhi: AirAsia India announced free cancellation and rescheduling for flights to and from West Bengal in light of the lockdown in the state.

The airline similarly continued to extend free cancellation and rescheduling for flights to and from Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as well for the current duration of the respective state lockdowns.

AirAsia introduced this additional flexibility for guests in light of the lockdown and curfew on the movement of individuals.

While the lockdowns in Karnataka, Delhi and Tamil Nadu are in force till 24th May, West Bengal till 30th May, and Maharashtra till 1st June; passengers travelling from and to airports are exempt on the production of a valid itinerary.

All AirAsia India fliers who booked their flights before the announcement of the lockdown can opt to cancel or change to another flight without incurring any change fees or cancellation charges.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education on Monday (May 17) told the Bombay High Court it had not devised a formula as yet on how to evaluate and mark Class 10 students whose board examinations were cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

A division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and S P Tavade was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a professor, Dhananjay Kulkarni, challenging the Maharashtra government's April decision cancelling Class 10 exams, according to news agency PTI.

Kulkarni's petition also challenged similar decisions taken by the ICSE and CBSE boards.

Kulkarni's advocate, Uday Warunjikar, on Monday argued that each board will have a different marking system which would cause difficulties and hardships to the students while seeking admission to Class 11.

"The Central government will have to intervene and come out with a uniform policy," he said.

Advocate Sandesh Patil, appearing for the Union government, told the court it has some control over the CBSE board but the ICSE and SSC boards are autonomous and, hence, the Centre has no control over them.

Patil further said the Union government has issued a notification on how marks should be given and the SSC and ICSE boards can adopt the same.

Advocate Kiran Gandhi, appearing for the SSC board, told the court the petition was filed prematurely.

The SSC board had not devised any formula as yet on how marks would be given to Class 10 students and the board's examination committee will come up with a formula which would be sent to the state government for final approval, Gandhi told the court.

The bench then directed the SSC board and other respondents (Centre, ICSE board and CBSE board) to file their affidavits in response to the petition, and posted the matter for further hearing on May 19.

(With inputs from news agencies)

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Kolkata: Eminent journalist and popular TV anchor Anjan Bandyopadhyay died at a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday night, a health department official said. Bandyopadhyay was tested positive for Covid-19 around a month ago. He was 56.

The editor of Bengali news channel Zee 24 Ghanta, Bandyopadhyay breathed his last at around 9.25 pm, the health department official told PTI.

According to family sources, Anjan Bandyopadhyay had tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-April following which he was hospitalised.

"He had returned home after recovering a bit but was again taken to the hospital after his condition deteriorated. He was put on a ventilator and then on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support, but his condition continued to deteriorate," an official of the hospital is quoted as saying.

Bandyopadhyay was with ETV Bangla, 24 Ghanta, and then with Anandabazar Patrika's digital unit before moving to TV9 Bangla as the channel's first Editor. He returned to Zee 24 Ghanta as its editor just before this year's assembly elections in West Bengal.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the death of the journalist, who is the brother of the state Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay. In a statement, the chief minister said, "Saddened at the passing away of Anjan Bandyopadhyay, one of the best-known television anchors in Bengal. He was a bright, young and dynamic journalist."

She further added, "I have no words to express my condolences to his family and his colleagues in the fraternity. His Ma, wife Aditi, daughter Titli, his elder brother Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who is the Chief Secretary of the State."

The Press Club, Kolkata, also condoled Anjan Bandyopadhyay's death.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: Amid the huge demand for the cancellation of CBSE Class 12 Board exams, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank is likely to take a call on the issue today (May 17, 2021).

The Education Minister is scheduled to hold a crucial meet with State Education Secretaries at 11 AM.

"The objective of the meeting is to review the COVID-19 situation, online education, and work around New Education Policy (NEP)," Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Sunday.

I will be virtually attending the meeting with State Education Secretaries on 17th May, 2021 at 11 AM. The objective of the meeting is to review the #COVID situation, online education, and work around NEP. pic.twitter.com/6VMXkBldLU  Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) May 16, 2021

Earlier on April 14, the Education Ministry had cancelled the Class 10 CBSE board exam and postponed the CBSE board exam of Class 12 due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. The exams were scheduled to begin from May 4.

The decision was taken during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Pokhriyal. As per a press note, Prime Minister Modi had reiterated that the well being of the students has to be the top priority for the Government.

"To conduct the Board Exams for Class XII, the situation will be reviewed on June 1 by the Board, and details will be shared subsequently. A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations," the Education Ministry had said.

However, in view of the current coronavirus situation in India, lakhs of students and their families are demanding to cancel the CBSE Class 12 Board exams.

Meanwhile, India, going through the second wave of coronavirus, continued to report over 3 lakh COVID-19 cases daily. There were 3,11,170 new infections and 4,077 deaths in India between Saturday and Sunday morning.

So far, the country has recorded a total of 2,46,84,077 coronavirus infections, of which, 2,07,95,335 people have recovered, while 2,70,284 have died of the fatal virus. There are still 36,18,458 active cases in India.



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Srinagar: Seven oxygen generation plants from Germany reached Jammu and Kashmirs Srinagar on Monday (May 17).

Baseer Ahmad Khan, the advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of the union territory, received the consignment that came from Frankfurt at Srinagar Airport.

He said that with the commissioning of these seven plants, the oxygen requirement in the hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir will almost be fulfilled.

Among the seven plants, five will have a capacity of 1000 LPM each, while the two plants will have a capacity of 1500 and 600 LPM.

Khan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, LG Manoj Sinha and Air Force through whose efforts the plants were received within just two days, which could otherwise have taken about months.

The advisor said that the supporting infrastructure for the oxygen plants was almost ready. The plants are expected to be installed and commissioned within a few days.

The advisor said that medical oxygen has become an important commodity in the fight against the COVID pandemic and with the commissioning of these plants, the oxygenated bed capacity of the hospitals will be greatly enhanced.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 09:08:39|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Sunday reported five new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Monday.

Three of them were reported in Liaoning and two in Anhui.

The same day also saw 20 new imported cases on the mainland. Of them, eight were reported in Zhejiang, six in Shanghai, four in Guangdong, and one each in Hunan and Sichuan.

One new suspected case arriving from outside the mainland was reported in Shanghai. No new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported on Sunday. Enditem
New Delhi: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has issued an order stating that the operations at the airport shall remain closed from 11 am to 2 pm today in view of Cyclone Tauktae. "Due to cyclone alert, Mumbai Airport operations need to be closed from 1100 hours to 1400 hours of May 17," informed Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) on Monday (May 17, 2021).

In account of Cyclone Tauktae, a heavy downpour accompanied by gusty winds was witnessed today in Mumbai. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also issued an order stating that the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai will also be closed for commuters till further notice due to heavy wind speed triggered due to the effect of Cyclone Tauktae. The commuters have been asked to take alternative routes to their destinations.

The IMD had also informed the BMC that Mumbai is not in the direct line of the threat of the cyclone. However, as it will pass through the sea near the Mumbai coast, its effect is likely to be accompanied by rain and strong winds.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued an orange alert for Mumbai warning of very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds on Monday as the very severe cyclonic storm Tauktae is likely to pass close from the Mumbai coast towards Gujarat.

Additionally, three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are stationed in Mumbai to fight any challenging situation Cyclone Tauktae might present. Numerous rescue teams, including Indian Navy, have been put on high alert.

Six teams of the Mumbai fire brigade's flood rescue unit are deployed on six beaches in the city. Five temporary shelters each are put up in 24 civic wards of the metropolis so that citizens can be shifted there if necessary, a senior civic official said.

Another official said over 500 of the 580 patients have been shifted to other COVID-19 hospitals from ICUs of jumbo Covid centres till 10 pm on Sunday.

"The shifting of the patients started on Saturday night and it went on throughout the day and night (on Sunday) since last night," a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) spokesperson said.

According to IMD officials, the very severe cyclonic storm over the east-central Arabian sea moved north-northwest with a speed of about 19 kmph and lay centred at 5.30 hours on Sunday.

"It is very likely to intensify further in the next 24-hours. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach Gujarat coast in the evening hours of May17 and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) around May 18 early morning," an official said.

The BMC had on Friday alerted city hospitals to avoid last-minute confusion over beds and availability of oxygen devices.

The IMD had said the storm is likely to pass the Mumbai coast late Saturday or early Sunday from a distance, so minimal damage is expected. It will, however, cause gusty winds and heavy rain in a few places in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar.

The civic body has suspended the vaccination programme on Monday due to the cyclone warning.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar took stock of the cyclone preparedness after visiting the BMC disaster control room.

Pednekar appealed to citizens to strictly follow the instructions given by the civic administration from time to time.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: The NDRF on Monday (May 17) said it has evacuated thousands of stranded people in the last three days in Gujarat, Kerala and Daman and Diu in view of Cyclone Tauktae.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that Tauktae has now intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm". It is likely to reach the Gujarat coast by Monday (May 17) evening and cross the state coast between 8 pm and 11 pm.

"Teams are continuously cutting and clearing heavy trees and electric poles that have been uprooted and crashed on roads. Extensive efforts are being made to bring the situation to normal in the affected states."

"In the last three days, the force has evacuated thousands of stranded people to safer places in Gujarat, Kerala and Daman and Diu and it is assisting district administration in mass evacuation of the people from the coastline," an NDRF spokesperson said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has earmarked a total of 101 teams, with 47 personnel in each, for undertaking relief and rescue operations in the aftermath of the cyclone in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Twenty-two teams out of these have been kept as a reserve at various NDRF bases in the country and can be airlifted at a short notice, a senior officer said.

The spokesperson added that a total of 44 teams "are deployed in Gujarat where the landfall of the cyclone is anticipated between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) during the night of May 17."

He added that the headquarters of the force here is closely monitoring the situation through its 24x7 control room and is in close touch with state authorities to tackle this "big challenge" that has come when the coronavirus pandemic is raging.

(inputs from agency)

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New Delhi: The Delhi international airport will shut down operations at its T2 terminal from Monday (May 17, 2021) midnight as the frequency of flights have reduced significantly due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Delhi international airport will redirect all flights to its T3 terminal, the sources revealed.

Currently, the Delhi airport is handling around 325 flights per day, which is far less than the frequency it used to handle before the COVID-19 pandemic which was 1,500 flights per day.

Terminal Change Alert! Flying to/from Delhi? Make sure you are updated with the terminal information before you Go, GoAir tweeted.

Terminal Change Alert!

Flying to/from Delhi? Make sure you are updated with the terminal information before you Go. pic.twitter.com/EeWCxwqp9d  GoAir (@goairlinesindia) May 12, 2021

The sources said average passenger traffic at the Delhi airport was around 1.15 lakh per day in February, which has reduced to around 30,000 per day right now due to the second wave.

Is your next flight to/from Delhi? Keep this terminal information handy! IndiGo said in another tweet.

Meanwhile, India recorded over 2.81 lakh new COVID-19 cases and 4,106 fatalities in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry on Monday (May 17, 2021) morning.

According to the official data, there were 2,81,386 new infections, which took the country's total caseload to 2.49 crore. India now has 35,16,997 active COVID-19 cases. The country's coronavirus-related death toll has now increased to 2,74,390, while the total number of recoveries has crossed 2.11 crore.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Monday (May 17) remanded businessman Navneet Kalra to 3-day police custody in the case related to black marketing of oxygen concentrators.

The Delhi police had sought five days' custody from the court to interrogate Kalra, who was arrested on Sunday night.

Kalra has been accused of hoarding oxygen concentrators in three restaurants in South Delhi.

The businessman was on the run for over a week since the seizure of more than 500 oxygen concentrators.

The district court had rejected Kalra's anticipatory bail plea on May 13. It had noted that the allegations were serious and custodial interrogation was required to "unearth the entire conspiracy".

Kalra had earlier moved the Delhi High Court, which also declined to grant him interim protection from arrest in the case.

The case was transferred to the Delhi Police's Crime Branch. The police claimed that the concentrators were imported from China and being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 a piece as against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000.

On May 5, a case was registered against Kalra under sections 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code as also under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.

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New Delhi: The political game in West Bengal does not look to be over even after the conclusion of assembly elections as a new power play has begun. Days after the election results, the CBI arrested four TMC leaders in the Narada sting case, which has led to a fresh tussle between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Monday (May 17) discussed the power game playing out in Bengal over the arrest of TMC leaders in connection with the Narada case.

TMC activists gathered outside the CBI office in Kolkata today and pelted stones at the police and security forces. These activists were angered by the arrest of Cabinet Ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former minister Sovan Chatterjee.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee reached the CBI office to protest against the arrest and shortly thereafter TMC workers also surrounded the building of the CBI office. The police lathi-charged TMC workers.

The gravity of the Narada case can be understood by the fact that Mamata Banerjee herself staged a protest at the CBI office for five and a half hours to rescue the leaders.

The order to investigate the case was given by Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The TMC stated that if any investigating agency wants to arrest a member of the Legislative Assembly, it is necessary to get the permission of the Speaker. Moreover, if a minister has to be arrested, it can be done only with the permission of the cabinet.

Mamata Banerjee is defending the accused leaders using these two arguments.

However in 2004, the Supreme Court had said in one of its decisions that if a government prevents the investigating agencies from taking action against its minister, then the decision to take action will depend on the discretion of the Governor of the state.

In simple words, this decision of the Governor and the action of the CBI is constitutional.

What is the Narada case?

In 2014, a journalist carried out a sting operation of 12 TMC leaders. These included 7 MPs at the time, 4 ministers from the Mamata Banerjee government and one TMC MLA.

It was alleged that all these leaders were caught taking a bribe of Rs 5 lakh each. The 12 accused included Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy, who were earlier in TMC but have now joined BJP.

Now the TMC's charge is that when the CBI is investigating this whole matter, why is it not taking action against the BJP leaders.

The answer is that the CBI has sought action against Suvendu Adhikari, Saugat Roy, Kakoli Ghosh and Prasun Banerjee, but Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has not given his consent yet, due to which the action has been stalled. The CBI needs the permission of the Lok Sabha speaker to take action against them.

Today, a special CBI court granted bail to all four TMC leaders arrested.

However, the bail order was stayed by the Calcutta High Court and the leaders will continue to be in CBI custody till May 19.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 12:39:51|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The outstanding leadership capability of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is "a critical and very important factor" for China's success, according to a senior Palestinian party official.

"China's great changes are unimaginable," Abbas Zaki, head of Palestinian Fatah party's commissioner general of the Arab and Chinese Affairs, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The veteran official has visited China more than 10 times. His first trip to China was in 1974, when he visited China as a member of a delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Talking about China's rapid development over the decades, Zaki spoke highly of the CPC's governance practice and achievements.

In just one generation, China has transformed into a strong and modern country, which has successfully addressed prominent challenges including meeting 1.4 billion people's basic needs for food and clothing, said Zaki.

During his China visits, he noticed that China's villages and towns are growing at an "incredible" rate.

"What used to be poor villages have been transformed into productive, rich ones almost overnight. Some backward and desolate places in the past have become vibrant industrial parks," he said.

He once visited a suburban village near Beijing in the 1990s, which was surrounded by a lot of empty land with no decent roads. But when he visited the same place in 2018, what he found was a bustling town with a number of high-rise buildings.

To Zaki, the CPC's leadership and the political system with Chinese characteristics are admirable.

The party adheres to a people-centered development philosophy and takes people's aspiration for a better life as its goal, he noted.

In Zaki's eye, the CPC has a far-sighted national development strategy, which not only focuses on economic development and industrial construction, but also values education and sci-tech progress.

All these measures have provided driving forces for China's growth, navigating the Chinese economy towards high-quality development, he said.

Zaki spoke highly of the CPC's new concept of green development, saying that such a concept indicates that the party is placing ecological civilization and environmental protection in a more important position in the country's governance.

China's 14th Five-Year Plan has included green development into all aspects of China's economic and social development, he added.

"It's a very smart strategic plan," Zaki said, stressing that China's green development will benefit all mankind.

Zaki believes that the CPC's experience in governance and administration of state affairs is worth learning by other political parties around the world.

He noted the CPC is a political party that pursues the spirit of openness and is willing to conduct dialogue and exchanges with political parties of different types around the world.

Fatah looks forward to enhancing party exchanges with the CPC in a bid to seek a development approach that is most suitable for Palestine, he said. Enditem
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday (May 17, 2021) arrested West Bengal cabinet ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee along with Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra and ex-West Bengal minister Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada case.

The probe agency will also submit the chargesheet on Monday itself and produce them before the jurisdictional court.

The CBI stated that Firhad Hakim was seen to have agreed for the acceptance of bribe money of Rs five lakhs, whereas, Subrata Mukherjee was seen to have accepted the illegal gratification of Rs five lakhs. CBI claimed that Madan Mitra was also seen to have accepted the illegal gratification of Rs five lakhs and Sovan Chatterjee of Rs four lakhs.

Besides them, the Prosecution Sanction has been received from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding SMH Meerza, IPS (SPS), the then SP, for having seen to have received illegal gratification of over Rs five lakhs. Meerza, notably, had already been arrested and is presently out on bail.

The arrest comes a week after West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar accorded sanction to prosecute the four former TMC ministers.

Governor accorded sanction for prosecution of Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra & Sovan Chatterjee being appointing authority of Ministers @MamataOfficial under Article 164 & thus competent authority Media reports that sanction was for being MLA is incorrect. pic.twitter.com/vqEg7Cv6OW  Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 9, 2021

The statement said that the sanction for prosecution of the four leaders was accorded by Dhankhar "after the CBI had made a request and made available entire documentation relevant to the case to the honourable governor and he invoked his powers under Article 163 and 164 of the Constitution, being the competent authority to accord such sanction".

This is to be noted that the Narada sting tapes which were made public before the West Bengal 2016 assembly elections, claimed to have been shot in 2014. In the video, the ministers were allegedly seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of promised favours.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March 2017.



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New Delhi: Portals of Kedarnath temple opened on Monday (May 17) with an opening ceremony that was held at 5 am. Devotees could not attend the opening ceremony, but arrangements were made for them to have online 'darshan'. Precaution has been taken in view of the COVID-19 pandemic surge.

On reopening of Kedarnath shrine, Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat tweeted, "Kedarnath shrine was reopened today at 5 am with all the rituals. I pray to Baba Kedarnath to keep everyone healthy."

"Kedarnath shrine was reopened today at 5 am with all the rituals. I pray to Baba Kedarnath to keep everyone healthy", tweeted Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat pic.twitter.com/I3rdE5uMcM  ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2021

Opening ceremony of portals of Kedarnath temple

#WATCH | Opening ceremony of portals of Kedarnath temple, Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/qW3XiCjDjV  ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2021

In the wake of the pandemic surge, the Char Dham Devasthanam Board has decided to suspend the famous 'Char Dham' yatra but the board has made necessary preparations for a virtual 'visit'. This will facilitate millions of devotees from all across the country to get a 'darshan' of the Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri Dhams shrines, through virtual means.

Garhwal Commissioner and Uttarakhand Chardham Devasthanam Board Chief Executive Officer, Ravinath Raman, said that a website and other mediums are being updated to allow the devotees to visit the temples through virtual means. People associated with the temple, however, will be allowed entry with all the COVID-19 protocols.

Meanwhile, not more than 25 people each, including priests, teerth purohits, and district administration officials, will attend the opening ceremonies at Yamunotri and Gangotri which will be low-key affairs, Gangotri Mandir Samiti official Rajesh Semwal earlier told PTI.

Last year also, they had reopened after their closure in winters only so that the priests could conduct regular prayers. The portals of Yamunotri Dham opened at around 12 pm on Friday on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya, whereas those of Gangotri opened at 07.31 am on Saturday.

Earlier on April 29, Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat had announced the suspension of the Chardham Yatra but said that the temples would open as per schedule for regular prayers by teerth-purohits only.

Notably, COVID cast its shadow on the yatra, which is considered the backbone of the hill economy.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Lucknow: UP Model of Covid control has come in for praise from the Bombay High Court. In its observation, the court looked convinced by the model adopted by the state government to save people and children from corona infection in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the country's NITI Aayog have showered praise on the Yogi government for 'UP model' for Covid management.

The Bombay High Court, while referring to the arrangements made to protect children from Corona under the UP model, has asked the government there why the Maharashtra government does not consider doing so here. The reference was UP government's initiative to make 50 to 100 pediatric beds (PICUs) in every major city of the state to protect children from corona infection.

Even the medical fraternity has described this decision of the UP government as a boon for children. Significantly, CM Yogi has always been very serious about protecting children from disease. The entire Purvanchal is aware of the campaign he took to eradicate life-threatening diseases like encephalitis.

In the same sequence, when the Chief Minister adopted a strategy of three Ts i.e. Test, Trace and Treat to save people from Corona infection, he instructed the medical experts to prepare a plan separately to save children from Corona infection.

On the advice of medical experts, the CM gave instructions to arrange 50 to 100 Pediatric Beds (PICUs) in all major cities of the state. These beds will be specially for children above one month of age. The bed will be small in size and have railing on the sides. Severely infected children will be provided with treatment and oxygen.

In fact, all the districts have been asked to remain on alert mode to ensure that there is the proper treatment of children in the state. The CM has also ordered to increase the manpower for these children's hospitals.

The Chief Minister has said that if necessary, the services of ex-servicemen and retired medicos should be taken. Even the medical students may be trained in this regard.

Pediatrician Dr Salman Khan of Dufferin Hospital in Lucknow has said that the decision of the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately make 50 to 100 pediatric beds in all major cities is an effective way to protect the children.

He said that under this the dedicated children's beds are there in PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) for children above one month, NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for treatment of children below one month and SNCU ( Sick Newborn Care Unit) for children born in Women's Hospital.

The bench of Bombay High Court comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Girish Kulkarni took cognizance of the news reports about this model of UP regarding the treatment of children. It asked the Maharashtra government to consider doing so there.

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Kolkata: A special CBI court on Monday (May 17) evening granted bail to all four TMC leaders arrested in connection with the Narada case.

A virtual hearing was conducted at Bankshall Court in Kolkata in which special CBI court judge Anupam Mukherjee gave relief to the four  ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, MLA Madan Mitra and former minister Sovan Chatterjee.

The four were kept at the CBI office in Nizam Palace following their arrest in the morning from their homes.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee staged a protest outside the CBI office demanding the release of the four party leaders.

She later left Nizam Palace, while her nephew and party leader Abhishek Banerjee advised party supporters to abide by the law and not to break lockdown norms.

TMC supporters held demonstrations defying lockdown norms in various places.

TMC party supporters raised slogans against the BJP- led NDA government, and hurled stones and bricks at security personnel outside Nizam Palace, which houses the CBI office here, protesting the arrests.

The agitators also burnt tyres and blocked roads in several other parts of the state, including Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts.

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New Delhi: Myanmar`s Miss Universe contestant, Thuzar Wint Lwin, used the pageant on Sunday to urge the world to speak out against the military junta, whose security forces have killed hundreds of opponents since it seized power in a Feb. 1 coup.

"Our people are dying and being shot by the military every day," she said in a video message for the competition, where she was appearing in the finals at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

"I would like to urge everyone to speak about Myanmar. As Miss Universe Myanmar since the coup, I have been speaking out as much as I can," she said. Myanmar`s junta spokesman did not answer calls seeking comment.

Thuzar Wint Lwin is among dozens of Myanmar celebrities, actors, social media influencers, and sportspeople who have voiced opposition to the coup, in which elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown and detained.

At least 790 people have been killed by security forces since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. It says over 5,000 people have been arrested, with some 4,000 still detained - including several celebrities.

Thuzar Wint Lwin did not make it to the last round of the Miss Universe competition, but she won the award for Best National Costume, which was based on the ethnic costume of her Chin people from northwestern Myanmar, where fighting has raged in recent days between the army and anti-junta militia fighters.

As she paraded with her national costume, she held up a placard that said: "Pray for Myanmar".
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 13:03:32|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, May 17 (Xinhua) -- As the first major country to have exited pandemic lockdowns, China's economic numbers will provide a guide as to what global data may look like, Bloomberg reported Sunday.

China's robust economic momentum looks likely to be carried into the second quarter as its factory-led recovery broadened to the consumer, Bloomberg said on its website.

Combined with this month's report showing a continued export boom, such evidence of a more widespread rebound taking hold would point to China continuing to be one of the main driving forces for global growth this year, the report said.

The country has cemented its role as the world's factory, and its swift recovery from the COVID-19 crisis last year not only boosted the domestic economy but also the profits of international companies. Enditem
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Dia Mirza, who is currently pregnant, took to social media on Sunday (May 16) to reveal why she is hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine as a pregnant woman.

On her Twitter, she claimed that none of the COVID vaccines have been tested on pregnant women and lactating mothers. She also mentioned that her doctor has advised her to not get the jab until clinical trials on pregnant women are successfully conducted.

She wrote, "This is really important. Must read and also note that none of the vaccinations currently being used in India have been tested on pregnant and lactating mothers. My doctor says we cannot take these vaccines until required clinical trials have been done."

Check out her tweet on the same:

This is really important. Must read and also note that none of the vaccinations currently being used in India have been tested on pregnant and lactating mothers. My doctor says we cannot take these vaccines until required clinical trials have been done. https://t.co/eDtccY54Z1  Dia Mirza (@deespeak) May 16, 2021

Dia Mirza got married to businessman Vaibhav Rekhi on February 16, this year in an intimate ceremony held at Bell Air Apartments in Bandra West. This is the second marriage for both of them. Dia was earlier married to film producer Sahil Sangha.

The couple parted ways back in 2019, after being together for 11 years. She had been rumoured to be in a relationship with Vaibhav for quite some time, but they never spoke about it publicly.

The actress was last seen in a supporting role in Anubhav Sinha's 2020 released 'Thappad'. Her next film, an action-thriller venture 'Wild Dog', released theatrically on April 2, 2021.
New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday said that due to NEFT system upgrade, this service will not be available from 00:01 hrs to 14:00 hours on Sunday, May 23, 2021.

"A technical upgrade of NEFT, targeted to enhance the performance and resilience, is scheduled after the close of business of May 22, 2021. Accordingly, NEFT service will not be available from 00:01 hrs to 14:00 hrs on Sunday, May 23, 2021. The RTGS system will continue to be operational as usual during this period. Similar technical upgrade for RTGS was completed on April 18, 2021," an RBI statement said.

Member banks may inform their customers to plan their payment operations accordingly. NEFT Members will continue to receive event update(s) through NEFT system broadcasts, RBI added.

This mean that although NEFT system would not be available for bank customers during the above mentioned time, RTGS system will continue to be operational as usual during this period.

It may be recalled that a similar technical upgrade for RTGS was completed on April 18, 2021.

What is NEFT?

NEFT is a nation-wide payment system facilitating one-to-one funds transfer. Under this Scheme, individuals, firms and corporates can electronically transfer funds from any bank branch to any individual, firm or corporate having an account with any other bank branch in the country participating in the Scheme.

What is RTGS?

RTGS is a financial transaction system, where there is continuous and real-time settlement of fund transfers, individually on a transaction-by-transaction basis. RTGS transactions or transfers have no amount cap.

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New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday (May 17, 2021) claimed that long working hours are increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke.

Based on the latest estimates by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization (ILO) published in Environment International, the WHO said that long working hours led to 7,45,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000.

In a first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, WHO and ILO estimate that, in 2016, nearly 4 lakh people died from a stroke and 3.47 lakh from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week.

According to the study, the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours between 2000 and 2016 increased by 42%, and from stroke by 19%.

"This work-related disease burden is particularly significant in men (72% of deaths occurred among males), people living in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, and middle-aged or older workers," the WHO said.

It added that most of the deaths recorded were among people dying aged 60-79 years, who had worked for 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74 years.

The study concludes that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week.

It added that the number of people working long hours is increasing, and currently stands at 9% of the total population globally.

"This trend puts even more people at risk of work-related disability and early death," the WHO highlighted.

Two systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the latest evidence were conducted for this study. Data from 37 studies on ischemic heart disease covering more than 7.68 lakh participants and 22 studies on stroke covering over 8.39 lakh participants were synthesized.

The study, notably, covered global, regional and national levels, and was based on data from more than 2300 surveys collected in 154 countries from 1970-2018.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work.

"Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours. No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers," the WHO chief said.

Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization, said that working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard.

"Its time that we all, governments, employers, and employees wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death," Neira added.

The WHO stated the following three actions that governments, employers and workers can take to protect workers' health:

1. Governments can introduce, implement and enforce laws, regulations and policies that ban mandatory overtime and ensure maximum limits on working time.

2. Bipartite or collective bargaining agreements between employers and workers associations can arrange a working time to be more flexible, while at the same time agreeing on a maximum number of working hours.

3. Employees could share working hours to ensure that the numbers of hours worked do not climb above 55 or more per week.
Gaza: With Israeli planes renewed airstrikes in Gaza, the age-old cross border conflict between Israel and Palestine entered seventh day on Monday (May 17, 2021). The Israeli air strike killed 42 Palestinians, including 10 children, on Sunday, health officials revealed.

As the U.N. Security Council convened to discuss the worst Israeli-Palestinian violence in years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's campaign in Gaza was continuing at "full force".

The death toll in Gaza jumped to 192, including 58 children, its health ministry said, amid an intensive Israeli air and artillery barrage since the fighting erupted last Monday, while ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, Israeli authorities say.

Gaza fighting ''utterly appalling'

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council on Sunday that hostilities in Israel and Gaza were "utterly appalling" and called for an immediate end to fighting.

Opening the 15-member councils first public meeting on the conflict, Guterres said the United Nations is "actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire" and called on them "to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed."

"Each time Israel hears a foreign leader speak of its right to defend itself it is further emboldened to continue murdering entire families in their sleep," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the Security Council.

Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said Israels response to indiscriminate attacks by Hamas strictly adhered to international law and that the country was taking "unparalleled steps to prevent civilian casualties."

"Israel uses its missiles to protect its children. Hamas uses children to protect its missiles," Erdan said.

Diplomatic talks

The truce efforts being made by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations have so far offered no sign of progress in decelerating the age-old conflict. The United States sent an envoy to the region and President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday as well.

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in phone calls with the Qatari, Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers, the State Department said on Sunday.

Blinken and Qatar`s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani discussed "efforts to restore calm in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza in light of the tragic loss of civilian life", the State Department said.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two ministers agreed on "the importance of working to reach an immediate ceasefire between the two sides, and they also agreed to continue coordination in the bilateral framework, as well as in regional and international ones, regarding what is in the interest of the Palestinian people and reaching a ceasefire."

Israeli PM Netanyahu says airstrikes will continue

Israeli PM Netanyahu said Israel's air and artillery barrage had eliminated dozens of Hamas militants and taken out "hundreds" of the Islamist militant group's sites including missile launchers and a vast tunnel network.

"The party that bears the guilt for this confrontation is not us, it's those attacking us," Netanyahu said in a televised speech.

"We are still in the midst of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary," he said.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 13:55:07|Editor: huaxia

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The Chinese anti-epidemic medical experts inspect a vaccination site in Luang Prabang Province in northern Laos, on May 10, 2021. (Photo by Nong Lichun/Xinhua)

by Chanthaphaphone Mixayboua, Zhang Jianhua

VIENTIANE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese medical experts has visited the northern Laos where the COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging, boosting Lao people's confidence to win the war against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The training given by the Chinese medical team has helped us solve critical problems and boosted our confidence in putting out the COVID-19 outbreak," a local epidemic prevention and control staff in Bokeo province said while commenting on the professional training for the local staff by the Chinese medical experts.

The Chinese medical experts, along with medical materials, arrived in Laos on May 4 to help the country fight the virus.

From May 9 to 14, the Chinese medical experts visited four northern Lao provinces of Luang Prabang, Bokeo, Oudomxay and Luang Namtha to assess the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic and provide suggestions and guidance to local health authorities and medical staff.

They also trained and answered questions from the local medical staff, optimized treatment for confirmed COVID-19 patients, visited local virology testing laboratories as well as quarantine centers and vaccination sites, fed back their assessments to the local governments and put forward rectification options for prevention and control of the virus, among others.

Khamdy Sintham is an interpreter for the Chinese medical experts in Oudomxay, about 310 km north of Lao capital Vientian by aerial distance, and also a doctor of the provincial hospital. After on-site training, Khamdy learned how to put on and take off the protective clothing. He entered the isolation wards for the first time with the Chinese medical experts.

Khamdy said he had gained more knowledge about the disease by professional training which also dispersed his fear of the virus.

Knowing that the only confirmed COVID-19 patient in Luang Namtha Provincial Hospital, some 360 km north of Vientiane, was feeling quite nervous about the disease, the Chinese medical experts took the initiative to apply for entering the isolation ward to visit the patient.

After chatting with the Chinese medical experts and getting psychological counseling, the patient's fear for the disease was eased. The patient gave a thumbs-up to the Chinese medical experts, and believed that he would recover soon.

At the COVID-19 vaccination center in Luang Prabang Province, some 220 km north of Vientiane, the Chinese medical experts answered the questions raised by the vaccinators such as "how to choose the target population for COVID-19 vaccination" and "whether food allergies or other drug allergies matter in vaccination."

All the staff at the vaccination center expressed their gratitude to and asked for group photos with the Chinese experts.

In Bokeo Province, some 350 km northwest of Vientiane, which borders China, Myanmar and Thailand and where the epidemic is severe, after knowing that there is a lack of professional personnel for epidemic prevention and control, and that the work of epidemiological investigation, isolation and disinfection is only carried out by business staff and volunteers without special training, the Chinese medical experts worked overnight to prepare and improve the next day's medical training.

"The Chinese experts have travelled far and worked hard to help study and solve problems here and put forward valuable work suggestions. The Chinese experts team has set an example of Laos-China cooperation in the fight against the epidemic, and served as envoys of the friendship between the two countries," said Director-General of Bokeo's health department Bounyaveth Vongkhamsao when seeing off the Chinese colleagues.

The Chinese medical experts' work tour to the northern Laos was also hailed on internet.

"Thank you for your contribution," a Lao netizen named Somsouk Sayavongsa commented while following the news about their tour.

"Thanks to the Chinese government, (and to) an unbreakable community with a shared future!" said a netizen named Sythala Pathammavong.

Laos has been experiencing a surge of COVID-19 infections recently. The country confirmed 21 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total number to 1,591. Enditem
New York: The United States told the United Nations Security Council on Sunday (May 16) it has made clear to Israel, the Palestinians and others that it is ready to offer support "should the parties seek a ceasefire" to end the worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

"The United States has been working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to try to bring an end to this conflict," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the 15-member council.

"Because we believe Israelis and Palestinians equally have a right to live in safety and security."

As the Security Council held its first public meeting - after two private briefings last week - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel`s campaign in Hamas Islamist-run Gaza was continuing at "full force".

Washington - a strong ally of Israel - has been isolated at the United Nations over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the worst violence between Israel and the Palestinians in years because it worries it could harm behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

"We call upon the U.S. to shoulder its responsibilities, take a just position, and together with most of the international community support the Security Council in easing the situation," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who chaired Sunday`s (May 16) meeting because China is president for May.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations is "actively engaging all sides toward an immediate ceasefire" and called on them "to allow mediation efforts to intensify and succeed."

`TAKE ACTION NOW`

The truce efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations have so far offered no sign of progress. The United States sent an envoy to the region and President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday (May 15).

"In all these engagements with Israeli officials, the Palestinian Authority, and all regional partners, the United States has made clear that we are prepared to lend our support and good offices should the parties seek a ceasefire," Thomas-Greenfield said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told the Security Council that "concessions must be made as a price to be paid for peace so as to spare people from paying the heavy price of war."

The death toll in Gaza jumped to 188 overnight, including 55 children, amid an intensive Israeli air and artillery barrage since the fighting erupted last Monday (May 17).

Ten people have been killed in Israel, including two children, in thousands of rocket attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.

"Each time Israel hears a foreign leader speak of its right to defend itself it is further emboldened to continue murdering entire families in their sleep," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the Security Council.

Israel`s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said Israel`s response to indiscriminate attacks by Hamas strictly adhered to international law and that the country was taking "unparalleled steps to prevent civilian casualties."

"Israel uses its missiles to protect its children. Hamas uses children to protect its missiles," Erdan said.

U.N. Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland urged the international community to "take action now to enable the parties to step back from the brink."

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 13:56:09|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, May 17 (Xinhua) -- India's federal health ministry on Monday reported 281,386 confirmed cases during the past 24 hours, the first time since April 21 that new COVID-19 cases reported on daily basis have fallen below 300,000 mark.

Meanwhile, as many as 4,106 related deaths were reported from across the country on Monday, raising the death toll in the country to 274,390.

The number of total confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country now has risen to 24,965,463, the ministry said.

India has been fighting a deadly second wave of COVID-19, registering an average of over 300,000 daily new cases during the past few weeks.

The number of active cases in the country right now is 3,516,997, according to the information released by the ministry on Monday.

Over 182 million (182,926,460) people have been vaccinated across the country since the beginning of the vaccination drive on Jan. 16 this year, it said.

On May 1, the third phase of COVID-19 vaccinations was started for people who are 18 years and above. However, the inoculation process has been hampered due to the severe shortage of vaccines. Reports pouring in from many states said people are being turned away at vaccination centres because of the shortage of vaccines.

The shortage of essential medical supplies including medical oxygen has also emerged as a key challenge for the government.

The federal government in New Delhi has ruled out imposing a complete countrywide lockdown. However, many states have imposed night curfews, weekend lockdowns and complete lockdowns to break the spread of infection.

Meanwhile, the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in the national capital region has been extended by a week further and will last until next Monday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 15:09:34|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The world in the past 24hrs. A selection of the best daily press photos from Xinhua.



Photo taken on May 16, 2021 shows the combination of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft and the Long March-7 Y3 carrier rocket transferred to the launching area of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province. The facilities and equipment at the launch site are in good condition, while various pre-launch function checks and joint tests will be carried out as planned, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). (Photo by Guo Wenbin/Xinhua)

Residents wait to receive COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination site in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, May 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Visitors look at the lunar samples at an exhibition at Wuxi Museum in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 15, 2021. An exhibition of major scientific and technological achievements in lunar and ocean exploration is held in the museum from May 12 to 17. (Photo by Zhu Jipeng/Xinhua)

Aerial photo taken on May 15, 2021 shows the Three Gorges Dam in central China's Hubei Province. The Three Gorges Reservoir is lowering its water level as planned in a bid to make room to contain water from potential seasonal flooding. (Photo by Xiang Hongmei/Xinhua)

Aerial photo shows a man working at the construction site of the Baihetan Hydropower Station in southwest China, May 14, 2021. Baihetan on the Jinsha River, the upper section of the Yangtze, straddles the southwest provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. With a total installed capacity of 16 million kilowatts, it is the second-largest hydropower station in China in terms of installed capacity, second only to the Three Gorges Dam project in central China's Hubei Province. The first batch of Baihetan's generating units will go into operation in July 2021, and all units are expected to be operational by July 2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

Shadow shows a person of the Miao ethnic group dancing with Lusheng (reed pipe), a folk musical instrument, at Wanda Town of Danzhai County in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 15, 2021. The second intangible cultural heritage week kicked off on Saturday in Danzhai. Inheritors of intangible cultural heritages will present their skills such as traditional techniques of batik and paper making. Forums and symposiums on promoting the integrated development of tourism and intangible cultural heritages will also be held during the event. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Jiang Zhangziyi (L) talks with a schoolmate at Shangrao Middle School in east China's Jiangxi Province, May 10, 2021. Jiang Zhangziyi, 16, is a first grade student of the high school department of Shangrao Middle School. Jiang lost her legs in a car accident in 2010, since then she could only move on a skateboard and was called skateboard girl. Jiang has never given up the pursuing of a beautiful life. In addition to going to school everyday, she also likes dancing, writing, broadcasting and hosting. She hopes to grasp various talents and skills. The girl wishes all the disabled could keep a positive attitude and enjoy every day of life. (Xinhua/Hu Chenhuan)

Smoke billows from Jala Tower, which housed offices of Al-Jazeera TV and the Associated Press as well as residential apartments, in Gaza City, on May 15, 2021. Israel said Saturday it struck the high-rise building in Gaza City housing offices of international media outlets because it contained assets of Hamas intelligence agency. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

A Palestinian man holds a child who was rescued from the rubble of destroyed houses following Israeli airstrikes in Al-Wahda Street in the middle of Gaza City, on May 16, 2021. Tension between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip continued on Sunday for the seventh day in a row as death toll in the coastal enclave climbed to 181 and 1,225 others were injured, officials said. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

People ride past a quarantine area in Agartala, India, May 15, 2021. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India on May 16 morning rose to 24,684,007 and the related death toll across the country stands at 270,284, India's federal health ministry said. During the past 24 hours, 311,170 new cases and 4,077 related deaths were reported from across the country. (Xinhua)

A fisherman sails during sunset at Manila Bay in Manila, the Philippines on May 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 15:12:18|Editor: huaxia

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A truck loads containers at Tangshan Port, north China's Hebei Province, April 16, 2021. (Photo by Li Lei/Xinhua)

Combined with this month's report showing a continued export boom, such evidence of a more widespread rebound taking hold would point to China continuing to be one of the main driving forces for global growth this year, Bloomberg reported.



NEW YORK, May 17 (Xinhua) -- As the first major country to have exited pandemic lockdowns, China's economic numbers will provide a guide as to what global data may look like, Bloomberg reported Sunday.

China's robust economic momentum looks likely to be carried into the second quarter as its factory-led recovery broadened to the consumer, Bloomberg said on its website.

Workers weld at a workshop of an automobile manufacturing enterprise in Qingzhou City, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo by Wang Jilin/Xinhua)

Combined with this month's report showing a continued export boom, such evidence of a more widespread rebound taking hold would point to China continuing to be one of the main driving forces for global growth this year, the report said.

The country has cemented its role as the world's factory, and its swift recovery from the COVID-19 crisis last year not only boosted the domestic economy but also the profits of international companies. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 15:57:50|Editor: huaxia

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A South Korean expert has said in an interview with Xinhua that the key to the Communist Party of China's (CPC) success is "innovation" and "being rooted in reality".

Lee Hee-ok, Director of the Sungkyun Institute of China Studies at Sungkyunkwan University, said China is developing by leaps and bounds.

Lee pointed out China's poverty alleviation campaign is a vivid example of how the CPC singles out and tackles the principal contradiction.

Lee set up the Sungkyun Institute of China Studies at Sungkyunkwan University in 2012. It is seen as a window through which the Koreans can have a better understanding of China.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 16:20:20|Editor: huaxia

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People line up to enter a vaccination clinic at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on May 13, 2021. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

Sharing immediately available excess doses is a minimum, essential and emergency stop-gap measure, and it is needed right now, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.



UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore on Sunday asked the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries to donate excess COVID-19 vaccines to the COVAX Facility, a global tool to procure and deliver vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.

She made the plea as G7 leaders will meet next month in Britain.

New data analysis provided by Airfinity, a life sciences research facility, indicates that G7 nations and "Team Europe" group of European Union member states could donate around 153 million vaccine doses if they shared just 20 percent of their available supply over June, July and August. They could do so while still meeting their commitments to vaccinate their own populations, Fore said in a statement.

A woman receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in New Delhi, India, on May 15, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

"While some G7 members have greater supply than others, and some have further advanced domestic roll-outs, an immediate collective commitment to pool excess supply and share the burden of responsibility could buttress vulnerable countries against becoming the next global hot spot," she said.

Sharing immediately available excess doses is a minimum, essential and emergency stop-gap measure, and it is needed right now, she said.

Among the global consequences of the situation in India, a global hub for vaccine production, is a severe reduction in vaccines available to COVAX. Its soaring domestic demand has meant that 140 million doses intended for distribution to low- and middle-income countries through the end of May cannot be accessed by COVAX. Another 50 million doses are likely to be missed in June, said the statement.

The clearest pathway out of this pandemic is a global, equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. COVAX, with UNICEF as key implementing partner, represents such a pathway, she said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 16:43:22|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Tears in scared children's eyes, destroyed communities and thousands of refugees packed in make-shift camps ... the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip is now testing the effectiveness of multilateral cooperation on the Middle East peace process and questioning the conscience of humanity.

The most severe conflict between Israel and Palestine since 2014 has entered the second week with heavy casualties. Among over 200 deaths, the majority are innocent civilians, including children.

Truce is now the most pressing issue and a top priority in the region as the bloodshed has turned thousands of civilians into refugees seeking for inadequate shelters, and is risking peaceful coexistence of Jews and Muslims in other parts of the world.

The exchange of violence is forcing the deadlock of the peace process between Israel and Palestine further to a dead end.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the Sunday meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) that the escalation in violence in Gaza "only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair, and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace."

"Fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery bombardments on the other must stop," the UN chief said.

It has proved in history that tit-for-tat attacks only deepen hatred and nurture revenge. To really protect their people, forces of Israel and Palestine should both stop military and hostile actions, including airstrikes, ground offensives and rocket launches.

Israel, which has the upper hand with more advanced weaponry and much fewer casualties, must exercise restraint in particular. It should conform to the UN resolutions, stop destroying houses and expelling people of Palestine, halt expansion of Israeli settlements, avoid anti-Muslim violence, threats and provocations, and respect the historical status quo at holy sites of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian side should also avoid actions that worsen the situation, stop retaliatory rocket launches, try not to hurt civilians and join in the efforts to deescalate the tension.

The double scourge of military conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic has created worrisome humanitarian crises in the densely populated communities in and around Gaza.

To avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, Israel must fulfill its obligations proposed by relevant UN resolutions, completely lift its lockdown in the Gaza Strip, ensure the safety and legal rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories, and facilitate the entrance of humanitarian assistance.

China has been consistent in promoting the peace process in the Middle East, has adhered to fairness and justice, and is ready to support all efforts that help to ease the tension.

As the rotating presidency of the UNSC for May, China has made it a top priority to tackle the Palestine-Israel conflict and pushed the UNSC to deliberate on the Palestinian issue many times.

All the concerned parties should unite on the side of justice and peace, and the right side of history, and shoulder their due responsibilities. The international community should practice true multilateralism, push for a comprehensive, fair and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue at an early date. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 16:48:30|Editor: huaxia

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Visitors pose for a photo at the site where the first Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress was held in 1921, in Shanghai, east China, June 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and even after 100 years since its inception the Party continues to flourish with vigor.

About one-third of the current 91 million CPC members are under the age of 40, and approximately 80 percent of the new Party members who were admitted in 2019 are 35 years old or below.

Young people played a pivotal role in propelling the Party's growth after it was founded. The average age of representatives attending the first National Congress of the CPC, convened in 1921, was 28.

Even today young Party members are continuing to play a crucial role in the Party, with their firm convictions, as well as "red gene," ensuring that the Party stays in the prime of life.





POWER OF ROLE MODEL

Wang Xiukun, a postgraduate from Wuhan University, was just 23 when she raised her right fist and took an admission oath in front of the flag of the Party last year. At that time, the COVID-19 epidemic was wreaking havoc in the city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province.

She was accepted as a full member of the Party in the nick of time and became one of the 91 million CPC members.

Amid the country's fight against the epidemic, many young doctors, nurses and volunteers her age "led the charge" as they are Party members, Wang said.

"Fighting with unflinching courage, unfazed by any risks, like those young CPC members, was my original aspiration in joining the Party," she said.

Together with over 1,500 volunteers, Wang helped children of some 640 frontline health workers amid the war against COVID-19, working for 133 days, over 20,000 hours in total.

Wang was later recognized as a young leader for her role in inspiring people to change the world by the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth of the United Nations.

Medical team members take a break before the closure of the Wuchang temporary hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)





REALIZING VALUE OF LIFE

Lu Yi, 31, who is a primary-level Party cadre in a small village in east China's Anhui Province, felt duty-bound in another arduous battle of the country -- poverty alleviation.

Recommended by local villagers, Lu applied for a Party membership in 2014.

Ever since Lu put on the Party emblem, she became more determined to help locals in rural areas vanquish poverty and live a better life.

Due to the long trek to poverty-stricken households, Lu's feet swelled to the point where she had to wear a larger-sized pair of shoes.

"Those trips, however, were akin to visiting my own relatives because of the hospitality of the locals," Lu said.

When China announced a "complete victory" in eradicating absolute poverty, Lu said she broke down and wept in exhilaration.

"The great cause of poverty alleviation led by the CPC enables me, and thousands of other young people, to avail ourselves of the opportunities and realize the value of our lives," Lu said.

All 82 poverty-stricken households in her village have shaken off poverty, with their average net income last year reaching 12,000 yuan (about 1,864 U.S. dollars), Lu said.

"When I pay a return visit to the local households, what makes me happier than anything else is hearing villagers praise our Party and its policies," Lu said.





CALL OF TIMES

Foreigners are usually surprised at the CPC's ability to rally people, said Fang Yedun, another young Party member.

As a co-founder of a social media start-up, Fang works with video creators from more than 30 countries and regions to produce content about China for overseas audiences.

"One feature of our Party is that its members come from all walks of life including entrepreneurs, scholars, delivery men, or perhaps a middle-aged woman in your neighborhood," Fang said.

From his perspective, excellent Party members are like a spark in their own field and always inspire others to do meaningful things.

"The Party emblem on our chest is our faith and spiritual strength," Fang added.

Covering topics from zeitgeist to buzzwords of China, Fang's short videos have garnered over 100 million followers from all over the world.

The golden age of the young generation to strive for excellence is the same direction and pace as the key period of the Chinese nation's journey toward rejuvenation, Fang said.

"When we turn 60, we could still contribute our remaining energy to develop China into a great modern socialist country," Fang said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 17:00:37|Editor: huaxia

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A Palestinian woman inspects the destroyed houses in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on May 14, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

It has proved in history that tit-for-tat attacks only deepen hatred and nurture revenge. All the concerned parties should unite on the side of justice and peace, and the right side of history, and shoulder their due responsibilities.



BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Tears in scared children's eyes, destroyed communities and thousands of refugees packed in make-shift camps ... the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip is now testing the effectiveness of multilateral cooperation on the Middle East peace process and questioning the conscience of humanity.

The most severe conflict between Israel and Palestine since 2014 has entered the second week with heavy casualties. Among over 200 deaths, the majority are innocent civilians, including children.

Truce is now the most pressing issue and a top priority in the region as the bloodshed has turned thousands of civilians into refugees seeking for inadequate shelters, and is risking peaceful coexistence of Jews and Muslims in other parts of the world.

Palestinian people who fled their homes due to Israeli air and artillery strikes, take refuge at a school in Gaza City, on May 14, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

The exchange of violence is forcing the deadlock of the peace process between Israel and Palestine further to a dead end.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the Sunday meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) that the escalation in violence in Gaza "only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair, and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace."

"Fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery bombardments on the other must stop," the UN chief said.

It has proved in history that tit-for-tat attacks only deepen hatred and nurture revenge. To really protect their people, forces of Israel and Palestine should both stop military and hostile actions, including airstrikes, ground offensives and rocket launches.

Photo taken on May 15, 2021 shows rockets being fired from northern Gaza Strip toward Israel. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Israel, which has the upper hand with more advanced weaponry and much fewer casualties, must exercise restraint in particular. It should conform to the UN resolutions, stop destroying houses and expelling people of Palestine, halt expansion of Israeli settlements, avoid anti-Muslim violence, threats and provocations, and respect the historical status quo at holy sites of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian side should also avoid actions that worsen the situation, stop retaliatory rocket launches, try not to hurt civilians and join in the efforts to deescalate the tension.

The double scourge of military conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic has created worrisome humanitarian crises in the densely populated communities in and around Gaza.

To avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, Israel must fulfill its obligations proposed by relevant UN resolutions, completely lift its lockdown in the Gaza Strip, ensure the safety and legal rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories, and facilitate the entrance of humanitarian assistance.

Israeli security forces inspect a damaged vehicle which was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza strip in southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on May 16, 2021. (Tomer Neuberg/JINI via Xinhua)

China has been consistent in promoting the peace process in the Middle East, has adhered to fairness and justice, and is ready to support all efforts that help to ease the tension.

As the rotating presidency of the UNSC for May, China has made it a top priority to tackle the Palestine-Israel conflict and pushed the UNSC to deliberate on the Palestinian issue many times.

All the concerned parties should unite on the side of justice and peace, and the right side of history, and shoulder their due responsibilities. The international community should practice true multilateralism, push for a comprehensive, fair and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue at an early date. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 17:16:08|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel carried out early on Monday new heavy airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, claiming that they destroyed militant tunnels and homes of nine Hamas officials.

An Israeli spokesperson said in a statement that the overnight air raids targeted the Hamas "Metro" tunnel system in the northern Gaza Strip. In the attack, 54 Israeli warplanes struck some 35 alleged terror targets and 15 km of the tunnel system.

"This strike is part of the IDF's (Israel Defense Forces) significant operation against the underground terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip," the statement said.

In a separate overnight round of airstrikes, Israeli warplanes and aircraft bombed nine homes of senior Hamas commander, according to the army. "The residences that were struck were used as terror infrastructure. Some of the residences were used to store weapons," the army said.

The bombing came a day after Israel struck the home of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and at least four other Hamas officials in Gaza.

The attacks followed a televised address on Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said the offensive will continue "with full force" and will take "as long as necessary," despite international efforts to broker a truce to quell the deadly flare-up.

According to a military notice on Monday, since the beginning of the offensive, dubbed by the army as "Guardians of the Walls," some 3,150 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip towards the Israeli territory. About 460 of these rockets failed to reach Israel and fell within the Gaza Strip. Israel's Iron Dome Air Defense System has intercepted about 90 percent of the rockets, the army said.

At least 188 people in the besieged Palestinian enclave were killed, including 55 children and 33 women. Meanwhile, rockets fired by militant groups in Gaza killed 10 people, including a five-year-old boy, a soldier, and two women. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 17:55:20|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Constitutional Council, which supervises elections in the country, on Sunday started the process of vetting the large number of registered presidential hopefuls, of whom a few number would qualify, with heavyweights already in the spotlight.

As scheduled, the vetting body will release the names of qualified candidates by May 27. The nominees will have 20 days to campaign before the Election Day on June 18.

REGISTRATION PROCESS

The five-day registration process ended on Saturday and 592 hopefuls signed up to officially enter the upcoming race.

Of the total number of the registered hopefuls, 552 are men and 40 are women, the official IRNA news agency quoted Jamal Orf, head of Iran's Elections Headquarters, as saying.

On the last day of the registration, three senior political figures, Iran's Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, and former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, officially registered for the campaign.

During the whole registration process, other prominent figures include Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator under ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, and Rostam Qassemi, Hossein Dehqan and Saeed Mohammad, all former commanders at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

Of these potential candidates, four have run for presidency in the previous rounds, with the highest number of attempts belonging to Rezaei, this time being his fourth consecutive effort. The other three are Raisi, Jahangiri and Jalili.

Raisi and Jahangiri were presidential candidates in the 2017 election, where the former lost the race and the latter pulled out in favor of outgoing President Hassan Rouhani. Jalili's failed attempt was in 2013, when he also lost the race to Rouhani.

As with previous election cycles, several eccentric characters also signed up. A man said he has come to save humanity from going extinct in the next 20 years; a 74-year-old man claimed that if elected president, he would destroy all weapons of mass destruction in the world, and another man said he would dissolve the Foreign Ministry if elected, according to Mehr News Agency.

NEW REQUIREMENTS

To exclude a large number of the individuals who register every four years as potential candidates with very basic or no qualifications, the Constitutional Council on May 5 approved an amendment to further clarify the criteria based on which it vets the potential candidates, according to the council's official website.

Orf, who heads the Interior Ministry's election headquarters, said the lower number of registrants for this year's election compared to the previous votes has proven that the council's move to clarify the criteria has been effective in bringing greater rationality to the registration process' general atmosphere, the IRNA wrote.

In the 12th and 11th elections, the number of the registered hopefuls stood at 1,636 and 686, respectively, Orf said.

According to the amended criteria, hopefuls must be between 40 and 70 years of age, hold at least a master's degree or its equivalent, have a work experience of at least four years in managerial posts, and with no criminal record.

In addition, the country's top military commanders with the status of major general and higher are also allowed to run.

On Sunday, Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaee, spokesman for the Constitutional Council, said for the hopefuls to qualify as presidential candidates, they must secure at least seven votes in favor from the 12-member vetting body, the IRNA reported.

MAIN CONTENDERS

Analysts say that the main chances of winning the vote could be the number one choices of the principlist and reformist, the two main rival political camps in the country.

After putting his name down at the election headquarters, Raisi, the principlist camp' top candidate, said he has come to fight corruption, incompetence and aristocracy, and would be running as an "independent" candidate -- not a principlist, according to the IRNA.

He added he focused on the people's livelihood and problems, unemployment, high prices and the country's economic situation. In a tweet on Sunday, Raisi said interactions with all countries, particularly neighbors, will be his administration's main foreign policy if elected.

Jahangiri, the favorite potential candidate of the reformist political camp, is believed to be one of Raisi's main rivals on Election Day, a role previously thought to be played by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who announced Wednesday that he would not sign up.

In an address to reporters following his registration, Jahangiri touched on the problems faced by Iran's people over the past few years, saying they need real breakthroughs in their lives.

He also stressed the need for the removal of U.S. sanctions and stimulating sustainable economic growth with an eye on job creation and fairer redistribution of wealth, Tasnim News Agency wrote.

After registration, Larijani, a veteran politician who is seen as a key principlist figure, but has been tapped as a potential ally by both sides in recent months, said there is no magical key to the country's problems, and populist shows and pretending to be a superman fail to be the solution, calling for greater national solidarity and unity.

Larijani said that the main goal of the country's foreign policy is required to be facilitating foreign relations to accelerate economic development.

An analysis by Iranian news website asriran.com said Raisi has the highest chance of winning in the election, predicting that after the vetting process, the qualified principlist candidates will withdraw in his favor.

Larijani is believed to be able to secure votes by the proponents of both the principlists and reformists and an advocate of diplomacy and negotiations, the website added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 18:32:41|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday said that more than 650 illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya.

"Over 650 persons were returned on Sunday to Tripoli by Libyan authorities," the UNHCR tweeted earlier Monday.

"Survivors departed aboard 4 rubber boats from Zuwara (Western Libya), and were intercepted/rescued and returned in 2 different disembarkation. UNHCR & IRC (International Rescue Committee) offered urgent humanitarian & medical aid to all survivors," the UNHCR said.

Rescued migrants often end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.

According to the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR, migrants and refugees in Libya continue to be subjected to arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, exploitation and violence, conditions that push them to take risky journeys especially sea crossings that may face fatal consequences. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 18:44:27|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday denied that there has been "a preliminary agreement" in ongoing Vienna talks over the revival of the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal, which is commonly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"There is no such a thing as a preliminary agreement, and no agreement will reach unless all conditions are met," Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman of the ministry, made the remarks in his weekly press conference.

Talks are still continuing and a significant part of the work has been completed in the working groups in Vienna, Khatibzadeh said, adding that resolving the remaining issues require "political decision."

The U.S. administration under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

In response to the U.S. moves, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019. However, the incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed to return to the deal and ease sanctions against Iran.

Iranian senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said earlier that the United States was ready to remove a large part of sanctions against Iran, but "it was not enough."

The JCPOA Joint Commission began to meet in offline format on April 6 in Vienna to continue previous discussions in view of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and on how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 18:55:56|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday urged the international community to stop Israel from attacking the Palestinians.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman of the ministry, said that all the responsible organizations, including Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations Security Council, should act effectively to prevent further Israeli aggression and take actions to secure the rights of the Palestinians.

"Iran's plan to resolve the Palestinian issue is holding a referendum with the participation of all the main inhabitants of the Palestinian lands, including Muslims, Jews and Christians," Khatibzadeh made the remarks during his weekly press conference.

"We have always stood by the oppressed people of Palestine," Khatibzadeh stressed. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 19:18:29|Editor: huaxia

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Kelida Banda, 26, who runs a mobile money business that has provided employment to three other young people, talks with a client in Lusaka, Zambia, May 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Lillian Banda)

As more and more young people graduate from higher institutions of learning, conventional employment opportunities seem to be dwindling, forcing some young people in Zambia to look to alternative ways of earning incomes and running small businesses is slowly becoming their mainstay of getting hired.

LUSAKA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Youth unemployment remains one of the challenges confronting virtually all countries around the globe today.

As more and more young people graduate from higher institutions of learning, conventional employment opportunities seem to be dwindling.

This has forced some young people in Zambia to look to alternative ways of earning incomes and running small businesses is slowly becoming their mainstay of getting hired.

It is now common to see young people from both rural and urban parts of the country involved in businesses with many of them earning a living solely from their enterprises.

"I started by helping out at a hair salon run by my elder sister. After learning the ropes, I decided to invest my all in hairdressing and hair accessories," said Grace Phiri, 25, a resident of Lusaka, Zambia's capital.

Phiri revealed that she currently earns about 150 Zambian Kwacha (about 7 U.S. dollars) each day from selling hair accessories and hair plaiting.

Zizo Muleya, 24, who specializes in selling village chickens, is pictured in Zambia's border town of Chirundu, April 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Lillian Banda)

According to Phiri, a number of her peers who ventured into businesses are doing well. She added that young people are increasingly becoming enterprising in a bid to counter unemployment.

And Kelida Banda, 26, who runs a mobile money business that has provided employment to three other young people, said it is more fulfilling to create one's own opportunities for employment.

"I no longer wish to look for employment because I am comfortable being self-employed. I earn about 9,000 Zambian Kwacha (about 400 U.S. dollars) every month. I am now working on ways to expand my business," said Banda.

Patrick Dilaiva, 25 and a resident of Siavonga, a town in southern Zambia, said lack of conventional employment opportunities has pushed many young people in Zambia to venture into businesses.

Dilaiva, a professional fisherman, further observed that even those that are considered to be highly educated have also joined other young people in being enterprising.

"We have among us university graduates that have chosen to be fishermen and have actually become good at it," he said.

Dilaiva asserted that while youth unemployment may be considered as a bad thing, it is also an opportunity for young individuals to innovate and create their own job opportunities.

He, however, emphasized the need for young people to have access to start-up capital, noting that would accord many young people with great business ideas to realize their dreams.

Dilaiva's views were echoed by Zizo Muleya, 24, who specializes in selling village chickens in Zambia's border town of Chirundu.

Muleya, who earns an average of about 5,000 Zambian Kwacha from selling livestock, said that being self-employed as opposed to being employed by others instills a sense of responsibility and ownership in an individual.

"I believe being self-employed helps one to be disciplined with resources such as time and money. Those in unconventional jobs also tend to be more resilient to social and economic shocks and are often open to new ideas," he added. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 19:25:50|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of eight Islamic State (IS) militants were killed when Iraqi warplanes carried out airstrikes on their hideouts in the northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi military said on Monday.

The Iraqi warplanes conducted the airstrikes after a commando force from the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) spotted the hideouts at a rugged area near Hammam al-Alil, some 30 km south of Nineveh's provincial capital Mosul, Yahia Rasoul, spokesperson of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, said in a statement.

The CTS forces seized weapons, ammunition, and explosives at the destroyed sites, the statement said without giving further details about the exact date of the airstrikes.

The mountains and vast rugged areas north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad have witnessed intense activities of the IS militants during the past months despite repeated military operations to hunt them down.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or hidden in the deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 20:49:20|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Monday received two phone calls from his Greek and Dutch counterparts over the violence in the Palestinian lands, said the country's Foreign Ministry in a statement.

"Talks with the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and the Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok have tackled the escalated tensions in the Gaza Strip," the statement said.

The three top diplomats also discussed the exerted efforts to reach a truce there.

The Greek and Dutch foreign ministers hailed the role and sincere efforts of Egypt to reach a cease-fire and end the current stalemate, it added.

On Sunday, Shoukry said Egypt will spare no effort to reach the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire.

He added that the two-state solution is still the only viable option to end the ongoing conflicts.

Tensions started in Jerusalem last month and expanded to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip amid outrage of a forced eviction of Palestinians from their home in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

The situation further escalated on May 10 when hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound.

Hamas said at least 197 Palestinians have been killed, including 58 children, in the Israeli airstrikes. Israel said 10 Israelis were killed and more than 100 others injured by rockets fired by Palestinian militants. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 21:06:47|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong Disneyland Resort reported a net loss of 2.7 billion Hong Kong dollars (348 million U.S. dollars) in the fiscal year 2020 as its theme park was closed for nearly 60 percent of the year due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Its revenue was down 76 percent to 1.4 billion Hong Kong dollars (180 million U.S. dollars) from October 2019 to September 2020, Hong Kong Disneyland said in a statement on Monday. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization was negative 1.5 billion Hong Kong dollars (193 million U.S. dollars).

During that fiscal year, its park attendance was 1.7 million, a drop of 73 percent from a year ago. Per capita spending also fell 18 percent.

Despite the lackluster business results, the resort remains optimistic.

"While last year presented challenges for our entire community, I'm proud of how we were able to react nimbly, adjust our operations, and identify innovative ways to generate revenue, while preserving jobs," said Michael Moriatry, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland.

Upon the recent reopening of the theme park on Feb. 19 this year, local guest reaction has been positive, showing a continued rebound in attendance. Annual pass membership reached a record high since its launch in 2011, the resort said.

"I'm optimistic about the future of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and consider our recovery as an important part of reviving Hong Kong's tourism ecosystem," Moriatry said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 21:27:30|Editor: huaxia

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-- More than 400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China by Sunday as the country steps up the inoculation drive.

-- East China's Anhui Province and northeast China's Liaoning Province have seen new outbreaks of COVID-19, partially spurring the mass vaccination drive in the country.

-- Contact tracing and mass testing have been stepped up in both provinces to contain the latest COVID-19 outbreaks.

HEFEI/SHENYANG, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China is working at full throttle to vaccinate its people against COVID-19, as over 400 million doses had been administered as of Sunday, just nine days after the figure surpassed 300 million doses.

It took 17 days for the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered on the Chinese mainland to exceed 300 million doses from 200 million doses, and 26 days from 100 million doses to 200 million doses, according to daily updates by the National Health Commission.

Aerial photo taken on May 14, 2021 shows people waiting for nucleic acid sampling at a testing site in Lu'an City, east China's Anhui Province. (Photo by Chen Li/Xinhua)

The accelerated mass vaccination drive has been partially spurred by the latest COVID-19 outbreaks in east China's Anhui Province and northeast China's Liaoning Province, which had seen 16 confirmed locally transmitted cases in total as of Sunday evening.

Long queues were seen at multiple vaccination sites in Hefei, capital city of Anhui. A temporary vaccination site has been set up in the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University to meet the surging demand since May 14.

Duan Yichen, a Hefei citizen, queued up at the hospital in the early morning the next day.

"I had thought of it before, but I never went. The recent outbreaks made me realize the importance of vaccination," Duan said. "Getting vaccinated without delay means taking responsibility for yourself and the well-being of others."

A citizen receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, May 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

To ensure orderly vaccination, the hospital has adopted a booking system. Areas for waiting, registration, injection and observation were isolated from the rest of the hospital and arranged following a one-way route.

As of May 14, Hefei had administered over 2.6 million doses. The day also witnessed the city's highest daily inoculation number so far -- 364,100 doses.

The city currently has more than 7,100 medical staff for COVID-19 inoculation and treatment, capable of administering 300,000 jabs a day in normal circumstances.

Residents of Xiaowanghai Village wait to have a second round of nucleic acid testing in Bayuquan District, Yingkou City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 16, 2021. (Xinhua)

The city of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, has set up over 300 vaccination sites capable of administering 200,000 doses a day.

"Since May 12, Shenyang has seen more than 100,000 doses be administered every day. About 154,000 doses were administered on Thursday, the highest figure in recent days," said Dong Guihua, deputy director of the city's center for disease control and prevention.

A mobile inoculation vehicle has appeared in Shenyang's downtown area, which can serve three people at the same time.

"If a pedestrian wants to get vaccinated, he or she can simply show their ID card, scan the QR code and fill in their information," said Zhang Ge, a local health official. "We expect to vaccinate about 1,100 people a day."

Zhao Xin, director of Huanggu Hospital under the Northeast International Hospital of Shenyang, said COVID-19 vaccination is currently irreplaceable in preventing the spread of the virus, adding that the number of citizens going to vaccination sites for inquiries has increased significantly.

Residents of Xiaowanghai Village queue up for nucleic acid testing in Bayuquan District, Yingkou City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 16, 2021. (Xinhua)

According to the local health authorities, none of the confirmed cases from the two provinces had been vaccinated.

Gene sequencing analysis conducted by the provincial center for disease control and prevention of Anhui found the coronavirus strains behind the cases were not the highly infectious variants found in India and South Africa.

In the meantime, citywide nucleic acid tests were immediately launched, while dozens of neighborhoods were sealed off and labeled as medium- or high-risk areas.

As of Sunday noon, nearly 1.14 million people in Anhui's medium- and high-risk areas tested negative for the novel coronavirus. Experts have effectively ruled out the possibility of mass infections in the province.

Medical workers collect samples from residents of Xiaowanghai Village for nucleic acid tests in Bayuquan District, Yingkou City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 16, 2021. (Xinhua)

"Vaccination is a great way to achieve herd immunity. The vaccination rate in China is still low and behind many countries. So we need to step up efforts to raise our vaccination rate to 70 to 80 percent as soon as possible," Zhong Nanshan, a renowned Chinese respiratory disease expert, said after he received a dose of a China-developed COVID-19 vaccine recently in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

"I hope, together, we can do what we can to help stem the pandemic for our country, the world, and ourselves," Zhong said.

(Video reporters: Tang Yang, Qu Yan, Liu Meizi, Shui Jinchen, Zhang Yifei, Gao Ming, Luo Qi, Pan Yulong, Wang Wei. Video editor: Liu Ruoshi) 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 21:30:44|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Uncontrollable escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can pose a serious threat to the "fragile security system" of the region, the Kremlin said Monday.

A lack of mutual trust and armed clashes are not conducive to stability, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing.

"Major efforts are now being made by the (Middle East) Quartet, and countries are in contact with both the Israelis and Palestinians through bilateral channels to stop the exchange of strikes," he said.

Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been in contact with the Israeli or Palestinian leaders, but such contact can be organized if necessary.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the Quartet, which consists of the United Nations, Russia, the European Union and the United States, held emergency consultations via video link on Sunday.

Special representatives of the four parties discussed practical steps aimed at ceasefire, deescalation of military confrontations, and civilian protection. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 21:34:51|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army said on Monday its navy targeted a submarine which allegedly belongs to Hamas naval forces attempting to attack Israel.

"This is a significant event," said Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), adding that "the vessel was of significant size."

Over 3,200 rockets have been fired into Israel since the beginning of hostilities last week. The IDF says over 460 rockets have been misfired by militants and landed within the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system has intercepted 90 percent of the rockets fired into the country.

Saying Hamas's capabilities of producing rockets have been significantly degraded, Conricus noted "it will take them a long time to replenish and that is an important thing for the future."

The Israeli military said it has attacked over 800 targets, adding at least 130 militants were killed.

Gazan health officials reported that approximately 200 Palestinians have been killed, including dozens of children, with over 1,000 injured. There have been 10 Israeli deaths, including one child. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 23:26:34|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese legislator Monday called for more efforts to improve the quality of health services and let traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) play a more prominent part in the process.

Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, made the remarks at the second plenary meeting of enforcement inspection teams of China's TCM law.

Wang stressed that in a favorable time for TCM development, all parties should continue promoting the inheritance and innovation of TCM under the law.

While acknowledging the achievements of TCM development in more than three years since the implementation of the law, Wang urged medical workers to give equal emphasis to TCM and western medicine in their practices. Medical workers should also draw experience from the use of TCM in COVID-19 treatment, he added.

A report of the inspection was reviewed at the meeting. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-18 00:01:59|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for efforts to make digital technologies "a force for good."

"On World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, let us commit to work together to defeat COVID-19 and ensure that digital technologies are a force for good that help us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind," the UN chief said in his message for the international day celebrated annually on May 17.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation across the planet, millions worldwide still lack Internet access, said the secretary-general, highlighting why information and communication technologies must be "a force for good."

"Digital technologies sustain life, work, health and learning for billions of people. In the face of COVID-19, businesses, governments and the digital community have proven resilient and innovative, helping to protect lives and livelihoods. These challenging times have accelerated the transformation everywhere," he said.

The secretary-general said that some 3.7 billion people, or nearly half the world's population, remain unconnected to the Internet. Most are women.

"They, too, must be included if we are to make the possibilities of 5G, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, digital health and other technologies truly transformative and sustainable," he said.

"We must also protect against the dangers of digital technologies, from the spread of hatred and misinformation to cyberattacks and the exploitation of our data," he added.

World Telecommunication and Information Science Day marks the signing in 1865 of an agreement to form the International Telegraph Union (ITU), making it the world's first modern international organization. ITU took the name of International Telecommunication Union in 1932 and became a UN specialized agency in 1947.

Last June, the UN launched a Roadmap for Digital Cooperation that lays out eight key actions, including achieving universal connectivity by 2030.

Guterres said the roadmap, together with the vital work of the ITU, aims to make the digital transformation equitable, safe, inclusive and affordable for all, while also respecting human rights. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-18 01:48:59|Editor: huaxia

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ANKARA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces killed 113 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a recent anti-terror operation carried out in northern Iraq, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Monday.

A total of 107 caves and shelters of the group were destroyed within the scope of the Operations Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim, Akar said at a virtual meeting with the commanders of Turkish Armed Forces.

He noted that 1,070 PKK members have been killed since Jan. 1 in Turkey's anti-terror operations carried out within and across Turkish borders.

The Turkish army has launched a ground and air offensive against the PKK targets in Iraq's Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions near its borders on April 23.

Turkey regularly conducts cross-border operations targeting PKK bases in northern Iraq.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than 30 years that has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-18 04:31:48|Editor: huaxia

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Palestinian firefighters extinguish a fire after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, on May 17, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Gaza reported 198 people died - including 58 children - and 1,300 injured in seven days of bombardments by Israel. Israel reported 10 people killed and hundreds more injured by Palestinian rocket attacks.

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said Monday that 208 people were killed and at least 1,500 injured in a week of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that 198 people died - including 58 children - and 1,300 injured in seven days of bombardments by Israel, ending at noon local time. Israel reported 10 people killed and hundreds more injured by Palestinian rocket attacks launched from Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Concentrating its report on the toll to Palestinians, the humanitarians said more than 42,000 displaced people are seeking protection in 50 schools across Gaza operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA.

Citing the Gaza Ministry of Public Works and Housing, OCHA reported 94 buildings destroyed and 285 housing units severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable. The humanitarian partner Shelter Cluster reported more than 2,500 people homeless.

A Palestinian holds the body of a child who was killed during Israeli airstrikes on their houses, during a funeral in Gaza City, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Damaged structures include 41 education facilities, including schools, two kindergartens, a UNRWA vocational training center, the Ministry of Education directorate and a higher education facility, the world organization said. Additionally, four Ministry of Health hospitals, two non-governmental hospitals, two clinics, a health center and a Palestine Red Crescent Society also were damaged.

Electricity across Gaza is down to six to eight hours a day, on average, with some feeder lines not functioning, disrupting the provision of health care and other essential services, including water, hygiene and sanitation, OCHA said. Food and cash support needs are increasing.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners provide food and non-food items to displaced families in Gaza and immediate cash assistance to more than 52,000 people.

They also provide remote psychosocial counseling sessions for the traumatized, increase awareness about the heightened risk of explosive remnants of war and assess property damage.

A firefighter tries to extinguish fire on a burning vehicle, which was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza strip, in southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on May 16, 2021. (Tomer Neuberg/JINI via Xinhua)

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that some recent Israeli airstrikes, particularly on high-rise buildings, are raising concerns of indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks under international humanitarian law. Likewise, the launching of rockets and mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods in Gaza into civilian population centers in Israel also may be unlawful.

In the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, widespread demonstrations and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces broke out in multiple locations in commemoration of Nakba Day on Saturday, OCHA said. Two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli forces. Another boy died after having been shot four days previously in Hebron by Israeli forces. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-18 07:24:45|Editor: huaxia

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Fang Guorong (L) and his son Fang Chen discuss a restoration plan in Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 14, 2021. In the Culture Relics Protection Center of Hubei Provincial Museum, 62-year-old Fang Guorong and his 33-year-old son Fang Chen have been repairing Zenghouyu bronze chime bell for nearly two years. The repair work is about to be completed after a series of complicated processes. Fang Guorong has engaged in bronze ware restoration for more than 40 years since he entered the Hubei Provincial Museum at the age of 18, and now is an expert in this field in Hubei. Since 2009, Fang Chen has begun to learn bronze relic restoration skills from his father and received strict training. After five years of learning and practice, Fang Chen was able to restore bronze wares independently. This time, to restore the Zenghouyu bronze chime bell, Fang Chen applied advanced techniques such as 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies. Now Fang Chen has continued his father's career and devoted himself in the restoration of bronze ware. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 09:40:37|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Ghana will start to administer the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said Sunday.

The start of the vaccination of the second dose was made possible by the receipt of 350,000 additional doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility, the president said in his 25th nationwide COVID-19 update.

"These will be added to existing stock to provide the second jab for the 360,000 persons in the 43 districts who received their first jabs from March 1 to March 9," said Akufo-Addo.

Ghana was also expecting about 300,000 Sputnik V vaccine already approved by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority to boost the country's preventive efforts, he added.

"Efforts are being made to ensure that those who received their first jabs after March 9, will, in due course, receive their second jabs," Akufo-Addo said.

He said that the government would continue to impose restrictions "until the country achieves herd immunity to help return life to normalcy." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 20:38:13|Editor: huaxia

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Zambian President Edgar Lungu (R) addresses the media with his running mate Nkandu Luo in Lusaka, Zambia, on May 17, 2021. Lungu on Monday filed in his nomination papers as a candidate in this year's general elections and appointed another female as his running mate. Lungu's papers as well as those of his running mate, Professor Nkandu Luo, were verified and duly certified as correct by Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Justice Esau Chulu for the August 12 polls. (Photo by Martin Mbangweta/Xinhua)

LUSAKA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Monday filed in his nomination papers as a candidate in this year's general elections and appointed another female as his running mate.

Lungu's papers as well as those of his running mate, Professor Nkandu Luo, were verified and duly certified as correct by Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Justice Esau Chulu for the August 12 polls.

The Zambian leader later told journalists that he was happy over his choice of his running mate, saying he has chosen her because she was politically strong and professionally accomplished.

He said he was not worried about people who may have reservations about his choice of a running mate and called for peaceful campaigns.

"After great reflections and prayerful thought, I have picked Professor Nkandu Luo as my running mate in the August 12 elections. I have no doubt that we are going to make a great team that will not only give our party the electoral victory, but, ultimately, the progress we desire for our great nation," he said.

Luo, 69, is a scientist and a holder of a doctorate in microbiology who has served in various ministerial positions in government. She was first elected as a lawmaker in 1996 under the former ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) and served in various ministerial positions.

She later joined the Patriotic Front (PF) and was elected as a lawmaker in 2011 and served in various ministerial positions. Her last position was Minister of Fisheries and Livestock.

Lungu decided to settle for her following the decision by Vice-President Inonge Wina to retire from politics after the August 12 polls.

The Zambian vice-president, 80, said she was no longer young to continue in politics and has decided to hand over to the young generation.

Lungu has since paid glowing tribute to his vice-president for the services rendered since her appointment in 2015, saying she has been a bedrock to rely on because of her immense counsel and wisdom.

Lungu's filing of his nomination papers lays to rest debates that have been raging that he was not eligible to stand because he has served two terms in line with the constitution.

But the Constitutional Court ruled that the first term could not be counted as a full term because he was only finishing the term left by his predecessor, late President Michael Sata.

Lungu was first elected as president in 2015 before being re-elected in 2016. He faces stiff competition from Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the main opposition, the United Party for National Development (UPND).

So far 20 presidential candidates have paid for their nomination papers and will be filing their nomination papers this week, according to the electoral body. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 20:43:11|Editor: huaxia

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A coffee vender roasts coffee beans at a street coffee shop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 14, 2021. Ethiopia is often referred to as the birthplace of coffee, while traditional coffee ceremony that entirely involves the natural processing method is an integral part of the Ethiopian society. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia is often referred to as the birthplace of coffee, while traditional coffee ceremony that entirely involves the natural processing method is an integral part of the Ethiopian society.

The ritual of coffee serving and drinking in Ethiopia can last for hours, which is seen as an important social occasion for reunion of relatives and friends, as well as a chance to discuss community matters while enjoying first-rate Ethiopian specialty coffee.

Of late, a growing number of young Ethiopian women are flocking to the street of Addis Ababa, the national capital, and other major Ethiopian cities as they tap into the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony as a viable business opportunity.

Often, these young women serve traditional coffee in a tent-like makeshift coffee shop along the street, where coffee lovers enjoy aromatic and finest Arabica coffee.

"I exclusively make my coffee here - from roasting the beans to hand grinding the roasted beans and brewing the coffee in front of my customers," said Yaynalem Marew, 25, who serves traditional coffee to her customers in a residential street in Addis Ababa.

Marew, a graduate of electrical installation diploma from a technical and vocational training facility in Addis Ababa, had shifted two different professions before her present engagement as a coffee vendor.

Marew landed her first job right after her graduation in a construction firm, where she worked for more than a year in her area of education. Her most recent job was in a restaurant, as a waiter for close to two years.

"Working as a junior electrical installation expert, I was being paid a gross salary of 80 birr per day (about 2 U.S. dollars). As a waiter, I was getting almost a similar amount of salary, yet at least I was not subject to tax and other deductions," Marew said.

As a coffee vendor, Marew's loyal customers are mainly office people and construction workers who work close to her small makeshift shop.

"The number of my customers is growing rapidly by day. Even though the number fluctuates depending on various factors, I serve about 100 cups of coffee a day on average," she said.

At the time of the interview, Marew was hard at work pouring coffee in a small cup in front of her customers who only sit for a few minutes before shifting their seats to newly arriving customers.

In addition to its superior taste as often described by Ethiopian coffee lovers, traditionally brewed coffee is also relatively cheaper as compared to that of coffee brewed by machine.

The price of a cup of traditional Ethiopian coffee is sold at about seven Ethiopian birr , while a cup of coffee in a cafe costs as high as 30 birr.

Now, Marew generates about 700 birr a day on average, of which close to 350 birr is her net profit. Unlike many restaurant owners that often complain about the soaring renting fees, Marew is free from such expenses.

Courtesy of the huge impact that the traditional coffee processing method plays on the final taste of the coffee as well as its cheaper price, many Ethiopian coffee lovers are in recent years shifting from machine-brewed coffee to the traditional one.

"Apart from the cost for the coffee beans and some other expenses, much of my earning is a net profit. This is mainly due to the fact that I make and serve the coffee on my own; and I only have to pay a small amount of monthly renting fee," said Kisanet Birhane, who runs a small coffee shop along a busy street in Addis Ababa.

Even though traditional coffee makes up much of their business, some coffee vendors also serve tea to their customers at a reduced price and minimum number due to limited demand. Others, like Martha Belay, also offer snacks and potato chips to their customers.

"People with low income are my regular customers. I serve snacks and potato chips during breakfast time. Thank God, the number of my customers is growing by day," Martha said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 22:35:37|Editor: huaxia

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Fafape Ama Etsa Foe checks mushrooms at her farm in a suburb of Accra, Ghana, on May 12, 2021. Fafape Ama Etsa Foe, a young Ghanaian female accountant in her thirties, identified the gap and the potential in the product and abandoned her profession six years ago to veer into mushroom farming to respond to the growing demand of the Ghanaian market by establishing E90 Ghana Limited in 2015. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

by Francis Tandoh

ACCRA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Mushroom has long been so beloved by Ghanaians that the wild ones have been far from satisfying their growing appetite. This, for some, means a golden business opportunity.

Fafape Ama Etsa Foe, a young Ghanaian female accountant in her thirties, identified the gap and the potential in the product and abandoned her profession six years ago to veer into mushroom farming to respond to the growing demand of the Ghanaian market by establishing E90 Ghana Limited in 2015.

With an initial production of 10 polythene bags containing sawdust mixed with rice bran and quicklime on an abandoned shoe rag, she has now been able to expand her farm and is now producing over 50,000 bags per month hence earning the name "Ghana's mushroom queen."

She told Xinhua in an interview upon a visit to her farm located at Ogbojo, a suburb near Accra, that she was motivated to go into mushroom farming due to its huge potential.

"Taking care of the waste that we have in the environment by helping to take the sawdust that we have at the sawmills and then using that as the substrate for the production of one of the world's richest protein foods," she said, adding that the opportunity also offers employment to others, including women and youths.

Owing to the positive contribution Fafape has made over the years, she won awards including the best farmer 2018 from the Adenta Municipality in 2018. She was also sponsored by the European Union to visit China where she learned how mushrooms were cultivated in China.

She said her trip to China where a mushroom-farming industry was booming bolstered her confidence in expanding her own business in Ghana.

"When it comes to the economic benefits that it gives me as the entrepreneur, I must say confidently that I have earned well in mushroom farming," she said. "I am happy that I am a mushroom farmer and a mushroom queen."

The commercialization of the product, according to her, has increased the appetite of Ghanaians due to the health benefits with the consumption of mushrooms.

"I believe growing this on a commercial basis has given Ghanaians the opportunity to taste more of mushroom or see more of mushrooms. The market is picking up gradually, you know with the increase and lifestyle-related diseases, people are becoming aware of eating healthy and mushrooms play a critical role when it comes to putting good food into our bodies," she explained.

"People are beginning to be aware that mushrooms are not just something to enjoy occasionally," she said, adding that it was an exciting time for the mushroom industry as the demand continues to grow.

Despite the remarkable improvement over the years regarding output, Fafape also shares some of her challenges as a mushroom farmer.

"One of our key challenges is getting the technology in order to speed up the work," she said. "We want to have our own laboratory that can produce everything in house so the process will flow smoothly."

Hoping to attract more people in her business, Fafape said she hopes the Ghanaian government will take a critical look at the industry as it could offer employment to people.

Fafape also advised graduates and other unemployed people to look at opportunities around them and take advantage of them.

"I am getting my gold in mushroom farming and I know you will also get yours as well," she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 23:01:02|Editor: huaxia

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LIBREVILLE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Gabon, a French-speaking country in Africa, has decided to knock on the door of the Commonwealth, almost all of whose members are the former territories of the British Empire.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba said last Tuesday that his country plans to join the Commonwealth in a short time. Speaking of a "historic turning point," he made this major announcement in London after a meeting with Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland.

LANGUAGE EMANCIPATION

Gabon's willingness to join the Commonwealth is not a decision that comes out of nowhere.

Ali Bongo, a perfect English speaker who spent part of his childhood in the United States, has never hidden his intention to lead Gabon into the Anglosphere, in order to realize modernization.

Though international, the French language, the official language of Gabon, is not the most spoken in the world, while English is still the language of business, a shared opinion among the Gabonese officials.

"Gabon wants to develop and offer itself the best opportunities. When you leave the French-speaking zone, if you don't understand English, you are almost handicapped. It is about ensuring that Gabonese people are better armed," said Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, former spokesman for the Gabonese presidency.

In October 2012, the Gabonese president paid a short visit to Kigali to "examine the experience of English-French bilingualism" in Rwanda, a French-speaking community that also belongs to the Commonwealth.

The president had followed the example by sending a group of teachers to Ghana to learn English teaching. But his plan to make room for English in schools had failed when the country had sledded in a severe economic crisis following the fall in commodity prices in 2014.

ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION

In his major announcement last week, the Gabonese president said the goal is to diversify Gabon's economy. His spokesman, Jessye Ella Ekogha, added that it was a choice aimed at "sustainable development of the country."

In Africa, there has been an opinion among observers that economic development tends to be more dynamic in English-speaking countries than in most French-speaking countries. Libreville intends to vary its development choices based on the development models of the English-speaking countries, according to the Gabonese Foreign Ministry.

The option of making Gabon a bilingual country was also in line with the country's ambition to develop the tertiary sector as part of the diversification of an economy that is overly dependent on oil, wood and mineral sectors.

Since 2012, Gabon with Chinese support has invested heavily in the construction of stadiums, hotels and other infrastructure with the goal of turning itself into a tourism hub.

A DECISIVE SUMMIT

Libreville is now patiently waiting for its candidacy to be validated at the next Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

However, the summit, scheduled for June, was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a source close to the Gabonese Foreign Ministry, Gabon had already applied for several months and the Commonwealth had sent a delegation to Libreville for an assessment to determine whether Gabon is eligible for its criteria.

Gabon, for example, has adopted in March a revision of the civil code to defend gender equality and combat domestic violence, a cause supported by Patricia Scotland. If all goes well for Libreville, it would become the third non-English speaking country to join the organization, after Mozambique in 1995 and Rwanda in 2009. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 23:12:12|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has recorded a drastic drop in poaching cases with only two rhinos poached so far this year compared to 13 poaching cases recorded at the same period last year, Environment Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said on Monday.

According to Muyunda, the country's investment in fighting poaching has resulted in the drastic decline in cases.

"Namibia's continued anti-poaching efforts have led to this drastic drop in poaching cases. This is a very big achievement which has been made possible by the different collaborations we have with law enforcement agencies and members of the public who have assisted us with tip-offs that have led to many arrests," He said.

Muyunda said that this is an achievement that Namibians should be proud of, adding that the country needs to continue putting in more initiatives and strategies to get the number of poaching to zero.

Last year, the ministry said the country was in the process of establishing a special operations unit that will include the use of horses. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-18 01:02:12|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The recent torrential rains across Somalia have affected around 166,000 people, the United Nations humanitarian agency said on Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said while the rains have reduced in some areas, it is alarming that Somalia has been hit by a double climate disaster, with drought declared on April 25 and recent heavy rains causing riverine and flash flooding.

According to OCHA, the combined impact of drought and floods is likely to exacerbate the already critical food security situation in Somalia, where more than 2.7 million people are projected to be food insecure.

"Furthermore, these climate shocks will cause displacement, jeopardize access to safe water, contribute to an increase of water-borne diseases and negatively impact livelihoods," OCHA said in its latest Floods Update report released in Mogadishu.

The UN said key air and road transportation routes have been affected, impacting on the availability of food supplies and partners' ability to reach affected populations.

It said the 2021 Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan requires 1.09 billion U.S. dollars to assist four million people but is only 19 percent funded as of Sunday.

On May 9, the UN agency said at least 25 people were killed from May 3 to 9 due to heavy rains which were pounding several parts of Somalia. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 09:47:14|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations Munir Akram on Sunday called on the UN Security Council to initiate steps to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"Above all, the Security Council must promote the full implementation of the relevant UN resolutions especially for the realization of the two-state solution through the establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital," Akram told the Security Council's open videoconference debate dedicated to discussing the recent escalation of violence in Israel, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

"In the grim backdrop of the deteriorating situation in the region, we urge the Security Council to fulfill its Charter obligations, to call for an immediate halt to Israel's use of disproportionate and arbitrary force, to offer protections to the Palestinian civilians who are bearing the brunt of the Israeli attacks, and to ensure Israel's full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights laws, including the right to life, freedom of worship, movement and peaceful assembly," said the ambassador.

Israel must be asked to stop all unilateral and illegal steps including settlements and attempts to change the status of Jerusalem, noted Akram, who is currently president of the UN Economic and Social Council.

"Pakistan condemns Israel's use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force, including aerial bombing, resulting in the deaths of nearly 200 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, as well as destruction of civilian infrastructure," he said.

"We also strongly condemn Israel's deliberate and systematic assault against Palestinian worshippers in the Haram-al-Sharif, including the Al-Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, its violation of the sanctity of these holy sites, its continued policy of expansion of its illegal settlements, its forced evictions of Palestinians and demolition of their homes, and its targeting of journalists and international media outlets in the occupied Palestinian territories," said the ambassador.

These Israeli actions are unacceptable and in contravention of the norms of international law. They violate UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and have grave implications for the maintenance of peace and security in the region and beyond, he added.

"The Palestinian cause is a legitimate struggle against an 'occupying power' by an 'occupied people.' It is a just struggle for self-determination and against foreign occupation. The asymmetry of power between an occupied and beleaguered people and one of the most powerful militaries in the region is stark and brutally evident," said the ambassador.

After hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in East Jerusalem last week, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched rocket attacks against Israel, which responded with intense airstrikes against targets in Gaza. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 10:30:08|Editor: huaxia

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A container ship berths in the Singapore Straits on May 17, 2021. Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) grew by six percent year on year this April, compared to the 11.9 percent rise in March, according to government agency Enterprise Singapore on Monday. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)

SINGAPORE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) grew by six percent year on year this April, compared to the 11.9 percent rise in March, according to government agency Enterprise Singapore on Monday.

The growth was mainly due to exports of non-electronics, especially specialized machinery, petrochemicals and primary chemicals, which grew by 54.3 percent, 63.3 percent and 104.6 percent year on year respectively.

In all, Singapore's non-electronics NODX grew by 4.7 percent year on year in April, following the 9.2 percent growth in March. Meanwhile, the electronics NODX grew by 10.9 percent year on year, compared to the 24.4 percent growth in March.

On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, Singapore's NODX decreased by 8.8 percent in April to 15.4 billion Singapore dollars (about 11.54 billion US dollars), following the 1.1 percent increase in the previous month.

Singapore's NODX to Chinese mainland surged 55.5 percent year on year in April, following the 46.4 percent increase in March. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 11:36:43|Editor: huaxia

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MALE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Maldives has opened registration for vaccination against COVID-19 for pregnant women, local media reported Monday.

The state-owned PSM News, citing the health Protection Agency (HPA), said that pregnant women in the Maldives can register to be inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine. Registrations can be done online and vaccination is on a first come first served basis.

A fourth wave of the pandemic in the Maldives saw daily cases rise to over 1,500 last week. Around 50 pregnant women have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Consultant Physician at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) Dr. Mohamed Ali.

The Maldives began its COVID-19 vaccination program on February 1. According to the HPA data, 302,974 people have received the first dose of the vaccines, while 142,913 have received the second dose.

The Maldives currently has 15,958 active cases of COVID-19, out of which 262 patients have been hospitalised for treatment. Authorities have imposed a night curfew and closed many public spaces in order to contain the spread of the virus. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 12:13:07|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 533 new local cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing its national tally to 49,175, the country's health ministry said Monday.

Meanwhile, seven more fatalities and 1,065 more recoveries were reported, bringing the death toll to 226 and the total number of recoveries to 41,844, the ministry said in a statement.

The Asian country launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign in late February, aiming to cover at least 60 percent of its population of 3.3 million.

So far, more than 1,778,600 Mongolians have received their first dose and over 643,600 have got both jabs. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 15:51:10|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The nine missing people in a boat accident in the Kedung Ombo Reservoir in Boyolali district, Indonesia's Central Java province, have been found dead, local officials said on Monday.

The nine victims were found after a search and rescue team managed to retrieve the last two victims who were identified on Sunday evening and on Monday morning respectively, said Kurniawan Fajar Prasetyo, head of the emergency section at the Boyolali Disaster Management Agency.

The last two victims have been sent to two local hospitals for further identification, Prasetyo was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

A boat with 20 local tourists aboard was reported to capsize in the reservoir on Saturday at about 11 a.m. local time.

According to the Boyolali district police head Adjunct Commissioner Cahyo Nugroho, the accident happened when the boat was carrying the tourists to a floating restaurant.

Of the 20 passengers aboard the ill-fated boat, 11 survived the mishap and nine were dead, Nugroho said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 16:36:22|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) reported 5,979 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,149,925.

The death toll climbed to 19,262 after 72 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, has tested over 11.8 million people since the outbreak in January 2020.

The health care utilization rate in Metro Manila is "on the safe zone" now after weeks of steady surges in infections, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing on Monday, adding that some areas in the capital "remain at high risk."

The health care utilization rate refers to the bed occupancy in the intensive care unit, the isolation facilities and the hospital wards.

Vergeire said the country's average number of daily cases has also dropped from around 10,000 during the peak to more than 5,000.

The Philippines placed Metro Manila and its four adjacent provinces under strict lockdown on March 29 after the COVID-19 cases soared. The government eased the restrictions over the weekend.

The DOH urged the local government units to implement safety measures to curb the infections strictly. "Let us not be complacent and continue the detection and isolation of patients to reduce the infections," Vergeire added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 21:58:59|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh on Monday announced the death of a patient who was infected with the COVID-19 variant first detected in India, the first fatality in the country involving the new variant.

According to data published by the government's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, six Bangladeshis who returned from India have been found to be infected with the new variant, and one of them who was also suffering from cancer and other ailments died.

Bangladesh detected the first two cases of the highly infectious coronavirus variant earlier this month, after imposing a ban on the entry of travellers from India via land ports starting from April 26.

The air travel between the two countries has also been suspended from April 14 following a steep rise in COVID-19 infections in India.

Bangladesh reported 698 new confirmed cases and 32 new deaths from the coronavirus epidemic on Monday, bringing its total tally to 780,859 with 12,181 deaths. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 22:21:44|Editor: huaxia

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SINGAPORE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A renowned Singaporean scholar on Monday called on the United States to abandon the outdated strategic mentality that belongs to the 19th century and meet challenges facing the globe by expanding cooperation with other countries.

"The zero-sum games of international relations that were played for thousands of years are no longer what the people in the 21st century want," Kishore Mahbubani, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, said during an interview with Xinhua via video link.

Mahbubani said the U.S.-initiated trade war against China "has not helped American workers and consumers" and its goal of containing China's development has failed, Mahbubani said.

"The world has changed fundamentally in the 21st century, (but) the minds of the American strategic thinkers are trapped in the 19th century," Mahbubani said.

In the past, people from different countries were like living in separate boats, but as a result of globalization, people nowadays share the same boat, Mahbubani said, citing the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as compelling evidence.

"Humanity must cooperate," he said. "The one big message I have for the United States and for the Biden administration is that please don't apply the 19th century strategic thinking to the 21st century."

"Focus on our common challenges. Let's first kill COVID-19. Let's fight global warming together," he added.

Mahbubani said he believes that Asian countries should speak out against the trade war started by former U.S. President Donald Trump as it is also damaging the growth prospects of other Asian countries and the world at large.

During his over 30 years of diplomatic career, Mahbubani used to serve as Singapore's ambassador to the United Nations.

Talking about how U.S.-China relations can break the ice, Mahbubani said "the first step in developing cooperation is to develop understanding" and called for more face-to-face meetings so that the two sides can better understand each other's positions and common interests.

As to the U.S. interference in the affairs of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang, which are China's internal affairs, Mahbubani stressed that one of the basic principles in international relations should be non-interference in internal affairs of other countries.

As the United States used to condemn foreign interference in its presidential election, the country itself "also must stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. You cannot have a double standard," Mahbubani said.

"I would encourage Americans ... to first take care of America's own internal problems before trying to transform the world," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-18 00:29:57|Editor: huaxia

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Brunei government on Monday announced the temporary suspension of entry for foreign nationals from four more South Asian countries over COVID-19 concerns.

Brunei has earlier imposed a travel ban on India.

According to a press release from Brunei's Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the temporary suspension on traveling to and from India, imposed on April 27, will be extended until June 13 and will cover four more countries, namely Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The PMO said the suspension applies to entry travels of all foreign nationals departing from or through any airport in the region except for diplomatic passport holders and armed forces members. It also applies to transits through Brunei for all foreign nationals departing from the region.

It also suspended travels from Brunei to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh for any reason or business matters except diplomatic passport holders and armed forces members.

The PMO said the suspension also applies to foreign nationals who have been granted pre-approvals to enter Brunei from the above five countries via pre-authorized flights, which have therefore been suspended.

Brunei reported no new confirmed case of COVID-19 on Monday, maintaining the national tally at 232.

The country has recorded 376 days without local COVID-19 infection cases, with seven active cases being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Center, who are all in a stable condition.

There have been three deaths and 222 recovered patients from COVID-19 so far in Brunei. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-16 18:06:24|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia confirmed 8,554 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 4,940,245, the official monitoring and response center said Sunday.

The national COVID-19 death toll rose by 391 to 115,871 in the past day, while the number of the country's recoveries grew by 8,573 to 4,556,073.

Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 2,789 new cases, taking the city's total to 1,137,097.

So far, over 133.5 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 22:13:31|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Marina Sereni said on Monday that Italy supports any initiative that would contribute to overcoming the current political stalemate in Lebanon, a statement by Lebanon's Presidency reported.

"The European Union is currently studying all means at its disposal to take a balanced and effective step in this context," Sereni said following her meeting at Baabda Palace with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

She noted that any solution must assure the need to protect the population and improve all living conditions.

Sereni also reiterated Italy's urgent call for Lebanese political parties to set aside their differences and cooperate in forming a new government that would put Lebanon back on track for sustainable development.

The Italian official emphasized that Italy considers Lebanon as a key player for the peace and stability in the Middle East.

Sereni also confirmed Italy's commitment to reconstruction in Lebanon following last year's Beirut port's blasts which killed at least 200 people, injured around 6,000 others and destroyed a big part of the city.

For his part, President Aoun thanked Italy for its contribution in development projects in Lebanon.

The president added that his priority is to form a cabinet and implement reforms including the fight against corruption.

Sereni arrived in Lebanon on Sunday for an official visit to discuss with Lebanese authorities means of cooperation between the two countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-17 13:13:34|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The success of U.S. President Joe Biden's China policy also depends on how the United States changes, said Joseph S. Nye, a well-known U.S. expert.

In an article published recently on the website of Project Syndicate, Nye called the U.S.-China relationship a "cooperative rivalry", in which, he said, "the terms of competition will require equal attention to both sides of oxymoron."

A key to gauging "the success of Biden's China policy will be whether the two powers can cooperate in producing global public goods", when competing in other areas, he said.

On issues like climate change and pandemics, success will need the bilateral cooperation, he said, adding the United States "cannot solve these problems alone, because greenhouse gases and viruses do not respect borders or respond to military force." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-18 00:22:30|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States and the European Union will start talks on the steel tariffs imposed during the administration of former President Donald Trump, according to a joint statement released by the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. Commerce Department and the European Commission on Monday.

During a virtual meeting last week, the leaders from the two sides "agreed to chart a path that ends the WTO disputes following the U.S. application of tariffs on imports from the EU under section 232," the statement read.

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo, and European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said in the statement they will start discussions to "address global steel and aluminum excess capacity."

"To ensure the most constructive environment for these joint efforts, they agreed to avoid changes on these issues that negatively affect bilateral trade," the statement read.

"They committed to engaging in these discussions expeditiously to find solutions before the end of the year," it said, vowing to ensure the "long-term viability" of their steel and aluminum industries.

Citing national security concerns, the Trump administration unilaterally imposed a 25-percent tariff on steel imports and 10-percent tariff on aluminum imports globally in 2018, drawing strong opposition domestically and abroad.

Argentina, Brazil and South Korea agreed to limits on their metal exports, and were able to avoid the extra U.S. tariffs. In May 2019, the Trump administration removed the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, in hope of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)'s ratification.

After failing to reach a deal with the Trump administration, the EU took the case to the World Trade Organization and imposed retaliatory tariffs on a range of American products, including Bourbon whiskey. The second tranche of tariffs was expected to be in effect in June.

In a tweet on Monday, Dombrovskis said the EU will "temporarily suspend" the increase of its rebalancing measures on U.S. 232 steel & aluminium tariffs, noting that "this gives us space to find joint solutions to this dispute."

Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, welcomed the move in a statement.

"Distillers across the United States are breathing a huge sigh of relief after bracing for a 50 percent tariff on American Whiskeys in just a matter of days that would have forced many craft distillers out of the EU market," Swonger said, adding that there is "still work to be done" to get EU and U.S. spirits back to zero for zero tariffs. Enditem
Editors Note: This essay once mentions a well-known racial slur. Indeed, much of the essay is about the usefulness of maintaining a distinction between using a word and merely mentioning it, and argues that mentions of even taboo words should be allowed, so it would be self-defeating to resort to euphemism in this case.

by Gerald Dworkin

For the past year or so there have been a considerable number of cases of teachers or authors or journalists who have been threatened with sanctions, had sanctions imposed, or lost their positions, because of articles they wrote or statements they made as part of their occupations. Many of these cases involved the appearance of the N-word in their speech or written work. Here are some of them.

1. In a course at the Rutgers Law School last Fall, a student was curious about why a defendant in a case was charged with conspiracy to murder, when he had not been directly involved in the shooting. So he looked up the case and found that the defendant had shouted that he was going to return to the scene where the shots were fired, but first, Im going back to Trenton to get my niggers. This clarified for the student why the defendant might be charged with conspiracy to murder.

The professor of the course has asserted that she did not hear the word spoken during a videoconference session, which three students had attended after the criminal law class.

As the NY Times reported: In early April, in response to the incident, a group of Black first-year students at Rutgers Law began circulating a petition calling for the creation of a policy on racial slurs and formal, public apologies from the student and the professor.

At the height of a racial reckoning, a responsible adult should know not to use a racial slur regardless of its use in a 1993 opinion, states the petition, which was signed by law school students and campus organizations across the country.

We vehemently condemn the use of the N-word by the student and the acquiescence to its usage, the petition says.

To date the Professor has not apologized for her conduct and has not been sanctioned.

2. The editor of Poetry magazine has resigned from his position because he published a 30p-page free-verse poem that contained an offensive term referring to Black women and imagery. We do not know what the term was, since the poem has been removed.

3. Greg Patton is a professor of clinical business communication at the University of Southern California. During a recent virtual classroom session, he was discussing public speaking patterns and the filler words that people use to space out their ideas: um, er, etc. Patton mentioned that the Chinese often use a word that is pronounced like nega.

In China, the common word is that, that that that, so in China it might be nega, nega, nega, nega,' Patton explained to his class. So theres different words youll hear in different cultures, but theyre vocal disfluencies.

But because the Chinese word nega sounds like the N-word some students were offended and reported the matter to the administration. Patton took a short-term pause from teaching the course, after a group of Black MBA students wrote a letter about Pattons use of the Mandarin word in his class on Aug. 20.

USCs Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX found professor Gregory Patton, who used a Chinese word that sparked controversy, did not violate the universitys policy.

4. At the New School for Social Research, a novelist and Pulitzer prize finalist, was accused of using the N-word in class in a discussion of James Baldwin.

During a conversation about Baldwins argument that the war of an artist with his society is a lovers war, Sheck asked the class if anyone had seen the 2016 documentary film on Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro. In so doing, she noted that the title of the documentary used the word negro, instead of the N-word, which Baldwin used in an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show. Sheck said she used the actual word because Baldwin used it, and because future class texts included the word, as well.

For a thorough examination of a Professors quotation from Martin Luther Kings Letter from a Birmingham Jail which contains many mentions of the word in question see https://www.thefire.org/fire-letter-to-the-university-of-california-los-angeles-july-2-2020/

5. New York Times correspondent of 45-years, Donald McNeil was forced to resign for using the N word. We do not tolerate racist language regardless of intent, Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joe Kahn explained.

McNeil, 67, went to PERU as a representative of the Times on a 2019 trip with American high school students. McNeil said I was asked at dinner by a student whether I thought a classmate of hers should have been suspended for a video she had made as a 12-year-old in which she used a racial slur. To understand what was in the video, I asked if she had called someone else the slur or whether she was rapping or quoting a book title. In asking the question, I used the slur.

***

The unusual feature of these cases is that , with the exception of the poem, none of the people being attacked are using the word themselves. They are either quoting someone else who used the word ( law student case) or quoting Baldwin, or quoting what a student has just said or asking someone if they actually used the word in a video (McNeil).

Now there is ambiguity in the idea of using an expression. It may simply mean someone wrote or said it. In that sense all of these statements use the word. But what philosophers and linguists mean by using as opposed to mentioning Is quite different.

Consider the two statements 1) Bachelors are unmarried men and 2) Bachelors has 9 letters. The first is true. The second is both ungrammatical and nonsense. But 3) Bachelors has nine letters is a true statement. The difference is that in the first statement we are using the word to make a claim about people who are called by a certain term. In the third we are making a claim about the word rather than the people.

Whenever we quote what a person said or wrote , we are not using those words. We are mentioning them. If I quote Hitler as saying Kill all the Jews I am not saying that Jews should be killed. I am not saying it even if I believe all Jews should be killed. I am not uttering a command, or a suggestion, or a call for Jews to be killed. I am telling you what Hitler said.

The point of quotation marks is to isolate the meaning and use of words from the beliefs and views of the person quoting. Of course it is possible that the writer/speaker does in fact believe or support the views that are quoted. But that cannot be known from the quotation itself.

Given an understanding of the difference between use and mention, what are we to think about the kinds of cases listed above? One claim is that those protesting the mention of the racial slur are simply making a conceptual mistake. Undoubtedly some are. But it is unlikely that all of them are confused. When they object to what a law student says that a Supreme Court Justice said a defendant said, it is unlikely they think the student intended to attack Black people by using a racial slur. The most plausible interpretation is that the mere presence of the term on the page, or its being uttered, has the same damaging featuresperhaps weaker as the term itself. It creates the same kind distress and/or harms that the use of the term are claimed to create. This might explain the controversy about the term niggardly It is not that most objectors thought the term was in some way related to the slursome may have thought so of coursebut that it sounded too much like it. And this would also explain the nega case.

I believe this interpretation gives some credence to those who object to the mention of slurs. While some may simply be confused about the use/mention distinction there are others who are objecting simply because of the appearance of sound of the slur.

Nevertheless I believe that these attacks are both mistaken and counter-productive to the just and important struggle that the protestors are engaged in. I believe they are mistaken because the norms of the academic world about quotation and mention are valuable. Attacks on those who rely on these norms are unfair and an attack on academic freedom itself..

For a defense of the current professional norms see The New Taboo: Quoting Epithets in the Classroom and Beyond by Randall Kennedy and Eugene Volokh in 49 Capital Law Review. For an attack on current standards see LawProfessorBlog in Above the Law, May 4.

In a 3Quarks blog on Lenny Bruce in 2018 (The Costs of Free Speech) I argued that Listening to others who differ from us in values, attitudes, moral commitments, is necessary if we are to be reasonable in determining what to value, what kinds of person to become, which social policies to support or oppose. This is not true of slurs, or the kinds of anti-Semitic cartoons that were published in Nazi Germany. Insults, slurs, racial caricatures are not necessary, and are indeed counterproductive, to thinking about how to believe and how to act.

Given the distress and harm these slurs cause there is a prima facie case for condemning their use and their users.

But that very blog opened with a quote from Bruces comedy routine containing as many racial and ethic slurs as he could remember. I was mentioning them but not using them.

It still seems to me that to understand Brucewhich is an intellectual task well worth doing- -one has to see that he was deliberately mentioning these terms because his purpose, as he explains in the routine, was to routinize the words, so that they lost their shocking impact and obtained the status, as he says, of I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth Bruce was unduly optimistic about what he could accomplish by mentioning these terms. But it is unlikely that those attending his routine were upset or offended either.

What fiction and film would look and sound like if the mere presence of the words on the words were forbidden is puzzling. The film on the Underground Railroad which opened this week contained at least 20 utterances of the N-word in the first half-hour. Mostly by slaveholders. Some by slaves. But their presence contributed as much to the viewers understanding of the horror of slavery as the brutal scenes of flogging.

What happens to fiction is very unclear. The issue is whether the normal insulation of the author of a work of fiction from the acts and beliefs of her fictional characters will no longer be understood. If it is the mere appearance of the word on the page which is claimed to be offensive and harmful then this is not possible. This will have the consequence that authors who intend to attack racism by showing exactly how racist characters act and talk will face attack themselves for using racist language in their fiction.

In a just published article in the New Yorker An Artist and how he survived the Chain Gang the author writes in a very moving manner of his experience with the word. He quotes the word as it was applied to him by others. He then gives a justification for doing so. I understand that seeing that word written flat out on the page may hurt some people. My hope is that they will come to understand why its there My story will not be as clear if I block out the word or even change a single letter. A substitute doesnt carry the same effect. To me, it means it isnt the same wordI want the reader to understand the effect it carries when you use the word and how degrading it is.

I think it is important to be able to quote Martin Luther King or James Baldwin or David Duke.

I believe that the Rhode Island Supreme Court was correct in saying:

We note that, in the testimony of both troopers, the various epithets allegedly uttered by the defendant on the night of his arrest were transcribed without redaction. We have chosen to reproduce their testimony in this opinion in a similarly unbowdlerized fashion because what the defendant is alleged to have actually said is so central to the issues on appeal. Unfortunately, many of the words in question are likely to cause real offense to some readers, but we are convinced that an unflinching examination of the defendants speech is critical to a just analysis of his arguments. 

Nothing I have said here should be taken as denying that we should be alert, particularly in the classroom, to the feelings of those who have been the targets of slurs and insults. But I believe that the attacks that have occurred on those who are following current academic, professional and literary standards which have a legitimate justification, are unfair to those attacked, and are counter-productive to achieving the kinds of necessary social change the protestors correctly desire.

I would like to thank Robert May for many long and valuable discussions on this topic.
by Varun Gauri

For many of us, reading and writing literature is a spiritual endeavor. What does that mean?

In his book A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, George Saunders describes the benefits of reading and writing short stories using concepts familiar to Buddhists. In what follows, I list the Buddhas Four Noble Truths and explore their relationship to literature, leaning heavily on Saunders account. Whereas my previous piece explored the implications of Saunders book for public narratives, here I focus on personal spiritual journeys. I close by raising questions about the evidentiary basis for these arguments.

Dissatisfaction, or suffering, is a basic fact of life

Buddhists often enumerate three types of suffering in our lives: the kind that comes from old age, sickness, physical pain, and death; the suffering that accompanies change, that sense that we cant hold onto anything that we love, not permanently; and all-pervasive suffering, the background of fear and anxiety always with us, the sense that even our own existence is questionable, and that our relationships and personal lives will never live up to our hopes.

Saunders is especially interested in the last form of suffering  pervasive dissatisfaction. His account of the spiritual potential of literature focuses on its power to cause an incremental change in the state of mind in which, for a little while anyway, we become more alert to our lives and the presence of other beings  and less existentially dissatisfied. For Saunders, a crucial cause of this third type of suffering is miscommunication: We are egocentric and constantly talk past each other; as a result, we feel lonely and misunderstood. Egocentrism has an evolutionary origin we are primed, for personal survival, to think that everything that is good for us is also good for everyone else. Tragically, that survival mechanism contributes to isolation and suffering.

Saunders reads Gogols story The Nose, in which the protagonist oddly, hilariously, keeps running into his own nose as the protagonist and his nose ride different horse carriages around St. Petersburg, as a realistic account of human miscommunication:

Gogol hears, in everyday life, the first hints of the small miscommunications that, under duress, become catastrophic. Its funny enough when Kovalyov, in the cathedral, cant seem to get a straight answer from his own nose, but this same species of miscommunication, writ large, causes revolutions and genocides and political upheavals, and family disasters that never get healed (divorces, estrangements, bitter grudges) and is, Gogol implies, at the heart of all human suffering  that is, at the heart of that constant nagging feeling of unrest and dissatisfaction that attends every human interaction. (p. 300)

The principal cause of suffering is craving

Craving, in Buddhist psychology, is about becoming too close to an object, being consumed by its presence, so much so that we lose track of the changing nature of that object as well as of our own desires. We grow to believe the object is the solution, the answer, the holy grail, even though our desires, like all entities, are continually in flux. The object becomes so all-consuming that we stop paying attention to what we actually want, to who we really are. This fixedness even provides a kind of pleasure because it creates the illusion that we have a solid, consistent self (structured, ironically, by precisely what it lacks).

The ancient Buddhists, cataloguers extraordinaire, listed three types of craving: the craving for sensual pleasure; the craving for being and becoming (otherwise understood as the wish for permanence or immortality); and the craving for non-being or non-becoming (the wish for self-annihilation).

Our day-to-day stories speak to the second type of craving  the wish for permanence. Our minds, tricksters that they are, continually reify ourselves and the world, turn complex desires, sometimes inconsistent and irrational, into simpler cravings, mistaking the word for the thing, the easier to grasp more tightly, and longer. Stories are psychological structures for creating the illusion that there is a solution, an end point, to craving. We convince ourselves that our lives would be entirely different if got a date with that handsome landowner, landed that real estate deal, got that house in the country.

The instant we wake the story begins: Here I am. In my bed. Hard worker, good dad, decent husband, a guy who always tries his best. Geez, my back hurts. Probably from the stupid gym.

And just like that, with our thoughts, the world gets made.

Or, anyway, a world gets made.

This world making via thinking is natural, sane, Darwinian: we do it to survive. Is there charm in it? Well, yes, because we think in the same way that we hear or see: within a narrow, survival-enhancing range. We dont see or hear all that might be seen or heard but only that which is helpful for us to see and hear. Our thoughts are similarly restricted and have similarly narrow purpose: to help the thinker thrive.

All of this limited thinking has an unfortunate by-product: ego. Who is trying to survive? I am. The mind takes a vast unitary wholeness (the universe), selects one tiny segment of it (me), and starts narrating from that point of view. Just like that, that entity (George!) becomes real, and he is (surprise, surprise) located at the exact center of the universe, and everything is happening in his movie, so to speak; it is all, somehow, both for and about him.

So, in every instant, a delusional gulf gets created between things as we think they are and things as they actually are. Off we go, mistaking the world weve made with our thoughts for the real world. Evil and dysfunction (at at least obnoxiousness) occur in proportion to how solidly a person believes that his projections are correct and energetically acts upon them. p. 157-158

Saunders finds Gogols absurdist story The Nose to be realistic because it accurately describes human communication, which is always unraveling.

The Nose suggests tha rationality is frayed in every moment, even in the most normal of moments. But distracted by the temporary blessings of stability and bounty and sanity and health, we dont notice. p. 299

The fundamental problem is that our day-to-day story telling, succumbing to the craving for permanence, lazily refuses to self-correct, pay attention, recognize change:

Every human position has a problem with it. Believed in too much, it slides into error. Its not that no position is correct; its that no position is correct for long. We are perpetually slipping out of absolute virtue and failing to notice, blinded by our desire to settle in  to finally stop fretting about things and relax forever and just be correct; to find an agenda and stick with it. p. 337

Buddhist psychology documents five hindrances to enlightenment  sensual desire, anger, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt. Notice that in his account, Saunders is primarily targeting sloth, torpor, and laziness, referring to the wish to relax forever and the distractions arising from stability and bounty. I believe he does so because the literary equivalents of the Third and Fourth Noble Truths, which announce a possible end to suffering and the technique for attaining it, concern the sustained attention that arise from better storytelling. Sustained attention is the opposite of sloth, torpor, and laziness.

The tendency to crave can fade

In non-theistic Buddhist accounts, a vivid awareness of the possibility of liberation arises from, and depends on, the realization that craving causes suffering. Glimpsing this state of mind, even for a moment, inspires seekers to pursue their spiritual paths, and orients their journeys. The seekers begin to reexamine their choices, practices, beliefs, and goals in light of the possibility of freedom from suffering. This glimpse can include feelings of connection to a less alienated world, a sense of curiosity, and a kind of playfulness.

Saunders believes great stories provoke a similar kind of curiosity and love for the world.

This feeling of fondness for the world takes the form, in [Chekhovs] stories, of a constant state of reexamination. (Am I sure? Is it really so? Is my preexisting opinion causing me omit anything?) He has a gift for reconsideration. Reconsideration is hard; it takes courage. We have to deny ourselves the comfort of always being the same person. p. 338-9

Unlike the reflexive, necessarily egoistic stories we are habitually and constantly creating, the stories of the attentive writer are attuned to complexity and, often, inconsistency. Those stories illustrate, for instance, how certain human virtues, all desirable, cannot easily coexist, how people fall in love with deeply flawed individuals, such as Olenka in Chekhovs The Darling, and how the world is less rational and normal than we typically need believe.

These insights are often challenging to convey in rational discourse; they are as much emotional as cognitive. The experience of reading complex stories provides access to a kind of knowledge, and insight, that the world could be different, that we might be different. There are more possibilities than found in the crappo or dopey stories we routinely tell ourselves.

We are always rationally explaining and articulating things. But we are at our most intelligent in the moment just before we start to explain or articulate. its superior to our usual (conceptual, reductive) way. p. 102

This kind of insight can be spiritually empowering. The character Vasili, in Tolstoys Master and Man, undergoes enormous personal transformation based on insight. Saunders describes Vasilys change in terms a Buddhist might recognize, emphasizing Vasilys new belief that he does not have a hard, permanent self.

What kept Vasili so small in this life? (What is keeping us so small now?) He wasnt small, actually, as proven by the end. He was infinite. He had access to as much great loves any of our beloved spiritual heroes. Why did he live out his life in that small country of selfishness? What was it that finally jolted him out of it? Well, it was truth. He saw that his idea of himself is untrue. His idea that he was himself was untrue. All of those years, he was only part of himself. He had made that part, was always making it and defending it, with his thoughts and his pride and the desire to win, which continually separated him, Vasili, from everything else. As that entity, Vasili faded away, what was left behind discerned the fallacy and joined (rejoined) the great non-Vasili of it all.

If we could reverse the process (let him come alive again, warm that body up, melt away the snow, cause him to forget all hes learned tonight) what we would see would be a mind gradually reasserting a series of lies: You are separate and You are central and You are correct and Go forth and prove that you are better, that you are here best. p. 243

There is a path to end of suffering

Buddhist schools differ on the path to the end of suffering, with varying degrees of emphasis on personal versus community-wide liberation, and the use of rituals. They share the view, however, that concentration, mindfulness, and compassion are important.

As I noted in an earlier post, mindfulness builds a meditators ability to sustain moment-to-moment awareness over longer and longer periods of time. In the process, one learns to appreciate that things are less substantial, solid, and essential than they appear. The sound of an air conditioner is not a drone but a bedlam of high- and low-pitched bursts. A shower is not a stream of water but undulating rivulets and tributaries cascading over various parts of the body. Pain vibrates, rises, and falls. Everything is changing, including ones desires. Crucially, the self, when one pays attention, diffuses into memory fragments, disconnected chunks of planning and plot, and threads of emotion and desire.

The experience generates compassion because one sees that all human beings, and perhaps all creatures, are fundamentally alike  they crave and grasp in the face of suffering, impermanence, and the absence of a stable self. Recognizing ones own impermanence, and the struggle and suffering that arises from resisting it, generates a compassion for other beings, as well, given that they, too, are engaged in the same struggle. In other words, Buddhist practices provide a technique for becoming compassionate. As is often said, compassion, and loving kindness, are understood to be skills, not feelings.

Saunders believes Tolstoy was engaged in an analogous practice, when writing his stories. From their own inner experience, writers generate sympathy for others out of the confidence that all human beings are sufficiently alike. This moment-to-moment and specific situational perspective-taking is essential to literary storytelling. Its what good writers do, Saunders argues. In other words, just as Buddhism proposes a reliable technique for becoming compassionate, and for ending suffering, writing and reading literature offers a technique, as well.

What else could it be? From where, other than his own mind, could Tolstoy find material with which to fill those other minds? These four people are all Tolstoy, and his recounting of what theyre thinking is not extraordinarily compassionate. Hes just ascribing to them thoughts hed had in an analogous situation, thoughts not particularly unique, psychologically, to them, produced more by their role in the situation.

In other words, what makes we think Tolstoy as a moral-ethical giant here is a technique (going from mind to mind) coupled with a confidence. Of what is Tolstoy confident? That people are more similar to him than different. That he has an inner Vasili, an inner aged host, an inner Petrushka, an inner Nikita. This confidence serves as a gateway to (what reads) as saintly compassion. p. 222

Ive been arguing that, for Saunders, writing and reading short stories are practices akin to Buddhist meditation in two senses: 1) they arise from an impulse to overcome the reality-denying character of most of the day-to-day stories we tell ourselves and live and act under the spell of; 2) a deep engagement with stories increases our compassion for ourselves and for other beings.

Is this right? Does literary fiction lead to compassion? Saunders is not the only writer to argue this, though he may be among the first to do do with Buddhist concepts. Pinker (2012) argued that reading played a crucial role in the emergence of humanitarianism in the 18th and 19th centuries, culminating in practices and institutions that sharply reduced violence in daily life. Nussbaum (1985) made related arguments, as did Hunt (2008).

In a paper published in Science, Kidd and Castano (2013) found that reading a single passage of literary fiction promoted a form of perspective taking that psychologists call theory of mind, akin to cognitive empathy, but reading nonfiction and popular fiction passages did not. This finding seems to support the arguments that Saunders is making, especially the distinction between day-to-day crappo stories and literary fiction. However, other studies found conflicting results. Djikic et al (2013) found no impact of reading fiction on theory of mind or affective empathy. Others found that the effects of reading literary fiction are moderated by individual differences, such as the ability to be transported by narratives, openness to experience, and affective empathy (references here). Pino and Mazza (2016) found that reading literary fiction improves cognitive but not affective empathy, but their participants read full books, not just passages. Panero et al (2016) noted that the effect sizes in the Kidd and Castano paper were relatively small, about one-point on a 36-point scale, and found no effect of reading fiction in their own results, though they did find that lifetime readers of literary fiction scored higher. A large replication study of social science experiments did not support the main findings, but Kidd and Castano (2019) responded, arguing that their best study was in fact supported.

The methods of replication are contested. I suspect there are reasons to believe that the effects of reading and writing literary fiction are indeed context-dependent. As Ive argued in this piece, drawing on Buddhist concepts, literary fiction primarily targets one of three kinds of suffering (pervasive dissatisfaction), one cause of that kind of suffering (the craving for permanence), and one of the five hindrances. If, in a given context, for given people, other kinds or causes of suffering predominate, or if those people are under the spell of other hindrances, literary fiction may not effectively challenge the ordinary stories they routinely tell themselves.

As Saunders puts it:

And thats what fiction does; it causes an incremental change in the state of a mind. Thats it. But, you know  it really does it. That change is finite but real.

And thats not nothing.

Its not everything, but its not nothing. p. 383
by Thomas Larson

Among the youngest and most soul-haunted poets who endured trench warfare during the First World War was Wilfred Owena British lieutenant, who died in France in 1918, one week before the Armistice. He was twenty-five. Owen was raised by an evangelical Anglican mother with whom he was abnormally close. She placed her provincial son into the service of a vicarvisiting the poor and sick, which Owen loatheduntil he escaped and went to France in 1913. There, his faith began to unravel, declaring to her that I have murdered my false creed. War afoot, he returned to England and enlisted in the Artists Rifles, a British military order, rising quickly to officer. His fighting ability was tragically competent.

In April 1917, assigned a squad at the front, a shell exploded two yards from his head and he was severely concussed. Sent home, confused and shaky, he recuperated by writing. As his biographers note, the war was good for his poetry. His front-forged verse found its edge. He wrote brutal elegies for the lads he commanded and saw shot and with whom, as spirits, he communed. Dozens of men dead, their unburiable bodies lay as expressionless lumps. Freed from the horrors of gas and bombardment, their spirit drags no pack, / Their old wounds, save with cold, cannot more ache.

Such men were, in part, entranced by a three-hundred-year tradition of English Poetry, from Spenser to Sassoon, in which British boys were enchanted by the Romantic concept of the soulwhose life and death was given to love, honor, faith, courage, even the finicky rewards of verse.

While young, were all bent by an unrequited love, that swoon which John Keats described as sweet unrest, his soul yearning for intoxication. Such magnetism (opposite or same sex) often possesses spiritual devotion, the one-night stand having little of the hearkening for which the devotional lover yearns. The spirit, with its own ghostlike being, may rule the body and overtake the mind. Especially with poets. If war, not love, is the context, the dying/dead soldier becomes a shadow character, stuck in an idealized state and personifying pure intransigence. Something like this Owen believed.

In a 1913, prewar letter to his sister, Owen is reevaluating his Anglican faith. He writes that he is happy she believes in spiritual matters and declares the finest Christian spirits are those who have direct communication with Powers Unseen, and who are consequently independent of what man can do unto them, either for evil or for good. Within a few years, those Powers Unseena kind of powerlessness before God or fatebecome his constant foe and companion in the trenches. His verbal imagination will be his direct communication. Owen reenacts gas attacks after which the dead soldiers, like the murdered Father-King who haunts Hamlet, bedevil him. They mortar across battlefield and land inside his poems. Their boot-addled spirits, English and German boys, limey and Hun, arise as dead narrators with whom Owen has transcendent dialogue.

Once he is leading a platoon in France, Owen puts his witnessing gift to work. In one poem, Has Your Soul Sipped? he notes a Smile, Faint and exceeding small, / On a boys murdered mouth. // Though from his throat / The life-tide leaps / There was no threat / On his lips. The piece begins in typical Owenian irony: Has your soul sipped / Of the sweetness of all sweets? The poets special vision sees not only what most cannot (the boy is smiling because hes happy hes dead) but also a light in the darkness death has brought. This is a land where strewn about are remnants of murdered boys, Smiling at God.

Among his creepiest inventions is The Show. After dying, a soldier looked down from a vague height, with Death, / As unremembering how I rose or why. He sees the battlefield he left behind, pitted with great pocks and scabs of plagues. Though he says his height is vague, its actually quite high, for he sees the troops movement below as if theyre worms inching along. Opposing sides crawl toward each other, the gray string attacks the brown string; the grays ate them and were eaten. In the midst of this vision the acrid smell of war hits him: Hes pushed toward meaning. But the odor and view are overpowering: I reeled and shivered earthward like a feather. Death falls with him, too. And then, on the ground, Death picks up a worm and reveals the illusion. Death Showed me its feet, the feet of many men, / And the fresh severed head of it, my head. How grotesque is the moment of death, how cinematic Owen is in rendering it, how cleverly the I of this one dead man discovers his dead I.

In other poems, a zombie state befogs many in Owens battle-benumbed squad. In A Terre, a blinded infantryman imagines, for the reader, his souls a little grief, grappling your chest, / To climb your throat on sobs. His final wish is this haunting directive: Carry my crying spirit till its weaned / To do without what blood remained these wounds. Owen half-locks the couplet on the pararhyme of weaned and wounds, suggesting the dead body feeds off the blood, vampirish, until the bloods gone out. The exsanguinating body of the undead plagues Owen and other infantrymen as well as nourishes the spirits awareness of what it has lost.

Owens most brilliant bit of eyes wide shut is Strange Meeting, in which he enters a tunnel, sees sleepers who are too fast in thought or death to be bestirred, and realizes hes entered Hell, a place where the fighting has stopped and no guns thumped. There he meets a soldier, a Hun, With piteous recognition in fixed eyes, who in a long soliloquy reveals the truth untold, / The pity of war, the pity war distilled. We think the dead mans warning will revisit their ethnic differences, perhaps a homily about the cess of war. But its not. Its about combatants sharing an identical fate. In the last five lines, the strange friend reminds Owen of their connection:

I am the enemy you killed, my friend.

I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned

Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.

I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.

Let us sleep now. . . .
Fungai Lupande  Mashonaland Central Bureau

A 39-year-old paedophile who sexually assaulted seven girls aged between five and 12 years asked the Bindura community for forgiveness before he was sentenced to 55 years in jail.

Kwaramasa Kwaramasa who resides in Bindura's Chiwaridzo high density suburb, will serve an effective 45 years after the court suspended 10 years for five years.

Kwaramasa pleaded guilty to the charges and Bindura magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube sentenced him to 10 years on each of the five counts of rape, and five years on attempted rape, before suspending 10 years.

In passing sentence, Mr Ncube considered that Kwaramasa was not a first offender and was pardoned during this year's Presidential amnesty.

He told the court that he does not know what caused him to commit the crimes.

Kwaramasa lured all the girls into secluded bushy areas after asking them for directions to various places in Bindura, before raping them.

Prosecutor Mrs Gossy Mutambu said on May 6 at around 9am, a nine-year-old girl was playing by the road side with her eight-year-old friend when Kwaramasa approached them asking for directions to Garati gold panning site.

He offered a dollar for the assistance, and the nine-year-old agreed and walked the man towards the Garati site while her friend returned home.

Upon reaching a grassy area, Kwaramasa ordered the minor to sit down and he sexually assaulted her. He fled the scene and the minor walked back home and revealed the matter to her mother.

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On March 5, a seven-year-old minor who was coming from school with her two friends aged three and four, met Kwaramasa who held her hand and asked to be shown the way to Ran Mine.

She instructed her friends to go home and agreed to accompany the man. After approaching a secluded bushy area, Kwaramasa raped the girl and escorted her towards her home after the act.

The matter only came to light on March 15 when the minor started discharging a whitish substance and revealed the sexual assault.

On April 23 at around 2pm, Kwaramasa met a 12-year-old who was coming from school with her friend and started chasing them.

He caught the 12-year-old and carried her to a grassy area where he raped her and fled.

The minor proceeded home and advised her guardian who reported the attack to the police.

Using the same method, Kwaramasa raped several other girls.
The figures were compiled using a review of newspaper reports, interviews with victims' families, and in some cases, confirmation by public and security officials.

Following the security challenges rocking Nigeria, the 17 governors in southern states of Nigeria, on Tuesday called on the federal government to "convoke a national dialogue as a matter of urgency."

They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to "address Nigerians on the challenges of insecurity."

The resolution was among 12 reached by the governors at their meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The security challenges include kidnappings, ethnoreligious crises, farmers and herders conflicts, terrorism and banditry. At least one of such acts occurs daily in the country.

Over 100 persons were killed in various violent attacks across Nigeria last week.

These figures were compiled using a review of newspaper reports, interviews with victims' families, and in some cases, confirmation by public and security officials.

Sunday

Gunmen attacked a police station in Akwa Ibom State, on Sunday afternoon at Abak Local Government Area of the state.

Two police officers and 12 cows were killed.

The Kaduna State Government confirmed the death of five people and one other missing in separate incidents in the state.

The government said three people were shot dead by gunmen at Golkofa village in Jema'a Local Government Area while one person was injured.

Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs, said in a statement on Sunday that all the victims were members of the same family.

He said the incident was confirmed by the Defence Headquarters outfit Operation Safe Haven and the state police command.

Bandits on a revenge mission reportedly killed 11 villagers and injured others when they attacked Tsatskiya community in Safana local government area of Katsina State.

Monday

Three villagers were killed by bandits in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The Nigerian Army said the troops of 8 Division operating in Zamfara and adjoining states had eliminated 'many commanders' and 48 members of bandits' gangs in the North-west.

The spokesperson of the army, Mohammed Yerima, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Yerima, a brigadier-general, said the Division had earlier launched "Operation Tsare Mutane" following the directives of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Ibrahim Attahiru.

Bandits in the early hours of Monday reportedly abducted 40 worshippers observing midnight prayer (Tahajjud) at a mosque in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The incident took place at the Abattoir area of Jibia.

Another police facility located at Mkpanak in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom Statewas attacked too. The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko MacDon, disclosed in a statement on Monday.

Mr MacDon, a superintendent of police, identified a slain officer as Obadia Eli, who was attached to MOPOL 57 Ukana, in Essien Udim. He was on his way to his beat when he was accosted and killed by the hoodlums.

The police in Edo State on Monday engaged kidnappers in a gun battle, killing three of them and rescuing seven victims.

Kontongs Bello, the Edo police spokesperson, said this in a statement on Monday. He said the police worked with a local vigilante team to achieve the feat.

Tuesday

A Deeper life Pastor and ex-Director in the Ondo state civil service, Otamayomi Ogedengbe was abducted by unknown gunmen.

The wife of the victim, Mrs Ogedengbe, said that they came to the church together for a programme when the gunmen stormed the church and abducted her husband.

The spokesperson of the state police command Tee Leo lkoro confirmed the abduction of the clergyman.

Two farmers were also abducted by gunmen on their way from their farms in Ikaramu Akoko, Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Tuesday.

Wednesday

A deputy Superintendent of Police, Abdulqadir Hardo, was shot dead by suspected bandits in Kebbi State.

He was shot in the leg by bandits while leading the Inspector General of Police Tactical Squad in a gun duel with the armed men at Tsamiya town, in Bagudo Local Government of the State.

The Nigerian Army also confirmed the foiled attempts by Boko Haram terrorists to attack part of Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital.

According to a statement by the Army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, on Wednesday, the terrorists were countered by combined gallant troops in conjunction with the police, youth vigilante and hunters.

It said heavy casualty was inflicted on the terrorists by the troops as nine of them were killed while many escaped with gunshot wounds.

Gunmen, numbering at least 100, on Wednesday, attacked a local police station in Abia State. The attack occurred at Bende Divisional Police Station.

The station was set ablaze by the gunmen.

Two people said to be residents of Modakeke in Osun State, were reportedly shot dead in Alapata village by some gunmen.

Thursday

Personnel of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday in Iseyin, Oyo State, engaged suspected smugglers in a shootout during which four persons were reportedly killed and property destroyed.

The exchange of gunshots by the customs officials and suspected smugglers threw the rustic town of Iseyin into panic with residents, who were celebrating the Eid-el-Fitr, fleeing to safety.

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Friday

The Nigerian military said it killed many bandits and destroyed their camps in some forests in Chikun and Birnin Gwari local government areas of Kaduna State.

This was contained in an operational feedback from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the Kaduna State Government on Friday.

The development was recorded by the "air component of Operation Thunder Strike during a series of aerial missions across several locations in Kaduna State".

But military sources said at least 10 died in the operation.

The police in Akwa Ibom State confirmed the death of eight people in a cult clash in Esit Eket Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko MacDon, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.

Saturday

Two persons were reportedly killed by some hoodlums during a violent attack at Arulogun area of Ede in Osun State.

The hoodlums invaded the house of one Wakili Olayiwola, set his Toyota Corolla car on fire and 'rained' bullets on the building.

The hoodlums eventually killed a 23-year-old man, Rilwan Kareem of Oke Bode Area in Ede and one Taofeek.

The police confirmed the incident.

The Nigerian police stormed the hideout of some of the fleeing wounded gunmen in Oyigbo Local Government Area, Rivers State, killing four of them and a female nurse.
Editor's Note

"A continent of 1.2 billion people should not have to import 99% of its vaccines. But that is the tragic reality for Africa. Fixing the lack of home-grown manufacturing capacity has become a top priority for Africa's policymakers. Last week, 40,000 people, including researchers, business leaders and members of civil-society groups, joined heads of state for a two-day online summit designed to share the latest developments and kick-start fresh thinking on how to bring vaccine manufacturing to Africa." - Nature magazine editorial, April 21, 2021

Covid-19 has revealed the urgency of reducing the inequality in global access to vaccines, prompting a wide-ranging and ongoing debate about what must be done about what many are calling "vaccine apartheid." But, as stressed in this summit convened by the Africa CDC and the African Union, the issue goes beyond any single disease, to the need to plan for future pandemics and address the inequities in capacity in both research and manufacture of vaccines.

This is already the case for malaria. A new vaccine with over 70% of efficacy was first reported earlier this month. African and world leaders and health officials are increasingly focused on the possibility of accelerating the fight against this deadly disease, which in 2019 caused over 84,440 deaths world-wide. Ninety-seven percent of those deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa. So while global campaigns under the slogan of "Malaria Must Die" continue, it is clear that the initiative for action must come from Africa.

Even once vaccines are available, there will remain formidable problems of manufacturing and distribution. On April 13, African leaders pledged to increase the share of vaccines manufactured in Africa from 1% to 60% by 2040. It will not be easy.

This AfricaFocus Bulletin includes (1) key links on the current status of the fight against malaria, (2) an open letter to international funders from African researchers, reposted here in full with permission from Nature magazine; and (3) excerpts from a news story and an editorial in Nature magazine on the urgency of development of vaccine capacity in Africa.

For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on health, visit

http://www.africafocus.org/intro-health.php

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two additional notes about this Bulletin

1. Unlike many if not most readers of AfricaFocus, including my wife, I have never had malaria, despite a total of more than five years spent in areas of the continent where the disease is endemic. But my awareness of the disease began long before I first traveled to Africa. My father, Dr. David Minter, served as a malaria control officer in the South Pacific during World War II, where in the early years the disease caused more casualties among U.S. troops than the Japanese military. Atabrine, DDT, and education of the troops brought the toll down significantly.

Unlike many wartime assignments, his posting to this position made good sense, as he had several years of experience in treating malaria in the 1930s in Mississippi, where malaria was endemic before the war.

His colleague in the South Pacific in this effort, Filipino physician Dr. Francisco Dy, who later served as the World Health Organization regional coordinator for the Western Pacific, became a life-long friend of my parents.

2. With this Bulletin, I am including a short embedded video featuring the Kanneh-Mason family cover of Bob Marley's Redemption Song. I may make this a regular feature of the Bulletin, featuring short music videos that do not take up extra bandwidth in the email. The idea came from the editors of Quartz Africa, who often end their weekly email with a note saying "written while listening to."

I am not good enough at multi-tasking to listen while I write. But I do find it necessary to take short breaks from writing to listen and watch short music videos. That is essential for the spirit, particularly when one is writing about subjects which more often feature grim realities than hope for change. The videos I will choose for inclusion are not linked to the specific theme of the Bulletin. But they definitely illustrate the visions of the resilience and hope needed both by Africa and the world.

I hope some of you enjoy them. If you don't, it's easy not to watch. They aren't set to auto-play.

++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++

Recent news and background on malaria

https://theconversation.com/new-malaria-vaccine-proves-highly-effective-and-covid-shows-how-quickly-it-could-be-deployed-159585

https://qz.com/africa/2005934/africa-can-avoid-covid-19-vaccine-missteps-with-malaria-vaccine/

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria

https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/distribution.html

https://allafrica.com/malaria/

https://allafrica.com/stories/202105040682.html

Meeting of African Leaders Malaria Alliance

https://malariamustdie.com/

World campaign against malaria, headlined by David Beckham

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Open letter to international funders of science and development in Africa

April 15, 2021

Nature Medicine, April 15, 2021

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01307-8

From Ngozi A. Erondu? ?1,2;, Ifeyinwa Aniebo 1,3,4; Catherine Kyobutungi 5; Janet Midega1, 6; Emelda Okiro 7; and Fredros Okumu 1,8.

1 Aspen Institute, Washington, DC, USA; 2 O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, USA; 3 Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria; 4 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA;

5 African Population Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya; 6 Wellcome Trust, London, UK; 7 KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya; 8 Ifakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Contact email for authors: ngozierondu@gmail.com

To the EditorRecently there was an announcement1 of a US$30 million grant awarded to the nonprofit health organization PATH by the US government's President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). The grant funded a consortium of seven institutions in the USA, the UK and Australia to support African countries in the improved use of data for decision-making in malaria control and elimination.

Not one African institution was named in the press release. The past year has been full of calls from staff and collaborators of various public-health entities for equality and inclusion, so one might imagine that such a partnership to support Africa should be led from Africa by African scientists, partnering with Western institutions where appropriate, especially where capacity has been demonstrated.

We write this letter to the major international funders of science and development in Africa as African scientists, policy analysts, public-health practitioners and academics with a shared mission of improving the health and wellbeing of communities in our continent and beyond. We represent a diverse group of institutions and communities dedicated to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and to establishing a more equitable world.

Our work is informed by lived experiences and accumulated local knowledge of diseases such as malaria, AIDS, diarrhea, meningitis and polio, which have plagued millions of our families and friends for ages. We are therefore grateful that organizations that fund international health research have long been part of the international efforts to rid the world of these illnesses and their associated inequities. We believe the reason these organizations are financing global health and development is that they share in our dreams and aspirations.

We also believe, just like you, the decision-makers at these major funding organizations, that all humans, regardless of where they are located, are equal, even if opportunities are not. We recognize multiple injustices that have been perpetuated through historical practices, often without due consideration of their negative consequences. The current political climate has amplified the global call to 'decolonize global health', a more overt stance against what public-health practitioners in both high-income countries and low-income countries have known all along: that the predominant global health architecture and its business model enable 'western' institutions to gain more than, and sometimes at the expense of, the people and institutions in the countries where the actual problems are.

As the 'decolonize global health' movement has demonstrated, dismantling structures that perpetuate unequal power over knowledge and influence must support the quest for justice and equality. Global health institutions, especially funding organizations, must therefore examine their own internal policies and practices that impede progress toward justice and equality for populations that they intend to help. We write this letter as a collective, hoping to accelerate, and in some cases initiate, a process toward real fairness. We believe that there are many issues with this specific consortium focused on malaria, including the fact that there are strong African institutions with excellent capabilities this area, including some already actively engaged on the ground, such as the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Information for Malaria (INFORM) initiative that began in 2014 (http://inform-malaria.org/).

International funding, such as that from the President's Malaria Initiative, has substantially advanced the goal of improving people's health and wellbeing in Africa and beyond. However, funding models such as that of the PATH-led initiative are among the reasons that after several decades and billions of dollars spent, the control of diseases such as malaria is still heavily donor dependent, This type of funding has also contributed a model of implementation that puts the delivery of several health interventions directly in the hands of Western non-governmental organizations, which further diminishes the capacities and ownership of national programs to deliver to their populations and ultimately leads to weak health systems and a lack of sufficient local capacity. Decisions about such major funding initiatives should be made in consultation with in-country scientists and researchers involved in this work, alongside ministries of health and national malaria-control programs, to augment national priority research efforts. Such efforts have the best chance of success if they are run by local research agencies and institutions that can work closely with governments and are well positioned to support decision-makers in integrating data into local policies and strategies.

The new 'high burden to high impact' initiative from the World health Organization rightly recognizes the need for such vital work to be country-owned and country-led to reignite the pace of progress in the global fight against malaria and to increase the likelihood of success in eliminating malaria. Omitting African institutions from leadership roles and relegating them to recipients of 'capacity strengthening' ignores the agency these institutions have, their existing capacity, the value of their lived experience and their permanence and close proximity to policy-makers.

In 2017, the USA, UK and Canada collectively spent US$ 1.1 billion on malaria development aid, which includes research funding. When the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation data-visualization tool is used (https://vizhub.healthdata.org/fgh/), it appears that once global fund contributions are removed, 81% of funding was used to support institutions in the funding country and 18% went to non-governmental organizations (probably based in high-income countries)that leaves just 1% of malaria funding available to local in-country research institutions. We recognize that the current funding structures create an imbalance of power and a monopoly that favors Western institutions and is derived in part from the perpetuation of inequities in access to funding with policies that lock out African institutions. These structural inequities must be examined, and they must end.

We know that several decision-makers of these organizations recognize the limitations of the model that you have woefully applied to the issue of which we speak. The New Partnerships Initiative from the US Agency for International Development (https://www.usaid.gov/npi) and the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (https://www.aasciences.africa/aesa) are good examples of funding local institutions for impact. The latter is shifting its center of gravity by ensuring its funding is provided directly to African scientists and institutions, which in turn empowers and enables them to shape their research agenda and to conduct research relevant to the continent. But we argue that these are the exceptions. For long-term progress, true partnerships and stronger collaborations, you, the funders, are responsible for totally transforming this model. We believe that in the same way we have to apply innovation in our work to fight diseases, innovation can be applied to the design of sustainable funding models with local researchers and organizations at their center.

We are asking that all major international funders of science and development in Africa commit to finding and implementing short-term and long-term changes to these models with consideration of the points we have listed above and with further consultation with reputable Africa-based institutions and scientists. There is a way to create equitable and dignified partnerships and to defeat the diseases that threaten everyone. We who authored this Correspondence are few, but we are committed to assisting any organization that is willing to make a substantial change.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01307-8

References

1. PATH. https://www.path.org/media-center/path-announces-pmi-inform-malaria-operational-research-project/ (10 February 2021).

2. World Health Organization & RBM Partnership to End Malaria. High burden to high impact: a targeted malaria response (WHO, 2019).

Author contributions

All authors were involved in the original drafting, reviewing, and editing of this letter and gave final approval of the version to be published. This letter is signed in an individual capacity. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of any organization they (the authors) are associated with or employed by.

************************************************************

How COVID spurred Africa to plot a vaccines revolution

For decades, Africa has imported 99% of its vaccines. Now the continent's leaders want to bring manufacturing home.

Nature magazine, April 21, 2021

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01048-1

[excerpt from full news story available at link above]

Prompted by the pandemic, Africa's leaders are on a path to ramp up capacity in vaccine manufacturing and boost the continent's regulatory bodies for medicines. On 13 April, they pledged to increase the share of vaccines manufactured in Africa from 1% to 60% by 2040. This includes building factories and bolstering capacity in research and development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left Africa woefully short of vaccines, according to John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), based in Addis Ababa. The ambitious move represents an important step in boosting Africa's capacity in public health, he added.

Nkengasong was speaking at a 2-day vaccines summit on 12 and 13 April, co-organized by Africa CDC and the African Union, and attended by 40,000 delegates. Also taking part were heads of state and leaders from research, business, civil society and finance.

"We have been humbled, all of us, by this pandemic," said Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, Senegal's minister of health and welfare. The 1% figure "boggles the mind", added virologist Salim Abdool Karim, formerly a science adviser to South Africa's government.

. . .

In the next pandemic, will Africa make its own vaccines?

The AU meeting ended on an upbeat note, with delegates talking of "tipping points", "now-or-never moments" and "global goodwill" to enable Africa to finally create its own vaccines industry. Progress will need political commitment, long-term finance and regional cooperation, said Patrick Tippoo, executive director of the African Vaccine Manufacturers' Initiative, a group of vaccine manufacturers and research institutes.

The foundational problem, Tippoo added, is that the continent's leaders have lacked the vision to recognize the centrality of local vaccine manufacturing in health-care policy.

The lack of manufacturing and weak regulation will require long-term governmental support if they are to be overcome, said Solomon Quaynor, a vice-president at the African Development Bank Group. Without such support, he warned the meeting's delegates, "there will be no vaccine manufacturing in Africa".

But momentum is on the side of new beginnings. "In the final analysis, the onus is on us as Africa. I do know we can do the job," said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's former finance minister and now director-general of the World Trade Organization.

*************************************************************

Africa's vaccines revolution must have research at its core

It's an injustice that Africa has to import 99% of its vaccines. COVID has sparked a push for change  and researchers have a crucial role.

Nature magazine, April 21, 2021

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01038-3

[excerpt from full editorial available at link above]

A continent of 1.2 billion people should not have to import 99% of its vaccines. But that is the tragic reality for Africa. Fixing the lack of home-grown manufacturing capacity has become a top priority for Africa's policymakers. Last week, 40,000 people, including researchers, business leaders and members of civil-society groups, joined heads of state for a two-day online summit designed to share the latest developments and kick-start fresh thinking on how to bring vaccine manufacturing to Africa.

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For more than a century, vaccine research and development (R&D) and manufacturing have been concentrated in Europe, India and the United States. Amid a raging pandemic, one result of this is that people in low- and middle-income countries might have to wait until the end of 2023 before they can be vaccinated against COVID-19. This is simply unacceptable.

Delegates at last week's summit vowed to accelerate plans to boost the continent's vaccine manufacturing, research and regulatory capacity. They endorsed a proposal for 60% of Africa's routinely used vaccines to be made in Africa within 20 years, and agreements were signed with international organizations representing companies and donor agencies. But achieving this goal will need some hard conversations in the weeks and months ahead.

One such conversation must be on the need for sustained and long-term investment, especially in domestic R&D, as a vaccines industry cannot be created without this. In spite of the best efforts of researchers such as the late Calestous Juma, who founded the African Centre for Technology Studies in Nairobi, most governments, for a variety of reasons, pushed back against the idea that domestic R&D is of long- term value. It needed a pandemic to persuade Africa's leaders to be convinced of the case for bigger investments. That is to be welcomed  but it will need more than warm words at a conference to provide assurance that the plans being hatched will come to fruition.

There will also need to be hard conversations with donor countries, their pharmaceutical companies, and funders and researchers  essentially, all those currently involved in supplying Africa with vaccines. If the goal is now African self-sufficiency in what some call the vaccine 'value chain', then international partnerships with the continent's institutions will require a different approach. A partnership in which the objective is to empower the continent's own researchers and businesses will need to be different from existing partnerships, in which the objective is to supply Africa with vaccines. Some international companies might regard African self- sufficiency as a long-term risk to their business; some might fear a loss of influence. Firms and researchers from outside Africa shouldn't take this view if they agree that a genuine partnership of equals is in everyone's interests. Vaccines are essential to public health. And public health is essential to strong economies.

. . .

The world's researchers have created, and continue to create, innovative vaccines. But it is now time to grow and share this knowledge with colleagues in under-served regions, especially in Africa. Their intervention in Africa's vaccine-manufacturing ambitions might well be too late to make a difference during the present pandemic, but it will almost certainly help to ensure that the continent's people are much better protected during the next.

Redemption Song (Arr. Kanneh-Mason)

There are many other versions of this song available on-line.

Three that I particularly like are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhtZ5SyGHFU - with Bob Marley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZncWCgN-zms - with Angelique Kidjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55s3T7VRQSc - Playing for Change with Stephen Marley

AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. For an archive of previous Bulletins, see http://www.africafocus.org,

Current links to books on AfricaFocus go to the non-profit bookshop.org, which supports independent bookshores and also provides commissions to affiliates such as AfricaFocus.

AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. To subscribe to receive future bulletins by email, click here.
Rabat  Moroccan actor Hammadi Ammor died Friday night at the age of 90 after a long illness, the president of the Moroccan Dramatic Arts Union, Abdelkebir Rgagna, told MAP.

The deceased, who left his mark on Moroccan TV production, appeared in several movies, plays and radio shows.

Born in the city of Fez in 1930, he was famous for his talents as a lyricist, as he collaborated with many Moroccan artists, including Maati Belkacem and Mohammed El Idrissi.

His first appearances in amateur theatre goes back to 1948, before he created in 1951 in Casablanca "Al Manar" theatre group.

He was also the host for more than 10 years of the show "Alam Al Founoun" (The world of arts).
Tiv community in Bali local government area of Taraba State yesterday confirmed that they have conducted burial for 30 persons while over 3,000 others have been displaced following attacks on villages in the area by suspected herders.

The victims were killed at Bornu Kurku, Utsua Daa, Baafada and Bali town.

The Tiv leaders in the state also alleged that over 3,000 persons have been forced out of their localities particularly women and children.

President-general Tiv Cultural and Social Association, Joshua Ayagwa, condemned the attack on the Tiv in the state, and called on the herders to desist from the senseless killings and displacement of this people.

Ayagwa also called on the security agents to stop the attacks and arrest the herders behind the killing of innocent citizens in the state.

The chief of Tiv people of Bali (Ter Bali) David Gbaa, told LEADERSHIP that no fewer than 31 Tiv people within the Bali local government area were killed in the three days of herders' invasion.

He said over 3,000 people who were displaced by the herders attacks are currently taking refuge at his palace, NKST Church and the Bali Legislative Office, all in Bali town.

"The Fulani who have unleashed mayhem on the Tiv farmers in Bali are the ones that came from outside the state.

"I believe they came in from where they have been chased out because of the current insecurity challenges across Nigeria.

"We have confirmed confidently the names of the 30 people who have been killed and buried across the Tiv villages in Bali local government area.

"We are still compiling the names and families of the other persons that have been found dead, we are categorical on all we are doing, we have the names of all we have buried and those who we are yet to identify, we are on the process to identify them for further confirmation.

"Those who have been displaced are going through tough times, they sleep under rain, there are women that deliver new babies while they were running for their lives."
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is working within its timelines for the nationwide resumption of continuous voter registration (CVR) on June 28.

Mr Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Okoye said that the commission was on course, especially with the development of an online portal to be deployed for the exercise.

2023 Polls: INEC To Start Voter Registration On June 23

"The online registration portal is almost ready and will be rolled out for the continuous voter registration slated to commence on June 28.

"The online portal has been demonstrated and adjustments made. It will have an online locator of registration areas and polling units.

"The commission is progressing and working within the framework of its timelines," Okoye said.

NAN reports that INEC had fixed June 28 for the resumption of its suspended CVR, with new technology.

The commissioner also outlined some critical activities within a timelines, leading to the restarting of the exercise.
Ahead of the five-day warning strike directed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) scheduled to commence today in Kaduna, Governor Nasir El-Rufai says he is ready and will wait for the union leaders and the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party.

Daily Trust reports that the Transmission Company of Nigeria had since midnight of Saturday knocked off all the 33KV lines in the state, leaving residents in darkness. This followed an earlier warning by the National Union of Electricity Employees that it had been directed by the NLC to join the warning strike.

It was gathered that many civil servants had decided to boycott the strike today following a warning by the state government that attendance would be taken.

El-Rufai had on Saturday said his government would not bow to blackmail, insisting that it was not sustainable to spend 84 to 96 percent of its federal allocation on salaries and personnel costs.

The state government had noted that it had been subjected to campaign of lies, misrepresentation and false claims that its rightsizing exercise affected 4,000 workers and that it had stopped paying the minimum wage.

Daily Trust reports that at least 14 affiliates of the NLC from the aviation, petroleum, banking, health and transport sectors have expressed their readiness to comply with the strike.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and other leaders of the union arrived Kaduna yesterday for close-door meeting.

However, reacting to the PDP Vanguard which made a statement on Twitter that a 'mother of all labour strikes' would take place in Kaduna, El-Rufai described the NLC and the PDP as "fathers of all hypocrites", stressing that Kaduna would wait for them.

He tweeted: "FATHERS OF ALL HYPOCRITES: Kaduna will wait for you all - the invisible PDP & affiliates like the hypocritical NLC that is yet to implement the National Minimum Wage Act, 2019 for its own employees."

Fuel queues build ahead of workers' strike

Meanwhile, Residents of Kaduna have resorted to panic buying of petroleum ahead of today's five-day warning strike directed by the NLC.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) had earlier directed all petroleum tanker drivers to withdraw services to Kaduna State for five-days.

Our correspondent observed that queues were building at fuel stations within Kaduna metropolis as motorists tried to fill their vehicle tanks and other containers for domestic use.

Salisu Ibrahim, who lives in Badiko, said he was on a queue for almost an hour to fuel his tank and a 25litre can for his generator at home.

"The TCN has already commenced its own strike even ahead of Labour," he said, adding that: "There was power outage sometimes around 12 midnight on Saturday and we have been without electricity since then, so one will need enough fuel to ensure that perishable items in the fridge do not spoil."

He said he had also rushed to a POS point to make withdrawals as he was sure that ATM points will also become overcrowded as the days go by.

Aviation workers block Kaduna Airport, says no going back

Aviation workers said yesterday there was no going back on shutting down the Kaduna International Airport in compliance with the directive of the NLC.

The workers comprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) had earlier issued a joint notice to join the one-week strike.

In a letter dated 14th May 2021 to the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the aviation unions informed that they would proceed on the action in compliance with the NLC directive with effect from midnight of Sunday, the 16th of May, 2021 to midnight of Friday the 21st of May.

Speaking with our correspondent yesterday, General Secretary of NUATE, Ochem Aba, said the Kaduna Airport would be shut down by 7 p.m.

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"We are currently at Mando and from there we would go in convoy to shut down the gate of the airport. There is no going back. All the authorities have been duly informed," he said in a telephone chat with our correspondent.

Daily Trust reports that Air Peace is currently the only airline that flies to Kaduna. It was learnt that the airline has been duly informed about the industrial action. As of the time of filing this report, the airline had closed booking on its website for Kaduna flight.

Apart from the scheduled commercial flight, other private charter operations in and out of Kaduna state would be affected.

A labour leader and former General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, said the action by the NLC "is long overdue."

"It is good that the labour movement is converging on Kaduna to deal with him. How can a governor wake up to say you are sacking people to say you are doing review? I am fully in support of the action of the labour movement. It is long overdue," he added.
Feminists in The Gambia have slammed a government memo issued during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that stated women working in government should return home early to prepare Iftar, the traditional breaking of the fast during Ramadan, after sunset.

Gambian feminists took to social media to protest against the declaration, arguing that it perpetuates the stereotype of women doing chores at home while the man works.

This created a backlash, with many accusing feminists of being against the Islamic traditions and the cultures of Gambian society.

Gender Roles

Islamic scholar Taha Muhammed Ceesay is one of many who does not agree that housework must be handled by women.

"Sometimes we don't appreciate what women are doing in the home because we don't know whether it's an obligation on them or not," says Ceesay. "In Islam, it is not an obligation for women to cook every day or to wash clothes."

House chores is one of the many tasks that keep women from realising their potential and improving their personal development, according to research published by Frontiers in Psychology journal.

Islam & feminism

Ceesay says denouncing feminism as un-Islamic is wrong, and that even during the time of the Prophet Mohamed, women fought for their rights when they were violated.

"If women see that men are not respecting their rights, they have right to ask for this. That happened during the time of Omar Ibn Khattab," he says, referring to the father-in-law of the Prophet Mohamed, one of the most influential caliphs in history.

"When Omar wanted to reduce the bride price of women -- the women asked for their rights and told him that even the prophet never did that, and Omar accepted that he was wrong."

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Ep 19: International Women's Day Special

Gambia maternal mortality: women push for change through social media

However, women's rights activists who are trying to change the narrative still come under attack, as cultural advocates, among others, see feminism as a Western ideology that devalues African cultures.

People confuse Islam and culture, according to Maimuna Jeng, the co-founder of Equals Now, a Gambia-based feminist collective, who says people need to understand their religion.

Tradition

Some cultures in The Gambia maintain oppressive traditions against the rights of women more than others. One such tradition includes revealing if a girl is a virgin on her wedding night.

Elderly women gather together to celebrate with traditional drumming and singing but some marriages could end that very night if the girl does not bleed to prove her virginity.

It's important to preserve cultures that value women's strengths, says Hassoum Cessay, director of Gambia's National Center for Arts and Culture.

"People will be surprised that in most Gambian ethnic cultural settings, the feminine is associated with authority," says Cessay.

"There is usually a generalisation of African women -- Gambian women in particular -- as being submissive and weak. But if you look into our culture, that is not true. Women have authority and play important roles in our societies, sometimes deciding roles, in fact."
document

At present, only 0.3% of vaccine supply is going to low-income countries. Trickle down vaccination is not an effective strategy for fighting a deadly respiratory virus.

India remains hugely concerning. But it's not only India that has emergency needs. Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Egypt are just some of the countries that are dealing with spikes in cases and hospitalizations.

Vaccine supply remains a key challenge, but this week I have been pleased to see leaders and manufacturers working to address some of these issues.

WHO has again convened researchers and scientists from around the world to update the Research and Innovation Roadmap to take stock of what we've learned and identify the most pressing knowledge gaps. It's amazing how far the world has come in less than 18 months, but I have high hopes that breakthrough innovation will continue at record pace.

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.

Earlier this week, I was vaccinated against COVID-19.

It was a bittersweet moment.

On the one hand, vaccination is a triumph of science and global solidarity.

Alongside public health measures, vaccination is key to controlling this pandemic and I am very grateful to the health workers at the Geneva University Hospitals, HUG, for helping me play my part.

However, my thoughts were very much with the health workers around the world who have been fighting this pandemic for more than a year.

The fact that so many are still not protected is a sad reflection on the gross distortion in access to vaccines across the globe.

Last September in the Economist we warned about the threat of vaccine nationalism and some said we were being alarmist.

In January, I spoke about the potential unfolding of a moral catastrophe.

Unfortunately, we are now witnessing this play out.

In a handful of rich countries, which bought up the majority of the vaccine supply, lower risk groups are now being vaccinated.

I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX.

Because in low and lower-middle income countries, vaccine supply has not been enough to even immunize health and care workers, and hospitals are being inundated with people that need lifesaving care urgently.

At present, only 0.3% of vaccine supply is going to low-income countries.

Trickle down vaccination is not an effective strategy for fighting a deadly respiratory virus.

India remains hugely concerning, with several states continuing to see a worrying number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

WHO is responding and has shipped thousands of oxygen concentrators, tents for mobile field hospitals, masks and other medical supplies. And we thank all the stakeholders who are supporting India.

But it's not only India that has emergency needs.

Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Egypt are just some of the countries that are dealing with spikes in cases and hospitalizations.

Some countries in the Americas still have high numbers of cases and as a region, the Americas accounted for 40% of all COVID-19 deaths last week. There are also spikes in some countries in Africa.

These countries are in heightened response mode and WHO will continue to provide support in all ways possible.

COVID-19 has already cost more than 3.3 million lives and we're on track for the second year of this pandemic to be far more deadly than the first.

Saving lives and livelihoods with a combination of public health measures and vaccination - not one or the other - is the only way out of the pandemic.

Vaccine supply remains a key challenge, but this week I have been pleased to see leaders and manufacturers working to address some of these issues.

First, there have been a number of new country announcements about sharing vaccines with COVAX, which is the fastest way to ensure equitable rollout of vaccines.

Second, new deals involving tech-transfer and sharing of know-how between international manufacturers to scale up vaccine production have been announced.

And third, leaders including the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, have called for all trade barriers to be lifted as soon as possible. Muchas gracias.

===

As we welcome this momentum, WHO has again convened researchers and scientists from around the world to update the Research and Innovation Roadmap to take stock of what we've learned and identify the most pressing knowledge gaps.

From the outset of this pandemic, WHO's R&D Blueprint for Epidemics played a facilitating and coordinating role, convening expert networks to drive progress across a range of thematic areas and connecting key funders to focus on identified research priorities.

In the past 18 months, major advances have been made in the understanding of modes of transmission, epidemiological trends, clinical management, development of point of care diagnostics, treatments and a large number of vaccines.

Social and behavioral scientists and ethics experts have also worked to ensure that research was up to the highest ethical standards.

The research forum is being Webcast live over two days and I challenged them to deliver complete solutions that take the development, evaluation and deployment of tools from their beginning to their end, prioritizing both equity and efficiency.

I urged them to expand collaboration between expert groups and partners and utilise global research capacity that has not yet been sufficiently leveraged , particularly in lower income countries.

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And finally, I urged them to further promote large platform trials across the world.

This is the fastest way to prove the efficacy of new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.

It's amazing how far the world has come in less than 18 months, but I have high hopes that breakthrough innovation will continue at record pace.

===

Yesterday, I announced the winners of the second WHO Health for All Film Festival and I've been thinking since about the importance of telling stories to increase awareness, build solidarity and foster positive change.

I was struck by how each film winner creatively reflected new situations and different realities; highlighting challenges but also a way through.

Watching the news sometimes, it might seem that the world's problems are intractable but I want you to know that WHO will keep fighting to defend the health rights of all people everywhere in the world.

The one thing they had in common was that to beat the challenges of our time, we must bridge our divides and craft new stories together.

===

This week, Muslim brothers and sisters have been celebrating Eid al-Fitr and I want to end by wishing Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating.

Stay safe and again, Eid Mubarak!

Christian, back to you.
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Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman has just completed his first visit to the region as U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, traveling to Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, and Ethiopia from May 4 to 13, 2021.

The Horn of Africa is at an inflection point, and the decisions that are made in the weeks and months ahead will have significant implications for the people of the region as well as for U.S. interests. The United States is committed to addressing the interlinked regional crises and to supporting a prosperous and stable Horn of Africa in which its citizens have a voice in their governance and governments are accountable to their citizens.

A sovereign and united Ethiopia is integral to this vision. Yet we are deeply concerned about increasing political and ethnic polarization throughout the country. The atrocities being perpetrated in Tigray and the scale of the humanitarian emergency are unacceptable. The United States will work with our international allies and partners to secure a ceasefire, end this brutal conflict, provide the life-saving assistance that is so urgently needed, and hold those responsible for human rights abuses and violations accountable. The crisis in Tigray is also symptomatic of a broader set of national challenges that have imperiled meaningful reforms. As Special Envoy Feltman discussed with Prime Minister Abiy and other Ethiopian leaders, these challenges can most effectively be addressed through an inclusive effort to build national consensus on the country's future that is based on respect for the human and political rights of all Ethiopians. The presence of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia is antithetical to these goals. In Asmara, Special Envoy Feltman underscored to President Isaias Afwerki the imperative that Eritrean troops withdraw from Ethiopia immediately.

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The political transition in Sudan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that can serve as an example for the region. As Special Envoy Feltman underscored to Sudan's leadership, the United States will continue to support that country's ongoing transition to democracy so that Sudan can claim its place as a responsible regional actor after three decades as a destabilizing force. We are also committed to working with international partners to facilitate resolution of regional flash points--such as the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and conflict on Sudan's borders--so they do not undermine the fragile progress made since the revolution.

As Special Envoy Feltman discussed with leaders in Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Khartoum, Egypt and Sudan's concerns over water security and the safety and operation of the dam can be reconciled with Ethiopia's development needs through substantive and results-oriented negotiations among the parties under the leadership of the African Union, which must resume urgently. We believe that the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by the parties and the July 2020 statement by the AU Bureau are important foundations for these negotiations, and the United States is committed to providing political and technical support to facilitate a successful outcome.

The Special Envoy will return to the region in short order to continue an intensive diplomatic effort on behalf of President Biden and Secretary Blinken.
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The United States is gravely concerned by the increasing number of confirmed cases of military forces blocking humanitarian access to parts of the Tigray region. This unacceptable behavior places the 5.2 million people in the region in immediate need of humanitarian assistance at even greater risk. The United States unequivocally calls upon the Governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia to take all necessary steps to ensure that their forces in Tigray cease and desist this reprehensible conduct. We also again call on all parties to comply with obligations under international humanitarian law, including those relevant to the protection of civilians, and to cease immediately all hostilities and allow relief to reach those suffering and in greatest need of assistance. The Ethiopian government should lead in this regard and immediately facilitate full and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to all parts of the Tigray region.

There are many credible reports of armed forces in Tigray committing acts of violence against civilians, including gender-based violence and other human rights abuses and atrocities. The conduct of the Eritrean Defense Forces and Amhara regional forces have been particularly egregious. The continued presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray further undermines Ethiopia's stability and national unity. We again call upon the Government of Eritrea to remove its forces from Tigray. Both Eritrean and Ethiopian authorities have repeatedly promised such a withdrawal, but we have seen no movement towards implementation. We equally urge the Government of Ethiopia to withdraw Amhara regional forces from the Tigray region and ensure that effective control of western Tigray is returned to the Transitional Government of Tigray. Prime Minister Abiy and President Isaias must hold all those responsible for atrocities accountable.
press release

Environmental Groups Hope Case Will Force Government Action on Emissions

When you approach the town of Secunda in the coal-rich province of Mpumalanga in eastern South Africa, the toxic smell of air emanating from the cluster of coal-fired power stations hits you long-before before you see the town. I spent last week in Mpumalanga, hearing from residents about the burdens they say result from the coal industry: from asthma and respiratory illnesses to the risk of drowning in unrehabilitated coal mines.

The negative health impacts of coal, and air pollution specifically, form the basis of the "Deadly Air" case, a legal challenge by two South African environmental justice organizations - groundWork and Vukani Environmental Movement (VEM) - which will be heard in the Pretoria High Court from May 17 to 19. They argue that, by failing to improve Mpumalanga's air quality, the South African government has violated communities' constitutional right to a healthy environment.

To support their case, the organizations cite a 2017 study, commissioned by groundWork, that estimated 2,239 human deaths per year could be attributable to coal-related air pollution in South Africa, as well as more than 9,500 cases of bronchitis among children 6 to 12. They want the government to better implement a 2012 plan to improve air quality in Mpumalanga, including through regulations targeting large polluters in the coal industry.

The Deadly Air case comes as South Africa prepares to submit its latest draft Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the country's pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Any meaningful commitment will entail South Africa taking tangible steps to move away from its coal dependency - South Africa's coal reliance places it in the top 15 worldwide largest emitters of greenhouse gases, and makes it one of the most carbon-intensive economies in the G20.

South African environmental justice groups hope a favorable ruling in the case will compel the government and coal industry to reckon with its devastating health impacts and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Only then will Mpumalanga's residents be able to breathe clean air and have sustainable and clean jobs that simultaneously contribute to addressing the climate crisis.
About 1,000 people who have been working at Burera Garment Factory are now jobless as the plant remains idle following the dissolution of partnership between Burera district and Noguchi Holdings Company.

The garment factory and adjacent Integrated Craft Production Centres (ICPC) locally known as 'Agakiriro', located on 2.5 hectare in Rugarama Sector in Burera, was established through a joint venture between the two parties as shareholders

The hundreds of jobless people, mostly youth, may have to wait a bit longer to regain employment, until the district sells its shares as part of the ongoing effort to privatize the plant.

"There is an issue of lack of working capital and therefore Burera district seeks to sell its shares worth 55 percent so that the factory fully goes in private hands," Joseph Munyaneza, Burera district vice mayor in charge of economic development, told The New Times.

Valued at about Rwf1 billion, the facility had the capacity of making over 480,000 pieces of cloth per month and creating about 1,000 jobs in garment production.

However, its operations hit a snag in 2018, after the parties disagreed on a working strategy.

The disagreement also left in limbo the process to acquire a loan from a local bank to get the money that was to serve as operational capital.

The two parties reached the decision to resume separate operations, meaning that Noguchi Holdings had to fully operate the factory while the district had to operate the Agakiriro.

Financial constraints

However, Munyaneza told The New Times that the company could not buy the district's shares to fully operate the factory alone citing financial constraints.

This has led the factory to stop operations again in 2020.

"The factory is not operating. It lacked financial capacity to run and therefore stopped operations. It is set to resume operations once totally privatized. Whoever will buy the district's shares will then have a joint venture with Noguchi Holdings," he said.

The New Times has learnt the privatization process is set to be launched on May 22 this year.

The privatization process, he said, is led by the Rwanda Development Board.

Gislain-Marcel Ibariza, the chair of board of shareholders of the company told this paper that when they started, the company designed a project and applied for loan in a local bank to get enough capital but the district council refused to approve.

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This, he said, led to lack of working capital leading to operating below capacity.

However Burera district council had in its response said that the company failed to prove to the district that they could run the factory and make profits, which the district asked them to first fix before acquiring a loan.

The district council had requested the company to show a clear marketing strategy, working plan, when the company would start generating income, what would be the interest and when they would start servicing the loan.

Despite the requirements, the two parties didn't agree on a working strategy leading the district to prefer selling its shares.

"This means if the district sells its shares, as private investors we will have freedom to acquire loan from the bank and devise our strategy. The factory has potential to produce garments and generate money," Ibariza said.

He said that besides disagreement on acquiring a loan, the working strategy was not agreed upon.

"For instance I think the district had the potential to help us work with schools so that we produce students' uniforms. This is an opportunity that was not tapped into. If this happens, working capital cannot be an issue. Working strategy takes 90 percent while working capital takes 10 percent to streamline operations in my opinion. We really need a focus and better organization," he said.

The company was supposed to produce cotton fabrics, jeans, underwear and shirts among others.
The number of patients accessing dialysis services in public hospitals has shot up dramatically, data from the Ministry of Health has revealed.

From 700 sessions a month in 2015 to over 400,000 sessions over the same period in 2020, all the 54 renal units countrywide have registered growing demand.

In 2015, there were only six renal units. This has since grown to 54, but experts say they are still overwhelmed.

Numbers started growing in 2016 following the introduction of the Sh2.3 billion kidney dialysis project funded by the government under the Managed Equipment Services (MES) initiative.

In 2016, the country conducted 18,218 sessions per month, an increase of 100 percent from 2015. This shot up to 30,155 sessions in 2017 and 60,100 in 2018. In 2019, there were106,900 sessions.

Last year, the country registered the highest number of sessions conducted in a month (128, 200).

From spending Sh20,000 to Sh35,000 a month on dialysis at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in 2010, Rodgers Otieno now has a reason to smile.

"When I was diagonised with kidney failure in 2010 and placed on dialysis, I would travel every week to Kisumu, 70 kilometres away, for dialysis," says Rodgers who hails from Gem Akala in Siaya County.

However, since 2015 when the government installed a renal unit at the Siaya County Referral Hospital, Rodgers is one of the 15 patients who feel some relief.

Dialysis programme

Although the MES scheme, started in 2015, has come up for various criticism -- from the way it was contracted to the value-for-money proposition for a lot of the equipment -- the dialysis programme is the gold standard in that project, eventually providing 360 state-of-the-art dialysis machines to all 47 counties.

Kenyatta National Hospital had the highest number of dialysis sessions (60,000) followed by Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (46,200 ), and Nakuru Level Six Hospital (28,257).

The Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital had the fourth-highest sessions at 14, 599 while Machakos Level Five Hospital came fifth at 13, 564 sessions.

The health facilities with the least number of sessions were Nyamache Sub-county Hospital with only 669 sessions, Hola County Hospital (682), Lodwar Hospital (756), Maralal County Hospital (1,346) and Lamu County Hospital (1,591).

About 1,458 kidney patients are currently registered for dialysis countrywide, with Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital leading with 172 patients followed by Kenyatta National Hospital (166), Nakuru Level Six Hospital (89), Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (72), Machakos Level Five Hospital (54) and Murang'a County Referral Hospital (59 ).

Chronic kidney disease is a growing cause of death and disability. A large number of the cases progress to end-stage failure unnoticed. It is estimated that about four million people, or 10 percent of the population, are likely to develop kidney diseases in their lifetime.

Electrolytes

Dialysis purifies a patient's blood using a machine. It helps keep body fluids and electrolytes balanced when kidneys no longer function properly.

The procedure balances body fluids by removing waste, extra water and salt and ensuring they do not build up to dangerous levels.

Nairobi County had the highest number of dialysis sessions in the last half of 2018.

In Kakamega, the county's general hospital has reported an increase in patients seeking dialysis services in the last two weeks. The hospital has nine machines and can serve 18 patients per day. It has conducted 8,937 sessions for 39 patients.

In Nyanza, the renal unit at the Nyamira County Referral Hospital has eight machines that conduct at least 40 dialysis sessions per week. It has conducted 8,078 sessions. Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital's renal unit conducts close to 80 sessions per month with its 10 machines while Kisumu's Jaramogi Odinga Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital has conducted 9,800 sessions, about 200 per month.

The seven-year project (2015-2022) involved building and equipping the renal units with each getting five dialysis machines, two dialysis beds, one reverse osmosis plant, and various furniture. Some of the counties have since gotten an extra machine on request to deal with the high numbers.

"If there is one project that has impacted Kenyans lives, this is it. We can vouch for it," a Ministry of Health official told Sunday Nation, adding that it is the only fully operational component of the MES project.

On challenges, the official said some of the counties were experiencing water shortages and stock-outs of consumables but most machines are operational.

Kidney disease

The story of Kenya's kidney disease management is fraught with missteps and utter criminal neglect. For one, between 1963 and 1978, the country had only one dialysis machine at KNH.

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Between 2002 and 2013, four regional centres were set up in Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru and Mombasa. But these could not serve the tens of thousands of Kenyans who needed dialysis. Long queues and desperate faces were common in the waiting bays.

On average, a single dialysis session costs between Sh9,500 and Sh16,000. Patients spend between Sh20,000 and Sh40,000 every week for two sessions, when one factors in transport and accommodation costs.

But, thanks to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), patients do not pay a single cent to access the services unless they exceed the required sessions per week. NHIF has restricted the sessions to 10 a month, with an extra session requiring pre-authorisation.

According to NHIF, dialysis is its single-largest medical insurance claim, with the payouts for treatment of kidney failure increasing by 41 percent in 2019 and the agency releasing Sh1.8 billion.

This was an increase of Sh1.24 billion in the 2016/17 financial year, highlighting the cost burden of the procedure to insurance companies.

In the last half of 2018, NHIF paid a further Sh64.7 million towards kidney transplants, up from Sh21.7 million in 2017.

This makes the procedure one of the top expenditure items in the healthcare benefit package.

NHIF paid Sh922.8 million for 73,757 dialysis sessions countrywide.
In a landmark change of military family policy, dependants of single parenthood families within the ranks of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will enjoy the same benefits as children of legally married couples.

Traditionally, the military has denied single parents benefits to their children until they provided evidence of marriage.

But under the reforms championed by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Robert Kibochi, KDF has recognised the single parent family in changes contained in the revised Defence Forces Standing Instruction on Marriage and Family Welfare.

"The military has moved to acknowledge the single parent family structure, including the dependants of KDF parents so as to ensure that the welfare of every dependant is well taken care of," Col Zipporah Kioko, the KDF spokesperson, said adding that the measures would cover families run by single fathers and mothers.

Some of the benefits the dependants of single parents will enjoy range from access to KDF-sponsored schools, medical care, housing, legal and financial advisory and support in case of death.

Single parent households

A study by Dr James Kimani found out that single parent households are as a result of divorce, separation, death of a spouse, choice and breakdown of traditional structures in the face of globalisation, modernisation, migration and urbanisation.

"The issue of single parenthood has gathered momentum where children are not raised by both parents as expected in the African traditional set up. Single parenting is higher in females compared to males," says Dr Joshua Mbithi.

According to the latest Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, nearly half (45 per cent) of children in the country do not live with both parents.

The data shows that death of the father is responsible for just 5.3 per cent of single mother households in Kenya.

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Twenty two per cent of children live with their mothers even though their fathers are alive.

With the decision to recognise the dependants of single parent families, KDF becomes among the first armed forces on the continent and the world to craft such a policy.

In a number of countries, single parents are not allowed to enlist in the active-duty military.

KDF personnel

In most of the cases, their dependants are not entitled to military benefits. The recognition of dependants of single parent families is part of the ongoing changes to improve the welfare of military families.

Last month, Defence Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma presided over the launch of the Military Wives Association of Kenya, a network which brings together spouses of current and retired KDF personnel.

The association, which is being chaired by Mrs Tabitha Kibochi, the wife of General Kibochi, aims at improving the welfare of serving and former military personnel.

It will work closely with KDF's Compensation and Welfare Department.

The association began its operations by providing locomotive devices to several cerebral palsy children. Such youngsters face mobility challenges.
Thursday's High Court verdict on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) petitions continued to elicit mixed reactions from political players Saturday.

Supporters and promoters of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) in Mt Kenya and western regions Saturday faulted the ruling, saying the court usurped the role of the people as sovereign power belongs to Kenyans.

Led by ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, the Cabinet secretaries, governors, MCAs and Members of Parliament insisted that BBI was the answer to Kenya's history of violent and ethnic-based politics.

The politicians said President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga were driven by patriotism and wanted to leave Kenya a better place. Mr Mudavadi asked Parliament to consider taking up the initiative if it takes too long in court.

"Power belongs to the people and the decision on whether to pass or reject BBI should be made by the people," added Muranga Woman Rep Sabina Chege .

They were speaking in Nyeri at a function to celebrate the initiation into adulthood of the son of Kieni MP Kanini Kega.

Kang'ata vindicated

Separately, Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana said Deputy President William Ruto is on the right side of history as Murang'a Senator Irungu Kang'ata declared the initiative "legally dead".

Similarly, Igembe South MP John Paul Mwirigi called for an audit of the BBI expenditure, adding that President Uhuru Kenyatta should be surcharged for it.

Prof Kibwana made his remarks via Twitter: "One may like or not like the Deputy President William Ruto ... But on this BBI matter, history will judge him kindly."

Dr Kang'ata, on the other hand, held a press conference at his office in Upper Hill, Nairobi where he said the High Court verdict vindicated him on the position he held in the controversial letter he wrote to President Uhuru Kenyatta in January.

"I was victimised for that but now the courts have vindicated me," he said.

Asked whether there was a chance to revive the referendum before the next General Election, he responded that even if the State appeals the High Court ruling, it will be impossible to have a referendum in under four months unless they short-circuit and circumvent the law.

Maa leaders untied

And at the burial of former Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Alex ole Magelo Saturday in Kajiado County, Maa leaders were united in condemning the five-judge bench that declared the BBI process unconstitutional.

Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku, the BBI's South Rift coordinator, slammed the five-judge bench for their "dishonesty".

"This was an injustice meted on a people-initiated process. We will go to court and we are optimistic BBI reggae will return with a bang," said Mr Lenku.

Narok North MP Kenta Moitatel said time is ripe for all judges to be subjected to public voting to stop the culture of the Judiciary undermining the Executive.

Mr Kenta said the judges disrespected the President during their ruling, noting the Judiciary is polarising the country through the skewed ruling .

"It is only in Kenya that a judge can refer to the Head of State as 'Mr', showing how low we have sunk as a country," said Mr Kenta.

Kajiado North MP Joseph Manje said the court erred by ignoring the "voice" of Kenyans.

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More on this: BBI promoters accuse judges of activism, vow to appeal court ruling

41 judges

President Uhuru Kenyatta was represented at the burial by his sister elder Christina Pratt.

Pokot South MP David Pkosing said the judgement was motivated by the refusal by the President to appoint 41 judges to both the high court and the court of Appeal after they were nominated by the Judicial Service Commission.

"A judge cannot rule on a matter like chapter six that was not sought by the petitioners. It is impossible to accept the High court ruling as objective rule of law," he said.

Reporting by Anita Chepkoech, David Muchui, Stanley Ngotho, James Murimi, Pius Maundu and George Munene
Xi's civilization view offers insight into today's world

Xinhua) 08:14, May 17, 2021

Villagers walk in Jiabang terraced fields in Congjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 4, 2021.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

"Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development," Xi told the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019.

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the unique and important role of the world civilizations in his address at the 2019 Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations.

"To meet our common challenges and create a better future for all, we look to culture and civilization to play their role, which is as important as the role played by economy, science and technology," Xi told the audience.

Over the past two years, China's culture and civilization has played an important part in contributing to the world afflicted with COVID-19 and conflicts.

As the pandemic still rages and new challenges arise, people across the world need to come together to promote interaction among civilizations and make joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

PROMOTING PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

As the international landscape undergoes profound changes, Xi's remarks on multiple international occasions, which demonstrate China's view on world civilizations, offer an insight.

File photo shows an Asian culture carnival being held during the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC) at the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

"Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development," Xi told the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019.

"No two leaves in the world are identical, and no histories, cultures or social systems are the same," Xi told the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda in January 2021.

"Diversity is what defines our world and makes human civilization fascinating," Xi told the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in April 2021.

Russian sinologist Yuri Tavrovsky said he was impressed by Xi's remarks at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations two years ago.

"The meaning of the speech goes far beyond the cultural scope. President Xi hopes that different civilizations will strengthen exchanges and mutual learning to promote world peace and development," he said.

As humanity has been battling COVID-19 over the past two years, regrettably, the debate of "clash of civilizations" resurges, with some countries forming values-based alliances to provoke ideological confrontation.

At this critical time, Xi's remarks may shed light upon how to understand and handle cultural and civilizational differences.

"The moderate tea drinker and the passionate beer lover represent two ways of understanding life and knowing the world, and I find them equally rewarding," Xi said, using a comparison of tea and beer to explain the diversity and inclusiveness of human civilization.

China's view of world civilizations is rooted in its traditional values of peace, harmony without uniformity, and harmonious coexistence, which have not only shaped its own action model but also added impetus to global efforts to promote world peace and development.

China's view of world civilizations is characterized by equality, mutual learning, dialogue and mutual accommodation. It calls for replacing mistrust with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, and a false sense of superiority with coexistence in order to safeguard world peace and development.

FACILITATING DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION

In March, significant discoveries were made at China's legendary Sanxingdui ruins, which show that the region's ancient Shu state civilization may bear similarities with the Maya in their perception of the universe.

People take a photo of an exhibit at the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province on April 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Mengqi)

"At the end of the day, man is still man independent of time and space, and what we have is that, at this latitude, both that culture and the Maya looked at the same sky, they had the same stars on the horizon," said director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, Marco Antonio Santos.

Cultural exchange and dialogue prompt the evolution of human civilization. The ancient Chinese Silk Road, for instance, has played a big role in connecting peoples and cultures over centuries. In this day and age, China's exchanges with other countries in culture, arts, archeology and education go far beyond the past.

As the president of a country with an ancient civilization, Xi has made personal efforts to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Xi has been fascinated by the diversity of civilizations during his overseas trips, including those to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the Luxor Temple in Egypt, the ancient city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan and India's Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram.

His respect and admiration for other civilizations were also manifest in his frequent reference to foreign culture, ranging from world-famous classics to well-told stories and arts and crafts symbolizing intermingled cultures.

The COVID-19 outbreak, though dramatically reduced international travels, has not stopped cultural exchange. Chinese music, TV dramas and books continue to be staged and read on foreign soil, not to mention abundant resources of Chinese culture online.

WORKING FOR BETTER WORLD

On a nine-story Basantapur complex in Kathmandu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was badly damaged during the 2015 earthquake, Chinese conservation engineers are putting finishing touches on their meticulous restoration work.

The exquisite and sophisticated wood and brick structures damaged in the 7.9-magnitude earthquake were brought back to life by the Chinese team, who stayed in Nepal and worked around the clock despite difficulties imposed by the pandemic.

Wu Xianyan and college student Liang Qiongying promote local tourism via live streaming at Jiache Village, Jiabang Township in Congjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Apart from cultural heritage conservation, China is also working with other countries in poverty reduction, environmental protection and other fields as part of its efforts to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the vision of building such a community is China's contribution to human civilization. Beijing has applied and enriched such a vision in developing bilateral and multilateral relations, and practised it in such areas as ocean, health and environment.

As a key platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Belt and Road cooperation has won increasing popularity, eyeing further development in health, environment, digital growth and other areas.

In addition, China's anti-poverty cooperation continued despite the pandemic, with new pilot projects announced in Southeast Asian countries, and training programs expanding to help African farmers.

Civilization has a soft yet powerful influence. Learning from a different civilization can and should help build friendship between peoples, promote progress of human society and safeguard world peace for a better world for all.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government has accused the judiciary of being captured by foreign forces after the High Court ruled that attempts to extend the tenure of the chief justice by five years were illegal.

President Mnangagwa used new controversial constitutional amendments to extend Chief Justice Luke Malaba's term, which was to end on Friday after he turned 70 years old.

Three judges of the High Court ruled on Saturday that the country's top judge ceased to be a judge because the constitutional amendments that gave President Mnangagwa the power to appoint senior judges did not apply to incumbents.

Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi shot back immediately, saying the ruling was "a typical case of overreach and as a government we cannot accept that".

"I want to make it clear today that we do not accept the decision of the High Court," Mr Ziyambi said.

"We have a serious situation of a judiciary that has been captured by foreign forces in this country. We are going to exercise our right in terms of the law and file an appeal against this baseless and meaningless decision of the High Court."

Destabilisation claims

Mr Ziyambi added that there were "elements both within and outside Zimbabwe", who wanted to destabilise President Mnangagwa's government.

The minister accused one of the judges, Happias Zhou. of being sympathetic with the opposition, which has been challenging the raft of constitutional amendments.

Justice Zhou read the Saturday judgement.

Mr Ziyambi charged: "How does one judge, whose circumstances of appointment we are aware of, continue to make decisions that are against the government?

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"In the eyes of the judge, does it mean that the government is always wrong? Why does a certain group of judges, including that judge, continue to be allocated cases in which the second republic is involved?"

"More damage"

His comments were described as an attempt to intimidate the judges ahead of a Supreme Court appeal by the government.

"The judiciary was already imperilled, but things are likely to get worse," warned Dr Alex Magaisa, a Zimbabwean constitutional law expert based in the United Kingdom.

"Mr Ziyambi thinks he is being tough on critics but his statement has done more damage to the regime's reputation," he added.

"If anyone was in any doubt about the intolerant and authoritarian nature of the regime, the statement exposes the darkness at the centre of its heart."

President Mnangagwa, who took over from the late Robert Mugabe following a military coup in 2017, has been accused of trying to turn Zimbabwe into a one party State through the arrest and prosecution of leading opposition figures as well as introduction of draconian laws.
Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa was on Saturday forced to cut short his speech at a funeral in his constituency after locals protested against his harsh criticism of Governor Wycliffe Wangamati's administration.

Trouble started when the first-time Jubilee lawmaker termed the current administration a let-down to voters.

Mr Barasa criticised ward representative and previous speakers who heaped praises on Mr Wangamati's regime and his officers, citing education, road, health and other projects.

He said he had done more to better the lives of Kimilili residents, with a little money from the National Government Constituency Development Fund, than what Mr Wangamati had done with the county's billions.

The lawmaker also noted that the governor had not fulfilled many of the promises he made ahead of the 2017 General Election. He asked the people to vote him out in the 2022 General Election.

"I will not allow anyone to come to Kimilili and lie to voters about Mr Wangamati's regime yet we can clearly see there is nothing that the county has done for our people," he said.

"The biggest mistake we made was to elect this man (Mr Wangamati) as our governor. He is a total let-down," he added.

The sentiments did not go well with Mr Wangamati's supporters.

One of them stood up and snatched the microphone from the MP, sparking a row that degenerated into fisticuffs.

The man who snatched the microphone from the MP was later confronted by his supporters, forcing the MP to come to his rescue.

Mr Barasa has been facing a strong opposition ahead of the next polls from people including a senior officer in Mr Wangamati's administration.
A caucus of MCAs has criticised the High court ruling on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), arguing it will erode gains in the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill 2020.

The assembly leaders drawn from all the 47 counties has urged the Court of Appeal not to adopt the judgment in case of an Appeal.

According to caucus chairman, Meru County's majority leader Victor Mutuma, the appellate court should overturn the verdict as it is against the spirit of devolution.

"If adopted, Kenyans will suffer as the share of county funds will remain at 15 per cent of national revenue instead of the proposed 35 percent," the MCAs said at Serena Hotel in Nairobi on Sunday.

They added that the 1,450 wards in the country also stand to lose the proposed Ward Development Fund.

"There will never be equitable distribution of county resources as the population parameter will never matter in resource-sharing, and assemblies will never be financially independent hence will not oversee the county executive properly," they stated.

They also noted that the Senate will be deprived of its robust oversight role when it comes to revenue allocation.

"Hopeless path"

Mr Mutuma further said the BBI process was never about President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga wo entered a handshake deal in 2018.

"The BBI Bill is not just a product of the handshake as under Article 1 (2) of our Constitution. It has so far received overwhelming direct support from 'Wanjiku' and immense indirect support by the 'Wanjiku's' democratically elected representatives," he said.

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The caucus chair said MCAs were disappointed by the High Court verdict "as it sets a very treacherous and hopeless path" for the country.

"By holding that some sections of the Constitution cannot be amended, whether by popular or parliamentary initiative, or what they term eternity clauses, the judges boldly, and without any solid analysis, took away the sovereign powers of the people enshrined in Article 1 (1)."

"In fact, the judges abused the indirect powers donated to them in Article 1 (3) (c) to oust the peoples' direct power in Article 1 (1)."

The High Court judgment, the MCAs, noted, also contradicts "two landmark High Court decisions that held that the appointment of the BBI taskforce by the President is constitutional and that the IEBC is properly constituted".

"For these reasons, we demand that the Judiciary stops robing Kenyans of their direct sovereign powers, or abusing the delegated powers donated to them by Kenyans, and demand accountability from the Judiciary as it seems captured by domestic and international players who do not want a progressive society," said the MCAs.

They added: "The judiciary tyranny must stop as such interpretation of the Constitution will easily land the country into a worse case of post-election violence than in 2007 and condemn Kenyans to external economic regression."
Kenya has joined the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in calling for diplomatic negotiations to achieve a solution to the escalating violence in Israel and Palestine.

The country, in the latest call for both sides to lay down the arms, is warning that the resurgence of violence between Israel and Palestine will make it harder for them to reach a two-State solution.

In a statement delivered to the UNSC on Sunday evening, Dr Martin Kimani, Kenya's Permanent Representative to the UN, warned violence was likely to produce generations angry with each other, making it difficult to address causes of the conflict.

Dr Kimani spoke during a virtual, open-debate session of the council on the Middle East, with focus on the situation in Gaza, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

He said the country is opposed to illegal settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory and called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of violence, as the first step to a renewed push for peace.

The envoy also said the escalation of violence in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, West Bank and the Gaza Strip was - apart from taking lives - reversing progress toward the ultimate aim of a permanent and secure peace.

"We are concerned that this latest bout of violence, and particularly its touching on religious sites, will fan extremism and hatred, and that this will lead to the further erosion of the moderate middle ground on which the tough compromises required for lasting peace can be made," Amb Kimani said.

He noted that Kenya condemns violent rioting, and the exploitation of such popular anger by extremist groups.

The envoy further said that in highly emotive situations, police and military authorities should embrace de-escalation, protect lives and avoid the demolition of civilian infrastructure.

"Kenya supports all on-going international and regional efforts for peace. We call for community leaders, the business community, and the civil society in Israel and Palestine to be heard speaking up for ceasefire and dialogue."

Amb Kimani further said Kenya supports the efforts of China, Norway and Tunisia for the issuance of a timely, clear and balanced statement by the Security Council that can help de-escalate the violence and support a push for a return to peace mediation.

Kenya wants the dialogue and negotiations to be guided by the council's Resolution 2334, and Amb Kimani says that it is important that the agreed Status Quo on Jerusalem be respected.

The council's resolution 2334, passed in 2016, calls on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem" and to "fully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard".

Devastating consequences

Two Palestinian militant groups - Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - on May 10 fired rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, hitting multiple residences and a school.

Israel retaliated with air strikes against Gaza, targeting multiple apartment buildings and a news office building.

The Israeli air strikes killed 10 members of an extended family and demolished the 13-floor Gaza building housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera and The Associated Press news agency, with Palestinian militants firing back rockets.

Since May 10, Israeli air and artillery strikes on Gaza have killed 145 people including 41 children. Palestinian armed groups have fired at least 2,300 rockets at Israel.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said he was "dismayed" by civilian casualties in Gaza and "deeply disturbed" by Israel's strike on a building containing the international media outlets.

But Israel claims it is hitting at Hamas which it accuses of firing rockets at Israel.

"The enmity that produces the kind of violence occurring today only begets more violence, and more generations born into enmities whose roots are too ancient to uproot," Amb Kimani told the session.

"This dark moment calls for a renewed vision of peace, built on the insight that the present course only leads to further destruction of lives and hope."

Two-State solution

Kenya, a non-permanent member of the UNSC, has often supported a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, based on the maps that distinguished their territories as at 1967.

Amb Kimani said violence was "reversing progress" in security in the area, and called for resumption of diplomatic negotiations that respects resolution 2334.

Passed in 2016, the resolution declared Israel's evictions as illegal and not backed by international law. It was endorsed by all council members at the time but the US abstained. Israel has, however, disregarded the resolution.

It was the first time the council had agreed to speak in one session since the violence began.

Last week, members failed to issue a joint statement once after the US vetoed. After Sunday's session chaired by China, a draft statement prepared by China, Tunisia and Norway was expected to circulated later at night. But whether all members could endorse a common call was a wait-and-see matter.

At the council on Sunday, Palestine said the council was sitting on hands as "the international consensus you have all helped shape and defend is being destroyed in front of our eyes".

"The alternative that Israel chose is apartheid. And one day, soon, even the council will not be able to deny this," said Dr Riyad Mansour, Palestine's Permanent Observer to the UN.

"Act now to end the aggression and assault on our people, our homes [and] our land. Act now so freedom can prevail, not apartheid."

The dispute began early in May after a group of Palestinian families were evicted from land they claim to be their ancestral home. The parcels in parts of East Jerusalem have been the subjects of a legal battle between Palestinians and Israelis, in Israeli courts, since the 1970s.

Israel's Permanent Representative Gilad Erdan warned the council not to send a "disturbing message by buying into Hamas propaganda"

Addressing the council, Erdan said Hamas, the Palestinian movement that governs Gaza, was attacking Israeli and hiding behind civilians, including in structures housing media houses.

Wide condemnation

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Attempts to compare Israel and Hamas are factually, legally and morally wrong. Hamas targets civilians. Israel targets terrorists.

"Israel uses its missiles to protect its children, Hamas uses children to protect its missiles," Amb Kimani said.

Israel was roundly condemned on Saturday after felling a storied building housing offices of Al-Jazeera, BBC and the Associated Press. It argued the building was hosting Hamas intelligence unit.

Despite calls for a truce, Erdan suggested his country won't relent and asked the Council to support what it called war on terror.

"Members of the UNSC have a choice today - to support a more peaceful future by demanding the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip and insisting on an authority in Gaza, that invests in the wellbeing of the people of Gaza, rather than in the destruction of the State of Israel."

During the open debate, council members called on Israel to use "proportionate" force in retaliating against Hamas. The US, UK and France also called for de-escalation.

"The United States has made clear that we are prepared to lend our support and good offices should the parties seek a ceasefire, because we believe Israelis and Palestinians equally have a right to live in safety and security," said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the UN.

"We urge all parties to avoid actions that undermine a peaceful future. This includes avoiding incitement, violent attacks and terrorist acts, as well as evictions - including in East Jerusalem - demolitions, and settlement construction east of the 1967 lines. And critically, all parties need to uphold and respect the historic status quo at the holy sites."
Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed, have flagged off the commencement of second phase of COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the state when he alongside his wife, Aisha, deputy governor, Senator Baba Tela, and other top government officials took their second jabs of the vaccine.

While flagging off the exercise at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Bauchi, over the weekend, Governor Mohammed expressed his appreciation to the development partners, health workers, religious and traditional leaders for their collaboration in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Nairobi  Attorney General Paul Kihara has filed an appeal on the judgement on the BBI Bill delivered on May 13.

The application is also seeking to suspend the implementation of the High Court Orders pending the hearing and determination of the application as well as the hearing and determination of the appeal.

In his application, the AG said any move by the applicants to implement the judgement will render his intended appeal nugatory and cause him irreparable harm.

"Being dissatisfied with the decision of the five judge-bench consisting of Justice J.M Ngugi, Justice J.V Odunga, Justice Ngaah Jairus, Justice E.C Mwita and Lady Justice Mumbua T Matheka, intends to appeal to the Court of Appeal against the whole of the said decision," he said.

Kihara added; "no prejudice will be occasioned to the petitioners in the event this Honourable Court stays the implementation of the orders in the judgement issued on 13th May 2021.

A five-judge bench in the Constitution and Human Right Court on Thursday ruled that President Uhuru Kenyatta violated the Constitution, particularly Chapter 6, when he initiated the process following his handshake with former Prime minister Raila Odinga.

Justices Prof Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Jairus Ngaah, Chacha Mwita and Matheka Mumbua termed the process as unconstitutional, singling out President Kenyatta for overreach.

The court faulted promoters for attempting to usurp powers apportioned to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on delimitation of constituency boundaries.

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READ: Top lawyers endorse BBI ruling as an affirmation of Judiciary's independence

In its ruling, the court declared the basic structure of the constitution could only be amended by invoking a four-phased process entailing, "civic education; public participation and collation of views; Constituent Assembly debate; and ultimately, a referendum."

Contrary to the position taken by the court, the BBI constitutional review process was found to have fallen short of the Primary Constituent Power, the court holding that the President overreached his mandate in promoting constitutional changes under a popular initiative.

"A constitutional amendment can only be initiated by Parliament through a Parliamentary initiative under article 256 or through a Popular Initiative under Article 257 of the Constitution," the bench ruled.

A BBI steering committee gazetted in January 2020 was also declared an unconstitutional entity, the court holding that it lacked the legal capacity to initiate constitutional changes under Article 257 which sets out conditions precedent for an amendment through a popular initiative.

The court also issued a declaration invalidating "the entire BBI Process culminating with the launch of the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill, 2020" saying it was "done unconstitutionally and in usurpation of the People's exercise of Sovereign Power."
Nairobi  A caucus by a section of Members of the County Assembly has termed the High Court judgement nullifying the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Constitution Amendment Bill as a threat to sovereign powers of the people, national unity, and devolution.

Addressing journalists on Sunday, Victor Mutuma, Leader of Majority in Meru county and chair of the caucus, expressed disappointment with the BBI ruling saying the judiciary "cannot subvert the will of more than four million Kenyans who validated the BBI report."

"By holding that some sections of the Constitution cannot be amended whether by popular or parliamentary initiative or what they generally term as 'eternity clauses', the judges boldly and without any solid analysis took away the sovereign powers of the people," Mutuma said.

He said judges abused indirect powers donated to them by constitution to house people's power even as he claimed the Judiciary was under siege by civil society.

"The judgement does not acknowledge that a constitution is a living document that must be responsive to the needs and desires of a society at any given time, it presupposes that the 2010 constitution was made for a tiny minority of Kenyans in this case the judiciary and civil society groups," their statement read in part.

The caucus said that the if the judgement is adopted by the Court of Appeal, it will set a trend whereby Kenyans cannot amend the constitution in order to address social and economical issues but will instead "resort to anarchy and violence."

"In the event, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court adopts this judgment, Kenyans will suffer from the perspectives of the devolved systems of government," Mutuma added.

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Attorney General Paul Kihara announced that on Monday, he will file an appeal on the judgement on the BBI bill delivered on May 13.

The High Court ruling by a five-judge bench of Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Jairus Ngaah, Teresia Matheka, and Chacha Mwita among other declarations, noted that President Uhuru Kenyatta had violated the Constitution when he initiated the BBI process which it said could only be done by Parliament or the citizens through a popular initiative.

In their ruling, the judges also ruled that anyone can institute a civil application against the president for violating the Constitution when he initiated the process of amending the Constitution because he acted outside his mandate.

"President Uhuru Kenyatta violated Article 131 (2) (c) of The Constitution of Kenya. He has failed to respect, uphold and safeguard the Constitution. He has failed the leadership and integrity test under Article 73 (1) (a). The entire BBI Bill is an invalid and void exercise," the court ruled.
The president left Abuja Sunday for the summit which is being hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France.

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Paris for the Financing Africa Summit.

The president left Abuja Sunday for the summit which is being hosted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/business-news/455279-macron-lauds-rabiu-as-bua-axens-make-progress-on-akwa-ibom-refinery.html">President Emmanuel Macron of France</a>.

According to Mr Buhari's spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the summit will draw major stakeholders in the global finance institutions and some Heads of Government, who will, collectively, discuss external funding and debt treatment for Africa, and private sector reforms.

"During the visit, President Buhari will meet with the French President to discuss growing security threats in Sahel and Lake Chad region, political relations, economic ties, climate change and partnership in buoying the health sector, particularly in checking spread of Covid-19, with more research and vaccines.

"Before returning to Nigeria, President Buhari will receive some key players in the oil and gas sector, engineering and telecommunications, European Council and European Union Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and Commission, and members of the Nigerian community," Mr Shehu said.

He said Mr Buhari would be accompanied by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.foreignaffairs.gov.ng/minister/h-e-geoffery-onyeama/">Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama</a>; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, and Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire.

Also on the trip are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mohammed Monguno and the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar.
The Ministry of Lands and Physical planning has discontinued land rent payments on the e-citizen platform as it switches to the new land platform.

In a notice published in the Sunday Nation, the Ministry announced it was moving the payment of land rents to the newly launched National Land Information Management System (NLIMS), also known as Ardhisasa.

"Payments on e-citizen are therefore discontinued with immediate effect and any further payments made on this platform will be ineligible for processing," Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS) Farida Karoney said.

The CS further noted several transactions had not been completed by April 27, 2021, when the new platform was launched as such, she urged members of the public to finalize their transactions.

"For purposes of a smooth transition, we have provided new timelines within which these pending transactions are to be finalized," she added.

Additionally, all landowners with pending land transactions (within Nairobi County) which have been paid for and are awaiting survey details (deed plans), were urged to submit the survey details to the Director of Land administration, Ardhi House, Nairobi for completion within 14 days from Monday, May 17, 2021.

The system which was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta late last month is operational in Nairobi but will be expanded countrywide.

"The system will resolve the land problem as it will provide an updated, verified database of easily available land records. The system will ensure investors and those dealing with land are not confronted with warning signs such as 'Plot not for sale', 'danger' and 'Trespassers' will be prosecuted," President Kenyatta explained during the launch.

Under the new system, a Kenyan can search for land transactions, transfers, and registrations in the comfort of her or his home.
Addis Abeba  The Oromo Liberation Army, OLA, said in a statement that its forces have "detained three Chinese nationals involved in mining operations around Mendi, West Wellega."

There are no reports so far of missing Chinese nationals in the area, and the statement sent to several media outlets this afternoon didn't specify as of when the three were detained, nor the name of the mining company they are affiliated with, but it said "they are all in safe hands and in good health." OLA identified the three Chinese as "Mr Huang, Mr He, Mr Wang."

The statement was also tweeted by Odaa Tarbii, OLA spokesperson.

On May 06 the House of People's Representatives (HoPR) approved a bill presented to it by the council of ministers to designate Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) and "Shene" as terrorist organizations. Later on the Federal Attorney General Gedion Timotios (PhD) explained to the local media that "Shene" was in reference to the OLA.

In response to the earlier designation by the Council of Ministers , OLA released a statement accusing the federal government of declaring "war on the Oromo people" and vowed to "engage in total war."

In the statement released this afternoon, the OLA accused mining companies operating in this area of being "responsible for the displacement of many farming communities that were not adequately compensated," adding that "the environmental impact of these mining operations has been very costly and that there has been no effort put into mitigating the effects these operations have had on the health of surrounding communities."

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The rebel group operating in Oromia also referred to a statement it released on "September 3rd, 2020", in which it said "any contract entered with the Abiy regime became null and void after October 10th, [2020]. Therefore, these mining companies are illegal and must immediately cease their operations." OLA's "October 10" is an apparent reference to the constitutional end of term for the incumbent, which was extended by a year after a recommendation by the Council of Constitutional Inquiry was approved by the House of Federation.

On October 05/2020, President Sahle-Work Zewde announced the start of the incumbent's mandate to govern in her speech delivered to the joint session of the House of People's Representatives (HoPR) and the House of Federation (HoF).

"While we are not anti-development, we are vehemently anti-exploitation and therefore have taken action against this unfair exploitation of natural resources that is being enabled by Ethiopia's ruling tyrannical clique", OLA's statement concluded. AS
RESIDENTS of Kipwa village in Kalambo District, Rukwa Region have been rendered homeless following the bursting of Lake Tanganyika banks.

Hundreds of houses have either been completely damaged or submerged in water.

According to the residents, most of the victims have abandoned their houses to seek refuge in upper places. However no casualties have been reported so far.

Kalambo District Commissioner, Mr Karolius Misungwi accompanied by members of defence and security committee toured the area to assess the magnitude of the damage.

In effort to address the situation, the DC has issued a 90 day ultimatum for all residents to relocate to safe areas. He assured them of the government's support that will make sure that all required needs are established at the new settlements.

Equally, he emphasized that the actual damage caused by the flood had yet to be calculated but the team of experts would make assessment of the actual damage caused by the disaster.

"The whole entire village with a population of 700 families, has been damaged, nearly all houses have either been submerged or washed away by flood from Lake Tanganyika" explained the DC. He added " even the health facility and Kipwa Primary School buildings have been submerged to water ...pupils are attending classes at a church building ".

Kipwa Primary School Head Teacher Mr Ambakinye Essa said the situation was tense since the school has become part of the Lake.

"The School buildings are in verge of collapsing, its walls are developing huge cracks, the pupils have therefore been accommodated in one of the church building for studies "he added.
PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan on Friday assured the public that the government will be very keen on handling Covid-19, and that it will consider all precautions and expert advice on whether or not to accept vaccines as a remedy to the global pandemic.

Speaking during Eid Baraza in Dar es Salaam, President Samia said the government is extra careful in dealing with the pandemic, insisting that before reaching into any decision, authorities in the government would consider expert opinion and advice on the matter.

The assurance from the President comes at the time when the committee of experts works on the matter before advising the government on the necessary steps to take.

The President, however, cautioned against thinking that the nation is going to receive everything that has been recommended, stressing that "as a country we have to make our own decision".

What President Samia said must be strongly supported as far as the war against Covid 19, especially the administration of vaccines is concerned.

Exploiting the advantage brought about by the concept of sovereignty, Tanzania, like any other nation in the world, has the freedom to choose its path and modality on how to deal with the world ravaging pandemic.

We fully understand that the World Health Organisation( WHO) is mandated to coordinate global response on emerging global health calamities given the fact that UN organisation consists of top class health experts.

However, given the fact that no one size that fits all, Tanzania must be left to make its own final decision on the approach to deal with the pandemic as it has been the case since the disease emerged in 2019.

It be must be understood that Tanzania is not an Island, meaning that cooperation with other world bodies is vital in addressing global problems.
THE Government has reiterated a call upon institutions and individuals to develop a culture of helping groups with special needs.

The call has been made by the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Youths, Employment and Persons with Disability), Prof Jamal Katundu.

He made the appeal when the Prime Minister's Office celebrated the Eid al-Fitr with students with disabilities at the Yombo Vocational Rehabilitation Training Centre in Dar es Salaam.

"I urge institutions and individuals to see the importance of extending help to needy people," Prof Katundu stated.

Staff and institutions under the Prime Minister's Office had lunch together with the students of the centre to celebrate the festive.

The Deputy Minister incharge of people with disabilities in the portfolio, Ms Ummy Nderiananga represented the Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa at the event.

Speaking, Mr Nderiananga said the aim of preparing the lunch with the students was to develop attachment with the group of people with disabilities.

"In celebrating this festival, the Office of the Prime Minister saw the importance to prepare and have lunch with the students at the centre," she said.

On her part, Acting Principal of the college, Ms Mariam Chelangwa, said the management and the students welcomed the event and thanked the Prime Minister's Office for organising it.

Some of the students at the centre expressed their feelings over the event, saying they were pleased to have lunch with staff from the Prime Minister's Office.

"We feel happy having staff from the key Office, and this makes us feel not marginalised," Evodia Mwombeki, one of the students, said.

The centre, which is under the Prime Minister's Office, was established in 1973 with the objective of offering technical training to youth with disabilities in the country.

Currently, the centre has a total of 76 students pursuing different courses including carpentry, welding, agriculture and livestock keep-
press release

Mauritius received a consignment of some 182,200 foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, this Saturday, at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, through the SEGA - One Health network of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) to contain the epidemic which is affecting herds in Rodrigues.

This initiative also involves the collaboration of the Agence francaise de developpement (AFD) and the European Union (EU). The project aims to strengthen sanitary security at the regional level and mitigate the effects of epidemics and pandemics.

The vaccines were received by the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, in the presence of several personalities, including, the Secretary General of the IOC, Prof. Velayoudom Marimoutou; the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Mauritius, Mr Vincent Degert; the Ambassador of France, Ms Florence Causse-Tissier; and the Director of the Agence francaise de developpement (AFD), Mr Andre Pouilles-Duplaix.

The consignment of vaccines will serve for the first two sessions of vaccination of herds in Mauritius and Rodrigues after a suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease was reported on 10 March 2021 to the Ministry of Agro-industry and Food Security by the Rodrigues Agriculture Commission.

In a statement, Minister Gobin expressed gratitude towards the IOC as well as the EU and AFD for this gesture. He reiterated the continuous support of these organisations towards Mauritius while adding that the country can rely on the collaboration of the IOC, a privileged partner of the country, since it responded promptly in the provision of doses of vaccines to contain and control the foot-and-mouth disease in Rodrigues.

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He also added that initially 100,000 vaccines will be shipped to Rodrigues for the vaccination of herds while the remaining will be used in Mauritius to prevent the proliferation of the disease among the cattle. He also lauded Rodrigues for containing the spread of the disease in Saint Gabriel where the first case was detected.

For the Secretary General of the IOC, Prof. Velayoudom Marimoutou, this gesture demonstrates a concrete and worthy contribution with regard to regional action in public health supported by AFD and the EU. This action, he stated, reminds the world that health risks are multiple and that in addition to human health they also affect animal and environmental health. "More than 75% of emerging diseases are of animal origin," he added.

Foot-and-mouth disease

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease of ruminants with significant economic repercussions. The disease affects not only cattle, sheep, and goats but also wild animals, especially deer. It is mainly manifested by vesicles and ulcers in the mouth, the mammary region, and the feet.
press release

Cape Town  Following the murder of a man in the RR Section in Khayelitsha on Saturday morning in a shooting incident by yet-to-be arrested assailants, several other shooting incidents that left nine men dead and others seriously wounded, have been reported in the area. The body of the first victim was found with a firearm and a substantial amount of cash.

In a second incident that is believed to be a retaliation attack to the first murder, two Somali nationals were shot at at T110 on Saturday afternoon. One died on the scene and the other was seriously wounded and taken to a medical facility.

In the RR Section, three other males were shot dead later on Saturday afternoon in an incident believed to linked to the first two.

Meanwhile at a spaza shop in Y-Block two other men were killed after being shot, one in the yard and another in a vehicle.

Reports also indicate two other Somali nationals were shot close to a spaza shop in the area. One died on the scene while the other was transported to hospital where he later died.

Police have since reinforced deployments in the area. While organised crime detectives are hard at work probing multiple murder and attempted murder cases.

Western Cape Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thembisile Patekile has ordered the 72-hour Activation Plan for the mobilisation of resources in search of the gunmen. As part of the unfolding investigations, police are now in pursuit of specific leads.

Anyone with information that could assist in expediting the apprehension of the perpetrators is urged to contact the police on Crime Stop 08600 10111 or use the My SAPS App. All information relayed will be handled in strict confidence.

Media Statement, Office of the Provincial Commissioner Western Cape
press release

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this evening, 16 May 2021, depart for Paris, France, to participate in the Summit on the Financing of African Economies.

At the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic, the President will join several African Heads of State and Government as well as leaders of global financing institutions at the Grand Palais Ephemere on Tuesday, 18 May 2021.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, and the Acting Minister in the Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, will accompany President Ramaphosa.

The purpose of the Summit is to support the economic recovery of African countries that have been affected by the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to foster investments in Africa and avert the risk of excessive debt.

Delegates will deliberate on debt relief and support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through special drawing rights (SDRs).

Leaders will also look at how to provide capital to the private sector on the African continent to support investments that will catalyse inclusive economic activity, create employment and accelerate the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.

The Summit on the Financing of African Economies follows a series of global stimulus packages initiatives, including the World Bank's $14 billion fast-tracking of COVID-19 financing, the African Development Bank's $10 billion COVID-19 Response Facility and the International Monetary Fund's concessional financing and debt relief to assist countries and companies in their response to the pandemic.

Ahead of the Summit on the evening of Monday, 17 May 2021, President Ramaphosa will attend the Welcome Dinner in Honour of African Heads of State and Government hosted by President Macron.

President Ramaphosa will hold bilateral meetings with participating leaders to enhance South Africa's diplomatic relations.

European leaders, representatives of G7 and G20 countries and of international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are among Summit delegates.
analysis

This is part of a series of preview articles looking at wards being contested on 19 May. There will be by-elections in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Free State.

There will be six by-elections in the City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni on Wednesday, 19 May. The Democratic Alliance will defend seats in all four of the Johannesburg wards while the African National Congress and DA defend one seat each in Ekurhuleni. The ANC and Gayton McKenzie's Patriotic Alliance (PA) will aim to strike down a beleaguered DA in three wards in the south of Johannesburg. Both parties took wards off the DA in Johannesburg in November 2020.

City of Johannesburg Ward 7 (Ennerdale Finetown) -- DA (51%) ANC (38%) EFF (5%) PA (1%). Poll (61%)

Ennerdale and Finetown are in the deep south of the city, lying next to Grasmere. This by-election was called after ward councillor Danny Netnow defected from the DA to the PA. The DA beat the ANC by more than 1,500 votes in 2016. The DA ran up the numbers in the four Ennerdale voting districts while the ANC won the four Finetown voting districts at a canter. It was much closer on the provincial...
analysis

The current collision between the 'two ANCs' is a clash between the provincial 'homeland' mentality of the RET faction versus the impulses of Cyril Ramaphosa's modernisation faction. To win back voter trust and support the ANC will need to adapt to being an open and transparent political party.

Sean Gossel is Associate Professor in Financial Economics at the Graduate School of Business (GSB), University of Cape Town.

At the recent national executive committee meeting of the ANC, many members expressed the fear that the party is on the verge of collapse, prompting former president Thabo Mbeki to ask, "do we still have an organisation called the ANC?"

Many of the ANC's governance difficulties can be traced back to two outcomes of the negotiated settlement. The first was the integration of the homelands, which included the absorption of the homeland government officials and the inclusion and recognition of traditional leaders. The second was the assumption that the ANC's historic ideological "broad church", comprising "the revolutionary democratic, the socialist and the trade union movements", would remain unaffected by South Africa's entry into a globalised capitalist world.

Throughout most of the 1990s, the ANC acted as a pivot between the "national democratic revolution"...
Mozambique's former finance minister Manuel Chang appears in court during an extradition hearing in Johannesburg (file image)

analysis

The Mozambican government says Pretoria has been 'grossly unreasonable' in detaining Manuel Chang for more than 28 months.

The Mozambican government has launched an application in the Johannesburg High Court for an order compelling Justice Minister Ronald Lamola to extradite former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang "without further delay."

Maputo complains that South Africa has violated Chang's right to justice by holding him in prison for nearly 29 months awaiting extradition either back to Mozambique or to the US to face corruption and fraud charges arising from a $2-billion loan scam in Mozambique in 2013 and 2014.

Lamola's "failing and/or neglecting" to make a decision for such a long time "has become grossly unreasonable", the Mozambican government's attorney said in an affidavit to the high court last week.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is seemingly trapped in a dilemma about what to do with Chang. A recommendation from Lamola that Chang should be extradited to the US has been sitting on the president's desk for several months, according to various sources.

Lamola's case is founded on solid legal principles, But hardliners and sympathisers of Mozambique's ruling Frelimo party among Ramaphosa's advisers have been pushing a contrary political argument that he should instead...
analysis

Seven by-elections are taking place in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday, 19 May. The African National Congress (ANC) will be defending five seats, while the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and Democratic Alliance (DA) will be defending one seat each.

The ANC shocked the IFP with a rural seat in Maphumulo in the iLembe District of KwaZulu-Natal in the last round of by-elections. It was not all smooth sailing for the ANC as the party lost ground to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in an eThekwini by-election and in two wards in its southern KwaZulu-Natal stronghold.

Ward 110 (Mount Moriah Sunningdale) in eThekwini. DA: 41%, ANC: 36%, Dludla (independent): 17%, IFP: 3%, EFF: 2%. Poll: 59%

Ward 110 is a sprawling ward north of Durban. The ANC gets most of its support in Mount Moriah, Voca Hills and the KwaMashu part of the ward, while the DA relies on Sunningdale, Glen Anil and Glen Hills.

The DA were unlikely victors in Ward 110 in 2016. The ward favours the ANC, but a former ANC councillor, Bongumusa Dludla, ran as an independent in 2016, splitting the ANC vote and allowing the DA to beat the ANC by more than...
Luanda  The Minister of State for Social Affairs, Carolina Cerqueira, on Saturday praised the selfless spirit of health professionals in providing care to Angolans.

According to the State minister, who was speaking to the press at the end of a visit to the David Bernardino Paediatric Hospital, the health professionals' spirit of dedication, patriotism, responsibility and motivation in carrying out life-saving missions is evident every day.

Carolina Cerqueira said that, despite the difficulties imposed by the financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Angolan government was doing everything possible to provide the health units with conditions for humanised care of citizens.

The government, she said, is focusing on building health units around the country, training professionals and creating more staff to respond to the population demand in the health units.

The minister said she was pleased with the working conditions and service at the David Bernardino Paediatric Hospital, saying that it was a clear demonstration of the commitment of its professionals and directors.

On a day dedicated worldwide to the family, the minister Carolina Cerqueira highlighted the need to combat violence against children, with particular emphasis on sexual abuse, exploitation of child labour, psychological violence, as a way of ensuring proper growth.

For the Minister, who considers that it is necessary for the organs of the administration of justice to be tough against offenders, it is necessary that parents and guardians pay more attention, preventing children from living with people with bad intentions.

The date, in the opinion of Carolina Cerqueira, should serve for reflection on the social wellbeing of children and families, and the promotion of moral, civic and patriotic values.

During the visit, Carolina Cerqueira, accompanied by the Minister of Health, Silvia Lutucuta, and by the Secretary of State for the Hospital Area, Leonardo Inocencio, went through the various parts of the unit, holding talks with patients and their families.

According to the State minister, who was speaking to the press at the end of a visit to the David Bernardino Paediatric Hospital, the health professionals' spirit of dedication, patriotism, responsibility and motivation in carrying out life-saving missions is evident every day.

Carolina Cerqueira said that, despite the difficulties imposed by the financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Angolan government was doing everything possible to provide the health units with conditions for humanised care of citizens.

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The government, she said, is focusing on building health units around the country, training professionals and creating more staff to respond to the population demand in the health units.

The minister said she was pleased with the working conditions and service at the David Bernardino Paediatric Hospital, saying that it was a clear demonstration of the commitment of its professionals and directors.

On a day dedicated worldwide to the family, the minister Carolina Cerqueira highlighted the need to combat violence against children, with particular emphasis on sexual abuse, exploitation of child labour, psychological violence, as a way of ensuring proper growth.

For the Minister, who considers that it is necessary for the organs of the administration of justice to be tough against offenders, it is necessary that parents and guardians pay more attention, preventing children from living with people with bad intentions.

The date, in the opinion of Carolina Cerqueira, should serve for reflection on the social wellbeing of children and families, and the promotion of moral, civic and patriotic values.

During the visit, Carolina Cerqueira, accompanied by the Minister of Health, Silvia Lutucuta, and by the Secretary of State for the Hospital Area, Leonardo Inocencio, went through the various parts of the unit, holding talks with patients and their families.
Cuilo  The first secretary of MPLA's Provincial Committee in Lunda Norte, Ernesto Muangala, on Saturday reiterated the appeal to the population to redouble prevention measures against Covid-19.

Ernesto Muangala reiterated this appeal during the 5th session of the provincial committee, stressing that rather than vaccination, it is important that each citizen be responsible for his or her own life and avoid the spread of the virus in the community where he or she lives.

He said that the vaccine against Covid-19 is the best solution in the fight against this scourge, so citizens should adhere to the vaccination posts created by the Government in order to be immunised.

He appealed to the defence and security organs to act with rigour in the fulfilment of the measures imposed by the State, punishing all those citizens that negligently disobey the measures.

Ernesto Muangala reiterated this appeal during the 5th session of the provincial committee, stressing that rather than vaccination, it is important that each citizen be responsible for his or her own life and avoid the spread of the virus in the community where he or she lives.

He said that the vaccine against Covid-19 is the best solution in the fight against this scourge, so citizens should adhere to the vaccination posts created by the Government in order to be immunised.

He appealed to the defence and security organs to act with rigour in the fulfilment of the measures imposed by the State, punishing all those citizens that negligently disobey the measures.
There is confusion among pastoralists in Taraba State following the death of 40 cattle after eating poisonous grass called 'killer grass'.

Daily Trust gathered that all the cattle belong to a pastoralist in Gamgam village of Bali Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 11 am, Sunday, shortly after a boy simply identified as Ja'I led a herd of cattle into grassland where the cattle ate the poisonous grass.

A witness in the village, Ali Bello, told Daily Trust that few hours after the cattle ate the grass, 40 of the herd of about 200 cattle died.

He said the grass is found in some locations in the state and it is difficult to identify the species of the grass especially at the beginning of rainfall when animals rush to eat fresh grasses.

Bello stated that Ja'I and his family soon after the incident migrated along with the remaining herds to another location to avoid a repeat of the incident.

He said such incidents were recorded from time to time and poisonous grass has always been a nightmare to pastoralists.

"As I'm talking to you, all pastoralists in this area have migrated out of the area to prevent their herds from eating the killer grass."
Leaders of the Tijjaniyya Islamic sect have described the former Emir of Kano, Mohammadu Sanusi II's emergence as Tijjaniya leader a blessing to Nigeria.

The clerics, who disclosed this when they paid an allegiance visit to his Kaduna home, also said all their followers in Nigeria and Africa are proud of him.

The representative of the leader of Tijjaniyya Worldwide, Sheikh Abdul-Ahad Nyass, who paid glowing tribute to the former emir said it was a unanimous decision to have the former emir as the leader in Nigeria.

In his remarks, former Emir Sanusi recalled that long before he ascended the throne in Kano, he had visited great Tijjaniyya sheiks in Kaulaha, Senegal, who had prayed and rightly predicted he would become Emir of Kano.

According to him, 80% of those who endorsed him in the present leadership of the Tijjaniyya were Sheikhs not known to him.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan says the Nigeria Governors Forum remains the best platform to discuss issues affecting Nigeria.

The former president, who made the observation in Benin on Sunday while addressing journalists, said the antagonism among governors was uncalled for. Jonathan stressed that the coming together of all the governors in a round table to discuss and proffer solutions to issues affecting Nigeria would help President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: "Governors themselves should continue to meet.

"I don't really love a situation where the Northern governors will meet, then the Southern governors will cry foul. The Southern governors will meet, then the Northern governors will cry foul, that will not help our country.

"The governors, through the governors' forum, should meet, they are the people who run this country, the president is just one person in Abuja.

"The states, especially in a country where the local governments are very weak, it's the states that people fall back to.

"So, if the governors of the states meet and dialogue, interrogate things that are good for this country, then we will move forward.

"I don't really enjoy the antagonism between governors, they should come together and discuss. "If there are issues that is affecting one or two states, I think the governors should see how they can collectively come with a way to address those issues",

Earlier while delivering an address at the 50th birthday celebration of Apostle Charles Osazuwa, President of the Rock of Ages Christian Assembly when he made the submission, Jonathan said he never believed in the use of temporary political office to punish people.

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"My belief, particularly when I joined politics is not to use a temporary privilege, a temporary position God has given to me to punish people," he said.

Jonathan stressed that people would always be remembered for legacies they left behind.

"Some of the things I did while in office to which people still make reference were based on the conviction not to use my position to cause the death of anybody.

"Any position I have occupied by divine providence should not be used to create hardship for other people," he said.

"Just at 50 years, you have impacted significantly on many lives," he told the cleric.

In his address, Edo's Gov. Godwin Obaseki lauded Apostle Osazuwa for using the word of God to address current realities and challenges facing the country. (NAN)
Many Igbo Muslims are leaving the South East and relocating to northern Nigeria in a major population shift in the post-war period, a Daily Trust investigation has shown.

Also, recent happening including secession agitations and activities of members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have made life very tough for the minority Igbo Muslims in the South East.

Findings revealed that there are Igbo Muslims in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo states. However, the total number of those that relocated to the North to find succour and practice their religion without molestation far outweighs the total number of those still living in the entire South East.

Some of those who spoke to Daily Trust likened their travails to "apartheid" as they are being marginalised in the scheme of things. Sheikh Haroun Ajah, Vice President General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), interviewed in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, provides a background:

"Muslims don't have access to the civil service. We don't have access to political appointments, no access to anything that is being done by the government. If it were possible for us to be denied our daily bread, they would do that."

Ajah, while stating that there are more Igbo Muslims in the north than in the entire South East, also sheds light on a growing Hausa phobia.

"When they see an Igbo Muslim, they label him Hausa. They refuse to understand that Hausa is a tribe, Igbo is a tribe and Islam is a means of spiritual relationship with the Almighty. They refuse to understand that we are Igbos, before becoming Muslims... "

On account of years of marginalisation, profiling and exclusion, he thinks that the Federal Government should compensate Igbo Muslims but did not specify the form this may take.

Fear of lynching, expulsion and death have pushed some fresh converts to Islam to practice Islam in secret. Suleiman Njoku, Chief Imam of Imo state, argues: "There are some secret Muslims in Imo state. Because of persecution, some of them have been hiding their identity. I noticed this when I became the Imam... "

Muslim women interviewed in Afikpo, Ebonyi state, as well as Enugu, Abakaliki, Umuahia, Okigwe and Owerri, are called derogatory names such as 'masquerade', 'traitor' and 'Hausa', when they appear in public wearing their hijabs.

Halima Musa Ani in Enugu, recalls a public attack she suffered last year when she joined a queue, and an attempt was made to remove the hijab which she was wearing.

On many occasions Muslim women have been referred to as 'Boko Haram' and 'slave' when they make use of public transport, as revealed in Afikpo.

Halima recounted many personal experiences and those of others in which they were maltreated or given unfair treatment because of their religious identity.

"Igbo Muslims are facing many challenges in the south east, even in the streets, especially the women, because we cannot go out without our hijab. When you go out, you will be addressed as 'Hausa.' Even a small child will call you 'Hausa, 'and begin to chant 'Hausas are passing. Hausas are passing.' It's just like a song," She said.

She said while she and others like her were categorized as Hausas and denied basic citizens' rights, they are also not considered as the same by the Hausas. "Wen we go to the Hausas, they will describe us with an unfair word, and say 'you are not part of us," she said.

Last year, she joined a queue at the Enugu south local government secretariat to receive a palliative but when she was called to receive her ration there was protest.

"One woman asked 'why did you bring this Hausa woman. What brought her here?' They were saying that I am claiming to be Igbo to get a N20,000 palliative. That I am not Igbo, and that I should go back to my state. Somebody grabbed my hijab from the back, and another woman joined, holding onto the hijab as well. I held onto my hijab," Halima recalled.

Umar Musa Ani told this reporter that a young Muslim woman in Enugu will change her name from Aisha to Asisko, or from Maryam to Mary Anne, because of pressures from society. In a new twist to Hausa phobia, Igbo Muslims are accused by Igbo Christians of becoming Muslims, because they wish to gain material wealth from Hausa Muslims.

Igbo Muslims lament their lack of visibility nationally. There are no members of the National Assembly who hail from the Igbo Muslim community. No minister or minister of state is an Igbo Muslim. The only commissioner in the region, who is Muslim, is Suleiman Ukandu, commissioner for lands, survey and urban planning in Abia State.

No governor is of Igbo Muslim extraction. Neither Arabic nor Islamic Knowledge is offered as a course in any of the tertiary institutions in the South East.

"The only post they give Muslims in all the South East states is the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, which cannot take two or three people", says Professor Ishaq Akintola, a human rights activist, and Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

For many years there has been a media blackout on Igbo Muslims, as evidenced during last year's #ENDSARS protest when the focus of the media was on the events at Lekki, while killings and destruction were taking place in Igbo Muslim communities in the South East. Two mosques were destroyed in Nsukka, Enugu State.

Major issues

Ummi Okoro (not real name), an Igbo Muslim who lives in Umuahia, Abia State capital, comments on the lack of unity among Igbo Muslims.

"Igbo Muslims are not together. They are pretending as if they are united. Theirs is like a kingdom divided into forty parts. Everybody is on his own and pursues his own interests. I am telling you about Abia, in particular."

In Imo State, Nwamkpa Modestus, Senior Special Assistant (Print Media) to Governor Hope Uzodinma dismisses the allegations made by Igbo Muslims thus: "Ironically, Governor Hope Uzodinma is even being accused of being too pro Muslims in Imo.

"It is completely false to allege that Muslims are discriminated against in Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma... I am from Imo State and I can tell you that this is the first time I am hearing that Muslims are discriminated against, or that they are described as 'masquerade' because of the wearing of the hijab."

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Bala Ardo, former special adviser to the Enugu State Governor on Intercommunity Affairs, comments "Igbo Muslims who happen to be indigenes of Enugu state are qualified to apply for any vacancy without any hindrance or discrimination. As far as Enugu State government is concerned, there are equal opportunities to all natives of the state, without discrimination."

On the allegation of neglect and marginalisation, Reverend Emeka Ngwoke, of the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, argues: "There is no attack, no denial of rights anywhere in Igbo land. There are a few towns in this diocese that have significant Muslim populations. They are able to practice their faith without let or hindrance."

On the way forward, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) advises: "The way forward is for citizens to get organised and defend their own rights. ... They should send petitions to the National Human Rights Commission, which is a body, set up by the Federal Government to protect the rights of Nigerians."

Reverend Ngwoke calls for "social interaction across faiths" to replace the 'insufficient contact, insufficient interaction between both faiths."

Only Enugu and Imo state governments responded to requests for an interview. A former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo declined, while the incumbent did not respond to a phone call made to his number.

By Tadaferua Ujorha, who was in S/East, Niger, Nasarawa & Kaduna states
Former head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), has called on the federal government to train and equip soldiers with modern weapons in order to tackle insecurity.

Babangida, who expressed concern over the state of insecurity, said he has been engaging and advising the government without making it public.

He said it is imperative for the citizens to support government and the military in order to bring an end to the security crisis.

When asked if those at the helms of affairs are playing the desired role in bringing an end to insecurity, he said, "There are many things they need to put right. If they agree to sit down and think over, I believe success will be achieved."

While speaking further on what is expected of those in power, he said it is important to rally round the soldiers and other security agents.
Lilongwe-based environmentalists are set to launch the first ever chapter of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLFx) with a commitment to restore 4.5 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands across the country by 2030.

Spearheaded by the Centre for Applied Systems Analysis (CASA) and the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) in collaboration with the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), GLFx is a community of individuals with passion to accelerate restoration of Malawi's degraded and deforested landscapes.

Through active engagement, collaboration and sharing ideas and information, the Chapter commits to strive to ensure that forests, trees and the functions that they provide are effectively restored, conserved and employed to help secure sustainable livelihoods and ecological functionality of Malawi's landscapes.

Briefing journalists in Lilongwe on Friday, CASA Managing Director and Convener of GLFx Malawi Chapter Launch, Dr. Steve Makungwa, said the vision of the chapter is to create a new Malawi with sustainable landscapes that are productive, prosperous, equitable and resilient.

Makungwa said the chapter realizes that for Malawi to address deforestation and land degradation, every Malawian must be involved and should play his or her role in one way or the other.

"What we haven't done before is to have a coordinated approach or a platform that can bring everybody to participate in this initiative. This is where at the global level, there is already this digital platform, which is called Global Landscape Forum and they are encouraging countries to form chapters under that global platform. So, this is where we felt, as a country, we need to form this forum where every Malawian, including our development partners, can come together and share our knowledge, experiences in terms of landscape restoration," he explained.

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Makungwa, who is also aenior lecturer at LUANAR, disclosed that the Miniser of Natural Resources, Nancy Tembo, is expected to lead the GLFx launch on Wednesday next week.

According to Makungwa, Malawi's deforestation rate stands at 30, 000 hectares per annum based on the satellite image.

He said the chapter will work hard to ensure that every Malawian, from a farmer in the remotest parts of Chitipa, Nsanje, Mchinji and Nkhotakota to the Highest Office on the land, is involved in the restoration of the country's landscapes.

He commended the Malawi Government for committing 4.5 million hectares of degraded and deforested land to the project for restoration initiative until 2030.

Chief Forestry Officer in the Department of Forestry, Titus Zulu, welcomed the development, saying it will go a long way in bringing back Malawi's lost glory in terms of natural forests.

Zulu assured that the Ministry of Natural Resources will provide the necessary support toward the successful implementation of the project.
President Lazarus Chakwera on Friday led the nation in commemorating the life of Malawi's first head of state, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, where he gave a spirited talk on the need of the country's citizenry being patriotic.

Kamuzu, fondly referred to as Ngwazi, ruled Malawi for 31 years under the four cornerstones of obedience, loyalty, unity and discipline.

In spite of being hailed as one who laid the foundation of the new Malawi--formerly known as Nyasaland--Dr. Banda is also remembered as a man who ruled the country for three decades with an iron fist.

For instance, during his inauguration as Bishop of Karonga Diocese in November 2010, Bishop Martin Mtumbuka, described Banda as "a bad dictator."

But in his address to hundreds that gathered at Kamuzu's state-built mausoleum in the capital Lilongwe, President Chakwera emphasized that Malawians needed to "honour the founding head of state by being patriotic."

The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader and ex-cleric went off script and reprimanded "those that are divisive and fond of double standards," saying it was time they made a u-turn from their vices and started serving their country.

"The powers of this office will only be used to serve you and not to rule you," said Chakwera.

According to Chakwera, there were people that surrounded him that were always trying to imbue elements of totalitarianism in him but said that was wrong.

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"Some of you are always saying that things will work if there is some dictatorship. We are the ones who are failing our presidents. Let's do away with backbiting, and don't interfere in matters that don't concern you," said Chakwera amid heavy clapping from UTM party supporters, a development that also had vice president Saulos Chilima stand and clap in unison.

Earlier, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Michael Usi, said Dr. Banda was "a selfless character" who chose to be a patriotic Malawian as he left "a comfortable life in the United Kingdom to serve his people."

And in his remarks, expelled labour minister, Ken Kandodo Banda, who spoke on behalf of the family gave a special tribute to Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira--Kamuzu's official hostess--for "dedicating her life to serving Banda."

Kandodo also thanked the Malawi government "for honouring their son" and building a state-of-the art mausoleum during Bingu wa Mutharika's tenure which was completed in 2006.

But he asked government "to consider fencing the mausoleum, putting up a museum, a library and toilets at the place."

Dr. Banda is said to have been born on May 14, 1901 in Kasungu, central Malawi. He died on November 25, 1997 and was laid to rest on December 3.
"Senseless levies imposed on farmers increase cost of production."

Barely days after President Dr Lazarus Chakwera sanctioned Tobacco Commission to look for new markets in order to increase competition, Serbia tobacco prospective buyers have already jetted into the country where they are discussing with Malawi government on deals on buying tobacco this season.

Speaking in Lilongwe where the prospective buyers met journalists to brief them on their mission, the Serbian team leader under the Rade Basta tobacco company, Dragan Stankovic said he is in Malawi together with his counterparts to find possible ways and means of how best to go about business.

Stankovic said he is optimistic that that things will work out well since they are receiving sufficient support from Malawi government relevant departments.

He said: "In most of the countries, there are high taxes, which drive high prices but the situation in Malawi is different, that is why we want tobacco from Malawi in access of over 100 metric tonnes."

Apart from buying tobacco in Malawi, the company is said to also buying tobacco in Bulgaria, Serbia and other European countries.

The Serbian tobacco buying boss also disclosed that in future his campany intend to start manufacturing cigarettes in Malawi.

Speaking during the function TC Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Chidanti Malunga said what his organisation is doing is in response President Lazarus Chakwera remarks, which he said on 21 April 2021, where he ordered TC and Ministry to find new markets for the green gold.

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President Chakwera asked the Ministry of Agriculture to work with the Tobacco Commission on ways of attracting more buyers.

Malunga, however, said the coming in of the Serbia company is just a start of more companies expected to come in the country so that there is more competition and less monopoly.

When opening the new tobacco markets, Chakwera said he wanted a permanent solution to the malpractice by some stakeholders who charge farmers some dubious levies that have not been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture.

"This must stop. It must stop because any senseless levies imposed on farmers increase the cost of production and decrease the farmer's return, and a tobacco industry in which every player can milk the system and boost profits at the expense of the farmer is not something I will tolerate," said Chakwera.
"For the interest of justice and restitution, we shall pursue this and all financial crimes to logical conclusion."

Malawi is a crime scene that a day hardly passes without lacking a stomach-turning story of a grand- white collar theft especially from those working in the public service and it has been established that the state-owned National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) is a criminal syndicate.

NOCMA, a government of Malawi wholly-owned company has yet again been embroidered in theft of two million litres of diesel worth about K3, billion has been stolen between January 2018 and January 2019 with public officer working at the oil company sharing the loot.

The strategic company, NOCMA is involved in fuel importation, storage at strategic fuel reserves and distribution nationwide. It is complemented by Petroleum Importers Limited, a consortium of private sector petroleum trading companies.

The report, which forms part of the forensic audit, divulges that the scam and details how a group of public officers at NOCMA, a company which was formed in line with the National Energy Policy of January 2003 and registered on December 14, 2010 under the Companies Act of 1984, unceremoniously pilfered and shared the litres of fuel.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Dr. Steve Kayuni, who has confirmed the matter, said: "I can confirm that I have received the file."

"At the moment we are looking into the matter and processing a (legal) opinion and move it forward quickly considering that these allegations bordered on financial crimes, which is economic sabotage. In these cases time and speed are of great essence. For the interest of justice and restitution, we shall pursue this and all financial crimes to logical conclusion," Kayuni said.

The damning report, which Nyasa Times has seen, reveals that the money purportedly meant for the fuel was transferred to the said individuals at a rate within the range of K400,000 to K1.5 million per day, using Mpamba and Airtel Money.

During the same period, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) lost two million litres of diesel worth K2.9 billion and it had entered into a contract with Nocma to supply diesel to Aggreko Limited sites, including Kanengo and Kasungu.

Nocma engaged, a transport firm, Rashy motors for the transportation of the fuel.

How the contract was made between NOCMA and Rashy Transport still remains unknown.

The tankers were said to have been dispatched to deliver the cargo to Aggreko sites but according to findings of the investigation, the tankers never appeared in security guard's register at the Aggreko sites.

"Amount of fuel used to produce Kilowatts was by far less than what was recorded as having been used," the report reads, in part.

The investigations report, which was put in place together by a team of investigators from Police, has since been submitted to Capital Hill awaiting instructions and further action.

Lightening strikes only but once, but it appears at NOCMA lightning has strike twice in a very short space of time.

In 2018, Ombudsman, Martha Chizuma also launched an investigation at Escom over the disappearance of millions of litres of fuel meant for diesel powered generators.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) last year was probing an alleged theft of fuel at National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) meant for emergency diesel generators at Electricity Supply Corporation Malawi (Escom).

The anti-graft body told the local press that it was moved to probe the alleged fuel theft following a complaint Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) lodged with his office.

According to a letter dated July 28 2018 from HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence to Matemba, which is in Nyasa Times' archives, Nocma went into an agreement with Escom to supply fuel between December 2017 and December 2018 following approval by Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera).

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The letter states that while the contract expired in December 2018, Nocma entered into a more expensive contract with Sahara Inc of Egypt for the supply of the fuel, a development that resulted in Nocma making losses.

Reads the letter in part: "To cover for the loss that Nocma made, Nocma forged the approved agreement signed between Escom and Nocma to factor in the loss and thus billed Escom K5 billion."

According to the letter, while Escom was supposed to arrange transportation of the fuel from Nocma to generation sites, Nocma changed the arrangement and started transporting the fuel.

However, the letter indicates that investigations the HRDC conducted show that most of the fuel was never delivered despite paperwork being completed for Escom to effect payment; hence, calling for ACB to probe the matter.
The Malawi Government has disclosed that it will destroy 19, 610 doses of expired coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines next Wednesday.

These are part of the 102,000 doses, which Malawi received from the African Union (AU) on March 26, 2021.

Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr. Charles Mwansambo, said in a statement released on Friday that the vaccines had a short shelf life and expired on April 13, 2021.

He stated that the incineration of these expired vaccines will be done at the Kamuzu Central Hospital incinerator from 10am, adding that the destruction of the doses will be in line with the laid down protocols by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, specifically on the disposal of medicines and biologicals.

"The expired vaccines will be disposed of publicly through incineration in the presence of members of the disposal committee. The Auditor General's Office, Treasury, and the Anti-Corruption Bureau will also be present along with other relevant stakeholders in order to enhance transparency," he said.

The PS further announced that the government has adequate stocks of Covid-19 vaccines in both the government and Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) facilities.

Mwansambo encouraged Malawians aged 18 years and above to get vaccinated.

"The second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered from 3rd June, 2021. Remember the Covid-19 vaccine helps to reduce the risk of developing severe disease, risk of hospitalization and death due to Covid-19," he said.
In a rare gesture of promoting coexistence and religious tolerance and unity among Christians and Muslims in Malawi, the founder and overseer of the Living Word Evangelical Church (LIWEC) Prophet David Mbewe on Friday joined thousands of Muslims in Machinga to celebrate the Eid ul Fitr.

He distributed 20 live goats and hundreds of blankets to Muslims in Machinga thus adding colour to the celebration, which marked the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan when Muslims were fasting.

Mbewe is the sitting president of the Prophetic Ministries Association of Malawi (PROMAM) and the national chairperson of the Freedom of Worship Association of Malawi (FOWAM) and; hence, he has recently been working hard to promote religious tolerance and unity in the country.

He emphasized that coexistence and national unity, irrespective of diversity in cultural and religious convictions, is critical towards in achieving the social and economic aspirations of any society.

"Thus, I felt very honoured and privileged to celebrate with our Muslim brothers and sisters. Eid ul Fitr is a very important occasion among Muslims and as FOWAM leader, I thought I had to contribute towards making the day even greater for them," Mbewe told a multitude of the overjoyed Muslims.

Sheikh Twaibu, who spoke on behalf of the sheikhs and the Muslim community in Machinga, thanked Mbewe for the kind gesture.

Twaibu assured that the Muslims will continue working towards building peace with their Christian brothers and sisters.

Two weeks ago, Mbewe distributed food and facemasks to street connected children, beggars and minibus touts in Limbe, Blantyre.
NLC vows to shut down Kaduna from Monday in a five-day warning strike

Kaduna residents are stocking food and other essential items ahead of the workers' strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to begin on Monday.

Residents said they fear the strike may result in shops and markets not opening.

Already, the electricity distribution company has cut off supply to the Kaduna metropolis.

PREMIUM TIMES observed that many businesses were running generators for supply of electricity Sunday evening.

"For us it has begun. Supply of electricity was cut off yesterday night. This is a serious problem." Yusuf, an electric appliances seller in the state capital, said.

Sanusi, a shop owner in the city, said, "Residents have been coming to buy basic food Items since early morning. Look at it, no bread and we are not getting supply. Bakeries are not producing. This is a big problem we are getting into."

Mardiyya Saleh, a resident of Kawo Kaduna, told PREMIUM TIMES that the strike will hit hard on citizens of the state.

"The sallah celebration is just ending and there are lots of food Items, including meat that are in the refrigerators. Without electricity now, everything will spoil, you can imagine.

"My appeal is for the state government and the labour unions to settle their differences and the strike be aborted," Mr Saleh said.

Meanwhile, despite many worrying about the hardship it portends for citizens, some residents said they support the strike.

Abubakar Sani, a civil servant, said, he supports the NLC for the planned strike.

"We are going to suffer, but it will not be as bad as getting sacked from your job just like that. The government is not sincere in its planned retrenchment exercise.

" NLC is doing the right thing. No Kaduna worker is happy with what the state government is doing. You cannot be sacking people just because you want to build roads, as the governor is insisting.

"What you are able to get and build the road, use it and we will thank you, but laying off workers is not the solution."

Many other civil servants, who spoke to our reporter, also said they welcome the planned strike action.

The Kaduna state government had in March sacked thousands of local government workers.

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NLC Strike

The NLC had called on all unions to join in the planned five-day warning strike in Kaduna from Monday.

The union wants to force the state government to cancel its plan for mass sack of civil servants.

Going by letters seen by PREMIUM TIMES in which organisations, including banks and other financial institutions, have pledged to comply with the NLC directive, offices will not open for work from Monday.

No going back - El-Rufai

However, the state government has vowed to implement its decision to rightsize the public service and not subject public policy to a mob's veto.

The Commissioner for Local Government, Jafaru Sani, and Head of Service, Bariatu Y. Mohammed, stated the government's position during a press conference on Saturday.

According to them, the government regards the strike action and shutdown threats as futile gestures that will not stop it from taking the painful but necessary actions to cope with the fiscal crisis.

They said the Kaduna State Government believes that "the welfare of public servants is sustainable only within the larger context of the general welfare of residents of the state that the government itself is mandated to serve.

"Thus, it is not sustainable to persist in spending 84% to 96% of its FAAC receipts on salaries and personnel costs as has been the experience of the state since October 2020."

The administration said it will protect its facilities and workers' right to access and exit their offices.
Senator Binta Garba, a former board member of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has alleged that Hadiza Bala Usman, suspended Managing Director of NPA, influenced her removal from the agency after she demanded financial transparency.

In a statement, Garba, who represented Adamawa North at the senate between 2015 and 2019, accused Usman of working against the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

The Minister of Transportation had suspended Usman over alleged non-remittance of some of the agency's funds to the Federal Government but Usman denied the allegation.

Amaechi also set up a panel to probe the agency under the watch of Usman whom Buhari appointed in 2016.

In her statement, Garba said she was not comfortable with the way Usman ran the agency before she was suspended.

"In January 2021, Senator John Akpanudoedehe and I were removed from the board and our removal was clearly orchestrated by the now suspended Managing Director (MD) of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman. Before my removal, I was not comfortable with the way the board and authority were run."

"I consistently expressed my discomfort and displeasure with the way the MD was running the place and this, I have no iota of doubt in my mind made her to orchestrate my removal from the board. Note, I was removed without the knowledge of the supervising ministry/Minister of Transportation, which was very uncommon.

'Bala Usman ignored my questions'

"My observations and complaints with the suspended NPA MD were more with the financial statements of NPA and I was worried that if she continued (doing) so, there would certainly be trouble and her sudden removal (suspension) would be inevitable. I noted discrepancies, I raised observations, I asked questions but I was completely ignored and disregarded. Answers were never provided, until my removal was plotted," she said.

Garba said she wanted to resign from the board of the NPA over Usman's conduct but she was advised against doing so.

She alleged that the suspended MD was not comfortable with the way and manner she asked questions about the financial record of the agency.

"When the board came in, its first meeting was in June 2020, with the aim of deliberating on the financial report. I made some observations on the report which, obviously, the MD, Hadiza Bala Usman, was not comfortable with. At the time, the report covered 2 years but I objected, pointing out that, under normal circumstances, procedurally and international norms, it should cover a minimum of 3 years. It was after my objection that the MD grudgingly and resentfully provided the third year's report. I wasn't really comfortable. I observed more discrepancies with the financials and asked questions about them. The MD was uncomfortable and even felt slighted by the objective comments and questions.

'Bala Usman acted as if she had a lot to hide'

"Scrutinising the financial reports of the NPA is a very critical and very important aspect of my role and function as a member of its board, appointed by the President. I was not ready to abdicate that core responsibility. For me, my board membership of NPA, like every other public office I have held, was a call to serve my country and I was prepared to give it my all. But the suspended MD felt offended by my observations, questions, spotting obvious inconsistencies and acted like someone with a lot to hide. Answers were not forthcoming and, when they did, were less than satisfactory.

"Some members of the board felt I was the only one holding the financial report back. I had to meet with the Minister of Transportation and I told him I wasn't comfortable with the way and manner the board was being handled and treated by the MD and that I wanted to resign.

"The board chairman, Chief Akin Ricketts (whose removal as board chairman was also orchestrated by the MD) and some other members, prevailed on me not to resign and that, if I did, it would send the wrong signal and would not be good for the President. We settled down to work on it (the financial reports). After sometime, my uneasiness did not go away. Again, I met with the Minister of Transportation and told him that I did not want to continue with the board with the way the MD was running the place. I met someone high up in the Presidential Villa and told him my own story and advised that the MD be called to order (sic).

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"Instead of making amends, the suspended MD's next move was to go against the NPA Act by designing my removal from the board. The Act stipulates that it is the minister who should send names of appointees to the board to the President for approval. For someone to unilaterally go against the Act and the Minister that brought her on board was rather unfortunate.

"I made it very clear to everyone I spoke with about the situation in NPA, stressing that it was not about me but the system, rules and procedures, as well as the survival of our institutions. I could not keep quiet and watch the suspended MD run the NPA aground. I wished she had listened but she didn't and opted to plot my removal from the board. Unfortunately, I have been vindicated."
Former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku has called on Governors to come together irrespective of party divides and convene a national summit that will iron out the thorny issues affecting the destiny of Nigeria.

The presidential candidate of PDP in the last general election made the call in a statement on Sunday.

In the statement, entitled, "Nigeria Is Drifting: We Must Stop Waiting For God", the former Vice-President challenged the governors to act on time.

The statement read, "The major challenge facing Nigeria today is that we are drifting. We are not just drifting politically and economically. We are also drifting apart from each other.

"I have often said that the difference between us is not North and South, but between good and bad. Therefore, those who are good should come together to show those who are bad that we are in the overwhelming majority.

"I have repeatedly said that I am a Nigerian. Full stop. That is my identity. And now more than ever, we must ask ourselves this question: what does it mean to be a Nigerian?

"A Nigerian is one who is committed to the idea of the indivisibility of Nigeria and who is invested in respecting, even if you disagree with, the differences that exist within this nation space, and respecting the right of others to coexist with you irrespective of religious, regional or ethnic differences.

"That is what being a Nigerian means to me. And that is why I believe that all those who believe in Nigeria should stand up to be counted.

"It is un-Nigerian to terrorise your fellow citizens. Up until about a decade ago, we did not have this. It is un-Nigerian to abduct people. And this is undoubtedly a new menace that has low historical precedence in Nigeria.

"The truth is that if at a National level, we address these un-Nigerian tendencies immediately and dispassionately, we would not have Nigerians congregating at a regional or sub-regional level to address these issues.

"What our present challenges therefore call for is not fragmentation but concentration. We must concentrate and focus our national willpower and resolve towards fighting these unNigerian tendencies.

"Governors representing some states have met. And I completely understand the necessity of their meeting and the wisdom of their decisions. But no matter how much you try to clap with one hand, the vibrations will not be the same as when you clap with two hands.

"We have a national challenge. And as Albert Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

"These problems were created by those with a regional mindset, and will not be solved by those with a similar mindset.

"For too long, we have erroneously thought that the power to make effective changes lies at Aso Rock. But without the states, nobody can get to Aso Rock. That is why for anyone to emerge as President of Nigeria, he or she must secure enough votes in two-thirds of the states that make up the Nigerian federation.

"Let us apply this wisdom to our present challenges. I call on Nigerian Governors to stop waiting on Abuja to make changes, and instead convene a National Unity Summit of all Nigerian Governors to iron out the thorny issues affecting the destiny of our nation until they figure out a way to resolve them.

"Forget about your party. Forget about your tribe. Respect your religion and allow it to bring out the better part of you. Meet together. Talk together. Come up with the solutions to all our collective challenges.

"And then go back to your states, and consult with your federal and state legislators, with a view to getting them to work with their colleagues to implement the solutions you came up with.

"That is how to save Nigeria.

"To keep waiting for this Federal Government to take the lead, and effect the changes that Nigeria needs to stop drifting, is to keep waiting for Godot. And that is a luxury we cannot afford.

"We cannot afford it because, according to the Global Terror Index, our beloved nation is now the third most terrorised nation on Earth. We are featuring prominently on the Failed States Index, and the symbols of our nation, our currency, our passport, and our international standing are fast losing value.

"To quote Einstein again, "Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act." We do know that our Governors know that all is not well with Nigeria. That is why they have been meeting. At regional and sub regional levels. That knowledge comes with a duty to act, and to act together. Because if we do not act together, then the alternative is that we fall asunder. And God forbid that should ever be our fate.

"We must be mindful of the fact that one in four Africans is a Nigerian. And one in seven Black people on Earth is Nigerian. Therefore, being so centrally placed by God, it ought to be clear to us that it is our duty to be a beacon of light to the Black World.

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"If we succeed as a nation, our successes will resonate beyond our borders. It will give hope to the Black Diaspora and increase the standing of Black people all over the world.

"That is why we cannot fail. That is why we cannot retreat into our regional enclaves. Too much is at stake. We are too centrally located to be dislocated.

"Together we must win forever. We are far too interconnected to be disconnected. Where would my children, who have a parent from each leg of Nigeria go? Where would your children, who have sunk roots far from their ancestral heritage, go?

"Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that "Man's mind, stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimension."

"Let me paraphrase him and say, Nigeria unity, stretched to a new frontier, should never go back to its original dimension.

"We must grow in unity. We must glow in community. We must blow away disunity. We have no choice, considering the alternative, which is a calamity that we would not wish to return to.

"So, help us God. May God bless Nigeria as one peaceful, progressive, and indivisible nation".
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has offered a gifted physically challenged artist, Ms Abosede Okeowo, a US online scholarship to enhance her skills.

Osinbajo's spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said the presentation was made recently at the palace of Oba Adekunle Adeagbo, the Oore of Otun-Ekiti in Ekiti.

The 27-year-old artist had presented to Osinbajo a pencil portrait of himself during his courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife in 2020.

Inspite of her limitations, Okeowo focuses on her artistic skills and has gained recognition because of her talent.

Okeowo, an indigene of Otun Ekiti in Ekiti State, had suffered an illness when she was a child which resulted in her current state of health.

A self-taught artist who, driven by passion, nurtured her talent in drawing to her current stage of expertise and is now known for making drawings of many dignitaries.

Okeowo first caught the attention of the vice president when she drew a portrait of his wife, Dolapo.

She yet again enthralled Osinbajo with her skills when she drew and presented a lifelike portrait of him.

Osinbajo, the statement said, was represented at the presentation by a team led by Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters.

Also in the team was Dr Ebi Awosika, Senior Technical Assistant to the Vice President on Community Engagement.

In her remarks, Awosika expressed gratitude to God for Okeowo, saying it was just the beginning of greatness for the young artist.

She presented to the talented artiste a special wheelchair, laptop and a scholarship in Hyper-Realistic Portrait Course, a virtual course offered through an American online programme.

"This scholarship will help Okeowo to realise her dreams and desire to own an establishment where she can teach others how to draw and help those who are physically challenged to also fulfill their life ambitions,"the statement quoted her as saying.

In his remarks, Adeagbo, who received the delegation on behalf of Okeowo's family and Otun Ekiti community expressed gratitude to the vice president and his wife for making life meaningful for the artist and her family. (NAN)

CJ/OJO
Northern cattle breeders in the southern states of Nigeria declared yesterday that they will not vacate the region as directed by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders' Association (MACBAN) over the open grazing ban by governors of the south.

The herders however advocated a timely resolution to the crisis which they said is threatening the entire country.

The Bauchi State chapter of MACBAN had urged its members to vacate the 17 southern states following the recent open grazing ban by southern state governors.

In their reaction, the cattle breeders told LEADERSHIP that some of their colleagues had relocated for fear of the unknown, they will only await the directive from the national body and not from a state chapter.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP, a member of the Abia State branch of the association at Lokpanta Cattle Market, Umuchieze, Umunneochi local government area of the state, Alhaji Buba Abdullahi, confirmed reading the directive on the Internet.

He expressed worry over the escalating clashes between headers and farmers in both Ebonyi in recent times which have led to both human and material losses on both sides.

The chairman of MACBAN in Imo State, Alhaji Usaini Haruna, said they are living in peace with the citizenry and have no reason to depart from the state.

According to him, he does not take orders from Bauchi State chapter of the association and as such is not bound by the directive.

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However, in Delta State, the directive has no effect because MACBAN does exist in the state.

LEADERSHIP checks revealed that most of the cows in the state are owned by Deltans who only employ herders to take care of the cattle.

According to the senior special assistant to the governor on security, Chief Casidi Iloba, said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa removed the leader of the association paving the way for smoother interface between herders and community leaders. He said intermediary by MACBAN was not working.

Iloba said since the herders don't have leaders to give them such directive, they are not likely to leave Delta State because most the cattle owners are Deltans who have not sacked the herders yet.

He also said he meets them in the bush regularly adding that there has not been any reason to ask them to leave especially when the state government has not started to implement the resolution over the ban on open grazing.

In Akwa Ibom State, the king of the Hausa/Fulani communities in the state, Alhaji Sadauki, has described the situation as dangerous for the country.

He said rather than asking the herders to leave the southern states, the southern governor should see it as a national problem rather than regional problem so that all Nigerians can solve it together.

To me "it's not a regional problem but a national problem which should be tackled nationally".
The Tanzanian government said May 14 that it was closely monitoring the recently developed malaria vaccine that has proved to be 'highly effective' in clinical trials.

The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford University, showed up to 77 percent efficacy in a trial of 450 children in Burkina Faso over a period of 12 months.

The Guardian (UK) reported that the vaccine holds out the real possibility of slashing the annual global death toll from malaria, averaging 400,000 mostly small children.

Tanzanian Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children deputy minister Godwin Mollel told The Citizen that Tanzania was also involved in the research for malaria. However, he noted that the vaccine efficacy would be confirmed after four stages of trials.

"The normal procedure for any country, including ours, is to satisfy itself before it makes any decision. Therefore, when it is proven globally that it is safe, then we will move from there," he said.

Dr Mollel said there were guidelines for scientific research that had to be adhered to and Tanzania would follow the same.

The Oxford vaccine is the first to meet the WHO goal of 75 percent efficacy against the mosquito-borne parasite disease. Larger trials are now beginning, involving 4,800 children in four countries.

The hunt for a malaria vaccine has been going on the best part of a century. One, the Mosquirix vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, has been through lengthy clinical trials but is only partially effective, preventing 39 percent of malaria cases and 29 percent of severe malaria cases among small children in Africa over four years. It is being piloted by the World Health Organization in parts of Kenya, Ghana and Malawi.

Drs Cyrus Poonawalla and Adar Poonawalla - respectively chairman and CEO of the Serum Institute - said in a statement that they were "highly excited to see these results on a safe and highly effective malaria vaccine which will be available to the whole world".

The project was through collaboration with Oxford and also Novavax, which is supplying the adjuvant, a substance that enhances the immune system response.

"We are highly confident that we will be able to deliver more than 200 million doses annually in line with the strategy, as soon as regulatory approvals are available," they said.

Prof Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute, where the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was invented, said he believed the vaccine had the potential to cut the death toll dramatically. "What we're hoping to do is take that 400,000 down to tens of thousands in the next five years, which would be absolutely fantastic."

Other interventions, such as impregnated bed nets and malarial drugs, have reduced the death toll from a million a year, he said, and those must continue. But, if the vaccine could cut deaths to the tens of thousands, they might be able to look towards "a greater goal - eventually eradicating malaria".

Hill said the institute might apply for emergency approval for the malaria vaccine just as it did for the Covid-19 jab.

"I'm making the argument as forcefully as I can, that because malaria kills a lot more people than Covid-19 in Africa, you should think about emergency-use authorisation for a malaria vaccine for use in Africa. And that's never been done before."

The institute would probably ask the regulatory bodies in Europe or the UK for a scientific opinion on the vaccine and then apply to the World Health Organization for approval for use in Africa. "They did Covid-19 in months - why shouldn't they do malaria in a similar length of time as the health problem is on an even greater scale in Africa?" Prof Hill said.

The vaccine will be manufactured at large scale and low-cost, say the researchers, who have arranged a deal with the Serum Institute of India, which is involved in manufacturing the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab. The Serum Institute has had to delay supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine to the rest of the world because of the huge rise in cases in India, but has promised to deliver 200 million doses a year of the malaria vaccine if it is licensed.

Hill said the best-case scenario was approval by the end of 2022, by which time the Serum Institute would have plenty of capacity. The children in the trial, which is published on Preprints with the Lancet, were five to 17 months old and lived in Nanoro, an area encompassing 24 villages with an approximate population of 65,000 people.

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They were split into three groups; two had the vaccine, but with either a low or high dose of adjuvant, while the third group were given a rabies vaccine, so acted as a control.

The children had three doses and have since had a further booster jab. The Mosquirix vaccine is also given in four doses.

Prof Hill said mothers were keen to bring their children back for further shots because of their experience of malaria. Efficacy was 77 percent in the high-dose adjuvant group and 74 percent in the lower dose group.

Gareth Jenkins, of Malaria No More UK, said: "We can end malaria in our generation but only if governments invest in the research needed to deliver the new medicines and products that can accelerate the end of this terrible disease.

"An effective and safe malaria vaccine would be a hugely significant extra weapon in the armoury needed to defeat malaria, which still kills over 270,000 children every year. For decades British scientists have been at the forefront of developing new ways to detect, diagnose, test and treat malaria, and we must continue to back them.

Written by Rosemary Mirondo
Local Government minister Raphael Magyezi has dismissed as irrelevant, wastage of time and resources a decision by Nakasongola District council to create a new sub-county.

He was reacting to a decision by the district council that on May 11 voted to create a new sub-county of Wajala, carving it out of Wabinyonyi and Lwampanga sub-counties.

"The action by Nakasongola leaders is wastage of time and resources. The motion passed creating a new sub-county has no bearing. Nakasongola should instead focus on development projects as they strategise for a city status to be rolled out in 2023," Mr Magyezi said.

While government suspended the creation of new administrative units and local governments on April 9, the Nakasongola District authorities have defied the directive.

Mr Samuel Tingira, the Nakasongola District Council vice chairperson, after laying the motion in support of the creation of Wajala Sub-county, said the new demand is in the interest of the people of Nakasongola.

"The new Wajala Sub-county will comprise Nakasongola Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) Airfield, and Kikoiro, Kibuye, among other areas that will be carved from the sub-counties of Wabinyonyi and Lwampanga. Creation of the new Sub-county is in the interest of our people within the mentioned areas," Mr Tingira said.

He added: "We are already aware about the circular originating from the Ministry of Local Government that suspended the creation of new administrative units and local governments, but the circular is not binding and is subject to adjustment by authorities in government."

Mr Bernard Bogere, the district councillor for Wabinyonyi Sub-county, backed the move saying: "I believe nobody can sue the district council for passing the motion that is in the interest of the people. The very directives have been passed in recent years, but we saw several local governments being created when the directives were in place years back. The creation of Wajala Sub-county is out of urgency for better service delivery."

Earlier, the district Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr Felix Majeme, objected to the move by council, citing the April 9 circular from Ministry of Local Government.

"It is true that the district council is mandated to initiate the process of the creation of a new local government, including any new administrative unit as deemed necessary, but we have a directive from government. It would be very defiant for a district council that has been briefed about a government directive to act contrary. I beg to advise that we put on hold the motion as we consult. We do not have to rush on a matter that government has already issued a directive," Mr Majeme said.

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In an interview with Daily Monitor, Mr Bernard Kamoga, one of the district councillors, said: "Several other district councillors argued that the same government that passes the laws has on several occasions broken its own guidelines. We shall not wait to see other areas benefiting from government services before we act. We have passed the motion and government will guide if they find our decision not right. "

Directive

In the April 9 circular, Mr Magyezi, citing Section 7(10) and Section 95 of the Local Government Act, wrote: "I am suspending the creation of new villages, parishes/wards, sub-counties, town councils, municipal divisions, municipalities, city divisions, cities and districts with effect from April 9. Processes for split, merger or alteration of boundaries of local governments and administrative units should be halted until further notice."
Dar es Salaam  Leading a country is not like a walk in the park. This is what the second-phase President Ali Hassan Mwinyi avers in his memoir as he recalls how workers' and students' strikes gave him sleepless nights at times.

In the memoir: 'Mzee Rukhsa: Safari ya Maisha Yangu' - roughly ki-Swahili for 'Old Man Rukhsa: the Journey of My Life' - he says workers' movements in the country have a long history, with 1955 being the key date when The Tanganyika Federation of Labour (TFL) and the Seamen's Union of Zanzibar were established.

Their common enemy, according to him, were Colonialism and the Sultanate.

"After independence, what had united (the common enemy) TFL and TANU - that is: to fight colonialism - ceased to exist, and by 1962 there had already been 152 labour strikes," he narrates.

After the merger of Tanu and Afro-Shiraz Party to form Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in 1977 under the single political party system, Mzee Mwinyi writes, Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar formed a trade union, 'Jumuiya ya Wafanyakazi Tanzania' (Juwata) - ki-Swahili for Tanzania Workers Union - as a CCM Wing.

However, the situation - 'Mzee Rukhsa' says - did not meet the international standards of independent trade unions and the workers began demanding independent unions.

He explains that after a long misunderstanding in which Juwata continued to demand independence from CCM, in 1990 (when he was President) Juwata was renamed the Organization of Tanzania Trade Unions (OTTU) which had its own constitution.

However, he says, later OTTU which welcomed the other 11 trade unions under its jurisdiction, by 1995 the unions formed their own union called the Tanzania Federation of Free Trade Unions (TFTU) where the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) was later born having required international criteria. He explains that as in other areas, his term of office was transitional, based on the concept of "rukhsa", to loosen certain policies and lead Tanzanians to greater economic, political and social freedoms.

He says in giving that freedom, he thought at the time, and he continues to think so, that they did a good thing of expanding the rights and freedoms of citizens, including workers.

"But in doing so, we were also opening the door for opposition political parties to harass us. Even less than two years after the establishment of OTTU, they called a strike on March 1 to 3, 1994, and before that they had supported the massive teachers' strike in January 1994," recalls Mzee Mwinyi.

"Generally I started very well with the unions, but I came to a very bad end with them," he writes.

One of the things that hurt him most about the workers at the beginning of his tenure was what came to be called the Kilombero Massacre. He says in July 1986, about 500 workers at the Kilombero sugarcane field went on strike claiming that their pay was being reduced.

"They refused to go to work and instead surrounded the office and prevented company officials from entering. In the ensuing commotion, stones were thrown and the windshield of one leader's car got shattered. Tanzania Police Field Force Unit (FFU) officers tried to quell the riots with tear gas and when they saw the situation worsening they fired live bullets, leaving four people dead and 16 others seriously injured," he recounts.

Overall, he says, his second term in office, 1990-1995, was marred by tensions and pressure between the government and trade unions.

"Some of them really annoyed me, including the teachers. It is true that teachers had their grievances deserving of explanation or action from the government, but I still do not believe that what they decided to do was the right way to take care of the interests of the country and the students.

In his 491-page memoir, Mwinyi explains that the Tanzania Teachers Association was formed in 1993 and before the end of the year, they wrote him a letter saying they really wanted to meet him, although their letter reached the State House when he (Mwinyi) was on a trip abroad, so seeing no response, the teachers called for a strike.

"When I returned and found the situation I called the leaders to my office on December 8, 1993 to talk and they threatened to call an endless teachers' strike if their demands were not met," he writes.

He says the demands - which they called 'Pan-African Tanzania Teachers Demands' - were rife with many unenforceable issues, including claims per teacher of Sh60,000 per month as food allowance, Sh60,000 travel allowance, Sh60,000 housing allowance, Sh60 , 000 medical allowances and many other claims.

"In those days, this was a lot of money. At that time one US dollar was worth Sh450, so by today's standards, the four allowances, which amounted to Sh240,000 per month, would have been Sh1.19 million in allowances only," Mzee Mwinyi says.

In terms of salaries, the teachers demanded new rates and benefits ranging from Sh540,000 to Sh1.02 million for the same period per month.

"We did the calculation. The claim, apart from the allowances, for a total of one year was equal to the total government expenditure for three years... ," Mzee Rukhsa explains. He also acknowledges that some of the teachers' claims in their letter to him were legitimate and had to be dealt with by the government before it could lead to a major crisis. One was the delayed salaries.

"I reassured the teachers that they are like other people with a lot of human needs, and therefore they must get their salaries at the same time as other employees are paid," he says.

After the talks, Mwinyi says he thought they had understood each other, but the teachers went ahead to organize a strike that began in January 1994 in Dar es Salaam before escalating to other regions.

"In such a situation, I had to use the police to control the protests and rallies as well as to suspend some of the 318 strike-leaders, and to detain others. After the situation had calmed down and a compromise had been reached, they were released and those suspended returned to work," writes Mr Mwinyi. Less than two months later, he writes, OTTU also called for a nationwide strike on March 1-3, 1994.

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"They wanted us to increase the minimum wage from Sh5,000 to Sh45,000 a month, an increase of 900 percent," he explains.

"Do good deeds and do not wait for thanks", Mzee Mwinyi remembers the saying as how the workers thanked him with nonstop strikes even after he expanded the boundaries of their freedom to form independent trade unions.

"Anyone with good intentions will agree with me that in the then economic climate it was not possible to meet the demand for additional workers' salaries and benefits.

"They (workers) saw that I only had a bad spirit, which is not my character at all. They hated me so much that they did not invite me at their next year's labour celebrations," he says. Another strike he remembers is the one that was initiated by students of the University of Dar es Salaam where at the beginning of May 1990 there was a lot of violence at 'The Hill.' Here, he says, the students went on strike for their own reasons and they went on to even insult him (Mwinyi) and his government.

"The students really disrespected me... On May 12, 1990 I had to close the institution - and reopened it in January 1991. I returned some of the expelled students to complete their studies. However, 13 students were not allowed to return after being identified as leaders of the strikes... ," Mzee Mwinyi explains in his autobiography.
"The raging case backlog in court should be blamed on the misconduct of some judicial officers, making it hard for Ugandans to have justice," journalists have told the Judicial Service Commission.

During a media engagement meeting between members of the media fraternity in Bushenyi greater sub-region and Judicial Service Commission on Friday, the journalists said that misconduct among some judicial officers in courts has made it impossible for Ugandans to have justice.

Mr Abraham Muganzi, a reporter working with Vision Group in greater Bushenyi told the JSC that judicial officers' absence from duty stations causes unnecessary adjournments in courts, denying justice to people.

"When a judicial officer is out of station for one or two weeks without a clear reason, the cases that he or she was supposed to hear during that time are pushed forward and that results into delayed or denied justice," Mr Muganzi said.

"When civil servants are out of office for long without clear reason; that is indiscipline and due to this, people who don't get judicial services end up causing chaos in society because they have not gotten what had taken them to court," he added.

He called upon the JSC to ensure that its officers are held accountable and be made to work following a clocking system, which shows how someone didn't work so they can be tasked to explain and account why they did not.

According to Mr Prosper Twebaze, a presenter at Bushenyi based BFM radio, corruption has eaten up the judiciary.

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"Corruption and connivance in the sector has denied many Ugandans a right to timely justice," he said.

Mr Twebaze also blamed the case backlog on the formality and bureaucracy in the judicial sector, where cases take long time to reach required stages in the legal process partly due to shortage of judicial staff in the country.

Journalists' comments coupled with complaints about their colleague working with MK Newslink Agency.

Journalist Mr Wilber Muhwezi Kasibante has spent more than a week in prison without getting bail due to absence of the Chief Magistrate.

He was arrested about two weeks ago on charges of defamation and criminal trespass.

Answering journalists' queries, Mr Samuel Mugisa, the deputy registrar Education and Public Affairs in the Judicial Service Commission asked journalists and other aggrieved people to report undisciplined officers to the JSC for handling.

Mr Mugisa blamed the case backlog effect in courts of law on shortage of judicial officers in the country.

"If you report more than 1000 cases and you have one judge, can he finish 1,000 cases?" he noted.

About the gaps, Mr Mugisa said that the mandate of the JSC is to do recruitment for only declared areas, which also becomes hard due to limited funds.

Ms Maria Thresa Nabulya, the JSC Communications Officer said that the engagement meeting was aimed at equipping the media with knowledge on how the JSC works since the media plays a big role of representing the common man.
Meat sellers in Buikwe District have defied orders by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) to quit a 20-year-old slaughter house for a new one government built at Shs65m.

Mr Abubaker Kakaire, the officer in-charge of cattle slaughtering, told Saturday Monitor yesterday that Njeru Municipal Council authorities are to be blamed for the butchers shunning the government facility for two years now.

"Instead, they should assist us to improve on what we are comfortable with other than forcing us to relocate to a place where some services are not available," Mr Kakaire said.

He added on average, they pay Shs3,000 to council daily, and between five to 10 cows and goats are slaughtered every day.

The new abattoir

In 2019, the government constructed an abattoir for Njeru municipality at a cost of Shs65m, which was allegedly done without consulting the butchers as the principal beneficiaries, who would later allege that it was poorly constructed.

Ms Jane Frances Kagayi, the Buikwe RDC, during a routine inspection of government projects at last weekend, directed Njeru officials to ban all slaughtering places and force the meat sellers to use the one that was constructed by the government.

"This is an unhealthy place for slaughtering animals; let the council use the law to ensure all animals are slaughtered in one place where health and veterinary officers can inspect the meat to determine whether it is safe for consumption," she said.

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However, the meat sellers say the facility is 'far' as it is located at Bulyankuyege, Nyenga Division, yet it was meant to cater for the three divisions of Nyenga, Wakisi and Njeru Central in Njeru Municipality.

Mr Abdallah Bogere, the chairperson of Njeru Butchers and Cattle Traders' Association, said they are in the process of acquiring land to construct their own abattoir because the two divisions are far away and cannot easily access the government facility.

"Even if council improves the poorly-constructed abattoir, it will not favour the majority of the meat sellers because there will be an increase in the price of meat to recover transport costs, which buyers will not accept, hence our business will die," Mr Bogere said.

He warned the council against undertaking developments in an area without consulting the beneficiaries.

The old abattoir

Mr John Kiwanuka, the veterinary officer at Njeru Municipal Council, said the old abattoir lacks some basic amenities.

But he said they are working on them to improve the standard of the old abattoir.

Mr Philip Sserunjogi, the principal health officer of Njeru Municipal Council, said their effort to enforce the law and see butchers vacate the sub-standard abattoirs is being challenged by politicians, especially the councillors who are protecting their voters.
Abuja  An elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has cautioned against calls for secession in some parts of the country.

Clark told journalists in Abuja yesterday that the calls for secession in some quarters are not the solution to the country's problems.

The South-south leader explained that he did not believe in Nigeria's break-up in spite of rising insecurity and economic challenges in the country.

Clark argued that instead of breaking up Nigeria and beating war drums, efforts should be made to develop workable strategies to solve the problem of insecurity and other challenges making lives unbearable for Nigerians.

"Nigeria will remain one. Some of us do not believe in the call for secession. Where do we go to? Who are we leaving the country for? Who owns it?

"We cannot flee? Where do we go? Though I am seeing this danger but I do not believe that Nigeria will split.

"Recently 17 Southern governors met and they also agreed that Nigeria will remain one. They are not just PDP but also APC governors.

"Even during the civil war in 1967, we never believed Nigeria would break up and the war eventually ended in 1970.

"That was the nearest we got to breaking up but Nigeria did not break up," he said.

The elder statesman called for restructuring rather than call for break-up.

He referred to reports of the 2014 National Conference and the committee headed by Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, saying the recommendations would go a long way.

"All we are saying is that we should restructure the country. Let us devolve power to the states. They should be the federating units.

"We should refer to the 2014 National Conference report of over 600 recommendations. We do not need to convoke another confab.

"The confab report in addition to what APC produced under Governor Nasir El-rufai's Committee is enough to create a true federal system of government in Nigeria," he added.

Clark stressed that unless Nigeria returned to a federal system of government, as obtained in 1963, the restructuring process would not be complete.

"Let us have a federal system of government as we had in 1963. Once that is done, there will be peace in Nigeria. With that, every region will have a State Police.

"So, the only cure to the problem of insecurity in Nigeria is to return to the 1963 Constitution with a few amendments."

He further said, "I have been in politics for about 70 years in this country and I have seen it all.

"In 1960, there was the Independent Constitution, drawn up in Britain by the Whites and Nigerians.

"They agreed that this country has more than 250 ethnic nationalities, therefore a unitary form of government will not work and that there should be a federation which we had.

"The 1960 constitution made it that every region had its own constitution and develop at its own pace and keep half of what is developed in their area.

"That was why Obafemi Awolowo was able to develop the West because we had the cocoa boom at the time. The price of cocoa was very high in the international market.

"So, he was able to introduce free primary education which other regions could not do at the time."

He blamed the military for the present economic and security challenges faced by Nigerians, saying the military changed into a unitary form of government.

"Aguiyi Ironsi changed this country into a unitary government.

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"It continued until the Army handed over in 1999 and they left behind a unitary form of constitution.

"That is why we are facing so many problems as a nation and that is why we are calling for restructuring," he said.

On attacks on schools, Clark called for provision of security in and around schools through the building of fences and adequate surveillance.

He said that it might not be possible to guard all schools with the few number of security men in the country.

He advised that vigilantes could be employed to provide the Police with necessary information in the case of attempted attacks.

He, however, kicked against mounting surveillance cameras in schools, saying, "it will not work unless the people are ready to prevent kidnapping and other forms of attacks in schools. "Even if we mount CCTVs they will be compromised as has happened on different occasions in some parts of the country," he added.
As the National Assembly resumes tomorrow, there is anxiety following the May 5, 2021 threat by the opposition lawmakers to apply all constitutional means to save Nigeria from collapse.

At the plenary on the said date, Senators of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had traded blame over the rising insecurity across the country.

The PDP Senators accused President Muhammadu Buhari of not only breaching the constitution but also being absent from duty in the face of worsening insecurity bedeviling the country.

But the APC senators disagreed, saying the Buhari administration was busy tackling insecurity.

The Minority Caucus of the National Assembly, led by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, accused President Buhari of breaching the constitution.

Addressing journalists penultimate week, Abaribe said after due consultations, the caucus will at the appropriate time, utilise all constitutional methods and measures available after consultations with our colleagues to do the needful to save the country from collapse.

But in its reaction, the APC Senate caucus said the PDP caucus went too far given the good working relationship in the ninth assembly.

Addressing journalists after over an hour of a closed-door meeting, the APC Senate caucus rejected the plan, saying the utterances of the opposition lawmakers were capable of over-heating an already charged polity.

Chairman of the caucus and Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi said while they understood the role of the opposition in any democracy, however, with the current situation of things in the country, men of good conscience and patriotism were expected to act as leaders and statesmen, rather than play politics with the lives of the citizens.
Abuja  President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for Paris, capital of France, on a four-day official visit to attend African Finance Summit which would be focused on reviewing African economy, following shocks from COVID-19 pandemic, and getting relief, especially from increased debt burden on countries.

The Summit, being hosted by French President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, will draw major stakeholders in the global finance institutions and some Heads of Government, who will, collectively, discuss external funding and debt treatment for Africa, and private sector reforms.

During the visit, President Buhari will meet with the French President to discuss growing security threats in Sahel and Lake Chad region, political relations, economic ties, climate change and partnership in buoying the health sector, particularly in checking spread of Covid-19, with more research and vaccines.

Before returning to Nigeria, President Buhari will receive some key players in the oil and gas sector, engineering and telecommunications, European Council and European Union Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and Commission, and members of the Nigerian community.

The President is being accompanied on the trip by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Adeniyi Adebayo and Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire.

Also on the trip are National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd) and Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Abubakar.
A frontline Yoruba militia group, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), yesterday indicated that close to N200 million might have been made within two months by armed Fulani herdsmen, who have occupied many Ogun State communities, kidnapping for ransom.

In a statement made available to THISDAY by the state Coordinator of OPC, Chief Adesina Jimoh, the group said it was now clear that the security agents could no longer handle the situation.

Jimoh stated that the OPC was set to serve as an alternative platform to secure lives and property in the state, and would from now on repel the headers "fire for fire, and violence for violence."

He quoted a report in the media that the killer herders "collected the sum of N34.5 million in three separate operations carried out in one week in Ogun State."

The OPC leader also cited another publication which stated: "The kidnappers suspected to be herdsmen reportedly collected over N30 million from the eight victims in three separate operations carried out in different parts of the state.

"Recall also that around the second week of March 2021, two female students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Aiyetoro campus, were kidnapped and paid the sum of N50 million."

He added that a female teacher, a female nurse and her guests were also recently kidnapped at the Ijebu Igbo axis of the state, in which several millions of naira were paid as ransom to secure their release.

Jimoh further lamented that at the Olubo village on the Abeokuta-Aiyetoro-Imeko/Afon road in early April this year, a medical doctor and a nurse were abducted, and that a month after, their relatives could only pay N4.5 million ransom before they could regain freedom.

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The OPC leader said one of the instances showing that the situation at hand was too enormous for the police alone to handle was the gale of kidnappings that occurred barely 48 hours after the state police command recently paraded 16 suspected kidnappers.

"It is worrisome to note that barely 48 hours after these criminals were paraded at the police headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, four other people-three market women and a driver-were also kidnapped at a spot near Olubo village on the same Imeko/Afin-Aiyetoro-Abeokuta in the Yewa North Local Government Area of the state," he recounted.

Jimoh noted that it was evident that the series of attacks, kidnapping and rape cases could be traced to the Fulani herders, and that the situation had ethnic undertone.

"Report has it that though the victims (of the Olugbo village kidnap) were selected in random, however, Hausa/Fulani women, who were inside the same vehicle conveying those victims, were released during the operation," he said.
Abuja  Barring any unforeseen circumstance, the 17 southern governors will meet with President Muhammadu Buhari as soon as the president returns from his trip to France to discuss their last Tuesday's resolutions in Asaba, Delta State.

This is coming as the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has declared that the North would not be part of any national dialogue that may emerge now or in the future.

The 17 governors had banned open grazing of cattle and called for the restructuring of the country, urging Buhari to also convoke a national dialogue.

The Chairman of the Southern Governors' Forum and Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, had earlier stated that the governors would meet Buhari, adding that the president would not ignore the resolutions of 17 governors.

It is expected that the meeting will be held as soon as Buhari returns from France.

However, CNG has argued that the North would no longer be disposed to remain in one country with "the 'Igbo Biafran agitators' who have held the entire country to ransom for more than 60 years."

In a statement issued yesterday by its spokesman, Mr. Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the group said it had taken note of the southern governors' decision to ban open cattle grazing, their renewed interest in the clamour for restructuring, "and other sentiments which tend to create tensions around the co-existence as a nation."

It noted that as its tradition, it has restrained from the flow of idle and unproductive engagements, which trailed the Asaba declaration to a point when it became obvious "that northern governors and most of those that call themselves northern leaders today have lost the necessary courage to defend the rights and privileges of all northerners."

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The CNG said it observed that the southern governors had "unfairly profiled the entire business community of herders as the sole cause of the security challenges in the region, while deliberately leaving out IPOB, Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the South-east, violent gangs led by the likes of Sunday Ighoho in the Southwest, and the assortment of militant groups in the South-south region."

The CNG stated: "We categorically state that the North shall never be part of any national dialogue that may emerge now or in the future, which would not include a final discussion on the actualisation of Biafra and the settlement of any other pending secessionist or self-determination issue."

CNG berated the southern governors for refusing to directly hold the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari responsible for the current national woes, "rather than singling out a particular ethnic group for attack and irreverent treatment."

The group called on all pastoralists and all northerners living as minorities in the southern part of Nigeria, whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by this "regime of hostile and damaging policies to be ratified by the southern governors," to immediately relocate with their livestock assets to the North.
Suspected herdsmen at the weekend killed new fewer than seven persons in Benue and Nasarawa states.

In Nasarawa State, the armed herders killed the Catechist of St. Mathew's Catholic Parish in Obi, Nasarawa State, Sydney Shirsha.

Four people were also on Saturday killed when herdsmen attacked Yelwata community of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

However, the fourth victim was said to have been killed when a security agent accidentally fired live bullet at angry youths protesting the killing of their three kinsmen by the herders.

Shirsha was murdered in his Amudu village in Giza Chiefdom of Keana LGA of the state with two other members of the village.

An eyewitness account said the killers, armed with sophisticated weapons, invaded Amudu, a Tiv village in Giza Development Area of the state, killing the Catechist and two others in a midnight attack.

It was gathered that the attack left several others with various degrees of gunshot injuries, just as the incident has led to the displacement of over 20,000 Tiv farmers from various villages in and outside the Keana LGA.

President of Tiv Development Association (TIDA) in the state, Mr. Peter Ahemba, confirmed the ugly development to journalists in Lafia, the state capital.

He regretted that the Tiv people in the state have remained under sustained attacks by armed herders for no reason.

According to him, "the killing and displacement of the Tiv people of the state in the coordinated attacks have continued unabated since the first attack on Ajimaka community of Doma LGA, which led to the gruesome murder of nine persons about a month ago.

"We call on the state Governor, Abdullahi Sule, to save our soul. We are being chased out of Nasarawa State, and we are appealing to the governor not to allow the seemingly planned elimination of the Tiv community succeed under his watch."

However, when contacted, the state Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Ramhan Nansel, said there was no report of such killings at the Giza Division of the state police command.

In a related development, four people were on Saturday killed when herdsmen attacked Yelwata community of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to a local source, those killed were teenagers who were working on their farm when the herdsmen stormed the area and killed them.

Following the attack, angry youths in the area who recovered the corpses of the victims blocked the Makurdi-Lafia highway for several hours.

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Efforts by the military, the police and other security agencies to get the angry youths off the road were said to have been rebuffed causing heavy traffic gridlock on the major highway.

According to the Chairman of Guma Local Government, Caleb Abah, three of the young men were killed on the farm while the fourth person died after one of the security personnel accidentally fired a shot at the angry crowd.

"Sadly, in an attempt to disperse the angry youths who were resisting, there was a shot by the security agencies and unfortunately, one of the protesters was hit by a bullet and killed.

"As we speak right now, calm has been restored to the area and we are already making arrangements for the dead to be buried," he explained.

He acknowledged the efforts of Governor Samuel Ortom who quickly mobilized some government functionaries to the troubled area to calm frayed nerves, which resulted in the quick resolution of the matter.

However, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene could not be reached as at the time of filing this report as she did not pick or return calls.
Asaba  Attack by suspected herdsmen and a clash between Fulani herdsmen and Tivs farmers have claimed 16 lives in Taraba State.

While at least 10 persons were confirmed killed by suspected herdsmen in Bornon Kurkur community, Bali Local Government Area of the state, six persons were found dead between Jatau Kungana and Gazabu communities of the local government area.

This is coming as a divisional police officer (DPO) and two other policemen were reportedly killed following an early morning attack on the police divisional headquarters in Nsukwa, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State by unidentified gunmen.

Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, David Misal, said the attack by the suspected herdsmen occurred yesterday, adding however that the situation has been brought under control.

According to him, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Azare, has ordered for deployment of more personnel to comb the area as well as protect the victims.

In a separate incident, six persons have been found dead between Jatau Kungana and Gazabu communities of the Bali LGA of the state.

The Chairman of the local government, Mahmud Musa, said the fracas started in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State which shares a boundary with Taraba State.

He said some Fulani herdsmen, who were chased from the axis, ran into Bali LGA where they were partially resisted and the fight escalated which led to the death of six persons in the axis.

Musa added that he has summoned the leadership of both Fulani herdsmen and the Tivs tribe to talk to their subjects and put the situation under control.

He insisted that calm has been restored and security agencies are manning the nooks and crannies of the local government to avert any uprising and asked those using the opportunity to destroy or steal from houses to desist from such act.

Meanwhile, a DPO and two other policemen were reportedly killed following an early morning attack on the police divisional headquarters in Nsukwa, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State by unidentified gunmen.

The police station was also set ablaze by the unknown gunmen who invaded the quiet town of Nsukwa yesterday morning.

THISDAY learnt that the deceased DPO and two sergeants were also set ablaze by the daredevil criminals.

The gunmen were said to have stormed the station at about 2am shooting sporadically apparently to ward off any possible challenge.

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Although, some residents near the police station were said to have woken up from sleep by the sounds of gunshots, the hoodlums carried out their evil mission without any opposition.

The agrarian community was practically enveloped in fear following the strange development.

"Everybody was afraid following the shooting and no one could challenge them because nobody knew who and how many they were. It was later we heard that the police station was attacked," a resident in the agrarian community said.

The perpetrators and purpose of the attack remained a mystery.

The Delta State Command was yet to react to the incident as at the time of filing this report last night.

The state police commissioner, Ari Muhammed Ali did not respond to calls put across to him while the phone of the state police command spokesman, Mr. Bright Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) was unusually 'switched off" when THISDAY called his number several times.

However, senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force led by the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 5, Isaac Akinmoyede, accompanied by the Commissioner of Police in Delta, Ari Muhammad, were said to have have visited the scene to ascertain the level of destruction done.

Journalists were, however, barred from entering the premises of the attacked station.
Kenya Railways (KR) will on Monday launch a new train service that plies from Limuru to Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).

According to a schedule seen by Nairobi News, the train will operate in the morning and evening hours, offering convenience to the commuters

The train will depart from Limuru at 5.30 am and pass through Kikuyu, Dagoretti, Kibera before arriving at the Nairobi Central station at 7.52 am.

The evening train will depart from the Nairobi Central station at 5:50 p.m to arrive at Limuru Railway Station at 7:52 p.m.

With the schedule, the train will have a two-minute stop at each station to ensure efficiency in meeting the set times.

In the statement, KR noted the passengers will pay a standard price of Sh 80 per trip.

Kenya Railways are building 26 stations to serve the new routes in the first phase. Some of the newly built stations are located in existing railway corridors, including Syokimau, Makadara, and Imara Daima.

The second phase will extend services to Thika and Limuru while the third will target the satellite towns of Ongata Rongai, Kiserian, Ngong, Kiambu, Ruai and Kangemi in the coming months.

The project is part of the Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Master Plan that is aimed at carrying out modernization and expansion of underutilized railway transport to reduce congestion on city roads.

The corporation has procured 11 Diesel Multiple-Units (DMU) from Spain at Sh1.15 billion, five of which are already operational. The remaining six are expected in the country in June.
Jamataka  Jamataka has become Botswana's 447th village to be electrified under the national village electrification project at a cost of P9.4 million.

Speaking at the handing over of the village's power station recently, Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Mr Lefoko Moagi said electrification of villages was meant to help improve rural economies.

He explained that electricity played a critical role in health facilities, schools as well as in business.

Mr Moagi further explained that the national project started in 2018 under National Development Plan 10.

The target was to have 66 per cent of the country's villages electrified, which he said had since been surpassed.

He revealed that the ministry had since set a new target of 80 per cent.

Mr Moagi informed his audience that individual household power connection fee still stood at P5 600 inclusive of value added tax.

The charge had been standardised for all Batswana regardless of location, he said.

He therefore implored Jamataka residents to connect power to their homes to ensure the project's continuation through funds raised from purchasing of electricity units.

For every purchase of power, a small fee went towards funding the national project, he explained.

The minister also called upon the community to assist in apprehending criminals who vandalised power cables.

Such activities affected the national grid, leading to power cuts and Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) incurring high repair costs.

Expressing gratitude, MP for Shashe West, which covers Jamataka, Mr Fidelis Molao said the development would change the face of the village.

He pointed out that as Jamataka was in close proximity to Francistown, some people might decide to relocate there as a result adding value to the area in terms of business and rental income.

Mr Molao reiterated the call for residents to connect power to their homes.

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
Maun  Maun-based artiste, Onalethata Ntema affectionately known as 'Mambo' has dropped a new 22-track dancehall album titled, Stranger.

In an interview recently, the 36-year-old, Ntema revealed that the album had already hit the shelves of Gaborone and Maun malls and doing exceptionally well.

The album, he said would soon be availed online in platforms such as I-tunes and Sound Cloud.

He also said the album was produced at Hashtag Music Studio in Kasane by one Mogomotsi Moshongo adding that some of the hits featured the best local artistes citing the likes of Kelebogile Mabua known as HT Tautona in the music circle.

The multi-talented artiste revealed that the album carried strong message aimed to promote peace, unity, socialisation among the society and raised awareness about issues of gender based violence.

Some of the songs, he said cautioned youth to refrain from bad habits, which could destroy their future.

Ntema also explained that some songs promoted cultural preservation as they were spiced with the use of indigenous languages such Shembukushu, Seyeyi and Sesubiya.

He pointed out that he sings various genres of music such as traditional music and reggae as his intention was to deliver messages in different ways in order to transform people's live and preserve culture and traditions.

Ntema noted that his passion for music started in 2004 while he was still a student at Maun Senior Secondary School as he was talented in singing.

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Inspired by some of the local and international artistes such as HT Tautona, Sereetsi & The Natives and Sizzla from Jamaica his love for music is on levels.

Ntema also explained that his love for music had exposed him to international stages as he performed in Germany, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa where he gained an overwhelming support.

He also participated in local events such as Presidential Day Competitions and crowned one of the best youth in promoting culture and heritage in 2017 Botswana Youth Awards.

In order to grow his talent, he had introduced an annual music festival called 'One river one people' held in Kasane noting that the event aimed to promote tourism and culture.Ntema appealed to other young people to explore their talents and help reduce unemployment.

"Art is an economic commodity that can sustain livelihoods hence we should take it serious.

I would like to appeal to the government to continue supporting local artists so that they can grow their brands beyond borders", he said.

<i>Source : Kgosietsile Bontsi</i>
Makalamabedi  Public officers have been cautioned against the common trend of excluding local entrepreneurs from government business programmes.

The warning was sounded by Vice President Slumber Tsogwane during a meeting with the Makalamabedi and Motopi leadership recently.

He expressed concern that other nationalities were given an advantage over Batswana.

Imploring those working in public offices to facilitate their fellow citizens, Mr Tsogwane stated that Botswana's wealth should be reaped by all equally.

Quoting a recent study, the vice president said Botswana ranked eight in terms of income disparity which showed that the gap between the poor and the wealthy was widening.

An inclusive economy could only be achieved if Batswana were committed to it, he sated.

The vice president called for mindset change and transformation in the treatment of citizen entrepreneurs.

He said the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) Act would be reviewed in preparation for enactment of a citizen economic inclusion law.

On the economy, Mr Tsogwane said there was zero economic growth due to low productivity.

He said Botswana's aspiration of high-income status could only be achieved if the economy grew at a rate of more than five per cent annually.

In addition, he said the economy could only grow if there was productivity.

Mr Tsogwane said projects funded through government programmes should also be productive citing those financed by CEDA and LIMID. BOPA

<i>Source : BOPA</i>
Five people including four Ugandans have been charged with dealing with endangered species contrary to the Kenya Wildlife conservation and management Act of 2013.

The five were paraded at the Kibera Law Courts even as it emerged their activities had been monitored by officers from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) for some time.

Eventually, they were arrested allegedly in possession of sandalwood which they were transporting to Uganda after the intelligence agency tipped the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The five were arrested by the DCI's Special Service Unit (SSU) after a series of NIS investigations that documented their movement and the vehicles they were using.

The suspects are three brothers Alecho Abdalla Issah, Kato Hussein Issah, and Yusuf Issah who were picked up at Mahi Mahiu Township within Nakuru County on their way to Uganda on May 7.

They were allegedly found with 350 kilogram of sandalwood forest material packed in three sacks in their trailer - KDB 521C - without permission from the director of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

Others are Jamal Ssenkumba and Mutunga Mutie arrested at Athi River Township and Emali town respectively, along the Nairobi Mombasa Highway on May 8.

Ssenkumba was allegedly found with 128kgs KDA 532K while Mutie was allegedly found with 60 kgs of the sandalwood inside his car - KDC 921L probox succeed without permit.

The Ugandans were trailer drivers and were carrying raw materials for making cement to a cement manufacturer in Tororo.

And state prosecution counsel Robert Ogalo told resident magistrate William Tulel that Mutie's mobile phone is still being analysed by the NIS and the DCI's forensics department.

Mutie is said to be the mastermind of the business of harvesting and transporting the sandalwood which is processed before being exported to Asian countries.

However, he has reportedly claimed that there is another person involved.

The five suspects denied the charges and were released on bond ahead of the hearing on August 4.
TANZANIA'S development agenda is at full thrust as President Samia Suluhu Hassan clicks 60 days since she ascended to the country's highest leadership office.

The president's first call for her people after the death of her predecessor, the late John Magufuli, was to unite, work hard as the United Republic of Tanzania's and look forward with hope, determination and confidence.

People of almost all walks of life in the country seem to side with her administration - supporters of the ruling party CCM as well as those of the opposition within and outside the Parliament.

President Samia has since won accolades from the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) Chairman, Mr Freeman Mbowe, the party's Vice-Chairman, Mr Tundu Lissu, who is in Belgium and has signaled his willingness to return to the country he fled from on political reasons.

Mr Mbowe has called for consensus and his party asked President Samia for a meeting. President Samia has already expressed her willingness to meet political and religious leaders.

He hails Mama Samia for her moving speeches that seek to unite the country and have people live in compatibility, justice and happiness as one nation.

ACT Wazalendo Leader, Mr Zitto Kabwe firmly believes that President Samia will deliver in accordance with trust that Tanzanians have in her. He sees her ensuring that the hope of people translates to economic change and justice for them.

Investors are also happy with her leadership. Tanzania Business Community says its hopes for a more friendly operating climate have been rekindled by President Samia. The Community's Secretary General, Mr Abdallah Mwinyi, said President has pleased them as she decided to create a good investment, business and tax environment in the country.

He is of the view that if the tax issue had been worked upon properly, it would have increased confidence in doing their businesses and the number of investors would have increased in the country. Mr Mwinyi said some businesses were being closed due to the unfavorable environment in unrealistic tax estimates and other challenges.

Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) Chairman, Mr Paul Makanza said the government's guarantee to address hurdles hampering investments has restored investors' confidence in Tanzania.

The president is still cautiously and carefully forming his government by bringing in some changes in different ministries, institutions, organizations and departments in the way she sees there will be better performances.

She has since made many reshuffles in the Cabinet, Regional Commissioners (RCs) and shaking changes in some institutions and clearly telling the new appointees of what she expects of them, while issuing a timeframe of which she wants things shaped otherwise the appointees ship out.

President Samia has moved swiftly in diplomacy, investment and trade. Among things she did was travelling to Kenya, addressing the Bicameral Parliament, holding talks with her counterpart, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta sorting out issues related to obstacles in import/export business.

She has done the same with Uganda's Yoweri Museveni in Entebbe. She also met with Ethiopian President, Ms Sahle-Work Zewde in the Ugandan capital Kampala, where they went for President Museveni's swearing in ceremony.

On the same front, Ms Samia has given directives to ministries responsible for investment and trade to clear hurdles for prospective investors in different issues such as visa and working permit issuance.

She called on Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to work diligently, collect taxes justly, saying she was not in favour of oppressive taxes. She replaced TRA Commissioner General, Mr Edwin Mhede with Mr Alphayo Kidata, who had held the same post during the late President Magufuli's leadership.

She has directed the Ministry of Minerals and others responsible to work on Mirerani mess, saying that in spite of constructing a huge perimeter wall, tanzanite minerals were being smuggled out illegally through underground means.

In the 60 days, Mama Samia has changed Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) leadership, pushing out the Director General, Mr Deusdedit Kakoko and appointing Mr Eric Hamis.

On health, President Samia has formed a commission to look into the Coronavirus pandemic issue and consequently advise the government on what to do. She has called on people to take all necessary precautions, but said Tanzania will not just copy and paste what other countries are doing. She is also cautious on vaccines. Mr Mbowe commends President Samia on that.

From the very beginning, she said that people should not look down at her because of her tone or looks, warning that she wanted matters to be carried out in line with the law, justice and democracy.

She has repeatedly spoken of leaders at different levels to diligently serve the citizens as well as foreigners, who are legally in the country, such as investors.

She seems to look with a third eye in justice dispensation as she appointed seven justices of the Court of Appeal and 21 judges of the High Court. The courts were experiencing a huge shortage of judges, leading to cases backlog and delayed justice that is taken as denied justice.

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President Samia has called on prosecutors to drop cases that have been filed and now they (prosecutors) feel that there is no winning chance. She also directed that in cases with prima facie fast-tracking should be the option, so as to dispose of them as soon as practicable.

She moved on to replace the Director General of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Brigadier General John Mbungo with the then Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Salum Hamduni (now Commissioner of Police - CP).

On her first days in office she called upon PCCB to concentrate on prevention and combating of corruption as are its duties only instead of what the Bureau was doing - overlapping in other institution's responsibilities such as collecting debts and returning plots or vehicles to owners from people who had earlier on acquired them fraudulently. General Mbungo is to be assigned another duty.

She further replaced the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr Biswalo Mganga and his deputy, Mr Edson Makallo with Mr Sylvester Mwakitalu and Mr John Pande respectively. Mr Biswalo has since been appointed a High Court Judge while Ms Makallo will be assigned another duty. The new appointees are from the Attorney General (AG)'s Office.

Ends
UGANDAN President Yoweri Museveni and his South Sudan counterpart, Mr Salva Kiir have expressed their passion to have an all-encompassing East African Community (EAC) in all sectors.

The two leaders talked of the inclusive partnership as the new EAC Secretariat has started taking swift measures to address concerns regarding intra-EAC trade, specifically bottlenecks across the six partners' state borders.

The spirit was shown by General Museveni and Mr Kiir on different occasions when the leaders met and discussed issues with the new EAC Secretary General, Dr Peter Mathuki in Kampala.

President Museveni, who was also currently sworn-in as Ugandan president after defending his seat, took to Twitter, divulging what they had discussed with the EAC head of day-to-day business and his delegation when they met.

He spoke of a need for East Africans to have a common market of which, he is of an opinion that is the most direct course to create wealth and jobs for the people of the bloc.

"I held discussions with a delegation led by Mr Peter Muthuki, the Secretary-General of the East African Community this afternoon (Friday).

I elaborated on the need for a common market for East Africa, which I believe is the most direct route to creating wealth and jobs for our people," said President Museveni.

President Museveni directed the SG to focus on Agri-business, industries, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and service as strategic sectors to create wealth and jobs for the people of East Africa.

He believes that a united East Africa and Africa at large is the best mode of ensuring the prosperity of the people of Uganda and beyond.

He is referred as a peace finding father of Uganda and is a staunch supporter of the integration agenda, going an extra mile drumming for the envisioned East African Federation.

Ten days ago, Mr Museveni noted that with the integration, the region will become competitive in the global economy while failure by the respective partner states to form a stronger, more cohesive bloc with a bigger market would be disastrous for the region in the long run.

On his part, President Kiir who met Dr Mathuki in a hotel in Kampala underscored the importance of the partner states to work together as a Community.

He also called upon the member countries to ensure their participation in statutory meetings for timely decision making on matters pertaining to the integration agenda.

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The leader of the newest EAC member further pledged his support to the SG during his tenure that started last month.

He called on the EAC Secretariat to support the participation of South Sudan's private sector in the affairs of the Community. He also accepted a request from the SG to visit Juba and brief him on the status of the Integration Agenda.

The two presidents expressed their views a few days after President Samia Suluhu Hassan talked of the importance of integration as well as directing removal of trade barriers with Uganda and Kenya. In the same spirit, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta issued such directives for imports from Tanzania.

The Political Federation is the ultimate pillar in the EAC integration process, being preceded by the Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union in that order.

The Summit of EAC Heads of State in May 2017 adopted a Political Confederation as the transitional model to the Political Federation.
RESIDENTS of three wards in Tanganyika District, Katavi Region have every reason to smile after earning over 1.3bn/- from forest conservation.

The citizens from three wards, comprising of eight villages were able to sell 231,580 metric tons of carbon dioxide this fiscal year to Carbon Tanzania.

Katavi Regional Commissioner Juma Homera told the "Daily News" over the weekend that next year the same villagers are expected to earn up to over 10bn/- from carbon offset to Carbon Tanzania.

Carbon Tanzania is a firm that measure the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced in various ways, including protecting forests and planting new trees in specified precincts.

For instance, protecting one tree equals to offsetting one metric ton of carbon.

RC urged villagers to continue conserving forests, emphasizing that the carbon output trade did not depend on smokers but on conserving the environment and forests.

Equally, Mr Homera said out of earned over 1.3bn/- each right villages from three wards will earn over 130m/- .

He listed the beneficiary eight villages as Katuma, Mpembe, Kipanga, Lefa, Mwesse, Lugonesi, Bujombe from three wards of Mwese, Kasekese and Katuma.

Similarly, he said leaders for the eight villages should ensure that each village uses part of the earned fund to set up a dispensary and establishing pharmacies in their respective areas.

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"I am urging leaders from the eight villages to make use of the money for Community Health Fund (CHF) of which 5,707 families with a population of 34,000 will have access to CHF cards," noted RC.

He further explained the success story was made possible after eight villages entered a contract with Carbon Tanzania.

Official figures indicate that more industrialized Kenya is leading the pack of emitting an annual average of 11.2 million tons of carbon oxide but accounts for just 0.04 per cent of the world's greenhouse gases fumes production.

Tanzania is the second in East Africa with an annual 10.1 million metric tons of greenhouse emissions equivalent to 0.02 per cent of the carbon dioxide products.

Uganda produces 0.01 per cent while both Burundi and Rwanda emit less than that.

According to the United Nations' statistic database, the entire African continent churns out just 3.6 per cent of the total global greenhouse gases productions per year.
THE Court of Appeal has cleared from criminal liability former Secretary General with Simba SC, Hassan Othman, alias Hassanol, and two others, on charges of stealing several tons of copper worth over 397m/-, transported from Zambia to Dar es Salaam.

Justices Shaban Lila, Lugano Mwandambo and Rehema Kerefu ruled in favour of Hassanol, Wambura Mahega and Najim Msenga after declining the invitation of the prosecution to have the criminal case r tried afresh after noting several anomalies during hearing at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court.

"We invoke our power of revision under section 4(2) of the Appellate Jurisdiction Act and quash the proceedings and judgment of the trial court and set aside the consequential orders.

In the same manner, we quash the proceedings and judgment of the High Court as they arise from a nullity," they ruled.

The justices went through the records of the trial court and noted that the three accused persons, the respondents in the appeal, were first arraigned before the Dar es Salaam Court on September 2, 2011 on a charge consisting of four accused persons including, one Salim Shekibula.

On January 25, 2012, they observed, the charge against Shekibula was withdrawn and was discharged, but the charge was not amended and the three respondents remained.

On September 6, 2012, the charge was amended and new one substituted comprising three accused persons and three counts.

The last amendment and a new charge being substituted, was on September 13, 2012. It comprised three accused persons but with four counts.

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While in the first two occasions when the charge was amended and a new one substituted all three respondents were called upon to plead to all the counts, in the last moment the respondents pleaded to only three counts, as they did not plead to the fourth count.

The justices were of the views, therefore, that there was failure by the trial court to cause the respondents to enter a plea on the fourth count.

"To that extent, we are inclined to hold that the trial magistrate acted contrary to the mandatory requirements of section 228 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Act.

By that omission there was no proper arraignment. In the light of the foregoing, we hold that the respondent's trial was a nullity," they ruled.

Having so decided, the justices took another path to consider the prosecution's request led by Principal State Attorney Tumaini Kweka to have the case tried afresh, an application which was vehemently opposed by counsel for the respondents, Majura Magafu and Nehemia Nkoko.
THE increasing number of livestock especially cows seen roaming in the villages located close to Ikona Wildlife Management Area(WMA) is worrying, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Damas Ndumbaro observed here recently.

Speaking shortly after visiting the WMA's visitors centre, the Minister said he was concerned with the number of livestock's and increasing population of people and human settlement's around the WMA .

"I'm concerned with the livestock that we are seeing there," the minister said, referring to Robanda village, which borders the WMA that forms integral part of the Serengeti ecosystem in Western Serengeti

Tourism stakeholders are also worried with the increasing number of livestock reportedly grazing in the WMA areas, warning that if the situation will not be checked it may have serious effects on tourism business.

"The situation is almost out of control, something should be done as soon as possible," a tourism stakeholder in western Serengeti said.

Ecologically, the WMA besides being home to beautiful animals like giraffes, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest and zebra is an important wildlife corridor in the western Serengeti.

Therefore, the minister cautioned the WMA top officials including its board members to take precautionary measures against the increasing population of people and livestock in the surrounding villages.

The Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Dr Allan Kijazi, and other top officials from the Wildlife Department, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) were present when the minister was expressing his concern.

This was Dr Ndumbaro's first working visit at the WMA since he was appointed to lead the ministry.

The minister described Ikona WMA which covers 242 square kilometres as an amazing wildlife management area that should be exclusively used for tourism activities to foster sustainable conservation and local development.

Dr Ndumbaro disagreed with a response by Ikona WMA Secretary Mr Yusuph Manyanda that the livestock were outside the WMA borders.

"It seems you have not seen the problem or you are part of the problem," the minister told the Ikona WMA secretary.

Dr Ndumbaro instructed proper land use plans to protect the WMA, which generates millions of money from tourism firms including Grumeti Reserves.

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The money goes in rural villages that formed the WMA to finance development projects in areas of education, health and water.

The villages include Robanda, Park Nyigoti, Natta Mbiso, Nyichoka, Nyanungu, Bokore, Makundusi.

Proper land use plans, Minister Ndumbaro said could help to mitigate human/wildlife conflicts in the villages and support sustainable conservation and development.

Dr Ndumbaro further urged the WMA management to make god use of the revenue they earn from investors, donors and the government.

"You are sitting on gold (Ikona WMA) and the only task you have is to protect this gold," Dr Ndumbaro emphasised.

He said some WMA's in the country end up generating about 50m/- annually compared to Ikona which has been earning up to 2.6b/- before Covid-19 pandemic.

"In 2019/2020 your revenue was over 900m/-, if you cry what will a WMA that earns 50m/- per year say," the minister wondered.

A report by the WMA to the minister whose copy was made available to this newspaper shows that the WMA generated more than 8.5bn/- in the last five years (between 2015 to 2020).

A large part of the WMA's income comes from Grumeti Reserves, an ecotourism company that operates several world-class lodges in Western Serengeti.

The American investor (Grumeti Reserves) conducts photographic tourism in the WMA.
PRESIDENT Hussein Mwinyi is expected to grace the Uhuru torch lighting ceremony to be held today at Mwehe ground in Makunduchi, with authorities saying here yesterday that preparations for the event are complete.

Speaking at a joint press conference on the Uhuru lighting ceremony, held at the 'Sheikh Idrissa Abdulwakil Multi-purpose Hall, organising team that involves three Ministers called upon residents in South Unguja and neighboring areas to turn-out in big numbers for the function scheduled to begin at 7am this morning.

Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disabled, Ms Jenista Mhagama-and her Zanzibar counterpart Dr Khalid Mohamed Salum; and the Isles Minister for Tourism and antiquities Ms Lela Mohamed Mussa explained to journalists about the development of event.

"I would like to thank members of the organising team for the good preparations. Uhuru torch is for us all Tanzanians, we should be proud of it as it unites us," Ms Mhagama said as she expressed satisfaction with preparations after inspecting the venue last Saturday.

Mhagama explained to the journalists about historical background and objectives of the Uhuru torch, and changes in this year's Uhuru torch relay that will cover 150 administrative districts instead of the normal 195 administrative councils of the Union.

"We were used to select young people from both Zanzibar and mainland to manage the race, but this year, we have decided to have young soldiers from the Peoples' Defense Forces (TPDF) to manage the race from South Unguja.

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The Uhuru torch race will culminate on October 14 this year at Chato District, Geita Region," she said.

Minister Lela was at the press conference on behalf of the Minister for Information and Youth, who mentioned that the theme for this year's relay is: "ICT is the basis of a sustainable nation; use it responsibly."

South Unguja Regional Commissioner (RC) Mr Rashid Hadid Rashid said all the arrangements for the big event were complete as he appealed to people in the region and neighboring areas to turn-up in big numbers for the event.

He said that as precaution against Covid-19, the function will not last long and that the relay will last for two-day in his region before the torch is handed over to the Unguja North region, then proceed to Urban-West region and later Pemba Island before moving to Tanzania mainland.

However, the leaders did not reveal the number of projects to be inaugurated or have the foundation stone laid, because the list and projects are not ready, but will be known later.

Late President John Magufuli last year suspended Uhuru Torch race, as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which is wreaking havoc across the globe.

The Uhuru Torch symbolises freedom and light. The Uhuru Torch race has been taking place every year starting from different places.
COMMENTATORS have termed recent appointments of new Regional Commissioners (RCs) and heads of some government institutions by President Samia Suluhu Hassan as 'performance-oriented'.

On Saturday, President Samia announced new appointments of 26 RCs in an appointment that has also seen changes in some government institutions, including the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Statement released yesterday by the Presidential Directorate of Communication informed over the changes in dates of swearing in of the new appointees.

The statement said the President would swear in the new RCs and heads of institutions on Wednesday from 10am, instead of Tomorrow as initially scheduled.

With that note, the President will swear in new judges of the Court of Appeal and the High Court Today at 3pm.

University of Dodoma (UDOM) lecturer Dr Paul Loisulie opinioned that her recent appointments the Head of State has proven that she was really for performance.

"The President has looked at performance of a particular person and allocated him or her to more sensitive and higher position," Dr Loisulie stated during an interview with the Daily News yesterday.

Dr Loisulie further argued that the new appointments also considered having people with integrity to hold key portfolio, for instance the appointment of Commissioner of Police (CP) Salum Hamduni as new Director General of the PCCB.

"I believe that reshuffling them would trigger more efficiency in the government," he said.

He pointed out that appointing Ms Queen Sendinda, who was Presidential candidate from opposition party in the previous 2020 General Election, was indication that Ms Samia was seeking political reconciliation for the national interest.

However, he had view that for the Sixth President to make new appointments was to change people's mind that they are now in a new era.

On his part, Dr Richard Mbunda from the University of Dar es Salaam, viewed that President's appointments based on her stance to strengthen foreign relations and get rid of baseless court cases.

"She is seemingly put people who would advocate her philosophy and government's direction," stated Dr Mbunda, noting however that appointing leaders in different portfolio was to exercise presidential powers and have influence in those areas.

He commended the appointment of Ms Sendiga, saying her political performance earned her mileage.

Dr Malima Zacharia, also a lecturer at the UDSM, commented that the President surprised even those whom she retained, but reshuffled to serve the new government.

Dr Zacharia also said the President has shown wisdom of retaining most of them because dropping them could be translated that she was not part of selecting them during the Fifth Phase Government when she was the Vice President.

"An act of shifting them to other work stations is good for efficiency and would make them work hard," Dr Zacharia said, and commended the President for appointing Makongoro Nyerere as new RC for Manyara, saying that was a good gesture for the family of first President Julius Nyerere.

In the new appointments, the President named Sylvester Mwakitalu as the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), replacing Mr Biswalo Mganga who was early this week appointed a High Court judge by the President.

Other institutions that have seen changes from the appointment include the Parliament of Tanzania, the ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, National Service, as well as the Dar es Salaam Rapid Bus Transit (DART).

While appointing ten new faces in the RC's lineup, the head of state has also relocated 14 others and retained two others to their current work stations and dropping seven others on different reasons, including retirement from public service.

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Those who have retired include Godfrey Zambi, who was the Regional Commissioner for Lindi, Brig Gen Nichodemus Mwangela (Songwe), Loata Erasto Ole Sanare (Morogoro), Dr Rehema Nchimbi (Singida), Anna Mghwira (Kilimanjaro), Joachim Wangabo (Rukwa), Evarist Ndikilo (Coast Region) as well as Idd Kimanta (Arusha).

A statehouse statement has it that the outgoing Mtwara RC, Gelasius Byakanwa will be assigned other duties, and same applies to the PCCB Director General, Brig Gen John Mbungo and the Deputy Director of Public Prosecution (DDPP) Mr Edson Makallo who has been replaced with Mr Joseph Pande.

The list of new RCs and their work stations in brackets are Maj Gen Charles Mbuge (Kagera) Brig Gen Wilbert Ibuge (Ruvuma), Stephen Kagaigai (Kilimanjaro), Makongoro Nyerere (Manyara), Amos Makala (Dar es Salaam), David Kafulila (Arusha), Rosemary Senyaule (Geita) and Queen Sendiga (Iringa), Mwananvua Mrindoko (Katavi) and Omar Mgumba (Songwe).
STUDENTS from the National Institute of Transport (NIT) have introduced an innovative tracking sensor technology that can inform passengers at commuter bus stations about the destination of the passenger vehicles.

Speaking at the climax of the National Competition of Science, Technology, and Innovation 2021 in Dodoma, Prof Mganilwa said: "Our students have attended this year's exhibition to showcase their newly introduced bus sensor technology which gives passengers the information on all routes of the commuter buses at stations."

He added: "They have innovated this technology sensor to help passengers in Tanzania's major cities to identify the routes of the commuter buses.

This technology can also be used by Dar Bus Rapid Transport (DART)." "The device can be fixed to any public or private buses including high-speed buses.

When the bus enters at the commuter station it indicates the location where it goes," the NIT Rector said. In addition, Prof Mganilwa further named another technology that has been introduced by NIT students as a mask that can be used by aviation passengers and personnel to get oxygen when the plane reaches above 20 feet high.

"When the plane fies 20 feet high, the passenger can use our masks to get oxygen. The students innovated this technology knowing that most of the passengers need fresh air when the plane goes higher above the sea level," he said.

"Apart from using this technology in aviation sector, the technology can also help people who climb high mountains, because the device is designed to produce oxygen to the human being," Prof Mganilwa added.

In another development, Prof Mganilwa has called on the government to put in place a system that can recognise indigenous innovations and support them.

"The indigenous innovators need government support to develop and improve their innovations.

"However, speaking when closing the 2021's exhibition in Dodoma, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa instructed institutions and authorities to ensure that young innovators are well supported.

"Scientific and technological institutions, universities, research and development institutions, and various authorities such as SIDO, VETA... that are in one way or another are involved in developing young innovators should help them showcase their creativity, "he said.

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PM said that it is equally important for the institutions to promote and protect intellectual property for researchers and innovators to reap the benefit of their work.

He further said that innovations must be protected through intellectual property (IP) rights.

"Unfortunately statistics show that for last year only eight patent applications from Tanzania were submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) while South Africa submitted 1,514 applications," he said.

He directed all institutions dealing with innovation to prepare a patent plan and submit more applications to WIPO to protect the interests of inventors whose technologies are truly groundbreaking and commercially successful.

UNDP Representative Godfrey Mulisa said innovation is part of the solution that will push Tanzania into the industrial agenda.

In collaboration with COSTECH and the education ministry, they will launch the 'Funguo' project on May 17, this year during the opening of innovation week.
The Buhari administration has made different claims about the group being 'defeated', 'technically defeated' or 'decimated' but recent revelations prove otherwise.

Despite repeated claims by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government that Boko Haram terrorists have been degraded and confined to the North-east alone, recent revelations by some Nigerian state governors give cause for worry.

The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, had said that the Boko Haram terrorist group had since been defeated but the Nigerian military is now fighting an international criminal gang known as Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

He then explained that what is currently playing out in the North-east is the "metamorphosis of ISWAP which is an attempt by a group of international criminal organisations to explore the loopholes created by the breakdown of law and order in some neighbouring countries to perpetrate criminality in the West African sub-region".

He claimed that Boko Haram had been pursued out of the North-east, adding that the current band of international criminals gangs operating under the guise of ISWAP "will also be chased and hunted down".

ISWAP is a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, the terror group in Nigeria whose activities have caused over 20,000 deaths since 2009.

Apart from the then army chief, other officials of the Buhari administration have made different claims about the group being 'defeated', 'technically defeated' or 'decimated.'

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed in 2019 said the military has "successfully defeated" Boko Haram insurgents. He said the country is now facing a fresh crisis, which is called a "global insurgency."

Mr Mohammed also said Nigerian troops have "successfully cleared the remnant of the home-grown insurgency called Boko Haram and are now being confronted by a fresh crisis, a global insurgency".

"A faction of Boko Haram has aligned with the global terror group, ISIS, to form ISWAP, the Islamic State's West African Province. In other words, ISIS now has a strong foothold in West Africa - with Nigeria at the forefront of the battle against them.

"With ISIS largely dislodged from Iraq and Syria, there is undoubtedly a flush of fresh fighters and weapons to ISWAP. Therefore, our military is fighting a global insurgency, without the kind of global coalition, including the United States, that battled ISIS in Syria and Iraq," he said.

Strides by military, reversals

Although Nigerian forces had largely limited the terror group to three North-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the Boko Haram are still able to attack civilian and military targets killing hundreds of people.

President Buhari was first elected into office in 2015 majorly because of the past administration's inability to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency and end the insecurity in the country.

About six years into his administration, Nigerians have seen more attacks from the insurgents in more states outside the North-east. Also, banditry and other forms of crime and violence still remain huge challenges in other parts of the country.

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu; Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi and defence spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, did not respond to enquiries for comments as of the time of filing this report.

Disturbing revelations

Meanwhile, in the latest revelations by state governments, there is an indication that the terrorists now operate in other states apart from the troubled North-east.

Most of these states such as Nasarawa, Benue and Niger do not share boundaries with the North-east states.

One could easily rule out the possibility of having Boko Haram elements in central states such as Nasarawa and Benue State, however, revelations from Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa have proven otherwise.

During a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari in January this year, Mr Sule revealed that the Boko Haram terrorists were now successfully carrying out attacks in his state.

He said the terrorists had regrouped along the Nasarawa/Benue border from where they launched attacks on residents, after they were initially displaced by soldiers from Toto, a local government in the state.

He said Boko Haram members in his state were those dislodged by security operatives from neighbouring Niger State.

On how he was sure the attackers were members of Boko Haram, Mr Sule said some of those captured in Niger "said they are members of the terror group whose activities have caused tens of thousands of deaths across Nigeria".

"I have come to see the leader of our party, the leader of the nation, and our father, Mr President, to brief him about some of the activities happening in my state, especially first in the area of security that we continue to have challenges with a team of Boko Haram who had settled at the border with the FCT," the governor said.

"And we thank the security forces that they have been able to dislodge them. But now, they have gone back and gathered at our border with Benue. And they are causing a lot of havoc.

"Therefore, it (this meeting) was an opportunity as Mr President wanted to know and I briefed him. I strongly believe that just like the decision was taken last time to take care of this issue, another decision will be taken."

When asked how he was able to confirm if it was Boko Haram and not bandits that have been operating in the state, the governor said "members of their families of Boko Haram members recently dislodged by the army confirmed to the state".

Niger

To give credence to the claims by Governor Sule that the terrorists in his state migrated from Niger, Governor Abubakar Bello a week ago raised a similar alarm.

He revealed that Boko Haram had hoisted its flags in Kaure and Shiroro local government areas of Niger State.

He also confirmed the terrorists have displaced over 3,000 residents of the affected communities.

"I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger State, here in Kaure, I am confirming that they have hoisted their flags here.

"Their wives (of the villagers) have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members. I just heard that they have placed their flags at Kaure, meaning they have taken over the territory."

Mr Bello said he had earlier alerted the federal government but it (government) has not been proactive.

"This is what I have been engaging the federal government on, unfortunately it has now got to this level. If care is not taken, even Abuja is not safe. We have been saying this for long. All our efforts have been in vain."

Mr Bello said he hoped for a more coordinated military activity to fight the terrorists.

"Sambisa is several kilometers from Abuja but Kaure is less than two hours drive from Abuja. So nobody is safe anymore, not even those in Abuja."

"This is the time to act. All hands must be on deck. It is not a fight for Niger State alone. I am not waiting for anyone anymore, I am going to take action," he said.

Telecommunications mast destroyed in Bauchi

Bauchi State, a Northeastern State recently raised an alarm following an attack on MTN communication mast in Gamawa local government area of the state by suspected terrorists.

The state government had since attributed the attack to a fallout of the recent attack on Geidam, Yobe State by members of Boko Haram.

According to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mohammed Sabiu-Baba, in a press conference on Monday, a meeting was held with heads of security agencies and traditional rulers to discuss the attack in Geidam, Yobe, and its implications in neighboring Bauchi State.

"Today, we had a meeting to discuss the crisis caused by Boko Haram in Geidam and its implications in Bauchi. Bauchi State is sharing border in four local government areas, namely Zaki, Dambam, Gamawa and Darazo. The implication of what happened in Geidam is that there is a lot of influx people moving into Bauchi from Yobe.

"Of course, that is putting a lot of strain on our facilities and considering the kind of movement from the outcome of Boko Haram activity, the security implication is also very high. The meeting today was to examine the implication of that (Boko Haram activity in Geidam), and plan for how to contain it from the Bauchi side.

"Therefore, the government held a meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Director Department of State Service, Commandant of Civil Defence, Brigade Commander and the Head of Air Force in Bauchi.

"They all assured to give maximum cooperation in our attempt to have a joint patrol. Of course, security is the responsibility of all of us. We do not expect that the security agencies alone will do the work, so all hands will be on deck, including our traditional institution and religious groups," he said.

Jigawa

Following the attack in Bauchi State, the Jigawa State Government on Tuesday urged residents of the state to be vigilant, following reports of suspicious movement of Boko Haram insurgents in the neighboring state.

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Following the reports, the Jigawa governor, Mr Badaru held a meeting with traditional rulers, local government chairpersons and security agents where he urged residents to report any suspicious movement.

"The meeting was about the security issue around the country. We believe everybody has to gear up and be vigilant and pray for God's intervention to keep the country and Jigawa safe," Mr Badaru said.

Also, the state's police commissioner, Usman Gomna, told journalists that the police received an intelligence report of alleged movement of suspected Boko Haram members around Gwaram, a local government in Jigawa.

The official, however, said the police are following up on the report "and for now the reports are positive."

"People are reporting the issues thinking that it will spill over to Jigawa," Mr Gomna said, assuring residents that the police were following up on the reports.

Jigawa shares boundaries with Yobe, Bauchi, and Kano.

However, one of the suspected strongholds of Boko Haram insurgents outside Sambisa forest is the Balmo forest, which straddles Bauchi and Jigawa states.

The insurgents are believed to be using the forest to coordinate their operations in Bauchi and Kano states.

Kano

The Nigerian Army on Sunday evening announced the arrest of 13 Boko Haram suspects in the Hotoro area of Kano State, North-west Nigeria.

The army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, who made the disclosure stated that the suspects were arrested by troops of the 3 brigade in Kano.

Kano shares boundaries with Jigawa and Bauchi states that have raised concerns on the activities and presence of Boko Haram in their territories.

"In an ongoing effort to flush out all forms of criminality within its Area of Responsibility, troops of 3 Brigade Nigerian Army have arrested 13 suspected Boko Haram terrorists around Filin Lazio, Hotoro axis of Kano State on Saturday 8 May.

"The ongoing operations is predicated on the need to apprehend criminals who may want to hibernate in any part of Kano State.

"The general public especially residents of Filin Lazio Hotoro, are enjoined to go about their lawful businesses as security forces are on top of the situation," the Army said.
Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, a medical doctor, an administrator, and a politician, served as governor of Enugu State from 1999 to 2007, and as Enugu East senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP from 2007 to 2011.

He was re- elected as a senator in 2019 and is currently the chairman, Senate Committee on Cooperation & Integration in Africa/ NEPAD. In this exclusive interview with Vanguard, Senator Nnamani spoke on the state of the nation, the Ninth Senate, insecurity in the country, the South East, State Police, South East 2023 Presidency struggle, need for the convocation of multi-ethnic conference, and youth empowerment commission among others.

Nigeria is facing serious security challenges both in the North and in the South. Where did we actually get it wrong and what is your take on the security situation in your own zone, the South-East?

Before I go to my own zone, let us look at where it all started. We have Boko Haram operating out of the Chad Basin. We have the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, operating in Niger. We also have the Islamic State for the Maghreb. We have also the Islamic State of Greater Sahara and the Alqaeda faction of Maghred. We have the negative Fulani herdsmen because there are Fulani herdsmen who are law-abiding. Then you have the so called banditry which is local terrorism. To call it banditry is to sanitise and colour it. It is local terrorism operating essentially in the North-West.

And then, we have recently the activities in the South-East and then you have the farmers-herders conflicts which are also local terrorism that has gone through North-Central and is now in South-West and South-East and also part of South-South. And then of course kidnapping and the age old problems with South-South, Niger Delta.

The Boko Haram insurgency has been ongoing for quite some time, not much is being talked about it, what we are talking about is the local terrorism, the so called banditry and there are several factors.

One is the border between Niger and Nigeria which is specifically about 1,497kilometres. It is not going to be easy to police such a wide border, the border is completely porous. We have influx of persons from Burkina Faso, Mali and of course of Libya, so you have inflow of weapons from South Sahara and also the Sahel region.

We have wide terrain largely unpoliced with thick forest, very large spaces that are practically ungoverned. We have gap crisis, massive inequality, we have poverty, we have overstretched the security framework, the police and the army. We have areas of problem with the immigration and customs. These are contributory factors to the local terrorism also called banditry.

Then you have failed pacts, failed agreements between this so called bandits and government; agreements that failed because the bandits don't have common leadership, and the local communities were not involved and the monies given to them acted as incentives, and incentivised them. These problems are critical. They are terrorists are driven by agitation, maybe religious.

What is going on in the South-East needs to be clearly delineated, and studied. One thing that is very clear is that it is anti-Igbo, it is anti-cultural. People sneak at night into police stations and burn them and burn our infrastructures. I condemn it in its entirety.

It boils down to one issue: inclusiveness. In a system where some people believe they are oppressed, there has to be dialogue to address it. If you remember the pedagogy of the oppressed, it has to be dialogue. There has to be some form of dialogue which is discussion, conference, cultural assimilation, understanding, and faith in the system. So this needs to be addressed.

To address the one especially in the South-East, what should be the level of discourse, dialogue, especially by the state governors that they are not doing?

I already told you. Even the southern governors' meeting on Tuesday, when they came out with their communique, they talked about convocation of conference of nationalities. We need to sit down and talk.

We have gap crisis, massive inequality, economic inequality, gender inequality, and regional inequality.

Regional inequality is the disparity in data in terms of poverty between the extreme North and the extreme South, where you have poverty running from 81 per cent down to about 10 to 15 per cent.

Gender inequality is the gender gap indices, where Nigeria is 128 out of 153 countries in terms of gender gap indices. Gender gap indices look at quality of life, things like health affordability, educational attainment and economic empowerment.

Traditionally, the African system is being built to go against the woman. What do they do? Mostly unskilled casual labour, there are practices where they can't even own lands. So you have areas where 75 per cent of poor women are illiterates, you even have states in this country where there is 94 per cent illiteracy rate in women while 28 per cent of the richest men are illiterate, and 75 per cent of the poorest men are not educated.

You find out that the factors of production and labour are skewed against the woman and we are going to have gender empowerment and gender equality.

In terms of economic inequality, we already talked about the poverty index and we talked about absolute poverty. The situation with Nigeria absolute poverty is that it has nothing to do with economic growth. So even if the economy is doing well, the people who are absolutely poor still stay in that condition; it doesn't affect them.

If you look at Nigeria in terms of GDP, Nigeria economic growth rate was about 7 per cent from the year 2000 up, yet the poverty rate increased from about 69 million people poor in 2004 to about 102million people in 2010.

You can see that while the country was growing, it did not affect rate of absolute poverty. Within the same period we also had over 44 per cent increase in millionaires, because there is a synergy, and partnership between those who are politically powerful and those who are economically powerful. Synergy in the sense that powerful policy makers and powerful rich people form a synergy, they form a partnership, so they skew policy in their favour, policies that will lead to opportunities and economic wealth.

So you have things like import waivers, tax relief even in terms of policy. Agriculture employs about 50 per cent of the poor people and nobody talks about agriculture, everybody talks about the oil sector where massive money is voted for refinery repairs and all that stuff. So the policy is skewed in favour of the rich and that is the problem with economic inequality.

In Nigeria if you look at budgetary allocation, education is about 6.5 per cent, health is about 3.5 per cent, social service is about 6 per cent. Compare that to a country like Ghana where education is about 18 per cent, and health is about 13 per cent.

So, Nigeria's economic inequality is fostered by interest of the politically powerful and the politically rich with elite capture of the state.

Then we talk about failed expectation framework which is also part of the frustration, and agitation. Our in constitution, Section 14, 2b says that the primary role of government is the welfare and security of the people.

In terms of social contract, those who vote for you expect something in return for their vote, the so called dividends of democracy. So, when people invest in democracy, in the process, they expect returns. There is a failure of that social contract, that is failed expectation framework.

You remember the Arab uprising? The world is digital. Given the effect of social media, it is a global world. So as you have agitations all over the world, within the country there is youth restiveness and agitations coupled with lack of inclusion, poverty, and greater sensitization due to failed expectation framework.

Do you subscribe to amnesty for repentant armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents as a way forward which some people are advocating for?

What I subscribe to is a plan that will attack poverty holistically and aggressively. What I subscribe to is a plan where it would be unattractive for the youths to become bandits.

We talked about failed expectation framework, we talked about social contract, there is an allegiance between the people and those who govern them, there is loyalty to the state.

So if loyalty to the state is effective, there won't be loyalty to the bandit leader. There is competition between the government and the terrorist leader for the youths that are between 12 and 18. Does he become a bandit and become loyal to a bandit leader or does he remain a responsible citizen and become loyal to the government?

So government has to compete in order to maintain that loyalty and how do you maintain that loyalty? Adult literary education for those who fell through the cracks, some level of welfare, you can give them money for coming to the adult literacy class, you can give them money for becoming good citizens, you attack unemployment; unemployment rate is between 12 and 21 per cent and underemployment is even worse.

Attack unemployment, provide critical infrastructure, provide innovative technology, provide agrarian loans, provide cottage industry, provide some level of entrepreneurship, then you won't have bandits in the first place and there won't be any need for amnesty.

There is a fight for the soul of the youth, does the youth become a bandit, does the youth become a bad citizen or does the youth remain a good citizen and stay loyal to the government? Government has to fulfil its contract.

Select areas where bandits operate, have a registry of the youths, provide welfare for them, provide adult literacy classes for those who fell through the cracks, provide jobs, provide small cottage industry, provide agrarian loans, use the power of government and the wealth of government to keep them rather than allow them to get to the bandits.

Provide multi conference, where the multi-ethnic nationalities will get together and trash out the problems. The earlier you do it the better. That will save you the efforts of talking about amnesty and ransom.

Ahead for 2023 there are calls for South-East to produce the President, what is your take on this?

All regions in Nigeria have the wherewithal to produce the president including the South-East. But you must also remember that the Presidency is overrated, it is not about Presidency.

As an Igbo, I know in my heart that the fight for effective representation, the fight to derive the benefits, the largesse of the Nigerian state does not rest with the Presidency.

As an Igbo, one of the nationalities that make up the multi-ethnic state of Nigeria, our future, our survival does not rest on an eight- year presidency, it rests somewhere else. What will stamp Igbo solidly on the history of this nation is not on an eight - year presidency, it is somewhere else, I won't tell you, you can go and find out. It has nothing to do with the presidency, the presidency is overrated.

In a society where there is elitist's dysfunction, the presidency is personal to who holds the job. After all, all the regions have held the presidency for over 40 years, what is the poverty rate, what is the school enrolment rate, what is the infant mortality rate, what is the maternal mortality rate, what is the gender gap indices? Even ordinary things like open defecation, what is the rate? So it has nothing to do with the presidency, it is personal, it depends on who holds the job.

In summary, in the context of the politics of Nigeria, the Igbo, the South-East deserves the presidency and should be given an opportunity.

The National Assembly is in another round of constitution review, outside what you have said, what do you think should be on the top burner?

What should be on the top burner in Nigeria is the convocation of a conference of multi-ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria on basis of equality.

The resolutions derived from there will now be tabled to the National Assembly to legislate and put into law as a constitution with the concurrence of the two -third of the states of the country.

As an elder statesman, what is your message to Nigerians now?

My message to Nigeria is that these are tough times, these are make or break time for the nation state. We have to bury our differences and put Nigeria first and the only way we can do that is to provide for an enabling environment where every child from every ethnic group will have equal opportunity to fulfil their greatest potential, we need to talk and we need to talk urgently. Things are certainly falling apart and the centre is certainly not holding.

What is your take on the state of the nation?

To clearly discuss and understand the state of the nation, there are six thematic areas we need to look at: Poverty, ignorance, and disease; national transformation; youth restiveness; critical infrastructure, gap crisis; and failed expectations framework

I want you to break them down. Let's start with youth restiveness. If you look at demographic data, Nigeria population was about 38 million in 1958, presently we are about 200 million. Population dynamic study shows that by 2030, we expect to be 236 million and by 2050, 410 million. At that time we will be the third most populous country, right now we are the seventh most populous country.

What you have because of improvement of social services, health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, is an expansion of working age population that is between age 15 and 65 and you have a contraction of the dependent population that is below 15 and over 65.

This demographic expansion is going to have two outcomes; demographic expansion also called youth bored, if it is managed appropriately, you are going to have demographic dividends, if it is managed inappropriately, you have a demographic bomb.

If you provide an enabling environment to harness the economic potentials and effects of this demographic expansion, then it will be well for the country, then you will have demographic dividends.

What are the factors?

If you provide for education, health, skill acquisition, employment, factors of labour and production, land, rails, innovation technology, food, infrastructure, you can harness this population expansion and have demographic dividends.

However because of the problems we have in our country, this demographic expansion is not being channelled positively, so we are nearing the state of a demographic bomb which leads to vulnerability to indoctrination, youth restiveness, violence, agitation, communal violence, ethnic violence, religious violence, domestic violence and expectedly as we move into election, electoral violence.

So to deal with that, you are going to provide for maternal care, even up to pre-conceptual counselling, provide health services to infants, you follow the child to nursery, to pre-care, follow the child to kindergarten, providing immunization and paediatric services.

You now follow that child from primary one to primary six, providing free qualitative, compulsory primary education, tied with health services, tied with school feeding. When we talk about school feeding, it is more than a meal in the sense that couple with that, you are going to have health services where you check for growth, for weight, dentition, look at the eyes, look at hearing; you follow that child to primary six, that child is now heading to age 12.

For the mother, in terms of poverty alleviation, the mother can help provide the material for food and other resources.

Then at 12, you now follow that child into secondary school, provide free, qualitative education, continued with health surveillance. That child is going to enter into university, is going to enter technological school or straight into labour because of skill acquisition.

The child that goes through University or goes through technical college, goes for youth service, that is where you now have an aggressive scheme for youth empowerment.

After University, that child is going for youth service, there will be need to increase the youth services to two to three years; two years compulsory with an optional third year. At the end of that optional third year, you are going to provide skill acquisition, entrepreneurial loan, agrarian loan to that young man before he now enters into the society.

Then you also have what I call a Youth Empowerment Commission, just as you have the Federal Character Commission because what is happening now is that by the time some of them are getting to entering level positions, they are in their 30s, so some people may not even employ them, they are looking at those in their 20s.

So if you have a youth empowerment commission, before you advertise for jobs, you are going to pass it through the commission and they will make provision for allocation for the youths.

When I talked about the state of the nation and talked about the six perimeters, what is the goal? The goal is to eradicate poverty, reduce hunger, provide for gender empowerment and equality, reduce the gender gap indices, provide for free qualitative primary education, decrease infant mortality, improve maternal health, decrease HIV, malaria and other communicable diseases, provide for a sustainable environment and provide for global partnership and then of course housing and other areas.

Let's talk about poverty. Africa, the so called third world has gone through a lot of travails over the years; slave trade, colonialism, military adventurism, debt enslavement, HIV, Ebola, all sorts of diseases and now dealing with massive poverty.

Poverty could be absolute or relative, so essentially you can define poverty as failure to have an income that will meet your basic needs: food, water, shelter, education and health; that is absolute poverty. Then relative poverty could be where your income is 50 per cent less than the average household income for the index community.

Let's look at Nigeria today, poverty rate on the average is about 50 per cent, which means about 86.9million people, so if you go all the way from the North, you can have high poverty rate of up to 81 per cent than to Lagos area where you can have up to 10 to 15 per cent.

In between, the North-Wast 70 per cent, coming down to North-Central 60 , North-East 40 per cent, South-West 30 per cent, down to Lagos 10 percent and then of course South-East 20 per cent. That is the poverty rate in terms of statistics.

When you also talk about this poverty rate, of course in actual terms talking about school enrolment where you have about 14-16million children on the streets with about 12million in northern Nigeria alone, you are talking about problem with infant mortality, maternal mortality. So you have massive poverty, abandonment of hope.

On convocation of multi-ethnic nationalities conference

Then we go to national transformation which will include total overhaul of the country that has to result to an urgent need for the convocation of a conference of ethnic nationalities.

In that conference of ethnic nationalities, we will now decide how do we apportion offices, how do we apportion roles, what method of governance do we have? That is what they call restructuring, fiscal federalism. how do we share our resources, how do we share and apportion wealth, How do we tax ourselves that will ensure fiscal federalism? How do we police ourselves, is it state police, is it federal police, is it community police?

That conference of ethnic nationalities will now delineate modalities for a new Nigeria.

How would this conference that you are calling for be different from the one of 2014 and how will choose the delegates?

We are talking democracy now. Let the government set up a Secretariat, let that Secretariat call for representation, Tiv send us four people, Hausa-Fulani send us four people, Urhobo send us four people, Igbo send us four people, all the ethnic groups send us four people and we will come to the table.

And we will now put everything on the table, the physical structure, the fiscal structure, how do we govern ourselves, then we discuss, it needs to be done as soon as possible. They will come up with a robust structure, if they say we agree on where we are, we remain and that package will now be sent to the National Assembly to be legislated on and converted into law, with concurrence by two third of the state Houses of Assembly.

So on the issue of State Police, since there is a preponderance of sentiments for state police, I just got the communique of the 17 southern governors calling for state police, since there is a preponderance of sentiments in favour of state police, I have to adjust my personal preference and say okay put it to the conference of ethnic nationalities, let them decide, to be sure that it will be uniform among the federating units.

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So if you are going to have state police to maintain standard, let it be uniform among the various federating units because you don't have state police in one place with certain standard and you end up in another state with a different standard of state police because as you know states that have 10%, 15%, 20% poverty rate will implement the state police programme more than states that have 51% poverty level.

You are going to ask yourself, if you don't pay salaries, what happens to the state police? So, it becomes uniform because even if you are comfortable in your state with your state police, your relatives live elsewhere. So Nigeria is an organic state. You are not going to be worried about your own state alone. As an Igbo, I know that wherever you go in Nigeria today my people are number two in terms of population.

So, as an Igbo, I am also conscious of what is happening to Igbo in other areas. What will be the effect of state police on them? So it is an organic thing. If you are going to have state police, it needs to be standardized, it needs to be uniform, if it is not, any system that is not uniform, not standardized, it is inherently unequal.

So while we are waiting to deal with the problems of the legislation on state police, we have to emphasize community policing because after all those who are talking of state police are talking about having police closer to the people in terms of surveillance, in terms of intelligence gathering, in terms of knowing your community.

In Enugu, we worked with DFID under Tafa Balogun to produce the first model of community policing. We can emphasize community policing while the modalities for state police are being worked out.

We also have to be conscious of the historical evolution of state police. If you do a review, you will see that police in Nigeria started in 1861 with the Lagos constabulary and by 1888, we had the northern constabulary which was actually Royal Niger Company that set up their own constabulary. In 1894, we had a constabulary in Calabar that is the Niger Coast constabulary or thereabout. In 1906, we had a formal set up of Lagos police.

So by the time you had the amalgamation in 1914, you now had the northern police that is the Royal Niger Company constabulary stayed on as northern police and the Lagos Police and the constabulary of Niger Coast and Calabar emerged as the southern police.

Prior to that, the multi ethnic groups in Nigeria had policing formations, they had certain groups that enforce law, enforce taxation. In the Yoruba areas you have people like the wetie and other areas that were quasi regional police; in the north you had the Dogaris, the palace guards who helped enforced laws, who helped collect taxation.

So that by 1916 ordinance form, they were formalized to the native authority police in the west and native authority police in the north; those formations were to continue until 1966 when the coup came.

Before then, you now have problems with the regional police, the crisis in the West, the Tiv riot and the use of regional police by politicians and traditional rulers, that was part of the problem that caused the collapse of the First Republic.

General Ironsi now set up a committee that studied policing in Nigeria which submitted its report in 1968 when Gowon took over and it was at that point that Gowon used an executive order and merged the regional police with the central police and that was the end of the regional police.

So, it is assumed that out of this convocation of this conference of this multi ethnic nationalities, the factors that led to the failure of the regional police will be studied so that it doesn't repeat itself.

Let's talk about critical infrastructure which will address things like transportation which are roads, waterways, airways and railways. Talk about things like commerce, like manufacturing, energy, electricity, health, agriculture and of course the security architecture.

If you look at our constitution, sections 3, 14, 17(3) that talk about social objectives, also talk about government providing health facilities for workers and health and medical facilities for the people as much as possible, so that is a social contract.

Even in Section 18(3) it talks about education where possible, it talks about primary education, secondary education, tertiary education and even adult literacy programmes.

So the right democracy in fulfilment of the social contract is that that covers the entire people. So in terms of health, we have to have a holistic programme that addresses the common man or the so called indigent population. You are talking about a national health service or a unitary health service that covers everybody, that would be patterned at the level of advanced community health centres, at the level of electoral wards, general hospitals at the level of local government, specialist hospitals at the level of senatorial zones, the pinnacle will be the surgeon general; so it will be a unitary health programme, a national health service covering all Nigerians paid by the state.

It means that there will be direct withdrawal in terms of allocation, where it comes to the distributive poll of federal allocation, there will be direct contribution from the federal government, from the state and from the local government that will be used to run this health service.

Vanguard News Nigeria
A bitter row over a piece of land has erupted between former presidential candidate Nancy Kalembe and the URA commissioner of tax investigations, Mr Mathew Mugabi.

The row originates from a 2016 land sale by a real estate dealer to Mr Mugabi, Mr Kennedy Abubaker, Mr Ernest Ssenabulya, Mr Gerald Isingoma, and Mr Peter Kiwanuka.

The land dealer, Mr Abubaker Teddi, sold the entire land at Shs630 million after sub-dividing it into nine plots, with each plot sold at Shs70m. The land is on Block 272 in Kitiko-Mutungo, Wakiso District.

Records show that the land was initially owned by Magadalene Nabazizi Kalibala who allegedly sold it to Teddi. However, one of Nabaziza's sons reportedly sold the same land to Mr Andrew Wanyaka, the former husband of Ms Kalembe. Mr Wanyaka donated the land to Ms Kalembe.

"I still have my interests on the land. I have never been compensated and whoever wants to occupy the land does it illegally," Ms Kalembe says.

Last week Kalembe ran to the Land Division of the High Court in Kampala where she obtained an interim order, stopping any activity on the contested land.

Commissioner Mugabi declined to comment when contacted, saying the matter is in court.

Claimant

His co-accused, Mr Peter Kiwanuka, said he bought two plots of the contested land and other three were purchased by a group, Termites Sacco, to which he subscribes.

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"Before we bought the land, we undertook due diligence. The land was not encumbered. By the time we paid, the land had long been demarcated. I think Ms Kalembe, because she was a presidential candidate, wants to use the position to get land where she doesn't have it," Mr Kiwanuka said at the weekend.

He said as buyers, they discovered that the person who claimed to be the kibanja holder was one Mbonna and was compensated, and left the area.

"We don't know how Ms Kalembe surfaces in this. She doesn't have any legal right to prove her ownership. She is running from one media house to the other, maligning people and looking for sympathy," Mr Kiwanuka said.

On May 7, Justice Flavia Nabakooza of the Civil Division of the High Court issued an injunctive order, stopping the five people accused by Ms Kalembe from undertaking any developments on the contentious land.

But the officer-in-charge of Mutungo Police Post, Mr Deo Biryomugisho, said after getting the court order, Ms Kalembe immediately started putting up structures on the land.

Mr Kiwanuka said he had ordered his lawyers to file a case of contempt of court against the former presidential candidate.

"When Ms Kalembe got the court order, she started to build day and night. We complained to the judge and we got another order," he said.
Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has urged the elderly to sign up for their COVID-19 vaccine, as the country implements the second phase of the vaccination rollout plan on Monday.

"All services are zero-rated and do not need airtime, data or money to use the services," the Minister said on Sunday.

He reminded people that there are five ways to register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS):

Online at vaccine.enroll.gov.za.

Using the WhatsApp line 0600 123456.

Via SMS by dialling *134*832#.

Call the COVID-19 hotline 0800 029 999.

Citizens can also use the new QR by simply scanning and following the prompts.

Mkhize said provinces, the national Department of Health and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) teams are conducting robust registration drives, and have since seen the numbers going up because of these initiatives.

To date, over 1.227 million senior citizens and over 914 000 healthcare workers have signed up on EVDS, which brings the number to over 2.1 million citizens.

"We recommend that as many people as possible register beforehand," Mkhize said, noting that vaccination centres are currently not allowing walk-ins.

"However, going forward, we will be able to do so. The programme has been designed to avoid long queues. This is why it is important that as many people as possible register beforehand, and follow the instructions which they receive by SMS."

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Old age homes

Mkhize said citizens living in old age homes will not receive an SMS because the vaccines will be brought to them.

"They will be registered and vaccinated in their old age homes."

Government is targeting 7 700 senior citizens living in 102 old age homes by the end of the week, and 50 000 citizens documented in old age homes are targeted to be vaccinated by the end of May.

"If you miss your vaccine appointment for any reason, you will be rescheduled [and] given another date and time to be vaccinated," said the Minister.

He warned, however, that if a person misses three appointments, they will not be rescheduled again.

"However, you will still be on the system, and can ask to be scheduled again by phoning the COVID-19 hotline or visiting a registration site."
The Western Cape police's Integrated Task Team, has arrested 11 suspects in connection with a series of bloodletting shootings that claimed 13 lives over the weekend.

The arrests were made in the early hours of Monday morning.

The arrests were a culmination of sleuthing work by the task team, which was set-up to track and trace suspects behind a series of shooting incidents in Khayelitsha on Saturday.

Beyond 13 fatalities, several others were injured during the skirmishes.

In a statement, Western Cape South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said the task team, which comprised of lockdown II forces, intelligence officials, organised crime detectives and a combat contingent, descended on the suspects at a hotel in Sea Point at about 3am.

"They are currently being questioned with a view to charging them later," Potelwa said.

Investigations reveal that nine people were shot and killed at different locations in Site B, Khayelitsha on Saturday. Four others succumbed to injuries sustained from the shooting incidents in hospital and five were seriously wounded.

In an initial statement on Sunday, police said the body of the first victim was found in Banzi Street, Site B with several gunshot wounds next to a firearm at 10 am on Saturday.

Potelwa said police also found a substantial amount of cash at the scene.

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"In a second incident that is believed to be a retaliation attack to the first murder, two Somali nationals were shot at T110 on Saturday afternoon. One died on the scene and the other was seriously wounded and taken to a medical facility. In the RR Section, three other males were shot dead later on Saturday afternoon in an incident believed to linked to the first two," she said.

Meanwhile, at a spaza shop in Y-Block, two other men were killed after being shot, one in the yard and another in a vehicle.

She said reports also indicated that two other Somali nationals were shot close to a spaza shop in the area. One died on the scene while the other was transported to hospital where he later died.

"Additional information has since emerged that two other victims of the shooting incidents who were taken to Tygerberg hospital and the Khayelitsha District hospital later died," said the Brigadier.

Shortly after the murders occurred, Western Cape Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thembisile Patekile instituted a 72-hour Activation Plan for the mobilisation of resources that will lead to the apprehension of the perpetrators of the heinous acts.

Since inception, the multi-disciplinary team has been working around the clock in search of the suspects.

On Monday, Patekile expressed appreciation to the team for its relentless efforts.

"Once charged the suspects will face murder and attempted murder charges. As the investigations progress more charges could added," he said.
opinion

The first steps to pass Budget 2021 have already been taken, on the back of ANC numbers in the House, when the fiscal framework was adopted on 10 March 2021.

First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.

It is with no small irony that the only parliamentary committee that actually sits in physical reality is the spooks oversight Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, which by default meets behind closed doors.

That every other committee is on a virtual platform has allowed for an increase in the number of meetings - about 60 this week, slightly up from a week earlier - although numbers don't equal quality.

MPs' questions seem tepid at best, given that the departmental and other institutional briefing documents are usually sent through a week in advance. Plenty of time to prep and dig up, if not some dirt then at least some pertinent questions on, for example, where the departmental travel budget has shifted to in these days of virtual meetings.

The year 2021 is unfurling with unseemly haste. Three weeks have been set aside to get the Budget done and dusted by 4 June, according to the current parliamentary programme. It is an election...
Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, is anticipating a slow start to the COVID-19 vaccination rollout that gets underway this week.

This as South Africa begins the second phase of its vaccination rollout plan, that gets underway on Monday.

"This is because we are starting off with a new vaccine we have never used before. We have learned from Sisonke [Study] that the first few days start slowly as vaccinators get used to the new vaccine then once operators are comfortable, the turnover ramps up significantly. This is what we have planned around to allow us a few days to iron out any teething problems," said the Minister.

Mkhize announced that 87 sites would open their doors to vaccinate the elderly after the country received 975 780 Pfizer vaccines as of 17 March 2021.

He stated that citizens cannot choose which vaccine they receive at this stage.

"When you get vaccinated you will be informed which vaccine you are getting, and if a second dose is needed."

He said people will receive the date, time and place of their second dose by SMS or a card, which will be issued on the day of vaccination if a vaccinee does not have a phone.

"Most people will get their first and second doses at the same site."

He said Pfizer vaccines are safe and work well, even against the variant that is dominant in this country.

"After 14 days, one starts to show markers of immunity. There is now very good literature to show that the interval between doses can be increased to six weeks and in the UK they showed good results after three months," he explained.

"We are getting advice from our experts who will guide us on the best interval - citizens must present on the date they are given for the second dose."

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Side effects

He said many people have mild symptoms after vaccination.

These include flu-like symptoms like mild fever, headache, tiredness, as well as redness, swelling and pain at the injection site.

However, Mkhize said these disappear within a day or two, and can be managed at home with rest and paracetamol.

"If you have more serious symptoms such as severe headache, severe abdominal pain or severe limb pain you should phone our COVID hotline, 0800 029 999 for advice or seek care at your local clinic or hospital."

Safety protocols

Mkhize has urged citizens to register for their COVID-19 jab to protect themselves from contracting severe disease or dying from it.

"However, no vaccine works 100% and we also still do not know whether vaccination prevents transmission of the virus. It is therefore still important to follow the standard COVID-19 safety precautions to protect yourself and those around you."

He said it was still unclear how long the protection offered by the vaccine will last.

"Doctors and scientists are working to understand this better and we will keep the public informed of these details."
analysis

Neal Froneman, CEO of diversified precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater, has had public spats with minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe. Both are renowned for their bluntness, and they have rankled each other in the past. But the two remain on speaking terms.

First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.

During a webinar this week with fund manager Ninety One, Froneman revealed that he had had a chat on the phone earlier that day with Mantashe.

"This morning, I received a call from the mines minister, acknowledging how well mining is currently doing and in his normal, humorous way, he pointed out to me that his portfolio in Cabinet is now being recognised for the first time as an industry that is not sunset. So that bodes well for mining in general in South Africa," Froneman said.

The mining industry is certainly doing well at the moment, thanks in large part to the current commodities boom, which was the focus of the webinar.

Sibanye earlier this month unveiled record quarterly earnings in the first three months of this year. Group adjusted Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) soared in Q1 by 78%,...
President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is committed to being part of international efforts aimed at reviving a political process that will lead to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, existing side-by-side in peace with Israel, and within internationally recognised borders.

In his weekly newsletter on Monday, the President said the two-state solution remains the most viable option for the people of Israel and Palestine, and must continue to be supported.

"The escalating situation in Israel and Palestine affirms once more what we South Africans know too well, that intractable conflicts can only be solved through peaceful negotiation.

"It also demonstrates that unless the root causes of a conflict are addressed, in this case the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestinian land and the denial of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, there will never be peace," President Ramaphosa said.

The latest violence was sparked by an Israeli court decision to evict a group of families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem to make way for Israeli settlements.

"The sight of men, women and children being evicted from the homes their families have lived in for generations brings back painful collective and personal memories for the majority of South Africans - of forced removals and land dispossession.

"For all who believe in equality, justice and human rights, we cannot but be moved and indeed angered, at the pain and humiliation being inflicted on the Palestinian people; for it echoes our own," he said.

The President said Israel's actions are a violation of international law.

"They show a total disregard for successive United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that call for an end to the occupation of Palestinian land and for the fulfilment of the rights of the Palestinian people," the President said.

Since Israeli security forces launched assaults on worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem last week, the violence has now engulfed the Gaza Strip, large parts of the West Bank and a number of Israeli cities. It has claimed the lives of dozens of people, including children.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), at least 40 children have been killed in Gaza since 10 May. Over half of them were under 10 years old.

"It is also deeply troubling that Israeli forces last week destroyed a multi-storey building that housed a number of media organisations, sending a chilling message to media reporting on the violence.

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"The senseless and continued Israeli bombardment of Gaza will have devastating consequences for more than two million people who have been suffering under an illegal Israeli blockade for 14 years. As is always the case, it is civilians who will bear the brunt, with their homes and livelihoods destroyed," Ramaphosa said.

He said every effort must be made to dissuade both sides from further escalation, and to end the violence that is causing fear, death and misery on both sides.

"We call on all parties involved to show restraint, to respect human life, and to cease the current hostilities.

"Far too many lives have been lost to this intractable conflict. The continued occupation of Palestinian land and the suffering of the Palestinian people is a blight on the conscience of humanity," the President said.

He said South Africa stands with the Palestinian people in their quest for self-determination and in their resistance against the deprivation of their human rights and the denial of their dignity.

"As citizens of a country that was able to turn its back on race-hatred and bloodshed and build an inclusive society rooted in human rights for all, it is our collective hope that the people of Israel and Palestine will follow a similar path; that they will find each other, and that they will find peace," the President said.
The National Treasury is yet to release Sh67 million to the Kenya Revenue Authority for a shipment of antiretroviral drugs that has been held at the Mombasa port for the fifth month now.

The Nation has learnt that the consignment, which was shipped into the country in January, attracted a tax of Sh113 million, but Treasury has since released Sh45 million.

Ms Lilian Nyawanda, the Customs and Border Control commissioner said: "The balance is not a hindrance, once we get the commitment, we are ready to clear the goods. But we cannot do that until a clearance permit from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board is issued."

The Authority has since released 78 containers brought in by American firm Chemonics, which had imported them on behalf of the United States Agency for Development (USAid).

A standoff arose after USAid chose the firm to procure and distribute its donations to Kenya without involving the Ministry of Health.

The impasse has created a shortage of ARVs at the health facility level. Despite the Ministry of Health's assurance that there are enough ARVs in the country, people living with HIV are currently only being prescribed a week's supply, unlike before when they were supplied with enough to last for three to six months.

Protest

On Friday, those living with HIV protested over the ARVs shortage in the country, especially the children's syrup, and demanded that the government ends the stalemate and releases the drugs.

Stuck at the port are 258,954 packs of tenofovir, lamivudine and dolutegravir .

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The consignment arrived on January 18 after an application for the import permits and approval of import declaration form were submitted on December 16, last year and resubmitted on January 5.: The United States is now considering moving the ARVs to another country, a move that could deal a heavy blow to patients who have been waiting for their drugs. The USAid cited the remaining shelf life of the drugs and the storage charges accruing as the reason for the move, stating that already, the charges amount to over one-quarter of the cost.

"If the clearances do not arrive on time, the US will need to determine whether it is cost efficient, given the remaining shelf life, to keep the medicines in storage near the port or move the medicines to other countries where they are also needed," it stated.

Going by Kenya's policies, government-to-government donations channelled through relevant government institutions enjoy a tax waiver. This was the case when the United States government, through USAid, donated medical supplies through the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa).

Kenya slapped the ARVs consignment with a Sh90 million tax bill after USAid side-stepped the usual system of importing HIV/Aids and tuberculosis drug donations through Kemsa and instead used a private firm.

Corruption

On its part, USAID said it can no longer work with Kemsa, citing allegations of corruption and mismanagement at Kemsa.

The weight of procurement irregularities has been hanging over Kemsa since 2020 when the institution was alleged to have mishandled the procurement of Covid-19 supplies, including personal protective equipment.
Health experts have poked holes in the government's Covid-19 strategy and warned that it could fall apart and end up like the Indian situation.

The Ministry of Health's efforts are random, haphazard and reactionary without accurate data and planning.

"I am afraid if there is no deliberate and transparent effort made to correct the current approach, we may find ourselves hard hit like India," said Dr Ahmed Kalebi, a consultant pathologist.

The ministry has been announcing Covid-19 cases daily, helping policy makers to track the progress of the fight. The numbers have informed directives, policies and containment measures.

Dr Kalebi said the "wild fluctuations" in positivity rate "points to a misleading representation of the reported data". It could swing from five or six per cent to 12 per cent the next day, back to eight per cent and then over to 10 per cent the next. It's highly unlikely that such wild variation represents the true situation on the ground, he said. Such kind of data could blindside the ministry to a rising positivity rate and fail to intervene in a timely manner as the caseload goes up.

The picture painted is conflicting when the caseload is down, which is equally misleading to guide an appropriate response.

Dr Kalebi said the situation could be as a result of data from test results submitted in the past 24 hours of samples collected "on varying dates rather than those taken over the past two to three days".

The ministry should be disclosing the positivity rate by counties and disclose when the samples were collected in order to provide a more accurate picture.

"We need a proactive, deliberate and strategic approach; not with the varying and skewed data presented daily," said Dr Kalebi.

Asymptomatic patients

He urged the government to publish accurate data and explain what should be done to bend the curve. He warned of a risk of loss of trust in the data, which could result in complacency when there is a call to stringent measures.

"We have to be aware of the circuit breaker action which must remain high on alert. But this will depend on the availability of data on infections, hospital admissions and viral sequencing," said Dr Githinji Gitahi, the Amref Health Africa chief executive officer.

"Kenya has not been doing adequate genome sequencing. The government should invest in this because the pandemic can be controlled through new information on the variants," he added.

Dr Bernard Muia, a public health expert, said although Kenya has done well in controlling the pandemic, "the positivity rate may not say anything if the sample size is not representative".

"The positivity rate is based on testing samples and a consistent size will give us a true picture of how the curve will look like tomorrow so as to be able to inform the measures that should be taken," he said.

He said the find, test, trace and isolate module remains the best to handle the pandemic. However, testing and tracking is low.

When the pandemic started, the module was actively followed, with thousands of people going to quarantine for 14 days after suspected exposure. Today, most of the listed facilities remain empty, with only a handful of people (travellers) in some.

Home-based care

With a directive that asymptomatic patients should isolate at home, many more people could be exposed to the virus. Unfortunately, follow-ups are not being done. "Being based at the community where this condition is rampant, I would expect the isolated cases to be visited by the disease surveillance team to ascertain that there is no spread of the disease to other members in the families and community. To change the chain of transmission, we must find, test, trace and isolate," said Dr Muia.

The strategy was decentralised and with counties lacking resources to do so, it has become difficult. Dr Gitahi said there is need for proper home-based care and isolation protocol so as to enable proper monitoring of such cases. It should include use of pulse oximeters to monitor oxygen levels of patients at home.

"Countries are doing their best to handle the situation by preventing transmission of the virus and the variants too, there is no new strategy for new variants," said Dr Gitahi.

Initially, a huge part of the strategy involved the public health and social measures of social distancing, wearing of face masks, hand hygiene and treatment.

"These measures will not end unless we get a variant that may not be spread through close contact or wearing of face masks. Going forward, we will stick to these measures, more so for us in the developing world. We have seen how difficult it is to access the second dose of the vaccine," said Dr Patrick Amoth, the acting Health Director-General.

The government has deployed rapid testing kits at the points of entry and will enhance surveillance to detect new virulent variants or strains of Covid-19.

"The strategy we are going to deploy is what we had before for Covid-19 -- the public health and social measures, in addition to enhanced surveillance at the points of entry, deployment of antigen testing and genomic sequencing," said Dr Amoth.

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Although the availability of vaccines has become a big issue globally, inoculation of the adult population is part of the strategy.

Dr Rashid Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary at the MoH, said they had also stopped flights from India and the UK.

The government has also expanded the list of countries whose travellers must undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival. All arrivals are supposed to fill in the Covid-19 health surveillance form available online.

"Kenya should also accelerate the Universal Health Coverage to address bed capacity. If we have adequate beds in our health system, there will be no need of locking the economy," said Dr Gitahi.

There is also a need to accelerate reforms at the National Hospital Insurance Fund to ensure a majority of Kenyans can access services.

The State should also reform the Public Finance Management Act of 2012 to give health facilities financial autonomy. "Facilities cannot handle the situation if they lack the autonomy should the situation evolve like it did in India. As we prepare for the next surge, which is inevitable, we should look into that," said Dr Gitahi.
Birtukan Mideksa, chair of the National Election Board of Ethiopia, in 2018.

An Ethiopian agency and a UN team is, in the coming few weeks, set to start a joint investigation into serious human rights violations committed in the Tigray region.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the UN reached an agreement in March to jointly investigate alleged abuses in Tigray, where the Ethiopian army, together with Eritrean forces, is fighting against the Tigray Defence Forces.

Members of the joint investigation team have concluded preparations, including consulting on the preliminary information needed for the investigation, terms of reference related to geographic scope and investigation and engagement mechanisms, and they will be deployed soon, said EHRC Commissioner Daniel Bekele, who spoke to a local newspaper, The Reporter.

According to the commissioner, a team of six experts from each side will travel to selected areas of Tigray in a few weeks.

"Twelve investigators, six from each institution, were selected and started to organise methodological approaches and logistical strategies," he said.

Desk review

"They have since conducted a desk review that would allow for an immediate investigation in selected areas where human rights abuses are believed to have been committed."

Since the conflict in Tigray broke out in November last year, thousands of people have fled to neighbouring Sudan.

The field investigation, according to Mr Bekele, will possibly include deployment of a team to Sudan to interview Tigrayan refugees sheltered at camps in the neighbouring country.

Along with the 12 investigators, there are unspecified legal, gender, security, and translation officers to be deployed in the investigation, which could bring the total members of the team to 30.

Inquiry places

The official refused to mention specific inquiry places where the members of the team will go, citing the importance of ensuring independence and impartiality of the investigation.

The Nation has learnt that the joint UN, EHRC team will conduct investigations for an initial period of three months.

With multiple actors involved in the Tigray conflict, the EHRC says investigation into all parties to the conflict is "part of the much-needed accountability process" for victims.

According to Tigray opposition parties, the conflict has so far claimed the lives of at least 50,000 people.
Four people died and two others suffered severe injuries in a road crash on the Isiolo-Moyale highway on Friday afternoon.

Police said the ill-fated vehicle was heading to Isiolo from Moyale town when the incident occurred at around 1.30pm.

The driver of the vehicle died on the spot.

Marsabit County Police Commander Samuel Mutunga said the driver lost control of the vehicle and the car veer off the road and rolled several times.

"The injured were rushed to Marsabit Referral Hospital," Mr Mutunga said.

He said four bodies of the victims were taken to Marsabit Referral Hospital mortuary

Mr Mutunga urged drivers to drive below 100km per hour speed on the highway during the rainy season because the roads are slippery.
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has thrown its weight behind the call by a former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida for the federal government to equip the military with modern weapons and faulted the federal government's approach in handling the issues of defence, security and law and order.

The Forum urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to ensure that the advice by Babangida for equipping soldiers with modern weapons and training was not ignored.

Babangida had also noted that there were many other things politicians needed to do right to bring an end to the insecurity in the land.

Reacting, NEF's spokesman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said "Under all circumstances, the advice of President Babangida should be accorded the highest consideration. '

"He is not given to advising presidents outside the most confidential settings. The substance of his advice, which acknowledges major deficiency in our military's capacities, is fairly well known, but few persons in his place have addressed them.

"It is an advice that must not be ignored because it reinforces the concerns that our military needs massive injections of additional technical, manpower and other professional requirements if it is to shoulder the increasing burdens it is being asked to shoulder.

"There are other related matters that should also be addressed. The need to re-invent policing and related agencies that should deal with internal security challenges is a major and urgent priority. So is corruption in all our defence, security and law and order institutions.

"There are major issues with our country's ability to procure weapons that our leadership is aware of. They must be addressed. We are talking about the foundations of our very existence as a country here, and the fact that leaders of the calibre of President Babangida are raising issues around them should alert the country over threats and our abilities to deal with them."
Approximately 36 percent of the Kenyan population can be classified as monetary poor, based on government statistics from the 2020 Comprehensive Poverty Report.

On the other hand, about 53 percent can be considered as multi-dimensionally poor. These are people who are deprived of at least three basic needs, services and rights, which, as indicated in the report, included physical development, nutrition, health, education, water, sanitation and housing.

Despite being the youngest and most fragile in the society, children are the worst hit by both types of poverty. These challenges adversely affect their well-being, denying them the opportunity to fully enjoy their rights and attain their life dreams.

Through its new strategy (2021-2025), Going Further Together with Hope and Resilience for Children, World Vision Kenya is keen on addressing these challenges. This will be through the implementation of transformative development projects and child rights advocacy initiatives. The initiatives seek to contribute to the improved and sustained well-being of over eight million children in the country, as well as their families and communities.

We are deliberately seeking to increase our presence in fragile contexts. These include conflict-prone areas, informal urban settlements and rural areas where large numbers of children are trapped in a cycle of desperation and poverty.

We carefully identified and chose the targeted children and priority areas through a national-level census mapping survey. It disaggregated the different challenges affecting children in Kenya, such as abusive or exploitative relationships, extreme deprivation of basic needs, serious discrimination, disability and catastrophic disasters.

As firm believers in an all-inclusive collaborative approach to development, our strategy is a product of collective efforts between the organisation and key stakeholders, including children, community members, government bodies, faith leaders, civil society organisations and private sector players.

They all provided input into the strategy, with great insights into challenges affecting children as well as ways in which those problems could be solved through effective development strategies and partnerships.

We will be keen in working with all these partners as we support the government's development initiatives, which are aimed at enriching the lives of vulnerable children, families and communities in Kenya.

No organisation can do it alone. As the African proverb aptly says: "If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together". Therefore, if we are to go further together, we all need to join hands and advocate strongly for the improved well-being of children in Kenya.

The development and humanitarian landscape keeps changing. And as this happens, all players in the sector need to awaken to the new realities, challenges and opportunities resulting from the changes.

For instance, decreases in donor funding provide opportunities for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to embrace new funding models. Therefore, as we continue to work with our long-term external and multilateral donors, we will also be going further in our local resource mobilisation efforts to increase our partnerships with resident organisations and Kenyans to raise finances or get in-kind support that will help transform the lives of children in Kenya.

Calamities such as Covid-19 have also pushed NGOs to come up with innovative ways of sustaining their operations and continuing to bring transformative change to communities, irrespective of disruptions caused by unpredictable disasters.

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This is why we are taking a bold step to invest in ICT, which will also expand the reach and effectiveness of our development projects.

In all that we do, we will be striving for impact, success and sustainable change in communities. We are therefore focusing on evidence-based results derived from scientific research, through partnerships with research and academic institutions. Our goal is to bring hope, joy and justice for all children in Kenya.

Here's a brief video highlighting the focus areas of the new World Vision Kenya strategy:

Also, learn more about World Vision Kenya here: https://www.wvi.org/kenya

The writer is the National Director of World Vision Kenya.
President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Djibouti Saturday to witness the inauguration of President Ismael Omar Guelleh, who is set to start his fifth term.

The event, which is being held in the country's capital, started at 9.30am local time.

Other leaders in attendance are: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Somalia Prime Minister Hussein Roble, Guinea's President Alpha Conde and representatives from Sudan's transitional government.

All the Western powers, China, India and Gulf countries are also expected to send their representatives, having congratulated him for the victory back in April.

President Guelleh will begin his fifth term in office, after collecting the highest vote percentage since he came to power in 1999.

The vote in April went ahead despite rising Covid-19 cases in the country, with more than 215,000 registered votes taking part.

And at 73, Guelleh will be among the oldest leaders in the region, leading a country of about one million people in the Horn of Africa. This could be his last term, after the 2010 Constitution limited age of Presidential contenders to 75 or lower. Guelleh, for now, is seen as a stabiliser in a region where neighbours are fighting one security crisis or another.

"President Guelleh provides IGAD of leadership needed to strengthen peace and security, and deepen regional integration," Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, Spokesperson of the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Developmen (IGAD), headquatred in Djibouti.

"His win is definitely testimony to the outstanding achievements of his leadership especially in the areas of infrastructural development, consolidation of peace in his country and the region."

Djibouti is a force contributing country, the African Union Mission in Somalia forces and hosts a number of military bases for the US, China, Japan and NATO, signalling its importance to the global security. Russia was inkling to establish one too.

For this contribution, Djibouti's partners are willing to look the other way when the vote falls short of certain principles of democracy, as long as Djibouti's stability is guaranteed.

"The international community like it when Djibouti is stable and peaceful. It allows them to focus attention on the insecurities in the Indian Ocean and the Red sea," said Dr Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad, a Kenyan researcher on the Horn of Africa at the South link Consultants in Nairobi.

"It is a very convenient place."

Yet even in IGAD itself, there are silent quarrels. For example, Somalia's President Mohamed Farmaajo is skipping the event in the wake of recent accusations Somalia levelled against Djibouti. In April, when Djibouti chaired the African Union Peace and Security Council, Somalia protested a dispatch the Council gave, rejecting in totality Farmaajo's term extension by two years. Somalia had levelled the same accusation of interference against Kenya when it chaired the Council in March. But the beef between Somalia and Djibouti began in January after Guelleh's special envoys, under Igad, found no evidence in accusations that Kenya was interfering with Somalia's internal affairs. At the time, Somalia threatened to quit IGAD. It didn't. Muse Bihi, the leader of Somaliland, a region that wants to break away from Somalia, was, however, attending the function in Djibouti.

Guelleh himself hasn't been in good terms with neighbouring Eritrea with which there remains unresolved border claims and accusations that Asmara secretly buried Djiboutian soldiers arrested by Eritrea. Eritrean leader Isaias Afwerki, who has never held an election, still boycotts IGAD events accusing the bloc of being biased against him.

With the smallest population in the Horn, Djibouti has remained largely stable even with troubled neighbours Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen across the sea in the Strait of Bab el Mandeb which sees 23 per cent of the global shipping traffic and could have hydrocarbons. That and its location in a busy shipping region makes it crucial, observers said.

"Djibouti is now effectively a geopolitical anomaly because of the presence of, and intense military activities by extra-regional powers in that country," said Dr Mustafa Y Ali, Chairman of the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies, in Nairobi. He was referring to military bases set up by the US, France and Japan, as well as China; all of who are competing for the ear of Djibouti.

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"With these vast geo-economic interest, human rights issues are not prioritised. They are sacrificed."

Exiled opposition groups under the banner of Charter for Transitional Democracy (CTD) had called on the world to help "remove a dictator" and secure the country's "independence."

Omar Ali Hassan, once a Commander of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, but who turned critic of Guelleh claimed the country has been run as a family affair of the President. Opposition groups say Djibouti is heavily indebted to foreign lenders, despite its investment in ports and drawing huge fees from leasing land for military bases.

Under local laws, Guelleh will finish this term, but he may be barred by a 2010 Constitution which imposed an age limit at 75. He could change the law, however.
Avocado farmers in Nakuru County are crying foul over lack of market for the produce.

Mr John Mugo Munyi, a farmer in Kijabe Location, Subukia Sub-county, who abandoned maize farming for avocado, said they have been forced to sell the produce to brokers

"I'm now forced to sell my fruits at a throwaway price to brokers," he said.

Mr Moses Muthama, another farmer, said brokers buy the produce at Sh5 a piece. The farmers urged the county government, which has distributed 12,400 seedlings, to come to their rescue.

The county is sensitising farmers on the production of quality avocados for exports as well as promoting food security.

Nearly five years after embracing the lucrative fruit farming, many farmers in Nakuru County are still complaining about lack of market and exploitation by brokers.

"I switched to avocado farming and planted about 150 Hass seedlings and 100 Fuerte variety which are now ripe but I have no market to sell the fruits," said Mr Mugo

He added: "Some companies from Central Kenya promised to buy the fruits but they usually take too long to pick the fruits. Instead of seeing the fruits rot on the farm, I sell them to brokers at a throwaway price."

"Most of the time, I sell the fruits to brokers at Sh5 a piece due to lack of facilities to keep them fresh for long," said Muthama.

He said the companies that buy their fruits take too long to pick them.

The farmers urged Nakuru County government to explore the Chinese market since many farmers are eager to embrace avocado farming.

Nakuru County government has increased the agriculture docket budgetary allocation to Sh52 million in the current financial year up from Sh42 million in the previous budget to fund the avocado seedling distribution programme.

To turn the county into an avocado growing zone, the Governor Lee Kinyanjui administration is targeting to distribute avocado seedlings to 10,000 farmers in all the 11 sub-counties.
Juba  Separate incidents of inter-communal clashes and road attacks in some parts of South Sudan have left at least 26 people dead, according to local reports.

Local media reported that the violence on Friday night saw civilians killed in an orgy of attacks.

A cattle rustling incident in Kuac County of Unity State left at least eleven people dead while a similar incident in Reweng Administrative Area on the same day left at least six people killed.

Meanwhile, in the Equatoria region, road ambushes in Western and Central Equatoria States left a total of nine people killed as well.

One incident involved an ambush on the Central Equatoria governor's envoy, where two of his guards were killed by armed men said to be part of a rebel group.

Authorities in Western Equatoria also accused the same rebel group, the National Salvation Front (NAS), of being being an incident in Maridi County that claimed five lives.

NAS has not claimed the insurgences.

Delayed peace deal

Reacting to the occurrences, Malir Peter Biar, who heads Christian Agency for Peace and Development - a civic education, human right advocacy and peace building organisation - blamed the continued attacks on slow implementation of the 2018 peace accord.

"The agreement mandated all parties to it to engage with the public by carrying out dialogues and sensitising them on the peace deal. It also stipulated unification of all forces and disbarment, but none of this has been done," said Mr Biar.

"You can also see the slow formation of State governments, which are supposed to handle local issues related to gun-violence. These gaps are aiding the killings, which [signal] a big failure of the unity government."

He advised the presidency to immediately come up with a road map which clearly states how it will tackle insurgency across the country.

Guns in hands of civilians

Last month, a report by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) attributed the continued grassroots conflicts and insecurity to the presence of arms in the hands of civilians.

In July last year, President Salva Kiir launched a disarmament campaign across the country in an attempt to end the cycle of violence in restive states.

The campaign targeted armed civilians in Lakes, Terekeka, Warrap and Jonglei, among other areas.

But a survey released recently by a national civil society organisation, working to reduce and prevent gun violence across the country, said some communities rejected President Kiir's conflict resolution initiative, saying it leaves some communities vulnerable to others.

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What communities want

According to consultations by the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms, communities say it is not sensible for some to be left armed.

This, they say, can leave some communities vulnerable to others as those unreached in the disarmament efforts will use the opportunity to steal cattle and other belongings, and put their lives in danger.

Communities in Jonglei, Lakes, Eastern Equatoria and Warrap States recommend the destruction of arms and ammunition collected from the public in order to avoid their flow back to civilians' hands.

They also appealed to the government to create mechanisms that monitor, document, report and bring to justice members of forces that may abuse civilians during the process of civilian disarmament.

The armed civilians further said that for the disbarment exercise to be successful, there is a need for plans to register, store and dispose of the recovered arms to ensure they don't spill back to communities.
The Compensation Fund and mutual assurance companies Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) and Federated Employer's Mutual Assurance (FEMA) have joined forces to contribute R1.35 billion to procure vaccines for workers without medical aid cover.

The Department of Employment and Labour, of which the Compensation Fund is an agency, said the funding is anticipated to contribute towards the vaccinations under phase 2 of an estimated three million workers of the country's vaccination programme.

"[This is] is a significant contribution to the government's plan to inoculate about 75% of the population to reach the 67% herd immunity target," the department said in a statement.

The initiative forms part of the ongoing collaboration between the public and private sectors to plug the vaccine rollout's financial gaps programme.

It will also help ensure a significant part of workers gets inoculated instead of dealing with resultant claims.

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, announcing the partnership during the tabling of the Department's Budget Vote on Friday, expressed delight at the partnership.

"We are humbled and grateful for the support that the boards of the CF, the RMA and FEMA have demonstrated in pledging support for the department's plan to ensure protection of workers through the vaccine rollout programme.

"This selfless gesture demonstrates the milestones that can be achieved when all social partners work towards a common purpose and vision," he said.

Nxesi said the COVID-19 vaccination programme was unprecedented and is one of the biggest and most expansive national programmes government has undertaken.

"As government, we cannot successfully carry out this mammoth task on our own. We need all hands on deck to ensure that we can prevail over this pandemic," said the Minister.

He expressed his gratitude to chief executives of the two entities and the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa for working closely with government in ensuring the objective of this contribution is achieved.

"This marks an important turning point in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Our view is that if we can have more parties on board to support in a similar vein. We can help government in bridging some of the funding gaps in the procuring of vaccinations.

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"If we work together, we can all play a significant role in providing a much-needed safety net for millions of vulnerable workers who do not have the means to fund their vaccinations or afford private healthcare cover.

"We aim to collectively make a meaningful contribution to the fight against the coronavirus by ensuring that as many people as possible are vaccinated for the country to meet herd immunity targets," said Nxesi.

The department said the decision to fund the vaccine for uninsured workers marks a "proactive intervention" by the three entities that the government is taking to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In just over a year, the CF, in compliance with the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act as well as the Workplace-Acquired COVID-19 Directive issued Nxesi in July, has received 22 333 COVID-19 claims. Of these, the fund accepted liability for 11 466 claims.

Of those, 71 are in relation to fatalities, while R57 million has been spent in support of workers through medical aid, funeral costs, and benefits for dependants as well as in temporary total disablement.

The department said the majority of the workers who will benefit from this initiative are mainly the vulnerable workers, who have the least resources to mitigate against the loss of income. This was irrespective of whether the employment was temporary or permanent but resulted from hospitalisation due to COVID-19 infection.

"The ripple effects of the financial burden they face are felt by their extended families, who rely on them for their livelihood," the department said.
The financing of African economies as they recover from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic will this week come into sharp focus when French President Emmanuel Macron hosts the continent's Heads of State.

Among those will be President Cyril Ramaphosa. The President on Sunday departed for Paris to participate in the Summit on the Financing of African Economies.

In an advisory, the Presidency said the President was attending the Summit at the invitation of President Macron.

"The President will join several African Heads of State and Government as well as leaders of global financing institutions at the Grand Palais Ephemere on Tuesday," reads the advisory.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor and Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, acting Minister in the Presidency, will accompany the President.

The purpose of the Summit, said the Presidency, is to support the economic recovery of African countries that have been affected by the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also aims to foster investments in Africa and avert the risk of excessive debt, the advisory reads.

Delegates are expected to deliberate on debt relief and support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through special drawing rights (SDRs).

Said the Presidency: "Leaders will also look at how to provide capital to the private sector on the African continent to support investments that will catalyse inclusive economic activity, create employment and accelerate the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals".

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The Summit on the Financing of African Economies follows a series of global stimulus package initiatives, including the World Bank's $14 billion fast-tracking of COVID-19 financing, the African Development Bank's $10 billion COVID-19 Response Facility and the International Monetary Fund's concessional financing and debt relief to assist countries and companies in their response to the pandemic.

Ahead of the Summit on the evening of Monday, President Ramaphosa will attend the Welcome Dinner in Honour of African Heads of State and Government hosted by President Macron.

During the visit, the President will also hold bilateral meetings with participating leaders to enhance South Africa's diplomatic relations.

European leaders, representatives of G7 and G20 countries and of international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are among Summit delegates.
document

The conclusion of the two-day oversight visit by the Portfolio Committee on Health in the Northern Cape on Saturday, coincided with the arrival of the first batch of Pfizer vaccine in the province, and that coincidence enabled the committee to witness the availability of the vaccines to launch the roll-out of Phase 2 of the vaccination programme in the province.

The purpose of the visit which started on Friday was to assess the state of readiness to roll-out the Phase 2 vaccination programme in the province. The programme which will start from today (17 May) will include the elderly and people with comorbidities. The committee heard that the province received vaccines that will cover 3150 people.

The decision of the province to receive fewer vaccines to avoid wastage especially in relation to capacity challenges and logistical impediments particularly in deep rural areas, was acknowledged by the committee. Furthermore, the committee has noted the request of the province to the National Department of Health to consider prioritising supplying mainly the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the province in light of a lack of refrigeration in the province.

Despite the province's good plans in place, the committee concluded, however, that the financial, infrastructure and topography challenges, as well as the performance of the provincial public healthcare system, will be a litmus test for the roll-out of the vaccination programme in the province. The committee said the top-slicing of about 2% of the budget of the Provincial Department of Health worsens an already dire situation.

"The committee has written to the National Treasury inviting the Minister and the department for a discussion on budgetary cuts especially to the health portfolio. This portfolio deals with matters of life and death, and continuous cutting of the budget is impacting negatively on the delivery of services," said Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, the Chairperson of the committee.

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The committee is of the view that the equitable share model disadvantages vast provinces such as the Northern Cape and where there is no reliable public transport for the majority of South Africans to reach healthcare facilities.

The committee noted the excellent work done by the Provincial Department of Health at the medical depot in Kimberley and innovative programmes it has implemented to ensure smooth distribution of medication to healthcare facilities. The mixed delivery model which the province adopted indicates door to door approach for some districts and central point of delivery for others.

The committee was impressed by the smoothless system of dispatching medication at the depot. The committee has also evaluated the refrigeration systems to be used to store the vaccines and it appreciated the clear protocols to be followed in handling the vaccines.

Notwithstanding the teething challenges created by budgetary constraints, the committee has encouraged the province to do everything it can, to ensure effective roll-out of the Phase 2 vaccination programme and subsequent phases in order to protect lives of the people of South Africa. "We also encourage our people to go all out to get vaccination which is a shield to overcome the silent killer called Covid-19," Dr Dhlomo emphasised.

The committee will, in the coming weeks schedule oversight visits to other provinces to assess the implementation of the roll-out of the Phase 2 vaccination programme.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is finalising critical tenders to address sewer spillages into the Vaal River and its surroundings.

In a statement on Sunday, the department said the upgrading of infrastructure to prevent the prolonged sewer spillages into the Vaal River and households in Emfuleni Local Municipality will begin shortly.

This as the department is finalising the evaluation of tenders that were advertised in November last year.

Tenders were advertised on 27 November 2020 and closed in January 2021, for expertise required to assist with the intervention in the areas of civil engineering, mechanical engineering and consultants to implement the work.

"As the evaluation process is at a critical state and on the verge of appointing preferred contractors, the department wishes to stress that it is working tirelessly to ensure that National Treasury, Public Finance Management act and Supply Chain Management prescripts are meticulously adhered to and that the process has integrity and is beyond reproach.

"In the coming weeks, the department would have finalised the appointment of contractors for them to immediately be on the ground, to urgently address the dire situation that requires urgent intervention," department spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau said.

NW Premier tackles water challenges

Meanwhile, North West Premier Job Mokgoro has met with relevant stakeholders in an effort to tackle water shortage challenges in the Madibeng and Rustenburg Municipalities.

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Accompanied by MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Mmoloki Cwaile, Mokgoro met with representatives from the mining giants including Impala, Samancor and Sibanyi, as well as the leadership of Madibeng and Rustenburg local municipalities.

The purpose of the meeting held at the Madibeng Local Municipality Chambers, was to come up with a workable plan of dealing with the water crisis in Segwaelane, Makolokwe, Barseba and Bethanie.

The villages have been experiencing water shortage for some time with protesters recently closing Sun City and recently the Sun City road.

The meeting also heard that illegal connections impact negatively on the reduction of pressure, drilling of boreholes and rehabilitation of the existing ones.

Mokgoro and Cwaile also met with representatives of Segwaelane, Makolokoe and Barseba to update them on government's efforts to resolve the water challenge in their areas.

The Premier promised affected communities a speedy resolution to their challenges, and reiterated that a permanent solution will be to replace ageing asbestos pipes, with proper PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes to reduce water wastage of leaks and illegal connections.
Kaduna Electric has urged the Kaduna State Government (KDSG) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to resolve their impasse amicably to avert the planned strike by NLC.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the NLC had planned to mobilise workers in both public and private sectors to shut economic activities in the state on Monday, over what it described as obnoxious anti-worker policies by the state government.

The company made the appeal in a statement on Sunday in Kaduna through its Head, Corporate Communication, Mr Abdulazeez Abdullahi.

"Kaduna Electric is keenly observing the ongoing negotiations between the Kaduna State Government and the NLC aimed at averting the planned shutdown of the state.

"As key stakeholders, we are deeply concerned and hope that the talks will yield positive outcomes that will guarantee no one suffers unduly in the event of a strike," he said.

He said that the company as a private corporation was caught in the middle as their staff belonged to a union, affiliated to NLC hence they might be obliged to join any strike called.

He explained that the company offered critical utility service in which withdrawal of services would cause untold hardship on residents, adding that the organisation also had the responsibility to keep to both their staff and the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

"We urge both parties to, in the spirit of give and take, try to find common grounds to resolve the dispute amicably.

"We are doing all we can on our part, to ensure that our esteemed customers have access to our services while a lasting solution is being sought to end the crisis. Our online payment services via our website is www.kadunaelectric.com", he said.

(NAN)

Vanguard News Nigeria
Kano State government directed on Sunday that pupils and students should return to school on Monday, May 17 since the Eid el-Fitri holiday is over.

The directive did not cover the 36 boarding schools government ordered closed early in the year on security grounds.

Commissioner for Education, Malam Muhammad Sanusi-Kiru said in a statement issued by the ministry's spokesman, Mr Aliyu Yusuf, that defaulting pupils and students would be sanctioned.

Sanusi-Kiru added that the ministry had made adequate arrangements for monitoring to ensure compliance.

He warned that government would not fold its arms and look the other way while students and parents chose the day convenient for the children to return to school.

"All boarding school students are to return to their schools on Sunday May 16, while Day schools students are to return to their schools on May 17," the commissioner was quoted as saying.

"Government is committing lots of resources to facilitate good learning and teaching environment.

"There is, therefore, the need for a reciprocating gesture by parents and students to return to school on stipulated dates," the commissioner stressed.

Vanguard News Nigeria
Leaders of the Tijjaniyya Islamic sect from across the country and beyond weekend paid allegiance to the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, in his Kaduna home, affirming that he is now their leader in Nigeria.

Speaking to hundreds of Tijjaniyya faithful who took turns to pray for Sanusi and recited melodious Arabic tunes to eulogize him, the representative of the leader of Tijjaniyya Worldwide, Sheikh AbdulAhad Nyass, said the unanimous decision to have the former emir as the leader in Nigeria was a blessing to all their followers not only in Nigeria but also Africa as a whole.

Nyass, who paid glowing tribute to the former emir, said the leader of the Tijjaniyya worldwide, Sheikh Mahi Nyass, was proud of the former emir's achievements both in public life and as a monarch.

While praying for peace and harmony in the country, he described the large gathering of their followers who had converged on Kaduna in honour of Sanusi ,as a testimony of how the former emir was still accepted and cherished by their adherents who had absolute confidence in his leadership qualities.

Similarly, Shekh Mukhtar Adhama expressed believe that Sanusi as leader of the Tijjaniyya Islamic sect would encourage learning and deep scholarship among the followers."According to him,"it is a thing of joy to see the entire Tijjaniyya scholars moved temporarily to Kaduna to felicitate and pay their allegiance to His Royal Highness, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi Lamido, our leader."

In his remarks amid recitation of prayers and other Arabic hymns from the multitude, former emir Sanusi recalled that long before he ascended the throne in Kano, he had visited great Tijjaniyya sheikhs in Kaulaha, Senegal, who had prayed and rightly predicted he would become Emir of Kano.

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Sanusi also said he had visited Fez in Morocco where he had an encounter with an Arab Sheikh, Zubair, grandson of Sheikh Nyass, who greeted him and he took him to a Sheikh who prayed for him.

'They also said I will be the next emir of Kano which has come to pass," Sanusi stated.

He recalled that even the present leadership of the Tijjaniyya bestowed on him 80% of those who endorsed him, even when they were not known to him.

While praying for the peace and tranquility in Nigeria, Sanusi admonished citizens to be patient and law abiding to the authorities.

He said even though things might not be rosy, it was a matter of time for normalcy to return as the years progress.

Vanguard News Nigeria
Just days after MCAs impeached Health Executive Richard Muga on grounds of incompetence, union officials have accused the assembly of meddling in the management of local hospitals.

This comes on the backdrop of a deepening health crisis that has seen conditions at the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital deteriorate, triggering complaints from residents.

While the executive is yet to act on the assembly's advice to dismiss several senior health officials, medical workers' unions said the impeachment of Prof Muga was unacceptable.

Officials from the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun), Kenya Union of Laboratories Technicians (Kult) and Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (Kuco) were all united in criticising the move yesterday.

"Ward reps want to micromanage healthcare by dictating who should lead the different health facilities in the county," KUCO branch chairman Stephen Omondi said.

Two weeks ago, a report on the status of the county's hospitals tabled in the assembly revealed deteriorating services at the facilities. Patients were using dirty linens while others were not getting enough food.

Medical facilities

Several of the medical facilities lacked adequate drugs and patients frequently complained of being overcharged.

In their recommendations, MCAs asked the county executive to fire Dr Peter Ogolla as chief executive officer and Dr Lillian Kochola appointed in his place. But medics said they would not accept Dr Kochola as CEO, accusing her of contributing to the mess at the hospital when she was posted to head the facility six years ago.

Healthcare services

Knun Executive Secretary Omondi Nyoje accused MCAs of failing to investigate the issues facing the health sector.

"We have seen a transformation in the provision of healthcare services at the hospital ever since the executive made changes to the leadership of the facility a month ago. Why do MCAs want to take us back to the mess we were in? We do not want Dr Kochola back," said Mr Nyoje.

Residents are still waiting to see if Governor Cyprian Awiti will terminate Prof Muga's contract.

The contract terms for Health Chief Officer Jerald Akeche are also being questioned as he is said to have been holding his position in an acting capacity for more than three years. Mr Nyonje said this is not the right time to replace top health officials.

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He said the process of recruiting new officers will jeopardise the fight against Covid-19 as the county will lack officers to manage the health sector.

"MCAs should work to ensure the welfare of health workers is protected. They should not bring their small issues with personalities in the management of health," the unionist said.

KUCO branch secretary Philip Mbom urged the Senate Health Committee to look into the management of health services in the county. He accused MCAs of derailing negotiations between the unions, the county executive and Senate Health Committee.

"We had scheduled a meeting with senators on how our grievances can be addressed. But some MCAs interfered with the process," said Mr Mbom.

Assembly Health Committee Chairperson Joan Ogada did not respond to calls when contacted to comment on the issues.

georgeodiwuor04@gmail.com
press release

Media Statement

Office of the Provincial Commissioner Western Cape

CAPE TOWN - Following the murder of a man in the RR Section in Khayelitsha on Saturday morning in a shooting incident by yet-to-be arrested assailants, several other shooting incidents that left eleven men dead and seven seriously wounded, have been reported in the area on Saturday afternoon.

The body of the first victim was found in Banzi Street, Site B with several gunshot wounds next to a firearm at 10:00 on Saturday morning. Police also found a substantial amount of cash.

In a second incident that is believed to be a retaliation attack to the first murder, two Somali nationals were shot at at T110 on Saturday afternoon. One died on the scene and the other was seriously wounded and taken to a medical facility.

In the RR Section, three other males were shot dead later on Saturday afternoon in an incident believed to linked to the first two.

Meanwhile at a spaza shop in Y-Block two other men were killed after being shot, one in the yard and another in a vehicle.

Reports also indicate two other Somali nationals were shot close to a spaza shop in the area. One died on the scene while the other was transported to hospital where he later died.

Additional information has since emerged that two other victims of the shooting incidents who were taken to Tygerberg hospital and the Khayelitsha District hospital later died.

Police have since reinforced deployments in the area. While organised crime detectives are hard at work probing multiple murder and attempted murder cases.

Western Cape Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thembisile Patekile has ordered the 72-hour Activation Plan for the mobilisation of resources in search of the gunmen. As part of the unfolding investigations, police are now in pursuit of specific leads.

Anyone with information that could assist in expediting the apprehension of the perpetrators is urged to contact the police on Crime Stop 08600 10111 or use the My SAPS App. All information relayed will be handled in strict confidence.
Abuja  A group, under the auspices Youths Earnestly Demand for Goodluck Jonathan 2023 (YED 4 GEJ 2023), has called on the former president to contest the 2023 presidential election, adding that its (the group) has resolved to fund his political campaign.

The group in a statement issued yesterday by its National Chairman, Mr. Teddy Omiloli, and National Director of Operations, Mr. Douye Daniel, said the country is urgently in need of a national builder, a unifier that can save the country from its current state.

The group said: "We are demanding Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to return to power as president in 2023, and we have also resolved to fund his electioneering should he accept the call to return to power in 2023."

It noted that Jonathan met a Nigeria with a faulty constitution; saw the need to restructure Nigeria and conveyed a national confab in 2014, but was unable to implement its recommendations because he was voted out of office in 2015.

The group said most Nigerians, including the youths, were too blind then to see that Nigeria's problem was the inability of Nigerians as a people to renegotiate the country's unity.

It added: "We call on every Nigerian to lend a voice to the demand for the return of Jonathan in 2023, as he has no other choice but to accept the call to render service to humanity in the capacity of the president of Nigeria.

"We as the youths of this great country, after discovering the Nigeria's problem and found the solution in Goodluck Jonathan, we are calling on all Nigerians, including our political elites, present administration and religious leaders, to join the call for the return of Goodluck Jonathan, and also join our #BringbackGEJ project."

The group pointed out that most of the secessionists leaders and campaigners are living outside the shores of Nigeria with their families, while they are busy deceiving the people of supposed promise land in Biafra and Oduduwa Republic.

It noted that a united, focused and developed Nigeria is an economic power threat to some world powers and first world nations.
The Board of Directors of Nigerian Breweries Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Hans Essaadi as the new Managing Director of the company with effect from July 31, 2021.

He replaces the current MD/CEO, Jordi Borrut Bel, who has completed his assignment in Nigeria and has been appointed as MD/CEO for Heineken South Africa.

In a statement to the Nigerian Exchange Limited, the board expressed gratitude to Bel, who it stated, "successfully cemented the company's position as market leader in a challenging operating environment," and also steered the company through a turbulent period, caused by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

The incoming MD is the current Managing Director of Al Haram Beverages, the Heineken Operating Company in Egypt. He joined the Heineken Group as a Sales representative in 1991 and rose through the ranks, assuming various senior roles within the Group in Sales, Export and Marketing.

He commenced his international career with Heineken Puerto Rico as the Country Manager, and thereafter became the General Manager, Brau Union International (Austria). Before his current role in Egypt, he was General Manager, Siroco (the Heineken Joint Venture with the Emirates in Dubai) and Managing Director, Heineken Malaysia Berhad, a listed Company in Malaysia.
President Paul Kagame on Sunday joined various African leaders and heads of global financial institutions in France, for twin summit meetings that will seek to help Sudan in its new dispensation and also provide Africa with critical financing needed to minimise Covid-19 effects.

The meetings will be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, in Paris.

With over 20 African heads of state due to attend Tuesday's summit, the conference will be one of the biggest high-level meetings held during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prior to the summit, President Kagame met with Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Sunday evening.

He also met Sahle Work Zewde, the President of Ethiopia.

On Monday, the leaders will discuss strategies to rally support for the Sudanese government under Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

This, according to a communique from organisers, will be followed by a summit Tuesday on financing African economies.

While the continent has only been relatively hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, compared to other regions, the economic cost is only too apparent.

The IMF in March warned that Africa faces a shortfall in the funds needed for future development a financial gap of $290 billion up to 2023.
The thousands of families that were completely wiped out during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi present yet another evidence that the bloody atrocities were premeditated, Egide Gatari, the President of the Association of Former Students Survivors of the Genocide (GAERG) has said.

He made the remarks on Saturday during an event organized to remember these families, which took place at Nyanza Genocide Memorial in Kicukiro District.

To date, statistics that about 15,593 families were completely wiped out during the genocide.

A family is considered wiped out when both parents and all the children are killed.

Altogether, the wiped out families in Rwanda comprised 68,871 members, who were all slain during the genocide.

Annually, GAERG organises an event to commemorate the completely wiped out families.

Speaking to the people that turned up for the event, Gatari reminded them of the high number of wiped out families, noting that every district in the country has such families.

Here, he said that this testifies to the fact that the genocide was premeditated.

"We have identified families in every district of the country where neither father, mother nor child survived. This shows that the plan of annihilating the Tutsi was planned and premeditated," he said.

Speaking at the event, Johnston Busingye, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General said that commemorating such families is an act of restoring dignity to them.

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"When we are doing this we are representing them (the wiped out families). And I think that where they are, they can see us. We should therefore continue to represent them, talk about their wishes and aspirations, and strive to achieve what they were not able to achieve," he said.

"It is the only way that restores dignity to them, the only way that can make their memory live on," he added.

Busingye also urged Rwandans to remember the evils of the genocide and put up measures to fight any genocidal tendencies.

"At such a time, we should remember the evils of the Genocide and what made it happen. We should remember that it won't happen, and continue to take measures to fight its ideology," he said.

Through a written note, First Lady Jeannette Kagame also sent a message of condolence in honour of the wiped out families.

"Today we remember the families that were wiped out during the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. Men, women and children that were robbed of their lives, and denied opportunity of having a future," she said.

"May remembering them give us strength of heart, and the zeal to fight against genocide ideology and minimization of the genocide, as we continue with the journey of healing and uniting Rwandans," she wrote.
NLC says it will maintain peace during the strike action beginning in Kaduna State on Monday

The Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has dismissed as false, the claims by the state government that the union had mobilised a mob to disrupt peace during the ongoing five-day warning strike called by the union.

A statement by the state NLC Chairman, Ayuba Suleiman, on Sunday, assured workers and the general public of their commitment to maintain peace during the strike action.

"It is not in the character of Labour to indulge in such uncivilised manner," it stressed, adding that only politicians use thugs to advance their cause.

The union, therefore, alerted the general public to watch out for thugs it alleged were recruited by the Kaduna State government to disrupt the peace in order to blame the NLC.

"We are calling the attention of the general public to the alleged planned mobilisation of thugs by the State Government to discredit our peaceful protest of tomorrow.

"Hence, we advocate that the people of Kaduna State should be vigilant and stand against this plan."

It also said: "Earlier, we were misled to commend the State Government for being the first State to implement N30, 000 minimum wage to both civil servants and the retirees.

"But, however, we noted with dismay that the government reverted to the old minimum wage of N18, 000 in the month of April."

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It added that about 20, 000 state civil servants received half salary in April, "which is even less than the former N18, 000 minimum wage."

The union also said the state government had denied health workers almost all allowances such as hazard, call duty, shifting and rural posting.

The NLC further said that the Kaduna state government has failed to pay the retirement benefits of 80 per cent of the 35, 000 civil servants it disengaged in 2017.

"It's sad for the Kaduna State Government to claim its commitment to training of workers while those that are qualified for promotion remain stagnant for years.

"On claims by the government of supporting civil servants to pay for houses through mortgages on a single digit interest, this claim is false.

"The reality of this was that this mortgage was gotten by the joint effort of NLC and TUC.

"The State Government in its ignorance failed to realize the obvious fact that payments of salaries have multiplying effects on the social welfare and economy.

"In other words, when salaries are paid it reflects down the line."

The NLC stressed that its grouse with the government was that the disengagement of workers was not done in accordance with the law.

It said that over 50,000 workers were sacked by the state government from 2017 to date.

These include over 21,000 teachers, 5,000 Local Government workers, 12,000 State civil servants and the recent sacking of over 7, 000 workers of local governments in April.
opinion

Port Harcourt  There should be limits to politicking.

I read with great displeasure the reactions and comments credited to Senators Ahmed Lawan, Ali Ndume and Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to the clarion calls by the southern governors for restructuring of the country and for Mr President to address the nation along with the ban of open grazing in the south. I am aware that these national legislators are from Mr President's party hence should defend him at all costs even if the country is boiling.

The Senate President said that the worsening security situation in the country is due to lack of a functional local government system. This is fallacious and misleading. Is it the local government system that controls the security agencies and our National Intelligence agencies? Who appoints the service chiefs, the local government chairman or the president of the country? Who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the local government chairman or the president of the Federal Republic of Nigerian? In case Senator Lawan has forgotten, Section 5 of the Nigerian constitution vested executive powers of the federation on the president and not on the local government chairmen or the state governors. I know when the issue of state policing was deliberated by the Nigeria Governors' Forum, it was rejected by most northern governors on the ground that they did not have the financial clout to finance such project. Today, the federal police will post a police officer who does not know the terrain of an area or the culture of a people to go and police the area.

On the call by the Southern Governors Forum for the restructuring of the country, Lawan said, "I believe that as leaders, especially those of us who are elected into office should not be at the forefront of calling for this kind of thing. Because, even if you are a governor, you are supposed to be working hard in your state to ensure that this restructuring you are calling for at the federal level, you have done it in your state as well." My people say that the oppressor will never see anything wrong in his act of oppression and I do not expect Senator Lawan to say the contrary.

I need not remind Senator Lawan that the 1999 constitution imposed on us by the military does not represent the wishes of the people of Nigeria. It is both absurd and abusive referring to the governors as the chief security officers in their states when they do not have any control on the police, army, DSS or any other security agencies in their respective states. Recently an online video showed where the governor of Akwa Ibom State was accusing the commissioner of police in his state for causing mayhem in the state. If Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel had control over the commissioner of police in his state would he not have transferred such commissioner of police out of his state or sack him? To me, it is derogatory referring to a state governor as the chief security officer of his state when he has no control over any of the security agencies. All the security agencies in the state are controlled from Abuja.

In the same vein, the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has argued that the agitation for restructuring may be genuine but elected leaders and state governors should not be the ones to champion the movement for restructuring without first replicating the idea at the state level. I want to remind Hon. Femi that the governors were voted in by the people hence they should represent their people at all times. What the governors said was exactly the wish of their subjects. We run a representative system of government and the governors are representing their people.

On the other hand, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, has said Southern governors in the country won't get the solution to the various problems confronting the region by playing to the gallery. I believe that Senator Ndume should have another meaning to the idiomatic expression of " playing to the gallery" because there is no way somebody would regard the decisions reached by the southern governors as playing to the gallery.

Senator Ndume again faulted the decision of the Southern governors to ban open grazing in the states, adding that open grazing was not the problem but insecurity. This is preposterous as our people say that to separate a fight one must first stop the opponents from coming together. I want to remind Senator Ndume that southern governors are not acting alone in this, as Justice Adewale Thompson banned open grazing on 17th April 1969 and warned of unprovoked killings by Fulani herdsmen. So there is a judicial precedent on this matter before the southern governors did the needful. Senator Ndume may verify this from Suit no AB/26/66.

In his judgment on the suit, the presiding judge, Justice Adewale Thompson, had this to say : "I do not accept the contention of Defendants that a custom exists which imposes an obligation on the owner of farm to fence his farm whilst the owner of cattle allows his cattle to wander like pests and cause damage. Such a custom if it exists is unreasonable and I hold that it is repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience and therefore unenforceable... in that it is highly unreasonable to impose the burden of fencing a farm on the farmer without the corresponding obligation on the cattle owner to fence in his cattle." Sequence to that I banned open grazing for it is inimical to peace and tranquility and the cattle owners must fence or ranch their animals for peace to reign in these communities."

I still want to put it to Senator Ndume that trespass is both civil and criminal offence in Nigeria hence it is senseless defending herdsmen who take their cattle to another person's property to destroy the person's crops. Section 342 of the penal code is clear on what constitutes a criminal trespass and section 348 of th e same code clearly outlines the punishment for criminal trespass. It may also interest Senator Ndume to know that the Supreme Court has gone further to state the ingredients of a criminal trespass as follows: Unlawful entry into or upon a property in the possession of another or unlawful remaining there; an intention to commit an offence or intimidate, insult or annoy the person in possession of the property.

It needs to be noted that trespassing can have both civil and criminal consequences. A property owner may be able to sue someone who enters their land without permission. Meanwhile, the trespasser also may face criminal charges. The prosecutor would need to prove that the defendant intentionally entered someone else's property without permission, or remained there after being told to leave. This charge usually arises in the context of private property, but it can also arise if someone enters a store or other business, or even a city or state park, when they are not permitted to be there. I intentionally cited penal code that is applicable to northern part of the country which is where Senator Ndume hails from because I don't want to bore him with similar provisions of the criminal code.

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I put it to Senator Ndume that these two ingredients of criminal trespass are being executed by the herdsmen who unlawfully access somebody's farm, intimidate, maim, rape or even kill the farmer if the farmer raises an eyebrow. I laughed when I read where Ndume said that: "They (the southern governors) have unfettered access to Mr President who is the Commander-In-Chief and they themselves being the chief security officers of their states have the national security council."

Let me begin by asking Senator Ndume which president he was referring to? Was it the same president that said that he was not aware that his former IGP did not carry out his instruction when the Benue killings began and he could neither sack the IGP nor replace him for flouting his order? Was Ndume referring to a president under whose watch the federal ministry of Justice was eager to approach the court to proscribe IPOB while the rampaging Fulani herdsmen are killing and wiping out communities with nobody saying anything? Was Ndume referring to the same president that under his watch, Abuja-Kaduna road is now a nightmare to travellers?

I will not fail to mention the reaction of some northerners who faulted the southern governors for not first consulting the leadership of the Fulani herdsmen before banning open grazing in the south. Consultation will be for what? Will the southern governors first consult the leaders for the herdsmen as owners of the country or owners of the southern part of the country? How many southerners were consulted before Sharia law was illegally implemented in the north even when such implementation was totally and clearly against sections 10 and 38 of the Nigerian constitution as amended?

Dr John wrote from Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Tunis/Tunisia  A rally in support of the Palestinian people took place in the Kasbah Square in Tunis on Saturday, on the initiative of the Tunisian Civil Coalition Against Normalisation.

Demonstrators held signs and chanted slogans condemning the raids, destruction and forced evictions carried out by the Zionist entity on the Palestinian people for several days in Gaza and al-Quds.

The slogans read Save Gaza, Save Sheikh Jarrah, Al-Quds rise up, "No to the judaisation of al-Quds, Gaza under attack, We will not leave... 

It is important that all peoples and all champions of freedom in the world express their support for the Palestinians, victims of a genocide planned by the Zionist enemy, executive director of the "Supporters of Palestine" organisation Bechir Khedhri to TAP.

He denounced the complicity of several Arab leaders in the massacres of women, children and innocent unarmed civilians, adding their laxity, their betrayal of the cause and their rush to normalise relations with the Zionist entity will not affect the determination of Palestinians to resist and to liberate their land.

He pointed to Tunisia's stepping in, as non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, to request an emergency meeting of the Council and condemn the massacres perpetrated by the Zionist entity.

Khedri called on the Tunisian government to summon the US and French ambassadors to formally protest and ask for clarification of their countries' support for the Zionist aggression.

Secretary General of the Tunisian General Union of Students (UGTE) Hamza Akaichi, in the same context, called on the Tunisian authorities to speed up the enactment of the law criminalising normalisation, announcing that support rallies will be held in Tunisian universities when classes resume.

The UGTE will launch a campaign to collect donations for the Palestinian people, in coordination with civil society and relevant international organisations, he added.

Zionist raids on Gaza have intensified in recent days, killing more than 130 people, including forty children, and injuring more than 630.
Chinese FM to chair UNSC Middle East debate

Xinhua) 08:52, May 17, 2021

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will on Sunday chair the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on "The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question" and deliver remarks via video link, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced here Sunday.

China, as the rotating presidency of the UNSC in May, has pushed the UNSC to hold two rounds of urgent consultations on the Palestine-Israel conflict and drafted a UNSC press statement, Hua said.

In recent days, the conflict between Palestine and Israel has caused many casualties, and regional tensions have further escalated, Hua said.

Through this open debate, China hopes to encourage all parties to stop hostilities immediately and resume political dialogue as soon as possible, said Hua.

China also hopes the meeting will push the international community, especially the Security Council, to play an active role in easing tensions and resolving the Middle East issue through political means, she added.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
opinion

Abuja  Taking a stand against corruption and in defense of the national interest is a tough and risky call. Patriotic technocrats and principled Nigerians who head critical public institutions and chose to uphold the tenets of transparency, accountability, while leading historic reforms to make a difference put their lives, families, and reputations at great risk.

This is because corruption is not only entrenched but also pretty skilled at fighting back. More so, vested interests and their agents - in high and low places - that seek to plunder the commonwealth in pursuit of selfish agendas possess such a fierce capacity and willingness to use all means necessary to destroy those who stand in their way.

Consider the recent trials of one of the stars of the Buhari administration, Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, and the high-caliber schemes to remove her as the MD/CEO of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) on the back of trumped-up charges that are not only weak but keep changing like a chameleon.

It's Not about Performance or Accountability

This unfortunate move is coming after close to five years of her "not business as usual" leadership of the NPA, during which time, she dared to step on big toes as she championed bold reforms that should qualify her, unarguably, as the most consequential head of the institution in recent history.

This includes a prudent and transparent management style of the NPA that saw the agency build and sustain an impressive trajectory of revenue growth from N173 billion in 2015 to N300 billion as of 2019 (the first time in NPA's history); an uncompromising and patriotic stand against dodgy contracts that in-subordinated the national interest which led to the cancellation/restructuring of many agreements that defrauded the country including INTELS' monopoly on oil and gas cargo, JV with Calabar Channel Management and Niger Global, cancelation of the Secure Anchorage Area amongst several others.

She pursued a vigorous dredging and facilities upgrade campaign that helped to open up the South Eastern Ports including Warri and Onne Ports in River State that had been close to dead and the actualization of the Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos. As a result, the NPA in 2020 made history by successfully berthing one of the biggest gearless Maersk line - 300 meters length, 48 meters wide, vessels at Onne in Rivers State, the biggest ever container vessel to arrive at any Nigerian ports.

Additionally, she never shied away from "necessary" confrontations to protect the national interest and insisted that operators carry out their contractual obligations, pay their due without cutting corners as was the practice in the past. Bala-Usman's tough stance against corruption helped to save Nigeria billions of naira, improved NPA's contribution to the national purse, introduced efficiencies in the operations of NPA by blocking points of revenue leakages, stopping cronyism amongst several other radical changes that are designed to reform the NPA.

Is Corruption Fighting Back?

So, if positive change, a record of sterling performance and ability to lead institutional reforms, that Bala-Usman has demonstrated so eloquently at the NPA, are the key objectives of leadership, especially at this time of declining national revenues that require prudent management of available resources, why would anyone, who genuinely cares about the progress of this country, want her out of the NPA? Whose interest would be served by removing her from NPA? Clearly, given the value that she added, her departure would not be in pursuit of the national good. One would expect that the patriotic thing to do would be to encourage her to use the remaining time in office to consolidate the reforms and complete the turnaround of the NPA, an important institution that is a key revenue driver for the country.

This leaves one possibility: That the hurried attempt to take her out of NPA is simply a classic case of vicious corruption fighting back so NPA can revert to, "business as usual" and a free rein for looters of our commonwealth. It is not about the lack of accountability, transparency or positive change or any wrongdoing by Bala-Usman, but rather a hostile takeover of the NPA that would reverse the gains made in the past four years of reforming the institution and possibly weaken its contribution to the national purse while fattening those of vested interests and their acolytes. This should concern all well-meaning Nigerians and the government.

The Shifty Terms of Reference

It is clear from the shifty nature of the case laid against her that those who want her out of NPA, do not have substantial basis for their actions, but have rather ignored laid down procedures, engaged in executive overreach while shopping for any available reason to indict her as evidenced in subsequent actions taken by the Ministry of Transportation. This is wrong and Nigerians must not be taken for a ride.

The initial case against her in a letter to Mr. President in March was built on a Budget Office report which alleged a shortfall in NPA operating remittance to the federal government coffers totaling about N165 billion for the period 2016 to 2020.

First, according to laid down procedures, a simple query to the NPA MD requesting for an explanation of the alleged disparities in the Budget report would have been the ideal thing for the Minister to do. That is, if ensuring financial probity and accountability were the actual goal. However, by hurriedly escalating the issue to the President and requesting for an investigative panel to be set up without exploring due process of handling such matters as stipulated, the action betrayed the Minister of Transportation's malicious intent to advance a hideous and unpatriotic agenda.

In her robust and detailed response dated May 5, 2021, to the Chief of Staff, Bala-Usman explained that the alleged shortfall was as a result of an error from the Budget Office. Apparently, the Budget Office had wrongly made the calculation of what NPA was supposed to remit based on budgetary provision instead of the actual amounts derived following the statutory audit of NPA's financial accounts. What her response proved was that NPA under her leadership had remitted in full all that it was supposed to. Her response sucked the life out of the allegation that was used to procure Mr. President's approval for her suspension and investigation.

Next, on May 11th, the Minister went on to set up an investigative panel of inquiry with a radically expanded terms of reference. While the initial approval anchored on investigating the shortfall in NPA remittances, the panel has now been given a wide-ranging scope of a total audit of Bala-Usman's tenure in the NPA, a move that is akin to a wild fishing expedition. This includes examining and investigating the administrative policies, strategies adopted by the MD, investigating issues regarding termination of pilotage, contracts, communication channels, procurement of contracts and any other matter that may be necessary in the course of the assignment.

This blank cheque audit is, clearly, nothing but a witch-hunt that is designed to rubbish the hardworking reformer. But Nigerians are smarter and should not be deceived by the well-orchestrated charade to discredit an outstanding technocrat. Questions must be asked, and the focus must be on ensuring that NPA does not return to the old days when it was just a cash cow for political patronage and cronyism.

The first question that Nigerians should ask is with Bala-Usman now suspended, is the NPA in better hands under Mohammed Koko, who was the Zenith Bank accounts officer to River's state government when Amaechi was governor and whom the Minister specifically nominated and now back to act as MD NPA? What is his pedigree, and why is the Minister so particular about him?

Another question is why has the panel singled out Bala-Usman, when the whole management team should be the logical subjects for such an expansive investigation? Managing Directors do not act alone, and it is unlikely that she did anything without the knowledge of her management team, the Board and even the Ministry. The same Koko was the Executive Director, Finance of NPA, so, why is he and other members of the management not persons of interest in the audit?

Moreover, in terms of principles and the capacity to shake down vested interests, there is little in the history of Koko to suggest that he would come close to staring down all corrupt interests that have hampered the growth of NPA over the years and prevented the reform of the important agency.

Another question is why is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation Mrs. Magdalene Ajani suddenly issuing sub-judicial incriminating statements against the NPA MD? Is the action intended to influence the outcome of the administrative panel?

A key point of conflict between Bala-Usman and Amaechi has been around INTELS, a ports logistics company, which had until she came on board, allegedly monopolised the highly lucrative oil and gas cargo, and has had a running battle with the NPA for failure to remit revenue that is due to government. It is reported that recently, Amaechi allegedly asked the NPA to drop all matters relating to INTELS including a court case but Bala-Usman drew the attention of the president to the fact that there were no existing contracts between INTELS and NPA that were terminated, following which the approval granted to the Minister of Transportation by Mr. President was withdrawn. However, on the expiration of one of the contracts, the NPA insisted on following due process instead of automatically reinstating the expired contracts, a process in which INTELS participated in.

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A Big Loss for Nigeria

All these worrisome posers point to one thing: that the target has always been Bala-Usman, who is seen as a roadblock to doing "business as usual". It must be understood that those who want her out are not doing so to make NPA better. The crass approach, disdain for laid down procedures all but show a resort to muscular tactics to run a lady who has championed the historic reform of NPA out of office. Bala-Usman's travails are, indeed, a sad commentary on the country and the anti-corruption crusade.

For Nigeria to build strong and robust institutions that foster sustainable development, outstanding leaders who demonstrate the unique ability to uphold and prioritise national interest, champion positive change and a new way of doing things as well as add value to the country must be protected from the devious schemes of these unpatriotic elements. This would enable them to serve out their tenures, deliver change and build impressive track records as exemplary figures for others to follow. Doing otherwise amounts to a surrender to retrogressive forces. Surely, time will vindicate Hadiza. However, the country has lost a rare gem and a chance to sustain reforms at the NPA.

Continuous witch-hunt and destruction of persons genuinely willing and interested in changing the sad trajectory of the Nigerian Narrative, will only alienate quality Nigerian citizens from aspiring to hold public office.

Ikyaave is a public policy analyst based in Abuja
Freetown, Sierra Leone  The Finnish court trying former Revolutionary United Front commander Gibril Massaquoi for war crimes allegedly committed in Liberia heard from a defense witness on Friday who had testified against former Liberian president Charles Taylor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Codenamed "witness 7" the former RUF commander echoed the testimony of previous witnesses testifying to the court in Freetown that Massaquoi could not have been in Liberia when dozens of Liberian witnesses said he committed atrocities.

Like previous witnesses, "7" denied knowing Massaquoi had ever fought in Liberia and said the witnesses in Liberia who accused Massaquoi of atrocities including murder, rape and torture, were lying against an innocent man.

"When I heard that Massaquoi was in jail because he is accused of fighting and killing in Liberia, I cried, because he never fought any war in Liberia but he only went for peace talks with Taylor in 2000," he said.

Witness 7 was the latest of 19 witnesses who will testify on Massaquoi's behalf in the Sierra Leone sessions of the trial. Massaquoi's defense team is trying to establish doubt about the testimonies of dozens of witnesses in Liberia who said Massaquoi in his alias of "Angel Gabriel" committed atrocities in Lofa County and in the Waterside area of Monrovia, Liberia. The defense contends Massaquoi was under witness protection in Freetown when the witnesses said he committed crimes in Liberia and could not have traveled to Liberia. Defense witnesses have also suggested that there was another fighter in Liberia at the time with the name "Angel Gabriel" who may have committed the crimes.

Prosecutors challenged the witness's testimony saying he had told the Special Court for Sierra Leone a different story from that he was telling the Finnish court.

Reading from his statement in The Hague, prosecutors cited a passage where he said he witnesses a vehicle filled with ammunition leave former President Taylors's house and go to the Airfield in Monrovia. He said ammunition was put onboard a chopper and taken to Lofa as supply for the RUF. Witness 7 told the Finnish Court he could not remember that testimony or those events.

A portion of The Hague testimony read: "Witness told the court that he saw Charles Taylor giving US 10,000 dollars to Sam Burkarie, also known as General Mosquito, and the witness saw Mosquito counting the money."

Looking nervous Witness 7 said, "It has been long, I cannot remember saying anything like that."

"7" admitted going to Liberia to clear a supply route in Lofa County as soldier also said the previous day, and said the RUF pushed LURD rebels as far as the Guinea border.

"I was the brigade commander, and I went to Foya, Kolahun and Voinjama because the road was blocked by LURD forces," he said. "I carried men with me and Massaquoi was not part of us because he was not in Liberia."

Code 7, who said RUF fighters were known as the Cobra Unit by the Liberian government, denied that RUF fighters killed any civilians in Lofa. Dozens of witnesses in the Liberian section of the trial in March had detailed numerous atrocities committed by RUF forces in Lofa County under the command of "Angel Gabriel" including the burning to death of dozens of children.

Witness 7 said he had only witnessed a Liberian army commander known as "Zig-Zag Massa" committing atrocities.

"I saw Zig-zar Massa killing human beings, drying their bodies and eating them. I was afraid and stayed far away from him, while I was in Liberia," he said.

The man also told the court he was testifying in fear for his security because he had suffered greatly as a result of testifying against Taylor in the Special Court's hearings in The Hague. Witness 7 said after he returned everyone knew that he had testified and people came to kill him. He said he fled his home to save his life. The witness showed a mark on his leg, which he said was from the incident. The Finnish judges assured "7" that if he felt threatened in any way, he should let the Finnish police know.

Massaquoi is being prosecuted in Finland for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Liberia. Massaquoi was relocated to Finland in 2005 in return for informing on Taylor and others for the Special Court but when Civitas Maxima, of Switzerland and Liberia-based Global Justice Research Project presented Finnish investigators in the city of Tampere, where he was living, with evidence of his war crimes in Liberia, they charged him in March 2020.

Massaquoi's trial began on February 1 in Tampere. Rather than transport more than 80 witnesses set to testify to Finland in the midst of a pandemic, the Finnish court traveled to Finland and Sierra Leone.

Another defense witness, codenamed 10, told the court hearing on Friday that he was a radio operator for Massaquoi and said he knew Massaquoi when they were all trained together by the RUF leader Foday Sankoh in 1991. He said Sankoh came to liberate his people.

"In 1999 to 2003, I was operating radio for Massaquoi because he had a satellite to speak with BBC, RFI and VOA. Massaquoi was the public relations officer for the RUF, after Ivory Coast peace in 1996," he said.

In another section of inquiry "10" said a strange number called him from Switzerland last year and the person told him there was a court trial coming to Sierra Leone.

"I saw a Switzerland number on my phone and when I missed the call so I returned called, the person said there was going to be a court trial and he wanted me to be on his side. When I asked for his name, he did not call his name so I told him if he cannot call his name, I won't talk so I hung up the phone."

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When Witness 10 gave his phone to a court officer to search for the number, the court could only see his returned call to the number but did not see a call coming to him from the number.

"10" said Massaquoi played a role in the Sierra Leone Special Court as a principle witness because he was the PRO for the RUF and he knew he was in witness protection. However Witness 10 did not say he knew Massaquoi was in witness protection and unable to travel in the crucial period of 2003 when Massaquoi's alleged crimes in Liberia took place.

"He was at a safe location and police was protecting him in 2007 to 2008. While he was under witness, I met him in 2008 it was the last time I saw him," he said.

Witness 10 denied knowing Foday Sankoh gave diamonds to Charles Taylor and that Massaquoi received a satellite phone from Charles Taylor. Taylor was convicted by the Special Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity including trading Sierra Leonean diamonds for weapons. He is serving a 50-year-sentence in a UK prison. Sankoh died while awaiting trial.

The trial continues on Saturday.

This story was in collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The funder had no say in the story's content.

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press release

South Africa joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia under the theme "Together: Resisting, Supporting and Healing". Government calls on everyone to play their part to ensure the safety of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) community. We call on all sectors of society to oppose any form of violence committed against LGBTQI+ persons.

In 1990, on this day, the World Health Organisation took a firm stand to remove homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases opening a gateway to equal rights and inclusion.

The South African Constitution which celebrates its 25 Years anniversary provides for equal rights to all who live in South Africa. The Bill of Rights reaffirms that the State may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone irrespective of race, gender, marital status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or cultural background.

Government reaffirms its commitment to protect the rights of all who live in South Africa. Members of the LGBTI+ community are equally protected by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

This commemoration builds on existing measures to educate and raise awareness amongst the public. It is also used to reflect on progress that has been made by the National Task Team on Gender and Sexual Orientation Based Violence Perpetrated Against LGBTQI+ Persons which was established to protect and address concerns of the LGBTQI+ community.

As we commemorate this day the Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said: "Government will stop at nothing until the realization of an equal society that protects lives and livelihoods of all especially the most vulnerable members of society is achieved."

She further said "The National Strategic Plan On Gender-Based Violence and Femicide remains relevant as a multi-sectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework that coordinates a national response to the crisis of gender-based violence and femicide which also affects the LGBQTI+ community."

Government will continue to do all it can to provide a safe environment particularly for the marginalised members of society and create a conducive space to ensure their full economic participation in the development of the country. As a society we all have a responsibility to exercise tolerance, respect for each other.
press release

Premier Mokgoro and relevant stakeholders tackle water shortage challenges in Madibeng and Rustenburg municipalities

In an effort to deal with water shortage challenges in Madibeng and Rustenburg local Municipalities, North West Premier, Prof. Tebogo Job Mokgoro accompanied by MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mmoloki Cwaile met with representatives from the mining giants such as Impala, Samancor and Sibanyi as well as the leadership of Madibeng and Rustenburg local municipalities at the Madibeng Local Municipality Chambers.

The purpose of the meeting was to come up with a workable plan of dealing with water crisis in Segwaelane, Makolokwe, Barseba and Bethanie.

The villages have been experiencing water shortage for some time and recently the Sun City road was closed by protesters.

Premier Mokgoro and MEC Cwaile also met with representatives of Segwaelane, Makolokoe and Barseba to update them on efforts that government is making to resolve the water challenge in their areas.

As part of the intervention package, the communities are jojo tanks and getting tankering service. Sibanyi mine will also increase the water pressure to Segwaelane.

In the meeting it was also highlighted that illegal connections impact negatively on the reduction of pressure, drilling of boreholes and rehabilitation of the existing ones.

MEC Mmoloki Cwaile called on municipalities to work with mining houses around their areas to assist the community to get water.

North West Premier Prof T.J. Mokgoro promised affected communities a speedy resolution to their challenges and reiterated that a permanent solution will be to replace ageing asbestos pipes with proper PVC pipes to reduce water wastage of leaks and illegal connections.
press release

Today, the Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, welcomes the arrest of 11 suspects in connection with the spate of murders which unfolded in Khayelitsha over the weekend.

According to SAPS, the Western Cape police's integrated task team, which comprised Lockdown II forces, intelligence officials, organized crime detectives and a combat contingent, tracked and traced the suspects to a hotel in Sea Point at 03:00. They are presently being questioned with a view to charging them later.

Minister Fritz said, "I would like to welcome the arrest of the elven suspects by the SAPS early this morning. The arrest comes on the back of a 72-hour plan activated by the acting-Provincial Commissioner, Gen. Patekile. We need to commend SAPS for their work in this regard. The arrest shows that we can beat crime. The arrest shows that we will beat crime!"

Minister Fritz will be at the Khayelitsha Police Station in Site B, Khayelitsha, at 11:00 this morning.
A former Liberian President, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has expressed displeasure over the suspension of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 6, 2021 ordered suspension of Bala-Usman pending the outcome of an investigation into the activities of the NPA management by a panel of enquiry.

Johnson-Sirleaf, who took to her verified Twitter handle: @MaEllenSirleaf on Saturday to react to the development, said she was disheartened to hear about the suspension of the NPA boss.

The tweet by Sirleaf was also re-tweeted by Hadiza Bala-Usman on her verified Twitter handle on Saturday.

The former Liberian President said she had known the NPA boss to be an accomplished leader and dedicated public servant.

She, however, called for the adherence to the rule of law and fair and equal treatment as the matter is being investigated.

Sirleaf wrote: "I am disheartened to hear about the suspension of Nigerian Ports Authority MD @hadizabalausman, who I have known to be an accomplished leader and dedicated public servant. I urge adherence to the rule of law and fair and equal treatment as the situation evolves."

However, some Nigerian Twitter users have berated the former Liberian president for not being concerned about the incessant killings in Nigeria as well as the kidnapping of girls and school children, describing her intervention as a misplaced priority.
Owerri  The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese, Most Rev. Anthony Obinna, has commended the decision of the 17 Southern governors who met last week in Asaba, Delta State, to collectively ban open cattle grazing and sent a strong message to the federal government on restructuring.

Obinna also flayed the authorities for the mass movement of soldiers and police from the northern part of the country to South-east region without a clear mission of their movement.

He accused them of ulterior motives, even as the people of the Southeast are being subjected to series of dehumanisation, including killings of innocent people, especially youths by the security agencies.

The cleric, who spoke in his sermon at the Assumpta Catholic Cathedral, Owerri, during the Holy Mass marking the celebration of 2021 World Communication Day yesterday, emphasised that Nigeria has not changed from the colour of military regime since the current administration took power, adding that the people still suffer as if democracy does not exist in the country.

Obinna stressed that democracy seemed not to be working in Nigeria "because the leaders have failed the people. However, I commend the Southern governors for waking up from their slumber to now speak what the people want. In the past, they had failed the people by doing only what Abuja wants, but what they did this past week is a wakeup call to redress the anomaly by banning open cattle grazing and demanding the restructuring of the country."

On security, he decried the situation, saying: "We are in trouble because the government has failed to provide security for the people. The idea of importing soldiers and police from the North to South-east region to continue to kill our innocent people is worrisome."

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According to him, "We are encouraging the governors of the South-east region, including the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, to speak up on the ills in the society. The federal government is dividing us, and external forces are coming to Imo State to kill our people in the pretense of protecting us. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) came up because the federal government had been treating the people of the Southeast as slaves and second class citizens."

Speaking on the theme of the 2021 World Communication Day Pope's message on 'Come and See', the prelate enjoined media professionals to convey the truth all the time, adding that "with the advent of social media, the media have lost its colour and seriousness in communicating the truth, and I hoped that they would return to the ethics of the profession which dwells on truth and fairness."
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has warned against trading under high-tension wire to avoid disasters.

IBEDC's Chief Operating Officer (COO), Engr John Ayodele, gave the charge against the backdrop of the increasing trading activities under high tension wires.

In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, mechanic shops, block industries, car wash shops, POS shops and petty trading are common features sighted under high tension wires along Power Line and Ring roads.

Engr Ayodele, therefore, pleaded with residents to take safety precautions as very important and advised those trading under high tension wires to move away to safe areas.

He also pleaded with residents not to engage quacks to fix power faults and assured that IBEDC's technical crew would be available to rectify any fault that might arise.

He cautioned those in the habit of harassing IBEDC staff while going about their lawful duties to desist, saying IBEDC would explore all available legal options to seek redress should any of its staff become a victim of harassment.

He said, "It is also important that other safety precautions such as proper supervision of children is ensured to prevent electrical accidents."
The Student Christian Movement of Nigeria (SCM) has appealed to the international community to help Nigeria out of its current security challenges.

The newly-elected National President of SCM, Mrs Ebere Ubesie, made the call at a news conference held in Ibadan, against the backdrop of the pervading insecurity across the country.

Ubesie also urged the federal government to take decisive steps that would end the spate of kidnappings and armed banditry in some parts of the country. She particularly condemned the abduction of some students of Greenfield University Kaduna and the killing of five of them by their abductors, saying that urgent steps must be taken to get the remaining students off the hook.

According to Ubesie, SCM is Nigeria's branch of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) based in Geneva, Switzerland.

NAN
Umuahia  Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has said there is no going back on the anti-grazing law in the state.

Ikpeazu also said his administration is working closely with other States in the South East to address the issue of insecurity in the region.

The Governor said the Ebubeagu Security outfit would help address the security challenges faced in the region.

He informed that the idea behind the Ebubeagu Security outfit is to collaborate and maximize the comparative advantage in each state of the region, enable the region procure modern technology to facilitate monitoring of movement of persons and to effectively tackle the challenges headlong.

Ikpeazu said the launch of the new security outfit couldn't have come at a better time and that the State already had in place the Homeland Security Unit with a mandate to protect lives and property of people of the State.

While stating that the state was deepening the Ebubeagu security outfit by recruiting at the ward and community levels citizens who would help in the area of information and intelligence gathering at the grassroots level, the State Chief Executive said: "The State will soon organize a stakeholders forum which will have in attendance all stakeholders in the security sector.

"We are bringing together stakeholders in the security sector to help us evaluate the template we have; this will enable us tackle the security challenges we are faced with. Our target is to create a security architecture robust enough to secure our state."

On the farmer-herder crisis, the Governor said his administration took proactive steps by enacting a bill through the State Assembly to ban open grazing in the State.

This he said has helped the state in addressing clashes.

"We have a law on open grazing. Aside Benue State, Abia was the first to pass the Anti-Open Grazing law in the country. We are tackling criminal herdsmen from other parts of the country and sub-region. We are enforcing the law," he said.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is experiencing severe water shortages.

Taps running dry and dilapidated water infrastructure is forcing schools to send learners in Kariega home early every day.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has promised to adopt over 30 schools to assist with water saving measures.

Hundreds of learners in the Eastern Cape are being sent home early everyday because schools run out of water.

This comes as communities in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality have been experiencing severe water shortages as dams run dry. The problem has been caused by a combinationn of low rainfall, the municipality's failure to fix leaks or to plan for the water shortage.

On Thursday, grade R to 7 learners at Vuba Primary in KwaNobuhle, Kariega, went home two hours earlier than usual.

School Governing Body member Noluthando Sifuba said the school's water shortage has left the toilets in a terrible state. She said that the school's three Jojo tanks were also empty because it has not rained consistently for three months.

"The taps are loose and pipes are ageing in the school. We are waiting for a maintenance budget to be released, but it won't be enough as the damage is extensive," she said.

Sifuba said learners have been asked to contribute a 2-litre bottle of water which is used to cook the meals they get at school. "Most children attend school without eating breakfast at home. Our taps are very slow and don't operate smoothly," she said.

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At Noninzi Luzipho Primary, SGB chairperson Aletta April said that all learners are sent home if they arrive at school and the taps are dry.

At Mthonjeni Primary, the girls' toilet taps are loose and leaking onto the floor. A teacher, who did not want to be named said, "We owe the municipality over R100,000 for water, electricity and sewage but we get only about R47,000 per year from the department for municipal services."

Last month, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber promised to adopt over 30 schools to assist with water saving measures. "We will adopt the schools with the help of member companies, to repair damaged or faulty infrastructure at some of the metro schools ... that have been identified as high water consumers," said acting CEO Prince Matonsi.

Education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said that 15% of the province's budget goes to maintenance. "Some schools complain to us about overgrown grass or broken windows, while we give them a maintenance budget annually to use for electricity, water and sewage. We urge schools to use the budget as it does not roll over to another financial year."
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) will convene today at State House Entebbe to discuss the rules to follow in the election of the Speaker and deputy of the 11th Parliament.

Speaker elections are slated for May 24 at Kololo ceremonial grounds following swearing-in of 529 Members of Parliament-elect that start today.

Sources this publication contacted said the meeting to be chaired by President Museveni will also discuss other party matters, including local council elections.

Mr Museveni is also the chairperson of the ruling NRM party and CEC member. Other CEC members include the first national vice-chairperson Moses Kigongo and 2nd national vice-chairperson female and Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga and six regional vice-chairpersons; the Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah (North), Chris Baryomunsi (West), Karamoja's Simon Peter Aleper, Singh Katongole (Kampala), Musa Ecweru (East), and Godfrey Kiwanda (Central).

Other members are: All national special league committee chairpersons, the secretary-general, deputy secretary general, national treasurer, deputy national treasurer, NRM parliamentary caucus chairperson, national secretaries, chairpersons of Commissions and deputy national secretaries.

"We are majorly going to study regulations of the Speaker of Parliament, the deputy speaker and formation of other local governments," one of the CEC members said choosing not to be named to freely discuss the issue.

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Another member suggested that CEC is likely to meet again later this week to pronounce itself on the speakership race ahead of a planned NRM caucus at the weekend.

The caucus is expected to discuss recommendations by CEC in order to galvanise NRM lawmakers to give a block vote to the party's choice.

"They are presenting the draft regulations for speakership and deputy. There will be another CEC meeting at the weekend. I think they didn't change much from last times' (2016) regulations," the source said.

Some of the qualities that CEC looks at before any individual is trusted with their vote is one's loyalty to the party, experience and qualifications.

Currently, Ms Kadaga and Mr Oulanyah are fighting for the top seat and President Museveni applied brakes on their campaigns about a month ago, saying it was polarising the party. The duo has served on their positions for two five-year terms respectively.

The speakership position has also attracted former Opposition chief whip and Kira Municipality MP-elect Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda.

While CEC has positioned itself in determining who leads on most top government jobs, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament are elected by MPs at the first seating of each Parliament. NRM has the highest number of MPs in the 11th Parliament and experience has previously shown that they have used these numbers to easily control the direction of leadership of the House.

President Museveni intervened in 2016 asking Mr Oulanyah to step down to pave way for Ms Kadaga. It is not clear what will happen this time.

Related
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Mr Luke Owoyesigire has said the police fire department has started investigations into a fire outbreak that razed down businesses worth millions of shillings in the wee hours of Monday at Kasenyi landing site.

"We have not yet ascertained what caused the fire; when we got information of the fire outbreak at around 1:30 am, police quickly organised and took fire tenders, and we got a challenge since most of the structures that had caught fire were wooden which made the fire spread very fast. Unfortunately the wooden structures got burnt completely but we were able to put out the fire by 5am, we are currently investigating what led to the outbreak" he said.

Mr Owoyesigire made the remarks during a phone interview with the Daily monitor on Monday.

"We don't know as of now what led to the fire but since it's a congested place housing a lot of people, hotels, we have a lot of suspicions ranging from short circuit to someone leaving a stove or appliance unattended to," he said.

Mr Owoyesigire said there was no report of any human fatality during the fire outbreak.

Mr Richard Semujju a fish trader at the landing site said they are not sure of what could have caused the fire since the razed down area is very busy.

"The fire started at around 12:15 am. By 1 am, there was no passage to help put out the fire since it was a narrow place which made it more difficult to put out the fire even when the fire brigade trucks arrived since they could not access the area" he said.

Mr Semujju said the residents were initially denied access to the burning area by the police which could have led to further spreading of the fire to other stalls.

This is the second fire outbreak at the landing site this year, with the previous one occurring in January- equally involving destruction of residents' homes and multi-million losses.

In January 2018, another fire burnt down businesses at the landing site worth millions of shillings in almost the same area as Monday's fire.
At least 200 youths in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State have graduated from a three-month Youth ICT and Skill Acquisition Project (YISAP) of the Baywood Foundation.

The young people were trained on entrepreneurship/vocational skills such as ICT, photography, video-editing, barbing, digital marketing, graphics design, confectionery, making of household essentials and consumables, fascinators, hats and other small scale enterprises.

The foundation, in January, 2021, got a $98,925 grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation to empower 600 youths in Enugu State.

The 200 trained youths are from Enugu West Senatorial Zone, while 200 youths will be trained in Igboeze North Council (Enugu North Senatorial Zone) and 200 youths of Enugu East Council (Enugu East Senatorial Zone).

At least 100 exceptional youths will get a seed grant of N45,000 and N60,000 each from the 600 participants selected for the project.

In his remarks, the Country Director of Baywood, Mr Chukwudi Ojielo, said: "I challenge youths of Udi Area Council, especially our graduating youths, to stand tall and project their businesses to the world through the social media marketing skills they learnt from the training."

He also said 33 out of the 200 graduating youths with outstanding performance would be given grants.

The Chairman of Udi Council, Chief Ifeanyi Agu, advised the graduating youths to put in their best and take advantage of the opportunity provided by what they had learnt.

A beneficiary, Mrs Anthonia Ugwu, encouraged her fellow youths to utilise the skills they had learnt to double their influence and income in life.
Umuahia  Seven Communities in Ikwuano, Umuahia North/ Umuahia South federal Constituency, heaved a sigh of relief, as the member representing the federal constituency, Rt. Hon. Sam Onuigbo, donated seven 500KVA transformers to boost power.

After he donated the seventh transformer at the weekend, indigenes of Usaka Ukwu Ndeokoro, Ndieke and Upa communities in Ikwuano Local Government Area lauded the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal constituency for attracting electricity project to the communities.

One of the indigenes Mazi Joe Irohibe, said the communities had been in total darkness for years, until the lawmaker intervened.

He said, "We are applauding Onuigbo for attracting this project, we are happy about it because it's the first of its kind in this our community .

"We feel that we are in the map of the world through this project and it has been helping our young men who are artisans who are returning home to use the light to do their job".

Irohibe also urged the federal government to embark on more infrastructural projects in the rural communities to reduce rural urban migration.

Onuigbo said he applied for the project through the rural electrification agency of the Federal Government after consulting with the communities concerning their pressing needs.

He expressed happiness that the project was actualized on record time.

He commended the beneficiaries for cooperating with the contractors who handled the project while it lasted.

The lawmaker assured the indigenes of the communities that he would continue to work assiduously to attract more projects for the communities.

The regent of Ikemba autonomous community, Chief Emmanuel Iroegbu, also lauded Onuigbo, for his effective representation to the people.

He said the project has brought joy to the benefiting communities adding that the were happy with the law maker.
Abuja  The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday confirmed the shutting down of its operations in Kaduna state, throwing the north central state into total darkness.

The federal government-owned company noted that it was compelled to comply with the warning strike action called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) after an analysis of apparent threats to its power assets in the state.

A statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the company, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, made available in Abuja yesterday, while apologising for the blackout, noted that the TCN had turned down earlier demands for a shutdown, but noted that it later caved in to protect its assets from being compromised which will affect nationwide power supply.

Earlier, aviation workers had declared withdrawal of services from the Kaduna International Airport (KIA) effective Sunday midnight in solidarity with the striking workers.

The workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), said the airport would remain shut for the period of the warning strike.

The NLC, Kaduna State Council, recently declared a five-day warning strike starting from midnight of yesterday, May 16, 2021, to protest the sack of over 4,000 workers by the state government.

Chairman of the labour union in the state, Ayuba Suleiman, maintained that due process was not observed in the disengagement of the workers from the local government service, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the primary health care agency.

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On the implication of the shutdown, TCN stated that the action caused by the ongoing industrial action resulted in the interruption of bulk electricity supply within the state early in the morning.

"TCN had resisted intense pressure from the union yesterday, demanding that all 33kV feeders radiating from our substations within Kaduna State be switched off. Regrettably, the union's functionaries returned today (Sunday) with similar demands amid palpable threats that could escalate and jeopardise national grid security.

"It was during this (yesterday) morning's encounter that the System Operators (SOs) were forced to shut down the 33kV feeders from 6:36 hours this morning. Before this, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) had earlier shut down its 11kV feeders, which it started de-loading from 3 am this morning," the company stated.

The statement stressed that the power wheeling company was mindful of the inconveniences the situation would cause electricity customers within the state and prayed for a peaceful resolution between the disputing parties.

It noted that once the issues are resolved and it is safe to reopen, bulk power supply will be restored to its substations for Kaduna Disco to take to its electricity customers and asked those affected to bear with the TCN.
Governor Fayemi says, "We will miss Nowa Omoigui. We will miss him for his knowledge, for his passion for a better Nigeria."

The remains of renowned cardiologist cum military historian, Nowamagbe Omoigui, was on Saturday interred at the Greenlawn Memorial Park, Columbia, USA.

As a part of his final obsequies, a double-headed funeral service was held at St. John Neumann Church, Columbia, USA as well as a traditional farewell at his ancestral home in Benin City, Edo State.

Mr Omoigui who excelled as a cardiologist was renowned for his ingenuity in documenting stories about the Nigerian military.

Born March 28, 1959, the cardiologist, who set records everywhere he went, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/456181-nowamagbe-omoigui-renowned-military-historian-cardiologist-is-dead.html">died</a> on April 18, aged 62.

Earlier on Thursday, both dates were set aside to mark an annual event in his memory at an event where friends and family paid tributes to him.

A memorial lecture will be held on April 18 every year to commemorate the day of his passing. Likewise, an annual art and history exhibition will be held on 28th March every year to mark the day of his birth.

As part of measures to preserve his legacy, an art and history centre was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/461724-family-launches-centre-in-honour-of-late-nowa-omoigui-renowned-cardiologist-historian.html">launched</a> to immortalize his scholarly works and interest.

In an emotionally charged tribute, family, associates, friends, and admirers recalled moments they shared with the man who many called "a man of many parts" because of his versatility and insatiable thirst for knowledge.

A schoolmate and close friend of Mr Omoigui, Augustine Onwukwe, described him as "a man with great wit and intelligence" who it would be "demeaning to call (just) a cardiologist" because of how "became famous and an authority on military history"

Although a cardiologist by training, the late Mr Omoigui demonstrated how vast he was about the history of his country, particularly during the military era where coups, countercoups and a deadly civil war nearly tore the country apart.

A teary brother of the deceased, Nosa Omoigui, praised his sibling's drive for knowledge by saying, "Nowa reads and comprehends because he enjoys it. He was always loyal," recalling how the deceased paid attention to details as he could recall pages of books he read with the exact information on the page.

One of his schoolmates at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, Emil Mondoa, described him as a down-to-earth person, one who could interact with anyone below him without barriers.

"He has lots of medical books, but even more military books," Mr Mondoa said in the virtual event. "He connected with everyone at every level. He would do so many things that you wonder if he has time for medical work."

Godwin Odia, a retired captain, had planned to visit the late Mr Omoigui on May 15 but was shell shocked to hear of his passing.

"Two to three weeks ago, he told me he was going for a second Covid-19 shot. We spoke with each other for more than 25 minutes. Never did I imagine that I was coming to his funeral on May 15."

Before becoming close family friends, no love was lost between the two men, the captain recalled.

"But we fought ourselves to brotherhood," he said, adding that "when we meet, we discuss family, we discuss life, we discuss school."

"Nowa is human. When you meet you will forget the academic excellence he has attained. No one was too small to talk to Nowa. He will come to your level."

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Ekiti State Governor, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/kfayemi?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Kayode Fayemi,</a> also paid tribute to the departed, saying when it comes to the history of the Nigerian military, he knew no one who had a mastery of it than Mr Omoigui.

"Whether he was writing about the civil war or the military coup or about military personalities, you were never in doubt about the depth of his knowledge," Mr Fayemi said.

"We will miss Nowa Omoigui. We will miss him for his knowledge, for his passion for a better Nigeria.

"At a time that our military is confronted with the task to tackle insecurity in the country amidst the trend of violence, we could all imagine the contribution Mr Omoigui could have on the discourse," the governor noted.
Police described reports of unrest in the two communities as "fake and a blatant lie."

The police in Osun have debunked social media claims of unrest in Ile-Ife/Modakeke communities in <a target="_blank" href="https://osun.gov.ng/">Osun State</a>.

Videos circulating on social media showed residents of the two communities running for safety in the early hours of Sunday.

It was gathered that a woman, identified as Titilayo Gbadegesin, and her son Reuben, were killed around Alapata Area three weeks ago.

They were Modakeke residents.

Following their death, youth in the community alleged that the deceased were killed by people in Ile-Ife community.

The ugly incident then triggered unrest in the two communities, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

The police in the two communities later intervened, to prevent reprisal attacks.

It was also gathered that leaders of the two communities were invited for a meeting to douse tension as police launched an investigation into the killings.

But social media was agog on Sunday evening over the claim of an alleged reprisal attack.

When contacted on Monday morning, Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson in the state, told PREMIUM TIMES that reports of attacks are false.

"There was an erroneous belief that some people came to attack people from Famia axis. The news was fake and a blatant lie," she said.

"The true situation as gathered is that; the local vigilantes guiding the area against thieves and hoodlums were on their routine show of force like any other places, to alert the people of community of their presence and assure them of safety.

"But because of what happened recently, people became apprehensive, thinking they were under attack.

"The Commissioner of Police, CP Olawale Olokode, wish(es) to assure the good people of Osun of his unrelenting commitment to ensure adequate security of the state, which he is overseeing without any fear of attack or molestation."

The police spokesperson urged residents to report any strange movement around them or anyone suspected to be of questionable character.
With barely ten days to go on the one-month ultimatum issued by the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, to the federal government to inaugurate a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the youth group says there is no going back on its threat to shut down activities at the Commission.

Recall that the ultimatum was declared by the President of IYC, Worldwide, Comrade Peter Igbifa on April 25, after an expanded Executive and Stakeholders' Congress of the IYC at Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Speaking at the annual Isaac Boro Day celebration in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Sunday, the IYC President Igbifa, described the ultimatum as, "a strong decision that cannot be reversed."

Igbifa said: "This ultimatum of one month issued to the federal government to either constitute the board or have us shut down the entire region is a decision that sees no compromise. It's more like the 12 Days Revolution of Late Isaac Boro, it is a strong decision that cannot be reversed.

"It is either the federal government inaugurate the board so that the commission will fulfill it purpose in the region or we stop activities of the region. We want a situation where the government stays very sensitive to the problems of the region.

"We have taken a commitment not to betray the cause that Boro died for, while we live, we should be the reason why people should have hope in leadership and this particular one is a front burner of our commitment."

He called on Ijaw youths to reevaluate their lives, stay focused and committed to things that unite them, and eschew things that divide the people, noting that the annual Boro Day celebration is a wake-up call and an opportunity for sober reflection for leaders of the region.

The IYC President said the Late Isaac Boro will always be remembered for dedicating his youthfulness to fighting for the liberation of his people, adding that he lived and bequeathed a life worthy of emulation.

Vanguard News Nigeria
Khuis  President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has called for value addition to natural resources by creating attractive and usable products.

The President, who toured Khuis recently, said the village was endowed with a wealth of stones which could be explored, mined and developed to sustain livelihoods.

Such an undertking, he said, was achievable through mindset reset with people realising the power they had to transform their lives and create employment for themselves.

The various types of stones available in the area, which were under the management of Khuis Community Economic Development Trust, required a robust business approach with value edition at the core, said the President.

President Masisi said government would continue to support communities and create a business enabling environment for entities such as Khuis Community Economic Development Trust to thrive.

Such developments would enable the country to achieve economic diversification, he said.

The President encouraged the trust to source funds, acquire relevant industrial machinery and build relevant industries.

They were also told to always bear in mind that the resources were God-given and should therefore be used wisely.

If they were misused, they might never be recovered, the President said.

For his part, the trust's chairperson Mr Benny Kotokwe said the aim was to conserve the stones while at the same time using them to improve community livelihoods.

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Emphasising the uniqueness of Khuis stones, he said some had been used to mark the Tropic of Capricorn.

The village, he said, was rich in stone resources which the trust intended to exploit for the purpose of creating jobs.

Among the stones he mentioned slate rocks (tiles) found in the dry Molopo River and another type on the other side of the village which could be crushed into concrete.

Already, he said, most of the district's construction projects sourced concrete and sand from the village hence the need to manage such activities to protect the environment.

He thanked President Masisi for the visit saying it had motivated them to get started on some aspects of the stone exploitation project.

According to Mr Kotokwe, also planned was the development of the area around Lobu Pan.

However, he said, such ideas required experts to dissect and examine project viability and sustainability.

Mr Kotokwe said the trust was currently experiencing financial challenges and could therefore not afford a consultant adding that lack of skilled manpower was another challenge.

He said as per President Masisi's advice, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model would be adopted.

The President was accompanied by Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Mr Karabo Gare and Kgalagadi South MP Mr Sam Brooks.

Source : BOPA
Jwaneng  Jwaneng mine has been lauded for being a point of reference and a benchmark model.

Speaking in an interview during a tour of the mine on Wednesday, chairperson of a parliamentary portfolio committee on wildlife, tourism, natural resources and climate change, Mr Polson Majaga said the mine recently scored position one in the global market for safety.

Mr Majaga, who is also MP for Nata-Gweta, encouraged the mine management to continue with the good work of being a leader in the industry and mining for development. He added that Botswana's diamonds had a socio-economic impact on the lives of citizens.

He also noted that Botswana had managed to leverage its diamond production to bring development to people and avoid some of the problems encountered by other countries with mineral resources.

He said the country's diamonds were the mainstay of the economy.

Mr Majaga said as the mining industry contributed significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), there was need to protect it as well as the tourism industry which was the second highest contributor to GDP.

He revealed that Jwaneng mine also scored position one in service delivery against 38 Anglo American operations internationally, thus making it a good benchmark.

He said the parliamentary committee's visit to the mine was a learning curve as they shed light on the mining processes and how it improved the livelihoods of people in its zone of influence.

The committee was on a country wide tour to get first-hand information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mining and tourism sectors, among other issues.

Briefing the committee, Jwaneng mine's assistant general manager, Mr Mogakolodi Maoketsa said the visit was an opportunity for them to grow, and he thanked the delegation for their valuable input.

Source: BOPA
A cross section of Babban Gona's harvested maize field. Recognizing that employment is a pathway out of poverty in Nigeria, the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works in partnership with Babban Gona seeks to empower individuals in the agricultural value chain and support the acceleration of agribusinesses by using technology to provide smallholders with training and education, access to cost-effective financing, as well as harvesting and marketing support services.

Lagos, Nigeria  560,000 individuals, predominantly youth and women, will have access to dignified and fulfilling work by 2022, through the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works in Nigeria partnership with Babban Gona.

Recognizing that employment is a pathway out of poverty, the partnership seeks to empower individuals in the agricultural value chain and support the acceleration of agribusinesses by using technology to provide smallholders with training and education, access to cost-effective financing, as well as harvesting and marketing support services. These services and products encourage smallholders to overcome the challenges of supply-side fragmentation and low economies of scale. Babban Gona provides this support by franchising thousands of grassroots level farmer cooperatives, called "Trust Groups".

In 2020 alone, the partnership successfully created 82,000 jobs, of which 70% were for youth and 33% for women. Over the last year, Babban Gona leveraged the support of the Mastercard Foundation to grow to new record levels; with 80,000+ acres under cultivation with a recent diversification into rice farming; more than 38,000 smallholder farmer members; and more than 18,500 female entrepreneurs supported across six states of operation.

Talatu, a female entrepreneur and Trust Group Leader said, "I am grateful to Babban Gona for changing my life. I look around and can see the transformation that has taken place in our home. My children are well-fed and in good schools; we have also refurbished our home and bought additional land. All I see around me is growth."

Speaking about the importance of the partnership and the relevance of agriculture in creating opportunities for young people, Chidinma Lawanson, Country Head, Mastercard Foundation Nigeria stated, "Agriculture is among the most viable potential sources of employment for young people in Africa. We are excited to be part of the process of empowering Nigerian youths, especially women, and its overall impact within this rural community. Our partnership with Babban Gona will serve as a catalyst for entrepreneurial reorientation, job creation, and sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers."

Kola Masha, Managing Director of Babban Gona, stated that "The organization's goal is simple: to be the Earth's highest impact business. We will accomplish this by simultaneously and dramatically scaling the number of individuals impacted, while also ensuring a depth of impact on each individual to truly transform their lives and the lives of their family. We are fortunate to have Mastercard Foundation's unwavering support on this journey; working together we can coordinate actions and make much needed investments in agriculture to ensure resilience among smallholders in the post-COVID-19 era."

About Babban Gona

Babban Gona is a high impact, financially sustainable and highly scalable social enterprise, which is part-owned by the farmers we serve. We franchise thousands of mini farmer cooperatives across Northern Nigeria, leveraging an innovative agricultural franchise model. We developed the agricultural franchise model with our partners that include His Highness Muhammad Sanusi II, the Sarkin (Emir) Kano, Nestle, IITA, DfID, USAID, Kiva, GIZ, AGRA, BMGF, Skoll, Mulago, GIF and Rockefeller Foundation amongst others. Members of the franchise mini cooperatives produce staple crops such as corn, rice and soybeans, and have increased their net incomes to 2.8  3.5 times above the national average. This dramatic increase in net income is accomplished by delivering an integrated holistic package of training, farm inputs and marketing services, on credit. Babban Gona has been able to deliver this credit while maintaining one of the highest repayment rates in the world, currently above 99.99%, leveraging our comprehensive 8 levels of risk mitigation. www.babbangona.com

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.

For more information on the Foundation, please visit:www.mastercardfdn.org

About Young Africa Works

Young Africa Works is the Mastercard Foundation's strategy to enable 30 million young people, particularly young women, across Africa to access dignified work. Africa will be home to the world's largest workforce, with 375 million young people entering the job market by 2030. With the right skills, these young people will contribute to Africa's global competitiveness and improve their lives and those of their communities. The Mastercard Foundation will implement Young Africa Works in 10 African countries in collaboration with governments, the private sector, entrepreneurs, educators, and young people. The first phase of countries identified by the Mastercard Foundation are Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Nigeria.

For Media Enquiries

Laolu Oloyede

Head, Marketing Babban Gona

olaoluwa.oloyede@babbangona.com

Nonye Mpho Omotola

Country Lead, Program Communications, Nigeria

Mastercard Foundation

nomotola@mastercardfdn.org
press release

Finest coffee varieties from Uganda now ready for online auction.

"The coffees were extremely clean and sweet with an amazing flavour. It was a privilege to have tasted such coffees from Uganda," said an impressed Jordon Dabov, jury member from Bulgaria at a recent coffee competition.

In an effort to promote Uganda's finest coffees and ensure their visibility in the international market, the Uganda Coffee Federation (UCF) in partnership with Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) through EAC MARKUP, organised a competition judged by a national jury and an international jury that joined remotely.

The results of the international round of the cupping competition brought a great win for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The top three coffees in each category - naturals, washed and honeys -were coffees from SMEs that have been receiving support from ITC initiatives through EAC MARKUP. Full results are available here.

Naturals - Kawacom Sipi Falls Anaerobic Natural

Washed - Mountain Harvest Coffee

Honeys - Masha Coffee

Best of the Pearl competition started in February 2021 and will culminate with an online auction for the best Ugandan specialty coffees on 19 May 2021. The online auction has been organized with the technical support of Sensible Development.

Overcoming COVID-19 travel restrictions, after a first national cupping round last month, an international jury gathered via Zoom. 16 international Q Graders (accredited coffee cuppers) based in 11 different countries, gathered online and assessed the 13 preselected coffees ahead of the upcoming online auction. The international jurors shortlisted the final line-up of coffees, and ranked them based on their quality, prior to the international auction.

Great results await Ugandan coffee producers at the auction.
Tunis/Tunisia  Political parties and national organisations announced the formation of a "unified" national co-ordination to support the Palestinian resistance and to incriminate normalisation.

This coordination will be open to all national forces that oppose normalisation, the launchers of this initiative said in a joint statement.

The signatories of the statement urge Tunisians to continue protesting in support of the just Palestinian cause.

They called in this regarg, for an impressive protest on Tuesday at noon, in front of the Parliament headquarters, to claim for a law incriminating the normalisation.

National personalities from all fields were invited to participate on Wednesday at the Mohamed V Avenue in Tunis, in the support rally called by the Tunisian General Labour Union.

In line with the commitment of the Tunisian people and national sovereign forces to support the liberation causes, protests will be staged in front of the embassies of countries that support the Zionist entity, the same source specified.

The statement is signed by the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH), the Union of Unemployed Graduates (UDC), the General Union of Tunisian Students (UGET), the National Bar Association of Tunisia (ONAT), the Tunisian Association of Young Lawyers (ATJA), The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT), the Tunisian campaign to boycott and counter normalisation with the Zionist entity, the Tunisian Association of the Democratic Women (ATFD), the Tunisian Network against Normalisation and the Soumoud Coalition.

The signing political parties are the Workers' Party, the Echaab movement, the Unified Democratic Patriots Party, the Tunisia Forward movement, the Popular Current, the Tunisian Baath movement, the Socialist Party, the Democratic Current and the Al-Jomhouri Party.
The Chairman of Bakassi Local Government Council (LGC), Hon Iyadim Iyadim, has been displaced from his office in Ekpri Ikang, the capital of Bakassi.

The heightened insecurity in the local government has also prohibited council staff from going to their offices.

Iyadim and most of his staff now operate from safer towns, especially Calabar.

Iyadim disclosed this to journalists over the weekend when he confirmed that no fewer than 15 suspected cultists died between his council and neighbouring Akpabuyo LGC as a result of renewed clashes.

"There are lots of cult-related killings in the area. My local government has no operational base because the same boys destroyed the local government office even after the #EndSARS protests.

"Not even a ruler or pin was left. What was left was for them to put fire on the local government secretariat so nothing is left.

"And as of now, some soldiers who were around have been withdrawn and redeployed to other areas. They have ransacked police stations and attacked soldiers.

"The security agencies are afraid because the boys use charms and have adopted a measure of going for operations in large numbers to attack the military post and police station.

"The charm will make the security operatives either fall asleep or make them not see them as they approach. We are in trouble," he lamented.
THE Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), Mr Peter Mathuki, has concluded his first phase of visits to the EAC Institutions in the republics of Rwanda and Uganda.

The visits, which started on May 7, covered the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) in Kigali, Rwanda, the Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) in Kampala and the Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) in Entebbe, Uganda.

The purpose of the visits was to familiarize himself with the institutions and understand their contribution to the integration process and the challenges they face in discharging of their mandates.

The second phase of the visit will cover the East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC) based in Bujumbura, Burundi, Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) headquarters in Kisumu, Kenya, The East African Kiswahili Commission (EAKC) based in Zanzibar and Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization in Jinja, Uganda.

While at EASTECO, the EAC boss called on the commission to invest more on innovation and creativity in their programmes that bring the vision of a fully integrated and developed EAC closer to reality.

At IUCEA, the Secretary General met the Executive Secretary, Prof Gaspard Banyankimbona, and got briefs on the key achievements and challenges of the Institution. Dr Mathuki concluded his tour by visiting the CASSOA headquarters.

The Executive Director, Mr Emile Nguza Arao, briefed the Secretary General on the institution's status and disclosed to him that CASSOA was voted by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the second-best safety and security agency in the world out of 17 organizations among other milestones.

The Secretary General urged all EAC institutions to uphold teamwork and ensure that they live-up to the expectations of the people in bringing solutions in their respective areas.

He also emphasized to all institutions on the need to focus on implementing their priorities as set out in the EAC's 6th Development Strategy.
Dowa North East legislator and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) chief whip in the national assembly, Samuel Dalitso Kawale, has given notice that a motion to rescind the decision of not confirming Martha Chizuma as would-be director general of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) be moved in the Public Appointments Committee (PAC) meeting on Monday, May 17.

Kawale, a member of the 20-member PAC, will move the motion high on the heels of mounting pressure from the citizenry that the Committee goofed and, therefore, should re-do the confirmation interview for Chizuma.

Chizuma, a professional with a Masters of Law degree and an impeccable track record as ombudsman, failed the confirmation interview after she scored 14.9 of the expected minimum 17 mark.

Nine of the 18 members present during the confirmation interview scored her 1 out of 25.

Notice of Motion

According to the notice by Kawale received by the Clerk of Parliament (CoP) on May 16, 2021, which Nyasa Times has seen, the Committee will proceed to reconsider Chizuma's appointment after the motion is moved.

Reads the notice: "That in view of the developments surrounding the decision of the Public Appointments Committee not to confirm Ms Martha Chizuma as Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau which took place on 11th May 2021, this committee rescinds its decision not to confirm Ms Martha Chizuma and that consequently, this committee will proceed to reconsider her appointment and communicate the resultant decision to the House."

Leader of the House, Richard Chimwendo Banda, last Wednesday moved that PAC furnish the House with a report on the reasons why they rejected Chizuma as ACB czar.

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Parliament was supposed to resume business on Monday, May 17 after President Lazarus Chakwera opened its 49th session, but it will not as the country will honour the Eid ul-fitr holiday that was celebrated over the weekend.

Encouraging move

Malawians on social media have since hailed Kawale with most saying that they "will not rest until Chizuma is confirmed as ACB director."

Stanley Onjezani Kenani wrote on his Facebook page that giving up was not an option.

In an earlier post, Kenani, in response to an exclusive interview PAC chair Joyce Chitsulo granted to Times Television broadcast on Saturday evening said much as she "spoke well," it was clear that the Committee had not been "open, accountable and transparent" since the scoring was done in secret.
THE Court of Appeal has dismissed with costs of the appeal launched by Star Media (Tanzania) Limited, challenging assessment of tax imposed on them by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) for 2013, 2014 and 2015 years of income amounting to over 8.4bn/-.

Justices Stella Mugasha, Winfrida Korosso and Ignas Kitusi ruled against the media organ, the appellant, after observing the appeal lodged to oppose the findings of the Tax Appeals Revenue Tribunal (Tribunal) lacked merits.

"... we have no justification for interfering with the decision of the Tribunal. Accordingly, we find no merit in this appeal. We dismiss it in its entirety, with costs," they declared in favour of TRA, the respondent.

During hearing of the appeal, the counsel for the appellant had contended, among others, that his client was denied the right to be heard when the TRA, the respondent, determined the objection as regard to the assessment of the tax in question.

In their deliberations, the justices of the appeals court held that having scrutinized section 52 of the Tax Revenue Appeals Act the respondent acted within the law and the appellant's insinuation of denial of a hearing is a vain attempt lacking legal support.

They noted that section 52(1) of the Act empowers the respondent to request for more evidence and acting under those powers, he wrote to the appellant on May 29, 2017 requiring submission by her of duly signed audited financial statements.

According to the justices, on June 6, 2017, the respondent wrote to the appellant a letter intimating an intention to confirm the assessments after the appellant's failure to submit the said statements.

They held, therefore, that the very request for evidence in the form of duly signed audited financial statements was an opportunity for the appellant to be heard by substantiating her objection.

"Even when no statements were submitted, the record shows that the respondent did not unilaterally confirm the assessments. Rather, it wrote to the appellant and gave her 30 days within which she could make submissions in opposition to the proposed confirmation," the justices said.

They concluded, therefore, that since the appellant made no submissions for the respondent to consider, she could not blame anyone for the self-inflicted injury that resulted.

"What we gather from the provisions of section 52 of the Act is that the right of a taxpayer to be heard is inherent in it, and the entire appellant as well as the respondent needed to do was to comply with that provision," the justices said.

To conclude, they agreed with the Tribunal that there was no illegality and that in any event, not every time illegality is raised, it should entitle a party to extension of time. After all, they said, the decision of the Tribunal was in the exercise of its discretionary powers which is rarely questioned by a superior court.

The appeal arose from the decisions of the Tax Appeals Board (Board) and the Revenue Tax Appeals Tribunal (Tribunal) in which the Board dismissed the appellant's application for extension of time and the Tribunal dismissing the subsequent appeal that sought to challenge the Board's decision.

On March 31, 2017, the respondent in exercise of its statutory powers, served the appellant with tax assessments for the years of income 2013, 2014 and 2015 raising a demand for a total of 8,443,993,166/-.

The appellant objected to the assessment and the objection was admitted by the respondent after payment of 150m/- by the appellant.

Prior to the determination of the objection, the respondent had written to the appellant requiring her to submit to its audited financial statements for the years under scrutiny, and to do so within three days.

However, the appellant could not do so within time on the ground that the statements were in the office of the Controller and Auditor General (CAG), and she wrote the respondent to disclose that predicament.

On June 6, 2017, the respondent informed the appellant in writing that it had determined the objection by refusing to vary or amend the assessment of 8,443,993,106/- and that it intended to confirm it.

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The appellant had a right of appeal against the respondent's decision and should have lodged a notice of appeal within 30 days under Rule 3 (1) and (2) of the Tax Revenue Appeals Board Rules, 2018. However, for some reason, she did not lodge that notice within the time stipulated by law.

On August 25, 2017, the appellant lodged at the Board, an application for extension of time within which to lodge a notice of appeal against the respondent's decision. The Board dismissed the application and the appellant's first appeal to the Tribunal to challenge the dismissal bore no fruits.

The Board ruled that the appellant had not shown reasonable cause for the delay as required by section 16 (5) of the Tax Revenue Appeals Act as at the time he informed the respondent by a letter of August 17, 2017, that the statements were in the CAG's office, the objection had already been determined.
THE government has called on various development partners to help in improving infrastructures in existing Vocational Training Centres (VTC) for people living with disabilities in the country to have easy access.

This call was made by the Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office (Policy, Parliament, Coordination, Labor, Youth, Employment and the Disabled), Jenista Mhagama.

According to Ms Mhagama, most VTC are facing a major challenge of the deterioration of various infrastructures as well as the lack of essential infrastructure including toilets, classrooms, dormitories and other infrastructure, suitable to address plight of people living with disabilities.

She made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday while receiving two dormitories at Yombo Vocational Training Centre in Dar es Salaam for people with disabilities, which have been renovated by a non-governmental organisation Nyota Foundation at a cost of 80m/-.

"The government is making great efforts to improve these centres, but I would like to ask other stakeholders, companies, various national and international institutions to pay close attention to all VTCs countrywide," she noted

Ms Mhagama said according to figures for 2012 Population Censuses, Tanzania had a total population of 55.9 million; of that number, 2.5 million people are disabled and thus increase the demand for various services and infrastructure for the group.

Earlier, Deputy Minister Prime Minister's Office (Persons with Disability), Ms Ummy Nderiananga commended the minister for her commitment to improve the environment and conditions for people with disabilities through the involvement of various development stakeholders.

The representative of the Star Foundation, Zainab Mvungi, thanked the government for allowing the renovations to take place as well as providing co-operation throughout their work.

The state-owned Yombo VTC was established in 1973. The Eastern Region College is one of six colleges located in various regions in the country for providing vocational training for young people with disabilities in the country, other colleges are in the Southern zone (Mtwara), West (Tabora), Lake (Mwanza), North (Tanga) and Central (Singida).
Comal County has 1,500 appointment slots remaining for its final first-shot COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic, officials said Monday.

The clinic, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the New Braunfels Convention Center on Wednesday, May 19, will be followed by a second-shot clinic on Tuesday, June 15 at the same time and place.

Ceremony in New Braunfels to remember those lost to COVID-19 Hope Hospice will host a memorial service to remember members of the community who lost thei

Anyone interested can sign up online at https://bit.ly/2S5Dcnq to schedule an appointment.

The county is winding down its mass vaccination efforts as supplies of the vaccine and appointment availability have improved over the last few weeks with shots now regularly available at pharmacies, grocery stores and other medical providers  sometimes on a walk-in basis.

New cases

Comal County's active case count continued to drop on Monday with health officials reporting 17 new cases and 34 additional recoveries.

Of the new cases, 12 are confirmed and five are probable cases. The county now has 305 active cases with 10 of those patients hospitalized. Since the start of the pandemic locally in March of 2020, 320 people have died.

Local hospitals on Monday reported caring for 15 COVID-19 patients with five in intensive care and two on ventilators. Regional hospital use remained low with 3.37% of hospital beds in the 22-county region being used for virus patients.

The county's seven-day positivity rates stood at 5.2% for the slower molecular test and 4.74% for the rapid antigen test.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 52.44% of eligible Comal County residents  those over the age of 16  have had at least one vaccine shot, with 41.24% being fully vaccinated.

For neighboring Guadalupe County, which contains part of the city of New Braunfels, those numbers are lower, with 45.88% with one shot and 37.52% fully vaccinated.

Statewide those numbers are at 52.55% and 41.68%, respectively.

The Pfizer vaccine, which was already the only vaccine approved for those 16 and 17 years old, has now been expanded to include those as young as 12. Comal County's clinics to date have been limited to the Moderna vaccine.
Muhambwe Constituency returning officer, Diocles Rutema has declared Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Parliamentary flag bearer, Dr Florence Samizi a winner after garnering a total of 23,441 votes.

Announcing the results, Mr Rutema said in the Muhambwe by-election held on Sunday, ACT-Wazalendo candidate Masabo Julius who got only 10,847 votes.

After the announcement of the winner, opposition ACT-Wazalendo leader, Zitto Kabwe posted a congratulatory message mentioning the returning officer and Muhambwe OCD for professionalism shown during the democratic process.

"All the best to the new MP... .I congratulated Muhambwe returning officer and OCD for professionalism," Zitto Kabwe posted.

However, Zitto Kabwe expressed he was optimistic that his party will be strong in the next election.

Muhambwe Constituency declared vacant after the death Eng Atashasta Nditiye who died at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma after being involved in an accident.
The State has proposed a payment of N$10 000 to a transgender woman who is suing the minister of safety and security after she was allegedly unlawfully arrested and assaulted by a police officer in July 2017.

According to lawyer Ndiriraro Kauari, the only credible evidence provided by Josper Cloete, known as Mercedes Von Cloete, is a single kick by a police officer, which the State cannot justify. Thus, the only justifiable amount in such circumstances would be a settlement of N$10 000.

Kauari, who is representing the minister of safety and security and government made these submissions during oral arguments before High Court Judge Esi Schimming-Chase on Friday.

"The plaintiff failed to lead any evidence of the alleged emotional and psychological shock, trauma, inconvenience and discomfort for which she claims N$200 000," argued Kauari.

According to the State, they have proven their case that Cloete was the aggressor who acted violently towards a police officer by throwing punches and swung her handbag at him.

Cloete's lawyer Unomwinjo Katjipuka-Sibolile argued the

actions of the police officer not only amounts to abuse of power but also constitute a hate crime.

Katjipuka-Sibolile said the officer had no right to hurl derogatory insults and physically assault Cloete, adding this showed he had no regard for her constitutional rights.

"The reality of the current Namibian situation is that the plaintiff is not alone. Recent media reports including those published on the second day of this trial indicate that violence against trans persons is on the increase.

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The court should send out a message that it does not countenance or tolerate the gratuitous violence meted out the complainant and others. A settlement of N$200 000 would be a fair award to Cloete."

In February 2018, Cloete took

the State to court after men who were not in uniform but identified themselves as police officers forcefully grabbed, forced her into a police Kombi and drove off.

Cloete was allegedly exiting a local fast food outlet in Windhoek's city centre on 6 July 2017. While in the police van, a certain officer, Kavari, allegedly assaulted Cloete by beating her with his fist and hurled insults and derogatory words at her. The derogatory words included 'moffie' - a word used to insult men with feminine features.

As they got to the Windhoek central police station, Kavari reportedly continued to assault Cloete by kicking her. The assault was captured by the CCTV cameras in front of the police station.

Despite Cloete's arrest that night, she was never charged or detained. Judge Schimming-Chase is scheduled to give a ruling in the matter on 15 November.
Once again, in a very short period of time, Tanzanians have had the opportunity to take stock of where the country has come from following the untimely death of President John Magufuli and just months before that of Retired President Benjamin Mkapa.

I should note that upon Mkapa's passing away, I wrote of how during his time, the country rather than arresting the political drift given that an intellectual was at the helm, instead became a gradual political wasteland where a premium on CCM loyalty was the order of the day and not anything of substance. Rather astonishingly, the man himself came to admit just as much in his memoirs, but as the saying goes, "too little too late".

Fast forward to 2015 and enter John Magufuli in the most surreptitious manner imaginable. He himself would come to joke that he was merely trying his luck by "beeping" but the call went through!

Within no time of his ascendancy to State House in November 2015, events began to unfold that had eerie echoes of an interview by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for her book Fascism: A Warning in which she chillingly speaks about the infamous Italian fascist Benito Mussolini: "And then Mussolini had this terrific statement which was that if you consolidate power by plucking a chicken one feather at a time, people don't notice. And so it is those steps and it's the normalisation, frankly, of the kinds of things that are going on now that made me want to do a warning."

Elsewhere she says, "The important thing is that fascists aren't actually trying to solve problems; they're invested in exacerbating problems and deepening the divisions that result from them. They reject the free press and denounce the institutional structures within a society -- like Congress or the judiciary."

To illustrate this, just moments after the inauguration of the new parliament, a merry-making reception that accompanied it, which happened to be sponsored by a leading bank for MPs, was cancelled by the President and instead the monies sent to buy hospital beds at the country's main referral hospital.

As the new parliament got down to business in 2016, like a thunderbolt, it was declared by the Information minister that Parliament would no longer be broadcast live on the grounds of cost saving.

Following the subsequent hue and cry from what had been a docile opposition that had even praised him for adopting some of its campaign promises, the President became bare-knuckled, and declared that all opposition political rallies were banned until 2020, and that their MPs were to be restricted to addressing meetings in their constituencies. Immense focus would gradually turn from taming the Opposition to poaching members of the Opposition - all under the pretty slogan that "development knows no party".

As the Legislature was witnessing battering from all corners, the Judiciary swiftly found itself on the receiving end. In an extraordinary development following the retirement of the Chief Justice in early 2017, the office would remain vacant for close to a year in what can only be interpreted as an act of probation unheard of in the country.

It led to a deplorable situation where the Law Society Tanganyika president, a lady for that matter who suffers no fools gladly, was denied in advance an opportunity to speak at Law Day 2019 on the grounds of limited time.

Neither was civil society spared as an innocuous leader decided to run an opinion poll for the second time that unlike the first showed that Magufuli's popularity had plummeted. Within weeks the gentleman had his passport confiscated for investigation.

The lead-up now to the 2020 General Elections was looking as grim as ever without any unity of purpose from the Opposition parties. Magufuli himself had once insinuated that why bother with elections when instead that money could be put to better use.

My deep suspicion is the man was hell-bent on sailing through unopposed and making history on the continent. At least under a one-party dispensation we had a choice of "yes" or "no" at the ballot. But even that was becoming a luxury to imagine under Magufuli.

After all, he kept repeating whilst on the campaign trail "Tanzania ya Magufuli" or "Magufuli's Tanzania" as though we were his subjects. It was all in the mould of France's Louis XIV who stated L'etat c'est moi or "I am the state".

Indeed when the hour arrived for political parties' nominations of parliamentary candidates, over 30 constituencies had CCM candidates sail through unopposed. Eventually the results of the General Election were announced, showing that the Opposition had been virtually wiped out not only in Parliament, but at the local authority level as well.

Among the other extraordinary developments witnessed during Magufuli's reign was the death of trade unions and as a consequence industrial strikes were totally unknown of. Equally, no new political parties were registered as was the norm in the past. In essence, all institutions, including religious, were bludgeoned into submission!

It really is a credit to our citizens how they managed to keep body and soul despite such adversity. John Magufuli's rule has laid bare just how Mwalimu Nyerere bequeathed a nation with shaky foundations, and of which he himself subsequently warned in his retirement years of its dangerous cracks.

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All in all, John Magufuli was a very puzzling figure, even going by the comments of his chum, Raila Odinga, who revealed to the public just after his death how they first met at a conference in Durban, South Africa, in 2003, where Magufuli took immense interest in his presentation that examined the extent of corruption in his roads ministry.

Rather oddly, as president in 2015, Magufuli was invited to an anti-corruption summit of its kind in London by Prime Minister David Cameron, but was not interested in attending. Wouldn't that have been the right forum to share and learn the best practices at a time he was riding the wave of fame?

Tanzania, now that Magufuli is gone, needs to do serious soul-searching on how it gets itself out of this state of disfigurement.

Many eyes are on Samia Suluhu Hassan, and despite her problematic CCM background, she should not be discounted. To her credit, at least she endured all this period with Magufuli and his oft-times humiliation of women from all walks of life with stoicism. In the face of adversity, it is notable. Indeed, it is hugely ironic that a man who displayed unbridled male chauvinism has been succeeded by a woman of such a contrasting temperament!
Footwear maker Bata has suffered a blow after the Court of Appeal rejected a bid to stop a rival from manufacturing shoes similar to its Toughees brand, which is popular among school children.

A bench of three judges said Bata Brands SA and Bata Shoe (K) Ltd will not suffer irreparable injury, which cannot be compensated if Umoja Rubber products is not stopped from manufacturing and distributing its product known as Shupavu.

Bata had argued that the rival was confusing its market by selling shoes with similar shape and design.

The company told the court that Umoja's move was motivated by bad faith and dishonesty and was intended to pass on its new Shupavu shoes as Bata's distinctive and synonymous Toughees.

Bata also wanted the court to make an order for Umoja to deliver to it all Shupavu shoes for destruction.

But in their ruling the bench said; "We note further that the applicant has not demonstrated the extent of the damage it had suffered since the respondent started producing the shoe brand alongside its own and further the damage they might suffer if the orders are not granted," Justices William Ouko, Asike Makhandia and Sankale ole Kantai ruled.

The judges said it is not a mere mention of a loss or a mere apprehension of a loss but rather the actual aspect that is real that would render Bata's appeal, useless, if the order is not issued.

Bata moved to the appellate court after High Court Judge James Makau declined to stop Umoja from manufacturing its brand, which it argued was similar to its own in design, shape and general appearance, yet it has promoted its products in Kenya for more than 15 years.

Justice Makau rejected the plea in 2018 saying Bata was guilty of indolence and for waiting for over four years to challenge the rival's product

In the appeal, Bata said it only became aware of the rival's product in January 2017.

In response, Umoja argued that it started producing Shupavu shoes way back in 2014 when there was no similar footwear in the world with similar trade name and started selling them in 2015.

skiplagat@ke.nationmedia
Luanda  MPLA stressed the importance of the union of family members to build a strong nation capable to deal with the problems of family break-up and ensure recovery of moral and civic values.

The ruling party's stance was highlighted Saturday by its deputy leader, Luisa Damiao, at the end of a ceremony held by the party's women wing (OMA), ahead of the International Family Day.

Luisa Damiao said that everyone should work on united families and empowerment of women, in order to reduce poverty.

According to her, women are at the heart of the education of Angolan families and play a key role in search for solutions to many problems affecting households.

She urged for the culture to denounce the practice of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The party leader recognised the role of churches in reviving the families, adding that it is from household structure where many have forged their values.

The meeting was attended by the secretary general of OMA Joana Tomas, female representatives of religious organisations and members of the civil society.

The ruling party's stance was highlighted Saturday by its deputy leader, Luisa Damiao, at the end of a ceremony held by the party's women wing (OMA), ahead of the International Family Day.

Luisa Damiao said that everyone should work on united families and empowerment of women, in order to reduce poverty.

According to her, women are at the heart of the education of Angolan families and play a key role in search for solutions to many problems affecting households.

She urged for the culture to denounce the practice of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The party leader recognised the role of churches in reviving the families, adding that it is from household structure where many have forged their values.

The meeting was attended by the secretary general of OMA Joana Tomas, female representatives of religious organisations and members of the civil society.
Luanda  The chief executive of Group Castel in Angola Philippe Frederic died on Saturday night (15th) in Luanda of a heart attack, announced the Management of the said group and Angolan partners, in a note distributed to the press.

A French nationality, Philippe Frederic arrived in Angola in 1986, having participated in the development of the Angolan Oil Industry, according to the condolence note to which Angop had access on Sunday.

In 2009, he joined the Castel Group as chief executive of companies in Angola, contributing to the evolution of the activities of that group, where he launched the implementation of the maize production farm in northern Malanje province.

"He headed the group during the period of successive crises, marked by the sudden drop in oil prices and, more recently, during the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, without ever losing his optimism", reads the message of condolences.

In another message, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Victor Fernandes, says he has learnt, with great pain, of the death of the Managing Director of the Castel Angola Group, Philippe Frederic.

On Angolan soil, Philippe Frederic also served as President of the Fiscal Council of the Association of Beverage Industries of Angola (AIBA).

A French nationality, Philippe Frederic arrived in Angola in 1986, having participated in the development of the Angolan Oil Industry, according to the condolence note to which Angop had access on Sunday.

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In 2009, he joined the Castel Group as chief executive of companies in Angola, contributing to the evolution of the activities of that group, where he launched the implementation of the maize production farm in northern Malanje province.

"He headed the group during the period of successive crises, marked by the sudden drop in oil prices and, more recently, during the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, without ever losing his optimism", reads the message of condolences.

In another message, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Victor Fernandes, says he has learnt, with great pain, of the death of the Managing Director of the Castel Angola Group, Philippe Frederic.

On Angolan soil, Philippe Frederic also served as President of the Fiscal Council of the Association of Beverage Industries of Angola (AIBA).
The elderly in Taita Taveta County are a lucky lot after the assembly passed a motion to allow them access to free medical care in public hospitals in the county.

Members of the Taita Taveta County Assembly (MCAs) passed the law that compels the executive to exempt residents aged 65 years and above from paying for treatment.

The programme was initiated by the last administration but was halted in 2018 by the current county government.

Among the reasons that made the programme stop were loopholes that made non-residents take advantage of the free services.

Mwatate MCA Abednego Mwanjala, who tabled the motion, said the programme will be implemented through the Taita Taveta County Health Services Act, 2021 that seeks to provide free medical care to the group.

The programme will only target residents from within the county to avoid those from other regions flocking public health facilities in the area for free medical care.

MCA Mwanjala said there was the need to give the elderly in the county free treatment since some of them are poor, and cannot afford to pay for the services.

"Some of them are very needy and are unable to afford their treatment. As a county that loves its people, we need to support them, by allowing them to access free treatment in all our health facilities," he said.

Speaking in support of the motion, Wumingu/Kishushe MCA Newton Kifuso noted that the cost of living had gone up thereby affecting the poor and vulnerable in the society.

Mr Kifuso said some families lack the capacity to care for their old parent's medical bills and needs due to high poverty levels in the area.

"Some of the elderly people do not have families to cater for their day to day needs. Some have been neglected by their families. This means that they cannot access treatment and pay for it," he said.

The MCA said due to their age, older people face a significant risk of developing severe illness if they contract Covid-19 disease hence the need to assure them of proper care when they fall sick.

The MCAs noted that the older persons cash transfer programme by the national government has not benefited a majority of residents that fall in that category hence the need to cover them medically.

"The cash transfer program was done selectively thus leaving out most of our elderly people in the county," said Ms Lilian Kidali, a nominated MCA.

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County executive for Health John Mwakima said the department is currently working on regulations for the programme.

He said the department had stopped the programme due to lack of a well-knitted implementation structure and unclear regulations.

The CEC said the programme was putting unsustainable pressure on health facilities in the county.

"The county budget should target mainly the locals just like other counties taking care of their residents in a special way. But due to the loopholes, we used to give free treatment to non-residents, thereby putting pressure on our facilities," he said.

He said the number of targeted people will be informed by an ongoing mapping exercise which has already kicked off.

"The ongoing mapping exercise will give us a clear picture of how many people will benefit for us to budget accordingly. The programme will be implemented through a law which was passed recently," he said.
opinion

I read with great displeasure the reactions and comments credited to Senators Ahmed Lawan and Mohammed Ali Ndume and Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to the clarion calls by the Southern Governors for restructuring of the country and for Mr President to address the nation along with the ban on open grazing in the South. I am aware that these national legislators are from Mr President's party, hence should defend him at all costs even if the country is boiling .

The Senate President said that the worsening security situation in the country is a result of a lack of a functional local government system. This is a fallacy and misleading. Is it the local government system that controls the security agencies and our National Intelligence agencies? Who appoints the service chiefs, the local government chairmen or the president of the country? Who is recognised as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the local government chairman or the president of the Federal Republic of Nigerian?

In case Senator Lawan has forgotten, section 5 of the Nigerian Constitution vests executive powers of the federation in the president and not in the local government chairmen or the state governors. I know when the issue of state policing was deliberated upon by the Nigerian Governors Forum, it was rejected by most Northern governors on the ground that they did not have the financial clout to finance such project. Today, the federal police will post a police officer who does not know the terrain of an area or the culture of a people to go and police the area.

On the call by the Southern Governors Forum for the restructuring of the country, Lawan said: "I believe that, as leaders, especially those of us who are elected into office should not be at the forefront of calling for this kind of thing. Because, even if you are a governor, you are supposed to be working hard in your state to ensure that this restructuring you are calling for at the federal level, you have done it in your state as well." The truth is that my people say that the oppressor will never see anything wrong in his act of oppression and I do not expect Senator Lawan to say the contrary.

I need not remind Senator Lawan that the 1999 Constitution imposed on us by the military does not represent the wishes of the people of Nigeria. I put it to Lawan that it is both absurd and abusive referring the governors as the chief security officers in their states when they do not have any control on the police, the Army, DSS or any other security agencies in their respective states. Recently an online video showed where the governor of Akwa Ibom state was blaming the Commissioner of Police in his state for failing to prevent the mayhem in the state.

If Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel had control over the police commissioner in his state would he not have transferred him out of his state or sacked him? To me, it is derogatory referring to a state governor as the chief security officer of his state when he has no control over any of the security agencies in his state. All the security agencies in his state are controlled from Abuja.

In the same vein , House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, has argued that the agitation for restructuring may be genuine but elected leaders and state governors should not be the ones to champion the movement for restructuring without first replicating the idea at the state level. I want to remind the Speaker that the governors were voted in by the people, hence they should represent their people at all times. What the governors said was exactly the wish of their subjects. Since, we run a representative system of government, you should know that the governors are representing their people.

On the other hand, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, said Southern Governors in the country won't get the solution to the various problems confronting the region by playing to the gallery. I believe that Senator Ndume should have another meaning to the idiomatic expression of " playing to the gallery" because there is no way somebody should regard the decisions reached by the Southern Governors as playing to the gallery.

Senator Ndume again faulted the decision of the Southern Governors to ban open grazing in the South-West, South-East and the South-South geopolitical zones of the country, adding that open grazing was not the problem but insecurity. This is preposterous as our people say that to separate a fight one must first stop the combatants from coming together . I want to remind Senator Ndume that southern governors are not acting alone in this as Justice Adewale Thompson banned open grazing on April 17, 1969 and warned of unprovoked killings by herdsmen; so there is a judicial precedent on this matter before the southern governors did the needful . Senator Ndume may verify this from Suit no AB/26/66.

In his judgement on the suit, the presiding judge, Justice Adewale Thompson , had this to say : "I do not accept the contention of Defendants that a custom exists which imposes an obligation on the owner of farm to fence his farm whilst the owner of cattle allows his cattle to wander like pests and cause damage. Such a custom if it exists is unreasonable and I hold that it is repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience and therefore unenforceable... in that it is highly unreasonable to impose the burden of fencing a farm on the farmer without the corresponding obligation on the cattle owner to fence in his cattle. Sequence to that I banned open grazing, for it is inimical to peace and tranquility and the cattle owners must fence or ranch their animals for peace to reign in these communities."

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I still want to put it to Senator Ndume that trespass is both civil and criminal offence in Nigeria, hence it is senseless defending herdsmen who take their cattle to another person's property to destroy the person's crops and you say the person should accommodate the herdsmen. There is no way you can sit on somebody's nose and get balanced. Section 342 of the penal code is clear on what constitutes a criminal trespass and section 348 of the same code clearly outlines the punishment for criminal trespass. It may also interest Senator Ndume to know that the Supreme Court has gone further to state the ingredients of a criminal trespass as follows:

a. Unlawful entry into or upon a property in the possession of another or unlawful remaining there.

b. An intention to commit an offence or intimidate, insult or annoy the person in possession of the property .

It needs to be noted that trespassing can have both civil and criminal consequences. A property owner may be able to sue someone who enters their land without permission. Meanwhile, the trespasser also may face criminal charges. The prosecutor would need to prove that the defendant intentionally entered someone else's property without permission, or remained there after being told to leave.

This charge usually arises in the context of private property, but it can also arise if someone enters a store or other business, or even a city or state park, when they are not permitted to be there. I intentionally cited penal code that is applicable to northern part of the country which is where Senator Ndume hails from because I don't want to bore him with similar provisions of the criminal code that is applicable in southern part of Nigeria because he may claim not to be familiar with that .

I put it to Senator Ndume that these two ingredients of criminal trespass are being executed by the herdsmen who unlawfully access somebody's farm , intimidate, maim ,rape or even kill the farmer if the farmer raises an eyebrow. I burst into laughter when I read where Senator Ndume said that: "They ( the southern governors ) have unfiltered access to Mr President who is the Commander-In-Chief and they themselves being the chief security officers of their states have the national security council."

Let me begin by asking Senator Ndume which president he was referring to ? Was it the same president that said that he was not aware that his former IGP did not carry out his instruction when Benue killing began and he could neither sack the IGP nor replace him for flouting the order of the Commander-in-Chief of armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Was Ndume referring to a president that made it clear after his swearing in that he was for his 97% that voted for him and not the 5% that did not vote for him?

Was Ndume referring to a president whose under his watch the Federal Ministry of Justice was eager to approach the court to proscribe IPOB while rampaging herdsmen are killing and wiping out communities with nobody saying anything? Was Ndume referring to the same president that the governors of Benue, Zamfara and Niger states have repeatedly sent out " save-our-soul" messages to and kidnapping, banditry and killing are still ongoing? Was Ndume referring to the same president that under his watch, Abuja-Kaduna road is now a nightmare to travelers that even highly placed security officers are afraid plying the road with their own security details ?

Was Ndume referring to a president that clearly told the people of Benue that they should find a way to accommodate their visitors, even when the visitors were there to destroy their farms with their cattle? Was Ndume referring to a president under his watch a particular section of the country would kill and openly claim responsibility for that and no arrest would be made let alone prosecuting the culprits but when the victims rise up to defend themselves then the military would be drafted to the area?

DSS I know under this administration is the one that can invite somebody like me to come and explain what should be my freedom of expression as contained in section 39 of the constitution, as amended, but no herder will be invited for similar interrogation. I may not want to continue in responding to all that Senator Ndume said while featuring on Channels Television's 'Politics Today' programme because I may soon lose my control.

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However, the one that I will not fail to mention before ending this write-up is the reaction of some northerners who faulted the southern governors for not first consulting the leadership the Fulani herdsmen before banning open grazing in the south. The consult will be for what? Will the southern governors first consult the leaders for the herdsmen as owners of the country or owners of the southern part of the country? How many southerners were consulted before Sharia law was illegally implemented in the north even when such implementation was totally and clearly against sections 10 and 38 of the Nigerian constitution as amended.

Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution extensively gives every Nigerian citizen the inalienable right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion whereas section 10 clearly states that :"The Government of the Federation or of a State, shall not adopt any religion as State Religion".

Is it not unlawful to impose Sharia law to people living a certain region of the country? Tell me if it is not unlawful for members of the Hisbah Corps or what other name they are called to destroy and arrest the sellers of Alcoholic drinks on the streets of Kano?

The most annoying of the whole scenario is that same Hisbah corps are being financed from the value-added.tax gotten from sales and consumption of alcoholic drinks from other states of the federation. If they do not like alcoholic drinks why not tell Federal government to remove part of their monthly allocation coming from the tax levied on alcoholic drinks? That is what Ghanaian novelist, Ayi Kwei Armah called Chidodo bird. The said chidodo bird hates excreta but feeds on the maggots that survive on the excreta.

I know somebody will cite one law passed by the Kano state House of Assembly or any other Northern state House of Assembly banning sales and consumption of alcoholic drinks. I will like to refer the fellow to section 4(5) of the Nigerian Constitution,as amended which states that : If any law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law (such as sections 10 and 38 of the Nigerian Constitution ) validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.
NEHAWU is demanding a 6% pay increase; management initially offered 3.5%

A strike by over 300 workers at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) in Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, has entered its second week, disrupting the academic programme.

The workers, affiliated to the National Health Education & Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) downed tools on Monday last week. They were demanding a 6% pay increase, while management had offered 3.5%. In a memorandum last Thursday, they also demanded a once-off payment of R2,500.

SMU NEHAWU chairperson Mulaudzi Tshifhiwa said that Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Mbati had on Saturday created the wrong impression that the union had accepted a 4% increase.

"We have not even deliberated on the offer," said Tshifhiwa.

Workers started burning tyres at the university's entrance last week Tuesday. They were still burning tyres on Monday morning - proof that the workers had not agreed to 4% said Tshifhiwa.

"We are not going back to work. Last week was just a warm up. Comrades, we are not going to back down," SMU worker Tshepo Lechaba told the strikers.

Addressing workers on Friday, Nehawu deputy chairperson Themba Khumalo said management needed to also attend to the demands of students.

SRC President Thato Maseko confirmed that a memorandum of demands was submitted over the weekend. Issues include renovations of student residences, the implementation of a Gender Based Violence policy and the establishment of the Gender Equity Office."

Dr Eric Pule, spokesperson of SMU, did not respond to our request for comment.
press release

Minister Nxesi's vaccine shot in the arm as Compensation Fund, entities set aside R1.35-billion for 3 million uninsured workers

In a significant boost to the country's vaccination programme, the Department of Employment and Labour through the Compensation Fund (CF), in partnership with mutual assurance companies Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) and Federated Employer's Mutual Assurance (FEMA), have partnered to contribute R1,35 billion to fund vaccines for uninsured workers who do not have medical aid cover.

The funding is anticipated to contribute towards the vaccinations under phase 2 of an estimated 3 million workers, which is a significant contribution to the government's plan to inoculate about 75% of the population to reach the 67% herd immunity target.

The initiative forms part of the ongoing collaboration between the public and private sectors to plug the vaccine rollout's financial gaps programme as well as proactively ensuring that a significant part of workers gets inoculated instead of dealing with resultant claims.

This was announced by the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi during the department's Budget Vote on Friday.

The Minister commented further and he said: "We are humbled and grateful for the support that the boards of the CF, the RMA and FEMA have demonstrated in pledging support for the Department's plan to ensure protection of workers through the vaccine rollout programme. This selfless gesture demonstrates the milestones that can be achieved when all social partners work towards a common purpose and vision.

"The Covid-19 vaccination is unprecedented and is one of the biggest and most expansive national programmes government has undertaken. As government, we cannot successfully carry out this mammoth task on our own. We need all hands on deck to ensure that we can prevail over this pandemic," says Minister Nxesi who also thanked the CEOs of the two entities and the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa who are working closely with government in ensuring the objective of this contribution is achieved.

"This marks an important turning point in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Our view is that if we can have more parties on board to support in a similar vein, we can help government in bridging some of the funding gaps in the procuring of vaccinations. If we work together, we can all play a significant role in providing a much-needed safety net for millions of vulnerable workers who do not have the means to fund their vaccinations or afford private healthcare cover.

"We aim to collectively make a meaningful contribution to the fight against the coronavirus by ensuring that as many people as possible are vaccinated for the country to meet herd immunity targets," says Minister Nxesi.

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The decision to fund the vaccine for uninsured workers marks a proactive intervention by the three entities that the government is taking to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In just over a year, the CF, in compliance with the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act as well as the Workplace-Acquired COVID-19 Directive issued by the Employment and Labour Ministry in July 2020, has received a total of 22333 Covid-19 claims and has accepted liability for 11 466 of the claims.

Of those claims, 71 are in relation to fatalities and already R57-million (R57 346 339.88) has been spent in support of workers through medical aid, funeral costs, benefits for dependants as well as in temporary total disablement.

The majority of the workers who will benefit from this initiative are mainly the vulnerable workers, who have the least resources to mitigate against the loss of income, whether temporary or permanent, resulting from hospitalisation due to Covid-19 infection. The ripple effects of the financial burden they face are felt by their extended families, who rely on them for their livelihood.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

A few passing clouds. Low 74F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 74F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
press release

President Cyril Ramaphosa has this morning , 17 May 2021, arrived in Paris, France, to participate in the Summit on the Financing of African Economies.

At the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic, the President will join several African Heads of State and Government as well as leaders of global financing institutions at the Grand Palais Ephemere on Tuesday, 18 May 2021.

President Ramaphosa will this evening attend the Welcome Dinner in Honour of African Heads of State and Government hosted by President Macron at the Elysee Palace.

President Ramaphosa will hold bilateral meetings with African Union Chairperson President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Joao Lourenco of the Republic of Angola, President Alassane Ouattara of the Republic of Ivory Coast and President Macky Sall of the Republic of Senegal to enhance South Africa's diplomatic relations ahead of the Welcome Dinner in Honour of African Heads of State and Government.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, and the Acting Minister in the Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, are accompanying President Ramaphosa on this working visit.

The purpose of the Summit is to support the economic recovery of African countries that have been affected by the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to foster investments in Africa and avert the risk of excessive debt.

Delegates will deliberate on debt relief and support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through special drawing rights (SDRs).

Leaders will also look at how to provide capital to the private sector on the African continent to support investments that will catalyse inclusive economic activity, create employment and accelerate the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.

The Summit on the Financing of African Economies follows a series of global stimulus packages initiatives, including the World Bank's $14 billion fast-tracking of COVID-19 financing, the African Development Bank's $10 billion COVID-19 Response Facility and the International Monetary Fund's concessional financing and debt relief to assist countries and companies in their response to the pandemic.

European leaders, representatives of G7 and G20 countries and of international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are among Summit delegates.
Dar es Salaam  The Commercial Division of the High Court of Tanzania has ordered the arrest of seven prominent city businesspeople for their failure to execute the Court's ruling with regard to the payment of $600,027.21 and 4,822.27 English pounds to a firm known as Touton SA.

The seven businesspeople - who are also directors and shareholders of Karagwe Estates Ltd - are Eustace Katagira, Fortunatus Faustine, Sebba Bilakwate, Severine Katabaro, Fulgens Katagira, Rugaimukama Kalegeya and William Kategaya.

The warrant of arrest for the seven - a copy of which The Citizen has seen - was signed by the Court's deputy registrar and addressed to the Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander.

The Court reached the decision after the businesspersons failed to execute its ruling which was delivered on July 28, 2020 in Case Number 29 of 2020.

In the case, which was filed by Touton SA, the company (Touton SA) asked the court to register an award that was awarded to it by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) British Coffee Unit in London on April 22, 2020, following its business dispute with Karagwe Estates.

The Commercial Division of the High Court ruled in favour of the applicant, and registered the London court's ruling thereby giving it the mandate to be executed within Tanzania's jurisdiction.

But, until April 2021 - ten months since the ruling was registered by a competent local court - the seven businesspeople had not complied with the ruling, thus compelling the court to issue a warrant of arrest.

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With its headquarters in Bordeaux, France, Touton SA is a commodities trader in cocoa, coffee, cereals, assorted oil seeds and other raw materials such as spices and ingredients for almost 150 years.

A lawyer for Touton SA, Edward Chuwa, told The Citizen yesterday that out of the $600,027.21 (Sh1.38 billion) and 4,822.27 (about Sh14.4 million) pounds, the company has paid only $25 - and amount that has not been registered by the court.

The warrant of arrest seeks to compel the businesspeople to pay the money plus interest and costs associated with the case.

The warrant also orders the Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander to return to the court the warrant and how it was executed on June 22, 2021.

In case the arrest fails, the Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander will also be compelled to explain why and how it failed.

The ruling by a London arbitrator was based on what was termed as a breach of the 2018 agreement/contract requirements between Touton SA and Karagwe Estates Limited.

In 2018, the two parties signed a contract that financially helped Karagwe to acquire $2 million on different occasions so it could implement its business activities linked to the buying of coffee.

In the contract, Mr Eustace Katagire was the guarantor on behalf of Karagwe Estate Limited in which he pledged to be held responsible in case the company failed to implement the contract requirements.

In line with the contract, Touton filed a labour dispute case at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) British Coffee Unit in London.

After listening from both sides, arbitrators, Simon Wakefield, Thomas Blackwall and Agnieszka Krasuska ordered Karagwe to pay Touton the amount that was alter registered with the Comemrcial Division of the High Court in Tanzania.
Dar es Salaam  President Samia Suluhu Hassan has received a report from a special committee of experts which she formed to professionally evaluate the Covid-19 pandemic today.

The reported was handed over by the committee chairman, Prof Said Aboud at State House Dar es Salaam.

The committee was formed so as to advise the government on the way forward regarding the management of the pandemic which first struck the country in March 2020.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam on April 6, 2021 during the swearing in ceremony of Permanent Secretaries and their deputies, President Samia said she intended to form a committee that will advise the government on Covid-19 issues.

"On the issue of Covid-19, I think I should form a Committee of experts to look at it professionally and then advise the Government, it should not be silenced or rejected or accepted without professional research," she said.

She added: We cannot isolate ourselves as if we are an Island but also we cannot accept everything brought to us, we cannot continue just reading about Covid-19 Worldwide, yet Tanzania is all blank, it is incomprehensible.
Dar es Salaam  The government is inviting investors to establish mobile phone assembly lines in Tanzania to tap into a huge market of those not served, with a goal to reach 80 percent of internet users by 2025.

The country has so far 43.7 million mobile phone subscribers but only 23.1 million of them get internet, with up to 86 per cent locked out in rural areas compared to 44.6 per cent in urban areas.

According to the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) director general, Mr Amos Nungu, the availability of affordable smartphones would revolutionise the internet use and help spur economic growth.

Mr Nungu spoke on Saturday during a media symposium ahead of Innovation Week that starts today across the country themed: "Innovation for a Resilience and Inclusive Digital Economy."

Innovation Week is curated by the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and COSTECH, with support from UKAid and other partners and sponsors. The purpose of Innovation Week is to inspire current and future leaders in the country to take risks on new ideas, collaborate across sectors and transform Tanzania through the impact of innovation.

In Dar es Salaam, stakeholders will be meeting at the LAPF towers in Makumbusho area for the week-long show casing and knowledge sharing event.

At the media workshop on Saturday, Mr Nungu said the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) was working closely with stakeholders to ensure a majority of Tanzanians afford smartphones to access internet. "The government wants an inclusive digital economy that will ensure all people from all walks of life including the marginalised have access to the internet," he said.

The government, he noted, aimed to ensure the optic fibre is in both rural and urban areas.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Science Technology and Innovation Officer, Tabitha Etutu, said the government has put up a policy and guidelines to identify, recognize and promote innovators in the country.

She said the government was supporting both innovation and traditional practices that aimed at improving services.

"Traditional practices have not been adequately promoted despite the fact that they can come up with a cure for some disease, so far modern medicine cannot cure sickle cell," she said.

She noted that during the National Competition for Science Innovation (Makisato) that took place in Dodoma a week ago, more than 1708 innovators exhibited their work, with 130 out of them supported by the government.

For his part, Mwananchi Communications Ltd (MCL), Habari Hub, Digital Advisor, Mr Mihayo Wilmore, said 10 years ago MCL started its digital transformation to enable the public access news fast online through their smartphones. He, however, noted that for digital services to attract followers they have to depend on foreign platforms which can be suspended or withdrawn and thus affect local services.

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"It is imperative Tanzania comes up with its own platforms for artificial intelligence because we cannot continue attracting followers through foreign platforms," he said. He suggested that such local platforms should use native language and culture (Kiswahili).

For his part, the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) Country Director, Joseph Manirakiza said inclusive innovation ensures the marginalised women, girls and rural communities are onboard.

"Normally when advancing there are groups that are forgotten and therefore it is imperative to ensure inclusive policies," he said.

Meanwhile, UNDP, Head of Inclusive Growth Pillar, Emmanuel Nnko said innovation has created employment of Tanzanians in many fields including agriculture, education among many more.
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The Department of Health's much-anticipated budget vote came under the spotlight at the National Assembly's mini-plenary recently. In his speech, the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, reported on some of the key priorities of the department's annual performance plans in the last financial year and the immediate challenges posed by Covid-19 on the department's budget.

High on the department's agenda is the establishment of the National Health Insurance Fund, which will enhance human resource capacity in the health-care sector. Reporting on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, the Minister stated that public hearings were held to obtain the public's views on the bill. R7.6 billion has been set aside to establish the NHI Unit to contract service providers and to oversee the NHI fund.

Tied to the NHI is the concept of Ideal Clinics and over 1 200 clinics across the country have obtained this status. In addition, R13.7 billion has been assigned to tertiary health services.

In his input, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, commended the department's successes and supported the bill. However, he was unhappy with the department's projected R50 billion budget cut. "We have resolved that we will meet the National Treasury and ask it to explain to us how the department will achieve its annual performance plans in the light of these projected budget cuts."

The national outcry over the unlawful procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) did not escape his attention. "As a committee, we would like to get a report on why there is so much outcry over the procurement of PPE. We want to know what happened."

He also praised nursing staff for their hard work during the pandemic and recognised the impact these trying times have had on them. "Our nurses are wounded tigers. Please walk tall with your scars. Thanks for holding on to the fort."

He further stated that as part of its oversight mandate, the committee will visit the provinces to determine the readiness of provinces in rolling out the vaccine. The success of government intervention is curbing the spread of Covid will be determined "by how many people we can save. And we can save people by vaccinating as many as possible," Member of Parliament Ms Siviwe Gwarube. "At the current pace of less than 1% vaccination rate, the 40 million annual target remains a far-fetched dream." Worst of all, "we have been surpassed by less resourced countries, such as Zimbabwe and Ghana."

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"We highlighted this looming crisis," she maintained, "but our concerns were met by government inaction, by the government that evades accountability. We want the department to present its plan on how it intends to deal with the third wave and with the Indian strain that is likely to migrate to our shores," she insisted.

At the current pace of vaccination, the department's initial projection is a distant dream, said another MP Dr Sophie Thembekwayo. "People are faced with imminent death because the department has no vaccination plan that is worth its name." She added, "if we continue to have no integrated vaccination plan of covid and HIV/AID we are faced with desperate consequences. "We need a decisive leadership. Minister, if this job is above the level of your competency, please resign now."

Mr Nqabayomzi Kwanka questioned the wisdom of holding election in the face of a crisis, a vaccination plan that is erratic and in the absence of a comprehensive vaccination plan to deal with the third wave and when numbers of infections are increasing daily.

In his reply, the minister promised that the department will hold accountable all those involved in corruption in the procurement of PPEs. He apologised for the unforeseen delay in the roll-out of vaccination as planned. "The delay due to technical deficiencies and the contamination of the content of the vaccine is something that we did not anticipate."

The minister was pleased to announce that next week, "Pfizer will provide us with 1 million jabs to enable us to complete the first phase of our vaccination plan. This batch is meant for people over 60 years of age. We also hope to get 2 million jabs from Johnson and Johnson and that process is now at an advance stage.

Abel Mputing
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The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has announced over R96 billion in transfers and subsidies to municipalities, and a further R173,3 million to support traditional leadership. Presenting the two departments (cooperative governance and traditional affairs) budget votes for debate in a mini-plenary of the National Assembly (NA), the Minister said the budgets will help "lay a solid foundation to set us on a path towards building resilient, safe, sustainable, prosperous, cohesive, connected and climate-smart communities".

She said Vote 3 (Cooperative Governance), sets aside over R100,8 billion in the 2021/22 financial year. R96 billion of the allocation is made up of transfers and subsidies to municipalities. Vote 15 (Traditional Affairs) allocates R173,3 million to support developmental traditional leadership, which promotes participatory democracy and rural development, as well as agriculture.

Dr Dlamini-Zuma also told Members of Parliament that in implementing the District Development Model in the pilot sites, the department has committed to training more than 1 000 young people in partnership with the Department of Rural Development. "We are pleased to announce that, so far, 554 young people have completed their training in agriculture-related areas such the production and processing of maize, vegetables, beef, dairy and pork. These young people will either be placed in agriculture institutions or will be supported to start community based initiatives," she said.

Minister Dlamini-Zuma also confirmed an allocation of R2,9 billion in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period to the OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape for the implementation of water and sanitation projects. "We are a responsive and caring government, therefore, we had set aside close to R618,9 million in national and municipality allocations to address the water and sanitation challenges," she said.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cogta, Ms Faith Muthambi, welcomed the commitment by the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent to support 44 district municipalities to reduce infrastructure backlogs and improve performance on the Municipal Infrastructure Grant. However, the committee's major concern with the Department Cogta is around the Community Work Programme (CWP). "On numerous occasions, the committee has requested specific information to help us understand better the challenges facing the programme and provide the necessary oversight. The department's cooperation in this regard has left much to be desired. This low level of accountability in respect to the CWP is proving to be a source of tension and is threatening our amicable working relationship with the department," Ms Muthambi said.

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The portfolio committee also noted the priorities of the Department of Traditional Affairs for the period under review, including the extensive emphasis on the role of traditional leadership in curbing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, gender-based violence, femicide, violence against the LGBTQ+ community and promoting gender representation and women empowerment within the structures of traditional leadership.

Mr Cilliers Brink of the Democratic Alliance (DA) raised a concern about failing municipalities and blamed their problems on policies such as cadre deployment, race-based employment equity and black economic empowerment (BEE) preferential procurement. "These policies don't empower ordinary people. They further state capture. The jobs at local government require non-political skills and attitude," he argued.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also raised concern about rampant corruption in municipalities and refused to support the Cogta Budget Vote. "Corruption is the number one problem for our decaying municipalities. Our people don't have water and electricity while money is being looted left, right and centre. Our people are suffering due to corruption," said EFF Member of Parliament Ms Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi.

Mr Ignatius Groenewald of Freedom Front Plus also spoke strongly against corruption, cadre deployment as well as BEE, blaming these factors for failing municipalities. "The reason for incomplete infrastructure projects in our municipalities is not lack of funds, it's poor planning, corruption and inflated prices. If drastic changes do not happen, the future of municipalities is bleak," said Mr Groenewald.

He also complained about the size of the country's municipalities, saying they were too big and suggested smaller municipal units.

Sakhile Mokoena
press release

As we commemorate International Museum Day tomorrow, 18 May 2021, Minister Anroux Marais donated books from her personal collection to the Togryers Museum in Ceres this afternoon.

Earlier this month, the Togryers Museum started a Book Exchange Library which allows visitors to bring a book and exchange it for another free of charge. As some of the books received are dated, Minister Marais donated some newer editions of reading material to increase the options available at the new Book Exchange Library.

In commemoration of International Museum Day, we remain mindful that affiliated museums play a crucial role in showcasing our diverse heritage landscape and promoting social inclusion in the province.

The unprecedented actions taken to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the complete closure of museums for close to 5 months during hard lockdown last year. During this time, museums lost significant amounts in revenue with each passing day. However, museums in the Western Cape rose to the challenge as far as possible and entered the virtual space of publicly accessible, timed, online exhibitions and events which was new territory for many of them. While these online exhibitions and events ensured that the public still had access to the museums during lockdown and positioned the museums well for visitors during the recovery phase of the pandemic, it did not take care of the lost opportunities in revenue from people visiting museums via entrance fees. In order to ensure that museums in the Western Cape were able to access relief funding for the loss of revenue the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport availed COVID-19 Relief Funding for museums to the value of R1, 3 million in 2020/2021, of which 19 museums across the province successfully applied, including non-affiliated museums such as the District Six Museum.

In 2021/2022 the department made available R6, 5 million towards annual subsidies for Province-aided Museums and R393 000 towards annual grant-in-aid for Local Museums. These contributions will ensure that affiliated museums remain open to the public despite the economic devastation resulted from the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, to create an enabling environment to reduce unemployment, R3. 6 million of the provincial equitable share is allocated towards the creation of EPWP job opportunities at affiliated museums across the province.

Our Human Remains Reburial Programme has gained great momentum as it is a significant series of reburials of human remains that are in museums affiliated to the Department. In our departmental Guidelines for the Management and Reinterment of Human Remains and Associated Archaeological Remains, the preamble emphasises that museums are not appropriate institutions to hold human remains whether archaeological of historical. Regardless of how these were acquired, where such exists, proactive steps must be undertaken to ensure the deaccessioning where they are in collection and reburial of human remains. Aligned to these guidelines, we are now regulating our museums by handing over the remains to community representatives to be buried with the dignity and respect it deserves. This year, the department will ensure that human remains situated at Genadendal Museum is accordingly buried with dignity.

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Minister Marais said, "In celebration of International Museum Day, the Museum Service of the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport should be commended as they diligently serve to promote respect for cultural diversity in South Africa and appreciation of our natural heritage. We wholeheartedly thank our Museum Service for creating the enabling environment needed to build understanding and pride of our diverse heritage through the affiliated museums by developing and promoting collections, exhibitions and programmes for educational purposes and public interest".
5th May 2021, Dr. Gibril Ibrahim Mohammed, Sudan's Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Nnenna Nwabufo,African Development Bank Director-General, East Africa Region, sign grant agreements for the arrears clearance

Following approval of the proposal by the Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank Group to clear about $413 million in arrears on loans owed by Sudan, the Bank Group has completed the arrears clearance process, enabling the East African country to have immediate access to new financing.

The clearance of Sudan's arrears was made possible with the support of the United Kingdom government through bridge financing of GBP148 million to clear Sudan's arrears to the African Development Fund. Sweden provided grant financing of about $4.2 million to meet Sudan's burden-share for the operation. The Republic of Ireland has also committed to providing EUR150,000 towards Sudan's future debt service.

Consequently, the African Development Bank Group sanctions on Sudan have been lifted and a policy-based operation is being provided to the country as part of the Bank's full re-engagement with Sudan to complement its ongoing operations. Clearing of arrears with international financial institutions such as the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, is one of the preconditions for Sudan under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, which is paramount for clearing other debt owed to the Paris and Non-Paris Club creditors.

Abdallah Hamdok, Prime Minister of Sudan expressed appreciation to the Bank Group for its support. "After a long and challenging but fruitful journey, we look forward to an even stronger relationship with the Bank, post arrears clearance, that will enable us to achieve our development objectives," Hamdok said. He also expressed appreciation to the UK, Sweden and Ireland for their roles in facilitating the milestone achievement.

Dominic Raab, UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs said: "The UK has provided a bridging loan to enable the clearance of Sudan's arrears at the African Development Bank. This transaction unlocks important additional programming to help Sudan's development and is another step towards Sudan's economic recovery and transition to democracy. I commend the work of the Government of Sudan and African Development Bank to make this happen."

Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation, Mr. Per Olsson Fridh said: "The Government of Sweden is a strong supporter of Sudan's democratic transition and reintegration into the global economy. The clearance of arrears to the African Development Bank is an important step for Sudan in this direction. Sweden is a proud contributor to this process. Sweden is pleased to see the AfDB's focus on gender and climate issues in the future cooperation with Sudan, both key to the long-term stability and development of Sudan".

Colm Brophy, Ireland's Minister of State for Overseas Development and Diaspora stated: "The people of Sudan have embarked upon an important political and economic transition. Ireland is pleased to provide support to this transition by contributing, along with Sweden and the United Kingdom, to the process of the clearance of Sudan's arrears at The African Development Bank."

Bank Group President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, expressed his congratulations to Sudan's government and appreciation to the U.K, Sweden and Ireland. "The perseverance and commitment of the government and people of Sudan has paid off, culminating in this historic moment that will open new financing opportunities to Sudan," Dr. Adesina said.

Khaled Sherif, Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, noted that while this gives the African Development Bank the opportunity to fully re-engage with Sudan, we will work with Sudan and other development partners to complete the HIPC process.

The Bank Group's current portfolio in Sudan comprises 19 operations for a total commitment of about $600 million, spreading across sectors like agriculture, water and sanitation, social and energy and the private sector.

Contact:

Amba Mpoke-Bigg, Communication and External Relations Department, African Development Bank, email: a.mpoke-bigg@afdb.org
Maputo  The Mozambican authorities have recovered 66 containers of logs that were being smuggled to China out of the northern port of Pemba, according to a report carried by the independent television station STV.

This was a fraudulent scheme involving 2,032 cubic metres of timber which had been seized by the authorities. Under Mozambican legislation, unprocessed timber may not be exported.

The logs belonged to the Chinese company Cheufang, which made a first illicit attempt to export the logs last August. Despite this, the Cabo Delgado provincial court appointed Cheufeng as the "bona fide depositary" for the timber until its fate was decided.

All too predictably, Cheufang betrayed this trust, and 66 of the 76 containers of logs were loaded onto a ship which set sail clandestinely from Pemba, heading for China. After the illegal departure of the logs the provincial attorney's office ordered the detention of a Cheufang official.

At a Sunday press conference in Pemba, provincial attorney Octavio Zilo said that, by the time his office became aware of the departure of the ship, it was in international waters, and so Mozambican forces could not seize it.

So the Mozambican authorities made diplomatic contacts with China to ensure that the ship was turned back before it reached any Chinese port. The Chinese cooperated and by the weekend, the 66 containers had been returned to Pemba.

Ten of the 76 containers that had originally been seized are still missing, and Zilo said his office is trying to recover them too. "We are working to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible", he told the reporters.

A second Chinese citizen has been arrested in connection with this operation, he added. Investigations are continuing to discover anybody in Mozambican state bodies who was also involved in the attempted contraband.

Back in August, when the timber was seized, nine Mozambicans were temporarily held - including inspectors of the National Environmental Quality Control Agency (AQUA), and members of the defence and security forces who had been present when the logs were loaded into containers.
Maputo  Chimoio (Mozambique), 17 May (AIM) - The son of a businessman, who was kidnapped in April in the central Mozambican city of Chimoio, has been returned to his family, but it is not yet clear how much ransom the family was forced to pay.

The victim, 42 year old Depish Ramish, was abducted near his Chimoio home, by individuals armed with a pistol. They bundled him into their own vehicle, a Toyota Rush, and drove into the night. It is not known where they held Ramish prisoner.

The commander of the Manica provincial police command, Francisco Simoes, announced on Monday that Ramish had been freed.

"We confirm that the son of the businessman has returned to his family", Simoes told reporters. "We received this information from the family themselves. Even so, we are working to identify the kidnappers and bring them to justice".

He accused the family of not cooperating with the police to locate the criminals. "This is a fact that we regard as complicated", said Simoes. "The family itself negotiated the ransom. We don't know whether any money changed hands. As the police, we are trying to obtain more information, but the family is not facilitating our work".

He insisted that the police are continuing to work the case, and "we would like to believe that we shall have some results that may lead us to the people involved".

This is the fifth kidnapping in Chimoio since 2018. The police claim they have cleared up most of these cases.
Maputo  Mozambican residents in France took the opportunity of an official visit by President Filipe Nyusi, to present their concerns about terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nyusi is in Paris at the invitation of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to take part in a summit on the financing of African economies, scheduled for Tuesday.

After his arrival on Sunday, Nyusi's first engagement was with the Mozambican community. Cited by the independent television station STV, he assured his audience that "the situation in Mozambique is relatively stable, since the three powers - the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary - are functioning to the full, although there are localized foci of conflict. I can state that our project for peace in Mozambique is in hand and is on a good path".

He added that the government has mobilized resources to assist the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by terrorism in Cabo Delgado. Through bodies such as the Agency for the Integrated Development of the North (ADIN), the government was promoting development of the northern region.

As for Covid-19, Nyusi said the government is going all in its power to control the outbreak, but without imposing a lock down on the economy.

"As a result of tightening our preventive measures, although we don't like some of them, there has been a decline in the number of new infections in Mozambique, and particularly of deaths", he said. "This is a victory for the country".

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Some of the Mozambicans complained that the Mozambican embassy in Paris does not have the facilities to issue new passports and identity cards, and to obtain these documents they have to visit the Mozambican embassies in Berlin or Lisbon.

Officials assured them that, in the near future, a brigade will visit France to issue the necessary documents to the Mozambicans living there.

Another complaint is that Mozambicans resident in France are unable to vote in Mozambican general elections. This is because there are too few of them. There are about 300 Mozambicans resident in France, and the minimum number needed to establish a polling station in the diaspora is 500.

Currently, the only European countries where Mozambicans can vote in Mozambican elections are Portugal and Germany.
THE government has asked the parliament to back its plan to release 450bn/- to the national flag-carrier as intervention to save the airline that has been greeted by losses and high operation costs.

Controller and Auditor General (CAG) placed the national carrier under the list of loss making government entities early this year after it recorded a loss of over 60bn/- in the FY2019/20.

Minister for Works and Transport Dr Leonard Chamuriho tabling the ministry's proposed budget estimates and expenditures for the 2021/22 fiscal year, said the government has allocated 450bn/- as strategic government support to the airline.

In addition, the Minister said, ATCL has allocated 56.61bn/- from its own sources to help provide air transport services within and outside the country.

Globally, airline industry has been left crippled largely due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Ministry of Works and Transport tabled its 3.747bn/- budget estimates detailing that the priority among other things will be to revive the national flag carrier.

The funding, according to the minister will help "continue making payment for two new Aircraft, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner a passanger aircraft and a cargo aircraft -Boeing 767-300," the Minister said. Adding the fund will also help procure additional Dash 8 Q 400 and complete purchase of two Airbus A200-3000 aircrafts.

ATCL plans to build a cargo facility and an office in Dodoma. It is also eying to build ground handling service units in Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya.

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"ATCL will also expands its route to Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, and Nairobi as well as resume its direct flights to Johannesburg," Dr Chamuriho told the National Assembly.

Tanzania's national flag carrier is boosting with at least 12 fleet. The government said Monday that its Dash 8 Q300 is currently in Malta for major maintenance classified as 6C check projected to be completed next month.

The Minister said, however, the construction of two aircrafts that were purchased by the state could not be completed due to effects of COVID-19. It has been reported that the aircrafts, Dash 8 Q400 will now arrive in the country next month while two other Airbus (A220-300) are scheduled to land in August and October this year.

ATCL reported between July 2020 and April 2021 it transported a total of 389,419 passengers including 36,413 international passengers. The figure is down by 32 per cent from 563,516 passengers used the airline in 2019/20.
Three suspects are being held at the Maralal Police Station after they were arrested with four ivory tusks weighing 13 kilogrammes in Barsaloi, Samburu County.

Police found the three with the elephant tusks on Sunday following a tip off from the public.

Samburu Central Police Commandant Alex Rotich said the elephant tusks, which had been cut into small pieces, weighed 13 kilos with an estimated street value of Sh1.7 million. He added that the suspects were arrested along the Barsaloi-Maralal road after a combined team of police and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers gave a chase.

"Officers from the KWS got a tip off from members of the public and together we swung into action," Mr Rotich said on Sunday.

Unknown destination

The police boss added that the suspects had concealed the consignment and were transporting the ivory to an unknown location using a private car.

The suspects are being held Maralal Police Station as investigating officers gather more information before charging them in court on Monday.

The Barsaloi-Maralal road is notorious for trafficking of illegal items such as bhang, sandalwood and ivory, as several cases have been reported in the past.

Mr Rotich said the police will continue to be vigilant, noting that the Sunday evening arrest is a breakthrough in the fight against trafficking of illegal goods in the area.

"We must protect our animals for the future generations. Elephants are an endangered species and it is our duty to protect them," Mr Rotich added as he called on the public to report unscrupulous individuals within the society.

The KWS said the tusks are suspected to have been removed from two elephants. The agency said it is working with stakeholders to put in place mechanisms, including enhanced community education and inter-agency collaboration, to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.

ogeoffrey2017@gmail.com
Traders go about their business at Gikomba Market on March 28, 2021, some without face masks and while defying the social distancing requirement for curbing the spread of Covid-19.

Some of the Kenyans who had flown to India for treatment have told of their tribulations after the government suspended passenger flights between Kenya and the Asian country following a surge in Covid-19 infections there.

In an interview with the Nation from India, Moses Muchemi described the agony majority of Kenyans in India are currently enduring.

"We are suffering. Maisha hapa imekuwa ngumu (life here is unbearable)", he said

Currently stranded in Saket, Delhi, Mr Muchemi said the Kenyan patients have formed a WhatsApp group where they have been expressing their woes in foreign land and encouraging each other. He said the WhatsApp group has around 80 patients who are facing similar predicaments.

On verge of starvation

"Some of us are on the verge of starvation having exhausted the money we had... we had not anticipated the flight suspension and the ripple effect has been devastating," said Mr Muchemi.

Giving a personal experience, the patient said he had been forced to move out of the hospital where had sought treatment as he could not afford the hefty bills.

"It used to cost me Sh30,000 a day to stay in hospital. I had move out and rent an apartment for which I am paying Sh3,000 a day," said Mr Muchemi.

He is sharing the apartment with another friend for night stay only and the duo have to buy food and drinks from their pockets.

"That is the only way those affected can be able to survive. In fact, we are staying at the cheapest apartment available to save on costs," he added.

Initially, he was informed that his medical treatment would cost around Sh400,000, but he was to incur double the amount to undergo surgery after landing in India.

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"My parents have been forced to secure a loan to finance my treatment and stay in India. Friends have also been of great help," said the frustrated patient.

He admitted that the stay in India is taking a huge toll on majority of the patients held up in the foreign country.

Go home

"We just want to go home. Life has become a big challenge," added Mr Muchemi.

The patient said some of his colleagues had held fund raisers to facilitate their treatment in India and are now surviving on a shoe string budget.

Mr Muchemi appealed to the government to find a way of bringing them back home while adhering to the set Covid-19 safety protocols.

"Another option is to support our stay in India by offering stipends to the patients who are in misery," he pleaded.

Thousands of Kenyans, especially cancer patients, travel to India to seek specialised treatment.

Machariamwangi2008@gmail.com
Miraa traders want the government to restore diplomatic ties with Somalia to secure the Sh16 million a day market.

They also want authorities to avoid actions that will further jeopardise the already strained relationship between the two countries.

Nyambene Miraa Traders Association chairman Kimathi Munjuri said a flights ban was ill advised and that Kenya should work towards restoring the trade between the two countries.

"The ban is not necessary because it extends the standoff between the two countries and it is Kenya that is losing out," said Mr Munjuri.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) through a notice to airmen (Notam) banned all flights to or from Mogadishu without giving any reason on May 11.

"All flights between Kenya and Somalia are suspended except medevac [medical evacuation] flights and United Nations flights on humanitarian missions only," the regulator said.

Last Sunday, 12 tonnes of miraa worth Sh5 million went to waste after Somalia on May 9 issued a notice prohibiting export of the stimulant to the country, following news that there was a consignment at the airport that was destined for Mogadishu.
The decision to delay Form One selection for six weeks after the release of Standard Eight exam results has opened a window to aggressive canvassing for vacancies, especially in top-performing secondary schools.

The results were released on April 15 but candidates and their families have to anxiously wait until May 28, when the selection will begin, to know their fate.

Traditionally, the selection begins almost immediately after the release of the results but was delayed this year because, in the reorganised school calendar, the learners will not join Form One until the last week of July.

"The ministry should have done the selection early and issued us with admission letters so that we may know the requirements by the schools and prepare our children," Mr Fred Opiyo, a parent in Nairobi, told Nation yesterday.

The anxiety has increased following the release of Form Four exam results last week, with parents eager to secure places for their children in schools that either performed well or have a history of good performance.

Admission letters

"It's normal for parents to do so (canvass) but our stand is; wait first until the selection is done. From the experience of the last two years, we cannot commit to or promise anything," Lenana School principal William Kemei told Nation yesterday.

"There's little that can be done since everything will be online on the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS)."

Another principal from a top sub-county school in Embu County said a number of learners had applied to join the institution but they could not issue them with admission letters before placement by the ministry.

In recent years, many parents and learners were left disappointed after failing to get admission to the schools of their choice, and this could also be fuelling the ongoing lobbying.

Additionally, some national schools such as Starehe Boys Centre, Starehe Girls Centre, Moi Forces Lanet, Utumishi Academy, Utumishi Girls and Moi Tea Girls usually pre-select their students before the national exercise.

In 2019, the ministry opened a window for learners who wished to transfer to their preferred schools to do so.

But this year, the ongoing canvassing for places will only bear fruit in case selected candidates fail to report, thereby creating vacancies.

Form One slots

The soliciting of Form One slots has been going on despite assurances by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha that the exercise will be "water-tight, credible and of high integrity."

He made the assurance when he released the results last month, adding that all the candidates will get admission to secondary schools in line with the government's 100 percent transition policy.

"I wish to assure the country that the ministry has already conducted an audit of all new and existing vacancies in all our private and public schools to enable us to admit all learners under the Free Day Secondary Education Programme," Prof Magoha said at the time.

The Education ministry uses a computerised system to place learners in secondary schools based on their choices and performance.

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Candidates are allowed to select four national schools. The ministry places the top candidates from each county in national schools.

In addition, the learners then select three extra-county schools and two county and sub-county schools each.

The capacity of the schools is a factor in addition to the overall performance in the counties the learners come from.

Schools for learners with special needs are categorised as national schools and admit them according to the nature of their disability.

The learners are expected to report to school in the last week of July when the first term of the 2021 academic year will begin. The term will be covered in only 10 weeks.

There was uproar after the release of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam results, with private schools accusing the Kenya National Examinations Council of marking down their candidates.

dmuchunguh@ke.nationmedia.com
A team of Jubilee politicians over the weekend sought to weaken United Democratic Alliance (UDA)'s presence in Rurii, Nyandarua, ahead of tomorrow's ward by-election.

Influenced by the local and national politics, the campaign turned out to be one of the most expensive, with candidates resolving to place advertisements in local TV stations and radios.

Led by Governor Francis Kimemia, Water CS Sicily Kariuki, Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, Majority Leader Amos Kimunya, and Nyeri MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, the politicians seemed to have had intelligence on UDA team movements and strategies led by Woman Rep Faith Gitau, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.

In several stations, the UDA team received hostile reception, with a section of voters openly terming them traitors because of opposing the BBI Bill.

In most stations, one of Jubilee's teams mostly composed of MCAs, county executive members, and local politicians would arrive a few minutes ahead of the UDA team. The bigger team would arrive shortly after UDA left to water down election promises made by the DP William Ruto-led party.

Market Jubilee candidate

This was the first time all leaders allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta united to market Jubilee candidate Peter Thinji, whom they said has the blessings of the Head of State.

Earlier, the UDA team supporting Muraya Githaiga, which started campaigns earlier, seemed to have made inroads in almost every corner of the ward, but tables seemed to have overturned the last minute after the arrival of the Jubilee team, which has been camping in Rurii for the last two weeks. Feeling the heat, Ms Gitau invited the UDA brigade.

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Mr Thinji's team received a boost after Independent Candidate Gerald Gitome withdrew his candidature in his support. Mr Thinji is also counting on his vote-rich Rurii Village, which has more than 5, 000 voters out of the total 18, 000. The other voter-rich area is Passenger, which neighbours Rurii.

In its campaigns, the UDA team focused on discrediting President Kenyatta's leadership and the handshake deal. "They say that Mt Kenya has no political debt to the Deputy President, we want you to vote for the UDA candidate to prove them wrong, prove to them that we have a debt to pay to the DP," said Mr Gachagua.

Sh20 billion projects

But the Jubilee team dwelt on popularising President Kenyatta's administration through the national and county government-funded projects in the area.

The national government is currently implementing projects worth Sh20 billion in Nyandarua.

"We are not going to do guesswork on development, these UDA people should tell you what they have done for Nyandarua and Rurii. They have not lobbied for a single development project from the State even before they became rebels," said Mr Kimemia.
In its judgement that nullified the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) last week, the High Court made more than 113 references to the word "public participation".

The court said the BBI exercise was constitutionally flawed because its promoters failed to involve Kenyans. The five-judge bench ruled that BBI proponents failed to distribute copies of the proposed amendments to the electorate to help them make informed decisions.

People with disabilities such as sight and hearing impairments were also excluded, the court ruled. In their decision, the judges compared the BBI process with the making of the 2010 Constitution where the committee that was undertaking the latter received more than 26,000 memoranda of divergent views from the public.

"Voters needed the copies in languages that they understand. The only copy annexed here was in English. No efforts made by the committee to make copies available for the public. People must be involved in the legislative process," said judges.

- So, what is Public Participation?

In ordinary language, the term is used to denote the involvement of the people in decision-making.

But it gets its legal legitimacy in the 2010 Constitution, which ushered in a new system of governance that places people at the centre. Article 118 mandates State organs or State officers seeking to make policies, regulations or even laws to conduct public participation.

This means all public processes, ranging from policy making, legislation and ultimate decision making, require the participation of the people.

- How is public participation conducted?

While the legal requirement is more than a decade old in Kenya, there is no law guiding the process.

In the early days after the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010, State officers and State organs had to devise their own ways of ensuring that the people were involved in formulation of laws, policy and decision-making.

A 2019 study by the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee established that the nature and extent of participation contemplated by the Constitution and the laws have not been achieved at both county and national government levels.

While a lot of public participation efforts have been made at both levels of government, the study found, there is no clarity on what constitutes adequate participation, the nature of the participation that meets the constitutional threshold, or the most effective mechanisms for public participation.

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- Does it mean without the law the public participation has never been undertaken?

Being a critical component of the constitutional architecture, public participation has been undertaken before and in these cases, it was upon the State organs and State officers to devise ways of doing it.

However, at one point the courts were forced to step in to provide guidance, going to the extent of providing the threshold of what is meaningful public participation.

- So, what is the threshold of Public participation as set by the courts?

The public participation process must be qualitative rather than quantitative, according to courts. In other words, it is not the number of submissions that are made by stakeholders or the number of stakeholders that participate in such an exercise that matter. Further, State organs or State officers, when conducting public participation, should demonstrate they did engage, consider and examine the submissions made by the public in arriving at a decision.

- Why hasn't Parliament made an attempt to make laws guiding public participation?

As a matter of fact, there are two bills before Parliament seeking to provide a legal mechanism on how the process will be conducted.
Justice William Ouko says the Supreme Court should take the lead in cleaning up the judiciary and restore public confidence ahead of the 2022 General Election.

In an interview with the Nation, the judge admitted that much had been said about the apex court as regards corruption and incompetence.

"We should interrogate these allegations internally so that the truth is brought out in the open. I will be persuading my colleagues to have some self-introspection and ask why these things are being said about us, what has led them to make the claims and what can be done to restore confidence," said Justice Ouko.

Currently, the court has Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, Justice Mohamed Ibrahim, Justice Njoki Ndung'u and Justice Isaac Lenaola. Barring a calamity, they will be joined by Justice Ouko and Martha Koome as Chief Justice.

He also urged judges in lower courts to embrace technology to clear pending cases as fast as possible.

"We need to employ mechanisms to deal with the case backlog. It is because of the long time the cases take that the public continues to raise questions on the decisions we make as judges. ICT has come in handy and it will help," said Justice Ouko, 60.

Expedite cases

He, however, said should the number of Court of Appeal judges remain few, it won't be easy to expedite cases and render judgment in good time. There are just 15 judges at the appellate court and after the departure of the two, it will have 13.

In his career, Justice Ouko was inspired by family members, relatives, teachers and other prominent judges from Yimbo West Ward, where his rural village is.

The death of one of his brothers in 1974, Boaz Ogolla, pushed his quest for justice for the vulnerable in society. Mr Ogolla was the deputy registrar at the University of Nairobi when he died in an inferno. His wife was charged for murder but was acquitted for lack of evidence.

"When my brother died, my father was really affected and told me to join the police reserve to investigate the matter and ensure I will always fight for justice. That is the way I found myself in the service," said Justice Ouko, who used to lecture officers on law and administration of justice.

Read: My vast experience will save Judiciary, Justice Ouko tells JSC

He developed his reading habits from his father, Mzee Habil Okello, who was a clerk in the office of ex-chief Okello Anam.

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"My father used to read a lot of books and had one of the best handwriting which earned him employment as a clerk," said the judge, who prefers autobiographies.

Gospel songs

He is now writing his memoir with the help of his daughter, Jolly Lanji, who's pursuing her PhD in law in New York. If all goes well, the book will be ready in December.

He says the best time for writing judgments is between midnight and 2am, while on Sundays he listens to gospel songs.

Justice Ouko attended Usenge Primary School from 1969 to 1975 before joining Kilindini High School in Mombasa between 1976 and 1979 for his O-levels.

He did his A-levels at Kagumo High School from 1980 to 1981 and later graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi in 1986.

He joined the judiciary as district magistrate II in 1987 and later served as a deputy registrar, senior deputy registrar and principal deputy registrar between 1990 and 1997. For the next five years, he served as Chief Court Administrator and as the Registrar of the High Court between 2002 and 2004.

His other brother, Nahashon Dundee Okello, was among the pioneer teachers from Yimbo.

roudia@ke.nationmedia.com
COVID-19 Vaccine Approved For Youth Ages 12 And Over The Texas Department of State Health Services has notified vaccine providers that they can begin to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents from 12 to 15 years old, in line with federal guidance.



The notice comes after the Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccine for adolescents last week and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended it for that age group.



In Hill County, just under 30 percent of those 16 and up are fully vaccinated, and 36 percent have received one dose of a vaccine.



The local vaccination rate is highest among those 65 years of age and older. In this age group, almost 64 percent of Hill County residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and about 56 percent are fully vaccinated.



Texas has administered nearly 19.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. About 52 percent of residents 16 years old and older have received at least one dose, and 40 percent are now fully vaccinated.



DSHS reminds providers that parental consent is required for the vaccination of children in the latest age group. Consent may be given orally or in writing; the parent or guardian does not need to be present for the adolescent to be vaccinated, unless required by the vaccine provider.



While children are less likely than adults to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19, they can be infected with the virus and spread infection in their homes and communities, said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and chair of the states Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, in a letter to vaccine providers.



DSHS believes that promptly vaccinating the adolescents in this age group is another valuable tool that will help end the COVID-19 pandemic and have a direct and positive effect on schools being open for classroom learning.



At this time, only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people ages 12 to 17, and it is the same vaccine already widely available across the state for use in adults.



Youth and parents should contact providers in their area to ensure they are offering the Pfizer vaccine before making an appointment or attending a walk-up vaccine clinic.



Vaccines are now widely available from medical facilities and pharmacies, and Hill Regional Hospital is still offering vaccine appointments that can be booked online at www.hillregionalhospital.com or by calling 254-580-8500 to sign up.



Statewide tools for locating vaccine providers are available at covidvaccine.texas.gov or vacunacovid.texas.gov.


The Public Appointments Committee (PAC), meeting on Monday, has eventually confirmed ombudsman Martha Chizuma as director general for graft-busting body the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) after it had earlier rejected her with abysmal scores.

Last week PAC, using a scoring procedure during interview confirmation, scored Chizuma 14.9 which was less than the minimum 17 mark required for her to be confirmed for the ACB job.

But her rejection did not amuse Malawians, including the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) which threatened a march to parliament on Tuesday, May 18 and Dowa North West Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislator and chief whip who gave a notice Sunday that a motion to rescind the decision of not confirming Chizuma be moved in the PAC meeting slated for Monday, May 17.

Nyasa Times can confirm that out of the members present during the Monday meeting, 12 voted in favour of Chizuma's confirmation; 1 abstained and 4 members of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) walked out, according to PAC chairperson Joyce Chitsulo.

Chitsulo said she was "personally happy, and I have been saying this that I for one would love to see Chizuma confirmed."

She said the walking out of the 4 DPP members was ineffectual because the quorum formed.

Writing on his Facebook page, Stanley Onjezani Kenani, simply said: "We took the fight to the wire--and won."

A member of the Bar Association of Malawi, Women Lawyers Association of Malawi and Women Judges Association of Malawi (founding member and ex-officio), Martha Chizuma holds a Master of Law degree in International Economic Law from the University of East London and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College.

She has practised law for 18 years having previously worked with Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company as Legal Counsel, Deputy Chairperson of Industrial Relations Court (IRC), Assistant Registrar of the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal and Senior Resident Magistrate.
T he government has planned to phase out the current national identity cards by 2024 and replace them with electronic ones.

The announcement was made during the handover of office to the new executive director of National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Ms Rosemary Kisembo, at its headquarters at Kololo, Kampala, on Friday.

Brig Stephen Kwiringira, the former acting NIRA executive director, said the team has already developed a concept note to phase out the current national identity cards, adding that the process of rolling out the new system has started.

"One of the tasks I am leaving for the new executive director will be to speed up the process and ensure that it comes to life," Brig Kwiringira, who now reverts to his substantive position of director in charge of registration and operations, said.

He said over the last 10 months, his team has reduced the turn-around time for registration and printing of the cards to three weeks, down from three months.

Brig Kwiringira also said most of the processes have been decentralised to the districts and divisions to speed up registration and issuance of the cards.

"Effective January, 32 offices were connected to the national centre at Kololo. We are currently training 11,762 registration officials to skill them in the use of the vital tools," he said.

While presiding over the handover, Gen Jeje Odongo, the Minister of Internal Affairs, urged the new leadership to speed up the processes.

"You are coming at a time when we have very many expectations like a new enhanced identity cards by 2024.

The journey has begun, and I would like you to hold the bull by the horns, and come 2024, we have new national identity cards with enhanced features. We want to have a card which will be used to transact business across the board," Gen Odongo said. He also tasked Ms Kisembo and her team to change the negative perception of the authority.

"You must have heard about many unsavoury comments about NIRA like negative public perception and many others. We are looking up to your stewardship to change things. Through this, we hope you will be able to reach out and expand your operations so that not all will come here at Kololo for registration," Gen Odongo said.

Ms Kisembo pledged to learn from colleagues and ensure that she improves the authority's image.

She promised a robust and secure registry and data.

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"I propose that we fight harder and establish policies to enable us create a credible and secure register for this country. The current staffing levels cannot be able to create a credible register. We shall continue to create online platforms to receive applications so that we create more time to scrutinise the applications," Ms Kisembo said.

She also said with the low staffing levels, it will take up to eight years for the authority to issue cards to all Ugandans who qualify but said that has to change.

New systems

NIRA is not the only agency under the Ministry of Internal Affairs phasing out old identification cards. In 2018, the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control started issuing out the new electronic passports, and set January as the date when the old passports would cease to work.

However, last year the government extended the deadline to April 2022. Since its set up in 2014, NIRA has registered 25 million Ugandans and has printed out 15 million cards and less than 10 million cards have been issued out to those registered. Out of the projected 1.3 million annual births, only159,031 were registered by the authority.

Related
Tunis/Tunisia  Tunisia called on Sunday to "immediately stop the Israeli attacks against the helpless Palestinian people," urging the international community and the UN Security Council to urgently intervene to put an end to the occupation forces' attacks on Palestine.

At a UN Security Council meeting held Sunday at the request of Tunisia (non-permanent member), Norway and China, Foreign Affairs Minister Othman Jerandi described the recent escalation of violence as a serious threat to international peace and security.

As the main body responsible for protecting vulnerable people around the world from acts of aggression, the Council must not remain silent. Reiterating Tunisia's position in support of the Palestinian cause.

Jerandi also underlined its firm rejection of Israel's heinous attacks against unarmed Palestinians during the month of Ramadan and its ongoing efforts to change Jerusalem's historic status and demographic makeup.

Noting that the recent upheaval comes on the heels of an unjust court decision to evict Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah, as well as efforts to bar Palestinian worshippers from accessing holy sites, he urged the Council to intervene by adopting a clear position compelling the occupying Power to stop its escalation.

Among other things, Israel must recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and ensure that their rights under international law are fully respected.

We must not treat victims and the aggressors equally, he warned, adding that the region will never see peace and stability without a comprehensive solution to the conflict, based on the Arab Peace Initiative.
Tunis/Tunisia  847 COVID-19 vaccines had been administered on Sunday at the Mahdia and El Jem centres in Mahdia governorate, taking the total number of administered vaccines in the region to 21,951 (including 7,370 second shots), the Mahdia Local Health Directorate said.

On the other hand, 14 infections from 34 conducted tests were reported Sunday in the governorate (10 in Ksour andd 4 in Essouassi).

As such, the infection caseload has so far reached 11,579, including 348 fatalities.

The number of recoveries in the region stands at 10,637, while that of fatalities at 594.
Tunis/Tunisia  The National Agency for Computer Security (ANSI) warns in a press release against a new wave of pishing on Facebook, spoofing several Tunisian companies and brands, both private and public.

According to the agency, "these pages, designed by hackers, ask users to register by making them believe that they can win prizes. In reality, these registration operations are carried out via malicious websites with the graphic charter of the spoofed companies, or even Facebook, whose objective is to "hack" the Facebook access parameters of the victims."

Accordingly, ANSI advises citizens to follow the following recommendations:

- Ensure the authenticity of business Facebook pages by inspecting the "blue verification badge" next to the title.

- Contact companies to inquire about the reliability of published games before playing them.

- Install the Web Of Trust (WOT), Netcraft and adblockplus extensions in your web browser to check the trustworthiness of visited websites and block dubious advertisements.
THE need for land at Walvis Bay remains one of the biggest challenges the council faces.

The town has more than 6 000 shacks in Kuisebmond township and Twaloloka informal settlement while families at Naraville live in overcrowded garages and flats.

A few metres from Twaloloka informal settlement a mother and her four children share a tent on an empty erf which she and four other street vendors illegally occupied three months ago.

Martha Simenda (45) a mother of five and guardian to her late sister's daughter was evicted from a shack they had rented since 2000. The landlord allegedly chucked her out because her family was too big.

"She started off by rationing water. We would only get six 25-litre containers per week for cooking, bathing and laundry," she claimed.

Next to her tent is one of Hilma Teofelus who was evicted by her uncle from a shack she rented for N$1 000 a month.

"My uncle told me to vacate the shack because he was selling it. I asked to buy it but he told me he already had a buyer," she explained.

Teofelus and Simenda said they asked the Twaloloka committee for permission to erect temporary shelter but they were turned down.

Olga Birisamub the chairperson of Twaloloka committee said she was not aware of their predicament and that they must have approached the wrong people.

"I only came to hear of their plight recently. They are welcome to see me so that I can hear them out," she said.

During the three months they have been camped there, the mayor Trevino Forbes occasionally visited them. He said besides giving them food and blankets, he also gave them start-up capital to revive their businesses.

TIRED OF WAITING

About three kilometers away at Narraville, 1 300 members of the Shackdwellers Federation of Namibia are waiting for the contractor to build access roads. There are 68 erven allocated to the group in 2009. Tired of waiting, last week they threatened to erect shacks on their erven, although they are not serviced.

Juliana van Wyk, the group's chairperson said it is taking so long for the construction of their houses to start.

"Our people are in a tight spot. Landlords want their rent from our members, most of whom have had salary cuts and some lost their jobs. It is better to erect shacks on our land and use the rent money toward the installation of services," she said.

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Van Wyk says 1 300 members had joined the federation but they will have to wait for land until the 68 houses have been built.

Scrambling for land

On Friday over 200 people bid for 12 residential erven at Kuisebmond at an auction. These are part of the 81 erven that were sold in Kuisebmond and Meersig.

The municipality's acting chief executive officer Frans !Gonteb explained that the process was short, simple and very transparent.

"No one could stand in as a proxy for anyone because the erven must remain in the buyer's name for five years before the person can sell," he said.

The erven were sold to first-time buyers and chance takers will be disqualified once the municipality verifies with the deeds' office.

The 16 erven in Meersig not taken up and will be sold later. Walvis Bay has very little land left as most if it is private property and the Dorob National park which belongs to the government.
RECENTLY released Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) reports for the second and third quarters of 2020 indicated that more economic agents are committing tax-related offences.

This provides the recently launched Namibia Revenue Agency (Namra) with quite a workload.

Overall, a total of 173 potential offences were detected in the country's financial system during the two quarters under review.

"Potential tax-related offences featured as the leading potential predicate offence, followed by the contravention of the Bank Institutions Act and illegal deposit-taking, with 60 and eight potential cases respectively," the reports read.

As a result of more potential tax-related offences being detected, the FIC has inundated the Ministry of Finance with spontaneous disclosures that detail their findings for the ministry to follow up on.

The finance ministry is the biggest beneficiary of the 144 intelligence disclosures prepared.

In the last six months of 2020 the ministry was tipped off by the FIC through the dissemination of 60 intelligence disclosures.

Sam Shivute, Namra's commissioner, has promised to dedicate special attention to profit shifting and transfer pricing to avoid further base erosion.

He undertook that this would receive special attention, as it has not before.

All eyes will now be on the commissioner's utilisation of this information.

Second in line is the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Prosecutor General, which received 22 intelligence tip-offs from the FIC in the last six months of 2020.

They are followed by the Namibian Police, which received 21 tip-offs.

Apart from tax-related offences, the FIC has also detected corrupt activities, potential fraud, and the violation of exchange-control regulations.

The centre highlighted it would increase existing efforts to make the authorities aware of the value addition of its output to cases under investigation.

This would be done "by informing them (domestic and internationally) of criminal activities which would otherwise have gone unnoticed", the centre says.

The tip-offs provided to law-enforcement agencies emanate from the country's financial system as compiled by various transaction facilitators in the economy, led by commercial banks.

In the six months, various reporting institutions led by commercial banks have compiled 962 suspicious transaction reports to the FIC, highlighting various red flags.

Out of this number, the FIC managed to open case files for 124 transaction reports.

The centre escalated these reports to actionable intelligence, which were then forwarded to the relevant law-enforcement agencies and authorities for further investigation.

Some of the reports are still under review to determine the appropriate action to take.

Moreover, during the six months under review, 75 suspicious action reports were issued by various institutions, of which 15 were escalated for further analysis.

The FIC has also interjected in certain transactions with eight intervention orders.

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During the third quarter one intervention order was issued, involving an amount of N$138 888.

In the second quarter of 2020 more than five interventions were issued which were worth more than N$3 million.

The highest amount restricted in terms of the Financial Intelligence Act over the three quarters was N$14,9 million, which was recorded at the end of 2019.

As of 31 December 2020, the FIC had a total of 1 704 active entities registered as accountable reporting institutions.

The centre conducted a supervisory vulnerability assessment outcome, which highlighted that the authorised dealers with limited authority, banks, customs-clearing and forwarding agencies, and legal practitioners are among the high-risk sectors for potential money laundering.

Email: [email protected]
INDEPENDENT Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula says he is not worried by the news of resignations from his party because they have no impact on the party's growth.

He said the reported resignations were irrelevant as he was aware many of those people leaving his party "were paid to do so".

Itula said since the conclusion of last year's regional council and local authority elections, IPC has grown from strength to strength by establishing structures throughout the 14 regions.

The IPC leader also dismissed claims that he was ruling his party with an iron fist.

He expressed concerns at how the media has, over the past few months, "blown-up" stories of the "so-called" mass resignations by former members who called him a dictator "without providing any proof to substantiate their claims".

"Others came around and called somebody a dictator and yet they make no reference to a word or action that constitutes dictatorship and yet the media picks that up and tries to elevate it. We are not here as reactionaries. We will not react to provocations that have no foundation. We will remain on course and undeterred by anybody," he said.

Itula made these remarks on Saturday when he opened his party's Khomas regional conference in Windhoek.

He added that IPC was still united and will survive until the next national elections in 2024.

"We are all founding members of this party. We came together in October 2020 to found this party. We are equal. We all came together and made that collective decision. It's our decision and we have to stand by it as collective leaders in marching towards the victory of the Namibian people," he said.

At the same event, Itula hit back at criticism that his party had gone into hibernation after last year's elections.

Critics have accused IPC of lacking direction and that it rarely makes its position on burning national issues known.

To this, Itula said it was his party's strategy to lie low while it establishes and consolidates it bases.

"We didn't come onto the political scene to repeat the mistakes made by other political parties. We came to make sure that we consolidate our bases first before we pay attention to other things. We have succeeded in ensuring that this party grows within a short period. It is now well organised," he said.

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He added that the party's leadership was also spending its time on ensuring that "our leadership and our people are conversant with our constitution as our guiding principle".

"Most political parties went down because they failed to understand one principal thing: as long as we don't know our rules, we are like a whirlwind, travelling with no direction at all," he said.

He said IPC will, therefore, not be deterred by critics because it was focused on bringing change for the betterment of Namibian lives.

"We are not here because we want to be leaders, but because we believe in the conviction and the principles of a unitary state where everyone lives peacefully irrespective of our diversity, ethnicity and racial origin.

"We have come to the consciousness that there has been a failure for the past 30 years. We are here because today there is a clear betrayal of the ideals of a unitary state and socio-economic development. We believe in the principles of grassroots participatory democracy," he said.
USING 2019 as the last normal year, Namibian factors of production (resources) have generated N$177,1 billion in income (gross national income) for those those who can access them.

Raising the pertinent question, 'how many people have benefited from the country's resources, such as minerals, marine, forestry, land and capital market?'

Using the shallow per capita calculation, such income translates into every Namibian living well-off - the main reason Namibia is classified as an upper-middle-income country. In reality, however, only those with access to the national resources are benefiting.

The onerous task is how to ensure Namibians benefit from their resources.

Traditionally, one has to go to school to learn how to use the resources efficiently to generate an income from them. Instead of just going to school to be an employee for one to benefit, one can also use their savings as an investor or pursue entrepreneurship.

Information on how one can use their savings and benefits from the country's resources is limited, as most Namibians just save for emergencies such as death, burial and sickness.

In terms of entrepreneurship, secondary school, vocational and university graduates are encouraged to be self-employed and venture into business with limited know-how and capital.

However, several initiatives have emerged around the country to help young entrepreneurs and innovators.

For instance, Business Compete and StartUp Namibia have been funding and training small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs (SMEs) and emerging entrepreneurs, as the need for more initiatives is growing.

ANGEL EQUITY INVESTOR

Startup Namibia has realised that the Namibian unlisted equity market is very shallow in early stage investment and came up with several initiatives to deepen the unlisted part of the capital market.

In one such initiative, StartUp Namibia is teaming up with the Namibia Business Angel Network (Naban) in hosting a series of pitch competitions nationwide this month and June to find the best start-ups looking for equity funding.

The equity funding, ranging between N$100 000 and N$1 million, will come from angel investors.

The nationwide pitch will culminate in a final pitch day in Windhoek on 26 June, where the best 10 start-ups will pitch before Naban investors.

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Those who have transformed their ideas into small companies and are seeking equity funding, as opposed to debt, can follow the link https://bit.ly/3xMfexQ. Namibians with savings buried and dormant can also become angel investors and fund Namibian start-up entrepreneurs by contacting Naban.

HELPAN WORKSHOP TOUR

Helpan Consultants plan to run a month-long entrepreneurs' workshop, starting on 12 June in the capital city and then rolling out countrywide afterwards.

The workshop targets students/graduates from vocational colleges and universities and youth who want to start businesses as well as those who already have small businesses and need funds to expand.

The first phase of the workshop will cover an understanding of entrepreneurship, business ideas, company registration and understanding of the business planning. The second phase will cover business plan compilation, funding proposal and how to write a bankable business plan.

The workshop aims to enlighten the youth on how to start their businesses to reduce the unemployment rate in the country and ensure employment opportunities in the future.

Helpan would also help at least 10 SMEs with start-up capital to embark on their business journey.

Email: [email protected]
SIX of the babies who have been dropped off at the Ruach Elohim Foundation at Swakopmund were adopted during the first few months of this year.

The safe house for unwanted babies was started by Dick and Ronel Peters, and aims to minimise baby dumping.

Since its establishment in April 2019, the foundation has received 19 babies in need of shelter while waiting to be adopted or reunited with their parents through the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare.

The couple has installed a Baby Saver Box at their house, where mothers can safely and anonymously leave their babies.

"We are contacted for support and advice by desperate, single, pregnant mothers who cannot take care of their babies, or who have an unwanted pregnancy. Although we always advise the mothers to work with the gender ministry at their towns, we have already received three babies through the box. We are relieved that these brave mothers did not harm their babies and chose to leave them at a safe place," Ronel says.

She, however, believes there is still a need for more awareness on baby dumping and safe alternatives available.

The foundation has attracted interest and support from Namibians, who have donated clothing, food, cosmetics and money, which allows the couple to employ four caregivers.

Dick says he enjoys spending time with the babies, knowing he is making a difference in their lives.

"The pure love and joy they give us is endless and in abundance. We are so blessed to have them under our roof and to love them," he says.

The foundation is situated on the corner of Dr Schwietering and Bottle Tree streets at Ocean View, Swakopmund.

The couple can be contacted at 081 242 6396.
Hill County Constable Shot During High-Speed Chase A Hill County constable is recovering after he was shot during a high-speed chase Thursday, May 13, that involved multiple law enforcement agencies.



The chase reportedly began locally when authorities were attempting to apprehend suspects wanted by the Dallas Police Department.



According to reports, Precinct 4 Constable Kevin Cordell was attempting to stop the suspects as they entered Interstate 35 near Itasca when one of the suspects opened fire on the constables vehicle.



One of those bullets reportedly went through the windshield and struck the constable in the head before exiting his neck.



Cordell was transported from the scene by Hill County Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hemrick and then taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth by CareFlite.



The constable was reported to be doing well as of The Reporter Newspaper's press time Friday morning after undergoing treatment at the Fort Worth hospital the previous day.



Cordell was expected to be released from the hospital Friday with another surgery scheduled at a later date.



Several law enforcement agencies were involved in the high-speed pursuit, which entered Hillsboro on Highway 77, continued to Carls Corner on FM 2959 and then continued from FM 934 onto Interstate 35 northbound.



The chase ended with a crash in Alvarado just after 3 p.m., and gunfire was exchanged after authorities surrounded the vehicle.



No other law enforcement officers were reported to be injured.



The suspects reportedly sustained gunshot wounds, but their conditions and identities had not been released as of Friday morning.






THE Mafwe and Mayeyi traditional authorities in the Zambezi region are refusing to recognise the legality of the border treaty of 2018 between Namibia and Botswana, saying their communities are living in constant fear as the neighbouring country increases military activity along the Chobe River.

In recent weeks communities along the river have reported Botswana Defence Force (BDF) helicopters hovering over Namibian skies.

Last week BDF soldiers pointed loaded rifles at innocent, unarmed Namibians and international visitors at Ngoma along the shared part of the Chobe River on the Namibian side.

The border treaty was signed in 2018 by president Hage Geingob.

The traditional leaders claim to have learnt about this through the media only.

Both chief George Mamili VII and chief Shikati Shifu of the Mafwe and Mayeyi traditional authorities, respectively, claim they were never consulted when the treaty was signed.

"If the territorial boundary dispute is not resolved we are going to face a disastrous situation. If this problem of occupation is not resolved, many lives will be lost to shootings by the BDF as it has been in the past," Shifu said yesterday.

Mamili, in a letter written to Geingob recently, said the Mafwe people were not consulted on their land and borders.

"Secondly, our people have not given their consent and approval of the new boundaries we only heard of from the surveyor general," he stated in the letter.

The traditional leaders are now demanding that the border treaty agreement be cancelled, because it does not reflect the historical narrative of the ancient borders between Namibia and Botswana.

Shifu, in a petition to prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, said Botswana officials have installed beacons within his traditional territory without consulting the district indunas (headmen) in the affected areas.

Beacons have been installed at Linyanti, Kapani, Singobeka, Maunga, Batubaja, Mbilajwe, Silonga and Malengalenga.

According to him, the BDF has already set up camps and started with patrols on the new borders on the islands of Kaxharu, Xidanu, Mbara, Manxha, Shilimbeka, Hanxhiye, Makuyu amwanamushkwa, Dzoti, Pomboro, Shigabali, Mpanga, Linvuvu, and Shikaku.

"They have erected tents on our land as a sign of occupation. The BDF currently denies us access to the Linyanti River, despite it flowing through Namibia and Botswana. Numerous islands on which our livelihoods depend have already been occupied," said Shifu.

He called on the government to produce the latest boundary map and interpret the Boundary Treaty of 2018 to the people of the Zambezi region in layman's terms.

Shifu also asked that the boundary map be verified against the legitimate original boundaries.

He further requested that the prime minister instruct the Namibian Defence Force to set up camp along the border as opposed to living among civilians.

In a letter to Namibia's deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Mamili was not impressed with her recent consultations in the region.

Last week, Nandi-Ndaitwah was consulting communities ahead of Botswana's minister of international relations' planned visit in the coming weeks.

Mamili expressed doubt about the true intentions of Ndaitwah's engagements, saying they are taking place while aggression continues unabatedly by the BDF.

"We are amazed at the rushed pace at which the border treaty issue is taking place, while the border hostility by the BDF continues to be treated as a non-emergency. How many more lives would matter before things change?" he asked, adding that the people living along the Chobe River live in constant fear when fetching water from the river or when herding their livestock.

State House press secretary Alfredo Hengari said he would respond today to queries. "I am currently out of town and should consult the dossier at the office (before responding)," he said yesterday afternoon.

Both Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Nandi-Ndaitwah did not respond to phone calls and messages sent to them at the time of going to print.

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ITULA WEIGHS IN

Meanwhile, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula this weekend said the government's decision to enter into a border treaty in 2018 with Botswana without consulting the traditional authorities is in breach of constitutional provisions.

"If you do not respect the people of this nation, you do not qualify to lead them. We also need to understand that integrity is fundamental to our people and to our country. Never throughout that entire history was the border of Namibia in the Zambezi region with Botswana regarded as a disputed territory. It is wrong and unaccepted that a demarcation of our country was agreed upon by pulling a line across without consulting the traditional leaders," he said, opening the IPC's Khomas regional conference in Windhoek.

Itula said his party would therefore not accept the border as determined in 2018 "until our leaders in those areas have been properly consulted".

He said the IPC would renegotiate the border if it takes power after the 2024 national elections.
AN ASSAULT which a Namibian Police constable carried out against a transgender woman in Windhoek nearly four years ago has had a sequel in the High Court, where the hearing of a lawsuit about the incident was concluded on Friday.

After hearing closing arguments on the damages claim which Mercedez Von Cloete filed against the minister of safety and security in early 2018, judge Esi Schimming-Chase on Friday postponed the delivery of her judgement to 15 November.

If the judgement is completed before then, it would be handed down earlier, the judge also said.

Cloete is claiming she was unlawfully arrested and assaulted by a police officer, one constable Kavari, after she had encountered him in a fast-food outlet in Windhoek in the early morning hours of 6 July 2017.

She says the constable forced her into a police vehicle, assaulted her by punching her, called her degrading names like "moffie" ("faggot"), and in front of the Windhoek Central Police Station further assaulted her by kicking her.

Cloete is suing the minister as the Cabinet member responsible for the police for N$200 000.

The minister is defending the case, and in a plea filed with the court is claiming Cloete was acting in a rowdy manner in the fast-food outlet, threatened to pepper-spray Kavari and a civilian who was with him, and acted violently towards the constable, who then "retaliated in self-defence by throwing punches back" at Cloete.

Cloete's lawyer, Uno Katjipuka-Sibolile, argued on Friday that what happened to Cloete was purely and simply harassment at the hands of the police for no other reason than that she is a transgender woman.

On this point, government lawyer Ndiriraro Kauari argued the opposite - that Cloete was not targeted because she is transgender, but because she had been rowdy and unruly in a public place.

Katjipuka-Sibolile also argued that the police officers who at the police station stood by without intervening while Cloete was being assaulted had an attitude of "couldn't care less", which cannot be excused.

There is a need for the court to clearly send out a message to the police that the conduct experienced by Cloete at the constable's hands is not acceptable and would not be tolerated, she argued further.

The constable's conduct not only constituted an abuse of power, but - as evidenced by the sort of words he used towards Cloete - a hate crime as well, Katjipuka-Sibolile said.

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In his address to the court Kauari said Namibia is a constitutional democracy in which all people are equal and free, and the rights of minority groups are guaranteed before the law.

He argued that Cloete failed to prove she had been targeted because she is a transgender woman, and said she was trying to profit from the incident.

Kauari further argued that in the absence of testimony from a psychiatrist or psychologist, the court was left in the dark in respect of the psychological effect the event had on Cloete.

A friend of Cloete told the court her spirit has been dampened after the incident and she has become more socially withdrawn than she had been before the event.

If the court finds that Cloete had been unlawfully assaulted, it should award her an amount of no more than N$10 000, Kauari suggested.

Katjipuka-Sibolile argued that an award of N$200 000 to Cloete would be fair and just - or if the court considers that as being too high, an appropriate award would be at least N$100 000.

The court was told Kavari has left the police in the meantime and could not be traced to give testimony in the matter.
NAMIBIA's special envoy on the Nama-Herero genocide of 1904 to 1908, Zed Ngavirue, has confirmed "fruitful discussions with the German government" on the matter, but would not confirm or deny a German media report saying a deal has been struck and would be signed soon.

"We had fruitful discussions with the German government, but I cannot reveal any information yet without informing my principals, the president [Hage Geingob] and the minister of international relations [Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah]," Ngavirue yesterday said.

This comes after German media outlet Deutschlandfunk over the weekend reported the agreement would be signed off by the foreign ministers of the two countries within two weeks, and that German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier is set to apologise for the genocide in the Namibian parliament.

Ngavirue travelled to Germany recently for a new round of talks.

The negotiations began six years ago with the aim that Germany comes to terms with its colonial past.

Between 1904 and 1908 German troops killed tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people, but over the years the German government has rejected the concept of genocide, also with the view of possible compensation.

Namibia recently drafted a declaration and full description of the genocide upon the German government's acknowledgement of the events.

FEELING BETRAYED

Meanwhile, the Ovaherero Traditional Authority and the Nama Traditional Leaders Association say they are feeling betrayed by the Namibian government for accepting to settle on a reconciliation agreement and not reparations.

"The so-called reconciliation agreement - not reparation agreement - is a public relations coup by Germany and an act of betrayal by the Namibian government," they say.

In a statement yesterday the traditional authorities said it is clear Germany has once again bamboozled Namibia's government into a meaningless sell-out agreement.

"It is a monumental shame and a shocking betrayal of trust that a descendant of the victim communities is the one who initiated such an agreement, which makes a mockery of the three negotiating pillars that the Swapo government has set for itself," the statement read.

The two organisations will be consulting closely on the agreement once more details are available.

They said Germany must acknowledge that the "mass killings" of their ancestors constitute genocide, Germany must apologise for the genocide, and must pay reparations.

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The organisations said the so-called "compensation" to finance "social projects" is nothing but a cover-up for continued German funding of Namibian government projects under its fifth National Development Plans and Vision 2030.

"Given the above, we reject the initial reconciliation agreement negotiated without the participation of the legitimate representatives of the majority of the victim communities with the contempt it deserves. It is not worth the paper it's written on, and we urge the United Nations, the African Union and the rest of the international community to reject this gimmick by Germany and Namibia.

"We equally call upon the United Nations and the United States government to recognise the 1904 to 1908 massacre by Germany as genocide and crimes against humanity," the statement said.

Ngavirue last month told The Namibian Namibia's objective is that Germany must be willing to help the country reconstruct the affected communities.

This, he said, can be of lasting effect, "provided our devastated communities are reconstructed, transformed and [the negotiations] should deal with hard issues, such as the issue of land".
A group of Rastafarians has moved to court seeking to block the arrest and prosecution of its members over use of marijuana for religious purposes.

The group under the Ras Tafari Society of Kenya (RSK) wants the High Court to suspend sections 3 (1)(2)(a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act.

The Rastafarians argue the law enacted in 1994 is hostile and intolerant to persons professing the Rastafari faith, yet the Constitution is a progressive and accommodative document that protects marginalised groups, such as theirs.

"Members of RSK are forced to live in fear as a minority religious group in Kenya as the current legislative framework is inimical to their religious practices, as it fails to reasonably accommodate the Rastafari use of marijuana as a manifestation of their faith and for their connectedness with the almighty creator," their petition reads.

The group wants the court to issue orders stopping the arrest and prosecution of its members for growing cannabis sativa for spiritual use in their homes or designated places of worship such as Rasta tabernacles and mansions.

Through lawyer Shadrack Wambui, the society argues that the insensitivity and unconstitutionality of the law is demonstrated by intolerance to the use of bhang by persons professing the Rastafari faith.

It further says the petition raises substantial questions of law and that the matter should be referred to the Chief Justice for appointment of a bench of judges of an uneven number to hear the case.

The group also says its members require spiritual growth and use of marijuana, which they say is used as a sacrament and for connection of the Rasta and his creator.

"The use of cannabis, especially among members of RSK and any other person professing the Rastafari faith, is outlawed by dint of the said section, thus criminalising the rastas spiritual use of cannabis, yet the manifestation of their religion enjoys constitutional protection," the petition states.

skiplagat@ke.nationmedia.com
An industrial strike by health workers in Wajir County has entered week two as the push for promotions, allowances and remittance of deductions gains momentum.

Nurses and clinical officers downed their tools on Tuesday last week, demanding the implementation of a return-to-work agreement reached between them and the county executive last December.

"We are on strike demanding that the county executive fulfils the agreement we signed. We want our members promoted and our allowances paid," said Mr Siyad Abdi Ali, the Wajir Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) county secretary.

The health workers are also demanding to have all deductions made from their salaries reflected in the respective receiving organisations.

Monthly deductions

"We want to know where all our monthly deductions made on our salaries go to because they are not reflecting at our union, sacco and medical cover," he said.

Mr Ali said it was surprising that even after the Wajir County Assembly approved a budget of Sh100 million for promotions of health workers, the executive has failed to implement them.

"Since January, the executive is yet to use the Sh100 million for promotion of health workers. We demand to be promoted because the budget has since been provided," he said.

Promotions

In March, health workers went on strike and, after six days, the executive got them back to work by promising to promote them by April.

The executive cited a technical hitch in failing to promote the health staff by March, according to the local nurses' union secretary.

"We shall only accept to go back to work after all our allowances have been paid and promotions effected by the executive," Mr Ali said.

The strike by the Wajir health workers has exposed residents seeking treatment at the county's health facilities to untold suffering.

Mr Hassan Salad said he has been at Wajir County Referral Hospital for the past three days seeking treatment for his child who is suffering from kala-azar.

"There are no nurses or anybody around. The wards are closed because patients have been moved to private facilities by their relatives," he said.

Talks to end strike

Speaking to the Nation, Wajir County Chief Officer for Public Health Adan Enow said they are in the process of ending the health workers' strike.

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"We are having a meeting that shall see us reach an agreement and solve issues raised by health workers," he said.

He blamed bureaucracy in the county government for the delayed implementation of the agreement reached in December.

"This is a bulk promotion of staff and the county public service board had to take some time verifying every detail. We issued them with promotion letters and salary increment shall reflect from end of this month," he said.

And despite the chief officer announcing that the strike was over, the local KNUN office maintained that there were still issues to be clarified.

"We are still talking and once we conclude the meeting then we shall make a formal communication," the KNUN secretary said.
The war on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Tharaka Nithi County is set to receive a boost after the county assembly adopted an Anti-FGM policy.

The document sponsored by Mugwe Ward representative and the Youth, Sports, Culture and Social Services Committee Chairman Mr Denis Mutwiri, recommend a raft of measures including the formation of the Ward Anti-FGM Policy committees to spearhead the fight from the village level.

It also allows the county government to allocate funds for facilitating the war against the outdated cultural practice that deals a great blow to health, social and economic welfare of the girl child and the society at large.

The policy also recommends setting up a digital information management system to aid in research and analysis of the Anti-FGM war progress.

Speaking while tabling the document at the chambers, Mr Mutwiri said without the legal policy, Governor Muthomi Njuki-led government could not be able to allocate funds towards FGM activities.

"With the adoption of this policy, the county government in collaboration with other players in the sector should start with sensitisation exercise on the evils of FGM and why the community should shift to the alternative rite of passage," said Mr Mutwiri.

Psychological support

He said the county government and other public and private institutions must fully participate in the fight against FGM to eradicate it by 2022 as projected.

The policy also seeks to ensure victims of FGM and child abuse receive the necessary medical treatment and psychological support, and are served with justice.

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It also recommends strengthening the existing multi-sectoral organisations involved in the fight against the vice.

Cases of FGM are rampant in Tharaka North, Tharaka South, Igambang'ombe and some parts of Maara sub-counties.

Corrupt officials

Despite jailing perpetrators of the illegal cut for several years, the outdated cultural practice goes on albeit secretly.

County Commissioner Beverly Opwora, says girls as young as 10 years and married women undergo circumcision.

Some administrators, especially chiefs and their assistants are corrupted to protect FGM perpetrators, while others even attend the initiation ceremonies.

In some areas, family members and the villagers discriminate against uncircumcised girls and married women, compelling them to undergo the cut.

The uncircumcised are denied a chance to join women groups, while the uncut girls can't fetch firewood or water with the circumcised ones.

Some parents also can't drink porridge or eat food prepared by their uncircumcised daughters-in-law.

anjeru@ke.nationmedia.com
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) class of 2020 will start revising their university degree choices within the next three weeks.

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service chief executive, Dr Mercy Wahome, said that universities have already declared their capacities. The data is being analysed before the portal is opened for students to start applications.

"We were given three weeks after the release of the results, and soon, we will be opening up the portal for students to apply for their preferred courses," said Dr Wahome.

Once the portal is open, students will be required to log in and apply for the courses they prefer and have qualified for. The choice of the courses will be guided by the cluster subjects of the students' performance in KCSE.

"We shall inform the students when the portal is open for them to start making applications. This will enable us to place the students in their preferred courses," she said.

143,140 candidates

The 2020 KCSE saw 143,140 candidates score C+ and above, thereby attaining the university entry mark compared to the 125,747 recorded in the 2019 exams.

Among those who qualified for university admission, a total of 893 scored Grade A (plain), 6,420 candidates scored A-(minus), 14,427 scored B+ (plus), 38,194 candidates have scored B-(minus). In contrast, a total of 57,999 candidates scored C+ (plus) in the examinations.

Those who wish to join Technical and Vocational Education (Tvet) courses will also apply for either diploma, craft courses or artisan courses on the KUCCPS portal.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha said despite the Covid-19 pandemic, universities will not experience any backlog.

"We have managed to release the candidates to higher institutions of learning on time and with great precision," he said.

The CS said the placement service is engaging with higher education regulatory bodies like the Commission for University Education (CUE) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) to ensure that all learning institutions are prepared to enrol these candidates.

First semester

Students report to universities for the first semester in September every year, but some start their semester in January. For the 2019 class, the students reported late in November after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the academic calendar.

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Revision based on the final score

Doctor Wahome explained that most students in the class of 2020 applied for their preferred courses before they sat their exams, but they will be required to revise their choices based on what they scored in the KCSE.

While at school, students are guided by teachers and school principals to log into the KUCCPS portal and enter and submit the choices following the guidelines laid out in the principals' manual. Students pay Sh500 for the exercise, while the cost for revising the courses is set at Sh1,500 per applicant.

For students who need help, KUCCPS has made its services available at the 11 Huduma centres across Kenya.

fnyamai@ke.nationmedia.com
The Special Committee of the Senate, formed to investigate allegations against Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi Muhamud, has recommended his removal for abuse of office.

Should the Senate adopt the report of the committee, Mr Abdi could become the third governor to be removed from office through impeachment. Ferdinand Waititu (Kiambu) and Mike Sonko (Nairobi) were both kicked out by the Senate last year.

The recommendation on Monday came after the governor was impeached by members of county assembly (MCAs) on three counts, but only one was substantiated.

The MCAs noted that Wajir's health sector has run into disarray and ended up in a deplorable state, which has in turn comprised and undermined the realisation of the right to the highest attainable health standards as enshrined in the Constitution.

The special committee, which was chaired by Nyamira senator Okong'o Omogeni, found that the governor violated the rights of health of the people of Wajir.

"The committee has considered the evidence submitted by parties and found that allegation of the violation of the rights of health of the people of Wajir to have been substantiated and that the violation meets the threshold of impeachment," it says in its report.

The debate on the motion is ongoing in the Senate.

ioruko@ke.nationmedia.com
Hundreds of Burat residents in Isiolo are up in arms over the beaconing of a disputed piece of land by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) School of Infantry despite a pending matter in court.

The over 20,000 affected residents moved to court in Meru following -- following an eviction letter issued in August 2019 -- and got orders barring the government from evicting them from the disputed land until the application made by six residents on their behalf was heard and determined.

The Environment and Labour Relations Court also barred the government from carrying out any survey work or adjudication of the land in Isiolo North until the matter is determined.

Speaking during a community meeting in Kakili, the irate residents claimed that the soldiers were erecting the beacons at night, and expressed fears that their land could be grabbed under the county government's watch and in spite of an active matter in court.

Obey the law

Led by Kuresha Bille, the residents from Kilimani, Elsa, Ngusoro, Bulesdima, Kabarnet, Akadeli, Kakili and Kambi Turkana areas demanded that the military halts the exercise, warning that they will not allow the beaconing to continue as no one is above the law.

"We will stand firm and defend our land. We will not be cowed by intimidation and threats by the military because we know our rights," said Ms Bille.

They also claimed that the soldiers had enclosed KK community borehole, which is normally used by their livestock, forcing them to travel longer distances in search of water.

Meru land

In Meru, 13 residents last Thursday obtained orders stopping the KDF from evicting over 7,500 families or further development of a 17,000-acre piece of land in Tigania East.

The Land court issued interim orders barring the KDF 78 Battalion from evicting the families from the disputed land.

The court also certified as urgent an application filed by lawyer Rodgers Ruthugua on behalf of 13 petitioners who fear they will be rendered landless once the KDF School of Artillery 78 Battalion evicts the land owners.

"An order of maintenance of status quo be and is hereby issued directing the petitioners to continue occupying and using land reference No. Ngaremara/Gambela, adjudication section LR No.7019 as they do," Justice Lucy Mbugua ordered.

Their application comes one week after another one was filed by Lawyer Marius Maranya seeking the court's intervention over the same disputed land.

Through Mr Ruthugua, the petitioners have sued the Kenya Defence Forces, The Defence Cabinet secretary, Lands and Physical Planning Cabinet secretary and the Attorney-General as first, second, third and fourth respondents, respectively.

The Meru county government and the National Land Commission (NLC) have been named as interested parties.

Living in fear

The lead petitioners, Lawrence Ndegwa, Vincent Murangiri and Henry Mworia, told the Nation that residents are now living in fear since they were threatened with eviction.

The residents had been reduced to living like refugees on their own ancestral land after KDF started digging trenches, laying beacons, blocking road access and the imminent threat of eviction from the land, the petitioners said.

They said part of the suit land had been reserved for Nyambene national reserve as a northern grazing area belonging to the Ameru community.

"The residents have occupied the land since early 1900s and have established permanent settlements, enjoying lives therein without any disturbance and, currently, there are at least 7,500 families who live in the disputed land," they said in court documents.

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According to the documents, there is a chief's camp, two assistant chiefs' camps, a police station, primary schools, dispensaries, churches, mosque, polling stations, secondary schools and a proposed conservancy which are threatened by the KDF activities.

The petitioners noted that the KDF (78 Battalion) fraudulently acquired two title deeds -- LR No.17098 and LR No. 7019 -- last year, hiving the whole part of the land, which was a shock to the residents.

"In cahoots with the second respondent, the first respondent caused to be issued by the third respondent two title deeds for subject parcels in the name of KDF. They started to purport to give oral notices to residents on intentions of expanding their military camps," the court documents say.

The court ordered an inter partes hearing which will be on May 26, 2021.
A 60-year-old man was arrested on Monday for allegedly raping a 20-year-old mentally challenged woman in Gituntu, Tharaka Nithi County.

Witnesses said the victim was seen walking out of the suspect's homestead crying and when asked what had happened, she said that the old man had tricked her into his house and raped her.

Area Chief Edward Gitonga said the suspect, who lives alone, was found naked and the innerwear of the girl on his bed.

"We have found the man wearing only a shirt and an innerwear believed to belong to the mentally challenged girl on his bed," said Mr Gitonga.

The administrator said the victim said that the man called her from the road and asked her to help him look for some missing keys inside his house.

But once she was inside the house, he pushed her onto the bed threatening to strangle her in case she screamed.

Rushed to hospital

The man was taken to Mitheru police post and the girl rushed to hospital for checkup.

Ms Stella Kagendo, a resident, said the girl claimed that the old man slapped and pushed her out of the house when she screamed.

"We are not sure of the safety of our children with this man in the village and that is why we want the court to jail him," said Ms Kagendo.
Below are the arrests for May 14 to 16. All listed are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Justine Ambrose, 32, was arrested on May 16 at 4:06 a.m. at S.R. 931 and East Markland Avenue. She was charged with possession of marijuana (class A misdemeanor) and possession of cocaine (level 6 felony).

Shaquille Beard, 27, was arrested on May 14 at 3:03 p.m. at 600 W. Superior St. He was charged with a warrant for non-compliance.

Paige Blackamore, 22, was arrested on May 16 at 12:46 a.m. at North Purdum Street and West North Street. She was charged with resisting law enforcement (class A misdemeanor) and disorderly conduct (class B misdemeanor).

Logan Check, 23, was arrested on May 15 at 3:44 p.m. at 2620 N. Washington St. He was charged with two warrants for possession of marijuana.

Steven Cottingham, 36, was arrested on May 15 at 3:23 a.m. at 321 E. Walnut St. He was charged with possession of marijuana (class A misdemeanor), possession of paraphernalia (class C misdemeanor), and operating while intoxicated (class C misdemeanor).

Benjamin Davis, 29, was arrested on May 16 at 4 a.m. at 1735 E. Markland Ave. He was charged resisting law enforcement (class A misdemeanor), possession of marijuana (class A misdemeanor), and possession of methamphetamine (level 5 felony).

Jeffrey Duke, 32, was arrested on May 16 at 2:44 a.m. at 1908 W. Sycamore St. He was charged with public intoxication (class B misdemeanor).

Drew Elliot, 48, was arrested on May 15 at 12:38 a.m. at Cartwright Drive and Albany Drive. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine (level 6 felony), possession of paraphernalia (class C misdemeanor), and driving while suspended (class A misdemeanor).

Jamil Gibson, 42, was arrested on May 16 at 3:37 a.m. at West Monroe Street and North Bell Street. He was charged with a warrant from Grant Co.

Dafney Harrison, 42, was arrested on May 16 at 4:55 p.m. at 1218 S. Ohio St. She was charged with a warrant for body attachment.

Angela Heffner, 38, was arrested on May 16 at 4:12 a.m. at S.R. 931 and East Markland Avenue. She was charged with possession of marijuana (class B misdemeanor).

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Jeremy McKinney, 37, was arrested on May 15 at 12:57 a.m. at East Baxter Road and South Goyer Road. He was charged with resisting law enforcement (level 6 felony), marijuana cultivation (class B misdemeanor), and a prior for driving while suspended (class A misdemeanor).

Belina Maholmes, 31, was arrested on May 16 at 11:09 p.m. at 800 E. Hoffer St. She was charged with domestic battery (level 6 felony) and criminal mischief (class B misdemeanor).

Cassidi Mosier, 32, was arrested on May 15 at 5:05 a.m. at 2913 Sheila Dr. She was charged with possession of a legend drug (level 6 felony), possession of marijuana (class B misdemeanor), and possession of methamphetamine (level 6 felony).

Jonathon Mosley, 23, was arrested on May 15 at 11:35 p.m. at 800 S. Purdum St. He was charged with a warrant for failure to appear.

Steven Newgent, 32, was arrested on May 16 at 4 a.m. at 1735 E. Markland Ave. He was charged with possession of marijuana (class B misdemeanor).

Peter Powell, 43, was arrested on May 14 at 10:40 p.m. at 802 N. Morrison St. He was charged with a warrant for petition to revoke.

Robert Shea II, 32, was arrested on May 16 at 11:51 p.m. at 930 S. Washington St. He was charged with criminal trespass (class A misdemeanor).

Dustin Shively, 41, was arrested on May 15 at 11:05 p.m. at 802 N. Morrison St. He was charged with possession of a syringe (level 6 felony), false informing (class A misdemeanor), escape (level 6 felony), and two warrants from Cass Co.

Robert Smith, 55, was arrested on May 14 at 11:05 p.m. at 1800 E. Markland Ave. He was charged with operating while intoxicated (class A misdemeanor).

Paris Stewart, 36, was arrested on May 14 at 6:57 p.m. at North Apperson Way and West Sycamore Street. She was charged with a warrant for domestic battery, a warrant for conversion, and a warrant for criminal mischief.

Joshua Suiter, 34, was arrested on May 14 at 9:30 a.m. at 2329 N. Delphos St. He was charged with a warrant from Cass Co.

Donald Wood, 25, was arrested on May 14 at 12:24 a.m. at 1920 E. Markland Ave. He was charged with theft-shoplifting (level 6 felony), theft from a building (level 6 felony), and a a warrant from Tipton County.

Keeshum Woodard, 24, was arrested on May 16 at 2:31 a.m. at West Jackson Street and South Jay Street. He was charged with two counts of operating while intoxicated (class A misdemeanor).
press release

Bamako, 14 May, 2021: The 21st edition of the Bamako Forum will take place this year from 20 to 22 May in Bamako, Mali, on the theme: "Sustainable development and human capital: results and operational priorities for the Transition in Mali".

On the margins of the Bamako Forum, UNFPA is organizing a special session on Wednesday, 19 May, on Demography, Peace and Security (DPS) and an Intergenerational Dialogue with young people. This side event will be an opportunity to present the results of empirical studies carried out in the Liptako-Gourma compiled in the book "Demography, Peace and Security: cross-reference for a Resilient Central Sahel." The book summarises national case studies, two statistical models and the reflections of the aforementioned scientific committee.

The side event will also present an opportunity to share the progress made in implementing the Fass Emergent (FassE) initiative, an example of operationalizing the demographic dividend at the local level.

UNFPA WCARO will also present the book entitled, "Reaping the demographic dividend during emergence: the case of the Gueule Tapee-FassColobane commune." The book contributes to strengthening public programs and policies aimed at human capital development and poverty.

About fifty participants are expected to participate in person at the side event, including representatives of the five beneficiary countries of the DPS initiative (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal) and several authorities (High Representative of the G5 Sahel, ECOWAS Commissioner, Malian Ministers, and UNFPA WCARO Regional Director.

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UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Mabingue Ngom will moderate an Intergenerational Dialogue on 20 May, with participants mainly from youth networks and associations. They will exchange on youth migration to improve knowledge of youth migration's main drivers to and through the main transit cities in West Africa.

The Bamako Forum presents a platform for reflection, sharing of experiences and points of view on the major current issues affecting the African continent. Its proposals and recommendations strive to become a source of inspiration for African leaders and activists for economic and political actors on the continent. Focused on Africa's development challenges, it is a forum to exchange ideas and dialogue with business leaders, politicians, public decision-makers, academics, experts, young people, civil society and the media from Africa and other continents.

Media contacts:

- Moussa Baba Coulibaly, UNFPA Mali Communication Officer; momcoulibaly@unfpa.org Tel: 223 66 71 30 60

- Habibou Dia, Media Specialist, UNFPA WCARO, dia@unfpa.org; Phone. +221786204513
press release

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announces the creation of a group to coordinate support for Olivier Dubois, a French freelance journalist who was abducted in Gao, in northeastern Mali, on 8 April. The group includes friends and colleagues of Dubois, the main French media outlets for which he works, other major media outlets, and journalists who have themselves been held hostage in the past.

The creation of this group of 11 individuals and entities at RSF's initiative comes 12 days after the release of a video confirming Olivier Dubois's abduction.

The group includes representatives of Liberation, Le Point and Jeune Afrique, the three media for which Dubois most often works, representatives of a support committee formed by colleagues in Bamako, Mali's capital, Florence Aubenas and Didier Francois (journalists who were hostages in Iraq and Syria, respectively), SOS Otages (a Paris-based NGO that defends the interests of hostages and their families), and a coalition of French-language media groups.

"The main tasks that this group has set itself is to coordinate civil society strategy and initiatives in support of this French journalist's release, and to carry out awareness-raising, communication and advocacy actions for as long as necessary to achieve this goal," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said.

Based in Bamako for the past several years, Dubois never returned after setting off on 8 April for a meeting in Gao with Abdallah Ag Albakaye, a senior member of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a coalition of Islamist groups affiliated to Al Qaeda. A 21-second video released a month later, on 5 May, shows Dubois confirming that JNIM is holding him hostage.

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Seven and a half years after Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, two French journalists working for Radio France Internationale, were murdered in Mali, the Sahel continues to be one of the world's most dangerous regions for media personnel. Two Spanish journalists, David Beriain and Roberto Fraile, were killed in an attack by an armed group in neighbouring Burkina Faso on 26 April.

Mali is ranked 99th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

The list of members of this coordination group:

Le Point

Liberation

Jeune Afrique

Radio France

France Medias Monde (France 24, Radio France Internationale, Monte Carlo Doualiya)

RSF

#FreeOlivierDubois Support Committee

Le Monde journalist Florence Aubenas, a former hostage in Iraq

Europe 1 journalist Didier Francois, a former hostage in Syria

SOS Otages

Union of French and Francophone Press Clubs
A jab of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Medforum hospital in Pretoria, South Africa on May 12, 2021.

On 1 February 2021, a million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India arrived at OR Tambo International Airport. Everything seemed set for the country's vaccine rollout to kick off two or so weeks later.

But just a few days later on 7 February, the devastating news came that a study found the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offered little or no protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 caused by the variant of SARS-CoV-2 prevalent in South Africa. Some argued that we should use the vaccine regardless since it might protect against severe disease and death, but the decision was taken not to use it and the vaccines were later sold.

With no other vaccines waiting in the wings, the country's plans to start vaccinating healthcare workers seemed to be in tatters.

And yet, three months later, close to half a million healthcare workers in South Africa have been vaccinated in the Sisonke implementation study - in no small part due to the can-do attitude of Professor Glenda Gray, lead investigator of the study and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and her team.

Scrambling for vaccines

Faced with the shelved and expiring batch of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses and with just 14 days to replace them before the rollout to healthcare workers was due to start, Gray outlined SA's dilemma to a key global colleague.

"I was chatting to (the US-based), Dr Larry Corey, a friend, and colleague with whom I was a co-principal investigator on the HIV vaccine trials network. I told him the AstraZeneca consignment won't work on our healthcare workers," she says.

Corey suggested she contact Johnson and Johnson's (J&J's), Belgium-based Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Paul Stoffels. Stoffels replied immediately to her e-mail, promising to probe the global availability of spare clinical trial vaccine supplies. Gray mentioned this in a meeting with National Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, who responded with enthusiasm, saying he would support her in any way his department could.

South Africa's scientists have high standing globally, having led the world in game-changing paediatric and female HIV/AIDS research, winning international respect, particularly in the tuberculosis and HIV fields. COVID-19 also recently claimed the lives of several top local and international researchers, adding sympathy to goodwill in the global scientific community. Many local healthcare workers are also known to have died of COVID-19. This almost certainly greased the wheels of what subsequently happened, Gray believes.

Stoffels began making calls to vaccine trial sites worldwide, trying to source spare stock, as Gray and Mkhize liaised with the two top US government officials, Dr Tony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden, and Biden's Chief Scientific Officer and COVID-19 vaccine program chief, Dr David Kessler.

Gray said there was some furious to-ing and fro-ing over that early February fortnight between the co-owners of 200 000 vaccine trial doses - a US administration in the throes of presidential change and J&J. She says her two presidential allies finally managed to secure authorisation for the release of the US-based doses while Stoffels secured the remaining 300 000 from sites elsewhere in the world for shipping to Belgium and Germany and then onward to SA.

"Around 5 and 6 February, vaccines were moved from all over the world to Belgium and Germany - every spare vial was tracked down in that week," Gray recalls.

"Then when Joe Biden took over as president, we had to restart US negotiations. Luckily Fauci and Kessler were kept on, so they facilitated this. We had 14 days because our AstraZeneca consignment was in quarantine, but we pulled it off - and started the Sisonke trial only two days late," says Gray.

She adds that the US Health Attache in Pretoria, Dr Sophia Siddiqui, was instrumental in smoothing the acquisition of the new consignment, with the encouragement and help of Dr Mkhize's department.

Debt of gratitude

Dr Stavros Nicolaou, leader of Business For South Africa's COVID-19 team working with government, says the country owes Gray and her team, "a huge debt of gratitude".

"Without them, we'd probably be sitting at the end of April not having vaccinated any of our healthcare workers. She was a great catalyst in why we were able to pivot so quickly," he says.

Next steps

By 6:30 pm on Saturday, 15 May, a total of 478 452 healthcare workers had been vaccinated in the Sisonke study. Mkhize said on Sunday that the remaining doses from the Sisonke study will be used in additional studies to be run by the SAMRC.

Gray says some extremely valuable sub-studies would be conducted. Speaking from the Eastern Cape at the weekend where she was fulfilling a promise to visit healthcare workers who had complained of being 'neglected' in the Sisonke rollout, Gray said these studies would center on coagulation, breastfeeding, pregnant women, and HIV co-infected people.

"We want to understand the immune-based thrombosis, plus the safety of the vaccine in pregnant women better. Pregnant women beyond their first trimester can get shots with us from Monday," she says.

Gray says Sisonke applied early on to the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for permission to include pregnant women past their first trimester for vaccination but after the vaccine-related thrombosis scare and pause, they were excluded. Top child and maternal health experts strongly recommend that women past their first trimester get vaccinated.

"We've now included them in the sub-study from Monday," Gray says.

Rollout status

Some 700 000 healthcare workers in both the private and public sectors remain unvaccinated. From today, healthcare workers are being vaccinated as part of the country's vaccine rollout, rather than through the Sisonke study. The vaccination of people over 60 also starts today.

Responding to suggestions that administrative barriers to South Africa's impending biggest ever vaccination rollout should be removed, Gray said that with a third COVID surge coming, the elderly had to be prioritised.

However, she agreed in broad principle that no vaccine vial should go to waste. "If there are no more elderly people at the end of the day and there are spare vials, they should use them on others and not follow the rule book."

The main thrust should be that every single Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine consignment now landing weekly at OR Tambo Airport (330 000 doses weekly until end-June when it ramps up to 630 000 per week), plus those from the Gqeberha J&J factory, should be used in the week supplies arrive at each vaccination site.

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"For the next couple of months there's a bottleneck, so we must ensure everything in the country is used. If there's any surplus anywhere when each new batch arrives, then we're not doing a good job. There's a global shortage of these vaccines. Countries are suing manufacturers. We've chosen two very good ones, but there's a big demand out there (globally). Others are far easier to come by," she says.

Lessons from Sisonke

Asked what she saw as the biggest current COVID-19 vaccination challenge, she replies, "the confidence to go ahead and not be scared to make mistakes".

"We all did in the beginning, but we keep learning. There'll be mess-ups, but we must course-correct and learn."

Sisonke taught her that South African clinicians and scientists in both sectors were "passionate people, willing to roll up their sleeves and do an extraordinary job."

Her message to health care leaders? "Teams are important, as are trust and hard work. Make sure your team is willing to go all the way with you. This healthcare worker trial was hard. We basically flogged our people to the end - they were working long hours in clinically sterile research conditions, but they got into their cars each day and drove out to rural areas to deliver an amazing programme. When we stopped for the clotting probe, they itched to get back out there."

Her top qualities for pandemic resilience?

"A thick skin and good friends. My team WhatsApp'd and called each other every day for emotional support - we kept each other going."

She estimates having slept an average of five hours per night during the three-month campaign.
Ethiopia Announces New Date for National Election

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has announced that it will hold the country's sixth national election on June 21, 2021. NEBE chairperson Birtukan Mideksa had earlier announced that the election would not be conducted on June 5. Ethiopians were scheduled to cast their votes to elect a new Parliament as well as regional and municipal councils in August 2020, but that was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That delay lead to an unsanctioned election by the local administration in Tigray in defiance of the federal government decision, which led to the current war.

Meanwhile the United States says it is gravely concerned by the increasing number of cases of military forces blocking humanitarian access to parts of the Tigray region, which places the 5.2 million people in the region in immediate need of assistance at even greater risk. The U.S. also called on Eritrea to immediately withdraw it forces, which have been accused of numerous atrocities again the civilian Tigray population.
Uganda Builds Link to Kenyas Standard Gauge Rail Line

Uganda and Kenyan officials have met to thrash out operational details in their push for the rehabilitation and seamless connection of the old metre gauge railway line, while eyeing DR Congo and South Sudan markets. Kenya, which is revamping its metre gauge railway line from Naivasha to Malaba, wants a reliable mode of transport for onward transit of cargo, particularly from the Naivasha inland container depot. Besides putting its logistics infrastructure to use, Kenya is also eyeing the U.S.$92.3 million DR Congo for its manufactured goods, and is apparently keen to see a link with Uganda finalised in the shortest time possible. Kenya's Transport Secretary James Macharia has said that the country has contracted China Roads and Bridge Corporation to rehabilitate the Longonot- Malaba line. He said that Uganda has to do the same to complete the project. These developments coincide with the approval by Uganda's parliament, of a U.S.$368.9 million loan to rehabilitate the metre gauge railway, which officials say once all components are fully revamped, would constitute a significant part of Uganda's infrastructure diplomacy in the Great Lakes Region.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations reports that roads are passable across Armenia.

The Georgian side informed that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a Security Council meeting on May 17.

In his speech, Pashinyan briefed the members of the Security Council on latest updates from the situation at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

Since May 12, when servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces breached the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the situation had the following change or more accurately had the following dynamics: Starting May 14th, some groups of the [Azeri] servicemen pulled back from Armenian territory, a similar process also took place yesterday evening, and there are signs that this could happen today as well, but overall I find the military-political situation to be unchanged since May 12. Meaning, no big changes from military-political perspective took place, some groups pulled back, but the situation hasnt changed from that. What does this mean? This means that we must continue to initiate the Collective Security Treaty Organizations mechanisms and we must continue working in the direction of utilizing the Armenian-Russian allied mechanisms. Our position is unambiguous  the Azerbaijani servicemen must leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia, Pashinyan said, noting that despite his warnings this situation has become a topic for domestic political manipulations.

Pashinyan slammed those who are manipulating this issue and labeled them as carrying out

pro-Azerbaijani activities behind our backs. He was particularly speaking about the manipulations about the so-called Zangezur Corridor, a narrative brought forward by the Azeri leader but denied by Armenian authorities to have anything to do with reality. Pashinyan said those who are developing the narrative in Armenia are agents of Azerbaijans information war.

I want to emphasize that the Republic of Armenia has never and will never discuss a corridor. The discussions which we had are public, they are reflected in the January 11 joint statement and the official information regarding the activities of the trilateral working group, Pashinyan said.

The next issue Id like to emphasize is the process of border adjustments and Armenia needs the processes of border adjustment and the opening of communications as much as Azerbaijan does. And in terms of border adjustments there is this kind of a nuance: In the recent days the Azerbaijani propaganda is trying to advance a narrative that the border adjustment process should take place in a bilateral format. Such thing cant happen with the simple reason that Armenia and Azerbaijan dont have relations basically. And both the opening of communications and the border adjustment processes must take place in a trilateral format, around which agreements have been reached several times, and I think that it is also the violation or disruption of these agreements which is the reason of actions of the Azeri military and military-political leadership, he said, presenting future actions.

"The negotiations continued until late night yesterday, the talks will continue Wednesday, Pashinyan added. "The negotiations have one subject  the Azerbaijani military servicemen must pull back from the territory of the Republic of Armenia. As long as this hasnt happened, we consider this issue, this situation to be a crisis which threatens the sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity of Armenia, a situation which is termed by the Collective Security Treaty Organizations charter, the Treaty on Collective Security and the charter of the Treaty of Collective Security on Crisis Situation Response. As long as our legitimate objective isnt solved, all these mechanisms and simultaneously the Armenian-Russian allied mechanisms must be invoked, which are envisaged for such cases, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan added that the solution to the issue must be reached politically. And if such a result wont be possible to be achieved, then with the same logic the military-political mechanisms must be initiated. I mean that the Collective Security Treaty and the Armenian-Russian treaties envisage functions and these treaties are envisaged for this very cases, and we  using our legitimate right, have initiated the launch of these actions, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan later stated that tension and aggressiveness by Azeri troops is growing after this meeting of the security council.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the future actions regarding the situation at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The negotiations continued until late night yesterday, the talks will continue Wednesday, he said at the Security Council meeting. The negotiations have one subject  the Azerbaijani military servicemen must pull back from the territory of the Republic of Armenia. As long as this hasnt happened, we consider this issue, this situation to be a crisis which threatens the sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity of Armenia, a situation which is termed by the Collective Security Treaty Organizations charter, the Treaty on Collective Security and the charter of the Treaty of Collective Security on Crisis Situation Response. As long as our legitimate objective isnt solved, all these mechanisms and simultaneously the Armenian-Russian allied mechanisms must be invoked, which are envisaged for such cases, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan added that the solution to the issue must be reached politically. And if such a result wont be possible to be achieved, then with the same logic the military-political mechanisms must be initiated. I mean that the Collective Security Treaty and the Armenian-Russian treaties envisage functions and these treaties are envisaged for this very cases, and we  using our legitimate right, have initiated the launch of these actions, Pashinyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Arms dealer Davit Galstyan will be released from jail as Judge Sergey Marabyan of the Court of Criminal Appeals approved his complaint against the extension of his pre-trial detention, his lawyer Armen Harutyunyan said.

Davit Galstyan, frequently referred to as Patron Davo (meaning Bullet Davo) by the media, is an arms dealer who previously served as advisor to the former Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan.

He was jailed in February 2021.

Galstyan is accused in supplying the Armenian military with poor-quality artillery shells unfit for combat. The deal in question was made between Galstyans Mosston Engineering and the Armenian Defense Ministry in 2018.

Back in February, Galstyan denied wrongdoing and claimed that the supplies were actually done as required by the contract.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin is confident that the implementation of the trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan over the ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh has no alternative, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, reports TASS.

The President is convinced that the implementation of the trilateral agreements has no alternative, and now major efforts are being made to mitigate the tension and solve the situation in the border, Peskov said.

He, however, couldnt answer the question on whether Putin has received Armenian caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans letter on military assistance. Peskov stated that all those issues have been repeatedly discussed during the bilateral talks.

The Kremlin spokesperson noted that Russia is in constant touch with Armenia and Azerbaijan over the settlement of the situation around Nagorno Karabakh.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
INDIANAPOLIS, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KSM Consulting, a leading consulting firm specializing in technology, data analytics and digital transformation, today unveiled a strategic rebrand including the new Resultant name, logo, brand identity and website. The new brand represents the firm's people-centric culture and approach to delivering positive client outcomes.

"We've spent 13 years building a company we're proud of, and we're so excited to have developed a unique brand identity that represents who we are and how we make a difference for our clients and communities," said Mark Caswell, CEO of Resultant, formerly KSM Consulting. "This brand is reflective of the company we've been building for years, representing how we think great consulting is performed, blending both the deeply technical and the deeply human."

Now with more than 300 employees, Resultant has offices in Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Columbus, Ohio; Lansing, Michigan; and Denver, Colorado and employees across the U.S. Resultant's vision for future growth includes having committed teams in more than ten cities and employing a total of 1,000 people by 2025.

Resultant was founded as part of Indianapolis accounting firm Katz, Sapper & Miller in 2008 but became operationally and financially independent following Renovus Capital Partners' acquisition of a majority ownership stake in March 2019. Since, Resultant has acquired three companies, including web and app development firm, Connect Think; public sector consultancy, Advocate Solutions; and Google consultancy, Tempus Nova. Today, Resultant is one of a handful of consulting firms with expertise in the top cloud solutions: Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud. Investcorp, a global manager of alternative investment products, purchased a majority ownership stake in Resultant in 2021.

Resultant is a trusted partner to more than 700 public and private sector clients and specializes in technology, data analytics and digital transformation. More information about the new brand can be found at resultant.com/our-brand.

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

About Resultant

Resultant is a modern consulting firm with deep expertise in data, technology, and digital transformation. The firm works in both the public and private sectors to help clients fulfill their missions, meet their goals, and solve their toughest challenges. Resultant is headquartered in Indianapolis with employees and clients across the country. For more information, visit www.resultant.com.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ksm-consulting-announces-new-brand-identity-301292248.html

SOURCE Resultant
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the occasion of his birthday, Pashinyans Office told Armenpress.

The letter reads:

Dear Mr. President,

Accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes on your birthday.

I am sure that your rich experience of state activity, the political will and energy typical to you will continue bringing contribution to the future development of Kazakhstan, as well as to the utilization of the potential of the Armenian-Kazakh relations.

I always warmly remember our communication and I am looking forward to welcome you in Armenia in the future in accordance with the existing agreement.

Dear Mr. President,

I wish you good health, happiness and success in your activity.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. 501.4 tons of humanitarian aid, worth 5 million 209.3 thousand dollars, have been delivered to Armenia in January-March 2021, according to the data released by the Statistical Committee.

In January-March 2021 the humanitarian aid delivered to Armenia increased by 8.2% compared to the same period of 2020. Most of the humanitarian aid came from the United States  worth 1 million 247.4 thousand USD, which is an increase of 90.1% compared to the same period of 2020. The next country is China which sent a humanitarian aid worth 1 million 109.5 thousand USD, which increased by 99% compared to January-March 2020. Then comes France with a total of 564.4 thousand USD humanitarian aid, which increased 3.1 times compared to January-March 2020.

The humanitarian aid from Spain has greatly increased, 21.9 times, comprising 429.7 thousand USD, then comes Netherlands  306.1 thousand USD, Italy, Germany, etc.

Most of the humanitarian aid sent to Armenia were woven items, followed by industrial products, then chemical and industrial chemistry-related products, equipment and devices, etc.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The session of the Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly will be held on July 1, Spokesperson of the Russian State Duma, Chairman of the CSTO PA Vyavheslav Volodin said during the meeting with Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, reports TASS.

Its understandable that the pandemic is leaving its trace. But, its gradually mitigating. Therefore, I hope we will meet soon also on the sidelines of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, which will take place on July 1, he said.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Vyacheslav Volodin discussed the Armenian-Russian relations, as well as the situation around Nagorno Karabakh. Our relations are developing within the frames of inter-parliamentary contacts, Volodin said, adding that the Russian President has done a lot for stopping the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

In his turn Speaker Mirzoyan noted that Armenia and Russia have special relations based on centuries-old history. These are relations of strategic partners, allies. I am sure that no one questions that these relations will develop and strengthen more dynamically, the Armenian Speaker of Parliament said.

The CSTO Council session is expected to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

CSTO member states are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenias caretaker defense minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan held a telephone conversation today with Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas, the defense ministry told Armenpress.

Vagharshak Harutyunyan presented the ongoing situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, stating that despite the fact that some groups of the Azerbaijani servicemen have returned to their initial positions today and in the past days based on the agreement reached, some of the Azerbaijani troops still remain in the territory of Armenia, and in fact, the situation caused by the Azerbaijani provocation has not been solved.

Mr. Harutyunyan noted that taking into account the fact that the Azerbaijani servicemen are under the full control of the Armenian units, as well as the fact that major forces are accumulated from both sides on that sections of the border, the consequences could be unpredictable if the situation is not solved as quickly as possible.

In his turn Stanislav Zas said the CSTO closely follows the developments, adding that it will be discussed in coming days during the session of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in Dushanbe.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenias caretaker Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan held a phone conversation today with Director of the Border Service of the Russian Federal Security Service, Colonel-General Igor Konstantinov, the defense ministry told Armenpress.

A number of issues relating to the cooperation between the Armenian defense ministry and the Russian Border Services Armenia troops which carry out border guard service in Armenia were discussed during the telephone conversation.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The European Commission will provide an additional 10 million in humanitarian aid, including some very early recovery to help civilians affected by the recent conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh. This brings EU assistance to people in need, since the start of the hostilities in September 2020, to over 17 million, the Commission said in a statement released today.

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, said: The humanitarian situation in the region continues to require our attention, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating the impact of the conflict. The EU is substantially increasing its support to help people affected by the conflict to meet their basic needs and to rebuild their lives.

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said: As pledged at the end of last year, we are today delivering additional assistance to the people most affected by the conflict. Our support will not stop there: the EU continues to work towards a more comprehensive conflict transformation and long-term socio-economic recovery and resilience of the region.

The funding made available today will help to provide emergency assistance including food, hygiene and household items, multi-purpose cash and healthcare. It will also cover protection assistance, including psychosocial support, education in emergency and ensure early recovery assistance through livelihood support. The assistance will benefit the most vulnerable conflict-affected people, including displaced persons, returnees and host communities.

This additional funding will also ensure humanitarian demining in populated areas and provide mine risk education to affected people.
YEREVAN, 17 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 17 May, USD exchange rate down by 0.57 drams to 521.91 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.76 drams to 634.43 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 7.06 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.49 drams to 736.10 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 240.12 drams to 30842.94 drams. Silver price up by 6.38 drams to 456.91 drams. Platinum price up by 347.09 drams to 20572.03 drams.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. OSCE Secretary-General Helga Maria Schmid responded to the letter of President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian over the need for an immediate return of all Armenian war prisoners and civilians kept in Azerbaijan.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Presidents Office, the OSCE Secretary-General that she studied the issues mentioned by President Sarkissian and submitted them to relevant OSCE bodies.

I continue to follow the situation and keep in contact with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office over on that and other related issues. I am aware that you have discussed these issues also with the Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde during her visit to Yerevan in March.

The Minsk Group Co-chairs issued a statement on April 13, 2021 where they also touch to the issues mentioned by you. The Co-chairs noted that extra efforts are necessary to allay the existing concerns and to establish an atmosphere of mutual trust fostering lasting peace.

In this context, the Co-Chairs pointed out the issues related to the return of all prisoners of war and other detainees in line with the international humanitarian law. They, as well as personally I and other OSCE officials, will continue to monitor the situation and speak out. The OSCE institution and bodies already closely cooperate with Armenia in all three platforms.

As the OSCE Secretary-General, I hope to further develop and expand this cooperation, reads the letter of Helga Maria Schmid.
General Mills, Inc. GIS is on track to undertake growth initiatives as part of the Accelerate strategy. Progressing along these lines, the company signed a definitive agreement with Tyson Foods, Inc. TSN to acquire the latters pet treats business. The to-be-acquired business is well known for natural meat treats for pets and includes brands like Nudges, Top Chews and True Chews. Per the deal, General Mills will also take over Tyson Foods production unit located in Independence, Iowa. Management anticipates concluding the deal in the first quarter of fiscal 2022.



We note that, the deal is priced at $1.2 billion in cash, which will provide a projected tax benefit of $225 million. Incidentally, the effective purchase price is pegged at $975 million. General Mills expects to fund the buyout using cash on hand and short-term borrowing. Further, management expects the buyout to be modestly accretive to the companys earnings in the first 12 months after the deal is concluded, excluding transaction and integration costs.



General Mills noted that the acquisition bodes well amid growing pet-food category treads stemming from humanization of pets especially in the pandemic. Certainly, the deal reshapes the companys portfolio to add another leaf to its impressive Pet platform that includes BLUE  a leader in natural pet food.

Accelerate Strategy Aids Growth

General Mills is focused on its Accelerate strategy, which was unveiled earlier this year. The strategy is outlined to help the company make choices of how to win and where to play with an aim to boost profitability, while enhancing shareholders returns in the long run. As a part of the strategy General Mills is prioritizing investment, investing in five Global Platforms, driving growth in Local Gem brands and reshaping portfolio.



Notably, General Mills venture capital arm  301 INC  in partnership with other investors recently unveiled plans of a multistage investment of up to $20 million in London-based food company  Pots & Co. We note that Pots & Co is popular for its assortment of hand-crafted potted desserts, which are available in U.K. supermarkets. Through this investment, Pots & Co expects to accelerate its growth strategy and expand its product range as well as distribution in the United States.



In March, the company had entered into a memorandum of understanding to offload 51% controlling interest in Yoplait S.A.S. to a renowned French dairy cooperative  Sodiaal. Management expects to conclude the deal by the end of calendar 2021. Well, General Mills anticipates the deal to enhance its growth, improve margins and boost shareholders value. Also, it will increase the companys focus on the brand platforms that have more growth potential. Management also expects to witness enhanced growth in its Europe and Australia segments once the transaction is complete.

Story continues

Wrapping up

Sales in General Mills Convenience Stores & Foodservice segment have been declining for a while now. During third-quarter fiscal 2021, revenues in the segment declined 10% year over year due to lower demand for away-from-home food amid the coronavirus outbreak. Reduced consumer traffic and other pandemic-induced restrictions have adversely impacted the segments major away-from-home channels like restaurants, lodging and schools. Additionally, this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company is seeing elevated input costs, which affected its adjusted gross margin during the quarter.



Nevertheless, we believe that the aforementioned transaction will help the company achieve its objectives in the Accelerate strategy. Notably, shares of General Mills have moved up 7.9% so far this year compared with the industrys 10.3% growth.

Some Solid Food Bets

Medifast, Inc. MED, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.7%, on average. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Pilgrims Pride Corporation PPC, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has a long-term earnings growth rate of 27%.

Zacks Names Single Best Pick to Double

From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research SherazMian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.



You know this company from its past glory days, but few would expect that its poised for a monster turnaround. Fresh from a successful repositioning and flush with A-list celeb endorsements, it could rival or surpass other recent Zacks Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in a little more than 9 months and Nvidia which boomed +175.9% in one year.



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Israel has bombarded Gaza with air strikes and Palestinian militants have resumed cross-border rocket fire after an overnight lull during which the UN sent a fuel convoy into the enclave, where it says 52,000 people are now displaced.

Israeli leaders said they would press on, for now, with an offensive to destroy the capabilities of the armed factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad, amid calls by the United States and other world powers for an end to the conflict.

Two Thai workers were killed and seven people were wounded in a rocket strike on an Israeli farm just over the Gaza border on Tuesday, police said. Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

"The fighting will not cease until we bring total and long-term quiet," Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said in a video statement, blaming Hamas for the worst escalation in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in years.

Hamas began firing rockets eight days ago in retaliation for what it said were Israeli rights abuses against Palestinians in Jerusalem. Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel's 21 per cent Arab minority staged a general strike on Tuesday in solidarity.

Gaza medical officials say 213 Palestinians have been killed, including 61 children and 36 women. Israeli authorities say 12 people have been killed in Israel, including two children.

Nearly 450 buildings in the Gaza strip have been destroyed or badly damaged, including six hospitals and nine primary care health centres, the United Nations humanitarian agency said. Some 47,000 of the 52,000 displaced had fled to UN schools.

Israel said more than 3450 rockets have been launched at it from Gaza, some falling short and others shot down by its Iron Dome air defences. It says its forces have killed around 130 Hamas fighters and another 30 from Islamic Jihad.

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Ramadan clashes between police and worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and a court case by Israeli settlers to evict Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem have caused anger among Palestinians.

Story continues

General strikes were held on Tuesday in East Jerusalem, Arab towns within Israel and in the West Bank cities with posts on social media bearing a Palestinian flag and urging solidarity "from the sea to the river".

Palestinian businesses across East Jerusalem were shuttered, including in the walled Old City, and in the mixed Jewish-Arab port city of Haifa in northern Israel, protest organiser Raja Zaatar told Reuters the strike had closed 90 per cent of businesses in Arab neighbourhoods.

Yuval Steinitz, an Israeli cabinet minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, deplored the strike as "another blow to the delicate fabric of relations and cooperation between Jews and Arabs".

Gaza residents said Israel was keeping up intense air strikes. In Israel, sirens indicated rocket salvoes were focussed on border communities - despite a threat by Hamas on Monday to renew longer-range attacks on Tel Aviv.

Demonstrations over the Gaza crisis and recent Jerusalem tensions were also planned for Ramallah, Hebron and other Palestinian cities across the West Bank.

Strike participation in Ramallah seemed to be high, with the main highway from the city centre to the Qalandia checkpoint giving access to Jerusalem almost completely deserted, a Reuters witness said.

In signs of a possible spread of the violence, the Israeli military said its troops shot dead a Palestinian who tried to attack them with a gun and improvised explosives in the occupied West Bank and that it downed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near the border with Jordan on Tuesday.

Calling Netanyahu on Monday night, US President Joe Biden said Israel had the right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks but encouraged it to make every effort to protect civilians, the White House said.

Egypt and UN mediators also stepped up diplomatic efforts, while the UN General Assembly will meet to discuss the violence on Thursday.
Interview: Iraqi party leader says China's miraculous development an opportunity for world economy

Xinhua) 08:56, May 17, 2021

BAGHDAD, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China's miraculous development, achieved essentially by practising socialism with Chinese characteristics, has greatly promoted global economic growth, and should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat, an Iraqi party leader has said.

"They start to see it as a challenge, as a threat which it shouldn't be... We think the development of China should not be perceived as a threat. Rather, it's an opportunity," said Raed Fahmi, secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, rejecting the depiction of China by some Western media outlets.

China has made tremendous strides in various fields under the leadership of the CPC, Fahmi told Xinhua in a recent interview on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"China has become the second largest economy in the world. With its own potentials, I think nobody can ignore that China is a major economic power in the world, and it can determine the growth of the world economy," Fahmi said, adding that the Chinese people's living conditions have also been continuously improved.

China provides a new path for other countries that wish to accelerate development, Fahmi said.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said, is a huge historical experience, which his party is keen to study and follow up.

As for China's success in eradicating absolute poverty, Fahmi said for a country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, "this is a historical achievement."

"For us and other countries, we look at this experience with extreme interest," he said, adding that the CPC's people-centered philosophy has also been a factor behind China's effective containment of COVID-19.

Fahmi noted that humanity is now facing huge challenges, not only the pandemic, but also hunger, unemployment and a gap between developed and under-developed countries.

In the face of the challenges, China has been actively advancing global multilateral cooperation and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, which has "put together the capacities and energies" of like-minded countries.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
FORT WAYNE, Ind., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Master Spas is marking its 25th anniversary this year. The hot tub and swim spa manufacturer is looking back proudly at its contributions to the spa industry and the local Fort Wayne economy.

Master Spas was founded in 1996. CEO Bob Lauter, along with a group of investors, acquired Fort Wayne Pools' spa division and its 90,000-square-foot facility. Fort Wayne Pools began making acrylic spas in 1978.

"During my experience working in the spa industry, I had learned what I wanted to do and saw risks others weren't willing to take," Lauter says. "Three of our key executives, including president Terry Valmassoi, who was with me on Day 1, joined the company in 1996. We started with a small business, and we had the challenge  and opportunity  to convert it into a high-end hot tub manufacturer. And that's what we did."

Master Spas started with less than a dozen employees in 1996. Now, nearly 1,000 employees clock in and out of the state-of-the art campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. About 400 positions and a second shift were added in the past year.

The facility occupies 36 acres, and there's 530,000-square-feet of production, warehousing, and office space. Tens of thousands of hot tubs and swim spas are built annually and shipped to dealers around the world.

The company has enjoyed strong growth throughout its 25-year history, becoming the largest manufacturer of hot tubs that are made in the USA, and the largest manufacturer of swim spas globally.

Major capital investments have helped Master Spas to continue its growth and meet the demands of the market. Master Spas invested $15.3 million in 2019, building a new 166,000-square-foot swim spa factory and expanding the acrylic spa factory. The company is continuing capital improvements in 2021 with an expansion to its warehousing and production facility.

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Master Spas serves customers worldwide through their network of dealers throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, Israel, and New Zealand. The company produces high-quality hot tubs and swim spas, including Michael Phelps Signature Swim Spas. This swim spa line was designed with input from 23-time gold medalist Michael Phelps.

Recognized for its commitment to innovation and quality construction, Master Spas is an award-winning company. All of its hot tubs and swim spas are manufactured in the USA.

About Master Spas

Master Spas is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 90 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Operating out of a state-of-the-art, 530,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on a 36-acre manufacturing campus, Master Spas is the largest swim spa manufacturer in the world, and largest portable hot tub manufacturer that makes 100% of our product in the USA. The company's executive team boasts more than 200 years of spa manufacturing success and one of the strongest track records in the industry. For more information, please visit: www.MasterSpas.com.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/master-spas-celebrates-25th-anniversary-301292600.html

SOURCE Master Spas
City

 Jessica M O'Connor, 30, 904 Route 31, Port Byron, was charged May 14 with third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

 Cheryl L. Oliver, 36, 106 Washington St., Auburn, was charged May 14 with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

 Shauna M. Oliver, 31, 5 Lawton Ave., Auburn, was charged May 14 with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, fourth-degree conspiracy, possession of a dangerous drug/substance and two counts of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

 Julia M. Pascucci, 23, 77 Columbus St., Auburn, was charged May 14 with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and first-degree operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

 Michael J. Maunder, 28, 43 Grover St., Auburn, was charged May 15 with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree menacing, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, third-degree grand larceny, first-degree robbery, false personation and resisting arrest.

 Marlon R. McLaughlin, 49, 11 Grover St., Apt. 7, was charged May 16 with second-degree menacing and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
With the exception of certain situations, fully vaccinated New Yorkers will no longer be required to wear a mask in indoor or outdoor public places.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the state will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance regarding masks and social distancing for vaccinated people. Based on the guidance, fully vaccinated individuals don't have to wear a mask or maintain social distancing.

New York's new mask rules will take effect on Wednesday.

"If you are vaccinated, you are safe," Cuomo said. "No masks. No social distancing."

According to the CDC guidelines, immunocompromised individuals and people who aren't vaccinated must continue to wear a mask when they can't maintain social distancing in public venues. Masks are required for all individuals in certain settings, including health care facilities, homeless shelters, nursing homes, prisons, public transportation and schools.

Cuomo added that private venues will have the ability to set additional guidelines, which gives businesses the option of requiring masks regardless of vaccination status. While some businesses have opted to lift mask requirements, others say they will keep the mandates for now.
"People think you have to do it all the time. You don't. I do it before I go to bed. It metabolizes and then I'm not high from it," Martin told The Buffalo News. "I don't need to be high when I'm at work. I'm focused when I'm at work."

He said cannabis treats his pain better than opioids, which he said is far more addictive. Also, he pointed out that medical marijuana is not covered by insurance. "It actually, literally saves them money," Martin said about him using marijuana instead of opioids.

According to the lawsuit, Martin was told he needed to submit to a random drug test. When he showed up on Dec. 15 for the test, he revealed that he would test positive and that he is a certified medical marijuana patient. A week later, he got a letter informing his he was suspended without pay and had to seek substance abuse treatment.

Martin did. When Martin was tested again on Feb. 5, the urine sample tested positive for marijuana metabolites again, because he continued to use medical marijuana. Then he was fired based on the union's collective bargaining agreement.

That agreement was entered into in 1984 and updated in 2011, but hasn't been updated since medical marijuana was legalized in the state in 2014, Martin's attorney said.
Kia Corporation recently celebrated its brand transformation in the Middle East by organizing a spectacular LED light show on the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure at 828 metres. Introducing the transformed brand to the key market of the Middle East, Kia underlined the focus on evolving with changing times.

Kia has introduced its new slogan - Movement that inspires, and its new corporate logo, apart from also bringing in its first dedicated electric vehicle, the EV6, upon Burj Khalifa's LED facade. "The LED show in Dubai is our way of inspiring people to follow their dreams, and let them know that Kia is with them for the journey," said Artur Martins, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Brand and Customer Experience Division at Kia Corporation. "We believe movement inspires ideas, and we want to create a space for all of our customers to bring their ideas to life."
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There is also a dam under consideration at Lees Ferry by the Edison Electric Company.

The reports that gasoline prices in Flagstaff are around $1 per gallon are not correct. Gasoline station operators wish to point out that nowhere is the price of one gallon more than 75 cents per gallon and often as low as 60 cents per gallon.

50 years ago

1971: The weekend cleanup of Oak Creek Canyon between Manzanita and Slide Rock yielded 2  tons of trash that included a womans purse with a check for over $200 in it that will be returned to its owner.

Yes, the assets were frozen. Flagstaff police are investigating a burglary at the Pizza Inn. The burglary was reported after the opening manager found $300 in cash missing from where it was stored  in the walk-in freezer.

Greyhound has expanded its service in Flagstaff with new state-of-the art terminal across from Northern Arizona University. A special open house and preview showing will be held prior to the official opening.

25 years ago

1996: The potential for a severe fire breakout in the Flagstaff area is at an all-time high this season due to the lack of rain.
Birthday wishes

Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

Happy Birthday Wishes
St. Pauls Lutheran School held graduation ceremonies of fifth grade on Sunday morning. Seven students were recognized.

This class has faced quite a bit of adversity," said Amy Duever, school principal. "Theyve had school through a pandemic, having to wear masks, cancelled field trips and just having to do so many things different from previous years. Theyve done it willingly and learned that God is with them no matter what.

As they continue their education, my prayer is that they continue to grow in their faith."

Stephanie Clark-Moss said having her son, James, at St. Pauls has been a great experience.

When he was in Kindergarten, he needed some special help. St. Pauls was very accepting and welcoming of him, said Clark-Moss. James has loved his teachers, especially this year with Mr. Long."

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Mr. Brad Long said this year has been hard for the kids and teachers to learn and grow.

These seven kids have been forged by fire, which sounds like a big statement," he said. "Theyve been through a lot of adversity. The way they responded shows their character and shows what they are capable of in middle and high school and in life.
The Western Heritage Center will host filmmaker Stephanie Alton on May 20, 2021 for the first in-person High Noon lecture in more than a year. Altons documentary, Ridin for the Brand, is the product of the year she spent with three Big Timber ranch families, whose ancestors arrived in the area during Texas cattle drives over 100 years ago.

Exploring these families efforts to maintain the only lifestyle they know and love, Alton also applies the knowledge she gained through several years adventuring and working on Montana ranches. She weaves together myths of the Old West and early ranching era with the realities of an intensely difficult profession and way of life.

This film screening and discussion, sponsored by Underriner Honda, will be the Western Heritage Centers first in-person High Noon lecture in over a year. Seating is limited to the first 20 guests to arrive before 12 p.m.; masks are required and the lecture is free to the public.

The WHC is very excited to return safely to in-person education events," said WHC Executive Director Kevin Kooistra. "We are eager to connect personally and discuss the film with local community members and out-of-town guests.
Supporters of the bill included ranchers along the Rocky Mountain Front who have been outspoken as the bears expand east onto the plains.

But opponents of the bill pointed out that the threatening livestock provision conflicts with federal law. As long as the bears remain federally protected, state law is trumped. The bill could give ranchers a false impression of when they can and cannot shoot bears in defense of life or property, critics have said.

Gianforte announced the signing of SB 98 on Wednesday.

Grizzly bear populations are recovered in Montana, a spokesperson for the governor said. If grizzly bear management is turned over to the state, this bill ensures Montanans can protect themselves and their livestock from growing predator populations.

SB 337 also makes declarations that grizzly bears are recovered and should be put under state management. The bill then makes two important changes on how Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will respond to issues with the bears.

The first provision of SB 337 dictates that should FWP capture a bear, it may only relocate it to areas pre-approved by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Press Release

May 17, 2021 Dela Rosa pushes for passage of Department for OFWs SENATOR Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa has sought for the establishment of a department tasked to look after the interest of Filipinos overseas without causing a "swell" to the state bureaucracy since it will be an integration of functions of existing concerned government agencies. This after Dela Rosa authored and filed Senate Bill No. 2110 (SBN 2110), to be known as "Department of Overseas Filipinos Act," to rationalize and put "under one roof" the powers and functions of separate concerned offices to ensure a more effective implementation of policies and programs for the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare of overseas Filipinos, especially the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). "With a single but focused department wherein the mandates of key agencies are synchronized, our overseas Filipinos are assured of easily accessible and more available, and, at the same time, swift assistance and services. Hence, the early passage of this bill is earnestly sought," he said. Under SBN 2110, which the top cop filed last month, the Department of Overseas Filipinos shall be created and will subsume all the powers and functions of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Commission on Overseas Filipinos, all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices and the International Labor Affairs Bureau under the Department of Labor and Employment, the Social Welfare Attaches Office under the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will be attached to the proposed department for purposes of policy and coordination. However, the OWWA Board of Trustees shall be reconstituted to include 3 representatives each of the land-based and sea-based OFWs, and 1 representative each of the women, land-based recruitment, and sea-based recruitment sectors. The OWWA Trust Fund created under Republic Act 10801 which serves as support to the programs and services for member-OFWs, such as social benefits, educational and livelihood assistance, and reintegration programs, will be renamed OFW Fund. Further, this private fund of OFWs shall be utilized primarily for the welfare benefits of the member-OFWs and their families and can only be resorted to for repatriation assistance as a last resort. Repatriation assistance and other assistance for Overseas Filipinos in distress shall be charged to the Assistance to National Fund. The Mindanaoan Senator said the Department of Overseas Filipinos will protect and promote as well the welfare, well-being, and interest of families of overseas Filipinos. According to the Stock Estimate of Filipino Overseas by the Commission on Filipino Overseas, there is a total of 10.2 million overseas Filipinos in more than two hundred destination countries and territories, of which 4.8 million are permanent migrants, 4.2 million temporary migrants, and 1.2 million are irregular migrants. There are 2.2 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) working abroad, based on the 2019 Survey on Overseas Filipinos by the Philippine Statistics Authority. "With the huge number of our kababayans living and working abroad, it is important that policies and programs for the promotion of their welfare and protection must be unequivocally instituted," Dela Rosa said. Dela Rosa's bill is included in the ongoing Technical Working Group discussion headed by the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development on the Creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos. The said TWG aims to hear additional suggestions and recommendations of the stakeholders especially the OFWs to ensure that the final version of the Senate bill will be responsive to the needs of those concerned.
WASHINGTON  Rep. Liz Cheney, newly ousted from House Republican leadership for challenging former President Donald Trump, criticized GOP colleagues Sunday for downplaying the Jan. 6 riot and condoning Trumps lies that the 2020 election was stolen, saying they were complicit in undermining democracy.

In television interviews, the Wyoming Republican said there was no question an attack like Jan. 6 could happen again if Trump's claims go unchecked.

I think its dangerous, Cheney said. I think that we have to recognize how quickly things can unravel. We have to recognize what it means for the nation to have a former president who has not conceded and who continues to suggest that our electoral system cannot function, cannot do the will of the people.

Weve seen not only his provocation of the attack, but his refusal to send help when it was needed, his refusal to immediately say, Stop,'" she added.

Asked in a separate interview if she believes House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Rep. Elise Stefanik, who replaced Cheney in the No. 3 leadership job, are complicit by embracing Trump, Cheney responded: They are.
What a disappointment to read of the shenanigans and retributions of the party of Abraham Lincoln. I rarely feel sorry for politicians, but I do feel sorry for Congresswoman Liz Cheney. It appears her party is ready to unceremoniously run her out of town on a rail. Lincoln once told some visitors at the White House how he too felt he was being tarred and feathered, run out of town. Lincoln quipped, "I'd feel worse if it wasn't for the honor of the thing." Perhaps we need to return to the Progressive "Bull Moose Party" of Teddy Roosevelt.

The third partys popular nickname of Bull Moose in 1912 was derived from the characteristics of strength and vigor often used by Roosevelt to describe himself. He waged an energetic campaign, during the course of which he was shot by an insane man in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while on his way to make a speech. He went ahead with his speech, telling the crowd that he had a bullet in his body but assuring them that it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose. The party's platform built on Roosevelt's Square Deal domestic program and called for several progressive reforms. The platform asserted that "to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day." Sound good to me. If ever we needed such courage and resolve, the time is now. Bull Moose Party, sign me up.
A judge has delayed until October the trial of two people accused of plotting a Bismarck mans death, granting a defense attorney request for more time to review new information submitted to them.

The trial of Earl Howard, 42, and Nikkisue Entzel, 40, was set to start Monday morning. Its now scheduled for Oct. 25, court records show.

Howard, of Bellwood, Ontario, and Entzel, of Bismarck, face murder conspiracy, arson conspiracy and other charges in connection with the death of Chad Entzel, 42, who was Nikkisue Entzels husband. Chad Entzels body was found when emergency workers in January 2020 responded to a call of a house fire in northeast Bismarck. An autopsy showed he died of gunshot wounds.

Howard and Nikkisue Entzel are accused of plotting Chad Entzels death in an apparent love triangle and with plans to cash in on a life insurance policy.
The latest North Dakota coronavirus news: artist aid, testing and vaccines.

Aid for the arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is recommending an award of $749,600 to the North Dakota Council on the Arts in its first distribution of funds from the federal American Rescue Plan.

The emergency funding aims to support the arts sector as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. It's part of the $135 million allocated for the Arts Endowment in the federal aid package.

The release of these American Rescue Plan funds marks an important step in the economic recovery of the creative sector, NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers said in a statement. "The knowledge of NDCA about the arts and culture landscape in North Dakota makes it an ideal steward of federal dollars."

ND Council on the Arts will formulate a distribution plan for the money, which will be doled out through a grant application process in early June.

Testing and vaccines
We are optimistic that opening COVID vaccination availability to adolescents will help push us towards the ultimate goal of herd immunity, Custer Health Administrator Erin Ourada said.

Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health Director Renae Moch called it "an exciting development that allows us to protect a large population of children who have shouldered heavy burdens this past year.

This is an important step to bring us closer to ending the pandemic, she said.

The state Health Department last week reported that 13% of children in the 12-17 age group in North Dakota had tested positive for COVID-19, with 20 hospitalizations and one confirmed death.

The Pfizer vaccine initially was approved for people age 16 and older. The other two available COVID-19 vaccines -- the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines -- are federally recommended for people 18 and older.

Vaccine rides

The state Health Department announced Monday that it is partnering with Taxi 9000 to provide free transportation to COVID-19 vaccination sites in Bismarck and Mandan.
BILLINGS, Mont.  A woman with North Dakota connections who escaped from the Montana Womens Prison in Billings has been captured.

Members of a U.S. Marshals Service violent offender task force arrested Lisa Anne Nester, 50, after she was found near the Yellowstone County sheriff's office in Billings on Saturday. She was taken into custody without incident and had not been considered a threat to public safety, the Montana Department of Corrections said.

Nester had been discovered missing from the prison at about 3:30 p.m. Friday. Department of Corrections spokesperson Alexandria Klapmeier declined to release details on how she escaped.

It was the first escape from the prison since 2016, when a woman escaped by scaling a fence and was caught eight months later in Oregon, according to The Billings Gazette.

Nesters criminal record includes a June 2015 escape from a prerelease program in Cascade County, Montana Womens Prison Warden Jennie Hansen said.
"There's a few services that are going to be shifting from the voucher to Medicaid that we think will make a difference in being able to hopefully have that $15 million be able to sustain the program for the full two years based on our calculations," Sagness said.

More than 4,200 people have used the program. Twenty-one private providers offer services through the voucher, which extends to screening, evaluations, individual therapy, outpatient or residential treatment, transportation, and room and board.

No new participants have been accepted since July, but around 1,300 people using the voucher continue to receive services, Sagness said. New participants will be accepted starting July 1.

The grants are for establishing new treatment programs with 16 or fewer beds in areas without services or not enough services to meet demand, such as the Devils Lake, Dickinson and Williston regions, Sagness said.

"Even if an individual has a need for service, they're often having to go to Fargo to get that service, based on the data that we can see with the voucher," she said.

The Legislature also approved extending the voucher to treatment providers in bordering states for aiding underserved areas in North Dakota.
Ive been blessed with a tremendous personal and professional family, and the decision to retire was not an easy one, but its time to spend more time with family and hunting or fishing, Steinwand said in the statement. Ive had the opportunity to work with some great people and some great governors, and I couldnt ask for a better organization or group of people to work with than the ones Ive had over the last 39 years. And theres no better place to be than North Dakota.

State Wildlife Chief Jeb Williams has worked with Steinwand for years.

"His approach has always remained the same -- bringing a constant calm, level-headed approach to the many challenging issues the department faces," Williams told the Tribune. "And for anyone who knows Terry, his sense of humor was usually inserted as well. His understanding and familiarity with North Dakota and how to balance the many interests associated with our line of work was something he did quite well."

There will be a national search to find Steinwand's successor.

"We are hoping to have the role filled by end of July and will reassess the need of an interim director if needed," governor's spokesman Mike Kennedy told the Tribune.

The 2021 Legislature set a $92.4 million two-year budget for Game & Fish, which is mainly funded by hunting and fishing license fees and federal money, and is approved for 164 full-time employees.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-223-8482 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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Press Release

May 17, 2021 De Lima commends heroic act of nurses who saved 35 infants amid fire; appeals help for PGH Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has commended the courage and heroic act of nurses and other health care workers who safely evacuated and saved 35 babies from the fire incident at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) last May 16. De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, said she salutes the health workers, particularly the two nurses who showed not only dedication in fulfilling their duties but also courage and genuine love for infants under their care, by not hesitating to go back to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to rescue the babies on ventilators. "Nurses Kathrina and Jomar of PGH, along with other health care workers, are blessings to the 35 babies, their families and the medical community. Dahil sa kanila, 35 sanggol na nangangailangan ng agarang atensiyong medikal ang nailigtas sa panganib," she said. "Despite the risks and dangers to their own lives, they did not hesitate to save these little angels who are under their care. Tunay kayong mga bayani! We salute and thank you for your sacrifices and dedication," added De Lima. According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), a fire of still undetermined cause, which lasted for five hours, struck a portion of PGH last May 16. No one was hurt from the incident. PGH spokesman Dr. Jonas del Rosario reportedly said the fire affected the nursery room for newborn babies. To date, 12 babies from the NICU were already transferred to nearby Sta. Ana Hospital while others were temporarily brought to the charity ward and the emergency room near the OB department. In a social media post, Kathrina Bianca Macababbad, a NICU nurse of the PGH, shared how she, along with fellow nurse Jomar Mallari and other co-workers, safely transferred all the babies from the NICU located at the 4th floor of the hospital to the open area. "Nung una, naiiyak na ako kasi mga babies na walang oxygen support lang talaga una naming maeevacuate tapos maiiwan yung mga naka-hook sa ventilator. Pero noong nakita ko na medyo clear pa yung daanan, wala ng pagdadalawang isip, bumalik kami ni Jomar sa taas para magbaba pa ng babies at ng mga emergency equipment," Macababbad said in an interview with De Lima's staff. "Dahil sa apoy, damay yung electricity namin and oxygen supply at makapal na rin ang usok. Mamamatay mga babies dahil sa suffocation and lack of power and oxygen kung iniwan namin sila doon. Nakakaproud din yung mga kasama ko sa duty kasi kahit walang instructions, lahat ang bilis tumulong. May kanya-kanya kaming designation agad. Yung iba nagbantay ng mga babies na nailikas na," Macababbad added. De Lima appealed to the public to offer help for the sick babies and PGH. "They are currently seeking donated breastmilk for remaining babies at PGH and for those transferred to other hospitals, as well as items such as diapers, wet wipes and diaper rash cream. For cash donations, people can donate to PGH Medical Foundation." Ultimately, De Lima said she also offers her prayers for the continued safety not only of patients but also of the health workers whose commitment to their work, which is made more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic, is truly commendable. "Sa ating mga health workers at frontliners: Maraming salamat sa patuloy ninyong sakripisyo at serbisyo sa panahong ito ng pandemya. Patuloy kaming nananalangin para sa inyong mabuting kalusugan at kaligtasan, pati na ng inyong pamilya," said De Lima.
This is Up and Down, where we give a brief thumbs up or thumbs down on the issues from the past week.

Up

Archer Daniels Midland Co. last week announced plans to build a $350 million soybean crushing plant and refining complex in Spiritwood, a project that will benefit both agriculture producers and the energy industry. The plant is expected to add 70 jobs and process 150,000 bushels of soybeans daily. In addition to producing soybean meal and vegetable oil for food and feed, it will serve industrial and fuel customers such as producers of renewable diesel. North Dakota ranked ninth in the nation in soybean production last year, and Cass County has recently been the nations top soybean-producing county. The facility is expected to be complete in time for the 2023 harvest.

Down

North Dakota continues to be a dangerous place for workers, according to the latest report by the AFL-CIO. The state reported 37 people died from injuries that occurred at work in 2019, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate of 9.7 deaths per 100,000 workers was third-highest in the nation, behind Alaska and Wyoming. Nationwide in 2019, the rate of fatal job injuries was 2.8 per 100,000, the labor union federation said.

Up
Steady rain for two-plus hours got progressively worse as players began ducking for cover under umbrellas immediately after shots and constantly wiped grips with towels. From the start of the round, they got to lift, clean and place their shots in the fairways.

I have been drier swimming in the ocean, Stallings said. If there is any video of us walking down 18, the goal of trying to stay dry was over by the time we got to 18 because there was just water everywhere. We were like kids walking through puddles.

One stroke behind at the start, Lee overtook Burns, who shot 70, before it got really wet.

The 29-year-old from Seoul went ahead for good with a birdie on the par-4 third hole and stretched the lead to four at No. 8 by putting his second shot within 4 feet for birdie. Burns threw his ball in disgust after missing a 5-foot birdie try.

Lee, who finished tied for second at the Phoenix Open in February, had the lowest score to par at the Nelson since 1983 on the par-72 Craig Ranch layout, beating 23 under from both years at par-71 Trinity Forest. The main Four Seasons course was par 70.
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Bissonette, ordained in 1958, died at the age of 54.

The Rev. Roy Herberger said Bissonette was widely known as an honest, open and spiritual man who would stand up for anybody who was less fortunate or was being oppressed.

Accused of sex abuse, Buffalo priest fires back with defamation lawsuit The lawsuit is the first known defamation case in Western New York filed against a person over allegations made in a Child Victims Act

Herberger was the subject of an abuse allegation and has sued his accuser for defamation to help restore his reputation. Herberger was suspended from ministry and ultimately allowed to return to his priestly duties after a diocese investigation cleared him. His accuser filed a Child Victims Act case anyway, and Herberger fired back with a defamation claim in State Supreme Court.

"I'm going through the expense and frustration just to prove to other people that if you know up front that you're lying and you're just doing it to get the money, know that you can be sued," Herberger said.

But, he added, "When the deceased has no opportunity to defend him or herself, that's a real problem."

Bissonette's name and priestly work are memorialized across Western New York. A foundation established in his name provides funds for peace and social justice activities.
Social Security numbers, though, were not exposed, according to the letter.

Teachers also received letters last week alerting them to the breach of information.

And the Buffalo Public Schools notified vendors in a letter May 11 that bank account information for wire transfers was among the information exposed in the cyberattack, along with federal tax identification numbers, email addresses and contact information.

Buffalo schools cancel instruction Monday because of cyberattack Remote and in-person learning in Buffalo Public Schools are canceled Monday as the school district continues to deal with a ransomware attack.

In March, after the district was hit by ransomware, classes were canceled for a few days until the district could restore the functionality of key systems, equipment and applications that had been targeted.

A few days later, Superintendent Kriner Cash sent a letter to district employees saying that at this point, our lead investigative consultant and the FBI have not determined that there has been an exposure of personally identifiable information.

In mid-March, the district hired GreyCastle, a cybersecurity firm, for $40,000 to work with law enforcement agencies to investigate the attack.

On Sunday, Cala declined to say whether the district ever received a ransom demand. She also declined to say whether the district had recovered any of the information that had been targeted.
I tried not to leave my place. I tried to call my family constantly to make sure theyre OK, she said. It was scary because I didnt have anything to occupy my mind, other than sitting and listening to the daily news report.

Nass, who hopes to open her own occupational therapy office someday in Dammam, her hometown, is scheduled to finish clinical work toward her degree in June, about a month behind schedule because of the pandemic. She participated in commencement ceremonies Saturday, anyway, and is disappointed that her parents couldn't attend. Travel from Saudi Arabia to the U.S. doesnt resume until Monday.

Nass said she could understand international students holding off on enrolling at a U.S. college or university if they were to get mostly online classes.

It takes away some of the valuable experience, she said.

Melvin said he understands, as well. He compared it to someone buying a new house and not being able to live in it right away. But, he added, this is a temporary pause on being able to have that experience in an American university.

Unwelcoming political climate

State looks to require SUNY students to get vaccinated against Covid-19 All state university students will be required to be vaccinated in order to return to the 64-campus system this fall, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Monday.
In May and June, The Buffalo News will tell the stories of some of Western New Yorks veterans who served in the armed services in World War II and beyond.

Know of a veteran's story we should tell? Let us know by calling 849-4444, emailing citydesk@buffnews.com or submitting a name at buffalonews.com/news-tip/.

***

As an artilleryman, Theodore W. Balliett saw nearly a year of combat in France and Germany and won a Bronze Star for courage under fire.

Today, as he prepares to celebrate his 98th birthday in June, Balliett says his wartime experiences were no big deal.

"I had a job to do. I was called to do the job. I did the job. The job is over and we came home," Balliett said during an interview in his Buffalo home. "The World War II veterans, as a majority, did not come home and talk about the war. I don't know why. We just didn't."

He said he never thought he would be killed, unlike some of his buddies who expected to die  and did. Balliett survived several incidents without a scratch.

"I'm not a hero. The real heroes are dead," said Balliett. "It was still combat, but it wasn't as bad as infantry combat."

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Balliett's 344th Field Artillery Battalion landed on Utah Beach, by far the more lightly defended of the two beaches American forces assaulted on the German-held Normandy coast.

"They missed the initial landing area, is what I heard. I didn't know they missed it because I didn't know where it was anyway," Balliett said.

Casualties were light at first.

"The first time we went forward, it was quiet and peaceful. We were supposed to dig a foxhole," Balliett said. "If you've ever been to Normandy, you can't dig a foxhole like you see on television. You had roots, you had rock. It was just enough to lay down, but it's not really protecting you."

That's where Balliett survived a "tree burst," a shell that struck a tree and turned the wood into shrapnel, killing the soldier in the next hole. And it's where he successfully fled from a barn the Germans obliterated with shell fire while he was trying to sleep there.

After the Germans retreated from Normandy, Balliett and his buddies checked out what their guns had done in the Falaise Gap, an escape route the Allies cut off.

"They took us artillery people on a tour. That sounds good, huh?" Balliett said. "You could see the bodies burnt. It stunk. It made me sick to my stomach, all these bodies of the Germans. We wiped them out there."

He earned his Bronze Star Feb. 1, 1945, near Heckhuscheid, Germany.

The citation says Pfc. Balliett "assisted in establishing an artillery observation post and traversed an open field through intense shelling to lay the necessary telephone wire. On three occasions he advanced through unrelenting fire to locate and repair breaks in the line."

"They say three occasions. I have no idea. It could have been three, could have been two, could have been five," he said. "All I remember is we ran out and made the splice."

Balliett, a Buffalo native who attended School 45 and Lafayette High School in 1941, was drafted and assigned to the artillery during basic training at Fort Bragg, N.C.

He crossed the Atlantic aboard the USS John Ericsson, which had been a luxury liner before the Pentagon requisitioned it.

"By the time you got to England, you were worn out," Balliett said. "You only had two meals a day because there were just too many men. By the time you got to stand up at the table  you didn't have to sit  you didn't feel like eating. It wasn't that good. The Red Cross gave us a package containing soap. It didn't lather like it was supposed to. It never cleaned you."

After arrival in England, the men ran for the showers on shore. "Ice-cold water," Balliett said.

After the war, he returned to Buffalo, married the former Bernice Twist, who died in 1989, and had two daughters, Suzanne, who is deceased, and Jo Ann Michael. He worked 39 years at Western Electric.

It's possible none of that might have happened if President Harry S. Truman hadn't ordered two atomic bombs to be dropped on Japan in 1945, making it unnecessary for Balliett and his buddies to invade that country after the Germans surrendered.

"That's why I have a Truman calendar," said Balliett, pointing to the wall of his home.

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At this point, New Yorkers and all Americans can only wish Rep. Elise Stefanik well as she takes on the duties of the House of Representatives No. 3 leaders. Like it or not  and there is plenty of reason not to like it  her party saw fit to ensconce the North Country congresswoman as chair of the House Republican Conference after its regrettable vote to remove Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, from the position.

Even conservatives have noted the bizarre nature of the decision. Cheney, over her years in Congress, has been significantly further to the right than Stefanik, who began her career as a moderate. Consider their voting scores from the conservative Heritage Action for America: Cheneys is 80, Stefaniks 48.

The difference is in their willingness to support a liar. Cheney, famously and courageously, voted to impeach President Trump for instigating the Jan. 6 insurrection that threatened American democracy after Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that he had won last years election. Cheney called him on that, too.

Because of that  because the GOP is unwilling to do as Republican Sen. Mitt Romney wisely counseled, and tell voters the truth  members turned on Cheney and elevated Stefanik, a politician who enthusiastically plays to her partys anti-democratic impulses.
Press Release

May 17, 2021 SPONSORSHIP SPEECH

Senate Bill No. 2152 / Committee Report 252

Teacher Education Excellence Act Delivered by the Honorable Win Gatchalian, Senator of the 18th Congress: Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, the most important factor in education is the teacher. Schools are only as good or as bad as their teachers. Even the brightest learner will not reach his or her full potential without passionate and competent teachers to lead the way. For learners struggling to catch up, the teacher is their closest and most influential lifeline. Sabi nga nila, kahit may angking talino ang isang bata pero kung wala namang lilinang o huhubog sa kanyang kakayahan at gagabay sa kanyang pag-aaral ay hindi rin niya makakamit ang pinakamahusay na edukasyon. Iyan ang papel ng isang guro. Significantly, the low quality of teachers was one of the indicators identified by the Congressional Committee on Education or EDCOM in its seminal 1991 report as precipitating the declining quality of education in the country back then. With poor teacher training largely to blame, EDCOM recommended that the quality of pre-service and in-service teacher education be improved drastically. Acting on this recommendation, Congress passed Republic Act No. 7784 in 1993. This law established the Teacher Education Council. The powers of the 11-member council are, broadly, to oversee the designation of Centers of Excellence among teacher education institutions or TEIs, to conduct policy formulation and analysis to strengthen teacher education, and to create programs to enhance teacher education and training, among others. Despite the enactment of RA 7784 and subsequent teacher education policies, it does not appear that the low quality of teachers produced by TEIs has significantly improved since it was first flagged by EDCOM. Between 2010 and 2019, only 35% of secondary education LET takers passed the examination. Only 28% of LET takers at the elementary level passed. The data also show that the crop of well-qualified teachers is produced by a small proportion of well-performing schools. In 2019, there were only 46 TEIs in the Better Performing and Top Performing categories on the Elementary LET, meaning at least 75% of their graduates who took the Elementary LET passed the exam. In sharp contrast, 815 schools were Worse or Poor Performers with passing rates of less than 50%. At the Secondary Level, there were only 27 Better or Top Performing TEIs and almost 1,000 Worse or Poor Performing schools. This means that roughly four out of every five TEIs nationwide are Worse or Poor Performers, at both the Elementary and Secondary levels. Mr. President, it is clear that the failure of our teacher education system to produce the highest caliber of educators is one of the driving forces behind the perennial education crisis. Ang krisis na ito ay nagresulta sa mababang markang nakuha ng ating mga mag-aaral mula sa mga sinalihan nating pandaigdigang pagsusuri. Nahuhuli tayo sa Math at Science noong 2019 sa Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study o TIMSS. Ganun din ang resulta ng Programme for International Student Assessment o PISA noong 2018. Hindi ho ba't nakakabahala ito, Ginoong Pangulo? The Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts, and Culture has devoted much of its time over the past three years to the study of much-needed teacher education reforms. After two public hearings and six intensive technical working group sessions, we are finally ready to sponsor legislation aimed at closing the gaps and overcoming the challenges for the benefit of learner outcomes. Senate Bill No. 2152 or the Teacher Education Excellence Act proposes to amend RA 7784 to empower the Teacher Education Council to carry out the vision of a dynamic, modern, and equitable education system. The TEC will carry out this mission by charting the nation's course toward the purposive development of teachers and school leaders of unquestionable integrity and competence, who are committed to their continuing professional growth and obligation to help learners grow as responsible citizens of the Philippines and the world at-large. In sum, this bill seeks to build the structural foundations of a national culture of excellence in teacher education from the ground up. The idea is that ultimately, excellent teachers will guide the way in transforming our education system into a world-class institution. Under this proposed legislation, the Teacher Education Council will serve as a responsive coordinating institution for the three major government entities involved in teacher education: the Commission on Higher Education, the Professional Regulation Commission, and the Department of Education. Under the Teacher Education Continuum, CHED and PRC serve as pre-service filters by regulating enrollment and graduation requirements in tertiary education courses and qualification to enter the teaching profession via the LET. DepEd is the primary end-user of teacher education. 847,450 of the country's 1.1 million teachers are employed in DepEd schools. While DepEd has a significant say regarding in-service education, as it is the primary provider, it does not have much of a say in how pre-service education for its teachers is conducted. DepEd has zero participation in the PRC's LET. It is only a mere member of the CHED's Technical Panel on Teacher Education, which sets the Policies, Standards and Guidelines or PSGs for the teaching profession. In 2017, DepEd developed the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers or PPST. The PPST is meant to standardize the qualifications and competencies of the teaching profession. However, the PPST is only being followed during in-service education because there is no feedback mechanism to CHED and its development of teacher curricula. There is likewise no feedback mechanism between the DepEd and the PRC, which is the institution that should be testing the minimum qualifications and competencies of teachers through the LET. This lack of coordination and unity among agencies involved in the Teacher Education Continuum has turned teacher education into a fragmented and often ineffective sector. A paper by the Research Center for Teacher Quality of the Philippine Normal University took a more detailed look at the PSGs in comparison with the PPSTs. It found that the alignment of the PSGs with the PPST "could not be placed at more than 50%". The paper also found that the misalignment between the expectations of DepEd, the end-user, and the PSGs set by CHED have negatively impacted teacher quality after completion of pre-service education. Again, we have to underline the fact that DepEd employs three-fourths of all Philippine teachers and operates the schools where 86% of Filipino learners at the basic education level are enrolled. As such, DepEd should be given a more powerful voice regarding how teachers are educated. Realigning pre-service and in-service education is essential to improving the quality of our teachers, which in turn will improve the quality of education provided in elementary and secondary classrooms. As Chair of the revamped TEC, DepEd's voice will surely be heard in crafting more responsive PSGs for teacher education programs. This will strengthen the link between pre-service and in-service education. Significantly, the revamped TEC will also be responsible for crafting a strategic roadmap for teacher education. This will be the catalyst for systemic quality-driven reforms aimed at further professionalizing the teaching profession and raising its standards of excellence. To emphasize the need for research-intensive, evidence-based reforms, this legislation also appoints the Philippine Normal University - the National Center for Teacher Education under RA 9647 - as the official advisor and research center of the TEC. Aiming to provide more equitable access to superior pre- service instruction, the bill also seeks to revamp the teacher education Center for Excellence. Currently, there are 34 Centers for Excellence in Teacher Education. This legislation carries the original mandate of RA 7784 to identify, designate, and develop COEs in strategic places in every region, but under a new condition that COEs will also undergo a mandatory review every three years to ensure that they continue to provide the superior level of education required to keep that distinction. Additionally, this bill also institutionalizes the National Educators Academy of the Philippines or NEAP under DepEd. The NEAP shall provide quality professional development programs on teacher education to in-service teachers, school leaders, and other teaching-related personnel in coordination with the TEC. This will further develop the NEAP into DepEd's in-service teacher training powerhouse. The composition of the Council has likewise been amended. DepEd will sit as ex-officio Chair, with CHED as ex-officio Vice-Chair and TESDA and PRC as ex-officio members. The nine presidential appointees will not be allocated based on geographical considerations but will represent a wide range of related institutions, such as public and private school associations, teachers- professors-administrators organization, and others. Meanwhile, to institutionalize the fundamental oversight role of Congress in teacher education this bill also seeks the establishment of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Teacher Education. The JCOC will be chaired jointly by the basic education committee chairs of both chambers of Congress. Mr. President, in closing I would like to thank the numerous stakeholders who participated rigorously in this bill's multi-year legislative process. On the part of government, the participation of DepEd, CHED, PRC, TESDA, NCCA, and NEDA were invaluable. Of course, we must also remember the participation and strong support of the Office of the President itself, through former Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Jr. and incumbent CabSec Karlo Nograles, who both proved themselves to be champions of education reform. The participation of Philippine Normal University, the University of the Philippines College of Education, Philippine Business for Education, and the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations was also extremely value-adding. Mr. President, the Philippine education crisis requires us to put into motion disruptive reforms for the future of education in our country. The performance of our learners on standardized exams as well as education graduates on the LET would not be so poor otherwise. The legislation I am sponsoring today is one of the pivotal reforms needed to train and deploy an army of passionate and competent teachers who will guide the next generation of Filipino leaders taught in public and private schools alike. As such, together with the distinguished co-authors of this measure, Senator Villanueva and Senator Revilla, I hope for the support of the body in approving this education legislation. Thank you, Mr. President.
The world is beginning to open up, with retail spaces and showrooms swiftly following suit. In our May roundup, BOH has gathered all the expansions and openings to have on your radar.

Inside Hays new retail space in Berkeley, California Photo courtesy of Hay

California

Danish design brand Hay, a subsidiary of Herman Miller Group, has opened its fifth North American retail location, in Berkeley, California. The 3,000-square-foot store showcases the brands furniture, textiles, kitchenware and tabletops in the citys historic shopping district for home and design.

Textile manufacturer Maharam has expanded its North American presence with new showrooms in Los Angeles and Chicago. Both spaces were designed in collaboration with architect Neil Logan (who also designed the companys New York headquarters). The L.A. showroom is in an industrial space within the Helms Design Center.

Massachusetts

Artaic has announced the unveiling of a new headquarters at the Schrafft City Center in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The Boston-based companywhich manufactures mosaics with the help of robotic technologywill make its new home in a building that once housed a candy factory and was redesigned for the brand by Silverman Trykowski Associates Inc. to accommodate its expanding team and an on-site warehouse for tile inventory.

Surface materials provider Nemo Tile + Stone has opened a new contractor warehouse and showroom in Woburn, Massachusetts. The 5,300-square-foot warehouse and 1,500-square-foot contract-specific showroom will house the brands portfolio of materials and corresponding visual assets, serving the 100-year-old companys client base in the greater Boston area.

New York

Sothebys has opened a retail location called The Emporium, located within its flagship galleries on New Yorks Upper East Side. The space functions as an extension of the auction houses Buy Now online marketplace, offering more than 5,000 curated luxury itemsincluding fine art, jewels, decorative objects and furnitureat a variety of price points.

The newly rebranded M. Alexander (formerly Marvin Alexander) has opened a showroom in New Yorks Decoration & Design Building. (In 2017, the company was acquired by the D&D Buildings owner, Charles S. Cohen.) The new space is just blocks away from the brands in-house wiring and restoration studio.

Bespoke kitchen, furniture and lifestyle product manufacturer Lanserring has opened its first U.S. showroom in New York. The Austrian brand will make its new home on Crosby Street in SoHo, offering its concept-to-completion service to homeowners and industry professionals.

Thibaut's flagship showroom, now located on the 9th floor of New York's D&D Building Christopher Delaney

Thibaut has moved its flagship on the 6th floor of New Yorks D&D Building to a larger 3,300-square-foot space on the 9th floor. Located in suite 909, the new showroom contains the brands entire line of fabrics and wallcoverings, along with a display of Thibaut Fine Furniture, and it also features two self-serve sample walls with grasscloth and vinyl wallcoverings as well as the brands tapes and trims.

American heritage home decor brand MacKenzie-Childs has announced that its transitioning its Aurora, New York, location into a full-time outlet store. The outlets special pricing model will feature some items up to 70 percent off the original price, with an inventory that includes historic retired patterns and prints, handcrafted products, and second-quality items with minor imperfections.

Midwest

The LuxeHome collection of boutiques for home building and renovation has announced a 2,000-square-foot expansion of the BSH Experience and Design Center at The Mart. The space will be home to interactive cooking sessions and product training hosted in its new cooking lab, designed to highlight various product categories, including Thermador and Bosch appliances, dishwashers and refrigerators.

Maharams new Chicago showroom, designed in collaboration with architect Neil Logan Courtesy of Maharam

Textile manufacturer Maharam has expanded its North American presence with new showrooms in Chicago and Los Angeles. Both spaces were designed in collaboration with architect Neil Logan (who also designed the companys New York headquarters). The Chicago outpost is located within Herman Miller Groups flagship building in the Fulton Market district.

Indianapolis-area luxury home builder Christopher Scott Homes has announced the opening of a 4,800-square-foot retail design center showroom in the Indiana Design Center. The space will represent the groups AR Homes division, which offers more than 100 pre-priced home plans for a streamlined, customizable build process.

New to the Michigan Design Center, The Gallery of Luxury is offering an extensive selection of furniture from contemporary European manufacturers, along with several pieces created by local artists.

Seattle

The Seattle-based Plasteel Frames & Gallery has announced the opening of a new showroom in the Seattle Design Center. Founded in 1973 by Spike Hendricksen and Tom Blue, the gallery provides fine-art conservation, frame restoration, handcrafted frames and archival mounting services, along with representing a variety of contemporary artists and offering 19th- and 20th-century artwork.

Resource Furniture has announced it will open a new 3,000-square-foot showroom in the Seattle Design Center. The space will house the brands luxury wall bed systems, home office solutions and customizable storage, and will introduce the new fully customizable Wardrobe Collection.

Texas

On the second floor of the World Trade Center at the Dallas Market Center, Todd Smith and Charlie Groppetti have debuted a new showroom called Porch View Home. The space will display the brand's home furnishings and accessories in a laid-back aesthetic.

Also in the World Trade Center, ProSource has opened a smart lighting demo center. Featuring multiple residential rooms, the space is outfitted with smart home systems and devices, such as lighting products and applications.

In the same building, Synergistic Furniture Design has opened a space that displays a range of custom industrial furnishings and decor in materials such as metals, wood and epoxy, for both residential and commercial uses.

The Hinges brand has newly arrived at the World Trade Center, offering premium furniture crafted with wood thats plantation-grown, reclaimed and recycled.

Elsewhere at Dallas Market Center, a series of new additions have arrived in The Gallery of the Interior Home + Design Center. They include artisan-crafted lamp and accessories brand Couture Lamps; Shona African Sculptures, featuring organic forms by Zimbabwe-based artists; abstract works from Susan Sales Fine Art; a selection of antiques curated by Kelly Butler Home; and a Benjamin Moore color wall of paint samples.

Several brands are also expanding their showrooms within Dallas Market Center, including Savoy House in the Trade Mart; Pasha and Unique Loom in the Interior Home + Design Center; and Park Hill and C. Maddox in the World Trade Center. Of those, Unique Loom has nearly doubled its square footage, while Savoy House has completed a major expansion to make room for new collections across categories of chandeliers, ceiling and wall lights, pendants, outdoor lighting, and ceiling fans.

Luxury furniture, lighting and decor purveyor Arteriors has moved into a new 35,000-square-foot headquarters paired with an adjacent 300,000-square-foot warehouse in Dallas. The workspace will be home to more than 150 of the companys Dallas-based employees, with 234 Arteriors products built into the environment.

Inside Montana Labelle Designs first brick-and-mortar location Courtesy of Montana Labelle Design

RH has announced the opening of RH Dallas: The Gallery on Knox Street. The Gallery comprises nearly 70,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, displaying artistic installations of luxury home furnishings and providing professional design services within the Interior Design Atelier.

Canada

Online store Montana Labelle Lifestyle has announced the opening of its first brick-and-mortar location. The Toronto space will house the Montana Labelle Design teams office and studio, as well as a shop featuring an array of internationally sourced products, including custom furnishings, curated art, hardware, ceramics, lighting and vintage pieces.

Homepage image: The Emporium retail space has opened inside the Sothebys galleries in New York. | Courtesy of Sotheby's Auction House
For Centuries, Some Asian Women Have Chosen to Live Communally, Preferring to Take Care Of Each Other Rather Than Rely On Men

Vegetarian hallshavens where Asian women live communallyflourished both in Singapore post-World War II and in China before communism. Residents arrived there for various reasons, but most had one thing in common: they preferred to take care of one another rather than rely on men

[Top to bottom]: a Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) statue in a vegetarian hall in Indonesia; vegetarian hall nuns in Malaysia; a vegetarian hall in Singapore

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Men are bad. Why marry?

Marriage is no good, men cannot be trusted.

My husband is dead, and I cannot burden friends and relatives with the trouble and expense of keeping an old woman and providing her with a funeral.

These are just some of the reasons women in 1950s Singapore gave British anthropologist Marjorie Topley for living in zhaitang, or vegetarian halls. Also called vegetarian houses, these were communal spaces where members took care of one another and often followed Buddhist-influenced teachings, such as vegetarianism.

Men have also lived in their own vegetarian halls, but Southeast Asian women in particular have found these residences to be a welcome alternative to marriage, sex work, and loneliness, where they might even find a nurturing environment they would not have gotten from family.

One of the few researchers to delve into the history of vegetarian halls, Topley was the first scholar to execute ethnographic fieldwork on these establishments, which she did from 1951 to 1955. But vegetarian halls were around long before the late pioneering anthropologist set foot in one. Show Ying Ruo, a current researcher of gender and religion based in Singapore, says the tradition developed in China during the Qing Dynasty, a period spanning 1644 to 1912, then spread to many regions of mid-19th century Southeast Asia, mostly in Malaysia and Singapore. The earliest artifact found in the vegetarian halls of Malaya dates back to 1859, while the earliest established vegetarian hall in Singapore dates 1880, says Show.

Vegetarian houses became a way of saying, I wont go into a risky situation. I prefer to make money on my own, live on my own, live with women, and be cared for by women.

While Topley visited some vegetarian halls in Hong Kong, she focused her research on those in Singapore, where, she estimated, there were 60 to 80 in existence. The number [of halls] cannot be certain as many of these places were hidden, explains Show. And we do not know the approximate number in other regions of Southeast Asia. The locations she studied were home to Chinese women who moved to Singapore seeking independence, both economically, and from the confines of traditional marriage

In her writing, Topley describes a lifestyle that drove some Chinese women away from their homelands. A womans world was her home, and she had no property rights, explained Topley. Even if she should earn some money by weaving, spinning, or embroidery, it went to the head of the familyher father if she were not yet married and her father-in-law if she were marriedand only he could dispose of it. After marriage, a woman came under the authority of her mother-in-law in all domestic matters and was often harshly treated by her. In addition, many women feared their husbands taking on second or third wivesor even becoming a second or third wife unbeknownst to them until after it was too late. At the time, polygamy was accepted in Chinese culture, but only for men, of course.

Residents of a vegetarian hall in Singapore

Residents of a vegetarian hall in Malaysia

A vegetarian hall in Singapore

The 1933 Aliens Ordinance of Malaya brought an influx of Chinese women to Singapore. The ordinance set a quota on the amount of people emigrating to Singapore, but women were outside that quota. As a result, about 190,000 Chinese women came to Singapore between 1934 and 1938. Many never returned to China. Some even adopted daughters in Singapore so they would have someone to look after them in old age instead of returning to their Chinese families.

According to Kristy Kelly, a professor of gender and Southeast Asian studies at Columbia University and Drexel University, vegetarian houses are examples of the ways women have historically found to navigate highly patriarchal and classist systems. The fluid power that men had, and still have, over women created a fear of marriage, she says. Vegetarian houses became an option for them; a way of saying, I reject all of that. I wont go into a risky situation. I prefer to make money on my own, live on my own, live with women, and be cared for by other women.

Women joined vegetarian houses for various reasons, but most did so because they were considered unattached. Topley wrote that women might have joined one if they were without immediate family connections nearby, unmarried, needed someone to care for them, working, widowed, deserted by or separated from their husbands, or were otherwise unable to marry while younglike sex workers, actresses, and dancing girls.

Singapore-based anthropologist Vivienne Wees great aunt, Lai Xian Ying, founded a womens vegetarian house on Cuff Road in Singapore called Guanyin Gong, which means Guanyins Palace (Guanyin being the Buddhist bodhisattva known as the Goddess of Mercy). One of the women thereresidents were all called aunt (Gu) joined because she didnt want to get married. At least one of the vegetarian aunts, who has since passed away, said that she joined my grand-aunts house because she saw how her brother was treating his wife and she did not want to end up in that situation, says Wee.

Parentless young girls also found themselves at vegetarian houses. Some families would leave their daughters there because girls werent valued as highly as boys in Malayan Chinese culture. Others worried about affording dowry expenses or had daughters born with unlucky horoscopes, which was thought to bring families bad luck or make a girl unsuitable for marriage.

Daughters adopted into vegetarian houses, however, were allowed to choose their own paths when they grew up, whether it be to remain there, pursue studies, get married, or work, making it an attractive option. My great aunt adopted several daughters from families in need, says Wee. One of them is her lone surviving disciple who is now in charge of the vegetarian house. She is known to devotees as Feng Zhu Gu. The girls who were adopted by my great aunt are grateful because they know they could have ended up somewhere much worse.

Walking into these vegetarian houses, British anthropologist Topley found self-sufficient communities growing their own fruits and vegetables on their own plots of land, and residents equally divvying up chores and financial obligations in order to keep their homes afloat.

The houses were also religious in nature, mainly Buddhist, varying from the devout (nunneries) to more informal (workers associations). Many halls followed The Great Way of Former Heaven (Xiantian Da Dao), a religion influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The Great Way of Former Heaven is one of the many sectarian new religions which appeared in late Imperial China after the 17th century, says Chun-fang Yu, a scholar of Chinese Buddhism and Chinese religions from Columbia University. The followers of the sect might identify themselves as Buddhists, but the sect is not a sect of Buddhism. She adds that it is similar to Yiguandao (The Way of Unity), another popular sectarian religion found in Taiwan and diaspora Chinese communities including those in the U.S. However, Buddhist officials dont recognize either religion as Buddhist.

The layouts of the houses varied, but most had a room for worship in addition to a kitchen, sleeping quarters, and a cemetery for deceased members. Shrines sometimes included statues or images of Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy. Scholar Michael Pelez writes that some legends say Guanyin successfully repelled all efforts on her fathers part to get her married off and became a Buddhist nun in spite of great opposition from her family.

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A vegetarian hall in Malaysia

Dr. Show Ying Ruo conducting fieldwork, photographing a tomb for vegetarian hall residents in Malaysia

A vegetarian hall in Malaysia

As the name implies, vegetarian halls cooked and served vegetarian food in accordance with their religion. Women gathered to eat dishes like vegetarian rice vermicelli, vegetarian curry, and vegetarian pastries. Buddhist vegetarianism forbids eggs, dairy, and of course, meat, and excludes five types of plants: garlic, onion, chives, shallots, and scallions. Topley, however, found that children in vegetarian halls might have been given milk and meat, because it was considered important to their growth.

Houses were often organized according to the districts or cities in China women came from or their Chinese dialect-group orientations. While houses composed of Chinese immigrants were more common, locally born women also formed vegetarian houses in Singapore.

In return for work in the house, vegetarian halls offered care while alive and a funeral at death, Topley found in her research. Members of vegetarian houses are free to come and go as they please, she wrote, as long as they get their allotted work done and attend religious observances. The amount of work that residents were required to do depended on their financial situation. For instance, if a woman could contribute more financially to the household, she did fewer chores. Those who couldnt pay did more intensive chores like cleaning, chopping firewood, cooking, and washing.

One tradition that still thankfully exists is that vegetarian houses continue to adopt unwanted girls, providing them with food, lodging, and even a path to acquire a college education.

The houses also provided services for their larger regional communities, performing rituals, advising devotees, providing vegetarian meals, and more. And while a vegetarian nunnery might require strict codes of conduct, residents of more secular houses could live an easier lifestyle. They could smoke, wear what they wanted, and entertain guests.

It also wasnt unheard of for some women within the halls to have same-sex relationships. However, these relationships were not well documented, according to scholars.

House ownership and management varied from house to house. For example, vegetarian houses could be opened by a group of women who ran them by committee with a president elected annually, or they could be owned and managed by one woman acting as head vegetarian. Those that were designated as nunneries or monasteries were built with capital from Buddhist businessmen, and managed by female vegetarian house members.

If a woman wanted to start her own vegetarian house, shed seek out a teacher to guide her on all things necessary to run her own home. Once she completed her course of study, shed find a plot of land, build a home, and perhaps take in residents from the house where shed once studied. This was supported, and even arranged, by the head vegetarian at the pre-existing home where the new house leader previously lived, wrote Topley.

Some head vegetarians presided over many vegetarian halls at the same time. In these cases, the residences all run by that woman would maintain close relations with each other. An example of this kind of sisterhood existing beyond one vegetarian house is seen in the Hall of Virtue and Bliss in Singapore. It was founded in 1919 by one woman but expanded to over 10 branches in Singapore and Malaysia. According to Show, some of these linked houses were even able to maintain close relationships after race riots and unrest caused Singapore and Malaysia to separate in 1965.

Today, the number of vegetarian halls still in operation has dwindled by half, and the few that remain, like Guanyin Gong in Singapore, are in danger of disappearing. According to Wee, her great aunts disciple Feng Zhu Gu knows of no younger women currently living in the halls. She thinks that when she and the other surviving vegetarian nuns die, vegetarian halls and vegetarian nuns will disappear from Singapore, says Wee of Feng Zhu Gu. She is worried about who would make offerings to the gods that are worshipped at Guanyin Gong, and would like to ensure that these gods continue to be worshipped.

There is now an effort to set up a community museum at Guanyin Gong. And Wee says Feng Zhu Gu is also in discussions with academics and heritage advocates with an interest in learning first-hand about vegetarian houses while they still can. Singapore has about 30 to 50 [vegetarian houses] left, estimates Show. [And outside] Singapore, they still exist in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and some parts of China.

There are a number of reasons why this way of life is now disappearing. For one, modern-day women have many more paths to independence beyond joining a vegetarian house. For another, women interested in becoming nuns dont see vegetarian houses as their first option. Additionally, a number of important leaders of The Great Way of Former Heaven have died off, resulting in a decline in interest. To adapt, many houses have tried to integrate into mainstream Buddhism. In these cases, images of Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy, are replaced with those of the Buddha, to appear more traditional.

One tradition that still thankfully exists, however, is that vegetarian houses continue to adopt unwanted girls, providing them with food, lodging, and even a path to acquire a college education. As long as they survive, these havens will be home to any women who need them, and that is a powerful thing. A woman [who] recently contacted me is the adopted daughter of a vegetarian house in Kuala Lumpur, says Show. Her master-teacher vegetarian nun actually supported her to study Buddhism in Taiwan, so she is very grateful to the hall. And although she now works in China, she will always continue to visit her former home.

By Lara McCaffrey

Photos by Show Ying Ruo

Collage by Aeva Karlsrud

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 17 (ANI): Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority on Sunday informed nine crew members of tugboat 'Coromandel Supporter' remained stranded at sea near Udupi district, owing to Cyclone Tauktae-induced strong winds in the Arabian Sea.

Efforts are on to rescue them as INS Varaha has been deployed to rescue them. Due to huge waves and heavy wind speed the operation stopped.

Tug Coromandel had 9 crew members. They had safeguarded themselves with life jackets. They kept food and waters.

Rescue operation using chopper halted after adverse climate condition. District administration have held meetings with the Indian Navy DG, coast gaurd, NMPT, MRPL, Coastal Police regarding rescue operation of stranded.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) alerted district administration and fishermen about the cyclone on May 13, informed an official release by the authority.

"The 'Tug alliance' boat expected to reach the coast point on May 14 night is stuck in the sea. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) and New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) had put efforts to establish the contact. The next day, on May 15, the boat lost contact", read the release.

Three of eight people floating on the coast of Udupi shifted to Udupi and Malpe Hospital for further treatment. Two bodies recovered on May 15 and 16. The debris of the boat Tug alliance found on the coast near Padubidre.

According to the MRPL, the boat's lease period has been ended. Currently, a boat has been drifted and stuck about 4-5 nautical miles away.

The Chief Secretary, Chief Minister's Office, Revenue Minister's Office, Commissioner, State Disaster Management Authority have been informed and all action taken to rescue the 9 people in the Tug named Coromandal.

Manoj Rajan, the Commissioner of the State Disaster Management Authority today, has been in constant touch with Western Naval Command, Indian Air Force and defence ministry officials and has requested assistance from three departments, Couldn't use helicopters since the wind speed is 50 nautical miles per hour. They will be rescued once waves dips or Operation will be resumed to rescue rest after waves come down.

Story continues

Despite of alert, these private companies violated norms. A report is sought from NMPT and MRPL.

The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 'Tauktae' over east-central Arabian Sea moved nearly northwards with a speed of about 11 kmph during past 06 hours and lay centred at 0830 hours IST of the 16th May, 2021 over eastcentral Arabian Sea near latitude 15.3N and longitude 72.7E, about 120 km west-southwest of Panjim-Goa, 420 km south of Mumbai, 660 km south-southeast of Veraval (Gujarat) and 810 km southeast of Karachi (Pakistan).

It is very likely to intensify further during next 24 hours. It is very likely to move north-north-westwards and reach Gujarat coast in the evening hours of 17th and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) around 18th May early morning. (ANI)
Danger: The FSA warn that too much caffeine could result in a miscarriage or the baby having a lower birth weight

A Londoncouncil is believed to be the first local authority in the country to offer full paid leave to employees who experience a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Women who suffer the loss of a baby at any stage in their pregnancy will be entitled to a week off work in plans unveiled by Barking and Dagenham council today.

A man or woman whose partner has a miscarriage or stillbirth will also get the same amount of time away from work to support them and to help cope with the loss, the local authority said.

Under UK law there is no obligation for employers to give someone bereavement leave if they or their partner loses a baby before the 24th week of pregnancy.

Businesses also only have to allow parents to use planned maternity or paternity leave if their child is stillborn after 24 weeks.

Deputy Leader of Barking and Dagenham council Dominic Twomey said: It beggars belief that in 2021 parents who tragically suffer a miscarriage are left with little support and, in many cases, no option but to go back to work or be signed-off sick.

We hope our changes will go some way to helping support our employees when they need it the most, while also encouraging other organisations to do the same.

Around one in four pregnancies in England end in miscarriage, according to the Miscarriage Association. Barking and Dagenham council said it would also be offering targeted support to employees who lose a baby, including a buddy system designed to help them return to work.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced paid bereavement leave after a miscarriage last monthGetty Images

Mr Twomey added: The council is recognising miscarriage is a real-life event and we want to support parents at this very sad time by acknowledging their loss and finding ways to support them.

As a nation we need to do more to talk about miscarriages and remove the stigma surrounding the subject.

Last month Channel 4 introduced a pregnancy loss policy of two weeks of paid leave, saying it believed it was a world first for employers. On Monday online bank Monzo announced paid leave for employees affected by miscarriage.

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Barking and Dagenham said it was inspired by New Zealand, where in March parliament voted to give mothers and their partners three days of paid bereavement leave after a miscarriage.

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Black women face significantly higher risk of having miscarriage, research suggests

New Zealand approves paid leave after miscarriage
Ryanair plane on a runway in Greece.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary says he is seeing the start of a strong rebound for travel as the easing of lockdown releases pent-up demand.

Europe's biggest budget airline revealed the scale of the coronavirus collapse in travel - an 815m (702m) loss and traffic down 81% in the year to March on the previous 12 months.

But Mr O'Leary said there were signs the "recovery has already begun".

Bookings are up from 500,000 a week in early April to 1.5 million a week now.

"The rate of bookings suggests there is a huge amount of confidence," he told the BBC. "We are very optimistic for the next couple of months."

And he predicted that after "most European populations are vaccinated by September", the airline should see a particularly strong recovery in October to March, the second half of its financial year.

"For vaccinated Britons going to the beaches of Portugal, Spain and Greece, I think there is very little risk. Everybody is right to be cautious, but I think everybody can take their holiday in Europe with a high degree of confidence."

From Monday, holidaymakers from England, Scotland and Wales can fly off for some early summer sun as the ban on foreign holidays is lifted.

Travellers can now visit 12 countries on the government's green list, including Portugal and Israel, without isolating on their return.

But the vast majority of tourist destinations remain on the amber and red lists, meaning travellers must quarantine when they get back.

Mr O'Leary told BBC Breakfast that the air travel sector was offering some "good deals" for this summer as it tried to kick-start demand after a torrid year.

But he forecast prices would rise in 2022. With the collapse and contraction of airlines like Thomas Cook and Alitalia reducing capacity, carriers will be able to push up prices, he said.

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The scale of the financial crisis facing airlines was underlined on Monday when Ryanair posted a record after-tax loss. The airline said it flew 27.5 million passengers in the year ending 31 March, down from 149 million the previous year.

Ryanair's annual 815m loss was slightly better than an 834m loss forecast by many analysts.

"It's better than we predicted, but still a fairly traumatic loss for an airline that has been consistently profitable for our 35-year history," Mr O'Leary said in a pre-recorded statement accompanying the results.
Holidaymakers are jetting out of the country as a ban on overseas leisure travel is lifted.

Thousands of people are expected to take to the skies as travel restrictions are eased in England and Wales on Monday.

The relaxation of the rules was described as a symbolic moment after the most difficult year in our history, by one airports chief.

Travel firms have reported a surge in demand for trips to Portugal, after the Government put the country on its green list for travel meaning travellers will not need to self-isolate on their return, and are only required to take one post-arrival test.

EasyJet has added 105,000 extra seats to its flights serving green-tier destinations, while Tui will use aircraft which normally operate long-haul routes to accommodate the surge of people booked to fly to Portugal.

EasyJet has reported a surge in demand for flights to Portugal (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Manchester Airports Group chief executive Charlie Cornish said: Welcoming passengers back to our airports today is a symbolic moment after the most difficult year in our history.

The group owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports.

While Mr Cornish hailed the resumption of international travel as an important milestone, he said the limited green list is not the broader restart our sector or our passengers were hoping for.

Only a dozen countries and territories are on the green list but most are either remote islands or do not currently allow UK tourists to enter.

Mr Cornish called for a smarter approach to protecting the UK from variants of concern which would remove the need for costly PCR testing.

He added: This big step forward would recognise the scientific evidence which shows that vaccinations, and the effective use of testing, can support safe travel to a much larger group of low-risk countries.

The Government is advising people not to make non-essential trips to locations on its amber list, which covers popular destinations such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

But this guidance is expected to be ignored by some holidaymakers.

Story continues

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people should not travel to amber or red list countries unless its absolutely necessary, and certainly not for holiday purposes.

He told Times Radio on Sunday: The red and amber list countries are places that you shouldnt go to unless you have an absolutely compelling reason.

Those who do travel will be required to self-isolate at home for 10 days on their return, and take two post-arrival tests.

They can end their quarantine early if they receive a negative result from an additional test taken after five days.

Travel firms such as airlines and tour operators have called for quarantine and testing requirements to be relaxed, and for more destinations to be added to the green list.

But Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, cautioned that there are broad swathes of Europe that are largely unvaccinated and are therefore pretty vulnerable to new variants, be it Indian or otherwise, sweeping across the continent.

He advised that travel abroad is therefore not a good idea at the minute.

He told Times Radio: We arent at the peak of this thing globally at all yet, were still going up the mountain. So having people flying around and coming back with whatever local variant they run into, that is not a good idea in my view.

I think people just have to get used to the fact that Cornwall or Bournemouth or wherever is not so bad. And they should just enjoy the summer and then we can get back to this properly when things settle down.

Chair of the Commons Home Affairs Committee Yvette Cooper said there must be a better approach to borders amid the threat from new variants.

The Labour MP called for weekly assessments by the Joint Biosecurity Centre of case rates and the risks of new variants from different countries to be published, saying this would mean ministers could act fast on a precautionary basis.

Urging improvements to border testing and quarantine, she wrote in The Independent: Time and again we have seen similar mistakes and delays in

acting on Covid at the border.

Lessons must be learned or it will happen all over again.

The Government has pledged to update its lists on June 7, and will review its overall policy in relation to arriving travellers on June 28.

Scotland will permit foreign holidays from May 24.

Non-essential travel from Northern Ireland to the Common Travel Area  which consists of the UK, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, will be allowed from the same date.
A nearly three-month-long investigation for distribution of methamphetamine included the serving of five search warrants throughout Dunn County, and ended in one arrest.

Seized in the arrest were nearly 270 grams of methamphetamine, 3.6 grams of cocaine, 1.5 grams of psilocybin mushrooms and one firearm.

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Richard Lee Skramstad, 58, has been charged with maintaining a drug house, as well as multiple counts of manufacturing and delivering amphetamines, and is being held at the Dunn County Jail on a $20,000 cash bond.

A total of eight other individuals are also under investigation based upon their involvement in the case.

Agencies assisting the Dunn County Sheriffs Office in this case are the Menomonie Police Department, West Central Drug Task Force, St. Croix Valley Drug Task Force, Pierce County Sheriffs Office, St. Croix County Sheriffs Office, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the U.S. District Attorneys Office.

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Temperatures are rising, masks are coming down and large-scale events are returning to the Chippewa Valley.

Spring Fest is set to return to Chippewa Falls this weekend at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. From Friday-Saturday over 40 exhibitors and vendors, as well as live music provided by Chris Kroeze and Boogie and the Yo-Yoz, will grace the long barren venue which took most of 2020 off due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Longtime Chippewa Falls resident Dustin Rhoades said getting to attend the first larger event in Chippewa Falls in over a year is an occurrence he has longed for during the coronavirus pandemic.

Its fantastic that big events like Spring Fest are starting to take place again, Rhoades said. Its been far too long since we have been able to get together, and it sounds like it will become a regular thing again soon. Its really good to see, not just for me, but for the entire community.

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Gates open for Spring Fest on Friday at 4 p.m. with free general gate admission and parking. Free live music will be offered in the Leinenkugels Pavilion by local jazz artist Sue Orfield and the mainstage musical artist for the night will be the energetic outfit, Boogie and the Yo-Yoz. Tickets for the mainstage performance are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the show.
Press Release

May 17, 2021 Co-Sponsorship Speech at the Commission on Appointments

by Senator Panfilo M. Lacson

May 17, 2021 More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/05/17/co-sponsorship-speech-at-the-commission-on-appointments/ Mr. Chairman, it is my honor and privilege to second the motion of the distinguished committee chairman from the great province of Cavite for the confirmation of AFP Brigadier General Henry Doyaoen's promotion to the rank of Major General - but likewise to raise a significant point which is relevant to the nominee's confirmation today. Exactly one year from today or on 17 May 2022, Brig. Gen. Doyaoen is due for compulsory retirement in accordance with Presidential Decrees 1638 and 1650. Any delay in the confirmation of his nomination later than today would disqualify him from being promoted to the next high rank of Major General, in so far as the provision of Section 4, Republic Act 8186 is concerned, which states that - let me quote for the record, "except for the Chief of Staff of the AFP, no officer shall be assigned/designated to the aforementioned position - the word aforementioned hereby refers to the positions of Vice Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and major service commanders - or promoted to the rank of Brigadier General/Commodore or higher if he has less than one (1) year of active service remaining prior to compulsory retirement." There is no doubt in my mind that Brig. Gen. Doyaoen, a decorated and battle-seasoned military officer for 33 long years, has exemplified competence and commitment to duty worthy of the AFP's higher echelon of command. Our committee meeting earlier today merely affirmed his good credentials. Thus we decide to recommend to the plenary his confirmation in accordance with what the law and the Constitution so provide. The confirmation today of his nomination makes a good case that this revered Commission, in the exercise of its mandate under the Constitution, is duty-bound to accord weight and respect to the President's nominations and appointments. In my 17 long years as a senator and a good number of years as a member of the CA, I cannot quite remember this body convening on the first day of the resumption of our congressional sessions for the sole purpose of deliberating on the confirmation of one single officer of the AFP. That credit goes to the chairman of the Committee on National Defense, Hon. Luis "Jon-jon" Ferrer IV, and the members of the committee, for this unprecedented move. Equally worth mentioning Mr. Chairman, Mr. President, if not more significant is that the President and Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces has accorded the CA the same respect and high regard in designating Maj. Gen. Andres Centino last May 14 as the new Commanding General of the Philippine Army to replace Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr. For the record, last March during the hearing of this same committee to confirm now four-star Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, CSAFP, this representation strongly disputed the designation of Lt. Gen. Faustino as acting commanding general of the PA, one of the three major service commands of the AFP, as it was a clear transgression of the law. I was also forthright in saying that Lt. Gen. Faustino may have been the most competent officer to take over the reins of the 100,000-strong Philippine Army. His merits notwithstanding, unfortunately, he is not eligible to head a major service command of the AFP as he has less than one year of active service remaining before reaching the age of compulsory retirement. To this end, Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the CA, let me express my sincere gratefulness to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for rectifying an oversight in the recent designation of Lt. Gen. Faustino as acting CGPA in violation of RA 8186 as amended by RA 9188. This appreciation extends to Executive Secretary Salvador "Bingbong" Medialdea, who personally relayed to me last Friday the concurrence of the President to this body's strong and unwavering position to uphold the rule of law. As members of this Commission, this is a welcome remark to all that we are in the right direction in fulfilling our mandate to scrutinize and pass upon presidential appointments and nominations pursuant to our constitutional mandate and the proper observance of the principles of checks and balances. That said, Mr. Chairman and distinguished colleagues, I reiterate my second to your committee's recommendation for this august body to give its consent to the nomination of AFP Brigadier General Henry Doyaoen to the rank of Major General. I so move, Mr. Chairman.
A co-worker who moved to Barbados a couple of months ago, told me about her cousin from overseas whod recently visited her in Barbados. It was his first time there. Within a day of his arrival, her cousin borrowed her car. My co-worker sat beside him as he drove around the island. They eventually came to a roundabout and my co-worker instructed him to turn left.

No, he responded, wed better go right.

My colleague pointed out she was the one who lived here, but he was adamant. He knew where he was going. Hed glanced at the map before they left the house. When it turned out to be the wrong road, he simply said: I meant to do that.

As she wrapped up the story, my co-worker smiled and said he thinks he knows it all. She shrugged, but then again, so do I.

The foolishness of knowledge

Her statement made me think about the foolishness of knowledge. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines knowledge as: information, understanding, or skill that you get from experience or education, acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique, apprehending truth or fact through reasoning and the fact or condition of being aware of something.

Knowledge itself isnt foolish. The foolishness of knowledge comes in when we think we know but we really dont know that we dont know. Ignorance masquerading as knowledge is self-delusion.

God has said to trust His Knowledge. The all-knowing, eternal, all-present Creator of all things possesses knowledge the human mind will never be able to fully grasp. Yet He has made us with the ability to download some of this wisdom as we journey through a confusing world. His divine power has given us all things for this life (2 Peter Chapter 1 verse 3). That means every problem we face, the God who has all the answers has already empowered us to know how best to respond.

We can access that knowledge through listening to and yielding to the Holy Spirit. Paul said to the believers in Ephesus:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,may give you the Spirit of wisdomand revelation, so that you may know him better.I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightenedin order that you may know the hope to which he has calledyou, the richesof his glorious inheritancein his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 17 to 19)

The Holy Spirit shows us how to apply knowledge well, which is what wisdom is (1 Corinthians Chapter 2 verses 10 to 13).

Hearing the voice

How do we know it is the Holy Spirit speaking? The more you hear the voice of someone, the more sure you are its them when you hear it (Romans Chapter 10 verse 17). Knowledge comes from reading the Word.

We can read a passage from the Bible written millennia ago which is directly relevant to a situation were currently going through.

Also, reading the Word opens your eyes about Gods character. Humans can never truly know an infinite God, but we can get a glimpse into the heart and personality of God, as men like Moses did (Psalm 103 verse 7). We can gain knowledge as to how He views a situation, and we can see His Hand in everything. The revelations about Him that will come from spending time with Him in prayer and meditation on His Word, or simply being attuned to his presence, are limitless.

Wisdom appearing foolish

Gods knowledge may not look like knowledge in the eyes of those around you. And he uses ordinary people others may not consider the most learned, or academically accomplished, to do great things:

For the foolishnessof God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weaknessof God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wiseby human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.But God chosethe foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (1 Corinthians 1 verses 25 to 27)

And when he says love your enemies, pray for those that curse you, be humble, love, obey, give thanks in times of trial and difficulty, let go of selfishness, overcome evil with good, people may not understand. When he talks about the message of a Saviour King, fully man and fully God who became despised, suffered humiliation and death on a cross so that we could be friends of God, this message seems absurd.

But better to be seen as wise in Gods eyes than to be thought the most knowledgeable by those around you. Follow his path. Navigate using His directions. That way, youll avoid wrong turns.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  Dito Telecommunity finds it challenging to make their SIM cards work fully with more mobile phones as it seeks to broaden its subscriber base, a company official said Monday.

Dito chief technology officer Rodolfo Santiago said it was hard to expand the networks list of over 100 compatible devices as of May 10, which mostly include models made by Asian manufacturers Vivo, Oppo, Samsung, and Huawei. Apples iPhone are among those not yet compatible with the service.

"Medyo challenging nga yun para sa amin kasi nga we have established a new technology, we dont have 2G or 3G anymore. Yung mga luma na still using 2G and 3G, mukhang talagang hindi siya pwede for our services, Santiago said during the media briefing to mark Ditos launch of its services in Metro Manila.

[Translation: It's quite challenging for us because we established a new technology, there's no 2G or 3G anymore. Those phones still using 2G and 3G, it appears they are really not usable for our services.]

This also includes older generation phones, or those that use keypads rather than touch screens. Another pain point is the compatibility of voice over LTE (VoLTE) services which the network offers for video calls which operate on voice call technology, not needing the internet or online messaging apps.

CNN Philippines tried to activate the Dito SIM card using smart phones which are not part of the compatibility list, but it would not go through.

There are phones that cannot utilize 100% of the services of Dito, Santiago added, noting that varying standards used by gadget makers could cause very small technical issues which may affect user experience.

We are doing our best to provide superior service We want Dito to be known as the one who was instrumental in improving the telecommunications service in the Philippines.

Dito chief executive officer Dennis Uy said the third telco player is now accessible in 100 towns and cities in the country and has gained 500,000 subscribers in its first two months of operations.

READ: DITO Telecommunity launch in Visayas, Mindanao seen as 'big boost' in telco industry

5G connectivity is not yet available, but will be coming soon along with postpaid plans, Dito chief administrative officer Adel Tamano added.

Uy, President Rodrigo Dutertes campaign donor and close ally, operates Dito with China Telecom, which raised questions on data privacy and national security. Company officials have repeatedly denied this and said it will not allow the Chinese partner, which owns 40% of the company, to use the network to spy on Filipinos and on the Philippine government even as they put up cell sites inside military camps.

Dito says it has built over 3,000 cell towers and will further expand coverage to meet its commitment to provide internet speeds of at least 55 megabits per second (Mbps) to more than half of the population by July this year. The new player seeks to break the duopoly of Smart and Globe by investing some 270 billion to build their own network in the next five years.

Tamano admitted that their services are not yet perfect, while Santiago noted that there are some pockets or areas where connectivity remains weak. To be honest, in some areas where we have some challenge in terms of our rollout, we may not be superior to the incumbents," Santiago told reporters.

Dito promised to deliver connections at an average of 27 Mbps or faster on its first year, covering 37% of Filipinos. Independent speed tests done by CNN Philippines showed Dito recording speeds between 21 to 27 Mbps in Quezon City using 4G connections.

The average mobile internet speed in the country is at 25.43 Mbps, according to the Speedtest Global Index. This placed the Philippines in the 86th spot out of 140 countries.

Dito, formerly the Mislatel Consortium, must eventually cover 84% of the population or else it will lose its 25.7-billion performance bond it paid to the government.

READ: DITO to take advantage of number portability to corner 30% of market
Editor's note: Alvin James Carino is a PR practitioner and all-around fashion gal.

A few days ago, Twitter announced that photo cropping on mobile is gone! I was so happy about this. Finally, pwede ko na i-maximize ang mga pag-aura ko as a six-footer na nagsusuot ng boots.

I have always loved fashion, and wearing beautiful clothes and posing for the camera is how I express myself as my alter persona, sexyhotJAMES. For the past year, Ive been dreaming of more opportunities to wear clothes, and of course, be with my friends again. Dahil wala pa yang pagkakataong yan, sinabi ko sa sarili ko na Im going to do something that will help me channel my creativity. What better time to do that than on my birthday, diba?

Noong 2020 kasi, my birthday happened on the exact day that the government announced the Enhanced Community Quarantine because of COVID. I remember on the night of my birthday, being out with my sister and my friend at a samgyupsal restaurant in Makati. Makikita mo talaga yung pag-transition ng masayang vibe ng Makati Avenue to a ghost town. Nagsasara na yung ibang establishments in preparation for the quarantine. Nakakatakot yung feeling. Sabi ko talaga na next year, babawi ako at dapat yung next celebration ko magiging masaya with friends. Sadly di pa rin nangyayari.

Thats why I decided that the next best thing to do is to do something thats purely for myself. Having a photoshoot was actually inspired by celebrities like Andrea Brilliantes and KZ Tandingan who would do birthday shoots for themselves. For the longest time, sobrang frustration ko yang mga photoshoot na yan, bilang lumaki tayo sa Americas Next Top Model. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, as a proud gay, why not me?

"Having a photoshoot was actually inspired by celebrities like Andrea Brilliantes and KZ Tandingan who would do birthday shoots for themselves," says Alvin. Photo by MIGGY BRONO/Courtesy of ALVIN JAMES CARINO

Once I decided on finally doing the shoot, I really took part in the entire process. For the pre-production, I sent the team my pegs  editorial shots from different celebrities na gusto ko. I sent photos of Jisoo and Lisa from Blackpink and yung shots ni Janine Tugonon, Miss Universe-Philippines 2012. For the first layout, we went for light and pastel colors. Very girly vibe. I wanted the opposite for the second layout: a dark, fierce, and edgy look na girl boss. As for the clothes I wore, I was so happy to finally wear the clothes that I got from an online shop. I was happy to buy from that shop because they actually have sizes for plus size people like me.

Im really lucky that I had a good team behind the shoot to help me. Theyre actually my friends who lovingly did this for free. I was so honored na si Kuya Mycke Arcano, a well-known celebrity hairstylist did my hair. He also invited me during his own 25th birthday shoot, and its nice that he got to be part of mine. Miggy Brono was the photographer, and Albrenn Malinao was the makeup artist for my shoot  two people that I also met for a Pride Month shoot back in 2019. I remember pa for that shoot, gusto nilang vibe was Patrick Starr with the pa-turban kasi ewan ko ba, sabi nila kamukha ko daw siya!

"Hindi ko ma-describe yung feeling when I hit the post button on Facebook. Basta sabi ko, its my birthday, and at the same time, I wanted to show the world  or the universe, rather  na I am unique and I am beautiful." Photo by MIGGY BRONO/Courtesy of ALVIN JAMES CARINO

When we finally did my shoot, we were really careful of course about the health and safety of the team. Everyone had masks on, and we were all tested before coming in. Sobrang ingat namin. I knew the risks that came with what we did, and Im so thankful that they helped me achieve this dream. It really meant a lot to me, because when I saw the photos, I actually cried.

I was with my friends at that time when I saw the photos. I swear, for a while nasabi ko sa sarili ko na ang ganda ko. Para akong cover girl sa isang high fashion magazine. To be honest, kinakabahan ako, baka sobrang trying hard ng shoot. But it actually went so well. Sobrang ganda ng output.

Hindi ko ma-describe yung feeling when I hit the post button on Facebook. Basta sabi ko, its my birthday, and at the same time, I wanted to show the world  or the universe, rather  na I am unique and I am beautiful. I wanted to tell everyone that no one should take that away from you. Parang coming out ko sa mga utaw* kahit na alam na nilang bakla ako.

I think a lot of effeminate queer people will agree na kami yung spectrum ng LGBT community na madalas disregarded by others. Oftentimes were deemed as too effem and masyadong malambot. O di kaya masyadong loud daw kami in the community. I remember there was one time that I tried a gay dating app, and lahat ng nakuha kong remarks ay Not interested, sorry, not into malambot, or discreet ka ba? Sobrang disappointing. Mayroon ding times na youll be discriminated against because of how you express yourself based on how you dress. Napaka-backwards pa talaga ng mga tao mag-isip, at nakakalungkot.

" I was so proud when my birthday shoot went viral on Facebook dahil para sa [akin], it means that there are people who do show support for us effeminate gays who just want to show the world who we really are." Photo by MIGGY BRONO/Courtesy of ALVIN JAMES CARINO

Alam kong hindi mababago yung mga ganyang behavior at pag-iisip overnight. Malayo pa talaga tayo sa pagiging progressive pagdating sa LGBT community dito sa Pilipinas. But I was so proud when my birthday shoot went viral on Facebook dahil para sa [akin], it means that there are people who do show support for us effeminate gays who just want to show the world who we really are.

Ang wildest dream ko ay someday magkaroon ng billboard sa may Guadalupe along EDSA  isang six-footer model na uma-aura in my boots. Who knows diba? Because of my birthday shoot, I am more confident now. And may igaganda pa pala ung mukha ko!

At dahil pangarap ko rin rumampa like our beautiful Miss Universe queens, I would just like to end this with my own beauty queen statement: In a society that tries to take away your power, this is how you take it back  by celebrating and embracing your individuality.

***

*another term for 'tao'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  Former Miss Universe queens who brought pride to the Philippines sent their support and admiration to Miss Universe Philippines Rabiya Mateo despite bowing out of the pageant early.

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach thanked Rabiya for giving her heart to the competition.

"RABIYA WE LOVE YOU thank you for pouring your heart for the Philippines  We see your heart Queen #MissUniverse'," she tweeted.

She added, "Rabiya you made us so proud! We know you put your heart into this and we love you! Mabuhay ang Pinay!"

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray shared to CNN Philippines' News Night she was proud of what Mateo accomplished given that her reign as the country's top beauty queen happened in a pandemic.

Gray also lauded Mateo's "fighting spirit" despite failing to progress in the Top 10.

"I can't even relate what have must been like because even putting together a wardrobe, training schedules, even her movement of going to the host country would have been restricted and there must have been challenges. The fact that she could get there and be in fighting form, I really think as an accomplishment in itself," said Gray.

The country's fourth Miss Universe said Mateo could have easily aced the question-and-answer portion if she advanced to the Top 5, given her many personal experiences in life.

"When I've seen her interviews, she has many personal stories and things to tell. She's a very good communicator and she really speaks from a personal place," Gray added.

Gray hopes that Mateo will feel the love of all Filipinos who supported the Iloilo native in her Miss Universe campaign, especially from fellow beauty queens to her family.

The country's representative to the 69th Miss Universe made it to the Top 21, where semifinalists strutted in their swimsuits. She failed to advance to the Top 10. She was not able to bring home the Philippines' fifth Miss Universe title.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17) - The Supreme Court on Monday decided not to continue the interpellation of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon during the conclusion of the oral arguments on the anti-terrorism law.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, however, said that questions for Esperon shall be answered through memorandum.

The court also decided not to continue the interpellation of Secretary Esperon based on the compliance that they have submitted earlier," Gesmundo said.

"Moreover, there are specific questions that the members of the court would like the respondent Secretary Esperon to respond [to], the Chief Justice also said. And the court will issue a resolution to that effect, incorporating the specific questions addressed to Secretary Esperon, which will be incorporated in the respondents memorandum.

Petitioners earlier urged the High Court to cancel Esperons appearance in the oral arguments, citing his red-tagging during the debates. They also sought to delete Esperon's testimony from the records of the case.

Esperon bared during last weeks oral arguments that the government would release a list of designated terrorists. The Anti-Terrorism Council published the list the following day in a newspaper, led by Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison.

Moreover, the SC has issued a show cause order against Theodore Te, one of the counsels to some of the petitioners, for his statement post-hearing last time, which was posted in the social media.

Ironic that the red tagging was allowed in open session after the Chief Justice himself directly asked the OSG if what is happening now wasnt reminiscent of McCarthyism, Te, a former Supreme Court spokesperson, posted online after Esperons presentation.

Perhaps the Court could have previewed the videos first for relevance and also for authenticity, and then made a determination if it should be played in open session with annotation," Te also said in his post. "But it was also the uncontested annotation of the videos that was so grossly unfair and prejudicial. It amounted to direct examination testimony of a witness not placed under oath and not allowed to be cross-examined.

Te has already removed the post.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  The Philippine General Hospital may access the presidential social fund to pay for repairs of damage from a recent fire, Malacanang said, emphasizing President Rodrigo Dutertes commitment to help the state-run facility.

Doc Legaspi, kung ano kailangan niyo sabihin niyo lang, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said, addressing PGH Director Gap Legaspi during his recent Palace briefing. Dati na siya nag-offer ng mas malaking mahalaga so kung ano ang kinakailangan ngayon para ma-repair ang mga damage eh pwede pong i-tap yung presidential social fund.

[Translation: Doc [Gap] Legaspi, just tell us whatever it is that you need. He (Duterte) already offered a bigger amount before, so whatever amound is needed for the repairs, the presidential social fund can be tapped.]

Roque recalled how the chief executive himself, early in his term, offered PGH 100 million a month in aid. However, he noted that the PGH is only able to utilize 25 million monthly due to its limited absorptive capacity

READ: Duterte pledges anew 100-M a month in aid to PGH

Legaspi explained during the briefing that the 25 million regular monthly support is subject to liquidation and renewal of contracts, and that theyre currently awaiting the contract for the coming months to get renewed.

The PGH chief likewise reiterated their plea to resume COVID-19 response operations after a day since they are still stabilizing the transfer of patients and clearing up areas which still smell of smoke.

READ: PGH eyes reopening this week after Sunday fire incident

Roque also assured that the Department of Public Works and Highways will handle works on the hospitals burnt areas.

Syempre po top priority ng DPWH yung pagr-repair ng damage sa PGH, he added.

[Translation: Of course the repairing of PGHs damages is the DPWHs top priority.]

In a privilege speech on Monday, Senator Richard Gordon, who is also Philippine Red Cross chairman, called on the Government Service Insurance System to promptly address possible insurance claims so restoration works in the hospital will not be delayed.

He also urged the Senate to endorse the immediate construction of the planned PGH in UP Diliman to make sure more Filipinos will be able to avail of medical services.

"Maswerte tayo na hindi naman natupok 'yung buong building, but that's enough warning to all of us [We're lucky the whole building wasn't burned down, but that's enough warning to all of us," he said, adding that the PGH is also congested.

The fire in PGH broke out early Sunday morning, which was doused at 5:41 a.m. according to fire protection officials. The Manila local government said no one got hurt nor died from the incident.
(CNN) -- Millions of Indians are living under a mix of locally-imposed coronavirus restrictions, as the central government resists calls from leading medical experts for a nationwide lockdown.

The Indian Medical Association earlier this month said a "complete, well-planned, pre-announced national lockdown" for 10 to 15 days would give the country's overstretched health system time to "recoup and replenish both the material and manpower" it needs.

And top US coronavirus advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci on May 9 said of India: "You've got to shut down ... you need to break the chain of transmission."

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has done that before, and learned a very painful lesson. Experts say shutting down the nation again is not realistic.

When the first wave of the virus hit India in March 2020, Modi announced a sweeping national lockdown hours before it went into effect, shutting state borders, suspending inter-state travel, halting businesses and requiring people to stay at home.

That lockdown, which ultimately lasted almost four months, helped India to control the spread of coronavirus, but it came at a high cost, leaving the country's poorest and most vulnerable without income or food, and often stranded far from home.

This time around, Modi says a national lockdown would be a "last option."

"We have to save the country from lockdown," Modi said in an address to the nation on April 20. "We have to try hard to avoid lockdowns."

Since then, the leaders of 35 of 36 of India's states and union territories have imposed their own restrictions, including night curfews, partial closures and week-long lockdowns. These kind of short-term, localized measures are drastically different from the approach taken the last time India faced a coronavirus wave.

Some experts say this makes total sense, as it gives regional leaders the freedom to tailor restrictions to the size of the local outbreak, and the needs of their residents.

A one-size-fits-all lockdown for a country of 1.3 billion people doesn't work, they argue.

India's poor were hit hardest

Since the start of the pandemic, India has recorded more than 24 million cases, second only to the United States. More than 270,000 people have died.

According to a projection model from the Indian Institute of Science, at the current rate of spread, India's case numbers could rise to 50 million by June 11, with 400,000 deaths.

The model says a national 15-day lockdown could save approximately 100,000 lives, and prevent some 20 million people from catching the virus. The longer the lockdown, the more case numbers are projected to fall, according to the model.

But a nationwide lockdown has its own health risks, particularly for India's poor.

About 100 million Indians are migrant workers, mostly from rural areas who moved to cities for work. During the first lockdown, many were stranded without jobs or food, prompting a mass exodus from cities.

With the national railway system suspended and domestic borders closed, hundreds tried to make the journey home on foot over many weeks and thousands of miles. Many didn't make it, dying from exhaustion, dehydration, hunger or roadside accidents

"The experience of the past year has shown us that economic closures are most disruptive to the poorest sections of society," said an April report from the Lancet's Covid-19 Commission India Task Force. "In urban areas, daily wage earners, informal sector workers, and low-skill workers are the most likely to be impoverished from disruptions in economic activities."

Ajnesh Prasad, a professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Business at Royal Roads University, said only a "certain class of individuals" had the luxury to stay at home and maintain social distance.

"If we talk about the urban poor, it's impossible for them to observe these directives," Prasad said. "They will tell you that observing these directives would be tantamount to starving themselves to death."

Population density complicates matters further -- about 35% of India's urban population lives in slums, where households lack sufficient living space and adequate sanitation facilities, according to the World Bank.

In densely populated slum areas an entire family often lives in one small room and shares a bathroom with other families. It's impossible to distance from others -- and unrealistic to expect movement without the risk of virus transmission.

The things that make a lockdown both feasible and effective -- staying indoors, working and attending school remotely, social distancing -- require access to a stable internet connection, and to resources like a laptop and electricity. These luxuries simply aren't available to the vast majority of Indians, most of whom don't even have access to doctors or oxygen as the second wave overwhelms major cities.

Millions thrown into poverty

India's struggling economy also makes it much harder for the government to impose a second national lockdown.

The first lockdown sent much of the country spiraling into poverty -- the number of people earning $2 a day or less in India is estimated to have risen by 75 million due to the Covid recession, according to the Pew Research Center.

"The lockdown came at a huge economic and social cost," said Chandrika Bahadur, chair of the Lancet Covid-19 Commission India Task Force. "The suddenness of the announcement meant ... the vast majority of the country was unprepared in terms of the implications on income, food, security of tenure, and safety. And in turn, both the central and state governments were unprepared for the migrant crisis."

The economic disruption of the first lockdown has also left India's government with "less policy room to maneuver," Bahadur added.

India has a weaker financial system than countries the United States or the United Kingdom, for instance. There's less money and fewer systems to send it to those who need it most.

Some parts of the country did see ration kits distributed to the poor during the first lockdown, but that wasn't enough to keep people at home. They still needed to earn a wage to feed their families.

"Without a government establishing a robust system of social support through public policy, which would appear in the form of social assistance programs like stipend or subsidies, a lockdown isn't feasible," said Prasad, from Royal Roads University.

A localized approach

In early April, as cases began surging in the capital, New Delhi, many migrant workers returned to their home villages even before any restrictions were imposed. Many were afraid that a surprise lockdown could leave them stranded once again.

India's varied topography means its population density is concentrated in specific hubs -- and while the virus can spread everywhere, its effects are felt more acutely in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Each state also has a different level of resource availability, including health care capacity.

A nationwide lockdown would leave little space for state and local governments to respond to the pandemic in a way fitting to their local circumstances. Right now, some states have nightly curfews, restrictions on public transport and localized measures in certain districts

In its April report, the Lancet's Covid-19 Commission India Task Force recommended against a "blanket national or state lockdown."

Instead, it backed measures such as closing venues for large gatherings and encouraging white-collar workers to operate from home -- but urged the government to minimize restrictions for the rural and urban poor.

Bahadur said the Task Force is now calling for localized but synchronized closures based on two variables -- the spread of the disease and medical preparedness.

Modi echoed those recommendations in his April address, asking state leaders to focus on "micro-containment zones" instead of full lockdowns.

States and union territories are now adopting this approach -- for instance, Delhi has imposed several consecutive lockdowns for short periods of time such as seven or 10 days, with exceptions for many categories of essential workers -- unlike the first lockdown last year.

"The basic point is that there are no simple yes or no answers to a very complicated set of questions," Bahadur said.

"In a country with such diversity, localized decisions, driven by a common science and evidence based approach, with a strong coordinated response is our best bet for success."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Calls are growing for another nationwide India lockdown. That's not realistic"
(CNN)  For years, the US government largely ignored reports of mysterious flying objects seen moving through restricted military airspace but it is now slowly beginning to acknowledge that UFOs, which the Pentagon refers to as unidentified aerial phenomena, are real.

While it is certainly premature to speculate as to whether these flying objects come from another world, the US military has recently confirmed the authenticity of several videos and images showing encounters with unidentified flying objects -- fueling questions about what the Pentagon knows about such incidents and others like them.

Next month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and other agencies are scheduled to deliver unclassified reports on UFOs to Congress.

The Department of Defense's watchdog is also set to examine how the Pentagon has handled reports of UFOs. A source with knowledge of the subject matter told CNN earlier this month that there will be more inquiries announced in the near future on how these encounters were handled in recent years.

Here's what to know about UFOs:

What is a UFO?

In short, a UFO is a flying object that looks or moves unlike any aircraft used by the US or any foreign country.

By their very nature, UFOs are shrouded in mystery and there are still a lot more questions than answers about these unexplained incidents.

There have been numerous UFO sightings in recent years but the military has only recently verified a handful of those reported encounters.

Last month, the Pentagon confirmed the authenticity of photos and video taken by Navy personnel in 2019 that appeared to show triangle-shaped objects blinking and moving through the clouds.

Another set of photos from Navy personnel showed three objects apparently flying in the sky, shaped like a sphere, an acorn and a metallic blimp.

In April 2020, the Pentagon released three short videos from infrared cameras that appeared to show flying objects moving quickly. Two of the videos contain service members reacting in awe at how quickly the objects are moving. One voice speculates that it could be a drone.

The Navy previously acknowledged the veracity of the videos in September of 2019 but officially released them months later, "in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos," Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough said at the time.

"After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems," said Gough in a statement, "and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena."

In 2017, one of the pilots who saw one of the unidentified objects in 2004 told CNN that it moved in ways he couldn't explain.

"As I got close to it ... it rapidly accelerated to the south, and disappeared in less than two seconds," said retired US Navy pilot David Fravor. "This was extremely abrupt, like a ping-pong ball, bouncing off a wall. It would hit and go the other way."

Are we talking about aliens?

The US government's acknowledgment that UFOs are real undoubtedly begs the question: Are we alone?

Luis Elizondo, the former head of a classified DoD program to research potential UFOs, told CNN in 2017 that he personally believes "there is very compelling evidence that we may not be alone."

"These aircraft -- we'll call them aircraft -- are displaying characteristics that are not currently within the US inventory nor in any foreign inventory that we are aware of," Elizondo said of objects they researched. He says he resigned from the Defense Department in 2017 in protest over the secrecy surrounding the program and the internal opposition to funding it.

But in reality, interest in the Pentagon's handling of reported unidentified flying objects has more to do with ensuring any potential national security implications are being taken seriously -- whether they are of this world or not.

"It doesn't matter if it's weather balloons, little green men, or something else entirely  we can't ask our pilots to put their lives at risk unnecessarily," Rachel Cohen, spokeswoman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, told CNN in 2019 after senators received a classified briefing from Navy officials on unidentified aircraft.

What will upcoming UFO report say?

While subject matter experts have applauded recent moves by the US government to share more information about UFO encounters reported over the last several decades, many remain skeptical that the upcoming report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and other agencies will provide a comprehensive look at the issue.

That's because the Pentagon has long resisted acknowledging that some of what has been observed is simply unexplainable despite compelling evidence that these objects displayed characteristics that are not normally associated with conventional aircraft, according to Elizondo.

"Best case scenario ... there's an interim report that will meet the intent of Congress with a promise to provide another report following this one," Elizondo told reporters last month. "Unfortunately there's a lot more we don't know than we do know. The good news is that we're finally taking it seriously."

The Pentagon has previously studied recordings of aerial encounters with unknown objects as part of a since-shuttered classified program that was launched at the behest of former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada.

The program was launched in 2007 and ended in 2012, according to the Pentagon, because the Defense Department assessed that there were higher priorities that needed funding.

Reid, Elizondo and others who have pushed for the government to release more information about UFOs say materials that have been released so far only scratch the surface of what is known.

Last year, the Pentagon created a task force to better understand "the nature and origins of UAPs," the Defense Department said in a statement.

"The Department of Defense and the military departments take any incursions by unauthorized aircraft into our training ranges or designated airspace very seriously and examine each report. This includes examinations of incursions that are initially reported as UAP when the observer cannot immediately identify what he or she is observing," the statement continued.

The task force has included the videos whose authenticity was confirmed last month.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "What we know about UFOs: How the Pentagon has handled reported sightings, mysterious videos and more."
(CNN)  Bill Gates's 2020 resignation from Microsoft's board of directors came after the board hired a law firm to investigate a romantic relationship he had with a Microsoft employee, according to new reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal reported Sunday that a Microsoft engineer had "alleged in a letter that she had a sexual relationship over years with Mr. Gates."

"During the probe, some board members decided it was no longer suitable for Mr. Gates to sit as a director at the software company he started and led for decades," the Journal reported. "Mr. Gates resigned before the board's investigation was completed."

The employee was not named in the Journal's article. CNN has not confirmed the allegations cited by the Journal.

"Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000," a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to CNN Business late Sunday. "A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern."

In a statement to the Journal, a spokesperson for Gates said, "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

The spokesperson also pointed to a March 2020 statement regarding his decision to resign from the board.

The WSJ's story was published soon after a separate New York Times article that reported Gates had "developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings."

The Times reported, citing "people with direct knowledge with overtures," that "on at least a few occasions, Mr. Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

The Times did not cite the names of the people involved.

Gates' spokesperson told the Times that, "It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates' divorce."

The spokesperson said that the "claim of mistreatment of employees is also false," and that "the rumors and speculation surrounding Gates' divorce are becoming increasingly absurd and it's unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as 'sources.'"

CNN has not confirmed the allegations cited by the Times.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Monday said in a statement to CNN Business it has "seen the allegations made in the media by an anonymous former employee," referring to the New York Times report.

"The foundation has never received any formal complaints regarding Bill Gates," it said. The Foundation confirmed that Bill Gates' role as co-chair and trustee will not be changing.

The foundation added that it has a policy allowing staff and recipients of grants to report "suspected illegal, inappropriate, or unethical behavior among staff, grantees, and other third parties," as well as a method for accepting anonymous reports.

"When we do receive an allegation of misconduct, we take it very seriously, conduct an investigation, and take deliberate actions appropriate to the situation," it said.

Earlier this month, Melinda Gates  Bill Gates' wife and co-founder of their foundation  filed for divorce. In a statement announcing their split, the couple said, "after a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage."

Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world. His net worth was $144 billion as of today, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranking.

- Clare Duffy contributed to this report

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Bill Gates faces conduct accusations while navigating divorce."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  The Philippines' bet Rabiya Mateo failed to bag the fifth Miss Universe crown for the country during the 69th edition of the pageant on Monday.

A pageant expert shared his thoughts on what might have happened.

"For me, she got nervous during the swimsuit competition. She did not smile while she was posing," pageant analyst Adam Genato told CNN Philippines' Balitaan.

"It's as if she was in a hurry to finish her walk," he said. "Parang tensyonado, kinakabahan (She looked stressed, nervous)."

Genato said Mateo performed well as she donned her yellow swimsuit on stage, but he wondered whether the 24-year-old Ilongga beauty was "second-guessing herself" after she made it to the Top 21.

"I don't know if the nerves got the best of her because her swimsuit performance during the preliminary competition was far better than what we just saw earlier," he noted.

But he shared that the Latina contestants may have really had the upper hand during the night at Seminold Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida in the United States.

"The Latinas really dominated the competition," the pageant analyst declared. "Kinutuban na ako (I already had the feeling). Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico, they all slayed their swimsuit turns."

He also stressed that having an all-female panel of judges made the competition tougher, especially during the question-and-answer round.

The contenders who landed the Top 5 were Dominican Republic's Kimberly Jimenez (4th runner-up), India's Adline Castelino (3rd runner-up), Peru's Janick Maceta del Castillo (2nd runner-up), Brazil's Julia Gama (1st runner-up), and Mexico's Andrea Meza, who was eventually crowned Miss Universe 2020.

RELATED: Miss Universe 2020 Top 5 show grace under pressure in Q&A portion, final words

Genato said Mateo would have also dazzled the crowd with her Sarimanok-inspired evening gown, designed by Dubai-based Filipino designer Furne One of Amato Couture. Mateo still wore the gown during the introduction of the evening gown segment.

He noted that nonetheless, Mateo still deserves all the credit for keeping the Philippines' 11-year streak in the semifinal round.

Mateo was the first representative of the Miss Universe franchise in the Philippines under its new national director, Miss Universe 2011 3rd runner-up Shamcey Supsup, with pageant mentor Jonas Gaffud as creative director.

From 1964 to 2019, Binibining Pilipinas held the national franchise for Miss Universe.

Miss Universe titleholders from the Philippines are Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018).
Press Release

May 17, 2021 Senate approves three local bills Opening its session after the Lenten break, the Senate, on Monday, passed on third and final reading three local bills, providing for the following: (1) redistricting Bataan; (2) declaring April 28 as a special working holiday in Aurora; and (3) constituting Barangay Ladol as a distinct and independent barangay in Alabel, Sarangani. With 22 affirmative votes, no negative, and no abstention, the Senate approved House Bill No. 8664, which seeks to reapportion the Province of Bataan into three legislative districts. Under the said bill, the First District of Bataan will be composed of the municipalities of Hermosa, Orani, Samal, and Abucay; the Second District will be composed of Balanga City, and the municipalities of Orion, Pilar, and Limay; and the Third Legislative District will consist of the municipalities of Bagac, Mariveles, Morong, and Dinalupihan. Sen. Francis "Tol" Tolentino, Chairman of the Committee on Local Government and sponsor of the measure, thanked his colleagues for supporting the passage of the measure and reiterated that "the additional district will pave the way for a more robust development, furthering progress in the province of Bataan." "The additional district ensures a more effective delivery of unparalleled public services, and the Bataan electorate can look forward to a more responsive governance from their elected representatives," Tolentino said. Also passed on third reading was HBN 5944, which seeks to declare April 28 of every year a special working holiday in the province of Aurora to commemorate the death anniversary of Dona Aurora Aragon-Quezon. Tolentino, who sponsored the measure, said Dona Aragon-Quezon, the Philippines' first official First Lady, who campaigned for women's right to suffrage, is truly an inspiration for all Filipinos to serve the Filipino nation and fight for equality. Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri, Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, and Sen. Richard Gordon hailed the passage of the measure honoring the first chairperson of the Philippine Red Cross. Also passed on third reading today was HBN 5306, which seeks to separate Sitio of Ladol from Barangay Poblacion in Alabel, Sarangani, and constituting it into a distinct and independent Barangay Ladol.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  The Philippines must continue to tighten its borders and consider tapping more laboratories that could conduct genome sequencing to control the transmission of the new variants of COVID-19, an infectious disease expert said Monday.

Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of San Lazaro Hospital-Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine department, told CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday that the government must act as if most COVID-19 cases in the country are already variant-driven, after listing at least 12 cases of the "double-mutant" variant first detected in India.

RELATED: PH detects 10 new cases of COVID-19 variant from India

"I'm not surprised that anybody coming from other countries will be bringing in this variant, whether its India or any other variants of concern. Thats the reason why border control is really important at this point in time," Solante said.

Solante also raised concern over the country's slow pace of genome sequencing and ability to detect COVID-19 variants.

"To tell you frankly, I don't think we're doing enough because just like any other countries in Asia, this is usually the problem because it requires more resources, more laboratories. Personnel or manpower is also something we have to address," he added.

Solante, who is also a member of the vaccine expert panel, said the government should further emphasize how to prevent the continued transmission of COVID variants in the country.

Aside from the Philippine Genome Center and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health, other laboratories capable of sequencing COVID-19 samples would be of great help, Solante stressed.

Apart from the 12 cases of B.1.617.2 variant from India, the Health Department reported over the weekend 13 new cases of the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom, seven more cases of the B.1.351 variant from South Africa, and one new case of the P3 variant discovered in the country.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17) -- Retired associate justice Francis Jardeleza on Monday asked the Supreme Court to dismiss all the 37 petitions filed against the controversial anti-terrorism law for lack of legal standing.

I humbly submit that, following this Courts ruling in Southern Hemisphere Network vs. the Anti-Terrorism Council, all 37 petitions should be dismissed, said Jardeleza, who was tapped as one of the experts by the court, during the last day of oral arguments.

He was referring to the Southern Hemisphere Network vs. The Anti-Terrorism Council case in 2010, wherein petitions were filed questioning the legality of the Human Security Act. The High Court dismissed the petitions because there was no actual charge nor credible threat of prosecution.

In recommending the junking of the petitions against the Anti-Terrorism Act, Jardeleza said none of the petitioners claimed direct, personal, or constitutional injury, or has alleged actual prosecution under ATA as to be entitled to relief.

He cited the case of Aetas Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos, the first publicly known individuals to be charged under the anti-terrorism law, who claimed to be tortured by the military. The two appealed to allow them to intervene in the legal challenges against the said law, but the SC junked their petition.

Jardeleza added that the claims of Gurung and Ramos must be first tried, under the doctrine of hierarchy of courts, and following the rules of evidence, before the trial courts.

Petitioners cannot short-circuit this process by simply invoking the transcendental or paramount importance of their case, he said.

Although the petitions must be dismissed, Jardeleza said that the issues raised by the petitioners are important. However, he noted that there is an absolute dearth of facts in the case record, as of the moment, to support a ruling against the ATA, at this time.

The ATA is an act of Congress that enjoys the presumption of constitutionality. I stress the word presumptively. For when, and if, constitutional lines are crossed, as borne out by facts, we know where the Courts heart lies, Jardeleza added.

For his part, retired chief justice Reynato Puno, who was also a chosen expert, said the dismissal of the petitions should not be based on technical grounds.

I respectfully submit that it is best that the petitions at bar be resolved on the merit and not outrightly dismissed on the technical ground of lack of standing of the petitioners, because they are challenging a penal law that is allegedly void on its face, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  Nine areas dubbed by the government as economic centers vulnerable to the coronavirus are set to receive a significant chunk of the vaccines yet to arrive in the country, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.

In a Palace briefing, Roque said these focus areas, which include Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, as well as Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, will get 42% of the incoming supply.

Yung prayoridad, its because alam naman po natin ito talaga yung hotspots for COVID-19 [The priority is being given because as we know, these areas are COVID-19 hotspots], which is not a badge of honor po, no. It really is just an answer to a medical fact, Roque said.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. previously explained such a strategy was also meant to help the economy recover faster, as quarantine restrictions in these areas could be further relaxed if the majority of the residents are already immunized.

The remaining 58% of the supply, Roque said, will be distributed to other localities across the country.

Galvez earlier bared they target to inoculate around 25 million Filipinos by September 2021. The government also hopes to achieve herd immunity from COVID-19 within the year by vaccinating up to 70 million Filipinos.

Official data as of May 15 show some 2.24 million individuals nationwide have received their COVID-19 vaccine, with 714,432 having been given their second dose. Of the total vaccine recipients, 1.2 million are health workers, nearly 590,000 are senior citizens, 430,000 are persons with comorbidities, and almost 9,000 are non-medical frontline personnel in essential sectors.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 17)  The Philippine Red Cross said it is not selling Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to the public, and will only make the doses available to its members and donors who are "willing to bear the cost."

The humanitarian organization made this clarification late Monday after its chairman, Senator Richard Gordon, said it will have to charge 3,500 for every two Moderna doses when its orders arrive.

Speaking at a media forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, Gordon said the PRC purchased a total of 200,000 doses from American pharmaceutical firm Moderna, enough to give 100,000 people their first and second shots. Some 1,500 doses are expected to be delivered by July.

Gordon said the PRC does not "make money," but has to recover expenses it incurred from securing the Moderna supply, as well as the costs of administering it to the public.

Id like to set the record straight," he said. "Right now, we will be charging 3,500 to recover the cost of our payment of our vaccines from Moderna. But at the same time pay for our administrative cost.

We have to have PPEs, we have to have our people fed and they have to have support in terms of the vaccination," he added, "and if you count the other things like electricity, and the ambulance, etc., I think thats a fair thing do.

Gordon said the PRC has also administered AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines for free, from the initial supply provided by the government. The reservation line, however, is getting longer and longer everyday for those who preferred Moderna, he explained.

"The less people out there with no vaccination, the better," he said.

PRC Governor Ma. Carissa Coscolluela in a statement said the organization "is not in the business of selling any vaccines."

"What he (Gordon) said was that the PRC procured Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and intends to vaccinate Red Cross members and donors, who are also our members, who are willing to bear the cost of the vaccines, which was US$26.83 (around P1,286) per dose plus an administration fee that covers costs for syringes, gloves, PPEs, meals and allowances of our doctors and nurses, and other essential expenses related to the vaccination," Coscolluela said.

Moderna only has an Emergency Use Authorization in the country, not a Certificate of Product Registration that would allow its vaccines to be sold in the market.

Meanwhile, Gordon said the government will start passing on some of the vaccines to the PRC, amid concerns that 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses donated to the Philippines through COVAX are set to expire in June.

The senator said this was the result of a meeting with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr., and testing czar Vince Dizon last Saturday.
DALLAS (AP)  An 18-year-old man has been arrested after the body of a 4-year-old boy was found lying on a neighborhood street in Dallas, police said Sunday.

Police said that Darriynn Brown has been charged with kidnapping and theft. Police say they also anticipate additional charges pending the results of a forensic analysis.

Brown was being held Sunday in Dallas County jail on $750,000 bond. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.

Police received a call that there was a child dead in the street at about 6:50 a.m. Saturday.

Assistant Police Chief Albert Martinez has said it appeared the child suffered a violent death and that "an edged weapon was used. He said it's believed the child was killed at about 5 a.m.

The child's name hasn't been released, but he's believed to have lived in the southwest Dallas neighborhood where he was found, Martinez said.


UNITED NATIONS  The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the United States has been working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to try to end the conflict between Palestinians in Gaza and Israel, and is warning that the current cycle of violence will only put a negotiated two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict further out of reach.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a high-level emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with senior Israeli, Palestinian and regional leaders.

At the same meeting, Israels U.N. ambassador called the rocket attacks launched by Gazas Hamas rulers against Israel completely premeditated to gain political power and replace the Palestinian Authority as the leader of the Palestinians.

He said the rocketing of Israel was part of a vicious plan by Hamas, which not only seeks the destruction of Israel but is vying to take power in the West Bank and was frustrated when Abbas postponed elections last month that would have been the first in 15 years.


Sheriff Brian Pixley has expressed support, saying in a March statement that one of his responsibilities is to uphold people's Second Amendment rights and that he's eager to move forward with the will of the voters.

The measure is divisive locally, though, and four residents filed court documents opposing it. One, Brandee Dudzic, referenced the strict gun safety drills she learned in military medic training, saying she values the right to own a gun but believes it should come with safety measures like background checks and secure storage.

A gun shop owner in Columbia County said he supports background checks and believes that state law trumps the county law." But he voted in favor of the Second Amendment measure on principle.

We need to make sure that people are safe. We need to make sure that people are responsible," he said. But as more rules are in place, we just need to make sure that were not overregulated.

He spoke on the condition he not be identified because some of his customers take a hard line against gun restrictions and he didn't want to lose their business.
When pressed on what exactly he meant, Lohmeier decried the New York Times 1619 Project, a historical look at how slavery formed America's institutions, as "anti-American."

"It teaches intensive teaching that I heard at my base  that at the time the country ratified the United States Constitution, it codified White supremacy as the law of the land," Lohmeier said. "If you want to disagree with that, then you start (being) labeled all manner of things including racist."

A defense official said the investigation would also look at all elements of rules and policy by which the book was published. It is not clear whether Lohmeier consulted his chain of command before publishing. A blurb about the book on Amazon described it as a "timely and bold contribution from an active-duty Space Force lieutenant colonel who sees the impact of a new-Marxist agenda at the ground level within our armed forces."

Conservative Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida tweeted Sunday that he would be "seeking action on this in the Armed Services Committee" though he did not specify what that action could be.
Source: Adobe/pressmaster

Crypto policy has been placed at the top of the governments agenda in South Korea  where ministries are eager to pass the buck on crypto-related matters, a "crisis" meeting involving the nations most powerful lawmakers has been held and new legislation is set to be put before the countrys parliament, the National Assembly.

Per SBS, a "crisis summit" was held over the weekend at Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeoms office on the subject of crypto regulation. In attendance were the Leader of the ruling Democratic Party Song Young-gil, Yoo Young-min, the Secretary of the Office of the Blue House (the Presidential office) and the Prime Minister himself.

However, it appears that the high-ranking politicians have a thorny problem on their hands: The media outlet quoted an unnamed government official as stating:

Most ministries do not want to take charge of the problem [of crypto regulation]. [] A solution will emerge only after the ministries responsibilities have been spelled out.

SBS added that some 10 ministries currently have some say over crypto policy formation  although a recently unveiled private members bill has suggested forming a central controlling body to take charge of all crypto-related matters.

And the crisis summit attendees also reviewed all of the existing private members bills put before the National Assembly, in an attempt to pick out possibly promising draft legislation.

The government has pledged to intervene in what it has labeled an overheated crypto market, but the matter has been complicated by a massive backlash among younger crypto holders  who are also outraged by the governments tax plans.

Opposition politicians have also been piling on the pressure with highly critical statements on the matter. One leader equated the government to gangsters on the matter, while others said Seoul had betrayed young crypto-keen citizens.

The crisis-summit officials are likely to have examined new proposals for a further private members bill, slated to roll out on May 18, from Kim Byung-wook, a Democratic Party MP and a member of the National Assemblys Political Affairs Committee.

Per Donga, Kim Byung-wook claims that his proposed measures would help nurture the blockchain and crypto industries  but would also seek to impose strict measures to tackle unfair crypto market practices.

The MPs draft measures also include creating a registration system for crypto industry operators and punishing market manipulation-related offenses with jail sentences of up to three years. The bill will also propose amending legislation to make exchanges liable to pay damages in instances where there have been delays in meeting customers deposit and withdrawal requests.

____

Learn more:

- South Koreas Ruling Party, Regulators at Odds over Crypto Policy

- FATF Makes Small Crypto Platforms Easy Prey For Big Players

- Ripple Execs Blast SECs 'Perplexing' Actions in String Of Interviews

- DeFi Sector May Face Threat from New EU Crypto Regulations  Survey

- Regulatory Kaleidoscope Challenges Crypto Industry - Crypto.com CCO

- Regulators Ponder Strategy As Bitcoin & Co Are Too Large to Ignore

- Can't Beat Crypto Regulators? Educate Them

- Task Force to Tell Washington: Ramp Up Crypto Exchange Regulation
Press Release

May 17, 2021 CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECH

Senator Joel Villanueva [AN ACT ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF BASIC EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES BY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS, STRENGTHENING THE TEACHER EDUCATION COUNCIL UNDER REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7784, ENTITLED "AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN TEACHER EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES BY ESTABLISHING CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE, CREATING A TEACHER EDUCATION COUNCIL FOR THE PURPOSE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES", INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NATIONAL EDUCATORS ACADEMY OF THE PHILIPPINES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES] Mr. President and my esteemed colleagues: It is an honor and privilege to co-sponsor Senate Bill No. 2152 under Committee Report No. 252 or the 'Teacher Education Council Act.' But first, please let me recognize the hard work of our seatmate, the Chairman of the Committee on Basic Education, Senator Win Gatchalian, for spearheading extensive consultations and in-depth discussions on this measure, especially during the month-long TWG last February. Teaching is said to be the noblest profession because, without it, we will not have lawyers, doctors, front liners, engineers, or even policymakers like us. As a son of former public-school teachers, Bro. Eddie and Sis. Dory, I am pleased to co-sponsor this measure that seeks to improve the state of more than one (1) million teachers and school leaders in the country. William Arthur Ward differentiates at least four (4) kinds of teacher, and I quote: "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. And, the great teacher inspires." We can teach teachers the first three competencies, but only practice and experience can hone the fourth competency. We agree that personal factors like motivation and education can determine whether a teacher would become mediocre, good, superior, or inspiring, but we submit that education policies and institutions significantly affect these factors. Our institutions must enact responsive and coherent teacher education policies if we want great and inspiring teachers. Unfortunately, our institutions continue to work in silos. Our policies are fragmented and disjointed, and our efforts are uncoordinated, even conflicting. Our three education agencies crafted their strategies for learning continuity amid the pandemic separately and specific to their traditional programs. The use of different terminologies for learning methodologies and the differences in the approaches taken by the DepEd, the CHED, and the TESDA, resulted in confusion among millions of learners in the country, as well as to their parents and teachers. The educational needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic shed more light on our dismal pre-pandemic educational situation and give form and shape to the bill we are proposing. It is a grave necessity to strengthen the Teacher Education Council. Mr. President and my esteemed colleagues: In addition to what, our chair,Senator Win has already presented, I beseech your indulgence to let me highlight three (3) reasons more, why we believe this bill can make all the difference in attaining better post-Corona schools and in improving teachers' and school leaders' effectiveness. First, strengthening the Teacher Education Council will help synchronize standards in teacher education and development. Let me show you a diagram of the professional journey of a Filipino teacher. It consists of at least three major phases: pre-service training, Licensure Examination for Teachers or LET, and in-service training. Common sense dictates that these three stages should follow a coherent standard, but they do not. There are misalignments in teacher pre-service training and what our schools and students need. The CHED promulgates policies, standards, and guidelines (PSGs), to which Teacher Education Institutions in the country must strictly adhere. The DepEd enforces compliance with the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers or PPST." The Board of Professional Teachers in the PRC has a separate Table of Specifications for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). During that hearings, we discovered that the TOS does not reflect CHED and DepEd standards. A study of the Research Center for Teacher Quality, a joint undertaking of the Philippine Normal University and the University of New England, Australia, shows that the teacher education curriculum fully covers only 10 out of the 37 competencies expected of teachers. Re-training of teachers, which is a very costly undertaking for the DepEd and the government, is necessary. For example, the in-service training program called Linking Standards and Quality Practices or LiSQuP that DepEd and PNU jointly implement for training 2,820 teachers and school leaders cost the government around 400-million pesos, which is just a reasonable amount considering that the program will last for two years. However, the first batch of cohort represents only .353% of the total 800,000 teaching personnel of DepEd. Imagine the cost of re-training all DepEd teachers only to link standards with practice. Consider the resources we can save if our Colleges of Education that already benefit from the Free Tuition Law could satisfy the requirements of DepEd for entry level-teachers. Under Senate Bill No. 2152, the new TEC will serve as a venue, mechanism, and keeper of synchrony and standards for teacher education and development. The CHED, the PRC, the DepEd, and the TESDA will have to agree on coherent professional standards for teachers. The new TEC will ensure that the Colleges of Education will produce teachers, duly screened and accredited by the PRC, as our public schools need. Our second point, Mr. President and my esteemed colleagues: Strengthening the TEC can help improve learning outcomes. The creation of the Teacher Education Council [R.A. 7784], together with the CHED [R.A. 7722], the TESDA [R.A. 7796], the Teachers' Professionalization Law [R.A. 7836] in 1994, and much later on, the Governance of Basic Education Act [RA 9155] in 2001, were policy recommendations of the Education Commission of 1991, a legacy of former Senator, our mentor, Sen. Edgardo Angara, father of our colleague Sen. Sonny, who is equally eloquent as his father, especially when it comes to matters affecting our education system. The Teacher Education Council was born in the same year as the CHED and the TESDA to serve as the maestro in teacher development. However, the growth in the DepEd, the TESDA, the CHED, and the PRC mandate and resources isolated the TEC. Bureaucratic turfing resulted in fragmentation and de-synchronization, as the agencies worked independently and separately for teacher education and development. The disarray was detrimental to the overall quality of education in the country. The results of the pre-pandemic international assessments like PISA, TIMMS, and SEA-PLM on the performance of Filipino students in Reading, Science, and Math, which was the subject of a Privilege Speech by Senator Win early this year, show what our Basic Education curriculum lacks as well as the professional weaknesses of our teachers. Mr. President, radical reform in teacher education is an urgent need. The McKinsey survey of education systems across 50 countries in 2017 noted that it had "never seen an education system achieve a world-class status without top talents in its teaching profession." Teachers and school leaders count in affecting education quality. Senate Bill No. 2152 seeks to expand the membership of TEC to include school leader representatives, strengthen the link between pre-service and in-service education programs, and institutionalize the National Educators Academy of the Philippines or NEAP for the in-service training of teachers, among others. Last but not the least,Our third point, Mr. President and my esteemed colleagues: Strengthening the TEC will improve the notoriously low passing rates in the LET. The problem is the quality of our teachers and begins with our Teacher Education Institutions or TEIs. We have excellent TEIs in the country, but only 113 out of 1,600 colleges of education from Luzon to Mindanao are centers of excellence. Forty-three (43) provinces do not have CENTEXes or universities with autonomous and deregulated status. The majority of our teacher trainees enroll in colleges of education which are, in the words of the Philippine Business for Education or PBED, "poor performing" and "worst performing." If you look at the statistics from the CHED, teacher education is the third most subscribed course at the tertiary level. Almost 800,000 or 19% of our college students enroll in various teacher education programs, both public and private. There is no better evidence of the poor quality of our teacher training institutions than the notoriously low passing rates in the Licensure Examination for Teachers. Only 3 out of 10 examinees pass the LET. In 2019, out of the 386,840 aspiring teachers, only 125,082, or a mere 32%, passed. This data applies not only in pre-pandemic 2019 but also over the past decade. From 2009 to 2019, several TEIs even obtained zero percent passing rates. Mr. President, Senate Bill No. 2152 will empower the TEC to mandate minimum requirements for teacher education programs, monitor, and assure quality compliance through the CHED. Senate Bill No. 2152 will ensure an efficient, seamless, and transparent link between outcomes of teacher education programs and the professional standards for teachers. Moreover, it will also empower the TEC to co-design the LET with the PRC. The bill guarantees transparency in the conduct of the Licensure Examination for Teachers through the release of the most recent LET questions immediately after their administration by the PRC to the Teacher Education Council and the public. After one year of school closures, we realized that perhaps no other sector sits closer to ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic than education. The World Bank claimed that across the globe, "evidence is emerging to show that school closures have resulted in actual learning loss or a 'COVID slide.'"[1] Our schools can be better than pre-COVID schools.[2] We can not afford to go back to our 2019 performance levels. But how can we develop better schools amidst all the chaos and uncertainties? Studies emphasize one important recommendation, that is, improving the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, which is the foundation of our proposal to strengthen the Teacher Education Council.[3] Great teachers are inspiring because they are effective role models with professional, intellectual, psychological, and moral ascendency. Many of our teachers and school leaders can prove that teacher effectiveness is the key to improve learning outcomes. Take, for example, Teacher Florence Legaspi-Calawod, an English teacher at Looc National High School in Romblon. Last year, amid the pandemic, she obtained the Regional Best Research in MIMAROPA for her research entitled "Fluency-Oriented Reading and Scaffolding: A Classroom-Based Intervention for the Student's Reading Fluency and Comprehension." Her action research is a synthesis of her experience in using modeled reading that significantly improved students' reading fluency and comprehension, one of the components of the PISA, where Filipino students ranked at the bottom of 77 countries. She told us that through this approach, students who once displayed indifference towards reading showed marked improvement and interest. Indeed, because of her growth mindset, non-stop desire to make herself better, and the mentoring and support she gets from her school leaders, Teacher Florence bridged her students' actual reading ability and the expected learning outcomes of DepEd. Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, this is the vision of Senate Bill No. 2152, to produce effective teachers like Teacher Florence who help students fall in love with learning and attain quality learning outcomes. A relevant and empowered Teacher Education Council can make this vision a reality. Mabuhay ang gurong Pilipino. Salamat po at pagpalain tayong lahat ng ating Panginoong Diyos.
Govt-and-politics

editor's pick top story

Election 2021

First ballot test of governor's pandemic powers starts in Pa.

Jason Malmont, The Sentinel Gov. Tom Wolf speaks at the Silver Spring Community Fire Company on May 12 about the primary ballot referendums, some of which would limit the governor's emergency powers. Jason Malmont, The Sentinel Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks at the Silver Spring Community Fire Company Wednesday morning about the upcoming referendums, some of which seek to take away emergency powers from the governor. Associated Press FILE - In this April 20, 2020, file photo, protesters demonstrate during a rally against Pennsylvania's coronavirus stay-at-home order. Republican lawmakers across the country have tried to roll back the emergency powers that governors wielded during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they ordered businesses and schools shut and mask-wearing in public. On Tuesday, May 18 Pennsylvanias GOP-controlled Legislature is taking its case to voters, in twin constitutional amendments on the primary ballot that would give lawmakers much more power over disaster declarations, whether another pandemic or a natural disaster.

Republican lawmakers across the country have tried to roll back the emergency powers that governors wielded during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they ordered businesses shut, mask-wearing in public and students home for distance learning.

Pennsylvanias Legislature is now taking its case to the ballot.

In the first vote of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak, voters statewide will decide twin constitutional amendments that would give lawmakers much more power over disaster declarations, to apply whether the emergency is another pandemic or natural disaster.

The questions were placed on Tuesdays primary ballot by the Republican-controlled Legislature, which has had a long-running feud with the states Democratic governor over his emergency actions during the pandemic.

This is the first opportunity we actually have something tangible, where more than just a handful of sampled people will be able to have an input, said Jonathon Hauenschild, an attorney at the American Legislative Exchange Council, an association of conservative lawmakers and businesses.

A look at the referendum questions on this year's primary ballot While off-year primaries tend to generate low voter turnout, Pennsylvania voters will have four important ballot questions before them in May when they go to the polls  either by mail or in person.

For Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania, asking voters to change the Constitution is the only way they have of reeling in the authority of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. He has veto power, and Republicans dont have a large enough majority to override his actions.

Democratic lawmakers have largely stuck with Wolf, and courts rejected attempts to end the governors disaster declaration or lift his orders.

The amendments on Tuesdays ballot would cause such a significant erosion of executive authority that Wolf and his emergency disaster director have called it reckless and a threat to a functioning society.

Both of these questions undermine our democracy, Wolf said Wednesday during a news conference at a fire station in suburban Harrisburg. They take away our ability to respond to emergencies.

The questions ask voters to end a governors emergency disaster declaration after 21 days and to give lawmakers the unilateral authority to extend or end it with a majority vote.

Current law allows a governor to issue an emergency declaration for up to 90 days and extend it without limit. The constitution requires a two-thirds majority vote by lawmakers to end the declaration.

The proposals emerged from the Republican-controlled Legislature last summer, amid deep frustration over Wolf extending broad shutdowns of business activity beyond a few weeks, as Pennsylvania endured the first of what would become three spikes in COVID-19 cases. More than 26,000 Pennsylvanians have succumbed to the virus, according to state figures.

We want to give any governor time to declare a disaster emergency and get started with what needs to be started with. And after 21 days, it doesnt mean a state of emergency is going to end. It just means the Legislature has a seat at the table to work with him, said Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, who authored the legislation.

If turnout patterns in odd-year elections over the past decade hold, fewer than one-fifth of Pennsylvanias registered voters will determine the outcome.

History is on Republicans side. The last time voters rejected a ballot question was in 1993, according to information provided by the state.

Since then, voters have approved 19 straight ballot questions. They usually are bipartisan initiatives to expand borrowing authority or to amend the Constitution.

The questions that will appear on the ballot, however, are complicated, with wording written by the Wolf administration that Republicans say is politically charged and designed to make the questions fail.

The effect if voters approve them also is in dispute.

Republicans claim the governor cannot order shutdowns without a disaster emergency in effect. Wolf disagrees, saying a governors authority during a public health emergency rests on separate public health law and is unaffected by the ballot questions.

As a result, it may end up in court if, say, a variant causes another spike in cases.

Wolf administration officials have held news conferences to describe how they would be hamstrung from responding to emergencies and risk missing out on federal aid if a declaration were to end too soon.

The changes posed by Republican lawmakers would inject politics into disaster emergencies and risk lives if the Legislature were unable to meet to pass a resolution extending a disaster emergency, they say.

Republicans have accused Wolf of fear-mongering.

The states three living former Republican governors  Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Tom Corbett  declined to comment. A former Democratic governor, Ed Rendell, urged a no vote. He recalled the Valentines Day 2007 blizzard that trapped hundreds of people on Interstate 78.

I literally have five minutes to decide because if were going to help those people, I have to get the National Guard on to I-78 within an hour, Rendell said. So theres not enough time for the Legislature to discuss and debate.

State lawmakers across the U.S. have proposed more than 350 measures this year related to legislative oversight of executive actions during the COVID-19 pandemic or other emergencies, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In at least dozen states, lawmakers have passed measures asserting their own power to review, halt or reverse executive actions taken during emergencies. In several states, Republican-controlled legislatures have overridden vetoes.

There is a bipartisan, nationwide reckoning taking place right now about how much power any governor or any General Assembly should wield during an emergency, Pennsylvania state Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, said on the Senate floor earlier this week as he argued in favor of the constitutional amendments.

We elect governors in Pennsylvania, he said. We dont elect kings.

Besides messaging by Wolf and lawmakers, the campaign in Pennsylvania has mostly revolved around cable TV ads, fliers, billboards, lawn signs and digital ads costing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a pair of Harrisburg-based organizations whose issue advocacy aligns with Republicans.

You can hold Gov. Wolf accountable, and protect our small businesses, childrens education and local communities, said a TV ad running on Fox News.

The groups fliers urging a yes vote have reached mailboxes across the state, often with stock photos of smiling Black people while linking support for the two questions with support for a separate question on the ballot to amend the constitution to outlaw discrimination because of race or ethnicity.

Preserve our local communities. Protect our schools and our childrens education. Ensure equality for all Pennsylvania families, says one.

The chair of Pennsylvanias Legislative Black Caucus, state Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Philadelphia, accused the fliers sponsors of a misinformation campaign that suggests that supporting equality also means risking lives and destroying the existing checks and balances against any governors ability to declare a disaster.

Pennsylvanias primary will take place as COVID-19 cases have fallen after a spring spike and the vaccine is returning some aspects of life to normal.

Masking orders remain in effect, and capacity restrictions are scheduled to lift on Memorial Day.

There is scant public polling in recent months on the governors public approval or his handling of the pandemic. That, combined with the confusing wording of the amendment questions, esoteric subject matter, expected low turnout and a highly partisan atmosphere make the result unpredictable.

If Pennsylvania is successful, said Hauenschild, of the American Legislative Exchange Council, I look for more legislatures to start examining how to bypass a governor.







Check out photos from Wednesdays tour stop by Gov. Tom Wolf:
For all the focus on sexual violence in the #MeToo era, and on student protections under Title IX, very few campus rapes are ever prosecuted, according to victim advocates and the limited crime data available. Only one in five college sex assault victims report to police. And when they do, prosecutors often hesitate to take cases where victims had been drinking or knew the accused.

It has bothered me over the years that I was never able to do anything, said Keeler, now 26. If youre not going to help me, who are you going to help? Because I do have evidence.

At Gettysburg, a small school with about 2,500 students, 95 rapes were reported to campus security from 2013 to 2019  but only 10 nonchild rape cases were prosecuted in the entire county during that period, according to school data and county court records.

And that discourages students like Katayoun Amir-Aslani, who quietly left Gettysburg after her own sexual assault in the spring of 2014, from coming forward.

She met Keeler the night she was assaulted. Then a few months later, she was raped at Gettysburg by an acquaintance, she said.

She did not file a report. She did not get a rape kit. Instead, she quietly left school after that spring.
"Your story is an inspiration not only to me, but all public servants in Missouri," Schmitt said. "Thank you for your commitment and service to our great state."

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

Starkey said even though he got it in the mail, it was still a big surprise.

"I didn't know anything was going on like that, at all," Starkey said. "I have put a lot of time in. I'm not bragging on myself, I don't know that I earned all this, but I have put the time in to try and make this department better. That has been my goal to just keep improving and keep making things better and that is still my goal. I'm not done yet."

CPVFD Firefighter Brad Reagan said he knows how many hours it takes to keep a department up and running on a professional scale, and he is amazed at times to see the dedication and time Starkey contributes.

"Bill is always working on getting better equipment and training for this department and for all Madison County emergency services with no personal gain from it besides knowing he is serving the county," Reagan said.

To Starkey and the whole crew, CPVFD is a family. They help each other grow both within the department and outside in their everyday lives.
We view it as a threat to our national security posing major unprecedented sequel to the people, something that our ministry will not and cannot accept, says Minister Ngwele. Photo: MIPU
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Former PM Charlot Salwai and his cabinet ministers visited the Vanuatu Agritourism 2016 boots and attended the official closing of the three day event on Friday 11 November. Credit: JB Calo
Bahrains national carrier, Gulf Air, has frozen deliveries of the aircraft it ordered from Boeing and Airbus owing to difficult market conditions, reports say.

Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, Chairman of the airline, Reuters notes, told reporters during the Arab Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai that the airline is committed to its destinations despite challenges.

The air travel industry has been in slow motion more than one year due to the pandemic despite timid resumption of international travels.

Al Zayani also indicated that the airline had reached an agreement with Airbus and Boeing to postpone aircraft that were scheduled to be received in 2020 and 2021 for about six to nine months.

The airline official however did not name the companies whose deliveries will be postponed but he said that his company will receive six new aircraft this year, double what it received in 2020, Reuters notes.

Gulf Air had previously said that it wanted to postpone the delivery of the Airbus aircraft A320-Neo and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The attempted sale of board positions and the DVCA rises to the level of a violation of several criminal statutes, the judge wrote in his decision.

In this case, Brown and Lowe attempted to sell memberships on the DVCA board and DVCA itself. There is no evidence that either Brown or Lowe possessed even implicit authorization to sell any membership to DVCA. The defendants evidence demonstrations that there is probable cause to believe that Brown and Lowe violated several Virginia penal statutes, including, without limitation, obtaining money by false presentences, solicitation/attempt to commit embezzlement and solicitation to enter into a conspiracy to commit embezzlement and money laundering.

Further, had the witnesses accepted the offer of $5,000 or $300,000, they would have been co-conspirators, accessories before the fact or principals in the second degree to Brown and Lowes attempts to commit various crimes, Durrer continued.

The judge further discussed in his decision what the commonwealth would have to prove to sustain convictions on the above criminal charges.

Greene County Commonwealths Attorney Edwin Consolvo said he was looking into whether to bring charges. He said that because the case involves another elected official, a special prosecutor would need to be assigned.
With the help of their grandmother and Maleahs sisters, Kimyrie King, 13, and Zeyanie King, 10, they grew the lemonade business into a full restaurant where they sold nachos and hot dogs, too.

They also eventually upgraded from pouring different-colored lemonades from pitchers to jugs. And it seemed that most community members had rallied around the girls lemonade stand that sat right outside the steps of their home.

Between balancing virtual school and running a business they wanted to see expand, the four girls found that running a full lemonade stand wasnt as easy as they thought it would be.

On the hottest days, the girls found themselves wanting to give up completely on the business. On the very first day of business when they set up the table, it fell through, the pitchers of brightly colored lemonade falling down on the cement with it.

People posted all over social media about their business, called 4k Lemonade, in hopes to get more people outside of Church Hill to support them financially. They made sure to make it outside every day, even on days where they said it was too hot and they didnt feel like selling anything.

The only time they didnt sell lemonade was if it rained, or if it was too cold outside.
Goa: Fierce winds, heavy showers, power cuts hit Salcete coast

May 17,2021 | Source: The Times of India

The swollen sea has taken its toll on the shore in South Goa with large scale erosion along the Salcete coastal belt due to cyclone Tauktae. The India meteorological department (IMD) had warned about deep depression over the Arabian Sea intensifying into a cyclonic storm likely to cause disturbances in Goa during the weekend. The sea was tumultuous with high waves, water running towards the land and eroding the shore. Migrant families working for the local fishing community were seen at the shore and their kids playing where the waves crashed at the shore. On Friday evening, thunderous rain along with gusty winds disrupted power supply for many hours. Junior engineer Govind Bhatt attached to Carmona sub-station said that incoming supply from Maharashtra and Karnataka failed due to heavy thunder, lightning and high speed winds. Power to Salcete coastal villages, which was shut-off at around 6pm, was restored at 9.30pm in some areas and at midnight in other places. Sub-divisional magistrate Dattaraj Desai, additional collector Sanjit Rodrigues and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team visited Varca, Benaulim and Colva beaches to take stock of the situation and warned the people and the fishing community against venturing into the sea. Colva PI Anand Shirodkar said his personnel are already on high alert and teams are patrolling the beaches and villages too. Deputy director of fire services Nitin Raikar, who was part of the team visiting the Salcete beaches, said his personnel are all geared up and since Friday evening, they have been answering huge numbers of calls of clearing roads and branches falling on houses.

 2021 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
Cyber

Biden's cyber order lays foundation for securing government

The Biden administrations long-anticipated cybersecurity executive order lays the groundwork for modernizing cyber defenses and protecting critical services from attack by improving incident response and information sharing between the public and private sectors.

The spate of recent high-profile attacks is a sobering reminder about how vulnerable public- and private-sector entities are to cyberattacks, according to a senior White House official, adding that the new EO represents a fundamental shift in our mindset from incident response to prevention.

It mandates several basic cybersecurity practices across the federal government such as multi-factor authentication, encryption and end point detection to be rolled out in as quickly as six months.

The Federal government must lead the way and increase its adoption of security best practices, including by employing a zero-trust security model, accelerating movement to secure cloud services, and consistently deploying foundational security tools such as multifactor authentication and encryption, according to a White House statement.

The order also mandates contractors notify the government if their networks are breached and share specific details about the incident. The administration official said the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will play a major role in helping flesh out what details will be required for disclosures.

The order also establishes a Cybersecurity Safety Review Board, similar to the National Transportation and Safety Board, a suggestion that lawmakers and industry have been recommending. Those calls were renewed by senators such as Mark Warner (D-Va.) following the supply chain attack on SolarWinds.

After the EO was published, the senator said the recent attacks highlighted what has become increasingly obvious over the past few years. The United States is simply not prepared to fend off state-sponsored or even criminal hackers intent on compromising our systems for profit or espionage, he said. This executive order is a good first step, but executive orders can only go so far. Congress is going to have to step up and do more to address our cyber vulnerabilities.

The boards first task will be to review and report on the hacking campaign against SolarWinds, according to the administration official. It will be convened after each cybersecurity incident by the Department of Homeland Security and co-chaired by the DHS secretary alongside a private sector leader who is knowledgeable about the relevant issues.

The administration is also directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology to begin developing a labeling system for internet-of-things devices to help consumers make smarter buying decisions, similar to a system already in place in Singapore.

The Administration's new Cybersecurity Executive Order lays out an ambitious & achievable workplan to dramatically improve the security of US govt networks by using the power of the purse, Chris Krebs, the former CISA chief, tweeted on Wednesday.

This article was first posted to FCW, a sibling site to Defense Systems.
Cyber

CISA chief: cyber order will 'stretch the system'

Brandon Wales, the acting chief of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, conceded on Thursday the dozens of deadlines in the administration's new executive order will "stretch the system" as his agency and others work to enact President Joe Biden's wide-ranging plan to revamp the federal government's cybersecurity.

"I think the community is right to say this is ambitious, this is big, but I think that just reflects what's needed to confront the cybersecurity threats and risks that we face right now," Wales told reporters during an event hosted by the George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs.

The executive order, which was published Wednesday night, contains deadlines for CISA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Management and Budget and other agencies to begin reworking the government's cybersecurity with some timelines as short as 30 days from the order's signing.

"Tools like multi-factor authentication, encryption, endpoint detection response, logging, and operating in a zero-trust environment will be rolled out across government networks on a tight timeline," according to a senior administration official.

As the government's premiere cybersecurity agency, CISA will take the lead in implementing many of the initiatives included in the EO. Wales said he was acutely aware of the various deadlines, citing the first one CISA will have to meet in just a few weeks. But he contended they are achievable and that in many cases the work had begun long before the EO was finalized. Having written direction from the White House, he said, gives CISA the power and mandate to finish the job.

"There already has been a significant move towards multifactor authentication across the dot gov, already more than 95% of all network traffic in the dot gov is already encrypted," according to Wales. "That being said, you're right, some of the things in here are going to stretch the system, [they] are going to require us to push hard."

The cybersecurity-focused executive order came as the White House continues to manage the ransomware attack by Darkside on Colonial Pipeline. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, whose department is leading the response, announced last night the company has begun restoring operations.

Wales said on Thursday that CISA expects to issue more detailed guidance to industry later today about indicators of compromise it discovered this week while working with the FBI to investigate the attack.

Bloomberg and the New York Times have reported that Colonial Pipeline paid a ransom to the hackers to resume operations. Wales declined to comment when asked if Colonial has made any payments.

President Joe Biden speaking at the White House today also didn't comment on reports of the paying of the ransom. Biden said the FBI does not believe the Russian government or President Vladimir Putin was directly involved in coordinating the attack, but that the criminals responsible likely live in Russia.

He also called on the Senate to quickly confirm Chris Inglis and Jen Easterly as national cyber director and the head of CISA, respectively, nominations the White House announced on April 12.

This article first appeared on FCW, a Defense Systems partner site.
Dooso Radido is the author of a number of bestselling books such as The Ultimate Agenda: Using Your Purpose to Raise Your Productivity to an All-Time High, The Spark: How to Build and Unleash Your Inner Genius, Making Life Work: Eleven Keys to a Phenomenal Living, and Why Capacity Matters: How Capacity (Competence) Drives Functionality, Productivity Performance.

The performance expert is also the Director of Business Operations at ZionPearl Publishers.

Radido spoke to KenyanVibe on what it takes to be a successful author and publisher in Kenya.

How would you describe your experience with publishing in the Kenyan market?

Its been 7 years now, I can confidently say that more Kenyans are getting into publishing and with that, I have gotten a front-row seat to interacting with how Kenyans think, the uniqueness we have to bring to the table. That has been the most exciting bit.

The downside has been; one, realizing that we are yet to embrace a reading culture. There is a percentage that is loyal to ink on paper but that niche is small. The larger group is drawn to audio-visual material. Two, there are numerous loopholes created by a general Jua Kali mentality. What I mean is, there is a glaring need to create professionalism and structure within the publishing industry as a whole because some peoples belief in the Jua Kali Approach to things opens spaces for shortcuts, which lower product and service quality. Copyright infringement and piracy are the order of the day, making it difficult for an author to gain as much as he or she ought to.

That said, even with the existing challenges, it is worth it. There is a fulfillment that comes from writing, creating your masterpiece that cannot be matched.

Knowing what you now know, what would you do differently as a publisher given a chance to start over?

I would focus more on building the kind of systems I have built now. The miracle of life is in systems, if you can create a system around what you do, you will create a higher level of efficiency and excellence. Systems run the universe.

What would you do differently as a first-time author?

Being an effective communicator means getting to the point faster. My first book was thick; my 7th book is much leaner. The difference has between the two is experience and growth. But if I didnt write the first book, there would not have been a 7th book. I am glad I started. I get better as I grow.

Youve authored 7 books, which is your favourite?

Each book carries a different message but Why Capacity Matters is my current bestseller. It explores the subject of why increase comes to those who already have much and how to build capacity so that you fall in the category of those who attract resources.

What inspired you to get on this path?

Writing begins with a love for books. I am an ardent reader, in the process of studying material authored by others, I have seen gaps that I felt a need to fill. I didnt write my first book with the intent of publishing a series of them. I just wanted to cover a gap issue. 7 books later, Im still covering gap issues that I find in different topics.

What have you found to be the most effective marketing tools for books in Kenya?

Be authentic in your work, let your content add value to the subject at hand and not just regurgitate content by other authors. Two, capitalize on influencers; one mention of your work by a person of influence will work wonders in getting word out as well as people trusting the quality of your material.

Whats your best piece of advice to an upcoming author

Writing is an exciting journey. Most people give up because of the inability to see how they will gain money out of it. When you decide to embark on this journey:

Write as an overflow of passion Remember you are building a legacy that will leave a trail of insightful thoughts after you are gone Write to impact the present and coming generations

There is a rich reward in books, even financially, but one has to apply patience as it might take time to get a return on investment. There is also a financial implication to publishing books and marketing them. Books dont just sell, you have to invest in producing good content, excellent packaging and marketing.

What have you found to be the most effective key to building a publishing empire?

I have found that knowledge works when applied within a functional system. Translating knowledge into disciplines is the magic behind creating functional systems. Its not enough to read, its not enough to know, create disciplines using that knowledge. Systems are built on blocks of disciplines.

Whats your greatest aspiration in life?

I question situations, I question content. I aspire to provide answers to some of lifes questions.

How have digital platforms changed the publishing landscape?

The digital options have enabled us to sell on global platforms; reach people in different parts of the world.

One mistake I see newbie authors make is placing books on platforms such as Amazon and fail to invest in marketing; some have gone for 10 years without selling a single copy. The platforms are good, they have simplified the process of publishing for many but you still have to work at marketing.

Last piece of advice?

Apply patient selling; have conversations around your book and let people have a taste of what the book has to offer.
JIM HENSON directs the Texas Politics Project at The Texas Tribune, while JOSHUA BLANK is the manager of polling and research for the project.
For Councilman Christopher Herndon, his public service career started long before the Denver City Council.

Herndon graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering. After graduation, he served nearly seven years in the U.S. Army, including deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. He was honorably discharged in 2005 with the rank of captain.

After transitioning to civilian life, Herndon looked for every opportunity to serve his community again, including an eventual City Council run.

Herndon was elected to represent District 11 in 2011, and then District 8 after a redistricting in 2015. During this time, Herndon has served two terms as City Council president from 2014 to 2016, advocated for business creation throughout the city, spearheaded the city's redistricting process and more.

Now, after a decade of representing Denver on the City Council, Herndon sat down with The Denver Gazette to discuss his passion for serving District 8  comprised of the Park Hill, Central Park, Montbello and East Colfax neighborhoods.

What made you want to become your districts city council representative?

When I got out of the military I moved to Colorado and, for the first time in my life, it felt like something was missing. I couldnt figure it out but what I did notice is I was volunteering significantly for the first time. I volunteered with my church to teach a financial literacy class, I volunteered with a local nonprofit to help Montbello High School students improve their math and language arts skills, I got on the registered neighborhood organization as a block captain and then an outreach co-chair. Then, I had this epiphany: I missed public service.

When youre in the military, service is what you do every day and when I got out, I was naturally gravitating back towards that. When I realized that, I knew I wanted to serve again so I decided to run for the Denver City Council in 2011 and now, three terms later, I'm still here, still loving it.

In 2011, people would ask, "what is it youre passionate about?" For me, I would just say to every door I knocked on, this job is about service. You need to have someone who understands what it means to serve, and I know that after my time in the military with two deployments. And it's also about leadership. Were going to have to make difficult decisions over the course of this term, and you need someone who has a history with leadership and knows what it means to lead.

How has your experience as a council member been so far?

Its certainly always more than you imagined but in a very good way. You can have a very granular impact where you help someone by getting a stop sign at an intersection, but you can also impact a neighborhood, like how we got a park in north Park Hill. Or you can help out an agency, like how we found the building for the new 9-1-1 center for the Department of Safety. Or you can go city-wide, like when we were able to get college affordability moving forward, impacting our solid waste master plan or sending an initiative to the voters to modernize our breed-specific legislation.

Ive also done a leadership program every summer working with our youth and thats a way the impact is greater than our city because weve had youth in our program who are outside of the city and county of Denver.

Thats whats great about this job, the difference you can make at all kinds of levels. You're never bored, youre always excited to get up each morning to figure out how you can better the community.

There are so many high moments  the park, Northeast Denver Leadership Week, breed-specific legislation, making the former PTs Club into affordable housing and early childhood education. When you work really hard to get something accomplished, you have that feeling of, wow, we really just made a positive impact. Theres no way to describe that because thats what we should be doing in this position, making the communities we serve a better place.

There are times where you might be on the minority vote when it comes to particular issues, but what I really appreciate, as a body, is that were having conversations about the topic. Youll see at other levels of government that its all partisan. But we really are debating the issues and I appreciate that. There are times when youre not on the successful end and thats okay because thats how our democracy works. I certainly feel that, for the most part, weve done really good work as a city.

As a council member, what are your priorities for the future?

The number one priority is COVID. Most people may be through with the pandemic, but the pandemic is not through with us. We need to continue to make sure as many people as possible get vaccinated and continue to serve those who have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Setting COVID aside, our number one priority is public safety and making sure all of our neighborhoods are equitably served when it comes to safety and protection.

As we continue to rebound out of this pandemic, identifying the needs of our individual neighborhoods and focusing on them is key. For example, in the East Colfax neighborhood, Im working with Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer on legislative rezoning to allow Accessory Dwelling Units within the neighborhood because we know that the greatest way to build wealth is through housing. Its a great wealth building opportunity and keeps people in their neighborhoods. Thats one thing that Im proud to be focusing on.

District-wide, we still have an affordability challenge. How do we make sure there is housing for all, no matter what your socioeconomic status is, including people experiencing homelessness?

District 8 is also active in community events whether it be Northeast Denver Leadership Week, our Family Bike Parade, our toy drive  there are so many ways you can serve and meet the needs of folks beyond legislatively as elected officials. So I want to continue to do those things to help our community as well.

I just want folks to say, Councilman Herndon served. The same thing I want when I think back to my time in the military, served and served well. As folks drive through the neighborhood, theyll see things and they may not even be aware that District 8 had a part in making it happen, whether it be a stop sign, the solid waste master plan, 9-1-1, adaptive reuse of a building, housing. But I hope they know that Councilman Herndon and his team made a positive difference in their community.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
BRUSSELS (AP)  European Union lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a new travel certificate that will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests, paving the way for the pass to start in time for summer.
Leah served as Monyays adoption caseworker from 2015 until 2017 and her mentor after that.

The two became close. Both are homebodies at heart, both are pranksters. By the time she was 16, Monyay was already calling Leah mom.

Monyay said once she realized she had to deal with Leah  who herself was barely 26 when they met  she started to warm up.

Once I actually let my guard down and took the time out to get to know her, I was more open to her being in my life, she added.

Adopting Monyay herself wasnt foremost in Leahs mind; finding her a new family was.

But as for so many other teens in the foster care system, age was not on Monyays side.

Almost one-fifth of the youths in out-of-home care in the foster care system are age 13 to 17, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families most recent numbers.

In the 12th Judicial Circuit, that means 202 of the 1,066 children in the system. Those figures do not include youths like Monyay, who have aged out of the system but still need help getting established in life.
The Pakistanis want him back, and our understanding is that there are no impediments to his return, she said.

A Pentagon spokesman had no immediate comment.

The prisoner review board also informed Uthman Abd al-Rahim Uthman, a Yemeni who has been held without charge at Guantanamo since it opened in January 2002, was also notified that he had been cleared, according to his attorney, Beth Jacob, who spoke to him by phone.

He was happy, relieved and hopeful that this will actually lead to his release, Jacob said.

Paracha, who lived in the U.S. and owned property in New York City, was a wealthy businessman in Pakistan. Authorities alleged he was an al-Qaida facilitator who helped two of the conspirators in the Sept. 11 plot with a financial transaction. He says he didnt know they were al-Qaida and denies any involvement in terrorism.

The U.S., which captured Paracha in Thailand in 2003 and has held him at Guantanamo since September 2004, has long asserted that it can hold detainees indefinitely without charge under the international laws of war.
A group of MCAs from the 47 County Assemblies has accused the Judiciary of abuse of power over last weeks High Court ruling that declared the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill unconstitutional.

According to the ward reps, the ruling overturned the direct sovereignty of the millions of Kenyans that supported the bill as well as the 43 County Assemblies and both the National Assembly and the Senate that passed it.

The judgment does not acknowledge that a Constitution is a living document that must be responsive to the needs and desires of a society at any given time. It presupposes that Kenyans are prisoners of the 2010 Constitution and the 2010 Constitution was made for a tiny minority of Kenyans and in this case the Judiciary and civil society groups not the larger majority of Kenyans, said the MCAs in a statement issued on Sunday.

The MCAs further claimed the ruling sets a treacherous and hopeless path for the country.

by holding that some sections of the Constitution cannot be amended whether by popular or parliamentary initiative or what they generally term as eternity clauses, the judges boldly and without any solid analysis took away the sovereign powers of the people enshrined in Article 1 (1).

this means that regardless of the social, political or economic issues that Kenyans face at any given time they cannot constitutionally change the constitution unless they then resort to anarchy either through a civilian or military coup!

They also claimed the court took away the presidents constitutional duty to enhance national unity.

The MCAs demanded that respondents in the case appeal the decision and all county assemblies that were listed as interested parties enter appearance.

They also want the Judiciary to stop robbing Kenyans of their direct sovereign powers or abusing the delegated indirect powers donated to them by Kenyans.

Further, the lawmakers called upon Kenyans to demands accountability from the Judiciary, claiming such interpretation of the Constitution will easily land the country into worse Post-Election Violence than 2007 and condemn Kenyans to eternal economic regression.
The states plan also has faced other setbacks, such as the withdrawal of finance companies.

Zeigler said he and other plaintiffs will review the decision and decide this week whether to appeal.

We will continue our fight to block the prison plan by raising issues that would cause potential investors to withdraw. We believe that investors see the fatal flaws in this plan and will not touch it with a 10-foot pole, Zeigler said.

The governor agreed in February to lease two mammoth prisons that would house 3,000 inmates each as a partial solution to the states troubled correction system. The two 30-year lease agreements are with separate entities of CoreCivic, one of the nations largest private prison companies. The governors office is negotiating with another company to build a third prison in Bibb County.

The proposed prisons would be owned by the private companies but staffed and run by the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Ivey has said new prisons are a crucial first step to overhauling the states troubled and aging prison system and that new facilities will be safer and enable more training and rehabilitative efforts. Critics said the $3 billion plan is unnecessarily expensive and does not address critical issues of training, violence and understaffing.
Vietnams biggest property developer, Vinhomes, targets a 24 percent increase in post-tax profit this year to VND35 trillion ($1.52 billion).

Major housing projects that would fetch revenues include Vinhomes Ocean Park and Vinhomes Smart City in Hanoi and Vinhomes Grand Park in Ho Chi Minh City, the company said in a statement.

The subsidiary of conglomerate Vingroup also plans to develop industrial real estate with the first projects to be launched in the northern city of Hai Phong where another Vingroup subsidiary, automaker VinFast, is based.

"Industrial real estate is set to be a pillar, contributing large and steady revenues to the company in future," the statement said.

The company plans to pay dividends by cash and shares at a rate of VND1,500 (6.5 U.S. cents) per share and 30 shares for every 100 owned.

Last year its post-tax profits were VND28.2 trillion after rising by 16 percent as it sold over 27,700 units of housing.
Companies are concerned that hiring foreign experts will become more difficult with a decree requiring at least a bachelor's degree in the related field of work.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung, one of the largest foreign direct investors in Vietnam, is worried that the new decree will pose challenges for its recruitment process.

"In reality, there are many people whose academic majors are not related to their field of work, but who have become outstanding experts after a long time of learning and gaining experience," Samsung Vietnam said in an emailed statement to VnExpress International.

The company was referring to a labor decree which took effect in February that allows foreigners to get a work permit only if they have at least a bachelor's degree and three years of experience in their field or a practicing certificate with five years of experience in their own country.

Samsung Vietnam said that in the long run, the decree will rob experts with outstanding skills the opportunity to develop their own potentials.

The company said it has always prioritized the recruitment and training of its employees and guaranteed that foreign experts sent from the parent company in South Korea or recruited into Samsung Vietnam are all high-quality professionals with expertise in their fields.

Several foreign manufacturing companies in Vietnam have reported no immediate issue relating to the new decree, but are concerned that recruiting will become more difficult in the future.

The head of human resources at a South Korean manufacturer of air compressors in Hanoi, who asked not be named, said the decree will limit the company's chances of finding suitable candidates if those with less than five years of experience in the field and without a related bachelor's degree cannot be hired.

Several chambers of commerce in Vietnam have already voiced concerns about the decree.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam said last month that it is not uncommon these days for a person to have a career unrelated to their education, and the new regulation creates unnecessary difficulties by recognizing only overseas and not Vietnamese experience.

The American Chamber of Commerce Vietnam (AmCham) said it was nearly impossible to have someone with the right education background for a certain job since career paths can shift.

AmCham members have expressed concerns that the regulation, could disrupt hiring and called for equal recognition for work experience in Vietnam and abroad.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, there were around 68,500 foreign workers in Vietnam in 2020.
Da Nang has suspended cars and motorbikes from transporting passengers and delivery services starting Monday amid rising coronavirus concerns.

Le Quang Nam, deputy chairman of the municipal People's Committee, said the suspension would be applied for taxi services and other contracted vehicles with under nine seats, including ride-hailing services.

Motorbikes are also suspended from transporting passengers, and ride-hailing services have to stop delivery services as well.

All drivers of taxis, contracted vehicles and ride-hailing services would need to medically declare themselves and be tested for Covid-19, he added.

The move followed several coronavirus outbreaks recorded in the central city. One of the latest cases confirmed was a GrabCar driver who had attended two weddings and driven several passengers before he was found infected. Contact tracing efforts in the city have revealed that several people working for taxis and other ride-hailing services have been infected with the coronavirus after making contact with previously confirmed cases.

Da Nang, which has recorded 135 coronavirus cases in the community in Vietnam's latest Covid-19 wave, has already suspended non-essential activities like bars, dance clubs and massage parlors. It has also banned on-location food and beverage services, and banned gatherings of more than five in public spaces.

Vietnam has seen 1,177 community cases in 27 cities and provinces since April 27 and recorded two deaths of Covid-19 patients, increasing its national coronavirus death toll to 37.
A view of the Mekong river bordering Thailand and Laos is seen from the Thai side in Nong Khai, Thailand, in 2019. Photo by Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun.

The French government has granted 1.5 million euros ($1.82 million) to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to improve and expand its river monitoring program.

The program is to better serve river monitoring and management of water infrastructure project operations along the mainstream and key tributaries of the Mekong.

The Mekong River, which flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, is the lifeblood of millions of people who depend on the river for their livelihoods. But as development accelerates and climate change intensifies, insufficient data and information on water infrastructure in the basin and the way this infrastructure is operated have made it difficult to forecast the impacts.

The funding, made available through the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), will span four years from 2021 to 2025, the MRC said in a statement.

It aims at increasing the ability of the MRC and its member countries, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, to monitor rainfall and river flow in order to better understand flow changes and corresponding impacts of development projects and climate change on riverine communities and the environment, especially water quality, sediment, and fisheries.

"We hope to strengthen the current river monitoring system, making it more efficient, reliable and capable of collecting and transmitting real-time rainfall, water level, and other environmental data to aid responsible development and management of the river," said An Pich Hatda, MRC secretariat CEO.

The new funding is a follow-up to two other grants of 4 million euros from France for the first two phases of the hydro-meteorological network project.

During the first phase from 2007 to 2012, the MRC established a network of 49 hydro-meteorological stations along the Mekong and its tributaries to collect near real-time data of water level and rainfall every 15 minutes for flood forecasting and river monitoring.

For the second phase from 2016 to 2022, the MRC has expanded the network with 11 additional stations along the mainstream and improved the understanding of river dynamics and the application of data for other areas of water resources management.

Since 2006, France has granted the MRC over 10 million euros to support river monitoring, flood and drought management, climate change, and environmental management.
The doses were transferred to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) for storage, awaiting the Health Ministry's instructions on distribution to localities for the third phase of vaccination.

Duong Thi Hong, deputy director of the NIHE, said the vaccine boxes have been transported in the prescribed temperature. The shipment is part of the 4.1 million doses committed in free support for Vietnam under the Covax facility.

The health ministry has said that the second batch will be used to expand vaccination coverage to more people in priority groups, and provide a second dose to those who have already got the first dose.

Vietnam began its inoculation program in March using the vaccine produced by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, secured either through contracts or under Covax.

In February, Vietnam received about 117,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses of the 30 million it has ordered from the producer. A month later, the country received its first batch of the same vaccine under the Covax facility.

So far, over 977,000 people, or about 1 percent of the country's population, have been vaccinated against Covid-19, mainly frontline workers in the Covid-19 fight and medics at local hospitals. Of these, more than 22,000 have received the prescribed two injections.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long had said that a review of over 600,000 people whod been vaccinated showed 16 percent had normal reactions after vaccination, which disappeared over the next 24 hours.

On May 7, Vietnam recorded its first death following Covid-19 vaccination: a 35-year-old female medic at a hospital in An Giang who died due to "anaphylaxis induced by a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug allergy," according to a professional council of the southern province's health department.

The ministry said around 110 million doses will be supplied for Vietnam this year  38.9 million under Covax, 30 million from AstraZeneca and 31 million from Pfizer/BioNTech. It has also registered to buy about 10 million additional doses through Covax under a cost-sharing scheme with lower prices.

Negotiations are also underway to purchase more vaccines from the U.S.'s Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, Germany's CureVac, Russia's Generium JSC and China's Sinopharm, helping diversify vaccine sources.

The nation has been grappling with its latest Covid-19 outbreak since April 27, under which 1,140 community transmissions have been confirmed as of Sunday night.
Workers at Quang Chau industrial park in Bac Giang Province wait to have their samples taken for coronavirus tests, May 15, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Vietnam recorded 28 new Covid-19 community cases in northern provinces Monday noon.

14 of the cases were detected in Bac Giang, seven in Dien Bien, five in Ha Nam and two in Lang Son.

The cases in Bac Giang had made contact with coronavirus cases at the Quang Chau industrial area, a major coornavirus hotspot in the province. They are now being treated at a local field hospital.

The seven cases in Dien Bien had made contact with two previously confirmed coronavirus cases. They are now being treated at a local field hospital.

The five cases in Ha Nam are also close contacts with existing coronavirus cases. They are now being treated at the Bach Mai Hospital and the Ha Nam General Hospital.

The two cases in Lang Son are two 41-year-old and 38-year-old women, both workers at Japanese electronics company Hosiden, another coronavirus hotspot. They are now treated at the Huu Lung District medical center.

Vietnam has been coping with a new Covid-19 wave that broke out on April 27 and has so far seen 1,205 cases in 27 cities and provinces. Two additional deaths of Covid-19 patients have also been recorded, bringing the national coronavirus death toll to 37.

Over 979,000 in the country have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Over 22,500 of them have received two shots of the vaccine.
The United States joins the international community in celebrating the importance of press freedom. Information and knowledge are powerful tools, and a free and independent press is the core institution connecting publics to the information they need, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in his statement commemorating World Press Freedom Day. Thats why the United States advocates for press freedom online and offline, and for the safety of journalists worldwide.

Freedom of expression is foundational to democratic societies. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of expression includes the right of all individuals to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

But the outlook for the rights of journalists today is harrowing, said Secretary Blinken.

Thats one reason the U.S. announced, in response to the brutal murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Khashoggi Ban  to help deter threatening behavior against the media. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the number of reporters jailed for their work in 2020 reached the highest level since the organization began keeping track, with the Peoples Republic of China, Turkey, and Egypt imprisoning the most reporters last year. In Russia, authorities continue to restrict independent reporting, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic provided a pretext for repressive governments to intensify pressure on independent media. Secretary Blinken call[ed] on all governments to ensure media safety and protect journalists ability to do their jobs without fear of violence, threats, or unjust detention. The United States urges governments to investigate and seek accountability for all crimes against journalists.

In an increasingly digital world, press freedom and the free flow of information also require Internet freedom. Secretary Blinken said the U.S. is concerned by governments increased efforts to deprive the public of information and knowledge by controlling Internet access and censoring content, including through the widespread use of network restrictions. Governments must not shut down, block, throttle, censor, or filter services, as these actions undermine and unduly restrict the rights of peaceful assembly and freedoms of association and expression, disrupt access to essential services, and negatively impact the economy.

The United States is committed to working in partnership with members of the media, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and governments to support access to information and defend freedom of expression and the journalists who face intimidation, harassment, arrest, and violence in exercising their rights.
After Benins Constitutional Court approved the provisional results of the West African countrys April 11 presidential election, newly re-elected President Patrice Talon in a speech to the nation called on the people of his country to work in "concord, unity, peace and security.

But unity and peace have not been the watchwords for events related to the presidential election in Benin this year. Prior to the election, with President Talons support, laws were pushed through the National Assembly that made it difficult for opponents to run in the election, and many opposition leaders have left the country. During the voting itself, polling centers in some areas of the country were unable to open.

In addition, a number of opposition leaders who have remained in the country have been arrested for what observers say are politically motivated reasons.

In a statement, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said the United States notes with concern the numerous arrests of opposition political leaders related to the April 11 presidential elections. Among the democratic principles our two countries share is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty through a prompt, fair, transparent and apolitical criminal justice process. This principle, he added, as well as freedom of expression and assembly is enshrined in both the Beninese and U.S. constitutions.

Some of the opposition leaders who have been arrested have been detained on suspicion of financing terrorism and inciting violence.

Spokesperson Price said, While we take allegations of terrorism and incitement to violence seriously, the Beninese people deserve to be regularly informed on the status of these cases. Our global security partnerships depend upon partner countries adherence to human rights obligations and commitments and to ensuring security forces and the judicial system are not used for political purposes.

The United States is monitoring the government of Benins actions closely, said Mr. Price. Respecting and protecting fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and judicial independence are essential to every democracy. Countries that protect human rights enable greater prosperity and security for all people.
Death toll in Gaza hits 181 as tension with Israel continues for 7th day

Xinhua) 09:02, May 17, 2021

A Palestinian man reacts as he inspects the rubble of a house destroyed by Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

Death toll in Gaza Strip has climbed to 181 and 1,225 others were injured. Palestinian sources said a temporary cease-fire proposed by Egypt "is under discussion by the Palestinian factions and will be on the table of Israeli cabinet for discussion on Sunday."

GAZA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Tension between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip continued on Sunday for the seventh day in a row as death toll in the coastal enclave climbed to 181 and 1,225 others were injured, officials said.

The health ministry in Gaza said in a press statement that since Monday, 181 Palestinians have been killed, including 52 children and 31 women, and 1,225 others had different injuries.

Rescuers help a man trapped in rubble of a house destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Militant groups, led by the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), fired barrages of rockets from the Gaza Strip at cities and towns in central and southern Israel.

Israeli fighter jets intensified its airstrikes on buildings, military posts and facilities affiliated with the militants all over the strip, according to security sources.

The sources said that the houses of Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip Yehya Sinwar and his brother were destroyed in the intensive Israeli airstrikes waged on the southern city of Khan Younis, adding that no injuries were reported as the two houses had been evacuated.

A firefighter attempts to extinguish flames after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, said in a text message sent to reporters that during overnight and on Sunday morning, 23 Palestinians were killed and over 50 wounded in the airstrikes on Gaza.

An Israeli army spokesman said that in the last 24 hours, Israeli fighter jets struck 90 targets that belong to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, including the houses of Sinwar and his brother Mohammed.

The spokesman said that Gaza militants fired more than 120 rockets towards Israel, adding that the Iron Dome Air Defense System has intercepted most of them.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of a house destroyed by Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

Palestinian sources said there are regional and international efforts to reach a humanitarian cease-fire between the two sides.

The sources told Xinhua that Egypt has been trying to pressure the two sides to declare a temporary humanitarian cease-fire to alleviate the suffering in Gaza until a permanent truce is reached.

The sources added that the Egyptian proposal "is under discussion by the Palestinian factions and will be on the table of Israeli cabinet for discussion on Sunday."

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Antonio David and his wife Belinda Jepchirchir run an agro vet known as Moiben Connections Ltd in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County.

The 40-year-old started the store in 2008 and spoke to Seeds of Gold on what it takes to start the business and run it successfully.

Why did you get into this line of business?

I saw a gap and decided to fill it. I was working with a multinational dealing with the supply of farm inputs and noticed that few professionals were running agrovets. My research indicated that many of them were animal health specialists, yet they were selling crop products. Again, some of those running the shops were neither crop nor livestock specialists. I chose to make a difference.

You hold a masters degree in crop protection and your wife is a food and nutrition specialist, generally, what minimum qualification does one need to run the business?

Having professional qualifications is advantageous, but anyone with as little as a certificate in agriculture can run a small to medium agro-business.

How much did you start with?

I started small, with Sh60,000 capital which I used to pay rent and buy my initial stock. I would then do consultations with the farmers and visit their farms. My business model was to offer both products and expertise.

You see, business is not all about having money. I isolated the assets I had: knowledge, experience in the field, and a ready market. I had a good reception from the word go; on my first day I served two clients and by week one, 40 farmers had visited my shop.

Soon after, we were overwhelmed with orders yet we lacked finances to get the farm inputs. Luckily, from my previous job, I had worked with several distributors, which helped me get goods on credit, sell and pay. After two years, I took a Sh1.2 million bank loan to expand the business.

What makes this business popular?

There is a huge demand for agricultural farm inputs as many take up farming. Again, starting is not hard. In our case, we serve over 1,000 farmers on average during the peak season as it is currently, but this halves during the low season. About 70 percent of our clients are smallholder farmers and they are served by our 46 workers. The farmers come from Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Trans-Nzoia, Busia, Nandi Kakamega, and Bungoma counties.

What licenses does one need to start this business and how much do they cost?

They include Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) license Sh1000 for a small business, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) license for small business Sh1,000, and county license Sh10,000. Other licenses and documents that one can acquire as they progress are Agrochemicals Association certification, fire license, and insurance.

Agrovets are the first point of call for farmers in distress, have the shops filled the space once occupied by agronomists?

In a way, yes, and the agro vet operator has no choice but to play the role; the reason why one must employ professionals. Due to the gap, farmers have forced us to offer agronomy services but the good thing is that you also sell your products. When we started a free agronomy service, where we send agronomists on motorbikes for farms, it looked costly but soon our sales improved. This helps one to maintain a loyal customer base.

One of the major problems facing the sector is an influx of fake products, how does one guard against this?

You have to be familiar with the regulations laid down by Kephis for the seeds and PCPB for agro-chemicals. These bodies also conduct regular inspections for compliance.

Second, if you can, source quality inputs directly from manufacturers, not from other agrovets.

Third, evaluate every complaint that comes from farmers. This will help you pick out fake products and address them accordingly. For instance, seeds may fail to germinate, but this may be due to delayed rains and not necessarily fake products.

What lesson have you learnt about the business?

When stocking, be guided by farming seasons. Sometimes rains delay but the experience is that farmers always plant by March, so in our case, we stock by February. Also, invest in technology to run the shop, which will help you analyse trends in the market. In my case, I can access data about the business from 10 years ago. There is great competition in the business, but focus on what you do to stand out.

Lastly, there is always the temptation of expanding the business by opening various branches. This must be done in a calculated manner. Between 2012 and 2014, I opened six outlets in various counties but I was forced to close them in 2015 after they were run down. I went into losses and was forced to take loans to offset debts. We chose to concentrate on our main shop in Eldoret, though we are now working on expansion once again. We want to have presence in Kirinyaga, Nyeri, and several other places.

Expert Talk

Carol Mutua, a crops specialist from Egerton University, notes that many people have turned to agrovets because of a huge demand for inputs as hundreds embrace farming.

The law requires that agrovets should be run by qualified and trained personnel. The agrovet owner and employees should be trained in plant and animal health. In addition, the employees should also be qualified and registered with Kenya Veterinary Board in case they are animal specialists, she says.

However, according to her, tens of agrovets across the country are operated by people or employees who are neither qualified nor trained and yet they sell agrochemicals to farmers. Trained employees can understand what the customer requires thus avoid the risk of selling the wrong product to customers.
The United States has thrown its support behind waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organization.

The Biden-Harris Administration policy was announced May 5 by U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai. This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures, she wrote in a statement. The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines.

In her statement, Ambassador Tai said the United States will actively participate in text-based negotiations at the World Trade OrganizationThose negotiations will take time given the consensus-based nature of the institution and the complexity of the issues involved.

Many developing countries have little access to COVID-19 vaccines and have struggled to respond to spikes in COVID-19 among their citizens. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the U.S. decision, calling it a monumental moment and a powerful example of American leadership to address global health challenges.

Ambassador Tai said, The Administrations aim is to get as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as fast as possible. As our vaccine supply for the American people is secured, the Administration will continue to ramp up its efforts  working with the private sector and all possible partners  to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution. It will also work to increase the raw materials needed to produce those vaccines.
Statewide, a bill inspired by the Blue Ribbon Commission for a Globally Prepared Nevada would compel all districts to make a plan for virtual education and ensure students have access to technology  although some questions remain about funding, especially as emergency dollars dry up.

Senate Bill 215, now being considered in the state Assembly, would also do away with the traditional number of days that distance learning students must spend in a grade, allowing them instead to move through school as they master skills.

The aim of it all? To make distance learning a good option, rather than a last resort.

Wetsel said it took work to make virtual learning work for her family. They talked to the teacher when live lessons proved challenging and got recorded versions to watch instead, effectively flipping the school day upside down.

If she didnt feel like doing math after dinner, then we did science, Wetsel said of her daughter. That (flexibility) made all the difference.

Wetsel said her husband supervised most lessons, stopping the video when he felt that Isabella had a question. By explaining the concepts once in the schools way and then again in their own way, they were better able to find a method that would resonate with their daughter.
The district is due nearly $800 million more in federal emergency funding, on top of $400 million it has been allocated in previous waves for technology needs, personal protective equipment and more.

Pearson said the funding can provide a foundation, but that paying for virtual learning with one-time funding will likely create quality issues down the line.

Given time and resources, Pearson said, all options are on the table when it comes to designing distance learning courses, like having one teacher record lessons that could be used across many schools.

We need to make sure this is quality implementation, not another program we hope will get better with time. We can be hugely successful, if we give ourselves the time and resources to do it, Pearson said.

The default instructional option for students next year is in-person learning, with those who would prefer distance learning required to opt in by May 21.

The Clark County School District has put out a list of considerations for parents who are interested in distance learning, asking, for example, whether their children are independent learners and effective communicators, and whether there is an adult available at home to support their learning, help them remain on task and answer questions.
The largest vaccination effort in American history continues as health authorities look to get the life-saving shots distributed as quickly as possible. As of 16 May, more than 274 million doses of covid-19 vaccines has been administered, at an average of 1.98 million per day over the last week.

The aim, of course, is to allow the country to return to some form of normality, potentially even in time for some summer holiday plans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as still advising against travel for anyone who has not been fully vaccinated, but those who are should be able to travel.

What do they mean by fully vaccinated?

Most of the vaccines administered in the United States have been two-shot pharmaceuticals, meaning that they require two doses for immunity to be reached. However it is not quite that straight forward.

If you receive either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, you still need to wait until two weeks after receiving the second dose to be considered fully vaccinated. In the case of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you will also need to wait for two weeks after the shot.

Also bear in mind that any underlying conditions or medication that weaken your immune system may mean that you are still susceptible to infection. If you think this may be the case consult your healthcare provider for more information.

Foreign travel back on the cards for vaccinated Americans

If you satisfy those conditions you can start to enjoy a life that is closer to normality after the CDC made some significant changes to its guidance. As many will start to plan their summer holidays they will be delighted to know that travel is now permitted.

Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to get tested or self-quarantine for any domestic travel, good news for the nations tourist spots after a tough year.

There is also a much brighter picture for those hoping to travel internationally, although the rules there are more complicated and will depend on the destination countrys own rules. The new guidance from the CDC does not require travellers to get tested before leaving the United States and you will not be obliged to self-quarantine upon your return.

However you will still be required to show a negative covid-19 test before boarding your flight to return to the US, or show documentation of recovery from coronavirus. They also suggest that you get tested 3-5 days after returning to the States but this is no longer a requirement.
The deadline to file your federal tax returns with the IRS is drawing close and anyone yet to do so has until the end of Monday 17 May to get their filing completed. It is important that you do so to avoid being charged a penalty for late filing, or request a tax return extension.

The IRS opted to extend the deadline by two months to allow Americans more time to reconcile their finances after a year unlike any other. As such, many states chose to extend their own tax deadlines similarly but some have decided to implement their own rules.

State taxes differ from federal deadlines

The extended IRS deadline applies to individuals for their federal tax filings, but the picture is much more varied when it comes to state taxes. A total of 35 states (including DC) have also adopted the 17 May date for their state taxes deadline.

Those states are: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

One state has opted to give residents even longer to complete their filings; the deadline to file Maryland state taxes is 15 July 2021. This also applies to estimated tax payments for both the first and second quarters of 2021.

Other exceptions to the 17 May tax return deadline

The IRS extended deadline was granted to all states, but some were given an extra dispensation to help residents suffering with the aftermath of the winter storms from earlier this year that ravaged parts of the south. Residents in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana will have until June 15 to complete their IRS tax filing and make any payment required.

Tax authorities in Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas have also extended the state tax deadlines for residents of states affected by the winter storms who also owe taxes in their jurisdictions. If you think this applies to you, check with the states tax authority to see when your new deadline is.

Finally Alabama has opted to introduce a hybrid tax extension which will prevent filers from receiving penalties for payments until the 17 May, but not from accruing interest on outstanding payments. If you have an outstanding tax balance with the Alabama tax board then that amount will have accrued interest since 15 April.
Headlines

- Covid-19 vaccines have no impact on pregnancy, study finds

- US rollout tops 344..5 million doses delivered, 272.9 doses administered

- US retailers lift mask restrictions

- Canada 'storage' vaccine decision questioned by experts

- New York starts subway vaccine drive

- CDC updates mask advice: not required if vaccinated in most places (full story)

- India cases drop for third day but WHO remains concerned

- Ohio lines up $1 million vaccine lottery

- Leading scientists cast more doubts over covid-19 origin (full story)

- China slams US for hoarding and hundreds of millions of vaccines

- Biden urges parents to vaccinate eligible kids

- Vaccines show less efficacy against India variant

- Over 122 million US citizens now fully vaccinated (track CDC data here)

- New recommendations from CDC for fully vaccinated individuals, read about them here

- Covid-19 vaccine passports apps: which ones can be used in the US? Learn more

- US covid-19: 32.99 million cases / 586,352 deaths (live updates from JHU)

Scroll through some of our related articles:
On Monday President Joe Biden announced that the new Child Tax Credit programme included in his American Rescue Plan will come into effect from 15 July, meeting the initial target to get the system up and running.

The tax credit has been completely overhauled to provide a monthly direct payment into the accounts of eligible parents. In the past, the Child Tax Credit had simply been an annual tax refund that allowed parents to reduce their tax bill by up to $2,000.

The Biden administration hopes that the additional support will make a significant difference to low-income families and will reportedly halve the number of children in poverty over the next 12 months.

Biden to American families: Help is here

The Child Tax Credit announcement was one of the main takeaways from a Biden press conference on Tax Day 2021. Monday 17 May is the last day to get your tax returns in to the IRS before the deadline, and it is the tax authority who will be overseeing distribution of the new monthly payments too.

The new system will play a central role in Bidens effort to tackle income inequality in the United States and is slated to provide support to 39 million households. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Biden said: This tax cut sends a clear and powerful message to American working families with children. Help is here.

The new programme will see the IRS send monthly payments worth up to $300 for children aged less than six, and $250 for those aged between six and 17. Individuals earning less than $75,000 or married couples earning less than $150,000 will be entitled to the full amounts, with the amount on offer gradually decreasing for higher-income households.

How long will the new Child Tax Credit last for?

The American Rescue Plan provided federal funding to cover 12 months of the new programme, but the Biden administration is eager to extend to provision beyond then. A group of Democratic senators led by Michael Bennet, Colorado; Sherrod Brown, Ohio; Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut and Cory Booker, New Jersey have also called for the scheme to be made permanent.

Biden has not gone so far as to make it permanent but the American Families Plan announced earlier this month included a four-year extension to the Child Tax Credit programme. This would see the monthly direct payments continue until the end of 2025, if the legislation is passed by Congress.

Speaking at the White House today, Biden said: "While the American Rescue Plan provides for this vital tax relief to hard working families for this year, Congress must pass the American Families Plan to ensure that working families will be able to count on this relief for years to come.
Last weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an update on their new guidelines for those who have received both shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. Those who are now fully vaccinated, they say, are now free to resume activities which they did before the pandemic.

Who is considered fully vaccinated?

It considers those who are fully vaccinated when two weeks have passed since an individual received the second dose in a two-dose series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or a fortnight after a single-dose jab of Johnson & Johnsons Janssen vaccine.

The CDC stated, Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

Activities can be resumed without the need to wear a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. You will still be required to follow guidance at your workplace and local businesses.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky explained on NBCs Meet the Press programme yesterday, Everybody, as we are working towards opening up again after 16 months getting out of this pandemic, will need to understand what they need to do locally. And this was not permission to shed masks for everybody everywhere. This was really science-driven individual assessment of your risk. Right now, the data, the science shows us that its safe for vaccinated people to take off their masks. I, as the CDC director, promised the American people I would convey that science to you as we know it. We are asking people to be honest with themselves. If they are vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are safe. If they are not vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are not safe".

Mask mandates and rules vary between states

However, the CDCs new guidelines have caused some confusion as it will have no effect on local mask mandates and some states are advising their citizens to keep wearing masks until infection cases drop to manageable levels. Some states have said that they will end mask mandates, while others remain unchanged. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot hopes that fully vaccinated people in her city will continue to wear masks until the situation is under control. She told the Stephanie Ruhle Reports show on MSNBC, I think weve got to get some clarification from the CDC, Lightfoot said. The rollout, obviously, the reporting has been a bit abrupt, and I think they have a lot of clarifications they need to do. I know for me personally, Im going to continue to wear a mask in public, and Im going to encourage others to do so. Weve got to make sure that people are continuing to follow the public health guidance that has gotten us this far, and masks, I think, are a big and important part of that. To say, well, if youre vaccinated, you dont have to wear a mask, thats great, but what about all of the other people out there that arent vaccinated, and theres no way to know that? So, I think, for the time being, most people are going to continue to wear masks  outside of their homes, and I think thats smart.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has also said that he will extend his mask mandate order into the near future. "We believe at this time the city of Jackson having an only 36% vaccination rate, that that is too low of a percentage to lift our mask mandate," he explained.

US states lifting mask rules for fully vaccinated

California, which to date has administered 35,114,882 doses (88,871 per 100,000) will be following the CDCs mask guidelines starting from 15 June. Minnesota too has lifted a statewide requirement to wear face coverings. In an executive order, Governor Tim Walz urged Minnesotans "who have not been vaccinated to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces in accordance with CDC and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommendations.

Florida Mayor Daniella Levine Cava left it for the public to be sensible about the CDC recommendations. In an address, she said, This is truly the day we have been waiting for and I feel more confident than ever that we are reaching the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. In an effort to continue our fight, to return back to our normal lives and in consultation with our chief medical officer Dr. Peter Paige and our panel of medical experts, I am no longer mandating, but still recommending that people wear a mask and social distance at Miami-Dade county facilities. Since we dont know who has been vaccinated and who hasnt, we urge you to practice common sense and continue following masking and other precautions if you have not been vaccinated.

New York will ease its strict mask mandate for those who are fully vaccinated starting from Wednesday (19 May), Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. "All the arrows are now pointed in the right direction, so lets get back to life.

Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Ohio, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Kentucky, Washington, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, North Carolina, Kansas, Colorado and Rhode Island announced plans to fall in line with the CDC guidance either immediately or in the coming weeks. Wisconsin, New Jersey, Hawaii and Massachusetts will maintain their mask rules for the time being.
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"Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development," Xi told the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019.

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the unique and important role of the world civilizations in his address at the 2019 Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations.

"To meet our common challenges and create a better future for all, we look to culture and civilization to play their role, which is as important as the role played by economy, science and technology," Xi told the audience.

Over the past two years, China's culture and civilization has played an important part in contributing to the world afflicted with COVID-19 and conflicts.

As the pandemic still rages and new challenges arise, people across the world need to come together to promote interaction among civilizations and make joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

PROMOTING PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

As the international landscape undergoes pr ofo und changes, Xi's remarks on multiple international occasions, which demonstrate China's view on world civilizations, offer an insight.

"Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development," Xi told the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019.

"No two leaves in the world are identical, and no histories, cultures or social systems are the same," Xi told the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda in January 2021.

"Diversity is what defines our world and makes human civilization fascinating," Xi told the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in April 2021.

Russian sinologist Yuri Tavrovsky said he was impressed by Xi's remarks at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations two years ago.

"The meaning of the speech goes far beyond the cultural scope. President Xi hopes that different civilizations will strengthen exchanges and mutual learning to promote world peace and development," he said.

As humanity has been battling COVID-19 over the past two years, regrettably, the debate of "clash of civilizations" resurges, with some countries forming values-based alliances to provoke ideological confrontation.

At this critical time, Xi's remarks may shed light upon how to understand and handle cultural and civilizational differences.

"The moderate tea drinker and the passionate beer lover represent two ways of understanding life and knowing the world, and I find them equally rewarding," Xi said, using a comparison of tea and beer to explain the diversity and inclusiveness of human civilization.

China's view of world civilizations is rooted in its traditional values of peace, harmony without uniformity, and harmonious coexistence, which have not only shaped its own action model but also added impetus to global efforts to promote world peace and development.

China's view of world civilizations is characterized by equality, mutual learning, dialogue and mutual accommodation. It calls for replacing mistrust with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, and a false sense of superiority with coexistence in order to safeguard world peace and development.

FACILITATING DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION

In March, significant discoveries were made at China's legendary Sanxingdui ruins, which show that the region's ancient Shu state civilization may bear similarities with the Maya in their perception of the universe.

"At the end of the day, man is still man independent of time and space, and what we have is that, at this latitude, both that culture and the Maya looked at the same sky, they had the same stars on the horizon," said director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, Marco Antonio Santos.

Cultural exchange and dialogue prompt the evolution of human civilization. The ancient Chinese Silk Road, for instance, has played a big role in connecting peoples and cultures over centuries. In this day and age, China's exchanges with other countries in culture, arts, archeology and education go far beyond the past.

As the president of a country with an ancient civilization, Xi has made personal efforts to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Xi has been fascinated by the diversity of civilizations during his overseas trips, including those to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the Luxor Temple in Egypt, the ancient city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan and India's Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram.

His respect and admiration for other civilizations were also manifest in his frequent reference to foreign culture, ranging from world-famous classics to well-told stories and arts and crafts symbolizing intermingled cultures.

The COVID-19 outbreak, though dramatically reduced international travels, has not stopped cultural exchange. Chinese music, TV dramas and books continue to be staged and read on foreign soil, not to mention abundant resources of Chinese culture online.

WORKING FOR BETTER WORLD

On a nine-story Basantapur complex in Kathmandu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was badly damaged during the 2015 earthquake, Chinese conservation engineers are putting finishing touches on their meticulous restoration work.

The exquisite and sophisticated wood and brick structures damaged in the 7.9-magnitude earthquake were brought back to life by the Chinese team, who stayed in Nepal and worked around the clock despite difficulties imposed by the pandemic.

Apart from cultural heritage conservation, China is also working with other countries in poverty reduction, environmental protection and other fields as part of its efforts to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the vision of building such a community is China's contribution to human civilization. Beijing has applied and enriched such a vision in developing bilateral and multilateral relations, and practised it in such areas as ocean, health and environment.

As a key platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Belt and Road cooperation has won increasing popularity, eyeing further development in health, environment, digital growth and other areas.

In addition, China's anti-poverty cooperation continued despite the pandemic, with new pilot projects announced in Southeast Asian countries, and training programs expanding to help African farmers.

Civilization has a soft yet powerful influence. Learning from a different civilization can and should help build friendship between peoples, promote progress of human society and safeguard world peace for a better world for all.
SOFIA -- The Bulgarian national qualification contest of the 20th "Chinese Bridge", a major international Chinese proficiency competition for foreign university students, was held here on Sunday.

The event, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and the Confucius Institute in Sofia, was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with seven students from three universities participating.

Radina Yanuzova, a 23-year-old student from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", won the competition with 95.71 points out of 100. She will represent Bulgaria at the finals in China.

"I think that the 'Chinese Bridge' Competition not only provides a platform for learners of Chinese language in Bulgaria to show their Chinese proficiency, but also creates opportunities for the Chinese people to learn about Bulgaria," Prof. Liu Xiuming, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said in his closing remarks.

The Chinese language learning program in Bulgaria was launched in 1953. Last year, the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria officially introduced curricula for teaching the Chinese language in schools. Many universities, including Sofia University, also have specialties related to the Chinese language and China.

The "Chinese Bridge" competition is organized annually to inspire foreign students to learn Chinese and enhance their understanding of the Chinese culture.
State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with voters in Hoc Mon district (Photo: VNA)

Presenting his programme of action, President Phuc affirmed that he will do his utmost to serve the nation and people.

He stressed the need for deputies to listen to voters aspirations and ideas and report them to the National Assembly, Party, State and relevant agencies, and pay more attention to locals substantial socio-economic affairs.

It is also necessary to seek measures to reduce time and costs related to administrative procedures to create favourable conditions for locals and businesses, focus more on improving social welfare, and step up the fight against corruption and wastefulness.

The State leader also requested municipal authorities to invest more in areas with slow development, build strong defense and security, exert efforts to improve the position and prestige of Vietnam in the international arena and speed up judicial reform.

For Cu Chi and Hoc Mon, the State President said it is necessary to develop general planning for the two districts in the citys overall master plan to develop them into an ecological urban area during 2030-2045, with the highlight being the Northwest urban area.

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc presents gift to Heroic Mother Nguyen Thi Xay in Hoc Mon (Photo: VNA)

On this occasion, President Phuc also visited and met with voters of Division 9 of Army Corps 4, during which he hailed the units contributions to the national construction and defemce.

Besides, he also visited and presented gifts to several policy beneficiaries in Cu Chi and Hoc Mon districts./.
This years competition focuses on seeking innovative solutions to help solve the plastic problem in Mandalika, Lombok Island (Indonesia), and Samal Island (the Philippines).

Source: Internet



All individuals, organisations from ASEAN countries, or any team from other countries who have at least one member who is ASEAN national, with the ability to communicate clearly and give presentations in English, are welcome to participate in the EPPIC competition. The application period is from now till 23 May 2021. The result of the application round is expected to be announced in June 2021.

Research from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences states that around 268,740 - 594,558 tons of plastic waste are leaking into this country's marine every year. Ms. Sophie Kemkhdaze, as Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Indonesia, shared this concern, "Based on other studies, it shows that Southeast Asia is the region with the largest contribution to plastic leakage in the marine. UNDP hopes that EPPIC can contribute to decreasing this number through the emergence of innovative solutions, their development, and replication."

Dr. Selva Ramachandran, UNDP Resident Representative in the Philippines, informed that Marine plastic litter has been posing significant environmental, economic and social cost to the country and its people. With rapid urbanization, economic development, and increasing population, confounded by impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, waste generation is expected to increase and poses significant challenges to the countries, if measures are not undertaken. In 2019, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources estimated that the country generated 21 million metric tonnes of waste, which is a 56% increase from 2010. Among the solid waste generated, 11% is plastic. He also shared: With the EPPIC project, we are hopeful to introduce innovative solutions that would offer a systemic approach to addressing the plastic pollution and would facilitate a transition to a circular economy.

According to Mr. Bjornar Hotvedt, Minister Counsellor of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Southeast Asia is the hotspot for marine plastic debris crisis, and so many people think that it would take years before progress could be seen in the region. He stressed, To solve the problem, the government has to act; commitment and contribution from society are needed. I believe EPPIC, which NORAD also supports, can stimulate innovative solutions from the society that can solve the plastic marine crisis in the ocean.

Four winning solutions will receive a total of 72,000 USD of seed funding, participate in a 9-month impact acceleration programme and have the opportunities to network with impact investing firms and other key development players in the ASEAN region./.
Rescuers help a man trapped in rubble of a house destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, May 16, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

GAZA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Tension between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip continued on Sunday for the seventh day in a row as death toll in the coastal enclave climbed to 181 and 1,225 others were injured, officials said.

The health ministry in Gaza said in a press statement that since Monday, 181 Palestinians have been killed, including 52 children and 31 women, and 1,225 others had different injuries.

Militant groups, led by the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), fired barrages of rockets from the Gaza Strip at cities and towns in central and southern Israel.

Israeli fighter jets intensified its airstrikes on buildings, military posts and facilities affiliated with the militants all over the strip, according to security sources.

The sources said that the houses of Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip Yehya Sinwar and his brother were destroyed in the intensive Israeli airstrikes waged on the southern city of Khan Younis, adding that no injuries were reported as the two houses had been evacuated.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, said in a text message sent to reporters that during overnight and on Sunday morning, 23 Palestinians were killed and over 50 wounded in the airstrikes on Gaza.

An Israeli army spokesman said that in the last 24 hours, Israeli fighter jets struck 90 targets that belong to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, including the houses of Sinwar and his brother Mohammed.

The spokesman said that Gaza militants fired more than 120 rockets towards Israel, adding that the Iron Dome Air Defense System has intercepted most of them.

Palestinian sources said there are regional and international efforts to reach a humanitarian cease-fire between the two sides.

The sources told Xinhua that Egypt has been trying to pressure the two sides to declare a temporary humanitarian cease-fire to alleviate the suffering in Gaza until a permanent truce is reached.

The sources added that the Egyptian proposal "is under discussion by the Palestinian factions and will be on the table of Israeli cabinet for discussion on Sunday." Enditem

15

1

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi chairs the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on "The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question" via video link on May 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Wei Xiang)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China puts forward a four-point proposal regarding escalating Palestine-Israel conflict, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

Wang made the remarks when chairing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate on "The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question" via video link.

Wang said that the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine had resulted in a large number of casualties, including women and children. The situation is extremely critical and severe, and a ceasefire and cessation of violence is urgently needed.

The international community must move forward with urgency to prevent the situation from further deteriorating, to prevent the region from falling again into turmoil, and to protect the lives of local people, Wang said.

He said that the Palestinian question has always been the core of the Middle East issue. Only when the Palestinian question is resolved comprehensively, fairly and permanently, can the Middle East truly achieve lasting peace and universal security.

In response to the current tense situation, Wang put forward a four-point proposition:

First, ceasefire and cessation of violence is the top priority. China strongly condemns violent acts against civilians, and once again urges the two sides to immediately stop military and hostile actions, and stop actions that deteriorate the situation, including airstrikes, ground offensives, and rocket launches. Israel must exercise restraint in particular.

Second, humanitarian assistance is an urgent need. China urges Israel to earnestly fulfill its obligations under international treaties, lift all the blockade and siege of Gaza as soon as possible, guarantee the safety and rights of civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory, and provide access for humanitarian assistance. The international community must provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine, and the UN must play a coordinating role to avoid serious humanitarian disasters.

Third, international support is an obligation. The UNSC must take vigorous action on the Palestine-Israel conflict, reiterate its firm support for a "two-state solution," and push the situation to cool down at an early date.

The UNSC has failed to make a unanimous voice due to the obstruction of one certain country. China calls on the United States to shoulder its due responsibilities, adopt a fair stand, and support the UNSC in playing its due role in easing the situation, rebuilding trust, and political settlement.

China also supports the UN, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other countries that have an important influence on the region to play a more active role.

Fourth, a "two-state solution" is the fundamental way out. China supports the two sides resuming peace talks based on a "two-state solution" as soon as possible, to establish an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967 border, and fundamentally realize the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel, realize the harmonious coexistence of the Arab and Jewish nations, and realize lasting peace in the Middle East.

Wang said that, since China assumed the rotating presidency of the UNSC, it has made responding to the current tensions in the Middle East a top priority and pushed the UNSC to deliberate on the Palestinian question many times.

"China will continue to intensify efforts to promote peace talks, and fulfill its duties as the rotating presidency of the UNSC," said Wang, adding that China reiterates its invitation to peacemakers from Palestine and Israel to hold dialogue in China, and welcomes negotiators from the two countries to hold direct talks in China.

Wang urged unity; siding with peace, justice and fairness; standing by the right side of history; and practicing the real multilateralism, to push for the comprehensive, fair and permanent settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date.

For the part of the attendees, they thanked China for chairing the event, and called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of violence between Israel and Palestine, as well as cooling down of the situation while abiding by relevant UNSC resolutions and international laws.

They also believed the UNSC members and the international community should speak with one voice to fairly promote the Palestine-Israel peace talks and the realization of peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel. Enditem

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Villagers walk in Jiabang terraced fields in Congjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 4, 2021.(Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

"Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development," Xi told the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019.

by Wu Xia, Sun Ping

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the unique and important role of the world civilizations in his address at the 2019 Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations.

"To meet our common challenges and create a better future for all, we look to culture and civilization to play their role, which is as important as the role played by economy, science and technology," Xi told the audience.

Over the past two years, China's culture and civilization has played an important part in contributing to the world afflicted with COVID-19 and conflicts.

As the pandemic still rages and new challenges arise, people across the world need to come together to promote interaction among civilizations and make joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

PROMOTING PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

As the international landscape undergoes profound changes, Xi's remarks on multiple international occasions, which demonstrate China's view on world civilizations, offer an insight.

File photo shows an Asian culture carnival being held during the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC) at the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

"Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development," Xi told the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019.

"No two leaves in the world are identical, and no histories, cultures or social systems are the same," Xi told the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda in January 2021.

"Diversity is what defines our world and makes human civilization fascinating," Xi told the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in April 2021.

Russian sinologist Yuri Tavrovsky said he was impressed by Xi's remarks at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations two years ago.

"The meaning of the speech goes far beyond the cultural scope. President Xi hopes that different civilizations will strengthen exchanges and mutual learning to promote world peace and development," he said.

As humanity has been battling COVID-19 over the past two years, regrettably, the debate of "clash of civilizations" resurges, with some countries forming values-based alliances to provoke ideological confrontation.

At this critical time, Xi's remarks may shed light upon how to understand and handle cultural and civilizational differences.

"The moderate tea drinker and the passionate beer lover represent two ways of understanding life and knowing the world, and I find them equally rewarding," Xi said, using a comparison of tea and beer to explain the diversity and inclusiveness of human civilization.

China's view of world civilizations is rooted in its traditional values of peace, harmony without uniformity, and harmonious coexistence, which have not only shaped its own action model but also added impetus to global efforts to promote world peace and development.

China's view of world civilizations is characterized by equality, mutual learning, dialogue and mutual accommodation. It calls for replacing mistrust with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, and a false sense of superiority with coexistence in order to safeguard world peace and development.

FACILITATING DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION

In March, significant discoveries were made at China's legendary Sanxingdui ruins, which show that the region's ancient Shu state civilization may bear similarities with the Maya in their perception of the universe.

People take a photo of an exhibit at the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province on April 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Mengqi)

"At the end of the day, man is still man independent of time and space, and what we have is that, at this latitude, both that culture and the Maya looked at the same sky, they had the same stars on the horizon," said director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, Marco Antonio Santos.

Cultural exchange and dialogue prompt the evolution of human civilization. The ancient Chinese Silk Road, for instance, has played a big role in connecting peoples and cultures over centuries. In this day and age, China's exchanges with other countries in culture, arts, archeology and education go far beyond the past.

As the president of a country with an ancient civilization, Xi has made personal efforts to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Xi has been fascinated by the diversity of civilizations during his overseas trips, including those to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the Luxor Temple in Egypt, the ancient city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan and India's Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram.

His respect and admiration for other civilizations were also manifest in his frequent reference to foreign culture, ranging from world-famous classics to well-told stories and arts and crafts symbolizing intermingled cultures.

The COVID-19 outbreak, though dramatically reduced international travels, has not stopped cultural exchange. Chinese music, TV dramas and books continue to be staged and read on foreign soil, not to mention abundant resources of Chinese culture online.

WORKING FOR BETTER WORLD

On a nine-story Basantapur complex in Kathmandu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was badly damaged during the 2015 earthquake, Chinese conservation engineers are putting finishing touches on their meticulous restoration work.

The exquisite and sophisticated wood and brick structures damaged in the 7.9-magnitude earthquake were brought back to life by the Chinese team, who stayed in Nepal and worked around the clock despite difficulties imposed by the pandemic.

Wu Xianyan and college student Liang Qiongying promote local tourism via live streaming at Jiache Village, Jiabang Township in Congjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Apart from cultural heritage conservation, China is also working with other countries in poverty reduction, environmental protection and other fields as part of its efforts to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the vision of building such a community is China's contribution to human civilization. Beijing has applied and enriched such a vision in developing bilateral and multilateral relations, and practised it in such areas as ocean, health and environment.

As a key platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Belt and Road cooperation has won increasing popularity, eyeing further development in health, environment, digital growth and other areas.

In addition, China's anti-poverty cooperation continued despite the pandemic, with new pilot projects announced in Southeast Asian countries, and training programs expanding to help African farmers.

Civilization has a soft yet powerful influence. Learning from a different civilization can and should help build friendship between peoples, promote progress of human society and safeguard world peace for a better world for all. 

[ Editor: SRQ ]
WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Demonstrators took to streets on Saturday in a number of major U.S. cities, demanding an end to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

In the U.S. capital Washington, D.C., hundreds took part in pro-Palestinian protests on Saturday afternoon, marching from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol.

Also on Saturday, thousands of people rallied in Los Angeles in support of Palestinians. Local media said a handful of pro-Israel counterprotesters also gathered, and police officers kept the groups separated.

A demonstration that started in a neighborhood in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, which has a large Arabic-speaking community, continued through the streets for several hours on Saturday afternoon, said an ABC News report.

In San Francisco, a raucous crowd banged drums and yelled "Palestine will be free" as they marched across the Mission district to Dolores Park, the report said, adding that pro-Palestinian demonstrations were also held in Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and some other U.S. cities.

The protests were planned for Nakba Day, which Palestinians observe every May 15 to commemorate the 1948 displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians amid Israel's war of independence, local media reported.

Since Monday, Israel has pounded Gaza with hundreds of air strikes and shells, killing at least 145 people, including 41 children and 23 women. Meanwhile, rockets fired by militant groups in Gaza have killed 10 people, including a five-year-old boy, a soldier and two women. Enditem

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
LOS ANGELES, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people took to the streets in Los Angeles Saturday in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza as well as the forced displacement of Palestinians living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.

The march started Saturday afternoon, during which hundreds of demonstrators, who chanted and held signs saying "Free Palestine" and "End All U.S. Aid to Israel," blocked a major crossroad near the building housing many federal departments.

Police reported no clash and arrest, according to Officer Norma Eisenman of the Los Angeles Police Department, but traffic was heavily affected in the area.

The event was one of the dozens of demonstrations dubbed "Nakba 73: Resistance Until Liberation" staged across the United State to mark the 73rd anniversary of what has come to be known as the "Nakba," or catastrophe, a reference to Palestinians' displacement in the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948.

Palestinian Youth Movement, one of the organizers of Saturday's march, said in a statement that the event is aimed at reaffirming commitment to "the Palestinian people's struggle for justice, return, and liberation" and denouncing Washington's activities to "clamp down on proponents of Palestinian rights."

"Western governments have played an active role in the perpetuation of military occupation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. The U.S. government provides more than $3.8 billion annually in direct military aid to the occupation forces," said the statement.

"We demand an end to aid to the Israeli occupation forces and an end of the repressive measures against proponents of Palestinian rights. We demand the immediate removal of the U.S. embassy from Jerusalem and reversal of Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital," it said.

The ongoing conflicts between Israel and Gaza is the worst violence in the region since 2014. It is reported that rockets fired by militant groups in Gaza have killed 10 people, including a 5-year-old boy. Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza said since Monday more than 140 Palestinians have been killed, including 40 children and 20 women, and about 1,000 others injured. Enditem

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
The reform on the division of Ukrzaliznytsia into cargo and passenger directions and its unbundling has now been completed by about a quarter and it will take at least another two to three years to end, acting Head of the company's board Ivan Yuryk has said.

"Measured from zero to 100%, then I would estimate that we are now somewhere at the level of 20% to 25%. Ukrzaliznytsia should be divided into four operators: passenger traffic is the central budget and local budgets, infrastructure is permanent state-owned property, freight transportation is a liberalized market, and production, locomotive and carriage factories are a service both for Ukrzaliznytsia and for future private operators," he told Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Yuryk, this process has been going on recently, "rather, due to the inertia inherent in the past."

"In addition, some things were done incorrectly. Particularly, the registration of individual branches was carried out without the necessary corporate approval of the supervisory board, this is legally wrong. This creates potential risks for business in the future," the head of the company said.

According to him, the next two or three years will be a transitional period for the company.

"We have to do our homework, make a prototype of Ukrzaliznytsia in the part of the holding with four delimited operators, each of which will have a separate balance of assets and liabilities in order to move to a new market after unbundling. Moreover, in my opinion, such a transition needs two years, if we will work very quickly," Yuryk said.

He also called the adoption of the principal law on railway transport and the new market in parliament as a necessary condition. According to the head of Ukrzaliznytsia, quite constructive work is now underway with the transport committee, and it is hoped that the law will be adopted by the end of 2021.

Yuryk said the law is largely a framework, and a significant part of the details of relationships in the new market will be determined at the level of bylaws after its adoption, in particular, the PSO regulation for passenger transportation and the methodology for calculating the tariff for access to the track network.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has convened an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, May 18, due to the escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine.

"In view of the ongoing escalation between Israel and Palestine and the unacceptable number of civilian casualties, I am convening an extraordinary VTC of the EU Foreign Ministers on Tuesday. We will coordinate and discuss how the EU can best contribute to end the current violence," Borrel wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
The Latvian parliament has created a support group for the Crimean Platform in Ukraine, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Inara Murniece has said.

"It was decided to create a support group for the Crimean Platform. Such a group was created within the framework of the Latvian parliament, and in our opinion, this is another way how we can support the process that is going on now in Ukraine," Murniece said on a joint briefing with Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov after the meeting on Monday.

She also said that Latvia and other Baltic countries support Ukraine's aspirations for integration into the European Union and NATO.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine plans to launch vaccination certificates for Ukrainians in the Diia application in July this year.

"Technically, we plan to launch electronic certificates in July. It will be 100% in the Diia application. The corresponding resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers is already being prepared. But there will be a paper version for those who cannot use smartphones or cannot access the website. A paper version of the vaccination certificate will be ordered from a family doctor. We are also considering a network of Administrative Service Centres to provide wider access to this service," First Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Oleksiy Vyskub told Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, the Ukrainian side received the preliminary requirements of the European Union. The Ministry of Digital Transformation has studied them and is already technically ready for implementation.

"Now we are considering the introduction in Ukraine of two types of COVID-19 certificates  internal and external. External  for the ability to travel; internal, if such cases are chosen politically,  for the resumption of concerts and other public events. Now it is politically debated. It is clear, this is a difficult question, depending on the availability of the vaccine," he said.

Vyskub said that the main task of the Ministry of Digital Transformation today is to implement the international certificate as quickly as possible. It will differ from the internal one in the data set, since there are European requirements to display medical data, in particular the type and name of the vaccine, its manufacturer, etc.

"The basis for the certificates will be the eHealth system. Now the data of all vaccinated Ukrainians are being included into this system, it will be the only source for displaying the corresponding certificates. In order to check these data when crossing the border, the EU proposes to create a conditionally centralized database of non-personal data for all countries. It will store data that will allow checking the validity of the certificate issued in all countries that have joined this database," the First Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation said.

According to him, Ukraine is now at the stage of technical joining the data exchange in this database.
On Friday, during the Hour of Questions to the Government, the MPs will hear Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov said.

"On Friday, the Prime Minister of Ukraine will be within the walls of parliament, he will report on the proposal that came from the profile committee on health care [...] regarding the implementation of the Verkhovna Rada's resolution related to the above-mentioned problem [concerning the prevention and control of coronavirus infection, vaccination, ensuring medical institutions with everything necessary to counter COVID-19]," Razumkov said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

At the same time, he said that in order to assess the work of Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov, it is necessary to hear his report first of all.

"It is not me who should determine this. First, it is necessary to hear the report, what the minister defines for himself as victories or shortcomings, and then we will discuss it. But if we talk about the situation as a whole, then this is the overall responsibility of the Cabinet of Ministers," Razumkov said answering the question on the achievements and failures of Stepanov as a minister.

The speaker also said that his vote on Stepanov's resignation will be influenced by many factors, including his work report.

"I will be guided by my colleagues and the position of the relevant committee. There are many factors that will influence my decision, including the minister's report, which we will have to hear. I think that I will form my position based on this," he said.
On Wednesday, May 19, at 11.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Electoral sentiments, attitude of Ukrainians to current events on agenda" according to the results of a representative survey conducted by the CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) method or telephone interview from May 14 to May 17, 2021, with 3,000 respondents interviewed. Participants include analyst, sociologist of the Kyiv Institute of Sociological and Marketing Research Olha Chyzhevska; social psychologist, director of the Kyiv Institute of Sociological and Marketing Research Andriy Diahil (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Details by phone: (096) 344 9267, (063) 374 9233.
On Wednesday, May 19, at 13.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference on the results of a sociological study entitled "How Ukrainians feel about Medvedchuk's house arrest." Participants include Executive Director of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future Vadym Denysenko, Doctor of Sociology Oleksandr Shulga (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
Private equity manager Diligent Capital Partners (DCP) and Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO agreed to acquire a minority stake in Edinstvo Group, the leading independent producer of compound feed, packaged feed, premixes, concentrates, feed additives and distributor of veterinary drugs, animal vaccines, and pet goods in Ukraine. Edintsvo Group operates four feed mills (Dikansky, Lokhvitsky, Letichevsky and ArgoKom), as well as Inbel (Novacore), the largest premix plant in Ukraine. The $20 million investment will be used to construct a soybean processing plant, expand feed additives production capacity and install additional feed packaging lines. These projects are expected to reduce the company's production costs, increase the production of packaged feed, and create new jobs.

"I am proud of the hard work that the DCP and the Edinstvo Group teams undertook in reaching this important agreement and realizing this significant investment despite the uncertainty and economic turbulence of the last year. We are especially grateful to FMO for their support of DCP's investment strategy aimed at furthering the transformation of Ukraines agricultural sector from efficient production and export of raw agricultural commodities to further processing into higher value-added goods. The Edinstvo Group is an excellent example of the successful implementation of value add processing that in turn supports additional value added activities in Ukraine, namely the production of animal proteins for both domestic consumption and export. The Edinstvo Group has ambitious plans for further development and we are pleased to act as a financial catalyst for these initiatives" noted Dan Pasko, Co-Managing Partner of Diligent Capital.

FMO looks forward to the cooperation with Edinstvo Group. As a development bank we aim to empower local entrepreneurs and we hope to contribute to the Groups next phase. Together with our partner DCP, we aim to strengthen the company further and develop new segments with substantial value add and export potential, while at the same time creating new jobs, says Jaap Reinking, Director of FMOs Private Equity department.

"Cooperation with DCP and FMO marks a new stage in the development of Edinstvo Group. We are glad to have such reliable and experienced partners to support the implementation of our business plans. The investments will help us strengthen our market position, improve product quality and expand the range of goods with high added value" commented Sergey Semenyachenko, Co-Founding shareholder and member of the Board of Directors of Inter Edinstvo Holding.

Vitaly Strukov, Managing Partner of BDO Corporate Finance and the exclusive financial advisor to Edinstvo Group, noted Our cooperation with Edinstvo Group dates back more than ten years and began with the development of a long-term vision and strategy and the attraction of a significant loan from the EBRD to finance the first step of that strategy. Edinstvo Group belongs to the top league of feed and premixes producers in Ukraine and I am pleased that we were able to attract an equally strong and experienced partner as DCP to continue the realization of Edinstvo Groups long-term strategy. "

The transaction was also supported by a number of leading professional advisory firms including Avellum, OMP, Eterna Law, Snark for legal, Deloitte for financial and tax, AVGroup for environmental and social, and Civitta for commercial due diligence.

Additional information

Diligent Capital Partners (DCP) is a private equity fund manager with a focus on export-oriented businesses, agribusiness, and consumer goods and services.

FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has a 50-year proven track-record of empowering people to employ their skills and improve their quality of life. FMO focuses on three sectors that have high development impact: financial institutions, energy, and agribusiness, food & water. With a committed portfolio of EUR 9.7 billion spanning over 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector development banks globally. For more information: please visit www.fmo.nl

The Edinstvo Group is a leading producer of feed in Ukraine and formerly a part of the Inter Edinstvo Holding. The company produces compound feed, packaged feed, premixes and concentrates, feed additives, and distributes veterinary drugs, animal vaccines, and pet goods. The products are sold under the trademarks Schedra Nyva, Balans Optima, Feedline, BestMix, Provitan, TOP Korm, MAX Effect, FeedMix, Intelligent Nutrition and AnimAll.
This brought the total volume of rice exported in the first four months of this year to 1.9 million tonnes, worth US$1.01 billion, down 10.8% in volume but up 1.2% in value year-on-year.

The Agro Processing and Market Development Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that the Philippines was the largest rice consumption market of Vietnam in the first three months of this year with 36.3% market share.

The volume and value to the market reached 411,580 tonnes and US$219.96 million, respectively, down 30.7% in volume and 14.5% in value year-on-year.

Markets with a sharp increase in rice export value in the three months were Ivory Coast with a 2.7 times rise and Australia with year-on-year growth of 66%.

A market where the rice export value fell significantly was Mozambique (down 53.5%). The average rice export price in the first three months reached US$547.8 per tonne, growing 18.6% over the same period last year.

Regarding the types of rice, in the first three months of 2021, the export value of white rice accounted for 39.3% of the total turnover; jasmine rice and fragrant rice accounted for 36% and sticky rice accounted for 22% and other types of rice made up about three percent.

On the world market, Vietnam's rice price reached US$508 per tonne at the beginning of last month and fell to US$488 per tonne at the end of the month.

The main reason is because the winter-spring crop has been harvested, therefore, the demand for raw materials dropped, waiting for the coming summer-autumn crop.

Poor weather conditions are forecast in many parts of the world this year, resulting in a decrease in food production in many countries, and demand for rice imports expected to increase this year.

The European market is forecasted to be livelier thanks to the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), in which Vietnam is an important rice trading partner.

Utilising FTAs to boost declining shipments

Vietnamese rice exporters have been urged to play a more active role in utilising free trade agreements (FTAs) to which Vietnam is a party to boost falling exports.

Despite the fall in volume, rice export prices jumped from January to March on account of high demand for food reserves around the world, said Tran Quoc Toan, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)s Agency of Foreign Trade.

By the end of March, Vietnams rice price remained at a high of US$547 per tonne, up 18.6%, or US$86, compared to a year earlier.

Rice exporters have been increasingly focusing on improving quality and traceability to meet the strict standards of markets such as the EU, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the US, Toan said.

Vietnam has entered into various FTAs with strategic countries and regions, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EVFTA, and, more recently, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).

Toan said that in order to utilise FTAs and boost the global market share of Vietnamese rice at more competitive prices, his ministry will continue to coordinate with ministries, branches, and the Vietnam Food Association to help businesses effectively implement deals and make the most of markets such as the ROK and the EU.

The MoIT will adopt mechanisms and policies to remove technical and trade barriers, internalise international commitments, customs procedures, logistics, and credit, and focus on branding to create a foundation for rice exporters to exploit foreign markets, Toan said.

He also urged rice exporters and farmers to be more active in improving product competitiveness in terms of quality and price as well as building and protecting Vietnamese trademarks, so as to diversify markets and promote sustainable exports.
In the past when the Soviet Union and the system of socialist countries still existed, there was nothing to discuss about socialism in Vietnam. However, since the model of socialism in the Soviet Union and many Eastern European countries collapsed, and the worlds revolution fell into decline, the issue regarding Vietnams path towards socialism was raised again.

We acknowledge that capitalism has never been as global as it is today and has also reaped great achievements. However, capitalism still has failed to overcome its inherent contradictions.

The social protest movements that broke out in many developed capitalist countries over the past time have revealed the nature of capitalist political institutions. In the developed capitalist countries, the so-called "free" and "democratic" elections cannot change dominant forces, although they can change the government.

We need a society in which development is truly for people. We need economic development in tandem with social progress and justice. We need a society of compassion, solidarity and mutual assistance, towards progressive and humanitarian values. We need sustainable development in harmony with the nature to ensure a healthy living environment for current and future generations. And we need a political system where power is really of the people, by the people and for the people.

National independence associated with socialism is the basic and cross-cutting guideline of the Vietnamese revolution and is also the key point in President Ho Chi Minh's ideological legacy.

During the years of Doi Moi (Reform), the CPV has been more and more aware of socialism and the transition period towards socialism.

So far, although there are still some issues that need further study, a general perception has been formed: The socialist society that the Vietnamese people are striving to build is a society of wealthy people, strong country, democracy, justice and civilisation; owned by the people; of a highly developed economy based on modern production forces and appropriate, progressive production relations; and advanced culture imbued with national identity. It is a society where people have a prosperous, free and happy life, and conditions for comprehensive development; ethnic groups are equal and united, and respect and help each other; there is a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people and for the people, led by the Communist Party; and there are friendly and cooperative relations with countries around the world.

To that end, we must: accelerate industrialisation and modernisation in association with the development of the knowledge-based economy; develop a socialist-oriented market economy; build advanced culture imbued with national identity, improve people's living standards, ensure social progress and justice; firmly guarantee national defense and security, and social order and safety; implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, diversification, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, and proactive and active international integration; build a socialist democracy, carry forward the will and strength of the great national unity bloc, combined with the strength of the era; build a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people and for the people; and build a comprehensively pure, strong Party and political system.

A basic, important feature of the socialist orientation in the market economy in Vietnam is to combine economy with society, economic policies with social policies, and economic growth with social progress and justice.

In the socialist political regime, the relationship between the Party, the State and the people is the relationship between the subjects who share the same goals and interests; all guidelines of the Party, policies, laws and activities of the State are to serve interests of the people. The political model and general operating mechanism are the Party's leadership, the State's governance and the people's ownership. Democracy is the nature of the socialist regime, and is the goal and the driving force of the socialism building. Building a socialist democracy and ensuring that power truly belongs to the people is an important and long-term task of the Vietnamese revolution.

Being deeply aware of the Communist Partys leadership is a decisive factor in the cause of the Doi Moi and would ensure the country's development in accordance with the socialist orientation. We have paid due attention to Party building and rectification, considering this a key task that is vital to the Party and the socialist regime. The CPV has persistently taken Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minhs thought as the ideological foundation and the lodestar for revolutionary actions, and have taken democratic centralism as the basic organising principle. The Partys leadership has been based on platform, strategies, and orientations on policies and major guidelines. Aware of the risks of corruption, bureaucracy and degradation, especially in the context of the market economy, the CPV has ordered regular self-renewal and self-rectification, and the fight against opportunism, individualism, corruption, bureaucracy, wastefulness and degradation within the Party and in the entire political system.

The Doi Moi process, including the development of the socialist-oriented market economy, has really brought about great and positive changes to the country over the past 35 years.

Apart from these achievements, there still remain shortcomings and limitations, along with challenges in national development. The CPV has been aware of these challenges. It is a very tough and arduous struggle, which requires new vision, new mettle and new creativity.

Both theory and practice show that socialism building is creating a qualitatively new type of society, which is totally not easy. Therefore, apart from determining the right guidelines and ensuring the Partys leadership, it is a must to promote creativity, support and active participation of the people.

On the other hand, while determining political directions and making decisions, it is necessary for the Party to study experience of the world. We must proactively and actively integrate into the world and materialise the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development, and multilateralisation and diversification of international relations on the basis of respect for each others independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit.

It is very important to remain steadfast and firm on the ideological and theoretical foundation of Marxism - Leninism. Such scientific and revolutionary features of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's thought are sustainable values that have been pursued and realised by revolutionaries. They will further develop in the spheres of revolution and science. We need to selectively absorb and supplement them in the spirit of criticism and creativity.
Maria will finally be leaving the United Kingdom today, Monday, bound for Valencia, after a nightmare that has lasted two weeks. She still doesnt know when shell be getting her passport back, but she is taking it for granted that the document will now permanently reflect that she was deported from a European country.

Maria is not her real name. She is aged 25, and would rather remain anonymous. Like dozens of other youngsters, she thought that an adventure in the United Kingdom was still possible. But she came crashing down to Earth after falling foul of the reality of Brexit and the countrys new immigration laws, which are very tough and highly restrictive.

I felt very confused, because there was absolutely no information about the situation Maria, Spaniard detained in Yarls Wood migrant holding center

On May 3, Maria was detained on arrival in Gatwick Airport, and was taken to the Yarls Wood migrant holding center in Bedfordshire. For four days, she received no information about her situation, could not access her personal belongings, and had to live with the suspicion and fear that a Covid-19 outbreak could see her stuck there indefinitely. I cant say that I was badly treated, she told EL PAIS. Fortunately I had my own room, given the need to isolate us. But I felt very confused, because there was absolutely no information about the situation. As far as I remember, in the canteen, there was a girl from the Czech Republic, an Italian, an American and two South Americans.

The British government and the European Union countries have spent more than two years releasing information about the rights and situation of European citizens who travel to or work in the United Kingdom, and vice versa. All of those who can prove that they were living in the country six months before Brexit finally became a reality, on December 31, 2020, have the right to apply for EU Pre-Settled Status or EU Settled Status, the temporary or definitive right to remain in the UK and which grants bearers the same rights they enjoyed before the country left the EU.

The deadline for applying for these statuses expires on June 30. According to the British government, more than five million people have already taken them up. Around a million more people are in an administrative limbo, according to an association called The3Million, which has been giving a voice to EU residents of the United Kingdom since Brexit passed from being a threat to an ever-closer reality.

I had worked in a bar in Manchester in 2019 for six months, explained Maria. I thought that I could use that to apply for residency. Her sister and her best friend stayed put when she returned to Spain to study. She unsuccessfully applied for Pre-Settled Status, but thought that she would not have any problems returning given that she has family members on British soil. She made the mistake of saying to UK border officials that she was coming back to the country to work.

The EU authorities admit that there have now been several dozen such cases of EU citizens being detained in migrant holding centers

The main driver of the Brexit process was the issue of immigration. And one of the first laws approved by the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson was legislation that introduced a much stricter points system to access the country and left EU citizens subject to the same rules as everyone else.

EU Citizens are our friends and neighbors and we want them to remain, which is why they have until June 30 to apply for the EUSS [EU Settlement Scheme] if they were resident in the UK before December 31, the UK Home Office told EL PAIS when asked about Marias case. For those who were not resident before this date, as the public expects, we require evidence of an individuals right to live and work in the UK.

This newspaper has learned that the British government urgently reviewed Marias case. The consulate services in Spain had requested information about it and spoke to her by phone on a number of occasions while she was in the migrant holding center. After four days, she was allowed to finish the mandatory coronavirus quarantine period in her sisters house. They didnt give me my passport, she said. In theory, Ill get it back when I reach Valencia, after an interview with the Civil Guard.

We took an interest in her status, and we ensured that all her rights were being respected, the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry explained. But we cant act as legal intermediaries. These are British laws, which the country itself is applying. The ministry admitted that there have been at least nine similar cases it has had to deal with. From the news that we are hearing, the outlook is very worrying, explained Maike Bohn, from The3Million. EU citizens are being detained for days at a time with a loss of freedoms. We are very unclear that these are proportional measures, when what they could do is send them straight home instead of transferring them to a migrant holding centers.

Given the flood of complaints in recent days, with cases that have particularly affected Bulgarian, Italian and Spanish citizens, the Johnson government has given clearer rules to the border police. In the cases where it seems more appropriate, the authorities will have to allow conditional entry to the UK, under certain supervision, until it is possible to arrange a return flight to the point of origin.

From the news that we are hearing, the outlook is very worrying. EU citizens are being detained for days at a time with a loss of freedom Maike Bohn, from The3Million

I dont understand anything, Marta Lo Martire, 24, told Italian daily La Repubblica after she had a similar experience. I hadnt done anything wrong, and I thought that all of my documents were in order. I found myself surrounded by walls and wire fences, windows with bars and security gates. She was detained at Heathrow Airport when she tried to enter the United Kingdom. I burst into tears. I couldnt believe that this was happening to me. Fortunately for her, she was deported the next day on a flight to Milan.

Martas cousin, Giuseppe Pichierri, a doctor with 15 years of experience in the British National Health System and a resident of London, had sent a letter to Marta in which he committed to taking responsibility for her and explaining that he wanted her services as an au pair. But it served for nothing in the end, and the authorities refused to let Giuseppe pay any kind of bail to free his cousin from the immigration center where she spent the night.

The EU authorities and the embassies of some of the countries worst affected by this issue admit that there have now been several dozen such cases. In the midst of the powder keg that Brexit represents between London and Brussels, both have opted for now to keep a low profile. It doesnt seem to be a generalized trend, because it has affected a low number of citizens, a spokesperson from the European Commission explained. Even so, the EU delegation in London is closely monitoring the issue, in particular with reference to the conditions of detention.

In the majority of the incidents so far, the pattern is the same. Young people without the right information, who are following in the footsteps of many generations before them: crossing the Channel to work as waiters or au pairs and experience life in the UK. In spite of Brexit, the culture and economy of the country continue to be very attractive. The unpleasant experiences of some EU citizens over recent months cannot be compared to the ordeal of many irregular immigrants from the Middle East or Asia. But it is still very difficult to digest that the government of Boris Johnson would treat all of these arrivals in the same way.

English version by Simon Hunter.
Members of Spains Emergency Military Unit disinfect one another after disinfecting a seniors' home in Vigo in a file photo from April 2020. OSCAR CORRAL / EL PAIS

The Spanish government has admitted that during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic it was forced to make decisions based on partial or out of date information about the real extent of the health crisis, given that the Spanish epidemiological monitoring system was not prepared to process such a volume of data with the speed needed to correctly take decisions. Thats according to the last Annual National Security report, which does not specify which flawed decisions it is referring to, but are likely to include allowing the feminist marches for International Womens Day to go ahead across the country on March 8, 2020, a delay in mandating the use of face masks and the decision not to implement the state of alarm emergency situation until March 14.

This is not the first time that the Spanish government has admitted that it reacted slowly when the pandemic reached the country, but it is the first time that this has been written in a document that has been sent to the lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies.

The report blamed Spains dependence on external suppliers for essential items, such as face masks and PCR testing capacity, on the absence of planning and strategic reserves

The report, which has been approved by the National Security Council  which is made up of the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the ministers for Interior, Defense and Exterior, among others  offers some of the lessons learned from a health crisis that is yet to conclude, albeit falling short of a fully comprehensive critical view of the governments handling of the situation.

Of particular note in the report was the inability of the countrys healthcare system to detect the scale of the pandemic, and to convey validated information needed for appropriate decision-making with the speed that was needed. With a view to the future, the report suggests an essential upgrade and a greater digitization and automation of [epidemiological] monitoring processes, which are currently in the hands of the countrys 17 autonomous regions.

The 2020 report also calls for the primary healthcare and hospital systems to be strengthened, so that the national health system can respond to a sudden demand for treatment as was seen during the Covid-19 crisis, which has so far seen more than 210,000 people hospitalized and 18,000 require admission in intensive care units (ICUs).

Another factor dealt with by the report was Spains dependence on external suppliers for essential items needed to deal with the situation, such as face masks and PCR testing capacity, due to an absence of planning and strategic reserves. The text proposes developing national industrial capacity to ensure that self-supply is possible in critical situations.

The report also points to the fact that while Spanish researchers are carrying out a relevant role in the development of vaccines, with 10 groups at an advanced stage, the country is yet to achieve an efficient integration between scientists and industry, to quickly turn advances of the former into tools against the disease.

As was to be expected, epidemics ranked highest among the list of national security risks included in the report. In last years edition, they came in 10th. In the opinion of the 200 experts consulted for the text, other key concerns include an increase in cyberattacks, radicalization in the military and the use of drones for terrorist or spying activities, among others.

English version by Simon Hunter.




One of the promises Barack Obama kept when he began his first presidential term in 2009 was to get a dog for his two daughters, Sasha and Malia. Senator Ted Kennedy gifted him a Portuguese Water Dog, a breed known for its hypoallergenic qualities and tight curls. The girls named him Bo after their grandfather on their mothers side, known as Diddley after the rock musician Bo Diddley, and because their cousins had a cat of the same name. Bo did not take long to win the hearts of the American public on visits to childrens hospitals, and for his playful attitude to high-profile White House guests. So it was with great sorrow that the American public learned of his death from cancer on May 8, when tributes flooded in to messages posted by the former presidential couple announcing the sad news.

We also know we werent the only ones who cared for Bo, and are grateful for all the love you showed him over the years. Please hug the furry members of your family a little closer tonight  and give them a belly rub from us, wrote Michelle Obama on Instagram. Her husband posted photos of himself with Bo from his time in the White House, including an image of the former president running through the halls with Bo at his side. He tolerated all the fuss that came with being in the White House, had a big bark but no bite, loved to jump in the pool in the summer, was unflappable with children, lived for scraps around the dinner table, and had great hair, he wrote. He was exactly what we needed and more than we ever expected. We will miss him dearly. With 789,000 Likes, the former leader clearly touched a few hearts.

Donald Trump was famously the first president in a century to have no pets at all, so the arrival of Joe Bidens two German Shepherds  Major and Champ  therefore resets a tradition stretching back to George Washington. Thirty-one of the United States 46 presidents so far have kept pets at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Obamas remark that Bo had a big bark but no bite cannot be said of Major, a shelter dog who has bitten two people so far since arriving at his new home. After the second incident in late March, he was sent back to Delaware for further training. Some reporters recalled a 2008 incident when George W. Bushs dog Barney bit Reuters reporter Jon Deckers right index finger.

Jill Biden with Champ in January 2020. ADAM SCHULTZ / WHITE HOUSE HANDO / EFE

Major also made headlines back in November when Joe Biden fractured his foot while playing with him, requiring him to wear a walking boot for weeks. Champ and Major regularly appear in the First Couples social media posts, though Champ has been a fixture for much longer as he is now 13 years old and was by Bidens side through his years as Obamas vice-president. The First Couple are now planning on introducing a cat to the menagerie, for which Major required a day in a cat shelter to get used to the idea. The pair are not the first German Shepherds in the White House  Franklin D. Roosevelts dog, also called Major, had some biting incidents too.

However they behave, First Pets are a phenomenon. Hillary Clinton wrote a book about her two companions called Dear Socks, Dear Buddy. Bo meanwhile became the protagonist of the childrens book Bo, Americas Commander in Leash. White House pet followers are now eager to see if Champ, Major or the new cat will become the star of the Biden presidency.
Although the spark that ignited Colombias protests on April 28 was ostensibly tax reform, many are on the streets for reasons that stretch much further back in the countrys history. As the protests continue for a third week, many are asking not why now? but how did it take this long? according to Oscar Almario Garcia, a historian who teaches at the National University of Colombia.

Classism and racism against indigenous groups are an open and bleeding wound, he said in a telephone interview with EL PAIS. What we are hearing now are demands that come from centuries of denial and exclusion. The call to recognize distinct forms of racism has been repressed in this country.

The worst violence of the protests has been registered in Cali, Colombias third largest city. And it is here, said Almario Garcia, that one can see the flashpoint between Colombias excluded citizens and those who remain more protected by the state. An indigenous minga (a word synonymous with resistance) has blocked roads in the city for days, limiting essential supplies and clashing head-on with Colombians who feel that what is rightfully theirs is under threat.

When indigenous groups approached one of Calis richest areas, they were met with live fire, leaving at least nine injured. Tensions in Cali were a bomb about to explode, said Almario Garcia, who has written a book about the Cauca Valley region where Cali sits, and where he was born. It is not difficult to understand why the struggle of indigenous people against the established powers is a struggle that has gone on for 200 years: there have been 200 years of resistance by indigenous people and those of African descent, said Almario Garcia.

Myriam Jimeno, an anthropologist and writer, said that what happened in Cali and the protests more generally has exposed deep-rooted problems that everyday life has obscured. Colombia has at least two million indigenous people, 104 peoples scattered throughout the country, and when they speak out and demand what is rightfully theirs, they make people uncomfortable, she said. In the Cauca Valley, where just over 300,000 indigenous people live, land conflicts continue to have lethal consequences, even with the FARCs departure from the scene.

According to Indepaz, a peace-building organization, 269 indigenous leaders have been assassinated since 2016, 167 of them during President Ivan Duques leadership (data to June 2020). Meanwhile, there are at least 39 indigenous peoples on the verge of extinction.

An indigenous Colombian performing a ritual during a protest in Cali on April 28. Ernesto Guzman Jr. / EFE

Sometimes the rhetoric against indigenous people is plain enough: Omar Yepes Alzate, the director of Colombias Conservative Party, has said that indigenous people disturb society when they leave their natural habitat. The state has done little to investigate the deaths of community leaders in land conflicts or to tackle exclusion, because it does not consider these to be real problems, Jimeno added.

Racism and classism are mixed. Saying demonstrators are ignorant or lazy not only others them, but also marks out the person calling them these things as superior in a very hierarchical country that divides the population into physical spaces. People in the rich neighborhoods do not know the poor. This happens in education too, as state education, in general, is for the poor, she said. This is a violence charged with the fear of the other coming too close, of contact, of them touching what is mine.

Mauricio Archila, a historian and analyst at the Center for Research and Popular Education, a Colombian think tank focusing on social exclusion, believes structural problems that have historically affected different groups of Colombians have come to light as never before during the protests. Going back to our historical roots as a [Spanish] colony, the indigenous were despised, the Catholic Church was imposed, and the [Spanish] language was imposed, said Archila. Class was also a strong factor in many of the protesters decisions to take to the streets, he added. Many of those killed by police at the demonstrations are poor or middle-class youths, and branded vandals.

We know how to celebrate diversity in a lot of ways, but it hasnt been enough, added Felipe Arias Escobar, a historian and journalist. Indigenous people are politically, physically and culturally isolated and they are seen as a homogeneous group. There are people who cant believe they use cellphones and motorcycles We are the children of a racist nation that feeds off excluding others.

For Nubia Ruiz, a sociologist who teaches at the Colombia National University, the countrys elites maintain their dominance in times of crisis with blood and fire. According to this expert, they feel their economic interests threatened when indigenous people reclaim their territory, so physical aggression is added to verbal and symbolic aggression.

For many decades, Colombia was caught up in the conflict with the FARC guerrillas, but with the peace agreement signed in 2016, the deep damage lying underneath that conflict has been laid bare. For Alejandro Cortes-Arbelaez, a political scientist who teaches at Colombias Universidad del Bosque, Colombia is experiencing an overdue reality check. We are an undemocratic country if we think of democracy as something beyond just elections. Decision-making is still top down, and the proof of that is the intellectuals and politicians who were taken by surprise by what is happening, he said.
KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2021 - 21:05 | All, World, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed their opposition to China's growing maritime assertiveness during phone talks Monday, the first between the two leaders since Chinh was elected last month.

In their roughly 30-minute call, the two also voiced grave concerns regarding China's implementation of a new law in February that allows its coast guard to use weapons against ships it views as intruding into its territory.

"We want to strengthen ties (between Japan and Vietnam) in order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific," Suga said, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The two countries will mark the 50th anniversary in 2023 of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

The phone talks come as China steps up its claim over the Senkaku Islands, a group of East China Sea islets administered by Japan. Beijing has also militarized outposts in the South China Sea disputed by Vietnam and other neighbors.

The talks, requested by Vietnam, saw Suga and Chinh express possible cooperation in sectors such as infrastructure and energy, as well as in the environmental and digital fields.

The two leaders also reaffirmed working toward resolving North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals, among other issues concerning the country.
KYODO NEWS - May 18, 2021 - 02:00 | All, Japan, World

The family of a Sri Lankan woman who died after being detained for overstaying her student visa was left unconvinced Monday by an explanation of her death given to them by officials of the central Japan immigration facility where she was held.

The family of Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali, 33, who died March 6 after complaining of stomach pain and other symptoms from mid-January, visited the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Aichi Prefecture to hear in person from the head of the facility and see the conditions under which she was held.

Her death, which activists blame on a failure to provide appropriate medical attention, has been cited as evidence of problems riddling Japan's immigration and asylum system, particularly with regard to the indefinite detention of foreign nationals facing deportation.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with the facility's head, the family said they felt as if the immigration agency was "running away from the truth."

The officials offered condolences and said they viewed Wishma's death as a serious issue but did not give "convincing answers," the family's lawyer, who accompanied them, said.

The family also visited the single-person cell where Wishma was held, describing it as "small and as if for an animal."

Wishma was detained in August last year at the Nagoya facility for overstaying her visa. The Justice Ministry did not determine the cause of her death in an interim report on the incident released April 9.

Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Shoko Sasaki, commissioner of Japan's Immigration Services Agency, are scheduled to meet the family on Tuesday at the request of the family for a detailed explanation of her death, according to a source familiar with the matter.

A lawyer representing the family said the meeting with the justice minister is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Justice Ministry in Tokyo.

Opposition parties have taken up Wishma's case as parliament debates a controversial bill to revise the immigration law that activists believe will worsen conditions for asylum seekers, and several opposition lawmakers also made a separate visit to the facility on Monday.

Critics say the proposed legal revisions will violate the principle of non-refoulement -- or not returning asylum seekers to the country they have fled from. They have also slammed it for continuing to maintain detention for those facing deportation as a principle instead of being an exception or last resort, although provisional release can be granted in some circumstances at the discretion of immigration officials.

A university graduate and English teacher in her home country, Wishma entered Japan in June 2017 on a student visa planning to teach English to children in Japan, according to her family, the ministry's interim reports, and supporters.

Her mother has told Kyodo News that she was "worried about sending a girl alone overseas" but thought "it would be okay in a safe country like Japan."

Wishma attended a Japanese-language school in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo but her attendance started flagging from early 2018, according to her teachers. As remittances from her family stopped, she also failed to pay her tuition. The school ultimately expelled her, notifying the immigration services agency in Tokyo that she had lost her student status.

Meanwhile, Wishma had moved in with a Sri Lankan man in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka, according to the interim report and supporters, while finding work making bento meals.

But in August 2020, she sought police protection after accusing the man of domestic violence, with only 1,350 yen ($12) to her name. Her illegal immigration status was discovered at this time, and she received a deportation order.

Wishma was terrified of her former partner, according to Yasunori Matsui, who belongs to START, a support organization for foreign workers and refugees that had been meeting with her since December 2020.

She received a threatening letter from him and feared he might kill her even if she returned home to Sri Lanka, Matsui added.

She initially thought that the immigration agency was a shelter and would protect her, Matsui said.

Wishma's weight dropped by around 20 kilograms after half a year in detention. In late December, she applied for provisional release, but the request was denied in mid-February. She started complaining of stomachaches, nausea and loss of appetite from mid-January.

"I am not well at all. Please help me," she wrote to Akemi Mano, 67, a local resident who had become involved in her case and who was planning to take her in if she were released. "I don't want to bother you but I have no one else who cares about me," Wishma wrote.

Supporters kept demanding that immigration authorities get her medical attention or grant her provisional release, but their requests were denied.

At the end of February, Wishma requested provisional release again, saying that she wanted to be treated at a hospital, but her application was again denied.

Her supporters said Wishma used a wheelchair and that when they last met her on March 3 at the immigration center, there was foam around her mouth and her fingers were stiff. They said her eyes appeared hollow.

A psychiatrist who saw Wishma on March 4 recommended she should be granted a provisional release, saying in a report to the Nagoya immigration center that her condition would improve if she were released, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The sources also said the immigration authority suspected Wishma was feigning illness to gain provisional release and conveyed this view to the psychiatrist.

Developing esophagitis, the woman underwent an endoscopy at a hospital outside the immigration facility. On March 6, she became unresponsive and was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead later in the day.

Related coverage:

FOCUS: Sri Lankan's death in spotlight as Japan debates immigration bill

Japan's proposed immigration law revisions deal fresh blow to refugees

Japan granted 93 foreigners permission to bring their same-sex spouse
KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2021 - 22:45 | All, Japan

Japan's top court on Monday ruled in favor of around 500 plaintiffs in four suits seeking damages from the state over diseases contracted by construction workers following exposure to asbestos.

In the first unified judgment handed down by the Supreme Court over the suits, the ruling said the government was negligent in its duty to protect workers from contracting lung cancer and other diseases linked to asbestos.

It said manufacturers of construction materials containing asbestos were also responsible to some extent, in its ruling on the four lawsuits filed with district courts in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who will meet with the plaintiffs on Tuesday, is planning to offer them an apology, a ruling party source said.

As a way to support the victims, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito decided to propose that the government pay compensation of up to 13 million yen ($119,000) to each victim exposed to asbestos.

Toshitaka Onodera, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters it will accept the compensation proposal.

In the ruling, Presiding Judge Takuya Miyama said the state should have warned of the dangers of asbestos by October 1975 through labels on construction materials or at construction sites, and should have instructed workers to wear dust-protective masks.

"It significantly lacks rationality" that the state did not exercise its authority to regulate the use of asbestos, Miyama said.

The substance, a naturally occurring fibrous mineral, was widely used for insulation, fire protection and sound absorption, in buildings.

Since 2008, a number of damages suits, including the four on Monday, have been filed nationwide related to asbestos exposure at construction sites, with a total of 1,200 plaintiffs as of April this year, according to the lawyers involved. The plaintiffs include bereaved family members of workers exposed to asbestos.

"I feel responsibility and offer my deep apologies," said Yoshihisa Tamura, minister of health, labor and welfare, in a statement.

The four suits were examined by the top court after high court rulings differed in assigning responsibility to the state and manufacturers.

The top court had previously ordered the state and manufacturers to pay compensation to the victims but had not provided detailed reasoning for awarding damages.

The plaintiffs argued that state regulations for asbestos, which did not require workers to wear protective masks, were insufficient. They also said manufacturers failed to properly indicate the dangers of the material.

The state, meanwhile, argued it only had a responsibility to protect company employees as self-employed workers are responsible for their own health and safety.

Manufacturers denied responsibility on the grounds that it was impossible to confirm which materials were responsible for the diseases contracted.

The use of the substance was gradually regulated as it was found that inhaling asbestos fibers could cause lung cancer and other diseases. Due to the decades-long latency period, it was referred to as a "silent time bomb."

A law to provide financial support to people suffering from asbestos-linked diseases took effect in Japan in 2006.
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2021 - 12:45 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

The prolonged coronavirus pandemic is likely to lead to a widening of the gender gap in Japan, already the worst among major advanced countries, unless the government takes action, a Cabinet Office panel said recently.

In a report compiled in late April, the panel of experts said the crisis has led to an increase in domestic violence cases and suicides among women while hitting them harder financially as many have lower-paid nonregular jobs in badly affected sectors such as restaurants and hotels.

The paper said an entrenched view that men were breadwinners and women responsible for household chores and childrearing was still holding women back in society despite "rapid changes in individuals' work styles and family forms."

For example, women working from home are still expected to do more housekeeping chores even if their spouses telework, the report said, while adding that the pandemic has also highlighted the severe situation faced by young women, single mothers and unmarried female nonregular workers.

The government should come up with policies to boost financial support for women and promote their empowerment, according to the paper, which was submitted on April 28 to Tamayo Marukawa, the minister in charge of promoting gender equality.

"The fallout from the pandemic is unpredictable and an additional impact may arise later. We will continue to discuss measures" to support women, Marukawa said on receiving the report.

The government plans to compile a policy package in June to address urgent issues such as measures against the rise in domestic violence and suicides among women.

Japan ranked 120th among 156 countries in the gender gap rankings in 2021 released in March by the World Economic Forum, a Swiss-based think tank.

The ranking tracks four key dimensions -- economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

The number of domestic violence consultations in Japan including those made online surged around 50 percent between April 2020 and February 2021 from a year earlier to 175,693, according to the Cabinet Office.

Meanwhile, the number of suicides by women in 2020 rose 935 from the previous year to 7,026, with the figures especially rising among the unemployed and high school students, the panel report said, citing National Police Agency data. The figure for men edged down 23 to 14,055 in the same period.

Financial hardship, domestic violence and mental illness were among factors behind an increase in women's suicides, all issues that became more serious amid the pandemic, according to the report.

Noting that single mother households and unmarried women are particularly struggling amid the pandemic, the panel stressed the need to improve labor conditions for nonregular workers and help them find jobs in the growing digital industry.
New Delhi :

A CRPF trooper was killed and two other jawans suffered serious injuries during an encounter between joint security forces and CPI-Maoist cadres in border areas of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

According to police, joint operation including 113 Bn of CRPF and Maharashtra Police was launched on Sunday late evening at Talwargarh forest in Maharashtras Gadchirroli district on intelligence inputs.

A senior official of CRPF said, The Maoists opened fired at the combing party. The team took their position and retaliated. Several rounds of bullet were exchanged between the security forces and Naxal cadres.

He added the Maoists managed to flee in the dense forest taking benefit of the dark.

A senior officer of Maharashtra Police said, Search and combing operations were relaunched after a few hours to nab the Naxals who engaged security forces in a gunbattle.

He added, In the early hours of Monday, the joint party cornered the Maoist troop. A fierce gunbattle started between security forces and Naxals. A CRPF trooper was killed and two others suffered injuries in the encounter.

Also read: CoBRA troopers returning from Naxal operation save life of road accident victim

The deceased CRPF trooper has been identified as Manjunath Jakkanavar, 31-year-old, a resident of Karnatakas Dharwad.

Also read: BSNL data consumption crosses 400 GB a day in Naxal hit districts

The police officer said, After the encounter was over we found blood spots at the encounter site. We believe several Maoist cadres have suffered bullet injuries or have been killed. Villagers also reported that they saw several Naxals cadres being carried away on shoulders.

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New Delhi :

Hadiya alias Akhila Ashokan, a 24-year-old woman from Kerala who converted to Islam to marry a Muslim man, on Monday told the Supreme Court that she wants freedom.

The Supreme Court directed Hadiya to resume her studies in Tamil Nadus Salem. The dean of the Salem-based college has been appointed as her guardian. The bench directed college and university concerned to re-admit Hadiya and grant her hostel facility.



Her deposition began after the apex court in its last hearing on October 30 said, Hadiyas consent as an adult is prime. The top court wanted to ascertain her views on her marriage to Muslim man.

Kerala womans decision to convert to Islam to marry has instigated a countrywide debate over love jihad.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra while interacting with Hadiya asked her about her school, why she chose medicine as her study, what she does during her free time, what were her hobbies during her college days.

Replying to the top courts question on if she would like to continue her studies on state expense, she said, I want to but not on state's expense. I will when my husband can take care of me.

The bench has directed the Kerala Police to provide adequate security to Hadiya and ensure she travels to Salem at the earliest. The top court also directed the state of Tamil Nadu to provide protection to Hadiya.

Also read: Nobody forced me to convert, want to live with husband, shouts Hadiya before leaving for Delhi



However, Hadiyas father K M Ashokan and National Investigation Agency (NIA) have contended that Hadiya had been indoctrinated by radical groups and her consent was not free.

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New Delhi:

State-owned LIC has cautioned policyholders against sharing their Aadhaar number through SMS, saying it has not operationalised any such facility to link the unique identification number with policies.



"Our attention is drawn to some messages circulated in social media with our emblem and logo asking policyholders to link their Aadhaar number by sending SMS to designated number," Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) said in a public notice.

The country's largest insurance company further said that "no such message" has been sent by LIC.

Also Read| Supreme Court to hear Aadhaar pleas after concluding Delhi-Centre matter



"Also no facility to link Aadhaar number to policies is available through SMS in LIC," it said.



The notice further added that as and when LIC will enable linking of Aadhaar number with policies through SMS, its website will be duly updated with this option.

Also Read| Linking Aadhaar with Insurance policy mandatory,says IRDAI

Regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) has said linkage of Aadhaar number with insurance policies is mandatory. It has asked insurers to comply with the statutory norms.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that nine medical oxygen plants have been approved for Ghaziabad and three for adjoining Gautam Buddh Nagar district. The chief minister said this while on a one-day tour of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad and Meerut to review the pandemic situation in these three districts of western UP.

Amid the second wave of the coronavirus, several COVID-19 patients and their kin in the region had been grappling with shortage of medical facilities like hospital beds, oxygen and medicines.

During his visit to Noida in the morning, Adityanath announced approval for three medical oxygen plants for Gautam Buddh Nagar, while in Ghaziabad he said the district would be getting nine such plants. "At present, work is underway for 300 oxygen plants in the state, the chief minister was quoted as saying in a tweet by his office.

In Noida, the chief minister also said that as part of the National Capital Region (NCR), the hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar adjoining Delhi will have to treat patients from neighbouring cities as well. He added that some hospitals and private laboratories are indulging in loot taking advantage of the pandemic and asked the district administration to deal with such facilities more strictly.

In Noida, the chief minister visited a vaccination centre at the Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra in Sector 6 and a Covid care centre in Sector 45, while making similar tours in Ghaziabad too to assess the ground situation. In Meerut, Adityanath held a review meeting with top officials of the district and the zone during which he stressed the need for more COVID tests among people in the region.

Testing will have to be increased. There are double challenges in the present situation, but the authorities will have to work consciously. The number of RTPCR and antigen tests have to be doubled. In the last one week, the number of active cases in the state has reduced by more than 20,000 while the number of beds has increased, he was quoted as saying in a statement.

The chief minister also asked the zonal officials in Meerut to ensure that the last rites of the people who died due to COVID-19 are performed following rituals.

Also read: COVID-19: Defence Minister to release first batch of DRDO's 2-DG drug on Monday
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched scathing attack on Congress saying the party has stooped to a new low by mocking his poor origin.

A person belonging to a poor family has become PM. They (Congress) do not fail to hide their contempt for this fact. Yes, I sold tea but I did not sell the nation, PM Modi said while addressing a public gathering in Gujarat's Rajkot.

PM Modis statement referred to the last weeks controversy that erupted after the Congress party's youth wing posted a meme from their twitter handle mocking Prime Minister Modi as a Chai-Wala.

However, the post was deleted later but the ruling party was quick to pick it and attacked Congress. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad termed the tweet as shameful and insulting and demanded Sonia Gandhis explanation.

The BJP had said, the offensive post has exposed Congresss elitist mindset and thinking towards poor.

Apart from this, Modi also attacked the Opposition party for criticising his failed demonetisation move and said, Congress is unhappy about demonetisation. They keep attacking me but I want to tell them...I have grown up in the same land as Sardar Patel. I will ensure that the poor get their due. We will not allow this nation to be looted.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has used demonetization failure as one of his key weapons to attack BJP and Modi during his election campaign.

Ahead of next month's assembly elections in Gujarat, the politics has intensified in Prime Ministers home state with both BJP and Congress leaving no stones unturned to woo the voters.

Click here for the highlights of PM Modi's speech in Rajkot
Saint Petersburg:

Russias second city Saint Petersburg sentenced a man to two years in a penal colony today for insulting high-ranking state officials on social media.

Vladimir Timoshenko, 43, was found guilty of writing a post on popular Russian social network Vkontakte that contained text of humiliating and insulting nature towards high placed officials, the court said in a statement.

Timoshenko wrote the post in 2015 while serving a six year prison sentence, the statement added without clarifying what his previous conviction was.

In the post, which has since disappeared from Vkontakte, Timoshenko called on Russians to rise up against an unpopular regime.

Prison terms for social media posts are not uncommon in Russia. In December 2016, a internet user was sentenced to two years in a penal colony for publishing an article criticising Russias bombing campaign in Syria online.

In May 2016, a Russian engineer was given two years and three months in a camp for sharing pro-Ukrainian articles on social media.

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New Delhi:

As Indonesia raised Bali volcano alert to the highest level, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said she was monitoring the situation closely and that the Indian Mission there would provide assistance to Indians requiring help.

The Indian Consulate in Bali has opened a help desk at the city airport to provide any assistance to the Indians stuck there.

"Indians in Bali - Pls do not worry. Pradeep Rawat Indian Ambassador in Jakarta @IndianEmbJkt and Sunil Babu Consul General @cgibali are on the job and I am monitoring this personally(sic)," she said on Twitter.

Indians in Bali - Pls do not worry. Pradeep Rawat Indian Ambassador in Jakarta @IndianEmbJkt and Sunil Babu Consul General @cgibali are on the job and I am monitoring this personally.  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 27, 2017

Massive columns of thick grey smoke that have been belching from Mount Agung since last week have now begun shooting more than three kilometres (two miles) into the sky, forcing flights to be grounded.

The airport in Balis capital Denpasar, a top holiday destination that attracts millions of foreign tourists every year, has been closed, a move expected to affect tens of thousands of passengers.

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New Delhi:

Children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), especially those diagnosed before age 18, are likely to score less when it comes to performance graph as they find it difficult through a pass or go on to higher education as compared to their companions who are not suffering from this disorder, as per the large European study.

The researchers in JAMA Psychiatry stated that improper schooling affects work opportunities, which will just offer the sufferer a smaller pay scale for the period of the lifetime.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association, around 2.2 million US adults get affected by OCD, which is one percent of the population.

Those suffering from disease experience obsessive thoughts and fears, and find a need to repeatedly perform tasks to allay those fears.

Read more: Womens health deteriorated since 1990, reveals study

"OCD often starts in childhood/adolescence and can be chronic", Dr. Ana Perez-Vigil, a researcher with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden and lead author of the study said.

"Sufferers typically experience highly distressing thoughts and feel compelled to perform rituals (compulsions) for several hours a day. This can have a major impact on the person's ability to concentrate and benefit from school", Perez-Vigil told Reuters Health.
Mumbai:

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was hospitalised on Monday after he complained of uneasiness but was doing "fine" now, a senior railway official said.

Before hospitalisation, Goyal visited suburban Elphinstone Road and Currey Road stations to take stock of ongoing construction of the Foot Over Bridges (FOBs) by the Army.

Goyal complained of uneasiness after addressing a review meeting of senior Central and Western Railway officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Monday evening.

READ: Bullet train project is a part of India's development plans: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal

"After holding a review meeting with the officials,the minister complained of uneasiness due to acidity. Anambulance was called as part of protocol though he was fitenough to walk and preferred to travel in his own vehicle,"the official.

ALSO READ: Piyush Goyal: Govt to soon take decision on dates for winter session of Parliament

"He (Goyal) has been admitted to a private hospital and is fine now," he added. Goyal did not attend a scheduled press conference due to ill health.

Visited Elphinstone Road railway station and reviewed the progress of Foot over bridge's construction. The Army has been working tirelessly to build the infrastructure within the given timeline. pic.twitter.com/ZhcqSorH7f  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) November 27, 2017

"Visited Elphinstone Road railway station and reviewed the progress of foot overbridge's construction. The Army has been working tirelessly to build the infrastructure within the given timeline," Goyal said in a tweet on Monday night.

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New Delhi :

Pushing the BJPs campaign in Gujarat into high gear, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi why his party applauded the release of a terrorist in Pakistan and why he hugged the Chinese ambassador during the Dokalam standoff.

Modi, who started his high-voltage campaign with a rally in Kutch districts Bhuj town, launched a stinging attack against the Congress party.

You are happy to hug Chinese ambassador, you are clapping on the release of Hafiz Saeed, you cannot respect Indian Armys surgical strike. But why did you speak up about it? You could have just remained silent, he said.

Gandhi had recently tweeted: Narendrabhai, baat nahi bani. Terror mastermind is free. President Trump just delinked Pak military funding from LeT. Hugplomacy fail. More hugs urgently needed.

Also Read| Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017: Supreme Court allows Centre to deploy four companies of CAPF in poll-bound state

The tweet had come after the release of LeT founder and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed by a Pakistan court.

Modi said the election in his home state is a contest between trust on development and dynastic politics.

He was addressing a BJP rally in Kutch districts Bhuj town ahead of the first phase of the elections on December 9.

Recently Pakistani court released a terrorist, I cannot understand why these Congress people are clapping here, Modi said in his speech delivered in Gujarati.

He also alluded to allegations by Congress leaders, including the Congress vice president.

This Gujarat son has no stains in his public life. You come to the state and level baseless allegations on the son of the soil... the people of the state will not forgive you, he said.

During his campaign in the state in the last few days, Gandhi had trained his guns at the Modi-led government over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal.

Also Read: Gujarat Polls: Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to contest as Independent with Congress' support

Taking a dig at the opposition party, which is making all out efforts to dislodge the long-ruling BJP in Gujarat, Modi asked, When our soldiers... were standing eye-to-eye against the Chinese soldiers for over 70 days, at that time you were hugging the Chinese ambassador here...

For whose benefit did you do this? I am asking you, Modi said, without taking any name.

He referred to the Mumbai 26/11 terror strike and the attack in Uri and asked what was the difference between one government and another, one leader and other.

The meaning of living and dying for the country can be known by the response, Modi said.

They killed our soldiers in Uri, our soldiers went inside their territory, conducted a surgical strike and came back. The next day a newspaper said they (in Pakistan) carried bodies in trucks, he said.

Modi alleged that the Congress raised questions on the surgical strike in September 2016.

They could not respect Indian Army, they asked questions like none of our soldiers was injured? None of them died? Have you any photo or video evidence? Had they gone to shoot a movie in Pakistan? he said.

When you go to the house of the poor and eat rotis, you ensure that you are filmed, but does that mean that a surgical strike should be filmed? the prime minister asked.

PM Modi addressed a series of campaign meetings on Monday in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, which go to the polls on December 9.

The second phase of elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held on 14. The votes will be counted on December 18.
New Delhi:

Finally, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is set to put an end to the Net neutrality debate on Tuesday.

The regulator will come up with recommendations which will be abiding to all mobile internet service providers.

It is envisaged that TRAI recommendations will also impact the future of apps that provide calling and messaging services.

We will be bringing out Net neutrality recommendations tomorrow. You will find answers regarding OTT (over-the-top), VoIP (Internet based calls), Trai Chairman RS Sharma told reporters on the sidelines of an open house discussion on in-flight connectivity (IFC) for providing phone call and data services.

According to telecom service providers there should be a level playing field between them and players in the OTT VOIP service.

Telecom operators have demanded that same rules should be applied on entities providing similar services.

Trais consultation paper on Net-neutrality was sought by the Department of Telecom (DoT) following the suggestion of a High Level Committee which proposed regulation of domestic calls on Internet-based apps by putting them at par with services offered by telecom operators.

Ever since the concept of net neutrality has come up, the supporters have been protesting the selective considerations of service providers.

Reliance Jio representative said that communication in flights should not be restricted to satellite only but air-to-ground technologies should also be allowed. Under the air-to-ground technology, Jio said that equipment from a tower will look up in the sky and provide connectivity.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition of a woman who claimed to be the daughter of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

A bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta also refused to allow the plea of the woman to conduct DNA test for the purpose of proving her parentage.

Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, who appeared for the woman, had also sought cremation of Jayalalithaa as per Hindu rites since she was an Iyengar Brahmin.

The court, however, said the petitioner is at liberty to approach the high court.

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New Delhi:

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking a CBI probe into the lynching of 17-year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death on a train in June.

On November 17, the HC had reserved its order on the petition filled by the family of Junaid Khan seeking transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Earlier in the month, the CBI had also informed the High Court that it cant take over the investigation into the lynching of Junaid Khan as the charge sheet has already been filed by the Haryana Police.

Also Read | Junaid Khan killing: Prime accused worked as guard in Delhi, relative helped him getting job in Maharashtra

The Central investigation agency in its reply to the High Court had said, State Police of Haryana is well equipped and has the requisite resources at its command to conduct investigation of the case properly under supervision of senior officers. The case has, in fact, been chargesheeted by Haryana Police, with six accused having been arrested, out of which two are still in judicial custody.

Junaid, on board a Mathura-bound train, was stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers, was returning home to Khandawli village after shopping for Eid in Delhi in June this year.

His body was dumped close to Asaoti village in Faridabad and the trial is going on in a court in the district.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Ivanka Trump, the advisor and daughter of US President Donald Trump, on Tuesday arrived in Hyderabad to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit co-hosted by India and America.

Amid tight security, she was welcomed by Indian ambassador to US Navtej Sarna and US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster with other senior officials at the airport. Ivanka is leading a delegation of senior Trump administration officials and entrepreneurs at the three-day Summit which will be held on Tuesday.

Ivanka Trump is likely to stress on fuelling the growth of women-led businesses, saying closing the gender entrepreneurship gap world-wide could grow global GDP by as much as 2 per cent.

In her key note address to the 8th annual GlobalEntrepreneurship Summit later in the day, she is likely to stress on ensuring women entrepreneurs have access to capital, access to networks and mentors, and access to equitable laws.

To be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 1200 young entrepreneurs, a majority of whom are women, from 127 countries would attend the summit.

In addition some 300 investors and ecosystem supporters are also attending the mega event.

Hyderabad: #IvankaTrump arrives for the GES 2017. PM Modi to also attend the summit pic.twitter.com/JXP4Yd1UVN  ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2017

The worlds largest gathering of young entrepreneurs is being co-hosted by India and the United States.

#WATCH Ivanka Trump arrived in Hyderabad, late last night; will be attending Global Entrepreneurship Summit #GES2017 pic.twitter.com/3FozL12bF4  ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2017

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The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi will shut operations at T2 terminal due to falling number of flights amid the second wave of coronavirus. The terminal will be shut from Monday midnight. All flights will be handled at the T3 terminal only from Monday midnight, according to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL. The two airlines -- GoAir and IndiGo -- have been asked to move to T3.

Before the pandemic, the airport used to handle 1,500 flights every day but currently it is handling only 325 flights per day. Average passenger traffic has also fallen from 1.15 lakh per day in February to 30,000 per day right now.

The Civil Aviation Ministry data also shows that in the last few weeks, the number of daily domestic air passengers came down to 75,000 from more than 2.2 lakh.

This is not good news for the aviation sector that has been badly hit due to the pandemic. As cases subsided in the beginning of the year, flight operations had begun reviving too. However, the second wave has dealt another blow to the sector.

DIAL said that moving the airlines to the T3 terminal will help them manage their resources better. It said that airports cannot be immune to the repercussions if airlines suffer due to the pandemic. "The earning of the airports depends on the operations of the flights there. So if the airline companies are facing financial turbulence the airport cannot be immune to that. We were seeing a recovery post lockdown but with the second wave of Covid, we are stuck again," DIAL's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Videh Kumar Jaipuriar told news agency ANI.

International air traffic has also been impacted due to the second wave of COVID.

India reported 2,81,386 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest in 27 days. As many as 4,106 fatalities were reported. India's COVID-19 tally stands at 2,49,65,463. The number of active cases has reached 35,16,997.

Also read: Apart from Serum, Bharat Biotech, these 5 vaccine makers are India's hope against Covid-19

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Russian vaccine Sputnik V now on CoWIN portal
New Delhi:

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Srinagar MP Farooq Abdullah on Monday challenged the Centre, saying the latter first hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar city before claiming about unfurling it in PoK.

Abdullahs comments drew flak from the ruling party BJP, with Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh asserting the National Conference leader was supporting the separatists and militants. He affirmed that the tricolour is being hoisted in all parts of the state, including Lal Chowk.

Abdullah, who had recently claimed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir cannot become a part of India, said he only told facts and that what he spoke about PoK was the truth.

They (Centre and BJP) are talking about raising flag in PoK. I ask them first you go and raise the tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. They cant even do that here and they are talking about PoK, he said.

If you dont like to hear the truth, then live in the untruth. The truth is that (PoK) is not our part and this (J&K) is not their part. That is the truth, Abdullah said defending his comment that PoK does not belong to India.

He was speaking to reporters after paying floral tributes to Congress leader and MP the late G L Dogra on his 30th death anniversary.

Asked whether he was not hurting the Indian sentiment by making such comments, he retorted, asking What is Indian sentiment? You think I am not an Indian?

Whose sentiments are you talking about? Those crooks, who dont sees our miseries. Who dont see the miseries of our border people? How they suffer when shelling starts?

When asked to comment on the recent killing of an armyman on leave, he said the Centre should be asked the question as it claimed peace had returned to Kashmir after demonetisation.

Abdullah deprecated the incident where two students did not get up when the national anthem was being sung in Rajouri district a few days ago.

Honour to the nation is important and national anthem is most honourable, he said, adding the government should take action against them until they apologised and gave an undertaking that they would not repeat it.

The National Conference leader said he was not aware if cases against stone pelters were being withdrawn.

He wished good luck to the Centres special representative Dineshwar Sharma who is holding talks with stakeholders to restore peace in the restive state.

Abdullahs comments on PoK and the national flag prompted criticism from Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh.

Farooq Abdullah is strengthening separatists and militants with his controversial remarks because he is frustrated. He has forgotten that tricolour is being unfurled in all parts of the state including Lal Chowk, told reporters.

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Washington:

Ivanka Trump, the advisor and daughter of US President Donald Trump, has said the Global Entrepreneurship Summit co-hosted by India and America is a testament to their growing economic and security partnership.

Ivanka will be leading a delegation of senior Trump administration officials and entrepreneurs at the three-day Summit in Hyderabad beginning Tuesday.

To be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 1200 young entrepreneurs, a majority of whom are women, from 127 countries would attend the summit.

In addition, some 300 investors and ecosystem supporters are also attending the mega event.

The worlds largest gathering of young entrepreneurs is being co-hosted by India and the United States.

It is a testament to the strong friendship between our two people and the growing economic and security partnership between our two nations, Ivanka Trump told reporters during a preview of her India visit.

Ivanka, 36, has travelled to India before, but this is her maiden trip to the country as a senior presidential advisor.

Accompanied by several top administrations official, a large number of Indian Americans are part of her delegation, which numbers 350 from 38 states.

ALSO READ | Ivanka Trump: Global Economic Summit is testament to US-India friendship

Prime Minister Modi had personally invited Ivanka to participate in the GES, which is being held in India for the first time, when he travelled to the US in June.

This years summit theme, Women First, Prosperity for All, demonstrates the Trump administrations commitment to the principle that when women are economically empowered, their communities and countries thrive, she told reporters last week.

Five per cent of entrepreneurs at GES are 30 years or younger. The youngest entrepreneur is 13 and the oldest entrepreneur is 84.

Ivanka said she aims for this summit to serve as an open and collaborative environment for the exchange of ideas, to broaden networks, and to empower entrepreneurs to take their ideas and passion to the next level.

The US and India will continue to work together to increase economic opportunities and inclusive growth. I very much look forward to my visit and to seeing Prime Minister Modi and Foreign Minister Swaraj once again, she said.

The summit would also be the first major engagement of the new American Ambassador to India, Ken Juster.

Amazing first week in India! Thanks so much for the warm welcome. Looking forward to exploring this fascinating country. Excited to begin my journey in Hyderabad at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit! he tweeted last week.

ALSO READ: Ivanka Trump to lead US delegation to Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017

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New Delhi:

Researchers from the University of Western Australia have found out that male dolphins offer several gifts to females such as marine sponges and perform acrobatic stunts in order to mate.

Scientists from UWAs School of Biological Sciences, the University of Zurich and Murdoch University conducted a decade of boat-based research on coastal dolphins across north-western Australia.

It's the first time that such sort of behaviour has been documented in this species.

The first observation was conducted between a male, female dolphin and a calf. The male dived to the seafloor for marine sponge, balanced it on his beak and pushed it towards the female.

Lead author Dr Simon Allen from UWAs School of Biological Sciences, claimed that the findings suggested an advanced level of social complexity in humpback dolphins.

We were at first perplexed to witness these intriguing behavioural displays by male humpback dolphins, but as we undertook successive field trips over the years, the evidence mounted, Dr Allen said.

Co-author Dr Stephanie King said that sometimes large adult male dolphins also appeared to be working together in pairs.

Dr Allen and other researchers spent 10 years examining the behaviour. They now hope to demonstrate whether the efforts of the male are actually successful by examining behavioural observations and genetics.

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Washington:

Britain on Monday removed its Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft under whom it suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of India in the recent election to the International Court of Justice.

Rycroft was replaced by Karen Pierce, country's first woman Ambassador to the UN. She is uniquely suited for the position having previously served as Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, and more recently as the Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, the UK Mission to the UN said in a statement.

Britain's Permanent Mission to the United Nations did not give any reason for appointing Pierce as new ambassador to the world body, which comes days after it failed to get its judge Christopher Greenwood elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after India's Judge Dalveer Bhandari consistently received nearly two-third of the votes in the UN General Assembly.

Bhandari was on Tuesday re-elected to the ICJ as the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly threw its weight behind him, forcing Britain to withdraw its candidate from the hard- fought race to the world court. This is for the first time in 70 years that Britain would have no judge in the 15-member panel of the ICJ.

Political analysts and editorials in British media have described it as a diplomatic failure of the Therasa May government.

"Britain has a proud history of working for positive change through the United Nations, not least in addressing the problems in Libya and Syria," British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement without addressing the reason for sudden replacement of Rycroft.

Rycroft has been in the post since 2015 and will handover in January 2018 when he returns to London to take up his new role as Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development.

"I know Karen has the diplomatic skills, energy and patience to continue this vital work, and I congratulate her on her appointment," Johnson said.

In a statement, Pierce said the UK had long been a strong supporter of the UN and its role at the heart of the global rules-based international system at a time when it is coming under challenge.

"Through our role as a permanent member of the Security Council and position as the UN's third largest donor, the UK will continue to work with others to tackle the pressing security, stability, development and prosperity challenges of today," she said.

"Our security and economic interests depend to a large extent on a strong and effective United Nations.I undertake to ensure we are an active force in New York for progress and partnership," Pierce said.

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New Delhi:

The Congress on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to give a lesson on terrorism to a party whose history was full of lives lost in fighting terrorism.

Accusing the BJP of trying to politicise the issue of terrorism, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also questioned Modi over his silence on the issue of corruption.

Surjewala targeted Modi for saying at a poll rally in Gujarat today that the Congress had applauded the release of a terrorist in Pakistan and party vice president Rahul Gandhi hugged the Chinese ambassador during the Dokalam standoff.

At least dont give lessons to a party whose history is replete with sacrifices while fighting terrorists, he told the BJP.

The Congress spokesperson, while talking to reporters in Ahmedabad, hurled several charges and questions at the BJP.

Wasnt the ISI, which is behind terrorist activities in India, brought to Pathankot and Uri by the Modi government after terror incidents there, Surjewala asked.

Also Read | Gujarat assembly polls: PM Modi says Congress applauded Hafiz Saeed's release

Havent terror incidents increased during the (rule of) the Modi government? Hasnt the PDP-BJP government in J&K (Jammu and Kashmir) made separatist and terror sympathiser Asiya Andrabi a poster girl? Wasnt a BJP official found to be an ISI agent, he asked.

He said the entire country was united in its fight against terrorism.

The BJP might see politics in terrorism, but I would like to tell my BJP friends and PM Modi that the history of the Congress is full of martyrdom in fighting terrorism and thousands and lakhs of Congressmen have sacrificed their lives for India, he said.

Surjewala also attacked Modi over corruption in the case of BJP President Amit Shahs son Jay and national security advisor Ajit Dovals son Shaurya, among others.

Also Read | PM Modi in Gujarat says Congress dislikes me because of my poor origins

The prime minister did not fulfil promises made to the people of Kutch in 2013 on providing water to their land, he said, responding to Modis remark that the Congress had stalled water supply to the region.

Why did Narmada water not reach the land of Kutch? Has he (Modi) forgotten that he said in 2013 all dams and canals will be made in 16 months, he asked.

Surjewala believed Modi looked worried while addressing the people of Gujarat.

Modiji was looking worried and agitated. Dont be frightened. Just tell us what happened in 22 years in Gujarat? What happened to Gujarat businesses (after note ban and GST)? Why are traders in Surat and Rajkot, farmers of Kutch-Saurashtra feeling cheated? Just answer these questions, he said.
New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan challenging appointment of Rakesh Asthana as a special director of CBI.

On November 24, the top court had reserved the order.

A bench of Justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre said "the writ petition is dismissed".

The Centre had opposed the plea, saying Asthana had an outstanding career and had supervised over 40 high-profile cases like coal scam, AugustaWestland scam, blackmoney and money laundering cases.

Common Cause, the petitioner NGO, had opposed Asthana's appointment, saying it was illegal as his name had surfaced in a diary recovered during a raid conducted by the Income Tax department at the offices and other premises of company Sterling Biotech Ltd.

Supreme Court dismisses petition filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan challenging appointment of Rakesh Asthana as a special director of CBI. pic.twitter.com/UpgmLFY4UI  ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2017

The Centre, however, had claimed that Asthana, who was earlier an additional director in CBI, was looking after its eleven zones.

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Hyderabad/ New Delhi:

Larsen and Toubro has sought additional financial support from Telangana to cover cost overruns in the Rs 16,000-crore metro rail project that stemmed from delays in its implementation, sources privy to the development said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the first phase of the 72-km project on Tuesday, touted to be the worlds largest such project on public-private partnership in the sector.

L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd, the developer of the project, has sought additional financial support from the Telangana government to cover the cost overruns due to delays in projects, leading to extension of time, the sources said.

The cost overruns work out to over Rs 3,000 crore, the sources added.

The company is also learnt to have sought extension of period by two years, an industry source said, adding that any decision is likely after consultation with the Centre as the urban development ministry is also part of the project.

The project, which was originally slated to go on stream in July this year, was extended till November 2018 and Telangana minister K T Rama Rao recently confirmed it.

Conceived in 2009, the 72-km project has overcome many hurdles such as default by first concessionaire Maytas Infra-led consortium and now, the present developer and subsequent developments, crucial land acquisition by the state government and logjam for some time over route alignment, among others.

L&T, however, did not respond to the queries in this regard.

A senior state government official said, There would be cost escalations as the project got delayed.

He, however, said the government issues will be settled in accordance with the concession agreement.

The project has got stuck in delays as L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) had over three years ago written a letter to the Telangana government offering to quit the Rs 16,000-plus crore project as the last resort if issues were not resolved.

When asked if L&T offered to hand over the project to the government, the then chief executive and MD V B Gadgil had replied: In case, the issues do not get settled.

That (to quit) is one solution we have told them in case both of us are not able to resolve, he had said after a meeting with the chief minister and the chief secretary in 2014.

L&T has also written a letter to the state government on the matter.

L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) is an L&T subsidiary, which is developing the metro at a total cost is Rs 16,375 crore

Rs 14,132 crore for the metro rail system and another Rs 2,243 crore for the real estate development.

According to available data, the concession agreement for the project totaling 72 km metro lines with 66 stations was executed in September 2010 while financial closure was achieved in April 2011.

The first phase comprises 30 kms and 24 stations while the second phase of the remaining corridor barring a 6-km stretchnear Charminaris expected to be commissioned by November 2018.
New Delhi:

Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 covers the whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir, where J&K Right to Information Act is in force.

Every public authority is obligated to maintain computerised versions of all records in such a way that it can be accessed over a network anywhere in the country and issued to the person who has requested for information.

Every public authority should provide essential information to the public through various channels of information (including internet) at frequent intervals so that the use of the RTI Act to obtain information can be kept to a bare minimum.

Any person who desires to obtain information shall submit a written or electronic request in English or Hindi or in the official language of the area to the Central Public Information Officer or his/her counterpart at the state level.

No applicant will be required to give any reason for application for request or to provide any personal information except for contact details where it is necessary for the authorities to contact the applicant.

Under normal circumstances, the information requested for will be provided in the form sought for - if a citizen asks for some information in the form of an email attachment, it will be provided unless it causes damage to the original document itself.

Also Read | Know Your Rights: Parents can seek maintenance from their children

The authority will be under no obligation to provide such information that might hurt the sovereignty and integrity of India, information that has been forbidden to share by any court of law, information received under confidence by a foreign Government and cabinet papers.

With the information provided, any citizen will be able to file a case/appeal under the RTI Act.

Contact: Director (IR), Room No. 279A, North Block, New Delhi-110001

Email: osdrti-dopt@nic.in

Under Secretary (IR), Room No. 281, North Block, New Delhi-110001

Email: usir-dopt@nic.in
New Delhi:

The Centre has scaled down RJD boss Lalu Prasad Yadavs Z+ VIP security cover of NSG commandos after a recent review, official sources informed on Monday.

Sources said the former Bihar chief minister will now be given Z category security.

The RJD chief will now be guarded by an armed commando squad of the Central Reserve Police Force, the sources said.

After the decision, the National Security Guard black cat commandos will be withdrawn from his security as the NSG only provides Z+ security cover.

The decision was taken after the Union home ministry recently reviewed the threat levels of various VIP protectees, the sources said.

The Z+ CRPF VIP security cover of former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has been withdrawn completely. He will have state police cover now.

The Z cover of Union minister Haribhai P Chaudhary has also been scaled down to Y+, entailing less manpower and other paraphernalia, they said.

The minister of state for coal and mines was accorded the larger security cover of central security forces commandos when he was minister of state for home. (With PTI Inputs)

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Kathmandu: The first shipment of China-donated oxygen cylinders and ventilators reportedly reached in Nepal on Tuesday, which Nepali officials say are helpful in reducing the shortage of oxygen for COVID-19 patients in the country.

Most of the China-donated cylinders would be distributed to large government-run hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley and a few would be sent to the crisis-hit provinces in southwestern and far-western Nepal respectively.

A Nepal Airlines plane landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday with the oxygen cylinders and concentrators from China, Dim Prasad Poudel, managing director of the airline, told.

According to Nepal's Ministry of Finance, there is an agreement with China for the delivery of oxygen cylinders on a grant basis, and some of them will be brought by air while the rest will be sent through the land route with Tibet.

Poudel said Nepal Airlines will send planes to get back the remaining oxygen cylinders from China.

Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Nepali Health Ministry, told last week that China-donated oxygen cylinders would be distributed to large government-run hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley, and a few would be sent to the crisis-hit provinces.

On Sunday, Nepal recorded 7,316 new infections through the polymerase chain reaction test while 52 were tested positive for coronavirus through the antigen test.

Nina Rolle has been revealed as the voice behind Amazons popular assistant Alexa

Ransomware: Ireland's Department of Health targeted in cyber attack

Pope Francis to Myanmar Faithful: Work for peace, even by risking your lives
Dubai: While India has responded to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, it has urged both sides to act peacefully, while the Islamic country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has warned Hamas. UAE has asked Hamas to curb terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip region as it will have a negative impact on investment going into the region without it. Under the Arab Agreement, UAE has been in constant touch with Hamas for the past few months.

UAE has started and invested in several infrastructure projects in the Gaza region. Several UAE projects trying to reach out to the people are moving forward in areas that are being adversely affected by the Israeli-Palestine conflict. That is why the Gulf country is cautioning Hamas. A senior official said he is still ready for the development of civic amenities in Palestine and is looking to take it forward.

UAE has said that it will continue development work with the united nations and palestinian authorities, but the first and foremost condition is that there should be peace in the area. UAE said that if peace is not maintained in the area, the citizens of Gaza Strip will have to bear the brunt. Their lives will become hell. According to the UAE, Hamas leaders should understand that their policies are harming the citizens of the Gaza Strip.

Refusal to treat covid patient free of cost will not be tolerated: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Miss Mexico: Mexico's Andrea Meza crowned Miss Universe 2020

J&K security forces achieve major success, two terrorists killed in encounter
Kathmandu, May 17

After failing to receive one million doses of the purchased Covishield Covid-19 vaccines from India on time, Nepal has launched another initiative to buy two million Vero Cell Covid-19 vaccines from China.

A high government source informs Onlinekhabar that the Ministry of Health has already sent a letter to the concerned agency in China via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, the Nepali Embassy in Beijing is coordinating with the Chinese side for the purchase.

In preliminary talks, China says it can deliver one million doses of the vaccines by the first week of June and next lot as soon as possible.

However, the per-dose price of the vaccine has not been revealed yet saying a deal has not been made yet.

Earlier, China had given Nepal 800,000 doses of Vero Cell vaccines as a grant, and the Beijing government is not in a mood to extend the grant again.

So far, the government had not taken any initiative to purchase the vaccines from China as it was hoping for the arrival of Covishield vaccines from the Serum Institute of India. If the two million doses, for which the government has already paid money, had arrived on time, the government was preparing to buy an additional five million vaccines.
Government Innovation Awards

Nominations now open for 2021 Rising Stars

True innovation takes a lot  new technologies, strong leadership, talented industry partners and, of course, individual change agents.

That's why the Rising Star Awards  which honor up-and-coming IT talent  are such an integral part of the Government Innovation Awards program. We're looking for early-career phenoms whose leadership, innovation and all-around extra effort are having a powerful and positive impact.

Individuals from across the government IT community is eligible  military and civilian, career and political, contractor, academic and association expert alike. Nominees must be less than 10 years into their government IT careers, and winners are chosen for their impact, so be sure to explain what a nominee did and what all that work accomplished.

And don't forget about the other awards. (A joint effort of FCW, GCN, Washington Technology and Defense Systems, the Government Innovation Awards also recognize the companies supporting the governments transformation and the most innovative technology initiatives across the public sector.) Details and nomination forms can be found at GovernmentInnovationAwards.com.

Please spread the word, and move fast -- help us celebrate all the top drivers of government innovation. All 2021 nominations are due by July 2, so please submit yours today!
FCW Insider: May 17, 2021

The Inspector General at the Office of Personnel Management found that the agency wasn't requiring mask-wearing and failed to notify employees of COVID cases during the height of the pandemic.

The proposed commission would have investigative and subpoena powers and would hold hearings to produce a report by the end of 2021.

Lawmakers in previous years have tried to clarify and change which agencies are responsible for regulating the cybersecurity of oil and gas pipelines.

Melanie Kyle Gingrich will take over training daily operations for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body as the vice president of training and development.

Quick Hits

*** Neera Tanden, whose nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget was scuttled in the face of intense political opposition, has joined the Biden administration as a senior White House advisor. According to press reports, Tanden will lead a review of the U.S. Digital Service as part of her new job.

*** The Defense Information Systems Agency delivered its initial zero trust reference architecture, the agency announced last week.
LONDON, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Map Market size, was worth of USD 18.59 Billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 59.94 Billion in 2026, growing at a CAGR of 18.2% from 2021 to 2026. Increasing adoption of advanced technologies for surveying and digital map-making is the key factor driving the growth of Global Digital Map Market.

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Global digital map market report covers prominent players are like key players in the market include Google, TomTom, Esri, Here, Digital Map Products Inc., Nearmap, Magellan, Apple, Mapquest, Intrix, Yahoo, AutoNavi, MapWise, Jibestream, Indoor Atlas, Mapillary and others.

Get Sample of Report@ https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestSample/PostId/1548

Digital mapping involves the collection and collection of data to create virtual images. It accurately represents a specific geographical area, main roads, rivers and airports, shopping complexes, restaurants, tourist attractions, and future signs and colors as hospitals in and around a particular area. It is also useful to calculate the total distance from one place to another as well as the total time required to get to the actual place considering the traffic. Digital mapping has become mainstream and opened up a whole new range of possibilities in recent years. The first map was used in 1507 with the name of America. Additionally, in the 17th, 18th, and 19th map become accurate and factual. Emerging in the 1970-80 decades, replacing traditional paper cartography with a single database of paper and displaying geographic information, this GIS digital system had maps with digital screens and digital memory as a display system. Moreover, the first appeared in the Sputnik era and experts were able to track satellites with shifts in its radio signals. They move the cars, ships, planes, mobile phones, etc. slowly and steadily.

The Covid-19 has shown a mixed impact om the growth of global digital map market. It has increased the demand of the digital map offerings for aiding in tracking Covid-19 across the world. However, its demand has shown a decline in the other industries like construction, agriculture and others as most of the activities are stopped due to lockdown globally.

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The global digital map market report is segmented on the basis of component, mapping type, solution, services, and application, vertical and by regional & country level. Based on component, global digital map market is classified into solution and services. Based on mapping type, global digital map market is classified into mapping type outdoor mapping and indoor mapping. Based on solution, global market is classified into mapping data, web mapping and GPS-enabled services. Based on services, global digital map market is classified into consulting, cross-platform support and deployment & integration. Based on application, global market is classified into real-time location data management, geocoding & geopositioning, routing & navigation, asset tracking and others. Based on vertical, global digital map market is classified agriculture, oil & gas, and other natural resources, infrastructure development, construction, government & homeland security, logistics, travel, & transportation and others.

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News: India's Drone-Powered Digital Maps Project Begins In Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana

On September 15th, 2019 ; The Survey of India, with support from Department of Science and Technology (DST), has taken up the task of digitally mapping the length and breadth of the country over the next two years. The scientific department has set up three digital centres to generate digital topographic database and create a digital map of India across terrains to aid geo-information systems.

Global Digital Map Market Dynamics:

Increasing technological advancements in the automotive industry is one of the major factors driving the demand for the digital map product offerings. Digital maps have gained importance in navigation and self-driving car technologies that facilitate real-time mapping. Self-driving cars are no longer an idea of the future. Large vehicle manufacturers have already dropped or abandoned their driving features, which give the car the ability to drive itself. To operate safely, autonomous vehicles will need purpose-built HD map datasets, significantly more detailed information, and truth-ground accuracy than those found in current conventional resources. Other areas of automotive applications include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), fleet management, and logistics control systems. Tracking natural disasters, monitoring other environmental emergencies, and measuring the distance between places are some of the desired features of digital maps which contribute to the growth of the digital mapping market. For example, MapAction, a leading mapping organization for the humanitarian crisis, has deployed more than 100 Disaster and Emergency Mapping Specialists and has provided remote assistance to teams responding to many people since 2003. With a rich experience and in-depth understanding of all aspects of humanitarian information management, maps help organizations and governments around the world build and respond to disasters.

Moreover, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies for surveying and digital map-making and extensive adoption drive the market growth. And, the adoption of 3D modeling and digital elevation models is expected to increase the use of this technology. However, the costs associated with LiDAR, legal and regulatory policies may limit the development of the digital mapping technology and the market growth. In spite of that, the emergence of cloud technology and big data in digital mapping solutions may create more opportunities for the further growth of the market.

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North America Is Expected to Dominate the Global Digital Map Market

North America is expected to dominate the global digital map market owing to the early adoption of technological advancement and high investment in research and development activities in this region. The Asia Pacific is expected to witness a fastest growth in this market owing to increasing growth of agriculture, oil and gas, and other natural resources industries and rising adoption of connected cars and the rapid deployment of high-speed communication networks in this region. The increasing need for real-time cloud computing and fast cloud-car communication is creating a market for 5G-enabled connected cars. For example, as of 2018, agriculture employed more than 50% of the Indian workforce and contributed 1718% to the country's GDP. North America is expected to dominate the digital map market.

Key Benefits for Global Digital Map Market Report

Global Digital map market trends report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis.

Global Digital map industry statistics research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level.

Global Digital map industry analysis report helps to identify opportunities in market place.

Global Digital map market trends report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape.

Digital Map Market By Regional & Country Level:

North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

U.K.

France

Germany

Italy

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Southeast Asia

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Middle East and Africa

GCC

Africa

Rest of Middle East and Africa

Get Detailed Analysis: https://brandessenceresearch.com/automotive-and-transport/digital-map-market

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Brandessence Market Research & Consulting Pvt ltd.

Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London.

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Award from The Joint Commission, Kaiser Permanente, honors Bernard J. Tyson, late chief executive officer and reform advocate

Bernard J. Tyson

Bernard J. Tyson, late CEO and chair of Kaiser Permanente.

Bernard J. Tyson, late CEO and chair of Kaiser Permanente.

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity, a new award program from The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente, is now accepting applications through July 8, 2021. The annual award in Tysons memory recognizes healthcare organizations and their partners that lead initiatives that achieved a measurable, sustained reduction in one or more healthcare disparities.



All types of healthcare organizations that directly deliver healthcare and have addressed disparities for any vulnerable population, including but not limited to race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status, may apply.

Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals describing the implementation of a well-defined intervention that resulted in a measurable, sustained reduction in disparities. Initiatives submitted for consideration must demonstrate measurable improvement.

Bernard J. Tyson, the late chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente, worked tirelessly to address the disparities that plague the U.S. healthcare system. The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente hope that the award will recognize achievement, inspire organizations to launch projects to address healthcare disparities, and provide concrete examples for others to emulate.

There is no cost to apply. For more information and to access the application, please visit the Tyson Award webpage.

About The Joint Commission

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nations oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

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About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of healthcare. We are recognized as one of Americas leading healthcare providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health.

Media Contact:

Maureen Lyons

Corporate Communications

(630) 792-5171

mlyons@jointcommission.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b90dfd08-b68d-4aee-bca3-7b649a35a898




Figure 1

Overview of the Premier Gold Project depicting resource areas, prospects and 2021 exploration targets. The area is divided by north-south running faults (dashed yellow lines) and hosts many areas of mineralization. The resource areas are well defined while many of the other numerous targets require significant additional exploration in order to determine their full potential. The dashed white line signifies the location of a volcano-sedimentary contact close to the Silver Hill prospect.

Overview of the Premier Gold Project depicting resource areas, prospects and 2021 exploration targets. The area is divided by north-south running faults (dashed yellow lines) and hosts many areas of mineralization. The resource areas are well defined while many of the other numerous targets require significant additional exploration in order to determine their full potential. The dashed white line signifies the location of a volcano-sedimentary contact close to the Silver Hill prospect.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascot Resources Ltd (TSX: AOT; OTCQX: AOTVF) (Ascot or the Company) is pleased to announce the 2021 exploration drill program at the Companys Premier Gold Project (PGP) near Stewart in northwestern British Columbia.



The access road to the site has now been cleared after a winter of significant snowfall and Ascot is preparing to start its exploration program and the preliminary preparations (Early Works) for the construction of the PGP. The successful COVID-19 plan implemented in 2020 has been refined to ensure the safety of employees as well as the communities of Stewart, B.C, Hyder, Alaska and Nis g aa Nation. The Company is conducting its program utilizing local contractors and temporary employees with a minimum of travel in and out of the communities.

Although the Company is focused on the construction activities of the PGP, significant effort will go towards realizing the untested exploration potential of the property as well as expanding the resource base of the PGP. The Company is planning to complete approximately 25,000 metres of drilling both from surface and underground starting in the last week of May 2021.

The Company is also pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement to raise total gross proceeds of up to C$3.8 million (the Offering). The total Offering will consist of up to 2,651,796 common shares of the Company, which qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the FT Shares), at an average price of $1.42 per FT Share. Sprott Private Resource Streaming and Royalty (Sprott) recently purchased the Red Mountain gold production payment and stream arrangement from Seabridge Gold Inc. On completion of the Offering, it is expected that Sprott will acquire 2,251,796 common shares of the total Offering. These additional funds will be used to finance the Companys exploration activities this year.

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Derek White, President and CEO of Ascot commented, We have several very promising exploration targets and last year s drilling program demonstrated how successful exploration can be at the Premier site, especially at the Premier West and Day zone areas. We are very excited to continue that success in 2021 and we plan to drill several new target areas both close to and away from known resources.

Surface Exploration

Ascot is planning to start the exploration drilling in the last week of May to the west of the Premier deposit. The lower elevation of this area enables the Company to commence exploration at this time until the road to Big Missouri has been cleared and snow has melted at higher elevations. Last years program successfully traced gold mineralization from the Premier deposit towards the west. There is significant volume of prospective rock to the west and northwest of last years drill holes that will be targeted in the early stages of the 2021 program.

Depending on the access to drill pad locations, exploration activities will move to Woodbine or the Day Zone at Big Missouri. The Woodbine prospect is located to the west of the Premier deposit and last years drilling intercepted high-grade gold mineralization at two different elevations. Anomalous soil geochemistry indicates the possible presence of mineralization at a third elevation higher than the other two that were tested last year. Late in the 2020 season, the Ascot team established a drill pad location at the top of the Woodbine prospect that is designed to test mineralization of all three elevations and determine the orientation and extend of these new zones.

At the Day Zone at Big Missouri, drilling has intercepted high-grade gold mineralization in multiple drill holes from three different drill pads covering an initial strike length of 150 metres. Gold mineralization appears to trend north-south in this area and is open in these directions. Drilling this season will attempt to expand the extent of new mineralization in both directions and establish the orientation and character of the zones. The presence of high-grade mineralization at the Day Zone is of particular significance as this area is relatively close to planned underground development in the Big Missouri area.

The Company is also planning to drill underexplored areas north of the Premier deposit (Sebakwe zone) and showings in the very northern part of the tenement north of Big Missouri.

At Silver Hill, in 2020 the Company intercepted silver mineralization hosted in volcanic rocks close to the interface between volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Our claim block covers a large area of prospective ground for this style of mineralization and it will be necessary to conduct mapping and prospecting over the entire contact area in order to more efficiently target areas of highest prospectivity. Additional holes may be drilled as time permits.

Figure 1 Overview of the Premier Gold Project depicting resource areas, prospects and 2021 exploration targets. The area is divided by north-south running faults (dashed yellow lines) and hosts many areas of mineralization. The resource areas are well defined while many of the other numerous targets require significant additional exploration in order to determine their full potential. The dashed white line signifies the location of a volcano-sedimentary contact close to the Silver Hill prospect.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0894800e-f5b1-4dbd-b07e-7ea1a4965800

Underground Exploration

The Company has submitted a notice of work to commence underground drilling from an exploration ramp that will be driven from the S1 pit at Big Missouri towards the Silver Coin deposit as soon as permits have been received. The underground exploration will have two different objectives: The first objective is to explore the area between Big Missouri and Silver Coin where drilling to date has been sparse; and the second objective is to drill test various zones of inferred resources and upgrade their resource status to indicated in order to enable the inclusion of these resources into the mine plan. Underground access also presents opportunities to drill a few deep holes to probe the underlying areas that have to date not been tested due to prohibitive cost and limitations of the available equipment.

The Offering

The gross proceeds from the issuance of FT Shares will be used for Canadian exploration expenses, and will qualify as flow-through mining expenditures as those terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada), which will be renounced to the initial purchasers of the FT Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2021 in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issue of the FT Shares.

The Securities issued in the Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the closing date of the Offering.

The closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or before June 7, 2021 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the acceptance of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Lawrence Tsang, P. Geo., the Companys Senior Geologist provides the field management for the Premier exploration program. John Kiernan, P. Eng., Chief Operating Officer of the Company is the Companys Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

ASCOT RESOURCES LTD.

Derek C. White, President and CEO

For further information contact:

Kristina Howe

VP, Investor Relations

778-725-1060 / khowe@ascotgold.com

About Ascot Resources Ltd.

Ascot is a Canadian-based exploration and development company focused on re-starting the past producing historic Premier gold mine, located in British Columbia's Golden Triangle. The Company continues to define high-grade resources for underground mining with the near-term goal of converting the underground resources into reserves, while continuing to explore nearby targets on its Premier/Dilworth and Silver Coin properties (collectively referred to as the Premier Gold Project). Ascot's acquisition of IDM Mining added the high-grade gold and silver Red Mountain Project to its portfolio and positions the Company as a leading consolidator of high-quality assets in the Golden Triangle.

For more information about the Company, please refer to the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or visit the Companys web site at www.ascotgold.com, or for a virtual tour visit www.vrify.com under Ascot Resources.

The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as seek, anticipate, believe, plan, estimate, expect and intend and statements that an event or result may, will, should, could or might occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements, including statements in respect of the closing of the Private Placement and the use of proceeds. Although Ascot believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since the Ascot can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve 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 statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in the Ascots periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, and assumptions made with regard to: the estimated costs associated with construction of the Project; the timing of the anticipated start of production at the Projects; the ability to maintain throughput and production levels at the Premier Mill; the tax rate applicable to the Company; future commodity prices; the grade of Resources and Reserves; the ability of the Company to convert inferred resources to other categories; the ability of the Company to reduce mining dilution; the ability to reduce capital costs. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Ascots expectations include risks associated with the business of Ascot; risks related to exploration and potential development of Ascots projects; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and indigenous groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; risks associated with COVID-19 including adverse impacts on the world economy, construction timing and the availability of personnel; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Ascots filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). The timing of future economic studies; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of Project as well as those factors discussed in the Annual Information Form of the Company dated March 26, 2021 in the section entitled "Risk Factors", under Ascots SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Ascot does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.






Almere, the Netherlands

May 17, 2021, 9 p.m. CET

ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today announces the voting results of its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 17, 2021, at the ASM offices, the Netherlands.



The shareholders approved all resolutions as proposed to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.

The main approved resolutions include the following:

Mr. Paul Verhagen was appointed as a member of the Management Board and will succeed Mr. Peter van Bommel as Management Board member and as CFO. Mrs. Stefanie Kahle-Galonske was re-appointed as Supervisory Board member for a term of four years. Furthermore the financial statements for the year 2020 were adopted, and the shareholders discharged the members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board from liability in relation to the exercise of their duties in the financial year 2020. The shareholders also voted in favor of a regular dividend payment of 2.00 per common share, and the withdrawal of 500,000 common shares.

About ASM International

ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as for assembly & packaging and surface mount technology (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances.

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This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

CONTACT



Investor and Media contact:

Victor Bareno

T: +31 88 100 8500

E: victor.bareno@asm.com








Answers global demand for unified call recording and voice intelligence across any communications end-point with the world's most comprehensive and advanced product family

Creates seamless ability to enrich any conversation with AI and share with business applications

Simple, easy to deploy, flexible monthly and annual plans

New solutions designed specifically for compliance managers and teams

MELBOURNE, Australia, and DALLAS, May 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dubber Corporation Limited (ASX: DUB) (Dubber), today announced 12 new products and solutions, more than tripling its industry-leading voice intelligence offerings for service and solution providers, business and government. The new solutions are available today directly from Dubber on eligible networks and solutions. Dubber's existing solutions, CallDub and DubAI continue to be offered across all networks.

"Unified Call Recording is critical to achieving the compliance, revenue, and customer insights demanded by business and government today," said James Slaney, COO, Dubber.

"More than 80% of crucial conversations with customers and employees take place using voice. Not having access to accurate, compliant records in real-time puts leaders at a serious disadvantage. Dubber addresses that by unlocking the insights in every conversation."

"Dubber continues to transform the economics of call recording and voice data," said Matthew Townend, Executive Director, Cavell - a leading industry analyst firm. "The benefits of voice intelligence as a service are clear - both to the service providers that will build differentiation through offering it and to businesses and governments that will deploy it to address critical business needs."

Three new core Dubber solutions

At the heart of today's announcement are three new core solutions. They give business and government customers flexible, affordable options so that users or teams can capture and use voice intelligence - from recordings to transcriptions to sentiment analysis.





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Dubber You delivers Unified Call Recording where individuals need to record, store and review crucial conversations. Dubber You automates the recording of calls, meetings and video without the need for hardware or software and comes with unlimited lifetime storage. Plans start at USD $14.95 per month per recording endpoint.

Dubber Teams is ideal for managers and leaders needing central review and control over 100% accurate and enforced recordings and data for sales, service, and customer insights. Plans start at USD $19.95 per month per recording endpoint.

Dubber Premier unlocks all Dubber functionality delivering AI-enriched insights. Beautiful transcriptions, alerts and notifications and the ability to easily integrate Dubber with business intelligence and CRM applications. Plans start at USD $49.95 per month per recording endpoint.

All Dubber solutions include critical features such as unlimited storage, easy-to-use application for iOS, Android and Web, concierge set-up and training, data download and export and 24x7 online global support.

"Our new solutions make Unified Call Recording more flexible and available to businesses and teams of any size," said Slaney. "We founded Dubber to eliminate the cost and complexity of capturing any conversation. For too many, the value of that conversation is lost the moment it ends. We're making it simpler and easier than ever to end not knowing and comply."

Users can easily expand any package with simple to deploy add-ons including:



UCR Service Add-on Pack - easily add services with a click - review and manage recordings, transcriptions and data in one place

Dubber API - easily connect Dubber recordings and data to applications, storage and dashboards

Dubber Call Recording Archive - redundant and secure storage of all call recordings and data with Dubber Storage. Back up your valuable voice data in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud, including recordings and data from other sources

Dubber for Salesforce - add your Dubber recordings, metadata, transcriptions and sentiment insights to Salesforce records

Native to the world's networks and communications solutions

Dubber is native to the world's leading communications solutions, including Cisco, Microsoft, and Zoom. Its partners span more than 140+ of the world's leading networks, including AT&T, Verizon, Telstra and Cox Communications.

With Dubber's unique reach and Unified Call Recording (UCR), specifically for compliance, companies can capture recordings immediately in one location from all their voice, video and text services. Conversations, once automatically captured, are stored in Dubber Cloud Storage and then processed in the Dubber Voice Intelligence Cloud - where AI creates real-time insights, alerts, and more.

This reach and the new solutions for compliance, make Dubber the world's leading and most flexible recording option for compliance.

Transforming how conversations are captured and used

Dubber solutions support continuous compliance and voice intelligence with critical features including:

Collect and integrate recordings and data in the manner required to meet compliance obligations appropriate to regional regulations

Real-time search of interactions based on communication-related metadata or conversational content. Common examples include:

- Metadata - participants, time, direction, dialled number, origin number, custom business data

- Content  transcription, sentiment, phonetics, related interactions

Analyze and interact with collected communications, including the ability to monitor interactions as they are being collected

Ensure security of collected communications and prevent tampering at all stages

Retention policies support retain and delete actions; and, legal hold and discovery on historical and real-time data

Dubber also announced today a full suite of solutions designed specifically for the demanding needs of compliance, legal, security, risk and audit teams.

Call Dub and Dub AI, Dubber's existing solutions, will continue to be provided by partners and service and solution providers globally for the foreseeable future.

Resources

Pricing information: https://www.dubber.net/pricing

Blog post: https://www.dubber.net/news

Brochures quick link: https://www.dubber.net/brochure

About Dubber:

Dubber is unlocking the potential of voice data from any call or conversation. Dubber is the world's most scalable Unified Call Recording service and Voice Intelligence Cloud adopted as core network infrastructure by multiple global leading telecommunications carriers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Dubber allows service providers to offer call recording for compliance, business intelligence, sentiment analysis, AI and more on any phone. Dubber is a disruptive innovator in the multi-billion dollar call recording industry, its Software as a Service offering removes the need for on-premise hardware, applications or costly and limited storage.

For more information, please contact:

Investors: Simon Hinsley UK Media: James Taylor | The PR Network simon.hinsley@dubber.net james.taylor@thepr.network +61 (0) 401 809 653 +44 (0)7796 138291



AU & NZ Media: Terry Alberstein US Media: Charlie Guyer, Guyer Group for Dubber terry@navigatecommunication.com.au charlie@guyergroup.com +61 (0) 458 484 921 +1.617.599.8830

SOURCE Dubber
NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BizVibe has made available 10,000+ company profiles for the consulting services category on its B2B platform. Companies listed in this category are primarily engaged in providing various types of consulting services (such as HR consulting, IT consulting, business consulting, etc.).

Snapshot of BizVibe's consulting services company profiles and categories.

Get Free Access to These 10,000+ Profiles

Each profile is free to view and packed with high-quality insights, providing businesses with detailed company information. Users can take advantage of these insights to identify, target, and connect with the right companies who provide consulting services. This company information includes employee insights, company competitors, the impact of emerging trends and challenges, the latest news, and more.

Free Insights Included for all Consulting Services Company Profiles:

List of product and service category offerings and primary operating industries

Risk of doing business score across four different metrics

List of key executives and their roles within the company

Company financials and general organizational information

Global, national, and regional competitors

List of key clients

Top trends and challenges within operating industry and expected influence on business impact

Latest company news with the ability to sign up for timely news alerts

Get Started to View Free Company Insights

Consulting Services Companies on BizVibe

BizVibe's platform contains 10M+ company profiles, spanning across 200+ countries, categorized into 40,000+ products and services. There are 10,000+ company profiles related to consulting services on BizVibe, covering 35+ related categories. Each company profile contains detailed insights dedicated to helping procurement and sales teams find trusted suppliers and target sales prospects.

Examples of consulting services profiles that can be discovered on BizVibe include companies that specialize in:

Business consulting services

IT consulting services

SEO consulting services

Engineering consulting services

Marketing consulting services

HR consulting services

Get Free Company Profile Access for all Categories

Story continues

Company Profiles for Buyers and Sellers

BizVibe's modern B2B platform is designed to help both global buyers and sellers. Powered by the latest best-in-class solutions, BizVibe provides outstanding product features for both category managers and sales professionals.

Features for Buyers:

Quickly discover the right suppliers

Create short lists and custom alerts

Mitigate supplier risk and evaluate suppliers

Send RFIs/RFPs

Learn how BizVibe helps buyers: https://www.bizvibe.com/find-suppliers

Features for Sellers:

Target the right sales prospects

Qualify leads

Analyze buyer potential

API integration and data enrichment

Learn how BizVibe helps sellers: https://www.bizvibe.com/sellers

About BizVibe

BizVibe has been conceptualized and built by a team based out of Toronto, Bangalore, and London. We are a branch of Infiniti Research and have dedicated units in all three locations. BizVibe helps buyers find the most relevant suppliers from around the world and help sellers target prospects who need their products and/or services. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com and start for free today.

Contact

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

Email: jesse@bizvibe.com

+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/

BizVibe (PRNewsfoto/BizVibe)

Cision

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SOURCE BizVibe
Discussions are on regarding extending the lockdown in Karnataka, but no decision has been taken yet on the matter, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Monday, as the State battles the second wave of COVID-19. "I'm discussing it, will let you know....no decision has been taken yet...," Yediyurappa told reporters in response to a question on extending the lockdown and announcing a package.

Though the state is currently under complete lockdown till May 24, several leaders, including ministers, have expressed themselves in favour of extending it.

The Karnataka government had initially announced 14 days "close down" from April 27, but subsequently imposed a complete lockdown from May 10 to May 24, as the cases continued to spike.

Revenue Minister, R Ashoka, also Vice-Chairman of Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, who has been batting for the extension of curbs, today said lockdown has been useful as daily fresh cases in Bengaluru have come down from 22,000 to 8,000 and it will be good to extend the shutdown.

Noting that because of lockdown, the number of daily cases have come down in Maharashtra and Delhi too, he said, three days before the current shutdown ends, senior ministers will meet under the leadership of the Chief Minister and take a decision.

Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh Nirani too said, it will be good if lockdown is extended for some more days.

Health Minister K Sudhakar, in response to a question about extending the restrictions, said it will be discussed at the meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.

Union Minister Sadananda Gowda too recently had said lockdown has to be extended if need be, as it has been yielding results, with major cities including Bengaluru witnessing decline in daily COVID positive cases.

Meanwhile, the Congress and JD(S) have urged the state government to provide relief, including financial and food, and come to the rescue of those whose livelihood has been affected by the COVID-19 induced shutdown.

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy today urged the government that the lockdown, if extended, should be "pro bono", where economic and food relief to the needy is taken care of.

Also read: Risk of blood clot due to Covishield vaccine 'minuscule' in India; govt to issue advisory

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Russian vaccine Sputnik V now on CoWIN portal
OTTAWA, ON, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - From coast to coast to coast, Canadians have been making extraordinary sacrifices to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from COVID-19. These individual actions are strengthening our collective capacity to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As highly effective vaccines become available in greater numbers, everyone in Canada can be part of the solution to end the pandemic.

The Government of Canada is supporting Canadians to make informed COVID-19 vaccine choices. Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced the launch of a new national campaign to encourage vaccine uptake, which will appear on television, radio, print, out-of-home and online.

The campaign uses the concept of a ripple effect to underscore how one small, individual action can greatly influence outcomes for everyone. Getting vaccinated will help reduce infection rates, ease pressure on the health system and create the conditions that will allow us to get back to important social, economic and recreational activities. Choosing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 can have a cascading effect, culminating in a more vaccinated and protected Canada and eventual easing of public health restrictions.

The latest tracking polling shows that the number of people who have already had a shot or who will take one as soon as it is available to them is up from previous weeks and now stands at over 70%. More and more of our family members, friends, and neighbours in communities across Canada are getting vaccinated or say they intend to. This momentum to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible needs to continue. It is important that people know that their choice to vaccinate plays an important part in keeping them and their loved ones healthy.

Quotes

"Vaccines are one of the most important ways to protect the health of Canadians. The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for everyone and the COVID19 vaccines have provided us with hope for a return to what we miss most. This advertising campaign will help empower people to get vaccinated for their own health, and for the health of their families, loved ones and communities."

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The Honourable Patty Hajdu

Minister of Health

"As vaccine availability expands, I urge all people in Canada to get vaccinated and support others to get vaccinated as soon as they can. Through campaigns such as the 'Ripple Effect,' we are reminding people that the individual choices we make will have a positive impact on our collective future. As more and more people in Canada get vaccinated, we move closer to getting back to the people, places, and activities we love. This is because getting vaccinated means you lower your personal risk of getting COVID-19 and you are less likely to transmit the virus to others."

Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer

Public Health Agency of Canada

Quick Facts

The Public Health Agency of Canada has launched the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign, called the "Ripple Effect," to remind Canadians about the collective vaccination effort required to see a reduction in restrictions and public health measures.

The budget for this second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign is $11 million.

This second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine advertising campaign runs from May 17, 2021 to July 4, 2021. The ads will run on TV and radio (including multicultural and Indigenous channels), in print media, and out-of-home including on buses and digital signs. Additional, digital ads will run on web sites, social media and through search engine marketing.

The first phase of the advertising campaign, "COVID-19 Vaccines and You," ran from March 8 th , 2021, to May 16 th , 2021, to educate and build trust in the COVID-19 vaccines by answering key questions about the vaccines and providing Canadians with the information they need to make informed COVID-19 vaccine choices.

These ads had more than 347 million impressions and resulted in over 3 million visits to Canada.ca/covid-vaccine.

Associated Links

COVID-19 vaccines: We can all help by getting vaccinated (canada.ca)

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Awareness resources

Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge

Immunization Partnership Fund

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

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DUBLIN, May 17 (Reuters) - Irish health officials are considering allowing the use of COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson for those aged between 40 and 49 in addition to the current use for over-50s, a senior health official said.

The Irish Health Service's Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry said an expert group had recommended the consideration of the use of the two vaccines in those aged 40-49 "with some conditions" and that a final decision would be announced soon. (Reporting by Conor Humphries, editing by Louise Heavens)
Oberkfell to Lead the Association on Its Continued Growth Direction Through the End of the Year

CHICAGO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After 12 years successfully leading the largest foodservice manufacturers association, the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) and the IFMA Education Foundation, President & CEO Larry Oberkfell announced today that he will be stepping down when his contract ends at the close of 2021. Until then, he will continue to lead the Association and Foundation, and assist the Board leadership in the search for a new CEO.

Lawrence Oberkfell, IFMA President & CEO, Returning to Industry at the Close of 2021

"I have made the decision to return to the industry that I love and to begin my path on a new journey," Oberkfell said. "Serving the foodservice manufacturer community for the last twelve years has been an extremely rewarding experience for me personally and professionally."

Oberkfell joined IFMA as President & CEO in 2008 after successful roles leading several food industry companies including Schwan Food Company, Anchor Food Products, and GESD Capital as Managing Director. Through his leadership and vision, he steered IFMA through unprecedented growth and navigated the association to success in service of the industry.

"I have had the great benefit of an extraordinarily active and committed board of directors that has made my journey both fun and rewarding," added Oberkfell. "Together since 2008, we have grown IFMA member value to a level that we could not have imagined. The IFMA team has successfully grown member value and overall membership even during 2020, when the pandemic was especially brutal to our industry. Rest assured, I will not leave until the transition occurs smoothly with the Board selected new CEO. I am confident that we will identify a new leader who will take IFMA to a new tomorrow."

IFMA Board leadership has selected Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), a leader in executive search and assessment, to partner with the search committee in conducting a nationwide search for Oberkfell's successor. For more information, contact Stephanie Tomaso and Andrew Hayes at RRA: IFMA@russellreynolds.com.

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"Larry has been our beacon for over a decade, leading us through a litany of industry challenges and a complete remaking of IFMA," said Hugh Roth, Chief Customer Officer at PepsiCo Foodservice and 2021 IFMA Board Chair. "Through his vision and leadership, the association's value proposition is stronger and positioned for further innovation and growth. We salute Larry for paving the way for the future of IFMA and our great industry."

In addition to serving as IFMA President & CEO, Oberkfell currently serves on the National Restaurant Association Board and is active in many industry related groups such as the GS-1 Executive Committee.

About International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) is an established trade association serving foodservice manufacturers for over 65 years to improve industry practices and relationships while equipping every foodservice manufacturer with the tools to navigate their future with confidence. By providing insights, developing best practices and fostering connectivity through events, we enlighten members and motivate change that leads to betterment for the individual member organization and the industry at large. For more information, visit IFMAworld.com.

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) is an established trade association serving foodservice manufacturers for over 65 years to improve industry practices and relationships while equipping every foodservice manufacturer with the tools to navigate their future with confidence. For more information, visit ifmaworld.com. (PRNewsfoto/IFMA)

Cision

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SOURCE International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)
Reuters

The Federal Reserve is likely to announce in August or September a strategy for reducing its massive bond buying program, but won't start cutting monthly purchases until early next year, a Reuters poll of economists found. A significant number of Fed watchers also said the central bank would wait until later in the year before announcing a taper, now the main focus for markets fretting over rising inflation as an end to the pandemic in the United States is in sight. Booming demand with the U.S. economy reopening is expected to continue and push up consumer prices this year, with the June 4-10 Reuters poll of over 100 economists showing an upgrade to both growth and inflation forecasts.
SYDNEY, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following recent announcements of the Nexport exclusive distribution of BYD electric vehicles, we are pleased to announce that Splend has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nexport to order 3000 electric vehicles (EVs).

TrueGreen Logo (PRNewsfoto/TrueGreen Impact Group)

Splend, a tech-enabled vehicle subscription provider founded by Chris King in 2015, is Australia & the United Kingdom's largest operator of flexible vehicle subscription and ownership plans with a focus on the on-demand rideshare and delivery app segments. Splend is looking to accelerate its expansion and this BYD EV order forms a key part of Splend's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by transitioning to a zero emissions electric vehicle fleet working with Splend's rideshare and delivery platform partners.

Nexport entered exclusive distribution arrangements with BYD in February 2021 for the supply of electric vehicles in Australia and other right hand drive markets. BYD has become a key global OEM having sold more than 180,000 pure-electric passenger vehicles last year. Warren Buffet's, Berkshire Hathaway has been a major shareholder since 2008 and owns 8.2% of BYD which is listed on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges. Nexport intends releasing the new range of BYD electric passenger and commercial vehicles from mid 2021 with pricing starting from AUD $35,000. The new models coming to Australia have recently been showcased at the Shanghai Motor Show.

The MOU between Splend and Nexport plans for deliveries of vehicles to Splend's Australian and UK operations over the next two years starting in early 2022. As part of Nexport's direct to customer sales model for EV's Splend will also be engaged by Nexport to provide a new and innovative form of demonstrator vehicle service for new BYD car buyers The Nexport/Splend comprehensive agreement is Australia's largest singular electric vehicle order to date.

About Nexport

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Nexport is an Australian owned supplier and producer of electric buses and a wide range of various electric vehicles. Nexport is contracted to supply electric buses to the NSW Government as part of its 8000 fleet EV upgrade. Nexport is part of the TrueGreen Mobility Group of zero emissions companies which also include Gemilang Australia, EVDirect.com.au, ETaxiCO, Go-Zero and Foton Mobility. TrueGreen Mobility Group has mandated Goldman Sachs to manage a Pre IPO funding raise with an IPO envisaged before the end of the year. www.nexport.com.au

About Splend

Splend is a technology-enabled vehicle subscription provider that helps people to earn a living through on-demand apps such as Uber by providing flexible vehicle subscription and ownership plans. Since launching in Sydney in 2015, Splend helped drivers earn more, improve their ratings, and enjoy their jobs, by offering an unrivalled level of support for its members.

Much more than a vehicle supplier, Splend provides resources and a community for drivers wanting to thrive. From dedicated support to advanced training and rewards, the company helps its members take control of their careers through Splend's flexible plans.

As on-demand driving has become part of modern society, the company has expanded to nine cities across Australia and the United Kingdom.

www.splend.com

SOURCE TrueGreen Impact Group
To



NASDAQ Copenhagen Executive Board

Lers Parkalle 100

DK-2100 Kbenhavn 

www.rd.dk







Telephone +45 7012 5300

Telefax +45 4514 9622













17 May 2021





Company Announcement No 43/2021

Prepayments, Realkredit Danmark A/S





Pursuant to 24 of the Capital Markets Act, Realkredit Danmark A/S hereby publishes prepayments as at Wednesday 12 May 2021. Please find the data in the attached file.

The information will also be available on www.rd.dk .







Yours sincerely

The Executive Board







Any additional questions should be addressed to Hella Gebhardt Rnnebk, Chief Analyst, phone +45 4513 2068.

Attachments




Lead Plaintiff Deadline is JULY 7, 2021

NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP announces that a federal securities class action lawsuit has been filed has been filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of investors that purchased the securities of Skillz Inc. ("Skillz" or the "Company") (NYSE: SKLZ) from December 20, 2020 through April 19, 2021 (the "Class Period").

(PRNewsfoto/Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman )

All investors who purchased shares of Skillz Inc. and incurred losses are urged to contact the firm immediately at classmember@whafh.com or (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774. You may obtain additional information concerning the action or join the case on our website, www.whafh.com.

If you have incurred losses in the shares of Skillz Inc., you may, no later than July 7, 2021, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. Please contact Wolf Haldenstein to learn more about your rights as an investor in the shares of Skillz Inc.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN CASE

On March 8, 2021, Wolfpack Research released a report titled, "SKLZ: IT takes Little Skill to see this SPACtacular Disaster Coming" (the "Wolfpack Report"). The Wolfpack Report alleges that the growth speculations that Skillz and its insiders had touted were "entirely unrealistic" given the fact that Skillz's top three games, representing 88% of Skillz's revenue, reported a decline in downloads since the third quarter of 2020.

On this news, the price of Skillz stock plummeted 10.9% to close at $24.45, down $3 from the previous day.



Then, on April 19, 2021, Eagle Eye Research posted an anonymous report on Twitter in which it claimed that, through the use of providing users with incentive Bonus Payments, "the company likely recognizes substantial non-cash revenue and cash revenues may be less than  of GAAP revenue."



On this news, SKLZ shares declined 6.61%, or $1 to close at $14.11 on April 19, 2021. Shares further declined the next day to an all-time low of $12.55.



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Wolf Haldenstein has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.

If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this case, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at classmember@whafh.com, or visit our website at www.whafh.com.

Contact:

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Patrick Donovan, Esq.

Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis

Email: gstone@whafh.com, donovan@whafh.com or classmember@whafh.com

Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

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SOURCE Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP
Dublin, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "UAE Cyber Security Market By Security Type (Network Security, Endpoint Security, Others), By Solutions Type (Identity & Access Management, Risk & Compliance Management, Others), By Deployment Mode, By End Use Industry, By Company, By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The UAE Cyber Security Market is expected to grow at an impressive rate during the forecast period. The UAE Cyber Security Market is driven by the increasing cyber threats across organizations. Additionally, an increasing need to protect important documents and data from various types of sophisticated and complex threats such as malwares, ransomwares, among others is further expected to propel the market.

Furthermore, technological advancements such as integrated security solutions and next generation security solutions along with increasing adoption of advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, among others are expected to create lucrative opportunities for the market growth over the next few years. However, the high cost of cyber security solutions has led to the decrease in adoption rates especially across SMEs. This is expected to negatively impact the market growth. A lack of awareness pertaining to internal threats within the organizations can further impede the market growth.



The major players operating in the UAE Cyber Security Market are IBM Middle East FZ LLC, UAE, Oracle Systems Limited, Microsoft Gulf FZ LLC (Microsoft Gulf), AWS Dubai, Juniper Networks, Cisco Middle East, UAE, Broadcom, UAE, Palo Alto Networks, CyberArk, Fortinet and others. Major companies are developing advanced technologies and launching new services in order to stay competitive in the market. Other competitive strategies include mergers & acquisitions and new service developments.



Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2016-2019

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021

Forecast Period: 2022-2026

Objective of the Study:

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To analyze and estimate the market size of the UAE Cyber Security Market from 2016 to 2019.

To estimate and forecast the market size of the UAE Cyber Security Market from 2020 to 2026 and growth rate until 2026.

To classify and forecast the UAE Cyber Security Market based on security type, solution type, deployment mode, end-user industry, company, and regional distribution.

To identify dominant region or segment in the UAE Cyber Security Market.

To identify drivers and challenges for the UAE Cyber Security Market.

To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in the UAE Cyber Security Market.

To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in the UAE Cyber Security Market.

To identify key sustainable strategies adopted by market players in the UAE Cyber Security Market.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Impact of COVID-19 on UAE Cyber Security Market



4. Executive Summary



5. Voice of Customers

5.1. Brand Awareness

5.2. Factors Influencing Purchase Decision

5.3. Challenges/Issues Faced Post Purchase

5.4. Unmet needs



6. UAE Cyber Security Market Outlook

6.1. Market Size & Forecast

6.1.1. By Value

6.2. Market Share & Forecast

6.2.1. By Security Type (Network Security, Endpoint Security, Application Security, Cloud Security, Content Security, Others)

6.2.2. By Solutions Type (Identity & Access Management, Risk & Compliance Management, Encryption & Decryption, Data Loss Prevention, Unified Threat Management, Firewall, Antivirus & Malware, Intrusion Detection/Prevention System, Infrastructure Security, Others)

6.2.3. By Deployment Mode (On-Premise v/s Cloud)

6.2.4. By End Use Industry (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Defense, Energy & Power, Retail, Healthcare and Others)

6.2.5. By Region

6.2.6. By Company (2020)

6.3. Product Market Map



7. UAE Network Security Market Outlook



8. UAE Endpoint Security Market Outlook



9. UAE Application Security Market Outlook



10. UAE Cloud Security Market Outlook



11. UAE Content Security Market Outlook



12. Market Dynamics



13. Market Trends & Developments



14. Policy & Regulatory Landscape



15. UAE Economic Profile



16. Competitive Landscape

IBM Middle East FZ LLC, UAE

Oracle Systems Limited

Microsoft Gulf FZ LLC (Microsoft Gulf)

AWS Dubai

Juniper Networks Inc.

Cisco Middle East, UAE

Broadcom, UAE

Palo Alto Networks UAE

CyberArk Software Inc.

Fortinet Inc.

17. Strategic Recommendations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5kdh1s

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




The "UK Female Hair Piece, Wig, and Extension Market by Product Type, By Material: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The UK female hair piece, wig, and extension market was valued at $612.9 million on 2019, and is expected to reach $1,185.1 million by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 11.7% from 2021 to 2027. The wigs segment dominated the market in 2019, and is expected to continue this trend throughout the forecast period.

The growth of UK female hair piece, wig, and extension market is majorly driven by increase in concerns about physical appearance caused by hair loss. Moreover, rise in influence of celebrity hairstyles and fashion has boosted the use of false hair products. Furthermore, increase in acceptance and use of false hair among women to restore their self-confidence has notably contributed toward the growth of the overall market.

However, environmental impact of synthetic wigs and emergence of novel treatment of hair loss such as Minoxidil act as the major restraints of the market. On the contrary, breakthrough in the production of false hair is expected to drive the market growth. Furthermore, the introduction of techniques such as strand applications are anticipated to offer remunerative opportunities for the expansion of the market during the forecast period.

The key players operating in the UK female hair piece, wig, and extension industry have relied on product innovation and new product launch to remain competitive in the UK market.

Certain brands have been focusing on celebrity endorsements and expert advice for potential customers to increase awareness about new and emerging products.

Key Topics Covered:

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Report description

1.2. Key benefits for stakeholders

1.3. Key market segments

1.4. Research methodology

CHAPTER 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2.1. Key findings

2.1.1. Top impacting factors

2.1.2. Top investment pockets

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2.2. CXO perspective

CHAPTER 3: MARKET OVERVIEW

3.1. Market definition and scope

3.2. Key forces shaping UK female hair piece, wig and extension industry/market

3.3. Market dynamics

3.3.1. Drivers

3.3.1.1. Increase number of individuals suffering from hair loss

3.3.1.2. Surge in adoption of false hair for beautification

3.3.2. Restraint

3.3.2.1. Adverse impact of human hair waste on environment

3.3.2.2. Growing range of alternative treatments for hair loss

3.3.3. Opportunity

3.3.3.1. Rapid expansion of synthetic hair goods industry

3.4. COVID-19 impact analysis

3.4.1. Introduction

3.4.2. Impact on the consumer goods industry

3.4.3. Impact on the UK female hair piece, wig, & extension market

CHAPTER 4: UK FEMALE HAIR PIECE, WIG, & EXTENSION MARKET, BY PRODUCT TYPE

4.1. Overview

4.2. Hair pieces

4.2.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.2.2. Market size and forecast

4.2.2.1. Bangs & fringes

4.2.2.2. Ponytails

4.2.2.3. Hair buns

4.2.2.4. Hair wraps

4.2.2.5. Head bands

4.3. Wigs

4.3.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.3.2. Market size and forecast

4.3.2.1. Standard & capless construction

4.3.2.2. Hand tied

4.3.2.3. Monofilament construction

4.3.2.4. Lace front wig

4.4. Hair extensions

4.4.1. Key market trends, growth factors, and opportunities

4.4.2. Market size and forecast

4.4.2.1. Clip-in hair extension

4.4.2.2. Tape-in hair extension

4.4.2.3. Sew-in hair extension/weave

4.4.2.4. Pre-bonded hair extension

CHAPTER 5: UK FEMALE HAIR PIECE, WIG, & EXTENSION MARKET, BY MATERIAL

5.1. Overview

5.2. Synthetic hair

5.3. Real hair

CHAPTER 6: COMPETITION LANDSCAPE

6.1. Product mapping

6.2. Competitive dashboard

6.3. Competitive heat map

CHAPTER 7: COMPANY PROFILES

Aderans Co., Ltd

Cinderella Hair

Daxbourne International Ltd

Foxy Locks Ltd

Hair Development Limited

Kimwigs.Co.UK

Luxy Hair Co

Racoon International Ltd.

Salonlabs LLC,

Real Human Hair Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8zltcp

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210517005468/en/

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MONTREAL, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Valeo Pharma Inc. (CSE: VPH) (OTCQB: VPHIF) (FSE: VP2) ("Valeo" or the "Company"), a Canadian pharmaceutical company, today announced that Valeo has been accepted for admission into the Innovative Medicines Canada ("IMC") Association as a full member. IMC has represented Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry since 1914, with 47 members across the spectrum of small, mid-size and large national and multi-national companies. The association plays a central advocacy role in all major issues related to the pharmaceutical industry, including price reform. and the pan-canadian rare disease strategy, amongst others. IMC has also been playing an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic in supporting members and governments in the timely supply of vaccines and personal protective equipment. IMC has set guiding principles including its Code of Ethical Practices to promote ethics, respect and integrity in all interactions with stakeholders.

(CNW Group/Valeo Pharma Inc.)

"We are proud to be admitted to Innovative Medicines Canada and we commend the tireless work of IMC in ensuring our industry thrives in Canada", said Steve Saviuk, CEO of Valeo Pharma. "Valeo's vision of building a foundational Canadian pharmaceutical company by driving therapeutic innovation to patients in need, is very well aligned with IMC's vision of ensuring that Canadians have access to the innovative treatments they need".

Commenting on joining IMC as a full member, Frederic Fasano, Valeo's President and COO said, "we believe it is important for the future development of Valeo to increase our involvement alongside recognized industry leaders to ensure key healthcare issues receive the attention they deserve. Joining IMC will allow us to participate with our peers, government, healthcare professionnals and other related stakeholders in building a stronger life sciences ecosystem for the benefit of all Canadians".

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"We are pleased to welcome Valeo Pharma into the association and look forward to working with them on delivering better healthcare solutions", said Pamela Fralick, President of Innovative Medecines Canada,"Canadians deserve and should expect timely access to the latest inniovative medicines and treatment therapies, and Valeo will be an important IMC partner in achieving this goal".

About Innovative Medicines Canada

Innovative Medicines Canada is the national voice of Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry. We advocate for policies that enable the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines and vaccines that improve the lives of all Canadians. We support our members' commitment to being valued partners in the Canadian healthcare system.

About Valeo Pharma

Valeo Pharma is a Canadian pharmaceutical company dedicated to the commercialization of innovative prescription products in Canada with a focus on Respiratory diseases, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Oncology and Hospital Specialty Products. Headquartered in Kirkland, Quebec Valeo Pharma has all the required capabilities and the full infrastructure to register and properly manage its growing product portfolio through all stages of commercialization. For more information, please visit www.valeopharma.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Valeo's objectives, strategies and businesses that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are "forward-looking" because they are based on our current expectations about the markets we operate in and on various estimates and assumptions. Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements if known or unknown risks affect our business, or if our estimates or assumptions turn out to be inaccurate.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE Valeo Pharma Inc.

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RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has demanded universal access to Covid-19 vaccines and medicines. The organisation has initiated a digital signature campaign to support its objective.

"We firmly believe that many Indian manufacturers have the capacity and expertise in the production of essential medicines and vaccine, provided intellectual property rights hurdles are removed with technology transfer and trade secret issues resolved. Patent protection is the major barrier to the generic production of these medicines. Many Indian companies are already making Remdesivir under the voluntary license, however, the quantity is not sufficient to meet the demand, and the price is also very high from the point of view of affordability. We understand that the government needs to use the public health safeguards in the Patents Act and permit more companies to produce these medicines in the coming days," Ashwani Mahajan, National Co Convenor, SJM says.

SJM has urged citizens to digitally sign the petition that asks WTO to grant waiver in the provisions of TRIPS to make Covid-19 technology accessible to all, and asks the global pharma companies to voluntarily offer patent free rights including technology transfer, passcodes and raw material to other pharma manufacturers for the sake of humanity.

The petition also asks the government to take necessary steps including using its sovereign rights to grant compulsory license to other pharma manufacturers to produce vaccine and medicines. It calls for concerned individuals and organisations also to come forward and facilitate universal access to vaccines and medicines to fight Covid-19.

"As we may be requiring nearly 2 billion doses of vaccine in the next 6 months, we need to involve many more companies in manufacturing of these vaccines. It's heartening to note that licences have already been issued to many companies for Covaxin and also for remdesivir. We may have to multiply these efforts.We reiterate our demand for declaring all medical products required to respond to COVID 19 as global public good, and put an end to profiteering to serve the needy in these difficult times", Mahajan says.

SJM is reaching out to the top academicians including vice chancellors, prominent professors, scientists, opinion makers, political personalities, past and present bureaucrats, people in policy making and others separately to sign the petition.

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Russian vaccine Sputnik V now on CoWIN portal

Also read: Apart from Serum, Bharat Biotech, these 5 vaccine makers are India's hope against Covid-19
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WalkMe Ltd. ("WalkMe"), a leading provider of digital adoption solutions, today announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") relating to a proposed initial public offering of its ordinary shares. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. WalkMe has applied to list its ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "WKME."

WalkMe Logo

Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Citigroup will act as lead book-running managers for the proposed offering. Wells Fargo Securities, Barclays and BMO Capital Markets will act as joint bookrunners for the proposed offering. JMP Securities, KeyBanc Capital Markets and Needham & Company will act as co-managers for the proposed offering.

The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus, when available, may be obtained from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014; Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, by telephone at 1-866-471-2526 or by email at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com; or Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone at 1-800-831-9146 or by email at prospectus@citi.com.

A registration statement relating to the proposed initial public offering has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

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About WalkMe

WalkMe's cloud-based Digital Adoption Platform enables organizations to measure, drive and act to ultimately accelerate their digital transformations and better realize the value of their software investments. Our code-free platform leverages our proprietary technology to provide visibility to an organization's Chief Information Officer and business leaders, while improving user experience, productivity and efficiency for employees and customers. Alongside walkthroughs and third-party integration capabilities, our platform can be customized to fit an organization's needs.

Media Contact:

Emma Pearce

PR & Communications

press@walkme.com

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SOURCE WalkMe
(Bloomberg) -- At the Daqo New Energy Corp. factory in Chinas Xinjiang region, workers carefully processed tall columns of refined silicon last week as a group of reporters and analysts looked on. Its the first time outsiders were allowed to witness the mundane factory scene since Chinas dominant solar industry has come under scrutiny for its labor practices.

Unlike three other companies in Xinjiang that produce polysilicona key ingredient in solar panelsDaqo hasnt been linked to alleged human-rights abuses. Yet Daqo has upheld the same secrecy as its peers with ties to the government-run labor program that's under international scrutiny. As recently as March, the company declined interview requests for its executives and turned away foreign observers.

Now the companys leadership is breaking ranks in an attempt to shield itself from potential U.S. sanctions over China's treatment of the Uyghur minority group in Xinjiang.

READ MORE: Secrecy and Abuse Claims Haunt Chinas Solar Factories in Xinjiang

Daqos chief financial officer, Ming Yang, acknowledges there's a good probability that Xinjiang-made polysilicon will be banned by President Joe Biden. As the only U.S.-listed polysilicon company based in Xinjiang, Daqo cant just ignore concerns from overseas investors and regulators, he said in an interview. We understand there are these perception risks, especially from the public and media, and some investors, Yang said.

On Wednesday, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said officials believe in some cases that Chinese solar products are being produced by forced labor and confirmed the administration is mulling restrictions. Daqos best bet is to try and win an exemption. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. this month managed to get itself removed from a U.S. blacklist of military-linked companies, suggesting theres a way for individual companies to avoid penalties even as tensions rise between the worlds two biggest economies.

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Concerns about forced labor in Xinjiang stem from a state-run labor program that some Western governments and academics have argued is used to compel mainly Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities to work against their will. Researchers have highlighted public documents showing three other polysilicon factoriesnot Daqosaccepted workers from the program. China says the initiative helps poor ethnic minorities find better employment and that accusations of forced labor in Xinjiang are lies invented by foreign adversaries.

Daqos campaign is being spearheaded by Yang, a Taiwan-born, Cornell-educated former McKinsey & Co. consultant who joined the firm in 2015. The night before the tour, the 46-year-old held court for two hours over dinner at a local hotel, sipping Moutai liquor with a group of foreign journalists. A vegetarian, he picked at dishes including tomato and egg soup and cauliflower stir-fry as he set out his case: Daqo doesn't participate in the labor program and doesnt employ any Uyghurs.

When asked later what he thought of the governments treatment of Uyghurs, including internment camps that officials describe as vocational training facilities, Yang equivocated. Do they exist or not? Actually, I dont know, he said. But certainly if they do exist, then I think there are moral standards that this will be judged against.

Yang and his team plan to appoint an agency to conduct a human-rights audit of their operationsand most probably those of key suppliersto back up the companys assertion that it has zero tolerance for forced labor. Daqo has shortlisted three possibilities: a global auditing firm and two fair-labor institutions referred to them by the U.S. government.

Its a gamble. Conducting independent, third-party inspections at random times would require cooperation from a local government that has for years prevented foreign journalists and diplomats from freely visiting the region. Yang said the authorities have given Daqo preliminary assurances that the auditors will be granted access.

Supply-chain audits are recognized by the U.S. government, "but the bar is high and they have mixed results of success," said Nicholas Turner, a lawyer at Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Hong Kong who specializes in economic sanctions. "A lot will depend on who the auditor is and the level of transparency the company can provide."

Daqos push for transparency could also end up raising more questions about the other key players in the industryXinte Energy Co., GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. and East Hope Group Co.and Chinas labor practices in the region. Together, the four factories provide almost half the global supply of polysilicon, helping to power a surge in solar energy around the world.

Operating in the region has become problematic for companies after China began a strike-hard campaign in Xinjiang in the 2010s in response to a series of deadly terror attacks by Uyghurs seeking greater political and cultural autonomy. The policies, which have seen Muslims placed under tight surveillance and separated from their families, have been characterized by the U.S. government as genocide.

For Daqo, distancing itself from the labor program could be almost as risky as facing U.S. sanctions. The company must be careful that in defending its own practices it doesnt appear to be agreeing with Western criticisms of Chinese policies, or failing to show solidarity with Beijing and its industry peers. Thats why Daqo has tailored its message for two different audiences.

During the factory tour, which was also attended by analysts from HSBC Holdings Plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Credit Suisse Group AG, Yang insisted that Daqo wouldnt take part in the labor program. If the government did ask us, we would not participate, he said. As a foreign-invested company, Yang said Daqo wouldnt be obligated to comply with such an order. Daqo has very high integrity standards, he said.

There are early signs that Daqos charm offensive may be working. There is no evidence of any human-rights violations and only allegations, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. analyst Johnson Wan wrote in a note to clients after watching a virtual video tour of the plant. Wan has a buy rating on Daqo, which is planning to raise 5 billion yuan ($778 million) in a listing this year on Shanghais Star board.

Kevin He, Daqos head of investor relations, struck a different tone from Yang at a press conference arranged by the foreign ministry in Beijing in early May. Sitting next to Xinjiang government officials, he lashed out at a U.S. solar industry lobbys efforts to form an anti-forced labor alliance. The aim, he said, was to sabotage Chinas participation in the global market. We express our strong indignation and condemnation, He said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated on Monday that there is only voluntary employment in Xinjiang. "China welcomes those with just and objective view from all countries and institutions to visit Xinjiang, but is against investigations based on the presumption of guilt, he said.

Concerns about Daqos perceived ties to Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, or XPCCa state-affiliated organization that's been sanctioned by the U.S. government for alleged human-rights abuses including mass arbitrary detentionare another potential risk, Yang said. The organization oversaw the development of Shihezi, the city where Daqos factory is based.

We have no association with the XPCC, Yang said. We're not owned by them. Were a fully foreign-owned enterprise and we have no collaboration. Yang said Daqo will stop expanding its Shihezi operations after this year, citing diminishing energy price advantages and a desire to be closer to customers. The company is looking at Yunnan and Inner Mongolia as possibilities for future growth.

But Daqo faces an uphill battle as it tries to escape the shadow of Xinjiang. Last week, for example, researchers Laura Murphy and Nyrola Elima released a report detailing what they called a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between Daqo and XPCC. They also cited public documents that indicate some of Daqos major suppliers may have hired workers from the labor program. Daqo said it didnt find any evidence of forced labor at the plants.

Companies must allow unannounced, unfettered, unmonitored audits that center Uyghur workers' voices and that guarantee zero repercussions for whistleblowers, said Murphy, a professor at Sheffield Hallam University. No company can guarantee any of those conditions in Xinjiang so long as internment camps remain in operation. And certainly none of this is accomplished by guided tours of factory floors.

That means the pressure on Daqo will be difficult to evade, no matter how open the company makes itself. Were trying to be as transparent as possible," Yang said.

(Updates with analyst comment in 11th paragraph.)

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Fewer gas stations in Fredericksburg and Virginia are dry this week, but its costing more to fuel up.

On Friday, nearly half of the states stations were out of gas. Stations throughout the Fredericksburg area also were out, but more were coming back online.

On Monday, just before noon, 31 percent of the states stations were out of gas, according to GasBuddy. The fuel tracking website uses crowdsourced data to determine how many stations have gas.

The GasBuddy app showed numerous Fredericksburg-area stations without gas on Monday, but fewer than last week. While the Colonial Pipeline is now flowing again, dont expect the shortages to go away quickly.

The Southeast will continue to experience tight supply this week as terminals and gas stations are refueled, AAA spokesperson Morgan Dean said in a Monday news release.

The gas shortage started after the 5,500-mile Colonial Pipeline was hit by a cyberattack two weekends ago. The FBI said the ransomware attack was orchestrated by a Russia-based criminal group called DarkSide.

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In the days that followed the hack, people rushed to gas stations along the East Coast. That rush drained station tanks and closed pumps in several states.
PLATTSMOUTH  An Omaha man who led authorities on a car chase through residential neighborhoods in Louisville will spend the next two years serving many probation requirements.

Ethan Romero-Nelson, 20, appeared in Cass County District Court Monday morning for a sentencing hearing. He recently pled guilty to Class I misdemeanor charges of operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and obstruction of a peace officer.

A Cass County Sheriffs Office deputy was patrolling Louisville on the afternoon of Dec. 17 when he saw a red Chevrolet Cobalt without any license plates. Romero-Nelson was driving 47 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone at the time.

The deputy tried to make a traffic stop near Highway 66 and East 2nd Street, but Romero-Nelson began to drive faster in an attempt to flee. He swerved in and out of traffic on residential streets and ran a number of stop signs. He passed a school bus with children in the area during one part of the chase, and the deputy clocked him going 60 mph in a 25-mph zone on another street.

The deputy stopped the car at the intersection of 144th St. and Church Road. There was a marijuana pipe and a knife in the backseat. The deputy asked Romero-Nelson why he had tried to avoid arrest. Romero-Nelson said he had been on probation in Sarpy County and had cut off his ankle monitor.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  My colleagues' shouts awakened me, and the pounding of my heart drowned out the racing of my mind. What was happening? Had someone been injured on the streets of Gaza City, or worse?
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have discussed the Afghan peace process and the war on terror during a phone call.

U.S. President Joe Biden last month announced the withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, four months later than a May 1 deadline agreed to with the Taliban by the previous administration of Donald Trump. NATO has said it would follow the same timetable for withdrawing the more than 7,000 allied forces.

In their phone conversation, Blinken and Qureshi "highlighted the importance of continued cooperation on the Afghan peace process, Pakistans progress on countering terrorism, and the potential to expand our trade and commercial ties and to improve regional connectivity in South Asia," the U.S. State Department said in a statement late on May 16.

The impending exit of foreign forces from Afghanistan has prompted regional concern about the ability of the Afghan government's security forces to hold territory against the Taliban in the absence of a peace deal.

Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed with Pakistans army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the regional security situation.
Until a few year ago, Malak Ziarat Gul Atmarkhel made a decent living from his businesses that crossed the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He is a tribal leader of the Mohmand, a large Pashtun tribe that straddles the border, and ran a market and restaurant in Afghanistans eastern province of Nangarhar. He often earned up to $130 a day.

But now that Pakistan has almost completely fenced its disputed 2,670-kilometer border with Afghanistan, Atmarkhel was forced to move to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where his restaurant now brings in just $3 a day.

And its not just the Mohmands. The fence has also separated hundreds of thousands of members of the Mamund tribe, whose homeland stretches from the Bajaur district in northern Pakistan to Afghanistans eastern Kunar Province.

We have relatives, property, friends -- everything on that side of the border. Half of the members of the Mamund tribe are here [in Pakistan] while half of us are there in Afghanistan, said Shah Wali Mamund, a Bajaur resident.

He says there are now fewer marriages among extended families and clans in the region. If this trend continues for another generation, our tribe will divide into two distinct entities, he said. We will become strangers to one another.

Some 450 kilometers south of Bajaur in South Waziristan, Zohaib Wazir says the fence has bisected his village, Angoor Ada.

Some of us are now part of Afghanistan but we have Pakistani documents, he told Radio Mashaal. The traditional homeland of hundreds of thousands of members of the Wazir tribe is now formally divided by the parallel 3-meter-high fences topped by barbed wire.

Atmarkhel, Mamund, and Wazir are among the tens of millions of Pashtuns whose homeland is divided by the fence, which Islamabad says will prevent terrorist attacks from Afghanistan. But as the fence nears completion, it has failed to prevent the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan from carrying out increasing attacks within Pakistan in recent weeks.

More than two dozen major Pashtun tribes have lost their historic right to traverse the porous border since construction of the fence began in 2017. Many say the fenced border -- and their divided communities -- have cost them their Pakistani or Afghan citizenship.

The fence has brought business to a standstill, devastating local economies in remote regions, and has forced hundreds of families to leave their homes and farms. Above all, it has threatened to break familial ties and social relations in a seamless tribal society united by kinship, religion, language, and history.

Economic Ruin

The previously unregulated cross-border trade on which hundreds of thousands of Pashtuns relied has been almost completely dismantled. Before the fence was built, laborers in Mohmand and Nangarhar could earn $26 a day. Most of them cannot even afford to buy wheat-flour now, Atmarkhel said. While employment has tumbled, prices of staple foods have skyrocketed without the ease of cross-border trade.

Traders in Nangahar have similar complaints. Malak Dilawar Jan Shinwari owned warehouses near the Gorko border crossing in his province, which also borders Pakistans Khyber tribal district.

The mountainous route had long been used to carry electronics, car parts, clothing, tea, and cosmetics on mules or camels to Khyber on their way to Pakistani cities. Now Gorkos 50 warehouses stand empty.

The fence put an end to that business, which has left around 20,000 people without a job, Shinwari said.

In North Waziristan, Haji Nazar Din has been involved in Afghan trade since 1983. He says Pakistanis exported wheat, sugar, cloth, cooking oil, fruits, and vegetables to Afghanistan and imported automotive oil, tea, and solar-energy batteries. We used to drive five full trucks from [Pakistans eastern province of] Punjab to Afghanistan daily, but the fence changed everything, he said.

He says strict checks at the Ghulam Khan border crossing between North Waziristan and Afghanistans Khost Province coupled with high customs duties have killed off their profit margins. Some 15,000 workers here are economically ruined, he said. Traders cannot travel without a visa, which has complicated business.

Kabul and Islamabad have been negotiating a transit and bilateral trade agreement for over three years. But Haji Nisar Ahmad of the Dangam district in Kunar Province says such regulation would harm local businesspeople. The fence has made transport routes longer, forcing traders from Afghanistan to use just one border crossing, at Torkham.

Transport costs are higher for goods imported from Pakistan via Torkham, leading to price hikes for locals, he told Radio Mashaal. Before, locals transported goods using mules and donkeys and profits went directly into their pockets.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chambers of Commerce and Trade has voiced similar concerns, saying bilateral trade has plummeted over the past four years. Annual Pakistani exports to Afghanistan have dropped more than 40 percent in the past three years, to $889 million, according to the Federal Board of Revenue.

A State Of Statelessness

Living close to the Durand Line now comes at a cost. In North Waziristan, families of the Kabul Khel tribe, a Wazir clan, are officially part of Afghanistan despite having Pakistani ID cards.

Half of these families are in Pakistan, and the other half are now part of Afghanistan, Haji Nazar Din, a Kabul Khel elder, said of how his clan has been divided with no prospects of easy travel.

Communities across the border face similar problems. Hundreds of families have lost their [Afghan] citizenship after [the fence annexed their village into Pakistan], Khalil Jan Gurbazwal, a resident of the Gurbaz district in Khost Province, told Radio Mashaal.

He says while some already held Pakistani ID cards, others had Afghan citizenship cards locally known as tazkira. The fence demarcated their homes and lands as being in Pakistan, and so they remain in North Waziristan. They are living in a state of statelessness, as they are neither counted here nor there, he added.

Haji Rasool Muhammad Tanai, a tribal elder in Khost, says the fence forced 200 families from a North Waziristan border village to relocate to his native Tani district.

Their village is completely empty, and no one lives there. They dont have homes or property here, but local people gave them shelter, he said.

Farming, livestock, and cross-border trade have traditionally been the main sources of income for Pashtun border communities. Ahmad says many members of the Safi and Mamund tribes owned property on both sides of the border. But their communities have lost access to shares and land.

Nader Manan Kodakhel, a clan leader, lives in Mohmand. He estimates people have lost hundreds, if not thousands, of hectares of land that was collective property of several Mohmand clans.

Residents of Pakistans former Federally Administered Tribal Areas -- where South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram, Khyber, Bajaur, and Mohmand districts border Afghanistans Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, Paktia and Paktia -- have lost access to communally owned meadows and agricultural lands.

The Afghan nomads known as Kuchis have borne the brunt of the impact. The fence has cut off traditional migratory routes that enabled Ghilzai Pashtun tribes to move between the lush plains of the river Indus in Pakistan to the cool Hindu Kush meadows.

In Nangarhar, Haji Gulmiran, a Kuchi community leader, says the fence has cut off their flocks from their usual grazing lands. We lost access to pastures [in Pakistan] while here we have lost meadows and grasslands to housing and farming, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. For Kuchis, our pastures are as vital as water is to fish, he added. Without them, our flocks and tents are unlikely to survive.

Rites Of Passage

Across the border regions, residents complain of the way the fence has separated farmers from their land, sellers from buyers, clans, and even families.

This fence has separated brothers, said Haji Nisar Ahmad, a local elder in Dangam district. He lost ownership of four hectares of land in Bajaur after the fence went up in 2019.

Because of the travel restrictions, Pashtun communities straddling the Durand Line have been unable to mark the occasions that traditionally hold a society together. The barbed-wire fence, Abdul Yousaf says, prevents people in Pakistans Kurram district from attending funerals, weddings, and other community events in Paktia, Khost, and Nangarhar.

People keep bodies for 10 or 15 days so relatives from the neighboring country can take part in the final rites of their loved ones, he told Radio Mashaal, adding it takes several days to get a visa to cross the border.

Khalil Jan Gurbazwal tells of a man whose brother had been left on the other side of the fence in North Waziristan. The brother died, and this man could not get there to attend his funeral, he said. The border guards only allowed him to stand on a hilltop to witness his brothers coffin being taken to the graveyard.

Wazir says the fence slices through villages, requiring members of his community to travel for days or weeks to cross the border and reach relatives. Until a few years ago, there was no border control.

The fence divides our mountains, our homes, and our families, he said. It now takes more than 20 days to cross the border to offer someone condolences.

Rights Of Easement

Creating an imposing physical barrier along its border with Afghanistan has long been a dream of Pakistans. The Durand Line, as the border is called after a British colonel from the 1890s, is officially recognized by Pakistan and the international community but disputed by Afghanistan, which claims it was imposed on suzerain Afghan kings dependent on British subsidies.

In 2016, a year before construction of the fence began, Islamabad began requiring formal visas for all Afghan citizens traveling to Pakistan. Previously, Pashtun tribes living in the borderlands were exempt from the visa requirement thanks to treaties Kabul and Pashtun tribes concluded with the British Raj long before the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

These so-called easement rights -- enshrined as a slip of paper shown at the border -- guaranteed free travel, and Pashtun tribes say the new visa requirement restricts their right to movement and negatively affects business and family ties.

In March, tribal elders from Nangarhar traveled to meet with their counterparts in Khyber to demand easement rights be reinstated and Afghan tribespeople be allowed to travel to Pakistans tribal districts using their ID cards.

Two weeks later, elders held another jirga in Nangarhar demanding the Afghan government reach an agreement with Islamabad that would permit them to travel to Pakistan without needing to apply for a visa.

Abdul Latif Afridi, a Pakistani lawyer and politician, has extensive knowledge of the legal and political frameworks of the border region, which includes his native Khyber. He says easement rights were intended to protect Pashtun society, and abolishing them endangers hundreds of communities.

Pashtuns are one people, with a single language and shared history, so a hard division was not possible, he said. This is the first time that restrictions have been imposed [on their free movement].

Afridi says easement rights lose their meaning when it comes to international borders. However, the disputed status of the Durand Line allowed tribespeople to freely cross the border for decades.

Zarif Khan, an official of the Border Management Project at the National Database Registration Authority, a Pakistani organization that issues identity documents, says Islamabad will not issue corridor passes to Afghans living near the border.

The Federal Investigation Agency verifies visas and ensures all travelers have exit and entry stamps on their passports, he told Radio Mashaal, adding that no other ID cards or the Proof of Registration cards issued to refugees would be accepted. There are no exceptions, he added.

Kabul, for its part, still allows visa-free travel to the residents of former FATA districts, but visas are obligatory for those coming from elsewhere in Pakistan.

Islamabads Security Fears

Pakistani officials maintain the border fence is part of a border management system that addresses security threats to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Both countries had previously reiterated allegations of undesirable and illegal movement, after which we decided to document all movement, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistans ambassador in Kabul, told Radio Mashaal.

Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the new visa policy in September 2020, with the possibility for long-term, multiple-entry visas to Afghans. Previously, Islamabad had issued a six-month, multiple-entry visa to Afghans with which they could stay in Pakistan for just 22 days.

Ultimately, he said, easement rights were making it too difficult to track who crosses the border. Both sides have security concerns, he added, which is why we had to end that practice, but we have facilitated the movement of people through the visa system, which includes the possibility of a multiyear entry pass for Afghan students, businesspeople, and those with family in Pakistan.

Since the new visa policy came into force, the Pakistani Embassy in Afghanistan has issued roughly 7,000 visas a day, according to ambassador Khan.

Mending Fences

Dawa Khan Meenapal, an Afghan government spokesman, says their administration has directed provincial and districts officials to help people along the border. Our people live on both sides of the Durand Line, and we treat them equally, he told Radio Mashaal. We consider it our responsibility to help them.

But Afghan officials, overwhelmed by multiple crises in the midst of the U.S. withdrawal, can offer little assistance or promise of change. Kabul has blamed Islamabad for not reining in the Taliban as it unleashes a fresh campaign of violence while Pakistan denies it provides sanctuary to the Taliban.

Iqbal Afridi, a lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf party, says the government is keen to contain the negative fallout of the fence.

He says Islamabad is ready to provide compensation to those who have been affected and border communities on the Afghan side can contact Pakistani authorities to get visas swiftly.

But resolving the mounting problems of the Pashtun borderland communities will require Islamabad and Kabul to engage in an unprecedented level of cooperation -- something they have failed to do so far.

Daud Khattak and Radio Free Afghanistan contributed reporting to this story.
Adani Green Energy share hit upper circuit of 5% today amid reports that the firm was vetting a proposal to buy out Japan's SoftBank Group's majority stake in solar power producer SB Energy. Adani Green Energy stock opened with a gain of 4.67% at Rs 1,139 on BSE. The stock has gained 8.81% in the last 2 days and has risen 8.81% returns in the period. The large cap stock touched an intraday high of Rs 1142.55, rising 5% on BSE. Later, the stock closed at same level.

Adani Green stock stands higher than 5 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day and 200 day moving averages. The stock has gained 396% in one year and risen 8.55% since the beginning of this year. Market cap of the firm rose to Rs 1.78 lakh crore on BSE.

Earlier, a plan to sell SoftBank's entire 80% stake in SB Energy to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for an estimated $525 million had failed.

SB Energy has a portfolio of 7.7 gigawatts (GW) in India. Bharti Enterprises Ltd owns the remaining 20% stake in the company. Bank of America and Barclays were handling the sale process. France's Total has invested $2.5 billion for acquiring a 50% stake in 2.35GW operating solar assets of AGEL and a 20% stake in AGEL. With 3.47GW operational capacity and 15.24GW portfolio, the Adani-Total JV plans to commission 25GW by 2025.

Flipkart ties up with Adani Logistics to boost supply chain; Adani promises 'thousands of new jobs'

Meanwhile, benchmark indices started the week on a strong note amid a fall in daily Covid-19 cases and a strong rally in banking stocks. While Sensex rallied 848 points to 49,580, Nifty soared 245 points to 14,923. Top Sensex gainers were IndusInd Bank, SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC twins, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv and UltraTech Cement rallying up to 7%.

Sensex zooms 848 points, Nifty ends above 14,900; banking stocks lead gains
A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders while others were warned they should get ready to leave
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PHOENIX  Phoenix police said Saturday that a 14-year-old boy who was involved in a fight with other males at a central Phoenix light rail station had died after being stabbed.

A 30-year-old woman who police said stabbed the boy was arrested and booked her into jail on a second-degree murder charge, Sgt. Andy Williams said.

Williams said in a news release that officers responded to a fight involving multiple males on the light rail platform at Central and Indian School avenues at about 9 p.m. Friday. Officers learned that Priscilla Uqualla sad stabbed one one of the participants in the fight and she was arrested at the scene. It wasnt clear if Uqualla has a lawyer who could comment on her behalf.

Williams identified the boy who died as Quortez Conley.

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MESA, Ariz., May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iveda Solutions, Inc. (OTC: IVDA) ("Iveda" or the "Company"), the worldwide provider of IvedaAI intelligent video search technology, Sentir video surveillance products, IvedaPinpoint and IvedaHome IoT (Internet of Things) platforms with smart devices, today announced that the Company signed a new contract for ~US $1.5 million (NTD 42 million) with Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.



Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is an international airport serving Taipei and northern Taiwan. It is Taiwans largest and busiest airport. The scope of the project includes the expansion of the airports facility management system and power monitoring of its 161KVA high voltage transformer station. The project is expected to begin this month.

Taoyuan Airport has been a customer for many years and Im grateful for their continued reliance on the solutions and the expertise we offer, said I.H. Shiau, president of Iveda Taiwan.

Iveda plans to work with Siemens to build a new SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system using the airports metasystem database. The goal is to reduce functional limitations and improve the alerting system for early awareness of anomalies.

Siemens RTU-A8000 will be adopted to initiate airport smart signal collection to comply with international security regulations. This will integrate a wide range of energy sources and will be used in utility and power transmission, as well as distribution. The new system will ensure a smooth and safe operation. It will also improve the human-machine interface while increasing the number of SQL data storage points for future report consolidation of energy-saving data.

Iveda plans to establish a facility management system utilizing a virtual machine platform and a geographic information system (GIS). The all-encompassing system includes the following functions: database management, alarm processing, maintenance management, permission authentication, network management and power monitoring.

Iveda plans to introduce the IvedaSPS (Smart Power Solution) and its smart utility cabinet as part of the overall solution.

The facility management system will integrate the management of Taoyuan Airports power and electrical mechanical systems. Fire alarm and related systems will be monitored utilizing GIS to provide spatial information for immediate notification and coordination of necessary actions.

Over the years, weve successfully demonstrated our capability to deploy smart city solutions, said David Ly, CEO of Iveda. As we develop new technology to fuel the digital transformation of many cities, Iveda is leading the charge in making cities worldwide, truly smart.

A 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) will be built following equipment modification standards and the structural design of the project to ensure the quality of construction services. This will allow engineers to have visibility of the electrical-mechanical infrastructure behind the wall in 3D.

Iveda and Sentir are registered trademarks of Iveda Solutions, Inc. IvedaAI, IvedaPinpoint and IvedaHome are trademarks of Iveda Solutions, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

About Iveda Solutions Inc.

Iveda Solutions Inc. (OTCMKTS:IVDA) specializes in IoT platforms that offer service providers a turn-key cloud video surveillance system, smart sensors and intelligent video search technology. Iveda utilizes proprietary command center, big data storage and deep-learning algorithms. Iveda has a SAFETY Act Certification from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology Provider. Headquartered in Mesa, Arizona, with a subsidiary in Taiwan, Iveda is publicly traded under the ticker symbol IVDA. For more information call (480) 307-8700 or visit www.iveda.com. To follow Iveda visit www.facebook.com/ivedasolutions, www.twitter.com/ivedasolutions or www.linkedin.com/company/iveda-solutions.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

This release includes forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary materially from those expected. Ivedas business is subject to significant risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements made herein are qualified by such risk factors, and readers are advised to consider such factors carefully. Iveda undertakes no obligation to revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

For more information, please contact:
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TUNIS - Thirteen countries are taking part starting on Monday in Tunis in the multilateral drill Phoenix Express 2021, 16th edition of the North African maritime exercise, said in a statement the US Africa Command (Africom), partner of the initiative.



"Exercises like Phoenix Express 2021 increase the interoperability among participating nations in order to increase maritime safety and support global trade", said Captain Harry Knight, Phoenix Express exercise director. "Our maritime exercises allow us to develop our skills with our regional partners by learning from each other and working together".



The exercise will last until May 28 and will see the participation of four military vessels of the French Navy and five foreign ships. The exercise will see the participation of 130 military personnel from 12 countries - Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, the United States, Italy, Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, Greece and Malta. The exercise includes training for elite units and special forces. The objective is to take part in command and carry out joint operations to fight illicit activities at sea and develop military capacity through the exchange of competence, intensifying efforts to promote security and protection in the Mediterranean Sea and in territorial waters of participating North African countries.



The Tunisian defense ministry assured in a statement that, given the healthcare situation in the country, "a health protocol was drafted to prevent the spread of coronavirus and safeguard the security of participants".
Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held phone talks with United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, at the initiative of the latter, as reported the Government of Armenia.

Pashinyan expressed gratitude for the US Presidents statement on the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and mentioned its pivotal significance.

The interlocutors touched upon the current situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The American side viewed the Azerbaijani forces actions within the boundary of Armenia as unacceptable and provocative and informed that the US will also express its position to the Azerbaijani leadership, with the demand that the Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of the territory of Armenia.

Sullivan highly appreciated the Armenian sides restraint in the current situation and its actions to solve the issues diplomatically, not militarily.

The American side also expressed its concern about the Armenian captives being kept in Azerbaijan and underscored the importance of ensuring their return.

The US National Security Advisor highly appreciated the commitment of the Government of Armenia to strengthening democracy and assured that the US will continue to support the advancement of Armenias democratic agenda.
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President Joe Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gazas militant Hamas rulers in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but stopped short of demanding an immediate stop to the eight days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket barrages that have killed more than 200 people, most of them Palestinian.

Bidens carefully worded statement, in a White House readout of his second known call to Netanyahu in three days as the attacks pounded on, came with the administration under pressure to respond more forcefully despite its determination to wrench the U.S. foreign policy focus away from Middle East conflicts.

Bidens comments on a cease-fire were open-ended, and similar to previous administration statements of support in principle for a cease-fire. Thats in contrast to demands from dozens of Democratic lawmakers and others for an immediate halt by both sides. But the readout of the call to the Israeli leader showed increased White House concern about the air and rocket attacks including Israeli airstrikes aimed at weakening Hamas  while sticking to forceful support for Israel.

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The U.S. leader encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, the White House said in its readout.

An administration official familiar with the call said the decision to express support and not explicitly demand a cease-fire was intentional. While Biden and top aides are concerned about the mounting bloodshed and loss of innocent life, the decision not to demand an immediate halt to hostilities reflects White House determination to support Israels right to defend itself from Hamas, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations.

Netanyahu told Israeli security officials late Monday that Israel would continue to strike terror targets in Gaza as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.

As the worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2014 raged, the Biden administration has limited its public criticisms to Hamas and has declined to send a top-level envoy to the region. It also had declined to press Israel publicly and directly to wind down its latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, a six-mile by 25-mile territory that is home to more than 2 million people. Cease-fire mediation by Egypt and others has shown no sign of progress.

Separately, the United States, Israels top ally, blocked for a third time Monday what would have been a unanimous statement by the 15-nation U.N. Security Council expressing grave concern over the intensifying Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the loss of civilian lives. The final U.S. rejection killed the Security Council statement, at least for now.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki and national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was focusing instead on quiet, intensive diplomacy.

Biden has been determined to wrench U.S. foreign policy away from Middle East and Central Asia conflicts, including withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan and ending support for a Saudi-led war in Yemen, to focus on other policy priorities. Internationally for the U.S., that means confronting climate change and dealing with the rise of China, among other objectives.

That shift carries risks, including weathering flaring violence as the United States steps back from hotspots.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Denmark on the first stop of an unrelated tour of Nordic countries, said Monday the United States was ready to spring in to help if Israel and Hamas signal interest in ending hostilities  but that the U.S. wasnt demanding that they do so.

Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire, Blinken said. He described U.S. contacts to support an end to the fighting, including the calls he was making midair between his Nordic stops.

Blinken defended the U.S. handling of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict as America works to push for climate-accord deals, withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and turn U.S. attention to what Biden sees as the nations most pressing foreign policy priorities.

Its a big world and we do have responsibilities, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday joined dozens of Democratic lawmakers  and one Republican, and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders  in calling for the cease-fire by both sides. A prominent Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, the House intelligence committee chairman, pressed the U.S. over the weekend to get more involved.

Progressive Democrats have been more outspoken in demanding pressure on Israel  and Republicans and conservative Democrats comparatively quiet, for a politically fraught U.S. issue like support for Israel  as the death toll has mounted.

Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, linked Palestinian issues to those of Black Americans.

We oppose our money going to fund militarized policing, occupation, and systems of violent oppression and trauma, Bush tweeted.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, took the Senate floor on Monday to assail lawmakers for including Israel in their demands for a cease-fire.

To say that both sides, both sides need to de-escalate downplays the responsibility terrorists have for initiating the conflict in the first place and suggests Israelis are not entitled to defend themselves against ongoing rocket barrages, McConnell said.

In a shot at Democrats, McConnell said, The United States needs to stand foursquare behind our ally, and President Biden must remain strong against the growing voices within his own party that create false equivalence between terrorist aggressors and a responsible state defending itself.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., led 19 Republican senators releasing a resolution supporting Israels side of the fighting. They plan to try to introduce the legislation next week.

Blinken also said Monday he had asked Israel for any evidence for its claim that Hamas was operating in a Gaza office building housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera news bureaus that was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend. But he said that he personally had not seen any information provided.

___

Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City, Lee from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Lederer from New York. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Alan Fram, Aamer Madhani, Padmananda Rama and Joshua Boak in Washington contributed.
Spain: government says ready to talk on Catalonia Reaction to accord between separatists to avoid vote

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, MAY 17 - The Spanish government said through spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero, interviewed by radio Cadena Ser, that "it is necessary to recuperate the path to dialogue and do it with the intention of really progressing", after reports that an agreement has been reached for a new cabinet in Catalonia between separatist parties Esquerra Republicana (Erc) and Junts per Catalunya. "We hope that the separatist formations have understood that the creation of the government should also lead to abandon the unilateral way", added Montero.



The spokesperson for Pedro Sanchez's cabinet did not hide that Madrid preferred a regional executive led by the candidate of the Catalan Socialist party, Salvador Illa (the formation that had the highest number of votes). "It would have been beneficial for Catalonia", she said.



Salvador Illa was quoted as saying instead that "it is a repetition of a failure", speaking about the agreement Erc-Junts. (ANSAmed).




In the frame of the latest joint project, carried out in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and the National Ozone Unit of Nigeria, Centro Studi Galileo is supporting the national RAC sector of the African state in building its workforce capacity, specifically increasing the knowledge on energy efficiency and energy saving in all practices concerning refrigeration and air conditioning.



On April 27-29 Centro Studi Galileo delivered the first remote Train-the-Trainers session, held in collaboration with the NOU and UNDP Country Office, to 15 professionals who will later take care of spreading knowledge to other technicians in Nigeria thanks to the newly acquired skills. Thanks to the great engagement, it was possible for CSG Expert Trainer Mr Gianfranco Cattabriga to carry out flawlessly the three-days remote training, focusing on topics such as energy and efficiency, equipment design and its components selection, tools, leak detection, performance monitoring, natural and alternative refrigerants. The training further featured practical demonstrations for the benefit of the 15 participants, inside the laboratory of CoolPlus thanks to the collaboration of Mr Ade Awujoola - Centro Studi Galileos national consultant in Nigeria; on the third day, the Trainers could see and try first-hand few RAC best practices such as recovery-vacuum-charge, maintenance and parameters reading.



The purpose of this specific project is to provide capacity building on the integration of energy efficiency into the RAC Servicing Sector in Nigeria under the direct supervision of the UNDP nature Climate and Energy team and the Country Office and in coordination with the global UNDP team working on the K-CEP Programme, and the National Ozone Office of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria.



Under the Montreal Protocol, countries agree to comply with the phase-out ODS consumption by deploying a series of technical assistance and industrial conversion projects, at country level, so producing and consuming sectors can abandon the use of these substances. More than 170 countries agreed to amend the Protocol through what was called the Kigali Amendment, that establishes specific targets and timetables to phase-down the production and consumption of HFCs. In addition, countries also agreed to begin examining opportunities to enhance the energy efficiency of the appliances and equipment to achieve additional greenhouse gases (GHGs) mitigation, while also delivering additional sustainable development benefits such as better air quality, improved public health, improved energy access and energy security.


English Danish

rsted has appointed Richard Hunter Chief Operating Officer (COO) and new member of the Executive Committee of rsted as of 1 June 2021. Richard Hunter comes from a position as President of Rail Control Solutions and Wayside in Bombardier Transportation.



The position is new, following a decision announced earlier this year to reorganise rsted to position for future growth. As COO, Richard Hunter will head rsteds EPC & Operations for all of rsted except the Onshore business, which is organised in a separate business unit.

EPC & Operations is rsteds EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) provider and operator of offshore wind farms as well as combined heat and power plants. The EPC organisation manages multiple large-scale offshore construction projects in parallel across the globe, while the Operations organisation manages 28 offshore wind farms in operation that supply carbon-free power to more than 18 million people worldwide as well as combined heat and power plants delivering green power and district heating in Denmark.

Richard Hunter has had a long career as executive leader within engineering, manufacturing, and operations in the global and UK-based railway industry, and, until recently, he was President of Bombardier Transportations global Rail Control Solutions and Wayside business. During his 17 years with Bombardier, Richard Hunter has held executive positions within engineering, manufacturing, and operations in Europe and Asia-Pacific, and he has led projects and product supply in more than 50 countries.

Mads Nipper, CEO and Group President, says:

Im truly excited to see Richard join the Executive Committee as our COO. Richard is a world-class executive and has the right set of skills to continue the development of EPC & Operations as a crucial part of our actions to create a world that runs entirely on green energy. Richard has a strong technical foundation in engineering, he has impressive international experience leading manufacturing, operations, and development across the globe, and last but not least, Richard has proven himself to have a strong commercial mindset delivering high value to the business and customers.

Richard Hunter will be based in Gentofte in Denmark and work on a regular basis from rsteds London office as well as from other locations worldwide.

Richard Hunter says:

I really look forward to joining the team at rsted. Having worked for many years in businesses delivering the most environmentally friendly and sustainable forms of transportation, Im honoured to take this role with one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world with a clear ambition to be a leader in the global energy transformation.

rsted makes an effort to run inclusive recruitment processes involving candidates of different genders, ethnicities, and national backgrounds. The final selection process for the role of COO included several nationalities and female candidates.

About Richard Hunter:

Education:

BSc (Hons), Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University College London (1989)

Fellow, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK (2008)

Fellow, Institution of Engineering & Technology, UK (2007)





Professional experience:

Bombardier Transportation (2004-2021)

President, Rail Control Solution and Wayside, UK

Managing director, UK

President, Asia-Pacific, Thailand

President, Business Unit Asia, REA, Singapore

Land Transport Authority, Singapore (1996-2004)

Senior project manager, E&M

Senior Project Engineer

London Underground (1986-1996)

Communications Engineer & Assistant Supervising Engineer, Jubilee Line Extension





For further information, please contact:

Media Relations

Carsten Birkeland Kjr

+ 45 99 55 77 65

cabkj@orsted.dk

Investor Relations

Allan Bdskov Andersen

+ 45 99 55 79 96

ir@orsted.dk



About rsted

The rsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. rsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants, and provides energy products to its customers. rsted ranks as the worlds most sustainable energy company in Corporate Knights 2021 index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world and is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action. Headquartered in Denmark, rsted employs 6,311 people. rsteds shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2020, the group's revenue was DKK 52.6 billion (EUR 7.1 billion). Visit orsted.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

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The actresses relive the scene from the classic grotto artwork Emperor and Empress' Ceremony to the Buddha in the Longmen Grottoes Scenic Area in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province . [Xinhua]

On the Buddha Ceremony Stage in the Longmen Grottoes Scenic Area in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province, "Emperor Xiaowen" of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and "Queen Wenzhao" walked slowly with a group of maidservants following them.

The ceremony exudes awe-inspiring dignity with the royal family burning incense and practicing their Buddhist devotions. The live performance-presented by the staff at the historic site on April 25-invited viewers to travel back to 1500 years ago and project into and inhabit the historic scene portrayed in Emperor and Empress' Ceremony to the Buddha, a duo set of grotto artworks that used to be on the walls of the Binyang Middle Cave of Longmen Grottoes.

When saluting, the royals bow their dignified heads to the feet of the Buddha, confess with sincerest hearts, and make good vows with all piety.

The actresses take selfies while trying on costumes before they hit the stage for the live performance on April 25. [Xinhua]

The Binyang Middle Cave of Longmen Grottoes, a royal cave excavated during the Northern Wei Dynasty, is of great importance, as these life-size figures are presented extremely balanced in a picture-story book composition.

"It is a national treasure with great historical and cultural value," says Gao Dan, a researcher at Longmen Grottoes Research Institute. In the 1930s, the sculptures were stolen, damaged, sold, and smuggled overseas."We hope to 'resurrect' the ceremony by various means, and such live performance is one of our many restoration plans, and painstaking efforts have been made by our staff after nearly three months of preparation."

In order to restore the scene more vividly and realistically on the stage, researchers and the main creative team of the Longmen Grottoes Research Institute collected a variety of related documents and pictures, and drilled down to deeper levels of detail. They studied every figure from their makeup, clothing, props and movements.

The actresses are being filmed in the studio. [Xinhua]

The Northern Wei Dynasty was established by the Xianbei, an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and northeastern China. "After Emperor Xiaowen implemented the reform of assimilation to the Han ethnic culture, especially the Han clothing etiquette, the emperor wore a mianliu, king's crown with tassels, and gunfu, a ceremonial dress for Han royalty that features wide robes, large sleeve and long-lined gown.

"The powerful forms of the dressing create an impression of regal majesty," says Gao.

The team also referred to historical documents in the selection of actors. Except for the emperor and queen, most of the 40 actors and actresses are under 20 years old. "According to documental records, Emperor Xiaowen died at the age of 33, and the trace of time had not yet crawled up to his young face by the look of the sculpture, and his concubine and entourage would be younger," says Zhu Guoqing, director of the live performance.

The actresses present the viewers behind the scene tidbits from the shooting of the episode after their makeup is done. [Xinhua]

"As early as more than a month ago, the actors and actresses began to learn, imitate and understand the expressions, gait and psychological activities of the characters in the sculpture, and then they were assigned roles according to their appearances. After many rehearsals and a little bit of correction in their expression, we now have the final show right on."

Emperor and Empress' Ceremony to the Buddha, in two parts namely Emperor Xiaowen's Ceremony to the Buddha and Empress Wenzhao's Ceremony to the Buddha, was carved on each side of Binyang Middle Cave, showcasing the development of ancient painting concepts and sculpture art.

They are of important value for the study of ancient Chinese painting, sculpture, social history, clothing, religion and multiethnic integration."Through the live performance, virtual displays, film and television promotion, traditional art can be presented in a modern way, which helps the public to understand the excellent Chinese traditional culture," says Gao.

The actresses have lunch between performances. [Xinhua]

The actresses put on their makeup in the rehearsal hall. [Xinhua]

Reenactment scenes of the artwork by actors and actresses from the institute. [Xinhua]

Emperor Xiaowen's Ceremony to the Buddha is currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. [For China Daily]

(Source: China Daily)
In a major announcement, the Prime Minister says his administration is looking at greener way of producing electricity in Trinidad and Tobago as he also says "oil may be up against a clock with less time on it."
New Delhi: A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. People who speak more than one language are impressive to all of us. And musicians that play more than one instrument are even more impressive. While some people spend decades trying to master only one instrument, these people managed to master a dozen in the same amount of time.

One such name is Multi talented musician Neil Nayyar (15) 10th Grader, a multi-instrumentalist who can play more than 107 instruments making India proud across the world. He started playing musical instruments at a very young age and showed a lot of interests wanting to persuade his career in the same field. Neil can play Saxophone, Violin, Tabla, Piano, Guitar/Bass Guitar, Sitar, Veena, Chinese Guzheng, Erhu, Arabic Qanun, and many more instruments.

Making India proud in US he also has been recently honored with 2021 Mayors Volunteer Award by the Bobbie Singh Allen who is first Sikh Mayor in US and is Mayor of the city of Elk Grove.

Neil is an inspiration to present and future generations, said Mayor Bobbi Singh-Allen further stating Hes not only talented, but he does support local efforts. In 2019, he was also given Medal of Mayor. Neil is considered to be one of the youngest and most talented instrumentalists of all times. He believes to learn to play by ear, reading music sheets, sing in tune, become more musically confident, and more... but first he knows what his current strengths are and how to focus putting in utmost efforts.

Neil Nayyar truly is a commendable name in the musical industry, having his hands on maximum instruments he truly is an inspiration for all the youth who want to persuade their careers in this industry.

(Disclaimer: This is a Featured Content)


A FORMER Henley College student, who moved home 16 times while in care, is raising money to attend a drama school in New York.

Kallan Fuller, 19, hopes to pursue his dreams as an actor and says: Its the only thing that has kept me going.

He has been accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, whose alumini include Grace Kelly, Kirk Douglas, Danny DeVito and Anne Hathaway, on a $32,000 scholarship for the two-year course, which starts in October.

However, he still needs to raise $45,000 for travel and living costs. He has already raised 6,475, including a donation from an anonymous Hollywood actor.

Mr Fuller was left on a doorstep in Cambridge by his parents when he was two weeks old. He lived with relatives until the age of 11 but was then placed into care by social services and lived in different places up and down the country.

I was placed in more than 16 homes in five years, he said.

Mr Fuller said that acting had been his passion since he was four years old but because of his circumstances he didnt start performing until he was 16.

He said: I did a taster session at the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts, which has sites all over the UK. It was there my love for acting increased.

The following year he was in care in Maidenhead and attended The Henley College to study law, psychology and drama.

He was there for a year before moving north and is now studying for a BTEC in public services. He said: The college was very good and I found some good friends. It helped provide a good stable life for me and helped grow my passion for acting.

He decided to apply to American drama schools after going on a trip to New York with the Pauline Quirke drama school.

He had to send tapes of himself performing modern and classical monologues and was called to audition for the New York academy in December.

I had to put together a video tape audition online because of covid as usually you would go out there to audition, said Mr Fuller.

I received a response within a few weeks. It was amazing to feel that people were believing in me and supporting me as I wasnt used to that.

He said the New York academy was his dream school, adding: I saw how different they were and I have such a strong love for America.

They accepted me on a scholarship but as I am an international student I still need a huge sum of money for living costs etc and its hard not having any family members to go to for support.

He hopes to raise the money in chunks of $10,000 as his course continues.

Mr Fuller said: This isnt just about me, its about being an inspiration for everyone in the care system.

I want to tell them that no matter where you come from and no matter your background, you can do what you want if you put your mind to it and theres lots of kind people in the world who can help.

To make a donation, visit https://gofund.me/499d8335
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 66F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 43F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
New Delhi: Over 1.5 lakh people were evacuated from low-lying areas along India's western coast as a powerful Cyclone Tauktae is expected to make landfall in Gujarat by Monday (May 17, 2021) evening.

According to the India Meteorological Departments (IMD) latest notification on Tauktae, it has now become a very severe cyclonic storm" and is likely to intensify even further in the next 24 hours before making the landfall in Gujarat.

As cyclone Tauktae barrels towards Gujarat, at least six people have lost their lives, hundreds of houses were damaged, trees and electricity poles were uprooted and as many as 1.5 lakh people are evacuated from the coastal areas.

Other states like Kerala and Goa have been witnessing heavy rainfall, gale-force winds and high tidal waves as cyclone Tauktae nears.

Strong winds with speed reaching up to 90 km/per were lashing the western coastal region, and as per the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD, by May 18 the wind speed is expected to increase to 150-160 km per hour, gusting up to 175 km per hour.

Over 54 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in Gujarat to manage the situation.

Maharashtra:

On the other hand Maharashtra is also bracing for the impact of cyclone Tauktae. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has completely closed the COVID-19 vaccination drive in Mumbai in view of the warning about cyclone Tauktae.

The vaccination programme will now be implemented on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said in the announcement.

IMD has also predicted that isolated places in north Konkan, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar will receive heavy to very heavy on Monday, while Raigad can receive extremely heavy rainfall.

Goa:

Gusty winds and heavy rains started lashing several parts of Goa since Saturday night disrupting power supply in a large part of the state.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the major impact of the cyclonic winds was felt in Bardez taluka in North Goa district and Mormugao in South Goa. He said there was power disruption for some time at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment, but it did not affect the functioning.

Hundreds of houses suffered major damage due to the cyclonic winds. Some highways were blocked at several points after trees got uprooted. However, the roads were cleared by the disaster management teams," Sawant said.

The power supply was disrupted as electric poles were uprooted due to the high-speed winds, state Power Minister Nilesh Cabral told PTI. Many high tension 33 KV feeders are down due to the falling of trees. Even the 220 KV lines bringing power to Goa from neighbouring Maharashtra have been damaged," he said.

The electricity department deployed its full force for the restoration work, but it was getting hampered due to the strong winds, he said.

Karnataka:

At least four people died in Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, and Chikkamgaluru, the Karnataka government announced.

In Karnataka, over 70 villages in seven districts including Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Hassan have been affected by the cyclone, the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority officials said.

The highest rainfall of 385 mm was recorded at Nada Station in Kundapura taluk of Udupi district, which was the worst affected, and 15 stations recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall in the district. Officials said nearly a dozen relief camps are functioning in the state.

There has been damage to 112 houses, 139 electricity poles and other infrastructure in coastal areas.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has asked in-charge Ministers of coastal districts and Deputy Commissioners there to visit the affected areas and carry out rescue and relief works.

Kerala:

The water level in many dams across Kerala showed a rising trend after heavy rains in the catchment areas, prompting authorities to sound an alert.

The IMD has issued orange alerts -a warning indicating heavy to very heavy rain- on Sunday in three Kerala districts-Ernakulam, Idukki and Malappuram.

Many houses were damaged in coastal areas across the state as seawater seeped in following high waves. According to the state government, at least nine districts have been severely affected by sea incursion.

The Thrissur district administration said spillway shutters of the Peringalkuthu dam will be opened if the water level crosses the permitted limit of 419.41 metres. In a statement, the administration has urged the people living on the banks of Chalakudy river to be cautious.

Shutters of Malankara dam in Idukki district will be opened on Sunday, as the water level has increased, the district authorities said. Families living in coastal areas and low-lying areas of the state have been shifted to relief camps.

Indian Navy deployed its diving and quick reaction teams in the coastal village of Chellanam in Ernakulam district, which was heavily hit by tidal waves. The teams, braving harsh weather conditions, undertook rescue and rehabilitation of people who were trapped in houses.

High tidal waves have also lashed Kaipamangalam, Chavakkad and Kodungallur in Thrissur, Pallithura in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrikkannapuzha in Alappuzha and Beypore and Koyilandy in Kozhikode districts.

Gujarat:

The IMD said Tauktae would cross Gujarats coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district by early Tuesday morning and tidal waves are likely to inundate several coastal districts during the landfall.

The very severe cyclonic storm Tauktae over the east-central Arabian Sea moved nearly northwards with a speed of about 11 kmph during the past six hours," it said.

It is very likely to intensify during the next 24 hours. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach the Gujarat coast in the evening hours of May 17 and cross the state coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district around May 18 early morning," the IMD said.

With the cyclone intensifying, the wind speed along and off Gujarat coasts in Porbandar, Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Amreli districts will reach 150-160 kmph gusting to 175 kmph by Tuesday morning.

It will reach a speed of 120-150 kmph gusting to 165 kmph over Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar districts during the same period, the IMD said.

Gale winds with speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph are likely to prevail along and off Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Bharuch, southern parts of Ahmedabad, and Anand districts, as well as Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman (Union Territories) from May 17 midnight till Tuesday morning," it said.

With the cyclone likely to affect power supply, hospitals treating COVID-19 patients have been asked to ensure power back-up. Arrangements have also been made to ensure uninterrupted generation of medical oxygen in the eight manufacturing units and buffer stock has also been created," Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters after attending a cyclone review meeting in Gandhinagar.

PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah review situation:

Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the preparedness for Cyclone Tauktae in Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Havel and specifically" stressed that all health facilities, including those for COVID-19 treatment, falling in the affected areas should be secured along with the patients.

Shah also advised them to ensure adequate stocks of all essential medicines and supplies in the hospitals, keeping in view a likely disruption in the movement of vehicles, a statement issued by the Union home ministry said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Saturday reviewed the preparedness of states, central ministries and agencies concerned to deal with the situation arising out of Cyclone Tauktae.

(With PTI Inputs)

Live TV
Spain: Catalonia, separatists find agreement for cabinet According to national media

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, MAY 17 - Catalonia's separatist parties Esquerra Republicana (Erc) and Junts per Catalunya have said that they have reached an agreement for a new government in the Spanish region, according to the main local media.



This would avoid the possibility of new elections, a scenario that had become increasingly plausible due to the difficulties of Catalan parties in reaching a majority pact after the vote on February 14.



The law gives time until May 26 to close an agreement.



According to reports, the agreement between Erc and Junts per Catalunya will be presented on Monday morning to the leaderships of the two parties and then to the media by their respective leaders, Pere Aragones and Jordi Sanchez. (ANSAmed).




Kolkata, May 17 (UNI) Prioritizing safety & well-being of customers and associates, Honda



Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. today announced extension of warranty and free vehicle



service benefits till 31st July 2021 across all its dealership networks pan-India.



This extension will be applicable for all Honda 2Wheeler Indias customers, whose vehicles



free service, warranty and extended warranty was originally ending between April 1 2021 and



May 31 2021, a company official here said.



With customer centric approach aims to reassure Honda customers facing restricted movement



in several States and support them to avail these services at their convenience at a later date



before July 31, as lockdown eases.



UNI BM
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/16/2021



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[ Spoiler Warning: This report contains spoilers that reveal whether Jovi and Yara are still together now or if the couple has broken up.]

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So are Jovi and Yara still together now or did the couple split up?

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Steven Rogers is a senior entertainment reporter for Reality TV World and been covering the reality TV genre for two decades.

couple Jovi Dufren and Yara Zaya have been shown dealing with being new parents and Jovi's upcoming two-month absence for his overseas job on : Happily Ever After?'s sixth season, so is the new couple still together now? What do spoilers reveal about the latest on their relationship?Jovi, a 29-year-old who works in underwater robotics from New Orleans, LA, met Yara, a 25-year-old makeup artist from Kiev, Ukraine, through a travel app.The couple began traveling the world together, and Jovi also visited Yara in the Ukraine multiple times.Yara got pregnant six months into their relationship, and Jovi admitted he was "dumbfounded" at first and worried Yara was trying to "trap" him and get a ticket to the United States."But after the shock wore off, it actually pulled us pretty closer together," Jovi said.Jovi decided to propose marriage to Yara during a trip to Cuba and then apply for a K-1 visa once he returned to America. However, Yara unfortunately experienced a miscarriage.Yara unfortunately experienced a miscarriage, but Jovi still wanted his life to be with her.Once Yara arrived to America, she and Jovi argued a lot over his partying and how Yara didn't feel she could trust Jovi to stand by her through tough times and be around for their future children given he works so much.Yara also heard from one of Jovi's friends, Sara, that Jovi used to sleep with exotic dancers and had a wild and crazy side.Yara then discovered she was pregnant again and vented in shock to the cameras, "I am not ready yet. I don't even know if I want to get married and live here."She later added, "I honestly don't even know if [Jovi] wants to settle down with me and [stop] partying all the time. It just makes me feel crazy."As for Jovi, he said he couldn't picture himself living anywhere but New Orleans and raising his kids there.The pair even fought at their engagement party, with Yara wishing she could return to Ukraine a single woman and calling Jovi "an alcoholic."Yara felt she deserved more from Jovi and questioned whether he really cared for her at all. She didn't feel taken care of, or that she was Jovi's No. 1 priorityAfter the party, Yara gave Jovi and ultimatum and said if he wanted to be with her, he needed to stop his frequent drinking.Yara gave Jovi permission to drink on special occasions but not every day or else he'd be visiting with his child on weekends while living apart from her.Jovi agreed to drink a little bit less and take better care of his wife-to-be, and Yara demanded respect.Jovi definitely stepped up to the plate, according to Yara, but he got himself into trouble at his bachelor party.At the stripclub, Jovi flirted with a dancer named Carter and his buddy instructed Carter to take Jovi "upstairs" and show him a good time. Jovi joked that his pal was forcing him to interact with the entertainer, but Jovi didn't seem to mind.Jovi also came home much later than promised and Yara cried about wanting to return to Ukraine, especially when she realized Jovi wasn't prepared for their wedding at all.Yara didn't know if she was making the right decision in marrying Jovi and wished she had more time to decide, although she loved Jovi "so much.""If I was not pregnant, I would just leave everything and go home," Yara said. "But it's not that simple."Jovi realized if he couldn't make his relationship work, he'd lose his wife and his baby. He said he was going to try to listen, pay attention to her all the time and try to understand what she needs in order to keep her happy.Jovi even let Yara pick out whatever expensive wedding ring she wanted."[I feel] a ton of pressure on my shoulders and I'm just worried am I making the right decision? Have I had enough time to think this through? I don't know," Jovi lamented.But when Jovi saw Yara in her sparkly form-fitted wedding dress, he told her that she looked "amazing."Yara admitted in the limo she didn't feel ready to get married, but the ceremony was about to happen regardless."Even though I want Jovi to be a better husband, I still want him to be my husband," Yara admitted."I just hope Jovi is not lying and he will really do what he tells me, that he will be a man... I really hope he will change and he will be nice."Jovi and Yara got married by an Elvis impersonator and the couple enjoyed a good laugh at the altar in their wedding chapel.After exchanging vows and officially getting married, Yara gushed about feeling happy.Jovi said his next step would be to apply for Yara's Green Card and move her over to the United States permanently. He also looked forward to welcoming his baby.: Jovi and Yara's Baby Special in early April featured Yara and Jovi learning they had a baby girl on the way and Yara still trying to tame Jovi and make him more domestic.Yara said she needed Jovi's help around the house and hoped he'd stick around -- and not go out with his friends all the time -- once the baby arrived.Jovi swore that he'd stick by Yara's side once the baby came and wouldn't go anywhere.Yara then gave birth in a hospital and the couple named their daughter, who weighed seven pounds and nine ounces, Mylah Angelina."Beautiful just like her mommy," Jovi gushed.Jovi said everything the couple had gone through together was worth it, and Yara said of her newborn, "I always want to cry when I look at [my daughter]. I love her so much... I [didn't] think I could love somebody so much in just a little bit of time."On 's Season 8 Tell-All special, Yara said being a parent was "amazing" and gushed about how Jovi is a loving and caring father, which makes her fall deeper in love with him every day.But then Yara was forced to watch back footage of Jovi going upstairs with an exotic dancer in a stripclub at his bachelor party as well as Jovi failing a lie detector test when asked whether he's ever slept with a stripper before."Jovi never told me nothing [about] what he was doing," she complained.Yara admitted she felt "mad" and Jovi receiving a lapdance was "disrespectful" to her.Yara pointed out, however, that Jovi is "a grown-ass man" and she can't control his actions. Jovi said it was difficult to see Yara upset but "the past is the past" and all of that was behind them.Jovi promised Yara that he'd never do something like that again because he loves her "so much."When the couple then made their debut on : Happily Ever After?'s sixth season, Jovi and Yara were shown disagreeing over parenting techniques, with Jovi calling Yara a "control freak" and hoping she would begin listening to the advice of his mother more and accept her help as he'd be leaving the country for work for two months.Jovi insisted he was happy not be partying so much anymore because he was taking his role as a father very seriously.Yara wasn't looking forward to her husband, who works in underwater robotics, leaving again and being gone for two months. Jovi's flight out of the United States was scheduled in a month and Yara cried about the idea of being a mom alone in a foreign country.Jovi and Yara appear to still be together and will be starring on the upcoming sixth season of : Happily Ever After? premiering Sunday, April 25 on TLC.There is also evidence on social media the couple is doing well.On April 21, days after Part 2 of the Season 8 Tell-All aired, Jovi posted a selfie with Yara and their sweet baby girl and captioned it, "Just chillin."And shortly after Part 1 of the Tell-All special aired, Yara took to Instagram and uploaded two photos of Jovi and herself pushing their baby in a stroller on a nice day outside with big smiles on their faces."Wonderful day," Yara wrote alongside the images with multiple heart emoticons.On April 14, Jovi posted a photo of himself holding his daughter and wrote, "I can not commend Yara enough on how healthy she stayed throughout the pregnancy, and how much of a good mom she has been to my baby girl. I could not ask for anything better!"Yara shared that she was enjoying "family time" on April 11.The couple haven't been shy about sharing their love for one another on social media for months now.Yara, for example, posted a picture of a bedside table decorated with candles and flowers in March. It appeared Jovi may have served Yara cake and coffee in bed in honor of International Women's Day."Happy International Women's Day, my girls, I hope you made your man buy you flowers," Yara captioned her post."In my country, March 8 is a great holiday when women are treated like queens. Women, be sure your man treat you the right way, buy for you flowers, take you to dinner. I do not feel like this is celebrated enough in America."Jovi simultaneously shared a picture of himself on the same day and advised men to treat their girlfriends or wives the way the women deserve to be treated.According to a screenshot posted by Instagrammer John Yates, Jovi and Yara obtained a marriage license on February 13, 2020, In Touch Weekly reported.Yara and Jovi reportedly exchanged vows in a wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, NV, that same month.Yara told Us Weekly in January 2021 she was "so happy" upon learning she was pregnant because she hoped her baby would look as "handsome" or "beautiful" as Jovi, whom she gushed about being in love with "so much."Jovi and Yara reportedly welcomed their first child together only a few months before Season 8 of premiered on TLC in December 2020, according to In Touch.It appears Yara delivered the couple's child in September 2020.Before viewers saw Yara take a positive pregnancy test on 's eighth season, pregnancy rumors began floating around on December 31 when Yara posted an Instagram photo that appeared to show two unique ornaments on a Christmas tree she was posing next to. (Eagle-eyed fans also pointed out the tree looked like it was in Jovi's New Orleans apartment).One of the ornaments was a baby and the other was a pink heart with the word "mom" written on it.Yara also reportedly created an Amazon baby registry last year under the name "Yara Dufren." The baby registry was posted on January 4, 2020, according to In Touch, and the items Yara listed were for a baby girl due in September 2020.The registry has since been removed from Amazon.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
As weve all learned the hard way with B117, which originated from the southeast of England, the adaptation of a novel virus into more transmissible and virulent forms is a real process with real consequences.

For most people, such an eventuality may have sounded like a storyline from a low-budget sci-fi movie until well into 2020.

Indeed, many of us supposed experts were dubious about the epidemiological significance of B117 until Public Health England released the viral population dynamics analysis that sent us all back to our modelling drawing boards.

The biggest and most urgent question we had to reopen was whether this evolutionary quantum leap made Covid uncontainable with the public health measures we had available to us at the time.

Fortunately, B117 is containable and outbreaks of this variant have been repeatedly snuffed out in countries like Australia and New Zealand that operate zero-tolerance policies towards Covid transmission.

Even more reassuring has been the way regional public health teams in Ireland have tackled even more worrisome variants that have gained an unwelcome foothold here.

Unlike B117, the Brazilian P1 variant has been kept in check despite being even more contagious.

The P1 variant evolved in the Amazonian city of Manaus, where most people had already been exposed to Covid through a horrific first wave.

The fading population-wide immunity generated by the first wave enabled accelerated evolution of the new variant.

The misfortunate people of Manaus thought they had seen the last of Covid but the second wave driven by P1 swept through the city even faster and harder than the first, taking a mere two months to peak and subside with grim consequences.

Within another two months, P1 had overwhelmed health systems across most of Brazil.

P1 appears more transmissible than B117 and just as virulent, so Im mightily relieved to see it in decline here in Ireland since we introduced Mandatory Hotel Quarantine (MHQ) for several Latin American countries.

This not only proves that we can stem the flow of new seed cases coming in from abroad, but also that our public health teams can decisively shrink established outbreaks down to size.

Mandatory Hotel Quarantine for several Latin American countries led to a decline in the spread of the P1 variant in Ireland. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

Recent changes to give HSE regional public health departments greater autonomy and resources to allow them to play stronger leadership roles have been key to that success.

A crucial part of that enhanced response has been the walk-in testing centres that sensibly bend the silly rule about excluding children and attendees with symptoms.

Thinking beyond our struggles to crush Covid in the weeks and months ahead, lets remember that we will need these regional public health teams to remain on standby for years to come, ready to deliver spring-loaded emergency responses whenever needed.

If continued evolution of the virus around the globe takes a wrong turn, we will need them more than ever before, so lets not repeat last summers tragic mistake of standing down contact tracers when we thought the pandemic was over.

Also, lets not underestimate the role of MHQ in both limiting the influx of new variants and giving our public health teams a fighting chance to deal with those already here.

The time has now come to really ask ourselves whether selective application of MHQ to a limited list of countries is really enough?

While Ive yet to see convincing evidence that the new Indian variant is more transmissible or virulent than P1, thats not saying much.

Both variants have inflicted deep trauma on countries where they have become established.

The ongoing rampant spread of the Indian variant on our doorstep represents an unprecedented threat, presenting us with some stark choices weve been putting off for too long.

The bottom line is that if were serious about using MHQ to protect ourselves against more dangerous Covid variants, we will have to now apply it to our nearest neighbours in the UK and Europe with whom we share a long-standing common travel area.

If we dont, MHQ is little more than a speed bump for such contagious new variants.

A particular concern for me has been the well-intentioned but risky delays in administering second vaccine doses in the UK.

While this accelerates the scale-up of vaccine coverage, it also presents the virus with opportunities to continue evolving.

While none of us can tell where those evolutionary processes will take us, all significant new variants weve seen so far represent incremental evolutionary steps toward increased transmissibility, usually accompanied by increased virulence and at least some ability to evade immune responses against its predecessors.

The worst-case scenario in which something as transmissible and virulent as P1 or the Indian variant emerges that can routinely evade our vaccines may never happen, but its not impossible.

WHO has described that likelihood as when, not if but Im not so sure. Having said that, I certainly slept better after listening to a convincing report from Singapore about their experiences with an outbreak of B.1617.2 in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Although the index case had been fully vaccinated and several cases occurred among vaccinated staff and patients, none of them progressed to severe disease. Unfortunately, not all of those infected who had yet to be vaccinated were so lucky.

Small numbers of breakthrough infections occur with even the most effective vaccines, so insisting on vaccination for air passengers will slow but not entirely stop the international spread of new variants.

However, full vaccine coverage will really swing the odds in our favour, allowing us to stamp out transmission one country at a time and then start to normalise travel between Covid-free countries.

A Covid-19 patient receives oxygen inside a car provided by a Gurdwara, a Sikh house of worship, in New Delhi, India. Picture: Altaf Qadri/AP

In the meantime, sun holidays overseas will have to wait and real security against new variants will come sometime next year in the form of second-generation vaccines targeting two or more viral antigens.

If want to ride out this storm in the meantime, we need to urgently scale up MHQ to include all countries with ongoing transmission.

And given our geographic circumstances, we also need to quickly develop the kind of trailer exchange and border bubble systems used so effectively to prevent spread across state lines within Australia through surface trade and travel.

The biggest threat to Ireland isnt far-away places like Brazil and India. Our first wave was seeded from Italy, not China, and our second from all over Europe.

The tragically avoidable third wave were still struggling with is dominated by B117 from the UK and most cases of P1 and the Indian variant in Ireland likely arrived via Paris, London or Amsterdam.

Our Achilles heel is our open borders with our nearest neighbours in the EU and UK. Given whats happening on our doorstep, the time to act is now.

Gerry Killeen is Chair of Applied Pathogen Ecology, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences and the Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork
You are the owner of this article.
(Natural News) In a groundbreaking experiment, researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (SIBS) in San Diego and the Institute of Primate Translational Medicine in Kunming, China have successfully created the first human-monkey embryo. Such experimental creations are known in the scientific community as chimeras.

To create this particular chimera, the researchers injected human stem cells into embryos from monkeys. They then cultured the cells for 20 days. The details of their study were published in the journal Cell.

The chimeras didnt survive longer than 19 days. But according to study co-author Juan Belmonte, director of the Gene Expression Laboratory at SIBS, they do not intend to create a living chimera.

Instead, he and his colleagues are paving the way for scientists to one day be able to grow human organs for transplants or to test new drugs. But their work is bound to raise serious ethical questions.

Preempting such questions, lead author Tan Tao, an assistant professor at the Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, said that their work is not one of bad taste but is one of highly practical value.

Scientists create new chimera

Thousands of people die every year because the organs they need are not donated in time, prompting researchers to conduct experiments with chimeras. The idea is that injecting human stem cells, which can develop into any kind of tissue, into animal embryos may allow scientists to grow human organs for transplantation. So far, that approach hasnt worked.

For their experiment, Tao and his colleagues injected human stem cells into 132 embryos of macaque monkeys. Each embryo received 25 human stem cells. The stem cells were labeled with a fluorescent red protein for visualization.

The researchers put the embryos in a petri dish to be observed. The next day, they found that the embryos glowed, suggesting that the human stem cells had become successfully integrated into the embryos.

The experiment was far more successful than previous experiments using embryos from other animals like pigs. And though none of the embryos survived longer than 19 days, the experiment was still a huge success. In fact, their study could allow scientists to go back and try to re-engineer those pathways that were successful in allowing the development of human cells in animals.

According to Belmonte, organ transplantation is one of the major problems in medicine because the demand is always higher than the supply. Our goal is not to generate any new organism, any monster, added Belmonte. Instead, they only want to understand how cells from different organisms communicate with each other. He also hopes that their work could lead to new insights into early human development, aging and the underlying causes of diseases.

The chimera embryos were destroyed after the experiment, according to the paper.

Chimera experiment gets mixed response, raises ethical concerns

Other experts who werent involved in the work were also hopeful about the experiments implications. Jeffrey Platt, a professor of microbiology at the University of Michigan, said the work could help scientists better understand the process of developing stem cells into human organs, such as a heart, a kidney or lungs.

Nita Farahany, a professor of law and philosophy at Duke University in North Carolina, said there were lots of breakthroughs in the experiment. However, she said the work still raises urgent issues of public concern, adding that experts need to figure out what the right path forward is for responsible progress.

Others were more cautious about the experiment and its implications. Julian Savulescu, Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford in England, said the research opens Pandoras box. What looks like a non-human animal may mentally be close to a human, said Savulescu.

He pointed out that such studies could become dangerous. Although the embryos were destroyed, it could only be a matter of time before human-non-human chimeras are successfully developed, he said. (Related: FDA now harvesting fresh aborted baby tissue to create humanized mice.)

The key ethical question is: What is the moral status of these novel creatures?

WeirdScienceNews.com has more articles about chimeras and other bizarre animal experiments.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

Cell.com

SCMP.com

NPR.org
(Natural News) Todays vaccines are dirty for more than a few reasons, and in many different ways. First off, FDA inspectors recently found horrific conditions at a plant that was manufacturing J&J vaccines, and more than 15 million doses of the batched, contaminated and outright dirty concoctions had to be trashed. Were talking about epic failure when it comes to quality control here.

The Baltimore factory that Johnson & Johnson had contracted to make their Covid-19 vaccines is obviously riddled with poorly trained staff and just a total boondoggle when it comes to following procedures. Besides all the insane ingredients vaccine manufacturers already use to juice up inoculations and cause horrific side effects for babies, children and adults alike, employees were caught dragging unsealed bags of medical waste around the lab, and then there was some suspicious brown residue discovered on instruments.

This is documented by FDA inspectors, mind you, recently, in the Covid vaccine-making dungeons they call labs. This is like drug dealers making crack or meth in their basement. Our countrys medical establishment has gone completely psychotic. Plant workers were outright IGNORING procedures, as noted by U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors. They even managed to cross-contaminate J&Js shot ingredients with those of AstraZenecas toxic Covid jab.

In other words, these vaccines are already dirty in the sense that they cause the human body to create prions and proteins that can cause blood clots, cancer and dementia, but theyre also dirty meaning contaminated with bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that arent even part of the insane concoctions formula. Get it? Its like the three stooges are running these vaccine labs all across America.

That brings us to the top 10 insane ingredients that vaccine manufacturers purposely put in todays already dirty vaccines

#1. Infected African Green Monkey kidney cells

#2. Peanut oil

#3. Prion-creating mRNA

#4. Mercury  a.k.a. thimerosal

#5. Deadly wild pig disease circovirus Strains I & II

#6. Formaldehyde

#7. Monosodium glutamate

#8. Animal blood and organ tissue

#9. Aluminum

#10. Human abortion cells

Oh yes they did. The insidious vaccine industrial complex uses dangerous and outright deadly ingredients to brew and concoct those dirty vaccines, especially the Smallpox vaccine. Live Smallpox viruses are literally grown in wait for it African Green Monkey kidney cells, as listed on the insert sheet for the ACAM2000 Smallpox vaccine, thats approved by the FDA and highly recommended by the CDC, the American Center for Disease Creation.

Ready to solve the childhood peanut allergy phenomenon, that didnt even exist before vaccines? Since vaccine manufacturers began using peanut oil, peanuts magically became the second most common food allergy in children. At least one in every fifty kids are so allergic to peanuts they can go into anaphylaxis shock and die, like when they get a new vaccine that contains traces of peanut oil (called antigens), not even listed on the ingredients insert. Oops. Blame it on genetics, like those quack MDs always do. Sorry about your loss. Do peanut allergies run in the family, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson?

Deadly mRNA technology and blood from other animals, including from humans, could drive 150 million Americans insane very soon

Inflammation is the root of nearly all diseases and disorders, and thats exactly what the mRNA prion-creating jabs cause. The China Virus inoculations are causing deadly blood clots and people are dying from them, but the mass media is funded by Big Pharma and the VIC (vaccine industrial complex), so its not covered in mainstream news anywhere. Johnson & Johnsons jab and AstraZenecas Covid-19 vaccines have been recalled and put on hold for this same reason. Vaccine recipients, including test subjects in animal models tested in laboratories, are suffering from developed spongiform and neurological diseases commonly described as mad cow disease.

Animal organ tissue, animal cell lines, and animal blood are used to develop vaccines, and it contaminates them beyond scientific controls. Just as Covid-19 is currently morphing into different, more virulent strains, these viruses and pathogens, when combined, become exceptionally dangerous. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and todays vaccines contain impurities from animal cell lines that are included in the formulation that is injected. Let that sink in for a minute. Were talking about animal tissues that are toxic to the human body except for when eaten normally and digested.

This is the secret of the vaccine industry they dont want you to understand: Vaccines bypass all body filters, including lungs, skin, and the digestive system, with these contaminants. These animal proteins include the following, and you can verify this on the CDC vaccine ingredient website yourself: monkey (kidney), cow (heart), calf (serum), chicken (embryo and egg), duck (egg), pig (blood), sheep (blood), dog (kidney), horse (blood), rabbit (brain), guinea pig, aborted baby fetus tissue, and of course, human albumin. All of this is mixed together in a filthy facility and inspected by the very people who run the only medical industry that can never be sued.

Thats why theres a huge black market for human abortion organs and tissues. These biological warfare freaks are using human tissue to breed new diseases inside the vaccines (think chicken pox, Hepatitis-A, and Rubella jabs) from combinations of viruses, bacteria and deadly pathogens that now have gain of function capability, meaning diseases that once only spread from animal to animal now spread to humans and between humans. That, my friends, is what is meant by dirty vaccines.

Tune your internet frequency to ChemicalViolence.com for updates on how vaccines ARE the pandemic.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

ChemicalViolence.com

NaturalNews.com

HealthWyze.org

CBSnews.com

CDC.gov/vaccines
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday (May 17, 2021) released the first batch of the anti-COVID-19 drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) to strengthen India's fight against the coronavirus. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria were also present during the release.

Over 10,000 doses of the 2-DG drug, which comes in powder form and is taken orally by dissolving it in water, were launched.

The first batch of anti Covid-19 drug, 2-DG is being released. Sharing my thoughts on the occasion. https://t.co/1dAM91jttg  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 17, 2021

The anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad.

It was approved for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on May 1.

Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. A higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients. The drug will be of immense benefit to the people suffering from COVID-19.

Back in April 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus in India, the INMAS-DRDO scientists conducted laboratory experiments with the help of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and found that this molecule works effectively against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inhibits the viral growth. Based on these results, the DCGI Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) permitted Phase-II clinical trial of 2-DG in COVID-19 patients in May 2020.



The DRDO, along with its industry partner DRL, Hyderabad, started the clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of the drug in coronavirus patients and during Phase-II trials (including dose ranging) conducted during May to October 2020, the drug was found to be safe in COVID-19 patients and showed significant improvement in their recovery.

This is to be noted that Phase IIa was conducted in six hospitals and Phase IIb (dose ranging) clinical trial was conducted at 11 hospitals all over the country. Phase-II trial was conducted on 110 patients.

According to the Ministry of Defence, in efficacy trends, the patients treated with the 2-DG drug showed faster symptomatic cure than Standard of Care (SoC) on various endpoints. A significantly favourable trend (2.5 days difference) was seen in terms of the median time to achieving normalisation of specific vital signs parameters when compared to SoC.

Based on successful results, DCGI further permitted the Phase-III clinical trials in November 2020 which was conducted on 220 patients between December 2020 to March 2021 at 27 COVID hospitals in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Subsequently, the detailed data of the phase-III clinical trial was presented to DCGI.

In the 2-DG arm, a significantly higher proportion of patients improved symptomatically and became free from supplemental oxygen dependence (42% vs 31%) by Day-3 in comparison to SoC, indicating an early relief from Oxygen therapy/dependence.

A similar trend was observed in patients aged more than 65 years.

"Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country," the Ministry of Defence stated on May 8.

The drug accumulates in the virus infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique.

2-deoxy-D-glucose also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients and is likely to play a key role in India's fight against the second wave of COVID-19.


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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Home improvement projects spiked during the last year due to the pandemic.

Another direct result of the pandemic is the price of lumber and metal increased.

As the weather turns more pleasant, New Mexicans are heading outside and creating an oasis on their property.

One way to spruce it up is through fencing.

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There are all types of fencing  ornamental, wood, coyote and latilla, chain link, PVC/vinyl and pipe  and each comes with a different cost. Each fence also offers a different level of privacy  a coyote fence provides more privacy compared to a chain link, which is less expensive but has no privacy.

ABQ Fence is one of the many places to turn to locally for these projects.

The best thing you can do is do all the research you can on what kind of fencing youd like, says Vince Frenes, ABQ Fence manager. Getting a new fence is like buying a car, but this will probably last longer. Your best bet is going to be iron fencing with wood.

ABQ Fence does both residential and commercial properties around the city.

Frenes says the company uses a local fabrication shop to make the most polished look for its iron and metal work.

These options are long-lasting investments, Frenes says.

Maintenance-free

Tyler Chavez of Valley Fence Co. says wrought-iron fencing has been the standard for long-term durability. Though with todays manufacturing techniques, it has opened the doors to aluminum fencing, which is a maintenance-free alternative.

Aluminum is a lightweight, strong and long-lasting material that may just be the right choice as you consider fencing and gate options, Chavez says.

Aluminum fencing and gates come in a variety of styles and designs, ranging from old world to traditional and contemporary.

Lightweight yet surprisingly strong, aluminum is considered as secure as wrought iron for both residential and commercial applications. Plus, its usually less expensive and is less costly to install, Chavez says. And when it comes to durability, aluminum fencing and gates are rust resistant and require minimal to no maintenance. Many aluminum fencing and gate manufacturers provide a lifetime guarantee, underscoring the long-term value of choosing aluminum over wrought iron.

These two options come with a higher price tag, Frenes adds a wood fence is somewhat less expensive.

There is horizontal fencing and its a higher end wood fence and it can be attached to brick walls, Frenes says. Its really modern looking.

Then theres the dog-eared picket fence in 8-foot panels, which is vertical fencing.

One thing to note is that the cost of material has hit the industry very hard, Frenes says. Theres been an increase on wood, iron and steel for chain link.

Resell value

Making a decision on a fence doesnt come easy and it will make a difference if contemplating selling a home.

Accoring to Khoi Le, real estate broker at Hunter Chase Realty, fencing is not something typically found in a cost vs. value report or given too much thought on an appraisal. However, the white picket fence homeowners dream of is top of mind for many buyers.

There are many reasons a buyer may value a fence, from peace of mind for families with small children and pets, to privacy from neighbors, and even artistic expression. Fences also reduce noise and act as boundary lines, Le says. I have observed through my years of being a Realtor that pet owners ask about fences more often than buyers who have families. This is especially true for homes situated near busy streets. A yard and fence for pets influenced 33% of millennials home-buying decisions. Millennials are now the largest home buying segment.

Le says for a simple privacy fence, home-owners should go with wooden fences for a great look and moderate price.

For the hands-off homeowner, vinyl is a great low-maintenance choice. These fences do not need to be treated and can last up to 30 years, he says. For a traditional New Mexican look, a coyote fence is a great, albeit expensive choice. Originating from the Southwest on ranches, it has become a rustic signature of Southwestern architecture and high-end landscape design. Different woods can be used to make the logs, or latillas, such as cedar, spruce and aspen. The wood is wrapped (with steel ties) and are tall enough to prevent coyotes from jumping over.

Le says a great fence adds to the curb appeal and gives a sense of security and privacy.

It does help sell a house faster! However, going all out to add a fence before listing a house is not always a good return on investment, he says. I will caveat that with the fact that each house is different and asking an expert Realtor their suggestions and getting few bids before making a decision is a wise choice.

Le suggests that for those with existing fences, they should:

 For wood fences: add a fresh coat of paint, repair any rot or missing planks.

 For vinyl fences: power wash and straighten out the fence if it is leaning.

 Chainlink fences: repair or consider removing it.

 Coyote fences: make sure there are no missing logs and all ties are tightened.

No fence is better than a fence that is dilapidated and sagging, Le says.
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday (May 17, 2021) hoped that the DRDO's anti-COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) will serve the world and not just India in the fight against coronavirus.

Harsh Vardhan was speaking after the release of the first batch of 2-DG by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Vardhan stated that the recovery time from COVID-19 infection and oxygen dependency will be reduced by 2-DG.

He said, "With the support of DRDO and in the leadership of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, this (anti-COVID drug 2DG) may be our first indigenous research-based outcome to fight against COVID-19. It will reduce recovery time and oxygen dependency."

"I hope that this drug will serve the world and not just India in the fight against COVID-19 in the coming days," he added.

The drug, notably, comes in powder form in a sachet and is taken orally by dissolving it in water.

It accumulates in the virus infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique.

The first batch of 2-deoxy-D-glucose has been released on a day when the Centre informed that the daily new COVID-19 cases in the country have been recorded less than 3 lakh after 26 days. According to the official data, there were 2,81,386 new infections, which took the country's total caseload to 2.49 crore. India now has 35,16,997 active COVID-19 cases.

In India, the weekly Positivity Rate has now dipped to 18.17% with more than 15.73 lakh tests done in the last 24 hours.

(With agency inputs)



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In context: Epic and Nreal had previously been fighting quietly over the similarity between the "Nreal" and "Unreal" brands, but discussions of a settlement ultimately failed. Epic is now taking the matter to court, just as Nreal is working on launching its augmented reality headset in the US.

Epic Games currently has its hands busy with the trial against Apple and its alleged App Store monopoly, which has proven to be an endless debate over what constitutes a game, not to mention an expose of the Cupertino giant's efforts throughout the years to promote in-app purchases and subscriptions, as 80 percent of that revenue stream is said to be profit.

However, Epic is ready to go to great lengths to protect its brand against all the things it deems a threat. Last week, the company sued Nreal, a Chinese manufacturer of augmented reality headsets, alleging the latter is infringing on its Unreal Engine trademark.

Specifically, Epic believes "Nreal" sounds too much like "Unreal," and looks visually identical to the average person, which could cause confusion. That might be a bit of a stretch, but Epic is seeking damages for the harm to its brand -- the company claims it has "has ten registrations for 'Unreal' alone or in connection with another term for a wide range of goods and services including but not limited to software, video games, virtual worlds, and 3D visualizations, animations, and platforms."

The timing of this is interesting, as Nreal is planning to expand to the US later this year. Epic and Nreal don't compete in the same market, but their goals do intersect as the former is pushing the Unreal Engine as a great way to build experiences for augmented reality, and the latter is focused on building an affordable hardware platform to deliver those experiences to a wide consumer audience.

Previously, Nreal has had to defend against Magic Leap, who claimed that Nreal CEO and founder Chi Xu is a former employee that had stolen intellectual property before embarking on his new venture. That lawsuit was dismissed last year.

Nreal's trademark application in the US is pending, but Epic is looking to obtain an injunction to deny its approval. In the meantime, Nreal appears to be preparing for an announcement on May 20, possibly related to its Light AR headset. The company is said to be targeting a price of around $500-$600, which is similar to what it sells for in South Korea, where it made its debut in 2020.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has issued an order for all schools and colleges in the state to commence online classes for students from May 20 onwards.

In the order, the Uttar Pradesh government has directed all educational institutions to start online classes from May 20 so that the students in the state do not miss out on their set curriculum amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, online classes will not resume for students of primary classes.

Earlier, the state government had issued an order on May 10 suspending online classes for all educational institutions amid surge in COVID-19 infections.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said that the academic work in schools was earlier stopped from April to May 20, which will be considered as summer vacation and online classes will be conducted in schools from May 20.

The state government has still not issued any notification for the resumption of physical classes in schools and colleges.

Meanwhile, in the view of rising COVID-19 infections in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday (May 15, 2021) decided to extend the partial corona curfew in the state till May 24.

The decision was taken a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a virtual meeting with top officials of the state to review the COVID-19 situation.

Uttar Pradesh on Sunday recorded a total of 10,682 new COVID-19 cases and 311 fatalities. With this, the case tally has reached 16,19,645 and the death toll reached 17,546 .

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Bachelor alum Sarah Herron is engaged to be married.

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The television personality got engaged to her boyfriend, Dylan Brown, in Colorado over the weekend.

Herron shared the news Sunday on Instagram alongside photos from Brown's proposal. Brown proposed during an outdoor outing with friends.

"We are thrilled to share the announcement of our engagement! In our favorite place, with close friends and Rio, Dylan popped the question in front of Mount Sopris," Herron captioned the post.

Herron expressed her gratitude for Brown and said they plan to have children together.

"To everyone who thinks life has to go in one particular order, or by a specific time... IT DOESN'T. I'd wait a lifetime all over again -- through the heartbreaks, years of self-work and countless rose ceremonies -- to end up with this person," she said. "We make each other better, we have so much fun and we're going to become parents together, so we decided to do the damn thing!"

Fellow Bachelor alums Clare Crawley, Emily Maynard and Caila Quinn were among those to congratulate Herron in the comments.

"So happy for you!" Maynard wrote.

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"Congratulations Sarahhhhh!! So happy for you," Quinn said.

Herron showed off her engagement ring in a video on Instagram.

Herron appeared as a contestant in Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor. She later starred in Bachelor in Paradise Seasons 1 and 3.
Italy on migrant frontline, joint effort necessary -minister In 2020, 25,000 people rescued; judicial collaboration needed

(ANSAmed) - ROME, MAY 17 - Justice Minister Marta Cartabia on Monday said "Italy is on the frontline of migration flows and remains fully engaged in the prevention and fight against this crime, in particular in the Mediterranean", as well as "in the safeguard of human rights of migrants victims of trafficking, starting with the right to live". However, "the dimension of migration flows requires a choral effort. The international community needs to intensify its efforts", Cartabia said in Vienna, on the 30th session of the UN Commission for the prevention of crime. Cartabia recalled that in 2020 Italy rescued over 25,000 migrants.



"Ruthless criminal organizations exploit the natural aspiration of migrants to a better life and seriously put them at risk. Tragedies continue to occur despite our efforts", noted the minister, adding that "much needs to be done, starting with prevention". "This is the reason why - she explained - we value and support awareness campaigns and UNODC programs to deal with the deep causes and factors pushing the trafficking. The Convention of Palermo and the connected "Protocol against migrant trafficking" represent the main juridical tools at a global level to deal with this phenomenon, and we are confident that the revision mechanism recently approved, strongly supported by Italy, will contribute in making them more effective".



Cartabia described as "essential" the international cooperation between police and judicial authorities between countries of origin, transit and destination. It is no coincidence that Italy promotes, in collaboration with UNODC, "innovative projects aimed at strengthening the collaboration with African countries in the fight against migrant smuggling and connected crimes, in particular the trafficking of people".



But it is necessary to do more: "we must strengthen our judicial cooperation. The assignment in Italy of a magistrate of connection from Nigeria was particularly fruitful and was replicated elsewhere. The deployment of more magistrates of connection from African countries in Italy will soon be concluded in agreement with Niger, also thanks to the support provided by UNODC. Further initiatives are ongoing to strengthen judicial cooperation between Italy and other African countries, in particular with Mali and Senegal".(ANSAmed).




New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has recently visited several parts of the state to take stock of the Covid-19 situation. During such visits, the Chief Minister also met family members of Covid-affected patients and tried to know if they are getting the requiste treatment.

Yogi Adityanath, who urged people to wear masks and take COVID precautions to save themselves from the infection, in one such visit is seen talking to an old man in Bijauli village of Meerut. The video shared on twitter by Congress leader and actor Nagma states that residents of the village blocked the path and did not allow CM Yogi to enter.

She wrote on Twitter (in Hindi) that "this incident is of today 16.05.2021, when an old man stopped CM Yogi Adityanath from stepping in his street. He did not budge, despite CM Yogi's request, and CM had to go back."

This incident is of Today Sun 16.05.2021 #UP                                            #COVIDSecondWave pic.twitter.com/D7Kh0QuKX1  Nagma (@nagma_morarji) May 16, 2021

After the video was posted on social media, it created a stir. The Meerut police came into action and the whole news was found to be misleading after investigation. It also issued a warning against posting any misleading posts on social media.

In its social media post, the Meerut police clarified that CM Yogi Adityanath himself reached the Bijauli village to meet the COVID affected resident to know his well-being.

Rebutting the misleading claims made on social media, the Meerut Police said, The post you have made on social media is baseless and misleading. It comes under spreading fake news. Honble CM met a family in containment zone at Bijauli village of Meerut district to ask about their health and well being.

The police further said that the family expressed their gratitude when the CM asked if they are getting medicine and treatment on time. The villagers also raised slogans in favour of CM Yogi, which is clearly heard in the video.

After that, there was a conversation with the village head and RRT at Primary Health Centre and then the CM visited Bijauli oxygen plant. The cot was placed as the area was a containment zone, it added.
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Environmental groups and scientists want U.S. wildlife managers to consider reintroducing jaguars to the American Southwest.

In a recently published paper, they say habitat destruction, highways and existing segments of the border wall mean that natural reestablishment of the large cats north of the Mexican border would be unlikely over the next century without human intervention.

Jaguars are currently found in 19 countries, but biologists have said the animals have lost more than half of their historic range from South and Central America into the southwestern United States, largely due to hunting and habitat loss.

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Several individual male jaguars have been seen in Arizona and New Mexico over the past two decades, but theres no evidence of breeding pairs establishing territories beyond northern Mexico. Most recently, a male jaguar was seen just south of the border, and another was seen in Arizona in January.

Scientists and experts with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Center for Landscape Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and other organizations are pointing to more than 31,800 square miles of suitable habitat in the mountains of southern and central Arizona and New Mexico that could support 90 to 150 jaguars.

They contend that reintroducing the cats is essential to species conservation and restoration of the regions ecosystem.

We are attempting to start a new conversation around jaguar recovery, and this would be a project that would be decades in the making, Sharon Wilcox of Defenders of Wildlife, one of the studys authors, said in an interview. There are ecological dimensions, human dimensions that would need to be addressed in a truly collaborative manner.

Under a recovery plan completed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mexico and countries in Central and South America are primarily responsible for monitoring jaguar movements within their territory. The agency has noted that the southwestern U.S. represents just one-tenth of 1% of the jaguars historic range.

Environmentalists have criticized the plan, saying the U.S. government overlooked opportunities for recovery north of the Mexican border.

Although the recovery plan doesnt call for reintroductions in the U.S., federal officials have said efforts will continue to focus on sustaining habitat, eliminating poaching and improving social acceptance to accommodate those cats that find their way cross the border.

Eds: CORRECTS: The story has been updated, based on corrected information from one of the study authors, to show the area of suitable habitat identified by the scientists is more than 31,800 square miles, not 3,125 square miles. UPDATES: With AP Photos.

BC-USJaguar Reintroduction
It Happened here is a weekly history column by Yakima Herald-Republic reporter Donald W. Meyers. Reach him at dmeyers@yakimaherald.com. Sources for this weeks column include The Inflation Calculator by Morgan Friedman, FindaGrave.com, FamilySearch.org, Behind the Badge Foundation, the National Law Enforcement Memorial, Honor Roll of Yakima County, and the archives of the Yakima Herald-Republic.
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Reports of unaccompanied migrant children being forced to stay overnight in parked buses at the Dallas convention center are completely unacceptable if true, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday.

Dr. Amy Cohen, a psychiatrist and executive director of the advocacy group Every Last One, said a 15-year-old Honduran boy she is working with was held on a bus from Saturday to Wednesday, using the bus bathroom during that time and unable to move about freely or communicate with family. The boy encountered at least three other children who were held as long in the parking lot of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, said Cohen, who also has been in contact with another child who was confined earlier to a bus for an extended period.

It is unclear how many children were kept on buses overnight.

This is completely unacceptable, Becerra said. Were quickly investigating this to get to the bottom of what happened, and well work to make sure this never happens again. The safety and well-being of the children is our priority.

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The Honduran boys experience, first reported by NBC News, comes as Health and Human Services massively expands its capacity to house migrant children until they can be placed with a sponsor in the United States, usually parents or close relatives, while their cases wind through immigration court. It comes in response to the largest influx of unaccompanied children on record.

The department, whose lodging is more suited to longer-term stays than Border Patrol holding facilities, has grown its capacity to about 20,000 beds from less than 1,000 in mid-February. Its opened 14 emergency intake centers, including at the Dallas convention center and other large venues. The Dallas facility opened in February with plans to house up to 3,000 children.

Health and Human Services had 20,397 unaccompanied children in its custody as of Wednesday.

The government flew the Honduran boy to Seattle to reunite with his mother and uncle after NBC News inquired about his status.

MVM Inc., a transportation contractor for the government, said it has safely and professionally transported migrant children and families for more than six years.

Over the last seven weeks, the number of children needing escorts in this pandemic environment has increased to more than 7,100, creating challenging travel logistics and resulting in some extended wait times on their way to reunification sites, the company said in a statement.

MVM said it experienced some delays at a 24-hour regional hub where buses meet to get children on their way to join family, which resulted in a child staying at that site longer than our target wait time of four hours. This is a violation of our policy and we are conducting an internal review of this incident.

The company said the child had access to an air-conditioned bus, food and snacks, bottled water and personal protective equipment.

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Spagat reported from San Diego.
University College Cork (UCC) will soon be selling limited-edition frames containing a piece of the original flooring from a former landmark bar on its historic campus.

JP Quinn from UCC Visitors' Centre took to Twitter today to announce the news that the fragments of flooring from the former Old Bar will be on sale from next month.

Mr Quinn said that there will be an "extremely limited" number of frames available.

Very shortly we will be releasing limited edition frames of the .@UCC Old Bar floor. Extremely limited and a nice bit of history for .@UCCAlumDevel. pic.twitter.com/41E9naT70m  JP Quinn (@jpquinn78) May 17, 2021

He added that they would be "a nice bit of history" for alumni who remember the bar when it was open.

Replying to one individual, Mr Quinn said the frames will be on sale from the start of June and will cost 40.

The Old Bar operated for more than 30 years before its closure.

"UCC College Bar was in operation for over thirty years and was the source of many a great night of music, society events and thought of fondly by many generations of UCC students and graduates," the description in the frame reads.

"While the bar is no more its renovation includes provisions for sensory rooms, respite rooms and eating spaces as well as an open 'calm space' for students.

"This display holds a piece of the original Old Bar floorboards which was salvaged during the restoration project."
PLANS for a three-day festival with a Vikings theme have drawn complaints from neighbours.

The Valhalla event, which is due to take place at Roundhouse Farm in Fawley from Friday to Sunday, July 16 to 18, would include a nightly feast in a temporary hall which could seat up to 499 guests who would camp overnight.

Participants, who are encouraged to wear traditional costume, would have food brought to tables over a period of three to four hours as well as free top-ups of mead and real ale.

Music could be played over a public address system between noon and 11pm and there could also be performances by a band playing a mix of authentic songs on period instruments and Norse-themed rock and heavy metal.

The site, which is owned by villager Kate Waddington, would also be open to visitors from the community during the day to showcase crafts and skills such as blacksmithing, jewellery making, leather working, horn carving, firewalking and axe throwing. Some would be staged as interactive workshops and there would also be displays by trained wolves and birds of prey, battle re-enactments and glima, a form of Nordic folk wrestling.

Organiser Skull Vikings, a craftware firm from Reading, says the event would suit all ages but would be mostly aimed at adults, particularly those from the Viking, Heathen and Pagan communities.

These are relatively new religious movements based on those of pre-Christian Europe. Beliefs can include a worship of the natural world and the spirits said to inhabit it, or of multiple deities representing different aspects of life.

The festival website says: We are very welcoming to all. As long as you dont mind your kids being around a bunch of big hairy Vikings who may have had a horn of mead or four, feel free to bring them.

We are running this as a not-for-profit event, just because its the kind of festival we really want to attend. We really hope this can be something big and that it can bring together and grow the UK Heathen community. During the feast, the food, mead and ale will flow freely! Thats right, FREE booze! The goal is to create an amazing Viking experience where you can be your most Viking self.

Steve Samuels, the companys co-founder, says the weekend would showcase the traditions respectfully and give stallholders a chance to make money.

However, neighbours fear there will be noise and traffic congestion on the villages narrow roads.

They have objected to Buckinghamshire Council, to whom Mr Samuels has submitted a temporary event notification.

Environmental health officers have objected and ordered tests to measure the possible noise impact.

Mr Samuels says he has done these and they show there wont be a problem. He says there wont be congestion as there will be about 200 parking places on site and guests will share cars or take taxis.

The council is due to consider the application at a hearing on June 3.

Mark Turner, the villages Buckinghamshire councillor and chairman of its annual parish meeting, said: Theres going to be lots of noise and one side of that field is bounded by housing so the occupants arent too pleased.

Many are pensioners and one is 90 so she wont want to look out of her window at night and see Vikings pillaging each other, or whatever it is theyre planning. This is an abuse of the temporary event notification system, which is more suited to personal events like weddings or christenings, and were strongly against it.

They tend to rubber-stamp these things and we hope they wont this time.

That part of the village is usually quiet but imagine the noise 500 people could make. We dont want this to happen, even if we have to peacefully protest by blocking the streets.

Mr Samuels said he was going to launch the event last year and even got his licence but had to cancel because of coronavirus.

He says the councils decision may come too late so he might move to another site near Baskingstoke.

He said: Music wont be a huge part of it and though were bringing drink to tables, guests wont be able to have as much as they like. We couldnt afford that and, as the person managing the event, I wouldnt want to be responsible for 500 incapably drunk people.

Of course not everyone will be sober but it will be carefully managed. Its something the community could enjoy during the day and would be a chance for the visiting small businesses to make a bit of money.

Weve carried out sound modelling and written a management plan to stage this in a sensible, respectful way but I do feel were fighting a losing battle with the licensing authority. We didnt have any trouble getting approval a year ago.

Its a shame that none of the complainants approached me directly as Im very happy to discuss their concerns.

Mrs Waddington says she has to let out her land because farming is increasingly unprofitable and rural landowners must come up with new ways to make money.

She said: I turn down anything which sounds disruptive but this is just Nimbies having a go. They think theyre entitled to absolute silence the whole time.
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(Natural News) In order to ensure free and fair elections, the government of Great Britain has proposed requiring all voters to show proper identification before being allowed to cast their ballots.

Known as the Election Integrity Bill, the legislation, which Democrats here in the United States claim is racist, will prohibit people from voting without first proving their identity.

We think showing identification to vote is a reasonable approach to combat the inexcusable potential for voter fraud, stated Prime Minister Boris Johnsons official spokesman.

Everyone wants to maintain the integrity of our democracy and this would bring us in line with not only Northern Ireland but countries such as Canada, many European countries including France, the Netherlands, Sweden  all require a form of identification to vote.

Having to show ID is racist, according to leftists, because black and brown people are too stupid to follow the rules. This is what we are being told here in the United States, anyway.

Leftists in the United Kingdom apparently feel similarly, warning that having to show ID will make it too hard for non-whites to vote  again, because they are too dumb, according to liberals.

Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy whined on Twitter that having to show ID when casting a ballot is a form of voter suppression. He added that the law will end up disenfranchising millions who are simply too stupid to get an ID.

Lisa Nandy, the Labour Partys shadow foreign secretary, agrees. She also blamed Russian interference for the proposal, just like leftists here in the U.S. do every time conservative legislators propose something that upsets them.

We have got to defend our democracy robustly but I just think its really bizarre coming from this government that they have made it so much more difficult for people in this country to vote over recent years, but they have taken absolutely no action to defend our democracy from attacks overseas, Nandy complained.

Minorities: Dont let liberals tell you youre too stupid to vote honestly

U.S. civil rights groups are also meddling in foreign affairs by speaking out against this proposal in the U.K.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Common Cause all say that requiring an ID in order to vote amounts to Republican-style voter suppression and will more than likely erode faith in the democratic process.

At present, British voters are not required to show any form of identification before voting in an election. In Northern Ireland, however, voters have had to show ID for nearly 40 years.

Voter ID requirements were first introduced in Northern Ireland back in the 1983 General Elections following concerns about widespread voter fraud throughout the British province. Since 2003, voters there have had to show photo identification.

A briefing paper from the House of Commons shows that there is no evidence that ID requirements have in any way affected turnout.

The Electoral Commission has been recommending since 2014 that the rest of the U.K. follow suit by requiring voters to show proper ID before participating in an election. They could do it the same way Northern Ireland does by allowing voters to obtain a photographic electoral ID card for free from their local council.

Without proper identification any election can be won by the people in control, wrote one commenter at The Epoch Times.

Interesting that the two main Western culture countries dont have mandatory voter ID like most third world countries have had for years, wrote another.

More related news about all the leftist bellyaching about free and fair elections can be found at Libtards.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
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Driving through the industrial sections of the El Paso-Juarez-southern New Mexico region, one can see countless banners on production plants and distribution centers reading Now Hiring or Help Wanted.

As the economy gains strength, demand for automobiles, housing, consumer products and processed foods is starting to rise. However, as is the case in other sectors, a vicious cycle is occurring. Firms are struggling to expand operations because they cannot find the workers to help them do so. Talking to plant managers, I keep hearing the same two reasons why workers are unwilling to go back into the workforce.

First is the fact that many workers are receiving unemployment benefits that approximate or exceed the salary they were receiving before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. On top of these benefits are stimulus checks that many of the unemployed also have received. Second is the fear that many potential employees have of working in a big production plant with hundreds of workers as the pandemic persists.

While the federal government and states are reviewing the scaling-back of unemployment benefits, and reinstating proof that an unemployed person is actively interviewing for a job, the fear of being around people in numbers and falling ill could persist for the foreseeable future.

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The scarcity of employees could lead to firms competing for existing employees, thus causing disruptions in production and exacerbating the expansion process. It could also lead to companies paying more than their competition in order to retain or recruit workers from other plants. Firms could also make their positions more attractive by increasing benefits. All of these come at a cost that will eventually result in higher prices that are passed on to the end consumer.

How ironic is it that companies are trying desperately to find workers and we have a wave of immigrants trying to come to the U.S. to work, only to be held in detention facilities or released to the custody of relatives?

Other than specific sectors such as agriculture, the U.S. visa system generally requires that visa seekers have some kind of technical skill, business experience, or in-demand skill. Many of these immigrants from places such as Honduras, Guatemala and Cuba do not have these skills and experience, and therefore will not qualify for a work visa under the current requirements. Furthermore, visas of this type are extremely limited, and Washington, D.C., has not been able to address the visa system.

Aside from the pandemic, the population of the U.S. is rapidly aging and putting pressure on the Social Security and health care systems. We also are in a trend where the growth of the overall U.S. population is slowing down. People are having fewer children and immigration to the U.S. remains stagnant. In order for our economy to grow, where are the workers going to come from?

Could asylum seekers be part of the solution? If they have the will to work, and they dont have a criminal record or other issues, could a temporary visa be issued so that they can be hired and trained for specific positions?

Residency for these workers could be made contingent on the immigrant working successfully and leading a clean life for five to 10 years.If they do not have the propensity to work, or get into trouble with the law, their visa could be revoked, and they could be returned to their country of origin.

I know that many Americans will vehemently claim that these immigrants will be taking away jobs from Americans. If this were the case, why were value-added firms having issues finding good, reliable workers even before the pandemic?

Also, wouldnt unemployed Americans be flocking to take production jobs that are currently available?I know many plant managers who would be willing to train eager employees hungry for a job.

Does race/ethnicity factor into offering temporary work visas to immigrants from places such as Central America? Would it make a difference if the asylum seekers were coming from places such as Eastern Europe? With the racial tension that currently exists in our country, this is a fair question.

Ultimately, solving the problem of scarce workers lies in several areas. The first is increased automation, which would allow production with fewer workers. The problem is that this can cost a lot of money, and a lot of functions cannot easily be automated. Second, federal and state governments could offer tax breaks for people to have more children, which is probably unrealistic. Third, we could try to recruit more people out of retirement and put them back into the workforce, either through incentives or tax breaks. Fourth, the U.S. can fix its broken visa system and allow increased numbers of immigrants to work in the U.S. on a temporary visa with a possible long-term path to citizenship.

Finally, we can do nothing and accept the fact that our economic growth will continue to decline in the future, and learn to live and produce within our means. This last option is not an attractive one. However, unless we look at all options in increasing our workforce, it is a definite possibility.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com.
NCC Group plc announces the signing of an agreement for the proposed acquisition of the Intellectual Property Management business (the IPM Business) of Iron Mountain Inc., comprising substantially all of the assets of Iron Mountain Intellectual Property Management, Inc. (IPM) together with certain other assets of affiliates of Iron Mountain exclusively related to the IPM Business, for a cash consideration of $220 million (156 million) (the Acquisition).

Strategic Highlights

Creating an escrow business

IPM is a provider of software resilience services to a large and diverse US market  the combination will provide immediate additional scale to NCCs core software resilience business, making the US region the largest contributor to the divisions revenues and profits.

IPM reported revenue of $32.9 million (23.3 million) and EBITDA of $21.6 million (15.4 million) for the 12 months ended 31 December 2020 (audited).

The IPM Business has built a market-leading escrow business, serving more than 6,000 customers, across the full life-cycle of escrow and verification services as well as across a range of industries.

IPM has a strong, established team, led by Mr. John Boruvka and Ms. Joy Egerton, which is expected to be retained as part of the acquisition. Mr. Boruvka, Ms. Egerton, and the senior members of the IPM Business team have agreed to continue in their roles following completion.

Strong strategic alignment

In addition to organic growth across the recurring revenue base of IPM, the proposed acquisition represents a compelling opportunity for both of NCCs Assurance and Software Resilience divisions to benefit from revenue synergies across an enlarged, blue-chip customer base that spans a majority of the Fortune 500.

NCC believes that these revenue synergies could be made up of:

Increased penetration of NCCs verification services into the IPM Business customer base

Offering the Groups nascent but fast-growing Escrow-as-a-Service (eaas) cloud proposition into the IPM Business customer base

Satisfying IPM client demands for cyber assurance services

Compelling financial rationale

The proposed transaction is expected to provide the Enlarged Group with several financial benefits and therefore provide further compelling reasons for the combination:

The acquisition will be significantly accretive to earnings per share from completion, even without factoring in revenue synergies.



The acquisition will be immediately accretive to Group EBITDA margins.



The Group will have an enlarged recurring revenue base, with 80% of IPMs revenues being recurring (against 60% of NCCs Software Resilience divisions revenues being recurring).



The acquisition will strengthen the Groups cash generation owing to IPMs cash conversion ratio of over 90% for the last three years which, following cash interest and tax deductions, should provide a rapid de-leveraging profile and enable further organic and inorganic investment in the near term.



Material tax savings which the Directors believe will be created over a 15 year period as a result of intangible assets created by the Acquisition that can be amortised for tax purposes



The provision of material additional scale to the Group  the IPM Business reported revenue of $32.9 million (23.3 million) and EBITDA of $21.6 million (15.4 million) for the 12 months ended 31 December 2020 (audited)

Greater strategic strength

Following the acquisition, the software resilience business will have a greater global presence and is expected to achieve critical mass and international reach that provides the Group with enhanced scale and strategic flexibility.

The enlarged recurring revenue profile and enhanced cash generation will provide the group with a platform to make further strategic investments if deemed appropriate and value-accretive.

Such investments could take the form of organic initiatives, inorganic opportunities in line with the Groups strategy, or a complementary mix across both divisions.

Financing of the acquisition

The consideration for the acquisition of $220 million will be satisfied entirely in cash. The consideration and all related transaction costs will be funded through a combination of:

Approximately $99 million (70 million), being the estimated gross proceeds of the placing announced on the date of this announcement

$70 million (50 million) from a new three-year Term Facility Agreement

Existing cash balances of $10 million (7 million)

The balance from the Companys existing Revolving Credit Facility Agreement

The Directors expect leverage to be approximately 1.5x net debt to Enlarged Group EBITDA immediately following the acquisition.

Timetable to completion

The size of the acquisition means that it constitutes a Class 1 transaction for the Listing Rules and accordingly is conditional on the approval of Shareholders at a General Meeting. A circular containing further details of the Acquisition, the Directors recommendation, the notice of the General Meeting, and the Resolutions (the Circular), is expected to be published on 14 May 2021.

Assuming shareholders approve the acquisition at the General Meeting, the acquisition is expected to be completed a few days thereafter.

Trading update

The Directors reaffirm their current expectation that the Groups Pre-IFRS 16 Adjusted EBIT for the year ending 31 May 2021 will be no less than the market consensus of 33 million.

Pre-IFRS 16 Adjusted EBIT is defined as the Groups operating profit before adjusting items to assist in the understanding of the Groups performance. Adjusting items represent amortisation of acquired intangibles, the impact of IFRS 16, share-based payments, and individually significant items.

Cybercrime solutions

Adam Palser, Chief Executive Officer, NCC, commented, This acquisition will transform NCC Groups Software Resilience business, making it a market leader, and deliver immediate financial and operational benefits to the whole of the Group. The IPM Business shares many similarities with our own Software Resilience business, including a commitment to providing exemplary service for clients. There are tremendous opportunities to grow the combined business by offering IPMs blue-chip clients the choice of new services and support."

"Following completion, NCC Group will be a stronger and broader business with an even greater ability to support clients in the ceaseless struggle against cyber-crime in all its forms.
Kolkata: Popular TV anchor and eminent journalist Anjan Bandyopadhyays sudden demise has left everyone in shock. Netizens took to Twitter on Monday (May 17) to pay tribute and honour his memory.

He died at a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday night, a health department official said. Bandyopadhyay was tested positive for Covid-19 around a month ago. He was 56.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the death of the eminent journalist who died at a private hospital on Sunday night.

Using the #AnjanBandyopadhyay hashtag, many users posted their condolences and expressed that they were extremely saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Bandyopadhyay.

Take a look at the response from Twitter users on hearing the sad news:

Can't sink this in. Shocking. Am speechless. One of the rare unbiased journalists in today's world, Anjan Bandyopadhyay, Zee 24 Ghanta editor is no more. He succumbed to COVID. A huge loss for journalism and Bengal. #coronavirus #AnjanBandyopadhyay https://t.co/aMS5BgEwyV  Debdeep Mukherjee (@DebdeepMukher18) May 16, 2021

Shocked at the demise of the popular journalist, this user said this is a huge loss for journalism and Bengal.

Can't sink this in. Shocking. One of the extremely unbiased journalist in bengal, #AnjanBandyopadhyay passes away today strength to his family RIP sir  Priyam Sarkar (@bubun_91) May 16, 2021

Another netizen expressed his grief by saying that some deaths are heavier than mountains.

Shocking. Heart'breaking' news. The world of Journalism lost one of its finest gems as Sri Anjan Bandyopadhyay, eminent journalist and Editor, Zee 24 Ghanta lost his battle against Covid19 at 9:25pm on May 16, 2021. Rest in peace, Sir. @Zee24Ghanta #anjanbandyopadhyay  Jayeeta Ganguly (@jayeetag) May 16, 2021

What you remember is his zeal and laughter ..He used to sit next to me mostly to guide me as i was a new entrant to Journalism then ..#AnjanBandyopadhyay How could you leave so early ???

RIP!@abandopa @MohuaCTOI  Rakhee Bakshee (@RBakshee) May 17, 2021

According to family sources, Anjan Bandyopadhyay had tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-April following which he was hospitalised.

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New Delhi: India's fight against the coronavirus is going to get stronger as the country will be releasing the first batch of the anti-COVID-19 drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) today (May 17, 2021). It will be released by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Rajnath Singh's office said that the defence minister will release the first batch via video conferencing facility at 10.30 AM.

Over 10,000 doses of the 2-DG drug are likely to be launched today.

The 2-DG drug has been developed by DRDO's Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) in collaboration with Dr Reddy`s Laboratories.

Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh will release the first batch of Anti Covid drug 2DG via video conferencing facility tomorrow at 10.30 AM. The drug has been developed by DRDO's Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS) in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories.    / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) May 16, 2021

The drug reportedly comes in powder form and is taken orally by dissolving it in water.

Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence and that the higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID-19 patients.

In April 2020, during the first wave of coronavirus, INMAS-DRDO scientists conducted laboratory experiments with the help of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and found that this molecule works effectively against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inhibits viral growth. Based on these results, DCGI CDSCO permitted a Phase-II clinical trial of 2-DG in COVID-19 patients in May 2020.

The DRDO, along with its industry partner DRL started clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of the drug in COVID-19 patients. In Phase-II trials (including dose-ranging) conducted from May to October 2020, the drug was found to be safe in COVID-19 patients and showed significant improvement in their recovery. Phase IIa was conducted in six hospitals and Phase IIb (dose-ranging) clinical trial was conducted at 11 hospitals all over the country. Phase-II trial was conducted on 110 patients.

Meanwhile, India witnessed a dip in fresh COVID-19 cases but new fatalities increased between Saturday and Sunday morning. There were 3,11,170 new COVID-19 cases and 4,077 deaths in India on Sunday.

So far, the country has recorded a total of 2,46,84,077 coronavirus infections, of which, 2,07,95,335 people have recovered, while 2,70,284 have died of the fatal virus. There are still 36,18,458 active cases in India.



Live TV
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A Minnesota judge ruled Monday that the manslaughter case can proceed against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright, and she set a trial date for December.

Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is white, will stand trial Dec. 6, barring any future scheduling conflicts, Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu said during a pretrial hearing.

"I do find that theres probable cause to support the charge against the defendant, Ms. Potter," Chu said.

Potter, who is charged with second-degree manslaughter, appeared at the hearing via videoconference with her attorney, Earl Gray, and sat some distance behind him in his office. She looked straight ahead at the video screen and had little reaction during the hearing, saying, Yes, your honor, when the judge asked if the hearing could go forward via videoconference. Potter did not enter a plea during the hearing.

Wright was killed April 11 during a struggle with police after a traffic stop. The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said he believes Potter meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun. Body camera video shows her shouting Taser! multiple times before firing. Protesters and Wright's family have disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun. They had wanted prosecutors to file murder charges.

The shooting, which ignited days of unrest, happened amid the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murder for pressing his knee against George Floyds neck as the Black man said he couldnt breathe.

Police have said Wright was pulled over for expired tags, but they sought to arrest him after discovering an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and had a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Intent isnt a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge  which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison  can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by culpable negligence that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause a death.

As Monday's hearing began, Chu acknowledged that Wright's family and friends were listening and extended her condolences to them. After finding there was probable cause for the case to continue, she set deadlines for court filings, saying it would benefit everyone to expedite the case.

Prosecutor Imran Ali said the Dec. 6 trial date works for now, but there may be conflicts with the schedules of expert witnesses, once they are determined.

My goal is to try to keep that Dec. 6 trial date if we at all possibly can, Chu said, adding: If you need to schedule any type of plea hearing  if that should happen  Im always available for that.

Ali said the state wants audio and video coverage of the trial be allowed, while Gray objects to that. Unlike many states, cameras are not routinely allowed during most Minnesota court proceedings. Chauvin's murder trial was the first Minnesota criminal trial to be broadcast live on television, with the judge allowing the broadcast due to high interest and pandemic restrictions that limited courtroom space. The trial of Chauvin's three-co-defendants is also going to be broadcast.

Brooklyn Center was moving toward firing Potter when she resigned shortly after the shooting. The citys police chief also resigned, after the City Council fired the city manager.

On Saturday, Brooklyn Center's City Council approved a resolution that calls for sweeping changes in policing, including creating a new division of unarmed civilian employees to handle non-moving traffic violations and limiting situations in which officers can make arrests. The city attorney and mayor have said that adopting the resolution commits the city to change, but it is not a final action.

___

Find APs full coverage of the death of Daunte Wright at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright
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The new Amazon series The Underground Railroad brings Colson Whitehead's fictional novel to life in graphic detail. Cast members Thuso Mbedo, Sheila Atim, Aaron Pierre, William Jackson Harper and Joel Edgerton all said that depicting violence against Black people in the show could get so intense it caused them emotional trauma.

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Anticipating this, executive producer Barry Jenkins hired therapist Kim White to be on set throughout the production. Jenkins said he wanted the cast to know there was someone to help them if any of the show's scenes of lynchings, suicides and other historically-based violence affected them personally.

"It was really important for the crew to know and the cast that there was someone there whose concern wasn't the art," Jenkins said in a Zoom roundtable. "Their concern was purely us. I think that allowed people to be free to really explore what the characters are feeling."

Jenkins, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for Moonlight, said he needed White's support, too. After directing one violent scene, Jenkins said, he and White had a brief session off to the side on location.

"I go, 'I gotta be strong for the crew,'" Jenkins said. "She goes, 'Yes, but who's going to be strong for you if you break?'"

Thuso Mbedu, who plays Cora Randall, a slave who runs away from a plantation in Georgia, said that White helped her while she filmed a scene in which Cora faces a slave catcher.

"Emotionally, mentally, I wasn't able to pull myself back as quickly as I could [other times]," Mbedu said. "She talked me through it and recommended a meditation app I could go through as I tried to fall asleep that night."

Joel Edgerton played Ridgeway, the slave catcher. Edgerton said he used humor as a coping mechanism to break the tension of the intense material.

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A scene between Ridgeway and Homer (Chase Dillon), a slave who aids Ridgeway, brought White to Edgerton's assistance. He said White told him he doesn't have to keep things light for Dillon's sake, and it's OK to take a break for self-care.

"I think I was pushing a lot of my feelings about what I was doing underneath and burying them in jokes and humor," Edgerton said. "There's pretty dark stuff in the show. I do think that that stuff, if you're really committing to it, does get under your skin."

Not every cast member utilized the therapist's services. Sheila Atim, who plays Mabel, Cora's mother who escaped before Cora did, said White recognized when it was best to give cast members their space.

"Sometimes, you do want to have a little bit more chat with people to be able to shake it off a little bit," Atim said. "Sometimes you want to keep your focus. Sometimes you want to throw it away. She was very good at that."

For some cast members, just knowing White was there made the set more comfortable.

For example, for Aaron Pierre, who plays Caesar, a slave who joins Cora in her escape,

"Just knowing that she was there and she was available to speak was enough almost to keep you at ease. Knowing that if, at any time, it ever got overwhelming, you had someone who could help you out."

William Jackson Harper, who plays Royal, a free man Cora meets later in her journey, said he wishes he had taken advantage of White's services.

Harper described a violent scene near the end of the series that he said brought out more intense feelings within him than he expected.

"I found myself really triggered and blind with rage," Harper said. "I found myself almost losing control with a scene partner of mine, and I had to breathe through it. I do remember my vision almost going out."

Harper said he chose to continue the scene to ensure filming was completed on schedule.

"It was the first time that I felt myself almost get out of control," Harper said. "Thankfully I had a really caring scene partner in that moment that helped me navigate that."

The Underground Railroad premiered Friday.
New investment enables Cambridge-based Agile Analog to expand its engineering and commercial footprint in Asia and North America

CAMBRIDGE, England -- May 17, 2021 -- Agile Analog, a supplier of highly configurable process node agnostic analog IP building blocks, today announced that it closed a US$19m funding round led by OMERS Ventures, a transatlantic multi-stage investor in growth-oriented, disruptive technology companies, and backed by existing investors Delin Ventures, firstminute capital, and MMC Ventures.

The scale of the investment will allow Agile Analog to dramatically expand its technology offering and sales footprint, and is an endorsement of the disruptive potential of the company's process for generating configurable analog IP.

Driven by a mission to provide 'Analog IP the way you want it', Agile Analog makes it possible for ASIC or SoC manufacturers to configure analog IP to perfectly fit their application and chosen silicon process  a marked contrast with existing offerings, which require the customer to mould their chip design to fit a limited range of one-size-fits-all, standard analog IP products.

The new financial support recognises the potential for Agile Analog to take a large share of the existing analog IP market and to increase the availability, range and quality of analog IP to expand the total market size to $4bn by 2025.

Henry Gladwyn, Partner at OMERS Ventures, said: "What excites us about Agile Analog is the potential for scale. Every other analog IP supplier is restricted to selling a limited range of standard IP products. But because Agile Analog's unique technology enables it to create the IP that the customer wants, it can satisfy a wider range of customer requirements, and integrate more functionality into a chip design. As a result, the company is not limited by the size of today's analog IP market  Agile Analog's addressable market is potentially as big as the analog chip market. That is a huge opportunity which OMERS Ventures is pleased to help Agile Analog explore."

Major recruitment drive

Agile Analog will use the funding to accelerate the growth of its commercial and engineering support teams. In particular, Agile Analog will immediately move to expand its team in North America, and open a Taiwan office for sales and application engineering staff serving the Asian market. The company has also begun recruiting development engineers to be based at its Cambridge, UK headquarters and across Europe. It plans to double its headcount growing to over 100 people over the next 12 months.

Part of the funding will be used for technology development, to further enhance process support, and increase the range of analog IP supported. Agile Analog IP is already compatible with almost all analog CMOS processes, including advanced FINFET processes, and will expand the number of foundries supported. IP currently supported includes security, data conversion, power management, audio, signal processing and timing, and this functional coverage will be extended to satisfy increased customer demands.

Agile Analog's technology is well placed to remove critical bottlenecks in the semiconductor industry supply chain.

Pete Hutton, executive chairman of Agile Analog, said the backing of specialist technology investors was a welcome endorsement of the company's unique IP technology. He said: "The first chapter in Agile Analog's story was about developing an automated process for generating high quality configurable analog IP which can be verified at every stage up to right-first-time tape-out.

"This successful funding round marks the start of the next chapter: the technology and process are proven with a range of customers from OEMs to Tier 1 semiconductor companies. So now it's time to enable all semiconductor companies and the increasing number of OEMs who are designing their own silicon. Everyone is looking to shorten development cycles, increase integration, improve die area utilization and enhance system performance. By configuring analog IP the way the customer wants it and on any process node, we can enable them to gain all these benefits. With the funding to expand our engineering and commercial teams, we can now support a greater number of customers across a wider geographical footprint."

About Agile Analog

Analog IP needs to be different for each design. That is why Agile Analog has made a new way of doing things, conceived by some of the best minds in the industry. We provide a wide range of analog IP that is customised to your needs quickly, to a higher quality, and on any semiconductor process. Contact us at www.agileanalog.com to find out more.

About OMERS and OMERS Ventures

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(Natural News) A 49-year-old resident of Brighton, Colorado claimed the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 caused him to develop blood clots in his leg. He said he feared dying from the blood clots, which caused his left leg to swell and become painful. Doctors eventually said that the Coloradian was afflicted with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in which a blood clot forms in a distant blood vessel such as in the thigh or lower leg.

Brighton resident Jeff Johnson told local station KDVR that he first received the Moderna mRNA jab at the citys Salud Family Health Centers. He did not find any issues until about a week after his inoculation. Johnson said he felt swelling, pain and tenderness in his left leg. I was concerned, naturally. I know blood clots are bad and I was afraid to die, he said.

The 49-year-old then went to the emergency room, where doctors found two blood clots in his left leg. Johnson was then informed that he had DVT: His doctor said the blood clots in his left leg could have been caused by the Moderna vaccine, but there is no evidence for the claim. Johnsons condition improved after medical treatment, and he is set to return to work. The Brighton resident expressed hope that he has no other issues  outside of the blood clots which developed in his left leg  after getting the vaccine.

Johnson said he became more concerned about the clots on his left leg after he heard similar news from the single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. However, the blood clots linked to the Janssen jab are different from the one the Brighton resident experienced. The chance of developing DVT over the course of a lifetime ranges from two percent to five percent. On the other hand, the chance of dying from it is less than 0.01 percent.

Reports of blood clots have been linked to different kinds of Wuhan coronavirus vaccines in use

The rare blood clots linked to the Janssen vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, are known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). It occurs when blood clots obstruct the sinus channels of the brain responsible for draining blood, which can cause hemorrhages. Of the nine patients who developed CVST after reportedly getting the J&J shot, one died and two were in critical condition.

Meanwhile, Salud Vice President of Medical Services Dr. Pradeep Dhar clarified that CVST has not been linked with the two-dose Moderna jab. Speaking to KDVR, he said he has only seen three reports of DVT out of at least 18 million vaccine appointments. The risk of getting a [COVID-19] infection and complications is way higher than the risk of having any clot with any vaccination, Dhar commented.

Because of the risks associated with the J&J vaccine, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that the jab be suspended. The agencies said the vaccines rollout ought to be suspended until more data can be obtained. (Related: More people develop blood clots after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.)

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on April 16 that J&J reached out to AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna to conduct a study examining the link between the COVID-19 vaccines and blood clots. Federal health officials approached by the WSJ on the matter said the mRNA vaccine manufacturers declined the offer, claiming that the Pfizer and Moderna jabs appeared safe. Only the British drug firm accepted J&Js invitation for a joint study  which said that people who contract COVID-19 are eight to 10 times more likely to suffer blood clots than those who have completed the vaccine doses.

Reports of blood clots also marred AstraZenecas Wuhan coronavirus vaccine in March of this year. Many European countries moved quickly to suspended use of the jab after two individuals from Denmark suffered from blood clots. While these countries have resumed use albeit with limitations, Copenhagen permanently suspended the use of the AstraZeneca jab on April 14. (Related: New research points to link between AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.)

Danish Health Authority Director-General Sren Brostrm elaborated on the permanent suspension: Based on the scientific findings, our overall assessment is [that] there is a real risk of severe side effects  [from] the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca. We have, therefore, decided to remove the vaccine from our vaccination program. The director-general continued: It has been a difficult decision to continue our vaccine program without an effective and readily available vaccine against COVID-19. However, we have other vaccines at our disposal.

Visit VaccineInjuryNews.com to read more about the risks of COVID-19 vaccines such as blood clots.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

KDVR.com

WSJ.com

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Lee Ross, a psychological scientist celebrated for his work on biases in decision making, died Friday, May 14 in Palo Alto, California. In a career that stretched over 50 years at Stanford University, Ross was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1994) and the National Academy of Sciences (2010). In 2003, he received the APS William James Fellow Award in recognition of his extensive research on judgement, inferences, and decision making.

Ross died of a longstanding heart condition and was in the company of his family at the time of his passing, according to APS Fellow Hazel Markus, a close colleague.

Born in Toronto in 1942, Ross influenced many fields of psychology, including attitude formation and change, social cognition, judgment and decision-making, social influence, intergroup relations and political psychology. His research generally focused both on sources of bias and error and strategies to ameliorate them.

Among the many psychological phenomena Ross identified throughout his career, perhaps the best known is fundamental attribution errornow commonly referred to as Rosss fundamental attribution errora term he coined to describe the human tendency to perceive other peoples behavior as reflective of their fundamental character, rather than the result of situational factors, while explaining our own behavior away as a result of our environment.

In his 2019 Inside the Psychologists Studio interview, Ross spoke with Swarthmore College Psychology Professor Andrew Ward about applying his research to citizen diplomacy in the Middle East and Northern Ireland. These efforts were made through collaboration with the Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation, which Ross cofounded with APS William James Fellow Amos Tversky, among others, in 1984. In a 2018 Observer column, Ross and Donald Redelmeier (University of Toronto) also discussed how greater awareness of the illusion of personal objectivity can help guide medical practice.

Ross also wrote numerous books, including Human Inference: Strategies and Shortcomings of Social Judgement and The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology with APS William James Fellow Richard Nisbett (University of Michigan at Ann Arbor) and The Wisest One in the RoomHow You Can Benefit from Social Psychologys Most Powerful Insights with Thomas Gilovich (Cornell University).

On behalf of everyone at APS, our thoughts are with Lees family, friends and colleagues, said APS Executive Director Robert Gropp. His career, filled with significant scholarly contributions and a commitment to contribute solutions to important societal problems, is an inspiration.

Ross is survived by his wife Judith and their children Joshua, Timothy, Rebecca, and Katherine.

Selected research by Lee Ross in APS journals

Psychological Science

Wishful Thinking: Belief, Desire, and the Motivated Evaluation of Scientific Evidence (2011)

Perspectives on Psychological Science

From the Fundamental Attribution Error to the Truly Fundamental Attribution Error and Beyond: My Research Journey (2018)
HARTFORD, Conn.  As some states set plans to a pandemic $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit as a way to encourage people to find work, Connecticut is offering a much different incentive  a $1,000 signing bonus for taking a job.

Starting May 24, up to 10,000 people in Connecticut considered to have been unemployed for the long-term will be able to sign up for the program with the state Department of Labor. Ultimately, they would be paid the bonus after spending eight weeks in their new full-time job.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that the state will also retain the $300 benefit before some people are still afraid to work because of the coronavirus.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

 A dip in cases is bringing a glimmer of hope in India, but shortage of beds, oxygen show virus crisis isn't over yet

 Joy in UK as pubs, restaurants and museums reopen but new variant sparks worry

 Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKlines vaccine candidate triggered strong immune responses; production to begin soon

 Eurovision song contest gears up in Rotterdam for 1st time since the pandemic began, hopes virus bubbles will ensure safety

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  The Biden Administration is putting a fresh wave of funding toward its stated goal of making a serious dent in homelessness across the country.

Despite a wave of public support and a nationwide eviction moratorium, Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge said as many of 580,000 people experienced homelessness in the middle of the pandemic.

Fudge, who heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Monday that an extra $5 billion would be allocated toward keeping families off the streets. Thats in addition to the $5 billion in funds for preventing homelessness previously announced as part of the American Rescue Plan.

The aid will come in the form of 17,000 emergency housing vouchers that will be distributed to housing authorities across the country. Fudge said the vouchers were expected to help provide shelter for up to 130,000 people and called the new money, an important milestone in our effort to end homelessness in the United States.

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WARSAW, Poland  Poland-based molecular diagnostics firm Genomtec says it has registered for use in European Union a pioneer, high-reliability COVID-19 test from saliva.

The test, Genomtec SARS-CoV-2 EvaGreen Direct-RT-LAMP CE-IVD Kit spares those tested the discomfort of having swabs pushed up their noses and down their throats. Instead, they only need to produce a sample of saliva in a small test tube, Genomtec, a Polish-British firm, said Monday.

The result is obtained within one hour, because the technology does not require special preparatory procedures on the sample. Its reliability is pegged at over 92%, according to the Genomtec. The test detects various mutations of the coronavirus, said the company that is listed on the Warsaws Stock Exchange NewConnect market.,

Genomtec said the test has been registered and approved for use in the European Union by Polands Office of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products. First tests on the general public using the kit will be done still this month in Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, where Genomtec is based.

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PRAGUE  The Czech government has announced a new wave of easing coronavirus restrictions amid falling numbers of infected people.

Starting May 24, all hotels are allowed to return to business. The guests will need to present a negative coronavirus test or be vaccinated or recover from COVID-19. If they want to stay longer than seven days, an additional test will be required.

At the same time, all elementary schools and high schools will fully reopen. Schoolchildren and students will be tested once a week.

The same applies for universities where, however, the spring term in many cases ends next week.

It will be also possible for up to 1,000 people to attend outdoor cultural events, while up to 500 are allowed at such events indoor.

Mondays announcement comes on the day when Czech bars and restaurants are reopening for outdoor dining.

The number of people infected per 100,000 inhabitants in last seven days has dropped to 71 in the Czech Republic.

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BERLIN  Germanys health minister says the country will open up coronavirus vaccinations to everyone starting on June 7. Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters on Monday that the current system of prioritization in which the most vulnerable groups are to be vaccinated first will no longer be valid then.

The minister said, this does not mean that everyone will get an appointment within days, but ... everyone who wants to get vaccinated will get an offer.

Spahn said that the vaccination campaign has picked up speed in recent weeks and that by the end of May about 40 percent of all people in Germany will have received at least one shot. He said 70 percent of those above the age of 60 have received one shot, about one-quarter of them are fully vaccinated. All in all, 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given and around nine million people are fully vaccinated, in this country of 83 million.

After months of lockdown, the infection rate has been dropping in Germany and some states are slowly starting to open up outdoor dining and various shopping possibilities.

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NEW YORK  Vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks or social distance in New York starting Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

The governor said the state is adopting the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week.

Lets get back to life, Cuomo said. If you are vaccinated, you are safe, no masks, no social distancing.

Cuomo urged people who are unvaccinated and immunocompromised to continue to wear a mask and social distance.

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BISMARCK, N.D.  The North Dakota Department of Health on Monday issued new guidance on coronavirus masks.

State health officer Nizar Wehbi says the department is aligning with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that fully vaccinated individuals can resume activities without wearing a mask indoors and outdoors.

The risk of being infected or spreading COVID-19 once fully vaccinated is very low, and therefore wearing a mask if you are fully vaccinated is no longer a recommendation, the health department said in a statement.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A recommendation remains that everyone wears masks when they are in a health care setting, when they are traveling on public transportation, including airplanes, and when they are in a business or employer that requires masks, health officials said.

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt.  Vermont is preparing to hold its first jury trials since the coronavirus pandemic hit last year.

Jury draws were planned Monday for a number of cases in Windham County criminal court. Among them are cases involving drug crimes. According to court documents, social distancing and masking will be part of the proceedings.

Vermont Chief Superior Judge Brian Grearson told the Brattleboro Reformer that the judiciary picked cases that were not very complicated, meaning they did not involve a large number of witnesses and could be tried within a couple of days because of the virus-related protocols.

An upgrade to the buildings heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system for proper airflow could lead to fluctuating temperatures, according to a court flyer sent to jurors.

The trial arrangements were planned in consultation with an infectious disease expert to comply with virus guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Vermont Health Department, the newspaper reported.

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GENEVA  The head of the World Health Organization is calling on some of the worlds top COVID-19 vaccine makers to do more to get doses to needy people around the world, especially in the developing world -- and more quickly.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed in particular to U.S.-based Moderna to accelerate its planned timetable for doses of its vaccine to be available to the U.N.-backed COVAX program, which aims to get vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

Moderna has signed a deal for 500 million doses with COVAX, but the majority has been promised only for 2021, Tedros said Monday. We need Moderna to bring hundreds of millions of this forward into 2021 due to the acute moment of this pandemic.

The WHO chief also said COVAX was working toward a deal with U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson that could get doses to the program by the second half of this year, but this has not been finalized and we do not know when they will arrive.

Tedros said we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca  the British-Swedish manufacturer that has been the main pillar so far of COVAX and the source of the vast majority of doses in the program that has now deployed some 65 million doses.

U.S.-based Pfizer, along with German partner BioNTech, has committed to 40 million doses this year to COVAX, but the majority of this would be in the second half of 2021, he said.

Tedros cited figures from UNICEF, which is helping the deployment, that COVAX is facing a huge shortfall of 190 million doses in its planned rollout because of tight supplies and a surge in cases.

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TORONTO  All adults in Canadas most populous province will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine starting Tuesday.

The Ontario government says those turning 18 this year will be allowed to book shots. The provincial government had initially said it would lower the vaccine eligibility age to 30 this week.

The province will also now send shots to regions on a per-capita basis, after two weeks of sending half the vaccine supply to COVID-19 hot spots.

Canada expects to get 3.5 million Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. More than 55% of the population in Ontario aged 18 and over have received at least one dose.

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AMSTERDAM  The European medicines regulator says it is safe to store thawed Pfizer vaccines in a regular fridge for up to 31 days, a ruling that will make handling the vaccine easier around the European Union.

The European Medicines Agency said Monday that its human medicines committee has recommended changing the storage guidelines for unopened, thawed vials of the Pfizer vaccine from five days to a month at normal fridge temperatures after they have been taken out of deep freeze.

The change came after Pfizer and BioNTech submitted additional stability study data to the Amsterdam-based agency.

The European Union agreed a massive contract extension for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this month for a potential 1.8 billion doses through 2023.

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ROME  The number of calls placed to Italys national domestic violence hotline increased nearly 80% last year in a sign that coronavirus-induced lockdowns created a detonator effect in already violent homes.

Italys national statistics agency issued a comprehensive report Monday on the requests for help last year to the hotline and shelters.

The report said the number of calls to the toll-free 1522 number and related texting option hit a peak in April and May, during the first wave of COVID-19, which hit Italy first in Europe. Another peak came around Nov. 25.

ISTAT said the data confirmed it was accurate to speak of a double pandemic  one that was epidemiological and one fueled by domestic violence.

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NEW YORK  Target and CVS are the latest retailers to no longer require vaccinated shoppers to wear a mask in its stores. Targets said vaccinated workers can also stop wearing masks, but at CVS, the company said workers will be required to wear them even if theyve been inoculated.

The announcements come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people last week, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. On Friday, Walmart, Costco and several other large retailers said that those who have been vaccinated dont need to wear masks.

Target and CVS said Monday that they will still recommend those who arent vaccinated to wear masks in its stores. Target said it is offering paid time off to workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
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The leader of the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, who played a vital role in transforming it into one of the top-tier cancer centers in the nation, will be leaving for a job at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Cheryl Willman will announce today that she is stepping down as director and CEO of the cancer center to take the position of executive director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs and director of Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in August.

She has led the UNM cancer center since 2000. During her tenure, the center has gone from a team of 12 physicians and $7 million in annual cancer research funding to employing 143 physicians and more than 100 cancer scientists who receive more than $50 million per year to research cancer.

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised Willman, saying her lifelong dedication to patients, cancer research and quality of life interventions has been an incredible asset for all of New Mexico.

Ive been lucky enough to know Cheryl personally and have seen firsthand her commitment to going above and beyond for her patients, the governor said. While she will be sorely missed at UNM, New Mexico is glad to share her expertise with the Mayo Clinic and with the nation. We are so grateful for her many years of service.

The UNM cancer center received the coveted National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers classification in 2015, a federal designation awarded to just 3% of cancer centers in the country.

My leadership skills have grown through the most enriching experience and challenge in my life: the opportunity to successfully develop a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNM from the ground up in just 15 years, Willman said in a statement.

With tremendous support from UNM, the state of New Mexico, and the communities we serve, we built the cancer center with a clear purpose and an ethical imperative: to assure that all New Mexicans would have access to state-of-the-art cancer treatment. she said.

Starting new role

Willman will oversee the Mayo Clinics entire cancer mission, including clinical care, education and training and community outreach. She will oversee cancer programs in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida, as well as international programs in England and the United Arab Emirates.

The Mayo Clinic is one of the nations largest academic health care systems, with more than 65,000 employees. It sees more than 1 million patients a year, who come from all 50 states and nearly 140 countries.

Her accomplishments, experience and outstanding reputation in the national cancer community make her the right choice to lead Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, said Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, the president and CEO of the Mayo Clinic.

Willman and her husband, Dr. Ross Zumwalt, a forensic pathologist and former chief of the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico, plan to keep faculty appointments with UNM and the UNM Health Sciences Center and to retain their primary residence in New Mexico. Zumwalt also is assuming a new part-time position at the Mayo Clinic in forensic pathology.

Cheryl Willman is truly a visionary leader and has been a significant agent of change for not only the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, but also for our University and the entire state of New Mexico, UNM President Garnett Stokes said in a statement. Her contributions and those of the incredible team she has brought together have helped to shape the world-class cancer care our patients experience today.

Willman says one of her goals in her new position will be to work to ensure that Mayos renowned expertise in cancer care delivery is made available to more diverse populations and communities.

This is an ethical imperative, she says.

Staying close to NM

In addition to her administrative leadership role at UNM, Willman is an expert in the field of cancer precision medicine. Her specialty is in using genome sequencing and computational technologies to discover new cancer-causing genomic mutations, which can help diagnose and treat the disease.

Willman co-led a National Cancer Institute project that discovered novel leukemia-causing mutations, providing insight into why people of Hispanic ethnicity and American Indian genetic ancestry had historically failed to respond to traditional treatments developed through studies of non-Hispanic whites.

In a personal statement sent internally to the UNM campus Sunday, Willman said she will continue to collaborate with a team of UNM faculty to lead a large NCI-funded genome sequencing research center at UNM that, through partnerships with tribal nations and Hispanic communities in the Southwest, is focused on discovering genomic, environmental and behavioral mechanisms underlying cancers that disproportionately affect American Indians and Hispanics.

Willman, who has published more than 250 papers and holds 11 patents or patents pending, according to a Mayo Clinic news release, received her medical degree in 1981 from what was then called the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota. She completed her residency and post doctoral training in pathology and cancer research at the Mayo Clinic, University of New Mexico and University of Washington.

Alan Tomkinson, Ph.D., will serve as interim director of the UNM cancer center.

The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center has an outstanding leadership team, and I am confident that they will lead the center to new heights, Willman said.
English Danish

Today, Dan Jrgensen, the Danish minister for Climate, Energy & Utilities, led the groundbreaking ceremony of the H2RES project, marking the onsite construction start of rsteds first renewable hydrogen project.

H2RES will have a capacity of 2 MW and will be situated on rsteds premises on Avedre Holme in Copenhagen. The project will investigate how to best combine an efficient electrolyser with the fluctuating power supply from offshore wind, using rsted's two 3.6 MW offshore wind turbines at Avedre Holme.



The facility will produce up to around 1,000 kg of renewable hydrogen a day, which will be used to fuel zero-emission road transport in the Greater Copenhagen area and on Zealand. The project is expected to produce its first hydrogen in late 2021.



In less than three years, rsted has, with partners, established nine renewable hydrogen projects in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom so far, spanning from demonstration projects like H2RES to industrial-scale visions like the potentially 1,300 MW Green Fuels for Denmark project.



Anders Nordstrm, Vice President and Head of rsted's hydrogen and PtX activities, says:



H2RES will be a small, but very important first step in realising rsteds large ambitions for renewable hydrogen, which has fast proven itself as a centrepiece in the green transformation of the European economy to net-zero emissions by 2050. At rsted, we believe that renewable hydrogen can become an industrial stronghold of several European economies, including Denmark, while also contributing significantly to bringing down emissions from the hard-to-abate sectors in transport and industry.



The Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) under the Danish Energy Agency has previously awarded DKK 34.6 million to the development of the H2RES project to rsted, Everfuel Europe A/S, NEL Hydrogen A/S, Green Hydrogen Systems A/S, DSV Panalpina A/S, Hydrogen Denmark, and Energinet Elsystemansvar A/S.



For further information, please contact:

Media Relations

Michael Korsgaard

+ 45 99 55 94 25

mikon@orsted.dk

Investor Relations

Allan Bdskov Andersen

+ 45 99 55 79 96

ir@orsted.dk

About rsted

The rsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. rsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants, and provides energy products to its customers. rsted ranks as the worlds most sustainable energy company in Corporate Knights 2021 index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world and is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action. Headquartered in Denmark, rsted employs 6,311 people. rsteds shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2020, the group's revenue was DKK 52.6 billion (EUR 7.1 billion). Visit orsted.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Global technology giant Microsoft has been in a scoop these days, thanks to talks about its co-founder Bill Gates sexual involvement with an employee 20 years ago. Now the company has conducted a probe after it was told in 2019 that he had tried to start a romantic relationship with the person, the company said on Monday.

Microsoft said it had received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Gates "had sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000," a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement.

"A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern," the statement said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Microsoft's board had decided that Gates` involvement with the female employee was inappropriate and he needed to step down in 2020, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on whether the board had decided Gates should go.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, a spokesman for Gates said his decision to leave the board of Microsoft had nothing to do with his involvement with an employee.

"There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Bill`s decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter," the statement said.

"In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

A spokesman for the Gates Foundation told Reuters it stood by the statement to the paper.

The billionaire, who co-founded Microsoft in 1975 and served as its CEO until 2000, said in March 2020 that he was stepping down from the board to focus more on philanthropy.

Gates and his wife Melinda filed for divorce earlier this month after 27 years of marriage.

Live TV

#mute
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will take a closer look at two rare plants found only in northwestern New Mexico to see if they warrant protection under the

federal Endangered Species Act as environmentalists push to stop oil and gas development in the region.

The agencys decision to review the Aztec gilia and Clovers cactus came Tuesday, after being petitioned by environmentalists nearly a year ago. Environmentalists point to the fishhook-spined cactus and the flowering herb as more reasons development should be limited in the San Juan Basin. They say federal land managers arent doing enough to preserve the plants.

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The Bureau of Land Management has been rubber stamping fracking in this region for decades, running roughshod over the greater Chaco landscape and communities, Rebecca Sobel with the group WildEarth Guardians said in a statement. If unfettered fracking is not reined in, the health of the landscape and these endemic species remains in grave peril.

The fight over drilling in the San Juan Basin has spanned multiple presidential administrations and both sides of the political aisle. Environmental groups began by raising concerns about the potential for increased pollution across the region and some Native American tribes joined the fight, calling for a permanent moratorium that would prohibit development in more areas beyond the boundaries of Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Legislation that would establish a buffer on federal land surrounding the park is pending in Congress. Groups also have been pressuring Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to head a cabinet department, to take executive action.

The cactus and the herb mark the latest rallying cry.

In their petitions, environmentalists cited public records that show disagreement within the Bureau of Land Management and failures by oil and gas companies to comply with conditions of their permits when it came to dealing with the plants. They also cited poor record-keeping related to efforts to transplant Clovers cactus and their survival rates.

The cactus is found only in Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Juan counties in grasslands and among desert shrubs. The petition states that the effects of oil and gas development are mostly associated with the creation of well pads and the networks of pipelines and roads that connect them.

Other threats include horse and cattle grazing, illegal harvesting, seed collection, off-road vehicle use and climate change.

Predation by rabbits, moths and beetles also have contributed to the plants demise.

Environmentalists say the Aztec gilia population has declined steeply since 1995. The perennial, which has pink tubular flowers, is found only in San Juan County in a limited area.

While the species are considered sensitive by state and federal managers, environmentalists argue that regulations aimed at conserving such species in land use plans isnt the same as providing protections for those species. They also note that classification as endangered under state law only prohibits unauthorized collection and transport of the species but doesnt protect them from destruction within their natural habitats.

Environmentalists are asking that critical habitat be set aside for both the herb and the cactus if designated as threatened or endangered. Federal biologists have a year to conduct the review.
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This is tax day!

Those of you who marked the position of the sun and moon by April 15 had to adjust this year. Many of you probably recently visited with your tax person. You may have asked, So, what is Biden going to do?

First, lets talk about that tax person. Tax persons come in many shapes and sizes. I suppose, like the average American, the shapes have been changing for the worse over the years. So lets instead focus on the age of the tax person and the life experiences they have had.

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Odds are that your tax person is age 80 or less. Probably much less. But for sake of making my point I will use an 80-year-old tax person. He was born in 1941. He started practice in 1962 (or around then).

He just finished his 49th tax season. The age of a tax person is measured by their tax seasons, like rings on a tree. The only difference is you have to ask them because its illegal to cut them open.

At the birth of our tax person the corporate tax rate was 24%. While he was in non-disposable diapers, just after Pearl Harbor, that rate jumped to 31% to fund the war cause.

The Korean War raised the rate to 51%. It stayed above 50% until 1965 when it dropped to 48%. Great Society and Vietnam funding needs raised it to 53%. It was cut to 48% in the 1971 recession and slashed to 34% in 1988 during another recession.

There it stayed until 1993 when the first Clinton act raised it to 35%. This was the rate until 2018 when it dropped to 21% and where it now sits.

This means until three years ago, our 80-year-old practitioner never saw a rate below 24% and that required that he could read in 1940. He never saw a rate below 46% in the first 25 years of his tax practice. From the moment he could walk, the rate was below 31% only from 2018 to now.

Bidens infrastructure plan, which Ill call Tax Plan I, proposes to raise the corporate rate to 28%. This, we are told by its opponents, will cause the U.S. economy to collapse. As Inigo Montoya said in The Princess Bride, I do not think that means what you think it means.

It is not even the key to funding the Biden infrastructure plan. The big stuff is to attack multinationals. There is a corporate minimum tax based on book reported income. There is a push for a global minimum tax.

There is a penalty on inversions, where a U.S. company claims to move offshore while keeping all their valuable stuff, including for sure their cash and their key people, in the U.S. There are increased corporate tax audits.

All of that foreign stuff is really complicated. So we focus on 28%. Thats more than 21%. Easy to write about, easy to talk about. Theres been so much talking that Biden has said he could live with 25%.

Our 80-year-old might wonder whats all the kerfuffle. We defeated Hitler with a 31% rate. Clint Eastwoods fictional Walt Kowalski helped build the 1972 Gran Torino when the rate was 48% and the U.S. auto industry didnt require any bailouts.

As a tax commentator Ill just play the hand I am dealt. Expect more wailing and gnashing of teeth about a 28% corporate tax rate. But pay attention to what is not in Tax Plan I.

There is no increase to the individual tax rate. There is no increase to capital gains rates. That stuff is in Tax Plan II. No plan reduces the assets that may be transferred tax-free by an estate.

But we now play a game in the Senate called Joe Manchin says, using the same rules as Simon says.

Pass more tax legislation by reconciliation? Hah, hah, you lose! No one said Joe Manchin says. So when the new administration is looking for tax revenues, maybe you and I should just point to the nearest multinational and say I think I saw that guy flashing a wad of 50s. But to be safe, first say Joe Manchin says.

Jim Hamill is the director of Tax Practice at Reynolds, Hix & Co. in Albuquerque. He can be reached at jimhamill@rhcocpa.com.


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Libya: end of preparations soon, electoral commission chief Completed on June 15 for elections on December 24

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, MAY 17 - The head of the Commission for Libyan national elections (Hnec), Emad al-Sayah, has confirmed that the body will end preparations for the vote in December by June 15, according to a report published by the website Libya Observer, which summed up a statement.



Al-Sayah said material for the vote and other equipment will begin to be provided by July. "It is likely that elections will be held on time thanks to the agreement between the majority of local and international sides on the need to hold the vote as scheduled", said the head of the Commission, implicitly referring to the date of December 24.



Al-Sayah however warned that the government's support depends on the approval of the budget. The elections in December aim, among other things, to create an executive of legislature that replaces the transitional cabinet set up at the end of the third and most recent Libyan civil war, the failed assault on Tripoli carried out in 2019/'20 by the forces of general Khalifa Haftar.



(ANSAmed).




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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Theres no upbeat or positive spin on New Mexicos literacy problem, and the statistics are overwhelming.

About 76% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading, 79% of eighth graders are not proficient in math, 26% of high school students do not graduate on time and 12% of teenagers are neither in school nor working. And almost one-third of adults in the state, about 29%, read at the level of a 5- to 7-year-old.

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Children who do not read at grade level by fourth grade are far more likely to become high school dropouts, and dropouts and people with low literacy levels face a dismal economic future, receiving the lowest median weekly pay.

But there is help out there, programs and services often tailored to the individual child or adult and their specific needs.

Oddly, there is no central clearinghouse or database that offers a comprehensive list of all literacy programs and services in New Mexico.

The following is the Journals beginning and ongoing effort to compile such a list. It is a yearlong work in progress, and we are asking that our readers, if they know of a program in their community that is not listed, please contact us with that information at rnathanson@abqjournal.com, or mmurphy@abqjournal.com. And remember to use your local library as a good place to ask about programs in your area. The Journal plans to keep this growing list available at ABQJournal.com.

The goal is to help connect those who need help and those who want to help with the appropriate services.

We start with a dozen programs, many of them linked to additional services. We will continue adding to this resource list throughout the next year and post the updated list at ABQJournal.com.

ALBUQUERQUE ADULT LEARNING CENTER INC.: With four locations around the Albuquerque area, the center was founded in 2010 as a

grassroots, community-based organization to provide free adult education and literacy as preparation for students to get their Higher Secondary Certificate, or HSC, or their General Educational Development, or GED, certification. The centers serve people ages 16 and older, regardless of what level of literacy they have. Class sizes are limited to 15 students, with morning afternoon and evening blocks. To learn more, call 505-907-9957, or go online to abqalc.org.

ADULT EDUCATION AND LITERACY PROGRAM and NEW MEXICO ADULT LITERACY PROGRAM : Both programs are operated by the Adult Education Division of the New Mexico Higher Education Department. They are taught out of college and university campuses and at nonprofit organizations statewide.

The Adult Education and Literacy Program, available at 24 locations, takes place in classroom settings. Serving all adult learners who enter anywhere on the literacy spectrum. Another main focus is on workplace readiness skills to help people participate in the workforce.

The New Mexico Adult Literacy Program is available at 15 locations around the state with instruction mostly on a one-on-one tutoring approach. It is geared for adults who may have goals other than jobs or college, such as a desire to support their children in their schools and being able to help them with their homework, or being able to read a newspaper or to become a U.S. citizen, said Amber Gallup Rodriguez, HEDs director of adult education.

For a list of adult education programs through the Higher Education Department, go to

https://hed.state.nm.us/students-parents/adult_education.

ALBUQUERQUE READS: This is a project of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and works in conjunction with the Albuquerque Public Schools to provide one-on-one tutoring of kindergartners and first graders. The program currently targets three APS elementary schools  Bel-Air, Whittier and Atrisco  that have been identified as high priority Title 1 schools with high numbers of low-income children who are at risk of reading failure. Albuquerque Reads has more than 300 volunteer tutors trained by certified teachers. For further information, call 505-843-7323, or go online to abqreads.com

ALBUQUERQUE ARCA LITERACY PROJECT: This program offers customized literacy efforts from professional tutors on reading and writing, as well as training in the use of basic computer skills, for people with barriers to traditional learning. ARCA partners with Central New Mexico Community College and other agencies to provide mentors who tutor the students at CNM or via online learning platforms. For more information, call 505-332-6700, or visit www.arcaopeningdoors.org/services/literacy-project.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CENTRAL NEW MEXICO: With one location in Albuquerque and one in Rio Rancho, the clubs offer a Summer Brain Gain program and a school year Power Hour program. Cost for Summer Brain Gain ranges from $75 to $100 per week, and includes breakfast lunch and snacks. Financial aid is available for qualifying families. The Power Hour program allows kids K-12 to go to club sites, where before they engage in fun sports, games and other recreational activities, they must sit down and complete their homework or work on some type of educational enterprise. Club staff members and volunteers are on hand to offer assistance. Cost for the Power Hour program is $35 a week and scholarships are available for qualifying families. The fee includes membership to the Boys and Girls Clubs and all its activities. The clubs also plan to offer an after school Power Hour program in the 2021-22 school year at select elementary schools. To learn more call 881-0777, or go online to www.bgccnm.org.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES, ALBUQUERQUE: This faith-based organization provides literacy programs and a learning center for non-speakers of English, including immigrants and refugees. The primary vehicle for this is classes in English as a second language. Skills taught include reading, writing, comprehension and preparation for high school equivalency certification. Catholic Charities also provides after-school care for children ages 5 to 12, an adult education program to help students improve their literacy skills and get their high school equivalency certification, and job training and apprenticeship programs. For more information, go to ccasfnm.org, or call 505-724-4670.

DISCOVER A BOOK: This program operates through the ABQ Ride bus system. Racks on 185 city buses are regularly replenished with books for young children to look at or read, or for parents to read to their children while riding the bus. They may take the books with them when they depart the bus. Books may be dropped off at any Albuquerque Public Library branch. For information, visit ReadToMeABQnetwork.org.

To request free books, send a message to BookDrive66@gmail.com

LIBROS FOR KIDS: This grassroots nonprofit gets books into the hands of kids under age 5 who live in Bernalillo County, and serves as the local affiliate for Dolly Partons Imagination Library. The Imagination Library provides one new book each month to kids under age 5. Half the cost must be paid for by a sponsor in most cases. Qualifying children receive the monthly book directly through the mail from the Imagination Library. Libros for Kids also engages in other projects to provide books, particularly for kids in the South Valley, Downtown and the International District. To register, go to librosforkids.org.

LUTHERAN FAMILY SERVICES: This is another faith-based organization that offers English as a second language to non-speakers of English. The focus is on teaching enough English to write a resume, fill out job applications, find work or start their own business. Lutheran Family Services also teaches their clients about how banks work, about credit, how to avoid predatory lending and how to create personal budgets and pay bills on time. The vast majority of participants continue to attend ESL classes around their work schedules, either at Lutheran Family Services, CNM or other institutions. For more information go to Lfsrm.org, or call 505-933-7032.

OASIS ALBUQUERQUE, INTERGENERATIONAL TUTORING PROGRAM: The focus is on students in first through third grades who are not reading at grade level, although tutors will work with students in the fourth and fifth grades, as well. The students who need reading assistance are identified by teachers at about 65 schools in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Belen and Bernalillo. Oasis is able to call on a pool of 600 volunteers, who typically go into the schools and work with students individually for one hour each week. For more information, go to Albuquerque.Oasisnet.org

READ TO ME: This program is intended to put books into the hands of very young children to encourage reading and to help them build their own home library. A yearly book drive generally collects about 60,000 or more new and gently used books that are distributed to local nonprofits, schools with large numbers of low-income students and homeless shelters. Read to Me also provides books for distribution on city buses and on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express. For information, go to ReadToMeABQnetwork.org. To request free books go to BookDrive66@gmail.com

STORY TIME IN THE PARK: This Albuquerque Public Schools program is geared toward elementary school children and their families. The intent is to encourage children to read, and parents to read to and with their children, thereby encouraging literacy and academics during the summer. Held daily from June 7 to July 15 at 28 parks in the Albuquerque area, as well as in some community centers and low-income housing communities. Free lunch will be provided Mondays through Fridays, and free books and related lesson plans with reading strategies and parent tip sheets will be distributed Mondays through Thursdays. For Story Time in the Park locations and times, go to www.aps.edu/title-i/story-time-in-the-park.
The U.S. Trotting Association, in conjunction with the Minnesota Racing Commission, Running Aces Racetrack, Kentucky Racing Commission, and Red Mile Racetrack, announced Monday (May 17) the introduction of a new Officials Internship Training Program kicking off on May 30.

The first participant will be longtime Illinois harness horseman John Zawistowski, known as Johnny Z to many in the industry, who comes highly recommended by Meadows Standardbred Owners Association Executive Director and former USTA Director Kim Hankins.

At the conclusion of the Officials Internship Training Program, Zawistowski will immediately join the staff of judges at Red Mile as an associate judge under the supervision of Red Mile Presiding Judge Tim Schmitz.

The USTA Board of Directors have been concerned about the decline of qualified officials so they budgeted money to create this program, said USTA COO TC Lane, who is being assisted in its administration by USTA Racetrack Operations Manager Michele Kopiec. This internship will fulfill our commitment to the industry by supplying tracks with highly trained racing officials at no extra cost to the states or tracks. Our goal is to expand this program in the future.

We could not execute this without lots of assistance from others in the industry. The USTA and I would like to thank Minnesota Racing Commission Executive Director Steve May, Running Aces judges Bob Corey (Presiding) and Mike Hall, the Kentucky Racing Commission Executive Director Marc Guilfoil and Red Mile Presiding Judge Tim Schmitz for their important participation.

Zawistowskis training at Running Aces will take place from May 30 through July 2. The curriculum is extensive and includes hands-on experience in the judges stand, race office, paddock, test barn and in hearings with instruction about mutuels, teletimer, photo finish, race charting, horse identification, security, licensing and conducting a draw.

In addition, as a requirement, he will also attend the Racing Officials Accreditation Program this summer from July 12-19 to expand his licensure. Both Lane and Kopiec serve on the Board of Directors for the ROAP.

A couple of years ago, I was approached about being a judge, so I had been thinking about it, said Zawistowski. I just turned 60 and was looking for an easier way to stay in the business. Then I got injured and had rotator cuff and bicep surgery in January.

Im at The Meadows and heard about the USTA program from Kim Hankins who has been a good friend for over 40 years. He talked to TC (Lane) at the USTA then I talked with my wife about this opportunity, and we said, lets do this.

In this inaugural program, weve planned a month-long training period with an extensive curriculum to see how it goes with the idea that we can make adjustments if necessary in the future, concluded Lane.

To learn more about ROAP, visit horseracingofficials.com.

(USTA)
Zhang Li (facing, third from left) and other guest speakers discuss Chinese women's writing in recent years at the book launch ceremony of The Beautiful Changes at a bookstore in Beijing in April. [For China Daily]

New literary collections reflect contemporary approaches women writers adopt in their works.

The golden age for women in Chinese literature has arrived. Over the last year, there has been an increase in the publication of women's literary works. Readers can find anthologies of short stories by Chinese women, special issues of literature magazines devoted to essays by Chinese women, and seasonal reading lists on stories by women both online and in bookstores, along with seminars and dialogues discussing their work.

In celebration of International Women's Day in March, two anthologies of stories by women were published. Both collections were edited by Zhang Li, a Chinese literature professor with Beijing Normal University.

One is An Anthology of Short Stories by Chinese Women in 2020, and the other one The Beautiful Changes, is a collection of novellas, short stories, nonfiction and poems by women as well as a manuscript of a dialogue between two women literary professors discussing Chinese feminist writings and gender culture of the past 40 years.

"Over the last century, Chinese literature keeps on changing, and both the spiritual temperament and looks of women have changed greatly-either in literary works or in reality," writes Zhang in the preface of The Beautiful Changes. The title is inspired by the poem of the same title by poet Richard Wilbur. "The standards that define women's beauty and great women's writing have also gradually changed."

In Zhang's 2019 analysis of the gender awareness of writers, she found that Chinese women's literary works have been associated with their personal experiences, especially sex, or described as middle-class since the 1990s. So nowadays, many women writers have been trying to shun the tag of feminst writer.

However, Zhang says she has seen a change since last year's special issue on new women's writing in the magazine, October. Now more women writers are willing to wear the feminist tag during media events organized by publishing houses.

"Lately you can see that more women writers talk about their creations as women at ease in the media," she says.

An Anthology of Short Stories by Chinese Women in 2020 [For China Daily]

In a dialogue between Zhang and He Guimei, a Chinese literature professor with Peking University, in March last year, the two women scholars gave their own definition of new women's writing, which is also the theme for The Beautiful Changes.

"It emphasizes the writers' social gender, putting women and femininity in social relations to observe and understand, rather than extracting them from context," writes Zhang in the preface of The Beautiful Changes. "It realizes that the discrepancies between the stance of the two genders are actually decided by differences in ethnicity, classes, economy and culture. It is also concerned with the differences in the stance among women that are a result of the differences in classes and nationalities."

Zhang writes that new women's writing emphasizes on the quality of being artistic and avant-garde, keeping away from histrionic, accusatory and victim mentality.

"This is an ideal women's writing-rich and prolific, rather than fixed and monotonous. Like crisscross nerves, it connects not only women and men, and women and women, but also human beings with reality, and human beings with nature," she writes.

If women are depicted as victims in fictional works, they might attract much attention. And in the long run, they cannot be real artistic pieces. So ideally, Zhang says women's works should reflect the complex reality, rather than simply portraying women as victims of the patriarchal society.

Literary critic Rao Xiang says topics on gender have not been talked about much, but Zhang has been trying to shift people's attention back to it in the last two years.

Zhang says works from the collections faithfully represent the modern women in China from certain perspectives, in a complicated way that is not aimed to please the mass readers.

"The lives of Chinese women are worth writing about. If you look at the present Chinese society, you will see it is more proper to write about it from the perspective of women because women's lives and temperaments have changed much faster than those of men," Zhang says. "The changes of our time can all be reflected in women. However, Chinese writers in general are not sensitive enough to such changes, which is a great pity."

Just like the 2019 edition, An Anthology of Short Stories by Chinese Women in 2020 also contains 20 short stories divided into three themes-love, secret and beyond.

The Beautiful Changes [For China Daily]

Though the works chosen for the anthologies should be excellent, Zhang says they guarantee that the works of four to five new writers for each anthology are chosen as well.

"Maybe there are imperfections in their writings but it doesn't matter. We want to encourage them," she says.

In the process of selecting stories, Zhang and her students try to cover as many topics as possible relating to the lives of women from different age groups, marital statuses, classes and regions.

One story from the collection is about a single woman who bought a robot with advanced artificial intelligence. Not only can the robot help her to buy the cheapest goods in the world, but it is also her knowledgeable and considerate companion.

"All my students voted for this story. It vividly reflects our current lifestyle, especially about online shopping, and there is also discussion and further exploration of the topic," Zhang says.

I Just Want to Sit Down by Zhang Tianyi is a story about sexual harassment that a woman college student experienced on an extremely crowded train back home. Instead of fighting back, the young woman just sat quietly. After an exhausting journey of more than 20 hours on the crowded train without a seat, she just wanted to sit down.

"It's violence that occurs daily. The writer has managed to describe the complexity in it," Zhang says.

Also like the previous year, Zhang and her students chose 300 short stories from literary magazines and online platforms that are welcoming of new writers. The bigger challenge for them was to find four to five new writers for the anthology to avoid repetition of the 2019 edition.

"Since there are several literary magazines publishing special issues addressing women's writings, it'll be easier for us to select works for next year's anthology," she says.

(Source: China Daily)
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Issue of new VINCI shares

reserved for the employees of foreign subsidiaries of VINCI

in the context of the international Group savings plan 1

In its thirteenth resolution, the Combined Shareholders General Meeting held on 18 June 2020 delegated to the Board of Directors, for a period of 18 months expiring on 17 December 2021, its authority to carry out capital increases reserved for the employees of certain foreign subsidiaries of the Group as is already the case for the employees of French subsidiaries in the context of savings plans.

At its meeting on 22 October 2020, VINCIs Board of Directors thus set the terms of a capital increase reserved for the employees of VINCI subsidiaries located in Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Estonia, United States, Finland, Greece, Hong-Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.

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In his decision dated 17 May 2021, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI set the issue price of the new shares which is equal to the average price of the VINCI shares prices quoted on the regulated market of Euronext Paris SA on the basis of the vwap (volume-weighted average price) during the 20 trading sessions preceding 18 May 2021, i.e. 91.72 per new share to be issued.

The maximum number of shares that may be issued and the total amount of the issue will depend on the level of employees subscriptions.

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The new VINCI shares to be issued3 will be subscribed in July 2021 by the Castor International Relais 2021 mutual fund, and, in the United States, Chile, Greece, Italy and Poland, by Amundi Tenue de Comptes on behalf of the employees of these countries.

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1 With the exception of the United States, Chile, Greece, Italy and Poland, where the shares will be subscribed directly by the employees in accordance with local regulations, employees subscriptions for this issue which is reserved for them will be made through an intermediate company mutual fund (Castor International Relais 2021), invested in money-market securities and classified as such in the euro money-market company mutual funds category. This company mutual fund received approval from the AMF on 6 November 2020 under no. FCE 2020 0095. It will concentrate all employees cash payments for subscription to the units it will issue. At the end of the subscription period open to employees, this intermediate mutual fund will subscribe to VINCI shares to be issued in accordance with the total amount of payments it has collected, and will then be absorbed by the Castor International company mutual fund on 12 July 2021, the corresponding AMF approval having been obtained on 12 November 2020 (AMF file no. 128571).

The Castor International company mutual fund is an employee savings and shareholding mutual fund (UCITS) exclusively invested in VINCI shares.

2 With the exception of Serbia where the operation will not be offered.

3 Up to the total amount of employees payments.

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Migrants: 650 taken back to Tripoli by coast guards - UNHCR They had departed from Zwara on 4 dinghies

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, MAY 17 - Over 650 people found at sea were taken back to Tripoli on Sunday by Libyan coast guards, the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR in Libya has tweeted.



The migrants had departed "aboard four dinghies from Zwara and were intercepted/rescued and taken back in two separate landings", UNHCR explained, highlighting that they were offered "urgent humanitarian and medical assistance".



Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM), said a total of 683 migrants were taken back to Libya last night, responding to a question posed by ANSA.



"The support to entities of Libyan SaR should be subordinated to the fact that nobody should be arbitrarily detained or subjected to violations of human rights", said the spokeswoman in a tweet on the operation. "Without such guarantees, such support should be reconsidered", added Msehli. (ANSAmed).




Ulaanbaatar, April 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mongolian President Battulga Khaltmaa issued an emergency directive to disband the Mongolian Peoples Party (MPP), in order to safeguard the sovereignty and democracy of the country. The action came after the MPP gave itself unconstitutional authority to change election rules for the June 9 presidential election that would exclude President Battulga from the ballot.

In his announcement, President Battulga said the MPP threatens the country's democratic foundations by creating a parallel military structure alongside its party. This endangers the fundamental rights and interests of our citizens and constitution. The law explicitly states that any political party that takes any militarized form shall be disbanded.

MPP Forms Military Union

Former Prime Minister, and current MPP Chairman, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, has created a parallel military structure alongside the Party called the Mongolian Military Union and has arranged for the organization to have a branch at each Military Staff of local administrations leading to growing concerns the Party is at risk of and preparing to execute military actions.

Bold Luvsanvandan, former Minister of Defense and current Advisor to the President on National Security, made the following statement:

MPPs parallel militarized structure headed by MPP Chairman Khurelsukh Ukhnaa is a blatant violation of Mongolias Constitution. The military union should be immediately disbanded and banned. Not only will it undermine the civilian oversight over the Mongolian military, but will lead to the creation of quasi-fascist regime.

Leader of Mongolias Anti-Democratic Forces

The effort to rig the June 9 elections is led by former Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar of the MPP, which ruled Mongolia under a Communist dictatorship until the 1990 democratic revolution and is now attempting to seize power, once again, and reinstall one-party rule. This stealth attack on the countrys institutions follows active efforts by the MPP to subvert the Constitutional Court, deter the functioning of the National Security Council, rubber-stamp the rigging of the June 9 elections and protect Batbold from prosecution for corruption. Batbold, was recently charged with receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from kickbacks and fraudulent and illegal transactions in deals involving the nations two largest mines. The investigation was launched by the Metropolitan Prosecutors Office and Independent Authority Against Corruption of Mongolia that now spans in five jurisdictions from the U.K., Hong Kong, BVI, Singapore and the United States.

Uyanga Gantumur, former Member of Parliament and a member of the Democratic Party, made the following statement:

President Battulga has sworn to defend the Constitution, sovereignty and democracy of Mongolia. The decision to dissolve the MPP was not easy, but necessary, to protect the country from the anti-democratic forces organized by former Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar and their foreign collaborators. President Battulga urges public officers to honor the Constitution and comply with the laws when executing their jobs, and pledged to defend free and fair elections in the face of MPP actions to prevent them.

President Battulga and the Democratic Party

Battulga Khaltmaa became the fifth President of Mongolia on July 10, 2017. Before this, President Battulga served for almost two decades as a Member of Parliament in the State Great Khural and held cabinet positions as the Minister of Roads, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development and later as the Minister of Industry and Agriculture. He was one of the leaders of the Democratic Union Coalition, which later became the foundation of the modern day Democratic Party of Mongolia. The Democratic Union Coalition was instrumental in ushering a peaceful democratic transition to a multi-party democratic system in Mongolia after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990.

For the original news story, please visit https://www.prdistribution.com/news/mongolian-president-takes-emergency-action-to-protect-sovereignty-and-democracy.html

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PHILADELPHIA  A day after Philadelphias health commissioner was forced to resign over the cremation of partial remains belonging to victims of a 1985 bombing of the headquarters of a Black organization, the city now says those remains were never actually destroyed.

Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement late Friday saying that the remains of MOVE bombing victims thought to have been cremated in 2017, under orders from Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, were located at the medical examiners office that afternoon. Among the 11 slain when police bombed MOVEs headquarters, causing a fire that spread to more than 60 row homes, were five children.

I am relieved that these remains were found and not destroyed, however I am also very sorry for the needless pain that this ordeal has caused the Africa family, Kenney said, adding that many unanswered questions surround the case  including why Farleys order wasnt obeyed.

Kenney compelled Farley to resign Thursday, the 36th anniversary of the MOVE bombing, after consulting the victims family members. At the time, the mayor said Farleys decision to order the cremation and disposal of the remains, without notifying the decedents family members, lacked empathy.

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In a statement released by the mayors office Thursday, Farley said that he was told by the citys medical examiner, Dr. Sam Gulino, that a box had been found containing materials related to MOVE bombing victims autopsies. The box turned out to contain bones and bone fragments.

It is a standard procedure to retain specimens after an autopsy ends and the remains are turned over to the decedents next-of-kin, Farley said  but not wanting to cause more anguish, he ordered their disposal on his own authority, without consulting other top city officials.

After recent reports that local institutions had remains of MOVE bombing victims, Farley said he reconsidered his actions. Kenney said Farley told him about his order late Tuesday, took responsibility and resigned from the $175,000-a-year job hed held for five years.

I profoundly regret making this decision without consulting the family members of the victims and I extend my deepest apologies for the pain this will cause them, Farley wrote Thursday.

Gulino was also placed on leave pending an investigation. Kenneys statement Friday didnt mention Farley or Gulino by name, but promised the investigation would continue with full transparency for the victims family.

An attorney for the victims family members, Leon A. Williams, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that city officials, including Kenney, had notified the family Friday.

Kenneys statement said the family members and their representatives were able to ask the medical examiners office questions and he pledged to turn over the remains once the investigation was complete.

There are also clearly many areas for improvement in procedures used by the Medical Examiners Office, he wrote.

A lawyer who had accompanied MOVE members to a meeting with Kenney prior to Fridays revelations, Michael Coard, had said they were outraged, enraged, incensed, but mostly confused by what was thought to have been the destruction of the remains. He said Thursday that a lawsuit was possible.

Williams did not describe the familys reaction to Fridays news to the Inquirer.

Late Thursday, dressed all in white, MOVE members read a minute-by-minute account of the bombing and the confrontation that led up to it: Philadelphia police, attempting to serve warrants on four members and evict the rest of the Black back-to-nature group, dropped a bomb from a helicopter, igniting fuel for a generator stored on the roof.

Members on Thursday recounted alleged comments from the city emergency officials directing first responders to let the house burn. Fire department leaders later said they were scared their firefighters could face gunfire if they attempted to get to the home in the middle of the block. The fire quickly spread, displacing more than 250 people.

The city appointed a commission to investigate the decisions that led to the bombing, and in 1986 it issued a report calling the decision to bomb an occupied row house unconscionable. MOVE survivors were awarded a $1.5 million judgment in a 1996 civil lawsuit.

City officials claimed at the time that neighbors had filed complaints, saying there were issues with sanitation, vermin and noise at odd hours. But documents gathered by the commission and in the research into the bombing showed city officials, including the mayor, had designated the group as a terrorist organization. Group members maintained they had been targeted since the 1978 eviction attempt where a police officer was killed and called the complaints explanation a lie.

I hope that this latest discovery can give them some level of solace, Kenney said of MOVE members Friday.
Frankfort, KY (40601)

Today

Showers and thundershowers likely. High 77F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
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Editors note: The Journal  in collaboration with KOAT-TV and KKOB radio  is embarking on a yearlong special report, The Literacy Project, on New Mexicos literacy crisis. The first installment of the series was published in the Sunday Journal and can be found at ABQJournal.com.

Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  For decades, the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy delivered funding throughout the state to help adults learn to read.

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But its operations largely ground to a halt last fall.

The coalition lost state funding in 2020 as the state Higher Education Department shifted to a new strategy  awarding grants directly to adult literacy programs throughout New Mexico, rather than hiring the coalition to manage the system and distribute the money.

The change, state officials say, was intended to establish a more equitable, transparent system of funding.

But it had a devastating impact on the Coalition for Literacy, which laid off the few staff members it had. The group closed its office space and now survives on volunteer support.

It was just heartbreaking, said Amy Jo Sandoval, who worked on the groups finances for 10 years and now runs a Santa Fe accounting business. It just came out of nowhere.

Founded in 1987, the coalition has been a key statewide voice in New Mexicos push to improve adult literacy  a critical challenge in one of the poorest states in the nation. For years, it had a contract to manage and support a network of adult-literacy providers throughout the state.

But the Higher Education Department contends the states new approach to funding will make it easier to ensure coordination with other programs and provide comprehensive services to more New Mexicans.

The 2020 grant competition for literacy funding was designed with the aim of providing quality literacy services equitably across the state, Higher Education Department spokeswoman Stephanie Montoya said in a written statement to the Journal.

In an interview, Braden Anderson, president of the coalitions board, said the group is now running on a ghost budget. Finances are so tight that Anderson is examining how to reduce the $6 monthly cost to host the coalitions web presence.

Were working with what we can right now, Anderson said. We have every intention to regain that funding.

Higher Education does not have a comprehensive list of adult literacy services and programs in the state, and the NMCL has tried to keep up with available programs on its website, but that has been down for some time. Anderson said they are working on it.

Close to my heart

The coalition was launched in 1987 under then-Gov. Garrey Carruthers with help from first lady Kathy Carruthers, after the 1986 election.

Kathy, a speed reader and book lover, said the need for a statewide literacy group grew clear as she traveled throughout New Mexico. She was surprised, she said, to learn that so many adults had cleverly managed to succeed without learning to read  a skill they often had little opportunity to pick up on their own.

It felt like something that was very close to my heart, Kathy Carruthers said in a recent interview.

A group of volunteers established the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy, helping secure funding for local organizations throughout the state and coordinate their efforts.

Decades later, Anderson said, the coalition was operating on a budget of $250,000 to $700,000 a year, the bulk of it from state and federal sources.

It contracted with the Higher Education Department to manage a statewide adult literacy program.

Anderson, who owns a web development company and is the coalitions board president, said the group operated as a clearinghouse of sorts, requesting proposals from throughout the state and allocating the funding where it was needed most.

The coalitions last contract was for four years, expiring last summer. The agreement called for state funding of up to $661,000 a year.

But rather than pursue a similar arrangement last year, the Higher Education Department opted instead to issue a request for awards  a system that awarded funding to a variety of groups throughout the state.

The purple text

The Coalition for Literacy applied for funding but didnt get any.

It submitted a 330-page application  parts of which questioned the states shift to a request for awards.

State reviewers werent impressed. Members of the review committee said the application was confusing and incomplete, according to Higher Education Department documents.

They took issue with the color of the text  purple  and the relevance of some photos, one of which was a picture of a coalition staffer and others with the caption #legends. The application is dotted with inspirational quotes and anecdotes. It was far longer than competing applications.

I found the applicants responses to be surprisingly unprofessional throughout the application, one reviewer wrote.

Another said: Wow! Lots of veiled and not so veiled threats and accusations; very unprofessional response.

A third said: As an outside evaluator, the whole thing strikes me as awkward. If its to tell someone off, that seems off as well.

After losing out, the coalition questioned the fairness of the award process and asked the Higher Education Department to extend its contract.

It appears as though NMCL was written out of plans before the RFA was issued, the coalition wrote.

Our big fear

In interviews, Anderson said some of the states criticism of the application was justified.

But the coalition, he said, was still well positioned to carry out its work and collaborate with other literacy groups throughout the state, ensuring the funding reaches rural areas where literacy needs are highest.

Our big fear is that a whole lot of these funds arent making it to the most needy parts of our state, Anderson said.

The Higher Education Department disputes that rural areas have been left behind.

Most of the groups that received funding through the coalition still get funding, either directly from the state or through sub-grants, according to Montoya, the state spokeswoman.

The department, she said, also operates a network of adult basic education programs that reach throughout New Mexico, with literacy a central part of the mission of the departments Adult Education Division.

The successful applicants include the Rio Arriba Adult Literacy Program, San Juan College, University of New Mexico-Taos, Gordon Bernell Charter School, Valencia County Literacy Council and Albuquerque Adult Learning Center, among others.

These programs sub-grant to an additional seven adult literacy programs throughout the state, most of which are in more rural areas, Montoya said.

Hugely important

A map published by the National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 29% of New Mexicos adults are at or below the lowest level of literacy, putting them at risk of difficulty understanding printed material. That 29% is 7 points higher than the national average.

State Rep. Christine Trujillo, an Albuquerque Democrat and retired teacher, said there are strengths and weakness to any approach the Higher Education Department takes  contracting with one coalition or distributing the money on its own.

Either way, she said, strengthening the reading skills of adults in New Mexico is hugely important.

Anderson said he and the coalition remain committed to boosting adult literacy however they can.

For now, they are still able to refer students and tutors to other programs.

We dont want to completely give that up, Anderson said. Theres no reason to quit.

The Higher Education Department plans to accept new applications for adult literacy funding in 2024.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  The murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst resumed Monday without the defendant present and with arguments about whether the case should continue after a rare 14-month recess.

Judge Mark Windham questioned jurors in Los Angeles County Superior Court to see if they can complete their assignment that was interrupted in March 2020 during the pandemic. If so, it could be a first for the U.S. legal system.

So, where did we leave off? Windham said as jurors laughed.

The length of the stoppage is unprecedented and its the highest-profile U.S. case postponed because of the pandemic, Dursts lawyers say. They have repeatedly  and unsuccessfully  sought a mistrial because they argued the delay harmed his chance of a fair trial.

Durst, 78, an heir to a New York commercial real estate empire, has pleaded not guilty in the killing of his best friend, Susan Berman, at her Los Angeles home in 2000.

Windham, wearing a black mask, approached the 22 jurors  one fewer than before the recess  and addressed the many losses of the pandemic.

Youve likely had losses or like me know people that have lost loved ones, he said.

He asked jurors if they had seen stories about the case or discussed it with anyone during the break and if they had any health concerns or hardships that would prevent them from serving another four to five months.

After speaking in chambers with nine jurors, Windham dismissed one from service, leaving 21 on the panel that is scheduled to hear a new round of opening statements Tuesday.

Before the jurors returned to court, Windham denied a defense request to suspend the case further because Durst has bladder cancer and myriad other health problems that require hospitalization.

The question isn't whether he can endure the rigors of the trial," attorney Dick DeGuerin said. "Its whether he can survive at all.

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin scoffed at claims Durst needed to be released to a hospital for treatment, saying he was getting high-quality care at the jail, where he is being held without bail.

Its a get out of jail free card, Lewin said. The goal here is simply to have this trial go away.

Durst was not in court because he refused to leave the Los Angeles County jail, Windham said. DeGuerin questioned that account, saying jailers had previously failed to get Durst and inaccurately reported he was willfully absent.

DeGuerin said measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus would harm Dursts defense by keeping his lawyers scattered throughout the courtroom and unable to confer. Windham said the measures were required to keep everyone safe, though he and all the lawyers have been vaccinated.

Windham moved the case to a larger courtroom in Inglewood to accommodate the distancing needed to resume.

The lead lawyers were seated alone in the front of the courtroom and their co-counsel were spread throughout jury boxes on both sides of the courtroom. Plexiglas panels were placed between the lawyers and a court stenographer.

Jurors were handed zip-lock bags with note pads, a mask and tissues as they entered the courtroom and took seats in the gallery.

Prosecutors say Durst silenced Berman before she could tell police she helped him cover up the killing of his wife, Kathie, in New York in 1982.

Durst, who is worth more than an estimated $100 million, is only charged with Berman's killing but prosecutors are using his wife's disappearance and a neighbor's slaying in Texas to build their case against him.

He was acquitted in the Texas case after he testified he shot the man in self-defense. Prosecutors say he killed Morris Black because Durst was in hiding and the elderly neighbor discovered his identity.

He has never been charged in his wife's suspected killing and has denied any role in her disappearance.

Prosecutors in Westchester County, New York, said Monday that they were reviewing the killing of Kathie Durst as one of several unsolved homicides.

During opening statements in Los Angeles last year, defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin, who defended Durst in Texas, said Durst didnt kill Berman and doesnt know who did. But he said his client had found her body, panicked and bolted.

Durst sent police a cryptic note alerting them to a cadaver in the house only to ensure she would be found, DeGuerin said. Durst had long denied penning the note.

Durst was arrested in New Orleans in 2015 on the eve of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, an HBO documentary in which he was confronted with the cadaver note and a letter he once sent Berman with the same block print handwriting and the city of Beverly Hills similarly misspelled Beverley.

Before being shown the letter he had written to Berman, Durst told the filmmakers that only the killer could have written the cadaver note.

After the gotcha moment on camera, he was caught on a hot mic saying to himself in a bathroom, Youre caught! What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.

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Associated Press reporter Karen Matthews contributed to this story from New York.
Migrants: arrivals in central Med up 157%, Frontex Between January-April, compared to 2020

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, MAY 17 - Between January and April 2021 the number of migrants who arrived along the central Mediterranean route has more than doubled (+157%) compared to the same period in 2020, reaching 11,600, in the most significant increase compared to other routes, according to data provided by EU border agency Frontex. The arrivals in April were 1,550 - twice as many as in the same month in 2020. The majority of those who arrived hailed from Tunisia and the Ivory Coast.



Overall, in the EU, in the first four months of 2021, a total of 36,100 arrivals were registered, with an increase of about a third compared to 2020, when restrictions caused by the pandemic led to a decrease. Arrivals in April were over 7,800, four times higher compared to the record low of April 2020.(ANSAmed).




Selbyville, Delaware, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to credible sources, Asia Pacific antiviral drugs market size is estimated to accumulate USD 7.2 billion by the year 2027, showcasing substantial growth. Exceptional increase in Covid-19 cases in China, India, and Australia, leading to rising hospitalization is the primary factor driving the market growth in APAC. Reportedly, around 25 million people in Asia were tested positive until mid-March 2021.

Moreover, the report encompasses a comparative study of bygone trends and present developments for the prediction of the industry expansion over 2021-2027. Lastly, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic is elaborated in the document to understand the commotions caused in the market sphere and enable stakeholders to take informed decisions.

Moreover, prevalence of infectious diseases, increase in instances of hospital-acquired infections, coupled with rising awareness related to treatment therapies are bolstering the demand for antiviral drugs in Asia pacific region. As stated by WHO, in China, over 87 million people chronic hepatitis B virus carriers. As reported by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2018, over 400 people were ascertained to be HIV positive each day. As per WHO, in China over 1.25 million were infected with HIV in 2018.

Request Sample copy of this Report @ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/3736396/

Additionally, favorable governmental policies & initiatives, alongside infrastructural development are further augmenting the market outlook. In India, in April 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced a test-and-treat policy for HIV treatment.

Although, rising geriatric population with high susceptibility to infections, and HIV treatment product pipeline displays lucrative opportunities, but high cost of HIV as well as Hepatitis treatment, and drug resistance scenario will hamper the growth of Asia Pacific antiviral drugs industry.

Overview of market segmentations:

Based on types, Asia Pacific antiviral drug market is segmented into branded and generic. The report cites that generic segment was worth USD 1.5 billion in 2020 and is poised to grow further owing to rising consumer awareness about presence of generic drugs.

Speaking of age group, the marketplace is divided into pediatric, adult, and geriatric, wherein the adult segment accounted for 30% market share in 2020.

On the basis of indication, the industry is classified into HIV/AIDS, influenza, herpes simplex virus, hepatitis, and coronavirus infection among others. Of these, APAC antiviral drugs market share from HIV/AIDS segment was USD 3.2 billion in 2020, owing to rising cognizance of HIV treatment therapies.

Moving on to drug class, the market is fragmented into DNA polymerase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and neuraminidase inhibitors including others. While proteases inhibitors segment accounted for 18% industry share in 2020, reserve transcriptase inhibitors segment held 40% share in the same year.

To access a sample copy or view this report in detail along with the table of contents, please click the link below:

https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/asia-pacific-antiviral-drugs-market-statistics

Regional outlook:

As per expert verbatim, India antiviral drug market valuation is expected to reach USD 1.2 billion by 2027, owing to improved healthcare infrastructure. Similarly, China held a market share of 16% in 2020 and is reckoned to grow modestly through 2027, attributable to inflowing funding for research & development and enhancement of health infrastructure.

Asia Pacific Antiviral Drugs Market by Type (Revenue, USD Million, 2016-2027)

Branded

Generic





Asia Pacific Antiviral Drugs Market by Age Group (Revenue, USD Million, 2016-2027)

Pediatric

Adult

Geriatric





Asia Pacific Antiviral Drugs Market by Indication (Revenue, USD Million, 2016-2027)

HIV/AIDS

Influenza

Herpes Simplex Virus

Hepatitis

Coronavirus Infection

others





Asia Pacific Antiviral Drugs Market by Drug Class (Revenue, USD Million, 2016-2027)

DNA polymerase inhibitors

Protease Inhibitors

Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Neuraminidase Inhibitors

Others





Asia Pacific Antiviral Drugs Market Regional Terrain (Revenue, USD Million, 2016-2027)

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Singapore

Thailand

Indonesia

Malaysia

Philippines

Australia





Asia Pacific Antiviral Drugs Market Competitive Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016-2027)

Viatris Inc.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Cipla Ltd.

Aurobindo Pharma Limited

Bristol Myers Squibb

Merck & Co. Inc.

GlaxoSmithKline plc

AbbVie

Johnson & Johnson

Gilead Sciences Inc.

Table of Content:

Chapter 1 Methodology

1.1 Market definitions

1.2 Forecast assumptions

1.3 Data sources

1.3.1 Secondary

1.3.1.1 Paid sources

1.3.1.2 Unpaid sources

1.3.2 Primary

Chapter 2 Market Summary

2.1 Asia Pacific anti-viral drugs industry summary, 2016 - 2027

2.1.1 Country trends

2.1.2 Drug class trends

2.1.3 Indication trends

2.1.4 Type trends

2.1.5 Age group trends

Chapter 3 Market Analysis

3.1 Industry segmentation

3.2 Industry outlook, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

3.3 Major factor analysis

3.4 Analysis of COVID-19 impact on the industry

3.5 Porter's analysis

3.6 Competitive review, 2020

3.7 PEST analysis

Chapter 4 Asia Pacific Anti-viral Drugs Market, By Drug Class

4.1 Market trends

4.2 DNA polymerase inhibitors

4.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

4.3 Reverse transcriptase inhibitors

4.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

4.4 Protease inhibitors

4.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

4.5 Neuraminidase inhibitors

4.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

4.6 Others

4.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

Chapter 5 Asia Pacific Anti-viral Drugs Market, By Indication

5.1 Market trends

5.2 Influenza

5.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

5.3 HIV/AIDS

5.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

5.4 Hepatitis

5.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

5.5 Herpes Simplex Virus

Chapter 6 Asia Pacific Anti-viral Drugs Market, By Type

6.1 Market trends

6.2 Branded

6.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

6.3 Generic

6.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

Chapter 7 Asia Pacific Anti-viral Drugs Market, By Age Group

7.1 Market trends

7.2 Adult

7.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

7.3 Pediatric

7.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

7.4 Geriatric

7.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, by country, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

Chapter 8 Asia Pacific Anti-viral Drugs Market, By Country





Related Report:

Antiviral Drugs Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Type Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2021  2027

The anti-viral drugs market is likely to witness exponential growth over the forecast time period owing to large patient pool suffering from COVID-19 infection, increasing prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, and instances of seasonal flu across the U.S. Antiviral drugs are usually prescription medicines that efficiently fight against viruses in the body. These come in inhaled powder form, liquid form, and pills form. When utilized as directed, these drugs aid in reducing the duration of flu symptoms in otherwise healthy children as well as adults and might also reduce the danger of common flu symptoms.

Increasing CVOVID-19 cases across the world is further driving the demand for anti-viral drugs. As per mortality surveillance data of NCHS on 25th February 2021, nearly 19.3 per cent of the deaths that happened in the week ending 20th February 2021 were mainly because of COVID-19, influenza, and pneumonia. In fact, Remdesivir is the only anti-viral drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 virus or COVID-19.

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Our customers partner with Market Study Report, LLC. to ease their search and evaluation of market intelligence products and services and in turn focus on their company's core activities.

If you are looking for research reports on global or regional markets, competitive information, emerging markets and trends or just looking to stay on top of the curve then Market Study Report, LLC. is the platform that can help you in achieving any of these objectives.
Tokyo: After Japanese police chief Mitsuhiro Matsumoto officially identified China as responsible for a cyberattack on the country, its National Police Agency has been overwhelmed with inquiries from foreign governments and media organisations regarding the claim, causing a stir among the global cybersecurity community.

Nikkei Asia reports that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had filed a case on April 20 against a Chinese systems engineer, who is also a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for allegedly taking part in cyberattacks targeting the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and 200 other Japanese companies and research institutions in 2016 and 2017.

The suspect used a fake ID to register a web server in the country for cyberattacks against JAXA, which suggested that China`s People`s Liberation Army (PLA) was also involved in the intrusion, according to Tokyo police.

The suspect has now fled Japan. The police first discovered a suspicious server and then began monitoring it, eventually detecting a cyberattack against JAXA.

It found that the attacker was trying to exploit a vulnerability in the security software used by the space agency and advised companies facing similar attacks to take defensive measures.

"It`s highly likely that the PLA`s Unit 61419 -- a strategic support unit operating from the Chinese city of Qingdao in Shandong Province -- was involved in the cyber espionage," said Matsumoto, commissioner-general of the police agency, on April 23.

Beijing on the other hand has vehemently denied the allegations made by Japan, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin saying: "China is firmly opposed to any country or institution [using allegations of] cyberattacks to throw mud at China."

In response to Wang`s remarks, Matsumoto said that his agency had the evidence, including testimonies of the suspects and other parties involved. These comments suggest a war of nerves between China and Tokyo, reported Nikkei Asia.

In 2015, the Japan Pension Service was hit by a cyberattack that led to a massive information breach, with more than 1 million names and pension identification numbers leaked, some accompanied by birthdates and addresses.

The ensuing probe provided evidence that showed servers in China were used.

However, there was no conclusive proof that Beijing was involved, so Tokyo stopped short of claiming the attack was state-sponsored.

This time, however, better forensics by Tokyo police led the Japanese government to directly blame Beijing.

Yuichi Sakaguchi for Nikkei Asia writes that even in the presence of incorruptible evidence, there is little chance of bringing to justice culpable foreign nationals operating overseas.

However, the process of cyber attribution, which refers to tracking and identifying sources of cyberattacks, can be used to `name and shame` in the hope of deterring future cyberattacks or lay the groundwork for sanctions against alleged perpetrators.

The revelation came at a time when tensions between China and Japan have escalated amid increased activity by Beijing in the disputed East China Sea.

Earlier this year, Beijing had implemented a new law that allows the country`s quasi-military force to use weapons against foreign ships that China sees as illegally entering its waters.

Last month, Japan said China`s coastguard had expanded its presence in the contested waters by entering twice a month and as frequently as twice a week near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, known by the Chinese as Diaoyu.

Last month, Microsoft, the US company, said a sophisticated group of hackers linked to China has hacked into its popular email service that allowed them to gain access to computers.

The company had said that four vulnerabilities in its software allowed hackers to access servers for Microsoft Exchange, "which enabled access to email accounts, and allowed installation of additional malware to facilitate long-term access to victim environments," reported CNN.

Last year, in a major breach of security, Australia was hit by a major cyberattack by a "state-based actor".

Live TV
May 17, 2021 // By Peter Clarke, eeNews Analog

South Korea has a plan for the country to spend $450 billion on logic chipmaking and R&D up to 2030, according to Bloomberg.

It is not yet clear how big the subsidy element will be but the funds will comprise a mix of government support packages, tax incentives, and corportate investment pledges.

South Korea, China and the US all see semiconductor as strategic weapons in wealth generation and global security but notably the US government 'war' chest is being benchmarked at $50 billion. European politicians also see leading-edge chip manufacturing as strategic but are struggling to re-invigorate leading-edge chip in Europe.

Click here to read more ...








Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases, Politics

By Chris Boyle Published: May 17 2021

New Yorks local governments have faced unprecedented fiscal challenges and budget shortfalls over this past year, said Rep. Kathleen Rice.

U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice (NY-04) has announced that Nassau County will receive $385 million and the Village of Hempstead will receive $16.79 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. The relief funding was authorized in H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act, which Rice voted in support of when it passed the House of Representatives on March 10. President Biden signed the bill into law on March 11.

Additionally, New York State will be receiving $12.7 billion in direct assistance to the state government and $774.2 million for non-entitlement units. Other towns and villages within Nassau County are expected to receive recovery funds from the non-entitlement unit tranche.

New Yorks local governments have faced unprecedented fiscal challenges and budget shortfalls over this past year, said Rep. Kathleen Rice. Securing the financial relief they need has been one of my top priorities in Congress since the onset of the pandemic, and Im thrilled this new influx of federal funding is on the way to support Nassau County, the Village of Hempstead and our other local governments. This funding will allow our communities to protect their residents, support their workers, and cover revenue shortages that have resulted from the public health emergency.

Thank you to Congresswoman Rice for fighting in the House to secure this vital funding  necessary for our Countys comeback, said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. Nassau County urgently needs this relief to help our residents and business community recover from the pandemic, along with ensuring our health officials and first-responders have the necessary resources to fight this pandemic to the end.

I am thrilled that the Incorporated Village of Hempstead will be the recipient of $16.79 million from President Bidens American Rescue Plan, said Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs, Jr. Over the past year, our nation has felt the terrible grip of COVID-19 and the effect it has on the American people. The funding we will receive will assist in budget gaps and go a long way for fortifying our response to COVID-19. We will further address the needs of first responders who have been a major asset in these difficult times. We want to assure that our first responders are equipped to continue to give lifesaving assistance to our residents.

One cannot underestimate the importance of a good quality of life, continued Mayor Hobbs. We must address the Village of Hempstead issues of Infrastructure. In this new age of COVID-19, we have learned how vitally important communication and internet access is. With this new funding, we will look to expand broadband throughout the village for all our residents. I want to thank our Congresswoman Kathleen Rice for her dedication and commitment to the Village of Hempstead. I along with all of our residents applaud your work and thank you for your tremendous service.

Nationwide, $350 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds are being distributed by the U.S. Treasury Department for eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to respond to the COVID-19 emergency as authorized in the American Rescue Plan Act. This funding can be used to respond to pandemic-response needs, fill revenue shortfalls among state and local governments, and support the communities hardest-hit by COVID-19.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. High 76F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Two dozen members of a Texas-based hiking group are safe  although many of them have sore rear ends  after an attempt to summit the highest point in the Organ Mountains on Sunday.

The large groups effort led to several 911 calls when the hikers became stranded at various points along the Organ Needle, a rugged peak about 9,000 feet above sea level.

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It was likely the largest search and rescue operation in the mountain chain flanking Las Cruces, at least in recent memory. The Las Cruces Fire Departments Technical Rescue Team, along with members of the Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office and New Mexico State Police, worked through the night to take the hikers to safety, said Dan Trujillo, a spokesman for Las Cruces Police and Fire departments.

It was some hiking group out of El Paso, he said. They go to different areas, they hike, and this time they chose the Organ Mountains and it didnt work out that well.

The group ranged in age from teenagers to adults in their mid-60s, with a range of trail experience. They set out for the summit at 4 a.m. Sunday.

The group splintered into smaller groups and became disoriented on the route, according to a Las Cruces Fire Department news release.

SummitPost, a website that describes the routes to the tops of prominent peaks, says that to stand atop the Organ Needle, one must link a mix of hiking trails, bushwhacking, route finding and a short but exposed climbing section just below the summit. It says some people need a rope belay to make it to the top.

Trujillo said it didnt appear that any member of the group reached the apex, with everyone turning around at various places throughout the climb, which ascends 4,000 feet over four miles.

Its a very steep grade. So on the way back down, they were sliding on their rear ends, Trujillo said. So they had bad scratches.  The seats of their pants were worn out on some of the individuals.

As the day turned into evening, the hikers, unable to find their way off the mountain, made several calls to 911. One 47-year-old woman couldnt get down on her own and had to be carried down. She was taken to Memorial Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The other hikers reported minor issues, like butt scratches, rolled ankles and dehydration.

All told, Trujillo said about a dozen rescuers from the various agencies were hard at work from about 8 p.m. Sunday until 4 a.m. Monday.

He said it was at least the third time in 2021 that the Fire Departments Technical Rescue Team partnered with Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue on a mission in the Organ Mountains.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Former President Donald Trump will speak at North Carolinas annual state Republican Party convention next month, party officials announced Monday.

The former president will speak in person at the June 5 convention dinner in Greenville. Trump narrowly carried North Carolina in 2020 and held numerous events in the state toward the end of his campaign.

Trump's speech will be closed to the media, and journalists won't be able to view it via livestream or alternate forms, said Livy Polen, a spokeswoman for the NC GOP.

Trump has kept a relatively low public profile since leaving office. His last significant public speech was in February at the CPAC convention. He's still banned from Twitter and Facebook, and his public comments have largely come in the form of written statements and calling into right-leaning news outlets.

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump has not yet publicly ruled out a 2022 U.S. Senate run in North Carolina and has expressed interest in the contest. Trump has not endorsed any of the three Republicans already running for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Richard Burr.

North Carolina U.S. Rep. Ted Budd and former Rep. Mark Walker, who are vying for the partys 2022 U.S. Senate nomination, are scheduled to attend the convention, as are U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn and four other members of the state's congressional delegation. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will serve as a guest speaker.

Trump has expressed interest in running for president again in 2024 but has not yet announced a decision. The state party hopes Trump can help Republicans retake control of the U.S. House in the upcoming midterms. NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley, a staunch Trump ally who also served as one of the former president's 13 North Carolina electors in 2020, wants Trump to play an active role in North Carolina politics.

President Trump delivered real results for North Carolina by rebuilding the military, standing strong against China and unleashing the American Economy, Whatley said in a news release. "We are honored to welcome President Trump to our convention as the Republican Party launches our campaign to retake Congress and the Senate in the 2022 midterms .

Burr was censured by the state Republican Party following his vote to impeach Trump.

___

Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.

___

Anderson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Samsung is planning to launch its brand new Galaxy A22 soon and now it has been spotted on the Bluetooth SIG website.

In terms of specifications, Samsung Galaxy A22 is expected to come with both 4G and 5G versions and it is said to come with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor along with a triple rear camera setup.

The major difference between 4G version and 5G version will be that the former will have an AMOLED display and the latter will come up with a LCD.The colour options will be green, purple, black, and white.

While the 4G version is expected to come with a camera setup of a 48MP primary sensor coupled with 5MP, 2MP, and 2MP sensors. On the front, it will have a 13MP front-facing sensor.

The 5G version will have a triple-camera setup with a 48MP primary sensor coupled with 5MP and 2MP sensors. The smartphone is also expected to come with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging.

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Emmy winner Jean Smart plays a veteran Las Vegas stand-up comic in new HBO series Hacks, and says her years of being an actress helped her in the role.

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"To be a good stand-up, you really have to be a good actor," Smart said in a recent Television Critics Association Zoom. "That's how you sell your materials."

Smart stars as Deborah Vance (Smart), who has performed 2,500 shows at the fictional Palmetto Casino.

The 69-year-old said she did not study any specific comedians to prepare for the role. Still, she said, she found that some of her favorites, such as Elayne Boosler or Phyllis Diller, influenced her, anyway.

"There's a little Sam Kinison every once in a while," Smart said. "I haven't based it on anyone, and I haven't been doing that kind of research. I go with my gut instinct."

The late Kinison was known for his raunchy routines in which he screamed his punchlines, and then screamed some more.

To attract a younger audience, the Palmetto wants to cancel Deborah's Friday and Saturday shows to clear the stage for the a capella band Pentatonix. Her agent (Paul W. Downs, also a co-creator) suggests she hire young, out-of-work writer Ava to revitalize her show.

Ava is played by Hannah Einbinder, a stand-up comedian. Hacks is her first lead role in a series.

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"As a working comic, I get the rhythm of jokes, pitching and drafts," the 25-year-old said.

Ava becomes blacklisted for a tweet she wrote. Writing for Deborah is the only job available to her, and it means moving to Las Vegas.

For Ava, writing jokes for a stand-up is different from her goal of writing for scripted television. Einbinder said she doesn't mind making the leap from stand-up to acting.

"It's comedy, baby," Einbinder said.

Downs created Hacks with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky and the three are co-showrunners. The Good Place and Parks and Recreation creator Michael Schur is also an executive producer.

Although the writers create jokes for Deborah to perform on stage, they said Hacks is funnier when Deborah is off-stage. Schur said Deborah's reaction to pitches she rejects from Ava are funnier than what makes it into her act.

"Those moments where the two of them and their comedic sensibilities clash are more important," Schur said. "It's about the two women and how those gears grind somewhat unpleasantly at times."

Smart said Deborah would resent anyone pitching her jokes because she always has written her own material. However, Deborah's jokes have gotten stale.

"They both disagree a lot about what's funny," Smart said. "Neither one of them are right and neither one of them are wrong,"

Deborah and Ava have generational differences. Smart said she could be Einbinder's mother in real life. The characters' disagreements, however, are more philosophical than generational.

"Ava's point of view is: If the masses think something is funny, then it's not," Smart said. "It's not cool if the masses like it."

In her own stand-up, Einbinder said she often is at the mercy of the audience, and that senses of humor change from city to city.

"It always depends on the room you're in," Einbinder said. "I'm going to do differently in Silver Lake than I'm gonna do in Laramie, Wyoming."

The live component of stand-up was familiar, Smart said. Having performed in live theater, Smart said audiences can affect any performance.

"They are part of your performance," Smart said. "So it's always going to be better or worse depending on the audience reaction."

Hacks airs Thursdays on HBO Max.
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A HANDICAP PLACARD, MVD AND METRO COURT: Last month, Caryl Mcharney went to the zoo for my first outing in a year. Coming out I found a citation on my car in handicapped parking. My handicap placard had expired last March just when COVID shut the state down. I could pay the $350 fine immediately or make an appointment to appear in Metropolitan Court in person!

I had the notion with MVD shut down for personal visits things like my placard were on hold til we return to normal, Caryl emails. My bad.

What followed was an Abbott and Costello Whos on First? exercise in confusion, starting with Caryl pinning down the fact Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham shut Motor Vehicle Division offices in March 2020 and directed no penalties for expired plates, licenses, etc. Then there was a call to the state MVD office off Montgomery NE that got the placard renewed and in the mail, and a call to Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court that directed her to mail the ticket and copies of her expired placard to get an appointment to get the fine dismissed. But wait, then Caryl got a call that the charges had been dropped! It was soon followed by a letter saying because Caryl had not resolved the matter in 14 days as directed I now owe them $500!

Its been a hard pandemic.

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................................................................

So for everyone wondering what is going on, and how this might help you, know first that New Mexico remains under the governors emergency order and her direction to waive penalties has not been revoked. And that many MVD transactions can be done online at mvd.newmexico.gov, including renewing a placard and making an in-person appointment, of which MVD has added capacity.

And that Metro Court is processing thousands of cases like Caryls every day, primarily on Zoom calls  more than 18,000 traffic and parking cases were filed just last year.

HOW TRAFFIC COURT WORKS UNDER COVID: Camille Baca, public information officer for the court, says, If you recently received a traffic or parking citation, heres how Traffic Court works during COVID times:

 If you choose to contest your ticket in court, your citation may say you need to report to the courthouse on a given date and time. This is NOT the case at this time.

 Once law enforcement files your ticket(s), the court will mail you a notice of Virtual Traffic Arraignment that lists a date, time, phone number and PIN to call in. Please note the court will mail this notice of virtual hearing to the address on your citations. If you need to update your mailing address with the court, call: 505-841-8151.

 You will not go before a judge virtually at this listed date and time. Instead, this is an opportunity to speak with a special prosecutor appointed by the Bernalillo County district attorney who is available to discuss options in your case and negotiate a possible plea agreement with you. The special prosecutor is not a court employee and will speak with you only on the date and time on the notice.

 If you decide to take your case to trial after speaking with the special prosecutor, you will receive a second notice in the mail listing the date, time and Zoom information for your virtual trial. The officer and possible witnesses will also be summoned to the Zoom trial.

 If you enter into a plea agreement with the special prosecutor, you will have to go before a judge virtually down the road, no pun intended. You will receive a notice of virtual plea hearing with the needed information to appear over video or by phone. Metro Court also lists the call-in and video information for each judge on the homepage of its website. Please call the court at (505) 841-8151 if you encounter any issues or with any questions.

 If you plead guilty or are found guilty of the charges, there are options for complying with your sentence without ever having to leave home. Driver Improvement School can be completed online, and court costs and fees can be paid on the computer or by mail.

Caryl says MVD did send my new placards as promised and my son-in-law got a copy of (the case detail) showing it was dismissed without prejudice April 23, just over a week after the citation was put on her windshield. Clearly one of the plea agreement options is dismissal in accordance with the governors orders.

But her son-in-law phoned the Traffic Division just to be sure I no longer need worry I owe them $500.

Cant blame him.

Editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Beverly Hills, California, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Summer Napier, CEO & President at Healing Hands Healthcare, LLC and Little Black Bag House Calls, LLC, discusses her mission to provide home-based healthcare to everyone in this interview. She credits strong values and healthy company culture as the decisive factor in her organization's success in doing healthcare differently.

Listen to the full interview of Summer Napier with Adam Torres on Mission Matters Business Podcast.

After working in the traditional healthcare industry for over 10 years, Summer realized that her mission lay on a different path from the corporate environment, which led her to the vision for Healing Hands Healthcare, LLC. Aimed at providing home-based care to homebound and geriatric patients, her organization is committed to optimizing care, controlling cost, and ensuring the highest quality.

In a leap of faith, Summer left the corporate world and with Sara Tyra, her business partner, set out with their idea to do healthcare differently. Crediting her success to the dedicated team at Healing Hands Healthcare, she shares, I was fortunate and blessed to have the best people around me!"

Company and Culture

Healing Hands Healthcare, LLC, was initiated to change the dynamics of the healthcare industry, to make it more considerate and personal. Their mission is to operate as a "Healthcare Ministry." The company has also responded to the pandemic by assisting local hospitals in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic through their innovative and collaborative Hospital at Home Program, which provides hospital-level care in the comfort of the patient's home. This program has a 95% success rate of preventing unnecessary hospitalizations and rehospitalizations and allowed the patient's in their community to get a higher level of care when the hospitals were at maximum capacity.

Identifying the problems associated with visiting the doctor physically, Summer was quick to notice a need gap in the community. This led to the formation of Little Black Bag House Calls, LLC, which deals in providing providers for the homebound population--"turning your living room into a waiting room," as Summer puts it. Summer found that one of the issues she was constantly coming up against was homebound patients' inability to get to a form a brick and mortar healthcare facility for basic care. This often was due to unavailable transportation and working-age children who could not constantly be taking off work to spend the day transporting their parents to and from doctor's offices and clinics. Thus, Little Black Bag House Calls was born, a "walk-in clinic on wheels" to meet this unmet need.

Summer contributes her success in business and building a winning culture to the golden rule: treat people as you want to be treated." By always putting their people first, the company has maintained a less than 10% turnover rate since inception and has maintained a close sense of community in their organization.

The Advice

Drawing on insights from her own experiences, Summer places high regard for the fundamental values and core morals that an individual must embrace. Summer advises, "Never forget why you started. On those hard days, remember why you got out of bed. And on the good days, never sway from that mission.

What's Next

With the idea of expansion, Summer wishes to move community by community and gradually take her healthcare movement across the nation.

About

Summer Napier is the Founder and CEO of Healing Hands Healthcare and Little Black Bag House Calls. Summer is a motivated and focused executive leader who is passionate about solving complex business challenges and applying innovative thinking to advance home-based healthcare. Summer has more than ten years of experience in-home care, with the past 6+ years being in executive-level management. As an active member in the community and profession, Summer serves on boards and councils and enjoys participating in speaking engagements. Summer is an active member in both the Texas Association of Home Care & Hospice and the National Association of Home Care & Hospice. Summer is certified as a Home Care Specialist in Compliance and a Home Care Specialist in Oasis. She holds a Bachelors in Science of Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and will graduate in the Summer of 2021 with her Masters in Business Administration and 2022 with her Masters in Legal Studies in Healthcare Law.

To learn more about the organizations, visit Healing Hands Healthcare, LLC here and Little Black Bag House Calls, LLC here.

Media Communications

Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com

Publicist for Adam Torres and Mission Matters Media KISS PR Brand Story PressWire

Brand Publicity Partners KissPR.com

For more details, visit Kisspr.com. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942

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(Natural News) A student at the University of Cincinnati (UC) in Ohio died one day after he received Johnson & Johnsons single-dose Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

John Foley, 21, was a junior studying medical sciences at UC. He got vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Saturday, April 10. He died the next day. His body was discovered shortly after his death by his roommates in their off-campus student housing. Foleys roommates called the police immediately after discovering the body.

UC officials put out a statement saying it was unable to comment on the specifics of Foleys case, but that it mourns his passing and extends its condolences to his family and friends.

Foleys case comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday, April 13, that it was recommending a pause on the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting problems. At least nine people have been identified with this condition, including one woman who died. (Related: New Jersey man in critical condition with coronavirus less than a month after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.)

Coroner denies connection between death and Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Coroner Lakshmi Kode Sammarco of the Hamilton County Coroners Office has been in contact with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regarding the terrible situation. The ODH said it has been monitoring the situation closely, and that Sammarco has already briefed ODH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff regarding her offices preliminary findings.

Sammarco said Foleys cause of death has not yet been determined, but a preliminary autopsy report filed by her office said some of the evidence points toward a heart or breathing issue.

Sammarco has also denied any connection between the vaccine and Foleys death.

I can tell you that we dont see a direct connection between the vaccine administration the day before he passed away, said Sammarco during a virtual news conference. We have found some additional findings on autopsy that are more likely to be his cause of death. We dont see a direct connection, but are investigating to see if there is an indirect connection.

During the news conference, Sammarco was questioned repeatedly to offer specific details. She declined, claiming that she wanted her office to complete its investigation first.

Sammarco has also denied any evidence of blood clots or pulmonary emboli in Foleys system. On autopsy, we did not find any evidence of that, she said.

Sammarco has also urged people to not let this incident make them afraid to take the coronavirus vaccine, although she also emphasized that it remains an individual choice.

Foleys memorial service was held in Columbus, his hometown, on Friday. His family has stated through a spokesman that they are asking for privacy during this difficult time. The family also put out a statement, which reads:

Our beloved son John Francis Foley is gone, and our family mourns the loss of this wonderful and sweet joy of our lives. While the facts remain unclear on how he died, we are rejoicing in how he lived: Caring for others, lit with Gods grace and generous to all. We know the doctors involved are doing their best. We must be patient, and we ask everyone else to be patient too. John was going to be a doctor, so this is what he would want. We understand many want to know more about his death  we do too  but we ask people to understand that this is the time for our family to grieve in private. Thank you.

Learn more about the individuals who have suffered after taking the coronavirus vaccines by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

WLWT.com

Fox19.com

Cleveland.com
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/17/2021



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KALANI AND ASUELU

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ANGELA AND MICHAEL

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ELIZABETH AND ANDREI

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JOVI AND YARA

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MIKE AND NATALIE

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TIFFANY AND RONALD

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BRANDON AND JULIA

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

: Happily Ever After?'s sixth season featured Kalani Faagata revealing she and Asuelu Pulaa were sleeping in separate rooms and she was unhappy, Andrei Castravet causing drama his first day on the job, Angela Deem going under the knife, Tiffany Franco choosing to give Ronald Smith the benefit of the doubt, and Brandon Gibbs seeing Julia Trubkina's jealous side during Sunday night's episode on TLC.The new Happily Ever After? season stars Season 8 couples Mike Youngquist , a 35-year-old from Sequim, WA, and Natalie Mordovtseva , a 36-year-old from Kyiv, Ukraine; Brandon, a 28-year-old pest-control technician who helps to run his parents' farm in Dinwiddie, VA, and Julia, a 27-year-old go-go club dancer from Krasnodar City, Russia; and Jovi Dufren , a 29-year-old from New Orleans, LA, and Yara Zaya , a 25-year-old from Ukraine.The show also stars three returning Happily Ever After? Season 5 couples: Angela, a 54-year-old Hazlehurst, GA, and Michael Ilesanmi , a 32-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria; Kalani, a 32-year-old from Washington, UT, and Asuelu, a 25-year-old from Utulaelae, Samoa; and Elizabeth Potthast , a 30-year-old from Tampa, FL, and Andrei, a 34-year-old from Chisinau, Moldova.In addition, : The Other Way Season 1 couple Tiffany, a 29-year-old from Frederick, MD, and Ronald, a 31-year-old from South Africa, are Season 6 Happily Ever After? cast members.Happily Ever After? documents married couples navigating life, hardships, family, children and unexpected obstacles.The new season has already featured cultural differences, family arguments, scandals, confrontations and tears.Below is the latest on several couples, according to the fourth episode of : Happily Ever After?'s sixth season.Kalani decided to step up her "homemaking game" by picking out some furniture with her sister Kolini, who still didn't think it was a good idea for Kalani to buy a house with Asuelu when they were having problems.Kalani also revealed Asuelu wanted "a game room" or "sleep room" in their house because Asuelu typically slept in a different room from her, which seemed to rub Kolini the wrong way."He basically comes in the room and just wants to have sex at this point," Kalani shared. "It's like we have conjugal visits at this point."Kalani said there was no romance in her relationship and she basically lived with "a friend with benefits," although she admitted there wasn't really a benefit for her in the situation.Kalani told her sister that Asuelu never took her out on dates and he never saw or learned what real love is due to his parents' poor relationship. Kalani explained that she had to teach Asuelu how to treat a partner, and Kolini could tell that her sister seemed really unhappy.Kolini pointed out that Asuelu wasn't even giving Kalani "the bare minimum" in their relationship because Kalani didn't even feel loved, and Kolini asked her sister to think about herself, her happiness, and the example she'll be setting for her young boys."At this point, I just feel like a broken record. I've reached my breaking point and I don't know where to go from here," Kalani told the cameras."He thinks no matter what he does, we're going to stay together... He doesn't think there are any consequences for his actions."Kalani added, "Why am I in a relationship by myself? I am 'Single, Married,' and I don't want to be anymore."Kalani shared how she was feeling with Asuelu and said they needed work in the sex and romance departments. Kalani said she and Asuelu had sex constantly when they started dating and she didn't have much of a drive anymore.Kalani insisted Asuelu was well taken care of, but then she suggested doing some role-playing. Asuelu told Kalani that pretending to be somebody else sounded "dangerous," and so Kalani suggested they could introduce some sex toys into their bedroom as well.Kalani asked Asuelu to maintain an open mind because regular sex was "boring" and they needed to take things up a notch. Asuelu told Kalani that he'd be willing to go to a sex store.Asuelu told Kalani that he brought her pizza and food sometimes, but she said that's not romance because her brother sometimes brings her food and they clearly had two different definitions of the word.Asuelu was annoyed Kalani had brought her brother into the conversation, but there seemed to be a language barrier between them and some miscommunication."The littlest thing can set him off, and it's usually the dumbest thing," Kalani complained."I can't ever really tell him my real feelings or try to tell him what I think we should fix because he takes offense to everything... The whole thing is just crazy and psychotic."Asuelu said Kalani's crying was "annoying," but Kalani said bottling up one's emotions and then exploding is more annoying and not normal."I feel like I, yet again, fooled myself into thinking that this marriage was on the right track and that Asuelu was finally going to change, but of course I was wrong and the whole thing just collapsed again," Kalani said in a confessional."If this is who he really is, I don't see us buying a house together. And quite frankly, I don't really see a relationship with us in the future. I can't keep doing this anymore."It was surgery time for Angela, and her doctors said she must eat healthy foods and stop smoking cigarettes after the procedure. Angela had secretly smoked that morning, but she didn't tell her doctor that in fear the surgery would get canceled altogether.Angela met with plastic surgeon Dr. Obeng from Ghana and bariatric surgeon Dr. Kashani.Dr. Obeng offered to speak with Michael via FaceTime to ease some of Michael's fears since many African men apparently believe surgery should only happen in the case of life or death.Michael admitted Angela's breasts were a big part of his initial attraction to her, but Dr. Obeng explained that needed to remove one pound of tissue from each breast and lift it because her chest was simply too heavy.Michael seemed to be in a better mindset after the conversation.Dr. Obeng acknowledged Angela was about to undergo "high-risk" surgery, including the possibility of infection and blood clots that could move and enter her lungs during the four-hour procedure. Angela also has a smoker's lungs.Angela was excited about the idea of leaving surgery "skinny," and she said she couldn't wait to get healthy and feel better."I pray to God all of this is worth it!" Angela said before going under the knife.Angela was upset she couldn't talk to her grandchildren before surgery, and she had trouble calming and settling down before the surgery.Dr. Kashani told JoJo that Angela's weight-loss surgery was successful and then the breast surgery was going to take another three hours. JoJo FaceTimed with Michael to tell him that Angela was okay and she'd continue to update him.Dr. Obeng apparently took out about two pounds of breast and gave her a Double-D chest, and it appeared Angela had trouble waking up from the anesthesia.Andrei was about to enjoy his first day at work with Elizabeth's father Chuck. Elizabeth said she was excited about the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom and spend some good quality time with her daughter Eleanor.Andrei was thrilled about the idea of Andrei working and getting along with her father, and she predicted Andrei would be "determined" and ultimately do a great job.Andrei was suspicious of Charlie and how their dynamic would unfold in the coming weeks, but Elizabeth advised her husband to just focus on Chuck and the day at hand.Andrei told the cameras he had big plans for his family and getting in the door with Chuck was just "a stepping stone." Andrei was proud to be "the man of the house" and hopefully make a lot of money.Chuck hoped Andrei was going to be a sponge and learn a lot and soak in all the information.Chuck said he'd consider giving Andrei a loan in the future but Andrei had a lot of work to do first in learning the ropes and proving himself. Chuck told Andrei that they weren't going to flip a house any time soon and Andrei was getting ahead of himself.When Chuck took Andrei to his first property, Charlie was inside.Andrei said the property was a mess, but Charlie noted the idea was to flip the house and split the profits. Suddenly, Becky, who serves as Chuck's listening agent, showed up for the walk-through and wondered why she hadn't been invited and Andrei was working in her place.Andrei told Becky that he was going to flip and list the house, but Chuck confirmed Andrei was not going to be one of the listing agents. Becky complained Andrei was trying to take money from her and it wasn't going to happen.Andrei said he wasn't going to work under Charlie, but Charlie explained this house was his listing and his only value was going to be doing handyman work and getting his hands dirty.Chuck told his children that he didn't like all the drama and there was a misunderstanding because he had forgotten to tell Becky about the walk-through but never had any intention to put Andrei's name on the listing.Chuck revealed he was going to use some of his profits on the new house to pay Andrei and so Andrei wasn't going to touch Charlie and Becky's money. Chuck said his main concern was everyone getting along to flip a house and make some cash.Yara and Jovi were shown taking a romantic stroll near the water with their daughter Mylah.Jovi was aware Yara missed her family in Ukraine and was still adjusting to life in a new country with a new baby, so he decided to take Yara to a nice lunch out.Yara joked that she hoped her daughter wouldn't grow up and leave her to move to another country.In the first five minutes of sitting down at the restaurant, Mylah became fussy and Yara decided to breastfeed her daughter at the table. Jovi told Yara they still needed to focus on their relationship even though they had a baby."This girl gives us no freedom -- no freedom to sleep and no freedom to eat... I know we're going through a lot of changes right now, and I understand it. But we just got married and we never got the opportunity to go through our newlywed stage," Jovi lamented."I've been sleeping in the living room so that Yara can get some rest. I'm away from her every night."Jovi said although he and Yara couldn't have sex because Yara had just given birth, he thought it was still important to keep their relationship good and go on a honeymoon, for example.Yara, however, clearly didn't want to leave her daughter for even a second. Yara said she wanted to wait at least six months before leaving Mylah.Yara said she cared about Mylah more than anything in the world at this point and just hoped Jovi would be a good father. Jovi worried about Yara being really controlling, and he noted they still had a lot to learn about each other.Jovi told the cameras they weren't going to be able to keep Mylah in a bubble and Yara would have to relax a little bit and also accept some help once he went away for work.Jovi wanted Yara to stop being so bossy and let him be a father, and he intended to have a big role in little Mylah's life. Jovi preferred learning for himself and figuring out what works and doesn't work for him instead of listening to Yara's demands.Yara explained to Jovi that Mylah was incredibly small and precious and she needed to be taken well care of like a little golden egg.Yara said she needed to be strong once Jovi left for work but it wasn't easy and she was going to essentially be a single mom.Mike left his birthday celebration at a Seattle hotel abruptly once Natalie brought up the past. Natalie thought it was "mean" Michael had left her alone in the hotel after she spoke her mind.Natalie therefore returned to Sequim alone to talk to her husband before the couple's planned trip to visit Michael's mother.Mike refused to apologize because he said Natalie kept bringing up "old stupid sh-t" that didn't matter and it pissed him off. Mike said Natalie really needed to work on letting go of the past, and so Natalie apologized for bringing up a sore subject on his birthday.Mike joked that Natalie was like "a sour patch kid" in that she's sour and then sweet in the end. He was glad Natalie "recognized her faults" from the previous night and would stop picking fights.Although Natalie admitted she's stubborn, she was glad to end the argument with Mike and get back on the right track. Mike chose to forgive Natalie and move on, and Natalie even did a little happy dance for her husband.Mike said he was looking forward to seeing his mother Trish. He said they liked to push each other's buttons and definitely have an interesting relationship.Mike explained that Natalie thought Trish hated her, but Mike said Trish didn't even know Natalie well enough to hate or have a problem with her. Mike told the cameras that he loved both of the women in his life and didn't like being stuck in the middle of the two of them.Mike just hoped Natalie and Trish's reunion wouldn't result "in a fiasco."It had been about two weeks since Tiffany moved out of her mother's house. Tiffany gushed about loving her new apartment, but she had yet to buy any furniture and fill up the place.Daniel gushed about his dad Ronald being a great guy who helped and loved his mom.Tiffany admitted there was more anger in her relationship with Ronald than happiness, but she didn't want her problems with Ronald to affect Daniel's relationship with his beloved father.Tiffany said Daniel's relationship with Ronald was strong and that would probably never change.Tiffany told Ronald that she was trying to make the apartment a home for when Ronald moved to the United States, but Ronald complained about the canceled plane tickets and Tiffany spending that money on her apartment.Tiffany insisted she didn't spend the money on herself and that the money from the canceled plane tickets went to a down-deposit on her new apartment. Tiffany complained to the cameras Ronald should have bought her family's plane tickets and she had taken 20-hour flights with a young daughter for her husband."How are you a man who does nothing and still you expect more from me?" Tiffany asked, adding that she had made major sacrifices for Ronald.Ronald insisted he was struggling and making sacrifices while trying to work and make a living. Ronald said he was working as a motorcycle mechanic but it was just a temporary job.Tiffany said she wanted to be proud of Ronald but every man in his thirties works a job and she had held down a job since she was 15 years old. Tiffany therefore wasn't really impressed, but she was happy about Ronald taking a step in a positive direction.Ronald apologized for making Tiffany cry and assured her that everything was going to be okay. She chose to give Ronald the benefit of the doubt but was tired of going through only the "thick" part of her marriage through "thick and thin."Julia said she was stuck on the boring farm and felt really lonely. Julia admitted she felt like a working slave on the farm and didn't know the status of her Green Card."I don't want this life. This is not the life I pictured before," Julia said, adding that she wanted to work as a designer or wedding planner.Later on, Julia met with a wedding planner named Christine Greenberg so she could receive some advice and guidance about pursuing a career in that profession. Julia went through a long list of previous jobs for Christine and regretted mentioning the farm because she's a city girl in heart.Christine said she knew the Richmond area very well and Julia needed to do some research and get to know the people and the community. Christine warned Julia that she had a long road ahead of her and must learn the ins and outs of the industry.Christine advised Julia to continue working on her English and gain some experience.Julia realized Brandon might have been right about how hard it was going to be for her to get a job, and she acknowledged it was going to be difficult to meet new people while working on a farm.Brandon told Julia that he could introduce her to Melanie, his friend from high school who became like a sister to him. This was the first time Brandon was really seeing the jealous side of Julia and he said it wasn't pretty."I don't want to be friend with your friend. I want my [own] friend," Julia said, which Brandon called "crazy."Julia decided to meet Melanie only because she didn't trust her around Brandon.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
In an apparent show of force and with an eye on China, the United States, France and Japan kicked off week-long joint ground and naval military exercises on Tuesday in Japan's Kyushu region.

Australia is scheduled to join the part of the exercises that will be held in the East China Sea.

The involvement of the French and Australian militaries in the waters is unprecedented. But to justify the war games, which include fighter jet and amphibious operation exercises, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tokyo was looking to expand its military ties with "like-minded" countries beyond the US.

Japan may also want to send a message that more members of the US alliance system now stand behind it, in the hope that this helps bolster its position in the maritime disputes with China over islands in the East China Sea. Apart from this self-serving calculation, Japan may also be looking for more geopolitical gains as it is enthusiastically echoing the US administration's policy in rallying allies and confronting China over regional flashpoints.

Hence, the ongoing war games at Japan's doorsteps and in the East China Sea can be perceived as a step in it helping to implement the confrontational China policy of the US.

In fact, in their desperation to engage China in their strategic competition, the US and its allies have ignored the dire consequences of staging war games while the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging in many parts of the world, including in Japan.

But China will not be daunted by the strategic pressure either from the US alone or from any packs of allies it may form. Long gone are the days when China was a weak country that had no choice but to yield to the invasion and bullying of Western powers.

No matter where the provocation comes from in the future, be it from the East China Sea or the South China Sea, China has both the resolve and the capability to defend its territorial integrity and core interests. Although it is committed to non-confrontation, and so does not have any alliances, China will not sit idle and allow its territory to be encroached upon by others or its core interests undermined.

The US' increasing strategic pressure on China has only further strengthened China's determination to cultivate a world-class defense force with improved combat capabilities and combat readiness so that it can timely and efficiently respond to any possible and potential threats and provocations.

The People's Liberation Army Navy, which celebrated its 72nd birthday last month, has made tremendous strides over the past several years, transforming itself into a modern fighting force.

As such, it would turn out to be a costly mistake if the US and its allies miscalculate the situation and think that they can use coercion to force China to back off from defending its core interests.
A BOOK of condolences has been opened by Cork City Council for former Lord Mayor of Cork, Tim Falvey.

He passed away on Saturday, aged 87, just months after his wife Abina.

He died peacefully at his home in Clogheen.

Im greatly saddened to hear of Tims passing," Lord Mayor Cllr Joe Kavanagh said.

"Tim was a successful Northside business man and will be remembered for his deep love of his native city, his dedication to his wife Bina and family and his commitment and loyalty to his community.

Mr Falvey was a well-known entrepreneur in the northside of Cork for over 50 years and served as a City Councillor in the Cork North West Ward for more than 20 years. He was also a Director at the Port of Cork for several years.

Tim Falvey

On Saturday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said We served together for many years on Cork City Council and Tim was a true son of the north side of the city.

He was natures gentleman, always friendly with a happy disposition. He was practical and always willing to find solutions to difficult issues.

Councillor Tony Fitzgerald, who took his seat after Mr Falvey retired, expressed his sympathies, describing Mr Falvey as a 'very proud family man, Lord Mayor and North Mon boy'.

Family statement

On behalf of the family, his son, well known mountaineer Pat Falvey, stated: "Our father and best friend, Tim, passed away peacefully today, at his home in Cork, with all his family by his bedside. We mourn his death, but we also celebrate his amazing and eventful 87-year life as a husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. As the head of the family, his influence has impacted greatly on four generations of Falveys.

"These last few months have been a roller coaster for us, as in December 2020, our beloved mother Abina passed away, and now we have lost Tim, less than five months later. Our dear parents were inseparable in life, and they are surely reunited in Heaven.

Tim and Bina Falvey.

"Dad has left behind an amazing legacy to us all."

The family also thanked 'all of those that helped us through this difficult time, particularly Dads doctor and good friend, Dr. John Sheehan'.

"To Jo Keane (community nurse from Blarney Health Centre), to his wonderful carers, and lastly, Marymount Palliative Health Care - we are forever grateful to you all," Pat Falvey said. "We are mindful also of Tims large circle of friends, neighbours and community members that had great regard for him throughout his life."

Tim is survived by by his sons, Pat, Richard, Paul, and Barry, and his daughters Majella and Abina, his brother Martin, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, his 15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren and his brothers Jimmy, Humphrey, Denis and Martin and their extended families.

The online Book of Condolences can be accessed here.
Real Estate Veteran Joins Company Following Acquisition of Minority Interest in Rancho Costa Verde Development

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International Land Alliance, Inc. (OTCQB:ILAL), (ILA or the Company), an international land investment and development firm, has appointed Frank Ingrande as President. Mr. Ingrande joins the Company from Rancho Costa Verde Development, LLC (RCV), a profitable developer of a 1,100-acre, 1,200-lot master planned community in Baja California. Concurrent with Mr. Ingrandes appointment, the Company closed a 25% interest investment in RCV, which is located roughly 8 km north of ILAs Oasis Park Resort, in a combination of cash and stock for a total of $4,000,000.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Frank to our senior management team, said Roberto Valdes, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of ILA. His extensive experience in real estate sales and development in the northern Baja California region will prove to be invaluable as we execute on our operating strategy across our properties. Additionally, by closing on the ownership position in RCV we will have access to expanded sales and marketing resources, while the profitable development serves as an exceptional complement to our real estate portfolio.

Given my tenured experience in Baja Californias residential real estate industry, I am well-acquainted with the ILA team and am impressed with the portfolio they have built, said Frank Ingrande, President of ILA. Over the last two decades, the RCV team, including myself and co-partners Robert Rios and Michael Cresci, has built a deep network of affiliates throughout California and Baja by selling over $500 million of residential assets. I look forward to working closely with Roberto, Jason, and the ILA team to serve the flourishing demand in the region for luxury homes equipped with cutting-edge, sustainable technology.

Mr. Ingrande currently serves as President of Rancho Costa Verde Development, LLC, which he co-founded in 2008. He holds a BBA in Finance and an MBA with an emphasis in new venture management & international business from the University of San Diego.

Rancho Costa Verde is a 1,100 acre master planned second home, retirement home, and vacation home real estate community located on the east coast of Baja California, Mexico. It is just south of the small fishing village of San Felipe which is home to over 6,000 retired US citizens. Rancho Costa Verde is a self-sustained solar powered green community that takes advantage of the advances in solar and other green technology. The beachfront location, close proximity to the mountains, and natural topography at Rancho Costa Verde has created breathtaking 180-degree sea and mountain views from almost every home. Rancho Costa Verde offers 1/4-acre home sites starting as low as $22,500 and custom home construction from $82 per square foot.

For more information on RCV, please visit www.ranchocostaverde.com.

About International Land Alliance, Inc.:

International Land Alliance, Inc. (OTCQB:ILAL) is an international land investment and development firm based in San Diego, California. As its core mission, the Company has embraced technology for sustainable and socially responsible solutions, in addition to using proptech and construction tech advanced applications to meet these goals. The Company is focused on acquiring attractive raw land primarily in Northern Baja California, often within driving distance from Southern California. The Company serves its shareholders by devoting considerable time and resources to seeking out the finest sites available and obtaining the necessary development permits to build a compelling portfolio of properties, which provide a diversity of investment and living options. Please visit: www.ila.company.

Safe Harbor Statement

The press release may include certain statements that are not descriptions of historical facts but are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include the description of our plans and objectives for future operations, assumptions underlying such plans and objectives, and other forward-looking terminology such as "may," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "projects, or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of such terms. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. Such information is based upon various assumptions made by, and expectations of, our management that were reasonable when made but may prove to be incorrect. All of such assumptions are inherently subject to significant economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies beyond our control and upon assumptions with respect to the future business decisions which are subject to change. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that actual results will meet expectation and actual results may vary (perhaps materially) from certain of the results anticipated herein.

CONTACT:

Investor Relations:

Brooks Hamilton

MZ Group  MZ North America

(949) 546-6326

ILAL@mzgroup.us

www.mzgroup.us
PHILADELPHIA, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. is investigating potential securities claims on behalf of investors of Danimer Scientific, Inc. (Danimer or the Company) (NYSE: DNMR) to determine whether the Company engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.



On May 14, 2021, a class action lawsuit was filed in United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, on behalf of Danimer investors who purchased, or otherwise acquired, the Companys securities between December 30, 2020 and March 19, 2021, both dates inclusive (the Class Period).

According to the class action complaint, throughout the Class Period, the Danimer Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, the Danimer Defendants, allegedly, made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that (i) Danimer had deficient internal controls; (ii) as a result, the Company had misrepresented, inter alia, its operations size and regulatory compliance; (iii) the Danimer Defendants had overstated Nodaxs biodegradability, particularly in oceans and landfills; and (iv) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

INVESTORS WHO PURCHASED, OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED, DANIMERS SECURITIES DURING THE CLASS PERIOD AND SUFFERED LOSSES GREATER THAN $100,000 ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPLETE KEHOE LAW FIRMS SECURITIES CLASS ACTION QUESTIONNAIRE OR CONTACT KEVIN CAULEY, DIRECTOR, CLIENT RELATIONS, (215) 792-6676, EXT. 802, KCAULEY@KEHOELAWFIRM.COM, SECURITIES@KEHOELAWFIRM.COM, INFO@KEHOELAWFIRM.COM, TO DISCUSS THE SECURITIES CLASS ACTION INVESTIGATION OR POTENTIAL LEGAL CLAIMS.

Kehoe Law Firm, P.C., with offices in New York and Philadelphia, is a multidisciplinary, plaintiffside law firm dedicated to protecting investors from securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties, and corporate misconduct. Combined, the partners at Kehoe Law Firm have served as Lead Counsel or Co-Lead Counsel in cases that have recovered more than $10 billion on behalf of institutional and individual investors.

This press release may constitute attorney advertising.


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Accenture retakes Healthcare.gov work, but new protest pending

Accenture Federal Services has won back its contract to support the Healthcare.gov insurance portal, following a series of bid protests.

But the protests arent over yet as Deloitte has filed its own challenge. Deloitte was previously picked by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare at least twice following protests by Accenture and subsequent corrective actions.

Accenture has held the contract since 2013 when it was pulled in to rescue the web portal. But in late 2019, Deloitte won a $397.6 million recompete of the contract under the CMS Strategic Partner Acquisition Readiness vehicle.

Protest number one out of Accenture came in December 2019. That resulted in a corrective action in February 2020 after CMS decided to take a second look at the award to Deloitte. CMS again picked Deloitte, then came protest number two from Accenture in June 2020.

CMS took a second corrective action to revise the solicitation. Accenture filed another protest because they didnt like how CMS would consider past performance in the revised solicitation.

The company complained that the changes favored Deloitte and its experience with the state health insurance exchanges. GAO dismissed the protest and said the changes didnt put Accenture at a disadvantage.

GAO also said Accentures objections were speculative because they didnt know how CMS was going to evaluate the proposals.

Now we apparently know because CMS has picked Accenture. Now Deloitte is claiming the relaxation of the past performance requirements favored Accenture.

Deloitte filed its protest May 14 and a decision is expected by Aug. 23. Unless there is another corrective action of course.
Something to look forward to: Most of us have had to deal at least a few times with CAPTCHAs on websites that wouldn't load because of a suspicion that we might be...robots. Solving those CAPTCHAs is a frustrating process, and Cloudflare says it has an idea on how to minimize and eventually eliminate them.

Cloudflare is one of the top providers of web infrastructure and security, content delivery, DNS, among others. The company has also been offering businesses bot management solutions -- including CAPTCHA (short for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) services -- but it has now decided to kill the need for it once and for all.

Cloudflare relied on Google's reCAPTCHA for years, but that left little room for customization and eventually raised some privacy concerns, as Google may use data from that service to train its visual identification systems for Waymo autonomous tech. That led to a move to hCaptcha last year, but the company did note at the time that CAPTCHAs are not ideal solutions and that it was working on a way to make them redundant.

CAPTCHAs are a big headache for users, as they take an average of 32 seconds to complete since they've gotten harder and harder over the years. A point can be made that in most cases they just serve to prove you have no visual disability or cognitive impairment, or even arguably that you are American.

Assuming the 4.6 billion Internet users stumble upon a CAPTCHA every 10 days, that would result in 500 human years being wasted every day to prove that we're human to a web service or another.

Businesses similarly hate the need for CAPTCHAs as they introduce a lot of friction for their users, potentially leading them to leave after dealing with the frustrating process of clicking on the right squares in a puzzle.

Cloudflare's proposed solution to this insanity is to have you prove your humanity by touching or looking at the device you're using, a system it calls "Cryptographic Attestation of Personhood." The company is first testing trusted security keys, which are specialized USB devices that have been around for a while and have become a popular choice for multi-factor authentication alongside password managers.

Examples include Yubico's Yubikeys, the Thetis Fido U2F, and the HyperFIDO security key. Cloudflare's new system is simple: when you get challenged on a website, all you have to do is click an "I am human" button, plug in a security key or tap it to an NFC-capable smartphone, and a resulting cryptographic attestation is sent to Cloudflare so that you can proceed to visit the website.

The company says the process shouldn't take more than five seconds, and this also protects your privacy since the attestation is not tied to your device in any way. Another advantage is that it doesn't involve the hassle of going through wrongly solved CAPTCHAs until you get one right.

On the other hand, Cloudflare admits this new system may fail to prove that you're a human, since all it really does right now is confirm that you're using a trusted security key. Still, it may be a step in the right direction, as CAPTCHAs can be fooled by artificial intelligence and incur a high cost to businesses who depend on them for an added layer of security.

If you want to try the proposed system for yourself, you can do so here. It should work on Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, iPhones and iPads that are updated to iOS 14.5, and Android phones running Android 10 or later. You can use any browser on most devices, but on Android you'll have to use Chrome. Keep in mind this is still in the experimental phase and might only be available in English-speaking regions, but Cloudflare says you can always reach out if you have specific needs you want to discuss.
Local News, Crime, Press Releases

By Chris Boyle Published: May 17 2021

Robert Anderson, 61, of West Islip, allegedly engaged in a scheme to defraud the MTA out of ticket revenue.

Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny have announced the arrest of a Long Island Railroad (LIRR) conductor for allegedly engaging in a scheme to defraud the MTA out of ticket revenue.

Robert Anderson, 61, of West Islip, is charged with four counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony; eight counts of Petit Larceny, a class A misdemeanor; and eight counts of Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor. Anderson has been employed by the LIRR since 2014.

My Offices Public Integrity Bureau is committed to rooting out fraud and abuse of power by public servants in order to protect taxpayers, District Attorney Sini said. This was a clear dereliction of duties by the defendant. Instead of punching the tickets, he pocketed them. I thank the MTA Inspector General for their continued partnership in investigating and prosecuting public employees who attempt to game the system.

As a LIRR conductor, one of your basic duties is to collect train tickets - not steal them. This defendant allegedly chose to violate the publics trust by pocketing the tickets and treating this rider and taxpayer money like it was his own personal piggy bank, said MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny. I am grateful to staff at the Long Island Railroad for bringing this matter to our attention and to our law enforcement partners at the Suffolk County District Attorney for working with my office to stop this unacceptable, criminal behavior.

Between April 2019 and September 2020, Anderson allegedly engaged in a scheme in which he would collect train tickets but not punch them as required by his official duties. He would then allegedly provide the un-punched tickets to his acquaintances to either use or submit for refunds.

In furtherance of the alleged scheme, Anderson would submit collection revenue reports falsely claiming that he had remitted all of the tickets that he collected during his shift. All LIRR conductors are required to submit revenue reports for each shift, which include all tickets and revenue collected.

Further investigation by the MTA OIG and the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office revealed evidence that Anderson allegedly failed to include train tickets submitted by investigators in his signed revenue reports on eight separate occasions in 2019 and 2020.

Anderson was arraigned in Suffolk County District Court today and was released on his own recognizance. He is being represented by William Wexler and is due back in court on June 21.

If convicted of the top count, Anderson faces a maximum sentence of one and one-third to four years in prison.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Carey Ng, of the Public Integrity Bureau.
Rege-Jean Page, Chadwick Boseman, and Elizabeth Olsen were among the winners at the MTV Movie & TV Awards.

The fan-voted ceremony took place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, complete with an in-person audience after taking a year off due to the pandemic.

Netflix teen romance film To All The Boys: Always And Forever won best movie while Disney+ Marvel hit WandaVision was named best show.

In the gender-neutral individual categories, Page won the golden popcorn trophy for best breakthrough performance in recognition of his portrayal of a dashing duke in Netflix's raunchy romance drama Bridgerton.

In his video acceptance speech, the British star, who is tipped to be the next James Bond, said:

We wanted everyone to know they deserve love stories, they deserve happily ever afters, no matter who they are, no matter where they're from, no matter when they're from. And awards like this, voted for by you, let us know that you took those stories close to your hearts.

Boseman, who died last year aged 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer, won best performance in a movie for his final film role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Olsen won best performance in a show for playing the Scarlet Witch in WandaVision.

She paid tribute to fans of the show and said: "I hope we moved you, I hope we entertained you."

Olsen returned to the stage with WandaVision co-star Kathryn Hahn to pick up the prize for best fight, while Hahn also won best villain for playing Agatha Harkness.

Best kiss, one of the ceremony's best-known categories, was won by real-life couple Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline for their embrace in teen drama Outer Banks.

The first award of the night, best hero, went to Anthony Mackie for Marvel series The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.

Clutching the golden popcorn trophy, Mackie  who played a black Captain America  praised his castmates before nodding to a traumatic year, describing the last 12 months as "a very hard experience".

But we've got through it and we're stronger for it.

Mackie was another double winner after he and co-star Sebastian Stan were named best duo.

Tom Hiddleston made an appearance during the ceremony and shared an exclusive look at Disney+ miniseries Loki, which is due to premiere next month.

Two honorary awards were handed out.

Sacha Baron Cohen, recipient of the comedic genius award.

Sacha Baron Cohen revived some of his best-known creations while accepting the comedic genius award. The British star appeared as Borat, Ali G, Bruno, and Admiral General Aladeen to poke fun at the outdated nature of some aspects of the characters.

"I is the original gangster," Baron Cohen said while dressed in Ali G's distinctive yellow tracksuit top.

Ali G, the suburban wannabe gangster who brought Baron Cohen widespread acclaim in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was soon confronted by his creator.

"You're a white suburban kid who is co-opting black culture," Baron Cohen said, as digital trickery showed him confronting himself.

He joked he was cancelling himself, before calling Bruno  a gay Austrian fashion journalist and star of his own 2009 film  a "caricature".

Scarlett Johansson was this year's recipient of the generation award and was covered in slime by husband Colin Jost as she accepted the honour.

The actress, whose films include Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit, and the Marvel movies, dedicated the honour to those she had worked with over her career.

The ceremony also featured A-list cameos from stars including Henry Golding, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Mandy Moore.

A second event honouring reality TV  MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED  is set to take place 24 hours after the main show.
Kolkata: Following the arrest of four TMC leaders, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (May 17) sat in protest outside the CBI office in Kolkata.

She rushed to the 15th floor of the Nizam Palace that houses CBIs anti-corruption cell and asserted that she would not leave until the leaders are released.

Didi (Banerjee) will not leave this CBI office until her party colleagues are released or until she is also arrested, Banerjees spokesperson, lawyer Anindyo Raut was quoted as saying by IANS.

Meanwhile, violence erupted outside the office as well as other locations in the city as thousands of TMC supporters staged a protest. Reports of stone pelting at central para-military forces have also surfaced.

Earlier today, the CBI arrested West Bengal cabinet ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee along with TMC MLA Madan Mitra and ex-West Bengal minister Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada case.

The probe agency will submit a chargesheet and produce them before the jurisdictional court.

Besides them, the Prosecution Sanction has been received from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding SMH Meerza, IPS (SPS), the then SP, for having seen to have received illegal gratification of over Rs five lakhs. Meerza, notably, had already been arrested and is presently out on bail.

The arrest comes a week after West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar accorded sanction to prosecute the four former TMC ministers.
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Gaza: doctor al-Ouf and family killed in Israeli attack Leading professor at Shifa hospital in Gaza City

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, MAY 17 - In one of the attacks carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, doctor Ayman Abul Al-Ouf, his wife and their five children were killed, according to the health ministry of Hamas. The same source said that the bodies were taken to the Shifa hospital where the professor was a leading figure, also known in the international medical community.



The attack - in which dozens of Palestinians were wounded, was carried out during the night of Saturday in the road of Al Wahda in Gaza City, about 200 meters from the hospital. The facility has dedicated one of its rooms to al-Ouf. (ANSAmed).




Dallas, TX , May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to KISS PR Chief Growth Officer Qamar Zaman, the partnership between Massimo Didomenico and KISS PR will help both companies build social brands.

The Dallas-based leaders in search optimization, headed by Qamar Zaman, revealed that KISS PR BRAND Story is now working with millennial brand experts across different industries to help new companies with brand visibility. Zaman, who has been working in the legal industry alongside strategic partner Rene Perras for years, has now partnered with a millennial brand expert in the authority brand building field.

With the ultimate goal of partnering with KISS PR, Massimo Didomenico will work with Qamar Zaman to build a strong web search presence.

Massimo Didomenico is a leading expert in personal brand development online (primarily for Instagram). He has worked with companies such as Toyota and Bang Energy; he has helped various high-net-worth entrepreneurs and bloggers establish their personal brands online through several channels.

Massimo has mastered the art of lead generation, sales & marketing, and building credible personal brands, which include creating credible websites, running Facebook & Google Ad Campaigns, and creating click funnels to generate additional traffic.

Didomenico and Zaman have also announced that they will work towards co-authoring a book geared towards showing millennial entrepreneurs how to leverage the power of web search and social media to their advantage.

For more information about Massimo Didomenico, check out his LinkedIn.

About Massimo Didomenico

Massimo Didomenico is a Co-founder and Executive Vice President at Tansocial. He has scaled 100s of personal brands and multiple marketing companies. He is an expert in social media branding and advertising.

About Qamar Zaman

Qamar Zaman is a Chief Executive Officer at KISS PR Brand Story and has over 20 years of SEO and digital public relations experience. Zaman is a member of Forbes Councils.



Media contact

Media@kisspr.com

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Highlights Airtel has alerted users in Mumbai that cyclone Tauktae could affect their network.

The telco has urged users to charge their phones.

Earlier this week, DoT held a meeting with additional infrastructure bodies to work on restored teams which are kept on standby mode for all major districts.

Airtel has announced that its network could affect users in Mumbai due to cyclone Tauktae, which is a little over 160 km south-southwest of Mumbai and is likely to reach the Gujarat coast between 8 PM to 11 PM. The airports in Mumbai have been shut between 11 AM to 2 PM.



"Important Update! Due to cyclone Tauktae, your Airtel services might get impacted in Mumbai.

Rest assured, we are on the job to minimize the disruption. Keep phones charged.

Stay Safe, Stay Alert - Team Airtel," the telecom company alerted users.



The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had held a meeting with the telecom infrastructure providers and their representative body Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA), according to ET Telecom. To ensure uninterrupted telecom connectivity in the affected states in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the infrastructure companies have further deployed additional restored teams which are kept on standby mode for all major districts and areas likely to see storm impact.



Earlier on Monday, Mumbai experienced light rainfall and gusty winds. Five temporary shelters have been set up in each of the city's 24 wards and three NDRF teams are on alert. Moderate to intense spells of rain, with winds reaching 75 to 85 km per over the city, as well as Thane, Raigad, Palghar and Ratnagiri districts, are likely in the next few hours.



In related news, Airtel as a one-time gesture is giving the Rs 49 prepaid plan free of cost to over 55 million low-income customers. The Rs 49 pack offers users 100 MB of data and Rs 38 worth of talk time with a validity of 28 days.

Through this gesture, Airtel aims to empower its over 5.5 crore customers, most of them in rural areas, to stay connected and have access to critical information when needed.





(with inputs from agencies)




New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra and former West Bengal minister Sovan Chatterjee have been taken to the CBI office on Monday (May 17, 2021) in connection with the Narada sting case.

A team of CBI officials has also reached Bengal minister Firhad Hakim's house on Monday morning. The team had reached his house with CRPF jawans.

As per the latest reports, Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee has also reached the CBI office in Kolkata for questioning.

All four former ministers - Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra, Subrata Mukherjee and Sovan Chatterjee will be questioned on Monday in connection with the Narada case.

Earlier last week, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had accorded sanction to prosecute four former TMC ministers.

Governor accorded sanction for prosecution of Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra & Sovan Chatterjee being appointing authority of Ministers @MamataOfficial under Article 164 & thus competent authority Media reports that sanction was for being MLA is incorrect. pic.twitter.com/vqEg7Cv6OW  Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 9, 2021

The statement said that the sanction for prosecution of the four leaders was accorded by Dhankhar after the CBI had made a request and made available entire documentation relevant to the case to the honourable governor and he invoked his powers under Article 163 and 164 of the Constitution, being the competent authority to accord such sanction.



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Amid escalating tensions between Gaza and Israel, India on Sunday urged "both sides" to show extreme restraint and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status-quo, underlining that immediate de-escalation" is the need of the hour.

The UN Security Council held an open meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Sunday, during which UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres termed the tensions as the "most serious escalation in Gaza and Israel in years.

Describing the current hostilities as utterly appalling, the UN chief asserted that fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery bombardments on the other must stop. I appeal to all parties to heed this call.

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said the continuing violence, which began in East Jerusalem a week back, is now threatening to spiral out of control. "The events of the last several days have resulted in a sharp deterioration of the security situation."

Also read: Israeli strikes kill 42, topple buildings in Gaza City

Tirumurti reiterated Indias strong support to the just Palestinian cause and its unwavering commitment to the two-State solution, while also stressing Indias strong condemnation of all acts of violence, provocation, incitement and destruction.

"Immediate de-escalation is the need of the hour, so as to arrest any further slide towards the brink. We urge both sides to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions, and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status-quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood," he said.

India voiced support for the diplomatic efforts of the Quartet and other members of the international community, the countries in the region in particular, to calm the situation and put an end to the ongoing violence and seek to achieve durable peace.

Also read: Israeli PM says Gaza building housing media 'legitimate target'

"These incidents have once again underscored the need for immediate resumption of dialogue between Israel and Palestinian authorities. The absence of direct and meaningful negotiations between the parties is widening the trust deficit between the parties, Tirumurti said, voicing concern that this will only increase the chances for similar escalation in future.

India believes that every effort should be made to create conducive conditions for resumption of talks between Israel and Palestine, he said.

During the two previously held Security Council closed meetings last week on the escalating tensions, India had expressed its deep concern over violence in Jerusalem, especially on Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount during the holy month of Ramzan, and about the possible eviction process in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, an area which is part of an arrangement facilitated by the UN.

"We had also expressed our apprehension at the spread of violence to other parts of West Bank and Gaza, he said.

Tirumurti said India condemns the indiscriminate rocket firings from Gaza targeting the civilian population in Israel. He added that the retaliatory strikes into Gaza have caused immense suffering and resulted in deaths, including of women and children.

Also read: Israel says attack on Gaza tunnels caused civilian houses to collapse

"India has also lost one of her nationals living in Israel in this rocket fire  a caregiver in Ashkelon. We deeply mourn her demise along with all other civilians who have lost their lives in the current cycle of violence, he said.

Soumya Santosh, 30, was killed in a rocket attack by Palestinian militants from Gaza, according to officials. Santosh, who hailed from Keralas Idukki district, worked as a caregiver attending to an old woman at a house in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.

Tirumurti told the Council meeting, held under the Presidency of China this month, that Jerusalem has a special place in hearts of millions of Indians, who visit the city every year. It also houses the Al Zawiyya Al Hindiyya  The Indian Hospice, which is a historic place associated with a great Indian Sufi saint Baba Farid and located inside the Old City.

"India has restored this Indian Hospice. The historic status-quo at the holy places of Jerusalem, including the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, must be respected, he said.

Guterres said the fighting risks dragging Israelis and Palestinians into a spiral of violence with devastating consequences for both communities and for the entire region. It has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism, not only in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, but in the region as a whole, potentially creating a new locus of dangerous instability.

Palestines Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riad Al Malki said at the meeting that "Jerusalem is not for sale", asserting that Our roots are deep, our history long, our heritage etched in every street and alley in this city.

"The alternative that Israel choose is apartheid. Yes, apartheid. And one day soon, even this Council will not be able to deny this reality. Act now to end the aggression and assault on our people, our homes, our land. Act now so freedom can prevail, not apartheid.

"Israel may believe it is winning, but it is no where closer to defeating the Palestinian people. Our people will never surrender or forego their rights. Palestinian freedom is the only path to peace, he said.

Israels Ambassador to UN Gilad Erdan said any attempt to compare Israel and Hamas is factually, legally and morally wrong".

"Hamas targets civilians. Israel targets terrorists. Israel makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties. Hamas makes every effort to increase civilian casualties. Israel sees every civilian death as a tragedy. Hamas sees every Israeli civilian death as a victory in its campaign of Jihad based on its anti-semitic charter, and every Palestinian civilian death as a victory in its campaign to gain international sympathy.

Erdan said the Council can send a clear message to Hamas that the international community will no longer accept its strategy of turning Palestinian children into human shields and using schools, hospitals, and high rises to hide its terror machines.

"You can choose to support a more peaceful future by demanding the demilitarization of the Gaza StripIsrael has already made its choice. We will take all steps necessary to defend our people. Now, the choice is yours. The world is watching.
CALGARY, Alberta, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parkland Corporation (Parkland, we, our, or the Company) (TSX:PKI) is pleased to announce, through its 75 percent ownership in Sol Investments SEZC (Sol), two transactions in our International business (the International transactions) which provide additional scale in the Caribbean and strengthen our position as a natural acquirer in the region.



These transactions strengthen Parklands network throughout the Caribbean and extend our portfolio of growth opportunities in retail, commercial, LPG and aviation, said Pierre Magnan, President of Parkland International. Our International business currently spans 23 countries and provides a platform for continued organic growth and consolidation in the region. We are excited about the opportunity set in the International segment which we expect to play a significant role in achieving Parklands 2025 growth ambition.

Details of the International transactions are as follows:

Creating the Dominican Republics largest retail network

Through the contribution of our approximately 80 retail locations, commercial and aviation marketing operations in the Dominican Republic ("DR") and a follow-on investment, Sol will become a 50 percent indirect partner in Isla Dominicana de Petroleo Corp. ("Isla"). Isla currently operates a high-quality retail network with approximately 160 locations. The combined portfolio will comprise 240 retail locations (the largest retail network in the DR) alongside an integrated commercial and aviation business. As part of the agreement, Isla will operate the joint onshore marketing operations while Parkland will become the principal fuel supplier to the combined network.

Strategic rationale includes:

A market leading retail network in all major DR population centers with operational synergies

Strong free cash flow conversion with regulated on-shore margins in a high-growth market

Unlocks supply synergies through improved scale and optimized shipping logistics

A new partnership with a shared appetite for continued growth and renewable opportunities

Becoming the leading fuel marketer in St. Maarten

We have signed an agreement for the purchase of an integrated fuel marketing business with operations in St. Maarten. The acquisition includes retail, commercial, marine, LPG distribution and an aviation business. The acquisition strengthens our activities at the Princess Juliana International Airport (a hub for surrounding islands and major North American and European markets) and adds a complementary retail network.

As a result of the acquisition, we will become the leading fuel marketer in the Dutch side of St. Maarten and are well positioned to drive operational synergies.

Together with the Puerto Rico aviation acquisition disclosed with our first quarter 2021 results, the International transactions are expected to increase our International segments annual run-rate Adjusted EBITDA including non-controlling interest by approximately C$20 million (C$15 million attributable to Parkland), prior to additional growth and synergy upside.

The International transactions will be funded out of existing credit facility capacity. Subject to customary closing conditions, the transactions are expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information and statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). When used in this news release the words "expect", "will", "could", "would", "believe", "continue", "pursue" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things: the successful completion of the transactions and timings thereof; expected benefits of the transactions, collectively and independently, as applicable, including without limitation, expected increase to the International segment's run rate Adjusted EBITDA resulting from the International transactions, strengthening Parklands position as a natural acquirer in the region and its network in the Caribbean, extending Parklands growth opportunities, the projected growth and synergy upside, organic growth and consolidation opportunities, post-closing synergy opportunities, renewable opportunities, the creation of the largest retail network in DR and the size thereof and becoming the leading fuel marketer in St. Maarten; the International segments expected contribution to Parklands 2025 growth ambition; and the anticipated funding of the transactions.

These statements involve 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 statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Parkland does not undertake any obligations to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements except as may be required by securities law. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of numerous risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, failure to complete these transactions; failure to satisfy the conditions to closing of the transactions; failure to realize all or any of the anticipated benefits of the transactions; general economic, market and business conditions; competitive action by other companies; refining and marketing margins; the ability of suppliers to meet commitments; actions by governmental authorities and other regulators including but not limited to increases in taxes or restricted access to markets; changes and developments in environmental and other regulations; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Parkland. See also the risks and uncertainties described in "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" included in Parkland's Annual Information Form dated March 5, 2021 and in "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" in Parklands annual MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2020 dated March 4, 2021 and in the interim MD&A for the three month period ended March 31, 2021 dated May 3, 2021, each as filed on SEDAR and available on the Parkland website at www.parkland.ca.

Expected increase in our International segments annual run-rate Adjusted EBITDA is based on anticipated full-year impact of the combined Puerto Rico aviation acquisition (disclosed May 3, 2021) and the International transactions; future performance of such businesses may differ from expectations due to the numerous risks and uncertainties as noted above. Due to closing date impacts of the transactions and other factors, this does not represent the expected 2021 Adjusted EBITDA impact for the International segment.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of segment profit. See Section 9 and Section 14 of the Q1 2021 MD&A and Note 13 of the Q1 2021 FS for a reconciliation of these measures of segment profit. Investors are encouraged to evaluate each measure and the reasons Parkland considers it appropriate for supplemental analysis.

Investors are cautioned that these measures should not be construed as an alternative to net earnings determined in accordance with IFRS as an indication of Parkland's performance.

About Parkland

Parkland is an independent supplier and marketer of fuel and petroleum products and a leading convenience store operator. Parkland services customers across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean region and the Americas through three channels: Retail, Commercial and Wholesale. Parkland optimizes its fuel supply across these three channels by operating and leveraging a growing portfolio of supply relationships and storage infrastructure. Parkland provides trusted and locally relevant fuel brands and convenience store offerings in the communities it serves.

Parkland creates value for shareholders by focusing on its proven strategy of growing organically, realizing a supply advantage and acquiring prudently and integrating successfully. At the core of our strategy are our people, as well as our values of safety, integrity, community, and respect, which are embraced across our organization.

For Further Information

Investor Inquiries

Brad Monaco

Director, Capital Markets

587-997-1447

Brad.Monaco@parkland.ca

Media Inquiries

Simon Scott

Director, Corporate Communications

403-956-9272

Simon.Scott@parkland.ca
The UK is still dumping waste on other countries, according to environmental campaigners who are calling on the British government to take control of the problem.

Greenpeaces Trashed report says UK plastic has been found dumped and burned across southern Turkey.

The organisation said investigators documented piles of plastic waste dumped illegally by the roadside, in fields or spilling into waterways and floating downstream in 10 sites dotted around the Adana province.

A team of investigators found plastic packaging from UK, German and global food and drinks brands and supermarkets (Caner Ozkan/Greenpeace/PA)

Greenpeace said plastic from the UK was found at all of these sites, with evidence of packaging and plastic bags from top UK supermarkets and retailers.

Packaging for a Covid-19 antigen test was found amongst bags of UK plastic, indicating that the waste was less than a year old.

Nihan Temiz Atas, biodiversity projects lead from Greenpeace Mediterranean, based in Turkey, said: As this new evidence shows, plastic waste coming from the UK to Turkey is an environmental threat not an economic opportunity.

Uncontrolled imports of plastic waste do nothing but increase the problems existing in Turkeys own recycling system.

Around 241 truckloads of plastic waste come to Turkey every day from across Europe and it overwhelms us.

As far as we can see from the data and the field, we continue to be Europes largest plastic waste dump.

Waste dumped and burned in Turkey (Caner Ozkan/Greenpeace)

Nina Schrank, senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: It is appalling to see plastic from UK supermarkets shelves ending up 3,000 kilometres away in burning piles on the side of Turkish roads.

We must stop dumping our plastic waste on other countries. The heart of the problem is overproduction  the UK is the second biggest user of plastic waste per person in the world, behind the US.

The government needs to take control of this problem. They can start by banning plastic waste exports and reducing single-use plastic by 50% by 2025.

This would not only allow the UK to end waste exports, but would also mean less plastic going into incineration and landfill.

A Defra spokeswoman said: We are clear that the UK should handle more of its waste at home, and thats why we are committed to banning the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries and clamping down on illegal waste exports  including to countries such as Turkey  through tougher controls.

The UK is a global leader in tackling plastic pollution and our proposals for extended producer responsibility for packaging, a plastic packaging tax and mandatory electronic waste tracking will boost recycling rates, reduce waste and cut crime.
The EU-27 reduced its dairy cow numbers by about 25% since 2001.

This is likely to have reduced methane emissions from dairy cows by 20%, thus contributing to global cooling.

Rising yields per cow went hand in hand across the EU with reducing cow numbers.

The average yield of the EU dairy cow increased so much that total EU milk production went up, even as cow numbers went down.

Dairy farms still generated about 15% of the EUs agricultural production.

And the EU remained the number one milk producer in the world, with about 12% of its production for export outside the EU, making it the top global exporter of many dairy products, such as cheeses, skimmed milk powder, and whey powders.

It is therefore a successful industry that has increased its sustainability.

But the latest statistics from the European Commissions MMO milk market observatory show how the situation has varied from EU member state to member state, and goes some way to explain why climate action activists want to reduce the dairy industry, particularly in Ireland.

The MMO figures look at EU dairy farming since 2003 in some detail, revealing that the number of EU-27 dairy cows has fallen from 23.9m in 2003 to 20.3m in 2020.

But they rose in Ireland, during the same period, from 1,136,000 to 1,456,000.

Surprisingly, the Netherlands is one of the few other member states where cow numbers have risen in that period. They increased from 1,551,000 to 1,569,000, despite Dutch farmers being forced by the EU to get rid of 190,000 dairy cows (11% of the national herd) in 2017 and 2018, because of their phosphorus fertiliser pollution from livestock manure.

The only other E-27 countries where cow numbers have risen are in Cyprus, from 27,000 to 37,000, and Luxembourg, from 41,000 to 54,000.

All four countries are targeted by climate action activists for increasing dairy cows, with Ireland their enemy No 1 for adding 300,000 extra cows.

So why dont the activists emphasise the obvious point, that Irish dairy farmers could cut their dairy herds at least 40%, by increasing milk yield? The MMO has also recently published figures that show Irish cows have the fifth-lowest milk yield in the EU-27.

These 2019 figures show that only the cows in Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania were less productive. Irelands 5.8 tonnes per cow sits in a range from 3.2t in Romania to 10t in Denmark.

Obviously, Ireland could cut its cow numbers 42% and still produce the same amount of milk, if it had Danish cows, based on the 2019 figures. This can be a source of solace to our dairy farmers, that they have an obvious option, which is to increase yields, if climate action pressure gets too much for them.

After all, they were able to transform their herds over the past 20 years, along lines recommended by Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation. If necessary, they can change course again

Previously, the Irish dairy herd, of mostly American-Holstein ancestry, delivered milk at the expense of reproductive efficiency.

The reduced breeding efficiency was unsuitable for our specialised grazing systems, which require cows to go in calf promptly so they calve in time for spring grass feeding.

An Economic Breeding Index figure was developed for each cow, along genetic lines to improve milk production alongside improving reproductive performance, a genetically challenging task because higher milk production usually meant reduced fertility.

However, farmers responded well, achieving annual genetic gain in the EBI of 10.71.

Additional economically important traits relevant to the Irish production system were built into the EBI (calculated to reflect 18 genetic traits), some emphasised more than others.

But we turned away somewhat from high output per cow, and our dairy industry went towards producing as much milk as possible per hectare from the relatively low-cost large quantities of highly digestible perennial ryegrass we can grow.

High levels of profitability were made possible, despite Irelands relatively low milk price, through cost control and comparatively high stocking rates.

Meanwhile, the world changed, with rising concerns about increasing dairy cow numbers and environmental emissions.

However, environmental footprint is poorly represented in the EBI.

It was less of an issue around the turn of the millennium, when the EBI was introduced here.

Now, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says animal agriculture is responsible for up to 10.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

And a complete lifecycle analysis, including all inputs such as animal feed for animal agriculture, as well as change in land use, may bring animal agriculture emissions up to 18%.

So maybe our dairy breeding and management should change again, to accommodate higher output systems, with fewer cows, which can still be built around spring calving and grazing.

With our current lower output per cow systems, farmers need extra land, extra cows, extra labour, and extra facilities, and many of them depend for their living on continued allowance of high stocking rate systems within the EU nitrates directive derogation.

These challenges would be eased, and concerns about increasing cow numbers and environmental emissions would be addressed, by moving to high output per cow nationally.

Many of our dairy farmers still aim for high output per cow, often based on Holstein breeding. However, converting to Danish-style dairy farming, which is mostly indoors, would not please those interested in animal welfare.

And Irelands marketing image of dairy production based on grazing could suffer. But the necessary methods for higher yields from grazing-based production are well known from, for example, the Lyons Systems Research Herd on the UCD farm in Co Kildare, near Newcastle.

There, 60 cows average 625kg of milk solids each, which is about 46% higher than the national average figure of approximately 427kg of milk solids per cow.

It has been found with the Lyons herd that high levels of milk and milk solids output per cow and per hectare are achievable from moderate concentrate feeding in a grazing system, with cows that score highly for fertility in their genetics.

Along with good levels of profitability, the system has enhanced environmental sustainability.

Could the Lyons herd become the template for an Irish dairy with a much reduced carbon footprint?
As the worst Israeli-Palestinian fighting since 2014 raged, the Biden administration has limited its public criticisms to Hamas and has declined to send a top-level envoy to the region. It also had declined to press Israel publicly and directly to wind down its latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, a six-mile by 25-mile territory that is home to more than 2 million people. Cease-fire mediation by Egypt and others has shown no sign of progress.
The two-year program in Latin America will use behavioral science to help build resilient futures as economies continue to recover.



The impact of in-app modifications and notifications on profits, savings, and use of insurance products, considered as the three paths toward financial resilience for small businesses and gig workers, will be studied within digital platforms.

MIAMI and MEXICO CITY and DURHAM, N.C., May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- If youve been thinking more and more about saving money during the past year, you're not alone. While the pandemic has upended our personal finance habits, small changes in our routine can make a big difference. A new initiative in Latin America supported by Mastercard, Mercado Libre, the IDBs Retirement Savings Laboratory, and Common Cents Lab, a financial behavior research lab at Duke University, seeks to use behavioral science to help entrepreneurs and SMEs in the region make better financial decisions.

According to the IDBs COVID-19 Labor Market Observatory, during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 31 million people lost their jobs in Latin America, and the United Nations anticipates the worst recession for the region in a century. Small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs who are actively working, or those who are deciding to enter the digital economy at this stage, must have sufficient financial resilience to overcome this period and be even better prepared to weather financial shocks. The partners collaborating in this program agree that financial resilience is the ability to prepare for, deal with, and recover later from economic shocks.

With support from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth for the next two years, Common Cents Lab team will work with digital platforms including Mercado Libre, the largest e-commerce site in Latin America, to design strategies based on behavioral science, which can be validated and adopted by multiple players in the region. Thus, these strategies will contribute to the growth of digital platforms offering greater financial resilience for the most vulnerable entrepreneurs and workers.

The program will launch first in Mexico and will then be implemented in other countries where the e-commerce platform operates. "This partnership strengthens our commitment to the SMEs in Mexico because it will allow us to better understand them and be a real driver for the country's economic reconstruction," added Davido Geisen, Managing Director of Mercado Libre Mexico. "It represents great pride and responsibility for us to be the first technology company in the region to implement a study of this magnitude to improve the impact on thousands of entrepreneurs through behavioral science."

Behavioral Economics is the study of how people behave and make decisions. Integrating technology with learnings from Behavioral Economics in the financial services space, may help people make financial decisions that are more beneficial to their life in the long run.

Common Cents Lab has proven the power of applied behavioral science in the United States and a number of other countries around the globe, said Luz Gomez, director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. Their expertise and insights will be a powerful counter to the urgent and rapidly growing financial needs of people in this region.

To improve the financial resilience of thousands of SMEs in Mexico and the Latin America region, the program will use the expertise of its partners, to develop changes and notifications within the Mercado Libre platform and study its impact on profits, short- and long-term savings, or the use of credit products among its sellers. The experience we have accumulated at the IDB shows us that we can improve the lives of citizens and their financial habits by using technology and facilitating decision-making, said Oliver Azuara, lead at the IDBs Retirement Savings Laboratory.

We are excited to launch this new initiative with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and our partners in the region as a way to measurably help those affected by the pandemic recover and better prepare for future financial emergencies, said Common Cents Lab co-founder Mariel Beasley. By designing behavioral-informed interventions that exist within these digital platforms, we can produce significant improvements in financial decision-making and resiliency that will serve as a model for best practices in other countries.

This initiative builds on Mastercards ongoing efforts to address the economic challenges facing individuals in the region. Last year, the company united technology leaders in Latin America, including Mercado Libre, to launch the Tech for Good Partnership, a first-of-its-kind private sector agreement to accelerate digital and financial inclusion in the region. Together, its partners pledge to use their resources, assets, and expertise to prioritize digital and financial inclusion efforts in the wake of COVID-19.

To learn more about the Common Cents Lab, please visit https://advanced-hindsight.com/commoncents-lab/.

To learn more about the IDB Retirement Savings Laboratory, go to the following link: https://www.iadb.org/en/labor-and-pensions/home-retirement-savings-laboratory.

About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

About Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the companys core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth. For more information and to receive its latest insights, follow the Center on Twitter, @CNTR4growth, LinkedIn and subscribe to its newsletter.

About Mercado Libre

Founded in 1999, MercadoLibre is the largest online commerce ecosystem in Latin America, serving as an integrated regional platform and as a provider of the necessary digital and technology-based tools that allow businesses and individuals to trade products and services in the region. The Company enables commerce through its marketplace platform which allows users to buy and sell in most of Latin America.

About Common Cents Lab

Common Cents Lab, supported by MetLife Foundation and the BlackRock Emergency Savings Initiative, is a financial behavior research lab at the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University that creates and tests interventions to help low-to-moderate income households increase their financial wellbeing. Common Cents leverages research gleaned from behavioral science to create interventions that lead to positive financial behaviors. The lab is led by Behavioral Economics Professor Dan Ariely and is comprised of researchers and experts in product design, economics, psychology, public policy, advertising, business administration, and more.

To fulfill its mission, Common Cents partners with organizations, including fintech companies, credit unions, banks and nonprofits that believe their work could be improved through insights gained from behavioral economics. To learn more about Common Cents Lab visit www.commoncentslab.org.

About the IDB

The Inter-American Development Bank is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Besides loans, grants and guarantees, the IDB conducts cutting-edge research to offer innovative and sustainable solutions to our regions most pressing challenges. Founded in 1959 to help accelerate progress in its developing member countries, the IDB continues to work every day to improve lives.

Press Contact:

Michael Azzano

Cosmo PR for Common Cents Lab

415/596-1978

michael@cosmo-pr.com
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  District Attorney Raul Torrez of Bernalillo County joined the race to serve as New Mexicos next attorney general Monday, setting up a clash with State Auditor Brian Colon for the Democratic nomination.

Torrez, 44, said he would bring to the job a strong policy background in public safety, in addition to experience as a front-line prosecutor.

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I think New Mexicans want bold leadership and tested leadership inside the AGs Office, he said in an interview Monday. I think they want someone who isnt afraid to take on some of the toughest challenges weve got in the state.

Since 2017, Torrez has led state prosecutors in the 2nd Judicial District, covering Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. He is also a former federal prosecutor.

His plunge into the race comes after Colon  the state auditor and a prominent Albuquerque attorney  announced his campaign last week. State Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, said he is weighing a campaign for attorney general, too.

As district attorney, Torrez said, he has pushed to modernize the office and employ data and technology to help address Albuquerques high crime rate.

The city has endured a spike in homicides this year. Violent crime was up slightly last year, although property crime went down.

Torrez has sometimes clashed with judges and defense attorneys over New Mexicos pretrial detention system for defendants accused of a crime but awaiting trial, established after a constitutional amendment was approved by state voters in 2016. He has proposed changes he said would make it easier to keep dangerous offenders in jail.

Fundamentally, he said Monday, I believe we dont have a system right now that provides adequate protections for the general public.

Torrez also has won praise from defense attorneys  for publishing a list of police officers with a history of dishonesty, use of force, bias or other issues that might make them unfit to aid in a prosecution.

In 2020, he filed a civil lawsuit accusing a heavily armed militia group of operating illegally as a military unit and trying to usurp law enforcement authority.

Torrez grew up in Albuquerque and has degrees from Harvard, Stanford and the London School of Economics.

The 2022 race for attorney general is wide open, with incumbent Hector Balderas set to step down at the end of his second term next year.

Colon and Torrez are both well-funded, each with over $300,000 in their campaign accounts. No Republican candidates have announced campaigns for the race.

The primary election is in June next year.
In a nutshell: Recently divorced Bill Gates reportedly left the Microsoft board as the company investigated an affair he had with an employee almost twenty years earlier. A spokesperson for the billionaire has acknowledged the affair, claiming it was not related to his decision to transition off the board.

Gates left the Microsoft board last year after four decades to concentrate on his philanthropic priorities, but a Wall Street Journal report claims there was more to the story.

The Microsoft board reportedly hired a law firm in 2019 to investigate the affair after an employee alleged in a letter that she had a relationship with the former CEO over several years. The engineer is said to have asked Melinda French Gates, who was married to Bill Gates at the time, to read the letter, though its unclear whether she did.

Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000, a Microsoft spokesman said. A committee of the board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation.

Gates spokesperson told the WSJ that There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. They emphasized that it was in no way related to his decision to leave the board, and that he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier. However, the WSJ writes that some board members decided it was no longer suitable for Gates to remain a director at the company. He resigned before the probe was complete.

Earlier this month, Bill and Melinda Gates announced that they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage. The WSJ reports that Melinda had been meeting with lawyers since 2019 as she planned for the divorce, and that previous revelations of Bill Gates spending time with Jeffery Epstein played a part in her decision.
Consultant - Communications Expert, Vienna, Austria

Organization: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Country: Austria

City: Vienna, Austria

Office: OSCE Vienna

Closing date: Friday, 21 May 2021

The majority of positions in OSCE field operations are filled by secondment, which means that individuals are nominated by their respective OSCE participating State. In addition, a limited number of seconded positions are available at the OSCE Secretariat and the institutions.

Issued by

OSCE Secretariat

Vacancy number VNSECC01645 Vacancy type Experts/Consultants Field of expertise Communications Number of posts 1 Duty station Vienna Date of issue 7 May 2021 Deadline for application 21 May 2021 - 23:59 Central European Time (CET/CEST)

Background

Please note that this is a consultancy assignment of a temporary nature, with an expected duration of approximately 30 working days.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence and security building measures, human rights, combating human trafficking, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairmanship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.

The Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) plays a key role in supporting and coordinating the OSCEs activities in the field, in providing analysis and policy advice to the SG and the Chairmanship, in leading work on all aspects of the conflict cycle, and in supporting various formats dealing with protracted conflicts. The CPC also serves as focal point in the Secretariat for coordinating and developing the OSCEs role in politico-military dimension.

The services of a consultant are required to provide programmatic assistance to the FSC Support Unit, project no. 1101994 "Strengthening OSCE action against the illicit proliferation of SALW and SCA". The assignment is aimed at improving the means of communicating, promotion and raising awareness about the projects results, products and progress to internal (OSCE Executive structure) and external target audiences (participating States, donors and other international organizations) operating in the field of Small Arms and Light Weapons/ Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition (SALW/SCA).

The project objective is to assist the OSCE participating States (pS) to be able to better plan, implement and if necessary strengthen their commitments against the illicit proliferation of SALW/SCA. The project objective will be achieved by the establishment of a baseline for providing technical advice and institutional support for the OSCE pS to supplement the OSCEs SALW/SCA normative base and improve the implementation of its practical assistance projects. This means that needs and requirements for assistance of requesting States will not only be better justified - taking into consideration the long-term outlook of OSCE engagement, but also can be better planned and coordinated with the requesting State, international community and donors. Additionally, it implies that donor States providing resources will allocate their financial and other resources more efficiently, effectively and with more impact. Moreover, proposals for supplementing the OSCE SALW/SCA normative base will be used for stimulation of dialogue among the community of subject matter experts and OSCE pS on updating OSCE documents, the plan of action and best practices guidelines in relation to SALW/SCA to include considerations for the establishment of a mechanism for the regular update of these documents.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The OSCE is looking for qualified candidates for a consultancy position of Communications Expert. The consultant will support the FSC Support Unit in formulating and facilitating communications and visibility approaches for the organization-wide SALW/SCA portfolio. More specifically, the Expert/Consultant will be tasked with:

Analysing the existing communications and visibility approaches and tools, identify gaps and advise on the effective use of tools of communication;Providing advice to SALW/SCA team/s on effective use of tools of communication and ways to communicate project activities and results, and follow on planning implementation and monitoring of such activities/results;Developing a Guidance Note on Communications and Visibility for SALW/SCA projects, assisting them in communicating effectively with regards to SALW/SCA projects, their results and implementation progress to internal and external audiences, covering such elements as: a) formulation of communications objectives; b) analysis of stakeholders and target audiences; c) formulation of messages; d) analysis of best practices in the OSCE Field Operations; e) facilitation of knowledge building and sharing and identification of relevant information on SALW/SCA theme.

Detailed terms of reference for the assignment will be provided to the selected candidate.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the Secretariat, please see: http://www.osce.org/secretariat

Necessary Qualifications

First-level university degree in communications, public relations and/or social sciences;

Minimum of 10 years professional experience in communications;

Proven expertise in developing and implementing communication strategies, preferably for international organizations;

Previous experience working on communications and outreach that relate to the OSCE political-military dimension;

Previous work experience or familiarity with the OSCE brand identity requirements;

Excellent analytical, communication, interpersonal and presentation skills;

Professional fluency in the English language, both oral and written. and the ability to draft documents clearly and concisely;

Flexibility and ability to work under pressure in a challenging environment and within limited time frames;

Professional competence with MS Office and Windows applications, including word processing and e-mail;

Ability to work with people of different nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds;

Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity as well as ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.

Required competencies

Core values

Tags conflict prevention democratization gender perspective human rights salw small arms social sciences word processing

Commitment: Actively contributes to achieving organizational goals

Diversity: Respects others and values their diverse perspectives and contributions

Integrity: Acts in a manner consistent with the Organizations core values and organizational principles

Accountability: Takes responsibility for own action and delegated work

Core competencies

Communication: Actively works to achieve clear and transparent communication with colleagues and with stakeholders of the Organization

Collaboration: Works effectively with others on common goals and fosters a positive, trust-based working environment

Planning: Works towards the achievement of goals in a structured and measured manner

Analysis and decision-making: Analyses available information, draws well-founded conclusions and takes appropriate decisions

Initiative-taking: Proposes and initiates new ideas, activities and projects

Flexibility: Responds positively and effectively to changing circumstances

Managerial competencies (for positions with managerial responsibilities)

Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, builds trust and creates an enabling environment

Strategic thinking: Identifies goals that advance the organizational agenda and develops plans for achieving them

Managing performance: Helps to maximize team performance by providing active feedback and skill development opportunities

Remuneration Package

Remuneration will depend on the selected consultants/experts qualifications and experience and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

How To Apply

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCEs online application link found under

https://jobs.osce.org/vacancies

.

If you are not a national of a participating State, you must apply by submitting an offline application form which can be found under

http://www.osce.org/employment

.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those applicants who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE.

The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see

https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/ourcompetency-model

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1621180598116
TEL AVIV - A total of 220 Palestinians died due to "Israeli aggression" in a week, the health ministry of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was quoted as saying by the Palestinian Wafa news agency, which united the victims of Gaza with those in the Territories and East Jerusalem.

In Gaza, according to the same source, the victims were 198, including 58 children "under 18". The same source spoke about "3,728 wounded in the West Bank" and "1,300 in Gaza".

Blinken asks Israel for reason of attack on media building

ROME - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has asked Israel for "additional details regarding the justification" for an attack targeting a Gaza building housing media outlets including the AP and Al Jazeera. Speaking in Copenhagen on Monday, where he is on a visit, Blinken urged Israelis and Palestinians to "protect civilians, in particular children", stressing that Israel, as a democracy, has a particular duty in doing it. The secretary of State said Washington is continuing to conduct an "intense diplomatic activity" to stop the current cycle of violence and is ready to support the sides, if they will reach a ceasefire.

Meanwhile the Associated Press' top editor called for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that destroyed the Gaza City building hosting the AP, Al Jazeera and other media outlets, saying the public deserves to know the facts, the AP reported.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, separately, asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the bombing. Sally Buzbee, the executive editor of the AP, said the Israeli government has yet to provide clear evidence supporting its attack, which leveled the 12-story al-Jalaa tower.

The Israeli army, which gave AP journalists and other people in the building approximately one hour to evacuate before the attack, said that Hamas had an office for military intelligence and arms development in the building.
New York, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Spectroscopy Market Research Report by Technology, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05911599/?utm_source=GNW



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. This helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available.



1. The Global Spectroscopy Market is expected to grow from USD 10,860.23 Million in 2020 to USD 14,358.03 Million by the end of 2025.

2. The Global Spectroscopy Market is expected to grow from EUR 9,522.45 Million in 2020 to EUR 12,589.40 Million by the end of 2025.

3. The Global Spectroscopy Market is expected to grow from GBP 8,465.48 Million in 2020 to GBP 11,192.00 Million by the end of 2025.

4. The Global Spectroscopy Market is expected to grow from JPY 1,159,061.99 Million in 2020 to JPY 1,532,366.52 Million by the end of 2025.

5. The Global Spectroscopy Market is expected to grow from AUD 15,770.50 Million in 2020 to AUD 20,849.78 Million by the end of 2025.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Spectroscopy to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Technology, the Spectroscopy Market studied across Atomic, Mass, and Molecular.



Based on Application, the Spectroscopy Market studied across Environmental, Industrial, and Life Sciences.



Based on Geography, the Spectroscopy Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Spectroscopy Market including Agilent Technologies, Inc., BaySpec, Inc., Bristol Instruments, Inc., Bruker Corporation, Carl Zeiss AG, Danaher Corporation, Foss A/S, GBC Scientific Equipment Pty Ltd, Hitachi High-technologies Corporation, Horiba, Ltd., JASCO International Co., Ltd., Lumex Instruments, Metal Power Analytical Pvt. Ltd., Microptik BV, PerkinElmer, Inc., Rigaku Corporation, Sartorius AG, SCIEX, Shimadzu Corporation, Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc, Wasatch Photonics, and Waters Corporation.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Spectroscopy Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Spectroscopy Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Spectroscopy Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Spectroscopy Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Spectroscopy Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Spectroscopy Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Spectroscopy Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05911599/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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Spiral: From the Book of Saw is the ninth film in the lucrative Saw franchise that began in 2004. Star and executive producer Chris Rock originated the ninth film, but director Darren Lynn Bousman said it was important Spiral not simply repeat the past eight films.

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"It would've been doing a disservice if we would've made Saw 9 with Chris Rock ," Bousman told UPI in a Zoom interview. "His whole mantra was, 'Let's make a Saw movie, but let's just add a joke or two,'"

In Spiral, Rock portrays Detective Zeke Banks, who investigates a new serial killer targeting police officers and using methods similar to John Kramer, the Jigsaw Killer in the original series.

Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols joined the cast, and Bousman returned to the franchise after he directed Saw II, III and IV.

Nichols plays Banks' captain, Angie Garza, who assigns Banks a new partner, William Schenk (Minghella). Jackson plays Marcus, Garza's predecessor in the department.

The 47-year-old Nichols experienced one of Rock's added jokes when he complained, "What am I, a Jamaican nanny?" when Garza assigned him a new partner. Nichols said Rock improvised a different line in every take.

"There were at least 10 other iterations of punchlines that he put in there," Nichols said.

Minghella said that in some scenes in Spiral, they could not stray from the script because the mystery depended on exact dialogue. Other scenes allowed the 35-year-old Minghella and 56-year-old Rock to improvise Banks and Schenk bonding.

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"Almost all of the dialogue in the car is improvised," Minghella said. "It also helps build the relationship between the characters to make it feel real."

In the Saw movies, Kramer forced victims to atone for their sins by solving his gruesome traps, or die trying. The killer of Spiral targets police officers who have falsified evidence or committed unjustified violence.

Spiral has elaborate death traps to maintain continuity with the Saw films. However, Minghella said the focus on police made him feel like he was in a cop movie rather than a horror film.

"It obviously has the horror elements that you want from a Saw film," Minghella said. "[The filmmakers] were able to thread the balance between something old and something new."

The makers of Spiral, including screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, had the idea to apply the Saw theme to corrupt cops in 2019. Spiral was slated for release in May 2020, but was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While awaiting their new release date, Bousman said Rock texted the 42-year-old director when the Breonna Taylor and George Floyd cases were in the news. Bousman said they did not set out to make a political film, but that police violence has been relevant for some time.

"Sadly, this has been in the news for many years, long before George Floyd," Bousman said.

Spiral is also not the first Saw movie to deal with the police, Minghella said. Danny Glover, Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer, Lyriq Bent, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson all played police officers in the Saw franchise, and many fell into John Kramer's traps.

"It's such a tribute to all of the Saw mythology that they've always had this exploration of morality in relation to cops and detectives," Minghella said. "Give them the credit for being so ahead of the curve."

Bousman said that Spiral also balances its view of the police. For all the cops the killer considers guilty, Bousman said Banks is not one of them.

"It was critical for us that the hero also be a cop, as well, and come from the same department [as the corrupt cops]," Bousman said.

Nichols said she was surprised to discover how timely Spiral was when she saw the film recently. Nichols said she was focused on making a horror movie.

"It was just about a very deranged man who likes to torture and kill police officers for his own sort of justice," Nichols said.

In the Saw franchise, Kramer died in 2006's Saw III. Kramer had partners and disciples to carry on his work, but actor Tobin Bell continued to appear in every sequel via flashbacks.

Spiral is the first Saw movie that does not include Bell. Bousman said he made a difficult phone call to Bell, but the actor understood the series had to move on from Kramer.

"The minute you try to flashback 20 years ago to Tobin Bell, it invalidates it," Bousman said. "It makes it Saw 9."

Other differences between Spiral and Saw sequels include the locations. Most Saw movies take place in a single warehouse where victims face a series of traps.

Spiral shows Banks and Schenk investigating crime scenes in the field at different locations. The film opens at a crowded street fair.

"It was not claustrophobic," Bousman said. "I could actually do driving shots, be in big cities and have that opening shot with 1000 people in it."

One thing that has not changed for Saw movies is their battle with the Motion Picture Association of America ratings board. The board decides whether movies are rated G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17.

Bousman said the board was stricter in 2020 than they were when he made his previous Saw movies. Bousman said he had to trim a specific number of slashes in some murder scenes to qualify for an R rating.

"How is two slices to the skin OK, but three, that's the number that's not OK?" Bousman ashed rhetorically. "Does it really make a difference if there's three cuts as opposed to two?"

Spiral is out in theaters now.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (May 17) called the chief ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa and the Lt Governor of Daman and Diu to discuss the preparations to manage cyclone Tauktae that hit the western coast of India.

PM Modi assured the state governments to provide all necessary assistance to deal with the severe cyclonic storm that is wreaking havoc in the region.

In a telephonic conversation with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and Daman and Diu Lt Governor Praful Patel, he took stock of the situation.

The prime minister said that the National Disaster Response Forces (NDRF) teams are actively carrying out relief and rescue operations.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening called up Chief Minister Vijay Rupani over the phone and sought details of preparation by the state government to deal with cyclone Tauktae," Gujarat Chief Minister's Office said in a statement.

The chief minister apprised the PM about the precautionary steps being taken by the state government to tackle the situation.

According to the statement, the state government has evacuated 1.5 lakh people living in a 10 km radius of coastal areas of different districts that are likely to bear the brunt of the cyclonic storm.

Goa CM Sawant said that the Prime Minister called to enquire about the impact of cyclone Tauktae on the state, and assured all possible assistance from the Central government.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra CM`s Office tweeted, "CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray is closely monitoring the Cyclone Tauktae situation in the state."

As per the latest update given by the IMD, cyclone Tauktae, which has now intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm", is likely to cross the Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva, around 20 km east of the Union territory of Diu between 8 pm and 11 pm on Monday with a maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph.

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August is the earliest the country could see a return to international travel, according to the Tanaiste.

Leo Varadkar has confirmed that the Cabinet will decide upon a roadmap to allow international travel recommence in the summer, as revealed by the Irish Examiner.

He said that it could be August at the earliest when people could travel, despite other Cabinet sources suggesting it could happen sooner than that.

Mr Varadkar said he had not yet seen the memorandum on the EU digital green cert but indicated a decision to remove EU countries from the mandatory quarantine list may not be taken tomorrow but in due course.

A lot can go wrong between now and then. A lot can go right too. The law at the moment is that it is against the law to leave Ireland for non-essential reasons.

"We will have to change that law at some point. It does appear there will be a lot of flexibility given to countries as to how they use the digital cert, he said.

Mr Varadkar said the EU digital green cert will be in place by June but said member states will have six weeks to adopt it.

Hotel quarantine

He confirmed that a scaling down of mandatory hotel quarantine is envisaged, Mr Varadkar said some form of quarantine will have to remain in place for areas of concern where vaccinations are not on par with Ireland.

It is my fervent hope and ambition that we can restore the Common Travel Area with Britain very soon, this is travel without restrictions so we are hoping to restore that at some point this summer or autumn, he said adding the hope is then to extend that out to Europe and possibly the United States.

But there will be parts of the world that will not be vaccinated fully or even extensively until next year. Countries that pursued an elimination approach such as Australia and New Zealand, China and others will not be vaccinated until the middle of next year some time, he said.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar announcing minimum alcohol pricing for the Republic of Ireland during a press briefing at the Department of Health, Dublin. Picture date: Wednesday May 5, 2021.

He said countries like Brazil and other parts of the developing world are not as advanced as us in terms of vaccinations.

There will be some form of mandatory hotel quarantine remaining in place for people travelling to and from those high risk places, he said.

But when it comes to UK, Europe and the US, it may be possible to go there sooner as they have advanced vaccination programmes he said.

Byelection

Mr Varadkar was speaking at the virtual launch of James Geoghegans campaign as Fine Gaels candidate for the Dublin Bay South byelection and the Tanaiste made clear he would prefer for it to happen before the summer recess in July.

I always prefer electioneering in the summer and campaigning in the summer. I did my best to avoid a winter election last time, he quipped.

I dont like schools having to close to hold elections, he added. That is not our call and the date has to be set by Minister Darragh OBrien.

I have to speak to the other party leaders but the way it works is that the writ has to be moved in the Dail, so you cant move the writ during the recess obviously. So option A is June or July and option B is October, he said.

So, we will make a decision on that quite soon, he added.

During his launch, Mr Geoghegan pitched himself as someone who could represent what he called generation rent, or young people locked out of the property market.

The barrister said he has a mortgage with his wife but has rented in the past.

Pressed on his own posh background, Mr Geoghegan said he is somebody who has had a lot of opportunities.

Mr Geoghegan also sought to distance himself from his past membership of the conservative Renua party.

He said he went along with Lucinda Creighton as her parliamentary assistant, but said he disagreed with her stance on the abortion issue.

He described himself as socially progressive. He also said he doesn't agree with the policies Renua has adopted since Ms Creighton left politics and he returned to the Fine Gael fold.
The African Development Bank Group and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday to promote sustainable private-sector development in Africa.

The MoU will catalyse new sources of financing to help bridge the US$2.5 trillion annual financing gap for development in Africa. This gap requires that development finance institutions work in partnership.

Under this partnership, the African Development Bank and the EBRD will capitalise on their respective expertise and experience, with a particular focus on climate change, green and resilient infrastructure and the development of capital markets. They will also work to improve business environments, bolster the real economy and mobilise private-sector investment.

Covid-19 is threatening progress made towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and exacerbating the debt vulnerability of many African countries. Sustainable private-sector development will be key to recovery and prosperity across the continent.

The new partnership agreement between our two institutions will pave the way for us to do more together, especially in supporting the growth of Africas private sector. The impact of Covid-19 on government resources is huge and we need to mobilise more private resources to help African countries build back stronger, said Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, on signing the MoU with his EBRD counterpart.

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said: The Covid-19 crisis has made the need for better and closer collective action even more urgent. Over the years, collaboration between the EBRD and the African Development Bank has grown from strength to strength in the region. This partnership will allow our institutions to do even more to promote sustainable private-sector development in North Africa.

The African Development Bank and EBRD have a long history of cooperation. Last month, the two institutions signed a US$ 114 million financing package for the construction of the largest private solar plant in Egypt.

This new partnership will enable them to strengthen their potential for joint projects and activities, unlocking investment opportunities in economies where both organisations operate.

About the African Development Bank Group

The AfDB Group is Africas premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund. On the ground in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, the AfDB Group contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. More information is available at www.afdb.org.
(Natural News) NPR recently shocked social media users with a tweet that appeared to admit Big Tech has the ability to influence elections.

(Article by Courtney OBrien republished from FoxNews.com)

Whether or not Facebook decides to reinstate former President Trumps account in the coming months will likely have major consequences for Trumps political power and possible future campaign, NPR wrote on Twitter.

Being on Facebook is crucial for modern-day political campaigns, NPR explains in the accompanying story. A Big Tech blackout would mean a drop in fundraising and a significant revenue valve would be shut off for Trump, imperiling a 2024 presidential bid, if he decides to run again. This could also trickle down to negatively affect the midterm candidates he plans to endorse, they write.

Mollie Hemingway, a senior editor at The Federalist and a Fox News contributor, was among the first to notice that NPR said the quiet part out loud.

Interesting way of admitting how much election interference and election meddling against Republicans that our tech companies can do and have done! https://t.co/EzQMD3lWO2  Mollie (@MZHemingway) May 6, 2021

Admitting election interference, other users observed.

Some would even call it what it is election interference. https://t.co/oviE8wzHtC  ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) May 7, 2021

Last week, the Facebook Oversight Board announced that they were upholding the companys indefinite ban on former President Trumps account, but said that Facebook had six months to review the decision. The board also called the ban arbitrary and argued that the company violated its own rules. Their ruling comes after Twitter booted the former president off their platform in January, recently doubling down and declaring that they wont invite Trump back even if he decides to throw his hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential election.

What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country, Trump said in a statement reacting to the news. Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before.

Trump also posted the statement on his new communcations platform, From the desk of Donald J. Trump. But Twitter is cracking down on that as well, taking action against accounts that post content from Trumps new platform as part of their ban evasion policy.

In the wake of Facebooks decision to keep Trump off their platform, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., renewed calls for antitrust action against the company and other Big Tech platforms. Hes also introduced his Bust Up Big Tech Act to reel in the reach of Google and Amazon, effectively banning them from marketing their own retail goods alongside other sellers.

Its past time to bust up Big Tech companies, restore competition, and give power back the American consumers, Hawley said of the bill.

Read more at: FoxNews.com
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The pandemic year was also the murder year.

This past March, the FBI reported a 25% increase in the national homicide rate, with the caveat that several major law enforcement agencies had yet to file their quarterly reports.

While some agencies may have had legitimate excuses for non-filing, I think its a reasonable generalization that government agencies are more likely to bury bad news than good.

One of the late-filing agencies, the Journal revealed in April, was the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Department.

In some cities, the crime jump was even more extreme than 25%. A research letter in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, reported that before the pandemic, an average of 24.9 people were shot every week in Philadelphia. Thats already awful. But from March to November, the figure nearly doubled to 46.4.

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Right through the end of last year, Albuquerque seemed an exception to the crime surge. The Albuquerque Police Department recorded 76 non-negligent homicides in 2020, which was actually down from 80 in 2019.

But what a difference the turning of the year made! From January through April, Albuquerque racked up 41 homicides. If we maintain this pace, were going to top last years total before the end of August.

Albuquerques murder toll is even more startling when placed in international context.

Criminologists usually calculate a countrys homicide rate as the number of killings per 100,000 population per year. Prior to the pandemic, many developed countries had homicide rates of less than one, according to data collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Countries in the low-murder club included Japan, Norway, Netherlands, China, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Poland, Italy, South Korea, Greece, Ireland, Australia, Denmark and New Zealand.

The homicide rates in France, Germany, Great Britain and Canada were between 1 and 1.7. In the United States, using FBI figures, the 2019 rate was five  already several times higher than any of our peer countries.

But then we turn to poor old Albuquerque. If we continue at the present rate, our homicide rate for 2021 will be 21.6. Even in the comparatively good year of 2020, we killed each other at the annual rate of 13.3 per 100,000.

By international standards, we still live in the Wild West.

Criminologists of the future will build whole careers out of studying the great American crime surge of 2020. What accounts for it? The obvious explanation, the stress of the pandemic, is no explanation at all, since the same stress was felt by everyone.

Poverty, New Mexicos go-to excuse for crime, suffers from the same lack of predictive power. Many people are poor, very few are dangerous. By themselves, widely-shared stressors cant explain why some tiny percentage of the affected turn violent.

Moreover, preliminary data from Europe shows no corresponding sudden jump in violence over there, although the pandemic surely caused as much stress on the other side of the Atlantic. Great Britain actually saw a drop in violence reported to the police during the first six months of the pandemic, according to a study in Crime Science.

The virus has many devastating effects on the human organism. But causing otherwise-peaceful people to become violent isnt one of them.

Albuquerque business owners dont need to be reminded that the costs of crime are paid in many ways, a hidden cost of doing business here. There are direct losses from theft and vandalism. For some, theres also physical suffering, grief or PTSD.

For all, theres increased insurance premiums and the expense of security measures.

Then, too, theres the loss of tourist dollars. A pretty persuasive argument in favor of vacationing anywhere but Albuquerque can be found in CBS News list of The most dangerous cities in America, ranked. (Were number nine.)

Recently we received the welcome news that Intel is re-committing to the metro area. But how many start-ups and expansions go instead to southwestern cities where the cost of crime is less burdensome?

In February, the Journals DVal Westphal wrote about home surveillance video showing a well-oiled machine of nonchalant thieves hitting her neighborhood  and APDs complete lack of interest in the evidence.

Young people, choosing where in the Southwest to start their careers, dont have to accept nighttime visits by driveway thieves as one of lifes inevitabilities, like death and taxes. Many dont. Census figures show that New Mexicos population is rapidly aging while the states around us deal with floods of young newcomers.

The greatest difficulty in talking about crime in Albuquerque is that everybody already knows what to think. The political discourse has hardly changed since 1968. The next few columns will see if its possible to say anything new.

Joel Jacobsen is an author who in 2015 retired from a 29-year legal career. If there are topics you would like to see covered in future columns, please write him at legal.column.tips@gmail.com.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX:ERD; MSE:ERDN) ("Erdene" or the "Company") is pleased to announce operating and financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and to provide an update on its Bayan Khundii Gold Project (Bayan Khundii or BK). This release should be read in conjunction with the Companys Q1-2021 Financial Statements and MD&A, available on the Companys website or SEDAR.

Highlights:

Advancing Bayan Khundii Gold Project towards construction Completed detailed design and engineering Received regulatory approval for major non-process facilities Executed contract for comminution circuit Developed project and operations documentation and organizational structure

Progressed EDC Project Finance due diligence with consultant site visits completed

Discovered high-grade gold, near-surface, at the new Dark Horse gold prospect Gold mineralization traced over 1.4 kilometre strike High-grade gold zone discovered within 10 metres of surface Two holes spaced at 100 metres returned 45 metres of 5.97 g/t gold (AAD-58) and 35 metres of 2.67 g/t gold (AAD-81)

Scheduled major drill program to commence in late Q2, targeting Dark Horse, the southeast corner of the Ulaan license and Altan Nar



Quotes from the Company:

During the first quarter we made significant progress on our two core objectives of advancing Bayan Khundii towards development and expanding high-grade gold resources in the Khundii Gold District, said Peter Akerley, Erdenes President and CEO.

We progressed construction readiness and permitting work for our Bayan Khundii Gold Project and conducted an employment orientation program in Bayankhongor Province, our host community, continued Mr. Akerley. Due diligence by Export Development Canada for the Project Finance debt is well underway.

Concurrently, drilling and exploration work during the quarter confirmed the Dark Horse prospect as the most significant zone of gold mineralization in our Khundii Gold District since our discovery of the Bayan Khundii gold deposit, said Mr. Akerley. We have traced mineralization over a 1.4 kilometre trend that remains open along strike and at depth. We are finalizing plans for further drilling at Dark Horse, alongside maiden drilling of Ulaan targets and expansion of the 2020 high-grade Gap Zone at Altan Nar beginning in late Q2.

Although fieldwork has continued with minimal disruption, Mongolia has seen increasing spread of COVID-19, including cases in our host province of Bayankhongor, concluded Mr. Akerley. We are taking all precautions to maintain a safe work environment, and are closely monitoring the COVID situation in the country and its potential impact on the construction schedule for our Bayan Khundii Gold Project.

Q1 2021 Highlights and Subsequent Events:

Bayan Khundii Gold Project  100% Erdene

Progressed construction readiness activities for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project Detailed design and engineering for the Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP) processing plant was completed in Q1 2021  regulatory review will commence in Q2 2021 Contract for SAG and Ball mills awarded to CITIC in March 2021 Detailed drawings for major non-process facilities received regulatory approval, pending issuance of final documentation Balance of facilities is expected to be ready for regulatory submission by Q3 2021 Construction, procurement, health and safety manuals, and job descriptions for key roles drafted in advance of the launch of construction

Launched an Employment Orientation program at the Bayan Khundii Project camp for local residents Two cohorts of 36 received training from Erdenes HSEC team, with a further 140 residents registered for upcoming sessions Topics included Project development plans, environmental management, and opportunities for local participation in the Project Future programs planned to support local residents to attain the skills to earn employment with the Project, including internship and trades certification programs

Obtained key permits and advanced regulatory approvals for mine development Received key regulatory approvals for five key non-process facilities Granted an extension for the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment until September 30, 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing travel and public gatherings





Exploration

Discovered high-grade gold, near surface, at the new Dark Horse gold prospect Gold mineralization traced over 1.4 kilometre strike length Near surface, intensely oxidized, high-grade gold zone discovered beginning within 10 metres of surface, defined by two holes spaced at 100 metres AAD-58  45 metres of 5.97 g/t gold, beginning 10 metres downhole, including 1 metre of 82.5 g/t gold within 8 metres of 27.1 g/t gold AAD-81  35 metres of 2.65 g/t gold, beginning 4 metres from surface, including 12 metres of 5.1 g/t gold with separate one-metre intervals of 14 g/t and 19 g/t gold Wide zones of gold mineralization beginning near surface AAD-61  130 metres of 0.53 g/t gold, beginning 10 metres downhole, located 670 metres north of AAD-58 AAD-66  14 metres of 1.31 g/t gold, beginning 53 metres downhole, as well as 20 metres of 1.74 g/t gold, beginning 112 metres downhole, located 150 metres northeast of AAD-61 Open at depths of up to 220 metres AAD-57  30 metres of 1.7 g/t gold, from 192 metres downhole

Engaged technical experts to assist in the interpretation of the Khundii-Ulaan geologic model and prospective mineralizing systems of the Khundii Gold District which includes Erdenes 100% owned Altan Nar project Results from geologic, structural, and geophysical modelling, spectral alteration, and clay mineralogy analysis, petrographic analysis will be incorporated into drill targeting as part of the 2021 exploration program



Corporate

Progressed due diligence for the Bayan Khundii Project Finance with EDC Site visits completed in Q1 and draft diligence reports received EDC mandate letter contemplates a senior secured debt facility of up to US$55 million, subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence and documentation

Recorded a net loss of $617,084 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to a net loss of $1,041,990 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 Exploration and evaluation expenditures, including capitalized expenditures, totaled $2,523,968 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to $1,511,929 for the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to increased exploration as Erdene drilled 3,100 metres in the current period, while no drilling was undertaken in the comparative prior year quarter. Additionally, expenditures on construction readiness activities in the current quarter exceeded costs associated with the Bayan Khundii Feasibility Study and Detailed Engineering and Design in the prior year quarter. Corporate and administrative expenses totaled $394,604 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to $374,074 for the three months ended March 31, 2020, due to higher professional fees, regulatory costs, and share-based compensation costs, partially offset by reduced directors fees and investor relations costs.



COVID-19 Update

In late January 2020, the Government of Mongolia instituted limitations on public gatherings, suspended in-person classroom learning, and implemented international border controls in response to COVID-19. The Canadian Government adopted similar measures in March 2020, as have most governments globally during 2020. With the first community transmission of COVID-19 in November 2020, the Government of Mongolia has further restricted the movement of people and the delivery of goods and services. While restrictions were eased in mid-Q1 2021, preventive measures were reintroduced in early Q2 2021 following an increase in the number of reported cases. Additionally, in March 2021, Bayankhongor Province, where Erdenes Projects are located, reported its first confirmed case of community transmission of COVID-19, imposing restrictions on the movement of people within and to and from the province. In response, Erdene provided emergency funding and supplied personal protective equipment to the Bayankhongor Emergency Commission to support its efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 within the Companys host province.

Although the impact of COVID-19 on the Companys operations has been modest to date, the pandemic continues to evolve. The Company is monitoring the situation and assessing potential disruptions to the Bayan Khundii Gold Project construction schedule. Concurrently, the Company continues construction readiness work, including detailed engineering and design, procurement, negotiation of a local co-operation agreement with Bayankhongor provincial government, and project finance due diligence with Export Development Canada. Additionally, the Companys Mongolian exploration team has been able to continue field exploration without significant disruption, while adopting enhanced health and safety protocols. Erdenes Corporate and Administrative teams in Canada and Mongolia have worked remotely throughout the pandemic with minimal disruption.

It is expected that a relaxation of government restrictions and widespread vaccine distribution will allow the Mongolian economy to gradually reopen beginning in late Q2 2021, allowing the Companys Canadian staff and consultants to travel to Mongolia. With re-opening, activity in our local communities can resume, including employee safety and, job training and, consultative stakeholder meetings required as part of the Companys Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) submission. Approval of the DEIA is a key milestone in the permitting process, is required to commence construction, and is currently expected in Q3 2021.

Assuming approval of the DEIA in Q3 2021, the Company expects to commence early works, including establishing a permanent camp, warehousing facility, bore-field and basic road works as early as the second half of 2021. Given Mongolian winter conditions, significant concrete and steel works are not expected until 2022, resulting in a first pour of gold in H1 2023. During this period, exploration results from both the Dark Horse and Ulaan prospects will be evaluated to determine possible adjustments to the development plans.

The Company will provide further details on the impact of COVID-19 on its operations and the Bayan Khundii Gold Project schedule as they become available.

About Erdene

Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. Erdenes deposits are located in southwestern Mongolias Edren Terrane, within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, host to some of the worlds largest gold and copper-gold deposits. The Company has been the leader in exploration in the region over the past decade and is responsible for the discovery of the Khundii Gold District with interests in three mining licenses and two exploration licenses hosting multiple high-grade gold and gold/base metal prospects, two of which are being considered for development: the 100%-owned Bayan Khundii and Altan Nar gold deposits.

Erdene Resource Development Corp. is listed on the Toronto and the Mongolian stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.erdene.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information.

Qualified Person

Peter Dalton, P.Geo. (Nova Scotia), Senior Geologist for Erdene, is the Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the ability to obtain required third party approvals, market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE
Mumbai: Actor-dancer Raghav Juyal has been working hard to help his state Uttarakhand battle the ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been actively campaigning on Instagram for international donations for the state.

"Guys We can also receive international donations! Please Donate!! Please Help #PLEASEHELPUTTARAKHAND. Please Donate. -- Raghav Juyal & Friends," wrote Raghav, in one of his many posts along with a G pay number.

The actor recently shared a video about the worsened COVID situation in Uttarakhand and how the administration was getting distress calls from remote villages of the state regarding medical needs in the pandemic. Raghav and his team who were eager to help in the crisis situation, subsequently stepped in.

Raghav, his friends and a team of over 100 volunteers across the country are helping citizens battle the second wave of COVID-19. The team is working to procure Oxygen cylinders, beds and medicines and repeatedly appealing for more support and aid.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Vivint Solar Inc., a national installation company recently acquired by publicly traded firm SunRun, has agreed to consumer-friendly modifications to its marketing practices in a legal agreement with the New Mexico Attorney Generals Office.

But lawyers representing Vivint customers who may have been victims of deceptive marketing said individual homeowners received no relief in the settlement, which the 2nd Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County approved in late December to resolve a lawsuit that Attorney General Hector Balderas filed in 2018.

The original lawsuit accused Vivint of high pressure and illegal door-to-door sales tactics that allegedly ensnare uninformed consumers into binding 20-year power-purchase agreements that end up costing homeowners more for the electricity they consume over time than what they previously paid Public Service Company of New Mexico.

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The company installs and operates its own rooftop solar systems on customers homes and then charges for all the electricity produced, basically replacing PNM as the utility provider.

The attorney general said Vivint sales representatives used aggressive marketing practices involving nearly 3,600 homeowners in Central New Mexico. The company offered free solar systems, according to the lawsuit, that salespeople said would immediately lower customers monthly electric bills by up to 30% or more, when, in fact, the contracts generally locked those homeowners into prices that are higher than PNMs. The company also clouded homeowners titles with filings that make it appear like there is a lien on the home, complicating future sale or refinancing, the attorney general said.

In the December settlement, Vivint denied the attorney generals allegations. But it agreed to modify its marketing practices to provide all prospective customers in the future with clear and understandable explanations about proposed contracts. It also pledged to update its code of ethics to eliminate misleading statements or promises, and to provide ethics training for Vivint sales teams. And it agreed to a $1.95 million settlement payment, including about $709,000 in legal expenses and attorney fees for the law firm that represented the attorney general.

Executives from SunRun, which acquired Vivint in October, did not respond to repeated email and phone inquiries from the Journal. But the attorney general said the settlement is firmly binding on SunRun.

Local private attorneys following the case said the settlement could reduce deceptive marketing in the future, but it does nothing to compensate homeowners who were already victims of past abuse.

The agreement reached has some reforms that will provide at least limited benefit going forward, but my big concern is the people subject to abusive practices over the last four or five years who complained to the attorney general with the expectation that something would be done for them, said Nicholas Mattison, a consumer protection attorney with Feferman, Warren & Mattison in Albuquerque. They received literally no relief under the settlement.

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Balderas said his office cant represent individual consumers, so his staff pursued state violations by Vivint, leading to settlement funds that will now be reinvested in more consumer protection investigations.

The outcome also strengthens individual claims, Balderas said. It can be used as a blueprint to seek private damages.

The original lawsuit did ask the court to declare all of Vivints previous agreements with homeowners as voidable if effected consumers choose to cancel them, because those contracts were allegedly based on false advertising and unfair trade practices. But that wasnt included in the settlement agreement.

Mattison and another Albuquerque attorney, Marrs Griebel Law Ltd. partner Patrick Griebel, are now representing some homeowners in individual cases against Vivint.

Griebel reached a settlement for one client, and hes now pursuing relief for another homeowner, Lynn Griffin, who has a power purchase contract with Vivint for her single-story, 1,960-square-foot home in the Northeast Heights. Vivint installed 51 solar panels on Griffins home, far more than needed to meet electric consumption by Griffin and her family, Griebel said.

Our expert analysis shows that the system should have been designed at about 9 kilowatts, versus this 13.52 kilowatt system, Griebel told the Journal.

But Vivint has refused to downsize the system or to cancel Griffins contract, which mandates that she pay for all electricity produced, whether she needs it or not.

They put 51 panels on my home, but all other homes in my neighborhood that have solar systems only have between 18 and 27 panels, Griffin told the Journal. I spoke with a different solar company last summer who said my home only needs maybe 20-plus panels.

Her summer bills are now generally over $300 per month, and the winter bills up to $200, Griffin said.

I started manually turning some panels off for a few months to balance production with consumption, but the company told me I cant do that, Griffin said. Ive been overpaying for electricity I cant use all this time, but Vivint just keeps digging in, telling me the system is right-sized.

READ MORE
New Delhi: Bollywood's young superstar Urvashi Rautela never fails to mesmerize her fans with her unique yet beautiful look. The actress's recent international song 'Versace Baby' is trending on number 1 all over the world and the videos from the music video are going viral on social media.

Needless to say, her looks from the song are all inspired by Versace and the song is said to be one of the highest budget songs this year.

Urvashi Rautela was styled by none other than famous designer Donatella Versace and according to reports, American pop sensation Beyonce's style team headed Urvashi's look for the music video.

The overall look of Rautela cost a whopping 15 crores and the 6-minute project took more than one year to plan Urvashis outfits as every scene was packed with carefully chosen outfits.

The song tried to portray Urvashi as the greek goddess Mosaic of Medusa face of the empire, who is one of the most well-recognized monsters from Greek mythology.

On the work front, the actress will be making her Tamil debut with a big-budget sci-fi Tamil film in which she will be playing the role of a microbiologist and an IITian, and later she is going to appear in a bilingual thriller 'Black Rose' along with the Hindi remake of 'Thirutu Payale 2'. Urvashi will also be starring in the web series 'Inspector Avinash' alongside Randeep Hooda, which is a biopic based on the true story of super cop Avinash Mishra.
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The Pakistan government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday added the name of Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, who has been charged with corruption, to the no-fly list, barring him from leaving the country for medical treatment.

Earlier this month, the Lahore High Court granted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz -- also the younger brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif -- permission to travel abroad once for medical treatment.

After obtaining bail, Shehbaz, 69, was about to fly to London on May 8 when an Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team at the airport stopped him from travelling on the grounds that his name had been on the provisional national identification list (PNIL), which impose a temporary bar on someone to leave the country.

Shehbaz was offloaded from Doha-bound flight on May 8.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Shehbazs name was added to the exit control list (ECL) after approval from the federal Cabinet.

Also Read | Pakistan Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif stopped from flying abroad despite court order: PML-N

A special committee of the Interior Ministry on May 12 had proposed to the Cabinet that Shehbaz should be barred from leaving the country due to corruption cases against him.

Shehbaz wanted to go to London for a medical checkup after he was bailed out of jail last month.

The interior minister said Shehbaz had not submitted any medical documents for travelling abroad or specified the treatment for his illness.

Last week, Shehbaz had challenged the placement of his name on a travel blacklist and sought one-time permission to go abroad for medical treatment.

I have been a cancer patient and got treated in New York and London. I could not get treatment for more than seven months as I was in jail," the top PML-N leader said, adding in light of the medical test report conducted in jail, there was a need for immediate treatment.

Interior minister Ahmed said Shehbaz "was the guarantor for his brother Nawaz. But instead of bringing him back, he was trying to flee".

"If Nawaz Sharif did not return then why should Shehbaz return? This is a matter of common sense," he said in reply to a question.

Sharif has been in London since November 2019 on "medical grounds".

The Imran Khan government has declared Sharif an absconder and cancelled his passport. Sharif left the country after the court granted him bail in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case in which he was undergoing seven years imprisonment in Kot Lakhpat jail Lahore.

He was also granted four-week bail on medical grounds to have his treatment abroad. The government declared him an absconder after he failed to justify prolonging his stay in London.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also said that Shehbaz's name has been added to the no-fly list after approval from the Cabinet and completion of legal formalities. "The relevant record has been updated in this regard," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, criticising the government's move, PML-N leader Azam Nazir Tarar said the party will file a case of contempt of court.

"The government refused to let him (Shehbaz) go abroad despite orders by the Lahore High Court, Tarar said.

Several PML-N leaders have been facing corruption cases, which they claim, are politically motivated.

On April 23, 2021, Shehbaz walked free from Lahores Kot Lakhpat jail after about eight months behind bars in the money laundering and assets beyond means reference filed by the country's anti-graft body.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had alleged that Shehbazs family had assets of around PKR 16.5 million till 1990, which increased to over PKR 7 billion in 2018 which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Instructor Han Fei uses sign language to conduct the dancing group at the theatre of the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 10, 2021. [Photo by Sun Fanyue/Xinhua]

TIANJIN, May 16 (Xinhua)  The dancing group with the Technical College for the Deaf of the Tianjin University of Technology was set up in 1998. Members of the group have passions for dancing on the stage. Every week, they do rehearsal and also invite dancing teachers from Tianjin Disabled Person's Federation for conducting. The rehearsals now become part of the university's aesthetic education.

Members of the dancing group interact with each other during makeup time at the theatre of the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 10, 2021. [Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo]

Members of the dancing group have a rest during a break of rehearsal at the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 8, 2021. [Xinhua/Li Ran]

The leader of the dancing group Yang Ning feels the tremor of the soundbox during a rehearsal at the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 12, 2021. [Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo]

Members of the dancing group exercise at the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 8, 2021. [Xinhua/Li Ran]

Members of the dancing group interact with each other during a break of rehearsal at the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 8, 2021. [Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo]

Members of the dancing group listen to their instructor at the theatre of the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 10, 2021. [Xinhua/Li Ran]

Members of the dancing group take part in a dressed rehearsal at the theatre of the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 10, 2021. [Photo by Sun Fanyue/Xinhua]

Members of the dancing group take part in a dressed rehearsal at the theatre of the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 10, 2021. [Photo by Sun Fanyue/Xinhua]

Members of the dancing group interact with each other by sign language during a break of dressed rehearsal at the theatre of the Tianjin University of Technology in Tianjin, north China, May 10, 2021. [Photo by Sun Fanyue/Xinhua]

(Source: Xinhua)
New Delhi: The security forces have killed two terrorists on Monday (May 17, 2021) after an encounter broke out in the Khonmoh area of Srinagar district in Jammu and Kashmir.

A top police official said that the two killed in a 5-hour encounter were local residents and belonged to the Al-Badar terrorist outfit. He also informed that arms and ammunition have been recovered from the encounter site.

Working on a specific input, a joint team of Police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in Khonmoh. At around 7 AM on Monday, contact was established between the terrorists and security forces.

The Police said that as the joint searching party cordoned the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired upon the forces, which was retaliated and resulted in an encounter.



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The U.S. and Chinese space agencies continue to gather significant data from their respective and current explorations of Mars. Perseverance, which landed on Mars about three months ago, and Zhurong, which began its mission days ago, are providing the world with remarkable images of the Red Planet and collecting important samples that will be examined by scientists.

Indeed, these are heady times for U.S. and Chinese scientists. But, as you might expect, the Western narrative of China's mission suggests it ought not be celebrated and is inferior to the U.S. effort.

The most negative comment about China's successful landing on Mars came from a U.S. politician. Maine senator Angus King bemoaned that Zhurong's "landing reinforces the point that we don't own space any more."

In case anyone did not understand what he meant, the senator then said, "If they can land a rover on Mars, there's a lot of other things they can do that might not be so benevolent." Echoes of Washington's Strategic Competition Act, which is filled with all sorts of empty fears about China, were on full display in the senator's harangue.

The senator's ridiculous comments were a stark reminder that U.S. politicians agree on almost nothing except that China presents nothing but trouble for U.S. interests. Without question, Washington's political class wants Americans to believe that on Earth, on Mars and presumably anywhere else in the solar system, China is determined to undermine U.S. hegemony.

Western media and multiple non-journalism organizations appear quite content to parrot this unfounded narrative.

NBC News, in its report of the successful landing of Zhurong, urged its audience to understand that China had "lofty ambitions for space exploration." The Guardian's account included a reminder that China had faced the wrath of the West just one week earlier because of "a breach of etiquette" relating to another space rocket returning to Earth.

The American Chemical Society announced that the U.S. mission "aims to, for the first time, collect martian samples that will one day be returned to Earth." In addition, "The NASA spacecraft will use new technology to pick a safe landing site." And China's mission? If the capsule made it, then the mission would represent "China's first successful Mars landing."

That was it; nothing about the experiments during, or purpose of, the mission was discussed. Later, readers were reminded that Perseverance would remain active for 669 Mars days, while Zhurong would function for only 90 Mars days.

A couple of days ago, the Associated Press offered a positive account of Zhurong's arrival on Mars, but it, too, could not resist adding this reminder: "The U.S. has had nine successful landings on Mars since 1976."

Buried even further in the AP report was the congratulatory message sent by a top NASA administrator: "Thomas Zurbuchen tweeted his congratulations, saying, 'Together with the global science community, I look forward to the important contributions this mission will make to humanity's understanding of the Red Planet.'"

You will notice nothing in Mr. Zurbuchen's statement about competition, hegemony or fear. Rather, there's excitement about "humanity's understanding" of Mars expanding. This is what valuing a shared future looks like. This also is the critical difference between seeing the U.S.-China relationship as one of competition and friction versus cooperation and friendship.

The U.S. media is focused heavily on the latest war between Israel and Hamas, and that intense coverage explains why so few commentators have added to the litany of (false) accusations and (unnecessary) criticism of China's "ambitions" for space exploration. One can imagine if the United Kingdom or Japan had landed a rover on Mars for the first time that heaps of praise and goodwill would fill the pages of Western newspapers and broadcast news programs.

But praising China  for anything  in the United States is welcoming criticism from all sorts of places. As was often demonstrated during the Cold War, (empty) accusations that the news organization (or the university professor, come to think of it) has gone soft and is failing to adhere to the "China is the boogieman" theme that dominates the political chatter will be hurled from the public and private spheres.

A last thought: Sen. King, please be aware that no country owns space. It is there to be explored by all nations, and cooperation among those nations will benefit all of humanity.



By Anthony Moretti. The author is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership of Robert Morris University. (Source: CGTN)
Dublin, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "The African Dairy Market: Companies, Products, Markets Companies, Products, Markets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2019 Africa imported 2.1 million tonnes of dairy products (including infant milk formula and fat-filled milk powder) worth some 4.8 billion. This was up from 1.46 million tonnes in 2009 (worth 2.5 billion). Africa is an increasingly important market for dairy producers and one about which there is little reliable published information. African Dairy Market: Companies, Products, Markets will address this gap. The report is in two main sections:

The first section of this report provides a review of the drivers of demand in the Africa dairy industry and a discussion of the dynamics of internationally traded dairy products. Products covered are WMP, FFMP, SMP, infant formula, cheese, butter, whey products, liquid milk, concentrated milk and fermented products. Each product category includes a discussion of the product and applications, demand trends by market and sourcing trends by supplier country. Trade flows are analysed using tariff level, mirrored trade data from 200 countries, from Global Trade Tracker.

The companies section provides detailed, up to date profiles of the leading dairy companies in Africa - the companies driving the development of the African dairy industry - answering such questions as:

Who are the leading dairy companies in Africa?

What are their sales in Africa?

Which markets are they investing in?

What products are they supplying?

In what areas are they innovating?

How much are they investing?

How are they structured to supply a continent of 54 countries?

What are their main brands?

The report builds on over twenty years of field research in dairy markets in Africa, complemented by extensive desk research.



Key Topics Covered:





Section A Products and Markets

1 Investment in the African Dairy Industry

1.1 Demand Drivers

1.2 Emerging Consumer Markets

1.3 Production of Milk in Africa

1.4 Leading Dairy Companies in Africa

2 Overview of African Dairy Imports

2.1 African Dairy Imports by Product

2.2 Development of African Dairy Imports 2009-2019

2.3 Estimated 2020 Imports

3 Whole Milk Powder

4 Fat Filled Milk Powder

5 Skim Milk Powder

6 Infant Formula

7 Cheese

8 Butter

9 Whey

10 Liquid Milk

11 Concentrated Milk

12 Fermented Products

Section B: Companies

13 Nestle

13.1 Company Background

13.2 Nestle in Africa

13.3 Central and West Africa

13.4 North East Africa

13.5 Maghreb

13.6 East and Southern Africa (ESAR)

14 Danone

14.1 Company Background

14.2 Danone in Africa

14.3 North Africa

14.4 West Africa

14.5 East Africa

14.6 Early Life Nutrition

14.7 Summary of Manufacturing Presence in Africa

15 Lactalis Group

15.1 Company Background

15.2 Lactalis in Africa

15.3 Northern Africa

15.4 Southern Africa

15.5 Infant Formula

15.6 Summary of Manufacturing Presence in Africa

16 Fonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd.

16.1 Company Background

16.2 Fonterra in Africa

16.3 Key Markets

16.4 Resellers

16.5 Consumer Products

17 Promasidor

17.1 Company Background

17.2 Innovation in Milk Powder

17.3 Markets

18 Clover Industries Limited

18.1 Company Background

18.2 Markets

18.3 Corporate Social Responsibility

19 FrieslandCampina

19.1 Company Background

19.2 FrieslandCampina in Africa

19.3 West Africa

19.4 North Africa

19.5 East Africa

19.6 Summary of Manufacturing Presence in Africa

20 Juhayna

21 Bel Group

21.1 Company Background

21.2 Bel Group in Africa

21.3 North Africa

21.4 West Africa

21.5 Summary of Manufacturing Presence in Africa

22 Delice Group

23 Ornua

23.1 Company Background

23.2 Ornua in Africa

24 International Dairy and Juice Limited (IDJ)

25 Arla Foods

25.1 Company Background

25.2 Arla in Africa

25.3 Products

25.4 Key Markets

25.5 Summary of Manufacturing Presence in Africa

26 Arabian Food Industries - Domty

27 Obour Land

28 Arab Dairy Products Company (Panda)

28.1 Company Background

28.2 Products

28.3 Markets

29 Savencia

29.1 Company Background

29.2 Savencia in Africa

30 Sodiaal

30.1 Company Background

30.2 Sodiaal in Africa

31 The Coca-Cola Company

31.1 Company Background

31.2 Coca-Cola in Africa

31.3 Other Dairy Investments by the Coca Cola Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xl73vl

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
CORNING, N.Y., May 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation (OTCQX: CNIG) announced consolidated net income of $2.330 million or $0.74 per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. This compares to consolidated net income of $2.705 million or $.86 per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. The Company reported net income for the six months ended March 31, 2021 of $2.513 million or $.78 per share, compared to $3.159 million, or $.99 per share for the six months ended March 31, 2020. CFO Chuck Lenns commented, The Company saw earnings decline, for both the three-month period and the six-month period ended March 31, 2021, principally due to transaction costs related to our pending merger, and higher interest expense and depreciation expense primarily related to our Leatherstocking acquisition. The earnings decline was offset by higher operating margins and higher investment income.



Net income for the three and six months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021. Quarterly earnings are affected by the highly seasonal nature of the business and weather conditions such as temperature variations.

Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation provides natural gas and electric service to customers in New York and Pennsylvania through its operating subsidiaries Corning Natural Gas, Pike County Light & Power, and Leatherstocking Gas Company.

From time-to-time, Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation may produce forward-looking statements relating to such matters as anticipated financial performance, business prospects, technological developments, new products, and similar matters. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experiences to differ materially from anticipated results or other expectations expressed in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Bai Jingying

Ten people received the honorary title of "National Poverty-Alleviation Model" in Beijing on February 25. Bai Jingying was among the recipients. She has spared no effort in promoting the innovative development of Mongolia-style embroideries, and she has led 26,000 women in working in the Mongolia embroidery industry.

Bai is chairperson of the Standing Committee of Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner People's Congress and president of Mongolia Embroidery Association. She was born into a Mongolian family in Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner, in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in 1963. Both her mother and grandmother were good at making Mongolia embroideries.

"When I was a child, my clothes and shoes had beautiful, embroidered patterns. My mother also embroidered quilts and curtains. I often accompanied her to make embroideries at night, and I also learned how to embroider," Bai recalls.

After she grew up, she kept busy, with her work and studies, and, as a result, seldom had time to make embroideries. But she was always concerned about the development of Mongolia embroidery.

In recent years, since realizing Mongolia embroidery has been gradually disappearing from people's lives, Bai has grown increasingly worried about the future of the craft. She has often thought, "Mongolia embroidery, with exquisite patterns, bright colors and unique charm, should not be forgotten."

In 2016, with the support of the banner's Party (Communist Party of China) committee and government, Bai became president of Mongolia Embroidery Association and head of a special team responsible for promoting the Mongolia embroidery industry.

Aimed at fighting poverty by developing the embroidery industry, Bai established a college students' entrepreneurship, employment and poverty-alleviation service association, a poverty-alleviation embroidery company, and an embroidery base.

She also established China's largest Mongolia embroidery poverty-alleviation workshop, and she created a comprehensive and cooperative business model to boost the development of the Mongolia embroidery industry.

Bai has visited almost all of the villages in the banner, to teach embroidery skills to the locals. Since 2016, she and her team's members have trained more than 16,000 people. Many farmers and herdsmen in the banner have been lifted out of poverty by working in the Mongolia embroidery industry. The annual per capital income of 2,895 impoverished households has increased by at least 2,000 yuan (US $308) in recent years.

Bai has designed 1,072 embroidery products, and more than 7,000 embroidery patterns, which are given free to embroidery workers and college graduates returning to their hometowns for employment.

To expand the market, Bai has organized training seminars for sales and marketing personnel, and she has established 37 sales outlets across the country. The company's embroidery products have been exported to other countries.

Thanks to the efforts of Bai and women embroiderers, Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner has become known as the Hometown of Mongolia Embroidery in China.

Bai says she was excited when she accepted the medal and certificate of "National Poverty-Alleviation Model" from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"The honor is the affirmation of and encouragement to continue the poverty-alleviation work of Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner. As a Party member, a deputy of the people and a poverty-alleviation cadre, I felt incomparably honored  I will keep working hard and play a bigger role during the process of rural revitalization," she says.

Photos Supplied by Fan Wenjun

(Women of China English Monthly March 2021 issue)
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As Dartmouth College sophomore Nicholas Sugiarto flipped through the course catalog last semester, two words caught his eye: Asian American.

The 19-year-old Chinese Indonesian American didnt know Asian American-focused classes were even an option at the Hanover, New Hampshire, campus. The biomedical-engineering major ended up enrolling in Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature and now wishes he could minor in Asian American Studies.

I never realized how long and storied the history of Asians in America has been, Sugiarto said. You also hear about stories that just never made the news or never made it into the standard AP U.S. history textbooks.

That feeling of being seen resonates now more than ever for Asian American and Pacific Islander students and faculty at college campuses around the country. For all the Stop AAPI Hate hashtagging, accounts keep emerging of new incidents of Asian Americans being coronavirus scapegoats or made to feel like foreigners in their own country.

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Ongoing anti-Asian attacks along with the March massage business shootings in Georgia that left six Asian women dead have provoked national conversations about visibility.

The debate has renewed an appetite at some colleges for Asian American Studies programs. As student diversity grows, so does the desire for representation in the syllabus. But qualified professors of color say such programs wont last if they arent being offered permanent decision-making power.

Inspired by his literature class, Sugiarto added his signature to the nearly 1,000 on a petition calling on Dartmouth to establish an Asian American Studies major, a challenge thats been brought to the Ivy League school on and off for four decades.

Sugiarto and his classmates hope this time will be different given recent events.

Eng-Beng Lim, the Dartmouth professor who taught Sugiartos class, said the petition gained momentum after the massage business killings, and even fueled discussions with administrators.

Those talks recently stalled, though Lim still described it as a promising and critical impasse.

When U.S. universities refuse to support Asian American Studies that are framed in a way that we have framed it, its really a missed opportunity to think about how we might have a more nuanced understanding of American racism beyond binary terms of Black and white, Lim said.

Pawan Dhingra, a professor at Amherst College and the incoming president of the Association for Asian American Studies, said he is aware of a few other East Coast schools either considering Asian American Studies or renewing their commitment to it.

A lot of ethnic studies programs grew out of student demand during key inflection points in American history, Dhingra said. This is an inflection point. The push for ethnic studies  in this case Asian American Studies  fits the tradition of how these programs come to be. Its rarely the brainchild of administrators or faculty.

The concept of ethnic studies is believed to have started in California, where it became state law in August that California State University students take one ethnic studies course to graduate.

In 1968, students of color at San Francisco State University, which was named San Francisco State College at the time, joined Black classmates demanding a curriculum that wasnt just Euro-centric. What followed was five months of protests  the longest student strike in U.S. history  and hundreds of arrests.

In March 1969, after intense negotiations, the university officially launched a College of Ethnic Studies. Other schools also devised similar programs.

Alumni who were on strike 53 years ago see parallels with todays Stop Asian Hate rallies, said Mai-Nhung Le, chair of San Francisco State Universitys Asian American Studies program. Young Asian Americans are again demanding classes relevant to them  not just history but everything from popular culture to environmental justice.

But while the backdrop in the 60s was the Vietnam War, today its two concurrent pandemics: COVID-19 and structural racism, Le said.

Establishing an Asian American Studies department is one thing  nurturing it is another. Ethnic studies programs are on shaky ground if schools dont recruit instructors who can plan courses and mentor students.

Of more than 428,000 faculty who were tenured or on tenure-track at degree-granting institutions nationwide in 2019, 70% were white, 11% were Asian or Pacific Islander, 5% were Black, and 5% were Latino. Native Americans and Alaska Natives comprised just 0.4%, according to data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics.

A furor erupted at Dartmouth in 2016 when Aimee Bahng, an assistant English professor, was denied tenure. She had unanimous support from a departmental committee but not with higher-ranking campus officials. The rejection came as students were making another push for Asian American Studies. Bahng had even started planning potential classes.

She recalls receiving hundreds of sympathetic messages from female academics in the U.S. and abroad.

I had an electronic folder of just women or women of color who had been denied tenure, said Bahng, who now teaches at Pomona College. It was amazing but also depressing.  I always know when its tenure-denial season because I still get a handful of emails.

Dartmouth freshman Anais Zhang, 18, never gave Asian American Studies much thought until she was assigned to write about it for the school newspaper after the Atlanta-area massage business shootings. In her research, Zhang learned of all the attempts to start a program that ultimately went nowhere. It left her frustrated.

I talked to a lot of my friends about the article and my shock at how we really dont have an institutionalized program and just my reaction learning about how previous students had put so much effort in petitioning the college and hiring professors  only to have this support trickle away and have all this progress undone in the subsequent years, Zhang said.

A lot of times fledgling ethnic studies programs decline because junior professors who arent full time or permanent have to carry them, according to Dhingra.

Its just creating extra labor for faculty that burns people out and it isnt able to grow because it wasnt created with enough infrastructure in the first place, Dhingra said.

At the University of Arizona in Tucson, an Asian Pacific American Studies minor launched last month. While it is an example of the way the university is combating anti-Asian hate and ignorance, it was a culmination of efforts that started several years before the pandemic, said Brett Esaki, an assistant professor who helped come up with the coursework.

The short- and long-term goals are definitely about stability, said Esaki, who is not tenured. We cant just hope for another disaster to get people to say, Youre important.' ___

Tang reported from Phoenix and is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ttangAP